Grub Post

Pico de Gallo

2012-01-24T11:00:00.000-05:00

Here's a fancy yet simple recipe for pico de gallo that will have everyone chowing down. Cilantro is key to a great pico de gallo. Oh, and everything else. Ole!

Ingredients

1 medium tomato, diced
1 onion, finely chopped
1/2 fresh jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
2 sprigs fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1 green onion, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper

Directions

In a medium bowl, combine tomato, onion, jalapeno pepper (to taste,) cilantro and green onion. Season with garlic powder, salt and pepper. Stir until evenly distributed. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Smoky Refried Beans

2012-01-17T12:05:00.000-05:00

I don't know if any refried beans could be simpler. The addition of smoked paprika really adds another element of flavor that you won't likely find anywhere else. Enjoy!

Ingredients

2 cups cooked into beans
1/4 cup water
salt, pepper, smoked paprika, to taste

Directions

1. In a medium pot on medium heat, mash beans and water together until they are the desired consistency.
2. Add seasonings to taste, and cook until desired consistency. Beans will become more firm and dry as they sit, so use immediately.

Tomatillo Salsa

2012-01-06T12:05:00.000-05:00

When you have fresh tomatillos, do not do anything other than making this salsa verde. Just the right amount of flavor and kick. Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 pound tomatillos, husked
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 chile peppers, minced
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
2 cups water

Directions

Place tomatillos, onion, garlic, and chile pepper into a saucepan. Season with cilantro, oregano, cumin, and salt; pour in water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until the tomatillos are soft, 10 to 15 minutes.

Using a blender, carefully puree the tomatillos and water in batches until smooth.

Basic Fudge - no chocolate

2011-12-23T12:13:00.000-05:00

A basic fudge. I wanted fudge without chocolate, so I used my Mom's World Famous Fudge and just took out the chocolate. I love to experiment in the kitchen, and we had a little leftover evaporated milk, so I proportioned everything down. It came out like an English-style fudge, complete with a crumblier texture and slight vanilla taste.

It looks beautiful and sets super quickly. I think the best thing about this though is that it can be used as a base for any fudge flavoring you wish. Enjoy!

Ingredients

4½ cups sugar
1 12 oz. can evaporated milk
¼ lb. ( 1 stick ) butter or margarine
1 7 oz. ( 1 pint ) marshmallow cream whip
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup nuts ( optional )

Directions

Pour canned milk and all of sugar into a large pot.
Heat on high, stirring constantly until you come to a rolling boil.
Lower heat to medium and continue to stir constantly for 8 minutes.
Turn off the fire, add the rest of ingredients but the nuts. Stir the mixture quickly, till creamy. Then add the nuts, if desired.
Turn out into a buttered rectangle cake pan. Let cool overnight, then cut.

Strawberry Fudge

2011-12-21T22:42:00.000-05:00

First off, Merry Christmas, all.

I searched high and low for a Strawberry Fudge recipe yesterday. I asked on Twitter and Facebook and got only a few responses which wouldn't work. Finally, I found a pineapple fudge recipe which seemed to work for some people. So I substituted one cup of crushed strawberries for one cup of crushed pineapple. Yeah, I know - maybe it wouldn't set properly (the hardest part of experimenting with fudge), but I had to try because darn it, I wanted some strawberry fudge! Anyway, I put it in a pan to set, let it rest overnight, flipped it out of the pan onto parchment paper in whatever shapes and pieces broke apart, and voila! it's set.

Next time I think I'll toy with the liquid ratio to either make it creamier or set more easily. Anywho.

