Tuesday Night with Rupen Rao

I spent this evening at Simply September, Simply Indian, a cooking class hosted by Whole Foods. Our teacher this evening was Mr. Rupen Rao of Simply Indian, LLC. Check out his website if you have a chance; he has tons of easy-to-follow recipes.

Because this was my first cooking class ever, I had no idea what to expect. The Whole Foods store near my house is enormous and looks like it has plenty of space, but I still didn't bet on each student having his/her own cooking station. I was right, but instead, the format of the class was excellent in terms of facilitating group discussion and Q&A.

Mr. Rao featured a few dishes: kaddu ka shorba (masala pumpkin soup); matar hoosal (Marathi-style green peas curry); dahl murg (yogurt chicken); and kesaribath (sweet saffron rice). Below are images from the evening:

The kaddu ka shorba was my favorite of all the dishes! Slightly sweet with a nice kick of garam masala. Mr. Rao mentioned that any autumn or winter gourd would suffice for this soup.

The dahi murgh was very spicy. Mr. Rao advised using bone-in chicken thighs for optimum flavor. Though the chicken was marinated in yogurt, the final product did not taste of anything resembling yogurt. He mentioned that yogurt tenderizes meats, and this chicken was no exception; it completely melted in my mouth.

The matar hoosal was very easy to prepare, and I think it would taste perfect with some red chilis thrown in for heat. The secret ingredient in this dish is amchur, or dried mango powder.

Kesaribath is a sweet rice prepared with ghee, or clarified butter (butter without water). If you plan on creating this dish, be certain you boil it long enough for the rice to cook completely.

Mr. Rao mentioned a few helpful tips:

1. Thicker oils, like olive oil, burn faster than its canola or vegetable counterparts.
2. Red onion is preferred to white onion in Indian sabzis (curries).
3. Always use the stalk of the cilantro plant; the stalk contains the most flavor.
4. When preparing Indian sabzis, always add your spices in whole form to heated oil, then add onion and crushed spices. If you add crushed spices directly to hot oil, they will burn rather quickly.
5. Yogurt-based marinades can be replaced with papaya paste if preferred.
6. DO NOT USE LOW FAT OR FAT FREE dairy products in Indian recipes. They simply add too much water to each dish.
7. Do not replace milk products with cream in all of these recipes; that will affect the cooking process. Specifically, the kesaribath will not cook thoroughly if cream is used instead of milk.

All in all, a very enjoyable Tuesday night activity. Can't wait for the next one; Mr. Rao already promised murgh makhani.

Risotto: A Rice Among Pastas

The weather switched overnight from hot and humid to autumnal and windy here in DC. In my efforts to eat with the seasons, I'm working to create hearty, nutritious dishes as winter approaches. Growing up with mother who lived for years in Roma, pasta was a staple in our household. Risotto, however, was something I didn't have the pleasure of sampling until I went to college. While scrummaging around for healthier versions of risotto, I came upon a recipe for barley risotto.

Barley is a whole grain which contains all eight essential amino acids. Like other grains, there are many strains of barley: two row, six row, and hulled. For cooking, I've found the easiest type of barley to work with is pearl barley, which has the hull and bran removed. Barley - unlike arborio rice (which is used to make traditional risotto) - has a much lower glycemic index, which means it takes longer to digest, keeping its diner fuller for a longer period of time.

My first autumn run to the farmers market yielded a beautiful butternut squash and a bunch of beets. After a lengthy conversation with a farmer, I learned that I can use beet greens as a substitute for spinach in any recipe. With these items and knowledge in tow, I embarked on this fabulous dish, which was served recently at a going-away party for my friend Felix, who moved back to Spain a couple of weeks ago.

BARLEY RISOTTO WITH ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH, BEET GREENS, AND GOAT CHEESE
Serves 5-6

Ingredients:
1 small butternut squash, peeled and diced into small cubes
3 tbsp olive oil, divided
4 quarts organic vegetable broth, divided into three
2 quarts water, divided
2-3 sprigs fresh rosemary
1 medium white onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup pearl barley, raw
beet greens collected from 1 bunch of beets
1/3 cup goat cheese

Directions:
1. Coat butternut squash cubes in 1.5 tbsp olive oil. Roast in the oven at 350* for 20-25 minutes.
2. In a small pot, boil 1/3 of vegetable broth with rosemary for 10 minutes.
3. In a large pot, saute onion and garlic with remainder of olive oil.
4. When onion mixture is golden, add pearl barley and saute for a few minutes.
5. Crank heat up to high and add rosemary andvegetable broth mixture.
6. When the liquid has evaporated, add the second 1/3 of vegetable broth and remainder of water.
7. When the liquid has evaporated, add the final 1/3 of vegetable broth and remainder of water.
8. When the majority of remaining liquid has evaporated, add in the butternut squash and stir gently.
9. Reduce heat to medium.
9. Taste to see if the barley is cooked.
10. Stir in beet greens until they are wilted.
11. Remove from heat and stir in goat cheese.
12. Enjoy!

Preview: the best is yet to come!

Here's a little look at what is coming this week:

Clockwise from top left: green beans curry; barley risotto with butternut squash, beet greens, and goat cheese; smoked chipotle peppers; homemade baked corn tortilla chips with watermelon-peach salsa; brie, tomato, caramelized onion and basil panini; blackberry-peach compote; tomato bruschetta; chocolate peanut butter whoopie pie

Intermission has ended!

Life at the koppakabana has been busy as of late, which is why I haven't updated the blog in awhile. My sincere apologies to all of you readers! I will be updating with numerous recipes over the next few days, so brace yourself!

Food and nutrition worthy items of note include:
*purchasing a watermelon and figuring out what to do with it as I live by myself!
*a bon voyage dinner party for a dear friend who is now trouncing around Germany
*some thoughts on running, fitness, body image, and integrated wellness
*ruminations on the role of nutrition in addressing abuse
*experiments with heirloom tomatoes!
*a recent roadtrip across North Carolina for the NC Apple Festival, a quick drop-in at a Moravian bakery, and blueberry picking in the Blue Ridge mountains

To whet your appetite, here's a sneak preview of the Apple Festival. The contraption below is a mini-doughnut machine. Lovely O's of dough drop into a chute of oil. As the dough blobs travel down the chute, they are flipped twice and eventually wind up on a drying rack, where they are doused with apple-cinnamon sugar. YUM!

Mini Summer Vegetable Gratin

Inspired by a recent recipe from the New York Times and the abundance of summer corn, I tried this out:

MINI SUMMER VEGETABLE GRATIN

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 medium red onion, finely chopped

1 medium red bell pepper, diced

2 red chilies, chopped

Salt to taste

1 large garlic clove, minced

1/2 pound summer squash, thinly sliced

Freshly ground pepper to taste

Kernels from 2 ears sweet corn (about 2 cups)

3 large eggs

1/2 cup 1% milk

1 teaspoon cumin seeds, lightly toasted and coarsely ground in a spice mill, or slightly crushed in a mortar and pestle

1/2 cup reduced-fat cheddar cheese, shreded

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Oil 6 muffin tins. Set aside the kernels from one of the ears of corn. Heat the olive oil in a large, nonstick skillet over medium heat and add the onion and chilies. Cook, stirring often, until it begins to soften, about three minutes, and add the red pepper and a generous pinch of salt. Cook, stirring often, until the onions and peppers are tender, about five minutes. Add the garlic and the squash, stir together and add another generous pinch of salt and some pepper. Cook, stirring often, until the zucchini is just beginning to look bright green and some of the slices are translucent. Stir in the kernels from one of the ears of corn. Stir together for a minute or two, and remove from the heat. Scrape into a large bowl.

2. Place the remaining corn kernels in a blender jar, and add the eggs, milk and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Blend until smooth. Pour into the bowl with the vegetables. Add the cumin and the cheese, and stir everything together. Scrape into the muffin tins.

3. Bake 25-30 minutes, until the tops are browned and the gratin is firm to the touch. Serve hot or warm.

Notes: I loved these mashed up inside a tortilla. Kind of a breakfast burrito. They also pair well with salads and fruits.

I recommend these before they are brown on top; because they are in muffin tins, they cook quickly.

Whole Wheat Peach Ginger Muffins

The one bad thing about peaches is that they tend to squish easily. Without fail, I always manage to squash a peach in between purchase and storage in my vegetable box. On Saturday, I arrived home with an extremely juicy peach complete with dent. It looked to be in such a state of disrepair that I decided to use it immediately. Continuing with my experiments using whole wheat pastry flour, I settled on peach muffins laced with ginger and cardomom. Here's the visual:



I will say that these didn't turn out exactly as planned. While the ginger and cardomom were in full presence, the peachy undertone was much more subtle, so subtle that I wished I had added an additional peach to the batter. Next time, next time...regardless, the muffins are still spicy, fruity, and sweet. On the nutritional side, they're not bad, either, coming in at 3 WW pts each.

