Eats Well With Others

Recipe: Chai-Spiced Cupcakes with Honey Frosting for the Joy the Baker Spotlight!

2012-02-24T07:36:00.001-05:00

At approximately 6:30 PM on Wednesday, February 22nd, exactly one boy entered my apartment.

There was eating, talking, laughing, kissing (unless you're my mother and/or father, in which case. Definitely not, none, zero, I would NEVER.)

And exactly zero ran out screaming.

I'd call that a success.

Let's ~~rejoice~~ eat cupcakes.

Cause if we're being real, here. One of the major perks of dating is the post-date gossip session with the girls that inevitably ensues.

And if there's anything I love more than a good gossip session with my ladies...

...it's a good gossip session with my ladies that involves cupcakes.

Common sense.

You know you feel the same.

These cupcakes are actually ideal for such a get together. They taste like a warm cup of tea (and we all know gossip sessions necessitate tea!). But with frosting on top.

And not just any frosting. But my new favorite frosting.

With a hint of honey and a touch of salt, it has that sweet/slightly salty thing going on. Swoon.

I highly recommend you keep a bottle of dishwasher soap nearby while making it. Because when you have extra frosting sitting in a bowl on your counter...it's gonna be important. Trust me.

The intriguing thing about these cupcakes is that they actually require you to tear open your tea bags and put actual tea leaves into the batter. We're not just steeping milk and hoping the flavor comes through. No, no, no. We're getting down and dirty with our bold, tea-loving selves.

While Joy originally called for chamomile, I opted to go with chai instead. (Because chamomile makes me nauseous.) And while the spices definitely came through, they weren't overpowering and didn't make you feel like you were eating a tea bag. Even though that's essentially what you were doing. Times nine.

I have a feeling you could use just about any tea in these, so just choose the one you love. And get baking.

There's lots of ~~cupcake-eating~~ gossiping to be done in this world, and we have not a moment to lose.

Chai-Spiced Cupcakes with Honey Frosting
Makes 12 cupcakes, adapted from the Joy the Baker Cookbook

Ingredients

1/4 cup butter
1 cup AP flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt
3 tbsp chai tea, from tea bags (originally called for chamomile)
1/2 cup almond milk (or regular milk!)
1 large egg
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 tbsp honey
6 tbsp heavy cream
pinch of salt

Instructions

Place a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 325. Line a cupcake pan with paper or foil liners and set aside.
To make the cakes: in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together butter, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and tea leaves. the mixture will be slightly coarse and sandy when mixed for several minutes.
Whisk together milk, egg, and vanilla.
Pour half of the milk mixture into the flour mixture with the mixer on medium-low speed. Beat until just incorporated. Pour in the remaining milk mixture, and turn mixer up to medium. Beat for 1 minute, until well blended.
Divide the batter between the prepared cupcake cups. There isn't a lot, so only fill the liners up about halfway. Scrape the bowl to make sure you get as much batter out as possible...there is not even a tablespoon to lose!
Bake cupcakes for 17 to 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow cakes to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Remove cakes to cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.
To make the frosting: whisk together the sifted powdered sugar, honey, cream and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk until smooth. Use a butter knife to generously spread the frosting atop the cooled cupcakes. Sprinkle with a bit of tea leaves (or top with a sugar pearl!). Cakes will last, well wrapped, at room temperature for up to 3 days.

This post is part of the Joy the Baker Cookbook Spotlight and Cook-Off! Take a minute and stop by Girlichef's site to read her interview with Joy the Baker.

Recipe: Barley Risotto with Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Apples and Champagne Honey Mustard...Eat.Live.Be.

2012-02-22T07:39:00.001-05:00

Here's what I'm wondering.

When a boy walks into this apartment for the first time, tonight, for dinner...

Will he take one look at the bookshelves lined with 100+ cookbooks (I stopped counting after I hit triple digits), realize he's dating a hoarder, and run?

Will he inquire as to why not a single plate matches a single other plate? Why one person needs so.many. placemats? Why there is a photography light permanently stationed on the kitchen table? Next to the DSLR? That is filled with not a single picture of a single human but at least sixty pictures of brussels sprouts? Don't judge. They're CUTE.

Will he notice that there are no less than three pairs of identical running shoes in various stages of duress and decay in the closet door? Each of which I love in it's own special way and can most certainly tell apart, thankyouverymuch. (But only because they have race tags for different races on them. Which is also how I plan to tell the difference between any future twins that I have. Oh yes. I'm going to be a great mother.)

And then...there's the mustard situation.

Specifically, the six jars of specialty mustard that I have sitting on my desk. For inspiration.

I feel kinda bad about them because...I don't even really like mustard. So it's really a false advertising kinda deal. He'll either be (mistakenly) really happy that I "love mustard so much" or really grossed out by it...depending on his mustard preference.

But such is my life. And when Saucy Mama asked if I wanted to participate in a recipe contest looking for a healthy delicious recipe that uses one of their mustards...I thought...hmmm I'm all about healthy delicious and forcing myself to like things just because they're good for me (it worked with hummus!). And said yes.

The great thing about mustard, and why I wish I liked it, is that it adds lots of flavor to food with very few calories. In that sense...it's kinda the ideal condiment. Especially since it comes in so many flavors and textures. You'll just never get bored. Ever.

The one exception in my disdain of all things mustard...is honey dijon salad dressing. I'm vaguely obsessed with it. I could drink it. Really.

So I knew that if there was a chance of me liking a dish with mustard at all whatsoever...honey mustard was the way to go. And champagne honey mustard? Even better.

After some fiddling around in the kitchen, this risotto was born. Made with barley and not arborio rice, it has a great texture to it and is filled with whole grain goodness and over half of your daily recommended dose of fiber. 56 percent (!!!) to be precise. The deep caramelly flavors of the roasted brussels sprouts and apple pairs perfectly with the smoked paprika they are coated in and also with the sweet tangy-ness of the honey mustard, which imparts enough creaminess to the dish that you think you're eating a seriously calorie-laden dish. Have no fear, though, each serving of this boldly flavorful dish packs only 338 calories and 9 Weight Watchers points. It's also majorly low in fat and cholesterol. Totally ass-friendly. And totally delicious.

A recipe that you can feel good about stress eating. Love it.

Right, so. While last week was the week I spent emotionally eating everything in sight...

...this is the week where I pick up the pieces again.

I've been emotionally vacuuming instead. It's much better for your cardiovascular health.

In all seriousness, I hated the way I felt last week. Tired. Belly-achy. Just physically not good. Which begs the question as to why I kept eating crap. Uh...no idea. I think it's a vicious cycle situation. I felt crappy so I ate more sugar to temporarily elevate my mood, which only perpetuated the vicious cycle.

I should have gone for a run instead and gotten my endorphins the natural and more longer-lasting way. Which is what I did last night! I was anxious all day about tonight's dinner situation and so I went for a run. Six miles of head clearing awesomeness.

Reminding me once again that:

(Or lacing up those shoes to do whatever workout you're so inclined to do!)

But you will always regret eating four red velvet cupcakes in one sitting. Always.

While we're here, I just want to tell you all about an awesome going-on next weekend in NYC - the NYC Vegetarian Food Festival! If you're in the tri-state area and you like food, veg or otherwise, then you should definitely attend! There'll be lots of great eats, some awesome guests and speakers, cooking demonstrations, belly dancing classes, and some fab giveaways. Plus...did I mention I'll be there. Because I will! Let me know if you're thinking of attending so we can meet up!

Barley Risotto with Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Apples and Champagne Honey Mustard
Serves 4, an Eats Well With Others original

Ingredients

1 lb brussels sprouts, quartered
1 granny smith or honeycrisp apple, peeled and diced
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp salt
5 cups vegetable broth
1 cup water
1 medium onion, diced
1 cup barley
2 tbsp Saucy Mama champagne honey mustard
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
salt and black pepper, to taste

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400. Toss brussels sprouts and apple with smoked paprika and salt. Spread on a baking pan. Spray with cooking spray and roast for 20-30 minutes, until caramelized and tender.
In the meanwhile, combine the broth and water in a medium pot and bring to a simmer.
Spray a large skillet with cooking spray, heating over medium heat. Add the onion to the pan and cook, stirring, until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the barley and stir for 1 minute.
Add the broth to the pan in half cup increments, only adding more when the last batch has almost entirely evaporated, taking care to stir constantly. Do this until most of the broth is gone and the barley is tender, about 40 minutes.
Stir in the brussels sprouts and apple. Remove from heat and stir in the mustard and parmesan cheese. season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm.

Recipe: Roasted Garlic Cauliflower Soup

2012-02-21T07:29:00.003-05:00

There's little better than the smell of roasted garlic permeating your kitchen and your life. For a recipe that can help you do just that, check out my post on Marcus Samuelsson's blog!

Recipe: Roasted Red Pepper Pesto and White Bean Dip {The Food Matters Project}

2012-02-20T07:26:00.003-05:00

On Friday, after a week that was essentially a big ball of butter, flour and sugar all rolled up into one (let's recount, shall we? Chocolate fudge brownie cookies {recipe to come!}, raspberry almond genoise {V-Day dessert}, tres leches cake {second date dessert}, and almost-vegan chocolate chip cookie dough cheesecake {potluck at work}. Really. That all happened.) and a six mile run that made me feel like I was going to have a myocardial infarction (i.e. heart attack) with every step.

I gave up sweets.

Then, on Saturday, I made two dozen red velvet cupcakes.

And ate four. Plus one (plus or minus two) chocolate s'more cookies. Obviously.

