Let's Make Pop Tarts

Finals are rapidly approaching and the food I've been making is getting more and more comforting as the stress builds. Honestly, at this rate I'll be eating a stick of butter for breakfast on December 7th.

I know what you're thinking, "Pop Tarts? Really?"

I used to be in the same boat, thinking that I'd never again want to eat those questionable rectangles in a package. But every once in a while I hear them whispering to me out of a random vending machine and I give in, only to be overcome by mild guilt after inhaling them.

Honestly, how many wholesome breakfast options can you think of that are covered in frosting and rainbow sprinkles?

Yes, I've eaten cupcakes for breakfast.

No, that's not what I was thinking of.

These things are better than anything out of a package and though I wouldn't necessarily call them "healthier" since there's a full stick of butter involved, they are delicious and it's ridiculously easy to make them better at home.

Crust

1 1/4 cup flour
1 stick butter (cut into small cubes and frozen for 5 minutes)
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg (cold)
2 tablespoons ice water

Filling

Strawberry Jam
*you can actually use anything you'd like here substituting your favorite pop tart flavor... I'm just partial to the strawberry ones myself


Frosting

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4-1 cup powdered sugar
1-2 Tablespoons milk

Crust

Whisk together dry ingredients in a bowl until combined. Then, dump the butter in all at once and work it into the dough with your fingers until there are little clumps of butter all throughout the dough.

Beat the egg with the ice water and fold into mixture until just combined. Push the whole thing together with your hands on a floured surface trying not to knead too much as you work it into a ball.

Divide the ball in half and freeze for 3-5 minutes so the butter can re-solidify.

After it's done chilling, roll each ball into a rectangle and cut into rectangles.

Make your Pop Tarts by spreading 1-2 tablespoons of jam (depending on how big your rectangles are) around the center of one of the rectangles, placing another rectangle over the jam, and pressing together with a fork. Place your completed Tarts on a cookie sheet and freeze for 10-15 minutes to re-chill the dough.

Bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until the tops and edges begin turn golden brown.

While they are baking, whisk together frosting ingredients, adding more milk as needed to get the right consistency of frosting. Once the Tarts are cooled to room temperature, frost and eat!

Shepherd's Pie

A perfect combination of all things good in the world: meat, potatoes, veggies. It's not something we grew up eating at home, but in the past few years it's definitely become one of the most comforting foods I can think of. With the stress of finals approaching, and the bone-chilling breezes whistling through the city, I knew it was time to make Shepherd's Pie. 

The first version I learned to make was a layer of meat in white gravy, a thick layer of mashed potatoes, and a layer of cheese and peas on top. After ordering it at various restaurants and being disappointed, I've experimented with several versions until settling on this one. It's a little laborious, but it makes 6-8 servings and will freeze really well.

During my foray into veganism for the early part of this year, I concocted a fantastic vegan version which is definitely on the healthier side in case you'd prefer that. I'll include that recipe at the end.

Shepherd's Pie can be broken down into three steps: Potatoes, Veggies, Meat.

I usually put the potatoes on to boil first. Make sure you start with cold water and let the potatoes heat up in the water so they cook evenly.

While they boil, you can start the gravy. My grandma would actually start gravy this way for Thanksgiving, it helps to get rid of the raw flour flavor before you add it into the liquid. Dump some flour into a dry pan over medium heat and stir frequently until the flour turns light brown.

Set this aside, we'll use it for gravy once the meat and veggies are done cooking. Your potatoes are probably still boiling by this point, so start the veggies. Saute onions, until they are deep brown and super flavorful before adding the rest of the chopped ingredients

Cook everything down for another seven minutes or so until all the veggies are mostly cooked through. Set those aside and dump some ground turkey into the pan to brown 

Once the turkey is crumbled and brown, it should look like this

Once that's done, you can toss with the veggies and let it sit while you finish the gravy

For the gravy, melt two two tablespoons of butter with a tablespoon of olive oil. Saute mushrooms and onions and garlic in this for 7-10 minutes until hey start to brown. Add in half of the flour to start with and whisk furiously before adding in the stock. 

