Chocolate Milk Dud Cookies with Sea Salt

Where do I begin...oh baking I really don't like you much.  I am really good at making pie, so I like that kind of baking.  I'm about to start making my own bread every week so that will be baking.... but if we are talking about baking in general?! um NO THANKS! Though I did enjoy hanging out with my dear friend Nyssa and the "wolf pack" while making these ugly cookies and yes they taste very yummy they just don't look pretty.



 Adapted from Two Peas and Their Pod
Makes 2 dozen

The Ingredients
1 1/4 cup wheat flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
5 tablespoons butter
7 tablespoons unsweetened dark cocoa powder
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup plain yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 box Milk Duds, chopped into halves

The Process
1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease cookie sheet.

2.  In large mixing bowl combine flour, baking soda, and sea salt  mix well and set aside.

3.  In medium saucepan melt butter over medium heat.  Remove from heat when melted and add cocoa powder and both sugars.

4.  Next add yogurt and vanilla.  When well mixed add this mixture to the large bowl of dry ingredients.

5.  While mixing fold Milk Duds into the dough as well.

6.  Taking large spoonfuls of dough and put on greased pan.  Bake for about 15 minutes.  When done take out of oven and let cool for 10 minutes.

These cookies are very gooey and rich, much like awesome brownies.  They would also be very good mashed up with vanilla ice cream!!!

Lemon Cilantro Rice

This recipe also came from Closet Cooking which I mentioned in my previous blog.  Though instead of lemon, the original recipe calls for lime.  I used lemon because it is what I had and because I used lemon in the Tandoori Chicken.  This rice is super simple, it is pretty much pilaf with a little extra, and it was a perfect side dish to balance out the spiciness of the Tandoori Chicken.

Adapted from Closet Cooking
Serves 4

 The Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1 cup brown basmati rice
2 1/2 cups water
1 hand full of cilantro, chopped
1/2 lemon, juiced

The Process
1.  Heat oil on medium heat in saucepan.  When hot add onions, cook for 5 minutes.

2.  Add garlic to saucepan and cook for 2 more minutes.  Next add the dry rice to the saucepan and toast the rice for about 3 minutes.

3.  Add water to saucepan and bring to a boil.  Then cover and reduce for about 40 minutes or until rice is done.

4.  When rice is done add the cilantro and lemon juice and stir well. (note: I also added soy sauce after, very good).

So like I said a nice and simple rice and flavor to compliment the Tandoori Chicken.

Tandoori Chicken Skewers

While trying to use up all my food before buying more I was presently surprised that I had all these ingredients laying around except for the lemon, which my lovely friend brought over.  This recipe is based off of one on a food blog I love to read called closet cooking.  This blog covers so many different flavors and with everything that I have made I have yet to be even slightly disappointed.  I did change the recipe around some, especially since I didn't just have garam masala laying around, in fact I created it with a recipe that is posted on closet cooking.  I paired this tandoori chicken with lemon cilantro rice and steamed red cabbage with soy sauce and butter.  My lovely friend Elisa also brought over a scrumptious bottle of slightly sparkling pinot grigio, it went very well with the chicken.  And now the recipe:

 Adapted from Closet Cooking
Serves 2

The Ingredients
1/2 cup plain non-fat greek yogurt
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/2 medium red onion, grated
3 cloves garlic, pressed
1 tablespoon ginger, grated
1 tablespoon garam masala (I didn't have whole spices so I halved the portions and used ground spices)
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 pound chicken breast, cubed for skewer
Salt to taste

The Process
1.  Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl, then add chicken.  Let marinate for at least 1 hour.

2.  Turn oven on to broil, and put chicken on skewers.

3.  Grease pan and place skewers on pan.

4.  Broil for about 5 minutes each side, or until cooked through.

Enjoy!  It is a little spicy, but in the most perfect way.

