Fried Green Tomatoes
Yum! After picking up my final CSA box from Hope Farmer’s Market (Henry and I are off to Europe in a month and then straight to living in New York City afterward!), I decided to make one of my favorite appetizers. I used to order fried tomatoes (and the amazing nut loaf!) from The Good Knight, the best bar in all of Austin, but it sadly closed down, leaving me fried tomato-less— until now! I played around with different proportions and settled on the recipe below. This is so easy I shouldn’t even be posting a recipe of it. Enjoy!
Ingredients
3-5 hard, green tomatoes, sliced 1/4-1/2” thick
1/2 c milk alternative
1/2 c gf cornmeal
1/2 c gf flour mix (or something similar to 1/4 c sourghum, 1/8 c potato starch, 1/8 c garbanzo bean)
1/2 tsp salt
Fresh ground pepper
Place milk in a small bowl. In another small bowl, mix the flours, salt, and pepper.
Heat a skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add canola oil to cover the bottom of the pan. The oil is ready when little bubbles form after dipping a wooden spoon in it. Also, when you place the tomatoes in the skillet, they should crackle (but not pop— if it pops, turn the heat down a bit!).
Dip tomato slice in milk, then in flour mixture. Rub in flour so its covering the tomato well. Carefully place tomatoes in hot oil, one after the other, in order (so you flip ‘em in order!). After about 3 minutes, check the underside of your first tomato. When its nice and brown, start flipping them in order. Once you get back to the first one, they’ll be ready to come out. Drain them on a plate covered in a towel to soak up excess oil.
I made a dipping sauce out of 1/8 c Veganaise, 1/2 tsp dijon mustard, and 1/4 tsp red wine vingear. Henry hates mayo and ate his plain, but we both concurred that they were delicious!!!
(Source: popularculturemusic)
Bridget and Cody’s Wedding
This past weekend I had the privilege of making the wedding dessert for more wonderful friends: Bridget and Cody. They were married in beautiful weather in an intimate ceremony at Mercury Hall. Bridget had a yellow cake with raspberry purée and fresh fruit soaked in Grand Marnier, agave nectar, and orange juice between the layers and a whipped marscapone frosting. There were also cupcakes of the same cake and tiramisú cupcakes, as well. After a full day of baking and delivering the cake, I was happy to help celebrate their love with all of our friends. Congratulations Bridget and Cody!
Pink Quinoa Salad with Roasted Beets
Each time I pick up a new CSA box from Hope Farmer’s Market, I try to come up with a new way to use vegetables that keep showing up week after week. It’s beet season, and roasted beets with fennel have become overused to me, so I tried something new: adding beets to a basic quinoa and greens salad. I coupled it with creamy carrot soup, whose recipe for I’ll share with you later. I hope you enjoy this simple yet delicious meal!
Ingredients
3 large beets
1 c quinoa
1 head of greens (beet greens, chard, kale, spinach, etc.)
1/2 c sliced almonds
2 tsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
Preheat oven to 425°. Trim tails off beets and wrap in foil. Roast for 45-60 min, depending on beet size. Beets should pierce easily with fork when done. Let rest on counter until cooled; peel skin off and slice into 1/4” pieces.
Prepare quinoa in a small pan with one cup of water. On high heat, let boil. Immediately turn heat to low and cover. Allow to cook for 20 minutes. Place cooked quinoa in a large bowl.
Wash and chop greens. Place 2 Tbsp water In a small frying pan. When boiling, add greens and cover with lid, allowing greens to steam for 2 minutes. When finished, drain greens, rinse with cool water, then press to get out excess water. Add greens to quinoa bowl.
Dry off frying pan and add sliced almonds. Toast nuts over medium heat; add to bowl when finished. Add oil and garlic to pan, sautéing until just brown. Turn off heat. Add garlic and beets to quinoa bowl. Stir until all ingredients are fully incorporated. Season with salt and chopped fennel fronds, if you have it.
Emilie and Danny’s Wedding
I was so excited to be asked to bake the wedding treats for a dear friend of mine this weekend. Emilie Rupp and Danny Skinner were married yesterday, April 13, at the Dallas Arboretum. The 120 cupcakes traveled the four hour drive from Austin well, and I’m happy to say everything went smoothly! Congratulations Emilie and Danny!
Emilie had red velvet, tiramisú, and vanilla with handmade sugar roses for her wedding cupcakes.
