Rijn and Dine: August 2014

Monday, August 18, 2014

Corn soup

18 August 2014

Corn soup

I've gotten to like posting large pictures so I can admire the food as well. Today's dish was the result of good fortune, receiving a lot of corn from work. This corn soup is dangerously vivacious with bright colors, yellow, red, green! Fresh sweet corn, smoky sausages, basil leaves provide the beautiful visual effects as well as different attributes to this dish. Ingredients include poblano peppers and potatoes. I cant pinpoint the exact spices that went into the soup base, but the texture is not quite chowder-y which would probably have made it too heavy. This soup is smoky/spicy with bits of sweetness from the corn. This culinary perfection is definitely a highlight of my day.

Pearl couscous

17 August 2014

Pearl couscous

This tasty concoction is made with kale, mushrooms, rotisserie chicken, and spring onions cooked with a nice tangy sauce that reminds me of hoisin sauce that made the couscous more interesting. A very balanced meal with an earthy herbal tone from the spring onion and mushrooms.

Chicken salad

15 August 2014

Chicken salad

A nice light dinner with lettuce, rotisserie chicken, tomatoes, pine nuts, croutons, and bell pepper. Tossed with a light coating of ranch dressing. Healthy eats!

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Mushroom beef stew

13 August 2014

Mushroom beef stew

Before I saw this dish, there was a heavenly aroma floating around the house. A stew (my favorite comfort food) made by slow cooking beef overnight in beef broth. On the second day added with bacon, carrots, mushrooms sauteed in heavy cream, seasoned with all spice and black pepper, italian seasoning (basil, oregano, majoram, thyme, sage, rosmary), and star anise. This delicious stew was served with some egg noodles, which were great for balancing out the spiciness from the black pepper.

Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Seared scallops with risotto

12 August 2014

Seared scallops with risotto

Scallops nicely seasoned and seared. Evenly matched with risotto cooked in chicken broth. Risotto contains rutabaga, carrots, bacon, and fragrant with chopped cilantro. Bon Apétit!

Monday, August 11, 2014

Chili con carne

11 August 2014

Chili con carne

Look at the cheese on that! Chili by Rijn never disappoints, with kidney beans, diced tomatoes, ground beef, corn, and fried red onions topped with lotsa cheese. Don't forget the mexican spices!

Greek yogurt soup and steamed salmon

06 August 2014

Greek yogurt soup and steamed salmon

I was worried when I first heard rose water would be used in this soup, as it has a strong fragrance and can easily overpower other subtle flavors. However, in this soup the rose water gave it the flavor of cold, along with the cucumbers and mint. The salmon steamed with dill and pepper flakes gave a nice heat to balance to cool soup.

Peanut vermicelli stir fry

05 August 2014

Peanut vermicelli stir fry

Creative use of peanut sauce to form a flavorful healthy stir fry. complete with tomatoes, lettuce, celery, tofu, carrots and shitake mushrooms.

Tonkatsu with red cabbage slaw and couscous

04 August 2014

Tonkatsu with red cabbage slaw and couscous

Impressive is how I would rate the tonkatsu. I am a big fan of katsudon myself, but always hesitate to order pork when eating out. The reason being overcooked food. They turn perfect food into perfectly inedible foods, and I can go on but I shall resist. The tonkatsu is evenly matched with what seems to be an ordinary slaw of red cabbage. It has however hidden in its camouflage of colors apples, chopped pecans and goat cheese. The only part of this dish that balances the intricate flavors of the tonkatsu and the slaw is the vanilla couscous.