Break Radio Silence Part Deux

Now you didn’t think I’d forget about the Chocolate Hazelnut Cupcakes would you? Nah, it’s not in my nature to let things slip through the cracks. That and I’m currently listening to The Ramones and The Stooges so I’m on a roll! All this energy is going straight into typing and blogging!

I’m going to be honest, the most simple thing I do in my life is eating a bowl of cereal, but as my friend Michael Spear can attest to, even that is hardly simple. So as with the Tiramisu Cupcakes, there are a few flavor enhancing steps added to the process. I don’t take shortcuts, so if you’re a Betty Crocker or Rachel Ray kind of person in the kitchen, you’re in the wrong place.

On to the recipe!

Hazelnuts

• 1 Cup Filberts/Hazelnuts
• Sheet Pan

1. Preheat your oven to 350F and toast the Filberts for 10 minutes. Once they become fragrant remove from the oven and pan into a kitchen towel. Allow to cool.
2. Making sure the nuts are securely tucked into the towel, roll your hand around the towel on your counter top. What this does is remove the skins off of the nuts so you are left with the beautiful lightly toasted little Hazelnut! Discard the skins and reserve the nuts for later.

Chocolate Hazelnut Cake (Yield 24 cupcakes or 1 double layer 8″ Cake)

• 2 cups + 2 tablespoons Soymilk, unsweetened and plain
• 1 tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1 1/2 cups Sugar
• 2-3 teaspoons Hazelnut Extract (expensive, but worth every penny I promise!)(See quick tip below for an alternative)
• 1/4 cup Safflower Oil
• 2 cups All Purpose Flour
• 1/2 cup Dark Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Baking Powder
• 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 1/2 teaspoon Nutmeg
• Toasted Hazelnuts

1. Keep your oven on at 350F and prepare your cupcake tins.
2. We’re making Vegan Buttermilk again! Vigorously whisk the daylights out of soymilk and vinegar and set aside to thicken for 5-10 minutes.
3. In your mixing bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg.
4. Once the buttermilk is ready, add the sugar and hazelnut extract whisking to return to a frothy state. Slowly add the oil, while whisking, to incorporate the fats and maintain the desired texture of the buttermilk.
5. Turn on your mixer to a low speed, using the paddle attachment, and slowly add the milk mixture to the dry ingredients. Once the liquid is added scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and turn the speed up to a medium-high speed for about 20 seconds, then scrape the sides of the bowl once more. Return the speed to a medium-high speed and beat for a few seconds more or until the major lumps have been beaten out and the mixture looks billowy and luxuriously smooth.
6. Immediately fill your lined cupcake tins with the cake batter filling it 3/4 of the way full. Then for a secret surprise inside, I like to drop one Filbert in the center of the cupcake. As they bake the batter overtakes the nut and right below the surface lays a lovely little nut for you, your friends, or family to bite into! That and the oils from the nut add to the flavor of the cake!
7. Pop the cupcakes in the oven for 18-21 minutes. You want them bounce back at the touch of your finger or you can do the toothpick poke test. When the toothpick comes out clean from the cake they are fully baked!
8. Cool the cupcakes for 5 minutes in the tins then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Chocolate Hazelnut Buttercream

• 1/2 tub Tofutti Cream Cheese, cold
• 6 ounces Earth Balance, cold
• 3 cups Powdered Sugar, sifted
• 1/2 cup Dark Unsweetened Cocoa Powder, sifted
• 1 teaspoon Hazelnut Extract
• Optional: Vanilla Beans from one pod
• Non Dairy Milk, on hand to thin if necessary
• Toasted Hazelnuts

1. Combine the Tofutti and the Earth Balance in your mixing bowl and beat until combined. A very important thing to keep in mind that Vegan “fats” have a higher water content than their dairy cousins, so start cold and DO NOT over mix. The water will separate and you will be left with something…well, weird.
2. Once the mixture is smooth add the (optional) vanilla beans, Hazelnut Extract, Cocoa Powder, and powdered sugar in small stages (3 is a nice number), start on a low speed and work up to a medium-high speed fully incorporating the sugar until the mixture is smooth.
3. Feel free to taste test your buttercream as you go along. I know I do. Sometimes I want the chocolate flavor lighter, or darker. Same with the Hazelnut, if you want Nutella flavored frosting you’re going to want to add more. With chocolate buttercreams I like to keep them a little bit stiffer than vanilla based buttercreams. I don’t know, maybe it’s something about me viewing Chocolate as being more robust and luxurious. Again, you don’t want this to be stiff, envision a thick Chocolate Mousse and you’re on the right track.
4. Fill your piping bag with a star tip 3/4 of the way full. Maintaining a light hand pipe the the buttercream starting on the edge of the cupcake and working your way in pipe in 3 turns. Do not add too much frosting to the cupcake, we don’t need to over power the cake. If you love frosting, save some to eat later with a spoon, but please respect the cake and it’s flavor.
5. Roughly chop up some of our reserved Filberts and place them on the buttercream to your liking. Remember, these are your cupcakes! Have fun with it, be relaxed and make them look like you want them to! No apologies and no excuses! Just love them and all their little imperfections!
6. Bon appetite!

