Tag: cooking

Impostor “Egg” Salad.

Published on by KellyInTheKitchen1 Comment

Vegans, vegetarians, and carnivores alike: I swear to you, this is really yummy. I like to eat vegan whenever I can, and for me, it often comes down to convenience. What I love about this tofu “egg” salad recipe, inspired by Healthy Happy Life, is that it’s just as easy–if not easier–than making egg salad with actual eggs. Observe: I steamed the tofu for a couple minutes, put it in the fridge to cool while I went for a quick run, and by the time I came back it was a matter of about 5 minutes before I was chowing down on a fast and easy–not to mention healthy—weeknight dinner. This definitely falls into the “I’d never haven guessed it was vegan!” vegan recipe category, so no matter who you are, there’s no excuse not to give it a try!

INGREDIENTS

12 oz extra firm tofu, sliced
1/3 cup vegenaise or mayo
1-2 stalks celery, sliced (I didn’t have any tonight, but normally I would add some celery)
3 tbsp dijon mustard
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp Lawry’s Seasoned Salt
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 1/2 tsp white wine vinegar
2 small green onions, sliced
salt and pepper to taste
chives for garnish

DIRECTIONS

The first step is optional, but I think it makes a difference in texture and is totally worth the extra time: Steam the tofu for 5-7 minutes, then place in the refrigerator and chill completely.

Now, whether you’ve steamed the tofu or not, pat it dry and cut it up until you reach your preferred egg salad-esque texture.

In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients except the chives. Stir to combine.

Serve as a wrap or sandwich on toasted bread, or with crackers. Garnish with chives and enjoy your egg-less impostor egg salad!

Baba Ganoush.

Published on by KellyInTheKitchen7 Comments

I’m no farmer and I don’t know anything about the seasonality of produce. Visiting most American grocery stores, the average shopper would have no idea when various fruits and veggies were in season, because stores sell pretty much everything, all year round. And while it can be nice to have fresh avocados in winter and apples in spring, there’s really nothing as good as in-season local produce, picked by farmers and eaten by me on the very same day! On Saturday morning at the farmers market, I saw more eggplants in more different varieties than I even knew existed, so my keen non-farmer Spidey Sense tells me it must be eggplant season in the midwest. I picked up a nice big one and made this classic Middle Eastern roasted eggplant spread. Go get your own before the season passes!

INGREDIENTS

1 large eggplant
4 cloves garlic, peeled and cut in half
1 tbsp good quality extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp tahini
2 tsp lemon juice
fresh parsley, chopped
1/8 tsp hot paprika, plus more for dusting
salt and pepper to taste

A successful morning at the farmers market.

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Pierce eggplant 8 times. Place on hot grill or directly on gas stove over medium high flame. Turn so that each side chars evenly.

When the skin is charred, remove from heat.

Stuff garlic cloves into the slits in the eggplant.

Roast on baking sheet for about 20 minutes, until eggplant is completely softened. Set aside to cool.

While eggplant cools, combine all other ingredients in a bowl.

When the eggplant has cooled enough to touch, cut off the stem and peel off as much of the skin as you can.

Cut into three pieces and add to a food processor along with all other ingredients.

Spoon into a bowl and dust with more paprika. I forgot to do it for the photo, but an extra drizzle of olive oil isn’t a bad idea either.

Olympic Cherry Crisp.

Published on by KellyInTheKitchen3 Comments

Happy Olympics! It’s that time again, and I might as well quit my job because all I want to do is stay home and watch all this awesome competitive action. There’s just so much emotion, history, and pride, and I’m a sucker for those emotional moments. Of course I root root root for the home team (the USA) but as I may have mentioned before, Russia has always had special place in my heart, so I cheer for Россию as well. This dessert is my way of reconciling my conflicting Olympic loyalties and satisfying my sweet tooth at the same time. Cherry desserts have long been a favorite in Russia, and summer fruit crisps are an American classic, so I combined them to make one mega-patriotic Russo-American Olympic loyalty-blurring all-inclusive fruit dessert extravaganza. Eat some, and then get your exercise by jumping up and down cheering for your team. Go world!

INGREDIENTS

1 heaping cup cherries, pitted
2 tbsp sugar, divided
1/2 tbsp potato starch or corn starch
2 tbsp water
1/3 cup whole wheat flour
2 tbsp brown sugar
1/4 cup oats
squeeze of honey
pinch of cinnamon
pinch of salt
2 tbsp butter, melted

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Combine cherries and 1 tbsp sugar in a saucepan and soften over medium heat for about 3-4 minutes.

Dissolve potato starch in water and stir into cherries. Cook another minute or so, until the cherries are soft and the mixture is thickened.

Remove from heat and spoon into greased ramekins.

Combine all remaining ingredients.

