half-assed recipes

Want a soft serve-inspired dessert that's totally guilt free? Helllooooo, Banana Whip. This past summer, my sister-in-law raved about the Bashful Banana in Ocean City, NJ. I enjoyed their banana whip at least twice during the week (on top of soft serve a few times...) This frozen dessert not only satisfied my sweet tooth but I learned it was ONLY made of bananas. I had no clue how this was possible since I had previously put bananas in the blender for smoothies, and it's nothing like frozen yogurt. Don't worry friends, I've discovered the secret. And it's good. AND, this recipe is easy enough to be called a.... Half-assed recipe!

It's back! My approximate (no chef training) half-assed recipes are back with a vengeance! I've been cooking up a storm with my CSA shares and had a little Asian inspiration last week when I started feeling under the weather. This week's recipe brings you back in time but in a much improved fashion: Ramen Soup. Forget those .49 cent box wonders we relied on for nutritional value in College. After trying authentic Ramen in Fukuoka, Japan, I could never go back to the instant water variety. And for years, I couldn't find a satisfaction in the city of brotherly love. Yet always being a trend-setter,  Ramen is infiltrating Philly in a  huge way. But what if you want to try Ramen from your own kitchen? This recipe uses some of your finest (fall) CSA veggies for a hearty (and filling!) soup. Plus, I'm 5% Asian (accurate by blood test!) so it's at least 5% authentic. Julie's Half-Assed Ramen (or Udon) Japanese-ish Soup: (Check out the recipe, after the jump!)

One of the beautiful things about a CSA is getting a crapload of veggies which you have no idea what to do with. I may have overdosed after having goat cheese, almond & cranberry salad 7 days straight for lunch. My next dilemma? I had various vegetables and wanted something asian-influenced to go along with my 5% Asian self. Luckily I found a package of spring roll wrappers from the grocery story recently and decided to be creative with them. Note: you can swap out the veggies I suggest with your own fillings. But mine were pretty damn delicious... Here's my vegan recipe: Julie's Half-Assed Veggie Spring Rolls

There's something in my 25% Irish & 0% Jewish heritage that loves me some Latkes. I'm also confident that Mexican is a necessary food group, so I love any new spin to create a fiesta in my mouth. These Mexican Potato Latkes are easy to make and QUITE delicious.  Here's my recipe, half-assed: Ingredientes:

To many readers excitement or dismay, my half-assed recipes are back. Though I have fake-a-tarian status, I was craving beef stroganoff for dinner. Luckily I had some of the leftover egg noodles and Boca beef crumbles (a prop for my Sh*t Green People Say satire) and took a trip to Whole Foods. I played off the Vegetarian Casserole Queen's recipe and made my own half-assed twist. Here's what I did: