Eats Well With Others

Recipe: Asparagus Mimosa and Sweet Pea Goat Cheese Gazpacho {GIVEAWAY}

2013-05-21T08:21:00.002-04:00

If you're looking for a deliciously easy way to prepare some spring-fresh asparagus, then check out the recipe for this asparagus mimosa that I'm sharing over at Marcus Samuelsson's blog!

I was devastated about my refrigerator biting the dust on me yesterday.

Until I saw the news from Oklahoma. And really, what is a few cartons of milk in the scheme of things? Inconsequential nothing. That's what.

My heart goes out to everyone in Oklahoma and around the world who was affected by the tornadoes or knows someone who was. The best way to help at this point is to donate to the Red Cross, which you can be sure I'll be doing.

This sweet pea goat cheese gazpacho was another casualty of the Eats Well With Others fridge breakdown of 2013. I thought it was fine until I put it in a container to have at lunch for work...and when i went to eat it, it had bubbled up in the manner of a bread dough set out to rise. Not good.

Luckily, I got to enjoy it a few times last week, certainly enough to tell you that it tastes like a breath of fresh air with a swirl of goat cheese. And how could that not be an awesome thing?

Since this recipe has so few ingredients, you really have to use quality ones so the flavors really shine. Fresh spring peas are a must, along with good goat cheese and good olive oil. For the latter, I used Carapelli Extra Virgin Olive Oil, which I was sent a bottle of recently to try out. It has an exquisite and rich fruity olive oil flavor that is the perfect finishing touch to any spring or summer meal in which the ingredients are simple but the flavor is big.

The folks at Carapelli were kind enough to offer me a second bottle to give away so that one of you could try it's delicious flavor! All you have to do to enter is to leave a comment telling me what your favorite spring vegetable is. I will choose a winner next Tuesday!

Disclaimer:Though I was sent a bottle of Carapelli olive oil for free, my thoughts and opinions on it are my own.

Sweet Pea Goat Cheese Gazpacho
Serves 4, adapted from Carapelli Olive Oil

Ingredient

2 tbsp olive oil
2 cups fresh shelled English peas, about 2 lb in the shell
1 shallot, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 oz basil leaves
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
juice and zest of 1 lemon
4 oz goat cheese

Instructions

Fill a large pot with salted water and bring to a boil. Add peas to the pot and cook for two minutes, then drain and blanch in ice water.
In a medium-sized pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add in shallot and garlic and sweat for 2 minutes, or until translucent. Set aside to cool.
Add peas and 1 cup ice water to a blender or food processor. Process until smooth. Add the goat cheese, basil and vinegar. Pulse until fully incorporated.
Add the shallots and garlic, along with the lemon juice and zest. Pulse to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Let cool in the fridge for 1 hour before serving.

I am submitting the asparagus mimosa to IHCC and the sweet pea goat cheese gazpacho to Souper Sundays!

Recipe: Bulgur and Spinach Pilaf with Labneh and Chili Roasted Tomatoes

2013-05-20T07:43:00.005-04:00

Disclaimer: I was sent the labneh used in this recipe from Karoun Dairies for free. My thoughts and opinions on it are my own.

I'm sorry for all the review posts lately, you guys. But when someone sends you an email that says "Hey! It's Mediterranean Diet Month, can we send you free cheese and yogurt to celebrate?"

As a full-blooded Italian, with Mediterranean blood coursing through your veins, you just can't say no. It would be against your heritage, your upbringing, and everything your grandmother ever taught you about anything. And so the only correct answer is YES, followed by a superfluous amount of exclamation marks.

Or risk being haunted indefinitely by relatives past. Obviously.

So it was that I came home from a run two weeks ago to find a box of yogurt and cheese sitting on my doorstep (err...in the package room in my building).

Best. Surprise. Ever.

If we could somehow arrange for that to happen more often, I would do a lot more running. Truth.

After inhaling a container of the Greek honey yogurt, which was kind of the best yogurt I've ever eaten in my life (think creamy in a way that makes your heart skip a beat), I had to figure out what to do with all of the rest of it.

Primarily the labneh, because while I can happily top anything and everything with feta cheese and can find exactly one trillion uses for Greek yogurt, labneh is kind of a mystery to me. Not only have I never used it in a recipe before, but I've also never eaten it. Ever.

As a food blogger, that necessitates a pretty big Shame.On.Me.

Before I could decide what to make with it, however, I had to first figure out - what IS labneh? Animal? Vegetable? Mineral?

Slightly salty Greek yogurt that has been strained so that it is a consistency about halfway between sour cream and cream cheese?

The latter. Definitely the latter.

While it is most commonly incorporated into dips or just eaten plain, spread onto a piece of flatbread and topped with a bit of spice and olive oil, I knew that I wanted to do something a bit more involved with it. You know, the kind of thing that would take ~~all morning~~ longer than I thought and make me just a teensy bit late to lab. (That's how I roll.)

Enter this pilaf, which consists of layer upon layer of amazing Middle Eastern flavor (and is totally worth postponing your experiments for).

On the bottom, we have a spinach and bulgur pilaf, which lends a bit of heartiness to the meal. This is topped with a bit of torn mint, tomatoes that have been roasted into a sweet spicy savory oblivion, cinnamon-infused caramelized onions, and the labneh, which kind of serves to cleanse your palate after each and every bite of all that intensely delicious flavor.

Definitely totally worthy of celebrating all that Mediterranean heritage I have in my bones. In fact, I daresay even the ghosts of my relatives past would be proud, and that is no easy feat.

One year ago...Deep Dish Strawberry Rhubarb Pie with Crumb Topping
Two years ago...Tofu in Green Chile, Mint and Cilantro Sauce with Sweet Potatoes and Cauliflower, Indian-Spiced Chickpeas with Rhubarb and Spinach, Sweet and Salty Brownies
Three years ago...Tahitian Vanilla Bean Cupcakes with Bittman's Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
Four years ago...Sweet Potato Carbonara, Chilled Summer Squash Soup with Curry

Bulgur and Spinach Pilaf with Labneh and Chili Roasted Tomatoes
Serves 4, adapted from 101 Cookbooks and Crazy Water Pickled Lemons

Ingredients
For the pilaf:

1 onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves
6 oz bulgur wheat
1 1/4 cup vegetable broth
salt and black pepper
11 oz baby spinach
leaves from a small bunch of mint, torn
1 cup labneh

For the tomatoes:

12 plum tomatoes
4 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 tsp harissa
2 tsp soft dark brown sugar

For the onions:

2 onions, very thinly sliced
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp soft brown sugar
juice of 1/2 small lemon

Instructions

Heat oven to 350. Halve the tomatoes lengthwise and place them, cut side up, in a roasting pan. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, harissa, dark brown sugar, and salt and pepper. Pour this dressing over the tomatoes and mix in the pan to combine. Cook for 40-45 minutes, until the tomatoes are wrinkly and sweet.
For the pilaf, saute the chopped onion in the olive oil and a pinch of salt until it is translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the bulgur to the pan along with the spinach. Pour in the broth and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bring to a boil and then simmer, covered, for about 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and let sit, covered, for 10 minutes.
For the caramelized onions, cook the onions in the oil over high heat so they become golden brown and crispy. In the last few minutes of cooking, add in the brown sugar and cinnamon. Stir it around until the sugar begins to melt and caramelize. Turn off the heat and stir in the lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Layer the various components in a broad shallow baking dish, putting the pilaf first, followed by half the mint, the tomatoes, the rest of the mint, dollops of the labneh, and the caramelized onions. Serve.

Recipe: Chocolate-Covered Pretzel Bread Pudding

2013-05-17T07:31:00.002-04:00

Disclosure - While I was sent free samples of Labriola Pretzel Rolls, my thoughts and opinions on them are my own.

The.Boy has been getting ready to train for a marathon. He's not actually training, mind you, just...preparing to train.

(Don't worry, I don't really understand it either.)

What that means for my daily life is that every other morning, his alarm goes off at 6:30AM, which is an hour earlier than normal. (Note - I have been awake for a half hour already.) He then proceeds to lay in bed for at least ten minutes until I get agitated by the fact that he hasn't gotten up yet and that, if he doesn't get up, I will surely get blamed for not waking up him. And then I yell at him. To get up. Sometimes...he listens.

So then at some point, he gets up, eats a banana...and gets back into bed. And then when I yell at him to get up again he tells me that this is "his process".

He has been doing this for a week now. And he already has a process. Really.

Anyway, in the event that he does eventually get up and start to get ready, he then proceeds to try to talk to me throughout all of his pre-run stretching.

And, well. That is a big no no. That is my blog-writing "me" time, you see. And it gets interrupted for no one. Not even boyfriends who think it is imperative to ask me about whether we should get some odd or end for our apartment at that precise moment in time. (Doesn't he know anything?)

After we go through all that with our relationship hopefully still intact...he goes for a 3 mile run. Hallelujah.

And to think...I didn't even get to the carb loading yet.

Remember earlier this week when I told you that he had two veggie burgers, complete with two pretzel rolls for dinner? Well, what I didn't mention is that he also had four mini snickers bars, a few cookies that his mom had made at Easter...and a hefty slice of this bread pudding.

To be honest, I'm not really sure how we're going to manage food-wise when he starts actually training since we're already toeing the line of our food budget now.

There is going to have to be a lot of this bread pudding in our future. Because not only is it delicious in a salted-chocolate-covered bread kind of way...but it is also dense. And super filling. For a normal person, one modest slice is really enough to satisfy any and all sweet cravings you may have been having.

For a twenty-something year old male who is in marathon "spring training", on the other hand....I make no promises or predictions about serving size. Just, eat as necessary.

One year ago...Baked Macaroni with Tomato Sauce and Goat Cheese
Two years ago...Pasta with Cauliflower, Walnuts and Feta
Three years ago...Chicken Tikka Masala
Four years ago...Black Bean Swiss Burgers with BBQ Onions

Chocolate-Covered Pretzel Bread Pudding
Makes one 10-inch "cake", adapted from Labriola Bakery Cafe

Ingredients

1 dozen pretzel rolls
2 cups heavy cream
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups mini chocolate chips

Instructions

Heat the oven to 350. Cut the pretzel bread into 1 inch pieces and let sit out overnight to get stale. You can also lightly toast them in the oven for 5-7 minutes.
Heat the cream and sugar over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Whisk 1/4 cup of the cream mixture into the eggs, whisking constantly. Whisk in another 1/4 cup. Pour the remaining cream into the bowl with the eggs, whisking constantly. Stir in the vanilla and salt.
Let cool for about 10 minutes. Toss the bread with the custard and the chocolate chips. Pour into a 10-inch springform pan and bake, covered with a sheet of parchment paper for 30 minutes. Remove the paper and cook for 10 more minutes.

