5 minute hummus

what's for breakfast? i am terrible about cooking breakfast- so not a morning person! 

we are trying out non-breakfast foods for breakfast since we aren't big fans of the traditional stuff (although i love a good waffle). but when ry requested hummus i was thrilled since i could make it the night before and he could have breakfast right away without waiting for me to make it. this recipe is so easy and good- no excuses not to make it now! 

5 Minute Hummus 

Makes 1 1⁄2 cups

Total Time: 05m

Ingredients

• 1  15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed
• 1  clove  garlic
• 1⁄4  cup  olive oil, plus more for serving
• 2  tablespoons  fresh lemon juice
• 2  tablespoons  tahini (sesame seed paste; optional)
• 1  teaspoon  ground cumin
• kosher salt
• 1/4  teaspoon  paprika

Directions

1. In a food processor, puree the chickpeas and garlic with the olive oil, lemon juice, tahini (if using), cumin, and ¾ teaspoon salt until smooth and creamy. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons water as necessary to achieve the desired consistency.

2. Transfer to a bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with the paprika before serving.

Tip

This dip can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

Nutritional Information

Calories 145; Fat 12g; Sat Fat 2g; Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 335mg; Protein 2g; Carbohydrate 8g; Sugar 1g; Fiber 2g; Iron 1mg; Calcium 19mg

ryan's pizza

a messy but delicious pizza dedicated to ryan

ry decided to avoid all cow products (so lots of dairy bye-bye) but goats cheese is still alright

so i made up a pizza topped with some of both our favorite veggies

Ry's Pizza

pizza dough

1 avocado diced 

1 roma tomato sliced 

1 orange bell pepper sliced into thin strips 

1/2 cup of yellow onion chopped

1/4 cup goat cheese

salt & pepper

olive oil

cornmeal

preheat oven to 430 degrees (or follow the pizza dough specific directions)

heat up some olive oil in a pan. add the chopped onion and orange bell pepper. saute till onion & bell pepper are soft. set aside to cool. 

roll out the pizza dough into desired shape. sprinkle cornmeal onto a baking sheet. place rolled out dough onto baking sheet. top with cooled bell pepper & onion mix. sprinkle on crumbled goat cheese. 

bake for 25 mins. 

remove pizza out of oven. top with avocado & tomato.

drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle on some salt & pepper. 

slice and enjoy!

best blueberry muffins by thomas keller

im guessing that i inherited my love of blueberry muffins from my dad since no once else in the family seems to have a penchant for them. but of all the blueberry muffins ive had- these are the best. even ry who isn't for or against blueberry muffins said, "whoa, these are the best blueberry muffins i have had" after taking a bite.win! try these- you won't be disappointed. and check out the book Bouchon Bakery by Thomas Keller; its simply amazing. everything i have made from it has turned out awesome- and im a novice baker. and please don't skimp on the almond streusel topping- 

i wish i put more on mine- it's addictive. 

Blueberry Muffins by Thomas Keller

Food Gal  (thank you for posting this recipe food gal!) 

(Makes 6 jumbo muffins)

For batter:

3/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons (180 grams) frozen wild blueberries

1 tablespoon (10 grams) all-purpose flour

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (86 grams) all-purpose flour

3/4 cup plus 1 1/2 tablespoons (109 grams) cake flour

1/2 plus 1/8 teaspoon (2.8 grams) baking powder

1/2 plus 1/8 teaspoon (2.8 grams) baking soda

3/4 teaspoon (2.4 grams) salt

3.4 ounces (96 grams) unsalted butter at room temperature

1/2 cup (96 grams) granulated sugar

2 tablespoons (40 grams) unsulfured blackstrap or dark molasses

2 1/2 tablespoons (54 grams) clover honey

1/4 cup plus 1 1/2 teaspoons (72 grams) eggs (or about 1 large egg)

1/4 teaspoon (1.2 grams) vanilla paste

1/4 cup (57 grams) buttermilk

Almond Streusel Recipe (follows)

Powdered sugar for dusting (optional)

For the batter: Toss blueberries with the 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour in a small bowl, and place in the freezer.

Place remaining 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour in a medium bowl. Sift in the cake flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Add salt and whisk together.

Place butter in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, turn to medium-low speed, and cream the butter, until it’s the consistency of mayonnaise.

Add sugar and mix on medium-low speed for about 1 minute until the mixture is fluffy. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Add molasses and honey and mix on low speed for about 1 minute to incorporate.

Add eggs and vanilla paste and mix on low speed for about 30 seconds, until just combined. Add half the flour mixture and mix on low speed for 15 seconds, or until just combined. Add half the buttermilk and mix for 15 to 30 seconds to combine. Repeat with the remaining dry ingredients, followed by the remaining buttermilk.

Remove the bowl from the mixer stand and scrape the bottom of the bowl to incorporate any dry ingredients that have settled there. Transfer the batter to a covered container and refrigerate overnight, or up to 36 hours.

