Quinoa Linguine with Meyer Lemon, Arugula and Pistachios

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I love Meyer Lemons! I didn’t know I loved Meyer Lemons but I do now. It seems whenever I’ve seen a recipe for them, they’ve been out of season so I was VERY excited to see them this weekend. I picked up a bag. Perhaps more Meyer Lemon recipes to come!

We had family in town this past weekend and made this dish. It is lovely and light. I tripled the recipe so that we could have leftovers. The recipe called for whole wheat pasta but I love this brand of Quinoa pasta! It is my favorite gluten-free pasta because its consistency is so similar to that of regular pasta.

“Meyer Lemon is a citrus fruit native to China thought to be a cross between a true lemon and either a mandarin or common orange.” -Wikipedia. I found the flavor of these lemons to be very mild compared to regular lemons. I can’t wait to use the rest of my bag ‘o lemons.

Lightly adapted from Whole Living

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup shelled unsalted pistachios
  • Sea salt or coarse salt
  • 1 small shallot, cut into eighths
  • 1 Meyer lemon (about 5 ounces), cut into eighths and seeded (yes the WHOLE lemon – unpeeled)
  • 3 tablespoons lemon or regular extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 pound quinoa linguine
  • 2 cups packed baby arugula
  • 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
  • Freshly ground pepper

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spread pistachios on a rimmed baking sheet. Toast in oven until fragrant, about 8 minutes. Keep careful watch on these or they will burn. I crispy-fried my first batch. Transfer to a plate; let cool completely.
  2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, pulse pistachios and shallot in a food processor until finely chopped. Transfer to a large bowl. Without cleaning processor bowl, finely chop lemon. Add to pistachios and shallot; stir to combine. Stir in 2 tablespoons oil.
  3. Add pasta to boiling water; cook according to package instructions. Do not overcook quinoa pasta. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup cooking water. Toss pasta with pistachio mixture until coated. Add reserved cooking water; stir until sauce coats pasta. Stir in arugula, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and remaining tablespoon oil; season with pepper. Divide among 4 serving plates.

Gargoyles and Chocolate Cake with Caramel-Milk Chocolate frosting

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This weekend we celebrated Andrew’s birthday. It was a glorious, beautiful weekend in Texas. Though I’m still a little bitter that we didn’t get a winter in Texas (not even ONE snow day), (shakes fist) I suppose the fact that it’s been in the 60s and 70s should make up for it… a little. I’m aware of the fact that I’m in the minority, btw and most people hate the cold.

So back to Andrew’s birthday. I was leaving my workout class on Saturday when I talked to Andrew and asked him if we needed anything at Whole Foods. Here was our exchange.

A: What are you getting at Whole Foods?

S: Just stuff for your birthday dessert.

A: What are you planning to make?

S: I’d thought about homemade vanilla bean ice cream with a caramel sauce.

A: That’s fine.

S: WHAT DO YOU MEAN, “That’s fine.” (spoken in rabid gargoyle voice)

A: I meant it’s fine that you want to make that.

S: But I want you to be EXCITED about what I’m making you. Maybe I’ll make you something else. I’d looked at some other recipes too. But I’d planned on looking at some more. That was just an idea I had.

A: I’m excited about the ice cream and caramel sauce. Make that.

S: <long pause… quiet assessment of words used and the NUMEROUS non-verbal cues given>

S: I’ll look at some more recipes.

A: Surprise me. Make the ice cream with caramel sauce or one of the recipes you’ve already looked at. Don’t look at any more recipes.

S: <silence>

A: Promise me?

S: You’re breaking up. What was that?

A: I said, DON’T look at any more recipes.

S: I can’t hear you. My signal is bad.

A: <sigh> Promise me.

Apparently I have issues with recipe-viewing mania. I am aware of this and am taking appropriate steps… by PINNING ALL THE RECIPES I CAN FIND ON PINTEREST. No, no. I don’t know who that was or where it came from. Sorry, folks.

So I made the cake that I made for him last year which he liked very much. Only this time, I baked it for less time than the instructions specified and it didn’t burn. I paired the cake with homemade vanilla bean ice cream. DELICIOUS. The dark bits in the picture below are the chocolate chips. Interestingly, the chocolate liquor in the chocolate chips really enhanced the flavor of the cake and was more pronounced after baking.

