Apple Bread

Similar to banana bread.....but also very different. Dave's favorite, so I made it for his birthday!

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 apples, chopped

In bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and salt; set aside. In large mixing bowl, place oil, sugar, eggs, vanilla and apples. Stir into flour mixture. Pour mixture into bread pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick or knife inserted comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes on wire rack before removing from pan.


Original recipe here 

Baked Quinoa with Spinach and Cheese

Easy, and delicious!! I added a bit more cheese than was called for, so it wasn't quite a "recipe for health" as written :). Also tastes great re-heated!
(I skipped the step of drizzling olive oil on the top, and it still tasted great!)


1 6-ounce bag baby spinach
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (divided)
1 medium onion, chopped
2 plump garlic cloves, minced
4 cups cooked quinoa, (1 cup uncooked)
2 large eggs
3 ounces Gruyère cheese, grated (3/4 cup)
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 ounce Parmesan, grated (1/4 cup)

1. Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Oil a 2-quart gratin or baking dish.

2. Heat a medium frying pan or a wide saucepan over medium-high heat. Wash the spinach and without spinning dry, add to the pan and wilt in the liquid left on the leaves after washing. You may have to do this in 2 batches. As soon as the spinach wilts, remove from the heat and rinse with cold water. Squeeze dry and chop. Set aside.

3. Wipe the pan dry and heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in it over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and stir with the onion until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the spinach and season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat.

4. Beat the eggs in a large bowl and add 1/2 teaspoon salt. Stir in the quinoa, the onion and spinach mixture, the Gruyère, and the rosemary. Add freshly ground pepper and stir the mixture together. Scrape into the gratin dish. Sprinkle the Parmesan over the top and drizzle on the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Place in the oven and bake until nicely browned on top, about 25 minutes. Remove from the heat, allow to sit for about 5 minutes, and serve.


Original recipe here 

Sugar Cookies

 

Sugar cookies might be my new favorite thing. How come they're not the same if you just make them as drop cookies? Because there's not as much love in them? The mystery remains unsolved.


4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cup butter (1 1/2 sticks)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

In a bowl, stir together flour and baking powder. In another bowl, beat butter with sugar until fluffy and light. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in flour mixture, a third at a time to make a stiff dough. Roll out a portion of cookie dough to 1/4 inch thick. Cut out shapes using cookie cutters. Place on lightly greased or nonstick cookie sheets. Bake at 350 degrees until lightly golden, about 10-11 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through cooking time. Cool completely on pans about 5 minutes, transfer to cooling racks and cool completely before decorating. (Sprinkles can be added before baking!)


Original recipe here (with frosting recipe) 

Ginger Molasses Cookies

IT'S COOKIE SEASON!!! I've been getting into the Christmas spirit this week, and I am especially excited for Christmas cookie season. I've seen a lot of houses with lights up already, and I walk past 2 different places selling Christmas trees when I walk to/from work (depending on which way I go). I love December/Christmas time - it's a good time to celebrate before the gloomy/wet months of January and February come along.

I have a lot of cookie recipes to come - as this blog was nonexistent during cookie season last year, I can post all of the recipes I use! This is definitely a favorite - and I have dough chilling in the fridge so I can make Chocolate Krinkles tomorrow!


1 1/2 sticks butter
1 cup sugar, pluc 1/2 cup for rolling
1 egg
1/4 cup molasses
2 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp ground ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground cloves

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Cream butter and one cup sugar in a large bowl. (Easy method: melt the butter in the microwave and then mix in the sugar.) Add egg and molasses and beat until smooth. Add flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon and cloves and stir until just combined.

Put the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar in a shallow bowl. Roll the cookie dough into tablespoon sized balls and roll in sugar. Place the balls about 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake for 8-10 minutes until edges are cracked and the centers are just set. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes and then transfer them to a wire rack (if you wish - no need for the wire rack step if you're lazy like me!).

Original recipe here 

Red Kuri Squash

Try. this. squash. I picked this up at the farmers' market at the beginning of November (and ate it then - this post was way delayed). I was poking around at the market and wanted to try something new - and thought this was worth a shot, since I love most kinds of squash. I tried delicata squash the week before, and didn't love it - but this one tastes a lot like butternut squash (which is my favorite), but it's easier to make (you don't have to peel the skin off and it's smaller, so easier to cut). Anyway, all I did was slice it in half, brush with olive oil, and bake it - and it was incredible. If you can find this, definitely try it!! (I think it took about 45 minutes - I took it out once it got wrinkly and tested for softness with a fork. It gets really tender. And you can eat the skin.)

Layered Vegetable "Torte"

This recipe is supposed to make a torte, but I didn't have the springboard pan it called for, so I just made this more of a vegetable "bake." It was very tasty all the same - and relatively easy - it just takes a bit of time to make because you have to roast or grill the vegetables before baking them.



