Tasty Kitchen Blog » Faith (An Edible Mosaic)

Two Quick Solutions for a Sudden Cookie Fix

Faith (An Edible Mosaic) — Mon, 21 Sep 2015 07:00:34 +0000

Have a cookie craving that just won’t go away? We’re bringing back this post featuring two quick 5-ingredient cookies! As a bonus, one of them is gluten-free. You know you want some. In fact, they’re so easy, why not make both? Time to get baking!

Let’s face it, some days you just need a quick cookie fix.

Maybe your kid is having a party at school, or maybe it’s a co-worker’s birthday at the office. Or maybe it’s just been a really long week, and you’re in the mood for a cookie or two without having to spend all day in the kitchen. Tasty Kitchen to the rescue!

I did a super quick search and found not one, but two delicious cookie recipes on Tasty Kitchen; each has just 5 ingredients and can be made in less than 30 minutes from start to finish. That’s what I call a fabulous quick cookie fix.

First up is Tasty Kitchen member Desserts by Juliette’s recipe for Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Cookies. There’s just something about a plate of peanut butter cookies and a tall glass of milk that is reminiscent of being a kid…maybe that’s why almost everyone I know is crazy about them! Juliette’s version is really lovely; it lets the flavor of peanut butter shine through, and a touch of sea salt finishes them perfectly.

Like I said, they couldn’t be easier to make, so let’s get started!

To make them, you’ll need: peanut butter, sugar, an egg, vanilla, and coarse sea salt. And yes, I know that is a crazy-big bottle of vanilla!

(Don’t forget to preheat your oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper!)

Ok, so dump everything into a bowl …

And beat it up! (I used a handheld electric mixer for this; no need to dirty a stand mixer.)

Spoon the dough by the tablespoon onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches between each (I got 12 cookies on 1 half-sheet pan). Oh, and I want to mention, I find that a 1-tablespoon-sized ice cream scoop is the easiest (and fastest!) way to scoop out the dough.

Flatten each dough ball slightly with a fork, making a cross-hatch pattern.

And then sprinkle the tops with sea salt. (They’re looking pretty good already, right?)

Bake until the cookies are golden brown on the bottom, set along the outside, and a touch doughy in the center, because they’ll harden as they cool. (This took about 8 to 9 minutes in my oven.) Cool the cookies slightly on the tray before removing. I got exactly 28 cookies out of this recipe.

Such a delicious classic.

Those cookies come together so easily and you might just want to make another quick batch. If you do, Tasty Kitchen member Monique of Ambitious Kitchen has you covered with her recipe for Easy Nutella Cookies with Sea Salt. Nutella + sea salt = a very tasty combo indeed.

To whip them up, get out Nutella, flour, brown sugar, an egg, and coarse sea salt.

(Don’t forget to preheat your oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper!)

You know the drill: dump everything into a bowl …

And again beat it with your handheld electric mixer. Once it’s mixed, cover the bowl and stick it in the freezer to chill for 10 minutes. Go brew a pot of coffee because in about 20 minutes, you’re going to be glad you did.

Roll the dough into 1-inch balls (I used my 1-tablespoon-sized ice cream scoop again), and line the balls up at least 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet.

At this point I sprinkled on the sea salt, but you could wait to do it until after the cookies are baked.

Pop the cookies into the oven and bake until they’re set along the outside and slightly doughy in the center (this took about 8 to 9 minutes in my oven). Remember to cool the cookies slightly on the tray before removing! I got exactly 22 cookies from this recipe.

Now grab a hot cup of coffee (or a cold glass of milk) and enjoy a couple of those beauties.

Or serve them up together! I think these two kinds of cookies complement each other in a fun, contrasting sort of way. Peanut butter and Nutella are delicious together (as anyone who has ever eaten a peanut butter and Nutella sandwich can attest to!). Plus the sea salt on both cookies pulls the two together.

But either kind of cookie is fabulous enough to stand alone if you just want to try one kind. The peanut butter cookies are perfect if you’re baking for a gluten-free crowd, and the Nutella cookies are great if you’re baking for people with peanut butter allergies! There is something for everyone.

How is that for a perfect quick cookie fix?

Now go ahead and grab that cup of coffee (or tall glass of milk). I’ll share a couple cookies with you.

Printable Recipe

Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies

by Desserts by Juliette on June 21, 2013 in Cookies, Desserts, Gluten-Free

See post on Desserts by Juliette’s site!

5.00 Mitt(s) 3 Rating(s)

Description

These peanut butter cookies taste absolutely divine and you would never be able to guess that they are flourless and gluten-free. They are creamy and delicious, definitely worth trying out.

Ingredients

1 cup Creamy Peanut Butter
1 cup Granulated Sugar
1 Egg
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Coarse Sea Salt

Preparation Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
2. Beat peanut butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla until fully incorporated. Spoon 1 tablespoon of mixture 1 inch apart on the baking sheet. Flatten with fork, making a crosshatch pattern on the cookies. Sprinkle coarse salt over the top of the cookies
3. Bake for 10 minutes; they should still be soft to the touch when removed from oven. Let cool.

Printable Recipe

Easy Nutella Cookies with Sea Salt

by Monique of Ambitious Kitchen on August 20, 2013 in Cookies, Desserts

See post on Monique of Ambitious Kitchen’s site!

4.80 Mitt(s) 5 Rating(s)

Description

Easy, fudgy 5-ingredient Nutella Cookies with Sea Salt. In your belly in 25 minutes!

Ingredients

1 cup Nutella
2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
1 Egg
½ cups Plus 1 Tablespoon Flour
Coarse Sea Salt, For Sprinkling

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

Combine all ingredients except salt in a large bowl with electric mixer until well combined. Place dough in freezer for 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes, roll dough into approximately 1-inch balls, place on ungreased baking sheet at least 2 inches apart and bake for 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes until cookies are set, then very carefully transfer to a wire rack. Generously sprinkle with sea salt.

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Faith Gorsky is the writer, receipt developer, photographer, and food stylist behind the blog An Edible Mosaic, and the cookbook author of An Edible Mosaic: Middle Eastern Fare with Extraordinary Flair (Tuttle Publishing; November 2012). She was born, raised, and spent most of her life in Upstate New York, and she currently lives in Kuwait. When it comes to cooking, her favorite thing to do is go into the kitchen hungry, open the fridge, and start creating. She loves to travel, especially to places steeped in rich culture and history. She also enjoys reading (cookbooks mostly), vintage shopping (especially in old markets), watching movies (of all genres), and is enamored with ancient cultures (especially Rome and Egypt.

Chicken Alfredo Garlic Bread Pizza

Faith (An Edible Mosaic) — Mon, 27 Jan 2014 14:29:36 +0000

Tasty Kitchen member Jennifer is the mastermind behind the brilliant idea that is Chicken Alfredo Garlic Bread Pizza.

Did you hear that? Chicken Alfredo. Garlic Bread. Pizza. All rolled into one!

Those are three pretty fantastic reasons to make this recipe.

This is perfect as an appetizer, party finger food, or even a weeknight main dish along with a side salad. It literally has layer upon layer of flavor: buttery garlic bread spread, then chicken in a creamy Alfredo sauce, broccoli, and finally a layer of gooey cheese. It doesn’t get any more satisfying.

You know you want to make it!

The recipe starts off by shredding a couple different kinds of cheese. First, some Parmesan for making the Alfredo sauce …

And mozzarella for topping. Mmm, cheese.

The ingredient list is fairly short for something so delicious! You’ll need cooked, shredded chicken, steamed broccoli, butter, half and half, mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, parsley flakes, garlic powder, salt, pepper, a loaf of Italian bread, and a clove of garlic (which I think was hiding behind my bread in the photo above!).

Press or mince the garlic.

Melt the butter.

Add the garlic and cook for a minute.

Slowly stir in the half-and-half. I had a little bit of a half-and-half mishap while trying to simultaneously stir, slowly pour, and shoot a picture. I won’t get into it but suffice to say, you’ll have to use your imagination to visualize the adding of the half-and-half.

Add the Parmesan cheese.

