Apple Chips

I can't think of a more quintessentially "fall" snack than apple chips.  I love fresh, in-season apples eaten out of hand (or sliced with peanut butter -- best snack EVER) just as much as the next person, but sometimes, you want a crispy-crunchy snack, instead of a crispy-juicy snack, right?  And sometimes you pick WAY too many apples at the orchard, and need ideas for how to preserve your bounty, right?  Also sometimes, you forget about an apple or two in your crisper drawer, and they grow a little mealy and soft, right?  Apple chips for the win!

I have seen bags of apple chips available at the store for what appears to be a ridiculous amount of money.  How much does an apple or two cost, in comparison?  Another one of those situations where it just seems smarter to make this snack yourself -- vastly less expensive, and you get to control the ingredients!  This would definitely fall into the "Sunday afternoon projects" category -- these beauties take a couple hours in the oven, but it's absolutely worth the time, in my opinion.  (Plus, almost all of that time is inactive time -- just slice, spice, and pop 'em in the oven!)  P.S. Your house will smell incredible while these are baking.

I made my first batch of apple chips a few weekends ago, and they kept beautifully in a zip-top plastic bag for quite a while ... not that they lasted that long, though!

Pick up a couple extra apples at the store or farmer's market this week, and make your own apple chips!

Apple Chips

2 to 4 servings

Ingredients:

2 large apples

ground spices -- cinnamon would be classic, or you could choose a pumpkin pie spice, apple pie spice, Penzey's Baking Spice or Cake Spice, or chai spice blend (recipe to follow)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit.  Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. Wash and slice the apples 1/8-inch thick.  (Use a mandoline if you have one!)  Pick out any seeds, and arrange the apples on the baking sheets.  Lightly sprinkle the apples with your spice/blend of choice.

3. Bake the apples for one hour and 15 minutes.  Flip the apples, rotate the pans, and continue baking until the apples are dry and crisp, about another hour and 15 minutes.

4. Store your apple chips in a zip-top plastic bag or airtight container.

Chai Spice Blend

Ingredients:

2 1/2 tsp ground ginger

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground cardamom

1 tsp ground allspice

1 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/8 tsp ground black pepper

Directions:

Combine all of the spices in a small bowl.  Transfer to a clean spice jar with a shaker-top.  Sprinkle on apple chips, oatmeal, yogurt, hot cocoa, a latte ... or add to fall muffin or quick bread recipes in place of or in addition to cinnamon or other warm spices (this would pair beautifully with pumpkin breads, zucchini breads, banana breads, apple muffins or cakes, etc!)

Apple-Fennel Salad with Walnut Vinaigrette

It's spring!  Well, not really . . . it's still sort of winterish in Minnesota.  Truthfully, I feel like I need to qualify this time of year as "early spring" -- the days are getting longer and the weather is slightly warmer, but you still need to check the weather every single day to figure out how to dress.  Some days, you need your wool coat, some days you need a fleece, some days you need an umbrella, most days you still need a hat and mittens.  It snowed last week, today it's going to be 60 degrees outside.  You know . . . THAT time of year.  :)

Regardless of the weather, the increased sunlight makes me feel lighter -- and consequently, I want to eat a lot lighter, too!  Planning for big lunch-sized salads a few times per week helps ease the transition, and this week's salad was beautiful and light, but still hearty enough to get me through my afternoon.

