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“IKEA” OATMEAL CHOCOLATE COOKIES
Everytime I go to Ikea, I buy these cookies in bulk, they are so yummy! But lately, Ikea being so far away, I’ve had monster cravings for these with no time to hike buses boats and train to reach the mecca…ikea.
So… after searching all over for a recipe online, here is my shot at it, its soooo easy it hurts! They are as yummy as the Ikea ones, if not better since they are homemade and fresh
Ingredients to make the dough (makes about 8 cookies):
- 1 1/4 cup old fashioned oats
- 1 egg
- 2/3 cup raw cane sugar
- 7 tbsp butter
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 tbsp all purpose flour (+ a tad to spread on the baking sheet)
Ingredients to make the chocolate ganache:
- 4 1/2 ounces bittersweet chocolate
- 1/2 cup (100 ml) heavy whipped cream
Details »
CHILLED ASPARAGUS AND CARROTS
WITH WALNUT MISO VINAIGRETTE
This is a very fresh and yummy but rich salad that will make wonderful spring lunches … the recipe requires quite a bit of ingredients that can be found in Japanese markets.
Ingredients
- 10 thin asparagus with tough ends removed
- 4 ounces (120g) of carrots, peeled and thinly chopped into 1-inch matchsticks
- 2 tbsp of lemon juice
For the Vinaigrette
- 2 ounces (60g) walnuts
- 1 tsp of red miso (or 2 tsp white miso)
- 2 tbsp mirin
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp white wine
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar (or any white vinegar)
Confection
Boil the asparagus for about 2 minutes in salted water, then diagonally cut into 1-inch lengths. Boil the (matchsticks) carrots for 2 minutes as well and drain. Sprinkle the vegetable with the lemon juice while still hot
Dressing: blend all the vinaigrette ingredients together using a food processor or simply grind the walnuts using a mortar then stir in all the other stuff
Mix the carrots and the asparagus with the vinaigrette and enjoy!
ZUCCHINI, GOAT CHEESE, PINE NUTS TART
Here is a spin on the Quiche Lorraine for those vegetarian out there.
The batter is made the same way, just add anything you’d like to make it a quiche.
For this recipe, have the following ready.
Ingredients:
- Ready Made 9″ Pie Crust or Homemade one
- 3 eggs
- 3/4 cup skim milk
- 3/4 cup heavy whip cream
- 1 zucchini sliced thinly
- 6 cherry tomatoes
- 1/2 onion chopped thinly
- 1/2 cup goat cheese (cut in slices or crumbled)
- 1/4 cup shredded swiss cheese ( gruyere)
- 1 handful of pine nuts
- herbes de Provence, fresh rosemary, fresh oregano, cumin powder, nutmeg, salt and pepper
- 1 tbsp olive oil
QUICHE LORRAINE
Another quick and easy French classic.
Ingredients:
- 1 ready made frozen pie crust ( i use wholly wholesome whole wheat 9″ pie crust available at whole foods) or see Maud’s recipe for a home made pie crust.
- a slab (approx. 1/3 lb) of salt pork , sliced into 1/3″ x1/3″ sticks. (Alternatively you can use Pancetta, a slab of bacon or ham).
- 2 eggs + 2 egg yolks
- 1 cup skim milk
- 1 cup heavy whip cream
- salt, pepper, fresh grated nutmeg, cayenne pepper, star anise.
- optional: 3/4 cup grated swiss cheese (use emmental or gruyere)
MIXED HERBS & SALAD
Here’s a very refreshing piece of south of France, not just a salad, its THE salad, taking salad making to an art. Very simply done too.
Ingredients:
- 3 lettuce hearts
- 1/4 lb aragula
- 1/4 lb purslane (if you wonder what it is here is an interesting article on this edible weed)
- 1 red endive (chicory)
- 1/2 bouquet of chevril
- 8 strands of flat parsley
- 20 small basil leaves
- 8 mint leaves
- 10 strands of chives
- 2 teaspoon aged balsamic vinegar (Acetaia Dodi is pure luxury but a couple drops can bring a dish to heaven)
- 4 tbsp fruity olive oil (Sicilian is a favorite, try Frantoia)
- optional but fantastic: shaved truffles, or shaved parmesan, or a poached egg… depending on the salad’s budget I guess.
CHOCOLATE CAKE EXPRESS
Tip top chocolate express for those chocolate cravings past midnight. Ready in 20 minutes top chrono!
Ingredients:
- 1 cup ( 200 g — 7 oz) 70% cacao chocolate chips
- 2/3 cup (150 g — 5 oz) salted butter
- 3/4 cup (150 g — 5 oz) sugar
- 3 eggs + 1 egg yolk
Instant Gratification:
Preheat the oven to 360 degrees.
Place the chocolate chips into a ceramic bowl that you will have set inside a larger pot on the stovetop (twice the size of the bowl or so) filled with about 1 to 2 inches of water. Bring the water to a boil stirring the mixture until it has melted completely. Make sure the water doesn’t spill over into the ceramic bowl and adjust the heat accordingly. (this technic is called “bain-marie”, literally Mary’s bath…not sure what they did to Mary then.…). This should take 3 minutes tops. Once the chocolate is melted, slowly add the butter cut into small pieces while stirring the chocolate, until all has melted.
Beat the eggs and the sugar together with an electric mixer until the mixture has tripled in volume. 2 minutes tops.
