LizzyGoesDutch

Low-Fat Strawberry-Swirl Cheesecake Cups

2011-10-15T13:47:00.001+02:00

My sister told me recently about these amazing pumpkin butter low-fat mini cheesecakes she'd made from a healthy recipe site called SkinnyTaste.com and that I should definitely give them a try. So I did, but before I went to the trouble of making homemade pumpkin butter, I thought I'd give her strawberry jam-swirled version in cupcake form a try first.

They were so simple to make and smelled so delicious baking in the oven, that I couldn't keep myself from trying one just an hour after they'd been refrigerated. Let me tell you, they were not impressive at this stage. The crust was crumbling out everywhere and the texture of the filling was nothing at all like cheesecake. How disappointing! I chalked it up to funny Dutch ingredients.

However, today when I peeked inside my fridge these mini cheesecakes had undergone a complete transformation. Now the filling has the perfect texture and something happened where the cookie crumbs soaked up some moisture and became a solid crust. The overall taste is less decadent and less sweet than real cheesecake, but they are a lot healthier and they do taste really good! If you were a cheesecake addict on a diet, these would totally hit the spot. I think maybe next time I'll use a jam that is a little sweeter just to combat the slight sour flavor of the greek yogurt and the small amount of sugar in the filling. Maybe raspberry would be nice :)

For my Dutch friends, here are some tips on the ingredients I used:

12 "Maria Koekjes", which taste like animal crackers, because they had about 1/3 of the calories of "Digestive Biscuits", which are more similar to graham crackers. Next time, I think I'll just go with the digestives b/c I miss the flavor of the graham cracker crust. (This amount of cookies may equal more than 1/2 cup crumbs, but I like a lot of crust.)

2 tablespoons of real butter (because 1 didn't seem like enough). I don't think they even sell "light butter" here. Maybe you could use tub spread, but I'm not sure.

Dutch Philadelphia's original (not "light") spread in the tub, because it didn't have many more calories than American Philadelphia's 1/3rd less fat version. (Mon Chou brick cream cheese compares more closely to American Phildelphia's original full-fat cream cheese.)

Albert Heijn's "Griekse stijl yoghurt", which is not vanilla-flavored, but I added an extra 1/2 tsp vanilla extract to compensate.

Hero Delight Aardbeien (Strawberry jam with half the sugar of regular jam).

The way I made them, they came out to 138 calories each. Had I used digestive biscuits for the crust instead, they would have been 182 calories each.

Healthy Old-Fashioned Fruit Crumbles

2011-10-08T12:16:00.002+02:00

I've been on an oatmeal, flax seed and almond butter kick for breakfast lately, but today I felt like spicing it up a little. In my search for something different, I came across this recipe for a healthy fruit crumble on EatingWell.com. It looked delicious and easy enough to make for breakfast, so I set to it. They turned out totally delicious! I suppose they're really meant as dessert, but sometimes you just need a treat for breakfast on the weekends. I love it when something healthy tastes like it isn't.

I tweaked it a tad. You can find my changes in the recipe below :)

Healthy Old-Fashioned Fruit Crumble

Pumpkin Lasagna

2011-10-02T14:32:00.001+02:00

When my friend, Susan, over at The Spice Garden posted her recipe for Pumpkin and Herbed Ricotta Stuffed Shells, I knew I had to make it. I just love pumpkin and could only imagine how amazing it was going to taste in this pasta dish. In a fit of laziness, however, I decided to make a few adjustments to turn it into lasagna instead. Same idea, same incredible flavors, but easier I figured. And yum! This is now my favorite lasagna recipe ever. Thanks Susan, as always!

Pumpkin Lasagna

Summer Seems To Be Over...

2011-09-20T10:09:00.001+02:00

Whew! It's been a whirlwind summer! I just noticed it's been nearly 3 months since I've posted anything. Wow! The summer went by fast! Aside from work kind of exploding, here's what I've been up to...

First, I picked my sisters up at the airport for their first visit ever to Holland! I could not have been happier or more excited!

That is until my sisters informed me that they'd forgotten a suitcase on the luggage belt, and as we turned back my mom came walking out the doors! Total surprise!!!

We had so much fun on their trip here! We did everything, including a day trip to the Dutch island, Texel....

...city-hopping by train...a total European experience!....

...and boating through the canals, a total Amsterdam experience!

E and I became "registered partners" as well! An important step in my acquisition of a Dutch passport :)

Luckily, the weather held up on the days we really needed it to. Like when we had a little BBQ party in our "tuintje" (Dutch for a small yard).

It was really hard to say goodbye at Schiphol, but the thought of going home for Christmas is keeping me going!

Also this summer, two of our dearest friends, Haley and Eelco, got married! Their wedding was perfect! At a gorgeous hotel in the countryside in Groesbeek, they tied the knot against the backdrop of rolling hills full of grazing cows and quaint cottages. The romantic ceremony was followed by dinner and a great party! It couldn't have been more perfect and I could not be happier for these two love birds!

Haley is also a Texan-expat married to a Dutchie, and here I am with two more of our friends in the same boat, Jeanelle and Lauren.

The day after the wedding, E and I checked out nearby, Nijmegen on our way home. It was "Open Monument Day", so we got to climb the church tower and enjoy the beautiful view of the Waal river.

I also did do a bit of cooking this summer, though I have to admit I took most of the pictures with my mobile phone.

I finally learned how to roast the perfect eggplant! This veggie has eluded me for so long and now I've finally conquered that rubbery texture by using the technique in this video. I can't believe how much liquid comes out! The eggplant turns out crispy on the outside and pefectly silky on the inside. I chopped it up and mixed it with some pasta, tomato sauce and basil, topped it with fresh mozzarella and baked it in the oven. Perfect pasta al forno! Yum!

To break in my new Le Crueset soup bowls, I made Ina Garten's Vegetable Pot Pies. I subbed green peas for the asparagus tips, sweet potatoes for the butternut squash and left out the frozen small whole onions and the Pernod. The thing that was most unusual about this recipe and that I loved was the sliced fennel bulb sauted with the onions. It added such a wonderful flavor!

In the dessert categorie, I made...

My friend, Sonya's, recipe for one-bowl yellow cake. It was so simple and turned out really delicious! I topped it with Martha Stewart's dark chocolate ganache, only I used milk chocolate chips instead of semi-sweet. And of course, sprinkles are a must!

For Haley's bachelorette party, I made mini tarts using Joy of Baking's shortbread crust recipe. I filled some of them with their recipe for homemade lemon curd and some with Tartelette's milk jam and chocolate ganache recipe sprinkled with toasted hazelnuts. The milk jam is like the easiest way to make caramel or dulce de leche I've ever heard of. You just boil milk, sugar and a bit of baking soda for like an hour and viola, you have the most beautiful and delicious caramel you've ever tasted! It couldn't be easier. Since then, I've also made them in a regular sized muffin tin and it worked perfectly, albeit they were a bit more messy than the bite sized ones.

And finally, for E's birthday yesterday, I made these AMAZING, yet super simple to throw together Lemon Streusel Coffee Cake Muffins. I added 4 tsp of poppy seeds to the dried ingredients and baked them in regular sized cupcake tins. They were wonderful, even the next day!

So, I hope you've all had a wonderful summer! I know in Texas the heat of summer isn't anywhere near over, but it seems to be a thing of the past (or rather something that never really existed) in Holland. Oh well, time for comfort food and warm sweaters. I do love that about fall!

Spaghetti Casserole

2011-06-22T23:44:00.000+02:00

This is just one of those quick meals that I ate a lot growing up and that got me through many a weeks in college when I only had about $5 in my bank account. It has a special place in my heart ;-) It's also really yummy and perfect for a rainy day like today! I vegged it up a bit, of course, adding mushrooms and green olives to the usual recipe and used veggie crumbles instead of beef. It doesn't photograph too well, but it tastes good!

Ingredients:
1 package spaghetti
1 can cream of mushroom soup (NL: Unox geconcentreerd champignon crèmesoep)
1 cup plain tomato sauce
1 T. olive oil
1 large white onion, diced
1 bell pepper, red or green, diced
1 box mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1/3 cup chopped green olives
200g Vegetarian crumbles (I used Alpro Soya Bio fijngehakt )
5 oz. (150g) cheddar cheese, shredded (about 2 cups)
1 tsp Italian seasoning
Seasoned salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
5-6 dashes Tabasco sauce, plus more for serving

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400°C (200°C). Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook pasta until just before al dente.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat and sauté the onions until translucent. Add the bell pepper and cook another minute or two. Add the crumbles and mushrooms and cook until the mushrooms have softened. Add the green olives, soup and tomato sauce along with the seasonings and stir until well incorporated. Mix in 1 cup of the grated cheddar.

When the pasta is done, drain and return to the pot. Pour in the veggie mixture and toss to evenly coat the pasta in the sauce. Pour into a 9x13 baking dish and sprinkle with the remaining cup of cheddar cheese. Bake about 25-30 minutes until golden brown and bubbly. Serve with Tabasco sauce.

Spaghetti Casserole

Vegetarian Sunday Roast

2011-06-05T12:36:00.001+02:00

After our trip to London last weekend, I've been itching to try a traditional "Sunday Roast" vegetarian style. In Texas we do "Sunday Supper", which is basically the same thing. Yummy comfort food for the family to enjoy together. I miss that!

I made a vegetarian nut roast with mushroom gravy, Yorkshire puddings, roast potatoes, and a Bakewell tart. It was so delicious! You definitely need to make it on a Sunday or some other day when you have a lot of time though, because it doesn't come together all that quickly. Worth it though, in my opinion :-)

The gravy was just a rue made from butter and flour, with mushroom broth whisked in. Would have been really good if I'd first sauteed some mushrooms and garlic, but for my first Sunday roast I needed to keep it a bit more simple.

So, I started by making the Yorkshire pudding batter, as it has to rest a while before baking (30 min, or up to 2 hours). Here's the recipe (with video) I used. They should be the last things to go in the oven, as they should be eaten immediately.

Then I began working on the nut roast. I followed this recipe I found on Mint Green Apron. I used dried thyme and sage (about 1/2 tsp each) and fresh parsley. I also subbed cheddar cheese for the mozzarella. Very yummy! I will definitely be having this on Thanksgiving from now on.

Tip: This was the first thing that went in the oven. When it was done, I re-covered it with foil and just let it rest in the tin while I baked the rest of the meal. It was still very hot by the time we ate.

Line the bottom of your loaf pan with some baking paper or grease and dust with some almond meal or something, as it didn't release very easily when just greased and ripped the crust off.

I used this recipe for the roast potatoes, but I can never get them to get crispy enough for some reason. There must be some magic tip I don't know about. I think I should have put these in the oven even before the nut roast, as they seem to take forever to crisp up on the outside.

This Bakewell Tart might be one of my favorite pies I've ever made. Oh man is it good warm out of the oven! Don't forget a glass of milk, because you'll need it!

Tip: Begin preparing the crust before you start the meal. The dough needs to rest in the fridge a while, be rolled out and rested again, and then pre-baked, spread with jam and cooled before you even put the filling in. I prepared the filling while the Yorkshire puddings went in the oven and the roast potatoes were still baking. Then I popped it in the oven while we ate.

One of my favorite breakfasts is toast with almond butter and raspberry jam. Here it is in pie form!

We used the leftover nut roast to make yummy sandwiches the next day. The vegetarian answer to leftover meatloaf sandwiches! Whole wheat sourdough bread crusted with sesame and flax seeds, spread with raspberry jam, slices of the roast and soft swiss cheese. Perfect way to use up those leftovers!

Hope you all have a great Sunday and possibly get to enjoy a nice family meal!

London!

2011-05-31T15:21:00.001+02:00

E and I went to London this weekend! It was the most fun we've had in a long time! We absolutely loved it there, so prepare yourself for a mass of photos and don't be surprised if this blog gets renamed to LizzyGoesBrit in the future ;-)

Here we are on the DLR heading into the city...

The first thing we saw was the Tower of London

And the Tower Bridge!

Sometimes I still can't believe my life. 5 years ago, I never would have even imagined that I'd be standing on this bridge someday.

Our first views of the city from this bridge had us so excited to go explore it!

It was a little grey and rainy, but this is London.

Who can resist this classic tourist pose?

Monument, the Great Fire of 1666 started near this point.

In the tube! People kept warning us about what a nightmare the public transportation in London is, but I have to say that we had nothing but an easy and smooth experience with it. Plus, everything was in ENGLISH!

We arrived at Buckingham Palace just in time to see the Changing of the Guards Ceremony.

Basically they just did a lot of standing around and playing trumpets for about half an hour while a couple of guards marched back and forth with swords and flags, but we were glad to have seen it anyway.

Victoria Monument outside Buckingham Palace.

Cute British taxi on "The Mall".

St. James Palace

The Ritz Hotel

We stopped for lunch at Guerilla Burgers in a shopping/eating area called St. Christopher's Place just off of Oxford St. I was anxious for my first customer service experience in London, and it didn't disappoint! Though I have to admit my standards have been severely lowered since moving to A'dam, where customer service is basically unheard of. Look, they even put ice in my drink and the smiling waiter actually sat down at our table and chatted with us (*gasp!*).

We got the aubergine and goat's cheese burger...

...and the garden veggie bliss. Delicious burgers and chips in a really great location! We felt like we were eating where the locals do their lunch hour. I totally recommend it.

Afterwards, we checked into our hostel. It had been newly renovated and was really nice! The service was also very friendly!

Just a quick rest before we headed out again...

The view from our window.

In London, there are racks of cycles for hire on just about every corner. I was surprised we didn't see more people doing it, but perhaps the fact that you have to drive on the opposite side of the road in a big fast city scares people. At £1 a day, you can get a code that lets you take a bike for as long as you like, and if you return it to any rack in the city within 30 minutes you don't pay a penny more. That's totally doable, considering there are so many bike racks. You can get from one famous building the other for next to nothing! Being so used to biking in A'dam, we thought it was a steal and tons of fun! It was way better than the underground where you didn't get to see anything.

We hopped on some bikes and headed over to St. Paul's Cathedral.

Just down the road were the Royal Courts of Justice.

And a bit further we came to Trafalgar Square, where we saw Nelson's Column and the sun started to come out!

and Admiralty Arch, which leads to "The Mall",

Just a bit further down the riverside, we came to the Houses of Parliament

and Big Ben.

The detail on these buildings blew us away!

The views from Westminster Bridge were my favorite! There's the London Eye.

This building contains the Cabinet War Rooms and the Winston Churchill Museum.

This building is the Foreign and Commonwealth Info Services, and in front of it is the Cenotaph for war victims.

No. 10 Downing Street is back there! I kept waiting to see Hugh Grant ;-)

We went into St. James Park for a bit, where we saw a lady hand-feeding squirrels. Adorable!

Then we came around and saw Westminster Abbey!

The Sanctuary, Westminster Abbey

What a view!

Later in the evening we took the tube down to the West End.

We had to grab a beer at this pub we saw on Craven St. (Cravens is my grandmother's last name, so I thought that was cute.)

I like how everyone hangs outside the pub after work, I didn't so much like the warm beer.

In Covent Garden we saw a market and street performers. Those parasols are from an Italian restaurant called Fuel. We shared a decent pizza there the next day.

Cute shopping streets... I saw so many stores I recognized from America! I do miss the shopping there.

And more theatres.

We saw Leicester Square,

China Town,

and Picadilly Circus!

(These 2 pictures are from Mildred's website)

We ate dinner that night at a place in Soho called Mildred's Vegetarian Restaurant, where among other things we had vegetarian "bangers and mash". The place is seriously popular and was even packed at 9pm. We didn't go home raving about the food, but it was definitely good and the service was again quick and friendly!