Recipe: Pasta with Yogurt, Peas, and Chile

2013-05-15T07:33:00.002-04:00

You know that adrenaline rush when you're eating a meal and it's so spicy that it makes your nose run?

I love that.

I live for that, in fact.

Other things I love at the moment include, but are not limited to:

nights when there are no Mets, Rangers or Cowboys games on so my boyfriend actually remembers that I exist and sometimes even lets me choose what we watch on tv (but probably not since my choices seem to consist entirely of The Real Housewives of Any County, Married to Jonas, and Grey's Anatomy),

seeing one of my labmates on the street as I am leaving for a Central Park run at 9AM (on a weekday) and he is headed into lab (shame on me) (but really, can I help it if that's my peak running time?! the body knows what the body wants),

cookie butter (no explanation needed),

pale green pea-infused yogurt sauces that cut the aforementioned spice to the point that one's boyfriend can actually eat it (for.the.win).

If you are spice averse or have someone in your life who is, then feel free to decrease the amount of red pepper flakes you use. As for me, I went full speed ahead with them. I would like to say that's not because I knew full well that if the.boy deemed it too spicy then it would be a "more for me!" situation...but that would be a lie.

Although, in my defense, I knew I would love the creamy feta yogurt sauce, dotted with peas and asparagus, smothering a pound of pasta and topped with spicy crunchy pine nuts before I even made the damn thing. And that's just the kind of connection you shouldn't mess with. Ever.

And besides. Given all the hockey/baseball games I've endured in the past three weeks of our cohabitation...I deserve it.

One year ago...Roasted Vegetable Bruschetta with Queso Fresco, Grilled Goat Cheese Sandwiches with Fig and Honey
Three years ago...Braised Tofu in Caramel Sauce
Four years ago...Indian Spiced Chickpeas and Kale over Fusilli

Pasta with Yogurt, Peas and Chile
Serves 6, adapted from Jerusalem and The Guardian

Ingredients

500 g Greek yogurt (about 1 17.6 oz container)
4 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
2/3 cup olive oil, divided
1.5 oz basil, torn
1 lb fresh peas, boiled until floating
1 lb pasta
1 lb asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 oz pine nuts
2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 lb feta, crumbled
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Put the yogurt, garlic, 1/3 cup olive oil and 3.5 oz of the peas in a food processor. Process until pureed. Add in the basil and puree until smooth. Pour into a large bowl.
Cook the pasta according to package directions, adding the asparagus in the last minute of cooking. While it's cooking, heat the remaining olive oil in a small frying pan over medium heat. Add the pine nuts and red pepper flakes. Fry for four minutes, until the nuts are golden and the oil is deep red.
Drain the cooked pasta and gradually add it to the yogurt sauce. Add the peas, feta, a tsp of salt and plenty of pepper. Toss gently. Serve topped with the pine nut and red pepper flake mix.

I am submitting this to this week's I Heart Cooking Club!

Recipe: Pimiento Mac and Cheese and Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Peanut Butter Cups

2013-05-14T08:40:00.004-04:00

Bon Appetit called this the tastiest version of mac and cheese that they've ever made....but did it sway the taste buds of my blue-box obsessed boyfriend? Find out by checking out my latest post over at Culinary Covers!

About two weekends ago, I participated in a marathon. Of the baking variety. Not only did I have to make something for the NYC Food Bloggers Bake Sale to support the No Kid Hungry Campaign, but I had two dozen cupcakes and some pretzel bites to make for a bridal shower, as well as two desserts to bring to The.Boy's for Easter. To say I was all sugared out by the end of the weekend was an understatement.

In order to make my life slightly less insane that weekend, I decided to make something for the bake sale that could be made days before and would keep well, so I took to my pinterest boards with reckless abandon and as soon as I spotted these peanut butter cups, I knew the deal was sealed. They were absolutely positively "the.one".

Not only would they stay delicious for days in the fridge, so I could make them at the beginning of the week when things were a bit calmer, but they would also allow me to showcase almost all of the delicious chocolate that was sent to me by Divine Chocolate for just this purpose. I must admit that I nibbled on a bit of this chocolate while I was making these and it was one of the tastiest, richest chocolates I have ever tasted. It definitely gave these peanut butter cups a bit more depth than they would have been had I just used plain Jane chocolate chips. Not only that, but I could feel good about eating it because it is the premium fair trade brand owned by cocoa farmers. No guilt = better peanut butter cups. That's a fact.

To connect with Divine Chocolate and see what they're all about, check them out at their website: http://www.divinechocolateusa.com/, on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/divinechocolateUSA, and on twitter: https://twitter.com/divinechocusa.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Peanut Butter Cups
Makes 2 dozen, adapted from How Sweet It Is

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups chopped semi-sweet and bittersweet chocolate (I used a half and half mix), divided
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
3/4 cup powdered sugar
2 tbsp flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Instructions

In a small saucepan, heat the butter until melted. Whisk in the brown sugar and let cook until it is dissolved. Remove from the heat and stir in the peanut butter and vanilla. Let sit and cool, about 20 minutes.
Line a mini muffin tin with paper liners. Melt 1 1/4 cups of the chocolate, either in the microwave, stirring every 20 seconds, or in a double boiler. Drop 1 tsp of chocolate into each paper liner and, using a pastry brush, brush it up the sides of the liners. Freeze for 20 minutes.
Whisk in the powdered sugar, flour and salt to the peanut butter mix. Fold in the mini chocolate chips. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.
Remove the muffin tin and cookie dough. Place 1 tsp cookie dough in the center of each chocolate cup, flattening it a bit with your finger. Freeze for 10 minutes. Melt the remaining chocolate. Cover each cookie dough top with chocolate and smooth with a spoon. Freeze for 15-20 minutes until hardened.

Recipe: Sweet Potato Chickpea Quinoa Burgers on Homemade Pretzel Rolls

2013-05-13T07:28:00.002-04:00

In an effort to ~~take some of the pressure off myself~~ encourage The.Boy to exercise his first amendment rights (you know, freedom to eat whatever he wants...even though in our apartment it's really freedom to eat whatever I've decided to cook for him), I've tasked him with choosing one dish to add to our menu plan each week.

Now, lest you think I would give him free range to choose any recipe in the history of recipes, which could admittedly be quite daunting (and would inevitably end up with him requesting pizza and/or steak for dinner every week), in actuality I introduced him to my Pinterest boards and said "Go crazy."

He, apparently, took that literally.

You see, when I first came up with this little scheme of mine, I had visions of him meticulously going through each and every pin and carefully choosing the one that he was really craving that week.

You know, because that's what I would have done.

And instead, what I got was a kind of Russian Roulette version of a selection process in which he scrolls through my boards on my iPad like a man unhinged, closes his eyes, and then points his finger at the screen.

The end.

Way to leave our ~~whole lives~~ dinners up to fate, babe.

The first recipe he "chose" was for these veggie burgers. And before we took our first bite, he looked at me and said, "So if they're good, you can tell people I picked them. And if not...it's all your fault." (Typical.)

Well, let me tell you that he had two that night. Pretzels buns and all.

I guess he liked them.

And really what's not to like? The burgers are stuffed with some of my favorite superfoods - chickpeas, quinoa, sweet potatoes - and are encased in a pretzel roll.

A Home.Made.Pretzel.Roll.

It just doesn't get much better than that.

Unfortunately, this also means that The.Boy feels entirely justified in his method of recipe "selection"...but if it turns out this well every time...well I just can't argue with that.

**The winner of the Whole Foods Gift Card giveaway from a few weeks ago is Amy of uTry.It! I'll be emailing you!!

One year ago...Red Wine Buttercream Frosting
Two years ago...Coriander Tofu Tostadas with Refried Beans and Grilled Fennel, Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Bars
Three years ago...White Bean Dip on Turkish-Style Pita Bread, Coconut Rice Pudding Cake with Raspberry Compote
Four years ago...Artichoke and Kalamata Olive Tapenade

Sweet Potato Chickpea Quinoa Burgers with Spiced Yogurt Sauce
Makes 8, adapted from Ambitious Kitchen

Ingredients

1 tsp olive oil
1 small onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp ancho chili powder
1 tsp salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 medium sweet potato
1 (15 oz) can chickpeas
1/2 cup fresh cilantro
1/4 cup fresh parsley
1 cup dried quinoa, cooked
1/2 cup panko
1 egg
2 tsp sriracha
1/2 tsp dijon mustard
1 cup nonfat greek yogurt
1 tsp honey
1/4 tsp salt

Instructions

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and saute until soft, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat.
Poke the sweet potato all over with a fork. Cover in damp paper towels and microwave 3 minutes on each side, until tender. When cool enough to touch, remove skin.
Place the onion mixture, chickpeas, sweet potatoes, cumin, ancho chili powder, 1 tsp salt, cilantro, and parsley in a food processor and pulse until slightly chunky but still smooth. Place mixture in a bowl. Stir in quinoa, panko, and egg until combined. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Divide burger mixture into 8 patties place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350. Bake burgers for 30-40 minutes or until cooked through, flipping halfway through.
For the spiced yogurt sauce, stir together the sriracha, dijon mustard, greek yogurt, honey and salt.

Salted Pretzel Rolls
Makes 8 rolls, adapted from Bake Your Day

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups warm water
2 tbsp light brown sugar
1 tbsp active dry yeast
5 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
2 1/2 tsp kosher salt
4 cups bread flour
1 tsp canola oil
3 quarts water
3/4 cup baking soda
coarse sea salt

Instructions

Line 2 half sheet pans with parchment paper.
Combine the water, brown sugar, yeast and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment and stir until combined. Let sit for 5 minutes.
Add the salt and flour and mix on low speed until combined. Increase the speed to medium and mix for 3-4 minutes or until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl. If the dough still sticks to the side of the bowl after mixing for a minute or so, add in flour a tablespoon at a time until it doesn't do this (I had to add about an extra 1/4 cup).
Remove the dough from the stand mixer and form into a ball. Oil a large bowl with olive oil. Add the dough to the bowl and roll to coat with the oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm spot for about an hour or until doubled in size.
Preheat oven to 425.
Bring the water to a boil over high heat and add the baking soda.
Remove the dough from the bowl and divide into 8 rolls, forming each into a ball. Place each on the parchment-lined baking sheets.
Boil the rolls, 4 at a time, for 30 seconds, making sure to splash with water so that they are evenly coated. Remove from the solution with a fine-mesh strainer and put back on the baking sheets.
Sprinkle with coarse sea salt and cut an x into the top of each roll. Bake for 15-16 minutes or until rolls have reached the desired shade of brown, making sure to watch closely at the end so that they don't burn.

Recipe: Rhubarb Curd Shortbread Tart with Fresh Strawberries

2013-05-10T07:32:00.002-04:00

On the list of produce that my boyfriend "doesn't believe in", rhubarb is pretty high up there, along with Meyer lemons, ramps, fiddlehead ferns, persimmons, and pretty much anything that us food bloggers go crazy for but that the population at large can barely even conceive of.

I mean, sure, everyone has heard of strawberry rhubarb pie but if asked to choose a stalk out of a lineup or identify it's flavor in any other context, it would be a pretty scant group of folks who could do it with repeatedly accurate and consistent results. Beginner's luck notwithstanding.

So you can imagine his confusion and disbelief when I told him I was making a rhubarb curd tart to bring to his family's Easter celebration last weekend.

I think, actually, he laughed and said, "No you're not."

Followed up by a "But really, what are you making?"

No, but really I'm making a rhubarb curd tart.

Eye roll. "Okay, whatever, just surprise me I guess."

He believed in it a lot more after I hit him over the head with a stalk of it. I'll tell you that much.

Anyways, even though I'm not quite sure his family knew what they were eating, this tart got rave reviews by everyone who tasted it, with one of The.Boy's uncles even going so far as to tell me that it was best dessert he'd ever eaten. High praise.

And really, it was quite good. The rhubarb curd is just the perfect amount of sweet-sour and while the strawberry-rhubarb flavor combination is there, it's the rhubarb that really shines, which rarely happens in other dessert applications of this vegetable.

Not to mention that it's a head turner. I mean, seriously, how pretty are those layers of strawberries? They'd make me look twice.

And - bonus - I think the.boy now finally believes in it. One veggie down, only....lots....to go.

One year ago...Chocolate Raspberry Tart, Pan-Fried Asparagus with Ramps, Lemon and Fried Eggs
Two years ago...Salmon Baked in a Foil Parcel with Green Beans and Pesto
Three years ago...Mac and Cheese with Roasted Pork, Goat Cheese, Rosemary and Fiddlehead Ferns
Four years ago..Roasted Haddock with Green Beans and Asian Cilantro Sauce

Rhubarb Curd Shortbread Tart with Fresh Strawberries
Makes 1 (9-inch) tart, adapted from Cook This Now

Ingredients
For the shortbread tart crust:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
12 tbsp unsalted butter, chilled and cut into cubes

For the rhubarb curd:

10 oz rhubarb, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp sugar
4 egg yolks
2 eggs
1/4 tsp kosher salt
6 tbsp unsalted butter, chopped into pieces
about 2 cups strawberries, thinly sliced

Instructions

For the crust, combine the flour, confectioner's sugar, salt, and cardamom in the bowl of a food processor and pulse to combine. Add the butter cubes and process just until a crumbly dough forms.
Scrape the dough into a 9-inch tart pan and, using your fingers, press the dough into the bottom and sides of the pan. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 325. Line the tart dough with foil and fill with pie weights or baking beans. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until crust is light golden brown.
While the crust is baking, make the curd. Puree the rhubarb in a food processor until totally smooth, about 2-3 minutes, adding a bit of water if necessary, but really as little as possible. Pour into a strainer lined with a coffee liner and strain the rhubarb juice into a bowl. You could also use a cheesecloth to do this. You should get about 2/3 cup liquid.
Set a metal bowl on top of a heavy-bottomed pan that is filled with 2 inches of simmering water. In the bowl, combine the rhubarb juice, sugar, egg yolks, eggs, and salt. Stir constantly with a whisk until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon, about 18-20 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter until it is dissolved.
When the crust is ready, remove the foil and beans/weights. Lower the oven to 300. Pour the curd into the tart shell and smooth. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the curd is just set. Transfer to a wire rack to cool for at least an hour or in the fridge overnight.
Just before serving, top with the strawberries.

Recipe: Black Olive Gougeres and Smoky Red Lentil Dip

2013-05-08T07:47:00.002-04:00

Disclosure: As an Eat Write Retreat registrant, I received samples of California Ripe Olives and a variety of OXO tools. With creating and posting this recipe, I am eligible to win prizes via the Amazing Apps Culinary Challenge. All thoughts and opinons are my own.

My mother will tell you that I've been in pursuit of olives almost since the day I was born.

Every time she went to make a salad, I'd be right there next to her, begging her to let me stick my fingers into their holes so that I could terrorize my brother with my olive hands for a bit and then eat them, one by one, finger by finger. I just loved how salty and juicy they were and if it were up to me, I probably would have stuck them on my toes as well because TWENTY OLIVES?! As good as gold.

And when she said no, which was more often than not, I'd just pilfer them from the salad once it had been tossed. No one would miss a few ~~dozen~~, after all.

I would like to say that this is a phase I've grown out of now that I'm older, wiser, and have some sort of self control.

But the truth is that now that I'm older and wiser, all it means is that I can buy my own can of olives, stick them on my fingers in the privacy of my own home, and eat the whole can in one sitting without my mother having even a single ounce of say in the matter.

Obviously not much has changed.

Anyways, now that you understand the extend of my olive devotion, you can imagine how excited I was when I was sent TWO cans of California Ripe Olives (along with some fun OXO kitchen tools!) to use in the Eat.Write.Retreat Amazing Apps Culinary Challenge! For this contest, each of the Eat.Write.Retreat attendees who registered before a certain date were sent a surprise ingredient to incorporate into an original appetizer recipe.

I was kind of at a loss for what to make that would do justice to my beloved olives, especially after I found out that the recipe used today for curing ripe olives has been around since the late 1800s!! That's a long tradition to mess with by serving them any way other than straight up (or, you know. As finger decorations as per my personal tradition.)

Then, I came across a post by a fellow blogger about black olive gougeres and I was instantly sold. While mine are a bit different than hers, both in shape and in ingredients used, the idea is the same. Bites of cheesy buttery choux pastry fluff that you won't be able to stop popping in your mouth, either plain or dipped into the smoky red lentil dip that I paired them with, which has a hint of sweetness from a roasted sweet potato that is blended into it, making for the perfect bite.

I have a feeling that these would be perfect for any parties you may or may be not be hosting this weekend to celebrate a certain maternal figure in your life. But I can tell you from experience that they're also great for lunch. Or a midmorning snack. Or a midafternoon snack. Or any time when an olive craving strikes. Which, for some of us, may or may not be constantly.

One year ago...Rhubarb Streusel Tart, Butternut, Carrot and Goat Cheese Tartlets
Two years ago...Parsnip, Red Bell Pepper and Ramp Burritos, Goat Cheese, Strawberry and Basil Salad, Macadamia and White Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Three years ago...Vegetarian Lasagna with Broccoli Rabe, Lemon-Glazed Blueberry Muffins
Four years ago...Crunchy Roasted Rosemary Potatoes, Beef and Gorgonzola Burgers, Chickpea Pumpkin Burgers

Black Olive Gougeres
Makes about 18 gougeres, adapted from Around My French Table

Ingredients

1/4 cup almond milk
1/4 cup water
4 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into 2 pieces
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3 large eggs, room temperature
3/4 cup coarsely grated cheddar cheese
1 can (6 oz) California Ripe olives, chopped

Instructions

Heat the oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Bring the milk, water, butter, and salt to a boil in a heavy bottomed pan over high heat. Stir in the flour all at once and then lower the heat to medium-low. Stir vigorously with a wooden spoon. The dough will come together but keep stirring for another minute or two to dry the dough, which should be very smooth.
Put the dough into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. With the mixer running, add in the eggs, one at a time, until fully incorporated. Beat in the cheese and olives.
Using about 1 tbsp of dough for each gougeres, drop the dough onto the baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches between each mound of dough.
Put the baking sheet in the oven and turn it down to 375. Bake for 12 minutes, then rotate the pan and bake for another 12-15 minutes.

Smoky Red Lentil Dip
Serves 4-8, adapted from The Sprouted Kitchen

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, coarsely diced
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups dried red lentils
2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tbsp ground cumin
4 cups vegetable broth
1 sweet potato, baked
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
juice of 1 meyer lemon

Instructions

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add in the onion and a pinch of salt, and saute for 5 minutes, or until translucent. Add the lentils, paprika, cumin, and vegetable broth to the pot. Bring to a boil and then simmer, covered, for 15 minutes or until lentils are soft, stirring occasionally.
Peel the baked sweet potato and add it to the pot. Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until it is smooth but still has some texture. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir in half of cilantro and the Meyer lemon juice.

Recipe: Malaysian Hot-and-Sour Noodles with Tofu and Bok Choy

2013-05-07T08:19:00.003-04:00

When in doubt, make noodles. That's my motto and these Malaysian hot-and-sour noodles are just the thing to get your non-veggie loving brother and boyfriend to eat a whole bowl of bok choy, asparagus, AND tofu. For the recipe head on over to Marcus Samuelsson's blog!

Recipe: Roasted Asparagus, Zucchini and Halloumi Salad

2013-05-06T07:37:00.002-04:00

I should be double fisting handfuls of kale this morning whilst handcuffing myself to a treadmill because yes. It was that kind of weekend.

In a true display of inauspicious circumstances, fate placed the NYC food blogger bake sale, a friend's bridal shower, and Greek Easter all in the same 48 hour time span.

My skinny jeans didn't stand a chance.

So now you understand why, between all the baking, stress-eating about the baking, stress-eating about spending over 24 hours straight with The.Boy's family, and actual eating I did, there is yet another salad gracing this here blog.

Are you tired of them yet? Tell the truth. Me and my now roly poly self can take it.

But the fun thing about this here salad is that, while it is totally chock full of vegetables with a side of virtue....it is also topped with fried cheese.

Which makes you feel just the slightest bit guilty about eating it.

And which of course makes you want it all the more.

It's a bad boy alright, but if it helps you get through this Monday with just a few more vegetables under your belt, then I'd say it's worth the minor indulgence as you ease yourself back into health.

Roasted Asparagus, Zucchini and Halloumi Salad
Serves 4, adapted from Ottolenghi

Ingredients

1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
5 tbsp olive oil, divided
1 lb asparagus
2 zucchini
4 oz halloumi, cut into 8 slices
5 oz arugula
coarse sea salt and black pepper
2 garlic clove, chopped
50 g basil leaves
1 cup millet

Instructions

Heat the oven to 400.
Toss the tomatoes with 1 tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper. Spread out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and roast for 40-50 minutes or until semi-dried, stirring every ten minutes.
Trim the ends off of the asparagus. Slice the zucchini very thinly lengthwise using a mandoline or a vegetable peeler. Toss with 1 tbsp olive oil and some salt and pepper. Place the two veggies on a parchment lined baking sheet and put in the oven, roasting for 15-20 minutes or until tender and starting to brown.
Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large nonstick pan. Fry the halloumi for 2-3 minutes on each side or until it is golden. Place on a paper towel to soak up the excess oil.
To make the basil oil, combine the garlic, 2 tbsp olive oil, and basil in a food processor until smooth. Add in water as needed to give it more of a dressing-like consistency. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Bring 2 cups salted water to a boil in a medium pan. Add in the millet and simmer, covered for 20 minutes or until water has evaporated. Turn off the heat and let sit for 5 minutes.
Place a handful of arugula in each bowl. Spread the millet, veggies, and halloumi evenly among the dishes. Drizzle with the basil oil and serve.

This is my submission to this week's IHCC as well as to Souper Sunday, which is hosted by Deb of Kahakai Kitchen!

Recipe: Cream Puffs with Meyer Lemon Cream Filling

2013-05-03T06:54:00.002-04:00

You guys are not going to believe this but the reality of my relationship is that The.Boy's biggest concern about living me with is that he is going to lose.weight.

Go ahead. Stifle a full-blown giggle attack. I'll wait.

No, but really. I'm serious.

And no matter how many times I try to explain to him that in order to merely maintain my weight while living with myself, I need to be conscientious about everything I put in my mouth and exercise like I'm training for a marathon nonstop (which, uh, I guess I kind of am)..he still insists on weighing himself two times a day. For good measure.

In fact, just yesterday morning he ~~proudly~~ forlornly proclaimed that he had lost two pounds overnight.

Poor baby.

And just as he was opening his mouth to wail "Woe is me!" out of our window, I seized the opportunity and stuffed a few of these cream puffs in his mouth.

Just like that, breakfast was served.

I don't think we'll be worrying about that whole "weight loss" thing anymore.

These are pretty much standard cream puffs but with a meyer lemon curd whipped cream filling. They are {apparently} perfect for breakfast, a mid-morning snack, a midnight snack, and (I think) for Mother's Day, which is rapidly approaching.

And for calming your boyfriends irrational fears about his weight. If only we all had such "problems".

One year ago...Stacked Roasted Vegetable Enchiladas
Two years ago...Vegetable (Homemade Whole Wheat) Pitas and Lemon-Tahini Sauce
Three years ago...South African Curry in a Bread Bowl
Four years ago..Autumn Harvest Orzo with Gorgonzola and Broccoli Sauce

Cream Puffs with Meyer Lemon Cream Filling
Makes 32-40, adapted from Bon Appetit April 2010

Ingredients
For the cream puffs

2 3/4 cups unbleached AP flour
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 cups water
3/4 stick plus 3 1/2 tbsp butter
6 large eggs

For the filling

1 cup sugar
4 tbsp corn starch
2 tbsp flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup cold water
1/2 cup fresh-squeezed meyer lemon juice
3 egg yolks
2 tbsp butter, softened
1 1/3 cups boiling water
1 cup chilled heavy whipping cream

Instructions

For the cream puffs

Preheat oven to 425. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Sift the flour, salt, and baking soda together and set aside.
In a heavy saucepan, heat the water. Add the butter. When melted, remove the pan from the stove and add the flour mixture all at once. Beat with a wooden spoon, then return the pan to medium-high heat, beating the mixture until it comes away from the sides of the pan. Remove the pan from the heat and add the eggs one at a time, beating with a wooden spoon or hand mixer in-between additions to mix well.
Fill a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch tip with the cream puff batter. Squeeze out 3-inch puffs, about 1/2 inch apart on a cookie sheet. Bake 20 minutes or until golden brown. When done, carefully slit the side of each cream puff with a knife to allow steam to escape and to prevent the puffs from becoming soggy inside. Transfer to cooling racks and let cool.

For the filling

In a saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch, flour and salt. Gradually blend in the cold water and lemon juice.
Add the egg yolks and butter, blending until smooth.
Gradually add in the boiling water, stirring constantly.
Place the saucepan over medium high heat and bring to a full boil, stirring gently with a spatula and scraping the bottom (to prevent burning). Once the mixture begins to thicken, reduce the heat and simmer for one minute.
Remove the curd from heat. Cool completely in the fridge for two hours or overnight.
Whip the heavy cream until peaks form. Fold the heavy cream into the meyer lemon curd in three additions.

To assemble the cream puffs

Cut each puff horizontally in half and pull out any soft or moist dough in the center. Pipe about 1 tbsp of the meyer lemon cream onto each puff bottom. Press on puff tops to adhere. Chill until ready to serve.

Recipe: Salted Caramel Shortbread Bars {#TheLeftoversClub}...and an Ode To Silk

2013-05-02T07:00:00.000-04:00

This post is brought to you by Silk. Take the Tastemaker Challenge on facebook.com/silkUS.

My brother started drinking soymilk long before I did. This is a strange truth because anyone who has ever spent two minutes with us would have definitely said it was the other way around.

I, after all, am an organic-obsessed, self-proclaimed hippie vegetarian. And he is an actuary. Enough said.

Unfortunately, he is also lactose-intolerant. Hence the soymilk consumption. Life is funny like that sometimes.

Though I kept sneaking sips out of his soymilk cartons every time I was home on vacation, to see if I would finally fall in love, I just couldn't get into it. I think part of the problem is that I always wanted it to taste like a vanilla milkshake and, well, it just didn't.

So I started drinking almond milk instead. And that's kind of where I've been until recently when Silk Soymilk announced that they had upgraded their milk to a brand new taste.

One sip of their new vanilla soymilk and I was smitten.

So much so, in fact, that I wrote a little ditty to accompany a glass of it. Sing it, in your head or aloud, to the tune of L-O-V-E:

S is for the way you're so creamy
I, I can't believe you're dairy free
L, is love at first sip, so good you just can't quit it
K is can I get another glass of Silk with that

Silk, it comes in many kinds of flavors
Silk, I'd love it as a party favor
Soy and almond milk, too
Coconut makes my heart ring true
Silk was made for me and you!!

If you've been on the fence about trying soymilk, then I urge you to give these new formulations by Silk a try.

And when you do, let Silk know what you think by entering their Tastemaker Challenge! If you do, your submission could be featured in Silk's next video!

#winning

*Though I received compensation for this post, my thoughts and opinions on this product are all my own!

On a totally unrelated note, today is the reveal day for this month's Leftovers Club! In case you don't remember from last month, the idea behind this is bloggers are paired each month and will send each other the "leftovers" of one of their baked goods so that we can all get a little variety into our lives and aren't left eating the same dessert night after night (for shame!).

This month I was paired with Meagan of A Zesty Bite. She sent me some truly fabulous dulce de leche cookies (they singlehandedly fueled the whole moving process) and I sent her some of these salted caramel shortbread bars! Not only were these adorably bite-sized, but they were also the perfect blend of sweet and salty. I almost couldn't stop popping them in my mouth before running out of cookies to send her!

To see what everyone else exchanged this month, check out these posts:

Savory Simple - Quinoa Energy Bars

Meadows Cooks - Intensely Chocolate Sables with Raspberry Cream

The Girl In The Little Red Kitchen - Cashew Butter and Blackerry Jam Thumbprint Cookies

Dining with Dani - Pancakes and Bacon Cookies

Juanita's Cocina - Butterscotch Browned Butter Blondies

Damn Delicious - Salted Caramel Pretzel Blondies

Eats Well With Others - Salted Caramel Shortbread

Farmgirl Gourmet - Sea Salted Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies

Frugal Foodie Mama - Cookie Butter Pecan Bars

Let's Give Peas a Chance - Chocolate Stout Brownies

Budget Gourmet Mom - Crisp Oatmeal Cookie Sandwiches

A Zesty Bite - Dulce de Leche Sugar Cookies

Sugar Dish Me - Strawberry Lemonade Loaf

Roxana's Home Baking - Chocolate chip bars

Little Kitchie - Salted Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Pineapple and Coconut - Pineapple Whoopie Pies with Coconut Cream Filling

O'Boy! Organic - Rhubarb Cake

MarocMama - Caramel Vanilla Bean Krispie Treats

Omeletta - Brown Sugar Meringues

Eat Bake Drink Cook - Everything Cookies

Healthy. Delicious. - Carrot Cake Granola

Souffle Bombay - Sweet & Spicy Pecans

The Spiced Life - Garam Masala Caramel Corn

Kelly Bakes - Raspberry Cream Marshmallows

Bakeaholic Mama - Chocolate Cookie Dough Macarons

Whey Beyond the Naked Truth - Chia Seed Protein Bites

Don't you wish you could enjoy some of these leftovers with us? You can! Visit The Leftovers Club online for more details!

Salted Caramel Shortbread Bars
Makes 1 8x8" pan, adapted from Erica's Sweet Tooth

Ingredients
For the shortbread

10 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg yolk
1 2/3 cup flour

For the caramel

1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cup light corn syrup
2 tsp sea salt
4 tbsp sugar
4 tbsp heavy cream
1 1/2 tsp vanilla

Instructions

Line an 8x8-inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang.
To make the shortbread, combine the butter, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment mixing to combine. Add the egg yolk and continue mixing. Add in the flour and mix together just until the dough starts to come together. Combine with your hands into a ball and pat into the parchment-lined baking sheet into one even layer.
Refrigerate for 30 minutes (at least). Preheat oven to 350 and bake for 25 minutes. Set aside to cool.
To make the caramel, combine the butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, sea salt, sugar and heavy cream in a heavy-bottomed pan. Bring to a boil and stir constantly until the mixture reaches soft ball stage, about 5-10 minutes.
Remove from the heat, stir in the vanilla, and pour into the prepared pan over the crust.
Refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight. Sprinkle with sea salt and cut into squares. Store in the fridge until ready to eat.

New Recipe: Cornbread and Black Bean Panzanella {#ILoveAvocados for Cinco de Mayo Sweepstakes}

2013-05-01T06:42:00.000-04:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Avocado App for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

So. I moved in with a boy this weekend.

As it turns out, boys take up space. And they come with stuff. Lots of stuff.

(Here is aforementioned boy and I after our first - and only - ever race together a few months ago!)

Stuff that you don't necessarily want on your walls (cough Chris Christie posters cough).

Stuff that you don't believe they will ever open again (cough law school textbook on wills, trusts, and estates cough).

Stuff that you don't necessarily believe they need (cough Nintendo 64 cough).

But...you own two stand mixers (that's my persimmon one up top!), over a hundred cookbooks, and twenty different colors of cupcake liners (among other things). And though I think we can all agree that actually you do need, use, and want all of these totally critical items...you're really not in a position to argue.

