Almond Cream Cheese Loaf

While browsing the web, I came across this website and it inspired me to bake my version of this bread. Stacey has very patiently separated and laid out the crescent roll dough into a neat rectangle, filling it with the most decadent filling baked this awesome cheese Danish and it looked too delicious. I had to have a tasty bite so made myself this loaf.   His photos are excellent and helped guide me through the steps of folding and filling. 

http://southernbite.com/almond-cream-cheese-danish/

Inspired by this lovely Danish I decided to take a short cut to enjoy this tasty treat so here’s my version.

Ingredients
1 loaf (1 lb) frozen bread dough or a can of bread roll
5 ounces cream cheese
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 tspn almond extract

For glaze

1/2 cup confectioners sugar
1/4 tsp almond extract
1 Tblspn white chocolate chips
2 Tblsn slivered almonds toasted
Milk a little

Method:
1. On a lightly floured surface roll the dough into a fairly thick rectangle
2. In a small bowl beat together the cream cheese, sugar and then add the egg and 1/2 tspn almond extract 
3. Spread the cream cheese mixture down the center of the rectangle bread dough and then along each side cut 1 inch thick strips.
4. starting at one end fold the strips alternatively plaiting over the filling and cover the filling well.
5. Cover and let rise for an hour in a warm place.
6. Warm the oven to 350 degrees and then brush the bread with milk.
7. Bake in the warm oven for 20-30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire rack.
8. For the glaze, first warm the chips in the microwave for a few minutes until just melted. Then add sugar, extract and milk and mix well until desired thick consistency. 
9. Drizzle over the cooled bread and sprinkle with almonds.

Slow Cooker BBQ Jack Sliders

Hello all, this is Malli and although I've handed the blog over to my lovely daughters, I dropped by to say Hi and share a few moments with you.  Hope your Spring 2017 has been filled with bright sunshine and delicious springtime dishes as it has been for me.....

My husband and I ‘ve been eating healthy these days but that doesn’t mean I don’t treat myself to the hearty feel of thick and sticky bbq sauces and fried finger food but minus the meat if possible. 

Recently,  I stumbled upon this article about jackfruit being discovered as the new meat “substitute”.  “Jackfruit”?  The name certainly suggests that it is a fruit and in the US it is available in most Asian stores covered in sticky syrup in a can. If you delve deep into some of the larger Asian stores you will find cans of young green jackfruit in brine or water. Rinse and drained, these chunks are conveniently ready for savory dishes.

The jackfruit is a very familiar fruit to all Indians since it grows in tropical climates only. It brings me memories of the spiky green fruits hanging from large trees in the backyard of my grandmother’s home. In Kerala the fruit, young jacks and seeds are all used in every which way possible sometimes for desserts, curries, mashed or seeds in thorans.  The jackfruit when ripe is soft, sweet and has a pungent smell and hence it is called ‘fruit’, whereas the ‘young’ version is firm, savory and meaty.

The firm version of this fruit has the flavor points and textures I would look for in recipes such as Mexican tacos or simple old Barbecued or shredded beef sandwiches, and can be turned into super juicy and coated in sticky sweet or spicy sauce. So I opened up my palate to a Western recipe with my Kerala favorite and it turned out so freaking scrumptious. Get ready to drool and try not to lick the screen if you canJ.  Now you probably have an idea why I had to share it with some of my vegan visitors so here it is………………….

Ingredients

1 20 oz can of young green Jackfruit in Water.

