My Unprocessed Chopped Kitchen

My friend Leslie and I have started a fun new game: playing the Food Network’s “Chopped” at home! She brings over three random, weird ingredients with which I have to create a 3-course meal, from scratch, off the top of my head. Check out our recipes from the summer.

The theme this time was “unprocessed.” With my October Unprocessed challenge, and her current cleanse diet, it was the perfect opportunity to put to the test my clean cooking skills! The result was an amazingly delicious vegetarian, whole foods meal. And a lot of laughs 🙂 I didn’t measure anything in the process, but have made my best guess at ingredient amounts, so if you want to recreate my dishes, go ahead!

The three ingredients were slivered almonds, V8 tomato juice with black pepper, and plain hummus.

The ingredients were: slivered almonds, V8 tomato juice with black pepper, and plain hummus. The almonds went into the appetizer perfectly. The tomato juice was reduced down to create a sauce. And the hummus….was a fail. I tried making a chocolate batter dip, and that didn’t work. Then we tried adding baking ingredients and threw it in the oven. But that still didn’t work. Lesson learned: do not use garlicky hummus in a dessert. But, I’ll be making the almond cheddar oat patties again – that’s certain.

Almond Cheddar Oat Patties were the appetizer.

Almond Cheddar Oat Patties

Makes 6 2″ wide patties

• 1 C old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1/2 package slivered almonds
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/4 block sharp cheddar cheese, diced
• 1/4 C unsweetened soy milk, or non dairy milk
• olive oil to pan-fry

Grind oats and almonds in a food processor. Add chopped garlic, cheese and milk and grind until it reaches a dough-like consistency. If it seems a bit wet, add some more oats. If it seems too dry, add a splash more milk.

Heat 2-3 tbsp oil in a small frying pan. Form dough into small patties. Cook 3 at a time, a few minutes on each side. Transfer to serving plate. Add a splash more oil, and cook the other 3 patties.

Eat hot! These are a fun finger food to munch on and could even be served with tomato soup as an alternative to grilled cheese sandwiches.

Broccoli Pasta with Asian Fusion V-8 Reduction

Broccoli Pasta with Asian Fusion V-8 Reduction

Serves 4

• 2 C V-8 tomato juice with black pepper
• splash of reduced sodium soy sauce
• 1 tbsp dark molasses
• 1-2 tbsp crushed wasabi peas
• 1/2 package whole wheat spaghetti, or pasta of your choice
• water for boiling pasta
• 3 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced small
• 1 head fresh broccoli, or 1/2 package of frozen broccoli, chopped

Pour tomato juice into a small sauce pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and allow to reduce down, stirring constantly.

In the meantime, heat white wine vinegar in a frying pan and saute onion and broccoli until well cooked. Add the olive oil and keep stirring. Once the broccoli begins to char, turn the heat down to remain warm.

Bring water to a boil and cook pasta according to package directions.

By this point, the tomato juice should be a thicker consistency. Add the soy sauce, molasses and wasabi pea dust to the juice and stir. Keep reducing and stirring. Taste and adjust to your liking as necessary.

Here’s when everything comes together: drain the pasta once it’s done cooking. Serve into 4 bowls. Divide the sautéed veggies and serve on top of the pasta. Spoon the thickened tomato juice sauce on top of each bowl. Eat!

Snotty Bananas – aka Bananas Foster

Snotty Bananas (to replace Hummus Chocolate Cakes), inspired by Alton Brown’s Bananas Foster

Serves 2-4

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 C maple syrup
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 under ripe bananas
• 1/4 C dark rum
• 1/2 tsp fresh orange zest

Heat oil in a 10-inch heavy skillet over low heat. Add maple syrup, honey, nutmeg and cinnamon and stir. Bring sauce to simmer.

Slice the bananas lengthwise and add to the pan. Cook for 1 minute on each side. Spoon sauce over bananas as they cook.

Remove bananas from pan to a serving dish. Bring sauce to a simmer and carefully add the rum. Continue cooking to thicken the sauce. Add orange zest and stir to combine.

Immediately spoon the sauce over the bananas and serve hot.

What would YOU have made with these ingredients?

