Winter Detox: Green Power Smoothie

I cannot get enough of smoothies lately. There is something so wonderful and simple about throwing a ton of fresh healthy ingredients into a blender, hitting a button, and gulping down something you know is nourishing and repairing your body from the inside out.

Being pregnant has made me even more conscious of my food choices and smoothies have been an easy way to get the large amounts of protein, fluids, amino acids, and healthy fats needed for a healthy pregnancy. Plus, drinking lemon, spinach, ginger, and celery on a regular basis has made a big difference in reducing the amount of inflammation I experience. Swollen feet be gone! Even more importantly, I've seen a marked improvement in the amount of sustained energy I have throughout the day.

Get the green power smoothie recipe after the jump!

Green Protein Power Smoothie

Ingredients (all organic, possible): 

1 cup spinach

1 cup baby kale

1 stalk celery, chopped

1 half green apple, cored and chopped

1 half banana (preferably frozen, optional)

1 half avocado (flesh scooped out)

1 cup almond milk

1/2 cup water or coconut water

1 tablespoon fresh mint

1/2 lemon juice, freshly squeezed

1 tablespoon chia seeds

1 tablespoon hemp seeds

1/4 slice ginger root, peeled

Pinch of cinnamon, optional

Directions: 

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Enjoy!

Day 3: Pumpkin Pie Greek Yogurt

I couldn't, in my right mind, feature an autumn dessert recipe collection without a classic pumpkin pie. And believe me, I'm not one that goes crazy with pumpkin combinations (I'm looking at you, Pringles, you're just too much). But I couldn't pass on trying my hand at a Pumpkin Pie greek yogurt recipe. And this baby turned out very nicely. The addition of the crunchy granola gives that nice pie crust crunch and the pecans just took it over the top. Who's ready for Thanksgiving!?

Pumpkin Pie Greek Yogurt Breakfast Bowl

Ingredients:

6 oz. nonfat greek yogurt (I use Chobani Non-Fat Plain)
2 Tbsp. Canned Pumpkin
2 Tsp. Honey or Agave Nectar
1 Tsp. Vanilla Extract
1 Tsp. Pumpkin Pie Spice
Sprinkle of nuts
Handful of your favorite granola
Pinch of sea salt

Mix together and enjoy!

Breakfast Yogurt with Olive Oil, Blueberries, Banana + Chia Seeds

Do you love breakfast as much as I do? When I have buckwheat groats soaking overnight, or a particularly yummy and fresh granola waiting for me in the morning, I get excited just going to bed knowing I get to wake up to a delicious breakfast. That's how much I love it! I've been really digging full-fat yogurt lately, and Noosa's plain yoghurt is ridiculously good. I've been dressing it up with some healthy add-in's like fruit, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, and a sprinkle of sea salt to really take it over the edge. Try this tomorrow for breakfast and I promise you won't be disappointed, or hungry until lunch!

See the recipe after the jump!

Breakfast Yogurt with Olive Oil, Blueberries, Bananas + Chia Seeds

INGREDIENTS

1 cup plain greek and/or full-fat yogurt
Blueberries
Banana (sliced)
Teaspoon of chia seeds
Handful of mixed nuts and dried fruit
Drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt
Honey (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Mix yogurt with fruit, chia seeds, handful of nuts + dried fruit. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Spring with sea salt. Finish by drizzling with honey, if you like your breakfast a little extra sweet.

Winter Cure: the best banana bread

Ah yes, there it is. That crisp pure white snow we've been waiting, or bracing, for finally arrived.


Our perfect little snow day entailed waking up, whipping up a quick banana bread recipe, throwing it in the oven for an hour, and scampering over to the park next door for snow play time.



As we walked back home, soaking wet and red-nosed, we stepped foot inside our door to the knock-down smell of bananas baking. We stripped our snow gear and cuddled in warm dry snugly slippers before taking the bread beauty out of the oven for breakfast.





I added pistachios and a few chocolate chips in the bread to spice things up. And I can safely say this is my new go-to recipe for banana bread. Simple staple ingredients, little prep time, and an hour of baking yields perfection.

Mixin' it up: Waffles and animation

It could be the arrival of the new year, but I've been craving newness lately. My go-to recipes, techniques, and even photography style feels a little stale. So I'm playing with animation instead of straight-up photography. And here's a new technique I just learned to make waffles.

