Food Friday: Cumin-Cilantro Sauce

We first had this amazing sauce while on vacation in Broken Bow, Oklahoma. The restaurant where we sampled it wouldn't give the recipe to us - a bit of experimenting solved the mystery.

Enjoy it on pasta, fish and poultry. YUM.

Cumin-Cilantro Sauce

• 1 c. honey
• 1/4 c. olive oil
• 1/2 t. salt
• 2 t. cumin
• 2/3 c. chopped pecans
• 1 bunch cilantro

Combine ingredients. (I got to use my new handheld blender. Yay!!)

Blend until smooth.

Serve and enjoy!

Food Friday: Gluhwein

We were first introduced to glühwein while at Fritzl's for dinner with friends. It's essentially a German mulled wine.

I'm sure every family has their own version - here's what we now make at home.

Glühwein 

Original recipe here

• 2 medium lemons
• 2 medium oranges
• 10 whole cloves
• 5 cardamom pods
• 1 1/4 c granulated sugar
• 1 1/4 c water
• 2 (3") cinnamon sticks
• 2 (750 ml) bottles dry red wine, such as Cabernet Sauvignon or Beaujolais Nouveau
• 1/2 c brandy

Use a vegetable peeler to remove the zest from the lemons and oranges in wide strips, avoiding the white pith. Place the zest in a large saucepan. Juice the lemons and oranges and add the juice to the pan. Place the cloves and cardamom in a small piece of cheesecloth, tie it tightly with butcher’s twine, and add the bundle to the saucepan. Add the sugar, water and cinnamon sticks, place the pan over high heat, and bring to a simmer, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Reduce the heat to low and continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is reduced by about one-third, about 20 minutes. Add the red wine and brandy, stir to combine, and bring just to a simmer (don’t let it boil). Remove from the heat and remove and discard the spice bundle before serving.

We kept our glühwein warm all day in the crockpot and enjoyed a steaming mug-full as we snuggled on the sofa watching holiday films.

Food Friday: Cinnamon Chip Bread

I had time on my hands one Saturday, so decided to make some yeast bread. (It takes several hours to make a proper yeast bread, with the prepare-rise-punch down-rise again-bake series required.)

I've been on a bit of pantry-clean out of late. The discovery of 4.5 bags of cinnamon chips hiding in the refrigerator was definitely a trigger for this sweet bread.

And sweet it is - think of it as a delicious breakfast bread. It would also be nice for French toast. 

Cinnamon Chip Bread

Source

• 2 1/4 t active dry yeast
• 1/3 c sugar
• 1 c warm water
• 1 c warm milk
• 1/3 c vegetable oil
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/2 t salt
• 4 1/2 - 5 1/2 c all-purpose flour
• 1 c cinnamon chips, no more

In a large bowl combine yeast, sugar and warm water and allow to sit for 5 minutes. It should be bubbly and frothy - start over if it doesn't. Add milk, oil and egg, and combine. Slowly add 2 cups of flour, mix and then add the salt. Add remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough pulls away from the side of the bowl. The dough will be very sticky (note from Shannah: This is an understatement - it was extremely sticky!!), but the softer the dough the lighter the bread will be. Use the least amount of flour you can handle.

Add the cinnamon chips and mix just until incorporated. Since the dough is slightly warm, the chips will melt everywhere if you mix it too long. Transfer the dough to a greased mixing bowl and allow to rise until doubled in size. Punch down dough and divide in half. Form each half into a loaf and place into two greased loaf pans. Allow to rise until doubled in size. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. 

I baked these in small loaf pans and got 4 loaves out of the batch. The bread freezes well.

Food Friday: Double Chocolate Cherry Almond Muffins

I picked up a bag of Toll House's new cherry-filled dark chocolate chips on a whim the other day. When I got home, I wondered what I'd make with them. The answer was this:

Double Chocolate Cherry Almond Muffins

Inspired by this recipe

• 1 3/4 c flour
• 1/2 c packed brown sugar
• 1/4 c unsweetened cocoa (I used Starbucks mocha powder
• 1 t baking powder 
• 1 t baking soda 
• 1/4 t salt
• 1 c warm water 
• 1/4 c vegetable oil
• 1 T red wine vinegar
• 1 t vanilla extract 
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 2/3 c cherry-filled dark chocolate chips
• 1/4 c chopped almonds
• Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 400F. Combine flour and next 5 ingredients (through salt) in a large bowl. Make a well in center of mixture. Combine water and next 4 ingredients (through egg) in a bowl, stirring well. Stir in all but 1/4 c chips. Add oil mixture to flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Place 12 muffin-cup liners in muffin cups, and coat liners with cooking spray. Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle remaining chips evenly over batter. Bake for 15 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes in pan on a wire rack.

