Vanilla & Rosemary Roasted Carrots

This is me... trying to eat more veggies.

I'm not good at it.  I have no will power.  Nor, self-control.  My friends know this about me.  They love me anyway.

I desperately try to come up with ways to trick myself into eating vegetables.  But, if I can be completely honest, it rarely happens.  No matter how hard I try, or how good I roast a bunch of greens, I can't help but hear that voice in the back of my head shouting that it's not carb-y enough to satisfy my unrelenting taste buds.

I do the best with what I can.  I can't even lie to you and say that these roasted carrots are better than cheesecake or garlic bread because they just simply aren't.  Not in my head, anyway.

But, they are mildly sweet.  And the vanilla and rosemary add a very strange, uniquely cohesive blend that makes you a little less aware that it's still just carrots under there.

Plus, they make your house smell goooorgeous while they roast.

The end result is a side dish of straight vegetables that packs both a sweet and savory punch that leaves your guests wondering just how you made that unique flavor blend.

I suggest putting them on a plate with meat and carbs...

... because I still have no self-control.

Vanilla & Rosemary Roasted Carrots

1/2 lb. carrots, peeled and halved

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp dried rosemary, minced

1 tsp vanilla extract

Salt & Pepper to taste

Preheat oven 350F.

Combine olive oil, vanilla, salt and pepper in a small bowl.

Place carrots on baking sheet and drizzle oil mixture over the top.  Sprinkle rosemary over the oil.

Roast for 1 hour.

Cajun Tilapia

Cajun seasoning.

I have been putting this on, well, just about everything lately.  I can't tell you how many times I've sprinkled it over chicken this week alone.  

For someone who's never been to the South, I sure feel that invisible Cajun blood welling up inside me.

I thought about showing you my Cajun chicken, but, in all honesty, it's just plain chicken and Cajun seasoning.  Sometimes, it's on a bun.  But, other than that, it's pretty straightforward.

I decided to put it on fish because that seemed like a natural fit, considering how much Southerners eat fish and Cajun seasoning.  I can't really boast that they eat it on tilapia because, truthfully, I don't even know where tilapia is fished out of.  

Quite possibly, tilapia doesn't even exist down there.

I'm not a geography major, so you'll have to fill me in on what fish goes best with this seasoning.

Anyway, I put it on tilapia and it was fantastic.  The way I imagine Cajun-style fish is anywhere in the country.

Anyone got any ideas for more fish/meat this seasoning could go on?

Cajun Tilapia

 

2 large Tilapia filets

2 tsp extra virgin olive oil

2 tbsp Cajun seasoning

1/2 green onion, chopped

1 lemon, sliced into wedges

Salt & Pepper to taste

 

 

Preheat broiler.

 

Place fillets on baking sheet and drizzle 1 tbsp of olive oil on the top.  Sprinkle with 1/2 the Cajun seasoning.  Flip and repeat on the other side.

 

Place tilapia under broiler for 4 minutes.  Flip and broil an additional 2-3 minutes. 

 

Garnish with green onions and lemon wedges.

Banana Fritters

I cannot tell a lie.

Very often, I use ingredients in meals that I can't admit to liking on their own.  That's not to say I would experiment with bacon.  We all know that is not going to happen, thank you very much.

But some foods, say, in this case, bananas, are not one of my top all-time favorites from the fruit pile.  I will eat them, but I never crave them.  I don't eat them when there is anything else better or fattier in the house.

Bananas are the kind of snack I eat because the cheese puffs are gone.

The easiest way to get me to eat bananas is to let them over-ripen and throw them in a banana bread.

I would eat that even with cheese puffs in the house.

Anyway, I figured since I had some bananas I knew I wouldn't eat, I'd look around for an interesting recipe to experiment with.

Banana Fritters is what I found.

I ate these plain, but I bet these would go even better with some chocolate sauce or some ice cream.  They are sweet with a crunchy coating and a mushy, melt-in-your-mouth center.

Maybe bananas aren't that bad after all...




Banana Fritters

4 over-ripe bananas
1/2 cup flour
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

Oil for deep frying




Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl.  The consistency should be pretty thick.

Heat a pan of oil to 350F.

Using an ice cream scoop, drop a dollop of the banana mixture into the oil one by one.  Give each dollop enough space in the pan.

Fry for 2-3 minutes per side.