Chocolate Cake with Caramel-Milk Chocolate frosting, slightly adapted from Epicurious.

Ingredients:

Cake

  • Nonstick vegetable oil spray
  • 2 cups sifted cake flour (sifted, then measured)
  • 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-process)*
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 1/2 cups (packed) golden brown sugar
  • 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 3 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons buttermilk
  • 1/2 cup lukewarm water
  • 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Frosting

  • 24 ounces imported milk chocolate (such as Lindt), finely chopped
  • 3 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 2 1/4 cups whipping cream

For cake:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray three 9-inch-diameter cake pans with 1 1/2-inch-high sides with nonstick spray. Line bottom of pans with parchment paper. Whisk flour and next 4 ingredients in medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat brown sugar and butter in large bowl until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Beat in dry ingredients in 3 additions alternately with buttermilk in 2 additions. Beat in 1/2 cup lukewarm water. Stir in chocolate chips.

Divide batter among prepared pans (about 2 1/3 cups for each). Smooth tops. Bake cakes until tester inserted into center of cakes comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Cool completely in pans on racks. Invert cakes onto 9-inch-diameter cardboard rounds or tart pan bottoms (cakes are delicate). Peel off parchment.

For frosting:
Combine milk chocolate and bittersweet chocolate in large bowl. Stir sugar and 1/2 cup water in medium saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Boil without stirring until syrup is deep amber color (below is what mine looked like at this point), occasionally brushing down sides of pan with wet pastry brush and swirling pan, about 10 minutes. Carefully and slowly add whipping cream (mixture will bubble vigorously). Stir over low heat until any hard caramel bits dissolve and mixture is smooth. Pour caramel over chocolate; let stand 1 minute to allow chocolate to soften, then whisk until chocolate is melted and smooth. Chill chocolate-caramel frosting until completely cool, about 2 hours. The instructions say to let stand 1 hour at room temperature before continuing. I only waited 15 minutes as I was impatient. It whipped up nicely. It may have been a little harder to spread but it wasn’t unmanageable.

Using electric mixer, beat frosting just until color resembles milk chocolate and frosting is easily spreadable, about 1 minute (do not overbeat or frosting will become stiff and grainy). If necessary to correct graininess, set bowl with frosting over saucepan of simmering water for 10-second intervals, whisking just until frosting is smooth and spreadable.

Place 1 cake layer on platter, flat side up. Spread 1 cup frosting evenly over top. Top with second cake layer, flat side up, pressing slightly to adhere. Spread 1 cup frosting over top. Top with third cake layer, rounded side up, pressing slightly. Spread remaining frosting over top and sides of cake, swirling decoratively. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover with cake dome and store at room temperature.)

* I did not have dutch-process cocoa so I used this substitution trick.

Healthy Hazelnut Truffles

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The sky was gray and overcast on this Dallas afternoon. A rain has been steadily falling for most of the day. We are slowly making our way out of a drought that began last year. While I miss the snow that I saw blanket the Kansas prairie while I was growing up (I make the land of Toto and Dorothy sound so majestic, don’t I?), the rain is beautiful and our quiet suburb seems to sigh with relief as the rain falls today.

Still in the mood for chocolate after Valentine’s Day, I wanted a truffle recipe that would be a little healthier. I arrived at this date-sweeted chocolate concoction. It is darkly rich with a subtle hazelnut flavor.

Ingredients:

  • 5 oz hazelnuts + 1 oz. more for truffle coating
  • salt
  • 2 c. unsweetened soy milk
  • 1/2 roughly chopped dates
  • 2 c. (about 10.5 oz) bittersweet chocolate
  • 1/2 t. pure vanilla extract
  • unsweetened cocoa powder

Toast hazelnuts and rub off any skins in a kitchen towel, then cool completely. Pulse with a pinch of salt in a food processor until finely chopped. Transfer to a heavy saucepan, then add milk and chopped dates. Bring just to a simmer over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, then remove from heat and let steep, covered, 1 hr. Press through fine sieve. Set milk mixture aside.