I doubled the recipe and made a combination of regular and mini muffins. These freeze well. The muffin isn't overly sweet, allowing the cherry flavor to shine.

Food Friday: Brat Omelet

Weird combo of ingredients, perhaps, but an absolutely delicious result nevertheless...

Brat Omelet

• Leftover bratwurst
• 1/2 c saurkraut
• 1/4 c sliced grape tomatoes
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup egg whites

Trust me. It's wonderful!

Food Friday: Spicy Pepita Brittle

Tested and approved by Kelly's office. That's the gold standard, y'all.

Spicy Pepita Brittle

Original: My Recipes

My altered version below

• 1/4 c butter
• 1 c unsalted pepita (pumpkinseed kernels)
• 1/2 t kosher salt
• 1/4 t freshly ground black pepper
• 1/8 t ground cumin
• 1/4 t ground cayenne pepper
• 2/3 c sugar
• 1/3 c light-colored corn syrup
• 1/4 c water
• 3/4 t baking soda

Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add pepita and next 4 ingredients (through cayenne pepper). Cook 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Set aside. In separate pan, combine sugar, corn syrup and water over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, stirring just until sugar dissolves. Cook until a candy thermometer registers 335°. Remove pan from heat. Add pepita mixture and baking soda. Working quickly, spread mixture in a thin, even layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Let stand until set. Break into pieces.

Pumpkin Invades Everything = Even Mac and Cheese

I have to share this recipe because

1. It's fall and fall means pumpkin
2. It's mac and cheese, plus
3. Kelly loves this recipe - as in, he put it on The List.

So seriously...this mac and cheese is so cheesy and so creamy. It's everything you want in a mac and cheese when you feel sad or cold or lonely or simply in the mood for cheese. In other words: All the time.

But here's the secret - it's not really very cheesy. It only tastes that way. The secret to the creamy is a fall-favorite: PUMPKIN.

Sure, the recipe calls for butternut squash. But why use that when pumpkin is everywhere?

When I made this for dinner, Kelly declared that it was his favorite mac and cheese ever. Little did he know (until I told him) that it's lower calorie and lower cheesy.

And he still liked it - and me - after learning that.

If that isn't a reason to make this, I don't know what is.

One-Pan Broccoli and Bacon Mac and Cheese

Source: Cooking Light

Instructions: As modified by me

• 1/4 c lower fat bacon bits
• 1 T. minced garlic
• 2 c low sodium chicken stock
• 1 c fat-free milk
• 10 oz pumpkin puree
• 10 oz elbow macaroni, uncooked
• 3 c frozen chopped broccoli florets
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/2 t freshly ground black pepper
• 1 c cheddar cheese, shredded and divided

Heat bacon bits over medium heat until crispy (about 1 minute). Remove from pan. Saute garlic over medium heat for 30 seconds. Add stock, milk, and pumpkin to pan; bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Add pasta; cover, ­reduce heat, and ­simmer 5 minutes, ­stirring occasionally. Stir in broccoli; cover and cook 3 minutes or until pasta is done and sauce is thickened. Stir in salt, pepper and half of cheese. Sprinkle bacon and remaining cheese on top. Cover and let stand 1 minute.

Making a Simple Meal Look Elegant

In just 30 minutes (10 minutes hands-on), you can make a really elegant meal that looks like you slaved for hours in the kitchen.

First, pick a really cool rice to cook: Forbidden Rice. This black rice (actually a deep purple, which surprised me) was reportedly only eaten by the Emperors of China. It takes 25 minutes to cook. While it's doing it's thing...

Cook salmon using whatever method you prefer. If we aren't grilling, I like to bake mine just until tender-done, about 15 minutes total. Before cooking, lightly brush with kecap manis (an Indonesian sweet soy sauce) and sprinkle with fresh cracked pepper. While the salmon is cooking...

Heat 1/2 cup coconut milk on the stovetop. Stir in 1 tablespoon kecap manis, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 teaspoon orange zest, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract and 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice. Stir until warmed through. Finally...

Slice and dice a fresh mango.

