Tag: Recipe

No SB for Me

10 Comments

While the majority of Americans watched the Super Bowl, ate wings and drank beer today, I did pretty much the opposite.  I spent the day baking and reading. I think I prefer college football…  Did you watch the Super Bowl?

You’re probably tired of seeing these, but here is my latest granola bar creation!  I can’t thank Kim enough for this recipe and Karin for introducing it to me!  So my latest version:

Tropical Granola Bars

2 cups of oats
20g chia seeds
1/3 cup mixed dried fruit (mango, papaya, cranberries and raisins)
6 tbsp wheat germ
1/4 cup agave
1 oz of whole almonds
2 containers of Mott’s Blueberry Delight Applesauce

All baked for 25-30 minutes at 350 degrees!  Delish!  Now they’re all wrapped up and ready for my  enjoyment(and that of others)!

The blueberry applesauce gave it a great new flavor!  I really liked it!  I had a blueberry applesauce on its own too!  Pretty tasty!  They also have peach and strawberry flavors I want to try!  But enough about that…

Baking Adventure #2 of the day was Bagels.  I’ve made bagels a few times (as seen on my former personal blog), but I found whole wheat bread flour at the local grocery co-op so I decided to give them a try again.

I followed this recipe.  But used the whole wheat bread flour instead of regular bread flour and agave nectar instead of sugar.  I halved the recipe and got 8 bagels.  As I mentioned, I’ve made bagels before and today I had the same issue as the very first time I made them!  That time I didn’t knead the dough long enough, this time I think it was the whole wheat flour.  Even if it’s bread flour, it just never seems to work well in bagels.  I should have used half whole wheat bread flour and half regular bread flour.

They turned out a little too flat, but tasted good! Have you successfully made whole wheat bagels?  Or any kind for that matter? Any Tips?

For dinner, I had the remainder of my egg wash (1 egg + a bit of water) with two more egg whites added on a corn tortilla with tapatio! (and 2 bagels… oops!)

Someone asked me what Tapatio is:

Delicious!  But not as good as Cholula but I can’t seem to find that here!

I’m still trying to decide if I want to bake something for my class tomorrow, but I’m still not sure!  I’ll let you know if I do.  Don’t worry I haven’t been baking and eating all day!  I did manage to go to Target, the public library and to the gym for a sweaty 5 miles!

That being said… I should probably go watch Mad Men since I’ve had the last available disc for about a week 😦

Have a great night!!!

Take Two!

12 Comments

Today was all about repeats.

Take Two #1: Dinner at Moosewood! On Thursday nights, students get 15% off!

Remember when I went with the lovely fella a while ago?? This time I went with some friends.

Sadly, I forgot my fancy camera!  It was packed up and ready to go but in my rush out the door I left it behind.  I did however have my crappy point and shoot (I really need a new one!).

Started with a delicious salad exactly like last time.

As an entree, I had a delicious Caribbean Pineapple-Peanut Stew: “Sweet potatoes, cabbage, tomato, bell peppers, and fresh pineapple simmered with ginger, lime, chiles, cilantro and peanut butter; served on rice, with jerk tempeh.”  Spicy and tangy!

Ohh goodness!  Sooooo delicious!

I also had a bite of Rhoda’s Alsatian Cheese Tart (Flaky pie crust baked with a filling of caramelized onions, Fontina, Gruyere and smoked cheddar
cheeses and egg custard; served with apple-celeriac remoulade).

Holy deliciousness!  This was amazing!  Although I still thought my stew was better 🙂

Take Two #2: Granola Bars!


Here’s my upDATED version:

2 cups oats
20g chia seeds
2 tsp cinnamon
1/5 cup of whole wheat flour
4 Tbsp Toasted Wheat Germ
1 oz dried coconut
5 dates, chopped
1/4 cup agave nectar
1 cup applesauce

Combine all ingredients, bake at 350F for 25 minutes.

They turned out great!!!  So excited!!! Here’s the nutrition info for these babies:

Delish! Make these!!

Anyway, I’m pooped and I still have a ton to do!

Thanks for all your tea suggestions!  I’ll be looking around for them in stores 🙂

Have a great night!!

Chickpea Blondies + Karin is Amazing!

13 Comments

OMG Lost was great!  I wish it hadn’t been 2 hours though!! I had so much to do last night!

Of course that didn’t stop me from watching and getting a little baking action in there.

