Snacks

  Who doesn't love a good snack? The afternoon pick-me-up is often the difference between responsibly eating a well-balanced dinner, and shoveling anything you can find in your mouth while you wait for dinner to be done. I'm often the latter and not the former as often as I would like to be, but one way to combat the type of hunger that only an immediate response can provide is to have plenty of great snacks on hand.

  Fresh fruit makes a great snack.  It's really fast and easy, and you get some sugar in a healthy way.
  Aren't these fresh Bing cherries beautiful?

 Another sweet treat I love is one you might not have eaten since you were a kid.  Yes, I'm talking about Ants on a Log.  My version gets a bit of an adult upgrade with almond butter and golden raisins (which I ALWAYS use in place of regular raisins because I think they taste better.)

 

  My new favorite salty snack is roasted edamame!  My first batch was plain, but I think they would taste great with dried fruit like cranberries or cherries.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees, drizzle one cup of thawed, shelled edamame with about 1 Tablespoon of oil (I used sesame), sprinkle with salt and roast!  Keep an eye on them, and stir them around every so often.  Your edamame should be roasted to perfection after about 20-22 minutes.

  Now for dessert!  Or a little sweet snack.  Another favorite is chocolate peanut butter pudding made with a 'secret' ingredient.  I wrote about it in this previous blog post.  I call these Hillbilly Parfaits, and it's based on a Weight Watchers recipe I found.  Fresh strawberries and tapioca pudding are layered in dessert cups for something that looks a lot fancier than it is, but still tastes great!

  What you need:

• 2 cups of fresh, hulled strawberries
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 large container tapioca pudding

  Take 1 cup of the strawberries and place in a blender with the sugar.  Blend until smooth.  Combine strawberry mixture with remaining cup of strawberries.  Take 4 dessert cups and start with strawberry mixture, then add some tapioca, then more strawberry mixture.  Repeat until all four cups are filled evenly.  Refrigerate.

  The Waldo Canyon Fire has devastated our Colorado Springs community.  We are waiting for the fire to be contained further, and then the rebuilding process can begin.  Wildfires are not something that, in the humid-rich Midwest, were given much of a thought but the reality and danger have truly sunken in.
  Though we have not had to evacuate our home, the threat of possible evacuation does put things into perspective.  What do you take?  What do you leave?  As I ponder those questions, looking around the house, my heart catches at the sight of familiar and precious objects.  Yet I immediately realize that the safety and well-being of the ones I love is truly the most precious possession I have.  Funny, how the threat of having nothing can make you realize you already have everything you need.  Sending warm thoughts to you and yours.  Be safe and love each other.

 Currently reading: Un Lun Dun by China Mieville
                             On Mexican Time: A New Life in San Miguel by Tony Cohan

Eggs!

A colorful variety

  The egg- sturdy orb of membrane and shell.  Until recently, my only real interest in eggs came when I needed some for a cake or when it was time to dye them around Easter.  My mom has a healthy obsession with bird eggs, and she has a wide variety tucked away in little baskets and pots throughout her house.  The eggs above are the product of a dying session using powdered Hungarian dyes.  They produce rich, beautiful colors but are pretty toxic and unsafe for little egg-dyers.  Dyed eggs make fun decorations for your house year-round.  These are displayed in a vintage gumball machine in our living room.
  Texture isn't always a deal-breaker for me when it comes to food, but when it comes to the egg our tenuous relationship is entirely founded on an unpredictability in sliminess.  At restaurants I tend to order my eggs scrambled, in hopes that there's no chance of messing them up at that point.  Lately, I've stopped ordering them altogether because I'm tired of being disappointed.
  But not so fast...I've given the egg another chance.  I fully recognize its potential to be a gut-filling, protein-packed boost of energy that can be made into something satisfying day or night.  See, the egg doesn't discriminate on time of day, and it's an equal opportunity mix-in.  My most favorite magazine, Whole Living, recently did an article with some amazing egg recipes.  I tested almost all of them besides the souffle, because well, I've just kind of given up on that sort of culinary adventure, what with the mile we are above sea level.

Hard-boiled egg with stone ground mustard and parsley

  For a quick snack that will also fill you up, try keeping some hard-boiled eggs at the ready in the fridge.  When you need an energy boost, halve and spread with stone ground mustard and fresh herbs, like tarragon or parsley.  Running the knife blade under cold water before each slice keeps the egg yolk from sticking.

