Healthy Halloumi Quinoa Salad and Avocado Dip

Quinoa is my new favorite grain. I love the fluffy light texture, the quick cooking time, and how it actually keeps you full even though it doesn’t make you feel weighed down. And because of that, my new favorite quick dinner dish is a quinoa salad where I throw some sort of protein, lots of veggies, a nice sauce and freshly cooked quinoa together.

The most recent salad I made involved a new favorite cheese! Yes, this is a post about new favorites I suppose, but I’m so happy to have discovered them! Have you cooked Halloumi cheese before? It looks kind of like a block of feta, and has a similar texture. It is miraculous. When you throw it on a grill, it doesn’t melt. It GRILLS. Like a beef patty or a vegetable. It’s crazy! It taste like a mild mozzarella to me but the texture it gains is quite amazing. I can’t wait to find another reason to use it in a dish!

This quinoa salad was delicious! I will have to remember to put it on our eating calendar often.

Grilled Halloumi and Quinoa Salad

• 4 tsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
• Salt to taste
• Black pepper
• 2 persian cucumbers, peeled and diced
• ½ cup of quinoa
• 1 cup water
• 2 Tbsp EVOO
• ½ lemon, juiced
• 2 Tbsp of chopped basil
• 3 cups of arugula
• 8 oz halloumi cheese, cut into 8 slices

1. Whisk the vinegar, sugar, garlic, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper. Add the cucumber and let it stand.

2. Place the quinoa and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover, and lower heat until it stays at a simmer. Simmer for 15 minutes and fluff it with a fork. Let stand.

3. Whisk the lemon juice and EVOO and toss with quinoa, basil, and arugula.

4. Heat a grill pan to medium heat without oil . Grill the halloumi until golden on eat side.

5. Add cucumbers to quinoa, and top with halloumi cheese.

Enjoy immediately!

Recipe adapted from The Kitchn: http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-grilled-halloumi-and-quinoa-saladrecipes-from-the-kitchn-168027

A healthy appetizer to this healthy entrée? Avocado dip! I made a salsa verdea few weeks ago which had sour cream instead of plain European yogurt lie this one, and I thought this one tasted even better! It definitely has a kick to it though. We had it on beef tacos and with chips and even drizzled on top of a pizza. It makes quite a lot and doesn’t last for more than a few days so don’t double it like I did (unless you think you’ll eat a LOT of it!).

Recipe followed exactly from Skinny Taste: http://www.skinnytaste.com/2012/04/zesty-avocado-cilantro-buttermilk.html

Breakfast Goodies

I think "Breakfast Goodies" is going to become a regular blog post theme. I bake new breakfast treats every week so it's something I can consistently share with you on this blog. If you ever need new muffin, scone, pancake, etc. recipes, you know exactly where to go!

I made these last night and didn't have a circular cookie cutter so I used my heart-shaped cookie cutters. It was awesome. There's no reason why I can't delight in giving out heart-shaped goodies even if it's not Valentine's!

To me, they tasted just alright. I wanted more cinnamony flavor in the creamcheese filling and in the dough itself! They're also more of a dessert than a breakfast item but hey, you gotta live a little every day. I live life on the edge by splurging on fat and sugar during breakfast time. Someday that may catch up to me...

I wish I had made the icing because that would definitely give it more sweetness (pie dough is pretty bland on its own and creamcheese is, too, without sugar) but I think I'd rather eat a cinnamon roll like I did most of last week.

Recipe taken from: http://gimmesomeoven.com/cinnamon-bun-pie-pockets/

I never really understood what quick bread was until the following recipe. It was so fast to throw together, I couldn't quite believe myself and thought I had forgotten some ingredients. I guess that's the beauty of quick stuff - it's quick because there are just a few ingredients. Not only was it quick but it was mighty tasty as well! I loved this molasses bread! I mean, who doesn't love the flavor of molasses? It's a shame you don't get many chances to taste it aside from during the holiday season with molasses cookies but this bread will rectify that. Additionally, it's moist, hearty, and pretty dang healthy. We ate a thick slab in the morning with maple syrup, butter, jam...you name it!

I used the milk and vinegar method and loved the result!
http://www.nytimes.com/recipes/11590/Quick-Whole-Wheat-and-Molasses-Bread.html

Definitely something to whip up when I don't have good bread at home! And definitely no guilt treat here (unless you like it with melted butter and cinnamon sugar like me).

Lasagna Soup and Strawberry Tiramisu

I'm continuing in this vein of  Italian dishes after sharing that awesome bolognese sauce the other day. It also looks like LA is going to be rainy and gloomy this week so Lasagna Soup is quite fitting if you're looking for something warm and filling to eat.

I love lasagna...a lot. It's strange because I typically like lighter fare for dinner but the layers of pasta, meat, and cheese are undeniable, irresistible. I do prefer my homemade versions because I use whole wheat pasta, lighter ricotta cheese, and lots of vegetables making it fairly lighter than the restaurant version. But one thing I rarely skimp on in any cooking situation is sauce so as a sauce lover, turning lasagna into a soup was a perfectly clever move!

The one thing I would criticize about this lasagna soup is that it's not as flavorful and rich as a normal lasagna (which shouldn't have been a surprise since it's called Lighter Taste Like Lasagna Soup). I guess I like meaty lasagna sauces so instead of using sausage, I might use ground beef next time!

