Whole Wheat Focaccia

I think I've had this blank document up for about 2 hours now, trying to write this post. In the meantime, I've read the news, listened to a Christmas song, bought new running sneakers, and watched an episode of Sex and City (why, oh why can't the movies be as good as the show??). But write this post I did not. So since I could not come up with anything to write, I decided to write about how I could not come up with anything to write.

Truth is, I think I'm all writed-out. Yesterday, after weeks months of writing, editing, writing, editing, and even more writing and editing, I FINALLY submitted my thesis. Hallelujah is all I can say. For now that is. Until my committee members read it, find a million things wrong with it, and ask me to re-write it, edit it, rewrite it and edit...(please pray for me that this doesn't happen).


I now have a new respect for book writers and editors. How do they do it? More times than I'd like to admit, I'd get ready to proofread, red pen in hand, only to find myself...asleep. Face down. On my thesis. With a red ink stain on my cheek.

Don't get me wrong, I am in no way putting down my writing or my research, it's all very interesting (to me at least), but I find few things more boring than reading and re-reading something that I have written, read and re-read about a gazillion times. I'm just saying.

I have been wanting to post about this recipe for a while now - ever since Nancy was here (yes, that long!). It's probably the simplest yeast bread you can make and super tasty. The best thing about it, is the countless ways to flavor it with various combinations of herbs, cheese, and other fixin's: thyme and roasted garlic, caramelized onions and gruyere, or whatever else you fancy. This bread is a palette for your culinary imagination. Start painting!


Whole Wheat Focaccia Bread (adapted from allrecipes)

1 tablespoon honey
2 cups warm water
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup diced onion

3 cups all-purpose flour, plus a bit more as needed
2 cups whole wheat flour
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh chopped rosemary
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon kosher salt

1. In a large bowl, dissolve honey in the warm water, then sprinkle yeast over the top. Let stand for 5 minutes until the yeast softens and begins to foam. Stir in 1 tablespoon of salt, 1 tablespoon olive oil, onions, and flour and form into a dough. Knead on a well floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes.
2. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 20 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 415 degrees F (215 degrees C).
4. Place dough onto oiled baking sheet, and flatten to cover the whole sheet evenly. Use the tips of your fingers to make indentations all over the dough spaced about 1 inch apart (I forgot to do this). Drizzle the focaccia with 3 tablespoons olive oil, then sprinkle rosemary, Parmesan cheese, and remaining 1 tablespoon of kosher salt over the top. Let rise for 10 minutes.
4. Bake in preheated oven 20 minutes until golden brown.

Chocolate Chip and Pecan Oatmeal Cookies

Boyfriends are fun to mess with. Especially mine. I have a simple trick that I like to play on him: I take some of our favorite dessert recipes, make some healthy substitutions (without him knowing of course), and innocently watch him to see if he notices any differences. Yes, he is the official guinea pig of MsMeanie's Test Kitchen.

I'll admit it though, some recipes don't fool him, and he can detect a hint of healthy, but these oatmeal cookies? They get him - every, single, time.

The first time I made these cookies, I followed the recipe exactly and they were amazing - rich and chewy and just sweet enough. A few weeks later I made them again, this time with a few healthy tweaks, and guess what? They were STILL amazing. Deliciously rich from the chocolate and pecans, with a balance of crispy on the outside and chewy in the center. My tastebuds loved me, my arteries thanked me, and my test kitchen guinea pig devoured them without suspecting a thing. Now, that to me is cookie perfection.

Chocolate Chip and Pecan Oatmeal Cookies (adapted from Smitten Kitchen and David Lebovitz, makes about 36 cookies)

*4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
*4 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
*3/4 cup white sugar
*1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
*1 teaspoon salt
*1 teaspoon vanilla extract
*2 large eggs
*1/2 cup all purpose flour
*3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
*1 teaspoon baking soda
*1 1/2 cup quick-cooking oats
*2 cups chopped pecans
*12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

1.Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly butter a large cookie sheet or line with parchment paper.
2. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and applesauce in a bowl until light and fluffy. Add both sugars, salt, and vanilla, and beat until well mixed, about three minutes. Stir in eggs, one at a time.
3. Sift together the flour and baking soda in a separate bowl. Stir in half of the flour mixture to the butter. Once the flour has been incorporated, add the second half. Stir in the oats, pecans, orange zest, and chocolate chips.
3. Place a small piece of plastic wrap over the dough and chill in the refrigerator for a few hours (at least 1 hour). This step gives the cookies a great texture and really enhances the flavor. The longer the cookies are chilled, the chewier and more flavorful they will be.
4. Allow the dough to sit at room temperature for a few minutes, then drop the dough, by the tablespoon, onto the cookie sheet and bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden. Remove from the oven and cool the cookies on a rack.

Sooji Halwa

"Everything in moderation, including moderation." --Julia Child

This is my favorite quote from one of my favorite chefs, and pretty much sums up my attitude towards food. Yes, I know that moderation is the key to staying healthy and still being able to enjoy rich foods and sweet desserts, and I'm all for it. But sometimes a girl (and by girl I mean me), just needs to sit down and pig out on dessert, and not feel like she's committed a sin. I know they say to eat until you are just satisfied, but sometimes I'm not satisfied until I know I'm over-satisfied. Sometimes I'm not full until I'm over-full. Sometimes moderation just does not cut it.

