Easiest Broccoli Cheddar Quiche!

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While we’ve enjoyed the broccoli and cheddar quiche from Whole Foods, the list of ingredients was very long and unappealing. This recipe came together very quickly and was ready in time for lunch today. We always have leftover broccoli, as we have it at dinner every night, so that made it even easier. My 2 year-old was happy to help mix all of the ingredients together 🙂

Ingredients:

5 large eggs

3/4 cup of whole milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 cup chopped steamed tiny broccoli florets (no stems)

1 9-inch pie crust

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F

2. In a large bowl, whisk eggs, milk, salt and pepper. Stir in the cheese and broccoli.

3. Pour into prepared pie crust.

4. Bake for 35 minutes, or until filling is set (check after 25 minutes to make sure crust isn’t browning too quickly. If it is, tent with foil for remainder of baking time).

5. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving.

* For a crustless quiche, just butter/ grease baking pan and bake for 30 minutes.

Dutch Baby Pancake!

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I can remember the first time I ever had a Dutch baby pancake filled with apples at Tartine in the West Village. It was beautiful and so delicious! Of course it took me so many years to actually try making it in my own kitchen. For something so gorgeous out of the oven, you would think it’s difficult, but it’s not. The ingredients are simple and what you likely have on hand. Top it with berries in summer or apples in the fall.

Ingredients:

2 to 3 tablespoons unsalted butter

4 large eggs

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup whole milk

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon sugar

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F with one 12-inch round ovenproof skillet or two 9-inch round ovenproof skillets.

2. In a large bowl, beat eggs thoroughly with a whisk. Add salt and flour and whisk until there are no lumps. Add milk and whisk until smooth. Add sugar and whisk again.

3. When oven is heated, carefully remove skillet(s) and add butter into each. If using a 12-inch skillet, use 2 tablespoons of butter. If using 9-inch skillets, use about 1.5 tablespoons of butter in each. Be sure to roll the butter around to cover the bottom and sides.

4. Pour batter into skillet(s) and bake for about 12 minutes, until edges are deeply golden brown and centers are just beginning to color. Have your toppings ready to go. Eat immediately, as they are best hot from the oven

*recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Pear Clafoutis!

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pear clafoutis 3-30-19

This week, I had too many ripe pears and decided to make a clafoutis, which I don’t think I have made in over ten years. Clafoutis are flan-like cakes, originating from France, and traditionally made with cherries. You can substitute the pears for pitted cherries (2 cups) and use almond extract, instead of vanilla extract. The result will be delicious and you’ll have trouble resisting seconds. It’s a nice, light dessert or snack 🙂

Ingredients:

3 large eggs
½ cup sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus more for baking dish
1 cup all-purpose flour
pinch of salt
1 cup whole milk
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
4 ripe pears, diced
powdered sugar (optional)

Procedure:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Butter glass pie dish or 9” cake pan.
2. Beat sugar and eggs until light in color
3. Gradually add butter and mix until well-incorporated.
4. Add flour and salt; whisk until combined.
5. Slowly add milk, while mixing.
6. Add vanilla extract and mix well. Batter should appear smooth and shiny
7. Add pears to prepared baking dish and pour batter over the fruit.
8. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, until slightly browned and set.
9. Allow to cool for at least 15 minutes before slicing. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired.

 

Banana Bread Mini-Muffins!

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banana bread mini muffins 2-10-19

There was a lot of baking done this weekend and these mini muffins were a hit with baby and hubby. That’s a win in my book, especially because they are only sweetened with bananas 🙂 I also love that these are naturally gluten-free and require ingredients that we always have on hand. So simple and so good! Perfect for breakfast or a snack on the go.

Yield: about 24 mini-muffins

Ingredients:

1 egg
2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
2 medium size bananas, mashed
½ teaspoon vanilla
1 cup rolled oats
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease or line muffin tin pan.
2. In electric mixer, beat together egg and butter until smooth.
3. Add bananas and vanilla. Mix thoroughly.
4. In a separate bowl, combine oats, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
5. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until combined.
6. Spoon into prepared mini muffin tin pan, about ¾ of the way up.
7. Bake about 15-20 minutes

InstantPot Andouille Sausage and White Bean Soup

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sausage and white bean soup 2-1-19

I loved using andouille sausage for this recipe, as it gives such great flavor from the spices. Any other sausage with a strong flavor profile could be substituted. Although I really like to use cannellini beans, any white bean would work well for this soup. For a thicker soup, you could mash some beans against the side of the pot after cooking or ladle out some beans into the blender and mix back into the soup.

