Acai Bowls

We have been blessed to live in some delicious places. We fell in love with Lowcountry Boil and Shrimp n' Grits when we lived in Charleston, SC. We fell in love with the most deliciously fresh farmers market produce year round while we lived in Monterey, CA. We fell in love with Kalua Pork, Mac Nut Pancakes, Fried Rice Omlettes, and Acai Bowls when we lived in Hawaii. I am constantly craving dishes from places we once lived that take me back to sweet memories. 

Acai bowls are one of my more frequent cravings and for some unfathomable reason they are not available at most smoothie places on the mainland. We discovered one awesome crunchy smoothie joint in Santa Barbara a couple of years ago that I insist we go out of our way to get back to whenever passing by Santa Barbara. Anyway, it's been a long time coming, but I finally learned to make them myself after discovering that Whole Foods carries frozen packets of acai puree, an ingredient difficult to come by most places. So last week I went on a pilgrimage to Whole Foods which involved driving to another state, but I came home with an insulated bag full of frozen acai packets and a bag full of 10 pomegranates {because for some reason the stores near us feel like once Christmas is over we don't need pomegranates anymore- false!}. 

Without further ado... here is how I concocted my delicious acai bowl:

Blend the following:

Frozen acai packet broken into pieces

1/3 cup frozen strawberries

1/3 cup frozen blackberries

1/2 banana

2/3 cup apple cider (could use apple juice)

Top with:

granola (see my homemade recipe here)

coconut flakes

banana slices

honey

This was so good! Tasted just like I remember except for the nuttiness of the granola I used, which was still good. This is what I crave most post-workout so I am thrilled to now be able to make it. Hope you enjoy it too if you try it out, which I highly recommend!

Granola

Every week I pick at least one or two things to try in the kitchen. I love to cook when I have the time {preferably without a child trying to scale my leg} and I love trying new and different things in the kitchen. In fact, the highlight of my week was sitting on the kitchen floor watching pita bread bake. The way it goes from a flat sheet of dough to a puffy pocket feels just like a mesmerizing magic show. I made it... but I don't know why it puffs with a perfect little pocket like that... and that is just so interesting and fun to me. Not to mention, delicious!

Today however, was for granola. I have never found a store-bought granola that I like and the ones I've bought at farmers markets are so expensive and I always either feel like they are too sweet or are missing something. So I looked up a bunch of granola recipes and still not satisfied with anything I found, I mixed and matched from different recipes and from what I know I like in my granola, and made up my own mix. It turned out delicious, which is a good thing because it made a TON so we will be eating this for awhile, like it or not!

So here is my favorite {i.e. "only"} granola recipe:

6 cups rolled oats
2 cups wheat germ
1 cup sunflower seeds (out of shells)
1 cup sliced almonds
1.5 cups finely chopped pecans
2.5 cups coconut flakes

Mix in a large bowl

1.5 tsp salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup honey
3/4 cup canola oil
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1 Tbsp vanilla extract

Combine in a small saucepan and heat to a boil. Remove from heat, pour over oat mixture and mix well. Spread mix on 2 large cookie sheets and bake at 350 degrees 20 minutes until browned stirring after 10 minutes. Let cool and store in an air tight container.

Add 2 cups of craisins if you like. I like the craisins if I'm eating this like cereal or with greek yogurt, but I don't want them when I use this to top smoothies or acai bowls {which is the whole reason I decided to make this today- I have a craving for an acai bowl!} so I leave out the craisins initially and just add them to individual servings if I want them.

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Since I know you're all dying to make pita bread now too after my ravings about the culinary magic, you can find that recipe here. 

Baking Up A Little Love

 My little man loves to help me in the kitchen. He sits on a stool at the counter and measures and mixes and cheers me on. So I had him do most of the work baking these Valentine's cookies for his daddy.  They are a family recipe that we make every year.

A little sugar

Lanie Kate supervising

Taste testing

The Finished Product

I am truly blessed to have so much love in my life on Valentines Day and every other day. 

I hope you all felt very loved too!

Basic Hummus

Our family loves hummus! It's delicious, it's healthy, and it's one of the few proteins my toddler actually loves.  Most of us prefer to eat it as a dip with warm pita bread or veggies, but Q prefers to eat it by the spoonful {or fistful...}. Over time I've adapted a combination of recipes that our family loves. I just made a big batch the other day and served it at a small group meeting and later took some on a picnic with friends and it got rave reviews all around {even from one hummus-hater}. So, I'm sharing the super simple recipe if any of you want to try it out.  It makes a lot, so feel free to halve it, but we always go through it in a matter of days anyway.

