Pecan Coffee Cake

I used to watch a lot of Friends episodes during high school. As I mentioned in my first post, I started a cooking club in high school. I often used themes and one of them was Friends. We each made a recipe out of this sweet Friends Cookbook I found online. I believe the dish I made was Mr. Geller's Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes which is delicious, by the way. We watched some of our favorite episodes, enjoyed each other's dishes, and played a Friends trivia game. It was a blast! 

I found this in my Friends Cookbook

I was looking for a recipe for a good crumby cinnamon coffeecake and I remembered the Central Perk section in this cookbook with loads of pastries and coffee shop delicacies. I'm glad I found this recipe. It was a huge it. I brought it to a mid-morning women's Bible study and they  raved over it. I was even asked to post the recipe. So here it is. Finally ;) 

Pecan Coffee Cake

Pecan Topping

1/2 C. firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 C. finely chopped pecans 

2 T. flour

1 t. ground cinnamon

2 T. unsalted butter, softened (I used regular vegan margarine and omitted the salt in the coffee cake)

Coffee Cake

8 T.(1 stick) unsalted butter, softened (or vegan margarine)

1 C. firmly packed brown sugar

2 large eggs (I used Ener-G egg replacer)

1 1/2 C. flour

1 1/2 t. baking powder

1/2 t. salt (omit if using salted butter)

1/2 C. milk (I used soy)

Preheat oven to 375˚F. Grease a 9" square cake pan and set aside.

Mix the topping ingredients with your fingers or a fork until the butter is cut into very small pieces and coated with sugar and nuts. Set the mixture aside.

Cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Add the eggs and beat until the batter is smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. 

Stir the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a small bowl. Add the dry ingredients to the batter alternately with some of the milk. Mix until the batter is smooth. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle evenly with the reserved topping. 

Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the ake comes out clean and the edges begin to pull away from the sides of the pan, about 30 minutes. Cool pan briefly on a rack. Cut the cake into squares and serve warm.  

This was very easy to throw together. I had all the ingredients on hand and it seemed like in no time it was out of the oven and soon to be devoured. 

Yum yum. Give it a try yourself.

Chef Teebs

Chickpea Saute with Greek Yogurt (vegan option)

You would be shocked if you saw the amount of cookbooks I have. I have a huge cabinet in the spare bedroom loaded with em! For Christmas last year, my mom got me Yotam Ottolenghi's cookbook, Plenty. I've been going through it this past week and tagging recipe's to make soon. Why waste any time? I decided to try his chickpea saute recipe that sounded delicious and not too complicated. Plus I had some kale in the fridge. Unfortunately a lot of his recipes include eggs, cheese, butter, and oils. But they can be easily altered. Not sure if you remember, but a little while back I made a pita recipe with za'atar. You can find the recipe here. I've been craving it for a couple weeks now and thought it would complement this dish very well, which it did. This dish is perfect with any grain. I served it with brown rice tossed with chopped cilantro, sumac, a little oil, salt & pepper. 

Chickpea Saute with Greek Yogurt


3/4 lb. Swiss Chard (I used kale)
1/3 C. olive oil
4 medium carrots, peeled & cut into 3/8" dice
1 t. caraway seeds
1 1/2 C. freshly cooked chick peas (or canned)
1-2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 T. chopped mint
1 T. chopped cilantro
1 T. lemon juice
salt & pepper
1/2 C. greek yogurt (I used coconut milk)
1 T. olive oil


Separate the chard stalks from the leaves. Blanch the stalks in plenty of boiling salted water for 3 minutes. Add the leaves and continue cooking for 2 minutes. Then drain everything. Refresh under cold running water and squeeze dry, then chop roughly. 

 Heat up the olive oil in a large, heavy saucepan. Add the carrots and caraway seeds and saute for 5 minutes on medium heat. Add the chard and chickpeas and continue cooking for 6 minutes. Now add the garlic, herbs, lemon juice and some salt & pepper. Remove from the heat and cool down a little. Taste and adjust the seasoning. 

