Kale and Carrot Salad with Spicy Peanut Dressing

*Pictured with chicken, served over quinoa.

Happy July 21st! After a few months off, a graduation (or two!), and plenty of rejuvenating life transitions, I'm back with new creations to share.  Cheers to doing the things you love, with the people who boost your smile, even on the ordinary Mondays.

Here's a fresh, savory recipe for a new spin on your salad tonight. Enjoy!

Ingredients: 

2 bunches of kale, de-stemmed

3 large carrots, peeled

1/4 cup sesame seeds

3 tbsp chunky peanut butter

1 tbsp Sriracha 

1/2 tsp freshly grated ginger

2 garlic cloves, crushed

3 tbsp almond milk, unsweetened

1/2 tbsp sesame oil

1/2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tbsp rice vinegar

Directions: Serves 3-4

1. Chop the kale into bite-size strips, about 4 inches in length. 

2. Using your peeler, take your already-peeled carrots, and continue to shave strips off the sides. You should end up with about 3 cups of carrot shavings. 

3. Whisk together the peanut butter, Sriracha, ginger, garlic, almond milk, oils, and rice vinegar.

4. In a large bowl, toss together the kale, carrots, and spicy peanut dressing. Top with sesame seeds and toss again. 

*Option to add chicken: 2 chicken breasts, washed

- Double the ingredients in step number 3, making two servings of dressing.

- Slice chicken into strips.

- Bring 1 tbsp of oil to a simmer in a sauce pan.

- Begin to cook chicken until meat starts to turn white, stirring continuously with wooden spatula.

- Add dressing to the pan and coat chicken. 

- Heat until meat is cooked through and add to salad.

Butternut Squash and Lentil Stew

It's finally warmer in New Jersey than it is in the North Pole, so that calls for a celebration. And what better way to celebrate than with a winter crockpot creation (...I always say)! I was craving a warm bowl of "home", as I prepare to go back to school, and therefore a much smaller kitchen, and my crockpot delivered. I made this vegetarian stew with butternut squash, but kabocha or delicata squash would work well too. It's a simple recipe, and you'll find that the longer the ingredients sit together, the more the flavors will pop. This makes it a great leftover recipe, so you can stay warm all week!

Ingredients:

20oz. butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and diced

1 large yellow onion, chopped

2 large carrots, peeled and sliced

2 cups dry red lentils

8 cups vegetable broth

4 tbsp tomato paste

1 tbsp ground ginger

2 tbsp ground cumin

1 tbsp chilli powder

1 tsp salt

Directions: Serves 6

1. Combine all ingredients in a slow-cooker.
2. Cook on high for 5 1/2 - 6 hours. Stir occasionally. Feel free to taste/smell and add seasonings to your liking.
3. Tada- Scoop yourself a bowl of home!

Vegan Cinnamon Apple Muffins

This is my first attempt at a vegan recipe! We were also out of eggs, so going vegan seemed like a really good option today. These tasty vegan breakfast bites are perfect for the -5 degree mornings when you wish you indulged your teenage self and stayed in bed until noon (or the afternoons when you actually did.) Dive into one of these and you're in for the perfect storm- a moist, sweet swirl of cinnamon against the tang of a juicy Mcintosh apple. Put them together and you're armed to start the day with a smile!

Ingredients:

Muffins:

Cooking Spray

1 1/2 cups baking flour (of your choice)

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1 3/4 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

pinch of apple pie spice

1/3 cup + 3 tbsp unsweetened applesauce

1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk 

3 tbsp walnut oil (or canola oil)

2 small Mcintosh apples, peeled and grated

Topping:

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

2 tbsp. cold earth balance spread

1/2 cup quick-cooking oats

1 tbsp. flour (of your choice)

Directions: Yields 12 Muffins

1. In large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, and apple pie spice.

2. In a smaller separate bowl, whisk together the applesauce, oil, and milk until just combined.

3. Add wet ingredients to the dry, and mix with wooden spoon until just combined. Add in the grated apple. 

4. Grease a 12-muffin pan with cooking spray. Fill each cup halfway with batter.

5. For the topping, combine the brown sugar and flour. Cut in the butter until the mixture appears crumbly, then add in the oats. Sprinkle each muffin cup with this topping.

