Garlic and Parmesan Kale Chips

Recipes

Girl Cooks World

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April 11, 2019

This past week I’ve been slowly transitioning back to my normal eating. Although it’s not easy, I’m doing my best to not go overboard on previously restricted foods (although a package of mochi from Maui Specialty Chocolates is making this a particularly difficult task). So rather than dive into a bowl full of cheesy, gluten-free mac and cheese, which I’ll admit sounds pretty awesome right about now, I sprinkled just a little bit of Parmesan sprinkled on these otherwise cleanse-appropriate kale chips.

Kale chips were quite the food blogger darling about a year or so ago. There were subtle variations between different bloggers’ versions, but they all follow the same basic premise: kale, one of the healthiest greens out there, masquerades quite successfully as an unhealthy snack chip. They’re like a lighter, more delicate potato chop. If the salty crunch of the chips isn’t enough to entice a skeptic into trying a one of these, perhaps the Parmesan and garlic will…

Garlic and Parmesan Kale Chips

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

* 2 bunches kale
* 2 Tablespoons olive oil
* 2 large garlic cloves, minced
* salt and pepper
* 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Rinse kale and pat dry. Remove and discard the thick ribs and roughly chop the leaves. Place on a large rimmed baking sheet and toss with olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese. Bake for approximately 15-20 minutes, stirring every five minutes or so, until the edges are crispy and slightly browned.

Note: You really want to make sure there’s no moisture on the kale prior to coating with olive oil as water will prevent the chips from getting crisp.

Banana, Almond and Chocolate Ice Cream

Dessert

Girl Cooks World

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April 11, 2019

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There comes a time during every cleanse when I reach a breaking point. I’m just glad to know that next time I’m ready to call it quits and head to the drug store and pick up some Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups I can whip up this banana, almond and chocolate ice cream instead.

This might look somewhat familiar to you… it’s a riff on the Mint Chocolate Ice Cream I made earlier in the month. I liked it so much that I wanted more… but I also wanted to play around with different flavor combinations. Peanut butter and chocolate would have been my first instinct, but peanut butter is a no-go on the particular program I’m loosely following. Feel free to substitute peanut butter if that’s what you have on hand.

Healthy Banana, Almond and Chocolate Ice Cream

Yield: 2-3 servings

Ingredients:

3 very ripe bananas, peeled, cut into chunks and frozen
1/3 cup almond butter (can substitute peanut butter)
1/4 cup bittersweet or dark chocolate chips
chopped almond and chocolate for garnish (optional)

Directions:

If using a high speed blender such as a Vitamix or Blendtec: Place the bananas and almond butter into the blender container. Turn on the machine and quickly increase speed to high. Use the tamper to press the ingredients into the blades while processing. Once everything is slightly combined, stop the machine and add the chocolate chips. Turn the machine back on and again increase the speed to high. In about 10-30 seconds, the sound of the motor will change and mounds should appear in the mixture. Stop machine immediately or melting can occur.

If using a food processor: In a food processor combine the bananas and almond butter. Process until almost smooth. Add the chocolate chips and process until well combined.

Scoop into bowls, top with chopped chocolate and almonds, if using, and serve immediately.

Note: You can also freeze the mixture to get a harder ice cream, but you may have to let it sit out and thaw for a minute or two before you’ll be able to scoop it.

Eggs Stuffed with Tuna and Anchovies

Recipes

Girl Cooks World

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April 11, 2019

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I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one out there who was scared of hard-boiled eggs as a little kid. I mean, have you guys seen the unappetizing greyish tint of the yolk of overcooked hard-boiled egg?

But eventually I had a small bite or two in a Cobb salad and the world didn’t end. In fact, I kind of thought it was pretty good… but certainly not great. But then I saw this post from Clothide about how to make the perfect hard-boiled egg using a technique that she’d learned from A Platter of Figs and Other Recipes… I gave it a shot and I’m now very much a fan. You’ll get eggs with a gorgeous goldenrod-colored creamy yolk every time. I definitely recommend the technique for these eggs.

And speaking of these eggs, if you like deviled eggs and you like tuna salad, give them a shot. They’re like a two-for-one special.

