Double Dark Chocolate Biscotti

This is one of the dessert recipes from Power Foods. (A lot of my recipes are from this cookbook, so I've provided the book link from Amazon this time.) Dark chocolate, walnuts, and hazelnuts (my addition) make an incredible biscotti. Well, if you like twice-baked cakes. They're kind of strange. Are they crunchy cake? Are they a hard cookie? Are they a weird sort of cake-like cracker? You get the point. But hey, I'm all about trying new, weird things. So I chose this recipe yesterday morning. Not quite sure if Zack was as thrilled, but I thought these were really delicious.

You basically mix all ingredients into a very stiff dough. Then with moistened hands, you form the dough into two "logs." I know. How appetizing. But then you bake the logs (as if baked logs are any better) until the tops are set, let cool, cut into diagonal slices, then bake again until crisp. These really are good. The dark chocolate is bold and rich. And I love the chunks of chocolate and toasted nuts inside. A great biscotti for a light dessert or a welcome companion for your afternoon coffee. Cheers.

Chicken Cutlets with Tomatoes and Green Bean Succcotash

Monday and Tuesday nights are a little tricky. Zack doesn't get off work until 8:00 p.m. so dinner is kind of always up in the air. Do we eat leftovers from lunch while Zack is still at work? Or, uhhh...cereal? Do we eat late (even though we know that eating after 8:00 p.m. is not really the greatest thing health wise)?

My solution is a light, easy meal that can be ready right when Zack gets home. (Doesn't that sound like a line out of a women's magazine? Yikes.) Okay, well you can't blame me for being a perfect wife right now because I don't exactly have a permanent job. Plus, I feel compelled to make it up to Zack, since he's the only one bringing in money at this point. And I spend it on groceries. And kitchen equipment.

Anyways. We've discovered the giant bag of frozen chicken breasts at Cost-co. We always have vegetables on hand from our vegetable delivery, and now we always have chicken. An easy meal is made. Last night it was chicken cutlets with some diced tomatoes (which were from my dad's garden I might add...thanks Dad) and a succotash.

The chicken isn't any more difficult that butterflying the breasts in half, seasoning with kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper, throwing in a skillet with some canola oil, and cooking over medium high under nicely browned. Pretty simple? Take out the chicken, and warm up your diced tomatoes in the same pan. The tomato juice just starts flowing and the flavor is incredible enhanced. It makes the chicken.

I discovered "succotash" at a restaurant recently. It's a food consisting primarily of corn and lima beans (or other shell beans). My dream. For those of you who don't know, I'm obsessed with corn. I really don't know why...how special is it really? Apparently, special enough. I have to refrain from making recipes that contain corn on a regular basis. Otherwise, it's all we would eat. Corn chowder, corn salsa, cornbread, grilled corn, corn with pasta...I have even had corn on pizza. Although, at this moment I can't recall where that was. Maybe in a dream...? So. I had corn, but no lima beans, so this is sort of a succotash variation. Green beans, carrots, peas, corn, onion, garlic, and thyme. All sauteed in vegetable stock, but the green beans and carrots need to be steamed first. Really, this was delicious. Onion and garlic make anything better, and the vegetable stock gives really good flavor.

A successful weeknight meal indeed. Here's to hoping I still have time to cook once I get a permanent job. Because I really like to eat. And I really like to cook.

Oreo Crumb Cupcakes

So, I kind of love cupcakes. They're enticing. They're the perfect size. For whatever reason, cupcake shops just lure me in. Thus, when I discovered that a girl I went to high school with had an incredible cupcake blog, I was hooked. Her recipes are always good, and they're really creative. If you haven't checked out Your Cup of Cake, you really should. Seriously. These Oreo Crumb Cupcakes are all Lizzy Early. Pure genius. Pure delight.

I love cupcakes. I love cupcakes. I love cupcakes. 

Very Green Broccoli Soup

Due to a series of unexpected events, Zack and I received our vegetable box two weeks in a row (instead of the usual every other week delivery). What was the result? More vegetables than we knew what to do with. So I got the grand idea of making a vegetable-heavy soup, and that it was. Essentially, this recipe was super easy because all I really did was cook the vegetables (broccoli, turnips, onion, and kale) with fresh thyme, chicken stock, and lemon zest. Then, I pureed the mixture. At the end, I stirred in a little half and half to make the soup a bit creamier.

If anything, this vegetable soup was a great way to have a nutrient-rich meal. It's smooth and creamy, but the tiny, individual broccoli florets keep hold, making the dish really attractive with both dark and light greens. If blended soup is your thing, this is a keeper.

Banana Crunch Muffins

Okay. After all my muffin research, I have come to the conclusion that Ina Garten's Banana Crunch Muffins are the best muffins ever. They are. Hands down. There's no question about it. And Zack agrees.

They are definitely a dessert muffin, but they are large and hearty. They're sweet; the flavor of the banana is so bold and the coconut contributes enough. There's mashed bananas, diced bananas, and banana chips in these. When I saw the recipe and that it called for nuts, granola, and banana chips, I knew that I wanted to use Bear Naked banana nut granola. I know you can find it at Trader Joe's. And it has all those things in it. Plus more: pure deliciousness. I think it made these muffins.

But the greatest thing about these is the crunch, not to mention the rich flavor. Sprinkle some of that granola on the muffins before you bake, and it will toast right up. I'll be making these again. And again. And again. Banana crunch muffins forever.

Red Chard, Potato, and White Bean Ragout

Ragout. A French main-dish stew cooked for a long time over low heat. Low heat. I'll remember that next time I'm trying to keep a ragout at a simmer. Apparently, letting the heat elevate too quickly can turn some of your ingredients (a.k.a. potatoes and beans) into mush. So yesterday, my ragout really turned into a sort of chowder. But, it was actually delicious! Maybe it's okay for some ragout contents to get a little soft, because in turn, you end up with a very thick and luxurious broth.

How did I find this recipe? I googled "red chard recipes." And I found: Red Chard, Potato, and White Bean Ragout from The New York Times online. Recipes for Health. Perfect. And a perfect way to use my red chard. Heck, I'm even going to throw my romanesco into that. I don't know about you, but I had never heard of romanesco in my life until it showed up in our vegetable box. So I googled it (like I do most things) and voila! Roman cauliflower. That'll do.

Romanesco.

All in all, this recipe was really good. It asks you to basically make your own broth with bay leaf, fresh thyme, and a Parmesan rind. You leave that simmering in water and the beans for an hour before adding anything else. Red chard (stems and leaves), onion, garlic, Yukon gold potatoes, and more thyme (plus, romanesco if you're fancy). It was so hearty. And even though it did fall apart a little, it was still tasty. The red chard is slightly bitter, but it's balanced out by the smooth potatoes, beans, a wonderful herb content. I think the Parmesan rind added a sort of creaminess to the stew also.

Delicious, comforting, and perfect with some fresh Trader Joe's wheat sourdough bread. Ahh, it's fall.

Red Chile-Citrus Marinated Chicken and Tomatillo Guacamole

Tomatillos? What am I supposed to do with those? Apparently, the options consist mainly of guacamole and salsa. Fine by me. Zack and I are big fans of fresh Mexican, and I've had a lot of fun making fresh and healthy burritos, tostadas, and tacos since we got married. That's the way I like my Mexican. Fresh. I don't go for the mushy, melted, refried bean-covered soup on a plate. I know, I know. Maybe I haven't experimented enough with authentic Mexican (I'm sure there's good stuff out there), and don't worry, I'm not going to stop. Let's just say, it's not my favorite. Hence, fresh mission-style Mexican.

If you haven't added tomatillos to your usual guacamole recipe, than you should. Bright, green, and they blend beautifully after being husked, rinsed, and boiled for 5 minutes. This guacamole also contains a little onion, jalapeno, fresh lime juice, cilantro, and of course...avocados. Blend it all up and there you go. Oh, and don't lean in too close when you go to smell your guacamole. Eyes. Will. Burn. (Jalapeno and onion, anyone?)

The chicken marinade is all things citrus: fresh orange, lemon, and lime juice; plus, some olive oil and spices. I marinated the chicken for about an hour in the refrigerator. I've found that citrus is really a great option for Mexican. The intense squeezing fruit after fruit by hand can be a little intense, but it really gives you bold flavor.

Well, that's all for now. Keeping it fresh and simple. Keep an eye out for a red chard, potato, and white bean ragout showing up here soon. I may even throw in some more interesting vegetables, like romanesco (Roman what?)...more on that later. :)