Kale Salad with Miso Dressing

CSA season is just around the corner and that means you might find yourself with more kale than you know what to do with. Well I've got the just the recipe for you that was inspired by a trip to Trader Joe's where a new product has arrived -- MISO!

Josh and I lo-ooo-ve miso. We put it on fish and it's just delightfully salty and flavorful. Usually we get it in a huge chunk from our local Asian grocery, but now that we have a baby, it's best not to add another store to the list. So thanks TJs for always having something new in store for us and making life just a tad bit easier.

Ingredients:

• 6 cups of kale, washed and torn
• 1/2 cup of craisins
• 1/2 cup of almonds (either chopped, slivered, or sliced)
• 1/2 tablespoon of toasted sesame seeds
• 2 scallions sliced

Dressing:

• 1 rounded tablespoon of miso (white or yellow)
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• several good shakes of garlic powder and ginger powder (mmmm maybe 1/8 tsp each? ugh I really need to measure for you!)
• 2 tbs (plus a little more) of sesame oil
• 2 tbs of another oil like canola, grapeseed, or peanut
• 2 tbs greek yogurt
• dash of sugar
• dash of white pepper

Whisk all of the dressing ingredients together and taste for modifications. Especially since I'm terrible at measuring for you (again, so sorry!).

Place kale, craisins, scallions, and almonds in a bowl and toss with the dressing. Then add sesame seeds and toss again. 

You can let it sit for 30 minutes in your fridge to marinate the kale a little or just devour. 

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread (Cake)

After a brief hiatus, I'm back! Anyone notice how buying a house, moving, and getting settled in takes up a lot of time?

To kick off 2014 I bring you a very delicious, slightly pound cake-esqe banana bread. But let's back it up a minute because I need to warn you about something...

So last week we had freezing cold temperatures here in Maryland, which wreaked havoc on pipes all across the state. We unfortunately did not escape unscathed and had a lovely [not lovely] little [big, gushing water] flood in our basement. So how does any housewife deal with this type of drama? WINE.

So here I am slightly buzzed, looking at my VERY ripe bananas. Well now I must make banana bread. And so it begins...the dumping of random ingredients into bowls that I'll do my best to quantify below.

• 2 cups of AP flour spooned in so that it's not a packed 2 cups
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup butter melted
• 3 ripe bananas
• 1/3 cup non-fat plain greek yogurt
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 1/2 cup or so of semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl with a whisk until completely combined.

In a stand mixer add sugar and butter. Beat at medium speed until well blended. Add your bananas, coconut oil, and yogurt until batter has formed. Add the flour mixture a little at a time until just moist.

On low speed mix in the chocolate chips.

Pour into a greased 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan. Bake for about 1 hour and 10 minutes or until a toothpick can be inserted into the center and come out clean. Cool for about 10 minutes and then turn out onto a baking rack to cool completely.

This little lovely loaf should come out golden and begging to be eaten when still warm. 

Happy New Year!

1. 
   

Recipes for Crohn's Disease

As a wife of someone with Crohn's Disease, I've gotten very good at developing Low Residue recipes. But what I wasn't prepared for was a flare that didn't respond well to LR. So I hit the boards in search for high-calorie, low volume foods that worked for other sufferers. The most frustrating thing was not finding any suggestions!

Fear not, caretakers of Crohn's patients, I've got some options for you!

This Coconut Ginger Carrot Soup from About.com is now a staple. It's extremely tasty, easy to make, and full of healthy fat for my skinny husband.

Peanut Butter "Fudge"

1/2 cup of coconut oil
1/2 cup peanut butter (or any other nut butter)
1/4 cup of honey
1/2 banana, mashed
1 tsp vanilla extract

Line a small pan with wax paper. Put all ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth. Pour into pan and let set in fridge. Cut into small pieces once hardened.

* Make sure to keep this in the fridge unless you are eating it or it will melt!

Honey Carrots

Honey is supposed to be anti-inflammatory and antibacterial, which is a natural way to help treat Crohn's. These carrots are easy and especially perfect if you are suffering around Rosh Hashanah!