To bake the muffins: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a 6-cup jumbo muffin pan with muffin papers and spray the papers with nonstick cooking spray. Remove the batter from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for 5 minutes to begin to soften.

Stir the blueberries into the batter and spoon batter evenly into the muffin papers, stopping about 3/8 inch from the top (about 140 grams each). Sprinkle 30 grams or a generous 3 tablespoons of the streusel on top of each muffin.

Place pan in the oven, lower the oven temperature to 325 degrees, and bake for 36 to 40 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Set the pan on a cooling rack and cool completely. Dust with powdered sugar if desired.

The muffins are best the day they are baked, but they can be wrapped individually in a few layers of plastic wrap or stored in a single layer in a covered container at room temperature for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 1 week. Defrost the muffins still in the container so any condensation will form on the outside of the container and not on the muffins. Place on a sheet rack and refresh in a 325-degree oven for about 5 minutes, if desired.

Almond Streusel Topping

(Makes 3 3/4 cups)

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (120) grams all-purpose flour

1 cup plus 1 tablespoon (120 grams) almond flour/meal

1/2 cup plus 1 1/2 tablespoons (120 grams) granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon (0.6 grams) kosher salt

4.2 ounces (120 grams) cold, unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces

Combine the all-purpose flour, almond flour, sugar and salt in a bowl and whisk to break up any lumps.

Add butter and toss to coat the pieces. Work the mixture with your fingertips, breaking the butter into pieces  no larger than 1/8 inch and combining it with the flour mixture. Do not overwork the mixture or allow the butter to become soft; if it does, place the bowl in the refrigerator to harden the butter before continuing.

Transfer the streusel to a covered container or resealable plastic bag. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to 2 days, or freeze up to 1 month. Use the streusel while it is cold.

This recipe makes about twice as much streusel as you will need to make 6 jumbo blueberry muffins. Just freeze the remaining streusel to use when you bake another batch of muffins.

Adapted from “Bouchon Bakery” by Thomas Keller and Sebastien Rouxel

marshmallows for Christmas

this year i made marshmallows for Christmas and shared them with friends

they were surprisingly easy to make and im glad i didn't get scared at the thought of having to use a thermometer- any recipe with one of those tends to freak me out

the square/cubish shapes were my favorite and ina garten's marshmallow recipe is the best! 

Homemade Marshmallows

, 2002, Barefoot Contessa Family Style, All Rights Reserved

Prep Time:

20 min

Inactive Prep Time:

8 hr 0 min

Cook Time:

10 min

Level:

Easy

Serves:

20 to 40 marshmallows

Ingredients

• 3 packages unflavored gelatin
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Directions

Combine the gelatin and 1/2 cup of cold water in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and allow to sit while you make the syrup.

Meanwhile, combine the sugar, corn syrup, salt, and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Raise the heat to high and cook until the syrup reaches 240 degrees on a candy thermometer. Remove from the heat.

With the mixer on low speed, slowly pour the sugar syrup into the dissolved gelatin. Put the mixer on high speed and whip until the mixture is very thick, about 15 minutes. Add the vanilla and mix thoroughly.

With a sieve, generously dust an 8 by 12-inch nonmetal baking dish with confectioners' sugar. Pour the marshmallow mixture into the pan, smooth the top, and dust with more confectioners' sugar. Allow to stand uncovered overnight until it dries out.

Turn the marshmallows onto a board and cut them in squares. Dust them with more confectioners' sugar.

Copyright 2012 Television Food Network G.P.
All Rights Reserved

deceptively delicious turkey chili

first of all im a terrible photographer and second, chili is a tough food to photograph- am i right?
but this chili is one of my favorite winter dinners. its easy to whip together and perfect for cold nights. the best part is that the recipe is on the lighter side. the recipe is from jessica seinfield's cookbook Deceptively Delicious. 


Turkey Chili by Deceptively Delicious

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup chopped red onion
• 1 lb ground lean turkey or beef
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon chili powder, or to taste
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon sweet paprika
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 (15 oz) can chopped tomatoes
• 1 (26 oz) carton reduced fat low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 cup red pepper puree (we used 1 cup chopped red pepper)
• 1/2 cup carrot puree (we used 1 cup chopped carrot)
• 1/4 cup cornmeal
• 2 tablespoons flaxseed
• 1 (15 oz) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

Coat the bottom of a large pot with cooking spray and set it over medium heat. When the pot is hot, add the olive oil. Add the onion and cook until it begins to soften, about 2 minutes.

Meanwhile, sprinkle the turkey with garlic, chili powder, salt, paprika, and pepper. Add the turkey to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally until the turkey is no longer pink, 5-6 minutes.

