Tips & Tricks

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Delicious Chocolate Power Shake

Grab ‘n Go Chocolate Power Shake

vegan, makes 3 servings
2 cups plain almond milk

2 bananas, chopped/frozen

1 1/2 Tbsp sweetened cocoa mix – dairy free and high quality dark chocolate

*I used Lake Champlain brand

2 heaping Tbps almond butter

3/4 cup ice

Power-Up ingredients options:

* shot of espresso or strongly brewed coffee

* shot of chai tea

* dash of cayenne + cinnamon

garnish: almonds and banana slice
Kid-Approved: omit the power-up ingredient and just add a few dashes of cinnamon
Blend. Pour. Grab. Sip. Go.

Delicious Watermelon Frosty

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups frozen watermelon, cubes

1/2 cup coconut water or water (add more as needed)

1-2 Tbsp maple syrup, grade B

1 large lemon or 2 limes, squeezed

1 fresh banana

Optional: add a few pinches of cayenne for a spicy kick!

Party cocktail version: add 1-2 shots of your fave alcohol

Instructions

Add all ingredients to a high speed blender like a Vitamix and blend until frosty. Note: Start off with just 1/4 cup of the water liquid and add more in splashes as needed to blend.

Pour into frosted glasses to keep cool, garnish with lime or fresh watermelon sliced.

Yield: 2 servings

Prep Time: 00 hrs. 05 mins.

Total time: 5 mins.

 

 

(Source: Kathy Patalsky)

Delicious Tip

  

Delicious Mother’s Day Quiche Lorraine

Ingredients
SERVINGS: MAKES ONE 9″ QUICHE

Crust

1½ teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon sugar

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for surface

5 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces

3 tablespoons chilled lard or vegetable shortening

Filling And Assembly

8 ounces thick-cut smoked bacon, cut into ½-inch pieces

3 large shallots, thinly sliced

3 tablespoons lard or unsalted butter

2 sprigs thyme

1 bay leaf

3½ cups half-and-half

8 large eggs, room temperature

2 teaspoons kosher salt

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

Pinch of freshly ground nutmeg

2 ounces Gruyère, finely grated

Special Equipment

One 9″-diameter glass or ceramic deep pie dish
Preparation

Crust

Pulse salt, sugar, and 2 cups flour in a food processor until combined. Add butter and lard and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal with a few pieces of butter and lard visible, about fifteen 1-second pulses. With motor running, drizzle in 6–7 Tbsp. ice water and pulse until dough is still crumbly but just holds together when squeezed.

Turn out dough onto a work surface. Knead 1–2 times, pressing to incorporate any shaggy pieces. Press into a 6″-wide disk. Wrap with plastic wrap and chill at least 1 hour.

Place rack in lowest position of oven; preheat to 375°. Roll out dough on a lightly floured work surface to a 14″ round. Transfer to pie dish. Pick up edges and allow dough to slump down into dish, letting excess dough hang over dish. Trim, leaving about a 1″ overhang. Fold overhang under; pinch and crimp. Chill 30 minutes.

Line dough with parchment paper or foil, leaving some overhang. Fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until crust is dry around the edges and just beginning to brown, 25–35 minutes. Carefully remove parchment and weights and reduce oven temperature to 350°. Bake until crust is set and beginning to brown in the center, 15–20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool.

Do Ahead: Dough can be made 3 days ahead; keep chilled, or freeze up to 2 months.

Filling And Assembly

Cook bacon, shallots, lard, thyme, and bay leaf in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until lard begins to bubble, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low (mixture should still slowly bubble) and cook, stirring occasionally, until bacon and shallots are very soft, about 20 minutes. Let cool 1 hour. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve; pluck out thyme and bay leaf. Transfer bacon and shallots to a medium bowl; set aside.

Meanwhile, heat half-and-half in a medium saucepan over medium-high until it begins to bubble. Immediately remove from heat. Let cool 1 hour.

Place rack in middle of oven; preheat to 325°. Purée eggs in a blender on medium-high speed until foamy, about 30 seconds. Add half-and-half, salt, cayenne, and nutmeg. Beat on medium-low until custard is smooth, about 15 seconds.

Place pie plate on a rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle cheese evenly over bottom of crust. Top with bacon mixture. Pour half of the custard into crust. Transfer quiche to oven, then carefully pour remaining custard into crust. Bake quiche until edges are set but center slightly wobbles, 55–75 minutes (it will continue to set after baking). Transfer to a wire rack and let cool at least 3 hours before slicing.

