Throwback Comfort

No matter your level of cooking skills, everyone has at least one go-to recipe that they can not only make, but make well. It's super easy, nearly fail-proof, and always manages to leave you with a fully satisfied stomach. For me, that recipe was one of the first I ever made in my "adult life" (also known as the time period beginning when I got my first big girl job, two years ago next month to be exact). Back then, Alicia and I were new friends and my interest in cooking was just beginning to bloom. One day for lunch she brought the most delicious smelling dish. I had just discovered my love for Indian food and after spending most of the subsequent afternoon thinking about how her homemade dish looked so much better than the packaged Indian cuisine I'd been making in the home, I knew I had to ask for the recipe. She was very willing to share and not only did she turn me onto one of my favorite go-to dishes, but she introduced me to a whole cookbook of vegetarian dishes to kick start my cooking experience!

If by chance you're still looking for a good go-to recipe, or if you just want to shake things up a bit, I highly recommend Linda's Kitchen. It's an entirely vegetarian cookbook from the kitchen of the late Linda McCartney, and since the book was written almost 15 years ago, it's super cheap on Amazon. Mine is in great condition and was less than $5 with shipping....well worth it for the plethora of recipes for all occasions and tastes that it contains. And without it, I never would've found this gem:

Curried Chick Peas with Onions

Ingredients

Recipe found on page 75 of Linda's Kitchen

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 onions, thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp sesame seeds
• 1 Tbsp curry powder (or to taste...I like a little more)
• 2 cans (16oz) chick peas
• 3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp light soy sauce
• 3 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• freshly cooked rice for serving (optional....sometimes I use rice and sometimes I just eat it as is or add veggies)

Preparation

1. Heat oil in a large skillet or wok and cook the onion and garlic very gently, covered, until meltingly soft and golden, about 25 minutes
2. Stir in the sesame seeds and curry powder. Season with salt and cook uncovered for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally
3. Drain and rinse the chick peas, reserving 1/2 cup of the liquid. Add the chick peas to the pan with the reserved liquid and cook, stirring frequently, until the chick peas are hot and almost all the liquid has evaporated
4. Stir in the lemon juice, soy sauce, and parsley. Serve hot over rice (or like I did this time...mixed with some cooked peas)

Pumpkin Meets Cookies

Oh sweet fall. I love that you're back in my life. As you can tell by my delinquent blog writing, I have been spending more time out enjoying fall and less time in the kitchen. Walking my Shepherd dog has become my new favorite pastime. Jackets/cardigans/long-sleeves with shorts are my favorite outfit combo of all time. It's often still dark when Bax and I take our first walk of the day, but I'm loving getting to finally wear a jacket while we do it. My running took a serious hit this summer, I just could not get adjusted to the heat this year. But since the cool mornings have returned to my life, I'm loving running again! My Thursday run not only allowed me to break in my new running shoes, but to do so in my favorite running combo (long sleeves and shorts). It was nothing short of a phenomenal way to start the day. 

I guess I'll stop gushing about fall for the time being and get onto more important matters--fall baking. Alicia and Daniel expanded their family a few weeks ago and adopted a dashing young puppy by the name of Theodore. They call him Teddy for short, but I like to full name people, so he'll always be Theodore to me. Last weekend we were all finally in town and it was the perfect time for him and Baxter to finally meet. Bax was completely jazzed (actually, to honest, not really....in her perfect world it would just be her and I forever and no one else would interfere) and she accompanied me to the doggie boutique by our home to pick out a "welcome to DC" gift for the little guy. He seemed to love it (it was a puppy kong...which I found to be a complete God-send when Bax was wee). For the adults at the gathering, we had fun football snacks and I broke out the pumpkin for a new cookie recipe: pumpkin snickerdoodles! Puppies, football, and pumpkin = best way to spend a fall afternoon.

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

Ingredients

Wonderful original recipe found here

• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1 3/4 cups sugar, divided
• 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
• 1 large egg
• 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
• 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

Preparation

1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside
2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, salt and pumpkin pie spice; set aside
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add the egg and beat at medium speed until combined, about 30 seconds. Add the pumpkin puree and beat at medium speed until combined, about 30 seconds. Add the dry ingredients and beat at low speed until just combined, about 30 seconds, scraping down the bowl as needed
4. Place the remaining 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon for rolling in a shallow bowl. Roll a heaping tablespoon of dough into a 1½-inch ball, roll the ball in the sugar mixture, and place it on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough, spacing the balls about 2 inches apart
5. Bake the cookies until the edges are set and just beginning to brown but the centers are still soft and puffy, 10 to 12 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through baking
6. Cool the cookies on the baking sheets about 5 minutes; transfer the cookies to a wire rack and cool to room temperature

And some shameless puppy pictures from the afternoon:

Bax and I with a pooped Theodore after a trip to the park

Alicia and young Theodore (showing their Redskins spirit)

