recipe: mashed potato pasta sauce

Let's just get this out of the way first -- I really love carbs. I also love my green veggies and fruits and try to eat as healthily as possible but I'm not one to shy away from a meal that includes multiple carbohydrates all living happily together in one single dish.

Initially I wanted to make a creamy tomato sauce without using any dairy to make it creamy, and came up with the idea to put a mashed potato in my sauce. It ended up making it more hearty than creamy but it was SO good, I definitely filed this in my "do-again" file.

You need: 1 crate of cherry tomatoes, a few tbsp. olive oil, 4 cloves fresh garlic (minced), 1 tbsp. olivio (or butter), some parsley, one baked potato (mashed), pasta

While your pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil on low heat and add the minced garlic. Cut up the tomatoes into slices (I cut about three slices per tomato) and add them to the pot with the olivio. Let it all simmer on a low heat until the juices from the tomatoes are starting to fill up the pot. Then add the parsley and the potato and stir until it's all well blended. Serve over the pasta and eat up! :)

One of my personal resolutions this year is to cook more often instead of always eating out or eating pre-packaged foods and so far I'm doing really good! I've been having waffles or eggs for breakfast every morning and cooking lunch or dinner every day. Yesterday I used the leftover pasta from this dish (I had some extra that I tossed with olive oil & put in the fridge) and combined it with butter beans and green beans in a skillet, and it was so yummy!

Read More

recipe: pumpkin pie ice cream

Last weekend I got a text from Yogurtland saying they had a new pumpkin pie flavor of frozen yogurt and I was dying to try it! I went on Wednesday and the cashier told me the flavor was already gone for the season (what?!) so, heartbroken, I went to the grocery store to see if they had any. They didn't! Then I remembered that I got my dad an ice cream maker for his birthday this spring and we had yet to try it out.

I did a quick google search on my phone but couldn't find any recipes that used real pumpkin pie. Most have pumpkin filling and graham cracker crumbs or something like that, but I wanted actual pie in my ice cream. So I decided to just wing it and BOY am I glad that I did. I used the milk measurements from a peanut butter ice cream recipe that came with the ice cream machine and then eyeballed the rest. It came out so great I can't wait to try other flavors now! I want to try apple next but my dad is campaigning for garlic (yup, garlic!) We'll see..

Here's my recipe for pumpkin pie ice cream:

1 pumpkin pie, pre-cooked
1 cup fat free half-and-half
2 cups heavy cream
1/3 cup brown sugar
red and yellow food coloring (optional)

Cut 1/4 slice of the pie and eat it. If you want to save it for later or give it away that's fine too, but I recommend eating it immediately. Then scoop out the entire center of the pie, including the bottom crust (leaving only the crust edges in the pan) and mash it up in your mixing bowl with a fork. Add brown sugar and mix. Then add the half-and-half and combine with a hand mixer on low speed. Then add the heavy cream and continue mixing on low for about a minute. Cover your bowl and store in the fridge for a couple hours (I left mine in overnight.)

When the batter is cool, add it to your ice cream machine and watch the magic happen! My ice cream maker (this one) is open at the top (I don't know if all of them are? I'm new to this) so I could see the batter transforming into ice cream right before my eyes. It was SO cool! While it was churning I added 3 drops of yellow and 3 drops of red food coloring to make the ice cream a little bit more pumpkin-looking. I was also planning on adding some crumbs from the leftover crust edges a few minutes before the ice cream was done but it ended up getting too thick for me to add anything! I definitely want to try that in my next batch for some added texture.

Read More

recipe: late summer salad

First, can we all have a nice hearty chuckle at my pitiful attempt at blogger food photography? One of these days I'm going to take a good food photo. It's going to happen.

Anyway... one of my favorite eat-out foods this summer was the strawberry poppyseed salad at Panera. I ordered mine without chicken or dressing and then added shredded coconut when I got it home. SO good! This afternoon I was craving the salad something awful, but to my utter horror I got this reply when I placed my order: "we're sorry, that salad has been discontinued for the season." Noooooooooooo!!! I reluctantly ordered an iced tea and sulked for a good ten minutes before I realized I could easily whip this up at home.