The next morning we did some shopping on Oxford Street and stopped by St. Christopher's Place again for breakfast.

Smile! You're always on camera in London!

Our not-so-impressive vegetarian English breakfast at Sofra, but it was still fun!

Primark! Cheap clothes, enormous crowds of shoppers. The line to the fitting rooms was amazing! With clothes that cheap, I'm not sure why you'd bother trying it on.

A cute poodle in Selfridges shopping mall.

Marble Arch leading into Hyde Park

Stopping to smell the roses in Hyde Park!

On to Knightsbridge for some fancy window shopping!

I would totally wear this red one!

Harrod's

I'm taking collections for this oven, thank you ;-)

Natural History Museum

Jumping on a train at Victoria Station.

Day 3, we hit up Southbank and the Borough Market area.

This is the Old Operating Theatre, where spectators in the early 19th century could watch patients be blindfolded, gagged and bound to wooden operating tables and performed on without anaesthetics or antiseptics!

Forget I just mentioned that, because now I'm going to tell you about the most delicious patisserie where we had breakfast that morning ;-)

Patisserie Lila, right by Borough Market, is like a sweet-lovers dream come true!

We had regular and chocolate croissants and huge buttery scones with jam and cream! Good morning!

Then we listened to the bells on Southwark Cathedral...

...and saw the Golden Hinde, "a full-sized reconstruction of the Tudor warship in which Sir Francis Drake circumnavigated the globe in 1577 – 1580".

What's left of Winchester Palace

Pub on Southbank

Shakespeare's Globe! (Again, how did I get here??? Incredible!)

Southbank on the Thames river (St. Paul's Cathedral in the background)

The Fire Station Pub near Waterloo Station,

where we stopped for a spot of tea...
(Side note: Has anyone ever seen that SNL sketch, "Tales of Ribaldry"? I think you can watch it on Hulu if you live in the States. I so wanted E to start quoting, "Hellio.. and welcome to "Tales of Rrrribaldry"! I'm your host, Evelyn Quince. Tonight, I would like to share with you a naughty tale of a lusty woodsman and a wanton lady, and possibly a cuckolded husband! Oh, it's high rrrribaldry at its best! And it's about to start - let's watch!"

...and a cider.

Then we headed for the London Eye Pier...

and waited for a "Thames Clipper" boat to come take us down the river to Greenwich.

Views from the boat...

Houses of Parliament and Big Ben

Tower of London, it says "Entry to the Traitors Gate"

Tower Bridge

When we arrived at Greenwich, the sun came out again!

We looked for a place to have vegetarian nut roast for Sunday roast, but had no luck, so we just had some more tasty burgers and chips at Gourmet Burger Kitchen.

Yes, they dip fries (or "chips") in mayonnaise in Europe. Trust me when I say it's delicious!

The views from the Royal Observatory are spectacular!

This week I'm going to try my hand at making a typical British (vegetarian) Sunday roast dinner and a Bakewell tart! Yum! Stay tuned for that!

Healthy Strawberry-Rhubarb Bars

2011-05-05T11:00:00.001+02:00

It's been a long time since I baked anything! I was worried I might be rusty, but these bars were extra easy to whip up so they turned out great! And no, I didn't get my oven back yet :-( Just had a chance to bake them while at work the other day, which was nice so I could share the wealth.

I found this recipe on one of my favorite new blogs, Back To Her Roots. Among many reasons, I love Cassie's blog because she met her foreign husband online too! Their story is so romantic and reminds me of my own love story :-)

I also love her inspirational posts about becoming a healthier person and the recipes she shares. This recipe for strawberry-rhubarb bars is the first one I've tried and I am far from disappointed! Though I couldn't find the chia seeds and had to adapt it a little, this recipe is awesome! (I have located where I can find chia seeds here now, and am looking forward to trying that version as well).

I think these bars taste amazing! I calculated it and they only have 160 calories each! I'm enjoying them for breakfast and mid-day snacks, since they have real fruit, whole grains and natural sweeteners. Yum!

Strawberry-Rhubarb Bars

-Adapted from Back To Her Roots

Makes 16 bars; 160 calories each

Ingredients:
For the Filling:
1½ cups sliced strawberries (about 9oz/250g)
1½ cups sliced rhubarb (about 2½ stalks)
2 T. agave nectar
1 T. corn starch
¼ cup water

For the Crust:
1 large egg
1 stick margarine, melted and cooled slightly
¼ cup maple syrup
2 T. whole milk
1½ cups oats
1 cup whole wheat flour
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1/3 cup dark brown sugar

Directions:
In a medium saucepan, bring the filling ingredients to a boil. Reduce and simmer gently about 15 minutes, stirring often, until the fruit is cooked down and the sauce has thickened. Remove from heat.

In a small bowl, lightly whisk the egg. Mix in the melted butter, maple syrup and milk.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the oats, whole wheat flour, baking soda, salt and brown sugar. Pour in the wet ingredients and mix until incorporated.

Reserve 2/3 cup of the dough, and with greased hands press the rest into the bottom of a greased 9x13” cake pan.

Spread on the cooled filling, then crumble the reserved dough over the top.

Bake for about 30 minutes, until the crust is well browned. Cool completely for one hour before slicing.

Strawberry Rhubarb Bars

Spring Has Sprung!

2011-05-02T11:50:00.001+02:00

This not having an oven thing, has really taken its toll on my passion for cooking and baking, but luckily it's spring now and there are plenty of fun things to do outdoors!

On Easter, we went on a little tour of the tulip fields before heading to a backyard picnic with the family.

I love Dutch cows! They're so adorable and make the yummiest cheese!

It's tulip season! Probably my favorite time of year in Holland :-)

These looked like Blue Bonnets, which got me very excited seeing as it's the Texas state flower, but I believe they're actually something else called Bluebells. Oh well, close enough! And now I wish I had some Bluebell ice cream.

These are my favorite Dutch cows. We call them Oreo cows. Isn't this a gorgeous scene?

The pretty table E's sister set up in her backyard for an Easter picnic. Lovely!

This Saturday was Queen's Day here in Holland. That's the day the whole nation celebrates Queen Beatrix's birthday. Though her birthday is actually in January, she celebrates it with the people on her mother's, Queen Juliana's, birthday on April 30th. I have yet to experience a Queen's day when the weather wasn't just amazing! We're so lucky!

We began by hanging out the Dutch flag and taking a walk around the city.

This is the only day of the year when people are allowed to sell their stuff on the streets. The whole city turns into one giant garage sale and one giant sea of Orange! This "oranjegekte", or orange craziness, is to celebrate the Royal House of Orange. (These 3 pictures were from 2009 when my Mom visited on Queen's Day.)

Aside from the piles of junk for sale, you find children and musicians performing for your coins, tons of food and drink stands, and canals full of people partying on boats. It's so fun to watch boats full of people jumping up and down to Euro dance music. I love it!

We brought Clayton along early in the morning before the crowds got too out of control and we bought him an orange bandana :-)

My mom gave me these earrings a while ago. Aren't they perfect for Queen's Day? I love them!

On Sunday we decided it was time to buy a BBQ grill. The weather is just too amazing not to celebrate it outdoors! Maybe now that I have this, I can think of more recipes to blog about ;-)

These are just veggie kabobs with olive oil, pepper and Cavendar's Greek Seasoning. Yum!

Our friend, Sil, came over to help us break it in.

Here's to many more weekends with amazing weather, great friends and fun!

Grilled Vegetable Quesadillas

2011-04-01T09:32:00.001+02:00

I haven't been cooking a whole lot lately, mostly due to the fact that my oven has been being held hostage since the beginning of the year. We bought a new one, which broke the week after we got it. As if that wasn't annoying enough, just after we dropped it off for repair the company went bankrupt! Lousy timing eh? I hope they can get things sorted soon because I miss baking!

Anyway, these quesadillas are the sort of thing we've been having in the absence of baked food. I really can't complain, though, b/c they're absolutely delicious and quick to throw together. I found this recipe for Grilled Vegetable Tacos over at My Kitchen Addiction and I haven't seasoned my Tex-Mex vegetables another way since.

You toss veggies in olive oil and then sprinkle with cumin, Ancho chili powder and I add in some seasoned salt as well. Then you grill them until soft and slightly blackened. She does them on the actual grill, but as I don't have that kind of equipment, I just use a grill pan on the stove. Warning, you're gonna need the fan on or your house will smell like smoked chilies for 3 days!

Now, I've made them into tacos as you see on her blog and that is delicious, especially with the chipotle cream sauce, but I just love a good quesadilla with crispy tortillas and gooey cheese. And when I say gooey, I mean I like to use processed American cheese slices. I know, that's gross, but it's my guilty pleasure. I love fake cheese. Just look at that gooey mess. Yum!

Obviously, I make E's quesadilla with Gouda slices. And we like to drizzle hot sauce on them.

You can use any veggies you like. It's really awesome with sweet potatoes in the mix! Here's how I threw it together this time. Enough for two generously stuffed quesadillas.

1/2 head cauliflower, chopped into small bits
1/2 zucchini, chopped
2/3 yellow bell pepper (because that's how much I had in the fridge), thinly sliced
4 1/2 oz. crimini mushrooms, sliced
8 asparagus spears, cut in half
1 T. olive oil
Ancho chili powder, cumin and seasoned salt (sorry, I just sprinkle it on without measuring)

Coat the chopped veggies in the oil and then sprinkle on the seasonings. Toss together and grill until softened and as blackened as you like. Black equals big flavor. I've tried it in a regular pan before and the flavor just wasn't there because they couldn't get as blackened.

Then I used 2 mulit-grain tortillas and 2 slices of cheese for each quesadilla. I like to break the cheese up in little pieces. Put some on a tortilla, load on the veggies, and then the rest of the cheese on top. That way the melty cheese acts as glue to hold the quesadilla together on both sides. I also grill them in the same grill pan so they get nice marks.

1 quesadilla on 2 multi-grain tortillas with half the veggies and 2 American cheese slices was only 485 calories.

If you prefer more protein, some beans would be a great addition.

My Favorite Places to Dine in Amsterdam

2011-02-26T00:51:00.002+01:00

Enjoying a beer at Brouwerij 't IJ

I was talking with another expat this afternoon about my favorite local places to eat and it dawned on me that I should share that sort of info here. Afterall, not even my obsession with cooking drives me to make something homemade every night. And going out to eat is fun!

The funny thing is that none of my favorite places here actually serve Dutch food. It's not all pancakes and stamppot. In fact, that's one of the coolest things about Amsterdam. So many different ethnic cuisines are present here. Before moving abroad, my palate was not very diverse. I don't think I was even aware of the existence of much unusual food outside of Chinese and Mexican, to be frank. After living here a while, I'm glad to say that my culinary horizons have been expanded a little and to the delight of my taste buds.

Chances are, expats who have been here for a while may well have already tried these places, but maybe not? Anyway, if you're new to or just visiting Amsterdam, here are a few of my favorite local places to dine.

Daar Baand: A wonderful Persian restaurant on De Overtoom. I recommend an eggplant dip called Mirza Gasemi as a starter and a baked eggplant and 3-cheese dish called Bademjan for the main dish. If you like buttermilk and are in the mood to try something unique, they also have a drink called Doegh that's basically cold buttermilk with spices in it. It's actually pretty tasty. And as dessert, I love to get the Iraanse Valude. It's an icy sweet dessert with rosewater, which I'd like to bathe in and drink by the gallon if possible. I've heard the meat kebabs are nothing to write home about, but these dishes I mentioned above are outstanding! Also, if it sparks your fancy, they have water pipes with various herbs (not weed) that you can enjoy after your meal.

Fuoco Vivo: A pizzeria that opened up not too long ago on De Clercqstraat and immediately exploded with popularity. If you want to go on the weekend, you'd better call for a reservation. Run by real Italians who make their own sourdough crust and fresh cheeses and who use wonderful organic ingredients for all the toppings, this place has quickly become my all-time favorite pizzeria. The tomato sauce is out of this world delicious and they cook their pizzas in a wood burning oven, which makes them taste all the better. The simple margherita pizza is to die for! They also have specialty pizzas daily. The only complaint I have is that the acoustics are terrible.

Betty's Vegetarisch Restaurant: Owner, Gido Schweitzer, has a huge passion for food which is evident from the moment he greets you at the door. I could listen to him talk about his all-organic ingredients and beautiful menus for hours. The food is incredible and the homemade desserts are mouthwatering. They also have a delicatessen where they sell all kinds of organic products. You should see his tea collection! I can't tell from the website, but I believe they serve lunch as well as dinner. I've also enjoyed a delicious high tea with some girlfriends there on a Saturday.

Eetcafe Ibis: I've tried a few Ethiopian places here and this is my favorite. I wouldn't choose any Ethiopian restaurant for a first date or anything. I mean, you're eating with your hands, you're likely to sit very near or on the ground and it's not such an elegant atmosphere all around. But it is really fun and something different. At Ibis, I get the vegetarian dish called "Full". To be honest, "beans in creamy tomatoes" doesn't sound that inspiring, but I love it. Plus it comes on a huge platter with all kinds of other little things to taste. I love the weird sour tasting pancakes you get to rip up and use to scoop up your food. And if you go there, definitely try a fair trade banana beer. They serve it in a cup made out of a coconut and it's really fantastic.

Khorat Top Thai: My favorite hole-in-the-wall Thai place right off the Overtoom and the Tweede Constantijn Huygensstraat by the entrance to the Vondelpark. I don't believe they have a website, but I've given the link to their review on Iens.nl. They have a tofu sate with peanut sauce for a starter that I am in love with. It has little fried onions on top and tastes damn delicious. And then I get a vegetarian dish with tofu, mushrooms, cashew nuts, red onions and red chilies in a sweet soy sauce that is just mind blowingly good. By the way, vegetarian Thai food often is still prepared with fish sauce. You can ask for them to leave it out at Khorat. Also, the portions are huge, so we usually split it and order some extra rice. To wash it down, get a pot of Jasmine tea.

De Hapjeshoek: When my boyfriend told me that his favorite place to get Surinam Roti was in a metro station, I have to admit that I was VERY skeptical. Boy did he prove me wrong. It's the kind of place only a local could tell you about. Never in a million years would I have expected a little "snack corner" in a metro station to be so awesome. If you haven't tried roti, rectify that immediately. If for the sheer fact that you get to try another ethnic cuisine that's served with a delicious pancake thingy you get to rip apart and eat your food with ;-) Try it in the Waterlooplein metro station! P.S. When ordering, say yes to the pickles ("zuur") and go easy on the spicy sambal ("peper")!

Brouwerij 't IJ: You'd think that a giant windmill brewery in the middle of Amsterdam would be a totally touristic place, but it's actually not. It's the perfect place to go on a warm beautiful day because it's nice and open with a huge terrace with big picnic tables where everyone sits together. They brew some of my favorite beers and there's also a little place next door that serves food. I had cheese fondue and some sauteed mushrooms there that were way better than typical bar food. Their only downfall is that they're only open from 3 to 8. With those beers, though, you should probably just go home by 8 anyway ;-)

Tomatillo: Getting back to what I really know, the always faithful Tex-Mex. First of all, I can't even describe how much joy has re-entered my life abroad since this place opened right over on the Overtoom. It's that good. I always get a Negra Modelo because it's delicious. I don't usually bother with ordering chips and salsa, since we are in Holland and you'll only get about 5 chips and 2 tablespoons of salsa for €4. Instead, I like to start with a mixed green salad with chipotle-balsamic vinaigrette and then delve into a vegetarian tostada. It's topped with black beans, the most flavorful rice, various other veggies and salad tossed in jalapeno ranch dressing. Then you get to choose a salsa to go on top. I like either the tomatillo-chipotle salsa or the habenero salsa. They also have giant burritos and daily specials.

