Cake, Batter, and Bowl

Strawberry Cheesecake Pancakes

June 7, 2009

This recipe is for my mom. She love pancakes and considers them a breakfast treat. She would often make pancakes on the weekends while my brother and I were growing up and always took the extra time to spell out our names (7 pancakes – score!). She usually ended up making me two Ks, one to munch on while she finished the rest of the letters of my name, and one at the very end to replace the one I had already eaten! I don’t make pancakes very often, but when I do, I want them to be special. My mom also loves the Cheesecake Factory and goes there just about every weekend for Sunday brunch. So, this recipe combines her love of strawberry cheesecake and pancakes!

I usually use whole wheat flour in everything, but I’m not a fan of it in pancakes for some reason, so I tried white whole wheat flour for the first time and was pleased with the results. I added graham cracker crumbs and sliced strawberries to the pancake batter and then drizzled a cream cheese sauce on top instead of syrup. So good and I can’t wait to make these for my mom when we visit in July!

Strawberry Cheesecake Pancakes
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1/2 cup white whole wheat flour
1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs (3 crackers pulsed in the food processor)
2 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 cup low-fat buttermilk
3 tablespoons butter, melted
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup sliced strawberries
2 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon milk

Directions:
Mix the flour, graham cracker crumbs, 1 tablespoon sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a medium bowl. Stir in the egg, buttermilk, 2 tablespoons melted butter, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract until just combined. Stir in the strawberries.

Pour 1/3 cup scoops of batter onto a greased nonstick skillet over medium heat. Flip the pancakes when bubbles start to appear on top, after about 3 minutes. Cook the other side until golden brown. Makes 6 pancakes.

Mix cream cheese, milk, and remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar, 1 tablespoon butter, and 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract in a small bowl until smooth. Drizzle over pancakes. Makes 3 servings.

Nutrition: 423 calories, 21.8g fat, 2.6g fiber, 9.1g protein per serving
Cost: $0.78 per serving

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Cajun Shrimp Rolls

June 4, 2009

When I was in New Orleans several months ago, I ordered a Crawfish Roll on a whim from one of the food vendors. I didn’t really know what to expect, and was pleasantly surprised when it turned out to be a yummy eggroll filled with a crawfish/seafood stuffing. It was so good and I knew I wanted to come up with a version to serve as an appetizer at home.

I’m 99% sure the eggroll was stuffed with grits (although I’d never had them before!), so this is my first attempt making them. I knew I didn’t want too must moisture in the filling, so I kept them on the drier side after cooking them, and then mixed in some Cajun spices, red peppers, green onions, and shrimp. I had a little leftover goat cheese so I mixed it with a bit of lime juice and served it on top!

Cajun Shrimp Rolls
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 green onions, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup dry yellow grits
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup cooked shrimp, chopped
8 spring roll wrappers, thawed
2 ounces goat cheese
Juice of one lime

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350˚F. Heat olive oil over medium heat in a medium pan and sauté green onions and red peppers for 5 to 7 minutes or until soft. Add garlic and sauté 1 additional minute. Remove from heat.

Combine grits and chicken stock in a small pot and bring mixture to a boil. Simmer for 5-10 minutes or until grits are tender. Stir in paprika, cayenne pepper, oregano, thyme, and salt. Mix in vegetable mixture and shrimp.

Evenly fill spring roll wrappers according to the package directions. Briefly, top each wrapper with an equal amount of shrimp mixture across the center, from point to point. Roll up bottom point, tuck in sides and roll up. Using moistened fingers, wet the last point and roll up to seal. Place rolls, sealed side down, on a large cookie sheet and bake at 350˚F for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Meanwhile mix goat cheese and lime juice in a small bowl. Serve rolls with goat cheese mixture. Makes 8 servings.

