Mango & Tomato: bread

2/9/23

No Fake Meat: 2 Easy Meatless Ideas

Let me start by saying that I hate fake things (plants/flowers) and fake people. I also hate fake meat: I would rather eat something plant based that's not pretending to be beef or chicken. Ok, phew, I feel better. (I hear my friend Laura say 'hate is a strong word' in my head...)

This past week I made two meals using plant based ingredients as the base.

The photo above is a double 'burger' with Trader Joe's black bean/roasted corn patties (in the freezer section) on top of a bun slathered in mayonnaise, beet horseradish, with red onion, pickled jalapeno, and arugula! How pretty does it look? It did not stay this pretty when I took a few bites: the sandwich fell apart, but the flavor was awesome.

The photo below is BBQ tofu on top of a baked potato. I used a recipe from Doesn't Taste Like Chicken, and it turned out great. You can use this tofu mixture in a Sloppy Joe or on top of rice (hola Marnely), or even on top of polenta! Thanks to Emily for letting me know about this idea.

What plant based meal have you made lately?

11/9/21

The Best Japanese Milk Bread Recipe

My discovery of The Best Japanese Milk Recipe** all started with me wanting to make Japanese egg salad sandwich with Japanese mayonnaise and a fun way of presenting the sandwich (when cut in half, you see a cross-section of an egg). Why not also bake Japanese Milk Bread then, I thought!?

Never having even tried Japanese Milk Bread, but hearing quite a bit of praise for it, I googled for a recipe and found Caroline's Cooking blog. I followed Caroline's recipe exactly and was stunned at the results. My friends were too. The bread was so pillowy and slightly sweet and smelled divine. The sandwich did not disappoint either.

**This is The Best recipe because it's the only one I've baked and have no need for another one.

I don't know if anyone is even reading this, but if you are, please leave a comment and tell me the latest new recipe you tried!

9/18/21

Cooking Inspirations: What I've Been Cooking and Baking

And so it's the weekend again! I thought I'd share with you a few of my latest inspirations for cooking and baking.

First up, Marnely's Vegan Tofu Bolognese: such an easy to follow and satisfying recipe. I had seconds and thirds the first time I made it. Bonus points: Marnely is a friend (and I really hope we meet in real life one day). The leftovers are great on top of white beans.

Next up, Joan Nathan's challah, but with chopped crystallized ginger on the inside and a combination of black and white sesame seeds and sugar in the raw on the outside. This was by far one of the best challah recipes.

I made half the recipe and then divided it into 2: one round, one regular topped with za'atar. I'll definitely be making this recipe again and again.

Thanks Jenna for inspiring me!

The confetti plate is from one of my favorite businesses: Felt and Fat.

And finally, Olive Oil, Honey, and Apple Cake from Pickled Plum. I literally googled those terms and found the recipe: easy to follow, gorgeous, and something fun for Rosh Hashana or any fall day. I served mine with vanilla ice cream and powdered sugar.

8/8/21

Meatless Monday: Ricotta Toasts With Mango & Honeyed Pistachios

Ricotta Toasts With Mango & Honeyed Pistachios are perfect for breakfast, dessert, or a snack, and are especially great for Meatless Monday.

I was inspired by an instagram post from Adeena Sussman, but changed a few things (as is pretty typical of me).

Ricotta Toasts With Mango & Honeyed Pistachios

Serves 1

Ingredients

1/4 cup smoked honey (use 3 tablespoons for pistachios and the rest as a drizzle)

2 tablespoons salted roasted pistachios, chopped

red pepper flakes to taste

2 slices of bread, toasted

1/4-1/3 cup ricotta, drained slightly

1 mango, peeled, "cheeks" cut off and thinly sliced

Directions

1. In a small pan heat the honey. Add pistachios and sprinkle with red pepper flakes. Bring the mixture to a bubble and cook for about 5 minutes. Carefully transfer to parchment paper and allow to cool. Break into pieces.

2. Slather toasts with ricotta, add a layer of sliced mango, top with honeyed pistachios, and drizzle with a bit more honey. Add a pinch of red pepper flakes for extra heat.

VERY

GOOD

8/2/21

Avocado Toast With Roasted Tomatoes

If your tomatoes aren't as ripe and sweet as you want them, roast them, and then top your avocado toast with them!

