Spinach Pancakes

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Did you ever compare lunches in elementary school? When I was a kid,  it was often a competition to see who got the best lunches which was usually based on who had the most chips or desserts. Things haven’t changed much after many years. A few weeks back, my son came home talking about what his best friend was eating for lunch. Spinach pancakes. *He begged me to get the recipe from my close friend and make these pancakes. My son is a pretty laid-back food consumer, so his enthusiasm startled me a bit. I emailed my friend asking for this elusive pancake recipe. She emailed me back a copy of a  NY Times recipe with a few of her own adaptations.

Now, I know that you might be skeptical about combining two wonderful yet very different ingredients into one dish. When my little sister joined us for dinner, she commented, “You really should stop calling these pancakes. It scares people off.” These pancakes aren’t a dish to hide an iron-rich vegetable in a sweet breakfast treat. These are hearty, savory cakes that are best suited for a quick dinner not an early breakfast. You can throw in whatever fresh vegetables you have on hand and within thirty minutes, you have a delicious dinner that is a nice change-up from the routine.

Spinach Pancakes

Adapted from the NY Times and friend YW

4 c. of finely chopped vegetables (I used a combination of fresh spinach and grated carrots)

1 clove of garlic

1/2 small onion, minced

2 c. all-purpose flour

1/2 t. baking soda

1 t. salt, plus a bit more for seasoning vegetables

1/8 t. grated nutmeg

2 c.  buttermilk or thin yogurt

2 eggs

2 T. melted and cooled butter, plus a bit more for cooking

1 c. sour cream

1 T minced lemon peel

1 T. chopped chives

In a medium saute pan, heat butter. Add onions and garlic. Cook until they begin to soften. Add in carrots. When the carrots begin to soften, add in the fresh spinach. Cook until all of the vegetables reach desired tenderness. Set aside. Sift flour, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg. Add in the buttermilk (or yogurt), eggs and cooled butter. Stir until the batter is smooth and without lumps. Add in the cooked vegetables. Pour batter into a heated non-stick pan. Let the bottom brown before flipping (approximately 4-5 minutes). Cook on the remaining side. Transfer to warming rack or preheated oven (200 degrees) and finish remaining pancakes. Combine sour cream, lemon peel and chives. Spread on top of pancakes. Enjoy warm.

Chewy Fig Bars

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Sometimes Mondays are great. You wake up rested and  ready to tackle your ever-so-long to-do list. Kids are happy and agreeable, spouses are delightful, and things go exceedingly well. You achieve more than you planned and you end the evening with a feeling of accomplishment over the productivity of your day. These type of Mondays aren’t a normal thing around here. Sunday evenings usually begin with a slight feeling of dread. Weekends can be hectic leaving you with a desire for an actual relaxing weekend.  Kids wake up grumpy and you realize your house is a mess and you have no energy to do anything besides taking care of the bare necessities.

This Monday wasn’t that bad but after an enjoyable morning, the afternoon wasn’t so kind. As I was looking over my to-do list and dirty floors, I decided I needed to bake something. My coping strategy with stress is to either sleep, clean, or bake. Today baking won. I ignored the mess and my two-year old who was strategically bouncing in her bed during nap time, and spent 15 minutes whipping up the bars. As I placed them in the oven, I felt worlds better. Cooking and baking have a way of re-energizing me. I usually walk away feeling relaxed and better able to handle whatever is on the horizon. Today I was able to knock a few things off my list and we all had the benefit of a delicious afternoon snack.

I hadn’t planned on making these today or even sharing them but I realized you may have a Tuesday or Wednesday that isn’t so kind. These bars can help. They are intensely sweet, so you may only need a small piece to feel satisfied.

Chewy Fig Bars

1/2 c. salted butter, softened

1 c. brown sugar, packed

1 egg

1 t. vanilla extract

1 T. orange zest

1 c. flour

1/2 c. fig preserves or jam

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a square 9 in. dish. In a large bowl, combine the softened butter and brown sugar. Mix until it is creamy, approximately 2-3 minutes. Add in the egg, vanilla, and orange zest and mix well. Add in the flour and mix until combined. Split the dough in half. Spread half of the dough in the prepared pan. Gently mix the 1/2 c. of fig preserves on top of the dough. Place remaining dough over the fig layer and spread evenly. Bake for 20-25 minutes until done. Cool completely before cutting and serving.