Nutrition: 143 calories, 3.6g fat, 0.8g fiber, 8.0g protein per serving
Cost: $1.07 per serving

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Banana Bread French Toast Kabobs with Strawberries and Pineapple

May 31, 2009

Apolinaras and I celebrated our 5 year wedding anniversary yesterday! I will restrain myself from being too mushy, but I will say I am thankful every day to be married to such incredible partner. He balances me out, reminds me what really matters, supports my ambitions, and will be the best father when we have kiddos. I know I am one lucky girl!

To celebrate, we splurged on the six course tasting menu at Craigie on Main in Cambridge. We were both blown away by both the food and unpretentious service. We ended up being served six savory courses and three dessert courses, all of which featured seasonal ingredients from local farms. The highlight was when Chef Tony Maws personally delivered the last savory course (Pork Two Ways: organic grilled vermont suckling confit with a crispy skin and pork belly with barley couscous, fresh greens, and crispy shallots). Our other favorite courses were the Salad of Hiramasa Sashimi (with a gold beet-pine nut-mango salsa, avocado, whitefish roe, and shiso), Curry Oil-Poached and Roasted Dayboat Sea Scallops (with their roe and a ginger pineapple-marjoram sauce), and Crispy Tempura of Maryland Softshell Crabs (with fresh hearts of palm, cipollini onion, and a chorizo sauce). These descriptions do not do the food justice – everything was amazing! I also got to try geoduct and rabbit sausage for the first time and had my first poached egg served with a ragout. I’ve been scared of runny yolks my entire life, but I had already decided to be more adventurous than usual and eat everything they gave us, so I dug in and was surprised that it was rather tasty! The desserts were also excellent (tea-infused panna cotta, olive oil and chocolate mousse, peanut butter cookie sandwiches with grape coulis, and a chilled rhubab puree). Everything was phemonomial and I highly recommend it if you’re ever in the Boston area! They also have a bar and brunch menu, which we’re now eager to check out.

I also did a little celebratory cooking. Apolinaras requested my goat cheese risotto, which I stuffed with fresh asparagus and wild mushrooms for lunch yesterday and then I made a special treat for breakfast this morning – Banana Bread French Toast Kabobs with Strawberries and Pineapple! The flavors were inspired by my mom’s favorite fruit salad of bananas, strawberries, and pineapple. I made my beloved Betty Crocker banana bread recipe (with 2 1/4 cups of whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose and walnuts), and then made it into French toast by dipping each slice in a mixture of buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla and toasting them up in a hot skillet. I threaded pieces of the French toast along with fresh strawberries and pineapple onto skewers and served it with syrup and a bit of yogurt with toasted coconut on top to dip the fruit into – yum! I thought it was a very cute presentation, but my practical hubby rolled his eyes a bit (“wouldn’t it be less work to serve everything separately?” – I have always loved his honest opinions!). So, perhaps these kabobs would appreciated a bit more at a girly event like a brunch bridal/baby shower!

Banana Bread French Toast Kabobs with Strawberries and Pineapple
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
4 slices of banana bread
1/2 cup low fat buttermilk
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
12 strawberries, hulled
12 chunks of fresh pineapple

Directions:
Whisk buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla extract in a pie pan until smooth. Spray large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium high heat. Dip banana bread into egg mixture on both sides and cook about 2-3 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Slice each piece of French toast into 1 inch squares and make kabobs by alternating a strawberry, chunk of pineapple, and two squares of French toast onto each skewer until fillled. Makes 4 kabobs (2 large servings). Serve with syrup and yogurt topped with toasted coconut, if desired.

Nutrition: 649 calories, 12.4g fat, 6.9g fiber, 21.4g protein per serving
Cost: $3.52 per serving

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Avocado Chicken Cakes

May 27, 2009

I hope everyone had a great holiday weekend! Ours was very relaxing. I finally found our ice cream maker and whipped up a yummy strawberry-mango sorbet. We also had a date at Costco (Am I the only one that considers going to Costco together a date?), and came home with a rotisserie chicken since it was too nice outside to turn on the oven. I decided to develop a chicken cake recipe with the leftovers – crab shouldn’t have all the fun! The flavors were inspired by all the mouth-watering Mexican dishes on Pam’s blog, For the Love of Cooking.

I just took the chicken off the bones with my hands and tore it up and then mixed it with some mashed avocado, red onion, and spices. Then I covered the outside of each cake with some panko crumbs so they would be crispy on the outside, browned them in a little olive oil, and topped each one with a bit of salsa. I realized looking over these pictures that I need to work on my food styling skills – there is salsa all over the plate! We were starving though, so I’m lucky I got any pictures at all. This is a great way to spice up any leftover chicken and I think the cakes would also be really good on top of a salad with corn and black beans!

Avocado Chicken Cakes
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup chopped red onions
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups cooked shredded chicken
1/2 avocado, mashed (mine was a little less than 1/2 cup)
1 cup panko
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg, beaten
5 tablespoons of your favorite salsa

Directions:

Heat 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat and sauté onions for 5-7 minutes, or until soft. Add garlic and sauté one additional minute.

In medium bowl, mix together the shredded chicken, onion mixture, avocado, 1/3 cup panko, cumin, paprika, oregano, salt, and egg. Shape mixture into 5 cakes that are 1/2-inch thick; lightly coat all sides of each cake in the remaining 2/3 cup panko.

Heat 1/2 tablespoon olive oil over medium high heat in a nonstick skillet. Add 2 chicken cakes and cook until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes per side. Repeat with remaining 1/2 tablespoon olive oil and 3 chicken cakes. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of salsa over each chicken cake. Makes 2 servings.

Nutrition: 468 calories, 13.9g fat, 1.8g fiber, 45.3g protein per serving
Cost: $2.15 per serving

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Egg, Bacon, Mushroom, and Goat Cheese Breakfast Sandwiches

May 24, 2009

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Having just visited San Diego last fall for our friend Renee’s wedding, I decided to take it easy on the tourist attractions during this trip and instead use my time off from the conference to unwind. I slept in late, ate breakfast while enjoying the amazing views from my hotel balcony, lounged by the pool, did a little shopping in the Gaslamp Quarter, and even caught a movie. But the best part was that I was able to visit with several of my friends who now live in San Diego – Renee, who I’ve known since second grade, and Yaling and Clark, who I went to grad school with in Chicago.

I also had some fabulous food. After my talk on Friday, I went to Osetra Watergrill with several colleagues, where I savored every bite of their tempura-dipped spinach-wrapped tuna. I met Renee and her hubby Max on Saturday at Red Pearl Kitchen, which had excellent cocktails including the Red Pearl, a mix of pomegranate vodka, champagne, cranberry and pineapple juice. We also went to Extraordinary Desserts, which had several cases full of gorgeous treats. I had carrot cake, my absolute favorite (it was one of the cake flavors at our wedding), and it was amazing! Yaling and Clark treated me to dinner at Sushi Ota on Sunday night. Everything was beyond incredible (order the salmon belly!). The right side of my brain is already spinning with new recipe ideas, but today’s recipe is inspired by another place I look forward to going to for breakfast when I travel – McDonald’s.

Yes, McDonald’s! I will admit that I love their Egg and Sausage Biscuit sandwiches but only indulge when I have travel because they have 510 calories and 33g of fat – ouch! I decided to come up with a version I could enjoy anytime that is a bit more nutritious and used some of my favorite ingredients – goat cheese, mushrooms, and turkey bacon. Now I can look forward to having a yummy breakfast sandwich every weekend!

Egg, Bacon, Mushroom, and Goat Cheese Breakfast Sandwiches
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
2 slices turkey bacon
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup chopped red onion
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 ounce goat cheese
2 whole wheat English muffins, toasted

Directions:
Cook bacon in large skillet over medium high heat until crisp. Remove bacon from skillet; drain on paper towel. Cut each strip in half.

Clean out skillet and add olive oil. Saute mushrooms and onions for 5 to 7 minutes over medium high heat or until tender, stirring occasionally.

Spray small skillet with nonstick cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Whisk eggs, 1 tablespoon milk, and salt, in a small bowl and add to the skillet. Cook until eggs are set on the bottom and bubbly on top. Cut in half and turn eggs over to finish cooking until eggs are set.

Mix remaining 1 tablespoon milk with goat cheese in a small bowl until smooth.

Spread goat cheese mixture on bottom half of the muffins. Top with the mushroom mixture, followed by the eggs and bacon. Cover with top halves of muffins. Makes 2 servings.

Nutrition: 313 calories, 14.4g fat, 5.8g fiber, 19.3g protein per serving
Cost: $1.17 per serving

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Shrimp Fried Rice with Edamame, Corn, and Red Pepper Succotash

May 19, 2009

I’m back from San Diego and it was quite the trip! I’m already looking forward to going through my pictures and posting a recap this weekend, but for now, all I want to do is curl up and go to sleep. For some reason I thought it would be a great idea to take the red-eye back to Boston on Sunday night so I’d be able to go into work on Monday. I can usually fall asleep anywhere, including planes, but there was turbulence the entire time and I didn’t get a wink of sleep at all! I’m not the best flyer to begin with because I get motion sick and a little nervous (my physics loving hubby always makes fun of my fear of mechanical failure), so you can imagine how much I enjoyed the flight. I was just exhausted by the time we landed at 7am and took a long nap before going to work, but I’m still tired today. I was actually in the mood to cook something tonight though after eating out for so many days in a row. So, here is a quick and healthy shrimp fried rice recipe that is filling enough to be a main dish.

I make this recipe all the time and it comes together in 20 minutes because the prep time just involves chopping up a few green onions and then adding frozen edamame, corn, and red peppers from my favorite Trader Joe’s succotash mix. On nights I don’t want to get out the rice cooker, I make the 10 minute boil-in-a-bag Success brand brown rice to speed things along. I also like using precooked shrimp to save time (I always have a huge bag from Costco in the freezer because they are great to throw on salads). It was so nice to fill up on something homemade and nutritious after feeling bloated from so many restaurant meals loaded with salt! Don’t get me wrong, we had some amazing meals that have inspired a few recipe ideas, but there’s nothing better than returning home after a long trip!

Shrimp Fried Rice with Edamame, Corn, and Red Pepper Succotash
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 green onions, chopped
1/2 bag Trader Joe’s frozen succotash
2 eggs
4 cups cooked brown rice
1/3 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
3 cups frozen precooked shrimp

Directions:
Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet and sauté onions for 2 to 3 minutes or until soft. Add frozen succotash and heat for an additional minute or until thawed. Crack eggs into the pan and stir constantly until eggs are cooked through and scrambled. Add rice, soy sauce, sesame oil, and shrimp, and stir until all components are well mixed and the shrimp is warmed through. Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition: 430 calories, 13.9g fat, 6.8g fiber, 30.3g protein per serving
Cost: $1.80 per serving

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Goat Cheese Risotto with Yellow Squash and Zucchini

May 15, 2009

It’s Wednesday night, and if all goes well, this post will go live on Friday. I’m leaving for San Diego early tomorrow morning for another work conference and thought I’d see how the scheduled post function works! Hopefully by the time you’re reading this, I’ll be all done with my talk and relaxing by the pool! I’m very excited that I’ll get to see two of my very good friends who live in San Diego, and of course, I’m already looking forward to our meals together at their favorite restaurants. I’m not even entirely dreading the long flight because I know I’ll be fairly well entertained between the TVs on JetBlue and the two new foodie books I got from the library (Spiced and The Omnivore’s Dilemma).

