Lessons from Andrew Zimmerman :: When it comes to crab cakes, simple is best

Having crab meat at home always feels like a little bit of a splurge to me, even though in reality it makes so much more sense to make it at home if you consider the cost benefit.  And if you make these crabcakes, your everyday dinner will turn into something a little bit more special :)  Because Andrew Zimmerman, you are right, this is the best crab cake recipe hands down. Frankly better than what I've had at some fancy restaurants.  When it comes to crabcakes, simple really is best.  There is no need for all the creams, the parsleys, and other such extra fillers.  Just binding ingredients with simple flavors so that the crab takes the main stage, squeeze a little lemon on top with a little bit of tartar sauce and you're set.

The meal was easy to make, delicious to eat - what more could you need?  Served it with rosemary roasted potatoes and some fresh veggies bagna cauda style - Cy was a happy person that day.

The Three Ingredient Salad :: Roasted Fennel & Orange Salad

We finally got some much needed rain in Los Angeles this weekend.  Even though it was only for a measly two days, it wreaked some havoc in my neighborhood with the power going out for a bit, and some trees getting knocked over from the winds.   I saw people decked out in their down coats and boots...I may have heard some snickers from east coasters...

I know spring is around the corner and the sun is already coming back out here, but when I saw this recipe from Molly Steven's cookbook All About Roasting introduced on Food52,  I knew that I had to make it.  It only requires three ingredients that I happened to have all on hand, and I love the combination of fruit in savory dishes.  The citrus is a perfect complement to the red onion and fennel and when everything is roasted together, it creates a perfect harmony of flavor that makes me think of warm meals by the fire on cold nights. And the best part - it's so easy!

Easy & Delicious Cookies :: Butter & Eggs NOT required

I really really love this cookie.  I'm a big fan of oatmeal cookies to begin with, except this one is taken to different level with the addition of carrots and a kick of ginger.  Neither Cy nor I are vegan, but the fact that it's so easy to make with absolutely no eggs and no butter only makes it that much better.  I am always amazed at the perfect consistency - the somewhat crispy outside with the super moist inside.  I love this cookie with the currants and ginger, but really you can do any combination of flavors.  White chocolate chips, cinnamon instead of ginger, the possibilities are endless.  I used a combination of almond and whole wheat flour here, but you can also use regular flour, or whatever flour that floats your boat.

It's a perfect snack for when Cy and I are craving that sweet bite :)

A Cruciferous Salad

To be honest, I've always seen and been curious about this salad at the Whole Foods Deli, but I have never actually tried it.   When I saw that there were a plethora of homemade versions out there on the interweb (the one that particularly inspired me was this one), I figured it would be a good opportunity to try making it for myself.  This is a great salad for those days you feel like "detoxing" after not eating so great ( Like me, at work...) or just a great side dish to have on hand.

I've talked about the benefits of eating raw cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, kale, etc. with all of their vitamins, fiber, and disease fighting phytochemicals before on a post.  In fact, Cy's Broccoli Salad is still one of my favorite salads, but this one is a good one to have in the arsenal.

If you notice, this recipe uses Kelp granules - a new ingredient for me.  I've always known that sea vegetables have amazing nutritional value, and they are a major part of Japanese cooking, but I didn't realize that they offer kelp in granule form - kind of like a healthier version of salt I guess, almost like furikake. You can find them in most grocery stores and read more about them here.  I think it's great that they make this so that benefits of sea veggies can be incorporated into western dishes. I will definitely be doing more posts on Japanese dishes that feature sea vegetables in the future :)

In the meantime, eat more cruciferous veggies!

Chia Seed & Coconut Pudding with Raspberry Sauce

Chia seeds are so interesting.  It's hard to imagine that something so tiny has so much energy and goodness packed into it.  There's actually a long list of benefits to consuming chia seeds, including omega-3 fatty acids, manganese, and protein just to name a few.

I'm especially interested in the fact that chia seeds have been shown to improve blood pressure in diabetics, and that they are currently being studied as a natural treatment for diabetes.  Because of its nature of turning gelatinous when mixed with fluids, they have the ability to slow down digestion helping to prevent sugar spikes in your blood, and this in turn can help fight insulin resistance as well as help lower LDL and TGL cholesterols!  

