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Vegan

Ten Weird Things That Are Not Vegetarian

I spent 3 years as a vegetarian, and at the time it seemed simple. Eat things that aren’t animals. I didn’t think much more about it. It wasn’t until years later, while trying to cook for my vegetable loving friends that I have actually become acquainted with how many products that I assumed were animal free are not.

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How To: Make Pickled Jalapenos

Jalapeno Peppers3

Jalapenos are abundant right now, but that’ll change very soon, when fall starts to chill the fields. I love the brightness of fresh jalapenos, but pickled jalapenos are a staple. Once I figured out how incredibly easy and cheap it is to make my own, I’ve never gone back. I even learned how to water bath can just so that I could make these in giant batches!

The tricky thing about jalapenos is that the heat level varies wildly, and there is no way to tell how hot an individual pepper is. But the good news is that most of the heat in the jalapeno is in the seeds and the membrane in the middle of the pepper, removing all or some will give you control over the final burn.

Once you have yourself a giant batch of beautifully pickled peppers, there is an enormous amount of uses from quesadillas to burgers, I just can’t get enough.

Pickled Jalapenos

Ingredients

  • 15 large jalapenos
  • ¾ cup water
  • ¾ cup vinegar
  • 3 tbs white sugar
  • 2 tbs kosher salt
  • 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

Instructions

  1. Slice the jalapenos into ¼ inch rings. Remove all or none of the seeds, depending on desired heat level (the more seeds left in the peppers, the higher the heat level).
  2. In a pot over medium high heat, add the water, vinegar, sugar, salt and garlic. Cook, stirring frequently, until the sugar and salt have dissolved, remove from heat. Allow to cool to room temperature before adding the jalapenos. Place peppers and pickling liquid in an airtight container, such as a canning jar, refrigerate for 4 days and up to three weeks.

 

 Jalapeno Peppers2

Grilled Guacamole

Grilled Guacamole This grilled guacamole isn’t just a product of my grill junky status, grilling avocados is a fantastic idea and the perfect way to get some of that wonderful smoke flavors into your favorite summer dip. After all, the 4th of July is right around the corner, and next to Thanksgiving, it’s America’s favorite reason to take a day off work, eat too much food, and spend the day with people we love.

Grilled Guacamole2

Of course meat was made for the grill, but vegetables have an ever better transformation when cooked with fire. When comes to grilling, anything goes, don’t forget about how amazing fruit is when it has a bit of char, or even slices of pound cake. Don’t discount pizza, it’s quick and fabulous off the grill.

Try something new next time you break out your grill, who knows, you might just find a new way to impress your guests.

Grilled Guacamole

What I’m making for 4th of July:

Beer Chili Cheese Hot Dogs

Watermelon & Cotija Salad

Boozy Watermelon Stars

Roasted Potato, Bacon and Blue Cheese Salad

Stout S’Mores Bars

Best Quinoa Salad Ever

Grilled Guacamole

Ingredients

  • 4 avocados, ripe but firm
  • ½ red onion
  • 2 tbs olive oil
  • 1 tbs fresh squeezed lime juice
  • ¼ cup cilantro
  • 1 jalapeno, chopped
  • 1 tsp hot pepper sauce
  • ¼ tsp smoked paprika
  • ¼ tsp chili powder
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp pepper

Instructions

  1. Preheat grill to medium high.
  2. Cut the avocados in half lengthwise, remove the pit. Bush the cuts side of the onion half and the avocados with olive oil.
  3. Put the onion and avocados on the grill, cut side down, close the lid. Grill until dark grill marks appear, about 5 minutes.
  4. Chop the red onion. Scoop the avocado into a bowl, add the chopped onions along with the remaining ingredients and mash until combined.

Strawberry Granita with Candied Mint Leaves

Strawberry Granita with Candied Mint

 

I’m so excited to tell you that I’ve been asked to be a Brand Ambassador for California Strawberry Commission. Given my complete love of strawberries, this is fantastic for me. To be honest, I’ve been asked to be a brand ambassador before but it was never a good fit, I ended up turing other companies down. I can’t endorse a company that I don’t have complete faith in putting my name on the line for. I’m absolutely proud to represent a product as fantastic as California strawberries and I was thrilled to be asked and accepted without hesitation. I love strawberries and the best ones come from California.

I’m working on some strawberry recipes, I have a great savory recipe that just isn’t ready to post yet. It’s good, but I want it to be great so I’ll be working on it a bit more before I’m ready to send into into digital print.

May is National Strawberry Month, but really, you don’t need an excuse to grab some strawberries now that they are everywhere. But if you do need some ideas, here are some strawberry recipes that I love so much:

 

Chocolate Strawberry Shortcakes:

Chocolate Strawberry Shortcakes

Strawberry, Goat Cheese And Quinoa Salad:

Strawberry Goat Cheese Quinoa Salad

Strawberry Brie Mini Galettes:

Mini-Galette-Strawberry Brie

Strawberry Sriracha Margarita 

Strawberry-Sriracha-Margarita

And now, the man of the hour, a recipe for a strawberry granita that requires no special equipment and makes a great final dish for those summer dinner parties on the patio that we are all looking forward to.

