Sunday, February 27, 2011

Mock Whole Foods Kale

I was inspired this morning when I was looking at the produce for another meal that I was shopping for and saw such pretty Red Chard.  I had come across this really good Paleo recipe awhile ago and use a very similar dressing on my salads.Why not just add it to this beautiful red chard!



Mock Whole Foods Kale Salad

1-2 bunches Kale (Depending on size)
1/4 cup Craisins
1/4 cup Pecans, chopped

Dressing:
3 tbsp Olive Oil
1 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
1 tbsp Lemon juice
1 tbsp shallot, finely chopped
1/2 tbsp honey or agave nectar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste

Finely chop the shallot and whisk all the dressing ingredients together.

Wash Kale and tear kale into bite size pieces ( Always make sure you cut off most of the thick stems because of its bitter taste and is hard to eat raw)

Toss everything together.

Let the salad sit in the refrigerator for a couple hours before serving. (It will make the kale more tender)


Some foodie tid bits...

Went to see the doctor today for the little ski mishap that happened yesterday...during the HOUR that it took to just see the doctor for about 15 minutes, I found some recipes.  This recipe is from the Kaiser magazine actually :)

Chocoholic Oat Cookies
(adapted from Kaiser Permanente recipe)

2 cups rolled oats
2 cups dark chocolate chocolate chips
1 cup  walnuts, chopped
1 cup Smart Balance Butter, light
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup Truvia
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 tbsp reduced fat milk
4 egg whites
1 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine oats, chocolate chips and walnuts in large bowl. Set aside

In a large bowl, beat together the Smart Balance, brown sugar and Truvia until creamy.

Add flour, baking soda, salt, and cocoa mixing until thoroughly combined. The batter will be stiff.

Add milk and then egg whites one at a time, mixing after each one.
Add vanilla extract and mix well.

Add oats, chocolate chips and walnuts. Mix until combined.

Using a 2-inch scoop, drop batter about 2 inches apart on cookie sheet. Bake for 9 - 12 minutes. The cookies will still be slightly soft in the middle.

Let cool on pan for 2 minutes then remove to wire racks to cool completely.








Sunday Dinner: Chipotle Pork Tenderloin, Mock Whole Foods Kale with Pecans and Craisins, Red Potatoes mashed, and Lemon Shallot Green Beans








Always planning ahead, I made my breakfast for the morning!  I love eggs, so of course, it's usually a breakfast staple in my house!

Egg Cups

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Place slice of ham (I used Boar's Head Black Forest Ham about nickel thickness) into muffin tin making a cup shape.

Crack 1 egg into the ham cup.  Sprinkle with pepper and salt

Place in oven for approximately 15 minutes, depending on how you like your eggs.

Remove from oven and serve!



Saturday, February 19, 2011

Saturday Night Family Dinner

So today was beautiful here in Colorado!!! I can't believe that I actually could wear shorts and not be cold! :)  I would have rather been up skiing in the mountains, but I thought that I would give my neck a little rest after the trauma of last weekend's fall! So with this beautiful day, I went for a nice bike ride, got a pedicure and made dinner for the family.

On tonight's menu: Herb Baked Chicken, Sauteed Zucchini, Squash and Broccoli, alongside a Kale, Red Pepper and Goat Cheese Quinoa Risotto.




All in all, my stomach is very satisfied.

Herb Baked Chicken

2 Chicken Breasts
Handful of dried Italian Herbs (Savory is a great spice shop here in Littleton, so I used their Italian Herb blend)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Place chicken on baking sheet, spray with a little olive oil and sprinkle each breast with a generous amount of herbs

Bake chicken at 350 degrees for roughly 30 minutes or until there is no longer any pink. 
(I used a meat thermometer to make sure they were done and baked them until the thickest part of the breast reached 160 degrees)


Kale, Roasted Red Pepper and Goat Cheese Quinoa Risotto
(my adapted version of a recipe I found on livestrong.com that had spinach and sun dried tomato)

1 cup Quinoa, whole grain (dry)
8 oz medium white wine
1 tbsp Olive Oil
 2 cloves Garlic
1  Shallots
4 oz Soft Goat Cheese
4 tbsp grated parmesean cheese (optional)
1/2 cup Roasted Red Peppers
1 bunch fresh Kale
2 cups Organic Vegetable Broth - Low Sodium
Pinch of Nutmeg
1 tbsp Lemon

Sautee garlic and shallots in olive oil over medium high heat until fragrant but not browned.

