Category: Vegetarian

Lemony Red Lentil Soup

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:

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 teaspoon 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
  • 1 quart chicken broth (or vegetable broth to make vegetarian)
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 cup Bob’s Red Mill Red Lentils
  • 2 large carrots, peeled and diced
  •  The juice and zest of 2 lemons
  • 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for garnish

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Coconut Matcha Muffins

Note: I was sent a package of Matcha Green Tea from Tenzo Tea in order to write this post. Opinions are mine alone.

I’ve been on a bit of a muffin kick recently. I’m trying to make sure we have as many “quick meals” as possible on hand during the busy fall season!

 

I was recently contacted by Tenzo Tea, a matcha green tea company that is based in Los Angeles. They were kind enough to send me some Tenzo Matcha to try in a recipe.

 

Matcha is finely powdered green tea leaves. To make into a tea, you just add a teaspoon of matcha powder to hot water and whisk until frothy. Because you ingest the whole tea leaves (rather than just steeping leaves in normal tea), there are a bunch of health benefits attributed to matcha.

I have never tried matcha before, but my sister is a huge fan, so I figured it was worth my time. Coconut matcha lattes seem to be quite a popular way to enjoy matcha, so I decided to turn that into a muffin I could enjoy during the week.

 

I based this recipe off of Smitten Kitchen’s Double Coconut Muffins, with a few tweaks.

 

Tenzo Tea was kind enough to provide a promo code for I Can Cook That readers. Use code cancook to receive 15% off a one-time purchase!

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup virgin coconut oil
  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons matcha powder
  • 1/2 cup shredded coconut
  • 1 cup coconut milk
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg, at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Continue reading Coconut Matcha Muffins

Pistachio Muffins

Note: I was sent a box of various Bob’s Red Mill products to make the below recipe. Opinions are mine alone.

I love pistachios. So when my friend and I were determining what freezer-friendly recipes to make for a cooking marathon last weekend, I immediately suggested we make pistachio muffins.

Luckily, my friend was willing to make a batch with me!

As I mentioned in an earlier post, Bob’s Red Mill sent us a goodie box of ingredients to help with our cooking day, which included their Unbleached White All-Purpose Flour.

We used a recipe I found on Food.com to make these muffins.

Ingredients (makes one dozen muffins):

  • 1 1/3 cups all purpose flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill unbleached white all-purpose flour)
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • the zest of 1 lemon
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped pistachios
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 2/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup whole milk
  • 1/2 cup pistachios, coarsely chopped

Continue reading Pistachio Muffins

Grilled Guacamole

National Guacamole Day is tomorrow (September 16th) so this recipe for Grilled Guacamole is a timely post to share!

I have wanted to make Grilled Guacamole since I first got my Coyote Grill last summer and somehow never got around to it.

The cooler weather seems to be right around the corner, so I had to make sure I made it in time!

The ingredients in guacamole work great for grilling and add a new layer of flavor to a favorite snack.

You can grill most of the ingredients: avocados, lime, red onion, jalapeno, tomato, and garlic.

Guacamole

  • 3 ripe avocados, halved and pits removed
  • 1 lime, halved
  • 1/2 small red onion
  • ½ jalapeno pepper, seeds and membranes removed
  • 1/2 tomato
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

Continue reading Grilled Guacamole

Freezable Ratatouille

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
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Continue reading Freezable Ratatouille

Old Fashioned Cupcakes

Note: I was sent a Non-Stick Pro 12 Cup Muffin Pan, Silicone Baking Cups, and a Baker’s Decorating Tool from OXO. All opinions are my own.

September is Pediatric Cancer Awareness Month, so I’m sharing this recipe a bit ahead of time. Every year, OXO donates up to $100,000 to support an organization called Cookies for Kids’ Cancer. The organization was founded by two OXOnians (OXO employees) who were inspired by their son Liam’s battle with pediatric cancer, a disease which claims the lives of more children in the US than any other disease. Cookies for Kids’ Cancer provides inspiration and support to allow anyone to easily get involved in fundraising to find a cure for pediatric cancer.

