I like the idea of ‘deconstructed’ recipes, and I was intrigued by this ‘California roll’ cucumber salad on TikTok [@NutritionBabe]. I made mine differently, keeping the avocado on the side so it didn’t get brown and yucky when I meal-prepped. I highly recommend trying this recipe, as it is SO delicious and perfect for weekday lunches/dinners!
Ingredients
1 Cucumber, finely sliced
1 Package Imitation Crab, shredded
1 Avocado, sliced
2 TSP Sesame Oil
2 TBSP Kewpie Mayo or whatever mayo you have at home
1 TSP Rice Wine Vinegar
Cooked Rice
Let’s Get Cooking
Prep all your ingredients and grab a large bowl.
Combine the shredded imitation crab + sliced cucumber + 2 TSP Sesame Oil + 1 TSP Rice Wine Vinegar + 2 TBSP Kewpie Mayo in a large bowl. Mix well to make sure everything is evenly coated.
Plate up the salad with some cooked rice + sliced avocado. Feel free to top with some sesame seeds as well & enjoy!
I am so excited to share that I got my grubby little paws on my dad’s jambalaya recipe. Jambalaya is one of my FAVORITE meals ever and I finally have been present to observe the process from behind the curtain. Marky Mark makes some edits to the recipe – like doing half sweet half hot sauage – you could do 2LB of one or the other if you prefer. He stressed that the most important part of the recipe is making your own chicken broth, or ‘liquid gold’ as he calls it. Plan for two days to make this, so you can make the broth the day before. Makes about 8-10 servings but I don’t recommend sharing. I also highly recommend asking your loved ones for their recipes, food strengthens connections.
Ingredients
Chicken Broth:
1 small fryer chicken
1 rib celery with leaves
1 onion, halved
1 clove garlic
Jambalaya:
2 cups long grain rice
1 LB Ground Italian sausage
1 LB Ground Hot Sausage
½ stick butter
1/2 cup chopped yellow pepper
1/2 cup chopped red pepper
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
1 large bay leaf
¼ teaspoon thyme
2 teaspoons salt.
½ teaspoon pepper
¼ teaspoon Tabasco
1 cup chopped yellow onion
Shredded chicken
Let’s Get Cooking
In a large pot, cover chicken with water; add celery, onion, garlic; boil until tender, about 1 hour. Reserve stock.
Remove chicken meat from bones once cooled and reserve. In 5 cups stock, cook rice until all liquid is absorbed, about 25 minutes.
In a Dutch oven, cook the ground sausage until cooked thoroughly about 5-8 minutes. Remove meat. Add butter to pan and sauté onion, pepper, and parsley until tender, about 3 minutes. Add chicken abd sausage; stir in garlic, tomato paste, bay leaf, thyme, salt, pepper, and Tabasco. Add cooked rice and mix thoroughly. Cook over low heat for 15 minutes, sitrring frequently.
This is a new favorite recipe that I need everyone to make ASAP. The Modern Proper gives various different ways to make this dish but I say the best route is LOW and SLOW. This is an easy recipe to prep in the morning and forget until dinner time. I served mine with kimchi from a local Asian market, some cucumbers for extra crunch, and some white rice. I shared some with my mom and her friend & still had more to pack lunches for the week. What’s great about this dish is it’s all the deliciousness of a pot roast without the heaviness.
Ingredients
4 to 5lb Chuck Roast, cut into 3 in pieces
1 TBSP Salt
1 TBSP Canola or Vegetable Oil
1 Sweet Onion, thinly sliced
6 Garlic Cloves, finely chopped
1 TBSP Fresh Grated Ginger
2 TBSP Gochujang Paste
1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
1/2 Cup Soy Sauce
2 Cups Beef Stock
Cooked Rice & Kimchi for serving
Let’s Get Cooking
Pat the beef dry and season with salt. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over MED-HIGH heat. Once the oil is hot, brown the meat on all sides in batches and transfer to a slow cooker.
Add the onions to the Dutch oven and cook until softened about 4 minutes. Add in the garlic + ginger and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add in 1/4 cup of beef stock and scrape up the browned bits. Transfer to the slow cooker.
To the slow cooker stir in the gochujang + brown sugar + soy sauce + remaining 2 Cups of Beef Stock. Cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours.
