The Daring Cooks’ April 2011 challenge: Edible containers (featuring a salad inspired by Doctor Who)

Renata of Testado, Provado & Aprovado! was our Daring Cooks’ April 2011 hostess. Renata challenged us to think “outside the plate” and create our own edible containers! Prizes are being awarded to the most creative edible container and filling, so vote on your favorite from April 17th to May 16th at http://thedaringkitchen.com!

Along with this being my Daring Cooks’ challenge, this is also another meal idea for my Doctor Who viewing party for the premiere of the new series next week.  Inspired by our favorite alien time traveler himself and his TARDIS, this spinach, blueberry, and blue cheese salad is dressed in blueberry balsamic vinaigrette and served in individual edible wonton bowls; and because bowties are awesome, the salad also comes garnished with a crunchy deep fried wonton bowtie.

To make the bowls:

You’ll need a package of Egg roll wrappers and a jumbo muffin pan.

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Spray the pan with nonstick cooking spray. Peel a wonton wrapper off of the stack and gently tuck it into one of the holes in the pan, being careful not to tear the wrapper. Keep the other wrappers in the package or covered with a damp towel to prevent them from drying out. Press down the folds in the wrapper to give it the muffin “cup” shape. Repeat with the other wrappers.

3. Bake for 6-7 minutes, or until the wrapper is golden brown and crispy.  Set pan aside to cool.

To make bowties:

1. Cut small rectangular strips of the won-ton wrappers, and a one inch long skinny strip. Moisten the middle of the larger strip and pinch the top and the bottom together, making a crease in the middle.

2. Moisten the skinny strip and wrap it around the middle of the bowtie, overlapping the ends to form the middle of the bow.

3. Heat up an inch or two of canola oil in a small saucepan to 350 degrees F (use a deep fry or candy thermometer) drop a few bows into the hot oil and fry for a few minutes, until golden brown, being careful not to burn them. Remove the bows from the hot oil with a slotted spoon and set on paper towels to absorb excess oil.

Not feeling the won-ton bow crafting? You can also deep fry regular pasta bowties. Just cook and drain according to package directions, then- and this is very important- blot the pasta dry to prevent oil splatters, and fry until golden brown. As always, be careful around hot oil!

For the blueberry balsamic vinaigrette dressing you will need:

1 cup blueberries

Juice and zest of 1 lemon

1 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

3 Tablespoons Agave Nectar (can use honey to substitute)

1/4 cup water

3 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

a jar to store it in (preferably with a screw on lid so you can shake it before serving- I used a canning jar)

To make the dressing:

1. Place the blueberries, lemon juice and zest, salt, pepper, agave or honey, water, and balsamic vinegar into a blender or food processor.

2. Blend the ingredients until smooth, and slowly add the oil as the blender is going.

3. Pour into the jar and set aside until the salad is finished. It makes a lot of dressing, which will keep in the fridge for a week or two- just shake it before using.

For the salad you’ll need:

I bag fresh spinach

1/2 cup (or more, it’s your party!) chopped toasted pecans

4 oz blue cheese crumbles

1 cup of fresh blueberries (you can use thawed frozen berries, but they’ll be kind of squishier)

To make the salad:

1. Julienne the washed and dried spinach. An easy way to do this is to stack the leaves on top of each other and gently roll them up, then slice into ribbons with a chef’s knife.

2. Place the spinach in a bowl, add the pecans, crumbled cheese, and blueberries, and lightly toss with a little bit of the dressing. Don’t use too much of the dressing- you don’t want it to be overpowering! If you like, you can reserve some of the berries, nuts, and cheese and sprinkle over the tops of the salads for looks.

3. Fill each individual wonton bowl with some of the salad, and top with a bowtie garnish. If you set aside some of the nuts, blueberries and cheese to add as a topping, sprinkle them on now.

Daring Cooks’ March 2011 challenge: Ceviche and papas rellenas

Kathlyn of ‘Bake Like a Ninja’ was our Daring Cooks’ March 2011 hostess. Kathlyn challenged us to make two classic Peruvian dishes: Ceviche de Pescado from “Peruvian Cooking – Basic Recipes” by Annik Franco Barreau; and Papas Rellenas adapted from a home recipe by Kathlyn’s Spanish teacher, Mayra.

