Banana Blue Muffins

Oh Hello. I know it has been a while. Ok, ok, it has been over a year since I have posted. Guess what? If you don’t know me, I’ll just tell you that I am a consistently inconsistent person. Always have been, always will be.

A lot has happened since I last wrote, including but not limited to: completing a half marathon, spending two weeks in Mexico, completing another year of school, turning twenty-one, landing a job at a hospital, climbing Mt. Washington, becoming one of those people addicted to smoothies, and writing many, many, bad pop songs on the guitar.

Lately I have been pretty into taking run of the mill baked goods and making them into something that could be a hearty breakfast. I love having pastries for breakfast, but I find I usually get really hungry within an hour or two of eating them. So I try to make baked goods with a bit more fiber, protein to help keep me runnin’ until lunch. Some of my experiments have been good (like these), some have been bad (like the time I made chocolate chip cookies and just completely omitted the butter).

Its been a good year, and what way to bring myself back but with Banana Blueberry muffins (yes, these are also an experiment).

Anyways, these will fill you right up and are tasty to beat.

Promise I’m gonna try to stick around. I really am.

Banana Blueberry Muffins
1/4 cup flaxseed meal
1 cup whole-wheat flour
1/4 cup honey
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 egg
1/3 cup low-fat plain yogurt (not greek, if you can!)
1 tbsp. low-fat milk
3 ripe bananas (mashed)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp cinnamon
Zest of one clementine, or 1 tsp orange zest*
One carton of fresh blueberries (washed and patted dry).

*Orange zest is kinda my thing, I put it in almost everything I can, so you could definitely omit it here.

Preheat oven to 350. Combine all dry ingredients in a small bowl. In a large bowl, mash bananas and combine with all wet ingredients. Stir dry mixture into wet 1/3 at a time, mixing until just combined. Fold in blueberries with a spatula and distribute into 12 muffin tins, either greased or lined with papers. Fill muffin tins to the tops (the muffins with deflate a bit shortly after you take them out of the oven). Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

muff

What’s that? It’s not healthy anymore ’cause I put butter on it? Butter is good for the soul. Haters gon hate.

African Peanut Stew

I was babysitting my favorite little friend Annie and  caught scent of something delectable-smelling coming out of her mother’s kitchen. Upon investigating, I found the dish she was preparing contained a few of my favorite things: chickpeas, sweet potatoes, and peanut butter. What a combination! I had the recipe copied and vowed to make it the very next day. I did, and it is delicious! I gave some of it to my room mates and they were skeptical of the peanut flavor, but turns out it is very subtle and sweet, and they loved it.

African Peanut Stew (Thanks Jackie!)

2 Tbsp of Peanut Butter
2 Tbsp of Olive Oil
2 cups chopped onion
6 cups of cubed sweet potato
1 Tbsp of cumin
2 15oz. cans of chickpeas
24 oz vegetable broth
28oz diced tomatoes (canned)
Salt and peper to taste

Heat oil in a dutch oven or other large pot and sauté onions for 7 minutes or until lightly browned. Add all other ingredients and bring to a boil. Turn down to medium heat and simmer for 30 minutes or until potatoes are cooked through. I like this with avocado and parsley, my friend Kevin likes it with hot sauce!

College Pancakes

Yes. There are such a thing!!! Breakfast lovers unite!

My room mates and I always joke about being the most elaborate breakfast cooks of all the  kids at our university. In the morning, we may be bleary-eyed and un-eager to get started with our day, but we never fail to turn out french-press coffee and something delicious. We have been known to whip up smoothies, scrambled eggs with spinach and buttered toast in ten minutes.

It’s because breakfast rules. It is really the most important part of your day, mostly because it sets the tone for your day.  Starting your morning with a pop-tart? Eh. You’ll probably feel pretty hungry in like 4 minutes. These? These bad boys fill me up for hours and give me the energy to tackle Human Anatomy (well, kinda).

That’s why I love these pancakes. They may be a bit different from your run-of-the-mill white flour pancakes, but they are still delicious.They also help you use-up those unappealing brown bananas that you are never going to eat! 

