Make it Better at Home

Lavender Lemon Cake!

noreply@blogger.com (Urban Frolicker) — Mon, 02 May 2011 02:00:00 +0000

I meant to blog so much more in April, but life just sped up. Three weekends in a row we had friends in town from Southern California, and finals are rapidly approaching. I also had an interview in the general counsel's office at a major healthcare provider... fingers crossed! and tried out for moot court. I just have to make it through 3 finals and an article about food deserts and access to nutrition in Chicago and it'll be Summer Break!

Excuses aside, I'm really glad I had a little time today to bake. This cake is a riff on a classic french yogurt cake, but I think the lavender and lemon take it to another level.

I'll admit, I'm far too obsessed with lavender - i drink lavender lemonade as often as possible in the warmer months, I visit lavender farms at least once a year, and I adore basically anything lavender scented.

The key step to this cake is to really rub the lemon zest and lavender buds into the sugar to flavor and scent the cake.

It's awesome, and it's a perfect cake to say "welcome" to Spring! It's also super easy and goes into the oven within about ten minutes.

I had three slices, along with a lavender lemon drop martini :) Don't judge, I'm stressed.

Lavender Lemon Yogurt Cake
adapted from the Kitchn

1 1/2 cups plain yogurt (or sour cream)
1/3 cup olive oil
1/2 stick butter, melted
3 eggs
1 1/4 Cups sugar
2-3 tablespoons dried lavender buds
zest and juice of two lemons
2 1/2 cups flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
2 1/2 baking powder
pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 350

In a large bowl, combine sugar, zest, and lavender buds. Rub vigorously with your fingers to release essential oils in lavender and scent the sugar with the zest. Next, whisk in the rest of the wet ingredients, eggs, yogurt, butter, olive oil and lemon juice.

After well-combined, add flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Stir until just combined.

Bake in a 9-inch spring form pan for 50-60 minutes or until knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Caramelized Onion Apple & Asparagus Tart

noreply@blogger.com (Urban Frolicker) — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 17:37:00 +0000

**I didn't think to add apple until later

Oral arguments at the downtown courthouse are tomorrow. Am I ready? Sort of.
Tuesday is our group presentation about access to nutritious food in Chicago. Am I done? Not really.
Finals start in less than a month. Am I prepared? uh....

It's in the 80s today! Yes, 80+

In retrospect, I probably shouldn't have turned on the oven and heated up the whole house, but it was SO worth it. This tart takes some leftover fall flavors (apples and onions) and mixes them with a bright spring bite of asparagus.

I'm always drawn to items in bakeries made with puff pastry. Last time I was in Seattle, I spent nearly 40 bucks on a box of puff pastry related desserts and realized that I could probably make half the things in the box at home.

I looked at Whole ~~Paycheck~~ Foods recently, and they wanted 17 bones for a box of puff pastry. Really?

Luckily, on a recent trip to the outlet mall in Pleasant Prairie, WI I discovered a Pepperidge Farm puff pastry for two dollars. Yeah, a dollar a sheet. I bought several.

It's a super-easy recipe that looks and tastes way fancier than it really is.

Just shred some asparagus

Peel and slice an apple

And layer with some caramelized onions!

Apple Asparagus Tart with Caramelized Onions

1lb asparagus

2 large or 3 small onions

1 apple (I used a Braeburn, but a Granny Smith would probably be better)

1 sheet puff pastry

Olive Oil, Salt, Pepper

Preheat oven to 425

Set the puff pastry out to thaw. Once it's softened a bit, cut a 1/2 inch border around the perimeter to it can puff up and make a crust.

Next, thinly slice and caramelize the onions in some olive oil over medium low. This'll take a good 20-30 minutes.

In the meantime shred the asparagus with a potato peeler to get long ribbons. Also peel and thinly slice the apple.

Cook the apple for 1-2 minutes on each side in some olive oil over medium head to soften them and get some of the moisture out. Remove apples, turn off the heat, and toss the asparagus in the leftover oil so it warms up and softens.

Once the onions are done, layer the apples first, then the onions, and finally the asparagus staying inside the border you cut earlier.

Bake at 425 for 18-20 minutes and you'e set!

Roasted Cauliflower & Tofu Enchiladas

noreply@blogger.com (Urban Frolicker) — Sun, 03 Apr 2011 17:18:00 +0000

I got a job! Yes, I'm working as an intern at Children's Home and Aid Society of Illinois. It's nice to feel like a useful member of society again, and know that my summer will not be spend eating obscene amounts of baked things and feeling sorry for myself. The weather has yet to improve to match my sunny outlook on the next few months though...

It's times like these I get a little homesick for California. It's April and the weather has still been in the 30s. Not only that, the produce at our local grocer is still mostly sub-par. I was lucky enough to find an awesome-looking head of cauliflower though, and for some reason I immediately thought of enchiladas.

I seem to be drawn to them whenever I end up in a Mexican restaurant and a lot of the time, I end up mildly disappointed. I'm no enchilada snob, but I always seem to think "this would be awesome if it had more veggies in it," or "wow ground beef does not belong in an enchilada."

I might get it from my grandma - she always scoffed at restaurant enchiladas, even if we were IN Mexico! When I realized that she uses canned sauce, I'll admit I was a bit shocked, but they're still pretty good regardless. I just picked up some dried chiles though, so I'll post a recipe with homemade sauce sometime soon. In the meantime - here's what I used...

The first step is to chop up the cauliflower, toss with salt and olive oil, and roast it at 425 degrees until it starts to brown up

Then toss it with some semi-carmelized onions, mushrooms, garlic, and seasoned tofu

then fry some tortillas

sauce 'em up, and cover with a pile of cheese before baking. **Note, you can also omit the cheese (and sour cream later) to make these vegan!

Roasted Cauliflower and Tofu Enchiladas

1 head cauliflower

1 block extra firm tofu

1 medium onion

8-10 white mushrooms

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 packet taco seasoning (I know, it's processed but so good!) or 1-2 Tablespoons mexican spice blend

12-15 corn tortillas

1 bunch scallions

1 large can enchilada sauce (red or green, it's up to you)

olive oil

shredded cheddar cheese (optional)

sour cream (optional)

Make the filling:

Chop the cauliflower into small bite-sized florets and toss with olive oil and salt. Roast at 425 until they begin to brown and crisp. Reduce oven temp to 350 after you remove them.

In the meantime, press the tofu by wrapping in a paper towel, then a kitchen towel, and placing in a pan with something heavy over it (i use my cast iron skillet) for 20-30 minutes. This will get most of the moisture out, and improve the texture by like 5000%.

Dice the onions and mushrooms and cook over medium-high heat until onions are semi-carmelized and mushrooms have shrunk. Add minced garlic and mexican seasoning. Simmer for another 2-3 minutes and add roasted cauliflower before setting aside.

Assemble the enchiladas

Fry tortillas for a few seconds on each side in 1/2 inch of vegetable oil in a shallow pan. Once each tortilla is fried, toss into a bowl filled with the enchilada sauce. Remove from sauce, and fill with some of the cauliflower/tofu mixture. Roll it up and begin filling a 9x13 baking dish. Repeat the process with the rest of the tortillas until your filling is used up and the baking dish is full.

Cover with cheese if you'd like and bake covered at 350 for 30-40 minutes until cheese is bubbling.

Serve with sour cream and chopped scallions.

