Breakfast Quinoa with Spinach and Egg

When it snows in west Texas, the world shuts down. We don't have fancy things like snow plows and tire chains (is that even what they're called?) and people who know how to drive in snow and ice. So an inch or two of snow is enough to close schools and businesses, giving us all the blessed gift of an unexpected day off to burrow under the covers and stay in our jammies all day.

I'm making the best of my day off, which will probably still entail some work and will certainly include some homework . . . but first it included a quick, easy, and wholesome breakfast of egg, quinoa, and spinach. The flavors were simple but hit the spot. I left my egg yolk runny, which added a nice creaminess to the dish. The recipe I was following called for hummus on top; I didn't have any on hand, but it sounded like a good idea so I kept it in the recipe below.

Breakfast Quinoa with Spinach and Egg
Adapted from Naturally Ella
Yield: 1 serving

Ingredients
1/4 cup uncooked quinoa
1/2 shallot or 1 clove garlic, minced
2 handfuls baby spinach
2 Tbsp. feta cheese crumbles
1-2 eggs
2-3 Tbsp. hummus (optional)
Salt and pepper
Olive oil or butter
Optional garnish(es): chives or green onions

Directions
Heat a small pot over medium heat and pour in the dry quinoa. Toast it for a couple minutes, stirring often. Then add water and salt, and cook according to package directions.*

While the quinoa cooks, heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add shallot and cook until tender and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Turn off the heat, add the spinach, and cover the skillet. Let sit for a few minutes until spinach is wilted. Stir in the cooked quinoa and feta, then transfer to your serving plate.

In the same skillet, cook egg(s) however you like them. Slide egg on top of quinoa mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Top with hummus and garnishes, if using.

*Note: I buy pre-rinsed quinoa, which makes this toasting step possible. However, if you have non-pre-rinsed quinoa, skip the toasting, rinse the quinoa, and cook according to package directions.

Food Goals for 2014

Last January I shared several food-related goals for the new year. While most people's food goals revolve around eating more greens and less fat, mine revolve around ingredients or preparations I want to try out. Yes, making healthful eating choices is also still important to me--so is trying new foods!

First, let's see how I did on my 2013 goals:

1. Learn to like lentils - Success! I'm glad I gave these little guys a try, because they are tasty, versatile, cheap, and healthy! A couple favorites: Dan's Dal Makhani and an adaptation of Thai Basil Coconut Lentils. Tip: almost any time I make lentils, I cook them in vegetable broth rather than water. It gives them a nice flavor boost but still keeps their flavor neutral enough to not clash with whatever other flavors are going into the dish.
2. Cook eggplant - Never got around to this one. 
3. More international foods - I did well with this goal. My favorite was probably the Cambodian Curry, and some others include Asian Chicken Salad with Homemade Peanut Dressing, Chopped Thai Chicken Salad, the Dal Makhani linked above, Avocado, Mozzarella, and Jalapeno Chimichurri Grilled Cheese, and Spiced Veggie Tacos with Avocado-Tomatillo Salsa.
4. Incorporate a new whole grain into my diet - I tried bulgar and barley, liked them both, but wouldn't say they're regulars on my table.
5. Cook with prickly pear (the fruit or the cactus) - I didn't cook any myself, but I did eat two different prickly pear jellies/jams and ate nopales (the cactus part) prepared by others. I'm counting it!
6. Make crepes - They haven't happened yet. Several times I started to put them on my menu but couldn't find any recipes that really grabbed me.

Now for 2014 food goals:

1. Prepare at least one lasagna - There are tons of lasagna recipes sitting in my "must make" list, including tomatoey, creamy, and squashy variations, but I cannot remember the last time I actually made a lasagna. 
2. Make gnocchi - I've read that it's terrifying, and I've read that it's involved but not scary. I'd like to find out for myself.
3. Cook more often - Lately I've been in a bit of a food rut. Maybe it's school and work stress. Maybe it's Netflix or the Ender Quintet soaking up all my free time. I don't really know. But lately cooking seems less exciting to me than it normally does. I'd like to rediscover that passion.
4. Make stovetop popcorn. 
5. Make something with fresh tomatillos.
6. Play with more fresh herbs - My parents are getting me an indoor fresh herb garden for my birthday, so I'm excited to a) try my hand at keeping plants alive and b) be more intentional about incorporating fresh herbs instead of dried herbs or no herbs.
7. Finally a goal for this blog: Get a recipe index page up and running - I started one a while back and played around with how to make it look right, but I haven't finalized it or publicized it yet.

Cranberry Crostini with Goat Cheese and Brie

As we approach Christmas day, I'd like to share with you one of my favorite recipes I've made in a while. Though I made these crostini for Thanksgiving, the sauce smelled just like Christmas! I thought it was the perfect way to celebrate Thanksgiving and look forward to putting up Christmas decorations the next day.