Recipe followed exactly here:
http://thedeenbros.com/index.php/recipes/recipe_detail/bobbys_lighter_tastes_like_lasagna_soup/

Want to end with a dessert that is also "light" in terms of perceived weight in your stomach after consumed? Here's a rift on one of my Top 5 desserts of all time: tiramisu. This timely recipe takes advantage not of the weather but of how cheap strawberries are right now.

Strawberry Creamcheese Tiramisu

• 8-oz cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 4 tsp vanilla extract, divided
• 1 cup strong coffee, cold
• 2 Tbsp Kahlua
• 32 ladyfingers (I bought mine at Surfas)
• 4 cups fresh strawberries, diced

1. In a large bowl, mix the cream cheese, heavy cream and 2 tsp vanilla extract together with electric hand mixer until smooth and creamy.
2. In a small, shallow bowl, mix coffee, Kahlua, and 2 tsp of vanilla extract together. 
3. Dip each ladyfinger into coffee mixture one by one and soaking it for 2-3 seconds. I had plenty of coffee mix leftover so don't worry about soaking too long and using it up too fast. Lay the soaked ladyfingers into the bottom of a 8"x8" glass baking dish. 
4. Top the first layer of ladyfingers with half of the cream cheese mixture, spreading it evenly. Top this layer with half the strawberries. Repeat with another layer of ladyfingers, creamcheese mixture, and the rest of the strawberries.
5. Refrigerate for a day before serving. 

Recipe adapted from: http://bakingbites.com/2010/04/strawberry-cheesecake-tiramisu/

The Best Bolognese Sauce

I try to be discerning and selective with my use of the word "best." Although it might not seem like it because I use it prolifically, I promise that I try to use it appropriately if not with restraint.

I love bolognese sauce. It's warm, hearty and can be wonderfully nuanced when done right. This Ina Garten Weeknight Bolognese is a miracle. It takes less than an hour to make but has the depth of a 24-hour sauce. My search for the perfect bolognese has ended right here at this bowl:

I can't say I veered off the original recipe but I think it's worth it to reprint it here...as if the value of this deliciously rich and savory sauce is increased because I took the time to plagiarize it :P

The Best Bolognese Sauce 

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 pound lean ground sirloin (I used Trader Joe's 80/20)
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 Tbsp of dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 1/4 cups dry red wine (I used Yellowtail Cabernet-Syrah)
• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 2 Tbsp of tomato paste
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3/4 pound of pasta 
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan (I buy a bag from Trader Joe's) 

Directions

1. Heat the olive oil in a large cast iron pot (or other non-non stick pot) over medium-high heat. Add the ground sirloin and cook, crumbling the meat with a wooden spoon, for 5 to 7 minutes until the meat is no longer pink and it's all crumbled fairly evenly. Stir in the garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes and cook for 1 more minute. Pour in 1 cup of the wine and stir. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper, stirring until combined. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 10 minutes.

2. Boil your pasta the way you like. 

3. While the pasta cooks add nutmeg, basil, cream, and the remaining 1/4 cup wine to the sauce and simmer for 10 minutes or until the sauce is thickened. Add 1/2 cup of parmesan to the sauce immediately before serving. 

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/weeknight-bolognese-recipe/index.html

This recipe was seriously awesome! The cream balanced the acidity of the meat and tomatoes perfectly, the the richness of the wine was quite apparent. Loads of flavor from the basil and nutmeg and salt and pepper as well. Bolognese heaven reached. Where to next? 

Ca Chua Nhoi Thit or Stuffed Tomatoes

Hi all!

I hope you had a wonderful weekend. We had a quick but delicious and fun getaway to Arizona to celebrate my grandma's birthday. I ate more than my fair share of delicious homemade Vietnamese food made by my chef extraordinaire Aunt :). It reminded me of this dish I promised to share. Everything my Aunt made this weekend was homey and tasty and healthy just like this dish is.

When Nick ate Ca Chua, he said it didn't quite taste Vietnamese to him and I objected just to be argumentative (I do that often). But he is right - it doesn't have a strong fish sauce, garlic, pungent flavor like most Vietnamese dishes have. However, I would still argue that it is is quite Vietnamese because there IS fish sauce and soy sauce in the sauce, however masked it may be by the tomato flavoring. I think soy sauce is one of the most wonderful and powerful sauces in the world because it also has the humility to be subtle. In this dish, it brings out the best of the other ingredients. In fact, I remember my mom used to put soy sauce into her spaghetti and meatballs dish and to this day, I think her spaghetti is the best I've had. Maybe I love my mom, maybe I'm too Asian and love soy sauce in everything, but I'm also convinced soy sauce betters almost any dish in the same way salt does (in controlled amounts).

Anyways, back to the dish. I adore how this dish wastes nothing - you use the cored tomato as little bowls (that you fill with thin rice noodles and ground pork) and use the tomato insides as the sauce. I cooked these in my 13" cast iron pan and it worked splendidly to brown the meat first.

See how they fit so neatly in there? I didn't opt to add a can of tomato sauce but I wish I had because this tomato sauce tastes so dang good! I seasoned it with about 2 tsp of soy sauce and 2 tsp of fish sauce which is not written in the recipe but is so vital!

We served with brown rice though these taste just wonderful on their own!

Again, Vietnamese dishes require some time. I had to core the tomatoes, cook 1/2 cup of thin bean sprout noodles, cook the rice, marinade the meat, and THEN cook the dish. But the time is so worth it, as is the case with most cooking escapades!

