Cranberry Walnut Bread

The "Wine and Cheese Party" has long been a staple of Bonaccorsi family meals. These "parties" are the dinners where we cut up bread, apples, and all our favorite cheeses and sit around the kitchen counter, snacking up a storm. If we're feeling really fancy, we'll occasionally bust out the shrimp cocktail. No matter how fancy or casual we're feeling, though, there's always a loaf of cranberry walnut bread from Whole Foods. Actually, there are two loaves, because this dream bread heats up like a dream for the next day's breakfast.

I have strong feelings about this bread and wanted desperately to make it myself while I was still in my bread making craze. When I looked up the recipe online, though, I found that the recipe for the exact Whole Foods bread isn't the greatest thing for your health (which is probably why it's so delicious) I decided to spruce it up a little.
This version uses whole wheat flour, a lot less sugar, and apple sauce instead of the fats that the traditional recipe.

I am seriously considering making this bread again and bringing it to Thanksgiving dinner with me, but that might be a little much as I am already responsible for the cranberry sauce (recipe to come). If you're hosting the meal this year, I strongly encourage you to make this bread--the smell alone is totally worth it!
I hope you love this bread as much as we do, whether you serve it at a feast or a wine and cheese party.

Cranberry Walnut Bread
Makes 2 round loaves

3 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
1 tsp salt
2 tbs sugar
2 tbs honey
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1 tbs unsweetened apple sauce
1 cup milk (I used almond milk)
5 tbs butter
1 Tbs dry active yeast

In a small pot or microwave safe bowl, heat the milk and butter until the butter is melted. Cool the milk Add the sugar and honey, and mix until dissolved.
All ow the mixture to cool until it is warm (105-110ºF), then mix in the yeast. Allow the mixture to sit for 5 minutes, or until the milk bubbles through the butter layer on top.
In a large bowl, mix the flour, salt, nuts, and cranberries.
When the yeast has proofed, add to the flour mixture, along with the apple sauce. Mix with a fork until thoroughly combined.
Turn out on a floured surface and knead the dough well for about 8 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic.
Form the dough into a ball and cover with flour. Place the dough back in the bowl, cover with a kitchen towel and allow to sit until doubled in size, about an hour and a half. *If you need to move a little more quickly, you can let it rise for an hour, but the longer it sits, the more the flavors will develop.*
Preheat the oven to 400ºF
When the dough is risen, turn it out onto a floured surface and knead for 1 minute.
Divide the dough into 2 balls and allow them to rise, covered, for 30 minutes.
Bake the 2 balls on a pizza stone or parchment lined sheet for 15 minutes, then lower the heat to 350ºF and continue baking for another 45 minutes.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool to nearly room temperature before slicing.
Enjoy!

Whole Wheat Pita Bread

Sometimes I get stuck in a rut. A less flattering term might be obsessive. I am currently going through a yeast phase, a bread obsession. I working with yeasted dough is just about the most fun a girl could have (my weekends sound crazy, I know.)

So, after making a lot of yeasted loafs and rounds, I decided it was time to mix it up and make a flatbread, specifically pita bread to go with the crazy hoarder-like stock of hummus in the refrigerator.
These were really fun to make and the dough is so minimal, you probably have all the ingredients sitting around already--you can even use all purpose flour and it will work just fine.

Whole Wheat Pita Bread
Makes 10 medium pitas

4 cups white whole wheat flour, plus more for rolling and shaping
1 1/4 cups warm water (105ºF)
2 Tbs olive oil, plus extra for rising
1 Tbs dry yeast
1/2 Tbs sugar
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat the ven to 500ºF and place a pizza stone or baking pan in the oven to heat on the bottom rack.
In a small bowl, mix the water, honey and yeast and allow it to proof until it foams. If the mixture does not foam, try again with new yeast.
In a large bowl, mix the flour and salt. Add the proofed yeast and water, and olive oil.
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead until the dough becomes smooth and elastic.
Roll the dough into a ball, cover with the olive oil and place back in the bowl. Cover with kitchen towels and rise in a warm place until almost doubled in size, about 1 hour.
Split the dough into 10 balls and roll them flat, about 1/4 inch thick. Place on the heated stone and bake on the bottom rack of the oven for 30 minutes, flipping 1/2 way through.
Serve with hummus, baba ganoush, or your favorite fresh veggies!