Give it a stir, cooking a couple minutes until thickened.

Take the Alfredo sauce off the heat and add parsley flakes, salt, and pepper. Try not to eat it with a spoon.

For the garlic bread, blend together more butter, garlic powder, and more parsley flakes in a bowl.

In another bowl, stir together the chicken and Alfredo sauce.

Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Line a large baking sheet with foil or a Silpat liner. (I was out of foil.)

Slice the loaf of bread in half lengthwise and place it on the prepared baking sheet.

Top with the butter spread.

Then the chicken-Alfredo mixture.

And the broccoli …

And then finally that beautiful mountain of mozzarella.

Bake until the cheese is melted, about 15 to 18 minutes. I wanted my pizza browned a bit in places, so I briefly ran it under the broiler after the cheese was melted (after about 15 minutes). Stay with it if you decide to broil though—it can go from perfect to burned in a matter of seconds!

Slice it up and serve.

Just try to resist a slice! Give it a try and I’m sure you’ll have found a new favorite way to enjoy garlic bread, chicken Alfredo, and pizza. Thank you to Jennifer for the delicious inspiration. Be sure to check out the great recipes on her lovely blog Mother Thyme!

Printable Recipe

Chicken Alfredo Garlic Bread Pizza

by Jennifer | Mother Thyme on September 30, 2013 in Main Courses, Pizza

See post on Jennifer | Mother Thyme’s site!

5.00 Mitt(s) 1 Rating(s)

Description

Crusty Italian bread smothered with garlic butter and topped with Alfredo sauce, chicken and cheese for one tasty pizza.

Ingredients

FOR THE ALFREDO SAUCE:
2 Tablespoons Butter
1 clove Garlic, Minced
½ cups Half And Half, Regular Or Fat Free
1 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
1 pinch Parsley Flakes
1 pinch Freshly Cracked Black Pepper
Salt To Taste
FOR THE PIZZA ASSEMBLY:
1 loaf Italian Bread
½ cups Butter, Room Temperature
2 teaspoons Garlic Powder
½ teaspoons Parsley Flakes
1-½ cup Cooked Chicken Shredded
2 cups Cooked Broccoli Florets (a Steamable Bag Works Great)
3 cups Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Preparation Instructions

For the Alfredo sauce:
Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Then add garlic and cook for about one minute longer. Gradually stir in half-and-half followed by Parmesan cheese and continue stirring until blended and sauce thickens.

Reduce heat to a simmer, stirring occasionally until heated through.
Remove from heat. Stir in parsley flakes, pepper and salt.

For the pizza:
Preheat oven to 375 F. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil and set aside. Slice Italian bread in half lengthwise. Put the bread halves onto the sheet, cut side up.

In a medium bowl mix butter, garlic powder and parsley flakes until blended. Generously spread over bread.

In a medium bowl toss chicken with prepared Alfredo sauce. Spread evenly over the Italian bread slices. Top with broccoli then sprinkle with cheese.

Bake for 15-18 minutes until cheese is melted. Cut into desired slices and serve.

Note: Leftover chicken, store bought rotisserie chicken works great for this recipe.

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(Coconut Flour) Cake Donuts

Faith (An Edible Mosaic) — Thu, 08 Aug 2013 13:24:06 +0000

I’ve been dabbling with paleo for about a year now, and one of my favorite things to do is re-make not-so-healthy desserts into healthier paleo versions. Any time I see a paleo treat, I can’t help but take a closer look. When I saw Tasty Kitchen member Traci’s recipe for (Coconut Flour) Cake Donuts, I was immediately interested.

Even if you’re just paleo-curious or getting your feet wet, it doesn’t hurt to try a paleo treat. Let’s start with donuts!

For these donuts you’ll need: coconut flour, honey, baking soda, coconut oil, chocolate chips, eggs, salt, and vanilla.

Here’s the coconut oil, pre-melt. (If you’re making these donuts on a hot day, yours might already be melted.)

And here it is after melting for a few seconds in the microwave.

My honey was already in liquid form; if yours isn’t, go ahead and melt it.

Add the honey and the eggs to a food processor (or blender like I used), and blend them together.

Then process in the melted coconut oil and vanilla. The mixture will be foamy!

Sift in the coconut flour, baking soda, and salt. I sifted the dry ingredients right into the food processor with the wet ingredients because unlike flours containing gluten, coconut flour can handle the extra mixing.

Whiz it all together in the blender or food processor until smooth.

Here’s where a little bit of finesse comes in because coconut flour can be a finicky thing. Coconut flour absorbs quite a bit more moisture than all-purpose flour, so you might be surprised by that if it’s your first time working with coconut flour. Also, coconut flour can vary quite a bit by brand, so depending on the brand you’re using, you might need to add a bit more liquid or flour. Don’t be afraid to play with the batter a little until you get a consistency that works. The batter should be fairly stiff, but still spoonable. And the batter should be able to spread out when you fill the donut tray and tap it on the counter a couple times.

Generously grease 2 donut pans.

Spoon the batter into the wells and tap the pans on the counter a couple times to even them out.

Bake until they’re golden and a toothpick inserted inside comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Let them cool completely in the pan before removing.

Melt the chocolate chips and 1 tablespoon coconut oil together in a microwave or double boiler. Dip each donut into the chocolate and place it on a wire rack or parchment-lined tray.

Refrigerate the donuts so the chocolate can harden, and serve!

These donuts were absolutely delicious, and of course perfect with a cup of coffee. Texture-wise, they aren’t the same as regular donuts, but given the fact that they’re much healthier, they’re completely worth it. One tip I have is to leave these in the fridge until you’re ready to eat them because the chocolate topping will start to condense and then melt on hot days. The good thing is, they lasted and were completely fine for me for 3 days in the fridge!

Thanks to Traci for her delicious recipe! Head over to her fun blog LottaMaddness for more recipe ideas, as well as life, DIY, travel, and culture tidbits!

Printable Recipe

(Coconut Flour) Cake Donuts

by LottaMadness on June 11, 2013 in Desserts

See post on LottaMadness’s site!

5.00 Mitt(s) 1 Rating(s)

Description

Who says you can’t have your donut and eat it too when you’re on a Paleo diet?

Ingredients

½ cups Coconut Oil
½ cups Raw Honey
6 whole Eggs
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
¾ cups Coconut Flour
¾ teaspoons Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Salt
FOR THE TOPPING:
½ cups Chocolate Chips (I Used Enjoy)
1 Tablespoon Coconut Oil

Preparation Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Melt the coconut oil in the microwave for a few seconds until liquid form. Heat the honey in the microwave for 20 seconds until it’s in liquid form.

Blend the eggs and honey together in a blender. Add the melted coconut oil and vanilla extract.

Sift the coconut flour, baking soda and salt into the egg mixture and mix until well blended.

Using a dessert spoon, spoon the batter into the circles of a well-greased donut pan. (I used 2 6-circle donut pans.) Bake for 15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Once cooled, remove donuts from the donut pan.

For the topping, melt the chocolate chips and coconut oil together. Dip each donut into the chocolate and set onto a tray lined with parchment paper. Place donuts into the fridge for the chocolate to harden. Enjoy!

_______________________________________

Faith Gorsky is the writer, recipe developer, photographer, and food stylist behind the blog An Edible Mosaic. She lives in Upstate New York and loves to travel, especially to places steeped in rich culture and history. She also enjoys reading, vintage shopping, watching movies, and is enamored with ancient cultures. She just released her first cookbook, “An Edible Mosaic: Middle Eastern Fare with Extraordinary Flair” (Tuttle Publishing), a collection of authentic Middle Eastern recipes handed down to her from her husband’s family.

Crunchy Asian Slaw

Faith (An Edible Mosaic) — Mon, 22 Jul 2013 13:50:25 +0000

Summer is synonymous with potlucks, picnics, and BBQs. Starting with Memorial Day and ending with Labor Day, and of course not forgetting Independence Day and regular backyard get-togethers, it seems like there’s something going on every week! Where I live, summer is a short and sweet affair so we have to make the most of it.

