Chocolate Chip Cookies

I am a regular watcher of Food Network's show, Throwdown with Bobby Flay, where pro chef Bobby Flay goes up against chefs from around the country and challenges them to beat their dish of expertise. It's a great show. The only drawback to watching is that I start craving whatever the challenging dish is! Recently, I saw one where Bobby went up against Levain Bakery located in New York City. This bakery specializes in gigantic, chewy, chocolate chip walnut cookies. I personally have not tried these cookies, but I will definitely try to the next time I visit NYC. After watching the show, I could not stop thinking about these cookies, and I had to make them. The bakery would not divulge their recipe on the show. Luckily, there are several food bloggers out there who have painstakingly re-created it by trial and error. Bless them!

Now, I am not a baker by any means. I'll throw together a boxed brownie mix any day, but rarely do I take the time to put all those ingredients together from scratch. Why would I do that when the mix is just as good? However, in the case of cookies, I can always tell the difference between the mixes and scratch. When I compare the work to make these cookies and the work to make other meals in this blog, baking these cookies from scratch was not that bad. My only real problem was when my dinky handheld mixer started making noises like a dying cat and emitting a funky burning smell, then I knew I was in trouble. Fortunately, the old mixer persevered and I was able to combine all the ingredients. The hard work by me and my mixer was totally worth it. These cookies were fantastic.

Instead of recreating the recipe steps, I'll just point to the link where I found this wonderful blog and recipe and post a picture of mine. This gives me more time in which to eat the cookies I made. :) A few notes: I used 1/2 Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate chips and 1/2 Nestle milk chocolate chips. I used shelled walnuts, toasted them in a skillet, and broke them up a bit for big chunks in my big cookies. I used 2 3/4 cup flour (the recipe gives a range). Finally, I baked mine for 17 minutes (range is 16-20).

Enjoy!

Levain Bakery Knockoff Cookies

Cleanse Diet Day 3 (Eating Out)

Cleanse Diet is going well! I am following the rules fairly well without feeling like I'm starving. I started exercising this week, and I'm feeling good. I feel more awake during the day, even with the lack of sugar or caffeine to perk me up. Despite my best efforts I'll give myself a "C" grade for the "no gluten" rule. I thought I was safe with couscous and oatmeal, but according to internet resources, those contain gluten. Apparently I have to buy the "gluten-free" versions of both, which are not available in a regular grocery store. I could see how this kind of diet can get expensive. There are many money-saving tips out there such as homemade sauces and breads, but this diet definitely takes a lot of planning and time. From what I've read, the healthy benefits are worth the extra work!

I thought eating at a restaurant was out of the question with this diet, but it turns out I was able to get a vegan gluten-free meal at the local Thai restaurant, and it was delicious too! I did some research on restaurants, first starting with gluten-free. I was surprised to find that local chains Cheeseburger in Paradise and Outback Steakhouse both had gluten-free menus on their website. But guess what-- ALL of the entrees contained meat. One forum suggested Thai food, so I gave it a try. My dish was Pad Pak ordered off the Vegetarian menu - stir-fried veggies with fried tofu in a brown sauce with jasmine rice. I asked the server about gluten-free, she knew exactly what I was talking about, and said they would remove the "flour powder" that they put in the sauce. So easy. I wish everything in my life was that easy. Anyway, if I keep this going, I'll definitely be going back there. Also, Thai Kitchen sells gluten free pre-packaged meals and soups, so that's one option for a quick meal finally!

Today I had a fruit smoothie for breakfast and I'm having quinoa salad for lunch. Dinner is TBD, I'm out of groceries already. I have a few more recipes to try, so I think after my Friday Free Day, I'll try this crazy diet for another week. Wheeee!

Grilled Portobello Pita

On Day 1 of my Cleanse Diet, I made portobello pitas for dinner. At my local grocery store, I could not find any buns or bread without "wheat gluten" listed in the ingredients. I found whole-wheat pita bread that did not have it listed, but I think wheat flour contains gluten so perhaps I disobeyed that rule already. I don't get what I'm supposed to eat in the breads category! The only info I could find online were recipes on how to bake your own gluten-free bread, and sure, like THAT'S going to happen. So anyway, back to the recipe. It turned out very yummy!

