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The Cookies Everyone Beg For

14 May

All my friends have been asking for my cookie recipe, you know, the one I use on a day-to-day basis, the easy and simple chocolate chip for everyone.

I have to admit to everyone that due to the high volume of cookies I make, I rarely do cook a full batch. Thus, I make a half batch. And when I make a half batch, it is never worth all the liquidity of an entire egg. So… I use liquor! I know it sounds strange, but it gives it a nice crispiness on the outside and a softness on the inside. So its my new favorite trick.

You’ll need:

  • 1/2 c brown sugar (100 g)
  • 1/2 c butter (115 g)
  • 1 t vanilla extract (5 ml)
  • 1-2 T liquor (rum, whiskey, a flavored something of your choice!) (15-30 ml)
  • 1 t salt (5 ml)
  • 1 t baking soda (5 ml)
  • 1 c flour (125 g)
  • 1 T corn starch (15 ml)
  • 1/2 c chopped up chocolate or chocolate chips (84 g)

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 325* F ( 160*C)
  2. Mix brown sugar, butter, vanilla, and liquor until creamy and well blended.
  3. Add salt, baking soda, and corn starch
  4. Add half of the flour and stir until incorporated. Add remaining flour.
  5. Add chocolate.
  6. Divide into round 2T dough balls and place on baking sheet lined with parchment paper or sprayed down with cooking oil.
  7. Bake for 8 minutes in preheated oven.
  8. Makes around 12-18 cookies.
  9. Enjoy!

Easy Variations:

Soft Gingersnap:

  • Use only 1/3 cup of brown sugar
  • Add a couple T of molasses
  • Add 1T freshly grated ginger
  • Add 1/2 t pumpkin pie spice and 1/2 t of cinnamon
  • Roll dough balls in sugar or sesame seeds before baking

White Chocolate and Crasin:

  • Substitute chocolate chips for equal amounts of White Chocolate chips and Crasins

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Gluten Free Quinoa-Banana Pancakes

13 May OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

These are really a delicious and hearty breakfast option. Even the lover of all carbs will be charmed by this number.

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You’ll need:

  • 1 banana, mashed (preferably one which is more ripe)
  • 1/2 cup of uncooked quinoa, prepared to package instructions (around 1 cup prepared quinoa)
  • 2 T sugar
  • 1 t vanilla extract
  • 2 egg whites
  • 1 or 2 t cinnamon
  • 1/4 c corn starch
  • 1/2 t baking soda
  • Maple Syrup for serving
  • optional: Almond milk

Directions:

  1. In a large bowl, whisk egg whites until frothy.
  2. Add sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, baking soda, and corn starch. Incorporate until smooth.
  3. Using a spoon or spatula, add all of the cooked quinoa and banana. Stir well. Batter should have same consistency of normal pancake batter. If too thick, add almond milk by the tablespoon. Too thin, add corn starch by the tablespoon.
  4. Heat a griddle on medium-high. Be sure to use a non-stick pan and grease before each pancake.
  5. Pour 1/4 cup of batter onto the griddle. Once bubbles form and pop on batter it is time to flip. Cook on both sides and serve with maple syrup.
  6. Make about 8 pancakes.

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Japanese Ginger-Carrot Salad

13 May OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Pardon me for my hiatus from food blogging. It has been a busy past couple months, and I’ve recently finished my undergraduate at the University of Toronto! Although I have been cooking and accumulating a great deal of photos to post, I haven’t quite gotten to the computer to document the magic.

I’ve been cooking up a fair share of Vegetarian and Vegan dishes lately. This one, is Vegan, Gluten Free, and Dairy Free, so invite all your friends and cook this up for a refreshing Spring/Summer meal!

