Food | The Wannabe Chef

Tag Archive: Food

Coconut Blondies

Written on March 3, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Dessert

These are about as rich and decadent as a cup of coconut milk can make anything to be. When these first came out of the oven, I weren’t sure if they were technically a cake or a blondie. It turns out the difference(very unscientifically) lies in the ratio of fat and sugar to flour. Since these are full of fat and sugar(and taste delicious in case that’s not a clue), I feel pretty comfortable calling them blondies. Also, a cake needs frosting I feel and these just melt in your mouth all their own.

Coconut Blondies

Ingredients:

1 cup coconut milk
1/4 cup safflower/canola oil
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/2 Tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour(I used Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free flour)
1/2 coconut shreds
1/3 cup white chocolate chips(optional)
3/4 teaspoon baking powder

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8×8 pan.

Mix together the coconut milk, oil, eggs, sugar, and extract until the eggs are just beaten in.

Sift in the flour and baking soda and mix until it has just come together. The batter should be pretty loose.

Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 40-45 minutes or until the center of the cake has cooked through.

I would definitely make this again in a heartbeat, except I might have to double the recipe next time and add toasted hazelnuts. The coconut flavor is just strong enough to notice but the vanilla keeps it from taking over.

Did I mention I really love them? I think I’ll have another.

42 Comments - Leave a comment!

Hasselback Potatoes

Written on March 2, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Side Dish

Lately there’s been a lot of these hasselback potatoes around the food blog world. As a meat and potatoes person, I knew I had to try these. The recipe is so simple and yet quite different than your regular baked potato. These weren’t quite crispy like potato chips as I was hoping but they were tender and rich.

And, if you’re like me, you’ll be a little disappointed to learn that this isn’t named after a certain View hostess. Next you’ll try to tell me that Whoopi Goldberg didn’t invent the whoopie pie…

Hasselback Potatoes

Ingredients:

1 medium baking potato
2 pats of butter
Salt and pepper for seasoning

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Carefully slice the potato ever 1/4-1/2 inch about 90% of the way through, making sure not to cut it completely.

Put a pat of butter over each side of the potato. Bake it for 60 minutes.

Plate and pour the excess melted butter overtop. Season with salt and pepper.

Paula Deen would do good by this recipe, ya’ll. It was definitely a fun and different way to eat a baked potato. Bacon bits on top would have been a great final touch.

20 Comments - Leave a comment!

Chickpea, Quinoa, and Kale Medley

Written on March 1, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Entree

Here’s to March being the best month of the year. Since my birthday’s at the end of March, I figure there will be a lot of cake and cupcake recipes around then so I might as well start the month with something healthy.

Matt has mentioned on his blog and in his e-book about the combination of a grain, a green, and a bean. Well, my favorite grain is quinoa, bean is chickpea, and green is kale, so I thought I’d make a recipe with those three ingredients. And a little butter and honey never hurt.

Chickpea, Quinoa, and Kale Medley

Ingredients(Makes 2 servings):

1/2 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed and drained
1 can of chickpeas, drained
1 1/2 cups chopped kale
1 Tablespoon butter
1 1/2 Tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt

Cook the quinoa completely either in a rice cooker or over the stove. Make sure there’s no excess water in the pot with it.

Add in the chickpeas and kale.

Next add to the pot the butter, honey, salt, and vinegar.

Stir until the butter has melted and it’s all one dish. Serve hot or cold as leftovers.

I don’t know whether it was because I was getting over the flu and started getting my appetite back or because I just love honey + butter but I think I broke a world speed record eating this.

Yeah, I hated it.

22 Comments - Leave a comment!

Microwave Fudge

Written on February 28, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Dessert

Fudge is the perfect dessert. It’s rich; it’s chocolate; everybody loves it. I also believe fudge is what makes a house a home. All that being true, I’ve never made fudge over the stovetop. Why bother when you can make it in a microwave? It’s so simple, too. This recipe has never failed me. You’re only ever 4 ingredients away from homey fudge.

Microwave Fudge

Ingredients(Makes 16 servings):

1 cup(8.5oz) of chocolate chips
1 stick(4oz) of butter(or Earth Balance)
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup cream(or non-dairy substitute)
handful of chocolate chips(optional)
1/4 cup crushed walnuts(optional)

Melt together the chocolate chips and butter. Sift in the powdered sugar and pour in the cream. Mix until completely homogenized.