Stir in the tomatoes. Add the broth, pepper puree, carrot puree, cornmeal, and flax seed. Stir well. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer, covered, 15-20 minutes or until the flavors have blended. Stir in the beans and cook a little longer, just to heat through.

tea towel hoarder

i collect tea towels and love switching em out every holiday if i can. 

my favorite stores to shop for them are sur la table, etsy, and crate & barrel 

clearly, i was lazy and didn't want to iron- but sometimes i love crumpled linens!

the doughnut tea towel is from crate & barrel and the hot pink striped towels are from sur la table

here are some that ive been eyeing:
01. whip it, whip it good
02. my kitchen is for dancing
03. vintage pyrex
04. time for tea
05. egg botanical print

im a fanatic- Fried Rice

what's my favorite savory food? easy peasy. its fried rice. so good- i could eat it everyday and not get sick of it. its kind of embarrassing. like how i make a batch and mysteriously 1/2 of it is missing by the time dinner comes around. yes its that good.

fried rice is supposed to be eaten alone as a snack, but i do like paring it with simple steamed veggies or potstickers that are not too complex so that the flavor the fried rice doesn't get covered up.

peanut oil really makes this dish sing but veggie oil works too. to make this dish vegetarian just use veggie broth instead of chicken broth and boom its awesome. be sure to use day-old rice here; if you use fresh cooked rice it will be too sticky/gloopy/ not yummy. i suggest making some rice in the morning and leaving it out on the counter to cool then transferring it to the fridge to dry out. then when dinnertime comes you got rice for fried rice!

do you own a rice cooker? i know alton brown says its not necessary, but hey i grew up with 3 rice cookers in our house- why did we need that many? i don't know, but it always made rice perfect so it became a need for me. and im Asian- its just a staple in most Asian cooking households right?

there are zillions of variations to fried rice but this is my very favorite. fried rice by Rose Cheng.

Basic Fried Rice

from Chinese Cookery  

After adding the rice, experiment and stir in your favorite diced cooked meat or vegetable.

2 eggs

1/2 tsp. salt

5 Tbsp. lard or peanut oil

1 cup chopped green onions

4 cups cold cooked rice

2 Tbsp. chicken broth

3 Tbsp. soy sauce

1/2 tsp. pepper

2 tsp. sesame oil

Beat eggs with 1/4 tsp. salt in a small bowl. Heat 2 Tbsp. lard or peanut oil in a wok over medium heat 1 minute. Pour in beaten eggs. Stir continuously until eggs are cooked dry and separated into small pieces.

Remove cooked eggs from wok and set aside. Heat 3 Tbsp. lard or peanut oil in wok over medium-high heat 1 minute. Add green onions and rice. Stir-fry for 5 minutes. Add chicken broth, remaining salt and soy sauce. Stir to mix well. Stir in cooked eggs, pepper and sesame oil. Serve hot. Makes 4-6 servings.

so you're going vegan?- Spicy Indian Chickpeas

yesterday ry and i were talking about the needed changes to his diet. it kind of terrified me. no eggs, no dairy, and no red meats. the no red meat thing was okay with me, i could totally be a pescetarian but every once in a while i love a great burger. but no dairy and eggs?! oh my gosh i love butter and heavy cream- what is a home cook to do?

most of my friends & family know that i dislike hippies and the hippie way of life (the no shower, dreadlocks  and hug trees type of hippie). its too relaxing for me. that's why my sister (future nurse) tells me that i will probably die early of stress, but at least i accomplished a lot! kidding. 

the word vegan equaled hippie to me. but after watching forks over knives i have definitely changed my way of thinking. 

last night for dinner i made lucinda scala quinn's Spicy Indian Chickpeas. so good. its a great cheap dinner that fills you up. the spices really make the chickpeas so delicious and it is on the spicier side but paired with some avocado its just perfect. white rice is my favorite accompaniment to this dish but lucinda also recommended cucumber yogurt salad .

now don't worry, this is not a vegan blog! just a blog about our food adventures in a kitchen that seriously needs a facelift but we deal with it and still make tasty food. 

Spicy Indian Chickpeas
from Mad Hungry by Lucinda Scala Quinn

Yield
Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients

• • 2 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped (about 1 1/2 cups), plus 1 small onion, sliced, for garnish
  • 8 cloves garlic, minced (2 tablespoons)
  • 1 3-inch-square piece of peeled fresh ginger, minced (3 tablespoons)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 3 15-ounce cans chickpeas, drained (1 cup liquid reserved)
  • 1 large tomato, sliced in wedges, for garnishing
  • 3 hot fresh green chiles, sliced lengthwise and seeded, for garnishing

Directions

1. Heat large skillet and swirl in the oil. Add the chopped onion, garlic, and ginger. Saute until soft and lightly golden, 5 to 6 minutes.
2. In a small bowl, combine the cinnamon, garam masala, cumin, coriander, cloves, cayenne, and salt. Add to the onion mixture; cook and stir in the spices to lightly toast, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for another few minutes to combine. The color should be dark red.
3. Add the chickpeas plus the cup of reserved liquid. Stir to combine. Cover and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, removing the cover in the last few minutes. Remove from the heat and let sit for a minute to allow the beans to soak up the spice flavors. Season with salt to taste.
4. Serve in a shallow bowl garnished with the sliced onion, tomato wedges, and slices of green chiles.