Simple- Spinach, garlic, eggs

  Can't get much simpler and more delicious than fresh spinach, garlic, and eggs.  Of course, sauteing in extra virgin olive oil, adding fresh ground salt and pepper, and maybe a shred or two of Parmesan makes it extra special without the extra fuss.

Medium-boiled egg on toast with thyme and bacon

I've been experimenting with eggs and different cooking times.  The egg above is called a medium-boiled egg.  Cook for 3-4 minutes once water begins to boil.  The yolk is still runny, but the white is much firmer than a soft-boiled egg would be.  Breaking the egg over toast and sprinkling with fresh herbs is a fast, easy breakfast even when you're running late.  Which I always am!

Flatbreads with greens and eggs sunny side up

  These flatbreads are satisfying any time of day and SO versatile.  Just take whatever greens you have on hand, a bit of sliced red onion, flatbreads (can be found by the deli in the grocery store) or a pita or tortilla, and eggs.  Brush flatbread with oil, toss greens and onion in a bit of oil.  Season with salt and pepper.  After mounding on greens, place flatbreads on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and into a preheated 425 degree oven.  Bake for 5 minutes, then remove from oven and crack eggs over greens.  Bake until eggs are just set, but yolks are still runny.  For the full recipe, click here.  Not only is this delicious, but it's visually appealing as well!  

Baked eggs in roasted tomatoes

 This has become a new favorite recipe!  And really it's as simple as roasting tomatoes and then baking eggs in them.  It's great for dinner, but even better for breakfast with toast, home fries, and bacon.  Yum!

Smashed peas with mint and soft-boiled egg

  Flavors of mint and caramelized shallot combine to make this simple and special meal.  Perfect for Spring, and using up fresh mint.  Soft-boiled eggs can be eaten from the shell, though I found it difficult to do without one of those fancy egg cups.  Instead, I dumped the whole shebang on top of the peas and toast.  I don't know about you, but I like runny yolk all over everything!

Creamy polenta with artichoke hearts and poached egg

  I can't believe I never thought of this before: Luscious, creamy polenta with the warm, rich flavor of a poached egg mixed in.  This particular recipe uses marinated artichoke hearts as a topping, but sauteed greens would also be wonderful.  The key is to take the time to MAKE the polenta.  Resist the urge to buy that pre-made roll you've seen at the grocery store, buy a box of corn grits, and get stirring.  My advice: replace one cup of the water with milk, and once the polenta mixture is bubbling DO NOT, whatever you do, stop stirring.  If you stop, even for a second, you will see the mess your polenta quickly becomes.  It will stick to the pan (even if it's nonstick) and turn into a disgustingly gloppy glue-like substance that you will probably not want to eat.  So, the moral of this story?  STIR!

Bon appetit, and as always, I leave you with flowers:

Sante Fe Columbine

Currently Reading: Zeitoun by Dave Eggers
Listening To: Shoukichi Kina- Peppermint Tea House  

Keeping it Simple

  Having made some pretty complex recipes in my time on this earth, I still maintain that the best tasting food is the simplest.  Whether it's combining ingredients you have on hand to create something, or grabbing what looks freshest at your local farmers' market, you can almost always make special and nourishing meals.
  With a frost date that goes well into the month of May, Colorado is rather limited in terms of a growing season.  Growing up in the lush heartland of the Midwest, at this time of year I've been conditioned to expect fresh, local produce.  Which has been a little hard to find.  Things come to us here a little later, and after they arrive they don't stick around for very long.  Despite all of that, it's hard not to enjoy these beautiful surroundings and in turn be inspired to cook delicious food!

Beautiful Mt. Princeton

Here are some of the deliciously simple foods we have been enjoying recently:

Collard Chips

  You've probably heard of or had kale chips before, but this is a nice change from the usual.  Don't get me wrong, I love kale, but collards still pack a punch with lots of Vitamin C and soluble fiber.  Tear into pieces, drizzle with oil and a sprinkle of salt, then 15 minutes in a 300 degree oven and you have a simple, healthy snack that will keep you coming back for more.

Coriander-Chile Pinto Bean Dip

  Looking for something to do with a can of pinto beans collecting dust in the pantry, I happened upon this recipe.  This dip is filling and has a nice kick to it from the cayenne pepper.  Red wine vinegar adds an interesting tang.  Great with crackers or cut vegetables, you might want to double the recipe.  It goes fast!

