Cake, Batter, and Bowl

Curried Chickpea Sweet Potato Squares

March 22, 2010

Thanks so much for all your kind words about my first 5K! It was beautiful here in Boston this weekend so Apolinaras and I went on a long bike ride and it was so warm that I was able to just wear just a tank top and capris – yay! Apolinaras has gotten really into biking and goes on 40 mile trail rides every weekend now. I hung on for 10 miles this time, but definitely want to get a more comfortable seat and start going with him more often! It’s a bit ironic, but the days that I have a tough workout, I also tend to cook more healthy meals because I don’t want to undo all my hard work. So when I was craving a rich potato gratin the other day, I decided to see if I could make something just as tasty but a bit lighter.

I had some organic sweet potatoes left from Eva’s farm share, and decided to layer them with an Indian-spiced chickpea mash. The flavors were inspired by Nigella Lawson’s Sweet Potato and Chickpea Curry. Apolinaras complained that he missed the potatoes when they were all gone, so they were definitely a hit! Also, I’m submitting this recipe to be included in Reeni’s March Side Dish Showdown!

Curried Chickpea Sweet Potato Squares
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
4 large sweet potatoes, scrubbed, peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch rounds (mine were 38 ounces peeled)

Directions:
Heat oven to 400˚F. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium high heat in a large pan and sauté onions for 5 to 7 minutes or until tender; add garlic, coriander, cumin, turmeric, ginger, and cardamom, and sauté 1 additional minute. Place onion mixture in a food processor with the chickpeas, vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 cup olive oil, and pulse for several minutes until smooth.

Layer half the sliced sweet potatoes in a greased 9×13-inch baking pan. Spread chickpea mixture evenly on top; layer the remaining sliced potatoes on top of the chickpea mash. Brush top layer of the potatoes with remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and sprinkle evenly with remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bake at 400˚F for 30 to 35 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Cut into squares. Makes 12 servings.

Nutrition: 166 calories, 7.3g fat, 3.9g fat, 3.3g protein per serving
Cost: $0.53 per serving

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Caramel Mocha Crunch Cookies

March 18, 2010

I ran my very first 5K last weekend! After being inspired by the book Born to Run and many runners including my half-marathon champion Dad and bloggers like Shannon and Elina, I decided to try jogging on the treadmill in January on a whim. Even though I’ve always been pretty athletic, running has never come naturally to me, so you can imagine my surprise when I actually got hooked fairly quickly.

I’m really enjoying it because I feel so energized after I jog, and like I’ve done something good for my body, unlike when I use the elliptical or bike where I tend to have trouble pushing myself. I also love just being able to throw on my shoes and run outside, without having to trek all the way to the gym to use the machines. So, when Shannon mentioned she was running the Ras na hEireann 5K, an Irish themed race celebrating St. Patty’s Day, I decided to sign up and use the race as motivation to make myself run a bit farther and faster every week.

Unfortunately, the weather didn’t corporate at all on Sunday and we had to run the whole thing in the gusty cold rain! The wind was blowing hard and the water cups were flying off the tables. My pants got so waterlogged that I kept having to hike them up, and I actually got too hot because I wore too many layers under Apolinaras’ bright yellow rain jacket, but I still had fun and managed to meet up with speedy Shannon after the race! I was pretty happy with my time of 32 minutes flat – I still had some steam left when I was done, and I know I will be able to get faster as I increase my training and figure out how to run a smarter race!

To celebrate, I decided to bake some cookies! I made a rich mocha dough, stuffed a balled-up caramel into the center of each cookie, and then rolled them in chopped macadamia nuts. I polished off a few of these right away – good thing I had already worked out!

Caramel Mocha Crunch Cookies
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons instant coffee
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup baking cocoa
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
18 caramels, rolled into balls
1/2 cup macadamia nuts, finely chopped

Directions:
Heat oven to 350˚F. Place butter and chocolate in a bowl and microwave on high for 1 minute, stirring after 30 seconds; mix until smooth, microwaving for 15 additional seconds at a time, as needed. Place melted chocolate mixture in a large bowl and stir in both types of sugar, instant coffee, egg, and vanilla extract until smooth. Stir in flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt until soft dough forms.

Wrap cookie dough evenly around the 18 caramels and roll each cookie in chopped macadamia nuts. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 350˚F for 10 to 12 minutes or until set. Cool 5 minutes and transfer to wire racks to cool completely, about 30 minutes. Makes 18 cookies.

Nutrition: 187 calories, 10.9g fat, 1.6g fiber, 2.4g protein per cookie
Cost: $0.31 per cookie

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Crab and Red Pepper Bisque

March 14, 2010

As promised, here’s the recipe for the crab bisque I served at our lab ski retreat. This is my favorite soup recipe on my blog so far, although it’s not really a fair comparison because it’s the only one that contains heavy cream and butter – it’s nice to splurge every once and awhile!

