Buttermilk Crumble Peach Berry Cobbler

Fresh fruit and delicious buttermilk crumble make for a sweet and savory dessert...or breakfast. Served a la mode this is one of my favorite things to make in the summer. Make sure the peaches you use are really excellent and nicely ripe to add juice to the cobbler.

1 cup Buttermilk Pancake/All Purpose Baking Mix (I used TJs)
1/2 Cup Milk
1/4 cup sugar + 1-2 tb for fruit
1-2 tb brown sugar to sprinkle on top
4 tb butter
dash of extra baking powder (Idk, because fluffy!)
dash vanilla extract
lemon juice, 2-3 squeezes
cinnamon - amount to taste, I probably used about 1/8 tsp or less
4-6 small peaches pitted, no need to peel - I had these tiny little disc guys
1/2 cup blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, whatever you have around  (I used blueberries)
(optional) nutmeg
(optional) cornstarch to thicken fruit syrupyness a bit
5x9 bread pan or other larger/shallower baking dish

This recipe calls for fresh fruit but canned can easily be substituted in. 1 16oz can should suffice if you're using berries too. I'd probably drain the heavy syrup.

A note on the 'cobble' - this recipe is probably what you might call northeastern style cobbler - the topping is sweet, salty and buttery in flavor while the texture is fluffier, more biscuity then doughy. It reminds me a little bit of cornbead. The top and bottom browns wonderfully for a nice crunch. The cinnamon and nutmeg add a wonderful warmth and spicy flavor to the fruit, which isn't swimming in syrupy sauce - just my personal preference.


The night before(optional, but makes things go smoothly):
Rinse/rub your fresh peaches and peel just the bad/weird skin parts. Dice into small to medium wedges or chunks and place in a lidded container in the fridge. You can also rinse your berries and add them to this container if you so choose.

Set your 4 tb butter out the night before so it is nice and soft.

Place butter in your approx 5x9 bread pan and pop it in the over as it preheats to 350 f. Keep an eye on it so you don't burn your butter or cook any off - if you left your butter out this should only take a couple minutes tops. Once the pan is warm you can take it out and let the butter melt itself completely.

There should be approx an 1/8" or more! - pool of butter in your baking dish. This is good! Swish it up on the sides of your pan a bit. Set this dish aside. Part 1 is done mofo!

In a sauce pan add all fruit (diced/rinsed at this point), sprinkle 1 tb of sugar on top (you may need more - use your judgement) and 2-3 squeezes of lemon juice (this should be less juice then 1/2 of a lemon). Stir. Sprinkle a dash or two (or measure 1/8 tsp) of cinnamon. Add 1/2 tsp of cornstarch if liquidy - flour can be subbed. Stir occasionally & set on low to medium heat. Part 2, voila!

While your fruit cooks up for 2-5 minutes, get a separate bowl and combine 1 cup buttermilk all purpose mix, dash of baking powder, 1/4 cup + 1 tb of sugar and 1/2 cup of milk. I spooned just a little bit of butter from the pool and mixed it into the batter as well. Mix or whisk this together until just combined - I like to use a fork. It will still be somewhat lumpy.

Assembling & Baking:
The layers are as follows, despite how it looks when it's done.

Pour the buttermilk batter evenly over the butter pool in the baking dish - and DO NOT STIR IT. Now add your fruit mixture on top, spooning it evenly-ish across the dish. Again, DO NOT STIR IT - just spoon the fruit and juice over the layered butter and batter. It might look a little weird at this point but that's okay.

Sprinkle on your 1 tb brown sugar and a last dash of cinnamon if you so choose, and bake for 30-45 minutes until it's a nice golden brown on the edges and you have a crackled biscuity golden top.

Serve a la mode, with coffee. Yum.

Summer Strawberry Salad

Summer is in full swing and fresh produce is in abundance so I've been making the most of it by putting fruit and veggies in everything, including some of the best fucking salads you'll ever eat.  Let's get into it.

Strawberry & Walnut Salad

The nuts (haha) make this salad filling (not making it better!), and you can easily change it up with blueberries, raspberries or apples. (DIY euphemism here?)

