Cake, Batter, and Bowl

Peppermint Brownie Torte

December 22, 2010

I’m proud to report that I finally squeezed in some holiday baking! I whipped up these gingerbread cookies and Emily’s soft buttery sugar cookies on Monday night and they were both a big hit at work. Two thumbs up for both recipes!

Of course, I also couldn’t let the holiday season pass without making a peppermint and chocolate treat because I’m in love with the flavor combo. I always order mint Oreo blizzards at Dairy Queen and have often thought they would be even better with some brownie chunks in the mix. This torte is a twist on that idea.

I baked my favorite brownies in a cheesecake pan (I left out the baking powder this time so they’d be more fudgy and less cakey), and then spread festive peppermint ice cream on top and topped the torte with some chopped Oreos. I really wanted to top it with the candy cane Trader Joe Joe sandwich cookies, but they somehow all disappeared before I thought to set any aside…they’re just so addicting! This torte is really easy to make and you can change the ice cream flavor to suite your mood. The only downside is that you have to work a bit to cut through the brownie layer since the ice cream needs to set in the freezer, but I think it’s worth the little extra elbow grease. Time to clean and pack before we head out for the holidays! Merry Christmas everyone!!

Peppermint Brownie Torte
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

Brownie Layer:
1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 (1-ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chunks

Torte Assembly:
1 quart (4 cups) peppermint ice cream, softened (I let mine sit out on the counter for 20 minutes)
6 coarsely chopped Oreos

Directions:
To make the brownie layer, heat oven to 350˚F. Microwave the butter and unsweetened chocolate in a microwavable bowl at high power until the butter is melted, about 2 minutes. Stir until combined, then mix in the vanilla extract. Meanwhile, beat the sugar and eggs in a large bowl and then add in the melted chocolate mixture. Stir in flour and salt; mix in chocolate chunks. Spread the brownie mixture evenly into a greased 9-inch springform pan. Bake at 350˚F for 18 to 22 minutes or until the brownies are set and a toothpick inserted in the center of the brownies comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool to room temperature, about 1 hour.

To assemble the torte, spread softened ice cream evenly on top of the cooked brownie layer. Sprinkle Oreos evenly on top. Freeze overnight or until ice cream is set again. Let sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving. Makes 12 servings.

Nutrition: 364 calories, 19.1g fat, 1.6g fiber, 4.1g protein per serving
Cost: $0.63 per serving

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Pumpkin Hazelnut Oatmeal Cookie Bars

December 18, 2010

Is everyone ready for the holidays? We finished our Christmas shopping today and our cards are all ready to be sent out tomorrow. Christmas has definitely snuck up on us this year though and I haven’t had the chance to do any holiday baking yet. I hope I can squeeze some in soon because there’s not much time left!

I do want to share some treats that I made with the hazelnut flour and mini cinnamon chips I scored from King Arthur Flour a few months ago. I originally made these bars for my lab right before Thanksgiving, but the night I was mixing them up, Apolinaras told me that he needed to bring something to a TDay potluck at work…so his coworkers ended up enjoying them instead. He’s such a lucky guy that I already happened to be baking something!

The oatmeal cookie base contains browned butter, pumpkin butter, and hazelnut flour, and the pumpkin layer on top is lovely faux mousse made with pumpkin puree and instant pudding. I topped the bars with chopped toasted hazelnuts and the cinnamon chips. Hopefully I’ll have time to make and share another treat before Christmas too!

Pumpkin Hazelnut Oatmeal Cookie Bars
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

Cookie Base:
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup pumpkin butter
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup toasted hazelnut flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups instant oats

Pumpkin Layer:
1 (3.4-oz.) package instant vanilla pudding
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 15-ounce can pure pumpkin puree
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 tablespoons chopped toasted hazelnuts
2 tablespoons mini cinnamon chips

Directions:
Heat oven to 350˚F. Place butter in a small nonstick skillet and cook for 4 to 5 minutes over medium heat or until browned. Place browned butter, pumpkin butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar in a large bowl and mix until smooth. Mix in egg and vanilla extract. Stir in all-purpose flour, hazelnut flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt. Mix in oats. Press cookie dough evenly in the bottom of a greased 8×8-inch square pan. Bake at 350˚F for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and cookie base is golden brown. Cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare pumpkin layer. In a large bowl mix instant pudding, milk, condensed milk, pumpkin puree, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. Refrigerate 10 minutes or until set. Spread pumpkin filling evenly over cooled cookie dough crust. Sprinkle toasted hazelnuts and cinnamon chips evenly on top. Makes 16 bars.

