Callie’s Focaccia Bread

My friend and fellow nutrition student Callie kindly gave me her recipe for focaccia bread. I made it for my family while on vacation (doesn’t everyone pack yeast in their suitcase?) It was a big hit, and I will definitely be making it again. I used fresh herbs from a neighbor’s garden for this batch, but it was my mistake not to compensate for using fresh instead of dried by increasing the amount. But this is a very forgiving recipe, and it will be great with whatever herbs you happen to have on hand.

1 1/2 c. warm water
3 T olive oil (plus additional for drizzling)
1 t honey
1 1/4 t salt
3 1/2 c. flour
1 T instant yeast
1/4 c. freshly grated Parmesan
1 T basil
1 T parsley
1 T oregano
1/2 t dill
1/2 t rosemary
1/2 t garlic powder

Lightly grease a 13″x9″ pan, and drizzle olive oil on the bottom. Combine water, oil, honey, salt, flour, and yeast and beat with an electric mixer at high speed for 1 minute. Scoop the batter into the prepared pan, and let rise at room temperature for 1 hour, until puffy.

Gently poke the dough with your fingers, and drizzle it with olive oil. Sprinkle the herbs and cheese. Bake at 375F for 35-40 minutes. Remove it from the oven, and let cool for 5 minutes before turning the pan onto a rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Avocado Bean Dip on a Salad

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! There are plenty of great foods which are naturally green, but avocados are one of my favorites. As a treat for my Mom who loves to have lunch made for her, I whipped up this avocado bean dip, and placed a big spoonful on a salad of lettuce, cucumbers, shredded carrots, diced tomatoes, and black beans. Unfortunately, the weather on my vacation wasn’t great, so most of my pictures are indoor shots. But it was still a delicious and relaxing lunch!

1 c. black beans
1 ripe avocado
Juice of one lemon
Garlic powder
Salt
Pepper

Blend beans, avocado, and lemon juice in a food processor until almost smooth. Add garlic powder, salt, and pepper to taste.

Nokomis Groves

This year on vacation, my whole family took my nephew for his first visit to Nokomis Groves, a local citrus grove which has been growing oranges and grapefruit for over 60 years. This was really a flimsy excuse for the adults to go enjoy the orange ice cream. You can’t tour the grove itself, but there is a little store with freshly squeezed orange juice, piles and piles of oranges and grapefruit, and yes, their famous ice cream cone which is a classic twist of orange and vanilla.

Plane Food, Take I

Most times during the work week, I have at least two meals packed with me to eat at work, or class, or the library (shhhh). So I figured it wouldn’t be difficult to pack food for a plane trip. Not only would I save some money, but I would start my vacation with healthy momentum.

Preparing food for travel does have a few different logistics though. First, since I was going to be gone for a week, I had made an effort to use up most of my perishable food, so I didn’t have many ingredients on hand. I also wouldn’t have access to a microwave, and then there is that whole liquids rule for airport security. At 11pm the night before my flight, when I was still trying to pack my suitcase, I began to have second thoughts about this plan, but I forged ahead.

By the time I left my house and got to the airport, it was already 8am and past my usual breakfast time, but I figured I’d go through security first. Lesson learned: yogurt is not allowed under the liquids rule. But that meant I could rationalize purchasing a Starbucks latte, and breakfast was finally served at the gate, just prior to my first flight: a banana and almond butter sandwich on a Pepperidge Farm Bagel Thin.

My first flight was an uneventful 3ish hours, and I sipped some water while I smelled this incredibly wonderful herbal tea from the passenger next to me. Lesson learned: bring my favorite tea bags. I did snag a bag of Biscoff cookies though! When I arrived at my interim destination, I took a few laps of the terminal to stretch my legs, check out the bookstore, and purchase a beverage. Soon enough, it was time for lunch: a bulgur and zucchini salad with a Diet Coke, and those amazing little cookies. The zucchini was the last of my fresh produce, so I soaked some bulgur, added the diced zucchini, and tossed it with some olive oil and balsamic.

I got on my second flight, which was also uneventful, and drank more water. While it did require extra effort to bring my food with me, I arrived at my destination feeling great, and ready to begin my vacation. Conveniently, it was happy hour, and my first stop was a wine tasting. More posts coming this week which detail some of my adventures, and of course, new recipes!