This challenge was so awesome, that instead of choosing one of the dishes to make, I made them both. I’ve always loved papas rellenas, and ceviche is one of my favorite ways to eat fish, but I never even dreamed of attempting to make it at home. I admit, the thought of eating raw fish I prepared myself was a little daunting to say the least. For starters, I had no idea where to get good quality fish in my area since I’ve just started eating meat and fish again after being a vegetarian for two years. Luckily, my local supermarket was having a sale on sashimi grade Tilapia so I took it as a sign, sucked it up, and went shopping.

The fish there ended up being perfect and was probably the freshest fish I’ve ever eaten. Though the ceviche was easy to make, there was quite a bit of prep involved. The end result was well worth it! I did change things up a bit, though. Usually (in Peru) ceviche is served with a side of boiled sweet potato and corn on the cob. I wanted to make it a little more modern and “pretty”, so I made sweet potato chips instead. I didn’t have a mandolin, so I sliced the sweet potato lengthwise as thin as I could with my chef knife and fried the slices in the hot oil I used to fry the papas rellenas. To plate it, I put the chips in a martini glass and loaded the ceviche on top, reserving some of the thin onion slices for the top to garnish. I experimented with a few different plating options, but this one was by far my favorite. On the plate where the glass rested, I placed some corn on the cob that was cut into two inch sections to look almost like flowers.

I followed the suggestion on the recipe and “cooked” the fish for barely ten minutes, which left it mostly raw. Technically, I could have left the fish to cook in the juice longer, but I preferred this more “authentic” way of serving it. Call me crazy, but I love the texture of raw fish.

As for the papas rellenas, I changed the recipe for the filling a little, and made it more like the papas I had in the rainforest in Puerto Rico. There’s a great little shack for the hikers to get a bite off the trail, and we had the best papas rellenas ever there. The filling was a simple ground beef filling with garlic and onions, and seasoned with Adobo seasoning. I didn’t have any onions left after making the ceviche, so I used garlic and some leftover black beans to mix in. It was really good!

Here’s the recipe:

For the ceviche

Ingredients

2 lbs. (about 1 kg) firm white fish (I used Tilapia)
2 garlic cloves, mashed
1 chili pepper, minced (I used Jalapeno)
1 cup (240 ml) freshly squeezed lime juice (between 8-12 limes)
Fresh juice only, no bottled. Can use lemons in lieu of limes.
1 tablespoon (15 ml) (4 grams) (1/8 oz) fresh coriander (cilantro), finely chopped
1 red onion, thinly sliced lengthwise
Salt and pepper (to taste)

Garnish:
1 large sweet potato
1 ear of corn

1. Wash and trim your fish. Slice into pieces between ½ inch (15 mm) cubes to 2 inch (50mm) pieces, depending on taste
2. Place fish in a non-reactive, shallow pan in a thin layer. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Combine lime juice, chili pepper, coriander and garlic. Pour mixture over fish. Stir lightly to expose all the fish to some of the lime juice mixture.
4. Put sliced onion on top of fish as it “cooks”. Let stand 10 minutes, then lift the fish out of the lime juice, and plate into individual portions.

I made the sweet potato chips as the fish was “cooking”. I had already heated the oil and sliced the sweet potatoes, so all I had to do was drop them in the hot oil. Be sure not to fry too many at a time, since this will cool the oil too much and leave the chips feeling greasy and soggy. I kept the oil at about 375 degrees F, adjusting the heat as necessary since I don’t have a deep fryer. You can use a candy thermometer to check the temperature.

For the papas rellenas:

Ingredients

For the dough:

2¼ lb (1 kg) russet potatoes

1 large egg

salt and pepper to taste

For the filling:

1/2 lb lean ground beef

1 small yellow onion, chopped

1/2 cup black beans, drained and rinsed

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

1/4 tsp paprika

a large pinch of cumin

Adobo seasoning, to taste

crushed red pepper, to taste

5-6 green pimento stuffed Spanish olives, sliced (optional)

Extra virgin olive oil for frying, about 1-2 Tablespoons

For the final preparation:

1 large egg, beaten

1 cup (240 ml) (140 gm) (5 oz) all-purpose flour

Dash cayenne pepper

Dash salt

1 cup dry (240 ml) (110 gm) (4 oz) or fresh (240 ml) (60 gm) (2 oz) bread crumbs (you can use regular, panko, make your own or use store-bought)

Oil for frying (enough for 2” (50 mm) in a heavy pan like a medium sized dutch oven)

1. Cut the potatoes into large cubes and boil until fork tender. Drain and remove from heat, then set aside to cool. While potatoes are cooling, make the meat filling.

