elly says opa

Fruit Salsa with Cinnamon-Sugar Pita Chips

April 22, 2012 · 9 comments

I told you I was getting pretty excited for warmer weather produce, and making this fruit salsa for Zachary’s party is yet another indication. Z surely would not complain, considering he could eat “strawbabies” all day long. Of course, you could make this with any number of different seasonal fruits and it would work just fine.

This salsa obviously requires a fair amount of chopping, but is still extremely easy to throw together. Plus, you can make it advance. I didn’t make mine too far in advance because I was worried about the texture, but I must say that we had some leftover, and it was fine the next day and day after that (though it will become a bit softer and more syrupy). Even without chips, Zachary did not have an issue eating this on its own with a spoon, and we both enjoyed it added to our plain yogurt, too.

I added an extra kiwi to the recipe (as indicated below). The amount of sugar you add will be based on how sweet your fruit already is and really, you may not need any at all. I used less sugar than the original, and also used a jelly with no sugar added (which is different than sugar-free jelly). I haven’t tried it personally, but if you want to keep refined sugars out of this completely but still want a little sweetness, I have no doubt that a little honey would work in place of the sugar.

Fruit Salsa

Adapted from Allrecipes.com

3 kiwi, peeled
2 apples (I used gala), peeled, cored and diced
1 pint raspberries, halved
1 lb. strawberries, hulled and diced
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. granulated sugar
3 Tbsp. fruit preserves, any flavor (I used no-sugar-added blackberry)
Cinnamon-sugar chips for serving*

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate for 15 minutes, or until ready to serve.

*I ended up serving this with store-bought cinnamon sugar pita chips. Making your own cinnamon-sugar pita or tortilla chips is not difficult at all, but I really just didn’t feel like making them and tending to them in the oven during our get together. If you want to make your own, Just cut a pita or flour tortilla into wedges, then spray with cooking oil and sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar (I generally do a 4:1 sugar to cinnamon ratio). Bake in a 425 oven until nice and crispy, about 8 minutes.

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Pasta Primavera

April 18, 2012 · 9 comments

in healthy,italian,pasta,quick and easy,vegetarian

Now that it’s starting to warm up, I’m getting really excited about spring and summer produce. I’m a bit early with this, I know, but I just couldn’t wait any longer!

This dish is adaptable to pretty much any vegetable (I definitely plan on adding asparagus next time), is healthy, and is on the table in under 30 minutes. The most time consuming part is cutting the vegetables, which really doesn’t take long at all (though it can be harder if you have a veggie stealer on your hands). The pasta cooks while the vegetables are roasting, and then all you need to do is toss everything together, add a handful of cheese and you’re done.

I love that the vegetables are roasted, because it really heightens their flavor (not to mention, you don’t have to sit over a stove stirring vegetables). Though I didn’t add it this time, I think a little fresh basil would be great to finish this off, and if you’re a fan of heat, a pinch of crushed red pepper wouldn’t hurt either. But even as it stands, it’s a simple and tasty pasta dish that I will no doubt enjoy in various forms throughout the spring and summer.

Pasta Primavera

Adapted from Giada DeLaurentiis

1 large carrot, peeled and cut into thin strips
1 zucchini, cut into thin strips
1 summer squash, cut into thin strips
1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1 yellow pepper, cut into thin strips
1 small onion, thinly sliced
2 tsp. Herbes de Provence
1.5 Tbsp. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
8 oz. pasta, such as farfalle or penne
15 grape tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano

Preheat the oven to 450F.

Toss the carrot, zucchini, squash, peppers and onion onto a baking sheet along with the herbes de Provence and olive oil. Roast for about 8 minutes, and then stir in garlic. Roast an additional 5 minutes, or until vegetables are tender and begin to brown.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt and the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water.

Toss the pasta, vegetables, and tomatoes to combine. Stir in as much reserved pasta water as necessary to moisten the pasta, along with salt and pepper to taste, and the cheese.