I know a lot of people who have a signature dish they make for summer parties. We usually ask everyone to choose a course and bring a dish to pass instead of planning the entire menu, but based on who is coming, we know exactly what we’ll be having for dinner. If my mom is coming, she’s bringing a side dish and it’s one of two things: her homemade taco salad or her homemade baked beans. I have a friend who is known for her killer chocolate chip cookies, and another friend who makes what I think is the best fruit salad in the world (I need to get her recipe—I have no idea why hers is so much better!).

I don’t really have a signature summer party dish. If there’s a type of dish that hasn’t been claimed, such as a side, meat, or dessert, I’ll just bring that. But then I saw Tasty Kitchen member Andrea’s recipe for this irresistible-looking Crunchy Asian Slaw, and this salad makes me want to claim it as my signature for future summer picnics! It’s fresh with bold flavors and a great nutty crunch factor. It’s the perfect summer party food.

Give it a try!

Whip up the dressing first. You’ll need garlic, Fresno peppers, ginger, tamari or soy sauce, rice vinegar, honey, sesame oil, lime (my last one), olive oil, and salt and pepper.

I couldn’t find Fresno peppers so instead I used 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes in place of each Fresno pepper (or you could use a jalapeño pepper for each Fresno pepper). Also, for the life of me I couldn’t find fresh ginger (which I usually never have trouble finding!), so I used 1 teaspoon fresh ginger in the squeeze tube. And I used Liquid Aminos instead of tamari or soy sauce because that’s what I had on hand. That’s the beauty of cooking (as opposed to baking)—recipes are usually quite forgiving!

Mince the garlic or grate it on a microplane.

Whisk together all the dressing ingredients except the olive oil, salt, and pepper. Then gradually stream in the olive oil as you whisk.

I’m normally a one-woman show, but I was lucky enough to make this on a day when my husband was home, so he is my hand model.

Once it’s whisked up, give the dressing a taste and add salt and pepper if desired.

Here’s how the dressing looks finished. Set it aside for now and move on to the veggies.

For the slaw you’ll need: Napa cabbage, red cabbage, carrot (I used 2 small-medium carrots instead of 1 large), red pepper, green onion, butter, crushed ramen noodles, sesame seeds, slivered almonds, and lime (I was out of lime, so I grabbed a lemon instead).

A quick tip: I’ve found that the easiest way to crush ramen noodles is while they’re still in the package. You can do it with your hand or using a heavy object (like a rolling pin) but don’t be too rough or the package will explode open!

Thinly slice the Napa cabbage …

And the purple cabbage (note that there is more cabbage pictured than what you need in this salad; I was also chopping it for something else).

Shred the carrot.

Chop the red pepper.

Slice the scallion.

Add the cabbages, carrot, red pepper, and 3 of the scallions into a large bowl. Now it’s time to toast the ramen and up the crunch factor even more.

Melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium heat.

Add the crushed ramen, slivered almonds, and sesame seeds and cook until browned, about 4 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently. It will smell amazingly nutty and delicious. Let this mixture cool for a few minutes.

Add the dressing and ramen mixture to the bowl of veggies.

Give it a good toss. Sprinkle the remaining 2 sliced scallions on top along with additional sesame seeds if you want.

Then serve up this gorgeous slaw! Instead of squeezing the extra lime on top and tossing it together, I like to serve the slaw with lime wedges on the side so people can add more if they want.

It goes well with just about anything you can whip up on the grill: BBQ chicken, burgers, steak, or even seafood. Signature dish, anyone?

A big thank you to Andrea for sharing her delicious recipe on Tasty Kitchen! Be sure to check out her beautiful blog Recipes for Divine Living for more inspiration.

Printable Recipe

Crunchy Asian Slaw

by Andrea on September 12, 2012 in Salads

See post on Andrea’s site!

0.00 Mitt(s) 0 Rating(s)

Description

This salad is fast and easy to make and has great crunch. Awesome dressing!

Ingredients

FOR THE SALAD:
3 cups Napa Cabbage, Thinly Sliced
2 cups Green Or Purple Cabbage, Thinly Sliced
1 Large Carrot, Shredded
½ Red Pepper, Chopped
5 Green Onions, Chopped (use 2 Of Them For Garnish)
2 Tablespoons Butter
1 package Ramen Noodles, Noodles Only, 3 Ounce Package
1 Tablespoon Sesame Seeds + More For Garnish
½ cups Slivered Almonds
1 whole Lime, Juiced
FOR THE DRESSING:
1 clove Garlic, Minced
2 Fresno Peppers, Seeded And Minced
1 teaspoon Ginger, Freshly Microplane Grated
1 Tablespoon Tamari (regular Soy Sauce Will Work)
1 Tablespoon Rice Vinegar, Preferably Seasoned
1 Tablespoon Honey
1 Tablespoon Sesame Oil
1 whole Lime, Juiced
¼ cups Olive Oil
1 pinch Salt And Pepper, If Needed

Preparation Instructions

Prepare dressing by combining all of the listed ingredients (except olive oil and salt/pepper) in a medium-sized bowl. While whisking everything together, slowly stream in oil as you continue whisking. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed. Set aside.

In a large bowl combine cabbages, carrot, red pepper and 3 of the chopped green onions. Set aside.

Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Crunch up the ramen noodles and add them into the melted butter. Add sesame seeds and slivered almonds as well and brown everything, stirring often. Once it’s nicely browned, remove the skillet from the heat.

Add the noodle mixture to the cabbage mixture along with dressing. Toss to combine. Juice the lime over the top of the salad. Add remaining 2 green onions and more sesame seeds, if desired. Toss to combine, then serve.

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Banana Split Cake Cups

Faith (An Edible Mosaic) — Mon, 08 Jul 2013 13:14:28 +0000

Everyone I know is a fan of banana splits. Literally everyone, no matter how picky an eater they are. (Editor’s note: Hear that, Ree? Hmm?) And I’ve sort-of found that banana splits have magic properties. Take someone who’s having a bad day, put a banana split in front of them, and watch their face change. Yup, I’d call that magic. When I saw Tasty Kitchen member and fellow TK Blog contributor Amber’s recipe for Banana Split Cake Cups, I knew it wouldn’t be long before they happened in my house.

One of the great things about this recipe is that you can either make it in a 9- by 13-inch baking dish or in individual Mason jars. The Mason jars are not only completely adorable, but also perfect for portion control; however, the 9 by 13-inch dish also has its advantages. For starters, it’s perfect for a birthday cake-like treat, which made it very timely for me since it was recently my dad’s birthday and we needed a cake! Also, making this dessert in a larger dish made it easier for me to show you all the layers.

But I couldn’t resist, I made one of these treats in a (half-pint-sized) glass jar. Hey, the cook needs to sample her work, right?

Right.

Let’s get started!

For this dessert you’ll need: butter, graham cracker crumbs, cream cheese, powdered sugar, bananas, crushed pineapple, pecans or walnuts (I used walnuts), strawberries, whipping cream, and maraschino cherries.

First things first, start with the crust. Melt 1 stick of butter (on the stovetop or in the microwave), add the graham cracker crumbs, and stir to combine.

Press the crumbs evenly into the bottom of a 9 by 13-inch baking dish …

Or press them into the bottom of individual Mason jars. I found that the easiest way to press the crumbs into small jars was to use the flat end of a pestle.

Bake the crust for 7 to 10 minutes at 350ºF, let it cool a bit, and then let it chill in the freezer for about 10 minutes.

Beat together the cream cheese, 1/4 cup butter, and the powdered sugar until smooth. Don’t be tempted to add milk—it will take a few minutes, but the mixture will blend up perfectly!

Spread that creamy layer evenly on top of the crust.

Slice the bananas.

Layer them on top of the cream cheese mixture.

Drain the pineapple.

And add it on top of the banana slices.

Sprinkle about 2/3 to 3/4 of the nuts on top of the pineapple.

Rinse, hull, and slice the strawberries.

Spread them evenly on top of the pineapple/nut layer.