This is seriously strawberry-y. Delicious like the best strawberry-flavored jelly, jam, preserves, marmalade, etc that you've ever had. Just don't expect it to be as creamy as regular fudge. It's more like an English-style fudge - crumbly, sugary, mmm. Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 cup evaporated milk
3 cups white sugar
2 tbsp. butter
1 cup crushed strawberries, drained
2 tsp. lemon juice

Directions

1. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9 x 13-inch square baking pan. Set aside.
2. In a medium-sized nonstick saucepan, stir together evaporated milk, sugar and butter. Heat slowly to boiling, stirring frequently just to
boiling or until sugar loses crystalline consistency.
3. Reduce heat to medium. Stir in drained crushed pineapple (remember one cup, not one can), and cook over medium heat to soft ball stage of fudge (236 degrees F or 113 degrees C). Stir constantly at this stage to prevent burning on the bottom of the pan, about 25 minutes.
4. Let mixture cool until its almost room temperature (approximately 15 to 20 minutes) and then stir in the lemon juice. Beat until mixture is thick and smooth, and has lost its previous sheen.
5. Spoon mixture into the buttered pan. Let stand at room temperature or refrigerate for approximately 2 hours until fudge is firm and then cut into squares for serving.

Divinity - no chocolate, no dairy, all yum - without Marshmallow

2011-12-19T16:41:00.000-05:00

Divinity, a dairy-free, chocolate-free, white-wonderland of almost-marshmallow creme-like flavor and consistency is here! I wanted something that was sweet and full of holiday cheer like our famous fudge, and divinity is the answer. It comes out addicting yet not over-the-top sweet.

And, I believe, depending on how long you blend the mixture over the egg whites, you can adjust the thickness and consistency of the divinity. So it can either be like marshmallow fluff or firmer like a fudgy block.

Pst, don't tell anybody, but it just might be even better than the fudge. Enjoy!

Ingredients

2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup hot water
a dash of salt
2 egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. In a large glass or stainless steel mixing bowl and using a mixer, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form.
2. In a heavy saucepan, combine the sugar, corn syrup, hot water, and salt. Cook and stir until the sugar dissolves and the mixture comes to a boil. Then cook to hard ball stage without stirring, 250 degrees F (120 degrees C). Frequently wipe crystals forming on the sides of the pan. Remove from heat.
3. Pour hot syrup in a thin stream over beaten egg whites, beating constantly with the electric mixer at medium speed. Increase speed to high, and continue beating for about 3 to 5 minutes. Add vanilla and continue beating until the mixture becomes stiff and begins to lose its gloss. If it is too stiff, add a few drops of hot water.
4. Immediately drop by spoonfuls onto waxed paper or pour into a buttered pan. For a decorative flair, twirl the top with the spoon when dropping. Let stand until set. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

If you're not sure what the "hard ball" stage is, test it like this: use a cup of cold water, and drip a drop or two of the mixture into it, and the candy will either be soft or hard, depending on the stage it's at.

To add a twist to the Divinity, top with pecans or some other nut.
To add a twist to our fudge, use divinity instead of marshmallow cream ;)

Mom's World Famous Fudge

2011-12-16T16:07:00.000-05:00

The Best Fudge - ever! Trust me on this one. My grandma passed this on to my mom, and it has been given out around the holidays for years and years. Now, we're passing the recipe on to you. It's fudge, so forgot about it being light and airy, blah blah blah. This is pure decadence - soft, melts in your mouth, sugar-rushes your heart a second closer to sweet oblivion.

There is a trick to this fudge, so pay attention. Constant, unwavering stirring. Never stop. Pay attention. And you'll give your family and friends another reason to love you (or hate you) this holiday season. Enjoy!

Ingredients

4½ cups sugar
1 12 oz. can evaporated milk
¼ lb. ( 1 stick ) butter or margarine
1 24 oz. packages semi sweet chocolate chips (or 2 12 oz. packages)
1 7 oz. ( 1 pint ) marshmallow cream whip
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup nuts ( optional )

Directions

Pour canned milk and all of sugar into a large pot.
Heat on high, stirring constantly until you come to a rolling boil.
Lower heat to medium and continue to stir constantly for 8 minutes.
Turn off the fire, add the rest of ingredients but the nuts. Stir the mixture quickly, till creamy. Then add the nuts, if desired.
Turn out into a buttered rectangle cake pan. Let cool overnight, then cut.
Makes 5 lbs.

