Caramelized Brussels Sprouts Recipe

Serves 2-4, adapted from Eat.Live.Run

Ingredients:
1 lb brussels sprouts
1 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
sea salt, to taste
2 tbsp maple sugar or brown sugar
1/4 cup dried cranberries

Method:

1. Slice the brussels sprouts very thinly so that they are almost feathery.
2. Heat the olive oil over medium high heat in a large skillet.  Saute the garlic until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Add the brussels sprouts and continue sauteeing for 4-5 minutes or until bright green and tender.
3. Add the sea salt and sugar and toss together.  Finish by adding the cranberries.

Joanne Bruno is a food writer and third year MD/PhD student.  Find more of her delicious ramblings over at her blog: Eats Well With Others. 

Photos: Joanne Bruno

From: Scrambledmegs - Carrot cake (a ‘healthier’ version)

"This is by far the most delicious carrot cake I have made (or eaten for that matter). The standard sugar, butter and white flour has been replaced with some friendly alternatives. It takes a bit of time to prepare but it is fun to make and the result is absolutely worth the time and energy.  I’ve listed exactly what I used below. Serves 8 people." -Scrambledmegs 

INGREDIENTS

3 organic free-range eggs

2 medium sized bananas

15 fresh dates, pitted

6 tbsp sunflower oil

1 cup plain wholemeal flour

1 ½ tsp baking powder

3 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp nutmeg

½ tsp cardamom

4 medium sized carrots, grated

½ cup fresh coconut, flaked/shredded

½ cup walnuts, roughly chopped

1/2 cup raisins

Glazing

200 g low fat cream cheese

3 tbsp raw honey

1/2 lime (juice and rind)

1/2 cup hazelnuts

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Whisk your eggs in a medium sized bowl. Use a blender to mix bananas, dates and oil into a thick cream in another bowl. Sift together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and cardamom and stir it together with the eggs and the banana-cream.

Add grated carrots, coconut flakes, walnuts and raisins and stir it until it all comes together.

Pour it into a cake pan and bake for about 50-60 minutes. Cake is ready when a skewer comes out clean. Leave to cool.

Whip together the cream cheese and the honey. Add the frosting when the cake is completely cooled. Serve with roughly chopped hazelnuts and finely grated lime rind on the top.

Scrabledmegs aka Megan Micallef is a Aussie who loves to cook up a storm and if you liked this recipe check out the rest at Scrambledmegs.

PUMPKIN AND SAGE RAVIOLI WITH PARSLEY PESTO

1/3 cup pepitas and pumpkin seeds
1 cup chopped parsley leaves and stems
...1/3 freshly grated pecorino/parmesan cheese
2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 large cloves garlic
3 tbs freshly squeezed lemon juice
450g good quality frozen/fresh ravioli (I used pumpkin and sage)
1/2 cup roughly chopped pitted black kalamata olives
fresh thyme
pine nuts

Set some water to boil. Swirl your seeds around in a hot pan for a couple of minutes until toasted. Place your seeds, parsley, cheese, half the olive oil, garlic and lemon juice into a food processor. Pulse while drizzling in the remaining olive oil, until you get a smooth paste.

Pop your pasta into the boiling water and take it out when it has just cooked. Drain it and gently stir half of the pesto paste through.
Let the pasta sit for around 30 seconds, then pour through the remaining pesto and olives (If you're not big on pesto just
add less of the mixture through).

Garnish with pine nuts and fresh thyme and serve while it's hot!

Recipe by Megan Micallef

CHINESE EGGPLANT WITH SILKEN TOFU AND GINGER

4 asian eggplants

...2 tbs good quality extra virgin olive oil

1 small leek, halved and cut into half moons

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 tsp crushed chilli

1 tbs finely grated ginger

1 tbs parsley stems, finely chopped

2 sachets of dashi

1/2 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp reduced salt tamari (wheat-free soy sauce)

1 packet organic silken tofu, cut into large squares

1 small green capsicum

2 spring onions, sliced diagonally (to serve)

cooked brown rice (to serve)



Slice eggplants diagonally with thickness of around 3cm. Chop capsicum into big pieces. Brush in olive oil and lightly fry until they begin to brown. Remove and set aside.

