Entrée Level.

dark chocolate chip banana bread

2012-01-04T11:11:00.000-08:00

Banana Bread has always been a favorite treat of mine. My mom used to make it when I was little, and I started making it myself when I lived in Boulder a few years ago. I decided to dig up the recipe this week when I noticed a few ailing bananas lying around my pod at work. It came out just as good as I remember it -- even better in fact! Luckily my coworkers enjoyed it too. I switched up the recipe a bit this time, adding dark chocolate chips and using whole wheat flour that my sister brought me from her farm in Ithaca, NY. Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter (1 stick)

1 cup sugar

2 eggs, beaten

4 bananas finely crushed

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (regular flour is fine too, but whole wheat is healthier and still tastes great!)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 bag of dark chocolate chips (1 full bag if you like it super chocolatey)

Preparation:

First, preheat your oven to 360 degrees F (yes, 360 -- not 350). Using a mixer, blend together the butter and sugar. Then mix in the beaten eggs and crushed bananas. Next add the flour, baking soda and salt. Stir in the vanilla, then add your dark chocolate chips. Pour into a greased, floured loaf pan and bake for 1 hour, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow to cool for at least ten minutes, then eat and enjoy!

*Tips*

* It's best to use overripe bananas because they're easier to crush, but most importantly because they have a more intense flavor

*The key to this bread is the 4 bananas -- it makes it especially moist. Most banana bread recipes only call for 3

mediterranean pitas

2011-09-20T15:39:00.000-07:00

My friend Jessica and I try to cook dinner together at least once a week. Since we both commute to our jobs, we usually don't have time to prepare anything too time consuming. These pitas are healthy, easy and super fast, so they've become a great go-to dinner for us on weeknights. Last night I made this with my roomate Jacqueline (yep, we have the same name) and they came out great, as always! Wanted to share the recipe with all of you.

Ingredients:

Whole wheat pitas (or regular, if you prefer)

Cherry tomatoes, halved

1 clove garlic, sliced

1-2 big bags fresh spinach leaves

Siracha to taste

For sauce:

1-2 cups plain, non-fat Greek yogurt

1/2 cup feta cheese (I use low fat and it's just as good)

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

Juice of 1 lemon

1 cucumber, cut into small cubes

1 tsp red pepper flakes

Dash of salt and pepper

Preparation:

Start by squeezing the lemon juice into a small bowl. Then chop the cucumber and 1 of the garlic cloves and add to the lemon juice. (I also usually slice the other garlic clove and the tomatoes while I'm doing this, and just set them aside.) Last mix in the feta, yogurt and add the seasoning. Super easy...your sauce is done!

Next, heat the sliced garlic in a splash of olive oil on low heat in a sauté pan. Then add the spinach and let it cook down completely. If you're hoping for leftovers, definitely be generous -- spinach cooks down a ton. While the spinach is cooking, heat the pitas either in a toaster oven or regular oven just slightly, so they become warm.

Last, cut the pitas in half, spoon in the yogurt sauce, add your spinach and top with the sliced tomatoes and siracha. This makes a delicious, healthy dinner that only takes about 15 minutes! The pitas pack in a ton of flavor -- the red pepper flakes, garlic and siracha add a nice kick.

*Special thanks to Jess for telling me about this recipe!

Toasted Baguette, Two Ways

2011-07-11T10:22:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite things about cooking is collaborating. Many of my friends love to cook too, and we come up with tasty ideas when we put our heads together...especially if we're heading out of town and need to plan the menu ahead of time. A few months ago some of us took a trip to Tahoe, and the girls had a really yummy idea for some appetizers...

First, we toasted baguette slices in the oven and brushed them with olive oil. Then we topped them two ways:

tasty creations from #jess #rach #cait

On the left you'll see toast with goat cheese, sauteed white onions and a homemade fig spread, which we made by reducing dried figs with balsamic vinegar and red wine. On the right, we used watermelon, fresh mint and crispy pancetta, which we sauteed directly before serving so it was still warm. These proved to be very satisfying treats before dinner!

afternoon awakenings

2011-04-12T16:55:00.001-07:00

over the past few months, i may have developed a caffeine addiction...

i find it flavor rich, warm and lifesaving.

on my plate this morning...

2011-02-02T09:29:00.001-08:00

grapefruit topped with blackberries

and a dash of sugar or honey

is oh so appealing...

isn't it?

i love the color contrast.

today mine was particularly juicy

and delicious

so i thought i'd share.

bon appétit!

..and happy groundhog day.

-j

a little bit of zing to start off your week

2011-01-31T08:35:00.001-08:00

picture of my juice this morning...

Happy Monday! Thought I'd start off the week by sharing a simple, refreshing recipe. It's one that has recently become a favorite of mine....juice. Yes, juice.

When I arrived back in San Francisco early this month, one of the very first things I did was buy a juicer. The idea initially came from my sisters, who have both had juicers for awhile now...they are both extremely healthy, fresh-produce kind of gals. Then, my friend Brette (who I just blogged about visiting in NYC) was talking about getting one for Christmas, so I decided I'd finally get one too.

A good beginner's juicer is the Jack LaLanne's power juicer, which I bought at Bed Bath and Beyond. It only set me back $80 and it's proved great so far. Just so you're aware, it's actually $100, but I used one of those coupons that BB&B sends millions of...

this is my exact juicer

I've actually really enjoyed juicing so far; it's interesting to be able to interact with food in a new way. It's also been fun to experiment with different flavor combinations; I've mixed up some pretty tasty juices so far. Brette and I have been comparing recipes as well -- she sends me very clever ideas, such as sweet potato, nutmeg and pear.

Yesterday I made one of my favorites and bottled it to drink today. Super simple...

Ingredients:

1 small hunk of fresh ginger, peeled

1 granny smith apple

1 cucumber

1 pear

Preparation:

First, prepare your produce. Peel both the ginger root and the cucumber -- their skins can be rough on the juicer. No need to peel the apple or pear, but slice each of them into about 4-6 pieces. I slice my cucumber into about 4 parts as well.

Next, place each piece of produce -- one slice at a time -- into the juicer. I had less ginger on hand than I would have liked yesterday, so I actually added some ground ginger at the end and it added a great kick.

Give your juice a nice stir and enjoy, or bottle to drink later. This one is extremely refreshing and delicious!

*Tips*

*Cucumbers produce a ton of juice, so they make a great staple

*Green/granny smith apples have a nice tart flavor that can cut other harsher flavors (such as carrots) nicely

*Try different things! I would have never thought of juicing a sweet potato if it weren't for Brette, but it came out really well.

*If you are a thoughtful cook and are OK with taking the time to prepare the produce and thoroughly clean the juicer, I cannot recommend getting one enough. It's been such a treat to have homemade juice whenever I want, and it's also influenced me to eat even healthier in general.

...a special thanks to Brette and Hayley for recommending this particular juicer

Herbed Mushroom Polenta

2011-01-27T00:38:00.000-08:00

Polenta is one of those delightful foods that you can prepare all different ways. It can take on various textures and it also absorbs flavor extremely well -- the sweetness of the corn particularly compliments savory ingredients.

this is a photo of spongy polenta round 2

My sister Vanessa gave me some organic corn meal and polenta from a farm she often works with in Ithaca, NY -- Cayuga Pure Organics. She made a delicious batch of polenta with herbs de provence and portobellos for my other sister when visiting us in San Francisco in August. I was immediately hooked (nice work, Vanster).

Then over Christmas, Vanessa and I cooked it together at our parents' house in NY. This time we used farmer's market mushrooms, onions and fresh herbs. We also made it a bit more spongy than creamy. Again...delicious.

Last week I made it for a third time with my friend Jessica and we put another spin on it...truffle oil. If you read my blog often you know this is one of my favorite ingredients, so adding it was of course a natural progression ;). Third time was definitely a charm...adding mushrooms (this time shiitake), herbs de provence, fresh sage and truffle oil created the perfect combination of flavors. It tasted awesome and it's actually pretty easy to make.

That said, I'm going to share what I did the third time around, but feel free to experiment as you make it and add your own twist.

Ingredients:
Serves 2-3

1/2 cup polenta
1/2 cup yellow corn meal
2 cups water
2 tbsp olive oil, separated (1 tbsp for mushroom mixture, 1 for polenta)
1/2 tbsp butter
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 cup shiitake (or any kind) mushrooms, sliced
2 tsp herbs de provence
1 tbsp chopped fresh sage
1 tsp white truffle oil
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup fresh grated parmesan
salt and pepper, to taste

Preparation:

Bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a large sauce pan. Add polenta and cornmeal, whisking until blended well. Reduce heat to low and cover. Revisit in 5-10 minutes or until polenta begins to absorb the water, adding the herbs de provence and 1 tbsp olive oil. Stir well, cover again and revisit to stir in 5 minutes. Continue this process for about 30 minutes.

While polenta is cooking, combine the butter and other tbsp of olive oil in a sautee pan over low/medium heat. Add the garlic and let simmer for about 2 minutes. Next, add the mushrooms and stir so they are all evenly coated in the butter/olive oil/garlic mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste, a dash of the fresh sage and an additional dash of herbs de provence. Cook for about 10 minutes, then set aside.

When polenta is done, add the milk and most of the parmesan and stir for about 2 minutes over low heat. Last, add the truffle oil, salt and pepper and stir well. The polenta should be a thick, creamy texture.

Plate the polenta and top with mushroom mixture, remaining parmesan and remaining fresh sage... Enjoy!

*Tips*

*If you don't own a jar of herbs de provence, then get one...they make an amazing addition to most dishes; the jar commonly contains thyme, basil, savory, fennel seed and lavender

*For creamier polenta, use more corn meal and add more milk at the end

*There is no hard, fast rule to the amount of time you cook the polenta...wait until it gets to a texture you like; 30 minutes is a solid minimum/average number to go by

*If you make a spongier polenta, be sure to coat the bottom of the pan with olive oil and stir often so it doesn't stick to pan

*This goes really well with herbed chicken, shrimp or a simple arugula parmesan salad

*Polenta makes for great leftovers!

...a special thanks to Vanessa for providing both the idea for this dish and the goods!

manhattan eats

2010-12-27T08:11:00.001-08:00

this morning's view from the kitchen window

One thing I miss about living in New York is the seasons. While back east for the holidays, I've been sincerely hoping we would get at least one decent snowfall. Last night, we finally did. It's a great excuse to spend my last two days here cooking in with the family and relaxing by the fire.

Since I'm snowed it, I thought it would be a good time to share some of the food I ate when in Manhattan last week. I've had some delicious meals while at my parent's house upstate as well, but we cooked most of those so I'll keep the Loudonville eats to a separate post.

La Botegga, Maritime Hotel, Meat Packing District: La Botegga is a more of a summer spot, as they have a lovely and vast outdoor seating area. But, getting their truffle pizza has become a tradition for my friend Brette and I, so we went the night I arrived -- winter season and all. If you like truffle oil even slightly as much as I do, you have to try this pizza. It has a very thin crust both below and on top of the creamy sheep's milk cheese and truffle oil center. It's insanely tasty!

