Sweet Potato Enchiladas

Behold, a colorful vegetarian medley of awesomeness. This is a recipe takes the humble sweet potato to new heights with plenty of lime, cumin and cilantro. This couldn't be further from those marshmallow-topped Thanksgiving monstrosities. Though you'll definitely be giving some thanks to the enchiladas gods for this super healthy alternative.

Sweet Potato Enchiladas
Adapted from A Couple Cooks
Serves six

2 medium to large sweet potatoes (2 cups diced)
1 15 oz. can black beans
1/4 cup diced green chilies (canned)
1 medium onion
1/2 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
Juice of 1/2 a lime
3 cups salsa (homemade tomato and/or Trader Joe's Habanero & Lime)
8 oz. Colby jack cheese, shredded
6 flour tortillas
Salt and pepper
Bunch of fresh cilantro

1. Pre-cook the sweet potatoes. Many options here, including baking (best to do the day before), boiling (peel & chop, boil 15 minutes) or microwave (pierce and test every 3 minutes). Let hot potatoes cool, then peel and chop.

2. Prepare the filling: Finely chop the onion and cilantro. Drain and rinse the black beans. If making salsa, chop and mix separate tomato, onion, cilantro, lime juice, salt.

3. Assemble the filling: In a large bowl, combine the cooked sweet potato, black beans, onion, diced green chilies, lime juice, 1/2 tablespoon cumin, and 1 tablespoon chili powder. Mix to combine, and add a bit of salt and pepper.

4. Assemble the enchiladas:
–In a large baking dish, spread 1 cup of the salsa verde.
–Fill each tortilla with a scoop of the filling, add a handful of cheese, and roll it up.
–Place the enchilada seam-side down in the baking dish.
–Repeat for the remaining tortillas.
–When all enchiladas are in the dish, top with the remaining cup of salsa and the remaining cheese.

5. Place in the oven and bake for 20 minutes, until the cheese is melted. Serve, garnished with extra chopped cilantro.

Do ahead: As a time saver, you could cook the sweet potato beforehand, and even prepare the entire filling in advance.

Glazed Salmon

If you don't subscribe to Cook's Illustrated, online or in print, you're doing your kitchen a disservice. I have to thank these food scientists for greatly improving the way I treat poor, defenseless salmon. Before this method came into my life, a fire alarm or two had been known to cry out in protest as the glaze burned away on the pan, while the salmon remained undercooked. Ouch.

And did you know? This method works with really any type of glaze. I'm pretty sure the key is the cornstarch, and fairly viscous sauce with which to glaze. Nothing liquidy here to get your glaze on.


Pomegranate & Balsamic Glazed Salmon
Cook's Illustrated (liberated from behind their firewall, whoops!)
Serves 4

Pomegranate & Balsamic Glaze (Thai variation listed below)
3 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons pomegranate juice
2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
1 teaspoon cornstarch
Pinch cayenne pepper

Salmon
1 teaspoon light brown sugar
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon cornstarch
4 center-cut skin-on salmon fillets, 6 to 8 ounces each (equal size is key)
Ground black pepper
1 teaspoon oil of your choice


1. For the Glaze: Whisk glaze ingredients together in small saucepan. Bring to boil over medium-high heat; simmer until thickened, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and cover to keep warm.

2. For the Salmon: Adjust rack to middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Combine brown sugar, salt, pinch of ground pepper and cornstarch in small bowl. Pat salmon dry with paper towels and sprinkle brown sugar mixture evenly over top of flesh side of salmon, rubbing to evenly distribute.

3. Heat oil in 12-inch ovenproof nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Place salmon, flesh-side down, in skillet and cook until well browned, about 1 minute. Using tongs, carefully flip salmon and cook on skin side for 1 minute.

3. Remove skillet from heat and spoon glaze evenly over salmon fillets. Transfer skillet to oven (or transfer fillets to a rimmed baking sheet if your skillet isn't ovenproof).

4. Cook until center of thickest part of fillets are still translucent when cut into with paring knife and instant-read thermometer inserted in thickest part of fillets registers 125 degrees, 7 to 10 minutes. Transfer fillets to individual plates or platter, and serve.

Variation:

Thai peanut glaze
This is a formula that I discovered in a book that smells like chicken. It makes a pretty amazing chicken satay, maybe I'll publish that this summer when grill time resumes. 
- 3 tablespoons peanut butter
- 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- chopped fresh ginger
- juice of half a lime

No need to put this on the stove, but you may want to microwave the peanut butter to make it easier to stir in the other ingredients. Prep the salmon the exact same way, and paste this on before finishing in the oven.

Sourdough Stuffing with Leeks, Apples and Sausage

My mission this year was to try a new stuffing. My family has eaten the Stovetop stuffing since the beginning of time, and those tiny, dried out cubes of fake bread give me the willies.