Quick Tip:

• If spending $5 to $6 on Hazelnut Extract is a little hard to swallow (and I don’t blame you) add some additional Hazelnuts to the toasting process and after removing the skin place about 1/2-3/4 cup in your food processor and grind until a powder is formed. Like Hazelnut flour! Whisk into your flour mixture and reduce the flour by 2 tablespoons for every 1/4 cup of nuts you add. Then proceed as usual!

Break Radio Silence

Vegan Tiramisu and Chocolate Hazelnut Cupcakes

There is no denying that there has been a serious lack of posts on this site as of late, but that is not to say that I have not been busy in the kitchen. In fact it would be fair for you to make the assumption that the less I post on here (or any of my online outlets) the busier I am.

I do bring tidings of great twitterpation! In the culinary world we refer to it as Wedding Season. The time of year when brides-to-be are making their preparations for the big day. I had the great privilege of not only making two new acquaintances, as well as being invited to create the wedding dessert spread for Brianna and Aaron! Seriously a couple of sweethearts. I am always so inspired by people with genuine energy and zeal for living.

Right off the bat they won me over with their flavor selection. Chocolate Hazelnut and most importantly Tiramisu! My goodness is there anything better than Tiramisu. No, no there isn’t. The fun part about all of this is not only do they want cupcakes for their wedding, they have requested that they be Vegan.

If you are at all familiar with Tiramisu you can see what I mean about it being challenging. How you recreate a custardy, egg-ridden, mascarpone cheese laden dessert with no animal product and in cupcake form?! Well, I’m glad you asked!

As I have previously mentioned and will continually remind you, I’m Italian and I have a younger sister who’s favorite dessert EVER is Tiramisu. So for the many years that I spent as a Vegan I had some serious motivation to get this dessert right. Two things I will say on the subject of Vegan products and then we’ll move on to the good stuff. Earth Balance and Tofutti Cream Cheese are gifts from Heaven for the Vegan community. Straight up.

So having these two gifts at my disposal it was really just a matter of recreating the familiar flavors of tiramisu and reconstructing it in a different form.

The base for Tiramisu are little, soft biscuits called Lady Fingers. They have a delightful crust on them so they soak up the espresso (and booze) without becoming soggy. So for the cake aspect, rather than combining the espresso and the Amaretto Liqueur for the soaking liquid, I made an Amaretto flavored cake. For the espresso soaking liquid I pressed freshly ground Espresso beans at double strength, then combined it with Kahlua and a dash of sugar over a medium-high heat in a saucepan to burn away the alcohol and intensify the flavors. The buttercream is where it got a little bit tricky and slightly fancy. Ordinarily if I’m going to be making a cream cheese buttercream, I use a 1:2 ratio of butter (Earth Balance) to cream cheese (Tofutti), in this case though I reversed ratio. I used 12 ounces of cream cheese to 6 ounces of butter. The Mascarpone in the Tiramisu is what gives the dessert that luscious, full and soft mouth feel. To round out the flavor of the Tofutti and the Earth Balance I added Vanilla Beans from two pods and added just a dash of Amaretto. All right, enough back-story.

Espresso Soaking Liquid

• 4 ounces strongly brewed Espresso, cooled
• 1-2 tablespoons of Kahlua or Bailey’s Coffee Liqueur
• Sugar, to taste

1. Combine the ingredients in a small sauce pan over medium-high heat and boil for a minute to burn away the alcohol.
2. Reduce to a simmer. If a skin develops on the mixture, scrape off with a spoon and discard.
3. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Amaretto Spice Cake

• 2 cups Soymilk, Unsweetened and Plain
• 1 tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1 ½ cups Sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
• 1-2 tablespoons Amaretto Liqueur
• 2 ½ cups All Purpose Flour
• Optional: ¼ cup Cornstarch or 2 tablespoons of All Purpose Flour
• 1 ½ teaspoons Baking Powder
• 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• ½ teaspoon of Nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon of Cinnamon
• ¼ cup of Safflower Oil

1. Preheat your oven to 350ºF and prepare your cupcake tins.
2. To start, we’ll be making Vegan Buttermilk. To do this combine the Soymilk and Apple Cider Vinegar in a mixing bowl and whisk the ever loving daylights out of it until it submits to your authority and becomes frothy and light. Set aside to thicken for 5-10 minutes.
3. In the bowl of your mixer, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt (also the Cornstarch if you choose to use it. I typically only use the cornstarch when I am adding wet ingredients such as fruit).
4. Once your Vegan Buttermilk is nice and thickened we’ll be adding the sugar, vanilla extract, and Amaretto. Whisk until the mixture has become frothy once more.
5. Next, while adding the oil it is important to whisk the milk mixture as you slowly pour in the oil as to incorporate the fats and maintain a lightness to the buttermilk.
6. Turn on your mixer to a low speed, using the paddle attachment, and slowly add the milk mixture to the dry ingredients. Once the liquid is added scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and turn the speed up to a medium-high speed for about 20 seconds, then scrape the sides of the bowl once more. Return the speed to a medium-high speed and beat for a few seconds more or until the major lumps have been beaten out and the mixture looks billowy and luxuriously smooth.
7. Immediately fill your lined cupcake tins with the cake batter filling it 3/4 of the way full. We want a level cupcake, not a muffin top!
8. Pop the cupcakes in the oven for 18-21 minutes. You want them to be a rich, golden brown.
9. Cool the cupcakes for 5 minutes in the tins then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Using a straw, poke a hole in the tops of the cupcakes being sure to only go down half way! Spoon a small amount of the espresso liquid into the hole, then lightly dip the top of the cupcake in the espresso as well. We want a soaked cake, not a soggy one. Pop them into the freezer for 10-15 minutes to help set the liquid.