Let it come to a boil and if you need to thicken the gravy more, whisk a few tablespoons of water with some of the remaining flour until its pasty before adding into the gravy. This will make sure you don't end up with big hunks of flour at the end.

When you're happy with the consistency, let the gravy simmer while you mash the potatoes. I know it sounds fattening, but a couple tablespoons of mayonnaise mixed in with butter and milk will make your potatoes amazing. AMAZING. 

Once your potatoes are mashed, you're ready to assemble the pie. Dump the meat and veggie mixture into a 9x13 baking dish and stir in the gravy.

Top with a layer of mashed potatoes and sprinkle the top with whatever spices you might want to add. I happened to have some smoked paprika, which worked pretty well. 

Turkey Shepherd's Pie

1 lb ground turkey (beef is fine too)

2 lbs potatoes (Yukon Golds are awesome)

1 large onion diced, divided

3 carrots, diced

1 cup fresh green beans, chopped

1 zucchini, chopped

1 yellow squash, chopped

2 cups of mushrooms, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

4 cloves minced garlic

1 cup of flour

2-3 cups chicken stock

2 tablespoons mayonaise

1/4-1/2 cup milk

4 tablespoons butter, divided

  **Note - to make this recipe a lot easier, you can just buy a frozen package of mixed vegetables (peas, carrots, corn, green beans etc.) instead of buying carrots, squash, bell pepper. 

First, peel and chop the potatoes before putting them on to boil. In the meantime, heat the flour in a dry pan, stirring frequently, until browned. Remove from heat and set aside.

While the potatoes are still boiling, saute 3/4 of the diced onion in some olive oil over medium heat. Once it's beginning to brown, add 3 cloves of the minced garlic, and the rest of the diced veggies. Saute over medium-high heat until mostly cooked through. 

Once your potatoes are done, drain and mash with mayo, 2 tablespoons of the butter, and as much milk as you need. Make sure to season with salt and pepper. 

Now, finish your gravy. Saute remainder of onions with mushrooms and garlic over medium-high heat in remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and some olive oil. Whisk the toasted flour with the chicken stock until no lumps remain. Once the onions and mushrooms are browned, add the flour/stock mixture in a steady stream. You can thin this out with water, broth, or milk if it's too thick. 

While gravy is simmering, brown the turkey in a pan, and add to the veggie mixture in a casserole dish. Pour the gravy over the meat and veggie mixture and stir to combine.

Spread the mashed potatoes over the mixture and top with whatever spices you'd like.

Bake the whole thing, covered in foil, at 375, removing the foil for the final 15 minutes of baking.

Vegan Shepherd's Pie

1 Cup Texturized Vegetable Protein (soaked in 1 cup veggie broth for 5 minutes) 

or 1 pkg crumbled meat replacement

3 cups veggie broth

2 lbs potatoes

2 onions, diced, divided

3 carrots, diced

1 large leek (white and light green parts only)

1 cup fresh green beans, chopped

1 zucchini, chopped

1 yellow squash, chopped

2 cups of mushrooms, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

4 cloves minced garlic

1 cup of flour (all purpose GF flour works too)

4 tablespoons nutritional yeast

1/2 cup white wine (optional)

Soymilk (or whatever unsweetened milk substitute you use)

Earth Balance

Olive oil

  **Note - you can replace carrots/green beans/zucchini/squash/bell pepper with a bag of frozen mixed vegetables. Also, nutritional yeast is usually in a health foods store, but you can omit

First, peel, chop, and boil potatoes.

While the potatoes are boiling, saute one of the diced onions over medium heat until it begins to brown. Add the rest of the veggies and 3 cloves of the minced garlic. Saute for 5-6 minutes, and add in the TVP or meat replacement crumbles and remove from heat.

When your potatoes are done, drain and mash with Earth Balance, soy milk or whatever milk-substitute you use, and salt and pepper.

Next, toast 1 cup of flour in a dry pan over medium heat until it turns brown. Remove from heat and set aside. 

Saute mushrooms, remaining onion, garlic and sliced leek in some Earth Balance. Make sure to cook this down until the mushrooms are really beginning to brown, this will give you awesome tasting gravy! It should take up to ten minutes on medium heat. Also make sure you have enough Earth Balance & Olive oil in the pan to keep things from sticking. If you are using the wine, pour it in when the mushrooms are done browning and let it cook down for another minute.

