Blueberry Poppy Seed Cake

I don't usually make desserts but I saw this recipe in the new Food Network Magazine and decided to give it a try.  This makes four mini loaf pans (mine are 5.75"x3.25"x2.25").  Really good "dessert" and not too sweet.

3 cups all-purpose flour + a little for dusting the pans (or use cooking spray with flour)

1 1/2 t. baking powder

2 1/2 cups sugar

½ t. salt

1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 1/3 cups vegetable oil

3 large eggs

1 1/2 T. poppy seeds

1 1/2 t. almond extract

1 1/2 t. vanilla extract

2 cups blueberries, dusted with flour (frozen berries work best - don't thaw them)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Coat the 4 mini loaf pans with butter and dust with flour (or use cooking spray made for baking that has flour in it - very easy!).  Whisk the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in a large bowl, thoroughly combining the ingredients.  Beat the milk, vegetable oil, the eggs, poppy seeds, and almond and vanilla extracts in a mixer on medium speed until combined.  Gradually beat in the flour mixture until well combined. Sprinkle some flour over the blueberries and toss to coat (I do this in a collander over the sink).  Fold the blueberries into the batter with a rubber spatula.

Divide the batter among the prepared pans and bake until golden on top and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean, about one hour. Transfer the pans to a rack and let cool about 10 minutes.  Remove the cakes to the rack to cool completely.  I fill my mini loaf pans with batter almost to the top (leave about a quarter inch).  This makes them kind of poof over the edge and it looks really good!

Mojo Chicken with Grilled Pepper Boats

The sweet peppers are so great right now.  I bought yellow, orange and red ones and have been using them in everything.  I grilled some Mojo Marinated Chicken the other night and made these grilled pepper boats as a side dish.  I stuffed them with grilled avocado and topped with some beautiful ripe tomato slices.  Excellent and so colorful.  I love colorful food!  I've posted the recipe before but here it is again:

One sweet pepper (any color except green), cut in half, seeds and membrane removed
1 large Haas avocado, ripe but not too soft, cut in half, seed removed, skin left on
2 slices ripe tomato
Juice of half a lime
Sprinkle of cumin
Fresh chopped cilantro (or basil!  See the Update below)
Olive oil

Rub peppers with olive oil, inside and out.  Put olive oil on the cut side of the avocadoes.  Grill the peppers on both sides until they start to char a little and get soft.  You don't want them to get too black so watch your heat.  Grill the avocado oiled side down until you get good grill marks.  Sprinkle avocado with cumin.

To assemble, use a large spoon and scoop out the avocado in one piece.  Put into a pepper half, and add a squeeze of lime.  Top with tomato slices.  Season with a little more lime and salt.  Garnish with fresh cilantro.

If you're making more than two servings, use different colored peppers.  Yellow and orange work best because you already have red in the tomato.

Click on the picture to see a close up of the peppers.

UPDATE:  Didn't have any cilantro tonight so I garnished the pepper boats with fresh basil.  I think I like that better!

Caprese Quinoa

This is the time of year for caprese salad (mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil) so I decided to make one with quinoa.  It turned out really great.  I cooked the quinoa the night before, let it cool, and then refrigerated it.  I used a new balsamic vinegar that we started carrying at work.  It's from California and called Mia's Kitchen.  It's sweet and just wonderful.  It's hard to find good balsamics that are sweet and inexpensive (I paid $12.99).  It's so important to use a good balsamic; otherwise, you're just using vinegar.

1 cup quinoa, cooked and cooled

1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, cut in half

8 oz. fresh small mozzarella balls (bocconcini), cut in half

Handful of basil leaves, chiffonade*

3 T. olive oil

2 T. balsamic vinegar

Salt and pepper

In a large bowl, whisk together olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  Season with salt and pepper.  Add tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil.  Stir to combine well.  Allow to marinate at room temperature for about 30 minutes.

Add cooled quinoa and combine well.

Baked Fish Sandwiches with Chipotle Tartar Sauce

I was in the mood for a fish sandwich and onion rings so I decided to use the same technique for both.  I made my usual Baked Onion Rings (posted 05/23/2011) but doubled up on the crumbs.  When I was done coating the rings, I put the fish (I used Tilapia) in the leftover kefir mixture and pressed it into the crumbs.  I baked both on a rack like usual and sprayed the crumbs with cooking spray (helps to brown them).  I used the same oven temperature for the fish and the rings (450 degrees) and the fish was done in about 12 minutes.

Served the fish with a Chipotle Tartar Sauce which added great flavor.  Tilapia is such a flavorless fish but I get fresh Tilapia at Costco for about $5.99 a pound, so I use it often.  Here's the Chipotle Tartar Sauce recipe.  Use as much or little chipotle as you want.  I use more than 2 teaspoons but it's a good place to start.  If you haven't used chipotles in adobo sauce, you should!  They give a nice smokey heat.  Look for them in small cans in the Latin food section at your grocery store.

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 T. pickle relish (I use Wickles because they’re wickedly delicious!)

1 T. Champagne or white wine vinegar

1 T. capers, drained and chopped

1 t. coarse-grained mustard

2 t. chipotle in adobo sauce, seeds removed and minced fine

Pinch kosher salt

Pinch freshly ground black pepper

Combine ingredients and refrigerate.

Fennel Leek and Pea Risotto

I made this risotto for Easter dinner and served it with my Balsamic Marinated Lamb Chops.  It just seemed very Springy so I thought it was appropriate for Easter.  I'm a huge fan of fennel and leeks but not so much of peas.  But, this dish really needed some color and texture and the peas were perfect.  I bought frozen petite peas and they kept their texture instead of turning mushy. 

If you haven't worked with leeks before, here's a hint:  Wash them, slice them in half lengthwise, wash again, slice them into pieces, and wash yet again!  They are dirty, dirty, dirty. 

Save some of the fennel fronds as a garnish.  Throw the rest of them in the freezer and put in your next batch of stock.

1 T. butter

2 T. olive oil

3 leeks, about 3 cups sliced*

1 fennel bulb, about 2 cups sliced (reserve fronds)

4 cups stock, heated (I use homemade)

1 cup frozen petite peas

1 cup Arborio rice

½ cup dry white wine

¼ cup fresh grated Parmesan

Juice of half lemon

Salt and pepper

Heat the butter and olive oil in a heavy Dutch oven or other heavy skillet.  Add the leeks and fennel and sauté until soft, about 10 minutes.  Season with salt.  Meanwhile, heat your stock and keep it simmering on the stove.

Add the rice to the leek mixture and stir well.  Cook for about 2 minutes and keep stirring.  Do not brown the rice; you are just releasing the starches.  Add the wine and cook until liquid is absorbed.  Add a ladle or two of stock into the rice mixture.  Simmer until the rice has absorbed the liquid, stirring often.  Keep doing this until all of your stock is gone, or until the rice is done.  Taste the rice.  It should be soft but still have a bit of a bite.  You should add the frozen peas after you have been cooking the risotto for about 15-20 minutes. 

Finish the risotto with the Parmesan and lemon juice and garnish with chopped fennel frond.  Season with salt and pepper, if necessary.   

*You only use the white and light green part of the leek.  Discard the tough dark green leaves. 

Curried Chicken and Veggies

I had leftover rotisserie chicken that I needed to use so I decided to make a chicken pot pie without the pie.  I added curry and coconut milk and served it over quinoa.  Definite comfort food!  The best way to make this dish is to cook everything ahead of time and then assemble at the last minute.  This feeds a small army. 

 

2 cups cooked chicken*

4 cups vegetable or chicken stock (stock is more intense than broth)

A generous 1/3 cup flour (I like to use brown rice flour)

1-1/2 cup sweet yellow onion, diced

3 large celery stalks, diced

1 bag (1 pound) carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
1-1/2 pounds potatoes (Yukon gold or similar), peeled and cut into chunks
10 ounces green beans (frozen works fine too)

1 heaping T. curry powder

1 t. each cumin and coriander

1 small can (about 5.5 oz.) coconut milk (or half a larger can)

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley or cilantro
 

In a large pot of well salted water, bring carrots and potatoes to a boil. Remove the potatoes and carrots with a slotted spoon once they are fork tender, about 10 minutes. In the same pot of boiling water, add the green beans and boil for 2-3 minutes. Drain and then plunge into a bowl of ice water. Drain after a few minutes (this just stops the cooking process - I hate mushy beans). Set cooked veggies aside.  If you are using frozen green beans, cook them according to the directions but use the minimum amount of time given.
                                 

In a large skillet, sauté onion and celery until tender, about 8-10 minutes. You want them to sweat (get tender) but not brown, so you'll have to turn the heat down.  Season with salt.  Add the curry powder, cumin and coriander and cook about a minute or two.  Sprinkle with flour and stir to incorporate.  Continue cooking a minute or two.  Add the broth and cook until sauce starts to thicken, about 10 minutes or so.  Taste to see if you need more salt.  (I use no salt added chicken stock so I usually need to add a little salt).  Add the chicken, vegetables, and coconut milk. Add the parsley just before serving. 

Serve over quinoa or rice.

 

*If I don't have leftover chicken, I cook two bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts. I coat them with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cook on a foil lined baking sheet for about 35 minutes at 400 degrees. Let cool and then remove skin and tear meat into pieces.

UPDATE:  Made a chicken pot pie using this filling (about half of the total recipe).  Used Pillsbury Refrigerated Pie Crust which made it easy as pie!