Love the ingredients, not the food.

How To Make Food Tastier With Just 1 Ingredient

Written on January 21, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Highlights, How To, Recipe Round-Up

There are certain secrets to cooking. Seasoning is one of them.

My favorite way to think of seasoning is that it shouldn’t flavor the dish; instead, it should make the dish taste more like itself. Certain ingredients are really good at that, especially in the right recipes. Here’s my quick list of “secret” ingredients that you can add to any dish to make the flavor pop. Look out because the cat’s coming out of the bag.

Salt is probably the most common seasoning. It’s also one of our taste sensations. We all salt our dinner plates but do you salt your desserts? A little bit of salt in sweets makes the flavor irresistible.

Example:

Banana Chocolate Chip Blondies with Peanut Butter Frosting

We all know a spoon full of sugar makes the medicine go down. But we don’t all know how good it works in savory foods. Most of the time when we’re cooking dinner, we don’t think to use sugar. Even if the flavors you’re working at aren’t sweet, a little sugar—just like a little salt—can go a long way in making savory flavors pop.

Example:

Vegged-Out Quinoa and The Best Quinoa Dressing

I’m always(OK, once) asked what’s the secret to making brownies taste good? Well, here’s one of them: instant coffee. The bitterness in coffee pairs really well with the bitterness in cacao and helps to make the flavor richer and deeper. Add a teaspoon of instant coffee to any brownie mix to boost the flavor.

Example:

Outrageous Triple Chocolate Brownies

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Most of the time, none of us think of nutmeg. We use it in pies and pumpkin bread in the Fall and that’s about it. But a pinch of nutmeg with any earth flavor like chicken, potato, or greens can enhance the overall dish.

Example:

Sautéed Spinach With Silken Tofu

Bay Leaves are the unsung hero of great tasting beans and marinades. You never see them because they’re not edible and need to be discarded after cooking. But adding a bay leaf when cooking beans or lentils, or when marinating chicken adds a strong earthy flavor that only enhances everything that’s there.

Example:

Mediterranean Chicken Marinade

Now I’ll open it to you: Do you have any secret ingredients that make people say “This is so good! What did you do to it?” that you’re willing to share?

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Sautéed Spinach With Silken Tofu

Written on January 20, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Side Dish

Really good food speaks with it’s flavor. It was hard to pick a name for this recipe because it’s not like anything else. At first I was tempted to call it a low-fat creamed spinach but if you were looking for creamed spinach and came upon this you’d probably be disappointed. At the same time, it’s so much more robust and filling than regular sautéed spinach.

You know what I’d call this? Delicious. It’s a rich spinach dish bursting with flavors that’s good as a side to something like roasted chicken or baked seitan. The “secret ingredients” in this are cinnamon and nutmeg which enhance the earthiness of the spinach.

You don’t need to call it anything, really. Just grab a fork and dig in.

Sautéed Spinach With Silken Tofu

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves of garlic, diced
2 tablespoons green onion, diced
1 bag of frozen spinach, thawed and drained OR 6 cups fresh spinach
1 16oz pack silken tofu
2 tablespoons non-dairy cream(optional)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Start by heating the oil in a pan over medium heat. Once hot, add the garlic and the onion and let it toast in the pan for about 3-4 minutes.

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Add in the spinach and mix it with the ingredients in the pan.

Next, open up the tofu and add it to the pan as well. Break it up with whatever tool you’re using to stir the pan and start to incorporate it as you pour in the cream.

Once the pan is homogenous, let it sit and the excess water start to boil off.

As it thickens up and gets ready to be served, season the pan with salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg and toss the ingredients again. Remove from the heat and serve hot.

All the different flavors come together to make one cohesive, delicious dist. The nutmeg and cinnamon add an unrecognizable warmth that really enhances the spinach. And the tofu makes this rich and hearty with a slightly creamy texture. Go ahead and call it what you want; I’m too busy eating.

