2011 | The Wannabe Chef

Yearly Archives: 2011

Finding The Light

Written on November 18, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Photography

I hate Daylight Savings Time. Hate it. I don’t care about that extra hour of sleep I got; it’s not worth the trade-off of it becoming dark outside by 5pm. That is a nightmare for a food blogger.

Something I haven’t talked about much is how frustrated I’ve been with my photography over the past 2 months. A dorm room—as you can imagine—has very limited space and this makes setting up elaborate scenes difficult. After 8 weeks of trial and error(and error and error), I think I’m just now starting to pick up the tricks of how to work with limited light and limited space.

My usual set up is to put a flat, textured surface on top of a storage bin set up in front of the window with a neutral background behind propped up with a chair to reflect the light. Once I have that set up, I start adding plates of food and other props around it to make it look like a more permanent tablescape.

I think one of the most important things is knowing when the light is “good” in a room. This is just something you have to observe about the space over time. For me it seems like there are a few hours in the morning and a few in the early afternoon when the most light comes through the window, so I try to arrange taking photographs around those times.

When everything else has come together, all that’s left is to find the right angles and start shooting. I’m a big fan of the take-many-photos-and-hope-one-isn’t-blurry method. A tripod to hold the camera, lengthen the exposure, and allow for more detailed, lightened photographs would be a good investment; but it’s one that I haven’t made yet.

The latest thing I’ve done to improve is switch from a white to a light grey background. The problem with white is that it’s often too bright and makes the rest of the image look dull in comparison. Depending on how the camera’s white balance is set, it might throw off the colors of the objects in the photo, too.

White balance is something I admit that I understand very little of; but certainly it’s one of those things that you notice in a photo when it’s well done and notice when it’s not. I’m looking forward to trying more with grey backgrounds with a grey posterboard I just bought(much better than an inside-out shirt).

Another option I’ve used is my homemade light box, which is good because it allows me to take photos at any time no matter how light it is outside. However, I’m not a huge fan of using it because I think it ends up looking too artificial and overexposed and the only way to change that is by making another larger light box. That being said, this is the first photo I’ve had accepted onto Tastespotting and Foodgawker in months so I shouldn’t knock it too hard.

Why all this about photography? Fore one, it’s probably the part of food blogging that comes least naturally to me. I feel very confident cooking for any number of people under whatever conditions and being able to make something satisfying. But photography takes work. Another reason is that I just found out I’ll be taking a photography course at the Rhode Island School of Design next semester. While the thought of being graded on something so far removed from my studies makes me a little nervous, I know in the end I’ll gain a lot from the experience and hope that shows through on the blog.

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Curry Roasted Chickpeas

Written on November 17, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Snack

This is undoubtedly one of my favorite recipes of recent. After all it has maple syrup and cinnamon—what’s not to love? And I loved the way the chickpeas tasted after they had been roasted, which made me want to try more variations.

Rather than go the sweet route(since I could eat sweets all day), I wanted a savory recipe that would be just as delicious but slightly less addicting. I love the combination of maple syrup and curry in this squash recipe so it seemed like a great way to start. The maple syrup doesn’t actually make these all that sweet; rather, it intensifies the spiciness of the curry and balances its saltiness for an intense flavor combination.

Different curry spice blends have different ingredients. If you’re opposed to spiciness, look for a mild-flavored blend. Additionally, if yours is salt-free, add 1/2 teaspoon salt to the recipe.

Curry Roasted Chickpeas

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 50 minutes

Ingredients:

1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained
1 Tablespoon maple syrup
2 teaspoons olive oil
3/4 teaspoon Indian curry spice blend

Method:

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
Toss all of the ingredients together in a large bowl.
Lay out the chickpeas in a single layer on a baking tray and roast for 50 minutes or until nutty and crispy, shaking the pan halfway through.
Serve hot or at room temperature. Keep leftovers in the refrigerator.

You can eat these on a salad or as a side dish or just on their own as a savory snack. Roasting the chickpeas makes them crispy, crunchy, and addicting.

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My Favorite Comfort Food

Written on November 16, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Entree

I think you can tell a lot about people based on what they love to eat: If they go to bed dreaming of bagels slathered in cream cheese, or wait each year until grilling season for authentic BBQ, or haunt the same local restaurant week after week for all-you-can-eat sushi.

A few years ago if you asked what my favorite comfort food meal was—the dinner I couldn’t get enough of—I’d say buffalo wings and pizza. It was the same thing we got every Tuesday night from a downtown restaurant where the pizza was particularly doughy and greasy and the wings drenched in batter and hot sauce. It wasn’t a particularly gourmet(or even good) meal but just the sight of it was familiar and inviting.

A lot’s changed since then. Having to stop eating gluten and becoming a vegetarian have opened my eyes up to a whole new set of foods. Most of all it’s shown me that there are healthier options than greasy pizza and fried chicken that can be just as familiar and comforting at the end of a long day.

