Recipe #7

Finally, another recipe after the summer vacation hiatus. This one, inspired by my healthy, no-oil/fried-loving sister, a form of non-fried doughnuts! Well, almost. Fun to make and even more fun to watch them pop in the oven while they bake. (We ate these for breakfast.) Probably the simplest recipe you'll ever make, really pretty hard to mess up. If you want a savory version, just hold the cinnamon sugar and add in herbs and seasoned salt instead.

Cinnamon Sugar Popovers
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup milk
- a few Tbs sugar
- pinch of salt
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- dash of cinnamon
- 1 Tbs oil

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Drizzle a teaspoon of butter/oil into each muffin tin (without cupcake liners!) and stick the greased pan in the oven while you make the batter. Beat together the eggs, milk, oil, sugar, cinnamon, and flour until smooth. If needed, use an electric mixer for two minutes. Then, take the muffin tin out of the oven and add in the batter, filling each tin less than halfway. (The batter should sizzle a little since your pan is hot.) If you want, you can sprinkle more cinnamon sugar on top for a crunchy outside. Bake for around 15-20 minutes, then reduce the temp to 350 degrees and bake for another 15-20 min. Best served hot right out of the oven! Dust with powdered sugar if you want ;)

(Makes 1 dozen popovers)

Recipe #6

I had been wanting to make this for a while, but when I was requested to make vegan cheesecake, the idea of finally doing avocado cheesecake came. I know putting avocado in a cheesecake wouldn't be the first thing many people think of when they think avocado, but this recipe is seriously good and is completely vegan (dairy free). Limes turn this green cheesecake into more of a key lime pie sort of dessert but I had to make a few little substitutes along the way since I realized I didn't have limes at home, (I juiced oranges instead, so I made a green cheesecake that tasted orange ;) but regardless it was so yum. Now I hand you the glory that is the recipe to this deliciousness.

Vegan Avocado Cheesecake

Crust

- 1/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

- 1/4 cup chopped pecans

- 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
- 1/2 cup dates

- lime zest 

- pinch of salt

Filling

- 2 avocados (about 1 1/2 cups)

- 1/4 cup lime juice 

- 1/2 cup agave nectar or honey

- a few Tbs coconut oil

Procedure is really easy. Put all the crust ingredients in the food processor. Combine until it comes together. Press into a springform pan and stick in the freezer. Step 2. Put all the filling ingredients in the food processor. Blend until smooth. Taste and adjust. Pour on top of the crust. Freeze overnight and enjoy. 

(Serves 4)

Recipe #5

So, hope everyone had a great fourth of July, did something fun and all, maybe got accidentally burned by some illegal sparklers you set off. Anyhow, burnt or not, macaroni and cheese is still a staple here. Whether you're the type to go out and get the gooey orange stuff that takes less time to to make than look for a fork in the dishwasher to eat it with, I won't judge. There are times when that has solved my problems, I won't deny it. But this 4th of July, I think we hit the arguably best version on mac and cheese from scratch that we ever made. I'll try to estimate the amounts of ingredients we used as best I can, but it was pretty much throwing a lot of stuff in a pot and covering it for a while.

Mac and Cheese from Scratch

- 2 boxes (16 oz) elbow macaroni
- 1 onion
- 1 pkg cheddar cheese (8 oz) shredded
- 1 pkg monterey jack cheese (8 oz) shredded
- a little over 2 c milk
- 6 Tbs flour
- 1 tsp mustard powder
- salt/pepper to taste
- 1/2 pkg crackers
- (optional) herbs
- shortening (oil, butter, margarine, whatever you normally use) about 2 Tbs

Take the packages of cheese, and if you haven't already, go ahead and shred them. We did it by hand since they were in huge blocks to begin with.

Cheddar cheese is the classic go-to cheese for this recipe, and it's important, at least for this, to get good cheddar cheese. (Something like Velveeta or american singles will not do the same job.) If you like sharper cheddar, go for sharper, if less sharp, stay on the mild side. 

What lots of people don't realize about mac and cheese is that it's not only cheddar cheese. Trust me, I've tried just cheddar before and it tastes really strong and not at all what you're idea of mac and cheese is. An equal amount of a mellower cheese is also important to balance out the cheddar. We used monterey jack, but any less strong cheese should work. 

Then just fill a pot with water to boil on the stove. Once that's boiling, you'll add the pasta. Get another pot to start your sauce. The base for bechamels and also the sauce for this recipe is what's called a roux, which is just a fancy french name for what you're about to do. Chop the onion and add it to your shortening, sauteeing until the onions are soft and sort of colored. 

