Crispy Potato Crust with Brown "Butter" Edamame

I had initially set out to make gnocchi but... Oh well!  I haven't been in the kitchen to try new, fun things in quite some time.  Without my kids here, I haven't been too motivated.

I'm recently back on a potato kick since getting chains and a rubber band for my braces.  Rice cakes just don't feel that great when you feel like your teeth are in a vice!

For the brown butter/margarine:

Put 1/2 cup Earth Balance in a small saucepan.  Cook on medium high heat stirring constantly until you achieve a golden brown color.  Remove from heat and set aside.

For the potato crust:

2 medium baked potatoes
2 tablespoons melted margarine
1/2-3/4 cup GF baking mix
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup water

Preheat oven to 450.


Peel your baked potaotes, place in a large bowl, and break apart with two forks.  Add the melted margarine.  Add the HALF salt and pepper and toss with the forks.  Repeat.  Add about 1/2 cup of GF baking mix and mix with your hands.  Add the rest of the baking mix and the water and mix again.

Press into a small cookie sheet.  Brush generously with brown butter.  Bake for 15 minutes or until golden.

I put more brown butter in my cooked edamame and ate on top of the potato crust.

Good stuff!

Jump on Fall Cauliflower

It's not really fall yet.  It's still pretty hot every darn day but who was craving soup?  Maybe it's because my mom sent Big D home with soup yesterday after picking up a futon for her.

Jen picked up a head of organic cauliflower for me this week.  I hadn't planned on making soup with it but I'm so glad I did!  Fresh cauliflower cooks in a flash compared to frozen and tastes a hella lotta better too!  Much sweeter tasting and didn't smell bad either!  What?!?

1/4 cup Earth Balance stick margarine
1/4 cup Bragg Liquid Aminos
One head of cauliflower, rinsed and cut into pieces
1 bag frozen, shelled edamame
Black pepper
3-4 cups water, or more depending on how much you need to cover

Melt margarine in a large pan with lid.  Add the Bragg Liquid Aminos, the veggies, and the pepper.

Cook over high heat until veggies are coated and you get a little color on them.  Add the water.  You want enough to cover nicely and something that will be like soup when it's done.  Reduce heat to low and cover.

Cool until veggies are tender.  This doesn't take long!  I was so happy to learn how quickly fresh cauliflower cooks!

You can add cooked rice, fresh spinach... Or eat just like this like I did.

So good!

One Banana. Two Banana.

Let's take the best of two recipes and make them one.  Got two really ripe bananas?  Then you've got breakfast!

Jennie made the topping and I made the muffins.  I'm sure going to miss these mornings when she's gone two weeks from now.

Muffins

2 cups GF baking mix
1/2 cup sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
Dash of salt
1 cup Very a Vanilla Soymilk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 mashed really ripe banana

Topping

1 mashed really ripe banana
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, or to taste

Stir the topping ingredients together and set aside.

Preheat oven to 400 and grease muffin tin.

Stir together the dry ingredients for the muffins.  Add the Soymilk, oil, and mashed banana.  Stir until everything is moist, stirring from the bottom of the bowl.  Spoon into your prepared muffin tin, filling each about 3/4 full.

Using the handle of a wooden spoon make a good well in the center of each muffin tin filled with batter.

Spoon a decent amount of topping into the wells you've made, not being afraid the have a pool of topping on top of each muffin.

Bake for 15 mimutes or until golden.

So, This Edamame Walks Into a Ball...

Jennie is off today!  And so am I!  She had the great idea to make edamame "meatballs" while we were home together.  There won't be many more of these before she goes back to school in a few weeks.  Teamwork is always a plus in the kitchen...  especially when trying something new.

24 ounces frozen edamame, cooked and drained

1 medium baked potato, peeled and cubed

2 tablespoons Earth Balance margarine

5 tablespoons Bragg Liquid Aminos

1/4 cup GF baking mix

Black pepper

Combine all the above ingredients in a food processor until you have a soft and still slightly sticky dough.

Lay out a piece of parchment paper.  Get a little bowl of GF baking mix to roll "meatballs" in before cooking.

Melt 1/2 cup Earth Balance stick margarine in a frying pan on low heat.  

Roll the dough by teaspoon full into little "meatballs".  Roll in baking mix and set onto the parchment paper.  Repeat until all the dough is used.

Turn the heat up on your pan with margarine to medium high.  Arrange the edamame balls in the pan and allow to brown. Flip with two spoons until browned on both sides.

Reduce heat and remove all the balls from the pan.  Add 3/4 cup of water and one tablespoon Bragg Liquid Aminos to the pan and deglaze.  Allow to boil and reduce a little bit.

Serve with pan gravy and enjoy on their own or with gluten free tortillas like Jen did.