Sautéed Asparagus with Goat Cheese

Believe it or not, I had never tried asparagus until this year. My first taste was a grilled cheese and asparagus sandwich form Prohibition Taproom in Philadelphia. It was love at first bite, and now asparagus has become one of my favorite vegetables! The following recipe is another easy summer side dish I concocted. 

WHAT YOU NEED & WHAT TO DO:

• bunch of asparagus
• 2 tablespoons of butter (I use Wegman's Finishing Butter in garlic and cheese, but any butter )
• 2 ounces of goat cheese
• handful of sliced almonds

In a pan, melt butter on low heat. Once melted, add asparagus and sauté until tender. Top with crumbled goat cheese (You can use plain goat cheese, but I love using honey, fig or cranberry goat cheese in this dish) and sliced almonds. Using one bunch of asparagus in this recipe will serve 2-3 people.

Hiatus is Over & Pasta Salad!

My hiatus is over! After a leg injury set back my marathon goal (I fell out of a tree and also trained a little too hard, too fast), I have returned to running, and blogging! I did not make it to the finish line of last year’s Philadelphia Marathon, but this year’s race season is just about to begin. Next up: Philadephia Rock N Roll 1/2 Marathon!


Pasta is a staple in my Italian family's diet, and it fuels my runs. Here is a lightened up pasta salad recipe. It's refreshing  post-run meal during the summer months.

WHAT YOU NEED & WHAT TO DO:

• 1 red onion

• 1 green pepper

• 1 yellow pepper

• 1 package of cherry tomatoes

• 1/3 box of mini bowties

• handful of fresh basil leaves

• 1 part balsamic vinegar : 3 parts extra virgin olive oil

• 2 tsp of Trader Joe’s dijon mustard

• pinch of salt

DRESSING:

Cook pasta on a stove top and allow pasta to cool. While the pasta is cooling, dice onions and peppers in a large bowl. Halve the cherry tomatoes and chop basil then add them to the mix. In a small bowl, whisk oil, vinegar salt and mustard with a fork.  Combine cooled pasta with vegetables. Pour dressing over pasta, toss, and serve.

OPTION: instead of mixing the basil into your salad, chop basil with a food processor and whisk into the salad dressing.

Vegan Miso Ginger Dressing

About 6 years ago I decided to ditch bottled grocery store salad dressing (you know, the kind loaded with preservatives, MSG, salts and oils!), and I began making my own dressings with natural ingredients like mustard, vinegar, ginger, and even hot sauce. I used to eat at Japanese recipes just for the salad with ginger dressing. It has taken me a while to create the perfect miso ginger dressing, but now I can finally dine at home!

WHAT YOU NEED & WHAT TO DO:

• 4 tbs rice vinegar

• 3 tbs miso paste (you can find this in the cooler at any Asian super market)

• 3 tbs low sodium soy sauce

• 2 tsp ginger, peeled and grated

• 1 tbs copped white onion

• 1 tsp garlic, minced

• 2 tsp lemon juice

Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor. Blend until creamy.




Keep refrigerated for up to 7 days.

Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes

Happy Birthday, Dad! Shhh... do not tell him he these are eggless, dairy-free cupcakes! 

My dad and I share a love for food, especially sweets. However, getting my dad try my culinary experiments, especially any "V-word" dishes, is like introducing spinach to a child. I have not had to resort to using the airplane method yet, but there has been a lot of fibbing involved. Long before I became vegetarian, my parents used to lie to me and tell me chocolate milk came from brown cows, and the pork chop or sirloin steak on my plate was "chicken," since chicken was the only meat I wanted (I guess I never had much of a taste for animals...). In Dad's house, there is meat and a heaping helping of something buttery on the dinner table every night. When I offer to cook my dad dinner he sighs and says, "Whose child are you, anyway? My daughter, cooking another vegetarian meal...." Pops, I am not trying to completely convert you to the dark-veggie-loving-side! I just want you to live a little while longer! More birthdays, more cake!

WHAT YOU NEED & WHAT TO DO

• 2 cups coconut milk
• 1 3/4 cups sugar 
• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 tbsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 tsp pure almond extract 
• 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 tsp baking soda
• kosher salt, to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degree.

