Love the ingredients, not the food.

Gluten-Free Baked Onion Rings + Twitter popchips Giveaway

Written on July 22, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Giveaway, Snack

When I was a kid I never liked onion rings. When everyone else was going for bags of Funyuns, I chose potato chips. I didn’t even care that they were fried; they had the word “onion” in them so how could they be good?!

Well, I grew up and so did my taste buds. Now I love onions sautéed, caramelized—however you make them. And when I had my first taste of onion rings in England they were surprisingly good.

popchips sent me a Summer supply of their tasty all natural snacks, and when I started looking at recipes on their facebook wall these onion rings grabbed my attention. If there’s anything better than potato chips, it’s onion rings. And baking them in a batter with low-fat popchips means they’re better for you than the original, too.

Gluten-Free Baked Onion Rings

Ingredients:

2 onions, sliced and separated
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk or non-dairy substitute
1 teaspoon vinegar
1/2 cup potato chip crumbs*
1/3 cup almond flour

*I used 1 .8oz bag of original popchips and 2 .8oz bags of salt & pepper.

Line 2 sheets of baking trays with parchment paper and preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Beat together the eggs, milk, and vinegar. In a separate bowl, mix together the almond flour and potato chip crumbs. It’s best to use the finest crumbs you can so running them through a food processor is recommended.

With one hand, lift the onion rings and dredge them in the wet ingredients. Take it and put it in the breading, tossing to coat with your other hand. Using the dry hand, place it on the lined baking tray. Repeat this process for all of the onion rings.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Serve slightly warm with ketchup.

July 17th 067

I wasn’t sure if these would actually taste good. They’re “healthy”, free of grains and low in fat. They’re easy, too, compared to actually frying the onion rings which would require a lot more attention cooking.

The verdict?

I had no problem finishing them all. I don’t think it’s too soon for another batch.

popchips wants to give away a Summer supply of popchips to one lucky person on Twitter! To enter, simply tweet between now and next Friday, the 29th, “I snack healthy with ________ @popchipsboston @wannabechefevan” answering the question with your favorite healthy snack or favorite popchips flavor and you’ll be entered to win.

12 Comments - Leave a comment!

Raw Lasagna

Written on July 21, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Entree

The 2 times I’ve been to Wildflour this Summer, I’ve gotten the same menu item: The raw lasagna. The first time I ate it, I more or less devoured it without paying much attention. The second time I stopped to look how they made it; I was surprised it was just layers of zucchini and different pastes, presumably cashew-based, that all came together to make a rich and complex flavor.

Even once I decided to try and make this at home, I still put it off for a good week; it just seemed like something that would be hard to do. When I actually tried it couldn’t have been easier. It took just 30 minutes to make a big batch of lasagnas. I love Wildflour, but not having to pay $8 for a taste of their lasagna is music to my ears.

Raw Lasagna

Ingredients(Makes 4 servings):

2 cups cashews, soaked for 3-4 hours and drained
~1/3 cup water
1 1/2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
3 Tablespoons tomato paste
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, divided
Handful of basil leaves
Handful of spinach leaves
Salt + pepper to taste
2 zucchini

In a food processor, blend the water and the cashews into a soft, smooth paste. Divide the cashew spread into three portions, two 3/4 cup portions and one 1/2 cup portion.

Mix the 1/2 cup portion with the tomato paste, 1/2 a tablespoon of olive oil, and salt to taste.

Mix one of the 3/4 cup portions with the nutritional yeast and salt and pepper to taste.

In the food processor, blend the last portion of cashew spread with the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of oil, basil, spinach, and more salt to taste until the leaves are completely chopped up and the spread is an even green color.

Cut each zucchini once in half across and then into thin slices lengthwise.

You can layer it however you want; I’m partial to alternating the 3 spreads with each slice. The best bites are the one with a taste of each flavor in them.

In some ways, this is the least Italian entrée you could make: It involves no cooking; the ingredients aren’t at all what you’d normally use; and it looks entirely different. But as soon as you cut in and take a bite the flavors are spot on, from the rich “cheese” to sweet tomato. Serve it at a dinner party and it’ll definitely catch a few eyes.

12 Comments - Leave a comment!

Raspberry Tofu Pudding

Written on July 20, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Dessert

Normally I like fudgy desserts, or just a piece of thick chocolate. But this Summer I haven’t been able to get enough mousse desserts, like this one or this one or this one. So naturally I had to try this recipe when I saw it on the Whole Foods website.

