Break Out the Cuisinart: 12 Amazing Food Processor Recipes

There are a few magical appliances that actually belong in your kitchen (ahem *you don’t actually need an Instant Pot*) and a food processor is definitely one of them. Perfect for keeping kitchen prep to a minimum, there are a few secrets to the food processor that go beyond blending hummus.

Not all recipes are meant for the processor. Use these tips when deciding when to break out the machine:

Avoid Hot Foods

A food processor produces lots of friction and heat when it is doing its thing, so trying to process hot foods in your machine can have dangerous results. Be sure to cool down foods like toasted nuts, roasted tomatoes, and boiling hot water before processing to avoid accidents.

Don’t Over-Fill

Unlike a blender, the food processor isn’t really equipped to hold large amounts of liquid. If you want to make a large batch of a liquid-based food, be sure to divide it into batches to avoid the inevitable mess and never fill the bowl of the processor more than two thirds of the way full.

Running vs. Pulse

The food processor can be an incredible prep tool, but be sure to plan out the steps of your recipe in order to properly process. Some foods like onions, nuts, and doughs can be over-processed to create undesirably gummy or mushy results while smooth nut butters and dips need more time. Use the ‘pulse’ function to better control more delicate chopping jobs and the running feature for smooth purées that require longer processing to achieve the desired texture.

Break Out the Extra Blades

Remember the extra chopping blades you probably never took out of the plastic? Use them to their full potential by quickly prepping vegetables. Shredding carrots for carrot cake or slicing potatoes for quick chips happens in seconds with the blade attachments. If saving time prepping your veggies is going to be worth the extra blade to wash, we say go for it.

From Indian-inspired naan to dark chocolate avocado mousse, we’ve rounded up a few of our favorite food processor recipes to break out your kitchen’s favorite appliance.

1. Pie Crust

Chowhound

When it comes to super-flaky crust, a food processor is a pie crust’s best friend. Cold butter is the key to perfect crust, but with the traditional way of cutting butter into the flour using your hands or a pastry cutter, the butter can get soft and sticky. A processor whizzes the job in a few seconds, yielding even bits of butter throughout the crust and leaving more time to focus on awesome pie fillings. Get our Easy Pie Crust recipe.

2. Lentil Dip

Chowhound

Move aside, hummus. Lentils are here to steal your summertime spread game with higher protein and lower fat content. Cooked lentils are puréed with fresh lemon juice and herbs in a processor until smooth, making for an awesome poolside dip that’s ready in less than ten minutes. Get our Lentil Dip recipe.

3. Watercress and Walnut Pesto

Chowhound

Pesto is a food processor’s crowning achievement, inspiring riffs on the classic basil pesto since the processor’s introduction to market in the 1970s. In this rendition, fresh and spicy watercress and toasty walnuts are puréed into a smooth paste for an easy, one-bowl sauce. Get our Watercress-Walnut Pesto recipe.

4. Peanut Butter

Gimme Some Oven

If 2016 had one good thing going, it was the advent of homemade nut butters. From almond to cashew to DIY tahini, the food processor is a best friend to the nut butter obsessed. Learn the basics with classic creamy peanut butter, then go forth with dreams of combinations like pepita, sunflower, and walnut. Get the recipe.

5. Naan

Fusion Craftiness

Basic bread dough may be a food processor’s best kept secret and this naan is no exception. This quick dough is ‘kneaded’ by the blade in a few seconds, leaving most of the time required left to a rise before cooking. Due to the sharp blade and the size of the machine’s bowl, not all doughs are appropriate for the food processor, but leave the magic machine for breads like pizza dough and naan anytime. Get the recipe.

6. Cauliflower Rice

Coffee and Crayons

The food processor seems to have been created in anticipation for vegetable ‘ricing’ in 2017. The machine takes a plain ol’ head of cauliflower and transforms it into small, rice-like pieces to forget you’re not eating carbs. Check out this basic recipe, and bulk it up with more sauteed vegetables and inspired dressings for a complete meal. Get the recipe.

7. Chocolate-Avocado Mousse

Gimme Some Oven

Don’t tell the French, but we’ve got a delicious mousse that doesn’t have a trace of dairy. Ripe avocados are paired with rich dark chocolate for a vegan (and delicious!) take on the classic dessert. The fast-moving blade will whip more air into this mousse for richness and disguising the vegetable component altogether. Don’t tell the kids! Get the recipe.

