Baked Again

It's the end of August and my oven is still on and cranking out delicious treats. Enjoy!

1.

Man, do I love a good scone! And not the frosting-covered coffee shop kind either. I like them just slightly sweet and crumbly with a nice cup of coffee.

Scones with Dried Fruit (adapted from Everyday Food) - V

Serves 8

INGREDIENTS

3/4 cup milk of choice

1 large egg

1 cup all purpose flour, plus more for work surface

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 cup sugar

2 t. baking powder

1/2 t. salt

6 T. cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

2/3 cup dried fruit (blueberries, cranberries, currants, etc.)

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Whisk together milk and egg. In a food processor, process flours, sugar, baking powder, and salt until combined. Add butter and pulse until only a few pea sized pieces of butter remain. Add dried fruit and milk mixture and pulse until just combined. Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface and pat into a 6 inch circle. Cut into 8 wedges and transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake 16 minutes or until golden, rotating sheet halfway through.

2,

I love this recipe so much and it KILLS me that no one else in my family does, too! The good news for you is that almost every time I make it, I give half of it away to someone. And someday that someone may be you! Until then, I highly encourage you to make this for yourself. You can always freeze half of it before baking and then thaw the frozen half overnight in the refrigerator when you're ready to eat the rest of it. :)

Veggie Lasagna (adapted from America's Test Kitchen) - V

Serves 8

INGREDIENTS

Vegetable Filling

     1 large eggplant (1 1/2 lbs.), cut into 1/2 inch pieces (about 7 cups)

     Salt

     Cooking spray

     1 medium zucchini (1 lb.), cut into 1/2 inch pieces (about 4 cups)

     1 medium yellow squash (1 lb.), cut into 1/2 inch pieces (about 4 cups)

     5 T. extra virgin olive oil, divided

     6 oz. baby spinach
     Pepper

     4 garlic cloves, minced

     1 t. dried thyme

     No-Cook Tomato Sauce

     28 oz. can crushed tomatoes

     1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

     2 T. extra virgin olive oil

     2 garlic cloves, minced

     1 t. salt

     1/4 t. red pepper flakes

No-Cook Cream Sauce

     1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

     1 cup cottage cheese

     1 cup heavy cream

     2 garlic cloves, minced

     1 t. corn starch

     1/2 t. salt

     1/2 t. pepper

12 no-boil lasagna noodles

24 kalamata olives, chopped

3 cups shredded mozzarella (12 oz.)

DIRECTIONS

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat to 375 degrees. Toss eggplant with 1 t. salt in a large bowl. Line surface of large plate with double layer of coffee filters and lightly coat with cooking spray. Evenly spread eggplant over filters. Microwave eggplant uncovered for 10 minutes, tossing once halfway through, until dry and slightly shriveled. Return to bowl and toss with zucchini and squash.

2. Heat 1 t. oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add spinach and stir frequently, about 3 minutes until wilted. Transfer to coffee filter lined plate.

3. Heat 2 T oil in skillet over medium high heat. Add half of eggplant mixture and 1/4 t. pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, about 7 minutes until vegetables are lightly browned. Make a well in the center of the skillet and add 1 t. oil, half of the garlic and half of the dried thyme. Stir to combine garlic mixture with vegetables and transfer to a medium bowl. Repeat with remaining eggplant mixture, oil, garlic and thyme. Stir spinach into cooked vegetables, discard coffee filters, and mound vegetable mixture onto the large plate.

4. In the empty large bowl, whisk the tomato sauce ingredients together. In the other bowl, whisk the cream sauce ingredients together.

5.Coat a 13x9 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Spread 1 cup tomato sauce in bottom of dish. Shingle 4 noodles on top of sauce. Spread half of vegetable mixture over noodles, followed by half of the olives, half of the cream sauce, and 1 cup of mozzarella. Repeat layering with 4 more noodles, 1 cup tomato sauce, remaining vegetables, remaining olives, remaining cream sauce, and 1 cup mozzarella. Place remaining 4 noodles on top and remaining 1 cup tomato sauce. Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup mozzarella. Lightly coat one side of a large sheet of aluminum foil with cooking spray and cover lasagna. Bake 35 minutes until bubbling.

3.

This was a recipe from my 2013 cleanse that I totally un-cleansed! The original recipe is great, but I wanted more coconut flavor... which led me down a slippery slope that ended in the drink mixers aisle of the grocery store. So now you can make up a pitcher or two of pina coladas with the leftover cream of coconut. You're welcome. :)


Coconut Salmon (adapted from Whole Living) - GF, DF

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

4 frozen salmon fillets
Salt
1 clove garlic, smashed
1/8 t. red pepper flakes
Zest of 1 lemon cut into wide strips with a vegetable peeler
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup cream of coconut (from the drink mixer aisle of the grocery store)
2 T. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 red onion, sliced
1 cup thinly sliced carrots
1 sliced head baby bok choy
4 cups hot, cooked brown rice
1 lime, cut into 4 wedges
DIRECTIONS
Bake salmon in oven according to package instructions. While salmon cooks, combine garlic, red pepper flakes, lemon zest, chicken broth, and cream of coconut in a small pot. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Strain and discard solids before serving. Season with salt. Meanwhile, heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrots, and bok choy. Cook, stirring, until tender, about 5 minutes. Season with salt. Serve salmon and vegetables over rice. Ladle with coconut sauce and squeeze with lime.

4.

This recipe is perfection and further solidifies my adoration of all things Martha Stewart. I also know that not everyone shares that sentiment. :(  I just love that all of her recipes, no matter how complicated, actually work! The boys made these with me and my husband and I could not stop eating them. Soooo good!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Brownies (from Martha Stewart Living) - V

Makes 16 large brownies

INGREDIENTS

Cookie Dough:

     Cooking spray

     1 3/4 cups flour

     3/4 t. salt  
     1/2 t. baking soda

     1/2 t. baking powder

     1 stick soft, unsalted butter

     1/2 cup sugar

     1/2 cup brown sugar

     1 large egg

     1 t. vanilla

     1 cup chocolate chips (6 oz.)

Brownie Batter:

     1 cup chocolate chips (6 oz.)

     1 stick soft, unsalted butter

     1 1/2 cups sugar

     3 large eggs

     1/4 cup cocoa powder

     1/2 t. salt

     1/2 cup + 2 T. flour

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9x13 inch baking pan with cooking spray. Line pan with parchment paper leaving a slight overhang.

2. Cookie Dough: In a large microwaveable bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In another large bowl, beat butter with both sugars on medium speed until light and fluffy. Then beat in egg and vanilla. Add flour mixture and beat on low speed until just incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips.

3. Brownie Batter: In empty large bowl, microwave chocolate chips according to package instructions. Whisk in butter and sugar until smooth. Whisk in eggs until combined. Whisk in cocoa and salt. Fold in flour with a rubber spatula until combined.

4. Pour brownie batter into prepared pan, smoothing top with spatula. Crumble cookie dough evenly over batter. Cover with foil and bake until just set, 20 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking until golden and a toothpick inserted into center comes out with moist crumbs, about 27 minutes more. Let cool completely on a wire rack. Lift brownies from pan using parchment. Cut into 16 squares.

Baked

Despite the warm weather, I've been using my oven a lot lately and baking up some comfort food!

1.

These. Are. Not. Healthy. :) But they are really, really yummy and fun to make with the gorgeous cherries and peaches in season right now! I used to make them for my husband's softball team back before we had kids and they were a big hit! They also make a nice grab and go breakfast - although, you should probably re-read the first sentence before making that decision. :)

Hand Pies (adapted from Martha Stewart) - V

 Serves 12
INGREDIENTS
Dough:
3 3/4 cups flour
1 1/2 t. sugar
2 1/2 t. salt
3 sticks unsalted butter, cold and cut into small pieces
1/2 cup cold water
Filling:
4 cups stone fruit (peaches, cherries, etc.)
1 T. sugar
1 lemon
Salt
1 T. corn starch
1 egg, lightly beaten
Cinnamon sugar (1 part cinnamon to 4 parts sugar)
DIRECTIONS
1. For the dough: In the bowl of a food processor, pulse flour, sugar, and salt to combine. Add butter and pulse about 10 times until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Slowly add cold water through the feed tube with machine running until dough forms, about 30 seconds. Evenly divide into 2 gallon size resealable bags and form into flattened rectangles. Seal bags and refrigerate.
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. Pit fruit and cut into 1/4 inch pieces. In a large bowl mix together fruit, sugar, zest and juice of the lemon, a pinch of salt, and cornstarch until well combined. Set aside.
3. On a lightly floured surface, roll 1 piece of dough into a 15x10-in. rectangle. Cut into six 5-in. squares. Working with 1 square at a time, place a scant 1/4 cup of fruit mixture in the center of each square. Brush 2 outside edges with egg and fold each square on the diagonal over the filling, pressing to seal. Repeat process with remaining dough and filling. Place hand pies on baking sheets. Brush with remaining egg and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Cut a small slit in the center of each pie with kitchen shears. Bake 25-30 minutes until golden brown and bubbling. Cool slightly on a wire rack and serve warm.

