Skillet Eggplant Parmesan

I love eggplant.  It somehow took me about 28 years to figure this out, but now that I know it, I can't get enough of it.  Interestingly, I have never made any legitimate eggplant parm.  I think I'm scared.  I have become such a connoisseur of it and order it any time I see it on a menu.  I am afraid my own won't match up if I don't have the perfect recipe.  I keep making other eggplant parm-y things without attempting the real deal.  Maybe someday :)

For now, however this will do.  And it will do very well.  Because it is delicious.  And far healthier than a fried eggplant parm.  It gets roasted rather than fried (I think the name "skillet" eggplant parm is misleading; it sounds like it gets fried in a skillet; in fact, it gets roasted and then baked in a skillet - or any other baking dish).

There is nothing quite like roasted eggplant.  It's almost creamy, and so flavorful.  So imagine roasted eggplant, nestled in with tomato sauce, melted mozzarella, and freshly grated Parmesan.  Toss some fresh basil on top when you pull it out of oven, and you're done.   This is such a fast and easy - and dare I say healthy? - version of eggplant parm.  No breading, no frying.  If you're in the mood for eggplant, and you don't have enough time (or courage) to do the real deal, this is a great alternative.  Make some spaghetti and serve both and you have an Italian feast.

I've made this recipe twice.  It's a good meal for people who are on gluten-free or low carb diets, which happen to include lots of the people in my family.  It's also just downright delicious no matter what you are eating or not eating.  Just make sure your diet plan includes this roasted eggplant parm this week.

Recipe:

skillet eggplant parmesan
from Annie's Eats
serves 6

Ingredients:
2 large eggplants (about 3 pounds total), sliced into 1/2-inch thick slices
extra virgin olive oil
coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
2 1/4 cups tomato sauce
8 ounces shredded mozzarella
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
fresh basil, for garnish

Instructions:

1) Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Lay the eggplant slices on baking sheets in a single layer.  Brush lightly with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, flip and repeat on the other side of all the slices.  Roast, flipping halfway through the baking time, until slightly soft and golden brown, about 35 minutes total.  Increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees.

2) Spoon 1 1/4 cups of the tomato sauce in a large deep sauté pan.  A casserole dish works just as well.  Layer half of the eggplant slices evenly in the pan.  Sprinkle with a third of the grated Parmesan and half of the mozzarella.  Spread another 1 cup of sauce over the cheese, the remaining eggplant slices, another third of Parmesan and the remaining mozzarella.  Top with the remaining Parmesan.  Bake for about 30-35 minutes or until the cheese is browned and bubbling.

3) Remove from the oven and let cool 15 minutes.  Garnish with fresh basil and serve warm.

Vegan Crockpot Quinoa and Black Bean Chili

I've been on a slow cooker binge lately.  In fact, on Saturday, I used it twice.  In one day.  It helps that I am in love with my Cuisenart slow cooker (it's so big!  And you can program it to stop cooking after a certain amount of time and just keep your food warm!).  In fact, this chili was the first thing I made in my shiny new crockpot, which I got for my bridal shower back in June.  And I will be making it again.  Not only am I excited about my slow cooker; I am excited about this chili!!!!  4 exclamation points excited!  (I sound like an episode of Seinfeld).

Let's talk about the vegetables, first.  Black beans, red and green bell peppers, grated carrot, onion, garlic and corn.  This is no meat and tomato chili, my friends.  Lots of delicious vegetables in there, not to mention the flavor of chili powder, cayenne pepper, cumin and oregano.  And then there's the quinoa.  You throw it in raw, and yet somehow it still cooks perfectly into little nutty bites of protein. It was a genius way to fix the fact that somehow I had three bags of quinoa in the pantry.  It helps to give the chili a little more texture, too.

I was really excited about this chili, in case you can't tell.  It's so easy: just throw everything in there and turn the slow cooker on.  You're eating chili in no time.  Mark was a big fan of this chili; as he usually does with chili, his favorite way to eat it is to dip into it with tortilla chips.  Whether you eat it out of a bowl (or a Tupperware - this reheats wonderfully) or off a chip, just promise me you will give this chili a shot.  You don't have to love quinoa, you just have to love flavorful, delicious chili!

One note: this recipe is vegan, so it calls for vegan toppings like a sour cream made of cashews (I'm not going to post the recipe for that, but if you are interested, click the link to the original recipe!).  You can do that if you so choose, but feel free to stir in real sour cream and cheddar cheese!  I actually found that the chili didn't need any toppings, but top to your heart's desire.

Recipe:

vegan crockpot quinoa and black bean chili
from Jessica in the Kitchen
serves 4 - 5

Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups vegetable broth
1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
15-ounce can black beans
1/2 container 28-ounce diced tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 shredded carrot
1/2 onion, chopped
2 gloves garlic
1/2 small chili pepper
2 teaspoons chili powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 cup corn kernels
optional toppings:
chopped avocado
chopped green onions
shredded carrot
cheddar cheese and sour cream

Instructions:

1) Add the broth, quinoa, black beans and tomatoes to the slow cooker.  Stir to combine.

2) Next, add the peppers, carrot, onion and garlic, and stir.  Then add the rest of the seasonings and stir a few times to combine.

3) Set the slow cooker to high for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, or on low for 5 - 6 hours.  For high, monitor the last 30 minutes, and for low, monitor the last hour.

Roasted Summer Vegetable and Rice Casserole

I am sorry to be posting a totally delicious recipe that calls for summer vegetables at the end of October.  I have a bit of a backlog of recipes that I am working on catching up on.  And back when I made this in early September, you could still find fresh, sweet corn and ripe tomatoes at the farmer's market or grocery store, and basil was still growing in Heidi and Jeff's garden.  Now?  We are just a few days away from the worst stage of fall: when all the leaves are down and the trees are bare and everything is brown and gray and ugly.  You certainly aren't going to find delicious summer vegetables waiting to be devoured.  Hmph.