Grandma's Cheesecake

noreply@blogger.com (Urban Frolicker) — Sun, 27 Mar 2011 20:47:00 +0000

Holy cow, I can't believe it's been over a month since I posted a recipe! I feel like the semester just stared, but it's already 6 weeks to my first final. Luckily, we had Spring Break recently and I was graced with a visit from my mom and grandma.

My grandma's amazing. Period.

She lived with us growing up and used to cook us all sorts of stuff. She's Korean, though she was born in Yucatan (long story). We would have enchiladas for dinner one night and rice and kimchi the next!

She used to make these cheesecakes for friends, family members, and even coworkers. People loved it and I remember there always being one of these in the fridge, alongside a jar of homemade kimchi.

So, since this blog is dedicated to her and stubborn declarations of "I can make this better at home," here is her cheesecake, made better at home.

Grandma's Cheesecake

about 2 cups crushed cookies (nilla wafers, or graham crackers will work)
1 brick of cream cheese
1 16 oz tub of sour cream
1 small can sweetened condensed milk
2 eggs
1.5 tsp vanilla extract
4 tbsp sugar
1 stick butter

First, grind up the cookies with a rolling pin, or in a food processor. Melt the butter, and combine with cookies in a spring-form cheesecake pan.

Next, cream the eggs, cream cheese, and sweetened condensed milk together in a bowl until smooth. Pour over the graham cracker crust.

Bake just this layer for 30-40 minutes at 350 (just keep checking after 30 minutes to see when it's set).
In the meantime, stir together the sour cream, sugar, and vanilla extract. Once the bottom layer is set, pour this mixture over it and bake for another 10-15 minutes (until it's mostly set).

Remove from the oven and let cool to room temperature before refrigerating until it's completely cool.

Carrot Ginger Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Urban Frolicker) — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 19:10:00 +0000

I'm just gonna be honest and say that being allergic to walnuts and pecans sucks. It really, really sucks. Polvorones, you know? Those Mexican wedding cookies? Yeah, can't eat 'em. Carrot cake had always been off limits since so many people insist on adding walnuts, and I was never able to enjoy a nice sugar-laden slice of pecan pie.

Cue Alton Brown and his awesome cookbooks! My parents got me the set for Christmas, and I've worked my way through several recipes so far. This has to be one of my favorites. I adjusted it slightly, added some freshly grated ginger, and toned down the sugar, but otherwise this cake as fantastic. I know I've been using pumpkin pie spice in pretty much every recipe on this blog, but it's versatile, and a lot easier than buying several different spices you might never use.

It's not as fattening as it could be, and the finished cake is really moist. So forget about walnuts (though you can add them if you really want) and make Carrot cake better at home...

Basically, you shred up some carrots

Whisk a bunch of ingredients together

And bake

and make some awesome cream cheese frosting in pyrex

Carrot Ginger Cake

(adapted from Good Eats 2)

6-7 medium carrots, grated (about three cups shredded)

1 tbsp freshly grated ginger

1 1/2 Cups Flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1.5 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

3/4 cup white sugar

3 eggs

1 cup plain yogurt or sour cream

1/2 cup vegetable oil

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 8oz block cream cheese, room temperature

1/2 stick of butter, softened

1 tsp vanilla extract

2-3 cups powdered sugar

Preheat the oven to 350, butter and flour two 8-inch round cake pans

Whisk together flour, pumpkin pie spice, ginger, salt, baking soda, baking powder in large bowl. Toss the grated carrots in and work with your hands until the carrots are well-coated in the flour mixture.

Whisk together oil, sour cream, eggs, sugars, yogurt/sour cream. Fold into the carrot and flour mixture until just combined. Distribute batter evenly between two cake pans.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes, and then reduce temperature to 325 and bake for about another 20 minutes. Keep checking the cake after 15 minutes though, to make sure you don't over bake.

Cool in the pan for 15 minutes, and then on a rack until completely cool.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Whisk together cream cheese, butter, and vanilla until well-combined. Adding half a cap at a time, gradually whisk in powdered sugar until you get the consistency you want.

Vegan Lasagna

noreply@blogger.com (Urban Frolicker) — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 20:10:00 +0000

After a few weeks into second semester, I'm starting to get those all-too-familiar cravings for good comfort food. I think it's currently being caused by oh-my-crap-i-have-to-find-a-job-this-summer-and-do-better-in-my-classes stress.

Lasagna is one of my old-school comfort foods. My mom used to make a version with ricotta and cilantro which sounds odd, but was actually pretty fantastic. My friend Susan Wong makes pretty awesome lasagna with bits of cream cheese interspersed with ground turkey and tomato sauce that I crave on a regular basis.

The problem with all these comfort food cravings is that I'm trying to re-trainsition into veganism and have started the gym again. It's hard to justify eating half a pan of lasagna if you are waking up early for spin class the next day.

Cue vegan lasagna! I bumped up the health by making noodles out of zukes and the tofu "ricotta" is so good you can't even tell the difference!

Instead of piling on globs of parmesan or of a heavily processed vegan parmesan alternative, I just made "poor man's parm" by frying up some breadcrumbs in olive oil and spices. If you omit these, this lasagna becomes gluten-free! While it's not necessarily "make it better at home" since there are some really excellent lasagnas out there, it's definitely "make it better (for you) at home."

Vegan Lasagna with Zucchini Noodles

4-5 large zucchini
1 onion
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch fresh spinach, blanched and squeezed dry
1 bunch basil
1 jar of your favorite marinara sauce, or a large can of diced tomatoes with juice
veggie sausage (optional)
1 package firm (not extra firm) tofu
1/2 lb mushrooms
juice and zest of 1/2 an orange
salt, pepper, olive oil

First, slice the zucchini into strips lengthwise and soak in salt water for 1-2 hours. Rinse off and dry in the oven set at 150-200 degrees, checking every few minutes to make sure they don't brown.

While the zucchini are soaking, make your sauce. Saute mushrooms, onions and garlic in olive oil for 5-7 minutes and add jarred sauce or canned tomatoes, chopped up vegan sausage (if your'e using it) and simmer (if you're using a can of diced tomatoes, make sure to boil down the sauce and reduce it so the lasagna isn't super-watery).

Meanwhile, make the "ricotta." Crumble up the tofu with your hands into a big bowl. Add spinach, chopped basil, 1 tbsp of olive oil, orange juice and zest, salt, and pepper to taste. Mix vigorously until well combined.

Once the zucchini are done, begin layering your lasagna. Start with a layer of zucchini, then tomato sauce, then tofu mixture and repeat.

If you'd like, you can pulse whatever bread you have around and fry the breadcrumbs in 2 tbsp of olive oil, salt and pepper to make a parmesan substitute to sprinkle over the top.

Bake the whole thing, covered, at 375 for 50 minutes. After 30 minutes, check how watery it is and drain out the extra water if necessary.

Red Velvet Cupcakes

noreply@blogger.com (Urban Frolicker) — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 04:24:00 +0000

I've been trying to cook healthier this year, trying to do away with processed foods, and cook clean. Yeah, I'm not quite there yet. I'm sure by the end of 2011, I'll have an all natural vegan and beet-dyed version of these, but they are pretty fantastic just the way they are. Besides, it's been below zero for the past few days, and sometimes you just need a little cupcake in your life.

Sure, you could hit up your local cupcake shop and spend 3, 4, or 5 bucks on a single cupcake, or you could make an entire batch of them and eat them all yourself. Luckily, it was my friend Keshia's birthday this week and I had an excuse to share.