Vanilla Bean Cream Topping

• Tub of Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese, cold
• 6 ounces Earth Balance, cold
• 3-4 cups sifted Powdered Sugar
• 2 pods of Vanilla Beans, split and scraped (reserve pods for future use)
• 1 teaspoon of Amaretto
• Non-dairy milk, used if necessary for thinning

1. Combine the Tofutti and the Earth Balance in your mixing bowl and beat until combined. A very important thing to keep in mind that Vegan “fats” have a higher water content than their dairy cousins, so start cold and DO NOT over mix. The water will separate and you will be left with something…well, weird.
2. Once the mixture is smooth add the vanilla beans, Amaretto, and powdered sugar in small stages (3 is a nice number), start on a low speed and work up to a medium-high speed fully incorporating the sugar until the mixture is smooth.
3. You will know when your buttercream is ready to go when you pull your beater out of the mixture and turn it right side up and the buttercream slowly curves downward. You want it soft, but not runny.

Time to Assemble!

1. With an offset spatula or small rubber spatula, put about two tablespoons worth of frosting on the top of the cupcake. Using your secondary hand to rotate the cupcake and your dominate hand to frost, turn the cupcake as you use a circular stroking motion evenly distribute the buttercream around the entirety of the cake while still maintaining a flat top. They don’t need to be perfect, we’ll be covering them with cocoa powder!
2. Once your cupcakes are frosted, get your sifter out and lightly dust the top of the cakes with cocoa powder and just like that, you have Vegan Tiramisu Cupcakes!

It seems like a lot of steps, and it is. I can absolutely promise you this: your home will smell amazing and the sense of accomplishment that you will have once you take your first bite will make you forget about all the labor you just went through!

Yum Yum Photo Time!

Better Luck Next Time

This is one of those bummer stories. The kind where things don’t exactly go the way you had hoped, but contains a silver lining. As is the case most of the time with me, the silver lining is inevitably good food.

My friend Michelle began the 26 year of her life this past weekend and wanted to bring it in with her closest friends around her in a relaxed setting, making crafts, and eating delicious treats. My kind of night. Michelle loves anything chocolate and coffee studded and I had every intention of delivering on those goods.

Here’s the background. I don’t own a car, and quite frankly I don’t want one. The only purpose I see one of those behemoths serving is to get me to Disneyland in a time efficient manner. But I digress. I also work nights, which means I have the sometime elusive task of catching my “z’s” during the daylight hours. This was not in the cards for me this past Saturday.

Living across the street from a gorgeous park is utter perfection, until a wretched, indiscernible  70’s cover rock band plays from 9am until 4 o’clock in the afternoon. Needless to say, not a whole lot more than internal desperate pleas for silence and constant tossing and turning until eventually, surrender was inevitable. This unfortunately left me with no energy and feeling ill, which left me unable to make the trek to my friends’ home (it would have been an hours journey, half by bus and half by bike).

This truly hurt all the more because upon walking into my kitchen at 3 o’clock that lovely Saturday afternoon, to what would normally be a view to inspire childlike joy, to look at a plate of perfect, soft, moist, billowy, fudgey, and espresso ridden Brownies. Ah yes, brownies. The deceptively simple, yet complicated dessert. The downfall of women and the weakness of grown men. The childhood favorite, and the future bringer of world peace. Yes the Brownie is all this and so much more, but my sweet Michelle would miss out on these specially made morsels.

That morning that I returned home from work I immediately set to work on these monsters. I am going to be perfectly up front with you about my brownies. I do not like black out, over the top, sugar studded Brownies. Yes, I’m pointing the finger at you box mix! To me chocolate is something to be celebrated and highlighted. You should taste the chocolate, not overwhelmed by it. Second point I will emphatically make. Healthy and brownies will never go in the same sentence. Don’t talk to me about diets, fat free, whole grain, low sugar, or any of that other nonsense when we are talking about brownies. There are certain things that need to be what they are, and brownies should never be diet. So unfortunately if you are one of my health nut or Vegan readers, I must bid you adieu at this point (or stick around if you need a guilty pleasure in your life. I promise not to disappoint).

