I really liked the flavor of the fudge, but ... [read more]]]>

I really liked the flavor of the fudge, but the added sesame seeds did make it just a tiny bit on the dry side.

The day after I made the fudge, I was in the mood for some ice cream, so I decided to use my fudge to make a cashew nut-sesame seed ice cream.

It was really easy. I just crumbled up some of the fudge, stirred in some milk, as well as some So Delicious French vanilla coconut milk creamer, smashed it all up a little, and then froze it.

After the mixture froze overnight, I put the frozen ice cream in my blender with a little more milk and pureed it so the ice creamy would be creamier. Then I froze it again, and that’s all there is to it!

While I really liked the fudge, I loved the ice cream even more! It totally hit the spot!

What’s your favorite ice cream flavor by the way? It’s hard for me to decide but I think it’s vanilla bean.

Cashew Sesame Seed Fudge

Recipe Source: Manjula’s kitchen

Cashew Nut-Sesame Seed Ice Cream

Adapted from: Manjula’s kitchen

Ingredients:

• 3 cups cashew sesame seed fudge, crumbled
• 1/2 cup So Delicious French vanilla coconut milk creamer
• 1/2 + 1/4 cup milk

Instructions:

• Make the fudge (recipe can be found at Manjula’s kitchen.
• Crumble the fudge.
• Stir in the milk and So Delicious French vanilla coconut milk cream.
• Smash the crumbled fudge into the milk/creamer mixture.
• Pour into a freezer container with a lid.
• Freeze overnight.
• In the morning when the ice cream has hardened, scoop the ice cream into your blender.
• Add 1/4 cup milk and puree to smooth out nuts and seeds until the mixture is smooth.
• Pour the mixture back into the freezer container and re-freeze over night.

You can use any kind of pasta you want. I’d ... [read more]]]>

You can use any kind of pasta you want. I’d probably use fettuccine noodles  if I didn’t have any ho fan.

Anyway, Kemal and I will be making this pasta salad a lot this summer. We loved it so much and were disappointed when we finished the leftovers on the second day. I could have easily eaten it four or five days in a row.

Oh by the way, this sesame pasta salad goes great with Sapporo beer. This Japanese beer is so smooth and has such a wonderful flavor that it’s our favorite beer. We also love Heineken Dark, and Goose Island India Pale Ale.

What about you? What’s your favorite beer?

Easy Sesame Pasta Salad

Recipe Adapted from: eat me, delicious who adapted her recipe from Aggie’s Kitchen via Tasty Kitchen

Ingredients:

• 12 oz. ho fan (vermicelli noodles)
• 1 small zucchini, thinly sliced
• 1/2 large red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 2 green onions, diced
• 5 garlic cloves, diced
• 16 baby carrots, finely grated
• 5 tbsp. sesame oil
• 1 tsp. olive oil
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. minced ginger
• 1 tsp. sesame seeds
• 1 tsp. red chili flakes
• 1 tbsp. red wine vinaigrette
• 1 tbsp. mushroom soy sauce
• black pepper to taste

Instructions:

Step One:  Make the Pasta

• On high heat, boil about 3 quarts of water in a large pot.
• When the water comes to a boil, reduce the heat to medium high, and then add the pasta, 1 tsp. of salt and 1 tsp. olive oil, stirring occasionally.
• Cook the pasta until it’s tender but firm.
• Drain the hot water off the pasta.
• Run cold water over the pasta to cool it off; drain the water again.

Step Two:  Wash and Cut the Vegetables

• While the pasta is cooking, peel and dice the garlic.
• Then wash the green onions, zucchini, and red bell pepper.
• Dice the green onions, and then thinly slice the zucchini and pepper.
• Finely grate the carrots.

Step Three:  Make the Dressing

• Mix together the sesame oil, sesame seeds, red wine vinaigrette, soy sauce, red chili flakes, and the minced ginger.
• Set aside on the counter until needed.

Step Four:  Assemble the Pasta Salad

• Put the drained pasta in a large bowl.
• Add the vegetables.
• Pour the dressing over the pasta and veggies and stir until all the noodles and vegetables are coated.
• Sprinkle with a little bit of black pepper.
• Serve.