In a bowl, whisk the toasted flour and 2 cups of the veggie broth until there are no more lumps. Gradually whisk into the mushroom/onion mixture until it's the right consistency. Use the remaining broth if it's too thick. Simmer on low for 5 minutes. 

To assemble the pie, dump the veggie/TVP mixture into a baking sheet and stir in gravy. if you have the nutritional yeast, sprinkle it over the mixture before spreading on the mashed potatoes. Sprinkle the top with whatever spices you'd like and bake, covered with foil, at 375 for 35 minutes. Take the foil off for the final 15 minutes. 

Let's Make Chili!

Well it's November, and it just so happens to be my favorite month! Yes, I know final exams are rapidly approaching, and I will have to start looking for a summer internship soon, and it's now too frigid to go to the dog beach with Francis, but it's still my favorite month of the year.

Why is it my favorite month? Well, the leaves are changing color which is pretty spectacular to see for the first time, Thanksgiving is coming up soon which is the greatest holiday EVER, and my birthday is just around the corner too! I guess I could say I'm excited that football season started, but I'd be lying.

Speaking of football, last year for the super bowl my friend Stacie and I concocted some vegan chili that turned out to be fantastic. I know, it's vegan, but most of your football-watching, meat-eating friends won't even notice. Why is chili always questionable brownish/reddish/orangeish color with questionable ingredients and an oil slick floating over the surface? It doesn't need to be.

Dare I say it, this chili is healthy! If that's too much for you, swap out the Texturized Vegetable Protein (TVP) for ground beef and pour it over french fries.

Are we still cool?

Good.

Chili is as easy as slicing and dicing up some aromatics like onions, pepper, and garlic,

Cook them down for a while before adding all the canned goods

Then add cans of your favorite beans and a can of Rotel tomatoes and chilis

toss in some diced green onions and cilantro (those of you who have a strange disdain for cilantro may omit it, but your chili will not be as good)

and a some soaked TVP

finish off with some tomato paste... how cool is this squeeze tube btw?

and simmer the whole thing for as long as you can wait before scarfing down a bowl - disclaimer, sour cream and cheddar cheese are NOT vegan. Fritos are though, so go to town and have vegan Frito pie for supper.

Vegan (or not) Chili

1 onion, diced
3 bell peppers, any color, diced
4 cloves of garlic, smashed and diced
1 bunch green onions, whites and greens sliced
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
1 1/2 Cups TVP, soaked
**if you can't find TVP, use a crumbled soy product like taco "meat" or soyrizo
1 can Rotel tomatoes and peppers
1 can corn
2 Tablespoons tomato paste
5 cans of your favorite beans
**I use 1 garbanzo, 2 red kidney, 1 black bean, 1 baked bean
salt, pepper, lime

First, saute the garlic, onions, and peppers over medium heat until tender and they begin to brown

Then, dump in the cans of beans, corn, and Rotel with their liquid. Bring to a boil and add green onions (reserve some for garnish) cilantro, and squeeze in a lime.

Simmer, covered, on low heat for 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes, stir in the tomato paste and simmer again for at least 10 minutes but up to 30 minutes before serving.

Pumpkin Mac and Cheese

Well, I made it through midterm exams with my sanity intact, but craving comfort food in the worst way possible. I bought this pie pumpkin meaning to carve it, but haven't had the time and figured I might as well make dinner out of it.

While it's not necessarily everyone's idea of comfort food, I had this at a fund raising event a couple years ago and never stopped thinking about it. There's something about pumpkin pie spice that makes me feel comforted and I think the spice blend does really well in savory dishes.

I also like to fool myself into believing that it's healthier since there's pumpkin in it.

I searched for the recipe all over the interwebs, and even called the hotel to ask if they'd give it up. 

They didn't. 

But... I made it better at home.

It's as easy as splitting open and roasting a pumpkin

Making a simple mornay - I was going to take a picture but my hands were full.

