Healthy On-The-Go Breakfast or Snack: Banana Walnut Quinoa Muffins

10 Oct

Another twist on the Everything Muffin. This time with mashed banana, cooked quinoa, walnuts, raisins, candied ginger, flaxseeds, and wheat germ. Spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg. All good things, combined into one muffin batter.

A hearty on-the-go breakfast or snack packed with protein and fiber to keep you satiated. Perfect for dipping into coffee.

The bananas and quinoa help keep the muffins moist and provide an even crumb with a slight crunch.

This recipe makes exactly 12 muffins. Gotta love that. And it was a great way to use up the leftover quinoa that I had from when I made this tofu panang curry last week.

I’m feelin’ good, people. Working at night lets me have my mornings to sleep-in, work-out, and cook up healthy meals and snacks to keep me nourished and excited about good food.

Banana Walnut Quinoa Muffins

INGREDIENTS:

2 ripe bananas, roughly mashed

2 eggs

1/2 cup canola oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/3 cup flour (I used AP, you can use whole wheat pastry flour if you like)

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

1/4 tsp salt

2 tablespoons wheat germ

2 tablespoons flaxseeds

1 cup cooked quinoa

1/2 c. chopped walnuts

1/2 c. raisins

2 T. chopped candied (crystallized) ginger

PROCESS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a small bowl, mash your bananas and whisk in your eggs, oil, and vanilla extract. These are your wet ingredients. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together your dry ingredients (flour, sugars, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, wheat germ, flaxseeds, quinoa). Make a little well in the center of your dry ingredients and add your wet ingredients. Stir with a wooden spoon or spatula until combined. Add in your nuts, raisins, and crystallized ginger.

Using an ice cream scoop or 1/4 cup measure, drop into lightly sprayed or oiled muffin tins (fill each tin about 3/4 of the way). Sprinkle with a touch of sugar. Bake for about 22-25 minutes, rotating halfway through the baking process.

Serve warmed with coffee, jam, peanut butter, yogurt, fruit, etc. Or take it on-the-go when you are rushing to go to work or school. Instant energy!

Tofu Panang Curry

5 Oct

I’ve been having cravings up the wazoo lately. Everything from pizza and burgers to dumplings (soup dumplings!) and curry, from fresh pasta with a buttery sauce to a giant burrito packed with beans rice guac and cheese. From pancakes to French Toast to ice cream and a brownie. I want it all.

I don’t go out to eat very often. I like to make my own breakfasts and lunches. I work in a restaurant at night where they feed me dinner. And on my days off I just want to cook something homemade and hearty.

This Panang Curry really hit the spot for me today. I made it for myself for lunch, my roomies will eat some for dinner, and there will still be enough for leftovers tomorrow and the next day.

The curry is filled with dark green kale, bright orange sweet potato, and soft lean tofu. Fresh ginger and garlic and some spices give this curry a lovely flavor balance of tangy spicy and smooth. Garnished with lime and cashews for a crunchy top-note and spooned over protein-packed quinoa.

As the weather is turning to fall, this curry is the perfect way to warm your body up and keep your spirits high with all the colors and texture and good-for-you nutrients. And leftovers make it so easy to just reheat and not have to worry about cooking for the next few days.

Meat-eaters, gluten-free goers, vegans, vegetarians, and locavores will all delight in the Thai-inspired stew. Now give yourself a pat on the back and serve this up for dinner tonight.

TOFU PANANG CURRY

adapted from Chole Coscarelli

*I find it useful to have all my ingredients chopped, measured out, and ready to go before I start cooking

**Also, feel free to sub out the sweet potato for some winter squash, the kale for chard or collards or spinach, feel free to add cauliflower or bok choy, tempeh instead of tofu…

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil

1 small onion, thinly sliced

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 tablespoon finely minced/chopped fresh ginger (peel with a spoon and grate on your microplane, or just chop by hand)

1/4 cup peanut butter

2 teaspoons turmeric

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon Thai Red Curry Paste (just look near the isle where you buy the soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, etc.)

1 1/2 cups water

1 14-oz can coconut milk

zest of 1 lime

2 tablespoons brown sugar (or maple syrup)

2 teaspoons sea salt

1 14-oz pkg of extra firm tofu, drained and cubed

1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into cubes

1 bunch of kale, cut off the stem and torn into pieces

juice of 1 small lime

1/2 cup roasted cashews (I have used those Chili Lime Cashews from Trader Joe’s in this curry before, SO GOOD!)

PROCEDURE:

(If making a grain, start cooking your rice or quinoa first so that it will be ready around the same time as your curry.)

Heat oil in large pot over medium-high heat. Add onions, garlic, and ginger and let cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in peanut butter, turmeric, cumin, and curry paste and let cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Whisk in water, coconut milk, lime zest, brown sugar, and salt until combined. Add tofu, sweet potato, and kale, and bring to a boil. Let simmer, covered, for 30 minutes, or until sweet potatoes are fork tender. Stir in lime juice and adjust seasoning to taste. Garnish with cashews and serve over rice or quinoa.

Jewish Cookie Love: Rugelach

4 Oct

Homemade Rugelach. Little Jewish crescent cookies filled with jam, nuts, and/or chocolate! A crowd-pleaser like you wouldn’t believe.

