Keep It Simple Foods

A Baby Shower and Le Caprice Bakery

Jen @ Keepitsimplefoods — Mon, 14 May 2012 11:54:29 +0000

On Mother’s Day I helped host a baby shower for a very special friend and mother-to-be. Our theme was “Paris” inspired so, we chose food and decor to create a modern bistro feel.

Creating the menu was- as you can probably guess- my favorite part. Discovering Le Caprice bakery in Columbia Heights, DC was icing on the cake.

If DC lacks anything, it’s good bakeries with reasonable prices. Since opening last January, Le Caprice seems to be filling the void. At 9am on a Sunday, nearly every patio table was occupied by a newspaper reader with a pastry and a coffee. The line at the register was six deep and the air smelled like butter and sugar. Not a bad way to spend a weekend morning. I’ll add that the service was quick and friendly and I got out of the door with my order in less than five minutes.

We kept the party menu light and simple. For the main course, we served grilled croque monsieur on baguette, a mixed greens salad, brie with fruit, and croissants. The baguettes and croissants came from Le Caprice.

To drink, we served a champagne and St. Germaine cocktail with lemon twist, and Perrier with lime.

For dessert (ah, dessert)- chocolate éclairs and cream puffs provided by Le Caprice.

It was a lovely afternoon of laughter, friendship, good food and lots of gifts for baby!

Congratulations to the new parents!

Pistachio and Avocado Crostini

Jen @ Keepitsimplefoods — Thu, 10 May 2012 10:47:56 +0000

I’m posting this recipe a little late in the game. I first sampled these crisp crostini treats at book club some six months ago. Since then, I discovered they’re a popular feature on the menu at Cork, one of my favorite neighborhood restaurants. I’ve been meaning to write about them for ages. They are simply heaven- buttery, crispy and easy to make.

Ingredients:
1 baguette, sliced
2 avocados, sliced
1/2 cup pistachios, shelled and coarsely chopped
extra virgin olive oil (or pistachio oil)
salt and pepper

Directions: Brush each slice of bread with olive oil. Broil until lightly toasted.

Top each crostini with avocado slices. Sprinkle with pistachios and drizzle a bit more oil over top.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

This recipe makes a perfectly easy snack for any sort of gathering. It was a huge hit at book club!

Lemon Curd and Blueberry Ribbon Cake

Jen @ Keepitsimplefoods — Mon, 07 May 2012 12:11:05 +0000

I made this cake for breakfast. Shame on me. It’s definitely better suited to dessert. It is sweet, fall- apart moist, and dangerous! Make it and then give most away to the neighbors. It’s too good to last long and you don’t want to be caught with sticky fingers and blueberry stains on your teeth- or maybe you do!

The beauty of this recipe is that you could sub in any flavor of jam or curd for the lemon curd and you can use whatever fruit combos you like.

Ingredients:

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup butter
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup blueberries
1/2 cup lemon curd

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Move the top oven rack to a lower setting, in the middle of the oven.

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter until creamy. Add in the sugar and beat until well mixed. Add in the eggs one at a time and beat until fluffy. Next, add the vanilla.

Fold the flour mixture gently into the butter mixture using a spatula, until the last of the flour disappears. Do not over mix. Fold in the blueberries. The mixture should be light and airy.

Line a loaf pan with lightly oiled parchment paper. Pour half the cake batter into the pan. Spoon in half the lemon curd and spread it evenly over top.

Top with the remaining cake batter. Drop spoonfuls of the remaining lemon curd on top of the batter.

Use a knife to swirl the mixture, incorporating it into the batter. Bake for 60 minutes, until done. (The cake should be sort of spongy on top so that it bounces back when you press it with your fingers.)

Allow to cool to room temperature before slicing. This cake is very moist so you need to let it sit for a good bit.

Slice and serve. See the lemon ribbon in the center?

And let’s not forget the gorgeous, sugary crust on top. Yum.

Garnish with blueberries, powdered sugar, whipped cream, or whatever you like!

Cinco de Mayo Recipes

Jen @ Keepitsimplefoods — Sat, 05 May 2012 14:02:08 +0000

In the event that you are still on the hunt for Cinco de Mayo recipes, look no further! Turns out I’ve published my share of Mexican inspired recipes on this blog. Below, I’ve listed a few of my favorites that will work for a small gathering or a larger crowd.