Here's the recipe I followed:

WHOLE WHEAT PEACH AND GINGER MUFFINS
Approximately 6 very large muffins, or 12 medium muffins

1 Freestone peach, diced with skin
1 1/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
3 tbsp ginger, minced and sauteed until fragrant (crystallized ginger preferred but regular is fine too)
3 tbsp cardomom pods, crushed
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1 egg
1 cup skim milk
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp light butter with canola oil, melted and cooled for a few minutes
Turbinado sugar, to sprinkle

1. Combine peach, ginger, and cardomom in a blender and puree until smooth.
2. Combine milk and lemon juice; let sit.
3. Combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, brown sugar and salt in a large bowl.
4. In a separate smaller bowl whisk together the eggs and the buttermilk. Whisk in the melted butter.
5. Combine wet ingredients with dry ingredients, leaving adding peach mixture by folding in the end.
6. Fill muffin tins with batter; sprinkle tops with Turbinado sugar.
7. Bake at 400* for approximately 30 minutes. I prefer these slightly underdone, served with a little butter, apple butter, or just piping hot with tea.

Free cupcakes in Dupont!

Via Twitter...

Cupcakepocalypse @ Red Velvet Cupcakery/Tangysweet

It's been a little slower than normal in the free food department this summer. Perhaps the tight economy is to blame? Luckily, the folks at Tangysweet are opening up another Red Velvet Cupcakery at their DuPont Circle location. To celebrate, they will be giving out free red velvet mini-cupcakes starting at noon on Friday until closing, which is 1 a.m. on Fridays. The cupcake recipes were developed by pastry chef David Guas, known for his work at the Passion Food group of restaurants.

A Sunday feast

After yesterday's berry picking adventures, I spent today relaxing at home. Being Sunday, I prepared a number of meals - all of which were made with my new purchases - to eat through the busy work week. I am challenging myself to eat meals throughout the day that are as far down the food chain as possible, ie, mostly vegetables, fruits, plant proteins, and a little dairy. Here's the rundown on today's creations:



BLACK-EYED PEAS AND CORN FILLING (for burritos, lettuce wraps, or as salsa)
Courtesy of the Mayo Clinic

4 servings

Ingredients:

1/2 cup dried black-eyed peas, picked over and rinsed, soaked overnight, and drained
3 cups water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
1/2 green bell pepper (capsicum), seeded and chopped
1/2 cup fresh corn kernels, cut from about 1 ear of corn
1 tomato, seeded and diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 jalapeno, chopped
Grated zest and juice of 1 lime
1 tablespoon light balsamic vinaigrette
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro or fresh coriander
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

In a large saucepan over high heat, combine the peas, water and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover partially and simmer until the peas are tender, about 45 minutes. Drain the peas, rinse with cool water, drain again and transfer to a large bowl to cool.

In a large nonstick saute or frying pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and bell pepper and saute until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the corn, tomato, jalapeno, and garlic and saute until the tomato is softened and the corn is tender-crisp, about 4 minutes.

Add the corn mixture to the peas along with the lime zest and juice, vinaigrette, cilantro, the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and the pepper. Toss to mix.

BAKED SWEET POTATO FALAFEL
Courtesy of 101 Cookbooks

Yield: Approximately 13 falafel balls

Ingredients:

1 medium sweet potatoes (orange inside), around 3/4 pound
3/4 teaspoons ground cumin
1 small clove of garlic, chopped
3/4 teaspoons ground coriander
1 big handfuls of fresh cilantro/coriander, chopped
1 1/2 tbsp concentrated lemon juice
a scant 1/2 cup chickpea/gram/besan flour
a splash of olive oil
salt and pepper

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425* F and roast the sweet potatoes whole until just tender - 45 minutes to 1 hour. Turn off the oven, leave the potatoes to cool, then peel.