Which brought us to Sunday.

A day of rest, relaxation, retribution, and reconciliation.

And by rest and relaxation (and..umm..definitely retribution), I totally mean sixty minutes and 16 miles of stationary biking at the gym. Semantics.

After which, I felt super prepared to forgive and forget my sins of the past week.

And to do penance in spoonfuls of roasted red pepper pesto and white bean dip.

{Amen.}

Sometimes payback is a bitch.

But sometimes it's totally delicious.

This is definitely the latter kind of situation.

With the sweet and almost buttery flavor of roasted red peppers combined with a fresh hit of basil, this dip will certainly leave you feeling refreshed and completely satisfied.

And when you have trouble stopping at just five spoonfuls? Well. Don't say I didn't warn you...

For the recipe, head on over to Heather of Girlichef's blog. I made the white bean dip variation on what was originally a pesto recipe. The only changes I made were to omit ALL the oil and to use pecans instead of walnuts (I just used what I had on hand). I served it on a sandwich with roasted eggplant and baby spinach.

For more information about The Food Matters Project and to see how you can join in, click here!

I am submitting this to Souper Sunday, which is hosted by Deb over at Kahakai Kitchen.

Recipe: Chocolate Fudge Brownies with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting for the Joy the Baker Spotlight!

2012-02-17T07:58:00.005-05:00

Brownie talk is as worrisome as a political debate at a dinner party on a random Sunday night.

You just don't go there.

At least, not in my social circles.

Because the folks that I roll with...they're as particular about their brownies as some people are about their local senator.

And trying to find the perfect brownie for every palate is like trying to find a politician who hasn't slept with at least five of his interns.

Right.

But people. It is an election year. We need to at least try to get this brownie situation under control, or risk some kind of dinner party Cold War situation.

No one needs another Bay of Pigs. No one.

And so while my roommate is obsessively watching just about every "news special" on election coverage (aka Jimmy Fallon, Stephen Colbert, and Jon Stewart).

I've been frantically brownie-ing it up in the kitchen. My counters are littered with varying shades of chocolate stains. And I won't tell you how many sticks of butter I've gone through. (It's obscene.)

All to bring you this.

It's fudgy. And cake-y. And covered in the.best.frosting.of.your.life.

And it didn't inhale. Ever.

How's that for a campaign speech.

Chocolate fudge brownies, for the win!

This post is part of the Joy the Baker Cookbook Spotlight and Cook-Off! Take a minute and stop by Girlichef's site to read her interview with Joy the Baker and for a chance to win your own copy of the Joy the Baker Cookbook!

Chocolate Fudge Brownies with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
Makes 1 8x8-inch pan, adapted from the Joy the Baker Cookbook

Ingredients

3/4 cup AP flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter
3 oz unsweetened chocolate
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 to 3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
2 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
scant 1/2 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup ovaltine powder (or other malted milk powder)

Instructions

Place a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 350. Grease and flour an 8-inch square baking dish and set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
Bring about 2 inches of water to a boil in a medium saucepan. In a medium, heatproof blowl, add butter and unsweetened chocolate. Place the bowl over, but not touching, the simmering water and allow to melt. Stir to incorporate. Once melted, remove the bowl from the simmering pot. Whisk in brown and granulated sugars. Whisk in eggs, yolk and vanilla. Add the flour mixture, all at once, to the chocolate mixture. Fold together with a spatula until well incorporated. Fold in the chocolate chips.
Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Bake until a skewer inserted in the center of the brownie comes out clean. Remove from the oven and cool completely before frosting.
Frost with a half recipe of the chocolate buttercream frosting when cooled. Brownies will last, well wrapped, at room temperature for up to 5 days.

In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together butter, cocoa powder, and salt. Mixture will be very thick but cream for about 3 minutes on medium speed.
Turn off the mixer. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add in 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar. Turn the mixer on low to incorporate the sugar while adding the milk and vanilla. As the sugar incorporates, gradually increase the mixer speed to medium-high. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Beat until smooth.
In a 1-cup measure, stir together cream and ovaltine. Turn the mixer to medium and pour the cream in a slow and steady stream until the frosting reaches your desired consistency: smooth, creamy and spreadable. Add more powdered sugar to adjust consistency. Spread onto brownies. Frosting will last, well wrapped, in the refrigerator for 5 days.

Recipe: Bok Choy and Baked Tofu Stir Fry in Citrus-Ginger Sauce...Eat.Live.Be.

2012-02-15T07:56:00.002-05:00

I judge my runs the way I judge my first dates.

By which I mean...it all comes down to the first five minutes.

My roommates are always raising their eyebrows at this philosophy. You can't just know, they say.

Oh. But I can.

Call it female intuition. Or runner's gut instinct. (Or some kind of psychotic condition.)

But in the first five minutes, I know whether I'm going to want you to give me a kiss goodnight. And whether I'm going to kiss you back (or, you know...make out with you in a bar until 12:45. AM.) when you inevitably try.

(no comment)

And then there's running. The most abusive, wonderful, awful, most fulfilling relationship you might ever have.

It can tear you down. And walk all over you.

It can give you the worst 8 mile run of your life one week.

And then the best 9 mile run of your life the next.

Without warning or explanation. And all you can do is lace up your sneakers. Hit the pavement. And hope for the best.

And while I will never advise you to stay in a relationship that just not.worth.it. I am going to tell you that running (or insert your exercise of choice here). Is.

When it's bad, it's awful. But when it's good...it's the best.

I came home from my run yesterday practically walking on water. And I knew that no matter what the rest of the day had in store for me. It was already awesome. And then I had a good first date. Which was like more icing on an already frosted cake. Always a good thing.

(And, yes. It all came down to those first five minutes.)

So I guess my Eat.Live.Be. moral of the week is: don't give up. Don't give up on yourself and don't give up on exercise (and don't give up on men). This week may be awful. But next week might be awesome. And don't you owe it to yourself to stick around long enough to find out?

At my last physical therapy appointment last week, my PT asked why I had kept running that eight miles even though it was so terrible. And it was because I knew that if I got through that run, there would be a better one on the horizon. There had to be.
And I was right.

A

Bok Choy and Baked Tofu Stir-Fry in a Ginger-Citrus Sauce
Serves 4, adapted from Fat Free Vegan Kitchen

Ingredients

1 1/2 lb bok choy
1 14-oz package lite firm tofu, baked
1/2 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp maple syrup (or honey or agave)
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1/4 tsp dark sesame oil
2 tsp cornstarch
1 large carrot, cut into matchsticks
1 tbsp minced ginger
1 can water chestnuts, slivered
3 cloves garlic, minced
6 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced
4 roasted sweet potatoes, or rice, barley, quinoa, etc

Instructions

Wash the heads of the bok choy well and trim the bottom. Cut the bottom, whitish part of the stalk into 1/2-inch slices. Set them aside. Slice the green leaves thinly and place on a separate plate.
Cut the tofu into slices or cubes. Combine the orange juice, soy sauce, maple syrup, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and cornstarch in a bowl.
Heat a large wok or deep skillet. Spray with cooking spray. Add the bok choy stalks, carrot, and ginger. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Add water chestnuts, garlic, and mushrooms, and continue to cook until mushrooms begin to soften, about 2 more minutes. Stir in the bok choy greens. Place the tofu on top and cover tightly. Steam briefly until greens are wilted and bright green, about 1-2 minutes. Stir the orange juice mixture, add it to the skillet and bring to a boil. Simmer until slightly thickened, about 30 seconds. Serve with sweet potatoes, rice, or other grain.

Recipe: Mango and Black Bean Casserole

2012-02-14T07:30:00.003-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

We all know that good things come in small packages, but can they also come with long ingredient lists? In the case of this Mango and Black Bean Casserole, then YES. Check out the recipe and my post over at Marcus Samuelsson's blog!

Recipe: Carrot and Tahini Soup

2012-02-13T07:30:00.006-05:00

Wait, so Michael Pollan's infamous quote was not

Eat food.
Not too much.
Mostly plants.
Almost all soup.

(??)

I imagined that last line? Just dreamt it up in one soup-craving-inducing-acid-flashback one night?

Obviously. That happened.

Not.

I've never done (dropped??) acid. But if I had....you know I'd be the only person in the history of the universe whose hallucinations would tell her to eat more vegetables.

Undeniable truth.

If you have anything against all this soup. If you're getting bored of it. If you think it's kinda weird/strange/unusual that someone so against drinking calories...drinks them nightly in the form of blended carrot tahini ~~mush~~ heaven.

Then you should probably speak now. Or forever hold your peace.

Cause we are just entering the honeymoon period, sweetcheeks. And I don't really expect that this love affair is going to end anytime before June 21st. (Or whatever the first day of summer is this year.)

At the earliest.

Bonus. If we drink this soup every day from now until then...we'll be (a) bikini ready and (b) a lovely shade of ~~orange~~ bronze. Self tanning, the natural, cancer-fighting way. I love it.

(You should probably jump on this bandwagon before Paris Hilton picks it up and carrots triple in price. Supply and demand, baby. And yes, that is pretty much all I learned in my one and only high school econ class. I'm going to do very well in the real world someday. Not.)

In all seriousness, I've been making it a goal to eat either a soup or salad once a day, every day. Because when you have a huge bowl of health as a third of your daily eats...only good things can happen. Scientific fact.

This soup is a new favorite. Melissa Clark, whose recipe it is, gets it right just about every time, but this really is exceptional. Sweet, nutty, with just a hint of spice. It's an addiction in a bowl. No recreational drug flashbacks necessary.