Apple-Fennel Salad with Walnut Vinaigrette

Serves 1, with plenty of leftover dressing

For the Vinaigrette:
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 clove garlic
1/2 small shallot
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
3 tbsp white-wine -or- champagne vinegar
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/4 c olive oil
1/4 c walnut oil
2-4 tbsp fennel fronds (optional)

For the Salad:
your favorite lettuces/salad greens (about 2 cups)
1/2 c thinly-sliced fennel
1/4 c sliced celery
1/2 an apple, chopped or sliced
1 oz walnuts, toasted and chopped
1 oz blue cheese, crumbled

Directions:
1. Make the vinaigrette: combine all of the vinaigrette ingredients in a wide-mouthed pint mason jar, (or really any wide-mouthed jar -- old salsa and peanut butter jars work fabulously for dressings,) and whiz with a stick blender until creamy.  Alternately, you could use a regular blender and transfer to a jar or bottle after blending, or finely mince the garlic and shallot by hand, then whisk the ingredients together in a bowl until emulsified.
2. Assemble the salad: layer your greens, fennel, celery, and apple on a plate or in a large salad bowl. Drizzle about 1 tbsp of the vinaigrette over your salad, or more or less to taste.  (I find that a little goes a long way with most dressings!)  Top with walnuts and blue cheese.

I love the crispy, crunchy, creamy, nutty, sweet, sour, and bitter balance happening in this salad -- there's a LOT of flavor going on, but the flavors all compliment each other beautifully.  This is also pretty filling, given the protein in the walnuts and cheese, all of the fiber-rich veggies, and the healthy fats in the walnuts and dressing.  Definitely a lunch to look forward to!

What is your favorite meal-sized salad flavor combination?

400-calorie dinners (ii)

Two more all-star recipes to add to the 400-calorie dinner collection this week:

Falafel-Stuffed Eggplant:

I bookmarked this recipe ages ago . . . what took me so long to try this?  Light yet filling, with a welcome burst of summery flavors to brighten up the bitterest of cold winter days.  (I can imagine how much tastier this would be when everything was actually in season!)  I did modify the recipe slightly, adding the eggplant pulp to the filling, instead of "reserving for another use."  (Huh?  What on earth would anyone do with just around a cup of eggplant goo?  Hm.)  352 calories, loaded with fiber, protein, A, C, calcium, and impressively high in iron.  John claimed he wasn't all that hungry prior to dinner this evening, but managed to gobble up his portion just fine.  Must have been good!

Sauerkraut & Sausage Casserole:

This dish is as warm and cozy as the previous was bright and summery.  (Hey . . . I crave variety!)  After making my own vegetarian kielbasa, this dish was a snap to prepare, and I love the combination of tangy, salty kraut, (homegrown, home-cultured, and home-canned at our house!), savory faux sausage, sweet onions and apples, and tender-crispy potatoes.  A bargain dinner at 297 calories, packed with protein and loaded with vitamin C, there's definitely room for a chunk of dark rye with butter alongside this entree, or alternately . . .

Dessert!

German Honey Cookies:

If you enjoy simple yet surprising sweets, this is a cookie you MUST try.  There is enough honey in the dough to be clearly present in the baked cookie, yet the copious amount of vanilla and ground ginger sneak in and hang out in the background.  The cookies are sweet but not cloyingly so, buttery without being overly rich, and friendly to the healthy eating plan at 97 calories each.  I made a few modifications to the original recipe, following a more traditional method of creaming the butter and sugar together by hand, then stirring in the honey, egg, and vanilla, before finally adding the dry ingredients, and I also subbed in half whole-wheat pastry flour for some of the all-purpose.  This is only the second time I've made these, but I much prefer this batch -- my first attempt (years ago) was soft, pillowy, and almost cake-like using the technique in the recipe; this batch is soft, toothsomely chewy, and dense -- a perfect cookie texture, in my opinion.  (P.S. watch 'em like hawks, and pull them out of the oven JUST as they begin to brown and are completely set -- over-baking these beauties turns them tooth-breakingly crispy in a heartbeat.  Or, if you like crispy cookies, by all means, over-bake away!  I bet they would make great dunkers, in that case.)  Someday, I'll try these with fresh ginger in lieu of the ground, and likely achieve cookie nirvana.  :)

Lately I've been . . .

Watching . . .
"Stranger than Fiction."  While John and I don't watch TV, we do enjoy a movie occasionally, often over the weekend.  Blockbuster's within walking distance of the apartment, and this was John's pick this week.  Cute.  Loved Maggie Gyllenhaal and Emma Thompson.

