Sunday Doughnuts...

Sunday has been my favorite day of the week for quite sometime. It also has been my least favorite day since I decided to go off on my own and live in a small studio apartment. I have always associated Sunday with family. And since my family is approximately 339 miles away it makes for a lonely day. It makes me thankful for all of the years that I was able to spend with them on a lazy Sunday either cooking, going for a walk along the beach at Seagyan, or when my Great-Grandfather was alive eating Entemann's and Ball Park hot dogs at his house. To say I miss my family on Sunday's is an understatement, but that is why Mom usually gets a call just so I can hear her voice.

Prep

Why do I still love Sunday even if I can't be with my family? Well, because it is my day. I have finished all of my errands for the week, the fridge is stocked, and I can basically do whatever my heart desires. And that usually includes some kind of baking. This Sunday I found myself waking up to the sound of the neighbors vacuuming, ugh. I had barely slept a wink, since Hurricane Irene decided to blow her mighty winds the hardest at about 2am just about the time my power decided to go out for a short bit. But I can't complain since that was the worst of it, and I know how many people are much worse for the wear after the storm.

These doughnuts made my
 entire apartment smell like fall!

I needed to get out of my little apartment since the walls felt like they were starting to close in after 36 hours or so of being cooped up. I headed off to church for some much needed spiritual attention. Then I was off to Tyson's Corner to pick up a few new shirts from H&M and catch a movie, "The Help". Great shirts for fall and a great movie that had me shedding a few tears (just as good as the book!). When I was back home, sitting, eating my leftover Andouille Chicken Sausage and Rice and looking into my very clean kitchen, I had the sudden urge to bake up a batch of pumpkin doughnuts.  I have been craving the fall weather and I had this recipe sitting in my browser bookmarks section. I just so happened to have all the ingredients on hand. What was a girl to do?! Well, I had at it.

Dry Ingredients

Wet Ingredients

Follow this link, Pumpkin Doughnuts with a Cinnamon Glaze , to get to the recipe. I followed it exactly and the doughnuts came out scrumptious. The cinnamon glaze is a must. It adds depth of flavor and brings out the taste of pumpkin. The doughnuts are baked not fried so they are a whole lot better for you then any you would buy from the supermarket. I'm not sure if I would change anything in the recipe. I might try to get creative with the glaze. I think a maple or an almond glaze might add some nice flavor. 

Pre-glaze

I'm really hoping my coworkers enjoy doughnuts because I am bringing these delicious suckers in. Here's to hoping these won't go to waste or to my waist ;)

Andouille Chicken Sausage with Saffron Rice and Veggies

This morning I set my alarm for 7:00am determined to get my long run in before Hurricane Irene decided to grace us with her presence. Well, I rolled out of bed at around 7:45am quickly dressed, ate a slice of whole wheat toast and off I went. Not as early as I had hoped, but early enough to fend off the rain. I decided to stay on the W O&D bike trail that way I could track my mileage. I got 4.3 miles in, woohoo!! After, a delicious breakfast of over-easy eggs, on toast with avocado and tomato my stomach was still a rumblin'. This training is definitely giving my appetite a run for it's money. But I evaded the urge to snack with what else a nap? Seriously, is there anything better then a nap on a rainy Saturday, I think not. After the nap, a little cleaning and watching "Something Borrowed" (the book was better than the movie!) I was ready to cook up something delicious. 

I had a package of saffron rice sitting in my pantry that I had wanted to save for a delicious paella. I, however, was running low on seafood. What I did have, was some delicious looking andouille chicken sausage. So this dish was inspired by my classic paella using what I had on hand. 

Andouille Chicken Sausage with Saffron Rice & Veggies

1- 5 oz. package Saffron Rice cooked (I used Mahatma long grain rice)

3 andouille chicken sausages, sliced (I used Open Nature 100% natural smoked andouille chicken sausage)

1/2 cup each of diced green bell pepper, onion, carrots, white button mushrooms

1 can Organic No Salt Added Diced Tomatoes (I used Trader Joe's)

1/4 cup frozen peas

1 Tbsp. butter

1 Tbsp. olive oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

Prepare saffron rice as directed on package. I cut down the cooking time so that the rice still had a little bite to it (it will continue to cook once added to the veggies). 

