Kitchen Space

2011-03-04T14:20:00.001-08:00

My ABC's

Gosh, it has been so long since I last posted here, this is crazy. I swear I did not forget about my blog. To be honest, I keep wanting to post every single day but I never seem to find the time to seat back, relax, and write a nice post.
Next week is spring break so I am hoping for a lot of relaxing and posts to come! :-)
I totally underestimated how much time you need to dedicate for studying when doing a Master's degree. Then this semester I decided to take in one extra class and oh boy, it is definitely way too much when you are a mom, wife, class parent, and everything else. Next semester I am definitely taking less classes and will definitely have more time not only for the blog but most importantly for me and my family.
Besides school, this past month we started a renovation on our kitchen and what was supposed to be 2 weeks of "kitchenless" life turned out to be 3, and still counting. I just cannot wait to have my kitchen back. This is crazy, I hate not being able to cook.
The one positive thing that keeps me sane during this torture is knowing that the outcome is going to be worth it, and so far it has been, I love everything we pick and chose for the kitchen and it all is coming out nicely. I will definitely be posting pictures soon!
Today I wanted to do something different. I haven't done this before on this blog, so when I saw it on Ashley's blog I thought it would be fun to do it too so you all can learn a bit more about me.
Here, goes, a little bit about Ana, in abc's form!
See you soon back with recipes and pics,
Ana

A. Age: 31 (almost 32...)

B. Bed size: King, looove it!

C. Chore you dislike: cleaning the toilets, I HATE it.

D. Dogs: none, however Matheus has been begging for a puppy....

E. Essential start to your day: Brushing my teeth, drinking lots of water, and breakfast!

F. Favorite color: I like white a lot (especially when it comes to clothes), but since it might not be considered a color then I pick yellow.

G. Gold or silver: silver, always!

H. Height: 5’5"

I. Instruments you play(ed): none... oh wait, I played one in Brazil during 2nd grade for the school band, but truly I don't know what it is called in English, in Portuguese it is called "caixa" or "caixinha", anyone can help me with this one?

J. Job title: oh oh... stay at home mom, student, future nutritionist???!!!

K. Kids: Matheus: MY LIFE!

L. Live: Cary, NC

M. Mom’s name: Elizete

N. Nicknames: Ana, Aninha, Paula

O. Overnight hospital stays: When I had an appendectomy and then when I had Matheus.

P. Pet peeves: leaving dirty dishes in the sink overnight, people that don't pay attention (and eat or text in the car) when driving, excessive grammar mistakes, going out to eat and getting bad food.

Q. Quote from a movie: It's so FLUFFY!! (From "Despicable Me", have you watched this? Best movie ever!)

R. Righty or lefty: Righty

S. Siblings: Ana Claudia, my soul sister :-)

T. Time you wake up: 6 am, I like waking up early and get my day going, it is definitely very productive - only thing is that I crash by 10pm.

U. Underwear: huh? Yes, I use them (is that what I am supposed to say?) I think we should come up with something better for the letter U category... maybe University?! Then I would answer Unisa in Brasil and NCSU here in the US (better than underpants, rght?!).

V. Vegetables you dont’ like: celery and fennel. Matheus says I have "fennelphobia", a fear of fennel! I don't like fennel or anise flavor on anything. I can even eat turnips (don't like them much either), but fennel I pass, the flavor is really strong to me.

W. What makes you run late: My mom! hahahaha!! (my sister is going to get this one!) I have been late for all my life, now I have a thing that I try my extreme best to be on time, and I am usually successful.

X. X-rays you’ve had: hands and foot (from mild injuries playing sports in middle school), hips (due to my sciatic pain)

Y. Yummy food you make: Salads, soups, ...everything. Not that I want to pat myself in the back, but I just love my food.

Z. Zoo animal favorites: now this is something I am not so sure about. I have learned about zoo animals and the way they are treated lately and I am not sure I support zoos anymore. But if I had to pick I like the giraffes!

2011-01-23T06:39:00.000-08:00

I will have the green one please!

I have talked here before about my love for smoothies but I haven't told you yet about my fondness for the green ones. Yep, green smoothies!
Don't rule this out so quickly, if you can go past the green color I promise that you will be surprised by how delicious a fruit smoothie with a bit of greens can be.
I have tried a few combination already and every time I am blown by how much I like this. Maybe it is an acquired taste, maybe not. In my case I already loved all fruits and veggies so it wasn't hard to find these smoothies delicious, but as it is recommended with all foods I would tell you to try at least once, and if you don't love it at first then try it one more time. Vary the fruits and/or the greens and I am sure you will find a combo that suits your taste.

What happened to me was that after trying it a couple times I started craving the green goodness more and more. Sometimes I would have a green smoothie on the afternoon and I could not wait until breakfast the next day to have another. I believe that all the nutrients give my body such a good feeling that it actually keep asking for more. (Seriously, it is really energizing to have a green drink - juice/smoothie - in the morning, or at least I feel this way)

I don't have a juicer (yet...), so I make green smoothies, but if you do have a juicer than you are up for a treat as I find that green juices are totally delicious, plus they are easy to drink and may provide you with a whole bunch of vitamins in one cup.
The difference between the smoothies and the juices is that the smoothies contain the fiber of the fruits/veggies, the vegetable and fruit pulp. The juices is just the liquid part of the produce, which is where all the vitamin and minerals are. Both are healthy and delicious and will provide you with very good for you nutrients, but smoothies are a bit more filling depending upon what you add to them. I actually feel good drinking the smoothies as I am also getting the fiber (which, uh.. it is much needed in my case... but anyways, lets go back to the post's original subject)
I wish there were juice bars here where I live as I really enjoyed having green juices at the Reading Central Market when we went to Philadelphia last year!
The juice below had carrot, pear, kale, and spinach. The pear gave it the best flavor, it was "pear"fect! :-)

Making a green smoothie is the easiest thing to do, just as with other smoothies all you do is add your fruit + veggies to the blender and whiz it away. You can add water and/or ice depending on how thick you want it. I like my veggie smoothies more on the not too thick side, so I usually add water to mine. But sometimes depending on what veggie or fruit you use you won't need too much water. Cucumbers for example is a good veggie for juicing or making smoothies as it adds a lot of water to the party.
When I make my smoothies I add the fruit on the bottom along with the liquid and then put the green leaves on top. Your blender will look like this:
On this particular smoothie I had 1 pear, 1 big chard leave and 2 handfuls of spinach.

But don't be alarmed, you won't get a full blender full of green goo, because after it blends it will reduce down to this:
Look at the bright green color!

Make sure to blend well. Depending on your blender it might take a couple of minutes to get everything smooth, just don't give up. (I can't emphasize here how much I LOVE my Vitamix, makes the smoothest smoothies ever! I plan to dedicate a post to talk about my vitamix soon)

My favorite combination for green fruit smoothie is: 1 cup mango chunks (I use frozen from Trader Joes), 1 inch piece of cucumber, and 2 handfuls of spinach, it is the best tasting one in my opinion. It is sweet, creamy and delicious, you can barely taste the greens on this one, the mangoes make this ultra special! The cucumber here is not necessary, I used it once and liked it, but if I don't have I don't fret and just omit it. It is wonderful just with mangoes and greens.

Back in the summer when berries were in season and amazingly delicious I used top my smoothie with raspberries, made it ultra good! From this pic you can see how thick I like the mango + spinach smoothies, but you can always make it more or less liquid-y to suit your preferences. This combo provides my favorite shade of green smoothie, it is bright and green, so pretty!

After having that delicious juice in Philadelphia I recreated it at home but into smoothie form, using 1 small pear, 1 small carrot, 1 big leaf of chard (didn't have kale that day) and a big handful of spinach. It was one of the best ever!! I also made this same one using apples and it was just as good! (I like pears more than apples though...)
I have also made this without the carrot and it is again really delicious, and a bit less thick and filling, which I like since sometimes carrots can be a little gritty and overpower the flavors if used too much.

The last one I made was this morning for breakfast. I wanted the pear + spinach again but didn't have any pears, so I used what I had on hand: 2 cups spinach, 8 cherries, 1 big slice of papaya. It turned out a bit darker than usual due to the cherries but the flavors were delicious, I gobbled up my smoothie along with breakfast in no time! It was gone so quickly that I almost didn't get the picture in time. The cup was full to the brim when I started drinking it, I had to stop and go get the camera in order to snap a pic before I downed it all.

I also added two drops of stevia to this one as I thought it needed a bit more sweetness (maybe due to the tartness of the cherries?). By the way, always taste it and adjust to your preferences. I like using either stevia or honey to sweeten my smoothies. If I want honey I add with everything else since I think it mixes better that way, but if using stevia I wait to taste and see how much of it I need. When I use mangoes usually I don't even need sweetness, same with the pears (actually, most of the time I won't sweeten my green smoothies or juices). Plus spinach has a little sweetness to it too, but taste is subjective so go with what your taste buds like better.
The combination for green smoothies are endless, you can vary the fruits, you can vary the veggies... your imagination is the limit!

My tip: start by adding a little bit of green at a time. When you first make a green smoothie use more fruit than greens. This way you won't be overwhelmed by the green flavor and your palate will slowly adapt and warm up to it. Add 1/2 cup of greens for the first few times, then slowly increase the amount and see how you like it. I started using 1 cup and now I usually add 2 cups of greens, and I feel like that is enough for me - I like to taste the fruit in it too! :-)

As far as green goes you can use spinach, romaine lettuce (makes a delicious and sweet smoothie, I love it!), chard, kale. Parsley adds an interest flavor to all veggie smoothies, but I haven't experimented paired with fruit much.
Veggies I like are carrots, beets (both of these I like in small amounts though as they can be a bit "earthy"), cucumbers. Some people like celery, I don't like celery at all so I never add to mine. Ginger also adds delicious flavor, if you like ginger then by all means try it, it gives it a bite to it that is good, especially when paired with lemon and a touch of honey.
For fruits my favorites are mangoes, pears, apples, papaya, all berries, avocado, cherries.

A lot of people like green smoothies made with bananas. Even though I like bananas by themselves I don't like adding them to my smoothies (green or not) because all I can taste then is... bananas, which is what most people like to taste, they mask the flavor of the greens with bananas. So if you are a fan of bananas then definitely try it, it is certainly the most popular fruit in smoothies (again, green or not!).
A few drops of lemon adds tons of flavors to smoothies and green juices too.

I am still experimenting and trying new flavors everyday, so I will keep posting more as I find new combos I like. And please definitely let me know if there are some pairing of fruits and veggies you like, so I can try it too!

One thing I wanted to mention, even though I believe it goes without saying, is to try and choose organic produce if you can. The fruits and veggies themselves will be more fresh and flavorful (and sweeter) and consequently your smoothie will taste like that too!
That's it, a bit of my favorite green smoothies shared with you all! And if you want ideas, take a look at Angela's Green Monster movement page, it is full of ideas too.
Ana

2011-01-05T06:11:00.000-08:00

My new Favorite Smoothie!!

My favorite breakfast of all times is yogurt with fruit and homemade granola. I have plain yogurt and fruit basically every morning and never get tired of it (varying the fruit is key!), and one of my favorite ways to eat this combo is in smoothie form.
I love all creamy things, creamy is definitely my favorite texture of all: creamy ice cream, smoothies, pureed soup... you get the idea. So no wonders that I love smoothies so much: I usually have a smoothie (or shake of sorts, whatever you like to call them) at least once a day.
They are good vehicles for getting your daily dose of fruits, protein, and even veggies - yep, as weird as it may sound to some, I add spinach to my smoothies all the time, and I love it (I will share my green smoothie on my next post)
One thing I do when I make a breakfast smoothie though is to make sure I am getting proper nutrition in my glass. It is easy to blend a piece of fruit with a bit of milk and call it breakfast, but that is not how I see it.
Three things I make sure to add to my smoothies are: protein, fruits/veggies, and healthy fats.
As far as fruit goes there are a variety of combination to try. I like all berries, bananas, papaya, peaches and mangoes the best - especially mangoes, they make the smoothie oh soooo creamy!
For protein I like plain Greek Yourt (my favorite is FAGE), and sometimes I add a little protein powder along with it (if I am using hemp protein I don't add yogurt though, for some reason they don't go too well together for me).
For my healthy fats I vary between these choices: ground flaxseeds, chia seeds, coconut oil, and avocados. I like the flavor of flaxseeds a lot, especially paired with yogurt - love plain Greek yogurt with flaxseeds, totally delicious. Chia seeds are a powerhouse of nutrients, but they thicken the smoothie a lot, so need to be aware of that and add a bit more liquid than usual when using them. Coconut oil adds not only awesome fats for you (medium chain fatty acids) but also flavor and a hint of coconut sweetness, which I really like.
However, my favorite fat for smoothies are avocados, they make the creamiest and fluffiest smoothies ever, I love avocados! And not only in smoothies, I like them in my salads, in guacamole, and even mashed with a bit of sugar, but in smoothies they are stellar.
And that's why I just finished off my breakfast smoothie and wanted to come here and post about it. I have been adding avocados to my smoothies lately and I can't get over the deliciousness of it, I just had an amazing bowl of thick and creamy smoothie and I am as happy as one could possibly be in the morning! (yes, I like mine thick and creamy, in a bowl to eat with a spoon!)
If you want to add a bit of whole grain to your smoothie too then one thing I like is to add is oatmeal. Just add a couple tablespoons of rolled oats to the smoothie and blend away, makes it creamy and thick (adjust liquid to your liking), it is super nutritious and tastes delicious!
(you can also add plain, unflavored/unsweetened cooked oatmeal to it, adds wonderful creaminess)
I am posting here one of my favorite smoothies, but know that the possibilities when it comes to smoothies are endless, this is just one that I truly enjoy.
Now during the winter months I use frozen fruit and leave them in the counter for 10 to 20 minutes to defrost before I blend. By using frozen fruit the smoothie gets deliciously thick without the need of adding ice, but you can always add that if you prefer.
And always adjust the amount of liquid to your taste, add more or less water/milk depending on how thin of thick you like your smoothie. If you want to sip it through a straw then add more. I sometimes like it thick and creamy and eat with a spoon on a big mug or bowl, so I add only the 1/2 cup water mentioned.
Making a smoothie is all about creating a delicious concoctions that suit your palate, so don't be shy and experiment. It is fun and good for you!
Ana

Breakfast Smoothie

1/2 cup blackberries
1/2 cup raspberries
4 strawberries
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/4 of a small avocado (2 thick slices)
Stevia to taste
a few drops of vanilla extract
1/2 to 1 cup water (or milk if you prefer - coconut milk is a delicious addition too!)

Optional: 1 to 2 tablespoons protein powder (I use plain, Unflavored Whey Protein but vanilla also works, just be aware of any thickening gums they might have added and adjust liquids accordingly)
If using fresh fruit you might want to add ice too

Put everything in the blender and whiz it away until creamy!

2011-01-04T06:34:00.000-08:00

The best and fluffiest sweet potato muffins!

Hello blog friends!
What a better way to start the year in my blog than with a healthy muffin recipe, right?!
I created this recipe last year when we had a bounty of sweet potatoes coming weekly in our csa box and let me tell you, it was one of the best muffins that have come out of my oven to this date. I was totally happy to hear the husband saying every day at breakfast that these muffins were delicious - since he doesn't say much unless I keep asking this meant a lot to me!
These muffins are simple and easy, but full of healthy ingredients. Not loaded with sugar, made with whole grains and healthy fats, so not bad as a component of a healthy and balanced breakfast, especially if paired with a glass of milk or yogurt (protein) and some fruit.
The one thing we were in love with these muffins was the fluffiness, they had such a delicious texture and flavor, it was truly one of the best creations around my kitchen in terms of baked goods.
On the first time I made these muffins I used this coconut yogurt:

It didn't impair a coconut flavor to the muffins, but rather gave them a hint of coconut sweetness on the background that I truly enjoyed!
I have also made these muffins using plain yogurt and with kefir (we were swimming in sweet potatoes around here), and all the trials turned out delicious, so don't fret if you don't have the coconut yogurt available - although I would advice you to try using it if you do :-)
We did a taste comparison of two muffins made with the coconut yogurt and with plain yogurt and I liked the one with the coconut yogurt better, but both Matheus and my husband didn't think it was that much different and happily gobbled them up!
For one of the batches I added dried cherries and chocolate chips, and for the other one I added a pecan half on top. Matheus liked the chocolate chip/cherries combo the best (wonder why?! chooooocolate!), while the husband preferred the pecans. I have to say that I think the cherries were a good combo with the sweet potatoes, and upon tasting that muffin version Matheus suggested using dried cranberries, which I think was a good idea too! Toasted chopped pecans inside are also good, for some reason pecans go well with sweet potatoes, doesn't it?
Here goes the recipe, please let me know if you try. Since this was one of my creations I always like to hear feedback!
Ana

My Sweet Potato Muffins

1 cup mashed cooked sweet potatoes
3/4 cup plain or coconut yogurt (6 oz container)
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 cup melted coconut oil (canola, or grapeseed oil also work)
2 tbsp water
1 egg
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Optional add ins: chocolate chips, dried cherries, pecans (I don't usually measure, but I am guessing I use about 1/3 cup of add ins all together, but hey, it is your muffin so you can add as much as you like!)

Preheat oven to 350F.
In a large bowl combine sweet potatoes, yogurt, sugar, oil, water, and egg and stir until well mixed. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and chocolate chips and cherries, mix all together until incorporated.
Pour batter into muffin tins oiled or lined with muffin cups.
Bake for about 16 to 18 minutes.
Makes 10 nice sized muffins.

Note: when I made the muffins using the flavored coconut yogurt I only added about 1/3 cup sugar to the batter and the muffins were plenty sweet (I find the coconut yogurt to be on the very sweet side). If you use the plain yogurt then the 1/2 cup + extra 2 tablespoons of sugar are necessary, but adjust the sweetness to your taste. I don't like things too sweet and never add more than 1/2 cup sugar to any muffin recipe that makes 12 muffins, and both Matheus and my husband thought this amount of sugar was great, which says a lot since they both like things sweeter than I do.

2011-01-01T14:30:00.000-08:00

Happy 2011!!!

Happy New Year my friends! Another year came and went and the one thing I wish I had done more was to post on this blog. I am so thankful for the friends I made through the blog that I totally miss the comments and happy thoughts people leave here when I post - you all always make me smile!

2010 was a busy year, but it was a good one!

The biggest accomplishment for me last year was gathering my courage and going back to school! It was something I have been wanting for so long, and in 2010 I finally gathered the courage to apply to grad school, at the ripe age of 31. And all I can tell you is that it was the best thing I did. Being a mom and a student wasn’t easy, but I was able to do it all and more!

Time just flew by, it was a busy year for me, but more than that 2010 was a year when I finally started to figure out who I really am. I dispensed much more attention to myself, learning more about me, learning to listen to my body and to respect myself. Even more than that, I learned to love me just as I am, and that my friends, is the best thing ever!

We also went to Italy in July, it was my first time there and it was a super nice trip, which I still want to blog about someday. The best thing in Italy you ask? It was actually seeing my sister there! She was studying abroad in Denmark and took some time to spend a few days with us in Italy: fun, fun fun!!