Cooking down some mushrooms, onions, and garlic

Boiling up some pasta - I like this kind because i think it holds the sauce really well

and baking the whole thing

The best thing is, you can customize this recipe really easily. Keep the pumpkin, ditch the pumpkin, swap it for butternut squash, swap out the cheeses for your favorites, use dijon mustard, change up the pasta, add some roasted cauliflower... 

Pumpkin Mac and Cheese

1 pie pumpkin, roasted and mashed

1 lb fusili, rotini, or any kind of pasta

3 cups shredded sharp cheddar

1 cup shaved parmesan 

1 tablespoon yellow mustard

2 cups milk

1/2 cup flour

1 stick of butter

1 1/2 cups breadcrumbs (just toast some bread and crumble it with your hands)

1 heaping teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1/2 lb. mushrooms, sliced

1 large yellow onion, sliced

3 cloves garlic, smashed

salt + pepper

Slice the pumpkin in half, scoop out the seeds and guts, and roast, cut side down, until soft. It usually takes around 30-45 minutes @ 400 degrees. 

While the pumpkin is roasting, cook the pasta until al dente. 

Also while the pumpkin is roasting, cook the mushrooms, onions, and garlic over medium low heat for about 20 minutes. The onions will start to caramelize, and the mushrooms will shrink up.

Once the pumpkin is done roasting, and it's cool enough to handle, scoop out the meat and mash in a bowl with some salt and a bit of butter.

Now you can make your mornay sauce. Heat the butter over medium low heat until it's completely melted and bubbling slightly. Dump in the flour all at once, and whisk quickly until it's all incorporated. Try not to let the mixture turn brown. 

Quickly whisk in the cold milk and bring the whole thing to a low simmer. Gradually whisk in the cheese, one handful at a time. Once all the cheese is incorporated, add in the smashed pumpkin. Remove the whole thing from the heat and season with pepper, pumpkin pie spice, and mustard. 

Now you're ready to bake and assemble. Mix the pasta, cheese sauce, and onion mushroom mixture together in the pot you used to cook the pasta. Pour it into a rectangular baking dish and top with the breadcrumbs. 

Bake at 375 for 20 minutes covered with foil and remove the foil for the last 10 minutes of baking.

Salted Caramel Apple Pie

Growing up in San Diego, there was only one place for apple pie in the autumn and it was Julian.  Nestled in the mountains of San Diego county, it's one of the only places I've ever seen snow. The added bonus of Julian is that it's stuffed full of used bookstores and antique shops, making the trip up there definitely worthwhile. I pretty much compare every apple pie I eat to Mom's and most of them fall pretty darn short. 

What could make an apple pie better than it already is? A layer of gooey caramel, of course! It's definitely an interesting twist on classic apple pie. 


It's what would happen if a caramel apple and a Mom's apple pie had a love child. 


btw. do you say car-mul or care-uh-mel? I'm a car-mul person myself.


Basically, you chop up some apples and cook them down in butter, brown sugar, and spices...

Bake a pie crust and fill it with caramel

fill that with the apples

toss on some crumb topping, and bake!

Caramel Apple Pie (adapted from Pete Bakes)
-i know the recipe looks pretty intense, but it's actually fairly simple - 

1 pie crust (i love Joy the Baker's Crust, but a frozen store-bought crust will work too)

caramel sauce

2/3 c sugar
1/4 c water
1/4 c heavy whipping cream
3 Tbsp butter
3/4 tsp kosher salt

filling

1/2 cup packed golden brown sugar
1 tsp cornstarch
2 Tbsp (1/4 stick) butter
2 lbs granny smith apples, peeled, and sliced
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

2 Tbsp flour

crumb topping
6 Tbsp flour
6 Tbsp packed dark brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
3 Tbsp chilled butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

*note, if your'e not a big fan of crumb crust, you could make a two-crust 

pie out of this just as easily

Pre-bake your pie crust either according to your recipe or the package


Next, make your caramel sauce by cooking the water and sugar on medium high heat until it starts to turn dark amber. At this point, immediately remove the pot from the heat and dump in the heavy cream and butter. It will bubble up, but keep stirring constantly until you're left with some nice-looking caramel. 
-I went a little heavy on the salt, but you can salt to taste or omit altogether-


Set your caramel aside and cook down your apples in the butter, under medium-high heat until they are soft. Take them off the heat and stir in vanilla, spices, cornstarch, and flour.