Eating . . . 

Homemade apple crisp . . .

Tofu Steak with Miso and Ginger, carrots glazed with honey and lemon, and brown rice . . .

Whole-wheat spaghetti with homemade mushroom marinara and Nate's Meatless Meatballs . . .

Planning . . . 
On moving in a couple of weeks!  John and I decided until after our wedding to "officially" move in together, as we had so much else to do to get ready for the wedding.  So, in a couple of weeks, I'll be calling Saint Paul home.

Reading . . . 
The latest issue of Mother Earth News.  We just started subscribing to this magazine, and seriously, it's like someone went inside my head, tallied up all of the things I'm interested in, and wrote a magazine about them.  Lucky me!

Inspired By . . . 
Three-year-olds.  They drive me completely bonkers most days, but then they say things like, "Teacher Catherine, I missed you when you were on your moneymoon."

Excited About . . . 
Our garden this summer.  We're going to till up the whole backyard and grow as much food as we can! I'm going to get heavily into preserving this year -- canning and freezing for sure, and maybe some drying.  Those of you that grow a lot of your own food, what would you recommend?

So tell me, what have you been up to?

weekend eats wrap-up

 

John and I have had an incredibly busy, but incredibly fun weekend -- Farmer's Market, window shopping at Mother Earth Gardens, a quick browse at the CSA Fair at the Seward Co-op, cooking with the first local veggies of the season, some work, homework, and chores, (hey, we can't have fun ALL of the time,) a hike at Afton State Park, an ice cream cone and some exploring in downtown Afton, and tonight, a pizza on it's way from Galactic. (We're pooped!)

I did manage a little cooking and baking this weekend, in-between all of the fun!

Tempeh reubens, with a side of Magic Kale Salad

Oatmeal Apple Muffins:

And JIF Irresistible Peanut Butter Cookies, with chocolate chips:

Time to make a salad . . . the pizza should arrive momentarily!

inspired by kale

It's kind of funny, what inspires meals in my brain. Reading about Mama Pea's Magic Kale Salad made me want to make a mountain of the stuff, (and it was as good as I imagined,) accompanied by veggie burgers and sweet potato fries. So, that became Sunday lunch:

Kale salad, sweet potato waffle fries from frozen, and Melody's All-American Burgers on whole-wheat buns, with swiss, mayo, lettuce, and tomato. Even though lunch is typically my biggest meal, this was too much food for me! (Probably because I had a slice of apple pie about 45 minutes before lunch??)

I'm loving kale raw more and more these days -- I think it has better flavor (and texture) than cabbage in raw "slaws," and, well, it just makes for a gorgeous raw salad! Magic Kale Salad will become a staple, I'm certain, (I love love love the combination of the tangy dressing, bitter greens, rich pistachios, and sweet apples,) and Kale Slaw with Peanut Dressing also makes me swoon. Any suggestions for new kale salads to add to my repertoire?

John's pie

Friday night, John and I were wandering through Byerly's, trying to figure out what we were going to make for dinner. (We settled on bruschetta and quiche, not necessarily related, but both tasty! And no photos, sorry!) John noticed that Friday is "pie day" at Byerly's, and half-pies were on sale. I managed to convince John NOT to buy a grocery store pie, in favor of homemade pie the following day. :)

Here's John's pie:

I used my great-grandma's recipe for piecrust, using a little bit more butter than shortening, and it turned out FABULOUSLY. Granny Smith apple filling, with plenty of cinnamon and nutmeg. Mmmmm. Must have been good, as there is only ONE piece left. And I made the pie on Saturday morning! :) Do you think I have enough willpower to save the last piece for the next time I see John? I'm not sure . . . !

And a couple more meals from the weekend --

Chili!

We went ice skating on Saturday evening, and chili was the perfect post-skate, warming dinner. I have really been digging my "basic" recipe of late, containing little more than onion, garlic, bell pepper, minced mushrooms, chili powder, cumin, salt, diced tomatoes, beans, vegetable broth (or water,) and hot sauce. Plenty of toppings this time, including pepper jack, cilantro, green onions, and sour cream. (Chips and guac on the side, not pictured!)

And Pad Thai!

I augmented the recipe for "Brooklyn Pad Thai" from Vegan with a Vengeance by adding some shredded cabbage (and cutting back a wee bit on the noodles,) a couple scrambled eggs, and extra peanuts. Spicy-sweet-salty-tangy and delicious! I love Thai food.

Friday night pizza!

Team effort on dinner last night - I made the "veggie supreme," John made a much more creative pizza with caramelized onions, artichokes, apple, and Brie.
Leftover pizza for breakfast? Indeed. :)

one cannot live on eggs alone

I'm back! After a couple of long bus rides, (and a lot of nose-blowing . . . traveling with a massive head cold isn't much fun, let me tell you,) and some quality time spent with grandpa in the middle, it's good to be home. :)

John picked me up from the bus on Monday afternoon; by dinnertime, we were both massively hungry, but I was so sick and tired and cranky that I couldn't come up with anything that possibly resembled dinner. And I needed to hit the store . . . desperately. John's suggestion? "I'll make eggs."

There we go. Dinner/breakfast is served. :)

And, since one cannot live on eggs alone . . .

"French Lentil Soup with Tarragon and Thyme," from Veganomicon:

I stuck pretty tight to the recipe this time around, although I didn't use all French green lentils, as I wanted to use up the mixture of lentils I had on hand. So . . . the soup has a blend of green, brown, and red lentils -- and what an amazing soup this turned out to be! I also cut back on the salt a bit, as I thought it would probably be too salty as writ. (I think I was right, at least for my palate!)

I was due another baking project -- Apple-Molasses Spice Cake:

I cannot say enough good things about this cake . . . moist, flavorful, intensely-spiced, warm, and just plain cozy. A perfect "ordinary" dessert, in my opinion!

Last, rice bowls with peanut sauce:

This is one of those amazingly-tasty, super-healthy dinners that come together in seconds if all of the ingredients are prepped ahead of time. I cooked up a bunch of brown rice, fried up some tofu, prepped a bunch of veggies, and made a batch of peanut sauce from Vegan with a Vengeance. Ta-da! Pile it all in a bowl, re-warm (or not, if that's your thing,) and dig in. Mmmmmmm. Peanut sauce is the BEST.

Ridiculous Eggs

I've been hinting at something . . . and here it is: I've found myself someone to cook breakfast for. :) Er, should I say, he cooks breakfast for me? John doesn't do much cooking to speak of these days, but he is a vegetarian, (which, oddly, is pleasantly refreshing -- I never thought it was a big deal, but it kind of is, I'm starting to realize), appreciates amazing and healthy food, and is awesome at making a few key things; eggs are one of his specialties. John makes what I have come to think of as "Ridiculous Eggs," not ridiculous in the "causing or worthy of ridicule" definition of the word, but rather, ridiculous in their absurd excess.

See?

Saturday morning's breakfast: Ridiculous Eggs with onion, garlic, shallot, spinach, feta, and tomato. Pumpernickel toast with homemade strawberry jam on the side.

And, Sunday morning's breakfast:

More Ridiculous Eggs, this time with onion, spinach, tomato, avocado, parsley, cream cheese, mozzarella, and cumin. Mmm. I am pro-cumin in eggs, let me tell you! More toast with homemade strawberry jam on the side, but this jam was made by John's three-year-old cousin. I think she might have something on me in the jam-making department!

Even though part of me would like to try to eat eggs three meals a day, I know it would be a bad idea, ultimately. :) Dinners from the weekend:

Masaman curry, with tofu, red bell pepper, sweet potato, broccoli, mushrooms, and onions, all over short-grain brown rice.