Add Quinoa and stir until mixed with garlic.

Add white wine and bring to a low boil. Cook until around 1/2 the liquid is gone, 1-2 minutes.

Add vegetable broth and bring to a low simmer. Cook for 10-12 minutes until most of the liquid is absorbed.

Steam kale and roughly chop. 

Chop roasted red pepper.

Add in a pinch of salt, pepper, kale, roasted red pepper, nutmeg, lemon juice, and goat cheese to cooked quinoa and stir.

Top with parmesean and serve.

Start of the sauteed shallots

I had this on hand...tasty!



Sauteed Squash and Broccoli 

1 Zucchini Squash
1 Summer Squash
Head of broccoli

Chop each into bite size pieces.

Sautee in 1 tbsp of olive oil until tender. (I prefer my vegetable to be al dente, not mushy!)

Chopped squash and broccoli alongside the steamed kale for the risotto





Sautee


I hope you enjoy!!











Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Cupcake Failure

I was so excited to make these Milky Way Cupcakes today.  I went to the store last night to get all the ingredients, so that I could come home today and make them before Bible study tonight.  It couldn't have been a more perfect day either...sun shining and nearly 60 degrees here in Denver, drove home from work with the windows down at around 4pm and got straight to baking.  I had found the recipe for these Milky Way Cupcakes from the Cupcake Project website.  I have always struggled with using cake flour in recipes here in Denver, I believe because of the altitude.  It all started off so well....when I realized that the cupcakes that were delightfully poured into their mini cupcake papers were now a molten volcano in my oven!!  I should have taken a picture of this because it was a MESS!  24 mini cupcakes had now formed into one thick layer of cupcake goo.  Angrily, I took these out of the oven and took them directly to the trash.  Meanwhile I am trying to work on my caramel that was supposed to be spread across the top of them.  The caramel, though, was turning out really well!  One success of the night!  Stubbornly, I am insisting to get these cupcakes right, so that I can bring snack to the group later in the evening.  I scrounge up the ingredients again to make the cupcake batter and start again.  The wet and dry ingredients are all ready to go and I begin to mix them all together with hopes that these will turn out much better than the previous attempt.  I place them in the oven...10 minutes go by and I peak at them.  They are rising nicely and looking like they are going to turn out this time.  Flick the light on again at about 15 minutes and what do I see...molten lava of cupcake AGAIN!  They are bubbling, popping, flowing everywhere and look nothing like cupcakes from the top!  I swear there was steam coming out of my ears at this point, as I frantically am trying to think of: A) what did I do so wrong for them to turn out this way? and B) what am I going to bring to group tonight?!  So I take the "cupcakes" out of the oven and plop them on top of the stove to cool.  Now let me tell you, these things don't even look like cupcakes at this point.  Being curious, I decide to pull one apart and to my surprise, the inside of the cupcake is a nice flaky texture and actually resembles cake!  There still could be saving grace to these cupcakes!  All in all, I take on the tedious task of scraping out all the good cake parts of the cupcakes and crumbling them all up in a bowl to make the perfect little addition to a sundae!  So final piece was Vanilla Bean Ice Cream, Milky Way cupcake crumbs, homemade Southern style caramel and a chocolate drizzle!  Not too bad for having a volcano of cupcake erupt in your oven!

Before the molten lava cupcake disaster...

The batter was incredible to taste...


I couldn't resist posting the pictures of my delicious Valentines Day breakfast at Snooze!!  It's one of my favorite places to go, not only for their Bellinis and Mimosas, but their innovative take on breakfast!  Here is the Pancake of the Day: Red Velvet with White Chocolate Chips-Drizzled with Cream Cheese Frosting and a Pecan Praline Sauce.  Also, I got the Benedicto Tuscano- Tomato Ragout with White Beans, Kale and Squash, as well as, the Upstream Benny, which has Honey cured Salmon on it!  DELICIOUS!  Check them out sometime!


