Icy Violet's Kitchen

Cake Class II

2013-05-11T21:33:00.000-07:00

Cake class! This is my second project cake, basketweave trim and royal icing flowers.

The roses were fun, the lilies were fun.

The white primroses with inadvertent pink trim were fun (there was some rose pink leftover in my piping bag when I put in the white, and they came out like this! Which is great because, primroses really look like that!).

But my heart really belongs to those little blue violets. Such unassuming little fellows, spending all of their time making their companions pop.

But without them, this cake would be a mess of pink and orange.

Shine on, little blue violets. Shine on.

Sweet Pea Pasta Alfredo

2013-05-08T21:20:00.003-07:00

It's time for some springtime treats!

You know what kind that is?

It's the green kind.

Fall has caramel and cinnamon, in winter you get clove and orange.

In spring, there are peas. Nature's candy.

Have you had a fresh pea before? I think my first experience of them was joining forces with my cousins to eat each and every one off my aunt's pea trellis.

She uh, she wasn't pleased.

This is a simple springtime pasta dish. Easy to make, easy to eat, easy to love.

You may have to sit and shell peas for a while, but you know what? It's not that bad.

It's actually kind of fun. I got my husband and toddler in on it and turns out it suits all ages!

Well, the little one did a lot more tasting than shelling.

An important job, really.

In fact, I think we should all just follow his example.

Sweet Pea Pasta Alfredo (adapted from The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook, by Deb Perlman)
Serves 4

Salt to taste
1/2 pound dried pasta
1 cup fresh shelled peas (from about 1 pound in the pod) (you can use frozen or canned if you want, but you'll miss out on the floral sweetness of the fresh)
1 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons butter
freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1 cup Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package instructions. Add peas to cook during the last 30 seconds of pasta cooking time. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta cooking water and set aside. Drain the pasta and the peas together.

Dry out the pasta pot and pour in the heavy cream. Bring it to a simmer and cook until slightly reduced, about 4 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the butter and stir it until it has melted. Generously season the sauce with freshly ground black pepper; add a pinch of salt and the lemon zest. Add 3/4 cup of the Parmesan and stir it until the sauce is smooth; then toss in the drained pasta and peas. Cook the pasta and sauce together for 2 minutes, until the sauce has thickened slightly. Add the reserved pasta water by the spoonful if needed if the sauce becomes too thick.

Divide the pasta among bowls and garnish with the remaining Parmesan and red pepper flakes, if desired.

Seattle

2013-05-01T22:08:00.000-07:00

She was tap dancing! For percussion!

And who could forget?

Left to right, top to bottom: Vanilla, chocolate cream cheese, lavender, compost (a mix of oats, coffee beans, chocolate chips, etc.), lemon, and salted caramel.

In Transit

2013-04-24T21:00:00.001-07:00

Hola amigitos! I am going to Seattle!

Girl trip, three friends, two babies, a math and science conference where I will grip my glass and pretend I remember what pi means.

Whales! Space needles! Pikes and sounds and ferries!

It's gonna be a blast.

Down side however is that, due to prep and circumstance (I don't know what that is but it has a nice ring to it), I have absolutely nothing for you tonight. This will change so very soon, since my number one goal in visiting Seattle is to go to This Place.

I went there a few years ago on my only other visit to Seattle, and I will never, ever forget it.

I will share with you all when I return next week!

Until then, let this video of French people dancing and running from yeti-lions tide you over.

Overloadeded Spicy Cheddar Muffins

2013-04-20T21:46:00.001-07:00

I am going to tell you how to make homemade popcorn.

Because you know what? You don't need a popper, air or otherwise. All that is a scam.

A scam!

All you do is, pour about 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil into a large pot and put it over medium-high heat.

Add in 1/4 cup popcorn kernels.

Affix a lid, slightly ajar.

Hey girl, you look like you could use a muffin.

And WAIT! The pops, they will come.

When the pops lessen, remove from heat.

Drizzle in butter and sprinkle in salt. Or be creative and add parmesan or cinnamon, or seaweed.

Why am I telling you how to make popcorn in this post about cheese muffins?

Because that is the kind of week it has been.

Right now I am making cupcakes, eating popcorn, and blogging about muffins.

Busy baby, yeah. And I like it that way.

(Unless it's too much because then BOOM and you can ask my husband about when that happens but you know what you probably shouldn't let's just let it go)

Overloaded Spicy Cheddar Muffins (adapted from Joy)
Makes 12

So you may have noticed I am still joyfully welcoming dairy back into my life. Everything I'm making this week seems to have cheese in it somewhere...no regrets!

1 cup white rice flour
1/2 cup almond flour (you can replace both of these with 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup whole milk
1 large egg
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
3 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
12 sliced pickled jalapenos for topping
sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper for topping.

*One note from Joy about using paper cupcake liners with these muffins! "When warm, the muffins will stick to the paper. When muffins are room temperature, the papers will come out of the papers easily. To avoid this nonsense, just grease and flour a muffin tin instead of using cupcake liners." I found her to be correct on this.

Place a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease and flour a 12 cup muffin tin and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flours, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together milk, egg, and melted butter.

Add the wet ingredients all at once to the dry ingredients. Stir to incorporate. Before the mixture is entirely mixed, add the grated cheese. Stir to incorporate making sure that the mixture is evenly moistened and the cheese is well distributed.

Divide batter between prepared muffin tin. Top each with a jalapeno slice and sprinkle with sea salt and cracked pepper.

Bake muffins for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through. Muffins are best served warm.

Everything Seafood Pasta

2013-04-15T22:24:00.000-07:00

Dairy time!

I've been off of wheat, dairy, and sugar for a while, due to minor health issues. Those health issues are clearing up now, however, and I'm slowly adding things back in.

