Lauren's Closet Kitchen

Salad Tip!

2013-05-28T13:55:00.000-07:00

Here's a quick tip for the next tip you are assembling a salad, because little tips here and there make all the difference in the kitchen.

Drizzle the dressing along the sides of the bowl, toss the greens, add toppings. By doing this the dressing completely coats the leafy greens and the toppings don't all fall to the bottom creating a much more enjoyable salad!

Grab & Go Smoothie Recipe

2013-05-22T09:03:00.001-07:00

Have left over browning fruit? Don't throw it out, instead take it and remix it in to a fast, healthy snack.
As we all know produce is expensive and it would be a shame to let it go to waste. Here I had leftover fruit salad, with strawberries, mango's, pineapples, bananas. Its was delicious but its started to brown and become unsightly but I didn't want to just toss it. Light Bulb! Frozen smoothie cubes. What are those you ask, well just read on...

Here's what you'll need:

Fruit of your choice, chopped and ready to blend - Perfect for using up what ever you have laying around that's the glory of this recipe.
Milk of your choice, soy, almond, etc.-I used two percent.

Add ingredients to blender and puree. Because the fruit amount will differ, approximate a three to one ratio of fruit to milk.
Pour into clean ice cubes trays, cover, and let freeze.
Once frozen remove from trays and seal in a freezer bag until ready to use.
Blending the smoothies are totally up to personal preference or whatever you have laying around. Here are some possibilities that I like to use.

Smoothie Combos:

Sour Smoothie:
Orange Juice
Vanilla Yogurt
Smoothie Cubes

Sultry Smoothie:
Almond Milk
Wheat Germ
Smoothie Cubes
Honey

Decadent Smoothie Split:
Smoothie Cubes
Ice Cream
Milk
Hot fudge
Pecans

To Juice or Not to Juice is the Question?

2013-04-29T12:30:00.000-07:00

As a child my grandma would often make me fresh carrot or orange juice, which led to me becoming a bit of a juice snob. Unfortunately, I now love fresh, crisp carrot juice which tends to air on the pricey side. Its common knowledge that doing things yourself is cheaper because of the labor cost that tends to be factored into the price. I decided to take this and challenge it. Is it actually cheaper to make your own carrot juice verse buying it pre-juiced? The results may shock you.

Buying it already juiced cost break down - $6.50 = 52 oz

Juicing at home cost break down - 5 lb bag of whole carrots = $3.50 = 24 oz!

The time it took to peel the carrots and to set up and clean the juicer was a little over 45 minutes and the outcome was about half the ounces, overall it doesn't seem worth it. As for me from now on I'm just going to buy it juiced at the store

Fresh Fish Tacos

2013-03-03T21:35:00.000-08:00

Fish tacos

Any time I feel like I need to have a light healthy meal yet I don’t want to give up any flavor I learned fish tacos satisfies my craving every time. It’s delicious but doesn’t leave me with bloated guilty feeling that you get after gorging in a fat laden feast. Fish tacos are surpisingly versatile because of the different fishes there are out there to choose from. If you want a meatier style taco salmon is a perfect chose or a white fish is good because it’s like a blank canvass for many different flavor profiles.

Here’s what I did –

I used a white fish, like tilapia and season it with my favorite Cajun seasoning, grill it up and then top it off with some fresh lime juice.

In the mean time I thinnly sliced cabbage and used red wine vinegar and salt pepper for seasoning. (The vinegar also helps to break down the cabbage) Then I added some veggies to it, like grated carrots, green onions, and cilantro. Simple enough and set aside until ready to eat.

Add whatever topping you like or have on hand, for example I used avocados and salsa. Pickled onions, radishes, or pineapple don’t be afraid to get creative!

Make a taco bar and let everyone build their own tacos, easy to cook and easier to serve.

Pasta Carbonara w/ Poached Egg

2013-02-26T14:47:00.001-08:00

This dish is beyond good, its indulgent, savory, has bacon and easy to make can it get any better than that?! I have to use nearly all my restraint from making constantly, which is hard because I almost always have all the ingredients on hand.

This recipe is just one for 1, so don't forget to double or triple it depending on how many your cooking for.

