Spork or Foon?

Sweet and Spicy Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

There is a popular New York City quick food establishment called Chickpea.  It's a nice, healthy choice (their food is "always baked, never fried" to the usual lunch options in Midtown Manhattan. When one opened up in Penn Station, it was as if some super-human being had invented a new food and graced the underbelly of Manhattan (Penn Station) with the light of his or her culinary genius.

They created what they surely thought were catchy marketing jargon such as:

"Hummus a song about hummus you love our hummus."

Obviously, had I or any of my colleagues been a part of this marketing campaign, that would have never flown. But despite their questionable copywriting skills, It would not be rare to see several coworkers waiting patiently on the line that snaked around the store, each waiting for his or her shwarafel (chicken shawarma and falafel) platter, topped generously with tabbouleh, roasted eggplant, a reddish colored mystery grain (I still to this day have no idea what this grain was, but I do know it was delicious and they were not skimpy with it. No they were not.) or whatever other Mediterranean delight one's heart desired.  I would watch in awe as the short man behind the counter plopped my hummus of choice (roasted red pepper, basil and pine nut, jalapeno scallion or original) quickly into the crater of my to-go bowl and, with several flicks of his wrist, ran a spoon in a circular motion through the hummus to create the most beautifully arranged bowl of hummus my eyes had ever laid... eyes on? 

He then would top the hummus with a drizzle of olive oil, a dash of chopped parsley, and a dusting of paprika.  I was in awe.  

Of course, there is such a thing as "too much of a good thing", as we all tired quickly of the Chickpea phenomenon. Soon, going to Chickpea would be totally passe and co-workers would scrunch up their noses and scoff at the thought of frequenting that establishment any longer.  That was, like SO February 2011.

However, when I attempted my own try at hummus, after finding a recipe from the fantastic blog Pinch My Salt, I couldn't help but remember the short man behind the counter and his method to making hummus look, well, great. And THIS is the type of hummus that needs to LOOK great, because it TASTES AMAZING. Like "I can eat this whole thing in one sitting" amazing.  The complex flavor of roasted red pepper, the nutty bite of tahini, the spicy kick of red pepper flakes, and the surprising sweetness of agave nectar make this a hummus that really does make you want to hum...mus a song about hummus you love this hummus.

DAMMIT!

 

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus adapted from Pinch My Salt

1 16-oz can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 red bell pepper, roasted, peeled and seeded* (you can use jarred red pepper- 1/2 cup drained)
1 tablespoon chopped red onion
1 clove of garlic, minced or pressed
1 tablespoon tahini
juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoon agave
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 – 1 teaspoon kosher salt (to taste)

paprika for sprinkling (optional)

1 tsp chopped parsley (optional)

olive oil for drizzling (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor and process until smooth.  You may have to stop to stir and/or scrape down the ingredients a few times.

Drizzle with 1 tsp olive oil, sprinkle on chopped parsley and a dash of paprika.

Leftover hummus can be stored, covered, in the refrigerator for a few days.  

 

Lemon Poppy Seed Cupcakes filled with Ligonberry Jam and Topped with Cream Cheese Frosting

Well, that's a mouthful of a title.

And these are a mouthful of a cupcake. In the best way EVER.

When I said something was the JAM the other day, these are TRULY the JAM.  Literally.  (See what I did there?)

Now, some of you may be wondering "What is ligonberry jam?"  

I have no idea.

I was in the supermarket, it was a different, and it was the most expensive jam on the shelf. So naturally I grabbed it. If it's expensive, it HAS to be the best, right? (sorry, Jack). 

But ho!  (Sorry, for the term, but I was a theater major, but sometimes I bust out with words like alas, lo, ho, and others) It looks like Ligonberry Jam has it's own Wikipedia entry (yes, the actual JAM part of it!). And even the entry sounds so poetic: 

"Because lingonberries are plentiful in the forested areas of the inland..."

Don't you just want to say that like you're in Medieval times?  Like you're in Game of Thrones or something (who doesn't love that show? Because if you don't, we can't be friends).

You'll learn in said article, obviously contributed to Wikipedia by Chaucer, that Ligonberry jam is a staple in Scandanavian cuisine prepared with berries, sugar, and just a tad bit of water.  The jam is wonderfully sweet, slightly tart, and has the texture of some whole, tiny little berries that are like a surprise every tie you bite into one.  

And they make a PERFECT cupcake filling. 

Really, these cupcakes are absolutely wonderful. So, so, so delicious. The incredibly moist lemon cake, studded with poppy seeds, filled with this incredibly delicious jam and topped with a sweet, cream cheese frosting.

Do you see what I mean when I say these are THE JAM?

These best eaten day of, BUT, if you save them for future days, I will say, these are INCREDIBLE out of the fridge.  I'm very anti-refrigerating cakes for too long if I don't have to, (I feel like it affects the texture of the cake and, well, I always forget to take it out of the fridge and then I'm serving cold cake), but these are so so so so good out of the fridge, dare I say, I actually like them BETTER cold. 