Have I mentioned how much I love the grill that my coworker donated to me?? Good karma should start for him any day now. I marinated those meaty portobello mushroom caps and grilled 'em up perfectly, along with bell peppers and onions. C. had his with a toasted whole wheat deli flat (gluten in these) while I sliced up my mushroom and stuffed it in a pita.

Marinade:
balsamic vinegar
extra virgin olive oil (go easy on this! try limiting to 2 tbsp)
dried basil
dried oregano
garlic powder
cayenne pepper
salt
pepper

Toppings:
1 bell pepper, sliced
1/2 onion, sliced
guacamole

Remove stems from mushroom caps and rinse. Place caps in a shallow dish and pour marinade over them. Let sit for 15 minutes. Heat grill to med-high. Grill peppers and onions for about 10 minutes. Grill mushroom caps 5-8 mins on each side, occasionally brushing them with the marinade. Slice mushroom cap and place into pita. Top with peppers, onions, a dollop of guac and serve with a side of couscous. (per serving: 335cals, 16g fat, 44g carbs, 9g protein)

Eggplant Rollatini

I purchased some great looking eggplant at the local farmers market and found this recipe on allrecipes.com in which to use it! This is a good vegetarian dish without the prosciutto, although I really liked the salty bacon-y flavor that it added to the rolls. This receipe was really easy and delicious!

1 eggplant, peeled and sliced into 1/4" slices

1 egg

1 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs

1 cup low-fat ricotta cheese

1/2 lb prosciutto, sliced paper thin

14 oz jar spaghetti sauce

1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped

1 cup low-fat mozarella cheese, shredded

8 oz spaghetti

olive oil

Sweat eggplant slices by spreading out on a baking tin and salting both sides, then wait 20+ minutes. Eventually the slices will have small beads of liquid on them. Rinse salt off egg plant slices and dry with towel. Sweating the eggplant is supposed to improve the flavor of the eggplant, but I also liked how it made the texture tougher or more meat-like. Heat olive oil in large skillet. Beat egg and dip egg slices in egg then coat with breadcrumbs. Place coated eggplant slices in skillet until golden brown.

Start boiling water for noodles. Preheat oven to 350F. Spread thin layer of ricotta cheese onto each slice of eggplant. Sprinkle a bit of the fresh basil on top of ricotta. Place a slice of prosciutto onto each one. Roll up tightly, and place seam side down in a 9x13" baking dish. Pour spaghetti sauce over eggplant rolls and sprinkle mozarella cheese on top. Bake for 15 minutes until cheese is melted. While eggplant is baking, finish cooking noodles.

Cleanse Diet

This week I am doing a trial run of the Cleanse Diet presented in Kathy Freston's book, "Quantum Wellness: A Practical and Spiritual Guide to Health and Happiness". Over the past few months I have not felt like my former energetic self. I used to tackle all kinds of tasks and hobbies after work, but now I often feel lethargic, especially after I sit at a desk all day. My funk could be due to my crazy work travel schedule which makes it difficult to follow a healthy diet. Or perhaps it's because I'm soon turning 30? I'm sure the pound of Halloween candy I finished over the weekend isn't helping either! So I'm looking for ways to add energy and clarity to my daily life. I found Freston's book interesting, and the Cleanse Diet intriguing. It is not as extreme as some, like the "Master Cleanse" (yikes!) but it does cut out foods I eat every day, like cheese (the second love of my life, haha). The purpose is to kick start your body into a more healthy lifestyle. I'm starting out small...my plan is to follow it for 5 days, take a day off (Friday girls' night!), then start back up for another week if I want. Since I eat a lot of vegetarian dishes already, I'm hoping it won't be a huge adjustment. Oprah did it for 21 days but she has a personal chef so it was considerably easier on her!

The basics of the diet:
No meat
No animal products - includes eggs and dairy
No caffeine
Natural sweeteners only - no syrup, honey, fake sugar
No gluten - didn't really know what this was until I tried to find bread without it. It's in everything!

