Food Burnout + What to Eat (When You Don’t Really Feel Like Cooking)

Hey guys! So today’s post is about how to feed yourself for health and happiness when you (honestly) just don’t feel like cooking. When you just want to feed yourself well – with extreme ease and satisfaction. Plus, a bit on my personal experience with food burnout. And if you don’t know what food burnout is, well don’t worry, neither did I until I wrote this post.

So here is my “What to Eat When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking” Meal Ideas. And spoiler alert, yes, there is a (little) cooking involved for some of them…Read more »

This is a summary, images and full post available on HHL website!

Hey guys! So today's post is about how to feed yourself for health and happiness when you (honestly) just don't feel like cooking. When you just want to feed yourself well - with extreme ease and satisfaction. Plus, a bit on my personal experience with food burnout. And if you don't know what food burnout is, well don't worry, neither did I until I wrote this post. So here is my "What to Eat When You Don't Feel Like Cooking" Meal Ideas. And spoiler alert, yes, there is a (little) cooking involved for some of them...Read more »

This is a summary, images and full post available on HHL website!

mozzarella pesto mac and cheese

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I prepped my Mother’s Day brunch months in advance, I prepped my birthday cake months in advance (coming next week!), so obviously I also prepped my birthday dinner months in advance. I promise this isn’t a statement about my faith in Eggboy’s cooking skills so much as it is an example of my obsession with meal prep. I don’t know if it was obvious but I started planning my baby meal prep the moment the little pee stick flashed the word “pregnant” on it. Sorry, I’ll never talk about pee in a recipe post again. So back in like August when I was planning all of this, I thought what will I want to eat on my birthday in May? It was so far in the future but macaroni and cheese always has and always will be my number one favorite food, so I figured that was the most reliable choice.

So here is a version of mac and cheese that I have been really loving these days. It’s not as cheesy as the casseroles that I grew up eating on every special occasion, it’s more saucy and milky, and pretty mild, flavor-wise. I knew I’d be prepping giant batches of it to have on hand for my whole maternity leave, so I went with something that was on the lighter end of the spectrum, at least for mac and cheese. It’s got a pretty green dollop of springy pesto (I used store-bought but would have used homemade if I had basil back in March!), and these individual servings make it really easy to heat quickly. They’re perfect to pair with salad or, my go-to sides as a 7-year-old, apple slices and cold baby carrots.

If you’ve never made mac and cheese before or are looking to create your own version of mac and cheese with all of your favorite cheeses and mix-ins, this is a great basic recipe to start with. It’s pretty barebones, which means that it lends itself nicely to switching up or adding more cheeses (any cheese should work! less melty ones, like feta, won’t yield a smooth sauce but they’ll still be tasty), adding different flavors (paprika, nutmeg, sriracha, harissa, a little mustard, etc.), veggies (peas! onions! broccoli!) or meats (hot dogsssss!!!!). You can really go wild here.

And of course, you don’t have to make individual servings or make this to freeze ahead. Bake this in a big casserole dish! Immediately! Or do what I do and just stand over the pot and take a million test bites, just to make sure it’s good, before it gets dumped in the casserole and browned in the oven for other people to eat since you’ve just filled up on “test bites.”

I’ve used Our Family cheese and noodles here, which I always have on hand in case of mac and cheese emergencies!

Mozzarella Pesto Mac and Cheese (Freezer Friendly)

makes 10 servings

Ingredients

1 lb (16oz) Our Family mini shells or macaroni noodles

1/2 c (113g) unsalted butter

1/2 c (65g) all-purpose flour

6 c (1.44kg) 2% or whole milk

1 1/2 c (6oz) shredded Our Family mozzarella

1 c (4oz) shredded Our Family swiss

3/4 c (3oz) shredded Our Family parmesan, divided

Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste

5 tb prepared pesto

10 tb (32g) panko breadcrumbs

Directions

If baking immediately, preheat the oven to 375ºf. If prepping for the freezer, see directions below.

Cook the noodles to al dente per the directions on the box. Drain and set aside.

In a large pot, melt the butter over medium high heat. Stir in the flour and cook for about a minute. Add the milk, one cup at a time, whisking or stirring with a wooden spoon after each until thickened. Add the mozzarella, swiss, and 1/2 cup of the parmesan and stir until melted. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add this point if you want to add fun mix-ins like cut up hot dogs or crispy bacon or peas or hot sauce, now’s the time to do so. Stir in the noodles. It may seem overly saucy at this point but once it bakes up, it’ll be perfect!

