This week’s recipe is an adaptation from one of Julie Morris’s Superfood Cuisine recipes. Read More
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A Day at Free People Upper East
This past Sunday was a beautiful day in New York City, and I got to spend it at our 3rd Avenue store crafting with the lovely fp upper east girls and all the awesome ladies (and gents!) who came in! Read More
Healthy Baking 101
Although I love to cook, when it comes to baking I’m something of an amateur. Growing up my parents always kept a kitchen stocked with healthy options, and if I whipped up a sheet of cookies for no reason they often went uneaten (except by me). As I got older and more health conscious, I realized that I probably shouldn’t be devouring these cookies either. So, in an effort to maintain a clean diet, I kind of fell off the baking band wagon and became more of a cook.
Nowadays, we have so many more options for healthy baking. Right here in Philly there is a café that serves up my favorite “nuffins” made with yogurt, olive oil, and splenda. It got me to thinking about baking in an all new way, and I decided to give it a stab again. Up until now, this has involved following other people’s recipes, but this past weekend I attempted making whole-wheat pumpkin cupcakes with yogurt as an experiment. I took photos, and was planning to post on them today, but sadly, they came out entirely too moist, and sort of fell in on themselves.
The week got hectic, and I couldn’t make it to the store to pick up ingredients for another recipe, so as a result, I thought I’d take you all along the learning curve with me. In attempts to get the recipe right, I’ve been doing some research on healthy baking substitutes that I’ve heard about. Here’s what I’ve learned so far and can’t wait to try out. Once I get the cupcakes just right, I’ll be sure to share them with you all & if any of you have tips – please share!
Applesauce
Substituting applesauce is one way to cut down on fat in baking. Using it keeps the finished product moist, but it really only works for oil-based baked goods (i.e. breads, muffins, and some cakes) not recipes calling for butter. When you substitute applesauce, it’s even more important to work the batter gently, and as little as possible. Most sources recommend a 1:1 swap (1 cup of applesauce in a recipe calling for 1 cup of oil). Measure it out in a liquid measuring cup, and use unsweetened applesauce.
Yogurt
Yogurt is another great way to cut fat and calories, but maintain a tender, moist consistency in baked goods. This one can be used in both butter and oil-based recipes. In those calling for butter, replace half of the butter with half as much yogurt (1/4cup yogurt & 1/2cup butter in a recipe calling for 1 cup butter). For oil or shortening, replaice half of the oil with ¾ the amount of yogurt (1/4 cup + 2tbsp of yogurt with ½ cup oil in a recipe calling for 1 cup of oil).
Whole Wheat Flour
This is where it can get a bit tricky. From what I’ve read, you want to find whole-wheat pastry flour which is generally lighter than the all-purpose kind. You usually still have to include white flour when making this switch. Sometimes you can use 100% whole wheat, but that’s where experimenting comes in. From what I’ve read, going entirely whole-wheat works great with banana bread. Breads in general can take more, as it tends to make the product heavier which is okay with bread. When baking pastries you’ll want to stick to a 50/50 rule (substituting half the amount of all-purpose white flour with whole-wheat flour).
click on images for sources
Do it Yourself Granola
These days the word “granola” seems to be slightly vague. When you go to the grocery store there are so many versions. It can be made with oats. It can be made with nuts. There can be cinnamon, or vanilla – even chocolate. You get the point. Basically, to be granola it has to have crunch, and it has to be delicious. When you make it at home, however, there are even more versions to experiment with. The options are endless, so I wanted to share some of the interesting granola recipes that have been catching my eye lately. I love the idea of making your own granola, and really controlling what goes into it. I’m still deciding which I should throw together, but if any of you try one, let me know how it is!
Crunchy Quinoa Granola
Ingredients:
3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup dry quinoa
1/4 cup flaxseeds
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup chopped almonds
1/2 cup applesauce
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons agave syrup
2 tablespoons blackstrap molasses
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 300F.