6. Bake at 350 degrees for 16-18 minutes. Allow to cool, and then enjoy! 

Lemon Lavender Shortbreads

This time last year I was getting ready to go to London (and by getting ready, I really mean staring at my empty suitcase, choosing to do anything but pack, and avoiding my swallowed fear of living in a foreign country at all costs). Looking back on the four months that changed my life, I don't know what I was so nervous about, and often find myself daydreaming about strolling those streets of London. I love that December is often a month full of reminiscing, and I found this recipe incredibly nostalgic. The lemon-lavender aroma that filled my kitchen warmed my heart full of London memories. For those of you who've been to London, you'll taste what I mean. For those of you who haven't, let me royally enlighten your tastebuds. For those of you about to go, stop pulling your hair out over the money you'll be spending, curl up with a cup of tea and one of these, and daydream with me. Cheerio! 

Ingredients:

Cooking Spray

3 1/2 cups baking flour

1 tsp kosher salt

3 tbsp cornstarch

1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1 tbsp lemon zest

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbsp dried lavender (*Note: This can be difficult to find, but do not substitute with bath lavender, or decorative lavender plant. Neither of these are edible! I found it at both Fresh Market and Fairway Market in their spice sections.)

Directions: Makes 42 shortbreads

1. Grease a 9x13 in. baking pan with cooking spray and set aside. 

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and cornstarch until combined.

3. In a large bowl, beat the butter and confectioner's sugar until smooth (2-3 minutes). Add the lemon zest, vanilla, and lavender and beat until blended and aromatic. Then, add the dry ingredients to this bowl, and beat on low until the dough forms moist clumps. 

4. Transfer the dough to the greased baking pan. Lightly flour your fingers to avoid sticking, and press the dough into the pan until it forms a single, even layer.

5. Using a paring knife, cut the dough into 1x2.5inch bars. Then, pierce each bar with a fork, twice, on the diagonal. 

6. Transfer pan to the refrigerator for 10 minutes, while the oven preheats to 325F. 

7. Once the dough sets and the oven preheats, bake the shortbread for 28-32 minutes, or until the top looks dry and very light brown. 

8. After baking, let sit for 5 minutes to cool in the pan. Then, remove the bars carefully according to your original cuts. You may have to go over the perforations a second time. Remove individual bars and let cool on a cooling rack. 

9. Make a pot of tea to accompany your lemon-lavender shortbreads and enjoy!

Salted Pumpkin Chocolate Chunk Cookies

These cookies put on quite the show tonight. They really deserve an Oscar nod for their outstanding performance as best actors in the lead role of our kitchen tonight. I doubt that anything I write will ever do these cookies justice. Just make them. Promise me? I'm speechless...

...Okay, not quite speechless. If you've ever been to Brussels, Belgium, you know that every other storefront is a chocolate shop. Traveling with my fellow foodies Ariella and Katie, we undeniably went into every single chocolate store in the entire city, multiple times, and tried all of their free samples, multiple times. And then the next day, we did it all over again. Towards the end of our second chocolate adventure day, we were craving something so unbelievably salty, I probably would have opted to take a drinking straw to the Atlantic Ocean. And then...we found frites: a paper cone full of piping hot french fries, topped with a spicy mayo so messy and delicious, we had plenty of leftovers on our fingers long after the frites were gone. That salty, heavenly cone was the sensational refresher we needed to recharge our Belgian candy holiday. Now, after a week of hard work and a busy weekend of play, these cookies have completely refreshed my palate for the week ahead. I'm ready for you, October!

