Moroccan Bread Salad

Today I'm going to share my all-time favorite dinner salad with you.

Yes, favorite.

This meal-size salad has garlicky, toasted, homemade bread croutons in it. And crunchy, toasted almonds. Plus protein-rich chickpeas and some creamy, garlic-seasoned cheese.

To be honest, I'm not sure how it is that I've been blogging about food this long, and still have yet to share the Moroccan Bread Salad recipe. It kind of feels like I've been hiding something from you.

I spotted the Moroccan Bread Salad in a Rachael Ray Magazine when Adam and I first got married. We had just entered the new world of "cooking," and were quickly turning into recipe-hungry cooking machines. Everything was so new and exciting--and I mean everything. Neither one of us had ever purchased or used cumin before. I had never even heard of cumin.

Embarrassing.

So I bought my first bottle of cumin, made this recipe, and instantly knew it was a keeper. We often feature it when we have friends over for dinner; we even made a bowl-ful for Christmas dinner at Adam's parents' house once.

Make it. Eat it. Love it.

And forgive me for holding this one back for so long.

Moroccan Bread Salad

(recipe from Rachael Ray Magazine)

This recipe is quite simple to throw together--you can prep most of the ingredients while the seasoned bread cubes are toasting. And, while purchasing a hearty loaf of peasant bread is perfectly acceptable, isn't it so much more fun to use a loaf of homemade bread?

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup olive oil, divided
• 3 - 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. cumin
• One 1 lb. peasant loaf, torn into 1 inch pieces
• salt and pepper
• 4 ribs of celery, chopped
• 1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 4 oz. Swiss or seasoned Havarti cheese, cut into small cubes
• 1/2 cup chopped almonds, toasted
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees and coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.

2) In a large bowl, combine 1/4 cup olive oil, the garlic and cumin. Add the bread and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Place in a single layer on the baking sheet and bake until toasted, tossing occasionally (it took about 12 - 14 minutes for mine to toast).

3) Meanwhile, mix the celery, chickpeas, cheese, almonds, vinegar, and remaining 1/4 cup olive oil in the same bowl. Add the bread and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper.

Irish Soda Bread

I know, I know: I'm almost a week behind the whole St. Patrick's Day bandwagon.

But it's never too late for a new bread recipe, right? And a bread recipe that requires no rising? I'm all over it.

Enter Irish Soda Bread. I was put to task to bake this sweet, raisin-studded bread for our local food co-op's Spring Open House. I'm not sure what possessed me to volunteer for a baked good that I'd never made before, but I'm so very glad I did.

Here's the run-down on this luck o' the Irish loaf:

• It's super-easy: Mix dry ingredients, cut in butter, mix-in wet ingredients. Voila!
• It's dense n' moist--easy to cut, perfect texture
• It's just sweet enough. It'll curb your crave for sugar, without doing the damage of a Cookie Dough Blizzard (although, I'm not necessarily opposed to Blizzard-related body damage)
• The raisins are a tasty addition. How do I know? Adam refuses to eat baked goods with raisins baked in (weirdo, right?)...but he loved every last crumb of this lucky loaf :)
  
• It tastes DELICIOUS! This is really the only bullet point you need.

So friends, while green beer may be last week's news, and meaty Irish stew is so out-of-style, the goodness of Irish Soda Bread comes all year long.

Irish Soda Bread

(adapted from this original recipe found at Foodnetwork.com)

My favorite way to eat this bread is spread with a thin layer of butter on each slice. The original recipe also calls for Caraway seeds--I opted out because I'm not a huge Caraway fan. But if you're a Caraway-lovin' gal (or guy), go for it!

Ingredients:

• 2 - 1/2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup + 2 TBSP sugar
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 - 1/4 cup milk
• 1 large egg white

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees and coat a loaf pan with cooking spray.

2) Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. Cut in butter until mixture is course and crumbly. Stir in raisins. Beat in milk and egg white until thoroughly combined. Pour into loaf pan and bake for 60 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

3) It's really that easy!

NFL Sandwich

Yesterday, Adam did the impossible.

The man created vegetarian "meat"ball subs. We're talking the REAL deal. Homemade hoagie buns, fresh marinara sauce, a healthy dose of bean-ball action, and a sprinkling of Mozzarella. Basically, it was an NFL-Football-Player-Turned-Vegetarian kind of sandwich.

