Archives for February 2013

Better Than Tagalongs (or Peanut Butter Patties)

February 8, 2013 by Erica

Better Than Tagalongs (or Peanut Butter Patties) | coffeeandquinoa.com

You guyssss. It’s coming up on that time of year again. The time that we all look forward to, without wanting to admit we’re looking forward to it.

Girl Scout cookie time!!!!

Better Than Tagalongs (or Peanut Butter Patties) | coffeeandquinoa.com

Except this year I couldn’t wait.

And that’s how I made this dangerous discovery: That you can have homemade Girl Scout cookies year round.

Better Than Tagalongs (or Peanut Butter Patties) | coffeeandquinoa.com

I blame this on my friend Jacquey.

Jacquey brought these over a few weeks ago when we were watching The Bachelor. I assume she was doing the same thing I do when I bring treats into work – getting them out of her house so she wouldn’t eat them all. Maybe not. Jacquey is fabulous, has lots of self control, and would probably never eat a cookie with her breakfast just because it was there.

Better Than Tagalongs (or Peanut Butter Patties) | coffeeandquinoa.com

Anyway, it worked. I ate them all instead. Then I made several more batches, and ate those too. Thanks a lot, Jacquelyn.

These are like crack to me. They are just like tagalongs/peanut butter patties, but better. Better because they are bigger… they basically have twice as much of everything in one cookie.

Better Than Tagalongs (or Peanut Butter Patties) } coffeeandquinoa.com

Side note: Did you call these tagalongs or peanut butter patties growing up? They were definitely peanut butter patties in New England, but I’m now smack in the middle of tagalong country. That was pretty weird for me last year when I went to buy Girl Scout cookies here for the first time, but I think I’m OK with it now. A rose by any other name…

Well, whatever you call these, they have always been my faaaavorite Girl Scout cookie. Sure, I like thin mints. I might even make some of those soon. But the peanut butter patty, despite its unsexy name, just can’t be beat for me. Thinking back to my childhood Girl Scout cookie obsession, the only bummer was that there were so few peanut butter patties in a box. Remember that?! Thin mints came in sleeves of like 18, with multiple sleeves per box, and I’m pretty sure that each box of peanut butter patties only contained 12. Same price. So unfair. The thin mint was definitely the best bang for your buck.

Better Than Tagalongs (or Peanut Butter Patties) } coffeeandquinoa.com

Once again… enter the homemade peanut butter patty. No more feeling like you should have bought thin mints so you could get 3x as many cookies. Now you just need an extra jar of peanut butter and you are good. to. go.

Better Than Tagalongs (or Peanut Butter Patties) } coffeeandquinoa.com

These cookies, believe it or not, are super easy to make, and have only 3 ingredients (plus an optional garnish). But it’s worth saying a few words about the ingredients you use here:

Think like you were Brownie age again, instead of the incredible health-conscious home chef you are today. That means no homemade gluten-free crackers, no all-natural peanut butter, no high-quality dark chocolate. Straight up Ritz crackers, Skippy, and chocolate bark.

Better Than Tagalongs (or Peanut Butter Patties) } coffeeandquinoa.com

Embrace it. They are better this way, trust me.

I made two other versions of these, one with milk chocolate chips and one with dark chocolate. They didn’t even come close to the chocolate bark version. Chocolate bark doesn’t taste great when it’s melted (it’s very sweet), but once it’s hardened, it’s really what makes these taste like Girl Scout Cookies and not just chocolate peanut butter Ritz crackers.

If you’ve never heard of chocolate bark before (umm, I hadn’t), it is just a big chocolate slab that you can probably find in the baking aisle at your grocery store for $1.99. As far as I can tell, it’s just melted-down scraps from other chocolates. It also seems to have a pretty high fat content, because it stays nice and melty while you’re dipping these peanut butter Ritz sandwiches in it, which I found was not the case with chocolate chips. But if you’d rather use chocolate chips, dark chocolate, etc., I might suggest adding a bit of butter or coconut oil to it if you have trouble with the dipping.

