Cake, Batter, and Bowl

Orange Coriander Oat Bran Muffins

June 30, 2011

Guess what I have for you today? Yep, a muffin recipe, which I’ll get to in a second, but also a giveaway for a super cute apron like the one I’m wearing above! I was recently contacted by a rep from Shabby Apple, an online shop best known for their lovely vintage dresses, about reviewing one of their adorable aprons. I jumped at the chance, since a girl can never have too many wardrobe options, and eventually settled on the carrot cake style. I couldn’t be more pleased – it’s super flattering and a gorgeous vibrant pattern. They’re the perfect gift for anyone who enjoys spending time in the kitchen. To enter to win your choice of one of their aprons, see the details at the bottom of this post!

Now, on to the muffins. I couldn’t stop thinking about the flavor combo of orange peel and coriander, which we recently learned is used to spice Allagash White during our brewery tour. I finally decided to mix the two into a yummy batch of muffins, along with white whole wheat flour, oat bran from Trader Joe’s, orange juice, and a bit of oil and molasses. I sweetened the batter with brown sugar and golden raisins and sprinkled a few salted sunflower seeds on top for a bit of crunch. I kind of love that a beer inspired a fairly healthy muffin recipe!

Giveaway details: To enter, just leave a comment on this post letting me know which Shabby Apple apron you’d pick if you win. Entries must be in by Thursday, July 7 at 11:59pm EST and the winner will be picked with random.org and announced shortly thereafter. Sorry, only those living within the continental United States are eligible to win. But, all my readers can use the coupon code “CakeBatterandBowl10off” at checkout until July 30 to receive 10% off your purchase! Also, if you “like” Shabby Apple on their facebook page, you’ll get access to future special promotions and exclusive discounts.

The fine print: Shabby Apple sent me a complimentary apron to review and they are providing an apron for this giveaway, but I received no compensation for this post and all opinions are mine.

Orange Coriander Oat Bran Muffins
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 cup oat bran
1 cup white whole wheat flour
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup orange juice
1/4 cup canola oil
2 tablespoons dark molasses
1 large egg
1/2 cup golden raisins
2 tablespoons quick-cooking oats
2 tablespoons salted sunflower seeds

Directions:
Heat oven to 350˚F. Place oat bran, flour, brown sugar, orange zest, coriander, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl and mix until combined. Place orange juice, canola oil, molasses, and egg in another bowl and whisk well. Pour liquids into the bowl with the dry ingredients and stir until combined. Stir in raisins. Evenly distribute batter into 12 cups of a muffin tin lined with paper cups (each will be 3/4 full). Top evenly with oats and sunflower seeds. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes at 350˚F or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Makes 12 muffins.

Nutrition: 174 calories, 6.3g fat, 2.3g fiber, 3.3g protein per muffin
Cost: $0.41 per muffin

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Blackened Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Blue Cheese and Bacon

June 27, 2011

Apolinaras is pretty spoiled in the culinary department. Last weekend I made a bunch of tofu fried rice for my weekday lunches, and also cooked up a separate batch of chicken breasts for him because he likes to loudly proclaim the fried rice is the worst dish I make. Apparently, it’s not spicy enough and of course, he’s biased because it’s vegetarian and he’s not a huge tofu fan. His grumbling always makes me roll my eyes and giggle though – more rice for me to enjoy, right? Is there a dish that you really like but your significant other can’t stand?

I also try to fulfill most of Apolinaras’ dinner requests, since he doesn’t make them very often. One night he told me that he was in the mood for some chicken stuffed with leftover blue cheese and bacon – umm, yes please, what a great idea! I decided to go for a black and blue theme and made a spice rub to coat the outside of the chicken so it was blackened. In addition to the bacon and blue cheese, I also put shallots, garlic, and cream cheese in the stuffing. I loved how the creamy filling provided a yummy built in sauce for the chicken. Hopefully Apolinaras will inspire another tasty dish soon!

Blackened Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Blue Cheese and Bacon
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
2/3 cup chopped shallots (3-4 large shallots)
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 strips turkey bacon, chopped
3 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
3/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
3/4 teaspoon salt
4 large boneless, skinless, chicken breasts
1 tablespoon ground thyme
1 1/2 teaspoons ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Directions:
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat in a medium nonstick pan and sauté shallots for 5 to 7 minutes or until softened; add garlic and sauté 1 additional minute. Remove from heat and place in a medium bowl. Add bacon to the same pan and sauté for 5 to 7 minutes or until browned. Place bacon in the same bowl with the shallots. Allow to cool to room temperature and stir in cream cheese, blue cheese, and 1/4 teaspoon salt.

Place chicken breasts between two pieces of plastic wrap and pound to 1/3-inch thickness using a meat mallet. Place filling evenly lengthwise down each chicken breast, roll up the sides, and secure with toothpicks. Mix thyme, allspice, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt in a small bowl. Sprinkle chicken breasts evenly with seasoning mix and rub into the chicken.

Heat oven to 350˚F. Heat 1/2 tablespoon olive oil over medium high heat in a large nonstick pan and place two chicken breasts in the pan. Use large tongs to rotate the chicken and sear it on all four sides. Place seared chicken breasts seam side up in a large baking pan and repeat with remaining 1/2 tablespoon olive oil and two chicken breasts. Bake at 350˚F for 18 to 22 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 4 servings.

Nutrition: 541 calories, 26.9g fat, 0.0g fiber, 64.4g protein per serving
Cost: $2.00 per serving

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Flank Steak with Red Wine and Tamarind Sauce

June 23, 2011

Ah yes, it’s finally time to share my very first beef recipe! We don’t eat a huge amount of red meat, but every once in awhile a serious craving strikes and I just have to devour a juicy burger or steak. I only recently began cooking steak at home though because I was always a little nervous I would accidently overcook a pricey cut. I finally decided to just dive in and go for it, and I’m so happy I did because I’m feeling much more comfortable now that I’ve had a bit of practice.

We’ve become very enamored with tamarind sauce, which is one of the condiments commonly served with samosas. I thought the flavor would pair well with red wine, so I used the two to marinate a lovely flank steak and then also make a sauce to top it. I cooked our steak under the broiler, but grilling it would also work well. The wine flavor is pretty pronounced, so be sure to use one that you like and not one of those “cooking” wines. This recipe is the perfect way to use up any extra wine you couldn’t quite finish the night before. Of course, you could alternatively open a new bottle and enjoy a couple glasses while you’re whipping up the marinade – such a win-win situation!

Flank Steak with Red Wine and Tamarind Sauce
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

Marinade:
1 cup red wine (I used Cabernet Sauvignon)
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 tablespoons tamarind sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 pounds beef flank steak

Sauce:
1/2 cup red wine
1/4 cup tamarind sauce
1 tablespoon packed brown sugar

Directions:
To make the marinade, place red wine, olive oil, tamarind sauce, and salt in a small bowl and whisk until well combined. Place steak and marinade in large food-safe plastic bag and make sure marinade evenly coats steak. Close bag, removing as much air as possible, and marinate in refrigerator 6 hours or as long as overnight, turning once.

Heat oven broiler. Remove steak from marinade and place steak on rack of broiler pan so surface of beef is 2 to 3 inches from heat. Broil 10 to 16 minutes for medium rare (145°F) to medium (160°F) doneness, turning once. Remove; let stand 5 minutes to rest. Carve steak across the grain into long strips.

Meanwhile, make the sauce by placing red wine, tamarind sauce, and brown sugar in a small pot over medium heat. Simmer, stirring occasionally for 7 minutes or until thickened and reduced. Spoon sauce over cut steak. Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition: 568 calories, 30.7g fat, 1.5g fiber, 35.6g protein per serving
Cost: $3.63 per serving

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Cheesy Mushroom and Leek Crostinis

June 20, 2011

We started our last day of our anniversary trip to Portland by indulging in a few sticky buns and croissants at the Standard Baking Company. Of course, we also filled up a bag with a few loaves of bread to bring home. The sourdough was excellent!

Then we headed off to Allagash Brewery for a tour and tasting, which was one of the highlights of our trip since Apolinaras has become quite the brewer. He’s made seven beers so far, and I’ve requested his next one be like Allagash White, which is a twist on a Belgian wheat beer with notes of coriander and orange peel. It was so refreshing and perfect to enjoy on a hot summer day.

We started with the tasting and enjoyed some generous samples of Allagash White, Black, Tripel, and Curieux. Then we headed in for the tour and got to see the whole facility. Apolinaras even managed to chat with a few of the brewers. Everyone was so friendly and knowledgeable and we left with a huge box filled with delicious brews!

On our way home to Boston, I realized that we hadn’t had any fried seafood, so I suggested we stop at Bob’s Clam Hut in Kittery, for what else, fried clams! We ended up splitting The Lillian platter, which also came with onion rings, fries, and slaw. It definitely hit the spot – the breading on the clams was light and you could really taste the freshness of the seafood. We had such a fabulous time on our anniversary trip and I’m already brainstorming about where we should go next year!

Anyway, I used one of the baguettes we purchased from Standard Baking to make these easy crostinis when we got home. I spread goat and pecorino romano cheese onto the toasted baguette slices and then topped them with leeks, mushrooms, and provolone cheese – so good!

Cheesy Mushroom and Leek Crostinis
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 baguette, cut into 1/2 inch thick slices on a bias (I had 30 slices)
3 tablespoons olive oil
24 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 leeks, white and light green parts only, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 ounces goat cheese
1/3 cup milk
1/2 cup finely grated pecorino romano cheese
8 ounces sliced provolone cheese, cut to fit the size of the baguette slices

Directions:
Heat oven to 375˚F. Arrange the baguette slices in a single layer onto several large greased cookie sheets. Brush baguette slices with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Bake at 375˚F for 12 to 15 minutes or until light golden brown.

Meanwhile, heat 1/2 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat in a large nonstick skillet and sauté mushrooms for 5 minutes or until tender. Remove from pan and place in a large bowl. Remove any extra liquid from the skillet and add remaining 1/2 tablespoon olive oil. Add leeks and sauté for 5 minutes or until tender. Return mushrooms to the pan and add garlic and sauté one additional minute. Stir in salt.

Mix goat cheese, milk, and pecorino romano cheese in a small bowl until smooth. Spread goat cheese on toasted baguette slices and top evenly with mushroom mixture. Top each slice with a piece of provolone cheese and return to the 375˚F oven for 3 minutes or until cheese is melted. Makes 15 servings.

Nutrition: 263 calories, 11.9g fat, 1.1g fiber, 12.7g fiber per serving
Cost: $0.97 per serving

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Asparagus Arugula Salad with Ricotta and Goat Cheese

June 16, 2011

Time for our anniversary trip recap! Apolinaras and I got married over Memorial Day weekend in 2004 and we always try to take a little vacation over the holiday weekend to celebrate. This year we went to Portland, Maine, which is a super fun foodie destination right on the ocean. We headed up on Saturday and started our adventure by leisurely checking out the Kittery Outlets, which are about halfway between Boston and Portland. I scored the cutest mini trifle dishes and French onion soup bowls at Crate and Barrel, which will definitely be making an appearance soon!

We were famished after all our hard work shopping, so drove over to the Chauncey Creek Lobster Pier, where we chowed down on New England classics – lobster rolls, clam chowder, corn, and exceptionally fresh mussels steamed in white wine. Mmm, just thinking about this meal makes my mouth water! The staff was really friendly and we definitely plan to go back when we’re in the area again.

Of course, by the time we got to Portland and checked in our hotel (we stayed at the Portland Harbor Hotel, which had a fantastic central downtown location and very lovely rooms – I recommend it!), we were hungry again. Luckily, I had already asked for some restaurant recommendations on twitter and was armed with Adrienne’s reply – “555 is great, Frog and Turtle (in nearby westbrook) is my fave, and I’ve heard good things about Nosh.” Since we were craving a few beers, we headed to Nosh Kitchen Bar for a few local microbrews and sandwiches. Nosh is in the Arts District and I thoroughly enjoyed my Nosh Burger (pork and beef patty/blue cheese/bacon/fried egg/roast garlic jam/brioche bun) and Apolinaras liked his duck gyro. Our waitress also had some fantastic beer recommendations (from Allagash and the Maine Beer Company), so we left feeling very satisfied.

The next day we rolled out of bed, snuck in a little time at the gym, and had breakfast at Becky’s Diner, which is a sentimental favorite of ours because we had breakfast there a few years ago during our anniversary trip up to Bar Harbor. The blueberry pancakes hit the spot!

