Ode to Cafe Barrone

Feeling like a paper-writing cowboy on the wild frontier of term paper number 3? I know I am. Well, I don't really write term papers anymore.  Now I write articles, and soon I will never write a paper again (with any luck).  But I will be studying up a storm from now until forever and these work for that too.    I embarked on this recipe because there is a cafe down the street from where I live that has them.  They are huge and wonderful.
Goodbye Barrone, I had 7 years of cookies from your kitchen and loved every one of them.

Bowl of paper writing/ studying fuel and love (handles).

INGREDIENTS
2 cups all-purpose white flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
Generous 1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup (1 stick plus 2 2/3 tablespoons) unsalted butter, slightly softened
1/2 cup white vegetable shortening
1 1/3 cups packed light brown sugar
2/3 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
2 cups corn flakes, crushed
1 1/4 cups (5 ounces) chopped pecans
1 1/4 cups (about 3 1/2 ounces) shredded or flaked sweetened coconut
2 cups chocolate chips, use both dark and milk!!

PREPARATION

The most beautiful dough you have ever seen.

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease several baking sheets or coat with nonstick spray.

In a medium bowl, thoroughly stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside. 

Cream together the butter and shortening until lightened. 

Add the brown sugar and sugar and cream until fluffy and smooth. 

Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until evenly incorporated. 

Stir in the flour mixture until evenly incorporated. Stir in the oats, corn flakes, pecans, and coconut until evenly incorporated. This gets kinda difficult.  Power through and have faith.  The calories you burn during this portion of the process means you can have more cookies later-- a plus for making these on your own.  Let the dough stand for 5 to 10 minutes, or until firmed up slightly.

Shape portions of the dough into generous golf-ball-sized balls-- and when I say golf ball, I mean pool ball-- with lightly greased hands. Place on the baking sheets, spacing about 3 inches apart. Using your hand, pat down the balls until about 1/3 inch thick.

Bake the cookies, one sheet at a time, in the upper third of the oven for 8 to 11 minutes, or until tinged with brown and just beginning to firm up in the centers; be careful not to overbake. Transfer the sheet to a wire rack and let stand until the cookies firm up slightly, about 3 minutes. Using a spatula, transfer the cookies to wire racks. Let stand until completely cooled.

Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 1 month.

Kale Fried Rice

Ever Wonder what to do with all that dry looking left over brown rice? 

Well wonder no more my friend.  Kale fried rice is the answer. 

Kale Fried Rice, adapted, but really no longer even really related to Gweneth Paltrow's kale fried rice

INGREDIENTS

Your left over brown rice (I had about 3 cups so I will just give you the amounts that I used)

kale-- cut into ribbons then chopped 

5 green onions, from about halfway up the stock to the white tip

2 cloves garlic

3 eggs

3 tbsp vegetable oil

1/8 cup soy sauce (or just pour some in to taste)

salt and pepper to taste

PREPARATION

Steam the kale about 7 minutes or until the color has changed and the leaves are wilted. 

Heat oil in a large pan and add the garlic.  Don't brown it.
After about a minute, add the steamed kale and fresh chopped green onion into the skillet and cook for about 3 minutes until the garlic and onion is fragrant and the kale is tender.
I know this is a little bit of a pain but set the mixture aside.
Beat the eggs together and make sure the rice is out and the clumps are broken up (you may need to use you hands for this).
Add a little more oil to the pan.  Once heated, pour the egg in and immediately pour in the rice and soy sauce.  Add the steamed kale mixture on top.
Stir!  Cook about 4 minutes this way.  I like to let the bottom brown a little so there are some crispy clumps. 

We had it vegetarian-style with a side of brussel sprouts.  If you are eating meat, I would recommend chicken.  You could even make some on the side and mix it in in the last few moments. If you're doing it that way, add some fresh peas in when you are sauteing the garlic and kale mixture, then you have an all-in-one meal.

Almond Cake (and almond paste)

ALMOND PASTE, thanks to the blog Two Tarts for the recipe! Great blog; you should check out their beautiful recipes and photos.
INGREDIENTS
3 cups raw almonds (not roasted, or the blanching step will not work correctly)
3 cups powdered sugar
2 egg whites
PREPARATION
Heat a big pot of water to boiling.  Dump 3 cups of almonds into the boiling water and boil for one minute.  Drain immediately and let cool for a few minutes before peeling their loose brown skins off.  Discard skins.-- this takes a little time.  Fun to do with a friend... or with a glass of wine.
Re-measure the 3 cups of blanched almonds to make sure you have exactly 3 cups - since the almonds expand when you blanch them you may have a few left over.  Place the almonds in a food processor and run until the almonds are broken down into very very tiny pieces – 1-2 minutes.
Next add the 3 cups of powdered sugar and let run for another 1-2 minutes.  You want this mixture to be super finely ground so you may need to let the processor run for a little so that you get the right consistency. 
Only once you get to the right consistency (super fine), add the 2 eggs white and process until fully incorporated.  Store in airtight containers in the refrigerator for a week.  You can also freeze any excess for a few months.

ALMOND CAKE
INGREDIENTS
1 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
7 oz almond paste (a scant 1 cup)
1 1/4 c sugar
2 1/2 sticks butter (1/2 lb + 4 Tbsp)
1 tsp vanilla extract
6 eggs
PREPARATION

Butter a 9-inch round cake pan thoroughly and line the bottom with parchment.  This cake tends to stick, so don’t skip the parchment step! Note the little handle action I had going on.  This made for a really easy move from pan to plate.


Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl.

In a food processor (or in another large mixing bowl if you’re up for a workout) whip the almond paste & sugar together until it’s in very fine pieces.

Add the butter and beat it together with the almond paste and sugar until it is light and fluffy. 

Beat in the vanilla, then the eggs. 

Finally, add the dry ingredients in to the wet, bit by bit, until fully combined.

Bake at 325 for 1 hour and 15 minutes.  Let cool completely before turning out and slicing.

I topped with some melted baking chocolate.  I like using just melted chocolate because it makes a hardened shell on top and it's not too sweet.  

Mustard- Dill Salmon

You know when you are out to dinner and the sauce is so good that you have to use bread to sop it up lest you waste a precious bit of it? (could you hear my voice rising as I wrote that sentence out?)  This sauce is one of those sauces.  It's incredible on salmon... or your finger.

INGREDIENTS
2/3 cup white-wine vinegar
1 cup Dijon mustard
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 cups vegetable oil
freshly ground black pepper to taste
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill sprigs

PREPARATION

In a bowl whisk together vinegar, mustard, and brown sugar. Whisk in oil in a stream until emulsified and season with pepper and salt. Mixture may be made 3 days ahead and chilled, covered. Bring mixture to room temperature and whisk before proceeding. Transfer 3/4 cup mixture to a small bowl and stir in soy sauce to make glaze. Whisk dill into remaining mixture to make sauce.

Simply sprinkle some kosher salt and crush some fresh black pepper on the salmon.  Pan saute it on both sides so that you get a nice crunchy-ness on it.  Spoon (or ladle, whatevs) the sauce on top.  Eat.

Have some left over sauce against all odds? Make these for dinner tomorrow.

Dijon-Dill Brussel Sprouts
INGREDIENTS
Brussel sprouts
The sauce from heaven
PREPARATION
Halve the sprouts and place and a baking pan lined with foil.  Best if this pan has sides. 
Drizzle on the sauce and stir until the sprouts are all evenly covered. 
Bake at 350-400 degrees until they are golden brown. 

These are a sweet and delicious side dish.  Best served with a salty entree.  Pulled pork sounds great... (salty).

Herb and Cheese Quinoa Patties

This is a twist on a Heidi Swanson recipe adapted by two chefs in Colorado whose blog is awesome (thanks Molly).  Great for hors d'oeuvres, a side in meal, or lunch the next day! We thought that you could make a few alterations: add more herbs, more cheese.  :)

Spring Herb and Cheese Quinoa Patties
Ingredients
Yield is 8-10 patties
2 cups cooked quinoa (about 3/4 c. dry)
2 eggs
3 Tbsp chopped green onion
2 Tbsp chopped mint
3 Tbsp chopped parsley
1/2 c. grated strong cheese – gruyere
1/2 c. grated parmisan
1/2 c. bread crumbs
1/4 tsp salt
Preparation
Combine everything but the quinoa in a large bowl and mix well.  Fold in the cooked quinoa until it’s fully incorporated and the mixture is even.You may need to add a little bit more egg or water to make sure that it is most enough.
Heat a large frying pan, with a drizzle of oil to coat, to medium high.
Using a spoon and your hands, form approx 2” patties with the quinoa mix and plop them into the hot frying pan.
Cook each side for approx 3 minutes, or until golden brown.  Don’t disturb them for the first minute or two to prevent them from falling apart!  Flip, and cook the other side for an additional 3-ish minutes, or until both sides are golden brown.
Serve with more freshly grated cheese on top.

G is for Girl and Granola

Sorry for the hiatus... wrapping up an anatomy class, a grant application and two manuscripts... But I'm back! 

I went down to LA for my sister's baby shower (it's a girl!) last weekend and we made granola for yogurt parfaits.  It's bomb.  Thanks Chantal for introducing me to this recipe! 


Lightly sweet and perfectly crunchy.  We added extra nuts (almonds and pecans) to give it more body. I know what I'm eating for breakfast for the next three months!
 

(Raw Food Cookie) Dough Balls

In honor of a task rabbit post I was made aware of this weekend... (this one's for you, Rabbit of the Week).

Healthy, Raw Food Dough Balls
INGREDIENTS
2/3 cup raw almonds
2/3 cup raw walnuts
2/3 cup raw oat flakes (see note below)
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp sea salt
1/4 cup raw agave nectar
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
3 tbsp cacao nibs or dark chocolate chips

PREPARATION
In a food processor, process the almonds, walnuts, oats, cinnamon and salt to a fine meal.
Add the agave nectar and vanilla and process to combine.
Next, add the cocoa nibs (or chocolate chips) and pulse just to combine.
Roll the cookie dough into balls (about 1 tbsp each) and place them on a cookie pan lined with parchment paper. Place the pan in the freezer for about an hour to firm up. Store balls in a tightly covered container in the freezer.

I know that they look a little funny but they are SO yummy.  Plus they are really easy to whip up and I think they are an awesome snack.