SMOOTHIE!

So very happy I have an immersion blender!


Basic Smoothie

handful of frozen blueberries
1/3 cup or 1/2 cup yogurt. Maybe more, I haven't actually measured it.
10-12 frozen strawberries
a splash of orange juice
1 banana, chopped up.

Blend. Enjoy.




Anyone have any other smoothie recipes? Or suggestions? I'm especially interested in green smoothies with spinach or something.

Scrambled Eggs done right

Now that I'm jobless, I've gotten in the habit of eating brunch instead of breakfast and lunch. It feels so nice to relax and read or work in the morning and then leisurely make a large breakfast/brunch. Usually I eat over easy eggs on toast and have been making fried potatoes to go alone with it. And coffee of course. And orange juice. If I had some strawberries or other fruit I'd be eating that too.

BUT this post isn't about over-easy eggs and their runny goodness. It's about scrambled eggs. For the past few years-basically ever since I fell in love with runny yolky eggs-I've considered scrambled eggs for kids. Really though, it's because it's so hard to find good scrambled eggs! This includes when I make them for myself, often too scrambled, too flat and brown and at times even crunchy. uhg.

Smitten Kitchen is basically my all-time favorite food blog. I've adapted more than one of her recipes. I stumbled upon a post she made about scrambled eggs and found out she had the same problems with people overcooking scrambled eggs. She listed how she cooks her eggs with detailed photos to boot. You'd think (at least I did) that scrambled eggs would be the easiest most fool proof way of cooking eggs, but yesterday I made eggs the way she suggested it and it made SUCH A BIG DIFFERENCE!

They were so fluffy and light and wonderful! Best scrambled eggs I've ever had! I was also lucky that I had some leftover goat cheese from a pizza I made last week and was able to make some goat cheese toast to go with it. WONDERFUL!

Check out how to make these life changing eggs HERE!

Garlic Butter Mushroom Pasta w/Kale, Cherry Tomatoes

Yesterday I randomly bought a small batch of mushrooms. I've never cooked with mushrooms before but have been ordering and eating them more at restaurants and wanted to try my hand at it. My parents never served mushrooms to me while I was younger-well, I can't really say that. They probably did but I was too busy eating my blue-box-mac'n'cheese to notice. Thank goodness I grew out of that and will gladly eat/try/enjoy any food set in front of me. Except horseradish. And shrimp. And maybe kiwi, but I haven't had a kiwi in maybe 15 years (if ever).

Garlic Butter Roasted Mushroom Pasta With Kale and Cherry Tomatoes

I should note that this recipe is adapted from the stunning Smitten Kitchen. Check it out!

8 oz mushrooms- I used white mushrooms but button mushrooms would work just as nice, or any variety for that matter. You could also probably increase the amount of mushrooms if you really like mushrooms.
4 cloves of garlic (or more!)
3 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
salt and pepper and any herbs you want.
1 teaspoon lemon juice
a few cherry tomatoes, I used about 7 or 8, halved
a handful of kale, chopped loosely
Parmesan or Romano cheese.


Preheat oven to 450. Mix the mushrooms, onion, garlic, and olive oil together. Mix in a dash of salt and pepper. Place in a baking dish and cube three tablespoons of butter and place it over the mushrooms. Bake, making sure to stir every once in awhile, for 15-20 minutes or whenever the mushrooms are brown and soft. Once finished add the teaspoon of lemon juice and any fresh herbs you'd like. In a frying pan, heat up some butter or oil and lightly fry over low heat the cherry tomatoes and kale. Once kale is fully wilted and cherry tomatoes are slightly bursting from their skin, mix with cooked pasta and the mushroom/onion mixture. make sure the get all the juice from the mushrooms onto the pasta, it creates a light flavored sauce.
Top with some grated cheese.

Woo! Dinner! Fancy!

Latte

I just made my second latte from home ever. Thus proving I never have to leave the apartment. Ever. I can get all the necessities living home alone! Food! Tasty espresso delicacies! Human interaction!

Well. Not that. I haven't seen a human face in two days.


