Healthy Morning Treat

Remember how I told you I was going to trivia the other night? Well I did and it was as fun as last time.

Only difference was this time we came in third! We actually won something. We won two $10 food credits to the pub, which means next time we'll have free food--and hopefully get first place!

Anyways, Tuesday night was fun, but Wednesday night was yummy. I was invited to a Yom Kippur dinner at a friend's house and the food was delicious. My favorite? Kugel. I have to say, when one of my friends described a sweet-and-salty pudding, I was skeptical, but once I tried it I was amazed. It was scrumptious. Who would have thought a combination of pasta, vanilla, sugar, butter and Corn Flakes--yes Corn Flakes--could taste SO good.

I didn't just have kugel for dinner though, I ate matzo-ball soup, turkey and a lot of Challah--one of my absolute favorite breads. Oh and a hefty slice of cheesecake. Needless to say, Wednesday night was enjoyable. But come Thursday morning, I was in need of a fresh and healthy breakfast. Cue muesli.

Muesli is a combination of soaked oats, nuts and fruits. Before yesterday, I had only ever had it at hotel breakfast buffets, but every time I did I would end up wanting more. So now that I learned how easy it is to make it, I'll be having it at home more often than not.

The recipe calls for fresh ingredients, so it's best made the night before you want to eat it, but it will last in the fridge about 3 days. Just add the fresh fruit until right before eating it.

Alpine Muesli (adapted from Martha Stewart)
Active time: 25 mins. Total time: 4 hours or overnight
Makes 4 servings.

• 1/3 cup non-fat plain yogurt, not Greek
• 1/3 cup low-fat milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt
• 3/4 cup rolled oats, not quick-cooking
• 3 tablespoons honey 
• Juice from one orange, about 1/3 cup
• 1 Granny Smith apple
• 1/2 cup skin-on almonds, chopped
• 1-2 cup mixed fresh fruit, such as sliced strawberries, raspberries or bluberries

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together yogurt, milk, vanilla and salt until smooth; stir in oats. Cover and refrigerate at least 3 hours or overnight. 
2. Stir together honey and orange juice in a medium bowl. Peel apple and grate or finely chop. Add apples and almonds into juice mixture. 
3. Combine juice mixture with soaked oats and mix well. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Divide muesli among four bowls and serve topped with fresh fruit.

Breakfast for Lunch but not Brunch

So here's the deal. I already know that I'm going to be in a not-so-great a mood this week. It's Sunday, I know, but this whole nice weather for a week only made me ache for summer. And now the cold is back and I'm not liking it.

I know I've said before that I love winter and snow and all that, but when I'm teased with something like last week's high temperatures, sunny days sitting on my roof deck are all I can think of. That said, I will do my best to post frequently this week and maybe that will make the weekend swing by faster.

Anyways, on a more exciting note, I am writing an article for a class about tacos. And when I say tacos I mean the real tacos--soft corn tortilla ones filled with carne asada or al pastor with loads of salsa dripping messily from the sides. I'm writing about my quest to find the most authentic taco in Boston. For this reason, in the next few days I will be consuming more tacos than I have in a very long time, maybe even ever.

Just yesterday, I had three different types of tacos at La Verdad: tinga, carne asada and pescado. The tortillas were perfectly soft and floppy enough to fold over large amounts of diced meat; the carne asada was perfectly seasoned and topped with a zesty guacamole; and the tinga was moist and flavorful. Oh and the salsa. The salsa roja (or rohja as the waitress pronounced it) was delicious. Tasted just like home. Needless to say I found my new favorite restaurant in Beantown.

Moving onto food at home, today I decided to finally try the quinoa pancakes that I bookmarked about a month ago. And I'm glad I did. Breakfast for lunch was yummy. Plus, they're quinoa, so they're healthy right? Enjoy!

Strawberry Quinoa Pancakes (adapted from NYTimes)
Active time: 20 minutes. Total time: 25 minutes
Makes 3-6 pancakes (I made my huge!)

• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• Pinch of salt
• 1 large egg
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1/2 cup cooked quinoa
• Sliced strawberries, about 1 cup

1. In a medium bowl, combine flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk egg. Add buttermilk and whisk to combine; then whisk in vanilla extract and canola oil.
2. Combine fry ingredients with the wet and whisk quickly, but do not over beat, some lumps are fine. Carefully fold in quinoa until just incorporated.
3. Heat skillet over medium heat. Drop 3-5 tablespoons, depending on the size you want the pancakes to be, and place sliced strawberries on top, pressing lightly. Cook until bubbles start to appear, about 3 minutes; flip pancake and cook for another minute. Remove from heat and serve.

Pizza for Dessert

Heads up, there are many pictures in this post. What can I say, I just could not abstain from sharing every little piece of this delectable dessert.

My friend Maricarmen is here for the week. Which means that there is finally more than one person eating my food (that one person being me). It also means that I am bound to make good recipes.

Today was not a day to be outside. Unlike the beginning of the week, which was sunny and bright, today was rainy and gray. And even though all I really wanted to do was stay home and do absolutely nothing, grocery shopping was a must.

So after a quick lunch at Scoozi (my make-shift diner in Boston) and a yummy fro-yo, my friend and I ventured to Shaws. An hour and a half later, we were back home, wet and grossed out by the humidity. But it was well worth the trip.

I have to say this dish deserves more than just a simple blog post (hence the amount of pictures). If you have not tried dessert pizza, you must do so soon. And by soon I mean tomorrow!

This recipe is very easy and the end product is a delectable dessert that really is the lick-your-fingers-and-scrape-the-plate type.

Pizza Dough (adapted from How To Cook Everything)

• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons active yeast
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 1 cup lukewarm water, plus more if needed
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

1. In a large bowl, mix flour, yeast and salt. Slowly add water and oil, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Stir until dough becomes slightly sticky, adding more water if needed. If dough becomes too sticky, which it shouldn't, add flour a tablespoon at a time.
2. Transfer dough to a floured surface and knead for about 1 minute. Push bottom of hands into the dough and pull back, then push knuckles into dough and repeat. 
3. Transfer dough to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap, making sure that wrap is not too tight. Let rise for about 2 hours (or overnight) or wrap dough in plastic wrap and store in the freezer for up to 6 months.

Nutella, Strawberry & Banana Pizza

• 1/2 recipe pizza dough (see above)
• 1/2 cup Nutella
• 3 strawberries, sliced lengthwise
• 12 banana, sliced

1. Preheat oven to 500 F. Lightly spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. 
2. Place dough on a floured surface and roll out until about 1/4-inch thick (dough will rise) or desired thickness. Transfer dough to baking sheet carefully. Fold sides and pinch to create a border and let sit for about 20 minutes.
3. Bake dough for 13-15 minutes, or until crust is golden. While dough is hot, carefully spread Nutella over pizza. Let cool, about 5 minutes. 
4. Arrange strawberries and bananas, or other sliced fruit, on the pizza. Slice and serve.

*Optional: sprinkle confectioner's sugar on top of the pizza before serving.

Spring Salutation: Strawberry Shortcake

Last week I was challenged to make strawberry shortcake from scratch (whipped cream and all). There was no way I was going to turn down my first challenge, mainly for two reasons: I had never tried such dessert before and the whole point of my challenges page is to take them on!

Anyways, making them today worked out perfectly because it is nice outside and the fruity dessert fits in perfectly with my sweet tooth. After eating my first ever shortcake, I am sitting in my living room enjoying the little free time I have left before I have to keep working. I have been up since early this morning and expect to sleep late tonight, which is why I am trying to savor every moment of my day that doesn't involve schoolwork--just like I enjoyed every last bit of the shortcake.

A few side notes before the recipe:

• I used 1 cup cake flour and 1 cup all-purpose flour for the biscuits. Partly because I had leftover cake flour, but also because I figured it would give the biscuits more of a dessert consistency.
• It was very tiring to make the cream (I had forgotten how its takes very long in the beginning and then all of a sudden it whips itself into shape) but it was definitely worth it. I am not a big whipped cream fan, but homemade I can deal with.
• I will be making this dessert in the future with other berries and fruits such as caramelized apples or pears, so stay tuned.
• And last but not least, shout out to Patrick who challenged me: I won't forget your support since the beginning!!

Buttermilk Biscuits (adapted from How to Cook Everything)

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup cake flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 4 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small pieces
• 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons buttermilk

1. Preheat oven to 450 F. In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients. Add butter and, using your fingers, combine with dry ingredients until mixture resembles coarse meal. You will have to squish some of the butter pieces gently.
2. Stir in buttermilk and mix just until dough forms. transfer dough onto lightly floured surface and knead no more than 10 times. If dough is too sticky, add a little bit of flour, but dough should slightly stick to your hands. Press dough into 3/4-inch thick rectangle and cut out 2-inch circles ( I used a drinking glass). Roll out leftover doug again, careful not to over work it, and cut out as many biscuits as possible.
3. Place biscuits on ungreased baking sheet and bake for 7 to 10 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown. Let cool for one minute and cover with cloth to keep warm.

Strawberry Shortcake (adapted from How to Cook Everything)

• 1 recipe buttermilk biscuits
• 4-5 cups strawberries, washed and sliced
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons confectioners sugar

1. Place strawberries in a large bowl and coat with sugar. Carefully turn until all are covered. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whip cream until soft peaks form (easiest if done with electric mixer, but definitely possible by hand). Slowly add vanilla extract and confectioner's sugar and whip for one more minute.
3. Slice each biscuit and fill with strawberries and cream.