Dare I say! 

Lemon Poppy Seed Cupcakes Filled with Ligonberry Jam

2 1/4 cups cake flour
1 cup whole milk, at room temperature 
6 large egg whites, at room temperature 
1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar 
4 teaspoons baking powder 
1 teaspoon table salt 
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened but still cool

2 tablespoons poppy seeeds

Ligonberry Jam (or whatever Jam you would like!)

Set oven rack in middle position. (If oven is too small to cook both layers on a single rack, set racks in upper-middle and lower-middle positions.) Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray two 9-inch round cake pans with nonstick cooking spray; line the bottoms with parchment or waxed paper rounds. Spray the paper rounds, dust the pans with flour, and invert pans and rap sharply to remove excess flour. 

Pour milk, egg whites, and extract into 2-cup glass measure, and mix with fork until blended.

Mix cake flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in bowl of electric mixer at slow speed. Add butter; continue beating at slow speed until mixture resembles moist crumbs, with no powdery streaks remaining. 

Add all but 1/2 cup of milk mixture to crumbs and beat at medium speed (or high speed if using handheld mixer) for 1 1/2 minutes. Add remaining 1/2 cup of milk mixture and beat 30 seconds more. Stop mixer and scrape sides of bowl. Return mixer to medium (or high) speed and beat 20 seconds longer. 

Fill each muffin cup 2/3 full with batter. Arrange pans at least 3 inches from the oven walls and 3 inches apart. (If oven is small, place pans on separate racks in staggered fashion to allow for air circulation.) Bake until thin skewer or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 10 to 12 minutes.  Remove from oven and cool on wire rack until fully cooled. 

Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

Frosting 
12 ounces cold cream cheese 
1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) butter, firm but not cold 
1/4 teaspoon salt 
1 1/2 pounds (1 1/2 boxes) powdered sugar, sifted 
1 teaspoon vanilla

3 teaspoons fresh squeezed lemon

Combine butter, salt, and cream cheese in mixer and beat on medium speed 2-3 minutes. 

Add sugar until just incorporated. Don’t over mix. It should be thick but not fluffy. 

Add vanilla and lemon and incorporate fully. 

To Assemble

Using the open end of a large pastry tip, or just a knife, cut a "cone" in the center of the cupcake (be careful not to go all of the way through to the bottom of the cupcake" (Click here for a tutorial). Fill with one teaspoon ligonberry jam.  Top with cream cheese frosting. Serve immediately. 

 

Fluffy Chocolate Cookies

 

Um... I actually have no recollection of making these.  Because I made them months ago and just uploaded the photos today.

This job really takes up a lot of my time. 

I can't remember what they were. But it looks fluffy and delicious.  Check out some of these seemingly delicious cookie recipes that I'm dying to try.

Milk's Ooey Gooey Chocolate Cookie from the LA Times

Peppermint Bark Chocolate Cookies from Simply Recipes (I don't care if it's not Christmastime, Peppermint Bark Cookies are good all the year round)

Chewy Chocolate Cookies from My Recipes (actually, it's not even the recipe that I'm interested, I just want to be the person holding that chip-wich)

Turtle Fudge Chocolate Cookies from Baking Junkie. I like caramel. 

Brownie Cookie Dough Sandwiches from Heat Oven to 350. Um. Yes please, thankyouverymuch you're welcome. 

OK I know this isn't a cookie, but this is a Cookies and Cream cupcake with an oreo in it! THERE IS an OREO BAKED INTO THE CUPCAKE PEOPLE!!

 

If anyone has any great chocolate cookie recipes, pass them along! 

 

Healthy Mango Frozen Margarita

 It's Cinco De Mayo, PEOPLE!

OK. I know I'm on a bit of a healthy kick. But really, when you spend 9 months living off of arena food and CANDY (really, I've never seen more candy in my life than at my job. If you were me, you'd want to eat healthy, too. 

AND DRINK HEALTHY!

Ok, I got too excited about that.

But I am a sucker for frozen margaritas. I often look forward to the first warm day of the season (50 degrees out? Frozen margarita time!) to head to the Boat Basin along the Hudson River and sit as I watch the rays of the sun bounce along the ripples of the river. The boat basin has the most incredible frozen margaritas, but you know, you just KNOW that these are the worst calorie-bomb margaritas on the face of the planet. The blazing red color, the syrup-y sweet flavor, the cherry stained teeth and tongue of anyone who drinks it, and the head-pounding headache that curses you after imbibing more than two lets you know that they probably aren't the best thing to drink. 

So when I recieved and email in my inbox from Chow.com for a frozen margarita just featuring fresh mango, with no syrups, or mixes, I was thrilled. Mango is my FAVORITE. And this frozen margarita is THE JAM.