This started out as a Cake Doctor recipe years ago, but has morphed into my own after making these so many times. Make sure you use the almond extract, it makes all the difference.

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Almond Cream Cheese Frosting

Cupcakes

1 package German Chocolate Cake mix
1/2 Cup flour
1 small package vanilla pudding mix
1 cup sour cream
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup white vinegar
3 eggs
1 bottle RED food coloring (the big ones in the spice section, not the little bottle with the pointy top)

Almond Frosting

1 brick cream cheese, room temperature
1 stick butter, room temperature
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp - 1 tbsp almond extract (to taste)
3-4 cups powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350.

Whisk dry ingredients until well combined before adding in wet ingredients. Once everything is well mixed, add the food coloring. Be careful, it stains!

Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full and bake for 19-22 minutes until tops of cupcakes are firm.

Cool for at least 30 minutes before frosting.

To make frosting, cream together butter, cream cheese, vanilla, and almond extract. Slowly add powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time while whisking vigorously. Start with 1tsp of almond extract, and increase to taste.

Snowpocalypse Casserole

noreply@blogger.com (Urban Frolicker) — Sun, 06 Feb 2011 22:32:00 +0000

What is it about casseroles that's so comforting? Growing up, we'd only really have them at Thanksgiving, and that was because my grandma used to make this amazing concoction of sour cream, cream of mushroom, and zucchinis. In my recent quest to try and eliminate processed and packaged foods from my life, it's been a little hard to throw together a casserole with a can of good ol' cream of mushroom.

I saw something similar on the Kitchn blog (which you should check out if you haven't already) and figured I could turn it into a one pot meal kind of thing. After shoveling for hours and surviving the great Chicago Blizzard of 2011, it was time for some comforting food.

This dish is pretty fantastic because it omits the can of soup, and adds shallots. You should eat more shallots. They are somewhere between garlic and onion, but milder and really flavorful. Feel free to substitute stuff, add different veggies, or make it meatless.

Turkey and Chickpea Casserole with yogurt and shallots

1 pkg ground turkey

1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

3 slices bread (whatever you have around)

2 cups plain yogurt

2 eggs, lightly beaten

3 - 4 small shallots, minced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 bunch parsley, minced

2 Tsp. rosemary (fresh or dried)

Zest of 1 lemon

2 Tbsp lemon juice

1 Tbsp bouillon (or that "better than bouillon stuff")

1 cup grated parmesan

salt, pepper, olive oil

Preheat oven to 375

Brown the turkey meat in a pan and toss in a large bowl with chickpeas

Next, add garlic, shallots, parsley, eggs, yogurt, herbs, zest and juice.

Stir really well, and add half of the parmesan

Next, pulse the bread in a food processor until you get small breadcrumbs. Alternatively, you can double toast the bread and crumble it with your hands. Toss together with black pepper and the remaining parmesan.

Pour the turkey and chickpea mixture into a casserole pan and top with breadcrumbs and cheese

*note, i used gruyere which was ok but a little too stinky for this recipe. Parm would definitely be the way to go

Bake for an hour and let rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Quinoa

noreply@blogger.com (Urban Frolicker) — Sat, 15 Jan 2011 18:13:00 +0000

After spending a frigid week back in Chicago after sunny San Diego, I took off for the Pacific Northwest to spend a few days cooking with my mom, sister, and stepdad. Even though it's fairly grey up here, it's refreshing to be somewhere that's not covered in ice and snow.

Today, we're heading to one of my favorite towns in the Pacific Northwest, Port Townsend. Historic homes on a hill, quaint lighthouses along the seashore, and a multitude of used bookstores to peruse, it might be one of the cutest towns on earth... seriously.

As shopping fuel, i figured something nutritious and filling would be good to bring along so I started with some quinoa and added some other wintry items to complete this awesome one pot meal.

Wintry Quinoa Salad

1 cup dry rinsed quinoa
2 white onions
1 butternut squash
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup toasted sliced almonds

First, boil the quinoa according to package directions and set aside. In the meantime, dice the onions and cook them in some olive oil over low heat until they are caramelized (30-40 minutes). Peel and shop the squash into small cubes and roast in the oven at 450 for 15 minutes or until soft and browned.

Toss everything together in a bowl with salt and pepper to taste.

That's it! Super simple, yet earthy and comforting at the same time. It also happens to be vegan :)

Eggs are for Eaton(s)

noreply@blogger.com (Urban Frolicker) — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 02:31:00 +0000

Oh hello. It's already been a month? Props to people who write in blogs religiously throughout the holiday season.

After a whirlwind road trip to Southern California, dog in tow, visiting with everyone I could possibly squeeze in, a terrible cold has taken over my life. Adding to the misery is the fact that it's almost too cold to breathe outside, I didn't get to cook nearly enough, and visiting with friends and family made me painfully, nostalgically homesick.

Okay, enough whining. Luckily, I've had this recipe from Garrett that I've been waiting to try out. Since eggs are one of my absolute favorite things to eat, I knew they'd cheer me up. I'm generally a sunny side up, over medium, runny yolks all the way type, but the addition of half and half and cheese to these scrambled eggs may've changed my mind.

They are crazy easy, but so good I couldn't stop shoveling egg into my mouth. Seriously, these eggs embody lazy sunday brunches outdoors on warm summer mornings in SoCal. I fried up some hoe cakes (recipe to come) to go along with them, and if I'd have had a bottle of champagne, a mimosa would've made this the perfect brunch to shake of the cold weather if only for a few fleeting moments...

3 eggs
2 tbsp half and half
1/2 cup of shredded cheese (cheddar/jack mix - Sargento Mexican 4 cheese is what I use)
1 pat of butter (for pan)
salt / pepper

Add butter to pan and put on medium low heat
Crack three eggs in a bowl
Add half and half, salt and pepper
Beat
Add to pan once heated
Mix/scramble as usual
Just before all eggs are cooked, add cheese
When cooked completely, plate, add more salt/pepper to taste

Voila!

Let's Make Pop Tarts

noreply@blogger.com (Urban Frolicker) — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 17:27:00 +0000

Finals are rapidly approaching and the food I've been making is getting more and more comforting as the stress builds. Honestly, at this rate I'll be eating a stick of butter for breakfast on December 7th.

I know what you're thinking, "Pop Tarts? Really?"

I used to be in the same boat, thinking that I'd never again want to eat those questionable rectangles in a package. But every once in a while I hear them whispering to me out of a random vending machine and I give in, only to be overcome by mild guilt after inhaling them.

Honestly, how many wholesome breakfast options can you think of that are covered in frosting and rainbow sprinkles?

Yes, I've eaten cupcakes for breakfast.

No, that's not what I was thinking of.

These things are better than anything out of a package and though I wouldn't necessarily call them "healthier" since there's a full stick of butter involved, they are delicious and it's ridiculously easy to make them better at home.

Crust

1 1/4 cup flour
1 stick butter (cut into small cubes and frozen for 5 minutes)
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg (cold)
2 tablespoons ice water

Filling

Strawberry Jam
*you can actually use anything you'd like here substituting your favorite pop tart flavor... I'm just partial to the strawberry ones myself

Frosting

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4-1 cup powdered sugar
1-2 Tablespoons milk

Crust

Whisk together dry ingredients in a bowl until combined. Then, dump the butter in all at once and work it into the dough with your fingers until there are little clumps of butter all throughout the dough.

Beat the egg with the ice water and fold into mixture until just combined. Push the whole thing together with your hands on a floured surface trying not to knead too much as you work it into a ball.

Divide the ball in half and freeze for 3-5 minutes so the butter can re-solidify.

After it's done chilling, roll each ball into a rectangle and cut into rectangles.

Make your Pop Tarts by spreading 1-2 tablespoons of jam (depending on how big your rectangles are) around the center of one of the rectangles, placing another rectangle over the jam, and pressing together with a fork. Place your completed Tarts on a cookie sheet and freeze for 10-15 minutes to re-chill the dough.

Bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until the tops and edges begin turn golden brown.

While they are baking, whisk together frosting ingredients, adding more milk as needed to get the right consistency of frosting. Once the Tarts are cooled to room temperature, frost and eat!

Shepherd's Pie

noreply@blogger.com (Urban Frolicker) — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 16:35:00 +0000

A perfect combination of all things good in the world: meat, potatoes, veggies. It's not something we grew up eating at home, but in the past few years it's definitely become one of the most comforting foods I can think of. With the stress of finals approaching, and the bone-chilling breezes whistling through the city, I knew it was time to make Shepherd's Pie.

The first version I learned to make was a layer of meat in white gravy, a thick layer of mashed potatoes, and a layer of cheese and peas on top. After ordering it at various restaurants and being disappointed, I've experimented with several versions until settling on this one. It's a little laborious, but it makes 6-8 servings and will freeze really well.

During my foray into veganism for the early part of this year, I concocted a fantastic vegan version which is definitely on the healthier side in case you'd prefer that. I'll include that recipe at the end.

Shepherd's Pie can be broken down into three steps: Potatoes, Veggies, Meat.

I usually put the potatoes on to boil first. Make sure you start with cold water and let the potatoes heat up in the water so they cook evenly.

While they boil, you can start the gravy. My grandma would actually start gravy this way for Thanksgiving, it helps to get rid of the raw flour flavor before you add it into the liquid. Dump some flour into a dry pan over medium heat and stir frequently until the flour turns light brown.

Set this aside, we'll use it for gravy once the meat and veggies are done cooking. Your potatoes are probably still boiling by this point, so start the veggies. Saute onions, until they are deep brown and super flavorful before adding the rest of the chopped ingredients

Cook everything down for another seven minutes or so until all the veggies are mostly cooked through. Set those aside and dump some ground turkey into the pan to brown

Once the turkey is crumbled and brown, it should look like this

Once that's done, you can toss with the veggies and let it sit while you finish the gravy

For the gravy, melt two two tablespoons of butter with a tablespoon of olive oil. Saute mushrooms and onions and garlic in this for 7-10 minutes until hey start to brown. Add in half of the flour to start with and whisk furiously before adding in the stock.

Let it come to a boil and if you need to thicken the gravy more, whisk a few tablespoons of water with some of the remaining flour until its pasty before adding into the gravy. This will make sure you don't end up with big hunks of flour at the end.

When you're happy with the consistency, let the gravy simmer while you mash the potatoes. I know it sounds fattening, but a couple tablespoons of mayonnaise mixed in with butter and milk will make your potatoes amazing. AMAZING.

Once your potatoes are mashed, you're ready to assemble the pie. Dump the meat and veggie mixture into a 9x13 baking dish and stir in the gravy.

Top with a layer of mashed potatoes and sprinkle the top with whatever spices you might want to add. I happened to have some smoked paprika, which worked pretty well.

Turkey Shepherd's Pie

1 lb ground turkey (beef is fine too)

2 lbs potatoes (Yukon Golds are awesome)

1 large onion diced, divided

3 carrots, diced

1 cup fresh green beans, chopped

1 zucchini, chopped

1 yellow squash, chopped

2 cups of mushrooms, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

4 cloves minced garlic

1 cup of flour

2-3 cups chicken stock

2 tablespoons mayonaise

1/4-1/2 cup milk

4 tablespoons butter, divided

**Note - to make this recipe a lot easier, you can just buy a frozen package of mixed vegetables (peas, carrots, corn, green beans etc.) instead of buying carrots, squash, bell pepper.

First, peel and chop the potatoes before putting them on to boil. In the meantime, heat the flour in a dry pan, stirring frequently, until browned. Remove from heat and set aside.

While the potatoes are still boiling, saute 3/4 of the diced onion in some olive oil over medium heat. Once it's beginning to brown, add 3 cloves of the minced garlic, and the rest of the diced veggies. Saute over medium-high heat until mostly cooked through.

Once your potatoes are done, drain and mash with mayo, 2 tablespoons of the butter, and as much milk as you need. Make sure to season with salt and pepper.

Now, finish your gravy. Saute remainder of onions with mushrooms and garlic over medium-high heat in remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and some olive oil. Whisk the toasted flour with the chicken stock until no lumps remain. Once the onions and mushrooms are browned, add the flour/stock mixture in a steady stream. You can thin this out with water, broth, or milk if it's too thick.

While gravy is simmering, brown the turkey in a pan, and add to the veggie mixture in a casserole dish. Pour the gravy over the meat and veggie mixture and stir to combine.

Spread the mashed potatoes over the mixture and top with whatever spices you'd like.

Bake the whole thing, covered in foil, at 375, removing the foil for the final 15 minutes of baking.

Vegan Shepherd's Pie

1 Cup Texturized Vegetable Protein (soaked in 1 cup veggie broth for 5 minutes)

or 1 pkg crumbled meat replacement

3 cups veggie broth

2 lbs potatoes

2 onions, diced, divided

3 carrots, diced

1 large leek (white and light green parts only)

1 cup fresh green beans, chopped

1 zucchini, chopped

1 yellow squash, chopped

2 cups of mushrooms, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

4 cloves minced garlic

1 cup of flour (all purpose GF flour works too)

4 tablespoons nutritional yeast

1/2 cup white wine (optional)

Soymilk (or whatever unsweetened milk substitute you use)

Earth Balance

Olive oil

**Note - you can replace carrots/green beans/zucchini/squash/bell pepper with a bag of frozen mixed vegetables. Also, nutritional yeast is usually in a health foods store, but you can omit

First, peel, chop, and boil potatoes.

While the potatoes are boiling, saute one of the diced onions over medium heat until it begins to brown. Add the rest of the veggies and 3 cloves of the minced garlic. Saute for 5-6 minutes, and add in the TVP or meat replacement crumbles and remove from heat.

When your potatoes are done, drain and mash with Earth Balance, soy milk or whatever milk-substitute you use, and salt and pepper.

Next, toast 1 cup of flour in a dry pan over medium heat until it turns brown. Remove from heat and set aside.

Saute mushrooms, remaining onion, garlic and sliced leek in some Earth Balance. Make sure to cook this down until the mushrooms are really beginning to brown, this will give you awesome tasting gravy! It should take up to ten minutes on medium heat. Also make sure you have enough Earth Balance & Olive oil in the pan to keep things from sticking. If you are using the wine, pour it in when the mushrooms are done browning and let it cook down for another minute.

In a bowl, whisk the toasted flour and 2 cups of the veggie broth until there are no more lumps. Gradually whisk into the mushroom/onion mixture until it's the right consistency. Use the remaining broth if it's too thick. Simmer on low for 5 minutes.