Spicy Black Bean and Sour Cream Enchiladas

Citrus Fish Tacos

Chili Baked Nachos

Tortilla and Black Bean Salad with Jalapeno Ranch

Estelle’s Mexican Cornbread

Black Bean and Red Pepper Breakfast Burrito

Black and Pinto Bean Salad with Cilantro Lime Dressing

Strawberry Tacos

On this blog, you will also find delicious recipes for migas, quesadillas, nachos and bean and cheese dip. Happy eating!

Strawberry and Pecan Quinoa with Honey Lemon Dressing

Jen @ Keepitsimplefoods — Thu, 03 May 2012 12:06:32 +0000

This dish may not be much to look at but it is delicious and versatile. It makes a great breakfast or snack. I actually ate several forkfuls before dinner last night. I couldn’t resist. You’ve got sweet, tart strawberries mingling with the buttery pecans and the quinoa is right there binding it all together. Amazing. And so simple!

Ingredients:
1 cup quinoa, prepared according to the package instructions
1 cup chopped strawberries
1 cup chopped and lightly toasted pecans
juice of 1 lemon
1 Tablespoon honey

Directions: Cook the quinoa, drain off any excess water and chill until cool to touch.

Lightly toast the chopped pecans and allow to cool to room temperature.

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the lemon juice and honey to make the dressing.

In a separate mixing bowl combine the quinoa, strawberries, pecans and honey/lemon dressing. Toss until well combined.

This is such an easy dish to throw together anytime you like. Enjoy!

Strawberry Tacos

Jen @ Keepitsimplefoods — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 11:13:55 +0000

It’s kind of a funny story how I came up with this recipe. I glanced quickly at the cover of this month’s Cooking Light magazine- the one with all the taco recipes on the front- and saw what I thought were strawberry and chocolate tacos. I thought, “What a great idea!” and then I took a closer look. Turns out it was a photo of beef tips and red pepper tacos. Not even close! My eyes must be going. In any event, I took the inspiration for strawberry tacos and ran with it. These tacos remind me of chocolate and strawberry crepes, but the corn tortilla provides a saltier, crispier contrast than the typical crepe. And it makes them a bit more interesting, I think. These would make a fun party dessert presented in cute, little taco stands. And they are gluten free which means anyone can eat them!

Ingredients: (2 tacos)
2 corn tortillas
1 cup sliced strawberries
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
2 Tablespoons whipped cream (use pre-made or make your own)

Directions: If you plan to make your own whipped cream, do that first. Use a mixer to whip the cream until it stiffens up. Set aside.

Next, toast the tortillas in a pan. Get the pan nice and hot. Toast one side and flip.

Sprinkle about half the chocolate chips on top. They should start to melt right away. (Be sure the chocolate chips are at room temperature to begin with. Also, you could zap them in the microwave for 5 to 10 seconds to soften them up a bit beforehand.)

Top with 1/2 the strawberries and 1 Tablespoon of whipped cream.

Repeat for the second taco.

Serve warm.

A dash of cinnamon or powdered sugar might also be a nice touch.

Raw Salad with Honey Lemon Dressing

Jen @ Keepitsimplefoods — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 11:24:29 +0000

This is probably one of the brightest, most colorful salads I’ve eaten. I love how the vivid orange, red and green make this salad seem so cheery. I also love how this salad gives me tons of energy and really fills me up, though it’s super light.

My sister says I can’t call it a salad if there is no lettuce. I don’t know if I agree. Seems like a salad to me. What do you think?

Ingredients:
2 cups broccoli florets
2 cups baby carrots
2 cups cauliflower florets
1 cup toasted sunflower seeds
1 cup dried sweetened cranberries
juice of 1 lemon
2 Tablespoons honey

Directions: The preparation for this salad is simple. In a food processor, chop the broccoli, cauliflower and carrots until fine. It’s best to do each vegetable separately for consistency. Place the chopped vegetables into a mixing bowl.

Next, add the dried cranberries, sunflower seeds, lemon juice and honey. Mix well.

Chill and serve.

Garnish with extra cranberries and a lemon peel (if desired).

This salad can be made the night before and will happily ride along with you to the office.

Cinnamon and Sugar Apple Chips

Jen @ Keepitsimplefoods — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 11:33:14 +0000

Last week, my husband bought a bag of baked apple chips from Whole Foods. They tasted amazing and the ingredients seemed surprisingly simple. As this blog is all about simple foods, I had to make my own. I caution you that the baking time required for these chips is several hours. It’s not ideal, but it takes time to dry out the apple slices. Besides, it’s not all bad. You can set the timer and skip off to accomplish other things while these crisp up.