Hope you try your hand at a Vietnamese dish one of these days. :) I am up for giving lessons any day, any time!

Recipe followed exactly from here: http://www.theravenouscouple.com/2009/08/stuffed-tomatoes-ca-chua-nhoi-thit.html

Bo Kho or Vietnamese Beef Stew

The more Vietnamese dishes I try making at home, the more I realize it's NOT fast...it's definitely an art.

For example, pho takes SO much time. You parbroil the bones for 10 minutes and then simmer them for 3 hours (by the way, Andrea Nguyen and Corinne Trang (author of Authentic Vietnamese Cooking and former editor and director of Saveur’s test kitchen) say that 3 hours will get you all the flavor you can get out of the bones. You're just wasting your time beyond that! Crazy that my mom did it overnight...). Even Grilled Lemongrass Pork and Vermicelli, one of my favorites, involves marinading meat, making the sauce, cutting the veggies, boiling the noodles. These dishes are a process because the final creation involves many components but it always comes together splendidly, I promise!


This Vietnamese Beef stew is no exception. Even though it's a slow cooker recipe, you still have your work cut out for you. I finally got a little smarter and instead of bruising my lemongrass with the butt of a knife and then slicing it thinly (which is hard, because lemongrass is really hearty), I threw 1-inch chunks of it into my food process. Voila! Minced lemongrass! I froze the leftovers too! 


I bought Annatto seed in the Asian store...I'm not sure what else I'd use it for besides this dish so if you know, let me know! The annatto seed and the anise lend a very licorice-y flavor to this stew. But even though Nick isn't a fan of licorice, he still enjoyed this dish. It tastes MUCH better as leftovers, after the spices have time to stew even more. 

I am very excited to say that this tasted just like the stew my mom used to make for me. Paired with a toasted baguette and garnished with Thai basil leaves, I felt homesick and simultaneously content. If you think this tastes like any old pot roast or short ribs, think again. It's a very different and interesting flavor profile for non-Vietnamese people (judging from Nick's reaction) but also homey and familiar at the same time. It definitely makes quite a bit so invite some friends over! 


Recipe followed exactly:
http://www.theravenouscouple.com/2010/03/bo-kho-vietnamese-beef-stew-recipe.html

I have another Vietnamese recipe to share that is AWESOME. It will definitely wow your guests if you make them as appetizers. See you tomorrow!

The Perfect Post-Workout Snack

I haven't worked out for 2 1/2 months, which is a pretty long time for me. But when I get back into it, I have the perfect post-workout snack to motivate me. I usually have a multi-grain english muffin, toasted, with peanut butter and jam, and this Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Muffin is very similar in its components. There's no butter or oil aside from the peanut butter, I use whole wheat flour, and it turns out perfectly moist and fluffy thanks to the bananas (extra ripe, please).

I took these pictures, not Nick, so please excuse the blurry nature of the muffins. In real life, they're quite un-blurry and look delectable. 

Banana Peanut Butter Oatmeal Muffins

• 1 1/2 cups Trader Joe's White Whole Wheat Flour
• 1 cup oats 
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar
• 2 extra-large eggs
• 3 medium mashed bananas
• 6 tbsp peanut butter, Skippy Natural
• 1 Tbsp of apple cider, plus whole milk - enough to make 1 cup of liquid

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Line a muffin tin.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, oatmeal, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
In a medium bowl, mix the brown sugar, eggs, mashed banana, peanut butter and buttermilk until very smooth with an electric hand mixer. Combine with flour mixture and mix thoroughly.

3. Fill each cupcake liner to the very top. I like big muffin tops :P 

4. Bake for 16-20 minutes. Store at room temperature in your microwave uncovered. Covering it causes the muffins to get very moist. I toast it in my toaster oven every morning to get it nice and crispy (and not to mention warm) before eating leftovers. 

Adapted From: http://bakingbites.com/2009/03/banana-peanut-butter-oatmeal-muffins/

To be honest, this is NOT what I ate three mornings this week. 

This is what I ate:

I followed the epicurious recipe exactly (added 1/2 tsp of nutmeg to the filling) and thought this was like a cinnabon with all the happiness of a homemade goodie. If you're looking for a wonderfully indulgent breakfast, make these! And then go eat some peanut butter muffins and you'll know what my life is like :) 

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Cinnamon-Rolls-with-Cream-Cheese-Glaze-241631

More Lemony Goodness: Classic Lemon Bars and Lemon Ice Cream!

I think it's pretty clear when I discover a "classic." Most of the time, people eating said classics call them "classics" themselves, so I don't need to be self-righteous and go proclaiming its classic nature myself. These two desserts fall into that category and I'm so thankful I have them in my arsenal of desserts. Whenever I need a perfect lemon bar recipe or the perfect creamy yet ultra-lemony ice cream, I know what to do. *Sense of peace washes over me*

So there are these lemon crumb bars that I love. The filling is mixed with condensed milk and it has an oat crumble on top and bottom. Fan-freakin-tastic. But these are definitely classic shortbread crust with a tangy but not too tangy filling. I personally like 1:1 ratio of crust to filling and this one is pretty much just that.

I think it was also a very perfect lemon-y taste because of the lemons...sometimes I buy bitter ones and use them unknowingly. The sugar tends to cut the bitterness but you can still tell when you get some sour lemons because the bars turn out sour. I think it's worth it to taste the juice before you use it in your mix.

Perfect Lemon Bars (adapted from http://bakingbites.com/2011/06/perfect-lemon-bars/)

For the Crust:

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp lemon zest
• 1/2 cup butter, room temperature

Filling:

• 4 large eggs
• 1 1/3 cups sugar
• 1 cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed and strained

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Butter a 9x9" or 8x8" glass baking dish.
2. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, and zest. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients and then mix with a hand mixer until it's crumbly (similar to sand). Press into the bottom of the baking dish and bake for 15 minutes.
3. While the crust is baking, make the filling. Mix the ingredients at medium speed until well-blended. Pour onto crust as soon as it's done and bake for additional 20 minutes.
4. Let cool and come to room temperature and sprinkle powdered sugar on top if you want. Store in refrigerator for up to 3 days (I did a week and they were still fine).

I love making ice cream at home. It feels nice knowing what's going into your ice cream even if it IS a lot of cream, whole milk, sugar, and egg yolks. At least you know it's not other weird stuff and you can taste the fact that it's only comprised of a few real ingredients.

This lemon ice cream was the best I've made. Better than salted caramel (yes, blasphemy, I know), ferrero rocher vanilla, butter pecan, chocolate peanut butter, peach frozen yogurt, and all the other flavors I've made. It's so creamy yet to tart at the same time. The lemon flavor is just in your face enough to make you say "Oh! That's definitely lemon!" and the excessive zest in the cream tastes almost like extra pieces of lemon candy. It's just delightful!

Perfect Lemon Ice Cream! (adapted from http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Lemon-Ice-Cream-10427)

1/2 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 3 lemons)
Zest of lemons used for juice (it's a lot of zest! But I loved it)
3/4 cup of sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup of heavy cream
1 cup of whole milk
1 tsp of vanilla

Directions
1. Whisk the first four ingredients together in a medium saucepan over medium high heat. Whisk in the cream and milk. Whisk continuously until mixture simmers and it sticks to the back of a spoon. This is your custard! Pour through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl. Refrigerate until it's cold. Then put into your ice cream maker, and let it run until you have ice cream!

Discovered: AWESOME Homemade Chicken Tikka Masala

Guys,

I've found it.  A homemade Chicken Tikka Masala recipe to really scream about. It tastes so good that I ate it without taking a picture for dinner last night and again for lunch today (I ate lunch early because I couldn't wait to scarf this stuff down!).

I've been on the hunt for a good homemade recipe for a long time and I've finally found it. Warning: It's not restaurant-style, which is admittedly, what I was looking for. It's a lot lighter, fresher, and less creamy. But the flavors are there and the chicken is oh-so-tender. Served on top of fresh basmati rice, there's nothing quite so satisfying as a spiced and spicy and acidic and creamy Chicken Tikka Masala bowl.

I think the two keys are: chicken thighs (instead of breasts, which dry out) and slow cooker (giving the spices time to develop).

Photo from Smells-Like-Home

I followed this recipe exactly (including halving it but next time I won't because I want MORE).

http://smells-like-home.com/2011/11/slow-cooker-chicken-tikka-masala/

If you're curious, here are other recipes I tried. They involved way more work! So glad I found this one (no need for marinading chicken or broiling it)

http://www.katherinemartinelli.com/blog/2010/india-by-way-of-london/

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2009/06/chicken-tikka-masala-by-pastor-ryan/

http://mmmarilynn.blogspot.com/2011/10/butter-chicken-curry.html

http://mmmarilynn.blogspot.com/2011/09/asian-fusion.html

Restaurant Review: Battle of the Burgers

I haven't done restaurant reviews in a while. I figure they're kind of pointless to write because I usually only go to places that are great. I don't mean that in a snobby way but I mean that they're places that people already know are going to be good because they have high yelp reviews, have been praised by food critics, etc. You don't need a little blogger named Marilynn adding her two cents as well.

But, as with most things food-related, I can't resist adding my two cents. So here you go, just a few pennies to toss and get lost in the sea of restaurant reviews that exists online.

Plan Check:

In hindsight, I'm not sure why this place got so much buzz. I guess it's because it is a nicely designed space led by some big LA names (chef, owner, and barmen are all connected to other successful ventures), and it brings something new and arguably, needed, on Sawtelle: a casual burger place with good beers instead of the usual sushi and ramen and Japanese curry hot spots. Sounds like a good business venture that promises some good food and and a good hangout area on Sawtelle.

If that's all I was looking for (good food and a good hangout) I think I would have liked Plan Check. But I expected more. For the price ($16) and the small portion size, I think it was okay to expect more out of the burger. But the chef's favorite didn't taste that special. It had bacon, some sweet/sour sauce (thankfully, mild, because I don't like the taste at all), a fried egg, and some cheese (tasted like American Cheese to me). The bun was nice and fluffy but collapsed as soon as I took a bite. The meat was tasty - but not the tastiest I've had. And the ketchup leather is definitely not a personal favorite at all...

Also, the fries weren't that great to me. I tasted the lard too much, and not enough potato? My friend and I both hated the housemade ketchup (watery and vinegary).