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Mo Willems Sugar Cookies for Zachary’s 2nd Birthday

April 15, 2012 · 22 comments

in sweets/desserts

Zachary turned two earlier this month (I know, it’s insane). We had a small birthday party for him last weekend and I went with a Mo Willems theme. If you don’t know Mo Willems, he’s the author of a lot of kids’ books, including Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus and a host of “Elephant and Piggie” books. Zachary just adores his books, so I thought this would be a fun theme. (The invite image is not showing up the best here, but you get the idea. It’s modeled after the book I am Invited to a Party! and the bottom says “P.S. Don’t let the pigeon come.”)

The Pigeon’s favorite food is hot dogs, so we decided to have a hot dog party! We just had a few different kinds of hot dogs/sausages with various toppings and condiments. Tom also grilled some burgers. I made some simple sides (bacon/cheese potatoes, and a Mexican cherry tomato salad), appetizers (fruit salsa with cinnamon chips, guacamole with tortilla chips, and barbecue chicken and caramelized onion quesadillas since my kid’s obsessed with quesadillas) and these cookies. I didn’t want to spend much time in the kitchen, and with a little prep the day before, I really didn’t. I didn’t go terribly crazy with the theme or anything. This is pretty much the extent of my craftiness, which is a sign I made to go by the hot dogs from pages in the book.

Yep, LOOK OUT Pinterest.

I decided to leave the cake-making to the pros this time because I really wanted some of the Mo Willems characters on the cake, and as we already know, I am one of the world’s worst cupcake and cake decorators. Gerald the elephant and Piggie went on the top of the cake.

Now, the cookies were a bit of a challenge, mostly because I am really, truly, terribly inartistic. A couple months ago, I tried making Mad Men sugar cookies and they were a failure on the most epic of levels. My falling men looked like ninjas, my Lucky Strike logo looked like Zachary made it, and my lettering looked that of a 4 year old learning to write his name for the first time.

Needless to say, I was a bit worried about making anything that wasn’t, like, a filled star. Let alone characters – that I wanted people to actually be able to recognize.

This time I decided to print a few characters out and then outline them, rather than free-handing. I actually went way overboard doing this because there was really no reason to draw any detailing, since they would get covered by flooding, anyway. I guess I just got overzealous.

Anyway, this definitely helped my artistic plight and though these cookies most certainly would not perfect, I would consider them a success especially after the Mad Men fiasco. I have a really, very unsteady hand and also cannot draw a straight line even while using a ruler, so I’m never going to be a perfect sugar cookie decorator. I still had did all the detailing freehand (trunks and mouths and whatnot, so I left myself plenty of room for error. ;) Thankfully, a lot of Mo Willems characters are crudely drawn, so it works out a little better for me.

I did a couple Gerald designs (these were probably my favorite and turned out the best), a couple Piggie (both pretty awful, hah), the Pigeon, the bus, and Cat the Cat.

Originally I had planned on flooding the entire cookie white, and then essentially doing a double-flood where the character would be. But, I didn’t get a chance to start these as early as I wanted and only had a day to do them, so there was no chance both floods would dry before I could detail. Although some of the piping did get covered with the floods, it wasn’t too bad, so I’d probably do this again next time since I’m pretty lazy. :) Plus, I’m not the world’s biggest royal icing fan, so doing it this way makes it a little less thick.

My timeline was making the dough Thursday night and refrigerating it, then rolling/cutting/baking it Friday morning. As soon as they cooled, I started doing the outlining, then when that dried, the flooding. I let them sit out until Zachary went to bed, and then did the detailing around 8:30 or 9:00. Not the most ideal, but it worked.

I mentioned in a previous post that I liked both Ashlee’s and Annie’s sugar cookie recipes, so I decided to combine them. I used Ashlee’s basic recipe, but increased the almond extract dramatically (one of my favorite things about Annie’s cookies) and eliminated the leavening altogether (also like Annie’s) so that they’d hold their shape a bit better and didn’t have as-raised tops. I think this is the recipe I will use going forward, because it was my favorite combination of flavor/texture/shape. I also added a little almond extract to the royal icing (what can I say? I can’t get enough.) Besides the fact that I could probably drink almond extract, the other nice thing about using it in the icing is that it’s clear so there is no chance of discoloring the icing, like vanilla extract would (though honestly, I’ve never had a huge issue with that).