There should be extra shortening even after the onions are done. If not just add a bit more, you'll need it for the next part. Add in the mustard powder and flour to the onions. After the flour is added, it'll look like a big bunch of dry, lumpy flour, but don't freak out cuz that's what you want it to look like. Slowly, a little bit at a time, start adding the milk into the mixture, smoothing out the flour with it until it comes together. Once you've added all the milk, keep stirring until it gets to a rolling boil. (Don't leave the stove though, or it'll boil over! Happened once to me, and the idea of me in the kitchen was never the same to anyone again.) If the water's boiling, it might be a good time to add in the pasta to the other pot. Cook the pasta for a minute or two less than directed, it'll cook more with the sauce. Once the milk reaches a boil, turn off the stove and dump in all of the shredded cheese. Keep mixing until it sort of melts in to form a sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste. Guess what? The sauce is done. Not kidding. I told you it was easy. Pasta should be done by this point, so drain and add to the sauce. That can sit for a while. I made breadcrumbs to put on mine since I have a thing with breadcrumbs. I used whatever salty-ish crackers were around, ground them up (food processor or mortar/pestle), chopped some herbs (thyme, oregano) and toasted them in olive oil before adding them on top of everything. 

(Serves 6+)

Recipe #4

Melt-in-your-mouth, so in season, and dessert... Scone-ish, crumbled toasted sugar, and pops of blueberry. What's not to love? Looking for something in between the more rustic and lowly muffin and the refined elegance of a cupcake? You've found your haven. (I didn't invent this recipe, but it's been an amazing hit all the same.) We picked the blueberries just today then went home and made this amazing piece of heaven. (Fresh organic, and affordable PYO blueberries in New Egypt, NJ, see website: http://www.emerysfarm.com/) That's about as fresh as you can get. Now without further ado, the recipe.

Blueberry Crumble Coffee Cake

- 2 cups unbleached, all purpose flour

- 2 1/4 tsp baking powder

- 1/4 tsp salt

- 1/2 stick butter, soft not melted

- 1 tsp cinnamon

- 3/4 cups sugar

- 1 egg

- 1/4 tsp vanilla

- 3/4 cup milk

- 2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. First combine the dry ingredients in a medium bowl: flour, baking powder, and salt. Then, in a large bowl: Cream butter and sugar by beating with an electric mixer. Add cinnamon. Still using mixer, add the egg and vanilla and beat until fully incorporated. Measure the milk and set aside. Then alternately pour the milk and flour mixture into the butter-sugar. (Do not beat with the mixer this time. That'll cause the gluten to chunk up in the batter, causing the cake to become tough and chewy.) Stir in the blueberries. Pour the batter into a greased 9x13 pan and add crumble topping (recipe below).

- 3/4 stick butter, soft not melted

- 1/2 cup sugar

- 1/2 tsp cinnamon

- 1/2 cup flour

Combine the sugar, flour and cinnamon. Chop the butter into about 1/4 inch cubes and mash into flour mixture. Doesn't matter if it isn't fully mixed, chunks are okay. Crumble on top of the raw batter before sticking the pan in the oven. (There should be a relatively thick layer of crumble topping.) Bake for about 40 minutes, checking halfway. 

(Serves 6+)

the finished product

Recipe #3

Very southern and a pretty successful invention. My dad insisted on the more vulgar term of 'chicken nuggets' but these little things are far from the cholesterol-battered bits you find in the frozen section of the grocery store. Ok, fine. I won't take creds for how good the cornmeal was since we were out of flour. The combination isn't exactly classic but as a novelty, it's soon to become one. A more mainstream aioli would consist of a mayo base with garlic, but I added avocado because that's just what I do: put avocados in everything. Lemon or lime as an acid instead of vinegar acted well to combat the spicier bite of the dijon mustard.

Crispy Mustard Chicken with Avocado Aioli 

- 1 lb diced chicken breast

- 1/2 c whole milk yogurt

- 5 Tbs dijon mustard

- 2-3 cloves garlic, minced

- salt/pepper to taste

- hot sauce to taste

- 2 limes 

- about 2 c cornmeal

- chili powder

After the chicken is washed, add in the yogurt, mustard, garlic, salt/pepper, hot sauce, and juice from the limes. Let the mixture marinate in the fridge for about 2 hours, or until most of the yogurt is absorbed into the chicken. Then, mix salt and chili powder to taste into the cornmeal and bread the diced chicken until it's nicely coated. In a pan, add oil (just covering the surface, panfrying is different from deep frying!). When the oil heats up, add in the chicken, turning halfway until it becomes firm and gets a good crust. Drain on a paper towel and serve with the aioli (recipe below). 