I'm excited to see what 2012 brings, and I hope you'll come along on the journey with me.




The trick for making restaurant-style waffles that are light, crispy and yummy? Separate your egg yolks and whites. That's it. Easy, right?

Be careful when you beat your egg whites in the mixer. The mixing bowl should be completely clear of water, oil, or residue. Egg whites are so sensitive and getting them to peak is dependent on the cleanliness of your mixing bowl. Okay, now go to town!



Waffle Recipe

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 egg yolks
1 3/4 cups milk
1/2 canola oil
2 egg whites (beat in mixer to form peaks)

In a mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Make a well in the center. In a separate bowl, beat egg yolks. Add canola oil and milk. Add egg yolk mixture to the well in the dry mixture and stir until combined (it should still be lumpy).

In a mixing bowl, beat the egg whites until they are frothy and begin to peak. Make sure the mixing bowl is completely clean and no egg yolks are in the whites. Add the peaked egg whites to the batter and stir.

Pour batter into the waffle maker and cook about 1-2 minutes until waffles start to brown.

Gingerbread Anise Biscotti with White Chocolate

If you're a regular reader, you know one of my favorite places to frequent when I'm visiting family in Pittsburgh is the Strip District. Penn Avenue is always jam packed with locals shopping for aromatic coffees and teas, freshly-caught seafood, just-baked biscotti or handmade crafts. It's chaotic and energizing all at once and I always leave with something interesting.




Over Thanksgiving, Rich's extended family visiting from out of town provided the perfect excuse to embark on a Strip District adventure. I walked away with an enormous bag of star anise and a lust for biscotti.



I did some digging and found a great recipe for Gingerbread biscotti and knew the addition of Anise would really take it over the top.



With some cute packaging, I think this recipe would be a sweet gift idea for the coffee lovers in your life.





Texture is a big point of contention among biscotti eaters. It's a little of a Goldilocks and the Three Bears syndrome...some like it hard, some like it soft. For me, some point in the middle (toasted exterior with a soft center) is juuuusssttt right.

If you like a full-on crunchy version, bake these for a few minutes longer than suggested.



I think next time I'll write some pretty cursive messages on top :)



Gingerbread Anise Biscotti with Drizzled White Chocolate

adapted from here

ingredients
1/3 vegetable or canola oil
1 cup white sugar
3 eggs
1/4 cup molasses
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
2 tablespoons ground star anise
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 cup white chocolate chips for melting

directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease a cookie sheet.

In a mixing bowl, combine oil, sugar, eggs and molasses. In another bowl, combine flours, baking powder, ginger, pumpkin pie spice and ground star anise. Mix dry ingredients in egg mixture to form a stiff dough.

Divide the dough in half and shape each half into a rolls the length of the cookie sheet. Place rolls on sheet and pat down with your hands to flatten to about a 1/2 inch thickness.

Bake in a preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.

When cool enough to touch, cut into 1/2 inch thick diagonal slices. Place sliced biscotti on cookie sheet and bake an additional 5 to 7 minutes on each side, or until toasted and crispy.

When biscotti are completely baked and cooled, melt 1 cup of white chocolate in a double broiler. Place melted chocolate in a plastic bag and cut a tiny tip at one corner for piping. Decorate as your heart desires. Let chocolate cool completely before serving.

Pomegranate Greek Yogurt Pancakes

I'm a big fan of greek yogurt. I love the texture, the richness and the way it instantly fills me up. But it's also versatile and can be used in baking and cooking alike. So when my friend Jessica recommended a greek yogurt pancake recipe, I was immediately sold.

And this recipe is truly a testament to how a simple ingredient swap can change everything.



They're surprisingly healthy and provide that all-important protein in the morning to keep you full all the way to lunch and beyond. I had a few pomegranates handy and thought they would make a yummy addition to the batter. I was right.



Here's how it's (so easily) done:

Greek Yogurt Pancakes with Pomegranates

1/2 Cup all-purpose (or whole wheat) flour
1 Tablespoon sugar or Splenda (I used sugar)
1 Teaspoon baking soda
1/2 Teaspoon salt
1 Cup Greek Yogurt
2 Large eggs
1/2 Teaspoon vanilla extract
2 Tablespoons milk
1/2 cup pomegranate seeds

Mix together the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, soda and salt) and then add the greek yogurt until blended. In a separate bowl, add the wet ingredients (eggs, vanilla extract, and milk) and whisk. Once blended, pour the wet ingredients into the batter and mix all together.

