Acai Frozen Yogurt & AmaFruits Giveaway

There are three reasons why I'm very excited about this post. 


1. Acai (pronounced Ah-sigh-EE) is PURPLE! I don't know about you, but I've been buying seasonal vegetables so it seems everything I cook lately is red or yellow. 
2. This recipe is delicious. I'm not sure I can live without it permanently in my freezer. 
3. The friendly people over at AmaFruits are giving away one very, very lucky commenter a 24(!) pack of acai puree!

Poblano Enchiladas & A Wayfare Giveaway

© 2012 Jessie Kaufman

I have to be honest. I made this recipe for the photo. Knowing that it was going to have to photograph something somewhat slimy (slimy is my photography nemesis) I thought I'd offset it with some enchilada sauce, and Poblano Enchiladas were born.

This dish however, will be joining our bi weekly rotation. It was so good that we wished we had picked up more Poblanos and may grab some tonight. This could be one of my favorite meatless dishes yet.

Cannellini Bean Soup

© 2012 Jessie Kaufman

No fancy story here. I accidentally bought cannellini beans when I thought I was buying garbanzos, so I had to come up with a way to use them. I remembered that I had a soup with them once or twice at Olive Garden and decided to try to make something similar. This is a hearty soup with a creamy finish and is sure to warm your bones on a cold day like today. 

Polish Cauliflower

For me, this recipe is pure comfort food. When I was a kid I was extremely picky, so when any holiday came around and my family was going to my Polish grandmother's house I knew there were only two things I was going to eat. This, and my grandma's polish mashed potatoes. If there are two things that the Polish have down pat it's these two dishes. Well, and pierogis. We can't forget about the glorious pierogi.

Coconut Achiote Oil & A Giveaway

© 2012 Jessie Kaufman

Forgive me foodies, for I have sinned. I drizzled coconut achiote oil on popcorn and I may never use butter again.

When the nice folks over at Tropical Traditions offered to send me some of their Coconut Oil I knew I was going to do something with annatto. If you're unfamiliar, annatto or achiote, is a seed used in Mexican, Caribbean, and Filipino cooking. It has a subtle nutty taste and it turns whatever it's added to orange.

Cajun Cauliflower Soup

(there will be a photo here tomorrow. My camera is currently at the dr.)


There's a story somewhere about how I used to have a completely different job and what feels like a completely different life. I'll spare you the details. One of the few good things that I got out of said job was this soup.


In my early twenties I was still pretty food squeamish.  I basically ate chicken and salad, but not chicken salad. I don't like mayonnaise. So, during a training session(which they had catered), the only lunch option was a tuna salad sandwich, with soup and bread sticks. I went with the soup. I had no idea what Cajun even meant, I just knew I did not want mayonnaise.


And I swear. It's stuck with me, more than most things in my early twenties.  It was one of the first recipes that I really developed, so I hold it dear.


It's warm and pleasantly spicy and makes your bones warm on days like these.


I hope you enjoy it.

Silent Sunday

Egg in a Hole
makes 1

Vegan Pizza

When I eat vegan food and use vegan cheese I always have a silent party inside because I know dairy really isn't that good for us and I should be eating like this all the time. Needless to say, tonight there was a silent party. 

This recipe falls in the easy category thanks to Trader Joes. Everything on this pizza, minus the "cheese" can be found at their store. 

Deviled Eggs

... or little devils as I like to refer to them, just because it's more fun to say. 

"Hey you, give me one of those little devils!"

or

"Get your hands off my little devils!"

or even

"My husband ate all of the little devils for lunch." Which in my case is true. 

Well, maybe I had two.

I somehow got on the topic of how crazy I thought it was that my husband had never had deviled eggs and one of our friends mentioned that she had had them, but had no idea how to make them. They're probably one of the easiest things to make and let's be honest, they taste pretty darn good. 

This is my family's recipe, but since I've been in charge of making them for family gatherings since I was about 8 years old I'm going to say it's my recipe. 

Deviled Eggs

Servings are up to you, I recommend 1 egg per person.

hard boiled eggs

miracle whip

paprika

salt & pepper

This recipe is completely done by taste, which is why there aren't actual measurements.  To hard boil the eggs place desired amount of eggs into a saucepan with cold water, they should be fully immersed in water. Heat to a rolling boil. Boil for 1 minute, reduce heat to simmer and cook them for an additional 8 minutes. Turn off heat. Let eggs sit for 10-15 minutes. Sacrifice an egg after 10 minutes to test doneness. Yolk should be completely firm, you don't want soft boiled eggs for this. 

Peel your eggs, and cut in half, lengthwise. Gently take out the yolk and place in a bowl. Once you have all of the yolks out gently crush them with a fork to make smaller pieces. Add your miracle whip, I usually add little by little until I like the taste. Once they reach a smidge more than pale yellow in color they're done. Taste it, you can add as much or as little miracle whip as you like. 

Grab two spoons. Scoop some of your egg mixture and scrape off with other spoon into hollowed out egg white. Do this for your remaining eggs and sprinkle with paprika, salt and pepper. 

I like to let mine sit in the refrigerator for at least an hour before I eat them, but they can be eaten right away too. 

Eat within five days and don't forget to call them little devils. I promise, it's fun.

Is there a recipe that you've found yourself shocked that someone has never tried? What is it?