Grilled Tofu

On August 5, 2021August 5, 2021 By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn Grilling, IngredientLeave a comment

Since last week’s post, I’ve been continuing to sample and enjoy recipes from The ‘Ohana Grill Cookbook. One of the first to catch my eye continues to be a favorite, so I was thrilled when author Adrienne Robillard and photographer Dawn Sakamoto Paiva allowed me to share it in a bonus grilling post this week.

The book’s 50 recipes put Hawaiian flavors on the grill, no matter where your grill is located. I had no trouble finding most of the ingredients listed, even in northwest Montana, and my homegrown vegetables had plenty of chances to play with pineapple, mango, and other tropical flavors. I tried many fish and shellfish recipes from the collection—and more than 20 recipes will satisfy meat lovers. But one I’m going to be making again and again should be on everyone’s list, from carnivores to vegans: Grilled Tofu and Veggies.
Learn to make Grilled Tofu and Veggies from The ‘Ohana Grill Cookbook

Cookbook Review: Grilling, Hawaiian Style

On July 29, 2021July 29, 2021 By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn Grilling, TopicLeave a comment

Besides grilling and sharing my own recipes this month, the authors of the new ‘Ohana Grill Cookbook offered me a copy to check out. The Hawaiian-inspired recipes range from Pineapple Chicken to Curry Coconut Shrimp with a side of Sesame Eggplant and Grilled Bread Salad. Of the recipes I’ve tried, we’ve had wiped-clean plates after every meal. To put it simply: making the recipes from The ‘Ohana Grill Cookbook has been such delicious fun.
Read more about The ‘Ohana Grill Cookbook

Grilled Shrimp

On July 22, 2021July 22, 2021 By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn Grilling, IngredientLeave a comment

Chipotles in adobo boost the smoky heat of a marinade or sauce. Get grilling recipes at TwiceasTasty.com.
In case you haven’t noticed, I love the flavor of smoky chilies. I buy cans of chipotle chilies for my favorite salsa. I also home-smoke homegrown chilies to dry or turn into paste and then use in everything from spiced nuts to cheese dip to fish cakes. In my pickling cookbook, I recommend Fresno chilies in many recipes because of their natural slightly smoky flavor.

Chipotle peppers are actually jalapenos; they’ve just been smoked and dried. When you buy them canned, they’ve been rehydrated and stored in a spicy tomato-based sauce. The sauce can be as flavorful as the peppers, and they boost the heat and smoky flavor of a marinade. You only need a little chipotle flavor for a marinade, but don’t let that stop you from opening a can. Scoop any leftover chilies and adobo into an ice cube tray, and then freeze and bag the cubes for future use. A standard ice-cube tray holds about 2 tablespoons per cube.

After I’ve used a marinade for grilling, I hate to toss what’s left. So I boil it into a sauce and mix it into a second meal.
Learn to make Chipotle-Marinated Grilled Shrimp and Spanish-Inspired Fried Rice

Grilled Fish

On July 15, 2021July 22, 2021 By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn Grilling, Ingredient1 Comment

For an off-the-stovetop meal, I combine marinated fish with my favorite couscous trick. Get grilled fish recipes at TwiceasTasty.com.
Of all the foods I throw on the grill, fish is probably the easiest for other people to recognize. If you have a high-quality piece of freshly caught fish, a little lemon, salt, and pepper may be all you need to make it grill ready. But I find that approach works best if you’re following my dad’s mantra: “You catch it, you clean it, you cook it, you eat it.” These days, I apply that philosophy to homegrown and grilled veg. For store-bought fish, I tend to bring out the flavor with an easy marinade.

I’ve been making a North African-inspired marinade for years, modifying and tweaking it until it reminds me of the spicy olives I fell for while traveling in Morocco and blends in some of the runaway cilantro and mint from the garden. To pull together a meal off the stovetop, I turn to my favorite trick for couscous, often making a big enough batch to turn the leftovers into a separate, second meal.
Learn to make North African-Inspired Grilled Fish and Pour-Over Couscous

Salmon

On June 17, 2021July 22, 2021 By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn Grilling, IngredientLeave a comment

To celebrate milestones, I often choose foods I love but can’t grow and prepare them so that their flavors shine. Get grilled salmon recipes at TwiceasTasty.com.
Some people think that to be worthy of a special occasion, a dinner has to be labor intensive. I have plenty of kitchen projects that take time and effort, but most have a larger purpose than a single meal: they’re destined for the freezer for later quick meals, the canning shelf for a year’s enjoyment, or the holiday cookie collection to share widely. When I celebrate milestones, like Twice as Tasty’s 5th birthday, I often choose foods I love but can’t grow, and I prepare them in a way that lets their flavors shine.

Wild Alaska salmon fits that list, especially when the fresh sockeye catch starts arriving from the Copper River watershed in late May and early June. Since this fish is being transported fresh, I ask the seafood market or fish counter for the expected delivery dates and try to buy and eat it the day it arrives. I prepare this fish many ways, but one of my favorites has evolved from a recipe in the Junior League of Seattle’s 1993 cookbook, Simply Classic.
Learn to make Whiskey-Basted Grilled Salmon and other grilled goodies

More Cakes and Curd

On June 10, 2021June 10, 2021 By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn Baking, Refrigerating, Topic3 Comments

Fruit curds dress up any celebration, for breakfast or dessert. Get the recipes at TwiceasTasty.com.
I’ve always been a breakfast girl, regardless of the time of day. So when it’s time to celebrate an occasion like Twice as Tasty’s 5th birthday, there’s no reason to save the special treats for an evening dessert.

This post is prefaced “more” because I’ve already shared one of my favorite cakes and curd pairings: Gingerbread Pancakes with Berry Curd. I make this breakfast throughout the year, using fresh berries in summer and frozen ones in winter. But in spring and early summer, I switch up the flavors to use my most prolific early crop: rhubarb. The tangy flavor of rhubarb balances the richness of the egg yolks and butter in the curd. Its tang also pairs well with my favorite childhood pancakes, made light and bright by a scoop of yogurt.
Learn to make Rhubarb Curd and Yogurt Pancakes

Cakes and Curd

On March 12, 2019December 1, 2019 By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn Baking, Refrigerating, TopicLeave a comment

If you’ve only ever poured maple syrup on buttermilk pancakes, this week’s recipe pairing will blow your mind. Fruit curds are the tarter yet richer siblings of fruit syrups, jams, butters, and even sauces. Unlike these high-heat, bubbly creations, fruit curds cook low and slow, until their blend of juice, sugar, eggs, and butter becomes silky smooth. One bite of a fruit curd and you’ll want to use it as a spread on baked goods, a filling for shortcakes or layered cakes, a dipper for fresh fruit, a swirl of flavor in Fresh Yogurt, or even a sneaky spoonful eaten straight from the jar.

Just to up the ante, I like to pair luscious, jewel-toned berry curd with pancakes darkened by molasses and spices. Most gingerbreads are made as desserts and rich in butter, refined sugar, and egg, but the fruit curd topping covers all of those bases. For breakfast, all of those elements can be cut or scaled back to focus on warming spices and bittersweet molasses.
Learn to make Berry Curd and Gingerbread Pancakes