Heat a cast-iron skillet over low heat and spray with cooking spray. I made 1/4 cup pancakes and got about 8 out of the batch (if you make bigger plate-sized pancakes, expect to get around 4 or 5). The ones I made ended up being sand dollar sized.

Pour batter and wait until the top starts to bubble and flip (these pancakes burn easily, so keep a watchful eye and keep that heat low). Serve immediately with a little maple syrup and fresh fruit.

Baked Apple Donuts with Caramel Lace Garnish

An abundance of apples in the kitchen and an approaching out-of-town weekend is always great motivation for me to bake. I hate ingredients going bad and returning to a house of rotting food is just depressing. The result was these glorious baked apple donuts.

The smell of the house alone was worth its weight in gold. Not to mention, the texture and taste of the donut was dense and rich and reminded me more of a scone or muffin. It quickly became a new household favorite.

And why the caramel lace garnish? Well, it was the perfect crunchy compliment to the softness of the cake and apples. It did take a few batches of caramel and even more sheets of parchment to get the right design, but the end result really took things up a level.

I may have gotten a little Jackson Pollock-y with some of the designs.

Here's what the donuts looked like sans caramel. So simple yet rich. I dipped the tops in melted butter and sprinkled a little cinnamon and sugar. Yeah, that's the stuff.

Try this recipe as soon as you can. Even if you don't have the time or patience for the caramel garnish, the donuts come together laughably quick and could be whipped up in the morning for a sweet start to the day.

Baked Apple Donuts Recipe

• 1 ½ cups sifted all-purpose flour
• 1 ¾ teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ cup sugar
• ¼ cup brown sugar, lightly packed
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/3 cup butter, cold and cut into small pieces
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 ½ cups apple, peeled and cored, tiny bite size pieces
• ¼ cup butter, melted
• ¼ cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Whisk flour, baking powder, sugars, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg in a large bowl.
3. Add cold chopped butter and use a fork to cut the butter with the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs.
4. In a separate bowl, beat the egg and mix in the milk. Fold in the chopped apples.
5. Add egg mixture to flour mixture and stir (but do not over-mix).
6. Fill greased donut pan about 3/4 full.
7. Bake for 15-17 minutes.
8. Unmold each donut gently and lightly dip in melted butter.
9. Sprinkle cinnamon/sugar mixture on top.

Caramel Lace Garnish Recipe

• 4 ounces water
• 8 ounces sugar
• a pinch of salt

1. Cover a cookie sheet with parchment paper
2. Mix water, sugar, and salt into a small to medium pot and set it over medium heat. Make sure the pot is as centered over the heat as possible as to get even distribution.
3. Stir the mixture until the sugar dissolves; once the mixture begins to simmer, stop stirring. Let the mixture cook, undisturbed, until it begins to take on a rich, amber color. If you notice any dark spots forming, or one side of the pan coloring faster than the other, give it a gentle stir.
4. When the mixture has turned a nice amber color, shut off the heat and transfer the pot to a cooling rack or a pot holder. The caramel will burn very easily, so pay close attention and pull from the heat as soon as the color appears.
5. Let the caramel cool for 1-2 minutes. This mixture is HOT so keep your fingers away at all costs.
6. Use a metal or wooden spoon to scoop out a little caramel. Hold the spoon over the parchment lined cookie sheet and allow the caramel to drizzle down to the paper. *If the caramel is dripping into beads instead of a connected line, wait a minute more and let cool. Drizzle the caramel into a pattern, whatever size and shape you like. You may need to experiment with the first few to get the hang of drizzling.
7. Allow the caramel designs to cool thoroughly before using or storing. To use, simply peel the parchment away from the caramel and garnish any dessert that needs a hint of caramel and a pleasant crunch.
8. To store, cut the parchment into pieces with the caramel still attached and store, stacked, in an airtight container. The caramel will keep indefinitely.

Saffron Cardamom Donuts with Lavender Honey Glaze and Crushed Pistachios

In the world of baking, incorporating an nontraditional spice into a traditional baked good can provide an exciting challenge to your taste buds and make you experience a pastry with new eyes (or tongues).