Here's the good news, though: when you roast a vegetable, even if it is the not-so-wonderful non-summer variety, you make it the best that it can be.  The way I see it, most summer vegetables are best eaten raw or prepared simply: raw salted tomato slices, or boiled corn on the cob with butter and salt.  For the rest of the year, most veggies need a little help to make them fabulous, and roasting is quite often the best way to do that.  It makes everything sweet and complex and glorious.

Now let's talk about the rest of the casserole: it's cheesy and tastes indulgent, but it isn't, really.  The secret ingredient is cottage cheese, which I promise you can't even taste or find in there if you aren't a fan.  It's not such a heavy casserole as some cheese and rice ones, and I could even go so far as to say it is healthy (brown rice, only 2/3 cup Romano cheese, lots of flavor from things like garlic and dijon mustard).  You can add shredded chicken - I obviously did not - but I am sure the carnivores would like that.  Mark and I loved it just the way it was - he had thirds, if I am remembering correctly.  There weren't many leftovers for the work week, but it does reheat well.

So go ahead, go buy mediocre zucchini and tomatoes.  Buy frozen corn!  Roasting them will make everything okay.  And adding cheese and rice really makes everything okay, or better than okay, for that matter.

Recipe:

roasted summer vegetable and rice casserole
from Elly Says Opa

Ingredients:
2 medium zucchini, sliced into half-moons
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved or quartered
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 cups cooked brown rice
2 cups cooked and shredded chicken (optional)
2/3 cup corn (cut from 1 - 2 ears or frozen)
2/3 cup Romano cheese, divided
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil, divided
3 eggs
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 cup cottage cheese
2 cloves garlic, minced
a little milk or chicken broth (optional)

Instructions:

1) Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Spray a 2 1/2 quart baking dish with cooking oil.

2) On one rimmed baking dish, toss together the zucchini and red bell pepper with 1 tablespoon of oil and salt and pepper to taste.  On a second sheet, toss together the tomatoes, remaining 1/2 tablespoon of oil, and salt and pepper.  Roast the zucchini/ peppers for about 20 - 25 minutes and the tomatoes for about 15 minuets.  Turn the oven down to 350 degrees.

3) Allow the vegetables to cool for a little bit, and then dice the pepper stripes into bite-sized pieces, and place all the vegetables in a large mixing bowl.  To the bowl, add the rice, chicken, corn, and 2 tablespoons of the basil.

4) In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, Dijon, cottage cheese, garlic, half the Romano, and salt and pepper.  Pour the mixture oven the rice and vegetables, stirring to combine.  If you think it looks a little too dry, you can add a little broth or milk (it should not be runny).  Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and cover with a  lid or foil.  Bake for 15 minutes, remove the foil, and bake for an additional 15 minutes until cheese is golden brown.  Rest for 10 minutes before serving, and top with the remaining 2 tablespoons of basil.

Peaches and Cream Streusel Bread

I love the town that I live in.  My house is amazing.  My family is here.  The schools are great.  And one of my - and Mark's - favorite parts about Westminster is the farmer's market!  For a pretty small town, we have a really great farmer's market all summer.  Sadly, it ends for the season tomorrow, but Mark and I try to go every single Friday.  We load up on fresh fruit and vegetables grown around here, and have been known to buy breads, dog treats, even ice cream made from milk and cream from cows here in town!  How cool is that?  We think it's pretty awesome. It was great to have a constant supply of tomatoes all summer without having a garden.  And don't get me started on my new addiction to ground cherries.  Have you ever tried one?  Find some, stat!

Anyway, last month the market was full of peaches.  And I don't just mean any peaches - I mean the biggest peaches I've ever seen.  Mark obviously got too excited about them and bought the biggest ones he could fit in a bag.  I realized once we got them home and started eating them that perhaps I don't love peaches as much as I thought.  I love the inside, but that skin... ugh.  So itchy and scratchy. I started peeling them to eat, covering my whole kitchen with peach juice.  Then, as I had expected, we started losing the race against time.  We had too many peaches and not enough people eating peaches!  I knew I should probably find a way to bake with the giants we had left before they rotted.  So, lo and behold the peaches and cream streusel bread.

First of all, peaches, cream, streusel, bread.  What's not to like there?  Nothing, that's what.  Now let me tell you a little more.  The topping is crunchy and sweet and even spiced with some cardamom.  There are sliced peaches laid across the top, and lots of diced peaches inside the bread, along with sour cream to keep it moist for days, and cinnamon to spice it up a little.  Yes please.

Unfortunately,  I didn't even get a bite of this bread.  I made it for Mark to take to his classroom staff for one of their Tuesday morning meetings.  I had planned on stealing a piece by the time I had a free second to visit his room, and when I got there, every last crumb had been devoured.  It got rave reviews from his staff, so I will have to take their word for it. But maybe if you try this out, you can save me a bite :)

Recipe:

peaches and cream streusel bread

from Girl Versus Dough

Ingredients:

for streusel topping:

1/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats

3 tablespoons light brown sugar

1/8 teaspoon cardamom

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter diced

for bread:

2/3 cup sour cream

6 tablespoons light brown sugar

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 egg

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1 cup peeled and diced fresh peaches

1/4 cup peeled and sliced fresh peaches

Instructions:

1) Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly grease the bottom and sides of an 8-by-4-inch loaf pan.

2) In a small bowl, combine rolled oat, brown sugar, cardamom, and cinnamon.  Cut in cold butter with a pastry cutter or fork until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Place bowl in fridge while you prepare bread.

3) In a large bowl, whisk sour cream, brown sugar, oil, vanilla, and egg until smooth.  In a separate large bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.  Add sour cream mixture to flour mixture; stir until just combined.  Fold in diced peaches.

4) Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.  Top with sliced peaches and streusel.  Bake 50 minutes to 1 hour until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Tent loaf with foil halfway through baking if peaches are drying out too much or top is browning too quickly.