Now, more importantly, what are your favorite places in Amsterdam? What am I missing out on? Do share!

Dreamy Chocolate Pudding with Almond Roca

2011-02-22T17:44:00.001+01:00

This is my all-time favorite chocolate pudding recipe. It's so creamy and delicious! Rich, but not overly so. The best part, though, is how easy it is to make. It uses simple ingredients that you likely already have in your pantry and everything goes into one pot right from the beginning. No tempering eggs or melting chocolate. It's totally doable for a weeknight dessert and good enough to serve your friends.

I made it with Hershey's cocoa the first time and loved it, but then I tried it with Dutch-processed cocoa powder and a splash of Kahlua. Uhh, yeah. That was a wise choice! I've also been known to stir in a little peanut butter on top of that. Yum! You just can't go wrong with a chocolate-peanut butter combination.

I served it as dessert when we had company a few days ago and garnished it with whipped cream and this Almond Roca that I've become obsessed with since it was featured on Tasty Kitchen in December. Talk about easy! I had no idea I could make toffee so quickly and without a candy thermometer. Literally anyone could make this. Go ahead and give it a try!

Dinner for my Valentine: Roasted Pears with Blue Cheese Salad, Tomato and Goat Cheese Tarts, Strawberry Balsamic Brussels Sprouts and German's Chocolate Cake

2011-02-14T11:42:00.004+01:00

On Saturday I put together a big Valentine's dinner. It actually came together disaster-free, which was amazing because I had a lot of things going on in the kitchen at once. I mean, I usually screw up at least one thing royally, but not this time. I was so proud of myself! ;-)

First, I made Ina Garten's Roasted Pears with Blue Cheese Salad.

This salad is amazing! We could not believe the flavors! You hollow out a bunch of pear halves and stuff them with a mixture of blue cheese, walnuts and dried cranberries. Then you pour a mixture of Port, apple cider (NL: unfiltered apple juice), and brown sugar over them and roast them in the oven. Afterwards, you put the roasted stuffed pears on a bed of arugula and use the remaining basting liquid, some lemon juice and olive oil to make a tangy and sweet dressing. I garnished the salad with some shaved Parmesan cheese. We thought it was out of this world delicious!

Note: Be sure to buy pears that aren't very ripe yet. They shouldn't be totally unripe, I suppose, but definitely not ripe enough to eat yet. Mine were decidedly too ripe and after roasting were a bit softer than I would have liked. Oh well, it was still delicious!

I also made Ina's Tomato and Goat Cheese Tarts.

Just the smell of the caramelized thyme-scented onions was enough to make me drool. Throw in freshly shaved Parmesan, creamy goat's cheese, thick slices of tomato and fresh Basil and you've got some seriously delicious tarts. These were a cinch to make and taste really yummy! The best part is you need a few tablespoons of some dry white wine for this recipe, which leaves the rest of the bottle to enjoy during the meal.

Notes: Be sure to get your onions nice and caramelized in the pan because that adds loads of flavor and they don't really continue to cook in the oven. Keep an eye on these tarts so you don't burn the edges. They cook faster than you think!

I used puff pastry already cut out into squares (about 5"x5") and this recipe made 4 tarts. I'm not the hugest fan of puff pastry though, so next time I think I'll make mini pizza's instead. A yeast dough would taste divine with these toppings!

On the side, I made these Strawberry-Balsamic Roasted Brussels Sprouts that my friend, Haley, once made.

They're not very photogenic, but they taste delicious. I was in a rush and forgot to cut them in half, which probably would have made them even better by letting them brown up a bit more, but they were still great nonetheless. I just mixed strawberry jam with balsamic vinegar, instead of bothering with the whole juicing of strawberries and of course, I left out the bacon.

Finally, as dessert, David Lebovitz's German Chocolate Cake.

Contrary to popular believe, this cake is not actually German. It was named after American, Samuel German, who in the late 1800's invented the baking chocolate used in the 50's by a Dallas homemaker to create this now infamous cake. If you've never had this cake, you are seriously missing out! The frosting alone is good enough to eat straight out of the bowl, but put together with the most delicious and moist chocolate cake in the world and boy are you in for a treat! This is totally going to be my birthday cake this year!

Notes: You can't find Baker's brand German's Chocolate in Holland, but luckily this recipe uses semi or bitter-sweet and unsweetened chocolate. I just went ahead and used all semi-sweet and it was outstanding! (NL: I used AH Puur).

While I think the chocolate ganache is very pretty to decorate the edges with, I didn't really think it tasted that great with the cake. I may just omit it next time.

The recipe for the rum simple syrup to baste the cake with made way too much for me. I probably used about 1/3 of it, at most. I didn't want my cake to taste overly rummy, but did want to add extra moisture. This syrup works wonderfully! ***UPDATE: I've been storing my cake in the fridge for a few days now and it's starting to dry out just slightly. I never did taste a drop of rum anyway, so I'm starting to think that using more of the syrup may have actually worked out alright.***

Well, I hope you all have a wonderful week and Happy Valentine's Day!

Cheesy Potato Soup and Spinach Strawberry Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing

2011-02-07T14:07:00.001+01:00

In a little town near where I grew up, there is a wonderful little B&B called The Durning House. They have a restaurant where you can enjoy the most delicious home cooking and amazing pies! I love going there. You feel like you're eating in someone's house, not in a restaurant. The tables have cute linens and china, the service is friendly and my beloved glass of raspberry iced tea never goes empty. This soup and salad are are two of my favorites from their cookbook.

Cheesy Potato Soup

-Adapted from The Durning House

Ingredients:
8 cups peeled and diced potatoes (about 6 large potatoes)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 celery rib, chopped
1 medium carrot, grated
½ cup (125g) butter
2 T. all-purpose flour
4 cups half-and-half (or 2 cups milk, plus 2 cups heavy cream)
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted (I use “Unox” brand)
1/3 cup grated sharp Cheddar cheese
6 American processed cheese slices (NL: “Cheddar Smeltkaas”)
½ tsp. seasoned salt (sub reg. salt w/ a dash of onion & garlic pwd, cayenne, paprika & dry mustard)
Ground pepper, to taste
Parsley, fresh or dried, to taste

Directions:
Cook the diced potatoes in boiling salted water until tender. Drain and set aside.

Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat and cook the onion, celery and carrot a few minutes until softened, but not browned. Add the flour and stir around for a minute, then slowly pour in the half-and-half. Continue to cook and stir until thickened.

Add the cream of mushroom soup and stir to combine, then dump in the potatoes. Use a masher to break them up into the soup, but do leave some bigger pieces for texture. Add in the cheeses and stir until melted. Season to taste.

Strawberry Spinach Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing

-Adapted from The Durning House and Our Best Bites

Ingredients:
1/3 c. white vinegar
1 heaping tsp. salt
Few turns of ground black pepper
¾ c. superfine sugar
1 tsp. mustard (I use American-style)
1 green onion, ends removed
½ c. vegetable oil
1½ tsp. poppy seeds
10oz (300g) fresh spinach leaves, washed and dried
Pint fresh strawberries, washed and sliced
1 cup roasted almonds, roughly chopped

Directions:
Combine the vinegar, salt, pepper, sugar and mustard in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade. While the blender is running, add the green onion. Continue running it while slowly pouring in the vegetable oil in a steady stream. Continue processing until the green onion is blended in, turning the dressing a green hue, and the sugar is dissolved. Pour the dressing into a jar and stir in the poppy seeds. Refrigerate until use.

To serve, lay the fresh spinach leaves on a platter. Top with sliced strawberries and chopped almonds, then drizzle generously with the dressing just before serving.

Cheesy Potato Soup

Spinach Strawberry Poppy Seed Salad

Mushroom, Leek, Lemon and Parmesan Risotto

2011-01-28T18:29:00.006+01:00

Oh baby, is this risotto to die for! All the flavors are so amazing together and the texture is so creamy and delicious! Perfect for a meatless dinner or as a side dish. Excuse me while I go devour the leftovers for dinner :-)

Notes:

-I made a few minor changes, but the main one was to omit the lemon juice. I found it overpowered the other flavors and I think just the zest is plenty.

-Don't forget some crusty bread and salty butter to go along with this!

Mushroom, Leek, Lemon and Parmesan Risotto

-Adapted from Ezra Pound Cake

Ingredients:
6 cups vegetable stock (I use half mushroom, half vegetable broth)
1 leek, washed and chopped
8 oz (2-3 cups) mushrooms, brushed and chopped (I use a mix of crimini and shiitake)
2 T. olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
6 T. butter, divided
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1¾ cup risotto rice
Zest of 1 lemon
2/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus more for garnish
4 T. mixed chopped fresh chives and parsley
Pepper and salt (if needed)
Truffle oil to garnish (optional)

Directions:
Bring the broth to a simmer on the stove.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat and sauté the garlic 1 minute. Add the leeks and mushrooms, along with some pepper (and salt, if your broth is sodium-free), and cook until softened and browned (5-10 min). Transfer to a bowl.

In the same skillet, melt half the butter over med-low heat. Add the onion and cook until soft and golden. Stir in the rice and stir around for about a minute until it looks kind of translucent. Then begin adding a ladle full of simmering broth at a time, cooking and stirring gently until the liquid is absorbed before you add another ladle. This will take about 30 minutes. Towards the end, it will become very creamy and more difficult to stir. Avoid the temptation to just dump the rest of the broth in all at once! When there’s about a cup of broth left, begin tasting the rice after each ladle until it’s al dente. It should take between 5 and 6 cups of broth to get there.

Turn the heat to low and stir in the remaining butter, cooked veggies, parmesan, lemon zest and herbs. Serve immediately and garnish with more fresh herbs and more parmesan cheese. If you like, drizzle with truffle oil.

Mushroom, Leek, Lemon and Parm Risotto

Oh The Things I Shall Make....(Taquitos and Salsa, To Start)

2011-01-26T17:09:00.001+01:00

Behold, my beloved new food processor!

Boy have I been wanting one of these for years! I'm so excited! It even comes with a blender and juicer (in which you can apparently just dump an entire apple and it does the work for you...still need to test that out.) And look at all the nifty attachments! I can seriously hardly contain myself ;-)

Obviously, the very first thing I did was whip up a batch of salsa. It took me literally no more than 5 minutes!

To go with my salsa, I fried up some taquitos. So easy and delish!

This was one of those, I'll throw in a little bit of this and that moments, so I don't have exact measurements to write a recipe, but here's what I did. I sauted some finely chopped onion and green bell pepper in olive oil, then added some vegetarian "beef"-like crumbles and chopped tomato. I seasoned the mixture with lime juice, garlic powder, ground coriander, oregano, cumin, smoked paprika and chipotle chili powder (alternatively, you could just use a taco seasoning mix).

Then I heated up a pan of vegetable oil and quickly fried some corn tortillas just enough to soften them. I stuffed them with some of the filling and a blend of grated Cheddar and Gouda cheeses, rolled them tightly and secured with toothpicks. Finally, I fried them until golden brown and dipped them in the fresh salsa! Yum!

Salsa Verde Sour Cream Enchiladas

2011-01-21T11:27:00.002+01:00

On my latest trip to Texas, I brought back a jar of salsa verde. Salsa Verde is a green salsa made from tomatillos instead of red tomatoes. It's delicious! I finally used that jar to make Salsa Verde Sour Cream Enchiladas (see link for more pictures taken in actual daylight). They were outstanding!

Notes:

- If you're in Holland, you can probably hunt down some salsa verde, or at least some fresh or canned tomatillos in a toko or market to make your own. Try Tjin's toko in De Pijp, which is next to the Albert Cuyp market in Amsterdam. I have also had success finding unusual items, such as jalapenos, at the Ten Kate market in West.

- I divided my enchiladas into two dishes and baked them until golden brown and bubbly. We ate one and put the other in the fridge. The next day, I let the second dish come to room temp and then baked it with some foil on top for about 40 minutes at 350 (180C). It was even better!

- I used corn tortillas. To me, enchiladas should always be made with corn tortillas. (Dutchies: Casa Fiesta now makes some corn tortillas, but you can find more authentic tasting ones in the freezer at Tjin's toko in De Pijp.) Or make your own! Check out this awesome website in the Netherlands, MexWorld, that sells all kinds of Mexican food items such as spices, peppers, masa flour and even tortilla presses!

- I used a mixture of Cheddar and Gouda cheese, and lots of it!

- I used 350g Quorn brand vegetarian chicken pieces, finely chopped, and substituted vegetable broth.

- I bought jalapenos at Hanos (a restaurant supply store), but you can substitute any other hot pepper you like or use jarred jalapenos if it comes to it.

- Of course, I served it with the best Mexican rice known to man.

One Bowl Chocolate Cupcakes with Vanilla Bean Cooked Frosting

2011-01-11T21:39:00.001+01:00

These are my favorite chocolate cupcakes! Not only does the recipe make a ton, but the batter is quickly thrown together in only one bowl. You don't even need a stand mixer if you don't have one. You just mix the dry ingredients, then pour in the wet ones and whisk it together. They turn out super moist with a great chocolate flavor!

I've posted about them before, actually, when I frosted them with vanilla buttercream. This time, though, I had to try out this "cooked frosting" everyone has been raving about. I decided to use a recipe recommended by the Pioneer Woman and of course, it did not fail to impress. This frosting has the best texture, somewhere in between buttercream and whipped cream. In fact, it looks so much like whipped cream that I was afraid it would start to break down after a few hours, but it held up for days in the fridge! The thing I like best about it is that it doesn't leave that greasy feeling on your teeth like buttercream does. It's also sweet, but not overly so, like so many frostings can be. I used half a vanilla bean instead of the extract and loved it! It's no wonder the recipe is called, "That's the best frosting I've ever had", and the writer is so right when she says it's perfect on chocolate cake.

Cheese Fondue

2010-12-30T13:11:00.001+01:00

A couple of years ago while staying in Texas for Christmas, E and I went to a party at a friend's house. We spent almost the whole night hovering over this pot of cheese fondue. It was just so good! Of course, I had to get the recipe and here is it! Apparently it's pretty common in Holland to have cheese fondue around Christmas, so that's exactly what we had on "2nd Christmas Day" when we spent the evening with just the two of us.

Let me warn you that cheese fondue takes some time to make. You can expect to stand over the stove stirring it for quite a while because, as I learned from experience, it has to be made over a very low heat. Otherwise your cheese will get too hot and curdle! But other than requiring a little patience, this recipe is really simple and it tastes delicious! If you're going to make it for a party, I'd make a few pots of it for sure ;-)

I hope you are all having a wonderful Holiday Season and Happy New Year!!! I don't know about you, but I'm just not ready to give up my Christmas decorations already next week. I guess I'll just have to get excited about Spring flowers....that is if Spring ever comes.

