simple veggie miracle: roasted broccoli

How have I not done this before? I preach (seriously...preach) roasting veggies to every cook I know; yet somehow broccoli has been overlooked. I apologize, broccoli. No surprises here, broccoli is infinitely better when it's roasted. It actually tastes like...broccoli! And it retains its crunch, which is a plus because we all know that limp vegetables are a crime.

I'm never steaming again. Ever.

ROASTED BROCCOLI

2 cups frozen or fresh broccoli

2-3 tbs olive oil

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

Preheat the oven to 350. Toss all the ingredients together in a roasting dish or baking sheet. Bake for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the broccoli is still slightly crunchy and slightly browned.

spicy sautéed green peas

Dear green peas,

Why did I spend my whole childhood fearing you? It's true, you're green and suspicious-looking. And yes, we had a very bad time together when I tasted you out of the can. Green peas, it's all in the past now. I love your sweet little green spheres popping in my mouth, like tiny bits of happy. I'm so glad we can be together now, my veggie darling. And this is how I like you best...

SPICY SAUTEED GREEN PEAS

2 cups frozen peas (if you can get fresh, more power to ya)

1 tbs (one big clove) of minced garlic

1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

2 tbs olive oil

salt and pepper, to taste

Add the peas to a skillet with about 1/2 cup water and bring to a boil. As soon as it starts to boil, drain off the water. Add the olive oil and garlic into the pan with the peas. Let the garlic sweat with the peas, stirring frequently, for roughly 1 minute. (If the peas start to get a little char, don't freak out, it's a very good thing. But don't burn the garlic!) Add the crushed red pepper, salt, and black pepper.

This serves about two people, if they're not greedy pea eaters like me. Also, if you're spicy-shy, you might want to hold off on the red pepper.

banana bread muffins...again

(Due to my forgetfulness and blogger irresponsibility, muffin pictures are not available.)

And so we meet again, overly ripe bananas. For me, banana bread is the only way to deal with those gnarly-looking, bruised babies. Once bananas get past their perfectly yellow, ice-cream worthy prime, banana bread is simply the only way to go.

I must confess, today I got a little overly enthusiastic about my banana bread additives. Since bananas take anything like a man, I often find myself wildly throwing in ingredients ("And a little bit o' this, and a little bit o' that, and now somma THAT!") So today, as I was christening the oven in my new apartments kitchen--keep in mind I can't even open the fridge without hitting the opposite wall--things got out of hand.

Today's banana bread muffins contain oconut, and pecans, and lord knows what else. And they're good. They're not the picture of minimalism or traditionalism in baking, but I must say they're good. If you're looking for yummy, not-too-sweet muffin that represents my sometimes overzealous baking, make these.

BANANA MUFFINS WITH EVERYTHING

3 cups almond flour

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup flaked coconut

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1 1/2 tsp salt

2 cups mashed, ripe bananas

3 eggs

1/4 cup honey

2 tbs melted butter or oil

Preheat oven to 350 and line muffin tin with liners. In a large bowl, combine all the dry (the first 6) ingredients. In a separate bowl, mix the wet ingredients until well-combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until combined. Spoon (I use an ice-cream scooper) into muffin cups and bake for 25 minutes. Allow to cool a few minutes before munching.

slow-roasted cherry tomatoes with garlic

I have a confession. After I made these, I ate them all. And I'm not going to pretend that I used an eating utensil. It was one of those, pick-one-off-the-baking-sheet, then another, then another, until they're all gone phenomenon. I was so hasty to eat these lovelies that I didn't bother to snap a decent picture, and for that I apologize. To you, and the tomatoes.

I first experienced these tasty little nuggets a couple years ago, when my foodie friend Preston let me try just one of them in his kitchen (when you taste them, you'll understand why I can forgive him for being stingy with his cherry tomatoes.) The flavor of such a tiny tomato after roasting is completely unexpected. It's intense, sweet, amazing, amazing, tastes like a well-seasoned tomato sauce, oh my god. I think the fact that I still vividly remember this one bite in Preston's kitchen after two years is a testament to how good they are.

Since that fateful, tomato-y day, I hadn't been able to recreate these little miracles. But, when I was surfing the ever-mouth-watering Pinch My Salt this weekend, I decided to give slow-roasted cherry tomatoes a try again. So, I followed the directions, and voila! And boy, am I glad I tried them. And I suggest you try them too.

Oh, by the way, the soft, mellow, roasted garlic is the perfect friend to our little tomatoes. Check out sweet baby garlic clove front-and-center in that picture, oh baby.

