lamb stir-fry with pomegranate and yogurt

so for the most part i cook vegetarian during the week and allow from some "meaty" splurging on the weekends, but i bought some lamb at the local market, and couldn't wait 2 days to cook it! 

(+ i don't really like waiting over a day to cook meat)

this recipe is just too good not to share

enjoy! and let me know how it turns out for you.

lamb stir-fry with pomegranate and yogurt

makes 4 servings

ingredients

• 2 tsp. cumin seeds

• 1 tsp coriander seeds

• 1 tsp paprika

• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

• 1½ lb boneless leg of lamb, thinly sliced against the grain

• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar (i didn't have any and white wine vinegar worked just fine)

• 4 tbsp olive oil, divided

• kosher salt, freshly ground pepper

• ½ cup plain greek yogurt

• 1 medium red onion, cut into ½" wedges

• cooked rice for serving (i made jasmine rice--my fave!!)

• ¼ cup pomegranate seeds 

• 2 tbsp chopped pistachios (i couldnt use these because the beaux is allergic)

• fresh oregano, mint, and/or cilantro leaves 

directions

toast cumin and coriander seeds in a small dry skillet over medium heat until fragrant, about 1 minute. let cool, then finely chop (i just stuck them in my food processor for a couple mins on chop mode -- i'm lazy, i know). toss lamb and cumin, coriander, paprika , garlic, vinegar, and 2 tbsp oil in a large bowl to coat; season with salt and pepper. cover and chill 15 mins.

whisk yogurt and 2 tbsp water in a small bowl; season with salt and pepper.

heat remaining 2 tbsp oil in a large skillet (preferably cast iron, over medium-high heat). working in batches, cook lamb, tossing occasionally, until browned, about 5 minutes per batch; transfer to a plate with a slotted spoon.

add onion to skillet and cook, stirring often, until beginning to brown and soften, about 3 minutes. add ½ cup water; season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally until onion is tender and water is evaporated, about 3 minutes. return lamb to skillet and toss to combine. season with salt and pepper.

server lamb over rice. topped with yogurt, pomegranate seeds, pistachios, and herbs.

calories: 420 fat: 36g 

recipe adapted from bon appetit

Barley, Cauliflower, and Herbs with Burrata

oh boy you guys don't even KNOW!

i'm feeling generous tonight and gifting you healthy, yummy goodness

something sooo good you'd probably pay top dollar at a fancy-shmancy restaurant.

so without further ado, i share with you a recipe that you must try...

barley, cauliflower, and herbs with burrata

ingredients:

1/2 cup pearl barley

1/4 cup fine breadcrumbs 

1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

2 cups whole milk

1/2 cup finely chopped celery hearts

1/4 cup finely chopped celery leaves

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley stems

1/2 tsp. finely grated lemon zest

2 tbsp champagne vinegar (or white vinegar)

8 oz burrata, torn

1 tbsp creme friache

coarsely ground black pepper

directions:

preheat oven to 350°. cook barley in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender (about 15-20 mins). drain and spread out on a rimmed baking sheet; let cool.

meanwhile, toss breadcrumbs with 1 tbsp olive oil on another rimmed baking sheet; season with salt. bake, tossing once, until golden brown (10-12 mins); let cool. (i used japanese panko breadcrumbs)

bring milk to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat; season with salt. add cauliflower and cook until just softened (about 3 mins); drain well. discard milk.

toss cauliflower, barley, breadcrumbs, shallot, celery hearts, celery leaves, parsley, parsley stems, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vinegar in a bowl (i used orange champagne vinegar from trader joe's -- so good!). season salad with salt.

mix burrata and creme friache in a medium bowl; season with salt. divide burrata mixture among plates, drizzle with olive oil and top with barley salad; season with pepper

I ALWAYS recommend buying as much of your produce from a local farmers market. it tastes better, i swear!.. and you're supporting local famers and businesses :)

*adapted from bon appetit january magazine

jalapeño cheddar waffles with fried egg

i woke up in the best mood on this beautiful saturday

its sunny, its bright, its 76 degrees at 9:30 in the morning...

i wanted to fix up something colorful and yummy to kickstart this weekend

and here you have it

jalapeño cheddar waffles with fried egg

it has all the pizzaz to compliment this morning

happy weekend!

recipe from: easty

i finally made banana bread!

 banana bread is one of my favorites!

today, while taylor and i were sofa shopping

we wondered by the baking section of crate & barrel

and i finallyyy got a bread pan

i have to say, for the first time baking banana bread,

it was pretty darn good

moist, rich banana & nut flavors and chocolate-y goodness

i didnt even use butta!

what you need:

1 1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons whole wheat pastry flour

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

2 ripe bananas, smashed

1 egg

3/4 cups greek yogurt

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional -- my secret touch)

what you do:

1. preheat oven to 350 degrees & grease a large loaf pan

2. mix together bananas, egg, greek yogurt, vanilla and sugar.

3. gradually stir in the pastry flour, baking powder and salt.

4. add in chocolate chips and chopped walnuts (optional)

5. evenly pour batter into the pan about 3/4 full. bake for 45 minutes  or until toothpick comes out clean. cool completely before removing and cutting.

summer blueberry cobbler

 well hello there

its been a while

...i've missed you!

so as a gift of my long absence i share with you this a.m.a.z.i.n.g. blueberry cobbler recipe that i decided to try from the latest bon apetit magazine. berries are at their peak right now and i couldnt pass up the opportunity to do something delicious with 2lbs of blueberries from the farmers market!

what you need:

1 1/2 cups plus 3 tbsp. all-purpose flour

3 tbsp plus 1 cup sugar

1 1/2  tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp kosher salt

6 tbsp. (3/4 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2" pieces

1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp creme fraiche (or sour cream)

6 cups fresh blueberries (about 2lbs)

2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

1 tbsp finely grated lemon zest

what you do:

preheat oven to 375 degrees. whisk 1 1/2 cups flour, 3 tbsp sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. add butter; using your fingertips, incorporate until only pea-size lumps remain. gently mix in creme fraiche. knead in bowl until a biscuit-like dough forms, 5-7 turns (over-mixing will make dough tough).

combine remaining 1 cup sugar, remaining 3 tbsp flour, berries, juice and zest in a large bowl. toss to coat. pour into 8x8x2 glass baking dish or divide among six 6-oz ramekins. tear biscuit topping into quarter-size crumbles; scatter over berries. 

bake cobbler until juices are thick and bubbling and topping is cooked through and deep golden brown, 20-25 minutes for ramekins or 45-50 minutes for baking dish. let cook for at least 1 hour.

this was the perfect summer treat to a beautiful sunday.

today taylor and i did our usual:

farmers market, beach day, cook a yummy dinner on the bbq

... and last will be hbo's true blood and newsroom

i hope you have a great rest of your sunday!!

breakfast series part tres

...and to round out the week

some mountain raspberry pancakes 

just added some farmer's market raspberry jam to my go to buttermilk pancake mix (krusteaz)

plopped on some powdered sugar and maple syrup

and there you have it

a perfect start to the weekend

the breakfast series

seems to be a theme going on around here

breakfast!

tay and i have been trying to start our days off right with good, healthy, energizing meals

this morning i made oatmeal (the heart healthy serving)

in almond milk (instead of water) and added fresh chopped banana, strawberry and kiwi 

to top it off we added flax seed and flax seed oil

a bowl of omega threes, antioxidants, protein and fiber

mMmMMmmmm

healthy snack: pear and yogurt recipe

i don't know about you, but around 3-4pm every day, i start to crash

the yawns start a'comin, the droopy eyes, and my overall energy plummets

so i like to pack some healthy snacks for this time of day

to give me a little boost.

this snack is my favorite right now

... lets call it the "pear pick-me-up"

its only 4 ingredients and super easy to make.

a ripe, soft anjou pear cut into small cubes

about 1/2 cup of guava, pineapple and papaya probiotics (here)

handful chopped raw walnuts

sprinkle of ground cinnamon

put it all together and thats it!

enjoy.

tortilla soup

last night was a night for warm soup

and luckily i got off work at a "decent" time (before 7pm!)

so taylor and i put together the yummiest tortilla soup the two of us have ever had

taylor is very partial to houston's tortilla soup

...er their old rendition at least

but he said this recipe is right up there with it

the recipe i used was adapted from a cozy kitchen

but we changed a few things up and added a few extras

on a health kick: salmon tacos

sorry for the crickets

i know i haven't been a good blogger lately, and im deeply sorry!

with christmas around the corner ive been a busy bee

but i did have time to make some yummy salmon tacos with taylor this past sunday for lunch

everything was fresh from the farmers market

the avocado, the cheese, the mushrooms, the peppers, the salmon...

except for the yellow corn tortillas

which we had to go to 3 markets to finally find

we're very particular about our yellow corn toritillas - can ya tell?

happy tuesday!

now go have some tacos

dairy-free egg salad

i made a fabulous egg salad this morning

and decided to make egg salad sandwiches today

over the weekend, i had a simple tartine at a restaurant i used to work at, le pain quotidien

i forgot how much i loved this dairy-free, no mayo egg salad

i don't know exactly what their recipe is, but i think mine came close with a little added favorites

5 boiled free-range, organic brown eggs

2 tablespoons chopped parsely

1 tablespoon organic olive oil

1 tablespoon capers

juice from half a lemon

pinch of sea salt

pinch of black pepper

1 tablespoon pesto

mix all these together and there you have it

happy tuesday!

homemade quinoa cakes with recipe!

Pin It last night taylor and i enjoyed a monday evening dinner

he grilled up some flat iron steak that he had been marinating since sunday

(oh my gosh the steak was incredible)

and i made some yummy quinoa cakes

adapted from joy the baker

these quinoa cakes are my newest obsession

we had them for dinner last night and for breakfast this morning 

and i'm not going to lie...

i'm kinda craving them for dinner again!

i basically used all the vegetables i had in the fridge from our sunday farmers market run

but feel free to add or omit any of the veggie ingredients.

ok, heres the recipe - its so simple! makes about a dozen cakes....

you will need:

1 cup raw quinoa

2 cups water 

1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

3 large eggs, beaten

1/2 cup yellow onion, finely chopped

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/3 cup chopped parsley

1 tablespoon lemon zest (and lemon juice from half a lemon)

1 cup bread crumbs

1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

4 padron peppers, finely chopped

1/2 cup shiitake mushrooms, finely chopped

olive oil 

directions:

Place dry quinoa in a fine mesh strainer. Wash under cool water for a few mins (quinoa needs to be rinsed or it tastes dirty).  In a medium saucepan, place rinsed quinoa, water and a pinch of salt. Place over medium heat and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for about 15 min (or according to pkg directions). Remove quinoa from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.

In a small bowl whisk, together eggs and set aside.

In a large bowl, toss together onion, cheese, parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice, bread crumbs, garlic salt, pepper and cooled quinoa. Add beaten eggs and stir until all o the quinoa mixture is moistened.  Add a little water to thoroughly moisten the mixture (if necessary). Quinoa should be slightly wet so it doesn't dry out during cooking.

Scoop out mixture by the 2 tablespoonful. Use clean, moist fingers to form into a patty.

In a large skillet over med-low heat, heat olive oil. If your pan is large enough, add 4-6 patties to the hot pan. You'll need a bit of room to successfully flip them.

Cook on each side until browned, about 4-5 mins on each side. Low heat helps the quinoa cakes cook slowly. Brown on each side then remove to a paper towel lined plate. 

recipe of the day

without intention, ive noticed i can go days without eating meat!

when a meat option is available for lunch at work, i find myself skipping out for the veggie dish

i used to be a vegetarian back in high school

but my mom was concerned i wasn't getting the right nutrients

and for all intents and purposes - she was probably right

you do, afterall, have to know how to eat properly when being a vegetarian and get the sufficient amount of protein and iron (which i was lacking).

anyway, 

now that i'm aware of my meat-less eating habits

and how easy it is for me

i figure, what the heck, why not embrace it

heres a recipe i found today from The Grub Daily Blog

i plan to get all the ingredients this weekend at the farmers market

Lentil Salad with Herbs, Tomatoes and Spinach

Pin It

{ Ingredients }

• 1 cup French green lentils
• Boiling water
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons shallots, diced
• 3 cups baby spinach leaves
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• ¼ cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
• ¼ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• ¼ cup mint leaves, chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

{ To Make the Salad } Place the lentils in a large bowl and cover with boiling water. Cover with towel or lid and allow to soak for 20-25 minutes, or until softened.

Over medium-high flame, heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the shallots and cook until they are softened and fragrant, about 2-3 minutes. Add the spinach and cook until just wilted, about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes, lentil, basil, parsley, and mint to the pan and stir to combine. Cook until warmed through, about 1 minute. Stir in the lemon juice, salt, and pepper and serve!

let me know if you try this before me and how it turns out!

sugary-cinnamon french toast bites

 rise and shine!!!

happy friday my dear friends

and to a lovely weekend!

this morning taylor and i enjoyed french toast bites

and hands down, these were the best yet!

they tasted similar to churros dipped in warm maple syrup.

it was so good that we kind of felt guilty

so this morning taylor decided to bike all the way to work and i'm going to walk...

 it would be selfish of me not to share this recipe

so here it is:

you will need:

french bread (baguette), cut into 1" cubes

3 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 cup milk

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

pinch of salt

1 tablespoon butter

instructions:

in a large bowl, mix togeter the sugar and cinnamon then set aside

in a separate, large mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, vanilla extract and salt.

add the cut up french bred to the wet mix & stir with a large spoon until the bread peices are soaked 

melt the butter in a large saucepan and add the saturated bread cubes

cook until brown and toasty on all sides (about 5 minutes)

remove from heat and add the cooked pieces to the sugar and cinnamon bowl

toss liberally until all the french bread pieces are coated with the mixture

heat up your favorite maple syrup

and dip away!!

taylor got a little carried away and dipped a few french toast bites into nutella

can't hate if for it...

cut i dipped one too! ;)

waffle wednesday: strawberries and cream

happy wednesday 

the happiest day of the week 

the rain that i've been waiting for! 

this morning taylor and i enjoyed strawberry waffles with whipped cream 

i dont know if it was because it was chilly out and waffles seemed like the perfect match to the weather, 

but they were exceptionally good this morning 

i chopped up strawberries in tiny pieces and added them to the waffle batter. 

the juices from the strawberries seeped out while the waffles were cooking

making it juicy with strawberry sap!

i wish the rain would stay a while...

but i'll be happy with a day of it for now

we're traveling to ireland this coming january

and i think i'll get enough of it then ;)

my morning cup of joe

good morning!

i was spending so much money on coffee, i figured it was about time i make my own.

it takes me about 10 mins to make a cup, but it well worth it and its the best cup of joe i've had!

i bought a magic bullet to grind my coffee beans, a stove-top espresso maker,

and to go along, i bought "c" and "t" mugs from anthropolgie

unfortunately, the "t" mug came in pink, so taylor drinks from "c" and i drink from "t"...

i bought "tessa rosa" coffee beans from my favorite coffee shop, caffe luxxe.

the owner taught me a few things about coffee that i found interesting, so i thought i'd share...

the best way to enjoy fresh coffee is to brew freshly ground beans.

coffee grinds oxidize much like an avocado,

so if you buy a bag of already ground coffee it can taste stale

so there is my little fun fact about coffee

how i make my coffee:

i [finely] grind about 2 tablespoons of beans in my magic bullet

i then add it to my stove-top espresso maker, making sure to use filtered water for the best taste

while the coffee is brewing, i heat up about 1/2 a cup of soy milk over the stove

just before it starts to boil, i throw it onto my magic bullet and it creates the best froth

once my coffe is made, i pour it into a cup

then pour my hot, frothy soy milk

and sprinkle cinnamon on top

(i put cinnamon on almost everything)

happy tuesday!

candied blueberry and walnut french toast

this morning taylor and i slept in as late as possible

we've been up late almost every night this week

...molly's been on a special allergy medication that makes here very thirsty

which makes her pee more, which means getting up a handful of times in the night to take her out

but she is doing much better so hopefully its all out of her system and we can sleep again!

anyway, on with the french toast!!

from taylor, "you're getting pretty good at this, ya know? i'd say these are the best yet"

so naturally i had to take a bite

...then a second... then a third...

and oh my gosh these were explosive!

(don't you love taylor's "not guilty" t-shirt? seems fitting...)

i saturated two slices of thick egg bread in my french toast concoction for a little extra longer today

making them moist and fluffy and just down right amazing!

i plopped on the two soaked slices of egg bread onto a pre-heated saute pan,

cooking for about 2 minutes on each side

i've come to realize that making french toast is a lot like baking cookies

when baking cookies, you take 'em out before they look ready for a softer cookie, right?

well the same seems to be true for french toast. 

so, i turned off the heat just before they "looked" done and let them cook slowly without heat while i prepared the candied walnuts and blueberries....

i found a simple recipe for candied walnuts this past weekend and i'm obsessed!

bake walnut halves for 5 min at 350 degrees

melt about 1/2 cup of raw, brown sugar

have roasted walnuts at hand

as soon as the sugar starts melting, toss in the walnuts 

remove the heat and stir with a wooden spoon for a minute or so, making sure all the walnuts are coated in the melted sugar

(at this point, i threw in some blueberries and coated them too)

have parchment paper ready and put the walnuts (and blueberries) on to it once coated in sugar

quickly separate with a fork

and voila!

candied blueberry and walnut french toast

happy healthy waffles.

happy hump day!

this week taylor has been trying to eliminate sweets (as much as possible) 

and try for some more healthy choices.

so today, i made waffles cooked with chopped walnuts in the batter

with fresh strawberries, blueberries and apricots all from the farmers market.

i must say, the fruit from the farmers market is 100 times better than any grocery store.

the strawberries were as sweet as cotton candy, the blueberries were plump and juicy, and the baked apricots had a burst of honeyed sensation with each bite

it is worth the extra cash to buy fruits and vegetables from a local farmer.

i baked the apricots as i did a few weeks ago with the candied peach waffles

(10 mins at 350 degrees in brown sugar)

it was delicious

and the plate was licked clean

happy day my friends

i hope its a good one

today is the last day i have my cast! 

guest post: yellow tail salad by taylor

yellow tail salad

by: taylor donsker

ingredients:

sashimi grade yellow tail

sliced red onion

baby greens

herbs (cilantro, rosemary)

low sodium soy sauce

juice from half a lemon

olive oil

sea salt or course salt

slices of half an avocado

recipe:

1. with a slicer knife, disgard the skin and thinly slice the fish against the grain

2. add juice from lemon, about a teaspoon of soy sauce, and a couple pinches of salt

3. in a non-stick pan, saute fish for about 30 seconds on each side in a tablespoon of olive oil

(for a more well done fish, you can cook longer)

4. plate your baby greens with the herbs and lightly toss

5. thinly slice the red onion (as much as you desire)

6. add yellow tail and top off with avocado slices

7. sprinkle a tiny bit of salt, lemon juice and soy sauce to taste

inspired by master sushi chef, goro, at brother's sushi



arugula pesto

seems, lately, this has turned into a food blog!

but if you don't mind it, i don't mind it...

because i'm such a foodie at heart

last night i made arugula pesto pasta with chicken and garlic sautéed mushrooms

the recipe is adapted from one of my favorite blogs food coma

okay, so here's the recipe...

ingredients:

2/3 cup toasted walnuts

4 oz arugula

1/3 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese

3/4 cup olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

1 cup spaghetti or linguine noodles

1 cup portobello mushrooms

1/2 cup chopped onion

3 garlic cloves

arugula pesto:

1) in a food processor, puree the walnuts, arugula, parmesan cheese and half of the olive oil.

2) once it is well mixed, turn off your food processor and scrap down the sides of the bowl.

3) turn on the processor on its lowest setting and slowly pour in the remaining olive oil

4) add salt and pepper to taste

pasta:

1) cook noodles according to package

2) while the noodles are cooking, saute mushrooms with garlic, chopped onions, and a dash of olive oil.

(i used a small amount of the pesto and cooked in that)

3) once the mushrooms are well cooked (after about 5 mins) add in the rinsed noodles, pesto and stir together for about 2 mins

4) add in chicken, shrimp, etc. if you're craving a little protein.

and voila!

bon appetit!

xo