tahini sandwich

i have been feeling behind in the studio lately and am trying to prepare a bit for the holidays as well as work on wholesale orders.  so, i have been in the studio working long fulfilled hours. one day last week i threw this together at a loss for what to make and it has been my go to lunch pretty much all week.

grilled tahini sandwich:

2 slices of bread with a light skim of butter on one side of each piece : tahini : hot sauce : salt

i always put about 8-10 drops of hot sauce (but i love spicy food so feel free to skip the snauce) on the tahini (thin layer) and add a tiny pinch of salt and brown the sandwich on each side in a dry skillet. thought you might enjoy yummy with salad, soup or a handful of sweet 100’s. yum!!!

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dark chocolate peanut butter cups….

these, i think, are the best peanut butter cups i have ever had. this recipe is no joke!!!  i made them to take a few to my girlfriend who is having a birthday party tomorrow night. the recipe is fairly quick and easy, but i made the “mistake” of using the whole jar of peanut and adjusting the other ingredients to follow the recipe….i ended up quadrupling the recipe and was in the kitchen all night….not what i was planning but the outcome was soOOO super delicious that i felt quite accomplished. (it doesn’t take much ;))working thru this recipe made me wish for a big kitchen and be a professional chocolatier with a bounty of decorating bags, fancy decorating tips, bavarian creme, sprinkles and handmade chocolate curls. i was always mesmerized with the happenings in the european pastry room during my years of working at the bakery in st. louis.

dark chocolate pb cups
12 oz bittersweet chocolate (60-70% cacao-no exceptions)
1/3 cup (16 oz jar) creamy peanut butter (I added in an extra 1-2 TB)
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup crushed graham crackers (finely, but not a powder, but not chunks either)
(I added in 1 tsp salt to peanut butter mixture)

-In a bowl, mix together the peanut butter, powdered sugar, salt, and graham crackers. I put mine in the fridge to harden up a bit as it’s easier to form into balls….i skipped this step because mine was already like thick cookie dough….it must have been the brand of pb i used.
-in a microwave safe glass bowl melt the chocolate. run microwave in cycles of 15-30 seconds and stirring in between to prevent burning, lessening the time the more melted the chocolate gets.
-Use mini cupcake tins and line them with cupcake liners. i would double up on the cupcake liner to add some stability.
-Using a spoon, drop a small scoop of melted chocolate on the bottom and push it up around the sides of the cupcake liners; when in doubt, add more chocolate, since this will be the base for your candy. Place in the freezer for 10 minutes. While those are in the freezer get out the peanut butter mixture and form into teaspoon balls, they don’t have to be rolled in balls…..since my peanut butter mixture was already thick i just pinched some off as i went along.
-Remove the cupcake tins from the freezer, and place about one teaspoon of the peanut butter mixture in each cup, make sure to put it in the middle, not touching the sides of the cup. Spoon more melted chocolate on top of each cup, make sure to fill in along the sides too.
-Place the peanut butter cups back in the freezer for another 15 minutes to set. Let them sit at room temp before devouring…or not!! makes about 12 mini peanut butter cups.

i found the recipe on vanilla kitchen. with a few slight adaptations in the process alone, the ingredients are the same.

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breakfast wish….

..yum……

 image from cannelle et vanille

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sesame noodles

this dish is quick and easy…and really yummy!!

angel hair pasta
sesame oil
soy sauce
agave nectar
fresh ginger, peeled and minced, about a 1″ piece
cayenne
s & p

this recipe is not an flexible and good to make in a pinch when you don’t have much time. i had this at my friends house and was craving it for days later so i just improvised what i remembered about the dish and made this up.
cook noodles in salted water.
drain water and splash with a generous amount of sesame oil to prevent noodles from sticking to each other.
add a few splashes of soy sauce (i probably use about a 1/4 cup) & agave nectar depending on how salty/sweet you like it.
add salt, pepper and cayenne to taste
stir well and eat up!!

also good with a handful of snap peas or tofu cubes.

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mango & sesame seeds

tasty quick lunch…

mango & roasted sesame seeds

i like to roast sesame seeds and have them around the kitchen to throw at a salad, bowl of fruit or even a peanut butter sandwich for a little extra twist. those tiny little seeds, when smoked, pack a mighty punch.

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coconut spinach rice

we made this when we had a handful of friends over a couple weeks ago.  it was really yummy. we had madras curry to go along with it but this, to me, was the real highlight.