1 Tblspn Olive oil

1/2 onion sliced

3 cloves garlic

1 jalapeno sliced

¼ cup water

¾ cup BBQ sauce

 Method:

1. Rinse, drain the jackfruit well and squeeze out as much water as possible.
2. Cut the fruit cubes lengthwise into smaller pieces for the “pulled” look and then gril on a grilling pan with a pinch of salt and pepper.
3. Add olive oil to a pan and sauté the onions, garlic and jalapeno. Add salt to season.
4. When the onions are tender, add jackfruit and water to a slow cooker. Cover and continue to cook until the fruit is soft and looks like pulled pork. (maybe about 30 mins or longer)
5. When the water is completed evaporated, pour the BBQ sauce and toss. If it is too watery then place it in the oven for 10 mins to remove excess water.
6. Make sandwiches and top with coleslaw
7. I served this as slider in little buns with a side of Mango-Avocado salsa.

#348: Gnocchi with Tomatoes, Basil and Olives

An Italian comfort food inspired by a gnocchi recipe from Giada De Laurentiis, this dish has been tweaked a little to add sardines, red pepper flakes and tons of garlic to create a spicy sauce.

Ingredients:

Gnocchi:

1 russet potato, baked and cooled.

Salt and pepper to taste

1 large egg beaten(use 3 Tblspns)

¼ cup all-purpose flour

Sauce:

Sardines (boneless) - 1 can

Whole tomatoes can- 1 large

3 large cloves of garlic chopped fine

A pinch of crushed red pepper.

Basil leaves-3/4 cup

Kalamata olives-1 cup

Lemon juice and zest of 1 lemon.

Extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper to taste.

Directions:

1. Scoop out the flesh of the baked potato into a large bowl and toss the skin.
2. Mash it well with salt and pepper and add 3 tablespoons of beaten egg into it.
3. Sprinkle the flour over the potato mixture and stir well to form a dough. Knead it until smooth for 30 seconds.
4. On a lightly floured board divide the dough into 4 equal pieces and roll each one into a ½ inch thick roll. Then cut each roll into 1/2 inch pieces. Place a fork upside down on a surface and roll each I inch piece over it to create grooves.
5. Place a large pot of water on medium heat and let it come to boil. Add salt and the gnocchi and let it cook until they rise to the surface (about 1 to 2 mins).
6. For the sauce: Heat olive oil and add the garlic, chili flakes and when it sizzles add sardines and do not stir too much or sardines will crumble. Add coarsely chopped olives and lightly crushed tomatoes and let simmer. Then add salt and pepper, juice and zest of lemon and gnocchi let gently heat the sauce
7. Add pasta water if it gets too thick and when done, remove from fire and serve with torn basil and grated Parmesan (optional).

My Week In Food

monday:  homemade spicy kadai chicken

tuesday: oatmeal with chopped apples, walnuts and grapes

wednesday: tortilla soup 

thursday: mushroom goat cheese omelette with sliced tomatoes and avocado, and sausages and biscuit on the side

friday: shrimp fajitas from el paso restaurant

#347: Lemony Brussels Sprouts Salad with Pecans and Goat Cheese

So, there's rain outside and this whole week has been pretty dreary, but, to me, it still feels like spring is here!! And with it comes the influx of salad recipes (though, lets be real, I can have a good salad all-year round).  This salad is made with shaved brussel sprouts, that are softened with a nice basic lemon vinaigrette, and topped with chopped celery and pecans for extra crunch, and creamy soft goat cheese.

Lemony Brussels Sprouts Salad with Pecans and Goat Cheese

Ingredients

Juice of 1 lemon

2 oz chopped pecans

2 10 oz bags of shaved brussels sprouts

1/2 cup olive oil

salt + pepper

1 tablespoon maple syrup 

1 avocado, chopped
goat cheese  

Directions

1. Rinse and drain your shaved brussels sprouts in a colander.  Set aside. 
2. Prepare a quick lemon dressing, by whisking together the lemon juice, maple syrup (or agave or honey), salt + pepper and olive oil in a small bowl.  Set aside.  
3. In a medium sized bowl add the cleaned brussels sprouts.  Add the dressing and mix thoroughly.  
4. Add in chopped pecans and avocado.  Toss gently. 
5. Top with crumbled goat cheese and serve.  

