Antici...

...pation.

So, tomorrow is the BAA 10K. Not my first time to the rodeo as it were; this will be my third 10K. The first two I did had stories around them (which I might share later), and I have hopes that this one will as well. But most importantly I have hopes for a new PR. This is a flat course vs. my prior 10K, I've been working on speed, etc. But the most important factor is that about 3 weeks ago I went in for physical therapy for my right knee. One of the first things the PT told me that I wasn't balancing my weight on my legs, to the point that when I stood straight, my right knee was bent without me even realizing it! Since then I've worked on strengthening my quads and being even in my walking - and my running! I feel like I am very balanced, my posture is good, and I can rock this!

So, I'm excited for the race. Not very nervous, which is good? I guess?

One other thing I am excited about...

That this bowl of what appears to be disgustingness will hopefully turn out to be greatness tomorrow.

Mmmm...resist

I love peanut butter.

I wish I could love the natural only peanuts stuff. I used it for a long time but was lured back by the siren call of Jif.

I've eaten dark chocolate PB. I want to try white chocolate, even though I don't like white chocolate on its own.

I search out new sources of PB on the web. I put the jars in my basket but never make the final click.

I am ever so tempted...

If only my budget loved fancy peanut butter varieties as much as I did...

Less fud, more food

I love the Far Side. I mean - who doesn't? Soooo funny. The cartoon above is one that stuck with me, and I will frequently use the term "fud" for, well, food. But when I think about it, there are certain types of food that are more fud than others. A sliding scale as it were.

Obviously McDonalds is on the fud side of the scale. Whole carrots? Well they pretty much define the food end. Gogurt? Fud. Yogurt? If it's pre-flavored, more fud. Plain and unsweetened? Food.

Recently I've found myself sliding further along to the fud side of the scale. I've been eating more protein bars as snacks, and my sweet tooth is a little more readily fed these days. Part of this has to do with pure laziness. Part of it is also the fact that I have long days and moderately high calorie needs with the amount of exercise I'm now getting.

I do pack and bring my lunches to work every day. I usually pack for an afternoon snack; today was blueberries, cocoa almonds, and string cheese. I think, however, that I will have to start packing a late afternoon snack because right before I left work I got hungry. And I knew that if I didn't eat before the 45-60 minute ride home (depending on if the T was acting up - which it was) I would tend to not listen as much to my hunger signals when I actually did get to eat. So - Clif bar.

This long post is basically a way of pushing myself back to the food side of the scale. More protein especially needed.

Instead of protein bars, I'm thinking:

*cottage cheese + blueberries (since they are now in season and cheap!)

* oatmeal soaked in milk w/cinnamon, fruit, and a bit of yogurt

* hard boiled egg (deviled?)

* salt and vinegar chickpeas - recipe @ OhSheGlows

or even making my own protein bars? Either way - I'm not wasting my money and precious calories on fud any more!

I run so I can eat

Like I said in my last post, I've changed a bit. Just over a year ago I started training with a new personal trainer. She was interesting to me because her bio mentioned losing a lot of weight. It paralleled my experiences so I felt like she would understand my crazy brain. We started working together and I found out she was a runner. She had done Boston once by then, and would do it again after I started working with her.

I've always wanted to run. I just could never get past the "run as hard as I can" mental part. Bright red face, extremely short distances, very slow. I started working with Natalie (my trainer then, and still) and decided on a big goal. I signed up for the Disney half marathon this past January.

A year later, at least one of those three parameters has changed. I still get bright red, and after some of my longer runs I have white patches on my face from salt. I still go slow - my fastest mile has been 9:30 during a training run, and my legs hurt for two days afterwards. But - I ran/walked the half marathon (and that is a story in itself), and since then have run several other races, including an awesome 10 miler through the cherry blossoms in DC.

I am doing another half marathon in September in Disneyland. My goal is to run 11 races this year. I've signed up for 10 so far. I'm planning for a marathon next year, and for 2014 (when I turn 40), I'm going to go Goofy. That's doing the Disney World half marathon/marathon on consecutive days.

I run 3 to 4 times a week. I want to do more, but feel it can be counterproductive. I mostly do 3-4 mile runs on the weekdays, and my longer runs are 6-10 miles. I am very ridiculous in my running, because I tend to have no sense of direction. I got lost 1/2 a mile from my office - 2x!

All of that to say - I am hooked on running. And on running blogs. And reading about running. And being annoyingly boring about running. It's just how I am about cooking/health!

Hmmm...post every two years?

Great velocity on posts - one every two years! *sigh*

Some updates:

* I'm not dead, and am in fact exceedingly healthy.

* I'm still working at the job mentioned in my last couple posts. In fact, I've made some great friends there.

* On the down side, having a HQ in California when I am Boston based means that my days skew later. Starting late is great; ending late, not so much.

* With the above, my cooking is suffering. Luckily the rest is not - my weight is pretty stable, and I'm still eating great food.

That last point is going to change. Not the great food part - but the suffering. I want to get back to more cooking. Probably not 5x a week, but more than the 1x I've been doing.

I've also been reading a lot of great blogs and want to take cues from them. Not so much cooking blogs, but my other new hobby. What's that? Well...

