Peach-Blueberry Crisp

This is one of my all-time favorite warm weather dishes - especially when peaches are in season at the Farmer's Market. The original recipe called for Apricots, but when I saw those fresh peaches staring at me from the bins of the Farmer's Market...it was as if they were calling to me. Peaches and blueberries - such a perfect duo. This can easily be eaten for breakfast (as the original recipe suggested eating it with some yogurt on top - YUM!), or as a dessert! This is a light and fragrant dish with just a little crumble on top, so no worries about feeling weighed down!

Ingredients:
1/2 lb of Peaches, sliced (about 2 cups)
1/2 pint of Blueberries
1 1/2 Tbs Sugar
1 Tbs flour
pinch of nutmeg (I used Pumpkin Pie Spice)

Crumble:
1/2 stick of butter, melted
1/2 cup oats
1/2 cup flour
2 Tbs Almonds
3 Tbs sugar
pinch of salt

What to do:
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
2. Put sliced peaches and blueberries in a 9" baking dish
3. Sprinkle with 1 1/2 Tbs sugar and the pinch of nutmeg
4. Stir in the Tbs flour
5. In a separate bowl, pour the melted butter and sugar in, combine
6. Add a pinch of salt, the oats, the flour, and then the almonds until clumps form
7. Sprinkle the crumble mixture over the fruit, and bake for 30-35 mins

Adapted from: Smitten Kitchen

Purple Cabbage Salad with Raisins, Carrots, and Almonds

Dear Purple Cabbage,

I'm sorry that I never understood or appreciated your deliciousness before. I was blind, but now I see - and I wholeheartedly promise to chop you, shred you, and even saute you more from now on.

Fondly,
Allison

Now that that's out of the way - this is SUCH a great summer salad! I found this recipe online the other day, and was intrigued. It has tons of flavors with so many ranges - from sweet to salty, and even a little tangy. The crispness of the cabbage is perfectly contrasted with the chewy raisins. I changed the original recipe from currants to raisins, and added in some spring onions for a little more bite. Keeps well in the fridge too!

Ingredients:
1/2 head of Purple Cabbage
3 Spring Onions, chopped
3 Carrots, grated
3 Tbs Almonds
3 Tbs Raisins

Dressing:
1 Tbs Balsamic Vinegar
2 Tbs Rice Vinegar
1 Tbs Water
1/4 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Sugar (I used Agave Nectar)
1 tsp Maple Syrup
2 Tbs Canola Oil

What to do:
1. Cut off the bottom stem on the cabbage, and cut the half into half again, coring the thick white middle
2. Thinly slice and place in large bowl
3. Grate the carrots, and add to the cabbage
4. Toss in the onions and almonds
5. In a separate bowl, whisk all dressing ingredients, except for the oil together
6. Once combined, slowly whisk in the oil
7. Pour dressing over the cabbage mixture, and serve immediately, or store in refrigerator

From: Vegan Yum-Yum

Potato, Goat Cheese, and Caramelized Onion Samosas

I have had filo dough in my freezer for about a year. Every time I opened the freezer, there it was - staring back at me saying, "do something me with me already!!" What I like most about this dish is its versatility. You could take it in so many different directions just by changing the ingredients a little bit. Instead of goat cheese, you could add a little curry spice and some peas for an authentic Indian dish. You could also use roasted red peppers and goat cheese. The possibilities are endless! Note: I don't know if it was because the filo dough had been in the freezer for so long - but it was kinda difficult to work with. Easy to make, hard to manage. Delicious outcome though! And at the end of the day, that's really what's important, right?

Ingredients: Makes 7 samosas
14 sheets of filo dough, thawed
2 medium potatoes, diced
1/2 cup sliced yellow onion
4 tbs goat cheese
1 ts salt
1 tbs either dijon mustard or dijonaise
1 tbs melted butter
1/2 ts brown sugar 
cooking spray

What to do:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Steam potatoes for 8-10 min, or until tender
3. At the same time saute the onions in olive oil for 10 mins on med heat, then add in the sugar
4. In a mixing bowl, mash the potatoes with a fork or potato masher
5. Add in the goat cheese, dijon, onions, and salt
6. On a clean work surface, lay out the 7 sheets of filo dough
7. Spray each layer of the dough with cooking spray
8. Pick up 2 sheets of filo dough and cut it lengthwise in half
9. Layer one spoonful of the potato filling in the corner of one end of the dough strip
10. fold one side over the filling to form a triangle, then continue folding it all the way the strip to form a sealed triangle
11. Continue with the rest of the dough, using two sheets at a time
12. Place finished triangles on a baking sheet and brush the tops of each with the melted butter
13. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes until golden brown on the top

Serve with a green salad!