We didn’t go to Brazil this year though, but I also saw my mom when she came to visit us in May, for Matheu’s first communion!

Seeing my mom and my sister were some of the highlights of last year for sure!

We (me, Matheus and the husband) also went to Pennsylvania during Thanksgiving break, it was a nice trip where we visited the Hershey chocolate factory, the Crayola factory in Easton, and spent a couple of days in Philadelphia – just to register here: it was way too cold there and whenever we decide to travel during Thanksgiving again we promised to ourselves we will hit the south! ;-) I was definitely not made for winter weather, I tell ya.

Last year Matheus turned 8, and also did his First Communion. As always I am the proudest mom ever and I love him more and more each second of my life. Being a mom is amazing and every day I am thankful for this blessing, I love seeing him grow!

Right now I am happy that the New Year is here, even though I now this means the craziness of school + life will soon start all over again. But I am pretty excited with the classes I am taking this semester and I actually can’t wait to start! (nerd, I know...!)

I am loving grad school, I did great last semester and I am as proud of myself as I could ever be. I was amazed by how much I was able to accomplish last year and looking back and realizing that gives me the strength to face what is to come!

I will try to post here more frequently and share more about what is going on in my life, this space means a lot to me and I don’t want to let it so behind as I did in 2010.

As far as what I expect from this next year, all I want is to be happy, to continue to do well in grad school, to be the best mom I can for Matheus, to be more organized with everything that is going on, and to keep with the healthy habits I/we have. Among everything I had to do, last year I managed to exercise weekly and to cook healthy meals for my family on a daily basis, and I want to keep up with that for sure!

Hope everyone had a nice 2010 and I wish us all a wonderful 2011!

And since this is a food/cooking blog, here are two recipes I made last year that I really enjoyed:

The fabulous and delicious Vegan Apple Cake that I created! (Couldn’t be more proud!), and Giada’s Chicken Salad in Lettuce Cups, one savory and one sweet. Both recipes have been made many times here at our house, so if you haven’t tried yet then it is something to do in 2011!

Ohhhh, and how could I forget, another foodie fact of 2010: I met Alton Brown!! (Nerd again, I know!!!)

Happy New Year!!

Ana

2010-12-24T11:31:00.001-08:00

HoHoHo!!

Remember when I said I had celebrated the end of my grad school semester by baking cookies and that I had made the best Chocolate Graham Crackers?
Well, I wasn't kidding, and I couldn't wait to share it with you. Simply because these were truly the best Chocolate Cookies/Crackers I have ever made and eaten, they are that delicious!
The recipe I found at Ashley's blog The Edible Perspective, a super nice blog which I really enjoy reading, plus Ashley has some awesome recipes in there, you should take a look!
I saw this Graham Cracker recipe at Ashley's blog and could not wait to try making them myself, so as soon as I was done with my school work I entered the kitchen and made a batch. Oh my, it was Chocolate Graham Crackers perfection! Even the dough was delicious just by itself, and since it is vegan we were able to indulge on it without any worries - and I tell you, Matheus and I did have a fair share of raw chocolate cookie dough. However, the baked crackers were even better!
Perfect texture and taste, both Matheus and I loved them!
Matheus liked it so much that when I had to make reindeer cookies for his class' end of the year learning experience he asked me to make it with Ashley's recipe. Here is the result:

30 + cute reindeer cookies that I baked for the whole class, teachers and volunteers, we had a fun time at school!
To make the reindeer shaped cookies I used a circle cookie cutter which I bent into a triangular shape (the first reindeer cookie I made I shaped the dough into a triangle myself, that is the picture you see on the top of this post, using the cookie cutter made for a much more neat reindeer!). Cut out the triangles, stick two pretzels for the antlers, two chocolate chips for the eyes, and one red m&m candy for the nose and bake the cookies for about 10 minutes.
Couldn't be more simple and you cannot imagine how much the kids enjoyed this! Actually the teacher and the moms all really liked it too.
Since I followed Ashley's recipe exactly I am going to leave here the link and you can get the recipe at her website:
Chocolate Graham Crackers

I hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season, and wish you all a Very Happy and Blessed Christmas! Ho Ho Ho to all!
Ana

2010-12-21T12:24:00.000-08:00

Christmas Cookies!

Wow, where did the year go? Gosh, this semester was busy!
Going back to school was a lot more than I expected; grad school is intense, lots of huge, long papers to do, exams and more exams, projects galore, and all my free time was basically gone.
I have been doing everything I normally do as a mom and wife (cooking and cleaning, taking to school, picking up from school, taking to soccer, play dates, and I am also the room mom for Matheus' class) plus the new student life (studying in between activities), phew, I am just glad this semester is over. But I am also excited for the next one to come, I chose 3 classes that I believe I am really going to enjoy! :-)
I haven't posted in a while, but I have been cooking daily as I always did. Taking classes both on campus and online enables me to be more at home during the morning so I can invent and be creative in the kitchen. Thing is I find myself more and more cooking with my intuition and basic instincts. I have reached a point where I not only like to cook but I also know how to do it well enough to not be relying on recipes all the time anymore.
I surely still am feeding my love for cookbooks and added a few of them throughout the semester to my pile, but to be true I use them mostly for inspiration than anything else. Which is good as I can adapt the recipes I want to make to whatever I have at home, or to whatever flavors our palates prefer.
I just love knowing how to cook, it is a blessing I will tell ya!
You know how when you want to eat something and have been craving that dish for a while? See, when you know how to cook you just go into the kitchen and whip it up! This happened to me the other day, I wanted to eat pot pie, but I wanted it to be just the way I wanted. So when I had the time (and the phyllo dough defrosted!) I went into the kitchen and made the best pot pie ever. Ok, it was just the regular and usual one like the Pot Pie with Phyllo Topping I have posted here before. I adjusted the veggies to include my beloved (and in season!) butternut squash and used almond milk in the sauce (dairy issues friends), it was the most perfect pot pie I could have asked for. I ate pot pie like it was my job, and felt as happy as could be!
On days like this I am really glad I can cook - and that I like doing it too!
Anyways, last week I turned in my last project of the semester and what do you do when you are finally done and happy, with free time to boot?? You bake cookies, of course!!
I made the best chocolate graham crackers you could ever imagine, but the recipe will come in another post.
Today I want to share some of the other cookies I have been baking: Christmas Cookies! I love making these, I truly do, you have no idea how much. Decorating these cookies is therapeutic and something I could do for hours - which I do, as it takes a few good hours to decorate these babies.
This year cookies were made all in mini size, which I like not just because they are really cute, but also because they make the perfect bite when you want something festive and sweet. It is Holiday cheer without sugar overload! :-)
The recipe I used was my basic sugar cookie dough that I have already posted before (click here to see the original post), but I am adding it to this post so you all can see again.
They were decorated with royal icing, using the flooding method. I assure you, they are much easier to make than you could ever imagine.
You can decorate these anyway you want. This sugar cookie dough is super easy to make and the wonderful to work with, plus you don't need to wait for the dough to chill or anything. You make it and you bake it, and eat it too!
I made some with cocoa powder (the gingerbread man ones), but the consensus here at home was that the regular version was better.
Plus, I have better chocolate cookies to share with you on the next post, so stay tuned!
Hope everyone is having a good end of the year! Ho ho ho!
Enjoy!
Ana

Cookies in little tins to give to our friends as gifts!

Sugar Cookies
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoons baking powder
3 cups flour

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a large bowl cream butter and sugar with electric mixer. Beat in egg and vanilla. Add baking powder and flour one cup at a time, mixing after each addition. The dough will be very stiff. Blend last flour in by hand. Do not chill dough. Divide dough into 2 balls, On a floured surface, roll each ball in a circle approximately 12" in diameter and 1/8" thick. Use cutters as guide; the dough should be only slightly thinner than cutter. Bake cookies on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper on top rack of oven for 7 to 8 minutes, or until cookies are lightly golden on the bottom.

2010-10-31T10:49:00.001-07:00

Happy Halloween!!!

Would you like some "worm pasta" for lunch today?

Or perhaps you would prefer to snack on some monster mouths??

Not that we like gross foods, but we do like to have some fun in the kitchen, and today we did have monster mouths for breakfast and worm pasta for lunch. And as weird (or gross) they may sound, they were delicious!
For the mouths it is as simple as can get, apple slices + almond butter (or pb) + mini marshmallows, quite a fun and delicious bite! (and with the exception of the marshmallows in there, also quite a nutritious snack. Nut butter + apples make a balanced snack with protein, fats and good carbs, plus all the goodness apples/fruits has to offer).
The pasta was homemade bucatini, the spaghetti-like one that has a whole in the middle and looks like a straw, and it was freshly made by the husband. It was fun making the pasta, and eating it too!
We added a bit of pumpkin puree to the pasta dough and it made the pasta incredibly delicious. You can actually taste the pumpkin, but it makes the dough soft and with a wonderful texture.
Then, being Halloween along with my obsession with pumpkin lately, we had to have a pumpkin sauce!
I made mine inspired on HEAB's pumpkin goat cheese sauce, and it turned out into a delicious Creamy Pumpkin and Goat Cheese Pasta Sauce!! I didn't follow the recipe posted by Heather, basically just got the idea from the combo of pumpkin and goat cheese, so I am posting here the way I did.
It could not be more simple or easy to make, and it was so good, I scraped every single bit of the sauce with a spatula before washing that pan. Oh, and adding a shaving of Parmesan cheese on top made this even better.
Hope you all have a great and safe Halloween! Matheus is beyond excited and can barely wait to go out tonight. At least now he has a belly full of nutritious food so a bite or two of candy won't hurt.
Happy trick or treating!
Ana

Creamy Pumpkin and Goat Cheese Pasta Sauce

2 small shallots, chopped
4 small garlic cloves, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup pumpkin puree
2 cups vegetable broth
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
ground nutmeg (I never measure this, just grind a bit on top of the sauce)
1/8 tsp ground (rubbed) sage
1 to 2 oz goat cheese (again, I didn't measure, just took a blob and added to the sauce, I believe I used about 1 oz).
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Saute garlic and shallots in a pan until soft. Add pumpkin puree, broth, cinnamon (it might sound weird the cinnamon in here, but I promise, it taste good!), nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste. Bring sauce to a boil, add goat cheese and mix to incorporate. Add your favorite shape of cooked pasta to sauce and toss, serve with grated Parmesan cheese.
(We used bucattini, but I think penne pasta would be awesome with this sauce!)

2010-10-26T13:24:00.000-07:00

Pumpkin Oat Bran

How can you not start your day in a good mood with such a bowl like the one above for breakfast?
I am a firm believer that eating breakfast is essential to start your metabolism in the morning (after hours of fasting overnight) and get you going through your day.
With that in mind I always try to make our breakfast nutritious and delicious, and with a kid in the house sometimes the fun factor enters in the mix and we are sure to have a great start in the morning.
For the bowl pictured above I cooked 1/2 cup of oat bran with 1/2 cup water, 1 cup almond milk, 1/2 cup pureed pumpkin, about 1/2 to 1 tsp cinnamon, a dash of ground clove (or sub 1/2 to 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice) and sweetener to taste (I make mine unsweetened, but Matheus likes his with either honey or maple syrup). Put everything into the pan and cook on medium until oat bran is cooked and you achieved the desired thickness.
I like it more loose than most people, not a fan of thick and gummy oats or oat bran. I like it a bit on the wet side, and since it thicken as it sits, I always take it of the stove before it gets to the consistency I like.
Ultra easy to make, plus oat bran cooks so fast that in less than 10 minutes you have a nice and warm bowl of steamy goodness! Top with a tablespoon of almond butter and you have a totally nutritious breakfast to start your day. (Coconut butter is also amazing with oats and oat bran! I am slightly obsessed with this combo lately...)
And if you are like us, you will strategically place that almond butter right in the center of your bowl, then add a couple of raisin eyes, a chocolate chip mouth and your masterpiece is complete: Mrs. Pumpkin Oat Bran is in the house! (And boy those chocolate chips were delicious in there, melted chocolate goodness!)
The same ingredients are just as good with oatmeal in place of the oat bran. It may take a couple more minutes to cook, but so worth it.
I love oats in all forms!
Ana

2010-10-19T12:32:00.000-07:00

My best Apple Cake yet!

Fall is definitely here and that to me translates to not only colder weather (which I do not like) but mostly to lots of pumpkin (which I love), butternut squashes, acorn squashes, all winter squashes, cinnamon, and of course apples. Even though we have apples available year round it is during fall - their peak season - that they are the sweetest and have the most delicious flavors.
For the past couple weeks we have been inundated with apples in our CSA box, so we have been eating them out of hand, taking to school as a snack, and also making delicious homemade applesauce - a favorite of mine and Matheus' too.
With an urge to bake and lots of apples staring at me from the fruit bowl on the counter top I entered the kitchen ready and full of the best intentions to create something delicious, nutritious and also easy to make.
I am happy to inform that my mission was accomplished and it turned out into a Vegan Apple Cake that is definitely the best apple cake I have ever made.
The first cake I baked was left on the counter while I went out for a few hours, and upon my return half of it was gone, the husband really liked it. We polished the rest of it the next morning for breakfast, so I didn't even had a chance to take a picture.
Since we loved it so much, and yes, I still had apples on the counter, I made another one. This time I rushed and did take a picture though! phew! (and as you can see in the pic, there were even more apples around!)
There is nothing fancy about this cake but the flavors are spot on, I also think it looks great, and better than anything: it makes your house smell wonderful as it bakes!
And as I said before, it is super easy to make. It is the "mix-dry-with-wet" type cake, no mixer, no special equipments needed, plus you can have it in the oven in no time.
When it comes to cake, the simple ones are my favorites (I am not an icing, filling, "stuff in the middle of my cake" gal), and this apple cake even though as simple as it turned out is also flavorful, fruity, and fragrant. Perfect to have with tea, or maybe a cup of warm milk.
One note: I used my homemade applesauce but you can certainly use any apple sauce or pureed apple you have - I actually used the store bought plain applesauce on the second cake I baked as we were out of the homemade deliciousness (it never lasts long!)
If you like apple cakes definitely try this one, and then let me know what you think. Around here it was a massive success. The last piece of the second cake I baked was hidden by Matheus one night so he could have it for breakfast on the next day (he was afraid dad would eat it!). And right then, after breakfast I got another request to make some more, from both boys.
You can't make a mom who loves to cook happier than when you say you love her food and ask for more!
Ana

See what I mean by "mix-dry-with-wet" kind of cake?! All you need for this are two bowls. I used a pan with removable sides for this and lined the bottom with parchment paper, but any 8 or 9 inch round cake pan should work, just make sure you oil it a bit.

Vegan Apple Cake

Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly oil a round cake pan (either 8 or 9 inches)

In a small bowl mix together:
6 tbsp. water
2 tbsp. ground flax seeds
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup applesauce
1/2 cup canola oil (or another neutral oil you might like)
1/4 cup almond milk (or soy milk, or milk of your choice - if using cow's milk this won't be vegan anymore)
1 tsp. vanilla

In a big bowl mix together:
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tbsp cinnamon (looks like a lot, but trust me, it makes the cake taste and smell incredible!)
2 tsp baking powder
3 small apples, cored and chopped (peeled if you prefer)

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, mix until combined. Pour batter into pan (it will be thick) and flatten with a spatula or back of a spoon. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until your house is smelling amazing and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean!

2010-10-16T06:41:00.000-07:00

Awesome Brown!!

Being a foodie as I am, and one that likes science at that, it is no surprise that one of the food personalities I love the most is Alton Brown. His show, Good Eats, is one of my very favorite ones and I have been watching it since the beginning, around 2000.
In the show Alton is the most fun and creative person around food I have ever seen, he explains not only how to prepare a particular food but also the science behind it, the how's and why's something acts the way it does during cooking, which is why I like his show so much, learning is something I love to do and when it relates to food... sign me up for it!
I absolutely love his Good Eats show and as I learned that Alton Brown was coming to Raleigh (almost 2 months ago) I immediately reserved the date on my calendar and assigned the husband as the primary caregiver during the hours I would spend at the local independent bookstore that my idol was doing his appearance.
I knew that a few hours of waiting would take place, so I sat there, walked to Whole Foods right next door and got me some soup, came back, sat a little more and read his most recent book cover to cover, and patiently waited for my turn to get up there and get not only an autograph but also a picture! Awesome! I loved that he took pictures with everyone.
A bit before the signing began he also did some talking and answered questions from the audience.
Now, he seems fun and nice on the show, right? And he is that and much more in person! I was impressed by how nice he was, so funny, I laughed the whole 40 minutes he talked! Entertaining, smart, funny, and knows how to cook, what else would you want on a man?! Oh yes, and since it was a school night he made sure that those with kids would be the first ones to get their book signed, how cool is that? (And I left Matheus home... bummer!) True gentleman!
It was really fun to meet Alton Brown, he is all I thought he would be and more, definitely my favorite food star. Awesome, awesome Brown!
Ana

2010-10-08T10:31:00.000-07:00

Flourless Crepes a la HEAB!

After having these for lunch two days in a row I just needed to take a good picture and post here this ridiculously easy recipe that I have been enjoying: Flourless Crepes (or egg crepes as I have been calling at home). The recipe is super easy and I learned it from Heather, from HEAB, one of my favorite blogs!

It is so simple, but turns our so good and delicious that I could not even believe my tastebuds!
After having a bright and sunny morning all for myself with no classes (fall break! yay!) and yoga with my favorite instructor, I came home with a hungry belly and ready for something delicious and quick. Couldn't be more perfect than these!

All you need are 2 eggs and a 1/4 tsp of baking powder, that's it. Whip both together and pour into your preheated (I add a bit of olive oil so it doesn't stick) pan just enough "batter" to fully coat the bottom. Cover with a lid and let it cook for one to two minutes. That's all people, there isn't even a need to flip! Remove from the pan and load your fillings.

Which brings me to the point: the filling. That's what I loved the most about these. I filled mine with chopped tomatoes, chopped avocados (both which I seasoned with salt and pepper) and goat cheese. Oh my world, the creamy filling was amazing! If you never had eggs + avocados then you need to try, it is a great combo. Add some goat cheese and it is incredibly good, soooo creamy, I love it!

I made my crepes in a 8-inch skillet, just because it is my newest one nothing is sticking to it. But you can make them bigger in a 10 or even a 12 inch. Since mine was smallish I made 4 crepes. I know, you only see three of them there, and that is because I could not resist the first one, I simply sprinkled goat cheese on it, rolled it up and went to town... goat cheese and eggs is a pair made in heaven.

I had my crepes on top of a spinach and arugula salad topped with grilled zucchini rounds, pair this with a piece of warm and toasted whole grain bread with a bit of butter and you have a delicious meal without much effort at all.

By the way, I love arugula salad, and wanted to share the way I dress my salad, I don't have real measurements, but here is the method: put arugula into a bowl, season with salt, pepper, a drizzle of olive oil, some sprinkles of white balsamic (or rice) vinegar, and a drizzle of honey! Yep, honey, that's what makes this salad taste so delicious. The sweetness of the honey pairs beautifully with the peppery flavors of the arugula, I love this salad and had it throughout the summer, never get tired of it!