Ah - so close.

There are certain ingredients that I love. Most of these ingredients are in season in the fall. One of my favorites is acorn squash. The only recipe I've made with it, however, is roasted. As wonderful as I find that simple prep, when I found a recipe for acorn squash soup in Simply the Best Italian , I knew I had to try it.

Acorn squash is not as smooth as butternut squash. Unfortunately for this soup, even though there was great flavor and seasoning in the recipe, the graininess of the squash was too overwhelming to overlook. Not a repeat. I will say that the roasting of the squash/onion in the oven smelled like heaven!

And for the record, other fall/winter favorites include cranberries, parsnips, and sweet potatoes. And clementines - but I don't cook with those much...yet.

Baking with Joy - Sourdough English Muffins

I've been doing a lot more traveling in the last year - since I started a new job. I love my job, and since the headquarters for the company are in San Francisco, I was thrilled on a trip out there when a friend gave me some of the sourdough starter that she had been growing. I very carefully wrapped the bottle she gave - checked it in my bag - and believe me, was crossing my fingers all the way home that it wouldn't explode over my clothes.

That starter was given to me a few months ago, and I've been feeding it ever since. I keep it in my fridge and pull it out every few weeks. It's always interesting to pull out - the liquid has separated and it smells strong - but in a good way. When I know I am going to use it, I take it out of the fridge, stir the liquid back in, take out some of the starter, feed again - and the use the next day.

I've made a few different recipes with the starter so far, but the one I've come back to is Sourdough English Muffins , as found on Sourdough Home . Making english muffins is fun - for some reason although it is very easy to do, it feels like an accomplishment.

I baked up a batch today; it was a lazy Saturday, full of rain, and it was fun to do some kneading and rolling. The batch I made was unusual, because after I had mixed together the starter, honey, and reconstituted dry milk, I realized I didn't have enough AP flour. Wasn't going to stop me! I ended up using ~1 1/2 cup AP, 1 cup bread flour, and 1 1/2 cup white wheat for the first mix - and bought some AP today for the kneading. The result is interesting - kind of wheat-y.

Tonight's dinner was a sourdough english muffin with egg salad - and it was good.

I'm back (and nobody missed me)

I'm back! *crickets chirp* Yeah, I know. Ego talking, but I thought I'd wave my hands and scream to the web "I'm not dead yet!".

Anyway, I haven't posted in close to 2 years, but believe me - I've been cooking. My most recent successes have been in using a wonderful sourdough starter given to me by a friend from San Francisco. I've been doing some great sourdough english muffins and easy breads.

As usual, I do a lot more thinking about recipes than actual cooking. This has been particularly true recently (well, semi-recently), as I changed jobs back in October. It's coming up on 1 year at this job, and I am fat and happy. Well, happy, but not happy that I am fat(ter). Honestly - you try working at a job with a fully-stocked kitchen (I'll post pictures later) and free lunches every Thursday, and see where you are in a year. I'm just lucky I've fallen in love with exercise classes (more on those later).

I still want to do 5 recipes a week. I plan on doing Monday cookies - a tradition started by my wonderful friend Tina when we worked together at our last job. I want to do more with my starter (it's so cool!). I want to do more Chinese/Indian recipes for some reason (why do I crave them)? I also have a ton of beans to work with (darn you Rancho Gordo!), have fallen in love with eggs, want to experiment with salads...gads, the inspiration never stops.

All this to say - I still love to cook - and will always make time for it. And I will post more about what I do cook. I find so many recipes through other people - I want to keep the chain going.

I just have to share - so pretty

Something new to me....Light Salade aux Lardons

I have the hardest time with salads as a main meal. Goodness knows, I know that there are things named as a "salad" that have more calories than a lot of things I eat as a main meal. It's just that I never believe that a salad can satisfy. Of course, I can't really say that the salad I tried tonight is just a salad. I consider it ham and eggs on greens.

Of course, the recipe I made is a little classier than that. Light Salade aux Lardons comes from Eating Well Healthy in a Hurry. Eating Well is the second source I would go for a new recipe. (Cooking Light is first, of course). I have this cookbook, as well as their Serves Two cookbook, out from the library, trying to figure out if I want to add to my too large recipe collection. I think I will pick up both, because I think both are gorgeous.

This recipe was fairly simple. The timing could be done well enough that I could see getting this done in 15 minutes. It's all a matter of prep, which I almost got right. Anyway, the recipe is basically crisping up some Canadian bacon, tossing with some greens in a simple dressing, and topping with a poached egg.

Now, I will admit I've never poached an egg. I'm just not that much of an egg person. This first try was not totally successful. I think I overcooked a bit, and the egg white did not hold together when it went in to the pan, which meant I lost half of it. When I make an egg tomorrow night for the leftovers, I will try doing some vinegar in the water, as I heard that keeps the white together.

I also like the fact that I got to try Canadian bacon for the first time. I've been reading up on the Core plan at Weight Watchers a lot (I'm on Flex, and might be looking for a change), and they talk a lot about this meat. I like the flavor and nice browning it got in the pan, and I definitely like the flavor.

I like this salad. I could see eating it as a breakfast on the weekend even, or a light dinner. I think the dressing could definitely be switched up, and this isn't a recipe that I would get excited over, but it does give me an option to use up eggs. Ya never know - I might turn into an egg person!

And as a note - I halved the recipe, and used red lettuce instead of frisee. The original recipe can also be found at EatingWell.com


* Exported from MasterCook *

Light Salade aux Lardons

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 2 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories :

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil -- divided
4 ounces canadian bacon -- cut in 1/2" cubes
1 head frisee lettuce -- torn
1/2 large shallot -- minced
1 1/2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
2 eggs

Heat 1/2 tbsp oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add bacon; cook, stirring, until brown and crisp, about 8 minutes.

Use a slotted spoon to transfer bacon to a large bowl. Add lettuce to bowl. Add shallot to skillet and cook over medium heat, stirring until softened, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in remaining tablespoon oil, vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper. Pour mixture onto lettuce; toss to coat.

Meanwhile, bring about 1 inch of water to a boil in a medium skillet. Crack each egg into a small bowl and slip them one at a time into the boiling water, taking care not to break the yolks. Reduce heat to low. Cover the pan and poach eggs until the yolks are just set, 4 to 5 minutes.

Divide salad among 2 plates. Top each serving with a poached egg. Grind pepper over top and serve immediately.

Source:
"EW Healthy in a Hurry"
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 262 Calories; 19g Fat (66.2% calories from fat); 18g Protein; 4g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 240mg Cholesterol; 1021mg Sodium. Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 2 1/2 Lean Meat; 1/2 Vegetable; 2 1/2 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates.


Nutr. Assoc. : 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Light Salade aux Lardons

Trying to steal the crown...King Arthur's Best Chip Cookies

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I have a friend that sits in the cube next to me that brings in baked goods every Monday. When she was out last week, I upped the ante as her replacement, and brought in baked goods twice (applesauce cake on Monday, "Deep Dish Brownie Pizza" on Friday). I was almost crowned the new baking queen - but I didn't bake this past Monday. I want that crown, though - so I solicited requests, and was asked for oatmeal chocolate chip.

To find the recipe, I went to King Arthur, which I consider one of the top recipe sources. Their books are incredible; I love their baking book, and am trying to love their whole grain baking book, although for some reason I am slow to warm to it. It does make me want to buy spelt flour, however. Like I need another kind of flour - I already have 4.

Anyway, instead of working from their books, I decided to be high-tech, and take a recipe from their website. The recipe I decided to try was King Arthur Flour's Favorite Chip Cookies. With a name like that, it has to be great, right?

Well, I'm not sure these will be MY favorite chip cookies. They are less of an oatmeal cookie, and more of a chocolate chip with oatmeal in it. That should be expected, though, from the fact that the oats are ground up in it. They aren't overly sweet, which can be good, but they are somewhat bland. That might be due to no salt in the recipe.

The good thing about these is that they came out to be the perfect cookie shape - almost round. I had halved the batch, and worked with a tablespoon instead of the teaspoon they wanted (teaspoon cookies are too small!). I ended up with 27 cookies, which fitted perfectly on two sheet pans.

I was such a nut last night. I got everything mixed up, and then realized I hadn't preheated the oven! DUH! But that gave me a good opportunity to clean up and load the dishwasher while it heated, which was nice. Wouldn't want that to happen again - especially if I was making muffins!

It's funny - now that I've made these, I'm craving a soft oatmeal raisin cookie. What I might do for my next baking is experiment with finding a good soft oatmeal cookie, and using the new dark chocolate raisinettes in them. That would be fun.

Never been so glad for leftovers...Gingered Carrot Soup

I am exhausted tonight for some reason. More than usual. I am so glad I hadn't planned on cooking tonight. I have a nice recipe waiting in the fridge, all ready to be reheated.

I made the Gingered Carrot Soup last night. It came from my favorite, the CLBB, and it was posted on this thread -Recipe. It came up in a search of my MasterCook, when I was looking for recipes to use up leftover half and half. Funny thing is, when it came time to add the half and half I was afraid of it curdling, so the recipe I made to use up an ingredient didn't end up including that ingredient! It's alright, though, because I've found two recipes that I will try this week to use up the half and half, and I am excited about both.

This recipe blended up to be a very pretty orange soup. Duh - it's a carrot soup. The orange juice gave it a nice flavor, but I ended up using a bit less than the recipe called for, so with the full amount and no half and half, the soup might have turned out too sweet. I also tossed in a little pepper. I tried using my food processor to blend this, instead of my usual blender. I don't think it worked as well - I still hit ginger chunks. Next soup I might try using my new stick blender.

I'm sure that the soup developed a deeper flavor with sitting overnight, as most soups do. I'm so happy that I get to heat up and relax. Unfortunately, my cleaners come tomorrow, so I do have to do some cleaning. Ah well - I'll be energized with a nice dinner.


* Exported from MasterCook *

Gingered Carrot Soup

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 4 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories :

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
4 teaspoons canola oil
1/2 cup minced onion
1/4 cup minced ginger
3 cups low-sodium defatted chicken broth
1 1/2 pounds carrots -- peeled and sliced
1 cup orange juice
1/2 cup half and half
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Heat oil in a heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and 1/4 cup minced ginger and sauté until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add 3 cups chicken stock and 4 cups sliced carrots. Cover and simmer until carrots are tender, about 30 minutes.