Summer's Last Hurrah

Oh fall. Cool, wonderful, fall. I cannot express how happy I am to see your shining face....it's been way too long. Before diving into today's post, you'll likely notice another costume change for the old blog. I continue to be less than thrilled with its layout and this is my current attempt to change things up. One day I'll get all kinks worked out. Until then, it will continue to be an evolving work in progress :)

When I awoke on Sunday morning I was greeted by a crisp autumn air and I was nothing short of thrilled...and even more so when it happened again this morning. Despite what the 7 day forecast says, I know I'm only days away from being able to my favorite outfit ensemble: shorts, Toms, and a cardigan. I can barely contain my excitement. In the mean time, I've officially stocked my cabinets with pumpkin so that I can whip up pumpkin infused delicacies on a whim (this might be dangerous). It is also a goal of mine to actually use fresh pumpkin in recipes, but that will probably be an October project.  

Despite my enthusiasm for fall's arrival, over the weekend I made one last go at a colorful recipe inspired by farm fresh summer veggies. The result was too good not to share and, as not to completely abandon my new found list of fall must-try recipes, I also prepared some pumpkin chocolate chip brownies for dessert, so fall was still alive an well in both my heart and my kitchen. Unfortunately, I wasn't focused when photographing the dessert, so none of my photos made the cut. I'll be making this again in the near future and will give him a post of his own to make up for my photography failings. Until then, hurry to market and scoop up some summer veggies for this dish before they're gone!

Corn and Tomato Saute Pizza

Ingredients

Adapted from Bev Cooks

• 3 Tbps extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 flatout tortilla wraps [the original recipe called for naan bread]
• 1 red onion, diced
• 1 medium jalapeno pepper, minced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 6 ears of corn, shucked
• 1 carton halved cherry tomatoes
• 1/2 cup freshly chopped cilantro
• Juice from 1 lime
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400F

2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil (for corn). Once water comes to a boil, boil corn for 3 minutes, then cover and remove from heat. Leave covered for at least 10 minutes

3. At the same time, bring olive oil to a medium-high heat in a large skillet and add the sliced onion and jalapeno pepper; sauté 5 minutes, or until onions start to soften. 

4. Add the garlic and bloom 30 seconds. Add the corn and sauté an additional 5 minutes. Add the cilantro and lime juice. Stir in the tomatoes and sauté about 5 more minutes. Season with salt and pepper

5. Brush tortillas lightly with the olive oil. Lightly sprinkle some cheese over the tortillas, followed by the corn sauté. Finish with more cheese.

6. Slide pizzas into the oven and bake about 12 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and starting to brown and bubble. After they were cooked I placed them under the broiler for 2-3 minutes to darken the cheese slightly.
Serve and enjoy one last run at summer's gorgeous produce! 

FALL IS HERE!!

I thought this day would never come. Once again, I have survived the hell that is summer. Spending the past three summers in the District has made me hate summer more than I ever thought I could. Every morning I was forced to play my least favorite game "how long will it take en route to the metro before I start sweating." I swear, that walk got longer every day and always ended the same, with me covered in sweat and hysterical by the time I threw myself onto the metro! There were times, both this year and last, that I honestly didn't think I'd make it through July.Something about that month doesn't sit well with me. I think it has something to do with the fact that it's smack in between June and August, resulting in me only being able to see summer before and after it, but I can't entirely prove it. Thankfully, September has come and with it the end of summer and the beginning of my favorite time of the year! I love fall, not only for the cooler temperatures, but also for all the wonderful things that come with it. Football is back in my life, the mosquitos will soon die off, pumpkin beer and coffee have returned to store shelves, and most importantly, I can finally start making my way through all those pumpkin laced recipes I have pinned on pinterest! 

As I mentioned in my last post, I spent Labor Day weekend in the Sooner state and ushered in fall with two of my favorite things: pumpkin beer and watchinging my Sooners kick off the college football season. But now I'm back in the District and as per usual, needed a little pick me up to get me over my post-vacation slump. Enter pumpkin. Last year I felt like pumpkin really began to come into its own. I don't know if this was because I loved pumpkin more and thus was looking for it in as many things as possible or if it really was everywhere. It's impossible to know. One thing I do know for certain, I shall be including it in as many things as possible over the next three months! To kick things off, I decided to go with this super simple but extremely yummy cookies. They combine all of my favorites in one bite: pumpkin, oats, and butterscotch chips. There's really nothing else I could ask for. Happy Fall!!

Pumpkin Oat Scotchies

  

Ingredients

[Original found here]

• 1 1/4 cup cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin spice
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
• 3 cups old-fashioned oats
• 1 1/2 cups butterscotch chips

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and set aside
2. Whisk flour, baking soda, pumpkin spice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a small bowl and set aside
3. Beat butter, sugar and brown sugar until smooth and creamy. Add egg and vanilla extract. Next, add in pumpkin and mix until combined.
4. Slowly add in flour mixture. Stir in oats and butterscotch chips
5. Drop dough by the tablespoon onto prepared baking sheets. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until the cookies are set and golden. Remove cookies from the oven and cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely

 
 

 

 

 

 






 
 
 
 
 
 

Mexican Fiesta Part Dos

By now it's no surprise that I love Mexican food. Luckily for me, TF shares my love of Mexican food, so much so that we've become modern day queso experts. Finding good queso on the east coast has been one of our greatest challenges to date, surpassed only by our many failed attempts to create our own version of the delectable dish. TF and I spent an extended Labor Day weekend in Oklahoma, during which time we tried our hands at yet another queso recipe. 

One day I'll share the recipe that passes our increasingly rigorous standards

This one was our closest yet (and actually good and edible....which is a far step above some of the concoctions we've come up with) but alas, the perfect queso remains just out of reach.

In more successful cooking adventures, I also offered to make TF a dinner of his choosing one night. This was partially a selfish gesture as I welcome any opportunity to test my cooking skills, but since I left him dictate the menu I figured the selfishness was balanced out. Naturally, he requested Mexican (in the form of a chimichanga) and then proceeded to craft a list of various elements that he wanted included in said chimichanga. It was a fairly extensive list, but I felt up to the task.

Step 1: Chicken

As a vegetarian, I rarely find myself working with meat in my recipes. Since I've been unable to convert TF, I knew chicken or beef were going to have to be part of the dish. Unfortunately, the market was sans chicken tenders (which I prefer because they're thinner and cook faster) so I had to settle for a chicken breast. This recipe is really versatile though and the ingredients are completely interchangeable, so feel free to use whatever strikes your fancy.

Ingredients

• 1 chicken breast
• Fajita seasoning (to taste)

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350F and grease baking dish
2. Wash and trim any excess fat from the chicken (I'm super anal about this, even when I'm not the one eating it)
3. Season as desired and bake for 20-35 minutes (depending on meat thickness)
4. Remove from oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes. Slice at an angle into thin strips 

Step 2: Homemade Refried Black Beans

One food area where I feel as though I have been successful in my conversion of TF and his eating habits (although don't tell him this :)) is with black beans. I love a good black bean. As a vegetarian I feel like liking beans is somewhat of a prerequisite and although there are a slew of varieties on the market today, I love the black bean for its versatility. When TF listed off refried beans (or as I like to call them: when bad things happen to otherwise healthy beans) I was determined to not only make them from scratch (and with my beloved black beans) but also healthy. 

Ingredients

Slightly edited from Ellie Krieger

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 medium onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon ancho chili powder, or other chili powder
• 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, preferably low-sodium, drained and rinsed
• 2/3 cup low-sodium vegetable broth, plus more if needed
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Preparation

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat
2. Add the onion and cook until tender, about 3 minutes
3. Stir in the garlic and chili powder and cook for 1 minute more
4. Stir in the beans and vegetable broth and cook until the beans are warmed through, about 5 minutes
5. Mash the beans coarsely with the back of a wooden spoon, adding more vegetable broth to moisten, if needed
6. Season with salt and pepper, to taste
7. Stir in the cilantro

Step 3: Additional Fillings

In addition to beans and chicken, TF also requested rice, a sauce of some sort, and lots of cheese. The rice was nothing special (just a fiesta rice found at market....I had to cut myself off somewhere in an effort to keep from overextending myself, as I'm known to do) and for the sauce, I recreated this one, a personal favorite that I don't make nearly enough despite how easy it actually is. Finally, we had a block of monterey jack cheese left from our queso experiment and I shredded most of it for filling to complete the ensemble.

Keeping with the theme of not trying to over extend myself, I also didn't get to make the tortiallas from scratch. Still love this recipe when time allows!

Step 4: Grand Finale--the Baked Chimichanga

Similar to my above referenced feelings towards baked beans, I am anti-cooking anything that requires frying. Consequently, my greatest challenge in creating this dish was finding a baked version of the restaurant-style chimichanga that TF craved...soft and melty on the inside, lightly browned and crispy on the outside. 

And thus, this beauty was born. I made a non-chicken version for myself and while this isn't something I'd usually order (or make for myself), but I must admit, it was pretty damn tasty (and TF agreed).

Preparation

Inspiration for this creation found here

1. Preheat oven to 450F and spray baking pan with cooking spray
2. Using the above ingredients, mix rice and beans in a bowl until combined
3. Pile desired number of tortillas on a plate, cover with a damp paper towel, and microwave for 1 minute to make the tortillas more flexible for folding
4. Fill tortilla(s) with desired fillings (I ordered mine-rice/beans, chicken, cheese, and topped with tomatillo sauce before folding). Be careful to avoid overfilling (I got a little overzealous and as a result ours were a little fatter than the original recipe)
5. After filled, tuck in the sides and roll up, laying fold side down in baking dish
6. Cook until golden brown and crispy (about 8-10 minutes)
7. Serve with guacamole on the side and enjoy!