Anyways, all you need are the right tools for your own wonderful caffeinated experience. I got an espresso maker for christmas a few years ago in hopes that it'd cut down the money I spend on going out. Sadly, the milk frother that came with it was a pain in the butt and worked really poorly (not to mention was obscenely loud). I never bothered in buying a separate milk frother since then (I was too concerned that it wouldn't work) and have used my espresso maker in making americanos when I really needed to stay awake.

Then I got this baby for christmas.


So now I can make lattes that taste as fresh and I wouldn't know a difference between the ones I make and the ones I used to buy. It is a little more laborious. But the-small amount of- work that goes into making it makes it taste all the better. I'd recommend anyone who likes going out for coffee to invest in some tools to make it from home.

Soon I will invite people over and make lattes for them and become the most popular kid on the block.
The End.

Black Bean Cakes two ways.

SO! Happy new year!!

One of the things I will be trying this year is to eat out less and eat at home more. There is such a sense of accomplishment when I finish cooking a meal, and I almost always feel better after eating because I know what goes into it (even if I'm digesting cookies with 2 sticks of butter in them, at least I know it's in there).

I've decided to go ahead and start up this blog again. Because I refuse to let it die. And because it may help me in sticking with my goal if I can show off my tasty food to others.

Last night Evan and I were hanging out and made Black Bean patties from his Everyday Food Cookbook. We had them plain, with just a little big of yogurt-dill dipping sauce, but they'd also make great veggie burgers.

Black Bean Cakes (pretty much they are like patties)

2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 tablespoon cumin
4 scallions
6 garlic cloves
1 sweet potato, skinned and shredded
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 jalepeno pepper, diced with no seeds
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and peper

You'll be broiling these in the oven instead of frying so this ends up being a pretty healthy dish. First, in a skillet fry up the garlic and scallions with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Then add the Jalepino and the cumin and fry it all together for a few minutes. Put the black beans in a bowl and then add the cooked garlic,scallions,ect. Mash it up with a fork, you want about a quarter of the beans in there to be left whole. Fold in sweet potato. Add the egg and then the bread crumbs and season with salt and pepper.

On a baking tray, brush out the other tablespoon of oil. Form patties and place on the sheet. Broil these for about 8-10 minutes (my oven was NOT working last night so I had to cook mine for...oh...40 minutes. It never got hotter than 300...). Flip the patties and cook for another 2-3 minutes until it's brown and a little crispy. BAM! DONE!

Yogurt-Dill Sauce
Some yogurt, some lemon juice, some dill. BADDA BAM!

Since I had leftovers I made a tasty brunch. Re-heat the patties, fry an egg and put it on time, and garnish with a few scallions and salt and pepper. I think this would be awesome with a little hot sauce or ketchup, but I don't own any.

WOW!

It's been TOO long my friends, just too, too long!



Here are a few of my current food obsessions:

Crispy Crunchy Tofu
This is a pretty awesome way to prepare tofu. It can either be made with some curry sauce and veggies and served with rice for a big meal or just eaten on it's own.

-Tofu, get the firm or extra firm kind. Drain the tofu then press it which is easy to do. Simply cut it and lay it on a cutting board with paper towels under and on top of it. Lay another cutting board on top of the tofu and place a pot full of water on it. After about 10 or 15 minutes the extra water should be drained from the tofu.
-2 Egg whites
-Corn starch
-Panko Crumbs
-Oil for frying

Okay. Take the tofu and dip it into corn starch. Then dip it into egg white. Then dip it into panko (I add salt and pepper to it). Once all the tofu is breaded, heat up some oil in a pan. The oil should be about half an inch thick. Fry tofu until crispy! BAM!