 To serve, mix together the yogurt (or coconut milk), olive oil, and some salt & pepper. Pile the vegetables on serving dishes and spoon the yogurt on top. Sprinkle with freshly ground pepper and drizzle over more olive oil, if desired. 

 This recipe is very good. There are several steps before throwing the dish together, but once you get everything chopped, kale blanched & pat dried, and rice ready, you can have the meal ready in minutes. Of course, I enjoyed the za'atar again. I made extra this time to store in my spices. The toasted sesame seeds taste so good with the hummus. 

My mom bought some dates recently to make raw brownies. They were so addicting! Really good texture and nice to know they are pretty healthy. Well, tomorrow my sister and I are making my mom a special Mother's Day Lunch since I had to work all weekend. The menu is as follows:
  * Vegetable sandwiches with avocado, thinly sliced zucchini, bell peppers, carrots, cucumber, lettuce and mustard on wheat bread
  * Summer salad: fresh, crunchy greens with fresh mango slices and raspberries, toasted nuts, drizzled with a light berry vinaigrette 
  * Refreshing iced tea, unsweetened
  * and a sunrise dessert from my sister

Goodnight dear friends,

Chef Teebs

Mango and Avocado Salsa with Tempeh Fajitas

My sister and 3 year-old nephew often come over.  Ko plays and plays while one, two, or all of us women (sister, mom and I), are working in the kitchen. Well today we were craving mexican food. Tempeh fajitas was sounding pretty delicious. This recipe is the best! I wrote a post about it last November. On the kitchen counter laid a perfectly tender mango and avocado. Hmm.. Sounds like a great time to try this Mango and Avocado Salsa recipe I found in Everyday Food magazine. 
About 4 hours before dinner, I prepared the marinade for the tempeh and let it sit at room temperature to soak up the yummy pineapple, soy sauce, garlic... goodness. It was well worth it. I've never let it sit quite that long before and it made a huge difference. It was so richly flavored. Yum. 

Alright, time to put this dish together! 
First I roasted 2-3 bell peppers in the oven according to these directions. Slice the peppers into strips after they cool and place in a small bowl. 
I cooked 1 sliced onion in a sauce pan with a little oil until caramelized. Place in a small bowl. 
Now time to whip up this amazing salsa.
Here's the recipe.

Mango and Avocado Salsa

1 avocado, halved, pitted, peeled and diced medium
1 ripe mango, peeled, pitted, and diced medium
1 small red onion, diced small
1/4 C. finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1/2 - 1 habanero chile (stem & seeds removed), minced
2 T. fresh lime juice
1 T. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 t. coarse salt

In a bowl, combine all ingredients. 
Makes 3 cups. 

Warm/toast the shells according to package directions, or however you like them. 
To assemble, place a few strips of cooked tempeh, a forkful of onions, a forkful of sliced roasted peppers, and a heaping scoop of mango & avocado salsa. Yum.
Thank You Jesus!

 Oh, and if you are anything like my family, don't forget to sprinkle cilantro and lime on top;) 
We all loved loved loved this salsa. It was so delicious along with the pineapple-infused tempeh, caramelized onions, and peppers. I'm sure you could be creative and use this on many dishes. But this was definitely a hit! I highly recommend it.

I've been on a search for a recipe for a specific kind of mexican rice. I didn't bother to post the recipe I used because it was a failure. Anyone know of a good one?

 Over and out,

Chef Teebs

Quinoa Bowl with Roasted Vegetables, Steamed Broccoli and Edamame

Busy schedules call for help in the kitchen. My mom and I planned the meal together. She's made rice bowls before. It's such a great idea. You pick your grain, vegetables, cooking methods, and a sauce. You could add marinated tofu or tempeh. It's a perfect time to get creative. Go by color. Make it pretty. Go to the farmer's market and shop for vibrant vegetables. Try something new. Then look for a tasty sauce online, make one up or use one you know you like. You can top the dish with toasted seeds, nuts, nutritional yeast, or cheese. Or even add cranberries or dried cherries... Tonight we decided to make a tahini dressing. I followed the recipe from this post, but added a little peanut butter to make up for the lack of tahini on hand. Here's how we did the rest...