Nightcap of Choice: Steamed Cinnamon Almond Milk with Honey and Cardamom--ready with pics

I need to drink something hot after dinner. I call it my nightcap.
If I had my way, it would be hot chocolate every night, but because I have to be rational sometimes, and a day full of cookie baking, followed by a large mug of cocoa cannot be called rational, I usually make tea.
I'm sick of tea right now. I sipped it all summer long, and I want something more. Something that screams fall, something spicy, healthy, and a little sweet.
That's where Andrea comes in.

My sis is a die hard almond milk fan and has really turned me onto the stuff. Her favorite preparation: Steamed.
She usually just gives it a good fluff, maybe with a little bit of cinnamon or honey, but I go hard.
Not like that, oh no, I meant with spices.
Legal, healthy spices.

Steamed Honey-Spiced Almond Milk
Serves 2

1 1/2 cups plain, unsweetened almond milk
2-3 cardamom pods, cracked with seeds inside
3 tsp honey
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Preheat the steam setting on a cappuccino machine.
Fill 2 10 oz mugs (8 oz will cork, but it's a tight squeeze) with 3/4 cup of almond milk, each.
Add half the honey, cinnamon, and cracked cardamom pods to each mug.
Stir well. Using the steamer heat the milk until warm, not adding any foam. Stir again, until the honey is dissolved in the mugs.
Return the mugs to the steamer, moving constantly and bobbing up and down until foamy and hot. Serve hot with the cardamom pods still in the mugs for extra aroma and steeping flavor. Do not eat the pods.

*Make sure you clean your steam nozzle thoroughly, as the honey will make it sticky*

Mom's Quick Corn Salad (ready w/ pics)

There are a few things you need to know about my mom: She's not into cooking. She makes great banana bread. When she finds a recipe she likes, she makes it nonstop.
That third fact is why she is a gnocchi pro, and why I look forward to family barbecues. I love my family and all, don't get me wrong. But I really, really love her corn salad.

I have a weird memory of her getting the original recipe from something Paula Deen made, but because she's very into altering recipes, she made something better.
She always makes it with frozen corn, but because it's summer time and that means that freshly husked corn on the cob is pretty much mandatory, you can feel free to use that instead, just cut the corn off the cob instead of tossing a bag in the microwave. Other types of beans ca be subbed in too, depending on what you like and have on hand. We're a black bean family, but if you're the kidney or pinto sort, I'm sure that would be great too!

Probably would have been a better idea to take pictures before digging in. Oops

Mom's Corn Salad:
Serves an Army

6 cups frozen sweet corn (thawed, or fresh, cut off the cob and blanched for 4 minutes)
2 15oz. cans black beans, rinsed and drained
2 avocados, finely cubed
1 large red onion, chopped fine
2 medium tomatoes, chopped fine
1/4 cup olive oil
3 Tbs red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp lime zest
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
Salt and Pepper to taste

Thaw your corn and place in a large bowl. If you're using fresh corn, cut it off the cob and blanch it in boiling water for 4 minutes. Transfer to an ice water bath tho stop the cooking and cool the kernels.
Drain your corn and toss with the beans. Gently fold in the onion, tomato, and avocado.
In a small bowl or measuring cup, mix the olive oil, vinegar, chili powder, cumin and lime zest.
Slowly mix the dressing into the salad, until the mixture is coated but not wet. Taste and season with additional cumin, chili, salt and pepper.
Chill the mixture for an hour, or until cold all the way through.
Serve and send the extras home with grandma!

Vegetable Stock (Ready with pics)

It's FALL!!

Sweater weather.

Pie time.

Soup Season.

It's time for soup season, and as we all know, the best soups start with the best stocks, and the best stocks start in your kitchen, not a can.  So, before I show you all my favorite soups, I'll show you my favorite base.

This is a very basic recipe that can serve more as an outline and directions for stock making. Feel free to make this into your own favorite base for your own favorite soups. Use any combination of veggies, herbs, and even some chicken bones, depending on what you have on hand, or what's sitting in your fridge, close to expired.

