Adventurous Ingredients

Wow!  Can’t believe how the time has gotten away from me!  Not much news to report, except that I am now a working girl!  I got hired on as a temporary test kitchen professional at Oxmoor House.  They are the cookbook publisher for Cooking Light, Southern Living, Weight Watchers, General Mills, and Pillsbury.  I’ve only been there for one week, and I love it!  All the people have been so helpful and friendly.  Everyone wants to make sure that I am learning everything I can, and no one is every hesitant to answer a question.  I really hope it turns into a permanent position.

On the home front, we have our house unpacked (except for a few boxes of William’s stuff…), and we’ve finally hosted a party!  We had a few friends over last weekend for William’s birthday.  It was nice that I had not yet started my job, because I was CRAZY busy with all the cooking and cleaning.  It was well worth it to see everyone enjoying the homemade guacamole, the buffalo-citrus grilled chicken skewers, the polenta squares topped with Cajun grilled shrimp, and of course the caramel cake.

We’ve recently discovered the joys of bison.  This is coming from a girl who a few years ago wouldn’t touch ground beef or steak.  I guess the Southern gentleman I married has had a little influence on me. ;-)

Last night we enjoyed grilled bok choy drizzled with a bit of sherry vinegar, grilled broccoli and corn on the cob (also grilled, of course).  This was served alongside some delicious bison burgers.  We grilled the meat to our liking (on the rarer side of things), and then moved them to the top rack of the grill.  They were sprinkled with some goat cheese and drizzled with a touch of white truffle infused olive oil.  We closed the lid on the grill to let the cheese melt a little.  We added some mixed greens and thinly sliced, locally grown tomatoes…OH MY GOODNESS…..heaven.  The combination of truffle oil and goat cheese was more than perfect on the bison, which has a much “cleaner” flavor than beef.  It made for a very healthy yet seemingly decadent Saturday night meal. 

What’s your favorite “adventurous” ingredient???

Late Lunch

Sometimes I think I could get used to this unemployment thing.  I had a super tough but awesome progression workout this morning.  It was a 3 mile warm-up run, 4 mile progression run (each mile sped up by 10 seconds: 6:40, 6:30, 6:20, 6:10), and a 4 mile cool down.  Thank goodness for my new Birmingham running buddy, Alison.  She had the workout scheduled as part of her marathon training, and I was in need of something challenging!

After our run, we went to get coffee and talked for almost 2 hours! (That's where the enjoying unemployment part comes in.)  It’s always nice to meet people you have a lot in common with, especially when they understand the crazy life of a marathon runner!  That being said, I ate a later breakfast and wasn’t hungry for lunch until a little bit later.  One of the things we talked about was my need for some more complex carbs.  I decided to feed that need, and made a delicious yet healthy wrap.

If you haven’t tried Flat Out flatbreads, I suggest you hop to it!  Seriously, run to get some…it’ll get your heart rate up! ;-) I spread Greek olive hummus on a flatbread, topped it with a bit of grilled chicken, thinly sliced carrots, cheddar cheese, mixed greens, and balsamic marinated grilled asparagus (left from last night’s dinner).  I sprinkled this with salt and pepper, drizzled with a bit of spicy brown mustard, rolled it up, wrapped in aluminum foil and baked at 425’F for about 15 minutes.

Oh, in case you were wondering why one end of the flatbread has been ravaged...I was also craving a taste of almond butter...

The result was nothing short of fantastic!  It was just the right amount, and satisfied my carb craving.  Did I mention that I LOVE these flatbreads!?  For a quick, healthy yet hearty lunch, try this out.  You can change the fillings to fit your taste, but make sure you load it with veggies and protein!

Note the "Smart Water" in the background.  I don't know if it's the bottle or the water that I love so much, but I always feel extra fancy drinking it. :) 

Another note...my oldest, dearest, amazing friend, Ashley, recently started a food blog of her own.  I must say, her New Orleans upbringing surrounded by good food must have rubbed off.  She's doing some very creative things with food!  Check out Ashley's Appetite!  

ENJOY!

Pasta Party!!!

This post is a long time coming.  I’m surprised at how busy I’ve been for the last couple of weeks, but the time has flown!  I’ve been working on hunting for a job, continuing to get settled in Birmingham, testing and developing a few secret recipes, and training for this crazy marathon I have in less than 3 months!  (Wow, it kind of just hit me that I have such a short amount of time to train)

I may have mentioned this before, so forgive me if I’m repeating myself.  When I make pasta, I like to make it as healthy as possible. One of the great things about pasta is that you can almost always make a large batch and freeze leftovers.  Also, like pizza, it can be a great canvas for loads of veggies!

My friend, Brittany, gave us an awesome wedding present.  It’s a 3 compartment lasagna pan, which works well since I like a few more veggies than William.  I decided to boil some whole grain rotini, toss it with some veggies and cheese, and press it in the pan to bake for just a few minutes.

William loved it, and so did I.  We had LOTS leftover, so we divided it into individual servings to freeze.  We’ve had it for dinner two more times since I first made it about 10 days ago.

Cubed yellow squash

Diced zucchini

Chopped eggplant

Pasta with tomatoes, spinach, and other veggies.  I made a light cheesy sauce with low fat cream cheese, goat cheese, part skim mozzarella, herbs, salt, and pepper.

William's didn't have the zucchini or eggplant...he doesn't know what he's missing!

Sprinkled a little mozzarella on top and browned it in the oven.  Mmmmmmm

Why is it...

…that we always want what we can’t have?  I went to culinary school with the expectation of becoming the greatest pastry chef in the world.  Ok, well maybe not that, but I did have ambitions of owning my own bakery one day.  The reality of the restaurant business shifted that ambition rather quickly.  However, I still LOVE to bake.  I know I know, this is supposed to be a blog about eating healthy foods that are going to give you nourishment, vitamins, minerals and energy.

Well, if I’m not mistaken, most nutrition experts will say that you cannot…I repeat, CANNOT…always deprive yourself.  The saying goes, “diets don’t work!”  They don’t.  I don’t care what kind of product you try to sell me I’m not going to use it.  I will continue to eat a healthy, balanced diet filled with fruits, veggies, and plenty of protein and whole grains.  However, that certainly does not mean that indulgence is out of the question every now and again.

All this being said, I felt the need to make one of my old favorites.  Crumble bars!!!  The great thing about this recipe is that you can make the crust and topping the same for any filling.  In the fall, I use apples with plenty of cinnamon and raisins.  In the summer, though, it is time to cook down the peaches and berries!

My friend, Kathleen, and I are obsessed with Greek yogurt…seriously, we have a problem I think.  She travels a lot for her job, and sent me a picture text the other day of a container of Greek yogurt made in Atlanta!  She was in a hospital cafeteria in Atlanta, so this was exciting news.  Not only was it super fresh, but it was PEACH & GINGER!  How can you beat that flavor combo?  I really don’t know if you can, but I tried!

I decided to create Peach and Blueberry Crumble Bars scented with ginger…mmmmm…..Fortunately, for me, the concoction was delicious!  I did manage to sneak in a bit of whole grain goodness.  Here is the recipe:

Ingredients

                ½ c. AP flour

                1 c. whole wheat flour

                1 ½ c. brown sugar

                ¾ c. quick cooking oats

                ½ c. Grape Nuts (or a generic cereal like that)

                1 TBSP ground cinnamon

                1 TBSP ground ginger

                1 tsp. nutmeg

                1 tsp. kosher salt

                1 ½ tsp. baking soda

                2 ½ sticks unsalted butter, melted

Mix together all dry ingredients.  Add melted butter, and mix until completely incorporated.  Grease a glass Pyrex dish (or a ¼ sheet pan, if you have one).  Press just a little more than ½ the mixture into the pan, and bake at 350’F for approximately 8-10 minutes, or until just slightly golden.  Save the remaining mixture for the top of the fruit mixture.

Filling:

                -3 c. blueberries

                -6 peaches, peeled and diced

                - ¾ c. sugar

                -1 TBSP ground ginger

                -2 tsp. ground cinnamon

                -2 tsp. ground nutmeg

                - ¼ c. corn starch

Bring mixture to a boil, and allow to thicken slightly.  Once peaches are slightly cooked, cool slightly.  Pour over the crust, and sprinkle topping on top of fruit.  Bake at 325’F for approximately 20 minutes or until mixture bubbles slightly at edges.  Allow to cool completely before removing from pan and cutting into desired size servings.  HOME RUN!

Little trick of the trade, it your peaches aren't super ripe, you can cut them in half and roast them at 425'F for about 10 minutes.  Throw on the broiler for about 3 minutes.  This shrinks the skin so you can easily pull it off, and also softens the peaches slightly and helps bring out their sweetness.

How pretty does that peach look?

Peach and blueberry goodness...mmm...

These are best served at room temperature.  If you really want to indulge, add a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side.

On a side note…we’ve decided that every Wednesday is “Taco Night”.  We chop up lots of veggies, sauté and season ground turkey, and use whole grain taco shells.  Yes, even tacos can be healthy.  I like to crumble my taco shell, put it in a bowl, and build a taco salad on top.  Here is what I ended up with…

Yes, it really did taste as good as it looks.

Until next time...

Sweet Success

As promised, I am writing about lightening up some of my favorite sweet treats.  By the way, I’m going to stop promising in all of my blogs.  I realized that I promise too often.  Not that it’s a bad thing, but what if something comes up and I don’t have time to blog?  Like yesterday, time got away and I did not make it to typing up this blog…as promised.  Now that I’ve gotten that out of the way…

I think I have almost successfully been able to lighten up my chocolate cake without it tasting terribly different from the original, and I didn’t use applesauce to do it! J

Here’s the original recipe with alterations in parentheses:

• 1 c. vegetable oil
• 1 ½ c. sugar (organic cane sugar)
• 2 eggs (free-range)
• 1 c. buttermilk (fat-free)
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 3 c. all-purpose flour (2 c. whole wheat flour and ¾ c. AP)
• ½ tsp. salt (kosher)
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• ½ c cocoa powder (ALWAYS use dark)
• 1 c. strong, hot coffee (this is the trick for either version you choose to make)

Directions:

                -Preheat oven to 325’F

                -In a medium bowl, whisk together the oil, sugar, eggs, buttermilk and vanilla.

                -In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cocoa powder.

                -To the dry ingredients, add ½ the wet ingredients and the coffee.  Whisk together, and fold in

                remaining wet ingredients.

                -If baking a cake, pour into pans that have been sprayed and lined with parchment paper.  Bake

                for approximately 30 minutes, and then check every 5 minutes after that.  Cake is done with

                toothpick comes out with a few crumbs still on it.

                -If baking cupcakes, scoop about 3 oz. of batter into lined cupcake pans.  Bake for approximately

                10 minutes, turn, and bake for another 5 minutes.  May need a little more time, but make sure

                to check often.  It’s easy to over-bake these delicious treats.

The revised edition of this recipe tastes almost exactly like the original!  If you’ve never had my chocolate cake, you may never know the difference.  Now, for the icing…

It took me a little while to decide what to try for a “light” chocolate icing.  It wasn’t until I reached for sour cream (thinking I might not be able to find fat-free buttermilk for the cake) that the light bulb flickered on.  I decided to try a couple of things, and ended up enjoying the combination of the 2 layered on top of the cupcake.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 4 oz. reduced fat cream cheese
• 3 TBSP reduced fat sour cream
• 2 oz. butter
• ¼ c. confectioner’s sugar
• ½ c. dark chocolate chips, melted

With an electric mixer, whisk together cream cheese, sour cream, butter, and sugar.  Drizzle in chocolate.  Once it is mixed in, stop mixer and scrape bowl.  Once well mixed, set aside to make the “ganache”.

I may or may not have a sick obsession with chocolate truffles, chocolate ganache, brownies, chocolate cake, need I name more?  Basically, if there is chocolate, I’m going to love it.  Well, if it’s milk or white I may not love it as much.  They have their place, but I’m not sure I’d call those the real deal.

I wanted to try something out with making a lighter version of ganache.  I didn’t want to use milk, because I didn’t know how it would react with the chocolate.  Instead, I thought I’d try using some reduced fat sour cream.  I melted about ¾ c. of dark chocolate chips.  With a fork, I whisked in about 3 tbsp. of reduced fat sour cream (it was close to room temperature).  In the past, if I’ve added just a touch too much chocolate to cream cheese frosting, it becomes a grainy stiff mess. 

I was worried about the sour cream doing the same, but to my surprise, it was creamy, fruity deliciousness!  SUCCESS!!!  It tasted like dark chocolate raspberry ganache.