Móle, West Village: We enjoyed brunch with Brette's sister at this Mexican restaurant on Saturday morning. Ordering spicy bloody marys, guacamole prepared table-side and fish tacos was the perfect combination for both our hangovers and our mexican food craving. Everything tasted fresh and delicious, and the decor of brick and dark wood adorned with poinsettias kept a nice yet modest holiday feel.

my bloody mary

Gramercy Tavern, Flatiron District: After seeing Balanchine's Nutcracker, Brette and I ate a late dinner at Gramercy Tavern with some other friends. The restaurant decorates festively for the holidays, so it's a beautiful place to go this time of year. My entrée wasn't the most exciting in the world, but the appetizers were all very good and we were also served an impressive cheese plate, courtesy of the house. It included a Gubbeen - cow's milk cheese from Schull, Ireland, a Berkswell - raw sheep's milk cheese from Berkswell, England, and a Colston Basset Stilton - cow's milk from Nottinghamshire, England. The Chef also added to our plate a Vermont White Cheddar and another imported soft cow's milk cheese that was only aged two weeks -- I unfortunately didn't catch the name, but it was delicious. Served with a side of rich honey, almonds and various nut breads, the plate was quite a treat.

I snapped a photo of the cheese plate with my phone -

the one on the bottom left is the cheese aged just two weeks

Westville, West Village: Just a few blocks from my friend Brette's apartment, this little restaurant made for a cozy Sunday night dinner. I haven't seen the other locations (there is also one in Chelsea and another in the East Village), but the West Village one is quaint, casual and delicious. Because it's so small you'll likely have to wait 30 minutes or so, but we went down the street for a glass of wine, which worked out perfectly. They offer many seasonal specials, but what stood out to me is the impressive array of veggies, prepared various ways. You can order them as sides or choose three as your dinner. If you do the latter, they serve you this huge plate of healthy, flavorful veggies that is super tasty. Between Brette and I we tried the kale, roasted tomatoes, roasted sweet potatoes and brussels sprouts, and all were delicious.

Boutique Eat Shop, Chelsea: On my last day, Brette and I shopped around the West Village and Chelsea and landed at Eat.Shop for lunch. This cafe tails Chelsea Market and is inside of a boutique, which creates a bit of a posh feel while you're dining, I suppose. It's very cute; the purposefully mismatched pieces of antique (or look of antique) furniture sit atop distressed, large hardwood planks. We both ordered salads, which were beautiful and delicious - particularly the light, citrus dressing. They are huge too, so you can certainly save half for later.

There are so many delicious places to eat in New York City, and those were just some of the restaurants we visited this time around. My friend Brette has a very good lay of the land, so it's always a treat to explore the city with her.

I hope you all had a safe, warm, healthy and delicious holiday!

simple fudge cakes

2010-12-08T09:39:00.000-08:00

Last Friday, my friend Rachel hosted a casual dinner party in the East Bay. While I sat in thick traffic heading out of the city after work, my friends prepared a very impressive (and winter-appropriate) meal. The menu included a whole roasted chicken stuffed with rosemary, grilled flank steak equipped with homemade chimichurri sauce, broiled prosciutto wrapped asparagus, baked baby red potatoes with rosemary & garlic and a large salad with butter lettuce, avocado, cherry tomatoes and gorgonzola cheese. Everything was delicious (nice work, guys!).

I brought along wine and a homemade dessert called simple fudge cakes that I baked the night before. The recipe is from Gourmet Made Simple by Gena Knox. My friend Jessica gave me this cookbook for my birthday and it's proven to be a great resource; I often reference it for ideas when cooking for friends and family. The fudge cakes were a hit, so I thought I'd share the recipe.

here's one of the fudge cakes, about to be served

Ingredients:

4 oz. unsweetened chocolate, roughly chopped

1 cup butter (2 sticks), softened

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

1 cup flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. vanilla

3/4 cup chopped pecans (optional)

powdered sugar for garnish

Preparation:

First, preheat your oven to 325 degrees F and grease a 9x12 pan lightly. Then, place the butter and chocolate together in a sauce pan, placed over a fry pan with simmering water (double boil so there isn't direct heat on the sauce pan). Stir occasionally, heating until the mixture is smooth. Next, combine the sugar, eggs, flour, baking powder and vanilla in a large bowl and mix thoroughly. Slowly stir in the chocolate mixture until all ingredients are combined smoothly. Then add the chopped pecans if desired (*I usually add about 1/4 cup after pouring the mixture in the pan, because I only include nuts in half of the dish. I personally think this particular dessert tastes better without nuts).

After you transfer the batter to your greased pan, bake for about 30 minutes, or until a small knife inserted in the center of the dessert comes out with a few crumbs attached. After the dessert cools for about 5-10 minutes, top with powdered sugar, using a sifter or mesh strainer.

If you like chocolate, I think you'll definitely enjoy this rich, dense treat.

*Tips*

*It is important to keep a close eye on these when they're in the oven; the dessert will be very dry if overcooked

*Cover extremely well and store on counter, not in fridge

*This dessert is especially tasty with a tall glass of milk or cappuccino, and some like it topped with a small scoop of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream

reflections on food

2010-12-06T12:40:00.001-08:00

Living in San Francisco has been an interesting and overall positive experience so far, but also a huge adjustment. Embracing change is easier said than done; uprooting your life can disrupt routine and cause hobbies and passions to fall by the wayside. I haven't been cooking or writing as much as I used to, and I realized that I want (and need) to carve out time to do both.

Beginning to cook again was easy, but revisiting my long-neglected blog required some inspiration. I decided to give myself an assignment. In order to convey the right perspective in my posts, I felt the need to reconnect with the reasons why cooking has become such a passion of mine over the years. I thought that jotting down all of the words that came to mind when I thought of cooking would be a good place to start.

I didn't want to write just anything. Words like Thai, burrito and Boulder's Il Pastaio would of course pop into my head, but that's not what I was going for. I wanted to record the feelings and emotions -- on a very simple level -- that food and cooking evoke. I did this when escaping the rain with some coffee and work at The Summit this past weekend -- something about the rain always makes me feel reflective.

Rather than dissecting the result, I thought I'd simply share it with you:

Although the words are simple, I know what they mean to me and how they will help me focus on this project. I hope you all continue to feel inspired by your hobbies and passions, but if/when you do feel a lull approaching, find a way to motivate...

"You can't wait for inspiration, you have to go after it with a club." - Jack London

entrée level's new home: san francisco

2010-08-16T09:42:00.014-07:00

Happy Monday!

As many of you already know, I recently moved from Boulder to San Francisco. I feel very fortunate to have lived in such beautiful places, and I'm thrilled to explore the food San Francisco has to offer (and frankly, equally thrilled to be by the water again)!

I've already visited some great restaurants, discovered a few very impressive farmer's markets and tasted some of the better coffee out there. I've also been amazed by the endless wine selection (and by the fact that I can buy wine virtually anywhere, not just at Liquor Mart). What initially stands out most to me is the creativity that I've seen on the menus here -- especially since in my experience so far, the chef's have been able to execute on their ideas. Also, the produce is incredible. Insane, actually. Everything just tastes better, and is so fresh and so local. I will of course start honing in on the specifics soon. I'm very excited to (finally) begin sharing my San Francisco food experiences with all of you!

For now, here are some photos of the Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market -- one of my favorite places to go on a Saturday afternoon:

...isn't it a beautiful market? Have a great day!

--J

*a special thanks to my friend Jessica for introducing me to this farmer's market

boulder's best fresh summer eats (& drinks)

2010-06-08T08:46:00.023-07:00

In the summer, I crave fresh, lighter foods rather than heavy comfort foods. For drinks, I often opt for a mojito or cold Belgian beer over my usual choice during other seasons...red wine. I'm sure many of you experience the same shift in appetite. Boulder caters to fresh food, and I'm going to share three spots that you absolutely cannot miss out on this summer. Boulder has a ton of great places, but these you might not necessarily know about.

Dinner - Fresh Fish (sushi-grade): Amu

tuna sashimi

Far and away by a long shot, Amu has the best fresh fish in Boulder. I say fresh fish and not sushi for a reason....Amu is a traditional Japanese restaurant, and does not serve sushi rolls. So, for those of you who have the same problem as me - meaning you've evolved beyond the roll and now only ever want sashimi - it's the perfect spot. Amu has everything from sea urchin to mackerel to fatty blue fin tuna. They also have fusion-style sashimi, hot pots, fried rice balls....you name it. Besides the sashimi, my other go-to orders are the daikon radish salad - they peel the radish like an apple right in front of you - and for dessert, the mochi ball ice cream. Amu is my absolute favorite summer dining option. They have a few outside tables too, which is always a plus. If you like sashimi, you have to try this place...just be prepared to remove your shoes :). *Amu is located directly next door to Sushi Zanmai (they have the same owners) on Broadway and Spruce.

Breakfast or Lunch - Fresh Fruit: Maiberry

Maiberry is a newer edition to Boulder, as it opened a little more than a year ago, but it is already one of my favorites. They have delicious Greek-style frozen yogurt (think Pinkberry but better) and use high quality ingredients like fresh pomegranate juice and agave nectar to flavor it. They also have crepes, fresh squeezed juices, smoothies...all kinds of yummy, healthy treats. My favorite choice at Maiberry is the Açaí bowl:

picture from their website

They have a few different kinds, but all are filled with healthy antioxidant-rich foods like goji berries, fresh blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, frozen Açaí, etc. They use local Udi's granola and agave nectar on top as well. This is an extremely refreshing summer treat, but also acts as the perfect summer breakfast or lunch. A nice plus...the small size is only 5 bucks.

Drinks - Fresh, Unique: The Bitter Bar@ Happy Noodle House

picture from their website

Happy Noodle House is another newer edition to Boulder - it opened in early '09. They have the same ownership as West End, Jax, Centro, and Lola in Denver. Both The Bitter Bar and the Happy Noodle side have the most unique drinks, which definitely cater to those summer drink cravings (for me that means refreshing, unique, and often muddled). It was tough for me to decide between Bitter Bar and Centro, but since Centro is right in the heart of West Pearl, I thought perhaps you were less likely to know about Bitter Bar, since it's a bit more hidden, being west of ninth street on Walnut (sooo far, I know ;) ). They have this insanely huge list of drinks with really diverse, refreshing options. One I like is The Bee Keeper...it has honey vodka, yellow chartreuse, lavender syrup and fresh lemon. That one is on the Happy Noodle menu, while the Bitter Bar has a whole different, complex, long, crazy, overwhelming menu...but it's awesome. You definitely need to check it out. Very cool ambiance as well.

Hopefully I'll see you all at one of these places before I move to San Francisco in July.....Cheers!

*Other great options*

*Belgian Beer: Reuben's on Broadway and Walnut

*Happy Hour: The Med, Boulder Cafe (but you guys know about those)

*Wine: The Kitchen

*Lunch: The Boulder Farmer's Market (Weds and Sat only)

*Fusion Drinks (South American, mostly): Centro (as stated above)

*Iced Coffee: Tee and Cakes (I blogged about this one before)

* Microbrewery: Mountain Sun (and this one too actually)

...feel free to comment if you have any other good thoughts on the best summer eats/drinks in Boulder!

happy monday: costa rican treats to come!

