Soba Noodles with Almond Butter, Lime & Chiles

1/4 cup almond butter
1/4 cup lime juice
1 garlic clove, minced
2 Tbs soy sauce
1 Tbs light brown sugar
1 Tbs sesame oil
2 tsp sriracha sauce
8oz soba noodles
1 red jalapeno or Fresno chile, stemmed and seeded, finely chopped
1/4 cup cilantro leaves, chopped
2 Tbs toasted sesame seeds

1) Cook soba noodles per the package directions. Rinse with cool water and set aside.
2) To prepare dressing, combine almond butter, lime juice, garlic, soy sauce, light brown sugar, sesame oil and sriracha sauce in a small bowl. Whisk until smooth.
3) Pour half the dressing over noodles and toss well. Add more dressing if desired. Sprinkle remaining ingredients over noodles. Toss once or twice. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Review: I thought this would be a great recipe, with easily obtainable ingredients. I have always seen soba noodles in grocery stores and soba is supposed to be made with only buckwheat (which is not wheat, making it naturally gluten free). However, corners seem to have been cut and I repeatedly found brands that used wheat and buckwheat flour. I found buckwheat only noodles online, for more than $8!! At Mike's urging, I went to the local co-op and luckily found what I needed. I also joined, which makes me an official member/owner. So, I happily made this tonight. The sauce is AMAZING and I couldn't believe how tasty it was. Oddly, the cilantro detracted from the dish. I hate saying that, because cilantro is one of my all time favorite flavors. Yet, I won't use it the next time I make this dish. Mike wants me to find other ways to use this sauce, because it was soooooo good!!!

Adapted from:
http://relish.com/recipes/soba-noodles-almond-butter/

Vanilla, Apricot & Bourbon Popsicles

1/4 tsp vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups apricot juice
4 oz bourbon
2 Tbs sugar
pinch of salt

1) Mix all ingredients in a large bowl.
2) Pour mixture into popsicle molds - should fill 10 3oz molds or 8 4oz molds.
3) Freeze at least four hours before enjoying.

Review: I loved making popsicles, but realllllly liked the idea of popsicles with more of an adult flair. I found this recipe and gleefully put it together. However, it was an epic disaster. I must have realllllly small popsicle molds. I filled seven (one broke a while back) and still had more than half of my mixture left! I filled two ice cube trays and still had enough left to fill a 16oz glass (which I drank after dinner). I made this last night and looked forward to trying it tonight as a popsicle (it was too sweet as a drink, though I still drank it all last night). As soon as I attempted to eat the popsicle, it broke in half. It wasn't fully frozen, likely because it had too much alcohol (though two little bottles is only about 3.5oz!!). I ended up dumping it in a glass with a few of the ice cube pieces I made and ate it with a spoon. I loooooooved the flavor. However, I'll make it again with half the juice and even less booze! Though, this may be a great drink idea, when made into a frozen concoction using an ice cream maker.

Adapted from:
http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/vanilla-apricot-bourbon

Pine Nut Agrodolce with Quinoa & Zucchini

1 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained

3 Tbs white balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup pine nuts

1 cup fresh mint leaves

1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

2 Tbs olive oil

1 lb baby zucchini, cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds

1) Prepare quinoa according to package directions. Set aside.

2) To make sauce: Bring vinegar and 1 Tbs water to a simmer in a small saucepan. Remove from heat and set aside.

3) Heat large skillet over medium-high heat. Add pine nuts, and toast 3 minutes, or until just golden. Transfer nuts to blender, along with vinegar mixture, mint, parsley, garlic, cayenne pepper and 2 Tbs water; blend until smooth. Set aside.

4) Heat oil in skillet, then add zucchini and saute 5 minutes, or until crisp-tender. Transfer to large bowl, and season with salt and pepper, if desired.

5) Toss zucchini with 4 Tbs sauce, add quinoa and stir to combine. Serve warm or cold, with extra sauce on the side.

Review: It's been far too long, but I'm back to blogging! I recently endured another big move and am starting over in a new state. Admittedly, I haven't been cooking much for the past three years. My husband dramatically changed his diet and I couldn't cook for him. It wasn't as much fun just cooking for myself, and I had a huge commute that left me with little time to cook! I've eaten too much prepared foods for the past few years. So, I have a local job now that has a 15 minute commute. This means I promise to cook healthy foods for myself and occasionally make foods that my husband can enjoy with me. Tonight felt really good as I broke in the new kitchen (though some of my kitchen stuff still needs to be unpacked!). Even better, I got to use home grown garlic that I harvested before I left my garden. I wish I had baby zucchini from my own garden, but Trader Joe's (45 minutes away now!!!) helped me out. This was an amazing, yummy dish. The sauce is essentially a chutney and I was eating it with a spoon!! This was pretty good served warm, but I bet it will be even better tomorrow after the flavors have had a chance to meld. 

