arbofo

A recipe I found in the May ‘08 issue of Women’s Health Magazine (highly recommended for their healthy, tasty, easy recipes) made me feel like trying something new for dinner: Caribe Bean Salad.

The recipe happens to call for kale - this is something I’ve never cooked with before, so I didn’t really know what to look for when I was at the supermarket. Unfortunately, it turned out that the bunch I purchased was infested with pupae. BLEAH. Note to self: look a little closer next time (or at least get my fix from a farmer’s market, where they can tell me how to deal with it). But from what I salvaged, the recipe turned out pretty well.

Caribe Bean Salad (makes 2 servings)

• 1 TBSP olive oil
• 1 1/2 TSBP lime juice
• 1/2 tsp chili pepper
• 1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed & drained
• 1 cup chopped kale leaves
• 2 TBSP shredded carrot
• 2 TBSP chopped red onion

Combine ingredients into a mixing bowl, stir until ingredients are coated with dressing.

For dinner tonight, since a friend is coming over, I am making this: Pork Chops with Granny Smith Apples. YUM galore! I’ve made it a couple times- my mom says I should make this for a guy if I want to woo him (though the last guy I went out with was vegetarian, so I don’t think this would have done the trick).

Here’s my slightly dumbed down version of the recipe:

Pork Chops with Granny Smith Apples

• 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 4 6-ounce boneless pork loin chops
• 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 Tablespoon butter
• 2 small granny smith apples, halved
• 1/4 cup parsley, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 2 Tablespoons sparking wine/champagne (drink the rest with dinner)
• 2 Tablespoons coarse-grain mustard

1. Mix together flour, cumin, salt and pepper on a large plate. Lightly coat each piece of pork with the flour mixture - set aside.
2. In a small bowl, whisk the chicken broth and sparkling wine - set aside.
3. Heat the vegetable oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the apple halves with a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook the apples flat-side down for about 5 minutes or until golden brown. Remove, cover, set aside.
4. Place the pork in the skillet, sprinkle with the parsely, and cook until the meat is golden brown and crispy (4-5 minutes per side). Remove, cover, set aside.
5. Pour the broth mixture into the skillet, stirring and scraping up any brown bits. Cook until slightly thickened (about 1-2 minutes). Use this sauce to pour on pork and apples while serving.
6. Garnish with mustard, bon appétit!

P.S. Try mashed parsnips (cooked like mashed potatoes) on the side.

I’m thinking of baking banana bread today.  A friend is coming over for Easter dinner, and since she asked me for this recipe over a month ago, it’s the least I can do for making her wait, right?

By the way, this happens to be low fat and cholesterol-free. But lest you believe healthy = tastes like cardboard, no worries: this banana bread is as scrumptious as the rest of them.

Banana Bread

• 1 1/2 all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 2 slightly beaten egg whites (or: 1 egg)
• 1 cup mashed banana
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup cooking oil
• walnuts (optional)

1. In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt… stir it up.
2. In a larger owl, stir together egg whites, banana, sugar, and oil. Stir flour mixture into banana mixture until moistened. Add walnuts if desired.
3. Spray an 8×4x2″ loaf pan with nonstick spray. Dump the batter in, and then bake in a 350F oven for 45-50 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick/knife comes out clean.
4. Cool for 10 minutes. Makes approximately 16 servings.

Last week, my boss brought in these awesome chocolate guinness cupcakes- I don’t have the recipe yet, but here’s something similar (if not the same thing). YUM.

Which major corporation owns your favorite organic brand? [via BoingBoing - where else?]

I’ve got Leo Tolstoy’s “…families are all alike” quote stuck in my head, even though it doesn’t quite apply to the blog entry I’m about to write.

But families are all alike in that they tend to serve certain dishes over and over again. Maybe it’s an old recipe that has been passed down through the generations, or maybe it’s a particular kind of tv dinner- weary parents have to serve their kids something every night, so they turn to the reliable dishes that they could make blind folded, one arm tied behind their back.