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“Oh Baby” Is Right

Written on January 19, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Dessert

For the past 2 months I’ve been telling myself I would make peanut butter cups but never got around to it because of how much work it feels like(how lazy is that?); truthfully, I’m fine with dipping a piece of chocolate in a jar of peanut butter and leaving it at that. But after seeing these bars on Michelle’s blog I remembered I had bookmarked Jenna’s Oh Baby Bars. Now these are simple enough I could do.

My only problem was that the recipe seemed to call for no-stir peanut butter and the only one I had enough of was a runny, natural-style peanut butter. I adjusted the ingredients and proportions a tad to account for this and then went from there. All I can say about this is “Oh baby” and that Jenna is a genius for this recipe.

Ingredients I used(Made 10 thick bars):

1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons natural peanut butter
1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon Earth Balance margarine
2 Tablespoons coconut oil
10oz semi-sweet dark chocolate chips

Instead of blending the ingredients at room temperature, I melted 1/4 cup of Earth Balance and the coconut oil together first. Then I stirred in both of the sugars and lastly the peanut butter.

Once that was homogenous, I spread it out in a large loaf pan and dropped it on the counter a few times to level it out. Of course, I taste tested what was left in the mixing bowl and it was perfect.

Then I melted the chocolate with the remaining tablespoon of margarine in my microwave and spread it out on top of the peanut butter layer.

And then I pretended I was a chocolatier(I’m not going to say this is my dream job, but if it’s what the fates handed me I would not complain and just eat chocolate) and gave it a fancy swirl top.

When that was done, I threw this in the refrigerator to harden and after an hour or so began to cut squares.

In terms of flavor, these are absolutely delicious. Texturally, the bottom layer was a little soft; next time(and there will be a next time) I’d probably reduce the margarine by 2 tablespoons and replace that with coconut oil. Or if I’m being a better planner I’d just buy no-stir peanut butter like the original recipe uses.

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Espresso Chocolate Bark

Written on January 18, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Dessert

Screw Folgers, eating this is the best part of waking up:

One of my favorite things to snack on lately have been chocolate covered coffee beans. It’s coffee, it’s chocolate—what’s not to love? I though about how I could make an at-home version for less that’s just as good and settled on this bark recipe. I couldn’t help myself from eating it piece by piece as I was making it; I’m still a little buzzed from all that dessert. Best of all, it’s 3 simple ingredients! Yes, 3! I urge you to make this for the coffee addict in your life; they’ll love you until they crash.

Espresso Chocolate Bark

Ingredients:

1 bag(12oz) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup whole coffee beans(most grocery stores let you buy these in bulk)
2 tablespoons coarse cane sugar

Melt down the chocolate chips and lay a piece of parchment paper on a baking tray. Spread out the chocolate to be about 1/2 an inch thick. Sprinkle on the coffee beans evenly and press them into the hot chocolate gently.

Lightly sprinkle a layer of sugar over the chocolate while it is still melted. don’t worry about even layering since most of it will shake off when it’s dried. Just make sure to cover all of the chocolate.

You can either let the chocolate harden at room temperature or speed the process up by putting it in a refrigerator. When it’s hardened tilt the large piece of chocolate to shake off all the excess sugar. Break the chocolate into single-sized chunks.

These are just as good as any chocolate covered coffee beans. I wanted to try them with a darker chocolate but after tasting how bitter the coffee beans make the semi-sweet chocolate I think any darker would be hard to eat. The sprinkle of sugar adds a great texture to contrast with the crunchy beans. Now you can have your coffee and eat it, too.

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Snickerdoodle Dessert Hummus

Written on January 17, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Dessert

It’s back! After I tried my last batch of dessert hummus, I was eager to make a new flavor. A lot of you pointed out that it looks(and tastes!) like cookie dough. Well, one of my favorite cookies is the classic snickerdoodle; I love the cinnamon sugar crunch on the outside. And since cinnamon, almonds, and chickpeas all share an earthy flavor, I had a feeling this would work out. And it did!