To bake immediately, pour into a 9” x 13” casserole dish, dollop all over with the pesto and sprinkle with the breadcrumbs and remaining 1/4 cup of parmesan and bake for 25 minutes, or until browned and bubbly. Enjoy!

To prepare for the freezer, divide into 10 individual containers (I like these because they are safe for the oven, microwave, and freezer). Add a heaping teaspoon of pesto to the tops of each and sprinkle with the breadcrumbs and remaining 1/4 cup of parmesan. Let cool slightly, wrap well in plastic wrap, label, and freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat in the oven at 375º for 25 minutes covered with foil plus 20 minutes uncovered, or until browned and heated through. Or reheat in the microwave by heating for 4 minutes, stirring halfway through. Enjoy!

Print this recipe

-yeh!

photos by chantell and brett quernemoen

this recipe was created in partnership with our family!

Here is a PDF of the freezer labels that I made! They are for Avery labels #6570.

Vegan Cabbage Lasagna with Spinach Alfredo

This is the best vegan cabbage lasagna I have ever eaten. It is seriously bursting with flavor. Just imagine this: vegan ground beef cooked in hearty marinara sauce layered with spinach cashew alfredo sauce and sweet cabbage leaves. I am telling you no…

The post Vegan Cabbage Lasagna with Spinach Alfredo appeared first on My Pure Plants.

I Buried the Lede by The Pioneer Woman

It’s been a busy time on the ranch, so I’m going to start with this peaceful image of our cows against the setting sun. I snapped this while Ladd and I were driving home from town Saturday night. He and I had just had a short and sweet date at… Charlie’s! Yes, our […]

Charlie’s!

Yes, our dream as a married couple has come true: We now have an ice cream shop in town so we can drive in and get an ice cream cone whenever we want. Except we’re discussing limiting ourselves to once a week because this could be dangerous. We’ll see how that goes…

Before we opened, we had murals painted on the wall.

It’s amazing what a white coat of paint and black lettering can do for a place!

This is a pic from opening day. I think these might have been our first customers…at least one of our first!

Can I just say that opening an ice cream store in our little town has been a complete pleasure??? Ice cream is the common thread that unites us all.

So is candy. I had fun picking out all of this cute stuff.

My high school friends all came to Pawhuska last week for the mini-reunion that we try to have at least every other summer. I have blogged about this through the years: After our twenty-year reunion in 2007, we all had so much fun (after not having seen one other much since high school) that we vowed to keep the connection going in the years that followed. We made good on that promise, and have gotten together almost every summer since then. It’s been a really special thing to reunite with old friends at this time of our lives: Since we started having our mini reunions in ’08, some girls have had babies, some girls have become grandmothers, some have battled cancer, some have lost spouses and parents. One of our friends lost her son. We were just barely starting to turn forty back when we reunited. Now most of us have cross over the line of fifty. We used to kick off our reunion talking about who dated whom in high school; now we talk about hot flashes. (And who dated whom in high school. Ha!)

Old friendships are very, very precious. I love these girls.

Our chefs at The Merc made some special things for us all to share. Chicken fried lobster is now on my list of five favorite dishes of all time. Um…more on this later.

I buried the lede! Alex graduated on Thursday. (This is her “friend” [haha] Mauricio, who graduated on Saturday!) So excited for both of them as they head into the real world later this summer.

After dinner that night, we all played cornhole near the hotel and (predictably) ate ice cream.

I think I have an ice cream problem on my hands.

pancakes and sausage on a stick

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3-6-19-molly-yeh-pancakes-and-sausage-on-a-stick-12.jpg

Back in March when I was doing all of my meal prep, I realized that Mother’s Day would happen soon after I gave birth! It was a wild realization that I’d suddenly be an honoree of the day and I obviously immediately got the urge to cry and be emotional. I imagined my perfect Mother’s Day with a newborn (which is different than my perfect Mother’s Day with, say, a 6-year-old because by that time I can expect some super cute breakfast in bed, right?!) and what I imagined was holding a little nugget in one hand and eating my special brunch in another. A brunch on a stick. And one of my favorite brunches ever, pancakes and sausage! I mean, a bouquet of flowers would be nice but a bouquet of pancakes and sausage on a stick would be nice and tasty. So here we are, I made my own Mother’s Day brunch and it’s in the freezer now waiting to be microwaved. Lol. Pressure’s off, Eggboy!