5) Cool bread 10 minutes in pan, then carefully remove from pan and transfer to cooling rack to cool completely.

Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Granola Bites

These dark chocolate peanut butter granola bites were glorious and they came at such a perfect time.  Annie's Eats posted them at the end of August and suggested that they would be good to put into lunch boxes.  She was right.  They were a great back-to-school idea.  Now that we have been back to school for two (really long) months, however, don't think that it's too late to try these little guys out.  They may be excellent to bring with you to work or school, but they were also a pretty great on-the-go breakfast (yes, you can eat these for breakfast, because even though they have chocolate and peanut butter, they also have roasted almonds and oats!  Totally acceptable breakfast food).  And, let's be honest: they were good to eat at any time of day.  Which I did.  Until they were gone.

A few notes about the ingredients: you should toast your almonds if they're raw, and you can also toast your coconut if you want them to be more coconutty.  Lots of toasting went on here.  It was all worth it for sweet, salty, crunchy, soft granola bites!

Recipe:

dark chocolate peanut butter granola bites
from Annie's Eats
yields about 24 - 30 granola bites

Ingredients:
2 cups old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup shredded coconut, sweetened or unsweetened
1 cup roasted almonds
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup dark chocolate chips
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

Instructions:

1) Place the oats in the bowl of a food processor.  Pulse until ground into small pieces.  Add in the coconut and almonds and continue to pulse until finely ground.  Transfer to a medium mixing bowl.

2) In a medium saucepan, combine the peanut butter, honey, coconut oil, cocoa powder, and chocolate chips.  Heat over medium heat until the mixture is smooth and the chocolate chips are completely melted.  Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla and salt.  Pour the mixture into the bowl with the oat mixture and stir together until well incorporated.

3) Scoop the mixture into 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoon dollops onto a baking sheet.  Let sit for a few minutes until slightly more firm and then roll into balls.  Once balls are formed, chill in the refrigerator until firmly set, about 1 - 2 hours.

Iced Oatmeal Cookies

I am not a big cookie eater.  I really don't have much of a sweet tooth, to be honest.  So, you know when I like a cookie, it must be pretty special.  I decided to make these iced oatmeal cookies only because of how pretty they are.  They almost look lacy with their bumpy tops and the shiny white glaze.  I figured they would be pretty and most likely delicious and my family would enjoy them.  I didn't foresee myself stuffed two in my own lunch box every morning, but that's exactly what I did!

The cookies themselves are spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg; they are warm and sweet and spicy.  You also get the flavor of the oats, without the big chewy bites of them, because they are ground in a food processor (just like my mom's favorites, Mrs. Field's chocolate chip cookies).  The glaze is a simple mix of confectionary sugar, milk and vanilla, and the trip is to dunk the tops of the cookies into the glaze and pull them out quickly.  Unless you're a total frosting addict (aka Mom!), you don't want the glaze to fill all the little nooks and crannies; you just want to cover the majority of the top with some cookie still peeking through.  Then again, my mom helped to glaze them and hers were pretty uniformly white :)

Which one do you think is my mother's? :)

These would be great cookies around the holidays, which it's crazy to say are actually going to coming upon us quickly.  The month of September could not have crawled by any slower, but October is moving pretty quickly.  Put them on your baking list!

Recipe:

iced oatmeal cookies
from Annie's Eats
yields about 18 - 22 cookies

Ingredients:
for the dough:
1 cup old fashioned oats
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
for the icing:
1 1/2 cups confectionary sugar
2 tablespoons milk, plus more as needed
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions:

1) Preheat the ven to 350 degrees.  Line baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.  Add the oats to the bowl of a food processor ad pulse until just coarsely ground, about 10 brief pulses.  In a medium bowl, combine the oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  Whisk to blend.  In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and sugars.  Beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Blend in the egg and vanilla.  With the mixer on low speed, mix in the dry ingredients until just incorporated.

2) Scoop the dough into 1 1/2 tablespoon portions onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them at least 2 inches apart.  Alternately, you can make mini cookies using 1 teaspoon scoop portions.  Bake, rotating halfway through the baking time, just until set and light golden, about 10 minutes total.  Mini cookies will need a few minutes less.  Let cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool.

3) To make the icing, combine the confectionary sugar, milk and vanilla.  Whisk to blend until smooth, adjusting the consistency as needed with additional milk or sugar so that you end up with a fairly thick glaze.  One cookie at a time, hold carefully by the edges and dip the top side of each cookie into the glaze, just enough to cover most of the top but not so much that it fills all the nooks and crannies.  Return to the cooling rack and let sit until the glaze is fully set.  Store in an airtight container.

Cold Peanut Noodles

Yesterday at work we had the magazine drive.  Unless you're a teacher, you cannot even imagine what this is like.  Here's a hint: Picture 500 kids screaming at the tops of their little lungs in the gym because there's a magazine drive woman standing in front of them with a 15-foot long plush snake, a giant teddy bear, and blow-up shoes.  She's wearing a light-up lanyard and those damn weepulls (AKA puffballs with eyes that for some reason the kids are dying to own).  She is bribing them to sell magazines and the ultimate prize is a limousine lunch at McDonald's.  Are you starting to get an idea of how loud the magazine drive is?  Now, add in the game that the magazine drive lady plays at the end of the assembly, where 67% of the kids try to cheat, and the fact that the first prizes get delivered the very next morning if they disclose 8 addresses of loved ones that we can send catalogs to.  Yeah, you're getting a good idea of it now.  And of course, it wouldn't be complete if one of my kids didn't scream cry by the end of it.

Fast forward to today, when my kids passed in their magazine drive envelopes before they passed in their homework.  Then picture my horror when, while the kids were at specials, the magazine drive coordinators dropped off the giant teddy bear in my classroom.  In fact, he was propped up in my seat at my desks when I returned from a meeting.   We won the honor of his presence for the day for having the most magazine drive postcards filled out.  Oh joy.  My aide, Barbara, and I immediately shoved him on top of the cabinets (with a yard stick) to try to hide him from our attention-lacking students (it worked... no one pointed him out till the last class).  I just love this picture.