Two weeks ago, fruit!

Two weeks from now, wheat! (looking forward to that)

Now, dairy!

To celebrate bringing dairy back into my life, as well as the end of the fish-phase of my year of seasonal eating (meat-free from here on out), I bring you:

SEAFOOD BEHEMOTH.

I am not normally very keen on seafood. I grew up in a desert place where eating a lot of seafood, well, it just wasn't wise.

Now I'm living much nearer to the coast, and I've been dabbling in the fresh fish and shellfish available.

The main thing that was new to me in this dish was scallops.

Scallops! Have you had them? I loved them.

Little buttery meaty guys. Almost as soft as the noodles, but with a tasty, mild, meaty fish taste. They were a winner.

It's a heavy dish, so invite your friends over to help enjoy.

Or just eat it yourself. It's all right, we'll keep it between us.

Everything Seafood Pasta

2 green onions, finely chopped
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons plus 1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup chicken broth
8 oz clam juice
1 lb scallops
1 lb small shrimp, peeled and deveined
8 oz crabmeat (I used imitation, I know, take the girl out of the desert but you can't take the desert out of the girl)
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 cup flour (I used a GF version)
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 lb macaroni noodles, cooked and drained (I used GF potato noodles)

Pre-heat your oven to 350 F, and grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.

In a large skillet, saute onion in oil and 2 tablespoons butter until tender. Stir in broth and clam juice; bring to a boil. Add the scallops, shrimp, crab and white pepper; return to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 4-5 minutes or until shrimp turn pink and scallops are firm and opaque, stirring gently. Drain, reserving cooking liquid. Set seafood mixture aside.

In a large saucepan, melt the remaining 1/2 cup butter; stir in flour until smooth. Add milk and reserved cooking liquid gradually. Add salt. Bring to a boil and cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat, stir in cream and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Stir in the seafood mixture and the cooked noodles.

Spread noodle mixture in a 9x13 inch greased baking pan. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese and bake, uncovered, for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving.

Lime Sugar

2013-04-12T21:34:00.000-07:00

I am making cupcakes.

For a friend.

For her wedding.

Eeee!

Pressure.

One of several flavors I will be doing is lime, and I've been wracking my brains trying to figure out how best to flavor something with lime.

Flavor syrups are too sugary. Essential oils are not always food grade. Extracts are too expensive.

Specialty ones are, at least. They sell lemon at the store, and yes I thought about just using that and dying it green. I bet I could have passed it...

But no! That is cheating, and this is a friend. A serious friend.

Well, what about...lime sugar?

Zested lime, rubbed into a cup of sugar with fingertips?

Locked in an airtight container, stored for a week?

Will it work? Taking bets now. We'll find out next weekend.

And if not, well, one of the benefits of high pressure baking is you get to do lots of experiments.

If it doesn't work I guess I will just have to make more cupcakes and try again!

Someone hold me while I cry frosting tears.

Cake Class!

2013-04-08T21:54:00.001-07:00

I am taking a cake class!

I love cake. News, right?

If I could pick one thing in the world to fill a swimming pool with and eat my way to the bottom, it would be cake.

As I've made cakes over the years I've tried many different recipes, searching for the perfect chocolate, the perfect vanilla, lavender, lemon, butter and berry.

The best frostings too! Meringues and confectioner's sugars and cream cheese and ganache.

I believe I have had some successes. Yes sir.

But you know what I can't do?

Floofy things. Flowers and borders and buttons and dots.

I've been squirreling away cake tips for a while now, but have no idea what to do with them.

It's time to break down the gates and figure it out.

Caaaaake! Claaaaassss!

Tonight we made pansies and cute daisy things.

Next week? Rosebuds.

ARE YOU READY WORLD????

Quinoa Cabbage Cups with Tomato Jam

2013-04-05T22:08:00.001-07:00

Cabbage cups!

Cabbage, with stuff inside.

You bake it in a muffin tin, you stuff it with stuff that you like.

My husband was inspired by it.

What about taco cabbage cups? What about putting kim chi inside?

Honey, I think you are onto something.

These have chick peas and quinoa, plus raisins for a surprising burst of sweet between the onions and red bell peppers.

And easy. Hello! Sold.

Plus tomato jam! Have you ever heard of such a thing? It's not sweet, and it's not for the faint of heart. It's like a strong marinara, times a million.

Tasty.

Quinoa Cabbage Cups with Tomato Jam (adapted from Living Without)
Serves 6

For the jam:
6 tomatoes
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 teaspoon ground paprika (I used smoked for some spice)
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon gluten-free Worcestershire sauce, optional

For the cabbage cups:
½ cup uncooked quinoa
1 cup water or broth
2 teaspoons canola oil or grape seed oil
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup cooked or canned chickpeas
⅓ cup raisins
Juice of ½ lemon
1 teaspoon thyme
¼ teaspoon salt
12 green cabbage leaves

The following steps can and should be done simultaneously. Like, not all at once, but while one thing is sitting for 10 minutes get started on the next. No need to wait until the jam is done to start everything else, for example.

To make Tomato Jam, slice a shallow X into the bottom of each tomato using a sharp knife. Fill a medium saucepan about halfway with water and bring to a boil. Drop tomatoes into boiling water for about 15 seconds and remove with a slotted spoon. When cool enough to handle, peel back the skin from the tomatoes starting at the points created by the X. Slice in half and chop the tomatoes.

Mix together tomatoes and sugar in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes, stirring often. Stir in cider vinegar, paprika, salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce, if using. Simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes.

