A weekend full of food...

keeps me smiling and sane. A disappointing lunch at Statler's Taverna Banfi with Wilson couldn't get me down because I enjoyed a scrumptious dinner with Aliyah! Still on a mission for healthy eating, we made Veggie Chip Encrusted Chicken with Lemon Pistachio Sauce, Cucumber Pancakes with Tabasco Sour Cream, and Honey Roasted Plums.



Veggie Chip Encrusted Chicken with Lemon Pistachio Sauce

3/4 cup crushed veggie chips
1 Tbsp chopped parsley
1 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp paprika
1/4 cup flour
Salt & Pepper
1 egg white
2 boneless chicken breasts

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Hand toss veggie chips, parsley, garlic, and paprika together on a plate. Mix flour, salt, and pepper together in another plate. Whisk egg in a bowl. Season both sides of chicken breast salt and pepper. Dip breasts in the flour, shaking off excess. Then, dip the breasts in egg. Press each of breasts into the veggie chip mixture coating all sides. Place encrusted breasts onto a sheet pan and bake the breasts for about 20-25 minutes. Remove and let cool for about 10 minutes before slicing.

1 tsp lemon zest
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 Tbsp butter
1 tsp minced garlic
1 Tbsp chopped pistachios

Combine lemon zest and lemon juice in a small bowl. Heat skillet and melt butter. Add minced garlic and cook until fragrant. Stir in chopped pistachios and cook for 30 seconds. Pour lemon mixture into pan and let it heat for another 30 seconds. Remove from heat and serve with sliced chicken breasts.

Cucumber Pancake with Tabasco Sour Cream

1 thinly sliced cucumbers
1/4 cup thinly sliced basil leaves
1 eggs
1/3 cup flour plus 1/4 tsp baking powder
Salt & Pepper
Olive oil

Stir the zucchini, basil, eggs, flour, salt and pepper in a bowl until combined. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat and fry patties batches for 1-2 minutes each side until golden.

1 Tbsp sour cream
1 tsp Tabasco
1 tsp chopped basil

Mix sour cream, Tabasco, and basil together.

Honey Roasted Plums

1 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp sugar
3 firm plums, halved and pitted

Preheat oven to 400 degree F. Heat honey, olive oil, lemon juice and sugar over low heat. Remove from heat and add in plums to coat. Place plums face down on a baking sheet and spoon honey syrup over plums. Roast for 10 minutes and flip plums to roast for another 10 minutes.

Ugh, it's almost gone!

---

A quick dinner for one. ;p

Can you guess?

I like mine crisp on the outside and fluffy in the middle.

Scallion Pajeon

1/2 cup chopped scallions
1 Tbsp chopped basil
1/3 cup flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup water
Salt & Pepper
Olive oil

Toss scallions and basil in a medium bowl. Add in flour and baking powder and mix with hands. Beat in egg and water until fully mixed and slightly runny. Season scallion pajeon batter with salt and pepper to taste. Heat oil in skillet at medium high heat and pour in batter. Let pajeon brown and crisp before flipping to the other side and repeat.

Dipping Sauce
1 Tbsp white vinegar
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper
1/2 tsp finely chopped spring onion
1 tsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp sesame oil

Mix all ingredients together and set aside.

Balsamic Honey Plum Pastry

Tube of Croissant Pastry Dough
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp honey
2 tsp brown sugar
1 firm plum, diced
1 tsp sesame seeds
Shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Whisk balsamic vinegar, honey, and brown sugar together. Toss in diced plums to coat. Let plums marinate for at least 30 minutes. Place plum mixture on top of pastry dough and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake for 10 minutes until pastry is golden.



My belly is full. Peace.

Although my day trip to the city...

met a technical difficulty (mainly due to my incompetency at 5:30 in the freaking morning), a pamper-the-princess day panned out much better than I expected. Can't claim that I caught up on sleep, but I definitely enjoyed Cornell's rendition of the Vagina Monologues and an ad hoc baking night with some of my favorite girls. While my culinary guru of a friend at CIA was unable to taste test my treat, tonight's creation was baked with the intention of him savoring it--morsel by morsel--vicariously somehow through photographs. The cake: Matcha, Adzuki, Chocolate Cake.