-Strawberries (and/or other fruits above) - In the quantity and cut of your liking; I like to do 4 strawberries per serving, halved to quartered. Medium dice apples, leave blue

-Cucumber - Sliced thin, peeled first if prickly; 3-5 slices per person

-Tomato (optional) - Roma or Wtf Ever - Diced; 1 whole medium should be enough for 3-5 servings. It's a minor flavor

-Carrot - Peeled, and just keep peeling thin slices off. I find it a very tolerable way to eat raw carrot. Really! Add 1 carrot per 1-2 servings

-Walnuts (almond's not bad either) - I like to slightly crumble halves into the salad if it's not pre-broken. 3 halves crumbled per serving, less if this is more of a side.

-Spinach (or Spring Green Mix) - Really though, don't waste your time on crap greens. Your salad is, if we're being honest here, mostly greens. So go for the good stuff. 

-Raspberry Vinaigrette Dressing - Excellent with strawberries and most other berries for that matter. You can substitute a peanut vinaigrette if using apples, although I think the apple works with both the strawberries do not.

I feel like salad prep is self explanatory if you've made any salad ever, but if you haven't -- rinse your stuff off (yeah, I said it) under cool water and let drain or gently pat dry before peeling/dicing.  Rinse the greens separately and thoroughly dry.  Seriously though, if your lettuce or spinach mix is still watery the tasty stuff like dressing or strawberry juice won't stick to it AND it will dilute the tasty flavors.  That's a lose-lose folks, and we're not all about that here at Andy'sEats. 

If making a large quantity, add/toss everything but the dressing in a large bowl.  Per Serving: Place greens in a bowl; add diced/peeled toppings proportionally (helpful, right?).  I do find that having chunks of some things and strips or rounds of others (like carrots or cuke) adds both visual and mouth appeal (yup) to this dish.

Serve with dressing in the bottle/on the side.  Dress to your liking.

(Vegan) Veggie "Kofta" Curry Recipe

So! This is a vegan (vegetarian with Greek yogurt/naan accompaniment) adaption on a lamb kofta curry recipe. Obviously there are no meatballs in this, instead the herb blend meant for the meat is rubbed onto the tofu, onions or other veggies. Although meatballs would be good...Tantalizing pictures coming soon for your enjoyment!

Ingredients:
1 can coconut milk
1 can diced tomatoes
1-2 tbsp tomato paste
2-4 cloves garlic, pressed
1-2" fresh ginger, finely grated. Divided. I usually don't use all of it, I'm less of a fan than some.
2-3 sweet potatoes
3-5 carrots
1 large red bell pepper
1 red onion (or onion powder)
2 - 16oz cans chickpeas
1/4 to 1/2 cup dry TVP, rehydrate as directed on package prior to adding. This is a good thing to rub the toasted seed spices on. Tempeh or an extra firm tofu would work as well, drained/pressed.
1/2 tsp coriander seeds; toasted and rough ground fresh
1/2 tsp cumin seeds; toasted and rough ground fresh

Spices:
1/4 tsp salt, if that. Or more.
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp chili powder
2-4 dashes cayenne powder (or more) or 1 fresh minced green chili
1-2 tbsp oil, to saute your pepper, garlic and onion in and add a bit of fat to the sauce.
Fresh cilantro, to serve (I don't do this cuz yuck)

Serving:
Garlic naan, warmed as directed on the package (sub pita or rice for vegan option)
OR rice, of your choice.
Greek yogurt, omg Fage is the way to go yo. (omit for vegan)
Side of Spinach salad? This sauce is just delicious on everything...

Combine the cumin/coriander seed blend plus 1 of the garlic cloves and 1 part of the divided grated ginger. Choose some veggies/protein to toss/rub this spice blend on. I suggest the tofu or TVP, onion (prior to saute, I'd think) or carrots. Or some combination thereof. Prep your tvp/tofu/tempeh prior to applying the spice blend, however. You want these spices in the final dish!