They’re melt-in-your mouth delicious…so soft, buttery, and garlicy…*sigh*

Trust me…they won’t ... [read more]]]> And I’m nuts about Greek seasoning sprinkled on just about anything. Suffice it to say these rolls I made the other day are to die for!

They’re melt-in-your mouth delicious…so soft, buttery, and garlicy…*sigh*

Trust me…they won’t last long!

“Greek” Garlic Butter Rolls with Fresh Parsley and Sesame Seeds

Adapted from: My Singapore Kitchen and A Little Bit of Everything

I decided I’d better eat just a little bite of something this morning before going ... [read more]]]>

I decided I’d better eat just a little bite of something this morning before going into work. I usually don’t do that because my coffee and coconut milk is enough to hold me until I eat something between 2 and 3 p.m.

This morning, I had the feeling I needed a little bit more energy, so I quickly made these no-bake energy bars

and bites to give me the boost I needed.

They were really good, and one little bite

held me over until I ate around 3:30 p.m.

They’re super quick and easy to make, and they taste wonderful!! They’re a great source of energy that you can eat on the run or before you run out the door. Give it a try, and change up the recipe to suit your needs.

You can use any kind of nut butter, seeds, or dried fruit. And if you don’t have flax meal, just put some flax seeds in your food processor and pulse them until they become a fine powder.

Enjoy!

No Bake Energy Bars and Energy Bites

Recipe Source: Enlightened Cooking

Mole, which means “sauce” in Spanish, is something I’ve been wanting to make for quite some time. I’ve never tasted it before in my life, but Kemal tried it once when a lady at work, Irma, made some that she served over chicken. Kemal said the sauce had chocolate in it, and surprisingly, Kemal said ... [read more]]]> Mole, which means “sauce” in Spanish, is something I’ve been wanting to make for quite some time. I’ve never tasted it before in my life, but Kemal tried it once when a lady at work, Irma, made some that she served over chicken. Kemal said the sauce had chocolate in it, and surprisingly, Kemal said he liked the combination of chicken with a chocolate sauce.

Irma no longer works with us, but her brother, Theo, does, and apparently, he makes an excellent mole, but one that’s different from his sister, Irma’s.

When Gaby, a friend a work, found out I’ve been wanting to make mole, she told me about Theo’s mole which she said is excellent. She asked him what he put in his mole and how he made it. The recipe I got just had a list of ingredients (dried chipotle peppers, sesame seeds, raisins, star anise, cloves, water, and cinnamon). The instructions were kind of vague.

Gaby said Theo just boiled the peppers in water until they got soft. Then she said he toasted some raisins and sesame seeds. Then he added the peppers, anise, cloves, and cinnamon to the raisins and sesame seeds and let it simmer. That’s pretty much all I had to go by.

Anyway, even though the recipe was kind of vague, I didn’t have any problems making it, and my mole turned out great…even with the extra ingredients I added (tomatoes, chocolate, chicken broth, and tahini) to Theo’s recipe. Here’s a picture so you can see what my mole looked like served over chicken.

I’m glad I added the chocolate because it was exactly what it needed. You can barely feel the chocolate and you can barely detect any sweetness, but it definitely adds a wonderful flavor and helps reduce some of the heat.

This is a very hot sauce…so hot that it literally made Kemal’s head sweat when he was eating it this evening over chicken. He said he loved the sauce, and so did I…went great with a beer, by the way. Anyway,  if you don’t like hot peppers or hot/spicy foods, don’t make this unless you add a lot of extra ingredients to tame the heat. Or you could cut the peppers open and remove the seeds before you boil them. That would be another way to make the mole less hot.

Theo’s sister, Irma, had a LOT of chocolate in her mole, and I suspect it might have been because she didn’t like her mole as hot as Theo. But that’s just a guess.

Serve your mole over poultry.

Spanish rice and refried black beans go great with it. Some celery sticks with cream cream and tortillas and/or bread do that as well.

I had corn tortillas in the fridge, but I had just made a batch of lepinje, and neither one of us can resist bread right from the oven so we had that instead of tortillas.