It was way easier than I thought, though it does have a few steps. Cubing and toasting the bread, sauteeing aromatics, apples and sausage, then combining all of it with eggs and stock before baking. I did everything but adding the eggs and broth before the final bake the day before, while Papa Anderson stood around my kitchen with me, keeping me company. His strong points in the kitchen mostly revolve around excellent suggestions- when I wavered on adding the sausage (we have some dissenters), he encouraged me to ignore the others.

And it was so worth it. As my first homemade stuffing, this one was baller. The sausage was the hit of the dish,  though who is surprised by that?


Sourdough Stuffing with Leeks, Apples and Sausage
Makes a 9x13 pan

1 1-pound loaf sourdough bread, crusts removed, bread cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 pound bulk pork sage sausage
1 1/2 leeks, chopped
1 1/2 cups chopped celery (about 5 stalks)
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, divided
2 large apples peeled and cubed- Fuji, Granny Smith
3 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
2 tablespoons thyme
1/4 c.  parsley
2 1/2 cups chicken stock
3 large eggs

1. Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Spread bread cubes in single layer on large rimmed baking sheet. Bake until pale golden, stirring occasionally, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer bread to very large bowl.

2. Sauté sausage in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat until cooked through, breaking up into small pieces with back of fork, 8 to 10 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer sausage to bowl with bread cubes.

3. Add onions and celery to drippings in skillet; sautéuntil golden brown, about 12 minutes. Transfer to bowl with bread-sausage mixture (do not clean skillet).

4. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in same skillet over medium-high heat. Add apples; sauté until tender, about 10 minutes. Add sage, thyme and parsley; stir until fragrant, about a minute, then add all to bowl with bread mixture. Season with salt and black pepper.

5. Generously butter 15 x 10 x 2-inch glass baking dish. Whisk broth and eggs in medium bowl; add to stuffing and toss to mix. Transfer to prepared baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees uncovered until top is golden and crisp in spots, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Let stand 10 to 15 minutes and serve.

You can assemble this a day ahead- don't add the eggs and broth until you're ready to bake. Refrigerate overnight, then add in eggs/broth while the oven is preheating. Bake as directed.

Bánh mì

I bought an issue of Bon Appetit way back in January based off the title article- meatballs. That alone is enough to sell me on a $5 magazine. Better yet, the meatballs were mostly of the non-traditional sort- lamb kofte, moroccan cinnamon spiced ones, and these bahn mi inspired ones.  I've always wanted to try Bánh mì, but haven't made the trek out to Atlanta's ethnic food corridor, Buford Highway, to track one down. 

Bánh mì are Vietnamese sandwiches that typically have pickled vegetables, spicy peppers, cilantro, pate and other cold cuts on a baguette. I did make all the components of this recipe, along with my roommate and friend playing sous chef and patient wait-ers. For having a lot of components and looking like a lot of work, once you get started it shouldn't take more than an hour between pickling vegetables, making and cooking meatballs and assembling sandwiches.


Bánh mì

HOT CHILI MAYO
2/3 cup mayonnaise
2 green onions finely chopped
1 tablespoon sriracha

1. Stir all ingredients in small bowl. Season with salt.

MEATBALLS
1 pound ground pork
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil
4 garlic cloves, minced
3 green onions, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon sriracha)
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch- I don't know what this is for, but I still used it
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt

1. Line rimmed baking sheet with plastic wrap. 

2. Gently mix all ingredients in large bowl.

3. Run your hands under water and with a scant tablespoonful for each, roll meat mixture into 1-inch meatballs. Arrange on baking sheet. 

4. Heat sesame oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add half of meatballs. Sauté until brown and cooked through, turning meatballs often, about 15 minutes. 

5. Transfer meatballs to preheated, 300 degree oven to stay warm.

PICKLED VEGETABLES (no I'm not kidding, do it)

2 cups coarsely grated carrots
2 cups coarsely grated peeled daikon
1/4 cup unseasoned rice vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1 tablespoon Asian sesame oil

1. Toss all 5 ingredients in medium bowl. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour, tossing occasionally.

ASSEMBLY

1. Cut each baguette or baguette piece horizontally in half.

2. Spread hot chili mayo over each bread shell. Arrange jalapeños, then cilantro, in bottom halves.

3. Fill each with meatballs. Drain pickled vegetables; place atop meatballs. Press on baguette tops.

Chocolate Cocoa Nib Cookies

Friday, after a long work week. It came down to napping or making cookies. I'd already spent all day sitting at my desk, so cookies it was. Fridays always give me a weird energy, that usually result in my jumping around the house like a gnat on meth much to the delight of my roommate. I had to scour our two pantries for enough chocolate to make anything, and luckily we had half a bar of chocolate, a scant half cup of chocolate chips and chocolate-covered cocoa nibs. Nibs? Oh yes- the dry-roasted bits of cacao beans that make chocolate. They have a dark, bitter chocolate flavor that keeps these cookies from the too-sweet side. 