Whip the cream and sweeten it to taste. (I use 2 teaspoons powdered sugar and 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract per 1/2 cup of cream to sweeten and flavor it.) For this recipe, instead of 1 cup cream, I used 1 1/2 cups just to make sure there was enough; I thought it ended up being the perfect amount!

Spread the whipped cream on top of the strawberries (or pipe it on top if you’re using Mason jars).

Then sprinkle on the halved maraschino cherries and the rest of the nuts.

Doesn’t that look fun?! I don’t know anyone who wouldn’t want to dive right in. Since this treat has such a short bake time (just for the crust), it’s served chilled, and it’s a bit lighter than a normal cake, I think it’s the perfect dessert for warmer months. And it was a huge hit at my dad’s birthday party—I had two people ask me for the recipe!

Don’t forget, you can also make it in individual Mason jars!

Thank you, Amber, for sharing this treat! Just a heads-up, Amber’s blog Sprinkled with Flour is full of more beautiful, delicious recipes!

Printable Recipe

Banana Split Cake Cups

by Amber {Sprinkled With Flour} on March 6, 2011 in Desserts, Fruit Desserts

See post on Amber {Sprinkled With Flour}’s site!

5.00 Mitt(s) 1 Rating(s)

Description

A sweet childhood treat layered in mason jars.

Ingredients

1 stick Butter, Melted
2 cups Graham Cracker Crumbs
8 ounces, weight Package Cream Cheese, Softened
¼ cups Butter, Softened
3 cups Powdered Sugar
4 whole Bananas, Sliced
20 ounces, weight Can Crushed Pineapple, Drained
1 cup Chopped Pecans (or Walnuts)
1 quart Strawberries, Hulled And Sliced
1 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
9 ounces, weight Jar Maraschino Cherries, Drained And Halved

Preparation Instructions

In a medium bowl, combine the melted butter and graham crackers crumbs. Press the mixture into the bottom of your baking dish (see note below). Bake at 350ºF for 7–10 minutes, then place in the freezer to chill and set for about 10 minutes.

Beat the cream cheese, softened butter and powdered sugar until creamy, about 5 minutes. Spread the cream cheese mixture over the cooled graham cracker crust. Add a layer of sliced bananas over the cream cheese mixture. Drain the pineapple and spread evenly over the bananas. Sprinkle some of the nuts over the pineapple, then add a layer of sliced strawberries.

In a cold bowl, with cold beaters, whip the cream on high until soft peaks form, about 5 minutes. Sweeten your whipped cream to taste. Spread the whipped cream over everything.

Garnish with more nuts and the cherry halves. Refrigerate at least 4 hours before serving. Enjoy!

Notes: This dessert is normally made in a 9 x 13 baking dish. If you want to make this dessert in mason jars as I did, follow the same directions, but divide each of the layers between your jars. When baking the crust, place the jars on a baking sheet and bake as usual. Also, if your strawberries are not very sweet, you may toss them with a little sugar to sweeten them.

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Middle Eastern Date-Filled Cookies (Ma’amoul)

Faith (An Edible Mosaic) — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 10:00:43 +0000

I am absolutely thrilled to be sharing this recipe with you today. Not only because these cookies are delicious and sure to impress whoever you share them with but also because for me, they hold a deeper, much more special meaning: I learned how to make them from my Syrian mother-in-law Sahar in her tiny kitchen in Damascus.

Although small, Sahar’s kitchen is efficient and she moves around it with all the grace and ease that a ballerina would dance onstage. Being in Sahar’s kitchen is an experience in itself: there are bright stacks of apricot leather waiting to be made into creamy puddings or refreshing drinks; jars of homemade pickled vegetables (like cucumber, olives, radish, and cauliflower); huge containers of homemade vinegar; a rainbow of homemade jams; tins of cookies just begging for a neighbor to stop by for an impromptu visit so they can be brought out; and all manner of dried herbs and spices. The scent of fresh ground Turkish coffee picked up at the market and baharat (spice) lingers in the air and mingles with the aroma of jasmine that wafts in through the open, but curtained window.

Sahar is an artist; her kitchen is her studio and food is her medium. These cookies remind me of the time I spent learning from her, watching intently and scrawling detailed notes as she lovingly taught me the secrets of Syrian cooking, which is more about the sensory experience it induces than about following an exact recipe or measurement. It’s about making something you can be proud to serve your loved ones. This recipe for Middle Eastern Date-Filled Cookies (Ma’amoul) is one of the many that I had the honor of collecting from Sahar, and it can be found in my cookbook An Edible Mosaic: Middle Eastern Fare with Extraordinary Flair (Tuttle; 2012).

Ma’amoul means “stuffed” in Arabic, and these cookies can be stuffed with a number of different fillings. Date filling is traditional for celebrating Eid, but walnuts (flavored either with orange blossom syrup or cinnamon) and pistachios (flavored with rose water and orange blossom water) are also common. These cookies are easiest to make using a ma’amoul mold (which can be purchased online or at Middle Eastern grocery stores), but below I also show how to make them without one.

While these cookies are a bit time-consuming, if you have a free afternoon they really are worth every effort. As a bonus, they will keep nicely for up to a month stored in an airtight container at room temperature. Another nice thing is that it’s an easy recipe to double, which I often do because the cookies keep so well.

Ready to start? I wish we could take a step into my mother-in-law’s kitchen together, but for now mine will have to do.

The first thing to do is mix up the cake spice mix, which is a combination of ground cinnamon, allspice, mahlab (which is ground seed kernels from St. Lucie cherries), nutmeg, ginger, fennel seed, anise, and cloves. I usually make a double or triple batch because I use it pretty frequently, but even a single batch is more spice mix than what you’ll need for this recipe. Store the extra mix in an airtight jar in the pantry or spice cupboard.

Mahlab is a lovely spice—it smells like a cross between almonds and cherries, and can be found at specialty spice shops or Middle Eastern grocery stores. If you can’t find it, although it won’t be quite the same, for a similar flavor you can add a couple drops of pure almond extract instead.

Then once you mix up the cake spice mix, get out everything else you’ll need.

Here we have ghee or clarified butter (in the green tub with the cow on it), granulated sugar, flour, canola oil, water, powdered sugar, yeast, date paste, and the cake spice mix.

I’m going to let you in on a little secret about the dates for the filling in this recipe: if you use a really high-quality date paste, it might not need to be processed using the grinder attachment on a stand mixer or using a heavy-duty food processor (just use the same amount of date paste as you would use of pitted, chopped dates). The brand of date paste I show pictured above (Onaizah Dates Factory) is great; it’s very smooth and well-pureed. I ran it through the grinder attachment on my stand mixer once just to show how it looks when it comes out but it really was smooth enough that it didn’t need it. If you’re using pitted, chopped dates or date paste that isn’t completely smooth, you’ll need to grind it yourself.

Speaking of grinding dates yourself, I have to warn you, this next set of pictures isn’t pretty on any level.

Here’s the ground date paste (left), the date paste with spice (center), and the date paste after kneading the spice in. (That might look like a lot of date filling, but it is enough for 2 ½ batches of cookies.)

If you need to grind the date paste yourself, a stand mixer fitted with a food grinding attachment (fine grind) really is the best way to go, but a super heavy-duty food processor will also work—just be sure to use canola oil to oil the blade well first.

The dough is sweetened with simple sugar syrup, so add the sugar and water to a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil (swirling the pan, but not stirring), boil for 1 minute, and then turn the heat off and cool slightly.

Melt the ghee and oil together in a small saucepan.

Put the flour into a large bowl and whisk in the yeast.

Gradually stir the oil mixture into the flour …

And then gradually stir in the sugar syrup.

Knead the dough a bit so it comes together into dough that’s somewhat soft and shaggy (it will be oily). (Just an FYI, my mother-in-law doesn’t knead this dough the way you’d knead normal bread dough; instead of using the heels of her palms, she uses her fingers to run them through the dough, moving one hand in one direction and the other hand in the other direction at the same time, which gives the dough its shaggy look. Practice a bit and you’ll easily get the hang of it.)

