Chocolate Mousse

September 24, 2012September 23, 2012 / pumpkinhoney / 1 Comment

Chocolate Mousse is decadent. Light. Airy. Creamy.

Chocolate Mousse is one seriously perfect dessert.

Chocolate-lovers & mere chocolate-likers alike will want more.

I finally found a recipe that was true to tradition.

And easy.

With only 4 ingredient, really.

Chocolate, water, sugar & eggs.

Thank you, Frugal Feeding.

Now, for the goods….

Don’t you just want to stick that spoon in your mouth?

The mousse on the spoon magically disappeared…

Into my mouth.

Note: Be sure to use high quality DARK chocolate for the best results. I used an additional 2 tablespoons of sugar & my mousse was, in my opinion, the perfect sweetness.

Click here for Frugal Feeding’s Chocolate Mousse recipe.

Sweet Potato, Pinto Bean, Tomatillo Tacos w/ Chipotle Slaw & Cilantro Chimichurri

September 6, 2012 / pumpkinhoney / Leave a comment

It’s a mouthful because they’re a mouthful. These tacos were inspired.

Inspired by Paladar Latin Kitchen. And man. Are. They. Good.

I mentioned that my Aunt Julia gave me a wonderful gift on the day of my brother’s wedding… didn’t I? A tortilla press!!! We’ve already made tortillas with them several times, as tacos are one of my all-time favorite eats. And I can say that it was definitely easier to use than trying to smush the tortillas into flat discs with a pyrex pan. Tortillas are absolutely worth making homemade. Especially if you love tacos.

Sweet Potato, Pinto Bean, Tomatillo Tacos w/ Chipotle Slaw & Cilantro Chimichurri

Makes 12 Tacos

Tortillas:

We make our own using Masa (Maseca), water, & salt. We follow the recipe on the back of the Maseca bag & always end up adding a little additional water to feel. You dry fry them in a skillet on high heat for a few seconds on each side. I personally like to add a little oil for a touched of fried flavor.

Filling:

2 Cans Pinto Beans
1 Clove Garlic, minced
1 Tbsp Chili Powder
1 1/2 Large Sweet Potatoes
2 Tsp Cinnamon
2 Tsp Cumin
Olive Oil

Cut sweet potato into small 1/2 – 1 inch squares. Toss with cinnamon, cumin & olive oil. Roast on a baking sheet at 450F for about 30 minutes, flipping once or twice.

In a medium saucepan, sautee garlic just slightly before adding the pinto beans & chili powder. Heat over medium-low. You may want to add a bit of water so they don’t dry while preparing the other ingredients.

Chunky Tomatillo Salsa:

7 Medium Tomatillos, diced
1/4 Red Onion, fine diced
1 Clove Garlic, minced
1 Jalapeño, minced
Juice of 1 Lime
Salt & Pepper

Combine the diced tomatillo, onion, garlic & jalapeño. Toss in lime juice & sprinkle with salt & pepper.

Chipotle Slaw:

1 Head of Cabbage, finely shredded
1/4 Cup Veganaise
Juice of 1 Lime
2 – 3 Chipotles from canned chipotles in adobo, minced
1 Tbsp Adobo Sauce, from can

Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl & toss to coat thoroughly. You can make the sauce separately first but it’s not a necessary step.

Cilantro Chimichurri:

1 Bunch Cilantro
2 Cloves of Garlic
1 Jalapeños
Juice of 1 Lime
1/4 Tsp Red Pepper Flakes
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1/2 Tsp Salt

Add all ingredients to a blender or food processor. Puree.

I like to layer them with the sweet potatoes on the bottom, then the pinto beans. Top the filling with the chipotle slaw, spoon on some chunky tomatillo salsa then bathe the top with that cilantro chimichurri. Now, DIG IN. And Enjoy : )

These tacos are NOMLICIOUS. They are definitely ingredient intense but they are SO worth it. I don’t know if I could choose a favorite food or cuisine but I know I’d find it REALLY hard to live without Mexican/Latin food (it was pretty hard going 4 months in Germany with no decent Mexican, although the awesome Italian restaurant we frequented nearly made up for it).

What is your favorite cuisine? Do you love tacos as much as I do? Haha, of course you don’t. That was a silly question.

*I actually made these tacos at the beginning of the summer. Wow, did it take me a long time to post these. I promise it won’t take as long to make them as it took for me to post them!

Enjoy the last bits of summer as we move into Fall! Personally, I can’t wait! Although, I could definitely do without the darker days.

Mexican Chocolate Ice Cream

June 30, 2012 / pumpkinhoney / 12 Comments

Continuing on my obsessive Rick Bayless kick…

(Okay, it’s really more of a Mexican food kick.)

And inspired by the ridiculous humidity here…

I give you….

Mexican Chocolate Ice Cream. Oh. Yes.

I started seeing a lot of homemade ice cream recipes on Foodgawker months ago. People were obviously getting ready for summer early & had no self-control. Typical 🙂

From tropical sorbets to creamy, decadent peanut butter & chocolate combinations… everyone was making their ice cream at home. Still are… I think. So, naturally, I wanted in too. And I made a wonderful, albeit not very creamy, lemon-coconut ice cream (more like sorbet). It was very delicious but I used light coconut milk, despite all the information that said FULL fat and it wasn’t exactly creamy ice cream texture. We still ate it all. In April. In State College. It was still cold outside.

This Mexican Chocolate Ice Cream is like WHAM, full-on Mexican Chocolate flavor. It’s creamy and delicious. You can taste the cinnamon in the background & the kahlua emphasizes the powerful chocolate flavor. You can use ordinary chocolate, but the flavor profile will definitely be different. If you can find Mexican Chocolate (like Ibarra) I recommend you use it, at least in part. This would be delicious with any good quality chocolate. I mean, honestly, it would be good with any chocolate!