If you want to include any toppings, drop them on top and push them in gently.

Put this in the refrigerator for a few hours to harden. Cut cold and serve at room temperature.

I had never tried this recipe with chocolate chips before. “What’s the point?” I thought. But the whole chocolate chips add a great crunch in the fudge that really stands out. Dare I say it’s my favorite batch ever? Yeah, it’s that good.

28 Comments - Leave a comment!

Sweet Potato Rounds

Written on February 25, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Side Dish

I’m constantly falling in food ruts. All through Winter I ate roasted sweet potatoes like they were becoming extinct. I completely forgot how tasty and simple sweet potato rounds are to make. I love these because they take a little less time to cook, and because the oil flavors them well. At this point, if I eat any more I’ll turn into a sweet potato. And I’m OK with that.

Sweet Potato Rounds

Ingredients:

1 large sweet potato
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Slice a sweet potato into 1/2-inch thick pieces and lay them out in a single layer.

Liberally pour the olive oil over the sweet potatoes and spread it out with your hands to ensure an even coating.

Bake for 1 hour. Sprinkle with sea salt before serving.

I have something of a sweet tooth so any time that vegetables can be sweet and I’m happy. I like to use olive oil with these because it makes them taste a little fruity, but for a less strong flavor try something like safflower or canola oil. Really, whatever you try, you can’t go wrong.

22 Comments - Leave a comment!

Roasted Squash With Caramelized Onions And Craisins

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

If I could have dinner catered by Whole Foods every night, I would. There’s something so fun about going to the salad bar and picking out what you want to eat from so many options. Or at least it’s fun until they weigh it for you and tell you how much you eat and you stop wondering why your jacket’s a little snug.

Last time I was there, I had this roasted squash and onion casserole that made me go back and buy all the ingredients to make my own. It was mind-blowing, and now this recipe is, too. It’s deliciously sweet and could get the pickiest eater to eat their veggies.

Roasted Squash With Caramelized Onions And Craisins

Ingredients(Makes 4 servings):

1 butternut squash, deseeded and diced
2 large onions, diced
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt
3 Tablespoons agave nectar(or maple or honey)
1/3 craisins(or raisins)

Preheat an oven to 375 degrees.

If you haven’t already, dice the squash and onion into bite-sized pieces.

Combine the onion and squash in a bowl. Pour in the olive oil and sea salt. Toss all the ingredients together.

Lay the vegetables out on a baking tray and bake for 90 minutes

Add in the agave and craisins and mix the all the ingredients together. Drain any excess liquid and serve hot.

I truly forgot how much I loved caramelized onions until making this, which was gone in a flash. My breath probably still smells from them and it was entirely worth it. I’ve never been a fan of dried fruit in savory dishes but the strong, tart sweetness works really well here. It might be too soon to be planning Thanksgiving dinner, but if I were I’d add this to the list.

29 Comments - Leave a comment!

Chickpeas With Sole And Spinach

Written on February 23, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Entree

“These chickpeas have sole, and they’re super bad”(bad as in good)

Sometimes when you make a winning dish, you know even before tasting it that you’ll make it again and again. Since sole is on sale, I used it to make a comforting bowl of food one night that won me over with all its merits: it takes 10 minutes; it’s healthy; it’s flavorful; you really can’t overcook any of it; the ingredients list is short and simple. You can even adapt the recipe by using a different fish, a different bean, or a different green. I omitted the dill because I didn’t have any on hand but that’s one of my favorite flavors for fish when I have it and I think it’d add another layer to this.

Chickpeas With Sole And Spinach

Ingredients(Makes 2 servings):

1/2lb sole(or any other flaky white fish)
3 Tablespoons olive oil
4 cups of spinach, chopped
1 can of chickpeas, water drained
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon dried dill(optional)
1/2 teaspoon salt

Heat the oil in a pan over medium-high heat.

Add in the fish fillets to cook through, about 90 seconds on each side.

When the fish is fully cooked, add in the spinach and chickpeas.

Stir the pan and continue cooking until all the ingredients are warm and the oil has been soaked up.

Season with salt and dill before serving.

Maybe it’s because I’m part Italian but all fish needs a little lemon to make it complete.