My brownies focus on depth and combining flavors. It may seem complicated, but if you have a well stocked pantry this will be no big deal. I am a firm believer that in baked goods, never go with one type of chocolate, personally I believe in combining 3 different types, but 2 is absolute magic. This recipe is results in more of a fudgey brownie, not a cakey due to the fact that I melt down chocolate and do not use cocoa powder. The next biggest insight I’m going to lay on you, eggs. Lots of eggs. This not only gives the brownies moisture and structure, but the eggs act as your leavening agent and they give a nice glossy crust that forms on the top of the brownies giving texture as well as adding a whole depth of flavor. With all that said, here comes the recipe!

These Aren’t The Kind of Brownies You Take Home To Meet Your Mother (9×13 pan) (Inspired by Craft of Baking)

Brownie Batter

• 3 sticks Unsalted Butter, room temperature
• 3 oz High Quality Milk Chocolate, roughly chopped
• 3 oz High Quality Unsweetened Chocolate, roughly chopped
• 6 Eggs, room temperature
• 1 cup Sugar
• 2 cups Dark Brown Sugar, packed
• 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
• 2 cups All Purpose Flour, sifted
• 2 teaspoons Sea or Kosher Salt
• 2-3 teaspoons Espresso Powder, finely ground
• Dark Chocolate Chips

Espresso Cream Cheese Swirl (There will be some left over, I do this on purpose to have on hand for other baking ventures)

•  6 oz Cream Cheese, soft and at room temp
• 3 tablespoons Unsalted Butter, soft and at room temp
• 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 1 Egg, room temp
• 1 1/2 cups Powdered Sugar, sifted
• Espresso Beans, very finely ground

1. With a hand or stand mixer, whip the cream cheese and butter until combined and fluffy.
2. Add the Vanilla and the Egg and whip until fully combined.
3. Sift in the powdered sugar and whip until fluffy and soft.
4. At this point you are going to want to add the Espresso Powder in small batched until you have achieved the desired coffee flavor. I wound up adding 3-4 tablespoons. The mixture looked like cookies and cream ice cream!
5. Cover and chill while preparing the brownies.

For the Brownies:

1. Preheat your oven to 375F as well as grease and line your baking dish with parchment paper.
2. Get a medium to small sauce pan and fill with and inch or two of simmering water and cover with a heat proof bowl (glass is perfect), making sure that the glass does NOT touch the water. We want to heat the chocolate very delicately and respectfully. Add your 6 ounces of chocolate and the unsalted butter. Using a rubber spatula fold the two together until fully melted and incorporated. Do not scorch the chocolate or leave it alone, burned chocolate will produce tears of bitter sadness. Once the mixture is fully melted. Turn off the heat, but leave the bowl on the sauce pan to keep the chocolate warm.
3. In a large mixing bowl whisk together your sugars and eggs until fully combined and billowy. Do not leave the egg and sugar mixture alone. There is a chemical reaction that takes place where the sugar cooks the eggs. (Isn’t science and baking awesome?!) Once the eggs and sugars are incorporated, slowly whisk in your cooled chocolate mixture.
4. Sift your flour and salt on to the chocolate mixture and using a rubber spatula, gently fold the mixture together. It is of the upmost importance not to over mix the brownie batter. Use a light and delicate hand and just before the mixture is fully incorporated add your chocolate chips and espresso powder.
5. Pour the batter into your prepared baking dish, starting in the center and gently working the batter to the edges. Grab your cream cheese mixture and add 6 dollops on top of the batter. Using a fork, knife, skewer, toothpick, or shoot your finger will work just fine; swirl the cream cheese mixture on the top level of the brownie batter. Be sure not to incorporate the cream cheese into the brownie batter.
6. Bake the brownies for 20 minutes, then rotate the pan and bake for an additional 10 minutes. Check on the brownies at this point and get a gauge for the time. My brownies typically bake for another 10-15 minutes. You will know when they are ready to come out when the crust is formed and there is only a slight giggle in the center of the pan when you shake it. Do not wait until the brownies are stiff, they will be over baked. The more you bake brownies the better you will become at discovering the nuances of when to pull them from the oven.
7. Cool the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then pull up on the parchment paper and let the brownies cool completely on the wire rack.
8. At this point you may do as you please. But also know this, brownies freeze and reheat beautifully! If you are a mom, or a busy college kid who needs a dessert immediately and don’t have time for all these steps, you have a friend waiting for you. Make sure the brownies are completely cooled off then tightly wrap in plastic, these will keep for 2 months. To reheat, pop them in your oven at 350F for 10 minutes and you’re golden!

So the story goes that the brownies turned out absolutely delicious and had a wonderfully strong coffee flavor that was balanced by the creaminess of the cream cheese and the light chocolate brownie. Sadly, my friend didn’t get to have them for her birthday, but I relish the opportunity to be able to do something for her again in the near future. Se la vie.

Sneak Peek

So here it is. Albeit this is a very rough draft, and the more time I spend on this article the larger I see it becoming. Ha, it doesn’t help that I just talked to my mom about it and she gave me a massive dose of encouragement, which will only propel this monster further.

So here it is. The beginnings of something, of what exactly I can’t say for sure. But I am going for it.

[Develop hook] Thinking has always been regarded as a dangerous past time, well I’m about to take it a step further and blame the catalyst: good conversation. The other day a work colleague made a casual statement that has caused thoughts to spread and build upon themselves in my mind much like a ripple in a still pond. The conversation, much like most of those I choose to carry, revolved around food and cooking. My coworker off handedly stated that while preparing and eating a healthy meal, if he is eating this way because he is feeling guilty about something else.

