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)