Zucchini and Red Onion Tacos

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Summer is nearly here. I always know that summer is close at hand when the calander is packed to the brim. Everything is squeezed into the last six weeks of school. Concerts, plays, and community nights fill up school evenings. Summer vacations are being planned. Birthday parties are frequent guests on the weekends, not to mention all of the time being spent outside soaking up the precious vitamin D. When I lived in the South, I hated summer. The triple digit temperatures made enjoying the outdoors impossible unless you were immersed in pool. I loathe being hot. When we moved to Seattle, I relished the 75-degree weather. It made summers enjoyable again. If you haven’t been to Seattle during the summer, you are truly missing out. It is one of the most beautiful places, ever. The mountains are out daily, the temperatures are nearly perfect. You really can’t beat Seattle summers.

I love summer not only because of the beautiful city I live in but also for the chance to slow down our pace. We spend the majority of our days outside on bike rides, swimming hanging out in the wading pool and spending hours at the park with friends. Bedtime gets pushed back a little later to enjoy a few more moments of sunlight. Life carries on at a laid back pace. Our days aren’t always this idyllic. Kids get bored after being out of school for awhile, I go slightly stir crazy and we often get annoyed with each other after a while. But the good usually outweighs the bad. The frustrating is usually overshadowed by the moments of pure delight.

Summer food tends to be lighter, quick foods. These zucchini tacos are one of my all-time favorites. I adore most squashes, and zucchinni is close to the top of favorite’s list. When I was near the end of my pregnancy with my daughter, I would eat the zucchini, red onion and salsa verde portion of this dish nearly everyday for lunch. Nearly three years later and I still love it.

Zucchini Red Onion Tacos:

1 lb. chicken (boneless thighs and breast work well)

2 medium zucchini

1/2 red onion

1 clove  garlic

1 T. olive oil

salsa verde (this is my favorite recipe)

The juice of one lime

Tortillas (corn or flour)

Monterrey jack cheese for topping

Guacamole (optional)

Cilantro (optional)

Using a paper towel, dry chicken and season with salt and pepper. Cook over medium high heat until the chicken is cooked through. Pour the juice of one lime over the chicken and set aside. Heat olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and onions, stirring often to prevent burning. Once the onions begin to soften, add in the zucchini. Cook until the zucchini is nearly done. Add 1/2 c. of salsa verde to the pan. Let it simmer until the vegetables are coated but only a little of the salsa remains in the pan. Place in tortillas with chicken and garnish with cheese, guacamole and cilantro if desired.

Motherhood and Brownies

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When my son was a toddler, I couldn’t wait for him to grow up. The lack of ability to communicate effectively, frequent temper tantrums, and the sheer physical demands of caring for a toddler left me feeling utterly exhausted at the end of each day. Don’t get me wrong, I loved seeing him grow and change. I loved the cute “I love you’s” and funny dance moves. It was incredible being there as he experienced his “firsts.” But I thought things would be easier when he could reason with me, feed himself, and possibly walk longer than fifteen feet without wanting me to carry him. I just knew if I could survive until he was school age, things would be smooth sailing from there. Life has a funny way of showing you just how naive you are.

Now that my son is a first grader, my eyes have been opened. He can bathe himself, dress himself, feed himself and even pitch in with a few household chores. He is fairly physically independent. But things have steadily grow increasingly more difficult. His problems are no longer his desire to walk more than a few feet, but his best friend hurting his feelings. Or struggling with a way to fit in. Tough things weigh him down like scoring a goal for the other team in a soccer match or not being the best at something that’s important to him. He is starting to get a small taste of life’s struggles. I know these are growing pains that he is going to have to experience. He has to walk through conflict to see that some friends are worth the work. He has to experience frustration and defeat to gain empathy. He needs to feel what it’s like to fail so he can learn from it and make his successes even sweeter. I know that these hiccups in the road will shape him and create character. But it doesn’t make it easier to watch him hurt.

