Broccoli & Cauliflower Couscous Cakes

Lately, some vegetables have lost their allure. I have been seeking out arugula salads and brightly colored peppers, asparagus, spring onions and heirloom tomatoes. Fruit is also beckoning as summer produce nears. My winter staples like broccoli, sweet potatoes, cauliflower, and onions now seem sad and overeaten. With a large freezer bag still full of broccoli and cauliflower, and a move set for tomorrow forcing me to purge my freezer, I set to transform them into a patty with couscous.

Broccoli & Cauliflower Couscous Cakes (serves 3-4 as a side)

• 2 c broccoli
• 2 c cauliflower
• 2 c couscous
• 3 tsp tikka masala spice mix
• 1/2 lemon
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder

Steam broccoli and cauliflower until soft. Reserving a little bit of water from the steaming, mash the vegetables almost into a paste with the hot water. A food processor would also help, as you want the mixture to be smooth. Add cooked couscous and mix together well.

Add your spices and the juice from half a lemon. Form patties and cook them on medium heat, flipping once browned. They are delicate, so if you are having trouble, press them onto a cookie sheet and bake them instead.

Serve alongside fish, on top of greens, or by themselves with hummus for a snack. Delicious!

What foods are you bored of lately?

Marisa

Crockpot Honeycrisp Applesauce

This applesauce takes me back of a specific family memory- isn’t it neat when a food can do that to you? One restaurant in Sisters, Oregon, has a homemade applesauce side that tastes like pie filling, with enough chunks that you have to chew. Frequently, I am known to order a bowl as my main meal (but that may also be because we are there during Thanksgiving, and I am saving room for the other good stuff).

So when I saw these beautiful apples at the farmers market this past week, I knew they had a purpose. I omitted any sweetener from this recipe because these apples are tasty on their own, but add a little honey or sugar if you have a sweet tooth or if you are using a tart apple variety.

Crockpot Honeycrisp Applesauce (makes 3 cups)

• 3-4 apples
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 1/4 c water
• Optional: 1 tbsp sweetener, a squeeze of lemon juice

Peel your apples if you mind the skin (I don’t), and roughly chop them up.

Throw them into a greased crockpot with the cinnamon and water. Add more water if you like a thinner applesauce. Cook on high for 3-4 hours, taking a minute to mash down the apples halfway through the process.

When they are done, you can easily mash more with a fork or potato masher, or leave it chunky like I prefer. Serve warm for the real experience, and store the extra in the fridge.

Marisa

How To: Lemon and Herb Ice Cubes

I always buy too many fresh herbs when a recipe calls for a tablespoon. With no easy way to buy small quantities, even these 99 cent packages from Whole Foods go to waste for me. I have quickly perfected this little kitchen hack to avoid wasting perfectly fresh herbs- and I made some lemon and lime ice cubes to encourage my water intake as well! Check out the easy step by step post below:

Herb and Lemon/Lime Ice Cubes (fills one tray)

• 1/4 oz of two fresh herbs (I had chives and dill on hand)
• Olive oil
• 1 small lemon and one lime
• Filtered water

Chop everything and slice your citrus fruit relatively thinly.

Pack everything into your ice cube tray, filling it 2/3 of the way for the herb cubes. Fill the citrus cubes with filtered water and the herb cubes with olive oil.

Once frozen, pop the citrus cubes into a glass of water for refreshment. The herb cubes are amazing swirled into a hot pan of cooked pasta and veggies, or stir fry. If you want to use them later for soup, freeze them in extra stock/broth instead!

Other ice tray tricks I have used: leftover stock cubes, coffee ice cubes, extra tomato sauce, and frozen yogurt bites! Any other ideas?

Marisa

Almond Date Bars

Fig bars, remember those? I don’t think I’ve had one in 5 years, but a few weekends ago I had a craving. Fig Newtons were one of the only packaged sweets I could convince my parents to keep around in the kitchen cabinets for after-school noshing. With a box of fresh dates instead of figs, I sought to recreate a bar with a delicious date filling and almond flavor.

This bar is what dreams are made of (hey now, hey now). I replaced the cakey dryness of a typical newton with an oatmeal crust. The dates are ridiculously sweet without any added sugar. Really, what is stopping you from making these right now? Go buy some dates and get cookin.

Almond Date Bars (makes 9 large or 12 medium bars)

• Date paste: 12 oz medjool dates (about 20 dates), 1 c water, 1 tsp almond extract
• 1 and 1/2 c rolled oats
• 1 and 1/2 c flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 c packed brown sugar
• 1/2 c butter
• 1/4 and 1 tbsp of olive oil
• Add to topping: 1 tbsp slivered almonds and 1/2 tsp almond extract

Preheat the oven to 350. Remove the pits from your dates and slice them in half. Cook dates, almond extract, and water for 10 minutes on medium heat and then blend the mixture into a paste using an immersion blender or food processor. While the dates are cooking, combine oats, flour, brown sugar, butter, olive oil and salt to form the crust.

Pack a little over half of this dry mixture into the bottom of a greased 8×8 pan. Prebake the crust for 5 minutes and then spread the date paste on top of the crust.

Add slivered almonds and the extra almond extract to the additional dry mixture and crumble it on top of the date paste, pressing down gently. Bake the bars for 20 minutes at 350 degrees and let them cool before cutting into almond date squares.

What was your favorite packaged treat as a child?

Marisa

Mexican Sweet Potato Frittata

Look at that. Friday already. This week passed by quickly! This recipe came together as I was craving Mexican food and had to deal with the contents of my fridge. Frittatas are great ways to incorporate random items that you’re craving with eggs! If you’re serving a few people, this is easily doubled in the same pan as mine turned out quite thin.

I ate this for dinner, and then breakfast the next morning. It is a great complement to a green salad or a bowl of fruit, so enjoy this flexible recipe and tweak it to your available ingredients. If you can’t tell, I am ready for Cinco de Mayo over here (margaritas, crispy tortilla chips, and guac anyone?).

Mexican Sweet Potato Frittata (serves 2 hungry people)

• Half of an onion, chopped
• Half of a sweet potato, chopped into small slices
• 1 cup sliced cherry tomatoes
• 4 eggs
• 1/4 cup skim milk
• 1/4 cup medium salsa
• Salt and pepper
• Toppings: 1/2 of an avocado sliced, 1/2 cup shredded cheddar, 1 tbsp of chopped chives

Preheat your oven to 350. In a skillet or cast iron pan, sautee your onion and sweet potato with a little bit of water. They should begin to cook and get tender after 5 minutes or so, and throw in the cherry tomatoes to warm up as well.

Once everything is almost cooked through, whisk together the eggs, milk, salsa,  and salt and pepper. Keeping the pan on the stove on medium heat, add the egg mixture and let it set, mixing the pan for the first minute to allow egg to get underneath everything.

As the eggs are beginning to cook, slice avocado and place it on top after sprinkling shredded cheese. Cook it in the oven until the cheese is bubbly and the eggs are fully cooked (around 5 minutes or less). Top with chives and extra salsa.

What items are you struggling with using in your fridge? Try incorporating them into something like a frittata!

Marisa