These crostini are wonderfully simple to make, but look and taste fancy. I think the blend of spices was pretty much perfect. No single flavor took over the dish, but instead created a symphony of sweet, spiced, tart, rich, creamy, and crunchy.

I made some of mine with goat cheese and some with Brie, and I can't decide which I liked better. If doing small, two-bite bread slices from a skinny baguette, you're probably good either way. If doing larger slices from a fatter loaf, Brie might be a bit rich.

This recipe is very portable and easy to make ahead. Toast the bread slices and, once they're cool, store in a large zip bag until ready to serve. The cranberry sauce can be made days in advance and stored in the fridge. Just warm it up a bit in the microwave right before serving. I traveled with all my components separate, and let people assemble their own crostini. That way each person could choose which cheese(s) they wanted, the bread didn't get soggy from sitting too long, and any leftovers were easy to take home.

Speaking of leftovers, they do well on crackers, leftover turkey, leftover dinner rolls, and pretty much anything else you can think of. One of my friends says the cranberry sauce is good on pancakes, and I may or may not have made french toast topped with leftover cheeses and cranberry sauce.

Cranberry Crostini with Goat Cheese and(or) Brie

Adapted slightly from Cookie and Kate
Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients
1 baguette or small loaf of artisan whole grain bread, sliced into 1/2-inch thick slices
Olive oil
Salt
12-oz. bag fresh cranberries
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup water
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. cloves
1/4 tsp. allspice (or equal parts cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg)
Zest of 1/2 an orange
10 oz. (total) goat cheese, Brie, ricotta, or cream cheese, or some combination thereof - at room temperature

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly brush both sides of bread slices with olive oil, and arrange them in a single layer on a baking sheet or two. Lightly sprinkle with salt. Toast the bread in the oven for 10-12 minutes or until golden on both sides, turning them halfway. Set aside to cool, and turn off the oven.

Rinse the cranberries and throw out any bad ones; set aside. In a saucepan, whisk together the honey, water, cinnamon, cloves, and allspice. Bring to a gentle boil over medium to medium-high heat, whisking often. Add the cranberries and cook, stirring frequently, until cranberries have popped and the sauce is the consistency you like. The longer you cook it, the more saucy and less chunky it will get. Beware that the cranberries may try to attack you while they're popping. Remove from heat and stir in the orange zest.

To assemble the crostini, spread each slice of bread with cheese, then top with cranberry sauce.

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls with Maple Bourbon Glaze

I'm not going to write much about these because a) the recipe is really long with several notes at the end, and b) I think the title speaks for itself. But I will say this: these cinnamon rolls took a boatload of time, and they were worth EVERY second. They turned out sweet, gooey, super soft, and basically the same thing as happiness on a plate.

One quick matter of business before we get to the recipe. I opted to mix and knead the dough in my bread maker. So the dough-making directions below are taken almost word-for-word from The Pioneer Woman, and I cannot personally vouch for how the process works. This was a little too much dough for my bread machine (most of its recipes call for 3 cups flour, and this recipe has 4-1/2) so it overflowed a bit but thankfully didn't make too big a mess. If you go the bread machine route, make sure your machine can handle this much volume, or cut the recipe in half.

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls with Maple Bourbon Glaze

Adapted from The Pioneer Woman 
Glaze adapted from my Pumpkin Monkey Bread recipe
Yield: 24 rolls

Dough 
1-1/2 cups milk (I used 2%; original recipe was for whole milk)
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup sugar
2-1/4 tsp. active dry yeast (1 envelope)
1 cup pumpkin puree
4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ginger
1/2 cup additional all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
Additional flour for kneading and rolling

Filling
3/4 cup butter, melted, divided
1/2 cup brown sugar (I used dark)
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
8 oz. cream cheese, very soft (I used reduced fat)
1 cup finely chopped pecans

Glaze
6 Tbsp. butter
3 Tbsp. maple syrup
2 Tbsp. brown sugar (I used dark)
2 Tbsp. rum or bourbon

Directions
Make the dough:* In a large saucepan, combine milk, vegetable oil, and sugar. Heat until hot but not boiling; remove from the stove and allow it to cool until it's warm to the touch but not too hot. Sprinkle the yeast over the surface of the liquid and allow it to sit for 5 minutes. Stir in pumpkin puree.

Combine flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Sprinkle it into the saucepan and stir until it just comes together. Cover with a dish towel and set in a warm, draft-free place for 1 hour.

After an hour, the mixture should be very puffy and at least doubled in size. Whisk together the additional 1/2 cup flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Stir into the dough until fully combined.

Roll out the dough: Dust your countertop and hands with flour. Turn dough out onto the counter and form into a rectangle. If it's too sticky, work in additional flour until it's handleable, but don't work in too much extra flour.** Flour a rolling pin and roll the dough into a large rectangle, roughly 30 inches wide by 10 inches deep.