8. Buttercream Icing

Completely Delicious

With your cake batter bowl definitely still sitting in the sink, break out the food processor to whip up a quick batch of frosting. This dreamy fudge buttercream handles the butter beautifully, but might need a quick sit in the fridge before it’s ready to spread. Get the recipe.

9. Salmon Burgers

Pinch Of Yum

Grinding meat can be tricky in the food processor, but fresh salmon achieves the perfect consistency for burger patties after a quick blitz. If you’re looking to add chopped onions or herbs to the mix, be sure to chop your vegetables and process your protein separately to avoid tough and sticky fish burger mix. Get the recipe.

10. Homemade Butter

The Brewer and the Baker

Fresh homemade butter is easier than you think with the magical food processor on your side. Leave fresh, heavy cream to process for a few minutes until the buttermilk and milk solids separate, leaving the creamiest butter ever. Get the recipe.

11. Shrimp Burger

I Wash You Dry

This recipe is a seaside dream, quickly pulsing a mix for fresh shrimp burgers to eat on lettuce wraps or a toasted bun. Don’t forget, you can also mix up a quick rémoulade sauce in the processor to garnish these seafood patties. Get the recipe.

12. Salsa Fresca

Life As a Strawberry

Never buy a tub of overpriced pico de gallo again. When tomatoes are in season, this should be your recipe on repeat. Roughly chop tomatoes, onions, and jalapeños to fit in the processor, and pulse until you’ve got a fresh, chunky mix at a desired consistency. Get the recipe.

— Head photo: Life As a Strawberry.

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Umami Burger Wants You to Enjoy a Burger for Breakfast, as One Should

Burgers may be most commonly associated with summer BBQs, football games, and weekend calorie splurges, but Umami Burger hopes to make them a staple during breakfast time. (At least for all of you city dwellers who are on the go and in need of some serious AM fuel.).

“There is always a place for fast casual, and I think that’s why you’re seeing so many businesses like Umami in areas where time is limited,” say Umami Burger COO Gregg Frazer. “Breakfast is traditionally a much faster speed of service.”

Boasting an impressive résumé as former head chef at Philadelphia’s Le Bec-Fin and the Four Seasons hotels in West Palm Beach and Sydney, it wasn’t until January 2015 when Frazer made his first foray into the land of burgers and fries.

“Most diners, nowadays, they want something a little more quick [and] easy,” he says. “But still where you’re executing the basics at a high level.”

Umami Burger has managed to bridge this divide by offering drool-worthy, gourmet-style burgers at an affordable price point. Now that they’ve entered the breakfast arena, they’re hoping to bring the same quality ingredients, convenience, and low cost to their morning menu; no easy feat considering Manhattan’s bustling breakfast competition.

“From a business perspective, if you already have your electricity on and your staff and team members working, why wouldn’t you want to open up and create a revenue stream there where you traditionally didn’t have one?” says Frazer.

We sat down with the chef at his Hudson Hotel location to chat about the chain’s latest venture into eggs, sausage, and hash browns, as well as his own unique journey from fine dining to fast casual. Check out the video above and be sure to stop by one of Umami Burger’s 25 locations to experience their burgers for yourself.

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Highest Protein Foods for Vegans and Vegetarians

My vegan friend is tired of getting the third-degree about not eating meat. If she had a seed for every time she gets asked the question “How do you get your protein?,” she’d be able to plant her own garden of frustration.

Here’s the raw truth: Vegans and vegetarians are capable of packing as much protein into their diet as the most avid meat-eater.

Torre Washington, a vegan professional bodybuilder, is living proof. He’s been following a vegan diet for almost 20 years and his strong and fit physique hasn’t been compromised. Instead, he attributes his success and growth to this vegan diet and lifestyle.

“I’m looking for nutrients and focused on variety,” he tells the Washington Post.

Take beans and legumes, for example. There are endless options: black beans, garbanzo beans, kidney beans, and you can’t forget the lentils. Incorporate a cup of any of these and you’re getting 18 grams of protein—that’s about as much protein as a chicken breast.

Then there’s the beloved quinoa, currently one of the shining stars of healthy, delicious eating. Not only is it easy to cook, it’s also a go-to ingredient for a well-balanced meal. One cup will give you nine grams of protein.

There are also ways that vegans and vegetarians can incorporate protein into their diet more subtly, like with chia seeds. Chia seeds are like the finishing garnish on a restaurant dish that doesn’t do anything but make the dish look prettier, except the seeds are actually doing something. Just adding two tablespoons to an açaí bowl or yogurt will provide six grams of protein.

