(Re)st

Now that I've started baking every morning at Pure Fare, I usually get home at 10:30 or 11:00...in the morning. That means I leave my house at 5:30...in the morning. I really like it though! I take a little cat nap when I get home and then I have the rest of the day to do whatever I want. 

Robbie and I bought a bag of arepa flour awhile back. He had a flashback in the grocery store of being in Colombia and NEEDED to get it...we haven't even opened the bag. SO today after my nap, I decided to figure out what these arepas are. I mixed up a couple for lunch to make sure I knew what I was doing for dinner and they were AWESOME!! Here's my first batch of arepas EVER, and I'm going to jazz'm up tonight for dinner with black beans, roasted corn, and more cheese! Here's round one!!

Arepas

1 cup Arepa flour

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup milk

1 Tbs butter

1/4 cup grated pepper jack cheese

1 Tbs olive oil

*Slowly mix milk and water to arepa flour.

*Once mixed together, knead in butter and cheese.

*Form the dough into small disks

*Cover frying pan with olive oil and cook on each side until lightly browned (about 5 minutes)

*Top with anything you want! I used pico, cheese, and sour cream. Black beans or any kind of meat would be great too!

   

(Re)bel

I'm rebelling against my healthy diet...because we have company and all. Anna's boyfriend is visiting and I decided to make the lovebirds a feast. A fattening, rich, carb-filled, FEAST. Well, I succeeded and masked it with some asparagus and broccoli. Here's my recipe for Shrimp Goat Cheese Pasta, adapted from **Smitten Kitchen's recipe.

Shrimp Goat Cheese Pasta

1 lb spiral pasta

1 lb asparagus, trimmed and chopped into 1" chunks

1 head baby broccoli, chopped

1/4 cup olive oil, plus 1 Tbs for shrimp

1 Tbs lemon zest

4 large basil leaves, chopped

5 oz log of goat cheese

1 clove of garlic, minced

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

20 shrimp, deveined 

salt and pepper

*Cook pasta according to package. Add chopped asparagus and broccoli for the last 4 minutes. Strain and set aside.

*In the meantime, saute the shrimp in olive oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes.

*Add the shrimp, goat cheese, olive oil and chopped basil to the noodle mixture. Stir until the cheese is melted. Serve with bread, salad, and wine!


**http://smittenkitchen.com/2009/05/asparagus-goat-cheese-and-lemon-pasta/

(Re)ally?!?!?!

Wait...I'm done for the year?? REALLY?!? I'm so happy to be on summer vaca!! I'm getting some hours in baking at Pure Fare, attempting to downsize my closet, and catching some rays! It couldn't get any better :) I worked early this morning (6 am!!) so I was done before noon. My friend Courtney was cleaning out her closet and gave me a few adorable dresses and shirts! (Okay, so I'm failing at downsizing my closet...) When I got home I put on one of my new vintage dresses and instantly felt domestic. Here's the recipe for my lemon tart! It's super sweet, yummy, and matches my dress! ENJOY!!

My vintage dress makes me

feel so domestic! 

Vintage Lemon Tart

Crust:

4 Tbs unsalted butter

1/2 c brown sugar

3/4 c whole wheat flour

1/3 c crushed almonds

2 Tbs almond oil (or any kind of oil)

pinch of salt

*In medium bowl, kneed the ingredients together until they are "graham cracker-y" and sticking together. Add more oil if needed.

*Press the crust into a pie dish and bake at 400 degrees for 10-13 minutes or until starting to brown.

Filling:

1/2 c fresh lemon juice

zest from 1 lemon

1/2 c white sugar

6 Tbs butter (chopped)

2 eggs

2 egg yolks 

*Mix the lemon juice, zest, and sugar in a bowl. 

*Add the chunks of butter and lemon mixture to a saucepan and cook until butter is melted.

*In the meantime, whisk eggs and yolks together in a bowl.

*Once the butter has melted, slowly pour the warm lemon mixture into the eggs, stirring constantly. Once combined, pour back into saucepan. 

*Cook over low-medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens. 

*Pour filling into the crust and bake another 5-8 minutes to settle the filling. 

*Wait to eat until it is cool. Leave in the fridge overnight for the best results!

(Re)ady

I'm done with classes and I'm SO READY to graduate!! I took a little time this morning to work on a new recipe, drink some tea, and think about this crazy time in my life. Don't worry, I'm not gonna get all sappy and talk about how wonderful everyone and everything in my life is (even though it is all pretty great) but I am going to talk about how awesome these muffins are!! I wanted to make "healthy muffins" and I pretty much stuck with that goal. Here's my recipe for Carrot Quinoa Muffins.

Carrot Quinoa Muffins

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon 

1 cup cooked quinoa 

1/2 cup grated carrots

1/2 c part skim ricotta 

1/4 cup greek yogurt

2 eggs

1/4 cup agave nectar

1/8 cup real maple syrup

1/2 cup coconut oil

1 tsp vanilla

*Mix flour baking soda, powder, and cinnamon.

*add the carrots, ricotta, yogurt, eggs, agave, maple syrup, coconut oil, vanilla.

*Add cooked quinoa last.

*The batter will be very thick so don't be alarmed-Scoop into a floured muffin tin and bake in a 350 degree oven for 12-14 minutes. Check with a toothpick and make sure it comes out clean.

*Enjoy with a cup of tea, or soup!!

***Let me know if you have an suggestions on the recipe. Like I said, it's brand new and may have some kinks to be worked out!  

(Re)juvenate

Yesterday was my last day of my undergrad! I can't believe how fast these 4 years have gone by! After a celebratory morning of shopping with Anna (I got the most adorable dress!!) I decided to make something light for lunch. Here's my recipe for a summery chickpea salad that goes perfectly with the beautiful weather today!! Enjoy!

Summer Chickpea Salad

1 19oz can of chickpeas

1/2 lemon's juice

4 Tbs olive oil

1 small clove garlic

2 Tbs fresh basil, chopped

1 Tbs shredded parmesan

Salt and pepper to taste

*Mix ingredients in mixing bowl.

* Serve as a side dish, or on top of some fresh greens.

(Re)mix

My mom and aunt could only get their adorable B&B for a couple of days, so now they are staying at our "B&B". As they got ready to go to the museum I mixed an oatmeal cookie recipe with a banana bread recipe to make a batch of banana bread cookies! They turned out really yummy and now they are ready to check out the Chagall exhibit! Too bad I don't get to go :( I have to stay home and write a grant proposal! Oh well, at least I have some good treats to keep me goin!!

Butter-less Banana Bread Cookies

1 banana

1/2 cup coconut oil (softened)

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 Tbs agave nectar

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup rolled oats

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/8 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

*Mash the banana in a bowl, add coconut oil, brown sugar, agave nectar, and vanilla.

*In a separate bowl mix the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and oats.

*Add the dry ingredients to the banana mixture and stir well.

*Roll the mixture into 1" balls and bake for 8 minutes in a 350 degree oven. 


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
UPDATE!!
I decided to make these again but wanted to double the batch. I didn't have 2 bananas, so I finely chopped a red apple, put it in the microwave with a little water for about a minute, and mashed it in with the bananas! It worked out just fine and they are even yummier!