Ingredients:
1-2 tablespoons avocado or olive oil
8 ounces andouille sausage, sliced into medallions
1 onion, small dice
3 medium carrots, small dice
3 stalks of celery, small dice
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 pound white beans, rinsed
7 cups chicken broth
salt
pepper

Procedure:
1. Set InstantPot to Saute, add oil and cook sausage until browned.
2. Add onion, carrots, and celery and saute until onion is translucent.
3. Add garlic and saute for one minute. Turn off Saute setting.
4. Add beans and chicken broth. Set InstantPot to Manual for 25 minutes.
5. After the cooking time is complete, allow for Natural Release, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Instant Pot Lentil Soup!

Jennifer 2 Comments

instantpot lentil soup 1-21-19

Happy New Year! The Instant Pot has honestly been such a lifesaver, after having a baby. This is a recipe that my husband and I have been making for years, but now I can make it in the Instant Pot. Not only is it easier to prepare in the Instant Pot but the pressure cooker deepens the flavor and the soup has a better consistency.

Ingredients:
4 slices uncured thick-cut bacon, diced
1 medium onion, diced
2-3 carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
8 cups water
1 pound lentils
1 bunch parsley, de-stemmed and chopped
1 bay leaf
2 ½ teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon oregano
1 14.5 ounce can of diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
Grated pecorino cheese (optional)

Procedure:
1. Set Instant Pot to Saute. Once hot, add bacon and brown.
2. Add onion, carrots, and celery. Saute until veggies are softened and add garlic.
3. Add water, lentils, parsley, bay leaf, salt, pepper, and oregano.
4. Cover and seal the Instant Pot, and set to cook on Manual for 15 minutes. Afterwards, allow the cooker to release pressure naturally, which takes about 15 minutes.
5. Open lid and stir the soup. Remove the bay leaf. Add diced tomatoes and red wine vinegar.
6. Set Instant Pot to Saute and let simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
7. Serve hot with a sprinkle of pecorino, if using.

Peanut Butter Banana Oat Bars!

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peanut butter banana oat bars

Another mom shared this yummy recipe with me and my one year old cannot get enough of these oat bars. I do not add honey, so they are purely sweetened with banana for her. They are great to take on the go and also freeze well. Since there are no preservatives, I recommend storing them in the refrigerator.

Ingredients:

2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt
½ cup creamy peanut butter
¼ cup honey (optional)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 large egg
1 cup mashed banana (2-3 bananas)

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line an 8-inch baking dish with parchment paper and grease with oil or butter.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the oats, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
3. In a large bowl, beat together the peanut butter, honey (if using), vanilla, and egg until well combined. Add dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Stir in the bananas.
4. Spread mixture evenly into prepared baking dish. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Cool completely before removing from pan to cut into squares. Store in refrigerator or freeze for later.

Aji Verde (Peruvian Green Chili Sauce)

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aji verde

Recently, I went to Sophie’s Cuban Cuisine near me and had completely forgotten how much I love their green sauce. The first time I made it, I used the food processor and didn’t really like the consistency of the sauce even though it tasted great. The Vitamix worked out better and was less cleaning, so win-win. You can use this sauce on just about anything, including meat, seafood, veggies, etc. It’s actually a nice salad dressing too!

Ingredients:

1 bunch cilantro, including stems
4 jalapenos, most seeds removed and roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled
¼ cup avocado or olive oil
1-2 tablespoons mayonnaise (optional)
Squeeze of lemon juice
½ teaspoon sea salt

1. Puree all ingredients in blender. Mayonnaise adds creaminess. If the sauce appears too thick, add water to thin it out. Refrigerate to allow flavors to meld together. It keeps fresh for about a week. Enjoy!

InstantPot Pork Butt and Mashed Cauliflower!

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instantpot pork butt

Last weekend, my husband suggested making a pork butt since it’s something that would likely last us for a few days. He tries to save me time from having to cook too often which is very thoughtful. This was my first time cooking a pork butt in the pressure cooker and I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was! It goes really well with mashed potatoes, but since he’s not eating carbs, I decided to pair it with pureed cauliflower, which is delicious. I think I actually enjoy it more than mashed potatoes because it’s not so heavy but still rich and creamy. My baby enjoyed the puree too which was a bonus 🙂 This meal required very little time to prep and was absolutely perfect. I will definitely be making it again!

InstantPot Pork Butt

Ingredients:
1 4-4 ½ pound pork butt
2 teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 ½ cups water
1 onion, quartered
3 cloves garlic, peeled

Procedure:
1. Cut pork butt into 3 large pieces and season all over with spices.
2. Add water to pot, then pork butt, onion and garlic.
3. Cover and set to Manual cook for 90 minutes.
4. Allow to naturally release pressure. Enjoy!