Avocado Toast With Roasted Tomatoes

olive oil

cherry or grape tomatoes

salt

two slices of bread, toasted

1 avocado, smashed

1) Preheat the oven to 425F with a baking sheet inside.

2) Add tomatoes to the baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt. Roast for 25 minutes, occasionally shaking the pan.

3) Spread smashed avocado on toasted bread, top with roasted tomatoes, and sprinkle with a bit more salt.

11/16/20

Garlicky Lemon Shrimp Roll With Roasted Broccoli

shrimp, broccoli, sandwich, roll, seafood, easy dinner,

Garlicky Lemon Shrimp Roll With Roasted Broccoli is a meal that comes together in less than 30 minutes and can be served for lunch or dinner. You can eat this as a roll or mix the shrimp and broccoli into spaghetti, rice, or orzo.

Over the weekend I saw and liked Lisa Is Cooking's instagram post featuring a sheet pan of roasted broccoli and lemony garlicky shrimp. Remembering that I had a bag of frozen shrimp in the freezer (duh) and fresh broccoli in the refrigerator, I decided to recreate Lisa's dish.

By the time you've preheated the oven, you'd have the time to prep everything. Then you just need to wait 15 minutes to have dinner on the table.

Garlicky Lemon Shrimp Roll With Roasted Broccoli

Ingredients

shrimp, defrosted or fresh

olive oil

lemon juice

garlic, microplaned, or finely minced

salt

red pepper flakes

broccoli, cut into individual florets

French roll, toasted

mayonnaise

Directions

1. Start preheating the oven to 425F.

2. As the oven preheats, in a bowl combine the shrimp with a drizzle of olive oil, lemon juice (about 1/2 of a lemon), garlic, a pinch or 2 of salt and a few pinches of red pepper flakes. Set aside.

3. On a cookie sheet, drizzle broccoli with olive oil, season with salt, and mix to combine.

4. Roast broccoli for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, toss it around on the cookie sheet, and add marinated shrimp (sans any leftover marinade). Roast for 5 more minutes.

5. Make a slit in the toasted French roll and slather it with mayonnaise. Add shrimp and broccoli.

shrimp, lemon, garlic, seafood, marinade, red pepper flakes

shrimp, garlic, lemon, broccoli, oxo, sheet, one pan dinner

9/18/20

Weekend Inspiration: Shana Tova with Dahlias

Shana tova, l'shana tovan, jewish, kosher, challah, apples, honey, new year, labneh

Shana Tova to all those celebrating! Wishing all of us a year of peace, health, beautiful surprises, content, and beauty. I defrosted a turmeric challah roll with pistachios and nigella seeds for my celebration and to go along with labneh drizzled with olive oil and topped with honey and smoked honey.

May we all be and do better in the new year.

dahlias, flowers, hgtv, home decor, vases, flower power, pink, yellow, blooms, flower arrangment

8/6/20

CRAVINGS: Homemade Buns for a Burger

Burger, bun, homemade bun, pickle, lunch, green beans

If you are craving a burger, may I highly recommend you bake your own burger buns? Trust me, it's really not that hard.

After my friend Jazmin brought burger buns for our social distance picnic last month, I thought I should try baking them too.

The recipe from Love & Lemons is ridiculously easy. I used all white flour and was so happy I did not freak out when the dough did not come together immediately. Have faith!

Jazmin told me to only glaze a few buns at a time with the egg wash so that the egg wash doesn't dry out on the piping hot buns, which will stop the toppings from sticking.

Speaking of toppings, why use 1 when you can use 4? From top to bottom: black and white sesame seeds, everything but the bagel, togarashi, and za'atar.

I had two of these and froze the rest sliced in half. Next time I'll do a better job at making the buns more uniform.

And what about that burger above? I used ground beef, raw red onion, salt, pepper, and a bit of cumin. Mayo on both sides of the bun, plus thinly sliced red onions, and Dubliner cheese. A side of green beans and pickles.

7/8/20

No-Knead Sandwich Bread & Ricotta Toasts

I've been baking no-knead bread for years, but this is the first time I baked it in a loaf pan instead of a large Dutch oven. This happened because my twin sister told me she found a recipe for no-knead sandwich bread and was going to bake it. After she did so successfully, I decided to make a loaf as well.

This recipe was even easier than the one I typically use. AND it comes from my friend Carey!