I used baby spinach, fresh strawberries and blueberries, a rinsed can of mandarin oranges and heaps of shredded coconut. The salad usually came with candied pecans too, but I made this for my whole family and my brother is allergic to nuts, so I left them out this time. Personally I love having that extra crunch so I'll probably be adding some when I go back for leftovers :)



I usually like kind of plain food, so everyone in my family thought it was just Kate being Kate when I said I was serving this without dressing. But I begged them to try it as-is and they all agreed it didn't need anything else. The juices from the fruits add just enough liquid and the coconut gives each bite just the right amount of flavor. If you try it, I'd recommend just giving it a whirl without dressing first -- you can always add it later. I think something like sesame ginger might be interesting though!

It's kind of a pet peeve with me (at least in my own family) that nobody ever wants to try things the way they come. They always have to be adding heaps of salt or cheese or dressing or butter when some foods have absolutely amazing natural flavors that just get buried under all that extra goop. I don't eat everything totally plain (I'll be the first to admit I can be heavy-handed when it comes to garlic!) but I think it's nice to try foods as-is before adding anything extra. You might be surprised at how good something tastes without any assistance from the condiment aisle! ;)

Read More

recipe: taco salad

It's time for another installment of "recipe that came about because Kate was lazy."

I've been on a bit of a taco kick lately, but I always seem to face a shortage of taco shells. This problem paired with my unwillingness to drive out and buy shells resulted in this amazing new salad recipe that I can't stop eating. As usual, it's super easy and perfect for lazy people who don't like to spend a lot of time in the kitchen, like me!

Just combine a can of dark kidney beans (rinsed), one cucumber (cut into little pieces), two small tomatoes (cut into little pieces) and one pre-cooked ear of corn. Combine with a generous drizzle of flavored olive oil (I used garlic olive oil and it was delicious!!)

I took my last remaining taco shells (and any little broken bits that were stuck at the bottom of the package) and crushed them to make taco croutons. Sprinkle some croutons on top of each serving and you're done! I didn't mix the croutons into the salad because I didn't want them to get soggy while they were sitting in the fridge, but if you're planning on eating the whole salad immediately then, by all means, mix away! :)

I actually normally just make rice and bean tacos (see: laziness) but now that I tried salad-ifying tacos I want to include veggies in them more often!

Read More

recipe: chick peas with green beans and tahini

I love change and trying new things, but honestly when I'm home the only reason I ever make something new is because I'm missing the ingredients I need to cook my usual fare. Such was the case the other day when this new recipe was born. And I loved it so much that it's going to be a regular on the menu now. Maybe one day I'll be out of green beans and their absence will spawn a new favorite dish ;)

Oh, also, I am a completely, totally, horribly lazy cook and usually use canned or frozen ingredients. If you're not as lazy as me, then this meal would probably be even more delicious with fresh veggies and herbs!

I used -- a 15oz. can of chick peas (rinsed), 1 bag of steamable green beans (cooked), 1/2 of a fresh tomato, 2 tbsp. sesame tahini, 2 tsp. dried chopped garlic (yup, I don't even use fresh garlic. I know!) 1/4 c. panko flakes, some olive oil and a little parsley. I sauteed the garlic in the olive oil for a few minutes, then tossed everything in the pan except for the tomato and parsley. Stir it every few minutes until the chick peas get a little crispy, then serve it with the fresh tomatoes and a little sprinkle of parsley on top!

Read More

spaghetti à la lady and the tramp

In Disney World we ate at the Lady and the Tramp-themed Tony's Town Square Restaurant in the Magic Kingdom. Most of the items on the menu included meat or cheese (which I don't eat) so I asked our server if I could have a spaghetti dish that combined ingredients used in some of the meat dishes. He had the chef visit our table (Disney is super accommodating, by the way, if you have any kind of special diet. I was very impressed!) and he put together one of the best pasta dishes I've ever had! I made a humble recreation this week and thought I'd share the recipe!

