Naan Pizza

The simple truth is that we eat way too much pizza in our house. We've discovered great frozen pizzas like Home Run Inn and Eastside Cafe, Chicago based brands that we locals go crazy over, and eat at least once a week for dinner. But I also love making my own pizza at home but often don't feel like messing with dough, so I was super excited when a co-worker mentioned she makes easy homemade pizzas using Naan bread. If you've ever been out to eat at an Indian restaurant, and I hope you have, then you know that Naan is a leavened, oven-baked flat bread. I know some people make this at home and I bet it's amazing, but since I'm going for easy homemade pizzas I picked up some ready-made Naan at the market along with some of my favorite toppings.

 

I went with a pesto-cilantro sauce for the base and topped one with an herbed goat cheese and the other with mozzarella. 

 

Then one got sun-dried tomatoes and the other kalamata olives.

Bake in a 400 degree oven for about 10 minutes, or until browned. Place a baking sheet or foil below the pizza to help catch any drippings. Then I topped it with micro-greens for freshness and because they're good for you!

The naan bakes quickly, so keep a close eye on them while they warm in the oven. Throw on a dash (or heap if you prefer) of crushed red pepper and enjoy this easy dinner that will satisfy your pizza cravings without all the guilt.

Enjoy!

Mango Madness

I kept waiting for life to slow down to get back to posting new stuff, but I forget that sometimes life speeds along at top speeds despite my wishes. I'm easing back into things with some simple recipes you can use alongside a variety of dishes. The other day I took advantage of a mango sale and I want to share some great recipes should you come across this delicious fruit. I'm always amazed when people say they don't like mangoes, they are loaded with flavor and pair nicely with so many different things. If you love mangoes I hope you are inspired by some of these recipes.

Spicy Mango Salad
serves 4
Recipe courtesy of Whole Foods Market

3 mangoes, peeled, pitted and diced
zest of 2 limes, juice of 1 lime
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
large pinch of powdered ancho chili pepper or cayenne pepper

Place mangoes in a bowl and combine all other ingredients. Eat it alone or serve alongside grilled or roasted foods, it pairs really nice with white fish. Garnish with chopped mint for a refreshing cool flavor.




Fresh Mango Marinade
Makes 1 cup marinade
Recipe courtesy of Whole Foods Market

1 ripe mango, peeled, pitted and chopped
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 teaspoons fresh ginger, diced
2 teaspoons brown sugar
2 garlic cloves, chopped
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

To make the marinade, combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor and puree.

To use the marinade, pour into a large bowl and add up to 2 pounds of chicken breast or pieces, pork chops or sliced firm tofu. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours and up to 1 day.

When ready to cook, transfer everything to a baking dish and bake at 425 degrees until cooked through; or remove the food from the marinade and grill it, then place the marinade into a small saucepan with 1/3 cup water and boil for at least 5 minutes before serving it along with the grilled food.





This is a great beverage that is both refreshing and light. It calls for turbinado sugar which is sugar-cane based, minimally refined sugar. It is medium brown in color and has large crystals. It's often mistaken for traditional brown sugar because of its light brown color, but it's made in a different way. Many people consider it to be healthier than both white and brown sugars, since it is generally less processed and refined. Cardamom had a strong unique taste that is intensely aromatic. It pairs nicely with the mango, mint and citrus flavors present in this recipe.

Mango-Mint Limeade
Serves 8
Recipe courtesy of food52.com

 3 cups fresh mango, peeled, pitted, and cut into large chunks, or 1 pound bag frozen mango, thawed
1 cup turbinado or raw sugar
1 tablespoon grated lime zest plus 1/2 cup juice from 4 to 5 limes
10 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed with the back of a knife
1 cup loosely packed mint (basil or a combination of mint/basil can be substituted)
Sparkling water
Thinly sliced limes and mint for garnish

In a bowl of a food processor, combine mango and lime juice and process until smooth, about 1 to 2 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl. You should have about 2 cups of mango-lime juice. Chill until ready to use.

