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

Attempting homemade pie for Thanksgiving? Look here for helpful hints

Photo from YumSugar

As you can tell from this photo, my pumpkin pie may not look perfect but it shows that it was made with love. Love is, by the way, the most important ingredient in baking. Your pastries, pies, breads, cookies and cakes will always turn out better if you make them with a smile on your face. As for this holiday season, if you are inspired to make your own pie(s), check out some helpful tips as you embark on this adventure into what may be uncharted territory. Click here to see a step-by-step guide to making the perfect pie crust as captured a few years back by YumSugar at my Williams-Sonoma demo.

I think it's important to note that when I make pies at home, I don't use shortening. For the purpose this demo I used Spectrum brand non-hydrogenated shortening which has zero trans fat so you can maybe feel a little bit better about consuming the flaky crust at the end of your holiday meal. Here's a simple all butter pie crust recipe that my cooking instructor & chef friend Jodi Liano recently wrote about on her outstanding Food Wednesday blog. Happy Thanksgiving!

Crust recipe:
1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour plus more for surface
1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Special equipment: Use a 9"–9 1/2"-diameter glass or metal pie dish. You will need pie weights or dried beans to bake the crust.
To make crust:

Pulse 1 1/4 cups flour, butter, and salt in a food processor until mixture resembles coarse meal with some pea-size pieces remaining. Drizzle 3 tablespoons ice water over mixture. Pulse until moist clumps form, adding more water by teaspoonfuls if mixture is dry. Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface. Divide into 4 equal pieces. Working with 1 piece at a time, use the heel of your hand to smear each portion of dough twice in a forward motion to distribute butter. Gather all 4 dough pieces into a ball. Flatten into a disk, wrap in plastic, and chill dough until firm, at least 1 hour. DO AHEAD: Dough can be made up to 2 days ahead. Keep chilled.

Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to a 13" round. Transfer to pie dish, gently pressing dough onto bottom and up sides of dish. Fold overhang under and crimp edges decoratively. Pierce bottom of crust in several places with a fork, then chill until firm, about 30 minutes.
Line a large baking sheet with foil and place on a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 375°F. Line crust with parchment paper or foil and fill with pie weights. Bake until crust is set, about 20 minutes. Carefully remove parchment and pie weights. Bake until crust is pale golden, about 12 minutes longer. Transfer crust to a wire rack; let cool.

Recipe from Bon Appetit, 7/11

26.2 challenge- finding inspiration beyond the workday

Photos above from Runner's World Magazine

What do these 3 people have in common? They all are professional chefs (well Gesine's a professional baker) and they all are constantly creating food which also means tasting food throughout the workday. Each one has a secret to how they make it through a hard shift with enough energy at the end of the day to train for marathons. In this month's Runner's World, they share everything from fueling & lightened recipes, to snack ideas and ingredient substitutions.

Personally I am always in search of new healthy food suggestions/trends so that I can & will continue to make wiser decisions every time I open wide. I work in a restaurant kitchen 5 days a week in addition to spending endless hours at home preparing delights for our dinner table. Sounds old fashion but I am a huge fan of a sitdown family dinner at home most nights of the week. And as I am sure I have mentioned before, the way to a man's heart is through his stomach (aka Michael's stomach). It's my motto and I am sticking with it for better or worse. Regardless of who enjoys the meals I make, standing on my feet for 9+ hours a day is grueling. Tasting food throughout the day can certainly weigh me down and the last thing my legs want to do is work harder when I am ready for a break. But if these celebrity chefs can find time to train for marathons, I have no excuse.

Read these inspiring stories below from a few chefs that find time to pound the pavement after being on their feet all day. I hope that you find inspiration in their stories (2 of which are weight loss stories) and maybe even decide to lace up your kicks more often after a long day at the office, in class or wherever you spend your time.

These Runner's World articles are from the October 2011 issue:
Nate Appleman's story
Gesine Bullock-Prado's story
Art Smith's story

Back to School lunches - find A+ inspiration here

 

This cookbook is a Williams-Sonoma exclusive from Weldon Owen

Every so often I walk into Williams-Sonoma and find a new cookbook on the shelf that I must have. The reason is usually two-fold. I love staying on top of culinary trends but I also love supporting friends from the San Francisco Bay Area who happen to be cookbook authors. Case in point, The Lunch Box cookbook pictured above that is co-written by a former colleague Kate McMillan from Time Inc turned successful caterer. Kate encouraged me to make the career change when I was contemplating culinary school. Once I took the plunge, I worked for her successful eponymous Bay Area catering company. I always enjoyed working for Kate because her food was not only delicious but it was original just like the ideas you will find in The Lunch Box. 