2 cans garbanzo beans {chickpeas}, about half of the liquid drained

6 Tbsp lemon juice

1/4 cup tahini {sesame paste}

4 cloves of garlic, peeled

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cumin 

1/4 cup+ olive oil (I start with a 1/4c and add more until it's how I like it...)

Toss everything into a food processor and process until smooth. 

Seriously, how easy is that?!

You can use more or less of the liquid in the cans of garbanzo beans depending on the consistency you prefer. You could also use more or less olive oil (I think it makes it smoother). You can pretty much use more or less of anything depending on your tastes, which is how I ended up with this particular concoction :-P We like to add cumin (as reflected in the ingredients) because we love cumin, but if you don't like cumin, use more salt or try a different spice you do like.  You can also add pretty much anything to flavor it that strikes your fancy... cilantro, roasted red pepper, chipotles, etc.

Enjoy!

Valentine's Cookies

Last night, hubby and I went out for a sushi date at our favorite local sushi spot in Monterey, Crystal Fish. I commented that I don't think I'll ever eat sushi without thinking of our favorite Hawaiian sushi spot, Sansei, which was were I first learned to like raw fish and was a frequent hang out of ours where we have many fun memories of karaoke nights. It got us thinking about what other things are so quintessential that we will always think of them when doing certain things.

Our last date at Sansei before leaving Hawaii

One of those quintessential things for me are my mom's dainty tea cookies.

Growing up my mom always made "dainty tea cookies" with the cookie press for Valentine's Day. Now I can't think about Valentine's Day without thinking about these yummy little almond flavored cookies.

I thought I would whip up a batch to make little Valentine treats for some friends. And in case you're looking for a little Valentine inspiration, I'll post the simple recipe here!

Dainty Tea Cookies

1 cup butter
2/3 cup sugar
1 egg
2.5 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
1 tsp almond extract
1/2 tsp red food coloring

Cream butter and sugar. Add egg and mix thoroughly. Add dry ingredients and mix. Add flavoring and coloring and mix thoroughly. Put through cookie press with heart insert onto cookie sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 4-6 minutes.

*We also make these at Christmas time with the wreath insert in the cookie press and substitute green food coloring

Quick, easy, and delicious.  But watch out... they're addictive!

*Healthy* Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

So I've been baking again! I bought a whole box of over-ripe bananas at the commissary for $1 last week so you know what that means... banana muffins!  And for some reason, I am now never satisfied to just make a recipe the way it was intended.  I am always attempting to "improve" it by making it healthier (or just plain yummier...). I actually think I succeeded with these banana chocolate chip muffins that I adapted from The Joy of Vegan Baking to include fewer refined carbs and sugar, more fiber and omega-3, and they are still just as yummy!

2 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 cup ground flax seed
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup agave nectar
1/3 cup canola oil
5 ripe bananas, mashed
1/4 cup water
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips (option: could substitute nuts if you really want to be healthy)

In a medium bowl, mix flour, flax seed, baking soda, and salt.

In a large bowl, mix bananas, agave, and oil. Stir in water and vanilla. Add flour mixture and chocolate chips. Stir to mix.

Fill 12 greased muffin tins 3/4 full and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

Warning! Just because there is no refined sugar (well, other than chocolate...), doesn't mean these are "low-sugar" muffins, so I would advise against letting your 1 year old have one for a bedtime snack.  It is possible that 1 year old might be interested in staying up all night :-)

PS- These are best warm, so I always pop mine in the microwave for 15 seconds if it is already cool when I want to enjoy it.

PPS- These freeze well!

My Bread and Butter

I have a particular fondness for Texas Roadhouse.  It might have something to do with their delicious rolls and cinnamon butter.  It might also have something to do with it being a frequent date location for me and my husband early in our marriage.  Back then, when our budget was tighter, we would order the steak and ribs meal with two salads and two iced teas and could go out for a date for $20. I ate the ribs, he ate the steak, and we both gorged ourselves on the yummy yeast rolls! Since that first year of marriage, and a brief stint when we lived in New Hampshire, we have been deprived of living remotely near a Texas Roadhouse so I had to take matters into my own hands.

The following yeast roll recipe was passed onto me from our friend Tish. These rolls aren't exactly like TR's, but they are fluffy, moist, slightly sweet, and a perfect partner for honey-cinnamon butter. The honey-cinnamon butter was adapted from a recipe I found on another blog. The original version tasted way too much like honey and not enough like cinnamon so I doctored the portions significantly and I think I've got it close to right.