First, I combined all the ingredients (I halved the recipe) in a bowl with a wooden spoon: no need for a stand mixer.

Second, although the recipe requires the dough to rise for 5 hours, that's not really a negative. I have plenty of time. The dough bubbled up amazingly well.

Third, you can then put the dough into the refrigerator for days!!! This develops the flavors and gives you a bit of a breather.

The final product was lovely: salty, slightly yeasty, with soft texture. I liked the bread both as is dipped in olive oil, and also toasted.

It's also awesome as toast! I slathered both slices with home made ricotta from my friend Sylvie, and topped one with tomatoes, basil, and salt, and the other with grapes and chocolate halva.

This recipe will definitely go into rotation.

6/22/20

Turmeric Challah With Pistachios And Nigella Seeds

Hi, friends! It's been silent here for a bit, but I've been still cooking and baking and eating: check out my instagram if you have any doubts.

Over the weekend, I baked Turmeric Challah With Pistachios And Nigella Seeds. I came up with this idea for multiple reasons:

1. I finally have a scale!! (a kitchen scale that is)
2. I've not baked in a while.
3. Turmeric makes any baked good so beautiful.
4. I received a sample of Hebel & Co pistachio and nigella halva that also came with a little jar of pistachios and nigella seeds
5. Anna, my twin, made King Arthur challah recipe before and highly approved of it

What I did:

1. I made the challah recipe from King Arthur Flour, but added a few dashes of turmeric, about 3 tablespoons of pistachios, and 2 teaspoons of nigella seeds. Also, I used olive oil instead of vegetable oil.
2. Using a kitchen scale for measuring the ingredients and to divide the dough into equal amounts was such a game changer! Why did not I do this earlier?
3. I made 3 challah rolls and one braid from the full recipe.
4. My condo smelled DIVINE.

Just look at the gorgeous yellow color!!! The turmeric gives an almost earthy savory flavor to the bread. I think it would have been better to add pistachios at the very end because they got a bit soggy after the 4 hours of proofing process. The nigella seeds were a surprise to me as this was the first time I've tried them: they have a hard to describe flavor of an almost earthier/deeper cumin!

And what did I do the the pistachio nigella halva you may be wondering? I crumbled it on top of Greek yogurt and fresh apricots.

4/24/20

Kalamata Olive & Basil Challah With Sunflower Seeds

If it's Friday, it's time to bake challah! Kidding.

You can bake challah any day you want. You just need to have enough flour and yeast. Luckily, I had both. Unfortunately, something went wrong with my trusty recipe: maybe the yeast did not bloom? Maybe it was too cold inside my condo?

I had to add almost an extra cup of flour to stop the dough from being sticky. Also, it took almost 20 extra minutes to bake the challah in the oven.

What's going on!?!?

I also tried to make a 6 braid challah (that's the one on the left): it was quite a disaster. That's why I made a regular 3 braid challah with the remaining dough. Both lost their definition while baking.

But let's talk about what did work: the flavor!

Kalamata Olive & Basil Challah With Sunflower Seeds

1. Make your trusty regular challah recipe, but use sunflower oil instead of canola or vegetable oil. Try to find Ukrainian or Russian sunflower oil if you can.
2. Before braiding the challah, add 10 chopped kalamata olives (use paper towels to remove any extra moisture from the olives) and 5 chopped basil leaves.
3. After brushing unbaked challah with an egg wash, sprinkle the tops with sunflower seeds.

Here you go!

4/14/20

Adventures In Sourdough Bread Baking: From Starter To Loaf

Sourdough!! Have you seen all the photos of gorgeous loaves and countless jars of starters on line? Well, after a break up, and right before my birthday, and right as the social isolation was starting, I decided to try my hand at making my own sourdough starter.

After all, I needed something else that was alive in my one bedroom condo other than me and my 42 plants. Yes, 42 plants.

I used directions from TheKitchn and named my starter Bubbly Olguita.

Here's what I did:
Day 1 (March 25): 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoon flour + 1/2 cup water (from now on referred as feeding)
Day 2: feeding
Day 3: feeding
Day 4: feeding
Day 5 (March 29 aka my birthday): feeding
Day 6: skipped feeding. Made my first sourdough loaf using a recipe and directions from Food52, but adding a few extra folding steps:

Not bad for the first effort...it tasted like bread and looked like bread, but did not rise as much as I was hoping for and did not taste sour. I sliced and froze most of it.

