Avocado Pancakes

Avocado...pancakes? Yes. These were definitely an experiment, but one that turned out very well! They were Dave's idea, and a very good one! We made these last summer and paired them with fresh tomatoes from my backyard. Yum.

Pancakes:

3 eggs
3/4 cup milk
1 avocado; cut into chunks
zest of 1 lime
juice of 1 lime
2 tablespoons butter; melted
1 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
1/4 teaspoon of salt

In a medium-sized bowl whisk the eggs and set aside.

In a blender puree the milk, avocado, lime zest, and lime juice until smooth. Add the puree to the egg along with the melted butter and stir to combine.

In a separate bowl whisk together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir to combine. 

Heat a griddle to medium-high heat. Spoon 2 tablespoons of batter onto the griddle and smooth it into a round shape. Cook the pancakes for 3-4 minutes, flipping once, until both sides are golden brown.


Topping:

1 pint of cherry tomatoes; quartered
2 tablespoons of fresh cilantro; minced
1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Combine ingredients above, and serve alongside or on top of pancakes. 

Original recipe here

Margarita Cupcakes

As is now par for the course, this post comes almost 3 months after actual cooking. Talk about procrastination. (Or, don't - wait until later.)

Anywho, my lovely friend Marisa's birthday coincides with Cinco de Mayo, so what better than to do a Mexican-themed party? (Her idea, not mine.) I of course volunteered to help with the culinary creations - guacamole, sangria, and margarita cupcakes (above). I've had this recipe sitting around for a while and have been waiting for the right moment to try it - and of course this was the perfect time. I wasn't sure how I would feel about tequila in/on a cupcake, but it was really tasty! Though it is long past Cinco de Mayo, these would still be a tasty summer treat if you can stand using your oven at this time of year :)

Cupcakes:

1½ cups all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
Zest and juice of 1½ limes
2 tablespoons tequila
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup buttermilk
1 to 2 tablespoons tequila (to brush)

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line a standard muffin tin with paper liners; set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.

3. In an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the butter and sugar together until pale, light, and fluffy (about 5 minutes).

4. Reduce the mixer speed to medium and add the eggs one at at time, mixing thoroughly after each addition.

5. Scrape the sides of the bowl and add the lime zest, lime juice, vanilla extract and tequila. Mix until combined. (The mixture may start to look curdled at this point, but don't worry, it will all come back together, power on!)

6. Reduce the mixer speed low. Add the dry ingredients in three batches, alternating with the buttermilk in two batches. Mix only until just incorporated, using a rubber spatula to give it one last mix by hand.

7. Divide the batter between the muffin cups. Bake for approximately 25 minutes or until just slightly golden and a skewer shows only moist crumbs attached, rotating the pan at the halfway point.

8. Allow cupcakes to cool for 5 to 10 minutes, and then remove to a cooling rack. Brush the tops of the cupcakes with the 1 to 2 tablespoons of tequila. Set the cupcakes aside to cool completely before frosting them.

Frosting:

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2¾ cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon lime juice
2 tablespoons tequila
Pinch of coarse salt

9. To make the frosting, whip the butter on medium-high speed of an electric mixer using the whisk attachment for 5 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium-low, and gradually add the powdered sugar, mixing and scraping the sides of the bowl until all is incorporated. Give it a mix on medium speed for about 30 seconds. Add the lime juice, tequila and salt mix on medium-high speed until incorporated and fluffy. If the frosting appears a bit too soft, add some additional sugar, one spoonful at a time until desired consistency is reached. Frost cupcakes and garnish, if desired, with lime zest, an additional sprinkling of salt and a lime wedge.

Original recipe here

Southwest Quinoa Salad

I have two recipes for southwest quinoa salad...no surprise, since it has many of my favorite foods. Yum. I went a little overboard with the herbs when I made this since I hate throwing away extra food, but, I'm going to tone it down a notch next time.

1 cup quinoa
1 3/4 cups water
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup mint, roughly chopped
1/2 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced
1 red pepper, diced
1 1/2 cups cooked black beans (or a 15 ounce can of beans, drained and rinsed)
1 cup corn kernels (fresh or canned)
1 large garlic clove, minced
1-2 juicy limes
1 tablespoon olive oil

Combine the quinoa, water, cumin, salt and pepper in a medium sized sauce pan and bring to a boil. Cover the pan and lower the heat to a simmer. Let cook until the quinoa is soft and water is absorbed, about 13-15 minutes. Remove from the heat and keep covered for 5 minutes. Uncover and let cool. The quinoa can be made a day ahead and kept in the fridge. Bring to room temperature before proceeding.

Place the quinoa in a large serving bowl. Add the mint, cilantro, onions, red pepper, beans, corn and garlic. Squeeze the juice of one lime in and drizzle in the olive oil. Stir gently, taste for additional lime juice, salt and pepper and add more if needed. Serve at room temperature.