I hope some of you out there will appreciate this as much as I do:)

Tish's Sweet Yeast Rolls
1/2 cup milk
3/4 cup water
1 egg

4 cups bread flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp yeast
1 Tbsp buttermilk powder
1/4 cup butter, softened

Microwave water and milk for 30-45 seconds. Beat in egg.

Place the remainder of the ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add, the water/milk/egg mixture. Mix with paddle attachment until moistened. Knead with dough hook until smooth and no longer sticking to the sides.

Remove from bowl, place on floured surface, cover and let rise until doubled. Cut dough in half, roll into logs, cut in half again, then again, then again.  You should end up with 16 pieces. Form each into a ball and place in a greased 9x13 pan. Let rise until doubled.

Bake at 375 until browned, about 15-18 minutes.

Honey-Cinnamon Butter
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup honey (maybe less depending on how much you like honey...)
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Whip all with the whisk attachment in a stand mixer.

Best Ever Blueberry Muffins

In an attempt to get out of my cooking slump I vegan-ized my favorite blueberry muffin recipe. The (very healthy) blueberry muffin recipe that I adapted came from my friend Heather, who got it out of "Eating Well." I had the (un-vegan) version at her house this past summer and was in love! Not only do these muffins taste delicious, but they are great for you; made with whole wheat flour, flax seed, and no refined sugar. They are the first thing my husband requested when he picked me up at the airport when I returned from the East coast a little over a week ago:)

1/5 cup ground flaxseeds

1 3/4 cup whole wheat flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

3 tsp Ener-G egg replacer mixed with 4 Tbsp water (or 2 eggs)

1/2 cup honey (or maple syrup or agave)

1 cup "buttermilk" (mix 1 Tbsp lemon juice with any non-dairy or dairy milk- I use Almond or Soy)

1/4 cup canola oil

2 tsp fresh orange zest

1 Tbsp orange juice

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 cup fresh blueberries

1 Tbsp raw sugar (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 and coat 12 muffin cups with cooking spray.

Mix first 6 (dry) ingredients in a large bowl. 

Mix next egg replacement and water with honey in a medium bowl. Add buttermilk, oil, orange zest and juice, and vanilla.

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredient and sit till just combined.  Fold in blueberries. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups and sprinkle with raw sugar if desired. Bake for 20 minutes. Cool in pan 5 minutes and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

PS- These freeze well!  After cooling I pop half of them in a ziplock and put it straight in the freezer. Thaw and enjoy any time:) 

Holiday Cookie Exchange

Yesterday I hosted a little cookie exchange brunch for a few friends.  I thought it would be a fun way for the ladies to get together before we all head our separate ways for the holidays.  I thought it would be a nice low-key, low-stress opportunity to get together... but considering my friends are perfectionists, it turned out not to be so low-stress!  I came to find out someone stayed up until 2am the night before perfecting their cookie recipe and another sent their husbands out at 11pm to pick up more butter because they didn't think their batch was large enough... But, all the cookies were delicious and we had a fantastic time enjoying each other's company.

I had fun making onesies for all the little ones.  I appliqued "HO" on the butt so that when we lined them up we'd get "ho ho ho..." Only later did I think about the little girls running around with "HO" on their hiney's might be taken the wrong way... opps! I appliqued a Christmas tree with their first initial on the front.  The mamas were all such good sports to dress their babies up in my little creations:)

 These 3 mamas were all prego together and now they all have their little peanuts in their arms! 

And aren't they all looking faaabulous?! 

We have such a fun group!  There may have been toys and babies and dogs alllll over the place, but I so much enjoyed having these lovely girls over for a little holiday fun!  And I am still enjoying the yummy treats they worked so hard on:)

And since I didn't follow my own cookie exchange rule (make copies of the recipe to share) I'm including it here for anyone who wants it!

Harlequin Ice-Box Cookies

1 cup butter

2.5 cups flour

1.5 tsp baking powder

1.5 cups sugar

.5 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

1 egg

1.5 oz baker's unsweetened chocolate, melted

.25 cup candied cherries, diced

.25 cup pecans, diced

red and green food coloring

Mix flour, baking powder and salt. Cream butter and sugar. Add beaten egg and beat until fluffy. Add vanilla and flour mixture and mix thoroughly. Divide dough into three parts. Add cherries that have been diced, and a little red food coloring to one part; melted chocolate to another; and nuts and a little green coloring to the third. I divide each color dough in half to make too long bars. Shape half of each dough into a strip about 18-20 inches long. Place chocolate strip on bottom; cherry next, and green on top. Chill the well-wrapped bars in the refrigerator over night. Slice and bake 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees.