Carrot and Tahini Soup
Serves 4, adapted from A Good Appetite (NY Times)

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil
1 fat leek, white part only, thinly sliced
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp salt, more to taste
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
pinch of cayenne pepper
1 1/2 lb carrots, sliced 1/2-inch thick
1 quart vegetable broth
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1/3 cup tahini
fresh lemon juice, to taste
pitas, for dunking

Instructions

In a soup pot, over medium heat, pour in oil, then add leek and saute until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add garlic, salt, pepper, coriander, turmeric, and cayenne, and cook until garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add carrots and stir to coat them with leek mixture. Cook, stirring, for 3 minutes, then add broth, thyme, and 2 cups water. Bring to a simmer, partly cover, and cook until carrots are tender, about 25 minutes.
When carrots are tender, remove thyme branches and stir in tahini. Using an immersion blender (or transfer to a food processor/blender), puree soup until smooth. Return to pot and reheat if necessary. Taste and add lemon juice. Add salt to taste.

I am submitting this to Deb of Kahakai Kitchen for Souper Sundays and also to Chaya's Meatless Mondays!

Recipe: Italian Cream Puffs with Custard Filling (St. Joseph's Day Pastries)

2012-02-10T07:26:00.002-05:00

While everyone and anyone consumes themselves with making red-velvet-this and chocolate-covered-strawberry-that for the next five days.

I'm going to see the world through shades-of-cream-puff eyes.

Beige on beige is the new pink, after all. With powdered sugar on top.

A crisp pate a choux shell surrounding a lusciously creamy vanilla rum custard...

The weight of years of Italian history coursing through your fingertips and out of your piping bag as puff after puff appears on a sheet of parchment paper...

I know Italian is the language of love. But for real. Could anything be more romantic?

Hmmm? What's that?

The thought of making a pastry dough that doesn't even have an English name is keeping you up at night and driving you to do crazy things like eat a pound of brussels sprouts at dinner last night?

Join the club. And pull up a stand mixer.

Because it is way easier than you think. Faster than mixing up and rolling out a batch of red velvet cake balls (talk about busy work). And almost as straightforward as dipping blushing berries into a chocolate shell.

Actually. Leave the stand mixer at home.

This is old school kinda stuff. We're doing this Italian grandma style. Elbow-deep.

I made these as a tribute to my grandfather, because even though I couldn't bring him back for my father. I could feed him something to remember him by.

These are traditionally only served on St. Joseph's Day (March 19th.), a day that is celebrated with extreme fanfare and lots of desserts in Italian culture (St. Joseph was the patron saint of pastry chefs...quite fitting given my grandfather's love of sweets), which means you can't find them at an Italian bakery when you're having a random cream puff craving in the middle of February.

My grandfather's name was Joseph and while we never celebrated a single other saint's day ever in our lives (and there is one to celebrate every weekend if you so desire), we always bought and ate St. Joseph's Day pastries, these cream puffs, on St. Joseph's day. It was a way to honor him, even while he was still alive.

So while they were perfect this past weekend, as we celebrated his life, I think they'd also be pretty ideal for Valentine's Day. If you're so inclined to think outside the red velvet box that is.

Nothing against red velvet (it is going to be my wedding cake, after all). But making a cream puff for your cream puff. Is so sickeningly cheesy romantic. That you kinda have to do it.

For more Valentine's-friendly dessert ideas, check out this feature on Fox News's iMag, where they're featuring three of my recipes!

Also, if you pick up a copy of Rachael Ray's magazine this month, you might see a familiar face within it's pages....(cough mine cough).

Zeppole di San Giuseppe
Makes 12 large or 24 small pastries, adapted from Sticky, Gooey, Creamy, Chewy

Ingredients

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

Instructions

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.

Italian Custard
Adapted from Go Ahead and Snicker

Ingredients

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
3 cups whole milk
4 egg yolks
3 tbsp unsalted butter
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp rum

Instructions

In saucepan over moderate heat, combine sugar, flour and salt. Add milk gradually, cooking and stirring until mixture is thick and bubbly.

Lower heat, stirring for 2 minutes and remove from heat. In a small bowl, add cream mixture to eggs slowly. Return mixture back to pan. Bring to gently boil for 2 more minutes, adding butter, rum, and vanilla. Tranfer to a shallow bowl to cool, placing plastic wrap on the top of the custard to prevent a skin forming. Refrigerate.

Once custard has cooled completely, pipe into opened pastry shells until they are so full they might pop, top with a cherry, and dust with powdered sugar.

Recipe: Spaghetti In Tomato-Apple Sauce...Eat.Live.Be.

2012-02-08T07:31:00.004-05:00

My physical therapist broke up with me on Friday.

Actually. He was pretty gracious about it and let it seem like I was breaking up with him. But I think, deep down, we both knew what was really happening.

A classic, "it's not you, it's your insurance company" situation, if ever I've seen one. (And...trust me. I have much experience in the realm of my-insurance-company-won't-cover-the-MRIs-for-my-FRACTURED-BONES woes.)

They were giving him trouble about covering my visits even though it is a new year and they are responsible for covering at least 25 visits per year.

So he looked me straight in the eye and said, "I'll fight for you if you want me to. But you're going to be fine without me. And don't you think we should save these for when you rupture a tendon in a few months? Or something."

His optimism was palpable.

And, really, what can a girl say to that other than. Okay.

Then, to really drive his point home, I ran my first race this weekend. Four miles. At an 8:08 min/mile pace.

I haven't been that fast since...2009.

Ecstatic. Is the only word I have to describe this. Ec.Stat.Ic.

I would have jumped for joy except...I'm prohibited from jumping ever again for the rest of my life (stress fracture prevention rule numero uno according to Josh).

So I ate pasta for joy. Same difference.

I know you're totally scratching your head being all like...she put fruit in her pasta sauce again!?!?!?

Um, yes. Yes I did.

But let me remind you that tomatoes are fruits also. So you are always putting fruit in your tomato sauce. Whether you realize it or not.

The apples are grated into the sauce so their tart sweetness just kind of melts in with the tomato sauce flavor that we all know and love. But it's the combination of them with the parmesan cheese that really gets you hooked. It's almost like there's a sweet/salty thing going on. But in a better-for-you-than-salted-caramel kinda way.

I can dig that.

PS - Thank you all for all of your support and sweet comments about my grandfather. My family and I really appreciate it and they mean so much to me.

PPS - If you live in NYC and ever have any physical therapist needs, then please let me know! My physical therapist specializes in running/lower body injuries and, being an athlete himself (two time marathoner and triathlete), understands the psyche of a runner (which is no trivial thing). I've had a LOT of bad physical therapists in my life and know how life-and-leg altering a good one can be.

Eat.Live.Be. Update.

Even though I can't necessarily always SEE the results, my race this weekend proves that they're there. I have to remember that it's not about a number on a scale but about healthiness and fitness. It's going to happen. I'll get back to where I want to be. Step by step. Little by little.

And here's a funny link that my physical therapist actually posted on facebook. Top 10 Ways to Get Skinny Fat. I agree with all except the vegan diet thing. And weight watchers. But I think that's because you can do weight watchers two ways - by eating all of your points in real healthy foods or by eating all of your points in hershey's bars and McDonalds. I do the former and I think they're talking about the latter.

Spaghetti in Tomato-Apple Sauce
Serves 4, adapted from Lidia Cooks From the Heart of Italy

Ingredients

1 28 oz can Italian plum tomatoes (preferably San Marzano)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tsp kosher salt
1 lb Granny Smith apples (or other tart, firm apple)
1/2 lb whole wheat spaghetti
1 cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano

Instructions

Pour the canned tomatoes into a food processor or blender and puree until smooth.
Put the olive oil in a skillet and set it over medium heat. Add the onion to the pan. Cook and stir for about 5 minutes, until wilted and beginning to caramelize.
Stir in the pureed tomatoes, season with the salt, and heat to a bubbling simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or so. As the tomatoes perk, peel and core the apples and remove the seeds. Shred them, using the coarse holes of a grater (or using your food processor attachment).
When the tomatoes have cooked about 5 minutes, stir the apples into the sauce. Heat again to a simmer and cook the sauce, uncovered, for about 15 minutes, stirring now and then, until it has reduced and thickened and the apple shreds are cooked and tender.
Meanwhile, bring large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Drop in the spaghetti. Cook until barely al dente. Lift the spaghetti from teh water, let drain for a moment, and drop it into the warm sauce.
Toss pasta with sauce for a minute or two. Turn off the heat, sprinkle the grated cheese over the pasta, and toss well. Heap pasta in warm bowls and serve immediately.

I am submitting this to Presto Pasta Nights, which is being hosted this week by Tandy of Lavender and Lime.

Recipe: Reese's Peanut Butter Banana Bread

2012-02-07T07:06:00.001-05:00

You can eat virtuous good for you banana bread...or you can eat this. Banana bread stuffed with Reese's and peanut butter. Good enough for breakfast, lunch, dinner...and most certainly dessert! Check out my post about it on Marcus Samuelsson's blog!

Recipe: Chipotle Squash Salad with Jicama, Goat Cheese, and Avocado

2012-02-06T06:26:00.004-05:00

Can you promise me we won't grow old together?

That we'll stop just on the verge. The fine line between running/happy/whirling/swirling life. And delirium.

Before we forget who we are.

Before we go from making the most delicious Easter bread in the world to thinking that fish sticks dunked in orange juice are, not only good, but the best.

Before we get to the point where we're eating fish sticks. Period.

Pinky swear me with a cherry on top.

