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Microwave Fudge

Written on February 28, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Dessert

Fudge is the perfect dessert. It’s rich; it’s chocolate; everybody loves it. I also believe fudge is what makes a house a home. All that being true, I’ve never made fudge over the stovetop. Why bother when you can make it in a microwave? It’s so simple, too. This recipe has never failed me. You’re only ever 4 ingredients away from homey fudge.

Microwave Fudge

Ingredients(Makes 16 servings):

1 cup(8.5oz) of chocolate chips
1 stick(4oz) of butter(or Earth Balance)
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup cream(or non-dairy substitute)
handful of chocolate chips(optional)
1/4 cup crushed walnuts(optional)

Melt together the chocolate chips and butter. Sift in the powdered sugar and pour in the cream. Mix until completely homogenized.

If you want to include any toppings, drop them on top and push them in gently.

Put this in the refrigerator for a few hours to harden. Cut cold and serve at room temperature.

I had never tried this recipe with chocolate chips before. “What’s the point?” I thought. But the whole chocolate chips add a great crunch in the fudge that really stands out. Dare I say it’s my favorite batch ever? Yeah, it’s that good.

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Sweet Potato Rounds

Written on February 25, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Side Dish

I’m constantly falling in food ruts. All through Winter I ate roasted sweet potatoes like they were becoming extinct. I completely forgot how tasty and simple sweet potato rounds are to make. I love these because they take a little less time to cook, and because the oil flavors them well. At this point, if I eat any more I’ll turn into a sweet potato. And I’m OK with that.

Sweet Potato Rounds

Ingredients:

1 large sweet potato
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Slice a sweet potato into 1/2-inch thick pieces and lay them out in a single layer.

Liberally pour the olive oil over the sweet potatoes and spread it out with your hands to ensure an even coating.

Bake for 1 hour. Sprinkle with sea salt before serving.

I have something of a sweet tooth so any time that vegetables can be sweet and I’m happy. I like to use olive oil with these because it makes them taste a little fruity, but for a less strong flavor try something like safflower or canola oil. Really, whatever you try, you can’t go wrong.

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Roasted Squash With Caramelized Onions And Craisins

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

If I could have dinner catered by Whole Foods every night, I would. There’s something so fun about going to the salad bar and picking out what you want to eat from so many options. Or at least it’s fun until they weigh it for you and tell you how much you eat and you stop wondering why your jacket’s a little snug.

Last time I was there, I had this roasted squash and onion casserole that made me go back and buy all the ingredients to make my own. It was mind-blowing, and now this recipe is, too. It’s deliciously sweet and could get the pickiest eater to eat their veggies.

Roasted Squash With Caramelized Onions And Craisins

Ingredients(Makes 4 servings):

1 butternut squash, deseeded and diced
2 large onions, diced
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt
3 Tablespoons agave nectar(or maple or honey)
1/3 craisins(or raisins)

Preheat an oven to 375 degrees.

If you haven’t already, dice the squash and onion into bite-sized pieces.

Combine the onion and squash in a bowl. Pour in the olive oil and sea salt. Toss all the ingredients together.

Lay the vegetables out on a baking tray and bake for 90 minutes

Add in the agave and craisins and mix the all the ingredients together. Drain any excess liquid and serve hot.

I truly forgot how much I loved caramelized onions until making this, which was gone in a flash. My breath probably still smells from them and it was entirely worth it. I’ve never been a fan of dried fruit in savory dishes but the strong, tart sweetness works really well here. It might be too soon to be planning Thanksgiving dinner, but if I were I’d add this to the list.

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Chickpeas With Sole And Spinach

Written on February 23, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Entree

“These chickpeas have sole, and they’re super bad”(bad as in good)

Sometimes when you make a winning dish, you know even before tasting it that you’ll make it again and again. Since sole is on sale, I used it to make a comforting bowl of food one night that won me over with all its merits: it takes 10 minutes; it’s healthy; it’s flavorful; you really can’t overcook any of it; the ingredients list is short and simple. You can even adapt the recipe by using a different fish, a different bean, or a different green. I omitted the dill because I didn’t have any on hand but that’s one of my favorite flavors for fish when I have it and I think it’d add another layer to this.

Chickpeas With Sole And Spinach

Ingredients(Makes 2 servings):

1/2lb sole(or any other flaky white fish)
3 Tablespoons olive oil
4 cups of spinach, chopped
1 can of chickpeas, water drained
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon dried dill(optional)
1/2 teaspoon salt

Heat the oil in a pan over medium-high heat.

Add in the fish fillets to cook through, about 90 seconds on each side.