Working in batches, puree mixture in blender or processor. Return soup to saucepan. Mix in orange juice, then half-and-half. Cook over low heat 5 minutes. Mix in ground cinnamon. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared one day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Bring to simmer before continuing, thinning with more stock if necessary.) Ladle soup into warm bowls and top with carrot and ginger strips if desired, and serve.

Source:
"CLBB Canice - http://community.cookinglight.com/showthread.php?t=80326&page=2&pp=30"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 196 Calories; 8g Fat (37.4% calories from fat); 5g Protein; 27g Carbohydrate; 5g Dietary Fiber; 11mg Cholesterol; 532mg Sodium. Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 3 1/2 Vegetable; 1/2 Fruit; 0 Non-Fat Milk; 1 1/2 Fat.


Nutr. Assoc. : 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Eat the rainbow II - Broiled Polenta with Ratatouille

Today's recipe definitely fits in with ARF at Sweetnicks. In a single recipe, I ate the entire rainbow. Well almost.

Red - red bell pepper, red kidney beans, tomatoes - canned & dried
no orange
Yellow - yellow bell pepper, polenta
Green - zucchini
no blue - but what's a blue veggie?
Violet/Purple - eggplant

If that doesn't give enough veggies, what does? And to add to the pleasure, not only was it healthy, but delicious. And large portions!

This recipe also gave me the opportunity to try out polenta logs. It's interesting - I tasted what I thought was chicken broth in the polenta, but according to the ingredient list, there was none in it. I'm not sure how I feel about the product. When I opened the log, some liquid came out, so it was a bit messy. I liked the chicken-y flavor, but I wasn't sure about the texture. It also took longer to broil the cheese in the recipe than it listed - about 2x longer.

I can definitely see repeating this recipe. Maybe with a pile of creamy polenta instead of the discs.

To see all of the wonderful recipes in this week's roundup, check out Sweetnicks.


* Exported from MasterCook *

Broiled Polenta with Ratatouille

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 6 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories :

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
8 sun-dried tomato halves
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion -- coarsely chopped
5 garlic cloves -- finely chopped
1 (3/4-pound) eggplant -- unpeeled and cubed
1 (1/2-pound) zucchini -- cubed
1 red bell pepper -- seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 sweet yellow pepper -- seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces
28 ounces canned crushed tomatoes
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon dried basil
30 ounces canned kidney beans
16 ounces polenta in logs -- refrigerated tube
1/4 ounce grated parmesan cheese

Soak the sun-dried tomatoes in warm water to cover until softened, about 15 minutes. Drain, discarding the liquid, then chop the tomatoes.

Meanwhile heat a nonstick Dutch oven. Swirl in the oil, then add the onion and garlic. Saute until golden, about 7 minutes. Add the eggplant, zucchini, bell peppers, tomatoes, sugar, salt, ground pepper, and the chopped sun-dried tomatoes; bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the vegetables are softened and the flavors are developed, about 30 minutes. Stir in the basil during the last 2 to 3 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the broiler and spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray. Cut the polenta into 12 crosswise slices; arrange on the baking sheet. Sprinkle with the cheese and broil 5 inches from the heat until hot and the cheese is golden, about 4 minutes.

Serve the ratatouille with the broiled polenta rounds.

Source:
"Simply Delicious"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 295 Calories; 4g Fat (11.1% calories from fat); 14g Protein; 55g Carbohydrate; 16g Dietary Fiber; 1mg Cholesterol; 1150mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1 1/2 Grain(Starch); 1/2 Lean Meat; 3 1/2 Vegetable; 1/2 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates.


Nutr. Assoc. : 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Acting as substitute baker...Ginger-Cardamom Applesauce Cake

A good friend sits in the cube next to mine at work. She has been baking and bringing in the results every Monday for a long time now. This week, she is in Florida, and I have been designated her substitute. Not a bad thing, of course - I don't get to bake as much as I'd like to.

The recipe I chose was from a new favorite source of mine, the Cook's Illustrated web site. I love the show, love the books of theirs I have (The New Best Recipe and The Best Light Recipe), so I decided to give in and sign up for an annual membership. The membership is $25, but I think it's worth it.

The recipe I decided to make called for apple cider (which I had), dried apples (which I had), and applesauce (which I didn't have). Call me a bit stubborn, but even though I try to cook light, I'm resistant to baking with applesauce as an oil substitute, because I've heard it makes baked goods gummy. Life's too short for gummy food! But since this is an applesauce cake, I think it's okay. =)

I'm not sure how I initially found the recipe (don't ask me how many different ways I search for recipes), but it drew me in because it called for cardamom. I love cardamom. I'm not sure how much of it is because I love the smell versus the taste. I just know that I like using it.

This recipe was interesting. A medium amount of exertion (cooking down the dried apples), but beyond that, not too bad. The cake came out very moist, in fact a little too moist I believe. The spices were strong, but just before the line of overwhelming. I portioned the cake into 12 pieces and ended up having my slice as breakfast. It was a cake where you can feel decadent, but not too rich, and fake yourself out as to the health aspects. It's applesauce cake - how bad can it be? Well, not too bad, but it's definitely a treat.

