(Paleo) Cinnamon Roll In A Mug

The process of perfecting a recipe is largely trial and error.
It requires understanding the basic ingredients (coconut flour, what have I done to you?) and the variations for different situations (i.e., coconut flour needs more liquid and eggs than other flours), then tasting them against one’s experience in actual use.
Make, taste, smell, notice, change, repeat.
This is my mantra when it comes to perfecting recipes.

Green Goddess Quinoa Salad with Feta Cheese

It seems that this blog is finally working for me: I have an archive of recipes I love, largely ones that work as they should, and the answer to “What should I eat today?” is now, quite often “Aw man those turkey koftas were legit. Let’s have them again!”

Eggplant Parm "Meatballs"

Okay, I know that despite everyone being back to school, back to work (ugh!), and Labor day being but a small blink in the rearview mirror (was it the day before yesterday or like a month ago?), summer isn’t really over yet.
It’s still hot, humid, smelly, the days are still relatively long and no, I will not put my flip-flops away just yet.
But I can’t help it, as soon as September rolls around, I begin the transition from summer to fall.
I grab the cold weather running gear. I look at the plums and peaches at the Farmers’ market questioningly - I only want to buy apples, figs, and pumpkins.
And I feel the need for bubbly, filling, and indulgent meals — such as eggplant parm.

(Paleo) Kung Pao Chicken

In college I made the stunning discovery that an order of Kung Pao Chicken, braised eggplant, and a beer water was pretty much the best weekday dinner there could ever be.
A friend and I made a weekly ritual of it; until one day we couldn't tolerate another bite — anyone with a bit of common sense would have seen that coming, not us, we were that naive.

Easy Creamy Crock-Pot Butter Chicken (Murgh Makhani)

I’m not sure if you do this as well, but I tend to go in and out food crazes — currently, the only thing I want to eat after running is garlic butter zoodles, which doesn’t sound so bad until you consider that I run every day.
I’ve gone through similar phases with scrambled eggs with avocado and feta, dinners of teriyaki glazed chicken and creamy mashed cauliflower, pan-fried dumplings with chinese eggplant, and for three tormented weeks Xi’an Famous Foods’ Hand-Ripped Noodles (so not paleo, so guilty delicious!)

Creamy Caprese Cauliflower Casserole

We all love cauliflower at this point, don’t we? It has come a long way. A very, very long way.
We’ve tried it as pizza crust, bread, tortillas, rice, noodles, soufflé, even hot pockets. We blend it into mashed “fauxtatoes” and roast it until it becomes perfectly caramelized, nutty, and sweet.
Mel even makes brownies with it, Lau uses it in cakes, while Synthia blends it to create a delicious rice pudding.
But friends, have you combined it with tomato sauce, mozzarella, and basil to make an awesomely delicious bake?
This is my not-so-humble addition to the cauliflower craze, and it has seriously become by far one of my favorite casseroles of all time. (It might become yours too.)

(Paleo) Rich ‘n Creamy Hot Chocolate

Is it too early for hot chocolate?

The answer is who cares, hot chocolate is forever.

OK, OK, OK...I know it's still summer. Hot, humid, sweaty, smelly, glorious summer — with temperatures sitting firmly planted near the triple digits.
But I woke up last Saturday morning and needed hot chocolate.
If I crave something, I make it, and eat it (or drink it in this case). It.Just.Has.To.Happen.

My Top 10 Favorite Kitchen Tools

To be honest, I’m not really a “Buy this gadget!” kind of guy.
Sure, I’ve told you a couple of times to get a spiralizer or a pre-seasoned cast iron skillet; but I’m a firm believer that if you really want to make something, you can make it happen. No.Matter.What. There’s always a way to MacGyver together a solution to the problem of not-the-right-gear.
That being said, I’m a big fan of the right tool for the right job — especially when it makes my life in the kitchen easier and more efficient.
So I’ve put together a list of my Top 10 Favorite Kitchen Tools.

Tools that I use every day, that are exceptionally good at performing their given task, yet are rarely, if ever, found in a “regular” kitchen (every time I go cook at a friend's house, I'm always disappointed to discover very lousy cookware.)
Chances are, you already have a couple of these: maybe you have a cast iron skillet that was your grandmother’s, a Crock-pot you got for your wedding, a very old vegetable peeler you bought ages ago but rarely use.
But you might not have all of these. If you like cooking though, they are all worth having.

Skillet Paprika Potatoes

While tomatoes are getting most of the glamour these days, we mustn’t forget that this is also the height of the new potato season.
I want more people to realize how special new potatoes are — they’re one of the least celebrated foods, even in this positive era of seasonal, local produce.
There’s something amazing in enjoying a bowl of just-cooked new potatoes. And I feel you should know that.

Easy Baked Garlic Mushrooms

Let’s start with what matters most: this is absolutely my favorite quick and delicious way to prepare ‘shrooms.
It’s an incredible, quick, easy side dish that’s ready in less than 30 minutes and that it’s so delicious it will outshine the main dish — unless the main dish is Spicy Basil Lemon Chicken, then we might call it a draw.
These Easy Baked Butter Garlic Mushrooms will make you drool in a way that only butter and garlic can, well that and sweet potato fries, chocolate chunk cookies, pulled pork, and quesadillas. Just to name a few.
It’s seriously the one side side I keep making again and again.