Needless to say, I'm always looking for ways to incorporate these little seeds into our diet.  Sometimes I'll sprinkle it in our morning yogurt, or throw it into whatever I happen to be baking. I've also made the Mint Cocoa Bars with Chia seeds in the past.  This particular panna cotta like dish, is one I discovered over at Le Pain Quotidien.  It tasted so creamy and delicious I knew I had to try to recreate it.  It was a happy day when I discovered that the recipe is actually incredibly simple with really only 3 ingredients, and requires almost no sugar  :)  This makes for a perfect snack or dessert when you want a little something indulgent without it actually being too indulgent, or even for breakfast!

Green Juice: Mojito style

Juicing is a trend that I think has now become a mainstay in the busy and health-conscious culture of metropolitan cities.  There's a nice convenience to knowing that if I feel like I'm not getting enough servings of veggies, I can just run to the nearest cold-pressed juicery (I think there are at least 4-5 in my neighborhood alone) and drink down my daily servings worth.   I haven't bought into the idea that the average person needs to go through a juice diet to in order to "detoxify" our bodies, but I do think that the occasional, if not daily veggie juice helps me feel like I'm doing something good for my body.

When we first bought our Omega Juicer, we were so excited we juiced pretty much every morning, but nowadays we make green juice only occasionally - when we feel like our fruit and veggie intake could use a boost.   I've posted about making homemade Honey and Vanilla Almond milk with it before, but I've been meaning to put up our green juice recipe.   We usually like to make something that's inspired by the Greenest #3 over at Juice Crafters, and I'll post that sometime in the near future, but this one which is reminiscent of a mojito with the fresh mint and lime, is another version we enjoy.

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy ♥ Day!  

V-day is interesting - it seems to bring a wide range of emotional response from people.  Anything from, "Omg I'm going to be so upset if he/she doesn't plan something for me!" to "V-day must die because it's something the commercial card industry cooked up to trying to make more moola off of me", to "I could care less".  Me, I probably lean toward the latter but would not be opposed if someone wanted to shower me with sweets and gifts ;)  In either case, I've said this before but I don't think you need a specific day to show your love and appreciation for someone you care about...that being said, I always enjoy having an excuse to make something sweet. And the excuse to make something with penguins and hearts? Even better.

Last year I made these penguin cookies for Cy, but this year I really wanted to challenge myself to the French macaron.  Definitely NOT a health food, but it's a holiday, and they're so sweet and rich, even just having one can satisfy any sweet tooth - in theory of course. There are tons of amazing food bloggers out there who seem to have perfected this finicky cookie and I am determined to get there some day.  In the meantime, despite some bumps along the way, these came out relatively well.  A shout out to miss S, my helper that day :)

I saw them on this beautiful blog and just had to recreate them, though I didn't use her recipe for the macaron.  I did plan for them to be black, but realized I bought the wrong color a little too late...oh well, at least it was still a color associated with penguins.  Remember Tuxedo Sam!?  As for the filling, I decided to go with passionfruit, because I love how the tart creaminess cuts through some of the sweetness and I had found some dehydrated passionfruit powder.  The fruit also seemed somehow appropriate for a day that's supposed to be about love.

Mint Cocoa Bars with Chia seeds

I'm usually not a big fan of most protein/snack bars.  I just don't like the way they taste.  Most of the time they taste too sweet and too artificial with the exception of a few (Cy & I both like Kind Bars).  So when I saw the recipe for this Cocoa Bar in my CSA Box I was very curious to see how they would turn out with such few ingredients. And you know what? They were delicious!  It was just the right amount of sweetness with the flavor of natural mint chocolate chip - one of my favorites {for ice cream ;)} It's a perfect bite for when you just need a little pick me up.

Now that I know you can make your own tasty snack bars with no refined sugars, the possibilities are endless! My head is swimming with thoughts of coconut shreds, dried cherries, all different kinds of nuts, and on and on...
What flavors would you make?

Zucchini Hash

A quick post today of another dish Cy & I made for the brunch last along with the Double Strawberry & Basil Tart - a Zucchini hash.
Less carbs than potatoes and can also work as a nice alternative to pancakes ;)

Best of all, it's simple to make.  Just grated zucchini, an egg, some garlic/ginger, and a little coconut flour.

{A Happy Mother's Day} Double Strawberry Basil Tart

I hope everyone had a nice Mother's day! As I become older and finding myself having to juggle more things, I realize more and more how amazing my Mom really is.  To successfully take care of her career, her home and the family is no small feat, and I can only hope to be as strong and productive some day.