Aside from being endlessly adaptable, and easily able to halve the recipe, these have both cocoa powder and instant espresso to boost the chocolate flavor to seriously intense. Add more nibs or more espresso powder for the best cookie you've had with coffee, or walnuts for nut lovers. Add dried cherries or cinnamon for a new slant. Or chili powder for a Mexican chocolate feel.  

Chocolate Cocoa Nib Cookies

Makes 48, keep on the small side

1 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 cups white sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

2/3 cup cocoa powder

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tsp instant espresso powder

1 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup chocolate covered cocoa nibs

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In large bowl, beat butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla until light and fluffy. 

3. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt and espresso powder; stir into the butter mixture until well blended. Mix in the chocolate chips and walnuts. 

4. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls- keep them small! onto ungreased cookie sheets.

5. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or just until set. Cool slightly on the cookie sheets before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

Watermelon Gin Fizz

I had a full bowl of watermelon sitting in the fridge and plans to whiz it up in the blender, add lime and club soda and call it a day.

Then Nic showed up, bearing ingredients and a springform pan for another post, and everything changed. We threw in zest, and brought the party with gin. It took a while to learn, but neither of us will drink any liquor that isn't clear. Luckily, gin is my favorite.

A great summer drink, bright with lime, fizzy with club soda, and a beautiful pink color. And gin never hurt anyone either.

Watermelon Gin Fizz
Serves 2-4

1/2 watermelon- this is based off a medium sized melon
1-2 oz gin per drink
limes
club soda


1. De-seed, cut into chunks and whiz the watermelon in a blender until smooth.

2. Now strain the juice through a fine mesh strainer to catch all the bits left over. It takes a while, have patience. Think of the gin coming your way.

3. Load up glasses with ice, add your preferred level of gin. A good ratio is about 1 part gin to 3 parts watermelon juice. Squeeze a good half a lime in and top off with club soda.

4. Stir and toast dreaming up new drinks with your sister on a Friday.

Whole Grain Blueberry Pancakes

I had written on of my best blog posts for this recipe, come back to edit it, and lost it all to the wilds of the Internet. 

Now I'm sitting here, trying to figure out what to do. I might be able to remember it all, but it won't be as good. It was heartfelt, telling the story of my dear friend whose family lost everything in a fire a few weeks ago. It talked about my memories of the house, the 1,000 Christmas cookies we baked one year (at once an awesome show of Christmas spirit, and horrifying event) and how the material possessions are gone but the memories will always remain. Blueberry pancakes are her favorite, and the last thing we ate in her house together.

At first when I saw the post was gone, I was angry- the words had flowed easily, the post was neatly wrapped up in four paragraphs. I've never had a strong creative streak for one thing or another, but when I realized I regretted losing this one, I realized how what this blog means to me. It combines my love of cooking and experimenting with the reason I do it- to share with people. And, FINE Internet, life or whatever caused me to loose this, lesson learned . Sometimes the memories are the most dear- so make them count.

I do remember the most important line however: I will make these for her in my house, and hold her hand to let her know that memories remain and she is loved. 

Whole Grain Blueberry Pancakes

Serves 6

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour 


2 tablespoons ground flax seed- optional

1 teaspoon baking powder


1/2 teaspoon baking soda


1/3 cup granulated sugar


1/2 teaspoon salt


2 1/4 cups buttermilk

2 large eggs, lightly beaten


2 tablespoons butter, melted (melt in the pan skillet you are going to use)

1. Combine the flour, flax seed, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt in a large bowl.

2. Add the buttermilk, eggs, and melted butter. Stir all the ingredients until they are just combined. Batter will be lumpy, you don't want to over mix.

3. Heat the skillet to medium-hot and brush it with a bit of butter. Temperature is very important here- too hot and they will burn, too cold and they won't look right.

4. Pour about 1/3 of a cup of batter into the skillet. Sprinkle a handful of blueberries over the top- don't add to the batter as they will break up and turn it grey.

5. Wait until bubbles start to form around the edges and the center of the pancake, then flip with a spatula and cook the other side until golden and cooked through. Repeat with the remaining batter.

Frozen Peach Pie

I first stumbled across this recipe at a demonstration of 'healthy' foods at the Piedmont Park Green Market. A healthy and frosty treat? Sounded too good to be true. Sadly, it was. Non-dairy whipped topping (aka: Cool Whip)? Dude, it's hydrogenated vegetable oil and high fructose corn syrup. But not to worry, this no-bake pie is easily remedied with homemade stabilized whipped cream.

Have I mentioned that use of the oven is banned between the Fourth of July and Labor Day weekend? Thus, frozen peach pie has become my standard summer holiday potluck offering. Enjoy a slice of the season.

