Grilled Broccoli

 

This is one of my all time favorite recipes. And there's really not much to it. Literally all you have to do is make a simple balsamic vinaigrette. I do one part vinegar, two parts oil, some minced garlic, and sprinkles of salt and pepper. Make just enough dressing to cover all of the broccoli and then grill at a medium heat for about 10 minutes. This is a perfect side to almost any dish - and super healthy. A tip that makes all the difference, in order to have this hot with your meal, do this ten minutes right before you plan on eating because the broccoli tastes much better hot!

Strawberry Soy Milk

This ended up being absolutely delicious. I absolutely love strawberries and I'm so excited for summer when strawberries are plentiful and ripe. They are just the perfect fruit.

Strawberry Soy Milk

Adapted from The Pastry Affair

1 and 1/2 cup strawberries (fresh or frozen), sliced (I used fresh)
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups soy milk

In a medium saucepan, boil the strawberries, sugar, water, and vanilla for 10-12 minutes, or until the strawberries release all their juices and the mixture is slightly thickened. 

Remove from heat and run the mixture through a fine mesh sieve. Refrigerate the syrup until cool.

Stir together the syrup and milk (if too sweet, you could add 1/2 cup more milk to dilute the flavor) and serve in chilled glasses.

Eggplant Parm

So I did this without a recipe and just kind of whipped it together while my roommate Sara made chicken parm. We finally got to sit down and have a roomie dinner (with a veggie option of course).

1 eggplant
Olive oil
1 egg
Breadcrumbs
Parmesan cheese
Mozzarella cheese
Tomato Sauce

Basically all you need to do is peel an eggplant, cut it in long strips, dip the strips in the egg, dip them in the breadcrumbs, and fry them until tender in a pan (with the olive oil). Put the eggplant strips in a baking dish and layer with parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese, and sauce. Repeat 3 times. Bake on 350 degrees for about 20 minutes until the cheese on top is slightly golden brown and its bubbling happily :)

Stuffed Mushrooms

I made these the other day on a whim because our database system at work was down so I was obviously looking up hundreds of delicious recipes and this one looked so yummy yet SUPER easy and fast (and I was right!) I saw this recipe first at: http://dineanddish.net/2011/03/a-baby-shower-recipe-special-stuffed-mushrooms/ and I was craving mushrooms and cream cheese and warm bubbly goodness. The other thing I just loved about these is that they were small enough to eat in two bites (even if they were a little messy). So here they are in all their charm:

Stuffed Mushrooms

• 16 ounce container whole fresh mushrooms (12-16 large mushrooms)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Clean mushrooms thoroughly under warm water.
2. Carefully break off stems. Chop stems extremely fine.
3. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and chopped mushroom stems to the skillet. Fry until soft, 2-3 minutes.
4. In a separate bowl, add cream cheese, Mozarella cheese, black pepper, onion powder and red pepper flakes. Add chopped garlic and chopped mushroom stems, stirring together until well blended.
5. Using a little spoon, fill each mushroom cap with a generous amount of stuffing. Arrange the mushroom caps on prepared cookie sheet.
6. Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven or when you can see they are bubbling and the cheese is starting to turn a golden brown color. Serve warm.

HUMMUS HUMMUS HUMMUS

I FINALLY DID IT. I MADE HUMMUS. HOMEMADE. FROM SCRATCH. 

And let me say this to remind myself in the future.. it is SO much better from scratch. Future Ali, I know you won't make this all the time because it is time consuming BUT it's so worth it. Stop buying that stuff from the store and make it homemade.

Here's what you need:

1/4 cup tahini

3 tbsp fresh lemon juice

3 tbsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic (maybe less depending on how much you like garlic)

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups of canned chick peas

Some liquid from the canned chick peas

Sprinkle of paprika

Sprinkle of chopped parsley

1. Boil chick peas (on simmer) for 10 minutes till soft.

2. Combine chick peas, tahini, and other ingredients in a food processor and puree.

3. Place in a bowl, sprinkle with paprika, parsley, and some whole chick peas.

Apple Blueberry Cobbler

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon butter, melted

9 gingersnap cookies, crushed

FILLING:

4 large peeled apples (better tart)

1 tablespoon butter

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground ginger

3 cups fresh blueberries

1 tablespoon lemon juice

TOPPING:

1 cup all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons brown sugar

6 tablespoons cold butter.

Directions:

1. Spread butter over the bottom of an 8-inch square baking dish. Sprinkle with gingersnap crumbs, press down gently. Set aside.

2. Cut each apple into 16 wedges. In a large skillet, saute apples in butter until crisp-tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat, cool for 10 minutes. Combine the sugar, cinnamon and ginger, sprinkle over apples and mix well. Place blueberries in a bowl. Sprinkle with lemon juice, toss gently to mix well.

3. For topping, combine flour and brown sugar in a bowl, cut in butter until crumbly. Spoon apple mixture into prepared baking dish. Top with blueberry mixture and topping (dish will be full). Bake at 350 degrees F for 35-40 minutes or until bubbly. Enjoy!

Spanakopita

I've been craving spinach pie for like a week now and so I finally decided to make it while I'm home in Connecticut. With the help of my friend Alex, we perfected the buttery delicious crust and ate the entire thing between the two of us throughout the weekend.

Recipe originally found: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/spanakopita-spinach-triangles-or-pie-recipe/index.html (I made the pie version).

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 2 pounds spinach, washed and drained
• 1 bunch scallions, white and green parts, chopped
• 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 pound feta cheese, crumbled
• 1 to 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 pound filo pastry sheets

Directions

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large saute pan, add half of the spinach and saute until spinach wilts, tossing with tongs, about 2 minutes. Remove spinach and squeeze out excess liquid, then chop roughly. Repeat with remaining spinach, using 1 more tablespoon of olive oil. Pour off any liquid from the pan, and add remaining olive oil. Add scallions and saute until soft, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the spinach to the scallions, along with the parsley, salt and pepper. Cook over low heat for 1 to 2 minutes, then remove from heat to cool. (This part can be done ahead and kept refrigerated).

Stir the feta and as much beaten egg to moisten the cooled spinach mixture.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Brush a baking sheet with some of the melted butter.

Unroll the filo dough on a flat surface and keep it covered with waxed paper and a damp towel so it doesn't dry out and become brittle. Using a sharp knife, cut the filo into 3 by 11 inch strips, and recover with the towel. Use a pastry brush to brush a strip of filo with melted butter. Place a small spoonful of spinach filling 1 inch from the end of the pastry. Fold the end over the filling to form a triangle, then continue to fold up the strip in triangles, like folding up a flag. Continue with remaining strips of dough, placing filled triangles on the baking sheet and keeping them covered with a towel until all are ready to bake.

Brush the triangles lightly with butter, then bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden and crisp. Serve hot. (These may be frozen before baking, layering waxed paper between layers of triangles to keep them from sticking. Bake frozen triangles an extra 10 minutes.)

Variation: Butter a 9 by 13 inch baking pan, and spread 6 sheets of filo, brushing each with butter, on the bottom. Spoon the spinach filling over the filo, then cover with 6 more sheets of filo, buttering each sheet. Score the top 3 sheets with a sharp knife. Bake 40 to 45 minutes, or until top is golden, let stand 15 minutes, then cut into squares and serve warm.