Ingredients:
2 chopped Bacon slices (leave bacon in the freezer for about 5 minutes, it makes chopping it a breeze)
1/4 lb pound of spaghetti
1 small minced shallot
1/3 cup parmigiana cheese
2 tbsp of parsley
1 large egg
1/2 tbsp unsalted butter
1/4 ground pepper

Before

After

1. Cook bacon in a medium skillet on medium heat until nice and crispy.

2. Using a slotted spoon transfer bacon to paper towels to drain. (Resist eating!)

3. Remove skillet from heat and pour off all
but 2 tbsp of bacon fat from the skillet.

4. In the same skillet on medium low heat,
whisk in butter with bacon fat,then add the shallot

5. Meanwhile, cook spaghetti in salted water until al dente. (Don't over salt water, because the bacon adds a lot of saltiness)

Reserving the pasta water..

6. Once the spaghetti is cooked, reserve 1/3 cup of pasta water, then strain noodles making sure to shake off any excess water.

7. Add spaghetti, reserved pasta water, parm cheese and pepper to the skillet with the shallots cooking in the bacon fat. Cook until the sauce begins to thicken about 2-3 mintues, stirring the whole time.

8. Add bacon and parsely to pasta and toss. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Tossing the pasta

9. In a small skillet, fill up half way with water, heat up over high heat.Once water begins to simmer turns off, remove from heat then break the egg into a cup and gently slide into water.

10. Cover and let the egg sit for about 2-3 minutes.

11. Remove egg using a slotted spoon, top over served pasta, along with extra parm and/or parsley.

This pasta really should come with a warning.

WARNING: Eating this pasta could result in serious weight gain.

Thai Turkey Larb

2013-02-25T13:09:00.000-08:00

We ate all of this by the end of the night, truly addicting.

Here's what you'll need:

⅔ cup fresh lime juice

⅓ cup fish sauce

1 tbsp sugar

2 tsp chili garlic paste

¾ cup canned low-salt chicken broth

1 ½ pounds ground turkey

1 cup thinly sliced green onions

¾ cup thinly sliced shallots

3 tbsp minced lemongrass

1 tbsp thinly sliced Thai chilies or Serrano chilies

½ cup chopped fresh cilantro

1/3 cup chopped fresh mint

Butter lettuce

Whisk lime juice, fish sauce, sugar and chili garlic paste in medium bowl to blend; reserve sauce.

Bring broth to a simmer in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add chicken. Simmer until cooked through, breaking up meat with a spoon, about 8 minutes. add green onions, shallots, lemon grass and Serrano chilies.

Stir until vegetables are tender and most of liquid has evaporated, about 4 minutes.

Remove from heat. Stir in sauce, cilantro and mint. Season with salt and pepper.

Going...

Gone.

Spoon into lettuce leaves and shove it in your mouth, then let the deliciousness take over. *sigh*

Its like a Thai taco!

This dish may seem watery but what the Thai do, is soaked up the juice using sticky rice. Its unbelievable..

Coconut Chicken Soup

2013-02-25T13:06:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:
2 14 oz cans light unsweetened coconut milk

3 1/2 cups canned chicken broth

2 cups chunked mushrooms
2 chopped shallots

6 tbsp finely chopped lemon grass

2 tbsp minced fresh ginger

¼ cup fish sauce

3 tsp chili garlic sauce (adjust heat to your liking)

1 thinly sliced Serrano chili

2 lbs thinly sliced chicken breast.

½ cup thinly sliced green onions

3 tbsp fresh lime juice

1.In a large pot add: coconut milk, broth, mushrooms, shallots, lemongrass, fish sauce, ginger, Serrano chili and chili-garlic sauce. Cover and simmer 10 minutes to blend flavors.

2. Add chicken and continue to let simmer for 5 more minutes, until chicken is cooked.

3.Mix in green onions, basil and lime juice

Drunken Noodles

2013-02-25T13:03:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:

We couldn't find the wider noodles,
so we used these rice noodles.

2 14 oz packages ¼ inch wide flat rice noodles ( If you can’t find these any rice noodle will do)

¼ cup vegetable oil

12 garlic cloves, chopped

¼ cup chopped fresh Serrano chillies

1 ½ pounds ground chicken

¼ fish sauce

½ cup soy sauce

1 tbsp sugar

4 large plum tomatoes, each cut into 6 wedges.

4 Anaheim chilies or 2 green bell peppers, julienned

Anaheim Chili- tastes and smell like a
bell pepper, but it's actually spicy.

½ cup fresh Thai basil, regular will do but I warn you, it’s not quite the same.

1. Cook noodles in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite, also known as al dente, stirring frequently. Drain.

Drained noodles

2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a heavy large pot over medium-high heat.

3. Add garlic and Serrano chilies sauté for a short 30 seconds, you DO NOT want to burn the garlic.

4. Add chicken, fish sauce, soy sauce and sugar, cook until the chicken is fully cooked.

5. Add noodles, tomatoes and Anaheim chilies (or bell peppers). Toss together.

6. Move the hot noodles to serving platter and sprinkle with the fresh basil.

We have delicious leftovers for days.

Bacon Wrapped Scallops w/ Apricot Chutney

2013-02-22T23:21:00.000-08:00

Lately I have been on a huge scallop kick, I never realized how good these little pieces of heaven are. If you decide to make them just shell (no pun intended) out the extra cash and get the good ones. We got ours from whole foods which had came in fresh that day, never been frozen. It makes a huge difference in taste and texture.

This recipe is a good as it sounds and easy to prepare and make as well. Gotta love that...

Apricot Chutney-

Ingredients:
1/2 tsp of whole black peppercorns
2 tbsp of prepared horseradish
1/4 cup of apricot preserves

Crushed Peppercorns

Crush peppercorns by placing them on a cutting board and pressing down on them using a heavy saucepan. (Make sure you aren't whacking the pan on the peppercorns because they will go flying everywhere around your kitchen and you will find them later on for years)

2. In a small bowl mix together horseradish, peppercorns and apricot preserves.

Bacon Wrapped Scallops-

They are so delicate they are already falling apart.
I'm drooling...

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds of scallops (rinsed and patted dry)
3/4 pound of thinly sliced bacon, cut to the circumference of the scallop. (For the bacon lover that want to use a thick cut bacon, don't! It makes the cooking time unequal. An over cooking a scallop should be a sin.)

Preheat oven broiler, position rack on the highest level.
Spray a foil lined baking sheet with non-stick spray

3. Wrap each scallop with a piece of bacon and secure with a toothpick

4. Place scallops on baking sheet and season them with salt and pepper

5. Cook under the broiler for about 15-20 minutes (depending on the size of the scallops) until the bacon is cooked through. Turn once half way through

*Holiday Champagne Cocktail**

2013-02-22T20:05:00.000-08:00

What girl doesn't love champagne? I like to call it big girl soda, and this is one of my personal favorites. This recipe is perfect to keep in your back pocket because its a "wow-er" and I usually have most of the ingredients in my pantry. Except champagne, of course, that doesn't last long in my home. Here's what I use:

Lemon
Champagne
Orange Liquor
Cranberry Juice
White Sugar
Cinnamon
Cayenne (Optional)

What to do:

1) Mix Sugar Rim -Pour about 3-4 tbs of sugar into a cute plate (works better if the plate has a lip or edge to prevent a mess) Then I mix in a couple dashes of cinnamon ( about 1/4 tsp) I just put enough until the sugar looks a pretty color, you can control your ratio's by taste or esthetically, which ever you prefer. I loooove anything that has a spicy bite, so that when I add the cayenne pepper. Like I said I love spicy anything, but here a little goes a long way, you really do not want to use too much cayenne. (Otherwise your lips will be more on fire than your tongue) The cinnamon and cayenne pepper is what makes it taste like the holidays. Make sure all are incorporated well.

2) Rim the Glass - Cut a lemon wedge, run it along the rim of your champagne flute and then dip the rim in the sugar. Obviously, you need to rim the glass first since you cant turn it over once you have liquid in it.

3) Mix the cocktail - Put a splash of both the cranberry juice and the Orange Liquor ( I used Triple Sec because that's what I happened to have, but normally my husband and I like to use Grand Marnier ) into the glass. I use about a half shot of each, but it varies on glass sizes and personal taste. Then fill the rest up with champagne carefully to not spill on that yummy, sugary rim.