Strawberry Granita with Candied Mint 2

Strawberry Granita with Candied Mint Leaves

Ingredients

For the Granita:

  • 1 cup very hot tap water
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 3 cups strawberries, chopped
  • 1 lemon, juiced and zested

For the Candied Mint:

  • 10-15 mint leaves
  • 2 tbs corn syrup
  • 1 Tbs very hot tap water
  • 3 tbs white sugar

Instructions

  1. Put the very hot water in a small bowl or measuring cup. Add the sugar and stir until it dissolves (microwave for 30 seconds if the sugar doesn’t dissolve).
  2. Add the sugar water, strawberries, lemon juice, an lemon zest to a blender or food processor. Process until smooth, about 3 minutes.
  3. Pour into a glass baking dish (7×11 or 9×13 will work well) place in the freezer.
  4. Stir every 30 minutes, combining the frozen edges into the center. Once the granita is mostly frozen, rake the surface with a fork to create flakey mound. Cover and freeze until ready to serve.

To make the candied basil:

  1. Preheat the oven to 175.
  2. Place 2 tbs of corn syrup and 1 tbs hot water in a small bowl, stir until well combined.
  3. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  4. Dip the leaves in the corn syrup water, lay them on the parchment paper. Sprinkle with sugar, turn over, sprinkle with additional sugar (make more leaves than you need, some of them don’t survive the process as well as other, you’ll want extras).
  5. Place in the 175 degree oven for 20 minutes, flip over and cook until dry and sugar has crystalized, about 30 additional minutes.

Notes

Boozy Option: To make this a Strawberry Mojito Granita, add 1/4 cup white rum and 5 mint leaves to the blender with the sugar water, strawberries, lemon zest and lemon juice and just proceed with the rest of the recipe.

Strawberry Granita with Candied Mint 4

Beverly Hills Potatoes with Pesto Butter

Beverly Hills Potatoes 10

I’m cooking on The Today show on Wednesday.

I wish I was cool enough to have a witty lead in and build up to the exciting news, but I’m just going to digitally blurt it out:

I’m cooking on The Today Show, in New York, on Wednesday. I’ll be battling it out with two other cooks in The Joyful Cook-off for supreme Healthy One Pot Meal domination, although the big prize is merely bragging rights. With a free trip to New York, and the opportunity to cook on The Today show, I feel like I’ve already won.

Beverly Hills Potatoes_

 

Back to these potatoes, that will forever be known as Beverly Hills potatoes. I went to Bazaar in Beverly Hills with a friend for her birthday a few months ago. The food was beautiful, intricate and far beyond my culinary abilities. Then there were these lovely and delicious miniature potatoes that had been salt roasted, served on tooth picks with a side of pesto butter. It’s a good thing I choose to fall in love with the one thing I could actually duplicate at home, although there were these fantastic Japanese Taco’s I’ll need to stop thinking about because I’ll never be able to figure out how to make those.

Beverly Hills Potatoes 3

 

The hardest thing about this dish is finding these miniature potatoes, although I have seen them in several markets. They are far smaller that the baby red potatoes that you might think of, closer to the size of large grapes. I’ve seen them called "teeny tiny potatoes" and "miniature potatoes," either way, they are really small.

Beverly Hills Potatoes 2

Now I’m hooked. I’ve served them as a side dish, and also put toothpicks in the and served them as an appetizer.

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And this is what happens when I try to photograph anything while tater is awake. She was laying down the potatoes with toothpicks in them saying, "Potatoes are tired boys."

Beverly Hills Potatoes 6

 

She’s the best.

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Beverly Hills Potatoes with Pesto Butter

Ingredients

  • 1.5 lbs miniature potatoes
  • 1 to 2 cups kosher salt
  • 1/4 cup pesto
  • 2 tbs melted butter

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400.
  2. Wash the potatoes well, prick each one with a fork.
  3. Place potatoes in a loaf pan. Pour salt over potatoes until most of the potatoes are covered.
  4. Roast for 25-35 minutes or until fork tender. Break up the salt crust with a fork, pour into a large bowl or pot, remove the potatoes (insert one tooth pick into each potato if serving as an appetizer).
  5. To make the pesto butter, combine the pesto and melted butter. Serve alongside the potatoes.

Beverly Hills Potatoes 4

 

 

Cheap Eats: Rosemary Potato Tart (Serves 4 for $4.87)

I started a Cheap Eats section of my blog because I wanted dishes that were good enough for a dinner party, but didn’t cost a lot. It was a challenge to myself to create dishes that I’m so proud of I want to serve to company, but that will serve 4 people for less than $10. I don’t want to dump  a bunch of pre-packaged food in a slow cooker, I want real food. These dishes aren’t necessarily quick, but they are low cost, easy and taste great. Hope you love them as much as I do. 

Rosemary Potato Tart (Serves 4 for $4.87)

I’m going through a hostess phase right now. I’m also going through a phase where I’m trying to spend less on groceries (my grocery store impulse buying was getting out of control) and these two phases are battling it out right now. I love having people over for dinner, and although I want to spend crazy amounts of money to "play" in the kitchen, that just doesn’t make sense for a freelancer.  By the way, if you see me in the cheese aisle of Whole Foods, remind me that it is not a good idea to spend $45 on cheese when I don’t really have any cheese cookin' plans. Homemade tarts are a great way to bridge the gap between these two phases, they just feel special but can be really affordable (less than $5!).

If you haven’t made a tart crust from scratch, I promise that this is so easy you’ll be thrilled at your new found kitchen talent. You can even make it 3 days ahead of time, this dough stores really well (you can even freeze it in a zip lock bag for up to a month) and for just about $1 and 10 minutes of active time you just can’t go wrong.

I served this with a salad made of what I already had, similar to this one. If you want to add a little protein, serve this with grilled chicken or pan seared red snapper and you’ll probably still be under that $10 mark!

