Pumpkin Truffles!!

Happy Fall Ya'll! 
The past few months have been a whirlwind, hence the lack of posts. I have changed jobs AND moved into an apartment in Savannah. I am an official Savannah resident. :) This weeks was my first real weekend "home" and I was able to play in the kitchen again. 
Last year I did some experimenting on making a pumpkin truffle and while I had many fans, I wasn't quite satisfied. Today I think I perfected it, I mean it is candy store quality. This would be a great party treat, gift, or alternative Thanksgiving dessert. 


Perfect Pumpkin Truffles 

Ingredients:

3 Tbs pumpkin puree

1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice- divided(I like to make my own- cinnamon, all spice, and ginger)

1 tsp vanilla

1 bag Ghirardelli white chocolate chips

2 graham crackers crushed OR crushed ginger snap cookies!

1/4 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

1/4 cup bittersweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 200 degrees(I use my toaster oven). Place graham cracker crumbs on cookie sheet and toss with 1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice. Bake 5-10 minutes or until "toasted". In small bowl combine pumpkin puree, vanilla, and 1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice. 

In microwave safe bowl, microwave white chocolate chips in 30 sec increments, stirring every 30 sec until melted. (takes about 2 minutes total)

This step is KEY or else chips won't melt properly. Stir in pumpkin mixture and graham cracker crumbs. 

Place in refrigerator until firm to touch. 

Remove from fridge and roll into tablespoon size balls. Place truffles on cookie sheet and return to fridge. 

While truffles are in fridge, work on your coating. 

In microwave safe bowl combine semi sweet and bittersweet chocolate. Microwave in 30 sec increments until melted. 

Remove truffles from fridge and roll one by one in chocolate. 

Place back on cookie sheet and sprinkle with remaining graham cracker crumbs. 

Return to fridge for chocolate to harden. 

Makes 28-30 truffles. 

Super Simple "Caprese" pasta

Quick and easy go to meal for a busy week night! You can make this meal in under 30 minutes start to finish! :)


Ingredients: 

handful of grape tomatoes sliced in half
3-4 Tbs basil pesto(I used store bought, feel free to make your own)
FRESH mozzarella diced(Yes, fresh makes a difference)
1/4 box vermicelli pasta
salt
EVOO


Fill medium sized pot half way with water and bring to a boil. Salt water!! Add pasta and cook to al dente. 
Drain pasta. 
In same pot, add EVOO over medium heat. Saute tomatoes 2-3 minutes. Add pasta and basil pesto. Stir to combine. 
Remove from heat and toss in diced mozzarella. 
Serve! 

Come on, how EASY is that?! 

Roasted Vegetable Israeli Cous Cous

Hey friends! Long time no blog! 
Since my last post, I have worked in Maine(had good ol' camp food all summer) and moved to Savannah! Wooo!! I haven't made anything extravagant yet, but I have made a few quick and delicious meals my first work week. :) While I don't enjoy the texture of regular cous cous, I love israeli cous cous. It is much larger and more of a texture like pasta. Make sure you look at this recipe as a guide, feel free to roast whatever veggies you like/are in season. 

Ingredients: 

(veggies of your choice, the following are what I used)

1/2 regular eggplant or 1 japanese eggplant, rough chop
2-3 small sweet peppers(Publix sells a bag of red, yellow, and orange peppers that are yummy)
1 ear of corn, corn removed
1 zucchini, rough chop
handful of grape tomatoes
1 log goat cheese of your choice(feta would be good too, or you could omit cheese)
EVOO
4 Tbs cumin
salt/pepper
1 box Near East israeli cous cous


Preheat oven to 425. Line baking sheet with aluminum foil. Pour yourself a glass of wine. :) 
Follow box directions to prepare cous cous. I added 2 Tbs cumin to water when boiling. 
In bowl toss all veggies with EVOO to coat, along with cumin, salt and pepper. Place on aluminum foil lined baking sheet. 
Bake 20-30 minutes or until appear roasted. 
Cut goat cheese into small chunks. (I used Publix garlic and herb goat cheese)
In large bowl toss veggies with cous cous and goat cheese. 
Enjoy! 

Just as good reheated for leftovers. I think it would be great with any protein too! Grilled chicken, steak, salmon, white fish, pork, etc.

Mediterranean Pasta Salad

Another quick and easy pasta salad. Not being a big sandwich fan, I tend to turn to pasta salads for an easy go-to lunch during the week!


Ingredients:

1/2 cup whole wheat orzo
1/4 cup sundried tomatoes
1 can garbanzo beans
handful fresh baby spinach
1/4 crumbled feta cheese
2-3 tbs balsamic vinegar
2-3 tbs evoo


Cook orzo according to package directions. Cool completely. Drain and rinse garbanzo beans. 
In plastic container combine all ingredients. Seal with lid and shake! Refrigerate. You may find you want to add salt, vinegar, evoo after it has sat overnight. 
So stinkin easy and so delish!

Servings: About 4-5 lunch servings

Prosciutto wrapped Pesto Chicken Sliders

Long time no talk blog followers! Spring is in the air and with warmer weather comes lighter dishes. I've been out of town a bit so I haven't been playing much in the kitchen. We all know that I love a good burger, but trying to eat healthier and burgers doesn't quite go in the same sentence. So here is my yummy healthy slider! It is quite tasty and you don't even need a bun!


Ingredients: 

1 lb ground chicken
4 tbs pesto(feel free to make your own, but I took the stores help!)
1 medium onion sliced
4 thin slices prosciutto
4 slices gruyere
2 tbs butter
2 tbs EVOO
small skillet

Heat butter and EVOO in small skillet to medium heat. Add thinly sliced onions.(salt and pepper to taste) Reduce head to medium low and cook 30-45 minutes, until onions are caramelized. 