You’ll Need:

For THE {Ginger-Carrot Dressing} SAUCE

  • Ginger, minced
  • half a lime,  juiced (or more to taste)
  • 1/2 cup of olive oil
  • 2 T Soy Sauce
  • 2 t Sesame Oil
  • 3-4 t Apple Cider Vinegar (or Rice Vinegar if you have it!)
  • 5-6 Baby Carrots
  • 1-2 cloves minced garlic
  • Couple tablespoons of ketchup
  • 1 T sugar
  • pinch of salt and pepper
  • Ingredients for the SAUCE

    Ingredients for the SAUCE

For The Salad:

  • Half of Napa Cabbage, shredded
  • Half of a cucumber, julliened
  • 5-6 radishes, cut into disks
  • Sesame seeds for sprinkling

Directions:

  1. Get ready to blend your ingredients for the sauce together. Using a food processor, blend all your sauce ingredients.

    A fun trick: Cut your lime in half, and place in a low dish. Microwave for 30 seconds. This will help you get the most of the lime juice from your lime.

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2. Then, slide up your salad. Assemble with dressing (use it liberally!) and cover with sesame seeds.

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Enjoy!

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Braised Chicken Breast stuffed with Feta & Sundried Tomato

23 Mar IMG_3990

(Did I mention its wrapped in bacon and served with roasted potatoes and Hazelnut Crusted Brussels Sprouts)

Mmm. I love braised chicken, its always a go to. Ever since I met Chicken Cacciatorie I’ve been in love. Bone-in chicken always does quite well with braising, but why not jazz up chicken breast for this easy but impressive eat? You’re next dinner party, perhaps?

You’ll need:

For the chicken:

  • 1 lb chicken breast, sliced thin and pounded flat
  • 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup feta
  • 1/4 cup parmesean cheese
  • 4-5 sun-dried tomatoes in their juices, (or with additional olive oil if they are not preserved in oil)
  • Juice of half a lime
  • Zest of a lime
  • 6 slices of bacon (optional)
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • olive oil for searing
  • twine for tying

For the Brussels sprouts:

  • 1lb of Brussels sprouts
  • 2 to 3 T olive oil
  • 1/3 cup of hazelnuts, minced
  • salt and pepper

For The [Gravy] Sauce:

  • 1/2 cup of white wine
  • 1 1/2 cups of chicken stock
    • 2 T butter
    • 2 T flour
    • 1 t group savory, or whatever seasoning you fancy

Directions:

Brussels Sprouts to be baked with Chicken

  1. Preheat oven to 350*F
  2. Mince hazelnuts and set aside
  3. Halve brussels sprouts and set aside
  4. In a tupperware container, add brussels sprouts, hazelnuts, olive oil and salt and pepper, and toss to coat.
  5. Place on a non-stick tray and cook with chicken (below) in a 350*F oven for about 20-25 minutes.

Chicken

  1. Preheat oven to 350*F
  2. Slice your chicken breasts if necessary, and smack them smartly until flattened.
    IMG_3983
  3. In a bowl or food processor, mix sundried tomatoes, olive oil, cheese, lime and zest until ingredients create a fine grain that forms when squeezed together.
  4. IMG_3984
  5. Place your chicken on wax paper or parchment and spread a drop of olive oil on each and flip over.
    IMG_3985
  6. Season the flip side with a hint of salt and pepper. Divide the cheesy sun-dried tomato mixture on the chicken breasts and press it down firmly.
  7. IMG_3986
  8. Carefully, or perhaps even with the help of a friend, roll each breast up tightly (rolling lengthwise) and securing with twine.
  9. IMG_3987
  10. In a hot pan, heat a table spoon of olive oil and sear the chicken on all sides until brown. Don’t concern yourself whether the chicken is fully cooked, it will be baked thoroughly in the following steps.
  11. IMG_3988
  12. If you dare (I would recommend), wrap each chicken in 1 or 2 slices of bacon.
  13. Place the chicken in a baking dish, and add wine and stock. Cover with a tin foil.
  14. Bake for around 35 minutes or until cooked.
  15. IMG_3992
  16. Serve with Brussels sprouts and enjoy!
  17. IMG_3990

Gravy

  1. After you cook your chicken, reserve the chicken stock and wine mixture for gravy.
  2. In a man on medium heat, melt butter.
  3. Add flour and whisk until combined.
  4. Slowly, add wine & stock mixture
  5. Allow to bubble and thicken. Add salt to taste. Serve with the chicken. :-)

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Mofongo Relleno with Lime-infused Black Beans and Rice

2 Feb Mofongo_2

It was a Friday night and the ladies stayed in, taking pictures of food, making chocolate molten cakes with ice cream and watching bad romantic comedies. So much food. To start the day off right, I decided to cook up these black beans that had been sitting around for a while that needed to be eaten. I made way too much. We’ll be having black beans for a while, but they’re versatile, so its OK! Check out what I’m making with the leftovers after the recipe.

