Vanilla Cinnamon Walnuts Roasted with Bacon Fat

I had a rare moment this weekend when I shot of inspiration hit me like a lightning bolt. I knew I wanted to make a breakfast salad and I knew mostly what I wanted to put on top of it. This is the first post of a few dedicated to this salad.

I took inspiration from Elena's Pantry and her Vanilla Roasted Walnuts, a recipe which I adore. But it needed something extra to set it apart, make it worthy of breakfast, you know? So the natural move is to incorporate bacon fat because bacon makes everything better. Even these nuts.

Vanilla Cinnamon Walnuts Roasted with Bacon Fat

Ingredients

• 1/2 C raw walnuts
• 1 tbsp bacon fat
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• Seeds of half a vanilla bean
• 1 tbsp agave nectar

Method

1. Place a cast iron skillet over medium-low heat. Add the bacon fat to the pan. When melted, add the walnuts to the pan, stirring a bit to distribute.
2. When the nuts begin to get some color, add the cinnamon and vanilla bean seeds, stirring to fully incorporate. Continue to roast, stirring occasionally, but making sure not to let the nuts burn.
3. Finally, add the agave to the pan and stir vigorously. Remove nuts from pan and allow to cool.

After the nuts cool, you can really taste the bacon fat on these! Certainly not vegan, but oh so delicious. They'd be great on their own, served with drinks, and of course, on a salad. These would make a great gift for the bacon connoisseur in your life, too. You can thank me later.

Pin It

Ruhlman's Twenty Chapter 5: Acid

I'm not typically one to reach for acids when cooking; in rare cases, I will use lemon juice or rice vinegar, though I am quite addicted to dijon mustard on sandwiches...

Given that it's one of the five taste sensations, perhaps it's time I pay more attention to this element in my cooking?

Lessons Learned:

• Acids come in the following forms: vinegar, citrus juice, pickles (fruits or vegetables), sour fruits, wine, mustard, sour vegetables, and cultured dairy products.
• Acid is used in cheese making, forming the curds from the milk.

Related Recipes:

• Fresh Tomato Soup with Vodka
• Strawberry Black Pepper Dessert Sauce

My favorite "lesson" in all this is the possibility of using vinegar in desserts--cider vinegar tart sounds intriguing and delicious!! This is definitely going on my list to make

Pin It

Vegan Cashew Sour Cream

I used to hate sour cream, but in recent years started to love it. The thing I don't love about it, though, is having to buy so much in a container! Most times I just want a small dollop to put on chili or quesadillas, you know? I will admit, cashew sour cream doesn't have quite the same flavor on its own, it does have a similar mouthfeel when accompanying other items.

I got this recipe quickly when I was in the kitchen one day from the Whole Foods app, but scaled it down for my own needs.

Vegan Cashew Sour Cream

Adapted from Whole Foods Market

Ingredients

• 1/2 C raw cashews
• Boiling water
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 tsp lemon juice
• Pinch salt

Method

1. Place the cashews into a bowl or glass measuring cup and pour enough boiling water over the top to cover by about an inch. Let sit for 10-15 minutes, then drain.
2. In a high speed blender, blend the drained cashews, vinegar, lemon juice, and salt until creamy and smooth, about 1 minute. Serve.

This recipe makes about half a cup, which was enough for several bowls of chili!

Pin It

Cinnamon Pumpkin Steamer

People seem to be going a bit crazy this fall, hitting the pumpkin pretty hard. I'm not going to lie, I love the idea of pumpkin-ified recipes this time of year too. This recipe was inspired by a recipe I've had tucked away for a couple years from The Kitchn, but I keep coming back to it not only because it makes for a delicious, hot drink for chilly mornings, but it's a great use for the leftover spoonfuls of pumpkin from the can.

I use my at home method for foamy milk for this recipe which works nicely. Alternatively, you can heat on the stovetop, which will not yield the same foam, or with a steaming wand.