Tofu Pumpkin Pie

2011-12-12T09:17:00.000-05:00

This is by far the second best pumpkin pie I've ever had, ever. Only my mom's pumpkin pie beats it, and though she says it's not that difficult to make, she always spices it just right. This one, however, comes pretty darn close.

I love these kinds of pies. Pies that are full of healthy goodness that won't make you feel like you've committed some kind of sin.

This one is even better because it uses tofu instead of any kind of dairy to perk it up. And you can't taste the tofu whatsoever. No one will ever know. Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 (16 ounce) can pumpkin
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 (8 ounces) package silken tofu
1/8 cup corn starch
pie crust (or not)

Directions

1. Blend or food process the tofu until smooth.

2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Mix together the pumpkin, salt, sugar, and spices. Blend or food process the tofu until smooth.

3. Stir tofu into the pumpkin mixture, and pour into the pie shells.

4. Bake for 15 minutes. Turn down the temperature to 375 and continue to bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Spanish Rice

2011-12-09T12:03:00.000-05:00

Simple. Delicious. Awesome. Real Spanish rice is so much better than out of a box. Enjoy!

Ingredients

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup uncooked white rice
1 onion, chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
2 cups water
1 (10 ounce) can diced tomatoes and green chiles
2 teaspoons chili powder, or to taste
1 teaspoon salt

Directions

Heat oil in a deep skillet over medium heat. Saute rice, onion, and bell pepper until rice is browned and onions are tender.

Stir in water and tomatoes. Season with chili powder and salt. Cover, and simmer for 30 minutes, or until rice is cooked and liquid is absorbed.

Ebook! Realistic Recipes

2011-12-05T12:31:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone, I've got some exciting news. Grub Post has published more ebooks!

Realistic Recipes Volume 1, 2, and 3 are now available on Amazon for Kindle downloads.

There are also other ebook versions available through Smashwords.

Be sure to check it out. It takes a lot more work to put together a functioning ebook than you'd think. Grubby hopes you like it. Enjoy!

Thanksgiving Recipes

2011-11-28T11:35:00.000-05:00

We made 3 dishes to take over to a friend's place for Thanksgiving - Garlicky Baked Butternut Squash, Green Bean Casserole, and Smashed Potatoes with Garlic. It took a couple hours to prepare everything, but we had a wonderful time doing it and everything turned out great. And isn't that all that really matters?

Garlicky Baked Butternut Squash

This is sooo simple. And seriously delicious. The hardest part is cutting through the dang butternut squash! It's always my favorite. I got this over at allrecipes.com and tweaked it to perfection. Enjoy.

Ingredients

* 1 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
* 1 tablespoons olive oil
* 2 garlic cloves, minced
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon pepper
* 1 butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine the parsley, oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Add squash and toss to coat.
2. Transfer to an ungreased shallow 2-qt. baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for 30-35 minutes or until squash is just tender.

Green Bean Casserole

This is extremely simple too. See a pattern emerging? This was inspired by a recent trip to Trader Joe's. Ah, Trader Joe's. Is there anything you can't do? You can adjust it to how thick you'd like the base. After a couple days as Thanksgiving leftovers, this tends to thicken up a little bit. So you might want to keep that in mind. You have to love the onion crunch though. Enjoy!

Ingredients

about 1 lb. of green beans
1 can (~10 ounces) Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup (Regular or 98% Fat Free)
½ cup milk or milk-alternative
some fried onion pieces (we used Trader Joe's)

Directions

Cook green beans using preferred method. We boiled.
Put green beans into bowl and mix in can of cream of mushroom and milk. Add just a few onion pieces.
Mix well.
Bake in a casserole or baking dish at 350 for 20 – 30 minutes or until bubbly.
Sprinkle a few more onion pieces on top and serve.

Smashed Potatoes with Garlic

This one might take the longest but is well worth it. Be sure to cut the potatoes up small enough so they steam quickly and you're set. We found this at a wonderful site called World's Healthiest Foods. You may need to add a bit more salt and pepper than you'd think to make them extra yummy. This recipe originally serves two, so adjust ingredients to serve your needs. Enjoy.