To assemble the pie, dump the veggie/TVP mixture into a baking sheet and stir in gravy. if you have the nutritional yeast, sprinkle it over the mixture before spreading on the mashed potatoes. Sprinkle the top with whatever spices you'd like and bake, covered with foil, at 375 for 35 minutes. Take the foil off for the final 15 minutes.

Let's Make Chili!

noreply@blogger.com (Urban Frolicker) — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 22:51:00 +0000

Well it's November, and it just so happens to be my favorite month! Yes, I know final exams are rapidly approaching, and I will have to start looking for a summer internship soon, and it's now too frigid to go to the dog beach with Francis, but it's still my favorite month of the year.

Why is it my favorite month? Well, the leaves are changing color which is pretty spectacular to see for the first time, Thanksgiving is coming up soon which is the greatest holiday EVER, and my birthday is just around the corner too! I guess I could say I'm excited that football season started, but I'd be lying.

Speaking of football, last year for the super bowl my friend Stacie and I concocted some vegan chili that turned out to be fantastic. I know, it's vegan, but most of your football-watching, meat-eating friends won't even notice. Why is chili always questionable brownish/reddish/orangeish color with questionable ingredients and an oil slick floating over the surface? It doesn't need to be.

Dare I say it, this chili is healthy! If that's too much for you, swap out the Texturized Vegetable Protein (TVP) for ground beef and pour it over french fries.

Are we still cool?

Good.

Chili is as easy as slicing and dicing up some aromatics like onions, pepper, and garlic,

Cook them down for a while before adding all the canned goods

Then add cans of your favorite beans and a can of Rotel tomatoes and chilis

toss in some diced green onions and cilantro (those of you who have a strange disdain for cilantro may omit it, but your chili will not be as good)

and a some soaked TVP

finish off with some tomato paste... how cool is this squeeze tube btw?

and simmer the whole thing for as long as you can wait before scarfing down a bowl - disclaimer, sour cream and cheddar cheese are NOT vegan. Fritos are though, so go to town and have vegan Frito pie for supper.

Vegan (or not) Chili

1 onion, diced
3 bell peppers, any color, diced
4 cloves of garlic, smashed and diced
1 bunch green onions, whites and greens sliced
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
1 1/2 Cups TVP, soaked
**if you can't find TVP, use a crumbled soy product like taco "meat" or soyrizo
1 can Rotel tomatoes and peppers
1 can corn
2 Tablespoons tomato paste
5 cans of your favorite beans
**I use 1 garbanzo, 2 red kidney, 1 black bean, 1 baked bean
salt, pepper, lime

First, saute the garlic, onions, and peppers over medium heat until tender and they begin to brown

Then, dump in the cans of beans, corn, and Rotel with their liquid. Bring to a boil and add green onions (reserve some for garnish) cilantro, and squeeze in a lime.

Simmer, covered, on low heat for 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes, stir in the tomato paste and simmer again for at least 10 minutes but up to 30 minutes before serving.

Pumpkin Mac and Cheese

noreply@blogger.com (Urban Frolicker) — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 00:57:00 +0000

Well, I made it through midterm exams with my sanity intact, but craving comfort food in the worst way possible. I bought this pie pumpkin meaning to carve it, but haven't had the time and figured I might as well make dinner out of it.

While it's not necessarily everyone's idea of comfort food, I had this at a fund raising event a couple years ago and never stopped thinking about it. There's something about pumpkin pie spice that makes me feel comforted and I think the spice blend does really well in savory dishes.

I also like to fool myself into believing that it's healthier since there's pumpkin in it.

I searched for the recipe all over the interwebs, and even called the hotel to ask if they'd give it up.

They didn't.

But... I made it better at home.

It's as easy as splitting open and roasting a pumpkin

Making a simple mornay - I was going to take a picture but my hands were full.

Cooking down some mushrooms, onions, and garlic

Boiling up some pasta - I like this kind because i think it holds the sauce really well

and baking the whole thing

The best thing is, you can customize this recipe really easily. Keep the pumpkin, ditch the pumpkin, swap it for butternut squash, swap out the cheeses for your favorites, use dijon mustard, change up the pasta, add some roasted cauliflower...

Pumpkin Mac and Cheese

1 pie pumpkin, roasted and mashed

1 lb fusili, rotini, or any kind of pasta

3 cups shredded sharp cheddar

1 cup shaved parmesan

1 tablespoon yellow mustard

2 cups milk

1/2 cup flour

1 stick of butter

1 1/2 cups breadcrumbs (just toast some bread and crumble it with your hands)

1 heaping teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1/2 lb. mushrooms, sliced

1 large yellow onion, sliced

3 cloves garlic, smashed

salt + pepper

Slice the pumpkin in half, scoop out the seeds and guts, and roast, cut side down, until soft. It usually takes around 30-45 minutes @ 400 degrees.

While the pumpkin is roasting, cook the pasta until al dente.

Also while the pumpkin is roasting, cook the mushrooms, onions, and garlic over medium low heat for about 20 minutes. The onions will start to caramelize, and the mushrooms will shrink up.

Once the pumpkin is done roasting, and it's cool enough to handle, scoop out the meat and mash in a bowl with some salt and a bit of butter.

Now you can make your mornay sauce. Heat the butter over medium low heat until it's completely melted and bubbling slightly. Dump in the flour all at once, and whisk quickly until it's all incorporated. Try not to let the mixture turn brown.

Quickly whisk in the cold milk and bring the whole thing to a low simmer. Gradually whisk in the cheese, one handful at a time. Once all the cheese is incorporated, add in the smashed pumpkin. Remove the whole thing from the heat and season with pepper, pumpkin pie spice, and mustard.

Now you're ready to bake and assemble. Mix the pasta, cheese sauce, and onion mushroom mixture together in the pot you used to cook the pasta. Pour it into a rectangular baking dish and top with the breadcrumbs.

Bake at 375 for 20 minutes covered with foil and remove the foil for the last 10 minutes of baking.

Salted Caramel Apple Pie

noreply@blogger.com (Urban Frolicker) — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 17:19:00 +0000

Growing up in San Diego, there was only one place for apple pie in the autumn and it was Julian. Nestled in the mountains of San Diego county, it's one of the only places I've ever seen snow. The added bonus of Julian is that it's stuffed full of used bookstores and antique shops, making the trip up there definitely worthwhile. I pretty much compare every apple pie I eat to Mom's and most of them fall pretty darn short.

What could make an apple pie better than it already is? A layer of gooey caramel, of course! It's definitely an interesting twist on classic apple pie.

It's what would happen if a caramel apple and a Mom's apple pie had a love child.

btw. do you say car-mul or care-uh-mel? I'm a car-mul person myself.

Basically, you chop up some apples and cook them down in butter, brown sugar, and spices...

Bake a pie crust and fill it with caramel

fill that with the apples

toss on some crumb topping, and bake!