I topped some of the cupcakes with just icing, some with just ganache, and some with ganache and then icing.  The latter were my favorite.  While this recipe still needs to be consumed in moderation, it is lighter than the original.  Another bonus: whole grains!  Clearly, I am someone who likes my fiber.  This is just an extra way to make sure I get my daily grams.

King Arthur Whole Wheat flour is my favorite.

Pay no attention to the warped cupcake liners.

Finished...almost!

"Ganache"

Once I finished the cupcakes, I was still feeling inspired.  I decided to try my hand at an old favorite-oatmeal chocolate chip.  I know there is not much that can replace the ooey gooey delicious original, but I thought I should try.

I have to admit, although I am a healthy eater, I am also a lover of butter.  That is not to say that I like to slather on everything I eat, but I feel that part of the obesity epidemic (among a textbook of other health problems) in the U.S. is related in part to our reliance on processed food.  Sure, there are dozens of products claiming that they are full of “good” fats, but plant oils are liquid for a reason.  Butter is solid for a reason, too.  

That is why I’ve banned all products that are solid, butter-looking, non-butter substances from my kitchen. 

That being said, I left the butter in the recipe.  The main thing I changed was the use of whole wheat flour, addition of some extra oats, using good dark chocolate, free range eggs, and organic sugar.  Here’s the recipe:

• 1 ¼ sticks unsalted butter
• 8 oz. light brown sugar (I forgot to get this, so I used the organic cane, but look for organic brown sugar)
• 2 eggs (free range)
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 3/4 tsp. kosher salt
• 1 c. whole wheat flour (may have to add just a little more)
• 3/4 c. AP flour
• 1 c. oats
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 ½ c. dark chocolate chips (60% cocoa minimum)

Directions:

                -Preheat oven to 375’F

                -Cream together the butter, sugar, and vanilla extract

                -Add eggs, one at a time.  Scrape bowl after each addition

                -Add the salt, whole wheat flour, AP flour, oats, and cinnamon

                -Add chocolate chips

                -Scoop onto cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.  Keep about 2 inches apart.

Bake for approximately 8 minutes, turning halfway through.  This recipe made more cookie dough than I wanted to bake.  Neither of us needed to eat that many cookies!  A great way to store extra cookie dough is to scoop onto a cookie sheet, freeze, then transfer to a Ziploc freezer bag.  They’ll keep for about 1 month if stored this way.  Whenever you want a sweet treat, you can grab a few dough balls from the freezer.  Allow to defrost, bake, and you have satisfied your sweet tooth in less than 30 minutes. 

The cookies, though not lower in fat, did contain more whole grains.  They were phenomenal!  I forgot to turn the oven up when I pulled the cakes out of the oven, so they spread a little more than I like.  I will remember that next time!

Even though I thought my experiment went well, I needed the other chocoholic in the family to give his “expert” opinion.  Let’s just say, there were cake crumbs all over the counter, and the cookies didn’t last very long.  I think he was pleased.

This day in the “lab” taught me a few things.  1) You can have your cake and eat it too.  In this case, I’m talking about whole grains and dessert! 2) Don’t forget, just because there is whole wheat flour doesn’t mean you can give up on moderation!

I’m hoping to have a few more experiments under my belt by next week.  Tonight is taco night.  In my kitchen, that means lean ground turkey and lots of veggies.  Can’t wait!!!

A Happy Accident

This post will not be very long, nor will it contain food.  No worries…there will be a longer one tomorrow.  PROMISE!

I am not one to brag about my photo taking abilities.  Believe me, they are nothing to boast about.  I have practiced in the last couple of years, and I have definitely gotten much better.  I still have some work to do, and I’d love to improve.  However, today, I snapped one of my favorite pictures ever.

As I said in my last post, I want to work on lightening up some of my favorite desserts.  Today, inspiration hit me, and I HAD to bake.  Weird that I have a blog about healthy eating, but sometimes I just need to make sweets.  I will post more about that tomorrow.  I’m working on making a lighter chocolate icing for the cupcakes.

I was taking pictures while working on the altered recipes.  I set the camera on the counter, but forgot to turn it off.  I looked down, and saw a beautiful opportunity on the camera screen.  I didn’t move anything in the picture, I simply pressed the button, and here is what I got…

I was so happy to get this picture.  Not only do I think it looks pretty, but it is a reminder of what is most important in life.  My mother-in-law gave me these measuring spoons, and I absolutely love them.  I almost didn’t want to use them, because I didn’t want to mess them up.  I decided to use them, because that’s why I received them.  No matter how cute or sentimental, these things are meant to be used.  I smile every time I pull them out of the drawer.  Thanks, Miss Kay!  