Here's my basic recipe:

Vegetable Stock
Makes 6 cups

2 quarts of water
2 tsp olive oil
1 pound of celery, in large chunks
1 large red onion, quartered with skin
4 large carrots, in large chunks
2 very ripe tomatoes, quartered
1 green bell pepper, quartered with stem and seeds
4 cloves of garlic, smashed in the skin
1 head of broccoli, in chunks
1 tsp whole pepper corns (about 10)
1 whole bay leaf
1 sprig of thyme
Sea salt to taste

In a deep pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the celery, onion, a pinch of salt and carrots and cook until the onions are just beginning to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes, pepper and broccoli and cook until the skin on the pepper starts to shrink, about 5 minutes.
Add the water, peppercorns, bay leaf, and thyme. Bring the mixture to a boil, them reduce to a simmer.
Season with about a teaspoon of sea salt and simmer, covered for about 3 hours, stirring every hour or so, making sure all the vegetables are all continually submerged.
After about 3 hours, uncover the pot, season to taste with salt and pepper and continue to simmer for another 30 minutes, or until the mixture is reduced by 1/4.
Strain the stock through a fine mesh stainer or sieve into a large, airtight container or soup pot, for later use.

*I like to add different veggies and seasonings to the stock, making it extremely adaptable, depending on what soups I plan on making. Some of my favorites are: mushrooms, parsnips, sweet potatoes, spinach, parsley, sage, and beets*

Vegan, Flourless Chocolate Pumpkin Cookies

It's fall, and I'm excited. I'm super psyched for sweater weather, crunchy leaves, the pretty contrast of orange leaves against a blue sky, and pumpkin. I'm excited for pumpkin.
I go a little crazy in the all, adding pumpkin and cinnamon to just about everything I bake and eat. Pumpkin and spinach curry, pumpkin mousse, pumpkin bread, pumpkin soup. I especially love adding it to chocolate.
The sweet earthy flavors of chocolate and pumpkin are surprisingly similar and go together beautifully, especially with a healthy splash of vanilla and a healthy dash of spice.
These cookies are vegan and flour-less, but that's not a matter of them being trendy, it's a matter of getting the best texture possible. They're like loose fudge and the oats provide just enough texture to keep these guys in the cookie category.
I hope you love them as much as I do, and share them with your vegan friends who have Celiac's (I really hope that's not a thing, it would just be too sad.)

Flourless Pumpkin Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
Makes 24 cookies

1 15 oz can pumpkin puree
2 cups rolled oats
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 fake egg (mix 2 Tbs baking powder, 2 Tbs water, and 1 Tbs oil of choice)
1 tsp salt
2/3 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger


In a bowl, mix the oats, cocoa, spices, baking powder and salt.
Combine the "egg", pumpkin and sugar and mix well, until slightly fluffy.
Add the oat mixture to the pumpkin and mix until thoroughly combined.
Scoop 1 Tbs rounds onto a parchment lined baking sheet and bake at 350ºF

Whole Wheat Pita Bread

I know, it's strange how much bread I've been baking in August.
Bread is my de-stresser, my therapy, my physical outlet (I firmly believe of the throwing of dough on the counter)

I made 2 different types of bread this morning-to-afternoon.
Whole wheat pita, and cranberry walnut bread, both are to be gifted away.
There's something very grandmotherly about giving somebody a loaf (or stack) of bread for a gift. Unlike brownies or cookies, nobody can assume it was made from a mix or prepackaged dough, it has a certain heft that makes me feel like it actually counts as a gift.

Now that I'm finished singing the praises of loaves of bread, let's sing about flatbread, specifically the pita.
Boy, oh, boy, the pita! Firm, bubbled, pocketed vessel of hummus.
Baked into chips, used to clean out the bowl of spicy soups, simple to make, and so fun to shape from little balls into rounds.

These hold flavors beautifully, garlic, herbs, even a little parmesan cheese can be added to the top or middle of the rounds for a more flavorful bread, but that'll be another post. For now, we'll focus on plain pita, hummus' favorite friend.

