Hello my name is Stephanie... and yes, I am a carboholic. Really now, how do you say no to a nice hot, right of the oven, slice of bread??? I'd like to see you try!!

This is the recipe I mentioned last week that I saw and made all in the same day. Full day of work, hour long spinning class with Brian the beast (seriously he's insane, I LOVE the class, and if he catches you talking to your neighbor he starts yelling about how if you have enough energy to talk... you aint working hard enough... ahh Brian love it), then it was home to make this bread... it just sounded so good! I couldn't resist.


I have one of the big kitchen aids, the 5 quart "heavy duty" kind... and this recipe made it jump around a bit... it's a BEAST of a ball of dough.


I mean look at it once it was done, it's about to jump ship!!

The recipe comes from Sugarlaws and there were a few questions I had while following her recipe... my comments in red italics.

Oatmeal Wheat Bread
recipe from Sugarlaws

3 cups whole wheat flour
3 cups bread flour
2 cups warm water (i'm assuming you use 1/4 cup for the proof and then the remaining 1 3/4 for the actual dough part....)
1 packet yeast (2 1/4 tsp if you are using a jar of yeast, or 1 cake fresh yeast)
1/2 cup instant oats, plus additional oatmeal for sprinkling on the loaf (I used whole oats instead of instant)
1/2 cup water (use this to make the oatmeal... I used a little more eyeballing it)
1 tsp sugar
2 tsp salt (I used 1.5 tsp)

Proof the yeast in 1/4 cup of water (I warmed the water to 110 degrees first) with 1 tsp of sugar. At the same time, microwave the oatmeal grains and water until oatmeal has absorbed the water, about 30 seconds to 1 minute (since I used whole rolled oats, I microwaved mine with a little more water for 3 minutes). When the yeast and water turns milky/creamy, mix it with the flour, the oatmeal, the rest of the water and salt and knead for about 10 minutes (took less time with the kitchen aid). If dough is too sticky, add a little bit of flour to make it easier to knead. Place the dough in a greased bowl and allow it to rise for 90 minutes, or until doubled in size. Punch down the dough, knead it again briefly, and place it in a greased pan for baking (she didn't mention what size pan, I used a normal size loaf pan and then a smaller loaf pan since there was too much for one loaf).

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees, and allow the dough to rise for an additional 45 minutes, or until it rises to the size you want. Sprinkle some additional oats on the top of the loaf. Bake for 25 minutes, allow to cool, and slice.


Can't you just smell the yeast proofing? Question for you. Do you LIKE or DISLIKE the smell of proofing yeast? I love it!! Which is ironic in a way since it reminds me of beer and I'm not a huge beer fan...

...ravioli, it's so good for me! Anyone else remember that song from when you were a kid?

I've been blogging about a lot of baked goods lately so I figured it was time to tell you something to have for dinner. I had received a package of Buitoni fresh not frozen ravioli through Foodbuzz awhile ago. I had great plans on making something with them and never got around to it... until the other night. I arrived home from the gym and had no clue what I was having for dinner. A quick look in the fridge and I noticed the pack of ravioli still hanging out (don't worry it hadn't reached its expiration date yet!). I looked around to see what else I had to put with it, because lord knows if I had made just the ravioli I would have eaten the entire package by myself no questions asked :)

My veggie drawer was looking a little sparse... collard greens... eggplant...random... these will have to do.

I must say I'm pretty picky about my ravioli, my mom dad and I make a seriously mean ravioli from scratch, super thin pasta, amazing filling... so I don't eat ravioli other than home made very often... they tend to be too thick and doughy for my taste. These Butoni were pretty good though I must say, good flavor mix inside, and the dough wasn't too too thick (it wasn't crazy thin though).

Here's what I did to make a quick dinner!

Ravioli with eggplant and crispy collard greens
serves 2

1 package Butoni wild mushroom ravioli
4 leaves collard greens
1 small eggplant cut into medallions
olive oil
salt pepper to taste
couple glugs of white wine (plus more for drinking with your meal... I know I used good wine to cook with... but I didn't have any crap cooking white wine on hand. plus it added a seriously nice flavor... ok don't use crap wine, mom made a great point in the comments... use the good stuff!)