Line cupcake baking pans with paper baking cups. I also like to grease with olive oil cooking spray so the paper holders can be peeled away from the cake nicely.

In a large bowl, beat coconut milk, sugar, vinegar, vanilla extract, almond extract, and melted coconut oil on low speed with a hand mixer. In a separate bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Sprinkle dry ingredients into the larger bowl and beat on low speed until all clumps are gone. Batter should look and taste like chocolate pudding. Seriously. Taste it raw!  

Divide batter into paper baking cups and bake for 20-22 minutes until spongy. Wait for cupcakes to cool before decorating. Recipe yields 24 cupcakes.

For today's celebrations, I made half of my cupcakes with chocolate frosting and the other half with vanilla frosting using this recipe from my sugar cookie post. 

Strawberry + Goat Cheese Sandwich

I like to think I make a mean meatless sandwich. :)

WHAT YOU NEED & WHAT TO DO

• handful of fresh strawberries, washed, tops removed, and sliced
• 4-5 large basil leafs
• 2 heaping tablespoons of goat cheese
• pinch of ground cinnamon
• bread (I LOVE Trader Joe's multigrain rustico bread)

On a flatiron, heat bread and goat cheese until bread is toasted. Spread warm goat cheese with a knife and sprinkle with cinnamon. Top with fresh basil leafs and sliced strawberries. So easy!

Chickpea + Avocado Sandwich

The weather in Philadelphia has been deceivingly sunny, and I have been longing for refreshing summer foods like avocados and watermelon. Unfortunately, there is still a slight chill in the air that makes me want to cozy-up with hot chocolate and soup. Since Philly is in between seasons, today I paired roasted red pepper tomato soup with a light and tasty chickpea and avocado sandwich. 

WHAT YOU NEED & WHAT TO DO:

• 1 large, ripe avocado
• 1 can organic chickpeas
• multigrain bread (I recently discovered and fell in love with Trader Joe's Multigrain Rustico Bread)
• lemon juice, freshly squeezed 
• 1 tsp dill weed
• handful of fresh spinach (or a fresh tomato, sliced)

Soak chickpea in hot water to remove shells. Scoop avocado into a medium size bowl. Add chickpeas, squeezed lemon juice, and dill. Mash ingredients well with a fork. Optional: toast bread. I prefer to toast my bread when I make this sandwich. Scoop chickpea and avocado mixture onto bread and layer with fresh spinach leafs or sliced beefsteak tomato. The more veggies, the better! Serve with soup and enjoy!

The ingredients listed above are enough to make 2-3 sandwiches. :) 

Frosted Cut-Out Sugar Cookies

My cut-out cookie recipe was created by my great-aunt and is now a family tradition. While growing up, my mother and I would cut the cookie dough into tree and star shapes every year at Christmas time. I get a craving for my favorite cookie and make these for other holidays through out the year. This weekend, I took a road trip with a car full of Valentines from Philly to Western, NY to visit some friends and deliver heart-shape, flower-shape, Hello Kitty, and hockey-inspired cookies. I think there is a cookie for everyone. :)

WHAT YOU NEED & WHAT TO DO:

Cookies:

• 1 egg
• 1 cup margarine, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• pinch of salt
• 2 3/4 cup all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large metal bowl, cream egg, softened margarine, sugar, and vanilla. Stir in dry ingredients (baking powder, baking soda, salt and flour) to form a large ball of dough. Chill dough in refrigerator for about 2 hours.

Remove dough from refrigerator and place a sheet of waxed paper sprinkled with flour on your counter top. Scoop dough (about the size of your fist) on to waxed paper. Cover dough with another sheet of waxed paper and roll with rolling pin. Dough should be rolled flat to about 1/8 inches thick. Now the fun part... cut into shapes! With a spatula, place cut-outs on a cookie sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes. Cookies should be lightly golden when removed from oven. Place cookies on a cooling rack for at least 30 minutes before decorating.

Frosting:

• 2 tablespoons margarine, softened
• 1/4 cup vanilla soy milk
• 4 cups confectioner's sugar **food coloring and sprinkles are optional, but highly encouraged :)

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Using a hand-held mixer, cream ingredients. Add additional soy milk or sugar to create a thick, creamy frosting. Frosting should not be too drippy or else it will not set properly on the cookies.