You put polenta in what??

Jeez louise. another oopsie (don't ask...), a cold, and a not quite fabulous attempt at baking... today was a real winner :-P I've had this recipe in my "to-try" pile for quite some time (the page said June 2005), but when Sabrina chose polenta for this week's BSI, I knew just what I was going to make! I haven't cooked much with polenta (tried it for the first time last year), so I didn't come up with one myself. Instead, this one's from Fitness of all places... Chocolate Polenta Cake!! I mean come on, a dessert with 120 calories and 4g protein per serving? Not that i didn't have two... oops :)

looks like someone didn't fold things together all that well!

Ok, so the recipe... a little strange, as it has you beat egg whites and eggs... together... i don't think i did this step long enough, but i was tired (i think this why mine was kinda flat). But it tasted good so that's all that matters! Not too dense or too chocolaty, almost reminded me of a souffle? (I question that b/c i don't think i've had too many of those, either :)) Ok, without further ado:

what a lovely fuzzy picture

Chocolate Polenta Cake
Fitness, June 2005

1c plus 2T skim milk
2 1/2T polenta

2/3c semi-sweet choc chips

3T sugar
2 large eggs
4 large egg whites

1T unsweetened applesauce
1/2t baking powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In medium saucepan, over hi heat, bring milk to a boil then whisk in polenta (watch this if you really do have it on hi heat milk will boil over quickly!!). Lower heat and whisk constantly for 3-5min, until thickened. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

In med saucepan, melt choclate over very low heat. Stir in polenta mixture, then set aside. (I actually did this in a double broiler b/c of the next step--I just swapped out bowls)

In a bowl over simmering water, whisk together eggs, egg whites, and sugar until warm (you don't want to cook them!) Remove from heat and beat on hi until mixture is 6-8 times original volume.

Stir applesauce into chocolate mixture and mix well. Fold 1/5 of egg mixture into chocolate. Sprinkle with baking powder and gently combine. Slowly fold in remaining egg mixture 1/3 at a time. Pour batter into 8" square baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake for 25-30min. Cool on a wire rack.

When life gives you beans...

... roast them! Really? Yes, really! I'm a huge fan of roasting veggies, but had never thought about beans in the same way until I came across this recipe. It was delicious, and I was sold!


Another gift of the farm, I came home with a VERY large bag of yellow beans. They were pretty hefty in size, so I gave them a quick boil (just a couple of minutes) to make sure they cooked before they burned. You can add anything you'd like; this time I threw in some garlic cloves and shallots (be sure not to slice them like i did the first time, they'll be done much faster than the beans! i used chunks about the size of my garlic cloves). With green beans, definately throw in some red pepper slices if you have them (again, slice them about the same size as your green beans). Season with a little salt and pepper, transfer them to a baking sheet, and roast away! I'm usually not wanting to dirty another bowl, so I just mix it all on the pan. And you can set the oven anywhere from 400-450. I was a bit afraid of setting off the fire alarm in my new place (not the way I want to meet my neighbors!), so I opted to turn it down halfway through cooking. Time it takes will depend on the thickness of your beans... I think mine took ~30min. Delish!! I love the ones that got nice and browned :) They are definately better the night you make them, they lose that little crispy-ness in the fridge. Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Pot Roast

I am a pot roast virgin. I've never made it before and it isn't something my mother made often but I have eaten it and I've wanted to make it for a long time. I decided that this fall I'm going to try to use my slow cooker more often. It's so nice to come home from work to a kitchen that smells like I've been there cooking all day without having to do any watching or stirring. So this morning I prepared my crock pot for some pot roast. In hindsight, I can laugh at what I must have looked like rushing to get dinner started and get dressed and ready for work at the same time. It resulted in a cut finger and the smoke alarm blaring which means I'll need to do some preparing the night before the next time I make this. I may have rushed around but when I came home I was nice and relaxed and ready to enjoy my dinner. I have only one complaint and it's not with the recipe but just something that comes with using a slow cooker....I could not make the gravy in the crock. I took all the meat out and the potatoes, added my thickeners (tried three different methods) and it just did not thicken up to a gravy like consistency. I took out the juice and added it to a small pot and put the heat up, within minutes I had a delicious thick gravy (Dad, you would approve!) I assume that the crock pot does not get hot enough for the liquid to boil and that's why it didn't thicken. If anyone has any tips for this I would love to hear them!

I found the recipe just by searching for healthy slow cooker pot roast recipes. This recipe was found at about.com I searched for healthy recipes because most of the ones I found contained canned gravy or condensed soup. Although I'm sure those would taste equally delicious it's just not what I was going for.

Give this recipe a try, it's definitely a keeper in our house!

Crock Pot Pot Roast Dinner

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp. flour
1 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. dried thyme leaves
1-1/2 lb. boneless beef top round, cut into 6 pieces
1 Tbsp. olive oil
4 potatoes, peeled, cut into chunks
16 oz. pkg. baby carrots
14 oz. can ready to serve beef broth
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp. cornstarch

Preparation:

Combine flour, salt, pepper, and thyme in small bowl and coat beef with this mixture. Cook beef pieces in olive oil in a nonstick skillet for 2-3 minutes on each side to brown. Set aside.

Combine potatoes, carrots and onion in 3-4 quart slow cooker. Place meat on vegetables. Pour beef broth and Worcestershire sauce over meat. Cover crock pot and cook on low for 8-10 hours until beef is tender.

Remove meat and vegetables from crock pot and place on serving platter. Cover with foil to keep warm and place in slow oven.

Combine rest of broth and the cornstarch in a small bowl and mix well with wire whisk. Add to liquid in crock pot, turn to high and cook for 10-15 minutes until gravy is thickened.

Serve with beef and vegetables. 6 servings

Greens and Beans

As I sit here RICE-ing my knee, I thought I'd tell you guys about another way I used up that swiss chard from the farm... Garlicky beans and greens, brought to you by Amy over at Eggs on Sunday. I kept the red chard to contrast with the white beans, and it made for a pretty sight :)


I ate these as is, but they'd also be good tossed with some pasta, nice and creamy! Are you ready for winter yet? just kidding, swiss chard just seems more of a winter green... Night all :)

Chicken with Apple Cider Gravy

Fall is finally here!!! That makes me happy because fall is my favorite season! I love the cooler weather, the warmer clothes and beautiful colors...not to mention the best foods! I would take soup or stew over something on the grill anyday! To celebrate the season, I decided to make a dish that reminded me of fall. I found the recipe for Chicken with Apple Cider Gravy on Every Day with Rachael Ray. The recipe was written to include two sides, rice pilaf and string beans.

The recipe is definitely a keeper although I did make some very minor adjustments to suit our tastes.

• I used chicken cutlets instead of breasts (next time I will just pound out some breasts because these were too thin and they didn't get good color b/c I was afraid they would dry out, they seemed to be thinner than usual.
• I boiled the string beans and seasoned them with extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper and left out the scallions.
• The reserved scallions were used in the rice and in the gravy which worked out very well.
• I added one teaspoon of butter to the gravy at the very end. It cut the tanginess of the cider a little.

The flavor of the cider gravy reminded me of the sweet yet tangy flavor of capers. It was sweet but not too sweet. I really liked it. I wouldn't consider this rice pilaf, it was very creamy, more like cheesy rice but I did enjoy it. Steve didn't love the rice as much as I did.

Just in case you didn't follow the link above, here's the recipe!

Chicken with Apple Gravy, Rice Pilaf and Green Beans

Rachael Ray

From Every Day with Rachael Ray

October 2007

Serves 4

Ingredients
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
1 1/2 cups long-grain white rice
3 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
1 cup shredded sharp white cheddar cheese
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon flour
1/2 cup unfiltered apple cider
1 pound green beans, trimmed
2 scallions, chopped

1. In a large saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon EVOO, 1 turn of the pan, over medium heat. Add the rice and toast until light brown, about 4 minutes. Stir in 2 1/2 cups broth and bring to a boil, then lower the heat to medium-low, cover and cook for 15 minutes. During the last 3 minutes of cooking, stir in the peas and cheese.

2. While the rice cooks, in a large skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon EVOO, 1 turn of the pan, over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, add to the skillet and cook until the juices run clear, 5 to 6 minutes on each side. Transfer to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.

3. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in the skillet, then whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Whisk in the apple cider and 1 cup chicken broth and cook until slightly thickened; season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat.

4. While the chicken cooks, in a large saucepan, bring 1 inch of salted water to a boil. Add the green beans, cover and cook until al dente, about 3 minutes. Drain the beans and return to the saucepan. Toss with the remaining 1 tablespoon butter and the scallions; season with salt and pepper.

5. Pour the apple gravy over the chicken and serve the rice and green beans alongside.

Build me up, Butternut...

It's days like today that i wonder how on earth I've never broken a bone. *knock knock knock* Adding to the battle wounds incurred while moving, last night I dropped a porcelain casserole dish on my big toe. I wasn't wearing any shoes... this morning I realized there's a nice bruise. A bit later I decided to go for a run around the park to see some of my new surroundings. About a mile in, I fell and did a number on my knee. I'll spare the bloody details, but that cut my run short. ~sigh~ Now I'm nursing a swollen and stiff wound as I try and catch up on all the blogs I missed!!

But first, I wanted to get to BSI: Butternut Squash. I wanted to do something besides the risotto and ravioli that first came to mind... but i think my creativity was preoccupied with my knee. I managed one idea while cooking, so maybe that'll make an appearance later in the week-- it was one big squash i cooked up!

So first we have a twist on a butternut squash puree that i found interesting due to its use of medjool dates to sweeten the deal. Found on npr's website here, it was contributed by Susan of Food Blogga.


For my next trick, I tried some butternut snack bites that I had seen over at Mostly Eating. I don't know exactly what was off, but my batter was really dry as written so I ended up adding at least another 1/2c of squash and 1/2c applesauce until moistened. I think it was either my use of whole wheat pastry flour instead of whole wheat flour, and/or a less-moist squash (maybe I should've actually pureed it?). Very tasty though, and I can see them being a good, nutritious snack! Too much batter eating though, I'll have to put them straight into the freezer...


Ok, well hopefully everyone else had a better sunday! I capped mine off by nicking myself with my knife while washing dishes... sheesh! Guess someone over here needs a GOOD night's sleep!

A Coffee Cake of Thanks!

THANK YOU for all the good luck wishes!! Just for all that, I made you an apple coffee cake ;-) See, here's a slice...


A note on the recipe: i loved the cake part, chock full of apples just how i like it. The topping, well... it turned out alright (made it ahead of time so it sat for about a day before consumption), but it looked very dry (due to the lack of fat) coming out of the oven. So I might try another topping next time.

The move? Hmmm, well, there was no elevator like i was told (grrr)... but my dad and i were able to move me in quite quickly. Luckily I am only on the second floor, so I made dad unload the truck and I did most of the running boxes upstairs. Why didn't I know there was no elevator? well... i hadn't seen the apartment (looong story). And even luckier still, everything worked out and i think i am going to love it. tomorrow (so long as my feet are no longer crying out in pain) i'll be exploring the adjacent park (Back Bay Fens)!! It felt soo good to be walking around a city again today as I ran errands :) I picked up a map of running routes in Boston today at Marathon Sports, but please let me know good things to do/see/favorite spots!!!

I'm about to put all my pots and pans on the living room floor to try and figure out how to fit them into my [few] cabinets :) pot rack? lol. ok, hopefully i'll be back tomorrow with a butternut squash recipe for the challenge!