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Cannellini Salad With Artichokes and Sundried Tomatoes

Written on April 1, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Entree

Some days you just need a salad, especially when that day starts out with a cake hangover. This is a retake on a salad I had at Pizza Paradiso the night before my marathon. The flavors were so simple and fresh that I knew it wouldn’t be hard to recreate. To make it vegan I used nutritional yeast in the parmesan dressing and it came out just as tangy. Now how many more of these will I have to eat to balance out the cake?

Cannellini Salad With Artichokes and Sundried Tomatoes

Ingredients(Makes 2 entrees or 4 salad portions):

2 cups mixed greens
1 can cannellini beans
1/4 cup sundried tomatoes packed in olive oil
8 artichoke hearts, halved
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 Tablespoons white vinegar
1 Tablespoon parmesan or nutritional yeast
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

To make the dressing, combine the olive oil, vinegar, parmesan, salt, and black pepper and whisk until emulsified.

In a large bowl, toss the mixed greens with the dressing.

Add in the sundried tomatoes, beans, and artichokes and mix until combined. Top with additional parmesan and/or crushed red pepper flakes.

I loved all of the flavors in this. The dressing had the perfect kick from vinegar and brininess from the nutritional yeast. And the red pepper flakes gave it a spicy touch. But my favorite part was probably the sundried tomatoes; I always forget how much better those are than regular tomatoes.

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Italian Quinoa With Fava Beans

Written on March 31, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Entree

Quinoa is the perfect canvas for any recipe. You can add flavors from any culture, any sort of ingredients and have it be delicious, cohesive, and filling. This was my first time trying fava beans and I loved how their meaty texture matched the sundried tomatoes and olives. This has quickly become a new favorite potluck dish.

Italian Quinoa With Fava Beans

Ingredients(Makes 3-4 servings):

1 dry cup quinoa, rinsed
1/4 cup diced black olives
1/4 cup sundried tomatoes packed in olive oil, drained
1 can fava beans, drained
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Cook the quinoa in 2 cups of water until all the liquid has been absorbed. Add more water if need be.

Add in the rest of the ingredients and mix while fluffing the quinoa. Serve hot or cold.

Am I wrong to think you must serve this with a nice chianti? You can skip the liver though.

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Happy Birthday To Me

Written on March 29, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Dessert, Holiday

I used the cake from this recipe…

…and then improvised a raspberry fudge sauce….

Next year I’m adding booze.

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Italian-Style Broccoli

Written on March 24, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Side Dish

If this recipe were a person it would be on Jersey Shore.

If this recipe were a person, it would have a cousin Vinny.

If this recipe were a person, it would GTL(Gym, Tan, Laundry) every Saturday.

This recipe is very Italian. It reminds me of the kind of vegetables I ate growing up: Covered in garlic. The olives are a welcomed, meaty bite with the broccoli. And it’s so easy it comes together in only 10 minutes. This just might save the reputation of Italian-Americans.

Italian-Style Broccoli

Ingredients:

3 cloves of garlic, diced
1/2 yellow onion, diced
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1lb steamed broccoli florets, fresh or frozen
1/4 cup finely chopped black olives
3/4 teaspoon salt

Over medium heat, sauté the onion and garlic in the oil for 2-3 minutes until the onions start to turn color.

Add in the broccoli and lower the heat. Toss the pan to make sure the broccoli soaks up the oil.

Add in the olives and distribute evenly throughout the dish. Serve hot.

My favorite part about this is how much flavor gets soaked into the broccoli. It completely loses that off-putting “green” flavor and is filled up with onion, garlic, and olives. If this recipe were a person, it would be way too good for Snooki.

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Apricot Marathon Energy Bites

Written on March 23, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Snack

I can’t believe the marathon is only 4 days away. I’ve had this recipe from Ashley and Steven bookmarked since I signed up way back in October and just got around to making it. Dried apricots lend this a slightly different flavor from the typical dates. Really, any nuts would be good in this but I like the combination of cashews and almond butter for that Amaretto flavor.

