It's been awhile...

I know back in August I said I was just going to take a short break, and that I'd come back with all sorts of new recipes to blog about. Well...that didn't exactly happen. I've had some personal things come up in the last few months, and because of those things I haven't even touched my camera since September. I have been making a few new recipes here and there, but mostly I've just been making repeats. Boring, but true.

At some point I hope to come back to this blog, but right now my heart just isn't in it. I've rounded up a few great blogs that I enjoy reading, and since I'm not posting right now you should check these out instead!

Iowa Girl Eats - she makes the most amazing meals!
Kath Eats - a dietitian with a passion for good food
Annie's Eats - her recipes have never failed me and they're always delicious!
PreventionRD - she puts a healthy spin on tasty recipes!
SwankyDietitian - a dietitian/foodie living in Vegas!

Happy Holidays!

Taking a break

I've finally run out of new recipes to post, and I'm thinking I need to take a break from blogging for awhile. It's the summer and I'm sure you all want to be outside playing in the sun, not sitting on your computer reading my blog, right? :P

Hopefully I'll be back with new recipes to talk about in a couple months!

Chocolate Swirl Buns

This recipe is incredible. I'm ashamed to say that these disappeared very quickly in our house - had to spend some serious time on the elliptical to burn these off! If you haven't checked out the Smitten Kitchen blog yet, you should - her pictures are amazing and so are her recipes! I did have a little trouble getting the dough to rise, but after putting the dough in a slightly warmed oven it did eventually rise and I was able to make these incredible buns!

Chocolate Swirl Buns
from Smitten Kitchen

Ingredients:

Dough
1/2 cup milk, preferably whole but I used almond milk
1/4 cup plus a pinch of granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 large egg, brought to room temperature
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
1/2 teaspoon table salt
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus additional for bowl and muffin tins

Filling
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 pound semisweet chocolate (I used chocolate chips)
Pinch of salt
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)

Directions:
Prepare dough: Warm milk and a pinch of sugar to between 110 to 116°F. Sprinkle yeast over milk and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. In a small bowl, whisk together egg and remaining 1/4 cup sugar, then slowly whisk in yeast mixture.
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine flour and salt. Run mixer on low and add egg mixture, mixing until combined. Add butter and mix until incorporated. Switch mixer to dough hook and let it knead the dough for 10 minutes on low speed.
Butter a large bowl and place dough in it. Cover loosely with a lint-free towel or plastic wrap and let rise for 1 hour, or until doubled.

Meanwhile, prepare filling: If your chocolate is in large bars, roughly chop it. Then, you can let a food processor do the rest of the work, pulsing the chopped chocolate with the salt, sugar, and cinnamon (if using) until the chocolate is very finely chopped with some parts almost powdery. Add butter and pulse machine until it’s distributed throughout the chocolate. Set mixture aside and generously butter a standard 12-muffin tin.
Form buns: Once dough is doubled, turn it out onto a well-floured surface and gently deflate it with floured hands.

Let it rest for another 5 minutes. Once rested, roll dough into a large rectangle. The short sides should be a scant 11 to 12 inches. The other side can be as long as you can roll it.

 Sprinkle the filling evenly over the dough's surface.
 
 
Tightly roll the dough back over the filling from one short end to the other, forming a 12-inch log. With a sharp serrated knife, gently saw 1-inch segments off the log and place each in a prepared muffin cup. Loosely cover buns with plastic wrap or a lint-free towel and let them rise for another 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 350°F.

Bake buns for 15 to 20 minutes, until puffed and brown. Let cool completely before serving. Enjoy!!

Not your usual mac 'n cheese

I like to make healthier versions of old favorites, and I thought this recipe sounded interesting. It was good, but it was nothing like real macaroni and cheese. I might make this again, but I kind of doubt it. If you love quinoa, give this a try. Just don't expect it to taste like your old favorite.