- Combine all dry ingredients (oats, quinoa, flaxseeds, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, almonds) in a large bowl. Mix well.
- In a small bowl stir together all wet ingredients (applesauce, cinnamon, vanilla, agave, molasses).
- Pour over the dry ingredients and stir until well coated.
- Spread the granola on a baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes. Turn it over every 10 minutes or so to provide even toasting.
- Let cool completely. Keep in airtight container.
(recipe via Anja Food 4 Thought)
Lemon Rosewater Pistachio Granola
Ingredients:
1 lemon, zest and juice of
1/4 cup date syrup or honey
1 tablespoon rosewater
3 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup flax seeds
1 cup chopped pistachios
1/2 cup raisins
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 300F.
- Line large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Combine lemon zest, lemon juice, rosewater and syrup/honey in a saucepan.
- Bring to a boil. Take off the heat and let cool a little. Set aside.
- In a big bowl, combine oats, flax seeds, and chopped pistachios.
- Pour the lemon syrup mixture over the oat nut mixture and stir until well combined.
- Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes.
- Spread the granola evenly on a baking sheet and bake for 20 to 25 minutes.
- Let cool completely. Stir in raisins (optional).
- Keep in airtight container.
(recipe via Anja Food 4 Thought)
Pumpkin Granola
just because I’m loving fall :)
Ingredients:
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Dash of ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups old fashioned oats
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup raisins
1/2 cup almonds
1/4 cup unsweetened flaked coconut
1/4 cup roasted pumpkin seeds
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350F
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, mix together the pumpkin puree, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt.
- Stir in the brown sugar and maple syrup until smooth.
- Add the oats, dried cranberries, raisins, almonds, coconut, and pumpkin seeds, stirring until granola is evenly coated. It will be moist.
- Spread out evenly on prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 20 minutes and stir the granola around. Bake for an additional 15-20 minutes.
- Allow to cool completely before storing in an air-tight container. Granola will crisp up once it has cooled down.
(recipe via The Pastry Affair)
Superfood Watermelon Chia Fresca
One of our amazing readers, Julie Morris, is an employee for Navitas Naturals and just came out with her very own recipe book, Superfood Cuisine. She kindly sent me a copy of the recently published book, and I have to say, it’s amazing. The whole concept is cooking delicious cuisine with high-energy, nutrient-rich ingredients – superfoods. She defines superfoods as natural food with an exceptionally high nutrient density (nutrient:calories). They are ingredients that help to rejuvenate the body and keep the mind sharp. The funny thing is that most of these ingredients (mostly fruits, roots, seeds, plants, and berries) were discovered long ago by ancient cultures, but have since lost their popularity. The book is packed with info on superfoods. If you’re interested in learning more on why they’re so good to incorporate into your diet, I suggest picking up a copy.
I decided to recreate one of the many delicious looking recipes in Julie’s book for this week’s recipe. Watermelon Chia Fresca is made using the superfood chia seeds. These tiny seeds were originally used by the Aztec, Incas, and Mayans to increase stamina on a long journey. They are high in Omega-3 fatty acids, fiber (1tbsp = ¼ daily fiber needs), and important minerals like calcium and iron. Another fun fact about Chia seeds is that they can absorb 9x their own weight in water which means that once in the stomach they will expand and increase your feeling of being full. Check out this delicious fresh beverage using the powerful superfood, and stay tuned next week for another of Julie’s recipes.
Ingredients:
1 Cup of Water
2 Teaspoons of Chia Seeds
2 ½ Cups of Chopped Watermelon Flesh
1 ½ Tablespoons Fresh Lime Juice
Stevia or Agave Nectar to taste (I used Agave)
Directions:
Combine water and chia seeds. Stir.
Place into the fridge for 10 minutes. After ten minutes, take out and stir. Then place back into the fridge for another 10 minutes. This allows the chia seeds to plump up.
Place chia mixture and remaining ingredients into a blender and blend.
Chill and then serve.
Fiery Sweet Potato Gnocchi
In reference to our Venetian theme this month, this week’s recipe is another of my favorite Italian-inspired recipes. Growing up my family made traditional potato gnocchi. It was always a huge production. My father and I would spend hours, rolling out hundreds of little gnocchi, preparing three different sauces, and, in the end, having a gnocchi fest with family and friends. Every person had to try the gnocchi with each sauce, falling in love anew with every bite. In the end, everyone was stuffed and happy…or uncomfortable from overeating – but – still happy…
Now that I’ve grown older and expanded my cooking experimentations, I’ve started making gnocchi with sweet potatoes. They’re a variation on the traditional version – a little healthier, and a little spicier. I don’t make hundreds, so it’s a bit less time consuming, but it still takes a while to make them. The following recipe will yield enough for 4-5 people – depending on how much you can eat. I made a homemade tomato sauce to go with them (I’ll can give you all this recipe another week if you’re interested), but they’re also good with butter & sage or any tomato/diavolo sauce you have.
Ingredients:
2 Large Sweet Potatoes
1 Baking Potato
1 Egg
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
½ Tsp Red Pepper Flakes
½ Tsp Dried Oregano
Pinch of salt
All Purpose Flour
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375˚F
Peel and dice sweet potatoes, then mix with olive oil, red pepper, and oregano in a roasting dish.
Cover dish with tinfoil, and then place in the oven to cook until potatoes are extremely tender (approx. 1/2hr)
Place baking potato to boil until it is also extremely tender (approx. 1/2hr)
Let both potatoes cool. Once the baking potato is cool enough to handle, peel and dice it. Then throw both the sweet potatoes and the baking potato together into a large mixing bowl.
Using a hand blender or rice mill blend both together until fairly creamy
Using a wooden spoon, mix in egg & a pinch of salt.
Still using a wooden spoon and working quickly, mix in flour until mixture reaches a doughy consistency. Towards the end I usually ditch the spoon and work it with my hands. It should still stick to your fingers a bit, but be thick enough to roll out once you’ve reached the right texture. It’s important to work fast so that you don’t have to add too much flour which will result in heavy gnocchi.
You’re now ready to roll out the gnocchi. Set yourself up on a table, or with enough counter space. You’ll need flour and a fork. Pour some flour on the surface, and cover your hands so that the dough doesn’t stick.
To roll out the gnocchi you first toll the dough into little logs about ½” thick. Then, using the fork, cut them into approx. 1” segments. Once you’ve done so, press the fork lightly on top to make little ridges. This is a little trick passed down through my family to help them cook just right, and it also makes them pretty.
After you’ve rolled them out, you’ll want to place the finished pieces on a towel until you are ready to cook them.
To cook the gnocchi you’ll want to set a pot of water to boil. Once it has reached a boil, drop in about 8 gnocchi at a time. Once they are cooked they will start to float, and you can scoop them out with a spatula or something with holes to let the water through.
Each serving is about 15 pieces. Drizzle with your desired sauce, garnish, and serve!
Buon Appetito!
Teriyaki Cod with Broccoli Rabe and Brown Rice
This week’s recipe is more of an entire meal, and, I’m not going to lie, it’s a bit more difficult than the recipes I usually post. This is one to pull out when you have a good amount of time to cook, and you want to impress a group of friends (or whoever) with an entire delicious meal.
The coolest part of this Asian-inspired meal is that you’ll be able to tell everyone you made your own teriyaki sauce. Who does that, right? It’s easier than you’d think. It’s all about letting it boil down to the right consistency which can take a while. The broccoli rabe is the perfect light accompaniment to go along with the flavorful fish. Top the plate off with simple brown rice, to fill your guests up.
Recipe makes enough for 3
Image via here
Fish Ingredients:
1.5lbs of Cod
1tsp Ginger
¾ Cup Orange Juice
¼ Cup Mirin
½ Cup Soy Sauce
1 Garlic
1 Scallion stem
Broccoli Rabe Ingredients:
15 Stems of full, leafy broccoli Rabe
1tbsp Grapeseed Oil
2 Garlic Cloves cut into quarters
1 Cup Water
Brown Rice Ingredients:
1 Cup Brown Rice
2.5 Cups Water
3 Scallion Stems
1tbsp Butter or oil
Instructions:
- Place orange juice, mirin, soy sauce, and ginger into a large sauce pan at high heat. Once it starts to boil, lower the heat and let simmer until it reaches a thicker consistency. Approx 30-40min.
- When teriyaki sauce is half way done, place butter and scallions in a small pot to sauté for about 2 minutes. Add brown rice & water. Cover pot until water has evaporated and rice is cooked. Turn off flame, and let sit, coved, until rest of meal is ready.
- Preheat oven to 400F
- Cook the cod in the sauce pan with the teriyaki sauce for about 4 minutes. Then place it in a flat, oven-safe pan. Pour left-over teriyaki sauce over the fish & add chopped scallions. Cook in the oven for another 10 minutes.
- Using the same sauce pan, add grapeseed oil and garlic for broccoli rabe. Once garlic is sautéed, add broccoli rabe and water to cook for about 5 minutes. Once it is fully wilted, like cooked spinach almost, it will be done. You may have to pour out excess water.
Gluten-Free Nut Bread
I don’t personally follow a gluten-free diet, but I have friends who do, so I like to mess around with recipes once in a while. This nut bread is one I’ve been wanting to try for a while. Normally, the thought of making bread kind of scares me a little. I feel like you need skills I’ve never tried out before, but with this bread it turned out the toughest part was gathering all of the obscure ingredients I needed to make it gluten-free. Once I finally got around to making it, it turned out to be nutty and delicious. It works great for toast in the morning with a little bit of jam =)
Ingredients:
1 ½ cups almond flour
¾ cup arrowroot powder
¼ cup flax seed meal
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
4 eggs
1 teaspoon agave nectar
1 teaspoonapple cider vinegar
¼ cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
¼ cup hazelnuts, coarsely chopped
½ cup pistachios, coarsely chopped
¼ cup pumpkin seeds
¼ cup sunflower seeds
¼ cup sesame seeds
Instructions:
Chop up all nuts that need to be coarsely chopped, and mix all seeds/nuts in a small bowl.
Combine almond flour, arrowroot powder, flaxseed meal, salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl.
In a large bowl, beat eggs well. Then add agave nectar and apple cider vinegar.
Slowly mix dry ingredients into wet.
Stir in nut/seed mixture
Pour into a well-greased 7.5” x 3.5” bread pan
Bake for about 35 minutes. (You should be able to stick a toothpick/knife into the center and pull it out cleanly.)
Post Punk Kitchen
Because I escaped the city for this past holiday weekend, I never made it to pick up ingredients for this week’s recipe post. My fridge and food cabinets are something of a vacant wasteland at the moment. In replacement, I thought I’d share one of my favorite vegan recipe blogs, Post Punk Kitchen. The author is a down-to-earth vegan with one good hand in the kitchen. I love her point of view on food, and I often check out her blog for ideas. Here are some of her recipes I’m thinking I must try at home this month:
Creamy Avocado Salad: I’m not huge on mayonnaise-y potato salad because it’s so bad for you, but I’ve never thought of using avocado instead. Oh does this sound delicious.
Spinach Linguine with Edamame Pesto: Edamame is popping up everywhere these days. Just the other day I had a sandwich made with edamame hummus. Who knew? I’m all into exploring its many uses.
Perfect Grilled Portabellas: One of the best parts of summer is grilling. Just because this is traditionally a carnivorous pastime doesn’t mean there aren’t amazing veggie options as well. This recipe gives great tips on how to grill the perfect portabella. It’s also super healthy!
Omg Oven Baked Onion Rings: These onion rings look perfect for entertaining. I’m also thinking they’d go great with those aforementioned bello burgers.
Raw Strawberry Cheesecake: I have to admit, although I rarely eat it, I’m an enormous cheesecake lover. I’ve never thought of making a vegan cheesecake, let alone a completely raw one. I want to try this one out just to see how well it stands up against the real thing.
cream spinach soup & cornbread
today’s recipe comes from our new intern naomi! i haven’t had a chance to “formally” introduce you guys to her yet but i will soon :)
These random days of gorgeous spring weather we’ve been experiencing, have me thinking one thing – SUMMER. My friends and I have already jumped the gun and pulled out the vinyl records and grill for summer-like evenings outside. My mind is on warm weather and night time meals, so I wanted to share a simple soup recipe paired with some delicious cornbread. I especially love this cornbread recipe because it is made with yogurt instead of butter. The meal is simple, light, and perfect to eat at the picnic table in the backyard with friends!
Both recipes come from my Moosewood (an organic and vegetarian restaurant based in Ithaca NY) cookbook which has proven to be a favorite of mine.
Cream Spinach Soup
Ingredients:
1 Large Onion
2 Medium Potatoes, peeled & chopped
3 Cups of Water
2 Tsp Salt
1lb. Spinach, cleaned & stemmed
5 Med Garlic Cloves, peeled only
1.5 Cups Milk (can be low fat, I like 2%)
White Pepper and Nutmeg to taste
Instructions:
- Place onions, potatoes, and water in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil and then cover and simmer until potatoes are fully cooked.
- Remove from heat, add spinach and garlic, cover and set aside.
- Heat up milk in a large skillet.
- Puree spinach and potato mixture.
- Once pureed, stir in heated milk, white pepper, and nutmeg.
Squash Cornbread:
Ingredients:
2 Tbsp Brown Sugar
2 Egg Whites
¾ Cup Greek Yogurt (can be nonfat)
1 Cup Cornmeal
1 Cup Unbleached White Flour
½ Tsp Salt
1 Tbsp Baking Powder
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350˚F
- Grease an 8”
- In a large bowl, beat together the brown sugar, yogurt, and eggs until frothy.
- In a smaller bowl, mix together cornmeal, flour, salt, and baking powder.
- Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet until just mixed together.
- Pour batter into pan and bake for 20-25 minutes.
Enjoy!
lemon pasta
i have a confession… i am a terrible, awful cook. i burn everything. but one thing i can do is pasta, and one of my favorite spring/summer dishes is lemon pasta. i know it sounds really simple – and it is – but i’d never had it until a guy made it for me and to this day i still can’t make it as well as he did, but i’m sure you guys can.
all i really do is make pasta as i would normally (my favorite kind is angel hair pasta), and for sauce i mix together some butter, olive oil and lemon juice in a pan and drizzle on top, add some pepper and that’s it. but i was looking around online, and i think this would be amazing with some snow peas or edamame mixed in, and apparently some chopped parsley makes a great garnish :)
i found a few yummy recipes around the web if you want to try them, here, here and here.
green pea alfredo pizza
i don’t want to overload you guys with the vegan recipes, but i found this one and i could not resist sharing it – it looks unbelievable.
this recipe is made with socca crust, but if you’re not into the vegan thing, this could easily be made with regular pizza crust.
socca crust:
3/4 cup chickpea flour
3/4 water
2 tbsp olive oil
pour into oiled cake pan. bake on 375 F for 40 minutes. set aside.
the next step is the couliflower based alfredo sauce – something i didn’t know about until just recently when my friend told me, but apparently tastes just as good as cheese-based alfredo!
cauliflower-almond garlic alfredo sauce:
1 cup steamed cauliflower
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tbsp water
4 cloves garlic
1/3 cup soaked almonds
salt and pepper
blend until smooth and spread on crust.
top with green peas, green peppers and onions. drizzle additional sauce on top and a sprinkling of oregano and shredded basil. bake for 20 additional minutes or until topping are cooked through.
yum.