I had to put up a picture from skiing this past weekend too...Breckenridge is one of the most amazing places!!! I love Colorado! :)

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Fun In the Kitchen

I thought that I would share some pictures of my cooking and baking over the last few months...feel free to holler at me, if you want any of the recipes! :)

Creme de Menthe Cupcakes

Pink Champagne Cupcake (Peach inside) with Dark Chocolate Chunk Whipped Cream


Failed Attempt at Red Velvet...they cracked

Pineapple Ginger Chicken with White Beans, Spinach, Butternut Squash and Asparagus

Graham Cracker Cupcake (filled with raspberry and white chocolate) and Key Lime Frosting


Nigella Lawson's Beef Stew with Anchovies and Thyme

Gingerbread Cupcakes with Cranberries

Completed Gingerbread Cupcakes with Pomegranate Cream Cheese Frosting

Mint Truffle Kiss Cookies

Mint Truffle Kiss Cookies and Chocolate Caramel Nut Thumbprint Cookies

Mint Oreo Truffles...pre-frosted Bake and Slice Cookies

Dark Chocolate Mocha Cupcake (filled with homemade Dulce de Leche) and Baileys Cream Cheese Frosting

Apple Toffee Mini Lattice Pies (pre baked)

Finished Product...oh sooo goooey!

Sunday Morning starting off right with Pumpkin Ebelskivers, Coffee and Broncos!

I HEART EGGS!!! and Veggies

Beginnings of a Stir Fry

After the addition of Chicken, Fire Roasted Tomatoes and Simply Boulder: Pineapple Ginger Sauce

mmmm ready for eating!

Elana's Pantry Gluten Free Almond Power Bars

So another looooong day complete!  Nothing like telling yourself that you are going to wake up at 4:15am to go to the gym before work and then deciding to hit the snooze button for the next hour...so in other words, I didn't make it to the gym until about 7:30pm after work and bridesmaid shopping with my sister! But at least I made it to the gym to do a little CrossFit, since it's become quite the addiction of mine...along with spending time in the kitchen mixing up nom noms!!

Today's WOD:
5 Rounds:
200M Run (close to sprint)
50 Squats

Time: 8:12   
Nothing like being tired and forcing some squats in the evening! :)

I know I shouldn't admit to this, but I was looking around on some of my favorite food blogs today at work and came across an old favorite of mine.  Last year, I decided that I was going to give up Gluten and try to go Paleo, in order to, help out some stomach ailments that I was having.  I started to bake some of the recipes from Elana's Pantry, which is a dedicated Gluten Free site.  Some of her recipes have been crowd favorites, so I thought that I would give this another go once I read almond butter in the recipe!  So here is my Thursday night creation...Enjoy!

Gluten Free Almond Power Bars 
(Thanks to Elanas Pantry Recipe)

2 cups almonds (raw)   (I did 2 cups of my favorite nut mixture...Raw fancy mixed nuts from Sunflower - Brazil Nuts, Cashews, Almonds, Filiburts and Pecans)
½ cup flax meal (flax seeds ground in a Vitamix)
½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
½ cup unsalted creamy roasted almond butter   (Perfect way to use the almond butter grinders at Sunflower or Whole Foods)
½ teaspoon celtic sea salt
½ cup coconut oil   (don't opt out of this...it will help the bars harden, since its solid at room temp)
4 drops stevia
1 tablespoon agave nectar   (I accidentally added a little too much agave...so I skipped the stevia even though I had it on hand)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup dark chocolate chips 73% cacao (optional)

Place almonds, flax meal, shredded coconut, almond butter and salt in a food processor.  Pulse briefly, about 10 seconds

In a small sauce pan, melt coconut oil over very low heat.  Remove coconut oil from stove, stir stevia, agave and vanilla into oil

Add coconut oil mixture to food processor and pulse until ingredients form a coarse paste
Press mixture into an 8 x 8 glass baking dish

Chill in refrigerator for 1 hour, until mixture hardens

In a small saucepan, melt chocolate over very low heat, stirring continuously
Spread melted chocolate over bars; return to refrigerator for 30 minutes, until chocolate hardens

Remove from refrigerator, cut into bars and serve


For tomorrow, it's some Lemon Garlic Kale Chips!!! :)

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Mexican Cupcakes a Go!

