week #23 - shredded green beans with lemon lime zest and snipped chives from 'super natural every day' by heidi swanson

we're back from nyc, and i'll be sure to do a full recap of all the eats we managed to cram into 12 days of adventure and excitement!  we had a list about a mile long of restaurants we wanted to eat at while we were there, and we managed to hit up all of them!

now that we're back, all i want are kale salads, smoothies, green juice and big grain bowls, but since we still have company in town, those seem to have been less of a priority as of yet.  tonight for example is a full on father's day bbq feast, including these award winning ribs, creamy cole slaw, grilled corn on the cob, and pecan pie squares ala mode, all put together by the chef, which is a guarantee for good eats!

once we're back on the bandwagon, cookbooks like super natural everyday will be a savior, as veggie heavy, easy to throw together recipes are the mantra of summer around here, since this fair city of ours is known for it's heat waves, and this big ole' house of ours isn't known for it's air conditioning.

i've had super natural cooking since the day it came out, and it`s the kind of book that wants you to not only eat better, but live better in general.  heidi`s life is totally fascinating, and awe-inspiring, and her recipes are obviously inspired by experiences in her life.  in the past, i have made numerous recipes from this book, including the espresso banana muffins, do-it-yourself-power bars, and chunky lentil soup.

while some of the recipes are even a little bit hippie for me, there`s some that are so simple that they could easily become staples in anybody`s dinner rotation.  the shredded green beans with lemon lime zest and snipped chives for example, are a fresh take on a regular summer side dish in our kitchen.

i know that it sounds silly, but the thing i remember most about this recipe (having made it a few weeks ago) is thinking to myself that shredding the green beans for a side dish (as opposed to for a salad, like i typically would) was such a novel idea.  so much easier to eat, as they are already cut up for you, so you don't have to cut them, or clumsily shove 4" lengths of green beans into your mouth (not that it's an issue for me, as i have the world's largest mouth, i swear it!)

the recipe couldn't get simpler.  shred the beans, steam the beans, toss with olive oil, zest and chives, and eat!

we had  the beans on the side of the pot roast meatloaf from week #20, and man while each dish was stand alone delicious, when you mixed it all up together it was serious business.

my brother donated some sprouted bean seedlings for our garden, and i am quite excited to make this dish again with our very own home-grown beans!

week #22 - compost cookies from 'momofuku milk bar'

even though today is the day we return from sauntering through the mean streets of Manhattan, i figured i may need a day or two to come down from the high of our trip, therefore i am bringing you one more new york themed cookbook challenge post, enjoy!

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the restaurant i am probably most excited to eat at while in new york, is (any of the various family members at) momofuku.  i am totally enamoured with david chang, and am fascinated by the way he has tilted the food world on it's axis. he is everywhere, and rightfully so, as his food genius is palpable.  while in new york, we have reservations at ma peche, and will also be checking out noodle bar.  he has recently opened up shop in toronto, which makes looking forward to our next trip out east way more exciting!  thankfully, it won't be hard to happen into milk bar, as there is various locations to choose from, and cereal milk, crack pie, and numerous flavours of soft serve will all finally be mine!

although i rarely use my momofuku milk bar cookbook, it will be cherished by me, always.

christina tosi has a childlike, playful, almost dirty way of going about dessert, which is right up my alley.  she takes desserts that may otherwise be considered trailer trash level, and amplifies them with scientific methods and proper ingredients.  in choosing a recipe for this week's post, i went straight for crack pie, since i've been reading other bloggers scream from the rooftops about it for years.  the thing is, baking a crack pie with just the chef and i in the house, with no other groceries in the fridge while prepping for vacation is just not a good idea, so i went with something that was easily sampled, and passed onto the chef's ever generous dog-sitting aunt and cousin!  not to mention, the treats are called compost cookies, and the hippie in me was totally satisfied by this fact.

 

asides from the fame of these cookies, the ingredients are enough to entice anyone to make them.  not only are the standards such as chocolate chips, oats, and butterscotch buttons included, but so are potato chips, ground coffee, and pretzels - some of the best snacks out there, all crammed into one amazing little vessel of gluttony.

technically speaking, tosi explains that her cookie secret involves a 'ten minute cream' process, promising that it will result in crispy edges, and chewy centres.  the recipe otherwise, is a pretty standard cookie, with momofuku flair, of course.

the cookies are different, yet totally comforting.  they are in fact, crispy edged, and chewy centred.  each bite is the same, with the coffee and butterscotch being prevalent, yet you get snippets of interest in every individual bite, as the potato chips, pretzels and chocolate pop in to visit.  i'm a big fan of cookies that include both white and brown sugars, and these don't disappoint in this respect.  if you use a 2.5 ounce scoop as she suggests, they make some pretty large cookies (about 5 inches across), and i can imagine that a smaller cookie would be nice as they may be slightly chewier.  there's no faults in this recipe, nor in the end result...i am a big fan of these cookies!

i cannot wait to taste one of the real deal!

food bloggers of canada

**update**
the post below was supposed to go up this coming friday, but they had to do a switcheroo and ended up featuring me last friday.  whoops!  better later than never!
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exciting news, folks!

whilst i'm gallivanting through the streets of brooklyn, food bloggers of canada has decided to showcase the food as a featured member!

i'm super honoured, and in good company for sure, so go check it out!

see ya in a new york minute!