I don't know if this will only resonate with my ~women out there~ but do you ever have those sore, achey, tired, and lazy days that just call for soup? Like only soup. Those days that are so long and trying that the only thing you can fathom doing after work is sitting on the couch and eating a big, warm, tasty, comforting, bowl of soup? Likewise, are you that kind of person who wants to indulge in emotional comfort eating but also get your greens in? If so, continue reading.
This ramen recipe is simple, straight forward, quick, and totally satisfying. It's also as customizable as you want it to be, which is my favorite kind of recipe. The final product is tasty, warming, and nourishing, and just as impressive as the restaurant version, even without the artistic presentation of the vegetables as it's normally served. That's why I call this "lazy" ramen- you're gonna kick it old school and just dump your soup into a bowl and enjoy. Click the link below to continue reading!
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I love weekend dinners at home. I like to use the extra hours to make some of Sterling's favorite meals that take a little longer to make than week nights allow. Today we started our day with some errands and a hike up Stone Mountain, and then spent the afternoon relaxing and watching our favorite show, Power, while I made these veggie steak roll ups with a sweet soy mirin glaze. It was a great ending to a great weekend.
Serves: 2 Cook Time: 15 min, plus 2 hours to marinate (or at least 20 min) Ingredients: For the veggie steak roll ups • 3/4 lb thinly sliced sirloin • 1 large red pepper, sliced into matchsticks • 1 large orange or yellow pepper, sliced into matchsticks • 1 large carrot, julienned • 4-5 green onions, thinly sliced in long strips • Salt and pepper to taste • 1/2 tsp coconut sugar or light brown sugar Tools: julienne peeler (optional, may manually cut carrots into matchsticks but it's annoying and a lot of my recipes require a julienne peeler so just get one they're inexpensive), toothpicks. For the Soy Mirin Glaze • 3 garlic, diced • 2 green onions, sliced thinly on the bias, plus more for garnish • 1/2 cup olive or vegetable oil • 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce • 1/4 cup mirin plus 1 tsp for later • 3 tbsp honey • 1 tsp ginger (freshly grated or tubed) • 1/2 tsp each white and black sesame seeds (for garnish, optional) • 1-2 tsp ground red pepper powder (optional, for heat) Directions: • Pat steak dry and place in large, shallow dish. Combine all glaze ingredients and pour over steak, covering completely. Cover dish and refrigerate for 1.5 hours, then remove and bring to room temperature for 15-30 minutes. • Heat half a tsp of olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add carrots and cook for 1-2 minutes, until they begin to soften. Add peppers and cook another minute. Add green onions, then season with salt and pepper, 1 tsp of mirin, and coconut/brown sugar. Remove veggies from skillet and just slightly increase heat. • Remove steaks from dish and arrange on a cutting board- RESERVE the sauce for later. Lay a small bundle of veggies at most narrow end of steak, then roll tightly tightly inward toward wider end. Secure with toothpicks. Starting seam side down, cook steaks for 2-3 min on each side, or until desired doneness. Remove steaks from skillet and reduce heat to medium. • Add sauce to skillet and cook until liquid starts to boil, stirring occasionally. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium-low and continue to stir frequently until thickened. Remove from heat. • Remove toothpicks from steak roll ups, then spoon sauce over top. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and more green onion. • Serve hot and enjoy! Alia is my mom and this is her recipe :) My mom's been making this recipe in chicken form since I was born. It was always the number 1 most requested dish for parties and BBQs, and my personal request for all holiday meals. Imagine crispy fried slices of chicken breast smothered in sticky, sweet, spicy, garlicky sauce. It was like crack. She'd make double batches so that I could have leftovers the next day, and I would always eat the leftover chicken cold- directly out of the tupperware because it was so good I wasn't willing to wait the 1.5 minutes it would take to heat up in the microwave. Well, in the summer of 2012, Sterling came to visit me at my parent's house in Chicago. My mom, the ultimate number 1 most gracious host and human on earth, knew that Sterling's favorite food was shrimp (in almost any form), and so, for the first time in 20 something years, made a shrimp version of her famous chicken. The game was changed forever. I've gone back and forth on whether I wanted to share this recipe. Part of me is like- this is my claim to fame... I get to say shit like "my mom makes the best shrimp you've ever had" and be right. Do I really want to give up those bragging rights? But, after much deliberation, I decided it's my responsibility as a good friend to share this with you. And ultimately, none of us can really make this as good as my mom, so might as well spread the love. Serves: 2 Prep time: 10 min Cook time: 15 min Adapted from my mom's recipe Ingredients:
• 1 lb frozen raw shrimp (shelled, deveined, and thawed) • 1.5 cups cornstarch, plus 1 half tbsp • 2 eggs, beaten • 1/4 cup sesame oil • 1/2 cup soy sauce • 3 tbsp light brown sugar or coconut sugar • 1 heaping tsp green onion, plus more for garnish, thinly sliced on the bias • 1 tbsp sesame seeds, plus more for garnish • 1/2 tbsp crushed red pepper flakes • 1.5 tbsp garlic, minced • 1.5-2 cups vegetable oil, or enough to fill a pot 2-3 inches deep • 1 tsp coconut oil or sesame oil • Salt and pepper Directions: • In a large pot or wok, heat vegetable oil to 350 degrees. • While oil is eating, take cleaned shrimp and pat dry with a paper towel. Season with salt and pepper. • Add beaten eggs to a large mixing bowl and season with pepper. Add cornstarch to a separate large mixing bowl. Toss shrimp first in eggs, then in cornstarch until thoroughly coat. Add more cornstarch if necessary, until shrimps are all evenly and thickly coated. • Once the oil has reached 350 degrees, slowly add shrimp 1 by 1, and let fry for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cook no more than 10 shrimp at a time (overcrowding will reduce the temperature of the oil). • Once shrimp are golden brown and crispy, remove with a slotted spoon and let drain on a lined plate. Repeat until all shrimp are fried. • Combine sesame oil, soy sauce, sugar, green onion, sesame seeds, and red pepper flakes. • While shrimp is cooking, heat tsp of oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and cook until fragrant and golden. Add sauce mixture and bring to a gentle simmer, stirring frequently. • Combine half tbsp cornstarch with 1 tbsp of water. Stir into the sauce and let simmer until sauce thickens. Stir frequently, careful not to let burn. Reduce heat as necessary. Note: sauce is done when you can run a wooden spoon down the pan and draw a quick line through the liquid • Turn off heat, add shrimp, and stir to coat. Garnish with more sesame seeds and green onions and serve immediately. Goes GREAT with garlicky mashed potatoes and brussels sprouts... just sayin. Man, this pasta is BOMB. It's creamy and hearty with a hint of sweetness from the caramelized onions, and a delicious earthy note from the mushrooms. My secret is that I use dried mushrooms when I make this pasta. Don't be intimidated by dried mushrooms- they can be found in any grocery store, usually right next to the fresh mushrooms or in the canned foods aisle, and just require 1 or 2 more steps than when working with fresh mushrooms. Of course, you can totally use fresh shroomies, but I love using the dehydrated puppies because their flavor is more concentrated, and the rehydrating liquid adds amazing depth to the cream sauce. The results are tremendous! When paired with a nice, full bodied red wine, this dish is the ultimate comfort food. Also pairs well with Netflix and a Saturday night in.
I woke up last Saturday feeling slightly hungover and seriously hungry. I knew I needed something hardy and carb-y to soak up the delightful mix of wine, champagne, and whiskey that I had drank the night before, but I also needed my food to taste great and fancy cuz what I really wanted was brunch, but was too tired to leave the apartment. I remembered recently seeing a recipe on Tastemade for scone breakfast sandwiches and decided to make my own version. These scones are flaky, buttery, and subtly cheesy. Elevated by the addition of fresh and dry herbs, they make the perfect base for a breakfast sandwich, but are also delicious on their own because they are sooooo flavorful. I topped mine with avocado and a fried egg. Sterls had his with butter. You truly can't go wrong no matter how you serve 'em. And, like always, they are easy as hell to make. Yields: 4 scones
Cook Time: 20 minutes Ingredients: • 1 cup all purpose flour • 1.5 tsp baking powder • 1/2 tsp salt • 1/4 cup butter, cubed • 1/2 tbsp sugar OR 1 tsp stevia • 1.5 tbsp fresh chopped parsley • 1 tsp dried thyme, finely chopped • 1 heaping tbsp shredded cheddar cheese • 1 heaping tbsp grated parmesan cheese • 8 tbsp almond milk (adds a great mild nutty flavor, but dairy milk would be just fine) • Parchment paper Optional toppings: avocado, fried egg, jam (salty & sweet, hellooo), mo' butta, etc. Directions: • Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper • In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, sugar/stevia, parsley, and thyme. Using your fingers, rub the butter into the flour until the butter is incorporated and the flour mixture is flaky. It's ok to leave small chunks of butter. • Add 7 tbsp of almond milk (you'll use the remaining tbsp later) and knead into the flour to form a dough. Onto a floured surface, pat the dough out to about a quarter inch thick. Use a cookie cutter or the rim of a drinking glass to cut out 2.5" discs, and place onto your lined baking sheet. • Brush with the remaining almond milk and bake for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown. *A trick to knowing if your scones are done is to tap them at the center. If they sound hollow, they're done! This is a simple, elegant looking app that's easy to whip up. I love a good cheese plate, but I thought this would be a fun and unique alternative. I've made two versions here- goat cheese, honey, and walnuts (creamy, crunchy, sweet) and herbed goat cheese, chives, and lemon zest (salty, savory, herbaceous). I'll never say "herbaceous" again, I promise. Anyway, I think the...herby... one would be GREAT with pomegranate, but allegedly they were out of season when I made these, womp womp.
