Saturday Morning Smoothie

I'm nearly through the first week of Phase 1 of the South Beach Diet, and am feeling great and doing well, but boy, am I tired of breakfasts! And, I love eggs. But I'm not a "I'll have the usual" gal, so I need a little variety. And, I'm really ready for a nice bowl of Scottish Oatmeal! 

But, anyway... on this sunny Saturday morning, I decided to experiment with the smoothie recipes in the South Beach Super Charged book, and came up with this yummy, vanilla/almond/maple smoothie to go with my coffee today. I loved it, the kids gave it a "thumbs down" and Joel was indifferent.  

To sweeten it, I used a new sugar-free maple syrup that I found at QFC this week. It's Nature's Hollow brand, sweetened with Xylitol, and is fantastic!

So, here's the recipe:

Maple Almond Smoothie
2 servings


1 container non-fat Oikos Greek Yogurt
1/2 cup vanilla-flavored, unsweetened almond milk (Blue Diamond)
3 Tbs. Nature's Hollow sugar-free maple syrup
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
about 1 cup ice


Blend all in blender and serve! 

Vegetable Moussaka

This makes four large, dinner-sized servings, and is delicious! It's adapted from The South Beach Diet Super Charged. I subbed kidney beans for canned lentils (didn't have lentils), added one more clove of garlic, and left out the chopped, fresh parsley (1/4 cup). I also subbed milk for the fat-free half-and-half (because I don't buy that - it's wrong!) and left out the nutmeg too. Serve this with a quick salad of diced fennel bulb, radish, cuke and a lemon/olive oil/S&P "dressing," and you're set!!

Veggie Moussaka (adapted from The South Beach Diet Super Charged)


1 large eggplant, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds (about 1.25 lbs)
2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 15-oz. can kidney beans, drained (but not rinsed) 
1 15-oz. can diced tomatoes with liquid
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
Fresh ground pepper
1/2 cup milk
2 large eggs
1/4 cup fresh-grated parmesan
1/8 tsp. nutmeg (I subbed cinnamon, because it's what I had)


Heat oven to 425-degrees F. 


Spray eggplant slices with cooking spray and bake on a cookie sheet, in a single layer, until softened, about 20-25 minutes, then reduce oven temp to 350-degrees F. 


While eggplant is baking, soften onion and garlic in EVOO in a med-hot pan. When translucent, add the beans, tomatoes and liquid, and seasonings. Simmer until thickened, about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

In a small bowl, beat the eggs, and add milk, 2 Tbs. cheese and the nutmeg (or cinnamon). Reserve remaining 2 Tbs. cheese for the top of moussaka. 


Spray an 8 x 8 pan with cooking spray and layer eggplant, tomato/bean mixture, alternately, twice, and top with a final layer of eggplant. Pour the egg/milk/cheese mixture on top, then sprinkle the last 2 Tbs. cheese over the top. 


Cover with foil, and bake for 20 minutes, then remove foil and bake another 10-15 minutes until golden on top. Let stand 10 minutes before serving warm. 

Pioneer Woman's Chicken Tortilla Soup

Cilantro. It's my very favorite herb ever. Deliciousness personified. 

And, I made some baked corn-tortilla strips to go with...

Pioneer Woman's recipe for Chicken Tortilla Soup

It's delicious, just the right amount of spicy, and I made a triple batch today! Some for my friend Gina, who is recovering from surgery, some for Trilogy (who just had a baby boy), and some for our own family, because if you're house smells this heavenly, there is no way that you can't keep some for yourself!

You can find the recipe right here. And, it is easy, easy, easy to whip up. The hardest part is the shopping! Enjoy!!

It's Girl Scout Cookie Time!!

Next week I'm going to help with inventory for our Service Unit's cookies. Our Girl Scout Service Unit ordered 27,000 boxes, and I really want to see what that many cookies looks like! We deliver pre-ordered cookies next week, and start grocery-store sales on March 2nd (through 3/18).

And, if you happen to be on a gluten-free diet, I tested recipes last year, and finally found a winner right here. Seriously, I made these with my Christmas cookies and was hounded for the recipe. It's the only one I found that used real ingredients (butter, not shortening and sugar instead of xylitol, etc.) and the texture and flavor are fantastic! I adapted the printable recipe from Becks' Delish blog, but other than that, didn't change much. You can get peppermint oil from your local cake-decorating or candy-supply shop.