This small utterance fell by the way side until the next morning when I heard those words again, which were quickly followed by a barrage of questions popping in my head much like a greasy burger in a hot skillet. Why do we choose to eat healthy? Has eating all natural simply become penance for misdeeds? Are we no longer eating to watch our waistlines, but to gain some sort of sanctification? Are health food stores the new temples and local farmers the new shaman?

I can’t help but feel as if this is a major topic just waiting to be cut into, peeled back, hacked open, and any other food related dismemberment you can muster.

Throughout human history we have held strongly to our religiosity, convictions, morals, beliefs, and yes even the lack there of. Devout Christians, renegade Muslims, earthy Pagans, Orthodox Jews, peaceful Hindus, obstinate Atheists, and now fervent foodies?

When did food cease to become a means for survival and develop into one of the 7 Deadly Sins? In his book, Guns, Steel, Germs; revered anthropologist Jared Diamond conquers the massive topic of food development and domestication of what we now know as our livestock. [Insert specific citation] The course of human development goes hand-in-hand with the development and cultivation of crops and the processes behind preparing said harvests. Early eating was simply a process of obtaining the highest amount of calories without spending a lot of those calories trying to obtain them. A deceptively simple concept. [Elaborate further] [Discuss technological developments of healthy fats and grains. I.e.: oils and butter or quinoa and wheat]

This brings us to sin aspect of food. Why would Gluttony be among the ranks of such nefarious deeds as Sloth, Lust, Wrath, and the like? The answer is simple enough. When it takes such hard work to gain so little caloric intake, the over indulgence of those calories was justifiably seen as sinful and greedy. Yet with the development of higher yielding food production came the growth of better technology, modern warfare, architecture, science, travel, and the establishment of larger communities. Throughout the course of history, the success and prowess of empires and countries is a direct reflection on that cultures ability to obtain and distribute calories to the masses the most effective manner.

But for every cause there is an effect and for every sauté there must come a flip. With the development of all these technologies, food not only became more obtainable, but more processed and that oh so dirty word, refined. Things that were absent in the “all natural diets” before were introduced making the forbidden Gluttony all the more deadly. These little evils are sodium, trans fats, high fructose corn syrup, MSGs, and the host of unpronounceable chemicals and preservatives that accompany your favorite bowl of cereal or ice cream.

For decades Americans in particular feasted on TV Dinners, the convenience of fast food drive thrus, easy bake ovens, multicolored prepackaged confections, and massive portion sizes. Couple this with an unhealthy dose of ignorance and the wily advertisements of major corporations and we have the recipe for a nation full of unhappy and confused eaters.

Alright. That’s all your getting for now. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated! Now I’m off to the kitchen to make some yummy goodies!

Storm is coming

I haven’t really exercised it in this forum yet, but I love to write. I have 5 different journals and I’m constantly scribbling lists out of…well you name it. My mind is constantly producing and churning out new things like waves crashing on the shoreline. The newest surge is currently working me into a bit of a frenzy.

I’m writing a piece on the religiosity of food and our relationship to it. I’ll be posting a rough beginning draft of it tomorrow. This is something that I have to get out. It’s going to turn into a monster if I don’t let it stretch it’s legs and I’m taking it all out on you.

Hope you’re ready.

I’ll be getting some more recipes on here too! It’s funny, I started this blog as something to keep me entertained with and I’m realizing not only the potential in it, but just how truly massive this beast can get.

Inspiration Friday Come On Down!

Quick Tip!

Fresh Cilantro Bouquet

I used to go crazy with how fast my fresh herbs would go bad in my fridge. And being someone who has primarily cooked for myself, I cannot go through those big beautiful bunches of cilantro, Italian flat leaf parsley, or even green onions fast enough. I hate waste, especially when it’s something as beautiful and lovely as fresh herbs. Then one fine day a couple years ago, I was watching one of my favorite chefs, Tyler Florence, on his cooking show and he pulled some parsley out of the fridge and it was in a glass with water much like a bouquet of flowers! I figured there had to be a method to this madness and sure enough, after I started storing my fresh herbs this way I got at least 4-5 more days out of them! Not only that, but it makes the interior of your refrigerator much more bright and beautiful! So now you have something to do with that plethora of left over cilantro from yesterday!

Flower Vendor

Flower Vendor ACEO, a photo by misnopalesart on Flickr.

For Our Friends South of the Border

FELIZ CINCO DE MAYO!!! May was a bit of a slow month for drinking holidays in America, and the Irish were already taken, so we invented Cinco De Mayo! (True story, they don’t celebrate in México)

For those who know me well, they know that I will NEVER say no to Mexican food. Doesn’t matter if it’s dinner and I just ate it for lunch, I will have it again and enjoy ever last bite. While living in Portland I really had to hone in my latino  repertoire, because as surprising as it may be, the city is SERIOUSLY lacking in truly delicious Mexican food. My sister Kacey and I made it a personal quest to find our go to authentic home away from home and to no avail. It doesn’t exist. Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of yummy restaurants, but I really do believe that when you are from California, the Mexican Food here gets into your blood stream and changes your genetic make up so you are predisposed to be able to spot a fake from a mile away. There is something insatiable and incomparable about this wonderful cuisine. Now I am not claiming to be an expert, but I will say that these are pretty fantastic building blocks and I promise they will leave your casa smelling like your favorite cantina or carniceria.