1 large eggplant, cut into 1/4-inch slices
4 medium zucchini or yellow squash, cut into 1/4-inch slices
2 portobello mushrooms, cut into 1/4-inch slices
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, or more as needed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 plum tomatoes, cut into 1/4-inch slices
2 tablespoons minced garlic (or as much as you feel like peeling....I used about 1 tablespoon)
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves (or a sprinkling of dried basil between the layers)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan (or more, depending on how much you like cheese!)
1/2 cup bread crumbs, preferably fresh.

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Grease 2 baking sheets with oil and distribute the eggplant, squash, and mushrooms between the pans. Brush the vegetables with oil, and roast vegetables on both sides until soft (about 20 minutes).

2. Coat bottom and sides of a large baking pan with oil. Layer half of the eggplant slices into bottom of the pan, then layer in half the zucchini, mushrooms, tomato, garlic and basil, sprinkling each layer with a bit of salt and pepper. Repeat layers with the other half of the vegetables. Sprinkle top with Parmesan and bread crumbs, and drizzle with about 1 tablespoon oil.

3. Bake "torte" in oven until hot throughout and browned on top, about 30 minutes.

Original recipe here 

Fruit and Nut Truffles

 

This is a really interesting dessert recipe from Moosewood. I thought they were really date-y/apricot-y, so only try this if you like dates and apricots! This makes at least 20 truffles, so be prepared to share or eat these every day. I kept them in the fridge for a long time and ate them for snacks, but ended up throwing away a few because there were so many! (Note: these can be dessert or snack food. I chose snack most of the time.)


1 cup pitted dates
1 cup unsulfured dried apricots
1/2 cup dried cranberries, dried cherries, or raisins
1 cup water
1.5 teaspoons grated orange zest
1.5 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1.5 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup ground toasted walnuts
1/2 cup ground toasted almonds
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar, sifted
1/2 cup toasted unsweetened shredded coconut

(I toasted the walnuts, almonds, and shredded coconut in a skillet. I just put them each in a nonstick skillet on medium(?) heat and stirred until toasted. Then I used a food processor to grind the walnuts and almonds.)

Place the dates, dried apricots, dried cranberries, and water in a saucepan, cover, and simmer on medium-low heat until softened, about 10 minutes. Drain, reserving liquid. Puree the cooked fruit in a food processor, adding only as much of the reserved liquid as needed to make a smooth thick paste.

In a mixing bowl, combine the orange zest, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Add the pureed fruit and the walnuts, almonds, cinnamon, cocoa, and confectioners' sugar and mix well. By the tablespoonful, form the fruit and nut mixture into balls about an inch in diameter. Roll each ball in the toasted coconut and arrange the truffles in a single layer on a serving platter.

Chill for at least 20 minutes before serving. With longer chilling, the flavor develops and the truffles become more firm.

Eastern European "Minestrone"

 

I just noticed that I only had one post in the month of November - how time flies! I have a few recipes on the to-do list, but I am shocked that I only posted one recipe last month. At least it involved pumpkin beer, I guess.

Thankfully, it's now Christmas cookie season, so I'll be getting on that as soon as I can. I have a work trip to DC next week (two days of meetings, then visiting a friend for the weekend), so I might have another lag. But then cookie season will be in full force.

Back to the recipe for this post. This soup is really interesting and delicious - and it makes a lot. And it's super easy! I had this for lunch every day for one week, and it was tasty, but a bit much. I suggest sharing! This is another recipe from the Moosewood cookbook.

1.5 cups chopped onions
2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1/2 cup thinly sliced celery (I left this out, since I wasn't able to buy 1 piece of celery)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2.5 tablespoons sweet paprika
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon ground caraway seeds (I left this out since we didn't have them)
1 cup diced carrots
3/4 cup green beans cut into 1/2 inch pieces (I definitely used more than this)
1/2 cup diced peeled beets, turnips, or parsnips (I used parsnips, 'cause I love 'em!)
3/4 cup diced red or yellow bell peppers (I just used one full pepper)
1 15-ounce can white beans, drained
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 quart (4 cups) water or vegetable broth
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 ounces whole grain linguine or spaghetti, broken into 1 inch long pieces
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

In a large soup pot on medium heat, cook the onions, garlic, and celery in the olive oil for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the paprika, bay leaves, and caraway and stir for a minute. Add the carrots, green beans, beets, and bell peppers, cover, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the white beans, tomatoes, water, lemon juice, salt, and pepper and bring to a boil. Stir in the pasta pieces, cover, and simmer on medium heat until the pasta is al dente, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the dill. Remove the bay leaves before serving.