Falafel pita

Ok, so I cheated a little on this and didn't make my own falafel balls. Who has time for that?! I used a dry mix that I picked up from the grocery store. I prepared it according to the package except that I cooked it on a waffle iron instead of deep frying it 'cause it's faster, healthier, and doesn't make your whole house smell like hot oil. 

Ingredients:

1 pita

2-3 prepared falafel balls (seriously, just get the powder)

1 big scoop hummus

1 big scoop cucumber yogurt sauce

A few shakes of hot sauce (if you want)

4-6 thin slices red onion

4-6 thin slices green pepper

1 small handful chopped tomato

1 small handful shredded lettuce

A few sprigs cilantro or parsley

Directions:

Warm your pita for a few seconds to make it pliable. Spread the hummus in the middle in a line. Place your falafel on top (I cut mine in half so the bites were manageable). Spoon cucumber yogurt sauce over the falafel and sprinkle with hot sauce (if using). Arrange vegetables and herbs on top and roll up. I wrapped mine in foil like chipotle does and then cut it in half. To eat it, I just rolled down the foil as I went, that way all the stuff stayed inside and it stayed tightly rolled.

Cucumber yogurt sauce

I love middle eastern food and when I get it at a restaurant I always get double the amount of cucumber yogurt sauce. It is so good and so deliciously garlicky and bright. Turns out it is really simple to make as well! This sauce is great with pita, on falafel, or really on anything where you want a bright, garlicky, creamy sauce.

Ingredients:

1/3 cup diced cucumber, diced really finely

2/3 cup plain greek yogurt (or one single serve container)

1 garlic clove

1/2 of a small lemon, juiced

1 good dash of salt

1/2 teaspoon dill weed

Directions:

Chop the garlic as finely as you possibly can. Seriously, run your knife over it until you don't think you can chop it any more. Then sprinkle the garlic pieces with a good amount of salt. Take the flat part of the knife and scrape the garlic and salt mixture against the cutting board 10-15 times, or until the garlic breaks down and turns into a paste. Place the garlic paste into a bowl, add the rest of the ingredients and stir. Season with more salt, if necessary. Refrigerate for while so that the flavors can all mesh together. It is best to leave it for like an hour, but you don't have to. It will just get better the more it sits. 

Spinach and mushroom quesadilla

Quesadillas are pretty simple to throw together and I'm sure everyone has a go to quesadilla "recipe" by now. This one is spicy, smoky, and full of veggies so you can pretend that it is healthy. The recipe makes one quesadilla, obviously increase the quantities of everything if you want to make more than that.

Ingredients:

2 flour tortillas (I used the fajita size)
1 teaspoon olive oil
4 slices of red onion
5-6 mushrooms, sliced
1 cup chiffonaded spinach (probably 3 good handfulls)
1 tablespoon reduced fat cream cheese
dash garlic powder
dash cayenne pepper
4-5 dashes of liquid smoke*
salt and pepper, to taste
2 ounces (1/4 block) of mozzarella, shredded

Directions:

Saute onion and mushroom in olive oil over medium heat until the mushrooms soften and brown (stop before the onions brown though!) this should take like 2-4 minutes after the oil is hot. Toss the spinach in the pan and add just a tiny splash of water to start the wilting process. Cook until spinach is dark green and wilted. Lower the heat to low and add cream cheese. Stir until it is melted. Season with garlic, cayenne, salt, pepper, and liquid smoke (if using). Set aside. Preheat your broiler. Place on tortilla on top of aluminum foil, add half your cheese, then top with veggies, then add the rest of the cheese. Place the other tortilla on top and give it a good squish. Spray it with non-stick spray and sprinkle it with salt. Cook it under the broiler and watch it closely. Take it out when it turns golden brown and has a few darker brown spots on it. Flip it over and watch it even more closely. It is done when it is golden brown on both sides. Let it rest for a little bit and then slice it with a pizza cutter. Serve with lettuce, tomato, and sour cream (or whatever you want to serve it with).

*I realize that no normal human has liquid smoke on hand. You definitely don't have to use it but I really like to add it for a smoky flavor. You could substitute smoked paprika instead or used smoked mozzarella or leave it out entirely.

