Deviled Eggs

Yield: 12 deviled eggs

Ingredients:

  • 6 eggs
  • 1/4 cup mayonnaise
  • 1 teaspoon white vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon yellow mustard
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • Black pepper
  • Smoked paprika (for the garnish)

Directions:

  1. Place eggs in a single layer in a saucepan and cover with enough water that there’s 1 1/2 inches of water above the eggs. Heat on high until water begins to boil, then cover, turn the heat to low, and cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat and leave covered for 14 minutes, then rinse under cold water continuously for 1 minute.
  2. Crack egg shells and carefully peel under cool running water. Gently dry with paper towels. Slice the eggs in half lengthwise, removing yolks to a medium bowl, and placing the whites on a serving platter. Mash the yolks into a fine crumble using a fork. Add mayonnaise, vinegar, mustard, salt, and pepper, and mix well.
  3. Evenly disperse heaping teaspoons of the yolk mixture into the egg whites. Sprinkle with paprika and serve. If you are not serving immediately, keep chilled

Creamy Tomato Soup (Vegan)

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, chopped coarsely
  • 3 cloves of garlic, chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • Black pepper
  • 1 pound of potatoes (Ideally waxy, such as Yukon gold. This amount is about 2-4 average-sized potatoes)
  • 1 cup sun-dried tomato (not packed in oil, just plain, sun-dried tomatoes)
  • 6 cups water or vegetable broth
  • 1, 28-oz can of crushed tomatoes
  • Juice of 1/2 a lemon

Directions:

  1. Chop onions and garlic. Peel your potatoes and cut them into approximately 1-inch cubes.
  2. Preheat a large soup pot over medium heat. Sauté (cook) the onions in the olive oil until the onions are translucent- approximately 6 minutes
  3. Add the garlic, herbs, salt, and pepper. Sauté for 1 more minute, until the garlic is fragrant.
  4. Add the potatoes and sun-dried tomatoes. Pour in the water. Cover and bring to a boil.
  5. Once the soup is boiling, lower the heat to medium, cover, and let simmer for about 20 minutes, until the potatoes are tender and the sun-dried tomatoes are soft.
  6. Add the crushed tomatoes and heat through. If you have an immersion blender, puree the soup until very smooth. If you do not, transfer into a food processor once cooled, process, and reheat in the pot. Add lemon juice if desired.

For citation, click here

Simple, Quick-Rise Pizza Dough

Yield: One pizza

Ingredients:

  • 280 g (2.5 cups) bread flour or all-purpose flour
  • 10 g (2 tsp) sugar
  • 6 g (1.25 tsp) salt
  • 3/4 tsp instant yeast
  • 1 cup water

Directions:

  1. Combined the flours, sugar, and salt in a large bowl
  2. Heat the water until about 110° F (warm, but not hot enough to hurt you if you put your finger in it)
  3. Place the yeast into the warm water and wait 2-10 minutes to see if it blooms (bubbles). Once it has bloomed, add it to the dry mixture and combine
  4. Knead until smooth and shape into a round ball. Cover with a clean dish towel or plastic wrap and let sit for 45 minutes
  5. Carefully stretch to the thickness and size you would like and enjoy with sauces and toppings of your choice

Note: typically, when I cook these crusts it takes about 8-9 minutes on a pizza stone, but it also can be placed on a metal tray and cooked that way. Do not place the dough directly on the rack because it will fall through and it will break your heart.

Citations

Garbanzo and Potato Curry

Ingredients:

  • 4 potatoes, peeled and cubed
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil (I prefer coconut)
  • 1 yellow onion, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 4 tsp curry powder
  • 2 tsp garam masala, or similar
  • 1, 1 inch, piece of fresh ginger, peeled and minced
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes
  • 15 oz of canned garbanzo beans (chickpeas), rinsed and drained
  • 1 cup of frozen peas
  • 14 oz of canned coconut milk

(Most ingredients can be found at local Asian markets or ordered online, but most spices can be substituted for commonly found alternatives)

Directions:

  1. Prepare ingredients as instructed above
  2. Place the potatoes into a large pot or frying pan and cover with salted water
  3. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until just tender, about 15 minutes
  4. Drain and allow to steam dry for a couple of minutes
  5. Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat
  6. Stir in the onion and garlic, cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent (about 5 minutes)
  7. Season with cumin, cayenne pepper, curry powder, garam masala, ginger, and salt
  8. Cook for 2 minutes and then add the remaining ingredients
  9. Bring the mixture to a simmer for 5 to 10 minutes and then serve

(Original recipe from allrecipes found on citations page)

 

Basic Pancakes

Yield: approximately 8 pancakes

 

Dry Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3 tbsp sugar
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

Wet Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 cups milk (any kind)
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter (vegetable oil can be used for a vegan substitute)
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (optional, but recommended)
    • For a unique flavor, use 1/2 tsp lemon extract. Adds a very nice, subtle lemon flavor.

Instructions:

  1. Whisk together dry ingredients in a large bowl
  2. Whisk together wet ingredients in a separate bowl
  3. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and whisk until just combined. If you are going to fold in additional mix-ins, do so now
  4. Spoon approximately 1/3 cup batter onto a hot, greased/non-stick gridle or pan. Cook until the top begins to bubble and the bubbles begin to pop, and then flip.  Cook on both sides until each is the desired shade.
    • If not served immediately, the pancakes can be warmed in a 150-200˚ oven until you are ready to serve them. Do not leave in for too long or at too great a temperature

Note on substitutions for a vegan version:

  • If you are going to swap this for a vegan alternative, I suggest applesauce, as it adds a nice, light flavor. Do NOT use bananas unless you really, really, really want your pancakes to taste entirely like bananas.
  • The melted butter can be swapped for oil, though if done, it is recommended you go for one of the smaller possible values of butter/oil to be used
  • The milk used can be any kind, including a plant-based substitute

Simple French Loaf

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 cups warm water (not hot, but about the temperature of a nice bath)
  • 1 tbsp honey (3/4 if using pure honey. Feel free to substitute in sugar if you do not eat honey)
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp Active Dry Yeast
  • 3 1/2+ cups all-purpose flour

Instructions:

  1. Mix together the water, honey, salt, and yeast. Let sit for 5-10 minutes until bubbles form on the surface
  2. Add flour and incorporate until no longer sticky. If you are going to add in garlic powder, add it to the flour and mix before incorporating. Incorporate fresh ingredients or extras (olives, minced onion, etc.) after incorporating the flour. Make sure the dough “bounces back” if poked.
  3. Allow the dough to rest for 20-40 minutes
  4. Form the dough into a load. Allow to bake for approximately 20 minutes, until the bottom is solid when knocked on [Note: if adding a wet mix-in, such as olives, the baking time may increase]

Soft Pumpkin Cookies

Yield: approximately 32

Dry Ingredients:

  • 2 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 3/4 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/12 cups sugar
  • 1 tsp allspice

Wet Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup softened butter
  • 1 cup pumpkin
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract

Instructions:

  1. Preheat your oven to 350˚ F and prepare pans with parchment paper or another oven-safe, non-stick surface
  2. Mix together dry ingredients in a bowl
  3. Cream butter and sugar and add in egg. Mix until combined
  4. Add the rest of the wet ingredients and mix until combined
  5. Incorporate dry mixture into the bowl with wet ingredients
  6. Grease and flour a spoon to drop approximately 1 tablespoon of the dough onto your non-stick cooking sheet
  7. Cook for approximately fifteen minutes