I’m giving you the full gambit to make your Cinco De Mayo celebration complete! Listed below is my recipe for Horchata, Chips, Salsa Verde Shredded Chicken, Enchilada Sauce, Mexican Rice, and my Guacamole! From here you can make all kinds of In all honesty, you can make refried beans from scratch, but it’s a 24 hour process and it’s much easier to find your favorite brand at the store and garnish it as you please.  ¿Estamos listos? ¡Vamos!

Horchata (Yield 6ish Cups)

• 1 cup long grain white rice, uncooked
• 5 cups water, hot
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1-2 teaspoons cinnamon, ground
• 1-2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract (or 1 Vanilla Bean Pod, seed scraped, pod reserved)
• 2/3 cup Sugar
• Optional: Lime Zest and 1-2 teaspoons Lime Juice (if you’re feeling sassy)
• Optional: Your favorite light Rum

1. Begin by boiling your water. While your water is going add the uncooked rice to your blender and pulverize, on the lower speed, until broken up into smaller pieces.
2. Add the rice to a bowl and pour the hot water over it. Add the cinnamon stick, ground cinnamon, and vanilla extract, and lime zest. Cover and let sit at room temperature for no less than 3 hours. (The longer it sits the better it is! Overnight is ideal).
3. Using a fine mesh sieve, strain the rice milk and discard the rice solids and lime zest if used). You can toss the cinnamon stick, or save it to make another drink or potpourri! Slowly whisk in the sugar until you have achieved desired sweetness (don’t add it in all at once, you may live to regret it!)
4. Chill the Horchata in the fridge until cold. Serve over ice. (Now would be the time to add more lime juice or Rum if you want your rice milk to put on the grown up pants!)

Crispy Oven Tortilla Chips

• White Corn Tortillas
• Lime or Lemon Juice
• Cumin
• Optional: Salt

1. Preheat your oven to 325F.
2. Stack the desired amount of tortillas on top of one another and cut into 8 equal sized wedges. Toss the tortillas in freshly squeezed lime/lemon juice and the cumin until evenly coated. Spread out the tortilla wedges so they are not touching and have room to breath. If they are too close or on top of one another they will not crisp or brown evenly.
3. Bake in the oven for 10-11 minutes then toss again and continue to bake for another 1-3 minutes. (After the initial 10 minutes you are going to want to pay attention to them. Once tortillas have had the moisture pulled out of them, they cook very quickly.
4. Once they are firm and crisp to the touch and evenly browned they are good to go!
5. These guys are best the day of. They don’t have a long shelf life…which shouldn’t be a problem. They go fast!

Salsa Verde Shredded Chicken

• Fresh Skinless Chicken Breasts (bone in for more flavor)
• Your favorite Salsa Verde
• Cumin, ground
• Lime/Lemon juice
• Pepper

1. This will be the easiest thing you ever make. If you have a crock pot, God bless you. Submerge the chicken in the salsa verde and turn it on to the low setting. Let the chicken slow cook for 6-8 hours. Shred when you are ready to serve and eat!
2. If you do not have a crock pot (like myself…), in a glass casserole dish, completely cover the chicken with the salsa verde. Tightly cover with plastic wrap, then cover with aluminum foil. Bake at 325F for 3 hours. (Check on at each hour).
3. These go amazing with sour cream!

Kiki’s Mexican Arroz

• 1 tablespoon Vegetable Oil (or better yet Manteca)
• 1/2 cup long grain white rice, uncooked
• 1 heaping teaspoon Cumin, ground
• 1/2 small Red Onion, diced
• 2 large cloves Garlic, minced
• 1 Red Jalepeño, sliced in halve, seeds removed and julianned (cut into long thin strips) (Green is fine, I prefer the red for color sake and they are sweeter)
• 3/4 cup Low Sodium Veggie or Chicken Broth
•  1/4 cup Tomato Sauce
• 1 Roma Tomato, deseeded and chopped
• Tapatio, to taste
• Salt, to taste
• Cilantro, as garnish

1. In a sauce pan with a tight fitting lid, warm the oil over medium heat.
2. While the oil is warming. In a bowl combine the stock, tomato sauce, diced tomato, 2-4 dashes of tapatio and a pinch of salt. Whisk together until combined. Set aside.
3. Once the oil is to temp, add the rice and toast until the kernels are golden brown (The less you agitate the rice at this stage the more even the toast will be). Add the Cumin and toast for about another minute, or until fragrant.
4. Using a wooden spoon, add the onion and garlic and sauté in the hot rice for about 2-4 minutes, or until translucent and very aromatic. Add the jalepeño and sauté until it just begins to soften.
5. Add the broth mixture all at once and give a very quick stir and cover immediately! The rice and liquid will sizzle and boil. Reduce the heat to low and cook the rice for 18-21 minutes. It is VITALLY IMPORTANT that you do not lift the lid or touch the rice before this. Let it sit and work its magic!
6. Once the rice has cooked fluff with a fork and toss in chopped cilantro and a fresh squeeze of lime juice and toss. Transfer to a serving dish and consume immediately!
7. Optional: If you desire a more southwestern style rice. Add diced bell pepper and corn kernels when you add the jalepeño during the sauté process.