Cauliflower Fritters

I was absolutely blown away by these! I love making different kinds of vegetable fritters because we all know fritters aren't the best thing in the world for you so why not make them more healthy by making them with vegetables! I have made lovely spinach fritters before that I should really make again to put on the blog...but that is my inspiration behind making these, well and for my vegetarian friend Jovan:)  These fritters were definitely the perfect compliment to the garbanzo bean tomato curry that I made as well.  These are soo fluffy and egg-y and amazing...just sayin' 

Adapted from Sunset
Servings 4

The Ingredients
1 cauliflower head medium to large size, washed and broken into florets
1 tablespoon salt
3 large eggs
3 cloves garlic, minced of pressed
1 teaspoon hot sauce (any) we used Cholula
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Olive oil

The Process
1.  Preheat oven to 200 degrees to keep the batches of done fritters warm.

2.  In a 6-8 quart saucepan bring water to boil and add cauliflower florets, reduce heat to simmer and cover for 10 minutes.  Drain cauliflower and mash with fork and let cool until no more steam is seen.

3.  In large bowl mix together eggs, salt, garlic, hot sauce, flour, baking powder, paprika, and pepper.  When cauliflower is cool add to bowl and mix well.

4.  In large skillet heat up olive oil over medium-high heat, and add a heaping spoonful of fritter mixture to the pan for each fritter.  The fritters will take about 6-8 minutes to cook, so flip about every 4 minutes.

So as I said in the recipe for the garbanzo tomato curry, serve these fritters with the curry and it makes a wonderful meal and add cottage cheese dollops they will make the meal even better:)

Also some more nutritional facts

Nutritional info: Calories 107; Sat. Fat 1.5g; Protein 6.8g; Fiber 2.2g

Garbanzo-Tomato Curry

This recipe I found while trying to find a yummy vegetarian meal to cook for my lovely friend Jovan.  After being picky and wanting a new sort of flavor in my life I decided that this dish coupled with cauliflower fritters would be perfect new taste and adventure (nerdy I know but it IS an adventure) haha.  Anyways this meal also can after a hellish weekend full of stomach flu and rice cakes....ie boring and shitty. Anyways I'm feeling better and cooking away again:)


Adapted from Sunset
Serves 4

The Ingredients
1 small yellow onioin, chopped finely
1 1/2 tablespoons ginger, grated
3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
2 cans garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1 can tomatoes, diced (keep fluid)
Salt
Olive oil
Cottage cheese for garnish (optional)

The Process
1.  In a large skillet add some olive oil and heat over medium high heat, then add onion, garlic and ginger.  Cook until mixture begins to brown about 6 mintues.

2.  Add garbanzo beans, tomatoes (with juice), curry powder, cumin seeds, mustard seeds, cayenne and salt to taste, mix well.  Bring to a boil and then simmer uncovered for about 6-10 minutes to thicken.

3.  Put on plate (with cauliflower fritters) and put some dollops of cottage cheese on all and eat eat eat!

This is obviously a very healthy meal but let me give you some nutritional facts to make you feel extra good about what you are eating:)

Nutritional info: Calories 264; Sat. Fat .7g; Protein 13g; Fiber 8.2g

um awesome:)

Stuffed Mushrooms

I made this wonderful appetizer for thanksgiving, because I mean more food is always better right? :)  I liked this recipe I found because it was one of the only simple recipes....no expensive sea food stuffing or sausage involved.  I made these, since I am still not the host of the family thanksgiving I don't get to make many decisions on what we make for dinner, I usually just have to help prepare what is being made.  Not saying I don't love the meal every year...it's just hard cause this year I was looking up all these new recipes that sounded sooo good and I didn't get to make any of them...so here was my simple and easy contribution to thanksgiving dinner.  Well I did help prepare the green beans too...but you know....COME ON!

Makes 28 mushrooms
Adapted from Giada

The Ingredients
1/2 cup Italian-style dried bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Asagio cheese, finely grated
3 garlic cloves, pressed
2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
28 large white mushrooms, stemmed
Salt and Pepper to taste

The Process
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees

2.  Stir together in medium bowl: bread crumbs, Asagio cheese, garlic, parsley, mint, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Mix well.

3.  Pull stems out of mushrooms and scoop filling into each mushroom.

4.  Spray cookie sheet with oil and put mushrooms on it and put in oven.

5.  Bake for 25 minutes or until tops get golden brown.



Enjoy!!!