Banana Muffins

Returning to the blogging world. Spent the past...well...quite a while...just wanting to spend time with my puppy...now that puppy is gone, it's time to return to this hobby.

I've been cooking & baking like crazy, or so it feels. I don't have a whole heck of a lot of motivation, but I make dinner most nights of the week. And I try to make something (muffins, scones) for breakfast in the morning. Today, (although it's the weekend, so probably not the best timing for "work brekkies"!) I decided to use up some of the buttermilk that I had leftover from St. Patty's Day irish soda bread to make these muffins.

I just found this recipe the other day on Phemomenon, and immediately bookmarked it because of the excess buttermilk in my fridge. And while I was getting the ingredients ready, I realized I also had quite a few bananas to use up. Perfect!

I made quite a few changes, the most significant being swapping banana in for the butter. Healthy, no? :) They rose really tall, perfect muffin texture and delicious!

Buttermilk Spice Muffins
adapted from Mimi's Cafe

Batter
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup mashed bananas (abt 2 medium bananas)
3 eggs
2 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
3/4 cup & 1 Tbsp buttermilk

Topping
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a large bowl, cream bananas and sugar (I used a hand mixer). Add 3 eggs and blend until well-combined. Batter will be very wet at this stage.

In a separate small bowl, sift flour, baking soda, cinnamon & nutmeg.

Add 1/2 of the flour mixture to the banana mixture and combine until just blended. Add 1/2 of the buttermilk, combine. Blend in the rest of the flour, then the rest of the buttermilk. Batter will have thickened quite a bit.

In separate bowl (you can use the one you used for the flour), combine the topping ingredients and mix until combined.

Grease muffin tins. Pour batter in the muffin tins 1/2-3/4 full, then add a small spoonful of the topping. Put into oven for 20-25 minutes, or until golden.


*Now obviously these are not your typical bakery muffin! Not quite as moist (no butter!) but still great texture and flavor. And not as sweet, because I severely slashed the sugar. I love muffins like this because I feel good about grabbing them for breakfast in the morning! And because of course they taste delicious. :)

Spinach Zucchini Ricotta Frittata

Ok, this is a little late in the season, but seeing as how Tim hates anything pumpkin or fall spices, I haven't been doing much seasonal cooking & baking around here. Well, that's a lie. We've tried a few winter squash recipes, but they were very simplistic & really not worth mentioning. Squash is still growing on us...give us time...or suggestions! :)

With the last of the zucchini from the farmers market (besides the 14 bags I froze) I decided to make this delicious looking dish from Simply Recipes. As I mentioned, squash is still growing on us, & Tim is usually reluctant to eat recipes with zucchini...but he loved it! The zucchini tasted amazing having been fried before mixing it into the frittata. It's also relatively easy to make, so it's a win on all sides!


Spinach Zucchini Ricotta Frittata
adapted from Simply Recipes

6 large eggs
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 Tbsp chopped fresh basil
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 small zucchini, or one larger one, washed and sliced into thin rounds (about 3/4 pound)
2 cups fresh spinach

Beat the eggs in a medium bowl. Add the ricotta and Parmesan and beat to combine. Add the salt, freshly ground black pepper, basil and thyme and beat to combine. Set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a 10-inch oven-proof stick-free skillet on medium high. When the oil is hot and begins to shimmer, add the zucchini slices. Stir so that the zucchini slices are all coated with some of the oil. Cook, stirring only occasionally (if you stir too much the zucchini won't brown), until the zucchini slices are lightly browned, about 5-6 minutes. Add spinach and heat for another minute or so. Remove from heat. Remove zucchini slices and spinach from the pan with tongs or a slotted spoon to a bowl. Let cool for 30 seconds or so, and then stir the zucchini slices and zucchini into the egg mixture.

Reheat the skillet. There should be a couple of tablespoons of oil left in the pan, if not, add some. When the oil is hot, pour the egg mixture into the pan. Do not stir it. Reduce the heat to medium. Let the egg mixture cook. Run a spatula along the edge of the frittata, separating the cooked edges from the pan. Let the egg mixture cook until the bottom is golden brown and the top is beginning to set, about 5-6 minutes.

