Potato - Asparagus Salad + My Cooking Challenge

My cooking challenge is coming along very well. I am becoming more confident when I cook and I love how I am even surprising myself with my skills! The Forest Feast by Erin Gleason has been such a great help and has even let me get a little creative in the way create and display the dishes. Her recipes are easy to follow and are never over complicated, perfect for someone who is just getting her bearings in the kitchen. 

Originally the recipe was a Potato and Green Bean Salad and while I didn't have any green beans in the kitchen, they also aren't my first choice vegetable, so I opted to use asparagus which I can't get enough of! 

The dressing can either be a simple rice vinegar and olive oil combo OR you can be a little more adventurous and mix it with her Greek Caesar Dressing that I could drink like soup it's so good!

:INGREDIENTS:

25 Mini Potatoes(I used fingerling)

6 Garlic Cloves

1 TBSP Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper

10-15 stalks of Asparagus

3/4 cup Olive Oil

2 whole Garlic Cloves

1/4 cup Greek Yogurt

1 TBSP Lemon Juice

2 tbsp Dijon Mustard

:DIRECTIONS:

1. Turn the oven on to 425 degrees and place the potatoes and garlic on a tray and sprinkle the olive oil, salt and pepper on top. Let them roast for about 25 minutes. 

2. While they cook, lightly cook the asparagus in a skillet with some olive oil for about 5 minutes. 

3. For the dressing, combine all the ingredients into a jar and shake until well combined.

4. Once both are cooled toss them together and combine with the dressing! Then try and stop yourself from eating the entire thing!

This dish has so far been one of my favorites and I can't wait to make more of it this summer!

Homemade Protein Bars + Baking With My Kryptonite

I've been on the hunt for a great protein bar recipe for weeks months now. Now in full disclosure I am probably risking my life to make these bars because I am HIGHLY allergic to peanuts, almonds, all that stuff. So why am I making these bars you might ask? My boyfriend eats granola bars every morning for breakfast and there isn't much protein in them so I thought I could probably pretty easily make a protein bar that tastes better than your run of the mill chocolatey protein bar.

I love this recipe because it has all natural ingredients, no preservatives and I can pronounce everything that's put in the bar!

During this entire process I tried my best to not actually touch any of the ingredients, but I had my Epi pen on hand just in case...

:INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 cups rolled oats aka Old Fashioned Oats

1 cup whole almonds

1/2 cup dried cranberries*

1/2 cup dried apricots*

1/2 cup pistachios

1/3 cup walnuts

1/3 cup sunflower seeds

2/3 cup cashews

1/3 cup pure maple syrup or honey

1/4 cup apple sauce

1 cup (8 oz.) almond butter

*You can substitute the fruits for any dried fruit. I've made them before with blueberries and cherries. 

My almond butter kryptonite…

:DIRECTIONS:

1. Combine all of the dry ingredients into a large bowl and set aside. 

2. Measure out the almond butter into a microwave safe bowl and put in the microwave for 2 sessions of 18 seconds.

3. Combine the syrup and apple sauce into the bowl with the almond butter and whisk until smooth. 

4.Combine the almond butter mix with the dry mix and mix well.

5. Line an 8x8 baking pan with wax paper then pour the mix into the pan and spread it out evenly.

6. Place in the freezer for at least an hour, hour and a half if you have the time. 

7. Once they've sat in the freezer take it out and lift out the one solid bar by grabbing the wax paper and setting it down on the counter.

8. Use a knife (I used a butcher knife, a little extreme but it got the job done!) to cut the bar into how ever many pieces you like. It can make anywhere between 10-16 bars. 

Mint Green Giant…Smoothie

I will be the first to admit that I probably do not eat as many vegetables as I should. Now I know how this looks, there are chocolate chips in there but I wanted to make a sweeter breakfast smoothie and WHY NOT?! It has soy milk which I love and greek yogurt which I could eat by the barrel. 

The final result was a yummy mint green smoothie that was quick to make and smelled like summer!

RECIPE…

3/4 cup greek yogurt

1/4 cup fresh mint

1 cup soymilk

1/4 cup dark chocolate chips

1 cup baby spinach

1 TBSP maple syrup

1 1/2 cup crushed ice

Baked Garlic Nuts + Living on the Edge with My Nut Allergy

I would never say I'm naturally gifted at cooking but I like to try and I don't even mind when I make mistakes. I was gifted this book The Forest Feast for christmas and I absolutely love it. It's a vegetarian book and while I do now eat poultry and fish, I haven't eaten red meat since 2005, except for a small slip up of a cube of bbq pork in Hong Kong and that was so that I wouldn't appear rude! The author created these incredible recipes and even more beautiful photos that fill every page with color and amazing composition.

My first attempt from The Forest Feast is the Baked Garlic Nuts. I should also point out that I am deathly allergic to nuts but I wanted to try the recipe out for my boyfriend who loves them so I kept my epi pen nearby just incase a freak accident occurred, which would happen to me seeing as I took a nasty fall two days ago and sent my phone slow motion flying through the air. I saw hit the ground hard and I still had time to look up and watch my phone doing summersaults and finally bounce a few times before landing under a car. We both survived though. 

I've NEVER seen or peeled this much garlic in my entire life, I thought the 20 garlic cloves might have been a misprint but that's what the recipe called for. However I will say you could easily get away with half and it would still taste just as delicious and leave you with half the potent breath!

RECIPE

20 peeled cloves of garlic *

1 T finely chopped fresh rosemary

2 t olive oil

1/4 t truffle salt**

1 cup unsalted raw mixed nuts 

First: Mix and roast the everything BUT the nuts on a baking sheet at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until garlic is soft and golden.

Second: Mix the nuts into the garlic mixture on the baking sheet and roast another 5-7 minutes. Then transfer to a bowl and add kosher salt to taste!

* Like I said before 20 cloves is a little intense so I would do maybe 10, but hey if you love garlic then go crazy!

** I didn't have truffle salt nor did I find it at the supermarket so I used regular kosher salt.

Then thats it and your kitchen smells super delicious afterwards! This is a super easy snack to make for everyday life or dinner parties, or if your like me a "lethal" snack to make and handle for your boyfriend. So if your allergic like me and like to live on the edge try making this great snack. Thank you Erin Gleason for this BEAUTIFUL book!