Breakfast Hash

Being the huge brunch fan that I am, I tend to eat out for this morning meal and indulge myself as often as possible. I find new restaurants, get recommendations from friends, and I can't help but hit up my favorite local spots a bit more often than I'd like to admit. After a long week at work, sometimes the last thing I want to do is wake up Saturday morning and worry about cooking a big breakfast...so I treat myself and eat out. One of my goals this year is to cook more breakfast at home. Instead of enjoying my favorite meals out at a restaurant, I've been making them at home and guess what, they have been turning out pretty darn good! On my list of favorites - breakfast hash. This warm dish hits the spot on a chilly winter morning and is full of flavor and healthy ingredients. Below I'm sharing with you one of my favorite hash recipes. Dig in!

Breakfast Hash //
4 cups (cubed) sweet potatoes
2 zucchinis
1/2 chopped onion
1 pepper
baby bella mushrooms
4 eggs
1 avocado
goat cheese
coconut oil
salt and peper
rosemary

Preheat oven to 400. In a medium bowl, season cubed potatoes with rosemary, salt, and pepper (to your liking), and mix together. Using a cast iron skillet, heat oil on the stove over medium-high (cover a thin bottom layer of the pan). Place in diced potatoes and cook without turning until the bottoms become golden brown (several minutes). Once the bottoms are browned, stir and cook until the cubes start to soften just a bit. Next increase heat to high, add in all vegetables - zucchini, onion, pepper, and mushrooms - and cook until the veggies start to soften. Make four wells in your hash and break one egg into each. Place skillet into the oven and bake for about 10 minutes or until the eggs are set. Garnish with avocado and goat cheese.

My favorite thing about making a breakfast hash is that you can mix pretty much any veggie or green with the potatoes and eggs and it will turn out tasting heavenly. Spinach, mushrooms, any type of peppers - whatever you have in your refrigerator that day - throw it in! You'll never get bored with this delicious meal.

{Claire}

From the Garden // Pico de Gallo

Last year I fell in love with jalapeño poppers, so this planting season I decided to plant two jalapeño pepper plants in my garden so I could have poppers all summer long. Last week, I went out to my garden, picked a bowl full of jalapeños, and for the first time I was not excited to make poppers. Every time we have guests over - poppers. Every time we made dinner and I didn't know what side to make - poppers. You guys, I'm totally burnt out! I looked at the peppers and didn't know what to do. My mind went blank. I put the jalapeños in the fridge and what caught my attention out of the corner of my eye - an almost empty container of pico de gallo my husband purchased earlier that week. "I can totally make that!" I thought. I got excited - whipped together a delicious bowl of pico de gallo using fresh jalapeños from my garden, grabbed some chips, and started chowing down. My neighbor joined in and before I knew it, the bowl of pico was gone. YUM! Below is my simple and spicy pico de gallo recipe.

Pico de Gallo //

6 roma tomatoes

2 jalapeno pepper

juice of 1 lime

1 red onion
1/2 cup fresh cilantro
1 cloves garlic, minced
salt
pepper

Finely chop all ingredients, combine, and mix.


Did you catch our other "from the garden" recipe from earlier this month? It's a delicious kale salad that is currently on my list of favorite summer recipes. Check it out!

{Claire}

From the Garden // Kale Salad with Chickpeas, Tomatoes, + Feta

Having a garden in my backyard is one of the many things I love about my apartment. This summer it seems like every day I am going out back, picking a handful of veggies, and creating new recipes with fresh ingredients. I couldn't be happier! During this Spring planting season, I decided to mix things up a bit and plant a couple new vegetables instead of my usual over abundance of pepper plants. One that made the list - KALE! It's sad to say, but I came late to the kale party and only recently started to eat and enjoy this hearty green. Better late than never, right? Not only do I put kale in my smoothies every morning, but I've also become quite fond of a variety of kale salads that make a delicious light summer meal. Combing through all the recipes on Pinterest has become a daily obsession. This tasty salad is one of my favorites.

KALE SALAD WITH CHICKPEAS, TOMATOES AND FETA  //
4 cups cooked chickpeas
Chipotle Chili Pepper
3 cups packed green curly kale
1/3 cup crumbled feta
1 clove garlic, minced
5 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
black pepper to taste
1 pint heirloom tomatoes, halved
6-8 fresh basil leaves, chopped
1 avocado (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Drain and rinse chickpeas. Place on sheet pan, drizzle 1-2 tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle chipotle chili pepper (to your liking) over chickpeas. Toss and cook for 20 minutes. Let cool.

