The best chocolate chip cookies in the entire universe

If I could only eat one thing for dessert for the rest of my life, I’d choose Mark Bittman’s perfectly chewy and crispy chocolate chip cookies. I use semisweet chocolate chips instead of chopped chocolate and usually halve the recipe so I am not tempted to gobble fistfuls of cookies everyday. Because that would be terrible. And also amazing.

Makes: 3 to 4 dozen

1 /2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

3 /4 cup granulated sugar

3 /4 cup brown sugar (I like to use dark brown sugar-it makes the cookies flatter)

2 eggs

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 /2 teaspoon baking soda

1 /2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups chopped good-quality semisweet chocolate (good quality semisweet chocolate chips are fine)

1. Heat the oven to 375°F. Cream together the butter and sugars with an electric mixer; add the eggs one at a time and beat until well blended.

2. Mix the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a bowl. Add the dry ingredients to the dough, beat together, then add the vanilla and stir in the chocolate chips.

3. Drop tablespoon-size mounds of dough about 3 inches apart in rows and columns on ungreased baking sheets. Bake until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Cool for about 2 minutes on the sheets before transferring to a rack with a spatula to cool completely. The cookies will stay fresh in tupperware or a ziplock bag for a couple of days (they also freeze well).

Adapted from Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything which you should go out and buy right now

Easy Home Fries

Are you tired of spending all of your money on brunch? When did a couple scrambled eggs, toast and home fries turn into a double digit outing? Let’s face it, the only thing that stands between you and whipping up your own diner worthy breakfast is homemade home fries. Don’t sweat it! Make this recipe (and a poor man’s Bloody Mary if you’re so inclined) in half the time it would normally take you to drag yourself to your favorite breakfast spot.

Easy Home Fries (Serves 2)

5 or 6 small yukon gold or white round potatoes

1/8 cup onions, sliced

1 clove garlic, diced

salt

pepper

crushed red pepper

2-3 tbs of butter, margarine or earth balance

slice the potatoes into ¼ inch rounds

melt the butter in a large skillet over medium high heat

add the potatoes and cook covered for 10 minutes

uncover and add the garlic, onions and seasoning

cook the potatoes for another 5-10 minutes to desired doneness

serve with scrambled eggs, toast and real or fake bacon

Poor Man’s Bloody Mary (Serves 1)

 V8 Hot & Spicy

Vodka

Hot sauce (optional)

Fill a pint glass with ice

Add a shot and a half of vodka

Finish with the V8

Add a tsp of hot sauce if you want

Stir and enjoy

Falafel Sandwiches

I love sandwiches! I tried this falafel recipe last night and it was delicious. Why should I bother making falafel you say? Because it’s cheaper than take out and it makes a bunch of food. I made 8 patties instead of the suggested 4 and cooked them for about 4 minutes per side. Freeze the patties and any extra sauce you don’t eat and you can have falafel anytime, morning, noon or night. Literally anytime.

You’ll need:

1 cup plain yogurt

1 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 cup chopped onion

5 large garlic cloves, chopped

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 15-ounce cans garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained

3 tablespoons plus 1/2 cup all purpose flour

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 large egg

Olive oil

4 warm pita breads, top third cut off

Sliced tomatoes

Crisp lettuce leaves

Whisk yogurt, 1/2 cup cilantro, 1/4 cup onion, 1 garlic clove, lemon juice and 1/4 teaspoon cayenne in medium bowl to blend; season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Blend garbanzo beans, 3 tablespoons flour, cumin, remaining 1/2 cup cilantro, 4 garlic cloves and 1/4 teaspoon cayenne in processor until almost smooth. Add egg and remaining 3/4 cup onion and blend, using on/off turns, until onion is finely chopped. Transfer mixture to bowl; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Shape mixture into four 1/2-inch-thick patties. Turn patties in remaining 1/2 cup flour to coat on both sides.

Pour enough oil into heavy large skillet to coat bottom; heat over medium-high heat. Add patties and cook until crisp and golden, about 8 minutes per side. Open pita breads; slide 1 patty, sliced tomato and lettuce into each. Spoon in some yogurt mixture.

Buffalo Tofu Sandwiches

There’s a new sheriff in town. And it’s a sandwich. Giddy-up! I made these with sweet potato fries the other night-which worked out great since you can roast the tofu and the fries at the same time! Boom. Said tofu roasting is from Bryant Terry’s Vegan Soul Kitchen, but you knew that already.

Serves Two

For the sandwiches and fries:

Olive oil

Cooking spray (olive or canola, your choice)

1 large sweet potato

1 block of firm tofu, pressed

salt, pepper and paprika

2 whole wheat buns

feta or blue cheese

pickles

greens

For the buffalo sauce:

1 tbsp butter, margarine or earth balance

1/8 cup hot sauce

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or use those silicone mats if you have them. Cut the tofu block in half and then cut each half into ¼ inch slices so you have 6 l’il tofu rectangles. You can cut the tofu anyway you want actually, I just like to do thinner rectangles for sandwiches. Using a pastry brush, lightly coat each side of your tofu with olive oil and season each side with salt and pepper. Put them on one of the cookie sheets. Next, peel your sweet potato, cut it in half and then cut each half into fries, aiming for ½ or ¼ inch wide sticks. Put the fries in a big bowl, spray them with cooking spray and season them to your liking with sea salt, pepper and paprika. Toss them to coat, spray them a second time and then toss again. Place them in a single layer on the second cookie sheet, being careful not to overcrowd them. Put the fries and the tofu in the oven and set your timer for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, flip both the tofu slices and the fries, then put them back in the oven. Set your time for another 15 minutes. The fries will be ready before the tofu, so take them out after about 5 minutes. Melt the butter in a frying pan and then add the hot sauce, stirring to combine. When the tofu’s done, coat the pieces in sauce and then assemble your sandwiches with the fries on the side.

Black beans & brownies

I had a huge dilemma the other day. I really wanted a brownie sundae and had the ice cream, but no brownies. I really had to weigh my options and think the situation through. Should I buy a box mix, preferably a cheapy one and use that? Or should I make them from scratch? Or should I go back to school and get my masters, move to a less expensive city, fix up an arts and crafts style bungalow and get a dog? In the end I decided to give this brownie recipe from one of my issues of Martha Stewart Everyday Food a try. Black beans keep the brownies super moist and slightly less bad for you. If instead of making brownies, I had gotten certified for teaching, I would give them an A+.

You’ll need:

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter

1/4 cup black beans, rinsed, drained, and mashed with a fork until smooth

(on the site it suggests pureeing the beans in a food processor, but I found it was tough to do with such a small amount)

3 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped (1/2 cup)

2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped (1/3 cup)

1 1/3 cups sugar

2 large eggs, plus 1 large egg white

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter or grease a 9-inch square baking pan (I used an 8-inch} and line with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on all sides. In a large microwave-safe bowl, combine butter, bean puree, and chocolates and microwave in 30-second increments, stirring each time, until melted and smooth, about 2 minutes. Use an oven mitt or dishrag to take the bowl out of the oven when you’re checking it-the bowl will be hot! Whisk in sugar, eggs and egg white, and vanilla until smooth. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Stir into chocolate mixture until just combined. Pour batter into pan; smooth top. Bake until top is cracked and a toothpick inserted in center has moist crumbs attached, about 25 minutes (center will seem undercooked but will set further as it cools). I baked mine for about 28 or 29 minutes. Let cool completely in pan on a wire rack. Using parchment, lift brownie from pan and cut into squares.