4 Ingredients YIAH Cookbook

Many of you have asked about recipes that incorporate YIAH products, which is what  led me to this blog.  But I am so excited to announce that YIAH has developed a brand spankin' new cookbook with the creator of 4 Ingredient, Kim McCosker!  This cook book gives you a wealth of recipes that include YIAH products to have at your finger tips.

4 Ingredients just released a sample recipe for the Black Forest Brownies featured on the cover!

BLACK FOREST BROWNIES!!

  Ingredients:

* 1 cup (400g) Nutella
* 2 large eggs
* 2/3 cup of plain flour
* 1/2 cup of hazelnuts roughly chopped

plus the YIAH ingredients

* 3 tsp Chocolate Raspberry Truffle powder
* 1 tbsp YIAH Black Forrest Dukkah

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350F Line an 9x13 inch pan with baking paper (or spray with cooking spray). Add the nutella and eggs to a medium bowl and whisk until smooth. Add the flour and YIAH raspberry chocolate powder and stir. Add the nuts and mix until just combined. Using a spatula, spoon the batter into the prepared dish, smooth to the top and sprinkle with YIAH black forest dukkah. Bake until a skewer comes out with wet gooey crumbs, about 20 minutes. Set on a rack to cool completely. Serve immediately or cover and store at room temp for up to 3 days.

My tip, serve with your favorite ice cream when the brownie is warm!

Here's a little video that explains a bit about the book:

You can purchase a cookbook for $22 shipped through my website, as a host or guest at a party, or by contacting me below

Alisha Phillips
Your Inspiration At Home - Independent Consultant

Phone: (612) 396-2799
alisha_phillips@outlook.com
Visit me on Facebook and "Like" to stay updated on all things YIAH
http://alishaphillips.yourinspirationathome.com.au/

National Coffee Day For The Non-Coffee Drinker!

 

Today is National Coffee Day!

If you've been on any form of social media today you probably already know this.  So, I won't bore you with where you can get a free cup of coffee, and all things drinking coffee.  

Instead I'd like to talk to you about 

cooking with coffee!

• Coffee and meats pair really well together.  The acid tones in the coffee compliment the savory flavors of the meat

• Coffee contains enzymes that act as a tenderizer on meat.  Whereas acids can sometimes break down the meat if left on too long, making the meat mealy or grainy in texture.  This makes coffee a better choice for long marinades - for example leaving a cut of meat to marinade while you are work.

• When you completely coat a cut of meat with a coffee rub before cooking, the coffee caramelizes to create a sweet and savory crust that seals in the juices from the meat.  Simply press the rub into the meat and sear for 1 min on each side at high heat.  Finish cooking the meat to your desired doneness at a lower temperature to prevent the coffee from burning.

 

Your Inspiration At Home has three coffee rubs that will suit all your roasting, grilling, and broiling needs!

The Exotic Citrus Coffee Rub blends the essence of citrus using Lemon Myrtle, and Lime powder along with Ethiopian Coffee, herbs and spices to compliment any meats.  

In Australia this rub is very popular when used with lamb.  Simply rub, or marinade with olive oil for 4-6 hours then cook on low.

 

Our Australian Outback Coffee Rub is a unique blend of herbs and spices with single-origin coffee that is perfect with chicken, beef, pork, lamb or game.  

Coat the meat liberally just before cooking to create a beautiful crust that will lock in all of the meat's juices!

Our Mexican Mocha Mole is a savory blend of chocolate and coffee classic in Mexican dishes.  This rub especially compliments chicken and pork.  

Also try mixing with olive oil and using as a marinade!

You can purchase any of these rubs, and our full line of  YIAH products online through my website

 

 

Alisha Phillips
Your Inspiration At Home - Independent Consultant

Phone: (612) 396-2799
alisha_phillips@outlook.com
Visit me on Facebook and "Like" to stay updated on all things YIAH
http://alishaphillips.yourinspirationathome.com.au/

Testing The Kitchen Hack: Wooden Spoon vs Boiling Pot

I was scrolling though Facebook the other day and came across a post about Clever Food Hacks.  I'm sure you've all seen this by now, but if not, check it out here, there some good stuff there. 

