Cooking update

A new element of this blog that I'd like to introduce is a record of the recipes I try and the dishes I make. I've been cooking more often this year and experimenting with recipe recommendations and opportunities. If anyone has cool recipe suggestions (for literally any type of food/meal), let me know in a comment!

Here are a few I've saved in drafts for a while. Generally my recipes serve two with a few leftovers, but I'm not super particular about making a note of the yield when I keep track of them because I just adjust for the situation.

Peanut butter cheesecake ice cream alternative
1/2 cup cottage cheese
1/2 cup peanut flour
1 tsp. agave nectar

Blend until smooth. Freeze for an hour. Remove and stir. Freeze for another hour.

Pretty simply, not terribly unhealthy, and it tastes similar to peanut butter cheesecake ice cream. I'll probably try it with cocoa/dark chocolate too next time.

Chicken-peach salad
2 peaches
2 chicken breasts
1 bag of spinach
crumbly cheese (feta is particularly good, but anything similar will work)

Slice up the peaches and soften them over medium heat. Dice the chicken and cook it with the peaches. (Optional: rub the chicken with sage first.) Split the spinach bag in two on some big plates. Top the spinach with the peaches, the chicken, and the cheese to your liking. (This has turned out to be one of Sarah's favorite meals, and she's requested it a number of times since I first made it.)


Black bean cabbage jamboree
1 head of cabbage
salt
lime juice
1 can black beans
white rice
cumin
avocado
tomato
queso fresco

Thin slice the cabbage and toss it with salt and lime. Half-drain the black beans and heat them until soft (optionally with a chipotle pepper for flavor). Cook however much rice you want with some cumin. Slice the avocado and dice the tomato. When everything's ready, put rice into a bowl, then tomatoes, then black beans, then cabbage, then everything else to taste.

Caramel apple cheesecake
1 green apple
1 tablespoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons caramel syrup
2 tablespoons brown sugar
6 sheets of graham crackers

2 tablespoons butter

4 ounces cream cheese/Neufchâtel
4 ounces Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons flour
1/3 cup white sugar
1 egg white


Phase 1: Chop apple into small cubes. Cook over medium heat in a saucepan. Add in some water to soften the apples, 1/2 tablespoon cinnamon, and the caramel syrup. When apples are soft, add in brown sugar, mix well, and remove from heat.

Phase 2: Crush graham crackers. Mix with melted butter, 1/2 tablespoon cinnamon, and a dash of brown sugar. Dump mixture into an aluminum foil–lined glass dish, spread out evenly, and then bake for 5 minutes.

Phase 3: Mix cream cheese and Greek yogurt (I just did it with a fork). Add flour, white sugar, and egg white; mix well. When the apple mixture from Phase 1 has cooled, mix it with this one until well blended. (The apples have to be cooled or they'll curdle the Greek yogurt.)

Phase 4: Pour the mixture into the dish over the graham cracker base. Add a little caramel syrup on top if you'd like, then bake at 350ºF for about 30 minutes. When it's done, freeze for 2 hours, then refrigerate and eat when slightly softened.

I made this about a week ago. I cut it into 9 pieces at about 212 calories each, so not a bad dessert option, and they turned out really well. Very delicious. In fact, there's still some in the fridge...

Shepherd's pie and cauliflower mash
1 celery stalk
1 cup carrots
1/2 medium onion
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon basil
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 pound ground beef
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 cup water
1/2 head cauliflower
3 ounces cheese (I used Welsh Red Dragon, but any favorite cheese works)
3 tablespoons heavy cream
dash of salt
chopped green onions

Prep a mirepoix of the celery, carrots, and onion in 1 tablespoon butter. Add ketchup, basil, cayenne, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, and garlic salt. Sauté for a few minutes. Add beef and brown it. Add water and Worcestershire and simmer. Let it cool in a glass dish.

Microwave the cauliflower for 6 minutes, then add 2 tablespoons butter, cheese, cream, salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, and green onions. Blend until at desired consistency. Dump it into the dish with the beef filling, then bake at 375ºF for 20 minutes. Broil for an additional 5 minutes, then slice up and serve.

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I've got a handful of recipes saved to try, so I'll update with new posts whenever I get around to making one of them.