Fall is... pumpkins, football, chili

I love fall!  Even though here on the central coast of California we are having our belated summer right now (finally) there is something about the air that just feels like fall.  I remember walking out of my house last week heading to take our pups for a walk and fall hit me.  I can't put my finger on it because it was a warm sunny day, but fall was definitely in the air! So after our walk I came home and made my shopping list to cook up some delicious fall food. (see some of my favorite recipes later in the post!!!) Of those delicious fall foods pumpkin is a staple. I came home from the grocery store with 6 cans of pumpkin last week and hubby laughed, but I am now down to just 1 left! 

Since Halloween is approaching and since the weather has been so glorious, we took Q to the pumpkin patch, picked out this beauty and carved our first family pumpkin! How is it that we have been married over 5 years and yet to carve a pumpkin??? Oh right... we're a Navy family and for some reason our relocations typically leave us homeless during the fall/pumpkin carving season:-P

Our inspiration for our pumpkin design is another fall staple... football!  The background noise to our life on fall weekends is football on the TV. I am not one that likes always having the TV on but for some reason in the fall the sound of a game broadcast is almost as comforting as a big bowl of chili. Even better if I can eat the big bowl of chili while watching a good game! (see my favorite chili recipe later in this post!)

Since we are so fortunate to be from Maryland, home of the BEST NFL team in the country... we carved a Raven on our pumpkin. (I use the term "we" here very loosely... what I actually mean is my husband carved a raven on the pumpkin. He's pretty good with a knife don't ya think?)

If you need a little inspiration for fall cooking, look no further!  I've included my favorite chili recipe and a yummy (and easy) pumpkin mousse recipe passed on to me from a good friend.  Enjoy!

Black Bean Chili (adapted from Boston Uncommon cookbook)
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 lb ground turkey
1 large onion
2 carrots, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
4 cans black beans
4 cups chicken broth
1 6oz can tomato paste
1 Tbsp cumin
1 tsp ground red pepper
1 can corn
1 cup cooked brown rice

Heat oil in a large pot. Add turkey, crumble and brown till cooked through. Add onion, carrots, celery, garlic and cook for 10 minutes or until veggies are tender. Add beans, broth, tomato paste, cumin, and red pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 2 hours, adding more broth if the chili gets to thick. Stir in the corn and rice and enjoy!

Anna's Pumpkin Mousse

1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 16-ounce can solid-pack pumpkin (not pumpkin-pie mix)
1 package vanilla flavor instant pudding and pie filling for 4 servings
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
2 cups heavy or whipping cream

In large bowl with wire whisk, mix pumpkin, pudding mix, milk, vanilla extract, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and 1/3 cup packed brown sugar until well blended. In another bowl, with mixer at medium speed, beat heavy or whipping cream until stiff peaks form. Fold 2/3 of the whipped cream into pumpkin mixture. Spoon pumpkin mixture into 8 10- ounce goblets or into a large serving bowl. Top with reserved 1/3 of the whipped cream. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Pumpkin mixture tastes best if refrigerated for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Vegetable Galette #2

So, this recipe is pretty much an exact copy of my favorite farmer's market galette that I fell I love with months ago except better according to my husband (who is my biggest cooking critic). So enjoy:)

Crust:

1 1/3 cups white whole wheat flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup butter flavored crisco

4 Tbsp cold water

Measure flour and salt into a bowl. Cut in shortening thoroughly. Sprinkle in water, 1 Tbsp at a time, mixing until flour is moistened and dough almost cleans the side of the bowl (1-2 Tbsp water can be added if needed). Form dough into a ball, flatten, roll out on a floured surface. Place in a quiche or tart pan and trim off excess. Set aside (cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate to keep from drying out if filling isn't ready yet).

Filling:

3 cups butternut squash, cubed

4 carrots, peeled, chopped

1 sweet onion, chopped

12 oz spinach

8 oz ricotta

1 large tomato, sliced

oregano

salt & pepper

olive oil

Put squash, carrots, and onion on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and oregano and bake at 400 degrees for 35-45 minutes stirring every 10 minutes till veggies are soft. Steam and drain spinach. Mix half the ricotta with the spinach.

Layer spinach mixture, butternut squash, carrots, and onions in the crust. Dab the rest of the ricotta on top and then lay the tomato slices on top and top with additional salt, pepper, and oregano.

Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, and then 350 for an additional 30 minutes.

This is great reheated too:)