Sooji halwa is a very popular Indian dessert, often translated as 'semolina pudding'. It is the kind of dessert that you can eat a whole lot of without feeling the need to throw up or run a marathon afterward. It is light but extremely satisfying, sweet but not overly so, creamy but not too rich - all in all, the perfect dessert for assuaging all those sweet cravings that beg for more than just a few little bites.

Sooji Halwa (Semolina Pudding)
*1/4 cup butter
*1 cup semolina (cream of wheat)
*2 bay leaves
*1 cup sugar
*pinch of salt
*1/2 cup water
*1 cup milk
*1/8 teaspoon ground cardamon
*1/2 cup raisins
*1/2 cup chopped walnuts, almonds, pistachios, or cashews (or a combination)

1. In a large skillet (cast iron works well), melt the butter over medium heat.
2. Add the semolina and bay leaves, and cook for about 7-8 minutes until the semolina is reddish-brown in color but not burnt! Stir constantly, being careful not to burn it.
3. Add the sugar, and stir for about 15-20 seconds. Add the salt, water, milk, cardamom, raisins, and nuts, and stir for about 2 minutes. The mixture should still be somewhat wet.
4. Remove from heat and serve.

Whole Wheat Cinnamon Rolls

I hate flying. Hate it. Love traveling, but hate flying. This is a difficult feeling to manage when you live 3000+ miles away from all of your family and most of your closest friends. Almost every year, I swear to myself that I will not fly home for the holidays this year, just to find myself frantically searching for flights come December. The worst part about flying to New York from California is having a lay-over in some city which will inevitably have some sort of weather problem. Yes, I know there are direct flights from California to New York, but I am too cheap for those (please see profile: graduate student=no money).

My worst trip home was a few years ago when two days before Christmas, during my layover in Indiana, my flight was canceled, and I had to spend the night in an airport hotel. The compensation from the airlines was a $15 food voucher to buy dinner from any airport restaurant. As appetizing as fast food and greasy pizza sounded, I opted for another airport classic: a giant cinnamon roll from no other than Cinnabon.

What is it about a cinnamon roll that is so comforting and satisfying? The soft and warm bread slathered in cinnamon and butter, and topped with gooey, tangy, and sweet frosting. Yum. Luckily, you don't have to be stuck in an airport to enjoy this warm, gooey goodness - delicious cinnamon rolls are pretty simple to make at home. I have made cinnamon rolls using all purpose flour in the past, but this time wanted to try whole wheat. I used white (rather than regular) whole wheat, and the results were amazing -- taste-wise, these rolls are just as delicious as their all-purpose cousins. Visually, they were a bit browner, and therefore require a bit more care to make sure they don't overcook.

Once the dough is mixed up, it must rise for at least 2 hours. Then it is rolled
into a large rectangle and sprinkled with butter and a generous helping of
cinnamon sugar.

The dough is then rolled up and cut into individual rolls. Using thread
(or unwaxed dental floss) to cut the dough helps prevent it from sticking
to itself.

I baked the ends in a ramekin - a trick I learned from here (woops, somehow I ended up with 3 ends instead of 2).
Whole Wheat Cinnamon Rolls (Adapted from Molly Wizenberg’s recipe in Bon Appetit, March 2008 via SmittenKitchen).

Dough:
*1 cup whole milk
*3 tablespoons unsalted butter
*3 1/2 cups (or more) white whole wheat flour, divided
*1/2 cup sugar
*1 large egg
*2 1/4 teaspoons rapid-rise or instant yeast (from 1 envelope yeast)
*1 teaspoon salt
*Nonstick vegetable oil spray or butter, for greasing bowl

Filling:
*3/4 cup (packed) brown sugar
*2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
*1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
*Pinch of salt

Glaze:
*8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
*1 cup powdered sugar
*1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

For dough: Combine milk and butter in glass measuring cup. Microwave on high until butter melts and mixture is just warmed to 120°F to 130°F, about 30 to 45 seconds. Pour into bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Add 1 cup flour, sugar, egg, yeast, and salt. Beat on low speed 3 minutes, stopping occasionally to scrape down sides of bowl. Add additional 2 1/2 cups flour. Beat on low until flour is absorbed and dough is sticky, scraping down sides of bowl. If dough is very sticky, add more flour by tablespoonfuls until dough begins to form ball and pulls away from sides of bowl. Turn dough out onto lightly floured work surface. Knead until smooth and elastic, adding more flour if sticky, about 8 minutes. (You may also use a KitchenAid’s dough hook for this process.) Form into ball.

Lightly oil large bowl with nonstick spray or thin layer of butter. Transfer dough to bowl, turning to coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, then kitchen towel. Let dough rise in warm draft-free area until doubled in volume, about 2 hours.

For filling:

Mix brown sugar and cinnamon in medium bowl. Punch down dough. Transfer to floured work surface. Roll out to 15x11-inch rectangle. Spread butter over dough, leaving 1/2-inch border. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar, then walnuts, evenly over butter. Starting at 1 long side, roll dough into log, pinching gently to keep it rolled up. With seam side down, trim ends straight if they are uneven (bake separately in ramekin), and cut dough crosswise with thin sharp knife into 18 equal slices (each about 1/2 to 3/4 inch wide).

Spray two 9-inch square glass baking dishes with nonstick spray. Divide rolls between baking dishes, arranging cut side up (there will be almost no space between rolls). Cover baking dishes with plastic wrap, then kitchen towel. Let dough rise in warm draft-free area until almost doubled in volume, 40 to 45 minutes.

