I'm continuing my experiments with palak paneer; this time I didn't do so well. Here is what I did this time. If this is your first time trying the recipe, use the experiment 2 link.

Ingredients

12 oz frozen chopped spinach
2-3 tbsp of neutral tasting oil
1 tbsp of ground cumin (better version is 1 tsp)
10 cloves of garlic, chopped (I forgot the garlic)
1 serrano, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tsp ground coriander (I didnt' have a tbsp, which would have been better)
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
regular salt to taste (I forgot the salt)
1 cup of yogurt (I forgot the yogurt and used Half & Half instead)
10 oz of queso panela
1 lemon (I forgot the lemon)

Method

Boil a big pot of water. Put the spinach in. Once it starts boiling again, boil the spinach for three minutes. Drain. Put the spinach in the blender with 1/2 cup of half & half. Make a paste.

Heat the oil. Add the onions and serranos. Cook until the onions are translucent. Add spices and 1/2 cup of half & half. Mix. Cook until somewhat thickened. Add the spinach puree. Simmer a bit. Add the cheese, then serve once it is all warmed.

Result

This turned out adequately. Next time around I should actually read the recipe instead of trying to simply remember it.

Ingredients

Cooking oil/butter
1 onion, diced
2 cups of spinach, shredded
5 eggs
2 cups of cheese, shredded

Method

Preheat oven to 300°F. Spray casserole dish with non-stick spray (or butter). Put oil/butter in frying pan. Add onions, fry till translucent. Add spinach, fry till wilted and excess moisture has evaporated. Cool spinach mixture. Beat eggs in a bowl, add shredded cheese and mix together. Add to spinach mixture. Place in greased/buttered casserole dish. Bake until top of quiche is golden brown.

Comments:

• On my first attempt I used 12oz of frozen spinach. That was probably too much; you don't get much of the quiche-y/custardy effect. Next time I'll use half the amount.
• It took about 40 minutes to cook, but I opened the oven three times, so I could probably eliminate 5 minutes if that didn't happen.
• I chopped a single serrano in with the frying onions. That added some nice heat without being overwhelming.
• I bet this would be great if you added a teaspoon of cumin toward the end of cooking the onions.

Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odtIX8dGMgQ

---

2014-03-23: I tried this recipe again from memory. Misremembered the number of eggs and used 8 instead of 5. That meant it took 60 minutes to bake, but that was with opening the oven a couple times. 55 minutes would probably work next time.

This is a recipe adapted from recipesecrets.net.

• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1/2 cup dried tart cherries
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme (or 1 teaspoon dried)
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh marjoram (or 1 teaspoon dried)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 3 tbsp butter
• 4 cups chopped cabbage

Melt butter in large, nonstick pan, add onion and celery, saute over medium heat until translucent. Add cabbage and saute over medium heat until the cabbage is somewhat soft. Add cherries, pecans, thyme, marjoram, pepper. Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until cabbage is soft.

This turned out fine. I'll make it again.

Ingredients

• 5 to 6 cups cauliflower florets, about 1 1/2 inches in diameter (from 1 medium cauliflower)
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon sliced garlic
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
• Chopped chives, for garnish

Directions Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Place the cauliflower florets in a large saute pan or a roasting pan. Drizzle the olive oil over the cauliflower, and season with the garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Place the saute/roasting pan in the oven and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure even roasting. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the Parmesan. Garnish with chopped chives and serve immediately while still warm. Comments

• First off, this stuff is massively better than steamed cauliflower.
• Be careful not to cut the florets too big, otherwise they are a bit tougher than you want.
• This recipe might have a bit too much salt. I think I tried a tbsp instead of tsp. Double check next time.
• Instead of just drizzling the dressing over it, it would probably be better to mix it in a bowl and then toss the cauliflower in it. Then drizzle the extra over it.

Source: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/oven-roasted-cauliflower-with-garlic-olive-oil-and-lemon-juice-recipe/index.html

Update: 2014-09-16 I made this again this evening. The 1 tsp of salt is a good amount, although may 3/4 tsp would be better, but maybe not. I was out of lemon juice, so I used 2 tbsp of apple cider vinegar. Worked well. If there is only a tiny bit of carmelization on the bigger chunks, you might want to add 2-3 minutes of cooking time. Definitely mix the marinade in a bowel first and toss all the cauliflower so that it is all evenly coated. I'm now of the opinion that this is about the best way ever to serve cauliflower. I'll never steam it again.