Caramel Apple Pie (adapted from Pete Bakes)
-i know the recipe looks pretty intense, but it's actually fairly simple -

1 pie crust (i love Joy the Baker's Crust, but a frozen store-bought crust will work too)

caramel sauce

2/3 c sugar
1/4 c water
1/4 c heavy whipping cream
3 Tbsp butter
3/4 tsp kosher salt

filling

1/2 cup packed golden brown sugar
1 tsp cornstarch
2 Tbsp (1/4 stick) butter
2 lbs granny smith apples, peeled, and sliced
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

2 Tbsp flour

crumb topping
6 Tbsp flour
6 Tbsp packed dark brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
3 Tbsp chilled butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

*note, if your'e not a big fan of crumb crust, you could make a two-crust

pie out of this just as easily

Pre-bake your pie crust either according to your recipe or the package

Next, make your caramel sauce by cooking the water and sugar on medium high heat until it starts to turn dark amber. At this point, immediately remove the pot from the heat and dump in the heavy cream and butter. It will bubble up, but keep stirring constantly until you're left with some nice-looking caramel.
-I went a little heavy on the salt, but you can salt to taste or omit altogether-

Set your caramel aside and cook down your apples in the butter, under medium-high heat until they are soft. Take them off the heat and stir in vanilla, spices, cornstarch, and flour.

Then make your crumb topping by dumping all the ingredients into a bowl and mixing it around with your hands until loose crumb clumps have formed. Make sure not to overwork the topping though, or the butter will melt and the whole thing will get messy.

Now you can assemble your pie! Pour the caramel in the bottom, add the apple mixture, and top with either the crumb topping or your second pie crust.

Bake the whole thing (on a cookie sheet to catch the caramel that bubbles over) at 375 for about 25-30 minutes or until it's golden. Let it cool for 10-15 minutes before eating.

Poutine!

noreply@blogger.com (Urban Frolicker) — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 03:48:00 +0000

One of the greatest things about living in the midwest, particularly this close to Mars Cheese Castle in Kenosha, WI is the abundance of cheese. Seriously, I thought we were cheese crazy in California, but there's a reason they call those folks cheeseheads up there. I've had plain cheese curds, grilled cheese curds, even battered and deep fried cheese curds!

When I went through my vegan phase earlier this year (102 days thank you very much) cheese and pretty much all dairy products were what I missed more than the actual meat. Now that I'm no longer vegan, but have moved a couple thousand miles away from San Diego, the thing I miss most is Carne Asada French Fries - I know, it sounds like an abomination, but if you can picture a pile of french fries, piled high with seared steak, guacamole, sour cream, cheese, and salsa, you're halfway there. Seriously, they are one of God's great gifts to mortals and only available in San Diego, CA.

Anyway, since I can't get carne asada fries here, and since I am now a midwesterner for better or worse, I decided to try the canadian version of Carne Asada Fries... Poutine!

French Canadians go crazy for this stuff, which consists of french fries, brown gravy and cheese curds. I'm sure you could use regular cheese too, but I happen to have cousins from Ottowa, and they know what they are talking about.

First, you gotta double fry your french fries. I know, it's total fatty status but they will taste like the ones from Islands/Red Robin/In-N-Out and it makes a HUGE difference.

Toss on some cheese curds. I could only find yellow ones at my local cheese castle, but I think you're supposed to use white ones.

Top with a thick brown gravy - mine had mushrooms and soy sausage in it! Make sure it's boiling when you pour it over the cheese to melt the curds and turn the whole thing into the most amazing comfort food imaginable.

It's as easy as that. I know, it doesn't necessarily sound that good, but don't knock it until you've tried it. When I first heard about this stuff from my friend Norissa, I thought it sounded kind of questionable too. I am so very glad I made it though, and you will be too! Forget about French Canadians, and make it better at home!

Homemade Poutine

4-5 large russet potatoes

1/2 lb cheese curds or 8oz shredded cheese

1/2 cup flour

1 stick butter

1-2 cans cold beef stock

salt + pepper

mushrooms and sausage/soy sausage (optional)

Make your double-fried french fries first. Fry them once only until they are soft and semi-cooked. Drain them on paper towels and allow them to cool for 20-30 minutes before frying them again right before you're about to eat. I usually leave the skins on and fry them until they are a deep brown. Your fries will be better than any fast food or frozen fries you've ever had.

Trust me on this one, I eat a lot of carbs.

Next, make some gravy starting with a simple roux. Melt your butter in a pan over medium heat, and dump in the flour all at once. Whisk rapidly until the whole thing has turned a light brown. Pour in your beef broth until the gravy has reached the right consistency. At this point you can add in cooked mushrooms, onions, soy sausage, etc...

After your gravy is done, assemble your poutine. I'd recommend eating only vegetables the next day. It's a pretty heavy dish.

And, if poutine sounds like it might be a little too much for you to handle, at least double fry your french fries next time. You'll thank me.

Potato Potato Pie

noreply@blogger.com (Urban Frolicker) — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 02:21:00 +0000

Several years ago, during a random bout of insomnia, I learned two very important things:

1. If i go for too long without sleep i will start sneezing uncontrollably

2. How to make this sweet potato, potato "pie" thing

I was an undergrad in Los Angeles and funding was tight, but i still wanted to eat well, so this recipe fit the bill perfectly. It's been so long I don't even remember what program it was, i think it was on KPBS at some ungodly hour. I do remember that the program involved a couple of portly, middle-aged ladies, who laughed a lot and sipped wine while they cooked. I even googled it to see if it was online anywhere, but haven't been able to locate the program or the recipe.

Maybe the whole thing came to me in a dream?

Whatever it was, this recipe made such an impression on me, I've been making it ever since from memory.

It's the perfect autumn recipe, especially since most of us will be buying pumpkin pie spice soon.

After you make this, you'll probably want to give me a hug.

It's cheap, it's easy, and it looks pretty spiffy. Kinda like...

Wait.

It's also really delicious.

Anyway, let's get started.

First, slice up some yams and potatoes. I usually use Yukon Golds because of their buttery flavor, but I'm sure regular old Russets would do.

Heat them up in a pan for a bit

Season aggressively

and bake!

I use a stainless steel pan for this, so i can put the whole thing in the oven right from the stove, but you can also use a pie pan or round cake pan and heat it up in the oven first before layering. The best part is that you can slice it like a pie once it's cooked.

*You can make this vegan by omitting the cheese and swapping butter for Earth Balance

Potato Potato "Pie"

2 large yams
4-6 gold potatoes
3/4 shredded parmesan
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
Pumpkin Pie Spice (nutmeg and/or cinnamon will work too)
salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 375

First, thinly slice the potatoes using either your mandolin or expert knife wielding skills.

In an oven-safe pan, melt the butter and begin placing the yams in a spiral, making sure to cover the entire bottom of the pan. Alternate, and place a layer of potatoes on next. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, some parmesan, and pumpkin pie spice, and drizzle with a bit of olive oil saving the rest for future layers.

Repeat this layering process, seasoning every other layer, until your pan is almost full.

(You want to leave the heat on medium/medium high while you are doing this so the bottom layer can crisp up and serve as a sort of crust. Also, make sure you sprinkle enough cheese between the layers, it will help them adhere to one another)

Turn off the heat, cover, and place the whole thing in the oven for 35-45 minutes until the potatoes are cooked through, the cheese has melted, and your kitchen smells awesome.

I generally let it cool down for 10-15 minutes so it sets up a bit and it easier to slice.

Pupusas!

noreply@blogger.com (Urban Frolicker) — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 02:40:00 +0000

Have you had a pupusa before? Just saying the word puts a smile on my face. It's like mashing two sopes together and topping them with crunchy deliciousness.

Thank you El Salvador, for producing something so AWESOME. I used to work at this law firm in LA and twice a week a lunch time a rickety old roach coach would pull up into the alley behind our building and dish these out for 2 bucks a pop. There were only a couple of us at first, but after a few weeks, word had spread and the line was 20 minutes long.