Whole Grain Heaven

My family often laughs at the lack of pasta in my diet.  Don’t get me wrong, I am a carb lovin’ fool, but I just don’t eat much pasta.  If I do eat it, I am usually left feeling overstuffed and not so good.  It could be because, deep down, I LOVE it.  This fear of pasta (not carbs, I promise) was overtaken yesterday by an insatiable need for some veggie loaded, protein stuffed, pesto deliciousness. 

William has been at the office almost non-stop since we returned from our honeymoon.  As I’ve mentioned before, he’s studying for his CPA exams…yuck!  He has made it home for dinner most nights, but this week he’s been overtaken by a need to stay at the office and get some serious work done.  Apparently, I’m a distraction….I guess that comes with the territory of being a newlywed.  I don’t take offense to this one bit.  Instead, I used it as an opportunity to get creative in the kitchen. 

Whole grains were on my mind…

For some reason, I could not get tabbouleh off my mind.  I love the stuff, but have never been able to master its preparation.  I have to admit that I’ve never really looked at a recipe for the stuff, so that could have something to do with it.  It just always seemed like something was missing, so yesterday I cheated and looked up a recipe on Cooking Light magazine’s website.  I cannot believe I didn’t figure this out sooner…CUMIN was my answer!  As I read the recipe, I could not believe it.  I had every other ingredient correct, except for that one key thing.  I was thrilled…no…ELATED…when I realized the secret!

After my trip to the store, I quickly got busy.  There was a ton of multi-tasking.  Oh, I forgot fill you in on the pasta…

I decided on whole wheat farfalle.  Once the pasta was boiled, I steamed some asparagus, caramelized onions and garlic with some mushrooms, and began chopping fresh herbs.  Once all this was done, I tossed the pasta with the veggies, added some chopped tomatoes-sundried and fresh-and some pesto (Sorry, I cheated and used a “high-end” jarred kind.  We haven’t gotten our food processor yet.)  I baked 2 chicken breasts that I basted with pesto.  Once it cooled I diced it into small cubes and threw that in with everything else.  I also toasted a few walnuts, and added that along with crumbled goat cheese.  I seasoned it to taste with salt and pepper.  I can’t wait to eat it tonight for dinner!

Back to the tabbouleh…

The addition of cumin=perfection!  I am so excited about this amazing revelation.   Lunch today was better than delicious.  I added lemon pepper chicken for some protein and put it over mixed greens, crumbled feta cheese, and a little balsamic vinegar.  There is plenty left for lunch tomorrow too!

Now that I’ve gotten my whole grain fix, I’m thinking about desserts.  Perhaps it is because I have banned them from my life for a little while.  I had a little too much fun on our honeymoon, and want to love those couple of pounds that crept up on me.  However, I’m now on a manhunt to lighten up some desserts.  I think the first victim might be my famous chocolate cake.  I have to say, it’s pretty tooth-aching fabulous.  It should be, I did go to school for that kind of thing. 

I’m going to keep brainstorming, so I will get back to you on that one!  While the wheels are spinning, Here are some pictures from my cooking marathon.

Prepping tomatoes, cucumbers, and fresh herbs for the tabbouleh.

It's important to mix everything together a day ahead.  It helps the flavors meld together.

Loving my new cookware!

Asparagus, farfalle, tomatoes, garlic, onions, mushrooms, and tomatoes.

Completed tabbouleh!

Jake was being a good taste tester.

 It just occurred to me that I did not give you the recipe for tabbouleh! Sorry about that one…

I like mine with a little less parsley and a little more cucumber.

1 ½ c. bulgar wheat (boil water, pour in bulgar, cover, and let sit for about 2 hours)

1 c. chopped tomatoes

1 ¼ c. chopped cucumbers

Fresh parsley, chopped

¼ c. lemon juice (I added the zest of 1 lemon too)

1 ½ tsp. ground cumin

Fresh dill (to taste)

1 TBSP balsamic vinegar (may need more to taste)

Salt and pepper to taste

½ c. crumbled feta cheese

2 chicken breasts, baked with lemon pepper and diced.

It’s so easy.  Just mix it all together!