We spent the afternoon wandering around the (windy!) harbor and city and also did a tasting at the Shipyard Brewing Company. I was really looking forward to this because I love their blueberry beer, but I would probably skip it next time and just go straight to Allagash (which we visited the next day!).

Our next stop didn’t disappoint though – we checked out Duckfat. I could have seriously eaten a boatload of their fries, which as the restaurant name implies, are fried in duck fat and phenomenal – yum! They have a variety of dipping sauces and both Apolinaras and I were happy with our respective choices of Thai Chili Mayo and Truffled Ketchup. Although the sandwiches were pretty tasty as well, next time we’d just go back for beer and fries!

After stuffing ourselves with fries, we wandered back to the hotel to freshen up and I did a little leisurely blogging while enjoying some wine.

For dinner we visited Five fifty-five, where Apolinaras feasted on creamy five onion soup, wild boar ragu, and carrot cake ice cream, and I had an asparagus salad, their signature truffled lobster mac and cheese (incredible – I savored every bite!), and a smores dessert. I definitely want to attempt to recreate the mac and cheese at some point, but the first thing I did when we got home was actually make a twist on the salad. It was described on the menu as featuring “baby arugula, charred asparagus, house ricotta, salt roasted almonds, pickled vidalias, and truffle vinaigrette.” What I especially loved about it was that there was a smear of ricotta cheese underneath the salad, so you could get some in every bite. I’ve never seen this before and thought it was just genius. So, last weekend I made my own version of their salad with a ricotta and goat cheese spread underneath a pile of arugula and asparagus. I did lightly dress the greens with a lemon vinaigrette, but the cheese is the star of this salad. I’ll recap the rest of our trip in my next post!

Asparagus Arugula Salad with Ricotta and Goat Cheese
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
2 pounds asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2-inch long pieces (I had 4 cups cooked)
5 tablespoons olive oil
1 red onion, chopped
Juice of half a lemon
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 bunches arugula (7 ounces after chopping off the stems)
1/2 cup toasted chopped almonds
4 ounces goat cheese
1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese

Directions:
Heat oven to 400˚F. Place asparagus on a large cookie sheet and drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Roast at 400˚F for 8 minutes or until tender.

Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat in a medium nonstick skillet. Sauté onions for 5 to 7 minutes or until tender.

Mix remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil, lemon juice, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a small bowl until well blended. Place arugula, roasted asparagus, cooked red onions, almonds, and dressing in a large bowl and toss until well mixed.

To serve, mix goat cheese, ricotta cheese, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a small bowl until smooth. Spread ricotta cheese mixture evenly onto six plates. Top evenly with salad, making sure part of the ricotta mixture is still showing. Makes 6 servings.

Nutrition: 287 calories, 22.8g fat, 3.5g fiber, 12.6g protein per serving
Cost: $2.18 per serving

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Indian Meatball Naanwiches

June 12, 2011

I’m back and feeling ready to post! To be honest, I had lost a bit of my blogging mojo over the past several weeks. I was plagued by writer’s block and couldn’t motivate myself to even get into the kitchen. But, I felt a lot of pressure to keep posting on a regular schedule, which is sort of silly because my blog is my creative outlet and is supposed to be fun – I never want blogging to start feeling like a second job. Anyway, I’m going to try and stop being so hard on myself and just take a break if I need it from now on!

I’m definitely feeling very refreshed and ready to cook now. I’ll post recaps of our trip to Portland and my college reunion soon, but first I wanted to share these Indian Meatball Naanwiches. When I returned from my conference in Newport, our fridge was pretty bare, but I did manage to find some ground turkey and naan in the freezer, which served as the inspiration for this dish.

These naanwiches are a fun twist on traditional meatball subs. The spiced meatballs contain a hefty amount of garlic and ginger, and are packed with cumin, ground fennel seeds (don’t leave these out – they really elevate the meatballs in my opinion!), and cayenne pepper. Since I wanted the tomato sauce to compliment the meatballs but not overpower them, I kept it pretty mild by only stirring in a touch of garam masala. I also added golden raisins for a bit of sweetness and Greek yogurt for some creaminess. These naanwiches were really tasty, but I think they would have been even better with some fresh cilantro on top to bright them up. So, I went ahead and added the cilantro to the recipe below and already can’t wait to make them again with it!