Set the top rack 5 inches from the heating element in the oven. Preheat the oven broiler. Once the top of the frittata has started to set in the pan on the stove top, remove the pan from the stove and place it in the oven. With the broiler on, the door of the oven needs to be open. You can let the pan's handle stick out from the oven through the open door. Cook under the broiler until the top starts to become lightly browned, about 2 minutes.

*Alternatively, instead of using the broiler, you can place a plate face-down on top of the skillet. Flip the skillet over to release the frittata on to the plate. Then slide the frittata from the plate back on to the skillet. Let cook for a couple of minutes more until the bottom side gets browned.

Slide the frittata out of the skillet onto a serving plate. Let cool for a minute or two and serve.

Serves 2-3.

*I used the broiler method...worked for me!

Since it's no longer zucchini season, I bet this dish would work well with just spinach. Not that spinach is really in season either, but much easier to come by in the winter...

Happy Halloween!

As annoyed as he looks, he actually doesn't even notice he's wearing it! :)

Be amazed.

For the first time in my life (ok, maybe not my entire life), I followed a recipe to the T. Exactly. I didn't even try to change a thing.*

I've been falling all over myself trying to make apple recipes (although...why? we go through apples like they're going out of style...I can barely keep enough around for baking!) at about the same time we had a basket full of (rotting) bananas sitting in the kitchen. I forget if I food blog searched for a recipe or if I happened upon it another way, but regardless of how it went, this recipe is perfect. It comes from The Goddess's Kitchen and it involves banana bread & caramelised apples, so, really, it would be hard to go wrong.

It originally came from The Sweet Melissa Baking Book (which I am totally dying to get) and was quite perfect, just the way it was written. :) I do think I may have cut my apples too small or perhaps over-caramelized them, because it was more like there were slim shivers of apples than actual chunks. I liked it that way though...added a bit of sweetness & flavor to the banana bread without taking away from the banana bread.

Mom's Banana Apple Bread
adapted from The Goddess's Kitchen

Makes one 1½ -quart loaf pan (2lb/900g)

For the apples:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
teaspoon pure vanilla extract


For the banana bread:
2 cups white whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon kosher salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
¼ cup fresh orange juice
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 ¼ cups very ripe mashed bananas (2 to 3)

Before you start:Position a rack in the center of your oven and preheat the oven to 350°F/180oC. Lightly butter and flour a 1 1/2-quart loaf pan.

To make the apples:Preheat a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the butter and brown sugar and heat until bubbling. Add the apples and cinnamon and sauté until golden and tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the vanilla. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.

To make the banana bread:-In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and salt.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

In a small bowl, combine the orange juice and vanilla.

Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in three batches, alternating with the orange juice mixture, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl after each flour addition. Stir in the mashed bananas until combined. Then stir in the reserved apples.

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove to a wire rack to cool for 20 minutes before unmolding onto the rack to cool further.

Serve slightly warm or at room temperature. The banana bread keeps well wrapped in plastic wrap at room temperature for up to 3 days. For longer storage, freeze well wrapped in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil for up to 3 weeks. Defrost (still wrapped) at room temperature.

*(Of course I did use cute little leaf molds instead ofloaf pans. That's allowed, right?)

Zucchini Rice Gratin courtesy of Smitten Kitchen

I really wanted to make the zucchini rice gratin that was recently on Smitten Kitchen. I had both tomatoes & zucchini that needed to be used, and everything about the dish sounded delicious. The only problem being that Tim hates tomatoes...and zucchini. Kind of crucial to the recipe.