However, my friend's fried chicken was perfect. Nice and crispy and seasoned on the outside, and juicy on the inside. The gravy was delicious (though the pickled okra was weird). Overall, I gave this place 3 stars for effort but the creativity and innovation didn't work for me the way it does at Umami, where the flavors stand out yet meld.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/plan-check-west-los-angeles 3/5

Salt's Cure.

It's been on my list for a while but mainly because it's also on Jonathan Gold's 99 Essential LA Restaurants List.

The decor is simple but nice (kind of typical industrial look with wood tables and paneling above the bar). The menu changes daily and they make everything in-house (they don't use anything canned so they make fresh ketchup sauce (among other things). They also cut and cure and ground and form their own bacon and burger patties respectively, as well as their other meats.

One thing that doesn't change on the menu is their burger.

It was very, very memorable. Phenomenal in fact.

The meat was by far the tastiest burger patty I've had. They ground it to a chunky yet tightly knit texture (not loosey-goosey at all). The bun had a similar problem's to Plan Check (collapsed as soon as you held onto it firmly) but I liked the flavor in this poppyseed version more. The ketchup was a lot better (more thick and traditional tasting) but I still prefer regular ketchup. The fries were awesome - freshly cut (I saw the guy behind the bar peeling and cutting ours) and well-seasoned with pepper and rosemary and salt.

I can't wait to try other things from Salt's Cure (including their weekend brunch) but for now, it gets a definite two thumbs up from me!

The bacon here was much better but that didn't surprise me. The burger was about the same size and price as it was at Plan Check but I didn't have to pay another $5 for a side of fries. I just wish they had beer on tap (they have a lot of wines it seems).

If you plan on going, definitely make a reservation because it's a small space.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/salts-cure-west-hollywood 4/5

Birthday Burgers: Hoisin Burgers!

I love making burgers at home. I like making patties, the buns, and the toppings and serving them with a heaping side of french fries. It's fun, it's easy to do many variations on burgers, and it almost always pleases an entire crowd.

We had three other couples over for Nick's birthday dinner and hopefully, these hoisin burgers satisfied everyone. I definitely enjoyed the pickled onions that went on top and I think I may have finally made the ideal homemade burger buns - they were soft, fluffy, but dense. I still can't get mine to be quite as airy and broiche-y as they are at Comme Ca, but for now, these were definitely worth the time and effort (and they were whole wheat too!).

I doubled the following recipe to make enough for 8 people but I would probably only use the one for 4 patties normally so that's what I wrote out below:


Hoisin Burgers with Lime Pickled Onions 

Patty:

• 1 lb of lean ground beef (I use 80/20 from Trader Joe's)
• 1 green onion, minced
• 1/4 cup of cilantro, minced
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp of ground ginger (or 1 tsp of fresh, minced ginger)
• 1 Tbs of hoisin sauce
• 1 tsp of sesame seed oil
• 1 tsp of soy sauce
• 1/4 tsp of freshly ground pepper 
• Gruyere Cheese
• Mizuna leaves (or arugula)

Directions:

1. Combine all the ingredients by hand and form into four patties, about 5 inches in diameter by 1/2" thick. I make them a little flatter and thinner than I want them to be because once you cook them, they shrink into themselves as the fat cooks out.

2. I am very particular about the way I cook my burgers in order to get the grill effect without a grill. 3 minutes on medium high on either side on a cast iron or all-clad pan (to get a nice browning and searing effect), and then 2 minutes in the broiler on high. This is where I also add the cheese to the patties to melt it.

Lime Pickled Onions

• 1/2 red onion, sliced into thin circles 
• 1 tsp of salt
• 2 Tbs of water
• 1/2 a lime juiced 

1. Add ingredients together in a bowl and let sit for at least 15 minutes.

Adapted from: http://norecipes.com/blog/hoisin-ginger-burgers-with-lime-pickled-onions/

Whole Wheat Hamburger Buns 
(made 5, not 6 for me! They were small too....)

• 2 cups of white whole wheat flour (from Trader Joe's) 
• 1 cup of water, warm (I heated it for 40 seconds in the microwave)
• 1 packet of active dry yeast
• 1/4 cup of wheat bran
• 1 1/2 tsp of salt
• 2 Tbsp of light brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp of butter 

Directions

1.  Combine water and yeast and stir slightly. Mix in 1 cup of whole wheat flour and let stand, covered, for 1-3 hours (I did 2) or until nice and bubbly. 

2. Add the wet and the rest of the dry ingredients in a big bowl and knead for 6-8 minutes or until elastic. I do this by hand on our wood cutting board, which I flour with whole wheat flour first. 

3. Put ball of kneaded dough back into bowl, cover, and let stand for 2 hours or until it has doubled in size. It's key to put it somewhere warm and not cold. I usually put it by the oven if it's on (I usually bake while I'm cooking) or on the floor by our heater if that is on. )

4. Turn the risen dough onto a floured surface and split into 6 pieces. Shape into rounds by rolling it in your hands and then flatten a little onto a silpat-lined baking sheet. Cover the rolls with a kitchen towel and let sit for 45 minutes. Preheat oven to 375. 

5. Melt the butter and brush generously onto top of buns. Bake for 19-20 minutes or until toasty brown. 

Adapted from:  http://bakingbites.com/2006/04/whole-wheat-hamburger-buns/

Enjoy! 