Day 7: feeding
Day 8: skipped feeding. Made crackers using 1 cup of Bubbly Olguita (I'll post them later)
Day 9: feeding
Day 10: feeding
Day 11: used 1 cup to make pickle sourdough pancakes and gave 1 cup away + feeding
Day 12: baked 2nd loaf and put the rest of Bubbly Olguita into refrigerator to hibernate

The second loaf pictured below (and also the first photo in this post) was SO MUCH BETTER than the first.

First, the starter actually floated in the water (that's the test some people tell you to perform to find out if the starter is ready: you just take a teaspoon of the starter and plunk it into a glass of water).

Second, I purchased a professional lame tool, and after accidentally cutting myself, was able to make a beautiful design.

Third, the loaf definitely rose quite a bit more than the first one and had better texture.

I sliced most of it and froze: it's great toasted!!

Finally, I decided to purchase a stainless steal knob for my Le Creuset so that I would not have to remove the plastic one every time I need to put the lid in the oven. How much do you love my Laser Lemon Door!?

I hope to bake more with Bubbly Olguita once it's no longer an ordeal to buy flour.

3/30/20

Everything But The Bagel And Herbaceous No Knead Bread

Guess what!? I baked another no knead loaf last week. Don't worry: I did not eat all of it. I sliced more than half and froze it.

Everything But The Bagel And Herbaceous No Knead Bread

This time, I used my standard Le Creuset recipe, but added two things:

2 tablespoons of chopped fresh herbs: a combination of rosemary, thyme, and parsley
2 tablespoons everything but the bagel spice mix

I also increased the amount of salt to about 2 teaspoons in the dough itself.

The result looked and smelled amazing. I need to work on my lame skills, and actually ordered a professional lame tool to make the scoring of the unbaked bread easier and more precise.

This bread is best when toasted.

For other flavor ideas, check out my za'atar and Parmesan loaf and turmeric and black pepper loaf.

3/16/20

No Knead Za'atar And Parmesan Bread

Oh what a time...things are closing down, we are told to stay away from others, grocery stores are running out of staples...what to do?

Netlix, plant care, facetime, but also, BAKE BREAD!!

If you have yeast and flour, you are basically a few hours away from a loaf of no knead bread!

Once again I used this recipe from Le Creuset, but added a few tablespoons of za'atar during the first step and about a cup of shredded Parmesan during the last step of the process.

I am still playing around with the amount of salt (it definitely needs more), but toasted, this loaf was awesome.

PRO TIP: instead of spraying or brushing the bottom and sides of the Le Creuset or whichever Dutch oven you are using with oil, I decided to use parchment paper. This way, you'll not have to clean caked on oil residue!

2/20/20

Challah With Hibiscus Poached Pears, Yogurt, Blueberries & Pistachios

If you are like me and love a big breakfast, Challah With Hibiscus Poached Pears, Yogurt, Blueberries & Pistachios should appear on your table this weekend.

By appear, I mean, MAKE it for yourself.

Last weekend I saw a picture of Hibiscus Poached Pears on my friend Laura's instagram and knew I'd want to make them. I followed the recipe from Diana Henry loosely and loved the gorgeous color of the syrup and the pears, but wish it wasn't as sweet.

I then used the pears to pair with toasted challah, Greek yogurt topped with blueberries and pistachios, and drizzled the entire plate with the syrup.

Add freshly squeezed orange juice and hot coffee, and you are set!

1/13/20

Turmeric & Black Pepper No Knead Bread

Oh hi first baking project of the year! If you've been somewhere without internet for the last few years, you may have missed the craze of no knead bread. It's a method of baking bread where the stand mixer does most of the work, and you then bake the bread in a cast iron Dutch oven with stunning results.

Last Friday I thought I should make the no knead bread again, but with a twist!

What twist may you ask? Turmeric and black pepper!

I followed this Le Creuset recipe, but added a few pinches of turmeric and about 2 teaspoons of black pepper to my dough.

You should have smelled the aroma of the bread as it was baking. The crust was incredible! The inside of the bread was a gorgeous sunflower yellow color, and I definitely tasted both the turmeric and the black pepper.

The loaf sliced beautifully for toast, and I froze about 2/3 of the slices to avoid eating the entire loaf all at once.