Before I give you the recipe, I do want to mention that mole does take a good deal of time to make…1 1/2 to 2 hours. But it makes quite a bit, and whatever mole you don’t eat can be frozen and enjoyed on another day.

Anyway, here’s Theo’s mole recipe…with a Sheila twist.

Theo’s Mexican Mole

Recipe Adapted from: Theo…a really nice guy we work with at the restaurant

Ingredients:

• 1 three-ounce bag dried chipotle peppers (you can find them in a Mexican grocery store, but I purchased mine at Whole Foods)
• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 2/3 cup sesame seeds
• 1/4 cup tahini
• 1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 2/3 cup raisins
• 7 cups hot water (for boiling the peppers)
• 3/4 cups cold water
• 6 cherry tomatoes
• 1/4 tsp. anise seed, grounded
• 6 whole cloves
• 3 cinnamon sticks

Instructions:

• In a large pot over high heat, bring 7 cups of hot water and the dried chipotle peppers to a boil.
• Reduce the heat to between warm and low, cover with a lid, and simmer for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours until the peppers become soft.  Stir occasionally.
• Then drain the water off the peppers.
• Place the peppers on a cutting board to cool a little.
• While the peppers are cooling, toast/fry the raisins and sesame seeds uncovered on medium heat in a large frying pan (without any oil) until the raisins get soft and plump and the sesame seeds become fragrant. Set aside.
• After the peppers have cooled, cut the stems off them.
• Place the peppers in a blender, and then add the cherry tomatoes, 1/4 cup tahini, the toasted raisins and sesame seeds, 1/2 cup cold chicken broth, and 3/4 cups cold water.
• Puree all the ingredients until you have a smooth paste, and then transfer the mixture to a large saucepan.
• Add 1 cup of cold chicken broth, 1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, 6 whole cloves, and 2 cinnamon sticks.
• Turn the heat on low and simmer, stirring occasionally.
• While the mixture is simmering, use a mortar and pestle to grind the anise seeds, and then stir in the grounded seeds to the mixture.
• Simmer about 30 minutes.
• Remove the cinnamon sticks and cloves before serving.
• Serve the mole warm over chicken or turkey.
• Garnish with a few sesame seeds.

Of course, if you make your tahini from scratch it’ll take a lot longer, but instead of grinding sesame seeds into a paste, I just bought the tahini to save time. ... [read more]]]>

Of course, if you make your tahini from scratch it’ll take a lot longer, but instead of grinding sesame seeds into a paste, I just bought the tahini to save time.

Anyway, halva is made differently in different parts of the world. I made mine with both sunflower seeds and sesame seeds, but next time I plan to make pure sesame seed halva. Make yours however you like. Just use 1 1/3 cups of seeds/nuts…whatever variety you like.

My homemade halva doesn’t look like store bought halva. The syrup made from the honey, sugar, and lemon juice sunk to the bottom while the seeds came to the top. So unlike the store-bought confection, my halva has a layered look.

The consistency of my homemade halva is also somewhat different from store bought halva. The halva I made has the consistency of a soft caramel while store bought halva is kind of airy and melts on your tongue like cotton candy.

As far as taste is concerned, the halva I made tastes pretty much the same as the kind we buy in the store. It has such a beautiful flavor, and I’m quite happy with how it turned out.

What’s great is that it’ll keep in the refrigerator for a couple of months. We’re giving part of it away, so I’m quite sure we’ll be able to eat what’s left in no time.

Update: I made halva this morning with only sesame seeds. It was wonderful!!!

Making Halva

Recipe Source: Whole Foods Market

Sometimes we’d mix in a little butter but sometimes not.

Sometimes we’d just eat it from the spoon while other ... [read more]]]>

Sometimes we’d mix in a little butter but sometimes not.

Sometimes we’d just eat it from the spoon while other times we’d spread it on bread or crackers.

As sweet treats go, peanut butter and honey is pretty darned healthy, is very satisfying, and tastes like a million bucks!

Anyway, when I came across the recipe for these Earth balls which combine two of my favorite ingredients…peanut butter and honey…with chocolate, dried fruit, sesame seeds, and nuts…well…I knew I had to indulge myself…just like I do when I have peanut butter and honey as as snack.

