Thursday, July 19, 2012

Raspberry Crumb Breakfast Bars

Sourced to SmittensKitchen.com, Adapted from Baked: New Frontiers in Baking

For the crust and crumb:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 1/4 cups rolled oats
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
For the raspberry filling:
1/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 pound raspberries, fresh or frozen
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Make the crust and crumb: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9-by-13-inch glass or light-colored metal baking pan. Put a long piece of parchment paper in the bottom of the pan, letting the parchment extend up the two short sides of the pan and overhang slightly on both ends. (This will make it easy to remove the bars from the pan after they have baked.) Butter the parchment.

Put the flour, brown sugar, oats, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon in a food processor. Pulse in short bursts until combined. Add the butter and pulse until loose crumbs form.

Reserve 1 1/2 cup of the mixture and set aside. (Note: The book suggests you reserve one cup only. My gut told me that was too little, and I upped it. I wanted to make sure the top of the raspberries were mostly covered, at least for packing purposes, and was glad I had changed it.) Pour the rest of the mixture into the prepared pan and use your hans or the back of a large wooden spoon to push the crust into an even layer at the bottom of the pan. The crust should touch the sides of the pan. Bake until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let the crust cool. Keep the oven on while you make the raspberry filling.

Make the raspberry filling: In a medium bowl, whisk the sugar, lemon zest, cinnamon and flour together. Add the raspberries, lemon juice and butter and use your hands to toss gently until the raspberries are evenly coated.

Assemble and bake the bars: Spread the raspberry filling evenly on top of the cooled crust. Sprinkle the reserved crust mixture evenly on top of the filling.
Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, rotating the pan every 15 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the filling starts to bubble around the edges.

Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, then cut into squares and serve. The bars can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to two days.

Breakfast Casserole with Spinach, Leeks, Cottage Cheese, and Goat Cheese

Recipe from KalynsKitchen.com
1 leek, white and light green part only (or use green onion or red onion if you don't want to buy leeks)
2 tsp. olive oil
5-6 oz. baby spinach leaves, washed and dried if needed
10 eggs, lightly beaten
1-2 tsp. Spike Seasoning (or use any other all-purpose seasoning that tastes good with eggs)
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste (Spike has salt, so I only used pepper)
1/2 cup low-fat cottage cheese, rinsed with cold water and drained well
3 oz. soft goat cheese, crumbled (the one I used had 7 grams of fat per ounce, could substitute low-fat cream cheese, Feta, or more cottage cheese for the goat cheese)

Cut a 3 0z. piece from a log of goat cheese and put in the freezer to chill while you prep other ingredients. Preheat oven to 375F/190C.

Measure 1/2 cup low-fat cottage cheese, put in a fine strainer, and rinse with cold water. (If you prefer not to rinse the cottage cheese I think it would just make it a little creamier, but I always rinse.)

Cut off the root end and dark green part of the leek, then cut into fourths lengthwise and slice into thin pieces. Leeks are usually dirty, so I washed the sliced leeks in the salad spinner and spun dry.

Heat olive oil in a frying pan with tall sides, then add leeks and saute 3-4 minutes. Then add the spinach leaves and saute 3-4 minutes more. While vegetables are cooking, lightly beat the eggs with Spike Seasoning, salt and pepper. Remove the goat cheese from the freezer and crumble it as finely as you can.

Spray a 8" x 8" casserole dish with nonstick spray. Spread spinach/leek mixture in the bottom of the dish, then layer on cottage cheese and goat cheese. Pour egg mixture over, then use a fork to gently stir so the veggies and cheese are evenly distributed in the eggs.

Bake 20-25 minutes, or until eggs are set and lightly browned. The casserole will puff up slightly as it bakes, but will settle down when it cools for a few minutes.


