Lemon Curd Chia Pudding (Vegan)
Coconut milk, lemon juice & zest, turmeric, chia seeds and agave. That’s the ticket! Only good fat 🙂 At least that is what I repeat as I consume one mini-jar after another, topped with coconut whipped cream. Check out Vegan Richa’s other recipes – even though I am not vegan, I find myself frequently craving her food:
http://www.veganricha.com/2016/08/lemon-curd-chia-pudding.html
Zucchini, Feta & Quinoa Vegetarian Burger
This thing will never be attempted again! Apparently zucchini and quinoa are the two ingredients which made otherwise nice patties fall apart.
I lost track of quantities as I was trying to make the burgers firmer, but what I used follows this list roughly: boiled quinoa, grated zucchini, feta crumbs, shredded cheddar, dill, chopped green onions, panko bread crumbs, an egg, garbanzo beans. When you cook it – either in the oven, or in a pan, it will attempt to disintegrate. As it cools down, it becomes a bit easier to manipulate. But anyway – to get the zucchini, dill and feta flavor, you are better off just making a zucchini pancake without quinoa, garbanzo and the like.
The burger is topped with lebneh mixed with whipped cream cheese, and chopped fresh dill. Red onions too, of course.
Angel Food Cake with Raspberry Curd Cream
I found a jar of raspberry curd at World Market: http://www.worldmarket.com/product/harrowgate+raspberry+curd.do
and decided to try this recipe I have been eyeing for awhile:
http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1018018-lemon-angel-food-cake-with-preserved-lemon-curd (of course substituting the lemon curd). I added the raspberry curd which is extra sweet to some heavy whipped cream.
It is remarkably delicious, however I think this combo will work better as cupcakes, rather than a big cake. Bookmarking for next time I need a batch of cupcakes for some occasion.
Grits with Ham, Cheddar & Hot Pickled Brussels Sprouts
Who would have thought that the grits and Brussels sprouts I hated so much in my childhood would become my biggest cravings in “adulthood”? Grits and polenta are in vogue with my taste buds now, and wherever I see shrimp & grits, I have to eat some! So here is a riff off that Southern classic – creamy, buttery grits topped with melted cheddar cheese, honey baked ham bits braised with onions, and finished off with chopped pickled hot Brussels Sprouts that came from this here jar:
https://goo.gl/photos/WAmc5aiWdmMgN53w8 The sprouts are kind of crunchy, very spicy, and there is a hint of garlic in the pickle juice too, so they are an excellent topping for anyone who likes to spike their grits with hot sauce. No recipe is involved , just ingredient assembly.
This comfort food is sort of a cross between a corn muffin and flan. You create a creamy layer by pouring a splash of heavy cream in the middle of the batter, right before it goes into the oven. The aroma of this cake, while is baking, is astonishing, considering you don’t add any spices or extracts. In the end, remember to have patience and wait for it to cool down, and firm up a bit before you dig in. And, the maple syrup is absolutely NOT optional. It can take a lot of syrup – it seeps through the cake, which soaks it up nicely.
Recipe here:
Plantain Gnocchi with Chorizo Sauce
This was easier to prepare than I thought – I assumed the gnocchi dough will be sticky and tough to shape, because of the plantains, but it was actually not too hard to handle. When I tried it raw, it was sweet and sour, but after boiling the gnocchi tasted like regular potato gnocchi with just a light hint of sweet. I followed only the gnocchi directions from this recipe:
http://www.saveur.com/article/recipes/plantain-gnocchi-with-short-rib-ragu
Couldn’t find yucca flour anywhere, so I substituted with regular flour.
For the sauce, I just sauteed chorizo sausage with onions, cherry tomatoes, and several splashes of red wine.
French Toast Blueberry Pudding
The plate underneath it says “Happiness is Homemade”, and this is very true. The best thing you can do to stale bread is bread pudding, and then the second best is this French Toast style bake, topped with cinnamon crumble, fresh blueberries, whipped cream and some blueberry syrup.
INGREDIENTS
4 eggs
50 grams caster sugar
60 millilitres double cream
250 millilitres milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
200 grams sourdough bread (or whatever you feel like!)
For the crumble topping:
75 grams plain flour
75 grams brown sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of salt
75 grams cold butter, cut into chunks
75 grams blueberries
1 tablespoon icing sugar
PREPARATION
1. Whisk together the eggs, caster sugar, double cream, milk, and vanilla extract.
2. Chop the bread into bite-sized chunks, put into a casserole dish, and pour over the egg mixture.
3. Cover with cling film and refrigerate overnight.
4. Work together all of the ‘crumble topping’ ingredients with your fingertips until it resembles breadcrumbs, but don’t overdo it. This can also be refrigerated overnight.
5. Sprinkle the crumble topping over the now soaked up bread, then sprinkle over some blueberries and bake for 30 minutes at 180°C/350F/Gas Mark 4.
6. Sieve some icing sugar on top of each portion and enjoy!
Super easy, as you can see from this quick little video from TASTY on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/buzzfeedpropertasty/videos/1805545826324756/?pnref=story
Potato Goat Cheese Tart with Peppers
This tastes like a savory cheese cake, but a big part of the texture is the potato. The rosemary crust is also quite tasty and re-purposable in other recipes. Didn’t have an hour to chill the dough in the fridge, so 10 minutes in the freezer did the job just fine.
The tart is topped with fresh oregano and chives.
Recipe here:
http://www.chilipeppermadness.com/chili-pepper-recipes/appetizers/potato-cheese-tart-with-jalapenos
Sweet Pizza
Nutella, caramelized bananas, marshmallows, and coconut covered cashew nuts. Pretty addictive! My favorite part are the caramelized bananas, by far.
Works with any pizza dough, which needs to be pre-baked. You really just need to broil it a little so the marshmallows get golden brown on top.
Spiced Lamb, Rice and Chickpeas with Labneh and Pine Nuts
This is a rather basic dish, that I would probably categorize as Lebanese comfort food. I am sure I am wrong as to its specific origins – but the ingredients point to Arabic cuisine. The cardamom, cinnamon and allspice make it insanely aromatic, and the secret difference-making step in its preparation is the use of butter instead of olive oil. I also add dry spearmint to it. The recipe does NOT call for labneh, but I call for labneh all the time, so there – topped with a generous dollop of it, and -> mmmm.
http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/spiced-lamb-and-rice-dressing-chickpeas
Foodstuff 