At some point while incorporating the oil and the sugar syrup, you will probably think that there is absolutely no way the dough will take any more liquid. But it will. The key is to add everything gradually and fully stir it in between each addition. You can add up to 4 tablespoons more flour if your dough seems too wet, but you probably won’t need it—and no matter what you do, don’t add more flour than that!

Cover the dough with plastic wrap and put it in the freezer to cool and stiffen slightly, about 10 minutes, then take it out and knead it for a couple minutes more.

Here’s the dough after a brief chill in the freezer.

If you have a ma’amoul mold, get it out now. (If not, I’ll show you how to shape the cookies by hand in a second.)

Measure out the dough and the dates for shaping. For the dough, you’ll need to measure out an equal amount of 2 sizes: 1 slightly scant tablespoon of dough (those are the larger balls on the left in the picture below), and 1 slightly scant teaspoon of dough (those are the smaller balls on the right in the picture below); roll each piece into a ball. For the dates, measure 1 teaspoon of the date mixture and roll it into a ball. (You will need the same amount of date balls as you have of large dough balls and small dough balls, so a 1:1:1 ratio of each.) Once you have everything measured out, using the mold is quick, methodical work like shelling peas. Grab a cup of coffee (iced for me, please!) and put on some good music (or grab a friend) and you’ll be done before you realize it.

Take 1 piece of the larger balls of dough, slightly flatten it, and then press it into the bottom and up the sides of the mold.

Take 1 of the measured date balls, slightly flatten it, and then gently press it into the dough in the mold.

Take 1 piece of the smaller dough balls, slightly flatten it, and put it on top of the date mixture in the mold. Use your fingers to press the dough on top into the dough on the sides.

To remove the cookie from the mold, hold the mold by the handle and tap the flat rim on a secure surface a couple times; the cookie will drop right out. Continue this way until you run out of dough and/or date filling.

To shape the cookies by hand, take a larger dough ball, flatten it slightly, and lay in it the palm of one hand. Take a date ball, flatten it slightly, and lay it on top of the dough in your hand. Finally, take a smaller dough ball, flatten it slightly, and place it on top of the date filling. (Basically, the palm of your hand becomes the mold.) Gently press the dough on top into the dough on the bottom so the date filling is completely covered. Shape the cookie into a slightly flattened circle.

Use a fork to make a decorative cross-hatch pattern on the top. (This method isn’t quite as pretty as using a mold, but it’s still functional!)

Arrange the cookies about ½ to 1 inch apart on Silpat or parchment paper-lined large baking sheets. Gosh, they’re pretty, aren’t they?

Bake them (at 350ºF) until they look like this (about 20 to 25 minutes, rotating the trays once)—gorgeously golden on the bottom.

Let them cool completely, and then rain a little powdered sugar on top.

You can store these beauties for up to a month in an airtight container at room temperature (their flavor actually improves as the spices in the filling have the chance to mingle). But at this point I highly recommend brewing up a pot of Turkish coffee and sampling the fruit of your labor. Or a couple of the fruits of your labor.

It’s the perfect way to spend a perfectly sweet afternoon (pun intended).

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do. It truly is like being transported to an exotic place. And feel free to share (if you want).

Printable Recipe

Middle Eastern Date-Filled Cookies (Ma’amoul)

by Faith (An Edible Mosaic) on May 31, 2013 in Cookies, Desserts

5.00 Mitt(s) 1 Rating(s)

Description

These beautiful cookies are perfect for any special occasion. While they are a bit time-consuming to make, if you have an afternoon free they’re definitely worth the effort. Ma’amoul means “stuffed” and these cookies can be stuffed with a number of different fillings; date filling is traditional for holidays, but walnut and pistachio are common too. My Syrian mother-in-law taught me this recipe and it’s found in my cookbook.

Ingredients

FOR THE CAKE SPICE MIX:
½ Tablespoons Ground Cinnamon
1-¼ teaspoon Ground Allspice
½ teaspoons Ground Mahlab (ground Seed Kernel From St Lucie Cherries)
½ teaspoons Ground Nutmeg
¼ teaspoons Ground Ginger
¼ teaspoons Ground Anise
¼ teaspoons Ground Fennel Seed
¼ teaspoons Ground Cloves
FOR THE DATE FILLING:
¾ pounds Pitted Dates, Coarsely Chopped (or Date Paste)
2 Tablespoons Canola Oil
1-½ teaspoon Cake Spice Mix (recipe Above)
FOR THE DOUGH:
1 cup Sugar
¾ cups Water
¼ cups Canola Oil
¾ cups Clariﬁed Butter (Ghee)
4 cups All-purpose ﬂour, Plus Up To 4 Tablespoons More For Kneading
½ teaspoons Instant Yeast
FOR DUSTING ON TOP (optional):
¼ cups Powdered Sugar

Preparation Instructions

1. Mix together the spices for the cake spice mix. You will only need 1 ½ teaspoons of the spice mix for recipe; store the remaining spice mix in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 6 months.
2. To make the date ﬁlling, grind the dates and oil in a stand mixer ﬁtted with a food grinding attachment (ﬁne grind) or in a heavy-duty food processor. If using a stand mixer, alternate between adding the dates and oil. If you’re using a food processor, before you add any dates, rub oil on the blade and inside of the bowl. Once processed, oil your hands and knead the cake spice mix into the dates.
3. To make the dough, combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a full, rolling boil (occasionally giving the pan a swirl); boil 1 minute and then turn off the heat. Cool 5 to 10 minutes.
4. Combine the oil and clariﬁed butter in a separate small saucepan and cook over medium heat until the butter is just melted, about 2 minutes; cool slightly.
5. Put the ﬂour in a large bowl and whisk in the yeast. Use a wooden spoon to gradually incorporate the oil mixture, then gradually incorporate the sugar syrup. Knead the dough until it comes together nicely into a shaggy dough, adding up to 4 tablespoons more ﬂour as needed (when done, the dough will be soft and should look smooth, shiny, and slightly oily). Cover the dough, put it in the freezer to stiffen slightly, about 5 to 10 minutes, and then knead it again for a couple minutes.
6. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C); line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpat liners.
7. To shape the cookies with a ma’amoul mold (see note below), measure 1 slightly scant tablespoon of dough and roll it into a ball; slightly ﬂatten it with your hands, then press it into the bottom and up the sides of the mold. Measure 1 teaspoon of the date mixture and roll it into a ball; slightly ﬂatten it and gently press it into the dough in the mold. Measure 1 slightly scant teaspoon of dough, roll it into a ball, slightly ﬂatten it, then put it on top of the date mixture in the mold; use your ﬁngers to press the dough on the top into the dough on the sides. To remove the cookie from the mold, hold the mold by the handle and tap the flat rim on a secure surface; the cookie will drop right out.
8. Arrange the cookies on the baking sheets about ½ to 1 inch (1 ¼ to 2 ½ cm) apart (if you use 2 half-sheet pans, the cookies should all ﬁt on 2 pans; if you use smaller pans you will need to cook them in 2 batches). Bake until light golden brown on the bottom, about 20 to 25 minutes, rotating the trays once.
9. Cool completely, and then dust with the powdered sugar. To store the cookies, package them layered between parchment paper in an airtight container.

Notes:
Ma’amoul mold: In this recipe I give directions for how to shape these cookies with a ma’amoul mold, which can be purchased at Middle Eastern grocery stores or online. However, these cookies can also be shaped by hand. To do so, measure 1 slightly scant tablespoon of dough and roll it into a ball; slightly ﬂatten it with your hands, then hold it in the palm of 1 hand. Measure 1 teaspoon of the date mixture and roll it into a ball; slightly ﬂatten it and gently press it into the dough in your hand. Measure 1 slightly scant teaspoon of dough, roll it into a ball, slightly ﬂatten it, then put it on top of the date mixture; use your ﬁngers to press the dough on the top into the dough on the sides. Use your hands to gently shape it into a circle, and then use a fork to make a decorative cross-hatch pattern on the top.

Mahlab: This spice is the seed kernel that comes from the center of St. Lucie Cherry pits; it has a lovely aroma and tastes like a cross between almonds and cherries. You can usually find mahlab at specialty spice stores or Middle Eastern grocery stores. If you can’t find it, although the flavor won’t be quite the same, for a similar flavor you could add a couple drops of pure almond extract.