To make Cabbage Cups, place quinoa in a small saucepan along with 1 cup water or broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer covered for 12 minutes or until quinoa is tender and water is absorbed. Remove pan from heat.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook until softened. Add red pepper and garlic and cook 2 minutes. Stir in quinoa, chickpeas, raisins, lemon juice, thyme and salt. Remove from heat.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease 12 standard-size muffin cups with oil. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and prepare a large bowl of ice water.

In batches, blanch cabbage leaves for 1 minute to soften slightly and then plunge into the ice water bath. Drain and slice off the tough lower spine of each leaf.

Working one at a time, press cabbage leaves into prepared muffin cups, making sure a generous amount of leaf hangs over the sides. Fill each with an equal amount of quinoa mixture. Fold over tops to seal.

Place in preheated oven and bake 20 minutes, being careful not to burn the leaves. Let cool for about 5 minutes and then place a flat object, such as a cutting board, over muffin tins and invert to unmold.

Serve Cabbage Cups with Tomato Jam. High five yourself.

Buckwheat Chocolate Cake with Raspberry Sauce

2013-04-01T21:21:00.003-07:00

I like me a heavy cake. A dense cake. A heavy, dense chocolate cake.

A bitterly chocolatey heavily dense chocolate cake.

How's it going, you guys? You might be asking yourselves, what am I eating these days?

I know I was wondering it about you.

I've been off sugar, wheat and dairy for more than a month now (health reasons grumble grumble). It's been a bit of a sparse time for food-blogging, I have to say.

I'm still off most of those things, but I am eating fruit now.

Fruit!

Bananas in my granola and oranges with my plain almond yogurt.

It's becoming a better day.

I'm giving up fish this month (I dumped chicken in March, yo). We are on our way, vegans by June! And then back again.

Also, running! I'm doing that too, sometimes. Like, four days a week now? Or at least that's the goal.

And crunches.

Anyway, shut up about exercise. Let's eat some cake!

Buckwheat Chocolate Cake with Raspberry Sauce (adapted from David Lebovitz, genius that he is)

I adapted this recipe to be sugar- and dairy-free, although it was gluten-free to begin with. If you are a hardcore chocohoover, you will love it. It's like huffing a cocoa bean. I also made this raspberry sauce, in case you have to share it with someone and they want some sugar, or something. Also feel free to sprinkle (or spread) with powdered sugar. Sweeten to taste, is what I'm saying. In the original recipe he adds in a half cup of sugar with the wet ingredients. You can do that too. Also, if you want to go whole hog, swap butter for the coconut oil and whole milk plain yogurt for the almond milk. If your health isn't holding you hostage, why not?

6 ounces (170g) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup (115g) coconut oil
4 large eggs, separated
1/3 cup (80ml) almond milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (75g) almond or hazelnut flour
1/4 cup (35g) buckwheat flour

Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC.) Butter an 8-inch (20cm) cake pan and line the bottom with a round of parchment paper.

In a large, heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, melt the chocolate and coconut oil until smooth, then remove from the heat and let cool slightly.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, almond milk, vanilla, and salt, the whisk them into the melted chocolate. Stir in the almond or hazelnut flour, and the buckwheat flour.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, or by hand, whip the egg whites until they form firm peaks. Fold one-third of the whipped egg whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten it, then fold in the remaining chocolate mixture just until it’s completely combined.

Scrape the batter into the pan, level the top, then bake for 25 to 30 minutes; the cake will feel relatively set, but the center of the cake should still be soft. Let cool for 10 minutes, then remove.

For raspberry syrup:
Combine 1 cup raspberry jam with 1/4 cup water and simmer over low heat until reduced and syrupy. Strain out the seeds.

Bend

2013-03-28T21:31:00.003-07:00

We are at Bend! We like Bend. Perhaps we will move in. We already found this nice place...

Back again soon! Happy Spring Break!

Rosemary Almond Olive Oil Bread

2013-03-25T22:08:00.000-07:00

I'm going on vacation tomorrow!

We will be hiking, and biking, and swimming, and all that jazz.

We are going east of the mountains, which in Oregon, signifies a sudden and total climate change.

Snow, maybe! And not raining every day!

Smaller trees for sure.

Also - mountains and lakes!

I'm very excited to take baby, although his favorite will probably be the hotel swimming pool. And the tub! We don't have a tub, and he's so big now he's all elbows and knees in his little baby bathtub.

Here is a soft and lovely delicacy.

Gentle olive oil, earthy rosemary, and that lightness only yeasted breads have.

It's a keeper.

Rosemary Almond Olive Oil Bread (adapted from Living Without)

1 cup warm water (110ºF)
2 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1¼ cups almond flour
1 cup cornstarch
½ cup tapioca starch/flour
3 teaspoons xanthan gum
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, diced
½ teaspoon table salt
¼ cup flax seed meal
1 cup almond milk
¼ cup olive oil

Preheat oven to minimum oven temperature, no higher than 170ºF. Grease a standard (8x5-inch) loaf pan.

In a small bowl, combine warm water and honey. Stir in yeast and let mixture sit 5 to 10 minutes or until froth forms on top.

In a large bowl, place almond flour, cornstarch, tapioca starch/flour, xanthan gum, rosemary, salt and flax
seed meal. Mix very well.

In a medium bowl, mix together almond milk, olive oil and yeast mixture. Pour into dry ingredients and mix well.

Pour batter into prepared pan. Smooth top with a spatula.

Place bread in preheated oven and let rise about 40 minutes.

Leaving bread in oven, increase temperature to 375ºF and bake for 50 minutes or until done.

When done, remove loaf from oven and let cool in pan for 5 minutes. Remove from pan and place on a wire rack to cool completely.

Lentils with Rhubarb

2013-03-21T21:54:00.000-07:00

See! I promised you rhubarb!