Cheese Fondue

Ingredients:
1 clove garlic
½ lb grated Emmental cheese (known as “Swiss cheese” in North America)
½ lb grated Gruyere cheese
3 tsp flour, plus more for thickening if needed
1½ cups dry white wine (Such as a Sauvignon Blanc. Use good wine that is fairly young.)
1 tsp lemon juice
Additional flavoring, to taste – I use white pepper, nutmeg and a tiny bit of spicy French mustard

Directions:

Combine the grated cheeses and 3 tsp flour in a plastic zip-lock bag and toss to coat. Rub a heavy pot (or fondue pot) with the clove of garlic and then discard it. Pour in the wine and lemon juice and bring to a gentle simmer over low heat. Add the cheese one handful at a time, stirring in a figure 8 pattern with a wooden spoon. Make sure the cheese is completely melted before adding more. When all the cheese is melted in, continue stirring over low heat until thickened. Do not allow to boil or the cheese will curdle. If the fondue is too thin, take a couple of spoonfuls out and mix it in a small bowl with another teaspoon of flour, then add it back in and continue heating until the mixture thickens (I did this twice as I was a little short on cheese). If the fondue is too thick, thin with a little wine, not water. When serving, keep warm over a burner or tea light continue stirring throughout the meal.

Dipping Ideas:

Chunks of crusty bread
Cherry tomatoes
Mushrooms (raw are delicious)
Baby carrots
Sliced bell peppers
Sliced cucumbers
Asparagus spears
Parboiled broccoli or cauliflower florets
Roasted potatoes
Pineapple chunks
Apple slices
Grapes

Cheese Fondue

Cauliflower, Tomato and Potato Gratin

2010-12-01T16:51:00.000+01:00

I made this delicious gratin on Thanksgiving and again just a couple of days later. It's easy, extremely delicious and makes a perfect meal paired with a salad and some bread. I loved that the top turns out crispy and the bottom stays creamy. Oh and I think I've mentioned my love for cooked tomatoes before. Yum! Here's the link to the recipe so you can give it a try. Just wait until you smell those leeks sizzling in the pan with butter!

Osnabrück Christmas Market

2010-12-01T16:32:00.001+01:00

On Saturday, E and I took a little road trip to go to our first German Christmas market in Osnabrück. The drive there was beautiful because it had just snowed for the first time that morning! While munching on chocolate covered "pepernoten", we passed by so many adorable farms and cottages and drove through beautiful hills and forests. I love getting out of the city and exploring the countryside!

Before the border, we met up with my friend Sonya, a fellow expat blogger here in the Netherlands. (Hi Sonya! Happy Birthday!) She and her family were just as sweet and fun as I knew they'd be! You all should check out her site if you haven't. It's full of delicious recipes and absolutely amazing photographs! Sonya is one talented woman!

Ready to have some fun, we packed up and headed to the market :-) After finally figuring out the parking situation, we fumbled our way through the town to find the market and a giant 20 foot nutcracker!

The bells in this tower were ringing...

...and we also found the world's largest music box playing Christmas carols :-) It was hard to get a good picture of it through the masses of people pouring by and while the darned thing was turning.

Speaking of masses of people...

It didn't take us long to spot chocolate...

German pretzels...

And glühwein. Boy was that delicious!

We kept the cute mugs as souvenirs.

In between all the food, were beautiful buildings and stalls full of wonderful Christmas knick-knacks, ornaments, candles, wooden carvings, you name it.

Hahaha....that's not very Christmasy!

We also found mistletoe :-)))

Aside from a smooch, I needed one more thing. A cute Christmas ornament. Apparently I have to wait until after Sinterklaas this weekend to put my tree up. Man! And I always thought waiting until after Thanksgiving was hard!

Happy Holidays to everyone!

Pumpkin Dulce de Leche Cheesecake

2010-11-30T13:13:00.001+01:00

Looking for something a little out of the ordinary that will still please pumpkin pie lovers at your holiday meal? I'd definitely give this a try if I were you. I have seen recipes for pumpkin cheesecake all over the web lately and I wasn't sure how I'd like it. I actually don't like regular pumpkin pie that much, to tell the truth. But it turns that I absolutely love pumpkin cheesecake! I thought it was totally scrumptious and it serves a boatload of people too. It has a graham cracker crust and a rich and creamy cheesecake filling that was still moist days later. And the recipe for pumpkin pie spice blend I found is awesome. I just loved it all around! Especially with the creamy dulce de leche on top. Yum! I didn't remember to take a picture of a cut slice at the party I brought it to, but I'm definitely going to make it again for Christmas so I'll update it then. :-)

The recipe for the cheesecake (crust included) can be found here on Martha Stewart. I made two changes though....

First of all, I made homemade pumpkin puree instead of canned. Here's a quick how-to:

Cut a pie pumpkin in half and scrape out the seeds and strings.

Place both halves cut side up in a baking dish and fold a piece of plastic wrap over each one. This is important to retain moisture!

Microwave them about 8 minutes on high. Set the dish on the counter and let it keep steaming a while under the plastic wrap.

Carefully take the plastic wrap off, making sure not to let the steam burn your fingers. Allow to cool completely.

Scoop the flesh out of the skin and put in a food processor. Blend into a smooth puree. This came out to be the same amount that comes in a can (15 oz.), all of which I used in the cheesecake.

Secondly, I made my own pumpkin pie spice following Joy the Baker's recipe (It made the perfect amount for the cheesecake):

1 T. ground cinnamon

2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp ground allspice (that's called "piment" for all you Nederlanders)

1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg (I used slightly less ground nutmeg)

Big pinch cardamom powder (You can sub mace, but I didn't)

I made the Dulce de Leche the day before.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and carefully lower a can of sweetened evaporated milk down into it. Reduce to a good simmer and let it go for exactly 2 hours. Check frequently to be sure the can is completely submerged in water, or else it could explode. I find that keeping a kettle of boiled water by the stove is a good way to add a little water whenever I need it. Since it's already hot, it won't stop your pot of water from simmering.

Once the two hours are up, use a slotted spoon to lift the can out and set it upright on a plate to cool completely. Refrigerate until use. Do not stir yet.

When the cheesecake has cooled several hours in the fridge, you can scoop the dulce de leche into a bowl and microwave it just until it's pourable, but still try not to stir it too much because that will encorporate too much air.

Pour and spread over the top of the cheesecake and decorate with halved pecans.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Now it's Christmas time!!!

Two Thanksgiving Must-Haves: Nantucket Cranberry Pie and Onion Gravy

2010-11-22T22:04:00.002+01:00

Here's a couple of things I've made lately that will without a doubt end up on my Thanksgiving table. Both are out of this world delicious and perfect for a holiday meal!

Pioneer Woman's Nantucket Cranberry Pie

First of all, it's the easiest pie I've ever made. Secondly, it's like a cross between a pie and a cobbler and it has pecans in it, which is always a plus in my book! (I used roasted and salted ones). It's tart and sweet at the same time. The dough is almond scented and topped with crunchy sugar crystals. What I'm trying to say is that it's so yummy you have to try it! I honestly can't believe this isn't a nation-wide staple on the Thanksgiving dessert table.

Kayotic Kitchen's Onion Gravy

I made this gravy recently when I tried out Kay's recipe for "Toad in a Hole". That's a fun British dish, which is basically like sausages baked in pancake batter. Yes please! I made it with veggie sausages and loved it, though I'm sure it looks prettier when using real sausage. Vegetarian sausages look kind of creepy, but they taste good :-)

Anyway, the onion gravy she serves with it over mashed potatoes is so yummy, I wanted to bathe in it! Perfect if you need a vegetarian gravy on Thanksgiving! (I used vegetable broth instead of chicken and used vegetarian Worcestershire sauce.)

I hope everyone has a great holiday weekend! Happy Thanksgiving!

Loaded Nacho Tostadas with Pico de Gallo

2010-10-23T21:35:00.001+02:00

It's only 4 days until our two week hiatus in Texas and I have Mexican food on my mind! Tonight I whipped up these tostadas by piling toasted tortillas high with re-fried beans, grated cheese, Cajun-seasoned "chicken", and caramelized onions and bell peppers. Then I topped it all off with homemade pico de gallo. They were fresh, delicious, simple to throw together and came with great reviews from my Tex-Mex obsessed Dutchman. Now I just need a frozen margarita and a sopaipilla to finish it off! 4 more days!!!

Loaded Nacho Tostadas

with Pico de Gallo

Ingredients:
2 large burrito sized flour tortillas
3-4 T. vegetable oil
1 can refried beans
2 cups grated cheese
2 cups chopped cooked chicken (I use 7 oz. vegetarian “chicken”)
1 tsp Cajun seasoning, or more to taste (i.e. Cavendar’s or Tony Cachere’s)
1 large yellow onion, sliced
1 green bell pepper, deseeded and sliced
1 jalapeno, deseeded and diced
3 small tomatoes, chopped
1 small red onion, chopped
1/3 cup fresh chopped cilantro
Juice of 1 lime, plus zest if desired
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Brush both sides of the tortillas with some of the vegetable oil. Place them on a baking sheet and cook until golden brown all over the top, then flip to brown the other sides. Remove from the oven and allow them to cool and become crispy.

Meanwhile, heat 1 T. veg oil in a skillet over med heat and sauté the yellow onion and bell pepper slices until blackened and caramelized. Transfer to a bowl and use the same skillet to heat about another ½ T. veg oil. Brown the chicken and season it with the Cajun seasoning.

To make the pico de gallo, combine the chopped tomatoes, red onion, cilantro, jalapeno and lime juice in a bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Warm the beans in the microwave. Divide them over the two crispy tostadas and spread out. Top the beans with grated cheese, the chicken and the caramelized veggies. Pop back in the oven for about 10 minutes or so until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Transfer to plates and top with the fresh pico de gallo.

Loaded Nacho Tostadas

Light Chocolate Souffles

2010-10-17T22:39:00.001+02:00

Hello sweet chocolatey delight! You're light in calories and fat, but you don't taste like it. You taste like a rich gooey brownie. Thank you!

Light Chocolate Souffles

-From Everyday Health

Makes 8 servings, 109 calories each

Ingredients:
2/3 cups granulated sugar (I use raw cane)
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (Use one that has a great flavor, because it really makes a difference. I use Dutch “Blooker” brand)
1 T. all-purpose flour
1/8 tsp salt
½ cup fat-free milk
2 egg yolks
4 egg whites
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp cream of tartar
Powdered sugar, for dusting (optional)

Directions:

Place eight (8) 6 oz. ramekins in a shallow baking dish and set aside.

Combine 1/3 cup of the sugar, the cocoa, flour and salt in a small saucepan. Pour in the milk and stir together well. Cook over med-low heat while stirring until thick and bubbly, then cook 1 more minute, being careful not to burn the chocolate.

To temper the eggs, lightly whisk the egg yolks in a small bowl and slowly pour the hot chocolate mixture into them while stirring.

Place the egg whites, vanilla and cream of tartar in a mixing bowl. Beat on high speed until soft peaks form. Then gradually add the remaining 1/3 cup of sugar while continuing to beat until stiff peaks form.

Fold about 1/4th of the beaten egg whites into the chocolate batter to loosen it. Then gently fold the batter into the remaining egg whites, being careful not to deflate them. Spoon into ramekins and bake 25 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

This is how they look when they come out of the oven. Tall and crispy on top.
(I made half the recipe because I have a small oven, and it worked out great.)

Dust with powdered sugar, if desired.

And dig in. The inside is light and fluffy, and still slightly gooey. So delicious!

Chocolate Souffles

Low-Fat Vegetarian Pumpkin Cream Enchiladas with Mexican Rice

2010-10-14T11:41:00.002+02:00

I saw this recipe for chicken enchiladas with a pumpkin cream sauce on Foodgawker the other day and my mind immediately started swimming with ideas of a veggie version. I love pumpkin and since pumpkin recipes seem to be overtaking the blogosphere lately, I figured I'd join the bandwagon. I created a filling of roasted cauliflower, caramelized onions, mashed cannellini beans, green chilies, garlic, sour cream and cheese. Yum, yum, yum!

These enchiladas turned out wonderfully! I tried to make them healthy by using small amounts of oil and using low-fat dairy products, and they were every bit as creamy and decadent as I'd hoped. (Surprisingly so for only 665 calories for 2 enchiladas and a portion of rice!) If you're not into fat-free products though, you could of course sub regular ingredients for an even richer and creamier dish. I'd go ahead and add more cheese if you're going that route! Whatever you do though, don't leave out the rice. For starters, it's the best Mexican rice I've ever tasted. I use brown rice to make it healthier, and it still tastes just as delicious. Secondly, it compliments this dish so well. The flavors are amazing together!

Low-Fat Vegetarian Pumpkin Cream Enchiladas

-Inspired by Cheeky Kitchen

Enchilada Ingredients:
1 head cauliflower, cut into large florets
3 T. olive oil, divided
1 large yellow onion, sliced thin
1 can white cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
6 oz. (170g) fat-free Greek yogurt (or sour cream)
5 oz. (150g) reduced-fat (30% fat) grated cheese (white or Mexi-blend)
4 oz. (113g) can diced green chilies (or roast them fresh)
1 spring onion, green part only, snipped
½ - 1 tsp garlic powder, to taste
1 tsp salt
Dash pepper
9+ corn tortillas (depending on size)
Fresh cilantro, for garnishing

Pumpkin Cream Sauce Ingredients:
½ cup pumpkin puree (canned or homemade)
½ cup light cooking cream (or heavy cream)
½ cup vegetable broth
¼ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp nutmeg
¼ tsp cumin
Dash salt and pepper

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C). Place the cauliflower florets in a large baking dish and drizzle with 2 T. olive oil (or more if you’re not dieting). Roast 45 min to an hour, stopping half way to turn them over. Both sides should become brown and caramelized. When finished, chop into small pieces and reduce the oven to 350°F (180°C).

Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1 T. olive oil in a large skillet over med heat. Sauté the sliced onions until caramelized, about 15 minutes.

This is also a good time to begin boiling the rice (recipe follows) and the pumpkin (if making your own).

I cut a pie pumpkin into slices and boiled until tender, then let cool and peeled the skin off. Then I mashed the flesh and had extra pumpkin puree for something else later :-)

In a large mixing bowl, mash the beans and mix in the caramelized onions, roasted chopped cauliflower, Greek yogurt, cheese (reserve ¼ cup for topping), green chilies, spring onion and seasonings. Adjust to taste.

Whisk the sauce ingredients together and ladle a bit into the bottom of a large 9x13 baking dish to keep the enchiladas from sticking to the bottom.

Generously stuff each tortilla with the filling and place them seam-side down in the baking dish. When all the tortillas are filled, pour the rest of the pumpkin cream sauce on top and spread out to the edges. Sprinkle on the reserved cheese. Cover with foil and bake about 30 minutes, then remove the foil and continue baking until the top is golden brown (about 15 more minutes). Garnish with fresh cilantro.

Each enchilada (based on 9 total) = about 275 calories

Mexican Rice

-Adapted from Homesick Texan

Ingredients:
1 cup brown (whole grain) rice
2 cups vegetable broth
1 Knorr Chipotle bouillon cube (optional)
1 T. butter
1 T. olive oil
1 small yellow onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup tomato paste
1 T. lime juice
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 T. cumin
Salt, to taste

Directions:

Add rice, broth, chipotle bouillon, and butter to a medium sauce pan. Bring it to a boil on high heat, then reduce the heat to the very lowest setting, stir once and cover with a lid. Let it cook for about 20 minutes undisturbed. When the time is up, remove it from the heat and let it sit undisturbed another 10 minutes.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over med-low heat (I use the same one I previously made the caramelized onions in). Sauté the onion a couple of minutes and then add the garlic for one more minute. Add the tomato paste, lime juice and cumin to the pan and let it cook about a minute. Turn off the heat. Fluff the rice with a fork and add it to the pan along with the cilantro. Stir to mix well and add salt to taste.

1/8th of this recipe = about 115 calories

Pumpkin Cream Enchiladas

Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars

2010-10-11T00:31:00.003+02:00

I made Ina Garten's delicious, rich and gooey peanut butter and jelly bars for a fun boating trip we took in the Amsterdam canals today. They were a cinch to throw together and they really hit the spot!