Pancakes and sausage on a stick were one of my faaaavorite breakfasts growing up. We’d get them in bulk from Market Day at school (does Market Day still exist?! Omg, it does!) and I’d have them before early morning ice skating practices. These days I can’t walk by them in the freezer section of the Super Target without seriously considering buying them every single time but then I look at the ingredients and have to put them down. So with this homemade version, even though they’re a totally fried breakfast version of a corn dog, I feel a little better about eating them because I can use my fave sausages (I like Applegate’s natural chicken sausages) and then also add some oat flour to the batter. More oats = more boob milk! Yeah! And the oats add a nice nuttiness to the pancake.

So here’s a big batch that you can make, freeze, and nuke for breakfast in a snap and Mother’s Day with a newborn and the like!

Pancakes and Sausage on a Stick

Makes 18

Ingredients

1/2 c (65g) all-purpose flour

1/2 c (65g) oat flour, or more all-purpose flour

2 tb sugar

3/4 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 large egg

2 tb flavorless oil

1/2 c (120g) buttermilk

18 pre-cooked breakfast sausages (if frozen, heat them a little just until they’re soft enough to insert with lollipop sticks)

Flavorless oil, for frying

Maple syrup, optional, for serving

Clues

Fill a large heavy pot or high sided skillet fitted with a thermometer with 1” of oil and heat over medium high heat to 360º F.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. In a separate small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the egg, oil, and buttermilk. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir to combine. Transfer the batter to a tall skinny glass or measuring cup (this step isn’t completely necessary, but it will make coating the sausages easier). Working in batches of 3 or 4 sausages at a time, insert popsicle sticks or lollipop sticks into the sausages, pat off any excess moisture with a paper towel, and dip them into the pancake batter to fully coat, scraping off excess. It doesn’t need to be a very thick coating as the batter will puff up when frying. Carefully lower the entire thing (stick included) into the hot oil and fry until golden, 1 1/2-2 minutes. Use tongs to transfer to a paper towel or wire rack. Repeat with the remaining sausages. Cool slightly before serving.

To freeze, cool completely and then store in a ziploc bag in the freezer for up to 3 months. To reheat, wrap loosely in a paper towel and microwave for about 40 seconds, or until heated through. Let cool slightly and enjoy!

Print this recipe

-yeh!

photos by chantell and brett quernemoen

Detective Pikachu Cake Pops

It’s been a little while since I’ve made character cake pops. I usually partner with an animated movie when I do. You can see some of them here. But this time, I was inspired by a super-fun memory and a cute little yellow Pokémon. So, The other day I was talking with friends about some […]

So, The other day I was talking with friends about some of the crazy adventures I’ve been on because of baking. And one of the most fun experiences was the time I made cake pops with Blake Lively at her home. Still to this day so surreal. Well, the next thing I know, I’m watching Entertainment Tonight and there’s Blake with her husband for the premiere of his new movie, Detective Pikachu. She was glowing and not just because she was wearing a dress made of sunshine and pregnant with her third child. I think she always glows and is just as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside.

Anyway, while I was watching TV and thinking about what I should make next I was like… duh. It has to be Pikachus. Definitely Detective Pikachu to help celebrate her hubby’s movie.

So, how do we go from big round cake balls to the pudgy little Pokemon character below?

Let’s investigate.

First … check out my basic cake pop instructions if you need them. Once you’ve rolled them into balls, use the instructions below to shape and decorate.

Now, I know most people won’t make these, but I always hope when I share more challenging designs, that there’s something in the process, a technique or new approach that you might see and want to try on your own creations. Because really, the possibilities are endless. And I realize these are not your everyday cake pops, but I tend to go over the top when I make a new design to see how far I can take it and what I can get away with. Hopefully you find some inspiration along the way.

So, here’s a tip if you’re trying to make character cake pops that have a very specific look. Find an image of the character you’re making on google and print it out in different sizes. Place a piece of wax paper over it and use the best image underneath as a guide to shape your cake pop mixture and also to help find sprinkles and candies in the right size to help you decorate.

To shape the body, I started out with large rolled cake balls and divided the mixture in two parts. One part to shape for the body and one part to shape for the head. Separating the head and body will help create a more defined shape when dipped in candy coating.

Shape the body using the image under wax paper as a template. Use smooth tools like a spoon handle or even a lollipop stick to help recreate the body like the image. Once the body is shaped to resemble Pikachu’s knees/legs, place it over the template and then use a spoon or knife to cut off the excess around the neck, leaving a curved edge to place the head on once it is shaped.