Add the fillings: Melt 3/4 cup butter and set aside to cool slightly. In a small bowl, combine sugar and filling spices. Dot the dough with globs of softened cream cheese, then use a dull butter knife (or the back of a spoon) to carefully spread it.*** It will not spread perfectly; that's okay. Pour about 1/4 cup of the melted butter over the dough and cream cheese, and use your fingers to spread it around evenly. Sprinkle sugar mixture evenly over the surface of the dough, followed by the pecans. Pour the remaining butter into two 9 x 13 x 2 inch pans, and swirl it around so it evenly coats the pans.

Roll, cut, and bake: For a more manageable rolling process, cut the dough in half, so you're left with two rectangles that are 15 inches wide by 10 inches deep. Starting at the top, roll each rectangle toward you into a large log, rolling as tightly as possible as you go. I frequently had to use a floured rubber spatula with a sharp edge to gently loosen the dough from the counter. End the rolling process the with seam down on the counter.

Use a sharp (floured) knife or dental floss to cut each of the two logs into 12 rolls (I find it's helpful to make hash marks before cutting). Nestle the rolls into the buttered pans. Cover each pan with a damp towel (one that's okay if it gets stained) and let rise in a warm, draft-free place for about 20 minutes. (Tip: Heat oven to 200, turn OFF, and place rolls in the warmed oven to rise.)

If rolls are rising in the oven, remove them. Preheat oven to 375. Bake for 15-25 minutes, or until golden brown around the edges, rotating the pans halfway through. Mine took exactly 20 minutes.

Make the glaze: Combine butter, maple syrup, brown sugar, and bourbon in a small saucepan. Heat over medium heat, whisking constantly, for 3-5 minutes, until sugar is dissolved and browned, butter is nice and foamy, and some of the alcohol has cooked out. Drizzle glaze evenly over the cinnamon rolls. Let them cool for a few minutes before serving.

Notes
*Alternatively, if you have a bread machine that's big enough, put all dough ingredients into a bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Use the dough cycle to make the dough, knead it, and let it rise.

**At this point Ree said the dough should be really sticky, and you should work in just enough flour so you can handle the dough. At this point, mine was more like batter than dough, so I ended up working in at least another cup of flour before I could actually handle the dough. Perhaps I mis-measured the flour initially, or maybe the bread machine method made for a wetter dough.

***On all the fillings, leave a 1/2 inch edge along the bottom of the rectangle with no filling. This will help it seal better when you roll everything up.

Thanksgiving Week of Deliciousness (2013)

Last year, I started a new tradition which I later named my Thanksgiving Week of Deliciousness, in which I cooked a bounty of fall/harvest-themed foods using the abundance of free time available because of have five consecutive days off work. This year I've decided to carry on the tradition, though with a slightly less ambitious bucket list. Here are some things I plan to make this week:

Marinated Brussels Sprout Skewers with Ginger Barley Pilaf - I may also throw in some rutabaga, parsnip, or other autumn root vegetable I've never tried, and I plan to roast the veggies rather than skewer and grill them.

Roasted Acorn Squash with Wild Rice Pistachio Stuffing - Side note: If you're looking for some healthier, slightly out-of-the-box dishes to include on your Thanksgiving table, this site (A Couple Cooks) creates a Thanksgiving menu each year with some creative ideas.

Roasted Sweet Potato, Caramelized Onion, and Gorgonzola Quiche - I'll probably make it crustless, and sub pumpkin for sweet potato.

For Thanksgiving day, I am waiting to hear back about what kind of dish I should contribute to the feast, but I'm leaning toward Roasted Butternut Squash with Mustard Vinaigrette or something with sweet potatoes.

Also, while I won't be making either of these this week, I think you should! Cranberry Crostini and/or Baked Brie with Maple-Roasted Cranberries.

How about you? What yummy treats are you planning to make this week, either for Thanksgiving or purely for the fun of it?

Coconut Chocolate Pumpkin Pie

I'm going to start with two apologies. Okay three. First, I'm sorry I haven't posted in so long. Let's blame surgery for that one. Lots of time prepping for surgery and dealing with insurance companies + having little energy after surgery = not so much time for cooking. Add to that awesome friends who brought me meals, and my kitchen has been lying fairly dormant the last few weeks.

Second, I know I've been overloading you with pumpkin lately (is there such a thing as too much pumpkin?), but bear with me for one more pumpkin recipe because this one is perfect for Thanksgiving. (Okay two more, because I have a pumpkin cinnamon rolls recipe that's begging to be shared.)

Third, forgive the lack of good photos. I made this pie for a Thanksgiving gathering of friends last night, and my focus was on spending time with my friends rather than bringing my nice camera and finding a spot with good lighting and yadda yadda yadda. So a quick camera phone snapshot will have to do. But the recipe is yummy enough to share even without mouthwatering photos to go with it.