My Drunk Chopped Taste – Cooking Challenge

Cooking and eating are activities meant to bring people together. The modern age of eating on the run, microwavable foods, and even skipping meals makes this difficult, however I still strive to make an event of dinner when I can. And with my good friend Leslie, I’ve even turned it into a mixture of reality cooking shows so it’s an at-home food challenge!

Our dinners together have transformed into a combination of Hannah Hart’s “My Drunk Kitchen,” Food Network’s “Chopped,” and ABC’s “The Taste” with the one and only Anthony Bourdain.

Leslie has taken on the challenge of bringing three new “mystery” challenge ingredients that I must use to cook a three course dinner. All while drinking wine. And it’s always about the taste, although presentation is a bonus. Now if only I could get an appearance from Chef Gordon Ramsey, my life would be complete 🙂

Started the challenge off with a crisp Chardonnay!

This weekend, Leslie brought a bag of original potato chips, a bottle of mild flavor molasses, and a sheet of pre-made pastry dough. Her rules: I could not use them as one would expect, and I could not use the recipes printed on the back of two of these ingredients. I am allowed the use of the internet, but only to double-check measurements. I must come up with the dish by myself, using the ingredient, and whatever my fridge and pantry have to offer. We also had the added challenge of not using any meat, so this became a vegetarian meal! My creativity came up with the following three courses, with the wonderful help of Leslie and my sister, Sonja.

First Course: The Appetizer

Potato Chip & Cornmeal Fritters

• 1 egg
• 3/4 C finely crushed potato chips
• 1/2 C cornmeal
• 3/4 C all-purpose flour
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 C skim milk
• Vegetable oil, for frying

Beat egg in large bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients, except the frying oil, into the bowl, mixing well.

Heat oil in a frying pan, it should be about 1/2 inch deep. Prepare a plate, lined with paper towels, to let the fritters cool and the oil to soak out. Once hot enough, test oil with a tiny drop of the batter. Remove with a slotted spoon to the plate.

Drop batter with a teaspoon into the oil (I used a small cookie scoop, and just didn’t completely fill it). I was able to make 5 fritters at a time, but that will depend on the size of your pan. (Actually, Sonja did this part – thanks for the help!)

Let fry on one side for 2-3 minutes, and then flip over with the slotted spoon to finish frying. Once done, remove to the paper towel-lined plate. Continue this process until all batter has been used. Let cool, and enjoy!

This got us A LOT of fritters – about two dozen. So, you could either half the recipe, invite a lot of people over, or plan to share with your neighbors, which is what we did!

Potato chips taken to the extreme in cornmeal fritters.

Second Course: The Main Dish

Roasted Vegetables with Brown Rice & Molasses Sauce

For the sauce:

• 1/4 C molasses
• 1/4 C apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp red wine

For the stir fry:

• Good-quality brown rice
• Water and butter (for rice)
• Chopped vegetables, such as carrots, celery, bell pepper and onion. You’ll want about 1 cup of veggies per person. We had three people, so 3 large carrots, 1 onion, 2 bell peppers, and 4 stalks of celery was just right.
• Olive oil, sea salt, fresh cracked pepper

Begin cooking brown rice, according to package directions. The rice I used took about an hour from start to finish, but it’s worth it, given how much healthier this version is!

Mix together sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.

Turn on broiler (or set oven to its highest temperature)

Wash, peel and chop vegetables into bite-sized pieces. You could use any combination of veggies you like (mushrooms, snap peas, sprouts, whatever!). Toss with a tablespoon olive oil and some salt and pepper, to taste. Spread onto foil-lined baking sheet. Once there’s about 30 minutes until the rice is done, place vegetable pan into broiler, stirring every 10 minutes. Remove from broiler (and turn it off!!) once vegetables look nice and roasted – cooked, but not mushy.

Transfer veggies into a serving bowl, and dress with the prepared molasses sauce. Serve rice in bowls, top with veggies, and a drizzle of the sauce. Eat and enjoy!

Sweet and tangy molasses sauce adds depth to roasted veggies and classic brown rice.

Third Course: The Dessert

S’more Kahlua Pastry Cups

• 1 tube Pillsbury Seamless Dough Sheet
• Mini marshmallows
• 3 oz Neuchâtel cream cheese, softened
• 2 C powdered sugar (more or less, depending on how sweet you want it)
• 1 tbsp milk
• 2 tbsp Kahlua (or leave out, and add 2 tbsp milk and a splash vanilla)
• 2 squares unsweetened baking chocolate, roughly chopped

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray standard muffin tin with PAM.