Heat your oven to 400 degrees. In a baking dish add chopped carrots, drizzle over olive oil and honey, toss, sprinkle lightly with ground cardamom, salt, and pepper. Bake for 30 minutes or until soft, stirring up every so often.

Inflamed intestines need well cooked veggies, so be sure to test them before serving. This is a great side dish to a roasted chicken and some potatoes.

Spinach Omelet

1 egg
1/8 - 1/4 cup egg whites (or just use 2 eggs, but the eggwhites keep it light and fluffy)
1 tbsp milk
1 1/2 cups of spinach
salt and pepper
olive oil

When Crohn's = bleeding, anemia is always lurking around the corner. Which makes it really important to eat foods high in iron like spinach. This recipe will work unless you are also lactose intolerant.

Crack the egg(s) in a bowl, add the egg whites and milk and whisk until slightly frothy. Heat a pan on medium-low and spray with olive oil. Add egg mixture and swirl around pan, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook and swirl around pan until completely cooked. Remove egg round from pan and set aside. Add olive oil and spinach to pan and cook until wilted. Add spinach to one half moon of the omelet and fold the other side over the spinach.

There is so much you can do here, add mushrooms, a little cheese if tolerated, roasted chicken. Just keep it fairly mild and you'll have a delicious healthy meal on your hands.

I hope this post helps a little for those of you searching for recipes. No doubt it's hard suffering from Crohn's, but being a caretaker is no walk in the park either. Please feel free to leave a comment of foods that your loved one can tolerate and I'd be happy to create some recipes for you.

It's a lot of work picking up the slack and playing nurse, so I tried to keep these recipes pretty simple. A departure from my norm :)

Sending healing thoughts to all that are suffering from an IBD.

<3

Mini S'mores Pies

There are certain foods that are must haves during the summer, and I think s'mores is definitely on that list. But if your weather has been anything like we've been experiencing in the DC metro area, you probably aren't barbecuing. Rain, rain, go away! So instead try these individual s'mores pies.

Graham Cracker Crust

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 graham cracker crumbs
• 1/4 dry milk powder
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 stick of butter melted
• 1/4 cup heavy cream

1. Toss the dry ingredients together with your hands until completely mixed. Combine butter and heavy cream then pour over dry ingredients and mix with your hands until the mixture holds together.

2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees,

3. Coat muffin tin with nonstick spray and press in graham cracker crumbs to make a cup shape.

4. Bake for 5-7 minutes until golden.

5. Run a knife carefully around the edges to loosen and then turn over on to a cooling rack.

Pudding Filling

Ingredients:

• 1 box My T Fine chocolate pudding mix
• 2 cups milk

Follow the directions on the box!

Fill the graham cracker cups with pudding and chill to set. Then top with mini marshmallows....here's the fun part: get out your kitchen torch and have at it! Warning: marshmallows are highly flammable so you might have to blow out a small fire.

Truffled Farro Salad

Being the resident foodie at work, people tend to ask me what I'm having for lunch. One day I had a conversation that went a little something like this:

"What are you eating?"

"Farro"

"Pharaoh?"

"No..."

vs

Ingredients

• 1 cup farro
• Handful of arugula
• 8 oz cremini mushrooms (a variety of wild mushrooms would be delish)
• 2 tbs butter
• 1 tbs truffle oil
• 1 tbs extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 bunch asparagus
• dried thyme
• 1 medium onion
• 1/4 cup parmesan chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley
• handful of walnuts
• salt and pepper

Directions

Preheat oven 350.

Place farro in a pot and fill with cold water until covered by 1-2 inches. After 20 minutes drain the farro.

Add the same amount of water back to the pot and add a dash of salt. Bring to a boil and then lower to a simmer, covered, for 25 minutes. If there is any leftover water after cooking you will need to drain.

While the farro is cooking cut asparagus spears on the bias in thirds. Toss with enough olive oil to coat and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake asparagus on a foil lined baking sheet for 15-20 minutes, stirring once or twice until tender.

