On Beauty & Rainy Day Soup

There's sometimes when beauty just is flat out overrated.

I'm talking about the days when pajamas are looking pretty dang fancy. You're spooning with Ben & Jerry. And you're on the verge of 'intimate relationship' with Netflix.

These are the moments we don't like to capture because, well.....they're just not "beautiful."

Gimme a hot second though. I understand that we naturally gravitate towards beautiful things: people, places, clothes, food, pictures, etc. Especially beautiful things when an Instagram filter is all up in that business.

That plain jane selfie you just took? Yeah, X-Pro II just turned you into a dark and stormy Ryan Gosling of sorts. And Sutro? Well, now hello flannel meets 21st century artsy-but-don't-call-me-hipster. And that completely unimportant cupcake you just ate? LOOOOOO-FIIIIIII to get 'dem colors poppin'. Don't worry though...if something is actually beautiful, we'll just shout #nofilter at the top of our social media lungs to compensate.

But it's kind of a bummer. Those pajama rainy days, solo movie marathons, and ice cream evenings with friends are verifiably AMAZEBALLS. And beautiful or not, I doubt we'd trade them for the world. I'm pointing this out because it I'm guilty of it; because it applies to just about everything (including food); and because sometimes, I wish we didn't crave this constancy of beauty.

Take, for instance, soup. Lentil soup is not one of those things you're supposed to get excited about. It's sort of the the homely stepsister. And who's going to wax poetic about that? Point taken.

This lentil soup, however, might blow your socks off. It's not red-carpet material and likely never will be. But I'll be darned if it isn't near perfect for a rainy day with some crusty baguette and a killer movie. This soup is for the Tuesdays when Sinatra is singing you a tune or two in the background. It's for time simply spent with family and friends who don't give a flying monkey's butt what you do or don't look like. The days when you're just doing you--with #nofilter.

And you know what? There's something souper beautiful about that.

Rainy Day Lentil Soup

This soup is painfully easy rainy day comfort food. And it oddly reminds me of my dear roommate P, who likes lentils like she likes me--without any condition of aesthetics. For the basic recipe, there's only 5 ingredients, including water and salt & pepper, which shouldn't even count. You can get jazzy if that's your jam, or just stick with the basics and call that a beautiful day. 

Ingredients: 1 cup lentils 5 cups water 1 cube chicken/vegetable boullion 1 tsp cumin salt/pepper

Optional (add as many or as few as you want): 1 carrot, sliced 1 cup mushrooms, sliced 1/2 cup bell pepper, diced 1/2 cup potato, diced 1/4 cup parsley or cilantro, chopped 1/2 cup chopped chicken, beef, or ham *pretty much anything goes

Place lentils, water, boullion, cumin, and any optional ingredients to a medium pot. Bring mixture to a boil and then simmer for 45 minutes on low-medium heat. Enjoy, and have a beautiful day.

-lexi

Recipe: Healthy Zucchini Bread

Oy vey… So this last week of pre-orientation has been INSANE. 3 hours of sleep and meeting 20 awesome new freshman? No biggy.

Anyways, I’m sorry I’ve been totally neglecting ya’ll with any semblance of foodie goodness. So as a little present, here’s an end-of-summer treat to keep you going to remind you of all the wonders of Summer 2012.

One of my favorite things about being home is baking.  But not just any baking…healthy baking!

Usually with vegetables. Sometimes with chocolate. Always with ridiculous dancing. Hopefully with ultimate deliciousness

H and family have been the best of hosts this summer and have graciously allowed me to use their kitchen, but surprisingly, I’ve done very little baking. With the dog days of summer dwindling though, I’m finding myself propelled to the kitchen to use up the last bits of summer produce and summer free time. This summer has been a bit indulgent (wonderfully so), but now, I’m feeling quite dandy about a healthy treat that feels great and tastes even better.

So here’s to zucchini bread….

Whole grain, protein-packed, vegetable- dotted, moist, light, summery, and most importantly, DELICIOUS zucchini bread.

Healthy Zucchini Bread

Ever-so-slightly sweet with a variation of different textures, this zucchini bread is one of the tastiest things I’ve baked all summer. It’s bursting at the seams with whole grains, protein, and omega-3’s, but you’d never guess it. Lovely either a morning breakfast with coffee or for a late summer gathering with some lemonade, this is a treat you can feel proud to eat.

Inspired by Sweet Tooth, Sweet Life’s Zucchini Bread

Makes 10 slices

Ingredients: 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour** 1 cup rolled oats 1 1/4 tsp baking powder 1 1/4 tsp baking soda 3/4 cup raw turbinado sugar 1/4 tsp salt 1 tsp ground cinnamon 1/4 tsp nutmeg 2 eggs 2 tsp chia seeds 3 tbsp milk (I used non-dairy almond milk) 3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce 1 tsp vanilla 3 cups shredded zucchini 1/3 cup walnuts, chopped

**Regular whole wheat is too heavy. If you don’t have whole wheat pastry flour, you can use 1/2 whole wheat and 1/2 all purpose flour.

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, and grease a 9 x 5 loaf pan.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and spices., using a whisk to evenly distribute all ingredients. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs until light and foamy. Add the chia seeds, milk, applesauce, vanilla, and zucchini, and whisk until mixture is even.

At this point, combine the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Gently stir to avoid getting a “glue-y” batter, and then, fold in the chopped walnuts.

Bake for 50 minutes, or until the bread is golden on top and cooked in the middle. Allow to cool for 15 minutes (important or you will end up with mushy bread!).

EDIT: A note from my dear mother...Since this bread has a high moisture content from the zucchini and no real preservatives (yay!), it is best kept in the fridge in order to maintain freshness. If you are planning on eating it over a long span of time, slice bread and then freeze + reheat. :)

I was a little bit nervous about this bread turning out dense due to the combination of so many wet ingredients (zucchini, applesauce, eggs, etc.) and whole wheat, but it definitely exceeded my expectations! I modified much of Courtney’s recipe to suit my own tastes, swapping chia seeds for the egg whites and adding walnuts.

The only thing I might try next time is either using quick oats (as originally recommended) or grinding up rolled oats a tad to make them a bit less pronounced in the bread. I really like whole oats in my breads, but I’m not sure if guests would feel the same.

That said, Mom let me know this morning that she “really liked the oat-iness.” Ironic, eh?

I guess it just goes to show you that this bread is a winner all-around!

P.S. Plus, it makes for another great recipe too…. Any guesses?

Recipe: The Best Salmon Ever

This is one of the recipes that you need to bookmark. Uh like, kinda immediately. Because it’s that good. Better than good! Great. And easy too.

This is one of those recipes that’s going to make you a seafood believer.

One that will make fish haters proclaim, “JUST KEEP SWIMMING!”

One that will knock the gills off even the most refined of fish lovers.

Are you suspicious? Yes, I know all these promises seem fishy.The proof is in the pictures though, right? Let’s you and me do this.

We begin with the star player of the show: salmon!

This is important. With so few ingredients, this part is all sorts of crucial. Pick it well, and you end up with an Academy Award-winning dish. Pick not-so-well, and you end up with a downward spiral more out of control than Lindsey Lohan’s adolescent years.

Soo…salmon. Fresh (not frozen!) salmon is a must for this dish. Preferable wild, rather than farm-raised. But that one is your prerogative. 

Feeding a family of 4? 2 lbs should do it.

Date night for 2? 1 lb should be just fine.

From there, we go all “Top Chef.” Grab your sharpest knife. Tallie-ho!

Skin that salmon, working carefully. Keep the knife at a narrow angle, and work slowly to ensure the skin and meat separate.

Dull knives + dancing to Maroon 5 = bad news bears.

In other words, I’d advise you to watch a YouTube video to learn about skinning a piece of fish. Because if Tom Colicchio saw my skinning job, I’d be on the chopping block. Whatever, at least I still have Maroon 5 and my dance moves.

Now that your fish is skin-free, let’s tackle the marinade. This shiz is easy! Four-ingredient easy, may I add.

Dijon, brown sugar, rice vinegar, and soy sauce. It’s like marriage.

(All the good parts, at least..)

Note the soy sauce! That’s Chinese soy sauce…not Japanese. Yes, there’s a diff. No, I have no idea what that diff is.

I play it safe, so as to avoid disgracing my dearest little Chinese grandmother. Just go with some sort of soy sauce, and I’m sure you’ll save yourself from disgracing any Asian ancestors you may or may not have.

Now that you’ve made a marinade that tastes like crack and saved yourself from the impending doom of Asian ancestors, it’s time for some action.

Place the fish in the marinade for 10 minutes, flipping after 5 minutes.

While you wait for the fish to marinade, start heating your barbecue to medium heat.

We use a charcoal grill. Mom swears it’s better. Like rainbows, ponies, and shooting stars better.

Who can argue with that? Not me.

Grease your grill well, or the barbecue will end up eating more of the fish than you will.

Epic bummer.

Have PAM, will travel!

Grill for 4 minutes on each side, basting with remaining sauce.

You can guess the plan from here.

Fork. Salmon. Happiness.

Bookmark. Recipe. Now.

Because this is one of those recipes that’s a one-way ticket to utter tastebud nirvana.

The Best Salmon Ever

My mom has been making it for salmon this years, after loosely adapting it from a magazine article. Nobody remembers the real name of the recipe though because our entire family now refers to it as “The Best Salmon Ever.”  It’s simply downright fantastic--so good that friends who have tried our recipe have called us up late at night just to tell us that it is indeed the “Best Salmon Ever.”

Serves 4

2 lbs salmon, fresh (not frozen!!!)

1 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp rice vinegar

1. Wash and skin the salmon.
2. Combine the soy sauce, brown sugar, mustard, and rice vinegar.
3. Place fish in the marinade for 10 minutes, flipping once after 10 minutes.
4. While the fish is marinating, grease and heat your barbecue to medium heat.
5. Grill fish for 4 minutes per side.
6. Remove from grill, and serve.

Recipe: Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie

Let’s talk math. Not Calculus kind of math. (Eww.) But rather, cookie math. Oh hubba hubba. You can do that, right?

When it comes to cookies, there’s two very distinct school of thought.

Pythagorean vs. Newton.

Eh? Homegirl, say what? Okay okay, when it comes to cookies, all you really need to know is two things: cookie vs. the add-ins.

Take the chocolate chip cookie, for instance.

The most basic choco chipper consists of a sweet, buttery shortbread lusciously dotted with melty chocolate chips.

I know, I know—you’re thinking, “Well, DUH. That’s easy!”

But there is a key factor between the two: the ratio.

Too many chocolate chips and you’re on the verge of going koo-koo for cocoa puffs. Too little chips and people may start saying, “Great sugar cookies.” And the perfect about of chips + cookie?

Perfect. Kinda like these.

Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies

I don’t typically like to use the word “perfect” and mean it, but I do believe these are the best chocolate cookies I’ve made to date. With crispy edges, chewy centers, and a deep caramel flavor, these cookies were a huge hit at home. Did I mention there’s some whole grain action in there too?

Barely adapted from Tasting Table DC(Original recipe from Shannon Boyle, Uncle Chip’s Cookies, Washington D.C.)

1 cup granulated sugar ½ cup packed light brown sugar 1 tbsp molasses ½ cup butter 2 egg whites 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 3/4 cup whole-wheat flour 1 teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon kosher salt 1/2 cup chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 375˚. In a large bowl, combine the granulated sugar, brown sugar and butter. Beat until light and fluffy, 3 minutes. Add the egg whites one at a time, mixing to combine between each addition. Add the vanilla and mix to combine.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, baking soda and salt. Add to the butter mixture and mix just to combine. Fold in the chocolate chips.

3. Place the dough in the refrigerator. While the dough is chilling, line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. After the dough has chilled for 30 minutes, remove it from the refrigerator. Using a heaping tablespoon, portion the dough into ½-inch balls and place, spaced 1 inch apart, on the lined baking sheets. Place in the oven and bake until golden around the edges and just set in the center, 15 minutes. Serve warm.

Give these a go. SERIOUSLY.

Find your ratio, and happiness will ensue. I think Confucius said that? Let’s go with that.

Are you about it? Irrelevant when it comes to chocolate chip cookies. Be about it.

Off to work at the coffee shop and then NYC for the weekend!

Wahooooooooooooo. <---This is me just thinking about coffee.

Recipe: Healthier Pecan Pie (and no corn syrup!)

This pecan pie was pretty darn good, if I do say so myself. With a perfect ratio of nuts to filling and filling to crust, the pie was a crowd-pleaser for sure in our house. And by that, I mean it disappeared within two days.

I guess we just can’t shut our pie holes.

When I first entertained the idea of making a pie (a rare occurrence considering I don’t much care for pie), I had a hard time deciding which flavor.

Fruit? Ewwwwww. I am not a fan of gloppy, cooked fruit.

Pumpkin? I wouldn’t mind, but I knew everyone else would think it out of season.

Banana or Coconut Cream? Again, not my thing whatsoever. Blake would probably love a banana cream pie though.

Eschewing the weirder flavors (mincemeat…), I decided on pecan. My whole family likes it, and I was not adverse. (Especially considering my love for nuts and nut butters!)

Pecan it was!

Of course, I had a few requirements.

1) No corn syrup – Whether or not corn syrup is truly bad for you, I don’t know. However, being that it is still considered controversial in the food world, I decided to steer clear. When pecan pie was invented, corn syrup wasn’t involved, so I knew it was do-able.

2) Healthier than the average pie – True to the nature of my love for health/nutrition (and this blog!), I wanted to make this pie a little healthier without sacrificing taste. I made the following adjustments:

• no lard in the pie crust
• nonfat sour cream instead of regular
• unbleached flour
• no corn syrup in the filling
• whole wheat flour in the filling
• molasses in the filling for a boost of flavor + minerals

I also used almond milk in the filling because I figured the subtle smooth nuttiness would compliment the pecan flavor well.

Summer Pecan Pie

I’m not generally a pie person, but this pie is good stuff. An intricately flavored molasses filling and warm, toasty pecans add a wonderful depth to the pie, while the flaky crust serves as a great canvas. Sweet and buttery without being too rich, the pie is perfect for a night at home or a summer gathering. Even better, there is no corn syrup or other icky additives!

Ingredients:

Crust 2 cups flour 1/2 cup butter, very cold and cubed in small pieces 1/4 cup nonfat sour cream, heaping 1/4 tsp salt

Filling 1 cup brown sugar 2 tbsp white sugar 2 tbsp molasses 1/3 cup butter or margarine, melted 2 eggs 1 tbsp whole wheat pastry flour 1 tbsp almond milk 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 cup pecans, chopped extra pecans (for garnish), optional

Directions:

Crust

1. Before you begin, make sure you’re butter is very cold. Cut butter into flour with a knife, fork, or pastry cutter. Continue incorporating butter into flour, working quickly until a coarse sand-like texture is formed. (Note: Do NOT melt butter into the flour mixture.)
2. Place mixture in the freezer for 10 minutes.
3. Remove bowl from freezer and pour contents onto a wooden cutting board. Using a rolling pin, roll the butter into the flour—beginning to form a dough with the flattened butter.
4. Then, add the sour cream and continue rolling to form a ball. The dough ball should be moist but not wet. If necessary, you can add a little bit more flour, until this consistency is reached.
5. Return the dough to the freezer for 20-30 minutes.
6. Take the dough out of the freezer, and roll out into a circle, roughly 10 inches in diameter (to fit your pie pan).
7. Take circle and fit it in a greased pie pan, crimping the edges if desired.
8. At this point, you can return the dough to the freezer and save for later use or proceed with the recipe.

Pie

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, whisk eggs until foamy. Stir in melted butter, brown sugar, white sugar, molasses, and vanilla. Whisk again until even mixture is formed.
3. Add the milk, flour, and pecans. Again, stir until thoroughly combined.
4. Pour filling mixture into unbaked 9 –inch pie shell. Garnish with extra pecans, if desired.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes at 400 degrees, then reduce the temperature to 350 degrees and bake for 30 minutes.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go shut my pie hole, so I can a) go do hot yoga and b) you can go make this.  

Happy Memorial Day!

Single Serving Honey Wheat Pancakes

Last night, I made H and myself pancakes for dinner.

Because breakfast for dinner ROCKS, right?

(Ya’ll are jumping up and down in choruses of yes right now, I presume.)

Beautious.

What were these?

Single-serving honey wheat pancakes (x2) with warm blueberry sauce.

OMG. I decided to “wing it” and was happy that I did. These were absolutely scrumptious. They were dinner but breakfast, breakfast but dessert. And they were AH-FRICKIN-MAZING.

And because you guys have been awesome, I even have a recipe.

Whole wheat pancakes for one?

Well, ain’t that something.

Single Serving Honey Wheat Pancakes

I love my roommate. I also love Fridays. The product of these two facts resulted in me doubling this recipe to make pancakes for two. But if you’re rocking the single lady jam, I totally got your back. By all means, make these pancakes for the sexiest, snazziest, wittiest, awesomest, crazy coolest person you know—namely yourself! Oh, and feel darn good about it because these pancakes are filled with good-for-you ingredients and just happen to be vegan.

Serving: About 5 silver dollar pancakes

Notes: Vegan, if using oil / non-dairy margarine & milk

Ingredients:

1/4 cup whole wheat flour, heaping
1/4 cup unbleached all purpose flour, heaping
1/2 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp salt
1 tbsp flax meal + 3 tbsp warm water, combined (optional, but it helps make these fluffy!)
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp oil, butter, or margarine (melted)
3/4-1 cup milk of choice (I used soy)

Directions:

1) In a medium mixing bowl, combine flours, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Stir with a whisk, until all dry ingredients are evenly distributed.
2) Make a small well in the middle of your dry ingredients. To this well, add the flax mixture, honey, butter, and milk of choice.
3) Gently stir all ingredients with whisk until no lumps remain. Be very careful not to overmix. (The fluffiness of the pancakes depends on you being gentle with the batter.)
4) In a heated, greased skillet, use a 1/4 cup measure and pour three inch circles of batter. Cook until golden brown on each side.
5) Enjoy!

(Hint: You can make the batter in advance too! Just keep it in the fridge and then take it out about 10 minutes before you’re ready to use it.)

These pancakes are ever-so-subtly sweet and great topped with butter + maple syrup. You can nix the all purpose flour and sub more whole wheat flour and/or the flax meal. However, I would recommend trying it with them first because they both lend to the leavening of the ‘cakes.

Either way, they’ll make you feel awesome on a Friday.

Actually, either way, you are awesome. On every day of the week.

And the best way to celebrate?

Pancakes. Lots of pancakes.