Food | Life Tastes Like Food

Easy Baked Sweet Potato Fries

Baking, Food, Recipe, Side Dishes 5 Responses »

May 152013

Lately.

I went camping at Big Basin over the weekend. We hiked to some sweet waterfalls.

Plane tickets have been bought for South America in June with my best friend! Recommendations for Peru and Educador are encouraged.

You can blame my lack of blog presence to New Girl, The Mindy Project, and the SJ Sharks being in the Stanley Cup. (How funny was the lastest episode of New Girl?!)

I’ve been craving Safeway sushi for lunch. Like every day of the freaking week.

I think I could spend a whole month in Bed Bath & Beyond and STILL be entertained by walking through those isles. They have everything!

I think I might be starting to go through my quarter life crisis. Someone give me life advice please.

I’ve been baking sweet potatoes like it’s my job.

Simple, sweet, and healthy. These basic sweet potato fries will be a great accommodation to any main dish (or alone as a snack!). Once the ends of the fries start to get crispy, they are ready to eat.

These aren’t as crispy as deep fried sweet potato fries but I think that makes them taste fresher and more flavorful. Dip them in some spicy brown mustard and you’re good to go!

P.S.! I am donating 1 dozen of my Salted Dark Chocolate Chip & Hazelnut cookies to the Baking for Kate Online Bake Sale! The Online Bake Sale is happening THIS WEEKEND so be sure to stop by and bid on some great items. Carrie over at Frugal Foodie Mama is hosting this event, and all proceeds will be donated to Kate and her family (learn more about Kate’s story here).

Easy Baked Sweet Potato Fries

Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

40 mins

Total time

55 mins

Serves: 2

Ingredients

1 Medium sweet potato
1 Tsp olive oil
Dried parsley
Salt (preferably kosher or coarse sea salt) and pepper to taste
Spicy brown mustard or your favorite dipping sauce

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Wash and then cut the sweet potato into thin slices (about 1/2 in thick, just slightly bigger than shoestring fries). I left the skin on but you can peel it off if you’d like.
In a large bowl, drizzle the olive oil evenly over the fries, and then lightly sprinkle some pepper and parsley on them. Toss everything together.
Place a wire rack (a metal cookie cooling rack works!) on a baking sheet and then lay the fries on the rack in a single layer. Be careful not to put them too close together or else this will steam the fries.
Bake for 30-40 minutes or until the fries start to get crispy/darker on the outside. (I recommend checking the fries around the 30 minute mark because oven temps vary.)
When the fries are ready, let cool for a few minutes and then sprinkle some kosher salt (or corse sea salt) and extra parsley over them.
Serve immediately.

Easy Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict with Blender Hollandaise Sauce

Breakfast, Cooking, Food, Life, Recipe 10 Responses »

Apr 182013

Yep, it’s true. Hollandaise sauce. In a blender. 6 simple ingredients. How easy is that?

And 15-20 minutes to make eggs benedict. YEP!

This is seriously one of my favorite brunch dishes and something that I use to order almost every time I saw it on the menu. I’d get it because it was a dish I couldn’t make on my own…well, now I can! And you can too. *fist bump*

Remember when I told you that I’m still a broke post-college student trying to make it in San Francisco? Yeah, that lifestyle is major inspiration for making these random, quick and easy creations :) Breakfast on the cheap and tasty. Then you can spend the rest of your morning reading a good book or drinking mimosas with friends (if that’s your thing!). Oh, you could also make this green monster smoothie to go with your breakfast/brunch!

So grab these ingredients and do yourself a favor: put on this new Avicii song and make yourself some eggs bennie (benny?). You’re set. Dancing in the kitchen is encouraged–seriously. No shame here.

The hollandaise recipe was only slightly modified from Elise over at Simply Recipes. There is also this awesome video of Chef Eric Ripert explaining the technique as well.

Click here for a step-by-step guide on how to poach an egg!

