Poco-Cocoa

I like to bake, but it usually results lots of wasted sweets that me and Justin just can’t finish. Enter the coworker. My coworkers LOVE sweets, thank goodness. I always feel just a little bad, inundating them with sugary goodness, wrecking their healthy eating plans, but I make myself feel better by thinking that at least they’re getting something homemade. Out with Krispy Kremes, in with banana nut bread.

One of my coworkers requested something a bit healthier for her birthday sweet (I always bring in whatever dessert they request for birthdays…yes, they’re spoiled), and I immediately thought of this recipe. I’ll be baking it tomorrow night for her, in the shape of mini-muffins, and with the addition of craisins instead of chocolate chips. I love recipes that are versatile enough to allow for me to toss in whatever I feel like having at the moment.

And now, for your snacking pleasure, Banana Nut Bread. With chocolate chips. And cinnamon.

Random fun link: The Pioneer Woman Cooks, a fabulously beautiful blog about cooking plain-old American goodness. She makes Lawry’s seasoned salt seem gourmet.

Banana-Nut Bread

• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup applesauce
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup mashed bananas
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts

(Optional add-ins: 1/2 cup chocolate chips, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 cup craisins or dried cherries…)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Beat eggs, applesauce, and sugar with a mixer at medium speed until pale yellow. Add dry ingredients alternately with bananas to mixture. Mix at medium speed until well blended. Pour into greased or sprayed loaf pan. Bake 40 to 50 minutes, until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Let cool in pan 10 minutes before turning out on a rack to cool completely.

Note: When I add cinnamon to the batter, I also sprinkle the top of the loaf with cinnamon-sugar before baking.

Makes 1 loaf.

Source: poco-cocoa.

I don’t have much to say today except that smoked paprika is one of the best things on the planet.

Random fun link: The Sartorialist, where you can admire beautiful photography and fabulous fashion.

Roast Chicken Breasts with Garbanzo Beans, Tomatoes, and Paprika

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt
• 4 chicken breast halves with bones
• 1 (15-ounce) can garbanzo beans (chickpeas) drained
• 1 (12-ounce) container cherry tomatoes
• 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro, divided

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Mix first 5 ingredients in medium bowl. Pour 1 teaspoon spiced oil mixture into a small bowl; whisk in yogurt and set aside (this is the sauce for later).

Place chicken on a large rimmed baking sheet. Rub 2 tablespoons spiced oil mixture over chicken. Add beans, tomatoes, and 1/2 cup cilantro to remaining spiced oil mixture; toss to coat. Pour bean mixture around chicken. Sprinkle everything generously with salt and pepper.

Roast until chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup cilantro. Transfer chicken to plates. Spoon bean mixture over. Serve with yogurt sauce.

Makes 4 servings.

Source: epicurious

We had our friends Chad & Lindsay over for dinner a few nights ago, and we decided to do a dippy night. Or, rather, I decided that, and Justin cooked it all.

It’s been hard to hand over the reins in the kitchen…I’m so used to cooking everything, and feeling the satisfaction afterward of a delicious meal, made by my own hands. But now, with me at work all day and Justin at home freelancing, the chores end up on his plate, including cooking. He does a great job with it, and it’s so nice to come home and find dinner almost ready…but it still makes me a little sad. I think part of it is that I enjoy cooking, and I’m proud of my creations in the kitchen. And part of it is just feeling a little guilty, knowing that I didn’t have to do a thing to enjoy these wonderful meals. It must be that nurturing need, some deeply buried instinct. Or something.

Anyway. The dippy stuff. All three of these recipes were great, though the hummus was the real standout. It was just a little different from your average hummus, with a strong cumin kick. The zucchini was also delicious, served barely warm and scooped up in a toasted pita. And the tabbouleh was also nice, minty, with a welcome bite from the radishes.

But if you try any of these, seriously. Try the hummus.

Random fun link: Indian Street Graphics on flickr. So bright and inspiring.

Spring Tabbouleh

• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt, plus more to taste
• 1 cup medium or fine bulgur wheat
• 1 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
• 1 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh chives
• 4 or 5 radishes, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

In a medium saucepan over high heat, bring 1 1/4 cups of water and the 1/2 teaspoon salt to a boil. Stir in the bulgur and simmer, covered, for 30 seconds. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside for 20 minutes. Transfer the bulgur to a serving bowl, fluff with a fork, and let cool.

When the bulgur has cooled, stir in the mint, parsley, chives and radishes. Add the lemon juice and oil and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Gently stir in the tomatoes and serve.

Makes 4 servings.

Adapted from Fresh Food Fast by Peter Berley.

Lemon Walnut Hummus

• 1/2 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained, liquid reserved
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
• Pinch of coarse salt or to taste

In a small skillet over medium heat, toast the walnuts for 2 to 3 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally to ensure even browning. Transfer the nuts to a sieve to cool.

Add the cumin and coriander seeds to the skillet and toast for 30 seconds. Transfer to a mortar and pestle, add the cayenne pepper, and grind to a powder.

In a food processor, combine the chickpeas, oil, lemon juice, garlic, ground spices, and salt.

Rub the walnuts against a sieve over the sink to remove most of their papery skins. Add the skinned walnuts to the processor, and puree until smooth. Add chickpea liquid, 1 tablespoon at a time, if the hummus is thicker than you like. Season with additional salt if needed.

Makes 2 cups

Adapted from Fresh Food Fast by Peter Berley.

Zucchini Puree with Tomatoes

• 1 pound zucchini, cut into thick slices
• 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 pound plum tomatoes, coarsely chopped
• 6 garlic cloves, sliced
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley

Boil the zucchini in salted water until tender. Drain and chop, then press in a colander or strainer to remove most of the liquid. Mash with a fork and set aside.

In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil and add tomatoes and garlic. Cook over medium heat until tomatoes have softened and garlic begins to color. Season with salt and pepper. Add zucchini puree, parsley, and remaining olive oil and mix well. Season with additional salt and pepper, if needed.

Makes 4 servings

Adapted from Arabesque by Claudia Roden.

Ah, spring. I just love it! Not as much as I love the fall, but it will do. Here in Austin it’s been balmy and cloudy, with cool breezes and chilly mornings. It’s unreal…I know that soon it will be unbelievably hot, and I’ll want to stay inside with the air conditioner and iced water at hand, but for now, I’m enjoying sitting outside in the cool air.

We missed berry picking this year…we usually try to go in March or early April, but this year, we were in Boston. Such a short time there, but so life-changing! It wasn’t quite spring there…I still bundled up in coat and boots and gloves and scarf and hat to walk to work, but there was hope. And now we’re here in Austin, in the last bit of spring, too late for local berries.

Thank goodness for supermarkets. I love my local produce as much as anyone, but I’m so glad to have access to fresh strawberries, and peas, and asparagus.

Asparagus! I knew this post had a point. I decided it was a good time for cream of asparagus soup, so we made some. It was much easier than I thought it would be, and was quite tasty. I think next time I’d use some vegetable broth to replace some of the water, as I felt it was missing some depth. But the flavor of the asparagus shone through, slightly bitter and very, very green.

We had some bread and cheese on the side…toasted bread smeared with my new favorite thing, Laughing Cow Light Swiss Wedges…yum.

Random fun thing: Indexed, a blog on index cards. So very smart.

Cream of Asparagus Soup

• 1 1/2 tablespoons butter
• 3/4 cup coarsely chopped shallots (about 3 large)
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 pounds asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
• Coarse salt
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add shallots and thyme; cook until shallots are soft, about 5 minutes. Add flour; cook until incorporated, stirring constantly, about 1 minute.

Add asparagus and 3 cups water; season generously with salt. Cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover, and simmer, until asparagus is bright green and just tender, 2 to 4 minutes.

Working in batches, puree the soup in a blender until very smooth. (To prevent splattering, fill the blender only halfway, and allow heat to escape: Remove the cap from the hole in the lid, and cover the lid with a dish towel.) Stir in cream and lemon juice.

Makes 4 servings.

Source: Everyday Food: Great Food Fast.