Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Blondies

Jesus said, "Let there be calories" and these blondies descended from the Heavens and straight into my mouth. Chewy, gooey, cookie doughey goodness. Recipe modified from Party Vegan by Robin Robertson.

1/2 C margarine

1 C firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 C soymilk

1 1/2 t vanilla extract

1/4 t almond extract

1 1/2 C plus 2 T all-purpose flour

1/2 t baking powder

1/2 t baking soda

1/4 t salt

1/2 C chocolate chips

1/2 C chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a square 8X8 inch baking pan.

Melt margarine in a sauce pan over medium heat. Add sugar, soymilk, and extracts and stir together. Pour into a mixing bowl to cool to room temp.

In a separate mixing bowl, sift together the dry ingredients. Add chocolate chips and walnuts. Stir in wet ingredients and mix until just combined. DO NOT OVERMIX OR THE BAKING GODS WILL SMITE YOU.

Pour batter into baking pan and spread evenly. Pop those suckers in the oven for 30-35 minutes (if you use a dark pan, cook for 2 minutes LESS) until outsides are golden brown and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean as a whistle.

Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack. Feed the ones you love.

Soyrizo & Black Bean Stuffed Red Peppers

 

Peppers were on sale 2 for $1 at Smiths and even though I didn't have a plan for them, I knew I couldn't pass them up. I'd been wanting to try making stuffed peppers for awhile and after a quick inventory of my fridge, this is what I came up with. Official taste tester Esther agrees that it was a delicious success.

3-4 red peppers

1 (15 oz) can black beans

1 C cooked brown rice

1/2 - 1 full pkg Soyrizo (I had a little over half a pkg left, but I think a full pkg would be fine)

3 cloves garlic, minced

3 Thai chilis, minced

1 small can tomato sauce

1 lime, juiced

1 T cumin

Olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Cut tops off peppers and scrape out the guts. If the peppers don't sit flat, cut a small piece off the bottom. Coat outsides of peppers with olive oil (I have a handy dandy spray bottle. I suggest you also have one).

Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium heat. Saute garlic and chilis for 2 minutes until fragrant. Add soyrizo and cook until heated through.

Drain black beans and add to skillet. Add rice, tomato sauce, lime juice and cumin. Season with salt and pepper to taste. I added some hot sauce because I have a demon tongue.

Fill a casserole dish with about an inch of water. Place peppers in water and spoon in filling.

Place in oven and cook about 45 minutes.

That's it! It took about 20 minutes for me to throw this all together and I even did yoga while they were in the oven. There are about a million different variations of this I want to try now. Viva la peppers.

Pride Weekend 2011

My heart goes all atwitter when Pride weekend rolls around because Lord knows I love me some gays. Esther, Carla, Tenille and I were repping for Salty Spokes and rode bikes with the SLUG Magazine float in the parade this year and it was fantabulous. You can't go wrong with mimosas and vodka Rebulls at 10:00 AM, especially when drag queens are involved.

Apparently this year had a record turn out for Pride, so high five Utah for being supportive! The theme of SLUG's float was Wizard of Oz and our t-shirts had a drawing of Dorothy's house with 'There's no place like homo' written on the roof:

There was a band on the float playing punk covers of the soundtrack to Wizard of Oz and I probably sang "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" about six times that morning. I wish I had been able to get pictures of the other floats and the hoards of people that lined the street, they were literally everywhere.

Until next year!

White Bean & Roasted Garlic Asparagus Tart

This is the tart I brought to Candice's bbq on Saturday. Aside from the ends being partially burnt, I think it turned out great and I will definitely make it again with all sorts of variations.

1 sheet puff pastry, defrosted on counter for 40 mins.

1 (15 oz) can white beans

3/4 - 1 pound asparagus

6 cloves roasted garlic, minced

juice of half a lemon

olive oil

Heat oven to 400 degrees.

Puree white beans with lemon juice and garlic, drizzle olive oil in as needed.

Unfold pastry and place on sheet of wax paper. Spread white bean mixture over pastry leaving a one inch border around the outsides.

Trim asparagus to fit width of pastry and lay the spears alternately.

Bake in oven until pastry turns golden brown and asparagus is tender. Mine went for about 20 minutes and was on the verge of burning.

Slice into squares and enjoy.

Welcome, June?

I spent Memorial Day shopping and getting dinner at Sawadee with Melissa. I hadn't seen her in forever because she's been training hardcore for a triathalon in August while going to school AND working an intense full-time job. Seriously, she's amazing. We got to talk about plans for our trip to Seattle and Canada to celebrate her 30th birthday this September and I am so excited for it. I was really happy to spend the day with her and it was nice to catch up. She even had her first beer in six months with me!

Anyway. We spent a good deal of time in Anthropologie and while I couldn't afford to buy anything, I did find some interesting items that I am totally going to make at home.

How darling is this? Much more aesthetically pleasing than the canned beans I currently use to hold recipe books open while I cook.

These carboard lamps were ON SALE for $70! They are quite literally made of wood circles, dowels and cardboard. I have no idea where I would put them as I think my bedroom is turning into a fire hazard with the amount of paper crafts I have hanging everywhere, but I'd like to give them a try just for the hell of it.

I also spent the weekend helping Candice get settled into her new house. I went through my weight in ammonia and scouring pads, but her new home is shaping up nicely. Sarah gets home from London this weekend and Candice is having a late birthday/welcome back/housewarming bbq on Saturday to celebrate. I'm bringing cilantro lime corn and maybe a white bean and asparagus phyllo tart. Allie's birthday extravaganza is Friday and I'll be making tiramisu cupcakes for that. Busy, busy weekend in the kitchen!

It may be June 1st but it certainly doesn't feel like summer. The sun has been hiding and I hope it comes out to play soon. Bring on summer!