Whole Wheat Pita
Makes 16 (2 oz) pitas

3 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
3/4 cup warm water (105-110ºF)
1 tbs dry active yeast
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp salt
2 tbs olive oil, divided

In a small bowl or measuring cup, mix the water, sugar, and yeast. Let the mixture proof for 5 minutes, or until foamy. If the mixture does not foam, repeat this step with new yeast.
In a large bowl, mix the flour and salt. Add the yeast mixture and 1 Tbs of olive oil to the flour.
Mix with a fork until thoroughly combines (about 3 minutes)
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and continue kneading for about 6 more minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic.
Form the dough into a ball and coat with the remaining oil. Place back in the mixing bowl, and allow to sit, covered with a warm kitchen towel, for about an hour and a half, or until doubled in size.

Once risen, preheat the oven to 500ºF and turn the dough out onto a clean work surface.
Divide the dough into quarters, careful not to press the air out of the dough.
Flatten each quarter into a square, about 1 inch thick, and cut the square into quarters.
Roll the 16 pieces of dough into balls. Cover the balls with a kitchen towel and allow to rise again until slightly risen, about 20 minutes.
After the second rising, roll the dough into 6 inch rounds on a floured surface and place on a heated pizza stone or bottom of an overturned baking sheet.
Cook the pitas for about 2 minutes, or until puffed.
Eat with hummus, bake into chips, use to soak up soup; enjoy them in whatever way you please!

Beet and Clementine Salad

Sometimes you've just got to eat dirt. Whether it's a mushroom, a beet, or almost any other root veggie, the foods that taste like dirt are oddly appealing to me.

The beet has been especially crave worthy lately, and I've been eating them like crazy.

I like that they're healthy

I really like their deep red color

I'm a fan of their versatility

Heck, I love that they taste like dirt.

I really love they they're good for you, and have been eating them like crazy for the past week or so.

Roasted, boiled, and raw beets with balsamic vinegar are great for a while, but eventually, they need something else. That's when you make a beet salad.

This is one of my favorites, with sweet citrus, creamy avocado, earthy beets, peppery arugula, and nutty sunflower seeds, this salad is almost overwhelming in that it hits every last tastebud.

It may be complex in flavor, but it's one of the easiest salads to make--perfect for a brown paper lunch bag, a summer picnic, or a more formal dinner.

Beet and Clementine Salad

Serves 4

16 cups (one large bunch) arugula, rinsed and dried

8 steamed baby beets, quartered (you can find prepared beets at Trader Joe's)

2-4 clementines, peeled and segmented

1/4 cup shelled sunflower seeds

Dressing

Makes 1.25 cups

1 ripe avocado, peeled and seeded

2/3 cup of water, divided

1 tsp lime zest

3 Tbs lime juice

2 chopped green onions

1 clove of garlic

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (or to taste) 

Salt and Pepper to taste

In a large boll, toss the greens, beets, and clementines.

In a blender, puree the avocado, 1/2 cup of water, lime juice and zest, onions and garlic until smooth. Add more water if the mixture is too thick. 

Taste and add salt, pepper, and cayenne until seasoned to your taste (I used about 1/2 tsp of each)

Divide the salad onto 4-6 plates, top each with 1-3 Tbs of dressing and a tablespoon of sunflower seeds.

Enjoy!

Sweet Garlic Rasted Zucchini

As you may have notices, it's the time of year I like to refer to as Zuccinipocalypse. Zucchini is literally taking over the world. And I love it.
Zucchini is my absolute favorite vegetable, and when I can get it perfectly sweet and in season, I get very very excited. I know, I'm a lame.
When I say it's my favorite veggie, I don't mean I enjoy the oily grilled vegetable medley that's served at my grandparents' favorite restaurant. I actually hold this dish responsible for turning so many people against my little green friend.
No, no, no, I like my zucchini grilled until the inside is just warm but still crisp, sautéed with lemon and lots of black pepper, raw with nothing on it. Yep, I know, I'm a lame.
I'm not even going to start talking about cakes, breads, or brownies. That would just be too much.
But my favorite way of eating this favorite veggie (essentially one of my favorite vegetable dishes) is Sweet Garlic Roasted Zucchini.