My Week In Food

monday:  steak salad with guacamole, shredded carrot and black beans 

 tuesday: blueberry ted's tart, devil's food cake donut with toasted coconut and a yummy marshamallow fluff from ted's bulletin

wednesday:  the crispiest baked chicken with a delicious pesto sauced poured over

thursday: smoked salmon on flax toast with chia seed cream cheese and cucumbers

friday:  buffalo pork ribs with cucumber ribbons and bleu cheese sauce from the green pig bistro

My Week In Food

Monday:  An idea for your meatless Monday lunch (or snack) - sauteed greens (I just pick random ones when I'm at the Asian grocery - different flavors each time - this one had a horseradish flavored stalk) and roasted tomatoes with basil pesto and shaved parmesan on top.  

 Tuesday:  Gemelli with basil pesto, spinach and crispy prosciutto and shaved parmesan.

Wednesday:  Breakfast burrito with scrambled eggs, potatoes, onions, pork sausage and salsa.  

#346: Buffalo Cauliflower "Wings"

I have a serious addiction when it comes to buffalo wings.  I'm not overexaggerating.  It all began at VCU (my alma matar) when eachTuesday after classes we would head down to Buffalo Wild Wings for 25 cent wing night (50 cent on Thursday for the boneless - see what I mean by 'addiction').  Anyway, as poor college students this was the best cheap dinner around for me and my friends.  I was throwing on all kinds of sauces and rubs, asking the waiters to try out a whole mix.  I basically made my way through the menu.  I'm surprised I didn't put on the dreaded freshman 15 with all of that wing eating.  

Now as a 30 year old woman, I can't be downing these fried delicious wings every Tuesday, and I have to be all healthy and eat kale every now and again (I'm acting like that's a chore, but kale is so freakin good), so I was super excited when I started hearing about the buffalo cauliflower "wing" hype.  Now I'm super familiar with cauliflower rice and cauliflower mash, but I hadn't heard about cauliflower "wings."  Let me tell you, these little guys are delicious!!

Buffalo Cauliflower "Wings"

Ingredients:

1 medium head cauliflower, chopped

1/2 cup garbanzo bean flour

1/2 cup water

1 teaspoon minced garlic or garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon melted butter

2/3 cup hot sauce

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.  In a medium-sized bowl, combine flour, water, garlic  powder and salt.  Whisk together until smooth.
2. Toss cauliflower into batter, making sure to coat each piece completely, then place battered cauliflower on a lightly greased, nonstick baking sheet.  Bake for 15 minutes, flipping halfway through.
3. In the meantime, combine melted butter and hot sauce in a large bowl, stir thoroughly.  When the cauliflower is done, remove it from the oven and gently toss it in the hot sauce mixture.  Place cauliflower back on the baking sheet and cook for an additional 25 minutes until it becomes crispy.  Allow cauliflower to cool for 15 minutes before serving (with ranch or bleu cheese dressing, duh!)

After its first round of baking, the cauliflower should just be this golden.

The melted butter + hot sauce mix (gotta love that Tapatio).

Tossed in the hot sauce mixture and back on the baking sheet for the second round of baking.

Fresh out of the oven with charred edges...yum!

My Week In Food

Monday:  Spicy Tofu Burrito from Mixing Bowl for lunch.  Filled mine with kimchi, radish salad, kale, pico de gallo and gochujang.  

Tuesday: Dinner at Delihi 6 in Frederick, MD.  Samosa chaat, tandoori chicken, butter chicken and rajma chawal (rajma (kidney beans) and rice). 

Wednesday:  Kung Pao Tofu at Cheng's Asian House.  I love how well tofu takes on the flavor of the sauce it's cooked in; each bite is so delicious!

Thursday:  I have a problem...I'm hooked on Cheng's.  Went back to have Grandma's Silken Tofu with ground pork on top.  The bean sauce is super spicy in this Szechuan style dish.  Incredible!

