Pancakes and Fraggle Rock

What more can a gal ask for than to wake up to a steaming stack o' hot-cakes on her birthday?

Not much. Unless, of course, they happen to be Lemon-Blueberry Cornmeal Cakes. That makes for an extremely joyous birthday girl.

It's true, friends. I turned 27 yesterday. I'm inching my way closer to 30 every day, and yet I'm still commonly mistaken for a high school student (Try as I might, even my "grown-up" clothes don't seem to cue people that I was born in the era of Fraggle Rock and Cabbage Patch kids....not the Jonas Brothers and iCarly.).

I wear my age badge with pride, and delight in the fact I typically go to bed before 11:00pm, prefer NPR to pop radio, and enjoy a good Sunday morning crossword puzzle with my husband.

My student intern recently told me that I was born "old." I laughed heartily. And then smugly smiled to myself...I love being an adult, and I have no doubt that I was genetically designed to wake up at 6:00am.

But let's get to the good stuff. You didn't tune in to hear me rave about my aging pride. You're here for those hotcakes. Adam made a steaming good stack of Lemon-Blueberry Cornmeal Cakes for my birthday breakfast, and they certainly got my day off on the right foot. As you know, my pancake preference is loaded up with lots of mix-ins, so these babies were weighty with blueberries, chopped walnuts, and a healthy dose of flaxseed. Adam noted that the batter was a bit too liquidy for him, so he plans on reducing the amount next time around.

So let's raise our glasses to the beauty of aging. And cheers to all those other 1980s babies out there-- Smurfs, splatter paint, and teased bangs define who we are today.

Lemon-Blueberry Cornmeal Cakes

(adapted from a recipe in Veganomicon Cookbook)

I love lemon-blueberry combos. These two fruits were designed to go together, and when you throw in some course-grain cornmeal, you're truly in breakfast paradise.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cornmeal
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 3/4 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. flaxseed
• 2 TBSP nonfat vanilla yogurt
• 1 - 1/4 cups milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 TBSP maple syrup
• zest from 1 lemon
• 1/3 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
• 1 cup of blueberries
• Blueberry Sauce for topping

Directions:

1) Preheat a griddle to 350 degrees and prepare with cooking spray.

2) Mix dry ingredients (first 6 ingredients) together in a large bowl. Gently stir in the remaining ingredients, through the lemon zest. Fold in walnuts and blueberries.

3) Use a 1/4 measuring cup to pour batter onto the griddle. Cook until browned on the bottom and bubbles form on the top, about 4 minutes. Flip pancakes and cook until the bottom is browned. Serve with blueberry sauce.

Pumpkin in January

When I think of pumpkin, I think of any of the following: Fall, October, muffins, bread, pie, and Thanksgiving.

When someone says "pumpkin," I would not typically think of pasta. Or the month of January. It just seems inappropriate.

Until now.

Tonight's dish defies everything you thought you knew about pumpkin. We're talking pumpkin meets whole wheat pasta, caramelized onions, toasted walnuts, Asiago cheese...and a savory crumb topping.

It's kind of like macaroni and cheese with a mega-hit of beta carotene and vitamin A, right? This baby is good, it's filling, and it was clearly designed to be eaten on a cold January day.

The recipe is actually a creative hybrid: I combined my friend Lisa's recipe for Pumpkin-Cheese Ravioli with Veganomicon's Pumpkin and Caramelized Onion Manicotti. If you're a major cheese fanatic, feel free to pump up the cheese factor as you see fit. And the crumb topping? Simply blissful, friends. Simply blissful.

Pumpkin-Asiago Penne with Walnut Crumb Topping

(a hybrid recipe, adapted from the minds of Lisa S. and Veganomicon)

I simply couldn't go vegan with this one--I love Asiago too much, and I think the salty sharp-ness of the cheese added a scrumptious flavor. However, you can vegan-ize the recipe by using a homemade, dairy-less ricotta (a quick online search will point you in the right direction) and eliminating the cheese.