Easy Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict with Blender Hollandaise Sauce

Ingredients

For the Hollandaise Sauce

10 tbs butter melted
3 egg yolks
1/8 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp salt
1 tb lemon juice (possibly a little more for taste)
1 tb room temperature/warm water (plus more if you want a thinner sauce)

For the Eggs Benedict

2 English Muffins
4 Eggs
1 Avocado, sliced
Smoked Salmon
Hollandaise Sauce

Instructions

Melt the butter slowly in a small pot or bowl in the microwave (in increments of 15-20 seconds). Don’t let it boil. You want the butter warm but not steaming hot.
In the blender, add the egg yolks, lemon juice, salt and cayenne.
Blend the ingredients for about 30-60 seconds on medium/medium-high speed. This will heat the yolks slightly and lighten up the color.
Then turn the blender down to medium-low and slowly drizzle in the melted butter.
After the butter, slowly add the water. You can add a little more if you want a thinner consistency. Blend for another 30-60 seconds just to get everything incorporated.
Taste the sauce (it should be buttery, lemony, and slightly salty. If you need more lemon or water, add this now and blend for another few seconds).
Serve within an hour and keep in a warm spot so the sauce doesn’t thicken too much. This recipe makes about 1 cup and serves 4-6.
While you’re making the hollandaise sauce, start toasting your english muffins.
Then lay the toasted english muffins face up on a plate. Add a layer of avocado and then a layer of smoked salmon.
Poach your eggs (there is a step-by-step guide link above, right before this recipe).
Gently lay the poached eggs on top of the smoked salmon and spoon the hollandaise sauce over them.
Top the dish off with a sprinkle of dill for garnish and serve immedately.

Chocolate Stout Cake with Baileys Irish Cream Chocolate Ganache

Baked Goods, Dessert, Drinks, Food, Holiday, Recipe 5 Responses »

Mar 132013

It’s March. WHERE HAS THE TIME GONE?! Life is weird and Mercury is in retrograde but this cake makes up for all of it. ;) Plus, this weekend is St. Paddy’s Day so it’s a perfect excuse to make some cake. This cake is delicious and super rich so all you need is a small slice (aka it will feed a huge group of people)! Three layers of a moist, fluffy chocolate stout cake with rich and creamy chocolate ganache in between. Oh, and did I mention that the ganache has irish cream in it???

If you’re looking for a cake that really tastes like Guinness or Baileys Irish Cream, you’re in the wrong place. The addition of stout and Irish cream in this particular recipe just really brings out a deeper and richer chocolate flavor overall. That’s actually one of my favorite aspects about it.

Ganache tip #1: There is a point where the ganache is too soft to spread on the cake but then too hard to spread evenly so I would test it out on the extra layer (YES, there’s an extra layer!) before you start putting it on the actual cake.

Ganache tip #2: You’ll want to but don’t eat too much of the ganache before you put it on the cake! This recipe makes JUST enough..but if you want thicker ganache, I suggest making 1.5-2x the recipe listed below.

Every once in a while I get the urge to make a dessert totally and completely over the top. This was one of those times. After contemplating on adding a 4th layer I resisted but only because I didn’t have enough chocolate ganache. So yeah, this cake comes with a bonus layer–do what you wish with it (cake pops, anyone?).

Let’s get festive for St. Paddy’s Day! :)

This recipe was adapted from Oui, Chef.

Chocolate Guinness Cake with Baileys Irish Cream Chocolate Ganache

Serves: 12

Ingredients

For the Stout Cake:

2 cups stout (A 14.9oz tall can of Guiness is the exact amount!)
2 cups (4 sticks) butter, unsalted
1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
4 cups all-purpose flour
4 cups sugar
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
4 large eggs
1 1/3 cups sour cream

For the Ganache:

2 cups heavy cream
1 pound bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/3 cup baleys (optional but encouraged)
sprinkles (again, optional but encouraged)

Instructions

For the Ganache

In a large saucepan, bring the cream to a simmer over medium heat.
Remove from heat and then whisk in the chocolate until everything is incorporated.
Refrigerate the icing until it is at a good consistency to spread – about 2 hours (stirring every 20-30-mins).
[you could also make this the night before and then microwave it for 15 second intervals until it softens to the right consistency - that's what I did!!].

For the Stout Cake

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Butter 4 6-inch pans and dust with cocoa powder.
In a large saucepan, bring the stout and butter to a simmer over medium heat. Add the cocoa powder while whisking until everything is incorporated. Allow to cool slightly.
In a separate bowl, mix the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt together.
In another bowl, beat the eggs and sour cream together using a hand mixer. Slowly add the Stout/chocolate mixture to the egg/sour cream bowl and beat just enough to combine.
Then add the flour mixture a little at a time, using a rubber spatula to fold and mix everything together (don’t overmix!).
Divide the batter in the prepared pans (I filled mine about 2/3 of the way up).
Bake for about 30-35 mins or until a toothpick comes out clean after being inserted in the middle. Then place the cakes on a cooling rack for about 10 minutes. After that, release the cake from the pans and let them cool completely on the cooling rack.