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 375°F. Bake rolls until tops are golden, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and invert immediately onto rack. Cool 10 minutes. Turn rolls right side up.

For glaze:
Combine cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla in medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat until smooth. Spread glaze on rolls. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Whole Wheat French Baguette and an Award

This bread brings back memories of my trip to Paris a few years ago. Out of college, with no job, a friend and I backpacked around Europe for a month, and Paris was our last stop. At this point in the trip, I was exhausted and almost ready to go home, so honestly, I did not have high hopes for this city. But I was totally wrong - there was something very unique and comforting about Paris and I LOVED it.

Our budget was tight, so we stayed at a less than pleasant youth hostel. Till this day, there are two memories that still stick with me about this place: 1) the awful co-ed bathrooms - these were so gross that I seriously could not spend more than 5 minutes in the shower, and 2) the free breakfasts: a cup of orange juice, a small plastic container of jam, and a mini french baguette. The bread was so simple, yet SO amazingly delicious. It was seriously some of the best bread I'd ever had: warm, chewy, crusty, and perfect with that small amount of jam.

The recipe for this bread is in Peter Reinhart's book The Bread Baker's Apprentice. As much as I want to share this recipe, I won't out of fear of the copyright police coming to get me. Seriously, there must be some top-secret law that prohibits food bloggers from posting recipes from this book because I cannot find any of these recipes online. Try for yourself: do a Google search on Bread Baker's Apprentice French Bread -- see? lots of nice posts and pictures but NO recipes. Coincidence? I think not!

I cannot take credit for this bread, as much as I want to. Last week as I was visiting the east coast, BF discovered my Bread Bakers Apprentice book and made this bread. He followed the recipe for French baguette and replaced all of the bread flour with whole wheat (yes! I've taught him well). The result was a chewy, crusty and hearty french bread that is unbelievably good for sandwiches.
Now, on to the award...A while back, Jill from JilliciousDiscoveries, awarded me the Honest Scrap award. Jill is a fantastic baker and a master cake decorator (a skill I clearly lack). She has also been very supportive of my blog by taking the time to leave thoughtful comments on so many of my posts. Thank you for your support Jill!
I'd like to pass on this award to some other fabulous food bloggers. Since there are so many fantastic food blogs I've discovered within the last few months, it was really difficult for me to decide which blogs to choose. Honestly, I think they all deserve an award. In the end, I realized that it has been almost a year since I started this blog, so I decided to pass this award along to relatively new bloggers who have been blogging for less a than year (my apologies if you have already received this award, you still deserve it!):
1. Memória at Mangio da Sola - a gorgeous blog with beautiful photos and fantastic recipes like homemade tamale and chocolate mousse cheesecake (oh my!).
2. Marcellina at Marcellina in Cucina - lovely blog with a great mix of savory and sweet recipes
3. Rebecca at CakeWalk - tons of tasty and interesting recipes with an emphasis on using healthy and all-natural ingredients.
4. Valerina at Une Gamine dans la Cuisine - delicious photos and recipes with an emphasis on sweet treats.
5. Ju at The Little Teochew - always a fun read, lots of unique recipes and culinary stories.

Congratulations!

Banana Crumb Muffins Take Two

I'm the kind of person who needs to have something sweet with every meal I eat. Breakfast is usually cereal, so that doesn't need dessert, but lunch and dinner is always supplemented with at least a piece of chocolate. I can't help it. This is me, and I need sweets. I've tried to change it, but now I just accept it. We are who we are, right? And I'm a dessertaholic. Anyone else in this club? Allowing myself at least a small treat with every meal prevents me from eating a whole pan of brownies in one sitting, something that I used to do often before I started this treat-a-meal approach.

I like to make these muffins when I need a break from some of the richer desserts I make often (cookies, brownies, cakes, etc). These muffins are satisfying in many ways -- they are made with whole wheat pastry flour and studded with walnuts, which makes them filling and they are topped with a sweet and crunchy crumb, which truly makes them dessert and not breakfast. I usually add chocolate chips which definitely satisfies my chocolate cravings, but this time I added white chocolate and dried cranberries. Some people complain about white chocolate not being "real chocolate", and I say "sure" - that just means more for me!

Chocolate Chip Banana Crumb Muffins (adapted from allrecipes)
(Makes 12 muffins)

* 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
* 3/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 3 bananas, mashed
* 3/4 cup white sugar
* 1 egg, lightly beaten
* 1/6 cup canola oil
* 1/6 cup applesauce
* 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
* 3/4 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped dried cranberries


Crumb Topping

* 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
* 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
* 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
* pinch of ginger
* 1 tablespoon cold butter

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease 12 muffin cups, or line with muffin papers.
2. In a large bowl, mix together 3/4 cups all purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, egg, oil, and applesauce. Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened. Stir in walnuts and chocolate chips. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.
3. Crumb Topping: In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Cut in 1 tablespoon butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle topping over muffins.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

I discovered these cookies on Joy the Baker's wonderful website about a month ago. Since then I have made these cookies 3 times. That's saying a lot for someone like me, who gets bored of the same desserts after about...a day. But there's something really satisfying about these cookies. They are soft from the pumpkin, chocolatey from the chips, and cruchy and wholesome from the walnuts - a perfect mix of three great cookie traits.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies (adapted from Joy the Baker) (makes about 14 cookies)

• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon pumpkin puree
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 3/4 cup chocolate chips
• 1/2 chopped walnuts

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter two baking sheets.
2. Stir the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices together in a medium bowl and set aside.
3. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the eggs and sugar until smooth and lightened in color, about 1 minute. Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl as needed during mixing. On low speed, mix the butter, pumpkin, and vanilla until blended. Mix in the flour mixture to incorporate it. Mix in the chips and walnuts.
4. Scoop about 1/4 cup mounds of the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing the cookies at least 2 1/2-inches apart.
5. Bake for about 14-16 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

Blondies and My First Award

Wow. I know it has been too long since I've posted. And I've wanted to so much, but really have had no time this last month. I am teaching a class in my university, and I am really enjoying it but it is extremely time consuming. From preparing all the lectures, exams, and home works, grading, and holding office hours, I have found so little time to do other things I enjoy, including cooking. I've made a few interesting things here and there (mainly for Thanksgiving), but they were all either made at night (not good for photos), or eaten right away (too hungry to stop for pictures). So sadly, I have not been able to post, and really, I missed it so much. There is something so exciting about seeing comments on your postings, it really makes it all worth it. Thank you so much to my commenters! You all rock.

A while ago, I posted about whole wheat peanut butter cookies, and a whole wheat challenge where I was baking some of my favorite recipes by replacing some (or all) of the all purpose flour with whole wheat. I got a request from lucysmom for whole wheat blondies, so here they are!

This is the blondie recipe I ALWAYS make. It is fantastic -- the result is a soft, chewy, toffee-flavored, blondie loaded with chocolate chips (I also often put walnuts and pecans). I have always made it with all purpose flour, but a while back I tried replacing all the all-purpose with whole wheat pastry and I seriously cannot tell the difference. I guess the amount of butter and brown sugar in the recipe takes away the healthy tastes of the whole wheat (woot for butter and brown sugar!) If you don't have whole wheat pastry flour, I've also replaced half the all purpose with regular whole wheat and the result was just as good.
A few weeks ago, Memória from Mangio da Sola (a very lovely blog that I read regularly) gave my blog this award.
I am so grateful to her for recognizing my blog. I also really appreciate her generous and thoughtful comments on my blog. Thank you Memória!
In honor of this award, I will pass it on to two other drool-worthy blogs that I like to read regularly: Dolce at Confessions of a chocoholic and Jill at Jillicious Discoveries. Congratulations! :)

Whole Wheat Blondies

• 6 tablespoons butter, melted (preferably on the stove top)
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  
• 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour (or 1/2 cup whole wheat flour + 1/2 cup all-purpose flour)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/3 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 1/4 chopped pecans or walnuts

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Mix the brown sugar with the melted butter (I usually do this by hand). Add the eggs and vanilla. Stir until well combined.
2. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix until just incorporated.
3. Stir in the chocolate chips and nuts.
4. Pour into 8x8 in pan and bake for 25-30 min or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Acorn Squash Quesadillas with Apple Salsa

I love making quesadillas. They are super versatile since you can fill them with pretty much anything and they are just gosh darn tasty. The gooey warm fillings combined with a crisp exterior is just perfect with some cool salsa. I make quesadillas often in the summer time since there are so many awesome summer vegetables to stuff them with, plus yummy tomatoes for pico de gallo (aka salsa). This time, I wanted to try a more autumnized version of quesadillas, because hey, Fall has some great vegetables to offer too. I went with acorn squash and spinach. I also wanted to make a yummy autumnized salsa so I decided to make a sweet, spicy, and tangy apple salsa.

This combination was fabulous! The quesadillas rocked (as expected) but the salsa was AMAZING. No joke -- I seriously made a bunch of extra salsa and just ate it all on its own, it was that good. If you don't want to make the effort to make these 'dillas (although they are not difficult) you should still try this salsa. Even if you end up eating it out of the bowl like me.


Acorn Squash and Spinach Quesadillas with Apple Salsa
(makes 2 servings)
For the Quesadillas:

• 1 Tb olive oil
  
• 2 cups acorn squash, peeled and chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 handfuls of spinach, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup cooked beans (pinto, black, kidney)
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• salt, pepper to taste
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 large tortillas (I used whole wheat)
  

For the Apple Salsa:

• 1 medium crisp apple (I used fuji), diced
  
• 1 handful of cilantro, chopped
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon or lime juice
  
• salt, pepper to taste

For the Quesadillas:
1. Roast the acorn squash in the oven for about 20 min, until softened, but not mush.
2. Heat the oil in a skillet, and cook the onion for about 5 min. Add the squash, spinach, and garlic, and cook for about 10 minutes. Stir in the beans, cumin, and salt and pepper. (Here's a secret: I also do this step in...the microwave! Yes, when I don't have the patience to stand over the stove, I put all these ingredients in a bowl and nuke 'em for about 2 minutes. And you know what? I can't tell the difference).
3. Add a few drops of oil to a hot skillet. Place a tortilla on the skillet and add to one side half the squash mixture and half the cheese. Fold over and cook for about 5 minutes on each side, until crispy and browned. Repeat for other tortilla.

For the Apple Salsa:
1. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix thoroughly.