2.

I looooove eggplant parmesan - my family, not so much. But it was my birthday week, so they humored me. :) This time I made cute little stacks for grown-ups out of the largest slices and I kept the smaller slices sauce-less and cheese-less for the boys to dip in some ketchup. And there is something about tomato sauce and mashed potatoes together that makes me very, very happy -so they are my side dish of choice here. :)

Eggplant Parmesan (adapted from Everyday Food) - V

Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
1 large eggplants (about 1 lb) cut into 1/4 in. slices
1 T olive oil
Salt & pepper
28-oz. can crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup flour
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup whole wheat breadcrumbs
Vegetable oil for frying
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
DIRECTIONS
1. Toss eggplant slices with 1 t. salt in a colander and let stand 30 min. Meanwhile, stir 1 T olive oil, 1/2 t. salt and 1/4 t. pepper into crushed tomatoes. Spread 1/2 cup tomato mixture into the bottom of a 9-x-9 in. baking dish. Then pour flour, eggs and breadcrumbs separately into 3 shallow dishes.
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Pour 1/4 in. of vegetable oil into a large skillet and heat over medium-high until a pinch of breadcrumbs dropped in skillet sizzles.
3. Press eggplant slices between a double layer of paper towels to dry. Then dredge in flour (shaking off excess), eggs (shaking off excess) and sprinkle lightly with breadcrumbs. In batches, fry eggplant until golden, 2-3 minutes per side.
4. Layer 1/2 of eggplant over sauce in baking dish. Sprinkle with 2 T. Parmesan. Top with half of remaining tomato mixture. Repeat with remaining eggplant, Parmesan, and tomato mixture. Sprinkle mozzarella on top and bake until lightly browned and bubbling, about 40 minutes.

3.

When we came back from vacation, the cupboard was pretty bare. Luckily, I always have the ingredients on hand to make these yummy cookies. So we had something to snack on the next morning on route to the grocery store. :) 

Oatmeal Cookies (adapted from Ocean Spray) - V

Makes 20 cookies
INGREDIENTS
1/3 cup softened butter
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 large egg
3/4 cup oats
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar and then beat in egg. Add oats, flour, baking soda and salt and mix to combine.Stir in cranberries and walnuts. Use a small cookie scoop to portion dough onto prepared baking sheet. Bake 10 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire rack.

4.

This is technically a crust-less quiche, but I like to think of it as a hands-off frittata. It's one of my favorite ways to use up leftover veggies or beet greens!

Veggie Frittata (adapted from Allrecipes.com) - GF, V

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

Cooking spray

Handful of cooked veggies or raw leafy greens

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup olive oil mayonnaise

4 eggs

1/4 cup shredded cheese (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a pie plate with cooking spray. Spread veggies evenly in the bottom of the pie plate. Whisk together milk and mayo until smooth. Beat in eggs. Pour egg mixture evenly over veggies. Sprinkle with cheese, if using. Bake 35 minutes until puffed and golden.

5.

The boys would eat French fries every day if I let them! This version is a little healthier and works just as well with sweet potatoes if you're so inclined. :)

Oven Fries (adapted from Ellie Krieger) - GF, DF, V

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

Cooking spray

3 large baking potatoes cut into 1/4 inch thick matchsticks

2 T. canola oil

Salt

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 450 degrees and coat a baking sheet with cooking spray. Toss potatoes with oil in a large bowl and spread onto the prepared baking sheet in a single layer. Bake until golden and crisp, about 25 minutes. Use a metal spatula to loosen the fries and sprinkle with salt.