cook's illustrated's chicken enchiladas with red sauce

rarely does cook's illustrated disappoint me. this is one of those times. but they did not fail jason.

it's the dang jalapenos. they got me. these enchiladas are waaaaay too hot for me, all i could taste is heat. but jason, he ate these suckers up without batting an eyelash. long story short: yes, i'll make them again, without the raw jalapeno and with half the pickled jalapenos. 

 
cook's illustrated's chicken enchiladas with red sauce
adapted from cook's illustrated
about 1 hour, serves 4-6

1 medium onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons chili powder
3 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons sugar
16 ounces canned tomato sauce
1 cup water
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, whole
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
3 tablespoons pickled jalapeno, chopped
1 fresh jalapeno, minced
1/2 cup cilantro, minced
12 6 inch corn tortillas

1. coat the bottom of a large saucepan with olive oil and heat over medium low heat. add the onions, cover, and cook until the onions are soft, about 8 minutes.
2. stir in the garlic, chili powder, cumin, and sugar and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
3. stir in the tomato sauce and water and bring to a simmer. cook until thickened, about 5 minutes.
4. place the chicken in the sauce. reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until the chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes.
5. transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside. 
6. strain the sauce to remove solids and season with salt and pepper.
7. when the chicken is cool enough to handle, shred into bite size pieces. toss the chicken with about 1/2 cup of the sauce, 1 cup cheddar cheese, jalapenos, and cilantro and season with salt and pepper.
8. preheat your oven to 300F. spray a 9x13 inch pan with non stick spray. set aside.
9. warm the tortillas in the microwave so they are pliable. place about 1/3 of a cup of the chicken mixture in each tortilla. roll each and place them seam side down in the pan. continue until the pan is full.
10. pour the remaining sauce evenly over the enchiladas. sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup cheddar cheese. cover with foil and bake about 25 minutes, or until the enchiladas are heated through.

cinnamon sugar donut muffins!

these donut-muffin hybrids (duffins? monuts?) may not be the most beautiful things to come out of my kitchen, but they sure are some of the most delicious. seriously, they're tied with my new favorite leave-in conditioner for "things that have completely rocked my weekend."

if you're not convinced yet, i've narrowed down the top 5 reasons why you should drop what you're doing and make these right now:

1. you don't need any fancy kitchen gadgets to make these, just a few bowls and good whisk. sometimes i dread lugging out the stand mixer and consider mixing ingredients together a form of exercise. well, it kind of is! strength training? anyone?

2. you also don't need a donut pan. don't get me wrong, they are totally cute and very popular but go against my rule of only buying kitchen gadgets that serve more than one purpose

3. they are totally kid-friendly and come together in an hour. none of the pesky waiting around to start enjoying cinnamon-sugary bliss.

4. i cut the calories and fat from the original recipe a tremendous amount by substituting a few ingredients. this means, guiltless donut consumption! (when was the last time THAT happened?)

5. last but not least, they are 100% delicious and perfect at any time of the day. also, who could turn down a DONUT shaped like a MUFFIN?

i know you probably haven't made it to the end of the list without running to your kitchens to throw this together, but i'll continue with the post for when you come back, donut in hand.

though i don't consider myself a "low fat" or "light" baker, i do have a few tricks up my sleeve on how to cut some of the unnecessary bad-for-you ingredients from baked goods. one great trick is substituting unsweetened applesauce for oils, which i did in my modified version of this recipe. 

to use this technique, just put however much applesauce your recipe calls for in a sieve over a bowl and let it sit for 15-20 minutes. gravity will pull the majority of the moisture out of the applesauce, which would otherwise make your final product overly runny. if you don't have a sieve, you can mimic the effect by putting the applesauce between several layers of paper towels. it's a little messier, but it works!

these babies puffed up a lot, so i was glad that i only filled the tins up halfway. i used paper liners for the bigger version of the donuts (i ended up making minis too!) because i'm taking them to work and feel weird handing out unwrapped baked goods, but i think it takes away from their beauty a little. feel free to scrap the liners and just give your muffin tins a good spray before adding the batter.

another way i cut the calories from these was by not submerging the entire donut in butter before rolling it in cinnamon sugar. instead, i just dunked the tops! i don't feel like i lost any of the effect or taste at all, but you can feel free to coat your entire donut if you're feeling crazy.

this recipe was so easy to make and would be a quick and easy brunch treat to whip up some lazy morning. they are also super versatile and could be just as easily glazed or stuffed with jelly - my personal favorite. the few substitutions i made didn't detract at all from the flavor or taste, but instead just cut the calories down from 275 to 162 - an enormous difference.

cinnamon sugar donut muffins


adapted from tasty kitchen
yields 12-13 standard-sized muffins (or 3 dozen mini-muffins)

ingredients:

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce, strained
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3/4 cups granulated sugar
1 large egg
3/4 skim milk

for the topping:

2 tablespoons melted butter
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon

1. strain applesauce via sieve or paper towels for 15-20 minutes.

2. combine flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon in a bowl and set aside.

3. in a large bowl, whisk together applesauce, oil, sugar, egg, and milk until combined.

4. slowly add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and whisk together until no large lumps remain.

5. scoop into muffin tins and bake at 350 degrees for 15-17 minutes. (mini versions only need to bake for 7-8!). do not over-bake!