I just so happen to be preparing for a cooking class tomorrow on the topic of healthy lunch box meals. The timing of finding this new cookbook couldn't have been better. As a kid, my brothers and I always packed our own lunches in fear of what mom might pack for us. Inventing my own brown bag sack full of mostly healthy options wasn't just another nightly routine. It was fun and sometimes competitive. Still today, I pack my own lunches even though I work in a restaurant where I could eat for free. Call me crazy but I like knowing what I am putting into my body. If you have kids, there's no better time to get them started on creating their own lunches than when they are young. Make healthy, inventive brown bag lunches your household's mission this school year. I promise it will pay dividends in the future. It has for me and I have been out of school for a long time. Here's a favorite from the cookbook...

Homemade Granola Bars

• 1 cup shredded coconut
• 1 cup dried cranberries
• 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1 cup wheat germ or ground flaxseed/chia seeds
• 1 cup whole almonds, cashews or peanuts
• 1/2 cup shelled sunflower seeds
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips (see note)
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup honey (or 1/4 cup honey & 1/4 cup agave nectar)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 9-inch square pan with waxed paper that’s been greased on top with Pam/cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl combine the coconut, cranberries and chocolate chips; set aside. Or if you don’t want the chocolate chips to melt, spread them on top of the bars in step 7.
3. On a rimmed baking sheet, combine the oats, wheat germ/flax, almonds and sunflower seeds.
4. Bake the oat mixture until toasted and fragrant, about 10 minutes.
5. Remove from the oven and add the hot oat mixture to the coconut mixture. Stir to combine.
6. Meanwhile in a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add brown sugar, honey, vanilla, cinnamon and salt. Heat until sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil, then remove from the heat and pour over fruit/oat mixture.
7. Using a large spoon, gently stir together all the ingredients until well combined.
8. Scoop the mixture into the prepared pan. Place a sheet of greased wax paper on top and using your hands, or a rolling pin, firmly press the mixture into the pan, making a compact even layer. Add chocolate chips now if you didn’t in step 2.
9. Let the mixture set in the pan and completely cool, about 30 minutes.
10. Remove the top sheet of waxed paper. Grab the sides of the bottom sheet of waxed paper and lift to the firmed oat mixture from the pan. Cut into squares or triangles. Pack 1 or 2 into small snack bags. Store the remaining in an airtight container for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 1 month.

Makes about 16 pieces

Granola Bar nutrition per serving: 222 calories; 9 g fat; 3 g saturated fat; 32 g carbohydrate; 3 g fiber; 4 g protein; 29 mg sodium

Recipe slightly adapted from William Sonoma’s The Lunch Box
A few lunch box container resources too:

www.goodbyn.com
www.lunchskins.com
www.easylunchboxes.com
http://lunchbots.com/
www.laptoplunches.com
www.containerstore.com
www.fit-fresh.com

Cooking that won't make you high strung

Rancho Gordo Runner Cannellini Beans (photo from ranchogordo.com)

With temperatures lingering at well over 100 for the past 30+ days, I might as well say that I live in the Mojave Desert. The thought of turning on a hot stove has sounded less than desirable since before Memorial Day. Strangely I do cook at home all the time even in extreme ankle sweltering conditions but I try to limit the amount of time my gas range is cranked on high. A simple summer salad made from dried cannellini beans hit the mark tonight. With a few simple, fresh ingredients we had a delightful almost no-cook dinner. Tonight's dinner was inspired by a friend of a friend based out of Chicago named Mama from Mama's High Strung. Her down to earth approach to cooking and endless knowledge of food is anything but high strung. Her flavors are fresh and authentic, her passages thought-provoking. Check her out her recipe for Italian White Bean Salad here

By the way, if you haven't tried heirloom beans from Rancho Gordo, you are missing out. These cannellini beans are out of this world creamy and through the roof healthy. Happy summer non-cooking!

Ice cream nostalgia plus salty caramel ice cream from Jeni's Splendid ice creams

I have always had a sweet spot for frozen desserts. Or maybe it's more like a weak spot. Who can resist rich, sweet, creamy, dreamy custard chock full of flavor balls, nuggets and the like?  Not me. Here's a look back at places that have stolen my heart & the glorious recipe for Jeni's Splendid Salty Caramel ice cream - enjoy: 