Note Tom’s t-shirt, which is quite appropriate for our theme. Note also the fact that I did not have time to do my hair before the party (my inlaws are always early, and I am used to Greek people being at least an hour late, I guess) and probably should not have allowed myself to be photographed. Finally (and most importantly) note how freaking adorable our kid is.

He really, really hates candles, so we had to do the heavy lifting there. ;)

Sugar Cookies

Adapted from Veggie by Season with inspiration from Annie’s Eats

3/4 cup butter (12 Tbsp.)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup powdered sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1.25 tsp. almond extract
2.5 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt

Using a stand or hand mixer on medium speed, cream the butter and the sugars together for about 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until just incorporated, and then add the vanilla and almond extracts until combined. Turn the mixer to low, and add the salt, followed by about 3/4 cup flour. Mix for about 15 seconds, and then add the remaining flour in 2 batches, beating for 15 seconds between, until flour is incorporated.

Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour.

Preheat the oven to 375F and line baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking sheet.

Dust your work surface with flour or powdered sugar (or a combination), and then roll the chilled dough to about 1/4″ thickness. Cut cookies using a floured cookie cutter, and then place on prepared baking sheets (re-roll any scraps to make more cookies. Or just bake scraps – you know, for taste testing purposes. :))

Bake for approximately 7-8 minutes (will vary based on size and thickness of cookie). The cookies won’t really brown, so be sure you’re not overbaking them.

Allow to cool completely before frosting.

Royal Icing

Adapted from Good Things Catered (defunct blog) via Annie’s Eats

4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
2 Tbsp. meringue powder
5 Tbsp. water
splash of almond or vanilla extract (optional)

Combine the sugar, meringue powder and water in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until the sheen has disappeared and the icing has a matte appearance, about 7-10 minutes. Add the extract in for the last half minute or so.

Transfer the contents of the mixing bowl to an air-tight container (or several containers, if you are using different colors). At this point, the icing will still be too stiff to use for decorating. Add water a very small amount at a time and stir by hand until fully incorporated. Continue until the icing has reached a consistency appropriate for piping. Use icing gels to dye the icing, if desired (just dip the toothpick in the gel and then add it to the icing; continue until you get the color you want.

Using a pastry bag, pipe around the edges of each cookie. Let stand so the icing will set, about an hour. As you’re working, be sure to keep a tight lid on any icing you’re not using.

Once all the cookies have been edged, transfer some of the remaining icing to a separate air-tight container. Thin out by incorporating a small amount of water at a time, until the icing drips off the spoon easily when lifted and then smooths in with that still in the bowl. If you go too far and the icing is too thin, add more sifted powdered sugar to thicken it again. Once the icing has reached the desired consistency, transfer it to a squeeze bottle (or a plastic bag with a hole in one corner), and flood the area surrounded by the piping on each cookie. If it does not completely spread to the edges, use a toothpick to help it along. Allow to set, preferably for several hours.

Use the remaining thicker icing for piping decoration as desired.

Notes: The amount above should be fine if you do not plan on doing several different colors and a lot of detail work. I made 1.5 batches and had a little extra.

Be sure to check out Annie’s royal icing tutorial!

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Baked Burritos with Sour Cream-Poblano Sauce

April 11, 2012 · 11 comments

in beans and legumes,beef,mexican/tex-mex

There’s a long, involved story about how these came to be on our menu, but the (not particularly) short version is my remembering a time we were at Chi-Chi’s (yep, Mexican chain extraordinaire) about 20 years ago. There was a big scoop of sour cream on my then 5-year-old-stepsister’s plate. She asked what it was and my dad, ever the jokester, told her it was ice cream. She ate a HUGE spoonful and I’ll never forget the look on her face. She hasn’t had sour cream since.