Put the sweet potatoes, cumin, garlic, ground and fresh coriander, lemon juice and gram/chickpea flour into a large bowl. Season well, and mash until smooth with no large chunks. Stick in the fridge to firm up for an hour, or the freezer for 20-30 minutes. When you take it out, your mix should be sticky rather than really wet. You can add a tablespoon or so more of chickpea flour if necessary (the water content of sweet potatoes varies enormously).

Reheat the oven to 400*F. Using a couple of soup spoons (put a well-heaped spoonful of mix in one spoon and use the concave side of the other to shape the sides) or a falafel scoop if you have one, make the mixture into falafelly looking things and put them on an oiled tray. Bake in the oven for around 15 minutes, until the bases are golden brown.

RAITA
Adapted from Show Me The Curry

Approximately 4 cups

Ingredients:

2 cups plain yogurt
1 cucumber, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
2 tsp oil
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp garam masala
salt
1 handful cilantro

Directions:

In a small saucepan, heat oil. When hot, add mustard seeds. When mustard seeds sputter, add cumin, chili powder, and garam masala. Toast the spices but do not burn.

In a separate bowl, mix yogurt, cucumber, and tomato. Add oil mixture and stir thoroughly. Add salt to taste and top with cilantro.



SCOTTISH BLACKBERRY CRANACHAN
Adapted from Gastroanthropology

Cranachan is a creamy, fruity dessert originally from Scotland. It is usually made with raspberries, but as I have only blackberries, I used them. It is delicious! It is typically made with double cream (full fat whipping cream in Americanese) and whiskey. For those of us who put on weight easily, you can substitute light whipped topping for the whipping cream and omit the booze.

Ingredients:

2/3 cup light whipped topping, thawed
10 blackberries
2 tsp light pancake syrup
1 tbsp toasted oatmeal, cooled

Directions:

Mix everything together, breaking the berries so the cream turns purple.

Use cranachan to top Scottish whole wheat shortbread (recipe to follow).

WHOLE WHEAT SCOTTISH SHORTBREAD
Adapted from Gastroanthropology

Yield: approximately 10 cookies

Ingredients:

1/2 cup whipped butter, room temperature

1 tbsp light pancake syrup

1/4 cup raw sugar

1 scant cup whole wheat pastry dough

1/4 tsp sea salt, will need more for sprinkling

Raw sugar and sea salt for sprinkling

Directions:

Cream butter, vanilla, and sugar for about one minute. Add flour and salt and mix in with a wooden spoon. When the dough forms into one, put onto a lightly floured surface. Knead the shortbread dough for at least one minute. Add a bit more flour, but only if the dough is really sticky. Pat into a quarter-inch high disk and cut out with a 1 1/2 inch biscuit cutter. Arrange on a sheet pan and sprinkle with sugar and sea salt. Bake at 350* F until the edges turn slightly golden.

Word of Mouth: Homestead Farm and Eatonville Restaurant

No recipes today, but lots to report on the food front! Today began with my friend Rupa and I heading to the Adams Morgan Farmers Market. On the way, we discovered a gem: individual hawkers selling papusas, arepas, tacos, taquitos and much, much more in a nearby plaza. We stopped for a delicious lunch. I recommend the chile relleno if you are heading that way.



After purchasing some lovely tomatoes, we moved onto the U St Flea Market at the corner of 9th and U St NW. We met up with my friend Felix, who is working at the Embassy of Spain for the next few months. Again, we bought more produce as this market features specialty items like jicama. On the way to my flat, we passed by the U St Farmers Market. At Dolcezza, an expectant Argentinian lady gave us free half-pints of some amazing gelato flavors: blackberries and cream, Thai coconut milk, and chocolate. Delicious! When we finished, we met up with yet another friend, Sriram, and headed out to Homestead Farms in Poolesville, MD. In the shop at the farm, we saw some gorgeous produce.


(yellow wax beans)


(aubergines)

On the farm, we picked beautiful blackberries from both thorny and thornless vines. We also picked peaches, but none of these were ripe. All the while, I imagined using these fruits in oatmeal, in pies, in crumbles. Mmmmm!



After driving back to Washington, we stopped at Eatonville to grab some delicious Southern food. If you go there, order the chipotle sweet potato bisque. You will not regret swallowing this delicious, sweet, creamy with a kick of spice at the end soup du jour. While the main dishes are spectacular, what truly shines at Eatonville are its appetizers, specifically the white cheddar tart and leek and shrimp-stuffed giant hushpuppy, and side items like the macaroni and cheese, collard greens, and mashed potatoes.