We always get our fresh lump crabmeat from Costco (it’s in the produce section by the guacamole) because it’s high quality and not too pricey at $13 a pound. I had a feeling we wouldn’t be able to find crabmeat at the small grocery store by our ski house, so my PI, Carla, was nice enough to go to Costco, stash the lump crabmeat in a cooler, and bring it with her! It was a good thing too, because the seafood section at the store was pretty sad, and I couldn’t even find pancetta for the stuffed chicken recipe below and ended up having to use bacon instead!

The crab is definitely the star of this dish, but I did build additional layers of flavor by also using leeks, garlic, roasted red peppers, and tomato paste (which I finally found in a tube – yay)! I also thickened the bisque with a roux and added some red wine vinegar for a little extra tang. I used an immersion blender so there were still some pieces of crabmeat, which I actually enjoyed, but you can definitely put it in the food processor if you want a smoother consistency. It’s so rainy and miserable in Boston right now that just looking at the picture is making me crave a nice big bowl. Although, I actually have a feeling I’m going to crave a bowl every time I look at this post, even in the middle of summer!

Crab and Red Pepper Bisque
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 leeks, white and light green parts only, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup flour
4 cups chicken stock
1 12-ounce jar roasted red peppers, drained and chopped
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 pound fresh lump crabmeat
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons salt

Directions:
Heat olive oil over medium heat and sauté leeks for 5 to 7 minutes or until tender. Add garlic and sauté 1 additional minute.

Meanwhile, 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, 14 ounces crabmeat, basil, and sautéed leeks to the stockpot and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes or until thickened. Use an immersion blender to puree soup until smooth.

Add heavy cream, red wine vinegar, and salt to the stockpot and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes or until heated through. Scoop into serving bowls and garnish with remaining 2 ounces crabmeat. Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition: 687 calories, 55.3g fat, 2.5g fiber, 14.8g protein per serving
Cost: $5.30 per serving

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Pancetta and Sun-Dried Tomato Stuffed Chicken Breasts

March 10, 2010

We just got back from our annual lab ski trip, where stayed in a huge house up in New Hampshire and hit the slopes and snowshoeing trails at Mount Sunapee. We all had a great time relaxing, hanging out, and enjoying some incredible meals. Everyone signed up to make a dish over the course of two days and I volunteered to organize our shopping list and go to the grocery store with my labmate Libby. It was quite the adventure navigating an unfamiliar store with a two page list and two full shopping carts, but definitely worth it because everything was so tasty! The first night we had pizzas with crusts made from scratch and the second night I decided to tackle the main course.

I was actually a bit nervous when I first got into the kitchen because I’ve never cooked for 10 people before and certainly didn’t want to disappoint anyone or mess anything up! But, I quickly settled into my groove once I started prepping all the ingredients. I’ve always enjoyed the challenge of multitasking in the kitchen and my goal was to finish all the dishes at the same time so nothing would get cold. Luckily, everything came together perfectly, and at one point I had all four burners going, which was a first for me (stirring risotto, cooking asparagus, searing chicken breasts, and keeping my eye on the simmering soup)! My menu included crab bisque (which I will post about next!), gruyere risotto with asparagus and peas, and these lovely stuffed chicken breasts.

I decided on chicken as the protein because everyone likes it and I knew it would be easy to find high quality chicken at the small local grocery store. There was no great inspiration for the filling – I just combined all my favorite ingredients! I mixed together caramelized shallots, garlic, pancetta, sun-dried tomatoes, and parmesan cheese, and then stirred in just enough mascarpone cheese to hold it all together. I think everyone enjoyed the meal and I’m already thinking about menu possibilities for next year!

Pancetta and Sun-Dried Tomato Stuffed Chicken Breasts
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
2/3 cup chopped shallots
2 garlic cloves, minced
2/3 cup diced pancetta
2/3 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1/3 cup mascarpone cheese
4 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts
1/4 cup almond meal
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon butter

Directions:
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium low heat and sauté shallots for 10 to 15 minutes or until caramelized. Add garlic and sauté 1 additional minute. Remove from heat and place in a medium bowl. Add pancetta to the same pan and sauté for 5 to 7 minutes or until browned. Place pancetta in the same bowl with the caramelized shallots and allow ingredients to cool completely to room temperature. Add sun-dried tomatoes, parmesan cheese, and mascarpone cheese to the bowl and mix until well combined.

Meanwhile, place chicken breasts between two pieces of plastic wrap and pound to 1/4-inch thickness using a meat mallet. Place filling evenly lengthwise down each chicken breast, roll up the sides, and secure with toothpicks. Mix almond meal, flour, and salt in a shallow baking dish and evenly coat stuffed chicken with the flour mixture.

Heat oven to 350˚F. Heat butter and 1 remaining tablespoon olive oil over medium high heat and place chicken breasts seam side down in the pan. Use large tongs to rotate the chicken and sear it on all four sides. Place seared chicken breasts seam side down in a large baking pan and bake at 350˚F for 20 to 25 minutes or until cooked through and no longer pink in the center. Allow to rest 5 minutes, then remove toothpicks, and cut on a bias. Makes 8 servings.

Nutrition: 318 calories, 17.1g fat, 1.0g fiber, 32.6g protein per serving
Cost: $1.56 per serving

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Sausage and Quinoa Stuffed Acorn Squash

March 6, 2010

The past few weeks have been a bit more crazy than usual because I’ve been working on a grant with my PI while still trying to squeeze in a healthy number of experiments. Our annual genetics department and lab ski retreats have also been thrown into the mix, and I’ve been training for my first 5K! Since all these activities haven’t much time left to experiment in the kitchen, I’ve been whipping up some of my favorite tried and true recipes instead.

This stuffed acorn squash dish was originally inspired by one of my very favorite bloggers, Joanne, whose blog, Eats Well with Others, is always entertaining and filled with mouth watering treats. Last fall she featured 12 weeks of winter squash recipes, which inspired me to stuff some squash of my own. This is a wonderful meal because the veggie, side, and main dish are all combined into one neat little container! I simply filled roasted acorn squash with quinoa, thyme, leeks, and turkey sausage, and then added in cranberries and goat cheese for a little tangy sweetness to balance out the savory flavors. I’ve also made it with ground turkey and pork sausage – you really can’t go wrong. This is truly an easy and tasty dish that never disappoints.

Also, thanks to everyone for your blogiversary wishes and for entering my giveaway! The lucky winners were numbers 12 and 96 – congrats to Sophie and Christine!

Sausage and Quinoa Stuffed Acorn Squash
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
4 acorn squash, cut in half with seeds and pulp removed
1 1/2 cups quinoa
3 cups chicken stock
1/4 teaspoon ground thyme
1 teaspoon salt
1 leek, white and light green parts only, chopped
1 pound turkey sausage, casings removed
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup dried cranberries
4 ounces goat cheese, crumbled

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375˚F. Place squash cut side down on a 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. Stir in thyme and salt.

Place leeks and turkey sausage in a large nonstick skillet and heat over medium high heat for 8 to 10 minutes or until sausage is browned and leeks are tender. Add garlic and cook one additional minute.

Stir cooked quinoa, cranberries, and goat cheese in with browned sausage mixture. Pile quinoa and sausage mixture evenly into cooked squash. Makes 8 servings.

Nutrition: 392 calories, 9.7g fat, 6.6g fiber, 20.9g protein per serving
Cost: $1.74 per serving

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Thai Sweet Potato Soup

March 1, 2010

Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture of all our goodies from Eva’s farm share this week, but the bounty was similar to last time, except we got green peppers and wheat berries instead of the baby spinach and golden beets. I made quick use of the green peppers in fajitas and the Swiss chard in Camilla’s tasty Lentil Soup with Italian Sausage and Swiss Chard, but I’m still stumped on the wheat berries – any suggestions?

I was also able wrestle away some of the sweet potatoes from Apolinaras this time (and by wrestle away, I mean hide in the back of the cabinet!), and decided to whip up a soup with them since it’s been so rainy and windy in Boston lately. I decided on a Thai twist because I was craving the sweet potato curry from Sugar and Spice, so I simmered the sweet potatoes with fresh ginger, lemongrass, red curry paste, lime juice, and coconut milk. The lovely orange hue made me smile and the flavor did not disappoint – yum!

Thai Sweet Potato Soup
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh ginger
1 tablespoon red curry paste (or to taste, 1 tablespoon makes it pretty spicy!)
4 cups chicken stock
2 three-inch pieces lemongrass
2 large sweet potatoes, scrubbed, peeled, and cut into chunks (4 cups, 32 ounces peeled)
Juice of 1 lime
1 cup light coconut milk
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro, for garnish

Directions:
Heat oil over medium high heat in a large stockpot and sauté onions for 5 to 7 minutes or until tender. Add ginger and curry paste and sauté one minute. Add chicken stock, lemongrass, and sweet potatoes to the stockpot and simmer with the pot covered for 10 to 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Remove lemongrass and stir in lime juice, coconut milk, and salt. Puree until smooth with an immersion blender. Ladle into bowls and garnish with cilantro. Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition: 303 calories, 9.4g fat, 7.4g fiber, 5.6g protein per serving
Cost: $1.31 per serving

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One Year Blogiversary Giveaway

