Fried Pickles

My roomies were shocked I'd never tried fried pickles, so we made some! Recipe modified from a recipe on allrecipes.com. We veganized it and used different spices. We had left over batter at the end, so we also fried peaches and potatoes, which were delicious. The pickles were the best though.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup buttermilk (soy milk with 1 tsp lemon juice, let sit 5 minutes)
• salt and black pepper to taste
• 1 (16 ounce) jar dill pickle slices
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups fine cornmeal
• cayenne pepper to taste
• 1 quart oil for frying

Directions

1. Cover a plate with parchment paper or wax paper. In a shallow dish, combine buttermilk, salt, and pepper. Place pickles in mixture and set aside.
2. Pour the flour, cornmeal, and cayenne into a large, resealable plastic bag; shake to mix well. Add pickles a few at a time and tumble gently to coat evenly with the flour mixture. Remove and place on prepared plate.
3. Fry pickles in several batches until golden brown and slightly crisp on the outside with a moist interior, 1 to 2 minutes. Drain on paper towels.

Roasted Tomatoes

Ok, the point of this post is the TOMATOES...so good!!! You should make them. And put them on whatever you want, because they're amazing. Thanks to my roomie Christina for teaching me how to do this!

Step 1: Slice Maters
Step 2: Coat Maters with Olive Oil
Step 3: Add Random Spices (i.e. Italian Seasoning, Salt, Pepper, etc.)
Step 4: Lay Maters on Broiling Pan and Broil until Done (brownish on edges)
Step 5: Enjoy
Step 6: Make More!

Bridal Shower Tea Party Style

I love throwing bridal showers! This one was super fun. See below recipes for Ginger Berry Lemonade, Lavender Lemonade, Orange Pistachio Cupcakes, and Cucumber Sandwiches! We also put fresh fruit in cute little cups with colored toothpicks.

Ginger Berry Lemonade

You'll need: 3 cups sugar, 1 1/4 cups finely chopped ginger, 1 cup sliced fresh strawberries and/or raspberries, 4 cups fresh lemons (from about 32 lemons), 4 cups cold water, and extra lemons/berries for garnish

What to do: In a large saucepan over high heat, combine sugar and ginger with 8 cups water. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally until sugar dissolves. Boil for 15 minutes. Transfer from heat, and let cool for 15 minutes. Strain through a fine sieve, discarding solids, and refrigerate until well chilled. Set aside about a third of the berries for garnish. In a blender or food processor, process remaining berries until smooth. Strain puree through a mesh sieve, pressing berries with back of a wooden spoon to extract as much juice as possible. Discard solids. In a pitcher, combine ginger syrup, strained berries, lemon juice, and water. Serve over ice, garnished with reserved berries and lemon slices.

Lavender Lemonade

You'll need: 2 cups sugar, 2 cups water, 1/2 cup tightly packed fresh lavender buds, 1 1/3 cups fresh squeezed lemon juice, 8 cups water

What to do: Bring sugar and water to a boil in a saucepan, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Reduce heat and add lavender, simmer 5 minutes. Allow to cool completely or overnight. Combine syrup with lemon juice and water, and enjoy! This is also delicious served warm.

Orange Pistachio Cupcakes

You'll need: 1/2 cup vanilla soy yogurt, 2/3 cup soy milk, 1/3 cup canola oil, 3/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp sugar, 1-2 tsp orange extract, 1 cup plus 2 Tbsp flour, 2 Tbsp cornstarch, 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1/4 tsp salt, generous pinch cardamom, 1/3 cup finely chopped pistachios, about 1/2 cup chopped pistachios and pink sugar sprinkles for decorating

For the frosting you'll need: 1/2 cup shortening, 1/2 cup vegan butter, 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar, 1 1/2 tsp vanilla, 1 tsp orange extract, 1/4 cup soy milk

What to do: Preheat oven to 350 degrees, line muffin pan with 12 cupcake liners. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together yogurt, soy milk, oil, sugar, and orange extract. Sift in dry ingredients, mix until relatively smooth. Fold in pistachios. Fill linters three-quarters of the way, bake 20-22 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely.

How to make the frosting: Beat the shortening and butter together until well combined and fluffy. Add the sugar and beat for about 3 more minutes. Add the vanilla, orange, and soy milk. Beat for another 5-7 minutes until fluffy.