Now that that's over with, let's move on. I'm always a fan of putting a fresh spin on a classic, and I'm always a fan of putting pumpkin and coconut together. So when I saw this Pumpkin Coconut Pie recipe in the latest Food Network Magazine, it wasn't a hard decision to make it for house church Thanksgiving.

Fun tidbit: This was my first time to make pumpkin pie. Ever.

I took the filling from the Pumpkin Coconut Pie recipe and swapped out the crust for a chocolate one based on this Pumpkin-Chocolate Chiffon Pie, also from Food Network Magazine. I thought the result was delightful, and I received several compliments on the pie. The texture was nice and creamy, and the flavor was not overly sweet or overly spiced. The coconut flavor came through nicely and played well with the chocolate and pumpkin.

So if you haven't nailed down your desserts yet for your Thanksgiving feast(s), I'd highly recommend including this pie in the dessert spread.

Coconut Chocolate Pumpkin Pie

Adapted from Food Network 
Yield: 1 pie, 8-10 servings

For the crust
5 oz. chocolate graham crackers (1/3 of a 15-oz. box)
1/4 cup sweetened shredded coconut
3 Tbsp. sugar
3 Tbsp. butter, melted

For the filling and topping
1 (15-oz.) can pumpkin puree
1 cup coconut milk
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 Tbsp. rum or coconut rum (optional)
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/4 to 1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut (for topping)

Directions
Make the crust: Spray a 9-inch pie plate and preheat the oven to 350. Pulse/process the graham crackers and coconut in a food processor until finely ground. Pour into a bowl and mix in the 3 Tbsp. sugar and melted butter. Stir with a fork and/or your fingers until well combined. Pour into prepared pie plate, pressing the crumb mixture along the bottom and up the sides. Bake 15-20 minutes, until set, and move to a rack to cool completely.

While the crust cooks then cools, make the filling: Reduce oven temp to 325. In a large bowl, gently whisk together all of the filling ingredients (except shredded coconut) until combined. Pour into cooled crust and place the pie on a rimmed cookie sheet. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, until the center of the pie is almost set but still jiggles a bit. Move to a rack to cool completely.

Meanwhile, toast the coconut: Heat a large skillet over medium-low heat. Spread out the shredded coconut in the pan and cook, stirring often, until toasted and fragrant. Remove to a plate to cool. When the pie comes out of the oven, sprinkle toasted coconut around the edges of the pie.

Notes

• For the crust, the original recipe said to do everything in the food processor. However, I got sugar lodged in the crevices of my lid, so when I went to take the lid off in order to add the butter, I almost couldn't get the lid off because of the sugar granules stuck between the lid and the bowl. So as you can see above, I rewrote the directions above so the sugar wouldn't be in the food processor. I think it's good to have the coconut and graham crackers whirling around in there together, though, so the coconut gets chopped up a bit more. 
• The original crust recipe also suggested adding 1/4 tsp. orange zest to the crust. I left that out because I already had a good trio of chocolate-coconut-pumpkin and didn't want to risk having too many flavors. If you try it with the orange zest, I'd love to hear how it turns out!
• Be sure to allow plenty of time for the pie to cool. 

Sugar and Spice Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

In one of my Penzeys orders, I got a jar of Tsardust Memories, which Penzeys describes as, "Warm and spicy-sweet, this blend is awesome with ground beef - burgers, meatloaf, meatballs, casseroles... Excellent in hearty soups and stews, and one of the best things ever on pork chops... Hand-mixed from: salt, garlic, cinnamon, pepper, nutmeg, marjoram."

Though I haven't yet managed to grace some pork chops with this Russian blend, Tsardust Memories came in quite handy when seasoning some pumpkin seeds for roasting. It's a great blend of sweet and savory flavors, and the cinnamon and nutmeg are perfect for cooler months! If you don't have any Tsardust Memories, it's okay--just use a combination of salt, garlic, cinnamon, pepper, nutmeg, and marjoram (or oregano).

Sugar and Spice Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
From me! I didn't measure a single ingredient, so these amounts are guesses I made afterward. 

Ingredients
Seeds from 1 pumpkin - strings removed, but NOT rinsed
Dark brown sugar - approx 1 Tbsp
Tsardust Memories - approx 1/2 to 1 tsp. (or use salt, garlic, cinnamon, pepper, nutmeg, and marjoram)
Cinnamon - small to medium sprinkle - maybe 1/4 tsp
Chipotle powder - small sprinkle

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper (or foil plus cooking spray--these will be sticky!).

In a small bowl, sprinkle seasonings over the pumpkin seeds, and stir well. Spread seeds in an even layer on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 8 minutes; stir; bake for an additional 5-8 minutes, until toasted and crispy but not too dark.

Allow to cool before serving.