Ingredients

2 potatoes
3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 medium cloves garlic, pressed
3 Tablespoons low-fat milk or dairy-free milk beverage (such as rice milk)
Sea salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Fill the bottom of a steamer with 2 inches of water.
While steam is building up in steamer, press garlic and let sit for at least 5 minutes.
Cut potatoes into 1/2-inch cubes, leaving skin on.
Steam potatoes for 10 minutes.
Mash potatoes with olive oil, garlic, and milk. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Black Turkey (Sort of)

2011-11-24T10:34:00.000-05:00

So it's not exactly black, and I'm not entirely sure why, but it worked just the same. This is basically a Thompson Turkey (link at the bottom) minus the complicated meat stuffing extravaganza.

The gist is this: this is fun. The whole family can get involved with this turkey. Every person can baste the paste on the bird for the gazillion times it needs to be done. Constant vigilance!

Bottom line: if you want something very different, if you want the moistest turkey you've ever made yourself, and if you want everyone to have a bit of fun making the main dish, then give this a shot. Disappointed you will not be. Let me know how yours turns out, and if it actually came out black! Enjoy.

Ingredients
These are the ingredients as listed and the adjustments I made.

For the paste:

12 egg yolks
2 tablespoons of Colman's mustard
6 cloves garlic, minced
6 tablespoons onion juice
1 tablespoon salt
3/4 teaspoon Cayenne, or to taste
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 cup sifted all-purpose flour, or enough to make a paste
3 cups cider
1 cup water

You'll also need:
oil
salt
pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 500 degrees F. or as high as it will go -- for at least 1 hour.

Chop fine the reserved turkey fat. In a small saucepan set over moderate heat combine the reserved fat with 1/2 cup of the water, bring to a boil and simmer until all the water has evaporated and only clear fat and small pieces of solid remain. Reserve fat for stuffing.

Season the inside of the turkey with salt and pepper. Rub the skin all over with the oil and season with salt and pepper.

Make the gravy: In a saucepan set over moderate heat combine ingredients for the gravy, bring to a boil and simmer while preparing the dressing.

Make the dressing: prepare and combine ingredients in bowl no. 1; prepare and combine ingredients from bowl no. 2; and prepare and combine ingredients from bowl no. 3. In a large bowl combine ingredients from all three bowls. Mix it well. "Mix it with your hands. Mix it until your forearms and wrists ache. Then mix it some more. Now toss it enough so that it isn't any longer a doughy mass."

Loosely stuff the turkey. Stuff the neck cavity and sew closed the openings. Tie legs together.

Make the paste: combine all ingredients for paste in a bowl, adding enough flour to form a thick paste.

Arrange turkey breast side down on a rack wrapped in foil sitting in a shallow roasting pan. Brush foil with oil.

Put the turkey in the oven and roast it for 15 minutes, or until browned. Turn it breast side up and roast for 15 minutes more. With a pastry or paint brush coat the turkey completely with the paste -- in every nook and cranny. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F.

To simmering gravy add cider and water. Remove from heat but keep warm on top of stove. (This is your basting liquid.) Roast the bird, basting it frequently, (the original recipe says every 15 minutes) for 4 1/2 to 5 hours, or until an instant meat thermometer reads 180 to 185 in the thigh; 170 in the breast and 160 in the stuffing.

Let rest 15 to 20 minutes, before peeling away crust.

Adapted from this Thompson Turkey recipe.

BBQ Country-Style Pork Spareribs

2011-11-07T11:00:00.000-05:00

This is perhaps about the easiest recipe ever for pork spareribs. Really, I don't think it could get any simpler. In fact, it's so simple I think I'll just cut right to it. Enjoy!

Ingredients

country-style pork spareribs
your favorite BBQ sauce

Directions

Preheat oven to 250. Place spareribs in shallow baking pan and bake for 2 hours. Reduce heat to 200, cover ribs with just BBQ sauce so it coats it, and bake again for another 45 minutes to an hour. Sauce with more BBQ if desired.

Serve with a side of beans and veggies.