My grandfather passed away this weekend at the age of 96. He was a wonderful, amazing man.

He read the Daily News every day.

He was recruited to play major league baseball, but didn't because baseball was about the love of the game and not about multi-million dollar contracts back then, and his father didn't think it was a good career move. He worked in the family bakery instead.

He was married to my grandmother for over 60 years. Had three children, two sons and a daughter. Survived, somehow, the death of his daughter, exactly nine months before I was supposed to be born (I was a month premature).

He loved holding babies. And eating Chinese food.

He would go out in the dead of winter to buy my grandmother a nice piece of cake, if she asked him. Which she did. Frequently.

He was stern, stoic and loving. All at the same time.

And watching him lose his personality and his memory and his sense of self these past few years....now that was hard.

So that's what I'm saying. Let's let the years go by and let's live life to the fullest. But let's stop while it's still fun. While we can still remember. While we're still us.

And you know what's going to help us extend that era of fun for as long as possible? Eating crazy healthy delicious food. All.The.Time.

When Sarah of 20something cupcakes asked me if I wanted to cook through the Food Matters Cookbook with her and a group of other fab-o-lous bloggers...I said of course, YES! For those who don't know, the Food Matters Cookbook was written by Mark Bittman and is all about eating more plants and less meat/processed foods in order to benefit both our bodies and our environments. Bittman has a "vegan until dinner: food philpsophy that has helped him to lose weight and improve his health in general. I approve.

I've made quite a few things from this cookbook already and have loved all of them. These recipes, some of which do include meat, are a great way to incorporate less meat heavy meals into your diet without making any drastic changes! Rather, it's all about small steps and good food. I can get down with that.

For more information, and if you want to join in (both bloggers AND non-bloggers are welcome!), check out the blog for The Food Matters Project, as we are calling it.

The first recipe we cooked was the chipotle-glazed squash skewers. Though these were meant to be served as an appetizer, I couldn't help but de-skewer them and turn them into a salad! Spicy sweet from honey chipotle glaze, with cooling refreshing bites of jicama, goat cheese, and avocado in-between, this salad was exactly what I craved at lunch almost every day last week. And I loved knowing that I was infusing health into my body with every bite.

Chipotle-Glazed Squash Salad with Jicama, Goat Cheese, and Avocado
Serves 4, adapted from The Food Matters Cookbook

Ingredients

1 recipe chipotle-glazed squash
1 jicama, peeled and chopped
Juice of one lime
4 oz goat cheese
1 avocado, sliced
baby spinach

Instructions

Prepare squash according to recipe instructions.
Toss squash together with jicama. Season to taste with lime juice and salt.
Divide spinach among four bowls. Top with jicama/squash mix, goat cheese, and avocado.

I am submitting this to Souper Sunday hosted by Deb of Kahakai Kitchen.

Recipe: Pumpkin Layer Cake with Butterscotch Filling

2012-02-03T07:23:00.002-05:00

If I were anywhere near as witty as none of you are fooled into thinking I am, I would somehow find a way to weave nose hair plucking and after hour (i.e. TRIPLE XXX) cooking shows into my story of how I made this cake.

I would make it seem absolutely hilarious that my roommate's boyfriend, for whom the cake was made, discussed these topics in great depths with his friends while sitting around my kitchen table. And eating. This cake.

No really. Nose hair plucking techniques.

That's what this cake spurred them to.

That is...until they unanimously agreed that I should pitch an after hours cooking show to the Food Network. That I would host.

Unclothed.

And then spent the next twenty minutes coming up with perverse and highly suggestive permutations of my blog name. Somehow I never realized this, but "Eats Well With Others" lends itself well to that.

Go figure.

So....

....make this cake?

At your own risk. For boys will be boys and if you give them a slice, there's no telling what kind of conversation will ensue.

But the ladies? The ladies will gobble this down in no time flat. Then they'll listen to what the boys are talking about, realize exactly the kind of males that are out there, existing, in this world (the kind who talk about exfoliation at the DESSERT TABLE!?!?!?). And then they'll stress eat another slice.

Then again. Pumpkin, butterscotch and brown sugar? They'd probably have another slice anyway.

**If you ever wanted to learn more about me and the inner workings of my mind, head on over to Taste and Tell where I'm being featured in Deborah's Blogger Spotlight!

While this would be my ideal dessert for Valentine's Day, I recognize that some of you are probably going to go a more traditional route. Like, um. Chocolate.

But if you go the Russell Stover route, I will cry. Many tears. Not worth the calories.

But you know what is? Chuao Chocolatier Chocolates.

They sent me three of their chocolates to try - a Love Child bonbon (an aphrodisiac blend of a port wine drenched dried strawberry in a chocolate ganache), a Firecracker bonbon (guaranteed to blow your mind with chipotle caramel fudge, popping candy and sea salt in dark chocolate), as well as their new potato chip chocolate bar (for real). And I swooned. Fell.In.Love. For real.

Luckily, they're giving all of YOU guys an opportunity to win a chance to taste these babies also! They're hosting a crazy contest for Valentine's Day that is open only to specific blog readers, with the winning prize being a trip for two to San Diego for two nights, dinner at the beachfront THE SHORES restaurant, and attendance at a private chocolate and wine pairing event with Master Chef Michael Antonorsi.

Entrants will ALSO have a chance to win one of 14 Limited Edition Sweetheart boxes filled with 22 signature Chuao Chocolatier bonbons featuring delectable aphrodisiac ingredients. Forget buying yourself chocolate and flowers from your "secret admirer" this V-Day. Just enter this contest, and keep your fingers crossed!

And EVERY reader gets a chance to save money on Chuao Chocolatier chocolates by entering the code "HEART" to get a 20% discount off any purchase made between now and February 14th.

Here's how to enter:

Pumpkin Layer Cake with Butterscotch Filling and Brown Sugar Icing
Makes 1 9-inch layer cake, adapted from Annie's Eats

Ingredients

For the cake:

2 cups AP flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree
1 cup buttermilk
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 cup tightly packed brown sugar
1 cup sugar
4 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste

For the filling:

3/4 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 stick unsalted butter cut into 4 pieces
3/4 cup chopped nuts (I used Oh Nuts! cinnamon pecans)

For the icing:

2 cups tightly packed brown sugar
1 cup heavy cream
2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
1/4 tsp cream of tartar

Instructions

Line the bottoms of 2 round 9-inch cake pans with parchment paper. Grease the parchment, as well as the sides of the pans. Preheat the oven to 325°. Center a rack in the oven.

To make the cake, combine the flour, baking soda, spices and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside. In a small bowl, combine pumpkin puree and buttermilk and mix until smooth. Set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugars. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Increase to high speed and beat for an additional 2 minutes. Scrape down the bowl. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well, and scraping down the bowl between additions. Add the vanilla extract and beat on high for 30 seconds. With the mixer running on low speed, alternate adding the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients, starting and ending with the dry. Mix until just combined. Remove the bowl from the mixer and use a rubber spatula to finish mixing the batter, until smooth and thoroughly combined.

Immediately divide the batter between the prepared cake pans, spreading evenly. Bake for 30-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pans 10 minutes. Invert onto a wire cooling rack and allow to cool completely.

To make the filling, heat the cream in a saucepan over medium-low heat until hot (do not allow to boil or simmer). Combine sugar and lemon juice in a separate saucepan and stir with a whisk to combine (the sugar will resemble moist sand). In a separate pot, caramelize the sugar for 4-5 minutes over medium-high heat, stirring constantly with a whisk to break up any lumps. Remove the saucepan from the heat. Add the hot cream, one half at a time. Add the butter, one piece at a time, stirring to incorporate completely before adding the next piece. Cool in the refrigerator 45 minutes. Place in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on high speed for 2 minutes, until light (but not fluffy). Add the chopped nuts and stir to incorporate. Set aside.

To make the icing, heat the brown sugar, heavy cream, 2 – 1 oz. pieces of butter, and cream of tartar in a 2-3 quart saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, while bringing the mixture to a boil. Allow the mixture to continue boiling while stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Transfer the bubbling hot mixture to a stainless steel bowl and allow to stand at room temperature for 1 hour before proceeding. Place the cooled mixture in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds. Increase the speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes, adding the 6 remaining pieces of butter one at a time, until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Increase the speed to high and beat for an additional 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat on high for an additional 1 minute until light and fluffy.

To assemble the cake, place one of the pumpkin cake layers on a cake platter or a cardboard cake circle. Spread butterscotch filling evenly on top of cake. Top with remaining layer of cake, pressing down firmly. Frost sides and top of cake with brown sugar icing. Decorate with extra frosting and cinnamon pecans. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before cutting and serving.

Recipe: Risotto with Carrots and Feta...Eat.Live.Be.

2012-02-01T07:16:00.002-05:00

In the interest of full disclosure, I just want you to know that things are not always ~~peaches-and-cream~~ quinoa-and-broccoli in the Eats Well With Others ~~kitchen~~ abdominal cavity.

This past week, for instance, has been one huge exercise in falling.

Falling off the bandwagon. Falling into disgust.

Falling into a tub of peanut butter. And chocolate chips. And white chocolate chips. And cinnamon chips. And muffins. And a tub of that other flavor of peanut butter.

Do you get my drift?

But today starts a new week. (Yes, my week starts on Wednesdays. I do, in fact, let my Eat.Live.Be. posts dictate the rest of my life.)

And though sometimes it's so hard to break the vicious sugar cycle. I'm doing it. Today.

Because I'm worth it. Because my first race back.in.the.game is on Saturday and I want to rock it. Because I officially start half marathon training this week (physical therapist-APPROVED) and my body needs NUTRIENTS to keep itself healthy and injury-free. (And not cinnamon chips. Definitely not cinnamon chips.)

Because I promised you I would.

Because I promised myself I would.

And just because.

No reasons necessary.

So if you see me on the street and you offer me a slice of cake. Don't be offended if I turn it down.

It's not that I don't love you.

It's not that I don't think it's delicious.

It's that I'm prioritizing me. And one day...I might have enough self control to eat one slice of cake and not let it spiral into a sugar-eating coma binge.

Maybe.

But that day. Is apparently not today.

It might not be tomorrow.

But I really hope it's next week. Cause I already kinda miss cake.

My mini goal for this week is to stay on point. Weight watchers points, that is.

Every week so far, there have been points that I haven't counted in. Which has been fine. I still lost weight. No biggie.

But not for four days in a row.

It's time to reign myself in. Count religiously for a week. And see how I come out on the other end.

It's just one week. And if there's anything I can give myself after everything my body has given me...it's one week.

Are you with me? Any mini goals of your own that you want to share?

One of my favorite healthy living blogs is Can You Stay For Dinner? The author, Angie, lost 135 pounds doing a combination of Weight Watchers and just mindful eating. And lots of walking.

And unlike most healthy living bloggers...she's real. She eats cake. She doesn't exercise to extremes. She doesn't eat one slice of pizza and then claim to be "so full".

Recently, a reader emailed her and asked what they should do when they slip up. Here's her answer. I think it's pretty perfect.

Check out Sarah's, Cate's, and Patsy's blogs for more Eat.Live.Be. inspiration!

Risotto. Totally not what you think of when I say "healthy food". But the thing about risotto is that it gets a bad rep because restaurants load it up with cream and cheese and more cream.

It needn't be so!

Traditional risotto gets it's creaminess from the starch that the arborio rice emits as it cooks, slowly but surely, in the veggie broth. It's an all-inclusive kind of deal. Comes with the arborio rice package.

This risotto in particular is more of a Greek take on the Italian classic. A bit tangy from the feta and lemon, woodsy from the dill, and a hint of sweet from the carrots. It's got all the creaminess you need and then some. All for about 450 calories a serving (12 WW points). See, we can do this. Day one. Done.

Risotto with Carrots and Feta
Serves 4, adapted from Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home

Ingredients

5 cups vegetable broth
4 large carrots, diced
1 onion, diced
1 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 cups arborio rice
1 tbsp fresh dill
juice of 1 lemon
1 cup feta, crumbled
2 tbsp parsley, chopped

Instructions

Bring the stock to a boil in a covered pot. Put the carrots in the stock, lower the heat and very gently simmer.
In a large wok or saucepan, heat the olive oil and saute the onions until softened but not brown. Carefully add the rice and stir gently until the grains are thoroughly coated with oil.
Add the dill. Ladle 1 cup of the carrot stock (with carrots included!) into the saucepan with the rice and stir. When it is absorbed, ladle in another cup's worth. Keep stirring in the stock and carrots like this until all the stock has been absorbed and the rice is tender but al dente (20-30 minutes).
When the risotto is ready, remove it from the heat and stir in the lemon juice, feta and parsley. Serve immediately.

I am submitting this to Allergy-Free Wednesdays!

Recipe: Greek Baked Beans

2012-01-31T07:04:00.002-05:00

A hearty wintry dish that tastes a little bit like summer? I think we could all use some of that. Check out my post and the recipe on Marcus Samuelsson's blog!

Recipe: Quinoa Chowder with Sweet Potatoes, Spinach, Feta, and Scallions

2012-01-30T07:15:00.000-05:00

I don't really remember what the first warning sign was.

The fact that Anu grabbed the bag of chickpea flour from the pantry thinking it was all-purpose?

Or maybe it was the cup she grabbed to measure out the flour?

(And no...I don't mean measuring cup. It was a cup. One that you would come home after a long day at lab and pour ~~single malt scotch~~ water into.)

Either way, it was at some point in between the two that I started watching with hawk-eye intensity the goings on in my kitchen.

And then when she actually took the glass, filled it with flour, and started tapping it on the side as if to "measure" it....that was when I intervened.

It had become apparent that this pancake-making expedition was going nowhere fast (and by "nowhere" I mean that it was headed straight down the road to inedible), and I just couldn't bear the thought of bad pancakes being produced in my kitchen.

(And if we're being honest, I was also a little scared as to what kind of hell would break loose if I did just let her carry on. Images of ruined pans and blaring fire alarms ran through my head.)

My roommate and her boyfriend had sat me down the night before and informed me that the next morning, they were going to be making pancakes. For the first time. Ever. And what did I think they would need?

Of course, their morning coincides with my lunch, so though I kind of hoped that I would miss the entire extravaganza while I was at the gym, part of me knew that we would inevitably end up in the kitchen at the same time. Me, stirring my quinoa chowder, silently from my corner of the stove...them arguing about the interchangeability of baking soda and baking powder from theirs. (Don't worry...I quickly set them straight.)

Trust me. It was for the best that I was there.

And after explaining to them at least three times that a "teaspoon" was not the same as a spoon that one stirred tea with and doing a flying leap across the kitchen to prevent a metal spatula from adulterating my nonstick pan.

After they were safely tucked away in Anu's room. Eating. Happily.

I got to dig into my chowder. And maybe it was the fact that by this point, I was hungry enough to eat my own hand...but it was all the comfort I needed after that trying kitchen experience. There are no crazy innovative flavor combinations in here, just tried and true favorites that you can depend on to taste good.

Quinoa Chowder with Sweet Potatoes, Spinach, Feta and Scallions
Serves 4, adapted from Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone

Ingredients

3/4 cup quinoa, rinsed well
1 tbsp olive oil
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 jalapeno chile, seeded and finely diced
1 tsp ground cumin
salt and freshly milled pepper
1/2 lb sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1 bunch scallions, including an inch of greens, thinly sliced into rounds
6 cups baby spinach
1/4 lb feta cheese, finely diced
1/3 cup chopped cilantro

Instructions

Put the quinoa and 2 quarts of salted water in a pot. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. While it's cooking, dice the vegetables and cheese. Drain, saving the liquid. Measure the liquid and add water to make 6 cups if needed.
Heat the oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the garlic and chile. Cook for about 30 seconds, giving it a quick stir. Add the cumin, 1 tsp salt, and the potatoes and cook for a few minutes, stirring frequently. Don't let the garlic brown. Add the quinoa water and half the scallions and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Add the quinoa, spinach, and remaining scallions and simmer for 3 minutes more. Turn off the heat and stir in the feta and cilantro. Season with salt and black pepper.

Recipe: Pumpkin Cake with Caramel Pecan Pie Streusel

2012-01-27T07:39:00.004-05:00

The only thing worse than having an old Chinese food container full of caramel pecan pie filling in your fridge without an intended destination or life purpose (other than Grey's Anatomy-induced stress eating on a Derek Shepherd-full Saturday night)....

...is finding a boom box on top of a filing cabinet in lab. With a CASSETTE tape in it that is probably as old as the beginning of time.

And not having a dance party in the middle of lab on a dreary Thursday-that-felt-like-it-should-be-Friday morning.

Don't worry. My labmates and I are totally on the same wavelength when it comes to such things.

So we pressed play on that cassette tape, with the reckless abandon of people who have already been pipetting for three hours straight. And we partied like it's hot.

In the tissue culture room.

Lab coats and all.

(Well, except me. I refuse to wear a lab coat. I'm quite rebellious.)

We made it five minutes before the head of our lab came out of his office to inform us that whatever was coming out of that antiquated piece of technology was not, in fact, music after all. But someone with a very nasal voice trying to pretend that he was not born tone deaf.

Actually, I think what really happened is that he stared at us with all the solemnity he could muster for a good thirty seconds. And then said, "Uh, guys. This isn't going to work."

Back went the boom box to it's filing cabinet, left to collect dust and be discovered again in two decades when no one will even remember that cassette tapes ever used to exist in this world.

But what does this have to do with pumpkin cake, you might wonder?

Well. Sometimes you just have to take life by the horns and dance to bad music in the middle of lab on a random workday just to get through the week.

And sometimes...

...you have to resist the urge to eat caramel pecan pie filling all alone in your room.

You have to take a chance on a pumpkin cake recipe that, by all means, seems boring but is actually revelatory in its simplicity.

You have to swirl that filling into a streusel as if your life depends on it.

And then you have to bring it into lab and share it with your coworkers. Because though your dance partying ~~days~~ minutes may be over....there's always room for cake. Especially when it tastes this good.

Pumpkin Cake with Caramel Pecan Pie Streusel
Serves 12, adapted from The Essential New York Times Cookbook and Food and Wine

Ingredients

3 cups AP flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp salt
2 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree
4 large eggs
1/2 batch caramel pecan pie filling

Instructions

Heat the oven to 350. Grease a 10-inch tube or Bundt pan. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.
Place the sugar, oil and pumpkin puree in a mixer fitted with a paddle and beat well on medium speed. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Sift and fold the dry ingredients into the batter.
Pour half of the batter into the prepared pan. Drop the pecan pie filling on top of the batter in the pan so that it is evenly distributed around the pan. Add the remaining batter to the pan. Bake until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Start checking the cake after 1 hour. Let cool slightly in the pan before turning out onto a rack to cool completely.

I am submitting this to Bake with Bizzy!

Zucchini "Meatballs" and Curry-Tomato Sauce Over Polenta...Eat.Live.Be.

2012-01-25T07:27:00.000-05:00

Thank you to Hunt’s for sponsoring this post and encouraging my culinary skills!

Visit Hunt’s Signature Recipe Collection to find tons of delicious ideas

for using Hunt’s tomatoes in your meals.

You guys.

Last night I had a run-in with the law.

And by law...I mean a bag of a certain chocolatey-delicious shell filled with a peanut butter/confectioner's sugar mash-up also known as the only chocolate candy worth eating EVER.

Umm yeah. Same thing.

It was a make or break kind of moment.

Like when you're driving and you hear those sirens go off behind you. And you're like uh, not me. So in that moment as the panic creeps up, you can either speed away as fast as you can and hope that no one decides to chase you or send a SWAT team or open fire.

Or you can pull over like the complacent citizen you are, listen to the officer try to tell you that you went through a stop sign that you know for sure doesn't exist. Bat your pretty eyelashes, say you'll never do it again, and get away with a warning.

You know...one of those moments.

So I had a stare-down with that bag of orangey gold foil covered chocolate treats.

I stared them down as I unwrapped 8 ounces worth of them. And then I stared them down some more as I chopped those 8 ounces into itty bitty pieces. And then again as I swirled them into a peanut butter banana bread batter.

And then, right when I couldn't possibly stare them down anymore without some sort of short circuiting in my brain and/or olfactory bulb (really...you start to smell them as soon as you open the bag. It's intoxicating.) The moment happened.

I had a choice.

I could either eat the other 11 ounces of peanut butter cups in that bag. Or. I could not.

It sounds easy, but in that second, it's the hardest choice to make. All you can feel is hedonism and the intense to desire to coat your entire being (especially your tastebuds) in a chocolate/peanut butter mix.

And all you can hear is alarms going off in your mind screaming NOOOOOOOOOO.

And then a knock at the door tells you that the peanut butter cup police are at your door, and what are you going to do?!?!?!?

We're reaching the point in January where resolve starts to waver and these forks in the road seem to be coming at us at an increasingly breackneck speed.

But maybe it doesn't have to be so binary. Maybe we can have one peanut butter cup. And then put the bag down.

Maybe it doesn't have to be all or nothing.

Because this isn't about one day. It's about a lifetime. And a lifetime without peanut butter cups...that's just unrealistic. But so is a lifetime of eating entire bags of them in one sitting. It's your choice.

Making good food choices is easier when you have healthy ingredients in the cupboard and healthy, EXCITING recipes on your menu plan. Personally..I'm always excited by ethnic spices and exotic flavors. Especially curry.

So when Hunt's sent me a few of their products and told me to go forth and create! I knew I wanted to make some kind of fusion between the Italian fare we usually think of when we see tomato sauce and tomato paste and canned diced tomatoes...and the Indian flavors that I crave almost constantly.

After spying a recipe for zucchini "meatballs" in one of my Madhur Jaffrey cookbooks, I knew the direction I wanted to take. Gingery zucchini meatballs, bound with chickpea flour for an extra dose of fiber and protein, paired with a tomato-curry sauce and all served atop of a creamy yet creamless polenta. Though Jaffrey's "meatballs" were fried, I baked mine with excellent results, making this a delicious meal that you can feel good about.

Really. We have enough of those forks in the road to health to contend with. Let's not make dinner one of them.

For more Eat.Live.Be. inspiration, check out Sarah's, Cate's and Patsy's blogs!

Zucchini Meatballs and Curry-Tomato Sauce over Polenta
Serves 4, adapted from Madhur Jaffrey's World of the East Vegetarian Cooking

Ingredients

3 medium zucchini, about 1-1.25 pounds
1/2 tsp salt
1 hot green chili, seeded and minced
3 tbsp finely minced onion
1/2 tsp peeled and very finely grated ginger
2 tbsp parsley, finely minced
1/3 cup chickpea flour
1 tbsp olive oil
2 medium-sized onions, peeled and very finely minced
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
1 14 oz can Hunt's petite diced tomatoes
1 cup almond milk
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 cup polenta
salt, to taste

Instructions

Wash, trim and grate the zucchini. Put it into a bowl and sprinkle with 1/2 tsp salt. Set aside for half an hour.
Squeeze as much liquid as possible out of the zucchini by pressing handfuls of it between your palms. Save the zucchini liquid for the sauce. Dry off the bowl and put the zucchini back into it. Add the chili, 3 tbsp onion, grated ginger, and parsley. Sift the chickpea flour over the vegetable mixture. Mix well and form 16 balls.
Preheat oven to 400. Spray zucchini meatballs with cooking spray. Place on a silpat or parchment paper on a large baking pan. Bake for 40 minutes, turning once halfway through.
While zucchini balls are cooking, make the sauce. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When hot, put into the minced onions. Stir and fry for 7-8 minutes or until the onions begin to turn brown at the edges. Take the pan off the fire for a few seconds and add the turmeric, cayenne, ground cumin, and ground coriander. Stir once and put the pan back on the flame. Stir for another 5 seconds. Add the tomatoes. Stir on medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the zucchini juice (about 1 cup. Add water if there is not enough.) Bring to a boil. Cover, lower heat and let the sauce simmer gently for 15 minutes.
Add the almond milk, garam masala, 1/2 tsp cumin, and salt to taste. Mix well. Bring to a simmer and cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat.
Cook polenta according to package directions. I usually just use cornmeal when I'm feeling lazy, which cooks up in 5 minutes.
Spoon the sauce over the polenta and serve topped with zucchini meatballs.

Thank you again to Hunt’s for sponsoring my post. Find more ideas for cooking with tomatoes at Hunt’s Signature Recipe Collection. I was selected for this opportunity by the Clever Girls Collective. All opinions expressed here are my own. #HuntsRecipe #spon

Recipe: Creamy Carrot and Parsnip Soup

2012-01-24T07:02:00.003-05:00

Parsnips may be the less vibrantly hued cousins of carrots, but anemic in anything other than color, they are not. For a delicious and healthy way to prepare them, check out my post about this soup on Marcus Samuelsson's blog!

I am submitting this to Deb at Kahakai Kitchen for Souper Sundays as well as to the Allergy-Free Wednesdays Blog Hop!

Recipe: Broccoli-Basil Mac and Cheese

2012-01-23T07:52:00.002-05:00

Let's just call a bad hairpiece a bad hairpiece.

This mac and cheese looks like it has a chia pet growing on it's head.

Fact.

I tried to convince my roommate's boyfriend that it was just growing an extra coat of broccoli-basil breadcrumb hair for the winter, to keep warm, as he stood over the tray with his fork dubiously poised.

(He's one of those vegetarians for whom vegetables are like extra-terrestrial entities that should be encountered with caution. Pizza and the infamous blue box are more his style.)

He remained skeptical. Gave me a look that said "geez louise, everyone knows mac and cheese doesn't really have hair follicles".

And then dug in.

Yes, sometimes even the future doctors of America need to be cajoled in to eating their vegetables. It happens.

And while this mac and cheese has quite a few healthy surprises stuffed into it, it's vastly different from one of those Jessica Seinfeld-esque concoctions in that it's not pretending to be something that it's not.

It is unapologetically good for you. And it tastes nothing like it's neon orange counterpart. So if that's what you're hoping for - some kind of health food miracle that turns cheddar, gruyere and butternut squash into something akin to velveeta - this is not it.

But if what you're craving is a dish that hits all those cheesy comfort food cravings while still allowing you to feel like you can conquer the world afterwards (or at least shovel a few inches of snow). Then take off those fuzzy boots and your hot pink marshmallow puffy jacket and come on in. I'll grab you a plate.

So, I'm going to take a detour from mac and cheese heaven to ask you a question. If you could eat peanut butter and jelly bars to help find a cure for cancer...would you do it?

Guess what....now you can! My friend Amanda from Tales From A Kitchen Misfit is training for her FIRST marathon (the Boston Marathon!!) with Team in Training, and is having a virtual bake sale to help her meet her fundraising goals and raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. I've done three seasons with Team In Training so I know it's a worthy cause. The money that Amanda raises from the bake sale will go to cancer research (some of the work that I've done in labs has actually been funded by LLS so YES this is going to REAL research) as well as to help patients cover costs of treatment and hospital care.

Along with a number of other treats, my peanut butter and jelly bars are up for grabs! If you've ever wanted to have an Eats Well With Others treat delivered straight to your door, this is the time. You can bid here. And if anyone has any kind of peanut allergies, I'd be willing to make them with sunbutter or soybutter so don't let that stop you from bidding!

Broccoli-Basil Mac and Cheese
Serves 6, adapted from 101 Cookbooks

Ingredients

1 small kabocha or butternut squash, seeded and cut into tiny chunks
1 tbsp olive oil
1 bunch basil, stems removed
2 slices good brown bread, stale or dried out in the oven
1 small head broccoli, roughly chopped
4 tbsp nonfat greek yogurt
3.5 oz grated white cheddar cheese (I used Cabot reduced fat sharp cheddar)
3.5 oz grated gruyere
large handful of yellow cherry tomatoes
3 cups whole wheat elbow macaroni

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 with a rack in the middle. Set a large pot of water to boil.
Place the squash on a large baking sheet lined with foil. Spray with cooking spray. Sprinkle with salt and black pepper. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until tender.
While the squash is cooking, pulse half the basil, all of the bread, the broccoli, and a bit of water in the food processor until there is a fine crumb. It may be a bit damp. Transfer to a small bowl and rinse out the processor.
In a separate bowl, combine the Greek yogurt and grated cheeses.
Place the cherry tomatoes in the food processor with the remaining basil. Pulse to break things up a bit, then add it to the cheese mixture.
Boil the pasta in well-salted water until it is slightly undercooked. Drain, reserving a cup of pasta water for later use. Put pasta back in pot and add the cheese mixture to it. Add the squash and stir it. Add pasta water until the sauce is thinned to the consistency of cream. It's okay if it's a bit runny, as the pasta will absorb the liquid in the oven.
Transfer everything to large casserole or 9x13-inch baking pan. Sprinkle the green breadcrumbs across the top and bake for 20-25 minutes or until topping is crunchy. Remove from the oven. Let sit 10 minutes before serving.