Anyway, at Chi-Chi’s, I’d order something called a chicken burrito suprema (at least, I think that’s what it was called). It was basically a burrito that had this really creamy, totally unhealthy mushroom and sour cream sauce on the top. I’m sure if I had it today, I wouldn’t think it nearly as awesome, but at the time, I loved it.

Obviously, this dish is a departure from that one, since it’s made with beef and there are no mushrooms in the sauce. I make so many chicken tacos, enchiladas, and everything else, that every once in a while I just really crave beef, so I went with it (and couldn’t have been happier with my choice).

I wanted to make burrito-sized versions of these but of course they only had white flour tortillas at the store so we got smaller whole wheat tortillas (I know, I really need to start making my own tortillas). One probably would have been enough, anyway, but I still gorged and had two. Oops.

Beef and Black Bean Baked Burritos with Sour Cream-Poblano Sauce

Baked Burritos
1 Tbsp. canola oil
1 large onion, diced
1 lb. ground beef or sirloin
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup water or beef broth
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. oregano
1.25 tsp. chili powder
1/8 tsp. cayenne
1 tsp. brown sugar
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack, cheddar, or cheese of your preference
4-10 whole wheat tortillas, depending on size (4 for burrito-sized, more for soft taco or fajita sized)
Spray cooking oil

Sour Cream-Poblano Sauce
2 poblano peppers
2 Tbsp. butter
1 serano or jalapeno pepper (optional)
2 Tbsp. flour
2/3 cup chicken broth (preferably room temperature)
1/2 cup sour cream (light is fine)

Preheat the oven to 400ºF and spray a rimmed baking sheet with cooking oil.

To make the burritos: Heat a large skillet over medium heat, and then add the oil. Once hot, add the onions and cook for 3-5 minutes until they begin to soften. Place the ground beef in the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until well browned. (At this point, drain any excess fat if necessary/desired).

Stir in the garlic and tomato paste and cook for 30-60 seconds before adding in the beans. Add the water or broth, cumin, oregano, chili powder, cayenne, brown sugar and salt to taste (about 1 tsp.). Reduce heat and simmer until most of the liquid has been absorbed.

Place 2-4 Tbsp. of cheese at the end of each tortilla (depending on size) and then spoon some of the beef and bean mixture over the top. Fold the left and right sides of the tortilla in, and then roll the tortilla up, from the end closest to you, to the top. Place seam-side down on a baking sheet, and spray with cooking oil.

Bake for about 20 minutes, until tortillas are golden brown and crispy.

Meanwhile, make the sauce.

Place the poblano directly over a gas burner. Using tongs, turn occasionally until skin is blackened on all sides. Place in a bowl and top with plastic wrap or a clean towel, until cook enough to handle.

Peel the poblano (I find that using a paper towel and just sliding it down the poblano is the easiest way to do this), remove the stem and seeds, and dice it.

Heat a sauce pan over medium heat, and add the butter. Saute the jalapeno for about a minute (if using), and then stir in the flour, cooking for an additional minute. Slowly add the chicken broth and then the diced poblano; continue to simmer, whisking frequently, until thickened.

Add the sour cream and warm through. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve the sauce over the baked burritos.

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Meatless Monday: Quinoa Cakes with Lemon, Olives, and Parsley

April 8, 2012 · 13 comments

in healthy,rice and grains,vegetarian

A lot of good, healthy grains in this house are called “tiny pasta.”

It’s not that I’m afraid to give Zachary the real names of things (he’s not really to the point yet where he will refuse to try things based on the name) but sometimes, it’s easier. “What’s this mommy?” “It’s quinoa. It’s like…tiny pasta.”

Plus? He’s infallible. The other day, he had bulgur (more tiny pasta) with zucchini.

“What’s this mommy?”
“It’s zucchini.”
“No! Cucumber!”
“Well, you’re right. It does look like a cucumber, but it’s called ‘zucchini.’”
“CUCUMBER!!!!!!”

Oh.