Hope you guys like the Flourless Crepe idea it as much as I and Heather did!
Ana

2010-10-07T14:17:00.000-07:00

Easy veg weeknight meal!

Sometimes all we need for a good meal is something easy to prepare and that taste good right? With all the studying and attending classes for my masters degree plus life as a stay home mom, take to school, pick up, soccer practices, playdates, and more, there are days when I don't have that much time to get dinner on the table, so the less complicated the dish the more appealing it is to me.
This is a recipe that fits perfectly for such days, easy and quick to put together, tastes delicious and makes everyone happy! Serve with a side salad, maybe some rolls or something of the like, and you are good to go! (just make sure to have your phyllo dough defrosted)
Could not be better!
I got the recipe idea from one of my favorite magazines, Vegetarian Times. I like their recipes a lot, usually pretty flavorful and uncomplicated, and vegetarian to boot, score!
Another plus of this recipe? You can adapt to whatever veggies you may have in your fridge, just make sure it is not something too moist/watery, and you are good to go! :-)
Ana

Spinach, Feta, and Tomato Quiche
(Adapted from Vegetarian Times)

8 sheets of phyllo dough
Olive oil to brush the dough
10 oz frozen spinach, thawed and water squeezed out (make sure to really squeeze this baby, they have a lot more water than you imagine) - by the way, I seasoned my spinach with salt, pepper, and garlic powder before adding it to the quiche.
1/3 cup feta cheese - I used ricotta salata since I had that at home
Cherry tomatoes to fill the top - I used a combo cherry tomatoes from the backyard and chopped roma from the CSA box as that was what I had on hand
2 eggs
3/4 cup milk
dash of Salt and a few turns of freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven 350F.
Brush a pie plate/pan with olive oil and layer one sheet of the phyllo dough in it, brush dough with olive oil and repeat the layering and brushing with all other phyllo dough sheets. When done tuck in the parts of dough that are hanging around the plate (or trim if you prefer, I love the crispy borders and don't like wasting it, so I tuck it in!).
Sprinkle the crust with the cheese, top with the spinach and layer the tomatoes on top of that.
In a bowl beat the eggs with the milk, season with salt and pepper, and pour over the veggies in the prepared crust.
Bake for about 40 to 45 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the egg is set.

2010-09-28T13:41:00.000-07:00

Hemp Protein
As soon as I posted about Jay Robb's Unflavored whey protein powder I had an itch to come back and post about another one I discovered last year that also became a favorite: Amazing Meal Pomegranate Mango Infusion! (these by the way were the only two powders that stuck with me after my period of daily protein need - which you can read why here - and the only ones I ever bought a full canister of, the other ones I am still to share I only tried sample packets)

Omg, this is by far my favorite protein of all I have tried! Yes, I like it more than the unflavored whey protein, much, much more.
Not only because this stuff is super flavorful, but also because, besides being made with a vegetarian type protein, it is packed full of good for you nutrients. It is a greens + fruits + veggies + protein combo that offers vegetarian protein coming from Hemp and Rice plus goodies such as wheat grass, acai, blueberries, goji berries, flax, probiotics, and a delicious pomegranate mango flavor. Well, to be true I don't taste mango or pomegranate in there, but whatever it is called, it is amazingly good. No wonder it has that name!
Seriously, I don't buy stuff in canisters that often, and I did start with a sample packet of this one, but boy oh boy, I did go through a few canisters of this so far since I first tried it. One drawback is that this powder isn't cheap, as with protein powders in general, but this one is an occasional treat to me.
Many delicious smoothies were made with the Amazing Meal powder, and my favorite actually involved fruits, and guess what, the fruits I liked the most with this were strawberries and... mangoes! Yep, mangoes are gorgeous with this protein powder.

One thing I love about this powder is that it is thick, like super thick, especially when you mix with fruits. So during the colder months I could make thick smoothies the way I like and not need to add ice, sweet! As you can see on the shake above, the straw is positioned right in the middle of the smoothie and it is sticking up, not touching the glass itself, pretty thick deliciousness, no ice required.
There are also other flavors of Amazing Meal I tried:

Original

Chocolate

The original was blah, the chocolate was good, but a bit uhm, grassy (?!), but I still like it. However, as much as they were good, to me the Pomegranate Mango Infusion is the very best, I really love it!!
Now, the same company that makes the amazing Amazing Meal powders is called Amazing Grass, and they have an entire line of healthy and vegetarian products that caught my attention after I sampled some of their goods. I did try a few more products and I gotta say, I liked them too!
The favorite from the other stuff I tried was the GreenSuperFood powder, which is an all natural drink powder mix of wheat grass and other greens like alfafa, spirulina, spinach, chorella, brocolli, acai, maca, carrot, green tea, acerola, flax, probiotics and more.

It may not be the most delicious thing at first, but it is one of those things where the flavor sort of "grows on you", and what got me hooked into this was that I found it to be really energizing. For some reason it gave me energy and clarity in the morning when I added it to my smoothies before I went to classes or to the gym. I was impressed at first as I didn't want to attribute this new feeling of energy to a powder from a tub, but I finally realized that yes, the greensuperfood was kinda good for me, and in more than one sense too (how can it not be with all those goodies in it?!)
So I did end up getting myself one tub of the stuff after trying the packet sample I initially got, and I never went back, a few more tubs sure followed that first one.
Now, I am not saying I drink these powders everyday, but sometimes I feel like I can go for it and it always help some.

I tried the GreenSuperFood in chocolate flavor too:

And it is good, I like this one a lot!!
And then I tried their GreenSuperFood Bars, which I totally liked too! I liked the original one a lot, the berry one was good too, but I didn't like the peanut flavor (it was too dry). And since I am a chocolate girl... the chocolate bar was definitely my favorite. It is basically the original flavor bar with a thin chocolate coating.

So here it is, my review of the Amazing Grass products I tried.
And, again I want to make it clear that I am not receiving anything to do these reviews, I am only posting about the products I tried and liked, to share my findings and as a way to keep a personal archive of foods I enjoyed.

So, is there any products you have tried lately and enjoyed?
Ana

2010-09-28T12:37:00.001-07:00

Protein Powders, a few review posts

Last year, due to a personal issue and some exams to be performed later on, I was asked by my physician to supplement my diet with a daily protein shake for a few months. Since I am a person who eats mostly natural foods, fruits and veggies and lots of grains and beans, I wasn't familiar with protein powders in any form or nature.
However, when it comes to food I am one who loves to experiment and discover new flavors. So, knowing it would be to my benefit to incorporate said shake into my daily eats, I embarked on the medical request and went to figure out the protein world.
Little did I know that there were lots of different types of protein powders out there, many flavors, varieties and all sort of animal and plant sources they were derived from. I then decided I would little by little try some of the options and try to find one that I liked.
I found some that I liked, some I did not, and a few that I loved and ended up becoming part of my post-workout snacks and sometimes breakfast smoothies.
Some of the varieties I tried included whey protein, hemp protein, egg white protein, pea protein, brown rice protein, and even a few that had a mix of vegetarian proteins.
I was happy to find individual bags of some of them to buy so I could try before committing to buy a full tub (because protein powder ain't no cheap thing, ya' know!). Some of them didn't have said trial packets, so for a couple that I wanted to try I contacted the company asking if they offered packets or maybe sold them on their websites so I could try, and I was happy with a couple of responses I got with offers to send me in a packet or two. More than that, the two companies who sent me samples were two of the best protein powders I ended up trying!
So, during the next few posts I will be doing some reviews of some of the products I tried.
I want to make sure though that I make it clear that I am not receiving anything to do these reviews, I am only posting about the products I tried and liked, just to share my findings and as a way to keep a personal archive of foods I enjoyed.

With that said I will begin my review with the one I liked best of all: Jay Robb Unflavored Whey Protein Powder!

This one my friends is my favorite whey protein. Well, to be quite true I didn't try many, only this and the whole foods brand, which was not that good. The reason why I liked this and stuck with it was simply because it is unsweetened, unflavored, un-everything. It is just pure whey protein isolate and works wonders on any type or flavor of shake you can ever imagine. I tried this with the most varied array of fruits: berries, bananas, papaya, mangoes, you name it. Plus it is great to make chocolate shake! Add a tbsp of cocoa, a few drops of stevia (or honey, or the sweetener of your choice), a few cubes of ice and you have a thick and delicious chocolate smoothie!
I found that the trick with this one though is not adding too much water, when it is too thin it is not all that good - or at least I like my shakes on the thick side! (And who likes watery shakes anyway?)
It also makes great Protein Ice Cream, HEAB style! (Btw, this ice cream is addicting, I had many chocolate protein ice cream this summer! Soooooo good!).
Now, I tried two of Jay Robb's flavored powders - vanilla and chocolate - and I did not like them, too much stevia, way too sweet. Another one of his line I tried was the egg white protein... blech! Horrible. I love eggs, I love egg whites, egg white omeletes, fritattas, you name it, but the smell of the powder and the slimy-eggy flavor and texture of the finished shake... not for me. Sorry Jay.
Anyway, the unflavored whey was the first protein powder I ever tried, and it is the one I use when I want to have whey protein.
So, here is the first one of my protein powder posts. Bear with me, I don't want to change things around the blog, but I want to be able to share some of my new products discoveries here too besides recipes. And I promise I won't stop posting those!! (I even have a delicious and easy quiche I am coming back to share!)
See you soon!
Ana

As an aside, please don't think that I live on protein powders. It was a phase of my life that I had to go through, one that wasn't all pleasant and which took me a year to overcome, so now that I am ok with it all I decided to share some of my findings and pictures I took of the products while I went through it. (what can I say, food blogers love to take picture of foods, right?!)
I definitely like to consume my food in real food form, no powders will ever substitute a good meal for me, and it shouldn't, for anyone.
As a nutritionist to be I have my ideals of good nutritious foods and I would never chose to go on a protein powder bonanza unless I really had to, so try not to judge.
Ana

2010-09-19T11:31:00.000-07:00

Eleven years together should be celebrated, right?!
Happy Anniversary to us!

The date was yesterday (Sept. 18), and we went out to a lovely dinner. Look what our sweet server did for us when I told her it was our anniversary:

My dessert was beyond delicious and I was so happy with the cute plate with happy anniversary piped in chocolate! One of the most delicious and flavorful ice creams I have had. In this little bowl of deliciousness there were 5 flavors: Chocolate Chili, Vanilla, Peach, Thai Basil and Olive Oil.
For an ice cream lover like me this was awesomeness on a plate, couldn't think a better way to finish the amazing meal we had - which also included a very good squash and apple soup and a deliciously and velvety creamy butternut squash risotto (heaven on a plate!), and the husband had fish. Everything was so pretty and so good that we forgot to take pictures of the main dishes.
All in all a great night out, celebrating, having fun, talking, and loving, much loving from being together this past 11 years and wishes for many 11 more!
Love you Fran!
Ana

2010-09-08T16:16:00.000-07:00

Zucchini, Goat Cheese and Herbs Savory Bread

Another one of Elvira’s delicious savory bread! This one I have made more than once, usually in the summer when the zucchini and herbs are plentiful. It is a nice dish for a quick weeknight meal, and you can even prepare ahead of time which makes it even better. Totally helpful to come home from soccer practice and have something delicious waiting for you, no?!!

Just as with the sun-dried tomatoes bread the combination of flavors here is delicious, plus tell me: what doesn’t taste good with goat cheese??? Goat cheese is one of my favorite cheeses and here it really shines with the herbs, totally delicious!

Easy and simple to make, so much so that I am even going to keep this post short so you can go ahead and make it yourself, I am sure it is going to be fast and so rewarding that just like us you will be making this over and over, for many summers to come!

Enjoy!

Ana

And, for my Brazilian friends, you can see the recipe in Portuguese over at Elvira's blog by clicking here!

Since we are back in school I also made some in fun shapes and froze to use in future lunchboxes! yum!

Zucchini, Goat Cheese and Herbs Savory Bread

(adapted from Elvira’s Bistro)

100 grams all purpose flour

100 grams whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

3 eggs

50 grams grated parmesan cheese

50 ml extra virgin olive oil

150 ml milk

100 grams goat cheese, chopped or crumbled into chunks

3 tablespoons chopped herbs (I used basil, parsley and oregano)

1 zucchini, grated

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour a loaf pan.

In a large bowl mix the flours, baking powder, a bit of salt (1/3 teaspoon) and pepper. Add the eggs, olive oil and the milk and mix together until you have a smooth batter. Add the grated zucchini, grated parmesan cheese, herbs and goat cheese and mix gently with a wooden spoon until all is incorporated.

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake at 350F for about 40 to 45 minutes until golden, or until a toothpick (or the tip of a knife) inserted in the center comes out clean. Let it cool for about 10 minutes in the pan before unmolding. Let it cool before serving.

2010-09-07T07:02:00.000-07:00

Kale Salad

Kale is a veggie I haven’t posted much about. And I don’t even know why not because we really like these dark green leaves! Kale is one of the most nutritious green leafy vegetables around, it is packed with vitamins, calcium, iron, lots of good for us nutrients, plus it tastes really good too!

Believe it or not Matheus loves kale, in all shapes and forms. We go grocery shopping together and you might bet that there will be a bunch of kale in our cart. We like it sautéed with onions, garlic, salt pepper and olive oil, sooo good! And we love it as “kale chips” (which I will come back to post about), and now we have been venturing ourselves in the world of kale salads!

I tried a kale salad once in a cooking class I attended and I just loved the texture and taste, so when I saw this recipe I knew I had to try. And I did. And I have made it multiple times already since the first time we tried it. Which by the way I didn’t even get a chance to be photographed, yes, this salad it that good!

Yesterday though I made sure to get a picture as I like not only how it taste but also how it looks. The flavors in this salad are just as bright as the colors you see!

It is a very simple and easy to make recipe, and it has a bonus of being one of those salads you can (and maybe even should) make in advance. It really holds up, with dressing and all, and tastes amazing the next day.

I loved the combination of the lemony dressing with the earthiness of the kale and the sweetness of the mango chunks, plus the pepitas add just the right amount of crunchiness to make this salad even more attractive to the taste buds.

Something new and different to try!

Ana

Ps: I love those pepitas just by themselves, they are so good!!

Ps2: I made my salad mostly by tasting and adjusting the seasonings, I didn’t make the vinaigrette separate to put on top as the recipe stated as I thought it was flavorful and dressed enough after massaging it. Here I am posting the way I made mine, so if you want more specific measurements then click HERE and take a look at the original recipe.

Kale Salad

(adapted from an Aarti's Sequeira recipe)

1 bunch kale (remove and discard stalks), thinly slice the leaves

Juice of ½ lemon (more if you want)

Extra virgin olive oil

Salt to taste

About 2 teaspoons honey

Freshly ground black pepper

¾ cup diced mangoes

2 tablespoons toasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

Put sliced kale in a large bowl, add the lemon juice, a bit of salt, pepper and a drizzle of olive oil and, using your hands, massage the seasonings into the kale leaves until the kale is softened and wilted, about 2 minutes. Taste to check the seasonings and add more lemon juice, another drizzle of olive oil and more salt and pepper, if necessary. Add mangoes and toss together with salad. Sprinkle the pepitas on top before serving.

2010-09-06T06:45:00.000-07:00

White Beans and Tomato Salad

First and foremost I want to apologize for the picture above; it simply doesn’t do justice to the recipe I am about to post. Especially since I couldn’t find much more to say about this recipe other than that this is an amazing white bean salad!

It is flavorful and delicious not only in taste but texture wise too. The creaminess of the beans is amazing by itself, but when paired with the chunkiness of the tomatoes and the awesome flavor of the dressing it makes a remarkable dish!

I absolutely loved this dish, and so did the husband and Matheus as well. I made the full recipe, which says serves 6, but since this was the sole source of protein of our meal we managed to polish off the entire bowl of bean salad.

I served the White Bean Salad with homemade pasta (made by the husband – I need to post his pasta creations; he’s been into the noodles lately!) and a green salad made with butter lettuce, baby spinach and arugula (a favorite combo of mine). All I have to say is that the white bean salad was the star of the meal, it was the one thing we all went for seconds (maybe even thirds…!), even the pasta was left behind, which is not a common thing to happen around here with the boys, these are two guys who really like their noodles.

It is a truly delicious recipe, everyone should try!

Ana

Notes: a closer look into my picture will reveal a few white chunks in the salad, which are cooked egg whites I had in the fridge and I incorporated in the salad. It was actually a pretty good addition, not only it tasted delicious with the dressing but I used up some leftovers and upped the protein content of the salad, all at the same time! Yum!

White Beans and Tomato Salad

(Adapted from the simply recipes blog)

1 ½ cups cooked white beans (or 1 can – 15oz)

1 ½ cups chopped tomatoes (roma, cherries, grape…)

1/3 cup chopped parsley

For the dressing:

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

3 cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed

1 sprig rosemary

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

½ teaspoon kosher salt (add more if needed)

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon lemon zest

Make the dressing first: put garlic, olive oil and rosemary sprig in a saucepan and heat until the rosemary beings to sizzle. Remove from heat and set aside to let cool for about 10 to 15 minutes.

Discard the rosemary and add the oil and garlic to a blender together with the Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, lemon juice and zest. Puree all ingredients until smooth.

In a bowl mix together the beans, tomatoes and parsley. Add the dressing and toss gently until everything is coated. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.

Serves 6 to 8

2010-09-05T06:05:00.000-07:00

Passion Fruit Ice Cream (Dairy-free... or not!)

"This was the best ice cream you ever made"!
That was the husband's comment about this ice cream, so I knew I just needed to come to the blog and share the recipe!
Passion fruit is a fruit we love here at home, and one that we can't have enough when we go to Brazil. Matheus is always the first one to ask for passion fruit juice or to eat the fruit pulp right inside the shell with me (my favorite way of having this fruit!) when we go visit the family.
This is a fruit that is sweet and tart at the same time, maybe even more tart than sweet, but still, the floral notes from the passion fruit pulp and its crunchy seeds makes for an explosion of flavors and sensation in the mouth.
Passion fruit is also very refreshing when made into a cold juice, and the same happened when I made the ice cream. It was amazing how refreshing and delicious this ice cream was, the most perfect treat on a hot summer day!
We loved it, and more than that, I made it dairy free which enabled Matheus to enjoy as much as he wanted without us worrying about the dairy.
I adapted a regular recipe, but feel free to use cream in place of the soy creamer, I am sure it will be equally delicious! (if not even better!) By the way, the flavor of the soy creamer on this one was completely gone, we could not detect any soy taste at all, the passion fruit was the absolute star on this ice cream, which made it even more delightful for us.
Anything that brings us back flavors from home gets big thumbs up around here, and it wasn't any different with this recipe.
If you like passion fruit most certainly give this recipe a try, it is totally worth it!
Ana

Notes:
I bought passion fruit pulp at the frozen section of a Mexican store. All I did was to defrost it and measure the 1 cup of pulp needed. Enjoy!
I am not a fan of using the soy creamer as it is a processed food. Plus I much prefer to use real local cream for its flavor, taste and texture. However, due to Matheus' issues with dairy sometimes I do experiment with dairy free versions of his favorite treats and this was one of them. It was an extremely successful recipe though, I could not have been more pleased. We were all happy and all was right with the world as we sat down together enjoying our ice cream!