Enchilada Sauce (Yield about 3-4 cups)

• 3-4 oz Dried Red Chilis (Guajillo or Anaheim)
• 2 large cloves Garlic, diced
• 1 small Red Onion, Diced
• 15 oz Can skinned, chopped, Tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon dried Mexican Oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon Cumin, ground
• 1 teaspoon Lime Juice
• 1-2 cups Low Sodium Veggie Broth
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• Honey (Keep this on hand to balance out the sauce should it be too acidic or spicy. Adds a nice dimension as well!)

1. Remove the stems and ALL the seeds from the chili pods (unless you like it really spicy, get rid of ’em)
2. Toast the chilis in a cast iron skillet for 1 minute. It is very important that you do NOT burn the chilis. If this happens. Quit while you are ahead.
3. Place the toasted chilis in a large bowl and cover with boiling water for 10 minutes. Drain the chilis, reserving some of the liquid. We will be using this in a bit!
4. Sauté the onions and garlic over medium heat, stirring frequently for about 1-2 minutes or until they are sizzling and fragrant. Add the oregano and cumin and sauté for an additional minute.
5. Add the softened chilis, the can of tomatoes, and veggie broth. Reduce heat and simmer for 2-4 minutes.
6. Transfer the mixture to your food processor and chop until completely smooth. (This is where you will use the chili water if the paste is too thick! Use your eyes and senses, make your sauce look like the kind of enchilada sauce you enjoy most!) You may need to do this step in batches to avoid a massive mess. Take your time.
7. Return your sauce to the same pan and simmer for an additional 10-12 minutes stirring often. Taste, season with salt and honey if needed.

Kiki’s Guacamole

Again, I’m going to have to apologize…there are not exact measurements for this recipe. There are far too many variables. My best advice, start small and work your way up. Also, add more of what you like, and less of others! Have fun with this!

• Large California Avocado (do not choose an overly soft fruit. The skin should be healthy, dark, and the avocado should give to your pressure but spring back on you).
• Roma tomato, deseeded and diced
• Red Bell Pepper, diced
• Red Onion, diced
• Lime Juice (this is the money maker right here folks)
• Cumin
• Granulated Garlic
• Salt & Pepper
• Tapatio or Dried Red Chili Flakes

1. Add all the veggies in a mixing bowl at once. Using a spoon, mix and mash lightly. I don’t care what any one says…Guacamole should NEVER be mushy. How dare anyone disrespect an avocado in that manner!
2. Once the vegetables are incorporated add the lemon juice and spices. Fold delicately. And get your chips we made (nod, nod, wink, wink they taste amazing with this dip) and taste test and season until you get it just right.
3. Salt and Lime juice will be the biggest players in this game. Followed by the black pepper, cumin, granulated garlic, and red chili flakes in that order.

• My sister Kacey LOVES this dip. My favorite part on our “Taco Tuesdays” was having everything made and doing the guac last so we could taste it together. I loved watching her mind work and try and figure out exactly what was needed to make it perfect.

WHEW! There it is! It was a mouth full to be sure, but it should get you started off on the right foot for your fiesta tonight! Remember to have fun and go slow. That’s the secret to good Mexican cooking, take your time. Imagine all of all the old, tiny abuelas! Haha, well that’s my motivation any way! Salud amigos!!!

Mariachi Calaveras Gocco Print

Mariachi Calaveras Gocco Print, a photo by misnopalesart on Flickr.

Downhome Goodness

So I am continuing my quest in forcing myself to try new things on the cooking side of my culinary adventures. Yesterday while I was at the store I bought an absolutely gorgeous Anaheim Chili, a Sweet Potato, and the most plump and delicious looking Portobello Mushroom I have seen since I left Portland (New Seasons I miss you madly!).

So ever since last night I have been thinking up different dishes to try. A gratin? Stuffed roasted pepper? Lasagna? All of them sounded delicious, but not quite what I was craving, due to the simple fact that it is the most beautiful sunny day in weeks. And what could be better on a warm summer day than a burger?! I may not be Vegan or even Vegetarian anymore, but my diet will always lean and go in that direction when given the choice. I just naturally prefer it and I feel better eating that way. So the game plan quickly became making a Southwest Style Portobello Burger with Spicy Sweet Potato Chips!

I have got to say, it’s not often that I really knock myself over with my own cooking, but this dish today was the money maker! And I am pleased to say that 100% of the dish came from scratch and is completely healthy!