Frozen grapes and kiwi

  This is one of the simplest (and one of my very favorite) things to eat.  Frozen fruit was a staple back in college, and I still enjoy it today.  It feels much more sophisticated than it really is, all with the basic principle of freezing the fruit.  Cut any fruit into small pieces, leave grapes whole, place fruit on a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze for about an hour.  Eat!  Blueberries are fabulous, as are peaches, strawberries...You get the idea!

Radishes with Olive Oil

  Here we have The Radish.  I have been rather dismissive of the radish in the past, but I am starting to form a better relationship with this peppery root vegetable.  Radishes are a healthy source of carbohydrates, not to mention Vitamin B6, riboflavin, magnesium, copper, and calcium.  They don't need much.  Try this simple recipe with chives, olive oil, salt, lemon zest and juice.  Tarragon, thyme, or mint would also be good.  Leftover radishes taste great on a baguette with butter and salt, as well!

Avocado Rolls

  Avocado might be one of the world's most perfect foods.  Creamy, rich, and full of good cholesterol and oils.  I love these fresh rolls.  The carrot, mint, avocado, and watercress taste wonderful wrapped in the crisp cabbage leaf.  Next time I'll try lettuce, since it's a little less dense and it is easier to keep in one piece when removing from the head.

Mediterranean Pasta Salad

 
This Mediterranean Pasta Salad is as versatile as it is delicious!  With raw fennel, tomatoes, basil, onion, olives, capers, and some other flavorful ingredients, you can be eating on this for a week.









  Try a little bit of the pasta salad over arugula with some sliced Italian sausage.  I used Field Roast Grain Meat Italian Sausage. 

  Another delicious and substantial combination was pasta salad topped with tonno Italiano (Italian tuna).  You could use regular canned tuna, but Italian tuna is better all-around if the tuna you're buying has to come in a can.  I usually buy Genovo tuna which is yellowfin tuna, packed in olive oil in large chunks that look fresher than any tuna you've probably seen before in a can.  It actually looks like something you'd want to eat.  And though we should limit our intake of all fish to avoid overfishing, this is one you can look forward to eating for its convenience and flavor.  

Grilled cheese and tomato soup

  And of course, the Old Standby, Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup.  Talk about simple, you probably have most of these things in your kitchen already.  Whatever bread you have and any kind of cheese that melts will do, and for greater ease you can use canned soup.  I like Amy's Organic Soups.  This tomato bisque is from their Light in Sodium line, which features soups with almost half of the sodium as their regular soups.
  
  Drumroll please...

Banana 'Ice Cream'

  This is the slam-dunk recipe I have recently added to my repertoire.  When you make it and then eat it, you'll be amazed and then a little disappointed that you didn't think of this before.  Really, it's that easy.  So simple and so good, that upon feeding it to my first victim, ahem, diner he asked, "Really, that's all that's in here?  Just banana?"  Yep.  Just banana.  Peel and roughly chop a ripe banana.  Freeze.  Blend frozen banana in food processor until creamy.  Top with chopped nuts.  Eat.  This might work with other fruits, but I'm still too addicted to this to branch out! 

  Have fun with these recipes!  And as always, I leave you with flowers.

Happy poppies I found on a dog walk

In the kitchen with Satan!

New favorite wine under $10- Aveleda Fonte Vinho Verde

   Did I say Satan?  I meant, seitan.  Sound the same, but they're slightly different.  Well, really different.  One is (in my opinion) a symbol of the evil in man, and the other (fact, not opinion) is wheat flour with all of the starch dissolved.  Or something like that.  Recently, I tackled making seitan for the first time, which was a great experience.  This got me thinking about the fact that whenever I'm looking for something meat-like to replace real meat in a recipe...IT TASTES LIKE CRAP.  Now I am not a vegetarian, but I do prefer to eat more plants than animals.  Sometimes I like to modify traditional recipes and make them less meat-reliant, and this is why I was excited to try making the Seitan Pot Pie with Herb Biscuit Topping from the Spork Fed cookbook.  These sisters have made it their business to make vegan cooking a lifestyle.  They offer cooking classes, healty-eating consultations, and now have a cookbook.  You can find the recipe in the cookbook if you are intrigued.
  I had a lot of fun making the seitan, but I don't particularly care for the texture.  It's a bit chewy-gummy, stretchy...meh...

Seitan simmering...Looks promising...

Pot pie!

We still have both leftover pot pie AND leftover seitan in our freezer, so I will be giving it another go.
  
My two cents:

In the mean time, if you're looking for something to sate your palate in the "fake meat" department this is my suggestion:

Buy any and everything you can find from this company!

 And now for the Satan part...

  It's only fitting that I also include something symbolic of the evil in man: Butter, eggs, and you guessed it...
  