Would I repeat? Probably not. There are too many untried recipes out there, to be boldly explored!


* Exported from MasterCook *

Ginger-Cardamom Applesauce Snack Cake

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 12 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories :

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
2 ounces dried apple -- cut in 1/2-inch pieces
1 cup apple cider
7 1/2 ounces unbleached flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
4 3/4 ounces sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 tablespoon crystallized ginger -- minced
1 cup unsweetened applesauce -- at room temperature
1 large egg -- at room temperature, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter -- melted and cooled
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 325 degrees. Cut 16-inch length parchment paper or aluminum foil and fold lengthwise to 7-inch width. Spray 8-inch square baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and fit parchment into dish, pushing it into corners and up sides; allow excess to overhang edges of dish.

Bring dried apples and cider to simmer in small saucepan over medium heat; cook until liquid evaporates and mixture appears dry, about 15 minutes. Cool to room temperature.

Whisk flour and baking soda in medium bowl to combine; set aside. In second medium bowl, whisk sugar, ginger, and cardamom. Measure 2 tablespoons sugar-spice mixture into small bowl, add crystallized ginger, and set aside for topping.

In food processor, process cooled dried-apple mixture and applesauce until smooth, 20 to 30 seconds, scraping sides of bowl as needed; set aside. Whisk egg and salt in large bowl to combine. Add sugar-spice mixture and whisk continuously until well combined and light colored, about 20 seconds. Add butter in three additions, whisking after each. Add applesauce mixture and vanilla and whisk to combine. Add flour mixture to wet ingredients; using rubber spatula, fold gently until just combined and evenly moistened.

Turn batter into prepared pan, smoothing top with rubber spatula. Sprinkle reserved 2 tablespoons topping evenly over batter. Bake until wooden skewer inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool on wire rack to room temperature, about 2 hours. Run knife along cake edges without parchment to release. Remove cake from pan by lifting parchment overhang and transfer to cutting board. Cut cake and serve.

Source:
"Cooks Illustrated"

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Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 211 Calories; 8g Fat (34.0% calories from fat); 2g Protein; 33g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 39mg Cholesterol; 206mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 1/2 Fruit; 1 1/2 Fat; 1 Other Carbohydrates.


Nutr. Assoc. : 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

A new veggie...Garlicky Greens & Beans

I am obsessive about using ingredients as soon as I get them. I bought a can of cannellini beans last week, so I was searching my MasterCook for a recipe to use them. I was thrilled to find Garlicky Greens & Beans. It looked like the perfect side/light meal. I am definitely a garlic person. Plus, it gave me a chance to experiment with hearty greens (in this case, kale), which is a veggie I've never worked with.

The recipe came together quickly. I took advantage of the convenience products of today - the kale came already sliced in a bag! It also said it was washed, but I take no chances. Plus, I got to play with my salad spinner! (I can't help it - it's fun!)

I usually rinse & drain my canned beans, but this recipe calls for them undrained. I wasn't sure about that, but it definitely works. As the beans heat, the liquid picks up the garlic flavor beautifully.

The result is wonderful. The greens are tender, the sauce is garlicky (although I could see using a little less), and the mix of beans & greens definitely works. It even got me to like dried tomatoes, which I have never had luck with before.

Even though my pictures are still not great, I think you should be able to see that the color combination works. The bright green of the kale, the creamy white beans, the little bits of dried tomato...pretty.

I've double-wrapped the leftovers, in hopes that the garlic will not overwhelm the refrigerator. I can't wait to try the leftovers tomorrow!


* Exported from MasterCook *

Garlicky Greens and Beans

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 4 Preparation Time :0:25
Categories : Side Dish

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1 1/2 pounds kale, chard or mustard greens -- trimmed and cut into pieces (1 inch)
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic -- crushed
1 15-ounce can cannellini (white kidney beans) -- undrained
6 dried tomato halves -- rehydrated if dried, chopped
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 teaspoon dried rosemary -- crushed
Dash red pepper flakes
Salt and black pepper -- to taste

In a large saucepan, bring 2 quarts water to a boil; add 1 tablespoon salt to boiling water. Toss the greens into the boiling water and cook until they are almost tender but still bright green, 5-8 minutes (time will depend upon the type of green being used). Drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside. (Greens can be cooked one day ahead; refrigerate until continuing with recipe). Heat olive oil in large skillet and sauté garlic until tender but not browned; stir in beans and cook and stir for 8 minutes, heating beans through (some beans may break up; this is okay as it helps thicken the dish); gently stir in reserved greens and remaining ingredients. Cook and stir gently until heated through. If desired, top each serving with a dusting of freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Source:
"National Pork Producers Council"
S(Internet address):
"http://www.nppc.org"
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 148 Calories; 3g Fat (18.8% calories from fat); 8g Protein; 24g Carbohydrate; 7g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 624mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 1 1/2 Vegetable; 1/2 Fat.