Adapted from:
http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipe/pine-nut-agrodolce-with-quinoa-and-zucchini/

Beer Sorbet

18oz dark beer, flat
5 Tbs sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1) In a medium bowl, mix the beer and sugar. Stir until the sugar has fully dissolved. Add the vanilla extract and stir until blended.
2) Pour the mixture into an ice cream machine. Once the mixture is mostly frozen (no visible liquid), transfer the sorbet into a freezable container. Press plastic wrap onto the top of the sorbet, pushing out any air bubbles. Place the lid on the container (keeping plastic wrap intact) and freeze at least 8 hours.

Review: I made this mostly for giggles, as the idea seemed silly. Mike suggested using one of his home brews. It was a great idea, as the dark beer had heavy overtones of chocolate once it was frozen. It didn't stay frozen for long, once it was scooped up and served. It's not something that will be frozen hard. It earned good reviews from the family.

Black Rice Pudding

1 cup black rice
1 14oz can coconut milk
1 cup water
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbs sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup blueberries

1) Rinse rice and soak in water overnight.
2) Drain rice and rinse again. Add to sauce pan with coconut milk, water and salt.
3) Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 50 minutes. Stir occasionally.
4) Reduce heat to low for an additional 10 minutes, or until the pudding has thickened.
5) Remove from heat and add sugar, vanilla and blueberries. Serve warm or chilled.

Review: I bought a bag of black rice at Trader Joe's, without any clue what to do with it! The website offered no suggestions, but the mobile app suggested rice pudding because black rice is a little sweet. I then stumbled upon a great vegan recipe, though it dramatically underestimated how long it takes to cook!! This was a labor of love, for sure. It can be made in a variety of ways. If dried fruit is desirable, add it in at the beginning so it cooks for the entire length of time. Fresh fruit, frozen fruit and nuts should be added at the end. This wasn't very sweet, and had a bit of a nutty flavor. We'll see if the rest of the family likes it tomorrow!

Gluten Free Banana, Coffee & Chocolate Scones

2 1/2 cups gluten free flour
2 tsp xanthan gum
3 Tbs King Arthur Flour cake enhancer (optional)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbs espresso powder
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 cup coconut milk (the kind in the can, not the carton)
1/2 cup honey
1 egg
2 overripe bananas, peeled & mashed
1 cup chocolate chips

1) Preheat the oven to 400F.
2) In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, xanthan gum, cake enhancer, baking powder, baking soda, salt, espresso powder and cinnamon. Set aside.
3) In a large liquid measuring cup, add the coconut milk and honey (should come up to 3/4 cup line). Add the egg and mix together.
4) Pour liquid mixture into bowl with dry ingredients. Mix thoroughly. Add bananas and again mix thoroughly. Stir in chocolate chips. The batter should be moist and without dry clumps.
5) Place batter into scone pan and bake for 22-24 minutes, until browned and internal temperature of 210F.

Review: These are amazing! Crispy on the outside, a little spongey on the inside. The banana, coffee and chocolate flavors are each well represented.

Adapted from:
http://ninjawoman.blogspot.com/2009/10/gf-sf-banana-muffins-with-carob-chips.html

Warm Lentil & Potato Salad

1 lb fingerling potatoes
1 shallot, diced
2 Tbs red wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbs dijon mustard
salt and pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tsp capers, chopped
2 Tbs cornichons, chopped
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 17.6 oz package of cooked lentils

1) Place potatoes in a large pot. Fill with water, ensuring at least an inch of water above the potatoes. Bring to a boil and cook for 5-10 minutes, until the potatoes can be easily pierced with a fork.
2) Meanwhile, in a large bowl, mix shallots and red wine vinegar. Set aside for five minutes.
3) Add to the large bowl: garlic, dijon mustard, dash of salt, few grinds of black pepper and olive oil. Whisk until well blended. Add capers, cornichons, lentils and parsley.
4) Once the potatoes are done, drain and chop them into 1/2-inch pieces. Add to large bowl and mix well. Serve warm.

Review: The original recipe called for cooking lentils with thyme, bay leaf and a shallot in the water. I much prefer to use the precooked lentils found in the produce section of Trader Joe's. It shaves time off of recipes and it's one less pot to clean! This recipe was not like typical potato salads. I found it to be more of a main dish and less of a side dish. It was spicy and had a bit of 'heat' to it. I loooooooove capers and cornichons, which only added to my pleasure. This was wonderfully tasty and fairly easy to make. It will definitely be made again!

Adapted from:
http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2014/01/warm-lentil-and-potato-salad/