Roll a smaller ball for the head and use a lollipop stick to flatten where the eyes will be and then press the end into the front to define where the mouth will go.

These flower sprinkles will be used for the feet. You could get away without doing this step, but it adds a little extra detail.

Use some melted yellow candy coating to attach the heads to the bodies. Then attach the flower sprinkles to the bottom of the legs for feet.

Roll small balls out of the cake pop mixture to then shape into tiny little arms. Attach them to the body with more melted candy coating and let dry completely.

Yes, much better with arms. You can start to see the character coming together.

At this stage, you can place the shaped Pikachus in the fridge to chill and firm up for dipping and you can also prepare the ears.

I used bananas from this fruit shaped candy sprinkle mixture for the ears. You could also use something like licorice pastilles. They just won’t have a pointy end. The bananas were a pretty good match, but they needed to be bulked up a bit and also to be the same color as Pikachu’s body, so I dipped them in melted yellow candy coating and once dry, set them on wax paper.

I’m sorry Pikachu :0

Dip Pikachu in a tall narrow bowl containing melted and fluid, yellow candy coating. Remove and gently tap off the excess. Before the coating, dries, place two of the coated banana candies in position for ears.

Once the bodies are dry, you can decorate.

Dot on melted chocolate candy coating in position for the nose using a toothpick.

Use a black edible ink writing pen to draw on mouths and eyes. Use a red edible ink writing pen to draw on cheeks.

Paint his tummy white and the tips of his ears black with Poppy Paint.

Then use a toothpick to dot on more white for the sparkle in his eyes.

You could stop here, but I wanted to give him his lightning bolt-shaped tail.

Use the same image and place it under wax paper. Use a sharpie to trace the tail shape. Then place a new clean piece of wax paper on top to pipe yellow candy coating on. Place the tails in the freezer for several minutes to dry.

Carefully attach them to the body with more melted candy coating.

Too cute!

Now you’ll really think I am insane. I do too. I’m almost embarrassed. But obviously Detective Pikachu needs his super sleuth hat.

I used a candy mold to make chocolate buttons/discs and then placed them on top of a dollop of melted chocolate to create a lid effect.

This mold isn’t available anymore, but search candy drop mold for something similar.

OMG. Dying over here with these cute little caps.

Stop it!

Sorry, I can’t help myself!

Hope you enjoy these and the movie, too! It’s in theaters this weekend starring Ryan Reynolds and Justice Smith.

Pasta World Championships Winning Recipes

*This post was created in partnership with Barilla. They have been masters of pasta for over 140 years and since pasta is one of my absolute favorites (and always a go-to for our weeknight dinners) I am so thrilled to team up with them for 2019 to bring you some of my favorite pasta recipes. The pastas used in the competition were from the new Collezione line which uses the traditional bronze plates for extruding giving the pasta the perfect “al dente” texture for sauce that holds on tight. Today I get the pleasure of sharing TWO of the winning recipes from the 2019 Barilla Pasta World Championships.

If you invite me to an event where my job is to eat eight plates of pasta I will so be there. And that’s just what I got to do while attending the Barilla Pasta World Championships.

While eight chefs feverishly worked to create what they would hope to be an award winning plate of pasta I went around the room, took in the sights and smells, shot a few photos and eagerly awaited the time to eat. The task was simple enough; create a memorable pasta dish that would woo the incredible panel of judges (including the editor of Food & Wine magazine and Lorenzo Boni, executive chef of Barilla America). Of course we all know that simple food is often the most difficult especially since so many of us have such fond memories at the table with heaping piles of pasta. Is there anything that quite comforts the way a slurping of spaghetti noodles does or how cheese perfectly tucks into the crevices on penne? It’s what I grab when I’m eager to get to the table with my family without spending too much time in the kitchen.

Some of the chefs went all out by meticulously dicing bacon for an eggless seafood-based carbonara, or blew my mind by smoking the pasta water (totally recreating this by the way) while others stayed classic and simple making a flawless arrabiata or pistachio pesto. And of course there were truffles, quite possibly my favorite thing to put on pasta.

In the end it was the Pistachio Pesto Buccatini that won the heart of the judges and I love that it did. Of course it was completely delicious but it was also quite possibly the most simple of the dishes. The winning dish came from the youngest contestant, Chef Sean Turner.