Looking for more mac and cheese inspiration? Check out these recipes:
Macaroni and Goat Cheese with Roasted Red Peppers
Baked Zucchini Macaroni and Cheese
Caramelized Sweet Potato, Garlic and Rosemary Mac and Cheese

I am submitting this to Presto Pasta Nights which is being hosted by Emma of Souperior.

Recipe: Sparkling Champagne Cupcakes

2012-01-20T06:57:00.000-05:00

We need to have a talk. THE talk.

You see, when a man and a woman love each other and are in a caring, committed relationship.

Sometimes...they do things. For each other. With each other. To each other.

Special things.

For instance...they might pick a day. A random day. A day that means nothing.

(Usually somewhere around, oh say, February 14th.)

And they'll mutually agree that on that day, the man will buy the woman flowers. And chocolate. And she'll giggle and throw things at him and accuse him of trying to make her fat.

And then they'll take to the streets and pervade our restaurants with their cooing and their googly eyes and their hand holding.

Finally, when all the cooing and hand holding and weird eye stuff is over. They'll go home and do more stuff. More special stuff.

Maybe. If the man is lucky.

And us single ladies?

We are also going to be doing special things.

We are going to be pounding tequila shots like it's our job. Getting tattoos that say "LOVE SUCKS" across our lower backs. Putting all of our cookbooks into bed with us so that it seems like, maybe, for just one uncomfortable hard-covered-book-edge-in-our-back night, we are not quite so alone.

Or not.

Maybe we'll just celebrate our single-lady-ness.

Toast to ourselves on a champagne cupcake.

Make a wish on a sparkling wine star.

Or just be grateful that, not only can we make ourselves happy, but we can also whip up a pretty damn fine cupcake. We are serious catches. And anyone would be lucky to have us.

Amen.

The best thing about these cupcakes is that they can be enjoyed on just about any occasion, by single and non-single ladies and gentlemen alike. I know because I tested them amongst my family on New Year's Day, when we had a single lady, a single man, a married couple, and a 15-year-old-who-thinks-she's-28-and-spent-the-whole-evening-texting-her-boyfriend present.

They were dubious of this whole champagne cupcake filled with champagne pastry cream and topped with champagne buttercream business. But they were pleasantly surprised.

I used a pink champagne for my cupcakes and I really liked the fruity notes it added to the buttercream. You can use whatever champagne you want, but just make sure it's something that tastes good because the flavor will come across in the pastry cream and buttercream.

For more addictively delicious baked goods, check out my guest post on Pham Fatale! If you're looking to wean yourself off of a lemon poppyseed Costco muffin addiction...or even if you're not...these are the cookies for you!

Sparkling Champagne Cupcakes
Makes 17, adapted from SprinkleBakes

Ingredients

Cake

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 3/4 cups AP flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup non-fat Greek yogurt
1/2 cup champagne, prosecco, or any sparkling wine

Champagne Pastry Cream Filling

1/2 cup heavy cream, divided
1/2 cup champagne or prosecco
2 tbsp cornstarch
5 tbsp granulated sugar
1 whole egg
2 egg yolks
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tsp vanilla

Champagne Frosting

1 cup plus 1 tbsp champagne or prosecco, divided
2 sticks butter, softened
2 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar

Instructions

For the cake:

Preheat oven to 350.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 3-5 minutes. Add eggs one at a time beating well after each addition. Add vanilla and mix. Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt, set aside. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup champagne and 1/2 cup Greek yogurt (mixture will fizz and bubble a little). Add flour and champagne mixture alternately, beginning and ending with flour. Batter will be thick.
Fill cupcake papers with 1/4 cup level measures of batter. Bake for 17-22 minutes. Set aside to cool completely.

For the filling:

In a medium bowl, whisk cornstarch in 1/4 cup of heavy cream. Combine the remaining heavy cream, sugar and 1/2 cup champagne in a saucepan; bring to a boil then remove from heat.
Beat the whole egg and egg yolks into the cornstarch/heavy cream mixture in the stand mixer. With the stand mixer on, slowly pour 1/3 of boiling champagne mixture into the egg mixture, whisking constantly so the eggs do not cook. Return the remaining champagne/heavy cream mixture to a boil. Pour in the hot egg mixture in a stream, whisking constantly until the mixture thickens. Remove from heat and beat in the butter and vanilla.
Cut a divot into the top of each cupcake and fill with pastry cream. Trim the cut-out cake pieces flat to make a "lid" and place on top of the filled divot.

For the frosting:

Place 1 cup of champagne in a small saucepan. Simmer over medium-high heat until reduced to 2 tablespoons. Transfer to a small bowl or condiment cup and allow to cool.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, cream softened butter and powdered sugar together. Once the frosting is thick and fluffy, pour in the reduced 2 tbsp. champagne plus 1 tbsp. champagne from the bottle and mix well.
Frost the cream-filled cupcakes and decorate.

I am submitting these to Bake with Bizzy!

Recipe: Poached Eggs in Tomato Sauce with Chickpeas, Feta and Swiss Chard...Eat.Live.Be

2012-01-18T07:34:00.002-05:00

A recurring theme on The Biggest Loser (and, I'm sure, other weight loss reality tv shows) is that most of the participants will tell you that they never realized just how fat they were. They knew they were large, and they weren't happy at their weight, but they just assumed they were "big boned". The number on the scale during that first weigh in is usually a shock to them. Because they felt lighter than they actually were.

And then you have me.

I actually truly believe I am one of those people who weigh more than they look. And I know it's due to muscle, which isn't something I should feel bad about. It's something I should embrace, in fact.

But I feel what the scale tells me. I feel every ounce.

Unlike The Biggest Losers, I know exactly how fat I am. And I say that slightly tongue in cheek because I'm not really fat. But I know this because it's what other people tell me and not because it is what I see or feel.

My physical therapist gave me kind of a wake-up call this week in that regard.

I went to see him because of this weird discomforting feeling I was having in my stress fracture area during my runs. It wasn't pain, it didn't get worse as I ran, and it abated almost as soon as I stopped. But I trust that man with my life and most certainly my legs, and so I went to get it checked out.

We started talking about my goals for going back to running, especially with regards to the NYC Marathon in November. And I told him I wanted to run a sub-4 hour marathon.

I finished my first marathon in 3:35 and my second in 4:34, so 4 hours is not really so unrealistic.

He looked surprised and said, "Why not aim for for the 3:34?"

I said, "Well, you know. I don't think I could do it again. I was really tiny then."

And as he dug his elbow into my iliopsoas, which is unfortunately close to my ovaries. He said, "You're pretty tiny now."

I'd be lying if I said I didn't come thisclose to crying on his exam table. (Okay, maybe part of that was how much his elbow in my abdomen just flat-out hurt, but still.) Or that I didn't cry when I got home.

I may never be able to really truly see what I look like when I stare into a mirror. But for the rest of that afternoon, and every time I think back on it, I can. Even if it's just a flicker. I can.

Now, I'm not writing this to garner any compliments or reassuring comments. I'm writing it because I know that for most people, we are so hard on ourselves and on our bodies. We talk trash about ourselves all the time. And most of it is unwarranted.

We need to give ourselves a break. We need to believe in ourselves.

We need to say "I can" more than "I can't".

Two days after that conversation with my physical therapist, I ran. I ran 6 miles. At an 8:40 minute mile. Is it a far cry from my 8 min/mile marathon time? Yes. But it's also faster than I was when I had to stop running due to my stress fracture in October. And this is three weeks out from an injury. I. CAN. AND. I. WILL.

And so can you.

For more healthy living inspiration, check out these Eat.Live.Be. posts from Sarah, Cate, and Patsy!

Speaking of believing, I BELIEVE you should make this dish. Now. Immediately.

I proclaimed this on Twitter to be one of my favorite lunches in a long time. And I still stand by that.

There's a perfectly seasoned and slightly spicy smoky tomato sauce with chickpeas and swiss chard mixed in, topped with feta and an egg that you crack on top and then "poach" in the oven. And let me tell you, the only thing better than a slightly spicy smoky tomato chickpea swiss chard sauce topped with feta...is the same thing topped with a runny egg yolk. Truth.

Poached Eggs in Tomato Sauce with Chickpeas, Feta and Swiss Chard
Serves 4, adapted from Bon Appetit December 2011

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
2 jalapenos, seeded and finely chopped
2 bunches swiss chard, leaves removed from the stem and coarsely chopped
1 (15 oz) can chickpeas, drained
2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
28 oz canned whole peeled tomatoes, crushed by hand, juices reserved
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup coarsely crumbled feta
4 large eggs
1 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425. Heat oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic, and jalapenos, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Add in the chard. Cover pan and allow to wilt, about 3 minutes. Add chickpeas, paprika, and cumin and cook for 2 minutes longer.
Add crushed tomatoes and their juices. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens slightly, about 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
If serving to a large group, sprinkle feta evenly over sauce. Crack eggs one at a time and place over sauce, evenly apart. Transfer skillet to oven and bake until whites are just set but yolks are still runny, 7-10 minutes. Garnish with parsley..
Since leftover eggs are just weird and I was the only one eating, I put 1/4 of the tomato chickpea sauce into a 14 oz ramekin, topped 1 oz crumbled feta and broke the egg over the top. Then, I transferred the ramekin to the oven and baked for 7-10 minutes as per the previous instructions. This way I could refrigerate the remaining sauce and make my eggs fresh each time. This also makes for a great presentation!