I’ve made chocolate and peanut butter tofu mousse before but never a fruit flavor. This came out really well in flavor, although the texture reminded me more of pudding rather than mousse. It’s thick and slightly dense with a sweet, bright flavor to it, perfect for hot Summer nights when chocolate is too rich(I’ve never experienced this myself but I hear some people do—weird).

Raspberry Tofu Pudding(lightly adapted from this recipe)

Ingredients(Makes 6 servings):

12oz fresh or frozen raspberries
1 16oz block silken tofu
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup corn or tapioca starch
1/4 teaspoon salt
Zest from half a lemon
Chocolate and mint to garnish

Combine the tofu, raspberries, starch, sugar, salt, and zest in a food processor and blend until smooth and homogenous.

Pour into individual dishes and refrigerate until serving. Garnish with shaved chocolate and/or mint.

It does not get much better than this.

If you add in 3/4 cup of cocoa powder, the flavor gets even better. Although—I warn you—the color isn’t as appetizing.

8 Comments - Leave a comment!

Grilled Eggplant Rollatini With Ricotta and Fava Bean Filling {Vegan}

Written on July 19, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Entree

Last Wednesday was my father’s birthday so I took it upon myself to make dinner for my family. Of course, since I was the one cooking I subjected everyone to the hippy vegan rabbit food I usually eat. Thankfully my family is willing to try anything, especially if it’s Italian, so I tried a vegan/vegifull version of an Italian favorite: Stuffed Italian shells.

Not only were these delicious and a hit, they were also a lot healthier than I even intended for them to be. The grilled eggplant, replacing breaded and fried eggplant, adds a smoky, charred flavor to the sauce. And the beans in the tofu filling give a good meaty texture contrast. It’s not something I’d throw together on a weeknight, but even so it couldn’t have been much easier to assemble and bake.

Grilled Eggplant Rollatini With Ricotta and Fava Bean Filling

Ingredients(Makes 4 servings):

1 large eggplant, sliced lengthwise 3/4 centimeter thick
3/4 cup tofu ricotta
1 cup fava beans
2 cups marinara sauce
3/4 cup vegan mozzarella shreds(I used Daiya)
Fresh basil for garnish
Oil for greasing

Toss the eggplant slices in oil and grill over high heat until soft and pliable. Remove after grilling both sides and let cool slightly before handling.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Mix the fava beans and ricotta and scoop a couple tablespoons of the filling into the middle of each eggplant slice. Roll up the eggplant and put them end-side down into a baking pan packed together.

Cover the eggplants in marinara sauce and then a layer of cheese.

Bake until the cheese is melted and bubbly—about 15 minutes.

Finish with fresh herbs and serve hot.

July 14th 038

This is Italian comfort food at its finest. The melted cheese was like the frosting on the cake. We easily demolished the pan. You could of course use regular cheese and make this a delicious vegetarian dish, too. Whatever you use, just don’t skimp on it.

22 Comments - Leave a comment!

Healthy Frozen S’mores Parfaits

Written on July 18, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Dessert

There’s been a recent explosion of s’mores desserts on food blogs lately. Besides making me think “You’re killing me, Smalls,” it’s also made me jealous and hungry for some s’mores(and if you don’t get the quote go out to Blockbuster or Red Box or however people get movies these days and rent The Sandlot). And so I made them my way, with chocolate banana soft serve, original Fluff, and a touch of gluten-free graham cracker crumbs.

These have just the right ratio of chocolate to marshmallow to graham cracker. It’s cool, creamy, and sweet; being from Massachusetts, I wouldn’t recommend anything other than marshmallow Fluff, but you could always use marshmallows or—gasp—an imitation marshmallow crème. Add a scoop of peanut butter, too, for something extra special.

Healthy Frozen S’mores Parfaits

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 0 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 2 servings):

2 large frozen bananas
3 Tablespoons cocoa powder
2 Tablespoons Fluff OR 1/4 cup miniature marshmallows
2 graham crackers

Method:

Throw the frozen bananas into a food processor and turn it on. Blend until creamy.
Add in the cocoa powder and pulse until it’s mixed in.
Scoop the chocolate-banana mixture into the glasses.
Finish with a tablespoon of Fluff or marshmallows and graham crackers. Serve immediately.

Technically the recipe is for 2 parfaits but every time I’ve made this I’ve eaten the whole batch by myself. I’m not sure if it’s because I’m extra hungry or this is just extra good—I assume both. It’s (mostly) healthy anyway so dig right in.