Enjoy!

Salmon and Roasted Veggies

2013-01-16T09:42:00.001-08:00

This recipe was one I came up with on the fly. It was delicious and healthy to boot!

So easy!!

Here's what you'll need:
Salmon fillets
Carrots
Red onions
Balsamic vinegar
Olive oil
Orzo
Lemons
Fresh parsley
Fresh dill

Start by preheating your oven to 400°. Chop up the carrots and onions to roughly the same size (to make sure they cook evenly). Add chopped veggies to a bowl drizzle the olive oil and balsamic along with salt and pepper. Then give it all a good toss and make they're coated evenly. Place veggies on foil lined baking sheet and roast for about 20-30 mins. Stirring half way through.
After the veggies begin to look like they are shriveling up take them out and nestled the salmon fillets on top of the veggies, skin side down. Season the fish with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil.
Put back into oven and let and let cook until salmon is done to your liking.
Meanwhile bring a medium size pot of salted water to a boil. Add the orzo, keeping in mind that these little rice shaped pastas will almost double in size. While the rest is cooking away, mens the parsley and dill. (If you don't have these herbs improvise and use what ever you have that you think will pair well!)
When orzo is al dente (Def: to the tooth) drain it off and give it a toss with the herbs and lemon juice. Taste it to see if it needs any extra seasoning and it's done! How easy was that and it creates the perfect bed for the salmon!
Serve and enjoy!

Crêpes

2012-06-12T16:54:00.000-07:00

Crêpes are basically a paper thin, French pancake. Sounds simple enough, so why make and eat a thin french pancake when you can eat good ol flapjacks! Well, because theyre french of course! Just kidding! Two reason actually...

One; they are extremely versatile, you can choose to make they savory or sweet. My husband and I love to go to crêpe houses for brunch. We have tried all sorts of different crêpes, from classic like strawberries and Nutella (chocolate and hazelnut) to a chicken curry crêpe. It’s the perfect canvass for any topping or filling you can dream up.

Two; they are perfect for entertaining because they need to be prepared ahead of time. The batter needs to set for at least an hour to as long as overnight and in the mean time you can dice, chop, or whip your toppings all ahead of time. That way when your guests show up all you need to do is pull everything out and set up a sweet and savory crêpe topping bar. Then your guest can serve themselves and you can partake in the fun.

Crêpes

Ingredients:

½ cup water (I used filtered)

½ cup whole milk

¼ teaspoon of salt

1 cup flour

2 teaspoons sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

4 tablespoon unsalted butter

Prepare the batter-

In a blender, whip the eggs then add the flour, salt, water, milk, and vanilla. Blend until everything is combined and smooth. Move to a covered container and refrigerate for at least one hour or up to 24 hours.

Make the crêpes –

Over medium heat melt about one tablespoon of butter in a 9 inch pan. Pour 2-3 tablespoons of batter into the pan, and quickly swirl the pan around so the batter covers the bottom. Once the crêpe starts to bully and brown, it’s time to flip it. Flipping the crêpe is the touchiest part of the whole crêpe making process. You can use a spatula or flip it in the air. The easiest technique for me was to loosen it crêpe using a rubber spatula until it easily slides around in the pan. Then sliding it back and forth, give it one big thrust and flip it in the air. Let it brown of the other side, then move to a piece of waxed paper.

Topping Ideas-

Here I spread Nutella, folded it up and then tossed fresh starwberries in sweetened condensed milk. I finished it with drizzling more sweetened condensed milk and dusting powdered sugar over the top.Yum!

Sweet-

Spread with Nutella, fold into fourths. Top with strawberries and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Spread with Nutella sprinkle with shredded coconut, fold into fourths. Top with sliced bananas and whipped cream.

Spread with butter, fold in fourth and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Spread with peanut butter and jelly, fold in fourths.

And the list goes on…

Savory

Swiss cheese, shredded chicken with cranberries sauce folded in fourths.

Pepper jack cheese, avocado, black beans with salsa.