Nutr. Assoc. : 2532 0 0 512 258 0 0 0 2130706543

Now that's addiction...Artichoke and Red Pepper Frittata

I haven't cooked all week. I didn't get a chance to do my elaborate dance of indecision, and I really didn't feel like shopping and cooking after a long day of work. I had decided that I would finally get to cook tonight.

So I had a sore throat yesterday that hung on all day today, and kept me drooping. I thought about picking up something simple for dinner. Unfortunately, my little obsessive mind didn't want to lose my cooking opportunity. Luckily the recipe I had chosen was something simple.

I'm not a huge fan of eggs. It's been bothering me though that I'd buy eggs to bake with, and end up tossing them before I could use them all. So I decided to try something aside from the standard egg white omelet. I'd tried a frittata before, and had ended up with a slightly burnt bottom. (On the frittata, not me). This recipe came from Eating Well - Artichoke and Red Pepper Frittata.

This recipe came together easily. I ended up using a 12-inch pan instead of 10-inch, and I don't think it would have been a good idea to use the smaller pan, because of how thick the mixture was in a 12-inch. The recipe says it serves 2, but that is a little too much egg for me, so I quartered it. Leftovers for breakfast!

The bottom was lightly golden, and broiled nicely on top. The artichoke hearts became slightly sweet with the heat. The oregano was a little too strong, so if I repeated, I might lower the oregano, and maybe add some tabasco.

The frittata could make a semi-egg lover out of me. Next step - soft-boiled over toast, or poached in spinach nests.

It's winter - just doesn't feel like it...Cider-Baked Apples with Dried Cranberries

It really is amazing how mild this winter has been. I went out yesterday, and saw some teenagers in shorts. In January. Amazing.

I've got an ambition to cook more this year. Although I was fairly happy last year - I tried 116 new recipes. I decided to do my best to join in the SGOTW on the CLBB every week. It's a way to get more use out of my cookbook collection. That way I don't feel as guilty when I want to buy more.

This week we were challenged to cook from a cookbook we got for Christmas. I had a choice of three - The New Best Recipe, The Best Light Recipe, and Williams Sonoma Healthy Cooking. All beautiful books, and I believe that I will get some good use from all of them - especially the first two. I went through the two healthy cookbooks, but couldn't decide. I had thought about doing vegetarian bean chili and muffins, but with this weather, not a chance. I decided to use up the cider that is STILL in my fridge.

I love fruit. I also love desserts - but most of the time I don't want the mix the two. If I have a dessert, I want to have a true dessert - which in my mind means chocolate. I decided to open my mind this time, though. And boy - am I glad I did.

In terms of the recipe, I halved it, and left off the walnuts that I have listed in the recipe below. I baked it in a loaf pan - worked out nicely. I especially liked how easily the apple cored when I used the melon baller that was recommended.

The final result was a nicely tender apple. The cider cooked down into a sweet syrup, although there wasn't much of it. There were a ton of dried cranberries, however. And one recommendation - the best dried cranberries I've had are Newman's Own Organic. They are nicely chewy, and when cooked in the cider plumped out beautifully.

The nice thing about this recipe is that I have 1 apple left. I might get to it later this week - it will work as a nice breakfast.

* Exported from MasterCook *

Cider-Baked Apples with Dried Cranberries

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 4 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories :

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
4 Golden Delicious apples
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 cups apple cider
2 cinnamon sticks
1/4 cup chopped walnuts -- (optional)

Heat oven to 375. Using a vegetable peeler, remove a strip of apple peel from the top of each apple. Stem and core apple using a melon baller, being careful not to cut all the way through the blossom end.

Place the apples in an 8-inch square baking dish. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of the dried cranberries evenly among the apple cavities. Mix the sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl, then sprinkle in and around the apples. Pour the cider into the dish, then add the cinnamon sticks and the remaining 1/4 cup cranberries.

Bake apples until tender when pierced with a skewer, 45 to 55 minutes, brushing apples with cider several times during baking. (Be careful not to overbake, or the skins will split). Transfer apples to a serving platter and tent with foil while making sauce.

Pour cooking liquid into a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer and cook until the liquid is reduced to 1 cup, about 7 to 10 minutes. Remove and discard cinnamon sticks. Spoon some sauce over apples, and sprinkle with walnuts. Serve, passing remaining sauce separately.

Source:
"The Best Light Recipe"

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Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 262 Calories; 5g Fat (16.2% calories from fat); 3g Protein; 56g Carbohydrate; 8g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 10mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1/2 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 1 1/2 Fruit; 1 Fat; 1 Other Carbohydrates.


Nutr. Assoc. : 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Yes, another blended soup - Ginger-Pumpkin Bisque

After Saturday's cooking-thon, I really wasn't in the mood for cooking. In fact, I had almost totally lost my appetite. I didn't know what I was going to do! Luckily, I got my appetite back, and forced myself back into the kitchen.

The recipe I made is posted in this thread on the CLBB - http://community.cookinglight.com/showpost.php?p=326854&postcount=10. I had been doing some crazy shopping at Wegman's on Saturday (don't ask me how many bags of baking chips I picked up), and along the way I had bought 2 cans of pumpkin, with an eye towards baking. I decided to go with this bisque to use up some of the fresh ginger I had left in my fridge from buying it for Saturday's cocoa. Plus, it used up some of the cider I have, and the rest of my bottle of maple syrup. In fact, the only thing I had to buy for this recipe was the shallots - love having a well-stocked kitchen! I ended up using 15 ounces of pumpkin, and only 1/4 cup of maple syrup. I think that was a good thing with the syrup - I wouldn't want this soup any sweeter.

The recipe was fairly simple, and blended together to a nice thickness. The flavor wasn't overwhelming pumpkin or ginger, but a nice blend. Altogether a beautiful recipe in flavor and taste, and I could see serving it as a first course for a dinner party. As for me, I like it, but not for an everyday thing. Too rich for my everyday meal, even though I used milk & 1 tbsp of flour as a substitute for the half-and-half (I didn't even have that in the recipe I had!)

A Crazy Busy Cooking Day...

Saturday is a lazy day for me. With no kids, I sleep in most of the time, and spend the rest of the day reading & watching TV. Really lazy day. But I do motivate myself to cook, most of the time. This weekend I really motivated myself, and made 4 recipes in one night.

First, I made Roasted Red Pepper Spread with Goat Cheese and Herbs. Red peppers, especially homemade ones, are one of my favorite veggies. And when I made the peppers this time they were especially fragrant - when I came home Sunday after shopping, the fragrance was still wafting. The spread was easy to put together, as most of them are - just stick in the food processor, and go. The positive side is that the recipe definitely makes a lot. Plus, it certainly is an attractive color - a pale pink. Unfortunately, it seems a little watery. I do like it well enough, but I want to see how it works with a turkey wrap. I think serving it with rye bread (which is the next recipe) overwhelmed it.

Bread is one of my favorite things. Our family definitely loves carbs, so I really am lucky I chose to lose my weight on Weight Watchers instead of Atkins! The beer I made is originally from Cooking Light, but I sourced the version I made from Culinary in the Desert (linked on the side bar). The recipe came out very nicely - rose beautifully, with a gorgeous flavor and fantastic crust. I really love how it came out, although the rising was not even. I think I did the recipe just right - because my results look just like the ones on CitD! (Saves me from showing my weak pictures again).

The end of the week - and I still had extra WW points left. I wasn't going to let that happen! Ginger Spiced Hot Cocoa, from Food Network, was a way to get in my milk. I've never watched Ellie Krieger's show, but after seeing her cookies on one of the recent holiday specials, I decided to find more of her recipes. This one was easy to put together, of course - who can mess up hot cocoa? I was intrigued by the idea of having a ginger note in the cocoa. Unfortunately, the ginger did not pop in the cocoa. It was plain hot cocoa. Not that there's anything wrong with that! And I can see using the base (without the ginger) as my default cocoa.

Finally, I decided to bake cookies. I didn't want to bake too many - my best friend always has cookies at work on Monday, so I don't like to make it look like I am competing with her. I dusted off my copy of Small Batch Baking, and found Big Blast Oatmeal Cookies. I have to say, out of all four recipes I cooked on Saturday, this was my favorite. Fairly easy to put together, makes two good sized (read - large!) cookies, and they are perfect - nice and chewy. I barely resisted eating both.

So, it was a lazy Saturday, and a quiet Saturday night. The kitchen was clean, the air was fragrant, and I ended the night in a hot bath, with a cup of cocoa, and a fantastic cookie. Life doesn't get any better.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

* Exported from MasterCook *

Roasted Red Pepper Spread with Goat Cheese and Herbs

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 12 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories :

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
2 red bell peppers -- roasted, peeled, and seeded, juices reserved
3 ounces goat cheese
1 garlic clove -- peeled
6 basil leaves
salt
pepper

Puree the peppers and their juices along with the cheese, garlic, and basil in a food processor until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Source:
"Vegetables Every Day"
Yield:
"1 cup"

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Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 38 Calories; 3g Fat (59.7% calories from fat); 2g Protein; 2g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 7mg Cholesterol; 25mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1/2 Lean Meat; 0 Vegetable; 1/2 Fat.


Nutr. Assoc. : 0 0 0 0 0 0


* Exported from MasterCook *

Brown Beer Rye Bread

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 10 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories :

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup beer -- warm
1/2 cup Stonyfield Plain Yogurt
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 tablespoon caraway seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 large egg -- lightly beaten
2 3/4 cups unbleached flour -- divided
1 cup rye flour
4 1/4 teaspoons yeast -- instant
1 large egg white -- lightly beaten
1 teaspoon water

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Add onion and cook until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Remove and let cool.

In a large bowl, mix together warm beer, yogurt, vinegar, caraway seeds, salt and sugar. Stir in egg until combined.

In a medium bowl, whisk together 2 1/2 cups flour, rye flour and instant yeast. Add to the beer mixture and stir until a soft dough forms. Mix in the cooled onion mixture. Scoop out dough out onto a floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic - add enough of remaining flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, to prevent dough from sticking. You want the dough to still feel a bit tacky.

