Pickled AF Salad

I receive a box of over stock/ blemished fruits and veggies each week from Hungry Harvest. If I don't eat everything before the next box comes, I feel like a real jag! So I try to do my best.

I had cucumbers, kale, and broccoli at the end of the box this week. A weird combo? Yes! Was I scared? Hell no!

Since I have an affinity for pickles, I decided to quick pickle the whole lot of it into a pretty cool, (well actually warm) crunchy salad.

Pickled AF Salad

1/4 cup + 1 tbsp sugar

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar

1/4 cup white distilled vinegar

1/2 cup water

1/2 tsp salt

2 medium cucumbers, washed, peeled, sliced very thinly or spiralized

1 broccoli crown, cut into florets, tender stems cut thinly

3 cups kale, sliced as thinly as possible

salt & pepper to taste along the way

In a skillet, heat the sugar, vinegars, water, and salt until dissolved. In a medium sized bowl, toss the cucumbers with the warm vinegar mixture. Sprinkle with a little ground black pepper. Set aside.

In the same skillet, add a little oil and sauté the broccoli for a few minutes over medium heat. Season with a pinch of salt and black pepper. Cover with a lid so the florets steam/ slightly brown for a few more minutes. No soggy broccoli please! Add to the cucumbers.

Again in your skillet, add a little more oil. Sauté the kale the same way as the broccoli and season with salt and black pepper. Add to the cucumbers and broccoli. Toss it all together and serve!

Yes, it totally sounds weird, but this salad is so delicious! You have to try it out. 

A big thank you to Magda over at DIYontheside for my new favorite kitchen gadget, a spiralizer!! Check out her lovely new house and blog about it! :)

xoxo Sam

I Think You're Grape Pizza

A year ago I started this blog with a post about my grandma's tomato sauce. I have no plans to share that recipe with you, so don't get too excited.

But there is one food, that I love, that I should have tried making from scratch forever ago.... PIZZA.

I've made yeast doughs before, but I'll be honest- I am impatient! If you know anything about me or my blog, you know that is the exact reason why I am The What's On Hand Woman!

So I had a little extra time and decided to tackle pizza dough. I'm a fan of thin, crisp crust, so if you like that too, you've got to try it out. I understand that waiting an hour for dough to rise is often asking too much- so you should definitely buy dough that someone else waited on!

If you don't make your own crust, you cut out half of the steps, but I urge you to try my crusty creation sometime. REGARDLESS, YOU MUST TRY GRAPES ON PIZZA!

I Think You're Grape Pizza

For the Crisp Crust:
1 packet of yeast
2 tsp sugar
3/4 cup warm water (around 105 degrees)
1 cup oats blended into a course flour
1 1/4 cup flour
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil
corn meal sprinkling

Mix the sugar and yeast with the warm water. Set aside for 10 minutes to froth up.
Meanwhile, mix the blended oats, salt, and flour in a large bowl.
Once the yeast is ready, add it to the flours along with the olive oil. Mix until just combined.
Turn out onto a floured surface and knead for 5ish minutes.
Lightly oil a clean bowl and the dough ball. Set aside in a warm place under a kitchen towel so it can rise.
After an hour, punch the dough and divide it in half. Save the other half (in the fridge or freezer) or make two pizzas!

For the Grapes & Toppings:
1/3 block of cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup of shredded mozzarella
1/2 container Ricotta cheese (7oz)
1 tbsp olive oil
black pepper to taste
1 -- 1 1/2 cups red grapes, cut in half (enough to cover the pizza like pepperoni)
1 tbsp lemon flavored olive oil (save until the very end)

Mix the cream cheese, mozzarella, ricotta, olive oil, and black pepper well. (Save the grapes and lemon olive oil for now.)

Lets bring everyone to the pizza party!

Preheat the oven to its highest setting (550 degrees or higher.) Flip a cookie sheet over (using the bottom) so that you have a smooth surface without sides (or use a pizza stone).
Sprinkle a small amount of cornmeal on the pan's bottom.
Roll out the dough into a pizza-y shape and then place it on the cornmeal. Bake for 4 minutes.
Flip the crust over once and bake for 1-3 more minutes. (It depends on how brown you like your crust and how hot your oven is.)

Take out the crust. Flip it back over so the cornmealy side is touching the pan. Turn the oven down to 350 degrees.
Rub a very small amount of olive oil on the crisp crust. (Use the back of a spoon- its hot!) Spread the cheese mixture evenly, followed by the grapes arranged cut side up.
Bake 3-5 more minutes until the cheese is gooey and the grapes are warm. Drizzle the lemon flavored olive oil on top.
Cut and enjoy! I've served this topped with quick pickled onion slices and arugula salad, but my favorite topping is mild, crunchy greens tossed in a sweet mustard vinaigrette.


Greens & Sweet Mustard Vinaigrette
1 tsp grainy mustard
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
tiny drizzle of honey (maybe 1/2 tsp)
salt & pepper to taste
2-3 cups red leaf lettuce, romaine, bib lettuce- what ever you have

Wisk the dressing together in a medium bowl. Toss the greens in. Serve on top of the pizza (my favorite) or on the side. Enjoy!!!

Beautiful dough ball

A delicious plate all for me!

To get the original version, check out Dinner at Tiffani's.

xoxo Sam

Joyous Ice Cream Sammies

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, FRIENDS!!!

Today is a day to celebrate! We have spent a whole year together! Can you believe it?

I wanted to say thank you for following me on this impatiently delicious food journey!!

To celebrate, I made a really special treat....

Joyous Ice Cream Sammies

For the Salted Chocolate Ice Cream:
2 3/4 cup coconut creme (I use the kind in an aseptic box)
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
2/3 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp honey
1 tbsp Kahlúa
1/2 tsp salt

The day before, place the ice cream maker insert into the freezer until frozen solid.
Blend all ingredients in a blender and chill in the fridge until you are ready to churn the ice cream.
Follow the directions for your ice cream maker for churning. Mine took 20-25 minutes.

Wait for it......

For the Coconut Walnut Oat Cookies:
1 1/4 cup flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup coconut oil
2 tbsp honey
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs (or flax eggs)
1 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp creme de cocoa
1 cup oats (minced in food processor)
1 cup walnuts (minced in food processor)
1/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes

In a medium bowl, mix the flour, salt, and baking soda well. Set aside.
In a large bowl, mix the coconut oil, honey, brown sugar, and sugar. Then add the eggs, vanilla, and creme de cocoa.
Add the flour mixture and combine.
Finally, add the oats, walnuts, and coconut flakes. Once everything is incorporated, cover the dough and refrigerate for a 2-3 hours.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a cookie sheet.
Roll the dough into 1-inch balls. I got about 24-26.
Bake for 10-12 minutes. (When you pull out the cookies, if they seem a little too puffed-up in their centers, just use a fork to gently make them flatter.)
Cool the cookies!

To make the sammies:
Spread the ice cream on one cookie and top with another! Freeze for an hour- if you can wait that long- before serving. ENJOY! YUM YUM! (I'm screaming for ice cream :))

To get the original ice cream recipe, check out The Minimalist Baker.

xoxo Sam