Joy Wilson's Blog, page 71

Cauliflower Strawberry Milkshake

Gosh – if you’d told me ten years ago that I’d be putting the words ‘cauliflower’ and ‘milkshake’ in the same recipe title I would have told you you’d lost your mind. 

And yet here we are – working cauliflower into a dang milkshake.

The thing is, I think you trust me.  I’ve given you enough Dark Chocolate Pistachio Cookies and Browned Butter Banana Bread to let you know that I like things that taste good and really I’m not going to sacrifice on taste because life is short.  

But still, I do need to explain myself because… well, I’m asking you to drink cauliflower. 

Usually in my kitchen, I’m roasting cauliflower until it’s tender and browned around the edges.  I’ve also like to work cauliflower into the creamiest soup.  Lately I’ve found myself buying those frozen bags of finely minced cauliflower and trying to convince myself (rather unsuccessfully) that I’m eating rice.  

But I have found a successful use for frozen, riced cauliflower.  I’m inviting it into the blender along with strawberries and milk.  

Cauliflower is one of those sneaky vegetables that can morph into whatever you might need it to be.  I find that it leans towards buttery when roasted in the oven and it bends towards creamy when blended.  It’s full of fiber, Vitamin C, folate and loads of other good things because it’s a dang vegetable, ya know?  This, as you might expect, is one of my endometriosis-friendly recipes.  My effort to treat myself and keep my hormones in check.  

I’ve paired cauliflower with frozen strawberries, raw cashews, almond milk and fancy extras like collagen powder, and maca powder for energy.  Be as fancy or as simple as you’d like – just trust me.  This is a treat!  It’s rich and lightly sweet and full of health. 

PrintCauliflower Strawberry Milkshake

Ingredients

1/2 cup frozen riced cauliflower

1 heaping cup frozen strawberries

1/4 cup raw cashews

1 cup cold almond milk

1 tablespoon raw honey

a dash of cinnamon

1 scoop collagen powder (optional)

1 teaspoon maca powder (optional)

Instructions

Place all of the ingredients in a high-powered blender and whirl until smooth.

Continue reading Cauliflower Strawberry Milkshake at Joy the Baker.

Let It Be Sunday, 225!

Friends hello! 

I’ve been traveling for the past week and I can’t be too sure about what day it is.  I’m sure that it’s not Sunday and for that I apologize.  I’ll share my travels soon, but please take in this picture of baklava and the offering of links below.  

It’s officially June which means it’s time to work on the Summer Bucket List and I’m finding inspiration from years past: Summer Bucket List, 2018.  

I hope this finds you easing into the week.  Use these links as procrastination as you need: 

•  This week in New Orleans we lost legend Leah Chase.  She was a gift to all of us, so generous, such a force.  This tribute brought tears to my eyes: Leah Chase, Creole Chef Who Fed Presidents and Freedom Riders, Dies at 96. I appreciate these words from Dr Jessica B Harris, “She is of a generation of African-American women who set their faces against the wind without looking back.” (New York Times) 

•  This week’s long-read comes along with a sexual assault trigger warning but the fortitude and bravery is truly something.

Continue reading Let It Be Sunday, 225! at Joy the Baker.

Gluten-Free and Chickpea Chicken and Waffles

Hello dear friends!  

I’m not going to say this meal is perfect – that’s a big sentiment.  The thing is though – it’s not not perfect.  

Chicken and Waffles is a tale as old as time.  A tale as old as sweet and savory.  A tale as old as carbs and fried.  A tale as old as crunch and fluff.  A tale as old as pass the maple syrup and the salt shaker and hot sauce, please and thank you. 

Chicken and waffles is just that meal.  It’s breakfast as easily as it’s brunch.

Continue reading Gluten-Free and Chickpea Chicken and Waffles at Joy the Baker.

Let It Be Sunday! Hello, I’m 38.

Hello friends!  Today’s Sunday post is a bit different.  I turned 38 this weekend and each new year has me feeling reflective of years past.  I stood in my closet yesterday, suddenly deep in my thoughts, staring blankly at a few cotton dresses I might throw on when I thought – wait… did I make like, a five year plan a few years ago?  Did I leave a note for myself?  I know what I’m doing, right!?  

I freaked out for a moment.  Then another moment.  Then I chose a floral cotton dress and took a deep breath.  I’ve been leaving myself notes all along.  For the last 11 years.  Here, for better or worse, with you.  

It’s funny having a record of all the things I’ve been SURE about for the last 11 years, though funny isn’t the right word.

Continue reading Let It Be Sunday! Hello, I’m 38. at Joy the Baker.

Currently: My Favorite Cookies

I had a house full of people this week and I pulled deep into my reserves of ‘what can I make in about 15 minutes ‘ recipes.  There are blueberry scones that I can make in a snap, if I don’t get too distracted and forget to add the sugar.  They’re versatile enough to be made with a gluten-free flour blend and if I set the timer and don’t ignore the timer, I can get them made, in and out of the oven in about 30 minutes.  For baked goods that just about makes me a wizard. 

There are my I Need A Cookie Right Now Cookies.   A dough that whisks together to soft and glossy but bakes into soft and chewy.  They’re covered in a cinnamon sugar that makes them little comfort bites for everyone.  These snickerdudes also happen to be grain-free with very little refined sugar thanks to almond flour and maple syrup and come from one of my most used baking book, Sweet Laurel.  

