For whatever reason, I do not cook with broccoli. In fact, the last recipe I posted on my blog that included broccoli was in 2012!
I don’t exactly love broccoli, but I started feeling bad about my lack of broccoli in my cooking. So. Here’s a simple but delicious pasta recipe that comes together fast enough for busy weeknights!
I’ve mentioned before how awesome the Philadelphia food scene is, and it seems to only be getting better! One of the latest additions to the Philadelphia restaurant scene is Makhani, which just opened in Old City. Owned by restaurateur Shafi Gaffar, the restaurant includes a 34 seat dining room as well as a private space on the second floor for up to 50 for special events. The restaurant also provides delivery throughout Philadelphia.
Makhani, which means “with butter”, specializes in North Indian curries that usually have thick, moderately spiced and creamy gravies. The use of dried fruits and nuts , as well as the incorporation of dairy products like milk, cream, home-made cottage cheese, ghee (clarified butter) and yogurt, play an important role in the cooking of both savory and sweet dishes. Everything in the kitchen, from the breads, to the sauces, to the desserts, are made in-house and from scratch using high quality, fresh ingredients from Chef and his culinary team. Makhani will also offer authentic Indian dishes in a specially designed Tandoori clay oven brought over direct from India. On the menu, look for an extensive list of notable vegan options, as 50% of the menu is vegan.
Source: Society Hill Films
The made-to-order, farm-to-table menu from executive chef Sanjoy Banik is a relatively uncommon approach to Indian restaurants in the region. The flavors of Indian food can take up to ten hours to develop, so many restaurants pre-batch their preparations. The menu includes modern spins on traditional North Indian cuisine, and also features some unexpected ingredients, such as lobster, scallops, and lamb shanks.
Source: Society Hill Films
Gaffar is originally from Bangladesh, where is family owns a mango garden/farm and works as inspiration for many dishes on the menu, including Indian Mango Chicken (shown above)- a dish made of “spiced chicken breast cooked in our homemade mango sauce with fresh mangoes.” I decided to try to make my own version at home using my multi-pot to mimic the flavors of a dish that requires cooking for a long period of time to fully develop its flavors.
My version uses chicken thighs and differs in overall flavor to the version at Makhani, so I strongly suggest trying out their version as well!
Ingredients:
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground sweet paprika
1 teaspoon garam masala
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs
8 oz frozen mango chunks
1 (14 oz) can light coconut milk, thoroughly shaken
1 medium onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon chopped ginger
0-2 dried red chili peppers, depending on your spice tolerance
Have you ever used ground sumac? Ground sumac is made from dried ground berries from the sumac bush, which is native to the Middle East. The flavor is similar to lemons, sour and tangy, but less tart than lemon juice.
I purchased ground sumac a while back patiently waiting for the “right” recipe to cross my path. After receiving eggplant in my most recent Hungry Harvest, I came across this recipe for Sumac Scented Eggplant and Chickpeas, which I knew I had to make!
I love a good dip. It’s one of my favorite snack to bring to a party — it travels well and are always a hit! As a somewhat recent owner of COSORI 6 Qt Electrical Pressure Cooker and I had yet to use it for beans, so I needed to change that! In case you didn’t know, you can use an electric pressure cooker (or multi-cooker) to cook dried beans relatively quickly, without needing to soak them overnight or boil them for an hour.
This Pressure Cooker Black Bean Dip can be made in about 1 hour, and is creamy and flavorful, and comes topped with all the fixins!
Ingredients:
Seasoning blend:
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Other ingredients:
1 1/2 cups uncooked black beans, rinsed
1 red onion, chopped and divided
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, drained
2 cups vegetable broth or water
1 tablespoon olive oil
seasoning blend (above), or 1 1/2 tablespoons taco seasoning
the zest and juice of 1 lime
1/4 teaspoon hot sauce
For serving:
bell peppers, finely chopped (I used mini sweet peppers for more color)
NOTE: I was sent a Deiss 5-Piece Nylon Utensil Set in order to write this post and host a giveaway. All opinions are mine alone.