In a large sautee pan add butter and olive oil. Add peppers, carrots, and onion and allow to soften, about 4 minutes. Add mushrooms and continue to cook. Once the veggies are softened, add saffron rice, sausage, tomatoes, and peas. Cook until hot and bubbly, approximately 3 minutes. Serve immediately.

 

This dish took less than 30 minutes to make but tasted as if I had worked all day on it. The sausage added a delicious smoky flavor, the rice was fluffy with a full saffron flavor, and the veggies were cooked to perfection. I will most definitely be making this again sometime soon. So glad that I have a ton of leftovers! This would be a great meal to make for company. I would increase the amount of rice and add some fresh shrimp, mussels, and maybe some clams and a delicious hearty seafood feast would be had! 

Fingers crossed I don't lose my power and we miss the worst of Hurricane Irene. NY stay safe, love to all my family and friends!  

Leftovers

So I just finished a 3.2 mile run on this beautiful day and I'm feeling like I should continue this productive streak with a little bloggin'. I had been trying hard to think of a creative next post and I was running short on ideas (no pun intended ;). I remembered I had taken this picture of my dinner the other night...

and I thought I would share with you my week of leftovers. The above was my creation with leftover Asian Seared Tuna (please see previous post for that delicious recipe). I had a lot of fresh produce from the farmer's market, my Saturday routine, so I wanted to be sure to use it up before it went bad. This was the quickest dinner I have put together in a long time and it tasted totally gourmet!

So before I give you all the recipes let me just map out for you what my dinners looked like:

Day 1: Asian Seared Tuna served with Lemony Green Beans
Day 2: Tuna Salad My Way
Day 3: Lemon Chicken served with Couscous and fresh sauteed vegetables
Day 4: Lunch- Couscous Salad; Dinner- Chicken and Vegetable Quesadillas

I definitely got my money's worth with this weeks grocery trip! And I felt good about using up all of the delicious produce I had in my crisper. I was feeling very green.

Tuna Salad my way :) 
1 leftover Asian Seared Tuna Steak sliced to your desired thickness
1 handful of lemony green beans cut into bite sized pieces (see this post for tuna and bean recipes)
1 handful fresh cherry tomatoes halved
2 tbsp. wonton crisp strips (you can find these in the produce section near the croutons)
1/4 tsp. sesame seeds
1 cup arugula (or any kind of green)
1 cup baby spinach
2 tbsp. Newman's Own Light Sesame Ginger Dressing

I simply tossed everything together and sprinkled the sesame seeds on top. So easy and so delicious.

The lemon chicken and sauteed vegetables were exactly what they sound like so I won't waste any space with the recipe. But I will let you know the veggies I used: summer squash, zucchini, cherry tomatoes, onion. For the couscous salad I raided my pantry to come up with a delicious, fresh lunch salad. I loosely based this recipe off of an orzo salad that I make often.

Couscous Salad
4 cups cooked leftover couscous (I used plain but I bet any of the flavored varieties would only add to the flavor of this dish)
1/4 cup dried cranberries
3 Tbsp. chopped pistachios
1/2 cup sliced english cucumber
1 large shallot, sliced
1 oz. crumbled goat cheese
1 cup arugula
1/4 cup olive oil
the juice of 2 large lemons
salt and pepper

In a small bowl whisk together lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Set aside. In a large bowl combine couscous, cranberries, cucumber, pistachios, and shallots. Once combined mix in arugula and crumble goat cheese on top. Pour lemon vinaigrette over the couscous and serve chilled!

