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Ricotta Gnocchi

raw-gnocchi
Ricotta gnocchi is my latest culinary obsession. Unlike the traditional potato, flour, and egg gnocchi recipes, ricotta gnocchi is really easy and also not very hard to mess up. Since gluten immediately causes nausea for me, I decided to search for a gluten-free flour that would work for this recipe. I found a white rice flour by Bob’s Red Mill that kicks ass for this purpose and makes a really nice light and fluffy gluten-free gnocchi. Another plus, the ricotta adds some protein to an otherwise all-carb dish. Finally, I would like to give Gar a shoutout because he is the one who came up with the method I use for shaping the gnocchi. So here it goes:

2 cups ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated parmesan
2 eggs
1/2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp. salt
1 and 1/4 cup white rice flour
Semolina flour for dusting work surfaces

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Bacon Pineapple Upside Down Cake

pineapple-cake

Yes, bacon pineapple upside down cake. It’s really, really good. I got the idea for this from last year’s Food Network bacon magazine. I deviated from their cake recipe and made a butter cake and also did not mix bacon bits in the batter like it suggested. The pineapple bacon effect is so easy to create just butter your pan, apply a single layer of brown sugar, put down your pineapple rings, and fill the non-pineapple space with homemade bacon bits. It’s that simple. It’s that good.

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Chinese Hot Pot

ChineseHotPot

Have you ever heard of Chinese hot pot? Gar explained what this was to me a few months ago and we’ve done our version of it twice since then. There are variations of this style of meal depending upon the geographical location but, basically, it’s a sort of Chinese fondue involving a hot broth, meat, sauces, and various vegetables. I read that there are traditional bowls for the broth that are sometimes heated with very hot stones. Well, I suppose the next best alternative to kick-ass traditional Chinese bowls is Sunbeam’s hot pot express for $9.99 at Target. The hot pot can boil water faster than anything and it actually works out so great for a hot pot dinner. It is not cordless, however, so you might need to run an extension cord to your table. But, hey, that’s the fun of doing something different for dinner!

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Holiday Leftovers

holiday-leftovers
Every year around the holidays I try out new ways to utilize leftovers. Sometimes I get really fancy and sometimes I find small variations on classics such as soup or sandwiches. This year, my favorite leftover dish by far was this potato pancake. It’s super simple. All one has to do to make this dish is mix some bacon and diced gouda with mashed potatoes, coat with flour, and pan fry with oil. Top your pancake with a poached or fried egg because you can and that’s it! Leftover magic.

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Spicy Cilantro Lime Chicken Soup

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Soup is good even in the summer. I saw a picture for a lime chicken soup recipe online and I didn’t even read the recipe, I just thought to myself “Yum! I will make something like this tonight.” I boiled chicken breast in some chicken stock and then shredded it once cooked. I added some jalepeno, cilantro, fresh lime juice, lime zest, black beans, and minced garlic. Once that simmered for about 30 min. I served and topped with avocado, sliced radishes, and fresh cilantro. This soup is so good and refreshing. I really like eating it lukewarm but it is also good cold. The flavors really mellow out the following day so if you like spicy, I would add a little more jalepeno than you think you need. Also, it’s a good idea to reserve some lime wedges to squeeze over leftover bowls.

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Vesuvius Rigatoni

vesuvius-rigatoni
I have not had a food crush like this in a while. I was watching a tv show about Italian street food and saw this dish and cooked it the next day. I even found a recipe for it online in Italian and translated it to English to find out what exactly was in this dish. I didn’t make the recommended sauces for it (in small part because I didn’t have tomatoes from the foothills of Mount Vesuvius) so I topped it with Julie’s Pasta Sauce. Also, they originally baked these at 300 degrees in aluminum tins lined with plastic wrap but I just used a 6-count nonstick muffin tin instead and it worked great. I’m still very unsure about the whole plastic-wrap-in-the-oven-thing. I tried researching the details about such a thing with inconclusive results. Ok, back to the fun part. To make this dish you will need to dice up a log of fresh mozzarella, mix together grean peas and ricotta cheese (I ended up using about 8 oz.), make mini meatballs (I made simple mini turkey meatballs by combining 1lb. lean ground turkey, one egg, breadcrumbs to texture, garlic powder, salt, and freshly ground black pepper), and boil large rigatoni pasta for 4 minutes. Trust the four minute cooking time and do not worry about stopping the cooking process of the pasta once drained. 4 minutes is perfect.

