Wendy

Wendy’s Mac and Cheese

August 21, 2020 by Wendy Leave a Comment

Summer goals quickly went from living abroad to perfecting my very own mac and cheese recipe. 2020, you gotta love it. I’m really picky with my mac, and although I’ve tried countless good recipes, I thought, the time has come. You now have the time to develop your own mac recipe exactly how you like it (extra creamy & cheesy, made with egg, spiced well) and after about 10 tries, I finally got it. I even got a few taste testers who wholeheartedly approved this recipe.

This recipe yields 6 servings. For those of you living alone or with one other person, you can freeze the mac into individual portions and easily reheat. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

What’s your secret to making the perfect mac?

Wendy's Mac and Cheese

Servings: 6

Ingredients

8 ounces of elbow macaroni, ~2 cups dry
1 tablespoon butter
12 ounces of evaporated milk
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon of paprika
1/4 teaspoon of black pepper
1/8 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
1 cup of shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded jack cheese
1/2 cup shredded gruyere cheese
1 egg, beaten
Optional: additional cheese for topping

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375F
Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil, and add the macaroni. Cook for 5 minutes, and drain water when done.
Add macaroni to a medium-sized baking dish and add the butter, allowing it to melt into macaroni as you mix it in. Set aside.
In a medium pot, bring the evaporated milk and whole milk to a simmer, and add the salt, spices, and cheeses. Simmer for 3-4 minutes over low heat, stirring frequently until all cheeses have melted. Taste and adjust for spices as needed.
Pour the cheese sauce onto the macaroni. Mix in well, and add the beaten egg. Continue to mix in well.
If you like your Mac extra cheesy, top with some more shredded cheese on top, and then pop into the oven for 20 minutes.
Once done, broil for 2-3 minutes, until the top layer is golden. Enjoy!

How to Master Cooking for One During the Pandemic w/ Klancy Miller

August 19, 2020 by Wendy Leave a Comment

Cooking for one during quarantine? We got you. Today we’ll be going over practical tips and tricks for making solo cooking more efficient and enjoyable. We’ll also be talking with Klancy Miller, who authored Cooking Solo: The Fun of Cooking for Yourself.

Klancy Miller is the founder of For the Culture: A Magazine Celebrating Black Women in Food and Wine. She is also author of Cooking Solo: The Fun of Cooking For Yourself. Klancy earned her diplôme de pâtisserie from Le Cordon Bleu Paris. She has appeared in The New York Times Food section, on Food Network’s Recipe for Success and the Cooking Channel’s Unique Sweets. She has written for The New York Times, The Washington Post, Food and Wine, Cherry Bombe, Bon Appétit, and Food 52.

In This Episode We’ll Cover:

How to minimize food waste when cooking for one
Ways to make solo cooking more enjoyable
Pro food storage tips to make the most out of your fridge
Ideal recipes for solo cooks
Ways to socially connect over cooking while social distancing & MORE!

Resources:

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Creamy Yuca Mash

August 15, 2020 by Wendy 2 Comments

For those of you who don’t know, yuca is a staple in many African and Caribbean dishes. It’s made mashed, fried, in soups, and also stews. Growing up in a Dominican household, we would make yuca all the time…in fritters, soups, mashed, or boiled. It’s one of my all time fave root vegetables so we thought it was the perfect all-star food to kick off Black History Month!

Yuca is known as cassava, tapioca, or manioc. Tapioca is actually just the yuca root dehydrated and ground into a powder to give you tapioca. Yuca is a tuber vegetable (like potatoes, jicama, or yams) that survives best in hot, tropical climates. It has a delicious creamy texture that makes it perfect for mashing. If you’ve never had yuca, it’s probably most comparable to a potato in flavor and in texture, but a little more heartier and fibrous. It is a good source of vitamin C, manganese, and fiber.

Many African dishes feature hearty vegetable stews and soups poured over grains or tuber vegetables. Yuca is often used as a base for these soups and stews. It is also often enjoyed as yuca fries (SO good!) If you’re looking to mix up your carbohydrate options, then yuca is a must try! If you’re in New York, you can find it in most markets. Otherwise, your local Caribbean, African, or Central/South American markets should have them!

