Salted Caramel Popcorn Olive Oil Brownies

Chocolate and extra virgin olive oil, two ingredients that are good for your heart... So what better to pair them up and create a brownie. It definitely makes me feel better when I reach for a second or third piece!

This is a New York Times recipe and is my go-to brownie. The olive oil helps balance out all the sugar and chocolate and enhances the chocolate flavor. I love this recipe because it is indulgent but not overly sweet and is chewy and fudgy on the inside but crispy on the outside.

It's important to use a mild olive oil in the recipe, any oil that is too robust and sharp in flavor will overpower the chocolate flavor.

How can we make this brownie even more delicious? Top it off with a handful of caramel corn! Other than your dentist... who does not love a crunchy salty and sweet caramel corn? Salted butter and sea salt at the end helps to balance the sweetness from the corn syrup and brown sugar.

Add a scoop of dulce de leche ice cream to make this dessert an even more perfectly balanced treat!

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Ingredients 

Caramel Popcorn 

•  8-10 cups freshly popped popcorn, (about ¼ of kernels or 1 microwavable bag)

• 1 cup packed light brown sugar

• 1/4 cup light corn syrup

• 1/2 cup salted butter

• ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• Flaky Sea Salt

Olive Oil Brownies 

• 6 tablespoons  mild extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for greasing pan

• 3 ounces melted unsweetened chocolate

• 1 large egg, at room temperature

• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

• ¾ cup  packed dark brown sugar

• ⅓ cup  granulated sugar

• 1 cup  all-purpose flour

• ¾ teaspoon kosher salt

• ¼ teaspoon baking powder

• ¼ cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder

• ¼ cup boiling water

• ½ cup chocolate chips

•  Flaky sea salt

Recipe

Popcorn

1. Preheat the oven to 250°F. Lightly spray 2 sheet pans with baking spray. Grease the bottom of a spatula with the baking spray. Spread the popcorn out onto baking sheets. Set aside.

2. Combine the sugar, corn syrup, butter, cream of tartar in a medium saucepan over a medium-high heat. Stir constantly and bring to a boil for about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and quickly stir in the baking soda, vanilla extract and salt. 

3. Immediately pour the caramel mixture over the popcorn. Working quickly and carefully, use spatulas to toss the caramel and popcorn together, until the popcorn is well coated.

4. Bake for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Allow to cool on the pan and break apart large clusters. Can be stored in an airtight container for up to a week.

Brownies 

1. Heat oven to 350° F.  Grease an 8-by-8-inch square baking dish with some of the olive oil and line pan with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on both sides, to lift the brownies out of the pan

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt and baking powder.In a large bowl, whisk together cocoa powder and boiling water until smooth. 

3. Whisk in 6 tablespoons olive oil, melted chocolate, egg and vanilla.Whisk in the brown and granulated sugar, then fold in flour mixture. Then fold in chocolate chips. 

4. Scrape into the prepared pan, and bake until set and firm to the touch, 20 to 25 minutes.

5. Once baked, allow it to cool

6. Cut into squares, serve with a scoop of your favorite ice cream and a handful of the caramel popcorn.                                                    

Brownie recipe from NYT

Whole Wheat Banana Coconut Waffles

Quarantine breakfast has definitely been more elaborate than usual. Pancakes and Waffles aren't just for the weekend, and I am totally OK with that! 

These waffles were a result of an excess of overripe bananas, which I am sure we all have had plenty of during our time home. 

They are also healthy-ish, being made with whole wheat flour, coconut oil, and nut milk. They are topped with slices of bananas, toasted coconut flakes, and walnuts for added texture and flavor! 

Substitutions for the listed ingredients :

• Whole wheat flour - All-purpose flour

• Coconut Oil - Canola Oil

• Almond milk - Any nut milk / regular milk

• Walnuts - your preference of nuts or leave it out

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Ingredients 

Waffles

• 1 ½ cup whole wheat flour (or all-purpose flour)

• 2 tablespoons sugar 

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• ½ teaspoon salt

• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon 

• ⅓ cup coconut oil, melted 

• ¾ cup almond milk (or your choice of nut milk)

• 2-3 medium sized bananas, mashed 

• ¾ cup chopped walnuts (or your favorite nut) *optional 

Toppings

• Maple Syrup

• Chopped nuts

• Toasted coconut flakes

• Slices of banana

Recipe

1. Preheat waffle iron according to manufacturer's instructions. 

2. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon together.

3. In a small bowl whisk the melted coconut oil, and almond milk together. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and whisk to combine. 

4. Add the mashed bananas and nuts, if using, and whisk until just combined. 

5. Grease the waffle iron and pour the prepared batter into the waffle iron. Cook until crispy, and golden brown. 

6. Serve with maple syrup, and additional toppings. 

* Waffles can be frozen up to 3 months. Allow them to cool completely, then transfer them to an airtight plastic bag and place them in the freezer.  To thaw, preheat a toaster oven, or a traditional oven and heat them until crispy.

Quarantine De Mayo

Cinco de Mayo it's pretty much a day when drinking margaritas for brunch is totally okay! It's a celebration of one of my favorite cuisines! Typically, I would have spent this day with friends, sitting alfresco, sipping margaritas, and ordering way too many tacos. But unfortunately, things look very different this year, as we are all staying inside and being safe. So in honor of this holiday, I wanted to put together all my favorite MUST have items for a Quarantine De Mayo!

What's on the menu?

Breakfast

Lunch/ Dinner

Dessert and even a Cocktail!

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Huevos Rancheros

Restaurant Style Salsa

Chipotle Orange Chicken Tacos

Chicken Tinga Tinga Tacos

Steak Tacos

Fish Tacos

Lime Meringue Pie

Grapefruit Margaritas

Grapefruit Margaritas

If you know me, you know that I love a good margarita, in every way, shape and form, from fruity to bitter, on the rocks and frozen, I love them all. So it's no surprise that this is the first cocktail that I made for my blog.

What is in a Grapefruit Margarita?

• Grapefruit juice

• Lime

• Tequila 

• Agave 

• Jalapeno *optional

This recipe is sour and sweet and pair perfectly with any of these recipes :

Fish Tacos

Huevos Rancheros

Chipotle Orange Chicken Tacos

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Ingredients 

Margarita

• 1 oz. ( 2 tablespoons) freshly squeezed lime juice 

• 1-2 teaspoon agave nectar 

• 2 ounces (4 tablespoons) fresh grapefruit juice

• 1 ½ ounces (3 tablespoons) blanco/silver or reposado tequila

• *optional 1-2 slices jalapeño 

Chili Salt Rim

• 1 tablespoon chili powder

• 1 tablespoon salt

• 2 teaspoons granulated sugar

• slices lime + grapefruit for serving

Recipe

1. First, prepare your glasses. Mix the salt, sugar and chili on a plate. Run a lime wedge around the outer top edge of your glasses, then roll the edges in the salt mixture.

2. Combine all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker and fill with ice. Shake until combined and the cocktail shaker is cold to touch. *If using jalapeno, the longer you shake the spicier it will become.

3. Strain the mixture into your prepared glasses. Garnish the drinks with a small wedge of grapefruit or lime.