Better Than Tagalongs (or Peanut Butter Patties) | coffeeandquinoa.com

Just look at that little tin of heaven… I really can’t emphasize enough how good these are. I thought I liked Girl Scout cookies… until I had these. I may never spend $4 on 12 peanut butter patties again.

Better Than Tagalongs (or Peanut Butter Patties) | coffeeandquinoa.com

Last but not least, I need to give a birthday shout-out to my little sister Alban, who is 19 today! Happy birthday sister! Hope you are having a wonderful start to your birthday, and that it includes real-life sweets :)

That’s all for today, folks! Happy Friday – have a great weekend!

Better Than Tagalongs (or Peanut Butter Patties) | coffeeandquinoa.com

Better Than Tagalongs (or Peanut Butter Patties)

Makes 20 cookies

Ingredients:

4o Ritz crackers

3/4 cup smooth peanut butter (I used Skippy)

8 oz. chocolate bark

sprinkles, sea salt, chopped roasted peanuts, etc. for garnish (optional)

Instructions:

First, make peanut butter and Ritz sandwiches, using almost 2 tsp of peanut butter in each sandwich.

Melt chocolate bark in the microwave in 30-second increments, stirring between each.

Dip each peanut butter Ritz sandwich in chocolate, coating completely. I like to use a fork to turn the sandwich over a few times and make sure it’s totally covered in chocolate before removing it.

Set chocolate-covered cookies on a baking sheet. (Unlined is fine.) If desired, garnish with sprinkles, sea salt, or crushed peanuts.

Place in the freezer for 10-15 minutes to firm up. Once firm, store in an airtight container at room temperature. You can also keep them in the fridge, but bring to room temperature before serving. Will keep for several days.

Time:

30 minutes

Grilled Portobellos with Meyer Lemon Pesto and Spinach

February 6, 2013 by Erica

Grilled Portobellos with Meyer Lemon Pesto and Spinach | coffeeandquinoa.com

Monday was all about cake. Not to give it away, but Friday is going to be all about cookies. And unlike Monday’s cake, Friday’s cookies contain absolutely zero vegetables. So let’s try to squeeze in some green stuff in the meantime, shall we?

Grilled Portobellos with Meyer Lemon Pesto and Spinach | coffeeandquinoa.com

Look at all that spinach! I feel healthier already.

I don’t know about you, but I tend to do a lot of baking on the weekends. It’s what Nate calls my “wake and bake” (hah) – scones, cakes, muffins, etc. If we haven’t destroyed all the sweets by the time Sunday night rolls around, I try to bring them into work and pawn them off on my unsuspecting co-workers on Monday morning. They think I’m being generous, but really I’m just trying to get all the butter and sugar out of my house before I go back for more. By mid-week, I’m (hopefully) back to my healthy weekday routine of veggies, gym, and yoga.

And that’s where these portobellos come in! Last summer I discovered the portobello/pesto combination and fell in love. And while I eagerly await summertime basil (like, reeeeally eagerly), I figured I’d make a different but equally tasty citrus pesto.

Grilled Portobellos with Meyer Lemon Pesto and Spinach | coffeeandquinoa.com

This was my first time using meyer lemons! My regular grocery store doesn’t have them, so I trudged out in a snowstorm the other day to pick some up from another nearby store. And I’ve have to say it was worth it! They are so pretty.

Grilled Portobellos with Meyer Lemon Pesto and Spinach | coffeeandquinoa.com

If you can’t find meyer lemons, you could use a regular lemon here. Because the rind is much thicker, though, I would probably suggest using only the juice and zest, instead of tossing whole chunks of regular lemon in.

For this dish, I spread a layer of lemon pesto on top of the grilled portobello, then topped with spinach and a sprinkling of parmesan and pine nuts. You could also add a quinoa layer (or combine it with the spinach) for a more filling dish. I haven’t tried it, but I’m sure it would be delicious!

Grilled Portobellos with Meyer Lemon Pesto and Spinach | coffeeandquinoa.com

Grilled Portobellos with Meyer Lemon Pesto and Spinach

Serves 2 as an entree or 4 as a side

Ingredients:

For the meyer lemon pesto:

1 meyer lemon

1 small clove garlic

1 Tbsp olive oil

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/4 cup pine nuts

1/2 tsp honey

sprinkle of salt and pepper

For the grilled portobellos:

4 portobello mushrooms

olive oil

salt and pepper

2 small cloves garlic

10 oz. fresh spinach leaves

handful of toasted pine nuts

sprinkle of grated parmesan cheese

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375. Break the stems off the portobello caps, and clean each cap with a damp paper towel. I prefer to leave the gills in, but you can scrape them out if you wish. Brush both sides lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 25 minutes with the gills facing up, then turn gills face down for another 5 minutes.

While the mushrooms are cooking, make the pesto. If using a meyer lemon, cut it into chunks and remove the seeds, then toss the entire chunks into the food processor. (If using a regular lemon, add only the zest and juice of the lemon to the food processor.) Blend with the rest of the pesto ingredients, scraping the sides with a spatula occasionally, until smooth.

Heat a large pan over medium heat. Add a tiny drizzle of olive oil. Once hot, saute the garlic for 30 seconds to a minute. Add the spinach, a few handfuls at a time, and saute until wilted and bright green.

To assemble, spread a layer of lemon pesto inside each mushroom. Pile 1/4 of the spinach into the mushroom cap and top with a sprinkle of extra parmesan and pine nuts.

Enjoy!

Time:

35 minutes

Red Velvet Beet Cake with Raspberry Cream Cheese Frosting

February 4, 2013 by Erica

Yes, it tastes like beets.

Had to get that out of the way.

On Saturday I mentioned that I had pinned many beet cake recipes in preparation for a post this week. Well, here it is! A bright red cake filled with roasted and pureed beets. Yum?

If you don’t like beets, I’m not sure if you’ll like this, to be honest. You can taste them, although if you didn’t know they were there, you might not guess it. If you’re OK with beets, though, you will absolutely love this cake, if for no other reason than the fun color.

In general, I’m not a huge fan of “secret ingredients” (a.k.a. hiding vegetables in things), but the beets aren’t hidden here. Boom, there they are! You can taste their earthy flavor and you can deeeefinitely see them right in front of your nose.

Can you believe there’s not a drop of food coloring in this whole cake?

We all know I’m obsessed with colorful food, so I just can’t get over this bright red batter. So beautiful! And perfect for a certain romantic holiday coming up.

And then there are the raspberries that make the frosting such a nice girly pink. Actually, these photos don’t even do the frosting justice. It was even pinker than this!

I made this cake on a snowy day, and learned the hard way that pink frosting is the most difficult thing EVER to photograph. Low blue light + reflective Barbie-pink surfaces = photography nightmare. Sigh. It tastes good, I promise.

Speaking of Barbie… I made this cake with Valentine’s Day in mind, but I can’t help but think that it would be adorable for a little girl’s birthday party. Or a big girl’s birthday party! As long as that girl loves pink.

So what do you think… will you allow some vegetables in your cake? I think these beets are pretty enough that they can get away with practically anything.

Red Velvet Beet Cake with Raspberry Cream Cheese Frosting

Hands-on time

45 mins

Cook time

2 hours

Total time

2 hours 45 mins

This red velvet cake has a secret ingredient: beets! Topped with raspberry cream cheese frosting, it is bright pink from tip to toe.

Author: Erica

Yields: 1 cake, serves about 16

Ingredients

For the red velvet beet cake:

3 medium-sized beets
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature, divided
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
3 eggs, at room temperature
3 oz. dark chocolate (I used Ghirardelli’s 60%)
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ cup maple syrup
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp kosher salt
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp nutmeg

For the raspberry cream cheese frosting:

12 oz frozen raspberries
juice of ½ a lemon (about 2 Tbsp)
8 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar

For garnish (optional):

fresh raspberries

Instructions

First, roast and peel the beets. This is my preferred method. Then roughly chop the beets and puree them in a food processor until smooth. You should have about 1 cup of beet puree. Set aside. (This can also be done ahead of time.)
Preheat oven to 375. Grease and flour a bundt pan (or any cake pan of your choice).
In a large bowl, beat together 3/4 cup of the butter with the brown sugar. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Melt the chocolate with the remaining butter in the microwave in 30-second increments. Beat the melted chocolate mixture, vanilla extract, maple syrup, and beet puree into the butter/sugar/egg mixture, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
In a separate bowl, sift together the flours, baking soda, salt, and spices. Dump into the wet ingredients and mix until thoroughly combined. Pour into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs. This took me about 40 minutes, but the original recipe says 60-70. The baking time will vary depending on which type of pan you use, so I would suggest starting to check at 40 minutes.
Cool completely in pan on a wire rack. After cooling, you can frost the cake immediately or wrap it in plastic and refrigerate it for up to 2 days before continuing.
While cake cools, make the raspberry cream cheese frosting. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the frozen raspberries and lemon juice. Bring to a boil and allow to simmer for 10-15 minutes, until the raspberries have broken down. Pour through a mesh strainer into a small bowl and cool completely. This should yield between 3/4 and 1 cup raspberry sauce.
Cream together the cream cheese and butter. Sift in the powdered sugar and beat until incorporated. Beat in the raspberry sauce. You can choose to use as much of the sauce as you want for a frosting anywhere from subtle to shocking pink!
Pour frosting over cooled cake and garnish with fresh raspberries.
The cake will keep covered for several days in the fridge. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Notes

Adapted from Straight from the Farm and Verve & Sass.

Healthy Super Bowl Food

February 2, 2013 by Erica

Healthy Super Bowl Food | coffeeandquinoa.com

So, it occurs to me that you may be looking for something tasty to bring to a Super Bowl party tomorrow.

And that maybe you left it to the last minute.

And that maybe you and I have that in common.

I’ve posted a bunch of football appetizers on this blog lately, just none this week because… let’s face it, I’m already over the Super Bowl. I’m pretty much the ultimate fair weather Pats fan, and as soon as they were out, I was, too.

I’ll be in it for the commercials tomorrow, and of course the food… so let me share a few suggestions. These appetizers will make you more than welcome at anyone’s house this Sunday!

Buffalo Brussels Potato Skins with Lightened Up Blue Cheese Dressing – My favorite appetizer of all time, and they even have green stuff hidden in there. Oh my goodness. This is an awesome veggie alternative to wings.

Healthy Super Bowl Food | coffeeandquinoa.com

Healthy Leek and Gruyere Sweet Potato Skins – If you prefer sweet potatoes, these are totally for you. You can use sharp cheddar instead of the gruyere so they won’t be stinky!

Healthy Super Bowl Food | coffeeandquinoa.com

Chipotle Black Bean Dip – One of my favorite healthy dips, and super easy to throw together.

Healthy Super Bowl Food | coffeeandquinoa.com

Extra Creamy Hummus – This is also super fast to whip up a batch of, and is perfect if you want something healthy to munch on.

Healthy Super Bowl Food | coffeeandquinoa.com

Simple Guacamole – Everyone likes guacamole.

Healthy Super Bowl Food | coffeeandquinoa.com

And if you’re hosting the party, here are a few suggestions for easy dinners to make:

Vegan Three-Bean Chili – You can double the recipe to make an enormous pot of this. No one will go home hungry!

Healthy Super Bowl Food | coffeeandquinoa.com

Roasted Red Pepper, Mushroom, and Caramelized Onion Pizza – OK, so the pictures aren’t the best, but this is seriously delicious. Top with the cheese of your choice!

Healthy Super Bowl Food | coffeeandquinoa.com

Chickpea Tacos with Guacamole – And finally, my most-pinned recipe recently. You won’t believe how quick these tacos are to make, and they’re a great healthy alternative to meaty tacos with cheese and sour cream.