2. To make the meat filling, sautee the onions and garlic over medium high heat in the oil for about 2 to 3 minutes until they start to turn translucent.

3. Season the beef lightly with Adobo seasoning, and add to the pan. Stir it around and break it up so there aren’t large chunks of it, and add the rest of the spices, olives, and the black beans. Cook until browned thoroughly.

4. Remove from the heat and drain off excess fat. Let cool.

5. As the meat is cooling, peel the boiled potato chunks and pass them through a ricer, or mash with a fork or potato masher. Season with salt and pepper and add the egg. Mix until well combined.

6. Flour your hands and scoop up 1/6 of the potato dough with your hands and flatten it into a pancake on your palm. Make a small dent in the middle and fill with a good amount of the filling. Roll the potato into a ball, closing up the meat inside. Make 5 more of these.

7. Set up your ingredients for the breading by putting the flour on one plate, the egg in the next, and the breadcrumbs in the last one. Roll the potato balls in the flour to coat evenly, then the egg, then the breadcrumbs and fry in the hot oil until browned (about 2 to 3 minutes.) Turn them around to brown all sides.

8. Drain on paper towels and serve immediately. You can serve them with pretty much whatever sauce you like, but I prefer ketchup. In Puerto Rico, they are sometimes served with a condiment cleverly called MayoKetchup, which is- you guessed it- mayonnaise mixed with ketchup.

Though the ceviche is obviously not vegetarian, I was glad to know that the papas rellenas can easily be made vegetarian (since I’m the only one in my family who eats meat) just by switching the filling. You can use pretty much anything to stuff the potatoes, such as textured vegetable protein or even crumbled tempeh. I love how versatile they are!

Making the papas rellenas and ceviche was definitely a learning experience, but it was also a lot of fun. This challenge was everything I love about cooking! I can’t wait to see what’s waiting for me in the next Daring Cook’s challenge

Daring Cooks February 2011 challenge: Cold Soba Salad and Tempura

This month’s challenge was a lot of fun for me. Japanese is one of my favorite cuisines, and soba noodles are one of my family’s favorite meals, as are tempura veggies.

I started the dish by making the dipping sauce for the noodles, which are served cold and garnished with pretty much whatever you can think of. I used finely grated carrots and raw zucchini julienne for mine. The recipe provided in the challenge sounded great, but contained bonito flakes and my husband is a vegetarian so I changed it up a bit. For inspiration, I looked to the internet to see what other vegetarians used on their noodles. Most recipes substituted vegetable stock for the broth made with bonito flakes; and I had bouillon cubes, so I used that instead. As for the rest of the sauce ingredients, I just threw together ingredients that I had on hand that I thought would go well together. This recipe tasted good, but next time I might add some pickled ginger for a little extra kick.

Here is my sauce recipe:

1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce or Bragg’s Liquid Aminos

1/3 cup Mirin

2 cups Vegetable stock (or broth made with bouillon cubes)

2 Tablespoons Rice wine

1 minced garlic clove

3 Tablespoons honey (use light brown sugar if you are vegan)

3-4 Tablespoons thin sliced leeks (white part)

Crushed red pepper (to taste)

1/2 Teaspoon dark sesame oil (optional)

 

Instructions:

1. If you’re making this sauce with bouillon cubes, heat the water and dissolve the cubes according to package directions and set aside.
2. In a separate pot, heat the soy sauce (or Bragg’s), mirin, and the rest of the ingredients except for the sesame oil (if using), and bring to a boil.
3. Whisk in the stock and take the sauce off the heat. Add the sesame oil and let it cool to room temperature, or place in the refrigerator.

As the dipping sauce was cooking and cooling, I made my noodles. Soba noodles are very easy to make. You boil them just like spaghetti, but for less time. After cooking, it’s important to rinse the noodles in cold water to stop the cooking process. To keep them from sticking, I added a tiny bit of sesame seed oil as the package suggested.