Passion Fruit Ice Cream
(Adapted from epicurious.com)

2 cups soy creamer (or heavy cream)
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup passion fruit pulp

In a bowl whisk together sugar and eggs. Put the soy creamer (or heavy cream) in a saucepan and heat over medium/high heat just until it gets closer to boil, when little bubbles start to form around the sides of the pan. Remove from heat and slowly pour the hot creamer over the eggs whisking the whole time - this will temper the eggs so it doesn't scramble.
Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and cook over medium heat until it thickens slightly (about 160F), don't let it boil.
Pour the custard through a sieve in a clean bowl and let cool to room temperature. Stir in the passion fruit pulp, cover and refrigerate until completely cold.

Freeze custard in ice cream maker. It will come out like soft serve, so transfer to an airtight container and freeze until hard.

2010-08-19T14:07:00.000-07:00

Savory Feta, Basil and Sun-Dried Tomatoes Bread

When I saw this recipe posted on Elvira's blog I knew I had to try! I have made another savory bread she had (posting to come!) and we really liked. Since we love all the flavors on this one I knew just by looking at the recipe that it would be a winner, and I wasn't wrong.
I made it on the same day she posted and we all loved it here, an absolute success with thumbs up from the boys!
Since I could not contain myself I did change a couple of things here and there, but nothing that compromised the flavor.
It is a moist and very flavorful savory bread, very delicious! We had it as a light dinner, with a side of green salad with veggies you don't need much more.
Plus it is super easy and simple to make and you only dirt one bowl, which are good things during summer break when you don't want to spend much time in the kitchen.
Hope you guys enjoy it as much as we did!
I am posting the recipe the way I did. To see Elvira's original recipe, which is in Portuguese (bonus to my Brazilian friends!) click here: Cake de Feta, Tomates Secos e Manjericao.
Enjoy!
Ana

Savory Feta, Basil, and Sun-Dried Tomatoes Bread

75 grams whole wheat flour
75 grams all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 eggs
100ml extra virgin olive oil
150 ml milk
15 basil leaves, chopped
100 grams sun-dried tomatoes in oil, chopped
100 grams feta cheese (feel free to use more or less), crumbled or cut into cubes
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350F, grease a loaf pan, set aside.
In a large bowl mix together the flours and baking powder. Add the eggs, milk, and oil and mix everything together with a wire whip until smooth. Add a bit of salt and pepper to flavor the batter - just be light on the salt as the feta cheese contributes a good amount of saltiness to the bread.
Add the chopped sun-dried tomatoes, basil, and feta cheese and mix them into the batter with a wooden spoon (or spatula).
Pour batter into prepared pan and bake at 350F for about 35 to 40 minutes, until golden.
Remove from oven, let cool for about 10 minutes in the pan before removing from the pan. Cool on a wire rack.

(We didn't let it cool completely before cutting as we were hungry and it was smelling so good. The bits of warm cheese inside the bread were amazingly delicious, the flavors of this bread pairs really well together!)

2010-07-17T05:20:00.001-07:00

Chicken Salad in Lettuce Cups

Summer is here and I have been enjoying every single second of it! Tons of fruits and fresh veggies, farmer's markets, csa boxes, warm (ok sometimes really hot) weather, lots of homemade popsicles and ice cream, I could not be any happier than this!
It is by far my favorite season, my favorite time of the year, and with the wonderful hot weather we welcome any and all salads we can get our hands on, it is definitely cold foods season and again, I am totally enjoying!
I love salads, and as funny as this may sound, my salads rarely involve tons of leaves (which is what most people think of when talking about salads). I make salads with veggies, lots of it, a mix of colors and flavors, crunch and deliciousness tat pack a punch of nutrition to boot, something that only fresh veggies can give us in one big plate.
Zucchini, yellow squash, bell peppers, amazing summer tomatoes, grilled eggplants and other grilled veggies, avocados, sometimes fruits (watermelon + tomatoes makes an amazing salad!), all of these end up on my salad concoctions. Plus I always add some protein to make it more filling and delicious too: tofu, white beans, lentils or chickpeas (my favorites), grilled chicken, lots of possibilities here, and most of the time I add a bit of cheese too, usually goat cheese, ricotta salatta (both add some white color which make the salad more colorful!) or Parmesan shavings.
Now tell me, how can this be not good? :-)
This talk about salad brings me to this Giada Di Laurentiis recipe for Italian Chicken Salad in Lettuce Cups which I have made numerous times and absolutely love the flavors. I have made it so many times already this summer, and I love it every single time I do.
This salad is packed with good protein from the roasted chicken, crunch from toasted almonds, veggie wonders from delicious roasted peppers and a punch from capers and a delicious vinaigrette, and the best part: you can eat it in cute butter lettuce "cups", which add so much to the meal, I love the experience of playing with your food. Plus I just love butter lettuce, it truly have a "buttery" feel, it is so tender, as I said, I am not big on lettuce, but this is one of my very favorite ones! (I do love spinach salad though, really, really like it!)
You can serve this salad as an appetizer, at a dinner party, whenever you feel like. We have had it for lunch and we love it! All I make is some rice or couscous to accompany it and some more veggies (because I just eat lots of veggies) and we are set.
A refreshing summer meal that is not only filling but totally delicious!
Enjoy!
Ana

Ps: Giada's recipe makes a ton and serves 12, so divide it accordingly to how much you want to make. I usually wing the proportions to make for the three of us (or more when I served it to company), but it is easy to divide in half or in quarters if you need to serve 6 or only 3.
Anyway you decide to divide, don't worry if you have salad left, it is delicious on the next day too!
Also, Giada served it as appetizers and plated every single lettuce cups. I served it "family style", the salad in a big bowl and the lettuce cups in a platter, so each person could put their own portions together, which also ended up offering the option of just eating the salad in your plate without the lettuce if one chose to do so.

Italian Chicken Salad in Lettuce Cups
(Adapted from a recipe by Giada Di Laurentiis)

10 cups shredded cooked chicken (you can use rotisserie chicken, and need about 3 for this much)
2 cups roasted red and yellow bell peppers chopped (drain and pat dry if using
1 1/4 cups paper thin slices of red onions
3/4 cup chopped parsley leaves
3/4 cup toasted slivered almonds
1/2 cup capers, drained
About 1 1/2 cups red wine vinaigrette (recipe bellow)
Salt and pepper to taste
Butter lettuce leaves
4 ounces of Parmesan cheese, shaved with a vegetable peeler

In a large bowl toss together the chicken, bell peppers, onion, parsley, almonds, and capers with enough vinaigrette to season and moisten it. Taste and adjust the seasoning adding salt and pepper as necessary.
Spoon chicken salad into lettuce cups and arrange into plates. Sprinkle with the Parmesan shaving right before serving.

Red Wine Vinaigrette:

1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 teaspoons honey
2 teaspoons salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup olive oil

In a blender add vinegar, lemon juice, honey, salt, and pepper. Turn it on to mix and, while the machine is running, add the oil and blend until emulsified.
Yield: 1 3/4 cups

2010-07-15T13:48:00.000-07:00

A produc review post: Nut Butters & Coconut Butter!

Knowing about my love for nut butters, the nice people from Artisana were super nice and sent me a few samples of their products to try and review on the blog. I haven't done much product review on this blog but I have been sent some cool products to try and being that I truly enjoyed these products I think it is more than fair that I share here with you all.
I would never recommend something I don't like or wouldn't eat myself, so for the next few posts regarding product reviews you can be assured that everything I am posting about are good eats!
From the Artisana folks I received some nut butters and coconut butter. Some of the nut butters were made with raw nuts and some with roasted nuts (their new line I am guessing).
They were all excellent products, high quality, full of deliciousness! all ingredients are organic and pure, and I love that!
From the nut butters my favorite by far is the almond butter and after trying both raw and roasted varieties I have to say that I LOVE ROASTED ALMOND BUTTER, the raw is not my thing, but I know for a lot of people that is the way to go, so it is a matter of preference.
Here are some pics and some of my thoughts on these delicious nut butters (sorry about the pics by the way, the jars were smallish and my camera is a simple point and shoot so no good lens here...):

These two above are Tahini and Cashew butter, both made with roasted seeds and nuts.
I really enjoyed these and if you like cashews you might also enjoy the cashew butter!
And if you like hummus as much as I do you will definitely love the tahini, I certainly did! I love hummus and make it frequently at home so this was a real treat. This tahini was smooth and delicious, adding nothing but perfection for my hummus concoctions. It is also very good as a sauce for falafels, I tried a little mixed with yogurt and lemon juice and it was reeeally good!

These next two are Macadamia and Walnut butters, both made with raw nuts. I have to say that these two surpassed my expectations, especially the macadamia butter. I don't actually like macadamia nuts, but in nut butter form I thought it became something different. It was smooth and sweet, and I enjoyed that especially added on top of warm oatmeal, it was nice.
The walnut butter was also yummy, but then I really like walnuts. I would be curious to try a roasted walnut butter, I think that would be even better, but for now the raw version was pretty good!

Next on my review comes Coconut Butter and for this friends there is only one word to describe: amazing! Coconut Butter is simply coconut "meat" (the white part of the young coconut) that is ground to a paste. That is it, nothing more, pure organic coconut. The flavor is subtle and there is a sweetness that I loved about this product. It is smooth and luscious, I truly liked coconut butter and went to spread the word to all my friends - I even got a very good friend and one of my teachers to try it and they both liked it too.
When it is cold the coconut butter is harder and when the weather warmed up it got all softened in consistency. Some people attribute a feeling of "tasting like frosting" to coconut butter, but since I don't like frosting this is not appealing to me and I just go with creamy and delicious, so I will leave it up to you to try and decide what do you think coconut butter feels like.
But definitely try coconut butter, it is delicious added to pancakes, on top of warm oatmeal, on top of crackers, omg, it is delicious just out of a spoon. My favorite is by far to eat this on top of oats, it melts and infuses the oats with coconut flavor, plus it sweetens it at the same time.
Oh my, I am so glad coconut is back into the healthy foods world!
One thing about this is I wish it was a bit more affordable, after I finished my jar I found out that coconut butter is really more of a treat to me right now, but it is a seriously worth indulgence I'll tell you.

The name on this one tells it all: Cacao Bliss! Oh lord, this IS bliss!
Get that amazingly delicious coconut butter and mix in cocoa... words cannot describe, it could only be good, and it is, not just good but amazingly delicious!!
Matheus and I could not stop eating this one, and the jar was so tiny... we polished it off in no time, baby spoons in hand and attack, the one who gets more is the luckiest!
Cacao bliss is really good, if you like coconut and chocolate together then you will also find true bliss in a jar of this. (it is amazing on top of oats!)

Like a lot of people I saved the best for last: Almond Butter!!
My very, very, very favorite nut butter of all times! Since I discovered almond butter I haven't spent a day without it, I just crave almond butter, and with almonds being so healthy (vitamin E, fiber, healthy fats!) it is an indulgence and a healthy benefit at the same time.
These two little artisana jars were one made with raw almonds (left side) and one made with roasted almonds (right side).
I have to say that in my universe there is no nut butter better than Roasted Almond Butter and that became even more true for me after trying both of these. The roasted almond butter is definitely my favorite, it is creamy and nutty, pure perfection in a jar! Nuts in its utmost smooth form, pure deliciousness for my taste buds. And I LOVED the artisana roasted almond butter!!
Talk about creamy and delicious, this was it!! I think from all the nut butters I have tried this is one of my very favorite for sure.
The raw almond butter was good too, but it had that raw almond taste which I don't actually care for, but I know a lot of people who like and even prefer to the roasted version, so it really comes down to personal preference. And if you ask me you know what my recommendation would be.

So that is it, my nut butter review post. Thanks Artisana folks for making it possible for me to try such amazing products. I just loved every single item I tried and already bought a few big jars of deliciousness after trying the sample sizes. There was no way after sampling it that I could live without such amazing products in my kitchen. Plus Matheus thanks you guys too as he seriously thinks that whoever created cacao bliss should be considered a genious of the coconut world, we both really enjoyed that coconut butter, oh so good!
The quality on these nut butters in imperative, pure, organic ingredients. I can safely tell all my friends to try it and I am sure they are all going to love it too!

So, any different nut butters out there I should try? I am always open for suggestions, especially on the almond butter world!!
Hope you all enjoy this post!
Ana

2010-07-06T04:58:00.000-07:00

Fruits we had for breakfast this morning... summer is just THE BEST!!
Love, love, love berries!!! Blackberries from our backyard, plus blueberries from our csa box and raspberries from the farmer's market... couldn't have asked for anything better!
Ana

2010-06-10T10:26:00.001-07:00

Upside Down Tomato Basil Bread

There you go, the title says it all, doesn't it?! I made this recipe the first time last year at the very end of the tomato season, we liked it so much that I could not wait to make it again.
With two vases full of bright green amazing fresh basil and the first tomatoes coming in my CSA box yesterday this bread was something I could not pass up.
The dough is super simple to make, just mix everything, let it rest, open and use - plus the dough is wonderful to work with, really lovely dough.
Filling and topping are also easy and quick to put together. It takes a bit of time to wait for the dough to rise so you need to keep that in mind, but other than that this is a bread that is not only pretty and tasty, but it is also fun to make and eat.
The process of making this bread is similar to that of making cinnamon rolls, so after it is baked you can grab individual little buns filled with basil and Parmesan cheese and topped with bright and fresh ripened tomatoes. Do I need to say more?!
The recipe I got from the blog Simmer Till Done and basically I followed the recipe as is! My only thing yesterday was that I didn't have enough cheese for both dough and filling, so I only used in the filling. It was pretty flavorful and cheesy that way, I didn't hear one single complain, only "yums" and "this bread is really good" (the husband is a carb lover, he even remembered this one from last year, big thumbs up!)
I will post here how I made it, but take a peek at Marilyn's post, the pictures she has from her bread are really nice! Here is her post: Upside Down Tomato Basil Bread
This is a great snack to use up basil and summer tomatoes!
Enjoy!
Ana

Can you see the layers of basil goodness in there?!

Upside Down Tomato and Basil Bread
(Adapted from the blog Simmer Till Done)

Dough
1 package (2 1/2 tsp) active dry yeast
1 cup plus 3 tablespoons warm water
4 tablespoons olive oil
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (I used half whole wheat, half white flour on my rolls)
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese (optional)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

Filling
4 – 5 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1 cup shredded (or grated) Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper (I didn't measure it, just added to taste)

Tomato Topping
3 large or 4 small-medium tomatoes

To make dough: put yeast and warm water in a bowl, mix with a fork and let stand for about 5 minutes. Add olive oil, salt, pepper, cheese (if using) and mix well, add 2 cups of flour and mix well with a fork or wooden spoon, keep adding more flour until you can gather the dough with your hands. Add flour only until the dough forms into a nice smooth ball. Put the dough into a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic (or a towel) and let it rest for 1 hour, or until it doubles in size/volume.

For the filling mix all ingredients in a small bowl, set aside.

For the topping: remove seeds and coarsely chop the tomatoes, set them in a colander to remove any excess moisture as you prepare everything else.
I seasoned my tomatoes with salt and pepper before putting in the pan, but that is optional.

Preheat oven to 375 F, lightly oil a 10 inch round pan, cover the bottom of it with a round of parchment paper (makes it easier to remove the bread later on!) and lightly oil the paper itself.
Spread the tomatoes on the bottom of the pan and set aside.
On a floured surface, gently roll the dough into a rectangle of about 11 x 24 inches. Spread gently the basil and cheese filling on the surface of the dough. Roll the dough on the long edge as a log, make sure to roll it gently but tightly, as not to leave air bubbles. Cut the roll into 1 inch slices and place slices with the cut side down on the prepared pan with the tomatoes.
Put pan over a sheet pan (just in case of any drippings occur) and slide into the oven. Bake for about 30 to 35 minutes, or until the rolls look golden on top.
Cool on a wire rack for about 5 minutes, invert onto a big plate and serve!

Note: if you would like your tomatoes to caramelize you can slide the inverted bread into the oven with the broiler turned on for about 2 minutes - I skipped this step!
Also, you can let the dough rise a second time for about 20 minutes (while your oven preheats perhaps!) after placing the rolls in the pan, I also skipped this step as I didn't even realize it was in the recipe. It turned out great without this step, so I am not complaining about my little shortcut!

2010-06-07T11:11:00.000-07:00

Springtime Pasta with Homemade Ricotta

I love cookbooks, I have a thing for it and always find one more that I "need" to have!
However, even though I have many cookbooks and love to read and reread the recipes on them or on my favorite cooking magazines, for most of the time I use recipes and pictures more for an inspiration rather than something to follow strictly. For the majority of the recipes I choose to make end up tweaking a bit here and there and adapting when needed with what I have on hand.
To be quite true, what I have in the fridge is usually what dictates what I am going to make for our meals. I look in the ice box, a peek in the pantry, and I am out for a search of inspiration on said cookbooks and magazines!
The pasta pictured above was a case of a "let's see what is in the fridge" day. Armed with a bunch of spring veggies and some delicious homemade ricotta (my favorite!) I created the dish you see, which turned out to be pretty good, if I do say so myself!

First I set the oven on high and put some of the veggies I had in the fridge to roast: broccoli, carrots, yellow squash and asparagus - all seasoned with salt, pepper and olive oil. Meanwhile I set a pot of water to boil and cooked some whole wheat penne.
Once the veggies were roasted and the pasta was cooked I tossed them together, added a few marinated artichoke hearts I had left in a jar and seasoned everything well with salt, pepper, and lots of delicious extra virgin olive oil. A few blobs of ricotta and grated fresh Parmesan cheese completed our one dish deliciousness of a meal! Could not have asked for more!
And this coming from someone who is not a big pasta fan. Seriously, pasta is something that I never crave or wish for, I actually never liked pasta until I tried the whole wheat variety, I find it a lot more flavorful and it has a bite to it which I grew to enjoy. (Regular pasta to me doesn't taste like anything... blech!) But I still don't eat pasta frequently, I need to be really in the mood to gobble it up.
To me this dish proved how the simplest foods end up being the most delicious and flavorful ones. Roasted veggies are just the best, and look at the bright colors! Plus there are few things that good cheese doesn't make it all the better, right?!
Enjoy!
Ana

2010-06-04T13:48:00.000-07:00

Lentil Salad

I have been on a lentil kick this past few weeks, which is a good thing as, with all the protein, fiber and iron they have, lentils are not only delicious but also nutritious and super good for you.
Yesterday I cooked some lentils in veggie broth and a smashed garlic clove and ate a full cup of it just drizzled with olive oil and a bit of grated Parmesan on top with my lunch, boy was that delicious. So simple but awesome in flavor!