And after waking up from my food coma, all googly-eyed and giddy, I knew I had to share this brilliant blip on the culinary radar with you.

I know what you're thinking: I'm a walking contradiction. I'm a vegetarian...creating and eating a mock-up of a meatball sub. Ah, but I subscribe to the vege-head lifestyle for many reasons...none of which include a loss of cravings for sloppy, gooey, NFL-gameday-type sandwiches that cause my heart to skip a beat.

Perhaps the best part of this sandwich was the homemade bread. As you know, Adam is quite the bread-making man in our house. While his weekly loaves may come out of the bread machine, today he kneaded and pounded his way by hand to fresh whole wheat hoagie buns. Holy moly, were they ever perfect! My bread expectations have definitely gone up a notch.

With that being said, go make yourself a honkin' big sandwich for dinner tonight. Personally, I recommend this one.

Vege-Head Bean-Ball Subs

(drawing on recipes from Veganomicon and Veggie Burgers Every Which Way)

Ingredients:

• 1 recipe for Bean-Balls
• Marinara sauce of your choice
• Shredded Mozzarella
• Hoagie buns (recipe below)

Hoagie Bun Ingredients:

• 1 cup warm water
• 3 TBSP warm milk
• 2 TBSP molasses
• 1 TBSP sugar
• 2 - 1/4 tsp. active dry yeast
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 - 1/2 to 2- 1/2 cups bread flour
• 1 - 1/4 cups whole-wheat flour
• 4 tsp. salt
• 2 TBSP olive oil
• Eggwash (1 beaten egg plus 1 TBSP milk)
• Sesame seeds for topping

Directions for Hoagie Buns:

1) Whisk the warm water, milk, molasses, and sugar in a small bowl. Whisk in the yeast and allow to stand for about 5 minutes, until yeast begins to foam. In a separate large bowl, mix together 1 cup of the bread flour, all of the whole wheat flour, and the salt. Add the yeast mixture, oil, and egg.

2) Stir with a wooden spoon until well-combined, adding more flour as needed until it shapes into a ball. On a floured surface knead the dough until it's smooth--about 10 minutes--adding more flour as needed. Shape the dough into a ball.

3) Drizzle a little olive oil into the mixing bowl, place the dough in it and turn to coat. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow it to sit in a warm place until doubled in size--about 1 - 2 hours.

4) After it has risen, separate the dough into 6 balls. Place them a few inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover with a towel and allow to rise in a warm place for 1 - 2 hours until doubled in size.

5) Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Brush the buns with the eggwash and sprinkle with sesame seeds for garnish. Bake for about 16 - 18 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time.

Assemble Your Sandwich:

Split open a big, beautiful hoagie bun. Stuff with bean-balls, warmed marinara, and top with shredded Mozzarella. Grab a fork and a knife, and dig in.

Cornmeal Pecan Muffins

Friends, I'm heading to the great state of New York for the remainder of the week. We're attending a family wedding, and since Adam will be rocking the Groomsman role, we need to arrive a few days early for the pre-wedding festivities (read: fellowship + beverage of choice).

Sadly, I won't be cooking or baking again until Sunday. I'm looking forward to spending some quality time with Adam's family though, as well as embarking on a scavenger hunt...to find vegetarian food in Buffalo, NY.

(While Buffalo is famous for many food specialties--super hot wings, jumbo pizzas, and softball-sized meatballs--I've heard that vege-head food is not exactly a city favorite.)

I plan on taking the city by storm. Painting it red. And spreading vegetarian love over it like a spoonful of hummus.

Until my return, I'll leave you with a fantastic recipe for Cornmeal Pecan Muffins. I adapted Monet's recipe, and absolutely loved them. How much did I love them? My intention was to bake the whole batch for my sister and her boyfriend. In reality, I ended up plating half for my sister...and half for the Hungry Spoon kitchen.