Just a few more notes:

1. People who don't usually like red onion (Nick included), especially when ti's raw, enjoyed the pickled version! 

2. I served the burgers with a sriracha mayo mix as well. Worked well with the Asian theme! 

Lime Chicken Soft Tacos and Salsa Verde

Ah, Mexican food. It’s definitely one of the first loves of my foodie life. I grew up in Arizona, where there’s pretty darn good Mexican food, and then went to college on the east coast, where there’s a definite dearth of good Mexican. So the summer after my freshmen year, I took to making enchiladas, my favorite form of Mexican food. I love how it’s so saucy and wet, and I love how you can more neatly eat them than you would a taco or burrito since you can use fork and knife. But I soon expanded to mastering tacos and burritos because they are certainly not second-rate. A burrito is so entirely beast-like and satisfying. Not for the faint of heart, that’s for sure. Tacos are just fun. They cry “party time” because you can build your own, eat it in two big bites, and please any guest (vegetarian, vegan, meat-eater, tiny eater, ravenous eater).

So I recently had some coworkers over and decided to make these Chicken Lime Tacos that are one of the first classics of all time. I made it for Nick’s graduation party back in 2008! That feels like a long time ago, but these tacos have weathered time well. This time, I used a slowcooker and cooked it on low for 8 hours. I even used chicken breasts and they did not dry out at all! Here’s my version of this recipe below.

Lime Chicken Soft Tacos

• 1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast meat
• 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
• 2 limes, juiced
• 4 tsp white sugar
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp ground black pepper
• 4 green onions, chopped
• 8 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ cup of chopped cilantro
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 10 (6 inch) flour tortillas (Guerrero is my favorite brand)
• Homemade salsa
• Shredded Cheese
• Sliced Radishes
• Shredded Lettuce
• Emeril’s guacamole recipe

Directions

1.                        Mix the vinegar, lime juice, sugar, salt, pepper, green onion, garlic and oregano. Toss to coat the chicken breasts in a slow cooker.

2.                        Cook on low for 8 hours. Shred the chicken with a fork. At this point, it should fall apart with the slightest touch. Serve in tacos and top with your favorites. I listed my favorites!

Adapted from: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/lime-chicken-soft-tacos/

Picture from Serious Eats

The salsa I made this time was extra delicious. A Salsa Verde that is creamy and spicy at the same time. I highly recommend it!

http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2012/03/sauced-hot-salsa-verde-tomatillo-chile-recipe.html

Homemade Chipotle Burritos - Take Two!

Nick and I love Chipotle. As much as I love researching new places to eat at, reading all the blog and yelp reviews of it, and finding something that fits our preferences in terms of budget and flavor, I also love just taking it easy sometimes. Just getting good grub because we’re really hungry. And when we’re in one of those moods, Chipotle never fails to satisfy. Big, flavorful, bang for your buck, and relatively not too bad for my health (it may be calorie-laden, but it doesn’t feel super greasy and fatty to me), Chipotle is a tried and true winner.

I tried to replicate Chipotle burritos at home once before and I was disappointed. Of course, there’s always something particularly delicious about homemade food (because you can tailor it to your tastes) but I wanted that knock-off recipe to taste JUST like Chipotle. It was good (I mean, how can you go wrong with homemade guacamole, salsa, cilantro rice, and slow cooked meat tossed in a tortilla with cheese and sour cream?) but not nearly as good as the real one. And it was a LOT of work. Making all those parts separately takes two nights of preparation. Of course, it does last a long time (at least 4 full meals for me and Nick) so it pays off but it was a project that wasn’t altogether too successful in my opinion.

I tried again. I must have forgotten what a chore it was last time because I went into this one with glee. I loved the new tomatillo salsa recipe I tried (double it and it makes enough to fill an applesauce jar and then some). The meat, however tender and tasty, wasn’t like Chipotle’s barbacoa. It’s okay; we still devoured it with friends, and when the desire comes again for Chipotle, it’s easy to satisfy since there are locations almost everywhere. In fact, I think my two failures make me like Chipotle even more…their food is THAT good. No one can seem to replicate it! 

Since I followed these recipes exactly, I'll just give you the direct links. I'd definitely make the salsa again and again...but the meat leaves something to be craved if you love Chipotle's version of barbacoa :) 

http://low-cholesterol.food.com/recipe/chipotle-grill-inspired-tomatillo-green-chili-salsa-431984

http://springsbargains.com/2010/02/chipotle-burrito-recipe/#ixzz1XOWcf6R6

Cajun Chicken Pot Pie

I love ramekins. I think they're my favorite kitchen toy because they give me enough reason to go on a quest for ramekin related recipes. These are usually sweet ones like chocolate cakes and butterscotch puddings and the like, but I have managed to make French Onion Soup and chicken pot pie in them as well. I'm not just about sweets.

This Cajun Chicken Pot was decent. I thought it tasted like the usual pot pie and not Cajun-y enough. It was slightly too salty, gelatinous and thick (not my favorite texture; it's why I didn't like peanut butter for so long), and not spicy enough. I would have preferred a soupier chicken pot pie but I don't think it would be called a pot pie in that case. It would be soup covered with puff pastry.

Speaking of which, I used Trader Joe's Puff Pastry because it is awesome and I swear it tastes just as good as homemade version and about 2000x faster to make.

There is it uncovered and naked. It's still a pretty healthy and hearty meal with loads of veggies so I can't complain too much about this recipe. It just didn't knock my socks off is all.

I was too lazy to cut the puff pastry into perfect circles that perfectly fit the ramekins but I also didn't want to waste any!