Word of Mouth: Baked and Wired, Georgetown

Today, I wandered over to Baked and Wired, my most favorite bakery on the East Coast. Yes, I've been to Cake Love, Hello Cupcake, Georgetown Cupcake and even Magnolia. Baked and Wired always, always, always delivers a fabulous selection of moist cakes, creamy icings, cookies, biscotti, pies, quiche, bundt cakes, hippie crack (think granola pimped out with dried fruits and coconut), doggie biscuits, and loaf breads - all capped off with Counter Culture Coffee products.

Perhaps my devotion stems from the fact that my cupcakes come in a white, stiffly-handled bag reading "Get Baked." Perhaps it's due to the pretty pink bicycle permanently placed outside of the restaurant. Whatever reason, this place is GREAT.

The first time my sister sampled the carrot cupcake, she exclaimed, "Oh sh!t!," while her mouth was still full.

Go, you won't regret it. And mad props to my girl Anna for introducing me to Baked & Wired nearly two years ago.

Surprise of the day

I find everyday brings something unexpected, usually positive. Today was no less. A colleague of mine, whose daughter owns Lantern (a Chapel Hill eatery), brought in a big bushel of beautiful corn to share! Thanks Kathe!

I have a few ideas on how to use the two lovely ears in my fridge. I think I'll try a black-eyed peas and corn burrito, or maybe corn and jalapeno muffins, or even corn and zucchini pasta salad. Yum!

Bastille Day menu

Alton Brown's Crepes

Ingredients:

2 large eggs
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup water
1 cup flour
3 tablespoons melted butter (I used light butter with canola oil included)
oil spray

Directions:

In a blender, combine all of the ingredients and pulse for 10 seconds. Place the crepe batter in the refrigerator for 1 hour. This allows the bubbles to subside so the crepes will be less likely to tear during cooking. The batter will keep for up to 48 hours.

Heat a small non-stick pan and coat with oil spray. Pour a scant 1/4 cup of batter into the center of the pan and swirl to spread evenly. Cook for 30 seconds and flip. Cook for another 10 seconds and remove to the cutting board. Lay them out flat so they can cool. Continue until all batter is gone. After they have cooled you can stack them and store in sealable plastic bags in the refrigerator for several days or in the freezer for up to two months. When using frozen crepes, thaw on a rack before gently peeling apart.

Makes approximately 12 large crepes.

Fillings for Crepes

Garlic Kale

Ingredients:

1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 kale bunch, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp cumin seeds

Directions:

1. Heat saucepan and add oil.
2. Add onion and cumin seeds. Saute until onion is translucent.
3. Add kale and saute for 5 minutes.
4. Allow mixture to cool.
5. Place 1/3 of kale mixture in center of crepe.
6. Roll over ends of crepe and place folded side down.
7. Cover with goat cheese sauce (next recipe).

Stuffs approximately three large crepes.



Goat Cheese Sauce

Ingredients:

1/2 cup goat cheese
3/4 cup vegetable broth
1 bay leaf
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. In a small pot, bring broth and goat cheese to a gentle simmer. Mash cheese into broth to aid melting.
2. Add bay leaf.
3. Let simmer for 5-10 minutes.
4. Remove bay leaf and garnish with pepper

Approximately four servings



Tomato Mozzarella Filling

Ingredients:

1 large Roma tomato
2 oz. whole milk mozzarella
oregano, to taste

Directions:
1. Slice tomato and place on baking sheer
2. Shred mozzrella and spread evenly over tomato.
3. Broil in oven til cheese melts.
4. Sprinkle with oregano.
5. Place 1/3 of tomato mixture into center of crepe and fold. Serve.

Filling for approximately three crepes.

Finished Products:



Dessert Crepe Filling:



Ingredients:

10 oz Greek nonfat yogurt
1/3 cup raspberry jam
2 tsp sugar
3 tbsp chopped pecans

Directions:

1. In a small pot, heat jam until it becomes a liquid.
2. Remove from burner and gently fold into yogurt.
3. Place mixture in fridge for 20 minutes.
4. Spoon 1/4 cup of filling into crepe.
5. Roll ends of crepe over.
6. Sprinkle with sugar and pecans.

Filling for approximately six crepes.

Happy Bastille Day!

Vive le France, or something..