A simple, yet delicious, pasta and salad dinner:

I sauteed a bunch of garlic in a bunch of olive oil, added some dried tomatoes, kalamata olives, and artichokes, and tossed the lot with hot pasta, parsley, parmesan, and goat cheese. This was kind of made up on the spot, and pretty damn awesome. Definitely worth repeating again in the future. :)

And, a giant salad for Sunday night:

Mixed greens topped with apples, fennel, walnuts, buttermilk blue cheese, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil. A wedge of Wedge focaccia on the side. A delicious and reasonably healthy way to end the weekend!

And, don't forget dessert . . .

Lemon bars! We managed to take down the entire pan over the course of the weekend . . . ha!

read the recipe

Last night, I decided the best possible thing I could do with my evening was bake something -- hell yes! (Really, when is it not time to bake?) I had a few baking apples lingering in my fridge from a Halloween trip to a pumpkin patch/apple orchard, and really thought that I better use them up, quick-like! This recipe for Apple-Molasses Spice Cake had caught my eye ages ago, and it sounded like the perfect early-winter dessert.

This cake is INCREDIBLE! Imagine a moist, light, sweet-but-not-too-sweet gingerbread, studded with bits of slightly tart apple throughout -- a lovely, rustic dessert, but also an excellent breakfast. :) I might even try this one again with whole-wheat flour, as I think the cake is so flavorful and light, one would hardly notice the flour swap.

A note of caution, though -- always READ THE ENTIRE RECIPE before starting! The recipe calls for a half-cup of water added to the cake batter, which was NOT listed in the ingredients, (shame on you, Real Simple!), and I had proceeded with the recipe without the water, surprised by how stiff the batter was, popping the cake in the oven before reading, yelping "oh no!", ripping the cake back out of the oven, adding the water, and returning it to the oven. :) No harm done in the end, but it would have been smart to have read through the full recipe first! (Shame on me, too! We'll say it's a 50/50 blame this time.) ;)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Do you know what's awesome about making Thanksgiving dinner just for yourself? You don't have to make anything you don't really care for, and can focus on creating your "ideal" meal. :) Every cook should make Thanksgiving dinner just for him/herself at least once, even if it's not actually Thanksgiving!

This year, here's what I wanted on my plate of plenty:

Clockwise from the top: "Chickpea Cutlets" and "Mustard Sauce," both from Veganomicon, Caramelized Onion and Herb Stuffing, Double Cranberry Chutney, a Hasselback Sweet Potato, and roasted brussels sprouts.

I did discover, however, the best part about a solo Thanksgiving -- if you don't overeat and actually save room for pie, you don't have to wait for everyone else to digest before you can eat pie! (Some years, I feel like that lag time is going to make me crazy! I like pie so damn much, it's hard, being polite!)


I love pie.

:)

another gift of produce

The same evening my friend Dora gifted me a celery root, my friend Courtney gifted me a pie pumpkin! Tonight, it was time to use produce gift #2 . . . and I just couldn't help myself. I made more soup. :)

(I had someone tell me recently that, in their experience, vegetarians only eat soups and salads. Well, while we all know that's not true, I guess my blog is reinforcing the incorrect theory! Too bad. I love soup!)

Here it is -- a curried pumpkin and apple soup:

I loosely based my soup on this recipe, but made many, many changes. Here's my version:

Toss together:
1 pie pumpkin, seeded, peeled, and chopped roughly
2 large apples, cored and sliced into 8ths
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp curry powder
salt and pepper

Roast the pumpkin and apples at 450 for about 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes.

Warm:
2 cups vegetable broth
1 1/2 to 2 cups unsweetened, unflavored almond milk

Add the pumpkin to the broth/milk mixture, and puree. Finish with a capful of apple cider vinegar, more salt (if needed,) and a sprinkling of roasted cashews!