46 Comments - Leave a comment!

4 Inexpensive Ways To Improve Food Photography

Written on July 16, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Photography

Ever since I got a Canon Rebel as my Christmas present last year, I’ve been trying and trying to take better photos. While a fancy camera is nice, it doesn’t do all the work for you. And better lenses can cost anywhere from $100 into the thousands. Being a student 9 months out of the year and having an awesome but unpaid internship over the Summer, I’m on the lookout for anything cheap that enhances photo. Since I’ve started using these(all under $20!), I’ve had a few photos accepted onto Foodgawker and Tastespotting—proof that you don’t need all the bells and whistles for your photos to get noticed.

1. Close-Up Macro Filter Lenses: $10.49

These are perfect for the person who has just bought the fancy $500 camera and doesn’t want to pay anymore for specialty lenses. I first learned about these from Caroline who takes amazing food photos and hoped that buying them would help me take pictures half as good as hers.

Each lens magnifies a certain amount: x1, x2, x4, and x10. They can also be stacked on one another for even more magnification, so for instance you could make a x15 by stacking the x1, x4, and x10 lenses. It can be hard to focus the camera with them on, but if you’re patient they’re good for close-up shots of food. And for the price they’re really quite a bargain.

2. Dollar Store Placemats: $1

I’ve been trying to get better about adding props to my photos and the easiest one so far to master has been the placemat. Picking a background in contrast with the food will make it stand out more. Since I didn’t want to break the bank, I went to the dollar store. I didn’t keep track of how much I spent, but I see 5 placemats, so I’m going to go out on a limb and say I paid $5. That certainly sounds like a reasonable deal to me.

3. White/Grey Posterboard: $.10-.99

Another easy and cheap background is posterboard, which you can find at any CVS in the crafts aisle. White is a favorite color for food bloggers because it draws no attention, putting the spotlight solely on the food. You can use it as a background or, like the placemats, underneath as a surface.

Another tip the photo editor at a newspaper I take pictures for told me is to use a slightly grey-toned paper to set a camera’s white balance under natural light to get truer colors. Jessica does a great job at making colors pop with a grey background.

4. Natural Lighting: Free

We all know lighting is important. Last December I made a light-box specifically for it. But there’s NO reason to pay a penny for it, especially during the Summer when the sun’s out until 8pm anyway. Natural lighting provides for the best food photos, which is why anything you can buy at a hardware store tries to replicate it.

Take advantage of it whenever and wherever possible. And I truly mean “wherever”; if the best lighting in your house is in the spare bedroom, take the plate of food and camera there. You might feel silly at the time, but with a close-up no one will be able to tell the location anyway. And you can always crop the bed out of the background; I’ve done that.

What are your cheap photography tips and tricks?

29 Comments - Leave a comment!

Pizza Omelet

Written on July 15, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Breakfast, Entree

Do you remember that joyous moment when Bagel Bites promised you pizza in the morning, pizza in the evening, pizza at supper time? And do you remember that heart-wrenching moment when you realized a diet of only Bagel Bites probably wasn’t that good for you?

I do.

Let’s fast forward ~10 years to my current egg phase, when I could(and usually do) eat eggs with every meal. They’re cheap, tasty, and oh so good for you. Like tofu, they’re pretty tasteless, too, and take on the flavors you add to them. Flavors like pizza. I mean, who can say no to melted cheese?

Pizza Omelet

Ingredients:

3 eggs
1/4 cup pizza sauce
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese(I used Daiya)
Torn basil for garnish(optional)
Oil for greasing

Lightly grease a 10’ frying pan and heat it over a burner set to medium. Meanwhile, crack and whisk together the 3 eggs until completely beaten.

When the pan has heated, pour in the eggs and cover with a lid.

Once the egg has completely cooked, pour on the sauce and spread across the surface. Sprinkle on the cheese in an even layer, return the lid, and turn off the heat leaving the pan on the burner for a few minutes until the cheese has melted. Once ready, slide the omelet onto a plate and garnish with fresh basil.

Maybe it’s the fact that I haven’t had a “real” pizza in ages, or maybe this is just damn good; either way, I’m obsessed. Anything herby with melted cheese is a winner in my book. It’s also a good way to sneak protein into a picky-eater’s diet, but don’t tell them that.

16 Comments - Leave a comment!

Tofu “Ricotta” Cheese

Written on July 14, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Side Dish

For whatever reason, I’ve never loved cheese. If I did, I probably would have gotten my fingers caught in more mouse traps as a child. So giving up cheese along with dairy was never hard, but last Summer I tried this Whole Foods recipe for a vegan “ricotta” and really loved it. The herby, seasoned flavor far exceeded any “real” cheese I’d ever tried. For whatever reason I forgot about it for a year and just decided to make it again this week with a few tweaks.