Rosemary Potato Tart (Serves 4 for $4.87)

Ingredients

Crust:

  • 1 ½ cups all purpose flour ($.25)
  • ½ tsp salt ($0.01)
  • 8 tbs of butter (for vegan use vegetable shortening), cold, cut into cubes ($0.80)
  • 1/4 cup cold water ($0.00)

Filling:

  • ¼ cup vegetable oil, divided ($0.22)
  • 1 ½ cups cherry or grape tomatoes ($2.10)
  • 1 tsp salt ($0.02)
  • 1 tsp pepper ($0.02)
  • 2 tsp fresh rosemary, minced ($0.20)
  • 3 large Russet Potatoes, peeled and sliced into ¼ inch slices ($1.25)

Instructions

  1. In a food processor, add 1 cup of flour (reserving the other ½ cup), salt and pulse to combine. Add the butter cubes (or shortening), process until combined. Add the remaining ½ cup of flour, process until well incorporated.
  2. Transfer to a bowl, add the water and mix until combined. Dough will be very soft.
  3. Form into a wide flat disk, wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours and up to 3 days.
  4. Preheat the oven to 350.
  5. Once the dough has chilled, roll out on a lightly floured surface, transfer to a 9-inch tart pan (or pie pan) press into shape. Remove the excess. Chill until ready to use.
  6. Add 2 tbs of vegetable oil to a pan over high heat. Once the pan is very hot but not smoking, add the tomatoes, toss until softened and blistered, about 5 minutes. Smash slightly with a wooden spoon or spatula, pour into the bottom of the tart in an even layer (this will act like a sauce).
  7. Combine the salt, pepper and rosemary in a small bowl.
  8. In a skillet over medium high heat, add the remaining oil. Working in batches, add potato slices to the pan, sprinkle with seasoning mixture and allow to cook until slightly browned, flip and sprinkle with more seasoning. Once the potatoes have browned lightly on both sides, add to the tart crust (over the tomatoes) in overlapping concentric circles. Repeat until all of the potato slices have been browned and added to the tart. This will give you two or three layers of potatoes depending on how tightly the potatoes are overlapped.
  9. Bake at 350 until the crust is a light golden brown, 22-25 minutes.


Rosemary Potato Tart (Serves 4 for $4.87)

 

Mexican Galette with Roasted Red Pepper, Black Beans and Avocados

 

Mexican Galette with Roasted Red Pepper, Black Beans and Avocados. And the best and easiest tart crust. With a vegan option.

 

I met a lady at the grocery store yesterday who was 92. She was fabulously healthy and spry, you would never have known she was born in the 1920’s.

We started to chat about my daughter. After a few minutes she said, "You’re a good woman. I can tell. And you’re a good mom." I wanted to stop and tell her about the Cheerios on the floor of car, and how some days she stays in pajamas until noon and how since I work from home, there are so many times I have to say, "Mommy’s busy," when she wants me to sit on the couch and watch Mickey’s Clubhouse but I haven’t photographed the tart yet and it’s withering.

Why is it so hard for us to accept a mom-compliments? Why is it so hard to see that we are doing well, see that not being perfect doesn’t mean that you still aren’t doing great?

When someone tells me that they love my recipes, I’m thrilled. If someone tells me I’m a great mom, I want to protest.

Maybe we all need to hear it more often. Maybe you need to hear it as much as I do. You and I aren’t that different, but I hope you find a way to believe this, even if I haven’t:

You’re doing great. Cheerios on the floor means you thought that your kid might want a snack on the way to the park, and cared more about that, than the floor of your SVU.

Taking a moment to yourself means you give so much all day, you need to recharge so that you can give some more.

Your kid in pajamas at noon just means you saw that they were having a good time, and didn’t want to interrupt with something as silly as a wardrobe change.

Putting your kids in front of the TV so you can sit down to talk to your spouse is a great way to show your kids how much you care about that relationship, showing them that their parents love each other.

When you go to bed at night, reliving the days events and focusing on the failures, remember that your kids aren’t. They remember the park, the macaroni and the bed time story. They think you’re doing great, and so do I.

Mexican Galette

Ingredients

For The Crust:

  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) of butter (for vegan use shortening)
  • 1/3 cup ice cold water
  • 1 tbs melted butter (for vegan substitute with water or Earth Balance)

For the Filling:

  • 1/4 cup tomato paste
  • 2 tsp minced chipotle pepper
  • 2 tbs oil
  • 2 tbs warm water
  • 1 roma tomato, thinly sliced
  • 2 jalapeno, sliced, stem and seeds removed
  • 1 roasted red pepper, sliced
  • ½ cup cooked black beans, drained and rinsed
  • ¼ cup corn kernels (thawed if frozen)
  • 1 large avocado, diced
  • ¼ cup Mexican Crema (can substitute sour cream) (for vegan use cashew cream)
  • ½ cup cilantro

Instructions

  1. In a food processor add 1 1/3 cup flour, salt, sugar and butter, process until well combined. Add the remaining flour and process again until combined.
  2. Transfer to a bowl and mix in the water until just combined (don’t add the water while the dough is in the food processor or your dough will be brittle and cracker-like).
  3. The dough should be soft. Form dough into a disk, wrap with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours. Can be made three days ahead of time.
  4. Preheat oven to 375
  5. In a small bowl, add the tomato paste, chipotle, water and oil, stir until combined.
  6. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a 16 inch rustic circle. Transfer dough to a baking sheet that has been covered with parchment paper.
  7. Spread the center with the tomato chipotle mixture, leaving about 2 inches of the edges bare.
  8. Add the roasted red pepper, jalapenos, black beans, and corn. Fold the edges up over the filling, leaving a portion of the center still exposed. Brush the edges with melted butter.
  9. Bake at 375 for 30 to 35 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.
  10. Remove from the oven, top with avocado, crema and cilantro.

Mexican Galette with Roasted Red Pepper, Black Beans and Avocados. And the best and easiest tart crust. With a vegan option.

Perfect Skillet Roasted Potatoes


Perfect Skillet Roasted Potatoes_

Have you ever had one of those "What Would You Want Your Last Meal To Be?" conversations?

I have. Partially because I’m a touch more morbid than most, and partially because I think about food nearly constantly. Also, between food writers, food bloggers and chefs, I hang out with quite a few food people and that tends to dictate the sway of conversation.

Julia Child ate French onion soup as her last meal. James Dean had apple pie and a glass of milk at a road side dinner. JFK ate a pretty typical breakfast of eggs, toast and coffee. John Lennon had a corned beef sandwich. Ernest Hemingway had a steak and potatoes.

(*have I totally creeped you out with death talk on my potatoes post?)

Really, what that conversation comes down to is what food could you not bear never eating again. For most people, that’s comfort food, or meals that remind them of childhood. To be honest with you, I can’t really decide on an answer to the super-morbid Last Meal question. But, I can tell you I would want potatoes to be a part of the meal.

I’ve been making these potatoes for a while. Really simple, easy and always turn out great, without much effort. They also just so happen to be vegan and gluten free, how great is that?

Last meal or not, I’ll be having these again soon.

Perfect Skillet Roasted Potatoes 3

Perfect Skillet Roasted Potatoes

Ingredients

  • 1.5 lb baby red potatoes, cut into quarters
  • 3 tbs olive oil
  • 1 tsp sea salt, or kosher salt
  • 1 tsp black pepper

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 375.
  2. Add olive oil to cast iron skillet over medium high heat until hot but not smoking.
  3. Add the potatoes, one of the cut sides down.
  4. Cook until browned, about 3 minutes.
  5. Push each piece of potato over, toggling it onto its un-browned cut side.
  6. Cook for one minute, transfer skillet to the oven and cook for 15 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender.

 

Perfect Skillet Roasted Potatoes 2

Mirin Caramelized Brussels Sprouts

I’ve reached a goal of sorts, and I wanted to tell you about it. When I started this blog in 2011, it was as a direct response of having to put my 4 month old in the arms of stranger, turn around, and drive to an office.

Tater 6 months I love my job, and I love my babysitter, she has become a part of the family. But at the time, I didn’t know her, she was just the woman who had babysat my friends daughters. If you’ve never had to leave your baby,  it might not sound that terrible, but at the time it felt like a part of my heart was being torn out.

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Every morning when I left her I cried, and my babysitter understood. She has four grown boys of her own, and started watching babies as a way to stay home with them, "I’d worry about you if this didn’t bother you. It’s OK, everyone cries when they leave their babies," She had told me. Somehow, that made me feel better.

I decided to try and find a way to work part time, in order to stay home with her more and maybe, when I decided to have Baby #2, I would be able to stay home longer. For some reason, a blog was my brilliant idea. It wasn’t until after I had fallen in love with blogging that I discovered that the average blogger only makes $40 a month. Although I am lucky enough to make much more than that off my ad revenue, it isn’t enough to quit my job. Even though the income isn’t what I hope, my complete love and utter obsession with food writing, blogging and recipe develop makes up for that. But I needed other ways to make money. Little by little, small job by small job, I’ve been able to nickel and dime my way to part time.

I’m part time!

I only have to go to an office 3 days a week. It really is amazing. One of the ways I’ve been able to do this is freelance writing. I wrote an article last year for Honest Cooking that I was so proud of, I just have to tell you about it. More than 100 food writers and bloggers pitched for only 10 slots in the new Honest Cooking iPad magazine and I was given one of those spots. I was so grateful, but once I got the green light, I froze. Could I do it? Could I really write something I was proud of, that could stand up to the work of real life food writers? Writing this article I was able to prove to myself that I am able to do this. It was a turning point for me, proof that I really can do this. I can move forward in this world I so badly want to be part of. And next time, maybe I wont have to put my infant in the arms of a stranger.

The article I pitched was on a non-profit that I’m a bit starry eyed over. Homeboy industries helps Los Angeles gang members get out of gangs by turning them into chefs and bakers. It’s an incredible organization and for so many people, the only way out of gang life. It is the most successful gang rehabilitation program in the world.

Homeboy3

I spent three days interviewing ex-con, ex-gang members, visiting "urban gardens" spread across East Los Angeles, farmers markets and Homeboy Cafes. I left so inspired, by the people, their stories and the fight they fight daily to pull themselves out of the gangs they were often born into and give themselves and their children a good life.

Homeboy11

So, please, if you have an iPad, please download the app and read my article. It’s a free app full of great food related articles and inspiring stories.

honest cooking

I also have some Brussels sprouts for you! I love these vegetables, but so far, my husband isn’t a fan. I’ve tried so many methods, braising, bacon fan, roasting and yet he remains unimpressed. Until I poured some Mirin  into a cast iron skillet. It gets a bit sweet and caramelized, giving a new life to there little green guys.

He loved these, more than even the bacon fat version. I hope you do too.

