Start: Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

Okay, so after two chocolate cakes, I figured I should try for something on the healthier side.  Because I promise that I eat my veggies.  They're just not normally very interesting.  But I was recently introduced to this neat little healthy food restaurant that serves up an amazing quinoa salad that you can get topped with grilled chicken.  There's something about the cold salad and the warm chicken and the seasonings and the feta that makes your day so much better.

I had to scour the internet for hours to find this recipe.  It was only given away once to a TV crew for a 5-minute blurb on some morning show, so basically it was like finding a needle in a haystack.  You're welcome.

Mediterranean Quinoa Salad
From Start restaurant

4 cups white quinoa

1 cup fresh parsley, chopped

1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

2 cups broccoli flowerets, raw

1 cup red onion, diced

1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half

1 cup pitted Kalamata olives

1 cup plus 1 tablespoons Vinaigrette

2 cups feta cheese, crumbled

Add quinoa to 8 cups of boiling water.  Cover, turn down to medium-low, and cook 10-15 minutes until dry, then fluff and cool.  Toss quinoa together with parsley, cilantro, broccoli, red onion, cherry tomatoes, and olives.  Pour vinaigrette dressing over the quinoa mix and blend in.  Fold in the feta cheese.  The salad is better the second day after everything has a chance to marinate, especially the broccoli.

Vinaigrette

1 cup extra virgin olive oil

1⅔ cups canola oil

1 cup apple cider vinegar

1½ teaspoons lemon juice

2 teaspoons lemon zest

1 tablespoons garlic, minced

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1 teaspoon black pepper

2 teaspoons salt

Whisk all ingredients until thoroughly blended.

Makes 30 fluid ounces

Ryan McGrale: Ultimate Mojito

Best part of the summer?  Sitting on your balcony/porch/front step drinking something cool and refreshing.  Preferably with alcohol.  And just enjoying the sounds of the leaves rustling and the cicadas buzzing and everything just being slow.  And the best drink for this activity is of course the ultimate mojito.  Full of minty-limey goodness and summery perfection.

Ultimate Mojito
From Ryan McGrale, No 9 Park

15 mint leaves, plus 1 mint sprig for garnish
½ ounce fresh lime juice
½ ounce Mint Syrup
Ice
2½ ounces light rum
1 ounce chilled club soda

In a cocktail shaker, muddle the mint leaves with the lime juice and Mint Syrup.  Add the ice and the rum, shake well, and strain into an ice-filled highball glass.  Top with the club soda and garnish with the mint sprig.

Makes 1 cocktail

Mint Syrup
½ cup simple syrup
1 cup mint leaves

In a heatproof bowl, pour the simple syrup over the mint leaves.  Cover and let the syrup steep overnight in the refrigerator.  Strain and refrigerate, covered, for up to 1 week.

Makes 4 ounces of syrup

The Brown Betty Cookbook: Hey Thelma (Chocolate Buttermilk Cake with Caramel Coconut Filling)

I must admit that I had never heard of the Brown Betty Bakery before I got the cookbook.  I mean, the place is in Pennsylvania.  I have no way of enjoying their amazing array of delicious baked goods.  And flipping through pictures is just a form of torture.  So I'm heartily glad I have the recipes now.

I've always wanted a German chocolate cake.  Not sure why my mom wasn't a huge fan, but we never made them or ate them when I was a kid.  So of course the first thing I had to make out of the cookbook was...essentially a German chocolate cake.  And boy, have I been missing out.  Toasted coconut + toasted pecans + dulce de leche = a kind of Heaven I didn't know existed.

Note:  For the filling, instead of cooking the sweetened condensed milk, I just bought a can of dulce de leche.  Easy.

Hey Thelma (Chocolate Buttermilk Cake with Caramel Coconut Filling)
From The Brown Betty Cookbook by Norrinda Brown Hayat and Linda Hinton Brown

Vegetable Shortening

Nonstick cooking spray with flour

2¼ cups all-purpose flour

2 cups granulated sugar

½ cup plus 3 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder

¾ teaspoon baking powder

¾ teaspoon baking soda

¾ teaspoon regular salt

¾ cup buttermilk

2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, melted

2 large eggs

2 large egg yolks

1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract

¾ cup boiling water

1 recipe Caramel Coconut filling (recipe follows)

1 recipe Chocolate Glaze (recipe follows)

Preheat the oven to 350°F.  Coat two 9-inch round cake pans with vegetable shortening, line the bottoms of the pans with parchment paper, and spray the pans with nonstick cooking spray.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt on low speed.

In a large bowl, mix together the buttermilk, butter, eggs, egg yolks, and vanilla until just blended.  Add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture in 2 batches, beating on low speed until blended.  Increase the mixer to high and beat until smooth.  Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly pour in ¾ cup boiling water, beating until blended.  The batter will be thin.

Divide the batter equally between the prepared pans and bake until a wooden pick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 28 minutes.  Let the cake cool in the pans for 15 minutes before turning them out onto wire racks to cool completely.

To assemble and glaze the cakes, place 1 cake layer, bottom-side up, on a cake plate.  Use an offset spatula to spread the filling on top.  Add the second cake layer, bottom-side up.  Pour 1 cup of the glaze over the center of the top of the cake and use an offset spatula to spread the glaze over the top and sides of the cake.  Chill the cake until the glaze is set, about 15 minutes.

Pour the remaining glaze over the cake and spread it, covering the top and sides of the cake.  Chill until the glaze is set, about 3 hours.

Caramel Coconut Filling

1 cup sweetened flaked coconut

¾ cup chopped pecans

1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

Arrange the oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven.  Preheat the oven to 325°F.

Spread the coconut and pecans on 2 separate rimmed baking sheets.  Place the pecans on the upper rack of the oven, and the coconut on the lower rack of the oven.  Bake the nuts and coconut until golden, stirring occasionally, 10 to 16 minutes.  Set aside to cool to room temperature.

Increase the oven temperature to 425°F.  Pour the condensed milk into a 9-inch pie pan.  Cover tightly with foil.  Place the pie pan in a large roasting pan, fill the roasting pan halfway with boiling water, and bake for 45 minutes.  Refill the roasting pan with water, if necessary, and continue to bake the condensed milk until it is caramel colored and thick, about 35 minutes longer.  Remove the pie pan from the oven and stir the coconut, pecans, and vanilla into the thickened condensed milk.  Cover with foil to keep warm until ready to use.

Chocolate Glaze

10 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

2½ sticks (1¼ cups) unsalted butter

3 tablespoons light corn syrup

1 tablespoons cognac

In a bowl set over a medium saucepan of simmering water, stir together the chocolate, butter, and corn syrup until melted and smooth, about 5 minutes.  Remove from the heat.  Add the cognac and stir to blend.  Let the glaze cool until lukewarm but still pourable, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes.  Set aside until ready to use.

Southern Living: Mississippi Mud Cake

For a long time, Southern Living magazine was my source for the most over-the-top, horribly bad for you, yet amazing in your mouth recipes.  I mean, this is the South.  We eat some amazing stuff, and we make no promises about the nutritional aspect.  And when we make dessert, we make DESSERT.  How else can you describe what is basically a brownie topped with toasted marshmallows topped with chocolate pecan frosting?  Over the top probably applies.

This is certainly a sugar bomb, so if you already have diabetes, you probably want to steer clear.  Otherwise, I probably wouldn't eat more than a slice or you're liable to make yourself sick.  But it would be such a good sick...

Mississippi Mud Cake
From Southern Living magazine, June 2004

1 cup butter, melted
2 cups sugar
½ cup unsweetened cocoa
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
⅛ teaspoon salt
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1½ cups coarsely chopped pecans, toasted
1 (10½-ounce) bag miniature marshmallows
Chocolate Frosting

Whisk together melted butter and next 5 ingredients in a large bowl. Stir in flour and chopped pecans. Pour batter into a greased and floured 15x10-inch jellyroll pan.

Bake at 350°F for 20 to 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from oven; top warm cake evenly with marshmallows. Return to oven, and bake 5 minutes. Drizzle Chocolate Frosting over warm cake. Cool completely.

Chocolate Frosting

1 (16-ounce) package powdered sugar, sifted

½ cup milk

¼ cup butter, softened

⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa

Beat all ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth.

Williams-Sonoma: Blackberry Farm's Sweet and Spicy Foothills Coleslaw

If you ask what to serve next to potato salad, the answer always seems to be coleslaw.  Too bad that most of the coleslaw salads I've had are watery, tasteless messes.  Cabbage is awfully boring on its own.  It needs lots of high-flavored friends to really make it shine.  And mayo alone doesn't cut it.

Enter this recipe I dug up on Williams-Sonoma's website.  Lots of good flavor, lots of fresh veggies, and not something I would be embarrassed to turn up with at a cookout.  Which is where this bowl went.  Add the sauce a little at a time...it makes a ton.

Blackberry Farm's Sweet and Spicy Foothills Coleslaw
From Williams-Sonoma

3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
¼ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
3 tablespoon malt vinegar
1½ teaspoons mustard seed oil or very spicy mustard such as English or German
1½ teaspoons kosher salt, plus more, to taste
¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper, plus more, to taste
1 cup mayonnaise
3 cups thinly sliced red cabbage
3 cups thinly sliced green cabbage
1½ cups shredded carrots
¾ cup shredded red onion

In a large bowl, whisk together the Dijon mustard, brown sugar, malt vinegar, mustard seed oil, the 1½ teaspoons salt and the ¼ teaspoon pepper, whisking until the sugar dissolves. Whisk in the mayonnaise.

Add the red and green cabbages, the carrots and onion and toss until the vegetables are coated. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Strain the coleslaw. Taste and season it with more salt or pepper if desired.

Makes 6 servings

Ted Allen: Creamy White Bean Soup with Bacon

I'm not a big soup person.  So if I have soup, it needs to be really good soup.  But how can you tell ahead of time that the soup is actually going to live up to your high standards for soupness?  Well, considering this one has 1) bacon, 2) cream, and 3) lots of seasoning, I was pretty much sold.  And it certainly does deliver.  The original recipe had a crouton smeared with goat cheese floating on top, but honestly, more bacon makes it pretty much perfect.

Creamy White Bean Soup with Bacon

Adapted from Ted Allen in Food Network magazine

2 strips applewood smoked bacon, diced
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 shallots, chopped
2 (15-ounce) cans cannellini or other white beans, drained and rinsed
10 leaves fresh sage, chopped, divided use
4 cloves garlic, chopped
3 cups chicken broth
½ cup heavy cream
⅛ to ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
¾ teaspoon sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Fry the bacon in a medium saucepan over medium heat until halfway done, 3 minutes. Remove ¼ of the bacon to a dish and cook the remainder until done.  Remove the fully cooked bacon to a paper towel to drain.  Pour off the bacon grease.  Return the partially cooked bacon to the pan.  Add the olive oil, butter, and shallots and sauté until soft, 6 minutes. Add the beans, 6 leaves sage, garlic, and broth, bring to a simmer and cook 15 more minutes.

Transfer the mixture to a blender or food processor in three batches and puree until smooth. (Be careful-hot liquids are prone to explode when whipped!) Return the pureed soup to the pan and add the cream, cayenne, salt, and pepper to taste. Keep warm.

To serve, ladle the soup into bowls, top with cooked bacon and remaining sage.

Makes 6 servings

The Paleo Recipe Cookbook: Roast Beef Horseradish Pinwheels

Okay, I'm kinda tired of dips for appetizers.  I mean, I know they're good, and I even daydream about my spinach-artichoke version every once in a while.  But at some point you have to expand your views.  You need to tempt your eaters with something more than a cracker with stuff on it.

I in no way participate in the paleo diet, but these looked pretty darn good on pinterest.  And since I was able to get some Kobe roast beef carved up at Central Market, I figured they would be pretty tasty.  I was right.  I even ate the leftovers for lunch the next day.

Roast Beef Horseradish Pinwheels
Adapted from The Paleo Recipe Cookbook blog

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, at room temperature
3 green onions, chopped
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons prepared horseradish, drained
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
8 ounces roast beef, sliced
2 10-inch flour tortillas, preferably tomato flavored

Combine the first 6 ingredients.  Place the two tortillas on work surface, spread half of cheese over each, top each with half of the roast beef slices, leaving a ½-inch border around edges.  Roll up, wrap tightly in plastic wrap.  Refrigerate until firm, 30 minutes or up to 1 day ahead.  Cut diagonally into ½-inch slices and serve.

Lulu the Baker: Carmelitas and Ina Garten: Caramel Sauce

Okay, this one definitely goes in the Evil Desserts file.  Cookie, chocolate, caramel?  That sounds like some pretty horrific evil to me.  These are so sweet and rich, you can only have a little.  Don't believe me?  Try it.  I dare you.  I made my own caramel sauce.  Because I don't like processed foods.  And because I'm a food nerd.  But you can certainly cheat and use those little individually wrapped squares.

Carmelitas
Adapted from Lulu the Baker blog

32 caramel squares, unwrapped
½ cup heavy cream
¾ cup unsalted butter, melted
¾ cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup rolled oats
½ cup chopped pecans
1 teaspoon baking soda
6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

Combine caramels and cream in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir until completely smooth; set aside. In a separate bowl, combine melted butter, brown sugar, flour, oats, and baking soda. Pat half of the oatmeal mixture into the bottom of an 8x8-inch pan. Bake at 350°F for 10 minutes. Remove pan from oven and sprinkle chocolate chips over crust. Pour caramel mixture over chocolate chips. Crumble remaining oatmeal mixture over caramel. Return to oven and bake an additional 15-20 minutes, until the edges are lightly browned. Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes.  Drizzle additional caramel sauce over the top and cool completely before cutting.

Notes: If you want to use homemade or store-bought caramel sauce in place of the caramel/cream mixture, use 1¼ cups of caramel sauce, and omit the caramel squares and heavy cream.  To make a 9x13-inch version, simply double the amounts.

Caramel Sauce
Adapted from Ina Garten

1½ cups granulated sugar
⅓ cup water
1 cup heavy cream
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Mix the water and sugar in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan. Cook over low heat for 5 to 10 minutes, until the sugar dissolves. Do not stir. Increase the heat to medium and boil uncovered until the sugar turns a warm chestnut brown (about 350°F on a candy thermometer), about 5 to 7 minutes, gently swirling the pan to stir the mixture. Be careful – the mixture is extremely hot! Watch the mixture very carefully at the end, as it will go from caramel to burnt very quickly. Turn off the heat. Stand back to avoid splattering and slowly add the cream and vanilla. Don't worry - the cream will bubble violently and the caramel will solidify.

Simmer over low heat, stirring constantly, until the caramel dissolves and the sauce is smooth, about 2 minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature, at least 4 hours. It will thicken as it sits.

Makes about 2 cups

King Arthur Flour: Overnight Coffee Cake

Sometimes it's nice to get up in the morning and be greeted by a warm breakfast waiting just for you.  Unfortunately, when you're single, the breakfast will not magically appear.  You have to get up, find your slippers, get some coffee, check the fridge, etc.  It's not really worth the effort when you could be better spending your time with further sleep.

Luckily this recipe solves most of those issues.  You whip this up the night before and just throw it in the oven in the morning.  That's about as easy as it gets.  Certainly easier than having to find a spouse to cook breakfast for you.  And this coffee cake doesn't leave towels on the bathroom floor.

Overnight Coffee Cake
Adapted from King Arthur Flour

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
½ cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
Cinnamon Pecan Topping

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.

Cream the butter with the sugar and brown sugar. Add the vanilla extract and mix. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Add the buttermilk in two additions, alternating with the flour mixture.

Spread the cake mixture in a greased and floured 9x13-inch baking pan. Sprinkle with the Cinnamon Pecan Topping and cover the pan with plastic wrap. Refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake the cake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Makes 16 servings

Cinnamon Pecan Topping

½ cup packed light brown sugar
½ cup chopped pecans
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup cinnamon baking chips (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl; set aside.

Garden & Gun: Country Captain

Maybe I'm a bad Southerner, but I honestly didn't realize there was actually a magazine called Garden & Gun.  I mean, how strange of a title is that?  It's like having a magazine called Puppies & Grenades.  But my brother-in-law swears by it, so we'll go with it.

I'd heard about Country Captain before.  Something about the curry powder coming into the port at Charleston, making this a bit of an oddity.  I figured I'd try it.  I have no problem with wild foods, so why not.  I mean, that curry powder list is long.  It has to be good, right?  Well, the dish was pretty good, but I honestly felt like with all those spices, I should have gotten a little more dancing in my mouth.  I'm wondering if the long cooking time baked out my goodies.  Next time maybe I'll reserve some for the finish.

Country Captain
From Garden and Gun magazine

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons bacon fat
1 whole chicken (cut into 10 pieces: wings, legs, thighs, and quarter breasts), patted dry with paper towels and seasoned with coarse salt and ground black pepper
2 cups diced yellow onion
2 cups diced celery
2 cups diced green bell pepper
1 fresh hot chile pepper, seeded and minced
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
Homemade Curry Powder
2 cups good-quality canned tomatoes, chopped

1 cup tomato juice (reserved from can of tomatoes)

1 cup chicken stock
2 bay leaves
½ cup seedless raisins 

Grated toasted fresh coconut

Place large ovenproof braiser 
or oval Dutch oven (in which the chicken fits in a single layer) over moderate heat, and melt butter and bacon fat until slightly foaming, about 3 to 5 minutes. Raise heat, add chicken, and brown well on all sides. Remove crisped pieces to platter, continuing until all pieces are golden brown.
Lower heat to moderate and add the onion, celery, peppers, and garlic, using a wooden spoon to stir well. Slowly add curry powder, stirring well to evenly coat all the vegetables, and cook until they are tender, stirring frequently, about 7 to 10 minutes. Add tomatoes, tomato juice, stock, and bay leaves, 
and stir well, scraping the bottom of the pot to loosen any browned bits. Bring liquid to simmer, return chicken to pot, and cover tightly.

Cook on top of the stove over low flame until chicken is cooked through, about 35 to 45 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

To serve: Transfer chicken to beds of rice in shallow bowls, sprinkle with raisins and coconut and serve surrounded by condiments 
like thinly sliced scallions, crushed roasted peanuts or almonds, green tomato or apple chutney, pickled hot peppers, or pickled okra.

Homemade Curry Powder

1 tablespoon ground ginger

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons ground cardamom

½ teaspoon ground turmeric

2 teaspoons Hungarian paprika

2 teaspoons freshly ground coriander

2 teaspoons freshly ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon freshly ground clove

1 pinch cayenne pepper

1 pinch Colman’s mustard powder

1 pinch dried thyme