Par boil your rinsed and diced sweet potatoes and carrots. Saute your diced or pressed bell pepper, remaining garlic and onion. Rehydrate, press and dice or slice your TVP/tofu/tempeh as directed on the packaging and/or to your preference.

Maybe start your rice now if you're going with rice rather than naan for serving?

Now just throw all that shit in a large pot (use the one you par boiled in after you drained your veggies!), add the tomato products, remaining listed spices not used in the dry rub and put over low medium heat. Add 1 shaken can of coconut milk. I guess it doesn't have to be the full fat stuff? Let simmer lightly for like 20 to 45 minutes while the spices do magical blendy things and the veggies soften a bit.

Serve with warm garlic naan or pita, or over rice, with fresh greens. A dollop of Greek yogurt adds an awesome tang to the whole thing.

Thanks to Za/Kevin who initially adapted this lamp kofta recipe from an Indian cook book. Note that everything past "throw all that shit in a large pot" is just an approximation. You may want to Google another recipe for confirmation ahahaha....

Springy Herb Rolled Goat Cheese Bruschetta

I call this recipe Herbed Goat Cheese Bruschetta and it is both very simple to make and utterly delicious. Below are ingredients for 2 lunch/dinner servings or as a party appetizer making approx 12-16 rounds.

What you need:
Olive Oil
1 baguette - sour dough or french, whole wheat, whichever you prefer
3 cloves of garlic
3 roma tomatoes, or a full box/bowl full of cherry tomatoes
Fresh Basil, rinsed and sliced julienne style - 1-3 leaves per round
OR dry basil - 1/2 to 1 tsp, to taste
Fresh Spinach - optional - rinsed and sliced julienne style
Salt & Pepper - to taste
Herb Rolled Goat Cheese Log - or Plain - I get mine at Trader Joe's because it's cheap and delicious
Balsamic Vinegar - optional, and I've never actually added it

Rinse your fresh greens (basil and spinach), then gently pat drier and set aside. Rinse the tomatoes, cut off the green leafy tops and half them. If you're crazy like me you now de-seed your roma or plum tomatoes (skip this step for cherry tomatoes) by halving the tomato and scooping the insides out with a spoon. Now dice your tomatoes.

Saute the crushed/minced garlic cloves in olive oil for a minute, then add in the diced tomatoes. Add a little more oil if needed for a light even coating. Stir in a small pinch of salt & a few twists of pepper, then heat through for just like A minute on low-medium heat to soften the tomatoes and meld the flavors a bit. Remove from heat and add dried basil to mixture if you lack the fresh stuff. Add additional Salt & Pepper to taste.

If you cook the tomatoes for too long they may become soggy and liquidy. It still tastes great but the texture is less ideal and you may need to drain off the extra liquid they'll sweat off. The tomatoes cook up quickly so try to avoid overcooking!! You also don't have to cook them at all, saving time. I like how the warm tomatoes melts the goat cheese though...

While that cools a bit slice your baguette and get it toasted. You can cut it in rounds as pictured or slice the baguette in 3-4 inch sections split down the center like a deli sandwich. While bread is toasting, get your rinsed greens back out and stack & roll the leaves together to slice them in julienne style strips.

Assemble your bruschetta - on the toasted slices heap a generous spoonful of the tomatoes on, then add your sliced fresh basil and spinach on top (or just mix the greens and tomatoes together and spoon it on. Whatever.) Now pull your herb goat cheese log from the fridge and twist your fork in the cheese to create crumbles. Sprinkle said crumbles on top and enjoy. This creates a lovely warm-cold contrast with the cold cheese getting melty and smeary as it warms from the tomatoes and toast.

(Vegan) Falafel Recipe Om Nom Nom

These falafel balls are excellent for spring with their cool tomato and cucumber accompaniments.  You can easily change up the flavor by adding more cumin/coriander or going heavier on cayenne or parsley...or adding cilantro, if you're into that stuff.  Fresh parsley is a nice addition and adds a lot of flavor.  I've linked to the recipe I have adapted this from below.  I include a fried and baked option to help make these healthy balls even better for you. The falafel paste also keeps well in the fridge to fry or bake at a later date.


