Cake, Batter, and Bowl

Latin Crab Bisque

December 6, 2010

After searching high and low at several grocery stores for ancho chile powder, a frequently used ingredient in my Rick Bayless cookbook (which is awesome by the way!), I finally managed to visit our local Penzeys and pick some up. I went in for the chile powder and came out with all these other goodies too – smoked Spanish paprika, Mexican oregano, sumac berries (recipe suggestions anyone?), almond extract, whole nutmeg, and pickling spices – yay!

Since it’s suddenly December and freezing in Boston, I decided to use my new purchase to spice up my crab and red pepper bisque. I also mixed in cumin, cayenne pepper, lime juice, corn, and cilantro and will definitely be making this again. I have all the ingredients to test two more soup recipes this week and already can’t wait!

Latin Crab Bisque
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup flour
4 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 12-ounce jar roasted red peppers, drained and chopped
1/4 cup tomato paste
2 tablespoons ground ancho chile powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 pound fresh lump crabmeat
1 cup heavy cream
Juice of 1 lime
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup cooked corn kernels (I used frozen)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:
Heat canola oil over medium heat in a nonstick skillet and sauté onions for 5 to 7 minutes or until tender. Add garlic and sauté 1 additional minute. Remove from heat.

Melt butter over medium high heat in a large stockpot. Whisk in flour until smooth and cook one minute or until mixture starts to brown. Add chicken stock, red peppers, tomato paste, ancho chile powder, cumin, cayenne pepper, and sautéed onions to the stockpot and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes or until thickened. Add 14 ounces lump crabmeat and use an immersion blender to puree soup until smooth or place batches in a blender and process until smooth.

Add cream to the stockpot and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes or until heated through; stir in lime juice and salt. Scoop into 4 serving bowls and garnish with remaining 2 ounces crabmeat, corn kernels, and cilantro. Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition: 580 calories, 41.1g fat, 4.0g fiber, 24.4g protein per serving
Cost: $5.31 per serving

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Pumpkin Beer Bread

December 2, 2010

We’ve been all about beer lately. Apolinaras has recently gotten into home brewing and just proudly sealed 40 bottles of Oak-Aged Baltic Porter last night. It’s supposed to age for at least a month before it’s really ready, but I snuck a couple sips of the green stuff and am already impressed – it was really good. It’s very cute to see him be as passionate as me in the kitchen!

Having beer on the brain, I decided it would be fun to try making some pumpkin bread that featured both pumpkin puree and pumpkin beer, along with some pumpkin butter from Trader Joe’s. This pumpkin triple threat is definitely more savory than traditional pumpkin bread, but the golden raisins bring it all together with a slight touch of sweetness. The best part is that I only used a cup of beer in the recipe and got to enjoy the rest of the bottle while I was mixing the loaf up. I’m hoping next time I’ll be able to use one of Apolinaras’ brews in the recipe instead!

Pumpkin Beer Bread
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 15-ounce can pure pumpkin puree
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup pumpkin butter
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 large egg
1 cup pumpkin beer
3 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon fresh nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup golden raisins

Directions:
Heat oven to 350˚F. Place pumpkin puree in a small nonstick pan and simmer over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently, or until reduced to 1 cup. Cool completely.

Lightly grease and flour a 9-inch loaf pan. Mix cooled pumpkin puree, butter, pumpkin butter, brown sugar, and egg in a large bowl until well mixed. Stir in pumpkin beer. Mix in flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt; stir in golden raisins. Spread dough into prepared pan and bake at 350˚F for 50 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean. Makes 12 servings.

Nutrition: 229 calories, 4.5g fat, 5.0g fiber, 4.9g protein per serving
Cost: $0.39 per serving

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Five Spice Scallops over Sesame Spinach

November 29, 2010

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! We had seven adults at our celebration, including Shannon and her parents, and my good friend Geeti and her hubby Puneet and their cutie newborn son. Shannon and I split up the menu so we both ended up being quite relaxed and not overly stressed on Thursday. I was responsible for the turkey, gravy, stuffing, green beans, rolls, and pumpkin pie, while Shannon tackled the cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, butternut squash, and apple pear crisp. Every dish I made was a first for me, so it was really fun! I also made Geeti a quinoa stuffed acorn squash, which was a twist on this recipe, since she’s a vegetarian. I removed the ground turkey and cooked the quinoa in veggie stock, of course, and also added in sautéed apples, lemon juice, and fresh sage instead of dried thyme. It was an evening full of wonderful food and even better company!

I actually was sick with a bad cold over the rest of the weekend and had a bunch of work to do, but thankfully I’m finally feeling better now and am in the mood to blog again – I also can’t wait to get back to the gym and into my kitchen this week! This scallop recipe is one that we enjoyed a few weeks ago. I picked up scallops on a whim at the market and decided it would be fun to make them with an Asian twist. I dusted the scallops with five spice powder, coriander, and cayenne pepper, and set the seared beauties on top of a bed of spinach sautéed with rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, honey, and sesame oil. I spooned some broth from the spinach on top and then we mopped it up from our bowls with some crusty bread. This is about a 20 minute meal – very fast and tasty.

Five Spice Scallops over Sesame Spinach
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 teaspoon Chinese five spice powder
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 pound sea scallops, side muscle removed
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
10 ounces fresh baby spinach
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon sesame oil

Directions:
Mix five spice powder, coriander, cayenne pepper, and salt in a small bowl. Rinse scallops and pat them dry with paper towels. Place scallops on a large dish and evenly sprinkle spices on all sides of the scallops. Heat canola oil and butter over medium high heat in a large nonstick skillet and add scallops to the pan. Cook for about 2 minutes and then flip over with tongs. Cook an 2 additional minutes or until scallops are opaque and firm. Remove scallops from the pan. Add spinach to the same pan and cover with a lid and heat for 2 to 3 minutes or until wilted. Stir in vinegar, soy sauce, honey, and sesame oil. Place spinach into two bowls and place scallops on top. Spoon desired amount of spinach broth on top. Makes 2 servings.

Nutrition: 418 calories, 14.7g fat, 3.5g fiber, 42.6g protein per serving
Cost: $6.95 per serving

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Apple Spinach Salad with Maple Walnuts

November 21, 2010

Thanksgiving is right around the corner and I’m so excited! I’ve never cooked for the holiday before and I can’t wait to finally take a stab at roasting a turkey. We bought all our groceries this weekend (except the turkey, which we’ll picking up Wednesday from this local turkey farm), and I started prepping tonight by making vegetable stock for the turkey brine. I also cleared as much out of the fridge as possible, so our large 5 gallon pot for the brining would fit comfortably. This meant getting a little creative with some ingredients that needed to be used up!

I’ve mentioned before that I don’t make a lot of main dish salads at home, but there were 6 ounces of leftover fresh baby spinach in a large plastic container from Costco that were begging to be dressed up today. I settled on tossing them with a shallot apple cider vinaigrette and also mixed in some turkey bacon and apple slices. I also whipped up some maple walnuts to add – yum! My Turkey Day timeline is all set and I can’t wait to get into the kitchen this week. I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Apple Spinach Salad with Maple Walnuts
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

Maple Walnuts:
1/2 cup walnuts
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1/8 teaspoon salt

Crispy Turkey Bacon:
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 slices turkey bacon, chopped

Dressing:
1/4 cup finely chopped shallots
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons apple cider
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1/8 teaspoon salt

For assembly:
4 cups packed fresh baby spinach leaves (6 ounces)
1 apple, cored and sliced into wedges

Directions:
Prepare the maple walnuts by placing the walnuts and maple syrup in a small nonstick pan. Heat over medium low heat for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring regularly, or until maple syrup has evaporated; stir in salt. Spread walnuts on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and allow to cool to room temperature.

To prepare the bacon, heat olive oil over medium high heat in a large nonstick skillet and sauté bacon for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until crispy. Drain on paper towels.

To make the dressing, add shallots to the same pan the bacon was cooked in and sauté for 5 to 7 minutes or until tender. Place shallots in a small bowl and whisk in apple cider vinegar, apple cider, olive oil, maple syrup, and salt.

To assemble the salad, toss spinach leaves with desired amount of dressing, bacon, maple walnuts, and apple slices. Makes 2 servings.

Nutrition: 496 calories, 35.7g fat, 4.7g fiber, 9.6g protein per serving
Cost: $2.97 per serving

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BBQ Chicken Tacos

November 17, 2010

I tune everything out when I’m reading, which can be a good or bad habit depending on the situation. Good because I can read in any environment and not get distracted, but bad for the same reason because I keep missing my bus stops! I have a 45 minute commute, and like many in Boston, take public transportation. Unlike most though, I miss my bus stops a couple times a month – it’s rather ridiculous, but I have no sense of time passing when I’m reading and regularly am completely disorientated when I peek up and realize we’ve gone much farther than I thought. It’s worse when it’s dark out and I’m heading home, but one time when I was taking the 47 bus to work at the Longwood Medical Campus, I ended up by Boston Medical Center, which is a good 20 minutes after my stop! I ended up just waiting until we hit the red line and then circled back on the T and was a good hour late for work. Oops.

Anyway, I was gobbling up the November issue of Food and Wine magazine on the bus recently and was struck by the description of the BBQ sauce at Franklin Barbecue in Austin, Texas – “a sweet-tart-bitter blend of ketchup, cider vinegar, and coffee.” It sounded so brilliant that I was inspired to make my own version with these ingredients as the base. I don’t think I’d be able to guess there’s espresso powder in the sauce I made if I didn’t know, but it has a level of complexity that I really enjoyed. I mixed my BBQ sauce with spiced rubbed chicken and served it on corn tortillas with sautéed red onions and crumbled queso fresco cheese. Very yummy. And now if you’ll excuse me, it’s time to get back to my latest read!

BBQ Chicken Tacos
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

Chicken:
1 tablespoon ancho chile powder
1 tablespoon Mexican oregano
1/2 tablespoon packed brown sugar
1/2 tablespoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon salt
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

BBQ Sauce:
3/4 cup ketchup
1/2 cup apple cider
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon brown mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon espresso powder

For Assembly:
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 large red onion, cut into strips
8 corn tortillas, warmed (I used the small ones from Trader Joe’s)
6 ounces queso fresco, crumbled

Directions:
Heat oven to 350˚F. Mix ancho chile powder, oregano, brown sugar, paprika, cayenne pepper, and salt in a small dish. Rub chicken breasts evenly with spice mix and place chicken breasts in a greased 13×9-inch pan. Bake chicken at 350˚F for 22 to 25 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and no longer pink in the center. Cool chicken 10 minutes, cut into small chunks, and place in a large bowl.

Meanwhile, place ketchup, apple cider, apple cider vinegar, mustard, Worcestershire, and espresso powder in a small saucepan and heat over medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes or until thickened. Mix BBQ sauce with chicken in the large bowl.

Heat canola oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat and sauté onion strips for 5 to 7 minutes or until tender.

To assemble the tacos, place BBQ chicken evenly in corn tortillas. Top with sautéed onions and queso fresco. Makes 4 servings of 2 tacos each.

Nutrition: 605 calories, 17.2g fat, 4.1g fiber, 64.2g protein per serving
Cost: $2.28 per serving

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Peanut Butter Chocolate Tart

November 13, 2010

We’ve started a fun tradition in lab this year where I try to bake something for each person’s birthday. You know I love having the excuse to try new dessert recipes! My only request when I started was that each person make a list of their favorite treats so that I have a bit of guidance and they get something they really enjoy. Allison’s birthday was this week and she asked for a chocolate peanut butter combo, which is one of my absolute favorites too. So, I spent a bit of time trying to dream up the ultimate peanut butter and chocolate dessert this week.

I settled on making a peanut butter cookie crust (which I over baked a bit, so be careful with it!) and then filled the tart with chopped mini Reese’s peanut butter cups and a creamy peanut butter faux mousse. Then I topped the tart with a chocolate ganache and more Reese’s cups. Mmm, totally indulgent and perfect for a bday celebration! I’m already looking forward to seeing what the next person requests!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Tart
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

Peanut Butter Cookie Crust:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt

Peanut Butter Filling:
1 (3.4-oz.) package instant vanilla pudding
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 cup creamy peanut butter
2 cups whipped topping, thawed

Ganache Layer:
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons cups semisweet chocolate chips
6 tablespoons heavy whipping cream

For Assembly:
2 cups mini Reese’s Peanut Butter cups, cut into fourths (10 ounces)

Directions:
To make the peanut butter cookie crust, heat oven to 350˚F. Mix butter and sugar until creamed in a large bowl. Mix in egg and peanut butter until smooth; stir in flour and salt. Grease a 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom; press cookie dough evenly over bottom and up the sides of the tart pan. Bake at 350˚F for 12 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown. With back of spoon, press down crust so bottom and sides are evenly covered; bake 2 to 3 minutes longer, or until deep golden brown and a toothpick in the center comes out clean. Press down crust again with spoon, if needed. Completely cool the crust, about 1 hour.

Meanwhile, make the peanut butter filling. In a medium bowl, mix instant pudding with milk and condensed milk until smooth. Stir in peanut butter and then fold in whipped topping.

Prepare the ganache. In a small microwavable bowl, microwave the chocolate chips and heavy whipping cream, uncovered, on high for 1 minute. Stir well and microwave another 30 seconds. Continue stirring until the chips are melted and the mixture is smooth, microwaving another 15-30 seconds if needed.

To assemble the tart, evenly sprinkle half the chopped mini Reese’s peanut butter cups in the bottom of the cooled peanut butter cookie crust. Fill tart with peanut butter filling and spread ganache evenly on top. Sprinkle evenly with remaining chopped mini Reese’s peanut butter cups and refrigerate until the ganache is set, about 1 hour. Cut into 16 wedges.

Nutrition: 539 calories, 35.4g fat, 3.4g fiber, 13.7g protein per serving
Cost: $0.90 per serving

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Pumpkin Pasta Bake

November 9, 2010

So, it’s time to spill the beans on a little secret – I’ve been training for a half marathon! I’ve resisted saying anything about it on my blog until now because I didn’t want to put any pressure on myself, but now that the race is over, I’m ready to share my experience! I’ve grown to really enjoy running and I’m having a great time picking new races to challenge myself. The week after my triathlon, I started a 10 week half training plan and signed up for the Harvard Pilgrim Maine Coast Half Marathon in York, Maine, after I completed my first 10 mile run in October. I picked this particular race because part of the course winded along the beach and the race was all women, which I thought would make it a really supportive environment.

During my training I had run 11 miles twice, and 12 and 13 miles once, so while I was pretty nervous at the starting line, I knew that I should be able to finish. It was chilly at 42˚F, but I’ll take cold weather over hot any day when it comes to running! My goal was to listen to my body, not take it out too fast, and finish strong. I also secretly wanted to beat my 13 mile training run time of 2:06. The first mile or so I felt really clunky, and kept thinking, what have I gotten myself into? I have to run 12 more miles, this is crazy! But, I settled into a groove pretty quickly after that, and was enjoying myself by mile 3 when I saw Apolinaras cheering for the first time. Miles 4 to 6 were full of steep hills and definitely the most challenging part of the course. I tried to just concentrate on my breathing going up the hard ones and slurped on a gel as soon as they were over. Then I focused on getting to mile 8, where I knew I’d see Apolinaras cheering again. Here’s an action shot – haha, my running pictures are always so goofy looking!

Miles 9 to 12 went by a bit more slowly and there were several gradual slopes, but I still felt pretty strong and even managed to sip down some Gatorade at one of the aid stations without spilling all over myself. At mile 12, I checked my ipod and it said it was 11:48 am. The race was supposed to start at 10:00 am (of course I forgot to check the time on my ipod when we actually started, but I figured it was close), so at this point I realized I had a fair shot at breaking 2 hours. So, I boogied it to the finish line as fast I could. I’m not going to lie – it felt like the longest 1.1 miles ever! But, the cheering crowds really pumped me up and I even managed to pass a few people. When I rounded the last corner and saw the clock was still under 2:00 and the big grin on Apolinaras’ face, I actually got a little teary. This shot is much better – I’m grinning from ear to ear because the finish line is in sight!

I didn’t think I’d be so emotional at the finish, but I think it stems from the fact that when I started running on a regular basis in January, I was in awe of people who did half marathons and never thought I was capable of doing one myself. My official time was 1:58:12, which is 9:02 per mile – yay, I did it!

After the race Apolinaras and I checked out a nearby lighthouse and marveled at the 20 or so surfers riding the waves. We had lunch at the Stonewall Kitchen Cafe, which was tasty, and picked up a few fun items from their store.

Then we went home and I devoured everything in our fridge. Well, not quite everything, but definitely the last bit of this yummy pasta. I mixed shells with a healthy dose of pumpkin, ricotta, mascarpone, and parmesan, and then baked it in the oven after topping it with mozzarella cheese – definitely the perfect dish for carbo loading! I think my next big goals are to do an Olympic triathlon next summer and hopefully one of the Disney half marathons with my Dad at some point. Can’t wait!

Pumpkin Pasta Bake
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 pound package large pasta shells
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup chopped shallots
2 15-ounce cans pure pumpkin puree
2 cups part-skim ricotta cheese
1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
1/2 cup freshly shredded parmesan cheese
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Directions:
Heat oven to 350˚F. Cook pasta according to package instructions until al dente. Drain and return to a large pot.

Heat olive oil over medium high heat in a large nonstick skillet and sauté shallots for 5 to 7 minutes or until tender. Add cooked shallots to a large bowl with the pumpkin puree, ricotta cheese, mascarpone cheese, parmesan cheese, and salt, and mix until smooth. Mix in cooked shells. Place mixture in a 13×9-inch pan and sprinkle mozzarella cheese evenly on top. Bake at 350˚F for 30 minutes or until mozzarella cheese is melted and bubbly. Makes 9 servings.

Nutrition: 406 calories, 13.9g fat, 3.3g fiber, 22.2g protein per serving
Cost: $0.94 per serving

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Moroccan Stuffed Acorn Squash

November 5, 2010

Well it’s somehow November, which I’m in denial about, but the good news is that it’s finally time to share squash recipes! I actually buy winter squash out of season occasionally (yep, I’m a bad food blogger…) because sometimes I crave it even in the middle of the summer. But, I’ve managed to resist posting any recipes until now, since I figured it would be best to wait until other people were pining for squash too!

Stuffed acorn squash is one of my favorites because you can combine your veggies, protein, and starch all into one cute portable package. I really enjoyed this Moroccan inspired version because I liked the way the spiced ground turkey and sweet squash and golden raisins complemented each other. And the quinoa and spinach pack a nutritional punch, which is much needed after you’ve spent several weeks indulging on various cakes and scones!

Moroccan Stuffed Acorn Squash
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
5 acorn squash, cut in half lengthwise with seeds and pulp removed
1 1/2 cups quinoa
3 cups low sodium chicken stock
1 red onion, chopped
1 pound ground turkey
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 cup golden raisins
Juice of one lemon
1 teaspoon salt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375˚F. Place squash cut side down on two large cookie sheet sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Bake at 375˚F for 35 to 40 minutes or until tender.

Meanwhile, place quinoa and chicken stock in a stockpot over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer 10 to 15 minutes or until all water is absorbed and quinoa is tender.

Place onion and ground turkey in a large nonstick skillet and use a spoon to break up ground turkey. Heat over medium high heat for 8 to 10 minutes or until turkey is browned and cooked through and onions are tender. Add garlic, turmeric, ginger, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, and nutmeg and cook one additional minute, stirring frequently. Add spinach and stir until well combined.

Stir cooked quinoa, sausage mixture, raisins, lemon juice, and salt in a large bowl. Pile quinoa and sausage mixture evenly into cooked squash. Makes 10 servings.

Nutrition: 343 calories, 6.1g fat, 6.6g fiber, 17.4g protein per serving
Cost: $1.54 per serving

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