While onions are cooking go ahead and prep your sliders. 

In a bowl combine ground chicken and basil pesto. Separate into 4 equal patties. Wrap each patty in slice of prosciutto. 

• I consider 2 sliders a serving, so I took the other two and froze them. Ready to go dinner on a busy night! 

Once onions are caramelized, remove from pan and set aside. 

In the same pan, increase heat to medium (there should be some oil/butter left) and add chicken sliders. Cook for about 5 minutes and flip. Continue to cook for 4 minutes. After 4 minutes, top with caramelized onions and gruyere. Cover pan and allow cheese to melt for about a minute. 

Servings: 2 (keeping in mind 2 sliders went in the freezer)

Serve with a fresh green salad! 

Spring Green Risotto

The next couple of recipes are not for 2 or 3, but for a ton of people. I sometimes enjoy making larger portions and freezing a lot of it. That way on a work night when you don't feel like cooking, you know you have something delicious waiting for you! This recipe is from Bon Appetite, but in true Emily fashion I tweaked it and made it my own. You too can change up the ingredients. That is the beauty of risotto, it's a blank slate for any ingredients you like! 

Spring Green Risotto

2 cups arborio rice
8oz baby bella mushrooms-sliced/chopped
2 cups shelled edamame(I used frozen)
1 leek(CLEANED and chopped)
4 cloves garlic diced
1 bunch spinach or 1/2 bag baby spinach
2-3 slices bacon chopped
2 Tbs creme freiche (sour cream can be substituted)
1 1/2 cups grated parmesan cheese
4-5 cups chicken stock
1 cup white wine
1 egg
white vinegar
kosher salt
EVOO
1-2 tbs butter

Heat EVOO and butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms(do not salt!) and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add edamame and cook another 5 minutes. Remove veggies from skillet and set aside. In same skillet cook bacon until crispy. Remove bacon and set aside. Keep bacon fat(tee hee, you health nuts can remove it and add EVOO if you wish). To pan add leeks and garlic. Cook, stirring often until leeks are softened. Add rice and cook 2-3 minutes. Add wine and cook until wine has evaporated. Add 1 cup of stock stirring often until broth is absorbed. Continue to add broth 1 cup at a time, allowing it to be absorbed each time, until rice is tender and risotto appears creamy. (for me it usually takes about 30 minutes) Add spinach, creme fraiche, cheese, edamame, and mushrooms. Stir until spinach is wilted and cheese is melted. Add salt to taste.

Now to take this recipe over the top, add a poached egg and crumbled bacon on top. 

Poached Egg
(I made mine while cooking risotto....super easy, a lot easier then I thought it would be!)

1 tbs white vinegar
salt
egg

In small saucepan bring water, vinegar and salt to a simmer. Crack egg into small bowl and slowly slide into simmering water. Cook about 3 minutes(runny yolk). Use a slotted spoon to remove from pan. 

Place poached egg and cooked bacon on top of risotto! 

Happy Spring Ya'll!

Almond Macaroons with Chocolate Ganache

A few weeks ago I was in Boston and my friend's mom made almond macaroons with a chocolate ganache for a dinner party. Not having had a macaroon before, I didn't know what to expect. Well what I had was by far my most favorite cookie yet. This macaroon was the perfect combination of crunchy and chewy. It was more of a cookie sandwich: 2 macaroons with chocolate ganache in-between. I am pretty sure I could have eaten all 20+ that she made.......good thing I wasn't left alone. :)
Anyways, I of course had to come home and figure out how to make them myself, and how to make fewer. After a few tries, success! Did I mention I made dairy free ganache?? Yes ma'am! 

Almond Macaroon Sandwiches with Chocolate Ganache

Ingredients: 

• 1/2cup +2tbs blanched almonds(see below if you would like to know how to blanch almonds)
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 egg whites
• pinch sea salt

Chef's Note: Almost all recipes call for almond extract. (I don't enjoy the taste, but if you do, add 3/4 tsp)

Almond Macaroons:

Preheat oven to 350 and line cookie sheet with silpat or parchment paper. 
In food processor, pulse almonds and sugar into fine powder. In separate bowl, whip egg whites and salt until they form a soft peak. Slowly fold the almond "flour" in with the egg whites. Continue to fold until all is combined. Your batter will be thick and sticky. Allow batter to sit for 15-20 minutes. Using a teaspoon, drop walnut sized batter on pan....leaving space between each. The cookie will spread. I only made 6 at a time if that gives you an idea. Bake @350 for 16 minutes. Remove from oven and cool. 

Chocolate Ganache:

Ingredients:

• 4 oz bittersweet chocolate
• 1/2 cup coconut milk(use cream if you prefer)

In small sauce pan, heat milk over medium heat. You want bubbles to form but you don't want it to boil. Place chocolate chips in heat proof bowl and pour heated milk over top. Stir until all chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Let cool at least 1 hour in fridge.(until ganache is thick and spreadable)

Once cookies have cooled and ganache is set, spread about 1tbs of ganache on flat side of one cookie. Top with second cookie. You can store the cookies for up to 3 days in air tight container. 
Makes 10 cookie sandwiches! 

Blanched Almonds:

Place almonds in heat proof bowl or pyrex. Bring 1-2 cups of water to a boil. Pour boiling water over almonds...enough to cover almonds. Let sit for 1-2 minutes. Drain almonds and rinse with cold water. This is cool: the almonds will pop out of their skins! Remove skins from all almonds and you now have yourself blanched almonds! Ta-da!