12/17/19

Raspberry & Chocolate Star Bread

I can't tell you how many times I've seen photos of King Arthur Flour's Star Bread and thought I should try to bake it.

Well, this past weekend I finally did! Major thanks to my friend Lorelei for her encouragement and to King Arthur Flour's twitter people for answering a zillion of my questions!

Because I pretty much followed the recipe, I'm not going to retype it. Instead, I'll share with you the changes I made and my thoughts about the final result.

1) Who has dried milk in their house!? Not me ;) I listened to King Arthur Flour's twitter helpers and used actual milk instead of water and dry milk powder.

2) I only had regular yeast and not instant yeast, so I first bloomed the yeast in warm water. I had to reduce the volume of added milk by the amount of water (about 1/4 cup) I used.

3) Also, who has potato flour? Lorelei told me to use instant mashed potatoes and turn them into powder...I have such awful memories of my mom making instant mashed potatoes, but they worked well in this recipe.

4) Instead of layering with sugar and cinnamon, I used layers of raspberry jam (after putting it through a fine mesh to remove all seeds) and shaved dark chocolate.

Before

After

The dough was relatively easy to put together with the help of my KitchenAid stand mixer. There were no issues with the rising process or the rolling process. My friend Sindy came over and helped me bake and eat this beautiful bread.

The twisting process was rather simple, but after looking at the final photos of the original recipe, I realized we did not pinch the dough quite right. Still...not a bad star: ours looks more like a star inside the circle.

We baked this bread longer, and it was still a bit doughy probably because of the moisture content in the jam and chocolate.

Next time I think I'll try the savory version!

Overall, I'm really glad I finally tried this recipe!

PS scroll all the way up and see a mini star bread my friend made :)

12/9/19

Breakfast For Dinner: Baby Bella Toast With A Fried Egg

Sunday morning, after not being able to sleep in once again, I decided to treat myself to something other than an overnight oatmeal for breakfast and created Baby Bella Toast With A Fried Egg.

There's really not a recipe for this toast: it's more of an idea, but I think you'll like it, and it'll be perfect for a light Meatless Monday dinner.

My friends at Seasonal Roots send me a produce basket once a month and in return, I create a fun recipe and tell you all about it. If you've not tried them, you can use mangotomato code to receive a discount on your membership fee.

Last week's basket included baby bella mushrooms which inspired this dish.

1) Thinly slice bella mushrooms and onion.
2) Heat a swirl of olive oil in a large skillet. Add mushrooms and onions and saute slowly until they have browned. Don't overcrowd the pan. Don't rush. Don't burn the mushrooms.
3) Season with salt.
4) Meanwhile, fry an egg.
5) Toast a slice of olive oil and rosemary bread and smear it with hummus.
6) Top with sauteed mushrooms and onions, a fried egg, a bit more salt, and chopped parsley.
7) Drizzle with green chile hot sauce.

8/7/19

Heirloom Tomato Wasa Toasts

Summer on a plate:
1) Slice heirloom tomatoes
2) Spread mayonnaise on wasa crackers or toast
3) Top with tomatoes
4) Season with salt (I used truffle salt) and freshly ground black pepper

Enjoy

9/28/18

Weekend Breakfast: Challah French Toast And Bacon

Who is ready for the weekend!? I know I am.

I wanted to share with you an awesome, super non Kosher, breakfast I made a few weekends ago from the freezer!

Weekend Breakfast: Challah French Toast And Bacon

You see, earlier this month I made an apple and date studded round challah for Rosh Hashannah and had my friend Sarah over with her son to help me celebrate. I sent Sarah home with a chunk of challah for her husband Nick, and froze the rest after slicing it.

In my freezer, I also had individually wrapped slices of bacon. I defrosted both the challah and the bacon overnight, and made breakfast in the morning.

For the bacon, I highly recommend you bake it in the oven on a wire rack set into a baking dish. I sprinkled mine with Cajun spice mix and baked at 430F for about 10 minutes on each side.

The challah French toast is super easy: eggs whisked with a bit of half and half. Challah slices dunked and cooked for about 3-5 minutes on each side.

Have a great weekend!

PS I used Molly Yeh's recipe for the scallion challah, minus the scallions and other extra flavors. I simply added about 3/4 of an apple, diced, and 12 dates also diced.

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