To help reach their goal, OXO donates $100 to Cookies for Kids’ Cancer for each blogger who posts a recipe to bring awareness, up to their $100,000 commitment. I’ve posted twice a year for the last few years to help bring awareness to Cookies for Kids’ Cancer. Click here to see some of my past posts.
This year, OXO sent me Silicone Baking Cups, a Non-Stick Pro 12 Cup Muffin Pan, and a Baker’s Decorating Tool to make this post.
Here’s a little about each product:
  • The Non-Stick Pro Muffin Pan (paid link) features a unique micro-textured pattern that ensures even baking and adds structural rigidity. It’s made with a ceramic-reinforced, two-layer, commercial-grade coating that provides ultimate non-stick release and is scratch-, stain-, corrosion- and abrasion-resistant.
  • The BPA-free Baking Cups have handy tabs to help remove them from muffin tins without making a thumbprint, and the inside of each Cup is smooth and non-stick to release your treat easily. With a fill line, your cupcakes will be consistent every time.
  • Our easy-to-use, easy-to-fill Baker’s Decorating Tool is designed to give you complete control while decorating. The unique trigger provides a smooth stream of icing for clean lines, and the comfortable handles ensure a steady grip and protect icing from warm hands.

I wanted to make a new, fun, and different cupcake to try out all of these cool tools. My husband and I are huge fans of Old Fashioned Cocktails, so I decided to turn those flavors into Old Fashioned Cupcakes! Note: the frosting contains alcohol so this is not a kid-friendly recipe.

To bring in the flavors of an Old Fashioned, I made a Vanilla-Orange Cupcake and topped it with Bourbon-Orange Cream Cheese Frosting. To finish it off, I added a maraschino cherry and some orange peel.

Ingredients:

Vanilla-Orange Cupcakes: (adapted from a Martha Stewart Recipe)

  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 cup sugar
  • vanilla bean, split and scraped out
  • the zest of 1 navel orange
  • 2 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 3/4 cup heavy cream
  • 1/4 cup freshly squeeze orange juice
  • 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
  • 2 cups all purpose flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill Unbleached All Purpose White Flour)
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

Bourbon-Orange Cream Cheese Frosting:

  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
  • 4 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/4 cup bourbon
  • the zest of 1 navel orange

Other ingredients:

  • peels from 1 navel orange
  • 12 maraschino cherries

Continue reading Old Fashioned Cupcakes

Blackberry Peaches and Cream Cake

Note: I was sent some coupons for Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk in order to make this Blackberry Peaches and Cream Cake. Opinions are mine alone.

Last weekend, I had friends over for dinner. Planning what to eat dinner was pretty easy, until I realized I hadn’t thought of a dessert!

Luckily, I had picked up some Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk the last time I was at the supermarket and had the remaining ingredients on hand as well so that I could make this Blackberry Peaches and Cream Cake.

Not only is this Blackberry Peaches and Cream Cake super tasty, it can be made with pantry items without needing to make another trip to the supermarket. So it’s the perfect “just in case” recipe to make when needed!

This recipe is adapted from a recipe on Eagle Brand‘s website for Peaches and Cream Cake.

Ingredients:

  • 1 package angel food cake mix (or frozen angel food cake, thinly sliced)
  • 1 (14 oz.) can Eagle Brand® Sweetened Condensed Milk
  • 1 cup cold water
  • 1 teaspoon almond extract
  • 1 (4-serving size) package instant vanilla pudding mix
  • 1 pint heavy cream (or frozen whipped topping)
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon orange extract
  • ~1.5 pounds frozen peaches, thawed
  • ~1 pint fresh blackberries (or frozen fruit of your choice, thawed)

Continue reading Blackberry Peaches and Cream Cake

Grilled Vegetable Pasta Salad

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.

I made this Grilled Vegetable Pasta Salad for friends with my recipe for Grilled T-Bone Steak with Gremolata.

Ingredients:

  • 2 boxes tri-colored pasta
  • 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2 bell peppers, any color, chopped
  • 1 (8 oz package) sliced baby bella mushrooms
  • 1 zucchini, chopped
  • 1 yellow squash, chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

Marinade

  • 2 tablespoons garlic salt
  • 2 tablespoons onion powder
  • 2 tablespoons dried parsley
  • 1 tablespoon dried oregano
  • 1 tablespoon dried basil
  • 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon celery salt
  • 1 cup white wine vinegar
  • 2 cups olive oil

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Shaved Cucumber Greek Salad

Excuse the lack of posts, my husband and I went to Montreal and Quebec City last week, so no cooking for me! Both Montreal and Quebec City are pretty amazing food cities, and I definitely made to eat my way through both. (And yes, we somehow managed to have poutine four times!)

Needless to say, when we returned to Philly, we both were looking to eat a bit… lighter.

This recipe adapted from Cooking Light for Shaved Cucumber Greek Salad is a simple but different take on a traditional Greek salad. It looks fancier than it really is, the only special tool needed is a veggie peeler.

