March 2011
1 post
Back again bread!
Experimenting with bread recipes is one of the most fun, low-stakes ways to try something new and know you’ll still have something good to eat for dinner.  This, unlike my favorite Artisan bread recipe, includes some fat but works really well. The author of Bake!, Nick Malgieri, provides the complicated, but ultimately satisfying recipe I include below in the interest of teaching us...
Mar 15th
February 2010
6 posts
Black Bean and Sweet Potato Mash
So, I know what you’re thinking. “What’s the deal, you said we’d get a French dressing recipe!” And you will, my friends.  But while I wait to scrounge up the dough (pun!) for ingredients, try this yummy sweet potato mash while you wait. This is good for tortillas, a flat bread topping (this is how I plan to use it), or as a side unto itself. Ingredients: 2...
Feb 20th
I-Can't-Believe-This-Is-Ketchup Recipe
So… one of my favorite guilty pleasures is French Dressing (something I assume the French would find a less-than-favorable appellation).  Any recipe I could find for “French” dressing had, to my dismay, ketchup!  So, because ketchup doesn’t often make its way into my kitchen, and because it wouldn’t be very “from-scratch” of me to throw ketchup into a...
Feb 19th
3 tags
"I can't believe it's not sugar" Cantaloupe Sorbet
Here’s a healthy dessert… so sweet, you won’t believe there’s no processed sugar. Ingredients ½ cup water 3 cups 1-inch pieces cantaloupe (about ½ cantaloupe) Puree cantaloupe in blender until smooth; add water. Freeze until firm (3 hours or overnight). Cover and keep frozen. http://mbrecipes.tumblr.com/ask
Feb 18th
1 note
5 tags
Mmmm.... Chocolate Truffles
Unlike the Pavlovia, these are a sometimes-food.  They’re so good they’re bad. Makes 20 Ingredients: 1 cup flour 1/8 cup unsweetened cocoa 1/8 tsp salt ½ cup vegetable shortening or butter ¼ + 1/8 cup sugar 1 tsp vanilla extract Extra sugar and cocoa for dusting Directions: Sift flour, cocoa, and salt. Then, place butter in large bowl and beat with whisk attachment until...
Feb 17th
6 tags
Frozen Blueberry Pavlovia
Want a fun, low-fat dessert?  This is just the ticket. It’s light, it’s sweet, and just sticky and thick enough to be super decadent. Ingredients: ¼-1/2 cup frozen blueberries 1 ½ tbsp vanilla extract 1 tbsp granulated or caster sugar 4 egg whites 1 tsp white vinegar 1 tsp corn starch 1 cup caster sugar Directions: Mix blueberries, vanilla extract, and 1 tbsp sugar; set aside...
Feb 16th
100% Whole Wheat Bread
I’m back!  Back and more from-scratch than ever! To usher in my return, here’s a recipe for Whole Wheat Bread courtesy of the wonderful authors of “Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day.” Makes enough for at least four 1-lb loaves. The recipe is easily doubled/halved. Ingredients: 7 cups whole wheat flour (or substitute whole grain spelt flour, see page 12) 1 ½ tbsp...
Feb 15th
4 notes
September 2009
4 posts
4 tags
Roasted Root Vegetables
This recipe is meant to compliment the stuffed tomato recipe, but I’m sure it is good on its own. Serves 4. 144 calories per serving. Ingredients: 3 medium parsnips 2 medium sweet potatoes 1 tomato 1/2 chopped onion 1 tbsp sugar 1 tsp pepper cooking spray Directions: Preheat oven to 350. Skin parsnips and potatoes, then cube them (try to get uniform sized pieces so that they...
Sep 9th
5 tags
Tuna & Cashew Stuffed Tomatoes
Well, this is the last of my tuna! (Expect canned salmon recipes next, I still have some cans to get rid of.) Regardless, I was trying to think about recipes that would help me cut down on my empty carb consumption (since I’m Italian and that’s about ALL we eat when you exclude meat from the equation). So, I came up with this recipe and it is SO good. Serves 4. 110 calories per...
Sep 9th
Homemade Oreos :D
Well, since I’m making everything from scratch these days, I hadn’t had a real cookie in a long time so I made these.  To make this recipe a little more vegeterian I excluded butter and used vegetable shortening instead (crisco); worked great! You can also use soymilk and imitation eggs for yummy vegan cookies! Makes 15 “Oreos”. Each cookie: 100 calories. Oreo Filling:...
Sep 8th
1 note
White Bread
Well, I’ve been trying to make sandwich bread for a LONG time, but it never turns out the way I’d like it.  Finally, this recipe worked! Still, there is definitely room for improvement in this recipe. Above: with bread pan Below: without bread pan Makes 3 loaves. Ingredients: 2 tbsp yeast 1/2 cup sugar 1 tbsp sugar 3 cups warm water 9 cups flour 1 tbsp salt 1/2 cup...
Sep 2nd
August 2009
5 posts
Pita Bread
This simple pita bread would go very well with the Tuna & Avocado salad! Ingredients: 3 1/2 cups bread flour 1 tsp salt 1 tbsp yeast 1 tsp sugar 1 tsp olive oil 1 1/3 cup water Makes 12, 130 calories each Directions: Sift flour and salt together in a bowl. Combine yeast, sugar, and 1/3 cup warm water; set aside for 5 minutes allowing yeast to activate. Make a well in...
Aug 31st
Tuna & Avocado Salad
Well, I have some extra-ripe avocados that need a home and I’ve given up fish (but have some canned fish I still need to use) so here’s another leftovers recipe!  Great as a salad or as a garnish, good even in a sandwich! Serves 4, 237 calories per serving. Ingredients: 1 Avocado 1 can kidney beans 1 can tuna 1 can diced tomatoes 2 tbsp honey 1 tbsp jam 1/2 tsp cinnamon ...
Aug 30th
Grape Sorbet
So, I had some grapes, way too many, that were going bad.  So… I improvised this recipie for some nice grape sorbet. This is a crude excuse for sorbet; using cheesecloth to separate the skins from the juice is your best bet- regardless, this sorbet was a great way to handle grapes-gone-bad. :D Ingredients 4 cups green, seedless grapes 1/2 cup sugar 1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice ...
Aug 30th
Chocolate-(any)nut Sorbet
Again, I had almost no food in my house and still, I made this shit happen!  Great recipie… I added crushed walnuts, but I bet pistachios would be even better! Ingredients 1 cup cocoa 3/4 cup sugar 2 1/2 cups water 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Makes 8 Servings, about 90 calories each. (I split it up into much smaller servings.) Directions Combine all but vanilla in a...
Aug 30th
Homemade Bagels :D
I really enjoyed this recipe.  I think when I make it next time, though, I’ll let the yeast set a little while longer, maybe a few hours. Homemade bagel recipe 4 cups bread flour 1 Tbls sugar 1 1/2 tsps salt 1 Tbls vegetable oil 2 tsps instant yeast 1-1/4- 1-1/2 cups of warm water. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl. You don’t have to worry about soaking the yeast when...
Aug 29th