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Italian Quinoa With Fava Beans

Written on March 31, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Entree

Quinoa is the perfect canvas for any recipe. You can add flavors from any culture, any sort of ingredients and have it be delicious, cohesive, and filling. This was my first time trying fava beans and I loved how their meaty texture matched the sundried tomatoes and olives. This has quickly become a new favorite potluck dish.

Italian Quinoa With Fava Beans

Ingredients(Makes 3-4 servings):

1 dry cup quinoa, rinsed
1/4 cup diced black olives
1/4 cup sundried tomatoes packed in olive oil, drained
1 can fava beans, drained
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Cook the quinoa in 2 cups of water until all the liquid has been absorbed. Add more water if need be.

Add in the rest of the ingredients and mix while fluffing the quinoa. Serve hot or cold.

Am I wrong to think you must serve this with a nice chianti? You can skip the liver though.

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Italian-Style Broccoli

Written on March 24, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Side Dish

If this recipe were a person it would be on Jersey Shore.

If this recipe were a person, it would have a cousin Vinny.

If this recipe were a person, it would GTL(Gym, Tan, Laundry) every Saturday.

This recipe is very Italian. It reminds me of the kind of vegetables I ate growing up: Covered in garlic. The olives are a welcomed, meaty bite with the broccoli. And it’s so easy it comes together in only 10 minutes. This just might save the reputation of Italian-Americans.

Italian-Style Broccoli

Ingredients:

3 cloves of garlic, diced
1/2 yellow onion, diced
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1lb steamed broccoli florets, fresh or frozen
1/4 cup finely chopped black olives
3/4 teaspoon salt

Over medium heat, sauté the onion and garlic in the oil for 2-3 minutes until the onions start to turn color.

Add in the broccoli and lower the heat. Toss the pan to make sure the broccoli soaks up the oil.

Add in the olives and distribute evenly throughout the dish. Serve hot.

My favorite part about this is how much flavor gets soaked into the broccoli. It completely loses that off-putting “green” flavor and is filled up with onion, garlic, and olives. If this recipe were a person, it would be way too good for Snooki.

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Apricot Marathon Energy Bites

Written on March 23, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Snack

I can’t believe the marathon is only 4 days away. I’ve had this recipe from Ashley and Steven bookmarked since I signed up way back in October and just got around to making it. Dried apricots lend this a slightly different flavor from the typical dates. Really, any nuts would be good in this but I like the combination of cashews and almond butter for that Amaretto flavor.

Apricot Marathon Energy Bites

Ingredients:

1/2 cup dried apricots
1 cup pitted dates
1/2 cup cashews
2 Tablespoons almond butter
1/2 teaspoon salt

Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor.

Blend until a paste begins to form. If your dried fruit was stale to begin with, you might have to add a few teaspoons of water to get it malleable.

Press the dough into a square pan and cut into 10 equal portions.

These couldn’t be easier and pack a flavor punch. I think I liked them even more after a few days of sitting on the counter when they were a little firmer, but you can freeze or refrigerate them to keep them softer. And the ingredients sure beat the hell out of store-bought energy bars.

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5-Ingredient 3-Bean Salad

Written on March 22, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Side Dish

Bean salad is a great side dish for outdoor parties now that the weather is getting warmer(or so they say), or for dinner when I don’t really feel like cooking anything. Lucky for me this makes a lot so I can ~~eat a lot~~ spread it across meals! Now before you go and think I can’t count, yes, I know this has more than 5-ingredients. But only 5 of the ingredients are key players and you’ll never be a comfortable chef if you can’t get used to eyeballing olive oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper into every dish you make. There’s just no two ways about it with those ingredients. Oh, and the name is more appealing that “9-Ingredient 3-Bean salad”.

5-Ingredient 3-Bean Salad

Ingredients(Makes 4-6 servings):

1 can chickpeas, drained
1 can cannellini beans, drained
1 can kidney beans, drained
1 large cucumber, diced
1 can of pitted olives, drained and halved
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 Tablespoon white vinegar
3/4 teaspoon salt(omit if your beans are already salted)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Start by mixing together all of the beans. If you haven’t already, prepare the olives and cucumber.

