eummm

i have a huge sweet tooth. sometimes i have control of it and sometimes i just let it run wild :)
both of these recipes are very different from one another but they are both relatively straight forward. for mother's day i wanted to use up the rest of the key lime juice i have (no luck) but also wanted to make something healthier than the strawberry coffee cake i had made last week (i'm behind on post, but it was pretty good, but i needed to add more sugar)

this key lime mousse pie is completely raw. the crust is unbelievable and would make a great energy bar. the filling is really creamy and rich and it's nice and tart w/ the key lime. i adapted the recipe from here w/ some tweaks. 

Raw Key Lime Mousse Pie 
(makes one 9" pie)
Crust
1 c quick oats
1 cup shredded coconut*
1/2 c almonds
1/2 c pitted dates
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 T key lime juice
Dash of salt
*The recipe calls for unsweetened but I can never find unsweetened so I just omitted the sugar they call for

Mousse
4 large ripe avocados
3/4 c key lime juice
1/3 c honey
2 tsp vanilla extract

Pulse the crust ingredients in a food processor and blend until dough like. Spray or grease a 9" pie pan and press the dough evenly into and up the sides of the pan. Food process all the mousse ingredients and pour over the crust. Chill in the fridge or freezer depending on your texture preference for at least 3 hours (we chilled in the fridge and it took longer than 3 hours for it to hold.)

these cookies on the other hand are not raw but the recipe is very straight forward and took all of one hour to whip up start to finish and only has 4 ingredients. how easy is that? the coconut macaroons i've ever had have to be the ones at presti's in little italy, cleveland (not completely random, s4 is studying there). but these little suckers are so quick and easy and kind of taste like a denser coconut goodness of angel food cake. i had to take a picture really fast before the family descended onto them.

Coconut Macaroons (from Alton Brown)
4 egg whites
Dash of salt
1/2 c sugar
8 oz sweetened shredded coconut (could probably decrease the sugar amount b/c of the coconut. I also forgot to toast before tossing them into the oven, but that probably would have made these suckers amazing)

Preheat oven to 350F. Whip the eggs and salt until white and begin to stiffen. Add sugar in 3 parts. Continue to whip until the whites are very stiff. Using a rubber spatula fold in the coconut. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto silpat, parchment paper or a greased surface about 1 inch distance from one another. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown on the outside (they will be deliciously soft on the inside).

lunch 101

Having to always eat lunch out of the house whether at work or school, I have to make meals that are appetizing and yummy enough that I won’t be tempted to buy something every day.  As a dietetic student we learn how to counsel clients in building nutrition and healthy foods into their diet in an economical and easy way- 1) making grocery lists, food prepping all in one day, etc. it’s one of those things that sometimes comes to “do as I say not as I do.” Because really, everyone has a busy schedule, who has the energy after a long day at work or school to go grocery shopping and cook rice and veggies and prep foods that are healthy and satisfying?

But that’s where I’m trying to improve myself and hopefully give you some ideas to make your lives easier. I’m busy- I go to school part time, I have 4 jobs and I like to workout and relax and have a social life (some of those things definitely get pushed to the bottom of the list when things get really crazy), but I also want to eat well and make sure I have foods that make my stomach happy (currently, processed foods are on the “makes my tummy sad list”).

When I research recipes to fiddle or try the ingredient list is the first thing that decides whether or not I will try it. Not just if the ingredients are archaic and things I don’t want or have the money to buy, but if it’s longer than say 7 items (not including salt and pepper) then I usually find it too overwhelming. I want simple, straight forward recipes that won’t take my whole life to figure out. And if I can just use one piece of equipment or use two at the same time to save time, more power to the recipe.

As the weather gets warmer my lunches get more colorful and lighter (salads, wraps, etc.) as opposed to my colder weather lunches which usually include veg chili and things that need to be microwaved. My go-to building of a lunch for spring/summer includes:

Starch            +       Vegetable                         +              Protein

Brown rice             Lettuce (arugula,                                Beans

Wild Rice               Mixed greens, romaine, etc)                Tuna salad made with yogurt

                             Cucumber                                          Hardboiled eggs

                             Tomato, etc.                                     Hummus

 

I cook rice in batches of 1-1.5 cups for the week (in ½ cup servings that can usually last me 5 days). Rice can be boiled simultaneously as you prepare your vegetables…

I finally got around to roasting some squash and zucchini. Just slice, drizzle with olive oil both sides and season (I just did black pepper and garlic) and then bake in 400F for about 20 minutes. I also threw in some red onions for extra fun (my kitchen smelled amazing!).  The idea of prepping your vegetables for the week is actually a really great idea. If I have them cut up in the size of how I plan to eat it for the week it makes it really easy to make a stir fry really quick one night or to grab some carrots for snacking with hummus.

Protein is usually from a can or an egg. I know dried beans in a bag are cheaper and don’t have the sodium of canned ones, but by the time I remember I need beans I’ve forgotten to do the presoak and I’m saving time just popping a can open. I’ll rinse the beans really nice to get extra salt off and then toss together for a bean salad or combined with rice and veggies (like the fake fattoush). Tuna from a can is probably one of the easiest ways to get protein and made into a tuna salad with carrots or celery and old bay is eum eum good! Hummus (I usually buy sabra or I’ve delved into making my own) is a great way to get creamy protein in a salad. 

tuna and egg salad lettuce wraps are a great lunch/snack option,
just add some grains if you make it lunch

Snacks are another place of contention in my life. I don’t want to eat the same stuff I ate in my meal so it comes down to more creativity, pinterest, and just google searching. So far, my go-to snacks throughout the day are:

• ·         Fruit
• ·         Carrots and hummus
• ·         Handful of nuts
• ·         More fruit (I can never have too much fruitJ)
• ·         Dried fruit
•        I'm still on the fence about roasted chickpeas, maybe i just made it wrong
• ·         If you don’t have a lactose problem string cheese is always a nice addition here
• ·         If you don’t have a peanut butter addiction like me, where once you have one bite somehow the entire jar disappears, peanut butter energy balls are a great snack

         happy cooking! and have fun w/ it :)

fake fattoush (great for lunch!)

packing lunches can be no fun. esp doing it every day. so a great way to avoid that morning panic and spending $ everyday at the food court you can make something every week or every 2-3 days to pack for lunch. this is a fake "fattoush" or at least the version i'm going with :) i took great liberties but i'm enjoying it (maybe not the amount if made, but def like how it tastes. it's also very easy to modify to your own tastes.

Fake Fattoush (gluten free)
(makes 6 two cup servings)

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cucumber, chopped into bite size pieces
1 head romaine lettuce, chopped
1 cup wild rice, cooked and cooled
1/4 red onion, diced
1/4-1/2 c olive oil
paprika, to taste
cumin, to taste

Combine all ingredients. Cover and chill.
 

wrap it up

as soon as i typed that title i wondered if it sounded awk, and then i thought, oh boy, am i 15? so i left it there. if anyone else thought it was sort of "tee-hee-hee" please let me know. it'll make me feel less immature.

the wrap pictured on the left isn't actually filled w/ the mix on the right, but i wanted to show you that this recipe really is flexible and can be made to your own taste. and the really great thing about this recipe is that it takes under 30 minutes start to finish depending on how crazy you want to get with the add-ins. i make the tuna mix before work in the morning and when i get home i pre-heat my mini oven and roll up my tuna wraps. you can also sneak in all sorts of vegetables and proteins into this wrap, case in point, i hid smashed beans in my second wrap for the parents. the peanut broccoli salad was my first attempt at making a peanut sauce. which turned out really well actually. i made some modifications to the prevention recipe but i'm sure their recipe tastes fine as well.

Tuna Melt Wrap (makes 3)
3 tortilla wraps, 8"
2 cans tuna in water, drained
3/4-1 c black beans, rinsed and crushed
~ 1/2 c yogurt or mayo, or to desired texture
Diced carrots or sauteed kale or other vegetable, also to desired quantity
Cheddar cheese
spices to taste (I usually do old bay and black pepper)

Preheat oven to 350 F. While you wait for the oven to heat up you can dice your fresh vegetables or saute vegetables. Crush black beans and combine tuna, yogurt/mayo, vegetables and spices. Place a third of it in the center of the wrap like a log and top with cheese. Fold in the short ends, then wrap the long ends. Place on the baking sheet crease side down. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until toasted on the bottom.

Peanut Broccoli Salad (serves 3)
adapted from Prevention
A little more than 1/8 cup white vinegar
~1.5 T canola oil
2 T creamy peanut butter
2 tsp tamari ginger
3-4 cups frozen broccoli florets

Whisk all the ingredients except the broccoli. Saute broccoli until lightly browned and cooked. Top with the sauce and serve warm.

can you modify too much?

i love browsing food blogs. looking at yummy food pictures and reading over the recipes. but even when i find a recipe i'm dying to try i can't help but think about the changes and/or additions i could make to the recipe.

found a new blog and tagged about half the recipes i shuffled through, but this one caught my eye- 1) b/c it's bread, 2) b/c it had sour cream (still some leftover from my fish taco birthday lunch), and 3) b/c i really needed to stress bake

i've also never cooked with american sweet potatoes. if you've seen or tried korean sweet potatoes, they don't look the same, and they certainly do not taste the same. i'm definitely still a sucker for korean sweet potatoes, but i'm guessing b/c these are so orange much more nutrient rich. 

the recipe comes from averie cooks, and i've made several changes to not only make it healthier but also to fit the taste buds of m&d who are not the most spice happy people out there. 

Sweet Potato and Pecan Bread

Yield: 1-9x5 loaf

Ingredients:

about 1 1/2 cups mashed sweet potatoes (2 medium or 1 very large), roasted

2 large eggs

1/2 cup plain non-fat yogurt

1/4 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cups granulated sugar

1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed

2 tsp baking soda

1 T + 1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground allspice

1/4 tsp ground cloves

pinch salt, optional and to taste

¼ c chopped pecans

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400F. Spray and flour one 9-by-5-inch loaf pan; set aside.

Roast sweet potatoes in the oven at 400F for about 35 minutes or until when poked with a fork gives easily. Mash sweet potatoes with a fork. Allow them to cool momentarily so you don't scramble the eggs.

Decrease oven to 350F

To the sweet potatoes, add the eggs, yogurt, sour cream, vanilla and whisk until combined; set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients - flour, sugars, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, optional salt, and whisk to combine. Pour the wet sweet potato mixture over the dry ingredients, and stir to incorporate.

Turn batter out into prepared pan. Bake for 60 to 70 minutes for a 9x5 pan, or until top is domed, golden, loaf is springy to the touch, and cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

Allow bread to cool in pan for 10 minutes before turning it out and gobbling it all up.

loved the pecans in it, b/c i roasted the sweet potatoes the decrease in sugar was definitely worth it (you wouldn't get quite the caramelized goodness if the potatoes had been microwaved and more sugar may have been needed). oats changed the texture of the bread, but since i haven't tried the original yet, i'm quite happy with my nommy bread :)

happy baking

it's all about balance

happy weekend! for those of you who celebrate easter, happy easter! the sisters were home for my bday celebration. so lots of food fun were of course required. found this image of easter bunny rolls on pinterest and s4 jumped right on it! 

the actual execution of bunnies was a bit more challenging than anticipated. haha. sort of alien-esque bunnies.

birthday lunch included fish tacos- cod double breaded w/ garlic, black pepper and salt, topped with pico de gallo, cabbage, guacamole, hot sauce and lobster dip (the tacos needed a chipotle sauce and i had gotten the lobster dip packet from the vermont country store, delicious, let me say). 

i had a hard time choosing a bday cake, and wanted to test out this recipe, so bday left perfect excuse not to get questioned about ingredients i buy :) this is a french silk pie from here, one of the many random recipes i've found probably while browsing at work. i love the vitamix we got for M for xmas/bday. so nice to be putting good use to it. this pie is delicious, so smooth and creamy, just like chocolate mousse. highly recommend!

French Silk Pie (serves 8-10)
13 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup boiling water
2 tsp instant coffee
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 12.3 ounce package silken tofu, drain out water
1 T maple syrup, grade B
1 9 inch prepared chocolate crust or homemade
fruit (optional)
whipped topping (optional)

Directions
Make the coffee with the water. Melt the chocolate chips with the coffee and vanilla in a metal bowl over simmering bowl or in a double boiler. Stir frequently until completely melted. Add the tofu, chocolate mixture, and maple syrup to a food processor or blender. Process until smooth and pour into the chocolate crust. Refrigerate for 2 hours and top with fruit or whipped topping.

As a thank you gift to my sister's friend, this is the other end of the spectrum of sweets. this is thin mint gooey cake bars from picky palate. made a couple changes due to laziness in buying ingredients, but also b/c couldn't find the andes mints! still trying to figure out where they are in the grocery store...these are definitely decadent and little bits go a long way. 

Thin Mint Gooey Cake Bars (9 x 9 pan, makes 16 squares)

Ingredients

1 yellow cake box mix

1 stick unsalted butter, softened

1 egg

1 can condensed milk

6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

About 1 1/2 sleeves of thin mints, half of them crushed (leave 6 whole)

Combine cake mix, butter and egg. It helps to do it by hand. Press half the dough onto the bottom of the well sprayed pan. Sprinkle the chocolate chips and drizzle 1/3 of the condensed milk on the layer. Press the remaining dough as a second layer and sprinkle the crushed cookies on top. Lay the whole cookies on top (however you want to fashion it) and pour the remaining condensed milk on top. Bake at 350 for about 40 minutes (this is really thick dough so it needs a long time to bake) or until the top has become golden and crispy. 

also made smittenkitchen's thick, chewy oatmeal raisin cookies. they all got wrapped up and/or eaten before a picture could be taken. but they are really tasty. the thick, chewy part definitely comes out better baked on parchment paper rather than on silpat.

egg hunting is easier

but this is much prettier i will admit. i call this the bronze egg. a step up from egg dyeing unless you do something like this and then, yeah, yours can be put my pretty to shame. 

as a kid i loved dyeing eggs. we didn't do anything crazy, just dumped hard boiled eggs in cups of food coloring with some vinegar. the best was eating a egg that was slightly green or blue! 

these babies are a bit more intense, but you can have lots of fun, and for those of you who are really into pottery painting and such, this is right up your alley (you don't even want to know how many hours i can spend painting one item at a pottery painting store... 

supplies you'll need: raw egg(s), needle, toothpicks, tweezers, glue, and an assortment of beads (i love this great bead holder i've had for years from crafts plus. any crafts plus stores still out there? i miss the one that was in walking distance of my house!) the first thing you want to do (and maybe the night before) is hollow out the eggs. there are great instructions here. i highly suggest using a needle thicker than mine b/c i ended up puncturing myself quite a few times. i used the toothpick to widen my holes b/c it's lung workout to blow the egg out. where's a saxophone player when you need a set of lungs?? i would let these babies dry out overnight b/c i had some water peeing out as i tried to decorate. 

some more of my pretty beads. if you have sequins or anything tiny and light i say go for it!

creating my bronze egg: i would say decorating took about 4 hours, most of that b/c i found out the hard way that a particular way of placing the beads (where the hole didn't face outward) was much heavier and tended to tilt so drying each section with the egg on the side a la top right picture was the only way to get the beads stay in position w/o droopage. i was definitely making up the design as i went, but there's tons of ideas online and you can spell stuff or make shapes. it's perfect for the creative side in you! 

for my bronze egg i did skinny side down (bad idea) b/c the smaller hole ended up on top, and the balance got thrown off, so make the egg bottom heavy. you can also see my little glue plate in some of the pictures. it takes some time to pick the beads up w/ the tweezers and not pop the bead across the room. then you want to dip the bead lightly in the glue (too much glue and the bead will just slideeeee down your egg) and stick it on your egg. i had to wipe my tweezers on my hand a lot as i got a lot of glue stuck on the tips. please excuse the difference in lighting. i was decorating in the middle of the night and my kitchen lighting isn't all that great. the completed pictures i took during the day with nice natural lighting.

this egg was definitely kind of like those people who can't stop getting plastic surgery and then take it one too far. but it was fun trying to make different flower shapes. i wish for this egg i had dyed the entire egg first and then decorated. would be much more whimsical and less white background.

s4 came home and i badgered her into decorating the last egg i had hollowed out. isn't it pretty! and it has an adorable heart on top. she probably took maybe an hour to do this one (including drying time) so it doesn't have to be super labor intensive. plus, she glued her beads on hole side outward so they didn't droop and slide down as much. now just have to make them egg holders and figure out what to do with them. although they would make a lovely centerpiece for the table:)

happy decorating! and happy spring break to those on it (esp w/ snow, in march, in maryland?!?!)