Via my mom (and her mother), I’ve inherited a recipe for broccoli rice casserole, which proudly asserts cheez whiz as its principal ingredient. With my mom, I’ll also forever associate french toast, blueberry muffins, and her one-time favorite pizza, which was topped with sun-dried tomatoes and asiago cheese.

Bisquick pancakes, omelets, mac&cheese, and hamburgers- these were my dad’s most frequent dishes. But his dinner that stirs the most nostalgia within me is his pan-fried haddock, served with small potatoes and peas, topped off with a chunky egg sauce.

A couple weeks ago, I took a stab at replicating it, and failed miserably- so I emailed him for the particulars. Here is my edit what he sent me:

Chunky Egg Sauce (”White Roux”)

• 1-2 tablespoons butter
• 1 heaping tablespoon flour
• 2/3 to 1 cup flour
• Ground Pepper
• 1 boiled egg

Melt butter in a small sauce pan and stir in the flour till no lumps. Cook 2 mins on medium-low heat. Do not burn. Stirring with a spring whisk (or similar), add milk slowly. Keep stirring until you get a sauce consistency. Add a bit more milk to thin it. Add pepper to taste.   Chop up the hard boiled egg and stir into the sauce. Add milk if necessary.

Pan-Fried Haddock

• Fresh Haddock fillets (usually 1/2 a fillet = 1 serving)
• 1 egg
• 1 Tablespoon/dash of milk
• Bread crumbs, cracker crumbs, cornmeal, or flour
• Butter or Oil (to grease the pan)

Slice fillets into appropriate serving sizes. In a small bowl, blend egg and milk. On a plate, place a layer of bread crumbs (or whatever you’re using). Dip fillets into egg-milk blend, then coat with crumbs. Then place in a greased skillet, and cook until lightly browned on both sides.

Okay.  This?  Although nothing new (the energy and environmental costs of the meat supply is old news if you read TreeHugger), it makes me want to give vegetarianism another whirl.  I also need to finish Omnivore’s Dilemma.  My only caveat: Why does meat have to go so well with wine?

Moe over at Jezebel has a little more to say on the topic.

Sadly, I don’t have a picture that does these cookies justice, but the source of this recipe has a drool-worthy picture. Below is a modified version of the recipe- I had to improvise a bit, based on what I had in the kitchen:

• 1 to 1-1/2 cup canned pumpkin
• 1 cup white sugar*
• 1 stick of butter
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon*
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon milk
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract*
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

* go a bit generous on the measurement if you’re generous with the pumpkin.

Mix it all together, spoon onto greased cookie sheet (or just use parchment paper), then bake for 13-15 minutes or until lightly brown and firm.

My boss made these cookies for Valentine’s Day. They’re so good, so irresistible, I have to tap into my iron will to avoid hoarding them inside the depths of my desk drawer.

Chewy Chocolate-Ginger Cookies

7 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temp
1/2 cup dark-brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup unsulfured molasses
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp boiling water
1/4 cup granulated sugar

In a medium bowl sift together flour, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and cocoa.

In bowl of electric mixer, beat butter until whipped (about 4 minutes). Add brown sugar, beat until combined. Add molasses, beat until combined.

In a small bowl, dissolve baking soda in boiling water. Beat half of flour mixture into butter mixture. Beat in dissolved baking-soda, then remaining half of flour mixture. Mix in chocolate chips.

Turn dough out on to piece of wax paper. Pat dough to about 1 inch think, seal with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm (about 2 hours).

Heat oven to 325. Roll dough into 1 1/2 inch balls and place two inches apart on baking sheets. Do not press the balls down. Refrigerate 20 minutes.

Roll in granulated sugar. Bake until surfaces crack slightly, about 13 to 15 minutes.

No picture because guacamole’s not one of the more photogenic foods out there (especially this one, due to a strong tomato influence).  But don’t get me wrong- this version, from Women’s Health (I swear, a gift subscription from my mum!) totally tasty:

Spicy Guacamole

• 2 avocados
• 1/4 cup diced red onion
• 1/2 cup seeded and chopped tomato
• 1/2 a jalapeno, seeded and chopped
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
• Juice of one lime
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt (or to taste)

Mush it all together (I used my roommate’s food processor).