Combine cooked chickpeas, kale, feta, garlic, red onion in a large bowl and toss together. Next stir in the remaining olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper - adjusting to taste. Gently mix salad. Lastly, add in tomatoes, fresh basil, and avocado (optional) - mixing a final time. Serve and enjoy!
Recipe adapted from in pursuit of more


{Claire}

THIS MONTHS PIE: Mini Pumpkin

My mouth starts to water the instant November hits. I find myself counting the days till Thanksgiving in anticipation of the delicious autumn holiday. Being a total foodie, you can usually find me sitting at the table before anyone else admiring every tasty dish. One of my favorites is pumpkin pie. This year, my husband and I are hosting our families for the holiday and you can bet on one thing: there will be a pumpkin pie.

If pumpkin pie is a staple on your Thanksgiving table, mix it up a bit this year and make minis! Instead of a slice, it's fun for each person to get their own small pie. Have you ever made mini pies before? All you need are mini pie pans, your families pumpkin pie recipe, some small tweaks to the baking process, and you're good to go.

Adapt your recipe to use mini pie pans //
Preheat oven 350 degrees. Roll/form dough into your mini pin pans and bake for 8 minutes. Let pie crusts slightly cool, then add in pumpkin filling. Bake for an additional 10 minutes or until the tops set.

Find one of our favorite simple pie crust recipes here.
Try some of these heavenly pumpkin pie recipes:
Maple Pumpkin Pie  |  Coconut Pumpkin Pie  |  Caramel Apple Pumpkin Pie  |  Creamy Pumpkin Pie

{Claire}

A Campfire Dinner

Life has been so jam packed and hectic for me lately (in all the best ways possible!) that when, this past weekend, the husband and I found ourselves without a plan in sight, we spontaneously packed up the car, threw in the tent and the dog, and headed out to a State Park not far from the city to do a little communing with nature. 

Besides hiking and sleeping under the stars, cooking over a fire is my absolute favorite thing about camping. What is it about food prepared over a campfire that just tastes so much better? I recently got my hands on a copy of this cookbook. It's full of simple yet interesting (vegetarian!) recipes that call for few ingredients, just right for a camping trip. We gave our own spin to the polenta stuffed portobellos (page 177) and it was especially yummy! What's your favorite meal to cook over open flames?

Polenta Portobellos (adapted from The Forest Feast by Erin Gleeson) //

Sprinkle 2 large portobellos with minced garlic (one clove each), olive oil, salt, and pepper. Bake in a dutch oven over a fire for approximately 20 minutes.

Slice 1 red onion paper thin and caramelize in a pan with 1 tablespoon olive oil (or butter). Add 4 leaves of kale and saute until they begin to brown (about 10 minutes). To make the polenta / Add 2 cups boiling water to 1/2 cup cornmeal and simmer over the fire, stirring often, until the polenta is creamy (about 15 minutes). Add 1/4 cup goat cheese plus salt and pepper to taste.Fill caps with polenta and top with kale and onion mixture. {Lauren}

THIS MONTH'S PIE: Double Chocolate Coffee Truffle

I've always been a chocolate lover.  Walking through the candy isle in the grocery store is my weakness and I usually come out with at least one dark bar.  I've never made a chocolate pie, so this month I decided to give it a whirl.  I did a little searching to find an easy and delicious pie that would fill my intense sweet craving.  Guy, I found it!  This Double Chocolate Coffee Truffle pie is filled to the brim with chocolate.  Seeing that it had a chocolate pie crust; well that sealed the deal!  We had house guests the weekend I made this pie and it only lasted two days in my refrigerator.  Looks like this is a favorite that I will definitely be making again!

I'm really craving chocolate after writing this post.  Is anyone else?

See what other pies we've made in our Monthly Pie feature here.

RECIPE

Preheat oven to 450 degrees

Pie Crust:

1 1/2 cups flour

3 tablespoons cocoa powder

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter

5 tablespoons cold water

In a food processor, mix flour cocoa powder, brown sugar, and salt.  Add in butter and mix until pieces are pea-sized.  Next add water until dough come together.  Transfer mixture to a bowl and knead together until holds together.

Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface and make a 12-14 inch circle.  Transfer dough to pie pan, trim and crimp edges to desired look.  Prick bottom and side of pastry shell, line with aluminum foil and in pie weights.  Bake pie crust for 8 minutes, remove weights and foil, then bake for an additional  6-8 minutes.  Cool on wire rack.

Filling:

2 cups whipping cream

6 ounces 70% dark chocolate, chopped

1 cup sugar

6 egg yolks

3 tablespoons strong brewed coffee

1 teaspoon vanilla

whipped cream, optional

chocolate shaving, optional

In a saucepan, combine whipping cream, chocolate, and sugar.  Over medium heat, cook for 10 minutes or until mixture comes to a boil and thickens.  Transfer half of the hot chocolate mixture to a bowl, then ddd in egg yolks.  Return egg/chocolate mixture to saucepan and cook and stir for an additional 2 minutes.  Next remove from heat and stir in coffee and vanilla.  Let slightly cool, then pour filling into baked pie shell.  Cover and chill in refrigerator for 8-24 hours.  Top with whipped cream and/or chocolate shaving. 

