Note: I was sent a box of various Bob’s Red Mill products to make the below recipe. Opinions are mine alone.
Lentils are one of those foods that I wish I had experimented with earlier in my cooking. They are easy to cook, really tasty, and packed with nutritional goodness. Just one serving (1/4 cup) of red lentils has 14g of fiber and 13g of protein. Red lentils in particular are great for soups and stews because they cook really quickly and break down when heated, making for a nice thickened base.
This Lemony Red Lentil Soup is adapted from a New York Times Cooking recipe. I mostly kept to the original recipe, but increased the spice and lemon and added in another carrot.
The half chunky half smooth soup is super comforting and makes for a really satisfying lunch or dinner.
My friend and I made this during our cooking day and froze it for future meals.
Ingredients:
3tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1large onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1tablespoon tomato paste
1teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground chile powder, plus more for garnish
1quart chicken broth (or vegetable broth to make vegetarian)
This Freezable Ratatouille is another recipe my friend and I made last weekend during our cooking marathon. This time of year is perfect for making a huge batch of ratatouille and freezing it!
Ratatouille is a produce-heavy dish, using eggplants, zucchini, onions, and peppers. My friend doesn’t really love eggplant, so I used fairy tale eggplants which are smaller, with thinner skins and are a bit sweeter than regular eggplants.
This Freezable Ratatouille also allows you to do a lot of the prep work ahead of time. The vegetables are cooked separately, so prep work does go into a bunch of bags, but it makes the cooking process much easier. We used a recipe from The Kitchn as our base.
Ingredients (makes 8 to 10 servings):
2 medium yellow onions, chopped
3 medium green bell peppers, chopped
6 to 8 medium zucchini, cut into bit sized pieces
4 large tomatoes, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 fairy tale eggplants
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 bay leaf
4 sprigs fresh thyme
1/4 cup basil, sliced into ribbons, plus more for garnish
My mom makes a mean pasta salad. Her mayo-less version is a mostly traditional Italian pasta salad which marinates in an Italian salad dressing for a few hours before enjoying.
This Grilled Vegetable Pasta Salad version is based on hers, but I decided to make it all the more summery but adding grill-friendly vegetables.
This is mostly a make ahead recipe. Right before serving (or while grilling up the main dish), you just add the veggies to the grill, then toss into the pasta.
We were recently heading to a friends house for dinner and were asked to bring a salad.
I didn’t necessarily want to bring a traditional lettuce-based salad, so I went in search of something that made the most of what’s in season at the moment, like this Peach and Tomato Salad.
NOTE: I was sent some blood oranges and cara cara oranges from The Limoneira Company to use in a recipe. All opinions are mine.
It’s pretty obvious that I love citrus, I use the juice and zest of lemons, limes, and oranges in most of my recipes, so I’m excited to share this recipe for Frozen Blood Orange Margaritas.
So when The Limoneira Company contacted me to help spread the word about their new offerings, I jumped at the chance. Limoneira is traditionally known for its lemons, but recently began expanding their orchards to include more specialty citrus, including Cara Cara and Blood Oranges.
Blood Oranges have a slightly less acidic taste than regular oranges, and their bright red color makes for some really beautiful dishes. I wanted to showcase their color, so I decided to make blood orange margaritas.
As much as I am trying to will it to be spring, it is still pretty cold in Philadelphia, so this version has a bit of cinnamon to add a bit of warmth to the flavor.
Note: I was sent some products from Bob’s Red Mill, including Orca Beans. All opinions are my own.
There are some ingredients that catch your eye, and you just know you have to use them in a recipe. Orca beans are definitely one of those ingredients. Luckily, Bob’s Red Mill sent me a bag of their orca beans, which are grown in Moses Lake, Washington exclusively for the company.
Orca beans, also known as calypso beans, are black and white splattered, and keep their cool coloring even after cooking. This heirloom bean is high in fiber and iron, and work great in any recipe where you would normally use beans.
But. They are so darn pretty I wanted to let them stand out by using them in a very colorful dish.
Cowboy Caviar seemed like the perfect way to show the orca beans off. Typically made with black eyed peas, cowboy caviar is a bean salad / salsa that is great as a party app, on top of grilled chicken, or just on it’s own!
My house is filled with pomegranates and pomegranate arils. Being a food blogger is tough 🙂
Thanksgiving is tomorrow, so I wanted to share a recipe for one of my favorite Thanksgiving dishes: cranberry sauce!
This recipe uses pomegranates two ways: in a pomegranate molasses and as whole arils, or seeds. Pomegranate molasses can be found in well-stocked grocery stores or Middle Eastern food stores. But I also show you how to make it below if you so wish.
Ingredients:
Cranberry Sauce:
1 bag (16 oz.) cranberries, thawed if frozen
2/3 cup packed dark brown sugar (or light brown sugar to make less sweet)
cThis has been quite a dreary and rainy fall so far. One of my favorite remedies for blah weather is a warm beverage. In the fall, you really can’t go wrong with a mulled apple cider, like this Orange Mulled Whiskey Cider!