Super Easy Dal (aka red lentils) and Rice




-1/2 cup red lentils (or dal!)
-1 1/2 cup veggie broth (or a combination of broth and water)
-1/2 tea Turmeric
-1/2 tea Cumin
-1 tomato
-1 onion
-3 garlic cloves
-oil

In a pot, boil lentils with 1 cup of broth and the turmeric. In a frying pan, fry the garlic and onions with some oil. Once the onions become clear and wilty, add cumin and the tomato (including all the tomato juice). Add all of that into the lentils along with 1/2 cup more broth/water. You might want to add more liquid if it looks too dry. Simmer that for awhile until it gets to a consistency you like. You can eat this on its own, or with pita, or mix it up with rice (my fav). Also this recipe is really easy to tweak and change. I've added chili powder, coriander, garam masala, cinnamon, cilantro, ect. Play around!

Sometimes cooking days are just what you need!

Anna and I had a cooking day yesterday in which we made lentil soup, sushi and some blackberry pie. Here are the pictures to prove it: it was fun, cheap and exhausting. I enjoyed it a lot!

Everything turned out great! We eat some sushi, and lentil soup for a late lunch while we let the pie cool. I am now addicted to eating the pie, and really want to much them more often, they're relatively easy and fun to create.


Twas Anna's first time making sushi, and it was darn good! Smoked salmon, fake crab and tuna salad make for some yummy stuff to eat! And making the ingredients isn't really that laboursome, it only sounds that why when you try and explain it.

The soup took the longest to cook, I've never cooked with lentils before, them and the potatos we put into the soup were the culprits for why it took so long to finished. And now, some pictures as proof!

Spiced Bulgur!

Here's what I made for my poor-lonely-man's dinner! What I love best is that it's filling and cheap (well, cheap if you bought the bulgur in bulk like I did).

If you haven't cooked with bulgur, DO IT. It's a simple, light and delicious grain! This recipe is not as light as tabbouleh but lighter than rice.

Spiced Bulgur with Tomatoes
1 cup bulgur
1/4 cup olive oil
1 onion
1 large tomato
allspice
pepper
cinnamon
nutmeg
water

Start by pre-soaking a cup of bulgur. Pretty much one cup of bulgur=1 cup of water. Let it soak for 1/2 hour.
Dice the onion and cook them in a pot with the olive oil (a pan wouldn't work as easily) until the onions are clear. Add the bulgur, tomato (including all the juices), and the spices. Don't over spice the dish, but put in a little of each, focusing on the allspice and cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir it all together and cook on medium until the spices become fragrant. Add 1/2 cup of water and simmer for 15 minutes. Keep an eye on it though! I cooked it for about 25 minutes and added an extra 1/4-1/2 cup of water. You want to make sure the bulgur isnt crunchy (and since mine was, I added more water and let it cook longer).

THEN BAM! You're done!

Interesting Nutritional Questions Answered by the Mayo Clinic

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/MY00431/TAB=expertanswers

Some interesting questions and answers by a Mayo Clinic doctor! These are pretty cool!

10 Ways to Barter for Food

So we're all looking for some way, any way to save some cash, especially on food.
I like food, I really do, but don't you ever have those days you wish you could just feel full and get back to what you were doing?

Well this article from CHOW doesn't tell you how to do that but it does give some really good ideas on how to get good food for free.

10 Ways to Barter for Food: I’ve got zucchini if you’ve got tomatoes by Roxanne Webber

What do you think?

Easiest Pizza Dough

I found this awesome recipe for pizza dough! The recipe is simple and there isn't a lot of kneading or much of a mess. Pretty much you can make it all in one bowl! EASY!

So here is the dough recipe and then a simple recipe for pesto pizza using some leftovers I had around the house.

Pizza Dough:
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon dry-active yeast (another reason this recipe is good! A packet of yeast can last a while)
1/2 cup lukewarm water (and maybe more later)
1 tablespoon olive oil

Stir together all dry ingredients, including yeast. Add water and olive oil and mix until it becomes one ball. If the mix is too dry add more water, a little at a time. Knead it for about two minutes (you can need it in the bowl!). Add a little olive oil to the sides of the bowl once done so the bread doesn't stick when it rises. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap then leave it for about an hour and a half to two hours. It should double in size.

Take the dough out of the bowl and knead it on a floured surface to get the air out. Put it back into the bowl and leave it another 20 minutes. Then roll it out and punch it with a fork!