I’ve been meaning to post this risotto recipe for awhile now. My hubby said it was one of the best dishes I’ve ever made! We have a little rating system for my blog. Both my hubby and I give every recipe a score, and only those that receive an 8 or above from both of us are posted. And believe me, he’s a tough critic! There are several recipes that he’s given a 5 or 6 that I’ve had to go back and rework before posting. Sometimes he’ll tell me specific ingredients he thinks should be added or subtracted (“mushrooms, it needs mushrooms” or “way too much lime juice”) and sometimes his comments are more general and less helpful (“it’s ok, but nothing special”). I love his honest feedback though, and I think he truly enjoys being quality control. He gave this risotto a 9.5, which is very high for him. This is the kind of dish that we fight over who gets to take the leftovers to work. My favorite part is that it tastes completely indulgent and bad for you, but really isn’t too naughty.

I’ve professed my love of goat cheese before, and knew it would be lovely in a creamy risotto. I added a base layer of flavor with shallots and garlic, and then stuffed it full of zucchini and yellow squash. It’s the perfect summer risotto, and one that I’ll definitely be making again. Ok, off to pack!

Goat Cheese Risotto with Yellow Squash and Zucchini
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 yellow squashes, chopped
2 zucchinis, chopped
1 tablespoon butter
3/4 cup chopped shallots
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup Arborio rice
4 cups chicken stock
4 ounces goat cheese
1 teaspoon salt

Directions:
Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a large pan and sauté squash and zucchini until tender, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat.

Meanwhile, melt butter over medium-high heat in a large stockpot. Sauté the shallots for 5 to 7 minutes or until tender; add garlic and sauté for an additional minute. Add the rice and stir until well-coated and translucent. Reduce heat to medium and stir in 1 cup of chicken stock. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the stock has been absorbed; add another cup and continue in this way until all the chicken stock has been absorbed, for about 30 minutes. Stir in the goat cheese and salt and simmer an additional 5 minutes or until desired consistency is reached. Stir in squash and zucchini. Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition: 355 calories, 13g fat, 2.9g fiber, 11.9g protein per serving
Cost: $2.64 per serving

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Green Monster Cookies

May 11, 2009

My parents flew in from Des Moines this weekend to visit us for Mother’s Day! We visited the aquarium and the longest continuous running restaurant in the US, the Union Oyster House, and also watched a Red Sox game and toured the Sam Adams Brewery (which my hubby loudly proclaimed was much more fun than going to a museum…yep, you get free beer!). On Sunday, I made a simple Mother’s Day brunch before they left. The weekend just flew by and I already miss them!

My dad is a baseball nut and loved checking out such a historic stadium. Even though the guys had sore knees by the end of the game due to the tight seating (my mom is the baby of the group at 5’10”), we all enjoyed the game. The Red Sox were trailing by three runs until the sixth inning when they scored two home runs and brought five people home. One of the homers sailed over the Green Monster, which is the nickname of the super high left field wall at Fenway that prevents many home runs. Of course, when I think Monster, I think Monster Cookies! I really wanted to create a fun Green Monster Cookie, and although my cookies didn’t turn out bright green, they were quite tasty!

I’ve always imagined that Monster Cookies were born when someone whipped up a batch of cookies with whatever ingredients they could find in the pantry that day. I followed this strategy by poking through my cupboards last night and looking for ingredients to use. I ground up some almonds and green tea, and then mixed in coconut and oats. I was a little disappointed the green tea didn’t tint the cookies green, but the layers of flavor were wonderful and I love the playfulness of the green M&Ms on top!

Green Monster Cookies
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup almonds
2 tablespoons green tea
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup quick cooking oats
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup green M&Ms

Directions:
Heat oven to 350˚F. Lightly grease an 8×8-inch square pan. In large bowl, cream butter and sugar; mix in egg and vanilla.

Pulse almonds and green tea in a food processor until ground. Stir ground almonds and green tea, flour, oats, salt, baking powder, and coconut into the wet ingredients until soft dough forms. Spread dough in bottom of the greased pan. Sprinkle M&Ms evenly on top and press lightly into the dough. Bake 20 to 23 minutes or until set. Cool for 30 minutes and cut into 4 rows by 4 rows. Makes 16 servings.

Nutrition: 186 calories, 10.6g fat, 2.0g fiber, 2.8g protein per serving
Cost: $3.45 total

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