Update 2014-10-09 I made this again this evening. Cooked it for 20 minutes this time, which was too long because some pieces burned on the bottom. I also used green cauliflower, but I don't think that tasted as good as plain. Next time, just use 15 minutes but make sure all the pieces are small enough.

Update 2020-03-14 Today I was a bit lazy. Instead of mixing all those ingredients, I just used one cup of ubercheap Italian dressing. It was a really big head of cauliflower. I put it in the oven at 500 degrees for 17 minutes. Then I took it out, pushed it around a bit, and put it back in for three minutes. Tastewise this entirely worked. I would serve it to guests, although it's not a professional offering. The big issue is cutting the pieces small enough to cook decently. It may take you two or three times to figure it out. Okay, this was actually awesome. The cauliflower had enough resistance to be enjoyable chewing, and it was soft enough not to be annoying. My skills are improving.

Update 2023-03-30: today I made the recipe using broccoli instead of cauliflower. Broccoli is less dense, so I checked after 10 minutes, then let it sit in the often with the heat off for three more minutes. I only used 3/4 tsp of salt, which was still too much.  Alas, this version with broccoli doesn't seem as good as the cauliflower version.

Update:  I've come to the conclusion that the salt should be left out of the recipe completely because the parmesan cheese has more than enough salt in it.

I'm continuing my experiments with palak paneer. Here is what I did this time. If this is your first time trying the recipe, use the youtube link below for your first-time recipe.

Ingredients

12 oz frozen chopped spinach
2-3 tbsp of neutral tasting oil
1 tsp of ground cumin
10 cloves of garlic, chopped
3 serranos, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 heaping tbsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
regular salt to taste
1 cup of yogurt
10 oz of queso panela
1 lemon

Method

Boil a big pot of water. Put the spinach in. Once it starts boiling again, boil the spinach for three minutes. Drain. Save 1 cup of the water in which the spinach was boiled. Cool the rest of the spinach in cold/ice water. Drain. Put the spinach in the blender with enough reserved spinach water to turn it into a paste.

Heat the oil. Add the garlic, onions and serranos. Cook until the onions are translucent. Add yogurt and spices. Mix. Cook until somewhat thickened. Add the spinach puree. Simmer a bit. Add the cheese, then serve once it is all warmed.

Squeeze the lemon and pour the juice over the spinach dish.

Result

This turned out quite well, and it was within my range of spice tolerance, although barely.

Discussion

• Last time I made this, I used mozarella, but for this recipe you really want a non-melting cheese. The queso panela worked better than the mozzarella, so that could be repeated. Really I want queso blanco. Next time I'll try queso fresco if I can't find real queso blanco. Since I live in Arizona, paneer is not available everywhere, which is why I think of substituting Mexican cheeses. Farmer's cheese or any other non-melting cheese should probably work as well.
• Three serranos were too much, most likely, for most house guests. Next time try one (two max). Since the tiny green chiles one finds in Asian stores are not generally available in AZ, I wanted to substitute serranos.
• The purpose of the cold water bath is to preserve the color of the spinach. Ideally, this dish is intensely green.
• In the long run I may want a slightly more complex dish. Maybe add 1/4 tsp of cinnamon?

Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYsLWpcbWqU

---

Third attempt:

• I accidentally used a tbsp instead of a tsp of cumin. Still worked fine.
• Used two serranos instead of three. Still good. For guests probably one serrano would be fine.
• Used queso fresco. Seemed too tender, started to break apart. Queso panela is better.

---

2019-01-19: This is my fifth attempt I think. Turned out quite well. Details:

• Used 10 oz of frozen spinach.
• Used queso Panela instead of paneer. This worked great. I'll do it henceforth.
• Use one large, deseeded jalapeno instead of three serranos. I think this is the perfect heat for guests.
• I didn't have garlic/ginger paste, so I used half the amount of prechopped garlic in a jar, and half the amount of pureed ginger from a tube.