First snap the asparagus (you bend the asparagus so it snaps in the middle and only keep the tops) and then chop those up into bite-sized pieces. Spread them on a greased cookie sheet and drizzle with olive oil, then roast at 350' for 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, boil water for spaghetti. In a frying pan, combine some extra virgin olive oil, 1/2 can of drained and rinsed chick peas (in Disney I had pine nuts instead, but now that I'm home with access to my beloved garbanzo beans I had to include them!) chopped garlic (to taste -- I'm a little heavy-handed with the garlic myself) and 1/4 c. chopped sundried tomatoes. Let those simmer on low heat until the spaghetti and asparagus are done, and then combine. Then eat it all quickly before any family members notice that you cooked...

Read More

pakistani dhal recipe [guest post]

Hey everyone! My name is Ashlee and I blog over at My Sweet Nomsa. I thought that I would share with you today one of my favorite comfort food recipes. It's warm, with a lot of spices and easy to make. It's my version of Pakistani Dhal.



INGREDIENTS:

3 cups of water
1 cup of red split lentils
1 can of diced tomatoes (14 oz)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 bag of frozen cauliflower (equivalent to 12 oz or 4 servings)
1 vegetarian bouillon cube
1 tablespoon of chopped ginger or 1/8 tablespoon powdered ginger
2-3 garlic cloves
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
chopped cilantro
salt



one/ Heat water and a bouillon cube in a pot until boiling. Add lentils, can of tomatoes, frozen cauliflower, curry, coriander, cumin & cayenne. Bring back up to a boil. Once boiling again, reduce heat to a low boil. Cook until the water is reduced and the mixture becomes a thick paste (about 20 minutes). Stir frequently because the lentils can easily stick to the bottom.

two/ While lentils are cooking, heat olive oil in frying pan. Add onion, ginger, and garlic; fry until soft.

three/ After the lentils thicken up and become soft, add the onions, ginger and garlic to the pot and mix together. Cook for another minute or two for the flavors to blend.

four/ Makes 4-6 servings. Add chopped cilantro and a little bit of salt to top before serving. I like eating this by itself, but you can serve it over rice or another favorite grain.



This is one of those meals where the leftovers are even better because the flavors really settle into each other. Feel free to experiment with the vegetables in this. Add mushrooms to your onion/garlic/ginger blend. Instead of cauliflower, dice up a few red potatoes or zucchini.

Also, if you use whole red lentils (not the split version as specified), it is going to take a little longer to soften the lentils and you will need to add more water to the recipe. Just keep taste testing it and if the water is all reduced down, but the lentils are still too hard, add a cup of water and continue cooking until they get mushy.

I hope you enjoy!

Read More

after eight cupcake recipe [guest post]

What do you do when you're having a really, really bad day? You know, one of those days where the universe seems to be working against you, and everything is going wrong, and you end up crying because you can't work out how to turn up the volume on your laptop. When I'm having a very bad day, cupcakes are the answer.

These cupcakes are, for lack of a better word, ridiculous. I mean, look at them...they've got green edible glitter on them for goodness sake! But sometimes needs must.

I loved After Eights before going vegan, and thankfully Divine now do a vegan version! Hurrah!

Makes 12 large cupcakes

1 1/2C self raising gluten free flour (I use Dove's Farm)
1C sugar
1/2C dark cocoa powder
1/3C oil
1C water
1tsp balsamic vinegar
1tsp peppermint extract

1/2C vegan margarine
2-3C powdered sugar
Dairy free milk
1tsp peppermint extract
1/2tsp natural green food coloring

150g dark chocolate
Edible glitter
12 Divine mint thins

Preheat the oven to 175/350. Line a muffin pan with 12 muffin cases and set aside. In a large mixing bowl combine all the cupcake ingredients and mix until no big lumps remain. Using a tablespoon or ice cream scoop, fill the muffin cases 2/3 of the way full and bake in the oven for 20mins. Place on a wire rack to cool while you make the frosting.

In a stand alone mixer or using an electric hand mixer cream together the margarine, peppermint and coloring. Then add the powdered sugar 1/2 a cup at a time, adding milk when the mixture gets too stiff. Once everything is combined whisk on high speed for around 3mins, until the frosting becomes light and fluffy. Transfer into a piping bag and carefully pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes. I like a lot of frosting on my cupcakes, but you can use as little or as much as you want!

