Ingredients

• 3 tablespoon grapeseed or olive oil
• 2 teaspoon cayenne powder
• 5 cloves garlic, roughly minced
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon oregano (Mexican, sweet oregano recommended)
• 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 large bay leaf
• 1 1/2 tablespoon kosher salt
• 8 ounces crimini mushrooms, washed and quartered
• 1 medium eggplant, diced
• 3 cups cauliflower florets, cut into bite-sized chunks
• 3/4 cup carrots, diced
• 1 can chick peas (also known as garbanzo beans)
• 4-5 small tomatoes, diced
• 1 quart low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
• 1 cup water
• 2/3 cup frozen corn
• 2 teaspoon soy sauce

Directions

Heat up half of the oil in an 8-quart stockpot over medium heat along with the garlic, herbs and spices (except for the bay leaf), let steep until the flavor blooms. Add the mushrooms and 1/2 tablespoon of salt, along with the remaining oil and increase the heat to medium-high. Saute the mushroom until the edges are golden brown. Add the diced eggplants next along with another 1/2 tablespoon of salt and continue to saute until the eggplant starts to soften.

Reduce heat back down to medium, then add the carrots, cauliflower, corn, chickpeas and tomatoes. Stir together and cook for 2-3 minutes, then add in the remaining salt, broth, water, soy sauce and bay leaf. Bring to a slow boil, partially cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes, or until the cauliflower has partially softened. Remove the bay leaf right before serving.

Optionally, serve the soup with chopped cilantro or parsley and squeeze a bit of lime juice into each bowl.

While trying to figure out what to eat for dinner, I had a flashback to when I worked for a local marketing agency. I remembered a co-worker microwave a frozen burrito, then added some pulled strands of string cheese on top, and heated it up until I started to melt. It became one of my lunch staples, along with chicken nuggets and broccoli with melted Tillamook Sharp Cheddar.

So I decided to take out two PJ’s Organic Burritos (one chicken and one beef) and gave both the string cheese treatment. Just to mix it up a bit, I drizzled the tops of each burrito with some Dave’s Gourmet Hurtin’ Habanero hot sauce.

Waxing nostalgic? Yes. Comfort food? Yes. That’s a double-plus good to me.

Last October, I decided to take on Salvador Molly’s Great Balls of Fire challenge and was able to complete it in under three minutes.

This afternoon, another set of co-workers wanted to attempt the challenge and I decided to try it again. This time, I was able to take down the five fritters and salsa in under two and a half minutes… without hiccups even (I had a short bout of hiccups when I chugged the salsa last time).

What slowed me down this time was that the fritters were just fried and were absolutely, searing hot. The first bite was almost hot enough to scorch my tongue and the roof of my mouth. The level of capsicum heat didn’t seem to be as high as last time, but that could be a sign of acclimation. I wanted to chug the salsa, but it was spread out on the plate this time, instead of being in a small ramekin.

There has already been some chatter among the same co-workers about the next food challenge: durian. Keep in mind, I’ve grown up eating durian in many ways, fresh, baked and made into ice cream. In this case, I’ll be more of an evil spectator ;)

Ingredients

• 2 medium sized poblano peppers, stem and seeds removed
• 4 large crimini mushrooms, quartered
• 1 medium red bell pepper, stems and seeds removed, sliced
• 4 celery stalks with leaves, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 small sweet onion (white or yellow), chopped into 1-inch pieces
• 1.5 cups challah, cubed
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 tablespoons maztoh meal
• 1 tablespoon ground yellow mustard
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
• 0.5 teaspoon garlic powder (not garlic salt)
• 1 pound ground dark turkey
• 1 pound ground dark chicken

Instructions

Pre-heat oven to 325-degree F. In a large bowl, combine all vegetables and challah, then drizzle with olive oil. Toss to combine and spread on to a half-sheet or jelly roll baking sheet and sprinkle lightly with kosher salt. Roast in oven for 25-30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, until challah has been fully toasted (but not burned) all around. Remove from oven and let cool for 20 minutes.

Pre-heat the oven again, this time to 350-degree F. Place all of the cooled, roasted ingredients into a food processor along with the matzoh meal, ground mustard, salt, pepper, herbs and spices. Pulse until all of the ingredients are well combined and no large chunks remain. Using the large bowl in the previous step, combine the roasted vegetable mixture and the ground meat using a large spatula, mixing spoon or, best of all, your hands until thoroughly combined.

Press the mixture into an 8×8 or 9×9 Pyrex pan, making sure that the top is smooth and even. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil, reduce temperature to 325 degree F, and continue baking until internal temperature reaches 160 degree F. Remove from oven and cover with foil and let the carry-over heat bring the internal temperature to 165 degree F. Drain any excess liquid if necessary, then slice and enjoy.

When I get home, after a hectic day at work, I tend to crave something simple and comforting. Lately, I have been able to satiate my cravings with a 0.75-1.0″ thick biased-cut slice of challah, covered with sliced cheese (be it jalapeño or habañero jack, sharp cheddar or crumbled Rogue Creamery blue cheese), chuck it into a toaster oven and toast it until the edges and bottom get slightly charred.

It may not be as iconic as a proper grilled cheese sandwich, but an open-face, toasted challah and cheese sandwich is rich and has a good amount of chew.

For additional flair, spread a thin layer of good mustard, such as Beaver Food’s Sweet Hot Mustard, on the slice of challah before layering on the cheese. Want even more spice? Apply your choice and amount of hot sauce on the challah or cheese before toasting. It’s even better if you have a panini or grill press. Instead of one thick slice of challah, use two slightly thinner slices. No butter or non-stick spray is needed, as the challah shouldn’t stick and you don’t want to mess up the mallard reaction.

• Pickapeppa Spicy Mango Sauce
  Great as a wings sauce when used with the Good Eats Buffalo Wings recipe. Heat: 2/10. Flavor: 8/10.
• Tapatio Hot Sauce
  It may not be hot or spicy for me, it has a great flavor and can be used with almost anything. Heat: 1.5/10. Flavor: 6/10.
• Dave’s Hurtin’ Habanero Sauce
  The hot sauce to get, no matter cost or availability. If you like taco sauce from a certain fast food perveyor but want something that has a good punch, this is it. Used to be quite spicy for me, but now it only has a bite in quantities of over a tablespoon. Heat: 4/10. Flavor: 8/10.
• Dave Gourmet’s Insanity Sauce
  While intake in large doses can be considered punishment for some, the sauce combines the flavor of Hurtin’ Habanero and an indescribable heat. It bests the heat of Salvador Molly’s Great Balls of Fire fritters and salsa. Heat: 8/10. Flavor: 6/10.
• Dave Gourmet’s Hurtin’ Jalapeno Sauce
  Want the overall flavors of the Hurtin’ Habanero sauce without the heat, go for the wimpier (in a good way) Hurtin’ Jalapeno sauce. May not be an easy sauce to find at grocery stores. Heat: 2/10. Flavor: 5/10.
• Huy Fong Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce
  Mostly known as the “rooster sauce” for its trademark picture of a rooster on the bottle. This sauce substitutes flavor with a vinegary, harsh heat. The hot sauce for use with Pho or any other Vietnamese soups. Want a double punch? Use it to make spicy tuna sushi and pack in a good amount of wasabi, and you’ll probably think you’ve inhaled pepper spray. Heat: 4.5/10. Flavor: 1/10.

There are a couple of other hot sauces that I like and others waiting to be tested, so expect another post or two on this topic.