So when something’s called “tiny pasta” I go with it. Here’s a recipe for pasta cakes. Errr…quinoa cakes. And, they’re pretty fabulous. If you haven’t already eaten quinoa, I urge you to try it. It’s delicious, nutty, and incredibly healthy. It’s got plenty of protein and fiber, and will keep you full for a long time.

The flavors mixed into these patties are some of my favorites—lemon, parsley, olives, and of course cheese. I used kalamata olives rather than green because I’m not a big green olive fan. But I’m a BIG kalamata olive fan. They are cooked in just a little bit of oil in the pan and end up nice and crispy. I added a little cornmeal to them to keep them together a bit better and also to provide some added crunch.

We had these with a salad with lots of feta and Greek-ish dressing. (And I’m sure that the feta would also be lovely actually *in* the cakes, instead of the Romano I used, too.) They paired really wonderfully together and even though the leftovers were not quite as crispy the following day, I still enjoyed them. Tom particularly liked these, and mentioned again after work the next day how much he liked them and how great his lunch was. That’s always the sign of a winning dish—especially when the meal doesn’t contain meat.

While I adored these with salad, they would also be great for breakfast with an egg on top, which I will definitely try next time. You can keep the mixture in your fridge for a day or two and just cook them whenever the mood strikes you, so go ahead and make a batch up on Friday for dinner and then fry up the leftovers on Saturday morning with a poached egg.

Quinoa Cakes with Lemon, Olives, and Parsley

Adapted from Super Natural Everyday by Heidi Swanson, via Joy the Baker

1.5 cups raw quinoa
2.5 cups water or vegetable broth
1 small yellow onion, finely diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup grated Romano cheese
1/3 cup coarsely chopped Kalamata olives
1/3 cup chopped parsley
1 Tbsp. lemon zest
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1/2 tsp. salt
freshly ground pepper or crushed red pepper flakes, to taste (I used a heaping 1/4 tsp. or red pepper)
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
about 2 Tbsp. cornmeal
2 Tbsp. olive oil
additional lemon wedges, for serving

Place quinoa in a mesh strainer and rinse under cold water for about 2 minutes. Bring quinoa and water or broth to boil in a medium saucepan (if using water, also add 1/2 tsp. salt). Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes or until quinoa is tender. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the eggs, onion, garlic, cheese, olives, parsley, lemon zest, panko, salt and pepper. Add the cooked quinoa, and then the eggs, stirring until moistened (if your mixture needs to be a little wetter, add about 1 Tbsp. water).

Sprinkle cornmeal over a plate or baking sheet. Form the quinoa mixture into patties, and place on plate. Sprinkle additional cornmeal on top of the patties (this keeps the patties together better and also provides a little extra crispiness).

Heat some of the olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat (this depends on how big your patties and pan are, and how many batches you need to do). Add the patties to the hot oil and cook until well browned, about 4 minutes per side. Place on a paper towel-lined plate to remove an excess grease.

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Tsoureki (Greek Easter Bread)

April 4, 2012 · 8 comments

in breads and muffins,greek

I’m SO excited to have finally made my first tsoureki! Tsoureki (tsoo-reh-kee) is the traditional Greek bread made at Easter (Pascha) time, and I love it. It’s slightly sweet and gets its unmistakable flavor from mahlepi, which is made from cherry seeds. I had my grandma bring some home from Greece, but I actually ran across some in a semi-ethnic grocery store near me recently, so it can definitely be found in the states. You can also purchase it from Penzey’s.

I’ve been wanting to make my own for years, but the problem is, a recipe for a loaf or two (or even 4) of tsoureki doesn’t seem to exist. All recipes, my grandmothers’ included, use at least 30 cups of flour. No joke. Most Greeks always have a loaf on hand to take to someone else’s house, or just to give to someone who drops by. But I definitely don’t have that need, and also didn’t want to even think about cutting down a recipe that huge.

Thankfully, I found this recipe for 2 (sort of) loaves. I ended up halving the recipe below, which should have made one loaf. And it did. But I should have definitely, definitely made it into two.