Using a glass with a rim slightly larger than the perimeter of the muffin cups, cut out rounds from the dough sheet, and press into muffin tins. We got 9 pastry cups from the sheet. Line bottom of each cup with a single layer of mini marshmallows. Bake for about 10 minutes, or until dough is golden brown. Let cool on wire rack for 10 minutes and then remove to a plate or serving platter.

In the meantime, combine the chopped baking chocolate and milk in a microwave-safe bowl, and microwave until melted, stirring after each minute.

In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, the melted chocolate mixture and the Kahlua (or the rest of milk and vanilla). Using a hand mixer, blend until incorporated. Slowly add powdered sugar until desired sweetness and consistency is reached. Store in fridge until pastry cups are baked and cooled.

To assemble, spoon chocolate filling into a piping bag with tip of your choice. Pipe filling into cups – you’ll use all of it, so don’t skimp out! Top each cup with another mini marshmallow. Serve to drooling friends, and devour! Or eat daintily. Your choice 🙂 If there are leftovers, store in an airtight container in the fridge.

Kahlua gives these S’mores pastry cups a hint of mocha taste.

We had a lot of fun cooking, drinking, creating and eating together. Such challenges work the brain, and reward the soul and body! Have you ever gathered up friends and loved ones for a night of creative cooking? Would you attempt doing so?

Meatless Monday

Happy Monday! I know most people don’t like Mondays. Sometimes I’m even one of those people. However, I like to look at it as a fresh start. Whether I lounged around all weekend, or did a bunch of things with a bunch of people, Monday is a good time to get back at it, assess the next steps to success, and just “git r done!” Certainly, a cup (or two) of highly caffeinated coffee helps put me in this mood. As does delicious and nutritious food! The combination of meatless + Monday is exactly what the doctor ordered to complete this equation. And here’s what today has in store!

Breakfast: Cookie Dough Baked Oatmeal Cupcakes

My work day starts at 7:30 AM during the week. Because of that, I bring my breakfast to work, as there’s no way my stomach can handle food any earlier than 8 AM on a regular basis. And because that’s just early in general, I prep my breakfast the night before (along with my lunch). Previous posts can inform you that I eat oatmeal religiously, and today is no exception. So, last night, in my attempts to prepare food ahead, for TWO days of breakfast, I whipped up these oatmeal cupcakes, posted by Chocolate Covered Katie (whose blog & recipes I HIGHLY endorse!).

Ready for the oven! Enough banana to make 6 cupcakes

I didn’t have 2.5 C mashed banana, so I just scaled the recipe down to the amount that I had, added flaxseed meal, cinnamon and shredded coconut, and baked away! I made enough for two servings – today, and tomorrow! That means less work for me tonight! #winning.

Threw them under the broiler for a bit – the chocolate got nice and toasty!

They turned out quite delicious (3 cupcakes equals one serving) and taste like an oatmeal version of a chocolate chip cookie. What’s better than dessert for breakfast, right? Also, they’re both meatless AND vegan, so everyone can enjoy them! How wonderful 🙂

Here’s Katie’s recipe, to make 24 “cupcakes”

• 5 cups rolled oats
• 2 1/2 cups over-ripe mashed banana, measured after mashing
• 1 tsp salt
• 5 stevia packets
• 2/3 cup mini chocolate chips
• 2 2/3 cups water
• 1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp oil
• 2 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• optional add-ins: cinnamon, shredded coconut, chopped walnuts, ground flax or wheat germ, raisins or other dried fruit, etc.

Preheat oven to 380 F, and line (or spray with PAM) 24 cupcake tins. In a large mixing bowl, combine all dry ingredients and stir very well. In a separate bowl, combine and stir all wet ingredients (including banana). Mix wet into dry, then pour into the cupcake tins and bake 21 minutes. I also like to then broil for 1-2 minutes, but it’s optional. These oatmeal cakes can be eaten right away, or they can be frozen and reheated for an instant breakfast on a busy day.

