Strawberry Salmon

Sorry I devoured it before I could take a pic.

You will need:

4-5 medium fresh strawberries, coarsely chopped
2 tbsp honey
1 tsp rosemary
1 cup water

Put water in small frying pan on medium heat. Add strawberries, honey, rosemary. Boil til the berries are soft and mash. Boil for another minute or so until the mixture makes a more watery jam consistency. Lower to low heat. Fry 5-10 minutes on each side or until filet is no longer pink.

This is very simple, healthy, and delicious. Pin It

Pancakes for one

I crave pancakes all the time, but I never make 'em because I don't want to eat like 50 pancakes alone (well, sometimes I want to...). Here is a recipe for pancakes for one! It makes about three big ol' pancakes or six silver dollar pancakes.

You will need:

1/2 cup all-purpose flour (can sub whole wheat)
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp sugar (or artificial sweetener)
1 egg
1/2 cup milk (2% at least, whole milk or buttermilk is great, or the BEST is sweetened condensed milk; you an also sub 1/4 cup yogurt and 1/4 cup water if you ain't got no milkz)
1 1/2 tsp vegetable oil
1 paper towel
Butter and maple syrup if desired

Throw everything but the paper towel and the butter 'n' syrup in a bowl and mix it up.

Turn on the heat to low or medium. Put a dab of oil on the paper towel and carefully coat the inside of the pan. It's good to bunch the paper towel up so you don't burn yourself. This will make your pancakes come out smoothly and evenly...and not all vitiligo-style like they will if you use butter or cooking spray. You may need to do this between pancakes.

For silver dollar pancakes, pour three small helpings of the mix into the pan. They will stay mostly round. For thicker/larger pancakes, dump a bunch of mix in there until the desired size is met (warning, this will be harder to flip if you don't know what you're doing). Wait for a few bubbles to form on the uncooked side and then flip.

If you're substituting yogurt, you will only need two or three bubbles, but you'll also have to smoosh the pancake a little after you flip or they'll stay gooey inside.

Allow to sit until desired level of...um...golden-brownery happens.

Throw 'em on your plate.

Apply butter and syrup at will.

:D Pin It

KT's Shroomin Hot Salad

You will need:

2 tbsp olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Soy Sauce
1 large egg
Vienamese fish sauce (pictured below; substitute a sweet vinaigrette for a vegetarian version)
1 cup oyster mushrooms
1 cup baby bellas, sliced
1 cup white button mushrooms, sliced
1 package enoki mushrooms
1 handful each of the following greens:
red leaf
green leaf
red curly endive
green curly endive
spinach

In a medium skillet, heat olive oil and a dash of soy sauce. Add all mushrooms, salt and pepper. Sautee until soft. Place all greens evenly on a large plate and sprinkle with Vietnamese fish sauce. When mushrooms are done, place them on top of the bed of greens. Prepare one egg over easy and place on top of mushrooms.

When served, break yolk from egg and allow it to cover the mushrooms.

BTW, this is what fish sauce looks like.

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DOUGHLETTES: What to do with that extra crust

I'm making parsnip pie (no glaze) and I always hand make my crusts (this recipe this time...and it took forever because I don't have a huge food processor or a pastry stuffer, so I had to use a fork). Well, after laying it in the pan and trimming, I had just enough crust left over NOT to be able to make a pie with, but NOT to want to throw away. So, I did this:

Basically, I rolled the remaining dough into very thin "slices" of dough, fried 'em, and dipped 'em in cinnamon and sugar.

Prepare a plate or flat surface with a mixture of sugar and cinnamon. Measurements......I was improvising so I have no idea. Just until it looks good. Break apart the excess dough into small balls and roll each one. You'll want to roll them very thin, but not so thin they'll break. Put butter and a little salt in the frying pan and melt it. Place the doughlettes in until the bottom becomes white. Flip until the other becomes white. Flip once more to make 'em a little golden brown. Immediately place them in the cinnamon/sugar mix and flip. Set aside and let cool.