The other day though I decided to do something a bit more elaborate with my plain jane lentils and I dressed them up a little making one of the best lentil salads I have ever made or eaten. I didn't make a note of quantities as I just did it by taste, but it is so simple to make that an exact recipe is certainly not necessary.
I mixed up cooked lentils with chopped sun-dried tomatoes, fresh thyme, and fresh oregano. Then I seasoned it all with balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper. To complete the goodness and add a nice salty touch to it I sprinkled a few small cubes of ricotta salatta cheese on top and that was it. As simple as that, as delicious as it could be!
I absolutely loved the lentils with the sun-dried tomatoes and the balsamic, just awesome! Plus the fresh herbs made it all the better.
Just an idea for a great side dish to company meals (and leafy green salads) during the warmer months. I really like beans and lentils and during the summer I love to add them to my salads, yum!!
Enjoy!
Ana

2010-06-02T10:57:00.000-07:00

Back and with Mushroom recipe to share!

Clearly it has been months since I my last post in the blog... gee, where does the time goes? Seriously, is it just me or this year is flying by?
Everything has been nice around here with us in the past few months. I was one happy gal going back to school, loved my classes to the last second of lectures, so much so that I decided to apply for Grad School and pursue a masters in Nutrition. Right now I am still waiting to hear from the University to see if they accepted me or not, so keeping my fingers crossed here!
And while I wait I am taking a summer nutrition class (one that counts for the masters already), this time I chose an online class since Matheus will be out of school pretty soon, but I have to tell you that taking online classes is not quite my thing. I like to go to the class, watch the lecture and interact with the teacher, I like to see and talk to people! Besides, when you are taking a class online you have to manage your own studying time, being very organized and disciplined to not miss any assignments (and man do I have many of them!).
Anyways, I am truly enjoying my nutrition class and since I am home most of the time I am also having more time to play in the kitchen. Lots of recipes being made and photographed lately, and here is one that I made that the three of us just absolutely LOVED: Mushroom Ragu
Since my favorite publication (Cooking Light) decided to entirely reformulate their magazine in the worse way possible (why, why did they do that to my favorite mag???), I had to start looking for new cooking/food mags that would present me with nutritious and delicious dishes, and luck me, I did find a great one. Besides Eating Well which I already liked a lot and have know for years, I have been very fond of a relatively new magazine lately: Clean Eating.
Man this magazine is colorful and has great recipes from a nutritional point of view, plus they have the same views/ideals in terms of food as mine: fresh foods, no refined sugars, no processed foods, dishes based on whole grains, vegetables and fruits... I could not ask for more.
I have been making many dishes from Clean Eating and we have been adoring them all. Their recipes are tasty, made with fresh and simple ingredients and easy to make - always a big plus, right?!
The one that stood out from the ones I made so far was definitely the Portobello Mushroom Ragu from the May/June 2010 issue.
The sauce was delicious, fragrant and so flavorful. Matheus loves mushrooms, he is crazy about it and he devoured this declaring the best pasta sauce ever. Even the husband (big meat eater) loved this one too and kept commenting throughout the meal on how good it tasted.
And I really liked it too! I am not one who likes canned tomatoes, for some reason I think it tastes like the can, but I let the sauce cook covered for almost hour and the flavors melded beautifully, leaving no vestiges of canned tomatoes at all. The recipe called for all portobello mushrooms but I used a mix of that and creminis, so feel free to use your favorite mushroom here. If you like mushrooms, you have to try this one!
Here is the recipe the way I made, enjoy!!
Ana

Mushroom Ragu
(adapted from Clean Eating Magazine)

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
12 oz mushrooms (I used portobello and cremini), cleaned and diced
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 (15oz) can chopped tomatoes
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in a large pan, sautee onions for about 3 minutes, add garlic and sautee for a minute more. Add mushrooms and thyme and continue to sautee for a few more minutes until the mushrooms start to soften. Add the tomatoes and cook until the mixture is thick. Serve over pasta or polenta.

My Note: The recipe states to cook sauce for 10 minutes, I cooked mine for about 40 to 50 minutes (while I was preparing the rest of the meal), and I found that the flavors were way better than after only 10 minutes. So feel free to adjust cooking time here to your preferences.
And if 10 minutes is all you have to cook the sauce then by all means go with that, this sauce is so delicious that even with 10 minutes of cooking I am sure you are still going to enjoy!

2010-03-17T08:12:00.000-07:00

Bringing Green Jello for the whole class!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

Ana

2010-02-21T11:00:00.000-08:00

More muffins, with some experimentation!

Hey everyone! Man, this going back to school thing has been a lot more work than I thought it would be... I guess I was really out of rhythm with all this, because the school + family thing doesn't scary me much - I have done it already before.

School talk aside, remember the amazingly delicious Almond Butter Banana Muffins? Well, I really loved that recipe and have been having some fun in the kitchen by experimenting with it, so I came to report a couple of variations I tried.

First, I tried the same recipe but using Peanut Butter, and we found out that the peanut butter really competes with the banana flavors. While we could quite not taste the almond butter on the original recipe, the peanut butter flavor really came through in this variation. I still used bananas and everything the same, but one bite and you could easily tell there was PB in there - as opposed to the muffins made with almond butter that left Matheus and the Husband guessing what the "secret ingredient" was. The final verdict was that the we liked much more and preferred the muffins made with almond butter!

Another experiment I made was transforming the flavor and using Pumpkin in place of the bananas to create Almond Butter Pumpkin Muffins! This ones turned out really good and we all liked it. It was moist and with the same deliciously fluffy texture that the original banana recipe had. Only thing I did was use pumpkin instead of bananas and omit nuts, only adding chocolate chips; also added a bit of water as I thought the wet ingredient mixture was a little too thick, feel free to add a little more water if needed.
We liked these muffins, but in terms of Pumpkin Muffins the Vegan Pumpkin Muffins are still our favorite one. Matheus and I even baked a batch of them today as he wanted these particular pumpkin muffins for breakfast, it really is the best!

Now, back to this recipe that I have been tweaking around, even though we liked and ate all of the muffins, the very favorite of these were the original Heather's Almond Butter Banana Muffins, they were the absolute winner and I am sure will be repeated many times in my kitchen as I just can't get over the awesome flavor and texture these muffins have.
Really, if you want to try some great banana muffins then try this recipe, it is really good!
And here is the pumpkin variation I tried. If you guys try any of these variations let me know, I am curious to see if more people will like these so much as I did!
Enjoy!
Ana

Almond Butter Pumpkin Muffins

1 cup Pumpkin Puree
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup almond butter (I would NOT use PB on this one...)
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup oat flour (simply process oats in your blender or food processor until it becomes flour if you don't have this)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour (or whole wheat pastry flour - I am going to try that next time)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt (omit if you use salted nut butter)
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F and line or spray muffin tins.
In a bowl stir together water, pumpkin puree, almond butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla until smooth. Add dry ingredients and mix everything together just until combined. Gently stir in chocolate chips. Pour batter into prepared muffin tins and bake for about 18 minutes.

Yields 10 muffins

2010-02-14T07:32:00.001-08:00

For those who celebrate it today:

Happy Valentine's Day!!

We started the day with heart-shaped pancakes for breakfast, so yummy and cute, aren't they?! Matheus loves pancakes for breakfast on weekends so it was a good excuse to make some today!

If you are still looking for an easy and quick chocolate fix for the day take a look at this chocolate mousse recipe that I posted a while ago: Dark Chocolate Mousse.
It is delicious and super easy to make, plus you don't need more than 1 hour in the fridge for this dessert to set. It is one of Matheus' favorite dessert!
We had some friends over yesterday for a night of appetizers, pizza, and games - and some wine, (a delicious Riesling I want to post about soon) - I made chocolate mousse for dessert and everyone loved it! (and we still have one for each of us today, perfect valentine's dessert, yum!)
Hope you all have an awesome Sunday with your loved ones!
Ana

Here is a pic of the way I served the mousse yesterday, cute and fun!

Note: using agave nectar in place of sugar to sweeten the mousse works great (be sure to add and taste, adjusting the amount to your preference for sweetness), I love agave!!

2010-02-13T14:10:00.000-08:00

Heather's Almond Butter Banana Muffins

My love for almond butter had me trying new things with it lately - besides having it on top of my oats, graham crackers, or straight from the jar out of a spoon!
The first thing I wanted to use if for was Muffins!! Of course! Those of you who have been following me for a while already know my love for making muffins (just check the side bar for our favorite recipes!). It is one of my favorite things to make and experiment with, and almond butter was on my list to try for these.
Where else could I look for some delish recipes with almond butter than Heather's blog? A blog called "Heather Eats Almond Butter" could only lead me to something good, right? And it sure did!
I tried her Almond Butter Banana Nut Muffins and they were a huuuuuge hit at our house! Simply put, they were perfect! The muffins have 3 mashed bananas in the batter so they were banana-y and delicious, you can't actually taste the almond butter in these but it gives the muffins such an interesting flavor and awesome texture. My muffins came out super fluffy and sort of tender and soft inside. It was really such a different texture, and that is what drew our attention so much to these muffins, they were different and so good!
I already experimented with a variation and will be posting that tomorrow, but right now I will post the original Banana Muffin recipe that I got from Heather, with just a couple of minor changes I made. Her original recipe you can see by clicking here!
Try it, I am positive you are going to like! And if almond butter is not available I believe peanut butter would be really great in this too! (Matheus even asked about that!!)
And of course, check out Heather's blog, she has lots of yummy recipes and ideas there!
Gotta love Almond Butter!!!
Ana

Ps: as you can see, Matheus really enjoyed the muffins for breakfast, that's his picture and the only one I got of the muffins, so I hope you can see the goodness through that!

Almond Butter and Banana Muffins
(adapted from Heather's Blog: HEAB)

3 bananas, mashed
1/4 cup almond butter (or another nut butter of choice)
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup oat flour (simply process oats in your blender or food processor until it becomes flour if you don't have this)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour (or whole wheat pastry flour - I am going to try that next time)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt (omit if you use salted nut butter)
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (or pecans)

Preheat oven to 350F and line or spray muffin tins.
In a bowl stir together the bananas, almond butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla until smooth. Add dry ingredients and mix everything together just until combined. Gently stir in chocolate chips and nuts. Pour batter into prepared muffin tins and bake for about 18 to 20 minutes (check at 18, mine were done by then)

I got 11 muffins out of this batter.

2010-02-13T11:37:00.000-08:00

Woke up to this out of my window this morning... Yep, more snow. There was only snow (no ice, sleet) this time so it was really pretty, especially after the sun came up (I took the pics kinda early...), it is bright and white outside today.
At least this time it didn't accumulate in the streets! phew!
Ana

2010-02-03T16:34:00.000-08:00

Comfort in a Bowl...

Oatmeal, I just absolutely love oatmeal!
Had this for dinner tonight, yep, dinner. Got the news this afternoon that, for the second time, some moles I had removed came back with pre-cancerous results from the biopsy. With another appointment scheduled so they can dig deeper this time, all I needed was something to warm up my soul, and to me no other food can do that job better than oats.
In my bowl I had 1/2 cup oats (old-fashioned rolled oats, not instant/quick) + 2 tablespoons oat bran, all cooked in a cup of soymilk. Stirred during cooking were 1/2 tablespoons chia seeds and 1/2 tablespoon flaxseeds (should have ground them but wasn't in the mood, so whole they went), plus a little agave to sweeten and 1 tablespoon of the amazingly delicious almond butter plopped on top in the end (yes, the blob you see is almond butter!).
So delicious, I could not wish for anything different today. Just perfect, as oatmeal always is!
Ana

2010-02-02T16:56:00.000-08:00

Easy chocolate cake!

Another day without school... still lots of ice/snow outside on the roads, and to get things a little worse it was raining, the whole day, sigh.
At least we were able to get out of the house and went to the YMCA, mom gets an workout and kid can play with friends, and we both come back home happy!
But what one do when there is another afternoon of nothing ahead and it is so cold out that it makes you want to have tea and hot cocoa for breakfast, lunch and dinner? Make chocolate cake, of course!
And that's what we did! You can't beat a slice of warm chocolate cake, it warms you up from the inside out - chocolate does put a smile on my face! (and wrecks my morning workout, but that's another story... we gotta live a little, right?!)
After a few days staying home I got the urge to bake, and after a batch of muffins (I made Morning Glory Muffins this time!) and a frittata for lunch I was left with no eggs... "no problemo", I can find a chocolate cake recipe without eggs, right? Sure, and to be true I even have one like that in my archives already (this one), but still I wanted to see if there was something different out there and got me some google action! (What can't you find on google, tell me?!!)
A minute on the search engine led me to some very similar recipes to the one I had previously made, and after adapting my recipe and and combining it with a slightly different one I came up with a new egg-free chocolate cake recipe, and guess what? It was way better than the one I made before!!
People, if you don't have eggs, or milk, or if you can eat any of those ingredients, do not fret, you can still have some awesome chocolate cake! Some call this a whacky cake, but you can call it whatever you want and I don't care, just don't shy away from making this cake, it is really yummy!
Plus you will only dirty up one bowl, that's all - and the baking pan. Super easy and so fluffy and chocolaty, we really enjoyed it!
The combination of vinegar and baking soda is the key to this cake, it is what gives the leavening action and make this type of cake rise, pretty cool, huh?
The cake was delicious warm just by itself, and that's how we ate it right after it came out of the oven. Then, a little later, we decided that a chocolate sauce would only improve the goodness. I quickly whipped some of our favorite chocolate syrup and we went to town, it was heavenly!
This recipe yields a small, 8-inch round cake, which was just perfect for the three of us. It is a fluffy, very tender cake, chocolaty and delicious, just perfect for another snow day!
Enjoy!
Ana

Easy no-egg chocolate cake

1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 or 3 tablespoons cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon white vinegar (I used champagne vinegar, it was what I had)
3/4 cups sugar (feel free to add more if you want it sweeter)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup water (cold)

Preheat oven to 350F and spray an 8-inch round cake pan with oil.
In a bowl mix up dry ingredients, make a well in the center, add wet ingredients and stir all together until smooth. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for about 20 to 25 minutes.

My notes: start checking at around 20 minutes. Turn on the oven light and see how it looks, if risen then open and check with a toothpick, mine was done at 22 minutes.

2010-02-01T12:49:00.000-08:00

Apple Muffins

2010 started and January is gone already, Gee, seems like time is really flying out of my hands lately!
However, we had a good start around here, and after a few weeks getting used to having classes again I am ready to come back and post more on my little space, I so miss this blog, I truly do and don't know why sometimes I can't get myself to post. Life happens and we get mixed up into other things I guess.
Anyways, I am loving my classes!! I am taking a Nutrition and a Food Science class this semester. Still just as a post-grad, but I certainly want to figure out which one I like best and decide what I want to do for the semesters that follow. Haven't made my mind yet. All I can say is that I am loving this idea of going to school to learn and talk about food, it is awesome!
On another subject, I have been cooking a lot lately too, and taking pics whenever I remember. Sometimes I get home from school and am so hungry that I just devour my food without thinking much about blogging it. Then as I eat and find it good the "oh, I should have taken a pic for the blog" thought comes to mind but it is usually a little late. I am working on paying more attention to that though!
Today I am posting an Apple Muffin recipe, one that come from Ellie Krieger and that is very yummy! It is my adaptation to one of her recipes. The original called for pecans but I did not used on mine. We do like pecans but seems like whenever I made these I am out of them so the recipe I am posting doesn't have them. Still, these are good anyway you make it, with or without nuts.
We are snowed in since Saturday... it might sound fun for some but I am tired of being trapped home. Our town is not well prepared for snow storms and with the bunch of inches of snow we got this weekend we ended up not being able to leave the house since then. Only today they started plowing the streets so it is safer to drive, but we still didn't have school or any other activity we might normally have. I am just hoping that tomorrow Cary (the city I live) will go back to normal life.
Ok, too much snow talk. I'll go ahead and present you with some good eats, which is all we have been doing these past days while trapped home!
Enjoy!
Ana

Apple Muffins
(adapted from Ellie Krieger)

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup sugar (add more if you like)
1/4 cup canola oil
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup buttermilk (or 1/2 cup yogurt plus 1/4 cup milk)
1 apple peeled, cored and diced (or grated if you prefer)

Preheat oven to 350F and grease, or line with paper cups, 12 muffin cups.
In a bowl add flours, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, sugar and diced apples, stir and mix all dry ingredients. Make a well in the center and add the buttermilk, the eggs, the applesauce, the vanilla and buttermilk, mix all together just until everything is incorporated. Pour batter into prepared muffin tins and bake for about 18 to 20 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.

My notes: my batter was on the liquid-y side, I filled up my muffin cups to the top and got nice rounded muffins!

2010-01-01T06:33:00.000-08:00

A new year, and news for 2010!

This is how I entered the new year, with a smile and sound asleep in my bed. 2009 was an ok year and I have hopes that 2010 will be a better one. And I know it will be, not "just because", but because I decided that I will make it better!
I read a phrase the other day that I loved and which woke me up for many things: "Everything is a once-in-a-lifetime experience", and is it not? (the phrase came from the book "Life is good: simple words from Jake and Rocket")
Every minute is different than the next, what happens now won't happen the same a few seconds from now. So from now on I will try my best to make every minute count (more so than before).
I have been "rehearsing" a comeback to studying for a while and decided that now was the time, so I will be starting the new year with a new backpack and college classes to keep me young, yep blogfriends, I am back to school.
With my love for food, science, healthy eating, and all colorful fruits and veggies alike I decided to try a future in one my favorites subjects: nutrition!
I will take some basic nutrition and food science classes this semester, just so I can get myself back in the college rhythm (after 6 years out of school it seemed to be a good idea to take my time), and then apply for a masters later on.
I am totally psyched and excited to start my classes in a couple of weeks, so wish me luck and come visit me because I do plan to post more this year too, especially with the new cookbooks I have on hand!
I hope your 2010 is beginning as happy as mine is and that we will have lots of exciting news to share.
My wishes are for a more than Happy New Year to all my friends and family!
Love you all,
Ana

Ps: I just wanted to keep a little retrospect of 2009 here with two things I discovered and loved in my kitchen in the year that just ended, so here goes:
- My favorite find: almond butter!
- And my favorite recipe of the year: Roasted Squash Salad with Warm Cider Vinaigrette (the dressing of this salad is out-of-this-world good!)
That's it, 2009 is over and so am I with it. 2010 here I go!!

2009-12-28T17:25:00.000-08:00

A couple more cookbooks to my stash...

This was "My Christmas Present to Myself"!! I have been wanting this cookbook since it came out and I thought that now was a good time to make myself happy!
I couldn't be more merry than with new cookbooks around, and omg, this book is amazing, I LOVE it!!! (Have you seen the amount of recipes with chickpeas in the index? Awesome!)
As an unconditional fruit and vegetable lover, I eat lots of vegetarian meals and with this book on hand I have a feeling that 2010 is going to be a great veggie cooking year!
Recipes and pics will follow, for sure!
Hope you all had a great holiday and treated yourselves with something you like, just like I did!
I absolutely adore cookbooks, they are one of my favorite things to buy and read on my free time!
Ana

I also got this one as a Christmas present from Matheus - I did raise him right, didn't I? He sure knows how to make mommy happy!

2009-12-23T15:34:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas!
Feliz Natal!
To all my friends and family, and to those who never gave up on my blog and kept coming back to check up on me, a Very Happy Christmas and a Wonderful 2010 full of cooking and fun!
May Santa bring all you have wished and more!
Love all,
Ana

2009-12-21T08:12:00.000-08:00

Something I have been eating, and loving, lately!

Almond butter... have you tried? If you like almonds you have got to try this! Roasted almonds, are not only super healthy and good for you but they are , nutty and delicious. Now, picture your almond in creamy form and you have almond butter!
I am not much of a peanut or peanut butter person, but I am totally hooked on this almond butter thing.
It is absolutely delicious, the roasted almond flavor and the creaminess of it is just awesome!
I have been eating it on top of graham crackers (these are the ones I like, they are not too sweet) and adding blobs of almond butter to my oatmeal (if you have been following the blog you might know I am an oatmeal lover!). It sorts of melts inside the warm oats and make it all taste sooo good that I have been eating oats every day for more than a month, just so I can have my almond butter goodness in it.
Then, the almond butter and oats combo brings me to another thing: oats in a jar. Have you seen that yet? I first saw it on Caroline's blog, and then on some other spaces through the "blogsphere", then I stopped and starting thinking about it: so you have an almost empty jar of almond butter (or another nut butter you like), and you usually put some of that on your oatmeal every day. What is the best thing to do in order to get the most of that scrumptious almond butter from that little jar? Of course, put your oatmeal in the jar - Genius!

As soon as my first jar of almond butter was getting close to emptiness I poured my oats in there, and it was awesome! I like to eat my oats in mugs sometimes (instead of a bowl), so the jar acted just like that, plus the warm oats got infused by the the flavor and last bits of almond butter left in the jar, not to mention the last teaspoon or two of it that were in the bottom, ohhh, it is pure bliss when you reach that part!
I just wanted to share here something I discovered recently and have been eating and loving for the past months. It is not only delicious but also very healthy stuff!
If you haven't had almond butter yet do give it a try! Hope you like it as much as I do!
Ana

Ps: This is not a brand commercial, and I didn't got paid to talk about this specific product here. I just discovered and really feel in love with almond butter and wanted to share. The trader joe's brand was my choice due to it deliciousness and affordability!

2009-12-19T12:23:00.001-08:00

Pumpkin Pasta!

I bet you are wondering what I have been making with all that amazing pumpkin I got, right? Well, with work and school out of the way and two weeks of winter break ahead of us I am back to post all recipes I have been making and saving pics on the last few months. My goal is to post something everyday, and hey, you can come back and bug me until I do!
I also have some interesting and unusual product reviews I want to post.
But first, onto the recipe of the pasta pictured above. It is an easy and delicious pasta combination that fitted the bill perfectly with the mounds of pumpkin puree we had on hand.
It is actually and older Rachel Ray recipe that I had made before and was repeated a few times. Easy and tasty, truly worth of trying!
The original recipe had hot sauce added to it but I didn't think that it would go with the pumpkin and the spices used in this recipe, so I omitted that - with great success I might add, I cannot imagine this with hot sauce, really.
Don't be intimidated by that pinch of cinnamon in the recipe, it will add a touch of warmness that will complement the pumpkin beautifully, even though you won't taste it or know it was there.
Also, note that I forgot to add the sage before I took the picture, but don't forget to add it there (even though you can make it without it), because sage + pumpkin is a wonderful combo too!
So, here goes my adaptation of Pumpkin Pasta, hope you all enjoy and I will come back with more!
And how's getting ready for Christmas going? I need to wrap presents, and think about the food, can you believe I haven't done that yet? Well, still got plenty of time!
Ana

Pumpkin Pasta

1 pound of penne pasta
1 tablespoon Olive oil (more if needed)
2 shallots or half onion, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 cups vegetable broth
1 (15 oz) can pumpkin puree (1 1/2 cups puree)
1/2 cup heavy cream
A pinch of cinnamon (optional)
Pepper
Salt
Fresh sage leaves (about 4 of them), chopped
Grated Parmesan Cheese

Cook pasta in boiling water until all dente.
While pasta cook saute garlic and onions (or shallots) in olive oil until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the chicken broth and pumpkin and whisk together to incorporate. Add the cinnamon and the heavy cream, mix together and add salt and pepper to taste. Turn heat to low and let it cook for a few minutes to thicken the sauce to your desired consistency, add the chopped sage and the cooked penne. Toss all together and serve with lots of grated Parmesan on top!

2009-11-09T10:17:00.001-08:00

A recipe you must try and get ready for pumpkin recipes!

One of my dearest friends here from the US gave us a huge pumpkin the other day. An organic, healthy and plump gigantic pumpkin that she grows on her backyard (she has lots of space for growing stuff!). She first said it was a big guy she had on the back of her car, but I never expected it to be as huge as it really was. Don't believe me? Take a look for yourself:

The big baby sitting on my kitchen chair

Told ya! It was truly ginormous, as Matheus said when he first saw it!
Took me a while to tackle it, open and get the whole thing roasted and pureed for storage, but it was worth every second and effort spent. The pumpkin was amazingly delicious, the flesh was bright orange and sweet. Look at this beauty on the inside, is it pretty or what?

When I first brought it to the house we all got super excited not just because it was so fun to have a pumpkin that size but also because we LOVE pumpkin around here! And I mean really love it!
Ideas could not stop coming out of our mouths, pumpkin muffins was the first request, followed by pumpkin pie and for me it meant lots of my winter favorite: pumpkin soup!
From the humongous orange friend I got 10 cups of deliciousness in form of puree that I stashed right into the freezer plus about 8 more cups that I left in the fridge and started using right away.
I first made some of the frequently requested by the boys Pumpkin Muffins, next was my favorite Pumpkin Leek Soup, followed by a Savory Pumpkin Pie (which I didn't take pics but you can find the recipe in Portuguese here, and be warned, it is the best and easiest "Torta de Abobora" you will ever come across, I have made it many times here and we love it, Thanks Lica! Torta de Abobora da Eliana), and this weekend we had some of the most tasty Pumpkin Pies we ever made.
Seriously, this pumpkin is so tasty that every single item I made with it was amazing, oh and the puree warmed up with salt, pepper, and butter.... oh my, it was di-vi-ne!
But all the talk about the pumpkin brings me to the recipe I want to post today, and this truly is a "must try recipe". I saw Ina Garten make this on TV and immediately said to myself "have to try that", it looked and sounded so delicious, and how could roasted butternut squash + greens + cider vinaigrette not sound wonderfull?
The Roasted Squash Salad with Warm Cider Vinaigrette is AMAZING! (pardon my shouting, but this is just too good....) It is fall on a plate, in salad form!
The best part of this? The Cider Vinaigrette. If you don't want to make everything then don't worry, but definitely try this vinaigrette at some point, it is to die for, it is the quintessential "fall-ish" vinaigrette, so delicious, and extremely flavorful.
The sweetness of the reduced apple cider is balanced beautifully by the acidity of the vinegar, the onioness of the shallots and the bite of the dijon mustard. Salt, pepper, and olive oil just round all the flavors out tying them together in one wonderful salad dressing. Believe me, you won't be sorry if you try this.
But so much for talking, let me post this recipe here so you can make it too!
Note that I made this salad multiple times already and the picture on the top of this post was actually made with roasted acorn squash, which was equally delicious as when I made with butternut or the pumpkin I got from my friend, which is the picture bellow:

This was the salad made with the bright orange pumpkin. On this one though the Parmesan was sprinkled on the spinach and it just disappeared when I drizzled the warm dressing, plus I didn't have the walnuts when I made this one.

However, if you do have walnuts at home make sure you use them, the salad was definitely tastier with those crunchy roasted walnut bits in contrast to the slightly wilted leaves, the warm dressing and the soft squash chunks... yum, just writing about it makes my mouth water!

I have been having fun at the kitchen making lots of pumpkin recipes and there are some that are just too good to be kept only for us and I must share, so be prepared for some more pumpkin goodness to show up here soon. Oh if you see a girl with a slightly orange skin walking around NC... there's a good chance it is me, I am afraid I will soon be looking like a walking carrot with the copious amount of wonderful beta-carotene I have been eating lately!
Ana

Here is my version of the salad, if you want to see the original one, click here

Roasted Squash Salad with Warm Cider Vinaigrette
(adapted by an Ina Garten's recipe)

1 butternut or acorn squash, peeled and diced
Salt, pepper and olive oil to roast the squash
1/3 cup toasted walnut pieces
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (the good stuff!)
4 cups baby spinach leaves, or arugula, or a mix of the two
1 cup apple cider - or apple juice
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons minced shallots
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to season the dressing

Preheat your oven to 400F.
Place squash on a sheet pan lined with foil (easy clean up!), season with salt, pepper and a good dose of olive oil (it adds amazing flavor and prevent stickiness), toss all together, spread the squash cubes in one layer and roast for about 20 minutes, turning them around the 10 minutes mark to make sure they cook and brown evenly.
While the squash roast combine the apple cider, shallots, and the cider vinegar in a small pan, bring to a boil and cook until the cider is reduced to about 1/4 cup. Remove from heat and whisk in the mustard and olive oil, season with salt and pepper to taste.
(My observation: after tasting refrain from eating the vinaigrette by teaspoons... it taste that good!)
Place the spinach (or arugula) in a big plate or salad bowl, add the walnuts and Parmesan, drizzle the vinaigrette over the leaves, place the roasted squash on top of everything and serve. (you can also put the squash to the bowl with everything else then add the vinaigrette and toss it all together, I like to keep the squash on top as mine were soft and delicate, an oh so good...)

2009-10-31T17:08:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween!!!!

Off to see what Matheus got in his trick or treat bag!
The "twix" is evil, I already downed 3 of those fun size ones (it's the only junky chocolate/candy bar I like) and we still have some leftover candy... I said that if another kid stops by he or she will get a bonus of a whole bowl of candy!
Hope you had just as much fun as we are having here!
Ana

2009-10-19T13:45:00.001-07:00

Notes on Cooking

The title caught my attention on the new books' section of the library so I got this book home to peruse. It was such an easy, simple, and quite educational, read that I decided to share here in the blog.
Notes on Cooking is a basically a collection of cooking tips that the chef Lauren Braun Costello put together from her experience in the kitchen over the years. It is comprised by 217 short tips divided into chapters with themes that range from equipments, how to understand the recipe, how to prepare yourself and your ingredients, to tips on how to work with meat, pork or seafood.
They are all basic tips, ideas, and comments from the chef, and the vast majority I already follow in my daily cooking life - such as "read the entire recipe before making it, then read it again", "always wash your produce", "add fresh herbs at the end", "always taste before you serve the food", and so on.
However, there are many other notes that I really enjoyed reading and that was nice to have reinforced in my culinary mind.
My favorite chapter was the one about "Temperature", which had some interesting notes which I haven't realized were all that crucial. This was a great tip in my opinion:

" Never jump food more than one temperature state at a time: there are four functional temperature states 1)frozen, 2)cold, 3)room temperature, 4)warm or hot.
When you move food from one state to another, don't skip over a temperature state... only one state change at a time. Jumping a state disrupts or destroys the vital process of moisture concentration and reintegration within the ingredients as its temperatures changes. Place a sealed, warm lasagna in a cold fridge, and where does all that heat and moisture go? It collects on the top of your lovely lasagna, now no longer so lovely."

Two others I liked were:

"Use a cold pan for butter: heat the pan and butter simultaneously. Butter added to a hot pan burns on contact due to its dairy content"
"Use a hot pan for oil: add oil directly to an already hot pan; in a matter of seconds, it becomes hot enough to cook your food, but not yet hot enough to smoke."

I am not getting anything from reviewing this book, I just thought it was a good read and decided to pass it along. Very informational book, filled with culinary notes, something that we as everyday cooks can never get enough!
Ana

2009-10-15T11:53:00.000-07:00

Pomegranates!!
I love those little seeds, they look like little jewels and are so intensely flavored. My grandma had a pomegranate tree on her backyard so every time I crack one of these open I am taken back to my childhood when we used to open the pomegranate and sit on the backyard sucking the juice and spiting seeds on the grass. Oh, and yes, mom would make me change into an old shirt when I wanted to eat pomegranates, she always said that pomegranate stains never came out of out clothes.
I don't have a particular recipe for using this fruit though. Since my early years my favorite thing is to eat the seeds by themselves. Today I also enjoy them sprinkled on spinach salad, it is quite yummy too.
Now, if you get pomegranate juice then it's another thing. My favorite thing to do with that? Pomegranate Sangria - red wine, pomegranate juice, triple sec, agave nectar to taste, sliced oranges, and crushed min leaves - delicious summer drink!
But since it is getting cold around here I will stick with the fresh pomegranate seeds for this time of the year.
Excuse me but I have to find a old shirt I don't mind staining now! ;o)
Ana

2009-09-24T13:13:00.000-07:00

Cakes...

I have been making decorated cakes as a hobby this past couple years. Some I have posted here already and today while trying to organize my food pictures I found these and decided to share here too.
I love working with fondant, it is sort of therapeutic and lots of fun to me. Hope you enjoy looking at the cakes as much as I enjoyed making them!
Ana

Purse Cake I made for my sister 21st birthday this year when she came to visit us!

Monkey and Frog Cake, for a friend's 1 year old boy

Cake I made as a gift for my friend Jeanne on her 4oth birthday

Elmo Cake, for a 2-year old boy

Dora Cake, for my friend's Andrea daughter

This one I made with my friend Barbara, we wanted to try making a whimsical cake... took us some good hours but it was fun!!

Cars cake, for another friend's child

2009-09-19T10:36:00.000-07:00

The "blogversary" cake!

After the 4 year celebration post I knew I had to come back here and share the recipe for the cake pictured there as soon as I could. Then Brisa asked me about it... how could I say no?!!
I am most happy to do so as this was a cake that we liked a lot. It is a Flourless Honey Almond Cake, and it came from the Eating Well magazine.
I made this a while back and found it to be special in a way so I wanted to post about it when something came up. Nothing better than the "blogversary"!
When you are not used to baking with almond flour a recipe like this can turn out to be an edible experience by itself. This is a light and airy cake, very flavorful and with a delicious texture. It is so different than your usual concept of how "cake" should feel like that I thoroughly enjoyed the experience of both making and eating it.
The secret here, as noted in the magazine, is not to overbeat the egg whites. You don't need your beaten whites to be stiff or hold a peak here, just beat them enough to get them foamy. The whites is what ensures good part of the structure of the cake, as there is no flour here to help the eggs in support.
It is easy to make and a perfect cake to eat in the afternoon with some tea, which we did. And then had leftovers for breakfast the next day... yum!
Ana

Ps: notice that there should have been a lot more toasted almonds on the top of the cake but Matheus and I got carried away and munched on too many of them while I made the cake... oops! By the way, I didn't have sliced almonds and used the slivered ones, and they worked out well (roasted almonds sooooo good, aren't they?!?!?!)

Flourless Honey-Almond Cake
(Adapted from Eating Well)

1 3/4 cups almond flour
4 large eggs, at room temperature, separated
1/2 cup honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Topping:
2 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted

Preheat oven and lightly grease (or use cooking spray) an 9-inch springform pan (the one with removable sides), line the bottom with parchment paper and lightly grease the top of the paper as well.
Using an electric mixer beat 4 egg yolks, 1/2 cup honey, vanilla, baking soda and salt until well mixed. Add the almond meal and beat on low until all combined.
In another bowl beat the 4 egg whites on medium speed until they are foamy and doubled in volume (for about 2 minutes).
Using a spatula, gently fold the whites on the almond batter just until combined. Pour batter on prepared pan and bake until cake is golden and toothpick inserted on center comes out clean, about 25-28 minutes.
Let cool in pan about 10 minutes, run a knife around the edges, remove side ring and cool completely.
Serve drizzled with honey and sprikled with the toasted almonds.

Notes:
1) If you don't have the almond meal but have whole almonds you can do the following: measure 1 1/2 cups almonds, spread them on a baking sheet and roast at 350F for about 7 to 9 nine minutes, stirring once halfway. Let them cool completely, then process in the food processor or blender until finely ground - this should yield about the 1 3/4 cups almond meal asked for the recipe.

2) The sliced almonds for the top are toasted on a dry skillet over medium heat. Stir them constantly and toast until golden, about 2 to 4 minutes at most.

2009-09-16T12:50:00.000-07:00

4 Years of Kitchenspace!!!

I have not been good with the blog this past year but I simply could not let this date go by without notice, I had to come here and post about these 4 years of my lovely kitchen space, as this blog means much more than any of you that follow me can ever imagine.
Through this blog I was able to share my passion for food and cooking/baking, and to express myself like in no other place. It was also here that I got to know many wonderful and fun people, some who I even got to meet in person, and created friendships that I want to keep forever, and as long as possibly can.
I started this blog, four years ago, when I was going through the worse phase of my life. A period when I was feeling very lonely and left apart.
The one thing that kept me up and going on those days was my son, Matheus (who is the sunshine of my life and until today motivates me to be who I am), and cooking. Sometimes, when you feel like you cannot handle things, taking a small break is all you need. So you go to the kitchen, bake a cake see it rise and come up to life, then you take it out of the oven and share a slice with your child... once you see the smile on his face the feeling you get is amazing, it shows you instantly that just like that cake you too can be great no matter what is to come, and the best moments are always there, around the corner, just waiting for you to help create them.
With all that was going on with my life the kitchen was my favorite place to be, and there was no point in being here if I could not share my happiness in this space with those who wanted to be my friend.
It ended up that writing this blog made me feel special, made me feel worthy and loved, and that I indeed had some talents that some of those close to me never stopped to pay attention to. Coming here, sharing my food and reading all those comments was, and still is today, a wonderful feeling to me. It feels great to know that there are people out there that share your interests, that get excited about something that you are doing and that are super nice to you even though they have never met you in person.
This blog helped me overcome a lot, in silence, through my cooking, in my favorite place of all, the kitchen.
Today I am definitely having one of the best phases of my life, I am happy with most aspects of it all (even being 30!), and am learning to work on those areas I am not completely satisfied with.
I figured that life is like a recipe, as you grow up you collect the ingredients, but it takes a little time and patience to put everything together in order to get the best of it.
This blog helped me a lot in figuring myself out (which I am still working on), and I know it will keep me company on the years to come, in my journey to create from the life recipe my perfect personal dish!
Thanks everyone for coming and checking on me even when I was not posting frequently. I love all my readers and friends, and this blog (and myself) would be nothing without you all!
Happy Blogversary Kitchen Space!
Ana

2009-08-04T11:45:00.000-07:00

Farm fresh eggs....

The BEST!!! I am loving my CSA!

2009-05-16T08:52:00.000-07:00

Strawberries!

Unfortunately their season is short, but we have been enjoying the strawberries a whole lot lately!
We go pick them at the strawberry farm and that is as fresh and local as one can get. They are delicious, juicy, red, and soooo sweet!
I love them just as they are, have been enjoying bowlfuls of the berries for breakfast, but there are also a few recipes that both the husband and Matheus request and so they appear year after year in our kitchen during strawberry season!
Truly, this year the one new recipe I made was Strawberry Ice Cream, which turned out not only delicious but had the most gorgeous and natural color I have ever seen on a strawberry ice cream!
It was so good though that we ate it all in a couple of days and I even forgot to take pictures... so, this will be one of the few posts without a recipe photo, but you can imagine how strawberry ice cream looks like, right?!!
And, to make up for that here some of the other recipes I have already made this past few weeks with our juicy red gems:

Strawberry Muffins (Matheus and the Husband love these muffins!)

