Global Table Adventure

Menu: Palau (with $150 Giveaway)

August 22, 2012 By Sasha Martin 53 Comments

My door handle stopped working the other day. The one in my car that lets me get out. It just snapped off. Around the same time I inhaled a pill into my lungs. Yesterday the doctor told me I have aspiration pneumonia. All this has happened in the week that Keith's been away on business. It's a bit much. I'm hoping that's it for now. Luckily I cooked all this food before the drama rolled in, so I have plenty of good eats for you... but Panama? Well, I might be in bed for most of that meal. And … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Menu Wednesday, Oceania, Palau

About the food of Palau

August 21, 2012 By Sasha Martin 5 Comments

Let's sink into the sea. Let's swim with the jelly fish. Snorkel with me to Palau. From deep below her waters (where divers will find barrier reefs and wrecks from World War II), to the top of her lush forests, this island nation is a dream. From overhead she looks less like an island, and more like mossy bumps of land popping up from the ocean. A closer look reveals bridges snaking across these bumps and puffs of island, as well as stones carved out by the sea that, ironically, look like … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Oceania, Palau, Travel Tuesday

Monday Meal Review: Pakistan

August 20, 2012 By Sasha Martin 11 Comments

Keith once told me that he hated cilantro. He despised how green and soapy it felt in his mouth and how the little green bits snaked through his teeth, sticking with him throughout the day like a tag-along little brother. This was in the days before our Global Table Adventure, a time when he also hated tomatoes, had no idea what eggplant was, and had never had fresh spinach. A time when one salad per year was a major accomplishment. So, naturally, when I pop the platter of garlic rice on … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Asia, Monday Meal Review, Pakistan

Recipe: Pakistani Mixed Bean Salad

August 20, 2012 By Sasha Martin 4 Comments

Next time you go to a potluck, spice up everyone's life with pakistani mixed bean salad. Each bite has bits of chickpea, northern white beans, tomato, onion, and peppers. The salad can be spicy or mild, tart or savory. It all depends on how you mix it. Either way, it's fresh, healthy, and - thanks to being seasoned with lemon juice, cilantro, and garam masala - just on the other side of unusual. Be sure to make this salad at least a few hours before you need it, to give time for the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Asia, Gluten Free Adaptable, International Recipes, Pakistan, Potluck Friendly, Salads, Sasha's Favorite Recipes, Vegan, Vegetables/Pulses, Vegetarian

Recipe: Pakistani Coffee with Cinnamon & Cardamom

August 17, 2012 By Sasha Martin 26 Comments

I'm not a sadist by any means, but I will take any chance I can get to make my sweet Mr Picky drink coffee. For years now, he has claimed to hate the stuff. I maintain that coffee simmered gently with milk and spices is not the same as the sludge served at the local gas station. I've tried making him Nauru's "Recycled" Iced Coffee (no luck), Arabian Cardamom Coffee (no luck), and even an Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony, complete with popcorn (he exhibited mild curiosity but only ate the popcorn). … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Alcohol-Free, Asia, Gluten Free Adaptable, Hot, Pakistan, Sasha's Favorite Recipes, Vegetarian

Recipe: Garlic Basmati Rice with Pine Nuts

August 15, 2012 By Sasha Martin 6 Comments

I'd like the record to state that I'm ready for a big hug. It's the end of summer, times are changing, and I'm ready for that love-filled feeling that comes with a smooshable hug. I see people doing it all the time - their bodies smiling as they pull to each other. My husband still hugs me, which is the best kind of snuggle-hug I can ask for. But I want more. I want the kind of hug that can't come from him. Or any person. It's the kind of hug that comes from taking a giant bite of … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Asia, Gluten Free Adaptable, International Recipes, Miss Ava's Favorite Recipes, Mr. Picky's Favorite Recipes, Pakistan, Potluck Friendly, Rice, Sasha's Favorite Recipes, Technique Thursday, Vegetarian

Menu: Pakistan (& Giveaway)

August 15, 2012 By Sasha Martin 79 Comments

Whenever I cooked our Pakistani Global Table, our little family was swimming in sweat. Each day soared well over 100F (at times over 110F) and my air conditioner had all but decided to go the way of the puffin. So please forgive me if the menu feels a bit summery - a bit light on, well, cooking. While simmering curries for hours are a wonderful hobby for the bone-cold winters of Pakistan, I still managed to eek out a beautiful Pakistani menu for summer livin' here in Oklahoma (with the exception … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Asia, Menu Wednesday, Pakistan

About the food of Pakistan

August 14, 2012 By Sasha Martin 9 Comments

Children in Pakistan near the Boarder to Iran. Photo by Graef.

Pakistan is said to be the birthplace of the tandoori oven, where white-hot walls glow and crackle with spit-fire. These incendiary cylinders char-roast kebabs and breads alike. Although it is only the exceptional hostess that has a tandoori oven in her private home, if I had one, I would use it to cook our cumin seed naan (the one we made back in Afghanistan. P.S. This bread which would also work for a Pakistani meal. P.P.S. Oh, how far our recipes have come haha). Even though I swoon for … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Asia, Pakistan, Travel Tuesday