No Bake Gingerbread Oat Bars

January 03, 2016 by Jana in Cookies and Bars

The new year has arrived, time sure does fly. A lot has happened in the past year, and a lot is going to happen in 2016. I can't believe that I am going to graduate this year and start residency. This is so exciting, and yet completely terrifying at the same time. One day at a time, that's the way to do it.

Anyway, on to these no bake oat bars. I had been looking for a no bake oat bar to have on hand for a quick snack for those afternoons where you suddenly realize that you didn't eat enough for lunch. These are the perfect solution; hearty and dense, packed full of all those whole grain oats, chewy and perfectly sweet. I was in the Christmas spirit when I made these, so I added a little bit of molasses for that delicious gingerbread flavor. These bars sliced up beautifully, they won't crumble and fall apart on you like it seems so many no bake bars do. If you want a simple and delicious snack for the upcoming week, I highly recommend these tasty bars.

Like I said, I added a bit of molasses to this recipe for a gingerbread flair, but if you'd rather not have that flavor, go ahead and replace the molasses with a little more honey. The melted chocolate on top makes these bars extra special, but if you're looking for something a little more simple you could always skip it, but I do highly recommend a little chocolate, it's just so good. And although I haven't tried it, I think you could easily add some dried fruit and/or nuts to the mixture for a little extra punch of flavor. I may try experimenting with that soon! Whatever you decide, enjoy!

No Bake Gingerbread Oat Bars
Adapted from Tutti Dolci
Ingredients

3/4 cup (180 grams) cashew butter (or your favorite nut butter)
1/4 cup (3 ounces) honey
2 tablespoons (40 grams) molasses
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups (240 grams) old fashioned rolled oats
1 cup (15 grams) puffed kalmut
1 cup chocolate chips
Sea salt for topping, optional

Directions
Line an 8-inch square baking pan with foil and spray with nonstick spray. Combine cashew butter, honey, molasses, salt, and cinnamon in a heavy saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring until melted and smooth. Remove saucepan from heat and stir in vanilla, oats, and puffed kalmut until combined. It will be very sticky and thick. Scrape mixture into prepared pan and use a spatula lightly coated with nonstick spray to press evenly into pan. Try to work quickly, it firms up as it cools.

Place chocolate chips in a glass bowl and microwave in 15-30 second intervals until melted and smooth. Pour melted chocolate over bars and smooth with an offset spatula, then top with flaky sea salt if using. Place bars in the refrigerator and chill until set. Lift foil to remove bars from pan and place on a cutting board; cut into squares with a sharp knife.

Chocolate Peppermint Cookies

December 28, 2015 by Jana in Cookies and Bars

I have to quick share these cookies while the sweet memories of Christmas are still not too far from everyone's minds. They were one of the cookies on the Christmas cookie platter this year, and were included in the bags I delivered to the neighbors. I do have to say that they were absolutely fantastic! A great double chocolate cookie is difficult to find. I've shared several on the blog, and while I adore my Death by Chocolate Chip Cookies, they have so much melted chocolate in them that they can be a little more expensive to make, not to mentioned incredibly rich (not that I'm complaining!). Finding a recipe with just cocoa powder has left me disappointed in the past, but these cookies are not included in that disappointment.

These cookies are thick, soft, and super chocolatey. The addition of peppermint extract around the holidays is a wonderful touch, but they can be made without the mint flavor at any time of year. Throw in some espresso powder instead if you have it, another great combo. Dipping in some white chocolate sprinkled with candy canes was the perfect touch for Christmas, it really ups the festiveness of these already amazing cookies.

The only thing you want to make sure of when making these cookies is that you have at least a couple of hours to let the dough chill in the fridge before you shape into balls and bake. The dough is just too soft when it is first made. As long as you have the extra time these cookies are quick and easy to make. They really are a favorite of mine, a new go-to recipe when all I need is chocolate!

Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
Adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction
Ingredients

1/2 cup (115g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
1 cup (125g) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup + 2 Tablespoons (53g) unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup (180g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
4 ounces white chocolate, coarsely chopped
1-2 large candy canes, crushed

Directions
In a large bowl using a hand-held mixer or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter for 1 minute on medium speed until completely smooth and creamy. Add the granulated sugar and brown sugar and beat on medium high speed until fluffy and light in color. Beat in egg, vanilla and peppermint extracts on high speed. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.

In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt together until combined. On low speed, slowly mix into the wet ingredients until combined. The cookie dough will be quite thick. Switch to high speed and beat in the chocolate chips. The cookie dough will be sticky. Cover dough tightly with aluminum foil or plastic wrap and chill for at least 3 hours and up to 3 days. Chilling is mandatory for this cookie dough.

Remove cookie dough from the refrigerator and allow to sit at room temperature for 20 minutes - if the cookie dough chilled longer than 3 hours, let it sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes. This makes the cookie dough easier to scoop and roll.

Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.

Scoop dough (I liked about 25 grams of dough each, if you have a scale, I made a few larger one first at 50 grams and I actually liked the look of the smaller cookies better) and roll into balls and place on the baking sheet.

Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes rotating once during bake time. The baked cookies will look extremely soft in the centers when you remove them from the oven. Allow to cool for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet. They will slightly deflate as you let them cool. Transfer to cooling rack to cool completely.

Melt the chopped white chocolate in a microwave: placing the chocolate in a medium heat-proof bowl. Melt in 15 second increments, stirring after each increment until completely melted and smooth. Dip each completely cooled cookie halfway into the white chocolate and place onto a parchment or silicone baking mat-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle crushed candy canes on top of the chocolate. Repeat with the rest of the cooled cookies. Place the baking sheet into the refrigerator to help the chocolate set. Once set, enjoy!

Cardamom Walnut Snowballs

December 23, 2015 by Jana in Cookies and Bars

It's Christmas week and I'm on break! I've been taking advantage of my free time by doing one of my favorite things - baking Christmas cookies! Since I have so much to share and only a few more days to do that yet, I'm going to post a couple additional recipes this week. Today I'm sharing these festive cardamom walnut snowballs. They are really quick and easy to make, and they are absolutely delicious, plus, they're just so darn cute! And since there's not even a hint of snow on the ground (it's going to be 60 today!! What??) these cookies are the only way we're going to have a white Christmas this year!

These little butter cookies are melt-in-your-mouth tender, buttery and nutty, and not overly sweet. It's a perfect combination. I love the mild walnut flavor combined with the somewhat citrusy, herbal character of the cardamom. If you don't have any cardamom you can skip it, but I highly recommend getting some and giving it a try if you haven't tried it before. All-in-all, a wonderful addition to your Christmas cookie platter!

Other than grinding up some walnuts, this is a super basic recipe. Cream some butter and sugar, add in the dry ingredients, mix it up and you're good to go. There's not even any eggs. Once the cookies are cool you just roll them in some powdered sugar and you're done. You can roll them a second time in the sugar to get an extra heavy dusting, or just leave them after the first time. They're cute and delicious either way!

Cardamom Walnut Snowballs
Adapted from American Heritage Cooking
Ingredients

1 cups all-purpose flour
1 cups finely chopped walnuts, divided
1 teaspoons ground cardamom
3/8 teaspoon salt
1 stick butter
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cups powdered sugar, for coating

Directions
Preheat oven to 325°. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a food processor pulse half of the walnuts until they are finely chopped; remove and set aside. Add the remaining nuts to the food processor and pulse until medium grind (no big chunks remain).

In a medium bowl combine the flour, walnuts, cardamom and salt; whisk to combine. Set aside.

In a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in the vanilla until well combined. Add all the flour mixture and mix on low speed until the dough just comes together.

Use a tablespoon cookie scoop to scoop the dough and then roll into balls.

Bake until the bottoms are golden and the tops are beginning to brown, 15-18 minutes. Be careful not to over-bake them or they will be dry and crumbly.

Cool the cookies 2 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to wire racks to cool completely. Place powdered sugar in a large plastic bag. Working with two cookies at a time. Toss gently to coat and place back on the wire rack.

Allow the cookies to sit at least an hour, up to overnight, and then repeat the tossing in powdered sugar.

Yields: 24 cookies

Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti

December 20, 2015 by Jana in Cookies and Bars

School is out! And that means one thing - it's Christmas cookie time! I love holiday baking and now that I am free for 2 weeks it is time to fire up the oven and get the cookie party started! This year is bittersweet to me because it is my last official "Christmas break". I think I may cry a small tear. I know, most people don't get a Christmas break until they're 28 but when you're in school for forever you have to find small victories once in a while! So I'm going to revel in this last official break and enjoy every minute of it.

I've made a few batches of cookies this weekend and the first one I want to share is this cranberry pistachio biscotti. If you take a look around my blog you might notice that I have quite a few biscotti recipes, I just love the stuff. It's so easy and delicious, and something a little different from the norm. The instant I saw this festive biscotti pop up I knew it was on the list for 2015. I wasn't disappointed, and I don't think you will be either. So grab you own mixer and start baking!