Luckily I am fortunate to have a boyfriend who, despite hating quite a few of my favorite ingredients, is willing to try any dish that I make (knowing of course that a bowl of Ramen is waiting on the sidelines if it's disgusting). I was starving when I started making dinner & didn't really want to wait around to roast the veggies in the oven, so I actually just pan-fried the zucchini & onions, then threw in the tomato near the end. I also mixed together all the ingredients instead of putting the rice on the bottom, & I'm really glad I went that route. Oh & (almost done with my modifications, promise) I put 2x the number of eggs in so it was kind of a mix between the gratin & a frittata.

Verdict? "I can't believe I'm actually eating tomatoes. It's good!"

And I couldn't stop eating it. In fact, I really kind of still want to eat it.


Zucchini Rice Gratin
originally from Gourmet March 2008, via Epicurious

1/2 cup long-grain brown rice
2 medium zucchini, sliced thinly
2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
3 Roma tomatoes, diced
1/2 medium onion, thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
salt & pepper to taste
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan
1/4 cup shredded Manchego

Preheat oven to 450°F.

Cook rice according to package instructions.

While rice cooks, heat 1 Tbsp oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. When oil is hot, saute zucchini for about 5 minutes, or until translucent. Add onions & garlic, saute for another 2 or 3 minutes, then turn heat down to medium & add tomatoes, cooking just until tomatoes are heated through.

Pour zucchini-tomato mixture into a medium casserole dish, along with the cooked rice, eggs, 1 Tbsp oil, 1/2 of the cheese, salt & pepper. Mix well & sprinkle remaining cheese over the top. Place on middle rack in the oven & bake for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown around the edges.

I will definitely make this again. It was really easy with my slight modifications, & it was more than delicious. This time I used a few less veggies than I typically would in order to disguise the tomato & zucchini flavor with cheese and eggs. We had some Manchego cheese which I think added a great flavor to the dish, but of course you could substitute with all Parmesan.

Apologies for the horrible pictures...we devoured most of it before I even thought of taking out the camera, & then I didn't want to plate more in case my camera wasn't going to work.

Make this immediately! And eat it often. :)

Guiltless coffe cake!

I've been baking. And cooking. Probably more lately than usual. And yet, no posting...

Crazy, right?

In fact, I (ok, we, I didn't eat it all myself) just devoured this recipe without even thinking of taking a picture. (It was delicious, by the way. Make sure to try it!) Too hungry? Maybe. But I'd rather blame it on my camera. :) I'm just not excited about taking pictures anymore. I've been known to take hundreds of pictures in a night, but today I found myself walking out of the house to pick apples (hehe) without my camera, on purpose. I need a new camera.


Sometimes when I take photos, I get this:









Other times this:









But often the photo is mostly clear, except for a thick blue line across the top. Easily crop-able, but really not ideal.

So I'm looking for new cameras. Suggestions? Advice? I like compact cameras that I can easily carry around.

In the meantime, enjoy this banana coffee cake from Fatfree Vegan Kitchen. Delicious! I made a couple changes, most obvious being the addition of dairy & eggs...so check the original if you want the vegan version. This is a perfect recipe to start the day...especially if it's warm.

Banana Coffee Cake
adapted from Fatfree Vegan Kitchen

2.5 Tbsp egg whites
1/8 cup light brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/6 cup nonfat vanilla yogurt
1/6 cup skim milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3 Tbsp light brown sugar
1 Tbsp water
1/2 cup unbleached AP flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 medium banana, ripe

Preheat the oven to 375F and grease a small baking dish.

Mix 3 Tbsp brown sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl. Set aside.

Combine the yogurt, milk, vanilla, and 1/8 cup brown sugar in a bowl. Add the egg whites.

Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Pour the yogurt mixture into the flour mixture and stir just until combined. Pour half of the batter into the prepared pan and spread to cover the bottom. Slice the bananas and place the slices over the batter. Sprinkle with half of the cinnamon-sugar. Spread the remaining batter over the bananas. Sprinkle with the remaining cinnamon-sugar. Bake for 25 minutes, or until cake appears set in the middle. Allow to cool for a few minutes before cutting into slices and serving.


I actually halved the original recipe & used a small pyrex bowl to make the coffee cake a bit deeper. I enjoyed it warm, and it was very moist & flavorful. And lots of healthy ingredients!

