Mexican Spiced Chocolate Chip Cookies

I'm up north (Toronto-speak for 2 hours outside the city in any direction) on Georgina Island in a beautiful sunlight- and art-filled home with an incredible view of Lake Simcoe. My host just made these cookies from "Bake Fest" magazine. They have cayenne! Just like the spicy hot chocolate from Au Festin de Babette.

350 g semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup salted butter, softened
1 cup sugar (I would probably use a bit less)
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp instant coffee
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups flour
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cayenne (use more if you can handle it!!)

Preheat oven to 350F. Melt 1 cup chocolate chips in a baño maría (double boiler). Beat butter and sugars until fluffly. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Stir coffee with vanilla and beat into butter mixture. Blend in melted chocolate. In a separate bowl mix flour, cinammon, baking soda, salt and cayenne pepper. Add to butter mixture, mix on low until combined. Stir in remaining chocolate chips. Drop spoonfuls of dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing 1 inch. Bake for 10 minutes or until set but still soft.

The magazine claims they freeze well but this might be because it's sponsored by a freezable tupperware company. Freeze at your own risk!!

...and raise you an asparagus

Here is my second summer salad recipe. I have made it four times in two weeks because asparagus is finally here, and it is SO GOOD. Obviously the proportions of this salad are flexible! I start with about the same volume of potatoes and asparagus, and then make sure there are plenty of red elements. Oh, and also you can substitute string beans for asparagus if you want.. just blanch or steam them instead of roasting.

Asparagus Salad


Salad:
250 g. Asparagus, approximately chopped into thirds
3 Large potatoes, diced into bite-sized pieces
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Garlic (2 cloves? 3 cloves? pressed)
Large handful cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
1 Roasted red pepper, sliced into strips (I buy these in a jar, obviously you could roast your own)
Goat's cheese, as much or little as you want, in chunks / half-moons / whatever
Toasted pine nuts
Plenty of fresh basil leaves, whole or torn in two

Balsamic vinaigrette, or use whatever proportions you like:
1 t. Honey
1 t. Mustard
Salt
Pepper
3 T. Balsamic vinaigre
2 T. Olive oil

1. Toss the asparagus and potatoes in olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic, and roast them in a 200˚C oven until they are through. Broiler is optional. Since they might take different amounts of time, it is easiest to roast them on two separate pans. Potatoes maybe 18 minutes, asparagus should be done in about 12.. but just check on them often. Careful not to over-roast!

2. Let the potatoes and asparagus cool a bit so that the goat's cheese does not melt away when it gets tossed into the salad.

3. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl (scrape in any stray garlic bits from the pan, they are delicious), mix with dressing, and EAT!

I'll see your quinoa...

Hey guys,

So this is my first post, but after spending a fabulous and exhausting day with Jess making ca$h at the Neukölln flea market I realized that I will lose her soon to Canada, so I'd better start strengthening those digital bonds. And also, I cannot count the number of times that I have enjoyed said SUPER INCA recipe, so I owe the blog one (in this case, two). Here is the first.

Quinoa Salad à la Moa (Swedish friend, genius)

Salad:
1 c. Quinoa
2 - 2.5 c. Water / vegetable broth to boil the quinoa
Salt for the water
125g Arugula, washed (in Germany this is one normal package)
Large handful of cherry tomatoes
Large handful of almonds
1/2 Block of hallumi (or more if you feel like it)

Balsamic vinaigrette (these are the proportions I use):
1 t. Honey
1 t. Mustard
Salt
Pepper
3 T. Balsamic vinaigre
2 T. Olive oil

1. Boil quinoa in water / vegetable broth until it is cooked and dry (should not be soupy). When it is finished, remove from heat and spread out the quinoa on a large plate so that it can cool. This is important!

2. While the quinoa is cooking / cooling, do the following things:
- Cut the tomatoes into halves or quarters.
- Toast the almonds in a pan with a tiny bit of oil over high heat until brown. Chop coarsely.
- Slice the hallumi (1/4 inch or so) and brown the slices in a non-stick pan until they are golden on both sides. No oil necessary. Afterwards cut them in halves or thirds.
- Prepare vinaigrette.