Traditional go-to spices, cinnamon and nutmeg, are wonderful, warm, and familiar. But sometimes I like to challenge my taste-buds and expand my palette a bit, which is exactly what this recipes offers. The complexity of new flavors helped me savor the dessert and feel more satiated.



This recipe takes traditional cake donuts to another level by incorporating Spanish Saffron and Cardamom. To balance the earthly flavors of the spice-infused donuts, I made a Lavender Honey Glaze and sprinkled some crushed pistachios over the tops. It was really delicious and fresh-tasting.

Here's how it all breaks down...
In the spirit of full disclosure, this recipe is not for the faint of heart. It requires a good four hours of time and even more patience and attention. So save it for a day when your distractions are few and far between. And if you never have those kinds of days... well, just enjoy these photographs and we'll leave it at that.



Saffron Cardamom Donuts with Lavender Honey Glaze and Crushed Pistachio
Donuts

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/4 teaspoon (or about 20 strands) saffron
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup milk
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla (or almond) extract
• 1 tablespoon shortening

Glaze

• 1/2 cup Lavender-infused honey
• 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
• 3 tablespoons hot water

• 1 cup crushed pistachios

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly grease or spray a doughnut pan.

In a small saucepan, combine 3/4 cup milk (I used 2%) with saffron strands. Gradually bring to a boil, stirring frequently. As soon as milk starts boiling, remove from heat and let steep for 1-2 minutes, stirring often. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes. This process releases the saffron flavor from the strands and infuses the milk with a deep yellow color.

In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, cardamom, cinnamon and salt. In a separate bowl, combine the eggs, saffron-infused milk, vanilla (or almond) extract and shortening. Beat until mixed. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until well blended.

Fill each doughnut form approximately 3/4 full. Bake 8-10 minutes in the preheated oven until the doughnuts spring back when touched. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly (5-10 minutes) before removing from the pan and placing on cooling rack.

As doughnuts are cooling, prepare the glaze by combining 1/2 cup of Lavender-infused honey with 1/2 cup sifted confectioner's sugar. Add 3 tablespoons of hot water, one tablespoon at a time until the mixture is blended.

Dip the cooled doughnuts into the glaze upside down (face first) until they are a little more than halfway submerged. Turn right side up and place on cooling rack (side note: this is a sticky messy process, so I would recommend placing wax paper or aluminum foil under the cooling rack to catch any runaway glaze.)

As soon as the glaze is applied, sprinkle the crushed pistachio on the top of the doughnut, pressing larger pieces into place if necessary.

Allow to cool for an additional 10 minutes and then enjoy! These babies are best enjoyed the day of :)

a patriotic city escape

The long Fourth of July weekend provided the perfect break to escape to Madison, Wisconsin for a couple days.


The last time Rich and I visited (and the first time I experienced Madison) was in the dead of winter. We were bundled in puffer jackets and walked briskly, with our heads down, to keep our bodies warm from the treacherous conditions. I liked Madison despite the cold, but I loved Madison in the red hot summer.

We slowly meandered around the well-known farmer's market at the Capitol building on Saturday morning.



We ate freshly baked spicy cheesy bread by the handful.



And made sure to hit up the samples of famous Wisconsin cheese curds.



We made time to pose for a few photographs to remember it all.



Surrounded by water, a canoe seemed the perfect way to experience a different view of the city.



The icing on the cake (or whipped cream on the waffle, if you will) was a hole-in-the-wall treasure called Sofia's Bakery and Cafe. The adorable breakfast spot is only open Saturday and Sundays opening at 8AM and when we arrived around 8:10AM, there were already several people in front of us in line.



Walking in to Sophia's felt like walking into a friend's kitchen, full of aromatic smells of brown sugar and butters. Trays of muffins, cakes, and tarts literally pulled right out of the oven sat on the counter cooling for a few minutes before they were devoured by us and our fellow early birds.


The space was tiny, with only four or five mismatched tables and chairs inside and three tables outside. The self-serve coffee bar, with no two coffee mugs looking the same, was equally charming.



The waffle with peaches and blueberries just speaks for itself...



Little Scout waited patiently under the table clinging to the hope that something sweet and sugary would fall from the air.



All in all, I can't wait to return to Madison and wholeheartedly recommend it as a weekend getaway if your summer calendar allows. And don't cheat yourself, go to Sophia's (early!) and eat a muffin or three.