Amazing Gluten Free Girl Scout Thin Mint Cookies from Delish
from http://delicioushouse.blogspot.com

makes 3 dozen cookies
Active time: 30 minutes

Please keep the following two rules in mind:

1. USE GOOD CHOCOLATE.
2. Mint flavoring and peppermint oil are NOT the same thing. You MUST use peppermint oil (available at your local cake- or candy-supply shop), because mint extract/flavoring contains alcohol and water which will seize up (totally ruin) chocolate.

INGREDIENTS
2/3 cup brown rice flour
2/3 cup sweet rice flour
4 tbs cocoa powder
2 tbs corn starch
1 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup butter (1 stick), room temperature
1 cup + 1/4 sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp peppermint oil (type used in candy making)
1 egg

1 lb good-quality semi-sweet chocolate (or milk chocolate if you prefer it)
1 tsp peppermint oil

First, mix together your dry ingredients - the brown and sweet rice flours, cocoa powder, corn starch, and baking powder.  Then, beat butter on high (with a mixer) until pale and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add in sugar, and beat on high until smooth, another 2 minutes (this aerates the dough and keeps it from getting too heavy). Add egg, vanilla extract, and mint extract, and continue to beat until egg is incorporated, and batter is light and smooth, 2-4 minutes. Then, with mixer on low, add in flour mixture until just combined. You can even stop the mixer once large crumbs form, and mix the last bit by hand with a spatula. You don't want to over mix, or the dough will become too heavy. Dough should be soft and pliable. Remove dough from mixer bowl and place on a piece of wax paper, form into a log about 1" thick, and roll it up in the wax paper. Set in freezer for 1-2 hours, until dough is very firm.

When you’re ready to bake…  Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Pull your dough out of the freezer, and cut it into thin slices - no more than 1/4 on an inch thick. Line a cookie pan with parchment paper. Bake for 12 - 15 minutes. Cookies should be crunchy, but not burned.

Get out your fancy chocolate.  Melt the chocolate in the microwave in 30 second increments, until it's smooth, stirring between sessions. Add 1 tsp. peppermint oil (NOT mint extract. Mint extract will make chocolate seize and get hard).  Now place a cookie in the chocolate, and gently turn the cookie over so it is coated with chocolate.  Pick the cookie back up with a fork, and gently tap the fork against the side of the bowl, so any excess chocolate dribbles back into the bowl. Place cookies onto parchment paper, and let dry (you can refrigerate them or freeze them to help the chocolate set faster).

Happy Love Day!

Heart-shaped orange-glazed cinnamon rolls and strawberry milk for a quick Valentine's breakfast before school... Happy Love Day!!

'Tis True... Simple and Delicious!

I found this recipe on The Sweet Adventures of Sugar Belle, and decided to give them a try on the last day of Snow Week (a whole week of Snow Days off of school)... I had all the ingredients, and these looked fun and easy. Sugarbelle advertised these as the "easiest cookies you'll ever make," and she was spot on! What I hadn't imagined was how fantastic they'd be. They're crisp on the outside, light and chocolatey, tender on the inside... and the sprinkles? Fun! I'm wondering how they'd be with a white or vanilla cake mix and cinnamon, then rolled in cinnamon sugar — Snickerdoodle-style... tasty, I imagine. I look forward to experimenting!

If you've not read her blog before, Sugarbelle's blog is amazing, and her cookies are pure art (and her recipes are the best I've tried). And, clearly, she's brilliant, since she makes these easy cake-mix cookies for school parties instead of taking her works of art to class!

So, here's the recipe... and, I only ended up with 28 cookies (she got 30).

Easy Cake Mix Cookies 
(adapted a tiny bit from The Sweet Adventures of Sugar Belle)


1 box Devil's Food Cake Mix (she used Duncan Hines, the exact brand I had)
2 eggs
2 Tbs. flour
1 stick butter (softened)
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract (this gave them a slight chocolate-cherry hint - quite good - next time I'd go swap the vanilla and almond amounts)


Mix together in a bowl (I mixed them by hand - literally, with my hand), and use your handy cookie scoop (or make about 1-inch balls) and roll in fun sprinkles. Bake at 350-degrees F for about 11 minutes (I baked them right on my cookie sheets - ungreased - without parchment, and let cool on cookie sheets before removing to cooling rack. Enjoy! 

