Alley's Recipe Book: spring

Showing posts with label spring. Show all posts

Nutella Raspberry Tart with Wholly Wholesome

Despite my reputation at work, I actually don't bake that often. Baking from scratch requires quite a few ingredients and I hate going to the grocery store for just one or two items (even though I can walk to it). So when Wholly Wholesome asked me to review their products, I gravitated toward the premade pie crusts since I have had those tarts from Europe in my thoughts (chocolate tarts in Rome and raspberry tarts in Paris).

Wholly Wholesome is a all natural, organic baked goods brand. Many of their products are also gluten-free. As such, they are normally in your grocer's freezer section which is great because you can always have some pie crusts or pizza dough stocked up and just pull it out of the freezer the night before. You can find Wholly Wholesome in Whole Foods, select Kroger stores, and many other organic grocers (use their store locator).

So this tart... using a pie crust... it is sooo easy! Only five ingredients! Starting with your Wholly Wholesome flaky pie crust, which is perfectly buttery. Then the Nutella ganache... yes, Nutella ganache... drool! Topped with juicy raspberries which are $0.99 at Kroger so I bought all of them. :) Totally rich and dreamy... and barely any work at all (thanks to Wholly Wholesome). You have to try this recipe!

We're prepping for our vacation in Europe and I'm so excited! Things are finally coming together after years of saying we would go and finding excuses to put it off another year. So now that the flights are booked and we're landing the plane on some other decisions (including getting our tickets to London Fashion Week!), some times I try to start our vacation a little early with some classic french foods.

I'm normally a pancakes and eggs kind of girl on the weekends, but I swapped out my pancakes for a little french crepe. It felt especially french since there wasn't a single word of english on the packaging! I've tried making my own crepes before, after all, the batter is really just thinned down pancake mix (for the most part, I won't say that in Paris, I promise). When I tried making them, they always fell apart. It's hard to get something that thin and delicate!

After a couple times making crepes in the morning, I like them two ways... cold and warmed up. The pictures and steps below are for the cold version using yogurt. For the warmed up melty version, take the crepes, carefully spread peanut butter thinly across, then add slide bananas on one half... fold it in half twice and heat them in a pan on medium-low heat for a minute or two each side. The heat crisps up the crepe for some textured crunch and warms the peanut butter to be gooey inside. Perfect!

The cold version is just as good! The main difference is toasting up the crepe first to avoid warming the yogurt. Nice and creamy.

Eggs are a great source of protein for vegetarians and omnivores alike. There have been many studies and reports that go back and forth on whether eggs are healthy for you or not. Some say that they are high in cholesterol and that people shouldn't eat more that one or two a week. Others says it's the ultimate health food and should even be consumed raw. I like to think reality is somewhere in between knowing that eggs are low fat, high protein, have dietary sulfur (great for you hair and nails), and the yolks have carotenoids (similar to carrots). I also love eggs... so at this point of being meat-free for around 40 days now... we have gone through quite a few eggs!

With Easter coming up, eggs are center stage. You may be hard boiling some right now to dye different colors. Or you could be filling a bunch of colorful plastic versions with candy in the next few days. Eggs are a symbolic message of rebirth, so the iconic Easter egg completely makes sense.

Celebrate Easter with this quick, delicious brunch. Perfect timing for asparagus which are at their peak right now and the buttery, runny yolk over top... just delicious! We actually had this dish for dinner, it is quite filling with a side dish of crispy roast potatoes. It's minimal ingredients and cooks quickly, the slowest part is that you can only poach one egg at a time, but they only take a minute or two. :)

Happy first day of Spring! After a super long winter, man, am I glad it's Spring. The first flowers are starting to bloom. We can see hints of green everywhere. Time to open the windows and let the fresh air and sunshine in!

In honor of Spring starting today, I'm cooking up a quick springtime veggie pasta. Super quick, creamy, crunchy... perfect for when it's still a little cold outside and you want something comforting but sorta light too. Asparagus, the poster child of Spring veggies, is the star in this dish. I used to be afraid to try it... it kind of looks funny and everyone says it makes things smell funny... but now I love it. And asparagus season is over in a flash, so eat it up while you can!

The other thing about this dish is the toasted garlic panko breadcrumbs. Man, have I missed out by not toasting these in the past. This ought to be a requirement in any dish with panko! And it only takes a few minutes... while your prepping other things... so it adds zero time at all. Definitely worth it!

I'm not a vegan or even vegetarian, but I have attempted both. I have great respect for people who strictly follow a veg way of life because I am still constantly amazed with seemingly vegetarian foods not being vegetarian at all!

