Impromptu Dessert

I guess I am fixing for chocolate this week...because this will be the second post on the topic.  Everytime I go to World Market-Cost Plus, I stock up on their salted dark chocolate bars.  Ok, sometimes I go just to get the chocolate bars, and then happen to find other household items while I am there.  They are good quality chocolate and each bar is only $1.99!

So the other night when I toasted some sesame seeds for the radish salad, (which by the way I made again because it was so good) I toasted extra to use for other recipes.  Meanwhile I was having a craving for something sweet after dinner to balance out the savory.   Chocolate is pretty much the only sweet treat I have in the house.  So I broke off two squares of the salted chocolate bar.  Then I saw the bottle of honey.  My eyes darted to the toasted sesame seeds in the saute pan.  Then my mind had little firework connections.  A little light bulb appeared over my head.  Why not combine the three?  I got out a little plate and assembled the goods.  Pure synergy.  Needless to say, I have had this a handful of times in the last two weeks...please try.  You won't be sorry.

Impromptu Dessert

Chocolate squares

Honey

Toasted sesame seeds

Slather a thin layer of honey on top of chocolate.  Sprinkle with sesame seeds.  Bite into immediately.

Whole Wheat and Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Pancakes

I have been using the Nike phrase plus an added word lately...'Just Do It Now!'.   I am in the process of reading a book and applying to my life, called 'Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui'.  It is so inspiring that sometimes I can't read it before going to bed because it gets my heart racing with motivation.  I have an overwhelming feeling of going through my belongings and getting rid of things that aren't serving a purpose for me anymore.  And it makes me feel at ease knowing someone else will be getting much more use out of it after I drop off bag after bag to the thrift store.  There is no time like the present to start those rainy day projects...especially in Seattle!

So the other morning I had big plans for tackling my storage unit and needed something filling and fun, yet healthy.  I thought of my mom's favorite: chocolate chip pancakes.  I came upon a recipe from Gourmet using whole wheat flour and oats.  And it was interesting because they suggest soaking the oats first in buttermilk.  I didn't have buttermilk, so just used water, which did the trick.  This step really helps dissolve the oats a little bit.

This is the work station on the counter.  Definitely need coffee to help with the process.

Just a small sprinkling of chocolate chips is all I needed for each pancake.  I am not a huge sweets person, but this was a real treat.  I was inspired also by D's chocolate chip challah bread from a few weeks ago at a work party.  If you are a protein person, add a side of scrambled eggs, and you have yourself a full breakfast.

So take on that nagging pile of pictures or magazines tonight, and reward yourself with a little TLC from chocolate chip pancakes...and maybe a cup of coffee.



Whole Wheat and Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Pancakes

Adapted from Gourmet magazine

Makes about 5 medium sized pancakes

 

1/3 cup oats, dry

1/3 cup water

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

3/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 egg

1 Tbsp butter, melted

1/3-1/2 cup milk (I used rice milk, but any kind works)

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Chocolate chips

In a medium sized bowl, soak the oats in the water for 10 minutes.    Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, mix all the dry ingredients (whole wheat flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda).  Stir in the egg, butter, milk, vanilla extract, and oat mixture.  Stir until everything is just combined.

Heat a medium pan or skillet on medium heat.  Add oil or butter to the pan.  Pour about 1/8-1/4 cup batter into pan.  Add a sprinkling of chocolate chips.  Let it cook until bubbles appear on the top surface of the pancake.  Flip and cook until the bottom is golden brown, about 1-2 minutes.  Done!  Put a little more oil or butter in pan between batches.

The chocolate chips make them pretty sweet, but if you need a little more sweetness, add honey or jam.  Toss in a cup of coffee, and you've got yourself a lovely morning.



Herbed White Bean Salad

Continuing on with the tapas theme...I went out for tapas on Monday night and had a Spanish tortilla.  It was a very simple one with sliced potatoes, complemented with a glass of red wine.  I also had a lot of the prune filling leftover from the last post, so I have been spreading it on bread and using as a dip for cucumbers. 

This way of cooking and eating really does spark the creative flame in me.  I bought these Great Northern beans last week because they were on sale at QFC...two cans for a dollar!  Really can't beat that.  I have been saving money here and there lately because of all the plane tickets and home improvement tools that my credit card keeps buying.   I see it as a good balance...reorganize the apartment and then take a trip to celebrate.

So back to the recipe.  I ate these beans with the radish and cucumber salad I made last week.  I repeated the recipe for the beans twice afterwards because I had a lot leftover.  And it is a pretty darn easy dish to whip up for a snack, side dish or you could add chicken and veggies and make it a whole meal...whichever way you choose.

Herbed White Bean Salad
Yields about 2-2 1/2 cups


1 can Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed
3 sprigs of mint, de-leafed and minced
1 tbsp dried parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
3 Tbsp white wine vinegar or lime juice
Sprinkling of sugar
2 Tbsp olive oil

*For a lighter dressed salad, cut the dressing recipe in half.

Prepare the dressing first by whisking the mint, parsley, salt and pepper, vinegar and sugar together.  Slowly drizzle the olive oil in, while whisking into a nice dressing.  Adjust flavors or add more sugar if needed.  Place beans in a small to medium size bowl.  Toss with the dressing until all the beans are fully coated.  Enjoy immediately or refrigerate and eat later.