When something hurt him as a toddler, a big hug and a kiss made things right again. These days I know that listening without judgement is the best thing I can offer him and, when appropriate, gently guiding him toward good decisions. And I can make him comforting food. A warm plate of brownies may not solve his problems but it sure takes the sting out of a really bad day. My hope is that when my kids have bad days or problems, I can make them their favorite meal or treat and listen. And hopefully with a full tummy and little venting, things will seem slightly better.

The Best Brownies (only slightly adapted from Thomas Keller’s Ad Hoc)*

3/4 c. all-purpose flour

1 c. unsweetened cocoa powder

1 t. kosher salt

3 stick of unsalted butter

3 large eggs

1 3/4 c. granulated sugar

2 T. strong hot coffee (you won’t taste it, I promise)

6 oz. 70% chocolate

sea salt for garnish (optional)

Preheat you oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 9 in square pan. Set aside. Sift the flour, cocoa and salt. In a small sauce pan, heat the butter until nearly melted and small pea-sized piece remain. Set aside to cool. Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs and sugar for 2-3 minutes until well-combined. Add the coffee and mix. Alternate adding the flour mixture and butter into the egg mixture. Once the batter is mixed well, chop the chocolate into bite-sized pieces and add in. Mix well. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 40-45 minutes until a cake tester or tooth pick comes out with just a few pieces on it (if it comes out wet, try again in another spot because you may have hit a chocolate piece). Garnish with a course sea salt if desired. Cool in the pan until nearly at room temperature. Remove and cut into squares.  For a special treat, serve with ice cream and carmel sauce. Store in an air tight container up to 3 days.

*Sidenote: Please go and buy this book. I have been eyeing it for quite sometime when I received it as a birthday gift from my best friend. It’s beautiful and packed to the brim with delicious food.

Peach Mozzarella Salad

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This is salad number three of my salad challenge.  I have long been conspiring how to combine ripe peaches with a balsamic glaze. I knew I didn’t want to go the traditional tart route (although that is exactly what I may do next) but wanted a bit more than the two combined on their own. I was dreaming of a savory companion to this dish. Fresh mozzarella seemed like the perfect fit. It’s mild tastes doesn’t overpower the balsamic glaze or the peaches. They are the real winners in this dish.

I am a huge fan of ripe peaches. The tender fruit is incredibly sweet and a phenomenal star in many summer desserts. It’s not quite peach season here in the Pacific Northwest but other places in the country are already well into it ( I’m looking at you, Georgia and California). If you happen to find yourself with a few extra peaches and have exhausted yourself of pies, and tarts try them on a salad. You won’t regret the decision.

Things have been moving at a neck-breaking pace the past few weeks. New projects, busy jobs, a full school calender and time with friends has consumed our family’s time. These have all been fun things but it has left our few free afternoons and evenings at home, playing catch-up with our regular to do list (fun things like laundry, housework, and school lunches).  I am an introvert by nature and crave alone time to recharge. I took a break from the ever-looming to-do-lit  yesterday afternoon, and made this salad for lunch. I sat in the sunshine enjoying a quite minute to eat alone and leisurely read a book. It was the first time in awhile, I sat and savored my food and didn’t feel the need to rush off to the next thing. Those thirty minutes made me feel refreshed and ready to tackle the rest of the afternoon’s items. I was a nicer mommy and wife. I am convinced I need to make this more of a habit.

Peach Mozzarella Salad

Servings: 2

3 c. fresh baby spinach

3 medium ripe peaches

2 oz. fresh mozzarella, chopped into bite-sized pieces

1 c. balsamic vinegar

3 T. sugar

a few basil leaves

In a small saucepan, combine the balsamic vinegar and sugar over medium heat. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Bring to a boil and then reduce to simmer until the mixture has decreased by nearly half (15 minutes or so). Wash and cut peaches into small slivers. In medium non-stick saute pan, heat the peaches until they begin to form a nice golden crust. Remove from the pan. Toss over spinach and fresh mozzarella. Pour desired amount of balsamic glaze over the salad. Chiffonade the basil and garnish. Serve warm.

Broccoli Soup

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When I was a little girl, I loved Campbell’s broccoli soup from a can. Did anyone else eat this? I remember the loud “plop” it made as it fell from the can into the pan in one gelantinous mold. All you had to do is heat it up with a bit of milk. It was always my favorite thing to eat on a cold winter day. When I first started trying my hand at cooking, I made a lot of broccoli and cheese dishes. Broccoli cheese casserole, broccoli cheese chicken bake, broccoli cheese soup. If it had anything to do with broccoli and cheese, I probably made it. Broccoli has long been one of my favorite vegetables, so I rarely tired of it. My husband, well let’s just say he didn’t share my enthusiasm for the cabbagey vegetable. After a few months, he was burnt out on broccoli anything. So I gave it a rest for awhile. Then entered my son, who happily eats raw kale for a snack but nearly cries at the thought of ingesting broccoli.

When my daughter started solids, it became clear that she adored broccoli as much as I did. As particular as she is about food,  she will happily eat anything with broccoli in it.  For awhile, I have been searching for a good broccoli soup recipe. I wanted one that wasn’t full of heavy cream but still had rich flavor. After trying several recipes and feeling unimpressed I set the task aside for awhile.  With my daughter’s recent liquid diet , I decided to give the soup another try. While making skillet potatoes, I had a lightbulb moment. Potatoes pureed could thicken to the soup without heavy cream and give it a hearty edge that the healthier versions of the soup lacked. It was just what I was looking for in a broccoli soup. As a bonus, I nearly fell out of my chair as my son proclaimed it was his new favorite meal.

I have made two versions of this soup. one where I boiled the broccoli in chicken stock and one where I roasted the broccoli first before adding it to the chicken stock. Personally, I love the roasted version better. It gives a nice complex flavor to the soup. It isn’t as conveinent as throwing everything into one pot, and you need to be careful not to overcook it since it’s already roasted.

I added micro greens as a garnish because I love the crunch and texture they bring to the dish. Feel free to omit them if you don’t have them handy or aren’t a fan.

And yes, I know it’s May and no one is thinking of soup anymore. But most days are still cold and rainy here in Seattle, so soup is always welcome until nearly July.

Serves 8

Ingredients:

4 c. of chopped broccoli

Olive oil for drizzling

3 medium-sized red potatoes

1 medium onion, minced

4 cloves of garlic, minced

8 c. of chicken or vegetable stock

1 c. half-and-half

1 c. sharp cheddar cheese

Crème fraîche, optional

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place chopped broccoli on a large roasting pan. Lightly drizzle with olive oil. Roast broccoli in oven for 20-25 minutes until the broccoli is tender and few pieces are starting to brown. While the broccoli is roasting, peel and boil the  potatoes until tender. In a large soup pot, add a small amount olive oil. Saute onion and garlic until fragrant and soft, stirring often. Add potatoes, broccoli and chicken stock. Bring to a boil. Add in the half-and-half, cheddar cheese and salt and pepper to taste. Using an immersion (or standard) blender, puree until it reaches desired consistency. Top with micro greens and crème fraîche if desired. Serve with a crusty country loaf of bread.

Poached Eggs with Kale

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It has been an whirlwind of a week over here. Saturday evening was the first time I didn’t have to be anywhere, have anyone over, or work on any miscellaneous projects.  It felt good to finally relax after a very busy  week. The chaos has included several exciting projects for Applied Eatables that I am excited to share with you in the near future.

I have to admit that I have become slightly obsessed with poached eggs. I would often order them while dining out but was too intimidated to try them at home. The thought of creating the perfect whirlpool was enough to force me to put them in the “only when someone else is making them” category. I finally got over my neurosis and jumped into the poached eggs at home pool. After a few failed attempts, I finally started to get the hang of it. While I haven’t perfected my technique, quite yet, I don’t have lots of tiny bits of egg white floating around in my water anymore.

A few helpful hints when poaching eggs.

1. Don’t let you water boil – or simmer for that matter. You want to use the water just before it begins to simmer. Experts say you want the temperature to be between 160 to 180 degrees. I tend to err on the hotter side. If a themometer helps you get the hang of knowing the correct temperature, then use it. Otherwise, you can eyeball the water. If it starts to simmer, turn down the heat slightly until it just stops and then add the eggs.

2. Add a small splash of vinegar. There are people on both sides of the fence on this issue, but in my experience it works better.

3. Use a large rubber spatula to create the whirlpool.

4. Crack you egg into a small cup. It is much easier than trying to crack it over the pot of water. Trust me, you will be glad you listened.

5. When you drop the egg into the water, do not panic. There will be a few small pieces of egg white floating around. You can always edge the egg along with your spatula to help it continue cooking around itself.

6. If it sticks to the bottom of the pan, gently lift it with your spatula.

Finally, if you give it a shot and it falls apart, try again. It’s a skill that often takes a bit of practice. And man, are these eggs worth it.

I poached a few eggs at home and put it on top of toast and cooked kale. It was incredibly easy and so delicious that we enjoyed it again the next day for lunch.

 

Serves 2

Ingredients:

2 eggs

3 c. of chopped kale

2 large slices of a thick bread (a country loaf works great with this)

1/2 c. chicken or vegetable broth

butter (optional)

1 garlic clove, crushed

In a large saute pan, add chopped kale and broth. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally for 2-3 minutes. Cover and cook until it reaches desired tenderness. Preheat your broiler to high. Slice the bread and rub with the crushed garlic. Broil for 2 minutes until the bread is golden. Set aside. Bring approximately 3-4 inches of water to almost a simmer. Using a large rubber spatula, begin to swirl the water to create a whirlpool effect. Crack an egg into small cup and drop it in the center of the whirlpool. Cook the egg for approximately three minutes before removing with a slotted spoon. Repeat the process with remaining egg. Add butter to toast and top with kale. Add poached egg on top. Enjoy immediately.


Liquid Diets and Smoothies

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I mentioned in an earlier post that my two-year-old daughter broke a bone in her mouth and nearly knocked her three bottom teeth out. The fact that her teeth and bone are being held in the correct position by sutures means she is on a liquid diet for at least six weeks. When her doctor mentioned she could not chew anything for a month and a half, my mind immediately went into planning out what she could eat. Liquid diets are a complete bummer but the real problem lies in the fact that my daughter has distinct tastes. She dislikes all potatoes, isn’t a fan of anything too cold, doesn’t eat much soup and it generally takes 5-6 times of introducing a food for her to actually give it more than a courtesy bite. The first few days she ate applesauce, a mashed banana and finely ground oatmeal only. After suggesting it for nearly a week, she decided to give smoothies a try. Our world opened up significantly.

I thought I would share a few things that I tried to make her liquid diet tasty and balanced:

  • First, find larger straws. If you can only eat from a straw, the typical straws are going to be too small to drink much through them. Look at your local stores for wider reusable straws. It will save your sanity.
  • Finely ground oatmeal, greek yogurt with honey, smoothies, scrambled eggs mashed into nearly a puree are all things that worked well for breakfasts and lunches.
  • Soups are an easy option; black bean, tomato, carrot, and potato soups were the easiest to eat. She doesn’t care all that much for soup but seemed to eat the tomato well.
  • Guacamole, cottage cheese and pureed beans were good source of protein and fat.
  • Creamy polenta is easy to make for a quick addition to dinner
  • Applesauce with cinnamon, smoothies, pudding, mashed bananas with a bit of nutella, fruit squeezers and ice cream are great snacks.
  • If you are preparing the food for a child, there comes a time when you have to let them eat what sounds good to them. There have been a few nights where I let my daughter eat a large batch of guacamole for dinner because it’s all that sounded good to her.

Smoothies is where I found I could add the most balance and nutrition per meal. I always rolled my eyes at the moms who sneak vegetables into their kids brownies but I am now a firm believer. Yes, I want my kids to learn to enjoy vegetables but right now the only way for her to eat them is via straw. Hiding them in a smoothie is an easy way to go.

A few thoughts:

  • Using frozen fruit knocks out the need for much, if any, ice. This helps prevent small chunks of ice left in the smoothie.
  • Adding ground flax seed is a great way to up the fiber and omega 3′s. Don’t add more than 1/2 teaspoon per 6 oz. of smoothie. If you do, it will add a filmy texture.
  • Spinach and swiss chard are the easiest vegetables to add. They are mild in taste and overpowered by sweet fruits.
  • Bananas are an easy way to naturally sweeten and thicken a smoothie.
  • Avocados add a creamy texture and healthy fats. It mimics spinach and swiss chard in it’s mild flavor.
  • Honey is an easy way to add a bit more natural sweetness.
  • Blueberries, blackberries and raspberries are an easy way to hide any color left from the vegetable. My daughter loves that some smoothies are green but others might not be so excited.

My daughter’s two favorite smoothie recipes are below. I started making the first smoothie for myself as well. It’s tasty, filling, and an easy way to add in a large portion of the day’s fruits and vegetables in one sitting.

Pineapple Berry Smoothies:

Ingredients:

1 c. frozen pineapple

1 c. frozen blueberries

1 c. fresh baby spinach

1/2 t. ground flax seed

Honey to taste

Orange juice to thin out

In a blender, add frozen pineapple, blueberries and spinach. Puree. Slowly pour in orange juice until it reaches  desired consistency.

Banana Peanut Butter Smoothie:

Ingredients:

1 banana

1/2 c. greek yogurt

1/3 c. peanut butter

1 c. fresh spinach

1/2 t. ground flax seed

a dash of cinnamon

nutmeg

milk (for thinning out)

ice (optional)

In a blender add the banana, yogurt, spinach, flax, and cinnamon. Add in ice if you want it very cold. Add in milk until it reaches desired consistency. Top with ground nutmeg if preferred.

Smoked Salmon Bites

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(I hate to be brief but I am trying to keep my head above water with various projects. I hope to have more to share soon but today I couldn’t leave you without one of my recent favorite recipes)

I have this fear of friends and family coming over to my house and having nothing to feed them. It’s an awful feeling to have a house full of friends that are hungry and a bare refrigerator.  A few years ago, I started arming myself with a few quick recipes that I could make out of mostly pantry staples in under twenty minutes. These quick bites can be assembled quickly for expected and unexpected guests. Recently, I had a bit of smoked salmon in my refrigerator and needed an easy appetizer. Within fifteen minutes these were done and ready to be devoured.

 

Ingredients:

1 baguette

1 T. olive oil

1 clove garlic

3 oz of soft goat cheese

4 oz. smoked salmon

1 bunch of fresh dill

Preheat your broiler to high. Cut baguette into thick slices. Brush with olive oil. Rub each slice with a peeled and crushed garlic clove. Cook bread 1-2 minutes until warm and golden. Chop the dill and combine with the fresh goat cheese. Spread mixture over the warm baguettes. Top with salmon and garnish with additional dill.

Asparagus Mushroom Flatbread

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I love pizza. Everyone in my family loves pizza. When my daughter was around fifteen months old, she went on strike from every type of pizza I made. I was beginning to question if she was secretly swapped with another child. Thankfully she grew out of it and we can all enjoy pizza for dinner a few times a month.

However, my attachment to bubbly mozzarella begins to wain a bit when spring finally appears. We relish the moments of sunshine and warm weather. When dinner comes, no one is in the mood for anything but light fare. I often switch out our pizzas for flatbreads. It isn’t greasy, doesn’t make  you feel weighed down and  leaves you satisfied.

I made this flatbread over the weekend as part of a simple dinner. It was a beautiful, warm sunny day. Dinner was begging to be eaten in the fresh air. I proceeded to drag the rest of the family outside for our first outside dinner of the year.

This flatbread could be cut into small bites or be served as an appetizer as well.

Ingredients:

1 pizza crust (my favorite is from the NY Times)

1/2 lb. of asparagus, ends trimmed

6 oz. of kalamatta olives (you can always you use black olives if you don’t prefer the strong taste of kalamatta olives)

12 oz. shitake mushrooms

1 c. of cooked chicken (I used a bit of leftover chicken from this post)

3 oz of fresh goat cheese

The juice of 1/2 a lemon

1 T. olive oil and additional for drizzling

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Chop asparagus into 1 in. sized pieces. Heat saute pan over medium heat. Add aspargus. Cook until it begins to soften. Chop mushroom and add into saute pan with the asparagus. Cook until both are soften. Roll out your favorite crust. Place asparagus and mushrooms on top. Add chicken, olives and goat cheese. Lightly salt and pepper the dish. Cook for 10-12 minutes until crust is golden. Drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice. Allow the flatbread to cool for 5 minutes before cutting.