Cinnamon Pumpkin Steamer

Adapted from The Kitchn

Ingredients

• 1 C milk (non-dairy for vegetarian/vegan)
• 2 tbsp pumpkin puree
• 1 tbsp sugar, or to taste
• 1 tbsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Method

1. Combine all ingredients in a blender, blending until well combined and foamy.
2. Pour into a microwave safe measuring cup and microwave for 60-90 seconds, or until desired temperature. Serve hot.

Serves 1

Pin It

Ruhlman's Twenty Chapter 4: Onion

Lessons learned:

• Onions are about 95% water!
• Once heated, onion types are indistinguishable so there's no need to buy more expensive varieties for this purpose. For eating raw, choose the onion type that appeals most to you for the context.
• The harshness from onions comes from the sulfur in the soil; more sulfur = harsher onion, less sulfur = sweeter onions.

• Sweating technique:

  Onions are cooked at a low temperature, gently, with some kind of fat. The onion releases water and becomes sweeter as it cooks.

• Caramelizing technique:

  This is the browning of the onions after the water has been cooked out. Thinly slice an onion; heat a heavy pan with butter or oil over low heat, then add onions and stir occasionally. Onions will first sweat, then the water will evaporate and the onions will brown.
• A couple tricks to speed the (slow and slightly tedious) process--cover the pot at the beginning of the cooking process to heat the onions more quickly -or- cover the onions with water and some butter, then boil, which will break down the onions more quickly.

Pin It

Make Simple Steamy Foamed Milk at Home

There's nothing quite like enjoying a fresh latte or cappuccino with its rich, foamy milk. And making it at home seems almost impossible; gadgets like the frothing wands are great, but yet another single function thing you may not want cluttering your kitchen.

I inadvertently stumbled upon a new method for getting frothy, steamy milk at home while making myself a warm fall drink. Try it for yourself, all you need is a blender and a microwave (the stove would probably work just as well).

Steamy Foamed Milk

Ingredients

• Milk
• Sweetener or flavorings, optional

Method

1. Add milk and sweetener/flavoring, if using, in a blender and blend at high speed for 15-30 seconds.
2. Pour mixture into a large microwave safe measuring cup or bowl. Milk will foam and build 3-4 plus times in volume, so choose a large enough vessel.
3. Heat milk to desired temperature, about 1-2 minutes.
4. Alternatively, heat the milk in a large saucepan over medium to medium high heat until desired temperature is reached.
5. Serve immediately as is or with coffee/espresso.

Pin It

Basil Blondies

I have a coworker who lives on a farm and brings a mini farmer's market to the office every couple weeks. It's a great way to get some produce and try new things! A while back, she brought in several varieties of basil, lemon and cinnamon being some of them. Instantly my mind started spinning with ideas of how to incorporate these unique flavors into sweet treats. This is how the basil blondie came to life.

I used lemon basil which, if you've never encountered it, has a very strong lemon perfume especially after rubbing the leaves together. The flavor though is distinctly basil, however. Interestingly enough, these blondies taste like lemon and basil which is unique yet irresistible, however, I leave the recipe open ended for you to use whatever basil you have on hand and/or add lemon zest to get the lemon flavor. I also added optional white chocolate chips to this recipe, as I think it would be a great addition for some extra texture.

Basil Blondies

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Ingredients

• 1 stick butter, melted
• 1 C sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 C AP flour
• 1/4 C basil, finely chopped
• 1 tsp lemon zest, optional
• 1/2 C white chocolate chips, optional

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Meanwhile, spray a 9"x9" glass pan with oil.
2. In a large bowl, mix the melted butter and sugar. Add in the egg, vanilla, and salt, stirring until combined.
3. Add the flour, then fold in the basil and white chocolate, if using.
4. Pour the batter into the pan, then bake for 20-25 minutes, until the edges are lightly browned and the center is set.
5. Cool on a wire rack and cut when cool.