Put water on to boil for ravioli (they only take 4-6 minutes to cook so that makes this a super quick meal). Rinse collards and tear into small pieces. Place in a pan with a little olive oil and toss until wilted. Add eggplant and let brown on both sides. Ok now season with salt and pepper and glug in the wine! They will steam up a bit and the longer you cook them the crisper the collards will get. I took some of mine out early and left some in to get them to a potato chip crisp quality. YUM. Once ravioli are done cooking toss them with a little olive oil and pepper and top with collards and eggplant. CHOW!

Grilled cheese, what's not to like... carbs, cheese, butter... yeah, not so much health food, but still tasty!

So what to do to health this one up...

• Whole wheat bread
• Shred your cheese (taste goes WAY farther this way without using as much)
• Add a condiment to kick up the flavor (my choice: mustard!! and I don't mean the crap neon yellow stuff)
• Add a heaping side of grilled veggies
• Grill it in a pan with a tiny tiny bit of butter, or a light spray of olive oil
  

So I introduce you to mr grilled cheese:


Why hello there good looking...how are you today.... ok enough small talk, lets chow!

I fell in love with quinoa before I even knew how to pronounce its name... but now I do!! Even though I prefer my original pronunciation better ;) OK time to fess up... who knows how to pronounce it for real??

This recipe comes from vegan with a vengeance... who's pad thai recipe I wasn't a fan of... but these tiny pucks are tasty little buggers! She says to bake them... for 40 minutes... who has 40 minutes?? I want to chow NOW. So I just sprayed a pan with olive oil and cooked them that way, just a few minutes each side to brown and warm them up... it's vegan, so there isn't anything that needs to get cooked up like raw eggs... although they do need some pan time... I wouldn't eat these straight up raw.


Black-Eyed Pea and Quinoa Croquettes
from Vegan with A Vengeance

For the Croquettes:

1 1/2 cup of cooked black-eyed peas
1 generous tablespoon of olive oil (totally forgot to put this in... they still came out good!)
1 generous tablespoon of tamari or soy sauce
1 cup of cooked quinoa (I used the red kind this time)
1 red or green chili, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon of dried basil
1 teaspoon of paprika

For the Coating:
1/4 cup of bread crumbs
1/4 cup of cornmeal
pinch of sea salt
freshly cracked black pepper
1/2 teaspoon of grated lemon zest

In a medium-large bowl, mash the black-eyed peas with a fork or potato masher. Mix in the olive oil, tamari and hot chili. Add the quinoa to the bowl, along with the spices and herbs and stir until well combined.

Combine the ingredients for the coating in a small bowl.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease the sheet.

Shape the bean and quinoa mixture into small patties, roll in the crumb mixture and transfer to the baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 40 minutes. Turn them after 20 minutes have elapsed. (Ok I didn't feel like waiting 40 minutes, so I packed them in 1/4 cup measuring cup to shape them, rolled them in the crumbs and pan fried them with a spray of olive oil... tasty!)

Serves 4. (HA more like 2.5 peeps)

You know a Korean restaurant is authentic when you are the only person seated in the place that isn't Korean.

Korean House, now called Sodam is not easy to find... lets face it, if someone didn't tell you in a very detailed matter of how to get there... you'd never find it. Take the entrance off of Jefferson road (in Henrietta) into the Genesee Valley Regional Market. You will be in the middle of a random industrial park. To the left you will see Lori's Natural Foods, turn down this alley and keep going... all the way at the end on the left you will see a small metal door and a small sign for Sodam... park and go on in... don't be scared, it doesn't look like an entrance... but it is :)

Sodam is a treat. A fellow grad student from Korea first told me of this place and I've been hooked ever since. The service can be on the slow side, and they aren't the best at refilling your water glass, but don't let that bother you, because the food is AMAZING. And very authentic (so tells my Korean born friend... who sadly is back in Korea and not here anymore).

Each meal starts with a traditional assortment of kim chi (the offerings have changed over the years):


John loves the different types of sprouts, and the seaweed salad best. I love the spicy fish cakes best.

Don't be afraid of mispronouncing things when you are there. The waitresses are very understanding, unlike my friend who gained much amusement at trying to get me to pronounce all types of Korean words... ahhh good times. John and I both love the chicken bulgogi, it's super spicy but can be a little heavy on the oil (we always ask for light oil and it's perfect that way!). So also don't be afraid to ask for light oil, or lighter spice if you aren't crazy into spice :) Depending on the waitress they will ask you if you want it Korean spicy, or American spicy... just a note to you... Korean spicy is VERY spicy :)


Chicken bulgogi, served sizzling hot with white rice on the side. Seriously good chow!

Sodam is a great place to try something new, if you are in the area, make sure to try it out!

You can find the recipe here, but you want to know a secret?


I still like the stuff in the box with the fake powder better.... what's wrong with me????

Any other foodies out there that love love the gourmet... but also have a spot in their heart for a totally un-foodie food? What's your poison?

Another recipe from the Foodbuzz 24 24 24 event! This one is brought to you by Gretchen and Mike who I think are celebrating their 1 year wedding anniversary this week?? HAPPY ANNIVERSARY GUYS!!!! Gretchen has been doing the organic thing and I knew she'd come to the plate swinging and she didn't disappoint! John has been asking if I got the recipe yet for this because he wants to make it again already. He LOVED it. The flavors paired so well together, and it was cooked perfectly! Great job Gretchen and Mike!! And I must admit I'm not a baked egg kind of girl (bad experience at a bed and breakfast turned me off to them years ago) but I put that to the side and tried this because it just looked so good... and you know what... I LIKED IT!!! Seriously the fact that I ate it... it's damn good!


Tomato Scallion Quiche with Spaghetti Squash Crust

3 cups of baked spaghetti squash
2-½ cups mozzarella
6 organic eggs
2 cups chopped tomatoes
½ cup chopped scallions
1 cup organic heavy cream
½ teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/8 teaspoon ground fresh pepper

Bake Spaghetti Squash:
Cut squash length-wise. Remove pulp/seeds and place face down in baking dish ¼ full of water. Place in oven 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Remove from oven, use a fork to pull cooked squash from the shell into a dish and cool. Use paper towels to remove excess water from the squash before preparing crust.

Preparing crust:
Beat 2 organic eggs. Mix eggs, 1 ½ cup mozzarella and 3 cups baked squash. Line pie dish with mixture and bake 400 degrees until the mixture solidifies into a crust. The squash mixture tends to slide down the sides of the quiche dish, so watch throughout and drawn squash back up the sides using a fork if necessary. Let cool before adding quiche mixture.

Preparing quiche:
Cut up 2 cups of tomatoes and ½ cup of scallions. Place tomatoes into spaghetti squash shell and season with basil, sea salt and ground fresh pepper. Add scallions and remaining 1 cup of mozzarella into pie shell. Beat remaining 4 organic eggs with organic heavy cream, then pour over top of tomatoes and scallions. Bake 375 degrees for 40-45 minutes. Garnish with tomatoes and enjoy!

I like the idea of being able to get home at night and have a nice pizza with home made dough... and I REALLY like the idea when it doesn't take 2 hours for the dough to rise!! I found the recipe on What's cooking in the orange kitchen yesterday and HAD to make this for dinner.


Having a kitchen aid mixer makes this stupidly easy, but if you don't have one no worries just use your hands :) (bonus you get a little arm workout).

I made broccoli and mushroom stuffed calazones. My roomie and I gave them a thumbs up! And the crust recipe is a keeper for sure! Filling recipe is below the dough recipe.


Jessica says the 12 ounce dough recipe made 2 good size calzones, but they are on the thin side so if you like yours thicker (crustier) go for the 1 pound recipe.

Whole-Wheat Pizza Dough
(Source: Originally from EatingWell.com As found on Amber's Delectable Delights I found it linked there from What's cooking in the orange kitchen) man this recipe gets around!

To make 12 ounces dough:
3/4 cup whole-wheat flour
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 package quick-rising yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons), such as Fleischmann's RapidRise
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/2-2/3 cup hot water (120-130°F)
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

To make 1 pound dough:
1 cup whole-wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 package quick-rising yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons), such as Fleischmann's RapidRise
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
3/4 cup hot water (120-130°F)
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1. Combine whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, yeast, salt and sugar in a food processor; pulse to mix. Combine hot water and oil in a measuring cup. With the motor running, gradually pour in enough of the hot liquid until the mixture forms a sticky ball. The dough should be quite soft. If it seems dry, add 1 to 2 tablespoons warm water; if too sticky, add 1 to 2 tablespoons flour. Process until the dough forms a ball, then process for 1 minute to knead.
2. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface. Coat a sheet of plastic wrap with cooking spray and place it, sprayed-side down, over the dough. Let the dough rest for 10 to 20 minutes before rolling.
3. Place a pizza stone or inverted baking sheet on the lowest oven rack;preheat oven to 450°F or highest setting. Roll and top the pizza as desired(we suggest a 13-inch circle) and bake the pizza until the bottom is crisp and golden, 10 to 14 minutes.

*For calzones split the dough in half and roll them out into 2 flat circles. Put the filling on half of one of the dough circles and then folded the other half over. Pinch the edges all the way around. Keep an eye on the baking time. Mine took 15-20 minutes. Serve immediately



Calazone filling
recipe by me

1 tsp chopped garlic
spray of olive oil for pan
1/2 cup chopped brocolli
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 cup pasta sauce of choice
1/4 tsp dried basil (or 1 Tbs chopped fresh if you have it on hand)
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
fresh ground black pepper to taste
1/2 cup part skim mozzerella
1 Tbs parmasaian cheese

Saute garlic until fragrant then add everything but the cheeses in a pan until cooked through, roll out half the dough from the recipe above and pile mixture on half of the circle. I used all of this filling for 1 calazone (half the dough recipe). Sprinkle with cheeses. Fold dough over and pinch to seal. Bake at 450 for 15-20 minutes. CHOW!

So I've never actually made collard greens before... eaten them plenty... my favorite way to have them is in a dish called gomen, it's Ethiopian and delicious!!! I need to figure out how to make some at home for sure... so good!

As for these "garlicky" greens... they have over 7 cloves in it... and in all truth, they didn't taste very garlicky at ALL, it was kinda sad. So if you make these add more garlic for sure... and maybe some other things to jazz things up. After scooping some onto our plates John and I both were under-enthused. So the self described "concoction king" John went back into the kitchen and did some majic on them to make them taste better... what he did... I have no clue, and he wont tell me LOL! So here's a base recipe for you... and good luck getting John to fess up to what he added in :)


GARLICKY BLACK-EYED PEAS 'N' GREENS
recipe from Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites

2 c dried black-eyed peas
4 garlic cloves, peeled
3/4 lb collared greens (which is what I used), kale, or mustard
greens, rinsed and chopped (about 6 c loosely packed)
1 T olive oil
2 to 4 T minced garlic (I used 3-4)
1 t dried thyme
salt and ground black pepper to taste

cooked rice
chopped scallions or red onions
lemon wedges or hot pepper vinegar

Rinse the black-eyed peas. Place them in a soup pot with garlic cloves and enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat, cover, and cook for 45 minutes, until tender, adding water occasionally as needed. The beans should be moist but not soupy, so it is ideal when most of the water has been absorbed at the end of cooking. When the beans are tender, if most of the water has not been absorbed, lightly drain them. Cover and set aside.

Rinse the greens and set aside.

In a large skillet, heat the oil and saute the minced garlic and thyme for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add the damp green and continue to stir until they are wilted but still bright green. Stir the greens into the beans and mix. Add salt and pepper to taste.

So I went to the library the other day to grab a cookbook a coworker said was amazing... the computer said the library had the book... but it was NOT where it was supposed to be on the shelf, and no where to be found (I even asked at the reference desk)! Totally frustrating. I mean what kind of miscreant moves cookbooks in the library... jerk... anyway I took a look at some other cookbooks by the same author and found one that looked good and somewhat familiar... I later realized I OWN the cookbook but haven't looked at it for years... whoops! Well now I'm super excited that I own it because there are a TON of recipes I want to make from it!

I guess I should be happy with the jerk though, since it made me rediscover Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites: Flavorful Recipes for Healthful Meals. The only thing I wished this book had was pictures... I mean it should really be a requirement for a cookbook! Don't you agree?? Maybe that's why I love food blogs so much, pretty much all of them come with pictures :) If you are even in the Ithaca NY area, totally stop in to this restaurant, it's amazing!! John and I had a mini vacation in Ithaca last summer and seriously enjoyed our trip to Moosewood.

So in honor of the jerk who made me find this cookbook... I made the Jerk Tofu recipe... except John didn't feel like tofu... so I used chicken instead.


Jerk Tofu
recipe from Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites
Serves 8

Pressing tofu time: 30 minutes
Preparation time" 10 minutes
Baking time: 1 hour

Jerk Sauce
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped (about ½ cup)
3 fresh green chiles, seeds removed for a milder "hot"
2 tablespoon soy sauce
¼ cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger root
2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground black pepper

Place the cakes of tofu between tow flat plates or baking pans. weight the top with a heavy object, such as a book or a can, so that the sides of the tofu bulge slightly but don't split. Let stand for a least 30 minutes. While the tofu is pressing, combine the jerk sauce ingredients in a food processor or blender and purée until smooth. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 400º. Drain the pressed tofu. Cut each cake into three slices. Stack the slices and then cut through all three layers on the two diagonals, making an X. This will make 12 triangular pieces from each block of tofu. Gently toss the tofu triangles in the jerk marinade and place them in an unoiled 8 x 12-inch nonreactive baking dish. Bake for 1 hour, carefully turning the tofu about every 20 minutes.


The jerk sauce was wicked flavorful, although the clove is a bit overpowering so go easy on it if you aren't a fan of cloves. You can find more great Moosewood recipes here!

I'm a big fan of Chinese food, and although most places have brown rice now, and will steam your food instead of deep frying it... the sauces can still be killer. I had an amazing sesame tofu last week while celebrating my friend sugar's birthday. It was delicious! I had them steam the tofu and veggies and they came out so tender, and the sauce... oh the sauce! I needed to figure out how to recreate it!

So this brings us to the internet search for sesame chicken sauce recipes. I came across a ton of different version (all requiring a trip into a deep fryer first). Many recipes later I came to the combination of this one.

It looked beautiful and was wicked tasty! But did it taste like the sesame chicken sauce of my favorite local Chinese joint... not so much... That's ok though, at least it was good! So make this if you want a healthy alternative to your normal take out :) We served it over "boil in the bag" brown rice, quick and easy.


Sesame Chicken
sauce from Kitchen Snippets

1 lb chicken cut into inch cubes
1 large head broccoli, cut into little chunks and steamed
1 Tbs whole wheat flour
salt and pepper to taste

sauce
3 tbsp of sweet chili sauce
2 tbsp of tomato ketchup
1- 2 tbsp of honey (depend on how sweet you want)
1 tbsp of oyster sauce
2 tbsp of light soy sauce
1/4 cup of water
some toasted sesame seed

1. Dredge chicken in flour and salt and pepper. Shake off excess and set aside. In batches in a olive oil spray covered frying pan, lightly cook chicken a few minutes each side. Remove from pan and place in a large bowl
2. Place broccoli in a steamer basket over hot water and cover, cook until bright in color but not soggy. Once cooked toss in with cooked chicken
3. Mix all the sauce ingredients together and pour into a pan. Bring it up to a boil and let the sauce thicken a bit.
4. Pour sauce over chicken and broccoli and toss it gently until evenly coated with the sauce. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve with warm brown rice.

Every heard of TVP? It stands for textured vegetable protein.

Sounds kinda weird and maybe gross right? But give it a chance! In this economy a seriously cheep high protein substitute is a good thing right?? It's under $3 a bag, and the bag could feed a large family for at least 2 full dinners if not more. Plus it's tasty!

It looks like some kind of dehydrated grain... then when you hydrate it... it looks like light tan ground beef... I'm making you want to try it right? Hmmm marketing skills not kicking in... Ok how about a picture of it in action?

Hmmm that's not the best picture I took... is it? Darn, guess it is... well, you'll just have to believe me on this one... It's super tasty. Crazy healthy. Protein packed. Low fat. And when mixed with red sauce and pasta... you'd think you were having ground meet... not TVP. We made this up last friday (it's Lent, so no meat). Gnocchi cooks in 4 minutes so this whole thing was ready to go in about 15 minutes. Seriously I know! I love fast food don't you?

Portobello Pasta with "meat" TVP sauce
recipe by me. (Feeds John and me, that means three normal people, with sauce left over)

1 package whole wheat gnocchi
1 bottle (1 lb 8 oz) Diavola Red Sauce from Wegmans (or your favorite go to sauce)
1 cup TVP (I use Bob's Red Mill TVP)
1 cup boiling water (to hydrate TVP)
3 large portobello mushrooms sliced
2 tsp chopped garlic
olive oil spray
cottage cheese (if you are John or if you like to mix it into your pasta too)

Boil water for gnocchi.

Microwave 1 cup water in a medium size bowl or large pyrex cup for 2-3 minutes. Remove and add 1 cup TVP, let soak for 5 minutes or until water is absorbed. Set aside.

Spray a wok, or large sauce pan, with olive oil, saute garlic until brown. Add mushrooms and cook through, flipping after a minute or two to cook the other side. Add jar of sauce and TVP. Simmer until heated through.

Once water boils, add gnocchi and cook according to package directions (4 minutes). Drain, and immediatly divide between 2 or 3 bowls, top with sauce, stir in cottage cheese if desired. Serve.

Chow!

Baba Ga-what? It's Baba Ghanoush! And it's as fun to say as it is to eat :) You can serve it as a dip with chips or toasted pita, use it as a spread on a sandwich, or plop some ontop of a salad. So many uses :) Mine kept for about two weeks in the refridgerator without any adverse taste or effects to my belly ;) although I'm not how it lasted so long without me chowing it all! I actually roasted the eggplants on my lunch hour at work haha. We have a full kitchen here so I figured I'd save myself some time that night at home. In doing so I had this stuff along with the hummus made up and ready to chow within 30 minutes of walking in the door from the gym. Which is a good thing because when I get hungry I get a bit testy...

Anyone else out there get crabby when they aren't fed on time? Or is that just crabby me :D


Baba Ghanoush
recipe found on A Pot of Tea and a Biscuit

3 medium aubergines (eggplants)
2 tbsp tahini
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp salt

Preheat your oven to 210C/425F/Gas 7.

Place the aubergines in the oven and roast for 45-60 minutes. The skin should be brown and they should be soft to the touch.

When done, cut them in half and scoop the flesh into a sieve. Squeeze out any of the excess moisture.

Place everything into a blender and puree until smooth.

Taste and add more lemon juice if needed.

If you want an extra creamy dip stir in about 1/3 cup of yoghurt.

Ok, it's finally here! I know I promised this last week, sorry for the delay! But let me tell you, homemade humus and baba ganoush is totally worth it. They are both super easy to make, and paired with some fresh veggies and a toasted pita... delicious.

One thing you need his tahini, I've tried making hummus without it before and it came out ok... but with it... better then the store bought stuff for sure. It really is so simple, and once you make it you'll be wonding why you spent so much on it at the store.


garlicy hummus
inspired by cooks illustrated
my version

3 garlic cloves
1 16oz can chickpeas, drained, a 1/4 cup of chickpeas set to the side
1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
3 Tbs tahini (sesame paste)
6 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil - plus more for drizzling
2 tablespoons water
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika

parsley for garnish (optional)

Turn on the food processor fitted with the steel blade and drop the garlic down the feed tube; process until it's minced. Add the rest of the ingredients to the food processor and process until the hummus is coarsely pureed. Place in a bowl and top with reserved handful of non chopped chickpeas, parsley, and a little olive oil drizzle.

Come back tomorrow for theBaba Ghanoush... Baba Ga-what?

This stuff is amazing. It's SO GOOD!! Seriously 45 min from when you start you have hot fresh bread and it makes the house smell delicious! Make it for someone special tonight and they will think you were slaving away all day :) I found it over at Food for Laughter. Go check her out, she ROCKS, tons of good chow :)


So this makes a good amount of bread, and I know what you are thinking... If you live alone or with others and just can't be trusted with a bunch of hot bread (yup that's me... can't trust me, I'll eat it all), you can easily half this recipe, just put half the beer in and drink the other half (no losers here!). I made the whole recipe, shared some with my house mate, then brought a bunch into work. Sharing is a good thing :)

OH and this is the bread for you if you are scared of making bread. All it takes is a little stirring, spread it in a pan, and toss in the oven. My sister loves making things that involve stirring, it's her favorite part! Jen do you hear me?? ALL it takes is stirring! Seriously... stirring!!! That's your favorite :D So go make some!