Happy New Year! There are a bunch of food traditions for New Year’s Day, including eating Black Eyed Peas to bring prosperity in the new year. Last year, I made Black Eyed Peas with Collard Greens. This year, I thought I’d make a brunch recipe that’s hearty enough for New Year’s Day – Black Eyed Peas Hash with Chorizo and Eggs.
This recipe for Black Eyed Peas Hash is made with potatoes, onions, bell peppers, black eyed peas, chorizo, eggs, and tomato.
To start the New Year off right, Deiss Kitchenware was kind enough to send me a 5-Piece Nylon Utensil Set that includes a Soup Ladle, Slotted Turner, Spaghetti Server, Serving Spoon, and Slotted Serving Spoon.
Source: Deiss Kitchenware
I ended up using 3 of the 5 utensils in this recipe and found them to be really handy. Made of BPA-free nylon, the utensils are both flexible and sturdy, so they adapt nicely to different types of cooking. The utensils can withstand temperatures up to 480° F and are non-stick, so they won’t scratch your non-stick cookware. Nylon utensils are easily cleaned, and don’t stain or accumulate odors.
Source: Diess Kitchenware
Deiss is also providing a second 5-Piece Nylon utensil set for a giveaway! Details after the recipe.
Note: I was sent a sample of Speck Alto Adige PGI in order to write this post. All opinions are mine alone. #sponsored
During the winter, I cannot get enough comfort food recipes. To me, Italian food is the ultimate comfort food — usually quite simple to make, with a few high quality ingredients that make the meal good enough to share with company.
I wanted to highlight an ingredient that you may not have heard about before: Speck Alto Adige PGI. From the Alto Adige region of Italy, Speck Alto Adige PGI is ham that has been air cured and lightly smoked. It can be used in recipes that call for bacon or prosciutto, and add a nice smoky, herby flavor to the dish. When buying, look for the PGI certification. The PGI certification of Speck Alto Adige means “protected geographical indication” and ensures that you are buying an authentic product made in its area of origin under strict guidelines.
To highlight the uncommon but delicious flavor of Speck Alto Adige PGI, I decided to make a speck and anchovy pasta topped with garlic breadcrumbs.
This recipe for Speck and Anchovy Pasta with Garlic Breadcrumbs is based off an Epicurious recipe and delivers great flavor without a lot of effort. It just so happens to mostly use ingredients that I tend to have around my house, so that was a nice perk too!
My goodness, 2018 was a quick year. I cannot believe it’s the end of December! I wanted to post a recipe that would be welcome at any New Year’s Eve party, and with the help of a pressure cooker, can be made in no time with little effort!
This recipe for Pressure Cooker Spinach Artichoke Dip takes just 20 minutes to make – you dump most of the ingredients in (including the frozen spinach, no need to defrost!) and let it do its thing.
It can also easily be doubled to serve a large crowd; just make sure your multi-cooker is large enough to hold it all!
Ingredients (serves 8):
1 (10 oz) box frozen chopped spinach
1 (14 oz) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 (8 oz) block cream cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup chicken or vegetable broth
1 (8 oz) container parmesan cheese
1 (8 oz) bag shredded low moisture mozzarella cheese
I’m hoping you’ll allow me to post one more cookie recipe this season. These Chewy Gingerbread Cookies are too good to not post!
Every year, my mom and I bake multiple cookie recipes to give to friends and family. While there are some that we bake every year, (like these Hot Cocoa Cookies), we try to make a new cookie each time. After many years of trying to make gingerbread cookies and failing at the decorating part, we decided to try making gingerbread cookies instead.
This recipe makes a wonderfully soft and chewy cookie all with the yummy flavors of gingerbread.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
Shepherd’s Pie is one of my absolute favorite cold weather meals. It’s really simple to make and has all the components of a solid meal, just stacked into a layered pie form!
I like to make shepherd’s pie on weekends, assemble, refrigerate, and then cook later in the week on a busy weeknight. This recipe is based off a shepherd’s pie recipe from the Food Network.