Alright, enough talking- let’s get mashing! Cutting yuca can be a little tricky, and it took me a while to get my method down. I recommend getting a good knife, so that you’re not struggling to peel the skin off. Everyone has a different method of chopping up yuca, but here is a good video to get you started.

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A post shared by Wendy & Jess, RDs, CDEs (@foodheaven) on Jun 12, 2020 at 8:55am PDT

Start by bringing a large pot of salted water to a boil, and add the yuca chunks. Boil over high heat until the yuca is very tender, for about 30 minutes, with the lid on. Check in occasionally to make sure the water hasn’t dried out. If it has, add enough water to cover the yuca and continue boiling. At the end of cooking, the yuca should be super soft, and you should be able to easily put a fork through the chunks

Once done, add the yucca chunks to a bowl (don’t throw away the water yet!) Remove the fibrous stem from the center of the roots. Add 1/4 cup of the starchy water you cooked the yuca in, along with the butter to the same bowl, and get to mashing! You can use a pestle, potato masher, or whatever tool you like for mashing. If you want the yuca mash creamier, add more water. It’ll take a few minutes, and a good arm workout!

Mash in salt, to taste and enjoy as a side. In the Dominican Republic, we usually enjoy yuca with sautéed red onions. For the onion topping, we sautéd red onions with olive oil and red wine vinegar on medium heat for a few minutes.

This Creamy Yuca Mash is a great side dish for your favorite meals. Just pair with a protein and veggies to balance out that plate. How many of you eat yuca as a staple like we do?! What are your favorite yuca recipes?

Creamy Yuca Mash

Servings: 4

Ingredients

2 1/2 pounds of yuca root, chopped into 3” chunks and peeled
1/4 cup butter
Salt, to taste

Instructions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, and add the yuca chunks. Boil over high heat until the yuca is very tender, for about 30 minutes, with the lid on.
Check occasionally to make sure the water hasn't dried out. If it has, add enough water to cover the yuca and continue boiling
At the end of cooking, the yuca should be super soft, and you should be able to easily put a fork through the chunks
Once done, add the yuca chunks to a bowl (don't throw away the water yet!) Remove the fibrous stem from the center of the roots.
Add 1/4 cup of the starchy water you cooked the yuca in, along with the butter to the same bowl, and get to mashing! You can use a pestle, potato masher, or whatever tool you like for mashing. If you want the yuca mash creamier, add more water. It'll take a few minutes, and a good arm workout!
Mash in salt, to taste and enjoy as a side with sautéed red onions!

Recipe Notes

We sautéd our red onions with olive oil and red wine vinegar

Challah French Toast With All The Toppings

August 14, 2020 by Wendy Leave a Comment

Having a slow morning with this challah french toast topped w/ fresh berries, butter, lemon zest, maple syrup & whipped cream ? See below for my super simple French toast recipe! If you don’t want to make all the slices, save the remainder of the wet mix to dip the challah in throughout the week.⠀

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PS I have SO much challah and not sure what to do with it so lmk if y’all have any go-to ideas! ⠀

Challah French Toast With All The Toppings

Servings: 4

Ingredients

2 eggs⠀
⅓ cup milk⠀
1 tablespoon maple syrup⠀
½ teaspoon vanilla extract⠀
¼ teaspoon cinnamon⠀
Pinch of salt⠀
4 thick slices of challah, can use any sliced bread tho
Suggested toppings: maple syrup, fresh fruit, butter, whipped cream & and lemon zest⠀

Instructions

In a wide, shallow bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, syrup, vanilla, cinnamon and salt.
Butter a large skillet or pan, and dip each slice of challah into the mixture so that both sides are coated.
Cook over low-medium heat on the pan until both sides are golden, about 2-4 minutes on each side.
Enjoy with your favorite toppings!

