Monthly Archives: August 2016

cooking, Squash

August Cooking Projects

Leave a comment

My goal has been to be more diverse in my cooking, and learn more vegetarian recipes. I’m doing pretty good so far here are some of my successes. I had a failure also with black bean falafel.

Americanized Asian Food

Really I just need to not give Chinese fast food places my money soo… I have taught myself how to make Honey Walnut Shrimp and Orange Chicken this week. They were both a success (and I made a really big mess in my kitchen!). Now if I can find the right recipe for Cashew Chicken I will be set!

 

Seafood

Salt Block Shrimp with Balsamic Portabella. Balsamic vinegar is a bit of a pain scrubbing off of a salt block I must say. Cedar Plank Salmon, unfortunately I still don’t like Salmon but I did try to like it(again).

 

Vegetarian

Grilled Zucchini and Purple Carrots with Falafel and Dill Sauce. Om nom nom! I could eat this every day but I had a terrible, horrible, very bad, not good experience with black bean falafel a few days later so I am taking a short falafel break.

cooking, recipe

Summer Cocktails 2016

1 Comment

I was enjoying the heat on my days off and I know what it takes after 15 years in the desert to prepare for enjoying hot weather. I decided on a tropical theme so I sifted through my music collection until I found my Martin Denny, Dick Dale and Harry Belafonte, stuff like that.  I went to the store to get some lime seltzer water and I came across Jackfruit in the specialty produce area, how perfect. I am not one to pass up specialty fruit. Jackfruit is a massive watermelon sized spikey thing that grows in trees and is related to the breadfruit. It tastes like a mix of mango and pineapple.

Jackfruit Lime and Basil

Ingredients

1/4 cup diced jackfruit

1 can lemon or lime seltzer water

1 lime, juiced

2-3 Fresh basil leaves(I tend to use smaller leaves, maybe just most of a whole sized leaf.)

2 oz gin

Ice cubes

Instructions

Add diced jackfruit, lime juice to a tall glass.

Tear basil into smaller pieces, add to glass and muddle slightly.

Add Ice and 2 oz Gin.

Fill remaining glass with seltzer water.

Use lime wedge for decoration.

Sour Cherry Gin

20160822_210614.jpg

Ingredients

2 oz tart cherry juice

2 oz gin

Juice from 1 lemon

1 can lemon seltzer water

Ice

Instruction

Add the juices, gin and ice to the glass, fill rest of glass with seltzer water. Use lemon wedge for decoration.

 

Baking, cooking, recipe

Peach Berry Cheese Tart

Leave a comment

A 4″ ceramic tart pan is one my favorite pans when baking for one.

Use your favorite tart or pie crust recipe and cut it in half if it’s for full sized. I make a crust without exact measurement because it’s such a small amount of crust and it’s also pretty forgiving I find. It’s hard to mess it up badly enough that it doesn’t still taste good. I generally wing all of my recipes when I make tarts. Here my go crust recipe.

Cinnamon Coconut Oil Tart Crust of Unexactness
1/3 cup of flour AKA 2 handfulls of flour
1 pinch of salt
1 teaspoon full of brown sugar
1 teaspoon or palm full of cold water
2 mildly heaping teaspoons coconut oil (sometimes it takes more or less I am not actually measuring, just using spoonfuls.)
powdered cinnamon(optional)

Instructions

In a cerial bowl with a teaspoon gather and mix all ingredients until it forms a dough. (fix mistakes by adding more flour or coconut oil)
Place the crust into the tart pan and press into place with your fingers gently(Gently I say!), dust with cinnamon.

 

Peach Berry Cheese Tart

You can change this up for other fruit, apples, strawberries, cherries to name a few. On top of the crust is a layer of cream cheese with a bit of sugar and a drop of vanilla. Then brush the top of the cream cheese with strawberry jam or preserves before arranging fruit or berries to cover the cream cheese. Place on a cookie sheet in case of spills caused by juicyness and bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

cooking, recipe

Carrot Ginger Soup

Leave a comment

 

This is an incredibly easy soup to make and it is very filling.

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon coconut oil

6-8 carrots chopped into 1 inch pieces

1 potato chopped into 1 inch pieces

1 onion chopped

2 cloves garlic

2 cups vegetable broth

1 small piece of ginger, minced

2 tablespoons natural peanut butter

1 can coconut milk

salt & pepper to taste

fresh basil leaves, rolled and chopped

Instructions:

In a sauce pan add vegetable broth and minced ginger, bring to simmer.

In a large sauce pan add coconut oil and onion, saute for about 3-5 minutes. Add carrots and garlic cook for another 3-5 minutes. Add carrot mixture to vegetable broth and increase to medium boil for 15-20 minutes until the carrots are soft.

Add coconut milk and peanut butter to blender then add carrots with stock, blend until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Top with fresh basil.

 

20160731_214824.jpg