When I was little I spent most of my Summer at my grandparent’s apartment since both my parents worked and they lived 1.5 miles away. My grandmother knew how to cook a few things, one of them being scrambled eggs that she cooked with a large wooden spoon and served with buttered toast. Now whenever I need that taste of home I go straight for the scrambled eggs—occasionally made with a wooden spoon—and served next to buttered home fries and a bed of steamed kale for color.

A lot of people will tell you the secret to good scrambled eggs is adding milk to the batter. I don’t think that’s it. The key to making good eggs is to take them off the heat before they’re finished cooking—when they’re mostly cooked but still have a glossy, wet shine on top. Eggs, like any protein, continue to cook even when they’re cooling; if you cook them fully on the stove, they’ll dry out as soon as you take them out of the pan.

And the secret to good potatoes? Time. Time in the oven, and then time on a hot pan on each side to get a brown crust. Oil, butter, and sliced onions never hurt either.

And of course there’s nothing more comforting than the whole plate covered in tangy, salty-sweet ketchup, coarse sea salt and fresh black pepper.

What’s the one meal that feels like home to you?

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Roasted Hazelnut And Candied Ginger Bark

Written on November 15, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Dessert

I love this time of year(except for the cold which I will complain about endlessly). The mall smells terrific; there’s Christmas music playing every time I walk into CVS; it’s socially acceptable again to spend your Saturday nights watching Christmas movies on Netflix(as opposed to when I do this in July); and food blogs post new and exciting dessert recipes every day.

Sam from Oh Nuts! offered to send me two of their products to start my Holiday baking and be entered in a contest. Sounded good to me. I love making and sharing food with friends and family and the holidays are the perfect time to do that. I asked for roasted hazelnuts and candied ginger; both of those are delicious on their own but also pair well with Winter flavors.

I didn’t want to do too much to the hazelnuts and ginger because their taste is so fresh. I decided to make bark since it’s an easy and elegant dessert that derives a lot of its flavor from the mix-ins added and the quality of chocolate used(I used Scharffen Berger). I didn’t have parchment or wax paper; twitter told me to avoid using aluminum foil, too, so I improvised with cupcake liners. I actually think these worked out really well since the chocolate didn’t stick at all and they come out already portioned. You can use these or make traditional bark by laying it out on a flat piece of parchment paper and breaking it into pieces.

Roasted Hazelnut And Candied Ginger Bark

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 0 minutes(allow 30 minutes to harden)

Ingredients(Makes 12 servings):

12oz 70% good quality baking chocolate OR 1 1/2 cups bitter-sweet chocolate chips
3oz(3/4 cup) roasted hazelnuts(preferably salted), crushed
4.5oz(3/4 cup) candied ginger, diced

Method:

Fill a dozen cupcake wells with paper liners.
Melt the chocolate either in the microwave or over a double boiler until completely liquid.
Fold 1/2 cups of the hazelnuts and ginger into the melted chocolate until completely mixed.
Spoon the chocolate mixture evenly among the paper liners.
Garnish with the remaining hazelnuts and ginger, pressing them into the melted chocolate lightly to make sure they hold.
Refrigerate the chocolate cups for about 30 minutes until they’ve hardened. Serve and store at room temperature.

Brian from Twitter remarked that they sounded “fancy”. I’d agree and add that this looks and tastes like a gourmet treat from a dessert shop. And yet it’s so easy to make! That’s why I love bark. No one needs to know you didn’t candy the ginger yourself or roast your own hazelnuts.

As for the dessert itself, I loved how the chewy ginger contrasted with the nutty hazelnuts. The chocolate after it melted and hardened wasn’t quite solid but wasn’t messy, either; it was very smooth soft, highlighting the taste and texture of the mix-ins.

Happy Holidays

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Raw Dark Chocolate Peppermint Pudding

Written on November 14, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Dessert

In a perfect world, I’d eat less sugar. But this isn’t a perfect world, and I’m far from perfect. Truthfully my sweet tooth is out of control. I tried to eat less sugar in October and failed(I blame the existence of candy corn). I tried to eat less sugar in November and I’m failing(hello, peanut butter bars). I’ll try to eat less sugar in December and I’ll fail then, too(at least I’m being realistic about it at this point). Maybe I’ll kick the habit in 2012; who knows?

That’s not all to say I haven’t learned anything. One thing I’ve learned is that bananas make a great whole food sweetener. I used to make raw chocolate pudding all the time with avocado and agave, but at the end of the day agave is still another refined sugar like maple syrup and cane sugar. Bananas may have sugar, but also fiber and potassium. And in this dessert you really can’t taste the difference.

The trick is to use bananas that are well past yellow onto brown to get more sweetness and less banana-flavor.