Ginger Cookies

Ginger is supposed to be good for the tummy, right? Well maybe not when you eat a few of these before you get anything healthy (ie lunch) in your stomach. Of course, that's what I did. :)

I made these because a friend's mom was feeling a little sick stomach'ed (yes it's a word) lately, & hadn't been eating very much, so I thought these cookies might settle her stomach a bit. I ended up using a combination of recipes, using the Food Blog Search as my guide. I think I mostly used this recipe as my starting point, but in the end mine weren't a whole lot like the original. I didn't have any molasses (& won't anytime soon, as apparently at Tim's job they use molasses to make bacteria grow & eat up contaminants in the ground...he can't stand the smell) so I used a combo of honey & dark brown sugar. Obviously these cookies didn't have that pretty brown color that makes ginger cookies famous, but the flavor was amazing anyway. I think the ginger flavor stood out a bit better in these cookies than in molasses-based recipes.

I also almost didn't add the water to the recipe, since I included an egg, but the batter seemed a little too thick (read: I couldn't stir it) so I put some water in there after all.

Ginger-y Ginger Cookies
adapted from Frantic Home Cook

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, room temp
1 cup light brown sugar
1/8 cup honey & 1/8 cup dark brown sugar, blended
1 egg
1/3 cup water
2 1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup minced crystallized ginger

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease baking sheets. In medium bowl mix together flour, baking soda, spices & salt. Set aside. Cream together butter & light brown sugar in another bowl. Add egg, water & honey/dark brown sugar mixture. Combine wet & dry ingredients & blend. Stir in crystallized ginger.


These were really easy to make (besides the mincing of ginger by hand) which was wonderful. As I mentioned before, they definitely have a strong ginger flavor & they also have a nice light texture. I made them quite small so the recipe probably made well over 50 cookies. If your cookies are larger, I'm sure there would be quite a few less!

Just a note, the cookies did not spread at all, so you might want to press them down with the bottom of a glass or your hand before baking.

And then use the glass to pour some nice cold milk to go with these cookies. :)

Enjoy!

What in the world...

...is this a picture of? Colorful, if not creepy. Food? Sludge?














Oh, I shouldn't make references to sludge when I'm presenting you with a recipe...? :) My bad.

We've been having some major quinoa cravings around here lately. Last time we ran out I made an emergency Trader Joe's run...only to find out that it was out of stock. Luckily, I found some bins of loose quinoa much closer to home a few days later. I love walking around those health food stores, with all their bins of loose nuts, grains, CHOCOLATE, trail mix, etc. I have enjoyed more than an afternoon or two staring in all those beautiful containers...exciting life around here...

Oh, right, you wanted to know what's in that picture up there.

So in those bins I found not only plain old quinoa, but red quinoa! Imagine my excitement...! One night I was in the mood for some veggie fried rice, but decided that making it with quinoa instead of rice might be an interesting twist. Not to mention I happened to have some leftover red quinoa in the fridge, & it would look awfully pretty mixed in with all those veggies.

Usually when I make veggie fried rice, I use egg whites because I don't have regular eggs in the fridge. Hence the white liquid-y pond in the center of the upper pic. The egg whites don't have the same flavor (of course) but they do give the dish nice texture. If I happen to have eggs around, I mix egg whites with just one egg.

The first time I made veggie fried rice I used this delicious recipe: Love at First Slice
but now I kind of wing it. I usually use tofu & brown rice, then vary the veggies. For this batch I used red, yellow & green pepper slices (frozen, thawed), edamame, peas, corn, carrots & red quinoa, along with sesame oil & egg whites. I never measure, otherwise I'd have a bit more of a recipe for you today. :) But if you're new to making fried rice, the recipe above is a great start. Although I'm probably the only person in the world who didn't know how to make fried rice until recently!

This was really good. A bit mushier than fried rice, but that was a good contrast to the crunchier veggies. I guess I should mention I just subbed in cooked quinoa in place of the cooked rice, 1:1 ratio. Definitely similar to the original, but, imho, much much much prettier!