Worth mentioning is also the lesser known spirulina, a powder that can be added (in small quantities) to your morning smoothie. Two tablespoons of this nutritious powder will give you the protein and energy-boost you need for the day.

Here are more examples of ways to pack protein into a no-meat diet:

Easy Lentil Soup

Chowhound

Lentils can be just as wholesome and tender as any cut of meat. They’re the perfect ingredient to add flavor and richness to your soup, and this recipe also adds tomato and spinach to make for an even more delicious, hearty meal. Get our Easy Lentil Soup recipe.

Pressure Cooker Vegan Black Bean Chili

Chowhound

Usually bean chili takes hours, but with this recipe you can let your pressure cooker do the hard work in half the time. Black beans may be the star of the show, but the additional combinations of peppers, tomatoes, and spices like cumin make this dish the ultimate comfort food. It also freezes well for the days you don’t feel like cooking. Get our Pressure Cooker Vegan Black Bean Chili recipe.

Buddha’s Delight (Jai)

Chowhound

Mushrooms are a main ingredient of this vegetable stew, and the perfect meaty addition. You also can’t go wrong with all the other veggie goodness going on in this Asian dish, which incorporates traditional Asian ingredients like bamboo shoots and ginkgo nuts. Get our Buddha’s Delight recipe.

Vegan Macaroni and Cheese

Chowhound

Everyone deserves to have mac and cheese in their lives, and nutritional yeast provides the creamy, cheesy flavor that replaces actual cheese. What makes this dish even better is the addition of broccoli —a great source of protein and the cherry on top to this meal.  Get our Vegan Macaroni and Cheese recipe.

— Head photo: Pixabay.

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What Is the Difference Between a Radler and a Shandy?

Although these two beverages sound like they could pass for fairly legitimate Brooklyn hipster baby names (Shandy Mendes and Radler Gosling, anyone?), these two beer-based drinks are the perfect answer to beating the heat at a summertime happy hour.

Beer-based cocktails are an easy pick for parties and don’t take much effort to make. The shandy is made by mixing beer (normally a blond lager) with lemonade, or even lemon-lime soda. The ratio should be about 50-50 and you can mix-and-match with your choice of beer and fruity additions. A radler—which means cyclist in German—is a similar citrus and beer concoction but can also include other fruit juices, like grapefruit. Essentially, if you’re in the mood for a shandy and you order a radler, you’ll still be enjoying a beer-and-juice combination with a citrusy and refreshing taste. Shandy is the British name for it whereas radlers are the German name for them.

Both the shandy and the radler come pre-mixed in cans, and there are some fun alternatives on the market that include grapefruit juice and ginger beer. One of the most well-known pre-packaged shandys is the iconic Del’s Shandy by Naragansett—sold seasonally in many regions of the United States and made with a ‘Gansett lager mixed with Del’s Frozen lemonade (both Rhode Island-based brands). The Del’s Shandy has a steadfast following and many fans stock up when they can find it. (I was once gifted a precious Del’s Shandy while waiting in line to get into a bar by a man who had lovingly driven it all the way from Rhode Island to Chicago in his VW minibus.)

So the next time you’re in the mood for a thirst-quenching alcoholic beverage, think about whipping up a batch of radlers (everyone can participate in the fun and mix-and-match with beers and different flavors of juice) or crack open an ice-cold shandy. Check out our seven shandy and radler recipes for inspiration and beat the heat.

Ginger Shandy

Chowhound

Chilled ginger beer adds a kick to this shandy. Pair with a lager (English style is recommended) and use a ginger beer that packs a punch. Get our Ginger Shandy recipe.

Traditional Radler

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Give the original a try before creating your favorite pairings—our basic radler recipe calls for lager and some lemon-lime soda (but we won’t tell anyone if you use lemonade instead). Get our Traditional Radler recipe.

Raspberry Shandy

Chowhound

Is this a shandy or a radler? It’s hard to decide (especially if you’re using German beer), but this recipe is a snap with wheat beer and some chilled raspberry lambic instead of lemonade. Get our Raspberry Shandy recipe.

The Hop Over Radler

Punch Drink

This recipe from Dutch Kills in Queens combines some unusual ingredients—falernum, genever, and orange flower water—with a hoppy IPA and lemon juice to create an extremely unusual radler. Get the recipe.

Watermelon Shandy

The Sequin Notebook

Why let lemons and grapefruit have all the fun when you can mix beer with watermelon juice for a pink shandy? Get the recipe.

Southern Peach Radler

Hey Let’s Make Stuff

The traditional radler is taken to the next level here and enhanced with peach brandy and fresh peaches as a garnish. You can make a big batch and scale these radlers easily for a party. Get the recipe.

