Keep It Simple Foods

Lynn’s Glazed Almond Coffee Cake

Jen @ Keepitsimplefoods — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 11:54:53 +0000

This coffee cake comes to you courtesy of Lynn Mason- one of the best cooks I know. Borrow one of Lynn’s recipes and you can be sure it will turn out beautifully. This cake is rich, buttery and perfectly sweet. You won’t be able to stop at just one slice.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 sticks of butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp almond extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
pinch of salt
sliced or slivered almonds

Glaze (optional):
1 c powdered sugar
3-4 tsp milk
1/2 tsp vanilla

Directions: Preheat oven to 350. Line a 10 inch iron skillet with heavy-duty aluminum foil, leaving several inches over edge to wrap/close when finished baking. Combine butter and sugar. Beat until smooth. Add eggs one at a time. Add almond extract. Fold in flour and salt. Spread in skillet (I spray the foil with Pam) and sprinkle the top with almonds. Bake 35 to 40 minutes. Cool and glaze. Lift out of skillet and close foil. This freezes well.

Open-Faced Mushroom and Cheese Melt

Jen @ Keepitsimplefoods — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 11:59:54 +0000

It’s that time of year again, National Grilled Cheese Month! And I’m celebrating with Land O Lakes®Deli American Cheese.

This year, Land O’ Lakes has teamed up with Kitchen PLAY and 30 talented bloggers to create melty, gooey, delicious grilled cheese recipes to celebrate 30 Days of Grilled Cheese. Yum! And did you know that Land O’ Lakes is a farmer-owned cooperative consisting of independent farms, large and small? Pretty impressive.

For this year’s recipe, I created a toasty, cheesy, open-faced sandwich featuring juicy mushrooms and tangy mustard. Amazing.

Ingredients: (1 serving)
1 slice whole wheat sour dough bread
1 cup mushrooms
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 slices Land O Lakes®Deli American Cheese
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1 tablespoon whole grain mustard

Directions: In a saucepan, heat the olive oil and add the mushrooms. Cook until tender.

Smear the bread with mayo and mustard. Top with mushrooms and sliced Land O Lakes® Deli American cheese. Broil for about 5 minutes, until cheese is melted and bread is toasted brown. Pair with a simple salad or green vegetable. Delicious.

*Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Land O’Lakes as part of the Kitchen PLAY Sidecar series. All opinions given are my own.

Granola Cookie Squares

Jen @ Keepitsimplefoods — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 12:34:58 +0000

Do you ever have days where you are so busy you forget to eat? You’re working away frantically at your desk and at some point you pause to check your watch and realize it’s 4pm and you still haven’t had lunch! You were so preoccupied, you actually forgot to feed yourself. No wonder you have the shakes. This happens to me more often than I’d like to admit. So I’ve started stashing my office with snacks that I can chew and swallow in under 5 minutes. Even better if I can eat them while on the phone without spewing crumbs on the mouth piece.

That’s where these little goodies come in handy. These granola cookie squares are perfect on-the-go snacks that have heft and sweetness to tide me over until I can make time for a meal. They’re also terrific for a quick breakfast!

Ingredients: (Makes 9 squares)
Adapted from Cooking Light

1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 large egg
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup quick-cooking oats
1/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted
2 tablespoons semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup dried sweetened cherries (optional)
Cooking spray

Directions: Preheat oven to 350°. Combine first 7 ingredients in a large bowl; stir until well combined.

Add flour, oats, nuts, cherries and chocolate chips to sugar mixture; stir until just combined.

Scrape the dough into an 8-inch square glass pan coated with cooking spray, and spread to edges using a spatula. The mixture will be thin.

Bake at 350° for 13 minutes or until set. Cool slightly on a wire rack. Cut into squares.

White Bean and Kale Soup

Jen @ Keepitsimplefoods — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 11:39:34 +0000

So it’s still cold out. Not warm at all. I’m freezing. How about some soup?

Ingredients:
Borrowed from Serious Eats

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
1 medium onion, finely diced (about 1 cup)
2 medium carrots, finely diced (about 1 cup)
2 ribs celery, finely diced (about 1 cup)
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
1 quart vegetable broth
2 (15-ounce) cans white beans (cannellini or great northern), with their liquid
4 6-inch sprigs rosemary, leaves finely chopped and stems reserved
1 (3-4 inch) chunk parmesan rind (optional)
2 bay leaves
3 to 4 cups roughly chopped kale or swiss chard leaves
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Parmigiano-Reggiano for serving

Directions: Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onions, carrots, and celery and cook, stirring frequently, until softened but not browned, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and dried red pepper flakes and cook, stirring constantly until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add broth, beans and their liquid, rosemary stems, parmesan rind, and bay leaves. Increase heat to high, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a bare simmer, add kale, cover and cook for 15 minutes.

Discard the bay leaves and rosemary stems. Use a hand blender to roughly puree part of the beans until desired consistency is reached. Alternatively, transfer 2 cups of soup to a blender or food processor and process until smooth (start on low speed and increase to high to prevent blender blow-out). Return to the soup and stir to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Ladle into bowls, sprinkle with reserved chopped rosemary leaves, drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil and a grating of Parmigiano-Reggiano, and serve with crusty toasted bread.

Vanilla Blueberry Lassi

Jen @ Keepitsimplefoods — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 11:35:29 +0000

I am a lassi fiend these days. I drink them in the mornings and many evenings for dessert. I love the tartness of the yogurt and the mild sweetness of the blueberries. And they aren’t a total calorie bomb like so many smoothies out there. I got on this lassi kick a few weeks ago when I whipped one up to go with my Indian take-out order. So glad I did. This lassi is life changing.

Ingredients: (makes 2 large shakes)
Adapted from Cooking Light

1 cup frozen wild blueberries
2 cups plain yogurt
1/2 cup 1% milk (you could use skim or whole milk as well)
1/2 cup vanilla almond milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions: Pour everything into a blender and blend until smooth. Enjoy with breakfast, for dessert, or accompanied by a plate of spicy Indian food.

Kale and Roasted Cauliflower Salad with Tahini Dressing

Jen @ Keepitsimplefoods — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 12:29:00 +0000

Yes, you read that heading correctly. This salad is for real and not merely a food fantasy you are having right now.

My friend Jessica made this for book club last month (where we read the hilarious Let’s Pretend This Never Happened). It wound up being the focal point of our conversation because we could not get over how delicious it was. I’ve made it more than once since then and envision this to be a wintertime staple in our house.

Ingredients: (Makes 4 to 6 servings)
Slightly adapted from Real Simple

1/4 cup pine nuts
1 small head cauliflower, cut into florets
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 tablespoons olive oil
kosher salt and black pepper
1/4 cup tahini (sesame seed paste)
3 tablespoons lemon juice
10 cups stemmed and chopped kale (about 1 bunch) or torn escarole
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup dried sweetened cranberries (the original recipe calls for raisins)

Directions: In a sauce pan on low heat, lightly toast the pine nuts until fragrant. Remove from heat and set aside

Heat oven to 450° F. On a baking sheet, toss the cauliflower with the cayenne, 2 tablespoons of the oil, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Roast, tossing once, until golden and tender, 20 to 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the tahini, lemon juice, the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil, ⅓ cup water, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and black pepper (adding more water if necessary, to achieve the consistency of heavy cream). Add the kale, onion, cranberries, pine nuts, and cauliflower and toss to combine.

Tangerine Sparkler

Jen @ Keepitsimplefoods — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 12:03:42 +0000

All the glitz and glamour of last night’s Oscars put me in the mood for something bubbly. A fizzy drink that I could toast, clank, and sip while waiting for the winners to be announced. The tangerines were ripe and the champagne chilled to perfection. Cheers.

Ingredients:

Adapted from Cooking Light

1 1/3 cups cava, sparkling wine or champagne (for a non-alcoholic version use sparkling water)
3/4 cup fresh tangerine juice, chilled
Tangerine slices

Directions: Combine cava and juice. Garnish with tangerine slices. Drink up.