Now go ahead and cook the dough at 400 or 500 degrees for a few minutes. This will help the dough cook all the way through since the ingredients I have for the pesto pizza don't take too long to cook. After it's started to cook just a little, (5 minutes maybe?) take it out of the oven and let it cook a moment. Then smear on pesto! I had about 1/4 of a cup leftover from dinner a couple nights before and it worked out perfectly. Then layer on FRESH mozzarella (only fresh!), tomatoes, onions, and whatever else you desire. I sprinkled a little bit of parmesan cheese on the pizza as well. Back into the oven for 8-15 minutes (until everything is melting and the cheese starts to turn brown).


THEN BAM.

HOMEMADE PIZZA.

Whoo!

Look at this revival of food blog! Now if only I could get all my other friends post....OH WELL.

Alison and I made Coconut Curried Tofu with Green Jasmine Rice a few weeks ago. It was a little more complicated of a recipe than I usually go for, but it was darn good!


Coconut Curried Tofu with Green Jasmine Rice
The rice:
1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1 3/4 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup jasmine or basmati rice
1 cup (packed) coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 cup unsweetened light coconut milk
1 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 large garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup coconut milk



For the rice--Take the unsweetened coconut (make sure it is UNsweetened!) and brown it in a pan for about a minute or two. Puree the cilantro, coconut milk, ginger, lime and garlic together. Heat up the water and salt until boiling and then add in the rice. Once the rice is cooked, mix the coconut and the cilantro mixture into it.




Tofu and veggies:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
16 ounces extra-firm tofu, drained, patted dry, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
1 cup tomatoes
1/2 cup red peppers
1/2 zucchini-thinly sliced for quicker cooking





The veggies for this recipe are really flexible. We added red peppers and zucchini but you can probably do a mix of whatever you have around the house. Heat up oil and fry the tofu into cubes. This was tricky for us because the tofu stuck to the bottom of the pan...so use a non-stick pan. Add the zucchini, onions, peppers. curry powder, cumin, garlic, crushed red pepper and fry for a minute or two. Add tomatoes and 1/4 coconut milk. Season with salt and pepper!

Add yummy rice mix into a bowl and top with yummy tofu and veggie mix! ITS AWESOME!

Oops!

SO! I realized that I forgot to post about what I REALLY meant to post about in the last post!
I read about Honey and Cinnamon and all their MAGIC HEALING POWERS on Aapplemint.com -an adorable food blog all should check out.

Anways, did you know that cinnamon and honey can help cure bladder infections!? This is wonderful news because I don't have insurance and I am terrified about getting another one! TERRIFIED.



Click on the LINK HERE to read more!!

More Food Blogs

Okay okay. So I haven't cooked pretty much AT ALL for the past two weeks. It's tragic I know!

Here are some photos of some Mango Lassi's that Evan and I cooked! I'll try to remember the recipe!
Pretty sure it goes something like this....

Mango Lassi

1 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup milk
1/2 chopped fresh mango (check out the farmers market for some for cheap!)
4 teaspoons sugar, or too taste. We had ours a little sweet, a little savory
1 teaspoon ground cardamon (thats the savory right there!)

In a blender, blend.
Pour.
Enjoy.
Actually, I thought we had ice in ours? I can't remember. Here are some photos!



YUM! I totally recommend this drink during the summer! It is SO good and SO refreshing!
Ok, it ends up I have a lot to say so more posts soon!

How about OTHER food blogs?

OK! Summer! No more school! No work!

Yet still no Edible Sensations blog posts!?!

BUT ITS NOT DEAD.
I SWEAR.

In the mean time, check out these other food blogs!


Smitten Kitchen

This food blog has wonderful recipes and the most FANTASTIC photos ever!



Cake Wrecks

Cause sometimes, cakes turn out ugly!




Cook To Bang

Because cooking ALWAYS leads to sex. And sometimes, sex leads to cooking. (click that link. I dare you.)