Homemade Cannoli

2011-11-02T11:00:00.000-04:00

A chocolate chip cannoli could be one of the easiest Italian desserts you'll ever make. Well, as long as you forget about making the cannoli shells yourself. Those things can be a huge pain, and they are only worth doing at home if you're going to make more than 20. Since most of us aren't, and we only want some of that sweet ricotta filling anyway in a fun, easy-to-hold shell, it's just better to buy a couple cannoli shells from a local bakery or supermarket.

The secret to a great filling is in the simplicity and ratio. All you really need is ricotta and powdered sugar. Powdered sugar is essential. You won't get the right texture without it. There are some other fun additions you can make like amaretto or orange-flavored liqueur, but be sure to adjust for the added 1 tsp - 1 Tbsp of liquid so it's not too runny. Now on to the cannoli!

Ingredients

2 cannoli shells
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/4 cup powdered sugar
handful of chocolate chips

Directions

Mix together ricotta and powdered sugar. Start with the above ratio and adjust to your personal tastes.

Spoon (or pipe) into shells, filling all the way through.

Sprinkle chocolate chips on the outside.

Grab a cappuccino and enjoy!

Guest Post: Easy Dinner Recipes for Two Hungry People

2011-10-28T11:00:00.000-04:00

Today we have a guest post here on Grub Post. Our first ever! It's very exciting, and I hope you enjoy the topic and author: Easy Dinner Recipes for Two Hungry People by Brett H.

Easy Dinner Recipes for Two Hungry People

Sometimes cooking for only two people can be even more challenging than cooking for a large family. Especially if both work or go to school during the day, as time can be tight to make a meal that is nutritious and filling. Well, don’t be discouraged, as there are some easy dinner recipes for two that do not involve a lot of prep time and that are good for you as well. Some of these recipes can even be saved for leftovers. Here they are:

1. Casseroles are one of the easiest and healthiest dishes a person can make. The person on the run can add a cup or two of their favorite cooked meat and some chopped frozen or canned vegetables. They can then mix those ingredients with a small can of cream soup or sour cream and bake at 350 for about 35 minutes. You can also add some quick twists, such as dry ranch dressing, shredded cheese, or canned fried onions as a topping.

2. Don’t wait for the pizza guy to deliver when you can make your own in less time! And if you’re looking to trim down, you can also create your own healthy pizza pie without going out of the way or paying extra for it. Many stores carry pre-made pizza crusts already formed or in a refrigerated can in thick and thin varieties. Instead of buying pizza sauce, try your favorite jar of pasta sauce such as marinara or vodka. You can buy your veggies canned or fresh, pre-cut and if you like, try the turkey versions of pepperoni and Italian sausage. While you’re in the deli section, you can also switch things up by adding shredded cheddar cheese or pepper jack, either alone or combined with skim mozzarella. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees while you assemble the pizza ingredients. Then place your creation directly on oven rack or on large shallow pan, if you do not have a pizza pan. Cook for 15 minutes or until cheese has browned slightly.

3. Frozen meat patties are designed for convenience, as most are packaged individually and can be taken out to thaw at the beginning of the day. Even frozen, these can be cooked to well done in 25 minutes or less. Remember that it is cooked meat, so you are not limited to placing it between two slices of bread. Meat patties can be crumbled and added to canned baked beans, burger meal starters, or even pasta and rice entrees.

Finally, keep in mind that if the special person in your life wants to help out in the kitchen, then give them a chance. If they are handy with a knife, let them chop vegetables. Or they can drain the pasta while you are browning meat or cooking vegetables. It may not be easy to coordinate at first, but try to have a sense of humor about it and give them an “A” for effort. If it works out, you can ask them to alternate cooking duties with you.

Brett H. is a guest writer on healthy living, eating, and lifestyles

Challah Bread: 4 Ways

2011-10-24T11:00:00.000-04:00

Doesn't that just look delicious? 4 ways of doing light, fluffy, eggy challah bread. All of these recipes are from the same basic Challah Bread recipe from a while back.