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Chipotle Apple Dipping Sauce

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Pork chops and apple sauce… not a huge fan. Don’t get me wrong, I love pork. I love breading and baking chops (pictured above), grilling chops, and grilling tenderloins. I super love slow cooking pork shoulder when it goes on sale. However, accompanying chops with applesauce doesn’t excite me in the least. I figured, though, that there has to be something worthwhile in the pairing for it to be considered the classic that it is.

I made a dipping sauce for breaded pork chops by combining about 1 and 1/2 cup of no added sugar applesauce, 2 diced chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, 1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar, 1 tsp. of molasses, 2 dashes of worcestershire sauce, and a dash of salt into a small saucepan and heating on a low heat until the mixture was bubbling and well combined. The sauce kicked ass and I would definitely make it again for the same purpose or for another, such as a topping on a burger. Even if you do not wish or have the means to create that exact sauce, just the simple addition of any amount of chipotle peppers to applesauce will be a tasty accompaniment to pork chops.

Side note, the pork chops were served with a very simple broccoli casserole. I caramelized some diced onion with a little bit of butter, added a small amount of water and chicken bullion, and carefully steamed chopped broccoli in the same saucepan. Once the broccoli was lightly steamed, I added a little more butter, a little bit of 2% milk, and a little cheddar. I thickened the liquid in the saucepan by adding some corn starch dissolved in a very small amount of cold milk and then brought it to a simmer before dumping the whole thing in a casserole dish. I topped the broccoli mixture with a light sprinkling of cheddar and with crushed cheddar goldfish crackers. If this sounds like a lot of work its really not… cheesy broccoli either baked or just with a light cheese sauce is one of my go-to craving replacements for macaroni or rich starches.

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Chicken Masala

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I love to make a chickpea masala. This time I added chicken after I pan-fried it. Some garlic naan and saffron jasmine rice accompanied the dish. I wish I could explain how to make this dish in a more helpful way but the truth is that I usually don’t make masala dishes the same way each time. I mean there are the usual suspects such as curry, garlic, turmeric, cumin, and tomato (either paste or fresh or both) but sometimes I’ll add other things, in this case, it was a bit of jarred tikka masala sauce and serrano peppers. I hope that helps.

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Andersen’s Split Pea Soup

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Andersen’s is a very cool place along the central/southern Californian coast. They have a restaurant that is famous for (wait for it…..) split pea soup. I can attest that the food at their restaurant is pretty kick-ass. They also have a handful of random shops that sell anything from German pastries to Christmas ornaments to Elvis memorabilia. One of the last few times I was there, I got their “soup in a bag” kit which just includes a bag of split peas and their recipe on the back.

I knew that their recipe is vegetarian but I had a ham hock in the freezer leftover from Easter that I very happily acquired from my mom. I added the ham hock with all of the ingredients and followed directions but then something else happened. I got incredibly lazy and did not want to get my food mill with the very fine basket out. I decided, “eff it” I am just going to put all of this in a blender. So I did and it was still really, really good. I will say that when you taste Andersen’s soup just by itself, it does not have a sort of distinct mirepoix flavor like mine did (understandably so) but I totally loved it. If you ever see an Andersen’s, pull over… if not for the food then just to stare at some random stuff for a few minutes.

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Stuff It

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One night, I decided I was bored of the several ways in which I generally make chicken breast so I decided to butterfly a whole breast and stuff it in a way I hadn’t done before. In the stuffing we have… spinach, caramelized onion, Greek yogurt, Feta cheese, and a little salt. I had never thought to use Greek yogurt for stuffing chicken breast until now but it kicked some major ass. It kept the stuffing moist and creamy yet held together very well after cooking. The texture of the spinach was nice and the feta was a nice salty bite amongst everything else, especially the subtle yogurt flavor. I paired the chicken with a bell pepper stuffed with a simple mushroom and onion (mostly mushroom) sauté topped with a little bit of shredded gouda. The first thing I did for this dish was caramelize some yellow onion and put half in a bowl for the stuffing and left half remaining in the pan which I used to make the mushroom mixture. I added my mushroom-stuffed bell peppers in a 350 degree oven. In the meantime, I heated 1 tbsp. of butter and 1 tbsp. of olive oil in an oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat. I dusted salt and pepper all over my chicken breast, including the cavity, and stuffed it. Next, I browned the chicken on both sides (this took about 3 minutes on each side) and put it in the oven for about 10-15 minutes. The most important thing about this dish is not overcooking the chicken… it will not be very forgiving if cooked improperly. I actually checked the temperature of the thickest part of the breast outside of the oven to ensure it was right around 160 and then let it rest for 10-15 minutes before serving. This was such an enjoyable meal.