Frosting the cake with homemade Matcha Cream Cheese Frosting



Decorating is always my favorite part.



The final product take one.



Matcha, Adzuki, Chocolate Cake

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup best-quality cocoa
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
2 large eggs
1 teaspoons vanilla extract
2/3 cup sour cream
1 can adzuki paste
Nilla wafers, toasted sesame seeds for decoration

For a healthier, fluffier version of this cake, substitute butter with unsweetened applesauce and fat free sour cream.

Mix flour, sugar, baking powder and soda, cocoa together. Combine softened butter, eggs, vanilla, and sour cream until smooth. Add dry mix to butter mixture until fully combined but not over mixed. Divide the batter into 2 9-inch cake pans and bake at 350 degrees F for about 20 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before inverting. Spoon pre-made red bean paste on the top of one cake and cover filling with the other cake. Spread frosting over all edges of cake. Decorate!

Matcha Cream Cheese Frosting

1 stick butter
4 oz cream cheese
1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
1 Tbsp matcha powder

Let butter come to room temperature. Beat butter and cream cheese at until creamy. Add powdered sugar and matcha powder and beat on medium speed until fully combined. (Adapted from Cupcake Bakeshop).

My group of foxy ladies chowing down on slices of this chocolatey goodness. Vicky's gorgeous smiling face, Angela slicing the cake, Aliyah's seductive look, and the very sexy Sylvia.

I'm never intentionally cruel, but I hope your mouth watered through this entire entry!

A tribute to...

Upcoming (hopefully) summer staples and warm weather calls for sweet and savory recipes focused on my favorite food group, fruits. Well, I lied--my favorite food group is a tiny niche located at the tip of the pyramid aka fat+sugar+heart attacks, but today it's all about healthy eating. On the menu for a dinner with Kathy: Roasted Pepper Stuffed Tomatoes, Tuna Cakes with Pesto Sour Cream, and Blueberry-Raspberry Tarts; the perfect, light dinner for our heavy conversation about life's little secrets.



Roasted Pepper Stuffed Tomato

2 firm tomatoes
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp parmesan cheese
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp chopped parsley
2 Tbsp diced roasted bell peppers
1/3 cup shredded mozzarella

Slice top of tomato and hollow out interior. Add some salt, flip tomato upside down and drain out excess moisture. Mix salt, breadcrumbs, olive oil, parmesan cheese, garlic, parsley and bell peppers in a bowl. Use a paper towel to seep out any remaining moisture. Spoon mixture into hollow tomato and fill with mozzarella. Bake stuffed tomatoes at 375 degrees F for 15-20 minutes.





Tuna Cakes with Pesto Sour Cream

1 6 oz can albacore tuna
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp minced shallots
1 tsp chopped parsley
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp pepper
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1 egg
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp pesto
2 Tbsp light sour cream

Mix drained tuna with garlic, shallots, parsley, paprika, and pepper until combined. Add breadcrumbs to tuna mixture until just incorporated. Beat in egg until tuna mixture is combined. Shape into patties and place in refrigerator for 15 minutes. Heat skillet to medium-high and fry tuna cakes until brown on both sides. Stir sour cream and pesto together until cream turns green. Spoon pesto sour cream over tuna cakes before serving.

Blueberry-Raspberry Tart

1/2 cup fresh blueberries
1 Tbsp raspberry jam
2 pre-made sugar tarts

Whipped Cream

1/2 cup heavy cream
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

In a medium bowl, combine the cream, sugar, and vanilla extract and beat with an electric mixer. Spoon whipped cream into tarts and add a dollop of raspberry jam. Line washed blueberries over pastry cream and serve.

New York City tomorrow! Too bad it's cold.

Despite the endless snow...

I stumbled, boots soaked in mud-slush, into the grocery store to pick up a few goods for tonight's dinner with Kathy and Jen. Today's citrus craving led to Roasted Pepper and Caramelized Onion Pizza, Salmon with Lemon Pepper Sauce, and Lemon Bars.

This is before baking. Okay, I cheated just a little with Betty Crocker's instant pizza dough, but I FORGIVE MYSELF.

