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VANILLA LATTE is a blog dedicated to food & travel with occasional random stuff thrown in. It is managed and written by me, Maggie Ha.


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Spinach, Onion, Mushroom Frittata-itas 27Jul08

spinach, onion, mushroom frittata-itas

spinach, onion, mushroom frittata-itas spinach, onion, mushroom frittata-itas

It’s like a quiche, like a frittata, and like a savory pie, but BETTER and bite-size! It’s taken me a few attempts to get the perfect taste, I suggest playing around with the recipe to find your favorite combo.

Ingredients:
6 store-bought pastry crusts (you can you use filo dough as well, just wrap it into a pouch and butter well)
2 big handfuls of baby spinach, washed and dried, then chopped
1 small yellow onion, diced
3 medium button mushrooms, wiped clean then diced
1 cup grated colby cheese (jack cheese would work really well too - i don’t have jack cheese here. boo.)
3 egg whites
butter
garlic salt
fresh ground pepper

preheat oven: 250°C

Step 1: The filling
In a small saucepan on low heat, melt some butter and throw in the onions. Let the onions sweat a bit till their see through and then throw in the mushrooms. This is a good time to add garlic salt and pepper if you like more punch. Let the mushrooms soften just a little, then throw in the chopped spinach. Turn the heat off as soon as the leaves begin to wilt. Take the pan off the heat and let the entire mixture cool.

Step 2: The mixing
Throw the cooled filling into a mixing bowl and fold in the grated cheese - make sure you leave about 1/4 cup of the cheese out - you’ll need it later! Make sure the filling is cool enough so the cheese doesn’t melt. This is also another good opportunity to add in more salt and pepper. Now slowly mix in the egg whites, make sure you’re not whipping, just mixing.

Step 3: The baking
Fill the pastry cups just to the top and then sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top. You can brush some butter on the top of the pastry part if you like. bake for about 20 mins on 250°C and then another 5 mins at 200°C. The top layer of cheese should be melted and toasty.

Bon appetite!

Baby Spring Mix Salad 21Jul08

baby greens, herbs, ricotta slalad

So this is one of my favorites since it’s very easy to make and pretty light. Definitely not vegan with the ricotta but that’s the yummiest part.

Ingredients:
baby spring mix (you can buy the prepackage stuff)
if you want to make your own: baby spinach, baby arugula (rocket), & baby romaine should do
1 hand full of semi-dried tomatoes, diced up
1/4 of a red onion, sliced thin and broken up
2-3 tablespoons of light ricotta cheese
extra virgin olive oil
balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper

Step 1: The base
Mix the leaves, sliced onions, and semi dried tomatoes together.

Step 2: The dressing
Slowly whisk in some extra virgin olive oil into some balsamic vinegar. About 2-3 tablespoons of each should do. I generally eyeball the oil parts.

Step 3: The finish
Mix in the dressing with the leaves, onions and tomatoes. I like to mix it all together with my hands to make sure the small parts aren’t left on the bottom of the bowl. Top the salad with dollops of ricotta. I like to drizzle some balsamic vinegar on top of the cheese parts. Add a sprinkle of salt and fresh ground pepper.

Enjoy!

Latest Latte

Soy Latte @ Joe Art of Coffee

It’s been a little difficult finding delicious good coffee in NY after being spoiled in Sydney. None of that brewed stuff, I’m talking about espresso based coffee. I finally found a local spot on the Upper West Side that has good coffee, Joe the Art of Coffee. Although, it’s not quite like the ones I have in Sydney, it’s pretty close. I give it a 4/5, an extra point for the mere fact that it’s the only good coffee in my neighborhood.


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