When my husband and I were still dating, I remember asking him if he could have one wish, what would it be?

He answered that he would never have to eat again.

I was astonished. Still am, really. What a response! That's like wishing never to take a warm shower again, or never smell a flower. Not eat!

And yet. I'm beginning to feel like that. For those of you not caught up, due to a minor health issue I've had to undergo a major (though temporary) diet change the past week or so (has it only been a week? Really?).

No wheat, no dairy, no sugar. Everyone always asks, 'what do you eat?'

It's a challenge and no mistake. It's a blast when I find something grand that fits, like this granola, or this egg, rice, edamame and avocado salad.

But mostly it's a long line of vegetable soups and rice cakes, calculated to fill, to fuel brain and muscle function and not much else.

This must be what purposefully fit people feel like (and yes, I have dropped a few pounds). They say they'll live forever. I say, you call this living?

Anyway, enough outta me. I've got about one more week of the hard stuff, then I'll be eating fruit again. Fruit!

Until then, maybe let's try some millet together? What do you think?

Lentils with Rhubarb adapted (appropriately) from Living Without Magazine
This is food with nutrients.

2 teaspoons olive oil
2 shallots, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 medium-size carrot, peeled and chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 jalapeño or serrano pepper, seeded and diced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
½ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups chopped rhubarb
1 cup French green lentils, rinsed
3½ cups vegetable broth (or water)

In a medium-size saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add shallots, bell pepper, carrot, garlic, ginger and jalapeño pepper. Cook 3 minutes, stirring often.

Add cumin, turmeric, sea salt and black pepper; cook 1 minute. Add rhubarb and cook 2 minutes, stirring often.

Add lentils to the pot along with 3½ cups broth. Bring mixture to a boil. Then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer covered for 30 minutes or until lentils are tender.

Roasted Beet and Quinoa Salad with Goat Cheese

2013-03-18T22:02:00.001-07:00

One last winter recipe, hey?

One for the road.

A little root vegetable here, a little storable grain there, and voila!

Something that might last you a few months if you hid it in a cool cellar.

(Not in prepared form...don't do that.)

You can cheat with a little goat cheese, if you are into cheating. My heart is still with you, goat cheese.

Adds a little tang, a little salt to the earthy sweet of the charred beets.

I made this as a side-salad.

Don't do that either.

This is a meal. One last winter's meal, then it's all pea tendrils and rhubarb from here on out.

Woo!

Roasted Beet and Quinoa Salad with Goat Cheese (inspired by Deb Perelman at Smitten Kitchen)

1/2 cup uncooked plain quinoa, rinsed
coarse salt
3 small shallots
olive oil
1 1/2 pounds beets, tiny if you can find them and peeled if you can’t, scrubbed, trimmed, and halved or quartered to bite-size pieces
juice of 1/2 a lemon
black pepper
dab of goat cheese (optional)

for the dressing:
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, plus more for finishing
2 big pinches of coarse salt
3 tablespoons olive oil
black pepper

Heat oven to 400°F.

Add quinoa, 1 cup water, and a pinch of salt to a medium pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to about medium and cook until the quinoa has absorbed the water, 10 to 15 minutes. Cover and set aside.

Meanwhile, prepare beets. Peel shallots and place in a square of aluminum foil. Drizzle with a few drops of olive oil, wrap the foil to create a packet and place in the oven.

Coat a baking sheet lightly with olive oil. Place the beets on the baking sheet and arrange in one layer, drizzling lightly with a little more olive oil. Squeeze lemon juice over and season generously with salt and pepper.

Place beets in the oven and roast for 20 minutes, then stir/flip them around and roast until tender and crisp at the edges, about another 10 minutes. (Larger beets will take a few more minutes).

Meanwhile, make the vinaigrette. Remove the shallot packet from the oven and carefully take out the shallots. Toss the roasted shallots into a food processor or blender with the apple cider and balsamic vinegars, 2 pinches of coarse salt, and a pinch of black pepper. Blend until smooth. Drizzle in the olive oil. Taste and season with more salt and pepper if necessary.

Spoon three-quarters of the quinoa onto a serving platter. Arrange roasted beets over the quinoa, and top off with the rest of the quinoa. Drizzle the entire dish with the vinaigrette. Serve with an extra drizzle of balsamic vinegar if you’d like or a few crumbles of goat cheese.

Dairy, Wheat, and Sugar-free Nutty Granola

2013-03-14T21:53:00.001-07:00

I sometimes think humans should hibernate.

Am I the only one who gets that urge?

Sometimes I don't even realize I've been hibernating until spring.

Oh look, it's light past four in the afternoon. Maybe I'll go outside.

How exhilarating!

Oo hey, there are random color patches and sweet-smelling things coming out of the ground.

What devilment is this!

I rub my red-rimmed, computer-exhausted winter eyes and consider.

Maybe there's hope, after all? Maybe for a while we can live, and not just exist.

Tl;dr? Welcome spring!

Dairy, Wheat, and Sugar-Free Nutty Granola
I've been shamefully hoarding my precious few recipes that fit this crazy diet I'm on, assuming no one would want them. But I've actually been asked about this one! And actually, folks, it's pretty tasty. It isn't sweet, but it's nutty and full and just a little bit salty. It's oat-y and peanut-buttery and just about my favorite thing to eat, off the very short list of things I can presently eat. My advice? Try it out. You won't miss your ordinary noley.