Since the contest Chef Sean’s recipe has now become a staple in our house. The ingredients are so often on hand and even if they aren’t I’m able to find alternatives that can easily be substituted. My latest rendition used dill and mint in place of the parsley and basil. And pecorino stood in for the Parmesan. Have you run out of Buccatini? Penne makes a fine substitute.

Get ready to cheer Chef Sean Turner on when he goes on to compete at the Barilla Pasta World Championship in October where he will compete with chefs from around the world in Paris. Until then try these incredible recipes from the winning chefs and find your champion.

People’s Choice Winning Recipe:

Ocean’s “Carbonara”

Author Ashley Rodriguez

From Chef Brandon Rosen

Ingredients

4 cups refined coconut oil, divided

1 lb. raw applewood smoked bacon, finely chopped, divided

1 bulb fennel, chopped, fronds reserved

8 large shallots, chopped

1 bunch Italian parsley, chopped

1 head garlic, chopped

10 whole black peppercorns, crushed

1-2 teaspoons crushed red pepper

48 Littleneck clams, scrubbed well

2 cups Chardonnay

1 large head yellow or orange cauliflower

1 oz. dried Italian nettles or dried seaweed sheets (nori)

5 large sunchokes, very thinly sliced

3 large Meyer lemons, zested, segments removed

1 box (16 oz.) Barilla® Collezione Spaghetti

8 fresh farm raised scallops (10-20 count)

24-32 frilly mustard green leaves

3 oz. farm-raised sustainable California caviar

1 small piece cured fish roe (bottarga), such as Sardinian gold

Instructions

Heat 2 tablespoons coconut oil in large deep skillet on medium heat. Add 3/4 of the bacon, fennel (except fronds), shallots, parsley, garlic, and black and red pepper. Sauté until bacon is browned. Add clams and wine; cover. Cook until clams are completely open (discard any unopened clams). Remove clams from pan with tongs. Continue cooking broth, uncovered, while preparing remaining ingredients.

Use box grater to grate cauliflower down to the stems. Arrange on rimmed baking sheet. Add a small amount of water. Bake until softened. Use fine grater to grate cauliflower stems; set aside.Cook remaining bacon in small skillet on medium heat until crisp. Drain; set aside.

Use coffee/spice grinder or mortar and pestle to grind nettles into fine powder. Heat remaining oil in large saucepan to 350°

Deep fry sunchoke slices until crisp. Drain well then dust with nettle powder.

Strain clam broth; discard solids. Pour broth into blender; add cooked cauliflower. Puree until smooth; stir in lemon zest.

Cook pasta as directed on package. Drain, reserving some of the pasta cooking water.

Return pasta to pot. Add cauliflower sauce; mix well, adding pasta water as needed to achieve desired consistency. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Cut scallops into small pieces. Heat some of the remaining coconut oil in medium skillet on high heat. Add scallops; cook just until seared. Add to pasta in pot. Add clams and cooked bacon. Mix gently.

Garnish each serving with lemon segments, mustard greens, caviar, grated bottarga, grated cauliflower stems, fennel fronds, and sunchoke chips.

2019 Barilla Pasta World Championship Winning Recipe

Bucatini Pistachio Pesto

Author Ashley Rodriguez

From Chef Sean Turner

Ingredients

1 box (12 oz.) Barilla® Collezione Bucatini

2 oz. lemon juice

4 oz. basil leaves

2.5 oz. Italian parsley leaves

2.5 oz. fennel fronds

2.5 oz. diced shallots

5 oz. shelled pistachios, toasted, plus additional for garnish

5 oz. grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus additional for garnish

Kosher salt

12 oz. extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions

Cook pasta as directed on package. Drain, reserving pasta cooking water.
Meanwhile, pulse lemon juice, herbs and shallots in food processor until almost a paste, scraping down side of bowl as needed. Add nuts, cheese and salt. Pulse until no whole nuts remain. With motor running, add oil in steady stream until well blended. Season with additional salt, if desired.
Transfer pesto to large deep skillet. Add 1 oz. pasta water and pasta. Toss until well coated, adding additional water as needed.
Top each serving with additional cheese and nuts.

Lemon Almond Cake

The fog of early parenthood has finally lifted. I have emerged stronger—with a bigger heart, immeasurable patience, and the ability to function on limited sleep. I am starting to f…

The fog of early parenthood has finally lifted. I have emerged stronger—with a bigger heart, immeasurable patience, and the ability to function on limited sleep. I am starting to feel like myself again and it feels good.