To assemble: Pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes, and sprinkle with chopped pistachios and sprinkles!

Cucumber Sandwiches

You'll need: rye bread, vegenaise or cream cheese, salt, pepper, oregano, cucumbers, and fresh mint or Italian parlesy leaves.

What to do: Spread your vegenaise or cream cheese on the bread. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and oregano to taste. Peel the cucumbers lengthwise with a vegetable peeler to produce thin cucumber strips. Layer the strips diagonally on the bread. Remove the crusts and cut the sandwiches into the desired shape. Place a mint or parsley leave in the middle for extra garnish.

Black Bean Taco Filling

I've been looking for a yummy taco filling for a LONG time...found one! And it's easy, which is even better. :) Also, I think it would be a good chip dip, and it's about a million times better than refried beans.

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 onion, diced

1 yellow bell pepper, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 15 oz. cans black beans, drained, rinsed, and smashed

2 Tbsp yellow cornmeal

1 1/2 Tbsp cumin

1 tsp cayenne

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp chili powder

1 cup salsa

Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in onion, pepper, and garlic, cook until tender. Stir in mashed beans, then add the cornmeal. Stir in the spices and salsa. Cover and cook 5 minutes. See, easy peasy!

Caramel Popcorn

This is definitely my most requested recipe. So I'm putting it on this blog cause it'll be a whole lot easier to share that way!

3 bags buttery microwave popcorn

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups brown sugar

1/2 cup butter

1 cup karo syrup

1 can sweetened condensed milk

Pop and dekernel the popcorn. Set aside. Combine brown sugar, karo syrup, and butter in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Add sweetened condensed milk and vanilla. Boil to soft ball stage and pour over popped corn. Set out to cool. Delicious! Keep it covered or it hardens!

Chickpea Sandwich Filling

I've been looking for a good vegan sandwich filler for awhile now, and this one passes my test! Well, mostly. I switched up the veggies it called for because I like some better than others. Feel free to do the same!

1 19 oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1/2 bag broccoli slaw

1/2 head chopped cauliflower

1-2 scoops mayonnaise (I use vegenaise--so much yummier!)

1-2 Tbsp lemon juice

dill weed, salt, and pepper to taste

Pretty simple, really. Drain and rinse the chickpeas, then mash them up with a fork. Throw in the veggies. Add mayonnaise, lemon juice, and spices until the filler is as gooey/spicy as you want it to be. I ate it on croissants, but it would be yummy on just about anything!

Mashed Potato Fudge

Wonder what I've been cooking lately? Not much, actually! I'm getting back into it, I swear...when my thesis is done. :) I have been cooking some things, though...some of them just to get a reaction. When you tell people there are potatoes in your fudge, the reactions are pretty great. ;) Hey I'm from Idaho! What did you expect?

3 oz unsweetened chocolate

3 Tbsp butter (I use vegan butter--easy swap!)

1/3 cup unseasoned mashed potatoes

1 tsp vanilla

1 dash salt

1 lb powdered sugar

1-2 tsp milk (soy milk for me!)

crushed nuts of some sort...I prefer pecans

Melt the chocolate and butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat and stir in mashed potatoes, vanilla, and salt. Mix well. Sift powdered sugar into a large bowl, then add the chocolate mixture, mixing well. The mixture may be crumbly. As needed, add 1-2 tsp milk until the mixture is a consistency you can knead. Turn it out onto the counter and knead until smooth. Roll it into snakes, roll those in the crushed nuts, slice it up, and enjoy!

I love that you don't have to wait for this fudge to set!

Cranberry-Lime Muffins

These are so so good! Mine were a little bitter on Day 2, which may have been because I used too much lime zest or they were undercooked, I'm not really sure, but I'm leaning toward the latter. Anyway, they're worth a try!

2 cups gluten-free all-purpose baking flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
zest and juice of two limes
2/3 c raw sugar
2/3 c soy milk
¼ c corn oil
2 egg whites
1 Tbsp vanilla
½ c craisins

Preheat oven to 325. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.

Stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the lime zest and juice, sugar, soy milk, oil, egg whites, and vanilla to the dry ingredients, stirring until the batter is smooth. Gently fold in the craisins until they are evenly distributed.

