Have you tried any of these recipes?

Have you tried any of these recipes? If you have, please leave a comment to let me know how it worked for you and if you suggest any changes!

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Mostly Savory Chocolate Bark

This chocolate bark is unlike anything you're likely to encounter in the month of cookies and cakes.  That is why I like it!  I'm not one for pastries or sweets, but some good dark chocolate will certainly do it for me!  This one is full of flavors and just a bite is plenty!

Nutty chocolate bark
Now my new favorite breakfast
With a cup of tea

Ingredients

  • 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
  • 1 tsp ground cardamom
  • 1/4 tsp dried mulberries
  • 1/4 cup dried tart cherries
  • 3/4 cup almonds, toasted and coarsely chopped
  • 1/2 cup pistachios, toasted and coarsely chopped
  • 2 tsp coffee beans, coarsely chopped
  • pinch of kosher salt
  1. Grease a baking sheet, and line it with parchment paper.
  2. Melt the chocolate in a large stainless steel bowl placed over simmering water in a pot.  Make sure the bowl is not touching the water to keep the chocolate from scorching.  
  3. Add the cardamom, and stir to dissolve for a couple of minutes.  Turn off the heat, and stir in half of the mulberries, cherries, almonds and pistachios.
  4. Remove the bowl from the heat, and dry the bottom with a towel.
  5. Pour the chocolate onto the prepared baking sheet.  With an offset or rubber spatula, spread the chocolate in a wide rectangle about 1/4 inch thick.  Sprinkle with the remaining nuts, dried fruit, and the coffee beans, and press them gently into the chocolate.  Dust with the salt.
  6. Cool in the refrigerator for about 2 hours, until hard.  When firm, slide chocolate onto a cutting board, and cut or break it into pieces.  Keep it refrigerated until just before serving.


Recipe taken from YogaJournal, December 2013.

Friday, December 6, 2013

Mediterranean Turkey Meatloaf

Meatloaf is one of those comfort foods that is so easy to prepare, great for leftovers, and can be made with mostly anything.  Some people have started replacing ground beef in their recipes with turkey.  However, turkey has a completely different flavor and needs a different set of ingredients to complement it.  Here is my latest take on a turkey meatloaf:

There is no such thing
As a beautiful picture
Of plain-old meatloaf

Ingredients
  • 2 lbs ground turkey
  • 1/4 cup oil
  • 2 egg whites
  • 4 oz feta cheese, crumbled
  • 1/4 cup pine nuts
  • Lard or oil
  • 3 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 2 tbsp fresh chopped oregano
  • A handful of radishes, finely chopped
  • Two handfuls of fresh spinach
  • 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
  1. Heat the lard or oil over low to medium heat on the stovetop.  SautĂ© the garlic approximately one minute.  Add the oregano and set aside after it has passed another minute over the heat.
  2. Grease a meatloaf pan or other oven-safe dish and preheat oven to 350F.
  3. In a large bowl, using your hands, combine the turkey, oil, eggs and breadcrumbs.  Add the garlic and oregano mixture and stir.  Continue adding ingredients, one at a time, mixing with your hands until the cheese, pine nuts, radishes and spinach are combined.  (Save the spinach for last.)
  4. Shape the meatloaf into your pan (it will be sloppy due to all the moisture) and bake, uncovered for 90 minutes or until it comes away from the side of the pan and turns crispy at the top and edges.
Excellent served with sweet potato fries.

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Will it be Food Pics or Cat Videos that Take Over the Internet?

I've noticed that there is some annoyance out there in the social media world towards people who take pictures of their food and share them with the rest of the world.  I understand.  Your life is too full of real things for you to care about what someone you hardly know had for dinner.  And as is the case with most social media - you didn't ask for the picture - it was thrust upon you as you were innocently scrolling through pictures of babies in their first suspenders and cats who have not only made their owners work for them, but have started a campaign to take over the internet.



I take pictures of my food.  I do so with glee.  GLEE.  And when I post a picture of my food, it is because I'm still savoring it.  I feel like, for me - what my meal looks like represents my current life or state of mind to a certain point.  There are times, honestly, when I think my best foot forward or my most photogenic side is the meal I just created.  It might represent something just for myself - how colorful, or fresh, or gloopy I'm feeling.  And it might represent what I want to convey to the people I'm cooking for - "I'm comfortable with you," "you make me feel warm," or "our weekend is going to be zesty/fiery/rich."

What we eat says so much about us already, and if we're proud or excited to share it, I think those of us that do are sharing something significant of ourselves.  So, go ahead and post those pictures!  (Not like anyone can stop those of us that do!)  I want to see your fancy gougères that you put so much time into.  And I'll probably even give you a thumbs up/heart/like for your picture of your late night peanut butter toast and iced gin because it says a bit about your day and how you've chosen to celebrate it/wallow/comfort yourself.

So, cheers!



You can find more of my food pictures on instagram and twitter, though I must warn you - I'm also one of those annoying people who posts copious pictures of her dog.


See?  It's because she's SO CUTE!  And I'm sure you think so too!  Right?

Sunday, December 1, 2013

Colorful winter salad

I'm always looking for a bit of color in my meals, and while I'm not typically a salad fan (or a fan of cold foods generally), the days that follow Thanksgiving lend themselves to crisper, lighter fare.

Lighter winter fare
I only like salads with...
Fresh avocados

Ingredients  (serves two as a meal or four as a side)
  • Butter lettuce (one small head)
  • 1 Fresh persimmon, 1/4 papaya, or 1/2 pink grapefruit (listed in order of my favorite) 
  • 1 Avocado
  • 2 tbsp Pumpkin seeds
  • 2 oz. Blue cheese
  • Greek yogurt (1/4 cup)
  • Olive oil (1/4 cup)
  • Juice from half of one lemon
  • A pinch of salt
  • Freshly grated black pepper
  1. Wash the lettuce thoroughly, pat dry, and chop into bite sized leaves.
  2. Start the pumpkin seeds toasting over medium heat in a small saucepan (they will turn fragrant, pop a bit, and turn browner) shaking them around frequently.
  3. In a food processor, combine the yogurt, olive oil, lemon and salt until blended
  4. Cube the fruit and the avocado.
  5. Combine all ingredients into low bowls, crumbling the blue cheese on top and finishing with the freshly grated pepper.
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