Ingredients

1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup white granulated sugar
1 stick butter, soft
2 tbsp dark corn syrup
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1 1/2 cups flour (of your choice)
1/2 tbsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

2 cups chocolate chunks
Sea salt for topping

Directions: Makes 10-15 cookies, depending on size

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Add brown sugar, white sugar, and butter to a medium mixing bowl. Beat with a mixer until light and fluffy.
3. Add the egg, vanilla, pumpkin puree, and corn syrup to the mix and combine.
4. Add the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt, and beat until all the ingredients have combined. Then fold in the chocolate chunks with a wooden spoon.
5. On a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, use an ice scream scoop to place dough, a few inches apart. You can alter the size of the cookies to however you like, but they do spread a little while baking.  Top each cookie with a pinch of sea salt.
6. Bake for 12-15 minutes, for medium sized cookies (15-17 for large, 10-12 for smaller). Let cool on the baking sheet for 3-5 minutes, and then transfer to a cooling rack. Once completely cooled (or if you're like me, still ooey-gooey and warm!), let your tastebuds feel the magic that is this cookie experience. You better enjoy!

...My roommates can barely handle their first tastes...

Sweet Potato Lentil Soup

It's officially my favorite time of year. If fall is not your favorite season, and the autumn chills leave you aching for summer, get cooking! If you're not a self-proclaimed chef, fall is the perfect time to start your journey. It's a season full of colorful, rustic flavors just ready for you to set free! 


Sweet potatoes are on my list of favorite fall staples. Here is a simple recipe for sweet potato lentil soup, perfect for a chilly september night. 











Ingredients:
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
4 celery stalks, sliced
4 large carrots, sliced
1 cup pearl barley, dry
1 cup lentils, dry
48 oz. vegetable stock
1 15oz. can diced tomatoes
1 large onion, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1tsp rosemary leaves
2 tsp dried thyme
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp cracked peppercorn
2 tsp salt
1 bay leaf

Directions: Serves 6-7
1. Combine all ingredients in a crockpot or slow cooker of your choice, and cook on high for 5 hours, or until vegetables are cooked through. Grab a bowl, light a candle, and enjoy!

Yum! Avery can't wait to dive into fall!

Peanutty Tofu Wraps

If tofu isn't normally your thing, this wrap might change your mind. First of all, peanuts and tofu tend to go together like spaghetti and meatballs, or like Max Grossman and Face-in-a-hole. Second of all, peanut butter has a way of making everything taste like candy. This tofu is tossed in a spicy peanut sauce that is so tasty, don't be surprised if your tastebuds beg for seconds!

Ingredients:

Filling:

1/3 cup quinoa, cooked

2 cups chopped broccoli 

1/2 cup shredded carrots

1 16oz. package extra firm tofu, drained, cut into small cubes

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

Sauce:

1/2 cup Organic Powdered Peanut Butter

1/3 cup warm tap water

2 tablespoons sesame oil

2 teaspoons rice vinegar

1/4 cup soy sauce

2 teaspoons sriracha sauce

1 tablespoon ginger

3 tablespoons your favorite Thai Peanut Sauce

*4-5 flat tortillas of your choice

Directions: Serves 4-5

1. Cook the quinoa as the package instructs. Meanwhile, boil the broccoli in a saucepan of boiling water. When broccoli is cooked, remove the pan from heat and add the shredded carrots to the pan (still in the hot water). When you are ready to add this to the tofu skillet, drain the vegetables first.

2. In a medium skillet, heat 1 tbsp of sesame oil. When the oil starts to shimmer, add the tofu. Cook the tofu cubes until lightly browned on all sides.

3. Meanwhile to make the sauce: In a small bowl, combine powdered peanut butter with warm tap water, and stir until thickened. Then add the rest of the ingredients and combine until smooth.

4. Add drained broccoli and shredded carrots, and cooked quinoa to the skillet. Coat in the peanut sauce, and stir for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.

5. Arrange about 1/2 cup of the tofu mix in the center of a flat tortilla. Roll up and dig in!

Tony Award winner Max Grossman gives this recipe a thumbs up!