Mezcal Shandy

Cali Zona

Pilsner is paired with mezcal and lemon along with bitters and some sugar to add sweetness in this enhanced summertime shandy. Get the recipe.

— Head photo illustration by Chowhound, using: Girl Cooks World/The Drink Blog.

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Some of Your Favorite Foods Are Getting the Emoji Treatment

Cuckoo for coconuts? Pining for pretzels? A dumpling devotee? There’s good news for you!

By the end of 2017, food-obsessed iPhone users will be able to pictorially express their love for food with a bevy of new emojis. As part of Apple’s Unicode 10.0 upgrade, the new line-up includes: a coconut, broccoli, pretzel, T-bone steak, sandwich, bowl of soup, can of tomatoes, steamed dumpling, fortune cookie, Chinese take-out box, chopsticks, pie, and a to-go cup.

Emojipedia

Your newest obsession will roll out with 43 other emojis as early as next month, though a definitive date has yet to be confirmed by Tim Cook and the crew. Apparently they really like to make a habit of keeping us on our toes.

While we’re always excited about more texting customization, we’re somewhat disappointed by this year’s lackluster offerings. Do we really need a hot soup option (the ramen certainly suffices)? An unidentifiable liquid in a fast food to-go cup? Or how about that can of tomatoes? Is that really necessary? The answer is obviously no—we already have a spaghetti with sauce and a tomato. A can of the stuff is quite simply overkill.

Of course, we can’t always get what we want because, shockingly, there’s a world outside of food that requires its own emojis. And if we’re being completely honest, the merman, breastfeeding mother, yogis, and giraffe are really calling our name. But food is a language that’s universal, so we’re shocked that items like blueberries, chicken fingers, potato chips, and garlic didn’t make the cut and will remain digitally non-existent. Also, can someone please tell us what the hell this thing is:

A space waster, that’s what.

Are there certain foods that you feel deserve the Apple emoji treatment? If so, sound off in the comment section below. We’re curious to hear your thoughts, suggestions, and grievances. Because #firstworldproblems.

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Vietnamese Noodle Bowls with Chicken

An entire meal in one bowl is a brilliant system. That’s one reason the bowl trend has taken off and shows no signs of declining.

Another is the ease. You can put a bowl together without any heavy lifting, and at the end of your assembly line you have happy eaters.

Here is a riff that I like to do on Vietnamese “bún” – one of the original “meals in a bowl”! This is a cold salad of vermicelli rice noodles, chicken, fresh herbs and vegetables, and a tangy rice vinegar dressing.

Looking down at this bowl full of these delicious ingredients, it’s bound to put a big smile on your face.

Continue reading "Vietnamese Noodle Bowls with Chicken" »

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Things That Go Crunch in the Night

Whether it’s crunchy or chewy, consumers are more tuned in than ever to textural variation in foods.

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How to Appeal to College-aged Consumers

Most college students are now members of Generation Z, a group that favors healthful, inexpensive, and flavorful food and beverage options. This generation of snackers is currently influencing not only college dining programs, but the restaurants that expand onto college campuses, as well.

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Fuchs: Summertime Tastes

Fuchs North America introduces the Summer Sensations Collection, a new line of unique seasonings, bases and flavors. The collection’s four vibrant and summery seasonings are highly versatile and meet various growing claims, such as non-GMO and organic.

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Spice Infused Coconut Oil

Coconut Oil Creations infuses generous amounts of organic spices directly into coconut oil and does not use extracts.

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DIGIORNO Crispy Pan Pizza

DIGIORNO Crispy Pan Pizza is made with 100% real cheese, a preservative-free crust and no artificial flavors.

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Adobo-Marinated Grilled Pork Chops

Filipino adobo is a classic dish, usually of stewed chicken or pork in a tangy, flavorful sauce made from cane vinegar, soy sauce, and aromatics. But the building blocks of the adobo sauce also make a great marinade for grilled meats, like the pork chops here. Get Recipe!

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Peak Rock Capital Affiliate Acquires Gold Coast Bakeries

Headquartered in Santa Ana, California, Gold Coast provides a broad array of fresh and frozen products to leading consumer packaged goods companies, grocery retailers, and foodservice customers.

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Vegan Nutmilks

New Food & Beverage Products Video: Using a patented cold-milling process called “milking,”—developed by food scientist Dr. Cheryl Mitchell—Elmhurst Milked crafts non-dairy milks that combine the nutrition of whole nuts with creamy texture.

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