P.S. If you omit the mayonnaise for some tahini, this is an easy vegan recipe!

You’ll need…

For the Lime-Infused Black Beans you’ll need:

  • 1/2 pound dried black beans, rinsed and picked over
  • 4 cups vegetable stock
  • 2 T Mexican spicy seasoning or Cajun Seasoning with a little cumin
  • 1 lime, halved

For the Mofongo Relleno you’ll need:

  • 3 plantains
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 cup vegetable stock
  • 1 handful cilantro, minced
  • Lots of olive oil
  • Salt, pepper
  • 1 cup of rice, for the side

For THE AVACADO-GARLIC AOILI SAUCE (not pictured, sorry) you’ll need:

  • 1 avacado
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 3 spoonfuls of  tahini (or mayonnaise if you wish)
  • pinch of cumin
  • salt, pepper

Directions:

Before you get cooking, know that the black beans will take around 8 hours to cook unless you’re planing on using canned beans. Wake up and start the beans, make the rest around dinner time.

For the beans:

  1. In a slow cooker, add beans, vegetable stock, seasoning, and lime.
  2. Put a lid on it, cook at low for 8 hours. Easy.
  3. 8 hours later, turn off your slow cooker and work on making dinner!

For the Mofono Relleno:

  1. Start by preparing your rice.
  2. Peel and slice your plantains and add them to a pot of boiling water and cook them with salt for about 10 minutes
  3. Drain water and set plantains aside in a bowl
  4. Return pot to stove on medium heat and add oil
  5. Add minced garlic and stir
  6. Add plantains and chicken stock
  7. Cook for several minutes and begin mashing plantains with mashed-potato masher
  8. When a good consistency, add minced cilantro and salt and pepper to taste.

For the Avacado-Garlic Aoili:

  1. In a medium bowl, mash all the ingredients together with a fork. Done.

To serve:

Take a small bowl and cover inside in olive oil. Add the mashed plantains to the bowl and press down firmly. Flip the small bowl onto a plate and allow plantains to fall out. Serve with black beans, rice, and Avacado-Garlic Aoili sauce. Add cilantro for garnish or Sri Racha if you like.

Mofongo_1

Leftovers?

With the leftover Mofongo Relleno I made:

  • Puerto Rican Plantain Patties

Mofongo_3

With the leftover Lime-Infused Black Beans I made:

  • Spicy Black Bean Dip
  • Refried Black Beans

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Salvadorian Breakfast Cakes

10 Jan IMG_3838

…They’re so good. I’ve been oogling over this recipe for quite some time and decided to make them today for my Birthday. This is a lightly adapted recipe that I found on Food52, I just tried to make it a little more healthy. Seems to have worked out pretty well- these little cakes are still super super savory, buttery, cheesy delicious and gluten-free.

IMG_3838IMG_3839

Makes 18 cakes.

You’ll need:

  • 1/2 cup of butter
  • 1/2 cup nonfat greek yogurt
  • 1 cup of sugar
  • 1 cup of sour cream
  • 3 eggs
  • 1/2 grated parmesean
  • 1 cup rice flour
  • 1 t baking powder
  • 1 t salt

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350* and line muffin tin with cup-cake tins.
  2. Cream together butter, yogurt, and sugar.
  3. Add eggs 1 by one until fully incorporated.
  4. Add grated parmesean and sour cream and mix thouroughly.
  5. Finally, add rice flour, baking powder and salt gradually into the mix.
  6. Divvy batter into 18 cup cakes (filling batter pretty high in the tin, these guys won’t rise so much since they’re made of rice flour so don’t worry about overflow.)
  7. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. You can use either white or black (or none) but I thought the black gave a nice aesthetic touch.
  8. Bake for 20-22 minutes. Enjoy! Continue reading →

