Beet Burger

I like to test out different eating styles just to see how my body reacts to them. Recently I decided to give up meat and dairy and gluten. Self torture is one thing, but implementing food limitations on other household members is a whole different story.

Mealtimes have become interesting at our house. For the most part, I create dishes that Dave can easily add cheese too, and in some cases meat. I also created a large batch of homemade buns that I put in the freezer for handy additions to his portion of the meal.

With the basics covered for Dave, it leaves me pretty open to create anything I want. Today I decided to create a veggie burger, something he could easily top with cheese and place on a bun.

I started with a zucchini because it seemed the most versatile; any veggie that can pose as a dessert can't be a bad thing! So a little zucchini, some beets, garlic and seasoning salt all mixed together nicely. The real struggle is the binding ingredient since I'm not using gluten.

Lemony Asparagus with Fried Yolk and Egg White Pancake

There was an old Parisian chef who argued that an egg could only be properly prepared by cooking the yolk and the white separately and then bringing them back together to serve.

This idea ran through my head as I stared at a carton of eggs and a bunch of fresh asparagus wanting to concoct a breakfast with a twist.

Cooking the yolk and white separately seemed like it would ultimately just create a fairly basic fried egg. So I began to whip the egg white with a little spoon of mustard; then I poured that in a hot, buttered pan and cooked it until it was brown. After flipping my make-shift egg cake I added the yolk to the pan and let it all cook for a minute.

It was just the creative twist I was looking for. The whites do get an interesting texture similar to a super light frittata that I didn't love by itself; but it was a great back drop to the lemony asparagus with the runny yolk gooing all over it.

Flavored Butter: Sun-dried Tomato and Herb Butter

 One of my favorite late night bar snacks is a trio of butter and salt with a side of bacon at 694 Wine Bar in Chicago. Three amazing butters from three different regions sprinkled with three equally stunning salts. Oddly enough, three of us meet there late at night about every three months to indulge in this cholesterol-raising treat.

My second favorite butter appetizer is at Cyranos Bistro. This flavored herb butter is delivered along with a basket of warm bread and it is finger licking delicious. Give me an order of the herb butter along with a house made pate and I'm completely fat and happy.

With a party approaching, I wanted to create a touch of restaurant essence at home. With only one butter choice on hand it was an easy decision to make a flavored butter. The plan was to create a  butter spread for my homemade buns with the option to add thin slices of ham for a full sandwich. It needed to enhance the meat and also stand on its own melted into a warm slice of bread without overwhelming either.

This is when random condiments in the fridge come in handy. A few sundried tomatoes for depth, a little parsley and lemon to lighten it up and a touch of honey to add sweetness - this butter is fantastic!

Recipe Swap: Chocolate Avocado Chipotle Tequila Popsicles

After taking a month off from the Recipe Swap, we are back in full force to kick off the first weekend of summer with our individual remakes of a Chocolate Mint Pie.

My first inclination was to make an inside out pie in the form of a crunchy mint truffle using the homemade creme de menthe left over from my shamrock shake adventure. Days before this post was due I received an invitation to a Top Chef Drink party ... being held at my house!

Visions of glasses smudged from smoldering rosemary, concoctions bubbling with pop rock inventions and deconstructed cocktails swirled in my head. The only thing I knew for sure was that I didn't have a lot of time to create the winning drink AND prepare for the party.

I toyed with chocolate and mint in a drink but I couldn't get past the girly martini stigma surrounding those flavors. A frozen cocktail felt a bit better, but it needed a savory edge, something almost spicy. And it needed a filler. The obvious choice was a Greek yogurt until I remembered a chocolate avocado shake I once made. Avocados are green and so is mint, seemed like a fair swap.

Quinoa Salad with Orange Mustard Dressing

Plainly put - life is busy. There are many days I'm just worn down and don't feel like cooking. Those days I'm thankful to keep a pot of cooked quinoa in the fridge, nuts in the cupboard and vinaigrette ingredients for easy fixing. Quinoa is a great substitution in place of rice or any grain really. Toss in a few extra vegetables, a little dressing, serve it on warm on a bed of fresh lettuce and you have a fancy salad.

I've boasted about the benefits of protein-packed quinoa numerous times on this blog before so I'll spare you all that dribble again. Quinoa makes for a nutritious meals and is versatile for every day.

It comes in a variety of colors too: red, black, orange, purple or ivory. There is no nutritional difference in the various colors though some say the red quinoa has a chewier texture.

In this salad I used black, red and ivory quinoa just because whole foods had them mixed in a dry goods bin at a great price. Using a mixture of colors just gives a little definition to the salad.

Rhubarb Strawberry Coffee Cake with Buttermilk Ice Cream

There is a special season that only lasts a few weeks every year and I'm not talking about summer in Chicago. That old adage 'if you blink you will miss it' has never been more appropriate than when talking about rhubarb season.

April showers bring May flowers and pretty red stalks of crisp Rhubarb. So many people think they don't like this fruit disguised vegetable; often it's their own preconceived notions or the reminisce of some disgusting goo made by a distant aunt that slithered away on its own accord, just like in the movie Better Off Dead.

This is nothing like that and the only place the cake is going in your belly. Strawberry and rhubarb are a natural combination; the striking part of the dish comes when that tart, sweet flavor meets the tangy buttermilk ice cream. It turned out so much better than planned that I offered to make it the very next weekend for another party.

It was a good week snacking on this ice cream and cake combination until a trip to the store turned up an empty rhubarb shelf. Rhubarb hunting I went. The next store and the next were all out. The season came and went in less than 2 weeks; looking back I should be happy I was able to bag any.

Cumin-scented Apple Cheese Pie Amuse Bouche

Amuse Bouche is a funny name. It rolls off the tongue okay, but it ultimately comes out like a drunken sailor attempting to fit in at a ladies afternoon tea party.

It's a single, bite sized appetizer that is meant to 'amuse' the palate; to tempt the senses for more. Often these are free tokens offered before your meal or between entrees which can help to set the tone of what is to come.

It can also be nothing more than showmanship of a chef's oversized ego as well.... but I love the hell out of these singular bites of intense flavors.

This can be an easy way to elevate your party and sneak in another nosh without adding a full course to the dinner. But don't be fooled at their tiny size, they can become as much work as your main entree if you let them.

This amuse bouche spoon of sauteed apple meets savory cumin and creamy triple cheese is a fun and simple tempting bite that could be used before a meal or maybe leading into a dessert course. It's a play on the Midwest tradition of adding a slice of cheddar cheese to your apple pie and it's just fun.

Homemade Wheat Crackers

These are not a light, super crispy saltine-like cracker. That's important only after you understand that I set out to make a saltine cracker for my sick beau.

The crackers are still good, they just turned out more like a wheat thin. A tasty, tasty wheat thin. Using white wheat lour instead of all purpose white flour deepened these crackers in appearance, depth and flavor.

This really couldn't be a simpler dough and process. The most difficult part is rolling out the dough as it tends to be on the crumbly side, unless you added a pinch too much water, then the dough might be on the soft side. Just have patience. And remember that little cracks in the final product makes it look more rustic.