Add in the olives, cucumber, salt, pepper, olive oil, and vinegar.

Toss the salad until it’s all mixed thoroughly. Serve cold or at room temperature.

I love how simple but flavorful this is. The cucumber is refreshing and the olives are deep in flavor, but the beans are the star of the show all the way through. It’s great as a side dish but also on its own from a bowl.

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Peanut Butter And Potato Chip Truffles

Written on March 21, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Dessert

Things have gotten a little crazy around here. I have this week to wrap up all of my midterms while preparing to fly to DC on Friday for the National Marathon and let’s just say I’m starting to lose it. This recipe is proof of that.

Popchips asked me if I’d like to take part in their Munch Madness recipe contest and I happily agreed. I know nothing about basketball, as proved by the fact that I’m dead last in my brackets group, but I know a whole lot about cooking and eating. I’m not sure what convinced me potato chips, chocolate, and peanut butter would all go together—I guess you have to be a bit mad—but they do, and these are deliciously addicting! A perfect way to wow and alarm your guests.

Peanut Butter And Potato Chip Truffles

Ingredients(Makes 12 truffles):

6 Tablespoons natural peanut butter
2 Tablespoons butter, softened
1 cup confectioners sugar
1/2 cup crushed original popchip crumbs + more for dusting(or any other salty treat)
1/2 teaspoon salt
8oz chocolate chips

Mix together the peanut butter, butter, and confectioners sugar. Once mixed, add in the popchip crumbs and fold in until evenly distributed.

Roll the dough into 12 balls and place them on a baking tray. Freeze for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt the chocolate chips. Once ready, individually roll the peanut butter balls in the chocolate until they’re completely covered. Put them back on the baking tray and top with a little popchip crumbs.

I know these sound crazy. I know I am crazy. But my taste buds aren’t crazy, and these are gooood.

If you happen to agree, please go to the Munch Madness photo album on popchip’s fan page and “like” the photo of my recipe. That would be great! And Happy March Madness! I’m sure no matter who you chose to win you’re probably doing better than I am.

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I Cater

Written on March 19, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Recipe Round-Up

This is why you should invite me to your parties.

This is also why I will never succeed on any diet, but that’s another story.

Like any good Classicists, some friends and I got together on St. Patty’s Day to celebrate The Ides of March since green beer and jello shots clearly weren’t in our future. I offered to bring the entertainment(HBO’s Rome. Horribly inaccurate but highly entertaining) and a slew of baked goods.

Outrageous Triple Chocolate Brownies, which got a “really chocolaty” vote for itself.

Better-Than-Boxed Brownies, which got a few nibbles.

And Coconut Blondies with Lemon Drop Frosting, which definitely had the most crowd appeal.

Lucky for me it’s not hard to please people who live off cafeteria food. After the show we sat around talking, eating brownies, and translating Latin. I know—we’re a wild bunch.

My point? Invite me to your parties and I promise to bring enough food to feed an army. And if it’s a toga party, well I’m already dressed for that.

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Chocolate Peanut Butter Mousse

Written on March 18, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Dessert

Chocolate + Peanut butter

Milk + Cookies

Ross + Rachel

Everyone knows these things just go together, right? Right. I’d been wanting to make a mousse with tofu since I saw a chocolate one on Jenna’s blog. When I saw a peanut butter version in this month’s Food Network magazine, I knew it was a sign.

These were shockingly easy to make and as delicious to eat as you’d imagine. Now, I’m not going to lie: These do have a slight soy flavor to them, so if you have one of those picky eaters who points out any and every funny flavor, it’s not for them. But overall I loved them and didn’t mind the taste at all. The only question was what to put on top?