I am submitting this to Weekend Herb Blogging hosted by Simona of Briciole.

Recipe: Quinoa, Fennel and Pomegranate Salad

2012-01-17T07:08:00.005-05:00

A healthy lunch and a way to appease your mother's desire for you to be "more Italian"? This quinoa, fennel and pomegranate salad does it all. For the recipe, check out my post on Marcus Samuelsson's blog!

I am submitting this to Souper Sundays hosted by Deb of Kahakai Kitchen.

Recipe: Green Goddess Enchiladas

2012-01-16T08:03:00.002-05:00

We may live in a democracy with equal rights and all, but I just think you should know that no matter what Thomas Jefferson wrote in the Declaration of Independence, all green goddess dressings are not created equal.

Sure, they're all green, but so is pistachio ice cream. Which, though amazingly delicious, is certainly not health food.

(Moral of the story. You should never judge a condiment by its verdant hue.)

And I suppose they'll all turn you into some sort of divine entity...

...but while some versions of this herbalicious dressing will turn you into a legit goddess, hourglass figure and all.

Others will inevitably push you more towards the Buddha side of the celestial being spectrum. Um, yeah. Undesirable. At best.

To clear up all this confusion (or to just add an oxymoron to the mix), I present you with green goddess enchiladas. Traditionally greasy drunk hangover food...that's good for you?

You better believe it. Mexican detox food. Right here.

With their spicy chickpea tomato chile filling and green goddess sauce topping made with KALE and GREEK YOGURT (!!!) these enchiladas are comfort craving food that you can feel good about eating.

And with each delicious bite we'll be one step closer on the road to goddess-ville.

Rumor has it there's good-for-you pistachio ice cream there. And lots of baked brie. Eat up.

We've got to get a move on.

Green Goddess Enchiladas
Serves 5-6, adapted from Cinnamon Spice and Everything Nice

Ingredients

1 cup dried chickpeas, soaked overnight and boiled in salted water until tender
1 small onion, diced
1 (10 oz) can Ro-tel diced tomatoes and chilis
1 cup frozen corn
1/2 tsp dried oregano
kosher salt and black pepper
1 cup grated reduced fat cheddar cheese (I used Cabot)
10-12 corn tortillas
1 3/4 cup low sodium vegetable broth
1 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
1 bunch kale, stemmed
1 (4 oz) can green chiles
2 scallions, chopped

Instructions

In a large nonstick skillet, spray with cooking spray and, over medium-low heat, saute chickpeas, onion, Ro-tel, corn, oregano, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon black pepper. Saute 5-6 minutes over medium-low heat or until all liquid from tomatoes has evaporated, stirring often. Remove from heat.

In a blender or food processor, puree the vegetable broth, Greek yogurt, kale, chiles, and scallions.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a 9×13 casserole or baking dish. Lightly cover bottom of the dish with 1/2-3/4 cup of the sauce.

Heat corn tortillas by wrapping the stack of them in aluminum foil and placing them in the preheating oven for 5-7 minutes or by microwaving them covered with a wet paper towel for 30 seconds.

Stir 1/2 cup of cheese into the chickpea mixture. Add heaping 1/2 cups of filling to one end of each tortilla and roll up or fold in half placing each one seam side down in the prepared casserole dish.

Pour kale sauce evenly over top of enchiladas. It will be very liquidy, but don't worry, it will thicken as it cooks. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup of cheese over the enchiladas. Bake for about 25 minutes until bubbly all over. Allow to sit for five minutes before serving.

Recipe: Meyer Lemon Rosemary Sticky Buns

2012-01-13T07:15:00.003-05:00

The thing about waking up in the morning once to the smell of lemon and rosemary and deliciously sweet dough baking in your oven.

Is that it's habit forming.

All of a sudden, you can't sleep because you know that you're going to arise to boring old stale air.

You can't dream, because you're just completely preoccupied with the thought of all that stale air infiltrating your lungs and pervading your mind and blowing away the memory of the lemon-rosemary-heaven scent.

And you can't wake up because what is there to live for, really, if these sticky buns aren't going to be waiting for you on your counter in all their lemony-sweet glory?

Dilemmas. We're wading in 'em.

But not to fear! I've thought long and hard about this. And we have options.

Not very good or sensible options. But options nonetheless.

(a) We could buy out our grocery store's supply of Meyer lemons and then use half of them to bake sticky buns every other day and the other half to squeeze juice around our apartment on the other days so that we can fake out our smell receptors and still be able to wear our skinny jeans. Plus we'll appease our aching hearts because they'll know that, even if we can't have a sticky bun today, our next one is just a mere 24 hours away. Expensive. But doable.

(b) Get all of our friends and family addicted to Meyer lemon rosemary sticky buns. (Easy.) Then convince them to join MLRSBEA with us.

MLRSBEA = Meyer Lemon Rosemary Sticky Bun Eaters Anonymous

Duh.

(c) Replace our Meyer lemon rosemary sticky bun habit with a drug addiction. Preferably not marijuana because I don't think that's going to help with the skinny jean problem. And may lead us to make even more sticky buns.

(d) Allow aliens to infiltrate our minds and brainwash us into thinking we actually don't like the smell of Meyer lemon rosemary heaven emanating from our ovens. Then lead a sad and lonely Meyer lemon rosemary-less existence for the rest of our lives. (Not optimal.)

So these are our options.

I leave it to you to figure out which of these you're going to pursue once you make these and realize your life will never be the same again and you find yourself quitting your job, abandoning your children at daycare, leaving your husband just so that you don't have to share a single sticky bun with him, and doing all sorts of crazy things just to get your fix.

As for me. I'm just going to keep baking sticky buns.

Meyer lemon season just started, after all. And I'm not quite ready to throw in the towel on 'em just yet.

For more Eats Well With Others deliciousness, check out my guest post on Vanilla Sugar! Trust me...this is a recipe you DON'T want to miss.

Meyer Lemon Rosemary Sticky Buns
Makes 12-16, adapted from Tracey's Culinary Adventures

Ingredients

For the Dough

1 tbsp active yeast or 1 packet
3/4 cup warm milk, divided
1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
3 1/2-4 cups AP flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
2 meyer lemons, zested
2 eggs, room temperature

For the Filling:

1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp nutmeg
zest of 2 meyer lemons
1 tbsp fresh rosemary, minced
2 tbsp meyer lemon juice
2 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature

For the Lemon Cream Cheese Glaze:

4 oz reduced fat cream cheese, softened
Juice of one meyer lemon
1 cup confectioner's sugar

Instructions

In a small bowl, mix the yeast with 1/4 cup warm milk and a pinch of sugar. Let it sit for a few minutes. If it foams, then you're good to go. If not, the yeast is probably dead and your dough will not likely rise. Mix the yeast/milk mixture, the remaining milk, butter, sugar, vanilla, salt, nutmeg, lemon zest, and one cup of the flour and mix briefly to combine. Add the eggs and enough of the remaining flour to make a soft yet sticky dough. Switch to the dough hook and knead the dough for about 5 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic. (Alternatively, you could turn the soft dough out onto a floured work surface and knead by hand for 7-10 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic.)
Lightly grease a large bowl with cooking spray. Add the dough and turn to coat. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set in a warm spot. Let the dough rise until nearly doubled, about an hour.
To make the filling, mix the sugar with the nutmeg, then work in the lemon zest and rosemary with the tips of your fingers until the sugar resembles wet, soft sand. Stir in two tablespoons of lemon juice.
Lightly grease a 13x9 inch baking dish with cooking spray. On a floured surface, roll the dough out into a rectangle that is approximately 10x15 inches. Spread the dough evenly with the softened butter, then spread the lemon-sugar filling mixture over top. Starting with a long end facing you, roll the dough up tightly. Pinch the dough at the end to seal the seam. Cut the dough into 12 or 16 even rolls (I like to halve the roll, then halve each piece and finally, cut each piece into thirds or foruths), and place them, cut side up, in the prepared baking dish.
Cover the rolls with a towel and let them rise for an hour or until puffy and nearly doubled. (You can also refrigerate the rolls at this point. Cover the pan tightly with plastic wrap, and place it in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. When you are ready to bake the rolls, remove the pan from the fridge, and let them rise for an hour.<--This is what I did, then baked the next morning!)
Heat the oven to 350 F. Bake for 25-35 minutes, or until the rolls are lightly browned and a thermometer inserted into the center of a roll reads 190 F.
While the rolls are baking, prepare the glaze. Whip the cream cheese (using a mixer or even by hand with a whisk) until light and fluffy. Add the lemon juice and blend until well combined. Mix in the powdered sugar until the glaze is smooth and creamy.
When the rolls finish baking, smear them with the cream cheese glaze. Serve warm.

For more Meyer lemon inspiration, check out these recipes:
Meyer Lemon Curd
Meyer Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
Meyer Lemon Bars

I am submitting these to Bake with Bizzy. They have been yeastspotted!