Ja cię kocham…

My dear friend Nikki and her boyfriend are coming up from Florida to see us today.  Nikki is the girl that I can count on to keep me in line as far as healthy eating goes.

In honor of Nikki and her love for healthy eating, I baked these cookies with her in mind.  Not an ounce of butter was used in this.  I substituted it with coconut oil giving the cookies a rich, coconut undertone.

Natural cane sugar was also used rather than the typical processed and bleached granulated sugar.  And finally, the recipe called for whole wheat pastry flour allowing for a smoother consistency in the dough.  It is also not bleached and enriched like typical all-purpose flour.

I have to say that even though the banana chips gave the cookies a slight crunch, I enjoyed it.  It subtly heightened the coconut flavor.  I did, however, omit the walnuts.  As always, not a fan of walnuts in my baked goods.

It’s probably not a surprise that these healthy treats came from 101 Cookbooks.  If you ever want a healthy version of a favorite meal or treat, this blog will provide you with alternatives.

Double Chips Cookies: Banana and Chocolate

Yields 24 cookies

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour (all-purpose is fine but try to use unbleached, if you can!)
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
scant 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1/2 cup unrefined coconut oil
1 cup natural cane sugar (or brown sugar)
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2/3 cup banana chips, loosely chopped
1 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees, racks in middle/upper middle. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Whisk together the flour, wheat germ, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the coconut oil and the sugar until it is the consistency of a thick frosting.

Beat in the eggs one at a time, incorporating each fully before adding the next.

Stir in the vanilla. Add the reserved flour mix in two increments, stirring/mixing a bit between each addition (but not too much). By hand, stir in the banana chips and chocolate chips – mix just until everything is evenly distributed.

Drop 1 heaping tablespoon of dough for each cookie onto the prepared baking sheets 2 inches apart and bake for about 7 – 8 minutes, until barely golden on top and bottom.  Do not over bake. I pulled the cookies out of the oven when I thought that they were underdone, and they ended up being perfect!

This intensely satisfying breakfast is for my darling husband, Jay.  Jay LOVES Saturday and Sunday morning breakfasts in our home because we like to go all out.  Being as busy as we are (both in grad school and both working) we adore lazy weekend mornings filled with jammies until at least noon, no real urgent plans, and a large homemade breakfast.

Jay loves pancakes.  He has his own special recipe that makes them light and fluffy with the capability of melting in your mouth.

Jay loves carrot cake.  For our wedding we had a mixture of carrot and red velvet (my absolute favorite cake) as our wedding cake.  As far as Jay is concerned, carrot cake simply cannot be beaten.

During my typical daily perusing of food blogs, I came across a carrot cake pancake recipe from Joy the Baker.  Joy knows baking, and if you are going to indulge in any baking recipe at all, it must be Joy’s.  She is a pro.

Made from freshly grated carrots and a mix of whole wheat and unbleached all purpose flour, these pancakes are incredibly filling.  Your eyes are easily bigger than your stomach for these babies.

Joy made a very important observation.  She said that the carrots in her pancakes were a little too crunchy so I alleviated that by finely grating mine.  The results were great!

Noodles loves her carrots and she’ll eat them chopped, grated or whole!

Since I have a complex with crunchiness in my baked goods I FINELY chopped my pecans to the point that they were almost a powder.  I wanted the flavor without the chunk.  Again, it worked well!  No funky chunky pecan bites in my pancakes!

I also prefer my nutmeg to be freshly grated with a microplane.  The flavor is fresher, bolder, and a little goes a long way…

These pancakes very easy to make and incredibly filling.  If you enjoy a good carrot cake then these pancakes are perfect for you.

Homemade Carrot Cake Pancakes with Cream Cheese Topping

Source: Mildly adapted from Joy the Baker

Makes 10-12 small pancakes or 5-6 large pancakes

Ingredients:

3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 cups whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons finely chopped pecans
2 teaspoons baking powder (aluminum-free if you can!)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
Dash nutmeg
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup packed natural cane sugar (brown sugar works well, too)
1 cup milk
2 cups finely grated carrots – (as fine as you can)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cream Cheese Spread
4 ounces cream cheese
1/4 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 dash ground cinnamon

Directions:

In a bowl, combine flours, pecans, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, ginger, and nutmeg.