Nutrition: 182 calories, 9.1g fat, 2.7g fiber, 3.3g protein per serving
Cost: $0.46 per serving

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Mini Meatball Mexican Soup

December 14, 2010

Remember when I mentioned I was testing a few soup recipes last week? Work has been super busy, but I finally got around to making this one last night and had to post it right away because it’s so addicting! I had a huge bowl for dinner and went back for seconds, and I wish there was more left because I wouldn’t mind a little snack right about now…

It’s really all about the mini meatballs. I love them in soup because they just make it so much more hearty and tasty. Instead of making a traditional Italian wedding soup though, I decided it would be fun to try a Mexican inspired version. I mixed Ancho chile powder, cumin, and oregano spiced mini meatballs in a red and poblano pepper tomato broth and garnished the soup with avocado and feta. Next time I’m going to make a double batch so the leftovers last longer!

Mini Meatball Mexican Soup
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

Meatballs:
1 1/2 pounds ground turkey
1 egg
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon Ancho chile powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
1 teaspoon salt

Soup:
1 large red pepper
2 poblano peppers
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 red onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups low sodium chicken broth
2 cups water
1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
Juice of 1 lime
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 avocado, peeled, pitted, and chopped
1/3 cup crumbled feta

Directions:
To make the meatballs, heat oven to 375˚F. Place ground turkey, egg, breadcrumbs, garlic, chile powder, cumin, oregano, and salt in a large bowl and knead with your hands until well mixed. Shape into 50 mini meatballs and place on a large cookie sheet. Bake at 375˚F for 13-15 minutes or until cooked through and no longer pink in the center.

To make the soup, heat oven broiler. Place peppers on a greased cookie sheet and broil for 15 to 20 minutes or until outsides are black and charred, turning once. Cool to room temperature, remove blackened skins and seeds, and roughly chop roasted peppers.

Meanwhile, heat canola oil in a large stockpot over medium high heat. Add onions and sauté 5 to 7 minutes or until tender; add garlic and sauté one additional minute. Add chicken broth, water, tomatoes, and roasted peppers, and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover pot, and simmer for 10 minutes. Use an immersion blender to puree soup until smooth or place batches in a blender and process until smooth. Stir in lime juice, cumin, and salt. Mix in cooked meatballs. Scoop into four bowls and garnish with avocado and feta. Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition: 418 calories, 18.9g fat, 6.1g fiber, 44.8g protein per serving
Cost: $2.72 per serving

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Mashed Potato Stuffed Mushrooms

December 10, 2010

The holiday party season is here! I tend to be more of a grazer in general (it’s actually sometimes a little embarrassing how often I reach for the goodies in our snack drawer at work!), so I love it when a plentiful appetizer spread at parties lets me try new bites throughout the evening. I always first pounce on the stuffed mushrooms though. They are one of my very favorite apps and in fact, of the 16 appetizer recipes currently on my blog, 3 are for stuffed mushrooms, which is about 20%!

I always sauté my mushrooms on the stove first to get the moisture out and then just warm them through in the oven after filling them up, if needed. For this version I stuffed them with mashed potatoes with feta and topped them with caramelized onions. I stirred in feta because I happened to have it on hand, but I think goat cheese would also be lovely. You can, of course, also use leftover mashed potatoes to make these!

Mashed Potato Stuffed Mushrooms
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 large yellow onion, cut into thin strips
24 ounces baby bella mushrooms, stems removed
2 Yukon gold potatoes (mine were 13 ounces), scrubbed, peeled, and cut into chunks
1/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup crumbled feta

Directions:
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and butter over medium low heat in a large nonstick pan and cook onions for 45 to 55 minutes, or until caramelized, stirring occasionally.

Heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium high heat and sauté mushrooms for 7 to 10 minutes, or until tender, working in batches. Remove from heat and drain well.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add potato chunks to the pot and boil for 10 to 15 minutes or until fork tender. Drain and mash in a large bowl (yield should be about 1 1/2 cups). Mix mashed potatoes with buttermilk and salt until smooth; mix in crumbled feta.

Spoon potato mixture into mushroom cavities and top evenly with caramelized onions. Makes 12 servings.

Nutrition: 105 calories, 4.7g fat, 1.9g fiber, 3.2g protein per serving
Cost: $0.73 per serving

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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