Hard Boiled Eggs Stuffed with Anchovies and Tuna

Ingredients:

* 5 eggs at room temperature
* 1/4 cup mayonnaise
* 3 oz can tuna, drained and flaked
* 5 canned anchovy fillets, minced
* paprika (optional)

Directions:

In a large saucepan bring water to a boil. Carefully lower the eggs into the water and cook (water should be at a constant low boil) for eight minutes. Remove the eggs using a slotted spoon and immediately put in a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process.

Peel the eggs and cut them in half. Scoop out the yolk and place in a bowl. Add the mayonnaise, tuna and anchovies and add salt and pepper to taste.

Carefully spoon the mixture into the hollow cavity of the egg whites and sprinkle with paprika, if desired.

Basque Lemon Shrimp

Girl Cooks World

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April 11, 2019

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Well, it’s finally happened. My dairy and meat loving self has finally started to crave the lighter foods of summer. And so this lemon shrimp dish found me just in time. It comes together quickly but needs an hour or two to marinate. Just try not to make it too far ahead of time- the lemon juice will continue to “cook” the shrimp, leaving it a bit rubbery if you let it sit for more than a couple hours.

But my guess is they won’t make it that long. With a pleasant lemony tang punctuated by the occasional sharpness of the olives and anchovies, the shrimp are great alone as a cold salad or antipasto. Or put them atop a bed of greens or grains with a side of sliced avocado for a simple summer meal.

Basque Lemon Shrimp

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

1/2 cup lemon juice
1 Tablespoon sherry or wine vinegar
3 Tablespoons olive oil, divided
12 black olives, pitted and roughly chopped
6 anchovy filets, roughly chopped
1 medium red onion, very finely sliced
1 bay leaf, crumbled
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
salt and pepper
1 avocado, pitted, peeled and sliced (optional)

Directions:

Prepare marinade by combining the lemon juice, vinegar, 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, olives, anchovies, red onion, bay leaf, and cayenne.

Heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in a medium sauté pan and fry the garlic 1-2 minutes, or until fragrant. Add the shrimp and cook, stirring occasionally until no longer pink. Add the shrimp, garlic and accumulated juices into the marinade and stir to coat.

Let cool to room temperature and then place in the fridge to chill another hour or two, stirring once or twice.

Serve alone or atop a bed of lettuce or whole grains, with the sliced avocado, if desired.

Gluten-Free Lamingtons

Dessert

Girl Cooks World

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April 11, 2019

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An Australian classic, Lamingtons are little cubes of sponge cake covered in chocolate frosting and shredded coconut. It’s probably an understatement to say that they’re kind of a big deal Down Under. I mean, I even saw blogs devoted solely to these cakes.

Most recipes I saw called for a powdered sugar and cocoa powder based frosting. I put it head to head against my favorite chocolate ganache. It’s probably no surprise which won. And I’m by no means a frosting snob (I’ve definitely been caught eating frosting straight out of the jar many times before), but the ganache is smoother, richer and actually coated the cake better. And it’s super simple to make as well.

If you’re looking for more coconut flavor, adding some coconut extract to the sponge cake was a nice variation. It’s also common to cut the cake in half and fill with whipped cream. It also looks like I’m one month too early to the party… July 21^st is National Lamington Day in Australia. Mark your calendars…

Note: the recipe for sponge cake batter makes a bit more than a square baking pan, so use leftover batter to make some cupcakes to snack on while you’re assembling the lamingtons. The cake is delicious on its own… almost like a rich Angel Food Cake.

Gluten-Free Lamingtons- Sponge Cake with Chocolate Ganache and Coconut

Ingredients:

Gluten-Free Sponge Cake:
3/4 cup brown rice flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon guar gum
1/8 teaspoon salt
6 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar, divided
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon coconut extract (optional)

Chocolate Ganache Glaze:
1 cup good quality bittersweet chocolate chips
3/4 cups heavy cream

1/2 to 1 cup dried unsweetened coconut

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8-inch square cake pan with parchment paper and spray lightly with cooking spray and place 6 cupcake liners into a cupcake baking pan.

Mix rice flour, baking powder, guar gum and salt together in a small bowl. In a large bowl beat egg whites until foamy using an electric mixer. Gradually increase speed to high and slowly add 1/4 cup of the sugar until the whites hold soft peaks.

