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Quinoa and Black Beans on Lemony Kale with a Tangy Spice Sauce

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Holey Moley it’s hot today!   Luckily, the apartment I’m living in this summer is very well ventilated!  It’s always about 15 degrees cooler than my friend’s apartment across the street.  But enough about the weather… Lunch… Remember the three bunches of kale in my CSA this week?

I ate an entire bunch for lunch!

Quinoa and Black Beans on Lemony Kale with a Tangy Spice Sauce

1 tsp olive oil
1 bunch of Kale, washed, stemmed and chopped
1/2 lemon
salt and pepper
1 cup cooked black beans (I boiled mine with an entire onion, a bunch of cilantro and garlic)
1 cup cooked quinoa (boiled with onion powder and garlic powder, or cooked with vegetable broth)
Tangy Spice Sauce (recipe below)

Heat oil in a pan.  Add kale and garlic.  Sautee for a minute.  Add lemon juice, salt and a pepper and sautee for another minute or two.  Serve kale on a plate, top with quinoa and black beans.  Drizzle with tangy spice sauce and enjoy!  Serves  2-3.

Tangy Spice Sauce

1/4 cup greek yogurt
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp paprika
few shakes of cayenne (optional)
Pepper to taste

Just stir it all together!

Sounds like a weird combination right?  But it worked!  Pretty tasty and pretty healthy!

In other news, guess what arrived in the mail yesterday!!

A 50mm f/1.8 lens!!

Woo!  I’ve been taking pictures of random things all day but mostly of my toes and basil.  I’m going to need to find a better subject because my toes aren’t cute and my basil will probably get eaten soon.

Lastly, Sara and I made donut holes using Smitten Kitchen’s recipe, except we were our usual selves  and added cinnamon and cayenne to both the dough and the glaze.  Highly recommended.

Yes, they were deep fried.  That was a first for me.   I won’t lie.  I’m not sure I want to do that again…

Have you ever deep fried something?  What was the last thing you deep fried?

Way Too Hot To Cook

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The past few days have been HOT HOT HOT and not in a good way.   That doesn’t mean I haven’t done fun things

The past few days I’ve:

  • Gone on a trail run in a wild flower preserve.
  • Swam in a creek with a waterfall with a dog here:

This photo is not mine and I don’t know those, but that’s where we swam and it was great 🙂

  • Failed at making black and white cookies

  • Got 3 huge bunches of kale, 1 bunch of lettuce, 1 bok choy and strawberries in my CSA.
  • Enjoyed a salad made with my goodies

  • Started making some dresses

  • Made sangria

On the Agenda for Today:
-Work/Internship Stuff
– Play with ice cream maker my neighbor let me borrow. Interested in beer and wine?  Check out his blog!
-Check the mail every 10 minutes to see if the exciting thing I ordered online arrives!
-and realistically I’ll probably watch a soccer game at some point…

Have a great day!

Pão de Mel (Honey Bread)

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My first Portuguese teacher was named Mimi (Miriam); she was from São Paulo.  On the last day of class, she brought a delicious, Brazilian treat for the class.  It was sweet and spicy.

Honey,  spices and chocolate, an interesting combination.  Ever since, I’ve wanted to make it.

A few days ago, I stumbled upon a blog and while perusing the recipes, I came across it!

Pão de Mel (Honey Bread)

from The Cookie Shop

2 cups flour
1/2 tbsp baking soda
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup oil (I used coconut oil)
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup milk
1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Whisk together dry ingredients.  Add wet ingredients and combine well.  Put batter into a greased and floured baking dish and bake for 30-40 minutes.    As soon as you take it out of the oven, sprinkle with chocolate chips.  As the chocolate chips melt, spread with a spatula.  Allow to cool and serve.

I’m not sure why I love this stuff so much!  Probably because it’s crazy sweet and has an interesting flavor combination.  Let’s call it sweet and sassy.  Reason enough to try it, right?

It’s a beautiful day out here!  And it’s Friday!

Have a great day!

Waffles: Round 2

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Waffles seem to go well with the World Cup, especially when I want the team to win.

I have a special place in my heart for the Argentine national team.  I was in Argentina for the 2006 World Cup.

I promise I was actually having fun!

Today!  This guy scored 3 of the 4 goals!

Like last week, there were waffles.

Except this time, I watched from my little computer with Spanish commentators.  With a total of 5 goals scored in throughout the game that means at least an entire minute of them shouting “GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL!!!” Univision does it right!

and with this lovely lady

That’s Sara.  She’s pretty.  She’s enjoying banana waffles.

Banana Waffles

2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp sugar
1 3/4 cup water
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 very ripe banana, mashed
coconut oil (few tablespoons)
2 eggs

Combine all the dry ingredients.  Mash banana and put in 1/2 cup measuring cup, fill remainder of measuring cup with coconut oil (should be about a tbsp or two).  Add banana, oil, water and eggs to flour mixture and combine.  Place in a hot waffle iron and cook for about 5 minutes.  Makes 3 fat Belgian Waffles.

Ahh! Need to get some work done before my 2:30 date with the gym TV to watch France vs Mexico.  France better lose.

Also, NBA finals game 7 tonight.

Oh my goodness.  I’ve watched more sporting events in the past week than I have all year.

You a sports fan?

Curried Kale with Lentils and Mango

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Not a whole lot to report over here.  So I’ll just shut up and give you a recipe for tonight’s dinner creation.

Curried Kale with Lentils and Mango

1/2 cup of lentils, dry
1 tbsp olive oil
1 shallot, thinly sliced
1 onion thinly sliced
1 bunch of kale, stemmed and chopped
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp curry powder
salt and pepper to taste
juice of one lemon
1/2 cup chopped mango chunks

Boil lentils for about 20-25 minutes, until tender.

Heat oil in a big pot (since the kale is so voluminous, it’ll be easier to prevent a mess if you use a pot).  Add onions and shallots and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes.  Add garlic, kale, salt, pepper  and curry powder.  Cook for 2 minutes stirring occasionally.  Add lentils and lemon juice, continue to cook until kale is wilted (don’t over cook the kale.  It should still be bright green).  Lastly stir in mango chunks.  Serves 2 as a main dish, 4 as a side.

Fast, healthy and delicious.  My kind of meal (especially when I’m starving).

I have a ton of lentils (among many other things… more on that later…) my friend, Rhoda, left me since she’s moving to Africa!  Good thing they’re delicious!

Any recipe suggestions for lentils, garbanzo beans, rice, or split peas?

Beans and Greens Burgers

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Not gonna lie.  Not a lot of cooking has been happening over here the past few days for a few reason:

1. No one will eat my baked goods. Boo.
2. I’ve been eating salads like it’s nobody’s business.  Fresh things are just fun in the summer.
3.  I’ve been spending the better parts of my day watching soccer.

Basically I made one big pot of lentil/rice/greens and ate that for about 4 days.

I also ended most meals with strawberries that were in my CSA bag this week.  Pretty tasty.  Sad they’re gone.

Finally, today I decided it was time to make something.  Why not a burger?

Beans and Greens Burgers

1-2 big handfuls of greens (I used turnip greens and kale)
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 an onion, roughly chopped
1 lemon, zested and juiced
1 handful of fresh basil (I bet mint or cilantro would work great too)
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes (rehydrated or packed in oil)
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cups cooked garbanzo beans
1 tsp salt
2 “flax” eggs (2 tbsp milled flax + 6 tbsp water)
2 tbsp flour
1/2 tsp paprika

Preheat oven to 400 F.  Put greens,  garlic, onion, basil, sun-dried tomatoes, olive oil, lemon juice and zest in the processor and pulse until it resembles a coarse pesto. Add remaining ingredients and continue to pulse until you get a consistency you like (I left mine kind of chunky).

Form into patties and place on a greased baking sheet.  Bake for 15 minutes, turn and bake for 15 more minutes.  Serve as patties or on a bun.

In other news, I’ve been watching Glee. While a lot of the times I get embarrassed for the characters who are singing and have to fast forward (does this happen to anyone else!??!),  I’m enjoying it.  But let’s be realistic, it’s no secret I watch TV shows/movies for the eye candy…

Anyone else love Puck?

World Cup Waffles

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This morning I packed up some stuff to have some waffles with my world cup

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I ran across the street to watch the first game, Mexico vs South Africa, with this fella

That’s Daniele.  He’s pretty.

He also made a bet that South Africa wouldn’t win a single game…reason enough for me to betray the latinos and root for South Africa.  They tied.  I can be happy with that.