Microwave chocolate in medium bowl at 50% power until melted, 3-4 mins. Heat 1/2 cup sweetened milk mixture until warm to touch – 30 seconds. Mix into chocolate with spatula. It may take a minute or two for the milk and the chocolate to become friends and come together but be patient. It will happen. (-: Cover bowl with plastic wrap, pressing wrap down to top of chocolate. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Using a melon baller, scoop chocolate and roll into balls. Roll in unsweetened cocoa powder or additional hazelnuts. I just rolled mine in unsweetened chocolate because I didn’t have enough hazelnuts but I promise I would have used the hazelnuts if I had them!


 

Sweet Potato and Mushroom Saute

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My heart is awake and I see buds starting to bloom where only shriveled remnants of flowers were there before. Whether this is only my perception or reality, I do not know. Only I. Feel. Awake. And hungry to live life more fully than I did yesterday. It has been awhile since I’ve written and for that I apologize. I’ve been comparing myself to others, struggling with insecurity and quite frankly, not knowing what to write. I’m not really sure what I want this blog to be about. It seems like there are so many things that I want to write about but sometimes I struggle to see the connection between them all. But today I reaffirm my commitment to you to write to you about wherever our minds take us. I want you to come on this journey with me. I hope you will.

I just finished a cleanse of sorts. This dish is one that I could have while I was on the cleanse. It is warm, filling and full of flavor. It is simple but I hope you will enjoy it as much as I have. It is gluten-free and dairy-free but don’t let that scare you.

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 Onion, chopped
  • 2 t. Dried Sage
  • 2-3 Minced Garlic cloves
  • 2 cubed Portobello Mushrooms, stems removed and gills cleaned
  • 1 sweet potato (already roasted and baked with olive oil and salt)
  • 2 cups cooked green lentils
  • olive oil
  • salt

Directions:

Saute onion with olive oil and dried sage until translucent. Add minced garlic cloves. Saute one minute more. Add mushrooms and cook until tender. Next, add sweet potato and lentils. Saute until warm.

I’m out of control with my Fall obsession.

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Me: Do I have time to make gluten-free crustless pumpkin pie for a dinner I’m preparing food for tonight?
Me: Not really.
Me: Am I going to go home over lunch and bring my crockpot and ingredients to work and make it?
Me: Um.. YES.

It’s fall, afterall. How can I not do this? I have to, right? Yes – I’m so glad we’re all on the same page. I’m also making burritos (with gluten-free wraps also) with spiced quinoa, black beans, corn, avocado and a Light Mexican-spiced Mayo as the main course for this dinner.

You have hereby been informed that a.) I’m out of control with my obsession with Fall now that it’s below 80 degrees in Texas. b.) cooking at work is totally okay and c.)????

Love you guys and Happy Fall!
Sabrina

A good morning

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As I sit here at my backdoor I am overwhelmed by the beauty of this life in all it’s complexity. There are no words to describe my joy to wake to 67* this morning. I am here on the floor just inside the french doors in the back of our house.

The butterfly wind chime is dancing in the slight breeze and i feel my heart dance along with it. This summer has been cruel. In Dallas we almost broke the 1980 record for total number of consecutive 100* days and from mid-June – mid-August it rained one time. Maybe this is not significant for most but I feel God’s love for me in the rain. It stared when I was a girl – growing up in Kansas. My dad and I would sit on the porch of our country home and watch the storms roll in. An awe of it all was borne in me – a wonder that remains in me today.. To see the sky erupt with the of danger of lightening and thunder and even the peace brought by a slow and steady rain. To match the hot dry summer, I’ve felt a parch in my soul. A sort of monotony has taken over in my heart from the day-to-day repetition and I have been tired.

Please don’t get me wrong – I have much to be thankful for. But my heart has felt the desert-like conditions in our area nonetheless. A sort of breaking of the drought in my heart occurred yesterday as my husband and I were on our way to church and I sensed a tangible end to it. I felt an assurance from God that this time too would pass.

Today is a new day and as I sit here and drink my coffee with the breeze kissing my face I feel a reconnection with my heart that has not been there in awhile. Today I am praising God.

Green Smoothie

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Yes, it’s green. It’s also delicious. Don’t judge. Just try it.