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Chocolate Meeting

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At work we have monthly meetings where lunch and, usually, some sort of sweet treat is provided. Every once and a while I have the desire and energy to make a dessert to bring. This time I decided to do a variety of chocolates. There is so much one can do with chocolate. Chocolate cups are a great opportunity to get creative and utilize random things in your fridge or pantry. I made a white chocolate with fresh raspberries, a milk peanut powder chocolate with fresh strawberries, a semi-sweet chocolate with unsweetened coconut and dehydrated banana (you may notice the banana from an earlier post), and a 60% cacao dark chocolate with heirloom popcorn made with olive oil and topped with sea salt. I brought 12 of each and displayed them on a pretty 3 tier tray. I totally forgot to take a picture (that would have been nice) but remembered just in time to take a shot of the leftovers. The chocolates were a big hit.

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Dragon Fruit

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This fruit is so gorgeous in both appearance and flavor, it makes one wonder at nature for creating such a thing. The ranch I live on grows them but, considering that it’s a $1,000 fine to take fruit off the vine, I was happy to buy this relatively small to medium sized one for $8 to see what all of the fuss was about. Before eating the white flesh with a spoon I did a little research on the description of it’s flavor and found that the “cross between a kiwi and a pear” was not too far off base. I would add, however, that in taste it is more like a kiwi than a pear and in texture it is more like a pear than a kiwi. The little black seeds are a great textural element to the fruit. All and all, I would say the $8 was well worth it.

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Classic Hummus

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1 can of garbanzo beans (15.5oz)

1/2 cup water

3 tbsp. tahini paste

2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice

2 tbsp. olive oil

3 garlic cloves

1/4 teaspoon salt

Combine all ingredients into a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. This hummus really shouldn’t be eaten until it has been left in the fridge for 24 hours. Once it has had time to hang out in the fridge, the garlic flavor mellows out  and the olive oil flavor is a bit more pronounced. I add some water to my hummus because I just feel like it is way too thick otherwise. Once refrigerated, the hummus will thicken a bit. If you are not a fan of garlic, reduce the amount of cloves to one. Also, if you have never purchased tahini before, most grocery stores carry it and it should be next to the peanut butter. I first constructed this recipe a handful of weeks ago and since then I have been making it in double batches for Gar and I. I’m usually dipping at least one carrot or pita chip in my quart-sized container of hummus each day.

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Dehydrated Fruit

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I finally used my dehydrator that Gar gave me last year for something other than beef jerky. Dehydrated strawberries and bananas are a great yummy and chewy snack. I feel like dehydrated and freeze dried strawberries are basically on par. The dehydrated banana, however, is far superior to the freeze dried banana chip due to its intense banana and slightly caramelized flavor. There is so much more I want to do with the dehydrator. Maybe next year I’ll find time for making fruit leather.

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Chuck Roast

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I would just like to take this moment to say that if you encounter a handful of recipes that have you doing several things to your chuck roast prior to just letting it cook, like searing it for example, you do not need to follow them. Not to say that searing your roast and then deglazing the pan and adding 15 different ingredients won’t produce deliciousness, it is just that deliciousness will still occur with a much lazier approach. I cooked a chuck roast this week and just plopped it in the crock pot. I seasoned it with Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, and a dry truffle seasoning. Another option for a simple seasoning would be to use some dry onion soup mix. Next, I added a little water and beef bullion to the bottom of the crock pot to ensure the cooking environment would be very moist at all times. After a 10 hour low heat cycle, I had incredibly tender, flavorful beef that I paired with pureed cauliflower, peas, and a mushroom gravy that I made with the rendered fat and juices from the crock pot. We used the leftovers the next day to make nachos. One thing I’d like to point out is my surprise at what a great barky exterior the roast had despite doing absolutely nothing to it. This just further contributes to my faith in and admiration for the crockpot.