Pecan Tartelettes

Since the first time I tasted pecan pie it has been my favorite Thanksgiving dessert, and one of my favorite all time desserts -- which is pretty hard to believe considering it has no chocolate. Something about the gooeyness and nuttiness...yum. I've always used a simple recipe I found online for pecan pie, but after all this recent talk about the evil that is corn syrup, I decided to replace some of the corn syrup with honey. I also made them in a muffin pan, which allowed them to be super cute. Its funny how you can take any standard dessert, make them in a small pan, and all of sudden, cuteness.

For the crusts, I used my go-to pie crust recipe, but continuing with my whole wheat challenge, I swapped the regular flour with whole wheat pastry. The result was still good, although I have to admit that I could taste a difference in the pie crust. The whole wheat definitely tasted more wholesome, which is not necessarily bad, but not as good as the standard buttery pie crust. Maybe more butter would help. Or maybe a half and half mixture. Otherwise these little tartelettes were pretty awesome. Sweet, gooey, nutty all wrapped in a cute little package.

Pecan Tartelettes

• 2 Eggs, Slightly Beaten
• 3/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup Light Corn Syrup
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 Tablespoons Flour
• 1/4 Teaspoon Salt
• 1 Teaspoon Vanilla
• 1-1/4 cups chopped pecans
• 1 unbaked pie crust (recipe below)
  

1. Preheat oven to 375 deg F.
2. Using a 2in diameter cookie cutter, cut 16 rounds of pie dough. Lightly press into a buttered muffin pan.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, honey, syrup, sugar, flour, salt and vanilla. Pour about 2-3 Tablespoons in each mini pie shell. Be careful that the filling doesn't flow over the shell.
4. Spread 2 Tb pecans in each shell.

Bake at 375 deg F. for 20 minutes or until filling is set. Remove each tartelette onto cooling rack and let cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Whole Wheat Pie Crust (adapted from Land O'Lakes)

• 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup cold butter
• 2 to 3 Tbs ice cold water
  

1. Combine flour and salt in large bowl; cut in butter with pastry blender or fork until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in enough water with fork just until flour is moistened.
2. Shape dough ball. Flatten slightly. Wrap ball in plastic food wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Whole Wheat Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ok, I'm trying something new here. Lately, I've been making my favorite recipes by replacing the all purpose flour with whole wheat pastry flour. A few weeks ago, I made chocolate chip blondies (yum!) using only whole wheat and I was seriously amazed. I could not tell the difference AT ALL! Even the BF who hates my healthy replacements had to admit (hah!) that he could not tell a difference. I really wanted to blog about those blondies but unfortunately I ate them all before I could. Oof. This time, I had some restraint and photographed these lovely whole wheat peanut butter chocolate chip cookies before I could eat them all. Not that they weren't worthy of being eaten in one day. These cookies were amazing! So so good and again -- I could not tell the difference between these and the original recipe that used all white flour.

So now I've decided to do a test -- I will try to remake some of my favorite all-purpose flour recipes (I'm thinking chocolate chip cookies, brownies, pie crusts) by replacing some (or all) of the all purpose flour with whole wheat. And...I'll take requests for recipes too! I'll be your guinea pig. So send me a recipe that you are curious about and I'll take the whole wheat test and report the results. In the meantime, make these cookies!


Whole Wheat Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease or line 2 cookie sheets.
2. Whisk together:
3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 whole wheat (pastry) flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3. Beat in a large bowl until well blended:
1/3 cup (5 1⁄3 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
4. Beat in:
1 large egg
1 cup peanut butter (smooth or chunky)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chocolate chips
5. Stir in the flour mixture until blended. Shape into 1-inch balls and arrange about 2 inches apart on the cookie sheets. Press in some extra chocolate chips on top. Bake 1 sheet at a time, about 8 to 10 minutes. Let stand briefly, then remove to a rack to cool.

Carrot Cake with Dulce de Leche Cream Cheese Frosting

I remember growing up in New York, winter was always my favorite season. Snow -- I LOVED snow. Couldn't get enough of it, actually. I would spend literally hours outside running around in it, without even noticing that it was uhm, cold. What is it about kids and snow? Do they not feel how cold it is?
As I got older, either snow got colder, or I got weaker, because winter is no longer my favorite season. Don't get me wrong, I still love the snow (and totally miss it), and LOVE winter, but my favorite season has shifted to Fall.
Something about the crispness in the air and the colors in the trees is so comforting yet exhilarating at the same time. Wow, for a second there I almost forgot that here in California, on the 2nd day of Fall it is - ready for this ? 94 degrees!!?? 94 degrees??!!? Any other Californians out there longing for Fall to actually start?

This carrot cake has Fall written all over it. It's spicy and sweet, and comforting and exhilarating. Ok, maybe not exhilarating, but it is all of those other things and super delicious. Plus, it is good for you. I took one of Dorie Greenspan's fantastic recipes (I love her but does every recipe REALLY need 2 cups of butter?) and added some healthy tweaks (surprise) and extra spice. I also ditched the usual cream cheese topping, and swapped it for a super rich and decadent dulce de leche cream cheese frosting. The dulce de leche adds an awesome butterscotchy flavor that just...works. I can't explain but try it and you'll see.