Do Ahead: Quiche can be baked 1 day ahead. Tightly wrap and chill. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Recipe by Rick Martinez

Photograph by Alex Lau

 

Delicious Vegetable and Quinoa Salad with Bacon

Photo: Jennifer Causey, Styling; Lindsey Lower

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups fresh asparagus, cut diagonally into 1-inch pieces

1/2 cup frozen green peas

3 center-cut bacon slices, chopped

3 tablespoons cider vinegar

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

2 teaspoons whole-grain Dijon mustard

1 3/4 cups Ginger-Coconut Quinoa

1 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

5 ounces baby spinach

3 tablespoons sliced almonds, toasted

Preparation
Hands-on: 18 Minutes

Total: 26 Minutes

1. Bring a large saucepan filled with water to a boil. Add asparagus and peas; boil 2 minutes. Drain. Plunge into a bowl of ice water; drain.
2. Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove bacon from pan with a slotted spoon; set aside. Add vinegar, butter, and Dijon mustard to drippings in pan, stirring with a whisk until butter melts. Add quinoa and pepper to pan; cook 1 minute. Place quinoa mixture in a medium bowl; add asparagus mixture, parsley, tarragon, thyme, and spinach, tossing to combine. Divide quinoa mixture among 4 plates; sprinkle evenly with reserved bacon and almonds.
(Source: myrecipes.com)

Delicious Crunchy Peanut Slaw

  
1 big bowl of slaw, serves at least 8

1 medium head green cabbage, outer leaves removed

1 1/2 cups roasted, unsalted peanuts

1 bunch green onions

1 cup chopped cilantro (about two big handfuls unchopped)

Salt and pepper
Dressing:

1/2 cup light oil, like canola

3 tablespoons rice vinegar

1 tablespoon sugar (or more, to taste)

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 teaspoon soy sauce (or more, to taste)
Shred the cabbage very finely. The fineness of the shredded cabbage is really what makes this salad; you want it in in threads, almost, and with the threads chopped into bite-size lengths. Toss with the peanuts in a large bowl. Chop the scallions, including the green and white parts. Toss the scallions and chopped cilantro with the cabbage, seasoning very lightly with salt and pepper.
Whisk the dressing until emulsified, then taste and adjust to your own preferences of sweetness and saltiness.
Toss with the cabbage. Garnish with a few more peanuts and serve.
(Source: Faith Durand @ thekitchn.com)

Delicious Stone Fruit Smoothie Recipe

 

Makes 2 cups

• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
• 1 plum, pit removed, flesh roughly chopped
• 1 peach, pit removed, flesh roughly chopped
• 1 nectarine, pit removed, flesh roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen

Combine ingredients in blender and blend until smooth.

 

(Source: rodalesorganiclife.com)

Delicious Strawberry Mango Spring Smoothie Recipe

 

Spring is here! What better way to kick it off than with some delicious smoothie recipes?

Makes 3½ cups

• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1 banana, peeled, sliced, and frozen
• 1 mango, skinned and chunked
• 5 large strawberries, hulled

Combine ingredients in blender and blend until smooth.

 

(Source: rodalesorganiclife.com)

Delicious Salted Caramel Brownies

  

Ingredients (metric measurements)
225 g butter , plus extra for greasing

250 g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids)

225 g golden caster sugar

4 large free-range eggs

150 ml plain flour

SALTED CARAMEL

¼ of a vanilla pod

40 ml double cream

15 g salted butter

60 g caster sugar

40 g golden syrup

Method
Start by making your caramel. Split the vanilla pod lengthways, scrape out the seeds, then place into a pan. 
Combine with the cream, half of the butter and a good pinch of sea salt. Cook, whisking, over a low heat for about 2 to 3 minutes until it’s just bubbling, then take the pan off the heat and set aside.
Place the caster sugar and golden syrup in a medium heavy-based pan over a low heat. Don’t stir, just gently swirl the pan to help dissolve the sugar. 
Turn up the heat to medium and keep swirling until the sugar turns into a golden caramel.
Take the pan off the heat. Discard the vanilla pod from the hot milk, then stir in the caramel with a wooden spoon.
Return it to a low heat while you stir in the remaining butter, then remove from the heat and set aside.
Scrunch up a large piece of greaseproof paper, make it wet (shake off the excess), then use it to line a 20cm x 30cm baking tin. 
Pour in the caramel, sprinkle with another pinch of salt, and place it on a tea towel in the fridge for 30 minutes, until you have a thick, gooey caramel.
Once the caramel has been chilling for 15 minutes, start the brownies. Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4. Grease and line another 20cm x 30cm baking tin.
Melt the butter in a pan over a low heat. Chop and stir in the chocolate until it’s melted, then remove from the heat and stir in the sugar. 
Once cooled slightly, whisk in the eggs, then sift and fold in the flour until incorporated. Pour the mixture into the tin.
Take your caramel from the fridge, scoop out spoonfuls and dot them into the brownie mixture, pressing to submerge. Once you have a third of the caramel left, drizzle it on top, using your spoon to ripple it through.
Bake the brownies in the oven for about 25 minutes, or until cooked but still a bit gooey. 
Leave to cool for 1 hour, cut into squares and serve.

(Source: jamieoliver.com)