In a separate bowl, combine egg, brown sugar, milk, carrots, and vanilla; mix well.

Stir carrot mixture into dry ingredients until moistened. Pour batter by 1/4 cupful onto a greased hot griddle. Turn when bubbles form on the top of pancake; flip and cook until golden brown.

For topping, blend cream cheese, powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla until smooth. Sprinkle with cinnamon, and serve with pancakes.

Not the most glamorous shot, but you can see why I became full so quickly!!  Yum!

This recipe posting is more for me than anyone.   I tend to make things and then forget how I made them, and this recipe is definitely one that could easily fall through the cracks.   This dish is unbelievably easy to throw together, but I really enjoyed these roasted veggies more than others that I have made in the past.  This is why I am posting it.  So I will REMEMBER.

Obviously you can throw any veggie in to roast, but I strongly recommend sweet onions and red beets.  There is something magical that happens to them while in the oven.  They become so sweet and so tender… and it took virtually no effort at all.

So here is another no-brainer recipe that I must post so I can reference it in the future.  So good, so bright, so easy….

Simply Roasted Vegetables with Fresh Thyme

Serves 8

Ingredients:

1 white onion, chopped into large chunks
1 sweet onion, chopped into large chunks
5 carrots, peeled and chopped
3 red beets, peeled and chopped
3 Tbs. olive oil
2 Tbs. unsalted butter
salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste
4-5 springs of fresh thyme, stems removed

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

In a large bowl, add 1 Tbs. of olive oil.  Add the onions, carrots, and beets.  Toss gently.

Add remaining olive oil, salt, pepper and thyme.  Again, toss gently.

Pour vegetable mixture into roasting pan and top with pads of butter.

Place in oven and cook for 45-60 minutes, occasionally stirring.

Enjoy!!

This year I am absolutely determined to create my own veggie garden.  There is nothing better than fresh, beautifully ripe vegetables pulled right out of the garden.  They taste so much better than those that come from the grocery store.  Jay and I were thinking about investing in a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture), but the upfront costs are not very appealing.  The part that is appealing is driving 5 minutes to an organic farm and picking your own fruits and veggies for the week, and the fact that we would be supporting local farmers.  I cannot WAIT until the local farm stands open back up.  I pile on the fruits and veggies for mere dollars.  But I also want to just walk into my pea-sized backyard and pick piles and piles of veggies.

Giada De Laurentiis the host of a few Food Network shows made an unbelievable grilled vegetable, herb, and goat cheese sandwich on her show Giada at Home.  My mouth instantly began to water as I watched her mound eggplant onto sun-dried tomatoes, onto basil, onto goat cheese….  This sandwich literally uses most of my favorite foods!  I could not wait to make it.

The sandwich is filled to the maximum so make sure that you have parchment paper to wrap tightly around this masterpiece.  It’ll prevent you from losing any goodies from your sandwich.  )

I made absolutely no alterations to this baby.  It was PERFECT.

Grilled Vegetable, Herb, and Goat Cheese Sandwiches

Source: Giada at Home

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1/2 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and finely chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon leaves
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 zucchini, ends trimmed and discarded, sliced lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick pieces
2 Japanese eggplants, ends trimmed and discarded, sliced lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick pieces
1 (12 1/2-ounce) baguette, sliced in 1/2 lengthwise
1 cup (6 1/2 ounces) goat cheese, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups baby spinach

Directions:

Place a grill pan over medium-high heat or preheat a gas or charcoal grill.

In a small bowl, mix together the olive oil, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, basil, tarragon, thyme, salt, and pepper. Place 2 tablespoons of the mixture in a medium bowl. Add the zucchini and eggplant and toss until coated. Place the vegetables on the grill pan or grill and cook for 3 to 4 minutes on each side until tender.

While the vegetables are cooking, spread the olive oil mixture on the baguette halves. Using a spatula spread the goat cheese over the olive oil mixture. Place the cooked vegetables on the bottom half of the baguette. Arrange the spinach on top of the vegetables. Place the top half of the baguette over the filling.

To serve, cut the baguette into 4 sandwiches. Serve immediately or wrap in parchment paper and refrigerate for up to 2 hours.

