egg hunting is easier

but this is much prettier i will admit. i call this the bronze egg. a step up from egg dyeing unless you do something like this and then, yeah, yours can be put my pretty to shame. 

as a kid i loved dyeing eggs. we didn't do anything crazy, just dumped hard boiled eggs in cups of food coloring with some vinegar. the best was eating a egg that was slightly green or blue! 

these babies are a bit more intense, but you can have lots of fun, and for those of you who are really into pottery painting and such, this is right up your alley (you don't even want to know how many hours i can spend painting one item at a pottery painting store... 

supplies you'll need: raw egg(s), needle, toothpicks, tweezers, glue, and an assortment of beads (i love this great bead holder i've had for years from crafts plus. any crafts plus stores still out there? i miss the one that was in walking distance of my house!) the first thing you want to do (and maybe the night before) is hollow out the eggs. there are great instructions here. i highly suggest using a needle thicker than mine b/c i ended up puncturing myself quite a few times. i used the toothpick to widen my holes b/c it's lung workout to blow the egg out. where's a saxophone player when you need a set of lungs?? i would let these babies dry out overnight b/c i had some water peeing out as i tried to decorate. 

some more of my pretty beads. if you have sequins or anything tiny and light i say go for it!

creating my bronze egg: i would say decorating took about 4 hours, most of that b/c i found out the hard way that a particular way of placing the beads (where the hole didn't face outward) was much heavier and tended to tilt so drying each section with the egg on the side a la top right picture was the only way to get the beads stay in position w/o droopage. i was definitely making up the design as i went, but there's tons of ideas online and you can spell stuff or make shapes. it's perfect for the creative side in you! 

for my bronze egg i did skinny side down (bad idea) b/c the smaller hole ended up on top, and the balance got thrown off, so make the egg bottom heavy. you can also see my little glue plate in some of the pictures. it takes some time to pick the beads up w/ the tweezers and not pop the bead across the room. then you want to dip the bead lightly in the glue (too much glue and the bead will just slideeeee down your egg) and stick it on your egg. i had to wipe my tweezers on my hand a lot as i got a lot of glue stuck on the tips. please excuse the difference in lighting. i was decorating in the middle of the night and my kitchen lighting isn't all that great. the completed pictures i took during the day with nice natural lighting.

this egg was definitely kind of like those people who can't stop getting plastic surgery and then take it one too far. but it was fun trying to make different flower shapes. i wish for this egg i had dyed the entire egg first and then decorated. would be much more whimsical and less white background.

s4 came home and i badgered her into decorating the last egg i had hollowed out. isn't it pretty! and it has an adorable heart on top. she probably took maybe an hour to do this one (including drying time) so it doesn't have to be super labor intensive. plus, she glued her beads on hole side outward so they didn't droop and slide down as much. now just have to make them egg holders and figure out what to do with them. although they would make a lovely centerpiece for the table:)

happy decorating! and happy spring break to those on it (esp w/ snow, in march, in maryland?!?!)

quick meals!

let's be honest, sometimes hunger and time get in the way of making a balanced meal, which can, after the chips and chocolate are inhaled, lead to more eating, looking for that meal you were craving. i'm as much guilty of this as the next person, and just because i'm a dietetics major doesn't mean all my meals are colorful and balanced. sometimes i'm hovering over the kitchen island table tearing a bagel into pieces and swiping it into the cream cheese (b/c of course, getting a knife and even toasting my bagel is out of the question).

since this month is NNM it's a nice reminder that there's always room for improvement in your diet. here's some quick ideas:

i love eggs- hard boiled, over easy, fried, poached, you name it, i'll eat it. this breakfast literally takes minutes (less if you have two skillets going, one for the veggies and one for the egg). since we keep our bread in the freezer, i popped a slice in the toaster and started sauteing an onion in some oil and then added the kale (or spinach or whichever leafy green vegetable you have a liking for) until everything was nice and wilted. top on your toast then fry up your egg and lay it on top. wha-la! oh, and the oozing yolk over the veggies is the best ever. eum. can i have breakfast again?

 it's always fun having a day off during the week to do some experimental cooking. i can't remember where i got this idea but i'll get you the link to the original soon (i made my blog with my old hotmail account and now can't access both my gmail and my blog at the same time, any ideas?).

this entire meal took me under 30 minutes start to finish (after a whirlwind grocery stop at costco). and the great thing is that it can be spiced and topped with ingredients to your liking (want a more asian flare- go ahead and saute and add tamari and ginger, etc and top with bean sprouts and slivered carrots, etc.)