Whole-Wheat Banana Blueberry Pancakes
1 cup of whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons of baking powder
1/2 cup of rolled oats
1/2 teaspoon of cinamon
1/4 cup of walnuts, finely chopped
1 cup of skim milk/almond milk/soy milk
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon of almond or vanilla extract
2 very ripe bananas, one for mashing into the batter and one for chopping
1/2 cup of frozen blueberries
non-stick cooking spray

In a small bowl, combine first five ingredients. In a larger bowl, mash 1 banana and mix with egg and milk. Add extract. Stir in flour mixture to banana mixture and add chopped banana and frozen blueberries. Pour 1/2 cup of mixture into hot pan coated with non-stick oil on medium heat. Cook for two minutes on each side, or until browned.  Serve with maple syrup and fresh berries.

(This probably makes about 6 pancakes, so I usually store the batter covered in the fridge for up to a week.)

Fiber and protein, comin’ right up!

Christmas Dinner Tradition

I have never been that big of a Christmas fan, I’ll admit. I am more of an enthusiastic Thanksgiving celebrator (try to imagine why!!). Sometimes I think during christmas we tend to focus on what stuff we get from other people, and stress out too much about what we have to buy for them. Thats why I call it the festival of consumption. I think Christmas should be about family and recognizing that you have the  gift of living every day! Call me corny, but its true. Christmas is so much better if you think of it this way.

Anyways, every year my parents, my sister and I sit down to a meal of tortilla soup after coming back from our town’s Christmas pageant, followed by an evening in front of the fire eating fudge and watching its a wonderful life. Now THERE is a movie that embodies the true spirit of Christmas.

Why tortilla soup? Well its definitely not your typical Christmas ham, but my family and I have been eating it every Christmas eve for as long as I can remember and I couldn’t imagine it any other way. The soup takes a while to make, but it is so worth it, and after a cold night it really warms the soul (not to mention my Momma is an excellent cook).

Nevertheless this soup is delicious any time of the year. It is also really fun to eat because you can top it with a bunch of different fixings, and you get to scoop it all up with crispy, home made tortilla chips (which we always seem to polish off before the soup even hits the table). Every time I taste it, I remember how important my family is to me. I suppose that is one of the great things about food: that really, it can be so much more than food.

Merry Chowing!!

Tortilla Soup (adapted from an Alice Waters Recipe) :

For the tortilla chips:

4 corn tortillas, cut into 1/2-inch strips

1/2 cup canola oil

For the soup:

1-1/2 quarts chicken broth

1 chicken breast (with skin and bones)

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 Anaheim green pepper, seeded and thinly sliced

1/2 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

2 large tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and diced (or 3 small canned whole tomatoes, diced with juice included)

1 dried chipotle chili, seeded

Sea salt to taste

In a small heavy-bottomed pan fry the corn tortilla strips in canola oil over medium-high heat. Fry the tortilla strips in small batches until golden brown and crispy. Be careful not to burn the tortilla. Drain on paper towels and season with sea salt.

In a medium pot, heat the chicken broth to a simmer, add the chicken breast and cook at a bare simmer until the chicken is done, about 20 minutes. Turn off the heat, transfer the chicken breast to a plate and let it cool. Remove and discard the skin and bones and shred the breast meat. I like my tortilla soup a little chunky so shred the meat to your preference.

In a large heavy pot, cook the Anaheim green pepper, onion, and garlic in olive oil until soft, about 5 minutes. Season with salt. Pour in the hot chicken broth then add the tomatoes and dried chipotle chile. Bring to a boil and then turn down to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes. Cut up chicken into bite size pieces and add to soup. Cook for 5 more minutes. Let cool and serve with whatever garnishes you choose!

Garnishes I like: Avocado slices, Fresh lime juice, Sour Cream, Fresh Cilantro, Chopped Onion, Cheddar Jack Cheese and Fresh Radishes

Artichoke and Kale Frittata

After last saturday’s trip to the farmer’s market, I found myself with a carton of fresh eggs and a huge bunch of kale. I also had a bunch of ricotta cheese leftover from a lasagna I made and had no idea what to do with it. Lo and behold the wonderful world of the internet. Enter these items in on google, and your’e going to find some inspiration. I love fritattas and quiche ( its a mutual love I discovered with one of my dear friends Abby our freshman year of college  because it was the only thing they seemed to cook right in the dining hall). Not only is this a great breakfast, but a great, satisfying snack to eat anytime.

And one last thing before I show you the recipe. Eggs produced in an environment where the little chickens are loved are SO much more tasty than eggs from sad chickens. You can immediately see it in the rich color of the yolks, and you can most definitely taste it in your dish.One time I made these amazing coconut cupcakes with local eggs where the cake was supposed to be white, and it turned out to be a gorgeous yellow color!!  I always try to buy local eggs, it supports your local farmers and they are usually not much more expensive than the grade A jumbos you can pick up at the corner store.

