Healthy Delicious

Now in Print: BlogAid – Recipes for Haiti

Feb 4th, 2010

by LK.

It’s easy to forget that it was just a few short weeks ago that we were all staring blankly at our televisions as the news came in about the earthquake in Haiti. It was awful, and I knew that I wanted to do everything that I could to help. Giving money is one thing, but I also wanted a way to motivate others to give.

A few other bloggers had similar thoughts, and together we decided to pool our talents and create a cookbook - with 100% of the proceeds going to the Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders. And create a cookbook we did – with the support of West Canadian Graphics and Blurb, we put together 100 full-color pages filled with recipes from some of your favorite bloggers. And, staring today, it can be yours.

Click the image above to be taken to a page where you can order either a softcover ($25) or hardcover ($50) book. West Canadian Graphics/ Blurb have agreed to match donations (up to $10,000) and until Febuary 12, the Canadian government will match that. I know that the economy is bad and money is tight, but if a gorgeous cookbook that was put together with love and the knowledge that your contribution wil be tripled isn’t motivation to give just a little bit more (since I know you all gave already, right?), I don’t know what is.

In our first day of sales, we’ve already raised over $7,500. That is amazing, and I am so proud to be part of a community that has come together in this way to make a difference in the world. I’m especially proud of Julie for organizing the effort and making things happen, as well as all of the other contributers:

Chef Michael Smith,
Dana McCauley,
Emily Richards,
Catharine from Weelicious,
Cheryl from Backseat Gourmet,
Jeannette of Everybody Likes Sandwiches,
Nishta from Blue Jean Gourmet,
Lauren of Celiac Teen,
Charmian from Christie’s Corner,
Shaina from Food for my Family,
Marisa of Food in Jars,
Shauna and Danny from Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef,
Alice from Savory Sweet Life,
Tara from Seven Spoons,
Jess of Sweet Amandine,
Helen from Tartelette,
Gail from The Pink Peppercorn,
Pierre of Kitchen Scraps,
Tim from Lottie and Doof,
Tea from Tea & Cookies,
Jamie from My Baking Addiction,
Lori from Recipe Girl,
Melissa from The Traveler’s Lunchbox,
Brooke of Tongue-n-Cheeky, and
Aimee of Under the High Chair.

For more information, visit Blogaid.org. To order, click HERE.

Posted in: Uncategorized.

Udon with Ponzu and Brown Butter Sauce

Jan 31st, 2010

by LK.

13 comments

These udon noodles with ponzu and brown butter sauce are one of my favorite recent creations. It’s amazingly simple and takes almost no effort to throw together. There are certain words that I really don’t like to use to describe food; they’re overused and cliche. But sometimes, there’s just no other appropriate way to describe something. So I’m going to break one of my own unwritten rules and come out and say it – unctuous. That’s the only way that I can describe these fat, slippery noodles that are lightly coated in a buttery, citrusy sauce.

The ponzu and brown butter sauce is incredibly rich and fills your mouth with a rounded flavor. Red peppers and green onions add color to the dish as well as pierce through the richness of the sauce to make the dish seem light on the palate. The noodles themselves are so rich that you don’t need much steak in this dish, but it does deserve a special mention. A quick marinade of sesame oil, ponzu, and ginger imparts tons of flavor. A quick kiss by a hot pan will cook the steak perfectly, making it so tender that you barely need to chew it.

If you have leftovers, they are delicious served chilled or at room temperature. If you’d rather have them heated, heat the noodles and peppers separately from the steak. Stir the steak in at the very end and allow the heat from the noodles to bring it up to temperature so that it doesn’t overcook and become tough.

Udon with Ponzu and Brown Butter Sauce

1/2 pound chuck steak

2 Tbs seasoned rice vinegar

1/8 cup plus 1 Tbs ponzu sauce

1Tbs sesame oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1 Tbs grated ginger

1 pinch red pepper flakes

1/2 package udon noodles

1 red bell pepper, cut into matchsticks

1 chili pepper, minced

1.5 Tbs butter

3 green onions, chopped

1 tsp black sesame seeds

1 tsp orange zest

Make the marinade: In a small metal bowl, combine the rice vinegar , 1 Tbs ponzu, 1 Tbs sesame oil, garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes. Cut the steak into very thin slices, and add to the marinade. Cover and set aside for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil and prepare your noodles according to the package directions. While the noodles cook, heat a large frying pan over high heat. When the pan is hot, add a little bit of sesame oil, then cook the peppers for about three minutes – they should be cooked, but still crisp. Remove the peppers from the pan and set aside. Return the pan to the burner. Add the steak. Cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Immediately remove from the pan and set aside.

Reduce the heat to medium. Add the butter to the pan and heat until it is melted. Reduce heat to low and continue to cook until the butter turns light golden-brown. Slowly whisk in the remaining ponzu sauce. Reduce by half.

Drain the noodles, then toss with the brown butter and ponzu sauce and the peppers. Top with steak and garnish with green onions, sesame seeds, and orange zest.

Serves 4.

Posted in: asian, beef, farmers market, fast, stovetop.

Mini Pineapple Upside Down Cakes Mini Pineapple Upside Down Cakes

Jan 28th, 2010

by LK.

12 comments

Life has been insane lately and I haven’t had the time or energy to post, but I couldn’t wait any longer to post these.