Well last week I accumulated quite a bit of leftover fruit, which has compelled me to bake.  I’m not normally a baker because either what I make sits in my kitchen until it’s hard as a rock, or I manage to eat 12 muffins or a whole loaf of bread in 2 days.  I cannot find the happy medium that allows me slowly enjoy what I have baked.

Yes, I could cut the batch in half… I may try that next time, but often times I’m left with disappointing results.

Anyway… I had some left over mangoes in my fruit bowl.  Mangoes can be rather expensive so normally I buy one at a time.  Since they were on some kind of super sale, I bought 4.  They weren’t ripe yet, so I waited and waited for them to ripen until I forgot about them.  Oops…

What do you do with slightly overripe fruit?  You bake with it!  But what on earth can you make with mango?  It was time for research.

Joy the Baker, a food blog celebrity, made her own fresh Mango bread with lime zest and grated Granny Smith apple.  It sounded a bit odd – so it’s perfect!  I love making unusual foods, especially with fruits and veggies.

The bread takes some time to bake in the oven, so just make sure that you have the time.  I’m off from school for a week so my mornings are pretty free.

Joy, you didn’t fail me.  The bread was super moist because of the apple, and delicately sweet.  The ground ginger gave it a punch that makes you say “Mmmmm…what is that?”.  I only tweaked it a tiny bit.  I used natural cane sugar instead of white sugar, and I omitted the golden raisins.  Just like walnuts, I’m not a big fan of raisins in my baked goods.

This bread is the perfect breakfast to go.  Yum!

Mango Bread with Lime and Granny

Source: Joy the Baker, adapted from Baking a la Greenspan

Ingredients:

3 large eggs
3/4 cup flavorless oil such as canola
2 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour (all-purpose is fine)
1 cup natural cane sugar
1 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1 to 1 1/4 cup diced mangoes from 1 large peeled and pitted mango
1 cup grated apple from 1 peeled Granny Smith apple
grated zest of 1/2 lime
Directions:

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease a 9×5 inch loaf pan, dust the inside with flour and tap out the excess.  Put the pan on an insulated baking sheet or on regular baking sheets stacked on on top of the other.  This extra insulation will keep the bottom of the bread from over baking.

Whisk the eggs and the oil together.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt.  Rub the brown sugar between your palms into the bowl, breaking up any lumps, then stir it in.

Pour the wet ingredients over the dry, with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, mix until blended.  The batter will have a doughy, sticky consistency that is very difficult to mix, but do not fret!  The fruit will make it smoother once you add it.

Stir in the mango, apples, and zest.  Scrape the batter into the pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula.

Bake the bread for 1 1/2 hours, or until it is golden brown and a thin knife inserted into the center comes out clean.  I recommend checking your bread every 30 minutes to see if the top is beginning to brown.

Joy offers excellent advice: If the bread looks as if it’s getting too brown as it bakes, cover loosely with a foil tent. I had to do that, and it was my saving grace.

Transfer the pan to a rack and cool for 5 minutes before running a knife around the sides of the pan and unmolding.  Invert and cool to room temperature right side up on the rack.

I was beyond ready for dinner today.  I mean, I was trying not to eat my own hand as I drove home.  My stomach was gurgling and turning to the point that I seriously considered picking up a snack at a gas station in order to make it home.  This whole hunger extravaganza started because I woke up this morning at 4am for no apparent reason other than the fact that I was in the mood to exhaust myself today.  Grrr*  Eating breakfast at 5am, leads to an earlier lunch than usual, leading to wanting an early dinner.  The problem is that I work until 6 and have a 30-35 minute commute home.  Yeah, I was in no mood for a late dinner.  Crabby, perhaps?

Yes!  Crabby!!  Very, very crabby.  That’s just the sort of word that inspired tonight’s dinner.  Pasta is fast, fish is fast, and the two together are very tasty.  This was a night that called for throwing anything in your kitchen cabinets and fridge into a dish and calling it dinner.

I bought this canned crab from Trader Joe’s a little while ago and it was just sitting in my kitchen waiting to be appreciated.  I’ve been eating so many fresh fruits and vegetables lately that I have neglected my cabinet of goodies.  It was finally time for Mr. Crabby.  I was a little hesitant about the canned crab because I didn’t want it to be ridiculously salty or fishy.  Surprisingly, it was neither!  For $2.50 a can, it’s worth the investment for a nice pasta dish.  Of course fresh is better, but since it’s $30+ a pound, I stuck with the can.