Extra date filling: If you have extra date filling, wrap it well and freeze for up to 6 months. When you’re ready to use it, let it thaw in the fridge overnight, then knead a little bit of canola oil into it until smooth.

Clarified butter (ghee): I don’t recommend replacing the ghee in this recipe with regular butter because of the different water content. Clarified butter can commonly be found at regular grocery stores or easily made at home.

Recipe reprinted with permission from An Edible Mosaic: Middle Eastern Fare with Extraordinary Flair by Faith Gorsky; Tuttle Publishing (2012).

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Lamb Meatballs in a Spicy Curry

Faith (An Edible Mosaic) — Wed, 22 May 2013 13:34:46 +0000

Lamb lovers, you will love me for this one. Ok, actually, you will love Tasty Kitchen members (and sisters!) Vanessa and Ingrid for this one. Their recipe for Lamb Meatballs in a Spicy Curry might seem like an ordinary meatball recipe, but the secret is in the sauce. Truthfully, these are no ordinary meatballs. Drown meatballs in a curry that’s spiced just right, and they become a fun and exotic meal. And as far as curries go, this one comes together pretty quickly!

To get started, get out the ingredients you’ll need: lamb, Madras curry paste (I used homemade curry paste but store-bought is fine), water, salt, onion (I used 2 medium onions instead of 1 large onion), garlic, fresh ginger, ghee (or you can use butter), tomato paste, and parsley (instead of cilantro). You can use cilantro (fresh coriander leaves), but I am one of the unfortunate cilantro-averse people who taste soap instead of the loveliness that everyone else tastes when they eat cilantro. It’s genetic, what can I say? Such a shame though.

Alright, I’m over it.

Crush the garlic.

Dice the onion.

Chop the parsley (or cilantro). I sort-of went chop-crazy and minced it without realizing that the recipe just called for a rough chop. Oops!

Add the lamb, cumin, ginger, and salt to a large bowl and give it a good mix with your hands.

Then shape the meat mixture into meatballs about 1 tablespoon big. Please excuse the meat all over my hands. It’s the price you pay when rolling meatballs, but it’s oh-so-worth-it, especially for a dish this good.

All lined up and ready to go!

Melt the ghee (or butter) in a large skillet over medium heat and add the meatballs.

Brown them on both sides. I cooked the meatballs a little longer than the recipe says to let them get nice and brown on each side, about 4 to 5 minutes per side. I like them to develop a nice deep color. Oh, and I had to cook the meatballs in 2 batches so the skillet wasn’t overcrowded.

Don’t forget to let the excess oil drain off the meatballs by putting them onto a paper towel-lined plate. Notice that even though the meatballs are nicely browned, they aren’t cooked all the way through, so don’t taste one yet (you’ll finish cooking them in the curry sauce).

And now get back to that same skillet! It’s like gold at this point, with all the nice brown bits in the bottom. You might need to add more oil to the skillet if your lamb was really lean; otherwise, if your lamb wasn’t so lean, drain off all but 2 tablespoons of oil from the pan.

Still over medium heat, add the onion and scrape up those gorgeous brown bits from the bottom.

You can add the garlic at the same time like the recipe says, but I like to give the onion a little head start. I cook the onion until it starts to soften and brown, about 5 minutes. Don’t forget to stir!

Then I add the garlic, stir it around, and cook it until it’s fragrant, about 1 minute.

Now add the curry paste. It should be starting to smell insanely delicious!

Stir it in and cook for another minute.

Stir (or whisk) in the water.

Add the tomato paste …

And give it a stir.

Bring the sauce up to a boil, then cover and simmer it until thickened. This took about 5 minutes for me.

Add the meatballs to the sauce and let them finish cooking (covered), about 5 minutes.

And it’s ready! Don’t forget to sprinkle the cilantro (or parsley) on top.

You can serve this beautiful dish “rustic-style” right out of the pan it was cooked in. Love when that happens.

Vanessa and Ingrid suggest serving this curry with rice and/or roti and adding a dollop of yogurt or raita on top; both suggestions sound fabulous to me. I eat curries the way normal people eat soup or stew, so I ate this as-is, but for my hubby I made a quick basmati rice pilaf to serve alongside. It got a thumbs-up from both of us.

Thanks to sisters Vanessa and Ingrid for their delicious recipe! Be sure to check out their beautiful blog Food Opera for more of their tasty dishes!

Printable Recipe

Lamb Meatballs in a Spicy Curry

by Vanessa and Ingrid on March 16, 2013 in Lamb, Main Courses

See post on Vanessa and Ingrid’s site!

5.00 Mitt(s) 3 Rating(s)

Description

I used to be a bit overwhelmed by the amount of spices needed to cook a curry, and with a 3 1/2-year-old and a 1-year-old, I’m really time poor. I want easy, everyday dishes, but I certainly don’t want to compromise on taste. This is a great weekday family curry recipe for those with busy lives.

Ingredients

1-⅔ pound Lamb Mince
1 Tablespoon Ground Cumin
1 Tablespoon Grated Fresh Ginger
1 teaspoon Salt
2 Tablespoons Butter Or Ghee
1 Large Onion, Peeled And Finely Diced
4 cloves Garlic, Peeled And Crushed
4 Tablespoons Madras Paste
1 cup, 4 tablespoons, ¾ teaspoons, 1-⅞ pinches Boiling Water
2 Tablespoons Tomato Paste
½ cups Coriander Leaves, Roughly Chopped

Preparation Instructions

1. In a large bowl, add the mince, cumin, ginger and salt, and using clean hands, mix until combined. With wet hands to prevent sticking, roll into tablespoon-sized balls.

2. In a large frying pan, on a medium heat, melt the butter and brown the meatballs, turning for 2-3 minutes. Remove and drain on a paper towel. Set aside.

3. Using the same pan (add more butter if needed), fry the onion and the garlic until soft.

4. Add the Madras paste, mix through and fry for a further minute. Add the water and stir through.

5. Add the tomato paste, stir, bring sauce back to the boil, then simmer, covered, for 10 minutes until thickened.

6. Drop the meatballs into the sauce and simmer for 5 minutes.

7. Serve on rice and/or with roti, scatter coriander and add a dollop of natural yoghurt or store-bought raita.

Notes:
1. You can make most of this curry ahead of time, just hold back dropping the browned meatballs into the sauce until five minutes before serving.
2. You could add some greens to the dish, Add frozen peas or spinach into the sauce 5 minutes before serving.
3. Chicken mince will also work well with the flavours of this dish.
4. This curry sauce freezes well.

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Espresso Mini Muffins with Chocolate Ganache

Faith (An Edible Mosaic) — Wed, 08 May 2013 13:57:41 +0000

Some days a girl just needs a little something chocolaty. And most days a girl needs coffee. Put the two together into one sweet treat like this and now you’re really talking. The fact that this treat is pretty healthy just sweetens the deal (pun intended).

When I saw Tasty Kitchen member Michelle’s recipe for Espresso Mini Muffins with Chocolate Ganache, I was intrigued. And if I’m being honest, by intrigued I mean practically drooling and dying to make them first chance I got, which, incidentally, happened to be for breakfast. I don’t feel guilty though; these are legitimate muffins, not cupcakes masquerading as muffins (they are grain-free and refined-sugar-free, to name a couple of their perks!). The biggest perk of all is that I get to eat chocolate for breakfast and not feel bad about it.

But if you decide to make them for dessert I won’t tell—they’re good like that too. Ok, and while I’m at it, they’d make a happy snacker out of just about anyone.

To get started, get out your ingredients.

You’ll need: coconut milk, baking soda, dark chocolate, an egg, vanilla extract, coconut oil, maple syrup, espresso powder, almond meal, nutmeg, and salt.

You are just 11 ingredients away from chocolate-coffee bliss.

Generously grease a muffin tray with coconut oil. Love the paper towel method, but a pastry brush works well too. And if I’m feeling really crazy, sometimes I’ll just use my fingers. Whatever works, right?