Almond milk

I really hate cow's milk. I just think it is nasty. Almond milk, however, is delicious! The few that I've tried from the store were all sort of thin and watery and some of them were pretty grainy, so I decided to try making my own. Turns out that it is way better. With this recipe you can decide how thick you want it. If you use 2 cups of water the result is something close to 2% milk, 2 1/2 cups is something like 1%, and 3 cups is more like skim milk. I like my almond milk to be more versatile so I don't flavor it, but you could easily add a splash of vanilla. 

Ingredients:

1 cup raw almonds (unsalted with skins on)

2-3 cups water (plus more for soaking)

2 dates, pitted

Directions:

Place almonds in a large bowl and cover with a large amount of water (so that there is an extra inch of water on top of almonds). Soak uncovered overnight. If you aren't making the almond milk right when you wake up in the morning then dump out the water and replace with fresh water. After they are done soaking, drain and rinse the almonds. They should be sorta plump and squishy at this point. Dump the almonds and the two dates into a blender and cover with between 2 and 3 cups of water, depending on your desired thickness of milk. Blend for 2-4 minutes, or until the almonds are completely broken down and the water has turned opaque and white. Strain the mixture through a good, fine strainer (coffee filters work well, a thin kitchen towel works well, cheese cloth was a nightmare though). Lightly press and prod the solids left in the strainer to get more milk out. Let it sit until the solids are pretty dry. Transfer the milk to a glass jar and refrigerate. The solids you have left can be dried in the oven and crumbled into yogurt/cereal/oatmeal/ice cream.

**There is a product called a "nut bag" (hahaha, jokes) that you can buy that apparently strains the solids out perfectly without getting any grit into the milk. That would be great, but why would you buy that when you can use a coffee filter?

Cheese crackers

Ok, let's just be real, these are cheez-its and they are spectacular. They're also super easy and you can pronounce everything in them, which is nice for a change. This recipe only makes a small amount - the picture has all of the crackers in it. I made a batch to bring to a friend's place for game night once and they were gone almost instantly, so maybe make a few batches unless you're just going to eat them yourself while binge watching Scandal or something. 

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 cup extra sharp cheddar, shredded

1/2 teaspoon salt, (use 1/4 tsp if you used salted butter)

3/4 cup flour

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or 1/4 if you want them spicier)

coarse salt (like kosher salt or sea salt flakes) for sprinkling on top

Directions:

Throw everything except the coarse salt into a food processor and blend until it turns into dough. Form the dough into a circle, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for an hour. Unwrap dough and roll out on a floured surface until it is the thickness you like. I like my crackers on the thin and crispy side so mine were probably like 1/8" thick or maybe a little thinner. Cut into squares with a pizza cutter, sprinkle with salt, and transfer to a baking sheet (I lined mine with parchment paper, which made things a little easier). Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 8-12 minutes, or until the bottoms are getting a little color. You don't want to over bake these since they'll crisp up even more once they cool. Transfer to a cooling rack and (if you can wait) let them cool down a bit. Then eat them. Or put them in an airtight container, I guess.

Caramel apple baked french toast

I have to admit, I'm not a huge fan of traditional french toast. It always seemed to egg-y to me and, to be honest, why bother when you could make waffles? Then I discovered BAKED french toast. It really is a good alternative to waffles (but only when your waffle iron is broken. Seriously, waffles are amazing). Also, you have to plan ahead for this one since it requires an overnight soak.

Ingredients:

1 lb. loaf of french bread, cut into 1" slices

6 eggs, beaten

1 1/2 cups milk

1/3 cup apple cider

3/4 cup butter

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 apple, diced

Directions:

Whisk together the eggs, milk, and cider in a large bowl. Soak the bread in the egg mixture for 30 minutes, gently flipping the bread to make sure all of it is covered. While that is soaking, saute the apple over medium heat until it is soft but stop before it breaks down and becomes apple sauce. Melt butter and sugar together in a 9x13" pan (I generally use a glass pan and just set it over the burner on my stove so I don't have to dirty another bowl). Mix in cinnamon, vanilla, salt, and apple. When your bread has finished soaking carefully remove each slice from the bowl and place it on top of the butter mixture. The slices really don't need their own space, so really cram em in there. Cover the pan and place in the fridge overnight. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30-40 minutes. Invert onto a baking sheet and serve.