-I grew up a few blocks from a place called the Yogurt Mill which I still frequent whenever I am back in NorCal. I never worked at the Yogurt Mill but I certainly thought about applying for a summer job like the rest of the cute high school girls in my hometown. Drive thru fro yo - yes please!
-Beyond "the Mill," there was Swensen's, an old fashion ice cream parlor that I celebrated many birthdays at until frozen yogurt shops put them shamefully out of business. TCBY was never very good in my book but if I need something frozen when stuck at the Denver airport, I will give in. I suppose it's better for you than McDonalds (not that I would ever...)?
-Lucky Grocery Store had 35 cent cones when I was a kid which were only average in comparison to the few old fashion ice cream parlors around town.
-Baskins-Robbins was close to my grade school, made what seemed like decent ice cream cakes at the time and I did like the fact that I never had to sample the same flavor twice. By the way, I am a huge sampler much to my husband's demise. Why is sampling so embarrassing to him?  I only commit once I am fully satisfed with my selection.
-The Cold Stones of the world never did much for me but the concept is fun.
-Mitchell's Ice Cream in San Francisco holds a special place in my heart because it's old fashion and they have to-die-for Oreo and Banana ice creams. Sometimes I ate them together but on a good day I would only nosh on one scoop. I even had a surprise birthday party at Mitchell's when I turned probably 25...thanks Michael, best husband ever!
-Small batch artisian ice cream is and has been hot in San Francisco for years. Bi-Rite Creamery has the best salted caramel ice cream and soft-serve hands-down. Then we moved to the land of the artisan-less food movement. Luckily I was introduced by my friend Carrie to Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams. Little did we both know that I could find Jeni's Salty Caramel locally at a small grocer. Fast forward to a few weeks ago. I met my copy of Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home - the cookbook. In fact Carrie got me a signed copy in San Francisco. At the book signing Carrie even got to sample a few flavors. Jeni's personal favorite is her lemon blueberry frozen yogurt.

Game over, now I can make my own salty caramel using her foolproof method. I was skeptical of the fact that she doesn't use egg yolks in her ice cream, instead using cornstarch as a thickener. Well her salty (not salted) caramel ice cream is pretty much the best at-home frozen treat I have tasted, as reference last November (I dream of ice cream post). It's tangy, salty, sweet, rich and a sheer enjoyment on a hot summer day. Jeni's salty caramel is sold for $11 a pint. I swear to my husband that I only buy it on rare occassion which is mostly true. On days like yesterday when temps hit 110 degrees, I couldn't get enough of my very own homemade Jill's Salty Caramel (recipe below pictures).

1. Melted sugar before cream and honey are added



2. Cream and honey are added to make caramel



3. After cooling for 24 hours in the fridge, the base was ready to be churned



4. Voila!

Salty Caramel Ice Cream from Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home

2 tablespoons whole milk 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 1/2 ounces cream cheese, softened (3 tablespoons)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 1/4 cups heavy cream mixed with 1 1/2 tablespoons honey (she uses 2 T. light corn syrup) in a pourable measuring cup
2/3 cup pure cane sugar (she uses regular sugar)
2 cups whole milk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1. Fill a large bowl with ice water. In a small bowl, mix 2 tablespoons of the milk with the cornstarch. In another large bowl, whisk the cream cheese and salt until smooth. I like to use a standing mixer with the whisk attachment for the cream cheese but if you have to do it by hand, be my guest.

2. Heat a medium (4 quart) heavy bottomed saucepan until screaming hot. Turn heat down to medium-high and slowly add sugar around the circumfrance of the pot and into the center. The sugar will melt from the edges inward and turn a golden amber color as shown in the photo above. Remove from heat and stirring constantly with a high heat spatula, add a bit of the cream/honey mixture. It will fizzle and pop like the second picture shows. Stir until well combined, then add a little more and stir. Keep adding the cream a little at a time until all of the cream has been incorporated.

3. Return the pan to medium-high heat add the milk. Bring the mixture to a rolling boil and boil for 4 minutes. Off the heat, gradually whisk in the cornstarch mixture. Return to a boil and cook over moderately high heat until the mixture is slightly thickened, about 1 minute.

4. Gradually whisk the hot milk mixture into the cream cheese/salt mixture until smooth. Scrape down the sides and the bottom of the bowl to make sure that all of the cream cheese has been incorporated. Add vanilla extract and give the mixture one last stir.

5. Pour the ice cream into a 1 gallon Ziplock freezer bag and submerge the sealed bag into the ice bath (prepared in step 1). Let stand in ice bath until cold, about 30 minutes. Place freezer bag in fridge overnight before churning.

6. Churn the ice cream base in an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions, about 20-25 minutes in most cases. Pack the ice cream into a plastic container.

7. Press a sheet of parchment paper directly onto the surface of the ice cream and close with an airtight lid. Freeze the vanilla ice cream until firm, at least 4 hours, if you can wait that long.  If not, call it salty caramel soft serve.

How do you take your Sunday paper?



Fig muffins with cream cheese filling

 Reading the Sunday Times is always an event in our house. So is Sunday coffee and Sunday breakfast not to mention Sunday dinner. I have a love/hate relationship with Sundays. In order to forget about the fact that Monday is just a few hours away, I have been known to spend most of the day in and around the kitchen. We always make an event out of reading the paper. Some Sundays are more like a production with a lot of dishes. Not this Sunday. Today I stuck to an easy muffin and strong hot coffee. How do you take your Sunday paper?