Above are the two sweet varieties: raisin and chocolate chip. I'll let you guess which is which. Personally, I liked the raisin one more, and a certain someone really liked the chocolate chip challah bread. In either case, I would add more raisins and chips.

The two above are the savory ones. A plain one like we made before and a rosemary and olive oil one with sea salt on top. Out of all four the rosemary one was my favorite. It went with everything at any time of day. It was perfect.

Use the basic recipe below for each loaf and follow the substitutions and extra ingredients for each type.

Raisin:
Add 1/4-1/2 cup soaked raisins when kneading during step 3.

Chocolate Chip:
Add 1/4-1/2 cup chips when kneading during step 3.

Rosemary Olive Oil:
Use olive oil instead of canola oil. Add 1-2 tablespoons dried rosemary when kneading during step 3. Sprinkle extra sea salt or kosher salt on top before baking.

Yields 1 loaf

Ingredients

3/4 tablespoons active dry yeast
1/2 tablespoon plus 1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup canola oil, plus more for greasing the bowl
3 large eggs
1/2 tablespoon salt
4 cups all-purpose flour
7/8 cup water

Directions

1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast and 1/2 tablespoon sugar in the lukewarm water.

2. Whisk oil into yeast, then beat in 2 eggs, one at a time, with remaining sugar and salt. Gradually add flour 1/2 cup at a time. When dough holds together, it is ready for kneading (you may not end up using all the flour).

3. Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead until smooth. Grease the bowl, then return dough. Cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour, until almost doubled in size. Punch down dough, cover and let rise again in a warm place for another 30 minutes.

4. Form the dough into 6 balls. With your hands, roll each ball into a strand about 12 inches long and 1 1/2 inches wide. Place the 6 in a row, parallel to one another. Pinch the tops of all 6 strands together. Then:

Move the outside right strand over 2 strands.
Then take the second strand from the left and move it to the far right.
Take the outside left strand and move it over 2.
Move the second strand from the right over to the far left.
Start over with the outside right strand.

Continue this until all strands are braided, then tuck ends underneath. Place braided loaf on a greased cookie sheet with at least 2 inches in between.

5. Beat remaining egg and brush it on loaf. Let rise another hour.

6. If baking immediately, preheat oven to 375 degrees and brush loaf again.

7. Bake in the middle of oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until golden. Cool loaves on a rack before enjoying.

Yellow Watermelon

2011-10-18T11:30:00.000-04:00

Local food is kind of amazing, isn't it? We took part in a CSA for the first time this year, and the amount and variety of fruits and vegetables have been amazing. I've had some things through this experience that I've never had before. One of them is that beautiful yellow watermelon above. Perhaps the juiciest, most flavorful watermelon I've ever eaten.

Was it because it was local? Fresh? Yellow? I like to think it's a mix of all those things, and perhaps the extra care the farmer put into it. We also had the best cantaloupe because of this CSA. Imagine the greatest cantaloupe you've ever had. Now stop. This cantaloupe was better than that. Guaranteed. It was like eating cantaloupe for the first time, nothing else before or since has seemed to have any flavor.

Give local food and/or CSAs a try. You'll probably love it.

Kitchen Safety Tips

2011-10-11T11:30:00.000-04:00

Source by JES Restaurant Equipment

Homemade Cream Cheese

2011-10-05T08:30:00.000-04:00

If you've made labneh or greek yogurt or yogurt cheese before, then you can most likely make your very own homemade cream cheese.

This homemade cream cheese resulted from the leftover whey after making labneh. The whey was still milky in appearance and not that yellow/green hue we've all come to know and love and feed our pets, plants, smoothies, etc. So I tried to strain the rest of the whey as much as I could, and the result was a cream cheese as tasty as any I've ever had. It doesn't even have that yogurt taste to it. Enjoy!

Ingredients

yogurt from whole milk

Directions

After making yogurt from whole milk, and making labneh or greek yogurt or yogurt cheese or at least straining the yogurt for 6 hours or more, strain the whey for 24 hours through cheese cloth. If it's still not the right consistency, strain some more or add a splash of whey back in. The result will be fantastic!

Labneh

2011-09-25T08:30:00.000-04:00

Never heard of labneh? It's essentially strained yogurt cheese popular in the Middle East. It's one of the simplest and easiest cheeses to make. If you can make yogurt, you can make labneh!

One of the best things about it is that you retain the probiotics of yogurt, and this also helps keep the cheese for much longer than normal cheeses or even regular yogurt. Enjoy by slicing off a piece (will be slightly crumbly perhaps), sprinkle with a hint of salt and a slice of tomato on toast. It can also be used like feta in any recipe. Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 gallon milk, whole (will give a better flavor and consistency than skim)
1/2 to 1 cup yogurt

Directions

1. Heat up the milk in a large pot to boiling, stirring so the milk does not burn on the bottom. Turn off the heat and let cool down to around 100-105 degrees.

2. Mix yogurt and milk in a separate container with a lid. Let sit at room temperature or in the oven for 8-12 hours, until yogurt has been made.

3. Strain yogurt through a cheese cloth for 8-12 hours. Squeeze out extra whey from cheese at the end and place into a container. Alternatively, use cheese cloth and a cheese press to get it like the picture.

Kale Chips

2011-09-20T08:18:00.004-04:00

Kale chips are kind of starting to be a fad right now. At least kale is a huge thing, and I think people are getting bored with it. Plus everyone likes chips, right? Anyway, you want kale chips, so let's get to it. Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 bunch kale
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon seasoned salt

Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F. Line a non insulated cookie sheet with parchment paper.

2. With a knife carefully remove the leaves from the thick stems and tear into bite size pieces. Wash and thoroughly dry kale. Drizzle kale with olive oil and sprinkle with seasoning salt.

3. Bake until the edges brown but are not burnt, 10 to 15 minutes.

Pesto with Almonds

2011-09-15T08:18:00.001-04:00

You are not going to believe how easy it is to make your own pesto. With easy-to-find ingredients, it can be done in a matter of minutes.

Replacing the traditional pine nuts with almonds doesn't even impact the flavor enough to be noticeable. That's the best part! Pair it with some delicious pasta and you're set. Enjoy!

Ingredients

1/4 cup almonds
3 cloves garlic
1 1/2 cups fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

In a food processor, combine toasted almonds, garlic, basil, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Process until a coarse paste is formed.

Juicy Pork Tenderloin

2011-09-10T08:18:00.000-04:00

The trick to a juicy pork tenderloin is a good rub and slow cooking.

If you can create a unique rub, such as a wonderful Asian-inspired one of garlic, soy sauce, and ginger, then you're on your way to being in a league of your own. Remember though: slow cooking means low temperatures for a longer time. It'll keep it oh so juicy. Always let your big meat pieces rest for 10-15 minutes to soak back up even more juices.

Free-Form Vegan Lasanga

2011-09-05T08:18:00.001-04:00

Lasagna can be a huge pain in the butt sometimes, right? Not when you do it this way!

Take all the wonderful tastes you love from lasagna and have them in no time by creating a free-form lasagna. And our version is even vegan. Enjoy!

Ingredients

2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 zucchini, sliced
1 squash, sliced
1 tomato, sliced
1 onion, sliced
1 red pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups pasta sauce
6 sheets of lasagna, broken in half

Directions

1. Cook lasagna in boiling water for 6-8 minutes

2. While lasagna is cooking, heat oil in pan and add garlic for 1-2 minutes.

3. Add the rest of the veggies (except tomato) and cook for 3-5 minutes.

4. Add the pasta sauce and stir until warm.

5. Using 2 half sheets, layer the pasta on a plate with veggies in between, making 3 layers of pasta total.

Grilled Feta

2011-08-30T08:18:00.000-04:00

Take a block of feta. Drizzle a little olive oil over the top and spread it out. Add garlic all over the top. Wrap it in foil. Place on the grill until it's nice and hot.

Don't worry, it won't melt. Just be careful it doesn't stick to the foil on the bottom. You may want to put some olive oil down there too just to be safe.