So while I watched in rather agitated fashion, I enjoyed this:

Rhubarb Waffles

adapted from Eating Well’s Rhubarb Waffles

5 stalks of rhubarb (cut into 1/4 inch pieces)
1 cup sugar
1 1/4 cup milk
1 1/2 tbsp oil
1 tsp vanilla
3 egg whites
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 tbsp baking powder
3 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt

In a pot, combine rhubarb and sugar.  Cook for about 10 minutes or until rhubarb is tender.  Remove 1 cup of rhubarb and set aside.  Continue to cook the rest of the rhubarb for another 5-10 minutes, until rhubarb breaks down and thickens.

Combine remaining ingredients and reserved rhubarb to make the batter.  Cook in a heated waffle iron for about 10 minutes.   Serve with rhubarb sauce.

This made 4 fat waffles and wayyyy more sauce than necessary.

Thanks Liz for letting us borrow your waffle iron!!

Okay I’m off to burn off some of these waffle calories.  Have a great day!

Quinoa and Mango with Curried Yogurt

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Apparently Ithaca (or this coast?) is all about barbecues!  I’ve never been to this many in my life!  Oh my goodness I need to stop going to barbecues and eating a ton.

Who am I kidding? It’s delicious!

Last night, I received a menu for today’s barbecue from a friend:

Beverages
Ginger sweet tea punch.
Bombay tea-government punch.

Starters
Feta-stuffed nectarines marinated in a balsamic, sunflower red pepper dressing.
Molasses-guava skewers, both shrimp and vegetable.
Chili-lime Asian noodles in a peanut carrot chutney.

Main
Goat cheese-stuffed local bison sliders; naked, blacked or coffee-rubbed. Topped with fresh greens.
Braised local pork shoulder (Boston butt), served with a Carolina-style coleslaw on wheat buns.

Doesn’t that sound intense?  I’m kicking myself for remembering to take my camera and FORGETTING to take pictures!  I didn’t try the meat things but let me tell you, the grilled feta-stuffed nectarines marinated in a balsamic, sunflower red pepper dressing, were simply amazing! I’m making those the next time I acquire a grill.

Here was my contribution to the barbecue:

Quinoa with Mango and Curried Yogurt

adapted from Epicurious

1/3 cup yogurt
juice of 1 lemon
2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp finely chopped ginger
1 1/3 cup quinoa (uncooked)
3 cups mango chunks (I thawed the frozen kind)
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1/3 cup fresh mint
1/3 cup fresh cilantro
1/2 cup peanuts

Combine the yogurt, curry, ginger, salt and pepper for the dressing, set aside.

Boil the quinoa in water for 10 minutes, then place in a sieve and cover with a towel then lid (make sure your towel doesn’t catch on fire, mine did a bit so I repositioned it) and steam over 2 inches of boiling water (make sure sieve doesn’t touch water) for another 10 minutes.

Once quinoa is steamed, in a large bowl, add mango, jalapeno, cilantro, mint, peanuts and dressing.  Gently toss to combine.  That’s it!  You’re ready to enjoy!

I think it turned out well.  It was gone pretty quickly.

Oh boy, I’m exhausted! I need to wake up bright and early to hit them gym tomorrow morning.  I also think I need to do a sugar detox.  I’m starting to feel a little sugared out. I’m not sure how many more barbecues I can take…

Have you been to a lot of barbecues this summer?

FOODday

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Sunday turned into FOOD-DAY.  Not sure entirely how it happened but here’s a recap with some recipes mixed in there.

After a few hours of perusing Joanne’s fabrics in search of a project to take on this summer (my friend Sara and I have started a summer bucket list of things to do… more on that later), we headed back to our neck of the woods for some lunch.

Open-faced tuna sandwiches on multi-grain sourdough.

I haven’t had tuna salad in about a million years but this was great: tuna, lemon juice, dijon mustard, mayo, capers, sun dried tomatoes, onion and carrot.  Not sure what else we could have possibly fit in there, but we kept adding random stuff in the kitchen.  Regardless, all sorts of delicious and most definitely making this again soon (mostly because it was so darn easy).

Later, I went over to Sara’s house to help her make dinner.  Sara lives in a co-op with 14 (I think?) people and tonight was her night to cook.  Just take a look at this CRAZZZY DELICIOUS DISH

Let me just tell you, this lady knows what she’s doing.  She made Carrot Beet Burgers that were AMAZING!