I used a cinnamon and sugar combo, but you could get creative with more exotic spices and flavorings. I bet a good coat of honey or a crust of parmesan would also be pretty tasty.

Ingredients: (Makes about 2 dozen chips.)

2 Macintosh apples, washed
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon cinnamon
parchment paper
paper towels

Directions: Preheat oven to 200 degrees F. Then, core your apples.

Then, slice each apple finely using a mandolin on a 4.5 mm setting. If you don’t have a mandolin, use a knife. Try to make the slices as even as possible.

Next, add the cinnamon and sugar to a shallow bowl and mix well.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Dip each apple slice into the cinnamon and sugar mixture, coating each side. Place on the parchment paper. After a minute or two, you’ll notice the apples starting to sweat. Sugar (much like salt) extracts moisture. In this case, that’s a good thing because you want the apples as dry as possible when they go into the oven.

Use a paper towel to blot the moisture from the apple slices. Flip each slice to blot the other side as well.

Bake at 200 degrees for 1 hour then flip the slices over and bake for another hour. The slices should be crispy, but if they need more time, turn off the oven and leave the chips inside as the oven cools down.

These apple chips take a long time to crisp up, but be patient. Resist the urge to crank up the heat.

See how crispy?

And so addictive! I promise they won’t last long.

Pistachio Chai Muffins

Jen @ Keepitsimplefoods — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 11:18:55 +0000

I’ve had my eye on this recipe for a while. I found it in Cooking Light magazine, tabbed it and then forgot to make it. Typical. My Cooking Light magazine collection is a disaster. Most of the pages are ripped, stained or scribbled on. As are all my other cooking magazines and some of my cook books too. I can’t help it. Flipping through those glossy pages froths up so many culinary ideas and experiments that I simply must get down RIGHT NOW! Mostly, I use the recipes I find as inspiration for new recipes that I can share on the blog. But sometimes (like now) I strictly follow the letters on the page. These pistachio chai muffins were simply too good to be tampered with.

Ingredients: (makes 12 muffins)

Borrowed from Cooking Light

1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tea bags blended chai tea, opened
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup melted butter
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, divided
1 large egg
cooking spray (or oil)
1/3 cup shelled dry-roasted pistachios, chopped
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 Tablespoon water

Directions: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

Next, prepare the chai. Use scissors to open the tea bags and add it to the flour mix. If the tea is coarse rather than fine, pulse in a food processor prior to adding it to the flour mix.

In a separate bowl, combine the egg, buttermilk, butter and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the egg mixture. Stir until just combined.

Spoon the batter into greased or lined muffin cups. I used silicone liners and they worked great.

Sprinkle the chopped pistachios over top.

Bake for 15 minutes and place on a wire rack to cool.

While the muffins cool, make the icing. Blend together the powdered sugar, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and 1 teaspoon water. Drizzle over top of the muffins.

Yum.

Serve with a mug of hot tea or coffee.

Crispy Tortilla and Black Bean Salad with Creamy Jalapeno Ranch

Jen @ Keepitsimplefoods — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 11:21:37 +0000

We don’t usually eat ranch dressing in our house. My husband’s taste for a side of ranch with everything (including pizza, fries, and burgers) in college caused a 30 pound weight gain. Once he graduated, he lost the weight and never looked back. Good riddance, ranch dressing!

But when visiting my sister in Austin a few months ago, we feasted on chips and salsa dipped in Chuy’s famous creamy jalapeno dip – which tastes basically like spicy ranch dressing. It’s so good. I could not get enough. So I got to work making my own version.

On a salad! So I can feel better about it, right? At least it’s not poured over a slice of cheese pizza.

Ingredients: (makes 2 large salads)

1 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup purple onion, diced
2 Tablespoons chopped cilantro (leaves only)
1 lime
2 hard boiled eggs, chopped
1 avocado, chopped
1/2 cup grape tomatoes, sliced
2 cups lettuce, chopped
1 cucumber, peeled and chopped
1 jalapeno, chopped
1 cup ranch dressing
tortilla chips
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions: In a bowl, combine the black beans, cilantro, purple onion, juice of half the lime and salt.

Next, add the egg, cucumber and avocado.

Finally, add the lettuce and tomatoes and toss.

To make the jalapeno ranch, use a food processor to blend together the ranch dressing, jalapeno and remaining lime juice (add the zest too if you like). Pulse until creamy.

Serve the salad in a bowl with crushed tortilla chips on top. As much as you like!

Then pour on the creamy jalapeno ranch dressing.

Doesn’t that look good? You’re going to want to drink this from a glass.

Best salad ever.