6. while your donuts are baking, melt butter in a heatproof bowl in the microwave. in a separate dish, mix together sugar & cinnamon until combined.

7. take donuts out of the oven and let rest for 1-2 minutes. while still hot, shake out of muffin tins. dip tops into butter, then sugar mixture, then let dry on wire rack for 5-10 minutes.

nutritional information:


calories: 162, fat: 3.25g, cholesterol: 21mg, sodium: 159mg, carbs: 30g, fiber: 1g, sugar: 16g, protein: 2.75g. 




before i go, i'd like to say a quick "thank you" to all the new readers that have been visiting my blog recently. welcome! if you have any questions, comments, suggestions, or requests, please feel free to get in touch via comment or at girlwhobakes@gmail.com. also, if you would like to know more about why i started this blog, or why i have all the nutritional information listed for my recipes, please check out my first entry right over here. 


as always, thanks for reading & happy baking!


amanda

oatmeal dark chocolate chip cookies (with flax!)

after an extremely long week, i wanted to make a comforting-yet-healthy treat to compensate for the half dozen mini-cupcakes, white wine, and pizza i've consumed recently. i went straight to a crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside cookie with dark chocolate chips (delicious & healthier than the milk version), oatmeal and my secret ingredient - flax.

now that i have you hooked, let's talk about flax. this stuff is one of those hippy foods that i never thought i would have in my kitchen, much less try to somehow pack into everything i eat. seriously - a substitute for bread crumbs, sprinkled in oatmeal and yogurt, it can even be used as an egg substitute! its got omega 3s (lowers cholesterol & blood pressure), works as an antioxidant and has tons of fiber. it's win-win - promise. you can get a big bag at trader joe's for a few dollars. you won't regret it!

these cookies came together super quickly in just a few steps. you can totally adjust the spices to your liking with these, which makes the recipe a great and healthy base that you should keep in your back pocket. a crucial part of this recipe is using sea salt, which i think adds oomph to anything with chocolate - especially cookies.

i used brown sugar in these because, well, i think it's like sugar - but better. i went light brown, but you could totally use dark brown and up the molasses-factor. (side note: this is a half batch that made around 15, so if you do a full batch prepare for about double this size!).

whenever trying a new cookie recipe i like to bake them at different times and with different strategies (i.e. chilling, flattening, etc.) to see what works best with the dough. these i baked in rounded 2 teaspoon portions and in 9 minutes they turned into this gorgeous golden brown. i like mine a little crispier, so i would probably go 10 minutes next time.

these cookies are delicious, wholesome, and for around 90 calories a pop they are a caloric bargain.

onto the recipe!

oatmeal dark chocolate chip cookies (with flax meal!)

makes about 30 cookies
adapted from the nourish network

ingredients:

3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup ground flaxseed
1/2 cup oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
4 ounces butter, softened
2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

directions:

1. preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit.

2. in a medium bowl whisk together flour, flax, oats, baking soda, spices and salt.

3. cream together butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. add egg and vanilla and combine.

4. add dry ingredients 1/2 cup at a time until incorporated but not over-mixed. stir in chocolate chips.

5. drop rounded scoops onto a lined cookie sheet and bake for 9-10 minutes.

nutritional information:


calories: 90, fat: 5g, cholesterol: 12mg, sodium: 39mg, carbs: 11.24g, fiber: 1g, sugar: 7.8g, protein: 1.15g.


thank you for reading & happy baking!


amanda

a quick check-in!

it seems i have gone m.i.a. from my favorite little corner of the internet. 

last weekend involved a speedy trip down to dc to visit my family and be stuffed full of my all-time favorite pizza & my wonderful mother's cuban food. 

as soon as i got back i had an enormous event at work that i am happy to report went off without a hitch, but that i am still recovering from. quite literally, actually. my feet are not pleased about having spent the night in heels.

anyway, i hope you are all doing well out there and that your lives have been a little less hectic than mine. if they haven't been, i hope you're napping right now and not reading this silly update. 

either way, i have a few recipes that i'm excited to try this weekend - so check back soon! 

amanda

ps: i've recently received some really lovely and flattering feedback about this site from folks and wanted to send out a general "thank you!" to every one who has been supportive of girlwhobakes. as always, if you have any questions or advice or requests i'd love to hear from you! 

fine cooking's chicken parmesan

see, i told you the heat wave wouldn't last long. last week i was basking in the sun, enjoying the 50 degree weather. this week? it's hovered around 25. this morning my alarm rudely woke me up with a  friendly reminder that yes, it is still in fact winter:"highs today in the mid 20s, it's 7 right now." great. perfect. why can't i have this week off like everyone else?!

good thing i have this chicken parm to keep me warm.

 

i made chicken parm last april, when we were even closer to the warm weather and i was savoring all the cold weather dishes i could get my hands on. the biggest difference between this version and last april's version is the use of homemade versus canned sauce. when i'm really in a hurry, i often reach for a jar of good marinara sauce. but when i have a few extra minutes, i like to take the time to make it from scratch.

sidenote: every sunday jason and i plan out at least four meals we're going to cook the following week - he cooks two nights, i cook two nights. when i'm scanning potential weeknight recipes, the first thing i look for is the start to finish time it takes to cook. we both work all day and rarely get home before 7; so i want recipes ready in under 30 minutes. long story short, i've categorized all of the dinner recipes on this site according to the time it takes to cook them: dinner in 30 or less, dinner in 30-60, dinner in 60-90, dinner in 90+. hopefully this makes your dinner planning a little bit easier too.

fine cooking's chicken parmesan

adapted from fine cooking 107 (oct/nov 2010) 
30 minutes, serves 4 (or 2 if you're really hungry)

this recipe does not make enough sauce for both your chicken and your pasta. double the sauce if you want enough for both.