Then make your crumb topping by dumping all the ingredients into a bowl and mixing it around with your hands until loose crumb clumps have formed. Make sure not to overwork the topping though, or the butter will melt and the whole thing will get messy.


Now you can assemble your pie! Pour the caramel in the bottom, add the apple mixture, and top with either the crumb topping or your second pie crust. 


Bake the whole thing (on a cookie sheet to catch the caramel that bubbles over) at 375 for about 25-30 minutes or until it's golden. Let it cool for 10-15 minutes before eating. 

Poutine!

One of the greatest things about living in the midwest, particularly this close to Mars Cheese Castle in Kenosha, WI is the abundance of cheese. Seriously, I thought we were cheese crazy in California, but there's a reason they call those folks cheeseheads up there. I've had plain cheese curds, grilled cheese curds, even battered and deep fried cheese curds!

When I went through my vegan phase earlier this year (102 days thank you very much) cheese and pretty much all dairy products were what I missed more than the actual meat. Now that I'm no longer vegan, but have moved a couple thousand miles away from San Diego, the thing I miss most is Carne Asada French Fries - I know, it sounds like an abomination, but if you can picture a pile of french fries, piled high with seared steak, guacamole, sour cream, cheese, and salsa, you're halfway there. Seriously, they are one of God's great gifts to mortals and only available in San Diego, CA.

Anyway, since I can't get carne asada fries here, and since I am now a midwesterner for better or worse, I decided to try the canadian version of Carne Asada Fries... Poutine!

French Canadians go crazy for this stuff, which consists of french fries, brown gravy and cheese curds. I'm sure you could use regular cheese too, but I happen to have cousins from Ottowa, and they know what they are talking about.

First, you gotta double fry your french fries. I know, it's total fatty status but they will taste like the ones from Islands/Red Robin/In-N-Out and it makes a HUGE difference.

Toss on some cheese curds. I could only find yellow ones at my local cheese castle, but I think you're supposed to use white ones.

Top with a thick brown gravy - mine had mushrooms and soy sausage in it! Make sure it's boiling when you pour it over the cheese to melt the curds and turn the whole thing into the most amazing comfort food imaginable.

It's as easy as that. I know, it doesn't necessarily sound that good, but don't knock it until you've tried it. When I first heard about this stuff from my friend Norissa, I thought it sounded kind of questionable too. I am so very glad I made it though, and you will be too! Forget about French Canadians, and make it better at home!

Homemade Poutine

4-5 large russet potatoes

1/2 lb cheese curds or 8oz shredded cheese

1/2 cup flour

1 stick butter

1-2 cans cold beef stock

salt + pepper

mushrooms and sausage/soy sausage (optional)

Make your double-fried french fries first. Fry them once only until they are soft and semi-cooked. Drain them on paper towels and allow them to cool for 20-30 minutes before frying them again right before you're about to eat. I usually leave the skins on and fry them until they are a deep brown. Your fries will be better than any fast food or frozen fries you've ever had. 

Trust me on this one, I eat a lot of carbs.

Next, make some gravy starting with a simple roux. Melt your butter in a pan over medium heat, and dump in the flour all at once. Whisk rapidly until the whole thing has turned a light brown. Pour in your beef broth until the gravy has reached the right consistency. At this point you can add in cooked mushrooms, onions, soy sausage, etc...

After your gravy is done, assemble your poutine. I'd recommend eating only vegetables the next day. It's a pretty heavy dish. 

And, if poutine sounds like it might be a little too much for you to handle, at least double fry your french fries next time. You'll thank me.

Potato Potato Pie

Several years ago, during a random bout of insomnia, I learned two very important things:

1. If i go for too long without sleep i will start sneezing uncontrollably

2. How to make this sweet potato, potato "pie" thing

I was an undergrad in Los Angeles and funding was tight, but i still wanted to eat well, so this recipe fit the bill perfectly. It's been so long I don't even remember what program it was, i think it was on KPBS at some ungodly hour. I do remember that the program involved a couple of portly, middle-aged ladies, who laughed a lot and sipped wine while they cooked. I even googled it to see if it was online anywhere, but haven't been able to locate the program or the recipe.