Thursday, July 12, 2012

Our Perfect Veggie Burger Crunchy

Our Perfect Veggie Burger Crunchy, chewy, with a crispy outer shell, these delicious veggie burgers have all the right elements we love in a veggie burger. Light on the beans, these burgers aren’t mushy in the middle, but have a nice mixture of breadcrumbs, chopped almonds, sunflower seeds, and seasonings to round them out. Best of all, they work great in the oven, frying pan, or even on the BBQ. They can also be made gluten-free by using gluten-free oats, Tamari, and breadcrumbs. Don’t have breadcrumbs? Just process a few slices of bread in the food processor for instant breadcrumbs. I used 3 slices of Ezekiel bread. Inspired by Whitewater Cooks.
Yield: 8 burgers Ingredients:
• 1/2 cup onion, diced
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• Flax eggs: 2.5 tbsp ground flax + 1/2 cup warm water, mixed in bowl
• 1 cup oats, processed into flour* (other flours might work)
• 1.5 cups bread crumbs (I processed 3 pieces of Ezekiel bread until fine crumb)*
• 1 cup grated carrots
• 1 cup cooked black beans, rinsed and roughly pureed or mashed
• Heaping 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley (or fresh herb of choice)
• 1/3 cup almonds, chopped (toasted if preferred)
• 1/2 cup sunflower seeds, (toasted if preferred)
• 1 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 tbsp Tamari (soy sauce)
• 1.5 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 1 tsp. oregano
• Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste (I used about 1/2 tsp kosher salt)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F (if baking). In a large skillet, sauté onions and garlic in 1/2 tbsp oil. Mix your flax egg together in a small bowl and set aside for at least 10 mins while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
2. Place all ingredients (except spices and salt) into a large mixing bowl and stir very well. Now, add seasonings and salt to taste.
3. With slightly wet hands, shape dough into patties. Pack dough tightly as this will help it stick together. I made 8 medium patties.
4. Cooking methods: You can fry the burgers in a bit of oil on a skillet over medium heat for about 5 minutes on each side. If baking in the oven, bake for 25-30 mins (15-17 minutes on each side) at 350F, until golden and crisp. For the BBQ, pre-bake the burgers for about 15 minutes in oven before placing on a pre-heated grill until golden and crisp on each side. Our preferred method of cooking was frying in the skillet!! GF Note: To make these burgers gluten-free, use certified GF oats, GF Tamari, and gluten-free breadcrumbs.

Lemon Cheese Ball

From The Boston Globe Magazine
 Makes one 4-inch ball
 6 oz cream cheese
8 oz goat cheese
1 ½ teaspoons grated zest and 1 ½ tablespoons juice from 1 lemon
1 ½ teaspoons minced fresh thyme
Salt and pepper
1 shallot, finely chopped (about ¼ cup)
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
 3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
½ cup pine nuts, toasted (I used chopped, toasted pecans)

 With ingredients at room temperature, process the cheeses, lemon zest and juice, thyme, 1 teaspoon salt (I only added a pinch), and pepper to taste until smooth in a food processor. Add the shallot and parsley, and pulse just to combine. Scrape the mixture onto a piece of plastic wrap. Pick up the wrap by its corners, shape the ball, and twist wrap to seal. Refrigerate in a small bowl until firm, at least 4 hours. In a pie plate, mix the chives and nuts. Unwrap the cheese and coat with the mixture, rolling the ball and pressing lightly, and serve.

Spinach Quesadillas



From Family Fun
Ingredients:
6 teaspoons olive oil (may need more to brush on tortillas)
1 (9-ounce) bag baby spinach
½ cup finely chopped onion
½ cup minced scallions
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 large egg
½ teaspoon kosher salt (I didn’t add)
1/8 teaspoon pepper
Pinch of nutmeg
2 tablespoons minced fresh dill (I omitted)
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley (I omitted)
2/3 cup crumbled feta
4 (8-inch) flour tortillas (I used 10-inch)
¾ cup shredded whole milk mozzarella
1.       Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Warm a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add 2 teaspoons of the oil, swirling it to coat the pan. Add the spinach (in batches, if necessary) and sauté it until it is just wilted, about 2 minutes. Transfer the spinach to a plate to cool, about 10 minutes.
2.       Meanwhile, add another 2 teaspoons of oil to the skillet, then add the onion, scallions, and garlic. Saute them until they have softened, about 2 to 3 minutes. (I probably cooked them longer.) Let them cool in the pan for about 10 minutes.
3.       Lightly beat the egg in a medium bowl, then whisk in the salt, pepper, nutmeg, dill, and parsley. Stir in the cooled onion mixture. Gently squeeze handfuls of the spinach over the sink to remove the excess moisture. Add the spinach to the bowl, then crumble in the feta, stirring gently to combine the ingredients.
4.       Brush a large heavy baking sheet with 1 teaspoon of the remaining oil. Arrange the tortillas on a work surface. Sprinkle a generous tablespoon of mozzarella over half of each tortilla. Top the mozzarella with a quarter of the spinach mixture, distributing it evenly and leaving a thin border at the edge. Sprinkle another tablespoon of the mozzarella over the spinach, then fold each tortilla in half.  Set them on the baking sheet and brush the tops and edges with the remaining teaspoon of oil.
5.       Bake the spanakopadillas on the top rack for 10 minutes. Remove them from the oven, flip them over, and let them rest bottom side up on a cutting board for 5 minutes. Cut each tortilla into thirds. (I cut the big one into quarters.)
Note – I made this once to test the recipe and I thought it was too juicy. So when I made it for you, I squeezed the liquid out of the spinach, then finely chopped it. Then I added it to the pan with the onions and cooked it to further dry it out. I didn’t add the parsley or dill, but that would probably be more healthy… not sure what the dill would do to the flavor.