I lost myself in those first few months, as I imagine happens often with new parents. With the newborn routine of eat-change-sleep on repeat every three hours, I felt like a shell of my former self. There wasn’t time to explore interests or hobbies—there was hardly time to sneak in a shower.

To survive, I followed the mantra “one task a day.” Some days the only thing I accomplished was making dinner; other days it was making it to mama/baby yoga class so I could start the process of making my body feel like my own again. These small daily goals fueled me without overwhelming me.

It was the only balance I could seem to manage.

Even though I enjoyed my time at home with sweet Baby N, I credit the act of going back to work with helping me reclaim my individuality. It’s true that I am a parent now, but that is not the only attribute that defines me. I welcome the daily challenges of being a high school teacher because my students remind me of the other aspects of myself that I appreciate (plus, the knowledge that summer break is around the corner eases the transition of being away from N during the day).

Although I’ve started to realize how important it is for me to have time for myself, I still very much struggle with allowing that dedicated time. Although the days feel long, the hours are short and time seems to evaporate into the ether. The great irony of parenthood is the knowledge that I could be more present for my daughter if I spend time away to recharge myself.

This balance between a parent and an individual with my own needs and desires will be a work in progress, but the journey is helping me understand myself on a new level, which I recognize is a gift in itself.

Lemon and almond is one of my favorite flavor combinations in spring. The sharpness of lemon and the nutty warmth of almond add both warmth and a wake up call to a palate that has been saturated in the comfort of winter. Taking advantage of a day off from school and Baby N’s napping schedule, I spent some much needed time in the kitchen. It wasn’t until I had finished the photographs that I realized this cake felt—and looked—remarkably familiar.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, after an exploration into the recipe archive, I noticed this lemon almond cake was quite similar to a lemon cake I had made the year prior (down to the exact date!). Mom brain, anyone?

I like to believe these resemblances work in my favor—this cake is so good, I unknowingly created a recipe for it twice. Perhaps that is all the encouragement you’ll need to turn on the oven, zest a couple lemons, and start baking.

This Lemon Almond Cake brings together the warmth of almond with the spiritedness of lemon. The cake batter is infused with both lemon zest and lemon oil to give it a bright lemon flavor, and almond extract and almond flour to round out a nutty undertone. Once baked, the cake is brushed with a lemon glaze on the outer edges to give the cake additional flavor and to seal in the cake's moisture. This cake is perfect to serve plain and unadorned—the flavors are so vivid, it needs nothing else to feel complete.

Lemon Almond Cake

Yields 12 servings

Lemon Almond Cake
1 1/2 cups (300 grams) granulated sugar
Zest of 2 lemons
3/4 cup (180 mL) vegetable oil
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon lemon oil (optional)
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 1/4 cups (270 grams) all-purpose flour
3/4 cup (75 grams) almond flour
1 cup (250 mL) milk

Lemon Glaze
1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
Juice of 2 lemons

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Heavily grease and flour a 10-cup Bundt pan. Set aside.

For the lemon cake, place the granulated sugar and lemon zest in a large mixing bowl. Rub the sugar and zest together until fragrant. Whisk in the vegetable oil, eggs, vanilla extract, almond extract, lemon oil, salt, and baking powder. Alternate adding the flours and milk, stirring after each addition, until the batter is smooth and uniform in appearance.

Pour batter into the prepared baking pan and bake for 45-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow cake to cool in pan for 15 minutes before unmolding.

While the cake is baking, prepare the glaze by heating the granulated sugar and lemon juice in a small saucepan until the sugar dissolves. Set aside.

Place the cake on a cooling rack and brush the glaze over the cake, giving time for the glaze to absorb between layers. Allow the cake to cool completely and the glaze to set before cutting and serving.

Crispy Gochujang Tofu Bao Buns (vegan)

After having Korean fried chicken in a restaurant a while ago, *that* spicy gochujang sauce stuck in my mind. It’s like a grown up version of the sauce on sweet & sour chicken. I made it at home, using it to coat crispy tofu (coated in cornstarch and pan fried) to stuff into pillowy soft bao buns. I actually made these a while ago but never got round to posting the recipe! Now that I’ve been going a bit bao crazy I thought I would get this one up on the blog at the same time so there are some filling options for people to look at. We used this sauce last night for coating katsu seitan and it was epic – we had it with pickled radish/red onion and carrot ribbons which was a great combo. I think the sauce would work well on katsu sweet potato for an easy option. These are a bit ‘involved’ since you do need to do the whole tofu pressing, coating & frying situation. I also roasted some butternut squash to go in the buns but you can leave it out if you want (or use something seasonal like roasted carrots instead). However, […]

The post Crispy Gochujang Tofu Bao Buns (vegan) appeared first on Izy Hossack – Top With Cinnamon.