So instead of fighting over whether the Nintendo 64 needs to exit the apartment immediately via a Fed-Ex truck to someone's parents' house...you find a nice spot for it on a very high shelf.

(It will be comfy cozy there, methinks.)

Smile sweetly. And say, "Babe, let's have dinner."

Because maybe you're still getting used to the idea of this being "our" space, but that doesn't mean you can't still celebrate the fact that, whether you can really believe it or not.

It is.

And what better way to party it up in your new place than with an avocado-rich meal, a couple of margaritas, and a little bit of pregaming for Cinco de Mayo?

...hmmmm, nope, I've got nothing.

Okay, so I realize this is technically just a salad but the reality is that when you add avocado and toasted cubes of jalapeno cornbread to a dish, some sort of magic happens that turns it into something so much more.

It's a salad, yes, but it's also happy, bursting with flavor, totally crave-worthy kinda food.

And it kinda makes you want to salsa in your living room and forget that you were fighting about video game consoles. So...that's something.

Speaking of avocados and Cinco De Mayo recipes, have you heard about the new Avocado app? We've been using it to inject some cuteness into our relationship even amidst all the moving stress and it really is a great way to stay connected, share photos and send private messages with your loved ones any time, any where.

Also, if you love avocados as much as I do, then you should definitely check out the I Love Avocados For Cinco De Mayo sweepstakes from Avocados From Mexico and Avocado. All you need to do for a chance to win the first place prize (though there are also second and third place prizes!) of $1000 and a premium version of the Avocado app is to post a photo of you and your special someone celebrating Cinco de Mayo with an Avocados From Mexico-infused dish (or just a photo of your favorite avocado dish). Enter by going to the sweepstakes tab after clicking on the Avocados on Facebook link at the bottom of this post!

And, in case you still haven't gotten enough of avocados after all of this (and really, is there ever such a thing as "ENOUGH" avocado?), then you should head on over to the #iloveavocados for Cinco de Mayo Twitter party on May 7th between 3 and 4 pm (EST) hosted by @Avocado and @guacgrl.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some more of my boyfriend's superfluous possessions to hide.

I mean, er. Things to unpack. Right.

One year ago...Roasted Asparagus and White Bean Soup
Three years ago...Sweet Potato Flan

Jalapeno Cornbread
Makes 1 9-inch loaf, adapted from Closet Cooking

Ingredients

1 cup soymilk (or buttermilk, or regular milk)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tbsp sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 jalapenos, seeded and chopped finely

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375. Grease a 9-inch loaf pan (or just line with parchment).
In a large bowl, whisk together the milk, oil, and eggs. In a second bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, mixing until just incorporated. Fold in the jalapenos. Pour into the prepared pan.
Bake for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool completely.

Cornbread and Black Bean Panzanella
Serves 4-6, adapted from How Sweet Eats

Ingredients

1 batch of jalapeno cornbread (see above)
10 oz baby spinach
8 oz dried black beans, soaked overnight and boiled until tender
12 oz frozen sweet corn, thawed and drained
2 medium jalapenos, seeded and chopped
1 small red onion, finely chopped
3/4 cup fresh cilantro, minced
juice of 4 limes, divided
1/2 tsp salt, plus more to taste
1/2 tsp black pepper, plus more to taste
1 avocado, cubed
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1/2 tbsp red pepper flakes
2 tsp honey

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425. Spread the cornbread cubes on a parchment lined baking sheet and toast in the oven for 6-7 minutes. Toss and cook for another 6 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool slightly.
In a large bowl, toss together the spinach, black beans, corn, jalapenos, red onion, cilantro, half of the lime juice, salt and pepper. Let sit for 10 minutes.
Toss in the avocado and grape tomatoes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, rice vinegar, red pepper flakes, honey, remaining lime juice and salt and pepper to taste. Add to the salad and toss to combine. Stir in the cornbread cubes and serve.

Avocados from Mexico on Facebook
Avocados from Mexico on Pinterest
Avocados from Mexico on Instagram
Avocado app on Facebook
Avocado app on Twitter

Recipe: Cauliflower Enchiladas with Poblano Cream Sauce

2013-04-30T08:00:00.002-04:00

Are you getting ready for Cinco de Mayo but are wary of just how calorie-laden Mexican food at restaurants is? If so, then have I got a healthy delicious Tex-Mex recipe for you! Head on over to Marcus Samuelsson's blog to check out my post on these cauliflower enchiladas with poblano cream sauce!

Recipe: Wheat Berry and Roasted Pepper Salad with a Smoked Paprika Dressing

2013-04-29T07:00:00.000-04:00

The power of positive thinking.

I'm crossing my fingers that that's a real thing because while I would like to say, "Hey guys! If you are seeing this it means I survived a weekend of boxes, bubble wrap, or the consequences of a lack thereof" the truth is that I am (covertly) writing this on Friday afternoon in lab because who knows what the internet situation will be come Monday morning.

And god forbid I go without a Monday post.

No, seriously, The.Boy suggested it and if my eyes could shoot fireballs at him, they would have in that moment.

I mean, not only does he expect me and my xenophobic self to uproot my life for a weekend and restart it in some kind of brave new living together world, but then he also wants me to skip.a.Monday.post?!?!?!?

Truth - I might not survive.

So here I am. Monday posting on Friday afternoon. For my sanity.

Plus I'm predicting that I will stress-eat my way through a jar of Nutella and a pint of Haagen Dazs Caramel Cone Crunch ice cream before the weekend is up and will need some healthy sustenance for the week ahead.

And if you're scratching your head wondering why I decided to buy a PINT of ICE CREAM two days before I moved...well yes, so am I. Sometimes, I think I don't even like my skinny jeans.

Anyways, this is another new Ottolenghi favorite of mine. Bright fresh flavors, sultry roasted red peppers, and a hearty background of beans and wheat berries. And you should know that it was so good that The.Boy ate it TWICE even though he doesn't like olives OR feta, both of which are fairly prominent in here.

See? That whole compromise thing...we're already working on it.

Power of positive thinking, right there.

One year ago...S'mores Cupcakes
Two years ago...Triple Vanilla Mango Curd Cake Pops, Jamie Oliver's Vegetable Jalfrezi
Three years ago...Roasted Plantain and Peanut Butter Sandwich, Spiced Red Lentil Pancakes with Pomegranate and Blue Cheese Couscous
Four years ago...Sultan's Delight (Hunkar Begendi), Jicama Salad

Wheat Berry and Roasted Pepper Salad
Serves 4, adapted from Plenty

Ingredients
Dressing

juice of 1 medium lemon
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp honey
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 glove garlic, crushed
1/4 tsp fine sea salt

Salad

1 cup dried wheat berries, soaked overnight
8 oz dried tepary beans, soaked overnight
2 red bell peppers
1 can black olives, quartered lengthwise
1 tsp dried oregano
1 spring onion, thinly sliced
4 oz feta, crumbled

Instructions

To make the dressing, whisk together all the ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
Bring two large pots of water to a boil. Add the wheat berries to one pot and the beans to another. Add a large pinch of salt to each. Simmer, covered, until just tender, about 1 hour. Drain and toss wheat berries and beans together. Set aside.
Preheat the broiler. Cut peppers into quarters, discarding seeds and membranes. Place on a foil-lined baking sheet and broil until completely blistered and blackened. Cover tightly with foil and let sit for 10 minutes. Once the peppers are cool enough to handle, remove and discard the skin. Tear peppers into thin slices.
Toss the wheat berries and beans with the peppers, olives, oregano, spring onions, and feta. Pour over the dressing and gently mix together. Add salt to taste.

I am submitting this to I Heart Cooking Clubs as well as Souper Sunday hosted at Kahakai Kitchen!

Recipe: Cinnamon Honey Scones

2013-04-26T08:10:00.002-04:00

Facebook, you have let me down.

Because tomorrow, while one of my coworkers is getting married, I will be lugging all of my belongings along with a shiny new set of IKEA furniture up three floors (and for clarification, by "I" I mean The.Boy., and by "lugging" I mean taking an elevator) so that he and I can cohabitate.

Ever and anon.

And yet, whereas the former can be formalized by a simple relationship status change, there is no such analogous update for living together.

Troubling, no?

I mean, how will any of our dear friends who we haven't spoken to since we were five (and maybe even a few complete strangers) find out about this key life event if it doesn't pop up in their facebook feed?

And, even more worrisome, it begs the age-old question of "if something happens without an accompanying facebook update, does it even exist"?

Philosophy for a new age. Scary, right?

So I am petitioning facebook to create some new relationship statuses.

"Shared bodily fluids with." "Exchanged keys with." "Now cohabitating with." "Has toothbrushes in each other's apartments with." "Domestic partners with." To name a few.

Because honestly.."single", "it's complicated", "in a relationship", "engaged" and "married" may have sufficed for the 2004-2009 era. But we are in the midst of a new decade with new and increasingly complex interpersonal relationships. And it's time facebook got with the times, don't you think?

Anyways, on to the scones. There is no easy tie-in here other than that just as my relationship with The.Boy is evolving (not that my facebook profile will reflect that harumph) so has my relationship with scones.

And it's all because of Thomas Keller.

For such a long time I avoided making these breakfast treats because I was so afraid they would be dry and, well, boring. And then along he came with his gorgeous tome of a cookbook and these impossibly flaky fluffy cinnamon honey filled wonders, which turned my whole view on the matter upside down.

They're a bit time consuming in the sense that they take multiple days to make but each step takes no more than about 20 minutes and then it's a lot of chilling time, so don't let this daunt you. And in the end, it's so worth it because these will rock your morning. And your opinion of scones.

And probably not your opinion of facebook. But that's kind of neither here nor there.