I don’t just love these cookie for the speed.  They’re nutty and moist, sweet with maple syrup and really simply spiced.  

I love that they’re just liiightly crisp around the edges and chewy soft on the inside.  And unlike most butter dough cookie recipes, this dough doesn’t need to be refrigerated before its baked.  It can go straight from batter to scoop to oven – and out come these soft little darlings.  

Cookies on the quick and the wholesome ingredient make them basically health food, right?  

I hope your week is chugging along.  More from me to you soon!

Continue reading Currently: My Favorite Cookies at Joy the Baker.

Let It Be Sunday, 223!

Hello friends,

It’s late Saturday and I’ve, oddly enough, found a cozy spot in my closet to write today’s Sunday post.  All is well (right?) and there’s a coziness being surrounded by sweaters and aprons.  Also… it’s a small walk-in closet so things aren’t as dramatic as they sound over here.  

All of my energy this weekend is going into Bakehouse workshops. Today was some pretty stellar Drake on Cake work and Sunday we’re making Berry and Apple Pies.  Six of them, to be sure.  Does it get better than this?  If it does, don’t tell me about it just yet.  

Um.  I turn 38 next weekend.  Weird because I’m pretty sure my mom is 38 so somewhere the math is wrong.  

How are you?

Continue reading Let It Be Sunday, 223! at Joy the Baker.

Brussels Sprout Brunch Pasta

Here I am, yet again, making a case for carbs – the pasta kind of carbs, for breakfast. 

The hidden truth is that this pasta dish has an equal amount of Brussels sprouts.  One part pasta / one part sprout.  

I like those proportions and I like those odds.  And, in the year of our Lord 2019, we can add an egg to anything, serve it in the sunshine, and call it brunch.  

This platter of Brussels pasta is inspired by a really lovely new cookbook Mostly, Plants.  I added the eggs because I wanted to serve it at a friend brunch at The Bakehouse alongside brunch favorites: praline bacon, fruit salad (no bananas / mostly watermelon), cream scones, Muffuletta Deviled Eggs, and a sweet potato hash made from leftover Chili Baked Sweet Potato Fries.  

It was a spring dream, made even better by the sweet friends who came through hungry and excited. 

I forgot to mention the cinnamon rolls.  My love language. 

We told stories about the worst roommates we’ve ever had.  

A lot of trash can and hot water wars.  You know?  

The anchor of the meal was this bright green, savory pasta.  

The incredible flavor comes from a bright parsley pesto combined with sauteed Brussels, al dente pasta, parmesan and fried eggs.  Poached eggs would be lovely too.  Heck, I even love a hard boiled.  There’s no wrong way to egg.  

The takeaway is that equal parts pasta and greens makes for a fine brunch pasta.  You could, of course, make the pasta gluten free and thoroughly enjoy.  It’s a dream and I hope it finds its way onto your plate this coming weekend.  

PrintBrussels Sprout Brunch Pasta

Ingredients

For the Pesto:

2 cups tightly packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/3 cup chopped walnuts

sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus more for topping

3 tablespoons heavy cream (optional but really delicious)

For the Pasta:

sea salt

1 pound any shaped pasta you'd like

1 pound brussels sprouts, trimmed

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 large garlic cloves, minced

good pinch of crushed red pepper flakes

fresh cracked black pepper

over easy or poached eggs

Instructions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a rapid boil.

Continue reading Brussels Sprout Brunch Pasta at Joy the Baker.

Let It Be Sunday, 222!

Hello and Happy Sunday my friends!

I’m in Los Angeles helping my parents celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary!  This picture sums up my dad giving my mom a little bit of a hard time and my mom ignoring / laughing about it.  If that isn’t the secret to a long and happy marriage then what is it?  Separate bathrooms?  That too.  

By the time you read this I’ll be on a plane back south because I have to keep it moving… but I’m headed home with so much gratitude for my parents and the lifetime of memories we get to create together.  It’s all so much for than I’d know how to ask for.  

It’s Mother’s Day and I hope you’re honoring that in a way that feels good.  Aside from Mother’s Day it’s also Sunday and I hope you find at least a few moments of good rest today.

Continue reading Let It Be Sunday, 222! at Joy the Baker.

Buttery Crisp Rhubars

Rhubarb season is elusive here in New Orleans, but it’s here… I think.  

It’s here insofar as the cashier at Whole Foods wants to call rhubarb ‘red celery’ which is fully fine by me because she’s not wrong but not fully correct all at once.  

I feel like I’ve indulgently enjoyed more than my fair share of sweet strawberries lately and I’ve been craving the sour bite of rhubarb alone.

Continue reading Buttery Crisp Rhubars at Joy the Baker.

Let It Be Sunday, 221!

Hello friends!

Welcome to another fine Sunday!  

I’ve been thinking this week about a few things – mostly cults and pies. I started the week by listening to a podcast about a recent cult (that podcast linked below), and it really got me thinking about if I have the sort of brain that could every fall into a cult… or the sort of brain that was already unknowingly in a cult.  I’m not in a cult.

Continue reading Let It Be Sunday, 221! at Joy the Baker.