Whole Wheat Yeastless Focaccia
recipe by: Food for Laughter slightly adapted by me

2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup white flour
2 T raw sugar ( I used 1Tbs splenda blend)
1 tsp salt (I used a little less of Kosher salt)
1 T baking powder
1/2 tsp dried oregano and thyme leaves I bet red pepper flakes would be good too! (I added this in my version)
1 (12 oz) bottle dark beer (I used Yuengling Black and Tan)
1/4 cup water
2-3 T olive oil
1/4 to 1/2 tsp dried oregano (I also added thyme leaves)
1/4 tsp salt (I used large grain sea salt)

~ Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Coat an 8X8 baking pan with cooking spray. (Next time I'm going to use a bigger pan and spread it thinner, the top crust was my favorite part... I want more of it next time :) )
~ Stir together the flours, raw sugar, 1 tsp salt, baking powder, and spices.
~ Pour in the beer and the water, and stir until just combined.
~ Spread the dough into the baking pan.
~ Drizzle the olive oil across the top of the dough.
~ Sprinkle the dough with the oregano and 1/4 tsp salt.
~ Bake for 30 minutes - until a toothpick inserted in the center emerges clean.
~ Serve warm, sliced from the pan, and dipped in olive oil and herbs...

Be prepared to have to hide this so you don't eat the whole thing.

PS... I know I was supposed to post about humus and baba this week... but between phillips and this bread... it got bumped! Don't worry it will be here next week :D

This recipe makes a TON of coleslaw... so be prepared to eat this everyday for a week... or have a party of people coming over to help you eat it all :) I used some with the Buffalo Chicken I posted yesterday, and then spent the rest of the week putting it on top of whatever I had for lunch. Coleslaw and sharp cheddar sandwich anyone?? Tasty!


This is super easy and wicked flavorful. I'll totally be using this as a stand in to the normal fat filled variety. This stuff made me feel like it was summer, crisp, light... why can't spring get here already??

Colorful Coleslaw
1/3 cup light mayo
1/3 cup fat free plain yogurt
2 Tbs apple cider vinegar
1 Tbs fat free milk
2 tsp sugar
4 cups packed shredded green cabbage
3.5 cups packed shredded red cabbage
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup red onion slivers
1/4 cup chopped whole green onion
1/4 tsp salt, or to taste
black pepper
I added in some celery seeds

Stir mayo through sugar together, toss in veggies, then season with salt and pepper. Stir till combined, cover and refrigerate.

Have a great weekend everyone!!! Tomorrow is national Pi day... yes yes I'm a NERD... So we'll see if I get around to baking a pie for pi day :)

Other things to come next week... a smoothie named after a TV station... some baba ghanoush! come on it's just fun to say. Garlic hummus... AND muffins made with quinoa!!!! So come on back for some more chow and fun :) OH and I almost forgot, some amazing whole wheat soft pretzels!!

John and I both love buffalo wings, but rarely eat them. He will basically only eat chicken breast meat, sans the skin... so I've tried making a bunch of "healthy buffalo wing" recipes. They have gone by well, but nothing amazing. My version is adapted from The Most Decadent Diet EVER! (page 78) and it is a keeper. We wrapped the tenders up along with the colorful coleslaw also found in the same book (recipe to come tomorrow).


Boneless buffalo strips
1.5 Tbs whole wheat flour
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 lb chicken tenders
1/4 cup Anchor Bar Wing Sauce (you know the place where buffalo wings were invented!!)
3-4 glugs Franks Red Hot

Mix dry ingredients and one at a time dredge tenders, shake off excess and place on a baking sheet edges not touching. In a large non-stick pan sprayed with olive oil, cook tenders 2-3 minutes per side. Work in batches so tenders aren't touching. Place cooked wings into a bowl and toss to coat with Anchor Wing Sauce and Franks Red Hot.

We wrapped these bad boys up in whole wheat Flat Out wraps cut in half, along with some tasty low-cal coleslaw!! Come back tomorrow for the colorful coleslaw recipe!