Frozen Peach Pie
Makes one big, summery pie

1 graham cracker pie crust (store bought or homemade)
3-4 ripe peaches
1 pint heavy cream
1 teaspoon gelatin
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
Splash of vanilla extract
Pinch of cinnamon (optional)
8 oz light cream cheese, SOFTENED (v. important)

1. Pit and dice peaches.

2. Boil two tablespoons of water, then add gelatin to dissolve. Allow to cool to room temperature.

3. Whip cream with either a whisk, hand mixer or stand mixer. When cream is halfway thickened, add powdered sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and gelatin. Whip to medium-firm peaks. Mix in softened cream cheese until just barely combined.

4. Gently fold 3/4 of the fruit into cream mixture. Spoon into pie crust. Top with remaining peach pieces.

5. Freeze pie for at least two hours. Let thaw for five minutes before cutting to serve.

Antipasto Fridays: Tempura Fried Squash Blossoms

We started Antipasto Fridays as a low-cook, snacky way to herald the coming of the weekend. This series introduces small plate favorites during the week so it may grace your own weekend opening ceremonies.

One morning. Three farmers markets. And a beautiful reminder of Italian days gone by.

I normally leave frying to the professionals. Beyond the fact that it's not the healthiest of options, there's the incredible mess and oily waste to deal with. But husband promised PROMISED he had done this before, and would be responsible, and that it would yield the most delicious treat EVER. He was only right on one count.

The secret is simple: soda water. The little bubbles make for an incredibly delicate tempura batter.

Since the squash blossoms, we've tried eggplant and zucchini sticks too. And I can no longer claim to be against home frying.

Tempura Fried Squash Blossoms
Batter adapted from Wolfgang Puck
8 squash blossoms

Batter:
1 tablespoon rice flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 tablespoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
3/4 cup soda water

Optional stuffing:
Grated parmesan cheese
1 clove minced garlic
Small handful of ground or chopped pine nuts

1. Sift together all of the dry ingredients. Whisk in soda water, a little at a time, until the right consistency is achieved. Most of the batter should run off the back of a spoon instantly, leaving only a very thin coat. Allow to rest in the refrigerator 1 hour before use [not the end of the world if this doesn't happen].

2. Combine the optional stuffing ingredients and mix well. Shape the mixture into 1 tablespoon balls.

3. Gently clean the squash blossoms in a bowl of water, shaking out any dirt and removing the stamen.

4. Insert one cheese ball into each flower. Gently press the filling into the base of the flower. Cover with the petals and pinch the top to seal.

5. Heat 4-5 tablespoons of olive oil over high heat, ultimately coating your pan with a 1/3 inch of olive oil across the bottom.

6. While oil heats, dip each blossom into the tempura batter, making sure to coat completely. Let any excess batter drip off. Place the blossom in the oil and fry until golden brown, about 1 minutes. Flip and fry the other side to brown evenly. Remove to a paper towel lined plate.

Tomato & Peach Quinoa

Oh hai Running with Tweezers readers. Glad you made it. Let me show you around. Definitely check out our well-organized recipe index for a list of all the goods. Kate and I(Nic) mostly hang out on Twitter, even though we live less than a block apart. Oh, and we occasionally film our exploits (no, not those exploits), including the time we made butter in a food processor. Got it? On with the show (a re-post of our guest post up on RWT).

Photo by the talented Tami Hardeman

It's a rare opportunity in food making, or food blogging, to actually create something never before seen. But if you have a flavor pairing in mind, sometimes you can out cook Google and the legions of cooks to come before. Classic ingredient combinations are a natural place to start. This past fall while traveling through northern Italy I discovered the wonder of pecorino cheese with pear. Since then, I've thrown them together against risotto, pizza, spinach salad and ice cream. No recipe required! It's the ability to translate those combinations across a range of forms that earns you 'good cook' status.

Quinoa, however, has not been the easiest thing to incorporate into my repertoire. And I have really made an effort to bring it into rotation once my #1 recipe tester's pancreas went on the fritz, and began demanding low-carb, low-sugar, generally healthy food. Pasta is out, protein packed quinoa is in. But how to make it summery? Most quinoa recipes highlight its nutty flavor, leaning heavily fall. I can't in good conscience hack into a butternut squash this time of year.

Summer naturally presented me with peaches and tomatoes at the same time. Coincidence? I think not. It's a tried and true flavor combination, that I've seen across caprese-style salads, bruschetta and gazpacho. Could it brighten up a grain sometimes compared to cardboard? My hunch was correct, and Google confirmed this to be the first ever published Peach Tomato Quinoa. And delicious to boot!

Tomato & Peach Quinoa
Serves 4

4 medium tomatoes, diced
3 peaches, peeled and diced
1 red onion or 2 shallots (skip the Vidalia's, you don't want any additional sweetness)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
1 cup quinoa
2 1/2 cups broth of your choice
2 tablespoons fresh chopped thyme

1. Dice tomatoes and set in a colander to drain excess liquid. Peel and dice peaches and onion.

2. Preheat a saucepan. Rinse the quinoa in a fine mesh strainer and allow to drip most water out. Scrape into the pre-heated pot and let it toast for a minute or two until aroma is released. Add the broth and thyme. Bring to a boil, then reduce and simmer for 20 minutes. You'll know it's done when the liquid is absorbed and the individual grains show a little spiral.