I loosely adapted this recipe from Gourmet magazine (May 2008) that I found on Epicurious.  I needed some inspiration.  I didn’t just want butter.  Butter and Lemon would have been good, but I wanted something with a zing.  Something unique.  Add a little chipotle chili pepper and hot sauce to your crabby noodles and you’ve got pizazz in less than 30 minutes!  Just what I wanted…

Crabby Pasta with Lemon and Spice

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1/2 pound spaghettini (thin spaghetti)
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 can of crab meat (or if you want fresh crab – 1/2 pound shelled cooked crab meat, cut into 1-inch pieces (from about 1 1/4 pound thawed frozen king crab legs)
1 Tbs. chipotle chili pepper
1 tsp. hot sauce – your favorite brand (ours is D.L. Jardines)
1 to 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
zest of 1/2 a lemon
2 tsp. dill weed
2 tablespoons salted butter
Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Cook spaghettini in a pasta pot of boiling salted water (3 tablespoons salt for 6 quarts water) until al dente.

Meanwhile, cook onion in oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat, stirring, until softened, then add crab meat. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring frequently, just until crab meat is heated through.

Drain pasta, then add to skillet along with remaining ingredients and toss to coat well.

So unbelievably yummy!  Enjoy!

Holy Crap this was good.  I wish I could be more eloquent with my words, but all I can say is,  “Holy Crap”.  As my husband put it… “I would never think to put pears and blue cheese together or on a pizza, but that was amazing.”

All that I can say is that I adore fruit and cheese as hors d’oeuvres so why not pears and blue cheese?!  I’d put it on a cracker, why not a pizza??  Same concept, right?  YES.

This recipe was simple, derived from minimal ingredients, and was super tasty.  Even if you are a skeptic, trust me, you’ll like it.  Really.  Trust me.  It’s THAT good.

Pear and Blue Cheese Pizza

Source: Loosely adapted from Just Eat Food

Serves 4

Ingredients:

Whole wheat pizza dough (enough for one medium pizza)
4 Tbs. unsalted butter
2 Tbs. brown sugar (I used organic)
2 Bartlett pears, ripe but still firm, cored and thinly sliced
Blue cheese crumbles (choose a quality blue cheese for best results)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.  While it is heating, shape your dough.  Poke several small holes in the dough with a fork.

Transfer dough to pizza stone, cookie sheet, or whatever you plan to use to cook the pizza.

Melt butter in large sauce pan and brush dough with some of it.  Cook for 5 minutes without toppings.

Add brown sugar to the remaining melted butter in the sauce pan and stir until dissolved.  Add pear slices to it and cook for about 6 minutes or until nicely caramelized.

Add pears to pizza dough and cook for 10 minutes, or until golden brown.

Sprinkle with blue cheese and pop back into the turned off (but still warm) oven until cheese melts.

I would have never thought to put bananas and espresso together in a muffin, a cake, or in anything.  I was quite intrigued by the thought of these two flavors blended and baked together with cane sugar and vanilla.   Sounds pretty tempting, mostly because of the espresso.

And that’s because I am a huge java junkie.  I eagerly await my Gevalia Coffee shipment each month and get so excited when it arrives on my door step.   I do not splurge often, but I encourage all to splurge a little on one of your favorite things – and mine happens to be café au lait or a vanilla cappuccino with soy milk, or an awesome cookbook.

Heidi Swanson has quickly become my absolute favorite cook to follow.  Her blog 101 Cookbooks is amazing and so is her cookbook, Super Natural Cooking.  I have made several of her recipes and have been blown away by them all.  Her selection of ingredients are natural and wholesome, yet incredibly flavorful.  Just because you eat healthy does not mean you have to deprive yourself of flavor.  I am learning this now thanks to Heidi Swanson.

These amazingly delicious muffins come from her cookbook, Super Natural Cooking.  The only changes that I made were the omitted the walnuts (I’m not a big fan of a crunch in my soft muffins, breads, and cakes) and the use of one cup of whole wheat flour and one cup of unbleached all-purpose flour because I didn’t have the white whole-wheat flour that the recipe called for.