1/2 cup all purpose flour
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs
4 thin sliced boneless skinless chicken breasts or 2 chicken breasts pounded very thin
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese or 4 slices mozzarella cheese
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
15 ounce can crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup basil, chopped
your favorite pasta, cooked according to the package directions

1. preheat your oven to 425F and line a baking sheet with foil. spray the foil with nonstick spray. set aside.
2. place the flour in a wide, shallow dish or deep plate. season with salt & pepper.
3. in a second wide shallow dish, lightly beat the eggs with 1 tablespoon oil.
4. put the panko in a third wide shallow dish.
5. heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.
6. season the chicken with salt & pepper. dip each piece in the flour, tap off the excess and dip in the egg. dip the chicken into the panko, making sure all surfaces are covered. repeat with remaining chicken pieces.
7. once the chicken is all coated, place it in the skillet. (if it doesn't all fit at once, cook in two batches.) cook about two minutes per side until cooked through.
8. transfer the chicken to the baking sheet and sprinkle with parmesan and mozzarella cheese. bake until the cheese is melted and chicken is cooked through, about five minutes.
9. while the chicken is baking, wipe out the skillet and put back on medium heat. add one tablespoon olive oil, the onion, and garlic. cook until the onion is soft and light brown, 3 to 4 minutes. 
10. stir in the tomatoes and season with salt. simmer until thick, about five minutes.
11. remove from heat and stir in the basil. season with salt and pepper.
12. serve the sauce over the chicken, with a side of pasta.

ina's fleur de sel caramels

two months ago we were running around like crazy, still getting ready - and looking forward to - the impending holidays. i don't know about you, but it seems like forever ago. anyway, i made these caramels in mid-december and brought half of them in to work. they were gone in less than 48 hours.

 

i've been eying this recipe from ina (aka barefoot contessa) lately, but what got me is catching an episode of her show one lazy december weekend where she made these for a dinner party. her secret is that she makes everything look easy because it actually is. perfect for me. 

 

the only real trick is cooking the sugar enough so that it's caramelized but not so much that it's burnt. and if you burn it, try again. i have definitely burnt more sugar (and undercooked more sugar) than i have caramelized it perfectly. 

almost all caramel recipes are the same: cook sugar, add cream and/or butter. the difference lies in the use of corn syrup or water or neither. i've heard that corn syrup is used to keep the sugar from crystallizing (the last thing you want are sandy caramels) and i have had better success with recipes that call for corn syrup or water rather than those which don't.

ina's fleur de sel caramels
adapted from ina garten
30 minutes to make caramel, 1 hour to cut & wrap finished piece

1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1 cup heavy cream
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon fleur de sel or maldon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
wax or parchment paper to wrap finished candies

1. line an 8" square pan with parchment paper, allowing it to hang over the sides. coat with oil or non stick spray.
2. in a deep saucepan, combine 1/4 cup water, sugar, and corn syrup. bring to a boil over medium high heat. boil until the mixture is a warm golden brown. the darker the sugar at this stage, the darker your finished caramel will be.
3. while the sugar mixture is coming to a boil, heat the cream and fleur de sel over medium heat until it simmers. turn off the heat and set aside.
4. once the sugar mixture is golden brown, turn off the heat and slowly add the cream mixture. the mixture will boil very vigorously when the cream is added, so be careful.
5. stir in the vanilla with a wooden spoon and cook over medium low heat until the mixture reaches about 245 (for softer candy) or 250 (for slightly firmer, chewier candy) on a candy thermometer.
6. carefully pour the caramel into the prepared pan. let cool over night.
7. remove the caramel from the pan by pulling up on the parchment paper hanging over the sides of the pan.
8. use a well oiled chef's knife or pizza cutter to cut the caramels into one inch squares or half inch by 2 inch rectangles. 
9. wrap each candy in parchment or wax paper. store at room temperature.

fallen almond pound cake

...or tracy's birthday cake. perfect for a midweek treat.

right now i have 97 cake and 78 cupcake recipes saved in my google reader. yea, that's right, over 150 cake recipes that have interested me so much that i have tagged them to make later. insane? yes. so when birthdays or dinner parties come up and i'm given the chance to make a cake, i take it. since i had leftover blackberry sauce in my refrigerator from the last sweet treat i made and i didn't have a lot of time to fuss around with a cake since tracy's birthday fell on a weekday, this almond cake jumped to the top of my list.

and boy, did it go over well. the cake is perfect. moist, light, and perfectly almondy. i thought jason was going to cry when i told him he couldn't have a piece of the first cake when i took it out of the oven. but you should have seen the look on his face when i brought out the second - yes, this recipe makes two cakes - cake from the oven and told him it was for us and to eat as much as he wanted. the man went nuts. literally.

one word of warning about the blackberry sauce: double it, triple it if you can. it's that good. so much so that someone - i won't name names - wanted to drink it with a straw.