Spicy Carrot Cake with Dulce de Leche Cream Cheese Frosting (adapted from Dorie Greenspan)

Cake:

• 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups grated carrots (about 5 carrots),
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1/4 cup applesauce
• 2 large eggs

Frosting:

• 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 cup confectioners sugar, sifted (more or less to taste)
• 2 Tb dulce de leche (homemade or store-bought)

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter a 8 in square pan.
2. Whisk the flours, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and salt. In another bowl, stir together the carrots and chopped nut.
3. Beat the sugar, oil, applesauce, and vanilla extract together on a medium speed until smooth. Add the eggs one by one and continue to beat until the batter is even smoother. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture, mixing only until the dry ingredients disappear. Gently mix in the nuts ingredients. Pour in pan.
4. Bake for 40-50 minutes, rotating the pan from top to bottom and front to back at the midway point, until a thin knife inserted into the centers comes out clean.
5. For frosting, beat the cream cheese until smooth and creamy. Gradually add the sugar and continue to beat until the frosting is velvety smooth. Beat in the vanilla and dulce de leche. Allow cake to cool completely before spreading frosting.

Magic Cookie Bars

This is it folks -- the mother of all desserts: Magic Bars. These little babies combine my three favorite dessert ingredients: chocolate (of course!), caramel, and nuts.

There are many different names for these bars: Magic Cookie Bars, Hello Dolly Bars, Seven-Layer Bars, and (the very creative) Chocolate Coconut Bars. But they all equal the same thing: a dessert so rich that you only need about one piece to satisfy your sweet tooth. Unless you have my sweet tooth, which means you'll eat until your stomach hurts.

I combined a few of the recipes I found to make a more wholesome version of this recipe. Notice I didn't say "lighter" version, just "wholesome". So even though they're still loaded with calories, they'll make you fuller, which means you'll eat less of them. Unless, of course, you're like me. I think I may have a problem.

Magic Cookie Bars

• 1 cup whole wheat graham cracker crumbs
  
• 1/2 cup oatmeal
  
• 1 Tb brown sugar
  
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
• 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk (NOT evaporated milk)
• 1 1/2 cups bittersweet chocolate chips
• 1 cups flaked coconut
• 1 cup chopped pecans

1. Preheat oven to 325°F . Line a 8x8-inch baking pan.
2. In small bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, oatmeal, brown sugar, and butter; mix well.
Press crumb mixture firmly on bottom of baking pan.
3. Sprinkle chocolate chips, coconut and pecans on top. Pour the condensed milk evenly.

4. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes until slightly golden on top.

5. Cool for 15 minutes before removing from pan.

100% Whole Wheat Bread

I was almost starting to believe it wasn't possible: 100% whole wheat bread made at home that doesn't taste like a stale crouton. I tried so many whole wheat bread recipes and either (1) they didn't make a 100% whole wheat bread (ie. they called for some all-purpose or bread flour) or (2) the bread had the texture and feel of something I want to throw at idiot drivers who cut me off when I'm riding my bike. And just as I was starting to lose hope that it was actually possible to make tasty, soft, 100% whole wheat bread at home, I found it -- THE perfect recipe.

The original recipe is from King Arthur Flour, but I found it at Cooking for Seven, which by the way has some great recipes which are tweaked to please us healthy-type folks.


100% Whole Wheat Bread (adapted from King Arthur Flour via Cooking for Seven)

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) lukewarm water
• 3 tablespoons melted butter, coconut oil, or olive oil
• 2 tablespoons honey, molasses, or maple syrup
• 3 1/2 cups Whole Wheat Flour
  
• 1 tablespoon vital wheat gluten
• 2 tablespoons flax meal, 10 grain cereal, wheat germ, etc. (optional and very good)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
  

To prepare the dough:

(Hand Method) Combine all of the ingredients, and mix them till you have a shaggy dough. The dough will seem wet, but remember: wetter is better. Let the dough rest, covered, for 20 minutes, then knead till smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Allow the dough to rise, covered, for 1 to 2 hours, or until it’s puffy and nearly doubled in bulk.

(Mixer Method) In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine all ingredients and mix them till you have a shaggy dough. The dough will seem wet, but remember: wetter is better. Let the dough rest for 20 minutes, then knead by machine until fairly smooth, about 10 minutes. Allow dough to rise, covered, for 1 to 2 hours, or until it’s puffy and nearly doubled in bulk.

(Bread Machine Method) Place all ingredients in bread machine pan and set to dough cycle.

To Shape the Loaves

After the dough has risen, gently deflate the dough, shape it into a log, and place it in a lightly greased large (9×5 inch) bread pan or two small bread pans. Cover the pan with a towel*(see note below) or lightly greased plastic wrap, and allow it to rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes-1 hour, till it’s crowned about 2 inches over the rim of the pan. Preheat your oven to 350°F about halfway through the rising time.

Bake the bread in a preheated 350°F oven for 45 minutes or until it turns a deep brown and sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.

Yield: 1 large or 2 small loaves.

* I've found that if I place the towel directly on the dough, it sometimes causes the loaf to deflate when I take the towel off. I think a better approach (the BF discovered this) is to prop the towel over the bread (using 4 small jars on each corner of the bread pan) to make sure there is no direct contact between the towel and the dough.

Brown Rice Risotto with Asparagus and Mushrooms

Ok, I've realized that I cannot go to Trader Joe's without buying at least 2 pounds of cheese. Before I made this risotto, our fridge was stocked with 14 kinds of cheeses, that's right FOURTEEN: mozarella, white cheddar, orange cheddar, Swiss, Gruyère, goat, Comtè, Fontina, Parmesiano-Reggiano, Pecorino, Monterey jack, feta, parmesan, and Harvati. So as much as I love risotto, this recipe was more about clearing up some fridge room than satisfying a craving.