Makes 9 cups granola

6 cups oats (if you can find gluten-free oats, this can be gluten-free! Otherwise be careful, because oats often have some gluten in them)
1 cup almonds (or other nuts/seeds)
1 cup pumpkin seeds (or other nuts/seeds; I had cashews and hazelnuts around)
1/2 cup sunflower seeds (or other nuts...you get the idea. Customize!)
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup oil (coconut is tastiest, but olive oil or plain vegetable work in a pinch)
3/4 cup nut butter (almond, peanut, whatevs man)
1/4 cup almond milk (for the sweet toof'd you could use honey, but I have to skip it)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking pan with foil (this really is worth it...not only in terms of clean-up but in terms of getting the granola into a container after it's cooked, lifting it with the foil and pouring it in beats shoveling it out with a spatula a hunnerd times over).

In a large bowl, mix together oats, nuts and seeds, and salt. In a small bowl whisk together oil, nut butter, and almond milk.

Add wet ingredients to dry and mix thoroughly, so all dry ingredients are moistened.

Pour into lined pan, smooth into as flat a layer as you can get.

Bake 15 minutes, take out and toss, smooth flat again, and bake another 15 minutes.

For the full GFCF experience, eat with almond milk. For a real treat, eat with coconut milk.

Flowers in Spring

2013-03-11T22:14:00.000-07:00

Well, I've disappeared a bit, I know.

Due to health concerns (again) I've had to give up wheat, dairy, and sugar for a while (again).

This will be temporary, but frankly I'm a little depressed about it (again).

Did you know sugar is in everything? Eh. Vree. Thing.

Cans of beans? Sugar. Mayonnaise? Sugar. Garlic salt? Garlic and salt?

No. Sugar.

So rather than try to sell you on the virtues of peanut butter (natural fresh ground, otherwise it has, you guessed it, sugar) smeared over rice cakes, or plain broth lentil soups, how about we think about other pleasures? Non-food pleasures?

Yes please.

Is it springtime yet where you are? It's huffing and puffing along here.

Here we have big flower shrubs called rhododendrons. They have these massive blossoms and come in all colors.

It's a bit early for most of them, but this lavender color was in full flower.

Azaleas, forget-me-nots and Christmas roses.

Utah was yellow and brown and blue sky. But Oregon is shades of blue and purple underneath the green.

And pink. Cool, spring pink.

Happy spring to you.

Pulled Chicken Mexican-Type Salad with Everything

2013-03-04T22:03:00.001-08:00

Imma break a few house rules now.

#1. This is a salad. Okay, I don't have any hard and fast rules against salad, but they aren't my favorite. They just always seem sort of eh. Unless you add an amazing dressing and toppings, but then you're just eating dressing and toppings. Greens are for smoothies. Why not eat something else altogether?

And it's well known that you don't win friends with salad.

#2. This is Mexican-style, but not Mexican. Mexican food brings up some full-force snobbery with me, since I've had the real thing and it's ermagerd. And then you come back and someone slops some cheddar on some refried beans and stale flour tortillas and is like, that'll be $10! And it's just no.

This is not Mexican. It is in the style of an American parody of Mexican. But this time...it works.

Stay with me.

#3. This recipe is copied from a restaurant. I try not to do this because restaurants are usually boring. But if you live in my old stomping grounds, living it up in the SLC, you just may recognize this as a hot-selling item from your favorite Tex-Mex-Fresh, Cafe Rio.

Not familiar with Salt Lake? There's a Cafe Rio in the airport. Catch it next time you fly through.

It's ermagerd.

My advice?

Get the salad.

Pulled Chicken Mexican-Type Salad with Everything
Makes 4 hearty salads

Dressing:
1/2 cup well-shaken buttermilk
1/2 cup sour cream (or Mexican crema)
Juice of 1 1/2 limes
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
3 cloves garlic
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tomatillos
1/2 bunch cilantro
1 jalepeno (use the seeds if you like it spicy)

Chicken:
2 chicken breasts, about 2 lbs chicken
1/3 cup olive oil
3 cups broth
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon oregano
2 teaspoons chili flakes
3 cloves garlic, minced

Rice:
3 cups broth
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 bunch cilantro
1 can green chiles or equivalent fresh
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 onion
3 cups uncooked white rice

Garnishes:
1 15-oz can black beans
Cotija cheese
Salsa
Mixed greens (use as much as you like)
Guacamole (for easy homemade, combine 1 avocado with juice from 1/8 of a lime and a pinch of salt, mash with fork)
Lime wedges
Toasted tortilla strips (I cheated and crumbled up corn chips, but for easy homemade brush corn tortillas with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and toast in a 450 degree oven for 3-5 minutes or until crisp)

Cook all chicken ingredients together in a crock pot for about 4 hours. Shred meat and cook an additional hour.

Meanwhile, make dressing by putting all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend well. Refrigerate.

When chicken is almost done, make rice by placing all rice ingredients in a pot and bringing to a boil. Turn heat down and simmer for about 30 minutes, or until all liquid is absorbed and rice is soft.

To assemble: Layer salad in a bed on a plate. Top with rice (about 1/2 cup) and black beans (about 1/2 cup). Top with chicken mixture. Top with dressing, salsa, crumbled cotija cheese, lime juice, guacamole, and toasted tortilla chips. Insert into face.

Brown Butter Rosemary Corn Bread

2013-02-28T21:35:00.001-08:00

Ordinarily, I am a sweet cornbread kind of gal.

Big, fluffy cakes? With butter? And honey? And honeybutter?

Or maybe maple syrup.

And cinnamon?

Yes please.

But every once in a long while, something savory tickles my fancy.

Have you had brown butter yet?

Exquisite.

The liquid and the solids separate, and the liquid turns a nutty brown while the solids darken and sweeten.

If you are using salted butter, it will leave behind (and also carry with it) a fine coating of crystallized salt.

I like to do it with salted butter.

Dip this in chili.

Cover this in cheese and sour cream.

