Sweat it Out–Eggplant Dip

I adore eggplant. Maybe even as much as I do winter squash. It’s just so versatile, healthy and tasty. Not too long ago I made a pasta dish using roasted eggplant and the puree was seriously one of the most delicious things I’ve tasted. I remember eating it by the spoonful –straight from the food processor. Then I made this dip and rediscovered how incredibly flavorful pureed eggplant is. And again, I ate it by the spoonful straight out of the food processor.

{Eggplant Pesto Dip}

adapted from Bon Appetit, June 2000

Ingredients:

• (1) 1 1/4 lb. Eggplant
• 1/3 c. Pine Nuts, toasted
• 2-3 Garlic Cloves, peeled
• 2 1/2 T. Fresh Basil, chopped
• 2 T. Fresh Parsley, chopped
• 1 T. Fresh Mint, chopped
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil, for brushing

Peel eggplant and cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick rounds. Place on large baking sheet; sprinkle lightly with salt. Let stand 30 minutes. This will “sweat” the eggplant – it is very important to bring out some of the moisture.

Preheat broiler. Rinse eggplant; pat dry with paper towels. Brush large baking sheet with extra virgin olive oil. Brush eggplant rounds generously on both sides with extra virgin olive oil. Place on prepared sheet. Broil eggplant until tender, about 6 minutes per side. Cool.

Finely grind pine nuts and garlic in food processor. Add eggplant and process to coarse puree. Transfer mixture to small bowl. Stir in chopped basil, parsley and mint. Season with salt and pepper.

Allow dip to come to room temperature and serve. Garnish with additional Basil leaves, if desired. Serve with a fresh baguette, sliced and toasted (optional). Or eat by the spoonful (recommended).

Lemon Corn Waffles with Blueberry Sauce

From the moment I saw this recipe, I knew I would be making it. I had a bite of a corn waffle at The Hen House back in August and immediately regretted having chose the buttermilk waffle. Corn waffles are SO flavorful.

It’s unusual for me to feel motivated to make breakfast (other than a bowl of oatmeal) but with the warm weather this weekend, I couldn’t resist. These waffles were outstanding. They were delicate yet filling and the lemon complemented the blueberry sauce so well.

Lemon Corn Waffles with Blueberry Sauce

adapted from Vegan with a Vengeance

• 1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
• 2 t. baking powder
• 1 .t baking soda
• 1/2 t salt
• 3/4 cornmeal
• 1/4 c. canola oil
• 2 c. unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 1/4 c. non-fat Greek yogurt
• Zest and juice from 2 lemons
• 1/4 c. sugar

Preheat waffle iron (according to manufacturer’s directions). Sift together first 5 ingredients in a large bowl. In another bowl, mix remaining ingredients until well combined. Create a well in flour mixture and mix in the wet ingredients just until combined. Make waffles according to the manufacturer’s directions.

Makes 4-6 Belgian waffles (Note: I halved recipe and it worked fine)

Blueberry Sauce

• 1 1/2 T. arrowroot powder
• 1 lb frozen blueberries, partially thawed
• 1/2 c. maple syrup/agave blend
• 1 t. vanilla extract

In a small saucepan off the heat, toss arrowroot powder with blueberries until it is mostly dissolved. Mix occasionally, should be done in ~5 minutes. Over medium heat, cook until moisture is released and blueberries are warmed. Add maple syrup/agave blend and vanilla. Heat for a few more minutes until sauce has thickened to desired consistency.

Honey Lavender Coconut Milk Ice Cream

My parents had a great surprise for me when I was visiting home last weekend and it came in the form of an ice cream maker. I have wanted once since late last summer but needed a new laptop at Christmas time so the ice cream maker wasn’t a priority. Best. Surprise. Ever. Well, at least as of late.

There’s also a really great natural foods store up in Maine near my parents’ that has bulk bins of herbs and spices. I saw lavender and immediately filled up a container with the stuff. Though I’ve had a couple of ideas tossing around about what to do with the lavender, it finally occurred to me that it might make an interesting ice cream ingredient. I did a bit of research and found out that it has been done. I used a couple of recipes as a guide for measurement purposes (I didn’t want to have the ice cream taste overwhelmingly like a flower) but ended up coming up with a basic recipe on my own. It. was. divine.

Recipe:

• 2 cans lite coconut milk
• 4-5 T organic wildflower honey
• 1 t dried lavender, ground
• contents of 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
• pinch of salt

Put all ingredients in food processor/blender until mixed. Pour into frozen ice cream maker bowl and make ice cream according to ice cream manufacturer’s directions.

I used a Cuisinart ice cream maker and it took about 20 minutes. The ice cream was creamy but a bit soft so I put it in a plastic container in the freezer to firm up.

It’s Good to Go Home

Friday after work, Griffy and I hit the road for a weekend of visiting in Maine.

{the co-pilot}

{the caffeine.}

  {sunday naps.}

{sunday scones.}

{lemon-cranberry scones, that is.}

{recipe here.}

Way too soon we will be packing up and hitting the road back to Boston. You better believe I’ll be bringing a scone [or three].