Thai Butternut Soup

Jen @ Keepitsimplefoods — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 15:14:21 +0000

It’s so hard to get soups like this right. I’ve tried zillions of soup recipes that call for exotic, aromatic ingredients, but end up bland and dull. It’s such a tease. Your mouth begins to salivate as you lean in to stir a fiery pot of what you hope tastes as good as it smells. And then you test it and nothing. No flavor. As if all the amazing ingredients canceled each other out and you’re left with soup as flavorful as mud. Boo.

I wasn’t sure what to expect with this recipe, but WOW! Crazy intense flavor. After making this, you’ll consider opening your own restaurant because that’s how good a cook you must be. And it takes only 30 minutes from start to finish.

Ingredients:
Adapted from Cooking Light

1 teaspoon canola oil
1 cup chopped onion
2 1/2 teaspoons red curry paste
1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh garlic
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1 cup fat-free, vegetable broth
2 teaspoons brown sugar
2 (15-ounce) cans pureed butternut squash
1 (14-ounce) can light coconut milk
1 1/2 teaspoons fish sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon lime zest
1/2 cup chopped unsalted, dry-roasted peanuts
1/4 cup cilantro leaves
1 lime, cut into 8 wedges

directions

Heat a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add oil; swirl to coat. Add onion; sauté 3 minutes. Add curry paste, garlic, and ginger; sauté 45 seconds, stirring constantly.

Add broth and next 6 ingredients (through lime zest); cover. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Use an immersion blender to blend until smooth.

Spoon about 1 cup soup into each of 4 bowls; top with 2 tablespoons peanuts and 1 tablespoon cilantro. Serve with lime wedges.

Amazing flavor. I can’t believe how easy this was.

Browned Butter White Chocolate Macadamia Cookies

Jen @ Keepitsimplefoods — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 12:29:44 +0000

How about some cookies for Valentine’s Day? These white chocolate chip and macadamia have an decadent, nutty browned butter flavor. They are perfect for dunking into hot tea or cold milk. Thanks to Oh! Nuts for supplying the macadamias- amazing!

Ingredients:
1 cup butter, browned
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups white chocolate chips (11 oz)
1 1/2 cups Macadamia nuts, coarsely chopped

Directions: Preheat oven to 350º. In a pan, heat the butter until browned. (Take care not to burn!) Pour the butter into a large mixing bowl. Add sugars and vanilla until combined. Next, add eggs one at a time. Add the flour (one cup at a time), salt and baking soda. Mix until just combined. Fold in white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts.

Measure out the mixture using an ice cream scoop (or tablespoon). Place dough balls on a cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes, until tops begin to brown. Allow to cool slightly before serving.

Happy Valentine’s Day!!!

No Yeast Cinnamon Rolls

Jen @ Keepitsimplefoods — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 13:02:07 +0000

Baking is always a good way to heat your kitchen (or apartment) on freezing cold January days. I made a batch of these inauguration morning which kept me warm all day. This no-yeast recipe is easy to make, much quicker than traditional rolls and has a hearty cake-like texture.

Ingredients:
Adapted from Iowa Girl Eats

For the Cinnamon Filling:
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 Tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon garam masala or cloves (optional)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons butter, melted

For the Dough:
2-1/2 cups all purpose flour, plus more for rolling out dough
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
5 Tablespoons butter, melted and divided

For the Icing:
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 Tablespoon milk

Directions: Preheat oven to 425. Combine filling ingredients in a small bowl, then mix with a fork until well blended.

In a another, larger bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk together buttermilk and 4 Tablespoons melted butter in a separate bowl, then pour into the middle of the dry ingredients. Stir together until dough just comes together. Kneed slightly with your hands until the dough forms into a ball.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough. Press half the filling mixture into the center, leaving 1/4″ of the dough clear on all 4 sides (like dressing a pizza) and then roll up the dough. Pinch together seam, trim ends and cut into 1/2 inch slices. Place rolls in a non-stick sprayed square or round pan. Brush with remaining Tablespoon of melted butter and bake for 15 minutes, or until tops are golden brown.

To make the icing, whisk together the powdered sugar and milk until smooth.

Drizzle the hot rolls with icing. You can do this while the rolls are still in the pan, but my husband is picky about how much icing he gets. So we ice each roll individually.

Mmm, nice and warm.