Healthy Super Bowl Food | coffeeandquinoa.com

Can I put in a shameless plug here for you to like Coffee & Quinoa on Facebook? That way, when I post an urgent plea for someone else to wash my dishes, you can be notified immediately. I KNOW, right?! Also, Pinterest, because then we can play a fun game called “what is Erica going to blog about next week?” It’s usually pretty obvious what’s on my mind when I pin five beet cake recipes in a row (hint hint). And if you’d rather spend Sunday ignoring the Super Bowl and repinning baked good recipes… well, I’m right there with ya!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Celery Root Soup

February 1, 2013 by Erica

Celery Root Soup | coffeeandquinoa.com

Do you ever feel like the universe is trying to tell you something… and it’s about food?

Without warning, everywhere you look, you start seeing a certain ingredient. It’s on Facebook. It appears at the grocery store. It shows up on your favorite blogs. Co-workers start mentioning what they’ve made with it. Finally, although you had never even heard of it before a few weeks ago, you decide that you just can’t ignore its presence any longer and have to make a weekend project out of cooking with it.

Does that ever happen to you? No?

Well, it’s exactly what happened with me and this weird-ass root.

Celery Root Soup | coffeeandquinoa.com

Just look at this thing. I mean, there’s a reason it’s never made it onto my cutting board before this. Never mind the fact that I didn’t even know it existed.

But based on all the signs the universe has been sending me, the celery root and I are destined to be together.

So finally I went out and bought one. This was quite easy because, as I mentioned, my grocery store is displaying them prominently. But then the question remained: what do you do with this thing?

Celery Root Soup | coffeeandquinoa.com

Turns out, you put it in a soup.

Well actually, first you hack it to pieces.

Celery Root Soup | coffeeandquinoa.com

But then you put it in a soup. And drizzle it with truffle oil. And dip crusty hunks of bread in it. (Why did I not get some bread for these pictures? Food blogging lesson learned.) And then you get that comfy cozy feeling that comes from being warmed from the inside out.

Celery Root Soup | coffeeandquinoa.com

So maybe the celery root and I are destined to be together.

And maybe you two are destined for each other, too. Don’t worry, there’s enough to go around.

Celery Root Soup | coffeeandquinoa.com

If you haven’t met this soulmate of a root vegetable yet, let me tell you what to expect. Not surprisingly, it tastes like celery! Well, like that but more flavorful, and maybe a little more peppery. It has a texture close to a potato, but not as starchy. It has the same creaminess, but with an added delicious flavor. Overall, it has everything I could want in a wintertime soup. I liked this much more than any potato leek soup I’ve ever tried, and I can definitely imagine making a vegetable soup or stew with chunks of celery root in it.

So… you and the celery root. Together forever.

Consider this your sign from the universe.

Celery Root Soup | coffeeandquinoa.com

Celery Root Soup

Adapted from David Lebovitz

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp butter or margarine
2 Tbsp olive oil
3 leeks, cleaned and chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
kosher salt to taste
4 lbs celery root (I used 1 large plus 1 small)
5 cups vegetable stock made without tomatoes, such as Whole Foods 365 (or chicken stock)
2 cups water (reduce to 1 cup for a thicker soup)
1 1/2 tsp black pepper
scant 1/8 tsp chile powder
truffle oil or olive oil for serving (optional)

Instructions:

First of all, peel and chop the celery root. Here is a tutorial from The Kitchn on how to peel a celery root. It’s really not as hard as you think it will be. Once you’ve got that done, you can move on to the next step! My 4 lbs of celery root turned into about 7 cups when chopped.

Melt the butter and olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Once hot, add leeks and saute for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Do not let the leeks brown at all; turn down the heat if they start to. Add the garlic cloves and a pinch of salt and continuing sauteing until both the leeks and garlic are soft and translucent, another few minutes.

Add the celery root, vegetable stock, and water. Cover, bring to a boil, and then reduce to what David Lebovitz calls a “strong simmer.” Simmer until the celery root is tender. (A fork should slide easily to the center of a cube when pierced.) This will depend on the size of your cubes, but took me about 25 minutes.

Once celery root is tender, add the pepper and chili powder. Puree using an immersion blender (or in batches in a regular blender) until the soup is smooth with no remaining chunks. Add more salt as desired.

Serve hot with a drizzle of truffle or olive oil and a side of rustic bread.

Enjoy!

Time:

45 minutes to an hour

Archives for February 2013

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