New Year's evolution

One of many cupcakes - sliced in half & layer with glaze here

butter, water & cocoa powder in step 2

flour, egg, sour cream mixture in red bowl from step 3 along with the melted butter cocoa from step 2

cupcakes & a shot of milk

Doesn't a New Year's evolution sound so much better than a resolution? It does to me. Since most resolutions involve self-improvement, maybe it's time to throw them out & start over with a new, brighter way to look at a fresh year in the history of you. Besides I don't love the thought of concocting a New Year's resolution on New Year's Eve when everyone else has been thinking about it for days, weeks or since their previous year's resolution fell off the radar. It happens; it's a lot of pressure, so this year I declare to evolve. Maybe you will too!

My good friend Erin is planning on evolving this year by baking more. Baking can be a great place to start if you are testing the waters in the kitchen & you like the idea of precision. Below is a recipe that will turn even the most fearful baker into a confident pastry maker. This unbelievably rich chocolate cake requires no mixers or special tools beyond the basics. It's a recipe I came across in last month's cook book project which, by the way, was started prior to the New Year. A product of Bi-Rite Market's Eat Good Food, this chocolate sour cream bundt cake with chocolate glaze is foolproof. Little secret - I haven't actually made it in the form of bundt cake. I have used the batter to make cupcakes which have turned out great on several occasions. The next time I need to make a formal two layer cake or a bundt cake even this will be my go-to chocolate cake recipe. I hope this year you find more time to evolve in your own home kitchen. It will be messy but also so delicious!

Chocolate Sour Cream Bundt Cake with Chocolate Glaze

Cake:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, plus more for the pan if making a cake
• 1/3 cup (1 ounce), good quality unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup water
• 2 cups (9 ounces) all-purpose flour, plus more for the pan
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

 

Glaze:

• 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped (or make it easy & buy chips)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons agave nectar
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar

Directions:

1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat to 350°F. Butter and flour a 10- or 12-cup Bundt pan and set aside. Or make cupcakes & line the pan with paper liners.

2. In a small saucepan, combine the butter, cocoa powder, salt, and water and place over medium heat. Cook, stirring, just until melted and combined. Remove from the heat and set aside.

3. Place the flour, sugar, and baking soda in a large bowl and whisk to blend. Add half of the melted butter mixture and stir with a spatula until completely blended (the mixture will be quite thick). Add the remaining butter mixture and whisk until combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, whisking until completely blended before adding the next egg. Whisk in the sour cream and vanilla until smooth.

4. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes and then invert onto a rack. Let cool completely before glazing. If making mini-cupcakes, bake for 11-13 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. If making regular size cupcakes, bake for 18-20 minutes.

 

The glaze

1. Just before glazing the cooled cake/cupcakes, place the chopped chocolate and agave nectar in a medium bowl and set aside. Combine the heavy cream and sugar in a small saucepan and put over medium heat. Stir constantly until the cream is hot and the sugar is dissolved. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and whisk until melted and smooth. If the glaze is exceptionally runny, let it sit for a minute or so to thicken.

2. Drizzle the glaze over the cooled cake, allowing it to drip and dribble down the sides. Alternatively dip the tops of each cooled cupcake into the glaze one at a time.

 

Recipe from Bi-Rite Market's Eat Good Food

Versitile pesto that pops

whole wheat spinach & ricotta raviolis with pepita pesto

 

 

In our spare time, my friend Carrie & I have been cooking up a storm. She lives in San Francisco while I live in Oklahoma City. We share many things in common especially our love for food. Not to mention both of us have sizable cookbook collections. Last November we decided to put our overlapping cookbooks to the test. Each month we pick one cookbook that both of us own and cook from it. When we run out of overlapping cookbooks, we will alternate cooking from our own personal favorites. We choose 4-6 recipes per cookbook, compare notes along the way, take photos and discuss overall our likes, dislikes & adaptations we have made. Though we can't taste each other's creations, we are doing something delicious with the stacks of inspiration that line both of our kitchen walls.

This month we are finding inspiration from Heidi Swanson's Super Natural Everyday. I have blogged about her oat cakes before. Her popular blog has produced two delightful vegetarian cookbooks. Though I am not a vegetarian, I love eating like one most days of the week. Here's an easy pesto that will add pop to any pasta, soup, sandwich or scrambled egg dish you whip up in your own kitchen. Happy cooking & sharing with those near and far!


Pumpkin Seed Pesto

1 cup toasted pepitas (green pumpkin seeds found in most grocery store bulk bins)
1 bunch clean cilantro leaves & trimmed stems
2 cloves garlic, peeled but left whole
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (leave it out to make this a vegan pesto)
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 small serrano chile, halved & de-seeded*
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Instructions:
Place all of the prepped ingredients in a blender or food processor except the olive oil. Pulse your machine a few times before letting the motor run. With the motor running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil. Continue to blend until smooth, stopping to scrap down the sides as needed. Add up to an additional 1/3 cup of olive oil if needed. Taste and adjust seasoning with additional salt or lemon juice. Recommended uses: salad dressing, pesto for pasta, a spread on sandwiches, as a garnish for soup or mixed in with scrambled eggs.