I've known about #23 for a while, and have used it successfully in my kitchen many times - especially when you have kids that often call you away while cooking.  Check it out in action

I was curious why it works though,and if it would work for every liquid.  So I let my fingers do the walking.

The folks over at Gizmodo revealed the reason:

"It's the foam layer on top that causes the problems. What has happened is the starch makes the bubbles that were already there more stretchy and pliable, so it takes longer for them to burst. A lot of bubbles on the surface doesn't allow for proper ventilation of steam, meaning the pot of boiling water becomes superheated if the pot isn't stirred or the frothy layer skimmed off the top in time. The trapped steam causes the frothy bubbles to expand and pop up, resulting in boiling-hot pasta water all over your stove if you're not careful."

So there you have it, simple solution to keep all that starchy pasta water out of your burners.  This also works great in the microwave too!

What kitchen hacks have you used that have either worked will for you, or didn't work as you'd expected?

Breakfast Quesadilla

While breakfast burritos are ever popular, I prefer their crunch cousin, the breakfast quesadilla. 

They're quick, easy, portable, and kid friendly.  And something we enjoy regularly at our house.

Here I use the YIAH Guacamole Dip Mix to season my quesadilla, and kept the stuffing simple with scrambled eggs and cheese, but you should feel free to experiment with different flavors and stuffings - the possibilities are endless!


Prep Time: 5 Min
Cook Time: 5 Min
Serves: 1 adult, or two kids in my house

Ingredients

2 Flour Tortillas
2 Large Eggs, scrambled
1 tsp YIAH Guacamole Dip Mix
approx 1/4 c Colby Jack cheese, shredded
salt to taste
pan spray

Start by scrambling the two eggs with a sprinkle of salt, then add the Guacamole Dip Mix.  Allow to sit for a few minutes.  I usually make myself a cup of coffee while the dip mix rehydrate in the eggs.

Next, scramble the eggs as usual, and remove from pan.  Break up the egg a bit so you can disperse it evenly in the quesadilla

Spray pan lightly with pan spray, add one flour tortilla.  Top with a sprinkle of shredded cheese, then top with the scrambled eggs, followed by another sprinkle of cheese.  Finally, top with the remaining tortilla and spray lightly with pan spray

 

Cook a few minutes to brown, the flip and brown again for a few minutes until both sides are crispy and the cheese has mostly melted inside

Cut into triangles and serve.  Here I mixed a bit of the Guacamole Dip Mix with sour cream.

I enjoyed this with a side of fresh strawberries, sprinkled with YIAH Chai Spice Sugar (Thank you to my friend and fellow YIAH consultant Mary for that yummy tip!).

 Bon Appetite!

DOUBLE HOST REWARDS?!?!?!

If you've ever considered hosting 

a YIAH tasting or online/catalog party 

NOW is the time!!!

Click on the 'Host A Party' Tab above for more details.

With the busy summer months, it can be a challenge to find the time for you and your guests to connect.  

Consider co-hosting a tasting with a friend!  You'll maximize the number of guests at the party, and you'll each reap the rewards of our generous host rewards!  

I have several weeknights open - including Fridays, though my weekend dates will fill up fast.  

Contact me right away to pencil in your preferred date!

alisha_phillips@outlook.com

(612) 396-2799

https://www.facebook.com/AlishaPhillipsYIAH

http://alishaphillips.yourinspirationathome.com.au/

Battle Eggplant

A few of my friends recently started a food challenge, where an ingredient is chosen and we use that ingredient in a meal, then share our recipes.  As you can imagine, this is right up my ally as I'm already focusing on growing my database of recipes to share with you.

Our first ingredient is eggplant and as I opened my pantry for inspiration, YIAH did not disappoint.  I created a fresh, rustic tomato sauce to go with this recipe.  Of course you could pop open a jar of your favorite tomato sauce instead - but I highly suggest giving this a shot.  It's fresh, flavorful, and clean - with no added preservatives you often find in canned and jarred sauces.

I served this over pasta because I knew for sure my kids would eat that part of the meal, but weather they would eat the eggplant rolls were iffy.  I was surprised that both tried it and one finished an entire roll herself!

This recipe is hearty enough to stand on it's own, so don't feel you must serve with pasta.

So, I present to you....