Whole grain beer mustard

Before I write anything else I must warn you. WATCH OUT FOR MUSTARD GAS. But seriously, watch out for mustard gas when you're making this. I wasn't really thinking when I made this the first time and I stuck my face directly into the food processor to smell how delicious it was becoming and I almost fell over after inhaling a huge amount of the fumes. Maybe open a window or something. Despite its dangers, this mustard is absolutely worth making! It is so freaking easy and so, so, so delicious.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup mustard seeds (any combination of yellow, brown, and black. Darker = Spicier)

3/4 cup cider vinegar

3/4 cup beer (pale ales and ambers work well, but use what you like)

1 tablespoon honey

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions:

In a ceramic (or other non-reactive) bowl, combine seeds, vinegar, and beer. Let stand, covered, at room temperature for 24 hours. Transfer to a food processor and add the rest of the ingredients. Blend like crazy (the more you break down the seeds the spicier and thicker it becomes). I like to leave a lot of the seeds whole just because I love the look and texture of really grainy mustard. Transfer to jars and store in the fridge.

Easy homemade pizza

This pizza, from start to finish, seriously only takes like 35 minutes. That is less than the time it takes to order one and have it delivered. This pizza uses a dough that is quick to put together, but obviously doesn't taste as good as one that has been rising all day (no one has time for that). It sure as hell beats little caesers though. The one pictured has spinach, mushrooms, red onion, tomato, and feta, but you can top it with whatever you'd like. This makes a pizza big enough for two people.

Ingredients:

1 1/4 teaspoons rapid rise yeast 

1/2 cup warm (not hot) water

1 1/4 cups flour

1 teaspoon honey

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons parmesan cheese

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/3 cup tomato sauce, or really as much as you want

mozzarella cheese, as much as you'd like

toppings

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 and line a baking sheet with foil, spray it with non-stick spray. In a small mixing bowl, combine yeast and water, stir to dissolve completely. Add flour, honey, salt, and oil. Mix and then knead with your hands a few times. Let it sit for about 10 minutes, then knead it on a floured surface a few times. Roll it out until it is the thickness you'd like and then transfer it to your lined pan. Roll the edges of the dough to create a crust. Top the crust with the parmesan and garlic (or season your crust however you want). Bake crust for 6-8 minutes. Remove from oven and spread with sauce. Top with cheese and whatever toppings you'd like. Return to the oven and bake for 8-12 more minutes, depending on how crispy you like your pizza. 

Spring rolls with dipping sauce

These spring rolls may seem sort of labor intensive, but once you have your ingredients prepped it doesn't take any more time than making a burrito.

Ingredients:

4 rice paper wrappers
1/6 package of rice noodles, cooked according to package
4 baby carrots, julienned
3 inch piece of cucumber, julienned
4 slices avocado
1 handful of cilantro
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon sriracha

Directions:

Prep all of your ingredients first and lay them out so that they are all easily accessible, once you get going you have to work quickly. Squeeze out the extra water from your rice noodles and separate them into four small piles. Mix your mayo and sriracha together in a small bowl and set aside. Fill a large plate (one with rims) with warm water. Soak one rice paper at a time for a few seconds (really just enough to where you can feel it become a little slippery and pliable). Remove paper from water and place on a clean work surface. Place one small pile of rice noodles on top of the rice paper, about an inch from the edge. Next, spread a small amount of sriracha mayo on top of noodles. Top with small piles of carrots, cucumber, and one slice of avocado. Take the one inch edge of the rice paper and fold it over the noodles and veggies, pulling just a little to make it tight. Then fold over the sides, just like you're making a burrito. Add a few cilantro leaves and finish rolling, making sure to squeeze a little bit to make it tight. Place one roll aside and repeat for the others.

Dipping sauce:

1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1/4 cup water
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon corn starch
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

Directions:

Place all ingredients in a saucepan and whisk until it turns a light brown. Cook on medium heat, whisking a few times until it starts to simmer. Simmer 1-2 minutes or until it thickens. Remove from heat and let it cool slightly.

**Obviously you can add anything you like to your spring rolls. I've added slices of red pepper, lettuce, green onion, mango, etc. before. If you're not a vegetarian you could add shrimp or something.