To make the simple syrup, combine the sugar, 1 cup water, lime zest, cardamom pods, and mint in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for about 10 minutes or until a thin syrup forms. Pass the syrup through a strainer in to a bowl or measuring cup. You should have about 1 cup of mint simple syrup. Chill until ready to use. 

When ready to serve, combine the chilled mango-lime juice and mint simple syrup in a 1.5 quart or larger pitcher. Stir to combine, then add about 4 cups sparkling water. Add more or less to get the dilution you prefer. Pour into glasses filled with lots of ice. Garnish with lime wedges and mint.





 

Thank you Rick Bayless

I know, I know! I can hardly call myself a food blogger with my sporadic posts. It's hard to move around and get motivated when it's 5 degrees outside. Not to mention looking for the perfect apartment in the perfect neighborhood in such a cut-throat city like Chicago; it's a full time job in addition to the one that actually pays me to be there. Have I given enough excuses yet? I wish I could say I was busy doing something more glamourous like planning a trip to Europe, but alas our pocketbook says "no".

Chicagoans are known for hibernating during the winter with a nice craft beer or warming themselves with a whiskey on the rocks, so naturally, Joel and I fit right in. Recently, Bell's Brewery released their seasonal specialty beer, Hopslam Ale and never have I found a beer more accurately named. If you're not a fan of India Pale Ale's and can't appreciate hops then this is definitely not your beer. I'm a huge fan of IPA's and while I thought that this beer was great, the hops were really overpowering and I found it hard to finish the end of the bottle. I had to give it a try though, when we got the shipment in at work it literally flew off the shelves, people came in and bought cases and cases of this stuff so I grabbed one while I could. Now that I've tried it, my curiosity will be satisfied next year when the next batch comes out. This beer has a whopping 10% ABV and goes for $16.99 for a six pack. Joel looked at me in disbelief that I paid so much for a six pack of beer but I had to see what the fuss was all about.

You can't drink a heavy beer without eating something along side it. The recipe I'm sharing today has come in handy anytime I want to start a base for a meal. I start off by roasting cauliflower, a red bell pepper, jalapenos, onions and garlic sprinkled with salt and pepper and after about an hour it all starts to caramelize and presto! You have the beginnings of a marvelous meal. My favorite way to eat this is wrapped in a warmed flour tortilla and topped with fresh avocado. It's unlike any taco you've ever eaten. The crispy roasted edges of the cauliflower are the best and it gives it awesome flavor. Tonight I decided to wrap them in corn tortillas with cheese and topped it with Rick Bayless' green enchilada sauce. For those of you not familiar with him, Rick Bayless has a show on PBS called Mexico-One Plate at a Time. He's also very famous here in Chicago for his Mexican restaurants which I have yet to visit. He sells all sorts of sauces (taco, mole, enchilada, fajitas) in ready to eat pouches without any weird, bad-for-you ingredients. Of course if your local grocer isn't likely to carry his products then choose a sauce you know you like or try making it from scratch. Hope you try it and like it!

Roasted Cauliflower Enchiladas
Serves 4

1 large cauliflower, cut into small chunks
1 large onion, diced
1 jalapeno, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
3 garlic cloves, mined
3-4 Tbs. olive oil
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
16 oz red or green enchilada sauce
8 corn tortillas
salt & pepper to taste
1) Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Toss cauliflower, onion, jalapeno, bell pepper and garlic with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Roast in the oven stirring every 20 minutes for about an hour or until it begins to brown and caramelize. Remove from oven and season according to taste.
2)Warm corn tortillas by heating in a small skillet on medium high for 15-20 seconds. Fill with shredded cheese and cauliflower mixture and place seam side down in an oven proof dish. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and enchilada sauce. Warm in a 400 degree oven for 15-20 minutes. Serve warm with spanish rice and fresh avocado.

So long 2012, it's been fun!