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Savory French Toast Sandwich with Bacon, Sauteed Onions, and Arugula

31 Dec IMG_0757

I made this for breakfast today when I couldn’t decide between french toast and something like meat and eggs. I’d heard a bit about savory french toast but never actually experimented myself, so I decided to give it a go and found that it was the best decision in a very very long time. This was heavenly: savory by the nature of the french toast and sauteed onions, made sweet by a dab of maple syrup mixed into the batter, and finishes off crispy and fresh with the arugula….and then bacon. Of course. Who doesn’t love bacon. Since the french toast makes it savory and dense already, I opted for dressing the sandwich with baby bell spreadable cheese rather than sliced cheese, and just added a good spread of dijon mustard because I am a dijon aficionado. This sandwich makes the BEST breakfast and can be an awesome lunch too- it doesn’t need to be bothered by any luncheon meats or heavy cheeses. It’s all good the way it is.

Make this for someone who’s indecisive like me, and needs the best of all worlds.

Prep: 10 minutes. Ready in 30. Makes 3 sandwiches.

You’ll need…

For THE SAUCE You’ll need:

  • 2 eggs
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 1/4 cup non-fat yogurt
  • 1 t each of nutmeg, coriander, and any Italian herb of your preference (I used dried oregano)
  • 2T maple syrup

For the rest, You’ll need:

  • 6 slices of bread
  • 1 medium-large onion, sliced
  • 1T each of salted butter and olive oil
  • 1 or 2t Worcestershire sauce
  • 3 triangles of baby bell spreadable cheese (any spreadable cheese like goat cheese would work well too)
  • dijon mustard
  • 6 slices of bacon
  • handful of arugula

Directions:

  1. Mix ingredients for THE SAUCE in a bowl with a whisk until well blended. Pour into a deep plate to dip slices of bread.
  2. Warm up a frying pan to medium heat and pour a bit of olive oil and swirl around. After covering both sides of bread in the savoury-sauce batter, place the soaked bread in the frying pan and do your normal french toast magic. Flip on both sides, and place on a plate until all slices are cooked. Set aside, in a warm place if possible.
  3. In the same pan, heat olive oil and butter. Add sliced onions and saute until wilted and fragrant.
  4. While cooking onions, cook your bacon.
  5. Return to your onions and add Worcestershire sauce. Turn off heat.
  6. Time to assemble your sandwiches! This part is easy. 1 slice french toast, cheese, Dijon, onions, bacon, arugula, other slice, and then slice that baby and enjoy.

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Maple-Pumpkin-Cheese cake-Pie

15 Nov IMG_3640

Mmmm Hmm! Everyone seemed to really like this. It’s the best of all worlds…kind of cheese-cake, kind of pie, kind of pumpkin, kind of maple syrup… In total, its warm and happy and sure to put a smile on your face for next Thursday. Or today. Whatever you chose.

You’ll need:

  • 1 1/2 cups pumpkin
  • 200g cream cheese
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1 T pumpkin pie spice
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 pie crust

For THE SAUCE, use this delicious delicacy.

Directions:

  1. Make your pie crust, or prepare a 9″ pie pan with cooking spray, and preheat oven to 350*F
  2. In a blender, food processor, or with your wonderful own wonderful strength, mix together pumpkin, brown sugar, and eggs until smooth.
  3. Cut up your cream cheese into small cubes, and mix it thoroughly into your batter.
  4. Add all remaining ingredients.
  5. Bake in a preheated over for about 30-45 minutes.

Serve, and Enjoy!

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Salted Carmel Whipped Cream

20 Oct IMG_3634

It’s a hit, and perhaps sounds a bit weird, but you are bound to Love it.