Slice mushrooms, but not too thinly. Think 4-5 pieces for a larger cremini. Chop the onion.

Heat 2-3 teaspoons of olive oil in a pan on medium and cook the onion for 3 minutes. In a bowl mix your mushrooms with the truffle oil, then add to the pan with the butter. Cook for 5-10 minutes then sprinkle with thyme, salt, and pepper. Make sure you don't cook the mushrooms for too long. You want them tender but still with body.

Remove from heat and cool in a bowl. Add cooked asparagus.

Place farro into a mixing bowl and add your arugula. When you mix it in, the arugula should wilt. Set aside to cool.

When farro and vegetables reach room temperature, you can combine them.

Add cheese and parsley then mix.

Toast handful walnut halves in your mushroom pan to toast, chop, and top each serving.

Shout out to my hunnie for inventing this one!!

Seared Salmon on a Bed of Lemon Feta Quinoa

After a one and a half hour drive home I arrived to a beautifully cooked dinner by my hubby. I know --lucky girl. And what was even better, it was DELICIOUS. But...there is always a but...I don't take kindly to my sous chef trying to climb the ranks to head chef. That's my territory! So I got a little competitive.

Enter: my daydreamed dinner. People might dream of the beach, I dream of what to cook next. This meal needed to be more delicious than the last.

Ingredients:
Salmon
Lemon
1/4 cup Baby Zucchini
3 Tbsp Red Onion
3 Tbsp Red Pepper
1 Garlic Clove
1 cup Non-fat Yogurt (or whatever plain yogurt you have on hand)
Fresh or Dried Dill
1/2 cup White Quinoa
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper
Garlic Powder
White Pepper
2 oz Feta
Fresh Parsley

After that list...do you still want to make it? :) And as always, these measurements aren't exact science because I just don't measure.

1. Rise (well) your quinoa to remove the bitterness. You can also soak it, but it's not necessary. Put it in a pot over medium heat with a cup of water, pinch of salt, and half the garlic clove. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and cook covered for 15 minutes.

2. While your quinoa is cooking it's time to chop your onion, peppers, and zucchini. Chop it fairly small...think about a chunky salsa. Heat up a stainless steel pan to medium-low a little closer to the low side if you have a gas stove. Add about a teaspoon or two of extra virgin olive oil so that it will lightly coat the veggies. When you start to see color on your zucchini, add the other half of your garlic clove, but make sure that it is minced. You want to get your veggies soft, but not mushy. They need to hold their shape.

3. If you're a superstar, while all of that is on the stove, go ahead with your yogurt sauce. This one is simple. Grab a bowl, toss in your yogurt, add a TON of dill (so it makes your sauce look almost green), add a dash of white pepper, and a little more than a dash of garlic powder, and finish with a good squeeze of fresh lemon juice.

4. Your quinoa should now be cooked. Remove from heat and set aside still covered for 5 minutes. Take your veggies out of the pan too and put them in a bowl. Set aside.

5. Take the same stainless steel pan and heat it up -- this time to medium (gas) or medium-high heat (electric). Add in your olive oil (not extra virgin!!! we need a higher smoke temp). Salt and pepper the rinsed and patted dry salmon. I used coarsely ground pink himalayan salt from TJs and coarsely ground pepper. When your oil is shimmering, put your fish down flesh first. Cook until the fish releases naturally, then flip to the skin side to finish. When you take it out of the pan, let it cool slightly and the skin should be crisp and peel right off.

6. Remove the garlic clove from your quinoa and fluff it. Add some ground black pepper, lemon, feta, and fresh chopped parsley.

7. Time to plate! Put a dollop of your yogurt on the plate and swirl with a spoon until you get a nice circle. Add a mound of quinoa, gently place your salmon on top, and spoon over your "salsa."

Here Fishy Fishy...Cake

Burgers are extra popular in the summer, but not everyone wants to eat meat. So instead, how about a tasty fish cake?

