To Try: Creamy Lemon Pasta

It's hummus on pasta. I would have never thought of it, but now that I've heard of someone doing it I CAN'T GET THE IDEA OUT OF MY HEAD. Update when I get around to making this.

Ingredients

8 oz. whole wheat spaghetti (or other noodles of your choice, i.e. zucchini pasta, kelp noodles, etc.)
1/2 c. hummus, prepared or homemade
1 lemon, juiced + 1 T. lemon zest
2 t. reduced sodium soy sauce
1 T. nutritional yeast
1/2 c. chopped basil

Instructions

• Prepare noodles and set aside.
• In a large bowl, combine hummus, lemon juice, soy sauce and nutritional yeast.
• Add pasta, lemon zest and basil and toss to coat.
• Season with salt and pepper, if desired.

Original recipe/photo

To try: Roasted Potatoes with Sea Salt and Thyme

I think about roasting baby potatoes all the time, and it's really not hard to just toss potatoes in a 350-degree oven, but sometimes it's nice to have a recipe with the specifics so they come out perfect (and not undercooked) every time. Will try this soon.

Serves 4 as a side dish

1 1/2 pounds small or new potatoes, with skin
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3-4 thyme sprigs, plus extra for garnish


Preheat oven to 425 F. Quarter potatoes and place in a large bowl with the garlic. Drizzle with olive oil. Toss to coat potatoes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss again. Dump the potatoes on a rimmed baking sheet. Scatter the thyme sprigs around the potatoes. Place baking tray on lowest rack in the oven. Bake 30 minutes without disturbing. Move baking tray to top half of the oven and continue to bake another 30 minutes. Remove and transfer potatoes to a bowl. Garnish with additional sea salt and thyme sprigs.

Original recipe/photo

Ginger-Mushroom Marinade

Just had this on some halibut that Dad made and he said he winged it. Would try on halibut again, or perhaps even tofu. Good for anything mildly flavoured. Maybe it would work in a stir-fry?

Basics (no real measurements, just eyeball it):
- olive oil
- balsamic vinegar
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- a couple inches of ginger, minced
- healthy dose of mushroom sauce*

*The mushroom sauce was in the cupboard from when I was looking for vegan alternatives to fish sauce. I think this was the main flavour that caught my attention and that I couldn't place (thus prompting me to ask what was in the marinade). I'm glad to have found another way to use the mushroom sauce!

Very good, but don't skip the mushroom sauce.

Curried Green Beans

From Dad's Thai cookbook.

Ingredients:
14 ozs. green beans, topped and tailed (think maybe 4 big handfuls from the grocery store bin)
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 red bird's-eye chili, deseeded and chopped (I've tried using chili flakes and it didn't really work... try for the real thing, or perhaps half a jalapeño)
1/2 tsp paprika
1 piece lemon grass stalk, finely minced
2 tsp. either fish sauce or Thai mushroom sauce
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 tbs oil (your choice)
2 scallions/spring onions/green onions, sliced

1. Cut the beans in half (2 inch pieces) and cook in boiling water for two minutes. Drain well.
2. Make a puree of: garlic, chili, paprika, lemon grass, oyster sauce, and coconut milk (everything but the oil and scallions)
3. Heat the oil to stir fry the scallions over high heat for about a minute. Add the paste and bring to a boil.
4. Simmer for 3 - 4 minutes (it should reduce by approximately half). Add the beans and simmer for 1 - 2 minutes until they're tender. Serve hot.

Less-Than-Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookies

[**EDIT] I just tried making these with demerara brown sugar and 'Best For Bread' flour and they came out PERFECT. Like, I don't think I can ever go back. Perfect thickness, perfect texture, perfect colour. Photos soon.

So I FINALLY found a chocolate chip cookie recipe that I like. It's literally taken years.

Cream:
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter at room temperature
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar

Add:
2 eggs, one at a time

Then add:
1 tbs vanilla

Separately mix:
3 cups of flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Slowly add dry to wet (I did it in four installments).

Mix in 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips.

Bake at 375F for 8 - 9 minutes for chewy fantasticness. Makes about 35 cookies.

Healthier Chocolate Chip Cookies

I've never really found a chocolate chip cookie recipe that I've LOVED. This is the closest I've ever come. The photo on the original website doesn't really do these justice... they turn out a lot like those Quaker Oat granola bars with the chocolate chips. I just wish these could be made vegan!

>>> Think of these less like cookies and more like haystacks.

3 large, ripe bananas, well mashed (about 1 1/2 cups) >> I used frozen ones and they worked fine.
1 teaspoon vanilla extract >> Be liberal
1/4 teaspoon almond extract >> I didn't have any, and a little extra vanilla seems to work. Always add more vanilla. ALWAYS.
1/4 cup applesauce
1 egg
2 tablespoons honey
2 cups rolled oats
1 cup flour
2/3 cup unsweetened coconut, shredded
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt >> I rarely add full salt in recipes, but because this doesn't have the added sugar, the full salt is kind of necessary.
1 teaspoon baking powder
7 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips >> Amounts to slightly less than 1 cup. I added more because (again) I was worried about blandness. I add more if I'm feeling like a bit more sweet.
1/2 cup pecans >> ESSENTIAL (well not really, but they really add to the granola bar feel of these cookies)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl combine the bananas, vanilla, almond extract, applesauce, egg and honey. In a separate bowl stir together oats, flour, coconut, cinnamon, salt and baking powder. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until combined. Fold in the chocolate chips and pecans. Drop spoonfuls of the dough about an inch apart onto a cookie sheet. >>> I don't usually use parchment paper, but since these lack the grease, it helps them come off easier if you don't have new pans. Bake for 11-13 minutes >> Keep to the lower end, because I found these started to burn a bit on the bottom at 11.

Makes about 3 dozen cookies. >> I found it only made 2 and a 1/2 dozen.

Original recipe/photo

Stupid Easy Beef Roast

You need:
Beef roast, (you would want at least 3 lbs, but 5 or more is probably better)
Dry onion soup mix – any old kind – I get no-name (I think you can get individual packs without buying package of 6)
Roast pan with lid

Instructions:
- Take the roast, put it in a roasting pan that has a lid. You can stick it in frozen if you want, just allow more time.
- Dump the package of soup mix over the roast. The mix will usually be salty, so don't add any more salt.
- Put the lid on. No water required as the cheaper cuts of meat are usually fatty.
- Cook low and slow. Depends a bit on size of roast. If 5 lbs, set at 250 degrees for 4-5 hours. If the meat is frozen, allow more time. Maybe 6 hours.
It’s pretty hard to screw up, since it’s not exactly precision cooking.

We used to pull it out when done, cool a bit, and use a couple of forks to shred the meat. Put it into a casserole dish, drizzle some of the drippings over to keep moist. You can put in the fridge and reheat in the microwave or stove top. Great on buns. Garnish with some slices of Vidalia onion, horse radish or grilled mushrooms, and some crudities for the side.