Blueberry (Banana) Pancakes

Finally took a Saturday morning to show Tim that pancakes are not always derived from Bisquick... ;)

These were really good. I have to admit that I'm not a fan of plain pancakes...and just throwing some blueberries in the batter won't cut it either. I usually like a little bit (or a lot a bit) of whole wheat in the batter, or some nuts for texture. In this recipe, the addition of banana satisfied my texture cravings. The flavor is not overwhelming, but instead is very complementary to the blueberries. I also added some cinnamon (of course) to give it an extra dimension. Oh, and vanilla. I loooove vanilla. At some point I'm going to get my hands on some vanilla beans, & then I am sure I will truly be in heaven.

I added the blueberries individually to the pancakes (plopped em on top of the batter before I flipped the pancakes) but feel free to fold them into the batter instead.

Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes

1 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup skim milk
1 egg
1/2 small banana, mashed
1 cup unbleached AP flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
1 Tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup blueberries, rinsed

Stir together buttermilk, skim milk, egg, vanilla extract & banana. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, sugar & cinnamon. Pour wet mixture into the dry mixture & blend until just combined.

Heat griddle or pan to medium. Spritz with cooking spray or add about 1/2 Tbsp of oil to the pan. Once oil or cooking spray is hot (water sprinkled in the oil sizzles), pour batter into the pan until the pancake reaches desired size. Add blueberries (by hand) to the pancakes, then wait 2 or 3 minutes or until bubbles form in the batter. Flip pancakes and wait another 2 minutes, or until 2nd side is golden. Remove pancakes from heat & enjoy immediately!

Makes about 10 pancakes.

Our new family member!

Just a first few photos... :) He's pretty fantastic so far, he even slept through the night last night! And so far we're 50/50 on the bathroom inside/outside. Not so bad! Haha. So calm! We'll see how long that lasts...















Food soon! I have a couple to post, I'm just a little preoccupied!

Guess who's coming to live with us...

Now I know the traditional recipes have chicken stock, liver, or what-have-you, but my vegetarian lifestyle does not often find these in the cabinets. Instead, I went with PEANUT BUTTER! (Something which I know & love very well.)

Recipe found here.

Not sure how delicious they taste. ;)

Can you guess who the newest member of our family is...?

Heidi's Spinach Artichoke Dip

I've been waiting for a chance to make this dip since I saw it earlier this year...unfortunately having people over is not something that happened often in our last little apartment! I finally got a chance to break out the recipe this past weekend & I was more than pleased. I added some spinach to the recipe, of course forgetting to wait until after I'd blended the other ingredients, so I ended up with something that looked like ectoplasm. It still tasted delicious, & since I completely forgot to take pictures, today's recipe is sans illustration, which might be a good thing. ;) Check out Heidi's website for some delicious looking photos instead!

Baked Spinach Artichoke Dip
adapted from 101 Cookbooks

1 12-ounce bag of frozen artichokes (mine were Trader Joe's brand...you can use canned too)
3 cups baby spinach, chopped
3 ounces silken tofu
3 large garlic cloves
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/8 tsp freshly ground sea salt
pinch of cayenne pepper

Preheat oven to 350F degrees. In a blender or food processor puree the artichokes, tofu, and garlic. In a separate medium bowl whisk together the spinach, parmesan cheese, yogurt, salt, and cayenne. Stir in the artichoke puree and pour mixture into a medium-sized baking dish (or multiple smaller dishes). Sprinkle the top with more Parmesan. Bake uncovered until heated through and the cheese on the top starts to brown, about 45 minutes.

Now, I have a big block of silken tofu left over, & unfortunately I have no idea what to do with it. I don't want it to go to waste, so...what can I do with silken tofu? I don't like it in smoothies, but other than that I've never really had it. Any ideas? I trust your foodie brains more than my own!



Ok. One picture. Because, really, is a post a post without any photos?