One year ago...Asparagus and Green Pea Risotto with Fresh Herb Tarka
Two years ago...Ravioli Salad with Black Olives and Pepitas
Three years ago...Corn Crepes with BBQ Chicken

Cinnamon Honey Scones
Makes 12 scones, adapted from Bouchon Bakery

Ingredients
For the Cinnamon Honey Cubes:

30 grams (3 tbsp) all purpose flour
30 grams (2 1/2 tbsp) sugar
4 grams (1 1/2 tsp) ground cinnamon
30 grams (1 oz) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
20 grams (1 tbsp) honey

For the Scones:

152 grams (1 cup + 1 1/2 tbsp) all-purpose flour
304 grams (2 1/4 cups + 2 tbsp) cake flour
12.5 grams (2 1/2 tsp) baking powder
2.5 grams (1/2 tsp) baking soda
91 grams (1/4 cup + 3 1/2 tbsp) sugar
227 grams (8 oz) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
135 grams (1/2 cup + 1 1/2 tbsp) heavy cream
135 grams (1/2 cup + 2 tbsp) creme fraiche

For the Honey Brown Butter Glaze:

45 grams (3 tbsp + 2 tsp) unsalted butter
20 grams (1 tbsp) honey

Instructions

For the cinnamon honey cubes, place the flour in a medium bowl and whisk in the sugar and cinnamon. Toss in the butter cubes so that they become coated with the flour mixture. Using your fingers, break up the butter until the mixture looks like coarse sand. Mix in the honey, using a spatula, to form a smooth paste.
Press the paste into a 4-inch square on plastic wrap. Cover completely with plastic wrap and freeze, until solid, about 2 hours or overnight.
For the scones, whisk together the all-purpose flour, cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer so that there are no large chunks of flour. Fit the mixer with the paddle attachment and mix it on low for 15 seconds. Stop the mixer and add the butter. On the lowest setting, pulse to begin incorporating the butter. Increase the speed to low and mix for 3 minutes so that the butter becomes incorporated. Break up any large pieces of butter that still remain by hand.
With the mixer running, slowly pour in the cream. Add the creme fraiche and mix for 30 seconds. All of the dry ingredients should be moistened and the dough should be coming together on the paddle.Scrape down the sides and pulse again to combine.
Cut the now frozen cinnamon honey paste into 1/4-inch cubes. Remove the bowl from the stand mixer and mix in the cubes by hand. Mound the dough on a work surface and press it together. Place the dough on a piece of parchment paper. Press it into a 7 1/2-inch by 10-inch rectangle, trying to make the top as smooth as possible. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 2 hours.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat. Using a chef's knife or pizza cutter, cut the dough lengthwise into thirds and crosswise into quarters. Arrange the scones on the prepared baking sheet, leaving some space between them. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze overnight. (Scones can remain in the freezer for up to a month).
Preheat oven to 350. Arrange the frozen scones 1 inch apart on the baking sheet. Bake for 28-30 minutes, until golden brown.
For the glaze, heat the butter in a medium, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-low heat. Cook until it begins to brown and smell nutty, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and stir in the honey.
As soon as the scones are removed from the oven, brush the tops with the glaze. Let cool on a cooling rack and cool completely.
Notes - I made these over 3 days. On the night of Day 1, I made the cinnamon honey cubes. On the morning of Day 2, I made the dough and chilled for 2 hours (up to step 5). On the night of Day 2, I cut the dough into rectangles and froze overnight. On the morning of Day 3, I baked and made the glaze.

Recipe: Herb, Chard, and Feta Soup with Beer Biscuits

2013-04-24T08:02:00.002-04:00

Everyone's really into cleanses lately. Mostly of the juice variety, although some are doing the Whole30 and others are merely (ha) giving up sugar for a period of time.

(Don't you like the flippancy with which I use the word "merely" as if it were something I could do with my eyes closed. When really it's something I could do not.at.all.ever. Yeah.)

They sound almost like the kind of thing I'd be into except...they are freakin' expensive! Truth be told, I'd rather buy a whole lot of cheese for the same amount of money. Which is perhaps part of the problem. But whatever.

When I saw this soup in the last year's January issue of Bon Appetit I thought YES - DIY cleanse food! On the cheap!

WIN.

But then I also thought, hmm I should pair this with beer-infused biscuits.

Because...apparently cleansing-according-to-moi includes butter. And lots of it.

Now all of a sudden I see why people spend an arm and a leg and a first-born child on these prepared programs. There's far less room for subjectivity. Or user error. Or your deep-seated love of butter to intervene.

So they may have some kind of actual health advantage. But I think we can all concede my biscuit-and-soup version is much more fun.

Besides. All that swiss chard has to count for something right?

One year ago...Vegetable and Rice Burritos with Quesadilla Cheese
Three years ago...New York Cheesecake with Strawberry Rhubarb Topping
Four years ago...Curry Pumpkin Hummus

Herb, Chard and Feta Soup
Serves 4, adapted from Bon Appetit January 2012

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 lb swiss chard leaves, coarsely chopped
3 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 cup coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
5 oz nonfat Greek yogurt
4 oz feta, crumbled and divided

Instructions

In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until soft, about 7-8 minutes. Stir in the swiss chard, broth, parsley, cilantro, mint and nutmeg. Bring to a boil then lower the heat and simmer until chard is tender, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the lemon juice and season to taste with salt and pepper. Using an immersion blender or a regular blender, puree the soup.
Place 1/3 of the yogurt in a medium bowl. Add 1/2 cup of the warm soup and mix until blended. Repeat two times with remaining yogurt and 1 cup soup. Whisk the yogurt mixture into the soup. Stir half of the feta into the soup. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and lemon juice. Serve garnished with remaining feta.

Beer Biscuits
Makes 12, adapted from How Sweet It Is

Ingredients

3 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp granulated sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) cold butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 1/4 cups beer

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Using a fork, pastry, blender or your fingers, cut the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse sand. Make a well in the middle and pour in the beer. Stir with a large spoon until just combined.
Pat the dough into a circle that is about 1 1/2 inches thick. Using a biscuit cutter, cut the dough into rounds and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Re-pat the dough as needed until it is all used up. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden on top.
I froze most of the unbaked biscuits since I wasn't going to eat them all in one sitting. They will cook up just fine, straight from the freezer, in the same amount of time as the unfrozen ones.

I am submitting this to I Heart Cooking Clubs and also to Souper Sunday!

Recipe: Tomato Scallion Shortcakes with Whipped Goat Cheese...and an Earth Day GIVEAWAY!!

2013-04-23T08:11:00.003-04:00

If you've been in the blogosphere for long enough you've almost undoubtedly heard of Lori Lange of RecipeGirl. She recently relaunched another site of hers, Culinary Covers, to which I will be a contributor, along with a whole slew of other awesome bloggers, in the months to come! If you've asked yourself whether a given recipe deserves to be on the cover of a cookbook or cooking magazine, then this is definitely the site for you because that's exactly what we'll be doing!! For my first post, I made the cover recipe from The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook - Tomato Scallion Shortcakes with Whipped Goat Cheese. Head on over to check it out here!

Now, I do realize that Earth Day has passed but we are still in April, which is Earth Month, AND we kind of live on the earth all day every day...so it should really be Earth Day 365 days a year. Recently, I stumbled across this fun site that Whole Foods has put together to celebrate Earth Month - EarthlingMonth.com http://earthlingmonth.com/. Basically, this site is a collection of photos, tweets and videos that give a snapshot of all the things people are doing around the world to celebrate Earth Month, no matter how small or significant that action is. It really is a celebration of earth's beauty and bounty as well as an inspiring snapshot of all that is going on at a given moment in time to inspire change and maintain our planet's beauty. To participate, feel free to upload a photo, tweet, or video here or tweet or instagram using the hashtag #WFMearthling.

In addition, there are a series of fun Earth Month-centered events going on at Whole Foods this month. For instance, I know at my local Whole Foods there have been awesome events centering around Earth Month including interactive classes and sales on eco-friendly spring cleaning products. To encourage you to head on over to your local Whole Foods and check out what's been going on, Whole Foods has been kind enough to give me a $25 WHOLE FOODS GIFT CARD to give away to one of you guys! All you have to do to enter is leave a comment telling me what you've done to celebrate Earth Month (or something that you plan to do). I will choose a winner next Tuesday!

Recipe: Asparagus, Tomato, and Onion Farinata

2013-04-22T08:06:00.003-04:00

There was a world of chocolate in my weekend.

On Saturday I ate a dinner that consisted almost entirely of wasabi and crystallized ginger dark chocolate brownie edges.

(It was an accidentally-on-purpose kind of situation.)

And then on Sunday I learned from that ~~mistake~~ life choice by dedicating a WHOLE.SEPARATE.MEAL to dessert. You know, so that I could still have all the nutrition from three normal semi-healthy meals. But with an extra meal of butter, flour, and sugar added in.

Guys, I'm not sure that I exerted my finest decision-making skillz this weekend. Truth be told.

At least, that's what the sugar-withdrawal this morning is telling me.

Please tell me I'm not alone in my weekend dessert debauchery.

Or my Monday morning yearning for just a little bit of atonement these next few days.

(You know, before my mind realizes that Saturday is MOVING DAY and I have not a single thing packed and thus I MUST stress-eat nutella like it's my job. Because that will somehow get things into boxes. Yikes.)

Let's go with it.

A farinata is basically a crepe made of chickpea flour (so it's totally gluten-free!) which, like pretty much any other crepe, can be topped with any number of things, sweet or savory. Here, because I think I've had enough sweets this past weekend for at least a lifetime, I've gone the savory route using roasted tomatoes, asparagus, and almost-caramelized onions as my toppings of choice.

You can pretty much top it with whatever you want, but you should know that this version tasted like spring. And sunshine. And was perfect for waking up my sugar-fatigued taste buds.

You've probably made better life decisions this weekend so you don't need this kind of cleansing, but just in case or either way...this dish has you covered.

One year ago...Salted Caramel Bundt Cake
Two years ago...Vegetarian Chili with Cashew Pistachio Sauce, Banana Split Sandwich on Peanut Butter Banana Bread, Mexican Torta
Three years ago...Garlic Popcorn Coconut Rum Chicken, Haitian Pumpkin Soup with Okra
Four years ago...Lime Cilantro Linguine with Peanut Sauce (<--favorite a="" peanut="" recipe="" sauce="">, Maple Soy-Glazed Salmon and Sugar Snap Pea Rice

Asparagus, Tomato and Onion Farinata
Serves 4, adapted from Cooking Light April 2011

Ingredients

1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
4 tbsp olive oil, divided
2 1/4 tsp chopped fresh rosemary, divided
3/8 tsp black pepper, divided
3.18 oz chickpea flour (about 3/4 cup)
1 cup water
1/2 tsp salt
1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 bunch asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tbsp parmesan cheese

Instructions

Preheat oven to 450.
Toss together tomatoes, 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil, 1/4 tsp rosemary, 1/8 tsp black pepper and salt to taste. Arrange the tomatoes in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, stirring once. Set aside to cool.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the chickpea flour, water, salt, 1 tbsp olive oil, the remaining 2 tsp rosemary, and the remaining 1/4 tsp black pepper until smooth. Let stand for 30 minutes.
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 1/2 tsp olive oil to the skillet. Add the onion and cover and cook for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the red pepper flakes and garlic. Cook, uncovered, for 18 minutes or until garlic is golden, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and mix in the asparagus. Season to taste with salt.
Grease a 10-inch springform pan with remaining olive oil. Pour the chickpea flour batter into the pan and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and top evenly with the asparagus mixture, roasted tomatoes and parmesan cheese. Place back in the oven and bake for another 12 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes at room temperature before serving.