The zucchini is marinated in salt and lots of grated garlic, the roasted in 2 rounds. Once without any oil, at a lower temperature, then once with just a sheen of the good stuff at a higher temperature, so it get's golden and crisp.

The salt draws out any bitterness in the zucchini, allows the garlic to cook slowly in the oven, preventing any possibility of burned bitter garlic, and makes the dish super sweet.
The second roasting makes the sweet veg golden and crisp. Yum.

Try this dish with your non-zucchini loving friends to turn them on to a lifetime of zucchini love. I promise, it will work.

Oh, and this also works wonderfully with yellow summer squash, or a combination of both if you want to get really fancy with it.

Sweet Garlic Roasted Zucchini
Serves 4

4 medium zucchini (or 30 baby zucchini)
4 cloves of garlic, grated
2 tsp sea salt, faked or ground

1 Tbs olive oil

Preheat your oven to 350ºF and line a baking sheet with parchment.
Chop the zucchini into bite sized pieces, or cut baby zucchini length wise, so you have 2 long halves.
Toss zucchini in a bowl with grated garlic and salt. Allow the mixture to marinate at room temperature for 20 minutes.
Spread the zucchini evenly on the lined baking sheet and bake at 350ºF for 10 minutes, stirring half way through.
After 10 minutes, or when the zucchini are just beginning to feel tender, remove from the oven and toss with 1 Tbs olive oil, making sure any and all garlic bits are also tossed with the oil.
Heat oven to 400º and return the zucchini to the oven for another 10-15 minutes, until golden and crisp on the cut side, turning half way through.
Serve alongside Pollo in Pomodoro, atop risotto, or tossed with spaghetti alla carbonara.
Enjoy!

Pollo in Pomodoro

I was planning on making grilled chicken with fennel for dinner. For me, this dish is just summer on a plate, so I figured it would be perfect for early August.

Today, it was 65º and rainy. Today was fall all the way, without a bit of summer in the air. Tonight's dinner called for something tender, cooked for at least an hour, preferably stewed in a spicy tomato gravy.

Tonight was a pollo in pomodoro night.

I spend my falls and winters making soups, and stews, and curries. This is my favorite late summer version, as it takes advantage of all the fresh summer tomatoes, is filling on cold nights, but is still light and super healthy, filled with fresh veggies, low fat white meat, and herbs.

Pollo in Pomodoro

Serves 4

olive oil

4 chicken drumsticks (skinned)

4 chicken thighs (skinned)

salt and pepper

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 stalk of celery, chopped

1/2 red onion, chopped

1 medium carrot, chopped

red pepper flakes to taste (1/2-1 tsp)

2 cups crushed tomatoes

2 cups vegetable stock

3 sprigs of fresh rosemary, chopped fine

1 tbs chopped basil

salt and pepper

Heat a deep, heavy bottomed pot or Dutch oven, over medium heat, when hot, add olive oil. Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper and add them to the hot pot. Brown the chicken on both sides, 6-7 minutes each.

Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside. Add the onions, carrots, and celery to the pot, along with a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook until the vegetables begin to sweat, about 3 minutes.

Add the garlic and pepper flakes and cook until you can smell the garlic, about 3 minutes more.

Add the crushed tomato, and stock to the pan. Use a wooden spoon to deglaze the bottom of the pan.

Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 25 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed

Add the chicken, basil, and rosemary to the sauce and add enough water or chicken stock to almost cover the chicken. Bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 25 minutes to a half hour, until the sauce comes half way up the chicken.

Serve with polenta or roasted sweet garlic roasted zucchini.

Enjoy!

Honey Almond Cookies with No Refined Sugar

Sometimes you want  need a cookie. A lot of times, it's too hot, or too fancy an occasion, or you've just already eaten too much to grab for your favorite chocolate chip or peanut butter buddy

(yes, cookies are friends, not food.) 