Mashed Cauliflower

Ingredients:
1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
3-4 cloves garlic, peeled
1/4- ½ cup whole milk
3 tablespoons butter, room temperature
salt
pepper

Procedure:
1. Blanch cauliflower and garlic until soft, about 8-10 minutes.
2. Drain well.
3. Transfer to food processor or Vitamix with other ingredients and puree until smooth.

 

InstantPot Chili!

Jennifer 3 Comments

Hello friends! Sorry, it has been quite a long time since my last post and to be honest, I’m not sure when my next post might be. After giving birth to my baby girl, who is almost 11 months now, life has been crazy and hasn’t left me much time to blog, let alone cook. My husband is a big fan of this chili recipe so it’s one of our go-to meals. The pressure cooker has been a lifesaver in making meals come together much quicker. Hope you’ll enjoy this one! If you don’t have a pressure cooker, you can do this on the stove, but it will need to simmer for at least 2 hours.

Ingredients:

olive oil
2 pounds ground beef
1 onion, diced
2 jalapeños, small dice
3 stalks celery, diced

2 teaspoons cumin
2 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
pinch black pepper
½ teaspoon salt
1 – 15 ounce can kidney beans, with liquid
1 – 15 ounce can pinto beans, with liquid
1 – 15 ounce can black beans, with liquid

1 – 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
1 – 15 ounce can tomato sauce

Procedure:

1. Set your InstantPot to Saute and add oil to pot.
2. Once pot is hot, add ground beef and cook until browned.
3. Add vegetables and cook until onion is translucent.
4. Add spices and beans. Add 1/2 cup water. Mix well.
5. Add diced tomatoes and tomato sauce. Do not mix.
6. Then place lid on and set to 10 minutes on manual.
7. When done, allow the pressure to release naturally. Enjoy!

Wild Rice Salad!

Jennifer 3 Comments

wild rice salad

Wild rice isn’t actually rice, but the seed of a type of marsh grass. Similar to brown rice, it has a nutty flavor, but has more protein, fiber, iron and copper than brown rice. The addition of cucumber, radishes, and parsley to the wild rice lighten it up and make it a refreshing side dish. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Salad:
1 cup wild rice
1 persian cucumber, chopped small
6 small radishes, julienned
½ cup currants
½ cup walnuts, chopped
½ bunch parsley, chopped
sea salt to taste

Dressing:
2 tablespoons brown rice vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon dijon vinegar
3 tablespoons olive oil
sea salt to taste

Procedure:

1. Cook wild rice according to directions and allow to cool.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together dressing ingredients.
3. Add salad ingredients to dressing and mix until evenly distributed.

Strawberry-Rhubarb Crisp!

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strawberry-rhubarb crisp

Rhubarb is now in season and I picked up a few stalks at the coop the other day. It kind of looks like celery but the stalks tend to be thicker and bright pink in color. Since it’s pretty tart, it’s usually baked as a sweet and most popularly paired with strawberries. This crisp is really the perfect balance of sweet and tart, with a 1:1 ratio of filling to topping. It makes for a quick and easy dessert! No need to mess with pie dough here. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Fruit filling:
8 ounces strawberries, hulled and halved (quartered if large)
8 ounces rhubarb, trimmed, roughly cut into ½ inch dice
½ cup raw (turbinado) sugar
1 tablespoon arrowroot powder or cornstarch
¼ teaspoon sea salt

Topping:
1 cup rolled oats
¼ cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup unsalted butter (½ stick), melted
1/8 teaspoon sea salt

Procedure:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, combine strawberries, rhubarb, raw sugar, arrowroot powder or cornstarch, and sea salt. Transfer to an 8-inch square baking dish.
3. In a medium bowl, combine oats, flour, butter, brown sugar, and salt. Stir until combined and slightly clumpy. Spread evenly over fruit.
4. Bake until juices are bubbling in the center and topping is golden brown, about 45 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.

Adapted from Martha Stewart’s Strawberry-Rhubarb Crisp recipe

Lemon-Ricotta Muffins!