In another large bowl using clean beaters, beat the egg yolks until thick. Add the remaining sugar gradually until the mixture lightens. Add the flour mixture, the vanilla extract and the coconut extract, if using, and mix until smooth.

Fold in about one-third of the egg white mixture into the egg yolk and flour mixture to lighten the batter. Gently but thoroughly fold in the remaining egg whites. Pour into the prepared cake pan and the cupcake tins. Bake until the cake springs back when touched lightly, about 20-22 minutes for the cake and about 16-18 minutes for the cupcakes.

Use a small knife to cut around the sides of the cake pan to loosen the cake. Invert onto a wax or parchment paper-lined cooking rack and peel off the parchment paper. Allow to cool completely. Cut into 16 squares and let dry out for several hours, or overnight, on the counter or in the fridge.

Meanwhile, prepare the chocolate ganache. Heat the heavy cream in a medium-sized bowl in the microwave until hot, but not boiling. Add the chocolate chips and let sit for several minutes. Stir until smooth. Let cool for a couple minutes. Place the coconut in a wide shallow bowl or on a plate.

Take individual pieces of sponge cake and carefully drop into the chocolate ganache to coat all sides. Once coated, place on a cooling rack covered with wax paper and sprinkle with the coconut. If you’d like more coconut, roll the ganache-covered cake in the coconut to coat on all sides.

Repeat with all pieces of sponge cake. Use any leftover ganache to frost the cupcakes and sprinkle with coconut. Place in the refrigerator to allow the ganache to set.

Sri Lankan Black Chicken Curry with Roasted Spices

Recipes

Girl Cooks World

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April 11, 2019

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Sri Lankan Black Chicken Curry with Roasted Spices

Is this chicken sounding and looking a little familiar to you? That’s because it’s an adaption of the black shrimp curry that I made just the other day. I had just a bit of chicken left that I needed to use up so I thought I’d test those same spices and general recipe, which worked so well with the shrimp, on some boneless chicken thighs.

And just like the shrimp, it was a hit. I hate to play favorites between the two, but if you put a gun to my head, I’d say the chicken was even better.

Sri Lankan Black Chicken Curry with Roasted Spices

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

* 3 Tablespoons vegetable oil
* 1/3 cup minced shallots
* 1 Serrano pepper, sliced into thin rounds
* 2 teaspoons ground coriander
* 1 teaspoon ground cumin
* 1/2 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
* 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
* pinch ground cloves
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
* 3 cloves garlic, minced
* 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
* 1 pound boneless chicken, cut into small chunks (I used thighs)
* 1 stalk lemongrass, woody ends removed, and bruised
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1 teaspoon paprika
* 1 cup water
* 1 cup coconut milk
* cilantro leaves, for garnish (optional)

Directions:

Heat the oil in a large saucepan or large, wide frypan with a cover, over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and Serrano pepper and cook for one minute. Add the coriander, cumin, fenugreek, cinnamon, cayenne, clove, and cardamom and stir to mix well. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture turns a couple shades darker and becomes very fragrant.

Add the garlic and ginger, mix, and cook one more minute. Add the chicken, stir to coat in the spices, and stir fry for three to four minutes. Add the lemongrass, salt, paprika, and water, stir, and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes. Add the coconut milk and simmer, uncovered, on low heat until the sauce is hot and the chicken is cooked through.

Top with cilantro leaves, if desired.

Laban Al Loz- Fragrant Almond Milk with Orange Blossom Water

Drinks

Girl Cooks World

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April 11, 2019

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I generally pride myself on my ability to do menial and repetitive tasks but I will say that blanching almonds might just be my least favorite kitchen chore. But pre-blanched almonds are super expensive around here and I’m too frugal to pay triple just to save myself some time. Perhaps next time I also need to factor my sanity into the equation. But seriously, I need to look into ordering blanched almonds online before I get to the next country that uses a bunch of them.

If you’re lucky enough to have a hookup for inexpensive blanched almonds (Trader Joe’s?), this recipe will be a snap. The almonds are blended with water, quickly cooked with some sweetener, thinned out to your desired consistency and then flavored with orange blossom water. The result is a creamy, fragrant beverage that would make any meal extra special.

Special thanks go to my kitchen elf, who did a great job helping with the almonds.