Set dough in a large bowl coated with nonstick spray, turning to coat. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size. The dough is ready when you press two fingers into the dough and the indentation remains. Punch dough down, cover with a towel and let rest for 5 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400

Shape dough into a 12" oval loaf on a lightly floured surface. Place loaf on a piece of parchment (if using a baking stone) or set on a parchment lined baking sheet. Lightly coat surface of loaf with nonstick spray and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise until doubled.

In a small bowl, whisk together egg white and water. Use a pastry brush to gently spread the mixture all over the loaf. Bake until golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom - about 25-30 minutes. Remove and let cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.

Source:
"http://desertculinary.blogspot.com/2005/05/brown-beer-rye-bread.html"

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Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 192 Calories; 2g Fat (10.5% calories from fat); 7g Protein; 36g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 22mg Cholesterol; 342mg Sodium. Exchanges: 2 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 0 Vegetable; 1/2 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates.


Nutr. Assoc. : 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0


* Exported from MasterCook *

Ginger Spiced Hot Cocoa

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 1 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories :

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
8 ounces 1% low-fat milk
1 piece fresh ginger -- 1/4-inch thick, sliced into 2 rounds
2 teaspoons cocoa powder
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons water
1/8 ounce dark chocolate -- shavings

In a small saucepan heat the milk and ginger over a medium-low heat until scalding, about 4 minutes. While the milk is warming, put cocoa powder and sugar into a mug. Add the water to the mug and stir until the mixture has the consistency of a paste. Remove the ginger from the warmed milk. Add the chocolate mixture to the milk and whisk until slightly frothy. Pour the hot chocolate into the mug and top with chocolate shavings.

Source:
"http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_33339,00.html"

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Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 169 Calories; 4g Fat (20.7% calories from fat); 9g Protein; 27g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 9mg Cholesterol; 119mg Sodium. Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 1/2 Vegetable; 1 Non-Fat Milk; 1 Fat; 1/2 Other Carbohydrates.


Nutr. Assoc. : 0 0 0 0 0 0


* Exported from MasterCook *

Big Blast Oatmeal Cookies

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 2 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories :

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
3 tablespoons unbleached flour
3 tablespoons rolled oats
3 tablespoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
pinch ground cinnamon
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter -- at room temperature
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/3 tablespoons egg -- well-beaten, or egg substitute
3 tablespoons raisins

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside.

Place the flour, oats, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a medium-size mixing bowl and stir with a fork to blend. Add the butter and vanilla, and blend with the fork until moist crumbs form. Add the beaten egg and blend it in with the fork, or with your fingers, until a stiff dough forms. Use your hands to mix in the raisins.

Divide the dough in half and place the halves 4 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet (the cookies will spread during baking). Bake the cookies until they are lightly browned, about 20 minutes.

Remove the baking sheet from the oven and transfer the parchment to a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes. Then gently peel the cookies off the parchment, place them on the rack, and let them cool completely.

Source:
"Small Batch Baking"

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Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 275 Calories; 10g Fat (32.9% calories from fat); 4g Protein; 43g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 72mg Cholesterol; 231mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 1/2 Fruit; 2 Fat; 1 1/2 Other Carbohydrates.


Nutr. Assoc. : 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Enh - Black Soybean and Butternut Squash Stew

Pros:
Trying something new! The wonders of having a Wegman's next to work - a wide array of organic foods! I was thrilled to find canned black soybeans. I'd seen two recipes with these as an ingredient, and since I love black beans, I thought I'd see if I could love black soybeans, to get that extra nutrition.

It's filling! I was able to eat it for lunch and dinner and not have any hunger issues.

The color. As you can see from the picture, the butternut squash, the red peppers, and the black beans mix very nicely. Although the beans didn't hold the dramatic color of true black beans.

A good amount of veggies, which is always a positive. Always happy to make recipes with bell peppers.

Cons:
Just not that exciting flavor. Even as leftovers, left to "meld" as it were, it didn't excite. Not repulsive - just not fantastic. But then again, the fact that I'm used to regular black beans probably spoiled me. The soybeans just didn't have the same depth of flavor and meaty texture.

Maybe I need to start adding more salt to my recipes. My blood pressure is so low, it could use the additional sodium. Not many people can say that! I'm just not a big salt person - I prefer pepper.

So, the 3 leftover servings go in the freezer, will be lunches in the future, but will not be repeated. But maybe someone else's experience will be different.


* Exported from MasterCook *

Black Soybean and Butternut Squash Stew

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 6 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories :

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 large red onion -- diced
1 red bell pepper -- seeded and diced
1 garlic clove -- minced
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon paprika
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 1/4 pounds butternut squash -- cut in 1 1/2" cubes
30 ounces canned black soybeans
16 ounces low-sodium vegetable stock

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Saute the onion and pepper until the onion is translucent, 4 minutes. Mix in the garlic, cumin, and paprika, cooking until they are fragrant, 30 seconds. Stir in the tomato paste.

Add the squash, beans, and vegetable broth. When the liquid boils, reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, until the squash is tender, 30 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Source:
"12 Best Foods Cookbook"

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Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 230 Calories; 10g Fat (36.0% calories from fat); 16g Protein; 24g Carbohydrate; 11g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 101mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1/2 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 1 Vegetable; 1/2 Fat.


Nutr. Assoc. : 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0