You’ll need…

For the Caramel Sauce you’ll need:

  • 3 T  butter (salted or unsalted), cubed
  • 1/2  c sugar
  • 1/4 c heavy cream
  • 1 t vanilla (optional)

For the whipped cream, you’ll need:

  • 4 tablespoons of the caramel you’ve mad above
  • 1/2 teaspoon of salt
  • 1 cup heavy cream

Directions:

  1. I highly recommend that you have all your ingredients for the caramel measured and at your side for this caramel sauce. Go do that right now. Then find a pan, and put it on your stove. Take a deep breath. If you’re nervous about this whole process, you can make it easier for yourself by adding several tablespoons of water to the sugar, I won’t judge you, but your caramel might not taste AS creamy-spectacular.
  2. Place sugar in a pan over high heat, and stir constantly with a wooden spoon or a whisk. At one point the sugar will begin to melt, be sure to be stirring the sugar into itself so that the melting is dispersed. You can have some awkward hard chunks of un-melted sugar in your caramel otherwise. Then it will begin to get brown like caramel. This is good. When all the sugar pieces have dissolved, add the butter, FAST.
  3. WATCH OUT IT BUBBLES! Enjoy feeling like a mad chemist for a moment. Continue to stir. The bubbles will subdue.
  4. Turn that heat off, or at least keep it very low.
  5. Once the butter has melted, pour in the cream, and like always keep whisking or stirring or whatever it is that you do best. Dance a little perhaps? Just groove.
  6. Heat, off. For real this time. Don’t try eating it like me. Learn from my lesson and wait 10 minutes, then try it. Oh, I almost forgot, if you want to add that vanilla, now’s the time. Stir it in there. Delicious.

Now for the whipped cream:

  1. Place everything except the caramel in a food processor, mixer, or in a bowl and get some handheld blades, or be really keen and prepare yourself for a good old arm workout- grab a whisk.
  2. Whisk that cream until it’s whipped.
  3. Add the carmel, and whip some more. Add more caramel if you like, or more salt if you like.
  4. Enjoy!

Try it with the pies too…mmmmm!

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Apple-Cinamon Galette & Salted Caramel Whipped Cream

20 Oct IMG_3632

You may not know, dear American readers, that here in Canada, Thanksgiving is celebrated on the first Monday of October? So, perhaps all these Thanksgiving-themed recipes are coming at you much earlier than expected, but they will fit the season in any case! I made three pies/galettes for a thanksgiving potluck at my darling friend Nathan’s home. A true hit they were.

You’ll need:

  • Galette crust
    For the Dough you’ll need:

    • 2 cups of flour
    • 1/3 cup cream cheese
    • 2/3 cup of butter
    • 2 T milk or water
    • 2 t baking powder
    • 1 t salt
    • 1 t honey
    • Additional flour for sprinkling
  • 4 apples
  • 3 T butter
  • 1/4 cup of brown sugar
  • 1 T cinamon
  • 1 T flour

Directions:

For the dough:

  1. Preheat oven to 350*F
  2. Place flour, salt, and baking powder in a bowl.
  3. Cut butter and cream cheese into small cubes and place them in the bowl.
  4. Mix well with a hook attachment to a mixer or simply with your hands.
  5. Add milk and honey and continue until you’ve formed a dough
  6. Spread flour on a cutting board and on rolling pin. Roll out dough until its around 10-12″ wide
  7. Use a big ol’ plate as a stencil for your crust
  8. Place it on a baking pan

For the apples-insides:

  1. Cut apples into thin slices
  2. In a pan, melt butter and add cinamon and brown sugar
  3. Add sliced apples and allow them to become drenched in butter mixture. Once they become fragrant and are soft, they are finished.
  4. Carefully scoop the apples and place them in the center of the dough
  5. Carefully fold the sides of the galette onto itself:
  6. Add flour to remaining sauce to allow it to thicken
    and pour it all over your galette’s insides
  7. If you have extra dough, consider making it into fun shapes like leaves for autumn!

    Cut out shapes

    put stem on top of leaf

    Flip over and press over stem, then detail with knife

  8. Marvel at your unbaked galette

  9. 9. Place in an oven for about 2o minutes until golden:

And Enjoy!

Slice me!

Don’t forget to check out the Pumpkin-Maple Pie, Salted Caramel Whipped Cream, or Fool-proof Pie Crust Tutorial !

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