When the fish is fully cooked, add in the spinach and chickpeas.

Stir the pan and continue cooking until all the ingredients are warm and the oil has been soaked up.

Season with salt and dill before serving.

Maybe it’s because I’m part Italian but all fish needs a little lemon to make it complete.

I made this several times over the weekend because I couldn’t get over how fast and easy it was, yet still nutritious. Even though the fish is broken up you still get that fishy flavor in every bite. It was just as good as leftovers with a little salsa on top for some added flavor.

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Chili-Rubbed Sole With Sautéed Kale And Avocado

Written on February 21, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Entree

I’m a sucker for a sale. So when I saw sole on sale for 50% off at Whole Foods, my gut reaction was to buy it. Never mind that I hadn’t cooked/ate fish for probably half a year. It was on sale.

When I actually thought about how I wanted to eat it, fried and spicy seemed right. This dish has everything you could want: the fish is a soft; the avocado is creamy; the kale is a little tough and gives it all a bit of a bite. It felt like something you’d order at a restaurant.

Chili-Rubbed Sole With Sautéed Kale And Avocado

Ingredients(Makes 2 servings):

1/2lb sole(or other white fish)
1 tablespoon chili powder
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1 bunch of kale, chopped
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 avocado
Lemon for serving

Cover one side of the fish with half of the chili powder and rub it in. Shake off the excess and do the same for the next side.

In the meantime, heat a large pan over medium-high heat with the oil.

Lay the fish in to cook. After about 90 seconds flip the first side over. Use a wide tool and be careful not to break the fillet.

Cook for another 90 seconds or so until the center is cooked through. Gently remove the fish from the pan to rest but not the oil.

When the fish is removed, add in the kale to sauté in the oil. This is a great time to use frozen kale for a cheap but nutritious option.

Sauté the kale until it’s soaked up the oil and reduced to about half the size. Season with 1/2 teaspoon of salt.

To plate, first make a bed of kale. Next add a piece of the fish fillet and season that with a sprinkle of the remaining salt. Cut the avocado in half and then into wedges and lay them down among the fish, serving with a wedge of lemon.

I really really hope this sale goes on for a while.

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Honey-Olive Oil Butternut Squash

Written on February 17, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Side Dish

Even though Winter is ending, I still love eating any squash I can my hands on. They aren’t exactly Spring or Summer fare, but neither are the temperatures, so as long as it’s cold I’m going to figure out how to eat them in new, seasonal ways. Honey and olive oil are a natural pair for any dressing, but it turns out they work together well in this cooked recipe, too. The squash came out sweet and slightly fruity; if I closed my eyes I could almost imagine it weren’t 30 degrees outside.

Honey-Olive Oil Butternut Squash

Ingredients:

1 butternut squash, halved and deseeded
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons honey
pinch of salt

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Roast the squash by itself for an hour until soft and tender.

Remove the squash from the oven and poke holes in the flesh. Pour on 1 1/2 tablespoons of the olive oil and honey on each side of the squash. Put it back in the oven and cook for another 30 minutes.

Pour off the excess liquid and serve hot with a pinch of salt on top.

I was impressed with how strong the flavors of honey and olive oil were even after cooking; they make the squash taste more Summery and less earthy, so it was a nice depart from plain butternut squash. And because it was olive oil and not butter, it felt light.

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Maple Peanut Butter

Written on February 15, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Miscellaneous

I could go broke on peanut butter; I really could. My favorite has to be PB&Co.’s Mighty Maple. If you’ve never had it, it’s love on a spoon. It has just the right amount of peanut and maple flavor, and a smooth-spreading consistency. It also has a heavy price tag at Whole Foods for something that’s mostly peanuts. After making chocolate peanut butter, making my own maple peanut butter seemed like the natural progression. It’s good; it’s not quite as good as Mighty Maple but what is? Not much. Oh, and it’s cheap and easy like a bad Valentine’s Day date. What more could you ask for?

Maple Peanut Butter

Ingredients(Makes about 1 cup):

3/4 cup natural peanut butter OR 6 ounces shelled peanuts
2 tablespoons maple syrup
3 tablespoons maple sugar(or brown sugar)
2 tablespoons coconut oil, softened
1/4 teaspoon salt(omit if your peanut butter is salted)

If you’re starting with whole peanuts, grind them in a food processor for about 10 minutes until they make a smooth, runny peanut butter.

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and stir with a spoon. That’s it. Once it’s all come together, move it to a seal-tight jar for up to 2 weeks without refrigeration.

