A break from the blog

I am sorry I've been away from the blog lately, and I hate to tell you this, but it's going to be quite a while longer until I post some recipes.
I have to abandon this hobby for a few weeks. Check back in mid-March for new posts!
Nicole

The snow stole my motivation!

I realize this is the longest I've gone without posting since starting the blog in August. I disappeared for a little while for a couple of reasons -- the main one being the fact that we got 14 inches of snow dumped on us the other night!
I felt stranded, didn't get out for a couple of days, and survived on leftovers and recipes you've already seen here. Nothing great for the blog.
So, expect a couple new recipes in the coming days. Sorry for the delay!

Eggplant parmesan

Eggplant parmesan usually requires a very short shopping list, which is one reason I like to make it. All you really need to get is the eggplant and breadcrumbs; the rest of the stuff you probably already have in the house -- noodles, eggs, tomato sauce, oil. Even the dried herbs are optional. This will taste just as good with breadcrumbs seasoned only with salt and pepper.

Eggplant parmesan (serves 4)

1 medium eggplant, sliced in 1/4-inch-thick slices

8 ounces spelt noodles (or your favorite pasta), cooked

2 egg whites, beaten with a fork

1/4 teaspoon garlic granules

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried parsley

salt and black pepper, to taste

a 25-ounce jar of marinara sauce

1 cup of whole wheat breadcrumbs

enough olive oil to fill a pan 1/8-inch deep with oil a few times

1/2 cup shredded parmesan (ground parm will also do)

1.) Sprinkle salt over the eggplant slices and let them drain on paper towels for 20 minutes or so.

2.) Put the egg whites in one small bowl, and toss the breadcrumbs with pepper, garlic, oregano, and parsley in another wide bowl.

3.) Heat some oil over medium-high heat in a nonstick pan. Dip one eggplant slice at a time into the egg whites, then into the breadcrumb mixture, coating completely.

4.) Fry the eggplant in the oil, about 2 minutes a side, until golden brown on each side. Drain on paper towels after sprinkling with a little more salt.

5.) Put the cooked noodles on the bottom of a baking dish. Spread marinara over them. Top with eggplant slices. Sprinkle the parmesan over the eggplant evenly.

6.) Bake in a 350-degree oven for 30 minutes, or until heated through.

Love garlic? This dressing is for you!

This salad dressing is for big-time garlic lovers. I'm a serious garlic lover, for sure.

I found the recipe in a cookbook called "Barbecued," by Peter Howard. He says you can grill or roast the garlic, and because it's about 20 degrees today, I chose to use the oven.

I love love LOVE this dressing! And it will keep for about two weeks in the refrigerator.

Garlic dressing (makes about 1-1/2 cups)

30 cloves roasted garlic (I tossed them, unpeeled, with olive oil and roasted them for about 25 minutes at 350 degrees)

1 cup olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon white sugar

2 tablespoons sherry vinegar

1.) Put all ingredients except vinegar into a food process and process until smooth.

2.) Slowly add the vinegar through the feed chute while the motor is running.

Today's food fact: An October 2007 New York Times article says researchers are looking into the benefits of eating garlic.

"In the latest study, performed at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, researchers extracted juice from supermarket garlic and added small amounts to human red blood cells. The cells immediately began emitting hydrogen sulfide, the scientists found," the article reads.

"The power to boost hydrogen sulfide production may help explain why a garlic-rich diet appears to protect against various cancers, including breast, prostate and colon cancer, say the study authors. Higher hydrogen sulfide might also protect the heart, according to other experts. Although garlic has not consistently been shown to lower cholesterol levels, researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine earlier this year found that injecting hydrogen sulfide into mice almost completely prevented the damage to heart muscle caused by a heart attack."

Coming up: I have a delicious eggplant parmesan recipe I'll be posting, as well as that chestnut puree I mentioned a couple weeks ago.

Quinoa salad

This salad is a little spicy -- though you can make it super spicy, of course -- and it's packed full of healthful ingredients. You can enjoy it as a side dish, but it also makes a very satisfying meatless main dish.

Lots of people wonder what quinoa is. It has a slightly nutty flavor, it's got more protein than other grains (although it's technically a seed), and it can be used as a substitute for rice in most dishes. Check out this NPR link for a thorough explanation.

Spicy quinoa salad (makes about 8 side servings)

3 cups cooked quinoa, chilled

3/4 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained

3/4 cup cooked edamame, chilled

1 medium zucchini, steamed, diced, and chilled

1 cup cooked corn, chilled

1/4 red onion, minced

1/4 sweet potato, steamed, diced, and chilled

chipotle sauce, to taste (I use about 12-15 shakes of chipotle-flavored Tabasco)

salt and pepper, to taste

1.) Toss all ingredients together in a large bowl.

2.) Refrigerate at least 4 hours, then taste for seasonings, adjust seasoning if necessary, and toss again.