Recipe: Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies ("the nora ephron")

2013-04-19T07:27:00.002-04:00

I woke up this morning to chaos. That's really the only way to describe it.

A shooting on my alma mater's campus. One suspect down. One at large.

Lockdown. Bombs. Grenades. Manhunt.

It's really too much to fathom that this is the world in which we now live. The world of the future.

Hold your loved ones close and make a double batch of these cookies.

We're gonna need 'em.

Because the only thing that can calm us in these crazy times is some peanut butter on peanut butter action. Let's get baking.

And everyone in Boston please stay safe, stay inside, stay away from your windows and doors, and be smart. We are all going to make it through this.

Well, except for the suspects. They can rot in hell and/or prison for all I care.

#BostonStrong

One year ago...Roasted Asparagus and Tomato Pasta Salad with Goat Cheese
Two years ago...(Boston) Marathon Cookies
Three years ago..Mark Bittman's Brownies
Four years ago...Thai Sweet Potato Curry

Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies
Makes 24, adapted from The Dahlia Bakery Cookbook

Ingredients
For the filling:

1 1/2 cups (400 g) creamy peanut butter, such as Skippy
6 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
2 tbsp powdered sugar
2 tbsp honey
1 tsp kosher salt

For the cookies:

1 1/2 cups (227 g) all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 2/3 cups rolled oats
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 cup plus 2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup (125 g) crunchy natural peanut butter
3/4 cup (150 g) sugar
2/3 cup (150 g) brown sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Instructions

For the filling, whisk together all of the filling ingredients in a bowl. Cover and chill until the cookies are ready to be filled.
For the cookies, in a bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, rolled oats and salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter, chunky peanut butter and sugars on medium-high until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Turn the mixer to low and add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition. Add in the vanilla extract. Add the dry ingredients on low speed in 4 additions. Mix until just combined. Remove the bowl from the mixer and scrape with a rubber spatula, making sure any dry ingredients at the bottom get mixed in.
Using a 1 oz scoop (I used a 1 1/2 tbsp cookie scoop), portion all the cookies into scoops on a parchment-lined baking sheet. There should be about 48 cookies. Chill for at least 2 hours or overnight.
Preheat oven to 375. Arrange 8 cookies, spaced evenly apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Don't flatten the cookies! Set the baking sheet inside another baking sheet and place them in the oven. Bake about 12 minutes, rotating the pan halfway, or until evenly golden. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes on the pan. Remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
When the cookies are completely cool, turn one cookie flat side up and spread with about 2 tsp filling (I used a small cookie scoop, which is about 2 tsp). Top with another cookie and press gently so that the filling spreads out. Repeat until all the cookies have been turned into sandwiches.

Recipe: Open-Faced Grilled Cheese with Refried Beans, Caramelized Onions and Avocado on Cornbread

2013-04-18T08:08:00.005-04:00

Did you guys know that April is Grilled Cheese Month? If you didn't, don't worry, you still have exactly thirteen days to stuff yourself full of as much grilled cheese as possible.

And when you do, I truly hope you'll consider incorporating this open-faced grilled cheese with refried beans, caramelized onions and avocado on cornbread into your menu plan. While I do crave a simple grilled cheese every once in a while for nostalgia's sake, I also like to try new takes on this classic. And with all of these awesome flavors that are topped off with a good smear of Hidden Valley's Spicy Chipotle Sandwich Spread, this is truly a grilled cheese to be reckoned with. To check out the recipe, head on over here to Relish!

And click here to enter the "Create Craveable Sandwiches" Sweepstakes for your chance to win $1000!

Thank you to Hidden Valley™ Sandwich Spreads & Dips for being a sponsor. I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective. All opinions expressed here are my own.

Recipe: Parmesan Bread Pudding with Broccoli Rabe and Ottolenghi's Baby Spinach Salad with Dates and Almonds

2013-04-17T07:53:00.001-04:00

I spent four years in Boston during college and fell in love with the city almost instantly.

The excited fervor that took over the city whenever the Red Sox were playing; and, of course, the happy chaos when they won the World Series in 2007.

The almost palpable elation on the first day that felt like spring, as the whole city seemed to take to the streets to revel in the glory of it.

The ice cream. JP Licks - you'll always be my one and only.

The Charles River, which I ran along more days then I can remember, going from one bridge to another depending on the distance.

The food, which was just so good. Some of my favorite restaurants of all time are in Boston and it was there that I stopped being a picky eater and started to taste everything.

And then, of course, there was Marathon Monday.

I'd never really thought about marathons much at all before living in Boston, let alone running one myself. But in 2009 I went with my cousin Meghan to watch her then-boyfriend run Boston. I cheered along with her in Newton and then took the T with her to Boylston to see the runners as they neared the finish line. You couldn't help but be taken with the thrill of it all. I was training for my first half marathon at the time and it was that day, watching the Boston Marathon, that I decided I couldn't just stop at 13.1.

For me, it was going to be 26.2 or bust. Proof that you can't watch a marathon and not be inspired. You just can't.

Which is perhaps why this hurts so much, why I, as a runner and a former Bostonian, feel as if this was such a personal attack.

When you train for a marathon you put in so much hard work and dedication, and to see the culmination of all that tarnished by so much pain and suffering is just terrible. And so unreal.

My heart and thoughts are with everyone who was affected by these horrific events. We, as a running comminity, as a city, and as a nation are stronger than this. And we will rise above it. Because that's just what we do.

In the spring of 2011, I ran the Boston Marathon after qualifying at my first marathon in the fall of 2009.

It was an almost impossibly hard race, but I did it, and no one could ever take that away from me.

Since then, I've never felt any need to run Boston again. As I said before, it's a hard course, and honestly, I'm nowhere near as fast as I used to be so qualifying would take a lot of hard work and a little bit of a miracle. But after Monday's horrific events, I know I need to run it again.

Whatever it takes to get there, even if it's years in the making, I'm going to get there.

It's kind of ironic that this beautiful meal is accompanied by all this and there's no good or easy transition.

So I'll just put it out there - this is the best thing I've eaten in a long time. The bread pudding tastes decadent, but isn't (250 calories/serving - WIN) and this salad from Ottolenghi's Jerusalem is possibly one the best things I've ever tasted. Definitely top ten. Even The.Boy agrees with me on this one although, to be fair, he loves salad way more than I do.

There is just something so captivating about the combination of slightly pickled onions and dates with the spicy citrusy crispy crunchy sumac-coated pita croutons and chopped almonds. Every bite is magical. So much so that you don't even remember you're eating something that's actually good for you. I've made it twice in the past week and so if this isn't love at first bite, I'm not really sure what is. So if there's anything you make from my blog EVER...make it this salad it. Trust me.

One year ago...Mexican Pizza with Kale, Queso, and a Chipotle Tomato Sauce
Three years ago...Mango Chicken Curry
Four years ago...Cranberry-Orange Sauce

Parmesan Bread Pudding with Broccoli Rabe
Serves 6, adapted from Bon Appetit April 2013

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 medium bunch broccoli rabe, trimmed and cut into 1/2" pieces
2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
6 large eggs
1 1/2 cups 2% milk
1/2 lb country-style white bread, cut into 1" pieces (I used a roasted garlic loaf from Whole Foods)
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp finely grated Parmesan

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute the garlic and red pepper flakes for about 30 seconds, or until garlic is fragrant. Add in the broccoli rabe and season to taste with salt and pepper. Saute for 2 minutes or until wilted. Set aside to cool a bit.
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, 2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp black pepper. Toss in the bread cubes, broccoli rabe mixture, and 1/2 cup parmesan until combined. Transfer to a 9x13-inch baking pan. Top with remaining 2 tbsp parmesan.
Bake until puffed, browned in spots, and set in the center, about 45 minutes.

Baby Spinach Salad with Dates and Almonds
Serves 4, adapted from Jerusalem via Lottie + Doof

Ingredients

1 small onion, thinly sliced
100 g/3 1/2 oz pitted dates, quartered lengthwise
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tbsp olive oil
2 small pitas, torn into 1-inch pieces
1/2 cup salted almonds, chopped
2 tsp sumac
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
5 oz baby spinach

Instructions

Put the onion slices, dates, and vinegar in a small bowl. Add a pinch of salt and toss to combine with your hands. Let sit for 20 minutes. Strain out any remaining liquid.
Meanwhile, put the butter and olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat so that butter melts. Add in the pita and almonds, stirring constantly for 5 minutes or until pitas are crisp. Remove from heat and stir in teh sumac and red pepper flakes. Allow to cool a bit.
Toss the spinach with the onion/date/vinegar mixture and the pita/almond mixture. Season to taste with salt. (If desired you can also toss with a bit of lemon juice and olive oil as more of a dressing, but I found that it was super flavorful as is and didn't really need it.)

I am submitting this to I Heart Cooking Clubs as well as Souper Sundays hosted by Deb at Kahakai Kitchen.

Recipe: Pasta with White Beans, Kale and Garlic-Rosemary Oil

2013-04-15T08:10:00.002-04:00

I would describe this as a big bowl of comfort but such descriptors are not really in season anymore (no matter what the weather would have us believe) and I don't want to turn anyone off to the wonder that is pasta tossed with a hearty white bean sauce and topped with a garlic-rosemary oil drizzle before they've even given it a fair and valid chance.

So let's see.

It's also a bowl full of persuasion for those of us who are trying to convince our boyfriend to let us get HBO now that we are going to own a tv.

Not that I even want a tv seeing as how I have lived without one for the past eight years and it has been splendid.

But if I have to have one (and yes, one is being forced on me against my better judgment)...I might as well be able to watch Girls, Game of Thrones, and the trashiest of trashy movies all on a moment's whim.

Not to mention all the Bravo my soul can take (Real Housewives, I'm talking to you).

And when I stop being able to ever get anything done. At least we'll know who to blame.

Of course, the powers of persuasion inherent in this dish are not merely limited to cable tv channels.

In fact, they may or may not also be fairly adept at convincing your significant other that he should go back to IKEA by himself to procure all of your apartment furnishings, thereby sparing you from any further stress and anxiety.

Yeah, it's that good.

Conclusion - this is some powerful stuff here. Use with caution.

Now, before we get to the recipe, I just want to take a few minutes to fill you in on my lunch with Lidia and what it was all about. (Disclosure - I was invited to this lunch and provided with the meal for free, although my thoughts and opinions are my own and I received no monetary compensation for this post.)

Lidia has been working with Whole Foods to launch her first line of ready-made meals! They will be sold exclusively at 25 locations in the Tri-State area with the hopes of expanding to the rest of the country in the future. All of the meals will be locally prepared and Lidia's family will personally manage and oversee the production of her products, as it is very important to her that the food stands by her family philosophy of producing meals that are nutritionally and environmentally conscious while still being delicious.