Wordless Wednesday: Creamsicle Snow Cream

http://katrinacooks.blogspot.com/search?q=snow+cream

Bûche de Noël 2012

I've been meaning to try the flour-less chocolate cake roll from Smitten Kitchen since I spotted it on Deb's blog, then I decided that it would be perfect for our annual Bûche de Noël. We've been doing them for about five years now, and the kids love to help (especially with the candy decorating...) 

The verdict? This "Heavenly Chocolate Roll" is divine – rich chocolate that's light as air, delicious cream filling with just the right amount of sweetness. Really nice, much less rich than other recipes from year's past, and it turned out looking like a pretty log without any frosting at all! 

Enjoy! 

Heavenly Chocolate Roll 

(adapted slightly from Smitten Kitchen)

1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
3 Tbs. hot water
6 large eggs, at room temperature, separated
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. salt

Spray parchment-lined jelly-roll pan with baking spray, preheat oven to 350-degrees F. Melt the chips in the microwave on 1/2-power for about 90 seconds, stir, 30 seconds more with hot water, stir and let sit to cool slightly. Beat egg yolks until pale and creamy, then slowly add in sugar and keep beating until "pale and ribbony." Eventually, add the melted, cooled chocolate. 

Meanwhile, beat the 6 egg whites with the salt until stiff peaks form, then add 1/4 into the yolk/chocolate mixture. When combined, fold the rest of the whites into the yolk/chocolate mixture, then pour into prepared pan. Bake for 15-17 mins. until soft and dry, but pick comes out clean. May seem undercooked. 

Remove from oven to cooling rack (in pan) and cover with a damp towel (I sprinkled mine with 360-degree Double Chocolate vodka), and let cool 10 mins. Remove towel and sprinkle with:

1 Tbs. unsweetened cocoa powder (sift over the cake), cover with towel and flip over, then sift another 

1 Tbs. unsweetened cocoa over the other side 

Then, use the towel (re-sprinkled with water or vanilla or... Double Chocolate vodka) to roll the cake up. I rolled it lengthwise to get a longer, thinner roll, but rolling from the short side would be excellent with this recipe). Let cool (rolled up in the towel) until you're ready to fill.  

Filling: 

1 c. whipping cream
3-4 Tbs. powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla

1 Tbs. Double Chocolate vodka

Beat all ingredients until it holds stiff peaks.

Carefully transfer the cooled roll to a serving plate, fill with cream and decorate festively! Happy New Year!! 

What's For Dinner?

An amazing recipe from Joy, and I only changed it a little... added a little more oil and brown sugar since I was adding more chicken than she uses, and I used chicken thighs instead of breasts. My mom recently used this marinade on pork and says it was fantastic!


Joy's (slightly altered) Rosemary Grilled Chicken


2 Tbs  stone ground, whole grain or Dijon mustard (preferably Plochman's) 
1/4 c. coarsely chopped fresh rosemary
1/4 c. fresh-squeezed lemon juice
2 Tbs dark brown sugar
1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp fresh-ground black pepper
10 chicken thighs


In a large mixing bowl, stir together the mustard, chopped rosemary, lemon juice, brown sugar, olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper. Toss the chicken pieces in this marinade until thoroughly coated. Refrigerate covered for 1 to 2 hours. Grill or bake the chicken in the marinade (baked lends more juiciness and extra sauce for rice or potatoes - or bread-mopping). Cook 10 to 15 minutes per side.


Servings: 6-8


Preparation Time: 2 hours
Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Wordless Wednesday: Of Mice and Men...

*Nearly wordless... I tinted the dough for the mice to be light brown this year, tinted the crowns gold and rolled yellow colored-sugar into them before cutting out. We did white cotton-candy (strawberry flavored) or white & pink non-pareils for the Santa beards since Joy is allergic to coconut, and most of the kids don't like it anyway.

Wordless Wednesday: Save A Turkey... Eat More Cupcakes!

Choose Your Adventure...

Remember those great "Choose Your Adventure" stories from the 80's? I loved those books as a kid. I also adore recipes that are flexible that way, and this one is; my friend Jamie made this for my bridal shower (back in 1995), and we've made it countless times since. It shares a name with a yummy dessert, but this Mississippi Sin is a savory (and delicious) appetizer.

Go forth and create!

Jamie's Mississippi Sin Dip

2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

1 - 8 oz. brick of softened cream cheese

1.5 c. sour cream

1/2 c. chopped, cooked ham

1 can chopped green chilis (mild, medium or hot - your choice)

1/3 c. chopped green onions

1/4 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

Round loaf of sourdough or french bread

Additional bread, crackers, etc. to serve

Set the bread round aside, and combine all other ingredients in a bowl. To prep bread, slice the top off of the loaf, and hollow out the inside to make a bread bowl (leave 1/2-inch edge). Cut up remaining bread "insides" for serving. Next, fill the bread-bowl with dip, replace top, wrap in foil and bake at 350-degrees F for 1 hour.

* You can go with "light" on the sour cream and cream cheese, but don't go non-fat. Just don't do it. Non-fat cream cheese and cheese are just wrong; they are alien-like substances that should not be ingested. Ever.

** If you double the recipe (a good plan), you can bake the extra 1/2 of the dip in a covered casserole to refill the bread bowl with during your event.

*** Instead of ham, chilis and green onions, I've tried these variations with success:

• Artichoke hearts, green onions, garlic (fresh tomatoes stirred in when taken out to serve)
• Smoked salmon, minced fresh jalapeno, and replace cheddar with white cheddar
• Chopped chicken, red onion, jalapeno, replace cheddar with jack cheese (cilantro and mango stirred in at the end)
• Chopped up (cooked) Shrimp Scampi (frozen-box from Costco), plus fresh chives tossed in at the end.
• Feel free to add whatever you think would be tasty!

Use It Up!

Leftover Halloween candy? Candy "buy-back?" Make Halloween Bark... Ours was 1/2 a package of Trader Joe's Halloween Joe Joes (crunched up), one small bag of Halloween pretzels, about a 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts, and about 6 mini (assorted) chocolate mini candies, plus mini bags of M&M Peanut and regular. Spread in a 9/13 pan (sprayed, or lined with parchment.

Then, melt 1 bag of Ghiradelli white chocolate chips and one bag of Wilton white Candy Melts, and pour over the candy/cookie/nut mix. Then, chop another handful of Halloween-sized treats (more M&M's, Three Musketeers, Snickers, etc.), and sprinkle over the top with a healthy amount of pepitas thrown in for good measure (and protein + saltiness), and you get...
Halloween Bark! Cut into pieces, package, and give to your friends!! Happy Fall. Ours made five sandwich-sized bags full.

Sweet, Beautiful Gnocchi - My Nonna would be proud...

So, I'm on a mission to make homemade gnocchi sometime before the end of this month. I've even talked to a girlfriend about doing it together one weekend afternoon... and, I've found the perfect sauce to go with it. Ragu. No, not the kind in a jar, but the real ragu. I recently watched a late-night Channel 9 "Create" cooking show hosted by Nick Stellino, featuring Seattle's Jason Wilson, of Crush fame. They did his Pork Ragu with gremolata, and it looked amazing.

I was recalling the ingredients at the grocery the next day, and missed a few, so made the recipe my own, and it was fantastic. Especially with the packaged gnocchi from Trader Joe's.

I did a lot of things differently, including using a fantastic white wine in place of the red... and carrots instead of fennel and leeks, spicy peppers and green olives. I went with what I had — sweet onion, diced; celery and carrot, diced (all from Yakima Fruit Market); pork shoulder, sliced fresh garlic, white wine, chopped canned tomatoes... and the gremolata was Italian parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic and Spanish olive oil. Fantastic.

You'll have to trust me that it was phenomenal - the photo is terrible, but I plan to try it again this week!

Ragu

4 pounds fresh pork shoulder large-chopped

1/2 c Spanish olive oil

sea salt and Johnny's seasoning (bad, I know)

1/2 large sweet onion, small dice

3 medium stalks celery, small dice

2 medium carrots, small dice

2 stalks celery, cut into small dice

6 cloves garlic, sliced

1 c Portugese white wine

1 quart canned chopped tomatoes

Gremolata

Italian parsley, chopped fine (about 1/2 cup)

Garlic cloves, chopped fine (about 6 cloves)

juice and zest of one large lemon

Spanish Olive Oil (until it looks right)

Gnocchi package from Trader Joes (with red label)

And, we did some ginger cut-outs with Elsa when she came for a sleepover on Thursday last week. Love the fun decorations!!

First Bentos...

Fairly uninspired for me, but I'm short on time, and it's what they like at the moment, so...