Food fact: According to a 2005 article in the UK's Daily Mail's Mail Online, eating certain spicy foods has its benefits. One major one? It can fight cancer.

"Vegetables such as broccoli and spices like red chilli pepper could be used to combat cancer, researchers have said," reads the article.

"Scientists believe the foods may have a cancer-fighting benefit by slowing or preventing the growth of cancerous tumour cells." To read the whole article, click here.

Today's question: What's your favorite spicy food?

Easy beef & bean tortillas

My Mexican dishes really don't photograph well. But they taste good, I promise!

This is another staple in our house, although usually we leave out the beef. We were in the mood for extra protein today, and ground beef sounded good.

I used two different salsas on this: On one half of the casserole dish, I used medium plain salsa, and on the other side, I used pineapple salsa. You can also pass the hot sauce and sliced jalapenos on the side, too.

Beef and bean tortillas (makes 4-6 servings)

1 pound ground beef

1 cup salsa

1-1/2 cups dried refried beans

4 ounces shredded cheddar or chihuahua cheese

salt and pepper, to taste

12 small corn tortillas (6-inchers)

boiling water, about 2 cups

1 tablespoon olive oil

store-bought mole sauce

fresh chopped cilantro and sliced avocado to garnish

1.) Put dried beans in a bowl, and slowly add enough boiling water to cover them. Stir, and let them sit about 10 minutes. Stir again, and let them sit while you prepare the beef.

2.) In a skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add the beef and cook until browned, stirring frequently. You might have to lower the heat to medium as it gets hotter.

3.) Drain the beef (I use a strainer), sprinkle with salt and pepper, and set aside.

4.) One by one, put about 2 tablespoons beans, 2 tablespoons meat, and a little cheese in the center of each tortilla. Roll them up and line them up in a casserole dish or other pan. Mine tend to break as I roll them, but that's OK for this dish.

5.) Sprinkle the remaining beef over the top of the tortillas. Spread the salsa over that. Cover with a lid or foil.

6.) Bake at 350 for a half-hour, or until heated through. While this cools slightly, prepare your mole sauce according to directions.

7.) Serve these with the mole sauce on the side, as well as chopped cilantro and sliced avocado.

Red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting

I found several recipes on the Web for red velvet cake -- which I made for my friend Courtney, in celebration of her master's degree completion (hooray!). It was a little confusing because some of them used yellow cake mix, while others used cocoa, both of course with red food coloring for the rich color.

I wanted to make this completely homemade, so I opted for the cocoa version. It seemed like the most authentic to me, as well, based on this history of the cake's southern origins.

It turned out great, and it was fun to watch the batter turn blood-red. The recipe came from About.com.

The frosting was HEAVENLY! Not so sickly sweet like the store-bought kind. It's a recipe I'm sure I'll use again. It's from Joy of Baking.

Next time I make this, I'll get a better photo. This was taken at The Irish Lion, and I had to use the flash, so it looks bright red. It's actually a medium red, not bright at all.

Red velvet cake (makes 1 double-layer 9-inch cake)
1/2 cup shortening
1-1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 tablespoons cocoa
1-1/2 ounces red food coloring (I used 1 ounce because that was the bottle size)
1 teaspoon salt
2-1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon soda
1 tablespoon white vinegar

1.) Cream shortening, then slowly add sugar. Beat in eggs, one at a time, mixing well with each addition.

2.) Make a paste using the cocoa and food coloring. Add this to the batter.

3.) Add salt, flour, and vanilla alternately with the buttermilk. (i.e. Add a little of the salt, then a little buttermilk, then a little flour, then a little buttermilk, then a little vanilla, a little buttermilk, etc.; that's how I interpreted those directions.)

4.) In a small separate bowl, sprinkle the soda over the vinegar. It will bubble. Sprinkle on top of the batter, and stir until combined.

5.) Spread the batter into two 9-inch cake pans, and bake at 350 degrees for a half-hour.

6.) Cool completely before icing with your favorite cream-cheese frosting; try the one below if you're feeling adventurous. It's got mascarpone cheese, heavy cream, and cream cheese -- wow! I recommend putting the cakes, wrapped in plastic wrap, in the freezer for a couple hours before frosting. This will allow the cake to be sliced later without crumbling apart, because it will seal in moisture.

Cream cheese frosting
1-1/2 cups heavy cream
8 ounces mascarpone (Italian cream cheese), at room temperature
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
3/4 teaspoon vanilla

1.) Cream together the mascarpone and cream cheese until smooth.

2.) Add powdered sugar and vanilla, and beat until well combined.

3.) Beat heavy cream in a separate bowl until stiff. First fold just a little into the cheese mixture with a spatula, then fold the rest into it in two phases.

4.) Cool in the refrigerator for at least an hour, until firm enough to frost cake.