Southwestern Portobello Burger with Spicy Sweet Potato Chips (Yield 1 hungry guido)

Chips:

• 1 medium-small Sweet Potato
• 1 tsp Dark Brown Sugar, unpacked (Honey is also delicious)
• 1/2 tsp Paprika
• 1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper
• Salt & Pepper
• 1-2 tsp Olive Oil
• Optional: Fresh squeezed lime juice

1. Preheat your oven to 425F
2. Slice the ends off of the sweet potato and proceed to slice the potato into equal size rounds. It is very important to keep these uniform or they will not bake evenly.
3. In a mixing bowl, combine the potato slices, sugar, spices, salt, and oil (lime juice as well if using). Toss the potatoes until they are evenly coated and spread out on a sprayed or parchment lined baking sheet. Be sure to give these guys breathing room, otherwise they will steam and not get crisp.
4. Bake for 13 minutes then turn over with a spatula and reduce heat to 350F (Lowering the temperature dries the chips out and makes them more crisp) and continue to bake for 10-12 minutes checking on the chips periodically. Remember the outer chips will cook faster so you may need to do some rearranging if you do not  like burnt chips.

Thousand Island Dressing (Vegan!)

• Eggless & Low-fat Mayonnaise (I use Trader Joe’s and I love it!)
• Organic Ketchup
• Zesty Dill Pickle Spears
• Red Rooster or Tapatio Hot Sauce

1. Forgive my measurements on this. There aren’t any! Ha! Start small and make the sauce in the storage container that you plan to keep your dressing in.
2. My Thousand Island is typically a ratio of 1:1 for Ketchup and Mayo. This time I made 1 cup Mayo, 1 cup Ketchup, 3 dabs of hot sauce, and 3 pickle spears finely diced plus about a teaspoon of pickle juice (this is the secret right here folks!)
3. This produces a lot of sauce, but if you are like me, Thousand Island won’t last long. I have an unholy obsession with this sauce. It goes on EVERYTHING!
4. Remember the longer this sits around the better it tastes.

Roasted Anaheim Chili

• 1 large Anaheim Chili

1. If you have a gas stove, awesome. Turn your burner onto a medium-low heat and rest the chili on the grate turning with tongs every so often to get an even black char around the entire pepper. I do this while I am making the dressing.
2. Once an even black char has been achieved, immediately drop the chili in a plastic bag and seal tightly. Allow the pepper to steam itself for 10 minutes.
3. If you do not have a propane stove. I feel your pain. You can put the chili under your broiler! Set the rack so the chili is 2-3 inches away from the burner and proceed to turn just like you would if it were on your burner.

Portobello Burger

• 1 medium/large Portobello Mushroom
• Olive Oil
• Salt & Pepper
• Optional: Light Havarti Swiss Cheese or Pepper-jack Cheese (Vegan or Cow!)

1. While you are charing your pepper and making your dressing, preheat your grill. If you have a BBQ, I envy you. I have a cast iron grill, which I absolutely adore! I may have to put a post on here just to rant about how much I love cast iron cookware. Some other time. It is very important that you always preheat your grill, just like you would your oven to ensure even and full cooking. Stove top/grill temperatures are the last thing you want to be fighting or constantly adjusting.
2. To remove the stem of the Portobello Mushroom, grip the stem with your index and middle finger and secure with your thumb (think “I’ve got your nose” game). With your free hand gently cup the cap of the mushroom as your delicately wiggle the stem in a circular motion while pulling upward. You do not need to force this too much, the stem will literally pop off when it’s ready.
3. Take a spoon and scrape out the gills on the underside of the cap and discard along with the stem.
4. Brush the mushroom with olive oil and season. Do the majority of your seasoning in the cap as the salt and pepper typically fall off when on the dome of the mushroom.
5. Place on the grill, dome side down and leave to get nice grill marks. Rotate after a few minutes to achieve a crosshatch pattern.
6. Once you notice the cap begin to flatten and moisture begin to build up inside of the cap it is ready to flip. Allow the mushroom to cook through, you may need to press down lightly to get a good sear on the inside of the cap and not just on the rims. Once cooked through, flip back over and top with cheese and allow to melt completely.
7. While the mushroom is grilling remove the Anaheim Chili from the plastic bag and using the back side of a knife scrape off the black char and discard. Chop off the top of the pepper where the stem is and remove the seeds and pod from the interior of the pepper. Slice the pepper in half so you have two flat, soft slices. I rewarmed my chili and put grill marks on mine by grilling it along side the portobello burger.

Time to Put it all together!

• Take your bread of choice (Ciabatta is optimal, I used whole wheat this time around and it was wonderful) and grill with olive oil or butter. Spread both slices with the Thousand Island and top with desired veggies! For me, I love spinach, arrugala, vine ripened tomatoes, and red onion. Place the portobello burger on top then the roasted anaheim chili.
• By now your spicy sweet potato chips should be ready to go! Place those bad boys on your plate with the burger and enjoy with ketchup or even more Thousand Island!

I had the time of my life making and eating this today! From start to finish this meal took me about 30 minutes and none of the steps are overly complicated or require too much attention. It can easily be adapted to serve one or a large crowd! Bon Appetite!

Bring it on Saturday!

Things I’ve been enjoying looking at this week!