Making your own cheese substitute has advantages and disadvantages compared to store brands. Since it’s tofu-based, this recipe is higher in protein than most fake cheeses. And the addition of fresh herbs and seasoning creates an unparalleled flavor. Since it doesn’t have a bunch of funky ingredients and stabilizers, it won’t melt like other fake cheese. But is that really such a bad trade off?

Tofu “Ricotta” Cheese(adapted from this recipe)

Ingredients:

1 block extra firm tofu
2 Tablespoons tahini
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 Tablespoon fresh chopped basil
1/2 teaspoon salt + more to taste
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Combine all of the ingredients together in a large bowl. Using a fork, press into the tofu block breaking it up into smaller clumps and mixing it with the other ingredients. Continue this until the ingredients are homogenous and the consistency resembles ricotta cheese. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.

I haven’t found many uses for this so far besides eating it straight from the bowl, but I’m sure with time I’ll find others. Unless I eat it all straight from the bowl, which is a likely scenario, too.

35 Comments - Leave a comment!

Raw Chocolate Mint Mousse

Written on July 13, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Dessert

I’ve been holding out on you.

I’m sorry.

I made this about a week ago and never got around to posting the recipe. But late is definitely better than never.

It all started when I went to London and had the raw chocolate, vanilla, and mint mousse parfait from saf, which was by far the best thing I had the entire trip. I had been thinking about it as soon as I got back. Luckily, it wasn’t too hard to recreate because the ingredients were listed on the side of the dessert so all I had to do was copy them.

Let me tell you this tasted exactly like the real thing, which is good because I’m not sure I can afford a plane ticket to London every time I get a craving for this mousse. So, if you’re like me and have no plans to be near Kensington Square anytime soon, bookmark this recipe. If you do have plans to be there, send me a postcard. And some mousse.

Raw Chocolate Mint Mousse

Ingredients:

2 cups cashews, soaked for at about 3 hours
6 Tablespoons maple syrup or agave
1.5oz unsweetened baking chocolate, melted
3 Tablespoons cocoa powder
10 mint leaves, finely chopped plus more for garnish
1/4-1/2 cup water

Combine the cashews, sweetener, melted chocolate, cocoa powder, and mint in a food processor and process until it makes a smooth paste.

If serving immediately, slowly add in water to the processor as it’s blending until it reaches a light and airy consistency. Scoop into serving dishes and garnish with extra mint leaves.

If serving later, add in a tad more water than you think you should until the dessert is slightly runny. Pour into serving bowls and refrigerate until serving. As the mousse cools, the texture will firm up. If it firms up too much, simply whisk a couple teaspoons of water into the mousse with a fork until it’s come back to the right consistency again.

I like this better than raw chocolate mousse made with avocado because it actually has the light and airy texture of an egg and cream mousse. The taste is very rich and very minty.

It’s a lot of fat, but I’m going to pull out the “healthy fat” card here. We’re all going to die of something; if raw chocolate mousse does me in, I’m OK with that.

25 Comments - Leave a comment!

Greens & Beans

Written on July 12, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Entree

For a food blogger, I’m not a very adventurous eater. I eat a lot of the same things over and over again. I eat a lot of omelets. I love making raw noodles in peanut sauce. And, when in doubt, I always go back to greens and beans.

It’s not as much of a recipe as a methodology: You take some greens and some beans, sauté flavor into them and boom! It’s a meal. And it doesn’t make you think too hard, which is always nice at the end of the day.

Greens & Beans

Ingredients(Makes 2 servings):

1/2 an onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 can beans, drained(I like cannellini)
2 cups fresh OR 1 cup frozen greens, thawed(spinach, kale, etc.)
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste
Butter(optional)

Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat. Add in the garlic and onion and sauté for a few minutes until the onions translucent and garlic is crispy.

Add in the greens and beans and mix them in with the garlic and onions. Add in the lemon, salt, and pepper and cook until heated through. Serve hot.

Sometimes I’ll add an extra clove of garlic just because I can, you know, on the days when I don’t plan on having to speak to someone face to face. I love getting bites of crispy garlic through the dish.

And then there’s butter. I don’t eat butter often, but a pat of Smör Icelandic butter(that’s the good butter Ina Garten’s always harping on about) really hits the spot, especially after it’s melted in.

17 Comments - Leave a comment!