Roasted Veggies over Israeli Couscous Pilaf

Sitting in my living room tonight after a long day at work, the only thing I wanted to do was pop open this bottle of wine....

North Fork Shinn Estate Vineyards

and eat my left over mom baked birthday cake for dinner. And let me tell you, I almost did. I admit I had a  sliver of the cake while I pondered my dinner. I curled up on my comfy couch enjoying the sound of pouring rain and thunder and started flipping through my new cookbook, Super Natural Everyday, courtesy of my lovely sister Tara. Let me tell you how much I love Heidi Swanson.... A LOT!! I have followed her blog 101 Cookbooks for a while now. I just think she is this really rad, artistic chef. Basically she is my idol. I know I have mentioned her a few times prior on this here blog. I highly recommend that you buck up and sign-up to follow her as well. She has some great, healthy, and different recipes. Her photography is amazing and I can only hope that one day with a good camera my pictures will come out as beautiful as hers. 

Well, once again she inspired me to prepare a healthy meal for myself. So using the fresh veggies I had in the pantry (thanks mom!) I threw a little somethin' somethin' together. This is a classic that I love. My mom makes these roasted vegetables all of the time. I decided to pair mine with pearl couscous, a.k.a. israeli couscous. I used the veggies as an entree but these would both work separately as side dishes to a nice apple cider chicken breast, or if you like red meat to a steak. 

Roasted Veggies

1 small baking potato-peeled and cubed

1 butternut squash- peeled, seeded and cubed

1 small head of cauliflower, chopped

1 large red onion, thickly sliced

2-3 Tbsp. Olive Oil

1 tsp. Thyme

Salt and Pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Throw all veggies onto two big cookie sheets. Drizzle olive oil overtop veggies, sprinkle with thyme, salt and pepper to taste. Quickly toss the veggies right there on the pans. Make sure not to over crowd the veggies, you don't want them to steam in the oven. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Flip once at about 17 minutes or until the bottom of the veggies are golden brown. Make sure not to flip the veggies too soon, you want a nice caramelized texture on the bottom. Feel free to use whatever vegetables you have on hand. I also use sweet potatoes, carrots, parsnips, and turnips. Have fun with it! 

prior to being cooked

Israeli Couscous Pilaf

1 cup Israeli or pearl couscous

1 small yellow onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 3/4 cups chicken or vegetable stock

2 Tbsp. Olive oil

Salt and Pepper 

In a medium saucepan, heat olive oil. Add onions and allow to soften approximately 3 minutes.  In a separate saucepan bring stock to a boil. Add garlic to onions and continue to saute another minute or two, add pearl couscous and toast for one minute. Pour boiling stock into couscous and cook for 8-10 minutes or until couscous is soft but still has a slight bite to it (al dente). Serve with vegetables on top. I added an extra drizzle of olive oil before serving and a some freshly grated Parmesan Reggiano.

This was a great fall dinner full of warmth and flavor. The thyme adds a nice earthiness to the vegetables and the couscous adds that extra heft to make the meal feel substantial. The colors even remind me of fall :) I hope you enjoy the recipes and let me know if you try it in the comments section below! Be on the lookout for recipes from the above mentioned cookbook, I will be trying them out shortly. 

Double Chocolate Tiramisu

I'm back....life has been crazy over these last few weeks. I cannot even believe that October is here and almost half way through to boot. I just spent the most amazing weekend with my family. They ventured down to DC for a visit. Me, my dad, and my Uncle Gregg raced in the Army Ten Miler yesterday and we all finished with respectable times! Woohoo, all that training really did pay off. Although, it may take a few days to be able to walk normally again. We visited the National American History Museum, where I was able to see Julia Child's kitchen, so cool! It was really neat to see all of her copper pots, and how she organized all of her tools. It was definitely a chef's kitchen. We lounged on the National Mall enjoying the view of the Capitol and the Washington Monument, taking in the great weather. It was so nice to have my family here with me and to have that time to spend together. We don't get to do that often enough. 