Or just slice and eat it, because it's tender and cakey and tasty enough to do that.

Cornbread, you have a summer home in my heart.

Brown Butter Rosemary Corn Bread (adapted from Joy the Baker)
I wanted to do this sugar free, but the original recipe adds in a 1/3 cup of granulated sugar. Feel free to do so! If you're into that sort of thing.

1/2 cup (1 stick) plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup coarse ground cornmeal
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary

Place a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and 8×8-inch square baking pan. Line with parchment paper and grease and flour the baking pan. Set aside.

In a light-colored small saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Melt and cook butter down completely. It will sizzle and crackle. Keep an eye on the butter and you’ll see brown bits begin to form at the bottom of the pan. Swirl pan and cook until browned bits are a chestnut color and the butter smells nutty. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, buttermilk, and browned butter. Set aside.

If using sugar, in a large bowl blend together sugar and chopped rosemary. Blend with the back of a spoon working the rosemary flavors into the sugar. If not using sugar, skip this step. But rosemary sugar is probably really cool.

Add flour, cornmeal, salt, and baking soda to the large bowl with the flavored sugar. Whisk to combine.

Add the wet ingredients all at once to the dry ingredients. Stir to combine, ensuring that all of the dry ingredients are moistened and incorporated into the batter. Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth to the edges. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before slicing and serving. Bread is best served warm and will last, well wrapped, at room temperature for up to three days.

White Chocolate Chunk Cocoa Nib Cookies

2013-02-25T21:22:00.002-08:00

But you used all the parts of chocolate except the chocolate!

Let me explain.

How do you feel about white chocolate? It seems like people have strong feelings either for or against.

I am for. Take note.

White chocolate (real white chocolate, snob alert, no 'vanilla melties' here) is composed primarily of cocoa butter, although it technically doesn't contain any actual cocoa. It's okay, we're getting to that part.

Have you had cocoa nibs? They are the roasted, tasty bits of unprocessed chocolate. Basically, chocolate before it gets pounded and smooshed and supplemented with milk and sugar, and made into bars.

Not that I have anything against all that. Dear me, no.

But cocoa nibs plus white chocolate equals something a little bit primal. Something a little more...raw. A little more...chocolate.

You know how I like to do slightly different things with chocolate.

This is a spin on chocolate chip cookies. Between the gooey melted white chocolate and the crunchy, nutty nibs, I really think we could have something here.

Something big.

White Chocolate Chunk Cocoa Nib Cookies

1 c shortening (you can use butter if you want...chocolate chip cookies are the only recipe where I always use shortening)
1/2 c granulated sugar
1 c brown sugar, well packed
1 t vanilla
2 eggs
2 1/4 c flour (I like to do half regular and half whole wheat)
1 t soda
1 t salt
1/2 c white chocolate chunks (adjust to taste)
1/3 cup cocoa nibs (adjust to taste)

Cream together shortening, sugars, vanilla, and eggs. Sift together flour, soda, and salt; add to creamed mixture. Stir in white chocolate chips and nuts. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 375 for 8 minutes (I like to cut it down to 6, but I like my cookies doughy, so adjust to taste). Ta da! Easiest recipe in the world.

African Peanut Soup

2013-02-21T21:56:00.004-08:00

It's gonna get hearty up in here.

Rice! Beans! Sweet potatoes!

Time to get some meat on those bones.

Time to fill some empty bellies!

Is this soup actually African? I have no idea.

But I tell you what it is: a tasty combination of textures. And aromas.

Lately I've been having a lot of smoothies. Like, for breakfast and stuff.

And soups too. Pureed squash, sweet potatoes, carrots. A lot of orange stuff. Nutritious, but doesn't stick with you.

A hearty, bean-y soup was just what I needed.

And the peanut butter gives it this sort of, mmm, creaminess? And the little crunchy peanuts...

Well, you get what I'm saying.

Good soup.

African Peanut Soup

The original recipe also included 2 cups of cooked chicken. Add it with the broth, after sauteing the vegetables, for a non-vegetarian version.

1 1/2 cups cubed peeled sweet potato (about 3 small or 2 medium)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup diced red pepper
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalepeno pepper, seeded and minced
1 cup bottled salsa (I actually used black bean dip, which was great)
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
4 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup uncooked rice
1 15-oz. can black beans, drained
1/2 cup peanut butter (I used crunchy)
1-2 tablespoons olive oil

Heat olive oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add sweet potato, onion, bell pepper, garlic, and jalepeno. Saute for 5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients, except peanut butter; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Add peanut butter, stirring with a whisk, and cook for 2 more minutes. Serve hot.

Spaghetti Squash and Black Bean Tacos

2013-02-18T21:14:00.003-08:00

You know what the hardest thing about being a parent is for me?

Not the sleepless nights, not the time, not the money.

It's needing to be a good example.

No swearing. No TV marathons. No staying up all night (well, not by choice).

I even have to eat right. Like all the time! It's no good trying to slip the kid sweet potatoes and green beans when I've got a cupcake or five hidden behind my back.

He knows! They always know.

I feel like I owe him an apology in advance for passing on all my faults. Nothing is a better motivation to improve than seeing a tiny, adorable person do a bad thing. A bad thing they learned from you.

Man, this post was supposed to be funny but it's just turned into mom guilt.

Mom guilt! The enemy of all that is good and holy.

Let's just eat some tacos, eh? We can definitely get that right.

Spaghetti Squash and Black Bean Tacos (taken from Deb, ahh sweet Deb)

When cooking and eating spaghetti squash, it is imperative that you not think about worms. Don't think about worms don't think about worms don't think about worms don't think about worms.