Ingredients:

  • 2 cucumbers
  • 1 large heirloom tomato, cut into wedges
  • 2/3 cup pitted Castelvetrano olives
  • 1/2 cup sliced green onions
  • 1/3 cup feta cheese, crumbled (I suggest using French feta)
  • 2 teaspoons fresh oregano leaves
  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

Continue reading Shaved Cucumber Greek Salad

Peach and Tomato Salad

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.

I came across this yummy sounding Summer Peach and Tomato Salad, and made a few adjustments.

I used frozen sliced peaches, mainly because I’m a bit lazy, but also because I didn’t want overly ripe peaches in the salad.

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup thinly vertically sliced red onion
  • 1 pound frozen sliced peaches, thawed
  • 1/2 pound Campari tomatoes, quartered
  • 1/2 pound heirloom cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons agave
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons fresh basil leaves

Continue reading Peach and Tomato Salad

Blackberry Peach Slow Cooker Crumble

My husband absolutely loves peaches, specifically peach desserts. However, peeling and slicing a bunch of peaches is kind of a pain. So, hooray for frozen cut peaches! Also hooray for slow cooker dessert recipes, like this Blackberry Peach Slow Cooker Crumble!

This recipe, adapted from a Cooking Light recipe, is really simple. Just mix together a few ingredients, add to your slow cooker, and wait.

Three hours later, your house will smell fantastic, and you’ll have enough Blackberry Peach Crumble to feed a crowd! Just top with ice cream and dig in!

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats (I used Bob’s Red Mill Regular Rolled Oats)
  • 3/4 cup whole-wheat flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill Whole Wheat Flour)
  • 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter (or margarine for vegan-friendly), melted and cooled to room temperature
  • Cooking spray
  • 5 (10 oz) bags frozen cut peaches, thawed
  • 3 cups blackberries

Continue reading Blackberry Peach Slow Cooker Crumble

Spinach and Cheese Strata

There is a little cafe in Old City Philadelphia that I absolutely love called Wedge and Fig. It’s essentially a cheese shop converted into a bistro, so they really know how to choose the best cheese for a particular dish. One of my absolute favorite dishes they serve on their brunch menu is a spinach and cheese strata “savory layers of egg, Cantal cheese, spinach, shallots and bread.” It’s absolutely fantastic.

This weekend, I kind of had an epiphany: strata is a great make ahead option! I decided to make a batch of my own ahead of a busy week, and then portioned it out into containers to bring into work.

Like Wedge and Fig’s version, I used Cantal cheese, spinach and shallots. Cantal is a farmhouse cheese from France that has a flavor somewhat similar to Cheddar — buttery and tangy. I added in some Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese as well as some sourdough bread to bring a bit more tanginess to the dish.

Ingredients:

  • 1 (10-oz) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed
  • 1 cup finely chopped shallots
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • 8 cups cubed sourdough bread (1/2 lb)
  • 2 cups grated Cantal cheese
  • 1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
  • 1 1/2 cups milk
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 9 large eggs
  • 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • cooking spray

Continue reading Spinach and Cheese Strata

Peanut Butter Ice Cream Sandwich Cake

  This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #SoHoppinGood #BlueBunny #CollectiveBias

Spring has finally sprung and this past weekend was absolutely beautiful. Warm weather has me dreaming about frozen treats, especially ice cream.

For more than 80 years, Blue Bunny® has been offering yummy ice cream made with fresh ingredients for families. Blue Bunny® Ice Cream just came out with their new 2017 lineup of ice cream flavors and treats, including two awesome Ice Cream Cakes: Bunny Tracks and Vanilla Bean Blondie. Bunny Tracks is made with the Blue Bunny® signature flavor: vanilla flavored ice cream with caramel and fudge swirls, chocolaty covered peanuts, and peanut butter filled chocolaty bunnies.

Their other new flavors include: Mint Cookie Crunch, Monster Cookie Mash, Toffee Brownie Twist™, and Rockin’ Rocky Road™. Also worth mentioning, Cherrific Cheesecake, which used to be seasonal is now officially available year-round!

One of my favorite ice cream treats are ice cream sandwiches. So what could be better than a cake sized ice cream sandwich like this Peanut Butter Ice Cream Sandwich Cake? I decided to make large peanut butter cookies to make the Blue Bunny® Bunny Track Ice Cream Cake into an Ice Cream Sandwich Cake.

I went to my local Walmart to pick up the ice cream cake and the ingredients I needed for the cookies. The ice cream cakes can be found in the same aisle as other ice cream.