For work and pleasure, I have been playing around with a few cookbooks that are new to my collection- Ancient Grains for Modern Meals by Maria Speck, Super Natural Every Day by Heidi Swanson and Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison to name a few. I recently made delicious fig muffins pictured above from Ancient Grains for Modern Meals. I highly recommend all of these cookbooks for anyone interested in exploring the world of healthy soul-satisfying food.

My tweak to the recipe is in the filling. I used cream cheese instead of goat cheese because the pickiest eater in our house doesn't care for the flavor and texture of goat cheese. Wonder who that could be? One guess and it's not our dog Cal. These chewy muffins with a dreamy cream-filled center are made with whole wheat flour. They are Sunday morning stunners that taste better than any preservative laced coffee shop bran muffin. Bottom line: easy to make + pair well with the paper & coffee = these fig muffins!

Whole wheat fig muffins with cream cheese filling

Filling:
3 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
2 tablespoons honey or agave nectar
zest from one lemon or lemon
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Muffins:
2 cups whole wheat flour (8 1/2 oz if you like to use a scale)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3 large eggs, at room temperature
3/4 cup packed brown sugar, light or dark
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 cup lowfat buttermilk or 3/4 cup lowfat milk mixed with 2 teaspoons of lemon juice (at room temp)
1 cup stemmed & chopped dried figs*
3 tablespoons turbinado or granulated sugar, for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly butter/spray a standard size 12-cup muffin pan (or use paper liners to line each muffin cup).

Filling: in a small bowl, combine cream cheese, honey/agave, lemon zest and vanilla and blend with a fork. Set aside.

Muffins: in a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Make a well in the center. Meanwhile in a medium bowl, lightly whisk the eggs to blend. Whisk in the brown sugar and vanilla. Then whisk in olive oil and buttermilk until a smooth cohesive mixture forms, about 30 seconds. Add the egg mixture to the center of the flour mixture, and stir with a rubber spatula until just combined; lumps are okay. Don't overmix. Fold in the dried figs.

Using an ice cream scoop, fill each muffin cup halfway full. Add about a teaspoon of the cream cheese filling to the center of each muffin. Top with the remaining batter almost to the rim of each muffin cup. Sprinkle each muffin generously with sugar.

Bake until the edges start to brown and the tops spring back when gently pressed, about 10-12 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes in pan before gently twisting the muffins out of the pan. Cool completely on a wire rack or eat warm (my preference).

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for one day or in the refrigerator up to two days. They freeze well too.

*Note: the dried figs could be replaced with dried apricots, dried cherries or dried cranberries.

Makes 12 muffins
Recipe slightly altered from Ancient Grains for Modern Meals

Breakfast for dinner



Pancake delight

I love the idea of breakfast for dinner using the ingredients you have in your pantry because frankly you have nothing else. That or you aren't inspired to make anything else. I am not sure if I love the occasional breakfast for dinner idea more now or when I was a kid. In our house breakfast for dinner usually means some sort of egg dish. The other night we had enough staples to make these delicious, grainy, nutty pancakes in a flash.  I was in heaven. They are better for you than your typical IHOP pancake and oh so much more satisfying. Enjoy!

Whole Grain Pancakes

¼ cup ground flaxseed*
½ cup old-fashion oatmeal
1 cup whole wheat flour*
½ teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
2 large eggs
1 cup skim milk mixed with freshly squeezed lemon juice from ½ of a lemon (this is my version of homemade buttermilk)
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 cup water

Warm a lightly oiled non-stick skillet on medium heat while you make pancake batter.
In a large bowl, add flaxseed and old-fashion oats. Then sift in whole wheat flour, baking soda and baking powder using a handheld fine-mesh strainer. Add salt. Mix well with a fork, making a well in the center and set aside.

In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the egg, milk/lemon juice or yogurt, oil and water. Pour wet ingredients into the center of the dry ingredient bowl where the well is. Using a spatula, stir until just combined. The batter is very thin.

Turn the skillet’s heat up to medium-high. Ladle ¼ cup of batter for each pancake onto the hot skillet, fitting as many pancakes as space allows.

Cook until bubbles appear on the top, about 2 minutes. Flip the pancakes and cook on the second side until golden brown, about another 2-3 minutes. Repeat until all of your batter has been used up.

Serve with pure maple syrup and fresh berries.

Makes 4 servings (about 3 pancakes per person)

Recipe slightly adapted from Moosewood Restaurant Cooking for Health

*Note: store whole-wheat flour in the fridge or freezer up to a year in a Ziploc bag if you don't use it on a regular basis. Its oil content from the wheat germ can potentially lead to spoilage if left at room temperature. Do the same with ground flaxseed.