Savory Braised Eggplant with Anchovies

August 14, 2020 by Wendy Leave a Comment

I’ve made this eggplant recipe twice this week and MY GAWD. Gotta share because it’s that good (and my friends keep bugging me for it) Eggplant haters, know, I know, eggplant is slimy, but I promise this one literally melts in your mouth like butter (in a non-slimy way ?) ⠀

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The secret ingredient is anchovies, which makes everything better. Some of my friends claim to hate anchovies, and I’m forever sliding them into recipes like this one and they’re always like whoa, what’s the secret ingredient? It’s anchovies. Give them a try LOL They’re perfectly salty and packed with flavor. I’ve enjoyed this dish with salmon/shrimp/rice noodles/rice..it can literally go with anything.

Savory Braised Eggplant with Anchovies

Servings: 4

Ingredients

1/4 cup sesame seed oil ⠀
6 cloves garlic minced⠀
4 anchovies packed in oil⠀
1 large eggplant chopped into 1” cubes ⠀
1 tablespoon soy sauce ⠀
1 1/2 teaspoons chili paste sambal oelek⠀
1/2 cup fresh basil ⠀

Instructions

In a large skillet, heat the oil and add the garlic and anchovies. Sauté for 2-3 minutes over low-medium heat, breaking apart the anchovies with a large spoon. ⠀
Add the eggplant and soy sauce, and cook with the lid on for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. ⠀
Add the chili paste and continue cooking for another 5 minutes. ⠀
Turn off the heat, add the fresh basil, and put the lid back on. Let the steam continue cooking the eggplant for another 5 minutes. Enjoy with noodles, rice & your other fave sides!

My Method For Perfectly Roasting Salmon

August 14, 2020 by Wendy Leave a Comment

Lunch date on the fire escape! Made perfectly roasted salmon with acorn squash & veggies w/ a red coconut curry sauce. What are your tips for making perfectly roasted salmon? ⠀⠀
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I pop mine in the oven at 475F for 5 minutes, and then broil for 1 minute. The result is salmon that’s tender (but not raw) on the inside & crispy on the outside! If you like yours a little more cooked or if the salmon is really thick, you can leave for another few minutes in the oven until cooked as you like. The salmon is paired with roasted vegetables and a savory coconut curry sauce inspired by Pinch of Yum!

See below for full recipe!

My Method For Perfectly Roasting Salmon

Servings: 2

Ingredients

1 acorn squash, seeds removed and cut into wedges⠀⠀
2 large zucchinis, sliced⠀⠀
2 tablespoons oil ⠀⠀
1 teaspoon soy sauce ⠀⠀
Black pepper ⠀⠀
2 salmon filets ⠀⠀
Juice of ½ lemon ½ lemon sliced⠀⠀
¼ teaspoon each of oregano, paprika, onion & garlic powder, & salt ⠀

For the sauce:

1 tablespoon coconut oil⠀⠀
3 cloves garlic minced⠀⠀
1 ” piece ginger minced ⠀⠀
1 can coconut milk⠀⠀
1 tablespoon of red curry paste⠀⠀
1 tablespoon fish sauce ⠀⠀
1 tablespoon maple syrup ⠀⠀
Cayenne pepper ⠀

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400F. Add the squash & veggies to a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Drizzle oil and soy sauce, massage in, and add black pepper.
Roast for 45-60 min, or until squash is tender. While that’s happening, add the salmon to a bowl and add lemon juice and spices. Massage in and set aside. ⠀⠀
Make the sauce by heating oil in a medium pot, and saute garlic and ginger.
Add coconut milk, curry paste, fish sauce, and maple syrup. Stir and simmer for 4-5 minutes. Add cayenne pepper to taste. ⠀⠀
Once veggies are done, remove from the baking sheet and serve into bowls.
Add the salmon on the baking sheet with the lemon slices, turn up the heat to 475F.
Bake salmon for 5 minutes, and broil for 1 minute. If you enjoy a little more cooked, roast or broil for another minute or two. Enjoy salmon over squash & vegetables and drizzle with the coconut sauce. Store remaining sauce for stews during the week or freeze for later use!