Because it was huge.

Massive.

I had to put it diagonally on my sheet pan just so it would (barely) fit and of course it stretched the limits of the pan and I ended up having square-ish ends, and not looking very braided when it was all said and done.

See what I mean?

For a minute, I was starting to wonder if the rising bread would bust through the oven door.

Anyway, despite its massive size, the tsoureki turned out fabulously. It tasted exactly like the slightly sweet, eggy bready I’m used to. Many people compare it to Hawaiian bread, which I can see. I’d liken the texture and eggy-ness to challah, but tsoureki is a bit sweeter.

Normally, tsoureki should have a dyed red egg or two baked right into the loaf, but I had zero interest in dying eggs red (maybe next year with Zachary).

Tsoureki (Greek Easter Bread)

barely adapted from Food.com

2 cups warm milk
2 (1/4 oz.) envelopes of dry active yeast
8-9 cups bread flour, divided
1.75 cups sugar, divided
1 tsp. salt
the zest of 1 large orange
1 Tbsp. ground mahlepi
1 tsp. ground mastiha (optional…but encouraged)
1/4 cup butter, melted
5 large eggs, beaten

Egg wash
1 egg yolk
2-3 Tbsp. milk
slivered almonds
sesame seeds

In a large bowl, mix together the milk, yeast, 1 cup flour, and 1/4 cup sugar. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and proof for one hour.

In a separate large bowl, whisk together 7 cups of flour, the remaining 1.5 cups sugar, salt, orange zest, mahlepi and mastiha (if using). Make a well in the center of the flour mixture; add the yeast mixture, butter, and eggs. Work from the center outwards, bringing flour into the well, stirring the mixture until a dough begins to form.

On a heavily floured work surface, knead the dough for about 12 minutes until the dough no longer sticks to your hands, adding flour when necessary.* Place the dough in a large oiled bowl, turning once to get oil on the other side. Cover with a kitchen towel and allow to rise for 2 hours, until doubled in size.**

Punch down the dough, and divide into 6*** equal portions. Roll each piece into a 12-15″ strip. Lay 3 strips side by side (I like to do this right on the parchment or Silpat you’re using). Pinch together the strips at the top, and then braid them. Pinch the bottom together. If desired, nestle 2-3 dyed red eggs into the braid. Repeat with the remaining 3 strips.

Place the braided loaves on parchment or Silpat-lined baking sheets. Cover with a towel and let rise for about 2 hours or until doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Whisk together the egg yolk and milk. Brush the mixture on top of both loaves evenly. Sprinkle with slivered almonds and/or sesame seeds.

Bake for about 40 minutes, checking the loaf about halfway through; you will likely need to tent it with foil to keep the top from over-browning.

Notes:
*I ended up hand-kneading for a minute or two, then using the dough hook on my KitchenAid mixer to do most of the kneading, then finishing up on a floured board.

**When I’m making yeast breads, I like to heat my oven to the lowest temperature, and then turn it off a couple minutes before I place the bowl in the oven. This ensures a warm and draft-free environment.

***Like I mentioned, I would make more loaves with the amount of dough. For the recipe above, I’d split the dough into 12 equal pieces, and make 4 braided loaves.

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Arugula and Endive Salad with Pine Nuts and Parmesan

April 1, 2012 · 9 comments

in healthy,salads,vegetables

Tom basically thinks arugula is the best thing since sliced bread (actually, he likes arugula way more than sliced bread). He prefers I only use it raw so that it retains all of its peppery bite. I love it, too, so I can’t say I blame him.

I came across this recipe recently and had all the ingredients to make it, except the endive (but, conveniently, the next day was grocery day). This salad provides a great combination of peppery arugula, salty cheese, and a zing from the lemon juice. Pine nuts add crunch and, while pricey, are a favorite of mine. I try to keep some in the freezer so I can use them in things like this but if you don’t have any and don’t want to buy them, I think slivered almonds or even some toasted pepitas would be great here, too. (And yes, I totally over-toasted mine. Those are the breaks when you have to chase down/clean up after an almost 2-year old who pulled everything off the counter while you turned your back for 4 seconds.)