- 3-4 Tbs mayo

- 2 limes

- 1/2 avocado

Juice the limes and add to the mayo, mixing until fully incorporated. The result should be smooth, not lumpy, and a little on the the thinner side. Mash the avocados until very smooth and add in to the mayo. Mix until smooth.

(Serves 5)

Recipe #2

If you're looking for something that seems difficult beyond compare but easy beyond imagination, something snazzy, fresh, and full of character, you need not look any further. Even though I wasn't brave enough to do the real deal, this version of sushi works really well. Play around with all kinds of modifications and tricks to customize it to whatever your taste may be. Personally, I dig lots of acidity and a kick of spice, so I added in some tabasco before I began rolling. I also love avocados and definitely recommend them as a great mellow touch of color that really clashes with the spice. In place of raw seafood, I used crab and salmon that were either cured or cooked. I found nori at a local oriental market, but I'm pretty sure you can find it in most grocery stores in the Asian food section. It'll come in thin, brittle sheets in a plastic package. (Don't worry, once it's wrapped around the rice, it'll absorb some of the moisture and become pliable.) 

Cheat's Sushi

- 10 sheets nori (Japanese seaweed)

- 1.5-2 cups chinese sticky rice, cooked 

- 1 Tbs rice vinegar

- practically any vegetable, cut into long, thin strips (avocado, carrot, cucumber etc)

- seafood (lox, crabmeat, shrimp etc)

- (optional: If you're using lox) cream cheese, cut into long strips

- any kind of seasoning/sauce (soy sauce, tabasco, wasabi, chili paste etc)

I actually tried out two different kinds of sushi, one has both rice inside/outside, and the other more simple one has only rice inside. The easiest way to go about rolling, is to first add the tablespoon of vinegar to your rice after it's done cooking and combine. Then, fill a bowl with cold water and put it by where you're planning on doing your rolling. (Since the rice will stick to your hands, you'll use the bowl of water for dipping your hands in between to get the rice off and make it easier to roll.) With one sheet of nori on your workspace, spread about a half inch layer of rice over the dry seaweed. Then, at one end of the sheet, place the long strips of vegetables, seafood, and add whatever sauce you plan on using. Begin rolling from the side with your ingredients, and the nori should stick to rice and become a sort of "log" of sushi. What I like to do is then roll it in some plastic wrap and stick it in the fridge for at least an hour. For the rice-on-the-outside version, I started out with a sheet of plastic wrap on my workspace instead of nori and first spread one less than 1/4 inch layer of rice. Then, I put the nori on top and continued with the usual layer of rice. (This version might need extra refrigerating so it can retain its shape.) To serve, unwrap from the plastic and slice into 1 in circles. (Serves 5)

Recipe #1

Now officially posting recipes with lots of pictures, the photographer that I am... This is possibly one of the simplest recipes you'll find, and perfect for lunch/dinner if you're not in the mood for something huge. Confession: the basic method of making crostini I read in a book somewhere but the bruschetta recipe is completely from scratch. 

Garlic Crostini 

- 1 loaf french baguette or any other long, crusty bread (if it's a little stale, that's ok for the recipe too)

- a few Tbs olive oil

- about five or six fresh cloves of garlic

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Slice the baguette or bread you're using into about two inch thick slices. Place in a single layer onto a dark baking sheet into the oven for 10 min, flipping midway or until lightly toasted. Remove from the oven and peel garlic, slicing each clove in half, widthwise. Then, with the sliced side down, rub the surface of each slice of bread with the garlic. If some actually gets grated on, don't worry about it. At this point, the bread should be hard enough to rub on the garlic without breaking. Brush with olive oil and put for another 10 min in a 400 degree oven this time (or until dark around the edges), turning midway. (Serves 5)

garlic crostini

Tomato Bruschetta with Parmesan & Mint

- about five large tomatoes

- thyme

- mint

- about 2 Tbs parmesan cheese, grated

- salt & pepper (to taste)

- cilantro

- half a lemon

- olive oil

Chop the tomatoes, seeds and all into 1 inch pieces. Chop the thyme, mint, and cilantro and add. Mix with the parmesan (more or less if you like) and season with salt & pepper. Add juice from half a lemon. (Tip: if your lemon is hard and not yet ripe, to get the most juice out, stick it in the microwave for less than half a minute.) Add a few tablespoons of olive oil until the mixture looks just coated and slightly glossy. Best on the garlic crostini. (Serves 5) 

bruschetta with parmesan and mint