I know that Arborio rice is typically used for risotto, but I wanted to try making it a bit healthier by using brown rice. I wasn't sure how it would work out, or if it would at all, since brown rice is definitely not as starchy as Arborio, and the starchiness of the rice is what gives risotto its creaminess. I used a simple recipe for asparagus and shitake risotto and used brown rice instead of Arborio.

Using the brown rice required much more time since brown rice takes longer to cook, but the end result was totally worth it. This risotto was just as creamy as other risottos I've had with Arborio rice. I used Gruyère and Fontina, which added a ton of flavor.

Brown Rice Risotto with Asparagus and Mushrooms (adapted from Gourmèt, May 2003)

• 5 cups vegetable broth
  
• 1 cup water
• 1 pound thin to medium asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices, leaving tips 1 1/2 inches long
• 4 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 pound fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 pound fresh crimini mushrooms, sliced
  
• 3 shallots, diced
  
• 1 1/2 cups Brown rice (10 ounces)
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1/2 cup Gruyere
• 1/2 cup Fontina

1. Bring broth and water to a boil in a large pot. Add asparagus and cook, uncovered, until crisp-tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer asparagus with a slotted spoon to a large bowl of ice and cold water to stop cooking, then drain and pat dry. Keep broth at a bare simmer, covered.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large heavy pot over moderately high heat, then sauté mushrooms, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.
3. Cook shallots in 2 tablespoons of oil in saucepan over moderate heat, stirring, about 1 minute. Add rice and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add wine and cook, stirring, until absorbed, about 1 minute.
3. Ladle in 1 cup simmering broth and cook at a strong simmer, stirring, until absorbed, about 2 minutes. Continue simmering and adding broth, about 1/2 cup at a time, stirring frequently and letting each addition be absorbed before adding next, until rice is just tender and looks creamy, for about 1 hour.
4. Remove from heat and stir in cheese and salt and pepper to taste. Gently stir in asparagus and mushrooms. Serve immediately.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Whoopie Pies

The New York Times recently posted an article on whoopie pies. I hadn't even heard of whoopie pies until a few months ago, but after drooling over some pictures, I decided to have a go at some whoopie action. I had some frozen homemade pumpkin puree which I wanted to use up, and since I can eat chocolate chips with pretty much anything, I decided on pumpkin chocolate chip whoopie pies.

I started with a pretty simple recipe for pumpkin cookies and tweaked it a bit to make it healthier. Then I added chocolate chips and a cream cheese filling (so much for healthy).

These cookies were really good. The subtle pumpkin flavor and spiciness of the cookies were a nice contrast to the tartness of the cream cheese filling. And the chocolate chips added a nice texture, as always.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Whoopie Pies (makes 15 pies)

Pumpkin cookies (makes 30 cookies, adapted from George Duran):

• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup canned pumpkin puree
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp ground cloves
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 3/4 cup chopped pecans
  
• Nonstick cooking spray or parchment paper

Cream Cheese Filling:

• 4 oz Cream Cheese (I used Neufatchel)
• 3/4 confectioners sugar
• 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips or chopped chocolate chunks

For Cookies:
1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray cookie sheets with nonstick spray or line them with parchment paper.
2. Using a mixer, beat the butter until smooth. Beat in the white and brown sugars, a little at a time, until the mixture is light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, then mix in the vanilla and pumpkin puree.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves.
4. Slowly stir in the flour mixture into the batter. Mix just until all the flour mixture is incorporated. Stir in the chips and pecans.
5. Scoop the cookie dough by heaping tablespoons onto the prepared cookie sheets and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cookie comes out clean. Remove the cookie sheets from the oven and let them rest for 2 minutes. Take the cookies off with a spatula and cool them on wire racks.
For Filling:
Using a mixer, beat together cream cheese and sugar. Stir in chocolate chips/pieces.

Homemade Whole Wheat Pasta

A few weeks ago, I saw a Good Eats episode on homemade pasta, and I was inspired. Alton Brown made ravioli, but since this was my first attempt at pasta from scratch and I don't own a pasta maker, I decided to keep it simple and go with a pasta noodle. I wanted to up the nutritional content, so I chose a whole wheat pasta recipe from my lovely Joy of Cooking. For this recipe, I followed both Alton's tips and the tips from Joy of Cooking. Here's how it went down.

AB and JoC both suggested mounding the flour and creating a well in the center for the wet ingredients to be poured into. The benefit of doing it this way is you never use more flour than you need -- you just use as much flour as necessary to soak up the wet ingredients and form the dough. That's brilliant! And so simple! So I tried it.
First I mounded my dough. Then I made a well...
Then I added the wet ingredients...
Waahh!! My well! My beautiful well. Actually it was a stupid sissy well that couldn't even hold some eggs and water in place...arrghh. At this point I almost gave up, but the bf offered some moral support, so I continued...
Ahh..eventually, I got a dough! And it didn't suck. Yay! I actually didn't use up all the flour that the recipe called for, so I think it is a good idea to incorporate the dough and the wet ingredients slowly instead of all at once.

After the dough rested in the fridge for about an hour, we rolled it out into thin sheets...And if you're wondering, no those are not my hands -- I put the bf to work for this recipe. Sometimes moral support just isn't enough.