Ingredients:

  • 1 Blue Bunny® Bunny Tracks Ice Cream Cake
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 stick butter, at room temperature
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup smooth peanut butter
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 1/2 cups flour

Continue reading Peanut Butter Ice Cream Sandwich Cake

Charred Ramp Arancini

Tomorrow is one of my favorite events of the year: Flavors on the Avenue! I’ve written past posts about this event, but this year, they are switching things up a bit. The event, usually held under a tent, is coming out onto the street to make for what should be a pretty awesome five block street festival tomorrow, April 30 from noon to 5 pm.  The event will be held around the Singing Fountain at the intersection of S 11th, Tasker and Passyunk.

Tickets aren’t required to attend the event, although they are strongly encouraged. Cost is $50 each and include all of the dishes, two glasses of beer or wine, and valet parking – a $130 value. You can also pay as you go; each dish will be priced at $3 to $6. Further details can be found here.

East Passyunk Avenue is known for its fantastic restaurants, and a bunch of them (27!) are participating in this event. There will also be free kids’ activities and a crafter’s market. Here is a list of participants and the food they will be serving: (note: options shown in photos above are in bold)

  • Bing Bing Dim Sum: Pork Buns, Corn Rangoon
  • Birra: Pizza slices, plain and pepperoni
  • Brigantessa: Chorizo Cotto with whipped ricotta and peas
  • Cantina los Caballitos: Tacos al Pastor, Elote, Classic and Cucumber Margaritas
  • Chhaya: Fried chicken and waffles, Iced coffee
  • El Sarape: Tacos al Pastor, Pina Coladas
  • Fond: Salmon Tartare with sesame, nori and avocado
  • Izumi: Pork Gyoza
  • Laurel: Chocolate egg cream pudding pops
  • Le Virtu: Octopus and chick pea salad
  • Mamma Maria: Cheese ravioli
  • Marra’s: Mozzarella pizza
  • Noir: Arancini balls, watermelon salad
  • Noord: Bitterballen (Dutch meatballs with nutmeg and mustard)
  • Paradiso: Arancini Di Riso
  • Perla: Pork Belly, Adobo with garlic rice
  • Plenty Cafe: Choripan (Traditional South African sandwich with chorizo, chimichurri, and pickled red onion on a baguette)
  • POPE: Zucchini feta fritters, Cashew teriyaki
  • P’unk Burger: Pulled Portobello sandwiches, Caprese pesto burgers
  • Sate Kampar: Achat (carrots, cucumber, peanuts and chile sauce), Sago Gula Melaka (sago pearls, coconut cream, palm nectar) and Chicken Sate
  • Stargazy: Sausage Rolls, Potato Masala Rolls, Sticky Toffee Sundaes
  • Stateside: House-made steam buns with duck confit, peppadew and radicchio
  • Stogie Joe’s: Meatballs with Toasted Bread
  • Townsend: Roast pork sandwiches
  • Tre Scalini: Tripe in Umido
  • Vanilya Bakery: Buttercream cookies, Buttercream cupcakes
  • Will BYOB: Caramelized onion crepes, Banana and caramel crepes

I had the opportunity to go on a media tour a try a bunch of these bites. Noord’s Bitterballen remains one of my favorites (they serve it every year, and every year I love them). New to Flavors is Sate Kampar, and all of their offerings are fantastic! Absolutely go try the Achat, Sago Hula Melaka, and Chicken Sate.

One of the restaurants on the media tour was Brigantessa. If you follow me on Instagram you may have seen my high praise for their Charred Ramp Arancini. They were absolutely delicious. Unfortunately, Brigantessa is not serving these for Flavors, but is serving Chorizo Cotto with Whipped Ricotta and Peas that sounds right up my alley as well. There will be plenty of arancini available though, a few restaurants are serving it.

I wanted to try my hand at making the Brigantessa Aracini, so here goes! I adapted this recipe to include charred ramps, which adds a slight onion flavor to the cheesy rice ball.

Ingredients:

  • 8 ramp leaves, charred

Continue reading Charred Ramp Arancini

Hot Cross Buns

Today is Good Friday, which means it’s about time I shared a recipe for Hot Cross Buns!

Hot Cross Buns are a sweet slightly spiced bun with dried fruit. A cross made of icing is piped on top. They are traditionally made and served on Good Friday as a way to break the fasting associated with Lent. There are a bunch of superstitions surrounding hot cross buns. My favorite is that gifting a hot cross bun on Good Friday guarantees friendship between the recipient and gift giver for the year.

Hot Cross Buns aren’t exactly the easiest recipe; it took me most of the day to make them because you need time to let the dough rise. But these tasty little guys are worth it.

Bob’s Red Mill hooked me up with some of their awesome products to help make these hot cross buns, including active dry yeast, all-purpose flour, and currants.

Ingredients:

Icing:

Continue reading Hot Cross Buns

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