I’m trying to do more food prep on weekends for busy weekdays. Breakfasts are relatively easy; I make a batch of muffins and freeze the extras for future weeks, or make overnight oats or chia seed pudding in individual jars. For dinner, I tend to make something in my slow cooker and/or pressure cooker and then buy ingredients for short weeknight-friendly meals for the rest of the week. But lunch can be a bit of a challenge. We make salads from time to time, but I wanted to branch out a bit and make something we could add to a sandwich – shredded chicken salad.
I made this from scratch using my Pressure Cooker, but you could also use shredded rotisserie chicken.
Ingredients (makes 4 servings):
Chicken:
3 pound whole chicken
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup chicken broth
Chicken Salad:
if not making your own chicken: 1 (3 lb) rotisserie chicken
This recipe actually builds from the two previous, with some minor changes. For simplicity, the entire recipe from start to finish is below so you don’t have to go to multiple posts to make it. The multi-pot shortens the time of making a solid chicken soup, but it is still a labor of love. Total time to cook is roughly 3 hours.
It freezes well, so it’s a great recipe to make now to have on hand for sick days!
Ingredients: (serves 8)
Chicken:
1(3 to 4 pound)whole chicken – I used a 3 pound chicken
I love the combination of chocolate and pumpkin together. So when I was trying to think of an update to a traditional cookie, my mind went right to these flavors, which brings me to this recipe for Chocolate Pumpkin Rugelach.
Rugelach are the perfect cookies for this combo. Traditional rugelach uses an apricot spread that is sprinkled with cinnamon sugar, walnuts, and raisins, and then rolled into a spiral. The pumpkin butter takes the place of the apricot spread, and mini chocolate chips are substituted in for the walnuts and raisins.
I’ve been told I make a pretty darn good Bloody Mary. Although I can’t take much credit for it; I’ve been using my grandpa’s recipe for years now. My “responsibility” at Thanksgiving every year is to keep the pitcher of Bloody Marys full, so I’ve had some practice.
I’m finally sharing my recipe on here to highlight a fun event happening in South Philly this weekend at one of my favorite bars: Moonshine. Chef Christine Hazel, of Hell’s Kitchen and Chopped fame, is hosting a Brunch Cooking Class this Sunday, December 9th, at 11 am. The class includes learnings how to make some brunch dishes, dish samples, and 2 signature cocktails. You can get tickets here. (I’ve already purchased mine, so come hang out with me!)
Source: Christine Hazel
So why not get the brunch cocktail party started now?
Ingredients: (serves 4)
2 cups tomato juice
the juice and zest of 1 lemon
the juice and zest of 1 lime
2 oz Worcestershire sauce (some brands are gluten-free)
10-15 dashes hot sauce (depending on how much heat you’re looking for)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
6 oz vodka
ice
for garnish (optional): celery stalks, lemon wedges, lime wedges, olives
It probably goes without saying that Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I love spending time with my family and digging in to awesome food! My aunt and uncle have hosting Thanksgiving for years now, and they always make a point to make more than we could ever eat so we have leftovers.
I could eat Thanksgiving leftovers every day, but sometimes its nice to switch up the presentation a bit.
This recipe for Thanksgiving Leftover Skillet Pizza makes the most of whatever leftovers you have on hand!
I really love sweet potatoes. I have a pretty bad sweet tooth, so sweet potatoes are right up my alley. Growing up, we used to always have them mashed with a ton of butter and topped with roasted marshmallows. Mmm.
This version for Pressure Cooker Mashed Sweet Potatoes is a bit more stripped down, no marshmallows here. The natural sweetness is allowed to shine through (although I do enhance it a bit with some maple syrup)!
Plus, because I cooked the sweet potatoes in my Pressure Cooker, this recipe is done in no time!
Ingredients:
4 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into similar sized pieces
1 cup water
1/4 cup unsalted butter (or coconut oil to make dairy free/vegan)