Quinoa Mac 'N Cheese
from Monica Nelson Fitness

Ingredients:

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 med. leek white and pale green parts halved and sliced (1 cup)-OR chives are fine too
• 1/2 cup diced tomato, or red/green pepper
• 1 1/2 cups quinoa, rinsed and drained
• pinch of salt
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 cups of water (or stock)
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup soy milk, non-fat milk, or milk of choice
• 1 1/2 cups grated Cheddar cheese, more for sprinkling
• Optional- Crushed Red Pepper, Panko Bread crumbs for topping
• Toppings (optional)- salsa, hot sauce, sour cream, scallions (you get the picture)

Directions:

Heat oil in med. saucepan over med. heat. Add leek and tomatoes. Cover and cook 5 mins or until tender. Stir in quinoa and garlic, and cook, uncovered, 3-4 mins, or until grains start to turn opaque.

Add 3 cups water (or stock) and season with salt. Cover and reduce heat to med-low and simmer 15-20 mins or more, until most liquid has been absorbed. Remove from heat and let stand 5 mins.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Coat 13x9 inch dish with cooking spray. Whisk together eggs and milk in large bowl. Fold in quinoa mixture and cheese (if you feel you need more cheese, add here.) Stir very well and let some of the cheese melt.

Transfer to prepared baking dish and if using Panko Crumbs or Bread crumbs, add now. Bake 25-35 mins, (or until browned around edges.) Now you can toss with your toppings. Enjoy!

Another one pot wonder!

I love one-pot meals (my dishwasher recently broke and meals like these were life-savers). This dish comes together in a snap and is healthy, too! I've been looking around for quick and easy weeknight meals and most of them incorporate processed ingredients, which I would prefer to avoid. Luckily this meal is full of the good stuff, including lots of veggies (you can add whatever veggies you have on hand, this dish is pretty versatile). I did leave out the anchovies just because I didn't have them, but next time I make this I plan on putting them in.

Pasta Puttanesca
from Iowa Girl Eats

Ingredients:

• 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 2 Tablespoons chopped onion (white or red)
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon red chili pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon anchovy paste (or 2 minced anchovies), optional
• salt & pepper
• 28oz can good quality petite diced tomatoes
• 3 cups water
• 12oz dry rotini pasta
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup Kalamata olives, chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley + more for garnish, chopped
• 2 Tablespoons capers

Directions:

• Heat oil in a very large skillet over medium heat. Add onions, garlic, red chili pepper flakes, and anchovy paste. Season with salt and pepper then saute until onions soften, about 4 minutes.
• Add petite diced tomatoes, water, pasta, and salt, then bring the liquid to a boil. Place a lid on top of the skillet then keep the pasta at medium-high heat to maintain a vigorous simmer. Cook for 10-12 minutes, stirring often, or until pasta is al dente. Do not overcook, and do not worry if there is extra liquid still in the skillet.
• Turn the heat off, add the olives, parsley, and capers to the skillet then stir to combine. Serve topped with freshly chopped parsley.

Like a volcano

Our anniversary was back in May, and I cooked a special meal to celebrate. We had pork tenderloin with baby potatoes and a fresh salad. For dessert I wanted to make something really special but relatively easy, so I settled on Molten Lava Cakes. These little cakes are decadent and will make any event feel extra special. I cooked them a tad too long so they weren't as "molten-y" as I would have liked, but they were still delicious. Next time I'll only cook them for 10 minutes. I also doubled this recipe and in my ramekins it only made 3, so definitely double or triple the recipe if you want more servings.

Molten Lava Cakes
from A Couple Cooks

Ingredients:
2 8-ounce ramekins (or 4 5-ounce ramekins)
3 tablespoons whole wheat flour
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/4 cup milk
1/3 cup honey
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon coconut or vegetable oil (or substitute 1 tablespoon butter, at room temperature)


Directions:
Preheat the oven to 425°F.
In a small bowl, whisk together 3 tablespoons whole-wheat flour, 3 tablespoons regular flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 3 tablespoon cocoa powder. Then whisk in 1/4 cup milk, 1/3 cup honey, 1 egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and 1 tablespoon oil. Whisk until smooth
Liberally grease the inside of the ramekins with oil or butter, especially the bottoms. Divide the mixture evenly between the ramekins.
Bake the ramekins until just hardened on top, but still liquid in the center – between 12 to 15 minutes for larger ramekins, and around 10 minutes for smaller ramekins. When you remove the ramekins from the oven, let them cool for a bit, then run a knife around the edge and carefully invert them onto a plate. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve.

Restaurant Reviews!

It's been awhile since I've offered up new restaurant reviews. Maybe we're just set in our ways, but we seem to frequent the same restaurants every week (or month) and don't get out to new places very often. Our loss for sure!

One restaurant I tried recently with a few friends. Poquitos is on Capitol Hill in Seattle (close to SCCC for those familiar with the area). It's super cute inside and offered very quick service and good food for a reasonable price. My friends had both been there before and had their favorites - I went with one of their suggestions: Chicken Tinga Tacos.
The menu describes them as "Shredded free range chicken braised in tomato, garlic & chipotle, topped with cilantro, cotija & onion." What first caught my eye was the fact that these are free-range, which is important to me and I like restaurants who support that. The tacos were really flavorful and totally hit the spot. My friends enjoyed their very large selection of tequila but I stuck with just a dry vanilla bean soda. I'd go back to Poquitos any day!

The second restaurant the Hubs and I visited together. Hangar Cafe is located close to Boeing Field in the Georgetown area, and is a tiny converted house.

This restaurant is known for their crepes and brunch foods, and they sure didn't disappoint! We visited around noon on a weekday, and they weren't too busy. I ordered an original mimosa (served in a pint glass!)

and their Triple B Waffles (unfortunately they were out of basil so this became the Double B instead with bacon and brie).

Hubs got the Hangar Crepe (ham, swiss, egg, some veggies and sauce). Both of our meals were outstanding (we shared!) and I wouldn't hesitate to visit again.

Ginger & Peach Chicken - a must make!

This recipe was ridiculously good. As in, so good you must make it and then tell all your friends about it. I was a bit hesitant about using peaches in a savory dish, but the flavors really work and both the Hubs and I loved it. I've made this several times already and can't wait to make it again. Fresh peaches would be totally delish in this, but frozen ones work just as well.

Ginger & Peach Chicken
from Iowa Girl Eats

Ingredients

• 1 bag (1lb) frozen peaches, unthawed
• 1 red onion, halved and sliced 1/4″ inch thick
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, micro planed or finely minced
• 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1/4 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
• cooked brown or white rice

For the marinade:

• 1lb chicken breasts
• salt & pepper
• 1 Tablespoon fresh ginger, micro planed or finely minced
• 1 Tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil

Instructions

• Season chicken breasts with salt & pepper. Combine ingredients for marinade in a large zip lock bag. Add chicken and marinate for at least 15 minutes, or up to 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place frozen peaches and onions in a large bowl then add ginger, soy sauce, brown sugar, vegetable oil, sesame oil, and red-pepper flakes, and toss to coat. Pour into a non-stick sprayed 9×13 casserole dish. Nestle marinated chicken into the peaches and onions, and roast until chicken is cooked through, about 25-30 minutes. Serve over cooked rice.

Eggless cookie dough

I love cookie dough, I honestly think it's frequently better than the actual baked cookies! I wanted to make Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream, and used a regular vanilla ice cream recipe for the base. I added this cookie dough recipe to it and it was phenomenal. Possibly the best ice cream I've ever made. I also put it in chocolate ice cream and think it was just as good in that. If you're really desperate for a snack you could keep some of this dough in the freezer for a quick dessert. :)

Eggless Cookie Dough
from CupCake Project

Ingredients:

2 C all-purpose flour

1/2 t salt

3/4 C unsalted butter, melted

1 C packed brown sugar

1/2 C white sugar

1 T vanilla extract

4 T milk

Directions:

Mix all of the ingredients together (add chocolate chips if you want, but I would leave them out or chop them into really fine pieces if using for ice cream), and form into 1 tsp balls.

Quick stir-fry for a busy night

I wanted to make a quick stir-fry one night and decided to make one with tofu. It's nice to have meatless meals, and tofu soaks up the flavor of whatever it's cooked in so it's a great addition to a stir fry.

I didn't use a recipe and didn't measure anything. All I did was press and cube the tofu, then baked it in the oven at 425 degrees for 30 minutes, turning halfway through.