Raw Dark Chocolate Peppermint Pudding

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 0 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 2 servings):

1 medium-sized ripe avocado
2 small overripe bananas(the browner the better)
1/4 cup undutched cocoa powder
Scant 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract

Method:

Peel the avocado and bananas and throw them in a food processor.
Blend the fruits until they make a smooth puree.
Add in the cocoa powder and extract and continue blending until they’re entirely mixed.
Scrape into serving bowls and serve at room temperature. Keep leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.

Maybe I could give up sugar if I had an endless supply of this in my refrigerator… right next to a bowl of candy corn and Reese’s.

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Graham Cracker Peanut Butter Bars With Dark Chocolate Ganache

Written on November 11, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Dessert

I’m sorry that the name for this recipe is such a mouthful that you’ll probably finish half the batch before you say it. More accurately I’d call these “White Chocolate Peanut Butter Graham Cracker Bars With Dark Chocolate Ganache” but with a name like that you’d have to come up for air at some point.

This recipe is made with a few of my favorite things. PB&Co.’s White Chocolate Wonderful is one of the best vegan “white chocolate” anything I’ve ever had. It actually tastes like white chocolate without any dairy. For the ganache, I used Scharffen Berger’s 70% baking chocolate, which is delicious and smooth to eat both on its own and in recipes. You can taste the quality in it and—I warn you—it’s addicting stuff.

Normally, when I make peanut butter bars I use this recipe which is naturally gluten-free. However I’ve seen a lot of peanut butter bar recipes that use graham crackers as a binding(most recently this one) and I figured if so many people are doing it there must be something to it, right? So I broke out the ol’ gluten-free graham crackers and got cooking. I didn’t expect to like these as much as I do. The earthy spices in the graham crackers pair really well with the sweet and nutty peanut butter and add a pleasantly crunchy texture.

Graham Cracker Peanut Butter Bars With Dark Chocolate Ganache

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 0 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 18 1-inch squares):

1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup plus 2 Tablespoons White Chocolate Wonderful peanut butter*
1/2 cup powdered sugar
135g graham cracker crumbs**
120g 70% dark chocolate OR 1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate chips

*You can use any peanut butter so long as it’s the no-stir kind. If you want the white chocolate flavor but don’t have White Chocolate Wonderful, use 1/2 cup of natural peanut butter mixed with 3 Tablespoons melted white chocolate.

**This is easy to make at home. Simply pulse 9 sheets of graham crackers in a food processor until it makes a smooth flour.

Method:

Gently melt the butter and 1/2 cup peanut butter either in the microwave or over the stove until it’s smooth and liquid.
Once the ingredients are melted, sift in the powdered sugar and pour in the graham cracker crumbs and mix it together until emulsified.
Grease a 3×8 loaf pan and press the peanut butter mixture into the pan in an even layer.
In the microwave or over the stove, melt together the remaining 2 Tablespoons of peanut butter and chocolate. Once they’re melted, mix them together.
Pour the ganache over the peanut butter layer and refrigerate until hardened(at least 30 minutes).
10 minutes before serving, remove these from the refrigerator to soften. Once soft, gently cut into 1-inch squares with a sharp knife and serve. Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week.

One of my favorite things about recipes like these is that they’re so easily adaptable for different allergens. I made mine gluten-free simply by using gluten-free graham crackers. To make them vegan you can use a dairy-free margarine in place of the butter and make sure to use vegan graham crackers.

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Roasted Maple Cinnamon Chickpeas And Squash

Written on November 10, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Side Dish

When it comes to food, there are two things I care about: Most importantly how it tastes, but also how it smells. A lot of people will tell you we eat with our eyes, but given how close are taste receptors and smell receptors are, it’s no question that there’s a link between taste and smell. Good food must smell good. And this smells terrific.

When I opened up my oven after this had finished cooking, the entire kitchen smelled like Christmas. You know that warm, earthy familiar smell that’s a bit nutty and complex. I got distracted for a moment and forgot that this was food to eat. The taste is just as good; the soft, sweet squash contrasts the crunchy, spicy chickpeas, and the maple syrup forms a glaze over the whole thing bringing it together. I can’t recommend this recipe enough to get a taste of the season.

Roasted Maple Cinnamon Chickpeas And Squash

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 70 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 4 servings):

1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained
2 cups cubed butternut squash
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 Tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt

Method:

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
Combine all of the ingredients together in a big bowl and mix them until the wet ingredients and spices cover the squash and chickpeas.
Lay the squash and chickpeas out on a baking tray and spread them out keeping it as close to one layer as possible.
Roast for 70 minutes until the squash is fork-tender and the chickpeas slightly nutty.
Serve hot or cold. Keep leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Now if only someone would invent smell-o-vision, maybe I could better convince you.