Maybe the whole thing came to me in a dream?

Whatever it was, this recipe made such an impression on me, I've been making it ever since from memory.

It's the perfect autumn recipe, especially since most of us will be buying pumpkin pie spice soon.

After you make this, you'll probably want to give me a hug.

It's cheap, it's easy, and it looks pretty spiffy. Kinda like...

Wait.

It's also really delicious.

Anyway, let's get started.

First, slice up some yams and potatoes. I usually use Yukon Golds because of their buttery flavor, but I'm sure regular old Russets would do.

 Heat them up in a pan for a bit

Season aggressively

and bake!

I use a stainless steel pan for this, so i can put the whole thing in the oven right from the stove, but you can also use a pie pan or round cake pan and heat it up in the oven first before layering. The best part is that you can slice it like a pie once it's cooked.

*You can make this vegan by omitting the cheese and swapping butter for Earth Balance


Potato Potato "Pie"

2 large yams
4-6 gold potatoes
3/4 shredded parmesan
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
Pumpkin Pie Spice (nutmeg and/or cinnamon will work too)
salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 375

First, thinly slice the potatoes using either your mandolin or expert knife wielding skills.

In an oven-safe pan, melt the butter and begin placing the yams in a spiral, making sure to cover the entire bottom of the pan. Alternate, and place a layer of potatoes on next. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, some parmesan, and pumpkin pie spice, and drizzle with a bit of olive oil saving the rest for future layers.

Repeat this layering process, seasoning every other layer, until your pan is almost full.

(You want to leave the heat on medium/medium high while you are doing this so the bottom layer can crisp up and serve as a sort of crust. Also, make sure you sprinkle enough cheese between the layers, it will help them adhere to one another)

Turn off the heat, cover, and place the whole thing in the oven for 35-45 minutes until the potatoes are cooked through, the cheese has melted, and your kitchen smells awesome.

I generally let it cool down for 10-15 minutes so it sets up a bit and it easier to slice.

Pupusas!

Have you had a pupusa before? Just saying the word puts a smile on my face. It's like mashing two sopes together and topping them with crunchy deliciousness.

Thank you El Salvador, for producing something so AWESOME. I used to work at this law firm in LA and twice a week a lunch time a rickety old roach coach would pull up into the alley behind our building and dish these out for 2 bucks a pop. There were only a couple of us at first, but after a few weeks, word had spread and the line was 20 minutes long.

I haven't had a pupusa in about 7 years, but I woke up craving them the other day and set out to make them. I did a little research on recipes, combined a few, and came up with this. It's not as greasy as the ones I remember, which makes me think it's a bit healthier. You can come up with pretty much anything to stuff them with, which makes it fun. Go vegan and skip the cheese, be creative and add some shredded rotisserie chicken, get carb wild and stuff them with potatoes. Either way, you can make these better at home on the cheap, and fairly easily.

I cheated a bit and used some salsa I'd made earlier, but the traditional way is just pureed stewed tomatoes with salt and pepper. It's up to you how authentic they'll be. I also used baggged cole slaw since it was cheaper than buying cabbage and carrots separately, and less work :)

Bean and Cheese Pupusas (gluten free!)

2 cups rice flour
1 cup hot water
1 can black beans
1/2 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 oz shredded cheese (i used colby jack)
Olive oil, salt, pepper

4 cups cole slaw
1 red onion thinly sliced
1/2 cup white or apple cider vinegar
salt, pepper, oregano

1 can stewed tomatoes, or some salsa

Saute garlic and onion with some olive oil in a saucepan. Add can of black beans with liquid, and bring to a boil. With a potato masher, mash down the beans while they are cooking until they are thick and only slightly lumpy. Let them cool for a few minutes and then mix in shredded cheese.

While this mixture is cooling, blanch the cole slaw and onions in boiling water for about 2 minutes.