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{Claire}

EAT: Beet, Quinoa, and Lentil Wrap

There are so many winter dishes that we all love to make.  Hearty stews, amazing casseroles, all things potato, and copious amounts of lasagna.....I can't get enough!  This is usually the point in the season where my body needs a break and I start to crave something a bitter lighter.  I came across a wrap recipe that instantly caught my eye.  I've been on a bit of a beet kick lately (check out our juice with beets here) and am always drawn to a recipe that includes quinoa.

Make these beet, quinoa, and lentil wraps for dinner, then enjoy the leftovers for lunch.  This recipe makes 8 wraps which is great for me since I usually don't have a lot of time to worry about what I'm going to make for lunch during the week.  Try the recipe below and let us know what you think!

Beet, Quinoa, and Lentil Wrap
(makes 8 wraps)

8 tortilla wraps (we chose sun-dried tomato)
4 large lettuce leaves, cut in half
4 beets
1 1/4 cups goat cheese
5 tablespoonsolive oil
salt & pepper
1 cup quinoa
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/2 cup raisins
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup green lentils
1 teaspoon oregano
6 1/2 tablespoons walnuts (chopped)
1 orange (juice and zest)


Cook and mix:

Peel beetroot, put in food processor and pulse 3-5 times.  Add goat cheese, olive oil, and a pinch of salt and pepper.  Blend together to form a rough textured spread.

Cook quinoa (see box for instructions) with fennel seeds.  When quinoa cools, mix in raisins, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt in a medium size bowl.

Cook lentils (see box for instructions) with oregano.  When cooked, add in a pinch of salt.  When lentils cool, mix in walnuts, and orange (juice and zest) in a medium size bowl.


Assemble Wraps:

Place two or three spoonfuls of beetroot/goat cheese mixture in middle of tortilla wraps.  Then add half a leaf of lettuce on top.  Next, put a couple spoonfuls of quinoa/raisin and lentil/orange mixture on top of the lettuce.  Fold wrap, roll up with parchment paper, and tie together with any twine or string.  When you're ready to eat, cut wraps in half and dig in!


{Claire}

THIS MONTH'S PIE: Lemon Chess

We really enjoyed sharing this pie recipe with you in December.  Our readers seemed to agree, so we decided to create a new feature called THIS MONTH'S PIE.  Once a month we will be baking a pie, sharing the recipe, and letting you know thoughts on it.

This month I decided to make a lemon chess pie with sticky blueberries.  Never having baked one before, I was really excited and nervous to see how this pie would turn out.  Not only did it taste great, but it looks delicious too.  The lemon favorite isn't overwhelming, but definitely has a strong presence.  The sticky blueberries go great with the lemon and really add a nice second flavor to the pie.  Also for this pie, I tried a "pie wash" on the crust to give it a bit of a golden color.  I will for sure be making this one again!  I got the recipe from this pie book.

RECIPE

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Filling:
1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar
8 tablespoons unsalted butter
pinch of salt
1 lemon
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons corn meal
1 tablespoon flour
4 large eggs
1/4 cup whole milk

In a stand mixer (paddle attachment), combine sugar, butter and salt.  Zest lemon and add to the ingredients (keep lemon to juice later).  Mix together on medium speed for 2-3 minutes, until light and fluffy.  While mixer is one, next add in the cornmeal and flour until combined.  Add in eggs one at a time, scraping around the bowl after each addition.  Turn mixer to low and slowly pour in milk.  Finally put in the lemon juice.  Finished batter will be slightly lumpy.


Assemble pie:
Pour batter into an unbaked 9 inch pie shell.  Put in oven and bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, rotating 180 degrees every 20 minutes.  Bake until a dark golden brown crust forms on the top and the filling is set.  Let pie fully cool on a cooling rack, then top with sticky blueberries.


Sticky Blueberries:
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups water
2 cups blueberries

Place sugar and water into a saucepan and stir until combined.  Bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally.  Place blueberries in a colander with a large bowl underneath.  Pour hot syrup over the berries.  Let the berries fully cool then pile on top of pie.


{Claire}

EAT: Ricotta Cheesecake Cupcakes

Whenever cheesecake is around, I tend to go for the biggest slice I can get my hands on.  It's easy to go a little overboard.  After all, who doesn't love cheesecake!?  A couple years ago, I started baking and received a cupcake calendar as a gift.  It was filled with a bunch of amazing recipes, but this one is my favorite.  These cheesecake cupcakes are super easy to make and also delicious. Instead of going for a giant slice and overdoing it, the cupcake size is perfect.  I also like that this recipe uses ricotta cheese.  It's much lighter tasting than cream cheese and is lower in fat (bonus!).