Anyway, the point of all the magazine drive whining is that, at this point in time, I have a love-hate relationship with magazines.  This week, I hate them all because of the magazine drive toys which I know I will be confiscating in the very near future.  But then again, I kind of miss reading my mom's magazines, which I often did when I still lived at home.  I love to flip through cooking magazines and take pictures on my phone of the recipes I want to try.  I don't get any subscriptions myself, except for my beloved Food Network Magazine, which Nick got me one year for Christmas and unbeknownst to him, it automatically renews every year and charges his credit card (shhhhh!)  

One cool aspect of the magazine is there's always a miniature magazine each month featuring 50 recipes.  Sometimes it's 50 flavored popcorns, or 50 quick breads, or 50 pasta dishes.  This summer, it was 50 picnic salads.  I actually made a couple of them; I made a caponata pasta salad, but was disappointed in it due to my inability to find fresh fennel for it.  Then I made this cold peanut noodle salad, and it was pretty awesome.  I had my mom over for dinner and the two of us loved it.  Then Mark and I happily ate it for lunch at work during the week.

The peanut sauce was the best part of this dish; it's smooth and flavorful (besides peanut butter, there's soy sauce and rice vinegar and sesame oil and fresh ginger! Mmmmm).  It's also a little spicy (the recipe calls for 3 tablespoons of Sriracha.  No thanks, I'd like to keep my tastebuds; I used maybe 1/4 teaspoon!).  Basically if you need a good go-to peanut sauce, make this one.  Then add to it the red pepper, cucumber, and cilantro?  Yes please.  Not to mention the noodles.  Except here is my confession: the recipe calls for Chinese egg noodles.  I confess to having no idea what Chinese egg noodles are.  I used the ones you'd serve with beef stroganoff, and I am highly certain that those aren't Chinese.  I scoured the Asian section trying to find a clue and finally gave up.  Anyone want to steer me in the right direction?

So.  Magazines.  This week (and until the drive ends October 29) I will hate them.  But I have to thank them for this tasty, quick and easy recipe.

Recipe:

cold peanut noodles

from the July 2014 Food Network Magazine

Ingredients:

1 pound Chinese egg noodles

1/2 cup peanut butter

3 tablespoons soy sauce

3 tablespoons Sriracha (or less!)

3 tablespoons rice vinegar

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon grated peeled ginger

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 cucumber, chopped

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1) Cook pasta; drain and rinse.

2) Whisk peanut butter, soy sauce, Sriracha, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and ginger.  Toss with noodles.

3) Mix in bell pepper, cucumber and cilantro.  Season with salt and pepper.

BBQ-Rubbed Pork Tenderloin with Corn Risotto

Wow, what a weekend.  Thank god it was a long one, because even so, it was exhausting.  We had my mom's surprise 60th birthday party, which was awesome and fun, but also my first big (50 people!) party here in the new house (is it still new?).  There was a lot of cooking and cleaning to be done.  Then, Daisy was sick all weekend.  As in, coughing/hacking/honking all day and all night.  So we didn't sleep... at all, really.  Don't worry - she's okay and taking lots of new meds for bronchitis and a tick-borne disease called anaplasma.  But still: I'm so tired I couldn't even get my contacts to stick to my sleepy eyeballs this morning.  

And yet, through my heavy, droopy eyelids, I felt the need to post about this BBQ-rubbed pork tenderloin with corn risotto before hitting the sheets embarrassingly early.  To be honest, I have been excited to get to this recipe in my rather huge backlog of meals to share.  You might be surprised that I am pumped to share something as un-vegetarian as a pork tenderloin, but nevertheless, I am.  No, I haven't tried the pork myself.  But my whole family has (any time I make meat, I invite the whole crew over).  And everyone absolutely loves it.  In fact, my happy little hubby said this was "the best meat" I ever made.  He was so happy with it that the fact that I had to don rubber gloves in order to rub spices into a raw hunk of meat didn't seem so bad anymore.  Nick said it's his favorite meal that I make.  It's not surprising that, with these glowing reviews, this is a meal I have made twice.  As far as meat goes, this isn't too bad; there's no cutting, minimal touching (just rubbing the homemade spice rub into it and then searing it).  Most of the work is done for you when you toss it in the oven to bake.  It comes out juicy and spicy and delicious (so say the carnivores).

But let's talk about the corn risotto.  Now.  This is the best part of the meal by far (although then again I may be biased.... but my mom and Kenzie agree!!!)  First of all, I was so nervous to try risotto  I don't know why I thought it was so hard - do you have that thought in your head, too?  Who told us this?  It's actually quite simple.  No, it's not hands-off: you do have to stand there stirring for about a half hour.  But if you can handle that (which you can), you can make risotto.  It's not difficult at all.  Basically you just have to add one ladle-full of broth to the pot of rice, stir it until it has been mostly absorbed, and then add more until it's done.  It only takes about 30 minutes - and guess how long the pork tenderloin bakes (well, 25 minutes plus 10 for resting!? )  Is that perfect timing or what?  Plus, this risotto has corn in it.  Fresh corn, cut from the cob!  Then again, corn season is kind of over, so you might have to use frozen, and no, it won't be as wondrous but it will be okay.  And then there is Romano cheese, and dry white wine, and shallots.  So it's just the most amazingly flavored and textured risotto you will ever try.

BBQ-rubbed pork tenderloin that is moist and spicy.  Corn risotto that has sweet corn, dry wine and mild shallots.  Plus it's all gluten-free.  Why aren't you rushing to the grocery store right now to buy what you need for this meal!?!? 

Recipe:

BBQ-rubbed pork tenderloin with corn risotto
from Elly Says Opa

Ingredients:

Pork tenderloin:
1 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 1/2 teaspoon dark brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon oregano
1 tablespoon paprika
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 pork tenderloin (about 1 1/4 pounds)
2 teaspoons neutral oil

corn risotto:
1 quart chicken stock or broth
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large shallot, diced
3/4 cup arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
3 cobs of corn
1/4 cup Romano cheese

Instructions:

1) Make pork tenderloin: Preheat the oven to 425.

2) In a small bowl, combine everything except the pork tenderloin. Rub the mixture all over the pork tenderloin, making sure to coat it completely.

3) Heat a large oven-proof skillet (preferably cast iron) over medium-high heat and add the oil. Add the tenderloin and sear on all sides, about 2-3 minutes per side. Place the pan in the oven and continue to cook for about 15-20 extra minutes, until pork registers 135-140. Place on cutting board and tent with aluminum foil; rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing.

4) Meanwhile, make the risotto.  Cut the corn off the cobs. Reserve a cob (I cut it in half), and place in a saucepan along with the broth. Heat the broth to a low simmer.

5) In a heavy-bottomed skillet or saucepan, heat the butter and oil over medium heat until melted together. Stir in corn and shallot. Saute until corn is lightly golden and shallot is tender. Add the rice, and stir several times, toasting it until it becomes opaque (about 2 minutes).

6) Add the wine and continue stirring until it has nearly evaporated. Add one ladle-full of the broth. Stir almost constantly until nearly all of the broth has been absorbed. Continue doing this with the broth, only adding more after the previous addition has been absorbed.  This will take about 20-25 minutes. Test a kernel of rice to make sure it is mostly tender, but still has a bit of a bite in the center.  You may not use all the broth, but at this point I like adding maybe half a ladle-full before removing it from the heat. Risotto should be “loose” and just a little runny.

7) Off the heat, stir in the cheese, Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

Cornbread

On the night when I invited family over for the BBQ turkey meatballs and cheddar-corn quinoa, I also made this cornbread to go along with it.  I figured barbecue and cornbread seem like they go hand in hand!  I liked this recipe because it has a little cheese in it (and jalapeños, but I obviously left that out).   Also you make it in the food processor, which I think is kind of fun.  Yes, that is my idea of fun.

This is more a savory cornbread than some of the sweet ones I've seen, which is more my style anyway.  In fact, Elly from Elly Says Opa calls it "the best cornbread."  Having really only made one cornbread before (it had rosemary in it and was pretty sweet), I can't really say if this is truly "the best" or not, but I can tell you it's pretty good.  It's a little cheesy, with some bites of corn kernels, and a great soft, moist texture (I can't stand when cornbread is dry and crumbly).  Lately, both Daisy and Mark have been obsessed with cornbread (Mark eats it for breakfast, and Daisy refuses to take her cough medicine in anything other than cornbread), so having a good recipe in my repertoire is a must!
Recipe:

cornbread
from Elly Says Opa

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon table salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
3/4 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
1 cup buttermilk
2 large eggs
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1/2 cup shredded cheddar
1 jalapeno, seeds and ribs removed–or to your spice preference–and minced

Instructions:

1)  Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 400 degrees. Spray 8-inch square baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Whisk flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl until combined; set aside.

2) In food processor or blender, process sugar, thawed corn kernels, and buttermilk until combined, about 5 seconds. Add eggs and process until well combined (corn lumps will remain), about 5 seconds longer.

3) Using rubber spatula, make well in center of dry ingredients; pour wet ingredients into well. Begin folding dry ingredients into wet, giving mixture only a few turns to barely combine; add melted butter and continue folding until dry ingredients are just moistened. Fold in cheddar and jalapenos.

4) Pour batter into prepared baking dish; smooth surface with rubber spatula. Bake until deep golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 25 to 35 minutes. Cool on wire rack 10 minutes; invert cornbread onto wire rack, then turn right side up and continue to cool until warm, about 10 minutes longer.

BBQ Turkey Meatballs with Cheddar-Corn Quinoa

I am a big fan of recipes that are basically a whole meal in one.  I've always been one who struggles with putting together a meal: main course, side dish, dessert.... I kind of lose steam halfway through and end up throwing a casserole on the table.  Recipes that give me a main and a side together make me excited.  So do recipes that combine stuff that my family likes (meat) with stuff that I like (quinoa).  And thus you have BBQ turkey meatballs over cheddar-corn quinoa.

I actually made this one weekend night and had quite a few people over for dinner: my mom and sisters, and many of the Cormiers.  I knew they'd be excited about the meatballs (plus Mark was grilling ribs), and I was ready to chow down on the quinoa.  Obviously I was more excited about that part - corn right off the cob, red onion, scallions and cilantro tossed with quinoa, cheddar cheese, and lightly dressed with apple cider vinegar, garlic and olive oil... mmmmm.  The quinoa was totally delicious - and that was despite my salt container's little metal spout popping off and dumping tons of salt into the quinoa as it cooked.  If everyone including me loved the super salty quinoa, imagine how good it would be minus the salt water?!  It's decadent but still light and healthy.

Then there are the meatballs.  I didn't try them, obviously, but besides the ground turkey, they at least have good stuff in there, like scallions, cilantro, paprika, brown sugar, and some barbecue sauce.  They get brushed with more sauce during and after baking, so they're extra flavorful.  Every single last meatball was eaten, with lots of compliments.

I feel like this meal is a good compromise: meat for the carnivores, quinoa for me.  And the real idea is that you serve the meatballs over the quinoa and get the best of both worlds.  Go for it, omnivores!

Recipe:

BBQ turkey meatballs with cheddar-corn quinoa
from Pink Parsley

Ingredients:

BBQ Turkey Meatballs:
1 pound ground turkey
1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
1 scallion, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dry mustard
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
pinch cayenne
2 teaspoons brown sugar
5 tablespoons barbecue sauce, divided


Cheddar-Corn Quinoa
1 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2-3 ears of corn, grilled, roasted, or boiled, kernels cut from cobs
1/2 medium red onion, sliced into thin rings and rinsed under cold water
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 scallion, minced
3/4 cup freshly shredded sharp cheddar cheese
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Instructions:

1) Make the meatballs first: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper, and spray lightly with cooking spray.