Here's the link to the recipe, since I didn't change a thing.

Well, the only thing I changed was to make just half of the recipe and bake them for about 35 minutes in an 8x8" pan lined with parchment paper. I also popped them in the freezer for about 20 minutes after they cooled down, just to be sure they were a bit firm before cutting into squares. I ended up with 12 really good sized bars.

A lot of people in the reviews complained about strawberry and grape jam being too sweet, so I used the recommended raspberry and it was the perfect tart contrast. I thought the seeds in the raspberry jam were also a nice touch. Another complaint was that the cookie dough was a bit dry, but I didn't have that problem at all. I always use a spoon to scoop flour into my measuring cups and a knife to level it off. Two things sure to give you a tough cookie are too much flour and over-baking.

Definitely give these a try! They're great! Just don't forget to keep lots of milk handy!

1 bar (1/12th recipe) = about 400 calories

Quinoa Fruit Salad and a Caramelized Onion-Red Currant Tart with "Bacon", Gorgonzola and a Walnut Crust

2010-10-08T15:11:00.002+02:00

I had Quinoa for the first time this week and I'm totally hooked. I didn't know this, but it's actually a seed, not a grain. It has a great texture and a slightly nutty flavor. I can see it paired with a million flavors, but I especially loved it in this delicious fruit salad with toasted pecans and a honey, lemon and olive oil dressing!

I did a little research online and found that not only does quinoa taste good, it's also a super food! Because it contains all 9 essential amino acids, it's considered a complete protein. That's great for vegetarians! It's also a good source of whole grains and dietary fiber, which we all know is good for our cardiovascular health. Quinoa also contains good amounts of phosphorus, iron and magnesium, which I read can help prevent migraine headaches. It's also gluten-free and easy to digest. Awesome!

In a not so healthy move, I paired my quinoa salad with a delicious quiche recipe I couldn't resist making when I came across vegetarian bacon at the AH on the Wibautstraat. It actually tastes like bacon. How do they do it? I have no idea, but this quiche makes me want to smash my face in it, it's so good! It's perfect for fall-inspired meals and it would be a perfect addition to any Thanksgiving feast. I know I'll be making it for my family this year!

Quinoa Fruit Salad

-Adapted from Tasty Palettes

Ingredients:
1 cup quinoa
1¼ cups water
5 oz. (140g) pecan halves
1 T. honey
1 T. olive oil
1 lemon, zest and juice
Salt
1 small spring onion, green part only, finely snipped
1½ cups grape halves (red and green)
1 cup sliced strawberries
2 medium firm red apples, peeled and diced (i.e. Jonagold or Elstar)
4 mandarins, peeled and sectioned (seeds & white parts removed)
2 kiwis, peeled and diced
2 nectarines, peeled, pitted and diced
4.5 oz (128g) soft honey-goat’s cheese, crumbled (optional)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Spread the pecans out on a foil-lined baking sheet and set in the oven up to 10 minutes until toasted, shaking once half way through. Sprinkle with salt immediately upon removing from the oven and allow to cool completely.

Meanwhile, combine the quinoa and the water in a medium sauce pan and bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, reduce heat to the lowest setting and cover with a lid. Allow to simmer about 15 minutes until all the water is absorbed. When it’s done, fluff it with a fork and place the lid back for 3 minutes, then spread it out on a plate to cool completely.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk the honey, olive oil, lemon juice, zest and a pinch or two of salt together. Cut up the fruit and add it to the bowl. Do the apples last so they don’t brown. Add the snipped spring onion, along with the cooled quinoa and toasted pecans. If desired, crumble in the honey-goat’s cheese. Stir together well and serve at room temperature or refrigerate.

1/5th of this salad = 487 calories (without the goat's cheese = 427 cal)

Caramelized Onion-Red Currant Tart

with "Bacon", Gorgonzola and a Walnut Crust

-Adapted from Sing For Your Supper

Crust Ingredients:
4 oz (110g) Walnut halves
1 cup flour
1 T. sugar
½ tsp salt
½ tsp dry mustard
Couple pinches cayenne pepper
6 T. chilled butter, cubed
5 T. cold low-fat milk

Filling Ingredients:
5 oz. (150g) vegetarian ham pieces (I used “Tivall” from AH), or 4 slices real bacon cut into small pieces
1 med-lg yellow onion, thinly sliced
2 T. butter
1 T. vegetable oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup red currants (or cranberries)
2 T. sugar
2 eggs
¾ cup heavy cream
2½ oz (75g) Gorgonzola, cut into small pieces
9” tart pan with removable bottom (I used a spring-form pan lined with parchment on the bottom)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Spread the walnuts out on a foil-lined baking sheet and set in the oven for up to 10 minutes until toasted, shaking once half way through. Spread out on a plate and allow to cool completely. Once cooled, chop them finely.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, salt and pepper, dry mustard, cayenne and finely chopped toasted walnuts. Add the chilled cubes of butter and work in with a pastry cutter until coarse crumbs form. Add the milk 1 tablespoon at a time, using a fork to bring the dough together. Press the dough into the pan. If using a spring-form, make sure the dough goes about an inch up the sides. Prick the dough with a fork and bake for about 15 minutes until golden brown.

Meanwhile, cook the vegetarian ham or bacon in a skillet. Set aside. In the same skillet, melt the butter and oil over med heat. If using real bacon, use 3 T. bacon grease instead of the butter and veg oil. Add the onions and cook about 10-15 minutes until softened and caramelized. Add the berries and sugar and cook until the berries just start to break down and the sugar is no longer grainy. Season with salt and pepper and add the chopped veg ham or bacon. Spread this mixture into the baked tart dough.

Whisk the eggs and heavy cream together and pour this over the cranberry-onion mixture. Bake the tart for 20-30 minutes until golden brown and the center is set. Serve warm or cold.

1/8th of the tart = 479 calories

Quinoa Fruit Salad

Caramelized Onion-Red Currant, Ham and Gorg Quiche

Honey Veggie and Tofu Stir-Fry with Honey Roasted Carrot Rice

2010-10-03T23:08:00.003+02:00

Today was an absolutely gorgeous day in Amsterdam! Etienne, Clayton and I took a long walk in the sun, then went on a little road trip to pick up a free chair we found on Marktplaats (the Dutch Craig's List). I also found the time to cook something new and yummy for dinner :-) What a great end to the week!
Here's E enjoying the chair. It's one from Ikea that he's been eying for a long time now. When we saw it for free, we couldn't resist. It's super comfy and I thought it was just too cute how he immediately sat in it with his two favorite toys (internet radio remote and Google phone). Well, you can see his happiness in his smile!

Now, on to the recipes. Oh my goodness, the honey roasted carrot rice is to die for! I couldn't find any honey-roasted peanuts, only dry-roasted, but adding a bit of honey to the rice did just the trick. I knew it would go perfectly with a honey based stir-fry. I always love to use broccoli in stir-fry because it soaks up the sauce so great. All together, it was one great meal. And we got to use the cute new chop sticks E gave me!

Honey Veggie and Tofu Stir-Fry

-Adapted from Week of Menus

Serves 3-4.

Ingredients:
1 block firm tofu, pressed and cubed
¼ cup soy sauce (I used a sweet one called “Ketjap Manis”)
½ cup flour mixed with a pinch of salt
4 T. vegetable oil
1 T. sesame oil
1 large red onion, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 head broccoli, chopped into small florets
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
¼ cup honey
3 T. soy sauce
2 T. rice wine vinegar
½ tsp sesame oil
2 T. freshly minced ginger (less if using jarred)
Pinch black pepper
½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
2 T. corn starch

Directions:
Note: Begin boiling the rice while you make the stir-fry.

Soak the tofu cubes in ¼ cup soy sauce and then dredge them in the flour/salt mixture. Heat 2 T. of the vegetable oil and 1 T. sesame oil over med heat in a large wok. Fry the tofu pieces until golden brown and crispy on both sides. Transfer to a bowl and return the wok to the flame.

Heat the other 2 T. vegetable oil in the wok and then throw in the veggies. Let cook, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, whisk the honey, 3 T. soy sauce, rice vinegar, ½ tsp sesame oil, minced ginger, black pepper, crushed red pepper flakes and corn starch together. When the veggies are almost as soft as you’d like them, add the sauce and simmer until thickened and a bit sticky. Remove from the heat, stir in the fried tofu and transfer to a serving dish.

Honey Roasted Carrot Rice

-Adapted from The Novice Chef Blog

Serves 4.

Ingredients:
1 cup basmati rice
2 cups water
2 T. olive oil
1 T. honey
1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 cup thinly grated carrots
1 tsp. minced ginger (less if using jarred)
2 T. butter
⅓ cup pulverized dry-roasted peanuts (use a food processor)
Few dashes cayenne pepper
Salt, to taste

Directions:
Before beginning the stir-fry, put the rice and water in a medium sauce pot. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to the very lowest heat and cover with a lid. Let steam 20 minutes without disturbing. Afterwards, fluff the rice with a fork and cover with the lid for 3 minutes.

In the same wok as you cooked the stir-fry, heat the olive oil and honey over med-low heat. Sauté the onions for a couple of minutes. Add the ginger, carrots and butter. Sauté for a minute or two, then turn off the heat and stir in the rice, pulverized peanuts, cayenne and salt. Gently stir and serve.

Use any extra pulverized peanuts to garnish the stir-fry.

Nutrition:
1/4 stir-fry, plus 1/4 rice = about 864 calories
If you sub brown rice and leave out the butter = 663

Honey Stir-Fry With Honey Roasted Carrot Rice

Grammy's Apple Cake with Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting

2010-09-22T13:56:00.003+02:00

It's official! I get to go home to Texas in exactly 5 weeks! As my little sister said in a facebook comment, "Reunited and it feels so good!". Haha, I love her! I'm so excited, I can't stand it! While we will be there for Halloween (fun!), we won't get to be there on Thanksgiving day. However, my sweet family has decided to celebrate it early so we can be there too! Yay! Among many many things, this image is one that I sorely miss when the holidays roll around and I'm not there. Can't wait to get my arms around this little lady!

Also, Grammy's Apple Cake. It wouldn't be Thanksgiving without it. In fact, it's so good and so perfect for the fall, that I decided to make it for E's birthday this past weekend.

I added some pumpkin pie spices to the frosting and it just took it to a whole new level of delicousness!

And speaking of E's birthday. Check out what his dad gave me. Cutest thing ever!

And here he is at the grand age of 28! Cutest. Thing. Ever.

Grammy's Apple Cake with Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting

Cake Ingredients:
2 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temp
1½ cups vegetable oil
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. baking soda
3 cups grated apple (i.e. Braeburn or Jonagold)
2 tsp. vanilla extract

Cake Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C).

Cream the sugar and eggs on med-high for about 5 minutes until fluffy.

While mixing on low speed, very slowly pour in the oil, as it will splash if added too quickly. Once incorporated, scrape the bowl and beat well once more.

Sift the flour, cinnamon, salt and soda together. Mix into the batter a little at a time, scraping the bowl when necessary. At this point it will look a bit like cookie dough.

Pour in the grated apple (it’s ok if the grated apple turns a bit brown, though you can add a splash of lemon juice to help prevent it) and vanilla extract. Mix well, making sure to scrape the bowl.

Pour into a greased 9” tube pan. Bake 1 hour or until a wooden skewer or knife inserted into the cake comes out clean. Cool 15 minutes in the pan and then invert onto a cooling rack.

Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients:
6 oz. (170g) cream cheese, room temp
6 T. (85g) butter, room temp
1 tsp vanilla extract
1-2 T. milk or cream
2-3 cups powdered sugar
Salt (optional)
Pumpkin pie spices (cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg) (optional)
Halved Walnuts, for decoration (optional)

Frosting Directions:

Beat the cream cheese and butter about 2-3 minutes. Scrape the bowl and then beat in the vanilla and 1 T. of the milk. Gradually beat in the powdered sugar until desired consistency is reached. If it gets too thick, add more milk. Add salt and pumpkin pie spices to desired strength. Once cake has cooled completely, frost it thickly and decorate with walnuts.

Grammy's Apple Cake With Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting

Low-Fat Chipotle Corn Chowder and BBQ "Chicken" Quesadillas

2010-09-13T00:40:00.003+02:00

I haven't had a lot of time for cooking lately. Cooking things I'd actually blog about, that is. However, I finally found some time today to get back in the kitchen. It was so fun and delicious!

The soup, as Rachael Ray makes it, contains heavy cream. I opted for low-fat milk instead. I really liked the brothy fresh soup I ended up with a lot! Had I used the cream, it certainly would have been yummy, but just a bit more heavy than I wanted.

As for the quesadillas, well these are probably my all-time favorite! The flavors go so well together and the bbq-ranch sauce is to die for. PW puts jalapeno slices and cilantro in hers, which would no doubt send them straight over the top, but for some reason I can't ever seem to remember to pick them up when I make these. I guess I'm sub-consciously looking for reasons to make them again. I did add some black olives this time though and used corn tortillas instead of flour, and I really loved how they ended up.

Enjoy!

Low-Fat Chipotle Corn Chowder

-Adapted from Rachael Ray

Ingredients:
2 T. olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups thinly sliced yellow-fleshed potatoes
1 bay leaf
1 pinch dried thyme
4 cups veggie broth
2 Chipotle bouillon cubes (or 2 Chipotle chilies in Adobo sauce)
2 cans whole kernel sweet corn (or use fresh grilled corn for a smoky flavor)
2 cups low-fat milk
Salt and pepper, to taste
Grated low-fat Gouda cheese, for garnish
1 T. toasted cumin seeds, for garnish (I used a Gouda cheese with the seeds already in it)
Snipped chives, for garnish

Directions:
In a large soup pot, heat the oil over medium. Add the onions, celery, garlic, potatoes, bay leaf and thyme to the pot. Cover with the lid and cook until softened (the potatoes will still be a bit raw), stirring occasionally. Keep an eye out that the bottom is not burning.

Pour in the broth (if using the Chipotle bouillon cubes, add them to the broth). Puree 2 cups of the soup with 1/3rd of the corn until smooth (if using real Chipotle chilies, puree them here as well). Add this pureed mixture to the soup with the remaining corn kernels and the milk. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and let it simmer until the potatoes are tender.

Remove the bay leaf. Serve garnished with grated cheese, toasted cumin seeds and snipped chives.

Serves 8 as a starter soup.

1/8th portion with 25g grated low fat cheese = approx. 228 calories

BBQ "Chicken" Quesadillas

-Adapted from The Pioneer Woman

Makes 2 quesadillas

Ingredients:
4 corn tortillas
1 tsp olive oil
7 oz (200g) vegetarian chicken pieces (I use “Quorn” brand)
Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning, to season chicken (I use about 1 T.)
10 black olives, sliced
1 small can pineapple chunks (I used about 10 pieces, cut in half to make them thinner)
4 large slices low-fat Gouda cheese
4 T., plus ½ cup BBQ sauce (I use Chipotle bbq)
2 T. low-fat ranch dressing, or more to taste

Directions:

Heat a large non-stick skillet over med-high heat. Add the chicken and seasoning and cook until warmed through and golden brown. Transfer to a dish. Wipe the skillet out and return it to the flame.

Lay two tortillas on a work surface. Place a slice of cheese on each. Divide the chicken, olives and pineapple between the two. Drizzle each with 2 T. BBQ sauce and cover with another slice of cheese. Place another tortilla on top of each quesadilla.