Mirin Brussels Sprouts

Mirin Caramelized Brussels Sprouts

Ingredients

  • 2 tbs olive oil
  • 3 cups Brussels sprouts, quartered
  • 1/3 cup mirin
  • ½ tsp red chili flakes
  • ¼ tsp Kosher or sea salt

Instructions

  1. Heat olive oil in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat, add Brussels sprouts and cook until Brussels sprouts start to brown. Add Mirin and cook, stirring occasionally, until mirin has reduced and thickened and the sprouts are fork tender. Sprinkle with chili flakes and salt, stir to combine.

 

Mirin Brussels Sprouts3

Negative Calorie Roasted Asparagus and Cauliflower Soup

 

Negative Calorie Roasted Asparagus and Cauliflower Soup

I heard this theory of negative calories foods about a year ago. And while this idea would be a dream come true, I’m not actually convinced of it’s validity.

The theory is that some food cost your body more energy in calories to consume and digest than the food actually contains.

Take celery for instance. A stock of celery is 5 calories, but between chewing, swallowing and digesting, it takes 15 calories to actually eat a  stalk of celery, for a net loss of 10 calories. Now, if celery could just taste better, and not like, well, celery, than we’d be all set. Clearly, this theory doesn’t apply to French fries.

On the list of "Negative Calorie Foods" are:

-Asparagus

-Beet Root

-Broccoli

-Cabbage

-Carrot

-Cauliflower

-Celery

-Chicory

-Hot Chili

-Cucumber

-Watercress

-Garlic

-Green Beans

-Lettuce

-Onion

-Radish

-Spinach

-Turnip

-Zucchini

-Apple

-Blueberries

-Cantaloupe

-Cranberry

-Grapefruit

-Honeydew

-Lemon/Lime

-Mango

-Orange

-Papaya

-Peach

-Pineapple

-Raspberry

-Strawberry

-Tomato

-Tangerine

-Turnip

-Watermelon

 

While this theory has been widely discredited, there is no arguing with the fact that this is an incredible list of foods. If more than half of your diet was pulled from the above list, and the rest of your diet was "sensible" you would never have to diet again and those skinny jeans would be yours.

I did a bit of a test of my own. I made a batch of this soup and ate it for lunch every day for a week.

I lost 2 lbs. Which is a lot for me, given that I have a BMI of 20.6.

That doesn’t really prove anything. Other than the fact that a low calorie vegan soup is a good route to take when looking to drop those holiday pounds. Believe the theory or not, this is still a fantastic list of healthy foods.

Even if this soup isn’t "Negative Calorie," it still only has 78 calories per serving.

Negative Calorie Roasted Asparagus and Cauliflower Soup

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs chopped cauliflower (about 8 cups)
  • 1 lb fresh asparagus stalks, trimmed
  • 4 cups veggie broth
  • ½ tsp onion powder
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp pepper
  • pinch cayenne pepper

yield: 6 cups

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400.
  2. Place asparagus and cauliflower on a baking sheet. Roast at 400 for 15 to 20 minutes or until asparagus is fork tender and the cauliflower has started to brown.
  3. Add broth to a large pot, add asparagus and cauliflower and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes or until the vegetables have started to break down. Using an immersion blender, puree until smooth. Add the seasonings, adjust to taste.

Negative Calorie Roasted Asparagus and Cauliflower Soup

Pasta Cavatelli: Homemade Pasta Without A Pasta Roller

How To Make Pasta Without A Pasta Machine

I love hearing other peoples Culinary Bucket Lists. It’s always a really interesting mix of classic recipes, mastering techniques, and difficult dishes. I love that, it shows range.

But seriously people, start crossing some of this stuff off. You can do it. Just jump right in, and do it.

This is a great recipe for everyone that has "Make Pasta From Scratch" on your list because you don’t need any fancy equiptment. Just some flour, water and a knife.

You’ve go this.

I’m going to be honest with you, this is a bit labor intensive. But you can finally draw that satisfying line though the item that’s been taunting you on your bucket list for years. You can finally say things like, "This one time, while I was making pasta from scratch…" and "Well, when I make my pasta…"

It’ll be fun.

Homemade Cavatelli Pasta

2 cups All Purpose flour

1 cup Semolina flour

½ tsp salt

1 cup warm water

 

1. Add both kinds of flour and salt to a flat surface, mix to combine.

How To Make Pasta Without A Pasta Roller

2. Make a well in the middle and add the water.

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3. Stir the liquid and the flour together until combined. Then knead until smooth, about 5 minutes.

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4. Cut into 4 pieces, wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

How To Make Pasta Without A Pasta Roller4

5. One at at time, take a piece of dough and form into a long log about 1/4 to 1/2 inch in diameter.

How To Make Pasta Without A Pasta Roller5 How To Make Pasta Without A Pasta Roller6

6. Cut off about 1/4 inch slice and place in front of you. It should be about the size of a dime.

How To Make Pasta Without A Pasta Roller7

 

How To Make Pasta Without A Pasta Roller8

7. Place a bench knife (I use this one, I love it), or the dull side of a butter knife, on the far side of the dough circle, pull towards you smearing the dough against the counter. The dough should curl up over the knife.

How To Make Pasta Without A Pasta Roller9

8. It should look like a little canoe.

How To Make Pasta Without A Pasta Roller10

10. Place on a baking sheet that has been lightly dusted with flour until ready to use. Basically, if you mound them on top of each other, they’ll stick.

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11. Cook immediately in lightly salted water until al dente or allow to dry and store in an air tight container.

How To Make Pasta Without A Pasta Roller12

 

 

Look at you, you homemade pasta maker.

I’m so impressed with your mad skills.