This is the before shot

 





These are no girl scout cookies

These are Ad Hoc chocolate chip cookies (however I added a pinch of sea salt). If you haven't purchased the Ad Hoc at Home cookbook, you maybe haven't lived? I am being a little dramatic but if you cook at home, this is a must have cookbook. Gorgeous photography and truly great food that turns out well every time. I have been using it since it came out in 2009. Though most of the recipes tend to be rather multi-stepped, to put it lightly, I have found that I can take flavor combinations from Thomas Keller's creations and adapt them to my simple dinners. Also, if you took my advice and read Life On the Line, now you really need to buy this cookbook. Anyone who has read that book probably wants to support Thomas Keller as much as I do.

Back to the recipe. This is my go-to recipe for chocolate chip cookies in a hurry (or not). I am not talking about an overpriced box of mix that you can buy at Williams-Sonoma. Ad Hoc really does sell their mix at W.S. I am talking about 9 ingredients that you probably have in your pantry. Bonus: you won't need to bring your ingredient to room temperature. Start to finish these cookies didn't take me more than 45 minutes to whip up (baking included).  The key is having all of the ingredients in your pantry. My pantry is pretty much stocked with all of these ingredients year round so when new neighbors move into the hood, I most certainly have to greet them with my finest creations. Call me old-fashion. Honestly who bakes for their new neighbors anymore? When you have a mom like I do, you bake and give flowers, preferably homegrown flowers. I leave the green thumb part of our housewarming gifts up to my husband Michael. I am only good for cookies.

My only ask is read the entire recipe before you start baking - my students never seem to tire of me saying this.

Ad Hoc Chocolate Chip Cookies
2 1/3 cups plus 1 tablespoon a.p. flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt (don't skip this)
5 ounces of 55% chocolate chips/disks (look for Ghirardelli or E. Guittard)
5 ounces of 70-72% chocolate chips/disks (OKC friends you can find these at Forward Foods)
2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 cup packed dark brown sugar (the darker the better)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
sea salt for sprinkling (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpats.

Over a medium size bowl, sift the flour and baking soda. Stir in the kosher salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat half the butter on medium speed until smooth. Add both sugars and the remaining stick of butter and beat until well combined. It will take a few minutes. You want the consistency to be light and creamy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the eggs one at a time, beating until the first one is incorporated before adding the next. Add the dry ingredients and mix on low until just combined. Mix in the chocolate chips.

Using an ice cream scoop with a release lever, shape the dough into balls. Arrange 8-12 cookies on each baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches between each cookie. Sprinkle the tops of each cookie with a tiny pinch of sea salt. Bake for 11 minutes or until the tops are no longer shiny, switching the position and rotating the pans halfway through baking. (I always error on the side of under-baking).

Cool the cookies on the pans on cooling racks for 2 minutes to firm up a bit then transfer to the racks to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining cookies.

Makes about 20-30 cookies

Recipe from Ad Hoc at Home (with a few small adaptions)

Houriya - I can't get enough of this carrot puree




Spicy Tunisian Carrot Puree - center stage

 

The last few times I have entertained, my menus have varied based on the occasion but my trio of dips have remained constant on my table. These dips are all outstanding if I do say so myself.  Who can beat homemade hummus, followed up by hummus spiked with jalapenos, more garlic, cilantro & fresh ginger? The show stopper though is really the houriya which is a Tunisian carrot puree. Don't let its resemblance to baby food scare you. It's magical. With a few ingredients, deliciousness is within your reach. I promise.

Houriya
2 lbs. carrots, peeled & cut into evenly sized chunks (if you don't have time, skip peeling the carrots or buy baby carrots)
1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons harissa (OKC folks you can find this fiery sauce can be found at the Mediterranean Imports & Deli or at Forward Foods - look for the tube)
2 teaspoons or up to 1 tablespoons cumin*, ground (preferably toasted & ground in your mortar & pestle)
2-3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/3 cup good quality olive oil
Reserved cooking liquid, if needed
Pita bread or pita chips, for serving

In a medium saucepan, combine carrots, salt & enough water to just cover the carrots; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cover, reduce the heat & simmer until the carrots are cooked through & tender when pierced with the tip of a paring knife, about 15 minutes. Drain carrots, reserving 1/2 cup of cooking liquid.  Place cooked carrots in food processor/blender, add harissa, cumin, lemon juice & salt; pulse until coarsely pureed. With the motor running, add the olive oil.  Taste & adjust the seasoning. To thin out the puree to a silky smooth consistency, add a little bit of your reserved cooking water.  I prefer this dip to be the consistency of baby food but leaving it chunky is the author's intended texture. 