Wow, once again Christmas is right around the corner. Last year Joel and I were living in Oklahoma and spending time with our families. This year we're far away from the hub bub of our nieces and nephew and other extended family and we're flying solo in the very cold city of Chicago.We're coming up on our one year anniversary in the Windy City, my how time flies!

If you have some folks coming over and you want a quick and easy appetizer to satisfy your guests until the main course is ready, then Smoked Salmon Cheese Dip should fit the bill. Even if you're not having people over, cut the recipe in half and have yourself a delicious treat. I love smoked salmon so much, its hard not to eat it right out of the package but try and contain yourself. One thing I learned from living in Seattle is to appreciate a good piece of salmon. I miss how affordable salmon used to be, there is certainly a mark up from the West Coast to the Midwest!

No matter how you're spending your holidays, with a house full of noise and people or a quiet day with that one person you cherish, I hope it's a good one. Thanks for reading!!

Smoked Salmon Cheese Dip
Serves 12 to 16

8 oz smoked salmon, roughly chopped
1 8 oz pkg Neufchatel cheese
1/4 cup plain greek yogurt
2 TB lemon juice
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
3 green onions, roughly chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped flat leaf parsley

Add all ingredients, except parsley, into a food processor and pulse until combined and smooth. Transfer to a bowl, cover and chill until ready to serve. Just before serving sprinkle parsley over the salmon dip. Serve with crackers, flatbread, or pita chips.

Over Easy the Easy Way

 

Some of my favorite childhood memories are having breakfast with my father at a chic French restaurant in Tulsa (chic to a 6 year old anyway). Although I would stare endlessly at the pastry display I always devoured the crispy french baguette served with over easy eggs my father would order. With a simple pat of butter and salt and pepper a meal was transformed into something extraordinary. I've been chasing that restaurants eggs for a long time now and I think I've finally found them, or at least something worthy.

My previous method of poaching eggs, which used to be my favorite, consisted of simmering water and vinegar in a shallow pan and breaking an egg over it carefully until it was cooked thoroughly in all the right places. The vinegar keeps the egg from separating but it leaves a distinct but mild vinegar flavor in the final dish. By making soft boiled eggs you can do away with the vinegar and its even easier because you don't have to worry if the whites of your eggs are done, just follow the rules and you'll have perfect hard boiled eggs every time. 

This method comes from Cook's Illustrated. They took 4 pages to talk about soft boiled eggs, I've narrowed it down to three paragraphs so, you're welcome.

Soft Boiled Eggs

Bring 1/2 inch of water to a boil. Add as many eggs as you wish to eat. Cover with a lid and cook for 6 minutes 30 seconds (set a timer.) Remove from heat and run eggs under cold water until cool enough to handle. Peel the eggs or crack the egg along it's equator and eat out of its shell. Eat it alone or with butter, baguette and a bed of arugula or any other number of ways. Sprinkle with salt & pepper, and enjoy.

Neighborly Love

I've spent the last week of my time back in my hometown in Oklahoma. I've discovered I'm more of a big city girl but one of things I miss most about this place are the sunsets. I've never seen a sunset more resplendent than those in my mother's backyard. I like that the air smells fresher and that despite my love for the city, I always feel like I'm coming home when I enter my mother's house.

I got to do a lot of cooking and baking while helping my mom recover from knee surgery and that was fine by me. I made a big pot of chili, chicken pot pie, fajitas, and I even got to bake a cake for my mom's neighbor because that's what people do here, return a favor by baking something. The simple graciousness of baking something for someone else to eat doesn't seem to be as popular as it once was, but I hope this is a tradition that never completely fades away. I'm thankful that my mom is someone who keeps it alive.

Mom wanted me to make a pumpkin-pecan coffee cake from her recipe journal she keeps on hand. Meaning she cuts out recipes and pastes them onto a notebook, so I'm not sure exactly where this recipe originates from. I like this cake because most likely you've already got the ingredients for it on hand and it's great for dessert or with coffee in the morning. I think that's why it's called a coffee cake...
The only thing my mom lacked was pumpkin pie spice, but she had exactly what we needed anyway. If you find yourself lacking pumpkin pie spice in your cupboard just substitute 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, and 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves. Your batter will be thick after mixing so spoon it carefully over your oatmeal-pecan topping. Careful not to over bake. This cake is perfect with a dollop of whip cream on top. Your neighbor will love it.