 There are many amazing brunch places out here in Los Angeles, but Cy and I decided to cook brunch for my parents this year to show our appreciation - including this Double Strawberry & Basil tart that turned out amazingly well :) I made it because I really love the Double Blueberry tart recipe, and figured if it works for blueberries it must work for strawberries as well.

I made a strawberry & basil jam to spread on the bottom of the tart and simply topped it with fresh strawberries and basil - served with some vanilla creme fraiche, it's springtime in your mouth.

Almond Chiffon Roll Cake w/ Sweet Potato Cream (Gluten-free)

I'm not sure what is going on with the weather out here in Los Angeles.  It's abnormally hot one day and raining the next! Despite the strange weather, I was able to come up with this recipe, desperate to use up my sweet potatoes from this previous post.   It's a traditional roll cake with some tweaks.  Instead of whip cream, I used pureed sweet potato to make a "cream".  This would be a perfectly healthy way to frost cupcakes, spread on bread, or even to eat just as it is :)

For the cake portion, I used almond flour to make it gluten-free.  I was worried that almond flour wouldn't be able to pull off that light and fluffy consistency of a chiffon cake, but it came out great!

sweet potato "cream" : I actually miscalculated and made it too liquidy but it was still good!

This cake was surprisingly easy and quick to make so I urge you to give it a try if you're looking for a relatively healthy dessert!  The recipe itself I left very loose so that there is lots of room to play with it if you'd like :)

Black Quinoa Salad with Lemon Avocado & Pistachios

I had a huge bunch of beet greens that I wanted to use when I saw the recipe that came along with our CSA produce box, a Black Quinoa Salad with Lemon, Avocado and Pistachios by Deborah Madison and I immediately decided I would try out the recipe.  I know that lots of good things have been said about quinoa already, but it is an especially good carb for diabetics since it is digested very slowly in the body and won't spike your blood sugar.

I had never cooked with black quinoa before this so I never realized that black quinoa is much crunchier than other quinoa.  At first I thought maybe I misjudged the cooking time!  It makes for an interesting texture and the color adds aesthetic interest, but I think if I were to make this again, I'd mix the black quinoa with some of the other quinoas...it's just a little too crunchy for my personal taste.

However, the dish itself was beautiful and very easy to throw together.  I loved the dressing and it went perfectly well with all the herbs mixed into the salad.

Satsumaimo: The Japanese Sweet Potato

Wagashi is a term for Japanese confections often served with tea.  I've been wanting to make this particular rustic wagashi for sometime now.  Very simply named the  "Sweet Potato", it is of course made from the Sastumaimo, better known as the Japanese sweet potato. The Satsumaimo has a much more mild and delicate flavor than your usual yam or sweet potato and is easily a favorite in Japan.  During autumn months, you can find Satsumaimo flavored everything over there from Soft-serve ice creams to chocolates.  

There is something very comforting about the satsumaimo for me - like coming home.  Maybe because it never fails to make me think of my sis as it was a favorite of hers growing up.   Even now, I associate this maroon colored potato with my her just as I associate penguins with Cy ;)

The naturally sweet nutrient-packed veggie lends itself well as a dessert ingredient.  And this simple to make recipe makes for the perfect healthy sweet bite when you need a little tea or coffee break. 

Quick Carrot & Enoki Salad

I've never been a huge lover of carrots growing up.  Sure I could eat the baby carrot here and there or have it as part of another dish, but I would never choose to seek out a carrot dish unless it was carrot cake (Hmm maybe that's why my eyesight is so terrible...)  But since we started juicing and we made our first carrot juice, I finally understood the appeal of carrots.  I suddenly crave the sweet crunchy goodness of raw carrots from time to time and this quick and easy side salad is the perfect solution.

This two ingredient salad only takes a few minutes to prepare (especially if you own a mandolin), keeps well in the fridge and tastes great chilled - so perfect now that the days are becoming warmer. 

Honey & Vanilla Almond Milk

There have been plenty of cold-pressed juice places popping up all over the place this past year and our neighborhood is no exception.  We have a Juice Crafters within walking distance from our place and they have slowly converted us into juice drinkers.  Considering how pricey each of those drinks are, we finally broke down and bought a juicer to make our own.