Serve at room temperature with pita bread/chips, veggies or maybe just a spoon.  It's that good!

Makes about 4 cups

Recipe from Insalata's Mediterranean Table (one of my favorite cookbooks)



The other two dips aren't shabby either



*To toast cumin seeds, also available at the stores listed above, use a small dry skillet. Heat the skillet over medium heat. Add cumin seeds & toast until aromatic & slightly darker in color, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a mortar & pestle and grind into a powder.  Or just buy pre-ground cumin at the grocery store.

Exhilarating read

Let me start by saying that I am not a huge reader. I am a product of my mother and therefore I don't sit well. I don't drive in the backseat well and I certainly don't cuddle up to a good book very often. Cookbook yes but novel no.

When Alinea's chef/owner Grant Achatz & his business partner Nick Kokonas came out with this memoir, I couldn't get my hands on it fast enough.  Though I had heard of the rule-breaking cuisine at Alinea Restaurant in Chicago, I hadn't dined there or followed the Chef's life story (capital C b/c he deserves it). This is a book for the food lover and destination diner but also the non food lover that wants to delve deep into the life of chef. Chef Grant's story is full of humility, passion, triumph and grace. I felt my heart racing every time I picked up the book because I needed to know what was going to happen next faster than I could read.

As cliche as all of this may sound, this is a story about the pursuit of a passion, persistence, putting your time in, not giving up, exploration, hope, perfection and ultimately finding success in and out of the kitchen. I won't say much more because I don't want to spoil it. 

4 days later I was done with the book. It was my personal best!

Oscar-worthy dessert

Butterscotch Pot de Creme

The Oscars are 4 days from now. Do you have party plans? Maybe you are planning on having friends over to watch the 83rd annual awards show or maybe you haven't considered doing anything for it besides tuning in? In my house, the Oscars are my equivalent of throwing a Super Bowl party except I don't have to wait until half-time to see all of my celebrity "friends."

First order of business: come up with a menu. For this type of gathering, a theme isn't necessary. The Oscars after all are your theme. Though I haven't come up with my entire menu of grabby snacks and signature drinks, I do know what's for dessert.  In fact, I may just serve it first because it's that good. The inspiration for my individual butterscotch pot de cremes comes from Town Hall restaurant in San Francisco - naturally. Though this dessert wasn't on the menu when I dined there years ago, it did steal my friend Carrie's heart just a few weeks ago. Her obsession quickly became my obsession, and I hadn't even tried it. She described it in such a way that I thought it too might deserve an Oscar (or a food Oscar if there were such a thing). Creamy, dreamy and so luscious it will make your knees weak.

Trapped in another snowstorm with all of the ingredients handy to make the chocolate pudding base and the butterscotch pot de creme top layer, I made it, loved it, shared it with neighbors and haven't stopped thinking about it since. If you do decide to give this recipe a shot, make it a day ahead or save yourself some time and use boxed chocolate pudding. I topped mine with Heath bar instead of making homemade buttercruch. This recipe makes a lot - you may want to half it. 

Whatever your plans are for this Sunday, use the Oscars as an excuse to try something new from one of those cookbooks sitting on your shelf.  You may just find yourself a winner!

Butterscotch Pot de Creme

Grain salads- surround yourself with deliciousness

Recipes from today's KSBI 52 All About You episode include:
-Mexican quinoa salad with lime jalapeno vinaigrette (gluten free recipe)
-Moroccan sweet potato and Forbidden rice salad (gluten free recipe)
-Curried chickpea, cauliflower and barley salad


Fiesta in a bowl!

Mexican Quinoa Salad
Salad: 1 cup quinoa, soaked for 1 hour in water and drained*
1/2 cup baby tomatoes, halved
1 red bell pepper, seeded & chopped
1/2 avocado, pitted and diced
1/2 cup corn kernels, drained & rinsed
1/2 cup black beans, drained & rinsed
2 cups baby spinach
optional add-in ingredients: 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese, handful of crushed tortilla chips, 3 tablespoons diced jicama, 2 thinly sliced radishes
Dressing:
1/4 cup fresh lime juice squeezed from 2 limes
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon honey or 1 teaspoon agave nectar
2 tablespoon finely chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 garlic clove, peeled and minced
1 teaspoon chopped jalapeño pepper
¼ cup olive oil


Start by cooking quinoa. In a medium saucepan bring 1 1/2 cup of water to a boil.  Add a generous pinch of kosher salt and the quinoa.  Once water comes to a boil, reduce heat to simmer/low and cook, covered, for 15 minutes until water is absorbed.  Let quinoa sit off the heat for 10 minutes before removing lid & fluffing with a fork.  Cool quinoa to room temperature before adding to salad bowl.