3. When quinoa has cooled down and the grains are a bit less sticky, combine all ingredients in a large bowl and enjoy! Yum!

Simple Summer Quinoa Salad

Not that you would know it's almost summer since it's fucking 0 degrees in Toronto. And not that I would know what the weather is like anyways since I haven't left my house all fucking day. And not that I have time to cook this since I'm writing this fucking paper FOREVER. So more of an aspirational recipe than a reflective one. Kisses and polar bears.

c/o the back of the Casbah quinoa box

Ingredients:
Salad:
225g dry quinoa
2 1/2 cups water or broth
1 cup grape tomatoes, quartered
1 sweet yellow pepper, diced
1 cup cucumber, diced
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped


Dressing:
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 garlic clove, minced
salt and pepper to taste
pinch of crushed red pepper flakes (optional)


Add quinoa to boiling water/broth, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. In the mean time, chop your veggies. Combine salad ingredients. Combine dressing ingredients. Combine combinations. Sprinkle with Canadian feta if you're feeling nostalgic for Supa Inca. Serve cold.

Goat cheese rounds

Heyho!

Made these for my roommate's bday a few weeks ago and they are delish.

Goat cheese rounds
6 oz soft goat cheese, 3-4 inches in diameter
1/3 cup olive oil
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp fresh thyme chopped
1 tsp cracked black pepper
10 black olives, pitted, coarsely chopped (kalamata)

Slice the cheese in half horizontally so that it is about 3/4 inches thick. Place in rounds in a shallow dish.

In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, vinegar, garlic, thyme, pepper, and olives until well blended. Pout over goat cheese and marinate. Refrigerate for 2 hours to 1 week. Before serving, let warm to room temperature, about 30 minutes. Serve with crostini, crackers or sliced baguette.

Add on:
-green onion, chopped finely
-crushed basil and fennel seeds
-finely chopped sundried tomatoes

And for FAR, some good old interspecies goat love:

Love,

Prof. Tata

Beet and apple slaw, bugs on the side

Slaw -- the most poetic, but needlessly slaughtered, of all vegetables.

CABBAGES AWAITING NEEDLESS SLAUGHTER AT, I KID YOU NOT, A CABBAGE WRESTLING EVENT AT DAYTONA BEACH, FL

( Barbara V. Perez, Orlando Sentinel / March 9, 2005 )

The cabbage has yet to be shredded and the patrons stand and wait as the rainy weather today, March 9, 2005, delayed for a couple of hours the annual coleslaw wrestling event at Sopotnick's Cabbage Patch in Samsula. This is an annual Bike Week event.

Witness this free verse poem from Raleigh, NC teenager TheCylceGoesRound [sp] on the website Teen Ink:

There is a bug in my coleslaw
And it’s annoying me.
A little, red winged thing,
Rolling around in my food.
He’s like a tick on your arm
Or a mosquito on your leg.
He’s like a fly on your bread
Or a spider in your shoe.
You know,
The little red winged guy
Is in freaking paradise
And turning my food into
A revolting pile of
Red winged bug food.
He reminds me of things
And people.
People who are annoying
Like red winged things
Who won’t stay out of your food
Or your life.

Word, Cylce, word.

Beet and apple slaw

• 1 medium beet, peeled and cut into chunks
• 2 medium green apples, cored and cut into chunks
• 1/2 head green cabbage, cored
• 3 tbsp champagne vinegar
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp Dijon-style mustard
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup packed, flat-leaf parsley, coarsely chopped for garnish

1) Grate beets and apples.

2) Grate cabbage (or chop).

3) Put everything into a bowl.

4) Whisk together vinegar, honey, mustard, and salt. Whisk in oil to form a dressing. Pour onto chopped stuff and toss. Serves up to 7 as a side dish.

Liebe,
Prof. TT