(Alternatively, you can beat the egg whites separately until they become firm. This will make the cake much lighter, but will also take much more time. You will need to slowly incorporate the fluffy whites into the chocolate/butter mixture, spooning around it again and again.….and again…and I find that for a quick fix after midnight, this method is a little overkill. You may pass out before it reaches the oven. We are talking about the I WANT CHOCOLATE NEAAAAOOOOOOW ENVY!!)
Finally, slowly pour in the melted butter/chocolate into the sugar/eggs while stirring delicately but constantly until the mixture is homogeneous.
Pour the final mix into a dish pie. Use a silicone one or rub some butter onto a ceramic dish and sprinkle with flour. The idea is to avoid the cake sticking to the dish… although that may not be a problem if you take the whole dish into bed to devour it like a barbarian before a good night sleep. Trust me only the godlier of goodness of dreams will follow.
Bake in the preheated oven for 15–20 minutes.
Voila, its supposed to be crusty outside and melted inside. Insanely delicious. Add some whip cream and vanilla ice cream for total decadence at 3 am.
Really good the next day too when you have come off your horse.
Enjoy
CREPES (SWEET OR SALTY)
In this chandeleur season, it’s time for a crepe recipe on Flowers of Vice. Here is a very easy and quick one (no waiting necessary!).
Ingredients:
- 250 g (= 2 cups) white flour
- 1/2 liter (= 2 cups or 17 oz) milk (traditionally you would use whole milk, but I found that 2% works just as good)
- 3 eggs
- salt
- 50 g (= 3 tbsp) butter
- 1 tsp orange flower extract (this is optional but it gives a nice subtle taste to the crepe dough. You may also add 1 tsp of Rum or vanilla sugar/extract).
- a small potato and oil (to grease the pan)
JAPANESE CUCUMBER SALAD
This is a delicious accompaniment greens to any meal or it also makes for a hyper easy and healthy snack. It’s more fun if you have a spiralizer! It has definitely become my favorite tool in the kitchen as I spiralize everything that comes in my vicinity these days. Watch out!
Ingredients (4 servings):
- 1 large english cucumber
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sugar or 1 tablespoon agave sweetener
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds* or gomasio.
PICO DE GALLO / SALSA FRESCA
This is my latest chemistry project in the kitchen, especially as I love the flavor of fresh salsa and cilantro with my tofu tacos. Although this is a simple recipe where all you have to do is throw it into a bowl and mix, truly excellent pico de gallo salsa is all about the scale and proportion of ingredients. After a few iterations of adjusting the tomato count and the size of the chopped ingredients, this fresh salsa recipe should get you off to a good start where you can alter it to suit your taste.
Ingredients
(Yields approx. 5–6 cups)
- 6 medium-sized roma tomatoes (stems and seeds removed), finely diced
- 1/2 red onion, finely diced
- 1 jalapeño chili pepper (stems, ribs, seeds removed), finely diced
- 1 serano chili pepper (stems, ribs, seeds removed), finely diced
- 1 lime
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro herbs (wash and de-stem leaf from stalk)
- Salt (1 tsp or to taste)
- Fresh ground pepper (1 tsp or to taste)
- Oregano (2 tsp or to taste)
- Cumin (1 tsp or to taste)
CHOCOLATE BANANA TOFU MUFFINS
This is a great tasty and filling snack that you can take along anywhere you go
Ingredients
- 1 cup soft silken tofu
- 1 ripe banana
- 1/4 cup oil or soften butter
- 1/3 cup maple syrup or Agave
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup almond flour, 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup or more dark chocolate chunks
- 1/2 cup walnuts
THIT KHO (VIETNAMESE CARAMEL PORK)
Wow! I was about to make some thit kho tonight when I realized I had lost my favorite recipe during these numerous last moves…argg thankfully iphone was here to be my tonight’s hero. Phewww! of course I could kind of remember how to do it…but it’s been a while…and as the best damn caramel pork I’ve ever had, (yes, even better than mom’s) I wanted to make it right and be ready for the Tết season to begin. I will be posting my mom’s recipe here soon though, it’s super extra magnificently good too, and much faster and easier to do so stay tuned!
Note: The coconut water used in this recipe is the clear liquid from the heart of the immature coconut. Do not confuse it with the white coconut milk (canned and frozen) that is extracted from the grated flesh of the mature coconut. You may purchase coconut water frozen; it is usually sold in clear, square or rectangular plastic bags — sometimes a few thin slices of coconut meat are included. Pork belly (where bacon comes from) is the desired and traditional cut for this dish because it has the perfect balance of lean meat to fat. However, you may substitute the leaner Boston butt.
Ingredients:
(Serves 6)
- 3 tablespoons oil
- 4 tablespoons sugar
- 3 garlic cloves, slivered
- 2 shallots, slivered
- 2 tablespoons peeled, slivered fresh ginger
- 1 1/2 to 2 pounds pork belly or side pork, or Boston butt, cut into 1/2 x 1-inch slices
- 1/3 to 1/2 cup fish sauce
- 12 ounces fresh or frozen coconut water (see head note)
- 4 hard-cooked eggs, quartered
VEGETARIAN TOFU TACOS
Ingredients
(Yields 6 servings)
- 1 (14-ounce) package extra-firm tofu, drained
- 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 3 green onions, finely chopped
- 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
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