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lemon-ricotta muffins

With leftover fresh ricotta from my pasta recipe earlier this week, I decided to try baking these lemon-ricotta muffins. The turbinado sugar on top forms a nice crunch for contrast. The lemon zest and lemon juice make them perfectly lemony, while the ricotta keeps these muffins nice and moist. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup sugar
2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon sea salt
¾ cup whole milk ricotta cheese
½ cup water
¼ cup olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon zest
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons turbinado/raw sugar

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place 12 muffin-cup liners in muffin cups.
2. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and sea salt in a medium bowl.
3. In another medium bowl, combine the ricotta, water, olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, and egg.
4. Make a well in the flour mixture and add ricotta mixture, stirring just until moist.
5. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups and sprinkle each with turbinado sugar.
6. Bake for 16 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes in pan on a wire rack.

Adapted from Cooking Light‘s Tuscan Lemon Muffins recipe

Spring Pesto Pasta!

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pesto pasta

Happy first week of Spring! After a chilly day yesterday, it seems that warmer weather is really on its way and here to stay, as March wraps up. This pesto incorporates some spring peas and lots of fresh basil, which is so refreshing. I also added some blanched spiralized zucchini on top. If you’re looking to cut back on carbs, you could sub in more spiralized zucchini in place of the pasta for a lighter dish. My husband, who said he normally isn’t a fan of pesto, really loved this and couldn’t stop eating it. Radiatore and fusilli are ideal pasta shapes for the pesto, with so many nooks for the pesto to cling to. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
¼ cup fresh or frozen and thawed peas
2 cups packed basil
1/3 cup pine nuts
1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon sea salt
¼ cup olive oil
1 cup fresh ricotta
½ lemon, zested and juiced
1 pound radiatore or fusilli pasta

Procedure:

1. Add peas, basil, pine nuts, Parmigiano-Reggiano, garlic, and sea salt to a food processor and pulse to combine. While processing, stream in the olive oil until smooth.
2. In a small bowl, stir together the ricotta, lemon juice, and half of the lemon zest.
3. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add a tablespoon of salt. Cook pasta until al dente and drain, reserving a cup of the cooking water.
4. Add pesto to the large pot and if it’s too thick, add some pasta water to loosen it. Then add pasta and mix thoroughly until coated.
5. Serve warm with a dollop of the lemon ricotta on top and a sprinkle of the remaining lemon zest.

Savory Blue Corn Muffins!

Jennifer 1 Comment

blue corn muffins

One of the major benefits of living in New York City is the food and a restaurant I sorely miss is Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill, which closed years ago due to a ridiculous rent hike. Somehow it came up in conversation with my parents not too long ago that we used to love going to Mesa Grill for brunch. Upon ordering, they would bring out the best bread basket, filled with a variety of delicious baked goods. There would always be a cinnamon sugar coffee cake, tiny chive biscuits, and blue corn muffins, served with a pepper jam. The blue corn muffins always stood out because of their unique appearance and taste; they were half yellow corn and half blue corn. This recipe is completely blue corn**, but in order to get that striking effect, you could simply do ¾ cup yellow corn and ¾ cup blue corn and halve the other ingredients to mix in two separate bowls. Then when baking, you simply fill the muffin cups with half of each. Either way, they’re delicious and perfect for your next brunch gathering. Enjoy!

Yield: 12 regular muffins

Ingredients:
4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/3 cup finely diced onion
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 cup milk
4 large eggs
1/2 cup finely diced red bell pepper
2 jalapeno peppers, finely diced
1/2 cup fresh or frozen corn, thawed
2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro leaves (optional)
1 1/2 cups blue cornmeal (can substitute yellow)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar

Procedure:

1. Set a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F. Grease or line muffin pan.

2. In a small saucepan, melt the butter. Add the onions and garlic and cook until soft. Allow to cool.

3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, bell pepper, jalapeno, corn and cilantro (if using). Whisk in the cooled butter mixture.

4. In a separate bowl, stir together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar. Mix into the liquid mixture.

5. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin slots and bake for 20 minutes or until set, turning the pan once for even baking. If making mini muffins, bake for 10 minutes or until set.

**Bob’s Red Mill has blue corn meal. This can usually be found at Whole Foods; otherwise a reasonable place to order online from is iHerb.com, which is where I bought mine.

Adapted from Bobby Flay’s Blue Corn Muffins recipe

 

Lemony Chickpea Salad!

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chickpea-salad

We’ve been experiencing spring-like weather in NYC these days which puts me in a salad mood. This is a refreshing chickpea salad, using minimal ingredients and is great over crunchy chopped romaine or as a side dish or even as a topping on your avocado toast. To bulk it up for a more filling meal, you can add quinoa to the mix. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1- 29 ounce can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed OR about 3 cups cooked chickpeas
10-12 black sicilian oil-cured olives, pitted and thinly sliced
1 lemon, zested and juiced
1 shallot, finely chopped
2 tablespoons of freshly chopped parsley
salt
pepper
olive oil

Procedure:

1. Mix the first 5 ingredients in a large bowl.
2. Lightly mash chickpeas with a fork, leaving most of the chickpeas whole.
3. Add salt, pepper, and olive oil to taste

Double Chocolate Banana Bread!