In a large salad bowl, toss together the rest of the salad ingredients except the spinach. Once quinoa has cooled, add it to this veggie mixture. Set aside while making dressing.
Dressing: in separate bowl, mix all dressing ingredients except olive oil. Whisk in olive oil slowly to emulsify. Taste dressing on a spinach leaf. Adjust seasoning by adding more salt, pepper and/ lime juice. Once ready to serve, pour a few tablespoons of dressing over salad mixture, add spinach and toss again. Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Add more dressing as needed. Serve immediately.

Note: if you don't have time to soak quinoa but want to rid the grain of its bitter coating, simply wash quinoa in 3 changes of cold water in a bowl, draining in a fine-mesh sieve between changes. Serves 4
Recipe inspired by Self Magazine


Roasted sweet potatoes

Moroccan Bhutanese Red Rice & Sweet Potato Salad
1 cup Bhutanese red rice or Forbidden Black Rice (Lotus Foods brand)*
2 sweet potatoes, peeled & cut into small cubes (about 1 pound)
1 T. extra virgin olive oil
¾ t. Kosher salt

Dressing:

Pinch of saffron threads
½ teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped

Preheat oven to 400°
In a medium saucepan, bring 1 cup of rice and 1 1/2 cups of water to a boil.  Add a generous pinch of kosher salt.  Once water comes to a boil, cover, reduce heat to simmer/low and cook for 30 minutes, until water has absorbed.  Let stand, covered, off heat for 10 minutes before fluffing with fork.  Let cool to room temperature before adding rice to salad bowl.

Meanwhile, spread potatoes out onto a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Using hands, toss to coat potatoes. Bake until done, about 25-30 minutes, when pierced with a knife and there’s no resistance. Set aside.

Lastly, make vinaigrette by mixing together the rest of the ingredients in a large bowl. Add cooked sweet potatoes, cooked rice and let sit for 30 minutes, stirring now and then. Adjust seasoning with additional salt and pepper as needed. Serve at room temperature.

Note: can add additional ingredients like green olives, zest of one lemon and/ green onions. Also brown rice, barley or farro would work well instead of red rice. Roast potatoes up to 2 days ahead.

Serves 4
Recipe adapted from The Art of Simple Food, Alice Waters

Ready to enjoy





  



Yum on a plate

Curried Chickpea, Caulilfower & Barley Salad

Salad:
1 cup quick-cooking barley
1/2 cup chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed & drained
5 scallions, green parts only, thinly sliced at a diagonal
1/3 cup golden raisins, soaked in warm water for 5 minutes
1/4 cup pistachios, toasted & roughly chopped*
2 tablespoons mint, chopped
Cauliflower:
1 medium head cauliflower, cored, cut into 1-inch florets
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt 
Dressing:
2 teaspoons yellow curry powder, preferably Madras
3 tablespoons champagne vinegar
1 clove garlic, peeled & minced
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400°

To cook barley, add 2 cups of water to a saucepan, add a generous pinch of salt and turn heat to high. Once water comes to a boil, add barley, turn down the heat, cover and cook for 10 minutes, until barley is tender but chewy.  Side note: if you buy pearled barley know that it has a longer cooking time ~ 45-60 minutes.  Once barley is cooked, let sit for 5 minutes, covered before fluffing with a fork.  Cool to room temperature.

Meanwhile, in a large salad bowl toss the rest of the salad ingredients together.  Set aside.Roast cauliflower: toss cauliflower and 2 tablespoons oil in large bowl. Transfer to medium rimmed baking sheet. Roast until very tender & browned in spots, stirring occasionally, about 25 minutes.  Let cool to room temperature.

Vinaigrette: in small bowl whisk together all but the olive oil.  Slowly add the olive oil in a steady stream.  Add more salt and pepper to taste.
Thirty minutes before serving, add cooked barley & roasted cauliflower to salad bowl.  Toss with enough vinaigrette to coat salad.  Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.  Serve at room temperature, cold or warm.

Note: to toast shelled pistachios, bake in a 350° oven for 8-10 minutes, until lightly browned. Dried apricots and almonds are good substitues for golden raisins and pistachios. Roast cauliflower up to 2 days ahead.  Try roasting another veg if you don't like cauliflower.
Serves 4

Recipe inspired by Ad Hoc at Home

Sandwich show and tell

In response to this Men's Health article recently circulating the internet, KSBI Channel 52 Oklahoma City responded by asking me to come on set and make a few healthy sandwiches to inspire viewers.  Making lunch for yourself in the form of a sandwich is easy as long as you have done some grocery shopping and/ keep a well-stocked pantry.  Avoid falling into a PB&J-in-a-hurry rut by making a grocery list and sticking to it.  A few things to keep in mind:

1. Consider cutting back on caloric extras such as mayo, anything "toasted" and bacon as well as those sneaky "salad" sandwiches such as tuna, egg and chicken.
2. Choose whole wheat bread over white and look for 3 grams+ of fiber per slice. Or treat yourself to artisan bread from a local bread company. OKC friends - you must try Prairie Thunder's Wheat Berry, 5-Grain Levain and Prairie Harvest Levain.
3. Don't skimp on the veggies - they will fill you up without weighing you down (so cliche!)
4. Buy respectable lunch meat brands that don't contain fillers, gluten, artificial coloring or trans fats. My recommendation is Boar's Head as found at Kamp's, Crescent Market & Forward Foods in OKC.

