Brie & Muffuletta Flatbread with Spicy Shrimp
No recipe here – just a store-bought flatbread (they tend to be hit or miss, but this one called “Flatout” is actually pretty decent), topped with New Orleans-style ingredients: mufulletta, shrimp, and Brie. OK, Brie isn’t technically a NOLA thing, but it is French…. The Brie tempers down the spiciness of the shrimp and the saltiness of the muffuletta. I, personally, would buy this at a restaurant 😉
Pulled Chicken Sandwich with White / “Alabama” BBQ Sauce
I am new to this type of BBQ sauce, so I am sharing my “Today I Learned” with you. It really is quite good, somewhat sour too because of the vinegar. This brand – “IVORY” is actually less sweet than the traditional, tomato-based version of the sauce, so next time around when I get to make this from scratch, I will tweak it a bit, because I like my BBQ sweet.
More on the sauce here:
http://www.southernliving.com/food/how-to/a-north-alabama-favorite-white-bbq-sauce
The pulled chicken, is really just shredded slow cooker braised chicken breast, browned with some onions in a high-heat cast-iron skillet.
Now the leftovers get to be recycled into a Brunswick stew 🙂
Almond Cake with Berries
Happy Red, White and Blue Day 🙂 With a dessert that has no butter… (that’s actually very un-American!) Gluten-free, as well. But with berries, confectioner’s sugar and clotted cream, over-indulging is back on the table.
Here is the diet-friendly recipe:
http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/almond-cake-mixed-berries
Slow-Fermented No Knead Bread
This is just bread, but it is also special bread because it has a wonderful sour rustic flavor and a good hearty crust, just like those $6 (insane…@$@#!!!??) breads at Whole Foods. I have been following this technique by Jim Lahey, according to which your dough sits for about 18 hours, and then you bake it inside an iron cast dutch oven (to achieve a higher temperature). I am super proud of how it comes out, so the wait is worth it. The only risk is burning yourself on the scorching (sometimes smoking!) cast iron. These are my first steps in bread baking, and I just want to be able to make all kinds of breads like my inspiring G+ friend Meg L. Just look at her beauties: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+MegLocsin/posts/RMPEPGcnqn2
Jim Lahey’s technique: http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/11376-no-knead-bread
Upside-Down Jackfruit Cake
It’s jackfruit season in South Florida, so its time to switch pineapple with something more exotic. The aroma of jackfruit is just like melon, but the texture is hard and chewy. It is up there with lychee in my favorite tropical fruit list. The chunks are big and not particularly pliable, so I get a C- for looks here, but otherwise, the taste is grand! Maybe next time I will cut it in smaller chunks so it isn’t so unruly. I wonder if you can make it with canned jackfruit, which can be found in many Asian stores.
Also – it is astonishing how much jackfruit has come into the vegan diet – jackfruit pulled “pork” sandwiches are a hit here in vegan food trucks and restaurants.
The recipe (at the bottom of the post) calls for topping it with ice cream and toffee, so I warmed it the day after, and topped with read adzuki bean ice cream (it’s all I had), and the match is great! Here’s proof: https://goo.gl/photos/9KMZTmqd9cFpm6n29
The toffee sauce in the recipe might make it a bit too sweet though…
Mushroom, Butternut Squash and Bacon Farro Bowl
These grainy dishes with farro, millet, kamut etc. are becoming my favorite! Maybe it is a just a fad, and regular old rice will make a comeback, but for now I am perfectly happy adding them to anything and everything. This dish has several cups of boiled farro, a half (regular size) chopped and roasted butternut squash, sauteed onions, bacon bits, and marinated/pickled mushrooms (preferably not the characterless button mushrooms), plenty of fresh thyme, and some Parmesan cheese flakes on top. I used the marinate of the mushrooms plus some extra apple cider vinegar for more sourness.
Wasabi Egg Salad Sandwich with Rice Vinegar Cucumbers
A powerful working lunch! The egg salad is made with imprecise quantities of chopped boiled eggs, relish (several tablespoons – to taste), wasabi mayo (+ extra wasabi for heat), lemon juice, the white parts of the green onions finely sliced, chopped celery, and chives. As you can guess this is a silent scorcher, so in to complement the Asian theme come the cool cucumbers, “marinated” in rice vinegar, black sesame seeds and sweet red chili sauce. They temper the spiciness pretty well. And just like that egg salad is boring no more…
White Chocolate & Lavender Scones
Many years ago I bought a lavender, white chocolate scone mix from Etsy, and I’ve been obsessed with that combination of flavors ever since. That Etsy shop doesn’t exist anymore, so I had to make the scones myself. Thankfully, there are many similar recipes out there now, and it looks like I found the perfect one!
http://alwaysroom4dessert.blogspot.com/2012/02/girlfriends-white-chocolate-lavender.html
I love the “countryside” look of such imperfect little triangles (I didn’t want to say “rustic”. Poor, overused “foodie” term) 🙂 They go well with some plain yogurt on the side.
Matcha Shortbread Cookies with Almonds
I love shortbread. I love Matcha. I love almonds. Therefore ∴ this recipe was made just for me 🙂
It is Kevin O’Leary’s recipe, and his G+ page is certainly my favorite – and circled not nearly enough, meaning criminally under-followed (is that a term?!) I don’t think he has a G+ collection out there yet.
http://keviniscooking.com/matcha-green-tea-almond-shortbread-cookies/
P.S. His cookies are prettier, I know, I know.
Sweet Potato Crust Pizza With Ricotta and Artichokes
The original recipe for the crust is perfect for folks trying to eat gluten-free, and vegan. Although I am neither, I am always tempted to experiment with alternatives. The ricotta I used as a topping is vegan too actually – Kite Hill is the brand, and it is almond-based vegan cheese, which I swear — is truly better than the original.
My normal flour-based pizza crust is never as good as a brick oven baked pizza dough (I am told this is due to my oven’s temperature being at highest 500F), so I figure – if I can’t get bubbly, soft/fluffy yet crunchy crust, why not go for something that at least sounds healthier! And it turned out to be very tasty too. But next time, I will make it thinner so I can get more crunch & crisp out of it.
Here is the sweet potato crust recipe:
http://blissfulbasil.com/2014/10/17/sweet-potato-pizza-crust-vegan-gluten-free/
Top the pizza with whatever your heart desires.
Foodstuff 