One more thing: Many thanks to Lisa and Cynthia for tagging me with the Stylish Blog Award. I'm honored to be mentioned by both of these snazzy ladies! In keeping the with Stylish Blog tradition, I'd like to call out the following stylish food blogs I love:

All Kinds of Hungry

Anecdotes and Apple Cores
Baking Serendipity
Beth's Journey to Thin
Cilantropist
Gingerbread Bagels
Girl Paraphernalia
I Heart Vegetables
Keep n' the Faith
Peas and Crayons

Cornmeal Pecan Muffins
(adapted from Monet's recipe at Anecdotes and Apple Cores)

If heaven took the form of a corn muffin, this would be it. You can use sour cream in place of the yogurt if you'd like...and please don't forget to toast the pecans! It adds an un-beatable flavor.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
• 1 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1 - 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla
  
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 3/4 cup plain yogurt (I used nonfat)
• 1/2 cup milk
• 3/4 cup chopped, toasted pecans

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a 12 cup muffin pan with paper liners (or coat with cooking spray).

2) In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal , baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk in the brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla until well-combined. Stir in the butter, yogurt, and milk and gently stir until thoroughly combined. Fold in toasted pecans.

3) Spoon batter into muffin cups (mine made 12 muffins, plus 3 extra muffins). Bake for 17 - 19 minutes, or until top is lightly browned. Serve warm with butter. And be sure to give at least half to your sister :)

Week of Sweets: Day 6, Daring Bakers Challenge

What better bread to make during the month of December than a traditional Christmas Stollen?

I'd never made, or eaten, stollen before this month. This is especially shocking since it fits all the criteria for my "Carbs I Love" List (must contain butter, sugar, vanilla, and lots of lovin'. It should come as no surprise that my list has grown exponentially in the month of December alone).

So what brought the ol' Christmas Stollen into my life? The Daring Bakers, of course!

I was thrilled to join Daring Bakers this month--a group of bake-happy folks who participate in monthly baking challenges and post their culinary results at the end of each month.

The 2010 December Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Penny of Sweet Sadie’s Baking. She chose to challenge Daring Bakers’ to make Stollen. She adapted a friend’s family recipe and combined it with information from friends, techniques from Peter Reinhart’s book………and Martha Stewart’s demonstration.

While the results of this bread were quite impressive, I must admit that it's a time-consuming treat to prepare. I recommend prepping the dough at least a day in advance of baking. And a word of caution: This dough expands...big time. Frankly, I was surprised I didn't wake up to find it oozing out of my refrigerator, threatening to take over the entire kitchen.

Ultimately, this is a beautiful recipe for the holidays--dressed up with fresh fruit and flowers, it makes a lovely centerpiece for your holiday table.

Happy Holidays, Everyone! I wish you all a safe, warm, and very merry holiday weekend :)

Christmas Stollen
(recipe from Penny at Sweet Sadie's Baking)

Roll up your sleeves, get out the rolling pan, and get your Stollen-baking hat on. It's the Christmas season--what better time to bake a ring of this tasty German bread? This recipe makes one large wreath of bread which could easily serve 12 - 16 people.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup lukewarm water
• 4 - 1/2 tsp. yeast
• 1 cup milk
• 10 TBSP butter
• 5 - 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 3 large eggs
• zest of one orange and one lemon
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 tsp. orange extract
• 3/4 cup candied orange peel
• 1 cup raisins
• 3 TBSP rum
• 1 cup slivered almonds
• confectioner's sugar for dusting

Directions:

1) In a small bowl, soak the raisins in the rum.

2) Place the 1/4 cup warm water in a small bowl. Sprinkle yeast on top and allow to sit for 5 minutes. Stir to dissolve and set aside.

3) In a saucepan, gently heat the milk and butter together until butter is melted (on low-medium heat). Set aside until lukewarm.

4) In a small bowl, lightly beat the eggs and add extracts to them. Set aside.

5) Now it's time to get mixing! Combine the flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and zest in the bowl of an electric mixer. Using the paddle attachment, gently beat in the egg mixture, yeast mixture, and milk mixture. This should take about 2 minutes, and will result in a soft, but not sticky, ball. Cover with plastic wrap and allow it to sit for 10 minutes.

6) Using your hands, or the mixer, add in the candied peel, raisins, and almonds.

7) Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about 8 minutes, until dough becomes soft and a bit tacky, but not sticky. Coat a large bowl with a little oil, place dough in the bowl and roll in the oil to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator overnight (it will rise slowly!). This dough can keep in the refrigerator for up to a week.

8) When you're ready to bake the bread, remove the dough from the refrigerator and allow it to sit for at least 2 hours before rolling and shaping. Preheat oven to 350 and roll the dough into a 16 x 24 inches on a lightly floured surface.

9) Starting with a long side, roll up the dough into a tight cylinder. Transfer the cylinder to a sheet pan coated with cooking spray (or lined with parchment paper) and seal the two ends together to form a wreath shape. Using a sharp knife (or kitchen scissors), make cuts around the outside of the ring, to resemble a wreath shape. Mist with cooking spray, cover with plastic wrap, and allow it to rise for about 2 hours (it should double in size).

10) Bake the stollen for 20 minutes, rotate the pan 180 degrees, and continue baking for another 20 - 30 minutes. The bread will turn a beautiful mahogony color. Remove from the oven and brush the top with butter. Sift powdered sugar on top to coat, wait about 1 minutes, and sift more powdered sugar on top.

Pizza Night Made Easy

We all love homemade pizza, right?

A crust made with only a handful of ingredients (literally--there are a mere 5 ingredients in tonight's recipe), just the right amount of sauce, and loaded (I'm talking loaded) with your favorite toppings.

The only downside to homemade pizza can be the time factor. Making anything with yeast can certainly throw a wrench in the plans of a busy cook. If you start homemade dough when you get home from work, you'll be lucky to have dinner on the table before the "The Office" starts at 9:00pm.

But alas! A solution for the busy cook: Make your dough when you have time on the weekend. Freeze it. On your Pizza-for-Dinner-Day, put the dough in the fridge before you leave for work. Arrive home, turn on the oven, prep you pie, and you've got dinner on the table in under 30 minutes.

That's how Pizza Night works at our house :)

I use a basic whole wheat pizza crust recipe from the classic Better Homes & Gardens cookbook. It's quite simple and it produces a thin, crispy, healthy crust. If you're looking for a thicker crust, just use the entire recipe for your pizza, as opposed to dividing it in half. And, if you're looking for a way to further simplify your prep-work, there's no shame in letting your Kitchen Aid dough hook do all the kneading for you.

So, this weekend when you hit up the grocery store, be sure to pick up all those strange pizza toppings you fantasize about (roasted corn and blue cheese anyone?), and plan your Pizza Night for next week.

Whole Wheat Pizza Crust

(recipe from Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook)

My favorite part of homemade pizza is doing pizza MY way. Some of my favorite toppings include homemade pesto, fresh mozzarella, green peppers, onions, broccoli, tomato slices, spinach, fresh garlic, and a sprinkling of Italian seasoning.

Ingredients:

• 1 - 1/2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
• 1 to 1 - 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (I usually end up using the full 1 - 1/2 cups)
• 2 - 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 cup warm water
• 2 TBSP olive oil
• Pizza toppings: marinara sauce or pesto, mozzarella cheese, and tons of veggies

Directions:

1) In a large mixing bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, yeast, and salt. Add the warm water and oil, and beat with an electric mixer on low speed for about 30 seconds. Then, beat the dough for about 3 minutes on high speed.

2) Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead in as much of the whole wheat flour as needed to make a moderately stiff dough that's smooth and elastic. Knead for about 6 - 8 minutes.

3) Divide dough in half. (At this point, wrap up one half of the dough and put it in the freezer). Place each dough half in a bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place for 30 - 60 minutes.

4) To make a thin crust pizza, preheat oven to 425 degrees. Grease a 12 inch pizza pan. Roll dough out into a 12 - 13 inch circle and place on prepared pan. Prick with a fork and bake for about 9 - 10 minutes until lightly browned. Remove from oven and load it up with your toppings! Return to the oven to bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until it's bubbly.

The Biscuit Trials

Southern-style biscuits come with my family history.

Unfortunately, I'm starting to fear that I might be the generational "fail:" the one who never masters the biscuit department, and single-handedly causes the collapse of a family tradition passed down for over a hundred years.

No pressure though, right?

My mom learned the family biscuit-making methods from my great-grandmother (who learned the method from generations before her). As the girl who loves all-things-cooking, it seemed natural that I would take up the biscuit-making talent as if it were second nature.

I couldn't have been more wrong.

Despite countless tutorials, and much dedicated effort, I'm completely incompetent at biscuit-making. In my own defense, the family recipe has no recorded amounts (it's not even written down)--my mom's verbal instructions are complete with "a pinch of this," "a little of that," "a scoop of shortening," and so on. I know the cardinal rule is not to overwork the dough--your biscuits will come out tough (hockey pucks, anyone?).

But the cardinal rule does no good if you don't have "the touch."

After recognizing that I'll never triumph in the family biscuit-baking department, I thought perhaps I could re-invent the tradition with my own recipe--a healthier version that I was also actually capable of making. I turned to the Moosewood Collective for their Buttermilk Biscuit recipe and (drumroll, please)...further demonstrated my incompetence.

Although they do taste scrumptious, and Adam and I thoroughly enjoy them, they still lack the flaky, soft texture (and "beautiful factor") of my mom's biscuits. I'm willing to admit it: it's not the recipes...it's ME!

Maybe the magic touch will come with age. Or maybe just more practice. Either way, I'll settle for these simple biscuits here at home, and look forward to the family version at my parents' house. No use in re-inventing tradition :)

Do you have any family tradition recipe?

Lower-Fat Biscuits

(Adapted from a recipe in the Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites)

These guys taste just delightful, and with the added bonus of being low-fat, they make an appearance on our dinner table often. As always with biscuits--make sure you don't over-work the dough! Add more milk if needed to help the dough bind together.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups unbleached white flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 TBSP sugar
• 2 TBSP canola oil
• 6 TBSP skim milk (plus a little more if needed to bind the dough)

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare a baking sheet with cooking spray.

2) Combine flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar in a large bowl. Combine the oil and milk. Add the oil and milk to the flour mixture, stirring lightly and continuously until a soft dough forms (add just a dash more milk if needed to help dough bind).

3) Place dough onto a floured surface, and roll out using a rolling pin. Cut into 4 - 6 pieces (Mine are usually awkward shapes!).

4) Place on baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes, until golden brown.

Garden Quick Bread

What to do with a bushel of apples?

It's the quite the predicament, isn't it?

Fortunately, these are just the kinds of predicaments I love finding myself in :)

My mom dropped a full bushel of apples off at our house last week--she'd gone overboard during an afternoon apple-picking session and found herself with more fruit than she could handle. I gladly stepped in to "save the day."

While I truly love all things autumn--pumpkins, potted mums, leaves changing color--my absolute favorite component of this season is the baking. Pumpkin muffins, apple pie, and mashed sweet potatoes galore! (okay, I took it too far with the "galore," didn't I?)

With a bushel of apples sitting on the counter, today kicked off the first official day of fall baking (never mind that fall is still 3 weeks away). On the menu? A sweet "garden quick bread," chock full of shredded apple, carrot, and zucchini. (Side note, given that this recipe only called for one apple, it looks like I've got a lot more baking ahead of me...)

I will post the recipe as it was published in Cooking Light, which is amazing as is. However, below I have noted some changes that I often make to quick bread recipes when I'm seeking to make a healthier "snack," as opposed to a dessert. It's important to note though that many of these changes can significantly impact the flavor, density, and texture of your bread! So, consider your audience before experimenting with them (You and a pal? Green light! The annual office bake-off? Not so much.)

Options for making a quick bread healthier:

• Substitute half of the oil with applesauce
• Use egg whites instead of whole eggs (usually 2 egg whites to 1 egg)
• Use a portion whole wheat pastry flour
• Reduce the sugar and/or use natural sweeteners (like agave nectar)

Do you have any suggestions for making your baked goods "healthier?"

Garden Harvest Quick Bread

(from Cooking Light. I know--I've been cooking a lot from them lately! I recently found several old recipes I clipped from their magazines over a year ago. Gold mine!)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup unbleached, all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 cup grated apple
• 1/2 cup grated carrot
• 1/2 cup grated zucchini
• 1/4 cup chopped, toasted walnuts
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1/4 cup nonfat buttermilk (I just used skim milk)
• 2 large eggs

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 8 x 4 in. loaf pan.

2) Combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Add grated apple, carrot, zucchini and walnuts. Toss until combined.

3) Combine oil, milk, and eggs in a small bowl. Add to flour mixture, stirring until just combined. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 50 minutes, or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. (Note: I always start checking quick breads 5 minutes before the expected finish time, just to make sure they don't over-bake)

4) Now, ask yourself what to do with the remaining bushel of apples, minus one, sitting on the counter.