kitchen sink kale salad

i don't have much to say about this salad other than that you should make it. tonight!

kitchen sink kale salad
from the organic kitchen

3 cups thinly shredded lacinato kale (bunch up leaves into a tight ball and cut into very thin strips)

1 cup grated carrots

1/2 cup super thinly sliced fennel

roasted vegetables (recipe below): 1 yam, 1/2 eggplant, 1 onion

1 tablespoon each: sesame seeds, shredded unsweetened coconut, toasted pine nuts

1 tsp minced garlic

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

optional: dried cranberries, roasted walnuts or almonds, apples

to make the roasted vegetables: preheat oven to 375F. chop up the yam and eggplant into tiny cubes. place on a well-oiled baking sheet. spread out, salt and pepper, and bake for 30 minutes until caramelized and slightly crispy.

to roast the onion, slice it into thin strips. place on a smaller baking sheet and toss with 1 tsp olive oil, 1 tsp balsamic vinegar, and 1 tsp water. salt and pepper. cover with some tin foil and bake for 30 minutes with the yams and eggplant. when the yams and eggplant are done, remove the tin foil from the onions and bake another 30 minutes uncovered.

while the vegetables are roasting, throw together the rest of the ingredients in a big salad bowl. slice the kale into the thinnest strips you possibly can! this is key, as the smaller the strips, the better they will absorb the dressing. add in the grated carrots, fennel, sesame seeds, coconut, garlic, and toasted pine nuts. you can also add in dried fruit, fresh fruit, or nuts/beans if you have them on hand. give it a good toss.

when the roasted vegetables are cool, add them in. toss in some balsamic vinegar and a little more olive oil if it feels too dry. salt and pepper to taste. enjoy!

new year, new muffins.

my new year's resolution for 2012 was to cook with unfamiliar ingredients. one of the ingredients i tried and got addicted to was coconut oil. i bought my mom a jar a few months ago, and over the holidays she asked me how and when to cook with it. now, i'm no expert on all of its various uses, but i really enjoy it as butter substitute in baking. it's far from a neutral oil, so you have to be craving that coconut-y flavor. fortunately, if you're anything like me, the more you use it, the more you'll want it. in everything.

i decided to try my hand at these coconut chocolate chip muffins yesterday to show my mom the joys of baking with coconut oil. they turned out fantastically moist and flavorful. i used equal parts coconut flour and almond meal, which makes them gluten free. i replaced the eggs with bananas, which makes them vegan. and i threw in a generous amount of chocolate chips and a light dusting on turbinado sugar at the end, making them delicious and slightly decadent. i won't tell you how and when to eat your muffins, but i will say that in addition to being a perfect morning coffee accompaniment, they also wouldn't be bad crumbled over some vanilla ice cream. hypothetically, of course.

coconut chocolate chip muffins
adapted from comfy belly

1/4 cup coconut flour

1/4 cup almond meal

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

2 super ripe bananas, mashed

1/2 cup maple syrup

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1/3 cup coconut oil, melted

1/3 cup chocolate chips

turbinado sugar, for dusting

preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit. combine the dry ingredients together in a medium size bowl. combine wet ingredients in a small bowl. stir wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.

grease a muffin tin and fill each hole about 2/3 of the way full with batter. bake about 10 minutes, then sprinkle some turbinado sugar on top. bake another 10 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. remove, let cool, and enjoy!

coconut apple muffins.

and after a 3-month hiatus, we're back! starting with more muffins!

coconut apple muffins

from vegan cupcakes take over the world (thanks, molly!)