I haven't had a pupusa in about 7 years, but I woke up craving them the other day and set out to make them. I did a little research on recipes, combined a few, and came up with this. It's not as greasy as the ones I remember, which makes me think it's a bit healthier. You can come up with pretty much anything to stuff them with, which makes it fun. Go vegan and skip the cheese, be creative and add some shredded rotisserie chicken, get carb wild and stuff them with potatoes. Either way, you can make these better at home on the cheap, and fairly easily.

I cheated a bit and used some salsa I'd made earlier, but the traditional way is just pureed stewed tomatoes with salt and pepper. It's up to you how authentic they'll be. I also used baggged cole slaw since it was cheaper than buying cabbage and carrots separately, and less work :)

Bean and Cheese Pupusas (gluten free!)

2 cups rice flour
1 cup hot water
1 can black beans
1/2 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 oz shredded cheese (i used colby jack)
Olive oil, salt, pepper

4 cups cole slaw
1 red onion thinly sliced
1/2 cup white or apple cider vinegar
salt, pepper, oregano

1 can stewed tomatoes, or some salsa

Saute garlic and onion with some olive oil in a saucepan. Add can of black beans with liquid, and bring to a boil. With a potato masher, mash down the beans while they are cooking until they are thick and only slightly lumpy. Let them cool for a few minutes and then mix in shredded cheese.

While this mixture is cooling, blanch the cole slaw and onions in boiling water for about 2 minutes.

Strain the whole thing and rinse several times with cold water. In a bowl, toss them with vinegar, salt, pepper, and a few pinches of oregano. Add a bit of cold water and let the whole thing sit while you make the pupusas.

Start with the rice flour in a bowl, and stir, gradually adding hot water until a thick dough forms. It will be somewhere between bread dough and cookie dough. Rub your hands together with a bit of olive oil to prevent sticking, and grab a golf ball sized chunk of dough. Working with your palm, flatten the dough and fill with a heaping tablespoon of bean mixture.

Now, fold over the outsides and flatten to about 1/4 inch thick. Some of the mixture will seep out, but that's ok, it crisps up and adds some extra flavor. You can also flatten them out a little more once they are in the pan.

Then, just fry a few at a time at medium high heat in a couple tablespoons of olive oil, flipping once. Top with the marinated slaw and pureed tomatoes or regular salsa.

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

noreply@blogger.com (Urban Frolicker) — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 22:38:00 +0000

Well, I think the cold is here to stay and my only defense is an awesome bowl of soup. I used to order it all the time at this cafe called Zanzibar in San Diego all year long. It was really good, but I always used to wonder how it would taste if they roasted the squash first.

I topped it with some sesame sticks, but you can top it with whatever crunchy, carbalicious thing you might have handy. Also, to make the recipe vegan, just swap the chicken broth for veggie broth and omit the heavy cream.

It's as easy as chopping up some veggies

and roasting up some squash

Seriously. I'm never paying for butternut squash soup again. You shouldn't either. Make it better at home. My grandma would be proud of you.

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

2 squash

1 large or 2 small leeks, thinly sliced until you hit the dark green part

2-3 carrots, diced

1 onion, thinly sliced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 8 oz carton heavy cream

6 cups chicken stock (i'm currently obsessed with "better than bouillon")

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

3 tablespoons molasses (brown sugar works too)

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (you could also use nutmeg, cinnamon, or some combination)

Olive oil, salt, pepper

Whisk together balsamic, molasses, and olive oil. Slice the squash in half, scoop the seeds out, and rub the mixture all over the inside. Sprinkle with salt and pepper as well.

Roast, sliced side up, at 400 degrees until its super soft and the edges start to blacken. This could take anywhere from 40 minutes to an hour.

Meanwhile, saute the carrots, leeks, garlic and onion in olive oil until tender (about 7 minutes).

Once the veggies are tender, add stock and simmer on low heat for about 20 minutes.

After the squash is roasted and you've let it cool for a bit, scoop out the insides with a metal spoon and drop them right into the pot of stock. Make sure to get all the burnt bits and the balsamic/molasses liquid that's left behind!

Working in batches in your blender or food processor, puree the stock and squash mixture until smooth.

Return the whole thing to low heat and once it begins to boil, stir in the heavy cream. Simmer for another few minutes, adjust seasonings (you can add some more pumpkin pie spice here), and serve topped with your favorite crunchy bits!

What to do with eggplant

noreply@blogger.com (Urban Frolicker) — Sun, 26 Sep 2010 16:31:00 +0000

My sister raised a really good point recently: eggplant usually takes a long time to cook! Usually I do either eggplant parmigiana, or layer it in some kind of lasagna, both of which take a little too much work. Not only that, as much as I like eggplant, it's either mushy and flavorless, or deep fried, when I order it in a restaurant.

This recipe is an awesome, healthy way to get that earthy eggplant flavor into a pasta dish. It also happens to be vegan!

First, I grilled some sliced eggplant in a grill pan, though you could just as easily do this on the BBQ.

Then I grilled up some tomatoes for a sauce base

Once those are grilled, chop everything up and toss it into a sauce pan with some onions, garlic, and crushed tomatoes.

Simmer and season for 15-20 minutes or so, and you're left with a smoky, earthy, eggplanty sauce!

Grilled Eggplant and Tomato Sauce

2 small or 1 large eggplant, sliced
2 Tomatoes, sliced
1 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, smashed
1 large can crushed tomatoes, with liquid (the fire roasted ones are the best)
Olive Oil
Salt, Pepper, Seasonings to taste

First, grill the sliced eggplant and tomatoes on a grill pan or on the barbecue. In a saucepan, saute the onion and garlic until tender, and add the diced eggplant and tomatoes along with the can of crushed tomatoes. Simmer for about 20 minutes, seasoning to taste.

Gaga for Romesco

noreply@blogger.com (Urban Frolicker) — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 04:27:00 +0000

In my refusal to let the cold weather take away the last bits of my first summer in Chicago, I was looking for a bright and flavorful way to capture the warm weather in a meal.

Fate was on my side, and red bell peppers were on sale for ten cents a piece. Not only that, Lady Gaga's Bad Romance has been on repeat in my head for about a month now, and that ro-ma-ro-ma-ma line just makes me think of Romesco sauce.

I remember tasting some on a piece of toast at some random Tapas bar in Barcelona and thinking that the bright, smoky, tangy flavors captured the essence of Spain perfectly.

My own version is simple, clean, and will smack you in the mouth with smoky deliciousness. Not only that, it's cheap and easy to make! Make sure to get smoked paprika though, it makes all the difference.

Fire roast some bell peppers,

Cover them up with some saran wrap so they will steam and soften for twenty minutes or so.

Cook down some tomatoes with olive oil and garlic...

Blanch some almonds and throw the whole thing in a food processor.

Romesco Sauce

1 large tomato

2 red bell peppers

2 cloves garlic, minced

3/4 cup blanched and dry-roasted almonds

2 Tbsp red or white wine (whatever you have open)

1 slice double toasted loaf bread

1 teaspoon smoked Spanish paprika

Olive Oil, Salt, Pepper

Roast 4-5 red bell peppers over a gas stove until they are black and mostly charred all over. I know it looks and sounds a bit dangerous, but my grandma showed me how to do this years ago and even though this was my first time trying it, the results are amazing! If you don't have a gas range, you can also grill the peppers on a barbecue.