Keep pesto stored in a jar in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Recipe slightly adapted from Super Natural Everyday

Note: to toast pepitas (pumpkin seeds), evenly spread them on a hot skillet, shaking every few seconds until they start to brown on all sides & pop.
*if you have disposable latex gloves, wear them while taking the ribs & seeds out. The heat will otherwise stay on your hands for a few hours.) A jalapeño would work here too.

Holiday Baking - bake like a pro

The finished product

 

Par-baked crust just out of the oven

To core pears, slice in half lengthwise, quarter each half, then with knife a 45 degree angle cut out the seeds/core

Pears in place

followed by custard poured on top

I have neglected this blog for way too long! I have no excuses besides I just got busy with my real job & life. I haven't stopped cooking, baking or teaching cooking classes but I did take a long break from sharing delicious recipes. Hopefully I am back! 

This Provencal Pear Tart recipe is from a cooking class I assisted my dear friend Jodi Liano, from the new San Francisco Cooking School, with a few years ago. This is a recipe that she adapted from Patricia Wells At Home in Provence. I have been making this simple, delicious tart ever since Jodi introduced me to easy baking! Bake a like a pro or at least fake being a pro with this simple crowd pleasing tart. It's perfect for any holiday table!

Provencal Pear Tart

CRUST:	FILLING:
½ c. unsalted butter, melted and cooled (1 stick)	½ cup heavy cream
½ c. sugar	1 egg
1/8  t. almond extract	½ teaspoon almond extract
pinch of salt	2 T. honey
1¼ c. plus 1 tablespoon flour	1 T. flour, sifted
2 T. finely ground almonds
	4-5 firm but ripe pears such as Bosc (I used Harry & David gifted pears I had on hand in these photos)
	Confectioner’s sugar, for garnish

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Make the crust by combining the melted butter and sugar in a medium mixing bowl.  Add the extract, salt, flour and almonds. Stir just to combine.  Transfer the dough to a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom and press evenly into the sides and bottom of the pan.  Bake on a sheet pan until dry, about 15-20 minutes.  Set on a rack to cool and leave the oven on.  While still warm, use a fork or the bottom of a measuring cup to press the dough down if loses its shape from baking.

While the crust is baking, whisk together the filling by combining the cream, egg, extract and honey in a medium mixing bowl.  Mix well and gently whisk in the sifted flour. 

Core the pears and cut them in very thin slices, lengthwise.  Starting from the outside edge of the crust and working to the center, arrange the pears in a spiral circle with the rounded end of the slices facing towards the outside of the pan.  If you have enough pear slices, repeat with another layer of pears on top of the bottom layer.  Pour the filling mixture over the pears and return the tart to the oven.  Bake until the filling is set and the crust is golden brown and the custard has set, about 20-30 minutes.  Cool on a rack for at least 15 minutes before serving.  Dust with confectioner’s sugar and slice.

Serves 8

 

(adapted from Jodi Liano, SF Cooking School)

A black bean burger that has never been frozen

Burgers - the end result plus the pre-bake shot

The recipe for Southwest Veggie Burgers is revealed below. I made these tonight at my Health Starts Here cooking demo at Whole Foods OKC. These burgers can be made in a snap as long as you have prepared two ingredients ahead: brown rice and a sweet potato. They are hearty, earthy and a little crunchy in every sense of the word. For all of those vegans out there this recipe calls for nutritional yeast. Found in the bulk section at any Whole Foods type market, nutritional yeast adds not only a bit of a cheesy flavor but essential B vitamins that most women need more of. No salt needed, just some lettuce, avocado & dijon mustard on top!

Southwest Veggie Burger
Ingredients:
1/4 cup diced roasted red bell peppers
1/4 cup shredded carrots
1 cup cooked sweet potato, cut into ½ cubes
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon no-salt-added chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
3 green onions, finely chopped
3 tablespoons nutritional yeast (found in the bulk section)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon Tabasco or other hot sauce
1/4 cup diced tomato
1 cup cooked no-salt-added black beans
1 cup cooked brown rice*


Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spray with cooking spray if so inclined.

2. Combine roasted red peppers through Tabasco in the bowl of a large food processor. Pulse to combine. Mixture should look like a cohesive batter without many lumps.

3. Transfer batter into a medium bowl. Stir in the remaining 3 ingredients to combine.

4. Form the mixture into patties using wet hands or an ice cream scoop with a release lever. Place patties on prepared baking sheet and bake, very carefully turning patties once after 20 minutes. Continue to cook until browned and slightly crisp on the outside, 30 minutes total for sliders. Longer for large burgers.

5. Serve warm on individual butter lettuce leafs topped with sliced avocado.


Makes 10 sliders (1/3 cup portions) or 4 very large burgers


Recipe technique adapted from Whole Foods Market (Jill Nevard)

Note to cook brown rice: Bring 1 cup of water or low-sodium broth to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add ½ cup of short grain brown rice. Stir once, reduce heat to simmer, cover with a lid and cook uninterrupted for 45 minutes. ½ cup dry rice will make 1 ½ cups cooked rice.