Artichoke and Kale Ricotta Frittata (yes, that rhymes)

Olive oil (for pan coating)
4 eggs, beaten
8 ounces ricotta cheese
4 oz of parmesan/pecorino romano cheese
1 cup artichoke hearts (pre-cooked)
1 bunch kale, roughly chopped

(1 bunch of kale is pretty vague, if you like a lot of kale, put it in!!)

Preheat your oven to 400°F. Grease a cake pan lightly with olive oil (it helps to have a spring-form pan but I didn’t and it still came out fine). In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, grated cheese and ricotta. Roughly chop the veggies and add to the cheese/egg mixture. Stir until combined. Pour contents of bowl into the greased cake pan and cook until firm, about 40 to 50 minutes. Cool on a wire wrack for 5 to 10 minutes and serve. This fritatta tastes great with a little garlic aoli on top!!

Butternut Squash Pecan Scones with a Clementine Glaze

In Costa Rica, pumpkin does not exist, and pumpkin happens to be one of my favorite foods. The day after I returned to Rhode Island in December I decided to go on a pumpkin kick. So of course I visited my local farmer’s market in search of the good stuff. After much searching and no pumpkins I asked senator/farmer Sue Sosnowski what the deal was, and she told me that pumpkins were not storing well this year, but would I like some of her lovely butternut squash?

Pumpkin and butternut squash actually happen to be very similar in texture and taste, despite their different appearance. Both are super high in vitamin A and C and fiber. I bought a lot of it, so I made a simple puree and froze the majority of it. If you only buy a small amount and are planning on eating it, a great way to cook it is to slowly roast it.

To make the puree is simple. Simply peel the squash with a vegetable peeler, remove the seeds (save them to roast later!) and cut up into small cubes of equal size. Drop into a pot of boiling water and cook until tender and easily pierced with a fork. Strain and wait 10 minutes before pureeing in a food processor/blender- and that’s it! It can be helpful to freeze pre-measured amounts for convenience next time you want to cook a pumpkin dish.

I had just seen this awesome recipe for pumpkin ginger scones on one of my favorite blogs, Poor Girl Gourmet, so I decided to take my own little spin on the recipe.

Butternut Squash Pecan Scones with a Clementine Glaze

2 cups flour

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (aka cinnamon, ginger, allspice, cloves and nutmeg)

1/2 cup (1 stick) of butter kept cold in the fridge

1/2 cup squash puree

1 lightly beaten egg yolk

1/2 cup pecans

2 Tbsp heavy cream plus two more for the for wash

for the glaze:

1/4 cup heavy cream

1/2 sifted confectioners sugar

1 Tbsp honey (local tastes best)

zest of 1/2 clementine

Preheat oven to 400. In a large bowl combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, spices and mix well. Cut cold butter into small cubes and work into mixture with fingertips (this method ensures the scone’s flaky goodness). In a small bowl combine puree, cream and yolk and mix well. Mix into butter mixture and add pecans. Place a sheet of parchment paper on a large work surface and dust with flour. Roll out dough until it is about 1 inch deep. Cut into 8 wedges and wash with cream. Place parchment paper on baking sheet and bake for 18-20 minutes. In the meantime, combine all ingredients for the glaze and coat scones after 5 minutes of cooling time. Top with more pecans.

This was a really decadent breakfast to wake up to not to mention that they are easy to make.  I think I will definitely be making them again considering I have all that squash in my freezer. A perfect way to surprise your friends on a chilly winter morning. They make the house smell great.

You could also serve them for dessert. Or lunch. Or dinner or….

Costa Rica

I am incredibly lucky. I was able to study abroad in Costa Rica for three months studying environmental science. I visited coffee farms, rainforests, volcanoes and beautiful national parks- not to mention I got to live on a small sustainable farm with 27 of the coolest people I’ve ever met. Oh yeah, and I got to conduct research on organic coffee farms, and proved (via soil research) that they are better than conventional. Needless to say, it was awesome.

Oh, Costa Rica. You have been so good to me. Now I am back in the cold, COLD little state of Rhode Island. You may have noticed my last post occurred over three months ago. That does not mean there was no good food in Costa Rica- there was. There was however, a lack of Internet, as well as a way to upload photos without breaking said internet. So I told myself I would save the pictures intended for this blog to my computer and upload them when I had fast internet in town or even when I returned home…….then my camera got stolen. Whoops.