These cookies bridge the gap between satisfaction and grace perfectly. They're nutty, spongy, and so subtle sweet, they'll make you swoon like a real lady. And, you can have more than one and still feel like gliding, not thumping (or rolling)

Honey Almond Cookies
Makes about 24 cookies

1 1/2 cups almond meal
3/4 cup wildflower (or your favorite type) honey
4 egg whites
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1/4 tsp powdered ginger (optional)

Preheat your oven to 350ºF, line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper, and move the rack to the bottom of the oven.
In a bowl, mix almond meal, honey, and ginger until well combined
In another very clean glass bowl, whisk egg whites and cream of tartar until the eggs form stiff, shiny peaks, usually about 5 minutes, but it depends on your eggs, bowl and kitchen.
Fold 1/3 of the egg whites into the almond mixture until just combined. Add the rest of the eggs and fold gently. Spoon with a real table spoon (the kind you use for eating) onto the lined baking sheets and pop them in the oven.
After 2 minutes, lower the temperature to 300ºF and continue cooking for 8-12 minutes or until golden and fragrant.
Enjoy!

Healthy Things? and Andrea's Banana Quinoa Muffins

Today is August 1, 2012.
Today, I am beginning a diet.
Today I decided to lose 10 pounds in a month--challenge.
Today I looked up how many calories I have to burn each day to do this--scary.
Yesterday, I went all out at a friend's birthday party because I knew today was Diet Day 1. (A ton of tiramisu tastes good. A ton of tiramisu feels sick)
Yesterday I realized that I could not leave you all stranded without any baked goods for a month.
Today I made healthy muffins that taste fantastic.
Tomorrow I will have one for breakfast.

This whole diet deal is forcing me to create good recipes that are conservative. I love messing around and making rules for myself. I have to say, I've pieced together some good vegan, dairy free, gluten free, nut free concoctions, but for the first healthy recipe, I decided an old stand by would be best. While it's a very rare thing for me to make a carb/fat/calorie-loaded savory dish (I just don't eat that way) I tend to get a little excited when exposed to butter, sugar, and an oven. I've been working with different fats and sweeteners recently, and started replacing most of my flour with whole grain varieties, but fat really does seem to be fat and sugar really does seem to be sugar. Oh, and I can't do carob. I refuse. Don't even talk to me about it.
They're not great for you.
That makes me exceptionally sad.

But, these muffins are not carob. They're the twin's favorite, super easy, protein filled, and adaptable beyond belief. I added sunflower seeds to these ones just because I had a bunch lying around for scones I never really got around to makeing, but you can throw in whatever you want or nothing at all. Plain happens to be my favorite with these.
The nuttiness of the quinoa blends really well with the coconut oil, so you get a nutty bite without actually biting into any chunks, or having to grind almond meal. There's not much more I can say, other than Bananas, quinoa, honey, and coconut is a great combination, and these make a great, filling breakfast that leaves you satisfied, even if you're a habitual lunch-skipper, like me.

If you're feeling reckless, feel free to add an extra 1/4 cup of brown sugar, and use browned butter instead of coconut oil. Because when formerly white foods turn brown, everything is right with the world. Am I right?

Oh, and don't get me wrong, I'm still going to be baking treats for you (every day for the next 20 days, actually) but they're going to be kicked out of the house as quickly as possible. Grandma, coworkers, friends, and anybody else who crosses my path in the next 3 weeks will be presented with food.

Banana Quinoa Muffins
Makes 18 Muffins
Some of my muffins look a little wonky. They're just free form. I had enough batter for 6 more muffins but didn't feel like taking out another muffin tin, so they were just dumped into the liners and arranged on a baking sheet. They cook in the same time and are even more fun to eat.
1/2 cup melted coconut oil
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup raw sugar
2 large eggs
2 large, ripe mashed bananas
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour (AP works too)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 cup dry quinoa
1/2 cup sunflower seeds or your favorite add-ins
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk mixed with 1/2 cup fat free Greek yogurt
(or 1 cup of buttermilk)

In a medium bowl, combine the eggs, oil and honey until smooth. Add your mashed bananas and vanilla, stirring well.
In a larger bowl, combine the flour, seeds, salt, spices, baking powder and quinoa with a whisk.
Make a well in the center and add your wet ingredients, mix until they are about half way combined.
Add your yogurt-milk and whisk until combined but still slightly. A slightly lumpy batter makes puffier muffins.
Fill your muffin tins about 3/4 of the way full and bake for 20 minutes, or until golden on top and  a toothpick comes out of the center clean.
Enjoy!