Quinoa Bowl with Roasted Vegetables, Steamed Broccoli & Edamame
   serves 4

1 C. Quinoa, cook according to pkg directions or follow these great tips
Vegetables, cut in bite-size pieces (such as 2-3 small zucchini or squash, 2 carrots, 2 bell peppers, green onion, 1 eggplant, etc.)
olive oil, salt & pepper
1-2 small crowns of broccoli, cut in 3" pieces and steamed
1 C. frozen edamame, boil in water about 5 minutes.
Tahini dressing, recipe here

Preheat oven 400 degrees. 
Line a baking sheet with foil and toss vegetables in a little olive or coconut oil with a dash of salt & pepper. Spread out evenly on pan and bake for 20-25 minutes, flipping vegetables halfway through, until lightly caramelized and tender. Set aside.

While vegetables are cooking, prepare quinoa, steam broccoli, make tahini dressing, and heat up edamame. 

To assemble, set out 4 bowls. Distribute quinoa evenly between bowls. Distribute vegetables on top by placing a small pile of broccoli on one 3rd, a pile of veggies on the next 3rd, and the final 3rd place a pile of edamame. Drizzle with a little tahini dressing. Fill a small pitcher with the leftover dressing and place on table to allow guests to add more as needed. 

This meal is delicious served with fresh crusty warmed bread and a dab of butter. You can also serve a bowl of fresh cut-up fruit with this dish. Is your mouth watering yet?

Well, I'm off to other things..

May God bless you,

Chef Teebs

Black Bean, Corn & Zucchini enchiladas

On a drizzly dreary day I don't feel much like getting out. Better yet, get out of bed! I actually had to work so I had no choice. But I find days like these to be a perfect time to get creative, looking through cupboards, cabinets and the vegetable drawer.. for something to inspire a delicious meal. One of the recipes I've had put aside in my spring folder is Black Bean, Corn, & Zucchini Enchiladas from Cooking Light magazine.. it was looking to me like this may be the night to make it. 
I've tried chili covered, cheddar-cheese, cream cheese-filled and even a recipe for butternut squash enchiladas. This recipe was something new and different. 

Black Bean, Corn, & Zucchini Enchiladas

1 t. canola oil
2 C. zucchini, diced (I used yellow squash also)
1 10-oz. pkg frozen whole-kernel corn
1 15-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
3 C. Enchilada Sauce, divided (recipe below)
Cooking Spray
8 8" whole wheat tortillas (I used 12 corn tortillas)
2 C. shredded vegan cheddar cheese, divided
(I also used 1/2 red bell pepper, diced)

Preheat oven 350.
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add zucchini and corn (and bell pepper, if using); saute for 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Remove from heat, and stir in beans. 

If you would like, warm tortillas either by toasted in a warm oven until softened or on each side over a burner on the stove. 
Spread 1 C. Enchilada Sauce in the bottom of a 13x9" baking dish coated with cooking spray. Spoon about 1/2 C. zucchini mixture down center of 1 tortilla; sprinkle with 2 T. cheese and roll up. Place seam-side down in baking dish. Repeat procedure with remaining tortillas, zucchini mixture, and cheese. Spread 2 C. sauce evenly over enchiladas.

 Cover with foil; bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Uncover; top with remaining 1 C. cheese. Bake, uncovered, for 10 minutes or until cheese melts. 

Enchilada Sauce:

1 t. canola oil
1/2 C. diced red onion
1 t. minced garlic
1/2 C. vegetable broth
1 T. chili powder
1 T. honey (or agave nectar)
1 t. ground cumin
1/2 t. salt
1 28-oz. can crushed tomatoes, drained

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; saute 5 minutes or until onion is tender. Stir in broth and remaining ingredients. Reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes. (Makes 3 cups, serving size about 1/3 C.)

We enjoyed these enchiladas very much. I served them with guacamole and rice, made by my lovely sister. And of course, as always, served with a lime wedge, fresh, chopped cilantro and hot sauce. Another successful recipe. Thank you Cooking Light!


Chef Teebs