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double-chocolate-banana-bread

My husband really enjoys banana bread and since tomorrow is Valentine’s Day, I decided to bake a double chocolate banana bread for him to bring to the office. This banana bread is basically a luscious chocolate cake that I would easily choose over a brownie and healthier! I’m not sure I can go back to regular banana bread now. This is really a treat!
Ingredients:

3 medium-to-large very ripe bananas (about 1 cup mashed banana)
1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder + more for dusting pan
1 cup semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chunks or chips
Procedure:

1. Heat your oven to 350°F. Butter and dust a 9×5-inch loaf pan with cocoa powder.

2. Mash bananas in the bottom of a large bowl. Whisk in melted butter, then brown sugar, egg, and vanilla. Sift baking soda, salt, cinnamon, flour and cocoa powder in a sifter or fine-mesh strainer and add to wet ingredients. Stir dry and wet ingredients with a spoon until just combined. Stir in chocolate chunks or chips.

3. Pour into prepared pan and bake 55 to 65 minutes, until a tester or toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out batter-free. Cool in pan for 15 minutes, then run a knife around the edge and invert it out onto a cooling rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Note: The banana bread will keep for up to 4 days at room temperature. Keep it wrapped in foil for freshness.

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen‘s recipe

Chili!

Jennifer 2 Comments

fancy-chili

After having a spring-like 60 degree day yesterday, winter reminded us that she’s still here with a blizzard that has dropped about a foot of snow so far in New York City. Seems like a perfect day to enjoy a big bowl of chili 🙂 I’ve begun to incorporate more meat into my diet these days, as I’m expecting and need more protein than before. However, this recipe can easily be made vegetarian just by eliminating the ground beef and possibly replacing with crumbled tofu or TVP. The recipe comes together very quickly and is delicious!

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup chopped scallion
1 pound ground beef
3 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
One 28-ounce can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
One 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
3 cups cooked red kidney beans
2 medium red bell peppers, cored, seeded and diced
6 medium carrots, peeled and grated
1 cup frozen sweet corn
Pinch of salt

Optional topppings:

shredded cheddar cheese
chopped scallion
sour cream
Procedure:

1. In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and green onions and cook for about 1 minute.
2. Add the ground beef and cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chili powder and ground cumin until fully combined.
3. Add the tomatoes, beans, bell pepper, carrots, corn and salt. Bring the mixture to a boil, and then reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer the chili for 15 minutes.

Adapted from Trisha Yearwood’s Fancy Chili recipe

Chinese Almond Cookies!

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almond-cookies

Happy Chinese New Year! I wanted to make something special to share for the New Year and these are one of the traditional desserts. One of my friends in high school used to bake almond cookies for all different occasions. My Mom used to make a similar cookie during Christmas but she would top it with half a maraschino cherry. Brushing egg whites on the top before baking gives them a nice golden finish. Enjoy!

Yield: about 42 cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon almond extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup raw almonds
1 egg white
1/2 teaspoon water

Procedure:

1. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in egg and extract. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture.
2. Roll into 1-in. balls. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Flatten with a fork. Place almond in center of cookie.
3. In a small bowl, beat egg white and water. Brush over cookies.
4. Bake at 325° for 14-16 minutes or until edges and bottoms are lightly browned. Cool for 2 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.
Recipe adapted from Taste of Home

Almond Gelatin!

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almond-jello

In honor of Chinese New Year (year of the Rooster) this weekend, I wanted to post one of my favorite desserts that can often be found at Dim Sum restaurants. It’s something that my Mom and I used to make when I was little, so it’s sentimental, although not the most healthy. The gelatin and fruit are really refreshing after a heavy meal, which is bound to happen during the holidays! Gong Xi Fa Cai!

Almond Gelatin

Ingredients:

8 – 1 ounce envelopes of Knox unflavored gelatin

3 cups hot water

2 – 12 ounce cans of condensed milk

3 teaspoons almond extract

2 – 30 ounce cans of fruit cocktail
Procedure:

1. Dissolve gelatin completely in hot water.
2. Add condensed milk; mix thoroughly
3. Add almond extract; stir. Cover and refrigerate until gelatin is set, at least a few hours.
4. Dice up gelatin and mix with fruit cocktail.
5. Enjoy!