1 1/2 pounds spaghetti squash
1 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice (from 1/2 of a lime)
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoons ground cumin
1/4 teaspoons ground coriander
1/4 teaspoons salt
8 6-inch corn tortillas
One 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 ounces crumbled queso fresco (in a pinch you can substitute this with feta)
2 tablespoons finely diced onion
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Hot salsa, if desired

Preheat over to 350°F. Cut squash in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds, and roast the halves facedown on an oiled baking sheet for about 40 minutes until the squash is tender and you can easily pierce it with a fork. When the squash has finished cooking and cooled slightly, use a fork to scrape the flesh into a bowl, loosening and separating the strands as you remove it from the skin. Discard the skin.

In a small dish, whisk together lime juice, chili powder, cumin, coriander, and salt. Pour over squash and toss together. Taste squash and adjust seasonings as needed.

Heat a dry, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Warm each tortilla, about 30 seconds per side. Transfer with tongs to a platter. Sprinkle each taco with a few spoonfuls each of black beans and the squash mixture.

Top with crumbled cheese, onion, and cilantro. Add a squirt of hot salsa if desired.

Valentine's Day at the Sweet Life Patisserie

2013-02-14T21:15:00.001-08:00

I was gonna make a cake for Valentine's.

I was gonna make this cake. Maybe with a nice raspberry sauce pooled on the bottom of the plate?

But plans changed. Instead of staying in, we went out. All of us.

We went out to the Sweet Life Patisserie.

Can I just tell you?

This town is full of bakeries. One on every corner.

Getting to know them has been a pleasure.

Here for bread, there for cupcakes. Here for a black and white cookie, there for a sandbox and a croissant.

But if you want to go somewhere special, somewhere...nice. You go to the Sweet Life.

What do they do best? They do EVERYTHING BEST.

From chocolate chip cookies to oatmeal stout gelato.

From nipples of venus to prickly pear meringues.

Bagels and cupcakes and pizza and petits fours.

You want it done right, you go to Sweet Life.

The only drawback if any, is you only go there when you have a real sweet tooth.

A REAL sweet tooth.

Otherwise it may be a bit too strong. I had a peanut butter creme brulee there once that left me a little dizzy afterwards.

My husband ordered his go-to, the cheesecake chocolate brownie.

How can you beat that? You can't.

I, typically, dithered. A slice of caramel cake with chocolate ganache? Maybe.

A rum-soaked nipple of venus and a black currant meringue? That might be right.

I had just decided on a strawberry buttercream cupcake when the man in front of me swooped all of them.

All four that were left! Gone.

But you know, it's Valentine's Day, and some things are written in the stars.

It was always going to be red velvet.

A big, puffy red velvet cupcake with thick cream cheese frosting.

It was even on sale! Because Valentine's.

Benefit to treat being on sale: second treat.

How could I resist that red velvet bear? Isn't he adorable?

I want to hug whoever piped that face so lovingly.

Double red velvet?

I know.

Don't judge.

It's Valentine's.

Earl Grey Tea Cakes with Lemon Icing

2013-02-11T20:55:00.000-08:00

Tea cakes, tea cakes, pretty little tea cakes.

Blue. Baby blue. I like blue at tea time.

Have you had Earl Grey tea? I could leave the tea, but I tell you I'm crazy about that bergamot orange.

Have you heard of a bergamot orange? They're pretty, yellow little things. Less sour than lemons but more bitter than grapefruits. I guess you don't really eat them plain, but they make a lovely jam.

Or tea.

Or tea cake.

These cakes require a doily. Do you have a doily?

No? No tea cakes then.

Them's the rules.

Earl Grey Tea Cakes with Lemon Icing (adapted from Foodie with Family)

Makes 12

1 cup whole milk
3 Earl Grey tea bags or 5 tablespoons loose leaf tea
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Lemon Icing
1/2 stick butter, softened to room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons heavy cream or chilled infused Earl Grey whole milk
1 teaspoon lemon extract

Pour the milk into a heavy-bottomed saucepan with a tight fitting lid. Scald the milk (heat until it is steaming and many tiny bubbles have formed in the milk around the edge of the pan). Add the tea bags, remove the pan from the heat and put the lid in place. Let the milk cool to room temperature.

When the milk is cool, squeeze the excess liquid from the tea bags or strain out the loose leaf tea and discard. Measure 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon of the cooled infused milk and reserve the rest.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a mixing bowl with an electric hand-held mixer) beat together the butter and sugar until lighter in color and fluffy.

Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the bowl. Add the vanilla extract and beat well.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.

Add about 1/3 of the flour mixture to the butter/egg/sugar. Beat on low just until combined. Add about 1/3 of the infused milk that you measured. Again, beat just until combined, scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl and repeat -flour, milk, flour, milk- until both flour and milk are completely incorporated.

Fill the cupcake liners about 2/3 full of cupcake batter.

Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until they spring back when pressed lightly or a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.

Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for 5 minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack to finish cooling completely.

To Make the Lemon Icing:

In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or a mixing bowl with a handheld electric mixer) beat the butter on high until it is light and fluffy. Gradually add in the powdered sugar until incorporated. Then, with the mixer on high, whisk in the cream or infused milk and the lemon extract until the icing is light and fluffy. Use an offset spatula to smear the buttercream on the cupcakes or load it into a pastry bag with a big tip to pipe on the frosting.

Banana Doughnut Muffins with Banana Frosting

2013-02-08T13:15:00.000-08:00

Now I'm going to tell you about one of my favorite things.

It's after baby/toddler falls asleep in the next room, and I am sitting on my couch blogging.

Yeah, I blog from a couch. What about it?

I'm writing and uploading and thinking about whatever delicious thing I just ate, and then I hear something.

A cough, a whimper, the scuffle of blankets and pillows.