Cajun Chicken Pot Pie


Ingredients

• 5 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 3 celery stalks, diced
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 1-2 jalapeno peppers, minced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 cups shredded chicken
• 2 Tbsp Cajun seasoning
• Salt
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 1/2 cups of chicken stock 
• 1 cup diced tomatoes
• 1 package of Trader Joe's Puff Pastry (or pie dough), defrosted to room temperature 

Directions

1 Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large saucepan and sauté the onion, celery, green bell pepper and jalapeno, until they are soft. Add the garlic, chicken, Cajun seasoning, and salt. Cook for another minute.

2 Bring the stock to a boil in a small pot. Add the flower to the chicken and veggie mixture and mix well. Cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring often so that the flour doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan. Slowly pour in the hot stock while continuing to stir. If you like a more watery pot pie filling, add more water or stock (maybe 1/4 cup at a time). Add the tomatoes and cook until it's thickened or for another 5 minutes. Pour the filling into ramekins. 

3 Cover the ramekins with the defrosted puff pastry and press the pastry into the sides of the ramekin where possible. Bake in oven according to directions or box. I think I did it at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. 

Adapted from http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/cajun_turkey_pot_pie/

Fruity Flavors

I love when fruit and dessert get involved. I  made lemon ice cream, peach frozen yogurt, lemon bars, and blueberry muffins in one weekend. Yes, I have an obsessive personality and love doing things so it tends to get a little excessive around this kitchen all the time.

I also recently made Apricot Yogurt Scones that have been on my To Try list for ages. It's from The Kitchn, a website I follow dutifully for recipes tested by people like you and me (that is, non-professional chefs) that are usually simple and always delicious in a very homey way. These apricot yogurt scones sounded like they fit that homey bill.

They were tangy and delightful as can be. Great with a morning cup of tea and I just love aprivot chunks in my dessert. I made maple apricot cookies once that were chunky and yummy and these were quite similar. I used Trader Joe's Plain European Yogurt with whole milk and it definitely made an appearance in the final product.

Recipe done exactly as written at http://www.thekitchn.com/breakfast-recipe-apricot-yogur-143563
I skipped the icing because I was lazy and wanted to be able to taste the scones as they truly were. They were yum.

I think I might have reached a limit on blueberry muffins. Not a limit on how much I can eat but rather, a limit on how many new kinds I can make. The other day it took me 30 minutes to find a recipe online that I hadn't already made. This was of course limited to blogs that I have some trust in but that is not very limited (my baking blog roll is about 30 blogs long). This was slightly disconcerting but my troubles vanished as soon as I tried one of these, fresh out of the oven.

Orange Blueberry Muffins

2 cups all purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 cup butter, softened to room temperature 

1 cup sugar

1 large egg

Zest of one orange 

3/4 cup orange juice from the orange you just zested 

1 1/2 cups blueberries (I always use fresh) 

1 Preheat oven to 375

2 In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.

3 In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy with a hand mixer. Beat in the egg and orange zest until smooth. Stir in about half of the flour mixture, followed by the orange juice and then the rest of the flour mixture. Stir until just combined with wooden spoon. Fold in berries.

4 Fill muffin liners almost to the rim (if you like fluffy tops). 

5 Bake for 21-25 minutes

Recipe adapted from: http://bakingbites.com/2010/01/orange-blueberry-muffins/

Breakfast is Beautiful

Sigh. I love breakfast. I love eggs, milk, bacon, fruit, and pure maple syrup, which I try to incorporate into our morning routine as often as possible. One of the fastest ways to incorporate all of the above is to make pancakes or waffles and it's exactly how I justify eating them at least a few times a week. They really are just made of real, good ingredients anyways so it must be rather healthy (and to be honest, I really do believe that!).

Recently made the best pancakes and waffles I've ever made. I have been using a whole wheat pancake recipe from about.com for a while but decided to make these chocolate chip pancakes that changed my world. It tasted like a chocolate chip cookie in fluffy pancake form and even I loved the chocolate part of them because it played off the robustness of the whole wheat batter with its sweetness! 

These were wonderfully thick and fluffy (the batter is thick and does not run away from itself when you throw it in the pan) and reheated really well in the toaster oven (at 400 for 8 minutes) for two days after! 

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Pancakes

• 1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
• 2 Tbsp light brown sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk (I just put 1 1/2 T of apple cider vinegar into a measuring cup and filled with milk to the 1 1/2 cup line...I never have buttermilk at home) 
• 3 Tbsp canola oil
• chocolate chips

Directions

1  In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

2 In a large bowl, whisk together egg, buttermilk and oil. Stir in dry ingredients and mix until just blended (lumpy batter is good with waffles and pancakes). 

3 Heat large skillet or griddle and melt some butter in it (I usually do about 1/2 Tbsp per two batches of pancakes in the pan). Scoop batter into pan and spread into a circle and plop chocolate chips on top of the batter - as many as you like (I made heart shapes and smiley faces!). Cook over medium-low heat for about 1 to 2 minutes or until edges start to lift from the bottom of the pan and look a little brown. Flip and cook the other side for a minute or two. Enjoy with pure maple syrup! 