Lunch: Almond Cream Pasta & Mustard Vinaigrette Green Beans

I had no need for dinner last night. 4 PM found me with a bunch of friends at a new sushi bar nearby, where they have all-you-can-eat sushi! Oh, it’s so good. Except for the fried frog legs. That was gross, but at least I tried it! And it left me feeling full until I was ready for the above breakfast this morning. But I still cooked last night. Why? Because I knew that I would otherwise have to scramble around for something to eat for lunch today! So I went vegan. One of my favorite recipe collection sites, Finding Vegan, produced these two recipes for me as I perused through page after page of scrumptious, vegan concoctions (note: I’m NOT vegan, but do enjoy many vegan dishes).

Mara’s Pasta (@maraspasta on twitter) graciously sent me a 3-box set of 100% whole wheat pasta to test out, rate and review last week. And boy is it good! Just as light as semolina-based pastas, this was perfect. And it cooked up rather quickly as well; 7 minutes in boiling water and it was done. I can’t wait to give the spaghetti and linguine a try soon.

Desiring to use some of Mara’s pasta, I chose this almond cream pasta recipe, from Hotpot Meal.The rotini was ideal for this cream sauce, as it had just the right amount of crevices in which the cream could hide. Making this dish with whole wheat pasta upped the nutritional value, and the flavor! Thanks for sending me some!

I’ve never blanched almonds before, or used them to make a cream sauce. So this is two new things at once! I googled a “how-to” for the process, and came up with this link, which proved very helpful, however deceptive in the amount of time necessary. I failed to take into account that it would require a good amount of time to “slip off the skins” of 3/4 C almonds. However, I persisted, knowing that my health and well-being would be the result. And I’m glad I did!

Below is the recipe for the sauce. It’s delicious, and if you plan on feeding vegan-skeptics, I’d suggest you lead with this. With the inclusion of garlic and red pepper flakes, no one will guess it was made with raw almonds. My mouth is watering just thinking about it 🙂

Almond Cream Pasta Sauce – makes 3 servings

• 2 cups whole wheat pasta
• 3/4 cup raw almonds
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup Water (or more, as needed) – for the sauce

Soak the almonds for an hour in lukewarm water, using a bowl that can handle boiling water later. Blanch them (drain, pour boiling water over until just covered, let sit for a minute, drain, rinse in cold water, drain again, pat dry, slip off skins). Grind the almonds with the garlic to a smooth paste, using a food processor.

Boil pasta according to package instructions, until crunchy enough to bite. Drain through a strainer; do not rinse.

In a large saucepan, heat oil and red pepper flakes. Add the almond paste with some water (not the entire 1/2 C). Let it boil for 5 minutes in medium flames. If it thickens, add more the water. Add the drained pasta and mix well. Cook for 5-10 minutes. (It only took 5 minutes for me. You want the sauce to be creamy, not like a paste, so add more water if needed). Stir occasionally so it doesn’t stick to the pan.

Serve hot or cold. The longer the pasta sits in the sauce, the better it will taste. Which is why I made this the night before!

And now for the green beans! I love green beans, especially when they’re still a little crunchy. Usually, I roast them in the oven with some Parmesan cheese, olive oil and herbs. But I didn’t want to wait an hour for them to cook, so I used this recipe instead, from The Tolerant Vegan! This comes together in no time at all.

Green Beans in Mustard Vinaigrette – serves 2-4

• 1 pound fresh green beans, ends trimmed off, rinsed and drained well
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
• 1 teaspoon agave nectar (I used honey, which isn’t exactly vegan, but tastes great)
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Bring a large pot of water to boil and boil the green beans for 2-3 minutes, until the beans are tender.

While the beans boil, fill a large bowl with cold water and 8-10 ice cubes.

Once the beans are tender, remove them from the heat, drain, rinse with cold water and place into the ice bath. Let them sit until completely cooled.

In the meantime, combine the oil, mustard, agave (honey), balsamic vinegar and lemon juice in a bowl and stir.

Drain the beans and toss them in the vinaigrette.

That’s it! As for dinner, I think I’m meeting up with some family friends visiting from out of town, at a Mexican restaurant. Perhaps a veggie burrito or veggie fajitas are in my future to round off my Meatless Monday. I hope your meatlessness is just as tasty! Guten Appetit!