Chocolate Peanut Butter Mousse

Ingredients(Makes 4 servings):

1 pack of silken tofu
6 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
3oz bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons powdered sugar, separated

To make the chocolate layer, start by melting the chocolate in a microwave or over a double boiler. When the chocolate is hot, stir in 1/4 cup of powdered sugar and 1/2 of the silken tofu. Continue stirring until the mousse is smooth and uniform.

To make the peanut butter layer, take the other half of the tofu and mix it with the peanut butter and remaining sugar. Continue mixing until there are no lumps.

To assemble, scoop a later of chocolate mousse in the bottom of a parfait glass. Do this for 4 glasses and evenly portion them out. Make sure the top of the layer is flat.

Next, scoop on the peanut butter mousse over the chocolate layer. Again, take care to portion them evenly and flatten out the top.

Then you just have to choose your garnish, like chocolate chips:

Or whipped non-dairy cream:

Or fudge sauce, peanuts, peanut butter chips—whatever your heart desires! Serve these at room temperature for the best flavor but store in the refrigerator if there’s any leftover(there won’t be any leftover).

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Irish Green Beans

Written on March 17, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Holiday, Side Dish

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Happy St. Patrick’s Day! I thought long and hard about what green recipe to make for today. By luck, I also had a bunch of green beans to cook with and this dish sort of came together itself. You may ask yourself what makes this Irish, to which I would answer the butter, potatoes, and simple seasoning. If that’s not stereotypical enough for you, I apologize that I couldn’t somehow work Baileys into the recipe; know that it’s there in spirit.

Irish Green Beans

Ingredients(Makes 4 servings):

2 Tablespoons butter
2 medium sized potatoes, diced and cooked
1/2lb green beans
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

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Prepare your ingredients by dicing and cooking the potatoes through. You can boil, bake, or microwave them.

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Heat the butter in a large pan over medium heat until melted.

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Add in the green beans and potatoes and sauté lightly for about 10 minutes until the butter has coated everything and starts to brown.

Season the pan with the salt and pepper and toss. Serve hot.

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Just when I thought I’ve eaten potatoes every way, there’s a new way to cook them. The butter and black pepper really help to make all the ingredients come together. It’s a hearty side dish that stacks up well against any main. So break out the lamb with steamed cabbage and start celebrating St. Patrick’s Day(or more likely just these and a beer).

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You Might Need A Brownie

Written on March 16, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Dessert

If the only wedding marked on your calendar is the royal wedding, you might need a brownie.

If your boss of 5 years called you the wrong name this week, you might need a brownie.

If the last Saturday night you spent out was under a different president, you might need a brownie.

If your goal is to make it through a St. Patrick’s day parade sober, you might need a brownie.

If you’re a warlock who just got fired from his multi-million dollar contract, you might need a brownie.

If you’re paler than a polar bear after the long cold winter, you might need a brownie.

If it’s that time of month, you definitely need a brownie.

If you’ve only got one brownie left, you might need to make more.

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Overwhelmed

Written on March 15, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Dessert

I’m overwhelmed by the number of comments on this post.

I’m overwhelmed by the number of you who have tried this recipe and told me you love it.

And after not having made this recipe for 3+ months, I’m overwhelmed by how delicious it still is.

A lot of people have asked if you have to peel the chickpeas, which can feel overwhelming given how many there are to peel. The answer is no, you don’t have to peel them for this recipe any more than you do for any hummus recipe. But peeling the chickpeas will make any hummus incredibly smooth and is worth the effort in my opinion.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Dessert Hummus(Original post)

Ingredients:

2 cups chickpeas
1/4 cup natural peanut butter
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/2 Tablespoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup chocolate chips

Add all the ingredients into the food processor(I used some brown sugar because I was low on maple syrup).

Puree until smooth.

Add the chocolate chips and fold them in.

I’d like to be able to suggest serving this with banana chips, graham crackers, Nilla wafers, or something else fun. But really the only way I can suggest is with a spoon.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m about to go be overwhelmed by how much hummus I can eat in one sitting.

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