Depending on the temperature of your kitchen, your coconut oil might already be softened. Mine wasn’t, so I softened it briefly in the microwave, trying not to melt it fully (literally just a couple seconds and then a good stir).

Part of what I love about this recipe (in addition to the fact that it’s incredibly delicious) is the fact that it whips up in just a couple minutes right in the food processor.

First pulse together the dry ingredients to combine: almond meal, espresso powder, baking soda, nutmeg, and salt. Don’t over-process it; the mixture should look like wet sand. Next add the egg, coconut oil, maple syrup, and vanilla and process until smooth.

Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tray. It’ll be thick, almost like brownie batter. You should get around 12 mini muffins; I think I actually could have gotten a couple more. But I might have licked the bowl.

Cook ‘em up! Be careful not to overcook them so they don’t dry out. Mine took ever-so-slightly longer than the recommended time, about 9 to 10 minutes instead of 8 to 9. Use the toothpick test to see if they’re done!

They should come right out of the tray, but if they don’t, let them cool a couple minutes in the tray and then transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Now it’s time to whip up a quick little ganache. It’s just 2 ingredients.

Dark chocolate and coconut milk! I used 62% cacao, but by all means go darker if you like. I’m a big fan of the 70% too.

You can either melt it in the microwave or on a double boiler.

And here it is melted together.

The recipe didn’t say what kind of coconut milk to use, so I used full-fat canned coconut milk because that’s what I keep in my pantry. My ganache was super thick and looked quite a bit different from Michelle’s ganache, so she might have used light coconut milk or even the coconut milk from the carton. I’m not sure, but either way, it was delicious this way—and hers looks delicious too!

Spoon the ganache on top of the muffins. I had enough for a thick layer on each.

And that’s it! You can dive into them now (recommended drink: an espresso, of course), or enjoy them later. I like to refrigerate them if I’m saving them for later because the ganache sets nicely into a truffle-like consistency. And the muffins themselves are incredible—they’re not too heavy and they have a nice moist crumb, almost like a brownie but not as dense. Are you convinced yet?

Thanks to Michelle for a fantastic recipe! Be sure to check out The Lucky Penny Blog for more of her delicious creations.

Printable Recipe

Espresso Mini Muffins with Chocolate Ganache

by The Lucky Penny Blog on March 1, 2013 in Breads, Muffins

See post on The Lucky Penny Blog’s site!

4.00 Mitt(s) 2 Rating(s)

Description

Delicious gluten and grain-free espresso mini muffins topped with chocolate ganache.

Ingredients

FOR THE MUFFINS:
¾ cups Almond Meal Or Almond Flour
1 Tablespoon Ground Espresso Beans
¼ teaspoons Baking Soda
¼ teaspoons Ground Nutmeg
1 pinch Salt
1 whole Egg
2 Tablespoons Coconut Oil
2 Tablespoons Maple Syrup
½ teaspoons Vanilla
FOR THE GANACHE:
2 ounces, fluid Dark Chocolate
2 Tablespoons Coconut Milk

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease a mini muffin tin well with coconut oil or greasing method of your choice.

In a food processor, combine all the dry ingredients for the muffins: almond meal, ground espresso beans, baking soda, nutmeg, and salt. Pulse to combine.

Add in the wet ingredients for the muffins: egg, coconut oil, maple syrup, and vanilla. Mix on high until everything is nice and smooth.

Fill greased muffin tins 3/4 of the way full. You should have just enough to make 12, if you really scrape the bowl clean.

Bake for 8-9 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Do not over bake!

Allow muffins to cool.

Make the ganache. In a microwave safe bowl, combine the coconut milk and chocolate, microwave for 30 seconds, stir, microwave for 15 more seconds if it is not melted. Be careful not to burn it.

Top muffins with desired amount of ganache. Enjoy!

_______________________________________

Vietnamese Summer Roll Salad

Faith (An Edible Mosaic) — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 10:00:27 +0000

Even though I’m a winter-loving girl, I’m secretly longing for summer’s arrival. Which is pretty much blasphemy around these parts; I’m in snow-country, just about as north as a girl can go. Although spring has just arrived, I’m ready to welcome summer. In fact, I’ll take summer in any form I can get.

Even roll form.

Summer rolls have always been a favorite of mine: Fresh, bright-flavored veggies, perfectly cooked shrimp, and chewy noodles, all wrapped up in a pretty little rice paper package. Add a great dipping sauce and what more could anyone want, right? (Because sauces not only make food more flavorful, but they also make eating more fun…that’s what my niece says and I’m inclined to agree!) When I first saw Vicky’s recipe for Vietnamese Summer Roll Salad, I couldn’t wait to make it.

Summer rolls are great, but this salad is fantastic. Why not turn a starter into a complete meal?

Start by getting out all your ingredients.

You’ll need bean thread noodles, honey, coconut oil, rice vinegar, fish sauce, fresh herbs (basil, mint, and cilantro), shrimp, cucumber, shallot, carrot, lime, ginger, bean sprouts, peanuts, and red chilies. For the life of me, I couldn’t find red chilies and I didn’t have time to make the 30-minute drive to the closest Asian grocery in my area (strangely enough, I don’t live in the middle of nowhere—we just need better grocery stores nearby!), so I used crushed red pepper flakes.

Because they’re so purty, here’s a close-up of the bean thread noodles. You might also find them called cellophane noodles or glass noodles. I found these in the international aisle of my regular grocery store.

Now for a little prep work.

Thinly slice the shallots.

Julienne the carrots by trimming off the ends and cutting them each into 2 to 3-inch pieces; cut each piece lengthwise into planks, then cut each plank lengthwise again into thin sticks. It sounds complicated but it’s not, and once you get into it, it goes pretty fast. (If you want, you can peel your carrot before you start cutting it; I always give my carrots a good scrub but leave the peel on.)

Julienne the cucumber the same way.

Grate the ginger. I like to use a microplane for this, and I keep my ginger in the freezer so it grates up easily.

Smash the peanuts. You can keep chop them by hand until they’re as finely chopped as you like, or use a food processor (but be careful you don’t end up with peanut flour or nut butter if you use your processor). If you’re like me and cleaning your food processor is the bane of your existence, know that this is really easy to do by hand. And heads up, I chopped up extra peanuts (around 3 tablespoons) to serve alongside the salad so people could add more on top if they wanted.

Whisk up the dressing: fish sauce, rice vinegar, ginger, red chilies (I used about 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes instead; you can use more or less to taste), and honey. There was quite a bit of extra dressing pooled in the bottom so next time I’ll make a little less; I’m planning to decrease both the rice vinegar and fish sauce to 1/2 cup, and also add 2 tablespoons of soy sauce for even more depth of flavor.

Cook the noodles following what it says to on the package directions—but be careful not to overcook them! I soaked my noodles in warm water for about 10 to 15 minutes, then drained them in a colander and rinsed them under cold running water.

Add the coconut oil to a medium pan over medium-high heat. Once melted, add the shallot and cook until it starts to brown in spots. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the browned shallot to a paper towel-lined plate. (Thank you, Vicky, for reminding us of that trick! I don’t always remember to do that, but shhhh, don’t tell.)

Add the shrimp to the pan and cook until it turns completely pink, about 3 to 4 minutes.

The recipe calls for 1/2 pound of shrimp, but if you’re getting it without the shell/vein/tail removed I recommend getting about 2/3 to 3/4 of a pound to account for the lost weight when you clean your shrimp. Heck, I love shrimp so much in here I think next time I’ll increase it to a full 1 pound either way.

Now for the fun part: Add everything to a large bowl (be sure you don’t forget the fresh herbs—I almost did!) and give it all a good toss. This makes a lot of salad. That’s a 4-quart bowl in the photo!

Put the salad into pretty individual bowls to serve it up. Don’t forget the fresh lime wedges to squeeze on top, and remember, I chopped up extra peanuts to serve alongside so people can add more as they want. Gorgeous, isn’t it?