3. Heat olive oil in a large frying pan over high heat, adding diced onion or shallots. Cook to take the raw edge off, about three minutes. Add tomatoes and peaches. Saute for no more than five minutes, or else too much liquid will be released and require extra time to boil off. Add basil.

4. Fluff quinoa, and serve topped with peach tomato mixture.

Corn Fritters

I got a chance to test drive the new Cooking Channel while visiting our folks in Texas with their cushy satellite tv. Kate can vouch for the fact that HD TV makes for some really wonderful Saturday afternoon naps. It was just before and just after such a nap that I caught a few episodes of Bill's Food, featuring Australian chef Bill Granger.

Bill was whipping up some of his restaurants signature dishes, including these amazing looking corn cilantro pancake things. I was pretty devastated not to find his exact recipe online, but this version is fairly close to what I recall. Bill actually pureed some of the corn in addition to using whole kernels, so I may give that a try in future versions.

Even after our fresh ears of corn revealed a few caterpillars, these were a serious hit. The recipe reminds of falafel, especially with the gratuitous use of cilantro.

Corn Fritters
Adapted from Simply Recipes
Yields 14-16 fritters

1 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 cup water
2 cups of corn kernels, (see steps for cutting corn from a cob) cut from 3 large cobs (or frozen corn, defrost and drain first)
4 large scallions or green onions, finely sliced (about half a cup)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
Olive oil (or oil of your choice for frying)

1. Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, ground coriander, and ground cumin in a medium bowl.

2. Add egg, lemon juice and water. Stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until smooth. Add the corn, onions, and cilantro. Stir until just combined

3. Heat a large frying pan on medium high heat. Add enough oil to generously coat the bottom of the pan. When oil is hot (shimmering not smoking), spoon about 2 heaping tablespoons worth of batter into the pan to form one fritter, patting it down with the back of the spoon. Note that the fritters will splatter like mad as they cook (I nearly lost an eye). So, either use a screen splatter guard, or wear long sleeved clothes.

4. Leave about 1/2 inch between the fritters in the pan. Let cook about 2-3 minutes on each side, flipping the fritters when they are nicely browned on one side. When browned on the other side, remove the fritters to a plate lined with paper towels. Add oil as needed to keep the bottom of the pan well coated.

Recipe short: Grilled Watermelon with Yogurt Sauce

O, delightful little yellow watermelon that I lovingly toted home from the farmer's market. How to highlight your beautiful color and bring out your complex flavor?

ANSWER: Grill that bitch.

Grilled Watermelon with Yogurt Sauce
Straight out of Food & Wine Magazine

1 cup plain Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon coarsely chopped thyme
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 of a small watermelon (we found whole rounds easy to flip on the grill)
1/4 cup small mint leaves

1. Light a grill. In a bowl, combine the yogurt with the lemon juice, vinegar, thyme and the 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Season mixture with salt and pepper.

2. Brush the watermelon with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Grill over high heat until nicely charred, about 1 minute per side; transfer to plates.

3. Top the watermelon with the yogurt sauce and season with black pepper. Drizzle with olive oil, garnish with the mint and serve.

Coconut-Infused Couscous with Key West Shrimp

As Kate confessed, we don't share too many meals. Which is really a shame, considering we live less than a block apart.

But we didn't miss the opportunity to share the spoils when two free boxes of couscous arrived at my door. Yep, we took the bait from Near East to test drive their Around the World in 5 Minutes recipe site. I'd tried a rice pilaf or two from Near East before, but until this offer I had no idea their commitment to 100% all natural ingredients. Not to mention the fact that they have organic and whole grain lines.

Bonus: this recipe is fast, easy and healthy (depending on your ability to find light coconut milk). As a former brown rice devotee, I may be switching to couscous, which cooks in just FIVE minutes. For serious, FIVE. Compared to hour plus cooking times for brown rice, it's a miracle. And not too shabby in the nutrition department.  

We only made one little change to the recipe: subbing in some fresh Key West shrimp instead of the original called for prawns. These pink beauties are at least regional, and the closest source of shrimp I could find. And I finally got to use some of the jalapeños bursting out of our scorched urban garden. They must be taking their cues from this Atlanta summer, because they are hot hot hot.

So, considering that this post and recipe meet much of the Stuff White People Like criteria, let's get this Asian/Mediterranean fusion party started!

*Disclaimer: Kate and I were contacted and sent 2 boxes of Near East Plain Couscous for testing this recipe and tasting. We did not receive any compensation, and feel this is a great product and recipe to share with you.