2) In a large bowl, combine the chicken, panko, scallion, cilantro, paprika, garlic, mustard, salt, cayenne, brown sugar,  and 2 tablespoons of the bbq sauce.  Lightly but thoroughly mix with your hands to incorporate all the ingredients.  Using an ice cream scoop or 1/4 cup measuring cup, form the mixture into balls, and arrange in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet.

3) Add the remaining 3 tablespoons of bbq sauce to a small bowl.  Bake the meatballs 11 to 12 minutes, then brush with the reserved bbq sauce.  Return to the oven and bake an additional 3 to 4 minutes, or until they are cooked through (160 degrees in the center).

4) Meanwhile, begin to make the quinoa: Bring the quinoa, broth, and a big pinch of salt to a boil in medium saucepan.  Cover, reduce heat, and simmer about 15 minutes, or until the quinoa is cooked through.

5) Remove the quinoa from heat, and add to a medium mixing bowl.  Stir in the corn, onion, cilantro, scallion, and cheese.

6) In small bowl, whisk together the oil, pepper flakes, garlic, and vinegar.  Pour over the quinoa and gently mix to combine.  Taste and season with additional salt and pepper as needed.

7) Serve the meatballs over the quinoa.

Southwestern Farro Salad

I go through blogger phases.  When I discover someone that I like and trust, I binge on their recipes for a while.  You know it's true.  How many times have I talked about A Couple Cooks, Annie's Eats or The Pioneer Woman?  Well, get ready for a mini binge on Elly Says Opa.

 Elly is a great blogger and cook with a Greek heritage, so lots of her recipes are Greek (like that weirdly delicious semolina  cake), but there are also plenty of other things thrown in there, as you are about to see.  I've made a few of her recipes throughout the past few years, but lately she's just been reading my mind and posting recipes that are perfect for me.

For example, she must have realized that, since my lovely broccoli and cheese farro casserole, I've been dying to try farro again, so she came up with this southwestern farro salad.  She even talked about how it was a great thing to bring to work, and it happened to be right when school started up again and needed to start thinking about work lunches.  She also says it's full of protein from the farro and beans, without adding any meat; you know I love that.  Plus, and most importantly - this salad is delicious.

First of all, any time a recipe calls for pepitas, I get exited; those little crunchy gems are among my favorite seeds!  Plus, they get toasted for a little while so they're extra crunchy (just don't add them into your salad too early if you're trying to make it ahead of time; they do lose their crunchiness!) Then there is corn, black beans, and tomatoes - you've got yourself a little southwestern vegetable flair going there.  The dressing is a mix of apple cider vinegar, light sour cream, and the juice of a lime.  The sour cream makes the dressing creamy (but still healthy!) and the lime juice is just tart enough to make all the other flavors pop.  Add some cilantro and monterrey jack cheese (oh yeah!) into the farro-y mix, and voila: a wonderful salad that is healthy but filling, good as a side or as a main dish.  Mark and I were a little bit obsessed with this salad.  We may or may not have eaten it for days at work, scraping the leftover container clean quicker than we expected.  If you're not sure about farro, this is the recipe to win you over.

Recipe:

southwestern farro salad
from Elly Says Opa

Ingredients:
1 cup dry farro
1 teaspoon canola oil
2 tablespoons pepitas
1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup corn
1 medium tomato, cored, seeded and diced, or 1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
2 ounces monterrey jack, pepper jack, or cheddar cheese
handful of chopped cilantro
for dressing:
1 small jalapeño, finely minced (I skipped this)
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 lime, juiced
2 teaspoons light sour cream
1 tablespoons canola or olive oil

Instructions:

1) Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and add the farro.  Cook for 15 - 20 minutes (it should still have some chew to it).  Drain the farro, return it to the empty pot, and cover with a lid.  Allow to steam for 10 minutes.  Then place in a large bowl so it can start to cool.

2) Meanwhile, heat the canola oil in a small skillet over medium heat.  Add the pepitas and cook 1 - 2 minutes or until golden.  Be careful - if your oil is too hot, they have a tendency to pop right out of the pan.  Set aside.

3)  To make the dressing, whisk together the jalapeño, vinegar, lime juice, and sour cream.  Then slowly add the oil, while continuing to whisk.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

4) To the bowl with the farro, add the pepitas, black beans, corn, tomatoes, cheese, cilantro, and a little salt and pepper.  Pour the dressing over the farro mixture ,stirring lightly to combine all the ingredients and distribute the dressing evenly.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

BLT Pasta

This is a pasta dish that perhaps isn't my usual, due to it having bacon, but my mom said it was one of the best pastas she ever had!  So even though bacon in most dishes grosses me out (that stringy texture... ugh), read on.  Apparently the carnivores of Westminster approve!

It's a pretty great idea: BLT in pasta form, with garlic and Parmesan.  Since hot lettuce isn't the most appetizing thing on earth, you can use any leafy green you'd like (I used arugula, but you could do baby spinach).  There's a ton of flavor, from the bacon to the cheese to the sweet cherry tomatoes (which by the way get sautéed in bacon grease, soooo.....) .   Plus, you can eat it hot or cold; Mom ate it hot and raved about it, and I sent it to work with Mark a few times and he ate it cold.

The best part is how easy it is.  It's three steps, and one of them is just cooking the pasta.   So go make this.  Quickly, before all the tomatoes die in the first frost :(

Recipe:

BLT Pasta
from Annie's Eats
yields 6 - 8 servings

Ingredients:
1 pound pasta shapes, such as mini shells (I used cavatappi)
12 slices bacon, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
12 ounces cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
5 - 6 ounces leafy green, such as baby spinach or arugula
2 ounces grated Parmesan cheese (about 1 cup), plus more for serving
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1) Bring a large pot of water to boil.  Add the pasta and cook just until al dente according to the package directions.

2) Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a large nonstick or cast iron skillet over medium-high heat until crisp, about 5 minutes.  Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.  Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon grease from the skillet.  Add the garlic and tomatoes to the pan and cook until the tomatoes are just slightly softened, about 2 minutes.

3) Drain the pasta, reserving 1 1/2 cups of the pasta water.  Return the drained pasta to the pot, along with the spinach, bacon, garlic-tomato mixture, 1 cup of the reserved pasta water and Parmesan.  Stir well until evenly combined and until the spinach is wilted.  Season to taste with salt and pepper and add remaining pasta water as needed.  Serve warm with additional grated Parmesan.

Blueberry Crumb Cake

My mom, Kenzie and I went blueberry picking in late August this year.  Blueberry season lasted way longer than it usually does, probably because of the cooler weather.  No complaints on my part - that meant once the wedding insanity was over, there was still plenty of time to go berry picking!  We went to Odd Pine Farm in Ashburnham and picked pounds and pounds of plump, sweet berries (a bit smaller this year, but just as great).  Many of the berries are frozen right now in my freezer to last me through the winter, but a couple cups of them ended up in this blueberry crumb cake, which I made and brought over to my mom's house on my very last weekend of summer vacation... RIP, summer.  I miss you every day.

This cake is a good one.  My crappy picture doesn't do it justice.  It's full of berries, nice and moist, and has a crumb topping (isn't everything better with crumb toppings?).  It was pretty much devoured by everyone.  I'd venture a guess that this is one of those cakes that is a great dessert, but you can also pretend it is breakfast food and get away with it.

Recipe:

blueberry crumb cake
from the Pioneer Woman
makes 16 servings

Ingredients:
for the cake:
5 tablespoons butter
3/4 cups sugar
1 whole egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cups whole milk
2 cups fresh blueberries
for the topping:
3/4 sticks butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine flour, baking powder, and salt.  Stir and set aside.

2) Cream 1/2 stick plus 1 tablespoon butter with cinnamon and sugar.  Add egg and mix until combined.  Add vanilla and mix.  Add flour mixture and milk alternately until totally incorporated.  Do not overheat.  Stir in blueberries until evenly distributed.

3) Grease a 9 x 13" baking pan.  Pour in batter.

4) In a separate bowl, combine topping ingredients and cut together using two knives or a pastry cutter.  Sprinkle over the top of the cake.

5) Bake cake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until golden brown.  Sprinkle with sugar.  Cut into squares and serve with softened butter.

Peach Shortcake

What's this?  Two posts in one day?  Two posts within an hour of each other?  That's what happens when Mark works all weekend, and I don't have any plans, and when I counted the recipes in my blog backlog, it reached the double digits.  I've been cooking and baking like crazy, and definitely not keeping up with all the recipes I have to share.  And this week is already looking pretty busy, so I figured I'd give you a two-for-one today.  Hopefully you're in the mood for baking, because here's your second baked good for the day!

The Westminster Farmer's Market has been full of peaches this summer (among other things... we have been loading up on eggplants, tons of tomatoes and peppers, the world's most giant scallions, and my new obsession, ground cherries... if you've never tried them, please come to the market next Friday!).  Mark picks some up every time he sees them.  Without fail, every time he buys them, I try one, and I find that I love the sweet, juicy insides, but I absolutely hate the itchy, soft, bristly skin.  In fact I think the skin gets more upsetting to me every time I eat a peach.  My skin itches and I swear I'm becoming allergic.  So, I've been trying to peel them, but that's a juicy mess, so my next solution: baking with them.  Be prepared for a number of peach baked goods in the blog's future - starting here, with peach shortcakes!

As someone who isn't huge on sweets, I have to admit that I have a soft spot for shortcakes of any kind.  My favorite desserts include fruits, and I love fresh whipped cream (who doesn't?), and a shortcake is basically just a slightly sweet biscuit, which obviously is one of the world's best types of bread.

This recipe has soft, warm biscuits flavored with a little bit of nutmeg, brushed with rum butter straight out of the oven.  The peaches are soft, juicy and sweet, and the whipped cream on top ties all the pieces together.  Mmmmm!  I actually ended up not peeling the peaches, because the fact that the slices are so thin made the skin less of an issue for me... and I was feeling lazy!  I will say, I thought the rum butter was a bit too strong on the rum.  It's equal parts melted butter and rum, so you definitely taste it.  I think they would be better if you cut the rum to maybe 1 tablespoon rather than 3.  Otherwise, these shortcakes are a divine way to pretend it's still summer vacation!

Recipe:

peach shortcake
from The Law Student's Wife
serves 9

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 stick very cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 egg, beaten
1/3 cup cold milk
4 ripe peaches
2 teaspoons sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
3 tablespoons dark rum
whipped cream (make your own!)

Instructions:

1) Place rack in center of oven and preheat to 450 degrees.  Lightly grease an 8x8" pan and set aside.

2) In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade or a large mixing bowl, sift flour with sugar, baking powder, salt and nutmeg.  Add butter and lightly pulse (or cut in butter by hand) until the butter is the size of small peas.  Add well-beaten egg and milk just until incorporated.

3) Quickly press the batter into the prepared pan, touching it as little as possible with your fingers to keep the butter cold.  Bake for 15 - 20 minutes, until the top is lightly golden.  Cut into squares.

4) To quickly peel peaches: cut a small X on the bottom of each.  Slip into a large pot of boiling water.  Boil for about 30 seconds, then remove with a slotted pool and submerge immediately in a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking.  Slip off the skins with your fingers, then slice peaches.

5) In a small bowl, combine the sliced peaches and 2 teaspoons granulated sugar.  Set aside.  In a separate small bowl, combine the melted butter and rum.

6) To serve, while still warm, split each shortcake square in half horizontally.  Brush the cut sides generously with rum butter.  Place 1 buttered layer on the plate, cover with peaches and whipped cream, top with the second shortcake layer, then cover with additional fruit and whipped cream.