This was a new recipe for me, which always makes me just a little bit nervous. You never quite know how much biscotti is going to spread. But there was no need to worry here, the cookies baked up beautifully. My only disappointment was not having quite enough pistachios to fold in. I threw in what I had and just made the best of it, but if you can, try to get the entire 3/4 cup mixed in. It just adds even more to the festiveness of this deliciously crunchy cookie.

Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti
Adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction
Ingredients

2 and 1/4 cups (280g) all-purpose flour
1 cup (200g) packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup (60g) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
3 large eggs
1 Tablespoon vegetable or olive oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup (75g) pistachios
3/4 cup (120g) dried cranberries
Egg wash: 1 large egg beaten with 1 Tablespoon milk

Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.

Whisk the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt together in a large bowl until combined. Add in the cold butter and mix until mixture is crumbly. Set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, oil, and vanilla together. Pour into the flour/butter mixture and mix until everything is just barely moistened. Fold in the pistachios and dried cranberries.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and with floured hands, knead lightly until the dough is soft and slightly sticky, about 8-10 times. If it's uncontrollably sticky, knead 1-2 more Tablespoon(s) of flour into the dough. With floured hands, divide the dough in two and place each half onto a baking sheet. Shape each half into an 8-9 inch long roll, patting down until each is about 1/2 inch thick.

Using a pastry brush, lightly brush the top and sides of each biscotti slab with egg wash.

Bake in batches (or together) for 25-26 minutes, or until the top and sides of the biscotti slabs are lightly browned. Remove from the oven, but do not turn off the heat. Allow to cool for 10 minutes.

Once the slabs are cool enough to handle, cut each into 1 inch thick slices. Set slices cut sides upright, ¼ inch apart, on the baking sheets. Return to the oven to continue baking for about 20 minutes, rotating the pan once while baking. The cookies may be slightly soft in the centers with harder edges. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet. Then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. As the biscotti cools, it becomes crunchy.

Lemon Herb Baked Tofu

December 13, 2015 by Jana in Main Dish

I love experimenting with new foods and trying out new things in the kitchen all the time. That's what keeps things interesting and fun. Up until recently, tofu was something I wanted to try (I think I'd had it once, or maybe twice, before), but since I'd hardly ever used it in the past, I just never got around to picking up a package. Finally, I forced myself to buy a pound of it at the store and find something to do with it.

To start, I wanted to do something simple, and something with which I could really taste the tofu, and get an idea of what its texture was like. I started with some extra firm tofu because it sounded the most versatile to me. After browsing through pages of recipes I settled on baked tofu with a simple lemon herb marinade, I figured this would give me the freedom to use the tofu in many different applications. The verdict? I liked it. Very easy to make and many options once it's done cooking; as a snack, on top of pasta, in a stir fry, on a sandwich, you get the idea. We'll see where this goes in the future, but FYI, I just finished off another package yesterday...

I've always heard that tofu takes on the flavors of whatever you cook it with, and that was certainly true in this case. The dominant flavors in this recipe were the lemon and the soy sauce. I could sense an underlying flavor from the tofu itself, but for the most part the marinade is what really came through.

There are some many different options for marinades floating around online, so if lemon herb isn't up your ally, there are many other combinations to try. But the bake instructions should be pretty much the same. All together a very easy recipe that leaves you with plenty of options in the end. It might be worth a try, if you've never picked up a package of tofu before, I highly recommend at least trying it once. You never know what you're missing until you try!

Lemon Herb Tofu
Adapted from The Gentlemanly Tomato
Ingredients

1 cake firm tofu (about 16 oz)
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp olive oil
A couple sprigs each of thyme and rosemary
1/4 tsp black pepper
2-3 garlic cloves, minced

Directions
Press tofu between a couple sheets of paper towel topped with a heavy pan for about 30 minutes. Discard paper towels and cut tofu into bite sized pieces.

While tofu is being pressed, whisk together all marinade ingredients in a glass dish. Add the pressed tofu and gently mix to cover everything with the marinade. Place in the refrigerator for at least 30-60 minutes.

Line a baking sheet with foil. Transfer the tofu and any remaining marinade onto the baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for approximately 60 minutes, stirring every 20 minutes.

Simple Quinoa and Cheddar Polenta with Kale
From Delectably Mine
Ingredients

3/4 cup (6 ounces) water
Pinch salt
3 tablespoons (27 grams) cornmeal
1/2 cup cooked quinoa
1-2 handfuls kale, ripped or cut into bite sized pieces
1/2 teaspoon butter
1/2 ounce cheddar cheese, broken into pieces
Lemon herb tofu (recipe above)

Directions
Put the water and salt in a small skillet and heat until boiling. Once boiling, slowly pour in the cornmeal while continuously whisking. Turn the heat back on low and cook until starting to get thick, whisking frequently.