Coconut-Infused Couscous with Shrimp
Adapted from Near East's Around the World in Five Minutes
Yields four generous servings

Couscous:
3/4 cup unsweetened, light coconut milk (shake can before opening)
1/2 cup low sodium, low fat chicken broth (or my new fav Better than Bouillon)
1 tablespoon green onion,  chopped
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
Pinch of  turmeric
1 package Near East Original Plain Couscous

Sauté:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 pound of local shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 garlic cloves
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh ginger
1/2 bunch green onions
1 hot red or green pepper
2 tablespoons fresh basil,  (Thai, if available) or cilantro
1 tablespoon fresh mint
3/4 cup unsweetened, light coconut milk
1/4 cup low sodium, low fat chicken broth
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (about 1/2 of a lime)
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon sea salt (optional)
Black pepper, freshly ground
1 tablespoon cornstarch or potato starch
2 tablespoons cold water

1. Peel and clean the shrimp. Chop the green onions, garlic, ginger, basil, mint and hot pepper. Juice the lime. Having this prepped in advance will help ensure the sauté does not over cook.

2. In a sauce pot, bring coconut milk and 1/2 cup of broth to a boil. Simmer for a few seconds. Stir in the first chopped green onion, soy sauce, turmeric and couscous. Cover; remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes. Fluff couscous with fork lightly before serving.

3. While couscous is standing, heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté shrimp 1 minute. Add garlic, ginger, green onions, hot pepper, fresh herbs; sauté 1 minute, stirring often.

4. Add coconut milk, broth, lime juice, soy sauce, turmeric, sea salt and a few grinds of pepper; simmer 1 minute. It's ok if it looks a little dry.

5. Mix cornstarch with water; stir into sauce. Simmer 1 to 2 minutes, stirring often, until sauce is thickened and shrimp is cooked through.

Serve the sauté over the couscous.

Grilled Bread Salad

I eat alone fairly often. My roommate and I have different schedules often, I can only impose upon Nic so many times before we get sick of each other, and its not practical to meet up with someone every night to share a meal. Eating alone has never bothered me though, it is the perfect chance to eat exactly what I want- whether it be eggs 4 times in a row or some total random mish-mash of things, with a side of green salad to make it seem legit. 

A while ago I came across What We Eat When We're Alone by Deborah Madison. Madison is a well accomplished vegetarian cookbook writer, who complied this book through interviewing people on what they eat when they are alone (well, yes, but there is no better description.) When there is no one to cook for and no one to please, people come up with some strange concoctions to satisfy themselves. A lot of the meals revolved around toast, all things Mexican, and ungodly things done with peanut butter. 

This salad came from having gone to the farmer's market and looking for a way to fashion a jumble of fresh vegetables into some type of coherent meal. The bread came from a local bread company, H&F Bread Co.,  tomatoes and cucumbers sounded tasty, and as I am now the proud host of Nic's grill, so that had to be put to use. You are more than welcome to simply toast the bread, and ignore grill the scallions though. Its all up to you.

Grilled Bread Salad

Serves 1

2 thick slices of multigrain bread

halved garlic clove

6-7 cherry tomatoes

1/2 cucumber

2-3 tbl chopped herbs- I used basil and parsley

1 green onion

lemon juice

1. Preheat grill to medium high. Grill scallions for 1-3 minutes, looking for grill marks. Rub the slices of bread with olive oil and grill until toasty, and grill marks appear. Remove from the grill and rub with cut garlic clove. This gives the salad some garlic flavor without overwhelming raw garlic flavor/pieces. 

2. Cube bread, mince green onion, and chop tomotoes and cucumbers. Mince the herbs, tear the basil. Combine all ingredients in a bowl, and drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice. Serve after about 10 minutes, to allow flavors to meld. 

Antipasto Fridays: Basil Pesto

We started Antipasto Fridays as a low-cook, snacky way to herald the coming of the weekend. This series introduces small plate favorites during the week so it may grace your own weekend opening ceremonies.

This is one dip you have permission to make a meal of. There is nothing quicker than mashing up a pile of basil leaves into a brilliant green spread. 

I always grow a few potted basil plants, but they hate the really extreme heat. It's like they are trying to escape their pots, bolting out into flowers and turning to seed. Once this happens, the leaves turn sharp and bitter tasting. It's been so bad this year, I had to rip them all out and go back to buying it at the farmers market. My recommendation: always break and sniff a leaf before purchase, and avoid basil that smells strongly of cinnamon.

As with most of our recipes here on Whisk Away, you have the option to go with the fancy equipment (in this case, a food processor) or stick with the more everyday items (in this case, a mortar and pestle or bowl + blunt object combo of your choice). Either way, you will have fragrant dip for dinner in under five minutes.


Basil Pesto
Makes 1 cup

2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
1/3 cup pine nuts or walnuts
2-3 garlic cloves
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. Mash or pulse together the basil, pine nuts, and garlic. No need to pre-chop anything that is going into a food processor, but definitely mince the garlic and basil first if using a mortar and pestle.