Confetti Sprinkle Sugar Cookies

I'm not a fan of confetti.  To be honest, it makes me feel extremely stressed when I see confetti raining down at celebrations on TV, like on reality show finales or New Year's Eve in NYC.  I think it's because I wonder, who is cleaning all that up?  How long will it take?  Will you still be able to find little scraps of paper months later?  And couldn't some of that pre-sliced paper be sent to Glenwood since we are in a paper shortage?

This is the way my brain works.  I know.

Anyway, I don't like real-life confetti, and I don't like Funfetti either.  Kenzie and Nick are big fans of this boxed mix, which is sad and offensive (no box mixes allowed in the Ajemian house!).  In fact, I even made Nick a from-scratch Funfetti cake for his birthday this year, hoping to win him over from boxed mixes.  Then Annie's Eats came up with this recipe for confetti sugar cookies, and I knew I had to try them out.  I may not be a paper confetti or Funfetti fan, but that doesn't mean that I can't add sprinkles to my sugar cookies and make Kenzie and Nick's day!

These are pretty good cookies and they all got eaten by my family and Mark's when we had them all over for dinner a month or so ago.  This includes my mom, who groaned when she found out what I was making; I think she was pleasantly surprised.  They're sweet and adorable.  Annie points out that you can customize your sprinkle colors to go with any holiday: go green and red for Christmas, and maybe with Halloween coming up, I could make some orange and black ones?  The options are endless.  All I know is that, when I do make them again, the confetti and Funfetti-lovers of the Compound will rejoice :)  No paper necessary!

Recipe:

confetti sprinkle sugar cookies
from Annie's Eats
yield about 30 cookies

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup rainbow jimmies

Instructions:

1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.  In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.  Stir to blend, and set aside.  In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and sugars.  Beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2 - 3 minutes.  Blend in the egg and vanilla.  Mix in the dry ingredients with the mixer on low speed just until incorporated.  Fold in the rainbow jimmies with a spatula.

2) Scoop the dough not balls, about 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons each.  Space them evenly on the baking sheets about 2 inches apart.  Bake, rotating the pans halfway through the baking time, until the cookies are just set and the edges are barely browned, about 15 - 16 minutes.  Let cool briefly on the baking sheets, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Quinoa Fried Rice

It's no secret that I'm a quinoa fan, and luckily so is my well-fed husband, so I often try out new recipes including this wonderful little protein-y grain, along with making my old standby recipes.

I have made my old go-to quinoa fried rice several times (and always loved it and devoured every last grain), but I thought it might be time to try out a new one.  I love fried rice but I have to say that I love fried quinoa even more; it's lighter, healthier, and has a better texture.  I decided to get on Pinterest and see if I could find a different version to give a try.  This new recipe caught my eye because of the addition of edamame, spinach, and bell peppers, and so it got added to the menu right away.

I got to work on it while Mark worked on the pool and cut the grass.  How awesome is the teamwork going on in this marriage!? :)  When he came inside, I served it up and we ate it at the counter (this we my pre-kitchen table days... I am still very excited because we finally got one last week!).  We both really liked it.  The edamame and spinach were excellent additions (extra magnesium, anyone?) and the colors of this dish were beautiful; it had everything from the orange carrots to the green edamame to the red and orange peppers... it was like a quinoa rainbow.

I will say that I confess to liking my old recipe better.  I think that bell peppers can be kind of bossy and overpowering, and I tasted too much pepper and not enough everything else.  With that said, maybe tossing in spinach and edamame to the old recipe would be sheer perfection!

Recipe:

quinoa fried rice
from Girl Makes Food
serves 4

Ingredients:
1 cup quinoa
1 1/4 cups water
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 bell peppers, diced
1 medium onion, diced
1/2 cup edamame
1 cup baby spinach
2 medium carrots, shredded
1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
2 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce

Instructions:

1) In a medium pot, bring the quinoa and water to a boil.  Add a lid and turn the heat to low; cook for 15 minutes.

2) While the quinoa cooks, chop the veggies.  In a large pan, add the oil, peppers and onions.  Cook until softened, about 5minutes on a medium-low heat.

3) Add the edamame and spinach.  Cook on low until the spinach begins to wilt.

4) Add the quinoa, carrots, ginger and tamari or soy sauce.  Stir well to combine.  Serve.

Blueberry Muffins

I continue the quest to find the world's most perfect blueberry muffin.  I have thoroughly enjoyed many of the muffins I've made in the past, but my mom is in constant search for the exact muffins she used to get at DiBurro's in Seabrook every summer.  She says they are "perfect: gummy and not too sweet."  That doesn't sound great to me, but hey, I will do what I can to help her find the muffin of her dreams!

Also, how cute is this muffin tin!? Thanks Paul and Kecee!

This muffin wasn't that muffin.  But - she did say this is the closest I've ever gotten.  I figured the yogurt would help with what Mom calls "the gumminess" - I think she means that they're moist.  There are lots of berries - 2 whole cups - and a dash of nutmeg.  Try these out, and let me know: are these the perfect blueberry muffin?

Recipe:

blueberry muffins
from The Pioneer Woman


Ingredients:
3 cups minus 2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
heavy pinch of salt
dash of nutmeg
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1 generous cup plain unflavored yogurt
2 cups fresh blueberries
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
turbinado sugar

Instructions:

1) Preheat oven to 385 degrees.  Butter a muffin tin.

2) In a large bowl, sift flour, baking soda, nutmeg, baking powder, and salt.  Set aside.

3) In another large bowl, whisk together sugar, oil, vanilla, egg, and yogurt.  Add the dry ingredients and stir to a count of 10.

4) Add blueberries, reserving 1/2 cup, to mixture and stir 3 times.

5) Add mixture to muffin pans. Sprinkle remaining berries on top and press down lightly.  Sprinkle turbinado sugar over the top (brown sugar can be used instead).

6) Bake 20 - 25 minutes and allow to cool completely.