February 26, 2010

It’s my one year blogiversary today! It all started with my pesto lasagna, and here we are, 92 original recipes later! When a fellow contestant at the Pillsbury BakeOff told me that Anna, the previous BakeOff $1 million winner, had a blog called Cookie Madness, I was intrigued. I checked it out and immediately became addicted to Anna’s blog and several others on her blogroll. It wasn’t long before I was toying with the idea of starting my own. Cooking had been my creative outlet for a few years by then, and I had a feeling I would enjoy blogging, but I never anticipated how amazing the food blogging community would be or how many friends I would make. You have all inspired me to challenge myself in the kitchen and prepare things outside of my comfort zone, and I’m a better cook because of it. Getting feedback has been incredible too – I appreciate each and every comment and there is no better feeling than the swell of happiness when someone says they’ve enjoyed one of your recipes!

I can’t think of a better way to celebrate than with a giveaway. I love buying presents – I’m one of those people who will brainstorm and research until I find the perfect gift. So, I’ve actually been thinking about this giveaway for a couple months now and slowly accumulating items for two prize packages that I would love to receive!

The first prize set ties in with my new blog design that is finally up (yay!) and is a Martha Stewart Cupcake carrying case, Williams Sonoma Daisy Crown Cupcake Pan, and a cute set of 6 spring sprinkles from Target.

The second prize set is an adorable apron from Anthropologie, a shower gel set from Sephora featuring apple pomegranate, vanilla cupcake, guava passion, and coconut crème scents, and a Stila Mango and Pomegrante Crush lip gloss set.

When you comment, just let me know which prize set you like the most and that’s the one you will be entered to win.

There are two ways to enter:
1. Leave a comment letting me know which of my recipes you’d like to try most.
2. You can get an additional entry for each time that you’ve blogged about one of my recipes (if you were inspired by one of my recipes and changed things a bit, that counts!). Post each link in a separate comment.

Remember, don’t forget to tell me which set of prizes you would like to be entered to win in each comment. Entries must be in by 11:59 pm EST on Friday, March 5. Good luck and thank you for following me on my foodie adventures. I’m already excited to see what the next year will bring!

The fine print: I’m sponsoring this giveaway myself and the winners will be picked with random.org on Saturday, March 6 and announced shortly thereafter.

p.s. The winner of the CSNstores Crème Brulee set giveaway was commenter number 55, Ashley – congrats!

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Roasted Butternut Squash Mousse

February 22, 2010

I’ve always loved the Olympics (just hearing the theme song makes me smile!) and have been glued to the couch the past week enjoying the games every night. Since I usually don’t watch nearly this much TV, I’ve been keeping my restlessness at bay by multitasking and brushing up on my vector art skills while designing a new header for my blog! The change was inspired by my recent WordPress crash and Apolinaras’ comment that the fonts in my header look like they’re stuck in the early web development age of the 90s – LOL, thanks honey! I agree though, it’s time for a makeover! I’m having fun with it, although I’m tired of watching Adobe Illustrator tutorials every time I can’t figure something out (which is often…). I’m starting over from scratch, so stay tuned for the big reveal later this week!

The downside to all the Olympic festivities is that I haven’t been cooking anything exciting for the past week. Luckily, I have a few recipes saved just for occasions like this that I can still share! Today’s treat is one I made right before Christmas but thought would be more appropriate to share after the holidays when people would be more interested in lighter dessert options. I decided to make a creamy faux mousse (no eggs are involved) of roasted butternut squash and apple cider. It’s rich, creamy, and indulgent. I served it in martini glasses topped with toasted walnuts and gingersnap cookies, but it would also be lovely as part of a layered trifle.

Oh, and I’m submitting this to Natasha’s 5 Star Mousse Makeover!

Roasted Butternut Squash Mousse
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 butternut squash, cut in half lengthwise and seeded
1/2 tablespoon butter, melted
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup apple cider
1 8-ounce container light whipped topping, thawed
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup toasted chopped walnuts
6 gingersnap cookies

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400˚F. Use a pastry brush to evenly brush flesh side of the squash halves with melted butter and place flesh side down on a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 400˚F for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until tender. Let squash cool for 10 minutes. Remove flesh from the squash halves with a spoon and mash with a fork until smooth (my yield was 2 cups).

Place mashed butternut squash, powdered sugar, and apple cider in a pan over medium heat and heat for 5 minutes or until sugar has dissolved. Allow to cool completely and puree in a blender until smooth.

Mix squash puree, 2 cups of whipped topping, and vanilla extract until smooth. Place into serving bowls and sprinkle evenly with nuts and remaining whipped topping. Garnish with gingersnap cookies. Makes 6 servings.

Nutrition: 220 calories, 9.8g fat, 2.5g fiber, 2.8g protein per serving
Cost: $0.93 per serving