Carefully pick up one quesadilla and place it in the hot skillet. When it’s crispy on the bottom, use an inverted plate to flip it and cook the other side. Cut into triangles. Repeat with the second quesadilla.

Serve with BBQ ranch sauce (1/4 cup bbq sauce mixed with 2 T. ranch dressing).

1 quesadilla (excl. bbq ranch)≈ 622 calories

Chipotle Corn Chowder

BBQ Chicken as

Indian Samosa and Lentils with Spinach

2010-08-30T14:19:00.001+02:00

I don't know how authentic either of these recipes are, but I enjoyed them a lot! They were easy to make, delicious and healthy :-) I especially loved the Samosas...yummm!

Indian Samosas

-From AllerHande magazine

Ingredients (Makes 10):
10 squares (16 oz/450g total) yeast pastry dough (i.e. “Koopman’s bladerdeeg voor hartige taarten”)
9 oz (250g) potatoes, peeled and cubed (choose a variety that crumbles and mashes well)
1 T. mild curry paste (I used “Patak’s” brand with coriander and cumin)
.8 oz (25g) frozen green peas (about a palm full)
½ T. olive oil

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a large baking tray with baking paper.

Lay the sheets of pastry dough out on the counter to defrost.

Bring about 2” salted water to a boil in medium saucepan. Boil the potatoes until tender. Drain and mash coarsely. Stir in the curry paste and frozen peas.

Divide the potato filling among the sheets of dough (about 1.5 T. each) and fold over into triangles, sealing the edges.

Place the samosas on the baking tray and baste lightly with olive oil. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.

Indian Lentils and Spinach

-Adapted from Everydayhealth.com

Ingredients (Serves 3-4 as a main dish):
½ T. olive oil
1½ red bell peppers, chopped
1½ small yellow onions, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ tsp curry powder, or more to taste
1 vegetable bouillon cube
2 can brown lentils, drained and rinsed
½ cup water, mixed with 1 T. corn starch
Black pepper, to taste
6 cups fresh spinach leaves

Lentils and Spinach Directions:
Heat the oil in a large, deep skillet over med heat. Sauté the bell peppers, onions, garlic, cumin and vegetable bouillon cube until softened. Add the lentils along with the water and cornstarch mixture and heat until bubbly and thickened. Turn off the heat and add the spinach leaves. Stir until the leaves wilt. Add salt if necessary.

Calories:

1 Samosa = 103 calories
⅓rd recipe for Lentils = 211

Indian Samosas and Lentils With Spinach

Taco Mac

2010-08-27T16:38:00.000+02:00

This recipe for Creamy Taco Mac, from Amy of Sing For Your Supper, is supposed to resemble "Hamburger Helper". I don't recall ever trying that, but if it tastes anything like this Taco Mac does, I'm sure I'd love it. I imagine this version is a lot better for you though. I thought it was really delicious and it was so easy to make!

My sauce didn't turn out as thick as it looks in Amy's photos, but I'm guessing that probably has to do with the low-fat dairy products I used. Nevertheless, it still tasted creamy and decadent, and I was counting down the hours until I could eat the leftover for lunch today.

Taco Mac

-Adapted from Sing For Your Supper

Serves 3-4

Ingredients:
8 oz (227g) whole wheat penne
1 cup reserved pasta water
7 oz (200g) vegetarian ground meat (I prefer “Quorn” brand)
1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 packet (4 T.) taco seasoning
3 oz (85g) light cream cheese
1 cup (300g) light crème fraiche (or sour cream or greek yogurt)
⅓ cup (50g) grated cheddar
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:
In a large deep skillet, bring salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water, and then drain the pasta. Set aside.

Return the skillet to the stove over low heat. Throw in the veggie crumbles and let them warm up a bit, then pour in the packet of taco seasoning and mix together. Add the can of diced tomatoes, mix and let simmer for about 5 minutes.

Next, stir in the cream cheese and sour cream until melted. Add enough of the reserved pasta water to reach desired thickness. (I used it all and it was pretty saucy.) Turn up the heat a tad to reach a simmer and let it go for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Finally, turn off the heat and mix in the grated Cheddar.

1/3rd of this recipe = 649.5 calories

Taco Mac

Curry "Chicken" Pasta Salad

2010-08-25T12:46:00.000+02:00

I've been making an effort to eat a bit healthier lately. You know, trying to use whole grains and low-fat ingredients where I can. Here's my health'd up vegetarian version of PW's recent recipe for Curry Chicken Salad. It is so awesome and very very filling! I am in love with this recipe!

Vegetarian Curry "Chicken" Pasta Salad

-Adapted from The Pioneer Woman

Ingredients:
½ cup light mayonnaise
½ cup (170g) fat-free Greek yogurt (or sour cream)
1 cup (250ml) heavy whipping cream
1 T. brown sugar
3 T. curry powder (I used a “hot” kind)
1 tsp salt
Fresh cracked pepper, to taste
6 oz (170g) organic whole wheat penne, cooked until al dente and drained
14 oz (400g) Quorn brand “chicken” pieces, chopped
3 ribs celery, chopped
½ cup golden raisins
¾ cup whole roasted almonds, chopped

Directions:
In a large bowl, whisk together the mayo, Greek yogurt, heavy cream, brown sugar, curry powder, salt and pepper. Throw the chopped up ingredients into the bowl and stir well to coat everything evenly with the sauce. Adjust seasonings to taste and store covered in the refrigerator until served.

Enjoy with red grapes.

1/5th of the entire dish, plus 125g red grapes = 706 calories

Curry Chicken Pasta Salad

Baked Falafel Salad with Greek Sauce

2010-08-23T18:40:00.000+02:00

I love falafel, but I've never made them myself. If I'd have known they were this easy though, I'd have been making them a long time ago! They are so delicious and healthy too! While you can certainly stuff them in the traditional pita bread, I served my falafel over a salad with sliced cucumbers and tomatoes and dressed it in the Greek sauce like the recipe suggests. That sauce is heavenly. Wow! Tahini and Greek yogurt were made for each other! I also whipped up a little onions in ketchup, something they usually serve with falafel here. It sounds kind of strange, but I really like the flavor combo.

This recipe, like the one for my Pumpkin Kale Vegetable Soup, was sent to me by a good friend of mine back in Lubbock. Thanks Jen! It's a winner!

Baked Falafel Salad with Greek Sauce

-Adapted from Skinny in the City

Falafel Ingredients:
1 (15 oz./400g) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
2-3 cloves garlic, sliced
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 T. cumin powder
1 tsp ground coriander
1 T. dried parsley
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 tsp black pepper
1 overflowing T. lemon juice
1 T. olive oil, plus more for greasing baking dish
4 T. sesame seeds

Falafel directions:

Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Pulse everything, except the sesame seeds, in a food processor until combined. Don’t totally puree it. You want a little texture left. Grease a large baking dish with olive oil. Make tablespoon sized balls of the pulsed mixture and place them in the baking dish. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake 15 minutes, then remove from the oven. Flip the falafel balls over carefully and sprinkle the other sides with sesame seeds. Return to the oven for another 15 minutes.

Greek Sauce (Mix the following with a fork):
1 cup low or non-fat Greek yoghurt
1 T. tahini (or more to taste)
2 T. lemon juice

Onions in Ketchup (an optional garnish):
Dice a small onion and mix it with quite a bit of ketchup. Goes great with falafel, trust me!

Makes 15 falafel balls. Serve over a salad with sliced cucumbers and tomatoes.

Baked Falafel Salad With Greek Sauce

Breakfast Burritos

2010-08-16T21:11:00.000+02:00

I made Pioneer Woman's copycat SuperSonic breakfast burrito recipe this weekend. It was so delicious!

Here's how I threw them together:

6 large burrito sized tortillas, warmed in the microwave until soft

3 cups Grated Gouda cheese

200g (7 oz) vegetarian crumbles warmed in a dry skillet

6 large eggs whisked with 1/3 cup milk, scrambled and sprinkled with seasoned salt and pepper

1 small yellow onion, diced

600g (1.3lbs) bag "Rosti rondjes" (round shaped tater tots), baked in the oven until golden brown

4 tomatoes, diced

1 jar pickled jalapenos, drained

6 large pieces of aluminum foil, for wrapping the burritos

1 jar salsa, for serving along with the burritos

Lay each tortilla on a piece of foil, layer the ingredients on and then fold into burrito shape. Wrap the foil around and keep in a slightly warm oven until ready to serve and cheese is melted.

Unwrap as you eat...and don't forget the salsa :-)

S'mores Cupcakes

2010-08-14T13:52:00.003+02:00

My friend, Sonya, recently made her own homemade graham crackers to take for making S'mores on her family's camping trip. She's an amazing photographer, and her S'mores picture made me drool. So did these S'mores cupcakes I found on Martha Stewart's website. I took it as a sign ;-)

I won't bother re-typing the recipe, since I followed it almost just as it was and because there is a how-to video included there on the link, but I do have several things I feel are worth mentioning about it...

1. It says the recipe for the cake batter and the frosting makes 24 cupcakes. However, after making 24 regular sized cupcakes, I still had tons of batter and frosting left over. Not that I'm complaining, I just thought it was weird.

2. Graham crackers are not readily available in the Netherlands. For a reasonable price, that is. Digestive biscuits make a fine substitution. Or you could make your own, like Sonya, if you're really motivated. I also liked a lot sprinkled on the tops of the cupcakes, so I made some extra crumb mixture.

3. I used milk chocolate, instead of bittersweet. I've never heard of a S'mores made with anything else!

4. The recipe states that Dutch-processed cocoa powder may not be used, but when I ran out of my Hershey's cocoa powder mid-way through making the cake batter, I had no choice but to sub the Dutch stuff for half of it. I figured it was probably ok, since the recipe does include baking powder and baking soda. It certainly didn't ruin the flavor or texture, so I don't know why they say you can't use it. Please chime in if you do.

5. The graham cracker crust stuck to the bottom of the cupcake liners like crazy! I had to let them cool completely and then very carefully take the wrappers off before I frosted them. Otherwise it would have been nearly impossible to eat the cupcake as intended, with a bit of crust, cake and frosting all in one bite.

6. I don't own a torch, so I just popped the frosted cupcakes under the broiler until golden brown. This gave it more of a meringue texture, which I liked a lot.

7. You can indeed store the cupcakes in an air-tight container, but the frosting will certainly get a little beady after a while. I made the cupcakes the day before, and the frosting on the day I served them so that they wouldn't look like this when serving to guests.

P.S. That crackly looking surface is caused by pieces of finely chopped milk chocolate that you sprinkle on with the cookie crumbs before baking. Yum!

Black Bean Burgers with Roasted Red Pepper-Chipotle Hummus and Mango-Avocado Salsa

2010-08-14T13:15:00.001+02:00

I've been drooling over these black bean burgers on Lindsay's Kitchen since April! So when I finally got around to making them on Friday, I had to kick myself. Boy, do I wish I had made them sooner! They're so delicious! Not to mention seriously easy to throw together. In fact, they're so good and simple that I went ahead and made an extra batch the next day just to keep in the freezer.

Lindsay dresses her burgers with an incredible mango-avocado salsa, which is so good you'll have to muster up some strong willpower not to eat it all with a spoon before you serve the burgers. The only change I really made was to add jalapenos to the salsa, instead of the burger patties. I also slathered the buns in roasted red pepper-Chipotle hummus. The flavor combination is nothing short of amazing. You really must try these!

Black Bean Burgers

with Roasted Red Pepper-Chipotle Hummus and Mango-Avocado Salsa

-Adapted from Lindsay's Kitchen

Black Bean Burger Ingredients:
2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
¾ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
¾ cup grated mild white cheese (i.e. Monterey Jack or Gouda)
¼ cup panko breadcrumbs (I used Dutch “paneermeel”)
2 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp dried oregano
½ -1 tsp salt, to taste
2 large egg whites

Black Bean Burger Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Mash the beans with a fork in a large bowl, leaving a bit of texture. Stir in the cilantro, cheese, breadcrumbs and seasonings. Start with less salt and adjust to taste, then stir in the egg whites. Form 6 patties and place them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Bake for 20 minutes, carefully turning once halfway through baking time. (I found it easiest to do it by hand.) Serve with the following fixings…

Roasted Red Pepper-Chipotle Hummus (Blend the following in a food processor until smooth):
1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained (Optional: Let soak a few minutes in cold water, then remove the skin from each chickpea. This makes the hummus smoother.)
1½ T. tahini (sesame paste)
1 T. lemon juice
6 T. olive oil
½ cup roasted red bell peppers (jarred or homemade)
1 small clove garlic
½ tsp cumin powder
Dash cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper, to taste
1-2 tsp minced Chipotle chilies in Adobo sauce, or more to taste

Mango-Avocado Salsa (Stir the following together in a medium bowl. Serve room temp or cold.):
1 ripe mango, peeled and diced
1 avocado (not overly soft), peeled and diced
1½ T. lime juice
1 jalapeno, minced (de-seed if you like and add enough to the salsa to reach desired heat) (Jarred pickled jalapenos are also OK.)
1 clove garlic, finely minced
½ small yellow onion, chopped (or 3 T. chopped shallots)

Other ingredients:
6 Multi-grain burger buns, lightly buttered and toasted
12 pieces of lettuce

Black Bean Burgers

Texas Fried Pickle Spears

2010-08-09T18:33:00.000+02:00

Fried pickles are just one of the many strange, yet delicious, fried items you can find in Texas. And of course we dip them in Ranch dressing! Enjoy!

Texas Fried Pickle Spears

-Adapted From Homesick Texan

Ingredients:
24 oz. (680g) (weight includes liquid) baby dill whole pickles, quartered lengthwise into spears
1 cup flour
½ tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 egg
½ cup buttermilk, well shaken
2 cups panko breadcrumbs (I used Dutch paneermeel)
½ tsp cayenne pepper
½ tsp dried dill weed

Directions:

Place the flour, salt and pepper in a large zip-lock bag, seal and shake to combine. Throw the pickle spears in, re-seal and shake to coat well. Set aside.

Whisk the egg and buttermilk together in a bowl. Set aside.

Combine the breadcrumbs, cayenne and dill in a wide shallow dish. Set aside.

Dip the floured pickle spears in the egg mixture and then in the breadcrumbs, coating well. (I use a fork so the mixture doesn’t stick to my fingers. Keep a small bowl nearby to scrape the fork off now and then.) Set the coated pickles on a large tray or cutting board.

Heat about ½” of vegetable oil up to 350°F (180°C) in a large deep skillet over medium heat. Fry the pickles in about 4 batches until golden brown on both sides. Make sure the oil heats back up to the proper temperature between batches. Drain on paper towels or paper bags.

Serve warm with ranch dressing.

Texas Fried Pickle Spears

Chipotle Peach Salsa

2010-08-04T14:08:00.000+02:00

I love salsa! I could probably live on it. There are so many different kinds, but fruit salsa is one of my favorites. If you've never tried it, I highly suggest you get to it. It's really delicious and is a great alternative to the usual tomato based variety when you feel like something different. The flavors in this Chipotle Peach Salsa go so well together. It's awesome with tortilla chips, but I can also see it used as a delicious garnish for tacos or tofu! Try some while peaches are in season. You'll be glad you did!

Chipotle Peach Salsa

-Adapted from Budget Bytes

Combine in a bowl and serve with chips or use as a garnish on your favorite Mexican dish:
4 medium sized ripe peaches, peeled and diced
1 small red onion, diced
3 medium cloves garlic, minced
1” fresh ginger, grated (or ½ tsp pre-grated jarred ginger)
3-4 Chipotle peppers in adobo, minced
¼ cup minced cilantro
1 T. lime juice
¼ tsp salt

Note: Be careful not to get your salsa too spicy. Start out with less chipotle peppers and add more to taste. You can adjust the other ingredients to taste as well. Remember that tortilla chips are salty, so don’t add too much salt to the salsa.