One time I was buying some packaged fresh mozzarella and noticed the container said 'vegetarian' on it. That's odd, of course cheese is vegetarian, it isn't meat... that is a pretty hard line definition there. Then I found out how cheese is made. It's surprising to me that even though we have plant-based enzymes that can culture cheese the same way as animal-based enzymes, most cheeses are not technically vegetarian. That's an annoying technicality I usually overlook myself, but if I notice the label says vegetarian, I'm more likely to buy it.

Another thing is gelatin, which is used in so many things that seem vegetarian like jello, fruit snacks, jams/jellies, marshmallows, mints, and more. With the press around omega-3s over the past decade or so, food manufacturers have been adding fish oil to things like orange juice, breads, and vitamins. And my most recent discovery (and reason for this rant) is caesar dressing includes anchovies!? Seriously!?!

Well, the easy solution for me was to swap in buttermilk ranch dressing into my 'caesar' salad instead (I like it better any way). But that's not all! Grilling your romaine adds a little crunch and a bit of sweet smokiness. And then making your own croutons means you're in control of the flavor. Altogether, this makes one awesome salad that is totally satisfying by itself or as a side.

I've said it several times and I'll say it again, spinach artichoke dip is my favorite appetizer! Have you seen the new Miracle Whip commercial? If you're going to bring the artichoke dip... bring the artichoke dip. Haha! Love it!

I don't know that I have ever had mayo in my spin dip though. I always use cream cheese. But in the case of this awesome sandwich, I used gouda... mmm... gouda.

Wasn't really sure whether to call this guy a panini or a grilled cheese, they're kind of the same thing. I use all my grilled cheese tips to make the sandwich, but 'panini' has a classier sound for this fancy grilled cheese sandwich. If you love spin dip, you have to try this out. It's super quick and easy. Perfect for lunch or a quick dinner with a soup or salad!

Happy Independence Day! I hope you have time for a "lazy weekend" breakfast or brunch before running off to parades and fireworks. While this breakfast has nothing to do with anything red, white, and blue (like a strawberry and blueberry parfait), it is great to just sit down and really enjoy breakfast with the family without rushing around worrying about being late for something.

This breakfast will leave you feeling full without weighing you down. It is savory with a touch of bacon (easily omitted to make vegetarian). And it is really easy! I love frittatas for feeding multiple people in the mornings. It is like cooking individual omlettes for everyone in one pan all at once. I also like frittatas for dinner because cold cereal for breakfast every morning really just doesn't do it for me and some times the only time you can get a real breakfast in is when the sun is going down.

Beets... some people love them, some people hate them. I guess I'm not really on either side. Although I do not like beets from a can, all mushy and gross. I ordered a sandwich with these canned beets on it while on vacay in San Fran... made me never want to try beets again. But then last year I got them in my CSA order... they were yellow though. I tried making a roasted beet soup with them... I must not have cooked them quite right. It reminded me of baby food... gross.

Not long after the soup fiasco, I was standing in line with my friend... actually, I don't remember what we were waiting for... but I do remember the people in front of us. This guy in front of us was talking to another guy about how kids do not eat their vegetables and that one day people will not remember what beets are. This struck me as kind of funny. First, this man was not much older than us to be having one of those "when I was your age" moments. Second, my friend I was with happens to love vegetables (including beets), she also has a passion for cooking. And third, how does one just forget a vegetable? I guess we have lost many varieties from core vegetables and fruits, but they all still exist, right? Losing a variety of apples does not make everyone forget apples still exist.

So, with anything, I always give it three strikes before ruling it out and beets only had two against it (neither were their fault). I have always wanted to make my own ravioli and I saw something on Pinterest about colored pasta dough (the recipe used food coloring, but mentioned you could use beets). Again, they came in my CSA delivery... this time they were traditional red. ** You need some time to make this between roasting and cooling and kneading and cooling the dough, but really the recipe is quite simple. **

I love breakfast foods, love. Savory or sweet. Morning or night. I am down for some pancakes, eggs, breakfast sandwiches, muffins, doughnuts, hash browns... okay, I am getting hungry again. So I have been planning on making a quiche for a while now. But after my husband kept calling frittatas "egg pies" that making quiche for dinner might seal the deal on no more breakfast for dinner. (I got him to admit that frittatas are more like omlettes cut like a pizza, not a pie.)

Thankfully, he liked it. So I will continue to sneak breakfast for dinner meals into our menus!

So you could make one big quiche or little ones in a muffin pan. The little ones are definitely cuter... but I couldn't stop eating them! Just one more... ha! The crust if flaky, the egg is fluffy, and the spinach and feta are savory. Yum! It kind of just melts in your mouth. Also with the mini sized ones... forks are not required... just three bites and you'll be looking for the next one.