To serve, simply top rice with a salmon fillet and garnish with mango. Drizzle coconut sauce over everything and serve.

Mo-Mo Mojito, Please

Kelly loooooooves La Duni's mojitos. Loves them. But they are also very expensive and we hardly eat out as it is.

That's why I was determined to learn how to make them. I finally found their original recipe and step-by-step instructions and promptly practiced at home.

The result? Pure La Duni goodness at Hayley prices.

Here's the step-by-step:

Each mojito requires one lime. Make sure you wash it to remove any waxy residue. Roll the lime on a hard surface, applying a little pressure, to get the juices to release some internally.

Slice the lime into 6-8 pieces. Remove the white center pith - it will make your drink bitter. Place all of the pieces in a tall glass. (I'm making two drinks, so you can see I've already done all of the steps for one of the glasses).

Place 6-8 leaves of fresh mint on top of the limes. We really like mint, so I used 10 leaves.

Add 1 tablespoon of sugar.

Take a muddler - or if you're like me and don't own one, use a wooden spoon - and muddle the ingredients. What is muddling? Simply push down firmly and twist the muddler/spoon. Do this until the limes start to release their juices. You only want the mint leaves to be bruised, not torn.

Fill the glass with plenty of ice.

Add 2 tablespoons of rum. (If you don't drink alcohol, skip this step.)

Add 1 tablespoon of sparkling water. (If you omitted alcohol, use 3 tablespoons of sparkling water.)

Stir with a long handled spoon until the sugar is dissolved, "pumping" up and down to make sure everything is mixed together.

Enjoy!

Recipe: Spinach Turkey Stuffed Potatoes

Maybe not a quick meal, but it goes together quickly if you bake the potatoes over the weekend or cook them the day of using the crockpot.

By the way, did you know that baked potatoes will keep nicely in the refrigerator for up to a week? Simply wrap the cooked potatoes in foil and they're good to go!

Spinach and Smoked Turkey Stuffed Potatoes

• 2 baked potatoes
• 5 oz. frozen spinach, thawed and drained(if using fresh, steam before using)
• 1 T. Greek yogurt or low-fat sour cream
• 1/4 t salt
• 1/4 t black pepper
• 2 oz shredded smoked turkey (we're working through Greenburg turkey, which I've been storing in portion-sized packs in the freezer since Christmas)
• Shredded cheddar cheese, to taste

Cut 1/3 off each potato lengthwise. Remove pulp from potato, leaving about an 1/8" thick shell. Stir potato pulp, yogurt, salt, pepper, ham, and spinach together in a large bowl. Evenly fill potato shells with mixture. Bake at 350F for 15 min, topping lightly with cheese and baking for 5 more min.

Note: The flavor can be a little bland, so you might want to add in a little more salt and pepper, or use Chipotle Tabasco sauce like we did. Delicious!!

Recipe: Chipotle Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

Hello. This is delicious. You must make it.

That is all.

Chipotle Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

• Two bell peppers - I chose yellow, but red or orange would have been good as well.
• 2 c cooked quinoa
• 3/4 can black beans
• 2-3 T chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
• Cheese to taste

Cut peppers in half and remove seeds and fibers. Roast or microwave cook your peppers until they are soft (10 min max roasting, about 5 min in the microwave). While peppers are roasting, combine cooked quinoa, black beans and chipotle peppers. I cooked my quinoa in vegetable broth instead of water for extra flavor.

Stuff mixture into pepper halves and bake at 350F for 25 minutes. Add light sprinkling of cheese and bake 5 more minutes.

These are excellent leftover as well.

Recipe: Quinoa Fish Bowls

Just a quick and easy dinner recipe for those late-to-come-home-from-work evenings.

Cook any white fish that you like, seasoning with your favorite blend of Mexican or Tex-Mex spices. In a bowl, layer quinoa, black beans, cooked corn, red peppers and sauteed onions. Top with fish and a light sprinkling of queso fresco.

YUM.

Recipe: Homemade Blueberry Syrup

Don't pay a fortune for great-tasting blueberry syrup. You can easily make it yourself!

Special thanks to cookbook author extraordinaire, Pam Anderson, for teaching me how. And thank you for the great cookbook, Cook without a Book: Meatless Meals, which we will be using quite a bit in the days to come.

Anyway, here's how to do it...and make the experience worthwhile by going for a nice 5-10 mile run before. Or a walk.