The dough is a combination of butter and cream cheese mixed together with some sugar, vanilla, salt, and flour. You chill the dough in disks, then roll out each disk, spread with filling, cut and roll into cute crescent shapes.

The filling could involve jam (many like to use apricot preserves, but I went with a mixed berry jam), cinnamon sugar, nuts, dried fruit, chocolate, or all of the above.

I remember back in the day when I was a novice baker, I made some whole wheat fig rugelach from a Whole Foods recipe. Those particular rugelach were not crescent shaped; I rolled them into logs and then cut the logs into 1-inch cookies. Yes, there are 2 different ways to shape rugelach. I remember making those fig rugelach over and over again for a long time.

Sorry fig rugelach, but there’s a new cookie in town.

I found my new go-to rugelach recipe: Ina Garten, you did it again. You wooed me with another of your baked goods recipes (also see: Brownie Pudding Amazingness).

I have a feeling that I will be making these cookies again, very soon.

Rugelach

**the recipe looks long and daunting. It is actually quite easy and a fun process albeit a bit messy. Ina and I just want to be thorough with the directions so you feel confident in your rugelach-making. And don’t forget that you can get creative with the fillings!

recipe from Ina Garten

makes 4 dozen cookies

Dough:

8 oz of cream cheese, at room temperature

8 oz unsalted butter (1/2 lb, 2 sticks), at room temperature

1/4 cup plus granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups (310 g) all purpose flour

Spread:

jam or preserves of your choice OR melted butter

Filling:

6 tablespoons granulated sugar

1/4 cup light brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 cup chopped walnuts + 3/4 cup raisins

OR 1 cup chopped chocolate

Sprinkle:

1 egg, lightly beaten

3 tablespoons of granulated sugar + 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Cream the cheese and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until light (I did everything by hand). Add 1/4 cup granulated sugar, the salt, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour and mix until just combined. Dump the dough out onto a well-floured board and roll it into a ball. Cut the ball in quarters, wrap each piece in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

 To make the filling, combine 6 tablespoons of granulated sugar, the brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, the raisins, and walnuts OR chocolate.

On a well-floured board, roll each ball of dough into a 9-inch circle. Spread the dough with 2 tablespoons jam or preserves or melted butter and sprinkle with 1/2 cup of the filling. Press the filling lightly into the dough. Cut the circle into 12 equal wedges—cutting the whole circle in quarters, then each quarter into thirds. Starting with the wide edge, roll up each wedge thinly. Place the cookies, points tucked under, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Chill for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Brush each cookie with the egg wash. Combine 3 tablespoons granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon and sprinkle on the cookies. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove to a wire rack and let cool.

OPTIONAL: Instead of sprinkling the cookies with cinnamon sugar, just do the egg wash, wait until the cookies have baked and cooled, then dust with powdered sugar.

Dinner Party For Rosh Hashanah

3 Oct

An excuse to have friends over for dinner and to cook a hearty Jewish meal… The menu:

  • Round Challah Bread, Roasted Garlic
  • Apples Dipped in Honey (Catskill Provision Honey)
  • Chicken with Figs
  • Israeli Couscous with Pomegranate Seeds, Feta, Chickpeas, Cucumber, Radishes, and more
  • Quick Asparagus and Green Bean Saute
  • Wine
  • Root

A small glimpse of the meal:

Pretty Pretty Blue Hydrangeas

Round Challah Bread; Apple Walnut Cake

Couscous Salad in the Making…(pre-couscous)

Flowers, Apples & Honey, Couscous Salad

Kosher Chicken #1 in the Pyrex, Before Baking

Kosher Chicken #2 in Cast-Iron, After Baking

Quick Green Bean Saute

Dinner is Served, Come & Get It

I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream For…Honey Ice Cream!

Rugelach, Homemade Jewish Cookies…you can’t just eat one

And there you have it. Just a small taste of the lovely meal that was enjoyed by many.

Maple Bacon Sticky Buns: Print Restaurant at the New Amsterdam Market

3 Oct

A Sunday morning treat. Sticky buns, but not your average Joe bun. These buns are topped with chopped bacon (from Mountain View Farm in NY) and a maple butter glaze.

They’re so bad they’re so good. I can’t…I won’t…I musn’t…ok just a bite…alright fine another bite…I MUST. You simply cannot say no.

Last weekend the pastry crew from Print Restaurant set up shop to sell Pastry Chef Heather Carlucci-Rodriguez‘s famous Maple Bacon Sticky Buns. We were at the New Amsterdam Market in South Street Seaport, just below the Brooklyn Bridge.

The theme of the week was “Taste of Marcellus:” Sample the foods and flavors produced in the Marcellus Shale region and learn how we can protect this fragile environment from concerned advocates including the Baum Forum, Food & Water Watch, and others.

The New Amsterdam market houses vendors/purveyors selling olive oils, bakery bread, pie, grilled cheese, produce, ravioli, soda, popsicles, ice cream, coffee, meats, cheese, honey, pickles, candies, tempeh, lobster sandwiches, pork tacos, and more.

I can’t wait for Sunday October 16, the Hard Cider Revival.

But back to the buns…come n’ get ’em at Print Restaurant every weekend for Brunch.


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