This lady is pretty much awesome for a few reason…

Reason #1 Karin is awesome: A while ago I wrote a guest post for Karin while she was in Japan, and yesterday I got the cutest thing in the mail!

Adorable little bowl from Japan and delicious sun dried tomatoes!  I can’t wait to make something exciting with them!   Thanks, Karin!  You’re a superstar!!

Reason #2: She inspired me to make my own chickpea blondies after reading about her chickpea brownies!

Here’s my recipe:

Karla’s Chickpea Blondies

6.5oz cooked chickpeas (about 1 cup)
1/2 cup spelt flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup Agave Nectar
1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 tsp vanilla
~1/4 cup Chocolate Chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Place chickpeas in the food processor, process for a few seconds.  Add the remaining ingredients except the chocolate chips and process until smooth.

Transfer mixture to a greased baking dish and sprinkle with chocolate chips, I used a 9″ round pie pan.  Bake for 30 minutes.

These were really interesting tasting.  I’m not sure I would make them again to be perfectly honest just because they weren’t to die for.  Definitely worth the experiment if you’re curious!  Obviously they couldn’t have been too bad if my roommate and I devoured all of them.  This morning they are gone.  Not gonna lie, last night I felt ill (guess my sugar count ended up being WAYYYY off haha).   Have you tried chickpea blondies/brownies before?

Reason #3 Karin is awesome:  We’re pretty much bloggie twins… enough said.

Well I’m off to finish preparing for a presentation I have today on slums.  Speaking of slums… My apartment is quickly becoming a piece of junk (ok I’m grossly exaggerating).  The laundry machine stopped taking quarters so I couldn’t dry my clothes.  I had to place them all over various spots in my apartment (good thing this place in an oven, they dried in no time).

Now I have crunchy clothes like when I was little in Guatemala and the clothes was line dried on the terrace.

Have a great day!!!

Happy February!

14 Comments

So the January Recipe Challenge was somewhat of a failure.  I ended up making recipes from 4 of the 7 continents!

I missed Australia, Antactica (which doesn’t really have civilization) and North America (which basically should constitute everything I eat everyday).

Overall, this was a very fun challenge!  Even though I didn’t make it through all the continents, I discovered some great recipes and had fun in the process!

I was pondering the idea of a February Challenge; however, I’ve decided against it.  In February, I’m going to concentrate on healthy eating/living and getting back into the swing of school.  That doesn’t mean I won’t try fantastic new recipes and share them with you all!  Do you have a February Challenge?

But on to today…  I started February off with some spice!

Not that kind of spice!

I give you, Mexican Chocolate Oats!

In the mix:

  • 1/2 cup oats
  • Chia seeds
  • 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
  • Cinnamon
  • Dash of Cayenne
  • 1 small banana
  • 1 oz greek yogurt (for added creaminess and protein! stirred in at the end)
  • 1 tbsp natural peanut butter

Pretty delicious!  The cayenne gave it a nice kick to jump start my morning.

According to the World’s Healthiest Foods (anyone else love this site???), Cayenne has many health benefits!

Not only does is make your meals more exciting, but it also fights inflammation, reduces blood cholesterol, boosts immunity, helps prevent stomach ulcers and even helps in weight loss by raising your body temperature which uses more energy! (source)

Eat your Mexican Chocolate Oats! Basically any plain chocolate recipe can be made “Mexican” by adding cinnamon and cayenne.  Try adding some to plain chocolate cupcakes!  Sooo good!

Today is my first discussion section as a TA!  Wish me luck!!

Hope your February is starting out well!  Have a fantastic day!!

What’s your goal for February??

Ithaca is Gorges

13 Comments

This morning I woke up to find this little guy hanging out in the kitchen.

I actually took this picture yesterday, because he kept coming back.  It was -6F when I woke up and yes the window was open.  My apartment is an oven!

With the sunshine, it felt like a summer day.  Then I checked the weather… Oh dear.  However, that didn’t stop me from having a fabulous morning!

With a cup of coffee and the best green monster I’ve had in a long time, I started my next creation to bribe my class into liking me.

Apparently, I’ve got bananas on the brain.  I made Banana Chip Cookies from 101 Cookbooks. The only changes I made were omitting the walnuts and using brown sugar instead of natural cane sugar.

Think of your favorite chocolate chip cookies… now add banana chips and make them *slightly* healthier.