Ingredients:
1 - 16oz can chickpeas, or 1 cup dry (soak overnight then follow instructions below if using dry)
1 onion, diced - or onion powder, as I use
2 cloves garlic (at least)
1.5 tsp cumin (I add 2 tsp or a full tbsp sometimes. Play with it!)
1 to 1.5 tsp coriander
parsley, dried - maybe 1/2 to 1 tsp. If using fresh add it 1 tbsp at a time to taste. Generally 2-3 tbsp.
cayenne powder, or fresh hot peppers finely minced. Just a few shakes of powder.
salt & pepper
2 tbsp flour
cilantro (optional, I omit this so...)
oil, for frying

For Serving:
pita (I like to use minis from TJs. Check ingredients on this first if veganism is a concern, most pita is though)
fresh tomatoes, diced
fresh cucumber, thinly sliced
fresh spinach, rinsed and dried
tahini (The TJs is amazing - see the hummus section)

Red radish, avocado, and red bell peppers can all make nice falafel toppings as well!

Rinse canned chickpeas, then boil in a small pot for 5 minutes.  Lower to a simmer for 25-45 minutes.  Remove from heat and drain.  I remove some of the little clear shells that have now popped off the chickpeas...you'll see what I mean.  This helps the balls stick together better, and have a nicer smoother consistency.

Yeah, I said it.  P.S. Don't worry about getting every last one unless you're trying to make hummus.  See Smitten Kitchen for details on that subject.

Anyway!  If you're baking your balls now is a good time to preheat the oven to about 375. In a medium bowl combine the chickpeas, garlic, onion, spices, herbs and flour.  Stir to evenly combine, then use a potato masher to mix into an approximate paste, it should not be runny or pourable.  I like some chickpea chunks to remain but you can also go for a smoother consistency.  You can also use a food processor for this. Then use a large spoon and hand form little patties or balls, about 2 tbsp per ball?

FRYING: Get your pan on a medium(low med?) heat (some sources say 350 if you can measure your oil temp) with a generous amount of oil. I honestly have no idea how much but these can soak it up. Have a plate with a paper towel layer ready to receive the hot oily balls. The paper soaks up the oil and helps both sides stay crispy.

Form 5ish patties at once and gently place in hot oil; fry for about 7 minutes - I flip around the 3-4 minute mark when the patty is starting to stick together. THEY WILL almost certainly try to break apart on you at first, or lose little crumbles as they fry. Lowering the heat so the oil isn't bubbling so violently can help. Plan to scoop out the little crumbles with something slotted between each batch of balls.  These are crispy and delicious and you want to keep them (duh).

...You can always double fry your balls if you feel they weren't crispy enough the first time around. Just sayin'.

BAKING: Your oven should have been perheating from the above step to 375. Line a cookie sheet with foil and spray or drizzle olive oil, spread evenly. Then lay your hand formed pattys on the foil evenly spaced. Bake for 7 minutes, then lightly oil the tops and flip them over so both sides get a little crispy on the foil. Bake another 7-10 minutes. Check them because you can over bake them and dried out falafel isn't as great. Adjust oven temp or cooking time as necessary. I have a gas stove that tends to run hot, so I set it at 350 to actually bake a bit hotter.

Adapted from: http://mideastfood.about.com/od/maindishes/r/falafelrecipe.htm

Happy Spring!

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread...You Know it's Tomorrow's Breakfast

So you know how you let those bananas go bad and threw them out last week? Shame on you. You should have made delicious banana bread or thrown those bitches in the freezer for later bread. Now you know better. Chocolate chip banana muffins were my mom’s go-to after school snack…but she cheated and used the box every time.  It’s stupid easy so I’ve ditched the box and made a couple changes to http://www.lovintheoven.com/2010/03/cinnamon-swirl-banana-bread.html recipe. My version after this tasty crumbly picture!

Taco Stuffed Shells Recipe

This is an adaptation of a recipe from Young Chefs Academy that my old roommate brought home from work. Originally made with beef crumbles and cheese mixture (also good) black beans are an excellent cheap alternative and my personal preference. Taco Stuffed Shells have become a comfort food of mine, probably because they're warm, filling, spicy and have a wonderful contrast of creamy cheese filling to crunchy tortilla.