You're just going to add portions to your liking, so I don't have a recipe with exact measurements for you, but here what you'll need. Ingredients: • 2 endives (will yield about 18-ish useable leaves) • 1-2 tbsp honey • A couple tbsp of chopped walnuts • About 3 leaves of fresh basil, finely chopped • About a tsp of garlic powder • About 1/4 tsp of dried oregano • About 3 fresh chives, chopped • Tbsp of fresh lemon juice, plus half tbsp of lemon zest • Sea salt, to taste • Cracked black pepper, to taste • 3-4 oz goat cheese Optional toppings: balsamic glaze (highly recommended!), pomegranate Directions: In a small bowl, mix half of your goat cheese with the basil, oregano, garlic powder, salt, and pepper Spread on half of your endive leaves, drizzle with lemon juice, and top with lemon zest. Add more salt and pepper, to taste. Take the remaining goat cheese and spread on the second half of your endive leaves. Top with salt, walnuts, and a drizzle of honey That's it! Keep cold until ready to serve. My girlfriend Julian came over for dinner last night. We drank red wine, listened to jazz, watched a movie, and had a feast. On the menu was this amazing grilled peach flatbread with whipped honey ricotta and basil. I'll let you take a minute to reflect. This honestly might be one of my favorite things I've ever made.
Every single component is wildly delicious. The naan is perfectly crisp with a chewy center. The peaches are sweet and tart with a beautiful char. The ricotta...my god, the ricotta. It's light, and creamy, with just a hint of sweetness. I had some leftover and straight up ate it by the spoonful as I assembled the flatbread. I actually have a little bit more in the fridge that I'm about to spread onto some toast. And finally, the basil helps to balance out the richness, and adds beautiful color, making this the most scrumptious little bite of heaven. Ingredients: • Flatbread of choice (I used this naan flatbread) • 1 cup ricotta • 1.5 tbsp honey • 2 small peaches, sliced very thinly (I used 1 yellow and 1 white fleshed) • 2-3 tbsp chopped fresh basil • Pinch of salt Directions: • Preheat oven to 425 degrees and fit a baking rack over a baking sheet Note: If you don't have a baking rack, just lay your flatbreads directly onto a lined baking sheet. Using a baking rack will allow the heat to circulate under the flatbread, with helps cook everything more evenly, but this will still turn out great without one) • Heat a grill pan over high heat and spray with non-stick olive oil spray. Once hot, arrange peaches in one layer and grill for 2-3 minutes per side, or until each side has deep grill marks and the slices have softened, without becoming mushy. Remove from the pan and set aside. **before flipping the peaches, spray the uncooked tops with the olive oil spray, and sprinkle with salt, then flip and cook the other side • In a blender or food processor, blend the honey and ricotta until the ricotta is light and silky. This should just take a few pulses • Spread the ricotta mixture over the flatbread, stopping about half an inch from the edge, and top with the grilled peaches. Place onto baking rack and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and crispy. Remove and top with chopped basil. Add back to the oven for about 30 seconds, to bake the basil into the peaches and ricotta. Quickly remove so that the basil doesn't burn. • Serve hot and enjoy! Yeah, you heard me. I said carrot purée. If you guys know me by now, you know I love sneaking in extra vegetables where I can. And if it adds more color, it's a win win. This risotto is rich, creamy, aromatic, and has just a hint of sweetness from the carrot purée. It pairs really nicely with a simply arugula salad (and a crisp glass of white wine), and is always impressive to guests. The only problem with risotto is that it doesn't really reheat that well, so you're just gonna have to finish this whole thing tonight :) A lot of people have this misconception that making risotto requires a higher level of skill, but honestly, it's one of the easiest things you can make- it just requires your near-undivided attention. I think the babysitting aspect of making risotto is what deters most people, but I find it to be extremely therapeutic. The heady scent of white wine and onions cooking together will fill your kitchen and make you feel fuzzy inside, and there is something so calming about the repetition of stirring and ladling, stirring and ladling, stirring and ladling.... see what I mean? *Kitchen Tip* I've found that the best way to make risotto is with a glass of wine in your free hand... ;) Have I mentioned I like wine? But really, you deserve it. You're going to be standing at the stove for an hour- treat yourself. It's important to always keep your broth at the same temperature as the rice. As the rice continues to cook and absorb the broth, it will puff up and release its' starch, which is what gives risotto that signature creaminess. Adding liquid that is too cool will reduce the risotto's temperature, interrupting the cooking process and causing the risotto to cook unevenly. Ingredients:
• 1 1/2 cups Arborio rice (uncooked) • 4 1/2 cups vegetable stock (in general the larger cartons of stock are about 32 oz. Feel free to use water for that last 1/2 cup) Note: you may need more or less broth • 1 cup white wine (plus more for you) • 1 small onion (chopped) • 3 garlic cloves • 3 tbsp butter • 4 carrots (chopped in large chunks) • 1/3 cup frozen sweet peas (thawed) • 1 cup of broccoli (cut into florets) • 1/3 cup zucchini (diced) • 1 cup grated parmesan • 1/4 cup flat leaf parsley (finely chopped) • 1 tbsp olive oil • Salt and cracked black pepper (to taste) Directions: **Be sure to have all ingredients measured out and chopped up before you start the risotto** • Start with your purée. Add carrots, water (just enough to cover the carrots), and a pinch of salt to a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and allow carrots to cook until tender. Saving the liquid, remove the carrots and add to a blender or food processor. Add about 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid and blend until smooth. Add about a tbsp of cooking liquid as necessary, until carrots have reached the right consistency. It should basically have the consistency of baby food- very smooth, but not too watery. Set aside when done. • Heat the broth in a small saucepan until the liquid starts steaming. Adjust heat as necessary to keep the liquid hot, without simmering, as you cook the risotto. • Over medium heat, melt the butter in a large pot. Add onions and cook down until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add salt, pepper, and garlic. Cook until fragrant, about one minute. • Add the rice, and give it a few stirs so that the butter covers all of the grains. Let the rice toast for about a minute, stirring occasionally. • Add wine, inhale the AROMA, and let cook until most of the liquid is absorbed. Note: throughout the duration of this process, you will be adding liquid and cooking down until most, not all, is absorbed. You always want a thin layer of liquid covering the rice. • Add a ladleful of broth (about 1/2 cup) and continue to stir occasionally until most of the liquid is absorbed. Continue to repeat this process until you've added half of your broth. • At this point, add in your carrot purée, and with that same method, stir occasionally until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Then return to ladling in the broth. Continue doing this until your risotto is creamy and al dente. • While your risotto is cooking, heat a tbsp of oil in a non-stick skillet. Add broccoli, with a pinch of salt, and sauté until bright green. Add zucchini and continue to sauté until tender. I like to get a little sear on the zucchini as well. Remove from heat and set aside. • Once risotto is done, add in your broccoli, zucchini, peas, and parsley. Stir to combine and cook for about a minute, allowing all of the flavors to come together. • Add parmesan and stir until cheese has melted • Season with more cracked black pepper. Taste before adding any extra salt- parm is salty on its' own Serve immediately! I’d suggest making this when you’ve got extra time on your hands. This is a really fun dish to make because it pushes you a little out of your comfort zone, without being too technically complex. I woke up at 7 am on a Saturday morning, hungover and hungry, contemplating where the day might take me. The first thing I do in the morning, like any douche of a millennial, is check social media, and the first thing I saw on Facebook was this scratch-made-no-ravioli-mold-necessary recipe from Proper Tasty. I immediately decided that I would be making ravioli that night. Would I have made this decision if I wasn’t in a hazy, morning-after-a-3-am-night fog? Yes, probably, because I love pasta and I love cooking. The first step is to make the dough. You’ll let it rise for about an hour, while preparing the filling, shrimp, and blackened seasoning in the meantime. Once the dough has risen, you’re going to roll it out long and THIN across a floured surface. As thin as possible without being transparent. Then