Ingredients:

• 3 tsp unsalted butter, divided 
• 1 tsp olive oil 
• 1 medium uncooked onion(s), minced 
• 2/3 cups panko 
• 1lb (rinsed) white fish such as tilapia, swai, hake, sole (don't use expensive stuff here) 
• 2 large eggs, beaten 
• 1 Tbsp sherry (dry or sweet) 
• 1 tsp salt 
• 1 tsp Dijon Mustard 
• 1 1/2 Tbsp reduced-calorie mayonnaise 
• 1/4 cup(s) fresh parsley, fresh, minced (or a mix of parsley and dill) 

Coat a large skillet with cooking spray; set over medium heat. Melt 2 teaspoons of butter in skillet. Add onion; cook, stirring frequently, until onion turns translucent and start to caramelize, about 5 to 10 minutes. Stir in panko; cook, stirring frequently, until toasted, about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.

In a food processor, grind up fish. Place fish in a large bowl. Add onion mixture, eggs, sherry, salt and mustard; mix well.

Add mayonnaise and parsley; mix well again.

Working with wet hands, form eight 3-inch cakes, about 3/4-inch thick; place on a metal baking sheet, cover and refrigerate for at least an hour to help cakes stick together while cooking.


Coat a very large skillet with cooking spray; set over medium heat. When skillet is heated, melt half of the remaining butter and add 1/2 tsp of olive oil. Place a batch of cakes in skillet in a single layer and cook until golden, about 3 to 4 minutes per side; remove to a serving plate and cover to keep warm (or place in a 200°F oven to keep warm). Repeat with remaining ingredients.

Tested and Approved: Siggi's Skyr

Greek yogurt is all the craze these days, but what people have been overlooking is skyr. What is that you say? It is the traditional yogurt of Iceland that is made by incubating skim milk with live active cultures. This incredibly creamy and satisfying yogurt has 2-3 times the protein count of standard yogurt, which makes it a very healthy choice.

So onto my edible adventure. Josh was a fantastic house-husband this weekend and took it upon himself to go to the grocery store. He returned home with an unfamiliar yogurt -- Siggi's. The packaging was sleek and eco-friendly, which appealed to marketing-Lea and my general concern for the environment. We tried the vanilla flavor and to my surprise when we opened it I saw actual flecks of vanilla bean. Now, when have you seen that recently besides in your ice cream? Another point for Siggi's! The taste was just wonderful, not a hint of artificial flavoring. They actually only use milk from cows that are let out to pasture and are free of growth hormones. Ding ding! Oh yeah, and to sweeten they use agave nectar which has a favorable glycemic profile. Folks we have a winner!

I can't wait to try more of Siggi's products and I recommend you also hop on the bandwagon. Check out their website and read how this skyr came to life.

A Not-so Mat-zo Passover: Recipe 2

Here's a recipe for your last morning of Pesach. You're sick of eggs at this point; you've had them scrambled, fried, hardboiled, on matzoh, next to matzoh, etc. Now it's time to punch up the flavor with every Jew's favorite: lox.

The smokey goodness shines through in this lox dill frittata. Enjoy it with some fruit or even a side salad for a filling (and healthy) lunch.

Ingredients:

• 5 oz lox
• 2 eggs
• 6 egg whites
• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 tbs fresh chopped dill
• 1/2 tsp lemon zest
• 1 garlic clove
• bag of baby spinach
• 1 tsp olive oil
• salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350. Chop spinach and mince garlic.

2. Heat oven-proof skillet to medium-low. Add oil and let warm until shimmering. 

3. Add spinach and garlic and cook until spinach is wilted, adding the dill for the last minute. Remove from pan and press out water.

4. Beat eggs until fluffy with milk. I like to use a milk frother to get it extra fluffy. Add in lemon zest, salt, and pepper.

5. Spray pan with olive oil. Now add in layers, the spinach/garlic, lox and then pour over the egg mixture.

6. Cook without stirring for 4-5 minutes then place in oven and cook until set, about 15 minutes.

7. Slide frittata out and cut like a pizza.

Don't have spinach? Arugula is also a great green for this dish. 

Hope you all had a meaningful Passover. Slavery is still practiced all over the world, and on this day I am thankful to be free enjoying delicious food. Until next time...

