Carb Loading for the Big Race

It seems as though every time cold weather comes around carbohydrates are my food of choice. Not that I don’t indulge in other cold weather comforts such as spicy food, red wine, or coffee, I just find carbohydrates do the trick to fill me up.
This past Saturday morning I found myself out of Bisquick with a carb-loading style craving for pancakes. I am more of a savory breakfast person, however, rather than healthy egg whites or turkey bacon, I though – why not pancakes? I’ll skip lunch. (Cut to me eating a burger and fries around 2PM…)
So while searching my pantry and the web for some sort of Bisquick substitute I came across the below recipe for pancakes from scratch. They were easy to make and certainly satisfied my craving for carbs.
What you’ll need:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1 1/4 cups milk
• 1 egg
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions:
1. In a large bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Add milk, egg and melted butter; mix until smooth.
2. Heat a lightly buttered griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.
Tips, Tricks, and Mishaps:
There were a few simple things I changed about this little gem of a recipe but not many.

• I used Splenda rather than sugar. I also used Egg Beaters rather than eggs and skim milk rather than 2%. (Don’t worry I still used real butter. After all, there is nothing that can replace butter. Ever.)
• The batter is very thick. I added a little bit of water to it prior to the frying pan process to make it more pancake-batter-ish rather than muffin-batter-ish. (Helpful, Kayte, real helpful.)
• I also must recommend sugar free syrup. While it does not have as thick of a consistency as regular syrup and it does have a higher price to boot, it cuts a lot of the calories, as well as the sugar content of pancake indulgence and tastes just about the same.

Happy Carb-Loading!

Muffin Madness

Chicago has finally gotten cold frigid. With snow continuing to fall it's time to share some comfort food recipes. These muffins are simple to make and absolutely delicious. All you need to do is forget you have bananas until they are ripe. (I mean who let's bananas sit on the counter until they are dark brown... nope not me... oh wait... just kidding. Gross.) There were no mishaps or tricks. I honestly wouldn't change a thing! I do, however, highly recommend making the crumb topping. I almost didn't, thankfully, the fat girl inside of me thought more butter and sugar is always better and she certainly was right! 

What you'll need:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 ripe bananas, mashed
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon butter

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 375. Grease 10 muffin cups (or line with papers.) 
2.  In a large bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
3.  In another bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, egg and melted butter.  
4.  Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened. 
5.  Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups. 
6.  In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour and cinnamon. 
7.  Cut in 1 tablespoon butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. 
8.  Sprinkle topping over muffins. 
9.  Bake in preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes.

 

Pork Medallion Medley

Frequently, I have found myself saying after a meal, "Honey, do you think I should blog about this?" Of course Honey always replies with, "Of course, it was delicious!" (He's so smart.) This time, however, I decided to write while I'm cooking. This is how much faith I have in what I'm making tonight. It has a little something for the vegetarian and carnivore in us all.


What you'll need:

• 1 pork tenderloin, cut crosswise into 8 pieces (about 3/4 - pound)
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon of fresh ground black pepper, divided
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil, divided
• 1 small shallot, minced
• 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 8 cups mixed salad greens 
• 2 ripe red pears, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup dried cherries
• 1/4 cup chopped, toasted hazelnuts
• 1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese  (about 2 oz)

Directions:

1. Sprinkle pork medallions with 1/4 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. 

2. Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.

3. Place pork gently in pan; cook for 2 1/2 minutes on each side or until pork is done. (160 degrees for medium)

4. Remove pork from pan and keep warm. 

5. To make dressing, combine remaining salt and pepper, remaining 2 teaspoons of olive oil, shallot, vinegar, and honey. Whisk until thoroughly combined. 

6. Toss greens, cherries, hazelnuts, pears, and goat cheese gently with dressing.

7. Divide greens evenly into 4 portions. Top each with two pork medallions and serve. 

Tips, Tricks, and Mishaps: 

• I am a fan of more than salt and pepper when seasoning pork. (Or anything for that matter, let's not kid ourselves.) For this recipe I used a Napa Valley Poultry Seasoning my parents brought back from well... Napa to season the medallions. I realize not everyone is spoiled at the ripe old age of 27 and receives presents from Napa Valley, so I checked to see what exactly was in this to share. I kid you not the first ingredient: spices. Whoa, thank you for being so specific. Regardless, this is where I must suggest you find a spice you like for every meat and use it as your fail safe when it is recommended that salt and pepper are enough on their own. 
• I can't even pretend that I didn't use more than 1 teaspoon of oil in my pan. I used enough to ensure that once hot, every part of the bottom of my pan had a nice oil rinse. This does not mean I fried my medallions! In order to get the golden brown crust I was looking for I needed to make sure they each got a little of the good stuff.
• I did not use an entire scallion in the salad dressing. I actually used very little that was minced practically to mush. I'm not one to eat raw onion flavored anything so the small amount I did use was perfect for me.If you like raw onion flavor, then by all means shallot it up!
• As I last minute shopped for this meal, I used apples rather than pears because clearly finding a ripe pear at the store isn't feasible. I felt apples were just as delicious but I'm rather biased seeing as though I made the meal.

I have to say this salad dressing is the perfect pairing for almost any salad. It's tangy, sweet, and light all at once. It's perfect in combination with this salad and I would highly recommend it for any brunch type setting. Actually this salad in itself would be a perfect brunch salad with the pork omitted! (Oh look, two ideas in one entry! You are welcome!) There are only 364 calories per serving, (or 8 Weight Watchers points for those who love that bandwagon,) it's the perfect easy and light meal!


Happy Medallion Munching!

A is for...

Falling Into Basil

Now that fall is here (and I've officially introduced Bruce to the world-wide-web,) I'm trying to figure out what to do with what remains of him as the weather begins to change. Today we can start with basil, because, well... that's how I'm feeling and as we have previously established I have ADD.

Our basil plant is still quite large and has plenty of crisp, green, and basilicious leaves left for harvesting. Here is a recipe I adapted from www.cookinglight.com that I found to be delicious. Now, there were a few reviews that stated the recipe was to "planty" and/or "herby," so disclaimer:  I would like to note that if you don't like basil, don't make this dish,  dumb ass, idiot, silly person. Clearly with 3 cups of basil, it's the star ingredient... and yes, it is an herb.

What you'll need:

• 1 9oz package of fresh fettuccine 
• 3 cups fresh basil leaves
• 1/4 cup half and half 
• 3 tablespoons of roasted pine nuts
• 3 tbsp fresh grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Cook fettuccine according to package directions. (Omit salt and oil if possible.)
2. Combine additional ingredients in a food processor. Blend until smooth.
3. Combine fettuccine and sauce. Heat over low flame on stove top if necessary.

Tips, Tricks, and Mishaps:

• I used fat free half and half. It didn't make a bit of a difference to me! The sauce was still creamy and delicious.
• Because I used fat free half and half I added a very small amount of extra virgin olive oil to the sauce mixture for additional flavor. 

Without any alterations this recipe has 3 servings each weighing in at 374 calories each.  Weight Watchers Points - 8. 

Happy fall ya'll!

Neglect Blog Much?

So clearly, although I have good intentions, I have been neglecting my writing for quite a few days weeks. This is not intentional, so to those of you who check in loyally (or are just bored at work) I apologize. I love food and I truly love writing! (And not just because the writing involves food... although...) Time has gotten away from me over the past few weeks and we've had a lot going on over here. I'm sure several of these apology posts will follow in the future, however, this is just apology #1 - so let's move forward. Forgive and forget? Great, thank you.

Foodie Love!

Not Your Average Latte

Fall is coming, in fact it is just around the corner. I truly can hardly wait for all of the fun that comes with using my oven again regularly! While I'm certain I'll talk plenty about the deliciousness that is fall food, today's post has to be dedicated entirely to the sin that is purchasing a $5.00 cup of coffee; specifically the Pumpkin Spice Latte from Starbucks.  

I call it it a sin because I drink a rather ridiculous amount of black coffee, no cream, no sugar. For me to spend such a large amount of money on one single cup of coffee is absolutely ridiculous. If  I weren't to make my own each day I would break the bank trying to support another addiction habit. With all of that being said there is something so incredibly fall-like about the Pumpkin Spice Latte. Clearly it's not just a latte! It's slightly milky, with clear hints of pumpkin, cinnamon, and nutmeg with just enough warm coffee flavor for you to remember what you are actually enjoying. The first sip cast me into a tailgating, UGG boot, and stuffed pepper frenzy. (Yikes, okay Sybil.) All I wanted to do in that moment was see my breath and inhale the smell of campfires and crunchy leaves. I realize that it's still summer, however with that slight taste of Halloween lingering in the back of my mouth and mind I can hardly wait for the next opportunity to throw my money away at the individual in the green apron and beg like I really want to for my next Pumpkin Spice Latte. Thank you Starbucks.

Happy Sipping!