Lately I have been making these every night for a snack. It feels healthy. :)

Chocolate Banana Peanut Butter "Milkshakes"

1 frozen banana
1 cup cold chocolate milk
1 Tbsp peanut butter

Throw in blender & blend!

(The guinness glass purchased by Tim's mom at a yard sale is optional!)

Simple Banana Bread

Ah, today I did something very unlike me. And it made me happy.

I'm one of those people who loves to use millions of ingredients in her recipes. A little whole wheat flour here, some AP there, and a little graham flour for good measure. Add-ins? Chocolate, raisins, zucchini, banana, applesauce, cherries, blueberries, nuts... And the list (usually) goes on.

And though Tim loves my baking & cooking, sometimes he'll say to me, "Can we just have Bisquick pancakes today?" And then I remember that people actually like simple, basic recipes. And actually prefer them over extravagant, complex ones. Silly me, how hard this is to remember.

(I haven't yet mentioned to Tim that you can in fact still make pancakes from scratch with plain AP flour...that Bisquick really isn't the main ingredient of pancakes...but I'll save that for another day! :) Keeping quiet is one way to get him to make the pancakes...)

So Tim's been in southern Illinois since Thursday, working through the weekend 14 hours a day, & he's tired of it. Today's his last day before he comes home to me, so to make it easier to get through the day, I told him I'd bake him whatever he wants for when he gets home.

He chose banana bread. I immediately thought of all the combos out there...nutella, pb, chocolate, caramel! Then I quickly realized that what he has in mind is probably good ol' plain banana bread. When I ask if he wants anything in it, he answers plain & simple: nuts.

And so, with great difficulty, I created a (nearly) plain loaf of banana bread.

I used the banana bread from Simply Recipes as a base (I still intend to make the delicious looking cake from The Wednesday Chef, but figured I'd stick as close to the simple bread as possible). I halved it because I only had 2 bananas (so sad!) & made very few other changes.

Banana Bread
adapted from Simply Recipes

2 ripe bananas, mashed
2.5 Tbsp melted butter
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 egg, beaten
3/4 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup unbleached AP flour
1/4 cup graham flour
1 tsp instant coffee

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Mix instant coffee & 1/2 tsp hot water, then add to butter. With a wooden spoon, mix butter mixture into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the sugar, egg, and vanilla. Sprinkle the baking soda over the mixture and mix in. Add the flour last, mix. Pour mixture into a buttered mini loaf pan. Bake for 45 minutes. Cool on a rack. Remove from pan and slice to serve.

Ok. Yes. I did add instant coffee. Only a little. Oh, and I did add a little tiny tiny bit of graham flour, which I don't really count. And some cinnamon. See...step in the right direction! :)

It was pretty yummy. Not as moist as I expected it to be, but I did use frozen bananas, & I did allow them to leak all over the counter as they defrosted for far too long. I'll have to try again soon with fresh ones!

Amano Chocolate

I am so late on this post. Honestly, in all the packing & unpacking I had completely forgotten about this amazing chocolate. I actually did such an amazing job forgetting about it that I went to Trader Joe's on an emergency dark chocolate run & had consumed 1/2 the bar before it occurred to me that I already had plenty of chocolate...(wait, can you ever really have too much chocolate?)

I put off eating the chocolate at first because I wanted to make something delicious with it. The first bar I opened was Cuyagua (70% cacao minimum. I made sure to reserve a few squares of the bar for taste testing of course. The rest of the bar was made into brownies (with coconut & hazelnuts if I remember correctly) & those were well-received. I also allowed the bf & mother-in-law-ish to taste some of the real chocolate, & they couldn't stop saying how good it was.

The second bar (Madagascar) I used to make a delicious frosting for my orange-chocolate chunk cake...basically it was just the bar of chocolate melted & some oj mixed with cocoa powder...oh & a little bit of confectioner's sugar. Don't even get me started on the exact measurements, that frosting was a catastrophe of ingredients thrown together. In the end though, the flavor of the frosting was amazing, probably mostly due to the delicious Amano chocolate.

