Latkes and Homemade Applesauce

 The holidays are a great time for great food. I got to celebrate the holidays with delicious dishes like last night's Zucchini Potato Latkes with homemade applesauce--check out the recipes and save for next year or enjoy a belated holiday favorite :)

Homemade Bourbon Applesauce

Ingredients
6 small-medium apples, peeled cored, loosely chopped
1/4 cup bourbon
1-2 tsp cinnamon (or 1 cinnamon stick)
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp Allspice

Preparation
Place apples in heavy pot over medium-low heat. Add bourbon and spices. Cover and stir periodically until apples are softened, mashing with spoon as you stir. Takes about 30-40 minutes for chunky consistency  Remove from heat. Mmm!

Zucchini Potato Latkes

Ingredients
3 small-medium waxy potatoes, coarsely grated (for all grating in this, use large grate on box grater or food processor attachment like I did)
2 medium zucchini, coarsely grated
1small onion (or 1/2 large), coarsely grated
1/4-1/3 cup flour (I used whole wheat--whatever you've got works)
1 egg, beaten
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 cup vegetable oil (for frying)

Preparation
Place grated vegetables in dish towel and wring out excess moisture.

In mixing bowl, combine egg, flour, salt and pepper. Add vegetables to egg mixture and toss until well combined. Add more flour as needed (extra flour and egg will make these fluffier on the inside vs. crispy the way I make them).

Heat half oil in large skillet, but do not let smoke. Drop rounded tablespoons of mixture into oil, and flatten. Fry first batch until golden brown (about 2-3 minutes) and flip. Brown on other side. Remove from oil and drain on paper towel. Repeat with remaining latke mixture and oil.

Fall Treat--Pumpkin Muffins

The smell of these Whole Wheat Pumpkin Walnut Muffins makes welcoming the fall chill a little easier. The pumpkin keeps them moist and dried fruit adds a touch of sweetness. Canned pumpkin makes them especially easy. Grab one for breakfast, or serve instead of rolls alongside a Thanksgiving feast! 

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Walnut Muffins 

Adapted from Gourmet 

Ingredients

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter

3/4 cup canned solid-pack pumpkin

1/4 cup buttermilk

2 large eggs

3 tablespoons unsulfured molasses

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup whole-wheat flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

3/4 cup chopped pitted dates, raisins, or currants

3/4 cup finely chopped walnuts + 2 Tbs minced walnuts

Directions

Preheat oven to 400degrees. Grease twelve ½ cup muffin cups, or place wrapper in each.

1.       Melt butter and cool slightly. Whisk together butter, pumpkin, buttermilk, eggs, molasses, and vanilla.

2.      Into a large bowl sift together flours, baking powder, spices, salt, and baking soda and whisk in brown sugar. Make a well in center of flour mixture and add pumpkin mixture, stirring just until combined. Stir in fruit and ¾ cups chopped walnuts.

3.      Divide batter among cups. Sprinkle remaining 2 Tbs walnuts evenly over batter in each cup and bake muffins in middle of oven 20 to 25 minutes, or until puffed and a tester comes out clean.

4.      Cool muffins in cups 5 minutes and turn out onto a rack. Serve muffins warm or at room temperature.

Stonebarns Getaway

 Visiting Dan Barber's Blue Hill at Stone Barns this past weekend was the perfect way to spend a gorgeous fall weather and a friend's birthday. We hopped a train out of the city and got lunch at Blue Hill Cafe. The food at Blue Hill (restaurants in both Tarrytown and Manhattan) is sourced from the Stone Barns farm and a few other local farms. The cafe where we grabbed a picnic lunch was an affordable way to enjoy Blue Hill's delicious and exclusively seasonal food, especially since the main restaurants are pricey, though worth it for what might have been the best meal I've ever had (a blog for another time, if I'm lucky).

Lunch feast complete with iced coffee for one of the last hot days of the year. 

Barbara in front of the veggies

 We shared delicious baked goods, vegetable salad, soup, and frittata and then walked around to check out all the piglets!

Cuddling pigs
toward the end of our hike (read: stroll) we were ready for naptime too!

We all feasted that day.

All in all, a successful day-trip and terrific birthday extravaganza.

 

Fall for Soup

I find myself craving warm comfort foods this time every year. Homemade soup is one of my favorite ways to enjoy autumn produce. It warms the soul without needing to loosen your belt! Soup also stores easily--I made a large batch and will freeze some for quick weeknight dinners over the next couple weeks.

Check out what I doctored up tonight (and served with some toast spread with feta!). Try this creation, but keep in mind that it's easy to mix and match various vegetables, beans, and spices to create a unique dish each time.

Lentil Stew with Squash and Greens

Ingredients

1 Onion, diced

2 Garlic Cloves, minced

1/4 Kabocha squash, seeds removed and diced

2 large carrots, diced

3 large parsnips, diced

2 Tbs caraway seeds

2 Tbs dried basil

1 Tbs crushed red pepper

2 bay leaves

salt and pepper

1/2 lb dried lentils, rinsed and picked over

2 cups low sodium beef broth + 2 cups water

1 bunch kale, stems removed and torn

1 bunch fresh basil

Directions

1. Oil large soup pot and saute onion and garlic until tender. Add squash, carrots, parsnips, and seasonings. Mix together and saute about 3 minutes. 