A Not-so Mat-zo Passover: Recipe 1

Matzo = constipation. It just does. But goyim love it because it's a "giant cracker!"

No. It's just a giant stomach ache. Here is a Passover recipe to keep things moving. I'll try and do a series this week.

Take that Egyptians!

Roasted Acorn Squash on a Bed of Mashed Purple Potatoes
This recipe is a a do-what-you want kind of thing. I'm just going to give you the ingredients to work with.

• 1 acorn squash or butternut
• 1/2 red onion
• 1/2 bell pepper
• 2 cloves of garlic minced
• crumbled feta
• olive oil
• salt and pepper
• purple potatoes
• butter
• milk
• vegetable stock
• protein (I like seared shrimp for this one...I know...very kosher)

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. In the meantime, cut your squash in half, place on baking dish and drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. When the oven comes to temp, roast for about 25 minutes until it is just tender, but will hold together when you spoon it out.
2. Get a pot of water boiling so that you can make your mashed potatoes. I'm not going to instruct you further on this one, I trust you can handle it!
3. Cut up your pepper and onion and saute it in some olive oil with the garlic. You'll want to go medium low on this one to bring out the sweetness and keep your garlic from burning. **Wait on this step until your squash is almost done**
4. Take your squash out of the oven and let it cool slightly so that you can spoon it out and cut it into chunks.
5. When your pepper/onion mixture is almost soft, add chicken stock so it just barely covers the bottom of the pan. We aren't trying to drown the food here. Cook for a few more minutes and then add the squash.
6. Get a bowl and layer some mashed potatoes, squash mixture, perhaps some seared shrimp or chicken, and finally crumble over some feta.

Split Pea Soup with Hot Dogs

Growing up in a Jewish household generally means you don't chow down on ham. So when my mom would make delicious split pea soup, she'd make it with kosher hot dogs. And that's what I still do today.

Here's my take on the classic:

Ingredients

• 3 large carrots
• 1 medium onion
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• bay leaf
• 2 cloves of garlic minced
• 1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 lb dried split green peas (washed and picked over)
• 4 cups of chicken stock (I like Natures Promise, it's just a little healthier)
• 4 cups of vegetable stock
• 4 reduced fat Hebrew National hot dogs
• salt
• pepper

Directions

1. Dice up the carrots and onions. Heat stock pot to medium-low and add the oil. Dump in your onions, carrots, oregano, salt and pepper. Let cook for about 8 minutes and add the garlic and cook  until the onions are golden and soft.

2. Add the peas, stock, bay leaf, and hot dogs. Cook for about 45 minutes or until the peas breakdown on their own.

3. Remove the hot dogs and cut into small chunks. Add about 1 hot dog worth back to the pot. 

4. Break out the ever-handy immersion blender and go to town until the soup is smooth.

5. Add the rest of the hot dogs, stir and serve.

Toast some bread and cozy up with this soul satisfying soup. Hope you are all staying warm on these cold winter nights!

Mark Bittman is My Hero

We can't be a meat and potatoes society any longer...

Better for You Benedict

Reading Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential was enlightening and frightening all at the same time. His mention of brunch simply being a meal that chefs create using leftover scraps from the week makes me want to just stay at home and cook. Oh yeah, and that delicious fattening hollandaise sauce is a playground for bacteria just sitting beside the stove. So instead of going out to Founding Farmers, which by the way has made a huge slide downhill, I stayed in my kitchen and mastered the poached egg.

Here is my recipe for a healthier, yet oh-so-satisfying eggs benedict:

2 servings

30-45 mins

Ingredients:

• 4 eggs (I like mine brown, organic, and cage free)
• 2 whole wheat english muffins 
• lox a.k.a smoked salmon (Whole Foods sells this little container of pieces that worked out well)
• white vinegar
• heaping tablespoon of lite mayo
• heaping tablespoon of non-fat plain yogurt
• squeeze of lemon
• dash of white pepper
• a few grinds of sea salt
• a small handful of chives, finely sliced
• buttery spread or butter

Put a small pot of water on and bring to a boil. While it is coming to temperature, open up your english muffins and spread a light layer of buttery spread/butter on the tops.