Here's my sample menu so far.

Day 1
Breakfast: instant oatmeal with soy milk, chopped apples, ground flaxseed, and cinnamon
Lunch: Quinoa salad
Dinner: Portobello mushroom pita with grilled peppers, onions, and avocado. I couldn't find gluten free buns or bread, but I think I found whole wheat pitas that make the cut.

Day 2
Breakfast: fruit smoothie with soymilk
Lunch: veggie salad with avocado, chickpeas, and walnuts
Dinner: Tofu stir-fry with bell peppers, onions, snap peas, and baby corn.

Day 3
Breakfast: Gluten-free toast with natural peanut butter
Lunch: quinoa salad
Dinner: Thai Green Curry Tofu

Snacks
fruit
baby carrots
almonds
homemade protein bars (these contain whey protein powder, maybe I should switch to soy powder instead)

I'll report back after a couple days - wish me luck!

Caprese Salad

As most of my friends know, one of my favorite restaurants in Fort Worth is Taverna. They make this incredible caprese salad with red and yellow grape tomatoes, and since I've moved I was having a serious craving for it. I had grand plans to use my cherry tomatoes grown in my very own herb garden, until I woke up the next morning and discovered that all my beautiful ripe tomatoes had split skins. According to the internet, it was caused by the monsoon rainstorm that hit us the day before. This made me sad, but I had a backup plan of going to a local farmers market and picking up fresh tomatoes there. When THAT market was closed after work, I gave up and settled for the prettiest tomatoes I could find at the local grocery store. I had to have my caprese salad! Steamy Kitchen had a delicious-looking recipe so I went with big tomatoes rather than the cherry ones.

Steamy Kitchen's gorgeous photo of her salad:

What mine ended up looking like:

Ok, so my presentation skills need some work. But it tasted delicious! Steamy Kitchen has fantastic step-by-step instructions here, so I won't attempt to reproduce them. This recipe only works with FRESH tomatoes and basil so do it while they're still around!

Fajitas!

Continuing our Tex-Mex on the East Coast theme, we attempted fajitas on our new grill. My very nice co-worker donated his old grill to us and we are thrilled and have started grilling up a storm! It's the gift that keeps on giving! I'm convinced that this person will have good karma for at least a year.

Anyway, we couldn't decide between chicken or steak so decided to make both, which of course ended up to be waaayyy too much for 2 people, but the leftovers were welcome. The entire Tex-Mex spread consisted of: chicken and steak fajitas with all the fixin's, grilled corn-on-the-cob, tortilla chips, homemade tomato salsa, and of course Jose Cuervo margaritas.

Here's the grilled meat in all its glory...mmm

I bought flank steak and marinated it in a sauce I used previously on sirloin kabobs. We ended up marinating the chicken in it too so I doubled this batch.

1/4 cup soy sauce
3 tbsp light brown sugar
3 tbsp white vinegar
1/2 tsp garlic powder or mince 2 cloves fresh if you have it
1/2 tsp salt
freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup lemon juice

Heat grill to 400F. Grill chicken about 5 minutes on each side and steak for 7-10 on each side, until cooked to preferred doneness.

Fajita toppings of your choice:
Grilled sliced bell peppers Grilled onion strips
Grilled sliced for some heat!
salsa - I made the same roasted tomato salsa as my previous post
chopped cilantro
diced tomato
Mexican flavor shredded cheese
guacamole - the avocados weren't ripe enough in the store to use in our feast :(
sour cream

I prefer the whole wheat tortillas, but any kind will work. Place meat, then cheese, then toppings in the tortilla, wrap and enjoy! Here is a picture of our entire feast!

Dos Salsas

We made two types of salsa to go with the previously posted Chicken Enchiladas with Red Sauce. Both were very basic, but both turned out delicious!

Craig was in charge of the pico, and he rocked it. I was very proud. :)

RECIPE - pico de gallo
2 tomatoes, finely chopped 2 jalapeno chile peppers, seeds and ribs removed and finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
2 tbsp lime juice
salt and pepper to taste
Mix all ingredients together and chill prior to serving.

RECIPE – ranch-style tomato salsa
4 tomatoes
1 -3 jalapeno chile peppers ( I used 1 for a mild+ heat), cut in half with seeds and ribs removed
1 large onion, quartered
3 cloves garlic
¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
3-4 tbsp lime juice
Salt and pepper

Preheat broiler on high. Place tomatoes, jalapenos, onions, and garlic on broiler pan and broil vegetables 4" from heat, 3-4 minutes on each side. The veggies are done when: The tomatoes are cracked and blackened, the jalapenos are be blistered with black spots, the onions are soft and blackened on the edges, the garlic is softened but NOT burned.

For a less runny salsa, squeeze the juice out of the tomatoes when taking them off the broiler pan.

In a food processor, combine jalapenos, onions, and garlic; pulse to a coarse paste. Add tomatoes, cilantro, 3 tbsp lime juice. Season with salt and pepper. Process briefly to combine. Transfer to medium saucepan. Simmer over medium heat for 5 minutes. Season more with salt, pepper and lime juice if needed according to taste. Bring in for coworkers to enjoy. Serve warm or chilled with tortilla chips.

Chicken Enchiladas with Red Sauce

I made it to the East Coast! With all the travelling I've been doing for work I haven't had time for cooking, but this past weekend I made a point to try something new. Since there aren't many Mexican restaurants to satisfy my regular cravings like in Texas, I realized I'll have to learn how to make it myself. A new challenge! I started off with something easy, a basic Mexican dish of enchiladas, pice de gallo, and tomato-based salsa.

I bought most of the fresh ingredient at a local produce stand, which was great. There are tons of them around here. The tomatoes were sweet and juicy, and the jalapenos were very fresh. As a bonus, I also got a basil plant for $2! The hardest ingredient to find was the dried red chile peppers. After going to a (way overpriced) specialty store with no luck, I was shocked to find them at the local Food Lion in the Mexican food section. Score!

RECIPE - Enchiladas

Chicken:

1 lb bonless skinless chicken breasts

1/4 onion

1/2 tomato

1 sprig fresh cilantro

4 1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth

Sauce:

15 dried New Mexico red chile peppers

1/2 tomato, seeded and cut into 1" pieces

1/4 medium onion, cut into 1" pieces

1 clove garlic

2 sprigs fresh cilantro

1/2 tsp dried oregano

12 corn tortillas (6" diameter)

1/4 white onion, minced

1/2 cup Monterey Jack cheese, grated

In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine chicken, tomato, onion, cilantro, and 4 cups of chicken broth. Simmer for 10 minutes, until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken from pan and cool to room temperature. Shred chicken into thin slivers. Strain the cooking liquid into a measuring cup and reserve for the sauce (need about 3 1/2 cups).

Stem dried chile peppers, tear open, and discard ribs and seeds. Put chile peppers back into large saucepan and cover with 3 cups of the reserved chicken liquid. Simmer over low heat for 10 minutes, or until softened.

Transfer chile peppers and 2 cups chicken liquid into blender or food processor. Add tomatoes, onion, garlic, cilantro and oregano; puree until smooth, sauce should be thick but pourable. Season with salt and pepper. Coat 13x9 baking dish wiht nonstick spray. Pour 1/3 of blended sauce into bottom of baking dish.

Place 2 to 3 tbsp of chicken on each tortilla, sprinkle with several minced onions, and roll into a tube. Arrange enchiladas seam side down in the baking dish. Spoon remaining sauce on top. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake enchiladas for 10 to 15 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

Recipes for the pico de gallo and salsa coming next!

Monika's Cinnamon Toast Cupcakes

Even though I am the 3rd blogger to post these cupcakes originally posted by my friend Monika, I must do it. They are unbelievably delicious and I do not bake and found these incredibly easy to make. Use them at your discretion, because once your friends know you can make these little bites of heaven, they will continually harass you to bring them to every event you attend. On the other hand, if you find yourself in the proverbial doghouse for whatever reason, a dozen of these babies will get you out of it. Guaranteed. Not that I've ever been there or had to use a bribe to get out of it.

Without further ado, I present the link to the Cinnamon Toast Cupcakes:

http://adamandmonika.com/Site/Sushi_%26_Chocolate/Entries/2007/9/5_Cinnamon_Toast_Cupcakes!.html

Enjoy.

Thai Green Curry with Shrimp & Tofu

My team at work goes to this nearby Thai place on a weekly basis, and since they never seem to get sick of it, I decided to try it out. They highly recommended the green curry, which I ordered with fried tofu. It was creamy, sweet, salty, with just the right amount of heat to bring out all the flavors. I loved it! This past weekend I decided to try to recreate it at home and was absolutely successful and surprised at how easy it was. I found this great recipe on epicurious.com as a start and made some modifications to it to match the restaurant version. I'll definitely be making it again!

Here are some tips I have learned about stir frying. Stir frying is so fast and easy, but the tricky part is the order in which to stir fry the ingredients. You don't want anything over- or under-cooked. Since it goes so fast, make sure to have all the ingredients prepped, opened, and ready to throw in the hot pan. You don't want to be fumbling around in the fridge searching for something while your shrimp is turning into rubber. Also, make sure to add the ingredients starting with what takes the longest to cook to the shortest. This may seem obvious but when you're dealing with a lot of ingredients at once it's easy to forget.

Update August 2010: Recently I discovered an Asian market nearby that sold green curry paste, so I bought it to replace the Thai Kitchen one that I usually use. Wow, what a difference! Previously when I made this dish, it came out somewhat bland and I had to kick the flavor up by adding garlic chili paste or more green curry. But using this authentic curry paste it was not bland at all, much spicier, and I didn't have to add any chili paste. Much improved!

RECIPE:

1 tbsp canola (or other type) oil
1/2 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
3/4 cup green onions, sliced (about 8 small)
8 oz shiitake mushrooms, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 pound uncooked shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 package extra firm tofu, pressed for 15-30 minutes, then cubed
1/2 can bamboo shoots, sliced into strips
1/2 red bell pepper, sliced into strips
2 tbsp Thai green curry paste (add more to taste if desired
1 tbsp Thai red garlic chili paste
2 tbsp fresh basil, sliced into strips
1 14oz can light coconut milk
1 cup low-salt vegetable or chicken broth
3 tbsp Thai fish sauce (nam pla)
1 tsp sugar
Chopped fresh cilantro

Heat oil in skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Cook onion and tofu about 5-7 minutes until onion is translucent and tofu is crispy brown on edges. Reduce heat to medium. Add green onions, bell pepper, mushrooms and green curry paste, stir for 2 minutes. Add coconut milk, broth, fish sauce, chili paste, basil and sugar. Bring to boil, then add shrimp. Cook shrimp until tails curl up to the heads and they have just turned pink. At this point turn the heat down low and taste your curry. If it's bland in flavor, add more green curry paste. If it's not hot enough, add red chili paste a tsp at a time. Garnish curry with cilantro and serve in a wide shallow bowl, by itself if you're going low-carb, or with sticky rice.

Black Bean & Corn Dip

My former roommate and I aptly named this "crack" because it was so addicting! I made it for a New Years' Eve pre-party and decided to post. Great dip to bring to parties with tortilla chips. It keeps well in the fridge for a few days, and actually tastes better the next day as the flavors meld. I also like to wrap a scoop in a tortilla for a quick snack.

RECIPE:
1/3 cup lime juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground cayenne pepper
2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1½ cups corn, thawed
1 avocado, peeled, pitted and diced
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
6 green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Place lime juice, olive oil, garlic, salt, and cayenne pepper in a small jar. Cover with lid and shake until ingredients are well mixed. In a salad bowl, combine beans, corn, avocado, bell pepper, tomoatoes, green onions, and cilantro. Shake lime dressing and pour it over the salad. Toss salad to coat vegetables and beans with dressing and serve, or cover and chill. Makes 8 servings. (per serving: About 450 calories, 12g fat, 21g protein, 67g carbohydrates)