fallen almond pound cake
adapted from sophistimom
45 minutes, makes two eight inch round cakes, each serves 8-12

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
8 ounce package of cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup almond flour or 1/2 cup almonds, finely ground in a food processor
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
blackberry sauce

1. preheat oven to 325F. grease two 8 inch cake pans.
2. with a mixer, cream together butter and cream cheese. add sugar and mix until smooth. add eggs one at a time, mixing well until each one is incorporated. mix in vanilla and almond extracts.
3. in a separate bowl, whisk together flour, almond flour, baking powder, and salt. with the mixer running (or add in batches, if it's easier), slowly add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients.
4. distribute the batter evenly between the two pans and bake about 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. let cool in the pan on a wire rack for about 20 minutes.
5. very carefully invert the cake onto your hand and flip back onto the wire rack. if you flip the cake onto the rack directly, the grid or lines of your rack will show up on the cake. it can be done, it just won't be as pretty.
6. serve with blackberry sauce.

check out more sweets at sweets for a saturday and sweet tooth friday!

vegetable soup with tortellini

it rained today. yes, rain. not snow. not sleet. not hail, straight up rained. and although we've had a heat wave (it was 50+ today!!) over the last few days, rumor is it isn't going to stay too long.

even though i've already put this to the back of my make this next winter pile, it might have to be bumped back up into normal rotation.

truth be told, i made this soup right in the thick of it. right smack in the middle of a week where the temperature hovered around 0 the entire week. extra blankets were thrown on the bed. it was so cold we turned the temperature of our water heater up, so our morning showers could actually warm us up.

vegetable soup with tortellini
adapted from keep your diet real
1 hour, easily makes 8 servings (great as leftovers for lunch)

1 medium onion, diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
4 carrots, diced
4 celery stalks, diced
4 potatoes, yukon gold or another variety that won't disintegrate into the soup, diced
15 oz can kidney beans
15 oz can cannellini beans
15 oz diced tomatoes
28 oz crushed tomatoes
4 cups chicken stock
1 1/2 cups cheese tortellini, fresh or frozen
parmesan or mozzarella cheese to top, optional

1. coat the bottom of a dutch oven or large soup pot (this makes a lot of soup, it came within an inch of the top of my 5.5 quart dutch oven) with olive oil and heat on medium high. cool the onion and garlic until translucent and starting to brown around the edges, about 5 minutes.
2. add the carrots, celery, and potatoes. season with salt and pepper. cover and cook an additional 5 minutes.
3. add the beans, tomatoes, and chicken stock and cover. bring the soup to a boil, reduce to simmer, and cook 20 minutes.
4. add the cheese tortellini and cook another 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender and the tortellini is cooked through. taste and season with salt and pepper.
5. top each serving with parmesan or mozzarella cheese, as you like. serve with crusty bread.

spaghetti stoup

as a follow up to his wildly successful first post, here's the third installment from jason, my best taste tester. i've been making this dish for years, since like others, it's one of those that is so simple and delicious, it finds it's way into my weeknight menu each winter. this time, it's his turn.

Now that the weather is cold and snowy, I've been wanting something that Kate made a long time ago: Spaghetti "Stoup" (as Rachel Ray calls it).

This is a really easy and tasty recipe that you can make on a weeknight, even if you're not a super-cook like my wife Kate.

There is an online version here, but it is a little different from the recipe found in the Rachel Ray magazine, which is what I used, but with two modifications: I left out the parsley because I'm not a big fan of it, and I used dried basil instead of fresh basil because I didn't have any fresh basil.

anyone else notice her thirty minute meals seem to take at least forty?

spaghetti stoup
adapted from rachael ray
40 minutes, serves 4

1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
4 cups chicken broth
28 ounces crushed tomatoes
15 ounces tomato sauce
3/4 pound ground beef
1 egg
1/4 cup italian bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 pound spaghetti broken in half
dried basil

1. coat the bottom of a large dutch oven over medium heat with olive oil. add the onion, carrots, garlic, and bay leaf and cook about 5 minutes, until vegetables start to soften.
2. add the chicken broth, tomatoes, and tomato sauce. cover and bring to a boil.
3. in a large bowl, use your hands to combine the beef, egg, bread crumbs, and cheese. roll the meat into small meatballs, about the size of a walnut, and drop into the simmering soup. simmer about 10 minutes.
4. add the spaghetti and cook 10 to 12 minutes or until the pasta is done and the meatballs are cooked through. season with salt, dried basil, & pepper and enjoy.

2014.11.03 this was bcmom's kitchen's pick for the secret recipe club!

raspberry glazed baked chocolate donuts

this past christmas, my sister got me everything i need to make donuts: lara ferroni's book, a donut cutter, and a mini donut pan. which gave me the perfect opportunity to retry mini baked chocolate cake donuts. i made the exact same recipe, this time using my donut pan and this time, they're topped with a perfectly sweet raspberry glaze. did i mention these are done - start to finish, i even did all the dishes - in thirty minutes?!

don't have a donut pan or haven't quite decided yet if you need one?! these bake up perfectly in a mini muffin pan. the only thing missing is the characteristic hole.

raspberry glazed baked chocolate cake donuts
donut recipe adapted from lara ferroni
30 minutes, makes 24 mini donuts

for the donuts:
1 cup all purpose flour
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg

for the glaze:
2 tablespoons strained raspberry jam or raspberry jelly
1/2 teaspoon vanilla (a splash)
about 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar

1. lightly grease a mini donut pan (or mini cupcake pan). preheat your oven to 350F.
2. sift the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and baking soda together (be sure to sift it and not just whisk it, to break up the lumps of cocoa). whisk in the sugar, nutmeg and salt. use your fingers to add the butter. crumble it together with the other dry ingredients until it resembles coarse sand. set aside.
3. in another bowl, whisk the buttermilk, sour cream, vanilla and egg. add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture and mix just until combined.
4. fill each donut mold (or muffin tin) 1/2 to 2/3 of the way full. bake for about 8 minutes, until they spring back when touched. turn out onto a wire rack to cool.
5. while the donuts are cooling, make the glaze. if using seeded raspberry jam, strain the jam through a fine mesh strainer to get rid of the seeds. if using jelly, you're all set. whisk the jam/jelly with the vanilla. slowly add confectioners sugar, about 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking after each spoonful. continue adding sugar until you have a thick syrup.
6. dip the top of each mini donut into the glaze. place on a wire rack for the glaze to set.

wanna check out more sweet treats?! head over to sweets for a saturday!

this recipe was selected by Ali as one of her top five favorites for sweet tooth friday! check out all the other great sweets!

2011.06.13 This was Hoosier Homemade's secret recipe selection!

vegan funfetti cupcakes

i have an awesome boss. part of her awesomeness stems from what a great gift-giver she is. for the holidays i got a gigantic set of sharpies, a three pack of the best-smelling antibacterial gel ever, and vegan cupcakes take over the world. oh i know, she rocks.

before receiving said gifts i had spoken at length with her in our tiny office about how i wanted to get into vegan baking, but was apprehensive about it as unknown baking territory. i've been taking baby steps via breads & cookies to build my confidence, but this weekend i decided that i was ready for the big leagues - cupcakes! - and armed myself with almond milk, vinegar, and earth balance.

i won't lie to you, i was nervous from the get-go, especially since the word "curdle" was in the first step. but, i took a deep breath and trusted the process and curdled it up. 

the batter was way more like a science fair project than a cupcake base. it was bubbly and reacting to itself and i'm pretty sure i could have made it explode if i had tossed a mentos in it. i started with my paddle attachment, but that was far too messy. i switched over to a whisk and it was way smoother sailing.

additional anxiety kicked in when i realized that the batter was an unpleasant khaki color instead of the golden-y goodness that i know and love, but through magic or science or oven gnomes that issue was resolved.

and i got beautiful, springy, perfectly-domed cupcakes! amazing.

by the way, if you bake at all and have limited counter space i highly, highly recommend investing in stackable cooling racks. hell, even if you have a giant kitchen there's no reason to waste space by having racks side-by-side. plus, then you can call each rack a "floor" and pretend that your cupcakes are in a fancy hotel. or not. cause that would be weird. anyway..

while the cupcakes cooled and i prepped the frosting everyone in my house decided it was nap time, including flapjack. he's 18 pounds. seriously. (not pictured: his sister, waffles).

in the end, the frosting is what got me. i'm pretty particular about my frostings and don't really have recipes, per se, but i have a general idea of what i want it to taste like and i adjust as i go. working with shortening and earth balance was a bit of a challenge for me and i think i need to do a little more research into how to achieve the perfect vegan buttercream.

i will say that it piped on pretty nicely and tasted a lot better once i let it set up in the fridge. i'm interested in if it will continue to improve with time, so i guess i'll have to force myself to eat one tomorrow. bummer.

overall, i'm pretty happy with how these came out, especially considering i'm a complete rookie. i would not have guessed they were vegan, which is my goal for animal-free baking, and was surprised at how delicious the batter was after it hung out in the oven for a while.

vegan funfetti cupcakes

adapted from vegan cupcakes take over the world
yields 28

ingredients:

2 cups almond milk (you could use soy, i've just been on an almond kick!)
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons cornstarch
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 teaspoons almond extract

1. whisk milk & vinegar in a measuring cup and set aside so it gets nice & curdle-y

2. preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit & line muffin pan

3. sift together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt

4. with a whisk attachment or by hand, beat together soy milk mixture, oil, sugar, vanilla & almond extracts

5. add dry mixture to wet mixture and mix until no large clumps remain

6. carefully fold in 3-4 tablespoons sprinkles, medium-sized to large work best

7. fill up your lined pans two-thirds of the way (this is where an ice cream scoop comes in handy!) and bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean

8. let cool for 5-10 minutes in pan and then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely

vegan buttercream frosting

(note: this is not a perfected recipe, so make sure to test your icing out as you go and adjust!)

ingredients:

1/3 cup non-hydrogenated shortening
1/3 non-hydrogenated margarine (i used earth balance)
3 cups sifted confectioner's sugar
up to 3 tablespoons almond milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons almond extract
1/8-1/4 teaspoon salt (this sounds weird, i know, but i think it's essential in buttercreams)

1. beat together shortening & margarine until combined and fluffy

2. add sugar 1/2 cup at a time and mix

3. add extracts to taste

4. add salt to taste

5. if you need the icing to be less stiff, add milk a teaspoon at a time until it reaches the right consistency

6. decorate away!

nutritional information:


calories: 219, fat: 9.6g, cholesterol: 1mg, sodium: 162mg, carbs: 31.24g, sugars: 21g, protein: 1g.