My uncle and aunt have temporarily moved to gay Paris for the summer! While they are no doubtedly watching fireworks and eating cake, I must brainstorm activities to keep myself away from the guillotine...

1. Maid Races at L'Enfant Cafe: men dressed up as French waitresses running in high-heeled shoes. Free cake passed out by King Louis and Marie Antoinette themselves. 1/2-price Belgian beers, including my very favorite Lindeman's Lambic Framboise. Hysterical potential for me: HIGH. Hysterical factor for them, gawking at my poorly bandaged left digit (hey, a girl is only so dextrous with one hand): HIGH.



2. A quiet night in with my favorite movie set in France, Chocolat. Mmm, Johnny Depp. Hysteric factor of watching Alfred Molina play his 2,786th character of different ethnic background than he actually is: MEDIUM.

3. Dinner party with close friends. Crepe spectacular? Wine? Cheese? Susheela Raman belting out her English-Tamil-French lyrics in her never-failing sultry voice? Hysteric factor of watching me cooked crepes with a burned left pointer finger: HIGH. Comfort of being at home: UNPARALLELED.

Nice! Pictures and recipes to follow.

Sunflower-cashew butter

Ingredients:

1/4 cup sunflower seeds, roasted
1/4 cup cashew nuts, roasted
1-2 tbsp canola oil
sea salt
2 tbsp maple syrup

Directions:
1. Blend everything together until combined.
2. Enjoy!

Chocolate Cayenne Pecan cookies

Ingredients:

oil spray (0)
1/2 tbsp baking soda (0)
1/2 tsp salt (0)
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (0)
1 egg (2)
1 packet instant hot cocoa/FF instant hot cocoa (1)
1/4 cup Dutch processed unsweetened cocoa powder (0.5)
1/2 cup flour (4/5)
1/4 cup chopped pecans or almonds (5)
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed (8.5)
1/4 cup maple syrup/reduced-calorie pancake syrup (2)

Directions:

1. In one bowl, combine baking soda, salt, cayenne pepper, flour hot cocoa, and cocoa powder.
2. In a second bowl, blend together egg, brown sugar, and syrup.
3. Using a spatula, gently fold in dry ingredients into wet ingredients.
4. Stir in nuts.
5. Drop heaping teasponfuls of batter onto a greased cookie sheet approximately 2 inches apart.
6. Bake for 5-10 minutes at 350*.

*Note, in my attempts to substitute honey for sugar, I badly burned my left pointer finger. Be careful or you may wind up with the first picture.

Farmers Market Antics

Today, I went to the Adams Morgan Farmers Market at the corner of 18th and Columbia Rd NW. This market accepts WIC deductions and overall, it is much cheaper than other markets in the area. There are two suppliers so far, and in addition to selling produce, there are baked goods, james, relishes, salsas, a variety of nuts, and a number of herb plants and flora.

The picture on the left shows everything I got today for an unbelievable $12.20! If you can't make out, here's the list:

1 pint black cherries
3 red skinned potatoes
1 red onion
1 vidalia onion
1 bunch organic kale
1 zucchini/courgette
1 green pepper/capsicum
1 garlic bulb
3 peaches
4 roma tomatoes

I am currently pondering recipes for the week: perhaps barley risotto with kale stems, vidalia onion, and zucchini? Margherita pizza made on whole wheat tortillas? Roasted rosemary red skinned potatoes? Kale salad? Hmmmm...

4th of July Brunch: Baked Apple French Toast Casserole Muffins with Caramel-Pecan Sauce

These were so delicious that I am sharing two pictures. Good eats!

A big thanks to Frugal Antics of a Harried Housewife for the inspiration!

Ingredients:

Day 1:
French Toast Muffins:
1/2 loaf stale white bread (approximately 10 pieces) (10)
4 eggs (8)
1 cup 1% milk (2)
1/4 cup light pancake syrup (2)
cinnamon (however much you want!)
ground cloves (again, your call)
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce (1)

Day 2:
Sauce:
1 cup caramel ice cream topping (If you are feeling inclined, you can double boil a can of evaporated milk forever to get your own dulce de leche)
1/6 cup chopped pecans (1.5)
1/2 cup 1% milk (1)