 

 

Creamy Vegan Broccoli Avocado Soup & Five Foodie New Years Resolutions

Creamy Vegan Broccoli Soup

Five New Year Food Resolutions to Make

 

Let’s stop vowing to cut things out of our lives at then beginning of each year, and start promising ourselves we’ll add some great things in.

Can’t we all just agree that those “I’m going to lose weight/stop eating sugar/give up carbs/cut out coffee” resolutions are just going to leave us feeling hungry, guilty and eventually shameful when they go enormously ignored about the second week in January?

Maybe you have a bigger capacity for restraint than I do, or a higher guilt threshold, but I gave up those types of personal promises years ago. Although I do still love a good resolution and tend to make them year round.

How about we agree to ADD things to our lives instead of taking away? There is something about making a decision to add something great to our world that just reminds us what an amazing life we have ahead of us. And adding greatness has a way of pushing out some of those not as great things.

Let’s give it a try.

Here are my favorite food resolutions, all about adding more amazingness, not about taking things away.

 

1.Start a food tradition: Maybe a once a month Sunday Supper with your family, or a quarterly Food Friends Pot Luck, or even just New Recipe Wednesday where you try a new dish. Food traditions are memories that you’ll be glad you made.

2. Read more food lit. Chefs have written most of the best books I’ve read over the past year. There is something about knowing the back story of food, and those who have created it, that give you a deeper connection to the food world.  Plus, food people tend to read food books, it’s an instant conversation starter when you meet a food writer or a chef. My recommendations: Yes Chef, Marcus Samuelson;  Blood, Bones & Butter, Gabrielle Hamilton; Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table,  Ruth Reichl, Kitchen Confidential, Anthony Bourdain.

3. Join a CSA or other Organic Produce Delivery Program. Before my recent move, I got a box of organic produce delivered to my doorstep every Wednesday from Love Delivery. Mostly local, in season and very fresh fruits and vegetables. This also gets you to eat more good stuff, because it’s there. And you hate to waste it.  Supporting local farmers and eating healthier, it’s a total win. There are several in most cities and states, consult Google for ones in your area.

4. Try New Foods. This is for the picky eaters. Pick one new food a month and cook it, and eat it. Or, order that one thing on the menu that you would never normally eat. After a year you’ll have 12 foods that you never otherwise would have tried. And I’m going to bet you a batch of cookies that you will be surprised at how much you like at least one of those new foods.

5. Master A Recipe or Technique. Maybe you’ve always wanted to learn to make a soufflé, or homemade pasta. What better resolution to make than the acquisition of culinary knowledge you can someday pass down to future generations? Just go into assuming that the first time may not be a huge success, and by that I mean don’t plan an entire dinner party around skills you haven’t acquired just to end up in tears when your husband has to have pizza delivered. It will probably go fine, and you will probably post the results on Facebook (yay!), but take it slow and know that to master a technique takes a lot of practice, each time you try it you’ll learn something new.

 

One of my resolutions is to explore vegan cooking more, even though I have no plans to give up meat or dairy. There really isn’t any arguing with the fact that produce is the best thing you can put in your body. The more I focus on the beautiful flavors of fruits and vegetables, without using meat and dairy as a crutch, the better my cooking becomes over all.

Here is a vegan soup, inspired by this Bon Appetite recipe. Without garnishes, it’s about 170 calories a serving.

Here is a How To Roast Red Peppers post by Kitchen Treaty. If you are going to use them right away, you can skip the oil and the jar.

Creamy Vegan Broccoli Soup2

Creamy Vegan Broccoli Avocado Soup

Ingredients

  • 1 tbs olive oil
  • 1 shallot, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 4 cups low sodium vegetable stock
  • 1 large red potato, peeled and chopped
  • 6 cups chopped broccoli florets
  • ½ to 2 cups water
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp onion powder
  • ½ tsp black pepper
  • pinch chili powder
  • 1 tbs fresh lemon juice
  • 1 lage avocado, diced
  • 1 red pepper, roasted, cut into strips

Instructions

  1. In a stock pot or Dutch oven heat the oil. Add the shallots and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and stir. Add the vegetable stock and potatoes, cooking until the potatoes are almost soft, about 10 minutes. Add the broccoli and cook until the broccoli and potatoes are both tender, about 5-8 minutes. Using an emersion blender, puree until smooth. Add water, if desired, to thin to desired consistency. Add spices and lemon juice.
  2. Garnish with avocados and red peppers prior to serving.

If you want to know how I made the garnishes "float" on top of the soup for the picture, check this out.

Creamy Vegan Broccoli Soup3

Pad Thai Soup

Love veggie meals? Try my Vegan Mushroom Quinoa Beer Chili! or Beer Battered Avocado Tacos

 

Living in LA during "fall" makes you feel like a bit of crazy person.

I’ll pull on my tall boots and a chunky sweaters that I am rightfully entitled to wear in late October, later realizing that the weather will creep up into the 80’s by mid day. And I’m the crazy lady at Starbucks ordering a pumpkin latte, wearing vintage Frye boots, jeans and a thick wool sweater while I could be wearing a jersey knit sundress like the normal, non-crazy, girl behind me in line.

And still, I persist. I even go home and make soup. Sweating the entire time I eat it. In my sweater, with the air conditioner running.

I spent three years as a vegetarian. The best thing I ever did when it comes to cooking, it opened up a world of produce to me and reminded me of all the foods I would often overlook just because they didn’t contain meat. To this day there are still things I prefer in a vegetarian or vegan form.

When it comes to thai cooking, fish and oyster sauce are frequently called for. Here is an article about how to make those, DIY style in your own kitchen using non-meat products.