In a small bowl combine: mayo, yogurt, lemon, chives, white pepper, and salt.

Once the water is boiling, turn it down to a simmer and add a dash of white vinegar. Crack your first egg into a small bowl. Then with your spoon start swirling it in the water until you have a little tornado brewing. Drop the egg into the water and cook for about 4 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel. Repeat until all 4 eggs are cooked.

While you are poaching the eggs, you will want to toast your english muffins. I like to do this in a pan or griddle. Start by toasting the bottoms and flip it over onto the top so that both sides are golden. 

Now it's time to assemble! First the english muffin, then your lox, gently place your egg on top , and a sauce drizzle to finish.

Serve and enjoy without the concern of food poisoning...yay!

Butternut Squash Lasagna

Josh: Butternut squash is on sale, should we buy it?
Me: Yes!

A week goes by and that squash is still sitting on my counter begging to be cooked. What should I do with it? Soup...nah, not in the mood, just have it on the side...nope too much for that, lasagna...yes!

And so it began -- the "I'm going to make a lasagna because I have a bunch of stuff in my fridge that I need to use before it goes bad." As most of my recipes go, I didn't measure, you've been warned.

Ingredients:

• 9 sheets of lasagna noodles
• 3/4 container of part skim ricotta
• 1 egg
• 1/2 - 3/4 cup of fresh basil
• half a bag of baby spinach
• 6 or 7 decent sized cremini mushrooms sliced
• butternut squash
• olive oil
• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp flour
• 3 slices or so of prosciutto
• 1 cup 2% milk
• 3/4 - 1 cup of grated parmigiano reggiano (you can use regular parm, this is just what I had)
• white pepper
• ground sage
• ground allspice
• garlic powder

Step 1: Heat oven to 400 and put a large pot of water on to boil the noodles. In the meantime, peel and chop the squash and place it in a 9 x 13 baking dish and coat with olive oil, a sprinkling of sage and allspice over the whole top. Put in oven and cook until soft, tossing often.

Step 2: In a bowl add the ricotta, chopped basil, and the egg. Put this back in the fridge for use later. At this point your water should be at a boil. Add the noodles and cook for 9 minutes. Strain.

Step 3: In a saucepan heat a tsp of olive oil. Roll slices of prosciutto and cut into small pieces. Add prosciutto to oil cooking until crisp. Remove, but leave behind the oil. Melt butter and then whisk in the flour slowly. You will see that it begins to create a sort of paste. Slowly add in the milk while whisking. You do not want this to become lumpy! Add in your parmigiano reggiano and whisk until smooth. Remove from heat. Then add the prosciutto back in and add white pepper and garlic powder to taste.

Step 4: To use less pots, use the same one you cooked the noodles in. Add some olive oil and brown the mushrooms. Dump in the spinach and cook until it is wilted. 

Step 5: Your squash should be soft now. Move it to a bowl and mush it into smaller pieces. 

Step 6: The 9 x 13 pan should still have some olive oil, which you will want to prevent the noodles from sticking. Layer your first three noodles, then add the ricotta mixture, then 3 more noodles, then the mushroom/spinach mixture, then the butternut squash, now sprinkle allspice, garlic powder and sage, layer on the last three noodles, pour and spread the sauce across the top. Place in oven at 350 for 20-30 minutes until cooked through.

Oatmeal Bars to Replace Your Granola Bar Habit

It's back to school time and that means finding snacks for your kids that are affordable and healthy. Granola bars were always a go-to snack for my family, so I decided to create a DIY alternative. These oatmeal bars are filled with nutrients, are super easy to make, and can be adapted to your taste.

You can choose different nuts, fruits, and seeds. I've been enjoying a mixture of walnuts, flax, cranberries and dates. I also add some chocolate chips for sweetness.