Arugula and Endive Salad with Pine Nuts and Parmesan

Adapted from Food & Wine

3 Tbsp. pine nuts
2.5 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1.5 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
2 Belgian endives, thinly sliced
6 oz. baby arugula
1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup Parmesan shavings
salt and pepper to taste

In a small skillet, toast the pine nuts over medium-low heat, shaking the skillet occasionally, until golden and fragrant, about 4 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine the olive oil with the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Add the endive, arugula, tomatoes, Parmesan cheese shavings and the toasted pine nuts and toss thoroughly. Serve immediately.

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{ 9 comments }

Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes

March 28, 2012 · 10 comments

in breakfast/brunch,healthy

I’ve been making this pancake recipe for years, so I’m not sure how it’s never made it to the blog (but my guess would be it’s because I’m typically a pretty atrocious pancake flipper and my pancakes are never photogenic). I switch the recipe up pretty much every time I make it, but three changes I make fairly consistently are adding some sort of extract, reducing the sugar, and using mostly whole wheat flour. From there, the variations are pretty endless. I’ve added fruit, chocolate chips, citrus zest, cinnamon, nuts, and any number of other things.

I love that this recipe is healthy and uses whole wheat flour, but still turns out light and fluffy. With a drizzle of real maple syrup and some turkey breakfast sausage on the side (something I thought I’d never in a million years like but found I recently I do!), this is a simple and nutritious breakfast—or, in our case this week—dinner.

Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes

Ever-adapted from Cooking Light

1/3 cup AP flour
2/3 cup whole wheat flour
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 egg
1 cup lowfat buttermilk*
1 tsp. canola oil
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. almond extract
2/3 cup fresh blueberries
cooking spray or butter, for greasing pan/griddle

Put the flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.

In another bowl, whisk the egg and then add the buttermilk, oil and extracts. Whisk until just combined.

Make a well in the center of the flour mixture, and add the wet ingredients. Stir just until smooth.

Grease a hot pan or griddle with cooking spray or a little butter. Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup, spoon the batter onto the griddle. Sprinkle the top of each pancake with a few blueberries. Flip the pancakes when the top has bubbles and the edges seem cooked. Cook an additional minute on second side.

*Yogurt or sour cream may be used in place of buttermilk. Depending on the thickness, you may need to add a tablespoon or two of milk to thin the batter a bit.

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{ 10 comments }

Super-Crisp Oven Baked Fish

March 25, 2012 · 18 comments

in healthy,seafood

Considering this is, oh, the 4th fish recipe on this blog in 5+ years, it’s pretty obvious I’m not the world’s biggest fish fan. However, I am a big fan of all things that are breaded, which is why this recipe appealed to me. :-D Also, I’d been wanting to participating in Jessica, from The Jey of Cooking‘s, round-up of heart-healthy recipes. Jessica is doing this for her mom, who received a life-saving heart transplant last year. The bonus is for every entry she receives, Jessica is donating $1 to the American Heart Association.

This recipe is definitely heart smart. The crispy breading is made from whole grains and the fish used here is cod, which promotes cardiovascular health since it’s a good source of blood thinning omega 3 fatty acids (not to mention full of B12 and B6). Like the title indicates, this fish comes out super-crisp and there is no frying involved, and a very minimal amount of fat. Cod and haddock in particular stand up well to this method because they’re not too thin, like tilapia may be, which allows the breading to get nice and golden without overcooking the fish.

The best news, of course, is that I ended up really, really enjoying this recipe. With a crunchy crust and copious amounts of lemon, there’s nothing to not love. This would also be great with some homemade tartar sauce (which by the way I’ve made with Greek yogurt in place of mayo before). As you may have guessed, I used plain yogurt in place of mayo in this recipe because, you know, mayo sucks. The bonus is that it’s better for you.

