smoked Archives - Jackie Newgent

spicy vegan dark chocolate gelato

by Jackie Newgent | February 22, 2015 | 11 Comments

What’s your favorite chocolate pairing? Maybe chocolate and strawberries? Or perhaps chocolate and peanut butter? There are so many pairings I adore, it’s difficult to choose. Chocolate and mint is definitely one of them. I’m a lover of chocolate with spice and “crave” chocolate with salt, too. This month, I challenged myself to create a new recipe featuring a culinary match for chocolate. Since I couldn’t decide on just one, I picked three: bananas, jalapeño, and sea salt! Yep, it’s a bit unique. But trust me when I say the combination in this inspired plant-based gelato tastes exotic.

smoky pan-grilled baba ghanoush dip

by Jackie Newgent | January 22, 2015 | 6 Comments

I love good chips and French onion dip at a party. Perhaps too much! But rather than develop a new sour creamy-style dip, I opted for inspiration from my Lebanese roots (thanks to my mom!). The result is an updated classic baba ghanoush. When aiming for healthfulness, I figure you simply can’t go wrong by making a dip full of vegetable goodness! So I pan-grilled eggplant while keeping it covered with a lid to trap in all of the delicious smokiness. Then I added an extra kick of smoked delight, “heat” and earthiness by way of smoked paprika, harissa, and cumin, respectively. If you can’t find harissa, no worries; simply use your favorite hot sauce.