Okay who am I kidding, they’re pretty fatty 🙂  I got 37 cookies from this recipe (even though the recipe says it yields 24).
Here’s the estimated nutrition info:

Pretty darn good!  The banana chips add a nice crunch that makes them way more exciting than regular chocolate chip cookies.  Plus since it’s a class on Modern Latin America… bananas are very fitting…Do you know what the “Banana Republic” is? And I’m not talking about the store!

I hope my class likes them!

While my cookie dough chilled in the fridge (I actually baked them in the afternoon), I chilled outside with Rhoda.  Remember last time? This time it was colder so I wore an extra long sleeve shirt.  10F when I left and 15F when I got home!  Burr!  We did the same route.  For some reason it felt a lot tougher this time, but just as lovely!

Arctic Tundra?  No, just Upstate NY…

This is my favorite stretch of the run:

Sadly my camera died halfway through the run!  Rhoda‘s camera was there to save the day!

Frozen falls!

Ithaca really is gorgeous!

Great pics, Rhoda!

Now I’m off to read since I’ve slacked off all weekend!  Hope you all have had a great weekend! Have a great night!

The King of Muffins

11 Comments

I have the baking bug.  I used to bake all the time!  But recently, I’ve cut back for health reasons.  No matter how hard I try, I undoubtedly have to try one of whatever I make.

Today, I was presented with the perfect opportunity.  Some friends in my program are working on a plan to submit for a competition.  Tonight they’re pulling an all nighter and are in desperate need of a pick me up!  What’s better than a delicious baked treat for a chilly day?

Enter my dear friend, Ina Garten…

Barefoot Contessa’s Banana Crunch Muffins

No substitutions.  Made exactly as is.

I’ll let the pictures do the talking.

Warning:  Extreme salivation may occur.

Divine.

Italian Toad in a Hole

13 Comments

Hi all!  Thanks for all your nice comments about my 100! and my International Food Assistance post!

Is anyone else experiencing crazy weather today?!  All of a sudden there was a blizzard at about 11:00am!  I was not properly dressed!

On to food…I had the best dinner tonight.  It was quicky, easy, healthy and most importantly delicious.  It may not look that pretty but it was TASTY!

This sort of reminded me of a toad in a hole (you know, bread with egg in the middle) for some reason.

Behold:  Italian Eggs over Polenta!

I haven’t quite mastered the pretty aspect but flavor was spot on!

I have a ton of recipes bookmarked and with all the talk of Italian food on Nicole‘s blog this seemed like the perfect way to get my fix.

I made a single serving since it’s just me.  It was the perfect portion!

The recipe calls for a tube of polenta, but I didn’t have that so I made my own.  It was super easy!  I had never made polenta before! 
Have you made polenta before??

I brought 1 cup of water to a boil with a pinch of sea salt in a small saucepan then added 1/4 cup of cornmeal and stirred like crazy for a few minutes until it started to come off the sides of the pot.  I transferred that to a plate and let it solidify.

In the mean time, I added half a cup of pasta sauce to a pan with 1-2 cups of fresh chopped spinach.  Then I heated it until the spinach wilted it.  Then the best part… this is where the toad in a hole-ness comes in… I made a little well in the sauce/spinach, cracked an egg in it!  Then it cooked covered for about 3 minutes, because I love runny yolks! (Cook longer if you want a solid yolk)  Any runny yolk fans around??

Serve on the polenta!

The recipe calls for asiago cheese, which I didn’t have so I sprinkled it with some grated pecorino romano cheese.

Delish!

All this goodness for only 300 calories! (For full nutrition info, see the sparkpage)

Best dinner I’ve had in a long time!  Highly recommend it!  Really it could be enjoyed any time of day!

Now I’m off to watch Mad Men, because I’m obsessed!  Have a great night!!

Nice Buns!

16 Comments

Ideally, I’d have these buns…

Guess who!

But last night, I had these..

.

To curb my insatiable appetite, sweet tooth and desire to bake yesterday, I made Angela‘s Skinny Mini Glo Buns!

As usual, I made changes using the ingredients I had at home:  Real butta instead of margarine or Earth Balance.  I found some frozen lactaid in my freezer (apparently it was too precious to throw out before break) so I used that instead of almond milk since I ran out yesterday (see another reason why I go to the store 74992984 million times per week).  Also, I didn’t have whole wheat pastry flour so I used whole wheat bread flour.  And last but not least I didn’t have nutmeg or ginger so I just used cinnamon and allspice 🙂

O-M-G!

