Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

Have you ever cooked/baked something only because you really wanted to try a new ingredient, or perhaps cook in your new pot or pan, use your brand new ice cream maker, creme brûlée torch, or some other appliance? Well, this muffin was inspired not by an ingredient or a cooking utensil/appliance, but by a beautiful ceramic dish that I wanted to present it in! I was determined to make something pretty to put on this dish as soon as I received it in the mail. A fresh citrusy muffin adorned with little chocolate flowers seemed perfect to go with the lovely red mushroom decoration on the plate.

 

A little bit background on this plate that I’m raving about - My friend Maitreyee makes beautiful ceramic kitchenware & decorative pieces, and she was nice enough to customize this plate for me. You can check out her shop, YayClay (love the name!) on Etsy, or Facebook.

Ingredients: (Makes 18)

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup milk

3 Tbsp lemon juice

1/2 cup sour cream

¼ cup unsweetened applesauce

¼ cup canola oil

1-1¼  cup white sugar

Zest from 2 lemons

1tsp vanilla extract

2 eggs
4 tsp poppy seeds

(Oil + Applesauce can be substituted with ½ cup butter)

 

Preheat oven to 350°F and line a muffin pan with cupcake liners.

 

Sift the flour, baking powder and baking soda in a bowl. Add salt, mix and set aside.

 

In another bowl mix milk, lemon juice and sour cream, and set aside.

 

In a large bowl, cream together oil, applesauce, sugar, vanilla extract and lemon zest. Add eggs and beat well. Alternately add the flour mixture and the wet ingredients, mixing gently as you fold in the flour. Do not overbeat. Fold in poppy seeds.

 

Pour batter into the lined muffin tin (~¾ full), and bake in preheated oven for ~20-25 minutes until golden brown in color with tops that bounce back when touched.

 

If you want to get a little fancy and add a glaze, mix ½ cup powdered sugar with just enough lemon juice (or milk/water) to get a thick paste. It only takes a couple teaspoons of liquid. Spread or drizzle the glaze on the muffin while it is still warm. Sprinkle some lemon zest and poppy seeds on top for a beautiful presentation and an extra boost of citrus flavor.

~Gayatri

 

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Guacamole

Guacamole is the best Mexican condiment. Actually, forget the qualifier...guacamole is pretty much awesome no matter what you’re eating, and unless it’s loaded with salt, it’s quite nutritious for you! The primary ingredient is avocado, a delicious, versatile and healthy fruit, containing a good source of healthy fats (helping boost HDL - the good cholesterol) and dietary fiber, as well as numerous vitamins. Avocados can be used as a fat substitute in a variety of ways - think spreads (like cream cheese, mayonnaise, other dressings) or as a filling for deviled eggs. And, of course, as a dip! Guacamole is a much healthier alternative to your typical dips loaded with mayonnaise, cheese, or sour cream.

The great thing about guacamole is that you really don’t need a set recipe! It’s so easy to make and can be totally modified to your personal taste. It’s pretty much just mashed avocados with some extras for taste and texture - onions, cilantro, garlic, tomatoes, salt, pepper, or a variety of other spices. You can even add some heat by throwing in some cayenne pepper or chopped jalapenos! Everyone has their own favorite concoction - here’s one that’s served me well.

Ingredients: (~2 cups)

2 ripe avocados

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

1-2 TBSP lime juice

~1 TBSP onion, finely chopped

1-2 TBSP tomato, finely chopped (about half of a Roma tomato) - optional

~1 TBSP cilantro, chopped

Salt, fresh ground pepper to taste

Slice the avocados in half lengthwise and remove the pits. Scoop the avocado meat into a bowl and mash. Add garlic, onion, tomato, cilantro, and lime juice and mix well. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Garnish with fresh cilantro and serve up as a delicious dip for chips or with your favorite Mexican dish, such as enchiladas or quesadillas (recipe coming soon!).

~Karla

Other dishes you might like having guacamole with:
Chicken and Spinach Enchiladas
Roasted Corn Quesadilla
Vegetarian Enchiladas with Sour Cream Sauce

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Coconut Crusted Tofu

Tofu is inherently not a very tasty ingredient on it’s own, so whether I like any tofu dish depends on the preparation. The ingredients that the tofu is cooked with as well as the method of cooking have the power to greatly alter the simple (fairly bland) tofu and convert it into a flavorful and texturally pleasing dish. I’m continuously exploring different ways to cook tofu with ingredients that complement each other and elevate this plant-based protein to new levels. Some of my favorite recipes are listed at the bottom of this post.

Today’s tofu preparation is not just crispy, tasty and healthy, it’s beautiful green color is also pleasing to the eye. This recipe uses a creamy cilantro and yogurt marinade that gives it a slight tang along with an earthy freshness from the cilantro much like an Indian chutney. The marinated tofu takes a quick dip in dessicated coconut before being pan roasted for additional flavor and a crispy exterior.

Ingredients: (Makes 16 pieces)

1 block (14 oz) of extra firm tofu

1 cup dessicated shredded coconut

For marinade:

½ cup packed fresh cilantro

3 Tbsp thick yogurt

2-3 Tbsp water

½ tsp turmeric powder (optional, but recommended for it’s anti-inflammatory properties)

Salt (to taste)

½ green chili pepper (optional)

½ tsp honey (optional)

Drain the tofu block and slice lengthwise about ½ inch thick. Cut it further into triangles or squares based on your preference. I got 16 triangular pieces from one block of tofu. Using paper towels gently squeeze out as much water as possible from the tofu slices.

Make the marinade by combining all ingredients and pureeing in a blender or food processor. Add water a tablespoon at a time until you get a thin paste. Coat the tofu pieces with the marinade and let them sit for at least half hour (preferably longer). Cook the tofu with the marinate in the microwave on high for 5-8 minutes until marinade is reduced but still not completely dry (alternatively you could bake it at 400 F for ~15 minutes). This step helps make the tofu firmer.

Spread the dessicated coconut on a plate. Press down a piece of the tofu in the coconut, flip it and coat the other side as well.

Cook the coated tofu in a nonstick pan over low heat until the coconut is golden brown, then flip and cook the other side. You could use some oil if desired, but the combination of low heat and non-stick pan could let you get by without any oil.

Serve warm with your favorite dipping sauce, or thin out some marinade to make a sauce! This tofu can also be served over a bed of rice or salad drizzled with some marinade as a dressing. To add a sweet and sour component, serve it with this delicious mango relish!

~Gayatri

Other tofu recipes you might like:

Lemon pepper tofu

Baked tofu in soy sauce marinade

Cauliflower tofu gratin

Crispy tofu spinach bites

Crispy tofu in peanut-based marinade

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Baked Chicken Mini-Empanadas

One of the fun things about cooking is figuring out what to do with various leftovers that at first glance don’t appear to go together at all. Being adventurous with how you mix all those seemingly unrelated ingredients can turn out delectable results...but just as often you might think Wow, I’ll never try that again! On a recent forage into my refrigerator, I happened across some leftover barbecue chicken, brown rice, cheese sticks, and pie crusts. What to do? Previously, I had made these siopao snacks with barbecue chicken, but I didn’t have any biscuits. The pie crust made me think of strudel, but the chicken would have barely filled one. However, the idea of stuffed pie crust led me to think of a childhood favorite - the pasty, pronounced PASS-tee. A hearty filling surrounded by a pastry crust - yum! Then I thought, why not make miniature versions? And then I thought Ooh, maybe I’ll call it an empanada...sounds fancier! The two dishes could actually be considered cousins, as they both are essentially dough or pastry stuffed with a variety of meat, cheese, vegetables, etc., with pasties originating from Cornwall, England, and empanadas originating from Portugal and Spain. Pasties are baked, while empanadas can be baked or fried. Bolstering my resolve to consider these treats as empanadas is the fact that pasties typically contain vegetables - which I did not have. So, “empanada” it was!

Ingredients: (makes ~18 empanadas)

~1 cup chicken, cooked and shredded

~½ cup cooked rice

~¼ cup shredded cheese (I had a Colby-Jack cheese stick, which turned out to be about ¼ cup after it was chopped up to small pieces)

2 9” pie crusts

1 egg

Heat oven to 350°F.

Mix chicken, rice, and cheese together. Roll out pie crusts, and cut them each into thirds both vertically and horizontally.

In a small bowl, whisk the egg. Brush egg along the edges of each piece of pie crust to help seal the empanadas. Place ~1 TBSP of the chicken mixture on each piece, then fold the dough over diagonally and pinch the sides together. Use fork tines to crimp and seal.

Place on a parchment  lined baking sheet and brush tops with egg.

Bake ~20 min until golden brown. Let cool before munching...you might have a hard time stopping with just one!

 

~Karla

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Cherry Chocolate Smoothie

Smoothies  don’t really need recipes, just guidelines :). I often go with whatever fruits, veggies that I have in my fridge (and sometimes what I need to finish up so it won’t go bad!), mix and match the with a base such as yogurt, milk, water, juice etc. and adjust the quantities until it tastes good. Recently I bought some beautiful cherries at a farmers’ market - only to realize later that those were sour cherries. Given my aversion to anything sour, I was in a pickle as to how I’d get through all of those cherries. Adding them (along with a bunch of sugar!) to a baked treat such as pie was my obvious choice, but that takes a bit of effort and I was feeling quite lazy that weekend. A fairly heavy Sunday lunch called for a smoothie dinner, and the first thing I saw in my fridge was the carton of beautiful bright cherries. I decided to brace myself and make a sour cherry smoothie - hoping I wouldn’t need to sweeten it too much with sugar/honey or other fruit. I used yogurt to thicken it and get my protein fix, and added cocoa powder for additional flavor. Surprisingly even with the yogurt and sour cherries, I was able to get by with just a little bit of honey.

This sweet and slightly tangy smoothie was so delicious that I ended up using all of the cherries making variations of the same recipe! The basic recipe is given here, but it works well with the addition of several other ingredients including protein powders, flaxseed, almonds and chia seeds. So, go crazy with your favorite add-ins but do give this refreshing smoothie a try this summer. I’m sure I’ll be buying more cherries just to make more smoothies!

Ingredients: (Serves 1)

½ cup pitted cherries (I used sour cherries)

½ cup thick yogurt (I used 2% Fage yogurt)

1-2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder (depending on your chocolate liking and quality of cocoa)

½ - 1 tsp honey (optional)

Ice cubes or water as needed to get the desired consistency

Blend all ingredients and adjust quantities to taste if necessary. Serve chilled!

~Gayatri

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Sauteed Broccolini

Broccoli is almost a staple in my kitchen, and gets used many different ways. But on days when I just want to fix a quick dinner, my go-to recipe is to saute it with different spices for a variety in flavor. For a change, I decided to get a little fancy and bought some broccolini instead of reaching out for broccoli at the grocery store. The tender stems of broccolini are just as delicious (and nutritious) as the florets. A quick saute with garlic and lemon juice was all it needed to make the fresh broccolini a lovely side dish. I decided to take the flavor up a notch with some pine nuts and Feta cheese. Not only did it help the taste, it also really enhanced the textures of this simple dish.

Ingredients: (Serves ~4)

8 oz broccolini - thick stems removed.

1 tsp lemon juice (adjust to taste)

2 cloves of garlic - minced

1 Tbsp pine nuts

1-2 Tbsp crumbled Feta cheese

Salt (optional - I didn’t use any as Feta cheese was salty)

Ground black pepper (optional)

½ tsp oil for sauteeing

Heat oil in a pan over medium heat. Add garlic and saute for a few seconds until fragrant. Add broccolini, stir to coat with garlic and cover and cook for a couple minutes. Remove lid, add lemon juice, salt and pepper, stir and cover for another minute until broccolini starts browning. Add pine nuts, and saute uncovered for a couple minutes until the broccolini has softened to your liking. Remove from heat and stir in Feta cheese. Serve warm as a side.

~Gayatri

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Cashew Date Bars

I LOVE cashews - they are by far my favorite type of nut. It is always dangerous to keep cashews in the house because I will inevitably over-indulge in them and finish half the container in one sitting! I figure since they are one of the healthier nuts to eat, and since we rarely get cashews (they can be quite expensive!), a cashew-binge every once in a while won’t hurt in the long run.

But, as some binges go, there is regret after - regret that I didn’t have the fortitude to make the cashews last longer! Making trail mix sometimes helps, but I’m just as likely to scarf that down as I am plain cashews. Then I was introduced to the amazing idea of a cashew cookie bar (Nakd and Larabar are two popular brands), in which pulverized cashews and dates are smashed together to form a delicious (and healthy!) snack. These treats can also be a bit pricey, so (as with many things here on our blog) I set out to make my own. I added some cocoa powder, which helped tone down the sweetness of the dates, and a little vanilla extract to maintain the moisture balance which helps the bars keep their shape. The result was a tasty, healthy treat I could feel good about eating - and since the dates are quite dense and nutrient-packed (good source of potassium, magnesium, and dietary fiber), a little goes a long way to satisfy both my cashew cravings and my sweet tooth!

Ingredients:

~1 cup raw cashews

~2 cups dates, pitted and chopped

~2 TBSP unsweetened cocoa powder

~1 tsp vanilla extract

Place all ingredients together in a food processor and process until you get a nice homogenous mixture. If the mixture is too wet or dry, adjust the amount of nuts or fruit as desired.

Line a flat-bottomed container with plastic wrap and pour in the mixture, and pack it down firmly.

Refrigerate for at least half an hour to help it set, then cut it into bars of desired size. If you have other types of moulds (for cookies or candies) you could also use those, pressing the mixture firmly into the moulds for a variety of shapes.

Keep bars refrigerated until ready to eat. Enjoy with a cup of coffee or tea!

~Karla

Other recipes you might like: cashew date smoothie

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