Taking a break

Hello! From this past Sunday until August 7th, I will be on vacation with my family in Paris and London, so I will not be putting any posts up. I'll definitely upload some delicious recipes when I come back, so until then, keep having fun in the kitchen! ^_^

Neapolitan Spaghetti

So everyone knows the typical spaghetti and meatballs, penne vodka, chicken alfredo… But one pasta dish that I really enjoy (and is incredibly easy to make) is Neapolitan Spaghetti! It’s a bit of a sweet pasta, but it’s really delicious and a fun comfort food to eat late at night when you need a snack. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

·      6 oz spaghetti

·      1 bell pepper, seeds removed and cut into strips

·      1 yellow onion, thinly sliced

·      2 slices of bacon, chopped into small pieces

·      2 tbsp ketchup

·      1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

·      Salt and pepper

Cook the spaghetti according to the package directions. Drain and run with cold water to prevent further cooking.

Heat a couple tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large frying pan or wok and cook the bacon. Add the onions and bell pepper, and add salt and pepper to taste. Once the onions and peppers are soft, add the ketchup and Worcestershire sauce. Add the spaghetti to the frying pan and cook until everything has been thoroughly combined and heated through.

Bento Fun

A lot of the time throughout our lives we’ve made homemade lunches for ourselves, but the Japanese call a boxed lunch “bento.” A bento usually contains leftovers with some fresh side dishes, and it’s placed in small sections in cute containers. For example, if you had pasta for dinner the previous night, add some of that pasta in a container and add a couple of newly made meatballs, carrots, and chocolate-covered strawberries, and you’re all set! You can put together whatever you’d like in your bento, have as much fun with it as you’d like, and make it cute or cool or however you want! I put a picture below of a large bento I put together with my boyfriend. We made omurice (fried rice omelet, and we decorated it with ketchup!), dumplings, cucumber and dill sandwiches, grilled cheese, brownies, and strawberries. Have fun with your bentos! 

Simple Homemade Brownies

No longer do you have to buy the brownie mixes; those days are no more! This is a very straightforward brownie recipe, and it is both fudgy and delicious!

Ingredients:

·      ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

·      ½ tsp baking soda

·      2/3 cup vegetable oil

·      ½ cup boiling water

·      2 cups granulated sugar

·      2 eggs

·      1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour

·      1 tsp vanilla extract

·      ¼ tsp salt

·      Chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350ºF and grease a 9x13 inch baking pan. Combine the cocoa powder and baking soda in a large bowl. Add the vegetable oil and boiling water and mix until well combined. Add the eggs and sugar and stir together. Add the vanilla and salt, stir to combine, and then add the flour and blend together. (Stir in the chocolate chips) Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake in the oven for 35 to 40 minutes.

Enjoy~!

Eggplant "Parm" - gluten free, vegan deliciousness

I got the idea for this dish from my family. So my sister and mother have been trying to go mostly vegetarian and no starch so they can eat as much as they want during vacation, and my sister has been avoiding all dairy products as well because of her slight lactose intolerance. Now eggplant parm is one of my favorite dishes that my boyfriend’s mother makes, so I decided to challenge myself and make a vegan, no-starch eggplant parm recipe, so take a look and see my ideas!

Ingredients:

·      Tomato sauce, warmed up

·      1 large eggplant

·      3 zucchini

·      2 tbsp olive oil

·      1.5 tsp salt

·      3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

·      1 medium cauliflower

·      1 tsp extra virgin olive oil

·      1.5 tsp minced garlic

·      ¼ cup almond or soy milk

·      1/8 cup ground almonds or nutritional yeast

·      1.5 tsp lemon juice

·      ¼ tsp onion powder

·      ¼ tsp garlic powder

·      ½ tsp sea salt

·      ¼ tsp black pepper

For the pasta…

Peel off the skin on the zucchinis. Hold the zucchini vertically on the cutting board and peel in long strokes down the zucchini to create the pasta. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large pan over medium heat and cook the zucchini in the hot oil for about a minute. Add ¼ cup water and cook until the zucchini is softened (5-7 minutes). Season with salt and pepper.