Make these!  You won’t regret it.

They aren’t Cinnabons, but they’re perfect for a sweet craving!

Soooo good!

Nice buns, Angela! 🙂

If you’re interesting in reading something a little thought provoking, my friend Lauren wrote a GREAT post on how we view the world and health.  Head over to her blog Sailing Training Wheels and read it!

Hope you have a fantastic days!  Tomorrow’s Friday which means it’s almost the weekend!  Woo!

Finally Ready For Classes To Start

13 Comments

I’ve had enough.

I’m getting tired of sitting around and doing nothing.

I’m officially ready for classes to start again.

I know I’ll regret this tomorrow night when I start reading for my first classes but as of now, I’m over it.  I think I’ve been a little anxious all day because I’ve been very snacky, but I think I’ve kept it to an okay level.

One of my many snacks today was this:

What is that?

No, Stonyfield hasn’t started making Pumpkin Flavored Greek Yogurt (although they probably should).   Actually, it’s my version of Caitlin‘s Pumpkin Yogurt (her version uses equal parts yogurt and pumpkin).

Stonyfield sent me some coupons for yogurt samples so they were perfect to give pumpkin yogurt a try. Thanks Stonyfield!

I used a small 5.3oz container of Oikos non-fat greek yogurt mixed with 1/4 cup of canned pumpkin (not easy to come by these days as there as been a pumpkin shortage in upstate NY!) and 1 tablespoon of Agave nectar.  All that goodness for only 160 calories (80 for the yogurt + 20 for the pumpkin + 60 for the agave nectar!  Wonderful sweet treat!

Delish!  Give it a try!

What’s your favorite way to enjoy greek yogurt?

I’ve literally done nothing all day, and I’m starting to get restless so I think I’m going to go to the gym (even though I didn’t plan on exercising today) to get my mind off upcoming classes and basically just get my blood flowing.

Hope you had a great weekend!

Protein Pancakes My Way

6 Comments

I usually eat the same thing everyday for breakfast: oats with banana and some sort of nut butter.

This morning, I woke up at 6:00am with nothing to do.  I decided to spice up my life.

Not like that…

Rather, I decided to stray from my usual breakfast into something fun and amazing!  So I did the usual blog perusing and remembered Jessica‘s Vegan Strawberry Cream Pancakes that look divine.  Then I remembered I don’t have fresh strawberries and thawing frozen ones would take too long.  So those will be made at another time.

As a kid I hated pancakes because my mom used to make them from Bisquick, which is just disgusting and salty and not delicious.  Then I grew up and tried real pancakes.  I realized how beautiful life could be and how good legit pancakes are.  So pancakes it would be for breakfast!

Then I kept coming across Heather‘s Protein Pancakes on my pancake search.  The dilemma here is that I don’t buy protein powder.  So I moved on to search through old recipes I had made on SparkRecipes and found an old recipe I had added for Cottage Cheese Protein Pancakes, so I figured why not?

I honestly can’t remember where I got this recipe from, maybe somewhere on SparkRecipes?

Now that I’ve taken you through my thought process (haha sorry about that), here’s the recipe I used:

Cottage Cheese Protein Pancakes

1/2 cup 1% cottage cheese
2 egg whites
2 tbsp whole wheat flour
dash of cinnamon

I combined all the ingredients.

Then threw them in the blender.  This is where my Magic Bullet that I left at home would come in handy, since it splattered all over, basically half the ingredients didn’t make it into the pan, but oh well.

I made one mondo beast of a pancake and topped it with some Hungry Jack Lite Syrup (1 tablespoon to be exact). This puppy has about 26g of protein!  Crazy!

I enjoyed this with a tasty Green Monster (kale, spinach, 1 banana, 5 frozen strawberries, ice and water).

The first bite wasn’t that great, but the subsequent bites got better and better.  I think I may have undercooked this a bit or maybe it’s just the nature of the beast.

Did it taste like a pancake?  A little bit, syrup helped.

Was it the texture of a pancake?  No.

Was it tasty?  Sure!

Would you make it again?  Why not!  Easy enough!

My protein packed breakfast was pretty good overall (31g of protein in one meal!  Woah!  That’s half a day’s worth!)

In other news…

This weekend is my last relaxing weekend!  Classes start on Monday 😦 Not excited, but it’ll happen.

Have a great Saturday!

Any exciting weekend plans?