2/3 cup almond milk

1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

2/3 cup agave nectar

1/3 cup coconut oil

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 apples, cored and chopped

preheat oven to 325F.

mix the almond milk and apple cider vinegar in a large bowl. let sit for a few minutes until it curdles. beat in the agave, vanilla, and almond extract.

sift in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. mix until smooth.

add in the apple chunks and mix just enough to combine.

fill silicon muffin cups 2/3 of the way full. bake about 22 minutes until a tester comes out clean. let cool for at least an hour before devouring.

strawberry coconut cake.

in case it wasn't already obvious, operation "update the blog more often" has taken a hit the past month. i divide the blame equally between 1) my computer crashing and 2) my laziness skyrocketing. 

excuses aside, i'm excited to share this simple loaf/muffin recipe with you guys. back in may, i took a group of grad students strawberry picking. it was delightful. i did, however, return home with about two pounds of strawberries and a slight tinge of panic: how does one person use up two pounds of strawberries up before they go bad?! the answer: cake. well, more accurately, cakes. lots of cakes. this recipe was one of the best, if only because it can handle a ton of strawberries without falling apart. it's also delicious. substitute the egg out for some chia seeds and it's vegan. 

strawberry coconut cake.

adapted from smitten kitchen

3/4 cup turbinado sugar

1/3 cup vegetable oil


1 egg


1 teaspoon vanilla extract


1 tablespoon rum


1 cup all purpose flour


1/4 cup whole wheat flour


1/2 teaspoon salt


1 teaspoon baking soda


1/4 cup soy vanilla yogurt

1/2 cup shredded coconut

1-2 cups sliced strawberries


preheat an oven to 350 degrees F.

in a large bowl, beat together the brown sugar, vegetable oil, egg, vanilla and rum.

combine the flours, salt and baking soda in a medium bowl and give a stir. add the dry ingredients to the wet with the yogurt. stir with a spatula until just combined.

add in strawberries and coconut.

grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan. spoon in the batter. bake in preheated oven for about 55 to 65 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in center comes out clean.

the highs and lows of macarooning.

where have i been?! june was a crazy month spent frolicking around berlin from the early mornings to the late evenings. i really wish i could say that - amidst the chaos - i was able to cling to some normalcy through healthy, natural home-cooking. but the sad truth, my dear foodies, is this: way more than half of my meals were consumed outside of anyone's kitchen. that's right: i ate out. a lot.

to be fair, berlin has excellent culinary options! especially for an aspiring vegan or vegetarian, you'll rarely be left stranded empty handed (or stomached). still, i was starting to miss winding down my days by preparing meals from scratch, as well as sitting down peacefully to share them with someone. 

i also started missed baking! and while i've been holding back posting about these delicious macaroons for a while now, i'm glad to be making my reappearance (granted, onto my own blog..) with this recipe. 

the day i decided to make macaroons, i got a bit antsy about trying out something new and decided therefore to test out a few recipes. while the pictures above testify to the success of one of them, the photo below tells the story of 2nd baking attempt gone very, very awry.

presenting macaroon pancakes...

i wish i could say i know what went wrong with this poor batch. but truth be told, i haven't a clue. could have been the condensed milk, or perhaps a faulty measurement on my part. and while obviously i still devoured the entire batch in record time, i was happy to have the other less aesthetically disturbing batch on hand to offer friends and family. and the ridiculously easy recipe to share with you here!

choco-dipped coconut macaroons
as seen on epicurious

1 large egg white
1 tablespoon white sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
3/4 cup sweetened coconut flakes
pinch of salt
100 g melted chocolate

preheat oven to 300 degrees F. grab a sheet of parchment paper.

stir together egg white, sugar, vanilla extract, almond extract, and a pinch of salt until combined. stir in the coconut flakes. divide mixture in four and using your hands, make four macaroon mounds. drop onto the parchment paper with about 2 inches of space between each one.

bake until the tops are starting to get oh so slightly golden, which should take approximately 15 to 20 minutes. remove and let cool. you can also leave the macaroons as they are now. but if you want to take things to the next level....

melt 100 grams of chocolate - i used semisweet chocolate chips. you can do this over the stove or in the microwave. once the macaroons have cooled for about 20 minutes, dip their bottoms in the hot and gooey chocolate. let them rest on their sides on the sheet of parchment paper until the chocolate has hardened.

try not to consume the entire batch all at once.