Hot Pink

Hello blogosphere. I'm here for the day (and maybe a couple more depending on my schedule and inspiration this week) because I wanted to showcase the ravioli I made for dinner the other day.

I had a few friends over for dinner so I thought I would treat them to home made pasta. Kill two birds with one stone: surprise my friends with a unique dish (which turned out to be a crowd pleaser) and gather material for my almost abandoned--keyword almost--food blog.

Before I move onto the recipe let me write an update on my life. I'm officially three weeks away from my first marathon! I can't begin to explain how excited and scared I am. Even though my initial fear of not finishing was obliterated by months of hard training and disappeared somewhere along week 12, a new fear has emerged in its place. I'm now terrified of not reaching my goal of a Boston Qualifier.

In a way, I'm happy I still fear something because it's making me challenge myself and stay focused on the running ahead. But at the same time, I'm anxious for the day to come when I can turn my dream into an achievement.

Ok. Enough writing about my running--I don't want to jinx anything--here is the recipe to these delicious and photogenic beet ravioli. I'll link to the pasta recipe, but if that is too much for one go, wonton wrappers are a good substitute (or so Epicurious says). Still, if you have the time and the motivation, I recommend making the pasta dough too; no need for a pasta machine and completely worth it.

Beet Ravioli with Poppy Seed Butter (adapted from Epicurious)
Makes about 60 ravioli.
Active time: 45 mins. Total time:

• 2 red beets (about 14 oz.)
• 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
• 2 tablespoons dried breadcrumbs
• 1 1/4 Fresh Egg Pasta (or other pasta recipe)
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
• 1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese + extra for serving

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Wrap beets individually in foil and place on baking sheet. Roast until tender when pierced with knife, about 1 hour. Open foil and let cool.
2. Peel beets and finely grate. Add ricotta cheese and season with salt and pepper. Stir in breadcrumbs.
3. Prepare a baking sheet by placing a layer of plastic wrap (or half of a clear plastic bag) and sprinkle it with flour. Roll pasta dough into sheets according to recipe above. Working with one sheet at a time, using a 3-inch round biscuit cutter, cut 7-8 rounds out of each sheet. Transfer rounds to prepared sheet, lightly sprinkle with flour and cover with another layer of plastic. Repeat with remaining dough.
4. Sprinkle two smooth kitchen towels with flour and set aside; place a small bowl of water next to work surface. Working in batches, place pasta rounds on work surface and spoon 1 teaspoon beet filling onto half of each round. Dip fingertip into water and dampen edge of the round; fold over the filling, pushing out as much air as possible and pressing edges to seal. Transfer sealed ravioli to prepared towels. Repeat with remainder. 
5. Melt butter in a large skillet and stir in poppy seeds; keep warm. Working in batches, cook ravioli in a large pot of salted boiling water until tender, about 4 minutes each. Using slotted spoon, transfer to skillet with butter and toss to coat. Transfer ravioli to serving dish and and sprinkle with 1/4 cup parmesan. Serve warm and with extra parmesan cheese.

Keep That Smile on your Face

I'm still in a good great mood; I still have a big smile on my face; and I'm still amazed at how a five-hour event flipped my mood completely. Although to be fair, those five hours were the culmination of more than three months of rigorous studying--lack of social life and heartburn-creating stress included. So yes, even though I'm entertained by my awesome mood, I'll take it regardless of how it came to be.

Let me warn you though, come October 30th (when scores are supposed to be released), I'll either be in an even better mood (higher-than-expected score) or I'll be in a terrible one (lower-than-expected score). For now, I'll wait, cook--or in this case bake--and blog.

Here's a simple recipe involving homemade quinoa flour. How it came to be? I just decided to experiment with a regular muffin recipe and replace all-purpose flour with blended quinoa. You can buy quinoa flour in specialty stores (maybe even regular supermarkets nowadays), but otherwise just blend quinoa until it turns into flour! Enjoy!

Quinoa Applesauce Muffins (inspired from As Simple as That)
Active time: 10 minutes. Total time: 30 minutes + cooling
Makes 6 muffins.

• 1/4 cup butter at room temperature (or coconut oil, but it definitely gives it a very distinct flavor)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• Egg whites from two large eggs
• 4 oz. applesauce
• 3/4 cup quinoa flour
• 1/2 tablespoon baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup frozen raspberries (I'm sure it would be great with blueberries as well)

1. Preheat oven to 350F. 
2. In a small bowl, beat butter and sugar until fluffy. Whisk in egg whites, one at a time and mix until well incorporated.
3. Add applesauce, quinoa flour, baking powder and salt to wet ingredients and mix well, making sure to get rid of any clumps. Gently fold in raspberries until combined with the batter. 
4. Divide batter among a 6-muffin pan sprayed with baking oil. Cook muffins for 15-20 minutes or until golden on the sides and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let muffins cool before serving.

Vegged Out Grilled Cheese

True story, I fell and dislocated my finger and it was forcibly popped back into place twice--yes two times, the first one was a fail. But the real fail was the way the accident happened. I fell into a friend's lap, face first into a plate of nachos; my finger stuck in the slits of a pool chair. Needless to say, I was embarrassed and annoyed at myself.

Since then I've spent a week as a lefty and countless hours staring at my still-swollen index finger. I'm still the laughing stock of many of my friends--I think I will never be spared--and I'm still struggling to make a full fist. I'm not however worried about the aesthetics of my hand. I might never be able to fully straighten my finger again, and this might bother my mom endlessly, but I think nicks like these are what make people interesting. They usually come with a story that always sparks up a conversation or at the very least makes someone laugh.

So, I'll stick with my crooked finger if it means I can keep my friends laughing for a while.

Now let's talk food. Someday this week--can't remember if it was Monday or Tuesday--I stopped at a cute little food store on my way back from work. I'm talking back roads of Massachusetts. I mainly bought vegetables--they were just too appealing to pass up--but I also grabbed some fruits and a bag of trail mix, can't go wrong with that.

Well, I had a bag of brussels sprouts from cete trip and I wanted to use them in a fun recipe. Cue the online food blogs. My first search delivered quick and yummy results: Balsamic Brussels Sprouts Grilled Cheese from How Sweet It Is. Fun? Check. Easy? Check Delicious? Check Check. Enjoy!

Balsamic Brussels Sprouts Grilled Cheese (adapted from How Sweet It Is)
Makes 4 sandwiches.
Active time: 15 minutes. Total time: 25 minutes.

• 1/2 lb. brussels sprouts, stems removed and chopped
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot
• 4 teaspoons Earth Balance spread
• 8 slices whole wheat bread (I used Flying Pig)
• Balsamic vinegar or glaze
• 12 oz. monterrey jack cheese, sliced

1. Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add brussels sprouts and shallots and season with salt and pepper; toss to coat and cook until wilted and golden, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
2. Clean the saucepan and heat over medium-low heat. Spread 1/2 teaspoon Earth Balance on the outside of each piece of bread. Place a layer of cheese, top with brussels sprouts and pour about 1/2 teaspoon of balsamic vinegar; top with another layer of cheese and another piece of bread, buttered -side up. Repeat with remaining slices.
3. Grill sandwiches until golden and cheese is melted, 3-5 minutes on each side. If cheese wont fully melt and bread is starting to get crispy, cover with a pot cover for 1 minute.