Eggplant Manicotti

Prep Time: 30 min
Cook Time: 20 min
Serves: A family of four with two kids, with leftovers

Ingredients

Sauce

• 3 Tbsp Italian Primavera Olive Oil
• 1 tsp Country Onion & Chive Dip Mix
• 1 tsp Olde World Herb & Garlic Dip Mix
• 2 tsp Tuscan Style Capsicum Pesto Dip Mix
• 1/2 cup Red Wine
• 1 c broth (I used a chicken broth bouillon cube, but you use any broth, tomato juice, or flavorful liquid here)
• 2 cans whole tomatoes with juice or about 28 oz of fresh tomatoes
• 2 tsp of sugar if needed (taste your tomatoes, if they are on the acidic side, add a bit of sugar.  Start with about a tsp and go up from there until you're happy with the flavor)
• Smoked Orange, Garlic & Chili Grinder Salt, to taste

Manicotti

• 16 oz Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese
• 1 cup Shredded Parmesan or Italian Cheese Blend, divided
• 1 Large egg
• 1 Tbsp Tuscan Style Capsicum Pesto Dip Mix
• About 3 twists of Smoked Orange, Garlic & Chili Grinder Salt

• 2 medium egg plant, unpeeled and cut lengthwise into about 8 slices
• 2 Tbsp Italian Primavera Olive Oil
• About 8 twists of Smoked Orange, Garlic & Chili Grinder Salt

Directions 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Slice egg plant lengthwise, laying them out on sheet pans that has been lightly sprayed with pan spray.  Brush both sides of the egg plant slices with Italian Primavera Olive Oil, and season with Smoked Orange, Garlic & Chili Grinder Salt.  Bake until tender, about 10 min.  Remove from oven and let cool enough to handle. 

Heat a large sauce pan over low-med heat and add 3 Tbsp Italian Primavera Olive Oil and all three dip mixes.  Heat gently until fragrant - about 5 min.  

Turn up the heat to medium and add the red wine.  Heat until nearly dry (we call this au sec in the biz) - about 3-5 min depending on alcohol content of wine. 

Add broth and tomatoes and simmer until the tomatoes start to break down - about 15 min.

 

Meanwhile, mix ricotta cheese, shredded cheese and Tuscan Style Capsicum Pesto Dip Mix.  Season with Smoked Orange, Garlic & Chili Grinder Salt to taste.  Finally add one beaten egg to hold the stuffing together.

Next, blend the sauce to a rustic (meaning this doesn't have to be completely smooth) consistency using a potato masher, fork, or stick blender.

Add about 1 cup of sauce in the bottom of a sprayed 9x13 baking dish

Once cool enough to handle, place an egg plant slice on your work surface, adding about 2 Tbsp of cheese mixture at one end, and gently roll.  Place seam side down onto of the sauce in your baking pan.  Repeat with all slices.

Pour remaining sauce over eggplant rolls and top with remaining cheese

Bake at 350 degrees until heated through, about 20 min

Bon Appetite!

How to Cut a Watermelon

Last week, I saw a video circulating around Facebook of a guy cutting a watermelon using a nifty method I'd never seen before.  Have you seen this yet?

I must admit, when I saw it I was intrigued and wanted to try it immediately!  It really does look pretty cool.  I finally got around to trying it, and here's my thoughts...Drum roll please.......


I would consider it a partial FAIL.  womp womp :(

Sure, like anything the technique would likely improve with practice, but on my first try....

1. I found the method kind of dangerous.  Watermelons, especially when wet, are slippery.  Combine that with a super sharp knife - which is a must for this task, and that's a recipe for a trip to the ER for stitches if you ask me.  
2. There's too much waste for my taste.
3. The pieces of cubed watermelon are inconsistent.  If you're doing this to snack on at home, then it's probably not a big deal, but if you were doing this for a party, it would look pretty messy.

Should you still want to try this, I recommend flipping your melon over to stabilize it before making your first horizontal cuts.  I'd also suggest cutting a little piece off to make a flat surface for the melon to sit on for the rest of your cuts.

 

 As for me, I think I'll stick to the tried and true method for cutting a watermelon.

 

Now excuse me while I indulge in a big bowl of watermelon.

Bon Appetite!