And the third bar? Yes, that's still waiting, quietly, to be eaten in a moment of indulgence. :) It's called Ocumare & it's supposed to have fruity & floral notes! Yum!

Chocolate Orange Yogurt Cake

So as you might have guessed from my last post, this cake was not nearly as moist as the cake Deb made over at Smitten Kitchen...that's what happens when you cut out all the ingredients that make it moist! :) But it did have a great flavor & I rather liked the texture. It was light & filling at the same time, & oh so orange-y. I think everyone really enjoyed it. I did decide to frost it after all, but don't even get me started on that! The frosting doesn't look the greatest, but it complemented the cake well.

Chocolate Orange Yogurt Cake
Adapted from Ina Garten

courtesy of Smitten Kitchen

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup vanilla nonfat yogurt
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
1 egg
1/3 cup egg whites
2 teaspoons grated orange zest (approximately 1 orange)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
5 oz dark chocolate, chopped

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8 1/2 by 4 1/4 by 2 1/2-inch loaf pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper. Grease and flour the pan.

Sift together 1 1/2 cups flour, baking powder, and salt into 1 bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the yogurt, 1 cup sugar, the eggs, lemon zest, vanilla and oil. Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Mix the blueberries with the remaining tablespoon of flour, and fold them very gently into the batter. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 50 (+) minutes, or until a cake tester placed in the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Meanwhile, cook the 1/3 cup lemon juice and remaining 1 tablespoon sugar in a small pan until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear. Set aside.

When the cake is done, allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before flipping out onto a cooling rack. Carefully place on a baking rack over a sheet pan. While the cake is still warm, pour the lemon-sugar mixture over the cake and allow it to soak in (a pastry brush works great for this, as does using a toothpick to make tiny holes that draw the syrup in better). Cool.

Sneak Peek!

I have this little guy constantly sitting on my shoulder when I bake. He's like "No, you don't need eggs in there...egg whites will be just fine." Or "Honestly? You need that much oil? Just throw a banana in there instead. Or some applesauce." It's getting to the point where I just can't manage to bake ANYTHING without "cutting down" on the unhealthy qualities...or as some might call them, the delicious qualities. And the thing is, I'm doing it even when I'm baking for someone else. Like, in a birthday cake. Aren't birthday cakes supposed to be indulgent?

Goodness gracious, what has my world come to...

:) Stay tuned for my "healthy" (ok I do include dark chocolate on my list of "healthy") birthday cake! Maybe I'll make some heavy frosting & satisfy someone's sweet tooth!

If I never have to grate sweet potato again...

I'm not even going to lie & say that I've returned to blogging. It is just TOO beautiful outside to stay in for too long! I have been making a few things, in moderation, as the need arises, but I've definitely been slacking. On the other hand, however, my bike & I have become very well acquainted. See...a summer friend (bike) & a winter friend (kitchen). :) Not so bad!

I'd been wanting to make muffins lately as I love to grab them as I run out the door in the morning. I had bookmarked this recipe a long time ago from Joy the Baker, & when I came across it again I realized I had both zucchini AND sweet potato! Honestly, very unexpected. I especially like that she lightens the recipe a bit, and because, as you know, I like to overdo things, I lightened it up a bit more.

And omg. The best thing about this recipe? Accidentally vegan. That's right, I forgot the eggs. Completely. I'm sure that it affected the texture of the breads, but it was delicious without the eggs, so I didn't mind. Tim said they were the best muffins ever. Even after he found out there were sweet potatoes in them. :)

Zucchini Sweet Potato Bread
adapted from Joy the Baker

1/2 cup unbleached AP flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup graham flour
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
pinch cloves
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup oil
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups finely grated zucchini
1 1/2 cups peeled & grated sweet potato
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour 2 9×5x3- inch loaf pan, 4 mini loaf pans or 2 cupcake tins and set aside. Sift dry ingredients into a medium sized bowl. In a separate, large bowl, beat the sugars, oil, applesauce and vanilla extract. Mix in the zucchini and sweet potato. Add the dry ingredients and stir just to combine. Fold in the nuts and cranberries and stir well.

