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Kale Chips
Kale gets a bad reputation. People tend to have strong negative feelings towards it because of its outward bitterness and rough texture, but it’s actually a really great green. Beyond being rich in fiber, iron, and antioxidants it really can be flavorful it treated well. I like to use it in salads or sauté it in stir frys, etc., but this preparation is probably my favorite. Kale chips make a delightful little snack that is SUPER easy to make. Ingredients: 1 bunch kale 2 T olive oil 1 t. salt 1 t. black pepper 2 t. cayenne 1 sprig fresh dill Recipe: 1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.…
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Whole cooked artichokes
I mentioned in my previous post that artichokes were included in my first CSA box. I absolutely love artichoke hearts and use them all the time in salads, but cooking whole artichokes requires a lot more time and effort. Be prepared that cooking and eating a whole artichoke involves a lot of waste. If you are okay with that though, you will totally enjoy this easy recipe for delicious, fresh artichokes cooked whole. Ingredients: 2 C vegetable broth 1 t. salt 1 t. pepper 1 T ground ginger 1 T ground garlic (or 1 T chopped fresh garlic) 1 green chile split in half 1/2 small red onion roughly chopped…
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My first CSA box!
I had mentioned in an earlier post that I was planning to join a CSA. Well, last Friday, I got my first box from Farm Fresh to You. For those of you that aren’t familiar with CSAs, they are local community supported agricultural collectives that distribute seasonal and local produce. As a CSA member, you pay a small fee and select a type of box- fruits, veggies, or mixed. You select the frequency with which they deliver and the size of the box as well. I choose a regular size box to be delivered every other week. I like that farm fresh to you allows you to also select produce…
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Chocolate Peanut Butter Ganache Cupcakes
Chocolate peanut butter cupcakes with chocolate ganache When I was a kid, my favorite part of valentine’s day was getting tons and tons of chocolate and sugary candies to eat all day at school. There is no such thing as too much chocolate in my opinion. These cupcakes are a great chocolatey treat for Valentine’s day or otherwise. I adapted a recipe found here. These would be great with another filling (coconut, raspberry, custard, etc.) if peanut butter isn’t your style. Ingredients: 1.5 C Cake flour (sifted) 1/2 C butter 1.5 C sugar 1 t. baking soda 1/4 t. baking powder 1 t. salt 1/2 C unsweetened cocoa powder…
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Flaxseed Banana Walnut Bread
Yes, I have already explained my dislike for browning bananas pretty extensively in this post on Banana chocolate walnut bread. That is a great recipe to get rid of some browning bananas and make a sweet, delicious snack. Unfortunately, with the combination of the chocolate, the white sugar, the butter, it’s not the healthiest option. This recipe is a much healthier alternative with a lot less sweetness, but an amazing moist texture. Ingredients: 1 C white flour 1/2 C brown sugar 1 C flaxseed meal 1/2 C butter at room temperature 2 eggs 2 t. vanilla extract 1 t. cinnamon 1 t. salt 1 t. baking soda 1 C chopped…
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Superbowl Six Layer Dip #QuestforSix
The Superbowl is rapidly approaching and I can hardly contain my excitement!!! Normally, I am a big fan of making seven layer dip, but because the 49ers are looking to win superbowl number six this year, I figured six layer dip was more appropriate. FYI the normal seventh layer (that I skipped) is a fresh tomato pico de gallo layer. Here is a recipe you can use for this extra layer. Anyway, this dip is incredibly easy and fun to eat and share. It’s a good party favor and hardly involves any preparation at all. Honestly, I can’t realistically call this cooking. Ingredients: 1 can organic black beans 1/2 C…
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50 Most Powerful People in Food
The daily meal just released a list of America’s 50 most powerful people in food. You can view the slideshow and read the bios of the top 50 here. There were six people on the list that I thought deserved special mention. I really wanted to just name five of them, but I couldn’t decide who to cut so six it is! 50. The Family Farmer This one seems like a pretty obvious important person on the list, but I thought s/he should get special mention. With the farmer’s market trend being so popular in California, we often take for granted the amazing high quality produce that is available (almost…
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49ers (sugar) Cookies!!!
Happy New Year! I hope all of your winter holidays were as memorable as mine. I was able to make a quick trip to India for the wedding of a close friend and then travel through Indonesia with two very close high school friends of mine. I had a ton of family in town for the new year which was great and was the co-champion of a highly competitive family jenga tournament. All-in-all it was a great few weeks. To be honest, I was just too busy to really sit down and think about my blog, but it’s the new year and I’m back! In case you all weren’t aware,…
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Peppermint Bark
I absolutely love Christmas! The flavors and smells and sounds (yes, even the cheesy music) are so fun! We just got our Christmas tree and started putting up the lights, ornaments, stockings, etc. I’m also super excited to be traveling during this holiday season. I’m spending a week in india to celebrate a close family friend’s wedding and then ten days in Indonesia traveling with two high school buddies. Exciting times ahead! Here is a VERY easy recipe for peppermint bark, that is sure to be a crowd pleaser. I know I say a lot of recipes are easy, but this definitely takes the cake. 🙂 Ingredients: 8 oz bag…
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Holiday Cookies!
I’m a huge proponent of baked gifts! They are personal and tasty while still being thoughtful. I also like the idea of spending time to create something you know your friends will use (or eat) especially when you have a good number of gifts to make. I wanted to create something for a bunch of the people who work with my lab in really important roles that often go unnoticed- the secretaries, technicians, etc. I decided to make a few tins of holiday cookies and some cookies in a jar to gift. For those of you who don’t know what cookies in a jar are, you basically layer all the…