They're not like anything else I've ever eaten. The texture is like a flaky pie crust (derp because that's what it is), but you expect it to be like a cookie or a tortilla even. Anyway, it's delicious! TRY IT! Pin It

Cornbread Coffee Cake

First, let's establish that by "coffee cake," I mean cake to be eaten with coffee (although I never drink coffee), NOT cake that is coffee flavored. Moving along, I got this idea in my head because I LOVE sweet cornbread and wanted to make it more like a cake. I have no experience building recipes, so I tried to find something that sounded like what I wanted. Mostly, I stole this recipe and Katiefied it.

You will need:
Dry ingredients:
1 cup cake flour
2/3 cup yellow cornmeal
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Wet ingredients:
1 egg
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup melted butter
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup crema Mexicana
2/3 cup plain yogurt

Preheat oven to 400. Beat egg, oil, butter, vanilla until blended. Stir in yogurt and crema until you reach an even, pudding-like texture.

I DO NOT RECOMMEND MAKING THIS IN A LOAF PAN! The recipe is very "wet" and if never cooks in a loaf pan, or the edges will be brown, but the inside will still be wet. Use a muffin tin or an 8" round pan. Bake for 15-20 min.

It comes out to taste like cake, but somehow different. It's a rich, creamy texture and a vibrant yellow color. If you love cornbread, MAEK DIS AND EETZ IT! Pin It

Fried 'maters

My take on this southern favorite. Makes an excellent snack or side dish!

You will need:

Olive oil
3-4 large tomatoes (green are excellent, but red are good too)
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
salt and pepper

Slice tomatoes in about 1/4 inch slices, set aside. Combine all dry ingredients on a plate and mix until evenly distributed. Add salt and pepper at will. In a large frying pan, heat olive oil on a very low temperature. Flop the tomatoes into the breading and coat both sides. By the time you finish, the olive oil should be starting to bubble a bit. Gently place the tomatoes in the oil and fry until golden-brown. Flip and repeat.

I forgot to take a pic cuz I eated them all! Pin It

Southwest Soup

This is a delightfully spicy, rich soup that is great for cold weather. Herb ingredients aren't exact, some may be increased or decreased depending on personal taste, but unless otherwise listed, all must be used! This soup is delicious on the first day, but is SENSATIONAL on the second day. If you're the kind of person who has the patience and foresight to cook tomorrow's dinner today, by all means, you won't regret it.

This recipe can easily be made vegan by substituting Earth Balance for butter and omitting the sour cream.

1 15 oz. can of black beans OR 3.5 cups yield from dry beans
7 oz can of Herdez salsa verde
1 medium onion, diced
1/4 cup salsa (any brand, I prefer World's Best)
5 cloves garlic
1 fresh tomato, diced
1 tsp butter or Earth Balance
1 cup corn
1 1/2 tbsp cumin
1 tsp black pepper
2 tsp dry cilantro
1/2 tsp sage
1 tbsp oregano
2 tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)
1 tsp chilli
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp dill
fresh cilantro (optional)
sour cream (optional)
*salt
**any kind of starch

*The amount necessary will vary. If using canned beans, little extra salt is needed. If using yield from dry, up 2 tbsp may be needed.
**You may want to thicken the soup a bit depending on what salsa you use or if you use canned beans. The amount will vary. Be sure to stir in slowly and constantly when adding starch. A flour sifter may help as many starches tend to clump.

In a large saucepan, melt butter and sautee onions and garlic until tender, but not brown. Add salsa, tomato, salsa verde, corn, and black beans. Keep the heat on medium or low, do not let the mixture boil. Cook for five minutes, stirring occasionally. Add about 3 cups of water. Add all herbs and bring to a boil for five minutes, then lower heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes. If necessary, add starch intermittently to thicken. Garnish with cilantro. Top with sour cream. Pin It