Let me just start out by saying that I loooooove cupcakes!  They are a huge passion of mine and I love to treat my friends with them!  My lovely sister is getting married this summer and this past Sunday, we had a meeting of the families! The theme of the afternoon was Mexican food, so when I was asked to make some cupcakes...the possibilities were endless.  I tossed around ideas of margarita cupcakes...mexican chocolate and then I found this recipe for Cinnamon Churro Cupcakes from Love & Olive Oil. 

Cinnamon Chocolate Churro Cupcakes  
(adapted from LoveandOliveOil.com)

Ingredients:

Cinnamon Cupcakes:
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup almond milk
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract


Mexican Chocolate Pudding Filling:
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 cups whole milk  (use the whole milk because it will turn out to runny if you don't)
3 ounces good quality semisweet or dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract


Chocolate Whipped Cream Frosting:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tablespoons whole milk
1 teaspoon meringue powder  (I didn't use this since I couldn't find it at the store...Instead I just whipped an egg white)
Pinch of cream of tartar
Pinch of cinnamon
1 cup chilled whipping cream

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, sift together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.


Combine almond milk and vinegar and stir to combine. Whisk in sugar, oil, and vanilla. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. Mix until relatively smooth. Fill cupcake liners with a scant 3 Tablespoons of batter (cups should be just under 2/3 of the way full). Bake for 20-22 minutes or until set, and toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer to cooling rack and allow to cool completely.

To prepare filling, combine the cornstarch, sugar, salt, and cinnamon in the top of a double boiler or a heatproof bowl set over a larger pot filled with 1 inch of water. Slowly whisk in the milk, scraping the bottom and sides with a heatproof spatula to incorporate the dry ingredients. Place over gently simmering water and stir occasionally, scraping the bottom and sides. Use a whisk as necessary should lumps begin to form. After 15 to 20 minutes, when the mixture begins to thicken and coats the back of the spoon, add the chocolate. Continue stirring for about 2 to 4 minutes, or until the pudding is smooth and thickened. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Transfer to a small bowl and cover, gently pressing a layer of plastic wrap against the surface before refrigerating (this will prevent a skin from forming). Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 3 days (ahem, good luck with that).

For frosting, whisk powdered sugar, cocoa powder, milk, meringue powder, cream of tartar, and cinnamon in large bowl until smooth. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled and ready to use, 30 minutes to 1 hour. Using electric mixer or a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, gradually beat chilled cream into chocolate mixture. Continue beating until stiff peaks form.

With a small pairing knife cut out cones from the tops of cupcakes approximately 1 inch in diameter. Set aside but do not discard. Spoon approximately 1 tablespoon of filling into each cupcake (you'll have extra pudding, so grab a spoon). Replace top and press into place (it helps to remove a bit off the base of the cone piece to help it sit more level on the filling - tasties for you). Pipe on whipped cream frosting, taking care to cover up all seams. If desired, sprinkle with a bit of cinnamon sugar prior to serving.

**Make sure to be patient when you are making the chocolate filling, it will set better if you take it slow and make sure that you allow it to thicken in the double boiler first.

**Buying a good cupcake corer will make filling the cupcakes a lot easier!  I found mine at Williams & Sonoma for about $10 and totally worth it!!

All in all, the cupcakes were a huge hit! Everyone loved them and I especially loved getting to finally use my cupcake carrier!!  This recipe made about 15 medium cupcakes.  I think that next time I will fill them a little more and get 12 cupcakes out of it!


Cinnamon Stick and Dark Chocolate piece on top...sprinkled with some cinnamon sugar!