Snickerdoodle Dessert Hummus

Ingredients:

2 cups of chickpeas, drained and washed
1/4 cup almond butter
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
cinnamon sugar for garnish

Peel your chickpeas(recommended) and add them in a food processor with the almond butter, maple syrup, brown sugar, and cinnamon.

Process for about 30 seconds to a minute, until all the ingredients have mixed and the dip is smooth.

Move to a serving bowl and garnish with cinnamon sugar on top.

The obvious question is “How do you serve this?” Well, I would lay it out on a platter with

graham crackers
apple slice
baby carrots
cinnamon pita chips
mini-chocolate bars

I have to admit that my favorite way to eat these are a spoon; that’s the benefit of cooking for yourself alone.

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Sweet And Sour Sauce

Written on January 16, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Miscellaneous

One of my favorite cuisine’s to cook now is Asian. Maybe it’s because there’s something so good about take-out food that you make yourself; maybe it’s because it’s practically impossible to eat out at an Chinese restaurant and avoid gluten; or maybe it’s because I’m Italian/French/Polish and have no place cooking with these flavors and I like being a rebel. Whatever it is, I think fake-out take-out dishes are the bee’s knees right now, and this sauce is a great condiment to pour on anything to give it that flavor. I’ve used it on tofu, broccoli, chicken—you name it—and it hasn’t disappointed.

Sweet And Sour Sauce

Ingredients:

1/2 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon orange or lemon juice

Combine all the ingredients in a sauce pan and bring it to a slight boil. Continue boiling it until it has reduced half of its volume and the sauce has thickened.

You’ll know it’s done when it starts to coat the bottom of the pan like this as you tilt it.

Be careful not to over boil and turn this into a candy. In that case, remove it from the heat and stir in some hot water until it reaches the right consistency.

Store this in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

This doesn’t make that much sauce, so you might want to double the recipe if you’re going to use it a lot. On the other hand, it packs a lot of flavor so you only need about 1/2 a tablespoon for each serving. It’s sweet; it’s sour; it’s delicious. And there’s no scary ingredients, too, when you make it yourself.

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We Hold These Truths To Be Self-Evident

Written on January 15, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Uncategorized

That silken tofu does not work as an egg substitution in these brownies. You know what does work after you’ve decided all you want is a pan of delicious brownies? Eggs.

That writing a resume is ridiculously depressing, especially once you realize that knowing all the lyrics to Taylor Swift’s Speak Now CD isn’t a “skill set”

That the people at Coconut Bliss not only make terrific vegan ice cream, but amazing hoodies, too.

That dessert hummus will be huge in 2012. Just wait.

That Taza chocolate is seriously the best there is. And no, the people at Taza have not endorsed this blog nor have I ever had any contact with them(but if anybody knows somebody who knows somebody whose cousin’s roommate has connections, my email is Evan@thewannabechef.net).

That spending Christmas gift cards on I Love Lucy season 5 is a much wiser investment than anything else you could have bought.

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Have Snow Day, Will Bake

Written on January 14, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Miscellaneous

In case you weren’t aware, it snowed in the North East on Wednesday. I’m just kidding; I’m aware that this is all the news stations talked about. I mean, they cancelled Days of Our Lives on Wednesday to talk about the weather for Christ’s sake. That means the storm was a big f*cking deal.

I don’t remember when snow in New England became front page news. It seems like when I was in Elementary school, it snowed, they cancelled school, and that was that. There weren’t any news stations coining “Snowmageddon” or “Snowpocalypse”. We simply stayed home and ate. And ate, and ate, and ate.

I had leftover coconut milk from something I made a few weeks ago(is it bad that I have no recollection of what this was?). I smelled it and it didn’t seem rotten, so I figured I’d better use it before I have to toss it. I made a 1/2 batch of my favorite cake recipe from the Sweet Utopia cookbook called “Chocolate Midnight Cake”. I love this because it’s rich, moist, and the perfect texture; you’d never guess this was vegan or gluten-free!