OK! Now look at this awesome cake Evan made me for my birthday. It was amazing!!

UPDATED!

I WISH I MADE THIS. heck! I wish i was eating this! Evan made this on the ONE NIGHT we're not hanging out and I'm totally jealsies!
BAH!
Anyways, here is an unrelated recipe.

FETTUCCINE WITH CAYENNE-PEPPER SAUCE!




Fettuccine (12 oz)
2 red peppers
3 garlic cloves
3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup sour cream
3/4 cup chicken broth
salt and pepper
parmesan cheese

Cook pasta. Saute peppers, garlic, and cayenne pepper for about five minutes. Stir in sour cream and broth and let it simmer for another five minutes or so, depends on how thick you want the sauce. Toss sauce in with pasta and add salt and pepper to taste and sprinkle with fresh grated parmesan. I think tofu or chicken would be a nice addition but I havent tried it yet!


FOOD BLOG IS NOT DEAD!!

Not Your Mama's Macaroni

Now I have a thing for comfort foods-I could eat them everyday. Just thinking about casseroles, mashed potatoes, and homemade soups make me warm n' fuzzy. Now this recipe, alas, is not my mothers recipe, but it was darn good regardless. It combines pepperjack and sharp cheddar into spicy-cheese goodness.

Baked Macaroni

2 1/2 cups dry macaroni
1 small onion
3 cups milk
4 tablespoons buttah
1/4 c flour
salt
nutmeg
pepper
a couple drops tabasco sauce
2 cups sharp cheddar
2 cups pepperjack cheese (or a combination of whatever cheese you have lying around. I added a little bit of parmesan for flavor).

Topping:
3/4 c bread crumbs-Italian style!
1 tablespoon butter

OK! Cut up the onion and cook it till soft. Cook and drain macaroni and set aside. In a pan melt the 4 tablespoons of butter over medium-low and add flour. Whisk this till the taste of flour is gone, about two minutes. This looks kinda weird but just deal. Slowly add the 3 cups of milk, stirring till the mix thickens and begins to simmer. Add the tabasco, pepper, nutmeg, salt, and any other spices you want to play around with. Add the cheese, a little at a time to make sure it melts and gets stirred in with the mix. Add this sauce mix to the macaroni in a casserole dish. I recommend using one that was made in the 1970s. THATS QUALITY!

For the topping melt the butter and add it to the bread crumbs to make it crumbly and layer on top.

Cook for 25-35 minutes at 350, till you can see the cheese start to boil. Then put the oven on broil and make the top brown n crispy.

THEN EAT IT.

AND ENJOY IT.

Also, what's everyone else favorite comfort food? Mine is definitely pastaaaaaa.
I also drink a lot of tea when I need to be comforted.

My favorite tea is this Russian black tea a friend bought me while traveling.

Stina's Fried Rice!

Here's my recipe for fried rice, it's easy to make, delicious and filling:

YOU WILL NEED:
1 cup uncooked rice
1 egg
2 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon canola oil
frozen vegetables (preferrably peas, corn, carrts and green beans)

Step 1: cook that rice!

Step 2: find a suitable frying pan that will fit your cooked glob of rice. Put about a tablespoon of oil in the pan and about two tablespoons or soysauce. set the pan on about medium low.

Step 3: put rice into your span and with a wooden spoon or spatula start to mixed the rice with the canola oil and the soy sauce until thoroughly coated.

Step 4: add the frozen vegetables and continue to constantly mix and coat the ingredients, you don't want to burn your rice. If it starts to get dry, mix in more soysauce or oil.

Step 5: crack and drop your egg into the mix and immediately mix it into the pile, sit and wait, mixing until it looks to be cooked thoroughly!

Step 6: serve and be merry!

Make something with all that....

So you ever open the fridge and wonder what to do with all that shit in your fridge?
Well our good friend Google has come through for us again. And let me just say, when they go to the dark side I'm totally running for the hills because Darth Vader doesn't hold a candle to 'em.

http://www.researchbuzz.org/wp/tools/cookin-with-google/

Enjoy.