Lidia's Homestyle Meals will include Lasagna with Chicken Bolognese Sauce, Breaded Chicken Breast Parmigiana, Lemon Chicken, Turkey Meatballs, Baked Penne with Ricotta, and Manicotti. I got to taste the baked penne, manicotti, and a fish version of the lemon chicken and all of them were amazing. Truly, you couldn't tell that they were any kind of pre-packaged or prepared food and they tasted as if they had been made fresh that day. These meals will be available in stores as of this past Saturday so if you happen upon them, I can personally attest that they are worth trying!

I also just have to say that Lidia was so so so sweet. I accidentally-on-purpose sat myself almost directly across from her so that we could actually interact and she was so easy to talk to. You can tell that her family is super important to her, as is maintaining the integrity of her food, so it's no wonder that she has made so much effort into ensuring that each dish met the "Lidia standard".

All in all, it was a GREAT experience and I am so grateful to Whole Foods for extending an invitation to me!

One year ago...White and Dark Chocolate Coconut Macadamia Nut Cookies
Two years ago...Halibut with Zucchini Salsa, Roasted Butternut Squash and Burnt Eggplant with Pomegranate Molasses
Three years ago...Strawberry Yogurt Bread, Coconut Rice with Swiss Chard, String Beans, and Pistachios
Four years ago...Pork Stir Fry with Ginger and Hoisin Sauce, Coq au Vin

Pasta with White Beans, Kale and Garlic-Rosemary Oil
Serves 6, adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Ingredients

1 medium onion, cut into big chunks
1 medium carrot, cut into big chunks
6 garlic cloves, 4 whole and 2 finely chopped
1/2 cup parsley
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 cup olive oil, divided
coarse or kosher salt, to taste
1 tbsp tomato paste
8 oz dried beans, soaked overnight and cooked until tender
14 oz whole wheat spaghetti
1 bunch kale, leaves torn off of stems into strips
1 tbsp minced fresh rosemary

Instructions

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the onion, carrot, 4 whole garlic cloves, parsley, and red pepper flakes. Pulse until veggies are in small, pieces. Heat the 1/4 cup olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the vegetables to the pot and season generously with salt. Cook until the vegetables start to turn brown, about 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the tomato paste and saute it with the veggies for another minute. Add a cup of water and let it simmer until it has almost all evaporated, about 5-8 minutes.
Add the beans and two cups of water to the pot. Simmer for 15 minutes.
Cook the pasta in salted water until al dente, adding in the kale just a few minutes before it is done cooking. Drain, reserving 1 1/2 cups cooking water.
Transfer 1 cup of the bean mixture to the food processor and puree until smooth. Stir it back into the sauce to thicken it. Add the pasta, kale, and 1/2 cup cooking liquid to the pot with the sauce. Cook together, adding more pasta water as needed so that the sauce coats the pasta, about 1-2 minutes more.
Heat the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil in a small heavy-bottomed pan over medium-low heat. Add in the garlic and rosemary and cook until they have stopped sizzling. Strain out the garlic and rosemary and drizzle infused oil over the dishes of pasta before serving.

Recipe: Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie

2013-04-12T07:53:00.001-04:00

I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for ACH Food Companies Inc. I received a promotional item as a thank-you for participating.

This may be a little too philosophical for a Friday morning, but I think in order to really understand what this dessert is...we have to first talk about what it's not.

It's not a skillet cookie.

It's not a cookie baked in a pie pan.

To be honest...it's not even really a cookie at all whatsoever, recipe title notwithstanding.

It has the essence of cookie, to be sure. But the word cookie implies a certain texture or at the least, a range of textures...and what cookie do you know that is impossibly ooey gooey awesome and baked into the most delicious pie crust of all time?

Right?!? Me neither.

I would say it's more like a cookie-flavored version of Momofuku's crack pie or a chess pie.

And it's even better with a scoop of ice cream on top.

Okay fine. Two scoops. But who's counting?

And honestly...calories eaten while ~~fighting over~~ staring at floor plans with your boyfriend don't count anyway. Am I right or am I right?

Can we talk for a second about how childhood hunger is such a serious and terrible problem in America, with 1 in 5 children struggling with it?

I can't imagine what it must be like as a parent, to not only not know where your next meal is coming from but also where your chlid's next meal is coming from. Terrifying.

Fleischmann's Yeast and Karo Syrup, who I worked with to create this post, are working to end childhood hunger in America by supporting Share Our Strength's No Kid Hungry campaign. Fleischmann's Yeast and Karo Syrup have committed to donating $200,000 to this campaign and you can join in too by creating a virtual bake sale on the Fleischmann's Yeast and Karo Syrup facebook page! And really, who doesn't love a good bake sale, especially when it's for a good cause! Fleischmann's Yeast and Karo Syrup have some great ideas for treats to bake up on their respective websites. Personally, I use Fleischmann's Yeast in all my baking and it is always reliable. In addition, Karo Corn Syrup is the nation's leading brand of corn syrup and is currently the only leading brand that contains absolutely NO high fructose corn syrup.

Anyways, I hope you'll look into creating your own bake sale or finding one near you and getting involved in this great cause! We will be having an NYC Food Blogger's Bake Sale for Share Our Strength and No Kid Hungry on May 4th so definitely consider participating or stopping by!

Also, this happened on Wednesday. Seriously. I can't even.

Still in shock/exuberant/thrilled/trying to process that some days...this is my real life.

One year ago...Giant Chipotle White Beans
Two years ago...Rigatoni with Eggplant and Pine Nut Crunch
Three years ago...Oven-Roasted Plum Tomato Pizza with Pesto

Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie
Serves 8, adapted from Karo Syrup

Ingredients

2 eggs
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
1/2 cup quick oats
1 (9-inch) pie crust - I used this recipe

Instructions

If making your own pie crust, then prepare it up to the point where the dough is in the deep dish pie pan and place in the freezer while you mix up the filling.
Preheat oven to 350.
Whisk together the eggs until foamy. Stir in the flour, brown sugar, and granulated sugar and whisk until combined. Stir in the melted butter, corn syrup, and vanilla extract and mix until well-combined.
Stir in the chocolate chips, walnuts and oats. Pour into the prepared pie crust.
Bake for 35-45 minutes or until just set in the center. Let cool 1 hour before cutting and serving.

Recipe: Red Lentil-Rice Cakes and Spicy Cauliflower with Saffron, Honey and Capers

2013-04-10T07:46:00.003-04:00

So...I'm kind of having the lunch of all lunches today.

And I'm kind of freaking out. Big time.

And no, I'm not delusional enough to get this excited about red lentil-rice cakes and the best cauliflower I've ever had. Although....these were both amazing. Like, they are my new favorite lunch.

Probably at least until I have lunch today.

With....(cue drumroll)....LIDIA BASTIANICH.

Yes. I am totally for real. Today I am going to have lunch with LIDIA BASTIANICH.

Sometimes...food blogging totally has it's perks. You forget about them on occasion when you're covered in buttercream that won't fluff or pie crust that won't roll. But they're there.

I can't even take it. Can someone pinch me?

Or at least give me some guidance about what to wear?

This whole thing is a bit bittersweet because my dad LOVED Lidia. And he would have just been so proud. He would have been running around to all his (uber Italian) coworkers, bragging about it. And I just wish I could have called him to tell him. I just have to keep telling myself that he's watching me from wherever he is, and sometimes I imagine him telling me things in my head (this probably makes me a little crazy but it's super comforting to hear him and imagine that he's somehow communicating with me) (although a fair amount of the time, he's rolling his eyes...so it's entirely possible that he is somehow communicating with me).

Anyways. The point of this lunch is that Lidia is making an exciting announcement about a new line of packaged food that she is launching in conjunction with Whole Foods, so I can't wait to update you guys on whatever that is on Friday!

And until then...we have red lentil-rice cakes. And the best cauliflower I've ever eaten.

All Mediterranean flavor-infused in honor of Lidia...and totally delicious. Not too shabby.

**The winner of the Whole Grains giveaway is commenter number 103...MonsterAteMy! I'll be emailing you today to get your contact info!

One year ago...Tofu Braised in Rhubarb Sauce
Three years ago...Beef Pierogi
Four years ago...Cilantro Jalapeno Hummus

Red Lentil-Rice Cakes
Makes 6, adapted from Cooking Light

Ingredients

3 cups water
1 cup dried red lentils
1/2 cup uncooked basmati rice
2 tbsp olive oil, divided
1 small red bell pepper, diced
1 small red onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 oz part-skim mozzarella, grated
1/4 cup panko
1 tbsp chopped fresh basil
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 egg

Instructions

Put lentils and basmati rice in a large pot and cover with water. Season with salt. Bring to a boil and then lower the heat to a simmer, covered, for 20 minutes or until water has evaporated and lentils and rice are cooked. Let sit covered with heat turned off for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat 1 tsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add bell pepper, red onion and garlic. Saute until tender, 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool for 10 minutes. Add to the rice/lentil mixture, along with the mozzarella, panko, basil, salt, pepper, and egg. Mix well and then put in the fridge for 10 minutes to firm up.
Wipe skillet clean with paper towels. Heat 2 tsp olive oil. In 1/3 cup increments, scoop lentil/rice mixture into the pan, spreading to form 3-inch circles. Let cook 5 minutes on one side, or until lightly browned. Flip over and cook 5 minutes on the second side. Remove from pan to a paper towel-lined dish and repeat with remaining oil and batter.

Spicy Cauliflower with Saffron, Honey, and Capers
Serves 4, adapted from Modern Mediterranean

Ingredients

1/8 tsp saffron
1 head cauliflower
2 shallots
3 tbsp olive oil
1 hot red pepper, minced (I used red fresno chilis)
1/4 cup capers
1 tsp honey
3/4 tsp kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

Instructions

In a small bowl, combine the saffron with 3/4 cup warm water. Stir together and let sit while the rest of the recipe is made.
Trim the cauliflower. Cut the florets into 1-inch pieces.
Cut the shallots in half lengthwise, and then cut into 1/4-inch wedges, also lengthwise.
In a large saute pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat for 30 seconds. Add in the shallots and cook until they are just golden around the edges, 1-2 minutes. Add in the pepper, capers, and honey. Cook until shallots are browned, about 2 minutes.
Add the cauliflower, salt and black pepper to the pan. Stir so that the cauliflower is completely coated with the shallot/caper/honey mix. Add in the saffron water and stir to coat the cauliflower. Cover, reduce the heat to medium and cook until all of the water has evaporated and the cauliflower is tender, about 12 minutes.
Uncover, sprinkle with basil, and serve.