Strawberry Tart (This is the Husband's favorite! And my sister's too!)

Strawberry Bavaroise (This one is strawberry creaminess at it's best, it's my favorite!)

There are other recipes in the blog archive, such as strawberry bread and pancakes with strawberry sauce, which I have made too this year already, so take a peek there and see what other goodies you can find!
Here goes the ice cream recipe, it is so easy and so good! Gotta love ice cream season!
Enjoy!
Ana

Strawberry Ice Cream
(adapted from the book From Your Ice Cream Maker)

3 cups fresh strawberries, clean and stemmed (or 16oz/500g frozen strawberries - unsweetened) I used three heaping cupfulls of strawberries and my ice cream had an intensely awesome fruity flavor!
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
2/3 cups sugar (use more or less depending upon the sweetness of your strawberries)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons Triple Sec, or your favorite orange liqueur (alcohol doesn't completely freezes, so this helps your ice cream not to turn rock hard on your freezer - plus it adds a depth of flavor to the ice cream, even though you don't taste it on the final product)
A tiny pinch of salt

Process all ingredients on a blender or food processor until all incorporated and the strawberries are pureed to the desired consistency (I left some ity bitty chunks on mine for texture and deliciousness!). Refrigerate the mixture for a few hours until it is thoroughly chilled. Give it a quick whiz and pour the mixture in the ice cream maker, following the instruction of your machine.
Makes about 1 quart.

My note: if you use chilled fruit and cream you can even pour the mixture directly into the ice cream maker right after you blend the ingredients. However, the colder the mixture the less time it takes for your ice cream to churn and the creamier it will be!
This is pure cold strawberry bliss and since it uses so little ingredients try to use the best fruits and cream you can find, it really does make a difference here!! This is worth the wait, time and money spent on it!
Ana

2009-05-10T05:35:00.000-07:00

Happy Mother's Day!!

Friday right after school:
Matheus: Mom, I hid your mother's day presents, okay? So don't look under my bed because that is where I hid it!

How can you not LOVE being a mom????

Happy Mother's Day to my mom, to my girl friends, to my aunts and my cousins who are also a mom! Happy Mother's Day to all Moms out there, may your day be as happy as mine is today!!
Ana

2009-05-03T05:33:00.000-07:00

A Cooking Poem

I just loved this one, had to share!

Recipe for Friendship

Fold two hands together,
And express a dash of sorrow,
Marinate it overnight,
And work on it tomorrow.
Chop one grudge in tiny pieces,
Add several cups of love,
Dredge with a large sized smile,
And mix the ingredients above.
Dissolve the hate within you,
By doing a very good deed,
Dash in some help for any friend,
If they should be in need.
Stir in laughter, love and kindness,
From the heart it has to come,
Mix with genuine forgiveness,
And give your neighbour some.
The amount of people you can serve,
From the recipe above,
Is in the quality of its ingredients,
And unlimited amounts of love.
This recipe's for the whole wide world,
For everyone to make,
Just get it all together,
And cook for God's own sake!

Ps: I could not find a mention of who the author is so if anyone knows please tell me so I can give credit to whom credit is due!
Thanks!
Ana

2009-05-01T18:19:00.001-07:00

Applesauce Snack Cake

This cake was a total winner here at our house, it is by far the best apple cake. Or at least the best one I have made and/or eaten!
Matheus and even the husband loved the cake too. So much so that they asked me to make another one just as the last two pieces were being devoured - by them!
I made it twice already and as I was separating the pictures to post the recipe today, Matheus took a peek at the computer and said

Matheus: "Is that the apple cake mom?"

Me: "Yes, I am going to post the recipe on the blog"

Matheus: "Yummm, that cake is good... so, when are you making it again?"

Seem like we will be having applesauce cake pretty soon around here again!
The key to this apple cake is using the right kind of dried apples. You should use the ones that are soft and moist, not the crunchy, chip-like ones.
Here is how the ones I used look like:

The apples not only add lots of flavor to the cake but, together with the applesauce, contribute for a very moist cake. And such moisture content brings me to the adaptations I made to the recipe.
The original recipe, from American's Test Kitchen, was made with a full stick of melted butter and all white flour. A first glance through the recipe told me that all that butter, besides being a whole lot for a small 8-inch cake, was not at all necessary for a desirable outcome. I didn't use quite nearly that amount of fat and got an amazingly moist and delicious cake. In fact, I believe I could decrease the fat even a tad more, but didn't want to change too much too soon.
Also, due to the high moisture ingredients present here I did what I always do to most of my cakes and baked goods: used half all-purpose and half whole wheat flours. Again, perfect texture and still very moist, with a boost on nutritional contents!
The version I am posting here is the recipe with my adaptations to it. If you want to see the original one take a look at the American's Test Kitchen website - you need to register, but it's free.

Now truly, if you like apple cake as much as I do then you definitely should try this recipe. It is a very simple cake, easy to make and really, really good. It's totally worth searching for the dried apples. This cake is awesome, and for once everyone around here agrees with me!
Enjoy!
Ana

A pic of the slice, see how moist it is?? I told you, go get some dried apples and make this cake. You are not going to regret it, I promise!

Applesauce Snack Cake
(Adapted from America's Test Kitchens)

3/4 cup dried apples (2 ounces) cut into pieces
1 cup apple cider or apple juice (I used apple juice)
3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg (I omitted)
1/8 teaspoon cloves (I omitted)
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/3 cup canola oil
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Prepare an 8-inch square baking dish by spraying it with cooking spray, then line it with a long rectangular strip of parchment paper and spray the parchment paper too. Set aside.

Put apples and apple juice in a small saucepan and cook, simmering, for about 15 minutes, or until almost all the liquid has evaporated. Let cool.

Preheat oven to 325F.

In a medium bowl, combine sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Measure 2 tablespoons sugar-spice mixture into small bowl and set aside to use for the topping.

In a food processor or blender, process the dried apple mixture until smooth. Pour mixture into a large bowl and to it add the sugar + spices mixture, egg, salt, vanilla, oil, and applesauce, mix well to combine. Add the flours and baking soda, mixing just until all is incorporated and moistened.

Put batter into prepared pan, smooth the top with a spatula and then sprinkle it evenly with the 2 tablespoons of reserved sugar+spices. Bake for about 35 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool and serve!

2009-04-29T13:49:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday To Me!!

Even though I am turning 30 today (ouchhh!) I still find myself in the mood for celebrating my birthdays and having fun on my special day.
Age is all in the head and as with everything in life what counts the most is your attitude, so the 30's are welcome and I am ready to celebrate!
Aren't those cupcakes lovely?? Thanks Barbara for taking your time and making them for me!
I had a great time with my girl friends this week already and today we went to my favorite ice cream place in the whole world: Henry's Gelato! (at least for now, since I haven't been in Italy yet...).
I just happen to love ice cream and recently dicovered something even better than that: Gelato. It is the-best-dessert, ever! I could not ask for more today than spending my birthday with my family and enjoying my favorite dessert! I will skip baking a cake this time, but bring on the ice cream goodness!
Ana

And here is me with the prettiest cupcake! (well, I did have cake after all!)

2009-04-28T05:12:00.000-07:00

Salad, and radishes...!

I am a girl who likes salad! A person who truly loves vegetables and fruits and am more than happy to have colorful and healthy salads for a meal!
Since I love my veggies so much I am always on the lookout for the purest and freshest produce, so there was nothing more obvious for me at this point than to join a CSA! (community supported agriculture)
Yes, now I have my own organic basket too! I am soooo happy and excited to get my little basket every week! Today is the second basket I will be getting and I can barely wait.
I wish we could get these baskets all year long but due to the cold weather over the winter the farm I joined has their deliveries done only between April and September, which is a good chunk of the year and I am happy to get that!
Last week we got some mix of greens, asparagus, radishes and green onions, plus the best farm fresh eggs I have had here in the US!
The greens were tender and even slightly sweet, the asparagus were by far the very best I have ever had, they were sweet and so tender, perfect to just eat it quickly steamed, you didn't even need any seasoning as it was very flavorful by itself. Oh and the radishes... I actually found a radish I like! This part was funny as I am not a radish fan but when it showed up in the basket we sure wanted to try it and it was not bad at all, actually it was something the three of us enjoyed a lot when eating our salad over the weekend. Who would have thought that radishes can be tasty, have a sweet undertone and not be all bitterness as the ones I had tried before?
See, good veggies are awesome, even the radishes! And I was so happy to have gotten this ones for Matheus to try again. He had tried it once with me and we both agreed at the time that radishes were not the veggie of our choice, but this past Sunday we were converted to the fresh, organic ones. Matheus really liked and every time he ate a slice he would say "yep, they are good mommy, these radishes are good!" I love feeding my child!
So our weekend was filled with soccer practice, the local spring daze fest, friend's birthday parties and, yes you guessed, radishes!
We had a great salad, so fresh and flavorful. This is why I like spring, summer, warm weather. It is the season that makes me happy and brings us delicious fruits and veggies too!
Ana

2009-04-23T07:54:00.000-07:00

2009! And summer is coming.... tomato salad!

Man, it is already April and I haven't posted yet.... tsc tsc tsc!
Well, I am here, yes, I am!
The year has been good to us, everything is going well but I am somewhat into a crisis with myself, trying to figure out what I really want for my life, professionally speaking that is.
As kids we are always talking about "what we are going to do when we grow up", thinking about what we are going to be when we are adults, which career to follow...
But, what happens when you already grew up and still don't know?
We sure do plan all those things but for some of us life takes its own path and when you realize you have a bunch of other things going on that were not on your plan, or at least for not that particular time of your life.
My life sort of went on a different direction than that I had thought would happen. I do love the outcome and am proud of everything I have done up to this point though! I have no regrets, I am happy with my choices and I love my family more than anything I can imagine.
But sometimes a girl sorta need to find herself in the middle of all this family thing, right? Or am I over thinking all this life process?
See, I am a little lost in my own mind, but I know I will be fine and whatever I chose to do will turn out to be of value for me, even if it doesn't go as planned. Life is forgiving in its own way, time helps to mend things and chances to start over are infinite.

I think turning 30 (ugh!) this month got me thinking too much about what I have done and still need to do for myself...

Sorry about all the talking, but hey, you are all friends and that's what friends are for!
But, one cannot live on thoughts alone so of course while I do all this thinking and try to find my own little self I have been cooking a lot too!
I love this blog and keep taking pictures and more pictures, trying recipes and inventing in the kitchen, so now I think I had enough time already to think and be away from this space, and I hope to be coming back with recipes and more!

For today I am only going to leave you all with this picture I took from a tomato salad I made this weekend when we got home from the farmer's market! Fresh, fresh, fresh tomatoes, ripe and juicy, so, sooooo, sooooooooo good! Simply seasoned with salt, pepper, olive oil, and basil, it was the star dish of our lunch. The basil was fresh from the market too, from the little guys I bought to plant in my backyard herb pots.
I like spring but I LOVE SUMMER and this salad tasted just like that to me! I am so ready for the warm weather, bring on the heat, the juicy fruits and ice creams, I am ready for that all and to say goodbye to the winter blues who definitely got me thinking this year.

Love you all!
Ana

Ps: Thanks to all those who send me comments and e-mail asking if everything is ok!

2008-12-25T17:42:00.000-08:00

Cinnamon Cookies... Hummmm!

I made a few different batches of cookies (and granola - but more of that on a later post) this month to give out to friends as yummy gifts and after the Butter Pecan Cookies (our very favorite cookie lately - and some of my friend's too, I was asked twice for the recipe on those!), these Snickerdoodles were the second best.
Matheus is a cinnamon fan (he loves cinnamon rolls!) and really liked these, he declared one of the best cookies we have made!
These are super simple cookies and what I liked the most about them was that they had a perfect balance of a crispy edge and chewy center, and I like chewy cookies. They had cinnamon flavor throughout without being overpowering and were on the sweet side (at least for me) due to the sugar coating, but were not extremely sweet that you would not be able to eat a couple in a row.
The cookie dough comes together quickly and the only part that takes a little longer is the rolling and coating in cinnamon sugar process, but still they are easy and simple to make.
One thing to note is to make sure to leave a good space between the dough balls because these cookies do spread a bit while baking. Also, let them cool a couple of minutes before removing from the baking sheet after baking as they are quite soft right out of the oven.
These are the kind of cookies to make on a rainy afternoon when you are at home without much to do. To me they felt like more comforting-type cookies, a little treat to satisfy an occasional sweet tooth.
If you are a cookie person (which to be true I am not...) make sure to give these a try, I am sure they will not disappoint!
Ana

Snickerdoodles
(Adapted from Cooking Light, September 2007)

3/4 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (about 6 3/4 ounces)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Cream granulated sugar, brown sugar, and butter with a mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla and egg. Add flour, baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, and salt to the bowl and beat just until combined. Shape dough into balls.

Mix 1/3 cup granulated sugar and 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon in a small dish. Roll balls in sugar mixture, and place 2 inches apart on baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Bake for about 8 minutes or until tops crack. Cool on pans 1 minute. Remove from pans; cool on a wire rack.

The yield on these will depend on the size you roll the cookie dough, but you will certainly get at least 20 out of a single batch.

2008-12-24T15:03:00.000-08:00

Winter Break!

Yay! I am so happy it is break time at work, at school, it's Christmas time, the New Year's is right around the corner, and now I have some time to rest and post all the recipes I have been collecting this past month.
Man I miss posting here, really, from the bottom of my heart, I truly do miss my blog. But this past month was craziness at its best at work and I did not have much free time to come here and share my recipes as I would like.
I care too much about this space and coming here to simply leave a recipe was not an option to me. Posting is something I really like to do and writing a bit does make me feel like I am connecting to my blog.
So here I am, back with time to spare and recipes to share, because I don't want to abandon any longer this space I love so much!
Thanks all for coming here and checking out the blog, and most of all for making this space so special to me!
Wishing to all a VERY HAPPY CHRISTMAS and a 2009 FULL OF HOPE AND HAPPINESS!
Love you all!
Ana

Ps: tomorrow I will be back with some cookies to share! (and yes, I know you are all probably kinda of sick of making and receiving cookies, but there is always Christmas to come and cookie recipes are welcome, right?!)

2008-11-02T12:14:00.000-08:00

Happy Halloween!!

Hope you all had lots of fun! We had spiderweb pizzas for dinner before trick or treating and came back home with lots of candy and smiles to keep us happy for at least a week! :-)
Ana

2008-10-22T13:41:00.000-07:00

Butter Pecan Cookies!

I made these cookies last week and they just disappeared. It was definitely the most popular cookie with my husband, son, and coworkers I have made so far!
My husband kept commenting on how he liked the cookies and after taking some to work when I came back home there were no cookies left for me to even take a picture, nonetheless to eat. So... of course I had to make it again!
It is easy to see why these cookies were so welcomed by everyone. You get sweet and buttery and nutty all in one cookie, a truly delicious cookie, good for giving out to friends!
These are buttery but without being too rich/strong on the butter department, does this even make sense?? I guess some would find a similar aspect to shortbread cookies (which I am not too fond of) but I have to say that I like these a lot more.
The nutty flavor from the roasted pecans is just a great complement to the sweet butter cookie, really, one of the best cookies I have made.
Even its smell is deliciously inviting, plus they came out perfect both times (which is not the rule when it comes to cookies for me, I am not a good cookie baker I have to admit) and I still can't believe how so many people loved them!
I came across these cookies at Elise's blog when looking for a recipe to help me use up a bag full of tiny pieces of roasted pecans. Click here to see her post and pictures, plus if you haven't seen it yet check out the blog, she has some good stuff in there!
Here I post some step by step pictures that I took as I made them. They are the easiest cookies ever to make and the end result is just amazingly good, believe me, you gotta try these ones!!
Ana

Since I founf these to be just perfect to have with a cup of tea while chatting with your girl friends I decided to submit this recipe to Cris' October event "Cha da Tarde", so at the end of the post I will have the recipe translated to Portuguese to those who would like to try it too!

Butter Pecan Cookies
(Adapted from Elise's blog Simply Recipes)

3/4 cup finely chopped pecans
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature
1/3 cup sugar, plus about two tablespoons more for coating the cookies
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt (if you use salted butter omit the salt in the recipe)
1 cup all-purpose flour

Pre-heat oven to 350F.
Toast the pecans in the oven for about 4 to 6 minutes. Take a look around 3 to 4 minutes if they are already chooped, up to 6 if they are still whole. Let cool and if whole finely chop them before adding to the recipe.
Using a stand mixer cream the butter for a minute, then add the sugar, salt, and vanilla and cream together for a couple minutes more. Add flour and beat just until everything is incorporated. Fold in pecans with a spoon or spatula.
Shape dough into balls, roll them in sugar and place on a baking sheet (I lined mine with foil but since it is a butter cookie there isn't a real need for this). With the bottom of a cup flatten the balls slightly just so you get a nice round but still substantially thick cookie.
Bake at 350F for about 12 t 15 minutes, depending on how big your cookies are.
I got 18 cookies from my batch and they took 12 minutes to bake. You don't want them to get too much color, just a lightly golden color around and at bottom of the cookies.
Let cool and be ready for the compliments when you serve these!

Here is how big my pecan pieces were...

Roll balls of dough into sugar...

Placed onto baking sheet...

Flatten with the bottom of a cup (I used a measuring cup for these!) and into the oven they go!

Biscoitos Amanteigados com Noz Pecã

3/4 xicara de pecãs picadinhas
1 tablete de manteiga em temperatura ambiente (1/2 xicara)
1/3 xicara de açúcar, mais 2 colheres de sopa para envolver os cookies
1 colher (chá) de extrato de baunilha
1 pitadinha de sal (caso use manteiga ja salgada omita o sal da receita)
1 xícara de farinha de trigo

Pre-aqueça o forno a 180C.
Toste as nozes no forno em uma assadeira por 4 a 6 minutos. De uma olhada em 3 a 4 minutos se suas pecãs ja estiverem picadas. Se estiverem inteiras fique de olho a partir de 5 minutos. Deixe esfriar e reserve p/ usar na receita. Caso as nozes estejam inteiras pique as antes de utilizá-las.
Na batedeira bata a manteiga ate ficar macia, 1 minuto. Junte o açúcar, o sal e a baunilha e bata novamente por uns 2 minutos. Adicione a farinha e bata somente ate incorporar. Com uma colher de pau ou espátula incorpore as nozes à massa.
Modele a massa em bolinhas, passe-as no açúcar e coloque-as em uma assadeira (eu forrei a minha com papel alumínio mas como os biscoitos contém manteiga nao é extremamente necessario, eles nao grudam muito).
Com o fundo de um copo, gentilmente amasse os cookies somente para que nao fiquem arredondados, mas nao deixe-os muito finos.
Asse a 180C por 12 a 15 minutos, dependendo do tamanho dos seus cookies.
Eu consegui 18 cookies com a receita e os meus levaram 12 minutos para assar.
Nao deixe que assem demais, o que voce quer aqui eh um leve dourado na parte de baixo dos cookies, assim eles ficaram crocantes na borda e amanteigados no meio.
Deixe esfriar, sirva e se prepare para os elogios pois esses cookies sao um sucesso!!