Pasta Ingredients:

• 3/4 pound whole wheat pasta
• 2 large onions, thinly sliced
• 2 TBSP olive oil
• 2 cups part-skim ricotta cheese
• 1 (15 oz) can of pumpkin puree
• 1 TBSP brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 1 cup shredded Asiago cheese
• 1/4 cup veggie broth
• Freshly ground black pepper

Crumb Topping Ingredients:

• 2 - 1/2 cups fresh bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts
• 1/4 cup Earth Balance (or real butter)
• 2 tsp. Savory seasoning or poultry seasoning
• 1 tsp. dried Oregano
• 1/2 tsp. dried Paprika
• Salt n' Pepper

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees and prepare pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

2) While the pasta is cooking, cook the onions. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute the onions until nicely browned--about 10 - 15 minutes.

3) In a large bowl combine the ricotta, pumpkin puree, brown sugar, nutmeg, salt, Asiago, veggie broth, and pepper. Stir in the caramelized onions and pasta. Pour into 9 x 13 inch baking pan.

4) To prepare the crumb topping, melt the Earth Balance/butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the remaining ingredients and cook/toast for 3 - 5 minutes, until the mixture is thoroughly combined and well-coated. Sprinkle evenly over the penne pasta.

5) Bake for 30 minutes, or until top is lightly browned. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Crunchy-Toasty-Nutty

I know I made granola bars just a couple weeks ago, but I still wasn't satisfied with the softness of the final product.

When it comes to granola, I like a good solid crunch. I crave that toasty flavor. And don't even get me started on the nuts. Lots and lots of nuts.

Since the granola bars didn't completely fill the crunchy-toasty-nutty criteria I set, I decided to make plain old granola. You know, the kind you can grab a handful of and really sink your teeth into.

SUCCESS! Boy did this recipe fill my crunchy-toasty-nutty void...to the tenth power. You can serve it a zillion ways: stirred into yogurt, sprinkled on your morning bowl o' oats, mixed into a peanut butter-banana sandwich, or as an ice cream topping.

But me? I like to eat it plain and simple...one handful at a time.

Of course you can dress this recipe up with your tasty preferences (one of the beauties of granola). And I promise: If you crave the crunchy-toasty-nutty kind of granola, this recipe will certainly not disappoint.

Bonus holiday gift idea: Load your granola up in a clear jar (recycled nut butter jar?) and include it in a small basket with some sugared pecans, a cute tea towel, and a gift card to your local health food store.

Now, let me leave you with something to look forward to: Oreo Truffles will be made--and promptly eaten--on Saturday. Holy yum, I can hardly wait.

Crunchy-Toasty-Nutty Granola

(Hungry Spoon original)

This granola makes a great yogurt mix-in, but my favorite way to eat it is one dry spoonful at a time :)

Ingredients:

• 3 cups of oats
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup ground flaxseed or wheat germ
• 1/2 cup flaked coconut
• 3/4 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/2 cup chopped almonds
• 1/4 cup oil
• 3 TBSP honey
• 1/2 tsp. almond extract
• 3/4 tsp. vanilla extract
• Optional: Dried cranberries

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a large baking sheet (or two) with cooking spray.

2) In a large bowl, combine the oats, brown sugar, flaxseed, coconut, and nuts. In a small bowl, combine the oil, honey, and extracts. Pour liquid mixture over oat mixture and mix until thoroughly combined.

3) Place granola in a single layer on baking sheet(s). Bake for 8 minutes, remove from oven and toss/stir. Bake for another 5 - 10 minutes, or until toasty. Be sure to check back often! It can get too toasty (read: burnt) very quickly! Stir in cranberries when granola is finished baking.

Stuffed Food is Mighty Tasty

What's better than really good food?

Try really good food, stuffed with more really good food.

Case in point:

Savory Stuffed Tomatoes (Yes, please)

Chocolate cookies stuffed with peanut butter (Please pass me one. Or five.)

Stuffed Sweet Potato Pockets (I need more of these in my life).

Today: Vegetarian Stuffed Cabbage, adapted from a Moosewood Collective Recipe.

Mind. Blowing. Check out the unique variety of ingredients loaded into this baby:

• Savory: onion, bell pepper, carrot, soy sauce
• Sweet: apple, honey, raisins (yes!)
• Crunchy: toasted walnuts
• Awesome: ricotta cheese

A family friend passed this recipe along to me, which he located in an old Moosewood Cookbook. I'm super grateful. Because they're super good. We enjoyed ours tonight with a simple side salad.

What's your favorite "stuffed" food?

Stuffed Cabbage

(adapted from a Moosewood Collective recipe)

These guys are nothing like the traditional salty, meaty stuffed cabbage. The sweetness of the honey, apple, and raisins balance beautifully with the soy sauce, veggies, and crunchy walnuts. You could serve yours on a bed of rice, but who needs rice when you've got delicious food, stuffed with more delicious food?

Ingredients:

• 1 head of cabbage
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 1 bell pepper, chopped
• 1 large onion, diced
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 apples, diced
• 1/2 - 3/4 cup chopped, toasted walnuts
• One 15 oz. container of part-skim ricotta cheese
• 1 TBSP honey
• 2 TBSP reduced-sodium soy-sauce
• ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly coat a baking pan with cooking spray.

2) In a large pot of water, pre-boil cabbage until just tender, about 10 - 15 minutes. Drain and remove 6 - 8 large leaves for stuffing.

3) Meanwhile, prepare the filling. Heat a little olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, bell pepper, apple, carrot, and garlic. Saute until softened and lightly browned--about 8 - 9 minutes.

4) In a large bowl, combine the vegetable mixture with the ricotta, toasted walnuts, honey, soy sauce, and pepper.

5) Spoon the filling (about 1/4 cup) into each individual cabbage leaf and wrap tightly. Place seam-side down on baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 - 18 minutes.

5 Ingredient Gourmet

With the holiday season approaching, it's time to put on our thinking caps and brainstorm those unique dishes and delightful desserts that are perfect for serving company.

Sometimes I struggle to select the perfect "company is coming" meal. While it's fun to share an elaborate, time-consuming dish with someone other than Adam (although he is a stellar tasting subject), I also hate to devote excessive amounts of time to cooking prep when I would much rather be visiting.

Today's recipe offers one solution to this "Company-is-Coming Conundrum."

Picture it: Pear halves roasted in apple cider, stuffed with dried cranberries, toasted walnuts, and blue cheese crumbles. Serve this baby over a bed of chopped spinach, and you'll be ready to invite the Queen over for lunch.

This recipe may scream fancy when it's served by candlelight, but it also screams "Eat Me!" as a filling after-work snack (Trust me: I know from personal experience). It takes only 15 minutes to prep (unless you're speedier at cutting your pears), and 30 minutes to bake.

So tonight, it's 5-Ingredient Gourmet. Whether you're trying to impress your mother-in-law, or serving up a lunch for dear friends, this one's for you :)

Roasted Pears with Cranberries, Walnuts, and Blue Cheese

(a beautiful classic from Ina Garten's Back to Basics cookbook)

As noted above, this is a lovely dish for company, but it's also a light and simple lunch or dinner. We enjoyed ours for dinner with a side of roasted squash.

Ingredients:

• 3 firm, ripe pears
• 
  3 oz. crumbled blue cheese
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries
• 1/4 cup toasted, chopped walnuts
• 1/2 cup apple cider
• Optional: spinach, chopped and stemmed

Directions:

1) Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2) Slice the pears in half lengthwise. Remove the core of each pear, leaving a cavity for filling the pear with the stuffing. Trim a small slice off the bottom of each pear-half (so the pear will sit flat in the baking dish). Place the pears in a baking dish that holds them snugly, core side up.

3) Combine the blue cheese, dried cranberries, and walnuts together in a bowl. Fill the cavity of each pear half with the stuffing mixture. Pour the apple cider over the pears.

4) Bake pears for 25 - 30 minutes, or until tender. Baste the pears with apple cider halfway through the baking time.

5) To serve, place the pear halves over a bed of spinach, and pour the reserved apple cider from the baking dish over the pears and spinach. Call the Queen. It's dinnertime!

Autumn Salad

In the midst of a season filled with so many warm casseroles and pumpkin desserts, last night I was craving a big salad for dinner. Keeping with the season though, I opted for a Fall-themed salad.

Bring on the butternut, my friends. I made Ina Garten's "Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Cider Vinaigrette."

Last week, I was fortunate enough to score her Back to Basics cookbook from a giveaway on Mads' blog. Since Ina Garten is pretty much my baking idol (Outrageous Brownies, anyone?), I was absolutely thrilled to find such an awesome surprise on my front porch.

I loved everything about this salad: apple cider dressing, toasted walnuts, and roasted butternut squash (my favorite!). For those of you who shy away from serving a salad as a main course to your family--be shy no more! We paired this dinner-plate salad with biscuits and jam for a filling, healthy Saturday night meal. (Don't be deceived though: we went out for ice cream at Coldstone Creamery afterwards).

As a side note, I completely recommend the Back to Basics cookbook to anyone who likes to cook. The delicious recipes are endless, the ingredient lists are short, and there are pictures to accompany every dish. We're making two more recipes from the book tonight :)

Are you an Ina Garten fan? Do you have a favorite recipe?

Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Cider Vinaigrette

(a recipe adapted from Ina Garten's Back to Basics Cookbook)

I absolutely love this salad. I don't know what else to say. It's just that good.

Ingredients:

• 1 large butternut squash, peeled and cubed
• a little olive oil
• a drizzle of maple syrup
• salt and pepper to taste
• Dried cranberries
• 3/4 cup apple cider
• 2 TBSP cider vinegar
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp. Dijon mustard
• Spinach, chopped and stemmed
• Toasted walnuts, chopped
• Grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.

2) Place butternut squash cubes in a large bowl. Drizzle with just a little olive oil (1 TBSP?) and a little maple syrup (1 TBSP?). Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Place squash in a single layer on baking sheet and bake for approximately 20 minutes, or until tender (Stir halfway through cooking time).

3) While the squash is roasting, make the dressing. Combine the apple cider, vinegar and garlic in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil. Cook for 6 -8 minutes until cider is reduced to about 1/4 cup. Remove from heat and whisk in mustard, 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. black pepper. Drizzle a little olive oil in as well (about 1 - 2 TBSP).

4) Individually plate salads, layering spinach, squash, dried cranberries, walnuts, and cheese. Drizzle dressing over individual servings.

Autumn-in-a-Bowl

Oh, my. There's another Fall Fest going on in my kitchen tonight.

We're talking roasted butternut squash, toasted walnuts, and caramelized onions. Add this splendor-of-autumn mixture to whole wheat pasta. Did I mention the grated Parmesan?

Fall Foods: You bring me to my knees.

The latest issue of Clean Eating Magazine arrived in my mailbox last week. The Clean-Eating-Arrives-in-the-Mailbox Day is consistently a favorite in our house (it's the simple things in life, right?). Amongst endless mouth-watering seasonal recipes, I found one for Butternut Squash Lasagna with Toasted Walnuts and Caramelized Onions. Count me in!

Despite the alluring delicious-ness of this recipe though, I decided we needed something simpler for our humble dinner menu (Come on: Does anyone besides Martha Stewart really have time to whip up a lasagna after work?). As such, I eliminated the hallmark lasagna ingredients (ricotta, egg, marinara, etc.), and boiled this recipe down to it's basics. Clean. Simple. Irresistable.

Tastes like Autumn-in-a-bowl.

Adam went heavier on the pasta (his bowl is pictured), while I skimped on the pasta to leave more bowl-space for the squash...lots and lots of squash.

Friends, if you haven't hopped on the butternut bandwagon yet, it's not too late! Get to the grocery store, elbow your way to the squash bin, and load 'em up. These oddly-shaped gourds--and tonight's recipe--make me a very happy camper.

Whole Wheat Pasta with Roasted Butternut Squash, Caramelized Onions, and Walnuts

(when it's all said and done, this recipe was A Hungry Spoon creation; inspiration came from this month's Clean Eating Magazine)

This is the perfect Fall recipe. As noted above, I was so addicted to the squash n' walnuts, I barely left room for pasta in my bowl.

Ingredients:

• 12 oz. box of whole wheat penne pasta
• 1 butternut squash, peeled and cubed
• a little olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 onions, sliced
• 5 cloves of garlic
• 1/2 tsp. dried ground sage
• 1/3 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.

2) In a large bowl, toss squash cubes with a small drizzle of olive oil (just a tad!). Season with plenty of fresh ground black pepper and salt to taste. Arrange squash cubes in an even layer on the baking sheet. Bake for 20 -25 minutes, until soft and cooked thoroughly. (Make sure you stir the squash every 10 minutes while it bakes!)

3) Cook pasta according to package directions.

4) Heat a little olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onion and saute until well-browned and soft (about 10 minutes). Add garlic and sage and cook for another 2 - 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper (if you like ground black pepper, it goes wonderfully with this dish!).

5) Pour pasta into individual serving bowls. Top each serving with the eater's desired amount of squash, onions, and walnuts. Top with grated Parmesan. (My husband, the forever Cheese-head, added a bit of grated Mozzarella as well).

6) Invite the neighbors over. It's Fall Fest at your house tonight!

Saturday Morning Routine

Saturday mornings are insanely predictable around here.

And I love every minute of it.

1) Early morning run? Check.

2) Husband making pancakes? Absolutely.

3) Cookbooks spread out on breakfast table? Ready and waiting.

What can I say? I'm a creature of habit.

We started this little routine when we got married, and it didn't take long for me to realize that Adam's Saturday morning pancakes (or waffles) would be one of the highlights of the weekend. When it comes to breakfast goods, the man knows what I love: heavy on the "fillers," with an inordinate amount of fresh fruit and nuts mixed right into the batter.

While the summer brought several weeks of berry and banana pancake variations, today marked a seasonal turning point for the weekend breakfast menu: Apple-Cinnamon Pancakes with Chunky Apple Walnut Sauce. (Honestly? We're still working on that bushel of apples we inherited 3 weeks ago).

These p-cakes hit the spot, friends. They were the perfect start to a fall weekend, and a wonderful accompaniment to our weekly recipe/menu-planning session. (Menu-planning session? Really? My nerdy qualities are so blatant, there's just no hiding them.)

While we served our flapjacks with some chunky apple n' nut sauce, I could see natural nut butter being an awesome topping as well. I think I see an afternoon snack in my future....

Happy Saturday :)

What's your favorite weekend routine?

Apple Cinnamon Pancakes with Chunky Apple-Walnut Sauce

(Pancake recipe adapted from Nava Atlas' The Vegetarian Family Cookbook)

We add (what some might consider) a ridiculous amount of fruit to our pancakes, making them more heavy and dense than your traditional flapjack. Feel free to adjust the amounts to suit your liking.

Ingredients:

• 1 - 1/3 cups all-purpose, unbleached flour (or a combination of all-purpose and whole wheat; we used 1 cup all-purpose and 1/3 cup whole wheat)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2/3 tsp. baking soda
• 2 tsp. ground flaxseeds
• 1 cup non-fat vanilla yogurt
• 3/4 cup skim milk (or sub in soy or almond milk)
• 3/4 tsp. cinnamon (approximately)
• Sprinkling of nutmeg
• Small splash of vanilla
• 2 cups chopped apples
• Optional: toasted, chopped walnuts (we left them out today since we loaded chopped walnuts into the sauce).

Directions:

1) Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Gently fold in yogurt and milk. Add in seasonings and stir until just combined. Gently fold in apples (and nuts, if using).

2) Heat a non-stick griddle that has been coated with cooking spray (and/or butter if you prefer) to medium heat. Pour batter onto griddle in 1/3 cup-fuls. Allow to cook until lightly browned, then flip to cook other side until lightly browned (approximately 4 minutes per side).

3) Top with Chunky Apple Walnut Sauce (recipe below), or nut butter, or your own awesome creation.

Chunky Apple-Walnut Sauce

Ingredients:

• 2 cups chopped apple
• 1/2 to 1 cup of unsweetened applesauce (depending on how much "sauce" you want in there)
• 3 - 4 TBSP water
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 2 - 3 TBSP brown sugar
• 1/4 cup chopped, toasted walnuts

Directions:

1) In a saucepan, combine apples, applesauce, water, cinnamon, and brown sugar. Heat on medium heat until bubbly (about 4 -5 minutes). Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until apples are tender. Season to taste.

2) Top your p-cakes with this apple-licious sauce :)

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.