(WHO SAYS THAT?!?!?  The jam? Really? But I just had to.  I feel like that phrase hasn't existed since the 80s, but I could totally be wrong. but they are the jam!)

The fresh flavor, the thick texture - everything about it is the harbinger of warm weather, beaches, and enjoyment of life.  

This is my new summer drink.

JAM!!!

Mango Margarita Adapted from Chow

Makes 2 drinks

• 1 medium mango, chopped
• 1 cup Ice
• 3 ounces blanco tequila, such as Frida Kahlo
• 1 ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1 ounce agave nectar
• 1/4 ounce Contrineau or orange-flavored liqueur, such as Grand Marnier
• Fresh mango cubes, for garnish

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Add chopped mango and one cup ice to blender. Blend. 
2. Add the tequila, lime juice, agave nectar, and orange-flavored liqueur and shake vigorously.
3. Strain and serve up in a chilled glass. Garnish with mango cubes.

The World's Most Amazing Shrimp Burgers

 

(These burgers are actually titled "Puerto Vallarta Shrimp Burgers", but I don't know why. I don't know anything about Puerto Vallarta, except for the fact that they used to give away a trip to Puerto Vallarta on, like, every episode of Wheel of Fortune in the 80s and 90s. )

I love using sensationalistic titles like this. And using words like "sensationalistic". Is that a real word? Who knows. But I like it. Holla.

I like to workout and eat healthy. I like to change up my workouts. Elliptical. Spin class. Run a few miles. I love cardio.  But what I hate is doing weights.  So I find Jillian Michael's 30 day shred to be perfect for me.  I do a 40 minute cardio workout, and then come home and do Jillian's 20 minute circuit training. 

But a wrench is always thrown in my plan, as I have two obstacles that stop me from maximizing this workout. 

Their names are Jack and Remy.

As soon as I lay down my purple yoga mat and turn my back to prep the DVD player, Remy makes herself comfortable right on my mat and then looks at me like I am the one bothering HER when I ask her to get up. And forget about getting on the ground to do abs.  As soon as my back hits the floor, she takes it as an excuse to lick my face as if it was slathered with peanut butter.

And then there is Jack, who often wants to read the newspaper on the couch while I am working out and gives the play by play of what is going on. Say Jillian says something like, "I want you to feel like you are going to die," Jack then needs to say, "Wow, she's a bit crazy, no?"  Or he willl just spontaneously jump up next to me and mock my movement and say in a bouncy, mocking tone "And one! And two! OK! Work it out! Oh yeah! We're working!" causing me to feign mock anger when all I want to do is burst out laughing. 

So, when I feel like I haven't gotten the best workout, I can still rest assured that I can eat these burgers and not feel guilty. I can't even explain how good these burgers are. Seriously. UGH. I love them.  Shrimp is pureed and then mixed with spicy jalapeno peppers, cilantro, and garlic, and then studded with bits of whole strimp, and finally topped with a creamy avocado aioli with just the right amount of heat. Eat them on a bun, or, they are seriously just as satisfying sandwiched between two crisp pieces of Boston lettuce. Just do it.

You know you want it!

Shrimp Burgers - Adapted from Chef Marcela

Ingredients

• For the shrimp burgers:
• 1 pound medium shrimp, shelled and deveined
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
• 1 garlic clove, peeled
• 1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs
• 1 jalapeno pepper, stemmed, seeded and diced
• 2 tablespoons chopped white onion
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 3 tablespoons canola oil
• Whole wheat rolls, split in half
• 2 plum tomatoes, sliced
• 6 boston lettuce leaves (or any lettuce you'd like :)) lettuce leaves
• For the avocado aioli:
• 1 Haas avocado, halved, seeded and peeled
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 medium garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Preparation

To make the shrimp burgers:Divide the shrimp in half. Coarsely chop one half and set aside. Put remaining half in a food processor and grind to a coarse puree. Add egg, cilantro and garlic to processor. Process until smooth. Sprinkle mixture with breadcrumbs and process again. Transfer contents of food processor to a large bowl. Add coarsely chopped shrimp, jalapeno and onion. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Mix well. Chill for 15 minutes. Form patties or "burgers" and set aside.

Heat oil in a heavy skillet. When very hot, fry the shrimp burgers until golden, about 3 minutes per side, depending on thickness. Drain on paper towels.

To make the avocado aioli:Scoop the avocado pulp into the bowl of a food processor. Add the mayonnaise, lime juice, garlic cloves, jalapeno, cilantro, salt and pepper. Process until smooth. Check and adjust seasoning.

To assemble:Serve shrimp burgers on buns, topped with a dollop of avocado aioli, sliced tomato and lettuce.

Serving Size

Yield: 6 servings; prep time: 20 minutes; cook time: 6 to 8 minutes