There is also a company that sell vegetarian fish sauce, vegetarian oyster sauce, and Golden Mountain Season Sauce is a great alternative when those are called for.

And for Gluten Free, I hear this Kikkomon GF Soy Sauce is great.

Pad Thai Soup

Ingredients

  • 3 tbs oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 egg (omit for vegan)
  • 3 oz extra firm tofu, diced (or cubed chicken)
  • 4 cups broth (veggie or chicken)
  • 4 oz rice noodles (also called pad thai noodles)
  • 3 tbs soy sauce
  • 1/4 tsp sriracha
  • 1 tbs fish sauce (For vegan, use adaptation listed in above post)
  • 1/4 cup roasted peanuts, crushed
  • 1/4 cup green onions
  • 1 tsp crushed red peppers

Instructions

  1. In a large pot or dutch oven, heat the oil. Add the garlic and stir. Add the egg and cook until softly scrabbled. Add the tofu (or chicken), cook until lightly fried about 3 minutes.
  2. Add the broth, then add the noodles, soy, sriracha, fish sauce, and peanuts. Cook until noodles have softened, about 5 minutes.
  3. Serve topped with peanuts, green onions and red chili flakes.

 

How To: Make Corn Tortillas From Scratch

Homemade corn tortillas are one of the perfect food trifectas: easy, cheap & delicious.

SO much better than anything you have ever found at on a store shelf, takes about 5 minutes, and only a few cents each.

This needs to be added to your "To Make" list. Right now.

Check out the step by step guest post I did for Andrew of Eating Rules, and sign up for the pledge if you get a chance!

 

Get the recipe here!

Cherry Peach Tart With Coconut Cointreau Whipped Cream (Vegan)

Julia Child would have turned 100 today. She’s an inspiration, not just for those of us who cook, but for anyone who is sitting in an unfulfilling life wondering how then ended up where they did. Anyone who thinks they are "too old" to start a new path.

Julia didn’t start cooking until she was 32 and she didn’t enter culinary school until she was 37. And just look at how that turned out for her, I’d say pretty well. What if she had felt "too old" to start learning how to cook? Would we still be putting canned pineapple slices on ham and eating Sarah Lee on special occasions?

Laura Ingalls Wilder didn’t start writing until she was in her 40’s and her Little House books weren’t written untill she was in her 60’s.

Martha Stewart was a stock broker until she started working on renovating a farm house at the age of 32.

Andrea Bocelli didn’t start singing opera until he was 34.

Grandma Moses didn’t start painting until she was 70.

Makes me feel like I have an early start on this career change I want to make. Instead of thinking "Who am I to do that?" Start thinking, "Why not me?" If they can do it, why not you?

 

Reminder: If you are in San Diego and want tickets to the Foster Farms Cook Off on September 7th, check this out.

Cherry Peach Tart With Coconut Cointreau Whipped Cream (Vegan)

Ingredients

Crust:

  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 3/4 cup of vegetable shortening (can sub butter for non vegan)
  • 2 to 4 tbs ice cold water

For the filling:

  • 3 cups cherries, halved and pitted
  • 1/3 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 tbs flour
  • 2 yellow peaches, sliced

For the whipped cream:

  • 1 can full fat coconut milk, chilled in the fridge overnight (important) (can sub 1 cup whipping cream for non vegan)
  • Chilled bowl (like the bowl of a stand mixer, just place it in the fridge for a few hours)
  • 3 tbs powdered sugar
  • 1 tbs Cointreau

Instructions

  1. In a food processor, combine 1 1/3 cup flour, salt, sugar and shortening, process until well combined. Add the remaining flour and process again until combined. Transfer to a bowl and add the water with a wooden spoon (don’t add the water while the dough is in the food processor or your dough will be brittle and cracker-like). If the dough isn’t moist enough, you can add more water, a tsp at a time until the consistency is right. Dump the dough into the bottom of a 9 inch tart pan with 1 1/2 inch high sides, sprayed with cooking spray. Starting with the sides first then the bottom, form the crust into the pan. Chill the crust for 2 hours in the fridge. (If you haven’t yet, put a bowl in the fridge to chill to make the whipped cream)
    (*Note: if you have a smaller tart pan, mine seems to be quite large, you will need less tart dough, pull out any excess and make a mini tart in a muffin tin. You can also double the recipe, form the excess into a disk, cover with plastic wrap, place in a Ziplock freezer bag and freeze. should keep up to two months)
  2. Preheat oven to 350.
  3. Add the cherries, sugar, and flour to a bowl and toss to coat. Add the cherries to the tart crust. Top with sliced peaches. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until tart crust is a light golden brown. Allow to cool before removing from tart pan.
  4. Make the whipped cream.
  5. Open the can without shaking. Scrap only the fat layer at the top and into the chilled bowl, do not include any of the water in the bottom of the can, just the fat layer. Using a hand mixer, on high, whip until light and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar and whip until combined. While the mixer is running, slowly add the Cointreau until combined.
  6. Serve the tart topped with whipped cream.

Chocolate Coconut Ice Cream (Vegan)

 

( chocolate coconut ice cream vegan ) 

I’m still in shock about this ice cream.

First, I am still wrestling with this realization that I actually DO like coconut after years of testifying to my hatred for it. But it turns out that I love it, and my favorite of all the coconut products is coconut milk. And although I still loath "coconut" candy and all the oddly texture invasive disgust that it has assaulted my mouth with over the years, but I can’t hold that against the amazing substance that is coconut milk.

