Friday, July 6, 2012
People would ask me if I was going to do a CSA again this summer, because life with a newborn doesn’t leave time much time for cooking. I’m so glad I decided to do it, because it has come in handy just as I thought it would. You see, I LOVE vegetables, which is why I’ve been doing a CSA for 6 years now (7? I lost track). I love being given a box of veggies and then I must figure out what to do with them. I hate standing in the grocery or farmer’s market wondering “Hmm… what veggies should I get? What should I do with them?” I love that every two weeks (my half share delivers a full box every 2 weeks) I’m reloaded with fresh, local, seasonal ingredients. It’s much easier to just whip something up with them. See the chicken in the background? Yeah, I didn’t cook that. Sam’s Club did with their wonderful rotisserie oven. Purchasing a chicken already cooked, and heating up a quick & easy rice packet, meant I MIGHT have time to cook a healthy side dish in between feedings. Sure enough, I was unable to cook this side dish from start to finish (as simple as it is), but I was able to prep the veggies by chopping and washing them earlier in the day, and then cooking them once we were ready to eat.
I loved the spice & flavor in these greens. It’s different than how I usually prepare them, which often includes cider vinegar. This version includes coriander, ginger, & turmeric, which I love, but don’t use often enough, as well as cumin, which is a spice I use all the time. Round it out with some pine nuts & raisins, and you’ve got added texture & flavor. Lemon gives these greens another unique twist. I don’t care if this is a bit fugly, I knew I had to blog it, or else I might forget it. (Y’all, baby brain is real.)
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Spicy Collard Greens
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients:
1 large bunch of collard greens, washed, core removed and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
2 tablespoons raisins
3/4 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon coriander
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 cup water
salt & pepper to taste
Directions:
In a small bowl combine lemon juice, cumin, coriander, ginger, & turmeric. Whisk to combine. In a separate small bowl cover raisins with warm water and let soak approximately 5 min, then drain.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sliced collard greens, season lightly with salt & pepper and saute until cooked down slightly. Add water and cook an additional 3-4 minutes. Pour in lemon juice dressing, raisins, & pine nuts and continue cooking until greens are just softened, about 5 minutes.
Season with additional salt & pepper to taste upon serving.
Sunday, July 1, 2012
Hot. Hawt. Nashville is so dang hot right now, it needs extra syllables in the word “hot”. One look at Instagram or Facebook and I see tons of pictures of iPhone screenshots of the weather app’s temperature display, or the temperature gauge in people’s cars. Record highs of 109. To beat the heat, I’ve been staying indoors. But let’s face it, even if it were only a high of 89 I’d likely be indoors since I’m caring for an infant. All I can say is THANK GOODNESS I’m not pregnant in this heat. High temps are supposed to continue to hang around through the 4th of July, with forecasts in the upper 90s. While I’ll be spending most of my 4th of July indoors, I know many people still plan on gathering for BBQs and such, and a cool & refreshing treat is needed.
Last year we were fortunate to spend 4th of July celebrating at our neighbor’s house, watching the fireworks from his rooftop patio. I brought two contributions to his party, and both included alcohol. One was this Pineapple Sangria, which has gone on to be a pretty popular post for me, and the other was this Tequila Soaked Watermelon. I never got around to blogging it, but saved the photos so I could share it with you this year. This was simple, delicious, and certainly hit the spot! Were I indulging in alcohol this year, I’d definitely be making these again. So do me a favor, make these, and enjoy!
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Tequila Soaked Watermelon
Total Time: 20 min prep + time for chilling (approx 45 min)
Ingredients:
1 inch-thick watermelon wedges (enough to lay flat in two 9x13-inch baking dishes)
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup tequila
1/4 cup Triple Sec
2 limes, halved or cut into wedges
sea salt
Directions:
Arrange watermelon wedges in a single layer in 2 (9x13-inch) baking dishes.
Prepare Spiked Simple Syrup: Bring sugar and water to a boil in a small saucepan. Cook, stirring until sugar dissolves, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in tequila and Triple Sec. Set aside to cool.
Pour cooled syrup over watermelon and refrigerate for at least 45 minutes (longer if you wish).
Remove watermelon from syrup, and arrange on a platter. Squeeze limes over the watermelon and sprinkle with sea salt.
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
We’ve reached the point in baby-land where most of our visitors have come, oohed & ahhed, and gone. Nathan is off to work everyday, and Elliott & I are hanging out all day (with Jesse by our side). I’ll admit, I actually enjoy running errands with him, and it was on one such trip to Sam’s Club that I picked up a huge bunch of bananas. I ate the vast majority of them as quick & easy one-handed fuel while holding the baby. But they turned brown before I could eat them all, and my first thought was to throw them in the freezer for later baking. But, since it had been a while since I baked, I had the urge to bake something. (Don’t be fooled by my timing of posts, I baked & photographed the Cookie Dough Panini BEFORE Elliott made his appearance!)
While Elliott gets rather fussy in the evenings, the mornings are usually pretty calm, so I thought I might actually have the chance to bake something. What a silly idea that was! Let’s just say the oven was preheated a good 2 hours before anything went into it. Elliott transitioned from the Boppy, to the Bjorn Bouncer, and finally I stuck him in the Moby and was able to get something done! (Sorry for all the baby product jargon. It’s like you learn an entirely new vocabulary when you become a parent!) The Moby is basically a huge piece of fabric you wrap around yourself like a ninja and it holds the baby next to you, keeping your hands free. So, Elliott & I baked this banana bread, with him strapped onto me.
{foreground Elliott, background batter in progress}
I chose this recipe to use up the brown bananas because I also had a ton of coconut on hand that I never seem to use. Plus, I saw it on my friend Kelsey’s blog, Apple A Day, and if she made it, then it was sure to be delicious! Hers was originally just Banana Coconut Bread, and I chose to add in chocolate chips because… wait, is it necessary to explain why I added in chocolate? I think not. Chocolate = good. This banana bread was spectacular. Mine came out incredibly moist, and full of flavor. It wasn’t heavy on coconut flavor, so I think even coconut-averse people would still enjoy this. The coconut really just added a unique texture. And I LOVED the little bit extra the chocolate chips add. At first I debated between using regular sized chips, or using mini chips, and I’m glad I went with regular sized because the bursts of chocolate just add to the party in your mouth.
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Coconut Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
Like with many quick breads and muffins, I swapped out 1 cup of the all-purpose flour with white whole wheat flour. I then told myself it was now "healthy" and therefore acceptable to eat for breakfast. Feel free to do the same.
Ingredients:
About 3 large, overripe bananas
2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
pinch of salt
1 stick (4 oz.) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 TBSP vanilla
1/2 cup flaked unsweetened coconut
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1 TBSP raw sugar, such as demerara
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter or spray a standard-size loaf pan.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mash the bananas on medium-low speed. Measure out 1 1/2 c. and set aside. (Any remaining banana can be saved. Molly from Orangette recommends stirring it into plain yogurt.)
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, nutmeg, and salt. Set aside.
In the stand mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla, and beat to mix well. Add the banana and flour mixtures alternately, about 1 cup at a time, beginning with the banana and beating to just incorporate.
Use a spatula to fold in any flour that has not been absorbed, and stir in the coconut & chocolate chips. Do not overmix.
Scrape the batter (it will be quite thick) into the prepared pan. Smooth the top, and sprinkle evenly with the raw sugar. Bake for 50-65 minutes, or until the top is nicely browned and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. (If using a mini-loaf pan like I did, reduce baking time to approximately 35 min.) Let cool on a wire rack for about 20 minutes, then turn the loaf out of the pan and allow to cool completely. Keeps, sealed airtight, for three to four days.
Thursday, June 14, 2012
I’m so excited & honored to be participating in the Cookie Dough-lympics! This is a blogging event to promote the release of Love & Olive Oil‘s very first cookbook, The Cookie Dough Lover’s Cookbook. This entire cookbook is based on Lindsay’s love of cookie dough, and her recipe for an eggless version that is safe to consume. I mean come on, who doesn’t love to eat cookie dough? I’ve known about this cookbook for a while, as Lindsay & I are friends & neighbors in real life. I had the extreme fortunate of being someone she pawned off samples & “prototypes” of many of these treats. Later, I even got to help test some of her recipes. Yeah, it’s a hard life I lead. 🙂
While I knew some of the treats she made, I didn’t know what all the recipes were. I was so excited when I first opened up the cookbook. There are SO many good treats in there! When I was asked to participate in this event, for some reason I didn’t really brainstorm at all about what treat to make. It instantly popped in my head that I wanted to do a dessert panini. I whipped up the Cocoa Poundcake recipe from Baking from My Home to Yours. While it was cooling I made Lindsay’s basic recipe for her egg-free chocolate chip cookie dough. I sliced the poundcake, slathered on some cookie dough, and then grilled it in my panini press briefly to warm it. Once removed, I drizzled it with homemade salted caramel sauce.
The result? Wow. Just WOW. This tastes like an epic dessert you’d get at a restaurant. The cookie dough gets a bit gooey, and combines perfectly with the cake. And I find there are few things that salted caramel doesn’t improve upon!
I’m so excited for the release of The Cookie Dough Lover’s Cookbook, so others can finally experience some of the amazing treats I’ve been fortunate to get to sample. Some of my personal favorites include Cookie Dough Rice Krispie Treats, Cookie Dough Marshmallows, and Cookie Dough Fudge. If you love cookie dough, you can’t pass up this book!
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Cocoa Pound Cake Cookie Dough Panini
No panini press? Just heat this briefly in the microwave, and it's equally delicious!
Ingredients:
COCOA POUND CAKE:
1-2/3 c all-purpose flour OR 1-3/4 c cake flour
1/2 c dark cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 c sugar
4 lg. eggs, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla
COOKIE DOUGH:
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons milk or cream
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
Salted Caramel Sauce
Directions:
COCOA POUNDCAKE:
Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter a 9×5-inch loaf pan or an 8-1/2 x 4-1/2-inch loaf pan. Put the pan on an insulated baking sheet or on two regular baking sheets stacked one on top of the other. Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.
Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar on high speed until pale and fluffy, a full 5 minutes. Scrape down the bowl and beater and reduce the mixer speed to medium. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 1 to 2 minutes after each egg goes in. As you’re working, scrape down the bowl and beater often. Mix in the vanilla extract. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour, mixing only until it is incorporated – don’t overmix. In fact, you might want to fold in the last of the flour, or even all of it, by hand with a rubber spatula. Scrape the batter into the buttered pan and smooth the top.
Put the cake into the oven to bake, and check on it after about 45 minutes. If it’s browning too quickly, cover it loosely with a foil tent. If you’re using a 9×5 pan, you’ll need to bake the cake for 70 to 75 minutes; the smaller pan needs about 90 minutes. The cake is properly baked when a thin knife inserted deep into the center comes out clean. Remove the cake from the oven, transfer the pan to a rack and let rest for 30 minutes. Run a blunt knife between the cake and the sides of the pan and turn the cake out, then turn it right side up on the rack and cool to room temperature.
Wrapped well, the cake will keep for 5 to 7 days at room temperature (stale cake is great toasted) or up to 2 months in the freezer.
COOKIE DOUGH:
In a large bowl beat butter and sugars with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Mix in milk and vanilla. Stir in flour and salt and mix on low speed (or by hand) until incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips.
PANINI:
Preheat panini press. Slice poundcake, spread with cookie dough, and sandwich with second slice of poundcake. Press in panini press for 1-2 minutes to warm. Drizzle with salted caramel sauce.
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