Crack Pie.

  Okay, so you probably didn't guess, but here it is.  Ooey, gooey, chewy, dense, delicious, habit-forming, Crack Pie.  This recipe comes from the Momofuku Milk Bar cookbook.  Christina Tosi, the dessert maven and creator of the recipes made and sold at Milk Bar Dessert Bar, has finally put her masterpieces in print so those of us that don't live in New York can make them at home!  It's an homage to dessert.  It is decadence defined.  And the recipes have interesting ingredients in them like cereal milk, milk powder, and corn powder.  (The latter two were used in these recipes.)  What I probably loved most about these recipes was their attention to detail.  Nothing is simple, but everything is composed of simple ingredients.  Most recipes are at LEAST two parts, and some are many, many more.  These are the two I managed:

Crack Pie- Eat at your own risk! (Oatmeal cookie crust + liquid crack)

Cornflake Crunch

Cornflake Marshmallow Chocolate Chip Cookies

  Let's just say that the cookies were gone in a couple of days, and it's a good thing the Crack Pie recipe makes two pies!

  If this was too much for you (a vegan recipe AND a diabetic coma recipe in ONE post?!?), I promise the next post will be simple, healthy food that won't give you Type II diabetes or have you wishing you were eating something with a face!  Until next time...

Strawberry-Grapefruit Smoothie

         

Finding Balance

Vices

  So much in life is about balance.  Who am I kidding, everything in life is about balance!  If you don't believe me, change one thing about your normal schedule and see what happens.  Now, I know some people thrive on chaos and wouldn't dream of having even a semblance of a schedule.  That's fine, but the thought makes me feel a little crazy.  I'm the type of person that has to write everything down in my calendar and I thrive on structure.  However, with the rigidity that a schedule can often include, the balance has to be making time for free-form activities that don't have to be minutely planned.  Because it's true, you can't plan everything or you're not really living.  As John Lennon said, "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans."
  You'd think, as a Libra, I'd know all about balance.  With my astrological symbol being the scales and whatnot, that I'd be some innate professional at the equilibrium of existence.  Yet even I have moments where breathing deeply isn't enough, and if I don't figure out what I'm going to wear to work in the next 5 minutes there's going to be a meltdown.  Admittedly, in the grand scheme of things, those are some pretty harmless problems to have.  To me, the crucial component of imbalance (and most of the things that happen in life) is our reaction to it.  Whether or not we have made choices that have led to our present state of unrest, instability, etc.- we do have the choice to react negatively or positively as an end result.  In turn, affecting the outcome as a whole.
  The reason I mention all of this New Age mumbo-jumbo is that I actually believe most of it.  Furthermore, I can attest that even the smallest of things in your life can put you off-kilter.  We live a pretty wonderful life, and enjoy some comforts that I feel incredibly lucky to be have at my fingertips.  As the seasons change and the weather gets warmer, we shed the sluggishness of winter and the days start to increase in pace and intensity.  This tends to make life busier and takes attention away from tasks we normally devoted time to.  For us, the biggest way we suffer is with what we eat.  

  It's easy to go for takeout.  It's convenient when you're tired after a long day at work.  So recently, as we watched Forks Over Knives (which everyone needs to see if they haven't) while eating KFC sides and a bucket of chicken, we decided to put our greasy feet down and put a stop to this epicurean sacrilege!  And yes, I am that person who watched a movie about the horrors of eating processed foods and meat while eating quite possibly the worst of the worst of fast food.  KFC did bring America the Double-down Sandwich, after all.  But I've eaten a donut burger too.  No regrets.  
  Our reactions are better seen than described:

Snack to live, live to snack.  Snacks to live by: (As always, click on links for recipes.)

Apple stuffed with peanut butter and oats (Eat immediately or put apple back together, wrap, and enjoy later.)

Roasted eggplant stuffed with garlic and thyme

Eggplant above turned into dip and served with onion flaxseed crackers

Double Dark Chocolate Biscotti with Walnuts and Crystallized Ginger

Apricot-Nut Bars with Dark Chocolate (April 2012 Whole Living)

 Everything else...