Chipotle Peach Salsa

Quick Skillet Penne

2010-07-23T18:25:00.001+02:00

Last week PW featured several "16 minute recipes" on her site. I thought it was funny that she chose 16 instead of 15 minutes, but either way it sounded like a great idea to me. They actually looked really yummy for taking such little time to make, so I tested out two of them. I tried to keep them as basic as possible using simple, cheap and convenient ingredients that most people probably already have on hand, but I did have to turn them veg and dress them up a bit to suit our tastes. They took a bit longer than 16 minutes that way, but were still really easy to throw together and tasted awesome.

The first recipe I tried was her bean and beef burritos, which I turned into "Vegetarian 'Beef', Bean and Veggie Burritos with Homemade Red Sauce". The second was "Bowtie Lasagna", a recipe originally from Rozanie on Tasty Kitchen. I don't know why it's called lasagna when it's more like a one-skillet meal, but it sure tastes good no matter what you call it! I love the sour cream. The finished dish doesn't really have a sour cream flavor, but it just gives it a nice texture. I subbed vegetarian crumbles for the beef and added some veggies as well. I loved how it turned out. It was such a cinch and made a huge portion. Enough to feed about 5-6 people. I'll definitely make it again.

Quick Skillet Penne

-Adapted From Rozanie on Tasty Kitchen

Ingredients:
1 pound (500g) penne
1 T. olive oil, plus extra for tossing with penne
1 medium onion, diced
1 bell pepper, diced
6 oz (180g) vegetarian crumbles (ground beef substitute)
1 can mushrooms, drained (or fresh if you like, but this is a "quick" meal)
1 jar marinara sauce
1 can whole peeled tomatoes, undrained
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 cup grated cheese (mozzarella or Gouda - something mild that melts well)
1/2 cup sour cream

Directions:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the penne until al dente. Drain and toss with a bit of olive oil to keep it from sticking.

Meanwhile, heat the 1 T. oil in a large, deep skillet over medium heat and saute the onion and bell pepper until softened. Add the vegetarian crumbles and mushrooms and stir it around for about a minute or two.

Next dump in the sauce, canned tomatoes and seasonings. Break the whole tomatoes up with your spoon and heat the mixture until bubbly.

Dump the penne into the skillet and mix it all together.

Turn the heat to low and stir in the cheese and sour cream. Cook another few minutes until the cheese is all melted.

Garnished with grated Parmesan cheese.

Quick Skillet Penne

Pasta with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce and Vegetarian Caesar Salad

2010-07-22T11:54:00.001+02:00

I know I make a ridiculous amount of PW's recipes, but she just cooks the kind of food I really enjoy. She's Southern, so I guess that probably has something to do with it.

Anyway, I recently tried her Pasta with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce and it was out of this world delicious. The toasted pine nuts, tiny bits of onions, and roasted red peppers make the perfect flavor/texture combination. Throw some cream in and it's even better! We just loved it! Plus, it was super easy to make.

A few notes about the recipe for Pasta with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce:

Her recipe calls for roasting your own peppers, which I'm sure is great, but I was pressed for time and used a nice quality jarred version. If you buy a cheap brand, it will just taste like the bad oil they store it in.

I also doubled the amount of cream because it just seemed to need it. You can play that by ear.

Next time I think I'll only add half a bag of pasta, just to make it more saucy. That sauce....it's heaven!

Pasta with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

-Adapted from The Pioneer Woman

Ingredients:
16 oz jar roasted red peppers, oil drained
2 T. pine nuts, toasted
2 T. olive oil, plus a bit extra for drizzling on cooked pasta
1 small yellow onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup heavy cream
Parmesan cheese, grated for garnish
1/2 - 1 pound penne pasta, or other small shape (amount depends on how saucy you like it)

Directions:

Cook pasta until al dente, drain and toss in a bit of olive oil to keep from sticking.

Pulse the roasted red peppers and toasted pine nuts in a food processor into a paste. Set aside.

In a large deep skillet, heat the 2 T. olive oil over medium heat. Cook the onion and garlic until softened, then add the pepper puree. Once that's hot, add the cream and stir until bubbly and hot.

Pour in about 1/2 pound of pasta and then add more if you like. Serve garnished with freshly grated Parmesan and chopped parsley if you like.

I served the delicious pasta next to a Caesar salad, which I also found last year on PW's site. I just sub vegetarian worcestershire sauce. I used to love Caesar salad and this recipe tastes amazingly close to the real thing. I love it. It has a strong lemon and garlic flavor that is so awesome and the homemade garlic croutons are totally addicting! I make those with sourdough bread. Yum!

Vegetarian Caesar Salad

-Adapted from The Pioneer Woman

Ingredients:
4 cloves garlic
1/4 cup olive oil
4 large slices of sourdough bread, cubed

3-4 heads of Romaine or 2 large heads of Butter/Bibb lettuce, washed, dried and chopped
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Juice of 2 small lemons
5 T. mayonnaise, or more to desired consistency
several dashes of vegetarian Worcestershire, to taste
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

Place the bread cubes in a large skillet and set aside.

In a food processor, pulse the garlic and olive oil for 30 seconds. Using a fine mesh strainer, strain the oil from the garlic over the skillet, letting the oil drip down over the bread cubes. Reserve the garlic for the dressing and toss the bread cubes around to coat evenly in the oil.

Place the skillet over a med-high heat and cook the bread cubes for about 5-7 minutes, stirring regularly until golden and crisp. Set aside.

Use the food processor to whiz the reserved garlic with the mayo, lemon juice, vegetarian Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper.

In a large salad bowl, pour the dressing over the cut up lettuce and toss. Top with plenty of fresh grated Parmesan cheese and the garlic croutons. Season with salt and pepper.

*Extra croutons can be frozen in a plastic freezer bag to use for salad another time.

Pasta With Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

Vegetarian Caesar Salad

Vegetarian "Beef", Bean and Veggie Burritos with Red Sauce

2010-07-18T22:58:00.000+02:00

A blogging friend of mine recently asked me a question that made me so happy! She's interested in incorporating vegetarian meals into her family's life, but wants to find recipes that are yummy, satisfying and budget friendly. This is one of those meals. These burritos are all of the above, plus they're really quick and easy to throw together. To top it off, they only cost me €8.50 (considering I already had all the spices, oil and vinegar in my pantry). What more could you ask for? If you'd serve it with some Mexican rice and a salad, you'd have a perfect meal for 5 ready in no time!

Vegetarian "Beef", Bean and Veggie Burritos with Red Sauce

-Adapted from The Pioneer Woman

Lizzy's Red Sauce:
1½ (375ml) tomato sauce
⅓ cup water
1 T. white vinegar
¼ tsp chili powder
1½ tsp cumin powder
1½ tsp onion powder
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp garlic salt
¼ tsp paprika powder
¼ cayenne powder
¼ tsp sugar
½ tsp dried cilantro, or more to taste

Combine ingredients in a measuring jug and set aside.

“Meat” & Veggie Mixture:
2 T. olive oil
6 oz. (175g) vegetarian ground beef substitute
1 medium yellow onion, minced
1 small-med green bell pepper, diced
1 large zucchini, diced
Italian seasoning
Cumin powder
Chili powder
Garlic salt

Heat the oil in a large skillet over med heat. Sauté the veggies until softened and then add the “meat”. Pour in a little of the red sauce (about ½ cup), then season to taste with the spices. Heat through.

Beans:
1 can vegetarian refried beans
½ cup grated Cheddar cheese

Heat the beans in a small saucepan and then stir in the cheese until melted.

Assembling Burritos:
5 large flour tortillas
1 cup grated Cheddar cheese
Vegetable oil, for brushing burritos

Fill each tortilla with a portion of the still warm beans and meat/veggie mixture. Wrap up and place seam side down in a baking dish. Brush the burritos with vegetable oil and pop under the broiler until golden brown. Remove from the oven. Pour the sauce over the burritos and top them with grated cheese. Broil a minute or two until the cheese is melted and the sauce is warmed.

Serve garnished with extra dried or fresh cilantro.

From Scratch, Double-Crust Peach Cobbler

2010-07-17T16:20:00.009+02:00

Peaches are my all-time favorite fruit. And homemade peach cobbler? Oh what a delicious Southern summertime staple! If you've never had it, you're seriously missing out! Topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and it's literally heaven.

Now, some like to argue over whether a genuine cobbler has a biscuit or a pastry top, but I have to say I prefer the latter. I also like to add extra dough to the filling itself. That's the way my mom does it and I'm stickin' to it. I love the combination of the doughy bits swimming around in the peaches and the crunchy flaky layers at the top. It's soooo good!

If fresh peaches aren't available to you, you could certainly used canned peaches, but they never taste the same to me. I think frozen would actually be a better alternative. Besides, you can't really say it's "from scratch" if you didn't use fresh fruit ;-)

From Scratch, Double Crust Peach Cobbler

Ingredients for Double Pie Crust:
2½ cups all-purpose flour
½ T. sugar (or vanilla scented sugar)
½ - 1 tsp salt (I used 1 tsp in this recipe)
8oz (227g) butter, cubed and very chilled
6+ T. ice water

Ingredients for filling:
10 medium sized peaches, peeled and sliced
3 T. corn starch
½ tsp salt
½ cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
4 dashes cinnamon
2 dashes nutmeg
1 dash all-spice
2 tsp lemon juice
1½ tsp vanilla extract
2 T. butter, cut into 8 small cubes

MAKE THE PIE CRUST:
Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl and whisk together. Dump the cold butter cubes on top and use a pastry cutter to break up into small pieces, about the size of peas. Sprinkle 4 Tablespoons of ice water over the dough and toss lightly with a rubber spatula to distribute. Add 1 more tablespoon of ice water at a time until the dough is moist enough to hold together, but not sticky. The amount can vary depending on the humidity, etc. Work quickly to avoid letting the butter soften. Stop to re-chill if at any point it does.

Dump the dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap and press into a dome. Cut it in half and move one half to a separate piece of plastic wrap. Form 2 disks and wrap each tightly in the plastic. Refrigerator at least 1 hour to chill.

PREPARE THE PEACH FILLING:
Combine all the ingredients for the filling, except the 2 Tablespoons of butter, in a medium saucepan. Refrigerator about 15-30 minutes to become juicy. (Note: You can start out with less sugar and taste from there. It just depends how sweet your peaches are.)

CONTINUE WITH THE PIE DOUGH:
There is no bottom crust for this cobbler. One disk of dough will be cut into strips and boiled with the filling, and the other disk will be rolled out for a top crust.

So once the pie dough has chilled, remove the 1ST DISK from the fridge and place it on a sheet of waxed paper. Reserve the plastic wrap. Cover it with another sheet of waxed paper and roll out into a circle about 10” in diameter.

Take the top sheet of waxed paper off and set it doughy-side up on the counter. Cut the dough into 2” long strips (I used a pizza cutter). Peel them off the waxed paper to separate and lay them gently on the other sheet. It’s ok if they touch each other, just don’t allow them to melt together. Cover the strips with the plastic wrap and pop into the freezer to quickly re-chill.

Now place the 2ND DISK of dough between two more sheets of waxed paper and roll it out to fit the shape of the pan you’re going to use. I used a 10½ x 7” (1¼ quart) rectangular dish. You can do a plain top that covers the whole pan, or a lattice top. It's up to you. I did a lattice top, so I rolled the dough out about a couple of inches longer than the pan. Keep the dough between the sheets of waxed paper for now and place it back in the refrigerator.

COOK THE FILLING AND STRIPS OF DOUGH:
Place the saucepan with the filling mixture onto the stove and bring to a simmer over low heat. Then take the small strips of dough out of the freezer and drop them in, just like you are cooking homemade noodles. Stir frequently, breaking the dough up, and keep an eye out to make sure that the filling isn’t burning at the bottom of the pan. Continue simmering until the dough is no longer raw. (The only way to really know it’s cooked is to taste it – oh darn!) The filling should also thicken. Remove from heat and pour into your baking dish. Allow it to cool to room temperature so it won’t melt the dough for the top crust.

PREPARE THE OVEN:
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Place a large sheet of foil or parchment paper over the rack to catch what bubbles over (set it in the center of the oven).

ASSEMBLE THE COBBLER AND BAKE:
Place the 8 small cubes butter over the cooled filling and set the top crust on. If doing a plain top crust, cut some slits in the top for ventilation.

Brush the crust with milk and sprinkle with sugar. Bake about 20 minutes until the top crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbling.

Allow to cool on a wire rack until it’s just warm and then serve with vanilla ice cream.

Once completely cooled, cover and store in the refrigerator. (Because mine bubbled over so much and my pan was so messy, I used a spatula to spoon the leftovers into a plastic box.)

Double Crust Peach Cobbler

Grilled Paneer and Tofu Skewers with Peanut Sauce

2010-07-14T18:42:00.002+02:00

We had a friend over for dinner last night and I set up a cute table on the back terrace since the weather was so nice. In all the fun, I lost all time to take pictures for this recipe. I even forgot to take a picture of the finished dish...until I'd halfway eaten it. Oops! Well, you get the point.

Anyway, I've had my eye on this recipe for marinated Chicken Satay (which I would make with tofu) and Peanut Sauce on Kayotic Kitchen for some time now. So last night when I wanted to use the leftovers from my Summertime Stamppot (yes, I served leftovers to a guest...so?), I decided that was just the thing to serve with it. Sadly, I didn't have time to make the homemade peanut sauce, so I just jazzed up some pre-made stuff a bit. That actually turned out really delicious, but I'm still planning to test out Kay's homemade version soon. I just love peanut sauce! And just let me say that the marinade for the chicken (or tofu, in my case) is simply amazing. I literally ate it by the spoonful.

Here's how I made it....(Serves about 3 people, more if you have a lot of side dishes)

First I placed 8 wooden skewers in some water to soak.

Then I took one block of tofu from my freezer and defrosted it in the microwave. Once it was defrosted, I drained it and set it on top of two folded tea towels. Then I layed a cutting board on top of it and stacked it with some heavy cookbooks. If you let that sit for about 20-30 minutes, the tea towels will absorb the liquid. Freezing, defrosting and pressing tofu changes it's texture, making it firmer and denser, which is best for most recipes in my opinion. (Here's a post where I went into the details of freezing tofu.)

While the tofu was pressing, I made the marinade for the tofu. I made a couple of changes due to what I had in my kitchen, but it's basically the same. I put the following in a measuring cup and pureed with my immersion blender:

2 T. veg oil
2 T. sweet chili sauce
2 T. ketjap manis (sweet Indonesian soy sauce)
1 garlic clove
pinch red chili flakes
1 T. ketchup
1 splash vegetarian Worcestershire sauce
few drops sesame oil
1/2 tsp pre-grated jarred ginger (or a thumb size piece of fresh, grated)
2/3 tsp curry powder (I used a "hot" one)
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp sweet paprika powder
splash lemon juice
2 tsp brown sugar

Then I cut the tofu into 24 cubes, put them in a baking dish and poured the marinade over. I stirred it carefully with a spatula to coat and came back about every 10-15 minutes to toss around. I let it sit for about an hour, then I threaded them onto 5 of the skewers.