Thank you to Vicky for sharing a fantastic recipe with us! Be sure to check out Vicky’s beautiful blog Avocado Pesto for what she calls a “smorgasbord of ethnic cuisines” (I love that description!). Also, a big thank you to Running with Tweezers for the original inspiration for this recipe!

Printable Recipe

Vietnamese Summer Roll Salad

by Vicky @AvocadoPesto on October 12, 2012 in Main Dish Salads, Salads

See post on Vicky @AvocadoPesto’s site!

3.00 Mitt(s) 3 Rating(s)

Description

A deconstructed summer roll salad. Less time consuming than making the rolls but full of all the same flavors.

Ingredients

8 ounces, weight Bean Thread Noodles
1 Tablespoon Coconut Oil
2 whole Shallots, Thinly Sliced
½ pounds Shrimp, Shells, Veins And Tails Removed
¾ cups Fish Sauce
¾ cups Rice Vinegar
2 Tablespoons Ginger, grated
2 whole Small Red Chilies, Diced
2 Tablespoons Honey
1 whole Medium Cucumber, Julienned
2 whole Carrots, Peeled And Julienned
1 cup Bean Sprouts
⅓ cups Fresh Basil, Chopped
⅓ cups Fresh Cilantro, Chopped
⅓ cups Fresh Mint, Chopped
⅓ cups Roasted Peanuts, Smashed
3 whole Lime Wedges

Preparation Instructions

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil and add noodles. Cook 3-5 minutes making sure not to overcook (refer to the package instructions for the specific timing for your noodles). Put the noodles into a colander to drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process.

2. In a pan heat coconut oil over medium-high heat and add shallots. Cook until shallots are starting to get golden brown. Remove them from the pan and drain on a paper towel. Add shrimp to the pan and cook until cooked through, roughly 3-4 minutes. Then remove the shrimp from the pan.

3. To make the dressing: In a small bowl whisk together the fish sauce, rice vinegar, ginger, red chili pepper and honey.

4. To assemble the salad: In a large bowl add cucumber, carrot, bean sprouts and noodles, toss to combine. Add all of the herbs, shallots and peanuts, and top with shrimp. Squeeze lime wedges over the salad. Pour the dressing over the salad when ready to eat, otherwise noodles will get soggy. Serve with additional lime wedges.

Recipe adapted from Running With Tweezers.

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Sweet Potato Hash with Paprika Yogurt Sauce

Faith (An Edible Mosaic) — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 11:00:13 +0000

Breakfast is without a doubt my favorite meal of the day. It could be any kind of breakfast food: pancakes, waffles, crepes, omelets, eggs and toast, it makes no difference to me. I’m always looking for an excuse to make breakfast any time of day, and a new recipe to make it. Tasty Kitchen member Jayne’s recipe for Sweet Potato Hash Paprika Yogurt Sauce caught my attention just by reading the title! I couldn’t wait to make this.

To start, do a little prep work.

Slice up some scallions.

Mince some garlic.

Cut up a yam. I used a yam instead of a sweet potato just because of personal preference but use whatever you prefer. The original recipe didn’t say what size potato to use, so I used a 1-pound yam.

Now this part is optional, but I chopped one medium-sized green bell pepper. This wasn’t in the original recipe, but I added it because I love adding bell pepper to potato hash (red bell pepper is also a favorite!). It’s a great way to get another veggie in, but it’s up to you whether you want to use it or not.

Assemble the ingredients: yam (or sweet potato), scallion or spring onion (the white, light green, and dark green parts), Italian sausage (I used a mild Italian turkey sausage), water, lemon juice (I keep a bottle of lemon juice in the fridge for recipes like this that use such a small amount of lemon juice that it isn’t really necessary to squeeze a whole lemon for), green bell pepper (if you want to include it), paprika, yogurt, salt, and olive oil. Notice that the dark green part of the scallion isn’t sliced yet—I like to wait and do that right before I serve it.

Just a quick note about the sausage: the original recipe calls for 1 whole sausage, casing removed. I wasn’t sure how much the sausage weighed so I went with half a pound; I figured a single sausage probably weighs anywhere from 1/4 to 1/2 a pound, and I wanted to err on the side of a little more. Oh, and instead of using sausage that was stuffed in casing and removing the casing, I just used sausage meat that was shaped into patties.

Whisk up that tasty yogurt sauce (just yogurt, lemon juice, paprika, and salt!).

Once mixed, you can cover the bowl and pop it in the fridge until you’re ready to serve.

Brown the sausage in some olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. I used my cast-iron beauty because what says hash more than a cast-iron skillet, right?

Use a slotted spoon to transfer the browned sausage to a bowl (or a paper towel-lined plate if you want to drain off any excess oil!). Then turn the heat down to medium-low and stir in the white and light green parts of the scallion (or the white part if you’re using a spring onion), along with the garlic.

Once the onion is fragrant and soft, add the yam (or sweet potato), green bell pepper (which is optional), and water (you can use stock if you prefer). I also added a pinch of salt and pepper since I used water instead of stock.

Cook (covered) until the potatoes are tender but not mushy, which was about 10 to 15 minutes for me. During this time, use a metal spatula to give the potatoes an occasional toss to make sure that they aren’t sticking to the bottom of the skillet, and that you don’t need to add more water. (Since I used a pretty big yam, I found I needed a touch more olive oil, around 1 to 2 tablespoons.)

Once the potatoes are cooked, toss in the browned sausage and top with the sliced dark green part of the scallion.

Don’t forget the paprika yogurt sauce! Now just look at that thing of beauty. But it’s about to get even better.

Jayne suggests serving this hash with an egg on top, and I seized the day and went with it. It was a brilliant suggestion. Topped with that tangy paprika yogurt sauce, breakfast doesn’t get any better.

This was a fantastic meal, and definitely not just for breakfast—leftovers the next day made a wonderful dinner too. The only thing I want to mention is that, the way I made the recipe (with a 1-pound yam, 1/2-pound sausage, and the addition of 1 green bell pepper), eaten alone it made three to four servings, instead of the two servings that the original recipe makes. And if you serve this hash with two eggs per person, I think you could easily get four servings out of it! Like Jayne said, sliced fruit on the side is also a great serving idea. A beautiful brunch doesn’t get much easier.

A big thank you to Jayne for such a great recipe. Be sure to check out her blog Tenacious Tinkering for more of her delicious dishes!

Printable Recipe

Sweet Potato Hash with Paprika Yogurt Sauce

by Jayne | Tenacious Tinkering on December 11, 2012 in Potatoes, Sides

See post on Jayne | Tenacious Tinkering’s site!

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Description

A power-packed brunch with sweet potatoes, tangy yogurt and herby Italian Sausage.

Ingredients

4 Tablespoons Natural Yogurt
1 teaspoon Lemon Juice
½ teaspoons Hungarian Paprika
1 pinch Salt
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1 whole Italian Sausage, Casing Removed
1 clove Garlic, Minced
2 Tablespoons Sliced White Parts Of Spring Onions
1 whole Sweet Potato, Peeled And Cubed
¼ cups Water Or Stock (more If Needed To Get Potatoes To Soften)
2 Tablespoons Sliced Green Parts Of Spring Onions

Preparation Instructions

Mix up natural yogurt, lemon juice, paprika and salt to make the sauce and set aside. You can make a bigger batch ahead of time and store in the refrigerator to top roasted meats or eggy dishes. (Certified yummy!)

For the hash, heat up a skillet or pan with the olive oil. Toss in sausage, breaking it up with a spoon, and let it sear for about 1 minute. Remove and set aside.

In the same pan on medium low, add in minced garlic and white parts of spring onion. Stir around for about 1 minute until softened and caramelized.

Add in cubed sweet potato with water or stock. Let it come to a simmer and cover.

Once water has evaporated, check and see if potatoes are tender but not falling apart. Sprinkle in reserved cooked sausage and sliced green parts of spring onion. Toss until combined and plate. Pour over a spoonful of paprika yogurt sauce and enjoy!

Serving suggestion: Top with fried egg and sliced fruit to make it a square meal!

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Sweet Potato Hash with Paprika Yogurt Sauce

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