I don’t know the exact recipe but here’s roughly what was in them:  grated carrots, grated roasted beets, grated tofu, sunflower seeds, brown rice, soy sauce, cayenne, oil, eggs and cheddar cheese and maybe other things I missed while I made other things.  All combined together and formed into patties then baked for about 30 minutes.   I think she may have been inspired by this recipe, but she did it from memory without measuring so I can’t be sure.

The burgers were topped with caramelized onions and served with sweet potato fries, “chipotle” aioli (combo of mayo, tomato sauce, red pepper flakes, cayenne) and a tasty salad (lettuce, candied walnuts, oranges and a simple balsamic vinaigrette).

Oh goodness.  All sorts of amazing.

Sara, you are a star.

While Sara made the Carrot Beet Burgers, I made a birthday cake for one of her housemates.

Not my prettiest picture but I’m pretty sure the cake was darn good.

Lemon Coconut Cake

adapted from Moosewood’s Book of Desserts but also found online here

For Cake:
1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
1 cup coconut milk2 1/2 cups flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
6 egg whites

For Lemon Curd Filling: (did not use Moosewood’s recipe)
6 egg yolks
3 tbsp butter
1 cup sugar
zest and juice of 2 lemons

Coconut Buttercream:
1 stick of butter
~4 cups of powdered sugar
few tablespoons coconut milk
shredded coconut (optional)

Preheat oven to 350.  Cream together butter and sugar.  Add coconut milk and combine until fluffy.  Add flour, baking powder and salt.  The batter will be really thick.  In a separate large bowl, beat the egg whites with a mixer on high until you get firm peaks (meringue essentially).  Fold egg whites into batter and transfer to two greased and floured baking pans.  Bake for about 40 minutes.

In the meantime, make the lemon filling.  Boil water in a large pot to start you double boiler (unless you have an actual one), in metal or glass bowl that will fit over the pot combine egg yolks, butter, sugar and lemon (juice and zest).  Place on pot, make sure the water doesn’t touch the bottom of the bowl.  Cook and stir occasionally until the mixture starts to thicken.  Then pass through a sieve and refrigerate for a while for the lemon curd to thicken.

Start by creaming the butter and sugar, add coconut milk to get the right consistency.  If it’s too runny add more powdered sugar and vice versa.

Once the cake has cooled completely, level off the layers to get a flat surface.  This is my favorite part as that means you get to eat the part you cut off 🙂

Enjoy it a little too much?

Anyway…Place the first layer on a plate/dish/etc top with lemon curd (stir it if it’s been refrigerated for a while), add the lemon curd to the center of the cake.  Try not to spread it too close to the edges or it’ll start to fall over the edges.  Press down the second layer.  Frost, then press on shredded coconut.

Now I’m pooped from all this cooking and eating.  Need to go to bed so I can get up bright and early for a date with the gym!

Apple-Rhubarb Crisp

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This morning I woke up to a cute e-mail from my friend and future apartment mate, Anna.  She read yesterday’s post on rhubarb and gave me some cooking tips.  The end of her e-mail made me laugh:

It’s high in fiber, and is a good GI tract cleanser – I forget what its’ called but it is good for your colon etc. 🙂

Okay enough / TMI on rhubarb, hope you’re doing well!

Good to know since we’re all into health! Too cute Anna!

Anyway, little did she know I had made my first rhubarb creation ever the night before!

Apple-Rhubarb Crisp

adapted from Epicurious Apple-Rhubarb Crisp

For Filling:
3 cups peeled and chopped apples (about 3 or 4 apples)
3 cups chopped rhubarb (4 stalks)
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp flour

For Topping:

3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup oats
6 tablespoons of butter

Preheat oven to 400 degrees (open doors and windows if it’s summer or (if you’re lucky unlike me) turn on the AC).  Combine all ingredients for filling and place in a 9 x 13 baking dish.

Next make the topping.  Get your fingers nice and dirty by breaking up the butter with your fingers.

Top apple rhubarb mixture with sugar/oat/flour topping.

Bake for 45 minutes.  Once it’s golden and delicious, let it sit for about half an hour.

While you wait for it to bake and cool, hang out with a friend/fellow cook and paint your toes (or something).

Then serve and enjoy the tart, sweet treat!

I’m going to go ahead and say I’m a rhubarb fan!  I love the tartness!  I can’t wait to make new things with the rest of my rhubarb!

Hope you’re enjoying your weekend!!