WW English Muffin, sauteed spinach and garlic, scrambled eggs, sliced tomato, Parmesan chunks

Bacon and black olive pizza with WW crust

Turkey Salad Wrap with Kale Dip, Sugar Snap Peas and chips

Creamy Sardine Salad

Recipe
I love beets, and when I saw these golden orbs of deliciousness I had to buy them, even though they weren't on the grocery list.  I just knew I could find something to do with them.  This was immediately what came to mind:

Rustic beet, leek, and goat cheese tart

Crust:
1 1/3 cups whole wheat flour
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons unsalted butter

Filling:
3-4 roasted beets, sliced
4-5 beet leaves, thinly sliced and inner stem removed
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2-3 leeks, thinly sliced (white and pale green parts only)
4 oz. fresh goat cheese, crumbled
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
Freshly ground black pepper
Freshly ground sea salt

To make the crust:
In a food processor, combine flour, salt, butter, and oil and pulse until resembles coarse meal.  Slowly drizzle in 1/3 cup cold water, and pulse just until mixture comes together.  If it does not, gradually add more water, a tablespoon at a time.  Remove dough, knead a few times on lightly floured surface.  Form dough into a ball, flatten, wrap it it in waxed paper and refrigerate for 1 hour or up to 8 hours.  

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Wash and trim ends and greens from beets.  Place in a square baking pan, drizzle with oil and salt and pepper, then cover pan with aluminum foil.  Place beets in preheated oven and roast for at least 1 hour, or until beets are easily pierced with a fork.  

To prepare tart, preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Place sliced beet greens in a colander to drain and sprinkle with kosher salt.
In a small saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil and add leeks.  Saute until softened, about 5 minutes.  Transfer to a large bowl.  Add beet greens to the bowl, along with sliced, roasted beets, crumbled goat cheese, eggs, salt and pepper, and 2 tablespoons of olive oil.  Fold ingredients gently to mix.

Lightly flour a sheet of waxed paper and place dough on it.  Lightly flour top of dough before placing another sheet of waxed paper on top.  Roll the dough out to form a 15-inch circle.  Remove the top piece of waxed paper and gently invert dough circle onto oiled baking sheet.

Spread the filling on the dough, leaving about 1 1/2 inch border.  Fold the the border over the filling, overlapping with itself every few inches.  Brush the dough with 1 tablespoon of olive oil.  Sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan, and drizzle with remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil.  

Bake for 30 minutes or so, or until filling is set and crust is golden brown.        
Slice and serve.  Enjoy!  
This would taste great with a light, fruity white wine, such as a vinho verde.

And now I leave you with flowers.  Stay tuned for my forays into homemade seitan and the decadent desserts of Momofuku Milk Bar.  

 Between stimulus and response there is a space.

In that space is our power to choose our response.

In our response lies our growth and our freedom.

Viktor E. Frankl

 Currently reading: The Lonely Polygamist by Brady Udall
Current listening: Surfer Rosa by The Pixies
    
                   

Butter & Love

  To know me, is to know that I love to bake.  A self-admitted dessert junkie, I'm rarely more at home anywhere else than when I'm in the kitchen baking sweet treats for my friends and family to enjoy.
  You can't get much better than a good cookie, and I've long been trying to perfect my go-to cookie.  Allen doesn't like chocolate in his cookies, so that's had me experimenting with different combinations.  Often I would just follow a basic drop-cookie recipe and add whatever sounded good, using up ingredients I had a little of or trying something new.  I was quite partial to the dried Michigan cherries, but Allen didn't care for them as much, leading me to continue the search.
   And now I think I've hit the proverbial cookie jackpot with my latest concoction.  Studded with moist, golden raisins, flecked with bits of coconut and oats, and sweetened with a variety of chips these cookies are crispy, chewy, and golden.  Good luck eating just one! 
  I'm in a sharing mood:
This recipe is an adaptation of The Joy of Cooking's Quick Oatmeal Cookies recipe.  If you have another base recipe you like better, use that and just add the remaining goodies at the appropriate time.

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  
Cream 1/2 cup of unsalted butter
Add 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1/2 cup white sugar.  Cream.
Add 1 egg, 1 tsp vanilla, 1 T milk.  Mix well.
Sift together: 1 cup sifted flour, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp salt.  Mix into creamed mixture.
Stir in 1 cup rolled oats, scant 3/4 cup each of peanut butter chips, butterscotch chips, white chocolate chips, golden raisins, and coconut.  
Place on well-greased cookie sheet, about 2 inches apart, and baked until golden brown (10-12 minutes).  
Makes about 3 dozen cookies.  

This lucky girl has a new helper in the kitchen and her name is...

 

Kitchen-Aid Mixer!!

  The only things that could make this Valentine's Day complete are new skis and a powder day!  Oh, wait, that was yesterday...

All is full of love.  

~Bjork