Once each cupcakes is frosted, melt the chocolate in the microwave for around 1 1/2-2mins, and drizzle over the top of each cupcake. Then sprinkle over a little edible glitter and finish each cupcake with a mint thin.

Enjoy xo
Charis, from Floral Frosting

Read More

cadbury flake frozen hot chocolate

The other day I was really in the mood for a frozen hot chocolate (perfectly natural when it's 40' outside, right?) but also very impatient about melting the chocolate, waiting for it to cool... oh and going to the store to buy the chocolate to begin with. That's when I saw some cadbury flake bars sitting on the kitchen counter and the wheels in my head started turning!

We get flakes every year for Christmas from the local Irish import store. They're my absolute favorite candy bars in the entire universe. The chocolate is just SO much better than any other chocolate that exists. It's not just the texture (which is amazing) but the taste. It's very mild, sweet and perfect.  Anyway, long story short, I decided to make a lazy version of frozen hot chocolate using cadbury flakes.



You'll need: 3 flake bars, 2 tsp of powdered hot chocolate, 1 cup of skim milk (or you can use whole milk or soy milk, whatever floats your boat!) 1 tbsp of sugar, and about 1.5 cups of ice cubes.

In a blender combine the flakes, hot chocolate, sugar and skim milk until it's not lumpy anymore. The first time I made this I didn't blend it well enough and kept getting chocolate bits stuck in my straw. Then add the ice and blend it again. Pour it into a cup and drink up! Easy peasy! I know there are probably very specific reasons for most frozen hot chocolate recipes calling for melted chocolate instead of just throwing candy bars into your blender, but this turned out SO fantastic I really can't imagine that it would have been improved if I had waited to melt the chocolate first.

I think this would work amazing with pretty much any candy bar, actually! Imagine a frozen Twix hot chocolate, or a frozen Kit Kat hot chocolate!! The yummy possibilities are endless! :D If you really want to use flakes but aren't lucky enough to live in a country that sells them or near a store that imports them, they're also available on amazon here! :)

Read More

spaghetti with chickpea meatballs and sweet tomato sauce

I've been trying to cook new recipes lately since I've been in a terrible rut for the last couple months. I eat the same thing every day and it just gets a little monotonous. My diet for most of 2012 consisted of baked sweet potatoes, chickpeas mixed with tomatoes (recipe here) and cucumbers with hummus. Not much variety at all. I guess this is technically still a variation on chickpeas and tomatoes, but it was super yummy and tasted different so I think it counts as a new dish for my cooking repertoire.

I adapted the recipe for the meatballs from this one from Cookin' Canuck. I used chickpeas instead of cannellini beans (partially because they're my go-to bean for everything and partially because I was hungry and didn't have cannellini beans in the cupboard.) and pre-packaged everything. I also made my meatballs 1tbsp instead of 2tbsp so they would cook through faster. The recipe below made about 20 meatballs so next time I'm going to halve it. I ended up putting most of them in the freezer. (I feel like Andy Bernard when he makes his New Years resolution to "learn how to cook for one.")

For the meatballs you need:
1.5 cans of chickpeas (rinsed and drained)
about 1/4 c. roasted red peppers
2 tbsp. onion powder*
1 egg
1/2 c. breadcrumbs (or panko)
1 tbsp minced garlic
2 tbsp. dried parsley
1 tbsp. dried oregano

Preheat the oven to 350. In a food processor, combine chickpeas and peppers until they're combined but not pureed. Then mix with all of the other ingredients, and form into 1 tbsp balls. Place on a greased cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Mine needed some extra time and I ended up cooking them for 35 minutes.

For the sauce, I just combined canned tomato sauce with oregano, parsley, garlic and olive oil and then added honey to taste. Let it simmer for a while, and then add the meatballs. Let the meatballs cook in the sauce for a few more minutes, then add them to pasta and enjoy!

I think this recipe would also taste delicious with the chickpea mixture sauteed on the stove and then added to the sauce for a chunky meat sauce instead of meatballs!