Acting like proper tourists

Enough about my weekend let's get onto the good stuff, double chocolate tiramisu. Yes, you heard right double chocolate. This seriously is one of the best desserts I have made in a while. A few weeks back, I visited my grandparents and aunt & uncle. I wanted to make them a nice meal and a kickin' dessert. I definitely think I hit the nail on the head for the dessert. I based the recipe off of Martha Stewart's tiramisu but I tweaked it to my tastes. This is the recipe I followed:

Double Chocolate Tiramisu (adapted from Everday Food)

2 Tbsp. Unsweetened Cocoa Powder (plus more for garnish)

1 1/2 cups Heavy Cream

4 oz. Semi-sweet Chocolate, chopped

1 bar (8 oz.) Cream Cheese, room temperature

3/4 cup Sugar

24 Ladyfinger cookies (premade/bought)

1 1/2 oz. Amaretto Liqueur

2 Tbsp. brewed Espresso

1. In medium bowl, mix cocoa powder with 1 1/2 cups very hot water until disolved. Add brewed espresso and let cool. Once cool, add amaretto. In a small microwaveable bowl, place 1/4 cup heavy cream and chocolate; microwave in 1-minute increments, stirring each time until melted and smooth. Allow to cool to room temperature.

2. In a mixing bowl, add cream cheese, sugar, and cooled chocolate mixture. Using an electric mixer, cream together. Add the remaining heavy cream and mix until fluffy about 2 minutes. 

3. Line the bottom of pan with 1 cup of chocolate/cheese mixture. One at a time dip ladyfingers in cocoa/espresso mixture and line on top of chocolate in a single layer. Repeat layering until all chocolate mixture and ladyfingers are used. Cover tiramisu and refrigerate for at least two hours. Before serving dust with cocoa powder and server with homemade whip cream.

This was a nice fluffy yet rich dessert. Make sure the portions are small when serving. I will definitely be using this one again! 

OK, since this is a cooking blog and I did promise to share the good and the bad, I am going to quickly share my failed attempt at Apple Fritters. I found what seemed to be this great recipe on Pinterest (my new online obesession). It was for Apple Fritters, which is always something I had wanted to try. I have not done a lot of frying in my kitchen so I thought it would be a good blog post right? Wrong. I just don't have the right equipment for it (no heavy bottom pots, candy thermometers, splash screens, none of it). But, I thought I would give it a whirl since the recipe seemed pretty straight forward. You can find the recipe by following this link: Apple Fritters

My fritters came out too dark and raw in the middle. I was cooking them at too high of a temperature and I did not use enough oil in the pot. The glaze came out fine and added a sweetness but overall I would say that I might need to find a new fritter recipe to really find my groove here. Feel free to give it a try and let me know how yours come out, any help with this would be greatly appreciated!

What mine looked like :(

What they were supposed to look like :) 

Just Peachy...

Tis' the season of peaches...delicious, juicy, succulent peaches...they are everywhere. At every farmer's market, every grocery store, and every road side stand. You can't miss them this time of year. So, as I was perusing the fresh produce section of Whole Foods, what did I come upon? That's right folks fresh local peaches that were screaming to be picked up. So I surrendered to the pleas and plopped them ever so gently into my basket. Since they weren't quite ripe I had a few days to search the internet for the perfect recipe to use them in. I found this great one, Peach Cobbler for one or two,  from one of my favorite bloggers Joy the Baker. Which, I think would be absolutely delectable but I went a different route this time. 

Step 1

I put my trust into the ever genius Martha Stewart. I found a great drop cookie recipe that uses fresh chunks of peaches and peach jam (I went a different route with the jam) to sweeten the soft cookie. I had never made cookies with fresh fruit before. I was actually quite baffled when I thought about it. How did the fresh fruit not break down and turn the cookie into a pile of mush. Well, I should have known, Martha knows best. These cookies came out soft and moist and with the flavor of peaches just pouring out of them. They are a soft cookie, with just a slight crunch at the edges. Be careful to wait until they are cool to enjoy. The peaches hold a lot of heat and can burn the roof of your mouth, ow. I wouldn't know from experience or anything :) 

Step 2

Fresh-Peach Drop Cookies (adapted from Martha Stewart)

2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 stick (8 tbsp.) unsalted butter, room temp.

1 cup granulated sugar

1 large organic egg

1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

2 large ripe peaches, peeled, pitted, and diced (about 1 3/4 cup)

1/3 cup peach jam or preserves (I used my Mom's homemade pear and ginger preserves)

2 tbsp. granulated sugar

1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon

Step 3

Preheat oven to 375. In a large bowl, using a hand mixer, at medium speed mix butter and sugar for about 2-3 minutes. Add egg and vanilla and continue to mix. Add one cup of flour, baking soda, and salt until just combined. Add second cup of flour and mix gently. Fold in fresh peaches and jam. Using a tablespoon, drop cookies on a nonstick cookie sheet. In small cup, mix 2 tbsp. sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle each cookie with cinnamon sugar mixture. Bake for 11-13 minutes. Let cool and serve! This recipe made about 3 dozen good sized cookies. 

Enjoy! 

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 :)