Ricotta Cheesecake Cupcakes
(makes one dozen)

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
4 1/2 tablespoons margarine, melted
3 tablespoons honey
2 1/2 cups part-skim ricotta cheese
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar
1 teaspoon orange extract
blueberries and raspberries (or any desired fruit)

Preheat oven to 325.

In food processor, combine graham cracker crumbs, margarine, and honey.  Spoon 1 tablespoon of the mixture into each cup, pressing firmly into the bottom.  Chill until set.

In a large bowl, beat ricotta cheese with an electric mixer until soft.  Then beat in eggs, confectioner's sugar, and orange extract. Spoon mixture into cups.

Bake for 25 minutes.  Cool for 5 minutes then remove cupcakes and let fully cool on rack.  Add fruit to top if desired (we picked raspberries and blueberries).  Chill until ready to serve.

Keep in refrigerator for up to three days.


{Claire}

EAT: Black-Eyed Pea Mash

For as long as I can remember, my mother has made a black-eyed pea dish every New Year's Day.  Its a tradition with deep Southern roots, so growing up in Tennessee, I learned about the folklore surrounding the bean at an early age. Supposedly, eating black-eyed peas on the first day of January will bring luck and prosperity in the year ahead. Whether or not you think luck holds much water, traditions like this one are sweet and deliciously comforting!

The most traditional Southern black-eyed pea recipe is the pork heavy, rice and beans based Hoppin' John.  Super yummy, but being a vegetarian, I wanted to share the dish I will be making come New Year's morning.  Its warming and hearty, the quintessential comfort food, and will do wonders to soothe an aching tummy and head that may have over indulged the night before!
Do you have any New Year's traditions?  Whatever they are, we're wishing you a wonderful start to 2014!

7 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium garlic cloves (finely minced)
2 (15 ounce) cans black eyed peas, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup heavy cream
3 ounces grated sharp cheddar
2 ounces grated Parmesan
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 cups kale
4 eggs

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and cook until aromatic, about 1 minute. Add beans, cream, and 1/2 cup water. Bring to a simmer, then mash beans lightly with a fork or potato masher. Add water as needed until a loose, porridge-like consistency is reached. Stir in cheddar and season to taste with salt and pepper. Keep warm.

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over high heat until simmering. Add kale, season with salt and pepper, and cook, tossing and stirring frequently, until wilted and starting to crisp, about 4 minutes.

Using a tablespoon of oil for each, fry every egg individually. Cook until whites are set but yolks are still runny, about 3 minutes.

To serve, transfer beans to warm bowls, top with sautéed kale and then a fried egg. Sprinkle with Parmesan and serve. Serves 4.

*Footnote: I spent a good amount of time trying to construct the perfect black-eyed peas vs. Black Eyed Peas pun while writing this post.  Alas words fail me when it comes to that awful awful band.  I suggest thinking up several of your own jokes when making this recipe ("Mash the beans until a porridge-like consistency, leaving no lovely lady lumps"?)  and then totally share them with me!*

{Lauren}

THIS MONTH'S PIE: Apple Pear Cranberry Pie

A couple years ago, my husband and I went to a local pie shop to get coffee and well, pie! I had a slice of their Apple Pear Cranberry and instantly fell in love. After making countless trips back, I knew this was a pie I had to learn how to bake. Lucky for me, a local newspaper liked it just as much as I did and published it online. Below you'll find the recipe. Make it for a holiday party or a family dinner. Everyone will be asking for another slice!

RECIPE

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Filling:

4 cups of Grammy Smith apples (cored and peeled), cut into 2 inch pieces

3 1/2 cups Bartlett or Bosc pears (cored and peeled), cut into 2 inch pieces

1/3 cup fresh (or thawed) cranberries

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

Combine the apples and pears in a mixing bowl; toss with lemon juice. Place the cornstarch, sugar, brown sugar, Chinese five-spice powder and salt in the bowl, then mix. Add to the pear-apple mixture; toast til fruit is well-coated. Transfer mixture to a casserole dish and bake for 20-25 minutes until fruit juices are thickened. Add cranberries and bake for 5-10 minutes more until the cranberries are softened and a few have burst. Remove dish from oven and set aside. Once cooled the mixture may be refrigerated overnight.

Walnut crumble topping:

1 cup walnut (halves or pieces)

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

pinch of kosher salt

12 tablespoons unsalted butter (cut into 1-inch pieces)

Using a stand mixer (paddle attachment) and mix all ingredients until butter is size of peas and mixture is crumbly. Do not let mixture come together into a dough.

Assemble pie:

Place the fruit mixture in a baked pie shell (find recipe online). Top the mixture with 1 1/2 cups of the walnut crumble topping and bake for 10 minutes. Add an additional 1 cup of crumble and bake for 15-20 minutes until crumble is evenly browned. There will be some crumble left over.

{ Claire }
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