 

Pumpkin-Pecan Coffee Cake
One 9-inch round cake

1 teaspoon butter
1/4 cup regular oats
3 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons chopped pecans
3 tablespoons butter, softened
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 large egg
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup buttermilk

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Melt 1 teaspoon butter in bottom of 9-inch round cake pan. Combine oats, 3 tablespoons brown sugar, and pecans. Sprinkle oat mixture over bottom of the pan and set aside.
3. Beat 3 tablespoons butter, granulated sugar, and 1/4 cup brown sugar at medium speed of a mixer until mixture is blended (about 4 minutes). Add the eggs and beat well. Lightly spoon the flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, pumpkin-pie spice, and baking soda. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture alternately with the pumpkin and buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.
4. Spoon batter evenly over oat mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool in pan 5 minutes, and invert cake onto a serving plate. Serve warm or at room temperature with whipped cream.

I'm back!

Yes, I took a long hiatus from writing, cooking and picture taking, though it was unintentional. Getting back on the wagon has reminded me how much fun I have writing this blog, despite all the things I let get in the way. There are a lot of things I like about having a food blog, the good things like sharing recipes, finding creative and fun new foods to try, and the ultimate reward, getting to eat it up after the camera is put away. But there are hard things about it too, keeping a positive attitude toward it all, whose reading this anyway? Are these recipes people would like to try? Why can't I take a good picture after all this practice? So yes, I suffer from low self esteem and a lack of motivation that seems to plague me at all the wrong times.

A few months ago during the summer months I shared my feelings of joy and contentment at the simple things in life, so I think it's only fair to show the other side, the darker side that everyone goes through but few people like to talk about. It's easy to talk to people and participate fully in life when everything seems to be going your way. We all know and hate the people in social media whose posts seem to amp up how wonderful their life is while the rest of us scowl at the computer and mumble under our breath about our own sad hand we were dealt. I don't have a choice but to get back in the game, sitting on the bench can't be an option (for long anyway). So here I go again... just in time for the most important day in food of the year.


It's Thanksgiving week and if you haven't planned what you're making yet you'd better get started. Because I have to work Thanksgiving day and can't be with family, I'll be making a few hors d'oeuvres and side dishes to take to a friends home who is graciously hosting us misfits without family in town. I thought that with all the heavy dishes that seem to permeate the holidays I could offer a lighter, slightly healthier option to bring to the table this season. It makes a great presentation and can easily be made ahead and perhaps the most important thing, it tastes great. I mean really really great. It's a perfect snack to keep your belly satisfied before you gobble up your turkey and stuffing.

The best thing about this appetizer is that it only has 3 ingredients! Holiday Red Seedless Grapes hail from Central California and are available in October and November. These large grapes are incredibly sweet and I find that since they are bigger than your average purple grape they are perfect for this appetizer. I don't use goat cheese very often but every time I eat it I wonder why I don't incorporate it into more dishes. Goat cheese is lower in fat, calories and cholesterol compared to cow's milk, it's also easier to digest for those who are sensitive to lactose. It also has more calcium than cream cheese and even though it's lower in calories, it still has a wonderful creamy texture and rich flavor. I ground my pistachios by putting them in a wax paper bag and banged it with a rolling pin but you can also pulse them in a food processor quickly and easily or even use a mortar and pestle.

Happy Thanksgiving, everybody!

Goat Cheese & Pistachio Covered Grapes

4oz creamy goat cheese
25 Holiday Red Seedless Grapes
1/2 cup crushed pistachios

After washing and drying your grapes simply cover them in goat cheese and roll them in the ground pistachios. Place toothpicks nearby so guests can easily devour these. And they will.