Roasted Pepper and Caramelized Onion Pizza

1 package instant pizza dough
1/2 cup hot water
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried herbs
1 tsp parsley
1/2 cup sliced roasted bell peppers
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 cup sliced onions
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
Salt & pepper
1 cup skim mozzarella

Mix dried pizza dough with hot water until combined and let it set for 10 minutes. Spread the dough on a flat baking pan until desired thickness is reached using the balls of your hands. Grease top of dough with olive oil and sprinkle garlic powder, dried herbs, and parsley to cover. Heat oil on high and sautee sliced onions. Let it cook for 20 seconds before adding in sugar and balsamic vinegar. Add salt and pepper to taste and let onions caramelize until brown and soft. Add sliced roasted bell peppers and caramelized onions. Sprinkle mozzarella over the vegetables making sure to cover the edges. Bake pizza at 450 degrees F for 20-30 minutes.

Priding myself on my ghetto-college ways, I zested the lemons by thinly slicing the lemon peel and running the knife through it. No, I don't own a grater, don't judge.

Mixing the lemon pepper sauce.

Salmon with Lemon Pepper Sauce

1/3 cup light sour cream
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp honey
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp diced shallots
1 salmon fillet
1/2 lemon

Whisk together sour cream, lemon juice, lemon zest and honey. Mix together olive oil, lemon juice and shallots. Rub salmon with olive oil mixture and chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes. Bake salmon in a pan at 450 degrees F for 12 minutes. Drizzle lemon pepper sauce over salmon and place lemon wedges for garnish. (Adapted from bon appetit).



Pouring lemon filling over the crust.

Lemon Bars

Crust

1 stick unsalted butter
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup all-purpose flour

Lemon Filling

1 cup sugar
3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
3 large eggs
1 tsp lemon zest
1/2 cup lemon juice
Powder sugar for dusting

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Oil the bottom and of a baking pan (I prefer circular pans for symmetry). Combine melted butter with sugar, vanilla and salt in a medium bowl. Add the flour and mix until incorporated. The dough should be grainy and almost crumbly. Press the dough evenly on the bottom of the pan. Bake for 25 minutes until the crust is browned at the edges. Sift sugar and flour together and mix. Whisk in the eggs one at a time and add in the lemon zest and juice. Pour the filling onto the hot crust. Bake at 300 degrees F for 25-30 minutes until the filling is set. Place on a rack and cool completely in the pan. Cut into slices and dust top with powdered sugar over before serving.

We ate all of it--end of story.

If you don't love...

BRUSSELS SPROUTS (I promise to calm down) and blueberry pancakes, then we have a serious problem. Yes, these winter vegetables look like shrunken heads (of lettuce--Ian says cabbage), but they are absolutely tasty when cooked with a helping of sesame oil. In attempts to qualm my stress at Cornell, I developed a few recipes to satisfy my odd-ball cravings.



Maple Syrup Brussels Sprouts

1 Tbsp sesame oil
1 Tbsp shallots
1 pound of brussels sprouts
1/2 cup pistachios
Salt & Pepper
1 Tbsp maple syrup
1 Tbsp crème fraiche

Wash and cut Brussels sprouts into leafy bites. Heat pan and pour in sesame oil. Add shallots and stir till fragrant for about 15 seconds. Add Brussels sprouts and pistachios and toss to coat. Add in salt & pepper to taste. Drizzle in maple syrup. Plate and top with a dollop of crème fraiche before serving.

Blueberry Pancakes with Cinnamon Whipped Cream

1/2 cup fresh blueberries
1 cup pancake mix
1 cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tsp cinnamon
1 Tbsp granulated sugar
1 Tbsp maple syrup
1 Tbsp olive oil

In a small bowl, beat heavy whipping cream, cinnamon, and sugar until the cream is light and fluffy. Combine pancake mix with buttermilk and blueberries until batter has a nice, thick consistency. Heat olive oil on skillet over medium heat. Pour batter in and smooth to rounded circles. Let pancakes brown for 30 seconds and flip to the other side for another 30 seconds. Top pancakes with cinnamon whipped cream and drizzles of maple syrup.

Fact about me: I am a firm believer in homemade whipped cream; the fresh taste is just so much better, and you can whip it to any consistency you like.