Indian Meatball Naanwiches
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

Meatballs:
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons minced ginger
4 teaspoons ground cumin
4 teaspoons ground fennel seeds
2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons salt
3 pounds ground turkey

Tomato Sauce:
1 tablespoon canola oil
1/2 cup chopped red onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon garam masala
1/4 cup golden raisins
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
1/2 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
1/2 teaspoon salt

Assembly:
7 pieces of naan, warmed
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Directions:
To make the meatballs, heat oven to 375˚F. Place the garlic, ginger, cumin, ground fennel seeds, cayenne pepper, and salt in a large bowl. Gently but thoroughly mix in the ground turkey and shape the mixture into 21 meatballs. Place meatballs on a large cookie sheet and bake at 375˚F for 20 minutes or until cooked through and no longer pink in the center.

Meanwhile, to make the tomato sauce, heat canola oil over medium high heat in a nonstick skillet. Sauté red onion for 5 to 7 minutes or until tender; mix in garlic and garam masala and sauté for 1 additional minute or until fragrant. Stir in golden raisins and tomatoes and cook 1 more minute. Place mixture in a food processor and pulse for a minute or until smooth. Stir in Greek yogurt and salt.

To assemble the naanwiches, top half of each piece of naan with three meatballs. Evenly spread sauce and cilantro on top. Fold naan over and serve. Makes 7 naanwiches.

Nutrition: 460 calories, 17.0g fat, 2.1g fiber, 33.7g protein per naanwich
Cost: $2.19 per naanwich

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Reese’s Peanut Butter Cookie Cups

June 3, 2011

Reese's Peanut Butter Cookie Cups

I’m very excited to be featured on Jen’s blog, Beantown Baker, as part of her Friday Favs series today! You’ll find my recipe there for these Reese’s Peanut Butter Cookie Cups. They have a peanut butter cookie bottom filled with a Reese’s cup and are topped with a layer of eggless peanut butter cookie dough and a touch of chocolate ganache. I thought these would be the perfect little decadent treats to take to a summer potluck or BBQ. I’m going to my 10 year college reunion this weekend and then heading to a science conference in Rhode Island next week, so I hope you enjoy checking these out while I take a little break from my kitchen and computer!

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Caramelized Pineapple Pulled Pork Flatbreads

May 29, 2011

I hope everyone is enjoying the long holiday weekend! Apolinaras and I are celebrating our seventh wedding anniversary with a mini vacation in Portland, Maine, and the eats have been phenomenal so far. I’ll have a full recap soon! In the meantime, I thought sharing the recipe for these Caramelized Pineapple Pulled Pork Flatbreads would be the perfect way to usher in the summer.

I topped warm pieces of naan with BBQ pulled pork, caramelized onions and pineapple, and a touch of cheddar cheese. This is my version of a semi-homemade meal since I bought the smoked pulled pork from Costco and mixed it with a little jarred BBQ sauce. I also used frozen naan instead of making pizza dough. Of course, caramelizing the pineapple and onions takes a little bit of extra time, but I did this the night before so it the meal would come together quickly. I also actually caramelized several onions and a whole pineapple, so I had extra to use in other recipes like this one!

Caramelized Pineapple Pulled Pork Flatbreads
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1/2 tablespoon butter
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
2 cups chopped pineapple, patted dry
3 tablespoons packed brown sugar
4 pieces naan
2 cups pulled pork with BBQ sauce
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Directions:
Heat butter and olive oil over medium heat in a large nonstick skillet. Add onions, cover pan, and cook for 25 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, or until onions are caramelized.

Meanwhile, heat over broiler. Place pineapple on a large cookie sheet and sprinkle brown sugar evenly on top. Broil for 5 minutes or until caramelized.

To assemble, top each piece of naan evenly with pulled pork. Sprinkle caramelized pineapple and onions on top. Sprinkle evenly with cheese. Place on a cookie sheet and broil for 2 minutes or until cheese is melted. Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition: 644 calories, 34.8g fat, 2.8g fiber, 29.8g protein per serving
Cost: $2.24 per serving

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