A good recipe for when you have guests over or when you're scrounging in the pantry, the fresh veggies can always be axed at no great loss to the dish. It is worthwhile to note that this is not at all healthy but it is very delicious. See for yourself.

Ingredients:

22 oz+ tomato sauce (I used all of two 15oz tomato sauce cans from Trader Joe's)
1 can black beans
1 package neufchatel or light cream cheese. Or full fat if you need a heart attack imminently. Set this out.
1 bell pepper, cut into chunks and lightly sauted with garlic
4+ cloves of garlic, crushed or finely chopped
2/3 cup onions, sauted, if you like 'em. I don't, I add a bit of onion powder instead
1 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 - 2 tablespoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne powder. My house likes spicy food so I typically add more
1 1/4 tablespoon vinegar (up to 2 tablespoons if you like vinegar and it's acccompanying tang)
1 tablespoon chipotle chili powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 tablespoon of brown sugar or honey. Add more if you were too heavy on the vinegar or spicy things eariler
2 cups shredded cheese - cheddar & monterrey jack preshredded bags are great
sour cream, for garnish/dipping - optional
3-4 handfuls tortilla chips, broken - I use this as an opportunity to use up the bottom of the chip bags
1 box of jumbo shells pasta - you'll use between 20-25 shells - count 'em out and set aside. Make a few extra over this for breaks during cooking - broken ones are difficult to stuff.

prep

Do your veggie prep - slice/chunk the bell pepper and onions, chop the garlic or skin and half it for pressing. Set a large pot of water to boil for the pasta and proceed to cook pasta once boiling. Preheat the oven to 350 f. Set a 9x13 pan aside.

Pour tomato sauce in a sauce pan with the heat set on medium-low. Add vinegar, 3 cloves pressed garlic, olive oil, cumin, paprika, chipolte chili powder, cayenne powder and onion powder (or the real thing later). Stir sauce occasionally while doing the following:

Strain and rinse the black beans, set aside.Add a little olive oil in a pan and saute the onions and bell peppers with 1 clove crushed garlic.

If your veggies are done you can add them directly into the sauce. At this point I check on the sauce and see how it is doing in terms of flavor balance. I like it to be tangy and sweet, spicy and aromatic with garlic and cumin. If it's too spicy or acidic you can try adding more sugar or honey. If it needs more spicing try adding more chili powder, cumin, paprika or cayenne (if you want it hotter).

When the pasta is done strain and set aside tossed with a little olive oil or butter to discourage sticking.

Now combine the cream cheese or neufchatel and black beans in a pan on medium heat with a few dashes of paprika, cumin, a few extra shakes of chipotle powder and just a little cayenne. Stir until the cheese, beans and spices are well mixed. You can turn the heat off once the cheese is melted and stirable so it doesn't just get burned onto the pan.

Almost done now. Stir the sauce and pour 1/4 to 1/2 in the bottom of the 9x13 pan. Spread an even layer, not too thin. Grab a pasta shell and with a regular table spoon stuff it with the cheese-bean goo, it doesn't need to be heaping. Lay in the sauced up pan in rows. My 9x13 usually fits about 17-20 shells so having a small bread pan to fit the extra 5-7 is perfect. If you need to use two pans adjust how much sauce you pour into the bottom initially accordingly. Once all your shells are stuffed and filling is gone spoon/pour the remaining sauce over the shells evenly. Cover with foil and bake for 10-15 minutes.

Pull the pans out and sprinkle on the 2+ cups cheese followed by the crumbled tortilla chips. Pop 'em back in the oven for 5-15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and it is hot throughout.

One serving seems to be 3 to 5 shells, so this recipe is great for 2-4 with leftovers, or can feed more when served with sides. Serve with extra tortilla chips, sour cream, hot sauce, salsa, guacamole, corn...yum!

Made listening to Cake, Afroman and some other great artists on grooveshark.