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.

green beens with shallots and pecans

I just can't resist fresh green beans whenever I see them at the grocery store. They always look so gorgeous! Lately, my roommate and I have gotten in the habit of making up a huge pot of green beans and polishing off the whole thing for supper. It's cheap, easy, fast...what more could you want?

This is one of my favorite ways to make green beans. It's a twist on the classic green beans amandine. (I'd like to point out that "amandine" almost seems like a frenchified version of my name, and I've always found that very cute.) Another day, I'll talk about that lovely southern dish, string beans cooked down with bacon. But today, we celebrate the crunchiness and freshness of the green bean.

GREEN BEANS WITH SHALLOTS AND PECANS

1 bunch fresh green beans

1 shallot

2-3 tbs butter

juice of 1/2 lemon

1/4 cup pecans

salt & pepper

With scissors, snip the ends off of the green beans. Prepare an ice bath (a large bowl filled with ice and water.) Boil a large pot of water with a couple tablespoons of salt. Cook the beans in the boiling water for 3-4 minutes, until they are just tender but still slightly crunchy. Immediately drain the beans and drop them in the ice bath. This will halt the cooking process and prevent soggy beans.

Return the same empty pot to the stove, and melt the butter. While the butter is melting, peel and and cut the shallot into very thin slices. When the butter is melted, add the shallot. Cook the shallots, stirring often, until they are translucent and slightly caramelized.

Add the green beans back into the pot. Coat in the butter and shallots. Squeeze half a lemon over the top of the green beans and give them a few shakes of salt & pepper to taste. Transfer to a bowl and add the pecans on top.

seriously best ever fudgy brownies

Let's just talk about brownies for a minute. I seriously love brownies. I mean, I love brownies more than most parents love their children. And honestly, I've never met a brownie that I didn't like. But today, I want to talk about a serious brownie love affair.

Tomorrow is my mother's birthday, and when I asked her what she wanted, she requested a pan of brownies. Now, my mother is a woman who loves brownies possibly even more than I do. She's a true aficianado. And after years of eating brownies with my mother, I know her standards: very dark, very rich, and very fudgy.

I believe it's far better to err on the side of undercooking than to pull a cake-like brownie out of the oven. Brownies are simply NOT a cake. If brownies were a cake, they would be called chocolate cake. That's a story for another day, my friend! But today, we make the best ever, super gooey, fudgy brownies. And we make them--for Mom!

This recipe is wheat-free, but you can directly substitute regular flour. You'll just have to cook it a bit longer. Also, this recipe has been adapted from a much-cherished recipe from a bag of King Arthur Flour.

WHEAT-FREE FUDGY BROWNIES

1 cup unsalted butter

2 1/4 cups sugar

1 1/4 cups dark cocoa powder

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp coffee grounds (optional)

1 tbs vanilla extract

4 eggs

1 1/2 cups oat flour

Preheat the oven to 340, and grease a 9x13 baking pan.

Melt the butter in a saucepan. Remove from the heat and add the sugar, stirring until mixed. Return the pan to the heat, stirring until the sugar mixture is hot, but not bubbling. (This is a very important step because more of the sugar dissolves and it gives the brownies a very glossy top.)

Transfer the sugar mixture to a large bowl. While it's cooling, sift together the cocoa, salt, coffee, and baking powder. Add to the butter and stir until combined. Stir in the vanilla and eggs. Last, sift in the flour, and stir until completely combined.

Transfer the mixture to a baking pan and bake for 22-24 minutes. They may not look completely done when you take them out, but they will set up more as they cool.

agave roasted carrots

They're sweet, they're roasted, they're gorgeous...what more can I say? Other than that I apologize for the poor quality of this photo. It was night time by the time I made them so I had to use the dreaded flash. I promise they're more delicious than they appear.

The measurements on this are vague and approximate, because the recipe is vague and approximate in nature. Honestly, within reason, you can't mess this up. Roasting vegetables is generally fool-proof.

This recipe also only serves 1 or 2 people. Double or triple for a big family!

AGAVE ROASTED CARROTS

2 cups chopped carrots (whole or baby)

2-3 tbs olive oil

3-4 tbs agave nectar

salt

pepper

Preheat the oven to 400. Peel and cut the carrots into 1/2 inch pieces. Put them in a roasting dish or cast iron skillet. Give them a good drizzle of the olive oil, the agave, and the salt and pepper. Mix until all the carrots are well-coated, and bake for about 30 minutes, or until the carrots are nice and tender. Shake the pan a few times throughout the cooking process to make sure the carrots are really getting a coating of that agave.