I also made some Honey Oat Quick Bread, to accompany my soup:

I actually followed a recipe for once! Well, except that I'm out of all-purpose flour, so I just used all whole-wheat pastry flour this time. (And I used a little less flour, since whole wheat tends to soak up more moisture.)

Now, here's the amazing part -- I had absolutely everything on hand for this meal, except for the cashews! Props to me for my well-stocked pantry. :)

Sunday nights are made for baking

Wouldn't you agree? :)

Always simple, always delicious, apple crisp:

I love that I make fruit crisps often enough that I have the recipe memorized . . . no need to pull out that hefty behemoth that is Joy of Cooking, just to make a humble dessert. :)

In other news, does anyone else hate the Daylight Savings switch as much as I do? It feels like it should be SO much later than 7:20 right now! (Probably because I woke up at 4:50 AM this morning, because my body thought it was 5:50 AM! GRRR.)

Sometimes being on a predictable schedule has its drawbacks.

Saturday night baking

Sometimes, staying home on a Saturday night to do laundry and bake can be a very good thing:


APPLE OAT MUFFINS
makes 12

COMBINE:
1 egg
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup non-fat Greek yogurt
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup oil
2 large apples, shredded and lightly squeezed if very juicy :)

COMBINE, THEN FOLD INTO ABOVE:
1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1 cup rolled oats
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp each cinnamon, Penzey's Baking Spice, and Penzey's Cake Spice (or any combo of warm spices you like)
1 tsp salt (UPDATE: I found the muffins almost too salty, although my friends who I shared with did not. I'd cut down to 1/2 tsp next time -- just saying!)

Bake muffins at 400 for about 20 minutes.

I'm totally looking forward to breaking my breakfast rut with these muffins! Woo!

Minnesota State Fair! (what I ate edition)

Why did I go to the State Fair, you ask? It's a good question: I'm not a fan of heat, crowds, or deep-fried foods. However, I received an invitation from Dora to hit up the Fair last night for a special event . . . and I couldn't resist! I'm going to keep that event a secret for the moment, though, simply because I haven't gone through all of my pictures of that event, yet, and want to reveal all of the fun properly, in a well-photographed post.

For now, enjoy my Fair eats, in order of consumption:

Chai On-A-Stick:

Pleasantly sweet, nicely creamy, and mildly spiced, (I would have preferred a heavier hand with the spices, but this is Minnesota, after all,) this chai pop was the perfect start to my afternoon at the Fair. By the time I discovered these creamy pops, (not quite soft enough to qualify as ice cream, but definitely smoother and creamier than your average fruity homemade popsicle,) I was due for a treat! The heat and sun were already starting to get to me, and I had only been at the Fair for about 45 minutes. Chai-On-A-Stick to the rescue!

Apple Cider Freezie:

I don't go to the Fair often, but when I do, I always make sure I seek out one of these frozen treats at the Horticulture/Agriculture building. What's better on a hot, summer's day than some frozen Minnesota apple cider? I can't think of much else. And the price is right, at only $1.

The "dinner" portion of my evening began with fried green pepper rings:

Scaldingly hot out of the fryer, and drizzled with ranch dressing, these were fantastic! To someone who loves onion rings, these green pepper rings were a delightful twist on one of my favorites. Pleasantly greasy, (and not in a gross way,) Dora, Ruth Ann, and I all agreed that there was just enough breading on the peppers, and it magically stuck on somehow. Mmmmm!

Cheesy garlic bread with marinara for dipping:

Honestly, this was probably the lowest-quality food item I ate throughout the evening, but it hit the spot at the time. :) Nothing to write home about, but I was craving something small but substantial at this point in the evening -- and these breadsticks were just right! The garlic flavor was assertive but not overwhelming, and the cheese was dripping and oozing over the edges of the cardboard boat in which they were served.