I can’t stop putting it in things and my fervent adoration has only grown once I have discovered what it does once it hits my KitchenAid Ice Cream maker (affiliate link).

A creamy texture that is much better than any cow’s milk product I have ever made. You’ve seen a can of full fat coconut milk, and that creamy layer on the top, it’s beautiful. And it’s incredible in ice cream, with a smooth and rich flavor that reminds me of the gelato I had in Italy.

You will love this and everyone will be shocked that it’s vegan. I can’t even believe it.

Chocolate Coconut Ice Cream

Ingredients

  • 2 (13.5 oz) cans of full fat coconut milk
  • 1 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup good quality unsweetened cocoa powder

Yield: About 2 1/2 cups

Instructions

  1. In a pot over medium heat, add all the ingredients and stir. Allow to simmer until thickened slightly, about 8 minutes.
  2. Place in a container and refrigerate until cold, about 4 hours.
  3. Add to an ice cream maker and churn until set, about 15 to 20 minutes. Freeze until desired consistency is reached

*Note: I use a Kitchen Aid Ice Cream maker: churn time was 15 minutes for a "soft serve" consistency and another 2 hours of freeze time for a harder scoop style ice cream.

 

 

Strawberry Sriracha Margarita

I’m not much of a hard liquor drinker. That was something I inadvertently gave up when I became a mom, along with sleeping past 7am, peeing alone, and buying anything for myself without feeling selfish. It’s worth the price of admission, this tequila free/up at dawn/spectated toilet runs/"why am I buying this for myself when I could be buying something for my kid," life that I live as a person who grew another human in her guts.

Because she’s really amazing.

(Me & Tater in the healing waters of Santa Barbara a few days ago)

So I drink beer (the good stuff) or wine (the cheap stuff) unless you tell me that there is a cocktail on the menu that’s spicy. I love a nice hot cocktail. Lately, jalapenos have been popping into drinks all over the country and I couldn’t be happier about it.

My undying love for the Rooster Sauce put the idea for a red hot cocktail in my head a few months ago. And adding strawberries gave the perfect balance. Be careful, alcohol intensifies heat so start with a small amount (this recipe calls for only 1/2 tsp) and then decide if you want to add a bit more.

If you love Sriracha as much as I do, I would suggest you add The Sriracha Cookbook to your culinary library, or follow Randy Clemens blog, The Sriracha Cookbook Blog.

 

Strawberry Sriracha Margarita

Ingredients

  • 2 cups strawberries, hulled and chopped
  • 1/2 cup tequilla
  • 1/4 cup Cointreau (or other orange flavored liquor)
  • 1 tbs agave nectar
  • 1/2 tsp Sriracha
  • 2 cups ice

(yield: 32oz, about 2 generous servings)

Instructions

  1. Add all ingredients to a blender, blend until smooth. Pour into a sugar rimmed margarita glass.

Chocolate Coconut Brownies (Vegan!)

To see my Coconut Oat French Toast, click on the picture:


Why would a meat eating cheese monger such as myself want to make something vegan? Several reason, not the least of which are my friends and family who can’t or wont eat dairy. As meat eaters, it is even more important for us to experiment with vegan and vegetarian food and not hang on the crutch of animal products with the exclusion of other foods. We need to have all types of recipes in our arsenals, not just to accommodate those who might be guest at our tables, but in order to discover foods that we didn’t know we loved, because we didn’t think food with "vegan" labels applied to us. In exploring vegan cooking I have discovered what an amazing texture vegetable shorting lends to frosting, how rich and beautiful coconut milk tastes, and how fruit purees can be a flavorful stand in for butter. 

Dairy free baking is something I want to lean towards more. Only using milk products when other substitutions would compromise the overall product, but in many cases vegan substitutions make the end result just as good or even better. Plant based foods just feel better in my body and if the taste of the food isn’t harmed then why would I make any other choice? 

I started exploring dairy free cooking when three friends where coming over for dinner. One was kosher (meat and dairy can not be served together) one was allergic to cow’s milk and the other was breast-feeding a baby who couldn’t have dairy. All three needed a dairy free meal. I realized how much dairy I use. Why? I love plants, produce, vegetables, fruit…why all the milk? 

These brownies where really good. Not just "good for vegan" but just really good. So fudgy and intensely chocolatey, even Tater couldn’t keep her little fingers off them. 

She took a bite and then carefully put it right back where I had place it. So cute, I love that kid. 

Chocolate Coconut Vegan Brownies

1/3 cup coconut oil

1 cup agave nectar 

1/2 cup unsweetened soy milk (can sub coconut milk)

1/3 cup strong coffee*

1 cup cocoa powder

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut (I used Bob’s Red Mill)

1/2 tsp salt

In a bowl, beat together the coconut oil and the agave nectar until well combined. Add the soy milk and coffee and beat again. in a separate bowl, add the cocoa powder, flour, shredded coconut and salt and stir to combine. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined, don’t over mix. 

Spray a 8×8 inch baking dish with cooking spray (or line with parchment paper) and pour bater into prepared pan. 

Bake at 350 for 16-18 minutes. You don’t want to overcook these or they will be too dry. Allow to cool before cutting into. 

For an extra treat, serve warm topped with coconut milk ice cream. 

*Note: Coffee intensifies the flavor of chocolate, with no trace of a coffee taste. If you don’t like coffee, or don’t have a coffee maker, stop by a Starbucks and order a black coffee, use 1/3 of a cup and freeze the rest in ice cube trays for use in future chocolate baking. 


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