Anyway, I’m so glad I made them because they’re knock-your-socks-off delectable!!

This is wonderful dessert to make with your kids. If you chop the walnuts, they can measure and mix all the ingredients, as well as make and roll the little balls. They’ll feel a sense of pride in making them…not to mention have a lot of fun.

I made just a small batch, but if you want to make a lot more, just click on Whole Foods Market recipe in the link below so you can see how much you need to make a larger batch.

No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Earth Balls

Recipe Source: Whole Foods Market

Instead of buying them at the store or your local bakery, try making them yourself. They’re fun to make and they sure do make your house smell good!!!

We were hardly waiting to devour them for dinner last night, and ... [read more]]]>

Instead of buying them at the store or your local bakery, try making them yourself. They’re fun to make and they sure do make your house smell good!!!

We were hardly waiting to devour them for dinner last night, and when we finally pulled them out of the oven, I smothered mine with butter while Kemal enjoyed his with goat cheese and tomatoes. Yummmmmmmm!!!!

Making “Everything” Bagels

Recipe Sources:

1)  www.themilkmanswife.com

2)  www.bakingbites.com

The cabbage ... [read more]]]>

The cabbage crunch that’s on Whole Foods’ salad bar doesn’t have tomatoes or grapes in it…that’s my addition…and the dressing they use is also different than what I put on mine. But I just love combining sweet and spicy which is why I add tomatoes and grapes and then use the Latin Lemonaise which gives it a bit of kick in terms of spiciness. But if you prefer a vinaigrette, mayonnaise, or some other salad dressing, go for it.

You’ll notice I didn’t put any measurements on my ingredient list, and that’s because when I make cabbage salads, I usually just dice, shred, sprinkle, and chop…throwing everything into a bowl without measuring, and then mixing it up. You can do the same.

The mixture you see in the photo below is shredded cabbage, cherry tomatoes, black grapes, green onions, poppy seeds, slivered almonds, flax seeds and the Latin Lemonaise.

Try it one day. Hope you enjoy every crunchy bite! I know I did!

Cabbage Crunch

Adapted from: Whole Foods Market

The recipe is also flexible and open, giving you the ability to mix and match ingredients based on your preferences and what you have available in your pantry at any given moment.

Don’t have almonds or maybe you don’t like them all that much? No problem. Use walnuts, hazelnuts, ... [read more]]]>

The recipe is also flexible and open, giving you the ability to mix and match ingredients based on your preferences and what you have available in your pantry at any given moment.

Don’t have almonds or maybe you don’t like them all that much? No problem. Use walnuts, hazelnuts, macademia nuts, pistachios, or cashews.

Don’t have flax seeds on hand? Throw in some pumpkin or poppy seeds instead.

Don’t have agave nectar in your pantry? Use molasses, honey, or maple syrup.

Don’t use safflower oil in your house? Try canola.

You’re not big on papaya? Use raisins, dried mangoes, or dried cranberries.

Add cinnamon if you want. Maybe use a rum extract instead of vanilla.

You get the idea. Change the recipe however you want.

Another perk is that your house will also smell like homemade oatmeal cookies, and that’s such a warm and inviting aroma, isn’t it. Who can resist!?

Even Kemal who’s never eaten the first bite of any kind of cereal in all the years I’ve known him was all over this granola as soon as it came out of the oven. He loved it and had some this morning with milk and honey! He’s even going to have some on sprinkled on some Greek yogurt tonight for dessert!

I keep asking myself why in the world I waited all these years to make my own granola!? But one thing’s for sure…I’m never buying it again! It’s SO much better than what you buy in the store!

And best of all, you will have made a wholesome breakfast for yourself or your loved ones, and when they enjoy your granola for breakfast, they’ll not only appreciate your efforts, but you’ll also feel a sense of satisfaction as well.

Homemade granola also makes a great homemade gift. Keep some for yourself, and then give some away to friends and family to enjoy. Trust me, they will!!

Making Homemade Granola

Adapted from: Willow Bird Baking