Recipes Discovered

Mock Hollandaise Sauce Recipe

Seth and I usually go out to breakfast Sunday morning. And it seems that no matter where we go, Seth always ends up getting the Eggs Benedict. While he’s eating, he inevitable asks me why I never make Eggs Benedict and I always tell him the same thing – I cannot make Hollandaise Sauce. I’ve tried several recipes and several methods, including the blender one, and I just can’t get it to come out right. It always separates or curdles or something else goes wrong. I’ve tried the packets and they don’t taste very good. I recently found a recipe that doesn’t call for eggs and butter at all though. Instead, cream cheese and yogurt are blended together with Dijon mustard and lemon juice to create a “mock” Hollandaise sauce. We had a busy week so I figured it would be nice to surprise Seth with Eggs Benedict this morning.

The sauce is good. I don’t think you would fool anyone, especially since the sauce it white rather than yellow, but it has a good flavor and consistency. It went really well with the Eggs Benedict and because it has a little bit of a Dijon flavor, it would go great with any vegetable that calls for Hollandaise sauce, especially asparagus. It’s healthier than a traditional Hollandaise sauce but most of all, it’s just a lot simple to make!

Grilled Chicken with Peach and Apple Salsa Recipe

A friend of Seth’s from work gave him this recipe a few weeks and told him that it was the best grilled chicken he had ever had. Seth likes to grill (an understatement!) so he has been bugging me ever since to make it. The problem was that I couldn’t find peaches and I wasn’t going to use frozen ones for a fresh salsa. There were finally peaches in the grocery store this week, so we made the chicken tonight.

First the chicken. I mixed up the marinade of oil, white wine (I used a dry Riesling that went great with the peaches), lime juice, Worcestershire sauce and basil in a Ziploc bag and put the chicken in with it. It marinated a good two hours before we grilled it, and it was very juicy and flavorful. I could have eaten the chicken plain and I will probably use it for a marinade again, even if I don’t make the salsa. >> Read more

Fish Tacos with Chipotle Cream Recipe

Every since I had my first fish taco at Wahoo’s a few years ago, I have been addicted to them. I don’t know why I like them so much, but there is just something about the flavor of the fish with the Mexican flare that I love. I’ve had a lot of varieties, but when I make them at home, this is my favorite recipe.

For the Chipotle Cream sauce, I mix together yogurt, mayonnaise and chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. I usually drain the yogurt for a couple hours if I remember. Just put the yogurt in a paper towel and put it over a bowl in the refrigerator. It makes the sauce a little thicker. Chipotle peppers are smoked japepeno peppers and the adobo sauce is just a tomato based sauce with some seasonings. They are hot, but the yogurt really mellows them out, so don’t be afraid to make this. Just be careful when chopping the peppers (don’t touch your eyes).

For the fish, I mix olive oil, lime juice, salt and pepper with the fish (I usually use tilapia). I let it marinate about 20 minutes before I grill it over medium heat for a couple minutes on each side, just until it flakes with a fork. Then I cut the fish into large chunks and put it on a serving platter along with shredded cabbage (or somtimes lettuce), corn, lime wedges, and warmed tortillas. Seth liked his tacos with refried beans, so I usually make them as a side dish. For my taco, I top a tortilla with fish, chipotle cream, corn and cabbage and then squeeze lime juice over the whole thing. The taste is pure magic.

Lemon Ricotta Pancake Recipe

Strawberry Syrup Recipe

Last weekend when we went out for breakfast, I had Lemon Ricotta Pancakes. I had never heard of such a combination before and was very hesitant (it doesn’t really even sound good), but someone told me I had to try them. I’m glad I did because I think they were the best pancakes I’ve ever had. They were light, fluffy, super moist, and they had this amazing lemony flavor. The restaurant served the pancakes with fresh strawberries and a thick strawberry syrup, which was a perfect compliment. After eating them, I knew I had to try to make them myself.

I started with the strawberry syrup. I wanted something really simple that wouldn’t overpower the lemony flavor of the pancakes. I found a recipe that is just strawberries, lemon juice, and maple syrup, which I thought would be perfect. The recipe said to puree the strawberries, but I just mashed them with a hand masher and then heated them in a small saucepan. When they were warm, I added the lemon juice and maple syrup and let it cool a bit while I made the pancakes. >> Read more

Mango Chutney Recipe

I have been lucky enough to do quite a bit of traveling in the last couple years, and this had greatly expanded my culinary knowledge. Several months ago, while eating at an Indian restaurant, I was introduced to chutney. It was served with flat bread and the flavor was divine. Chutney is similar to jam or marmalade in texture and consistency, but it’s generally made with vinegar, onions, and spices along with fruit to make it savory and sweet. The most popular chutney seems to be mango, which is what I had, but it can be made with a wide variety of fruits. In India, a spicy chutney is traditionally served with curry, while a sweet chutney is served with bread and crackers. Sadly, there is a lack of Indian restaurants where I am now, and store bought chutney just isn’t the same. My solution to this way to make my own. >> Read more