Espresso Banana Muffins

Source: Super Natural Cooking, p. 38

Yields 12 muffins

Ingredients:

2 cups white whole-wheat flour
2 tsp. aluminum-free baking powder
1/2 tsp. fine-grain sea salt
1 1/4 cups chopped, toasted walnuts (optional)
1 Tbs. fine espresso powder
6 Tbs. unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup natural cane sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 cup plain yogurt
1 1/2 cups mashed overripe bananas (about 3 large bananas)

Directions:

Heat oven to 375 degrees F, and position the racks low in the oven, and line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.

Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, 3/4 cup of the walnuts, and espresso powder in a bowl.  Whisk to combine.

In a separate large bowl, or a stand mixer, cream the butter until light and fluffy.  Beat in the sugar and then the eggs, one at a time. Stir in the vanilla, yogurt, and mashed bananas, then very carefully mix in the dry ingredients. Be sure not to overmix or the muffins will become tough.

Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tins, top with remaining walnuts, and bake until golden – about 25 minutes.  Let cool for 5 minutes then place on wire rack to finish cooling.

I have this crush on chickpeas.  They are light, nutty, and filling, and I could easily eat bunches of them in one sitting.  I have stashes of them in my cabinet in case I have a sudden craving.  I find myself tossing them in a hot oven with cumin, coriander, and salt for a few minutes for a fantastic treat.   Chickpeas are quite delightful when they have a crispy skin after being baked or sauteed.

During one of my huge chickpea cravings, I came across a recipe from 101 Cookbooks for a chickpea salad.  I already had all of the ingredients in my kitchen making this dish perfect for the evening.

Chickpea Salad with Curry and Leeks

Serves 2-4 as a side

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon clarified butter, olive oil, or coconut oil
2 cups cooked chickpeas (garbanzo beans), pat them completely dry with clean dish towel
1 cup of chopped leeks
1 medium clove of garlic, minced
zest of one lemon
1/3 cup plain yogurt
1 1/2 teaspoons Indian-style curry powder (or to taste)
scant 1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1 or 2 tablespoons warm water
1/2 cup of loosely packed fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 cup red onion or red spring onions, chopped

Directions:

Heat the cooking oil in a large skillet and add the chickpeas. Saute over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until they start getting a bit golden in color. Stir in the leeks and cook until the chickpeas are more golden and the leeks have browned a bit as well, roughly 7 – 10 minutes total. At the last minute stir in the garlic and the lemon zest. Remove from heat, and set aside.

While the chickpeas cool (I like to serve this salad at room temperature), make the yogurt dressing by combining the yogurt, curry powder, and salt in a small bowl. If you need to thin it out a bit, particularly if you are using Greek yogurt, whisk in warm water a tablespoon at a time. Taste, adjust, and set aside.

When you are ready to serve the salad, toss the chickpea mixture with most of the cilantro and most of the chopped red onion. Add about 1/2 of the yogurt dressing and toss again. If you like more dressing, keep adding until you are pleased. Serve on a platter sprinkled with the remaining onions and cilantro.

Okay so let me tell you about this dish.  It contains all the necessary ingredients of a hearty breakfast without all of the dishes to go with it.  And for those of you that are wondering about me consuming bacon, I’m fine.  I survived ;o)

This recipe is by no means the normal healthy meal that I usually whip up.  It has fat, it has cheese, and it has potatoes.  We all have to indulge sometimes!  It’s St. Patrick’s Day, I gotta have my potatoes!

Jay was hoping that I made a whole boat full of this stuff because he could eat it all day, everyday.  This was by far the BEST breakfast that I have ever made.  And I have a few good ones up my sleeves.

Bacon, Hashies, and Eggs in a Bowl

Source: ZestyCook.com

Serves 2

Ingredients:

5 slices maple bacon, chopped
1 1/2 cups frozen hash browns
2 eggs
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
sea salt and pepper
scallions, for garnish

Directions:

Preheat pan to medium-high and start to render the bacon.  This will take roughly 5-7 minutes.

Add hash browns and continue to saute until has browns are cooked through.  Season with salt and pepper.

Create two hallow openings in the mixture.

Crack eggs into opening and let cook for 5-7 minutes.

Sprinkle cheese over top  and cover with lid until cheese is melted.

You can use a spatula and gently divide it among two bowls.  Top with scallions.