Monte Cristo crêpe– Gruyère cheese covered with thin ham slices folded in fourths and drizzled with maple syrup. (I came up with that one)

Anything you would put in an omelet!

Don't worry, I'm back!

2012-06-04T15:00:00.001-07:00

Hey everyone!

Sorry that I have posted anything for a while. There was an error that wasn't allowing me to make posts, but all seems to be running smoothly now!

In less than two weeks, I am off to France and Spain for my honeymoon! We are so excited and eager to leave.

Right now I am in the process of getting ready to post a few French and Spanish inspired recipes. In hopes of expanding my cooking knowledge and recipe box to get us prepared for what kind of delicious food to expect in Europe.

So check back soon for some good stuff.

Life is good people...

Salt Roasted Chicken

2012-03-18T22:35:00.000-07:00

When I first saw this recipe I immediately added it to my "Must Try" cooking list. Once I tried it and tasted the results I fell in love! This recipe is by Christian Domschitz, uses a salt and egg white mixture to create a hard shell that doesn't let any delicious juice seep out. This recipe is a must keep, it is a easy low maitence recipe that will truly wow who ever you're cooking for.

Ingredients:
3-4 smashed whole garlic cloves
2-3 sprigs of fresh
2-3 sprigs of fresh thyme
1/2 fresh lemon
1 3-4lb chicken
7 cups of kosher salt
12 large egg whites

1. Start by prepping your chicken: Clean out the body cavity (make sure you get everything, neck and all!) and wash and pat the chicken dry
2. Place garlic, fresh herbs and lemon inside of chicken and then tuck the wings tips and tie back legs.
3. Mix together egg white and salt (Using your hands works the best for about 3-4 minutes)

4. In the bottom of a foiled lined roasting pan, create a salt bed for the chicken to rest on.

5. Pack the rest of the salt on to the chicken...

Cover that baby!

Keep on packing in on, until it resembles something of an igloo

Viola!

6. Place in the oven and bake for about 70 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165*

7. Let rest for 10 minutes

8.Using a wooden spoon crack the baby open!!

Cracking back the salty crust was like unwrapping a present on

Christmas morning!

Here you can see how we couldn't and picked off the drumstick, amazing!
It was packed full of flavor and so moist!

Where the chicken once rested....

The delicious final product.

The left over carcass that I saved and made into stock.

Dinner is served!

Grilled Chicken w/ Cucumber-Melon Salsa

2012-02-28T19:22:00.000-08:00

Here in California the

weather lately has been sunny and absolutely beautiful! My husband and I have been spending a lot of time on our balcony trying to soak up every second of it while its here!

The view from our balcony.

And what a better way to spend time with someone under the sun than with good wine a great food?!
Although with bikini season coming up I am focus on eating healthier to ensure I fit in to that itsy bitsy bikini! I mean hey, you gotta show it off it you got it and trust me with recipes you wont miss out on anything including flavor! This recipe is under 300 calories and so good to eat.

Grill chicken breast anyway you feel like and enjoy next to this light, zesty and tangy salsa. I grilled my chicken

Salad Ingredients:

1 cup of honeydew melon, ½ inch cubed

1 cup of cantaloupe, ½ inch cubed

½ cup of diced cucumber (I used English, but use whatever you have on hand)

½ cup of diced red onion

¼ cup of fresh chopped mint

1 tsp lime zest

4 tbsp of fresh lime juice

2 tbsp of olive oil

1 jalapeno pepper minced

1 tsp of honey

1. In a salad bowl whisk together, lime zest & juice, olive oil, honey, jalapeno, salt and pepper.

2. Add left over ingredients and toss. Taste and add more salt and pepper according to your taste.
3. Serve next to your grilled chicken breast and dig in.

Chocolate-Peanutbutter Banana Cake!