Adapted from http://www.recipegirl.com/2011/03/26/whole-wheat-chocolate-chip-pancakes/

The next recipe is my favorite waffle recipe of all time! I made it with white whole wheat flour frim Trader Joe's and loved the heartiness of the it (both flavor and texture wise)! But the outside is still crispy and the inside was still fluffy despite the heartiness. I loved the tart blueberries and ginger flavor (barely detectable unless you were looking for it) too. A nice departure from the yeast waffles I've made in the past and more prone to mass consumption than the candied brown sugar bacon ones. 

Note: This waffle was consumed with tons of blueberries and maple syrup on top but it might be possible to eat it without because it was so flavorful! 

Whole Wheat Blueberry Waffles

• 1 1/2 cup white whole wheat flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 3/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/2 cups regular milk
• 2 Tbsp  honey or light brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

Directions

1 In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and ginger. In a medium bowl, whisk together egg, milk, maple syrup, vanilla and oil. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and stir until smooth. The batter will be thick. Add in blueberries and stir until semi-evenly distributed. 

2 Warm up your waffle maker and add about 1/2-3/4 cup of batter to the waffle maker (you get better at eyeing it with each subsequent waffle). Eat hot! Or reheat in toaster oven over the next few days. 

Adapted from http://www.cookincanuck.com/2011/02/whole-wheat-waffles-with-blueberry/

My waffle maker is lovely and requires no non-stick spray. I got it here: 

http://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-WMR-CA-Round-Classic-Waffle/dp/B00006JKZN

Slowly Falling in Love with Chocolate

It is a well known fact that I am some bizarre species of female because I don't like chocolate. I admittedly love eating a hot brownie (especially a corner piece and with ice cream) and I occasionally spring at the opportunity to have a dense, melted chocolate drink for dessert but in general, I don't like chocolate. I hate chocolate chips and how they invade a chocolate chip cookie. I dislike chocolate in candy bar form. Sometimes I'll eat some with candied orange in it, but that's really to eat the candied orange :P

Lately, I've been making some crazy good chocolate brownie cookies for Nick, a new favorite dessert for him. They're thick and dense and bitter like a brownie but they have the portability of a cookie and taste good at room temperature for days, unlike brownies which I prefer fresh. These Hot Cocoa cookies fell in that new subcategory of brownie cookies and they were really fun to make as well!

I love crackly, dense, chewy cookies! And I love marshmallows (I will never pass up s'mores or rice krispies treats) so I was able to appreciate these cookies quite a bit. Yay for the maturation of my inner chocolate lover.

Hot Cocoa Cookies

• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 12 oz. chopped semisweet chocolate bars (I used the Trader Joe's Pound Plus dark chocolate bar) 
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I use Ghiradelli…please don't buy the Hershey's. You can't taste the difference and it's definitely worth the extra $1 to get Ghiradelli or any other brand) 
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 1/4 cups light brown sugar
• 3 eggs 
• 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 Melt butter and chocolate in a sauce pan over low heat. Set aside and let cool while you perform step 2 and 3.

2 Whisk together dry ingredients, including flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt

3 Beat together the brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract until just blended. Add the melted chocolate and butter mixture until just blended and then add the flour mixture in 2 batches, mixing on low speed (try not to over mix…stop as soon as it looks blended). Refrigerate the dough for at least 1 hour.

4 Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop the dough into your hand and form 1-inch diameter balls. Arrange about 16 balls 2 inches apart on each cookie sheet and flatten them slightly. Bake until the tops of the cookies crack, about 12 minutes.

5 While cookies are baking, brake apart a large bar of Hershey's chocolate into squares. Snip 8 marshmallows in half crosswise and stick 1 square of chocolate onto each of the cut sides.

6 Remove the cookie sheets from the oven and gently press a marshmallow half, chocolate side down, into each cookie. Bake until the marshmallows are just softened, about 4 minutes. Transfer the pans to racks to cool for 5 minutes.

7 Grate semisweet chocolate over the hot cookies with a micro grater. Let cool a little or just eat it while it's totally gooey!

Adapted from http://www.pipandebby.com/pip-ebby/2011/11/14/hot-cocoa-cookies.html

Here's another chocolate recipe I tried recently that I definitely did not like. It was flourless chocolate cake for Nick's birthday party. He made a special request and I was happy to oblige though I was a little nervous about partaking in the cake eating since I knew it would taste very chocolatey. Unfortunately, I couldn't finish my piece because it also tasted a bit dry and chalky to me. I'm not sure if that is a side effect of it's flourlessness or if it was a bad recipe of it was just too chocolatey for me (most likely the last theory). Nick loved this cake so if you're a big chocolate fan, go ahead and try it. Might make your day. :)

Flourless Chocolate Cake (from Gourmet Magazine)

• 4 oz dark or bittersweet chocolate, chopped into 1/2"ish pieces (again, I used Trader Joe's)
• 1/2 cup butter
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder 

1 Preheat oven to 375F. Line an 8-inch cake pan with parchment paper and lightly butter the pan and the top of the parchment paper. 

2 Melt the butter and chocolate in a saucepan over medium-low heat. 

3 Pour warm chocolate mixture into a medium mixing bowl with sugar. Whisk to combine. Beat in eggs one at a time, waiting until each has been fully incorporated to add the next, then mix in vanilla extract. Add cocoa powder and mix until just combined. 

4 Pour into the cake pan and bake for 25 minutes. 

5 Serve after it has cooled and keep stored in a container for the next few days if you don't eat it all at once. 

http://bakingbites.com/2011/04/classic-flourless-chocolate-cake/