SLOW-ROASTED CHERRY TOMATOES

1 basket cherry tomatoes

1/8 cup (or a good drizzle) olive oil

1 tsp Italian seasoning

1 tsp dried basil

a few cloves of unpeeled garlic

salt & pepper

Preheat the oven to 225. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half, lengthwise, and put them on a baking sheet with the garlic. Coat the tomatoes (hands work best for this) with the olive oil and seasonings. Bake for 2 1/2 - 3 hours, or until the tomatoes are shriveled up but not crispy. The spices may get a little black, but that's natural, and it doesn't affect the taste.

mexican chocolate avocado mousse--aka "choco guaco"

First of all, I have to give Naomi at Straight Into Bed Cakefree and Dried major points for inspiration. She comes up with some grain-free and mind-blowingly innovative foodie ideas. This morning, I found myself dazed and intrigued by her idea of adding avocados to sweet, chocolate recipes.

It made total sense when I thought about it. Avocados are buttery, mild in flavor, and easily disguisable. And though I usually do a pretty epic job of convincing myself that butter isn't dairy OR fattening, sometimes I crave a lighter alternative.

This is a light, fluffy, Mexican-inspired chocolate mousse. I love the combination of sweet & smoky heat so I sprinkle mine with chili powder. Oh, and I promise, there's no detectable avocado. Just creamy goodness.

MEXICAN CHOCOLATE AVOCADO MOUSSE

1 large hass avocado

2 tbs cocoa powder

4 tbs powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 1/2 tbs almond (or any kind of) milk

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

2 egg whites

chili powder for garnish

With an electric beater or food processor, combine the first seven ingredients until smooth. (If you omit the cinnamon, this itself makes a great chocolate frosting.) In a separate bowl, whip the egg whites until stiff.

Add the chocolate mixture to the egg whites and mix by hand until combined. Chill, and sprinkle with the chili powder.

crispy oven potatoes

Ah, what more do I need to say? The potato is a beautiful vegetable. These crispy, fluffy-on-the-inside babies give the illusion of eating fried, naughty food. If you can spring for the organic potatoes, do it. There's such an enormous difference in the flavor (meaning, they actually have a flavor.)

When you cut the potatoes, try to make them as thin and even as you can. However, don't fret if you're a sloppy cutter like me. You'll just have to know that some potatoes will be softer and some will be a bit charred (mmm...in the words of Alex Guarnaschelli, "a poetic burn.") Secretly, I like the whole 'variety pack' thing!

CRISPY OVEN POTATOES

3 small-medium russet potatoes, peeled and sliced thinly

1/8 cup olive oil

1 1/2 tbs salt

1 1/2 tsp pepper

Put your empty cast-iron skillet or baking sheet into the oven and preheat to 350. (Preheating the empty pan will prevent sticking and promote browning on the potatoes)

While the pan is heating, thoroughly dry your potato slices (this also promotes crispiness.) Add them to a bowl with the olive oil, salt, and pepper. Mix until the potatoes are all coated--hands really work best for this task.

Remove the pan from the oven (don't forget oven mitts!) and carefully spread the potatoes in one layer.

Bake for 13-15 minutes, or until soft. Then, move to the top rack under the broiler for 2-3 minutes, or until they are golden brown.

Remove them from the pan asap, so they don't stick.

sweet cashew cream

Here's a confession: I miss dairy. I mourn the day that I discovered that my chronic "pollen" allergies were, in fact, some warped cow-dairy allergy. Although I've learned to accept it, there are days that I miss delicious, creamy dairy products like a long lost lover. (I'll admit that, on several occasions, I've devoured a whole plate of cheese enchiladas, only to spend the next 48 hours suffering through a shameful, phlegmy head-and-face-ache.)

But enough of my woes. I'm a resourceful lady. Therefore, I've been forced to find creamy, yummy substitutes. Remember the Just Banana Ice Cream? Well, meet another food miracle: cashew cream! This little guy is made from cashews--yes, just cashews. And it can be used in dishes from pseudo-cheesecakes to cream-esque pasta sauces. Or, just add a little agave, some vanilla, throw on some frozen blueberrries...you're good to go. Expect more to come from my new friend.

Sweet Cashew Cream

1 cup cashews*

2 cups water

3 tbs agave

1 tbs vanilla extract

1 tsp salt

Put the cashews in a bowl covered with the water. Let them soak overnight in the fridge.

Drain the cashews, reserving the soaking water. Add the cashews to a blender with 1/4 cup of water, agave, vanilla, and salt. Blend, and keep blending, keep blending, until smooth. Serve in a parfait or as a substitute for whipped cream.

* For convenience, I used unroasted unsalted cashews. If you use salted cashews, make sure to leave out the added salt.