While those were baking I cleaned the dishes and watched the snowfall. I’d say we got at least 16 inches, probably more. I, for one, find that exciting. But I’m also the one who didn’t shovel at all and had nowhere to go on a Wednesday, so take my enthusiasm and think of it what you may.

And then the cupcakes came out perfectly! They need frosting, don’t they? There might be another storm this weekend, so I’ll save that for then.

In other news, the winning comment of the Goji Gourmet giveaway is:

Congratulations, Nourhan, who like most of you thought chocolate chip sounded the best. I’ll contact you and we’ll get you your cookies immediately. If you didn’t win, you can check out my copycat recipe for a similar taste. Happy Friday!

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Vegged-Out Quinoa

Written on January 13, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Side Dish

Sometimes you just want a lot of warm vegetables, you know? I made this one day that I wanted to bulk up some quinoa and just veg out. It was perfect with some baked tofu thrown on top, and then a few days later as a side dish with roasted chicken. My favorite thing about this is how flavorful it is, and it doesn’t even start with stock. I know vegetable/chicken stock is a great thing to keep in your pantry, but I just don’t. It’s easier that way. And you won’t even notice it’s missing here because there’s already so much to love.

Vegged-Out Quinoa

Ingredients(Makes 4 to 6 servings):

1 cup quinoa, rinsed
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 small onion, diced
2 large carrots, chopped
2 tablespoons butter or cooking oil
2 cups water
2 cups fresh or frozen spinach
1/4 cup honey
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon chopped parsley

Start by heating up your butter or oil over medium heat in a large pan.

Chop all of your vegetables and add them into the heated pan. Keep an eye on this and stir for about 10-15 minutes until the onion is translucent and just beginning to caramelize.

While that’s cooking, measure out your quinoa. Rinse and drain it first to remove the saponin.

*If you’re using a rice cooker, add your quinoa and two cups of water in and turn it on to the appropriate setting.

**If you’re using the stove, wait until the vgetables are done coking. Then add the quinoa and water into the same pot and bring it to a boil. Cover the pan and turn off the heat and wait for the quinoa to absorb the water.

Add in your salt, pepper, and parsley right before cooking.

Once the quinoa is fully cooked and the water has been absorbed, add in the honey and spinach and fold them into the mix. Serve hot.

This is sweet, it’s savory, a little bitter and kissed with salt. It has a great flavor all its own and can stand up to any protein on a dish. And it’s a real crowd-pleaser. I think adding all the vegetables just gives you an excuse to eat more because it’s so darn healthy.

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Copycat: Goji And Chocolate Chip Oaties

Written on January 12, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Dessert

Have you entered this giveaway yet? If you haven’t, you should.

But even if you don’t win, here’s a recipe to make you feel like a winner. These are my favorite cookies to make. They’re easy, delicious, and use normal, healthy ingredients you can feel good about eating any day. And because it’s so adjustable, I knew I could make it feel more like a Goji Gourmet cookie.

For the copycat, I used signature ingredients from the Goji Gourmet line including goji berries, chocolate chips, oatmeal, and almonds in the form of almond butter. You can certainly adjust the mix-ins in the batter, though chocolate chips never disappoint.

Goji And Chocolate Chip Oaties(adapted from this recipe)

Ingredients(Makes 24 cookies):

2 cups oatmeal, divided
3/4 cup almond butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
~~1/4 cup water~~ Omitted because my batter was wet enough
1 (large)banana, mashed
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup chocolate chips(let’s just say I used more)
1/4 cup goji berries

Take 1 cup of oatmeal and process it in a food processor until it’s been turned into a flour. Add all of the dry ingredients into a bowl and mix. Then add the rest of the ingredients and mix until the batter has come together. Chill the dough for 10-20 minutes.

Preheat an oven to 325 degrees. When the dough is cold, break off chunks and roll them into 1-inch dough balls. Place the balls on lined baking trays and bake for 25-30 minutes until they’re firm to the touch.

I hesitate to call any dessert “healthy”, but with whole grains, dried fruit, and healthy fats from the nut butter, these certainly won’t break any New Years resolutions.

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