Topping:
light cool whip

Directions:
1. Tear up bread pieces into bite size pieces and place in one large bowl.
2. In another bowl, beat eggs, milk, syrup, applesauce, cinnamon and cloves.
3. Pour egg mixture over bread and combine (best done with your undoubtedly clean hands) until 1/2 the bread has liquefied and 1/2 is still in whole pieces.
4. In 2/3 cup increments, divide bread mixture into six muffin tins.
5. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

The next day:
6. Preheat oven to 350*
7. Bake muffins for 35-40 minutes
8. 5 minutes prior to your muffins being done, place a small saucepan on low heat.
9. Add caramel sauce to saucepan and slowly stir until it becomes a thinner sauce.
10. If you overheat your caramel and it begins to burn or becomes difficult to stir, add milk and stir.
11. Stir in pecans.
12. Pull muffins out of oven and let sit for five minutes.
13. Serve each muffin with 2 tbsp caramel sauce and a little whipped topping.

WW points: approximately 8 pts

4th of July Brunch: Cocoa-Pecan Pancakes

These came out divine! Enjoy :o)

As you can see, I couldn't wait to taste them before taking a picture of this masterpiece. Had I been more industrious, I would have make the pancake mix from scratch, but as I have whole grain mix in my refrigerator, I made do with it.

COCOA-PECAN PANCAKES

Ingredients:
1/3 cup whole grain pancake mix (2)
1 tbsp pecan pieces (1)
2 tbsp Dutch processed unsweetened cocoa (0)
1/4 cup 1% milk (0.5)
1 egg white (0)
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
oil spray
2 tbsp light cool whip (0.5)

Directions:
1. Mix pancake mix, milk, egg white, applesauce, and cocoa powder until well blended.
2. Stir in pecans.
3. Spray a cooking pan with oil spray. In 1/4 cup increments, cook pancakes. When I made this, I got two CD-sized pancakes.
4. Top with cool whip and enjoy!

Independence Day

It's US Independence Day weekend! There are few things I love more than a good BBQ followed by fireworks this time of year. Luckily, my friend Mia and I went to the Folk Life Festival on the National Mall, where in the middle of the African-American voices section, we were able to secure BBQ chicken wings, coleslaw, rice and beans, a refreshing Abita beer, and a huge serving of watermelon. Delicious!

At the Welsh clogs tent, we heard a very informative clogmaker and dancer, Trevor, tells us about the history of Welsh clogs in the Americas. Strangely enough, he pointed to South Carolina (where my hometown is!) as one of the only sources of direct written references to the European sycamore, the wood of which is used to make Welsh clogs. Trevor informed us that there is a record he has come across detailing that enslaved peoples working the rice paddies of the South were issued Welsh clogs as they were the only shoes capable of withstanding the damp environment. When I asked him how Welsh clogging is related to the clogging of Appalachian culture, he said that as Scottish, English, Irish, and Welsh populations immigrated to Appalachia, they brought their clogging styles with them. However, because the European sycamore was not readily available to make clogs, dancers began using more flexible footwear, and as a result, the dance itself evolved into something new. For excerpts of Welsh clogging and Appalachian clogging, visit here and here.

Low fat chocolate banana cake with peanut cream

I had three extremely ripe bananas in my fridge. After considering banana bread and banoffee pie, I moved forward with this easy, low fat chocolate banana cake with peanut butter cream.

Chocolate Banana Cake

Servings: 12-16 cupcakes
WW Points: 3.5 per cupcake

Ingredients:
1 box Duncan Hines Dark Chocolate cake mix
3 ripe bananas
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 cup water

Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to the temperature listed on your cake mix box.
2. Mix all ingredients together using an electric mixer or hand blender. Make sure all of the banana pieces are pureed. You don't want chunks of banana in your cake! Do not throw away the cake mix box, either.
3. Place 1/3 cup of mix in each compartment on your muffin tray.
4. Bake at temperature and for time listed on the cake mix box.
5. Let stand for 10 minutes before shifting cupcakes to a wire rack for thorough cooling.

Peanut Butter Cream

WW Points: 12 for the entire dish

Ingredients:
1 container light whipped topping, refrigerated
2 tbsp reduced fat crunchy peanut butter

Directions:
1. Mix peanut butter and light whipped topping until smooth using a handmixer.
2. Place in freezer while cupcakes are baking.
3. Divide evenly and spread onto chocolate banana cupcakes.*

*Note: It is best to frost the cupcakes as and when you eat them. Peanut butter cream can be stored in the fridge or freezer for later use.