Apricot Marathon Energy Bites

Ingredients:

1/2 cup dried apricots
1 cup pitted dates
1/2 cup cashews
2 Tablespoons almond butter
1/2 teaspoon salt

Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor.

Blend until a paste begins to form. If your dried fruit was stale to begin with, you might have to add a few teaspoons of water to get it malleable.

Press the dough into a square pan and cut into 10 equal portions.

These couldn’t be easier and pack a flavor punch. I think I liked them even more after a few days of sitting on the counter when they were a little firmer, but you can freeze or refrigerate them to keep them softer. And the ingredients sure beat the hell out of store-bought energy bars.

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5-Ingredient 3-Bean Salad

Written on March 22, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Side Dish

Bean salad is a great side dish for outdoor parties now that the weather is getting warmer(or so they say), or for dinner when I don’t really feel like cooking anything. Lucky for me this makes a lot so I can ~~eat a lot~~ spread it across meals! Now before you go and think I can’t count, yes, I know this has more than 5-ingredients. But only 5 of the ingredients are key players and you’ll never be a comfortable chef if you can’t get used to eyeballing olive oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper into every dish you make. There’s just no two ways about it with those ingredients. Oh, and the name is more appealing that “9-Ingredient 3-Bean salad”.

5-Ingredient 3-Bean Salad

Ingredients(Makes 4-6 servings):

1 can chickpeas, drained
1 can cannellini beans, drained
1 can kidney beans, drained
1 large cucumber, diced
1 can of pitted olives, drained and halved
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 Tablespoon white vinegar
3/4 teaspoon salt(omit if your beans are already salted)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Start by mixing together all of the beans. If you haven’t already, prepare the olives and cucumber.

Add in the olives, cucumber, salt, pepper, olive oil, and vinegar.

Toss the salad until it’s all mixed thoroughly. Serve cold or at room temperature.

I love how simple but flavorful this is. The cucumber is refreshing and the olives are deep in flavor, but the beans are the star of the show all the way through. It’s great as a side dish but also on its own from a bowl.

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Peanut Butter And Potato Chip Truffles

Written on March 21, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Dessert

Things have gotten a little crazy around here. I have this week to wrap up all of my midterms while preparing to fly to DC on Friday for the National Marathon and let’s just say I’m starting to lose it. This recipe is proof of that.

Popchips asked me if I’d like to take part in their Munch Madness recipe contest and I happily agreed. I know nothing about basketball, as proved by the fact that I’m dead last in my brackets group, but I know a whole lot about cooking and eating. I’m not sure what convinced me potato chips, chocolate, and peanut butter would all go together—I guess you have to be a bit mad—but they do, and these are deliciously addicting! A perfect way to wow and alarm your guests.

Peanut Butter And Potato Chip Truffles

Ingredients(Makes 12 truffles):

6 Tablespoons natural peanut butter
2 Tablespoons butter, softened
1 cup confectioners sugar
1/2 cup crushed original popchip crumbs + more for dusting(or any other salty treat)
1/2 teaspoon salt
8oz chocolate chips

Mix together the peanut butter, butter, and confectioners sugar. Once mixed, add in the popchip crumbs and fold in until evenly distributed.

Roll the dough into 12 balls and place them on a baking tray. Freeze for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt the chocolate chips. Once ready, individually roll the peanut butter balls in the chocolate until they’re completely covered. Put them back on the baking tray and top with a little popchip crumbs.

I know these sound crazy. I know I am crazy. But my taste buds aren’t crazy, and these are gooood.

If you happen to agree, please go to the Munch Madness photo album on popchip’s fan page and “like” the photo of my recipe. That would be great! And Happy March Madness! I’m sure no matter who you chose to win you’re probably doing better than I am.

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I Cater

Written on March 19, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Recipe Round-Up

This is why you should invite me to your parties.

