Wednesday, June 20, 2012

One-Ingredient Wonders

All the rumors you've heard are true - food in its natural state tastes good.  It's also true that all you need to make something delicious is an ingredient (1!) and a heat source. Here are two of my favorite recipes that just require a food and some heat.

Oven-Dried Strawberries
1 pint of strawberries
An oven

Preheat your oven to its lowest setting - mine was 170-F. Depending on the size of your strawberries, wash and cut them into halves or quarters. If they're the tiny wild kind, halfs. If they're the gigantic mutant grocery store strawberries, quarters.  Place them on a cookie sheet covered with either a Silpat (silicone baking mat) or a piece of parchment sprayed with cooking spray. Place the strawberries cut side down. Pop them into the oven and prop the door open slightly with a wooden spoon. Wait 8 hours.

The strawberries will come out slightly crispy and dry with a little bit of chew to them. They're like super-healthy candy right from Mother Earth (and Kenmore).


Hash Brown Waffle
2 russet potatoes
A waffle iron

Peel, boil and grate the potatoes. Or, buy the pre-shredded potatoes in the frozen aisle of the grocery store. Check the ingredients - most are actually just potatoes, so it's not like you're cheating or anything. People are busy, you know?

Preheat your waffle iron to the highest heat and spray it with cooking spray. Season your shredded potatoes with salt and pepper (they don't count as ingredients in my book) and place them on the preheated waffle iron in an even layer, about 1/2-inch thick. Close the waffle iron and wait 15 minutes. You will be AMAZED at how crispy and delicious they are. Seriously. If you don't have a waffle iron, go get one RIGHT NOW.


You'll thank me.