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Healthy Broccoli Cheddar Soup

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It occurred to me the other day that I could make a low-calorie base for a broccoli cheddar soup. When I make a creamy broccoli cheddar soup, I can’t skimp on the cheese but I learned I can skimp on the cream and butter. To make the base for my soup I boiled two cups of cauliflower in two cups of low-sodium chicken broth. Once cooked, I took the cauliflower off of the heat and let it cool for about 10 minutes. Next, I blended the mixture with about a cup of 1% milk and set aside. Next, I cooked some diced onion in a little bit of butter until translucent and added the cauliflower mixture, about 4 cups of frozen broccoli, a splash of beer, and a few cups of shredded sharp cheddar cheese. Once the broccoli was cooked, I removed about 1/3 of the total soup mixture and blended it, making sure to leave some nice big chunks of broccoli behind in the pot. Finally, the blended portion is returned to the rest of the soup mixture and I let the whole thing simmer for a bit before serving up a bowl with some extra cheddar on top. I added salt to taste at the end but I did season the onion with salt and pepper while it cooked. This soup did not disappoint in the least. I look forward to continue to work on making variations on healthier soup bases. I think next time I’ll try adding some barley or brown rice to the blender.

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Corned Beef & Cabbage

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This past Tuesday was St. Patrick’s Day as I am sure you all know. I just love celebrating this day. On Tuesday morning, I had my corned beef in the crockpot, some Bailey’s in my coffee, and a big green sparkly bow in my hair. I always make corned beef on St. Patrick’s Day. Last year I made a sort of Irish poutine with my corned beef but I was feeling more traditional this time around so I slow-cooked the corned beef with pickling spice, carrots, onion, and red potatoes.

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Apples and Ginger

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Baked apple, whether it has a crumble or ice cream over it, is one of my favorite desserts to make and I usually have it a couple of times a week. For baking, I always use Granny Smith and you can put your apple in the oven peeled and whole or peeled and diced. Latest baked apple obsession? Apples and ginger. I recently bought an organic sweet ginger spread online and it is excellent with just the right ginger kick in it. One to two tablespoons of the spread mixed or placed on the apple with a little cinnamon before baking is what I’ve been doing. Of course, you could also use fresh grated ginger root or prepared grated ginger and a sweetener of your choice for a practically similar effect. I’ve been baking my apple in the oven at 325 degrees until it is slightly tender. Once cooked, you can add your favorite toppings such as low-calorie vanilla/maple lactose-free “ice-cream” (if you’re me) or things like caramel, nuts, dried cherries or raisins, and whipped cream.

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Desperate Desserts

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So… I imagine that most of us have had that one night where we really want something sweet to eat after dinner (and an effing fruit popsicle or whatever is not going to cut it) but don’t have anything readily available (usually on purpose). What do you do? Improvise with whatever you can find out of your pantry.

This was my night a few nights ago. What did I do? I threw butter, raw coconut sugar, white sugar, chopped hazelnuts, and shredded coconut in a skillet and cooked it until all of the sugar was melted and slightly bubbly. Next, I poured the mixture onto wax paper and put it in the freezer until it was firm. I would just like to point out that I had no idea what I was doing. I’ve never made a brittle or anything like it before. I completely guessed on the amounts of everything. I just kept adding things until it looked like there was enough of a melted mixture to harden up nicely. I just figured you can’t really go wrong with those ingredients as long as you don’t burn your sugar.

It turned out pretty damn good (very sweet of course). Some parts were more crunchy than others, the more shredded coconut, the chewier the final product is. I had a light bulb moment while I was waiting for my “desperate dessert” to set in the freezer. I realized I had some unsweetened Ghiradelli cocoa powder and that an unsweetened hot chocolate would pair perfectly with my mutant brittle thing-a-ma-bob. They were great together. If anyone remembers the last “desperate dessert” they made, let me know in the comments. I’d love to hear about it.

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Vegetable Dinner

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I had great food in Vegas but did not eat nearly the amount of vegetables I’m used to so one of the first dinners I made when I got home was all veggies. I tossed my asparagus in a little olive oil and salt and pepper and stuck them in the broiler for about 5 minutes. I boiled cauliflower and turnips (shout out to les, your comment inspired the turnip addition) and stuck them in the food processor with a little parmesan and seasoning. I cut a beautiful portabello in half and marinated it in a little Worcestershire, beer, and spicy montreal seasoning before pan-frying. This dinner is guilt-free and SO satisfying. It really feels like eating a hearty steak dinner.