Category Archives: Sidekicks

Saucy

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I’m so sick of the typical red sauce in pasta dishes. Legit I get acidity these days from eating too many tomato based sauces so I figured I would try and mix it up in case anyone else out there is just as over it as me. I wanted to do an alfredo like sauce but hopefully keep it figure friendly as well. Luckily there are so many skinny variations out there in the world wide web and I found this yummy cauliflower based one! I legit roast cauliflower on the reg and even make the Indian sabzi version of it all the time so now thatI can utilize it in one more way is #winning in itself. Anyway, next carb craving try this sauce over marinara and don’t tell me if your pasta doesn’t sing!

  • 1 medium head of cauliflower (approx. 450g)
  • 1 large yellow onion
  • 2 cloves of garlic (ok I did 3 obvi)
  • 1 tbsp. of butter
  • 5 cups or 1.2 L of broth (chicken is what I did but vegetable is fine)
  • 3/4 cup of milk (or almond milk)
  • 1/2 tsp of salt (I added a pinch of black pep too).

Cut the onion & garlic into thin slices and sauté in butter for about 20 minutes or until caramelized. Boil the cut up cauliflower florets until tender in the broth (Save a 1/2 to 3/4 cup for the sauce) . Combine milk, broth, cauliflower, and veggies and blend until smooth. I added a tbsp. of grated pecorino romano because sauce should have cheese IMO.

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FYI makes about 3 cups of sauce.

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Tip: If sauce is too thick, loosen with broth when reheating.

Happy Eating, XO

Goat Cheese & Chive Smashed Potatoes

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For some reason I’ve always shied away from making mashed potatoes. They seemed too daunting – would I mash them enough? Would they be too dry?! There also was that one time I tried putting them in my mixer and covered our new kitchen in potatoes…

It wasn’t until I tried goat cheese and chive smashed potatoes at Bobby Flay’s Bar Americain that I knew I had to get over my fear. These were the best damn mashed, smashed, potatoes I’ve ever had. I needed them in my life. The good news is, with smashed potatoes you don’t have to worry about them being “perfectly whipped”. You want a little chunkiness in them. Which means you don’t need to use your mixer, just your muscles. Which also means you don’t need to spend hours wiping milk and potatoes from your ceiling.

  • 4-5 medium russet potatoes, skinned and diced
  • 1/4 cup chives, chopped
  • 1/4 cup goat cheese
  • 1 tsp salt
  • Dash of pepper

Boil the potatoes in a large pot for roughly 20 minutes, until soft. Drain water and place potatoes back in the pot. Begin to “smash” the potatoes with a wooden spoon, smasher, or I even used this pastry blender. Not what it’s intended for, but still does the job. Once chunky, add in the chives, goat cheese, salt and pepper. Stir until fully combined. These also make great leftovers. When ready to heat, crank the oven to 350 degrees and bake for 20 minutes.

Goat Cheese & Chive Smashed Potatoes_damndelish

 

Happy Eating, XO.

3 Ingredient Blueberry Chia Jam

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A little while back, one of my co-workers brought in chia seeds. I tried them, but I can’t say I was a fan of them in just plan ol’ water. They’re too, slimy, if you will.

However, I did some research and found out just how healthy they are for you. Not only do they provide a ton of energy, they’re full of antioxidants, and they help you feel full longer. (Read all of the healthy details here.) So, now that you’re an expert in chia seeds, you can see why these tiny energizers are perfect to start your morning off with. We’ve put together a simple 3 ingredient recipe for a jam that you can use on toast, waffles, or to sweeten up plain yogurt.

  • 3 cups blueberries
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup
  • 3 tbsp chia seeds

In a small saucepan over medium heat, add the blueberries and maple syrup. Give it a stir every few minutes. You’ll notice the blueberries start to “melt”. Add in the chia seeds and stir until fully combined. You can store this in a jar for up to 2 weeks in the fridge.

Blueberry Chia Jam_damndelish

Happy Eating, XO.

Asparagus Tart

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I wanted to pay homage to this amazing caramelized onion tartlet I had at a French restaurant (shout out to Benoit on the West side of Manhattan) with my boyfriend’s parents. Having said that I wanted something a tad quicker than having to sauté onions in wads of butter before hand. This is the perfect balance of that French decadence with the American need for quickness. I paired it with a seared sirloin and it just amped up the fancyness of the meal. Lovely side if you are ever looking for inspiration, hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

  • 1 sheet of frozen puff pastry
  • 2 cups of shredded Gruyere (I did a blend of caramelized onion cheddar from Trader Joe’s and Gruyere)
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • Salt & pepper to taste (I used truffle salt, again to amp up the bougie but also because Jess got me some for Christmas and what a better way to use it!)
  • 1.5 lbs. of thick or medium asparagus (the skinny stuff will just wilt)

The oven is at 400 degrees, bake the pastry on its own for 15 min. Remove from oven and then add shredded cheese. Trim the bottoms of the asparagus spears so they fit cross wise inside the tart shell. Arrange in a single layer over the Gruyere, alternating ends and tips. Brush with the olive oil & sprinkle the s&p. Bake for about 20-25 min until the spears are tender.

Happy Eating, XO.

#TBT Crab Dip

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Jess and I got to celebrate new years together, it was such a blast-check out some of our photos on @Damndelish‘s Instagram page. Anyway, my boyfriend had requested I make crab dip as one of the appetizers. First of all, I was appalled he requested something (ok I know I should be touched that he loves my cooking enough to be more excited for my dip than the platter of shrimp cocktail I picked up from DiBruno Brothers, however getting back to my true emotion of initial annoyance-how dare he not request something from our amazing apps section on the blog?!) We have a plethora of yummy party foods and he choses something I have never even attempted making before? What’s so wrong with my crab stuffed mushroom caps that you need a crab dip? (ha I know what you are all thinking, BBC-bitches be cray!) and perhaps I was being cray, but I went hunting for ideas to please the man nonetheless and it came out fab! Below are the deets on the Dip-aliciousness. (that’s right I’m no longer mad at him and am creating words because it was so yummy)

  • 1/2 lb. of jumbo lump crab meat (free of shells, also I have said this before, perhaps in the crab cake post, but PLEASE do not use imitation crab or claw meat or any other BULLSHIT. Great recipes start with quality ingredients, k thanks rant over.)
  • 1 (8 oz) package of cream cheese (feel free to do a savory flavored one to amp this recipe up, but plain works as well)
  • 1/2 cup mayo
  • 1/4 cup grated parmesan
  • 3 tbsp. minced green onions (use both green & white, don’t discriminate)
  • 2 large cloves of garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons of lemon juice
  • 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
  • salt, pepper, and hot sauce to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon of old bay seasoning (PS I did 1 tsp.)
  • Optional: I sprinkled some shredded Mexican cheese as a layer on top

Preheat oven to 325 degrees, bake the dip after combining all ingredients (gently, by hand, you don’t want to break up crab to un-tasteable pieces) for 35-40 minutes until golden on top. Serve hot with brioche toast, crackers, or veggies.

Oh also cool your jets kids, OUR BIRTHDAYS ARE TOMORROWWW!!! Best. Day. Ever.

Happy Eating, XO.