It’s good to go home.

I’m back!!!

The past few weeks have been crazy. First I got sick, then I got sicker until finally I was bedridden for way too long. While my appetite never went anywhere, big surprise, my motivation to cook was nowhere to be found. But a girl can only eat so much soup and so many pb&j’s before enough is enough. I don’t even need to say that it’s so great to be back and healthy. Though it is usually non-existent, my sweet-tooth was out in full-force while I was sick and I couldn’t stop thinking about cookies! So, with that said, for my first post back in too long…

White Chocolate Lime Cookies

 from Have Cake, Will Travel

Ingredients:

• 1/2 c butter (dairy or non)
• 3/4 c sugar
• Zest of 1 Lime
• Juice of 1 Lime (~2 t)
• 1 t Vanilla Extract
• 1 1/2 c Flour
• 1/2 t Baking Powder
• 1/2 t Baking Soda
• 1/2 t Sea Salt
• 1/4 c White Chocolate Chips
• 2-3 T Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

With an electric mixer, cream together butter and sugar. Add in lime juice, zest and vanilla extract.

In another bowl sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Fold in dry ingredients to wet. Add Almond milk as needed. Fold in chocolate chips.

Scoop up a Tablespoon or so of dough. Flatten a bit but leave room between cookies as they will spread a bit.

Bake for 12-14 minutes until golden brown.

After 2 minutes, transfer to a cooling rack.

Makes ~20 Cookies

Pretzel Rolls

I’ve been wanting to make pretzel rolls since the first time I saw them on a blog months ago.

Just. Look. At. Them.

Perfect dipped in soup. Or as the vessel for a delicious sandwich. And, of course, just by itself. I’m addicted.

Pretzel Rolls

Makes 6 Rolls

Ingredients:

• 1 .25 ounce package active dry yeast
• 1 c. warm water
• 1/2 c. granulated sugar
• 2 1/2 c. flour (I used 1/2 c. AP & 2 c. whole wheat)
• 7 c. water
• 1/2 c. baking soda
• coarse salt, for sprinkling

What You Do:

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the yeast, warm water and sugar, whisk gently until the yeast is dissolved. Let stand for 5 minutes, or until the mixture is bubbly. Add flour gradually until a soft dough ball is formed that is neither sticky nor dry, add extra flour if necessary. Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface and knead until elastic and smooth, about 3-4 minutes. Place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with towel, and let rise in a warm place* for about 1 hour or so until doubled in size.

*I pre-heated my oven to 200 F then shut it off when I put dough inside.

2. Preheat the oven to 400 F. Lightly oil a large baking sheet and set aside.

3. Bring water and baking soda to a rolling boil in a medium-large saucepan over medium-high heat. Punch the dough down and turn out onto a clean work surface. Separate the dough into 6 pieces and knead each until elastic. Shape into rolls about 3-4 inches long.

4. Drop 1 roll at a time into the boiling water. Boil for about 1 minute, remove using a slotted spoon, and transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Repeat this until all of your rolls have been boiled. Sprinkle with coarse salt and bake until golden brown, about 12-14 minutes. Allow rolls to cool slightly before serving, and allow to cool uncovered on a wire cooling rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

I wanted to thank all of those who voted for me to advance in Marx Food's Ridiculously Delicious Challenge! Though the official announcement will be made tomorrow, 3/7, I have been voted through to the next round. I already have started on my recipe for round 3… can’t wait to share it with you all!

Thanks Again!

Cheddar Biscuits

I’ve started wearing my glasses again.

I have no idea whether my prescription is right or not… it’s been a year since I’ve been to the eye doctor but I’ve been getting headaches after spending time editing photos and reading blogs.

So back to the glasses it is.

The reason I stopped wearing my glasses in the first place was because Griffy got his hands teeth on them about a year ago and made them the most expensive chew toy. Ever.

The lenses are scratched, the frames are bent and an ear piece is missing. But I’m wearing them.

Why am I telling you this?

Because despite the return to wearing my glasses, tonight, I could not believe my eyes.

When I walked in the door tonight, there was a large package waiting for me. A package I wasn’t expecting. I cautiously opened the package tore the box open. Sitting in a sea of packing peanuts, A HD FLIPCAM!  I had pretty much forgotten that I had entered a contest through Food Buzz's Tastemakers Program to make a video using Newman's Own products! I’m psyched to share my recipe proposal with all of you but I have to get busy because the video is due by THIS Friday.

My elaborate dinner plans went out the window. After all, I have some serious brainstorming to do. Dinner quickly became my leftover sweet and spicy vegetarian chili. (Don’t forget, voting for this recipe opens tomorrow 3/1 at Marx Foods!) But I’ve had my eye on these biscuits.

Mine were not vegan, I used skim milk and cheddar cheese. I omitted the sugar and garlic salt too. They were delicious. Amazingly flakey and perfectly cheesy. You MUST make these.

And a warning, as soon as these are done cooling, store them somewhere out of sight. Don’t even think of leaving them on the stove-top like I did. Why? Because you will be tempted to break off a crumb every time you walk by them. Trust me on this.