2. Add lentils, broth and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until all vegetables and beans are tender, about 20 minutes. 

3. Remove bay leaves and stir in kale and basil until wilted. 

4. Serve or let cool before freezing/refrigerating. 

Highline Park Walk

NYC's High Line is a unexpected way to view the city in a historical and environmentally forward Park. From a unique vantage point, it offers gorgeous views that you can't get in a high-rise or from the street below. Earlier this summer, the second part of the park opened up, so you can now walk from Gansevoort in the Meatpacking District up to about 30th Street. In addition to enjoying the view, walking up and back is about 2 miles, and will burn you about 200 calories.

Get there hungry to enjoy some of the awesome vendors along the stroll--including my newest favorite, meltbakery. They have a variety of tasty cookie ice cream sandwiches, including Molasses with Pumpkin ice cream (middle) just in time for fall, and a classic Red Velvet with Cream Cheese Ice Cream (right).

Whole Wheat Pizza

Most Americans love pizza. But why waste the calories on the terrible 30 minute delivery place down the block? Thin-crust, fresh toppings is way more up my alley. I decided a couple weeks ago to get out my standing mixer and whip up a batch of pizza dough. This was my first attempt, but I was certain I could give this "junk-food" staple a new reputation. Using whole wheat flour instead of refined to boost vitamins and fiber and using fresh herbs, cheeses, and farmers market veggies as toppings, I felt like I got a lot of taste without the grease.

The dough recipe I used makes enough to serve about 8 people, 2 slices per person. I froze half, and was able to share round 2 with a dear friend. In addition to fabulous wine, we dined on 2 different whole wheat pizzas: White Pizza with Caramelized Onions, Prosciutto and Zucchini (recipe below), a simple Margarita with Heirloom Tomatoes, as well as an arugula and fig salad. I dare you to try it--you'll never call Domino's again. 

Whole Wheat Pizza Crust

Adapted from The Williams Sonoma Cookbook

Ingredients

1 package (or ~2.5 Tbs) active dry yeast

1 ½ cups warm water (105-115F)

1Tbs salt (plus ~1 tsp for seasoning)

2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil, plus about 1-2 tsp additional for greasing

3 ½ -4 cups whole wheat flour, divided

Preparation

1.       In bowl of a standing mixer with dough hook, sprinkle yeast over warm water and let stand until foamy (about 4 minutes). Add olive oil, ½ cup flour, and 1 Tbs salt; mix until creamy. Add additional flour, ½ cup at a time, and knead in mixer until dough is smooth but not sticky (about 10 minutes).

2.      Form dough into a ball, put in lightly oiled bowl, and turn to coat with oil. Cover bowl with towel or plastic and let rise at room temperature until doubled in bulk (about 1 hour). Divide dough into 4 balls, kneading as you shape them.

NOTE: If freezing or refrigerating dough, after step 2 (first rise), wrap each ball in aluminum foil, and freeze up to 2 weeks or refrigerate up to 4 days. To re-use, thaw in refrigerator, then following steps 3-5 to complete.

3.      Place dough balls in bowl and cover with towel. Let rise (second rise) until doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes.

4.      Preheat oven to 450F. Flatten each ball and gentry roll on floured surface, until about 8 inches in diameter (smaller if you like a thicker crust). Place rounds on flour-dusted baking sheet.

5.      Add toppings, and bake until edges are golden brown (about 10 minutes). 

Prosciutto, Zucchini and Caramelized Onion White Pizza on Whole Wheat Crust

Ingredients

¼ recipe Whole Wheat Pizza Crust (1 dough ball)

2 tsp olive oil

¼ cup part-skim ricotta cheese

1 ounce part-skim mozzarella, sliced

½ large white onion, sliced and caramelized

2 ounces prosciutto, sliced and torn into small strips

1 cup zucchini, sliced

1.5 oz (a handful) Parmesan cheese, shredded

Freshly cracked black pepper

Preparation

With back of a spoon, spread ricotta and about 1-2 tsp olive oil over rolled-out pizza dough. Layer prosciutto, mozzarella, onions, and zucchini strips. Top with parmesan cheese and black pepper. Bake at 450F for about 10 minutes, until crust edges are golden brown and cheese begins to brown.

Summer (strawberry) Lovin'

It might be approaching 90degrees in NYC, but at least one GREAT thing is coming from this summer heat--BERRY SEASON! Check out my friends from Bradley Farms at today's 97th Street Green Market tasting the goods. They may have also "twisted my arm" to eat about half a pint while I purchased.

In case you need more reason that sweet deliciousness to buy them, strawberries are low in calories and an excellent source of vitamin C, an important antioxidant to help you fight disease and reduce signs of aging. So grab a pint (or 3 like I did!) and enjoy.