I'm not going to lie, we ♥ our juicer.
I think we pretty much make some sort of juice (usually green) every day now.  I'm not sure if we would ever be able to do a hardcore juice cleanse or anything like that - we love solid food a little too much for that, but it does feel good to add another source of fresh fruits and veggies into our diet.

We usually make a green juice in the mornings (I will definitely post this sometime), but I wanted to try making almond milk.  And though it does require some prep work, I thought that the resulting drink was super fresh and delicious and well worth the effort.


There are many ways to make almond milk, but since we had a juicer, we used this method.

After soaking the almonds overnight, I don't know how necessary it was to actually peel the almonds but it was much easier to do than I expected.  Cy and I together finished this process in about 5min.  The skin literally pops out...kind of fun ;)

{Honey & Vanilla Almond Milk}

Ingredients:

1cup Almonds 

3cups water

2 pitted dates

1tsp vanilla extract

1tbsp honey

Directions:

1.  Soak almonds in the water overnight or at least 8hrs.

2.  Drain the almonds, reserving the liquid.

3.  Add just enough boiling water over the almonds and leave for a few minutes.

4.  Drain the hot water and rub the almonds in between fingers (the skin should pop off).

5.  Add the almonds and reserved water into your juicer along with the pitted dates.

6.  Strain the milk through a cheesecloth.

7.  Add vanilla and honey to your resulting milk, mix well and enjoy :)

*You may be able to get away with skipping steps 3&4 if you are pressed for time.

* If you don't mind a little bit (and I mean really little) of fine almond granules in the milk you can skip           step 6 also. (We actually did not bother to strain it).

*You can adjust the amount of water and honey to make the milk "creamier" or sweeter according to your own taste.

This is the pulp I was left with...I may have to try using it as "almond flour" though I guess most of the nutrients would be gone?  I'm not certain. If anyone has any good ideas what to do with the pulp aside from composting, please feel free to suggest!

{Domo Cookies} A Happy Birthday to a Friend

Today is my good friend J's Bday up in NoCal. So just wanted to give a shout out to her - Happy Happy Birthday!

I baked these Domo shortbread cookies with a friend this weekend and if J was in LA, I would've shared them with her.  The  Grrh I-will-eat-you-up-if-you-mess-with-me-expression of Domo somehow reminds me of her (I say this with ♥!)  

I know that my last post was for shortbread cookies too, and I know that they are not exactly the healthiest treats in the world, but these were just way too cute.  Thanks to this site i felt very inspired to make them and share them with you.  I promise I will get back to my healthier posts soon!

{Penguin Icebox Cookies} for a Happy Valentine's

Valentine's day is a silly holiday really - you shouldn't need a specific day to show your love and appreciation for someone.  Having said that however, it always makes for a very good excuse to bake cookies and decorate with lots of ♥s ;)

Last year, I made some strawberry & banana muffins (decorated with ♥s of course) but this year, I happened to see these - so perfect for Cy!  It's not exactly healthy...but it was too cute to pass up! I played with the recipe a little bit, swapping some of the flour for almond flour and some of the sugar with truvia to try to cut down on the sweetness for Cy.  I'm not going to post the recipe since it's available on the link, but if you want to know what substitutions I made, feel free to email!

I know I haven't posted in awhile, but I will get back to posting more regularly again soon!

{Caramelized!} Caramelized Black Pepper Chicken & Caramelized Broccoli

These two dishes are from Food & Wine's Best Fast Recipes list.  A very helpful list on those days you want to whip up something delicious without slaving away in the kitchen.  Both use the process of caramelization to bring out the flavor of the ingredients...so there's no way it could taste bad! {unless you burn it of course ;) }

Both recipes are simple, but extremely flavorful, and has gotten the thumbs up sign from Cy.  Our good friend M proclaimed that he could get hooked on this dish.  So I hope you guys get a chance to try making the dish!

Apple Frangipane Tartelettes

Fall is almost here...even if it's been almost hundred degree weather out here in Los Angeles.  In either case, I decided to make some apple tartlettes since apples make me think of fall even though they are pretty much available all year around out here. Frangipane is one of my favorite fillings in a tart, and a perfect complement to most fruit, but best of all to the humble apple.  

This recipe, inspired by the Joy of Baking website, does use some sugar, but I tried to keep it very minimal so that Cy can enjoy some too without too much guilt involved.