Once the cornmeal mixture starts to thicken up, add in the quinoa and torn up pieces of kale and whisk together. If the mixture becomes too thick, add some more water as needed.

Once everything is mixed together, add in the butter and cheddar cheese, whisking until melted and completely incorporated into the mixture.

Top polenta with lemon herb tofu and enjoy!

Simple Butter Crackers

December 06, 2015 by Jana in Snacks

Have you ever tried to make homemade crackers? If you haven't I encourage you to give them a shot! I have tried many different recipes for homemade crackers over the past couple of years, some are good and some are not so good. As I've experimented the results have gotten better and better. These simple butter crackers are one of my recent successes. You only need a few ingredients to quickly whip together a batch of dough that you can use right away, or put in the fridge to roll out a little later. While it does take a little time to roll out the dough and cut into shapes, I don't mind taking a little extra time in the kitchen once in a while, especially when it results in something as satisfying as these buttery and delicious homemade crackers, something you can really be proud of!

Some of the problems I've had with various cracker recipes is that they can be bland, and also they can be really difficult to roll out because they are so sticky. This recipe had neither of these problems. I've found, not surprisingly, that in order to get a cracker that is not bland I need a recipe that includes at least some fat, it's essential to the flavor of crackers since there isn't much flavor coming from anywhere else. This recipe includes a little butter, my personal favorite way to add flavor.

Also, these crackers were a breeze to roll out. I used my pasta machine to roll them out to an even thickness (I rolled them to setting 6 on my Atlas pasta roller), but I have no doubt they would be easy enough to roll out with a rolling pin and some arm muscle if you don't have a pasta maker on hand.

If you've been wanting to try your hand at some homemade crackers, I highly recommend giving this recipe a try, the results are well worth the investment!

Simple Butter Crackers
Adapted from The Washington Post
Ingredients

1 cups flour, plus more if needed
1/2 teaspoon sugar
Heaping 1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons butter, cold from the fridge
1/4 cup hot tap water, or as needed

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Combine the flour, sugar, salt and baking powder in a small bowl. Add the butter and use a pastry blender (or your fingers) to cut the butter into the flour mixture until crumbly and well distributed throughout. Add the hot water and mix to form a smooth, soft ball, stopping to check the texture before you add all of the water; you might not need all of it.

Turn the dough out onto the work surface and knead it quickly and lightly. Return to bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let the dough rest at room temperature for about 10 minutes.

Working with one portion at a time, use a pasta maker to roll the dough out very thin, ideally, the dough should be translucent enough so that you can see the work surface underneath it. I rolled my dough out to setting 6 on my Atlas pasta maker and thought it was the perfect thickness (alternatively, use a lightly floured rolling pin to roll out the dough on a lightly flour work surface).

At this point you can either transfer sheet of dough to a baking sheet and use a pastry cutting wheel or sharp knife to quickly slice the dough into approximately 1 1/2-inch squares, cutting the whole sheet in one direction first, then the other, or you can use a round cookie cutter to cut the dough into rounds and transfer the rounds individually to a cookie sheet. Use the tines of a fork to prick each cracker several times.

Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until the crackers turn golden and are light brown around the edges. (You might need to bake the crackers on the inside of the sheet a little longer, because they will not brown as readily.) Keep on eye on the crackers towards the end of baking as they cab brown very fast. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Cool completely before serving or storing.

Thanksgiving 2015

November 29, 2015 by Jana in Main Dish

It's done and over, Thanksgiving 2015 is now nothing but another wonderful memory. This is one of my favorite holidays and so I've been looking forward to it for weeks. This year certainly did not disappoint. In fact, the entire weekend was simply wonderful. Thursday morning consisted of Lara and I in the kitchen, steaming up the windows as we roasted up the turkey for the family and put together a handful of other dishes to bring to my grandparent's place for the midday meal. We tried out a new turkey recipe this year which turned out awesome and received rave review from the family. Since we roasted the turkey at my place, it was quite the adventure getting it over to my grandparent's condo in time for dinner. But we made it, turkey, turkey gravy and all, without any misadventures!

Other menu items included my favorite soft dinner rolls which have pretty much become tradition for winter holiday parties now. They are always met with great celebration. In order to accommodate a few food sensitivities I made them dairy free by just using water in place of the milk and choosing the vegetable oil instead of the butter for the fat. They turned out great, there were none left over by the end of the day.