Blanch almonds for 2-3 minutes in boiling water, and rub the skins off in a colander under cold running water. Dry roast them in a saucepan until they've dried off and start to turn brown and smell fantastic

Finally, pulse everything in a food processor until the whole thing is well-blended and you have a thick sauce about the consistency of hummus.

You can serve this on some good crusty bread, over grilled meat, or even use as a dip for carrots. I got a little crazy and spooned it over fried chicken cutlets and served it with roasted cauliflower.

Figs. Cake. Repeat.

noreply@blogger.com (Urban Frolicker) — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 04:56:00 +0000

As much as I love sweets, sometimes i'm a little disappointed by a restaurant's dessert-making skills (I'm talking to you, Souplantation). It's happened to all of us. You have an awesome meal, only to be greeted by dry cake, watery creme brulee, or a cannoli that's seen better days.

I say screw 'em. Go out for an awesome meal, and come home to a homemade dessert!

My awesome friend Sara recently sent me this recipe for Olive Oil Pistachio Cake with Fig Compote Filling and Cream Cheese Frosting posted on the ever-delicious "In The Kitchen" series over at Design Sponge.

Say what?

Yeah. I love Sara.

The cake is good too. It's really really good.

My experience with figs, other than Fig Newtons, is pretty much non-existent. Fate smiled down on me this morning though, when fresh figs and pistachios happened to be on sale at this awesome produce place down the street. Double score!

It's as easy as baking a cake...

(I have a weird obsession with vintage Pyrex)

Cooking down some figs...

And shellacking on some frosting.... (is that word?)

I had been meaning to try out an olive oil cake for a while, and this was the perfect opportunity. With the addition of pistachios and figs, the whole thing has this Mediterranean vibe. The cake is super moist, not very sweet, and the tartness of the figs hold up to the decadent cream cheese frosting... do yourself a favor and bake this cake. Then write Sara a thank you card. She's one of my kitchen heroes. Just wait until i get my hands on her doughy nutty cream cheesy dough ball recipe...

Here's the recipe with a few modifications from Design Sponge:

Pistachio Olive Oil Cake

1 cup shelled (salted and roasted) pistachios
1 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
2 tsp lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350. Grease 8×8 inch baking pan with olive oil.

Pulse pistachios in a food processor until the texture of big sand. Alternatively, you can put them in a Ziploc gallon bag and beat them with a wine bottle or rolling pin.

In a bowl, whisk ground pistachios, flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar until combined. Add oil and milk, and whisk for a couple minutes until everything is well blended. Add eggs and lemon juice and beat until mixed.

Pour batter into greased pan. Bake for about 35 minutes, or until edges are lightly brown, and inserted knife comes out clean.

Fresh Fig Compote

1.5-2 cups fresh figs

Juice from one large orange (1/3-1/2 cup)

1/2 cup water

1 tablespoon honey (or agave sweetner)

Chop figs into about 1/2 inch pieces. Cook them down along with juice and water in a small saucepan over medium heat until most of the liquid is gone (about 20 minutes). Stir in the honey after taking them off the heat, and allow mixture to cool.

*Note - you can also use dried figs if you can't find any fresh ones... just up the water to 1 1/2 cups

Cream Cheese Frosting

1/2 block cream cheese (softened)

1/2 stick butter (softened)

2-2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

In a small bowl, whisk together the softened cream cheese and butter until they are well combined. Mix in the vanilla, and begin to add the sugar in batches, whisking well before adding more.

Assembly

1. Slice the cake in half

2. Slather fig compote in between layers

3. Frost the top

4. Eat

I heart pie

noreply@blogger.com (Urban Frolicker) — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 02:13:00 +0000

I ate 1/4 of a pie for breakfast.

I'm not proud.

It was staggeringly, swelteringly, suffocatingly hot last night, and being the pie addict I am, I needed something to satisfy my sweet tooth without having to heat up the entire kitchen.

Cue Joy the Baker and her take on Martha Stewart's No-bake Peanut Butter Tart.

Bless. Her. Heart.

Seriously. This is better than the peanut butter pie I used to order at Denny's all the time when I was in high school. Not that Denny's is known for being an authority on pies or anything, but I was a fat kid in high school and that pie was freaking delicious.

Here's my take on a classic. I've modified the recipe a bit, mostly because I'm lazy and don't have a stand mixer.

Peanut Butter Pie

Crust
2 cups crushed cookies (Nilla Wafers, Marias, Graham Crackers, Oreos)
1 stick butter, melted

Filling
1 1/4 cups creamy peanut butter
1 small can sweetened condensed milk
1 tub cool whip, divided
1 8 oz. block of cream cheese, softened

First, make the crust. Crush the cookies as best you can in your hands, and finish them up with a rolling pin. You can also stick them in a big ziploc bag and smash them with a wine bottle. Not that I've done that before, I'm just giving you options.

Once they're smashed up and you have about 2 cups, pour them into a 9" pie plate. Pour on the butter and mix the whole thing up really well before patting it down to form a nice crust. Stick the crust in the freezer so the butter can re-solidify while you make the filling.

In a large bowl, mix together the peanut butter, condensed milk, and cream cheese with a wooden spoon until the whole thing is well combined. Next, fold in the 3/4 of the Cool Whip and pour the mixture into the crust.

Top with the remaining Cool Whip, and chill the pie in the fridge for about 2 hours or the freezer for 45 minutes before eating.

Slow Roasted Zucchini

noreply@blogger.com (Urban Frolicker) — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 01:54:00 +0000

I love squash in its many forms but i feel like it usually takes a back seat to whatever we're eating. I wanted to do something with zukes that would bring them front and center.

For a while, I was roasting them at 450 or even 500 degrees in the oven like Lynne Rossetto Kasper taught us all how to do on the Splendid Table, but because of their moisture content, I've found that zukes never roast as well as root vegetables like parsnips.

My friend Jeri told me about oven roasted tomatoes a while ago, which is as simple as roasting Roma tomatoes in an oven at 250 or so, for four hours. Those turned out fantastically, so I attempted to do that today with some zukes.

First, I used my trusty mandolin to make quick work of slicing up a zucchini and a yellow squash:

Next, I tossed the squash with some olive oil, salt, and pepper.

Then, I roasted the whole thing at 275 for about an hour and a half. Make sure to spread them fairly thinly on the pan, so that as much surface area as possible is exposed. Also, check them every ten minutes after an hour to make sure they don't burn!

The moisture of each slice is leeched out through slow roasting and the flavor of the squash becomes really concentrated, leaving you with these crispy little bits of deliciousness!

I had been craving polenta, so i served them on some crispy polenta squares with some soy sausage patties and tomato sauce. I know it sounds time consuming, but these little guys are totally worth it!

Hello World.

noreply@blogger.com (Urban Frolicker) — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 18:44:00 +0000

Growing up, every time I'd go out to eat with my grandma, her first comment after receiving our meal would be, "I can make this better at home!" Over the years, i've found myself not only making that same comment myself, but actually attempting to recreate things on my own.

It's something that's happened to all of us, those eggs Benedict you had last weekend that could've used a little kick? The chicken parmigiana you tried that was just a little on the soggy side? The spendy salad you ordered that turned out to be nothing more than iceberg lettuce and some dried-up purple cabbage?

Through this blog, amidst adjusting to law school, the Windy City, and my first winter outside of San Diego, i'll attempt to bring you easy, budget-friendly ways to make some of your favorite things better at home.