Pin It

Cinnamon Roasted Fruit

I wanted something special to put on my oatmeal this morning and remembered a post I saw the other day for roasted apples. So when I remembered I had some nectarines and plums in the fridge, I knew just what I'd make.

This would obviously be lovely with apples or pears as well now as we get into fall. Feel free to try new spices to suit your taste, I think cardamom would be great too.

Cinnamon Roasted Stone Fruit

Ingredients

• 2 medium sized fruits (stone fruits, apples, pears, etc.)
• 1 tbsp coconut oil, melted
• Palm sugar, or other granulated sweetener, to taste
• 1 tsp. cinnamon, or to taste

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Meanwhile, slice your fruit in relatively thin slices. Combine in a bowl with melted coconut oil, sugar, and cinnamon, to taste depending on the sweetness of the fruit.
2. Pour onto a rimmed baking sheet and bake for about 15-20 minutes, turning and/or stirring as needed. The fruit should begin to soften and brown a bit.

This would be great on oatmeal, ice cream, or even on a nut butter sandwich!

Pin It

Chicken Entree Salad with Potatoes and Lemon Vinaigrette

I've been enjoying dinner salads a lot these past few weeks. I love how simple they are to put together and how flavorful they can be with the right ingredients. This salad came together by chance: I was curious to have potatoes on salad after trying them at work (and reading about them here) so in they went, then I had extra tomatoes, leftover salad dressing from earlier in the week, and cheese in the fridge! Subsequently, I ate this for at least one more dinner...don't tell anyone my secret.
The juicy chicken paired well with the slight tartness from the vinaigrette and meatiness from the potatoes, keeping me coming back bite after bite. I think this salad would be lovely with green beans or chopped asparagus when tomatoes aren't in season.

Chicken Entree Salad with Potatoes and Lemon Vinaigrette

Ingredients

• 2 C salad greens
• 2 chicken thighs or 1 chicken breast, cooked and sliced
• 3-4 baby yukon potatoes, cooked whole and quartered
• 1 tomato, diced
• 1-2 tbsp lemon vinaigrette, or to taste
• Grated Parmesan or Romano cheese, optional

Method

1. Plate your salad greens with baby yukons and cut tomatoes, then layer the sliced chicken on top.
2. Drizzle the vinaigrette over the salad, then grate cheese over, if desired.

The beauty of this recipe is ingredients for this salad can be made ahead of time and refrigerated, or made fresh right beforehand. As such, this salad is just as good served with warm chicken and potatoes as it is cold.

Pin It

Perfectly Baked Chicken

I'm a big fan of baked chicken, cooking it at least twice a week it seems. I like chicken breasts and thighs and find these to be quite versatile, serving it plain, on a salad, or on top of rice in a rice bowl style meal. Cooking it at such frequency means I know exactly how long to cook it for to get perfect results.

My local grocery store offers free dry rubs for any meat you purchase, so I like to get various seasonings applied in store; the added benefit of this is if the rub is salted, the chicken will remain extra moist. When I get plain chicken breasts, sometimes I like to pre-season with salt and pepper and other times I wait until right before cooking, it just depends on how organized I am the night before.

Baked chicken on it's own is not very pretty to look at in, so no photo this time.

Perfectly Baked Chicken

Ingredients

• Chicken breast(s) or thigh(s)
• Salt and pepper
• Dry seasonings, optional

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Meanwhile, place the chicken in a glass baking dish, making sure not to overcrowd the pan.
2. Generously season the chicken to your liking, optionally adding dry seasonings as you like (curry powder, dried herbs, etc).
3. For chicken breasts: bake chicken for 30-35 minutes, checking at the 30 minute mark. The chicken should be moderately firm to the touch and cooked through on the inside with clear juices when cut.
4. For chicken thighs: bake chicken for 45-50 minutes. The chicken will be slightly firm to the touch and cooked through with clear juices when cut.

Play around with the cooking times if you're not getting the exact results you desire. Once you find the sweet spot for cooking times, I think you'll find this method easy enough for no fuss weeknight dinner!

Pin It