Pour ¼ c of the batter into each prepared cup, almost filling the cup. Bake the muffins on the center rack for 22 minutes, rotating the pan 180 degrees after 15 minutes. When done, the muffins will bounce back slightly when pressed, and a toothpick inserted in the center will come out clean.

Remove the muffins from the oven and let stand for 15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack, and cool completely. Store the muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Yay Successful Experimenting!

Those of you that know me know that I am a recipe-using cook. I hardly ever experiment, because it hardly ever works out for me. Well, my luck is changing!


The other night I was hungry and didn't have a lot of time, so I opened up a can of black beans, sauteed some garlic in olive oil, added the beans and some onion powder and cayenne pepper and heated it through. Then I added some spinach and cooked it until the spinach was perfect. Voila! It was really yummy, especially in a whole wheat pita. Ok, I'm feeling braver...


So I experimented with my buckwheat banana pancake recipe (next post down) by using whole wheat flour instead of white flour, which was way yummier! And I experimented with different toppings. Remember how I said applesauce was the best? Well, I lied. Cinnamon and honey are definitely the best topping! Hands down. Yummy, yummy, yummy. :) Try it! Feeling braver still...


I was cleaning my fridge out last night, and again didn't have a lot of time to cook dinner. So I cut up a cucumber, some tomatoes, and a bell pepper and tossed them altogether with a little bit of French vinaigrette dressing. So yummy! I cooked up some bulgur to go with it, and it was delicious.


Hey, this cooking stuff is kinda fun!

Banana Buckwheat Pancakes

Mouth-watering good!! Yummiest pancakes I've ever had. :) You can serve them with the traditional butter and syrup, but I like them best with apple sauce on top! I tried peanut butter and almond butter too, and both were good, but the apple sauce is definitely the best! Also, I didn't have baking powder, so I used a 1/2 tsp baking soda and left the powder out, and it worked great!

2 cups plain soy milk
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 c buckwheat flour
1 c flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 tsp egg replacer powder
2 Tbsp canola oil
1 Tbsp maple syrup (pure is best!)
2 bananas, thinly sliced

Mix 1 3/4 c soy milk with lemon juice in small bowl. Let stand 5 minutes.

Combine flours, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in medium bowl.

Whisk egg replacer and remaining 1/4 c soy milk in small bowl. Add to soy milk mixture. Whisk in oil and syrup. (For those of you who don't know what egg replacer powder is, see the picture below.)

Stir flour mixture into soy milk mixture. Fold in bananas.

Lightly oil griddle, and cook the pancakes just like any other pancake. Yummy!

Quick and Easy Pizza Dough

Pizza Dough
1 package dry yeast (or 1 T)
1 tsp sugar/honey ??? (any preferences out there)
1 C warm water
2 1/2 C flour
2 T olive oil
1 tsp salt

In mixing bowl, combine yeast, sugar, and water. Softly stir and let stand until creamy. (About 10 minutes) Stir in flour, salt, oil, and honey if you choose to use it. Beat until smooth and dough cleans away sides of bowl. May need to add more. Let rise for 5 minutes!!! That's it!!!
Preheat oven to 450, with pizza stone in it, if you use one. Put dough onto lightly floured surface and roll into round.
You can let it rise some more if you want or you can transfer it right to a lightly greased pizza pan or pizza stone. Spread with desired toppings and bake in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes or golden brown.

Our all time favorite is pepperoni, but bbq chicken is awesome as well. Let me know your pizza ideas!

If anyone has a pizza dough recipe that they absolutely LLOOVVEE. Please leave comments telling me all about it. I have yet to find the "perfect" crust, if it even exists.

Ritz Poppyseed Chicken

So, this is Madison's favorite dinner ever. She would eat this every night if we let her. Its always a "kid choice" at our house. :) Once again, no picture, but I have faith in you all.

4-5 chicken breasts, cooked and diced
1 carton sour cream
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 brick softened cream cheese (can add more if desired)
2 T poppyseeds
1 packet crushed ritz crackers
onion powder
salt and pepper

Boil the chicken, dice, and set aside. Meanwhile combine sour cream, soup, and cream cheese until smooth and creamy. Add poppyseeds. And onion powder, salt, and pepper to taste. (I eyeball it). Stir.

Combine diced chicken and soup mix. Put mixture in greased 9x9 casserole dish. Sprinkle crushed ritz crackers over top. Bake at 350 for 22-25 minutes or until bubbly.
Serve over rice.