The pat pat pat of tiny, footy-pajamed feet.

The door skreeks open, but since the bottom half of it is blocked from my perspective I can't see anything. It's like a ghost just opened the door.

And then he emerges, my tiny little human being. All PJ'd out and blinking in the lamplight, rubbing his fat cheeks. His unfocused eyes go straight to my couch (he knows I am a creature of habit) and zero in.

He toddles over, seeming about to collapse any minute, calculating just enough energy to get to my arms.

He throws himself into them, is hoisted onto my lap, immediately burrows into my chest and, seconds later, is sound asleep. Soft and heavy and warm and cuddled in just right.

It interferes with blogging, I'll tell you. Sometimes I have to put it off for a whole day. Sometimes I go lay him down in his bed again so I can get back to work.

Sometimes I hit save, put in a movie, and hold him with me for hours.

And that is one of my favorite things.

(It's also why I blog from a couch.)

Banana Doughnut Muffins with Banana Frosting (adapted from Cooking for Isaiah, by Sylvia Nardone)

This recipe is another victim of my lack of a doughnut pan. Who needs a doughnut pan? I said. What a silly contraption, I said. I can make doughnuts any way I want without a doughnut pan, I said. Well, that's true of raised, yeasted doughnuts but it turns out for some of the cakier variety, you do need that pan. But silver lining is, they turn out great in muffin form! And it just FEELS healthier, right?

makes 12 doughnuts

1 1/4 c flour (or GF flour mix, which is what she uses)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 large eggs
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (about 3)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup vegetable oil

Frosting
1/4 cup butter
2 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar
1/2 cup mashed banana (about 1/2 banana)
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 350. Line a muffin tin with papers.

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, bananas, vanilla and oil. Stir in the dry ingredients until just combined; fill each muffin cup about 2/3 full.

Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove from pan and let cool on a rack until room temperature.

Meanwhile, to make the frosting, in a small bowl beat together the butter and confectioner's sugar until fluffy. Beat in the banana, cinnamon, vanilla and lemon juice. Spread the frosting over the cooled muffins.

Vegan Yellow Rice and Bean Enchiladas

2013-02-05T13:58:00.001-08:00

I haven't posted anything savory for quite some time. If you're wondering whether that reflects my life over the past few months, yes it does.

Now I am posting something both savory and vegan (and dairy- and gluten-free!). If you're wondering whether that reflects my life over the last week, yes it does.

I've had that thing happen again. You know the one? The terrible one. Where I can't eat sugar for a while.

Oh man, the withdrawals the other day! I was like, shivering and disordered, man.

I'm doing a little better now. And this won't last forever. But the upshot is that, generally, eating less sugar is a good thing (noooo!), and it fits in with some of my February goals.

February goals! Remember the goals I'm making this year? In my year of seasonal eating?

I'm happy to report that my January goals have all been met. And now it's time to up the ante, just a little bit.

Nothing too sudden in our year of seasonal eating.

February plans:
Cook three meals a week, one meat, one vegetarian, and one soup (this is the same as January, it's working fine)
Stop eating beef after the 15th of the month, but feature it in my meals until then. (Dropping pork has been pretty easy, although I miss bacon...but guess what! They make turkey bacon!)
Run two days a week, a little further now. About 1 1/3 miles.
Do yoga or another gentle, indoor exercise four days a week, and rest the last.

Good plans? Good plans. Things are going smoothly so far. I am pleased to feel slightly more fit than I did a month ago at this time, and looking forward to being slightly more fit a month away than I am now.

We'll catch up on this in March!

Vegan Yellow Rice and Bean Enchiladas adapted from Silvana Nardone's "Cooking for Isaiah: Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free Recipes for Easy, Delicious Meals" (great book, although sister loves the sugar)

Just have to take a minute to mention the photos here. Uh, I'm not really proud. In the transfer from the pan to the plate my lovely enchiladas sort of...morphed into more of a...food pile. Don't get me wrong, I love food piles. They go down smooth. But not the prettiest pictures. But please trust me...this recipe does make actual, beautiful enchiladas. And they taste awesome.

Serves 8

2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, 1 smashed and 2 finely chopped
2 tablespoons chile powder
2 cups dry red wine or broth
1 28-oz can tomato puree
3 cups water
Salt
1 cup long-grain white rice
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground turmeric
8 corn tortillas
1 15-oz can black beans, drained
1 cup corn kernels
2 ripe avocadoes
Juice of 1 lime (about 2 tablespoons)
4 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and finely chopped garlic and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the chile powder and toast for 1 minute (smells so good!). Add the wine or broth and bring to a boil; simmer until reduced, about 5 minutes. Add the tomato puree and 1 cup water; cook for 15 minutes. Season with about 2 teaspoons salt.

In the meantime, in a medium saucepan with a tight-fitting lid, combine the smashed garlic, rice, cumin, turmeric, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and remaining 2 cups water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cover, reduce the heat to low and simmer until the water is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Take off the heat and let sit, covered, for 5 minutes; fluff with fork.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Grease a large baking dish. Dip the tortillas, one at a time, in the chile sauce and place in the dish. Fill each one as you go with 2 heaping tablespoons rice, 1 heaping tablespoon of black beans, and 1 heaping tablespoon of corn kernels. Roll it up and place seam-side down in your prepared dish. Brush them with olive oil and bake, uncovered, until golden and crisp around the edges, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, to make the guacamole, mash together the avocados, lime juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 2 tablespoons cilantro.

To assemble, pour the remaining sauce down the middle of the enchiladas (I also poured on the remaining rice, beans, and corn...thus the food pile) and top with the remaining 2 tablespoons cilantro and the guacamole. Serve immediately.