I also cut up a block of Indian Paneer cheese into cubes and threaded them onto the remaining 3 skewers. Paneer has a pretty plain flavor, so you can jazz it up however you like. You can put them in the marinade as well (there would have been plenty, had I not eaten it with a spoon), or just season with any spices you like. I just used a little bit of garlic salt after they were cooked because I planned on dipping them in peanut sauce.

So then I heated up my grill pan, sprinkled it with a bit of oil and grilled the skewers until all the sides had nice golden brown grill marks.

While those were cooking, I whisked up the peanut sauce in a small skillet to warm:

1/2 cup Calve peanut "sautesaus"
200ml (between 3/4-1 cup) coconut milk
2 T. sweet chili sauce

People always ask me when we talk about bbq, what can you eat Lizzy? Well, many things, but this is a really great choice. It's so simple and quick and tastes delicious! That marinade...I tell ya what! Try it.

Dutch Summertime Stamppot with Grilled Vegetarian Sausages and Pears

2010-07-12T23:44:00.005+02:00

Last week I was asked to create a "uniquely Dutch" dish for the website Expat Arrivals. Thanks to some tips from my fellow expats, I decided on a stamppot. Probably the most common Dutch family meal, stamppot is basically just mashed potatoes mixed with other vegetables such as carrots, kale or sauerkraut. It's served with meat (often sausage) and sometimes with gravy. Stamppot is really popular in the winter, but I've created this version for the summertime. I've mixed my mashed potatoes with carrots, wine-sauerkraut, roasted red bell pepper, corn, cherry tomatoes, and cubes of Gouda cheese. I served it over a bed of field greens and paired it with some grilled vegetarian sausages dipped in coarse spicy mustard and grilled pears. We loved it and I hope you all will too!

Here's the link to my article on Expat Arrivals.

Dutch Summertime Stamppot

with Grilled Vegetarian Sausages and Pears

Ingredients:
1 large red bell pepper (or sub jarred roasted red peppers)
5-6 medium sized potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 extra large carrot, peeled and cubed
1 cup (250ml) whole milk
½ (57g) stick butter
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 T. dried parsley
8oz (250g) sauerkraut (I used one with wine in it)
½ can whole kernel corn, drained and rinsed
½ lb (250g) cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1 cup cubed Gouda cheese
1 bag field lettuce or other greens
2-3 pears, peeled and quartered, seeds removed
Vegetarian sausages (enough for the number of people being served)
Dipping sauces for the sausage, such as coarse spicy mustard

Directions:

Coat the red bell pepper with olive oil and roast on the grill or under a broiler (I use a combo of the broiler and oven set at 400°F/200°C) until blackened on all sides. Put in a plastic bag and close for about 15 minutes to steam. Remove from the bag and allow to cool to the touch. Remove skin and seeds and then dice. Set aside.

Bring a large skillet of salted water to a boil. Put the potatoes and carrots in and return to boil.

Meanwhile, heat a grill or grill-pan. Grill the pears until golden brown grill marks appear and then set them aside to cool. Next, grill the sausages.

When tender, dump the potatoes and carrots into a colander to drain and return the skillet to the stove. Warm the milk and butter over very low heat and then add the potatoes and carrots. Mash well, but leave some texture. Season to taste with salt and pepper and mix in the parsley. Stir in the sauerkraut, roasted bell pepper, corn, cherry tomatoes and cubed cheese. Turn off heat.

Place a handful of field greens on each plate and a portion of stamppot on top of them. Serve with the grilled pears, sausages and dipping sauces.

Dutch Summertime Stamppot

Mango, Banana and Date Smoothie

2010-07-10T17:05:00.001+02:00

Today is a scorcher and it reminded me of this awesome shaved ice drive-thru place they had in Lubbock, where I went to college. It was called Bahama Buck's and they had everything from fruit smoothies to snow cones to iced coffees. I loved it and it was the perfect thing for a hot day like today. Unfortunately, I don't have a blender so shaved ice is out of the question. I did see this recipe for a mango, banana and date smoothie in the latest Allerhande magazine though and I settled for that.

I made 1/4th of the recipe because it was only for me. I felt it needed a bit of milk to thin it down, but maybe that depends on the yoghurt you use. I also had to stick it in the fridge for a while after making it so it was super cold when I drank it. I think the reason mine wasn't that cold at first was because I bought my fruit at a market and it had been outside in the warmth. I liked the smoothie, but I'd recommend adding more mango and less banana because the banana flavor was kind of taking over the whole thing. I think I'll experiment with strawberries or peaches next!

Here's the recipe as I made it and in English (makes 2 cups):

1/2 banana, peeled and diced (I'd use less next time)
1 cup low fat yoghurt
3 dates, without the pit, minced
1/4 mango, peeled and diced (I'd at least double this next time!)
1 tsp honey
2 T. milk, or enough to bring to desired consistency

I put the ingredients in a large plastic measuring jug, stirred it all up with a spoon and then whizzed it up with an immersion blender.

Food Shopper's Guide To Holland

2010-07-10T00:49:00.001+02:00

Look what I stumbled across! I totally wish I'd had this when I first moved here!

Food Shopper's Guide To Holland

Caramelized Banana and Nutella Toast

2010-07-09T21:13:00.002+02:00

There's a food blog I read called Closet Cooking. It's written by this Canadian guy named Kevin who has a really great imagination when it comes to food pairing. His blog is where I found the inspiration for my Roasted Butternut Squash and Gorgonzola Whole Wheat Pizza.

So one day last year Kevin made a banana and Nutella sandwich that made me drool. And then this year he was like, hey, why don't I take that up a notch and caramelize the bananas. Smart move, Kevin. It's delicious!

Ingredients:
1T. butter
1T. brown sugar
1 banana, sliced
2 slices bread
Nutella - slather it on as thick as you like!

Directions:

First you put the butter and brown sugar in a skillet over med-low heat. (I didn't have brown sugar so I used regular, but I'm sure brown is even more heavenly).

When the butter is melted, you put the banana slices in and flip them over so that the sugary butter coats both sides.

Cook until the bottoms become golden and caramelized.

Then flip and repeat with the other sides. Don't they look like scallops?

Toast the bread.

Slather it with Nutella.

Place the caramelized bananas on top and enjoy while still warm.

Chocolate Sheet Cake

2010-07-08T16:31:00.000+02:00

Last week was the last week of my Dutch lessons before the summer break. The other students and I had talked about bringing something to eat from our own country to celebrate, but only one woman from Japan brought sushi on Wednesday. It was delicious! She even made 3 different kinds of vegetarian sushi. Her rice was perfect, unlike mine.

So, on Thursday, I made The Pioneer Woman's chocolate sheet cake. You know, it is called "TEXAS sheet cake" if you're saying it correctly! It was yummy!

A few notes: I stuck it in the fridge to make it easier to cut into little rectangles and stacked them between layers of plastic wrap in a tupperware container. It worked perfectly. Just be aware that they do get gooey pretty fast when in the heat. I liked them best just at room temperature :-)

More Birthday Goodies!

2010-07-07T17:48:00.001+02:00

It's official. I'm spoiled!

First of all, my wonderful friend Haley took me out to dinner for my birthday. It was so fun to go out together, just the two of us. Despite all the amazing and wonderful things people do for me here all the time, it's times like my birthday that always make me long for home, my family and friends so much more than normal. Not to mention, around the same time is bbq season, my mom's birthday, the 4th of July, etc. It really starts to pile on, I tell ya! I guess it's things like birthdays and other holidays that are ingrained very deeply in your heart and soul. But thank goodness for finally finding new meaningful friendships abroad. I've been waiting!

So, Haley and I went to Betty's. It's a small vegetarian restaurant run by one guy who is really passionate about what he does. His food was outstanding and his service was nothing short of spectacular (and that's not just for Dutch standards)! The atmosphere was adorable. We felt like we were eating in someone's living room, yet it was fancy. I love fancy combined with comfort. I really recommend this restaurant! Oh, and they also do teas on Saturdays. Totally going there soon!

Aside from the gourmet restaurants, boating trips, gorgeous flowers and many cards, I also got a bunch of super cute jewelry and stuff. Here, let me show it off for you... :-)

This is the package I received from one of my best college friends, Lisa. She and I were potluck roommates at Tech our first year and joined the same sorority. Been buddies ever since! She came to visit me last summer, on my birthday as a matter of fact. It was a blast!

Lisa sent me the sweetest little rubber band with a turquoise bow on it. Turquoise is my obsession! And no, I'm not too old to wear bows. Why do you ask? She also gave me these fun little chip clips, a beautiful scarf (on which the rest of the stuff is sitting), and a bunch of recipes she copied out of an American restaurant copycat cookbook. She knows me so well! I LOVE it all!

Look how cute!

E's mom gave me a package with some products from my favorite natural skincare line, Earth Line. It's made by a Dutch company called Original Cosmetics. Everything they make is 100% natural.

This foot cream is a miracle from Heaven! I'm not joking. You can find it at nature stores and here is their website.

Then, get ready for this, my sisters and mom picked me out a ton of jewelry. Each one was individually wrapped, which made opening the package so fun. I screamed and squealed at each one!

Why is Forever 21 so awesome? But more importantly, why are my friends and family so darned sweet? I'm so happy to have some fun girly stuff since I very rarely go shopping here. Thank you guys so much! Your thoughtfulness brought tears to my eyes!

Hup Holland Hup!

2010-07-06T18:03:00.000+02:00

Holland is about to play Uraguay in a couple of hours! I hope you'll all be cheerin' for us! And I know you probably don't have cool shades like me, but do wear some orange today! And don't forget to sing and shout,

"Hup Holland Hup!"

Caribbean Pumkin and Rice Casserole

2010-07-03T18:56:00.004+02:00

E's sister recently gave me a huge stack of awesome Dutch vegetarian cookbooks from the 80's and 90's. After the recent success of my Cheesy Roasted Cauliflower and Garlic Spaghetti, which was also adapted from a recipe in one of the books, I had to try another. This one stuck out to me because I just love all of the flavors in the ingredients list, especially the pumpkin and coconut milk. I made just a few changes and it turned out really yummy!

Caribbean Pumpkin and Rice Casserole

-Adapted from Oven-Heerlijk Schotels

Ingredients:

2 cups (400g) uncooked rice (I used a medium-grain white rice)
1 pie pumpkin, washed and cut into large slices (leave the skin on)
2 small yellow onions, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 red chili pepper (optional), de-seeded and minced
1 orange or yellow bell pepper, de-seeded and diced
2 T. olive oil
1 T. dried parsley
Tip of a knife of allspice (“pimentpoeder”)
Tip of a knife of nutmeg
1 can coconut milk
1 vegetable bouillon cube
Salt and pepper
2 oz (57g) Gouda cheese, cut into tiny cubes or grated
Rind from a small lemon
Butter to grease the casserole dish
2-3 ripe tomatoes, sliced

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C) and place the rack in the center.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the pumpkin slices for 15 minutes until tender. Meanwhile, cook the rice according to package directions and drain, fluff with a fork, and set aside with the lid on. When the pumpkin is done cooking, drain it as well.

Heat the oil in a pot over med-low heat and cook the onion, garlic, bell pepper and red chili pepper until softened. (I left the red pepper out, only because I didn't have one. I think it would add a great spicy flavor though.)

Mix in the parsley, allspice and nutmeg.

Crumble the bouillon cube in and pour in the coconut milk. Stir well.

Remove from the heat, add the pumpkin and mash with a potato masher. Or you can puree it if you prefer it smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Stir in the cheese and lemon zest.

Spoon the cooked rice into a buttered 9x13” dish. (I made a half recipe, which is why this pan looks smaller.)

Spread the pumpkin mixture over the rice and arrange the tomato slices over the top of the casserole.

Bake for about 25 minutes until bubbly hot and the tomatoes have softened.

Caribbean Pumpkin and Rice Casserole

Pop Quiz

2010-07-02T13:51:00.001+02:00

My friend, Sonya, has tagged me with a little pop quiz. She had to answer 5 questions and then make up 5 questions to ask someone else. Now I get to do the same...here it goes.

1.Name one thing you have always wanted to try/do

To be honest, the number one thing I can't wait to do in life is have children. I'll get there someday :-)

2.If you were allowed one last meal,what would it be?

Without a doubt, it would be some kind of Tex-Mex. It would include a bucket of salsa and probably fajitas and chile rellenos! Then I would polish it all off with peach cobbler (the pastry kind - not that biscuit dough stuff.) and homemade vanilla ice cream. And don't forget the Southern sweet iced tea! Hey, it is my last meal after all!

3. Name a movie or a book that changed the way you viewed life. What was the name of it and how did it change you?

I won't name any one in specific, but I will say that all the videos out there about the meat industry and the subsequent cruelty to animals, human rights violations and destruction of habitats have had the most impact on my life. They are the motivation behind my decision to become a vegetarian 2.5 years ago and I've never looked back.

4.If you had to choose between being blind or deaf, which one would you pick and why?

Oh boy! Either one would be really hard, but if I had to choose I'd probably choose being deaf. I think I would hate not being able to see facial expressions, the people that I love and the beauty of nature! I had a friend in college who, because of a medical problem, suddenly went blind one day. I'm still in awe at how she handled it and how she's learned to cope with this enormous change. She is really an inspiration!

5.If you could meet one famous person,who would you pick?

These are tough questions Sonya! Knowing me, I'd probably pick a chef or a blogger. Hah, I'd probably pick Pioneer Woman! Or Mark Bittman! That man is amazing to me!

Now, for my 5 questions....

I'm tagging Lopa from "Cook with Me...", Lauren from "My Beautiful Adventure" and "Veggie Mama" :-)

1. I'm obsessed with products (soaps, lotions, make up, etc.) Do you have an favorites you'd recommend?

2. Do you remember your dreams? If so, tell about one that stuck out to you.

3. Do you have any interesting family history? Famous people, inventors, pioneers, one awesome grandma? What was their story?

4. How many times a day do you check your facebook?

5. If you are totally honest with yourself, do you believe you follow the Golden Rule?

Oven Roasted Veggies

2010-06-30T23:08:00.001+02:00

Ahh, roasted vegetables...probably one of my favorite things to eat, ever. Use any combo of veggies and seasonings you like. Here I used red and orange bell pepper, zucchini, eggplant, potatoes, and onions tossed in olive oil and savory ("bonenkruid" in Dutch). I would have loved to add mushrooms too, but unfortunately I forgot to buy them! Oops...next time!

It's really simple. Just preheat the oven to about 450F (230C) and line a large baking tray with foil. If you need two pieces of foil to cover the tray, make sure to fold them together so they make one sheet.

I like to cut my veggies roughly and then throw them in a big pot. Next I pour in lots of olive oil and season with herbs, salt and pepper. I toss it around with a big spoon to coat everything evenly and then I dump it all out over the foil-lined tray, spreading evenly.

Next I set the tray in the oven and let it roast until the veggies start to turn a bit brown around the edges. Then I take the tray out, stir the veggies around and place it back in the oven so the other sides can brown.

Once both sides are a bit browned, I take the tray out of the oven again. I pull the sides of the foil up around the veggies heaping them on top of each other until I can make a foil packet around the veggies. (If that doesn't work, you can just cover the tray tightly with another piece of foil.)

Then I place it back into the oven for another 10-15 minutes to continue cooking. This whole process takes about 45min to 1 hour, depending on the amount I'm cooking. Afterwards, the veggies are soft and full of flavor. Delicious!

I served mine with these delicious bell peppers stuffed with coucous, raisins and feta cheese. I bought them at a delicious traiteur/catering place called "Plum" in Amsterdam. They have the most delicious homemade sourdough rolls, by the way, if you ever decide to check it out.

I hope everyone has a great 4th of July weekend!