2012-01-16T20:10:00.000-08:00

Yeeup, you read it right! This cake has chocolate, peanut butter and bananas all wrapped up in one. This cake was inspired by husband, who is a Reese’s peanut butter cup freak! I made this cake for his birthday and needless to say I am making this cake for him every year now. It’s a little labor intensive but completely worth it. Here's the recipe in three parts:
Chocolate Banana Cake -
2 ½ cups of sifted flour
2 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 ½ stick of softened butter (you should always use unsalted butter)
1 ¾ cups of granulated sugar
4 large eggs
2 ½ cups of mashed bananas (about 5-6 bananas)
1 tsp of vanilla extract
½ cup of mini semisweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350*F. Butter a 9x12 pan.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt.
3. In a large bowl cream the butter and sugar using an electric mixer or food processor ( I used my awesome food processor, made it super easy)
4. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each egg.
5. Beat in mashed bananas and vanilla.
6. Beat in the flour mixture then chocolate chips. You want it to be smooth.
7. Pour batter into the pan bake for 45-48 mins or until the center is set. Use the toothpick test. (poke a tooth pick into the center of the cake if it comes out clean its fully cooked, if it come out covered, give it more time)
8. Take cake out and let cool.
9. Once the cake is cool, trim the top of the cake to create a pretty flat surface to make stackable layers. What I do is find a book or something that is the thickness of the cake and use that to guide my blade. Cooking is all about improvising.

Peanut Butter Icing -3 oz cream cheese
3 tbsp
1/3 cup smooth peanut butter
2 ½ cups of confectioner's sugar.
1 tbsp malted milk powder (Ovaltine, by the hot cocoa mix usually)
2 tsp milk
2 thinly sliced bananas

1. Using an electric mixer or food processor on low, beat the cream cheese, butter and peanut butter until combined.
2. Add confectioner's sugar and milk powder, beat until incorporated.
3. Add milk and beat untill combined, adding more if necessary to smooth the icing.
4. Layer icing on both the top of the bottom layer of cake and the bottom of the top layer of the cake. (Did you get that? haha)
5. Place sliced bananas on the bottom cake layer, then cover with the top cake layer.

Chocolate Coating-This stuff is so good! It tastes almost exactly like a Reese’s!

¼ cup premade chocolate frosting. ( I used a dark chocolate regular frosting, not that whipped or easy spreadable kind)
¼ cup of smooth peanut butter
¼ cup of confectioner’s sugar
¼ cup malted
¼- ½ cup of milk - The milk is a little tricky to get the right consistency because it can vary of the thickness of the chocolate frosting you use. So add the milk slowly because you can always add more but you can’t take it out.

1. Using an electric mixer or food processor on low, beat the chocolate spread and peanut butter until combined.
2. Add the confectiners sugar and milk powder, combine.
3. Slowly add the milk until it reaches a silky texture.
4. Spread on the cake!

Yummy!

*Holiday Champagne Cocktail**

2012-01-15T19:19:00.000-08:00

What girl doesn't love champagne? I like to call it big girl soda, and this is one of my personal favorites. This recipe is perfect to keep in your back pocket because I usually have most of the ingredients in my pantry. Except champagne, of course, that doesn't last long in my home. Here's what I use:

Lemon
Champagne
Orange Liquor
Cranberry Juice
White Sugar
Cinnamon
Cayenne (Optional)

What to do:

1) Mix Sugar Rim -Pour about 3-4 tbs of sugar into a cute plate (works better if the plate has a lip or edge to prevent a mess) Then I mix in a couple dashes of cinnamon ( about 1/4 tsp) I just put enough until the sugar looks a pretty color, you can control your ratio's by taste or esthetically, which ever you prefer. I loooove anything that has a spicy bite, so that when I add the cayenne pepper. Like I said I love spicy anything, but here a little goes a long way, you really do not want to use too much cayenne. (Otherwise your lips will be more on fire than your tongue) The cinnamon and cayenne pepper is what makes it taste like the holidays. Make sure all are incorporated well.

2) Rim the Glass - Cut a lemon wedge, run it along the rim of your champagne flute and then dip the rim in the sugar. Obviously, you need to rim the glass first since you cant turn it over once you have liquid in it.

3) Mix the cocktail - Put a splash of both the cranberry juice and the Orange Liquor ( I used Triple Sec because that's what I happened to have, but normally my husband and I like to use Grand Marnier ) into the glass. I use about a half shot of each, but it varies on glass sizes and personal taste. Then fill the rest up with champagne carefully to not spill on that yummy, sugary rim.

Enjoy!