Assembling Bao buns filled with crispy gochujang tofu, lettuce and butternut squash

Jump to recipe

I actually made these a while ago but never got round to posting the recipe! Now that I’ve been going a bit bao crazy I thought I would get this one up on the blog at the same time so there are some filling options for people to look at. We used this sauce last night for coating katsu seitan and it was epic – we had it with pickled radish/red onion and carrot ribbons which was a great combo. I think the sauce would work well on katsu sweet potato for an easy option.

Bao buns filled with crispy gochujang tofu and lettuce with a bamboo steamer

These are a bit ‘involved’ since you do need to do the whole tofu pressing, coating & frying situation. I also roasted some butternut squash to go in the buns but you can leave it out if you want (or use something seasonal like roasted carrots instead). However, once you’ve done the prep it’s easy to keep the components warm or reheat them, making the whole thing perfect for when you have a few friends round.

You can get frozen bao from Chinese supermarkets or, if you want to make them yourself, see my post for an in-depth recipe with some helpful shaping GIFs.

Crispy Gochujang Tofu Bao Buns

Yield: 12 buns (serves 3-4)

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Ingredients

Squash:

1/2 a butternut squash, peeled
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Sauce:

3 tablespoons gochujang
2 teaspoons dark soy sauce
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1 teaspoon finely grated ginger
1 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

Tofu:

340g (12 ounces) extra firm tofu
50g (1/2 cup) corn flour (cornstarch)
2-4 tablespoons vegetable oil, for frying
1 tbsp sesame seeds

To serve:

12 bao buns, store bought or homemade
2 heads baby gem lettuce

Instructions

For the squash:

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).
Cut the butternut squash into pieces about 5mm (1/4 inch) thick. Toss with the vegetable oil on a baking tray. Roast for 30-40 minutes, flipping halfway through roasting, until starting to turn brown around the edges.

For the sauce:

Mix all of the sauce ingredients in a medium bowl until smooth. Add a bit of water if needed to thin it out so it's drizzleable.

For the tofu:

Press the tofu: drain the tofu, wrap in 2 layers of kitchen towel and place on a cutting board. Top with another cutting board and place something heavy (like a few cookbooks) on top. Let sit for 30 minutes to drain.
Unwrap the tofu. Cut into 12 planks.
Place the corn flour in a wide, shallow bowl. Toss the tofu in it to coat well, shaking off excess.
Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a deep frying pan over a medium heat. Once the oil is hot add the coated tofu in a single layer and fry on both sides until crisp.
Remove to a dish lined with paper towel to drain. Repeat the frying with the remaining tofu, adding more oil to the pan if needed.
Once you've fried all of it, toss the tofu into the bowl of sauce and stir to coat. Sprinkle with the sesame seeds.
Keep warm in an oven at 100°C (215°F) until serving.

Warm the bao:

Place the bao into a steamer and cover with the lid. Fill a wide saucepan with a ~1 inch depth of water and bring to the boil over a medium heat. Turn the heat down to low then place the steamer into the pan.
Steam for 5-6 minutes if they were frozen, or 2-3 minutes if they're fresh.

Assemble:

Take the warm bao and fill with a leaf of gem lettuce, some of the warm crispy tofu and a piece of butternut squash.
Eat warm!

Notes

Gochujang is a spicy, Korean fermented chilli paste. It can be found in many Korean or Chinese grocers and even in larger supermarkets in the 'world food' aisle.

Bao buns filled with crispy gochujang tofu and lettuce with a bamboo steamer" data-pin-description="Crispy tofu with a sweet & spicy gochujang sauce in soft, fluffy bao buns. Great for a plant-based dinner!

Have you made this recipe?
I’d love to see how it went! Tag me on instagram @izyhossack and hashtag it #topwithcinnamon so I can have a look & reshare in my stories!

The post Crispy Gochujang Tofu Bao Buns (vegan) appeared first on Izy Hossack - Top With Cinnamon.