After the noodles were done, I started on my tempura vegetables. I made tempura broccoli and zucchini. I used half a bag of pre-cut broccoli florets, and a julienned zucchini.

Cooking with chopsticks was fun

Here’s the tempura recipe, courtesy of pink bites and itsy bitsy foodies:

Ingredients
1 egg yolk from a large egg
1 cup (240 ml) iced water
½ cup (120 ml) (70 gm) (2½ oz) plain (all purpose) flour, plus extra for dredging
½ cup (120 ml) (70 gm) (2½ oz) cornflour (also called cornstarch)
½ teaspoon (2½ ml) (2½ gm) (0.09 oz) baking powder
oil, for deep frying preferably vegetable
ice water bath, for the tempura batter (a larger bowl than what will be used for the tempura should be used. Fill the large bowl with ice and some water, set aside)

Very cold vegetables and seafood of your choice

Directions:

1. Place the iced water into a mixing bowl. Lightly beat the egg yolk and gradually pour into the iced water, stirring (preferably with chopsticks) and blending well. Add flours and baking powder all at once, stroke a few times with chopsticks until the ingredients are loosely combined. The batter should be runny and lumpy. Place the bowl of batter in an ice water bath to keep it cold while you are frying the tempura. The batter as well as the vegetables and seafood have to be very cold. The temperature shock between the hot oil and the cold veggies help create a crispy tempura.

2. Heat the oil in a large pan or a wok. For vegetables, the oil should be 320°F/160°C; for seafood it should be 340°F/170°C. It is more difficult to maintain a steady temperature and produce consistent tempura if you don’t have a thermometer, but it can be done. You can test the oil by dropping a piece of batter into the hot oil. If it sinks a little bit and then immediately rises to the top, the oil is ready.

3. Start with the vegetables, such as sweet potatoes, that won’t leave a strong odor in the oil. Dip them in a shallow bowl of flour to lightly coat them and then dip them into the batter. Slide them into the hot oil, deep frying only a couple of pieces at a time so that the temperature of the oil does not drop.

4. Place finished tempura pieces on a wire rack so that excess oil can drip off. Continue frying the other items, frequently scooping out any bits of batter to keep the oil clean and prevent the oil (and the remaining tempura) from getting a burned flavor.

5. Serve immediately for the best flavor, but they can also be eaten cold.

As you can see by my picture, I forgot to put the batter in an ice bath (oops!) but they turned out just fine anyway. I served my noodles and tempura veggies with some fried tempeh slices for a little added protein.

For the tempeh:

1 package tempeh, sliced thin

canola oil for frying (DO NOT use olive oil or you will end up getting smoked out of your kitchen!)

soy sauce (gives the tempeh flavor and adds color)

1. Heat a small amount of oil in a skillet over medium high heat.

2. Add the tempeh in a single layer in the pan, and fry on both sides until golden brown (usually about 5 minutes on each side.)

3. Add about a tablespoon of soy sauce to the pan (it will sizzle and jump like crazy, so be careful!) and stir fry for another minute or so until the tempeh reaches a deeper brown color. Remove from the heat and serve.

 

The February 2011 Daring Cooks’ challenge was hosted by Lisa of Blueberry Girl. She challenged Daring Cooks to make Hiyashi Soba and Tempura. She has various sources for her challenge including japanesefood.about.com, pinkbites.com, and itsybitsyfoodies.com

The Daring Cooks October, 2010 Challenge: WE ARE ON A ROLL!

Our October 2010 hostess, Lori of Lori’s Lipsmacking Goodness, has challenged The Daring Cooks to stuff grape leaves. Lori chose a recipe from Aromas of Aleppo and a recipe from The New Book of Middle Eastern Food.

I was so excited to try my hand at stuffed grape leaves! I love Greek food, and one of my favorite restaurants when I travel to Orlando, FL to visit my family is Olympia Greek Restaurant, where they serve the most delicious Dolmades I’ve ever had. Actually, that was the first place I ever tried them!