I also had opportunities to try part of Dora's homemade/hand-rolled giant pretzel, topped with garlic and butter, (incredible! I almost bought one of my own,) and some of the sweet corn ice cream from Blue Moon Diner -- it has been one of the "it" foods of the Fair this year, and has received several write-ups from local foodies. Dora had hers topped with candied cayenne peanuts, and Ruth Ann went for the hot blueberry topping. I enjoyed my bites of ice cream, although I found the fibrous corn bits throughout a little off-putting, and thought the peanuts definitely needed more cayenne! The blueberry topping was excellent. :) I just don't care much for corn, so I guess it makes sense that I wouldn't LOVE corn ice cream, right?

On my way to the bus, I thought I deserved one final treat to enjoy on my way out of the gates:

Vanilla frozen custard, just like I grew up on, (Milwaukee is known for its local custard stands, and we frequented several growing up,) stuffed into a perfectly-made waffle cone -- crispy and mildly sweet, but plain enough to let the custard take center stage.

More on the Fair later!

it's my birthday!

Happy Birthday to Me! With all of the craziness that is my life these days, (you know, new job, new apartment, etc.) I was thinking my birthday was just going to pass me by this year, relatively quietly, filled full of packing or some other kind of work. Not so! I have been able to see friends, (although we haven't done much except hang out at my new place, eat peanut butter and chocolate cupcakes -- thanks, Courtney! -- put up new curtains, line shelves, and wait for IKEA to deliver some new furniture,) and eat great food!

Here was my fabulous pre-birthday dinner last night:

For the main course . . . TACO SALADS!


And dessert . . . APPLE PIE!


(Don't think I went too crazy for myself on my birthday -- the crust was store-bought, and I had a bag of filling in my freezer all ready to go from last fall! Delicious!)

Today should be filled with more good food, and hopefully some hiking, if the weather clears up this afternoon (which it's supposed to.) Hope those of you who have a long weekend are enjoying it! If you feel compelled, have a slice of cake (or a cupcake) in my honor! ;)

Sunday food

After a LATE night last night, (Dan had a gig,) I woke up pleasantly late this morning, with an urge to bake! I hemmed and hawwed over exactly what to bake for quite a while, and finally settled on whole-wheat blueberry muffins:

I doubled my usual recipe, which yielded 18 standard muffins for breakfasts and snacks for Dan and I, and 24 mini-muffins for the kidlets at work. :) They'll be so happy with a Monday snack surprise! Plus, they'll never know that they are healthfully sweetened with agave nectar, and full of fiber and whole grains!

***** UPDATE: Here's the recipe, since a couple of folks asked for it! *****

Whole-Wheat Blueberry Muffins
(Based on "Blueberry Streusel Muffins" from The Betty Crocker Cookbook)
Yield: 24 standard muffins, or 18 standard and 24 mini-muffins

Whisk together wet ingredients:
2 cups milk (or a combination of milk and plain yogurt)
1/2 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs (I've also used egg replacer and flax whip -- both work)
1/2 cup agave nectar

Combine dry ingredients:
4 cups whole-wheat pastry flour
2 tablespoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

Fold into dry ingredients:
2 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen)

Fold dry ingredients into wet ingredients, just until combined. I would recommend using liners, since these muffins qualify as a little lower in fat than usual. Bake at 400 for 20 to 25 minutes for standard muffins, 10 to 12 minutes for mini muffins.

While the muffins were in the oven, I whipped up a giant batch of beans and rice:

This dish will serve for lunches for both Dan and I nearly all week -- and beans and rice is one of the few things I can eat over and over without getting tired of it.

Next things next . . . lunch!

I had every intention of making breakfast burritos this morning, and chugged right along, prepping all of the individual components . . . until I opened blue, fuzzy tortillas and plans changed! (WAH! I hate wasting food.) So, we had "deconstructed breakfast burritos," with a side of homemade tortilla chips (made last weekend) to scoop up the cheesy beans. Although I really would have preferred chomping my way through an overstuffed tortilla, my plate full of goodies was an acceptable alternative. :)

After a leisurely afternoon enjoying modern art at the Walker and chai at the coffee shop with my "favorite Dan," (yes, one of the kids once described him as such,) I came home and started getting a few things done around the house, including fitting in twenty minutes of yoga. Tonight's yoga made me think I'd probably like to fit in some yoga on Tuesday night, too, so I decided to nearly completely prepare the evening's dinner, so I can come home, press some tofu, and hit my mat!