Unfortunately there are none of my own photos to accompany but these are my top 5 Costa Rican favorite foods:

#5 Yucca

Like a potato…..kinda. This tuberous root contains a white starch similar to that of a ‘tater but has a very different texture. They grow underneath what looks like long spindly trees, until you pull that tree up and see there are…..potatoes underneath? Great mashed or steamed, but mostly great fried. Yum.

#4 Lizano

The official ketchup of Costa Rica. Personally, I like it better than ketchup. When I visited CR with my parents way back in the third grade, they came back to the states and specially ordered cases of this stuff. Not lying.  Sweet, tangy and spicy, Lizano is a great compliment for just about anything, just like ketchup.

#3 Gallo Pinto

I ate this Every. Morning. For. Three. Months. But you know what, now that I don’t have it, I miss it. There really is no heartier breakfast than a large helping of rice and beans. I would have liked it even better if they used brown rice, but hey, you take what you can get. Basically it consists of kidney beans and white rice with a little bit of onions, cilantro and a special salsa. Everyone here eats it. Regular rice and beans was also served to me for Every. Single. Meal. For. Three. Months. Guess the Costa Ricans stick with what they like.

#2 Tres Leches

I stayed with a nice family in CR, and the moment I mentioned to the sweet mother that I enjoyed cooking, she dragged me into the kitchen to teach me how to make this. You basically start off with a regular old yellow cake, then you proceed to jab zillions of holes in it and then pour sweet milk all over it and let it sit. You then frost it with a condensed milk frosting. It is called tres leches because you literally use “three milks” when making it.

#1 Dulce de Leche

This stuff can be described accurately as caramelized condensed milk. However, I would describe it as the best thing to happen to bread, ever. Peanut butter and dulce de leche sandwiches were a staple of my diet in CR, and I would be lying if I said wasn’t going to purchase some back here in the states (yes, you CAN get it at the supermarket). Word on the street is that they bathe in that stuff in Argentina. My friend Lucy was there and she said people put it on literally EVERYTHING. Meat, rice, fruit, crackers, cheese, you name it. Stuff is so good, I can see why.

If I learned anything in Costa Rica, it was that you eat what is in front of you, literally. Everyone has a little garden in their yard, and there are small fruit vendors around every corner. These people eat local all the time, but it isn’t a trend or anything, it is a way of life. They live off the fat ‘o the land as one smart cookie author once put it. I really enjoyed Costa Rica, although I did really crave pumpkin, greek yogurt and good bread pretty much all the time. I do expect I will be back soon though.

Beauty of the Bake

I have not posted in a while, it’s been a busy summer! I whipped these up for my dear friend Kelsey on her birthday. I have minimal talents besides cooking, so I usually will bake my friends and family a dessert of their choice on their special day. These cupcakes are the result of two bottles of red food coloring. I just wanted to leave y’all with the pictures because they are radiant!

The Best Wine EVER

For some reason, my dad really values my opinion on wine, even though I am a total newbie when it comes to taste. There are not many wines that I love being a newbie, but Apothic Red had me from the start. First off, you can’t go wrong with the price ($9.99) and second, its taste is a blend of heaven. It came as not surprise to me then, when I stumbled across an article featuring it in the Projo FOOD section.
We shared the wine with one of my friends who is studying to be a sommelier (a trained wine professional) and he was blown away by the stuff.
We needed a great meal to pair it with, so we chose two recipes from that weeks Projo Food section to honor it.
We did a simple swiss chard salad with fresh radishes topped with pistachios and Pecorino Romano. I whipped up a little vinaigrette for that as well. Next came the blanched almond chicken (we did not know what blanched was before the recipe) and the carrot cilantro salad. Overall a great meal to go with that great wine.

A Summer Night with Friends

I wasn’t planning on posting this meal. However, I had been cooking all night for a couple friends at my house and after telling me how good our meal tasted they all demanded it be posted on the blog.
Friends enjoying food.
This is a cool technique. We simply steamed veggies and chicken on the grill by sealing them in tin foil packets with a little bit of white wine and chicken stock. You could substitute any of the veggies and could substitute the chicken for beef or even fish.
(my apologies for the poor quality)
Our little recipe consisted of chicken with a Spanish olive spread, artichokes, asparagus, sweet potato, red onion, zucchini and yellow bell pepper. “Cause, ya know, gotta keep that figure. YEAH RIGHT.