Finding the grape leaves in my city was a bit of a challenge in itself, but I did find them at Whole Foods. I was a little confused as to how to get them out of the jar (and how the manufacturer managed to stuff that many leaves in the jar in the first place). They were all rolled very very tightly into three long “cigar” shapes and unrolling them was difficult and frustrating. I kept tearing the leaves at first, but once I got the hang of it I started getting larger pieces of leaf that I was able to patch with the broken pieces once I started rolling.

My leaves were packed in brine so I had to rinse them to get a lot of the salt off. The recipe provided in the challenge recommended setting the leaves in a bowl and pouring boiling water over them, then letting them sit for twenty minutes. I had worked so hard peeling the leaves apart that I was scared to stack them and have them stick again, so I just rinsed them under the tap. It actually worked really well. I just left out some of the salt in the rice recipe in case it was too salty.

I used a recipe from the website ‘Recipes Around The World‘ to make the filling. I made a few substitutions, such as using dried dill from my garden instead of fresh (I no longer have the plant, and have a TON of dried), reducing the salt to 3/4 teaspoons, and omitting the pine nuts. Substituting dried herbs usually works well, but you should use about half the amount. So instead of 2 Tablespoons, I used 1 and just crushed the leaves with my fingers when I added it to the rice. You can find the recipe here.

 

 

Sauteeing garlic and onions for the filling

 

 

Adding the rice

 

When adding the rice mixture to the leaves, be careful not to add too much. I didn’t take into account that the rice was going to expand so much and so some of my leaves tore and had rice bursting out of them when they were done cooking. They were very delicious mistakes though!

 

Filling the grape leaf

 

The rolling itself wasn’t that difficult once I got the hang of it. It was actually quite fun! The thing I kept forgetting though, was to set the leaf on the surface with the vein side up. They’re easier to roll that way and look better when they’re finished. Again I ate the mistakes and they were delicious, but I’ll remember better next time.

After the leaves are stuffed and rolled, I put them in the biggest pot I had, placing them side by side as snugly as I could to prevent them from unraveling as they cooked. The recipe said to place a heat proof plate over them to keep them from unraveling, but I didn’t have one that fit so I used a pot lid. It worked pretty well, aside from marking up some of the leaves that were on the edge with its rim.

The finished product was amazing! I honestly couldn’t stop eating them! I had planned to make an Avgolemono sauce to top them with, but my son and I just ate them plain because we couldn’t stop eating them long enough for me to make the sauce. I think he has a new favorite!

I think this has been my favorite Daring Kitchen challenge yet. I can’t wait to see what’s cooking next month!

Daring Cooks September 2010 challenge: Apple Butter

The September 2010 Daring Cooks’ challenge was hosted by John of Eat4Fun. John chose to challenge The Daring Cooks to learn about food preservation, mainly in the form of canning and freezing. He challenged everyone to make a recipe and preserve it. John’s source for food preservation information was from The National Center for Home Food Preservation.

This was my first month with the Daring Cooks and I had no idea what to expect. When I saw what the challenge was I have to admit I got a little nervous. I had always been curious about canning and food preservation, but the potential for botulism and all the possible ways I thought I could screw it up had always kept me from attempting it. Though I was intimidated, I did think it was high time for me to learn this new kitchen skill so I decided to jump right in, skip the freezing, and can my own apple butter.

The challenge recipe seemed pretty simple, but I made a few substitutions. I chose to use Granny Smith Apples instead of the Gala and Golden Delicious the challenge host used because I love their tartness. The challenge recipe gave the option of using Splenda, honey, sugar, or agave nectar, and I chose the agave since I had some left from another recipe. Also, the recipe called for 1/2 a teaspoon of allspice which I didn’t have so I looked up substitutions on the internet and found that you can use equal parts cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and black pepper. It worked really well! Since I had never done this before, I had no canning equipment. Luckily, my mother in law used to can food at home and had a boiling water canner to lend to me. I bought some jars at Wal-Mart, and got to work.

