Blueberry Banana Breakfast Smoothie
1 cup plain or vanilla yogurt
1 cup frozen blueberries
2 frozen bananas, sliced
honey (optional)
splash of milk
Add everything into the blender and blend until smooth. If the smoothie is to thick; add more milk. Serve immediately.
About a week ago I posted this white bean dip as my June favorite. I’ve been making this white bean dip for a few years now and I’m finally sharing the recipe with you all. I absolutely love this dip. I love the raw taste of the dip and you can’t beat oven baked pita chips. Serve this to a large crowd or eat this by yourself as a healthy snack.
White Bean Dip + Pita Chips
Adapted from Giada de Laurentiis, Everyday Italian
4 pita breads, split horizontally in half
2 tablespoons + 1/3 cup olive oil
1 tsp dried oregano
1 1/2 tsp salt + more to taste
1 1/4 tsp black pepper + more to taste
1 (15 oz) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 (loosely packed) cup flat leave parsley
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 garlic clove
Preheat oven at 400 degree F. Cut each pita half into 8 wedges and place on a baking pan. Brush the pita wedges with 2 Tbsp olive oil, then sprinkle with oregano, and 1 tsp each of salt and pepper. Bake for 8 minutes, then turn the pita wedges over and bake until crisp and golden, about 8 minutes.
In a food processor, add the beans, parsley, lemon juice, garlic, and the remaining 1/2 tsp of salt and 1/4 black pepper. Pulse until the mixture is coarsely chopped. With the machine running, gradually add the remaining 1/3 cup of olive oil or until the mixture is creamy. Season the white bean dip with more salt and pepper to taste.
Transfer the white bean dip to a small bowl and serve the pita chips warm or at room temperature along side.
Author Note:
The pita chips and white bean dip can be made one day ahead. Store the pita chips airtight at room temperature. Cover and refrigerate the bean dip.
Do you remember your first baking experience? Well I do. I was elementary school when I first learned how to bake. While I was in elementary school I would bring home weekly book catalogs. Out of all the books my mom ordered for me, it was the dinosaur book that I remember the most. It was a thin green book with pictures on every page. The book wasn’t memorable because of the amazing narrative or amazing pictures. To be honest, I don’t even remember what the book was about, but I do remember it came with a surprise. At the end of the book there was a cookie recipe and it came with cookie cutters.
Showing my mom the book, she agreed to help me make the cookies and I was thrilled. Through that experience I learned my way around the kitchen. I learned how to measure things, which came in handy for school. I also learned how to follow instructions. Without learning the cooking basics I wouldn’t be the cook that I am today.
I tried to look up the book to get a hold of the dinosaur cookie recipe but instead I chose this sugar cookie recipe because it reminded me of the cookies that I made with my mother. Most sugar cookies contain butter, but this recipe uses vegetable oil. I was skeptical how the cookies would taste with the oil, but it tasted great. Actually the cookies tasted buttery or maybe my taste buds are little off.
So here is my question to you: When was your first cooking/baking experience?
Old Fashion Sugar Cookies
Adapted from EatLiveRun via Gourmet
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract (or almond extract)
2 eggs, beaten
Preheat oven at 375 degree F.
Combine granulated sugar and powdered sugar; then add the vegetable oil, vanilla (or almond) extract, salt, eggs and baking soda. Whisk well to combine. Add the flour and stir. The dough will be semi-dry. Roll out ping-pong sized balls of dough on a lined baking sheet. Press each dough ball with a fork and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for eight minutes.
Growing up I ate a lot of broccoli. My mother would buy the large bags of broccoli florets and was served along with whatever we had for dinner. Eating steamed vegetables is probably the reason I don’t appreciate them as much.
I used to think that broccoli was limited when it came to cooking. Recently I discovered a few recipes that used broccoli in ways I never thought of. Take Smitten Kitchen for example, Deb made these broccoli parmesan fritters which I think is cool and creative.
Instead of eating the usual steam broccoli, I decided to roast the broccoli florets. I stumbled across this recipe from Barefoot Contessa. I’ve always loved roasted vegetables, but never thought using broccoli. This recipe is great way to turn plain broccoli into something amazing.
I think broccoli is starting to make a come back in my home. Now as an adult, I continue to keep large bags of broccoli like my mother did.
Question: What vegetables did you eat often growing up?
Parmesan Roasted Broccoli
Adapted from Barefoot Contessa
4 to 5 pounds broccoli
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 black pepper
2 tsp lemon zest
2 Tbsp lemon juice
3 Tbsp pine nuts, toasted
1/3 cup parmesan cheese, grated
2 Tbsp basil, julienne
Cut the broccoli florets from the stalk, leaving one to two inches of stalk attached to the florets. Cut the large florets in to pieces and should have 8 cups of broccoli florets. Place the broccoli florets in a large baking pan and add garlic, 5 Tbsp olive oil, salt, and pepper. Mix together and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until tender and florets are browned.
Remove the florets from the oven and immediately mix 1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, pine nuts, parmesan cheese, and basil.
Serve it while it’s hot.