Serve with ice cream.

Caprese Salad

I love caprese.

Caprese anything, really.

It's surprising to me given that my least favorite vegetable on the planet is a tomato.  Is the tomato a vegetable?  I remember being told in grade school that it didn't technically count as a vegetable.  But, I was also told that subjects like calculus and wood shop would come in handy in my adult life.

Yeah, right.

Thanks for the time suck, Department of Education.

Anyway, as someone who dislikes a regular old lettuce-filled salad, I have to try to get creative in order to get my daily veggie-quota in.  That's where things like this caprese salad come into play.

And, yes, I do know that cucumbers are not caprese.  But since I've been eating cucumbers in balsamic vinegar since I was a child, it seemed natural to put them in this recipe

It's my recipe.  I do what I want.

This is a super easy and simple way to get a ton of vegetables into your diet without feeling like your eating a ton of vegetables.  It's light and summery, but filling.  Plus, it's totally good for you!

How many times can you get such a win-win in one salad?





Caprese Salad


2 cucumbers, sliced
2 cups grape tomatoes, diced
1/4 cup fresh chopped basil
1 1/2 cups fresh mozzarella, cubed
1/2 cup balsamic vinaigrette
Salt & Pepper to taste


Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.  Chill before serving.

Artisan Bread

I bought a dutch oven.

 

Brand new purchase.

 

Never used one before.

 

Never will be without one again.

 

I actually bought it because I saw this bread recipe online.  I decided that I wanted to try it out for myself.

 

What... a phenomenal idea.

 

As you may have noticed back around April-ish, I was 110% obsessed with baking bread, specifically Easter breads.  This was pretty much my first foray into the world of homemade yeast breads.  As much as I struggle with this love/hate relationship I call baking, I have to say that I enjoy baking bread far more than I would have anticipated.

 

My favorite bread up until now has always been those fresh loaves from local bakery/delis that boast a thick, crusty outside with a soft, chewy middle. 

 

We're talking bread, certainly not men, people.

 

For whatever reason, it certainly did not occur to me that I could make such a lovely thing by myself.  Surely, it must have been one of those magic goods that are unable to be replicated.

 

Wrong.

 

If you're a fan of those fresh market loaves like I am, then this is definitely for you.  And, the best part is, the ease in which this recipe comes together is unreal.  It's basically like a mash-up of actions, like stir, wait, knead, wait, watch TV, bake, do your nails....

 

Not rocket science.

 

And, it comes out fresher than anything you can buy in a store with the totally doable option of digging in while it's still warm.  I recommend that.

 

Plus, the options are unless if you're looking to flavor up your loaf.

 

I can't say enough about it, but I'm going to anyway so you can get on with your life and go bake this bread!

 

 

 

 

Artisan Bread

(adapted from Simply So Good)

 

3 cups flour

2 tsp salt

1 packet instant yeast

1 1/2 cups lukewarm water

Whisk flour, salt, yeast and water in a large greased bowl until homogenous.

Cover with a dish towel and let rise overnight.

Preheat oven 450F.  Place dutch oven inside the oven and heat for 20 minutes.  

Give the dough one final knead on a floured surface before placing into the dutch oven.

Bake covered for 25 minutes.  Remove lid and bake an additional 15 minutes.

Mimosa Marinade

I know what you're thinking.

I am obsessing.

It's okay.  I promise.  It's all for the good of you and me.

But I am going to make this my last marinade post for a bit.  Partly, because there's not enough meat in my freezer to keep going at this pace.

I made this marinade after seeing an orange muscat champagne vinegar at Trader Joe's.  Since I do not have this store anywhere around me, I often find myself sitting on the computer looking up groceries I wish I could buy or make for myself.

Do not envy my life.

Anyway,  I tried my hand at it only to find that this marinade reminded me of a mimosa with some extra tang courtesy of the vinegar.

I tried this on fish, but I think it could work equally well on chicken.  Mixed with a little olive oil, this could probably make a salad tasty, too.

I guarantee this fruity, tangy sensation will keep your guests chowing down for hours!





Mimosa Marinade


1/2 cup orange juice
1/3 cup champagne vinegar
1 tbsp packed light brown sugar
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp grated orange zest
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper



Mix all ingredients together in a plastic bag over chicken or fish.  Marinate overnight.

Cook as desired.