For the cauliflower sauce…

Break the cauliflower into small florets, place in a large pot, and cover with water. Bring the pot to a slow boil and cook for 3-7 minutes until fork tender. Add the 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil to a skillet  and sautee the garlic over low-medium heat for 4-5 minutes until softened and fragrant. Add the drained cauliflower, garlic, milk, yeast/ground almonds, lemon juice, onion powder, garlic powder, ½ tsp sea salt, and ¼ tsp black pepper to a blender and blend until very smooth.

For the eggplant…

Cut the eggplant in half and peel the skin off.  Score the flesh in a diamond pattern by slicing diagonally one way all the way down the eggplant and then slice diagonally the other way. Make sure you don’t cut all the way through the eggplant. Sprinkle the 1.5 tsp salt over the two halves, trying to get most of the salt between the scores in the eggplant halves. Set aside the halves, cut side up for about 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400ºF and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Gently squeeze the eggplant halves over the sink to get rid of the salty juice, wipe them dry, and drizzle the halves with 1 tsp olive oil each. Sprinkle the halves with a bit of garlic powder, place the halves cut-side down on the parchment-lined baking sheet, and roast in the oven for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and let the halves cool for 20 minutes before handling.

To assemble…

Toss the zucchini pasta in the heated tomato sauce, arrange the eggplant on top, and drizzle with some of the cauliflower sauce, and you’re all done!

Red Beans and Rice

If you want a simple but filling and healthy meal, this is definitely a recipe to try! Beans are incredibly good for you, and this rice is flavored with chicken broth, which ups both the flavor and health content.

Ingredients:

·      1 tbsp canola oil

·      2 large cloves garlic, minced

·      1 large red onion, diced

·      1 stalk celery, diced

·      1 green bell pepper, diced

·      2 cans (1 pound) red adzuki beans

·      1 tbsp onion powder

·      2 tsp garlic powder

·      2 tsp salt

·      1 tsp black pepper

·      1.5 tbsp hot sauce

·      2 cups jasmine rice + enough chicken broth to cook it in the rice cooker

·      2 tbsp butter

·      1 tbsp minced fresh cilantro

Pour the uncooked rice, chicken broth, and butter in the rice cooker and cook the rice. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium high heat, and sautee the garlic, onion, and bell pepper until tender. Add the beans, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and hot sauce, and reduce the heat to low to let the mixture simmer gently until the rice is done. Make sure you taste-test the beans throughout the cooking process and adjust the flavor according to your tastes. Once the rice is done, fold the rice and beans gently together, transfer to a serving dish, garnish with cilantro, and enjoy!

Salt Block Cooking and Caring

Hello! Today’s post is about salt blocks! They’ve become a popular form of entertainment cooking because they create fun serving platters, season the food (since they’re salt), and you can cook directly on them! The salt blocks tend to be a bit expensive, but they last a good amount of time and are a lot of fun to use. I will describe in this post how to use and clean them properly.

How to heat the blocks for searing

Place the salt block on a baking tray and place the try in a cold oven. Preheat the oven to 250ºF and allow the block to heat up with the oven to the desired temperature. Best usage when heating to 500ºF.

How to clean the blocks

Wait for the block to cool to room temperature. Wipe down the block with a damp sponge or paper towel, using as little water as possible. Avoid using soap and too much water so you don’t damage the salt crystals.

Recipe Ideas

·      Sear thinly sliced beef and vegetables (asparagus, zucchini, etc.) on its surface with a little oil or butter

·      Cure sashimi on its surface (freeze salt blocks for an hour beforehand) by placing the fish on the salt blocks surface, place in the fridge for five minutes, then flip for another five minutes. Make sure fish is as dry as possible

·      You can just use the block as a serving plate for salads, sushi, sorbets, cheeses, and more

Salt block cooking is fun for both the host and guests at a party, so enjoy!