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"Homemade...and Secretly Delicious" was founded by a small group of friends who had one thing in common: they all loved healthy food. Through their summer together at the Urban Environmental Lab (UEL) in East Side Providence, they were able to take part of the Community Environmental College (CEC), a youth program run by former graduates of Brown University that focused on discussing today's major environmental problems and food injustices. That's where this blog came in. The goal of "Homemade...and Secretly Delicious" is to offer an easy access to simple yet healthful recipes that anyone can enjoy in the comfort of their own home. The eight makers of "Homemade...and Secretly Delicious" are Sarah, Sima, Suhair, Siraj,and Tusneem Janoudi, Gabriella and Stephanie Olivences and Aysha. Coming from multiple backgrounds and cultures inspires our love for home cooking and healthy eating. We recognize how much flavor our cultures and communities bring to food, and we want to share that with you. As youth, we care about taking the small steps today in order to make a big difference tomorrow. So follow us today and start cooking your way to a better and healthier future!

12/18/13

Baked Red skin Potatoes with a delicious Parmesan crisp!

Ingredients:

  • about 5 medium to small red skin potatoes
  • vegetable oil
  • water
  • 1 tsp basil
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 2 tbsp Parmesan cheese 
  • salt 
  • black pepper 
  •  2 minced garlic cloves


Directions:
1. cut potatoes into wedges
2. coat with a layer of oil
3. Add basil, oregano, Parmesan cheese, minced garlic, salt, and black pepper.
4. Mix well.
5. Add enough water to cover the potato wedges completely and cover the pan with aluminum foil.
6. set the the oven to  400 degrees F.
7. place in the oven for 15 minutes, covered.
8. Remove the foil and place it back in the oven until all the water evaporates.
9. Take it out of the oven, add a layer of Parmesan cheese, and broil for no more than 2 minutes! Broiling can easily burn your food so do NOT leave your kitchen!  

12/3/13

Delicious Chocolate Mini Cheesecakes

Siraj's Chocolate Cheesecake 

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups wafer crumbs (you can use any cookie you have)
1 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened at room temperature1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour3 eggs1 cup sour cream or yogurt (for a healthier recipe) 


3/4 STICK of butter 
1/2 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa

Garnish:
Powdered sugar
Chocolate shavings 

Instructions:

Using cupcake pans, set oven to 325 degrees F

Place cupcake paper cups without greasing pan or papers.

In a mixing bowl, combine the wafer crumbs, 3 tablespoons of the sugar, and the butter and mix well. Press onto the bottom of cupcake papers. 

In a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer, combine cream cheese, remaining cup of sugar, vanilla extract and beat until light and creamy. Add the flour to the cream cheese mixture and beat until smooth. Add the butter/powdered chocolate mix and sour cream/yogurt and mix well. (caution: cheesecake mix will be more watery if you use yogurt so you can use half sour cream half yogurt if you wish. If you use all yogurt, you can add more chocolate powder (between 1/8 and 1/4 of a cup to make it a little more firm). 


Add the eggs, 1 at a time, mixing on low speed after each addition until just blended. Pour the batter into prepared pan and bake for 20 to 25 minutes until the center is ALMOST set. Center will look a little moist.

Allow cake to cool on a wire rack before removing cupcakes from pan. Refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight before serving. Cheesecake may be made up to 2 days in advance before serving and will keep for up to 1 week in the refrigerator.

Garnish with shaved chocolate and powdered sugar