2008-10-01T12:44:00.000-07:00

The Popcorn Disaster...!

Anyone who cooks on a regular basis know how many times we end up trying a recipe or a (sometimes not so) brilliant idea and the results are way less than what we expected it would be.
Well, this week I had one of those disappointments, and even though it wasn't anything major (no one was hurt and there was no big waste of food either!) I was kinda of curious to know why it didn't work.
Soooo, here I come to post it and ask you guys to help me figure out what I did wrong. And to start with, here is what I was trying to do: make popcorn right from a fresh popcorn cob!
I got this fun and cool popcorn thing from my boss. She went to visit family members in Massachusetts and came back with some of these for each of the ladies that work at the chocolate shop where I work (She also brought some delicious apples which are already gone... some we ate and some turned into apple muffins, yumm!! But this is another post...)
She mentioned we could either use it as decoration or try popping it. Obviously I thought this was the most fun thing ever (I like having fun with food!) and of course I tried to pop it!!
If you like food like I do you would probably understand my excitment and try to pop it too, right?! (I thought so!!)
However, the thing didn't go as I expected. The popcorn did come with instructions on how to pop and it was as simple as could be: "Place cob inside small, brown sandwich bag. Fold bag... and place in the microwave... Cook on high power for about 2-3 minutes. When popping slows down... it is ready."
Sounds easy, doesn't it?? And that's what I though!
So I took one of the popcorn cob...

... placed inside a brown paper bag, being careful to not fold too tight and in the microwave it goes, we hear it popping and do the popcorn dance around the kitchen (!!)...

... popping sound slows down, we turn off the microwave and remove the bag...
... the smells of popcorn invade the kitchen as we open the bag ("hummm, fresh popcorn!"), and then... Look what happened!!!
The popcorn surely popped, but it didn't come out of the cob!

Well, I think, I might have done something wrong, lets try with another one.... same thing again, carefully popping the precious cob and.... nope! Didn't work again, thus why you see 2 popped corn attempts on the picture above.
So, my questions are: Has anyone tried this before? Is this supposed to happen?
We were sort of disappointed (not much though, as it was simple to get my pan and some popcorn kernels and pop my own popcorn at the stove as I always do), but at the same time we could not figure out what went wrong.... was the popcorn too young? too old? too tight in the cob? (does that even make any sense?)
The 3 of us (me, Matheus and hubby) stayed there, trying to pick the popped corn from the cob but it was no help, it was tough and not really very edible.
After a day of thinking and not coming up with anything, Matheus had this idea which got us both thinking: "Mommy, why don't you take the kernels out of the cob we have left and pop them in a pan on the stove, like the ones you make for us all the time?"
Man, I didn't even think about doing that, but it does make sense, doesn't it? So, would scraping the kernels off the cob I didn't use (I had 3 cobs) result in the same kind of kernels I buy for popping popcorn? I sound so silly, but this popcorn thing did get me puzzled!
If I don't get another idea I will definitely try that and post a feedback here to say what happened!
See, I always post the good and yummy recipes we try, but even though this was not a recipe (more like a fun culinary experiment!) it was a failure and I wanted to share. Not just to see if someone might have some insights about my popcorn disaster, but also to show that not everything goes right in the kitchen.
There are always "those days" when nothing seems to cooperate and everything sort of goes to the wrong direction of what initially was planned, but even with all the kitchen mishaps and a few errors here and there I still love cooking and experimenting in my kitchen. To me this is still the most fun place to be!
Let's see if someone can help with this one, I will be here, waiting for your comments and responses! And, even if you don't know the answer, please comment and add your ideas, it is always fun to read what my blog friends have to say!
Ana

2008-09-25T05:49:00.000-07:00

3 Years of KitchenSpace!!

Yes, it's been 3 years since I started this blog and it is amazing how much fun I've been having here. I tried new recipes, created delicious dishes, and best of all made a lot of great friends!
Thanks to all that keep visiting my blog through the 3 years I have been around, I love each and all of you!!

The "blogversary" was actually on the 15th, but I barely had time to sit down and post these past few weeks, so I decided to celebrate today, as today Matheus is also turning 6 1/2 years old.
Yep, he likes celebrating "half-birthdays", so this is something special we do every year, and today we started the day with a yummy breakfast treat: cupcakes with yogurt "frosting", and some m&m's to keep the happines around!
The recipe for the cupcakes is one of my favorites, it is one of my favorite cake recipes, a super easy and simple Yogurt Cake that always come out tender and moist and make me happy any time I make it!
For the "frosting" part I use either greek yogurt or plain yogurt drained overnight. I then add a touch of vanilla to it and sweeten with either honey or sugar. Simple, but delicious and healthy nonetheless!
Matheus loves this "frosting", and I love it even more as he is getting something good for him and at the same time he is as happy as one could be. The only catch here is that since it is yogurt based, the "frosting" does not hold very well for too log, so it is best to spread it on top of the cupcake right before serving.
And as far as "half-birthdays" celebrations go, you can't get much better than this, cupcakes are always a nice treat, and this one is a healthy one to boost!!
Enjoy!
Ana

And here goes the Yogurt Cake recipe with my notes and some variation ideas I have tried and enjoyed. I have talked about it before (click here!), but am going to post again as it is such a versatile cake that it is worth repeating!

Yogurt Cake

1 cup plain yogurt (one 8oz container - use the yogurt container to measure up the rest of the ingredients)
½ cup oil
1 cup sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
4 eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon baking powder

In a blender put yogurt, oil, sugar, eggs and vanilla, whiz until everything is very well incorporated. Put the wet misture into a large bowl and to it add the flour and baking powder. Mix it all together with a whisk until the batter is uniform (do not overmix). Pour batter in a greased and floured bundt pan. Bake at 350F for about 35 to 40 minutes, or until golden on top and toothpick inserted comes out clean. (Since every oven is different, keep an eye on the cake after the first 30 minutes)

For Cupcakes, pour batter into muffin tins (greased or lined with cupcake liners) and bake at 350 for about 18 to 20 minutes, keep an eye on them after the 18 min. mark!

My notes and Variations:

You can use less sugar if you prefer, I sometimes use only 1/2 cup and that seems to be enough for us. Also, I have made it with half all-purpose and 1/2 whole wheat flour (the white or the pastry variety though) and it worked out beautifully!

You can add some flavorings you like to this cake too and make it:

- an orange cake: add orange zest to the batter!,

- a lemon cake: add lemon zest and/or lemon exctract to the batter.

- a marble cake: divide batter in two and add a couple tablespoons of cocoa powder to half of the batter. Pour the white batter into the prepared pan and then dollop the chocolate batter on top, use a butter knife to make "swirls" and gently mix the two colored batters for the marble effect.

- a blueberry cake: gently fold some fresh frozen blueberries to the batter (coat the berries first with a tbsp. flour just so they won't sink to the bottom).

- a chocolate chip cake: gently fold some mini (or regular) chocolate chips into the batter (or sprinkle them on top - if folding do the flour trick and coat the chips with some flour so they don't sink into the batter).

- an "anthill" cake: add chocolate sprinkles to the batter! This is one of our favorite cakes, my son loves it! When you cut the cake the chocolate sprinkles look like little ants, that's why the anthill name to this variation.

- add colorful sprinkles to the batter for a "carnival" effect

- Jam cupcakes: fill muffin tins half-way with batter, add a small dollop of your favorite Jam then cover with some more batter. Bake as directed for cupcakes and when they are done you will have some cupcakes with a surprise inside!

-Also, any of the flavorings and add ins works for cupcakes/muffins as well!

As you see, this cake is ultra versatile! You can flavor it or complement with some add ins and never make the same cake twice. It is a super easy cake to make and the end results is a very tender and moist cake that everyone is sure to enjoy!

Ana

2008-09-09T05:47:00.001-07:00

End of Summer Salads
Grilled Eggplant with goat cheese and Tomato Salads that we had over the weekend. I don't want summer to end...!!
Ana

2008-08-25T10:41:00.000-07:00

Caprese Salad

No mater how you present it, skewered in appetizer form, cut into cubes, with both tomatoes and cheese displayed in a sliced manner, Caprese Salad is one of my favorite summer dishes!
Here we had red and yellow tomatoes, both from out backyard, fresh basil leaves and the sinfully creamy and ultra delicious fresh mozzarella (I love this cheese!), all covered in great olive oil, salt, pepper and a touch of balsamic vinegar.... sooo good! I can have only this for a meal and be happy all day!
Ana

2008-08-20T04:17:00.000-07:00

Grilled Vegetable Salad, one word: Yum!!

I am sorry I have been absent on these past few days... a sudden and unfortunate death of a dear family member just got me into a very sad state of mind and I was in no real mood to think much about anything else other than how fragile our bodies and life are. Cooking was done by a way of necessity and that's the reason I took this little break. However, life goes on, and here I am, back and with some more good food to share!
(Thanks for letting me vent a little about other aspects of my life here too!)

During the warm months our greatest culinary pleasure is being able to fire up the grill! Everything that comes out is so flavorful and delicious, plus there is no smells or much cleanup to be done inside, and the not-turning-on-the-stove/oven-on-an-absurdly-hot-day factor too!

It is a win-win situation which we truly enjoy! And one of the foods I love most done in the grill are vegetables. You can grill almost any veggie you like in there and the outcome is always tasty; it gets that "charred" flavor that you only get from the grill and there is no mystery on doing it: the easiest way is to simply cut your veggies in similar size pieces, then season them with salt, pepper and a decent amount of good olive oil and throw them in the grill. Keep an eye on them as some veggies do cook a lot faster than others, flip along the way and as both sides get those wonderful grill marks you have a healthy and flavorful meal that can be enjoyed warm or kept for later to be eaten at room temperature or even cold (grilled veggies are great cold too!).

I make grilled vegetables all the time during summer and we never get tired of it!
The ones I like the most are eggplant, red bell peppers and zucchini/yellow squash, which by the way is what I used in the salad pictured above (minus the pepper on that day though!). Corn is also delicious, as are asparagus and onions too!

For the salad I grilled some eggplant and squashes that I had from the farmer's market, to them I added some grape tomatoes from our backyard and little pieces of fresh/soft goat cheese (which I absolutely looooove!), then I topped it all with a simple Dijon mustard vinaigrette that I made by mixing roughly 2 parts rice vinegar (I find this kind of vinegar to be lighter in taste) to about 1part olive oil (a tablespoon or so), a teaspoon honey, a teaspoon Dijon mustard, and salt and pepper to taste.
It was the perfect finish to complement the salad, which we enjoyed a whole lot, the vinaigrette added at the end really gave it some extra nice flavors, a great tang to the soft veggies! (Balsamic vinegar is another way I like to dress up roasted vegetables too!)
To me there is no easier or better way to have fun with the vegetables during the summer than making salads, and a grilled one is always welcome too!
Enjoy!
Ana

2008-08-13T11:02:00.000-07:00

I know, I have said this already, but I will have to repeat... I LOVE WATERMELON!!
There isn't anything better during summertime than a cold and refreshingly juicy watermelon! Yumm!

2008-08-12T06:33:00.001-07:00

Garden Muffins
First of all I have to mention that my picture doesn't do justice to the goodness of this recipe. That being said, I will only add that these muffins were very good!
The recipe came from the Cooking Light Bulletin Boards, posted by "Canice", and the cornmeal flavor combined with the veggies and Parmesan cheese created some delicious savory muffins.
We really enjoyed these, I made half recipe and they were gone in a matter of seconds!
The Parmesan cheese was my touch to improve the original recipe, so feel free to omit it if you don't like, but we liked the flavor it added a whole lot, especially to the top, where I sprinkled a tad more Parmesan on each of the muffins. As I ate mine I was even thinking about adding pieces of cheese the next time I would make them, which will probably be soon as it has been requested already!
They are very simple but flavorful as could be. Plus it is easy to make, and you could even change the veggies accordingly to what you have on hand - yellow squash instead of zucchini, adding some corn bits would enhance the cornmeal flavor, even peas would be nice here too. These are a great complement to soup or salad, just what you need to round up a light meal!
Ana

Garden Muffins
(Adapted from "The City Gardener's Cookbook" )

1 cup flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (can add more if desired!)
1 egg
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup oil
2 Tbsp butter, melted
1/2 cup peeled, seeded, and finely diced tomatoes
1/2 cup grated zucchini
1/2 cup grated carrot
1/4 cup chopped green onion

Preheat oven to 400F. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, Parmesan cheese, and salt and mix well. In a small bowl, beat together the egg, milk, oil, and butter. Stir in the dry ingredients. Add the tomatoes, zucchini, carrot, and green onions, blending thoroughly. Spoon the batter into greased muffin tins, filling about three-quarters full. Bake 20-25 minutes, until golden brown. Serve warm.
Makes 1 dozen muffins.

2008-08-10T07:37:00.000-07:00

Top 10 Kitchen Space!

Valentina invited me to be part of this "Top 10" event that is going around the blogsphere!
I was very happy to be part of it and went right through my archives to select ten recipes we enjoy most at our house and... well, it was really hard!
The recipes I post here are always the ones we really like and will most probably make again, so it wasn't an easy task to select only 10 among the hundreds of recipes we like. But I did it and here are the results.
Hope you all like them as much as we do!
Ana!

To visualize the recipe just click on its title!

Grilled Eggplant Stacks
These are awesome! I make them all the time during the summer when eggplants and summer squashes are abundant and fresh. They are worth every second it takes to prepare them! The balsamic syrup on top is amazingly good!

Baked Penne with Roasted Vegetables
This is another dish we truly enjoy! I make it without even looking at the recipe as it is very easy and I have made it many times already. Whenever I make this recipe Matheus cheers at the table, he even knows the name of the recipe and the chef it came from!

Creamy Quinoa Primavera
Now this is one recipe that I love! I chose this one because it is not only quick and delicious but also very conforting. It can be made using any vegetables you have around, fresh, frozen, whatever you prefer and most like. the end result is always creamy, flavorful, and good for you. The texture of this dish could e compared to a "quinoa risotto", so it is definitely a "feel good food" in all senses to me!

Chicken Stuffed with Garlic and Goat Cheese
Another one I enjoy a lot! Chicken is usually my protein of choice and to pair it with goat cheese you can't go wrong. Goat cheese and roasted garlic are two ingredients that are already delicious by themselves, combined in this dish they create the most velvet and flavorfull sauce for the chicken. So good, makes me want to make it for lunch today!

Italian Panzanella
This is Matheus' favorite summer dish, he asks me to make panzanella every week during the warm months! He enjoys the way the bread absorbs the flavors of the vinaigrete and complements the salad with the crunchy vegetables. Plus we both love white beans and cheese, and along with everything else we get a complete and satisfying meal in one bowl! Oh, and lately we have been using little parmesan chuncks for the cheese part... oh so good!

Cornmeal-crusted Ratattouille Tart
Another one of my very favorites! The cruts in this tart is super easy to make and the end product is delicious, flavorfull and crunchy, just as a nice crust should be! Full of vegetables and cheese on top this dish is delicious and filling, another one I like to make when we have a lot of produce around! Can't say enough about this one, I just love it!

Vegan Pumpkin Muffins
I could just not have a top 10 without a Muffin recipe, as muffins are definitely loved around our house and something I make at least once a week. Since we tried this recipe these muffins became the most requested and the ones I make more frequently. They are delicious, chosen by far the best muffins around here!

Flan
Now, this would be one of the husband's favorite desserts! And since I also love creamy desserts I opted to choose this one for my top 10. It is not only good but also so easy to make. A simple dessert that it usually enjoyed by everyone!

Macaroons
It just would not be my top 10 withouth something with chocolate in it, right? And when looking through my recipes this one just kept calling me. These were the best "cookies" (if they can be called cookies) I have had, the flavor is great and the textures are so complementing, the delicate crispy shell with the creamy filling.... oh, there are no words to describe it. Plus, it has one of my favorite chocolate confections: ganache! So here it is, the chocolate fix of the top 10!

Mango Sorbet
Fruit also had to be included into my selection as it is present in my table everyday. And so I chose my favorite summer treat of all: Mango Sorbet!! Creamy, delicious, sweet and flavorfull, how can you go wrong with this?? Love, love, love mangoes! My favorite fruit is still watermelon, but mangoes are right up there too, and this sorbet definitely gets on my very top choice of sweet treats!

I know, I know, I already picked 10... so what am I doing here with one more picture?? Well, I just wanted to leave here an honorable mention to the Homemade Ricotta Cheese. We love cheese and ricotta is one of my favorites, plus there is nothing like homemade ricotta! Believe me, the taste and texture are way superior that whatever ricotta you may find at the store. Maybe this should not be considered a "recipe" per se, and I guess that is why I just wanted to mention it at the end, but I had to include the method for making this cheese, which is not only good but extremely versatille and can be used in many delicious recipes out there!

Now, I am supposed to ask for more 5 friends to participate of this event. So I will mention some friends here but will leave it open for them to opt if they want or not to participate! Please, don't feel obligated, ok?!

Fernanda, from Chucrute Com Salsicha
Laurinha, from
Joe, from Culinary in The Dessert
Patricia, from Technicolor Kitchen
Agda, from Agda

2008-08-09T12:33:00.000-07:00

How can you not LOVE Summertime?!!
Spinach, tomatoes and bell peppers salad, all fresh from the farmers market! And the grape tomatoes are from our backyard!
A simple vinaigrete and some fresh goat cheese sprinkled on top and you get a party in your plate, colorful and healthy, can't get much better than that!
Yes, I LOVE this SUMMER, hot weather and all!!!
Ana

2008-08-08T10:54:00.000-07:00

Cakes
Since I have been sharing here some of the cakes I have made, here are a couple more!
I made these while in Brazil. The small one was a little gift to my sister's mother in law, thanking her for the pretty basket and treats she sent us while there. And the big one I made with my sister (she wanted to learn and see how to use the fondat!) for my parent's 32nd Anniversary, man, what a milestone!
Hopefully I will celebrate that many years with my hubby too!
Ana

2008-08-07T14:02:00.000-07:00

Blackberry Sorbet!

Throw in the blender a couple handfuls of blackberries (the ones I used were from our backyard, yum!), two very ripe peaches and a little bunch of fresh cherries, sweeten it lightly with simple syrup* and puree away. A few minutes churning in the ice cream machine and you get the most luscious and flavorful fruit sorbet. Not to mention the pretty color it has!
This was so good there was no leftover. Lovely and super delicious on a hot summer afternoon!
Ana

*To make simple syrup: boil together 1 cup water with 1/2 cup sugar until the sugar melts and the mixture becomes syrupy. Let cool and then use to sweeten your beverages or sorbet mixture. Good thing is that this keeps in the fridge for a good couple weeks, so it is always handy for making yummy frozen desserts!