Nielsen-Massey sent me a sample of their Pure Orange Extract to use in this citrusy spiced cider. Nielsen-Massey has offered high quality vanilla and other flavors since 1907. They are my go to for extracts, vanilla beans, and vanilla powder. Their Pure Orange Extract is a great pantry way to always have citrus flavor on hand. Just 1/2 teaspoons of the orange extract equals two tablespoons fresh orange juice.
They must have known Philadelphia has been basically sitting under a cloud and that I needed a warm pick me up! The addition of the pure orange extract to this cider brings some brightness to the mulled cider.
This cider uses some of my favorite spices to really bring the fall flavor. I picked up my spices at the Head Nut in Reading Terminal, but you can also find them at Penzey’s.
Recipe (serves 6):
2 quarts apple cider
1/2 cup 100% pure pomegranate juice
1/3 cup 100% pure maple syrup
1 Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Bean
1 teaspoon Nielsen-Massey Pure Orange Extract
3 large cinnamon sticks
12 whole cloves
5 whole allspice berries
1/4 teaspoon cardamom seeds
3/4 cup whiskey
Add the apple cider, pomegranate juice and maple syrup to a large saucepan; heat over medium-high heat.
Split vanilla bean in half lengthwise with the tip of a small knife.
Scrape both sides of the bean with the knife’s dull side and add the seeds and bean to the saucepan. (The seeds are the black flecks in the cider.)
Add the orange extract, cinnamon sticks, cloves, allspice berries and cardamom seeds to the saucepan; stir to combine. Bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for about 30 minutes. Strain mulled cider through a fine mesh sieve.
Add whiskey; stir to combine. Serve with a fresh apple or orange slice.
This cider tastes just like fall! What a comforting beverage as the weather turns colder.
The spices in the cider add a nice warmth to the drink, complementing the apple and whiskey flavors nicely.
The orange flavor from Nielsen-Massey’s Pure Orange Extract comes through as well, adding a burst of bright citrus and making for a super tasty drink!
Note: I was sent a Coyote Outdoor Grill to participate in the #CoyoteChallenge. All opinions are mine alone.
I am absolutely loving my Coyote OutdoorGrill; I have been grilling anything and everything I can find! To see some of my other recipes I’ve made using my beloved grill, check them out here. This time, I wanted to branch out and find recipes that you may not necessarily consider making on the grill.
I kept to the recipe for the most part, but added in some peaches for extra flavor because my husband loves all things peach and ended up with this recipe for Grilled Peach Old Fashioned Cocktail. I also substituted in Rye Whiskey to suit our personal tastes. Feel free to use your favorite bourbon of choice instead.
My friends and I loooooove Old Fashioned’s so I was thrilled to find a new version of our favorite cocktail. I make a mean Fizzy Old Fashioned that is a perfect “punch” for groups of friends; it’s not nearly as strong as a typical Old Fashioned, but the bourbon taste is still very present.
Ingredients:
1/2 orange, cut into slices
12 pitted cherries
1 peach, cut into quarter slices, with the stone removed
1 (750-ml bottle) rye whiskey (such as Bulleit Rye)
1 liter club soda, cold or blood orange soda, cold
ice
A quick note for my gluten-free friends. Rye whiskey, obviously derived from rye, is gluten-free. The distilling process removes the gluten proteins. So drink away!
Note: I was sent two jars of Herb ‘n Zest Cooking Sauces in order to make this Pumpkin Curry Chicken with Potatoes and Peas. All opinions are mine alone.
As someone who works full-time, my biggest requirement for a dinner option is that it can be made in under 40 minutes. By the time I get home, I’m ready to eat! Although it’s not usually too much of a problem, I rarely get the chance to make dinners with the depth of flavor brought to food when it is simmered over a stove for a while.
A local Philadelphia company, Herb ‘n Zest, is changing that. Their innovative condiments and sauces allow home cooks to add quick flavor to meals in no time. All products are fully cooked and can just be added to dishes as sauces or dips.
I was sent a jar each of Herb ‘n Zest’s two most popular sauces: Chive Tomato Cooking Sauce and Curry Pumpkin Cooking Sauce. The Chive Tomato Cooking Sauce is made with Jersey Fresh tomatoes sauteed with chives and spices in olive oil. while the Curry Pumpkin Cooking Sauce is a savory pumpkin sauce seasoned mildly with curry and sunflower seeds. Both sauces are also vegan, soy-free, gluten-free, dairy-free and use non-GMO ingredients.
I love love love pumpkin, so I knew I had to try that one first! I decided to make a chicken and potato curry with the sauce and serve it over coconut rice, resulting in this recipe for Pumpkin Curry Chicken with Potatoes and Peas. To make vegetarian/vegan, omit the chicken.
Want to try the sauces for yourself? Herb ‘n Zest is offering a great discount through my blog: 25% off the Home Chef Starter Pack with the code get25icancook! Just click the photo of the jars below and enter the code at checkout!