Bags of pre-chopped stir-fry veggies and pre-mixed sauce will make dinner ready in a snap! Let's hope I remember to start the rice as soon as I get home, too!!

Finally, while I had the knife and cutting board out, I made myself a gigantic salad for dinner:

Mixed baby greens topped with chopped apple, sliced fennel, walnuts, bleu cheese, fig balsamic vinegar, and olive oil. I love salty-sweet salads -- I find them incredibly satisfying.

Still have a few things to check off the list before starting the work week . . . hope you had a nice weekend!

eats and treats

Hope you have been having a wonderful weekend! Dan and I really took it easy this weekend -- mostly hung out at home, did a little laundry, had a picnic and a hike at Lake Maria state park, etc. I spent plenty of time in the kitchen, of course!

Dinner last night was both speedy and delightful:

"Black-Eyed Peas with Spinach," from Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home, over cheesy grits, with a few slices of heirloom tomato on the side. Simple, nourishing, and fantastic! I added a few dashes of smoked paprika to the beans, which I didn't really detect in the finished dish, but it couldn't have hurt, right? The cheese grits were easy and amazing, and the sliced tomato added a fresh, bright note to the meal. Best part? I think this entire meal was on the table in less than 30 minutes! Wahoo!

I've REALLY been loving my Moosewood cookbooks lately. Example #2:

"Banana Cupcakes," from Moosewood Restaurant Simple Suppers, topped with chocolate cream cheese frosting. Oh yum! I had some leftover cream cheese frosting from the pumpkin muffins I made last weekend, and decided to melt a little semi-sweet chocolate and whip it into the leftovers -- ta-da! Amazing!!!!! Dan and I split one of these this afternoon, and they are GREAT. Dan mentioned the frosting tastes a little like chocolate pudding, and I loved the sweet, dense, comforting banana cupcake. I think the only thing that could possibly make this treat better would be the addition of peanut butter in some form . . . hmm . . . time to experiment! :)

Since you can't have cupcakes for breakfast, (well, technically you can, but you know,) I felt compelled to make a breakfast treat as well:

Now, we usually have granola, toast, or PBJ for breakfast, but every once in a while, it's lovely to look forward to a little pastry something first thing in the morning! AB in Five bake-a-long to the rescue! Crystal, Victoria, and I have been talking about starting the brioche dough, and I decided to take the plunge this weekend. Now, know this -- I will probably bake my way through the dough, and then wait a year while I work on losing all the weight that I will inevitably gain! (The dough recipe, which yields 4 to 5 pounds of dough, enough for 4 to 5 projects, calls for 3 sticks of butter and EIGHT eggs. Gasp!) Oh, but how delicious these "Sticky Pecan Caramel Rolls" are! Buttery, soft, light, with a wonderful, crisp-chewy caramel topping. Jeff and Zoe, how dare you make caramel rolls so EASY!

Thankfully, the dough freezes well, so I have appropriately-portioned chunks waiting patiently for us to detox from all of the saturated fat. :)

Sunday night is a great time for pizza!

Artisan Bread "Olive Oil Dough," topped with organic pizza sauce, mozzarella, and parmesan cheeses. The front slice also has red onion, green pepper, mushroom, green olive, oregano, and chili flakes. The back slice has roasted red peppers, dried tomatoes, spinach, artichoke hearts, and oregano. Side of green salad with apple, fennel, walnuts, bleu cheese, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil. A GREAT way to end the weekend, if you ask me!

The kitchen is still a mess, so I'm off. G'night!