Also, can I just say that I don’t know what in the world I’m doing buying breadcrumbs? I mean, yes, I’ve made my own before but usually just because I have a little extra bread from a fresh loaf. I’ve never just made them with sandwich bread before, but it’s so easy. Plus, you can actually have whole wheat breadcrumbs this way – which allegedly exist but I believe to be an urban legend since I’ve never actually seen them.

Super-Crisp Oven Fried Fish

Adapted from America’s Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook, via Gourmet: Day to Day

4 slices whole wheat bread, torn into 1″ pieces
1 Tbsp. canola oil or melted butter
salt and pepper
1/3 cup flour, divided
2 eggs
3 Tbsp. plain yogurt
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 Tbsp. fresh minced parsley
1 small shallot, minced
4 cod or haddock fillets, 1.5″ thick (about 6 oz. each)
lemon wedges, for serving

Adjust the rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 350.

Place the bread in a food processor and pulse until coarse crumbs form, about 10 or 12 pulses.

Put the breadcrumbs on a baking sheet and toss with the oil and salt and pepper to taste, then spread into an even layer. Place in the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and dry. Set aside to cool for 10-15 minutes. Increase the oven temperature to 425 and place a wire rack on top of a baking sheet; spray or brush with oil.

Meanwhile, place 3 Tbsp. of the flour in a shallow bowl or plate. In a second shallow bowl, mix together the eggs, yogurt, paprika, cayenne, and about 1/4 tsp. pepper. Whisk in the remaining flour until a smooth, thick batter is formed.

In a third shallow dish, mix together the parsley and shallot with the cooled breadcrumbs.

Pat each piece of cod dry with a paper towel, and then season with salt and pepper. One by one, take each piece of fish and dredge into the flour, then into the batter, and finally into the breadcrumbs, patting lightly to make sure breading adheres. Place on the wire rack.

Bake the fish for 18-25 minutes, or until coating is golden and flakes easily when gently poked with a fork.

Serve the fish with lemon wedges.

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Mushroom-Crusted Chicken Burgers

March 21, 2012 · 15 comments

in burgers and sandwiches,chicken/poultry,healthy,quick and easy

I feel like if I were to do some data analysis of my blog content, the two most prevalent ingredients (besides things like oil and salt) would be poblanos and mushrooms. And I am more than okay with that.

Dried porcini mushrooms are one of my favorite ingredients (though they’re probably one of my husband’s least favorite, given the cost per ounce), so I knew as soon as I saw this burger on Josie’s blog that it would be making an appearance at dinner very soon. Burgers have been one of my favorite things to make since starting a new job, because they’re so incredibly quick to whip up, and the possibilities are endless.

These particular burgers are pretty fantastic. The porcini flavor is laced throughout the burger, making them earthy and, you know, mushroomy. The arugula provides a great peppery bite, and the Havarti is so creamy and melts beautifully. I’m honestly pretty indifferent to Havarti in general, but I really adored it on these burgers.

Mushroom-Crusted Chicken Burgers

Adapted from Pink Parsley

1 oz. dried mushrooms (I used porcini)
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/8 tsp. ground black pepper
1.25 lbs. ground chicken
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 small shallot, minced
2 Tbsp. minced fresh parsley
1 Tbsp. olive oil
4 slices Havarti cheese
4 burger buns, split and toasted
arugula, for serving

In the bowl of a food processor, grind the dried mushrooms to a coarse powder. Reserve 1 tablespoon of the powder. Transfer the rest to a shallow bowl or pie plate and mix in the salt and pepper.

In a large bowl, combine the reserved mushroom powder, chicken, Worcestershire, mustard, shallot, parsley, and salt and pepper to taste (I used about 3/4 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper). Form into 4 equal-sized patties.

Working one burger at a time, coat the outside with the mushroom powder, pressing lightly to adhere.

Preheat a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat, and add the oil.

Cook the burgers 4-5 minutes per side, or until the meat is cooked through. Add the cheese for the last minute or two in order for it to melt.

Serve the burgers on toasted buns, topped with arugula.

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