When I was doing my 40 Day Vegetarian Challenge I had some tofu lettuce wraps when we went out to eat for my birthday and Valentine's Day. I have been meaning to replicate the dish for a while now. After getting some beautiful green leaf lettuce in my CSA delivery, I decided this week was the week to try!

I don't know what it is about tofu... everyone seems scared of it! It's just soybeans! I know I pop soybeans like candy at sushi restaurants as edamame. And soy is used in so many of our everyday food items as a thickening agent or for added protein. But even knowing all of this, I was a little nervous about cooking it myself. I know tofu can be delicious, but I figured it took years of trial and error to be good at cooking tofu. Turns out, you just need to get it in a pan and it is hard to go wrong!

So I knew for these lettuce wraps, I wanted soy sauce to flavor the tofu, but that would not be enough. Add some broccoli and cashews and you really got something. Your carnivores and tofu haters will forget this meal doesn't have meat because they will be gobbling these Asian tacos too quickly to remember!

One of the great things about joining a CSA is you get to try new vegetables that you would not normally pick up from the grocery store. Well, you can usually customize your delivery, so you don't actually have to try new things... but you never know if your favorite vegetable or meal is out there somewhere and you just haven't tried it yet!

Our first year we tried kohlrabi which is kind of a cross between cabbage and a potato. They were good roasted or in a cole slaw type salad. Last year we tried beets. I have had beets before, but they are always already cooked and usually pretty slimy, so I have never been a big fan. I tried making beet soup last year, it didn't really turn out well (and obviously never made it to the blog) so I am giving them another shot this week. This year we go bok choy for the first time (also known as chinese cabbage)...

After a little research, most of the recipes I found were Asian influences, which wasn't surprising considering its second name. With a little customization, I thought this dish was quite tasty! I love cooking with sesame oil, it gives everything such great flavor. And cashews... yum! Love cashews and they give this dish a nice crunch. The bok choy tastes very similar to cabbage with a slight bitterness and a bit of crunch itself.

Our CSA deliveries started last week and I can't explain how exciting it is to get a cooler full of produce that was just in farm fields the day before. The only thing more satisfying to eat is something you grew yourself. Now that we have our CSA deliveries, Green BEAN deliveries, and a garden out back my trips to the grocery store are so quick and only require one bag!

Speaking of our garden... if anyone knows how to get rid of aphids... they seem to be taking over everything! I have never noticed them on my plants outside before. Now they have taken over some bushes and a few tomato plants. Need to get them under control before they do any damage!

Alright, no more talking about bugs... It is still Spring time even if it is starting to feel like Summer outside. We got asparagus, spinach, and green onions in our CSA bin this week, so I made some springtime pizza! Such a simple idea with fresh flavors. It tasted great right out of the oven... and cold for breakfast this morning. ;)

When I found the local produce options on my Green Bean delivery account, the only thing available was asparagus... so of course I got some for my bin. Something about Spring makes me want to cook asparagus all of the time! There are other vegetables in season, but asparagus has such a short window that you want to savor the moment as often as possible before the tender stalks become tough and woody.

I was planning to make this frittata last week (since I had it on my menu plan)... but my husband vetoed it calling it 'egg pie'. That's okay, more for me, because he really missed out on this one! While a frittata is kind of like an omelet... maybe it is the roasted asparagus or the broiled finish, but it is so much better.

All-time best appetizer has to be spinach artichoke dip! I don't know anyone that doesn't like it. If it is on the menu, we're getting it. And when we make it at home, its a hundred times better than from a can. Even though it is full of cream cheese, it is also loaded with a bunch of good stuff... spinach, artichokes (duh, it is in the name), garlic, spices... yum! It's so easy to make too!

Earth Day is April 22nd. Do you do anything to celebrate? Some people plant a tree (well, they might do that on Arbor Day which is April 26), others spend time outside (which is a win-win since you don't have to use electricity to enjoy the outdoors), or maybe commit to reducing, reusing, and recycling more. I don't really do anything special on Earth Day... really, we should be thinking about the Earth and celebrating it everyday. But this year I made Earth Day muffins!

I actually saw a similar idea for this on Pinterest, although it was a cake with a lot of food coloring. I thought maybe I could muffins with some natural coloring... but I couldn't get to a true blue or a true green without a little help. The concept is pretty easy... start with a basic muffin batter, separate, add in your blue and green fruits and dyes, then plop alternating spoonfuls of muffin batter into muffin cups. They end up looking so cute! Perfect for Earth Day, but could be made any time!