I heated oil in a pan, then tossed in some peanuts and crushed red pepper flakes. After heating those I added the baked tofu and a bag of frozen veggies (I thawed them first), along with some garlic and ginger, and also a bit more of the soy sauce. Cook over medium heat, then let simmer if you want the sauce to thicken a bit.Serve over rice and enjoy!

A new kind of potato stew

I really enjoyed this stew, the only thing that would make it better is if I had made it in the crockpot instead of on the stove. The flavors all meld together really well and it's full of protein so it's sure to fill you up!

African Peanut-Potato Stew
from Fat Free Vegan

Ingredients:
1 onion, chopped
2 jalapenos, seeded and finely chopped (optional)
2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 tsp. salt (optional)
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
2 1/4 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
2 14.5 ounce cans chopped tomatoes
2 14.5 ounce cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 pound green beans, cut in 1 inch pieces (fresh or frozen)
1 ½ cups vegetable broth
¼ cup natural peanut butter

Directions:
Place 1/3 cup water, onion, jalapenos, ginger and garlic in a large pot. Cook, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes. Add cumin, cinnamon, salt, red pepper and coriander. Cook and stir for 1 minute. Add sweet potatoes, tomatoes, chickpeas, green beans, vegetable broth, and peanut butter. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.

French Toast - in a slow cooker!

I don't know about you, but I love French Toast. The only thing I dislike about it is having to stand over a hot pan while flipping bread and juggling whatever else you have going on in the kitchen at the time. That's where this recipe comes in - you just put the bread in a crockpot and forget about it for a couple hours. Perfect! Next time I won't cook this quite as long, the bread got a little bit hard (I read reviews saying it was mushy so I cooked it longer, which I shouldn't have done).

This is a must-make recipe!

Crockpot French Toast
adapted from Suddenly Frugal

Ingredients:
6 eggs
1 cup milk
1 loaf of bread
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 T cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
Butter

Directions:

Let the bread sit out overnight to harden slightly (I made homemade bread for this recipe and froze the second loaf for future use).

Liberally coat the inside of your slow cooker with butter.

In a bowl mix the eggs, milk, brown sugar and cinnamon. Dip each piece of bread in this mixture, then pour the remaining liquid mixture over the bread.

Turn the slow cooker on low for four to six hours, checking every few hours to make sure the bread is not drying out too much.Serve with maple syrup, and fruit. Enjoy!

Crockpot Chicken Santa Fe

This meal is as easy as it is delicious. You all know how much I love crockpot recipes, definitely give this one a try!

Chicken Santa Fe
from Closet Cooking

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 teaspoon cumin, toasted and ground
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1 pound chicken breast
• 1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans
• 1 cup frozen corn
• cayenne pepper to taste
• salt and pepper to taste
• 4 green onions, sliced
• 1 handful cilantro, chopped

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in a pan over medium-high heat.
2. Add the onions and saute until tender and a bit caramelized, about 4-6 minutes.
3. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about a minute and transfer to the crockpot
4. Add the chicken and cook until browned on both sides, about 3-4 minutes per side and set aside.
5. Add the chicken broth to the pan, deglaze it and transfer to the crockpot
6. Add the diced tomatoes, black beans, corn, cayenne, salt and pepper to the crockpot, stir, add the chicken and cook on low heat for 8 hours.
7. Remove the chicken, shred it and return to pot.
   
8. Serve over steamed rice, garnished with green onions and cilantro.

Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

I had some extra time one weekend and decided I wanted to tackle a fairly involved meal. I decided to try this gumbo, and even though it took quite a bit of work it was well worth the extra time. The thing that took the longest was the roux, it just would not brown! I eventually decided it was dark enough and just continued on, and the meal was still very flavorful even if the roux wasn't quite right. This even froze well, and made excellent leftovers!

I'd also like to wish my husband a happy anniversary. 7 years together, it's been incredible. <3

Chicken and Sausage Gumbo
from Annie's Eats

Ingredients:
6 oz. bacon, diced
2 lbs. chicken legs or thighs, bone-in and skin-on **I used chicken breast**
Salt
1 lb. andouille sausage, sliced (or spicy Italian sausage, crumbled)
½ cup peanut or other vegetable oil **I used olive oil**
1 cup flour
2 green bell peppers, seeded and diced
4 stalks celery, diced
1 large onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp. tomato paste
4 cups chicken stock
4 cups water
½-1 lb. okra, sliced into discs **I omitted this**
3 green onions, chopped
Chopped fresh parsley, for serving

For the Cajun spice mix:1 tsp. black pepper
½-1 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. celery seed
2 tbsp. sweet paprika
1 tbsp. garlic powder
1 tbsp. dried thyme
1 tbsp. dried oregano

Directions:
In a large stockpot or Dutch oven set over medium-high heat, cook the bacon until crispy. Remove the cooked bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside. Set the chicken pieces skin side down in the bacon grease to brown. Season the side facing up with salt. Cook 4-5 minutes without moving. Flip the chicken pieces over and brown on the opposite side. Remove the browned chicken pieces to a plate and set aside. Add the sausage to the pan and cook until well browned. Remove to the plate with the chicken.

The amount of fat remaining in the pot should be about ½ cup. Add the additional peanut or vegetable oil to the pot. After the oil has heated for a minute or two, stir in the flour. Stir this mixture together almost constantly for the first few minutes, then every couple of minutes or so thereafter. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook the roux until it becomes fairly dark.

While the roux is cooking, combine the chicken stock and water in a separate pot and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and maintain at a simmer.

When the roux has reached the appropriate color, stir in the diced green pepper, celery and onion. Mix well. Let cook, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for about 2 more minutes. Mix in the tomato paste.Using a large ladle, gradually add the hot chicken stock mixture to the pot. It will sizzle and seize as the roux absorbs the liquid. Continue adding the stock, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom of the pot. You may not need the full amount of liquid but add enough so that it is slightly more watery than you want the final product to be since the mixture will cook down over several hours. Stir in half of the Cajun spice mix and add more to taste.Reduce the heat to medium-low and return the chicken pieces to the pot. Let simmer gently until the chicken meat falls easily away from the bones, about 90 minutes. Remove the chicken pieces and let cool slightly. Return the sausage to the pot with the gumbo, and stir in the sliced okra. Shred the cooked chicken meat, discarding the skin and bones (or saving for a later use). Add the shredded chicken pieces back to the gumbo. Cook the gumbo for an additional hour or more, until the gumbo has reached your desired final consistency. Before serving, stir in the green onions and reserved bacon and sprinkle with the parsley. Serve over rice or with crusty bread.

It's better stuffed

I love recipes that find replacements for pasta, and this recipe totally fit the bill. The flavor was amazing, I absolutely loved these. The Husband didn't like them quite as much as me, but that was alright because it left more for me to enjoy! The only change I made was to chop up the extra cabbage leaves and add them to the filling. It bulked up the filling and added even more veggies to the meal. :) Oh, and of course I used ground chicken instead of beef.

Stuffed Cabbage
from Pennies on a Platter

Ingredients:

• 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 cup chopped yellow onion
• 1 medium head (about 2 pounds) green cabbage
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1/2 cup cooked rice (white or brown)
• 1/4 cup raisins (I use golden)
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 can (16 ounces) tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup beef broth
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• sour cream, for serving (optional)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 13- by 9-inch pan with cooking spray or oil.

In a medium skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cut in a circle all around the stem of the cabbage and remove the core. Place the cabbage in the boiling water. After about 2 minutes an outside leaf will come loose--pull it off and out of the water using tongs. After another minute the next leaf will come loose. Remove and repeat until you have 8 to 10 leaves. Pat the leaves dry with paper towels. Cut out the thick part of the rib from the bottom of each leaf, but don't cut more than a third of the way into the leaf.

In a mixing bowl, combine the beef, cooled onion, rice, raisins, and salt. With the stem side of the cabbage leaf facing you, place 1/3-1/2 cup of the beef mixture in the center of each cabbage leaf. Fold the bottom edge over the mixture and then fold the sides over and roll into a tidy packet. Place the cabbage rolls, seam side down, in the prepared baking dish.

In a bowl, mix together the tomato sauce, broth, and paprika. Pour evenly over the cabbage rolls. Cover with foil and bake for 1 hour. Serve with sour cream if desired.