The next step was to cut the sheets into strips. Using a pizza cutter made it really easy.
The final step was to use a handy dandy pasta dryer and allow the pasta to dry for at least 2 hours...
This is what happens when you're living on a grad student stipend and therefore don't have a handy dandy pasta dryer. You make one! We scrubbed down a yard stick until it was nice and clean, propped it up with two chairs, and hung the pasta strips off of it. Drying the pasta this way was so simple, I don't think I even need a pasta dryer.

Once the pasta dries, it is ready to be boiled. The boiling time is much less than for store bought pasta. We boiled ours for about 6 minutes.

I made a simple tomato sauce with fresh mushrooms and onions, topped it with some Parmigiano Reggiano (yes, I splurged and bought the real stuff) and...Tah Dah!
This pasta was SOOO good and the taste/texture was just so much better than the store bought stuff. Now I'm not saying that I'll never use store-bought pasta, because, well, it's still really good and so quick to prepare, but whenever I have the time, I will definitely be making this again. It does take some effort and patience, but the end result is sooo worth it.

Whole Wheat Pasta (adapted from Joy of Cooking and Alton Brown)

• 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 3 large eggs, beaten
  
• 1 Tb water
  
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil

1. Combine the flours and mound the mixture on a clean counter.
2. Combine the eggs, water, salt, and oil.
3. Make a large well* (see note below) in the center of the mound and slowly pour in the egg mixture a little bit at a time. Mix the flour with the wet ingredients until all of the wet ingredients are absorbed. Do not force the dough to use all the flour, just take as much as needed to incorporate all the wet ingredients.
4. Knead the dough for at least 10 minutes.
5. Cover the dough in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
6. Divide the dough into four equal pieces. On a well-floured surface, roll out each piece into a thin sheet, one at a time. The dough should be about 1/8 inch thick, thin enough to detect the outline of your hand.
7. Cut the dough into strips of desired thickness.
8. Let the strips dry on a pasta dryer (or a homemade pasta dryer!) for at least 2 hours.
9. Note: Fresh pasta takes much less time to cook. Check the pasta as soon as 4 minutes of boiling.

*I think the reason my well didn't work out so well (hah!) is that I poured too much of the the wet ingredients in too quickly. The wet ingredients should be poured into the well in small batches, one at a time. Also, the well should be deep enough to hold a good amount of liquid (mine was not).

After making this, I decided to submit it to Presto Pasta Nights, a great group of food bloggers who challenge themselves by making interesting pasta dishes. This week's host is Ruth from Once Upon a Feast -- her blog has some great recipe ideas!

Pizza Two Ways

I've noticed something about myself: I ALWAYS crave desserts. It doesn't matter where I am or when it is, but I think I can always happily picture myself eating a brownie, or cookie, or cupcake. Of course some cravings are more uh, defiant, than others, and maybe these happen to occur around the same time every month...sorry, too much info?

I have to admit, though, if there is one non-dessert food item that I find myself craving -- dare I say -- as much as I crave brownies, it would have to be pizza.

I know there are a TON of great trendy and atypical pizza recipes out there: pizza bianca, pizza margherita, and even this new-fangled black and gold pizza, but I really prefer the typical (some might say boring) tomato sauce and mozarella cheese pizza.

See, this meanie was raised in New York City and grew up eating and loving New York City pizza. And although I had the occasional encounter with the non red-and-white pizzas, something always left me wishing I had a cup of tomato sauce for dipping and a sprinkle of mozarella cheese.

I never understood why pizza got such a bad rap as being unhealthy. Bread, tomatoes, and cheese...what's not healthy? For my version, I use a homemade whole wheat crust, part-skim mozarella, and tons of veggies. This pizza defies being labeled as junk food. The crust is crispy, wholesome, and sturdy -- which makes nice for holding up all those veggies. It is not like the typical chewy, floppy NYC pizza crust, but considering how frequently I make this recipe, I think this is a great healthy alternative.

I usually make my pizza the same way: dough, tomato paste/sauce, mozarella cheese - and then experiment with different toppings. And I ALWAYS make two pizzas, because you can never have too much.
This week I went with Pizza#1 - Greek style: fresh spinach, artichoke hearts, olives, and feta, and Pizza#2: roasted red pepper, roasted fennel, mushrooms, and fontina.

Pizza-making is an art, and I am far from mastering it, but with every pizza I make, I think I'm getting closer and closer to my idea of the perfect homemade pizza.

Whole Wheat Pizza Dough (makes enough for two pizzas; adapted from allrecipes):

• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1 1/2 cups warm water
• 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
• 1 tablespoon + 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1. In a large bowl, dissolve sugar in warm water. Sprinkle yeast over the top, and let stand for about 10 minutes, until foamy.
2. Stir the olive oil and salt into the yeast mixture, then mix in the whole wheat flour and all-purpose flour until dough starts to come together. Tip dough out onto a floured surface and knead until the ball of dough becomes smooth, about 10 minutes. Place dough in an oiled bowl, and turn to coat the surface. Cover loosely with a damp towel, and let stand in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
3. When the dough is doubled, tip the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Form into a tight ball. Let rise for about 45 minutes, until doubled.
4. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Divide dough into 2 pieces. Roll each ball of dough with a rolling pin until it will not stretch any further. Then, drape it over both of your fists, and gently pull the edges outward, while rotating the crust. When the circle has reached the desired size, place on a well oiled pizza pan.
5. Bake for 8 minutes in the preheated oven, until the crust is slightly crisp and golden at the edges.
6. Remove from oven. Increase oven to 500 degrees F. Add sauce, cheese, and toppings, and bake for 10 minutes.