In the mood for the ultimate comfort food? I certain am. The calendar says it is Spring, but the weather says otherwise. Everyone is tired of the cold at this point. Even people who love winter. So this pot pie is a great way to warm the soul while we wait for Spring to really get here (and hopefully the Spring flowers survive through the dustings of snow).

You know it is asparagus season when there are two recipes posted in one week with the vegetable as the star ingredient! To get the best tasting asparagus, look for very green, slender stalks. The thicker the stalk the more woody the taste. And the less green the asparagus is means the less sun, the less photosynthesis happened, and the less nutrients. So steer clear of the unique looking white asparagus, the traditional colored ones, or purple if you can find it, are packed with more fiber, folate, and vitamins!

20 asparagus stalks
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp butter
28 oz vegetable broth
1 tbsp lemon juice
.5 cup cream
salt and pepper
2 eggs
toast for dipping

1. Melt butter in large pot over medium heat. Saute garlic and onions for about three minutes. Remove woody ends from asparagus and chop into one inch pieces. Add asparagus and continue to saute for another two minutes.
2. Add vegetable broth, lemon juice, salt, and pepper to pot, bring to a boil, and simmer for 20 minutes.
3. Remove soup from heat and allow to cool for a few minutes. Transfer portions of soup into blender or food processor. Pulse soup until smooth. Repeat until entire soup has been blended. Return soup to pot and pot to stove. Heat on low heat to bring soup back up to temperature. Add cream.
4. Poach egg for instructions, click here and toast bread.

Asparagus Ricotta Tart - total time 45 minutes

Spring hasn't officially started yet, but it is certainly starting to feel like Spring (or at least I am ready for it to feel like Spring). My snowdrops and crocus are starting to bloom. Daffodils and tulips were actually trying to come up all winter (except when they were buried under snow for a while), but they are growing leaps and bounds now. I can see the glimmer of yellow petals ready to emerge (daffodils are my favorite flowers and I have hundreds planted). Along with all these spring flowers come asparagus spears also sprouting up in the garden.
While asparagus is definitely delicious on its own either steamed or sauteed in butter, this little tart has a flaky crust, creamy center, and the asparagus and lemon flavor taste like springtime.
20 asparagus stalks
1 cup ricotta
1 sheet puff pastry, thawed
.25 cup parm
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 egg
.25 cup cream
salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll out puff pastry into tart pan (if you don't have one, use a parchment-lined baking sheet like I did). If you have pie weights, spread them over the puff pastry to keep it from puffing. Otherwise, place a dish on top of the pastry after it has baked for ten minutes to flatten the crust.
2. While pastry is baking, remove woody ends from asparagus and steam for five minutes.
3. Combine ricotta, cream, lemon juice, egg, salt, and pepper in small mixing bowl. Spread creamy mixture over the bottom of the tart crust. Lay asparagus lengthwise into the creamy mixture. Top with shredded parm.
4. Bake for 20 minutes. Allow to rest for at least five minutes. Enjoy!

Spin Dip White Pizza - total time 30 minutes

When spinach dip is on the appetizer menu, we are usually going to order it. So it was only natural that we combine our favorite appetizer with our easiest quick dinner. Add some chicken for those who insist on having meat on their pizzas.

2 whole wheat naan

1 cup fresh spinach, chopped

.5 cup artichoke hearts

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup asiago cheese, shredded

sprinkling of grated parm

oregano

garlic chives

salt & pepper

1. Heat pizza pan while oven is preheating to 350 degrees (this will get the crust crispier).

2. Add half the asiago cheese as the base layer. Then spinach, artichoke, and garlic. Sprinkle remaining asiago, parm, chives, oregano, salt, and pepper. Bake for 20 minutes and enjoy!

Spanakopita Rollups - total time 30 minutes

Spanakopita, usually little triangles served as appetizers (which always burn my mouth), but it really could be breakfast, a side dish, or a grab-and-go meal in this rolled up version. Not sure why, but this way doesn't burn by mouth. Those little triangles must be steam traps, so this way is so much better!

1 lb frozen spinach, thawed

.5 cup feta

.5 cup cream cheese, softened

1 roll of fillo dough

2 tbsp butter, melted

salt & pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Softened cream cheese in the microwave for 20 seconds. Squeeze excess water out of the frozen spinach. Mix cream cheese, spinach, feta, salt, and pepper together in a bowl.

2. Lay out first filo dough sheet. Brush butter over the sheet, add another sheet, and repeat. Once 10 sheets are layered, spread spinach/cheese mixture over most of the sheet. Roll sheet and "glue" shut with butter. Place seam side down on a baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes.