Sweet Potato Quinoa Cakes with Blackberry Jam

As time would have it, some of my co-workers are starting to become privy to my blogging (and general food obsession). You can only get so excited about the purchase of a mini-food processor without people starting to wonder....

So when my desk neighbor asked me what was next up on the blog, I decided to take a poll on which recipe should be featured next...without much debate the quinoa cakes won out. Can't say I'm complaining - I think my appreciation for quinoa aka "the superfood" has been evidenced over the past year +.   

Often times, the inspiration behind my recipes is as simple as having ingredients around that I don't want to go to waste. And let me say, it's a good thing sweet potatoes have such a long shelf-life because I put this off for much too long. The flavors of the fresh herbs, caramelized onions and sweet potatoes all come together very nicely into a healthy little cake. The original recipe called for a fresh blackberry salsa accompaniment, but for simplicity sake I decided to use blackberry jam instead - a perfectly acceptable stand-in, but next time I'll go for the salsa!  

The recipe
(From HowSweetEats)


1 medium sweet potato, peeled and chopped
1/2 red onion, diced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup cooked quinoa (be sure to rinse the quinoa before cooking!)
1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1 large egg, lightly beaten

Heat a large skillet over medium-low heat and add 1/2 tablespoons olive oil. Add in sweet potato, onion, 1/4 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper, stir, cover and cook for 10-12 minutes, or until potato is soft. Remove lid and add garlic, cooking for 30 seconds.

Transfer potato mixture to a large bowl (slightly mashing potato with a fork) and add quinoa, breadcrumbs, cheese, herbs, remaining salt and pepper and mix well. Once combined, add in egg, then mix until moistened.

Using your hands to bring it together, form equally-sized patties to desired size. Heat the same skillet over medium heat and add olive oil. Add cakes and cook for 3-4 minutes per side, or until golden brown. Serve with blackberry jame (or salsa, below).

Blackberry Salsa
1 pint fresh blackberries, chopped
1/2 red onion, finely diced
1/2 jalapeno, finely diced
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
the juice of 1 lime
salt and pepper to taste

Tomato Basil Quinoa Soup with Kale

Tis the season for me to be perpetually cold. As a dedicated beach bum, winter can be a difficult time of year, so I am constantly seeking out ways to get back to a state of warmth. One of the most comforting ways to kill the chill, aside from a warm latte, is none other than a comforting bowl of soup. The idea for this recipe came from my source of constant inspiration - Whole Foods, where Tomato Pesto Quinoa soup has earned a spot at the soup counter. From the moment I saw the new offering, I knew I had to have it and the first bites on a cold evening did not disappoint.

My own rendition of the soup includes some supplemental green in the form of kale and while I can't claim to have found the secret to WF's amazing soup, I was quite pleased with the outcome of my kitchen experiment.
I hope you aren't sick of the familiar sight of quinoa on the back burner, but it has found its way into yet another therapeutic dish.
The recipe:
1/3 cup quinoa, rinse in strainer well
1 tsp. salt
1 cup water
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes in puree
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
l 1/2 cup chopped white onions
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon sugar
2 cups chicken broth (if you are buying it, get organic)
3 cups kale
1 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese

In a small saucepan, combine the quinoa, water, and salt. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the water is absorbed and the grains are translucent and begin to uncoil. Set aside.

In a saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Stir in the onions, garlic, pepper, and sugar and sauté for 5 to 6 minutes, or until the onions are tender and light golden.

Stir in the crushed tomatoes and broth. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes, or until the soup is slightly thickened. After about 10 minutes add in kale.

To serve, fluff the quinoa with a fork and stir into the soup along with the basil. If desired, add additional salt, pepper, dried basil to taste. Top each serving with about 1 tablespoon of parmesan and basil leaves to taste.

Polenta Egg Cups

It's time for some eggstravagant eggs! For how often I consume the quick and easy food, it's a wonder they have not received a feature post yet, but that's all about to change. Not only are they a good source of protein, but eggs are also low in calories, inexpensive and delicious. When partnered with the other ingredients in this dish, the result is a flavorful muffin sized meal. And when topped with salsa, I am an especially happy camper.
My experiences with polenta thus far have been limited to the premade polenta log sold at supermarkets. In an effort to expland my horizons, I purchased some real polenta to make my own homemade version. This turned out to be a far less daunting task than I imagined. It's important to keep in mind that making polenta can get unhealthy quickly - if you use butter, cream, etc. So stick to the basics and rely on low calorie other ingredients to carry the flavor.

The recipe:
(Adapted from Rachel Ray)

3/4 cup of skim milk
3/4 cup of low sodium chicken or vegetable stock
1/2 cup quick-cooking polenta
1 cup of Asiago cheese, grated
Salt and black pepper
6 eggs (you might need more depending on the polenta distribution)
Optional: salsa

Preheat oven to 425°F. Spray a regular-size muffin tin with non-stick or fill with muffin cups.

Bring the milk and stock to a bubble in a medium-sized stockpot over medium heat. Slowly whisk in the polenta and continue whisking until it begins to thicken and resemble hot oatmeal, about 3-4 minutes. Turn off the heat, add in the cheese and season with salt and pepper.

Pour the polenta into the muffin tin, halfway up each muffin cup. Once all the cups are filled, form a well with the back of a spoon by pushing the polenta up the sides until it reaches the top rim (dip the spoon in water so it won't stick to the polenta). The well will be relatively large but that's OK -- you want the egg to have a little nesting place so it won't overflow out of the tin.

Once you have made all the wells, crack an egg into each of the polenta-filled cups.

Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, until firm (the yolk will still be a little runny). Remove from the oven and let sit.

Optional: top with salsa

Good Morning (Healthy) Muffins

The adventures of healthy/vegan muffins began for me during college with some neglected and consequently well-browned bananas begging me to eat them. While the overripe fruit would normally meet its fate in the trash can, I decided instead to find a way to incorporate them into a healthy snack. A few google searches later, I landed on a vegan banana muffin recipe that would quickly become an apartment favorite.

After moving out of my college apartment the muffin baking subsided, until I recently returned home over the holidays to find that my mom, by way of a friend, had discovered a kicked up version of the healthy muffin concept. I'm starting to think that I am my mom's informant, here to write about all her great recipes, but nonetheless, I couldn't resist making some of these muffins to bring back to NYC with me.

So how does this whole healthy muffin concept come together into a tangible baked good? Baking without the eggs, butter or sugar may sound counter-intuitive to some, but with the right ingredients to substitute the outcome is a moist, delicious, and satisfying snack. These deserving substitutes include apple sauce and agave which are incorporated with the other ingredients - parsnip, carrot, nuts, dried fruit and apple.

Now set your skepticism aside, and give them a shot!

The recipe:

2 c. white whole wheat flour, sifted
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c, parsnip, grated
1 c. carrot, grated
1/4 c. dates, chopped
1/4 c. raisins
1/2 c. shredded coconut
1/2 c. toasted pecans, chopped
1 apple, chopped (Granny smith works well, but other varieties work as well)

3/4 c. oil, I used canola, original recipe calls for Sunflower or Safflower
3/4 c. agave nectar
1/2 c. apple sauce (used in place of 2 eggs)
2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar (if not using eggs)


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Measure and sift the flour. Add soda, cinnamon and salt to the bowl and stir together. Add in parsnip, carrot, dates, raisins, coconut, pecans and apple to the flour mixture and stir together.

In a separate bowl (or in a measuring cup) combine oil, agave, apple sauce, vanilla and vinegar, mixing until smooth.

Add the liquid to the dry ingredients and mix until blended. Scoop the batter into muffin cups (an ice cream scoop works well for this). The muffins won't rise all that much so filling to close to the top of the cup is not a concern.

Bake until golden brown and the tops spring back to the touch. For regular size muffins ~30 minutes is a good start. Smaller muffins will only need ~18 minutes.

Variations: I substituted white whole wheat for the original 1 c. all purpose flour and 1 c. whole wheat pastry flour. The original recipe calls for a full cup of oil, but I substituted 1/4 c. of the oil for apple sauce, bringing the apple sauce used in the recipe to 1/2 c.

Asian Inspired Quinoa Salad

There is something about bright and colorful food that just instantly enhances my mood. I guess that could explain why I've added this recipe to my regular rotation. Not only is it made with my favorite superfood - quinoa - but it is also loaded with delicious vegetables, including sugar snap peas, which I love and red cabbage, which I would otherwise probably never eat.
Not surprisingly, the credit goes to mama dukes for introducing this recipe to me. Despite going through a few very over the top healthy phases throughout my life, she has now toned it back to recipes that tend to be heart-healthy crowd pleasers.

Although this dish has great ingredients packed into each and every bite, the flavors are enhanced by the accompanying sauce which consists of jam, vinegar, oil, ginger and salt. Originally the recipe calls for orange marmalade, however because I had it around I substituted apricot jam, which absolutely worked just as well.

The final touches call for cilantro and scallions, however I decided to mix the scallions right in leaving cilantro as the remaining ingredient. Now, I've had a lifelong battle with cilantro; once an herb I used to abhor, because I was 100% certain I was eating soap, I now appreciate the subtle way it can add an immense amount of flavor to a dish. As a result of simply not having any on hand, I didn't include cilantro in the dish this time around, however I would recommend it for the brave souls who have come to love the flavor!

The recipe:
(Adapted from WeightWatchers)

1 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth
3/4 cup uncooked quinoa
1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 Tbsp orange marmalade
2 tsp dark sesame oil
1 Tbsp ginger root, fresh, grated
1 tsp kosher salt
1 cup uncooked sugar snap peas, trimmed (halved if you want)
1 cup shredded carrot(s)
1 cup shredded red cabbage
1 small sweet red pepper, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp scallion, thinly sliced
1 Tbsp sesame seeds, toasted


In a small saucepan, combine broth and quinoa. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low then cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the dressing by whisking together the rice wine vinegar, marmalade, sesame oil, ginger and salt; set aside.

After quinoa has cooked for 10 minutes, toss in snap peas to partially steam them. Cover and simmer until most of liquid has been absorbed, about 5 to 6 minutes.

Remove pan from heat and stir in carrots, cabbage, peppers, scallions, sesame seeds and dressing; mix to thoroughly combine. Serve warm, room temperature or chilled. Garnish with cilantro if desired.

Thanksgiving: Practice Round

Stuffing, Cranberry Sauce & DessertDisclaimer: This is a long one.

While enduring a long car ride back to NYC through Middle-of-Nowhere, Pennsylvania, my mind got to wandering about food, the mouth-watering Thanksgiving feast my aunt and uncle prepare every year, and my minimal involvement in the operation. So with that in mind, I posed the idea of a "Thanksgiving practice round" potluck to my roommates. We determined that our poor little oven would cease to function at the sight of a turkey, so we got some help in that department, but once the remaining responsibilities were divvied up, it was time to get to brainstorming. My main task - the stuffing. With so many fantastic recipes out there it was a tough choice, but I settled on a slightly modified version of Fennel, Sausage and Caramelized Apple Stuffing from Cooking Light. Upon subscribing to CL, my close friend in media broke the news that the average reader was ~25 years my senior (ha!), but I have to say I've been thoroughly pleased with the recipe ideas thus far.
When I arrived at Whole Foods to pick up a few last ingredients, I was helped by the lady at the bakery counter who handed me a loaf of sourdough bread fresh from the oven. Now normally this would be a welcomed predicament, but I was a bit concerned about just how fresh (and still hot) the bread was - considering stuffing usually calls for at least day old bread. I decided to trust the recipe and go with it. Low and behold, the fresh bread, which ends up going in the oven to brown and crisp the edges, creates a similar effect to day-old without actually being stale.

While the bread was in the oven I went to work on the other parts of the dish aka I slaved away over the cutting board fighting back onion tears and fending off unruly flying carrot pieces.

As I continued to work my way through the recipe and the ingredients piled up in my bowl, all I could think of was Rachel Ray's "garbage bowls", but instead of reducing trips to the trash can, I was reducing the amount of time I would later hover over the sink hand-washing multiple dishes and pans. Yes, hand-washing. Sadly our dishwasher has been yet another victim of repairs our management company doesn't seem to be competent enough to arrange.
Now don't get me wrong, I'm still enjoying leftovers, but a few notes on the ingredients I chose and how I would potentially tweak them. I opted for chicken sausage to cut out some of fat and make the dish a bit lighter, which I am certain I compensated for by unintentionally using extra bread. To that note, I think a whole wheat baguette would've also been a nice choice, but regardless, be sure to keep the bread to 12 oz. so the other ingredients don't get lost. I think I've proven by now that I'm a flavor junkie, so I likely would have added in an extra sage, fennel seed, garlic and pepper. Lastly, the apple flavor was not all that present in the dish, so if that is something you want, I would go for a more "powerful" apple, like a granny smith.


FENNEL, SAUSAGE AND CARAMELIZED APPLE STUFFING
The Recipe:
12 ounces sourdough bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
Cooking spray
1 12 oz. package of Chicken Sausage (I used Sweet Italian)
5 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
4 cups onion, chopped
1 1/4 cups fennel bulb, chopped
1 1/4 cups carrot, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh sage, chopped
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed
5 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
3 cups chopped Golden Delicious apple
2 teaspoons sugar
1 1/2 cups fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
2 large eggs

Preheat oven to 400°. Arrange bread cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 16 minutes or until golden, stirring after 8 minutes. Place in a large bowl.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cut chicken sausage into small pieces. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add sausage to pan; cook 8-10 minutes or until browned and crispy. Add sausage to bread.

Return pan to medium-high heat. Add 3 teaspoons oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add onion, fennel, carrot, sage, fennel and garlic. Add 1/4 teaspoon pepper; sauté 8 minutes or until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally. Add vegetables to sausage mixture.

Return pan to medium-high heat. Add remaining 2 teaspoons oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add apple and sugar; sauté 5 minutes or until apple caramelizes, stirring occasionally. Add to the sausage mixture.

Combine broth and eggs in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add broth mixture and remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper to sausage mixture; toss well to combine.

Spoon sausage mixture into a 13 x 9-inch glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray. Cover with foil. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes. Uncover dish; bake at 400° for 20 minutes or until browned and crisp.

HOMEMADE CRANBERRY SAUCE
Any magazine I read seems to insist that homemade cranberry sauce is a requirement for Thanksgiving, so in an effort to avoid the canned jelly blob monster, I thought I too would try my luck at making my own. Mission accomplished. Luckily I had onion left over from my earlier chopping frenzy, so the process was low maintenance.

I did cut the sugar in half from the original recipe, which meant I still used 3/4 of a cup. It felt like a lot of added sugar (maybe agave would be a substitute candidate), but it was worth it.

The recipe:
1 tbsp. canola oil
3/4 c. onion, chopped
3/4 c. sugar (yoiks!)
1/2 c. white wine
1/2 c. water
1 package fresh cranberries
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
2 tsp. fresh grated orange rind

Cook the onion in the oil for about 4 minutes. Add the sugar, wine, water, ginger and cranberries. Bring mixture to a boil for about 2 minutes then reduce to a simmer for about 8 minutes. Add the orange rind to the mixture once in the serving bowl.

THE FINAL ACT: PUMPKIN FLUFF LAYER DESSERT

With so much good food on the way, I wanted to make sure that dessert was light. Going with the flavors of the season, pumpkin seemed an appropriate base. I came across a pudding-type dessert that seemed just perfect - Pumpkin Fluff. I made it my own by creating a "layer dessert". This was a real crowd pleaser and a perfect way to end the meal.

1 16 oz. can pumpkin
1 1.5 oz. box sugar-free instant vanilla pudding mix
1 8 oz. container fat-free cool whip
2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 pack cinnamon graham crackers

Take the cool whip out of the freezer so it has a few minutes to "thaw". Make the pudding and allow it to set (about 5 minutes). Mix in the pumpkin, cool whip and pumpkin pie spice.

In a serving dish crush 2 graham crackers to layer the bottom surface. Spoon or pour in half the pumpkin pudding mixture. Crumble 2-3 more graham crackers to create a middle layer. Add in the remaining mixture and top with crushed graham crackers. Put back in the refrigerator and chill for 1 hour.

Note: If you make this too far in advance the graham crackers might start to get a little soft/borderline soggy, but I have to say, I still somehow managed to enjoy leftovers 24 hours later...proof I love dessert?

And with that, HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Eat well, be merry and enjoy the company of family and friends!

Butternut Squash Quinoa Risotto

One of the things I most look forward to about the changing season, or maybe just one thing that softens the blow of the impending cold weather, is the array of fall produce to experiment with. Enter: Butternut squash. Recipes for this seasonal favorite seem to be everywhere and I've been especially eager to attempt butternut squash risotto. Several months back I made a delicious sun-dried tomato risotto, but my main reservation with risotto is that although the arborio rice creates a creamy texture, it isn't exactly the best choice in terms of healthy grains. With all the fan-fare around quinoa, which shout out to my mother because she was ahead of the curve and cooking with it years ago, I decided quinoa risotto might be just the fix for this nutritional dilemma. As some people like to call this new take on the dish, Quinotto.Many of the magazines I find myself reading these days advocate going vegetarian at least one day a week, so this recipe is one step in the right direction if you adhere to that philosophy!

The most challenging part of this recipe was probably just figuring out how to cut the seemingly uncooperative butternut squash. I recently observed a method that I think works pretty well so I will impart this new found wisdom on you.

-Begin by cutting a small part of the larger end such that the squash can stand on its own
-From there slice down the middle (this might require two hands to guide the knife evenly down the middle)
-Scoop out the seeds -Remove the outer layer of skin with a vegetable peeler
-Cut the squash to the desired sized pieces.

Also open to debate is the method of preparing the risotto. I find that combining all the ingredients and then adding the chicken broth all at once (rather than one cup at a time until it is all absorbed) works just fine. While either method requires attention and constant stirring, the former is more conducive to the multi-tasking frenzy that is my life.

The recipe:
1/2 small butternut squash, peeled and cubed in 1-inch pieces (the other half makes for some great baked butternut squash fries!)
3 c. baby spinach*
1/2 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 c. quinoa
1/2 c. white wine (room temp.)
3 c. low-sodium chicken broth
1 tsp. butter (if desired)
1 tsp. dried sage (or if you have fresh, even better)**
EVOO, salt, pepper
1/3 c. Parmesan cheese

*I tend to feel better about what I'm eating if there is some green to accompany every dish, hence including the baby spinach. In hindsight, I think adding some boiled kale to the risotto would taste even better and add some great texture to the dish.
**If you use fresh sage wait until the end and mix in with butter and cheese.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Start by cutting the butternut squash into pieces as detailed above, line a baking sheet with foil (for quick clean up), spray a baking sheet with cooking spray, line the squash on the baking sheet and sprinkle with pepper. Bake for ~30 minutes until the squash is tender and easy to fork. (I then waited until the squash was done to move on to the next step because my roommate needed the kitchen. Depending on your timing this could also impact the ultimate method you use to make the risotto).

Sautee the onion and garlic in olive oil (~1 tbsp) in a medium sized sauce pan or pot until the onion is transparent. Add in the cooked butternut squash and the uncooked quinoa. Allow this mixture to sit for a minute to "toast" the quinoa then stir in the white wine, sage, salt and pepper. Continue to stir until the wine is absorbed. Next add in the chicken broth and bring the ingredients to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until the liquid is absorbed and the mixture thickens (about 12-15 minutes).

Remove from heat and mix in the butter and parmesan cheese (you could also try adding in some almond milk or regular milk to add to the creaminess).