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By mlb, on April 24th, 2013%
This is a salad that is directly from the gods of delicious things. I used to work right by the Whole Foods in Bridgeport and oh man, I would buy a little containers of this salad at least once a week. It’s so good! It’s also a dangerous salad because it is made up of broccoli, so you can easily kid yourself into thinking that it’s healthy. But, oh no, if you are doing it right, it is not.
We recently went through a whole bowl of this. It’s very addictive, as well as being unbelievably tasty, crunchy, bacony, oniony and sweet.
I think this is pretty close to what Whole Foods sells. A lot of the other recipes on the subject that I’ve seen don’t include the bacon or the candied cashews but, in my opinion, both are crucial. If you wanted a vegetarian version, you could of course skip the bacon, but that’s your decision. My personal preference is to very briefly steam the broccoli so that it is crisp-tender, to be honest, I’m not sure if Whole Foods uses raw or lightly steamed broccoli in their version, but that is . . . → Read More: Broccoli Crunch Salad (à la Whole Foods)
By mlb, on March 26th, 2013%
Peanut butter and jelly really is a timeless combination — just like macaroni and cheese. Olive oil and vinegar. Pizza and beer. The X-Files and Sunday nights. You get the idea. Also, be warned, these peanut butter scones are very habit-forming and a little well of jelly in the middle makes them even better.
A nice thing about these scones is that they also include whole wheat flour and wheat germ. They aren’t overly sweet (for instance, you’re not going to get confused and think you’re eating an oatmeal cookie), but they don’t taste completely healthy either. They’re a little decadent but not too much.
The recipe below is for a full batch of scones but it can easily be halved to make 4-6 scones. I tend to think the delicious factor on baked goods is about two – three days, so I tend to make a lot of half recipes. If you think you can eat 8-12 scones in that amount of time, definitely go for it. When you pat your dough in into a circle, just use a pizza cutter to for 4 larger or 6 smaller scones. Repeat if that’s what you’re . . . → Read More: For Breakfast and for Snacks: Peanut Butter and Jelly Scones
By mlb, on December 18th, 2012%
Here is another great side dish for the holidays or just the fall/winter months in general.
This is also a sneaky way to turn a brussels sprouts hater into a huge brussels sprouts fan! Slicing the sprouts into strips and quick cooking creates a golden but not mushy texture. Hazelnuts give the dish a wonderful crunch and balsamic vinegar finishes it off. Delicious! No one can resist.
Note: You could easily substitute an apple in place of the pear.
Brussels Sprouts with Pear and Hazelnuts
Serves 2-4
1 tbsp olive oil + more for drizzling
1 shallot, diced
1 large garlic clove, minced
12 oz Brussels Sprouts
salt & pepper
1/3 cup hazelnuts, toasted and as much of the brown papper-y skin removed as possible*
1 red-skinned pear (mainly for color, you could use any kind of pear)
Balsamic Vinegar, for drizzling
Parmesan cheese wedge, for shaving
Cut the stem off each brussels sprout and cut it in half. Then slice vertically so that you have strips of sprouts.
Hear a pan over medium heat and add the olive oil. Add the shallot and garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes until the onion is a little . . . → Read More: Brussels Sprouts with Pear and Hazelnuts
By mlb, on July 31st, 2012%
This has become one of my new favorite, weekday breakfasts. jwa doesn’t really like it but that’s even better because it means one recipe’s worth will keep me in breakfasts for about one and a half weeks! See, I usually have a hard time finding something that I want to eat in the morning, coupled with the fact that I don’t have much time. Enter Muesli. Already made and I like it a lot. Perfect.
I also just got a new camera last weekend (Canon Rebel T3 with a Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Camera Lens), so expect there to be a tiny learning curve (too arty? slightly out of focus?) and then hopefully even better photos coming up!
Just playing with the new camera. Vanilla is …pretty!
You can either treat the muesli as a granola and eat with milk or yogurt, cook in water like an oatmeal or (and this is what I do) soak in milk for about 30 minutes (or overnight) and eat it in the traditional way.
Scandinavian Muesli
Adapted from a recipe on Eating Well magazine. Makes about eight 1/2 cup servings.
2 cups old-fashioned or quick-cooking (not instant) rolled oats
2/3 cup . . . → Read More: Scandinavian Muesli
By mlb, on May 6th, 2012%
This right here is a great dinner. Or a lunch even, in fact that’s what I made it for mainly, a lunch for both jwa and I to bring to work the next day. So awesome. It’s salty and spicy and basil-y. And a great vehicle for Spring asparagus.
I altered this a bit in that I decreased the chicken and asparagus a little but kept the sauce measurements the same. Because you need extra sauce to soak into the rice. You just do. Okay, on with the delicious stir-fry!
Chicken Stir-Fry with Asparagus and Almonds
Adapted from Food & Wine magazine — 2-3 servings
1/3 cup slivered almonds
3/4 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
2 tbsp Asian fish sauce
2 tbsp peanut oil
1/2 cup chicken stock or low-sodium broth
3/4 pound asparagus, sliced on the diagonal, 1 inch thick
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 cup chopped basil
2 tbsp chopped chives
Freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spread the almonds out on a small baking dish and toast in the oven for about 8 minutes, until they are nicely browned and fragrant. Let cool.
 . . . → Read More: Chicken Stir-Fry with Asparagus and Almonds
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