The sandwiches featured on the show today all have less than roughly 500 calories (pictures are shown in yesterday's post):

Turkey, Brie and Chutney Sandwich 
2 slices of whole-grain bread
1 tablespoon of chutney, such as Major Grey's, divided and spread onto both slices of bread
3 slices of brie (or 2 slices of provolone)
2 oz. deli turkey breast (about 3-4 thin slices)
1-2 leaves lettuces, such as butter lettuce
5 slices of apple, thinly sliced, such as Pink Lady or Gala

Assemble, slice and serve! 

Note: Cut back on ~100 calories by making this an open faced sandwich as pictured below (with a quinoa salad).
Serves: 1

Hamcado Sandwich (Ham, Cheddar and Avocado)
2 slices of whole-grain bread
1 tablespoon of good quality dijon mustard, divided & spread onto both slices of bread
2 slices of cheddar cheese, thinly sliced and sized to fit your bread
2 oz. low-sodium deli ham (about 3-4 thin slices)
3-4 slices ripe avocado, thinly sliced
small handful of arugula, washed and spun dry

Assemble, slice and serve!

Note: when tomatoes are in season, consider adding a few slices. For an extra 17 calories, add a pickle for extra crunch. Side note: this sandwich could also be called a California Ham & Cheese because anytime I see avocado on a sandwich it seems to be associated with California (or Napa). Sigh! I could also call it Hubby's Hammy because my husband Michael never strays from a ham sandwich...ever.
Serves: 1

Spicy Horseradish Roast Beef Sandwich
2 slices of whole-grain bread
1 tablespoon light mayo mixed with 1 teaspoon of prepared horseradish, divided & spread onto both slices of bread
2 oz. roast beef, thinly sliced (about 3-4 thin slices)
small handful of baby spinach leaves, washed and spun dry
8 slices cucumber, thinly sliced rounds
1/8 small red onion, thinly sliced

Assemble, slice and serve!
Serves: 1

Veggie Pita
1 whole wheat pita, halved or something like Flatout brand Multi Grain flat bread  
2 tablespoons hummus, spread on inside of pita pocket or on both sides of flat bread
2 slices jarred roasted red pepper, patted dry
6 slices cucumber, thinly sliced rounds
2-3 slices feta (from a block)
1/8 small red onion, thinly sliced
6 kalamata olives, pitted and halved
4 artichoke heart quarters, patted dry and halved
handful of alfalfa sprouts, rinsed and spun dry

Assemble and serve!

Note: add any veggies you like.  Avocado in place of the feta would be a good substitute.
Serves: 1

In short: be an advocate for your own health and for those you feed.  Choose wisely when you dine out. Lastly, consider making your own and bringing it to work with you for a show & tell that will make your co-workers jealous!

Sandwiches that might surprise you



Turkey, Brie & Chutney



Hamcado (Ham, Cheddar & Avocado)







  
 Find out what all of these sandwiches have in common tomorrow morning on Oklahoma City's KSBI 52 at 10:00 am.  I will be giving a brief demo on a new program called All About You.  Record the show or tune in!







Spicy horseradish roast beef

 


Veggie pita

 

Blizzard conditions call for banana honey ice cream



Banana honey ice cream on the fly - no toppings needed



Growing up in the Clark household, we were always partial to banana and peanut butter anything thanks to my dad, Randy (also known as RC).  RC would also put molasses and wheat germ on his banana/peanut butter combos but that's another story.  Gross (period).

Today I survived what I think was a huge snowstorm far from my roots in Northern California.  Homesick for something that reminded me of that place that has never seen a flurry, I made ice cream.  The natural peanut butter in our fridge wasn't going to cut it in my ice cream creation so I decided to make banana honey ice cream instead.  My timing was good because my generous neighbor Linda cooked up a feast and invited us over for a wonderful home cooked meal.  I was in charge of dessert.  This ice cream is pure, simple and great any time of year!  Ingredients - milk, cream, ripe bananas, acacia honey, pure vanilla extract, a pinch of salt and egg yolks.  What's not to love during this blizzard that has everyone in OKC suffering from cabin fever?