This +

Couscous Salad

This=

Chicken and Vegetable Quesadillas

2 leftover lemon chicken tenders, cubed

1/4 cup leftover sauteed vegetables

1 oz. shredded Monterey Jack Cheese

1 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

2 whole wheat tortillas

1 Tbsp. reduced fat sour cream

2 Tbsp. salsa (your favorite kind, I used Trader Joe's Roasted Corn and Black Bean Salsa)

Using my always handy grill pan, I simply sprayed the pan with cooking spray- placed one tortilla on the  pan sprinkled half of the cheese on the tortilla- piled up the chicken, cilantro, and veggies- sprinkled the rest of the cheese on top then covered with second tortilla- then placed the panini press on top and cooked for about 4 minutes each side or until the cheese was melted and filling hot through- Served with the sour cream and salsa and voila leftovers made easy!

Is it fall yet???

So as much as I love the summer and hitting the beach, I am more than ready to feel the crisp chill in the air that only fall can bring. I know what your thinking, who doesn't love summer and all that it brings? The nice tans, the fresh produce readily available, the overall good mood that people seem to have when the sun is shining bright. But for me, there is nothing better than a cool autumn evening curled up next to a fire with a good book and a hot cup of cocoa and maybe a tiny bit of apple crisp. And the "back to school"  shopping that I partook in today did not help my incessant want for a change in seasons.  And yes, I still go back to school shopping even though I have not been in a classroom for almost 4 years. Therefore, I am counting down the days until the hot DC weather decides to call it a quits. For now though, my recipes are sticking with the hot weather trend.

Readily Available Fresh Produce :) 

 I tried this great seared tuna recipe last night and I was not disappointed. I found these frozen tuna steaks by Archer Farms in the freezer section of Target, and I thought I would give them a try. I realized that they wouldn't be the best quality so my expectations were pretty low. I will admit though I was seriously impressed. For $8.99 you get three nice sized tuna steaks individually vacuum sealed so that you can use one or all at once.  I used a simple marinade recipe that I adapted from Martha Stewart. Then I served them up with some delicious green beans I got at the farmer's market. 

Asian Seared Tuna Steaks

3 Tbsp. fresh ginger, minced

2 Tbsp. low sodium soy sauce

3 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar

2 Tbsp. sugar

1/4-1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil 

2- 4 oz. Tuna Steaks 

In a shallow bowl or pan whisk together the first 5 ingredients. Pat the tuna steaks dry with a paper towel. Salt and pepper the steaks on both sides. Place the steaks in the marinade and let sit for 10 minutes in the refrigerator. After 10 minutes, flip and let sit for an additional 5 minutes.  On a preheated grill pan sear the tuna steaks for approximately 2 minutes on each side. This will leave the middle nice and rare and in my opinion the only way tuna should be served. But if you like your tuna slightly more well done you can take it up to about 4 minutes on each side. 

I am always trying to think of different ways to serve vegetables as a side dish. I feel as if I get into these ruts of a baked sweet potato and steamed broccoli. I mean really?! I can't come up with anything better than that? So I fancied up my green beans just a bit. And what would you know it took little to no extra effort on my part. 

Lemony Green Beans with toasted Almonds

2 cups trimmed green beans

Zest of one lemon

1/4 cup toasted sliced almonds*

1 tsp. olive oil 

salt and pepper

In a large sauce pan bring about 2 quarts of water to a rolling boiling. Place the greens beans in the boiling water for about 3 minutes to begin the cooking process. Using a slotted spoon remove the green beans and place in a colander. Pat the green beans dry with a kitchen towel (careful they will be very hot!). Over medium high heat place the oil in a saute pan. Transfer the beans into saute pan and cook for about 5 minutes or until the beans are tender and slightly caramelized. Remove from the heat and zest the lemon over top, season with salt and pepper to taster, sprinkle with almonds and serve.

 * An easy way to toast nuts is on the stove top in a dry saute pan at high heat, toast the nuts for about 5 minutes or until nuts are slightly golden brown and fragrant. 

Enjoy! Let me know if you try out any of the recipes I posted and how they worked out for you. I'm also looking for suggestions for my next post so leave any you might have in the comments section! Thanks for reading :)