Cauliflower Rice Southwestern Lunch

(serves 3)

1 head cauliflower

1 onion, diced

oil

1 T garlic*

2 tsp black pepper*

1 tsp paprika*

1/2 tsp cumin*

1/2 tsp red chili pepper flakes*

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 avocado, sliced

1/2 c diced tomatoes (or salsa if you have it on hand)

hot sauce*

1/4 c Plain or Greek yogurt

sprigs of cilantro

Rinse cauliflower and cut into smaller florets to fit into your food processor. Food process the cauliflower (I had to do it in two batches) til it's the size of rice (but not mushy). Sauté onion and garlic in oil until caramelized in a large skillet. Add the "rice" cauliflower and spices until cooked. Plate a third of the cauliflower for each person. Top with beans, avocado slices, salsa or tomato and yogurt. Sprinkle with cilantro and/or hot sauce.

*All spicing is to taste or optional.

happy experimenting, try something new this weekend!

snow days are the best

so there isn't really any snow accumulation, but i still got out of school, work, and teaching. sometimes false snow days are the best- if only to catch up on assignments and have a great excuse to bake!

who says you can't make box cake mix healthier?

at what point is a muffin a cupcake or a cupcake a muffin? in my mind it's just a line between "healthy" and not so healthy. then again, I've made muffins with chocolate chips so am I only calling it a muffin because I used oats? and there was also that time i made a cake with a can of soda just to see how it would turn out...but let's not go back to those days.

Carrot cake

(makes 24 "muffins" muffcakes)

1 box spice cake mix

3 eggs

1.5 c finely shredded carrots

3/4 c raisins, golden or regular

1/2 c chopped walnuts

1 c water

Oil spray (for muffin tin)

Line or spray two muffin tins. Preheat oven to 350 F. Mix all ingredients until combined. Scoop 1/4 c into each muffin tin and bake 15-20 minutes or until it presses back lightly when touched (or use the toothpick method).

*This would probably also taste great with toasted coconut added in. If you want it to be more cupcakey, I would suggest adding the oil recommended on the back of the cake mix box, but I like my cakes nice and fluffy and wanted to get my good fats from the walnuts instead of oil. if you want it to be more on the cupcake side, a cream cheese based frosting sprinkled with chopped walnuts would be absolutely delish! i also think putting in a small can of crushed pineapple in place of the water would make this really moist and tasty.

it's decided, they're now known as muffcakes. 

in case you needed some motivation or ideas for dinner- nothing like taking the random veggies from your fridge and making a stir fry. and the smell of onions sauteing is probably one of the best smells in cooking. don't you agree?

NNM!

it's national nutrition month- eat right, your way, every day. not sure what exactly that means, but i'm thinking this is full of nutritious goodness, makes me happy, it's just the "every day" that trips me up. but it's all a work in progress. 

it's another exam week so stress baking/cooking as i "study."

i can't remember how i stumbled on this recipe, probably one day at work killing time before closing. i do like delish's slideshows they have whenever i visit msn. but this recipe is super easy and quick and can really be fiddled with to your hearts content- "your way." if you look at the original recipe and then mine, i made several modifications (for instance i made mine gluten free, but then killed that w/ the bread), go ahead, have some fun!

Tuna Burgers

(serves 5)

Adapted from Delish

Burger

2 cans (5oz) chunk light tuna, not drained

1/2 T chia seeds

1/4 c plus 1 T corn meal

1/4 c plain yogurt

1/2 c finely chopped carrots (I used 3 fat baby carrots)

1/4 cup finely chopped onion

1/2 tsp Old Bay seasoning, divided

EVOO (for cooking)

Garlic "aioli"

1/4 cup plain yogurt

1/4-1/2 tsp mashed garlic

1/4 tsp EVOO

5 whole-wheat hamburger buns, toasted

5 lettuce leaves

5 slices tomato

1 avocado, sliced

5 slices pepper jack cheese

Slices of onion

Soak tuna (with water) in chia seeds for 15 minutes until the seeds become more gelatinous and the liquid is gone. *I'm really only testing this out, if you don't have chia seeds, drain the water and go forth! Add in the other burger ingredients until combined and mixed evenly. Using a 1/3 cup measuring cup, make 5 generous sized scoops and shape into 3" burgers. Heat up a skillet with olive oil and cook burgers about 2 minutes on both sides.  Toast the buns and spread aioli sauce on top and bottom. Layer vegetables and cheese and top with a tuna burger. 

the chips pictured above are from this company. they are cholesterol free, no GMOs, gluten free and peanut free. they are made with a combination of beans, potatoes and rice flour (among other ingredients). i like the texture but it tasted sweeter than i was used to. it might be that it only has 125 mg of sodium per serving. but not bad. they have baked fries and cheese puffs as well which would be fun to try out.

i think black bean brownies has become my staple stress baking go-to. and finally got a shot of them from the bottom! it's so easy to make (i even managed to make it by mashing the beans w/ a fork b/c no one else in the house was awake at 4 and the vitamix would not be very nice) and even if i have a couple pieces i won't feel bad b/c it is so good for you! i tried decreasing the sugar and chocolate chips and increasing the amount of bananas. will let you know how it tastes (waiting until dinner for this goodness).

happy eating, try new things and have fun with recipes :)

sunny days, keeping the clouds away

ever wake up the on the right side of the bed and go for a run and want to eat carrots for breakfast? finally having one of those days :) hello sun! hello warmth (it's calling for a high of almost 50 today, i feel spring coming)! 

it's a shorter work day today (just the museum) so i got up and went to the grocery store. have i mentioned how much i love the grocery store when it's just me and the morning employees restocking shelves? it's like a whole store for me. so grabbed 4 lbs of baby carrots (they were on sale), a huge bag of kale, yogurt and soy milk (silk now makes an organic unsweetened soymilk which only has 1 g of sugar. it does have 4 g of fat but my diet is usually pretty low in that so i'd rather have it richer than sweeter). 

Carrot, Banana, Kale Smoothie (for 1)
1/2 c soymilk
1 heaping spoonful Greek yogurt
1 small handful kale
7-8 baby carrots
1 small banana

Blend it up! I think if you chop up the banana and freeze it first, the smoothie will taste much creamier. 

For those that buy the extra large bag of kale (like me) i just pop the whole bag into the freezer (last time it may have taken me two years to finish the bag...but this time i'm hoping to cut that time to one year:) 

bean me up!

sorry, very corny title, but it's all my brain power can give right now. 

since exams are coming up on monday (eek!) it's time to bake my heart out and pretend, as M likes to say, that i'm about to take an exam in baking. i think i would pass with flying colors!

this is adapted from Oprah by Rocco DiSpirito. i'm all about using stuff in my kitchen and i'm not a fan of splenda, so behold-

Double Chocolate Chip White Bean Cookies (right up there w/ the black bean brownies, eum eum)

Makes about 20

·         Nonstick cooking spray

·         1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

·         1/3 cup sweet cocoa powder (Ghiradelli), sifted

·         1 cup canned white cannellini beans , rinsed and drained

·         2 T maple syrup

·         3 large egg whites

·         1/2 cup granulated sugar (can probably decrease to 1/3-1/4 c)

·         1/2 c semi-sweet chocolate chips, 1/2 of it chopped

Preheat the oven to 375°. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and spray lightly with cooking spray (Make sure to spray even on silpat b/c it will stick!). Set aside.

In the bowl of a food processor, combine vanilla, cocoa, beans, and the maple syrup, and blend the mixture until smooth, about 3 minutes, scraping down the side of the bowl halfway through blending.

In a separate bowl whip the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Gradually beat in the sugar. Continue to beat the whites until they are creamy and nearly stiff. Add one-third of the egg- white mixture to the cocoa bean mixture in the food processor. Blend to combine, about 30 seconds. In 2 batches, fold the lightened cocoa mixture into the egg whites until they are almost fully combined. Add chopped chocolate chips to the batter. Fold batter until chocolate are evenly dispersed and cocoa mixture is completely incorporated.

Drop mounded spoonfuls of batter onto the prepared sheets. Spread batter out to form cookies about 2½ inches in diameter. Sprinkle the chocolate chips on top of the cookies.

Bake for 20 minutes, rotating the pans one turn halfway through baking. Using a metal spatula, transfer cookies to wire racks to cool.

if today is lunar new year, then yesterday was dad's birthday

it was D's bday on saturday, so of course that meant happy cooking and baking. spent almost two hours at wegman's trying to figure out what to cook for his birthday and ended up making a decision on the spot with the help of a handy smartphone (what did people do before smartphones??)

these empanadas are really straight forward and delicious (it might help that there are 16 oz of cream cheese and two sticks of butter in the crust!) used the crust recipe from simply recipes but changed the ingredients of the filling. i made myself a samosa-esque emapanad with a combination of chickpeas, sauteed mushrooms and onions and this new sauce i got from wegman's. chef sahikh's curry sauces are tasty and good for you (low in sodium and minimal ingredients). here's a link to the nutrition info for the jar i got (the hot curry sauce is really not that hot at all). 1/4 cup of the sauce is only 50 calories and 110 mg of sodium. the meat eaters got chorizo, sauteed mushrooms and onions. 

Chorizo empanadas

(made about 25-30, lots of filling leftover)

1 large onion, diced

1 large king oyster mushroom, diced

olive oil

1 T minced garlic

salt and pepper

3 chorizo links, chopped in small pieces

pastry recipe from simply recipes

Follow recipe for pastry dough.

Saute onions and mushrooms in olive oil and add garlic and salt and pepper to taste. Mix in the chopped chorizo. Let cool completely.

Chickpea Indian empanadas

1 large onion, diced

1 king oyster mushroom, diced

olive oil

 1 T minced garlic

salt and pepper

1 can (15 oz) chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1/2 c Chef Shaikh's hot curry sauce

Follow the recipe for the pastry dough. Saute onions and mushrooms in olive oil with garlic and salt and pepper. Combine onions, mushrooms, chickpeas and sauce. Follow empanada recipe.

we got lazy and didn't use a 1/4 of the pastry dough from the empanadas, instead we decided to do our usual bake five million desserts and make a apple pie, minus the bottom crust, b/c really, who likes it when the bottom crust gets all soggy? 

roll out the dough and place over chopped peeled apples that are lightly tossed in cinnamon and sugar. the pastry dough with all the butter and cream cheese was absolutely delicious as a pie top.

this is the mother of all desserts- biscoff ice cream cake. and really, it just came down to mixing vanilla ice cream with biscoff. i love that stuff.

i wish you could taste how good this ice cream cake really was

i don't think you can go wrong with biscoff, but this ice cream cake is absolutely delicious, and it's minimal work but so pretty and melt in your mouth yummy.

Biscoff ice cream cake 
(adapted from two peas in a pod, took out the toffee bits to save D's teeth)

Crust:

1 2/3 cups crushed Biscoff cookies

1 T granulated sugar

4 T unsalted butter (1 stick), melted

*I have a feeling the butter amount for the crust can be decreased

Filling:

1.5 quarts vanilla ice cream, softened

1 cup Biscoff spread

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Topping:

Biscoff cookies, chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Combine the crushed Biscoff cookies, melted butter, and sugar together and press into the bottom and sides of a 10" springform pan. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until firm and set. Let cool completely.

2. Melt the chocolate chips. In a large bowl, mix together the ice cream and Biscoff spread. Swirl in the melted chocolate. Spread the ice cream mixture evenly over the cooled cookie crust. Smooth out the top and sprinkle with chopped Biscoff cookies. Freeze until firm, about 6 hours or overnight.

3. Remove the cake from the freezer and let sit for 5 minutes. Loosen the pan sides and run a knife around the inside. Carefully remove the cake to serve. 

i'm not sure if i mentioned the black bean brownies i had in gmfr in vt, but they were pretty good for being made w/ no butter, flour and with black beans. i finally got around to making it for the family, and i don't know how it happened but this turned out soooo much moister and tastier than i remember it from vt. it's like fudge brownie. maybe it's the banana. i will have to experiment, how terrible :D 

Black bean brownies (9x9)

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

splash of vanilla extract
1/4 c cocoa powder

~3/4 cup sugar

2 eggs

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/8 to 1/4 cup canola oil

1 1/2-2 bananas, sliced (depends how thick this is sliced)

1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray 9x9 pan with canola oil and line w/ sliced banana. Puree all ingredients except the chocolate chips. Mix in the chocolate chips and pour over the bananas. Bake for about 30 minutes or until set.

happy year of the snake!