Friday:  Afternoon tea at the Tea Cellar.  Trust me, I'm not as fancy as I let on!

DC Eats: Tea Cellar

On Sunday Rabia and I went to tea at Tea Cellar at Blue Duck Tavern.  Now, this sounds a lot more fancy than in reality it really is.  I mean don't get me wrong, the tea was amazing, but doesn't come with any kind of pretentiousness guys, in case you're thinking that!  I absolutely love tea time.  I think Rabia asked me because while I'm definitely obsessed with coffee, my love for tea knows no bounds.  I usually have a green and herbal in rotation at all times, and so does Rabia, so it only made sense we would go together. Let me just say the Tea Cellar does not disappoint.  For $45 you get two pots of tea (of your choosing) and an unlimited sweet and savory small bites buffet.  Delicious!

We started off with the Blossoming  Jasmine Tea.  So light and subtle, but absolutely perfect.  For our second pot we went with this tea that was described as "smoky," oh and that it was. It tasted a little too "liquid smokey" for mine and Rabia's taste.  Yeah, it tasted like liquid smoke.  I love that the waitress, when asked how it was, she said "it's smoky, you either like it or you don't"...super helpful, clearly.  

Since I have more of a savory tooth than sweet, I thought I'd save the best for last, but honestly after eating everything I couldn't definitively say which I liked better.  The sweet side of the tea included scones with raspberry jam and clotted cream (how British-y does that sound?!) - my first time having clotted cream, and it's like this amazingly thick delicious butter AND the raspberry jam was delicious, if it was in a jar I could sit down and eat straight out of the jar kind of like Joey in that episode of Friends where Monica made jars of homemade jam and Joey downed them like a jam crack fiend, yup that's what I'd do to this jam.  Ok, moving along...they had assorted macarons, lemon curd tart, chocolate mousse and a dark chocolate tart and mini pear cakes.  Everything was so unique and delicately prepared...really great!

The savory side of the tea held its own!  Raw oysters with a clean taste (no cream! I hate the creamy ones); deviled eggs; open faced lobster BLTs; pumpkin tartlets; and, cabbage rolls filled with chicken salad.  The cabbage rolls were mine and Rabia's favorite.  It sounds so simple, but it was really delicious.  I think I want to try my hand at making it, fingers crossed! 

Rating:  A

I'm definitely going back!

#345: Cucumber Dill Salad

The other night I made pasta for dinner.  Usually I would pair my pasta with a Greek or garden salad, but I had a ridiculous number of cucumbers in the fridge (all that juicing/I love cucumbers) and remembered a quick and easy salad I use to make when I was in high school.  I might be one of the few high schoolers that, when they were in a mood for a snack, decided to whip together a cucumber dill salad.  I mean who decides to make a salad, instead of reaching for that wonderful shiny bag of chips? Ummm, I guess, me?  And, some other weirdos out there who can't get enough of their veggies.  

Anyway, I felt like a throwback salad was necessary, and boy did this one bring back some memories, but this one was a little more healthy (subbed in some yogurt in place of all that mayo) than 16 year old me would've chosen.  I guess some things do change!  

Cucumber Dill Salad

Ingredients:

6 pickling cucumbers or 3 regular cucumbers or 2 english, diced (feel free to peel also if you like)

3 tablespoons dried dill 

2 tablespoons celery seed

4 tablespoons plain yogurt

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

2 teaspoons ground black pepper

1 teaspoon spicy brown mustard

1 tablespoon Himalayan pink salt

5 dashes of hot sauce (I prefer Tapatio or Cholula or good old Tabasco - sorry, put the Sriracha down for this one)

Directions:

1.  Prepare the salad dressing by whisking together in a medium to large bowl the  yogurt,  mayonnaise, brown mustard, hot sauce, dill and celery seed.  
2.  Add in the cucumber and stir gently to coat the diced cucumber.  
3.  Add in the black pepper and salt.  Stir one final time and you're ready to eat!