Blue Cheese Stuffed Prunes

After an extremely productive weekend of apartment organizing, I cracked open The Book of Tapas mentioned in my last post.  The bright yellow book has been quietly chirping at me all weekend, and I finally got the time to crack it open tonight.  Even the pages are yellow!  It makes me want to be a tapa. 

Reading the pages and looking at the pictures has inspired me to eat more creatively ever since it arrived at my doorstep.  I had a snack of artichoke hearts, olives and white wine today.  The other night, for dessert, I dipped a piece of salted chocolate in honey and sesame seeds (upon M's suggestion today, I will post on this some day soon).  I used the mint in the fridge to make a fresh bean salad last week.  So thank you to Simone and Ines Ortega for writing this book.

There is a little glimpse of the yellow pages in the top corner of this picture.  This is the blue cheese right before I mashed it with the other ingredients.  It actually looks like ice cream in this picture.  Hmm, sounds like a good ice cream flavor.  Maybe add some honey and walnuts?  Below is a picture of the walnuts after I pan roasted them and then crushed with a pint glass.

I changed the recipe a tad and cut it in half.  It orginally called for raisins and pine nuts.  I used walnuts instead because they were on sale.  But try any kind...cashews might be nice.  It called for Magala wine or sweet sherry, but I happened to be sipping a Pinot Gris, so that went into the mix instead.   This recipe would also work well with dates or figs.   I had some extra filling, so I added plain yogurt to it, and will use it as a sandwich or toast spread, maybe topped with thin green apple slices.


Blue Cheese Stuffed Prunes
Adapted from The Book of Tapas
Makes six


1 1/2 oz blue cheese
2 Tbsp walnuts, pan roasted and crumbled
1 tsp white wine
1 Tbsp half and half
6 prunes, pitted

Prepare the walnuts first, by heating a small saute pan on medium heat.  Add the walnuts and continually toss until the walnuts become fragrant.  Remove from heat.  Put on a cutting board and use rolling pin or (carefully) pint glass over the walnuts to crush them.   

In a small bowl, crumble the blue cheese and mash with a fork.  Add the walnuts, white wine and half and half.  Stir into a paste. 

Make sure none of the prunes have pits, if so, remove them.  Take a small object like a chopstick to open them.  Carefully spoon the blue cheese mixture into the hole.  I used the opposite end of a small spoon, because the opening is pretty small.  Wipe off any excess blue cheese from the sides.  Place on plate.  Garnish with fresh or dried parsley.  Serve immediately, or refrigerate for a few hours before serving.  Can be eaten as a small bite for a cocktail or wine with friends.

Toasted Sesame Radishes

A few weekends ago when I was visiting A in NYC, I spent a little time in Book Hampton.  And I have to say, the cookbook selection was perfect.  I recognized how nice it is to go into small bookstores, because the selection is a good quality variety of hot books.

I came upon one book called The Book of Tapas, which I just received yesterday.  So today, I spent the whole bus ride to yoga, carefully paging through the cold and hot vegetable section.  And subsequently thought about a few of the recipes all through yoga class.  I know that you are supposed to leave the details of your life at the door in yoga, but I believe focusing on aspects of your life that make you happy are a good thing while twisting in eagle pose.

So after class, I got all the ingredients to do one recipe and came home and made two totally different ones.  The one I bought for will definitely be made this weekend, and it will be making an appearance next week.  It was an intriguing spin on a standard party food...details to follow!

But I was so hungry when I got home, that I whipped up the sesame radishes and a great northern bean dish with mint and parsley.  And they turned out pretty dang good...so that is what we will talk about tonight.  The radishes and cucumbers are on the left and the bean dressing is on the right, which I will also be blogging about soon.

I got the idea to have radishes tonight from the tapas book.  I forgot about how good they are.   My grandma used to eat a radish a day, and she is almost 92 years old...so I think she was on to something.  The salad below is super simple and similar to something I have had at Asian restaurants.  The dressing is light and the veggies crunchy, leaving you feeling refreshed.

Toasted Sesame Radishes

Serves 1-2 appetizer salads

3 radishes, cleaned and thinly sliced with mandoline or knife

1/3rd of cucumber, thinly sliced with mandoline or knife

1 Tbsp sesame seeds

1/2 tsp yellow mustard seeds

2-3 Tbsp white wine vinegar

1 tsp sugar

Red pepper flakes to taste

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 tsp olive oil

Thinly slice the radishes and cucumbers with mandoline or carefully with knife.  Toss into medium sized bowl.  Set aside.  Heat a small saute pan.  Add the sesame and mustard seeds.  Toss frequently until they become fragrant and slightly browned.  Turn off heat and set aside.

Whisk the vinegar, sugar, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper.  Slowly add the olive oil and whisk well.  Pour in the sesame and mustard seeds.  Whisk.  Pour over the radishes and cucumbers.  Toss and coat evenly.  Let sit for about 10 minutes.  Toss again.  Serve immediately as a light first course or alongside sushi or appetizers.