*I love the taste of onions but hate the texture so I always use onion powder. You'll probably want to use real onions :)

Read More

BBQ chickpea burgers

It is so hard to take a flattering photo of a burger, isn't it? I mean, they aren't the prettiest food to begin with, but if, like me, you aren't too skilled in the art of food photography, it's especially tricky to make a burger look appetizing. Anyway... suffice it to say, these were absolutely scrumptious no matter what they look like in my photo ;)

I adapted the recipe from this one for coconut-curry chickpea quinoa pineapple burgers. The only thing I kept the same was the chickpeas, panko flakes and the basic process, but I needed some sort of guide for making burgers from scratch since I've never done it before! I usually go for Morningstar Grillers Originals (which, by the way, are SO tasty!) but I was in the mood for something more home made :)

Ingredients:

1 can of chickpeas, drained
1/2 cup skim milk (or soy milk)
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
1 teaspoon parsley (I used dried, but fresh would be great!)
1 teaspoon Mrs. Dash no-salt onion seasoning
1/2 cup brown rice, cooked
2/3 cup panko flakes
Sweet BBQ sauce
Pineapple slices

Combine chick peas, milk, garlic, parsley and onion seasoning in a food processor until it's all mashed together. Stir in rice and panko, and then form into 6 patties (the original recipe called for 4 but they were too ginormous to fit onto my burger rolls so next time I'm going with 6.)

Oil your pan and then grill until they're nice and brown on both sides. If you've ever had a homemade veggie burger, you probably know that unless they're well-done it can be hard to tell the difference between the burger and the roll, since they're so mushy. So I let mine get nice and crispy before taking them off the grill. I topped it with a slice of grilled pineapple and about a teaspoon of sweet BBQ sauce! Deee-lish!

Read More

chick peas with broccoli & tomatoes

Last week I was trying to come up with a healthy lunch and concocted this dish that I've been having pretty much every day since. My mom has basically the same thing except she substitutes 1 piece of grilled boneless, skinless chicken for the chick peas, and has green beans instead of broccoli.

It's SO easy. I just combine 1 bag of steam-in-the-bag broccoli, 1/3 can of rinsed chickpeas, 1/2 a tomato cut up into little pieces, some parsley & oregano and 1 tbsp of Italian dressing. The total time is however long it takes to steam the veggies, then you just toss together the ingredients and dive right in! :)

ps. Maybe I'm just way too obsessed with The Office, but does anyone else automatically think of Michael Scott when they have steam in the bag veggies? "They have these bags of vegetables that steam right inside their own bag. So I'll get a glass of sangria, sit down in front of the TV, pop a bag of vegetables, before you know it I'm ready for bed!"

Read More

confetti salad recipe

Here it is, one of the most delicious salads you'll ever eat. It's just so fresh and summery! And tasty! :D Here is my mom's recipe, although if you're impatient like me you might want to skip cutting everything into itty bitty pieces and just use the food processor instead ;D Also, using purple onions is important, because part of the charm of confetti salad is all of the different colors sprinkled throughout the dish! :)



Here's a text version in case you'd like to print it :)

4 c. Jasmine rice (made w/5c. water) .. let cool
1 green pepper
1 red pepper
1/2 large purple onion
1 cucumber (remove seeds)
1 carrot
1 bottle Good Season's Italian Dressing

Dice the peppers, onion and cucumber into teeny-tiny pieces and dump them on the rice. Grate the carrot over everything. Pour the whole cruet of dressing into the bowl, stir and let it get cold.

Read More

confetti salad

dress - modcloth
shirt - vintage
belt - forever 21
shoes - h&m

Yesterday for Kyle's birthday we stopped at our favorite roadside food stand for burgers (I brought a Morningstar fake meat burger with me) and ice cream. We've eaten there hundreds of times, but for some reason yesterday the food was just SO good. One of those times where while you're eating you're fully aware of how amazing your meal tastes and you're almost on the verge of tears because you know it's going to be over soon.

We also brought along some of my mom's confetti salad from home. It's this amazing rice dish with peppers, carrots and onions chopped up into rice-grain-sized pieces then tossed in Italian dressing. She spends hours cutting up the veggies (I was like "just use a food processor!!" but she won't) and it literally looks like confetti by the time she's finished. I should see if I can get her to do a real recipe for me to post here later! :)

Read More