Chocolate Souffle Cupcakes with Mint Cream

I won’t hold it against you if you’d like to use St. Patrick’s Day as an excuse to make a dessert that isn’t exactly Irish but still festive. And trust me, these are so good that your family/guests/cupcake beneficiaries won’t be asking too many questions. Except maybe if they can have another one. Although these are flourless cakes, they are not dense like fudge. They have a perfectly light and fluffy texture, and the mint cream adds a sweet touch.


This recipe may look a little complicated, but if you can separate eggs, you can do this. I followed the recipe as instructed, and made an even dozen. Next time though, I’d make a little bit more of the mint cream (to which we added green food coloring for that festive flair.) I would recommend you enlist some help washing the dishes, as you need to clean the beaters three times. Not to mention that you’ll use 3 bowls, 2 pots, and a muffin tin. But it’s worth it, I promise.

Whole Wheat Scones

My grandmother’s Irish Soda bread recipe is a classic which I make almost every year. Last year, I tried these Irish soda muffins, which were good as well. This year, I wanted to make a whole wheat scone, so I tried the Irish currant scone recipe on this page, except that I substituted raisins for currants.

The scones didn’t rise in the oven as much as I expected so the texture was fairly dense, which may be due to the proportion of whole wheat flour. They were also much less sweet than a typical bakery scone, but still a nice treat with a cup of coffee or tea. There are a few other promising scone recipes on the page, so I’ll probably give one of those a try next time.

Colcannon

St. Patrick’s Day is approaching quickly, and while cabbage and potatoes are standard holiday sides, my family wanted to try colcannon which means they asked me to make it “for the blog”. There are many recipes out there, but I used this one which called for simmering milk with garlic and spices, which was then used to mash the potatoes. However, I had to take several shortcuts since the smallish kitchen was crowded trying to cook a full corned beef dinner for 7! So here’s the simplified version, but it was still delicious and also made great leftovers.

1 c. milk
1 T minced garlic
3-4 c. potatoes, boiled
5-6 c. cabbage, boiled

Simmer milk and garlic over low heat for 10 minutes. Mash potatoes with milk, and then stir in cabbage. Season generously with salt and pepper.

Barney Butter

Many food bloggers rave about Barney Butter, and I finally got a sample so I could try it myself. The samples I received were actually the single serving packets, which were very convenient, both for portability and portion control.

But it’s really what’s inside the package that counts, right? The almond butter is very smooth and creamy, and I liked the flavor. It was a nice addition to a weekend pancake. As far as nut butters go, I think I am loyal to peanut, but the almond butter was a good change. However, the packets weren’t as convenient as I thought; it took some kneading and squeezing to really get the product out, so I would be more likely to buy a jar.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Feta and Sun Dried Tomatoes

I tried this version of roasted brussels sprouts last year, but this time I added two new colorful ingredients – feta and sun dried tomatoes. First, I tossed about a dozen brussels sprouts, halved, with some olive oil, salt, and pepper, and roasted them for about 20 minutes at 375F. Then, I added a handful of chopped sun dried tomatoes and a quarter cup of feta cheese, and baked them for another 10-15 minutes.

I ate the first half of them hot from the oven, and they were great. I ate the second half of them the following day, chilled, and they were good that way too. This winter’s rule is “When in doubt, roast your vegetables!”

Sweet and Sour Lentils

Almost everyone I know is trying to save money for one reason or another. Food is expensive, but it is so much more economical and healthy to cook your own meals, and I was happy to stumble upon a new source of frugal recipes, $5 Dinners. The author posts recipes which feed her family of four for less than $5. She definitely relies on coupons and sales to keep her food costs low, but also has some innovative food ideas.

The first recipe I tried was Sweet and Sour Lentils, and the combination of lentils, brown rice, and zucchini is both nutritious and economical. I liked this dish a lot, and it was a very simple but filling meal. My lentils needed to cook for closer to 30 minutes, but otherwise the recipe worked out well.

I don’t make my food decisions purely on the basis of cost; I am willing to pay more for ingredients which are either healthier or kinder to the environment. However, I share the sentiment that using real food to make balanced meals saves money.