Holidays are the time that you get to show off your cooking and baking skills. At least that is how it is for me because I am usually cooking for one. I know I am a few weeks late, but I made this chocolate babka for Easter and I have to say it was an absolute hit. This recipe is from the New York Times Cookbook and makes 2 loaves. It is a long process, so I say get started three days before you want the loaf done. I made the fudge filling and chocolate streusel beforehand and it made the process go a lot smoother. As the New York Times said, read this recipe a few times before committing to making it, you’ll need it.
Ingredients
For the Dough:
1/2 Cup Whole Milk
1 Package Active Dry Yeast
1/3 Cup Sugar + a pinch
4 1/4 Cups All-Purpose Flour
1 1/2 TSP Fine Sea Salt
1 TSP Vanilla Extract
1 TSP Grated Lemon Zest
1/2 TSP Freshly Grated Nutmeg
4 Large Eggs, at room temp, lightly beaten
10 TBSP Unsalted Butter, softened
For the Fudge Filling:
1/2 Cup Sugar
3/4 Heavy Crem or Half and Half
Salt
6 oz Bittersweet Chocolate (66-74% cocoa), coarsely chopped
8 TSBP Unsalted Butter, diced and softened
2 TSP Vanilla Extract
For Chocolate Streusel
1/2 Cup All-Purpose Flour
3 TBSP Sugar
1 1/2 TBSP Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
1/2 TSP Salt
4 1/2 TSBP Unsalted Butter, melted
1/3 Cup Mini Semisweet Chocolate Chips
For the Syrup:
2/3 Cup Sugar
2/3 Cup Water
Let’s Get Baking
Let’s start with the dough. Warm the milk in a small saucepan on the stove until it’s lukewarm. Remove from heat, and add in the yeast + pinch of sugar and let bloom for about 5-10 minutes.
Using a mixer with the dough hook [you can also do this by hand it just takes a bit more time] combine flour + 1/3 cup sugar + salt + vanilla + lemon zest + nutmeg and mix. Slowly add the yeast mixture to the dry ingredients along with the eggs. Beat until the dough comes together, about 2 minutes.
Add in half of the butter and beat until the dough is smooth, add in the rest of the butter and wait until the dough is smooth and stretchy about 5-7 minutes. Add in 1 TBSP of flour if the dough sticks to the sides of the bowl.
Butter a large bowl and form the dough into a ball. Roll the dough around in the buttered bowl so all sides are buttered. Cover with clean dish towel and let the dough rise in a warm place for about 1-2 hours.
Press the dough down and recover, let rise in the friedge over night.
Onto the filling: Combine the sugar + cream + salt in a saucepan over medium heat, bring to a simmer and stir occasionally until sugar is dissolved. Add in the chocolate + butter + vanilla stirring until the chocolate is smooth. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. This can be made up to a week beforehand.
Onto the streusel: stir together flour + sugar + cocoa powder + salt in a bowl. Stir in melted butter until it is distributed and the streusel forms large crumbs. Stir in the chocolate chips. This can be made up to 3 days ahead and stored in the fridge.
To make the syrup: combine sugar & water into a small saucepan. Simmer over MED heat until the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat.
Butter 2 9-inch loaf pans and line with parchment paper
Remove the dough from the fridge and divide it in half. On a floured surface, roll one piece into a 9×17 inch rectangle. Spread with half the filling all over. Starting with the long side, roll up into a tight roll, transfer to a dish towel, and place in the freezer for 10 minutes. Do the same with the other piece of dough.
After the 10 minutes, slice the rolls length-wise in half and twist the halves together as you were braiding them. Fold the braid in half and place it in one of the prepared pans. Repeat with the other dough. Cover the dough with a kitchen towel and let rise in the fridge overnight.
When it’s finally the day to bake remove the dough from the fridge and let it come to room temp. Preheat the oven to 350F.
Using your hands, clump the streusel together and scatter along the bread. Bake the bread for 40-50 minutes, until a tester comes out clean with no dough.
As soon as the bread comes out, pierce it with a knife going all the way down to the bottom of the bread. Pour over the syrup. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool before serving.
Serve and share with family and friends. Baked with Love,
Hangry Hannah 