as always, thank you for reading & happy baking!


amanda



ps: first of all, thank you for reading this far! secondly, if you end up making anything you've read here or have any suggestions i would love to hear from you! seriously, let's talk!

one bowl chocolate cake

i'm a big fan of cake in all flavors. nutty, candy filled, fruit filled, topped with fruit, covered in fruity buttercream, made from vegetables, chocolate & peanut butter, slathered in peanut butter, soda flavored, lemon, yellow, crumb cake, you name it, i like it.

but when my dad's birthday came (and went) two weeks ago, there was only one choice: chocolate.

somewhat surprisingly, i haven't made a chocolate cake (or cupcakes) in over a year, and even then, the recipe was so uneventful that i didn't even post it (but my mom's peanut butter buttercream is still one of my favs). so while i have at least a dozen (two?) chocolate cake recipes on my 'to bake' list, i stuck with martha. i had great success with her yellow cake, that her chocolate version shot to the top of my list.

i wasn't disappointed, but it wasn't nearly as good as the yellow cake. but honestly, this cake has one huge benefit that very few share: it's mixed in about 10 minutes and only dirties one bowl. seriously. no folding in egg whites or adding wet to dry. plain and simple. dump and mix.

now that the taste of chocolate cake is still lingering, maybe it's time to start the search for the perfect chocolate cake!?

and the writing? i skipped the tubed gel and used deb's trick. i melted about a half cup of white chocolate chips in the microwave with about a tablespoon of heavy cream. and when it was perfectly melted, i tinted it blue with food coloring. it was a little thin, so i let it set up a bit in the refrigerator while i stacked the cakes and iced them. i spooned the melted chocolate into a small, sandwich size zip top bag, made the smallest slit in the corner, and did a few trial letters on some wax paper - which i highly recommend, since it isn't exactly easy to fix screwed up letters on a cake. and be careful with the piping - once you start, don't stop. i wrote 'happy' and put down the chocolate for a minute to do god knows what (probably fast forward my dvr) and when i went back to it, the chocolate had set in the bag so when i tried to squeeze it, the bag burst in my hand. i saved the day by remelting it in the microwave and putting it into a new bag to finish piping.

one bowl chocolate cake
adapted from martha stewart's cooking school
1 hour total plus cooling time, serves 12-16

1 1/4 cups unsweetened dutch process cocoa powder
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 1/2 cups sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
1 1/4 cups warm water
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract

1. coat two 8 inch round cake pans with nonstick spray and set aside. preheat your oven to 350F.
2. in a large bowl, whisk together cocoa, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
3. add eggs, yolk, water, buttermilk, butter, and vanilla and whisk to combine.
4. divide batter evenly among the two pans and bake about 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
5. let cool on a wire rack in the pan for 10-15 minutes. remove from pan and cool completely (about 2 hours) before icing.
6. ice with your favorite chocolate buttercream or my favorite chocolate ganache buttercream. serve with a tall glass of chocolate milk.

wanna check out more sweet treats?! head over to sweets for a saturday!

valentine's day cut out cookies with marbled frosting

if you obsessively follow baking trends online like i do, i'm sure you know that really beautiful & elegant cutout cookies have been making the rounds for valentine's day. the general consensus on these cookies are that they are painstakingly difficult, specifically the icing, so of course i needed to give them a try.

to be honest with you all, i didn't think these were going to be successful at all and i went into the project with the notion that this batch would be my pre-documentation test run. i was happily mistaken and i think these, by and large, came out pretty well. 

i wanted to make sure that these cookies didn't just look pretty, but that they tasted great too. i spent a lot of time researching and adjusting recipes to come up with one that was delicious and that baked flat and evenly enough to ice. 

this batch of around two dozen took me, all together, around six hours to make. the icings are all hand-tinted with gel colors and each of the cookies had to be dammed, filled, and the marbled. needless to say, this is not an every-day cookie. but, for someone whose ideal saturday morning is staying in her pajamas, sipping iced coffee, listening to npr and decorating twenty four cookies by hand it was wonderful. plus, i think the results are pretty impressive.

there's no recipe this time around, mostly because i'm still tweaking and i want to have photographs to go along with the instructions.

to aid in forgiveness, i will divulge that tomorrow i'm making vegan funfetti cupcakes from scratch, so please come on back!

amanda

my top 5 baking must-haves!

reading food blogs is like having the chance to peek into the recipe books of all different kinds of people and read the scribbles in the margins. the little tips & tricks that you can only learn from trying and tweaking a recipe until it's perfect.

being the overly curious person i am, i also adore when people show not only how they cook - but with what. y'know, all the kitchen tools and gadgets that make the baking experience easier, more fun, or more delicious.

along with being curious, i'm also pretty cheap with a tendency to go overboard in the stuff department. therefore, i do my best to only buy things that i will use on a regular basis.

so, without further ado, here are the five things i could not do without when i bake!

parchment paper

let's start off simple! parchment paper is the best for cookies, whoopie pies, or anything else you bake on a sheet. you can reuse the sheet a few times, so doing multiple rounds of baking is no problem - really helpful when you have to bake several batches off. a roll costs about $3.