But buy fresh kale. Otherwise your smoothie will taste ‘green’ and you don’t want that. You want all the health benefits that come along with kale (which by the way earns a 1000 on the ANDI scale) but you don’t want the bitter taste that can sometimes come along with it.  Add an overripe banana for sweetness.

Ingredients

  • 1 c. packed fresh kale 
  • 1/2 c. water
  • 1 overripe banana
  • 1 c. ice
  • Agave Nectar
  • Milk (cow, almond, soy, etc.)

Directions

Place all ingredients except milk in high powered blender. Blend until smoothe. The last few seconds of processing, add a splash of milk. Add more agave to taste.

Southwest Chicken Pasta

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Happy National Zucchini Day! (yesterday) In celebration of this misunderstood vegetable, I made this pasta.

I loved the flavor that the smoked Gouda added to this dish (pictured above with Cilantro). This was the perfect cheese to add to this Southwest dish. And it only adds 40 calories per 1 1/2 cup serving!

The vegetables can be prepared using a non-stick skillet or basted with the garlic-infused olive oil and grilled (then chopped afterwards). This dish is a great way to use summer vegetables! Andrew remarked that it was one of his new favorites and I agree.

Serves 10 – Serving Size: 1 1/2 cup

Ingredients:

  • 3 T. garlic-infused olive oil (or regular olive oil)
  • 2 t. Ground Cumin
  • 2 t. Garlic Powder
  • 1 t. Mexican Spice Blend
  • 2 cups shredded Rotisserie Chicken
  • 1 Red Bell Pepper
  • 1 1/2 lb. zucchini, sliced into thin rounds
  • 1 cup fresh or frozen corn
  • 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
  • 1 lb. Whole Wheat Rotini Pasta
  • 4 oz. smoked gouda, diced
  • 1/2 cup lightly packed cilantro, chopped

Directions:

Cook Rotini according to package instructions until al dente. Drain. Rise with cool water and drain again. Place pasta in large bowl and set aside.

Combine Garlic Powder, Cumin and Mexican Spice blend. Stir to combine.

Cut off ends and slice zucchini into thin rounds. Remove core and seeds from bell pepper and thinly slice. If using fresh corn, cut kernels from cob.

Sprinkle 1 t. spice blend over chicken and mix with your hands.

Heat 1 T. olive oil in non-stick skillet on medium-high heat. Add half of zucchini and saute for 1-2 minutes. Use a spatula to flip zucchini and saute on other side until zucchini is browned and tender, about 2 minutes more. Remove from pan. Add another 1 T. olive oil, then rest of zucchini. Repeat process of cooking zucchini. Remove from pan. Add 1 T. olive oil. Add red pepper and cook for 1-2 minutes until red pepper is somewhat tender and slightly charred. Remove from pan. Add corn and cook until slightly charred and tender. Remove from pan. Add rotisserie chicken and cook for 1-2 minutes until warmed. Remove from pan.

Add chicken, vegetables, lime juice, gouda and cilantro to pasta. Use your hands to combine. Add an additional 3 t. spice blend and mix again with your hands. Taste pasta at this point and add more of spice blend if desired. Serve.

Healthy Menu for Week of August 1

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For me the hardest part of eating healthy is having healthy food available when I’m hungry. I get home from work and I’m tired and the last thing I want to think about is how I can pull together a healthy meal with what I have in my fridge. Lately I’ve been trying to do a better job of planning our menu for the week and preparing what I can in advance. This week I wanted to share that menu with you. I did not make significant edits to the recipes this evening. I wanted to focus on bringing together a few entree items that would help you in your planning. The Turkey Burgers and Arugula Salad recipes are from Ellie Krieger. The Gazpacho and Chicken Tostadas recipes from Cooking Light.

Doing a few things early in the week will save you tons of time later on. Tonight I prepared several servings of oatmeal this week which we will have for breakfast with fresh fruit and toasted pecans (I also add soy milk to mine).  Here are the pictures from our dinner tonight – Arugula salad with Pesto Vinagrette and Stuffed Turkey Burgers. We loved these! They were light, yet satisfying.

Tomorrow night – Chicken tostadas with Chunky Tomato Fruit Gazpacho! I will update this post with these additional pictures tomorrow. As it has been so hot this week here in Texas (and most elsewhere), you will be delighted to know the chicken tostadas and gazpacho do not require you to turn on the stove or oven!

Note: I did add about a teaspoon of fresh chopped rosemary to the stuffing for each turkey burger. In addition, the Stuffed Turkey Burgers and Arugula Salad serves four. The Gazpacho serves 7 and the Tostadas, 8 (if you have one tostada / meal). These recipes together will provide meals for one person through Friday lunch with two tostadas and one bowl of gazpacho left over if I am not mistaken. For two people, triple the Arugula salad and Turkey burgers recipes and you will have meals through Friday lunch also.

UPDATE: Here are pictures for the tostadas and gazpacho.  We really liked the tostada recipe. I used regular corn tortillas toasted in our convection oven until fragrant (rather than the tostada shell). For the gazpacho recipe, I seeded the tomato as one person had recommended in the comments. While we liked the recipe, it definitely has more of a fruity taste than traditional gazpacho.

Stuffed Turkey Burgers

Arugula Salad with Pesto Vinaigrette

Chunky Tomato Fruit Gazpacho

Chicken and Guacamole Tostadas

  • Sunday
    • Dinner – Turkey Burger, Arugula Salad with Pesto Vinaigrette
  • Monday
    • Breakfast – Oatmeal with Pecans, Strawberries & Bluberries
    • Lunch – Turkey Burger, Arugula Salad with Pesto Vinaigrette
      Dinner – One Chicken & Guacamole Tostada, Fruit & tomato gazpacho
  • Tuesday
    • Breakfast – Oatmeal with Pecans, Strawberries & Bluberries
    • Lunch – Turkey Burger, Arugula Salad with Pesto Vinaigrette
      Dinner – One Chicken & Guacamole Tostada, Fruit & tomato gazpacho
  • Wednesday
    • Breakfast – Oatmeal with Pecans, Strawberries & Bluberries
    • Lunch – Turkey Burger, Arugula Salad with Pesto Vinaigrette
      Dinner – One Chicken & Guacamole Tostada, Fruit & tomato gazpacho
  • Thursday
    • Breakfast – Oatmeal with Pecans, Strawberries & Bluberries
    • Lunch – Turkey Burger, Fruit & tomato gazpacho
    • Dinner – One Chicken & Guacamole Tostada, Fruit & tomato gazpacho
  • Friday
    • Breakfast – Oatmeal with Pecans, Strawberries & Bluberries
    • Lunch – Turkey Burger, Fruit & tomato gazpacho

Fontal Polenta with Mushroom Sauté

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If the above picture does not make you want to run out, buy ingredients and make this tonight, then blame the photographer! I take full responsibility, just don’t make the mistake of NOT making this asap! This dish has made a place for itself in my heart and I will be making it again very soon (not exaggerating). The best part is, while it is rich and creamy and full of flavor, it also is surprisingly low in calories at 377 a serving!

Notes: I used a combination of shiitake and oyster mushrooms for the ‘exotic mushrooms.’ Also, I used Baby Bellas in place of the Crimini mushrooms (they are the same type of mushroom, just different sizes). I used regular polenta but you are certainly welcome to use instant. If you do that, you will only need to cook it for 4 minutes as opposed to 12 (I just didn’t have any instant on hand).

Lightly adapted from Cooking Light

yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 (4-ounce) packages exotic mushroom blend, chopped
  • 1 (8-ounce) package presliced cremini mushrooms
  • 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
  • 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh oregano
  • 3 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1/3 cup organic vegetable broth
  • 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
  • 1 1/2 cups organic vegetable broth
  • 3/4 cup polenta
  • 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded fontal or fontina cheese, divided
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

Preparation

1. Heat oil in a skillet over high heat. Add mushrooms; sauté 4 minutes. Add herbs and garlic; sauté 1 minute. Stir in 1/3 cup broth, juice, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and pepper.

2. Bring milk and 1 1/2 cups broth to a boil. Stir in polenta; cook 12 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in half of cheese and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Add polenta to large glass or stone baking dish (I used an oval stone 3.75 quart dish); top with remaining cheese. Broil 5 minutes. Carefully remove pan from oven and top with mushrooms. Place pan back in oven and broil an additional 2 minutes or until mushrooms start to brown a little on top.

Enjoy!