Original recipe here

Alternate Southwest Quinoa Salad recipe

Lime Colada Cupcakes

A few weeks after getting my new STAND MIXER (see previous post), and after my final exam, I had no plans for Saturday night and decided it was time to break in the mixer. (Obviously in an ideal world, I would have used the mixer right away, but studying got in the way.) I didn't feel like going out to the grocery store so I had to find a recipe for which I already had all of the ingredients, and I found this one online (I think on Tastespotting). The only think I left out was the coconut milk, because I didn't have any, but the frosting was still delicious. I also had bought a new mini cupcake pan, which I filled first, but I still had extra batter to make 8 large cupcakes.

Lime Pound Cake Cupcakes

Makes 15 cupcakes or one loaf pan

Ingredients

• 2 sticks salted butter
• 2 1/2 cups cake flour (I used all-purpose)
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup fresh lime juice
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. salt

Instructions
Pre-heat the oven to 350*F.
Place the butter in a small saucepan and melt over low heat, and then whisk the warm butter so no milk solids remain. Mix the melted butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer until the sugar is well-dissolved. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well between each addition. Add the lime juice. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt and add to the butter mixture alternately with the milk in 3 additions. Mix until just combined, then scoop into lined cupcake tins or one 9″ x 5″ loaf pan. Bake until lightly browned and a toothpick comes out clean, about 25 minutes for cupcakes, 45-50 minutes for a loaf pan. Allow to cool completely then frost. 

For the frosting: "Best Buttercream Ever" (substitute coconut milk for milk, and add a 1/2 cup of coconut flakes).

Original recipe here

Quinoa Salad with Smoky Lime Dressing

 

Another quinoa recipe! I make quinoa pretty often because I like it a lot more than rice and it is packed with protein (which I am generally lacking since I am a vegetarian). This recipe is even easier than the one I posted previously with black beans and corn - and it only takes about 20 minutes to make!

1 cup quinoa
4 green onions, thinly sliced
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon low-sodium teriyaki sauce or soy sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 canned chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
1 small garlic clove, finely chopped 

Place the quinoa and 2 cups water in a medium saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil.
Lower heat, cover and simmer 15 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed. Stir in the green onions, black-eyed peas, and cilantro.

Puree the remaining ingredients together in a food processor; pour over quinoa and stir to coat with dressing. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Original recipe here 

Lemon, lime and garlic shrimps

This recipe has become a favorite of mine and Dave's, and it is really simple, especially if you use frozen shrimp. We usually just make pasta with this dish and put the shrimp dish on top - the pasta tastes really great with all of the olive oil, parsley, and lemon and lime zests.

4 Tbsp Olive Oil
150 g Peeled Large Prawns, thawed if frozen, pat dry
3 Cloves Garlic, peeled and chopped
Zest of 1 Big Lime
Zest of 1 Lemon
½ tsp Chili Flakes
3 Heaped Tbsp Chopped Flat-Leaf Parsley
1 Tbsp Breadcrumbs
Sea Salt to taste
Freshly Ground Black Pepper to taste
1 Tbsp Unsalted Butter

Pasta (I usually use ziti)  
Lemon and lime wedges



Preheat oven to 425˚F.
 
Place the olive oil in a baking dish large enough to fit the prawns in a single layer. Warm the oil in the oven for about 5 to 6 minutes or until the oil is hot.

Meanwhile, toss the prawns with all the ingredients except the butter.

Remove the baking dish from the oven and add the prawns in the hot oil and scatter the butter on top. Return to the oven and bake for another 8 to 10 minutes or until the prawns are just cooked. Season the prawns lightly with sea salt if necessary and serve immediately with lemon wedges on top of the pasta. 

Original recipe here 

Tofu Stir Fry

So, I've been making stir fry for a couple years now without a recipe, but even after all the variations I came up with (beans, tofu, every kind of vegetable), I got sick of my once-favorite dish. I found this tofu stir fry recipe, and decided to try it since it has some of my favorite vegetables along with soy sauce and lime juice. It was really easy - the only thing I altered was that I used red chili flakes instead of fresh chilies because I couldn't find the fresh ones at the grocery store. Also - I followed the recipe and only used half of the red pepper, but it definitely would have been okay to use the whole thing.

3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
12 ounces firm tofu, patted dry, cut in 1/2-inch cubes
3 shallots, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 carrot, cut in matchstick pieces
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut in 1/2 inch thin strips
1 cup green beans, cut in 1 inch pieces
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh red chilies (or red chili flakes to taste)
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Heat a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat and add 2 tbsp (25 mL) oil. Add tofu and stir-fry for 4 minutes, turning carefully, until golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and reserve.

Add remaining oil to wok. Add shallots and garlic and stir-fry for 1 minute. 

Add carrot, red pepper and asparagus and stir-fry for 2 minutes. 

Add soy sauce, lime juice, chilies, sugar and pepper and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.

Return tofu to wok and cook for 1 minute, or until combined and heated through.

Original recipe here

Vegan Quinoa and Black Beans

I have made this recipe a few times now, because it's really easy, and has all of my favorite ingredients: quinoa, black beans, corn, cilantro, lime juice, and garlic. It is also great with avocado on top - I've just found it difficult lately to get my avocados ripe at the same time that I'm making this recipe. Another reason this is one of my favorites is because most of the ingredients you can keep on-hand for a while and they tend to be ingredients that I have around for other recipes. Bottom line: this dish is easy and delicious, and perfect for making after a long day at work. 

Original recipe here