This is also why I will never succeed on any diet, but that’s another story.

Like any good Classicists, some friends and I got together on St. Patty’s Day to celebrate The Ides of March since green beer and jello shots clearly weren’t in our future. I offered to bring the entertainment(HBO’s Rome. Horribly inaccurate but highly entertaining) and a slew of baked goods.

Outrageous Triple Chocolate Brownies, which got a “really chocolaty” vote for itself.

Better-Than-Boxed Brownies, which got a few nibbles.

And Coconut Blondies with Lemon Drop Frosting, which definitely had the most crowd appeal.

Lucky for me it’s not hard to please people who live off cafeteria food. After the show we sat around talking, eating brownies, and translating Latin. I know—we’re a wild bunch.

My point? Invite me to your parties and I promise to bring enough food to feed an army. And if it’s a toga party, well I’m already dressed for that.

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Chocolate Peanut Butter Mousse

Written on March 18, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Dessert

Chocolate + Peanut butter

Milk + Cookies

Ross + Rachel

Everyone knows these things just go together, right? Right. I’d been wanting to make a mousse with tofu since I saw a chocolate one on Jenna’s blog. When I saw a peanut butter version in this month’s Food Network magazine, I knew it was a sign.

These were shockingly easy to make and as delicious to eat as you’d imagine. Now, I’m not going to lie: These do have a slight soy flavor to them, so if you have one of those picky eaters who points out any and every funny flavor, it’s not for them. But overall I loved them and didn’t mind the taste at all. The only question was what to put on top?

Chocolate Peanut Butter Mousse

Ingredients(Makes 4 servings):

1 pack of silken tofu
6 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
3oz bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons powdered sugar, separated

To make the chocolate layer, start by melting the chocolate in a microwave or over a double boiler. When the chocolate is hot, stir in 1/4 cup of powdered sugar and 1/2 of the silken tofu. Continue stirring until the mousse is smooth and uniform.

To make the peanut butter layer, take the other half of the tofu and mix it with the peanut butter and remaining sugar. Continue mixing until there are no lumps.

To assemble, scoop a later of chocolate mousse in the bottom of a parfait glass. Do this for 4 glasses and evenly portion them out. Make sure the top of the layer is flat.

Next, scoop on the peanut butter mousse over the chocolate layer. Again, take care to portion them evenly and flatten out the top.

Then you just have to choose your garnish, like chocolate chips:

Or whipped non-dairy cream:

Or fudge sauce, peanuts, peanut butter chips—whatever your heart desires! Serve these at room temperature for the best flavor but store in the refrigerator if there’s any leftover(there won’t be any leftover).

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Irish Green Beans

Written on March 17, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Holiday, Side Dish

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Happy St. Patrick’s Day! I thought long and hard about what green recipe to make for today. By luck, I also had a bunch of green beans to cook with and this dish sort of came together itself. You may ask yourself what makes this Irish, to which I would answer the butter, potatoes, and simple seasoning. If that’s not stereotypical enough for you, I apologize that I couldn’t somehow work Baileys into the recipe; know that it’s there in spirit.

Irish Green Beans

Ingredients(Makes 4 servings):

2 Tablespoons butter
2 medium sized potatoes, diced and cooked
1/2lb green beans
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

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Prepare your ingredients by dicing and cooking the potatoes through. You can boil, bake, or microwave them.

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Heat the butter in a large pan over medium heat until melted.

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Add in the green beans and potatoes and sauté lightly for about 10 minutes until the butter has coated everything and starts to brown.

Season the pan with the salt and pepper and toss. Serve hot.

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Just when I thought I’ve eaten potatoes every way, there’s a new way to cook them. The butter and black pepper really help to make all the ingredients come together. It’s a hearty side dish that stacks up well against any main. So break out the lamb with steamed cabbage and start celebrating St. Patrick’s Day(or more likely just these and a beer).

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