We also whipped together a pan of stuffing that was full of my favorite fall vegetables, caramelized onions, butternut squash and kale, all mixed together with cubes of my absolute favorite sourdough bread from the best local bakery. A fantastic combination in my book. (Adapted from this recipe, we just couldn't resist adding some butternut squash).

Finally, we brought a big bowl of a delicious Brussel sprout and brown rice salad with dried cherries, blue cheese, cinnamon almonds and cocoa nibs. This was a new recipe that I wanted to try and I ended up really loving it a lot, especially the blue cheese!! (Adapted from this recipe)

There were a lot of other delicious salads on the menu from various family members, a really yummy caramel apple sangria, and my mom's famous mashed potatoes with butter AND cream. A meal to remember for sure.

For dessert Lara made a beautiful apple cake that was stuffed full of fresh apples (based on this recipe). I find cake easier than pie, and I love it more anyway, win-win!

A few of the many farmer's market purchases

My nephew Tyce was able to help my mom pick up the turkey from the farmer's market on Wednesday, fun times with grandma

Going for a little drive!

Turkey carving time; now that's what I call a leg

Turkey for all, with some stuffing on the side

The whole gang, this is what I give thanks for the most, my wonderful family

Leftover sandwiches at night, perhaps my favorite part of the whole day And a few pictures from the rest of the weekend:

Dad loves to "help" with Christmas decorations

Topping the tree is always exciting

♥ Family! ♥

Went to the beach on Saturday, it was an absolutely gorgeous day to walk along the water

Peek-a-boo

Heading to the end of the pier

Sisters!

Contemplating either life or the mansion on the hill

The three girls

Glazed and Lacquered Turkey
Adapted from Bon Appetit
Ingredients

1 15-20-pound turkey, neck and giblets removed, patted dry
6 dried bay leaves
2 teaspoons black peppercorns
½ teaspoon allspice berries
½ cup kosher salt
2 tablespoons dried sage
½ cup (packed) brown sugar, divided
¼ cup Sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar
¼ cup soy sauce
4 tablespoons olive oil

Directions
Remove wishbone from turkey by lifting neck skin to expose meat and cutting along both sides of bone with a small paring knife to separate flesh from bone. Pull firmly on both sides to snap out (if bone does not come out in one piece, grip remaining fragments with a paper towel and pull out). This will make carving the breast much easier later. 

Grind bay leaves, peppercorns, and allspice in a spice mill until very fine; toss with salt, sage, and ¼ cup brown sugar in a medium bowl. Generously sprinkle dry brine inside cavity and rub all over skin, packing on until you’ve used entire mixture. Chill turkey on a large rimmed baking sheet uncovered 8–12 hours.  

Thoroughly rinse turkey to remove brine; pat dry. Let sit on baking sheet 3 hours to bring to room temperature.  

Meanwhile, bring vinegar, soy sauce, and remaining ¼ cup brown sugar to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until mixture is thickened to the consistency of molasses (it needs to be very thick to adhere to the turkey; if glaze is too thin, keep simmering), 5–8 minutes. Let glaze cool. 

Preheat oven to 325°. Starting at neck end of turkey, gently slide your fingers between skin and breast to loosen skin. Drizzle olive oil underneath skin, spacing evenly over breasts. Coat a piece of foil large enough to cover turkey breast with nonstick spray. Cover breast with foil, coated side down, avoiding thighs and tucking end inside cavity (foil will protect skin from tearing during first stage of cooking). Place turkey, breast side down, on a V-shape roasting rack set inside a large roasting pan. Roast until back side of turkey is golden brown, 50–60 minutes. 

Remove turkey from oven and transfer to a clean rimmed baking sheet with oven mitts or 2 pairs of tongs. Turn bird breast side up and transfer back to rack in roasting pan; discard foil. Pour any juices collected on baking sheet into pan. Roast turkey until breast is golden brown and skin is crisp, 35–45 minutes.  

Remove turkey from oven and brush all over with glaze. Continue to roast, checking temperature every 5 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of breast near neck registers 150° and no more (temperature will rise as the bird rests), 15–25 minutes. (I honestly pulled mine at 145° after listening to the Bon Appetit podcast when they talked about this recipe, if you choose to do this, which I recommend, do so at your own risk!) Transfer turkey to a platter and let rest 1 hour.  

Increase oven to 450°. Brush another even layer of glaze over turkey. Roast, watching closely in case glaze starts to burn, until turkey is deep golden brown and skin is shiny and crisp, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a clean platter and let rest 30 minutes before carving. 

Do Ahead: Turkey can be brined 2 days ahead. Brine on Tuesday, then rinse on Wednesday and chill overnight so you are ready to roast on Thursday.