Strain the whole thing and rinse several times with cold water. In a bowl, toss them with vinegar, salt, pepper, and a few pinches of oregano. Add a bit of cold water and let the whole thing sit while you make the pupusas.

Start with the rice flour in a bowl, and stir, gradually adding hot water until a thick dough forms. It will be somewhere between bread dough and cookie dough. Rub your hands together with a bit of olive oil to prevent sticking, and grab a golf ball sized chunk of dough. Working with your palm, flatten the dough and fill with a heaping tablespoon of bean mixture.

Now, fold over the outsides and flatten to about 1/4 inch thick. Some of the mixture will seep out, but that's ok, it crisps up and adds some extra flavor. You can also flatten them out a little more once they are in the pan.

Then, just fry a few at a time at medium high heat in a couple tablespoons of olive oil, flipping once. Top with the marinated slaw and pureed tomatoes or regular salsa.

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Well, I think the cold is here to stay and my only defense is an awesome bowl of soup. I used to order it all the time at this cafe called Zanzibar in San Diego all year long. It was really good, but I always used to wonder how it would taste if they roasted the squash first.

I topped it with some sesame sticks, but you can top it with whatever crunchy, carbalicious thing you might have handy. Also, to make the recipe vegan, just swap the chicken broth for veggie broth and omit the heavy cream.

It's as easy as chopping up some veggies

and roasting up some squash

Seriously. I'm never paying for butternut squash soup again. You shouldn't either. Make it better at home. My grandma would be proud of you.

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

2 squash

1 large or 2 small leeks, thinly sliced until you hit the dark green part

2-3 carrots, diced

1 onion, thinly sliced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 8 oz carton heavy cream

6 cups chicken stock (i'm currently obsessed with "better than bouillon")

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 

3 tablespoons molasses (brown sugar works too)

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (you could also use nutmeg, cinnamon, or some combination)

Olive oil, salt, pepper

Whisk together balsamic, molasses, and olive oil. Slice the squash in half, scoop the seeds out, and rub the mixture all over the inside. Sprinkle with salt and pepper as well.

Roast, sliced side up, at 400 degrees until its super soft and the edges start to blacken. This could take anywhere from 40 minutes to an hour.

Meanwhile, saute the carrots, leeks, garlic and onion in olive oil until tender (about 7 minutes).

Once the veggies are tender, add stock and simmer on low heat for about 20 minutes.

After the squash is roasted and you've let it cool for a bit, scoop out the insides with a metal spoon and drop them right into the pot of stock. Make sure to get all the burnt bits and the balsamic/molasses liquid that's left behind!

Working in batches in your blender or food processor, puree the stock and squash mixture until smooth.

Return the whole thing to low heat and once it begins to boil, stir in the heavy cream. Simmer for another few minutes, adjust seasonings (you can add some more pumpkin pie spice here), and serve topped with your favorite crunchy bits!

What to do with eggplant

My sister raised a really good point recently: eggplant usually takes a long time to cook! Usually I do either eggplant parmigiana, or layer it in some kind of lasagna, both of which take a little too much work. Not only that, as much as I like eggplant, it's either mushy and flavorless, or deep fried, when I order it in a restaurant.

This recipe is an awesome, healthy way to get that earthy eggplant flavor into a pasta dish. It also happens to be vegan!

First, I grilled some sliced eggplant in a grill pan, though you could just as easily do this on the BBQ.

  Then I grilled up some tomatoes for a sauce base

Once those are grilled, chop everything up and toss it into a sauce pan with some onions, garlic, and  crushed tomatoes.

Simmer and season for 15-20 minutes or so, and you're left with a smoky, earthy, eggplanty sauce!

Grilled Eggplant and Tomato Sauce

2 small or 1 large eggplant, sliced
2 Tomatoes, sliced
1 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, smashed
1 large can crushed tomatoes, with liquid (the fire roasted ones are the best)
Olive Oil
Salt, Pepper, Seasonings to taste

First, grill the sliced eggplant and tomatoes on a grill pan or on the barbecue. In a saucepan, saute the onion and garlic until tender, and add the diced eggplant and tomatoes along with the can of crushed tomatoes. Simmer for about 20 minutes, seasoning to taste.