Healthy cooking starts now

Southwest black bean & brown rice burger

Join me this Tuesday, January 17th at Whole Foods OKC as I discuss and prepare foods from the market's Health Starts Here program. Get inspired to cook whole unprocessed foods in your own kitchen. As we all know, there's no better time than January to start rethinking what we are putting in our body.

See you at 6 pm in the indoor/outdoor eating space. Free samples of everything good for you provided. 

Note: I will post the recipe for this amazing black bean & brown rice burger after I demo it on Tuesday night.

Leftover quinoa finds its way into waffles

Cooked multi-colored quinoa

Multi-grain waffles with quinoa & blueberries

I make quinoa a lot. I use it as a base to savory dishes. Forget pasta I use quinoa. It replaces brown rice even when I make stir-frys. For lunch, I simply treat it like lettuce. I dress it with a homemade vinaigrette and toss it with whatever ingredients I like in salads. Quinoa is filling, nutritious and versatile. Like rice, it soaks up flavor. But unlike rice, it's gluten free and provides all 9 essential amino acids which makes it a complete protein. It's great for all of the vegans and vegetarians out there who need non-animal sources protein. However, I am neither and I still incorporate this superfood into my diet on a regular basis. Full of fiber, this little whole grain looks like a seed but once cooked fluffs up into a hearty, earthy tasting wonder.

I had leftover multi-colored quinoa so I decided to put it into waffles. I don't remember where I found this recipe but I think it's a keeper. These aren't your traditional waffles; they are waffles that provide a little something extra. Maybe it's flavor, cruch or wholesome goodness. To me it's all 3 and more!

Multigrain Quinoa Blueberry Waffles


3 eggs, beaten
1 2/3 cups nonfat milk or lowfat buttermilk
¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ¾ cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup cooked multi-colored quinoa (see note)
½ cup blueberries (fresh or defrosted frozen blueberries)
Grade A or B pure maple syrup

Preparation:

1. In a medium bowl, whisk the wet ingredients together. In a large bowl, stir together the dry ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and combine them with a fork. Gently stir in the cooked quinoa and blueberries. Don’t overmix. The batter should be on the thin side or the waffles will be too cakey. If batter is too thick, add a few tablespoons of warm water or milk to thin.

2. Coat waffle iron with cooking spray, heat up iron and cook according to your waffle iron’s instructions. Serve warm with grade A or B maple syrup.

Note: to cook quinoa, in a small saucepan bring just over ¾ cup of water to a boil. Once boiling, add ¼ cup quinoa. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 15 minutes or until water has absorbed.

Makes 8 waffles

Recipe adapted from somewhere unknown ;)

Irresistible oatcakes

I have been eying this recipe for some time now. It a recipe for oatcakes, whatever those might be, from Heidi Swanson's Super Natural Every Day cookbook. Heidi's stunning photography and off the beaten path recipes captured my heart a long time ago when she started sharing her creations on her website 101cookbook.com. She has since published two cookbooks full of recipes that won't disappoint especially if you enjoy food that comes from the earth.

These oatcakes are a touch sweet and a little more than a touch salty. They are crunchy, oaty, slightly reminiscent of homemade oatmeal raisin cookies from my childhood and like Heidi says shaped like a hockey puck. This is not your average cupcake or muffin. You will just have to try out the recipe for yourself to see why they are so truly irresistible.

Oat Cakes
Ingredients:
• 3 cups rolled oats (not quick cooking oats)
• 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour or spelt flour
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• ¼ cup chia seeds or whole flax seeds
• ¾ cup chopped walnuts, toasted
• ½ cup unsalted butter (1 stick)
• ¾ cup pure maple syrup
• ½ cup natural cane sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs, beaten


Preparation:


1. Preheat oven to 325°. Butter/spray a standard 12-cup muffin pan.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the oats, flour, baking powder, salt, chia seeds and walnuts.
3. In a medium saucepan over low heat, combine the butter, maple syrup, sugar and vanilla extract. Slowly melt together. Stir just until the butter melts and sugar has dissolved. Don’t let the mixture get too hot.
4. Pour butter mixture over the oat mixture. Stir a bit with a spatula, add the beaten eggs and stir again until everything comes together in a wet dough. Using a standard size ice cream scoop with a release lever, portion dough into the muffin cups, nearly filling them to the top.
5. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the edges of each cake are deeply golden. Remove from oven, let cool for a few minutes before running a knife around the edges of the cakes. Tip them out of the muffin pan and onto a cooling rack. Repeat with the remaining batter. Serve warm or at room temp.


Note: as they sit, stored in a sealed container, the cakes become more of a pull apart treat rather than biting into them like you would a cupcake. I free leftovers and reheat as needed.


Makes 16


Source: recipe slightly adapted from Super Natural Every Day

Nutrition per serving: 294 calories; 12 g fat; 4 g saturated fat; 40 g carbohydrate; 5 g fiber; 7 g protein; 306 mg sodium