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Green Vegetable Quinoa

Written on November 9, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Side Dish

My diet has definitely been changing with the season. As far as vegetables go, I want very little to do with them. That’s strange for me since over the Summer I can never get enough produce. But now it’s carbs, carbs, carbs and the only vegetables I do want are potatoes and squash—not much of a variety.

This dish is an exception. And it has about every green vegetable in my refrigerator in it, so it must be healthy, right? The kale is a good source of vitamins, the peas high in plant-based protein, and the avocado a source of healthy fat. More importantly it’s the only green thing that appeals to me anymore(although a bowl of mint chocolate chip ice cream wouldn’t be bad either).

Green Vegetable Quinoa

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 0 minutes

Ingredients(For 2 servings):

1 cup cooked quinoa, cooled
1 medium ripe avocado
1/2 cup cooked peas, fresh or frozen
1 cup chopped kale, steamed
Salt to taste

Method:

Remove the skin and the pit from the avocado and mash it into a smooth puree.
Combine all of the ingredients together in a bowl and fold until completely mixed. The avocado should act as a binder and as it mixes it will hold together more.
Serve at room temperature. Store in a refrigerator for no more than a day as the avocado will brown over time.

I make this with frozen and thawed kale and frozen peas. Not only is it cheaper than buying the fresh ingredients, their nutrients are locked in and they’re available all through Winter, so you can bet I’ll be having this again.

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Fried Rice With Mushrooms

Written on November 8, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Entree

Or really fried quinoa. But what’s the difference?

I love mushrooms but don’t buy them much since they’re not much to eat on their own. I had some leftover this week and thought I’d add them to a stir fry to lend a “meatiness” to it. I don’t think mushrooms remind me all that much of meat; I think they remind me a whole lot of mushrooms. But that’s OK because I like mushrooms.

Mushrooms are prized in Asian dishes because they’re high in umami, or what I’d probably butcher by calling savoriness. Sautéing the mushrooms in oil helps to bring out this flavor and spread it through the whole dish which elevates the flavor. I like mine best with some red chili flakes to add a level of spiciness.

Fried Rice With Mushrooms

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 15 minutes

Ingredients(For 2 people):

2 large portabella mushroom caps, sliced
1 Pepper, diced
2 Tablespoons sesame oil, divided
3 Tablespoons soy sauce, divided
1 cup cooked rice(or quinoa)
2/3 cup bean sprouts
1 Tablespoon vinegar
1 Tablespoon sugar
4 eggs(optional)

Method:

Heat up 1 Tablespoon of sesame oil and 1 1/2 Tablespoons of soy sauce in a large pan over medium-high heat. Once heated, toss in the mushroom slices and diced pepper and sauté until golden, about 5 minutes.
Add in the rice, bean sprouts, vinegar, sugar, and the rest of the sesame oil and soy sauce and mix all of the ingredients together.
Continue cooking until most of the liquid has been absorbed or evaporated away, also about 5 minutes.
Crack in the eggs if using and mix them in with the rice. Cook until the egg has cooked through.
Plate and serve hot.

I served this with some steamed kale to bring color to the dish. You can leave the eggs out and make this vegan, adding in tempeh for extra protein or not. I like adding eggs because it’s a cheap way to add bulk to a meal.

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Quinoa Pecan Stuffing With Butternut Squash

Written on November 7, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Entree

Over the weekend I saw two recipes for quinoa pecan stuffing that caught my eye. I loved the presentation and photos from this recipe on For The Love Of Food(just try looking at it and not getting hungry). And I loved the addition of butternut squash and pecans in this recipe from The Cooking Channel, but I didn’t love the choice of seasoning. Instead I worked from both recipes, picking what I think is the best of both and making a different quinoa stuffing.

Is it the best I ever had? Not really. But it’s the best I ever had that cooks up in 20 minutes in one pot. If I made this again I’d sauté some onions and celery and perhaps mushrooms like one of the original recipe has to develop the flavor a little more.

Quinoa Pecan Stuffing With Butternut Squash

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 20 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 4 servings):

1 cup quinoa, washed and drained
2 cups chicken or vegetable broth*
1 cup cooked and diced butternut squash
3/4 teaspoon savory herbs like thyme and rosemary
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup crushed pecans plus more for garnish

*Since there’s very few seasonings in this recipe, using broth and not water is important to add deep flavor.

Method:

Bring the quinoa and broth to a boil over the stove. Cover the pot and turn off the heat, letting the quinoa absorb the liquid for 15 minutes until it’s fully cooked.
Add in the diced squash, herbs, salt, and pecans and mix those in while fluffing the quinoa.
Serve hot and garnish with extra pecans if desired.

I was worried using so few ingredients the recipe wouldn’t hold up to either of the originals, but the broth adds a ton of flavor(I used Rapunzel’s vegan bullion cubes in case you’re wondering). A fun variation on this would be substituting cubed sweet potatoes in for the butternut squash.

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