Manhattan Clam Chowder

It seems like ages ago that we were at the beach, and now I'm finally posting this recipe. The recipe is loosely based on some others that I found online but it really was formed from the vegetables that we had available. The picture is of my sister Tiffany on the dock by the bay eating some soup.

4-5 strips thickly cut bacon, sliced
1 large white onion
2 shallots
3 stalks celery
1 small bunch or 3 large carrots
3 green peppers, seeded and diced
1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
4 cloves garlic
3 large potatoes, cubed
5 large tomatoes, chopped roughly
1 bunch fresh parsley
1 tbsp fresh thyme
1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
1 tsp old bay seasoning
3 cups chopped clams
5 cups clam juice

Crisp the bacon in a heavy soup pot over high heat. Remove the meat and set aside. Chop the onion, shallots, celery, and carrots into small pieces. Saute in the bacon drippings over medium heat for about 10-15 minutes until softened and fragrant. Add the hot and sweet peppers and saute for another 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for an additional minute. Add the potatoes, tomatoes, and broth. Bring to a boil and cook for about 20 minutes until the potatoes are tender. Add the old bay and herbs and black pepper. Season to your liking. Turn off the heat and add the chopped clams. Serve with some crusty bread.

Muhammara (Roasted Red Pepper Dip)

I came across this recipe while reading food blogs (no surprise there). I can't remember the exact place where I found it, but I found a similar recipe on the The Bojon Gourmet. We spread this dip on eggplant, bagels, jalapeno bread, etc. There are endless ways to consume it and it has such a unique flavor.

3 roasted red peppers

1 hot pepper, seeds removed (I used a Ho Chi Minh pepper and my hands are still burning)

1/2 cup lightly toasted walnuts
1 scant cup breadcrumbs
4 cloves garlic
2 tbsp maple syrup
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp ground cumin
1 pinch cayenne powder
1 tsp za'atar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

To roast your own red peppers: Halve the peppers and remove the seeds. Place the peppers, cut side down, on a greased baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for about 15-20 minutes until the peel is blackened and the peppers are softened. After they are done baking, place them immediately into a ceramic bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap or aluminum foil. In about 5-10 minutes when the peppers are cool enough to handle, pull off the thin, papery peel. (Directions courtesy of Laura who taught Brit and me how to do this)

To make the dip: Place all ingredients except olive oil in a food processor and process until smooth. Then add the olive oil slowly until you reach the desired consistency.

This is my breakfast of a bagel, some muhammara, a fried egg, and some jalapeno hot sauce (while reading Game of Thrones).

Doughnut Cake

This cake literally tastes like a large cake doughnut. So delicous. Oh and did I mention it's both vegan and gluten-free (recipe courtesy of Manifest Vegan)? My advice is to make it now! Some friends and I ate this right after yoga and a wonderful dinner of roasted eggplant with tahini dressing. The cake (with some hot tea) was the perfect end to the night.

For the cake:

3/4 cup sorghum flour

3/4 cup potato starch
1/2 tapioca flour
1/2 cup brown rice flour
1 1/2 tsp cornstarch
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups vegan granulated sugar
1/3 cup sunflower seed oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup almond milk
2 tbsp vinegar
2-3 tsp cinnamon

For the icing:

1 tbsp coconut oil

1 cup confectioner’s sugar
3 tbsp almond milk

Directions:

Lightly grease a bundt pan and set aside.
In large bowl, mix together sorghum flour, potato starch, tapioca flour, brown rice flour, cornstarch, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. In mixing bowl, whisk together the sunflower seed oil, vanilla and sugar.
Mix the almond milk and vinegar together and add to the wet ingredients. Add flour mixture a little bit at a time into the wet ingredients, whisking gently.
Spread batter evenly into prepared cake pan.
Bake at 325 degrees about 55 minutes, or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.
Let cake cool and make icing by combining all icing ingredients until very smooth.  Drizzle, slather and spread onto cake. Sprinkle with a touch more cinnamon.

Chocolate-Dipped Potato Chips

When my mom, sister & I were in Frederick, MD, last weekend we wanted to buy a bag of chocolate-covered potato chips in this cute candy shop, but they were so expensive!! 

Well, we made them for my uncle's 52nd birthday party (along with both a pecan pie and a tomato pie that each filled their own huge baking sheet), and here's the recipe: melt chocolate, dip chip, let set. Salty and sweet!