COCONUT SPINACH RICE

1 t ground cumin
2 t brown mustard seeds
1 t curry powder
1 t sea salt
1/2 t black pepper
pinch of cayenne
2 cups of basmati rice
1 can coconut milk
1 1/2 cups water or veg stock
1 (10oz) package frozen spinach, defrosted, cooked, drained & pressed
1 can of chickpeas
1 cup of cashews

-toast the cumin & mustard seeds in pot for 1 minute over medium-high heat, stir constantly. add curry powder, salt, pepper, cayenne, rice, coconut milk, and water (or veg stock) & bring to boil.
-cover pot, lower heat to simmer, and cook til liquid is absorbed, about 10 minutes. turn off heat and let rice sit for 5 minutes.
-add spinach, chickpeas & cashews and toss together.

we doubled the recipe…and made this in our rice maker vs. stove top directions above. really yummy. even better cold the next day! enjoy!!!

this recipe came from our new “30 minute vegan’s taste of the east” cookbook that my mom gave us =)

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morel asparagus gnocchi

chris and i splurged on morel mushrooms the other nite since we spotted them on super sale. they normally sell for $40 + a pound, but we nabbed ‘em for $14.99/lb.  back in the day, we would go hunting for morels all the time when we were in school at SIUE.  the woods were right across from the art department so we would just zip across the road and go foraging and see if we could find these discreet woodland treasures. we bought less then a pound and it was still enough to make this tasty dish. i saw this recipe about a year ago and then promptly forgot it until we saw ‘em at wholeee the other nite.

MOREL ASPARAGUS GNOCCHI

2 T olive oil
2-9oz packages fresh gnocchi
3-5 fresh morels, halved (sub any wild mushroom)
1-bundle of asparagus washed and dried-cut into 1″ sections…removing about 2″ at the bottom and discard the tough ends.
1 roasted red pepper or about a 1/4 cup
1 can water packed artichoke hearts, sliced
1/8 tsp salt, plus more for seasoning
black pepper

slice morels into manageable pieces. heat pan and saute morels with a couple teaspoons of olive oil. set aside. add asparagus, roasted pepper, and artichoke hearts to the pan, add another small splash of olive oil if you wish. Add 1/8 tsp salt to season. saute for 2-3 minutes until tender, remove from pan and set aside. while the pan is still hot, add the raw gnocchi and enough oil to coat well. cook for 3 or 4 minutes until golden on all sides and a bit puffy. once cooked through, add the asparagus, artichokes, and peppers back to the pan and toss together. add salt and pepper to taste. add the cooked morel mushrooms to the top before serving.

after making this recipe i would really love to learn how to make homemade gnocchi….especially sweet potato gnocchi. i’ll share the recipe if it turns out yummy!!

i adapted this recipe from veganyumyum’s site.

P.S.–i have been known to trade jewelry for freshly picked morels if anyone out there might be so inclined come spring =) contact me if your interested

info (at) jaimejofisher (dot) com

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chana masala

chana masala

2 T olive oil
1 medium onion
1 clove garlic
1 T curry
1 T tomato paste
1 can of chick peas
1/2 T lemon juice
1/2 t salt
black pepper
red pepper flakes

brown onions. reduce heat and add garlic, curry and tomato paste, stir and simmer a couple minutes. at this point,  add a 1/4 cup of water just to get everything mixed in well.
add the rest of the ingredients. simmer for 5 or so minutes and add chick peas. serve over rice.  chris and i love to make rice in our rice maker with a can of coconut milk and the rest water to add really subtle and sweet coconut flavor to the rice. yum!!

this recipe was a adapted from a recipe from a friend of a friend, thanks claudia.

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pie pops

i just discovered a peculiar and interesting food blog…luxirare, well it’s actually a food and clothing blog…i love the photography and who could beat these pie pops in banana, pumpkin, blackberry, & apple, how sweet..yum!!

found via cup of jo

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peanut butter cookies..

my best friend trish brought over these sweet and tastey little cookies today…they were so good i almost ate the whole containers worth in one sitting :O)

here’s the recipe……

1 cup of peanut butter

1 cup brown sugar..my friend used 1/2 cup of brown sugar and 1/2 cup of raw cane sugar

1 tsp. of baking powder

egg replacer equivalent for one egg

large sugar crystals

prepare egg replacer according to directions on the box…add to the already mixed peanut butter, brown sugar and baking powder and mix thoroughly….roll dough into balls and then roll into sugar crystals.  these cookies have a nice crumbly texture and are gluten free.  bake for 10 minutes or til golden in a 350 degree oven.  yummy!!

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