2010-05-10T16:40:00.008-07:00

Happy Monday! Due to the snowy, cold and all-around unfortunate weather forecast looming over Boulder this week, I thought I would decorate your mind with a beachy, Costa Rican meal. I hate to make excuses, but I have been very busy catching up after vacation and neglected posting last week. But don't worry...I will be sharing a post about all of the delicious food I ate in Costa Rica very soon.

Until then, here is a picture of a simple, fresh and delicious lunch I ate in Montezuma:

Bon Appétit!

-Jackie

Friday's Finest: Proto's Pizza

2010-04-02T09:13:00.014-07:00

Today, Friday's Finest goes out to Proto's Pizza. They not only have the best pizza in Boulder, but in my opinion, they are one of the best all-around casual restaurants.

I first discovered Proto's when I lived in Denver the year after I graduated college. The Denver location has a quaint, all-glass store front in the Platte area of 15th St, but it's trendy and always hopping inside. I went with my friend Lindsey and her mom (same Lindsey who gave me the recipe to the Lindsey's Lemon Chicken you all love). We ordered red wine, the savory panini (sans oregano b/c Linds hates it), the tomato and mozzarella salad and if I remember correctly, the Proto Pie. Everything we ordered was AWESOME.

I'll start with their pizza, since it's their staple. It's Neapolitan-style, which I am probably about to botch attempting describe, but I'll try anyway. The crust is thin and crispy, but somehow still soft and delicious on the edges. Their homemade red sauce is so tasty that I sometimes just order The Traditional or Pizza Margherita, even though they have so many unique pizza options. They offer some really interesting creations that are all delicious. My current favorite is the Ruby Pie. It has pesto, artichokes, kalamata olives, feta and mozzarella. Another one of my favorites is the Atomica, since I like my food spicy and enjoy sausage on my pizza. Every Friday night they have Clam Pizza night; I've yet to try it but I hear it's awesome and I even might check it out tonight.

They have great drink options. For non-alcoholic choices they have my favorite - San Pellegrino Limonata and Aranciata, among other drinks. They also have a great wine list, and it's very affordable. It is relatively limited but they choose well, offering everything from traditional Chianti to South American varietals. They also have local beer on tap, and Peroni for an Italian touch.

The salads are half the reason I go to Proto's. I have never eaten there without ordering the tomato mozzarella salad. The mozzarella is creamy and perfect, the sliced tomatoes are plump and crisp, the basil leaves are always large and fresh, and its all topped with a thick balsamic reduction that is to die for. They also give the option of ordering a large or small size of any salad, which is nice if you're splitting with others. The Caesar is also top-notch, dressed in homemade dressing and topped with one fresh, high-quality anchovy - but only if you desire. It is presented with a crisp house made crouton poking out the top, which is also quite yummy. I haven't tried the others, but I'm sure they do not disappoint.

They do not skimp on the desserts either, offering traditional Italian desserts like the awesome connolis, tartuffos, and tiramisu. They also support one of my favorite local spots, Spruce Confections (which is located right across the street from Proto's, and also on 8th and Pearl), by serving Spruce's New York Cheesecake.

Proto's was started by Pam Proto and Rayme Rossello in Longmont, but so many others have caught on to what a treat it is that they expanded to four other Colorado locations, and another in Boise, Idaho. They have also been recognized in Bon Appétit Magazine!

The Boulder Proto's (above) is located in North Boulder on 4670 Broadway, which is a nice change of pace from Pearl Street. It has a large outside patio with heat lamps, so on those chillier spring and fall nights you can still enjoy eating outdoors. The inside is equipped with a long wooden bar and wooden dinner tables, all lining the windows. I've never had bad service there; the staff is friendly, casual and they make great recommendations. I also like that they present your check in a little can - adds a nice touch (you'll see what I mean). They are kid-friendly and perfect for dates, but don't take reservations. The wait on the weekends is usually reasonable though, at 20-30 minutes. To put it simply, Proto's is an all-around great experience. If you haven't been there, you definitely need to check it out.

Lively Lemon Bars

2010-03-30T19:24:00.007-07:00

If you frequently read my blog, you should know by now that I love lemons. I use fresh lemon juice and zest in everything I possibly can because I love the refreshing, tart flavor it adds. Contrary to the fact that I have very few dessert recipes on this blog, I also love sweets (love is an understatement). So, I've combined the two and made one of my favorite treats....lemon bars. This popular bar cookie is simple enough to make and traditional. I found that most chefs use a similar recipe, however I added a little extra lemon and they turned out wonderfully. Just ask my co-workers - I shared some at work today and they went fast! To make these delightful, sweet and tart little treats you will need:

Ingredients:

Crust

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup confectioners sugar, plus more for dusting

2 sticks of butter, softened at room temperature

Pinch of salt

Lemony Filling

4 eggs

2 cups of granulated sugar

6 tbsp all-purpose flour

1/2 cup lemon juice (definitely used fresh squeezed - about 4 lemons)

1 tbsp lemon zest (grate the skins of the 4 lemons and that should be plenty)

Preparation:

For this recipe, I like to use the disposable pans you can buy at the grocery store. 9x13x2 is best, but anything that has a fairly short wall works well. A 13x9x5 pan is too large and a cookie sheet is too small.

First, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare the crust, by first combining the flour, sugar and salt, then cutting in the butter so it combines easily. Spread the crust evenly in the bottom of your greased pan - this may require putting flour or confectioners sugar on your fingertips so the dough doesn't stick to you. Bake crust for 20 minutes.

While your crust is baking, prepare the lemony filling. Simply combine all ingredients and blend well. Once the crust is done, pour the lemon filling on top and bake for 25 more minutes. Remove from oven and dust top of bars generously with powdered sugar.

Allow the bars to cool for about 10 minutes before eating, and then enjoy!

*Tips*

*Sometimes I add a little lemon zest to the dough for an extra-lemony kick

*Eat these cold from the fridge or at room temperature - they are great both ways

*This is a great dessert for a social gathering because you can cut them into small, delicate squares and put a toothpick in them for a nice little treat. Plus, you get to say you brought/served something made from scratch!

*Don't be afraid to make these if you don't normally consider yourself a baker/pastry chef - they are SO easy and nearly impossible to mess up - you'll do great!

To see the similar ways some other chefs do it, check out Paula Deen's recipe on FoodNetwork.com (just uses a bit less lemon and no zest) and this popular About.com recipe

Delectable Monday

2010-03-29T15:27:00.007-07:00

Happy Monday, everyone!

Today began on quite a stressful note, as Mondays often can. This Monday brought me technical difficulties and cloudy skies on a day where sun was forecast, among other slight issues. However, knowing I would go home to some delightful treats I baked this weekend, followed by dinner with good friends (yes, in that order....), made getting through today much easier. In my mind, not much else trumps homemade baked goods and spending time with my favorite people.

Here is a little something for you to look forward to, as I will be posting the recipes tomorrow:

Bon Appétit! And here's to a good week ahead...

3 Great Breakfast Recipes: Healthy Can Still Be Delicious

2010-03-11T13:38:00.009-08:00

In honor of March as National Nutrition Month, I wanted to share some healthy options for breakfast. For me, breakfast is definitely the most important meal of the day. If I begin my day by eating right, I always have a great, energized day ending with enough motivation for a nice gym workout. I want to share three of my latest, favorite ideas for breakfast with all of you. They are all very easy, very delicious, and very healthy!

(the above photo is a recipe I just found on this blog for a smoothie with oatmeal - I'll have to give that a try and report back!)

Egg White Omelet With Basil and Mozzarella

It's always important to watch your cholesterol intake, and egg yolks are chock full of the stuff. Having just the whites is not as boring as you'd think. Lately I've been having this delicious breakfast at least once a week, and it's very satisfying. My boyfriend likes it too, and he's definitely usually a ham and cheese omelet with a side of bacon kind of guy - so trust me, it's tasty.

Ingredients:

2 egg whites, lightly beaten

1/4 cup chopped fresh!! basil (about 5 leaves should do it)

Sprinkling of shredded mozzarella (a little less than 1/4 is more than enough)

Sprinkling of salt and fresh ground pepper

Nonstick cooking spray

Preparation:

Heat a skillet on medium heat and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Add your beaten egg white and sprinkle with the basil and mozzarella. Add salt and pepper - just a little of each. Cook until liquid begins to solidify, about 3 minutes, then fold over the egg so it's an omelet. Cook for 1 additional minute, remove from pan with spatula and serve!

I like this with either a slice of whole wheat toast, or a glass of orange juice and a cup of green tea (green tea is great for increased metabolism):

Steel Cut Oats with Skim Milk, Brown Sugar and Raisins

Oats are a great way to get fiber and nutrition of all sorts, and when it comes to the amount of nutrients, instant oats are not nearly as good. If you have 45 minutes in the morning from the time you wake up to the time you're out the door, you have time for the oats - it's so simple. They are delicious, nutritious and honestly keep me full until at least 1 or so, and I'm usually hungry for lunch by 11!

Ingredients:

Steel cut oats (you can buy at your local grocery store)

Water (the amount of water and oats depends on how many you're cooking for - just follow instructions on package)

Handfull of raisins (or dried berries of your choice - they plump and rehydrate a bit; tastes great and adds good texture)

1 tsp brown sugar

Splash of skim milk

Preparation:

Here's how I do it. I wake up and go boil the amount of water needed. It's only a small amount for 1-2 people, so usually only takes a few minutes. Then, I put in my measured oats and reduce heat to low. I get in the shower, and when I get out, I give the oats a stir. Then, I finish doing what I need to do to get ready and then come get my oats. They take about 25-30 minutes total to cook, so improvise the steps how you must. The water does not need to fully absorb - they just need to be to the consistency you like. I cooked them for about 30 minutes and then strained most of the water out - but not all because they continue absorbing while in your bowl. I scoop the cooked oats into a bowl, splash them with skim milk or almond milk, add a teaspoon of brown sugar and a sprinkling of raisins, and I have SUCH a yummy, healthy breakfast to start my day! It's also nice to have a hot, hearty breakfast every now and again.

Protein Berry Smoothie (similar to my very berry smoothie, but with an extra kick)

Some of you may remember my very berry smoothie recipe from last year. This is almost identical, because that is a breakfast staple for me, except with a little added kick. I lately have been adding some chocolate protein powder to it so that it fills me up a bit longer, and repairs me from the previous night's workout. This smoothie is delicious, much more cost effective than buying one, and very healthy. It has protein, probiotics, antioxidants, calcium - you name it. Another perk is that you can take it on your commute - so it's a time saver. It's great anytime of year, but definitely my summer breakfast go to.

Ingredients:

1 banana

1 scoop chocolate protein powder like Carnation Instant Breakfast (usually 2-4 tablespoons)

1 1/2 cups frozen mixed berries of your choice (usually in the mixed bag there's strawberries, rasberries, blackberries and blueberries) - add fresh berries too if you've got 'em

1 cup OJ

2-3 heaping tablespoons of plain or vanilla yogurt (vanilla if you like it a little sweeter)

Blender

Preparation:

Just throw it all in the blender and blend for about 30 seconds, or until everything is smooth. Pour and enjoy! ...I like mine with a straw :)

Now that you have a few healthy and easy options, I hope that you all start eating breakfast regularly if you don't already. It can be super quick, easy and a great way to get those nutrients in your system right when you start your day!

Yukon Gold Potato Pizza with Truffle Oil and Fontina Cheese

2010-03-03T13:23:00.021-08:00

I recently switched to a new gym, and every machine has its own personal television (which is awesome, makes time fly!). My latest treadmill addiction is the Food Network - pretty much any show will do. I LOVE the show "The Best Thing I Ever Ate" and about a month or so ago, they featured pizza (YUM!). One pizza in particular caught my eye as being very unique, and it also seemed like something I could experiment with at home. This was the Yukon Gold Potato Pizza with truffle oil (my favorite) and fontina cheese from Five Points in NY. I had never actually used fontina cheese, but it's very yummy, soft and inexpensive too! The pizza came out pretty well; it's definitely different, but if you like truffle oil as much as I do, you'll like it!

Ingredients:

1 whole wheat Boboli crust (this crust is thin, crispy, delicious and a time saver so I like it, but you can use any type of crust you'd like, as long as you make it thin)

2 tbsp white truffle oil (King Soopers has this for about $15 a bottle)

1 large clove garlic, minced

1 sprig fresh rosemary, finely chopped (you can use dried rosemary in a bottle too)

1 yukon gold potato, sliced as thin as humanly possible

1 tsp extra virgin olive oil

1 cup fontina cheese, shredded or in long strips

Grated parmesan for dusting

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

*Serves 2-3 people

Preparation:

Preheat your oven as high as it will go - literally (450 - 550° F). Then slice/grate your fontina cheese, finely chop your rosemary and garlic, and wash your potato and slice it as thin as you can.

After your potatoes and cheese are sliced and your rosemary and garlic are chopped, use a cooking brush to brush the 1 tsp of olive oil and almost all of your truffle oil onto the pizza crust. I brush it all the way to the edge to get an extra crispy crust. Then, evenly disperse half of the garlic and rosemary on top of the oil. Lightly salt and pepper the crust as well.

Next, place one layer of potatoes on top of the entire crust, letting the potatoes slightly overlap each other to ensure full coverage. Leave about an inch of space for the crust around the outside. Then, brush the remaining oil mixture on top of the potatoes and sprinkle your remaining garlic and rosemary. Finally, layer the cheese so it is covering the potato layer. Dust with grated parmesan.

Cook according to your crust directions - the Boboli only takes about 8-11 minutes. Potatoes should be crispy and cheese should be fully melted and starting to bubble.

Remove from oven and enjoy!

*Tips*

*You can also substitute basil for the rosemary and mozarella for the fontina - I made another pizza with those ingredients and it tasted great as well.

*To get the potatoes sliced very thin, you really need to use a hand-held slicer. Many times there is one on the side of your grater, or you can even use a cheese slicer. Otherwise, they will not be thin enough and the whole pizza just won't taste as good! This worked extremely well and made the potatoes much thinner than I ever could have achieved with a knife. Here's a picture of a slicer just in case you aren't sure what I mean; you likely have one (at least a cheese one) in your kitchen already!

<---hand-held slicer

<---cheese slicer

Thanks to the Food Network's Best Thing I Ever Ate, Alex Guarnaschelli and Five Points Restaurant in NYC for inspiring me to make this yummy treat!

Friday's Finest: Tee and Cakes

2010-02-12T07:46:00.020-08:00

*Above you can see my friend/co-worker Laura giving the thumbs up outside the shop

Many of you might not know that I have an insane sweet tooth since I normally only blog savory recipes, but I do. I probably love sweets more than anyone I know. Consequently, I easily found out about Tee and Cakes, a local cupcake shop right around the corner from my office. They sell coffee drinks, pastries, custom cakes and apparel as well. This has become one of my very favorite stops in Boulder, and not just because of the cupcakes.

They keep it local. Not only do they have their own amazing, made in-house treats, they also brew Boulder Organic Coffee and sell Pekoe Tea and Bhakti Chai. (Bhakti is my favorite Chai by far - very spicy and rich).

They have the best cup of coffee in Boulder, at least I think so. I've been to pretty much every coffee shop on and around Pearl Street and I've got to say...Tee and Cakes brews it the best. I wish I had more facts (I should probably start interviewing places before I write about them), but I think they brew it in a special way. They must. Particularly their iced coffee. I go there in the summer mornings for the iced, and in winter afternoons for a nice hot cup (and usually a cupcake too...).

They have savory breakfast items. They sell delicious breakfast burritos, yummy breakfast pastries like ham and cheese croissants and cheddar biscuits, and of course...anything and everything sweet.

Now onto the cupcakes....

They have more than 20 different kinds of cupcakes, rotating each day of the week because they are always baked fresh each day. They are always thinking of new ones too, like the PB & J cupcake. They have seasonal ones too - some great ones right now for Valentine's day, like the chocolate fudge one with a rasberry ganache truffle on top that I got yesterday - SO delicious! Here's a picture of it for you:

They also have mini cupcakes (called baby cakes - so cute), so for people like me who probably shouldn't eat a cupcake every single day but easily could, it's a nice way to treat yourself and not feel guilty.

Here are the minis I bought today:

They also get very creative with their flavors. Tee and Cakes was featured on the Food Network's show Unwrapped for their bacon cupcake. Doesn't sound like your cup of tea? Well you're probably wrong. I was hesitant too, but it's a maple cupcake, made with real maple syrup, topped with chocolately fudgy glazed frosting, then finished with very crispy bacon bits. The crunch of the bacon paired with the maple flavor then mixed with rich chocolate is honestly delish.

They are vegan-friendly. My sister Vanessa is vegan, and for her 28th birthday I sent her some of their Vegan Vanilla cupcakes in the mail - shipped them allll the way to NY. When they arrived 2 days later, she said it was the best vegan cupcake she's ever had (and she's had a lot of vegan treats...), and this is after they were sent in the mail! Need I say more?

They also do custom cakes, wedding cakes, wedding cupcakes, and sell really cute shirts and buttons. They have a great spot right around the corner from Pearl Street, towards Walnut, on 14th street. They have a cute fenced area for outdoor seating, as well as a cool ambiance inside. You have got to check this place out....you are missing out on all kinds of delightfulness!

Check out their website for a gallery of all of their cupcakes, and specifics on all of the other cool stuff they do. http://www.teeandcakes.com/blogosphere/

You can also follow them on Twitter for daily cupcake updates: @teeandcakes

Thanks Tee and Cakes for making the best cupcakes, coffee (and treats in general) in Boulder!

Orzo with Fresh Mint, Butternut Squash & Feta

2010-02-11T11:17:00.018-08:00

It's been staying pretty chilly outside lately, which always drives me to cook up the comfort foods. Comfort food is heavy by nature, so I'm always delighted to find lighter dishes that still satisfy the cold-weather cravings. The other night I found a recipe using orzo - something I don't think to cook very often, which makes for a nice change of pace. The recipe also called for feta, and I've been on quite a feta kick lately, so I thought I'd give it a try. This dish turned out to be savory, filling and fresh all at the same time. It was also pretty painless to make. Needless to say, I highly recommend it. Oh...and if you think it sounds too light or a bit girly think again - the boys LOVED it too!

Ingredients:

1 small box of dried orzo pasta

1 clove garlic, peeled, then grated on a microplane/zester

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 butternut squash

4 oz. (1/2 cup) crumbled feta

1/2 cup fresh mint leaves, finely chopped (leave aside more for garnish)

Salt and pepper, to taste

*Serves 4

Preparation:

First, preheat your oven to 350° F. Lightly coat a 13x9 pan with a drizzle of olive oil. Cut your squash lengthwise and scoop out/discard the middle. Then, cut it into cubes, leaving off the skin. Add salt (very lightly!) and pepper, and bake for 20 minutes.

Once your squash goes in the oven, chop your mint and bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook orzo for about 8 minutes (it should be slightly undercooked), then reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water before draining the rest.

By now your squash should be done, so heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet over low/medium heat. Finely grate the peeled garlic right over the pan, and let the juices combine with the olive oil - about 1 minute. *You don't want to chop your garlic, because this is not a dish where you want chunks of garlic - you just want the flavor.

Next add your squash, the orzo and the pasta water. Bring to a simmer and stir in most (about 3/4) of the feta. Cook until the water is absorbed, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in the remaining 2 tbsp. of olive oil and the fresh mint.

Once you place the pasta in bowls, sprinkle each with remaining feta and top with a sprig of fresh mint, to garnish. Eat and enjoy!

Thanks to Claire Robinson for the recipe idea, which I found on foodnetwork.com. I made a few changes, but for her original recipe, go here.

*Tips*

*Always read your entire recipe/cooking instructions beforehand. This may seem obvious, but it's a common mistake not to, and leads to mess ups. This recipe is easy if you know you are going to have to cook your squash ahead of time, because you can boil the water, chop the mint, etc. while the squash is in the oven.

*Do NOT heavily salt any ingredient during the cooking process. Feta is a very salty cheese, and the first time I made this it was borderline too salty because I salted my squash as much as I normally would (and I don't even use that much salt to begin with).

*Substitute other veggies like peas, yellow squash or zucchini for a slightly quicker version of this dish.

*This is just as tasty eaten cold the next day.

Pineapple & Basil Salad

2010-01-13T09:58:00.012-08:00

This is a very simple dish that my mom often whips up - it is heavily requested among my family. As I have mentioned before, I have quite a sweet tooth, so this is a nice, healthy alternative to munching on my weakness - sour gummy candy. I made it as dessert last night, and it was very satisfying for everyone. All you need to make this sweet pineapple salad is:

Ingredients:

1 ripe pineapple, cubed

5-8 large basil leaves, sliced

1 teaspoon sugar

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

*Serves 4, depending on size of pineapple

Preparation:

First slice your pineapple. This can be sort of a pain the first time, but you'll get the hang of it. I chop off the bottom and top first, then cut the pineapple length-wise into quarters. Then, I slice off the skin and cube the fruit.

Toss the cubed pineapple in a bowl with your teaspoon of sugar and stir so the sugar is evenly distributed. Pineapple is sweet on its own, but the sugar helps the basil stick and adds an extra kick, so I recommend using it. Next, squeeze your lemon juice in (you can eyeball this and simply squeeze the juice of 1/2 of a small lemon).

Finally, slice your fresh basil leaves into strips (you can chop it up too if you'd like), and combine all ingredients with a wooden spoon. It's already ready to serve!

Enjoy!

*Tips*

*If you don't like using white sugar, substitute stevia or honey - works just as well.

*The lemon juice preserves the pineapple nicely, so this salad lasts for a while - definitely a few days if put in tupperware in the fridge.

*Fresh basil is great in so many dishes. You can buy a plant at Whole Foods (or mostly any grocery store) for around 8-12 bucks. If you keep it in sunlight and water it appropriately, you can have fresh basil at your disposal all the time!

.........Thanks for this recipe, Mom!

Friday's Finest: Mountain Sun Pub & Brewery

2010-01-08T09:38:00.016-08:00

Since I am going on my seventh year living in Boulder, I would like to incorporate a local spin to this blog and share what I've learned about Boulder (in terms of food, of course!) with all of you. Therefore, I am adding Friday's Finest to Entrée Level. On Fridays, I am going to write about my favorite places to eat in and around Boulder and Denver.

*When traveling I'll write about restaurants elsewhere too, just never on Boulder's Friday.

This week, I'm going to take you through Mountain Sun Pub and Brewery - one of my very favorite places in all of Boulder. It's located on the east side of Pearl St. - between 15th and16th to be exact - and is just about the coolest place to grab some casual, delicious grub and beer.

Not only do they brew their own beer on site, but it tastes awesome. They also love giving free samples to those who are curious about a new brew but are hesitant to commit to a whole glass or pint. They will also give free samples just because they are cool - even if you aren't indecisive.

They do not discriminate. If you are a vegetarian, there are many options, from their delicious tempeh reuben to whatever special they are whipping up that day. They have an awesome vegetarian chili too. They also have options besides beer, for those of you who can't do the gluten thing. They offer wine, but no booze, which keeps the atmosphere nice and brewery-esque, in my opinion.

They have an awesome staff and service model. Everyone, including managers, helps out in every way - whether its clearing your table, filling your water, or taking your order. They leave your check on the table and just keep a total going so that you aren't committed to just one person. The staff is also kickass, pardon my french, but they are very friendly, down to earth, quick and even witty. We were offered a free round if we could name all 8 oceans. Not a trick question....

They have live music and other community-friendly events. They have Stout Month in February, wear your Mtn. Sun t-shirt to get a happy hour all night (Tuesdays), and even a chops contest - last year most of the male staff had ridiculous facial hair shapes, it was hysterical (also in February).

The ambiance is quirky too. They have old-school concert posters all over the walls, weird goblin people hanging from the ceiling, wooden booths and tables, and a huge chalk board that both lists all of the beers and has incredible artwork on it - in chalk. I wish I knew who drew it so I could give them proper praise on here. (I found out - his name is Bryce Widom)

Last but not least, they do not lack in quality of food and beer, by any means. They have won awards at the Great American Beer Festival for their brews, and they have some of the best burgers in town - the boys love the Junk Burger and I go for the Basil Blue quite often. Also, you can easily get a buzz and a great meal for 20 bucks a person - get pitchers!

Do keep in mind they only accept cash because they are old-school. You might see that as a downside, but frankly it makes things really easy. There is an ATM in the back and it only charges you a buck, so it's never really an issue. Also, they have 2 other restaurants: Southern Sun off Broadway & Table Mesa, and Vine Street Pub in Denver's Capitol Hill area. I will confess I've actually never been to the other two because I'm so content with Mountain Sun!

I'm sure I'm leaving out plenty, but that should give you an idea of just how awesome Mountain Sun is. Hopefully I will see you there soon!

I'd also like to mention that I brought my parents here when they were in town, and they loved it too. And, a special thanks to one of the managers, Kat, for always taking great care of us!

Cavatelli with Broccoli and Shrimp in a White Wine Garlic Sauce

2010-01-06T08:07:00.011-08:00

Happy 2010! Entrée level is happy to be back.

Many of you are probably trying to eat healthy in the new decade, as am I. Last night, I cooked up a light, yet satisfying meal recommended to me by a co-worker. Broccoli Cavatelli is a great dish because you can easily add your own touch. I spiced it up a little by adding white wine, chicken broth, shrimp and lemon zest, when traditionally the recipe only uses olive oil and garlic. To make my version, you will need:

Ingredients:

Juice of 2 small lemons (or 1 large)

3 tsp lemon zest (separate 2 tsp and 1 tsp)

3 broccoli florets, washed, separated

15-20 shrimp, peeled, tails removed

3/4 cup chicken broth

3/4 cup white wine (for this recipe, I like using sauv blanc)

3 large cloves of garlic, minced (separate one clove from the other two)

5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (separate one tbsp from other four)

Salt, to taste (I just used a dash)

Cayenne pepper, to taste (I used about 1 tsp)

Hot red pepper flakes, to taste (I used about 1 tbsp because I like it spicy!)

1/2 cup grated parmesan

1 pound cavatelli (I like whole wheat for a healthier dish)

*Makes 4-6 servings

Preparation:

I typically buy frozen shrimp, so I start by thawing them in a bowl of room-temp water. They only take about 5 minutes to thaw. While they are thawing, I chop my garlic and wash and separate my broccoli.

Next, heat a large sauté pan over medium heat. Place 4 tbsp of olive oil in the pan, and let heat up. Then, add 2 of the chopped garlic cloves and sauté until it reaches a light golden brown color. Next add your broccoli, and cook for about 5 minutes, still on medium heat. Once the broccoli is slightly cooked (about 5 minutes), add the chicken stock, white wine, juice of one lemon (or juice of 1/2 the large lemon), most of the red pepper flakes, and 2 tsp of the lemon zest. Do not add cayenne pepper or shrimp yet. *To get the lemon zest, use a microplane grater and scrape the skin off of your lemons. Cook this mixture for about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, boil your pasta water, adding some salt and olive oil for flavor. Place your thawed, peeled shrimp in a small sauté pan over medium high heat. Add a tsp of olive oil, a dash of salt, the 3rd clove of chopped garlic, the other tsp of lemon zest, juice of the other lemon (or the other 1/2 of the large lemon), the cayenne pepper and the rest of your red pepper flakes. Cook shrimp for about 5 minutes, then add contents of pan - including juices, to the broccoli mixture. By now your pasta water should be boiled, so add your pasta and follow package directions. Keep the sauce mixture on low heat, simmering, while your pasta boils (about 9-10 minutes).

Once your pasta is cooked, drain it and place it back in large sauce pan. Add your sauce to the pasta, along with the parmesan cheese, and stir until sauce is evenly coating the pasta. *The sauce will be watery, but very flavorful!

Eat and enjoy!

*Tips*

*You can use any kind of pasta you'd like - whole wheat penne works well also.

*For a vegetarian meal, omit shrimp and chicken stock and it's still great.

*Try adding basil - always works well with Italian-style dishes.

*If you want this to be really low-cal, add veggies instead of the pasta - sautéed spinach, more broccoli, and some chicken instead of shrimp will absorb the flavor of the sauce really well and still fill you up!

*As usual, leftovers on this one are great....the pasta really soaks up the flavor of the sauce when it sits in the fridge overnight.

....a special thanks to Pbowes for introducing me to the traditional recipe

BBQ Chicken Pizza

2009-07-23T10:40:00.002-07:00

This is a fun, easy dish and a great way to use leftovers. I really like to grill BBQ drumsticks, but the drawback is they take about 45 minutes, since you need to slow cook them. So when I make them, I always make sure to cook enough, and in turn, I always have leftovers. They can be pretty dry to eat the next day, so one night I decided to figure out a creative way to make use of them. I figured out that when you strip the chicken off, it makes for a great pizza topping. I decided to make a BBQ chicken pizza to tie in the BBQ that was already cooked on my chicken. This pizza is awesome for lunch, dinner, a snack - you name it. It's also pretty quick to throw together, especially if you use a pre-made crust. I actually love the Boboli brand 100% whole wheat thin crusts, and they are only $4.99. To make this pizza you will need:

Ingredients:

1 Boboli whole wheat crust (you can make your own crust if you want, but it takes longer)

1 cup BBQ sauce (use a thicker rather than watery brand, like the Kraft or even Safeway brand)

1/2 red onion, finely chopped

3 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

1-2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

3-4 BBQ chicken drumsticks, meat removed and diced (if you have leftover chicken breasts, 1 or 2 should get the job done)

Parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes to taste (...you may be starting to catch on that I always like more cheese)

*Serves 2, generously

Preparation:

For the Boboli crust, preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Use a cooking brush to coat the center of your pizza with the thick BBQ sauce - this is your pizza sauce.

Next, dust about 1/2 cup of the mozzarella cheese on top of the sauce. Then, cut your onion and fresh cilantro and sprinkle evenly across the cheese.

Next, strip your drumsticks and dice the meat. Sprinkle evenly across pizza.

I only needed these three leftover drumsticks, which yield a lot of chicken...

...after chopping chicken:

Next add the remaining mozzarella cheese, and top with parm shavings if desired.

This is what mine looked like right before putting in the oven (tons of cheese, I know):

Bake at 450 degrees for 8-10 minutes, and you're done!

...It's delicious, trust me.

*Tips*

*Lightly brush your entire crust with olive oil, all the way to the edges. This will give your crust a little extra flavor and crispiness.

*Layer cheese on before and after the chicken, even if you don't use a lot of cheese - it will hold the ingredients together better.

*Experiment with your sauce - if you like it spicy, add a little hot sauce (I prefer Cholula) to the BBQ. If you prefer smokey, get that kind of BBQ sauce. The sauce makes the pizza, in my opinion, so have fun with it.

Lindsey's Lemon Chicken

2009-07-15T14:51:00.013-07:00

This Sunday evening I prepared what has become one of my favorite dishes to make over the past year. The recipe was given to me by my good friend Lindsey, who is a foodie to the max. Her dad, Ken Stewart, (who is one of the coolest dudes ever, by the way) owns three awesome restaurants in Ohio, so she knows good food...and cooks it too. This lemon chicken is a combination of a picatta, a francese and a Parmesan - all in one, and it is delicious. I like to serve it with a side of Parmesan couscous - I like the Near East brand best. To make this dish you will need:

Ingredients:

(Sauce)

1/2 cup white wine (I like using a mild Sauv Blanc)

2 cups chicken broth

3 tbsp capers (I honestly usually just eyeball these, and put in however many I want)

1 clove garlic, chopped

2 tbsp butter

1 whole lemon, juiced (use it for below ingredient too)

1 tbsp lemon rind

Salt & Pepper to taste

(Chicken)

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded thin

3-4 cups Italian seasoned bread crumbs

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan

3 eggs, beaten

1 whole lemon, juiced

*Serves 4

Preparation:

Preheat your oven to 350°. Then, start with your chicken breasts. Trim off all excess fat. Wrap each breast individually in plastic wrap and pound with a flat mallet until they are less than 1/2 inch thick. Set aside on foil or tray, and wash your hands very well.

Next, prepare the sauce. Place a large saucepan over medium/low heat and combine all of the sauce ingredients. Do not put in the chopped garlic first - for this recipe you want it fresh and

boiled in the liquid, not browned on the bottom of the pan. *To get the lemon rind, use the skin of the lemon you juiced and grate it on the small part of a grater or a microplane. Leave

mixture uncovered and let simmer, stirring occasionally while you bread your chicken.

Beat the three eggs in a medium sized bowl. Then, juice your lemon in the same bowl and whisk until the two are combined. This gives you your lemon egg wash. Set this bowl aside.

Next, mix your breadcrumbs and the Parmesan in a 13x9x5 pan. Set aside.

Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat. Coat lightly with olive oil and let heat up. Next, dip each chicken breast first in the lemon egg wash, then coat in the breading/Parmesan mixture. Then, place the breaded chicken in the egg wash again, and coat in breading again. This seals in the breading extra tightly, which you'll see why is important later. *Occasionally I need to add more egg and lemon, but 3 eggs for 4 chicken breasts is typically perfect.

Once all of your chicken breasts are double breaded, place them on the hot, oiled sauté pan. *You may need to do this in two rounds if your pan isn't big enough. Sauté chicken about 3 minutes per side, until breading is firmly cooked onto the chicken breasts. Take the chicken out of the pan and place in a 13x9x5 pan.

Refer back to your sauce, which should have cooked about 10-15 minutes (more is okay, but I wouldn't do less). Pour neatly over the chicken breasts, coating the breasts well, but not submerging them completely. Then, bake for 30 minutes, plate and serve with the Parmesan couscous, a salad, or whatever you desire. The chicken should be very juicy and extremely flavorful - in my experience it has been a huge hit with everyone - the parents, boyfriend, friends, you name it.

Does not look so pretty in this picture, but in person

it's great!...I'm starting to think I need a better camera.

.....Bon Apetito!

*Tips*

*Use a block of Parmigiano Reggiano shaved on a microplane as your shaved Parmesan. It makes the breading much more cohesive than using a thicker, pre-shaved kind, and also Parmigiano Reggiano is extremely flavorful. You can get it at Whole Foods for sure, and they'll cut it down to any size you want.

*You double bread it because otherwise the broth makes the breading come off while it's baking, and it gets soggy instead of crisping, which is just gross.

*Don't skimp on the lemon rind, and definitely feel free to use more. Rind adds a ton of flavor - even more than the juice.

*Drink the leftover wine with the dish. It compliments as well as possible - (obviously, since the ingredient is in what you're eating)!

*This is another dish that is really really good leftover!

...a special thanks to Justin for helping me bread the chicken - it can be quite the messy process. Also a special thanks to Miss Lindsey Stewart for sharing this amazing recipe with me!

Grilled Shrimp Skewers With Spicy Jalapeño Ginger Marinade

2009-07-07T09:27:00.008-07:00

Upon getting our new grill last night, my roommate Courtney and I decided to christen it with something delicious. Court likes to cook as well, and she and I cook together a lot - which is

great because two heads is always better than one. Our suggestions put together often make for some really yummy marinades, salad dressing or whatever else we might be cooking up that evening. Last night was no exception, and we concocted an awesome, super flavorful marinade for our shrimp skewers. To make these delicious skewers you will need the following:

Ingredients:

(Marinade)

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 tsp cayenne pepper (use more if you like it even spicier)

2 tbsps fresh ginger, peeled and chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 fresh whole jalapeño, chopped

1 medium sized lime, juiced

(Skewers)

24 medium sized shrimp (1 regular sized bag frozen uncooked shrimp, tails on)

2 red bell peppers, chopped in bite size pieces

1 white onion, chopped in bite size pieces

2 cups pineapple, chopped in bite size pieces

8 skewers, metal or wooden

*Serves 3

Preparation:

Preheat your grill to medium/high heat.

If you bought frozen shrimp, remove from bag and place in bowl of room temperature water to thaw. Set aside. (They only take about 10 minutes to thaw, but it's okay to keep them in the water longer). Chop your bell pepper, onion and pineapple and set aside as well.

Place all marinade ingredients in a medium sized bowl and whisk with fork. Then, strain your shrimp and lightly salt them. Toss shrimp in most of the marinade, leaving about 1/8 cup left to brush on skewers. Let marinate for 5-7 minutes:

When shrimp is done marinating, start skewering! We did 3 pieces of each per skewer: shrimp, pineapple, bell pepper and onion. Set on foil. Brush entire skewer with 1/2 of your remaining marinade.

Carefully place your skewers on the grill. Cook about 4 minutes per side, and be careful when you rotate them - they get really hot, so use an oven mitt! When they are done cooking, remove from grill and brush with remaining marinade. You'll be amazed at how much spice and flavor comes through despite the short marinating time!

....Enjoy!

Skewers right before being removed from grill:

*Tips*

*Although I think it's worth it to get fish from nicer markets like Whole Foods, shrimp is another story. Safeway often has really good sales on their frozen bags of shrimp - I get the uncooked, peeled kind with tails still on. I've tried the shrimp from the fish counter before, and I honestly find the frozen bags to be far less fishy and much, much cheaper. We got a bag of 28 shrimp for only $4.99 for this recipe, and they tasted great.

*When making your marinade, chop your jalapeño last and wash your hands well. If you rub your eye it will hurt!

*Court and I like things pretty spicy, so we sprinkled a bit more cayenne pepper on our shrimp after salting them, and it added a really nice extra kick.

*We actually used a can of pineapple this time since we had it around the house already and it worked just as well as fresh chunks.

*The onions can be tricky to get on the skewer, so feed them on the the skewer length-wise, and this will help all pieces stay on.

*We had some leftover shrimp and marinade, and we sauteed them in a pan with onion. The shrimp retained a TON of flavor and was great for lunch the next day.

...A special thanks to Justin for assembling our new grill, and always taste-testing!

Tangy Caprese Salad

2009-07-01T08:06:00.003-07:00

When back in New York last week, I unfortunately did not have much time to absorb Mary Jo's amazing cooking skills since I was traveling all over the state, from NYC to Albany to the Adirondacks. On Father's Day, however, my mom, sister and I cooked a delicious meal, which included one of my favorite Mary Jo concoctions.

This salad (which we served as an appetizer that evening) is basically a Caprese, but with a bit of a twist. Instead of the traditional tomato, basil and mozzarella with olive oil and balsamic, she adds red wine vinegar, scallions and a few other ingredients to make it extra-flavorful.

Ingredients:

3 large ripe tomatoes, sliced
1 ball (8 oz.) fresh mozzarella (my favorite is Buffalo mozzarella - it's creamier)
Fresh basil leaves
3 scallions, sliced
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1 clove garlic, minced
Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste

*Serves 6

Preparation:

Wash basil and pull off leaves from stems, then set aside. Next slice your fresh mozzarella into thin, wide slices. Then slice tomatoes into 1/4 inch thick slices and place in bottom of shallow dish (one like my mom's round one, which is pictured above, is perfect). Top each slice with fresh basil leaves (about 1-2 per tomato slice), then top with fresh mozzarella. Season each piece with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Combine all other ingredients (from scallions down) in a bowl and whisk well with a fork. Pour mixture over the tomato/basil/mozzarella slices, coating everything. Cover with plastic wrap and let marinate in fridge for about 2 hours. (This isn't necessary to do, but it definitely produces more flavor).

.....Serve cold, and enjoy!

*Tips*

*You can easily substitute balsamic vinegar for the red wine vinegar if you like it sweeter, or if you just like the more traditional Caprese flavors.

*Rather than topping each tomato slice with a basil leaf, you can also chop the basil finely and add it to the liquid mixture before pouring over the tomato and mozzarella. This makes the tomatoes a bit easier to cut into bites, but definitely lessens the basil flavor, which for me is a major drawback. For extra basil flavor, you can do both!

*This is great as a salad, side dish or appetizer.

*For a low-cal version, omit the mozzarella and then it's only 55 calories per serving!

....A special thanks to my mom (aka Mary Jo) for this delicious recipe!

Grilled Salmon with Brown Sugar, Dijon & Ginger Glaze

2009-06-30T08:40:00.014-07:00

After taking far too long of a break from blogging (which I blame on my recent 10-day trip to my home state - NY), I am back with a really yummy and easy recipe. Now that it is officially summer in Boulder (meaning there have been 10 consistent days of sun, finally!), I am always in the mood to grill and eat lighter fare, like fish. I typically make the same lime, soy and ginger salmon recipe all the time (I'll post that another time because it is really tasty), so on Saturday night I decided to branch out and try something new. I knew I wanted to grill, so I decided to visit Bobby Flay's recipes on the Food Network site - as he is the grill-master, in my opinion.

I found a recipe that used brown sugar, which of course appealed to my sweet tooth. There were 82 reviews and all that I read spoke very highly of the dish, many noting that although the ingredients may seem too sweet, the end result surprisingly isn't. I was also very hungry, and the cooking time was listed as only 15 minutes, so needless to say I was sold. This dish is also great since you should already have most of the ingredients for the sauce around your house. I altered the recipe only slightly, changing the way the salmon is grilled in order to reduce the possibility of it sticking to the grill (thanks for the tip, T-Lo!), switching to olive oil from vegetable oil to season the salmon, and also adding more fresh ginger. You will need....

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons light brown sugar

1 tablespoon honey

2 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup Dijon mustard (I like Grey Poupon)

2 tablespoons soy sauce (I like Tamari dark soy for this recipe)

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons fresh chopped ginger

Olive oil (to brush on salmon)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Salmon fillets (about 1/2 lb. per person)

*This makes enough sauce to coat 8 6 oz. salmon fillets, so if you are only cooking for 2 I'd cut in half

Preparation:

Melt the brown sugar, honey and butter in a saute pan over medium-high heat. This should only take about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in mustard, soy sauce, olive oil and ginger. Set aside to cool.

Preheat grill to medium heat. Put a few tablespoons of olive oil in a bowl with salt and freshly ground pepper. Brush your salmon fillets with this mixture. Place fillets skin side up (pink side down) on the grill for 2-4 minutes, depending on the thickness. Flip and rotate the fillets carefully and brush pink side with the Dijon mixture.

Grill about 5-7 more minutes (again, depending on thickness). Remove from grill, and you're done!

This is my finished product (a little blurry, sorry) - look at that glaze!

I served this with a simple mixed green salad topped with cherry tomatoes, red bell pepper, croutons, fresh mozzarella and balsamic vinegar and it made for a quick, healthy and filling dinner. The salmon was unbelievably flavorful, not too sweet, and very well-liked among my loyal taste-testers.

...Enjoy!

*Tips*

*Save the leftover sauce and brush it on grilled shrimp another night.

*You can brush your salmon with vegetable oil too, as Bobby's recipe says, but I always prefer the flavor of olive oil which is why I switched that ingredient.

*I prefer the taste of wild salmon to farm-raised, so keep that in mind when choosing your fish. I also always buy my fish from Whole Foods, as they consistently have the highest-quality selection. It tends to be similarly priced to other grocery stores, and even if it is a buck more, I think it's worth it not to skimp on your fish selection - there is nothing worse than fishy salmon!

...A special thanks to Bobby Flay for this delicious recipe! You can find his nearly identical version here.

Favorite Boulder Restaurants: Il Pastaio

2009-06-15T15:46:00.015-07:00

I have been living in Boulder for 5 0f my 6 years in Colorado, and as you can imagine, I have been to many, many restaurants in the area. Far and away the best Italian food lies in a nondescript strip mall on 30th and Arapahoe - Il Pastaio. The space is extremely charming, as is the staff. The owners are always there; Giuseppe visits every table to deliver either the wine or food and make sure you're content. They also enter every customer in a nightly drawing for a free bottle of wine. I won my junior year of college, and when I was there on Thursday, I got to draw the lucky winner. As a wine lover, I think that's a nice touch to the overall exprience.

I think the most important part is the quality of the food, and Il Pastaio is not lacking whatsoever in this area. They actually supply their homemade pasta to many restaurants around Boulder, and of course serve it in house as well. The entrées are

extremely affordable - the most expensive is $16.50, but most are in the $12/$13 range. For the amount of food you get and how delicious it is, this is honestly a steal. The wine is inexpensive also.

Although it's hard to pick a favorite, I'd say the three entrées that stand out most for me personally are the gnocchi with pesto cream sauce, the chicken parmesan and the eggplant parmesan - and not only because of how much I love cheese. The gnocchi pesto cream speaks for itself - you just have to try it. It's extremely flavorful but not too heavy, with flakes of fresh chopped basil. Also, the homemade gnocchi melts in your mouth.

The egglplant parmesan is individually made to order in a mini casserole dish and served with a side of pasta. It is flavorful, bubbling with cheese and delicious - the homemade marinara is unbeatable. See below....that was my meal on Thursday:

*I'll mention now that I'm tagging this entry with the Vegetarian tag, because most of my favorite dishes here happen to be vegetarian-friendly.

The chicken parmesan is pounded extremely thin and fills the diameter of an entire dinner plate. I'm not sure if it's the seasoning they use in the breading or what, but it is delicious. This is also served with a side of pasta. You are always served a homemade hard roll before your entrée as well. Justin ordered the chicken parm on Thursday, and it is so tasty that he literally couldn't wait to eat it before I photographed, so you get an action shot of him eating below:

... you may also notice the wine glass pictured; they are served in small water glasses, which I think adds another charming touch. Everything about this place right down to the wine glass is just extremely simple and authentic.

In short, if you haven't been here, you have to go. You won't be able to stay away!

....as Giuseppe says, Bon Appetito!

*Tips*

*Il Pastaio is not open on weekends. They are open Friday, but closed all day Saturday and Sunday. It's sort of a bummer, but a great excuse to go out to an affordable dinner on a week night!

*They have a great, inexpensive lunch buffet every week day.

*They do take out.

*They have incredible cannolis, and also an awesome caprese salad...I always start with the caprese and end with the cannoli.

*Save your leftovers! I always have leftovers and they are always still delicious the next day.

Palta Baguettes with Chèvre

2009-06-10T13:20:00.007-07:00

These baguette bites have a ton of flavor, are easy to make and great to serve as an appetizer. Palta is Spanish for avocado, and that is how I learned to refer to this mixture when first making it on the coast in Chile. The avocados and lemons in Chile were unbelievably flavorful, but don't worry - the palta turns out great here in the states as well. This has become one of my favorite ways to prepare avocado - more delicious than plain avocado slices, but less complicated than making homemade guacamole. To make these tasty little apps you will need only a few simple ingredients:

Ingredients:

1 ripe avocado

Juice of 1/2 a lemon

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp extra virgin olive oil

~5 tbsp goat cheese (also called chèvre), crumbled

1 Small baguette or 1/2 large baguette

*Serves 4

Preparation:

Slice your avocado lengthwise and remove pit. Scoop contents into small bowl. Add lemon juice, salt and extra virgin olive oil and mash with fork until mixture is smooth (some lumps are okay!). Set bowl aside. *This mixture is what I call palta :)

Slice baguette crosswise so your pieces are thin/medium thickness. Put a heaping spoonful of the palta on each slice of baguette. Top with your crumbled goat cheese and serve!

....see, wasn't that easy? And delicious!

*Tips*

*To easily crumble the goat cheese, I like to use a fork and simply scrape the cheese right out of the plastic package, then let it fall on top of each baguette piece. This works well when using the rest of the package of Haystack Mountain Goat Boulder Chèvre from the chèvre, arugula and strawberry salad I made last weekend.

*Baguettes get hard really quickly, so buy the baguette the day you plan to make this recipe.

*This recipe is one that is not great for leftovers, so try to plan accordingly.

*To repeat the tip from my very first post - heat up your lemon for 10-15 seconds in microwave prior to squeezing - you definitely want ALL of the juice in there, for this recipe in particular. You'll be amazed how well this trick works.

Korean BBQ Flank Steak with Horseradish Sour Cream Sauce

2009-06-08T23:55:00.019-07:00

This recipe makes a ridiculously flavorful, juicy steak crusted with tons of seasoning; it is one of my favorite dishes. Not only do I love it, but my boyfriend Justin requests it at least once a month, my Dad made it when surprising my mom with a Mother's Day dinner, and my college roomates and I used to make it all the time.

One afternoon during college, my roomate Jessica and I were watching the Food Network (as we often did), and Rachel Ray made this on her show 30-Minute Meals. We didn't really like the idea of the slaw that she pairs with it, but we thought the steak looked delicious. I suggested we pair it with a simple sauce my mom always made to compliment her London Broil - horseradish sour cream sauce. We also had all the time in the world, so we thought we should marinate it longer than the 10 minutes Rachel Ray suggests. So, Jess and I went to the grocery store and bought the following items:

Ingredients:

(steak and marinade)

1/4 cup Tamari dark soy

1-2 tbsp honey

2 tsp dark sesame oil

2 large cloves garlic, chopped

1-2 tsp hot red pepper flakes

2 tbsp grill seasoning blend

2 scallions, finely chopped (*got mine at the Farmer's Market)

Vegetable oil or PAM spray (drizzle or spray in marinating pan)

2 lbs flank steak (doesn't have to be exact)

(horseradish sour cream sauce)

1 cup sour cream

1 tbsp horseradish (NOT horseradish cream - just pure horseradish in a jar)

*Serves 4

Preparation:

Coat the bottom of a 13x9 pan with a small amount of vegetable oil or PAM spray. Pour the soy and sesame oil in next. Then add the honey, and wisk with a fork so it distributes evenly. Chop your garlic and scallions and add to pan, along with the hot red pepper flakes and grill seasoning blend. Below is a shot of me chopping the farmer's market scallions; as you'll notice you only use the bulb:

Remove your flank steak from the packaging and place in the 13x9 pan. Flip it over once, so that the marinade coats both sides (you can use a cooking brush too, but usually it sticks without doing this). Cover with foil and place in fridge to marinate for 30 minutes, then flip steak again and marinate for 30 more.

While your steak is marinating, mix your sour cream and horseradish together in a bowl and place in fridge.

Heat your grill on high about 10 minutes before you're ready so it's nice and hot. Once the steak is done marinating, place on grill and cook for 5 minutes per side. This makes the steak medium rare, so allow more time if you prefer medium or medium well. *If you're making the broccoli raab as a side, you can start doing so right when you put the steaks on the grill. I did this and it was timed perfectly.

I made 2 steaks on Sunday night because leftovers are always requested and we had 4 hungry people to serve:

Remove steak from grill and let sit for about 10 minutes so that the juices redistribute and the steak cools. Cut at an angle and serve with horseradish sour cream sauce...and broccoli raab!

....Thanks for grilling, Tom! Yum!

*Tips*

*Tase test the horseradish sour cream sauce to get it exactly how you like it; I like using more horseradish because I like the extra kick.

*You can marinate the steak for longer - I've done up to two hours, but after making this about a hundred times, I think the one hour is perfect.

*Use this marinade for other types steak too - not just flank steak. Friends I have told about this recipe have used beef tips, or whatever other types of steak were in their freezers.

*I often trim off fat on steaks, but for these it's not necessary....ALL of the fat burns off, which you'll notice when you see how much your steaks shrink down once cooked.

*The leftovers taste great cold!

*A great dish to pair with red wine. Pamela brought over an awesome 2007 Marquis Guadagni Chianti...it was only a $10 bottle, but so smooth and tasty.

...a special thanks to Rachel Ray for this awesome recipe. Her version with hot and sour slaw is here.

June 6th Farmer's Market: Broccoli Raab and Scallions

2009-06-08T12:24:00.016-07:00

The farmer's market was an especially lovely experience for me this weekend. The weather was perfect, and I got there around 10 a.m. - early enough to avoid the long lines that typically form at the hot foods stand area. The main perk there was that I finally got to try the dumplings at the Sister's Pantry stand. I usually arrive around 11:30 and never want to stand in the absurdly long line....but the dumplings are definitely worth it! I tried both the chicken and veggie dumplings and also got a side of the spicy peanut sauce....all were delicious. I also got my usual - iced ginger green tea from the Vietnamese stand - which was a nice compliment to the dumplings.

Then I headed towards the produce to see what veggies called out to me this time. One spread immediately attracted my attention, drawing me specifically to a veggie I know and love, but do not buy very often - broccoli raab (it is also spelled broccoli rabe, and sometimes referred to as rapini).

Look at how bright and beautiful those veggies are! The rainbow swiss chard was tempting as well, but I just made some chard so I opted for the raab, which is on the top right corner in the below picture:

I had scallions (also called green onions) on my mind from the get-go as I needed them for my Korean BBQ Flank Steak recipe, so when I walked by the Community Roots stand and saw some gorgeous baby scallions, I immediately jumped on that purchase. I got a huge bunch for just $3. The below picture only shows about 1/4 of the bunch:

On Sunday night, I decided to use my purchases and make a delicious meal. I would use the scallions for the Korean BBQ Flank Steak, and the broccoli raab as my side. The flank steak recipe will come in tomorrow's post, but first I'll explain how to prepare the raab. It's really easy and quick, since you do not need to separate the leaves from the stems.

Ingredients:

1 large bunch broccoli raab

1 large clove garlic

1 tsp extra virgin olive oil

Dash of salt and pepper

Dash of hot red pepper flakes, if desired

*One large head of raab should serve 4

Preparation:

Wash and dry your raab. Cut 1-2 inches off the bottom stems. Discard. Chop remaining raab crosswise in about 2 inch chunks. *There will be a lot of stems in here, and you want them - they're delicious and soften quite a bit!

Finely chop your garlic glove, and place in sauté pan in the 1 tsp of olive oil.

Bring a sauce pan full of salted water to a boil. Add your raab and blanch - or flash boil - just about one minute (2 minutes max).

Drain the raab in strainer, and place in the sauté pan over medium heat. Add salt, pepper and red pepper flakes, and sauté about 4 minutes until raab is soft, and garlic is slightly browned. Finished raab pictured below:

This veggie is extremely flavorful, and has a bitter yet buttery taste. It's super healthy as well - chock full of dietary fiber, vitamins, calcium, iron, potassium and more. Don't you love when really healthy food tastes REALLY good!?!

.....Enjoy!

*Tips*

*Do not use too much olive oil, or your final product will be way too oily. In this recipe, a little goes a long way.

*Don't let the stems scare you. They are really tasty, and really good for you! With this particular veggie they are definitely meant to be eaten.

*Try a piece of the raab raw...it's delicious that way as well.

*The raab cooks down a ton, so don't think the large bunch is too much....you'll be surprised.

Chèvre, Strawberry and Arugula Salad with Honey Balsamic Reduction and Masala Coated Walnuts

2009-06-04T08:56:00.011-07:00

This recipe, like the Chicken Marsala, was inspired by my other two farmer's market purchases - the spicy arugula and masala walnuts. While at the farmer's market I also passed the stand for Haystack Mountain Goat cheese, which I knew would pair nicely with the other items.....my idea for this salad began brewing.

I have never made my own balsamic reduction before, so as I was shaking up my honey balsamic dressing, I decided a thicker liquid to drizzle on the salad would be a nice touch, so I began to experiment.

Ingredients:

*You can get almost all of these ingredients at the farmer's market, from the goat cheese to the honey to the greens.

(Salad)

1/2 bag farmer's market arugula

~8 large strawberries

1/4 cup goat cheese, crumbled (I prefer the Haystack Mountain Goat Boulder Chèvre)

~ 1 small bag farmer's market masala coated walnuts (by Spice Boulder, now called Olomomo)

(Dressing)

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

1 tbsp honey

1-3 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1/2 lemon, juiced

(Reduction)

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar (use twice what you want your output to be - it boils down to about 1/2 of what you started with)

1 teaspoon honey

*Makes about 4 large servings

Preparation:

I like to start with the dressing, so that the flavors have longer to absorb. Place the olive oil, balsamic, lemon juice and honey in a small jar. Chop your garlic clove finely and add it to the jar. Shake jar well and set aside.

Put a very small saucepan on the stove over medium/high heat, and pour your balsamic vinegar in the pan. Add the honey and stir while distributing so it does not stick to the bottom of the pan. Boil the balsamic lightly, about 4 minutes, stirring throughout. Turn up heat to high so that the liquid foams; continue to stir. Do this about 1 minute and remove from heat. Sauce should now be syrupy. Time depends on amount you use, so just keep an eye on it. It should coat your spoon lightly when done.

*Note: reducing the balsamic releases sugars, so the honey isn't necessary. I added it to give an extra sweet kick, and tie it more to my dressing.

Wash and dry your arugula and place in large bowl. Wash and slice strawberries lengthwise, and disperse throughout salad. Crumble the goat cheese over the salad - some kinds are creamier than others and may stick to your hands a bit. Add the masala walnuts. Drizzle balsamic reduction over mixture. Add dressing to salad, or keep on the side.

This did not take me long to throw together, and it was SO delicious! I was extremely pleased with the turnout (as were my loyal taste testers).

Salad with balsamic reduction only:

Salad with balsamic reduction and dressing:

...yum!

*Tips*

*The honey definitely makes this salad sweet, so if you don't like things too sweet, I'd leave it out - at least from the reduction.

*If you don't have the flavored nuts on hand use regular walnuts, but add some spice to your dressing. Putting in a little nutmeg or masala can add a lot of flavor.

*Dress your salad as you eat it. Doing this makes for much better leftovers - pre-dressing will make it soggy, and you end up wasting what can be a perfectly good next day's lunch!

...a special thanks to my mom for giving me the beautiful wooden salad bowl and giraffe salad spoons pictured in the above photos

Berry Healthy Smoothie

2009-06-03T09:48:00.001-07:00

This is a treat I have loved making since college. It's great for breakfast, after a long run or yoga class, or even as a snack when your sweet tooth attacks you (which happens to me frequently). For those moments, this smoothie is a great alternative to binging on my favorite - sour gummy candy.

For a delicious, homemade smoothie, you will need...

Ingredients:

1 banana

1 1/2 cups frozen mixed berries (usually in the mixed bag there's strawberries, rasberries, blackberries and blueberries), or use just frozen blueberries and frozen peaches

1-2 cups OJ

2-3 heaping tablespoons of plain or vanilla yogurt (vanilla if you like it a little sweeter)

Blender

Preparation:

Throw it all in the blender, and blend on high for about 20 seconds. You may need to stir it once to redistribute the icy parts and blend again.

I keep plastic cups and bright colored straws on hand so that I can take it to go in the morning - this is a great way to cut costs and not buy that $5 smoothie on the way to work.

*Tips*

*Throw some fresh fruit in there if you have it on hand. The more fruit the better, in my opinion.

*Buy a low sugar OJ to cut back on your sugar intake - fruit already packs in a ton of natural sugars. I like Trop50 - it has 50% less calories and sugar, and I think it tastes more like freshly squeezed OJ.

*I like to add frozen acai packets to this too. I'm a big acai fan these days - the berry is loaded with antioxidants, amino acids, essential omegas, fiber and proteins.

*Get creative with your frozen fruits, and even your juices. 100% Pomegranate juice is more expensive, but super healthy and great to add to this as well. Feel free to comment if you have any tasty tips!

My to go smoothie from this morning pictured below:

....Enjoy!

If you really love smoothies, go to Smoothie Web

Chicken Marsala with Farmer's Market Mushrooms

2009-06-02T13:56:00.000-07:00

This weekend, since it was finally nice out, I began my weekly visit to the Farmer's Market - one of my favorite places to go in Boulder. I had an awesome Vietnamese peanut chicken noodle bowl and bought some spicy arugula (my favorite leaf), some masala coated nuts (YUM), and a mushroom variety pack. I wanted to do something clever with the mushrooms, so Chicken Marsala came to mind. We all know it's not the healthiest meal, but it certainly is rich and delicious! I will forewarn - it is time consuming - took me about 1.5 hours total.

I went to Epicurious - one of my favorite recipe sites (I also really like Cooking Light and Food Network), since I was a Chicken Marsala rookie.

I knew I'd be adding my own touch (which I think is always important to do when cooking) with the farmer's market mushrooms, so I first sliced all of the mushrooms in my variety pack, which included shitake, oyster, chanterelle, and some other funky ones, which were unidentifiable to me. Here is a picture of my favorite mushroom (visually), and then all of them post-slicing:

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth (14 fl oz)

2 tablespoons finely chopped shallot

5 tablespoons unsalted butter

10 oz mushrooms, trimmed (meaning no stems) and thinly sliced

1 1/2 teaspoons fine chopped *fresh* sage

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1 cup all-purpose flour

4 skinless boneless chicken breast halves

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons dry Marsala wine (I bought this at Liquor Mart)

2/3 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice (*remember my tip - microwave the lemon first)

1 package whole wheat pasta - I used spaghetti

This recipe yields 4 servings, but I doubled it - I was cooking for three (my loyal taste testers Justin and Tom) and I love having leftovers for lunch. The leftovers were awesome, by the way; it was almost better the next day, which I find rare.

Preparation:

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 200°F

Chop your sage, mushrooms and shallot ahead of time - makes the process much easier!

Bring broth to a boil in a large saucepan over high heat, then boil, uncovered, until reduced to about 3/4 cup, about 20 minutes. *Keep an eye on this, and check after 15 min. I over boiled and reduced it too much and had to add more and re-do this step.

Cook chopped shallot in 3 tablespoons of butter in a skillet over medium heat, stirring, until shallot turns golden - takes about 1 minute. Add mushrooms, 1 teaspoon of the stage, salt, pepper (I just eyeball the s & p), and cook - stirring occasionally, until mushrooms absorb liquid - about 6 - 8 minutes. Remove from heat.

*Below is a picture of my mixture right before removing from heat:

*At this point, boil water in saucepan with a little bit of salt and olive oil for pasta.

Next we deal with the chicken. Pour your flour in a shallow bowl or 13X9 pan. Gently pound chicken to 1/4 inch thick between 2 sheets of plastic wrap or wax paper using the flat side of a meat pounder or a rolling pin. *Definitely make sure the chicken is thin!

Pat the chicken dry and season with salt and pepper, then coat in the flower, one piece at a time, shaking of excess. Transfer to sheets of wax paper, arranging chicken in 1 layer.

Heat 1 tablespoon each of butter and olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium/high heat until foam appears. Then sauté the chicken, turning over once, until golden and just cooked through. This should take about 4 minutes total if the chicken is thin enough - I probably did this about 2.5 minutes per side because I used large pieces of chicken. Transfer cooked chicken to a large heatproof platter (I used a 13x9 pan) and place in the warmed oven. Wipe out skillet with paper towels and cook remaining chicken the same way, then put in oven to warm with the rest of the chicken.

*If your pasta water is boiling, add the spaghetti now. It should take about 10 - 14 minutes, depending - just read the package. I like mine a bit al dente.

Add 1/2 cup of wine to the skillet used to cook your chicken and boil over high heat, stirring and scraping up brown bits from chicken, about 30 seconds. Add reduced broth, cream and mushrooms, then simmer, stirring occasionally until sauce is slightly thickened. This takes about 8 minutes. Add your lemon juice and remaining 2 tablespoons of wine, as well as the 1/2 teaspoon of chopped sage that is left.

Remove your pasta and place in strainer. Place some on a plate, and top with chicken that is warming in oven. Spoon the sauce over the chicken and pasta, so that you make sure to get the mushrooms in there! I garnished my plate with some fresh sage leaves, and voilà - you're done!

My final creation pictured (again) below:

*Tips*

*When chopping your shallot, or any onion, chew some mint gum. This will greatly decrease your amount of tears. Shallots in particular are very potent, so this helps a lot - trust me.

*Clean as you go. This recipe is messy because of the flour and all of the chopping, but if you clean while the sauces are cooking, etc. it will cut back your clean up time by a lot in the end.

*Always read the recipe through before starting to cook - it speeds up the process. You can portion out the Marsala, butter and sage you need for the beginning and end of the recipe, for instance, and also do all of your chopping up front.

Bon Appétit!

MJ's Caesar Salad

2009-05-29T10:46:00.003-07:00

My mother, the lovely Mary Jo, has been making homemade Caesar salad for years. Her method is extraordinarily simple and healthy, but full of flavor. I sometimes make extra dressing and use it to marinate shrimp, which I sauté or grill and put in the salad. This works well with chicken also, but I prefer shrimp (and they're low-cal) ....yumm.

Ingredients:

1 large head of Romaine lettuce

1 pack of croutons (I prefer the butter and garlic kind)

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 large lemon, juiced

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 - 1/2 cup of shredded parm (I prefer more cheese, always!)

1/4 teaspoon Worcester sauce

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Wash and dry the Romaine. Using large kitchen knife, cut horizontally in about 5 sections (depending on how large you like the lettuce pieces - I prefer smaller because it's easier to eat). Place the Romaine in a large bowl. Add the pack of croutons and shredded parm (as much or little of both as you'd like).

For the dressing:

Put the olive oil, Worcester sauce and juice of one lemon in a small jar. Grab your garlic clove. Chop it up into small pieces and put in a jar. You can also grate the clove on a microplane, but for this recipe I prefer to chop it. Add about a handful of shredded parm to jar, as well as salt and freshly ground pepper (I go lighter on salt, heavier on pepper). Take the jar and shake it up good!

Now you're done! You can either toss everything in the dressing, or let people put it on individually - spoon works best for scooping it out of jar, and still getting all the garlic and parm in each dose.

*Tips*

*Before juicing the lemon, stick it in the microwave for about 20 seconds. This allows you to get much more juice out of it!

*Squeeze a bit of lemon juice over your freshly chopped lettuce - keeps it nice and crispy.

*Before chopping the garlic, smash it with a kitchen knife. This releases all of the yummy, aromatic garlic juices and makes it easier to chop finely.

*Typically, I use Parmesan Reggiano and grate it on a microplane, but for this recipe I think the chunkier shredded or shaved parm works better (I like Whole Foods brand best).

Enjoy!