Fragrant Almond Milk with Orange Blossom Water

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:

* 1 cup blanched almonds
* 6 cups water, divided
* 1/2 cup sugar
* 2 drops almond extract (optional)
* 1 teaspoon orange blossom water, or to taste

Directions:

Blend the almonds and two cups of the water in a blender and blend until very smooth. Pour into a medium saucepan and add the sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for several minutes. Remove from heat.

Add the almond extract, if using, and the remaining 4 cups of water. Let cool to room temperature and strain through a fine sieve and add the orange blossom water. Chill, covered, in the refrigerator.

Note: you can skip the straining the mixture if you have a high-speed blender, like a Vitamix.

Sweet Potatoes with Almond Syrup

Girl Cooks World

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April 11, 2019

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Although South Korea has many great health foods, this deep fried dish sounded so interesting and looked too pretty to resist. Sweet potatoes are pre-baked, deep fried and then dipped in an almond syrup before getting a sprinkling of black sesame seeds. These are great if you have a major sweet tooth. I also made a french fry variation that got a very light drizzle of syrup and a fair amount of salt sprinkled on top. Sweet and savory, this preparation was by far my preference of the two.

I used the sweet potatoes that I found at the Asian market. It wasn’t until I peeled them that I realized they weren’t orange inside. Feel free to use your favorite sweet potato variety. A purple Okinawan sweet potato would also look pretty with this preparation.

This was my first time ever using black sesame seeds. A good friend told me his grandfather, at the advice of his Traditional Chinese Medicine doctor, used black sesame seeds to keep his hair from graying. I’m not quite at the stage of worrying about that just yet but I’ll be sure to file that piece of information away in the mental bank for the future…

Sweet Potatoes with Almond Syrup

Ingredients:

3 medium sized sweet potatoes, peeled
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup water
2 almonds, crushed
vegetable oil for deep frying
approximately 1 Tablespoon black sesame seeds
salt to taste

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut the sweet potatoes into bitesize slices or strips shaped like french fries. Soak them in a large bowl full of water to remove some of the starch. Drain and place on a baking sheet.

Bake for 10-15 minutes, until the sweet potato has softened slightly but is not cooked through.

Combine the light brown sugar and water in a small saucepan and simmer over medium heat until a semi-thick syrup has formed. Remove from heat and add the crushed almonds.

Heat several inches of vegetable oil to 350 degrees in a small heavy bottomed saucepan and, in batches, fry sweet potatoes for several minutes until golden. Drain on a paper towel lined plate. Place on a serving plate, drizzle with the almond syrup and sprinkle with black sesame seeds and salt.

Note: If you’d like the super sweet variation, double the amount of syrup (use 1/2 cup each of brown sugar and water and use 4 crushed almonds). Dip each piece of sweet potato in the syrup before sprinkling with sesame seeds. Use little to no salt for this variation.

Sesame Sauce

Girl Cooks World

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April 11, 2019

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Want to know how to make sesame sauce. Don’t worry, this isn’t today’s only post. But I’ll be referring to it in several upcoming recipes (Pan Fried Tofu with Mushrooms and Seafood and Green Onion Pancake) so I thought it’d be nice for it to have its own post so people wouldn’t have to scroll through a bunch of other stuff to find it.

Although really, this stuff is so rock star it sort of deserves to have its own day in the sun. I suppose it’ll have to do with just a couple of hours…

Soy Sesame Dipping Sauce

Ingredients:

1/4 cup gluten-free soy sauce (can substitute Bragg’s liquid aminos)
2 Tablespoons rice, rice wine or apple cider vinegar
1 Tablespoon honey
2 Tablespoons water
2 Tablespoons sesame oil
2 teaspoons Korean coarse red pepper flakes (can substitute regular red pepper flakes)
2 Tablespoons crushed, roasted sesame seeds (see note below)
1/4 cup chopped green onions

Directions:

In a bowl combine the soy sauce, vinegar, honey, water and sesame oil. Add the pepper flakes, sesame seeds, and green onions and mix to combine. Transfer any leftover sauce to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator.

Note: You can sometimes find roasted and crushed sesame seeds at an Asian store, but I just pan toasted some raw sesame seeds for a couple minutes, until they turned golden, and then pulsed them briefly in a coffee grinder (different ways to use a coffee grinder).