Sweet Potato and Beet Gnocchi with Beurre Rouge

Ladies and Gents: My pride and joy. I have been dying to make gnocchi from scratch FOREVER! Although I (formerly) thought the process would be daunting and time-consuming: It's not. I came across this recipe a while back and thought, hmm, maybe I could do this! This particular dish was inspired by the most delicious beet gnocchi I had in Brooklyn some time ago, and have been dreaming of how to even begin recreating this heavenly concoction. I used sweet potatoes in lieu of regular russet potatoes because (I love them, and) I wanted to complement the sweetness of the beets. I ended up using a lot more flour than called for in the recipe because my dough was particularly unmanageable, but as soon as I got that under control the rest was a cinch! The gnocchi would have been great paired with a goat cheese sauce, but if you don't have any on hand, I found a delicious recipe for Beurre Rouge that worked oh-so-perfectly. I mean it's red wine with loads of butter - OF COURSE it's good. 

Ingredients: Gnocchi

2-3 medium Sweet Potatoes

3 small Beets

2 cups of flour (more or less as you need it)

1 ts salt

1 egg, lightly beaten

Beurre Rouge sauce:

1 cup of red wine

1/2 cup red wine vinegar (can substitute other vinegar like balsamic)

1 shallot, minced

1 lb cold butter, diced (I used 1/2 pound = 1 stick and it was still delicious)

salt to taste

What to do:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees

2. Prick potatoes all over with a fork and roast with beets for 40-50 mins, or until tender to the touch

3. Set aside to cool then remove peel

4. In a large mixing bowl, mash potatoes, beets and salt

5. Mix egg in

6. Add flour in a 1/2 cup at a time until a manageable dough forms that doesn't stick to your hands (you can either combine with a spatula or a mixer)

7. On a clean, floured surface roll or spread the dough out and knead for 2-3 mins

8. Separate into 5 or 6 smaller balls, and then roll each one in your hands to create a long, thin, snake-like rope

9. Cut the dough ropes into small 1" pieces

10. Meanwhile fill a large pot with water, salt it, and bring it to a boil

11. Once water is boiling drop the gnocchi in one by one

12. Gnocchi are cooked when they float to the top, drain

13. In a separate and smaller sauce pan, saute shallots in a little olive oil for 2 mins

14. Reduce heat and add in the vinegar and the wine

15. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer and let the sauce reduce by 2 Tbs which takes about 10 mins

16. While the sauce is reducing, heat a small saute pan on med heat with a pat of butter

17. Throw in the Gnocchi and let them saute for a few mins until golden on either side, turn heat off.

18. Once sauce has reduced, begin adding in the cubes of butter two at a time. 

19. Wisk the butter into the sauce until melted and combined - continue with the rest of the butter

20. Once you have 2 cubes of butter left, turn off the heat and wisk in the rest.

21. Plate the Gnocchi and pour sauce over - serve immediately with shaved parmesan on top!

Parmesan-Herb Biscuits

Loosely adapted from: Basic Biscuits

This should actually be called "The Most Delicious Biscuits You Will Ever Eat", but due to my need for recipe organization...it isn't. Growing up in the South I knew when I had a hankering for a biscuit, there was only one place to go: Bojangles. Now, if you have no idea what Bojangles is, just know one thing - No other biscuit could ever compare. Waking up this rainy Sunday morning, the biscuit hankerings were looming over my sleepy head. With the nearest Bojangles over 60 miles away (and not knowing any good biscuit places around my apartment), I did what I needed to do to soothe my uncontrollable cravings. I found this recipe online, and adapted it to make it more interesting. Unbelievable. Fluffy, flaky, buttery, delicious. What did I do next? Made an egg biscuit, of course.

Ingredients:
2 c all purpose flour
1 Tbs baking powder
6 Tbs frozen butter
1 ts salt
1 Tbs garlic powder
1 Tbs Italian seasoning
1/4 c grated parmesan cheese
3/4 c milk

What to do:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees
2. Mix flour, baking powder, salt, garlic powder, seasoning and cheese together in a large mixing bowl
3. Using your hands, mix in the 6 individual tablespoons of butter, breaking them apart into pea-shaped bits, and mixing into the flour mixture
4. Add in the milk 1/4 c at a time, lightly mixing with a spatula until a sticky dough forms
5. Spray a baking sheet with non stick spray
6. On a clean surface, roll out (or pat out) the dough mixture into an even layer
7. Using a biscuit cutter or a glass, cut circle shapes in the dough and place each on the baking sheet
8. Bake for 15 minutes