You can also enter their summer giveaway worth $50. Just take a picture of yourself with a jar of Herb 'n Zest, upload it to Instagram & tag the image with #herbnzest. The summer giveaway draw will happen on August 15, 2016, so be sure to purchase your jars soon!
Ingredients:
2 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into bite sized pieces
Like much of the east coast, Philadelphia got hit with a blizzard last weekend. Which meant I had a whole weekend to make a bunch of meals, like this Carrot Ginger Soup!
This Carrot Ginger Soup from Cooking Light is comforting and creamy without any cream! The hint of curry powder brings such a nice warmth to the dish.
It makes 12 servings, so it’s a great recipe to stock your freezer. I love it as a side to my sandwich or salad for lunch!
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons unsalted butter (or margarine to make dairy-free)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
7 cups fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth (or vegetable broth to make vegetarian)
I had a sad surprise this weekend. I opened my freezer to grab a quart of tomato sauce only to find I was all out!
Time to make another batch of sauce, so I decided to make Homemade Marinara Sauce!
This time around, I have a nifty new tool to help make my marinara sauce: OXO’s new Illuminating Digital Immersion Blender.
The immersion blender has six digital controls so you can pick the perfect speed for whatever it is you need blended. Just turn the dial at the top of the immersion blender to adjust the speed; a backlit LED indicator clearly shows your speed selection.
To start blending, you just press down on the wide, soft-touch power button located on the top half of the blender. The handle is nonslip, even when hands are wet.
source: oxo.com
The head is made of nylon, which won’t scratch your bowls or cookware while it blends.
source: oxo.com
A really nifty spec is the soft-glow LED headlight that illuminates the pot while you blend, which is super helpful when making a large batch of soup or sauce in a tall pot. A softer version of the light remains on the entire time the blender is plugged in for safety.
The immersion blender comes with a measuring beaker with a silicone lid that holds up to 3 cups. You can blend right in the beaker, then top with the lid to store whatever you don’t use immediately.
When finished using the blender, the cord wraps securely around the blender body for tidy, compact storage, great for my small kitchen!
source: oxo.com
The blender is a super helpful tool when making soups, dips, smoothies, and sauces. I used it to make a smooth marinara sauce made with canned whole plum tomatoes and sauteed carrots, celery and onions.
It’s probably no secret that I love pasta. My fiance and I eat it every Sunday night. But its so darn hot in Philadelphia right now and I’ve been craving something a bit less heavy to eat.
OXO must have known my pasta-loving dilemma because they sent me their new Hand-Held Spiralizer, which turns veggies into long thin spaghetti-like strands in no time!
Zucchini noodles (or “zoodles”) seem to be all the rage at the moment, so I was excited to try them out myself!
The OXO Hand-Held Spiralizer creates curly noodles from long vegetables like zucchini, carrots, and cucumbers, while it’s open blade design accommodates round vegetables like beets, potatoes, and sweet potatoes. The food holder keeps hands safe from the blade and the easy non-slip grip container makes it simple to turn the Spiralizer. It is also BPA-free and dishwasher safe.
For this recipe, I decided to make a tomato sauce out of the fresh tomatoes I had in my house, so this recipe for Zucchini Pasta with Fresh Tomato Sauce is a very summery meal!
Note: I was sent an OXO Hand-Help Spiralizer to try for this post. Opinions are my own.
This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #SwapMilk4Silk #CollectiveBias
Everyone loves a nice, fluffy cupcake. I love when a cupcake is light and airy, with smooth and creamy frosting on top! One of the easiest ways to keep a cupcake moist and fluffy is to use yogurt in the batter. But that doesn’t mean your cupcakes can’t be dairy-free or vegan-friendly!
I really enjoy making vegan cupcakes; they are surprisingly simple to make and taste just as delicious as normal cupcakes (or, dare I say it, even better!) I became interested in vegan baking when I made cupcakes for my sister-in-law a couple of years ago. Since then, I’ve noticed how easy it is to make delicious baked goods that are dairy and egg free!
Silk dairy-free products are perfect for cupcakes, because they add additional flavor to the batter through their Vanilla and other flavored yogurts and milks.
To make these Vanilla Almond Cupcakes with Plum Frosting, I went to Walmart to pick up a Silk Half Gallon Vanilla Almond Milk and a couple of Silk Vanilla Yogurts. You can find them in the dairy aisle, with the normal milk and yogurts.
Silk Almond Milk has 50% more calcium that dairy milk, with no cholesterol and no saturated fat. Silk offers seven almond milk options, all 100 calories or less. I love Vanilla Almond Milk in my cereal, its so tasty! Silk yogurt, made from soy, has 6 grams of soy protein per serving with no cholesterol and no artificial flavors or colors. The yogurt is dairy-free, gluten-free, and vegetarian.
Plums are in season at the moment and I absolutely love their flavor, so I decided to make a plum frosting. The delicious flavor of plums is enhanced with almonds and vanilla, so Silk products are perfect with plum!
Cupcakes:
1 stick margarine (8 tablespoons), at room temperature