I hadn’t had pineapple upside down cake in forever. I actually kind of forgot that it existed! But a few months ago, a little pineapple upside down bundt cake at Panera caught my eye. i bought one and was happily surprised when the cakes were fully of crunchy little poppy seeds. I loved the texture that they gave the cake! I immediately knew that I wanted to recreate them at home.

These came out great! The pineapple reminds me of summer and makes even the dreariest winter day seem immediately tropical. The pineapple and brown sugar almost melts into the cake, which is moist and doughy with the great crunch.

Mini Pineapple Upside Down Cakes

1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 can pineapple rings
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon dark rum (optional)
1/2 cup milk
2 Tbs pineapple juice
1/4 cup poppy seeds

Preheat oven to 350.

Spray a cupcake pan with non-stick spray. Sprinkle 1/12th of the brown sugar into the bottom of each cup, then top with a pineapple ring.

Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl. Add the butter and sugar to another bowl and beat until fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing in between additions. Beat in the vanilla and rum.

Add half of the flour mixture and mix to combine. Mix in the milk and pineapple juice, then stir in the remaining flour. Gently fold in the poppy seeds.

Divide the batter among the cups of your pan, so that the pineapple ring is on the bottom. Bake for 18-22 minutes or until fully cooked.

Allow to cool, then invert pan onto a baking sheet to remove cakes.

Yields 12.

Posted in: bakes, dessert, recipe, special occasions.

Foodbuzz 24, 24, 24: Around the World in Six Soups

Jan 24th, 2010

by LK.

24 comments

January is National Soup Month. January 24th is about the time when most people start losing focus on their New Year’s resolutions to eat better. I love soups and find that they provide a tasty and nutritious meal without a lot of work. So when Foodbuzz sent out a call for proposals for the January 24, 24, 24 event, I knew exactly what I wanted to do – a world tour of soups. (A soup Olympics, if you’re eagerly anticipating the games next month.)

That’s right: I’m presenting you with six soups, one representing each (populated) continent. Each soup is hearty enough to be a meal and can be made quickly and easily as long as you have stock on hand. And to keep everyone happy, two of them are vegan. They also all freeze well, which is good considering I now have enough soup to feed a small country.

(Six recipes with photos makes the just about the longest blog post ever, so I’m cutting it off here. Please click through to read more!)

Continue reading →

Posted in: asian, beef, freezes, lent, light, one pan, recipe, reheats, soups, special occasions, stovetop, vegetarian, winter.

Maple-Glazed Root Vegetables

Jan 18th, 2010

by LK.

18 comments

I’ve never been a vegetable person. I have my favorites (ahem… brussels sprouts), but in general they aren’t something that I get excited about. Especially when it comes to vegetable side dishes, where they don’t get to hide behind other flavors. But these maple-glazed root vegetables are another story: they can be enjoyed just as much by the veggie-hater as the veggie-lover. I made these to go along with steak and french fries – at the end of dinner, my plate still had steak and french fries on it, but there were no vegetables left. I was so excited about them that I made them again right away, to bring for lunch the next day. It’s amazing what a little bit of maple syrup can do. (Edit: I was reminded in the comments that I actually do like vegetables – in the summer, when they are in season and have flavor, I can’t get enough. But this time of year? Not so much.)

That’s not to say that these vegetables are super sticky sweet – the syrup really only forms a light glaze that imparts a hint of maple flavor while keeping the vegetables from drying out while they roast. Be sure to use real maple syrup on these, rather than “maple flavored syrup” (like Aunt Jemima and the other popular brands) that have corn syrup as their first ingredient. Real maple syrup has a lot less sugar, and a slightly bitter taste that takes some getting used to on your pancakes, but it a perfect foil to the natural sweetness of the root vegetables and to the peppery flavor of the parsnip and turnip.

You can use whatever winter root vegetables are available or whatever you like. I used sweet potato, carrots, parsnip, and turnip – but feel free to leave any one of those out or add another vegetable of your choice. When I make these again I want to try adding fennel, which I think will be fabulous. I also want to play around with adding some beets (probably not with the carrots and sweet potato though). It’s all about figuring out which vegetables you like best and going with it.

Maple-Glazed Root Vegetables

1 small sweet potato, peeled and chopped

2 carrots, peeled and cut into matchsticks

1 parsnip, peeled and cut into matchsticks

1 turnip, peeled and chopped

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

1 Tbs butter

black pepper

Heat oven to 400. Place your vegetables into a small pan (I used a 9-inch cake pan, but a small casserole dish would work just as well). Drizzle with maple syrup and toss gently to combine. Cut the butte into very small pieces and sprinkle over the top. Season with pepper.

Roast the vegetables for 30 minutes or until they can easily be pierces by a fork.

Serves 4.
Approx. 140 calories, 3 grams fat, 3 grams fiber, 1 gram protein

Posted in: fall, fast, lent, recipe, sidedish, vegetarian, winter, yams.
Tagged: fall

Now in Print: BlogAid – Recipes for Haiti

Udon with Ponzu and Brown Butter Sauce

Mini Pineapple Upside Down Cakes Mini Pineapple Upside Down Cakes

Foodbuzz 24, 24, 24: Around the World in Six Soups

Maple-Glazed Root Vegetables

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