To Assemble the Cake

Once the cakes are cooled, even out the top of each layer so that it is flat by using a large knife.
Place the first layer on a plate or cake stand. Spread a layer of ganache on the top. Repeat for the other two layers.
To frost the top/outside of the cake, place a large amount of ganache on the top and then spread it from the center to the edges, allowing excess ganache to go over the edge and onto the side of the cake.
Then add more ganache (as much as needed) to finish frosting the sides of the cake.
Optional: Top with some fun festive sprinkles.
Let ganache set (about 15-30 mins) and then serve!

Taco Bell’s Cantina Steak Burrito

Food, Sponsored Post 4 Responses »

Feb 272013

I was recently asked to taste test Taco Bell’s Cantina steak burrito. I was actually pretty excited about this because 1) I live in the Mission District in San Francisco (aka burrito heaven), 2) I’ve always had a warm place in my heart for Taco Bell since my college years and 3) who doesn’t want to try a new item on a menu?!

Before I picked up the burrito, I didn’t read too much about it because I wanted to try it without any outside influence (if it’s advertised on TV a lot I wouldn’t know because I don’t have cable!). So honestly, I didn’t know much about it before I got in line to order it. It wasn’t on the menu at this location but I asked and they had it!

The first thing I noticed about the burrito was that it was a really good size! It resembled the size of burrito that I would buy from a Taqueria in the Mission. The first bite had a hint of citrus and a good portion of rice, steak, and roasted corn. After I few more bites, I realized that I really liked the roasted corn in the burrito–great touch! You can also tell that the steak was marinated so it had a good flavor. It’s definitely not the same as a traditional burrito you’d find here in the Mission District but it’s a great price for the size and a nice addition to Taco Bell’s Menu.

After I ate about a quarter of a burrito, I looked it up online to see what else was in the burrito and I found out that it also comes with fresh guacamole and a creamy cilantro dressing which is tasty. There was some pico de gallo and romaine lettuce in the mix too but I didn’t taste too much of it. But maybe that’s because I added some Taco Bell Fire sauce (had to, so good!).

The Cantina Steak Burrito was created by Chef Lorena Garcia and I can definitely see it as a fresher, healthier option when choosing something on the Taco Bell menu. As I mentioned earlier, the portion is a good size so I only ate about half a burrito in a sitting. According to Taco Bell’s site, this steak burrito is 780 calories but if you only eat half like I did, it’s not too bad!

If you guys have tried this burrito or anything else on the new Cantina menu, I’d love to know what you think!

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This post is sponsored by Taco Bell. See how great our steak is when you try the new Cantina Steak Burrito. Because when it comes to a great steak burrito, it’s all about the steak.

Quinoa, Black Bean, and Corn Stuffed Jalapenos

Baking, Food, Health, Life, Recipe, Side Dishes, Snacks 2 Responses »

Feb 222013

I have a strange obsession with jalapeno poppers. They’re just so easy to make and great for so many occasions. But sometime they aren’t necessarily the best for you. Cream cheese? Delicious. Bacon? I’ll take 100 please. However, I can’t justify eating regular jalapeno poppers all the time. So I present to you…guilt-free poppers!

These jalapenos are stuffed with a combination of quinoa, black beans, and corn and then topped off with some monterey jack cheese. They make a perfect appetizer or snack! I can also imagine eating them with eggs in the morning or as a side dish. The quantity pictured in this post? Yeah, I almost ate all of them by myself. No regrets.

Some jalapenos are way hotter than others though so be careful! Make sure you take out all of the seeds and wear gloves while doing so or wash your hands with soap right after. They are also tasty reheated so it’s ok if you make a few extra. Make some this weekend…or maybe make some banana chocolate chip pancakes! :)

What’s your favorite guilt-free snack?

Happy Friday! :)

Quinoa, Black Bean, and Corn Stuffed Jalapenos

Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

45 mins

Total time

1 hour

Ingredients

6 jalapenos (12 halves)
1 cup cooked quinoa
1/2 cup black beans
1/2 cup corn
1/2 cup monterey jack cheese, shredded

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Cut the jalapenos in half and take out the seeds (use gloves or wash your hands with soap directly afterwards).
In a bowl, mix together the quinoa, black beans, and corn.
Scoop the quinoa mixture generously into each jalapeno half. I found that using a spoon to shape a mound works best.
Place the poppers on a baking sheet (with a few inches between each of them) and then bake for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, sprinkle cheese on top of each popper and then place back in the oven for 15 minutes.
Allow poppers to cool for 5 minutes and then serve immediately.