I made this several times over the weekend because I couldn’t get over how fast and easy it was, yet still nutritious. Even though the fish is broken up you still get that fishy flavor in every bite. It was just as good as leftovers with a little salsa on top for some added flavor.

16 Comments - Leave a comment!

Chocolate Covered Ginger

Written on February 22, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Dessert

This is less of a recipe and more of a “You should eat this now” advisory. I never thought chocolate and ginger paired so well together until I ate a Green & Black’s chocolate bar with ginger bits inside. It was mind-blowing. These are just the right balance of sweetness and spice to make you want another. And as you’ll read, it’s quite a healthy treat, too!

Ginger is something of a superfood. It’s been a ancient Chinese remedy for everything including nausea, diarrhea, the common cold, congestion, upset stomach, high-cholesterol, and heart disease. And of course, like all of my term papers, my facts are from Wikipedia. Basically, we should be eating much more of it, and with antioxidant-rich dark chocolate, for our health.

Chocolate-Covered Ginger

Ingredients:

6oz chocolate chips
1/2lb candied ginger

Melt the chocolate over a double broiler or in a microwave safe bowl. Lay out a piece of parchment paper on the table where the ginger can cool

One by one, dip the ginger into the chocolate, leaving a little uncovered at the top so people can see what it is.

Shake off the excess chocolate and gently place it on the parchment paper to dry.

Either let the chocolate cool at room temperature or move this on a tray to the refrigerator to harden quicker.

I think it says something that I’ve had this candied ginger for almost a year and hardly touched it, and then I covered it in chocolate and half is gone in 2 days. Next time I make these I might add a little chili powder into the chocolate to give it a kick.

32 Comments - Leave a comment!

Chili-Rubbed Sole With Sautéed Kale And Avocado

Written on February 21, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Entree

I’m a sucker for a sale. So when I saw sole on sale for 50% off at Whole Foods, my gut reaction was to buy it. Never mind that I hadn’t cooked/ate fish for probably half a year. It was on sale.

When I actually thought about how I wanted to eat it, fried and spicy seemed right. This dish has everything you could want: the fish is a soft; the avocado is creamy; the kale is a little tough and gives it all a bit of a bite. It felt like something you’d order at a restaurant.

Chili-Rubbed Sole With Sautéed Kale And Avocado

Ingredients(Makes 2 servings):

1/2lb sole(or other white fish)
1 tablespoon chili powder
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1 bunch of kale, chopped
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 avocado
Lemon for serving

Cover one side of the fish with half of the chili powder and rub it in. Shake off the excess and do the same for the next side.

In the meantime, heat a large pan over medium-high heat with the oil.

Lay the fish in to cook. After about 90 seconds flip the first side over. Use a wide tool and be careful not to break the fillet.

Cook for another 90 seconds or so until the center is cooked through. Gently remove the fish from the pan to rest but not the oil.

When the fish is removed, add in the kale to sauté in the oil. This is a great time to use frozen kale for a cheap but nutritious option.

Sauté the kale until it’s soaked up the oil and reduced to about half the size. Season with 1/2 teaspoon of salt.

To plate, first make a bed of kale. Next add a piece of the fish fillet and season that with a sprinkle of the remaining salt. Cut the avocado in half and then into wedges and lay them down among the fish, serving with a wedge of lemon.

I really really hope this sale goes on for a while.

20 Comments - Leave a comment!

Mama Pea’s Cookie Dough Dip

Written on February 18, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Highlights

What’s better than cookie dough? Cookie dough you can eat as a dip. When Jessica first posted her recipe, I think we all swooned. I didn’t dare ever make it with soy-based dairy substitutes, since I’m sure they wouldn’t have done her original recipe justice. Luckily, Mama Pea was inspired by my peanut butter dessert hummus to make a raw version of Jessica’s recipe(are you following?). I knew I had to bring things full circle and try Mama Pea’s creation; she’s never steered me wrong in the past.

I put all of the ingredients in a food processor(using water instead of almond milk) and let ‘er rip.

Once it was smooth, I stirred in chocolate chips and cinnamon(not in the original recipe but I thought it would add a nice touch).

Ya’ll, go and make this right now. It came out so smooth and richly satisfying. I might like the dough part to be a bit sweeter but even so that didn’t stop me from eating half of it.

And then this happened:

And all was right with the world.

29 Comments - Leave a comment!