Here is a basic list to help you with the proportions:

• 1 1/2 cups rolled oats 
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts 
• 1/2 cup dried fruit 
• 1/4 cup seeds 
• 1/3 cup chocolate chips 
• 1 tsp cinnamon 
• pinch of salt 
• 1 1/4 cups milk 
• 1 egg 
• 1 tsp vanilla 

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Mix dry ingredients in a bowl.
3. Grab a 2-cup measuring cup, add your milk, crack and egg into the cup and add a dash of vanilla.
4. Pour your wet ingredients into the dry. Stir until combined.
5. Pour into a square baking dish lined with parchment paper.
6. Bake for 45 minutes.
7. Cut into 9 squares and wrap for grab-and-go ease. You can store in the fridge, which keeps the chocolate firm. Yum! 

Quinoa Crusted Eggplant Parmigiana

Eggplant Parm has to be one of my favorite guilty pleasures. But who likes feeling guilty? Not me, especially since I get enough Jewish guilt from the women in my family. So the challenge became, making a healthy eggplant parm without it being a soggy mess.

My grandfather has always grown prize eggplants that my bubbe thoughtfully prepares. Growing up I would eat these aubrigene beauties, baked, with a layer of marinara tossed pasta. In my own kitchen I follow this process, which often leads to the sauce soaking in and ruining the fried eggplant crust.

Like many days, I was having a long drive home and dreaming about cooking up something creative. It was in that moment that a light went off -- QUINOA. There was my answer. I would grind it down to a granular flour and then follow my normal steps.

This is what you'll need:

- 1/2 - 1 cup of quinoa ground by either a coffee grinder or mortar and pestle to about a quarter size of the normal quinoa grain (if it's flour consistency you've ground too much and it might not be as crispy)
- 1/4 cup or so of shredded hard cheese like pecorino or parmesan
- seasoning such as garlic powder, oregano, salt, pepper, parsley
- egg whites
- pasta (whole wheat penne is what I use)
- marinara sauce (I whip up my own, but I also like Rinaldi)
- eggplant
- mozzarella
- olive oil spray*

Step 1:
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Cut the eggplant into 1/4 inch thick slices. Place a layer of eggplant in a strainer and sprinkle kosher salt so that it is on each piece. Repeat until all layers are salted.

Step 2:
While the eggplant is sitting in the salt grind the quinoa. Once you have reached the right consistency dump it into a mixing bowl and add the shredded hard cheese and any seasoning you would like. This basically makes a "seasoned quinoa crumb."

Step 3:
Rinse the eggplant thoroughly so that no salt is left behind. Then get another bowl for your egg whites. The amount will vary depending on your eggplant size. I use the pourable ones to make it easy and adjust as I go.

Step 4:
Grab a cookie sheet and spray it with olive oil. Now it's time to bread! One piece at a time, dip each side of the slice in the egg whites, let it drip off some, and then into the quinoa it goes. Now place it on the baking sheet.

Step 5:
Spray the tops of the eggplant and put the sheet in the oven. Bake for 10- 15 minutes and then flip for another 10 minutes or so until both sides are golden brown.

Step 6:
While the eggplant is baking, put some water on to make your pasta. Cook according to package directions and then toss with sauce. Once that is complete, layer it on the bottom of a 13 x 9 baking dish.

Step 7:
Layer the eggplant on top of the pasta, top with sauce and mozzarella. Lower the oven to 350 degrees and bake until the cheese is melted. Let it sit for 5 minutes, cut and enjoy!

*Note: I like using the Misto for the olive oil spray. You pump it by hand and then it makes a mist. This product also allows you to select your own oil, which is awesome.

Lunching on Lentils

So if you didn't know that lentils are delicious and full of nutrients, well you know now.

Based on Self Magazine's nutrition page, one cup of cooked lentils without salt comes out to:

That's great stuff you should be eating. I know Josh and I are going to make a more concerted effort to do so. In fact, this week we made two separate dishes featuring this protein packed legume.

Lentils found their way into my belly in two forms this week: swiss chard rolls with lentils (duh) and brown rice, and a grilled lentil wrap.

While I enjoyed the swiss chard rolls, I didn't perfect it enough to share with you. Instead, we can just cover the wraps which were loosely based off of this recipe.

We left out the brown rice, used spinach, and shredded smoke mozzarella. The schmear was substituted with Stone Wall Kitchen's Hot Pepper Peach Jam.

Feta Watermelon Salad

Want a delicious and easy salad? Throw this together:

Ingredients:

• Watermelon
• Romaine
• Red Onion (sliced thin)
• Cucumber
• Red Bell Pepper
• Feta
• Fresh Mint (just a little)

Dressing:

• Red Wine Vinegar
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Honey
• Salt and Pepper

If it sounds weird to you, just try it. You will be amazed at how excited your tastebuds will be. And if you're trying to lose weight, this is a great outside-the-box healthy recipe. Keeping that weight off is about finding healthy foods that don't bore you.

If You Give a Lea a Cookie...

She will want a dozen more.

While I LOVE all desserts, I am a total cookie monster. When I first started baking in my teens, I had a few specialties. Hands down, my most popular was the chocolate chip cookies from The Joy of Cooking. My dad has a huge sweet tooth and still asks for them to this day.

This Mother's Day, I was in charge of the desserts. So I immediately thought...COOKIES! Everyone loves chocolate chip cookies and there are a trillion recipes out there, many claiming to be "the best." But who wants to keep making the same ones over and over and over? Not me. So instead, I made hazelnut toffee chocolate chip cookies.

Let's just say, the moment I ate the first one I turned blue and fuzzy. Thank goodness the recipe made about four dozen because no one wanted to stop eating these delicious morsels. My counter and kitchen table looked like a sea of cookies -- pre-scooped oven ready on sheets and freshly baked on cooling racks. Absolute heaven.

So here are my tips for this recipe:

• Since you need to put the oatmeal in a food processor, do the nuts in it too after you take the oatmeal out. Then do the toffee in there too. Make it easy on yourself -- no chopping by hand!
• Get a cookie scoop. It will be your best friend, just trust me. Plus each one will be the perfect size, making baking time easier.

General tips:

• Bring your ingredients to room temperature. You have probably heard this before, but it really is the number one rule for baking (with some exceptions). There is no way you can properly cream your butter and sugar without this step. If you are patient and do this, your cookies will be a lot softer and won't get stale as quickly.

C is for _____. Come on, go bake these already!

Palate Pleasing Pizza

Pizza is one of those foods that even when bad, is still good. So why not try and make it at home? The worst you can end up with is good if you consider it to be bad. Do you follow?

What really gets me is how expensive a delivery pizza is, considering the ingredients used. We aren't talking about fontina cheese, truffle oil, and a farm fresh egg on this pie. Just some mediocre pepperoni and mozzarella that is uber processed.

So my dear reader, are you ready to erase that pizza delivery place from your cell? I know you can do it! Now now, I understand that half the beauty of a pizza night is the convenience. I'm not denying that making your own pizza from start to finish will be more work. But I can assure you that you will feel better about what you are eating and maybe you will be a little inspired by all the topping choices. If you're still on the fence, I'll do you a solid and recommend you pick up some pre-made dough. We aren't talking that already cooked stuff, I want you to roll it out yourself. It won't be that hard after it comes to room temperature.

Maybe you are the type of person that doesn't mind whipping up dough. If so, Food and Wine has a bunch of great crust recipes. I've tried several and they all seem to be good. One time I got the perfect bubbles and I was so giddy. Of course, I couldn't remember how I made it, so it hasn't happened again.

Last week Josh and I made one of our favorite at-home pizzas topped with marinara mixed with a little adobo sauce, onion (we normally use red, but only had yellow), smoked mozzarella, sliced garlic, and this time, some sliced red peppers. If I have a couple extra minutes, I often roast the red pepper for a smokier flavor.

This is what I'm talking about people! A pizza like that would cost about $16 in our area and I just used what was leftover in my fridge. Be creative and get some great cheese, your taste buds will thank you.

Check out Mark Bittman's view on homemade pizza for even more inspiration. Ciao!