Turkish-inspired Granola

The Ingredients

2 cups of oats

1/2 package organic apricots

1/2 jar of "honey nut" (Turkish snack of varied nuts layered into honey)

sliced almonds

1/2 cup brown rice syrup

1/4 cup sunflower oil

1/4 cup brown sugar

First, throw the oats onto a baking sheet. Then, chop up the apricots finely into small pieces. Then, throw on the honey nut (the nuts are pistachio, hazelnut, and almond) and sliced almonds. Place syrup, sunflower oil, and brown sugar into a separate bowl. Mix the syrup mixture well and pour over the oat mixture. Mix the oats around with a spoon to ensure that all ingredients form into clusters so you get a little bit of everything with each bite. Bake at 325 degrees for around 30 minutes. Let cool for 30 minutes. This can be made into a granola bar or eaten as a cereal. 

YUM!

Sweet Potato Soup

The Ingredients

1 baked sweet potato

1 can coconut milk

1/2 cup water

ginger

cumin

coriander

allspice

1/4 cup cream cheese

I had a leftover baked sweet potato and discovered I could do something magical with it. First, I peeled off its skin. Then, I added the coconut milk and water and let simmer. I threw in the spices and cream cheese and brought it to medium-high heat. Then, I used an emulsifier to turn it into a purée. The great thing about the soup is that it can also be served chilled or at room temperature as a springtime gazpacho. 

Enjoy!

Creamy, smooth texture! 

Unborn Chicken and Waffles

The Ingredients

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk

1 cup sifted wheat flour

2 tbsp. melted butter

1 tsp baking powder

pinch of salt

Mix all dry ingredients into a bowl. Then, mix all wet ingredients. Combine into a large bowl. Cook in a waffle maker for a few minutes. While this is happening, coat a small pan with olive oil and throw in two eggs. I seasoned mine with cumin, coriander, paprika, and sea salt. Serving them sunny side up on top of the waffle is fantastic since the eggy goodness is easily absorbed into the waffle. It is quite flavorful and the textures really play off each other. The wheat flour in the waffle is somewhat sweet, and the eggs are savory, so the combination is perfect. Enjoy! 

YUM. 

Tuna Melt Quiche

The Ingredients

2 cans of tuna in olive oil

3 slices swiss cheese

1/4 cup mayonnaise

3 eggs

1/4 cup milk

Scramble the eggs and add milk and mayonnaise. Then, drain tuna. Chop the swiss cheese into small pieces. Mix everything into the egg mixture. Add to a pie crust and bake in the oven at 30 degrees for 30-45 minutes. Enjoy!

Pre-baking

The final product! 

Rasp-barb Tart

The Ingredients

8 rhubarb stalks (chopped)

1 jar organic strawberry preserves

1 1/2 cups frozen raspberries

1 cup brown sugar

2 tbsp butter

1 tbsp vanilla extract

1 tsp corn starch

Add all ingredients into a pot and simmer at medium heat, stirring the corn starch in slowly and making sure it is fully dissolved. The last thing you want is chunks of corn starch in the pie filling!

Note: If you have lemon, lime, or orange juice, adding acid to the mixture will cut some of the sweetness and balance the flavors out very well. I unfortunately didn't have any citrus at home to do this.

Keep the mixture on the stove at medium-high heat until it reduces to almost a syrup-like consistency. Let cool for another 20 minutes (can also be refrigerated- that can help make it more gelatinous). Add to pie crust and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to 1 hour. This pie tastes delicious chilled, as the thickened filling is almost gelatinous in consistency.

Enjoy!

The simmering mixture

Pre-baking

Ready to eat

Southern Italian Dinner

I had codfish, broccoli rabe, and potatoes. This is what I turned the ingredients into:

truffle mashed potatoes (with skins)

broiled codfish with Italian parsley and garlic

boiled broccoli rabe with lemon and olive oil

YUM! 

Peanut Brittle

The Ingredients

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 cup agave syrup

pinch of salt

1 tsp. baking soda

2 tbsp. butter

1 cup peanuts

On medium heat, mix in the syrup, sugar, and salt, until the sugar is dissolved. Make sure the temperature is at 300 degrees so that the mixture is thread-like when placed into a cup of cold water. Remove from heat and add in the baking soda, butter, and peanuts. 

Grease a cookie sheet with some butter and place the mixture over it. Let cool. Then, break the candy up into pieces and enjoy. 

Cooling down

Candy time! 

Carrot Gazpacho

The Ingredients

 9 carrots

3 parsnips

2 potatoes

1 container vegetable stock

ginger

cumin

coriander

black pepper

sea salt

chili flakes

thyme

3 garlic cloves

1 red onion

extra virgin olive oil

3 cups water

4 bay leaves

Place all ingredients into a crock pot an cook for 8 hours. Use an emulsifier to purée the mixture. This can be served hot or at room temperature for a cooler spring treat. Yum! 

Pre-puréeing

Final product! 

Smoked Salmon Spring Rolls

The Ingredients

1 pack of smoked salmon

1/2 container cream cheese

20 sprigs of chives

spring roll sheets

I had smoked salmon, cream cheese, and chives, and realized these ingredients could easily be put into a spring roll. I rolled everything into the roll and fried it in canola oil for around 5 minutes. Yum! 

Rolling in the ingredients

Pre-frying

Final product! 

Portobello and Spinach Spring Rolls

The Ingredients

2 portobello mushrooms

2 cups raw spinach

2 garlic cloves

olive oil

spring roll sheets

canola oil

Place olive oil, chopped mushrooms, spinach, and minced garlic cloves into a pan and sautée at medium heat for a few minutes until water comes out and spinach is wilted. Drain excess water and set mixture aside. Spoon out the mixture and place diagonally onto the spring roll sheets. Use a brush to put olive oil on the corners of the sheet to help it stick together. The finished rolls can be boiled or fried. I chose to boil them. 

The sauté

Laying down the mixture

Folding the corners over

Origami Food

Pre-boiling

Final product! 

Turkey Tataki Burger (No, it's not raw!)

The Ingredients

16 oz. lean ground turkey meat

panko bread crumbs

2 eggs

seaweed flakes

sriracha

soy sauce

ginger

chili flakes

Chinese five space

Mix all ingredients except for the seaweed and form into a patty. Cook with light olive oil and top with crunchy seaweed- it adds great texture to the bite and makes it extremely unique. Enjoy! 

The seasoning

The mixture

The final product!

Stinging Nettle Soup... Soup With a Bite

The Ingredients

3 cups raw stinging nettles

2 shallots

olive oil

2 cups vegetable broth

WARNING: Please make sure you handle the stinging nettles with gloves. These MUST be boiled before eating. 

Set them aside, and in a pot, add olive oil and shallots. Allow them to sweat for a bit, then add vegetable broth. Add stinging nettles and allow to simmer. Then, use an immersion blender to make the soup into a purée. Enjoy! The taste is a lot like spinach- quite yummy! 

Pre-puréeing

A lovely green, ready to eat

Chive Polenta Waffles

The Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup corn meal

2 tsp melted butter

20 sprigs of chives

1/2 cup water

2 eggs

1/2 tsp baking powder

provolone

garlic and chive cheddar

I had leftover garlic and chive cheddar that I didn't know what to do with. Like any leftover, baking/mixing flour into it is typically the best way of reusing the food. I chose to make a waffle! 

Make sure the chives are chopped (or cut with kitchen shears) and the cheeses cubed nicely. Mix all ingredients and cook for a few minutes in the waffle iron. Enjoy! 

The ingredients

The batter

Waffle me!