2. Slowly add the olive oil, stopping to scrape down the sides of the food processor or bowl with a rubber spatula. Add the grated cheese and pulse or stir until just blended. Add a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Serve with toasted baguette slices, cheeses, and white wine.

Red and Blue Velvet Cake

The Fourth of July is my favorite holiday, right after my birthday. Everyone knows exactly what to expect- plenty of grilled foods, cold drinks, celebration of America, no stress, no presents and best of all, fireworks. Also integral to the celebration of America's independence is Flag Cake- the cake with a replica of the flag in berries on top. Its the Christmas tree, hand turkey, Easter Bunny of the 4th. This year, I wanted to take mine one step further into Americana. Enter Red and Blue Velvet cake.

Using four (FOUR) whole tubes of food coloring, Red and Blue Velvet cake says America on the outside and YOU THINK YOU'RE PATRIOTIC? CHECK ME OUT on the inside. 

I took a traditional Red Velvet cake recipe, and divded the batter in half, one for red and one for blue. Thick cream cheese frosting rounded out the cake to be the white layer, and  hold up the berries on top. Bow down to my American-ness. 

Red and Blue Velvet Cake

Adapted from Pinch My Salt

Serves 12-16

2 1/2 cups sifted cake flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

2 Tbl cocoa powder (unsweetened)

2 oz. red food coloring

2 oz. blue food coloring

1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs, at room temperature

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature

1 tsp white vinegar

1 tsp baking soda

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour two 9-inch round cake pans.

2. Sift together the cake flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl; set aside. 

3. In a large bowl, using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about three minutes.  Beat in eggs, one at a time, then beat in vanilla, scraping down the bowl with a spatula as you go.  Add one third of the flour mixture to the butter mixture, beat well, then beat in half of the buttermilk. Beat in another third of flour mixture, then second half of buttermilk. End with the last third of the flour mixture, beat until well combined, making sure to scrape down the bowl with a spatula. Divide batter in two pans, add blue food coloring to one and red to the other. Stir throughly. 

4. Make sure you have cake pans buttered, floured, and nearby.  In a small bowl, mix vinegar and baking soda.  Yes, it will fizz and yes you have to divide the quanities.  Add to each cake batter and stir well to combine.  Working quickly, pour batter into cake pans and place them in a preheated 350 degree oven. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Check early, cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

5. Cool the cakes in their pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes. To remove the cakes from the pan, place a wire rack on top of the cake pan and invert, then gently lift the pan.  Allow cakes to cool completely before frosting. Frost with buttercream or cream cheese icing (recipe below). 

Cream Cheese Frosting

16 oz. cream cheese (2 packages), softened

1/2 cup unsalted butter (one stick), softened

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

pinch of salt

1. With an electric mixer, blend together cream cheese and butter until smooth.

  

2. Turn mixer to low speed and blend in powdered sugar, salt and vanilla extract.  Turn mixer on high and beat until light and fluffy. 

3. Use immediately or refrigerate, covered, until ready to use.  If refrigerated, the frosting will need to be brought to room temperature before using (after frosting softens up, beat with mixer until smooth).

Peach Spinach Salad

This salad is in a category of one. Call it a picky kid hangover, but I'm just not interested in any other composition of leafy greens.

An old friend and wedding-partner-in-crime served this brilliant salad one humid summer night, and life for me has never been the same. Not only is this the perfect salad, I haven't bought a bottle of dressing since. Why buy the jarred stuff, often loaded with questionable ingredients, when you can whisk up something ten times more tasty with five common ingredients?

Basic Peach Spinach Salad

Spinach
Peach
Pecan halves, toasted
Goat cheese

Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
Dijon mustard
Salt
Pepper

1. Mix the dressing: Whisk equal parts olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Add a dollop of dijon mustard, pinch of salt and several grinds of pepper. Whisk into an emulsion. The vinaigrette will keep for a day in the fridge, and then harden. It's fine to go on this way for a week, just allow it to return to room temperature and it will re-liquify.

2. Toast the pecans: heat a pan on medium-high heat for several minutes. Once hot, add the pecans and remove the pan from the heat. Allow nuts to toast for two minutes.

3. Assemble the salad: Pit and dice peach, and add to spinach. Sprinkle with pecans and crumbled goat cheese. Top with vinaigrette.

Variations:

• For the fruit component, use whatever is in season including peaches, strawberries, apples or pears
• To go fancier, dress it up with Candied Pecans instead of raw

Basics: Fresh Hummus

Another installment of our (very) occasional series on basics, staple recipes every cook should have in their arsenal.

Everyone who is anyone makes their own hummus. Sure, a tub of the prefab stuff might tide you over for lunch now and again, but once you have made your own, there's no going back.