Here’s the recipe:

Ingredients

• 4 lbs Granny Smith apples (5 lbs if you use peeled and cored apples)
• 1 cup apple juice (or apple cider)
• 1/2 cup agave nectar
• 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

Equipment required:

• Knife
• Measuring Cup
• Measuring Spoons
• 8 Quart Sauce Pan or Pot
• Wire mesh strainer
• Canning Jars, lids, and screw top rings
• Boiling Water Canner
• Rack
• Bubble remover (can use small spatula or plastic knife)
• Wide mouth funnel (optional)

Procedure:

1. Wash apples well and remove stems. Cut into eighths and remove cores.
2. Combine unpeeled apples and cider in the 8 quart saucepan. Cook slowly and stir often to prevent sticking.  Cook until the apples are soft and falling apart.
3. Position a strainer securely over a large bowl. Press the cooked apples with the cider or juice through the strainer to make a pulp. Be sure to scrape the bottom of the strainer to collect all of the pulp.
4. Combine the apple pulp with the agave nectar and spices in the 8 quart saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring frequently.

Cooking the apples with the apple juice

The directions given say to use a splatter screen or leave the pot lid slightly open to encourage evaporation, but I never even used the pot lid. The apples didn’t splatter, and I didn’t have to cook them as long. I did use a very large pot, though.

5. To test for doneness, spoon a small quantity onto a clean plate; when the butter mounds on the plate without liquid separating around the edge of the butter, it is ready for processing.

I didn’t really pay attention to the exact amount of time it took to get to this stage, but it happened a lot faster than I thought it would. I had to check it twice to make sure it was ready.

Before pouring the apple butter into the jars, check the jars to make sure there aren’t any chips, cracks, or nicks and wash them well. You will also need to preheat the jars. There are a few different ways to do this. I put mine in the hot water in the canning pot, but you can also use the dishwasher or a warm oven to preheat your jars.

Preheating the jars

Using a knife to remove air bubbles

6. Pour the apple mixture into the preheated jars, leaving 1/4 inch of headspace at the top of the jar.

I didn’t have a funnel to use to pour the  apple butter into the jars, so I used a spoon.

7. Using a damp paper towel, wipe down the top and sides of the jars. Next, use a plastic bubble remover around the inside edges of the jars in an up and down motion to get rid of the bubbles.

I didn’t have a bubble remover so I just used a knife. It worked okay, but a plastic knife might have worked better. I still had a few bubbles in one of my jars at the end of processing. Now I know.

8. Place the lids in the pot of 180 degree water to soften the sealing compound. Place the lid on the jar and center it. Gently screw the ring on, just until resistance stops it, then give it a slight 1/4 inch turn. Don’t tighten it too much, because the air inside the jar needs to escape during processing. The purpose of the screw on rings is to hold the lid on, not to make a tight seal.

9. Make sure the water in the canner is about 180 degrees F, and that there is enough water to cover the jars by at least 1 inch. Gently lower the jars into the hot water, cover the pot,  and turn the stove to high. Once the water starts boiling set a timer for 15 minutes. You can lower the heat on the stove as long as the water continues to boil.

10. After the 15 minutes are up, remove the whole canner from the stove and uncover the pot. Leave the jars in the canner for 5 minutes. After the 5 minutes are up, lift the jars out of the canner but make sure to keep them level. If there is any water at the top of the jar, leave it. Don’t tilt the jar to get rid of it or the contents of the jar may come spilling out under the seal.

11. Place the jars on a dish towel to avoid thermal shock, and leave to cool for 12-24 hours. While the jars are cooling, you may hear a pop or a ping from the lid as it seals. This is supposed to happen.

Both of my jars popped within 2 to 3 minutes.

12. After 12 to 24 hours (I’m the impatient type, so I waited 12), the lid should be sunken in. Test the seal by removing the ring and lifting the jar by the lid. If it’s properly sealed, the lid should stay on. Lastly, check to make sure there aren’t any cracks or debris caught between the jar and the lid. Store the jars on a shelf for up to a year. If the jars become unsealed, the lids start to bulge, the contents grow moldy, discolored, or develop an off smell,  throw them out.

Cooling the apple butter.

After trying my hand at canning I honestly don’t know what I was so afraid of. It really wasn’t as difficult as I imagined and am glad I did it. The apple butter turned out great and I’m pretty proud of myself. It did take a little longer than I thought it would, and since I only ended up with two pint jars of apple butter I was a little disappointed. Next time (yes there will be a next time!) I think I’ll make a larger batch to make it more worth the time. Overall, though, I learned a lot and that was the whole point of the challenge. I stepped out of my “food” comfort zone and tried something new.