Grilled Asparagus Bao Buns (vegan)

Although sometimes I like a bao filling which takes a bit more time to prep, these asparagus bao are super fast to make. I keep frozen unfilled bao on hand which only take 5 minutes to heat up so this is a good one for weeknights if you do the same. Since asparagus is in season at the moment I’ve been going absolutely crazy for it. It’s probably one of my favourite vegetables – so delicious and SO quick to cook. I made these for lunch a couple of weeks ago for a friend who came to visit and we sat on the sunny balcony eating them. They were so quick to make (plus I had so many buns) that I ended up having them again for dinner too that week! I think the grilled vegetable vibe is definitely going to be big for me this year, especially when I can chuck them into a bao and have dinner all done and dusted. You can get frozen bao from Chinese supermarkets or, if you want to make them yourself, see my post for an in-depth recipe with some helpful shaping GIFs. Have you made this recipe?I’d love to see how […]

The post Grilled Asparagus Bao Buns (vegan) appeared first on Izy Hossack – Top With Cinnamon.

two bao buns filled with grilled asparagus, sesame seeds, miso glaze and carrot ribbons on a wooden board.

Jump to recipe

Since asparagus is in season at the moment I’ve been going absolutely crazy for it. It’s probably one of my favourite vegetables – so delicious and SO quick to cook. I made these for lunch a couple of weeks ago for a friend who came to visit and we sat on the sunny balcony eating them.

bao buns overhead filled with grilled asparagus and carrot ribbons

They were so quick to make (plus I had so many buns) that I ended up having them again for dinner too that week! I think the grilled vegetable vibe is definitely going to be big for me this year, especially when I can chuck them into a bao and have dinner all done and dusted.

You can get frozen bao from Chinese supermarkets or, if you want to make them yourself, see my post for an in-depth recipe with some helpful shaping GIFs.

Grilled Asparagus Bao Buns (Vegan)

Yield: 8 buns

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

250g (9 ounces) asparagus
1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tablespoons black bean sauce
1 tablespoon miso or doenjang
1 tablespoon sweet chilli sauce (or 1 tbsp maple syrup + 1 tsp hot sauce)
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
2 tablespoons tomato ketchup
2 teaspoons Mushroom ketchup or vegan Worcester sauce

To serve:

8 bao buns, shop bought or homemade
1 carrot, peeled into ribbons
kimchi (vegan, if needed)
coriander (cilantro)
toasted sesame seeds

Instructions

Cook the asparagus:

Peel the tough ends of the asparagus and trim off the very base. If you have quite thick asparagus spears, cut them in half down their length. Place in a roasting dish, drizzle with the oil and toss to coat.
Mix the black bean sauce, miso/doenjang, chilli sauce, rice vinegar, tomato ketchup and mushroom ketchup in a small bowl until smooth.
Heat a grill pan on the highest heat on the stove (or you can use a barbecue). Place the asparagus spears into the pan and grill, until blackened on one side. Flip and grill the other side.
Once that side is blackened, brush the asparagus spears with some of the glaze and turn so you can coat the other side too. Grill for 1 minutes then remove from the pan.
Repeat with any remaining asparagus.

Warm the bao:

Place the bao into a steamer. Fill a wide saucepan with a ~1 inch depth of water and bring to the boil over a medium heat. Turn the heat down to low then place the steamer into the pan.
Steam for 5-6 minutes if they were frozen, or 2-3 minutes if they're fresh.

Assemble:

Fill the warm bao with the asparagus, some kimchi and carrot ribbons. Eat immediately.

Notes

I love the vegan kimchi made by The Cultured Collective in the UK
Black bean sauce is also known as black bean garlic sauce. You can get it from supermarkets in the 'world food' aisle or from Chinese grocers.
If you're not veggie/vegan you can use Oyster sauce instead of the black bean sauce and standard Worcestershire sauce instead of the mushroom ketchup.
Mushroom ketchup is a common veggie alternative to Worcestershire sauce, found in most large supermarkets.
If you don't have a grill pan/BBQ, a cast iron pan will also work. You can also just roast the asparagus on a baking tray in the oven at 180C (350F) for 10 minutes with the oil, then brush with the glaze and roast for 5 minutes more.

Bao buns filled with grilled asparagus, carrot ribbons and cilantro, topped with sesame seeds on a wooden board

Have you made this recipe?
I’d love to see how it went! Tag me on instagram @izyhossack and hashtag it #topwithcinnamon so I can have a look & reshare in my stories!

The post Grilled Asparagus Bao Buns (vegan) appeared first on Izy Hossack - Top With Cinnamon.