add dollops of the filling, evenly spaced about 3/4 inch apart, along the left half of the dough. Slice the dough down the middle, leaving about half an inch of space between the filling and the edge of the dough. Brush water (or beaten egg white) around the filling. This will act as a glue to help bind the two layers. Press the naked slice of dough on top of the strip with the filling. With your fingers, press around the filling to eliminate air bubbles, and flatten the edges while fusing the two strips together. Slice evenly between the filling bubbles in that empty, flat portion of dough. Once done, you’ll be left with this decadent masterpiece. Keep reading for a detailed step by step :) Ingredients:
Pasta dough: • 2.5 cups all purpose flour • 3 eggs • 1/4 cup water Filling (source): • 4 oz goat cheese • 2/3 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese (or you can do 1/3 parm, 1/3 Italian 6 cheese blend) • Bag of spinach (about 9 oz) • Salt and pepper to taste • Dash of nutmeg Sauce (adapted from Damn Delicious) • 2 tbsp unsalted butter • 2 cloves garlic • 2 tbsp all-purpose flour • 1.5 cups milk (I used unflavored, unsweetened almond milk to lighten it up) • 1.5 tsp dried thyme • 1/4 cup half & half • 1/4 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese or Italian 6 cheese blend • 1/4 cup pasta water • Sea salt and ground black pepper to taste • 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley Shrimp • 1 lb raw or frozen (and thawed) large shrimp (shelled and deveined) Note: I used medium sized shrimp in this recipe, which is what I had on hand, but I think it would be better with the larger guys • 1/2 tbsp and 1 tsp paprika • 1/2 tbsp garlic powder • 1/2 tbsp onion powder • 1/2 tbsp dried thyme • 1/2 tsp ground black pepper • 1/2 tsp cayenne • 1/2 tsp dried basil Directions: Pasta Dough: add flour to large mixing bowl. Create a small well in the middle and add eggs and water. Mix with fork until incorporated, then knead with hands for 5 minutes to get the gluten working. Work those biceps, boo. Cover in saran wrap and let sit in fridge for an hour Filling: Add spinach to non-stick skillet, cover, and cook over low heat, allowing spinach to wilt down. Once wilted, remove cover and let cook until water evaporates. Make sure to stir every few minutes or spinach will stick to the skillet. Once water has mostly evaporated, remove from skillet and lay on paper towel. Take another paper towel and press down on spinach to absorb excess water (if you have a cheesecloth, that would be easier ~and more environmentally friendly!). Now combine all filling ingredients in a small bowl and mix. Create the ravioli: • Preheat oven to 400º • Flour work surface. Remove dough from fridge and cut in two equal halves. Take the first half and roll it out to somewhere around 16″ x 6″. Again, make sure it’s nice and thin. • Add dollops (a tbsp or so) of filling evenly along one side of the dough. Leave about 3/4 inch between each dollop. • Brush water (or beaten egg whites) around each dollop to create a glue to seal the two layers of dough • Cut the sheet of dough in half lengthwise, leaving about half an inch of space between the filling and the edge of the dough • Lay the naked sheet of dough evenly on top of the filling, and with your fingers, press around the filling to release any pockets of air. Press the top layer into the bottom, fusing the two • Cut the ravioli into individual pieces. Set aside. *now bring a large pot of salted water to a boil* Shrimp: Add all blackened seasonings to a small bowl and mix. Season shrimp with salt, then toss in blackened mixture. Space shrimp evenly across lined, greased baking sheet and cook for 8-10 minutes, or until cooked through. Sauce: • Melt butter over medium heat. Add garlic and cook, while stirring, until fragrant. Whisk in flour until lightly browned. • Gradually whisk in milk, thyme, and black pepper. Make sure to add the milk slowly, while whisking quickly, to avoid any clumps. • Once incorporated, stir in half & half and cheese. • Allow to simmer while pasta cooks. If sauce gets too thick, add about a quarter cup of the pasta water Pasta: Add ravioli to boiling water and cook for five minutes (fresh pasta cooks much faster than boxed), or until the raviolis rise to the top. Remove with slotted spoon or oil skimmer. Now just plate the pasta, pour on the sauce, top with the shrimp (if you must) and garnish with freshly chopped parsley and more cracked black pepper! Enjoy and pat yourself on the back! |
Hi! I'm Shantal.
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