a set of mixing bowls

i've been in the market for a good set of mixing bowls for a while now. this might surprise you, it might not, but i had a lot of requirements in my search. i needed them to nest (for space reasons), to have a spout (for pouring purposes), to be light-weight (i'm lazy), dishwasher-safe (i'm double-lazy), and microwave-safe (for melting chocolate in, then licking, in laziness). this set of three was about $25.

batter scoops

i use these, quite literally, 9 out of every time 10 times i bake. the smaller one is about two teaspoons (cookie size!) and the larger one is about a quarter cup (cupcake size!). they also make portioning and making evenly sized baked goods really easy. together these were about $12. 

batter blade

okay, so this is a new and slightly frivolous addition to my top five, but it absolutely blows my mind. this is an alternative blade attachment for a traditional kitchenaid mixer, but the amazing part is that it simultaneously scrapes down the bowl while it mixes. seriously, an unbelievable invention. this was a valentine's day gift, but i think it's around $25.

kitchen scale

okay friends, i saved the very best for last. kitchen scales can be incredibly helpful for making accurate measurements, specifically for dry ingredients. sometimes recipes - macarons are a great example - will require you to measure things to the gram, and this little machine makes that possible! 

my scale has also been maybe the most important staple in my kitchen since i health-ed up my lifestyle. it's been really crucial in understanding and serving correct portion sizes, and therefore making good decisions about what i put in my body. i think americans have a very skewed perspective on what portions should look like, and this takes all the guesswork out of it. it is absolutely the first tool i would recommend to anyone looking to adjust their diet. they generally run around $20.

i hope this has been informational and at least a little entertaining! i'd love to know what you guys use in your kitchens. 

this weekend is going to be jam-packed with baking fun, so stay tuned!

amanda

risotto stuffed portobello mushrooms

lately i've been stumbling across a few recipes so perfect - so simple, so delicious - that my first reaction is "why didn't i think of that?!" first, there was smitten kitchen's chocolate-peanut spread (think nutella with peanuts instead of hazelnuts) and then there were these risotto stuffed mushrooms from kitchenist. and all i thought leftover risotto was good for is risotto cakes.

i don't think this dish needs much discussion. you're one of two people. you love mushrooms and can't get enough of them. if this is you, i had you at "risotto stuffed mushroom". if you think mushrooms are stinky or have a weird texture, you either haven't read this far or if you have, there's nothing i can say to convince you how great this meal is. so to all you mushroom lovers out there, make this dish! i bet it would be perfect for a dinner party too.

next time i make risotto, it will be a triple batch - enough for cakes and stuffed mushrooms because now i'm torn between the best way to "use up" leftover risotto!

risotto stuffed portobello mushrooms
adapted from kitchenist
30 minutes, makes 2 mushrooms

2 portobello mushrooms, cleaned and gills removed
about 1 cup leftover risotto (i used leftover leek, peas, and bacon without the bacon)
parmesan, provolone, or romano cheese to top

1. preheat your oven to 400F and clean the mushrooms. put the mushrooms on a sheet tray upside down (gill side up) and drizzle with olive oil. season with salt & pepper and bake about 15 minutes until softened.
2. while the mushrooms bake, warm up the leftover risotto to room temperature. i microwave mine for a minute or two. you just want to take the chill off, so it warms all the way through.
3. when the mushrooms are done, spoon the risotto into the caps and top with cheese. bake an additional 10 minutes, until the cheese is melted. 

2011.11.07 this was one of Culinary Adventures with Camilla's picks for the secret recipe club!
2013.11.04 this was jenna's cooking journey's pick for the secret recipe club!

vegan ginger cookies with lemon royal icing

okay guys, i have a confession to make. it's not something i'm proud of, but admitting you have a problem is the first step.

i am not an inclusive baker.

in a world ripe with food allergies and ethical eating i still throw as much butter, flour, eggs and nuts into a recipe as i possibly can. it's not right, but it is delicious.

part of my foray into vegan baking has been as an attempt to make my baked goods available to more people. other bonuses include being forced out of my ingredient comfort zone and being able to make stuff when i use up all the butter & eggs and am too lazy to buy more.

 

i'm really still getting the hang of things - my last few attempts have been quite embarrassing - so any tips & tricks you can throw my way would be amazing.

equal parts molasses, oil, and sugar. i used brown instead of white because..well, it's how i roll. perk: these cookies come together in one glorious bowl. speaking of bowls, i got a new set as an early valentine's day present and i am in baking heaven.

let's veer slightly off topic for a minute. so, like i said, i'm new at this whole vegan-baking thing. to get these cookies the way i wanted them i had to adjust several parts of the recipe. the cookie on the top left-hand side was made according to instructions, but turned out way too mounded and dense for me. 

the next couple i smooshed a little with a glass and they were closer to what i was looking for. the bottom cookie, which i think turned out the best, is the last and final version and the recipe i have posted at the bottom of this entry. 

so, i know that there is a spoon in this shot and that would lead you to believe it was used. honestly? i barely touched it. by the end of the mix-a-thon i was using my hands to get everything combined. it was awesome.

these cookies are dark and spicy and right up my alley, but i couldn't resist adding a little sweetness and acidity through a few squiggles - the technical term - of vegan lemon royal icing. i had to figure this one out, since royal icing is traditionally made with eggs, but i managed!

note: there was no way that for a one-bowl cookie recipe i was going to break out the piping tips. no way, no how. i just grabbed a ziploc bag, poured the icing in, sealed it up, cut a tip hole in the bottom corner and got to icing. painless!

these cookies are actually very delicious, and not even "for vegan cookies". they are great alone, but the icing dresses them up a little bit. alternatively, i think they would be great rolled in some raw sugar. or, not to get crazy, lemon-infused raw sugar!

onto the recipe!

vegan ginger cookies with lemon royal icing

yields 2 dozen

adapted from veggie revolution

preheat oven to 350 degrees f

for cookies:

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup molasses

2-3 tablespoons hot water

1 3/4 cups flour

2 teaspoons ginger

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/3 teaspoon salt

1. in a medium-sized bowl combine oil, sugar, molasses & hot water.