This turned out well. Definitely a repeater. Next time I think I would chop the garlic finer. That said, I think I liked the taste of Anita Chawla's palak paneer better. I'll have to email her.

Ingredients

2-3 tbsp of neutral tasting oil
1 tsp of cumin seeds
20 cloves of garlic, chopped
4-5 chopped green chiles (the skinny, tiny ones)
2 small onions, chopped
1 heaping tbsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp black salt (can skip)
regular salt to taste
1 cup of yogurt
2 cups of pureed spinach
1 pound of paneer, cubed

Method

Heat the oil. Chop the garlic. Add cumin to the oil. Add the garlic, cook over medium heat till slightly gold. Add onions, cook till translucent (limp not brown). Add yogurt, coriander, turmeric, black salt, regular salt. Let it simmer for some time. Add the spinach. Simmer a bit. Add the cheese, then serve once it is all warmed.

Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYsLWpcbWqU

This turned out decent the first time.

1 Beef Roast 3-5 lbs
1 packet Italian dressing mix
1 packet Ranch dressing mix
1 packet Brown gravy mix
1 cup water
1 chopped onion (optional)

Mix packets with water. Add roast to crockpot and then pour the water over the top. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Baste the roast several times with the drippings. You can serve with the au jus or thicken it in a sauce pan with some butter/flour/cornstarch to make gravy.

---

Commentary: this is the first time I've made this, so I'm using the actual packets they've shown. It's pretty ridiculous, though, to pay $2.50 for a paltry packet of spices. The others are no better; see the bill below. The Kroger brand equivalents cost about a third of the price of the brand names. If this works out well this time, I'll try the cheaper version next time. Of course, sometimes you do get what you pay for.

I didn't know what kind of roast to buy. The butcher said that if it's going in a crock pot, then it should be a chuck roast. I asked why. He said other roasts have too little fat, so they won't shred nicely at the end. Memorize that, Donald.

I used my Fry's card, which means my roast, which was priced at $21.39, only cost me $13.74. Can you believe that there is an essentially $8 penalty for not letting them track your data? It's ridiculous.

Source of recipe: Crock Pot Heaven.

---

Results: this turned out okay. No great shakes. I will eat it again when I'm hungry, and I wouldn't be ashamed to serve it to guests. But frankly the taste is just ok. The juice left over in the crockpot is tasty. I ran it through the blender to get rid of the onion chunks. Very good on both the meat and potatoes.

---

2013-11-21: Y'know, my first impression of this recipe is that it was entirely mediocre and white trash. But in reheating when you are desperate for something to eat, it is entirely tasty. I think that this means it is time to try the recipe again with generic equivalents of the packets.

Ingredients:

1 egg yolk
1/4 cup canola oil
juice of 1 lemon
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 tsp dry mustard
some ground black pepper
3/4 cup canola oil

Method:

Put everything except the 3/4 cup of oil into the blender. Blend for 30 seconds. Drizzle in remaining oil.

Flawless success. Good taste.

Comments:

• Extra virgin olive oil has too strong a taste for this. Use 1/4 cup max. The rest of the oil should be of neutral flavor.
• I think the initial blending needs to have the 1/4 cup of oil in it.
• I bet sunflower oil would make a more interesting flavor.

Ingredients:

1 egg yolk
1/2 tsp dry mustard
4 cloves minced garlic
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
2 tbsp water
1 cup canola oil

Method:

Mix everything except the oil in a blender for 30 seconds, then start drizzling oil in.

Results:

Complete failure to emulsify. I suspect that the problem was that I had no oil in the initial blending mixture.

I have a bunch of cold cauliflower in the fridge. I want a bit of extra taste. Here's what I did (assuming I remember correctly... I was really hungry... may have confused tsp and tbsp).

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp red pepper
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp sea salt
• 1 egg yolk
• 3/4 cup canola oil

Method:

1. Combine everything except the last 3/4 cup of oil in blender till smooth.
2. Drizzle in the remaining oil till it thickens

Sadly this time if failed to thicken, perhaps because I failed to cut the vinegar with equal parts of water. Bear in mind for next time. Nonetheless, I drizzled the unemulsified sauce on the cauliflower, and it was freakin’ awesome. I will so eat this again.