Transfer batter to prepared pan(s). Bake until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, about 1 hour for loaf pan, 20 minutes for mini loaf or cupcake tins. Cool bread in pan on a rack for 15 minutes. Loosen the edges of the bread with a butter knife and turn out on a rack to cool completely. Can be prepared 1 day in advance. Wrap in foil and keep at room temperature. Alternatively, wrap in plastic wrap/foil & freeze until you need it.

Eggplant!

I bought an eggplant. Yes, that's a cause for celebration. You see, Tim's not exactly an eggplant kind of guy. So since he's out of town, I've been eating all the eggplant I can get. Nothing too complicated, and no eggplant parm, which is rather unfortunate, but I'm too hungry to take the time to make it when meal time arrives.

This afternoon I decided to fill a couple pitas. Not really a recipe, but delicious nonetheless. First I grilled the eggplant (ok, I lied. I george foreman'ed the eggplant) & sprinkled with salt & pepper. I just used two thick slices - one slice for each 1/2 pita. The eggplant was really quite delicious "grilled" & I'm sure I'll do it again soon.

For the 1st 1/2 pita, I spread red pepper hummus & stuffed it with the eggplant & some fresh spinach. I then put the pita back into the "grill" for a few minutes.

For the 2nd 1/2 pita, I spread some pesto on the inside & stuffed it with the eggplant. I also took some mozzarella & spread it on top of the eggplant.

They were both delicious. I thought for sure that I'd prefer the indulgent pesto mozzarella, but I actually liked them both equally. A perfect midafternoon meal. :)

Back in Business!

This weekend, I baked for the first time in...I don't know...2 months? More? I've been anxious to make my way back into the kitchen, but every time I walk in, I'm reminded of what a mess it is. I finally sucked it up & decided to make Tim a delicious dessert for when he returned from work...where he is EVERY DAY ALL WEEK only to return to me on the weekends. Boo.

On the plus side, in case anyone decides to attack, he reminds me every time he leaves that there's a metal bat next to the couch "in case I need it". :)

So I know I've missed so many food blog recipes on my hiatus, but I decided to go with a fairly recent post by Bake or Break to guide me back into the game. I was looking for something very chocolately, and this chocolate cobbler fit the bill. However, with all the eating out we had been doing, lately I'm trying to make sure to stay with healthy, natural ingredients, and so I tweaked the (probably much more delicious!) recipe a bit. For a while now, I've been baking decadently because I know that's what everyone enjoys...but in truth, I really prefer to try to use less indulgent ingredients to make dishes that taste (imho) quite delicious. Here's my recipe, with another link to the original.

"Healthy" Chocolate Cobbler
modified from Bake or Break

1 cup sugar, divided in 1/2
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 cup white whole wheat flour
7 Tbsp cocoa, divided into 3 & 4 Tbsp
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt
1 very ripe banana, mashed
1 1/2 cups hot water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Stir together 1/2 cup sugar, flour, 3 Tbsp cocoa, baking powder & salt.

Stir in yogurt, banana & vanilla until smooth.

In small bowl, mix 1/2 cup sugar, brown sugar & 4 Tbsp cocoa. Sprinkle evenly over batter. Pour hot water over top. Do not stir.

Bake in oven for about 35 minutes...there will be a sort of chocolate sauce that remains on the bottom of the dish, so there's no need to bake until all liquid is gone.


As stated in the original recipe, this dish is so simple. Honestly, I accidentally poured some of the water into the cocoa mixture, then quickly poured that on top of the batter, then just poured the rest of the hot water on top. Still worked!

And, again, as stated in the original post, definitely best served with ice cream! Yum! (Ok, really you'll have to make it yourself to understand how delicious it is with ice cream...the lack of light when I took the picture created a picture that's definitely NOT worth a thousand words.)

Enjoy!