Place sliced leek into pan with more olive oil, chilli, garlic, ginger and parsley stems, cooking for one minute. Throw the eggplants back in with just enough water to cover it up. Add the dashi stock, your sesame oil and tamari to the pan. Simmer for around 10 minutes, or until your eggplants are lovely and soft.

Slide the tofu in gently and turn it over through the mix. It will fall apart easily so make sure you're turning it very carefully.

Place it into bowls on top of your cooked brown rice and garnish with spring onions.

Recipe by Megan Micallef

Lovin from the Oven...Teriyaki Chicken

Ever wanted to make your own Teriyaki chicken from scratch? Well on a on-site interview, the results of which you can follow here will soon, with the cake maven Latoya Snell of The Cake Monologues I did just that and it was a delicious culinary meeting. As the brain child of a 20 something wife and mother of one the lil business of crafting cakes in her spare time has brought her through some hard times and brought her back to her calling of cooking and being a professional chef. She is a highly trained lean mean cooking machine. Before I get any further let my introduce you to Latoya Snell, her family, the lil kitchen that could and her Teriyaki chicken. We start with baking some chicken wings at 400 degrees for 45 minutes covered.














Also you can start on your lemon herb rice. Start with cold water to cook the rice, measure out your rice and add to the pot. Add two bay leaves, then squeeze a half lemon into the mix. Add basil and oregano to taste. Let it boil (depending on how much your cooking for this meal which serves 6-8 12 mins)

Next we start on the sauce. To begin we start with an onion...

For more info on The Cake Monolouges check out the link below:

Cooking with Kaos - meatless Shepherds pie, YUM!!!

So I'm learning to cook for myself Yay! I stole this recipe from my friend YOLO the Poet, He made a mean version of it at a party and i had to make my own. Along with it I made a Quinoa plaif to go with it. Here are a few steps for it.

Ingredients

One box of random mash potato mix

One brick, lol, of meatless ground meat I used Yves for this dish

One bottle of Chief Ginger Soy Sauce

Olive oil

Salt

Cheese, I used A White cheddar with Chipolte

Milk, I used Rice Dream as a replacement

Quinoa

Random Vegtables for the plaif, carrots, scallions, green shit! lol.

Some pots and pans to cook and bake

and love!




Start by preparing the Mash Potato's as they describe it on the box. (Also turn on your over, you'll need it later. I set it to 350 to get set up.)







Bring the water to a boil.










Then add the follow the box on preparation. Note instead of Milk I used Rice Dream.


























Next I moved on to the "meat" for my pie. It cooks the same way as ground beef or turkey based on the packaging. Just grindit up in your sauce pan on a low flame for a few minutes in some Olive Oil.







I next added the soy sauce, I wanted to jazz up the "Meat" with a ginger infused sauce.








Neither parts should take more than 10 mins to make. The next step reqires the use of an oven and baking tin so pull it out! make sure to grease (lightning) your baking tins before you start to layer your pie. I layered the pie Mash, ground "meat", then cheese and so on and so forth with mash and cheese on the top.
















Once done you can set up your pie(s) in the oven.












As for the Quinoa Just follow the details on the box. Once done add in the vegetables with the Quinoa in a sauce pan and sauté.
















The pie should take like 15 minutes to get done...I hope, lol. Serve hot and make your best o life.
(ps. I made it and Dint die so you wont either.)

Malcolm X Pizzeria

I was in the Bed-stuy area of Brooklyn when I can along a pizzeria. I stopped in to feed my face and was thrilled to have a dialogue with the owner about Black nationalism and his establishment.




I hope you all check them out and grab a slice. But on another note why isn't there a Malcolm X day! Everyone seems to forget about Malcolm X and just lumps him into black history month but he should have his own day. I think we should have a national day in-honor of this man and his presence as an OG, Revolutionary Black Gangster. Help make this a reality by signing the petition.


Sign the petiton here!