Like Mighty Maple, it’s smooth, semi-solid at room temperature, and has bits of sugar crystals to chew on in each bite. It didn’t taste quite as much as maple as I’d have hoped, but I bet with maple sugar that wouldn’t be a problem.

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Almond Butter Date Bars

Written on February 14, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Dessert

Happy Valentine’s Day! I like a good pun, so making date bars for Valentine’s Day was a no-brainer. Dates are nature’s candy(or is that beets?) and their flavor is as sweet as the sweetest valentine. I’ve also been wanting to make these for a while and being out of cocoa powder seemed like a sign. I love the flavor of almonds in the shortbread crust; if I made these again I’d definitely add nuts on top for a more intense flavor.

Almond Butter Date Bars

Ingredient:

1 cup dates, diced
1/4 brown sugar
3/4 cup water
3/4 almond butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour(I used gluten-free)
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
coconut flakes(optional)
chopped nuts(optional)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

To make the filling, combine the dates, brown sugar, and water in a sauce pan. Boil until the water has evaporated and the dates are soft and mushy. Add more water if necessary.

In a separate bowl, combine the almond butter, sugar, flour, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, and egg and mix until it makes a coarse and crumbly dough.

Press 2/3rds of the dough into a greased 8×8 baking pan.

Spread on the filling mixture in an even coating.

Sprinkle on the remaining dough in crumbs. Mix in any nuts or coconut if using.

Bake for 25-30 minutes until the topping starts to brown.

These were soft and crumbly, and definitely sweet enough with the date filling. The cinnamon added a good earthiness to balance the almond butter. Like I said, if I made these again I’d add coconut and hazelnuts on top. Maybe next Valentine’s Day; nuts are great on Valentine’s Day(I told you I liked puns).

February 13th 138

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Double Chocolate Oh Baby Bars

Written on February 11, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Dessert

Now this is a chocolaty recipe for Valentine’s Day.

I’ve been wanting to make Jenna’s Oh Baby Bars(again) for a while now when I remembered the jar of chocolate peanut butter I just made. Oh yes; it was meant to be. These are a layer of firm, sweet chocolate peanut topped with a soft chocolate coating. What more can I say? Give these as a gift on Valentine’s Day along with bigger pants.

Double Chocolate Oh Baby Bars(adapted from this recipe)

Ingredients(makes 16 squares):

3/4 cup chocolate peanut butter
1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup melted butter(or Earth Balance)
10oz semi-sweet or bitter-sweet chocolate
1 tablespoon butter(or Earth Balance)

Mix together the chocolate peanut butter, melted butter, and powdered sugar until it’s a homogenous dough.

Press the mixture into an even layer in an 8×8 baking pan. Don’t worry if there’s some bumps or texture to the top because it won’t be noticeable at the end.

Melt the chocolate and remaining tablespoon of butter and mix until it’s smooth and creamy. Pour the melted chocolate over the dough and spread it into an even layer.

Allow the pan to chill in the refrigerator until it’s firm enough to cut into squares. Serve at room temperature for the best texture.

These are so good that they’re not going to last until Valentine’s Day. I might have eaten those 3 within 3 hours. Don’t judge; you’d do the same. The chocolate flavor is extremely song but there’s no lacking of peanut butter flavor, either. Next time I might add a sprinkling of sea salt to the top to round it off.

Yum.

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Lemon-Garlic Asparagus

Written on February 10, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Side Dish

As much as I love cooking desserts and brownies, standing over a stove with a pan of olive oil and garlic and other familiar ingredients is just as comforting. The more garlic the better. The flavors reminded me of Spring and Easter, which is where my mind wants to be when the temperature is negative degrees with the wind-chill. I was a little heavy handed with the lemon when I made this so if you’re not in love with the flavor then I’d suggest going with less as more.

Lemon-Garlic Asparagus

Ingredients:

1 bunch of asparagus
4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt

Start by heating heating the oil in a pan with the minced garlic. Let the garlic sauté for a few minutes.

Meanwhile, cut the asparagus into 1-inch long segments.

Add the asparagus to the pan and toss with the garlic and olive oil to coat.

Pour in the lemon juice and continue to cook for 5-7 minutes until the asparagus is tender. If you’re not sure if it’s cooked enough, taste one from time to time.

When it’s ready, sprinkle with salt to finish and serve hot.

I’m not sure what you could serve this with. Or rather, I’m not sure what you couldn’t serve this with. It would be great as a light side dish with some red meat or a perfect flavor pairing with Jenna’s Lemon Brown Sugar chicken and mashed potatoes(OK, I just love mashed potatoes, but who doesn’t?).

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