Homemade Blueberry Syrup

• 1/2 c corn syrup
• 1 c blueberries - I pulled mine out of the freezer. I always stock up during fruit season and freeze the berries to use all fall and winter.

Bring the corn syrup and blueberries to a simmer over medium heat.

Continue cooking until berries release juices and the mixture reduces to syrup consistency - about 2-3 minutes more.

That's it! Easy, right?

You can choose to strain out the blueberries or serve them as-is. Just know that the berries become sticky after cooking in the syrup. Sticky and delicious.

Recipe: Simple Stuffed Mushrooms

Here's a quick appetizer that will please anyone except my friend John, who doesn't care for either mushrooms or spinach.

But since he's my friend he would eat these and I can promise you that he'd probably like them even if he refuses to admit it publicly. They are that good.

Apologies for the lack of exact measurements, but I winged the recipe.

Stuffed Mushrooms

• Baby bella mushrooms
• Frozen spinach, thawed, drained and squeezed dry
• Boursin garlic and herb cheese
• Bread crumbs

Thoroughly wash and dry the mushrooms. Remove the stem - they should pop off easily. Either save the stems for later use (suggestion - omelets!) or toss. In a small bowl, combine about 1/3 c spinach and 1/8-1/4 c cheese. Place about 1 T spinach-cheese mixture into small hole left on the underside of the mushroom when the stem was removed. Place mushroom on foil lined baking sheet. Top with light sprinkling of bread crumbs. Bake at 375F for 7-10 min or until golden brown and bubbly.

Our Version of a Southern Tradition

I've always been one for celebrating the traditions of the places where I live. Since moving to the south, that means a nice bowl of black eyed peas for good luck on New Year's Day.

This is our favorite recipe for black eyed peas...and honestly, we eat them all year.

Quick Hoppin John

• 1 c chopped yellow or orange pepper
• 1 c diced red onion
• 1 small can diced green chiles (or 1/2 c leftover roasted Hatch green chiles, chopped)
• 2 cans black eyed peas
• 1/2 lb ground beef, browned
• 1/2 lb smoked sausage, browned
• 1/2 c broth (I usually use vegetable broth)

Saute pepper and onion in 1 T olive oil. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Serve over rice or with corn bread.

We've Drunk the Juice

Last month, Kelly surprised me with a text message that simply said:

Have you ever considered juicing?

The truthful answer was yes - but only in theory. Yes, I like fresh-pressed juice but no, I don't want to add another time-consuming activity to my life. So I said:

Yes, but I'd only juice if I had a juicer that was fast, powerful and super-easy to clean.

Five minutes later he texted back:

Done. Our juicer will be here in a week.

So. A juicer was on the way and suddenly an infrequent thought became a subject of much interest. That evening we watched Fat Sick and Nearly Dead. Afterwards I was totally on board for juicing.

I googled a bit and found some helpful websites for new-to-juicing folks like me.

• A shopping list to keep from buying stuff that will spoil.
• Several recipes from Joe of Fat Sick and Nearly Dead
• More juice recipes
• And the best site ever - All About Juicing - that offers recipes and weekly recipe plans. 

With that information in hand, plus our new juicer, off we headed to shop.

It's pretty! Plus it met my criteria: It's powerful, fast and easy to clean.

You need to give the juice a stir to combine the ingredients - below is apply, kale, celery, cucumber and ginger.

Delicious! And best drunk within 20 minutes of pressing though we will confess to occasionally making juice the night before.

Carrot apple ginger is pretty good too...

Honestly, our favorite site is All About Juicing. I signed up for a free two week juice plan. After testing her recipes, we're probably going to pay for a subscription (less than $10/month).

To date we've juiced consistently for nearly a month and are finding it simple and quick. We only drink one juice per day, although I'd like to do a three-day juice fast after marathon season is over to cleanse my system. We rarely juice fruit because it's too high in (albeit natural) sugar.

I did have some headaches for the first few days of juicing, but those leveled off fairly quickly. Now I feel sluggish and head-achy if I don't juice.

Whether juicing is the health promised land that some claim or not, there's nothing bad about focusing on better nutrition and increasing your vegetable intake.

Now and Later: Easy Cook-and-Freeze Meal

I like weekends when we can catch up on cooking, both for the weekend's nutritional needs as well as prepping for what is sure to be a busy week.

Here's a simple recipe for a filling meal that also freezes well for packing lunches or putting together a hot homemade supper after a long workday.