2. stir in flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda & salt. combine with spoon/hands.

3. if batter is too dry/sandy add a teaspoon of water a time until it reaches a workable consistency.

4. bake on a parchment-lined baking sheet for 8-9 minutes. cookies might appear under-done, but will harden as they cool.

for lemon icing:

1 cup confectioner's sugar

juice from half a medium lemon

2 teaspoons light corn syrup

1. in a small bowl mix sugar and lemon juice until smooth. 

2. add corn syrup and beat until smooth and glossy. if icing is too thin, add more sugar. if it's too thick, add more juice or corn syrup. 

3. pour into ziploc bag, seal, and cut small hole in bottom corner. decorate away!

nutritional information:

calories: 120, fat: 4.4g, sodium: 80mg, carbs: 19.22g, sugars: 10g, protein: 1g.

thanks for reading & happy baking!

amanda

lemon ricotta cookies

after a week spent with the entirety of southeast michigan freaking out about blizzards and whiteouts, i innocently thought i could have a weekend to relax and run errands and avoid scraping off my car multiple times a day. boy, was i wrong.

i decided i needed a reminder that summer will eventually come, so i grabbed some lemons and leftover low-fat ricotta cheese and went to work on a giada delaurentiis recipe i had bookmarked.

 no offense to giada, but i bumped up the lemon-factor in both the cookie and the glaze - about double what the recipe called for. i also made them a bit smaller, which lowered the calories and made them way cuter.

giada, with all the brains in her giant forehead, says to ladle the glaze on and spread it over the cookie. i decided to take a different route and just dip these suckers in the glaze and wiggle off the excess.

just make sure to put something underneath your drying racks before you start the glazing process or prepare yourself for a messy table.

 

if you're a cakey-cookie person, these are for you. the only trick to these is to make sure you don't over-bake them. i kept an eye on the bottoms and when they were golden brown i took them out of the oven, despite the fact that they looked completely under-done on top.

lemon ricotta cookies

yields about 3 1/2 dozen

adapted from giada de laurentiis

cookies:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened 

1 cups sugar

1 egg

8 ounches low-fat ricotta cheese

3 tablespoons lemon juice

1 lemon, zested

glaze:

3/4 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 lemon, zested

(note for glaze: you can adjust the consistency of the glaze by adding more sugar if it's too runny & more juice if it's too thick!)

preheat oven to 375 degrees f.

1. in a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.

2. in a large bowl, cream butter and sugar using an electric mixer until light & fluffy. add the egg and beat until incorporated. add the cheese, lemon juice, and zest. beat until combined.

3. add the dry ingredients until just combined - don't overmix!

4. line baking sheet(s) with parchment and spoon dough, about two teaspoons for each cookie, onto the sheets. bake for ten minutes, until slightly golden at edges. remove from the oven and let the cookies rest for fifteen minutes.

5. while cookies cool, combine powdered sugar, lemon juice, and zest in a small bowl and stir until smooth. dip cooled cookie tops into glaze and let glaze cool and harden for about two hours.

nutrition information:

calories: 67, fat: 1.7g, cholesterol: 5mg, sodium: 49mg, carbs: 11.71g, fiber: 0.13g, sugars: 7.8g, protein: 1.27g.

thank you for reading & happy baking!

amanda

potato, corn & cheddar chowder

even though we're a few days into february, my vegetarian january actually ran january 4th through february 4th. and even though it's over, i have a few more vegetarian entrees in my queue. first up is this corn and potato chowder.

and unlike my first attempt, this one actually has flavor. a lot of it. and even though it's not corn season, we used two cans of no salt added corn and it worked perfectly. this one will definitely be added to my winter soup rotation. 

potato, corn & cheddar chowder
adapted from greg's kitchen
30 minutes, serves 6

7 medium yukon gold potatoes, cut into bite size cubes
32 ounces chicken broth
1 tablespoon roasted garlic or 2 minced garlic cloves
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1 cup milk
2 cups cheddar cheese
2 cup corn, frozen, canned, or fresh
optional sliced scallions for garnish

1. place potatoes in a dutch oven and cover with water. bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 10 to 15 minutes until the potatoes are tender. drain potatoes and return all but about one cup to the pan.
2. mash the reserved one cup of potatoes with a fork and add to the pan. 
3. stir in broth and garlic and season with salt and pepper. place over medium high heat and bring to a boil. if using frozen corn, add it now. reduce heat and simmer about two minutes.
4. while the broth is heating up, in a separate bowl, whisk the flour into the milk until smooth. add the mixture to the broth, stirring constantly. cook until mixture thickens and boils.
5. if using fresh or canned corn, add it now.
6. stir in cheese until melted.
7. serve with scallions sprinkled on top.