Sprinkle over the cherries in your ramekins…

…and bake until the tops start to brown, about 15 minutes. If you’re going for the gold medal in this dessert-off, serve these hot, topped with a scoop of ice cream.

Corn and Cilantro Fritters.

Published on by KellyInTheKitchenLeave a comment

The Midwestern US is known for our amazing summer sweet corn. Every year my family and I look forward to corn’s seasonal grocery store debut, and anytime we’re driving around rural Illinois and Iowa in the summer, we can’t help but stop at the roadside sweet corn stands to pick up an ear or twenty. Despite the awful drought we’ve had here this summer, my local farmers market had a lot of sweet corn this weekend, and for cheap too! I bought a bag and took it home to make yummy things. Here is one of them!

INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 egg
1/4 cup milk or cream
1 tbsp vegetable oil, plus more for frying
1/4 tsp baking powder
salt and pepper to taste
2 small ears of corn (1 large ear), cooked, with the kernels cut off
handful chopped cilantro

DIRECTIONS

Whisk together flour, egg, milk or cream, oil, baking powder, and salt and pepper.

Add cilantro and corn and stir to combine.

Heat a pan over medium and add a splash of vegetable oil. Spoon batter into pan and cook until the bottoms are golden brown.

Flip and fry until the other side is browned and the middles are cooked through.

Garnish with Greek yogurt and more cilantro and serve immediately. Thank you, farmers of the Midwest!!

Hasselback Potatoes with Jalapeño Leek Scrambled Eggs.

Published on by KellyInTheKitchenLeave a comment

On Sunday morning, I set my friends Jalapeño and Leek up on a blind date. They’ve never met before, but since they’re so great separately, I thought I’d introduce them and see if they had any chemistry. It was a little risky, because they tend to roll in pretty different circles: hot and bold Jalapeño usually hangs out with Onion, while Leek has a more mellow friend in Bell Pepper. But I was hoping to play off a bit of an opposites-attract dynamic to see if this odd couple would get along. And while I’m not sure they’ll be going steady any time soon, it’s safe to say they had a Casablanca moment: I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

INGREDIENTS:

2 small potatoes, washed and sliced accordion-style (lots of little slits, without cutting all the way through the base)
olive oil
paprika, salt, pepper, parmesan to taste
1 leek, sliced and washed
1 jalapeño, minced
1 egg
1 tbsp heavy cream, half and half, or milk
cheddar cheese, grated (optional)
parsley, chopped, for garnish

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 425 F.

Rub the potatoes with olive oil and sprinkle with paprika, salt, pepper, and parmesan. Bake until browned on the outsides and completely softened on the insides.

Just before the potatoes are finished cooking, heat a bit of olive oil and a bit of butter in a pan over medium low. Add the leeks, stir, and cook 1 minutes. Then stir in the jalapeño. Cook until softened and just starting to turn a bit golden. Set aside.

Crack your egg into a ramekin and add cream/half and half/milk and more salt and pepper. Scramble.

Then add a bit more butter and olive oil to your pan and pour in the egg. Sprinkle over your grated cheese, if you’re using it, and give it about 45 seconds.

Then add the jalapeño and leeks back to the pan and stir into the eggs. Cook until done.

Garnish with parsley and serve! Of all the plates in all the kitchens in all the world, I’m glad this dish walked into on mine.

Cilantro Chipotle Chicken.

Published on by KellyInTheKitchen3 Comments

This is another dish born of necessity. Last night, my fridge contained (among other things) a bunch of cilantro and a few chipotle chiles that were about to go bad. So I made up this recipe and had a fabulous dinner! I served it with a caramelized onion and pea couscous, but it would also make a great fajita filling. Or, even better, shred it and make chicken quesadillas. I’m a total quesadilla fiend, so I think I’ve just inspired myself for a future recipe: cilantro chipotle chicken quesadillas with corn salsa. Mmmmm. But back to the oven-baked original of today’s post—it’s juicy, really flavorful, and has a nice spicy kick to it. Feel free to use less chipotle/adobo sauce if you’re a spice whimp, or to add another chipotle if you’re extra brave!

INGREDIENTS

2 whole chicken legs (you could definitely use breasts too…I just like dark meat)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tbsp honey
juice of 1 lime
2 canned chipotle chiles, chopped, plus 1 tbsp adobo sauce

DIRECTIONS

Add all ingredients to a plastic bag. Seal the bag and rub the marinade all over the chicken. Let it marinate for at least 30 minutes, or overnight if you’re patient (I am not).

Preheat oven to 375 F. Line a pan with foil and lay the chicken in it, skin side up.

Bake the chicken until it’s done, around 25-35 minutes.

That’s it! Don’t you just love an easy yet tasty recipe for a weeknight dinner?