Fix and Freeze Meatball Sandwiches

Inspiration recipe here

• Hoagie rolls
• Cooked meatballs (I used premade turkey meatballs)
• Marinara sauce 
• Shredded mozzarella cheese

Line a baking sheet with foil. Place your meatballs in large saucepan and cover with marinara - add just enough sauce to coat each meatball. Heat the meatballs and sauce on medium-low, stirring occasionally, until meatballs are heated through.Slice rolls if needed, leaving one side uncut. Fill with meatballs (usually 4-5 meatballs. Top with remaining marinara sauce from pan. Place filled sandwich rolls closely on baking sheet. Top each sandwich with 1/8 c. shredded mozzarella cheese. Bake at 400F until cheese is melted, hot, and bubbly.

To freeze for later, wrap filled and unbaked sandwiches in foil. To reheat and serve, remove from freezer and bake (wrapped) at 400F for 15 minutes.

Delicious Dinner: Tofu Quinoa Asian Stir Fry

Short on time ... long on hunger ... in need of protein. My solution was ...

Tofu Quinoa Asian Stir-Fry

Original recipe here

My revised below

• 8 oz extra-firm tofu
• 2 T spicy wok oil, divided
• 1 pkg frozen stir-fry vegetables
• 1/4 t kosher salt
• 2 c cooked quinoa
• 2 T Szechuan spicy stir-fry sauce

Arrange tofu on several layers of heavy-duty paper towels. Cover with additional paper towels; let stand 15 minutes. Cut into 1/2-inch-thick cubes. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add tofu; sauté 4 minutes or until browned. Place tofu in a bowl. Return pan to medium-high heat. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to pan. Add vegetables and quinoa; stir-fry 4 minutes or just until tender. Add 2 tablespoons Szechuan sauce and salt; cook 30 seconds. Add tofu. Toss well to combine.

Delicious (and Nutritious!): Cajun Shrimp and Quinoa

This is a seriously delicious meal - and my photo doesn't do it justice. We attacked the photo-worthy, fresh-from-the-oven version before I could snap a photo.

Oh well. Enjoy this photo of leftovers.

Cajun Shrimp and Quinoa

Original version here

My revised version below

• 16 oz bag medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 can diced tomatoes, slightly drained
• 1 medium sweet onion, chopped
• 2 t.minced garlic
• 1 T. tomato paste
• 3 T. olive oil
• 3 t. Cajun seasoning
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2.5 c. cooked quinoa
• 1/3 c. queso fresco, crumbled

Rinse shrimp in cold water and drain thoroughly. Toss with 1 t Cajun seasoning together, set aside. Mix tomatoes with 1 T olive oil and 1 t Cajun seasoning, set aside.

Heat 1 T olive oil over medium heat in a cast iron skillet. Cook shrimp until opaque, about 2-3 minutes per side. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Add the remaining 1 T olive oil to the pan along with onion and garlic. Cook until tender, stirring often. Mix in quinoa, tomato paste, 1/2 t Cajun seasoning and tomato. Top with the shrimp and then sprinkle with the queso fresco.

Place in the oven and bake at 350 for 15 minutes. During the last 2 minutes, turn on the broiler to high and broil until the cheese is slightly brown and bubbly.

Delicious Dinner: Brats and Warm Slaw

A simple summer dinner - brats from Fischer's Meat Market and warmed slaw mix.

Truthfully, this was a use-it-up meal - the brats were in the deep freeze and the cabbage-carrot mix was nearing the end of its life. Taste of Home to the rescue!

Brat Hoagies with Coleslaw

Original recipe here

• 4 uncooked brats
• 3 T water
• 2 T butter
• 1 T sugar
• 1.5 t lemon juice
• 3 c shredded cabbage
• 1/4 c chopped onion
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/4 c sour cream
• 4 buns, split

Place bratwurst and water in a skillet, cover and cook over medium heat for 10-12 minutes. Uncover; turn bratwurst and cook 13-17 minutes longer or until browned and centers are no longer pink. Cut bratwurst in half lengthwise; set aside and keep warm. In another skillet, cook 2 T butter, sugar and lemon juice over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Add cabbage, onion and salt. Cook and stir for 3-5 minutes or until cabbage is crisp-tender; drain. Remove from the heat; stir in sour cream. Set aside and keep warm.
Toast rolls until golden brown. Divide cabbage mixture between roll halves. Place on bratwurst half, cut side down.