So I made these quinoa bean burgers... they sounded good in theory... but they seriously had no flavor... thankfully I only cooked two before realizing this... after some red hot and some garlic added to the mix, plus some of that dijon mayo from the fries added on top... we were good to go :)


Quinoa Burgers
recipe adapted from Whole Living

Serves 4.
* 1/2 cup rinsed quinoa
* 1 medium carrot, cut in large chunks
* 3 scallions, thinly sliced
* 15 ounces great northern beans, drained and rinsed
* 1/4 cup plain dried breadcrumbs (I used panko)
* 1 large egg, lightly beaten
* 1 tablespoon ground cumin
* Coarse salt
* Ground pepper
* 2 tsp chopped garlic
* red hot (to taste)
* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 4 pitas (each 6 inches) We used Flat Out Wraps cut in half
* 1/2 English cucumber, thinly sliced diagonally
* tomato and lettuce to top
* dijon mayo


Directions
1. In a small saucepan, bring 3/4 cup water to a boil; add quinoa, cover, and reduce heat to low. Cook until liquid is absorbed, 12 to 14 minutes; set aside.
2. In a food processor, pulse carrot until finely chopped. Add cooked quinoa, garlic, scallions, beans, breadcrumbs, egg, cumin, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; pulse until combined but still slightly chunky.
3. Form mixture into four 3/4-inch-thick paties (dip hands in water to prevent sticking). If too soft, refrigerate 10 minutes to firm. In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium; cook burgers until browned and cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes per side.
4. Serve burgers in pita topped with cucumber, lettuce, tomato, and mayo.

Yes you heard me right, healthy fries! I've tried baking fries a ton of times and although they come out tasty, they don't taste like the fries we all know and love. THESE however...


... are amazingly close! We DEVOURED these in a matter of minutes. They were so good, and with the dipping sauce from cooking light... *swoon* to die for. The recipe has you blanch the fries for 10 minutes in hot water, and truthfully I think that made all the difference in the world for their taste and texture. I seriously want to run to the store to get some more sweet potatoes so I can eat these every night this week :)

Shoestring sweet potato "fries" with Garlicky Dijon Mayo
adapted from Cooking Light

1 teaspoon rice vinegar
1 large garlic clove, minced
3 tablespoons miraclewhip
1 1/2 teaspoons whole-grain Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley

1 1/4 pounds sweet potatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Cooking spray


1. Preheat oven to 450°.

2. Combine vinegar and garlic in a small bowl; let stand 5 minutes. Stir in mayonnaise, mustard, and parsley.

3. Cut potatoes lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices; stack slices and cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick strips. Place in a large bowl; cover with hot water. Let stand 10 minutes. Drain potatoes; pat dry with paper towels. Combine potatoes, oil, and salt in a large bowl; toss gently to coat. Arrange potatoes in a single layer on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 450° for 35 minutes; carefully turn over and bake an additional 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Serve with sauce.


These are addicting, seriously don't just get 1 1/4 lbs get a 5 lb bag of sweet potatoes and go to town with these things :D

As I've told you guys before, I'm a library ho. In my last trip I mentioned I picked up... what was it... seven cookbooks? Yeahhhh... so one of these books was The Most Decadent Diet EVER! It's really good and has a ton of recipes I want to try! So far I've made 3, and had rave reviews from all of them! As you know I posted about the pasta yesterday, so here is the rest of the recipe. Hope you like it as much as I did!


"Fried" Zucchini
Page 183 The Most Decadent Diet EVER!

Olive oil spray
1 1/2 tsp flour (I used whole wheat)
2 Tbs plain dried bread crumbs (I used panko)
1 1/2 tsp reduced fat Parmesan
1 tsp finely chopped fresh parsley
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black peper
1 large egg white
2 small zucchini (about 4 oz each) cut into 3/4 inch rounds

Directions (shortened into my words)

Preheat oven to 425. Mist a baking sheet with spray.

Put flour in one bowl, beat egg white in second bowl, put everything else into a plastic bag.

Dip rounds into flour, shake off excess, dip in egg white, then shake in plastic bag. Place onto baking sheet. Repeat will rest of rounds, make sure they aren't touching on the sheet. Mist tops with spray.

Bake for 7 minutes, then flip them over and bake an additional 4-6 minutes.

Chow!