Time to get acquainted with the wonders of dried beans: mysteriously hard litter kernels, transformed by a bath into chalky globes of goodness.

WARNING: using dried beans requires at least eight hours of lead time before you have a bowl of delicious spread in your hands. But it's so worth it. The canned will do in a pinch, but the quality of the ingredients will certainly shine through.

Fresh Hummus

1 cup of dried chickpeas (or 15 oz of canned chickpeas)
2-3 cloves of garlic
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 lemon
Pinch of salt
1 tablespoon tahini (optional)

1. Soak the chickpeas overnight or for at least eight hours.

2. In a food processor or mortar, combine garlic, olive oil, the juice from one lemon and tahini.

3. Rinse chickpeas and add to food processor. Pulse until desired level of smoothness. Add more olive oil if it seems dry.

There are a million ways to make it your own. What is your favorite variation or signature tweak?

Antipasto Fridays: Focaccia Bread

As Puddy famously pondered: why don't we have dip for dinner? And why does happy hour have to end on Friday afternoons when the sun doesn't set until 9 o'clock? In that spirit, we started Antipasto Fridays as a low-cook, snacky way to herald the coming of the weekend. This series will introduce small plate favorites during the week so it may grace your own weekend opening ceremonies.

I admit that making bread from scratch is probably outside the bounds of a no-cook Friday in the heat of summer. But the beauty of this recipe is that so many steps can be accomplished ahead of time. And the magic of pulling out a crispy round from the oven will surely impress your happy hour crew.

Lemon Focaccia
Adapted from The Kitchn

This amount of dough will yield 4 8-inch rounds. For a Friday afternoon, make a few rounds earlier in the week and save one or two in the freezer until game time.

1 envelope (2-1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast
6 tablespoons really good extra virgin olive oil
4 cups bread flour, plus more for kneading
2 teaspoons salt
Really good extra virgin olive oil
Leaves of 2-4 branches fresh rosemary, chopped
2 lemons, washed and very thinly sliced into rounds
Coarse sea salt

Earlier in the week:
1. Dissolve the yeast in 1/2 cup warm water in a medium bowl. Stir in 1-1/4 cups water and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil.

2. Pulse the flour and salt together in the bowl of a food processor [or just use a bowl]. Add the yeast mixture and process until a rough ball of dough forms, 1 minute. Briefly knead dough on a floured surface until smooth. Shape dough into a ball. Put 2 tablespoons of the oil into a large bowl. Roll dough around in bowl until coated with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm spot until it has doubled in size, about 2 hours.

3. Quarter the dough and decide how many to make now and store the rest in the freezer protected by plastic wrap. Be sure to remove any stored in the freezer 18-24 hours prior to baking. Unwrap and allow to rise in a covered bowl.

To bake:
4. Preheat the oven to 450°. Pour a thin film of oil into each 8-inch round cake pans. Using your fingertips, spread one dough ball out in each pan. The dough is elastic and will resist stretching. Let it relax for 5 minutes or so after you've stretched it as far as it will go. Eventually, it will cooperate and fill the pan. Cover the pans with damp dishcloths and let the dough rest until it has swollen in the pans a bit, 30-60 minutes.

5. Uncover the pans. Sprinkle the dough with the rosemary. Using your fingertips, poke dimples into the dough in each pan, then liberally drizzle with oil so it pools in the hollows. Arrange just the thinnest rounds of lemon on top, drizzle with more oil, and sprinkle with sea salt.

6. Bake the focaccia until golden brown, 20-30 minutes. Drizzle with more oil when you pull the focaccia from the oven. Serve cut into wedges.

Peach Icebox Cake

I picked up that gorgeous magnolia bloom, along with a metric ton of rosy Georgia peaches, at the Piedmont Park farmer's market. A quintessentially Atlanta morning.

And as the Atlanta afternoon lazily dragged out, who could be bothered to turn on the oven? It just wouldn't do. Better to leave the work to our friend, the ice box.

Peach Icebox Cake

4-5 large peaches
1-2 tablespoons brown sugar [depending on sweetness and ripeness of peaches]
cinnamon
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon confectioners sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 package sugar-free instant vanilla pudding [or custard of your choice]
Graham crackers or wafers

1. Start by turning the peaches into a syrupy compote. Peel, pit and dice the peaches, then add to a small saucepan over medium heat. Toast the peaches and add brown sugar and cinnamon to taste. After several minutes and some reduction of the juices, remove the compote from heat and allow to cool.

2. Prepare instant pudding as directed and allow to set up in the fridge. Whip cream until peaks form. Add confectioners sugar and vanilla and mix briefly.

3. Grab a deep dish and begin layering: graham crackers, pudding, compote, whipped cream, repeat. Top with a sprinkle of cinnamon and some fresh peach slices.

4. Allow to set up in the refrigerator for a minimum of two hours, though optimal timing is really closer to eight hours. It will continue to get better each day until suddenly, it's all gone!