Vegan Caprese Salad

Salads are boring.
I'm sure you've heard that said about a million times, but it's not true. It's simply a lie. Who over told you that does not really know anything about salad.
I'm on a bit of a giant salad kick at the moment, due to a little thing called a diet (check out my other blog below) and I'm actually really enjoying it!

Exhibit A, because the bag technique is very hard to explain without visuals

I'm not allowed much dairy on this diet, so I save it for the important things, like Greek yogurt and have been using my usual substitute Almond milk quite a bit. When I was craving the classic tomato, basil and cheese salad, though, I ran into a little bit of a problem. That's where tofu and vinegar come in, though.

Brown Baggin' it!

The tofu absorbs the flavor of the marinade and really tastes similar to cheese. The texture's not too far off, either. So, whether you're vegan, on a diet, or just out of cheese, you can always enjoy a Caprese.
I used my favorite lunch time salad making technique-make it in a big zip top bag, put that in a tupperware, and you know all the dressing is sealed securely inside. So, if you want to make this salad in a bowl, just follow the directions but put the ingredients in a bowl, not bag, and toss, don't shake.

Vegan Caprese Salad
(serves 1)

1 medium roma tomato, sliced
8-10 basil leaves, ripped
2 oz firm tofu, thoroughly drained
1 small shallot, finely chopped
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste

Put tomato, basil, shallot, oil, vinegar, salt and pepper ina large zip top bag, and shake gently to combine.
Cut the tofu into 1/4 inch squares and squeeze the liquid out, by wrapping it in paper towels and squeezing until dry.
Crumple the tofu into the salad and skake it up again again.
Allow the salad to marinate for 2 hours or overnight. This step is really important because it allows the tofu to absorb the other flavors, and make a more convincing cheese substitute.
Put the bag in a tall sealable container so you can eat it bowl style without any clean up or possible spillage.
Enjoy!
And remember to check out my Other Blog

Lemony Quinoa Cakes

Where there's quinoa, there are creative thoughts. If the quinoa's in my kitchen, anyway. This stuff brings out the best in me, and I have no idea why. It's found it's way into many muffins, porridges, curries, stews, pancakes, and patties like these lemony quinoa cakes.

While I's like to say that these are an act of creative genius, I'll admit that I had something a little more impressive in mind, but was met with a very empty fridge, and not one leaf of the arugula I so desperately wish made it's way into this recipe. They were amazing when I finished, don't get me wrong, just not what I was planning on making when I woke up this morning.

The secret ingredient...

Ok, now I'm making it seem like these guys aren't absolutely great. They are absolutely great, and creative, just not what I had initially planned. They're especially amazing topped with a thin slice of pepper jack cheese. Yum.

Lemony Quinoa Cakes
Makes 6 4" round cakes

1 cup uncooked quinoa
2 cups of water
salt

Zest of 1/2 lemon
1 Tbs raisins, minced
1 1/2 Tbs chopped chives
1 large clove of garlic, minced
1/2 orange (or yellow, or red) bell pepper, chopped
1/4 cup ricotta (I used part-skim)
2 eggs
1/4 c fresh bread crumbs (2 pieces of normal bread, torn or processed into small crumbs)
1/

Combine rinsed quinoa, water and salt in a medium saucepan. Bring quinoa to a boil, then simmer, covered for about 10-15 minutes, or until the quinoa has fully absorbed the water. Remove the quinoa from the heat and cool while preparing the rest of the dish.

In a bowl, combine the eggs, ricotta, lemon zest and raisins (the raisins should be so fine that they almost form a paste) Whisk thoroughly so that the raisin is even spread through the mixture. Add the rest of your ingredients, and mix well. Fold in the quinoa and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cove the mixture and chill for 10 minutes, or until cold all the way through.

Heat  olive oil in a medium skillet and form 6 cakes with your chilled mixture. Cook 2 or 3 cakes at a time, flipping when golden and crispy (about 2-4 minutes per side over reasonably high heat). Top each cake with a slice of pepper jack, fresh chopped tomatoes, or your favorite topping. Enjoy!

Buddy's favorite food: Orange bell peppers