Banana Bread French Toast for one

French Toast is awesome. Especially with bananas!

 For me, French Toast is all about the bread. No store-bought white wonderbread will do. It's gotta be goooood bread. Typically, I go for a bread kind of like a french bread -soft with a firm but not crunchy crust, big irregular holes, cut into ridiculously thick slices. Today however, the banana bread on my counter was perfect. Already studded with walnuts and made with 4 bananas in just one loaf, this was an awesome breakfast!

Paired with a small orange-carrot-yogurt smoothie, my hunger was completely satisfied until well-after I typically eat lunch. Filling meals that still allow me to feel light are my favorite.

Soaing the banana bread in the egg mixture.

Non-stick pans are super nice 'cus I barely need any fat/oil/butter to cook in them.

Mmmm, maple syrup-soaked french toast banana bread, perfect after a morning jog.

Banana Bread French Toast for One

2 thin slices of banana bread (about as thin as an iPhone... yes, I am a member of Generation Y)
1 egg, beaten
3 tablespoons milk
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Real maple syrup for serving

Carefully whisk together egg, milk, and cinnamon in a medium/shallow bowl (Big enough and shallow enough to fit in the pieces of bread lying down flat so that they can soak up the egg. I use a square Tupperware).
Place pieces of bread in the egg mixture and let rest 30-60 seconds, then flip so the other side can soak 30-60 seconds.
Drop soaked pieces of bread into a lightly buttered or greased fry pan over medium heat and cook for about 1-2 minutes on each side (or until your desired level of golden brown appears).
Serve on a plate and be sure to drizzle with real maple syrup to make up for the fact that both the banana bread (if you used the recipe I posted last week) and the egg mixture have almost no sugar in them.

Suggestion: smear peanut butter on the top of one slice and place the 2nd slice on top like a peanut butter french toast sandwich.

Goat Cheese and Wheat Berry Salad

What to do with that awesome goat cheese that you bought for those delicious sweet potatoes a few days ago? Well, no fear, I have an answer (besides eating it straight up because it's just so dang delicious). You can make this warm wheat berry salad filled with lots of goodness (sweet dates, chewy walnuts, fresh argula) and top it with goat cheese and an orange vinaigrette.

I took this to work with me for my lunch and found myself watching the clock the entire time -not to go home, but to be able to eat this! I really liked the contrast between the warm wheat berries and the cool crumbled cheese. Also, the edamame pumps up the protein and the color =).

Goat Cheese and Wheat Berry Salad
Adapted from Health Food for Living

4-5 servings

1 cup uncooked wheat berries, rinsed

Kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

zest and juice from 1 orange

1 tsp coarse ground Dijon mustard

1 tsp pure maple syrup

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup chopped pitted soft Medjool dates, about 6 dates (or 8 smaller ones, if you can't find Medjool)  2/3 cup walnut halves, toasted and chopped

10oz bag of frozen, shelled edemame, prepared according to package directions

3 big handfuls arugula leaves

1/3 cup crumbled soft goat cheese

Cover wheat berries by 1 inch with water in a medium saucepan set over high heat. 

Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer until chewy, about 50 minutes (taste and cook for an additional 5-10 minutes if you'd like). Drain and transfer to a medium bowl.

While wheat berries are cooking, whisk together the orange zest and juice, mustard, maple syrup, & olive oil in a small bowl to make the vinaigrette. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

While the drained cooked wheat berries are still warm, toss with the orange vinaigrette. 

Fold in the chopped dates, walnuts, and edamame. Fold in the arugula leaves until slightly wilted. Serve topped with the crumbled goat cheese.

Lemon Pie

Why is citrus season in the winter? I mean, when I think of a season that goes with citrus, it's usually summer. Lemonade, orange creamsicles, citrus tarts... all of those things come out during the summer. The only reason I can think of for God making citrus fruits ripen in December and January is that he wanted to give us a reminder that summer will return. That has to be it, right? Because there is nothing that can make me smile like the sun just came out like a slice of lemon pie.

Also, the lemons looked so pretty at the grocery store and this recipe is soooo fast and easy! I knew I had to make this. At any rate, it was a good way to avoid studying for statistics exam that I might*possibly*probably will fail... I guess I should have gotten a tutor earlier than one week before the final. Maybe eating lemon pie will lessen the blow of failing.

Simple Lemon Pie
1 unbaked pie crust
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
Juice of 2 lemons

Grease a 9-inch pie tin and place unbaked pie crust in the tin. Preheat oven to 350F.
In a medium bowl, stir sugar into butter until fully incorporated. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in lemon juice. Pour into unbaked pie crust. Bake pie in 350F oven for 10 minutes, then turn oven down to 325F and bake for 35 more minutes. Let cool and place in fridge for at least 2 hours. Serve cold.

Apple Pie for Breakfast

Thoughts this morning:
"Mmmmm, pumpkin pie... I really want that. But it's breakfast, I really should not have pie for breakfast, especially not before a cardio work out and yoga.
Yogurt looks good... but not as good as pumpkin pie...
There are those sauteed apple chunks from last night that I cooked and then decided not to eat, I should use those up... yogurt and apples and pie... Apple pie smoothie!"

Yup, that's how I decided on an apple pie smoothie for breakfast. It was delicious and I have no regrets about skipping the pumpkin pie.

Apple Pie Breakfast
Yield: 1 breakfast =)

2/3 cup Stoney Field vanilla yogurt (I use this kind because it is not sickeningly sweet)
1 apple, peeled, cored, diced and sauteed with water until mushy
2-3 tablespoons apple cider
1/8-1/4 teaspoon apple pie spice, depending on preference

Place all ingredients in a blender on medium or high for about 30 seconds. Enjoy!

Simple Pumpkin Soup

• It's Fall! The colors are gorgeous, the air is crisp, and the days are perfect for enjoying a game of catch or a nice run at the arboretum. In fact, I actually tried honing my baseball throwing skills while babysitting the other day. It was a wonderful! I forgot how much fun hanging out with kids is and how it reminds me to slow down and not take life for granted. 
• The perfect way to not take life for granted is a bowl of soup with a slice of homemade bread. When I was trying to think of an easy and affordable meal to serve at church last week, I was reminded of pumpkin soup. I had never heard of such a thing as pumpkin soup until this year, but I love pumpkin and had to try it. This recipe is so easy! If you are looking for a good soup appetizer for this Thanksgiving, I highly recommend this one. Next time I make it, I am going to try it with a rind of Parmesan cheese cooking in the pot (I will remove it before I serve the soup).  Feel free to let me know if you get a chance to throw a cheese rind into the mix before I do!
• Pumpkin Soup
  Adapted from All*You
  Makes 4-5 servings
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 2 (15 oz.) cans solid packed pumpkin
• 1 quart chicken broth
• 1 cup milk 
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon rubbed sage
• Freshly ground pepper, to taste

• Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat; add onion and cook, stirring often until very soft, about 8 minutes. Add pumpkin, water, milk, syrup, salt and pepper; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes, whisking often. (Soup can be made 1 day ahead. Let cool and then cover and chill. Bring to a simmer before serving.)

Pumpkin Delight

While looking through some old (1960's and 70's) cookbooks that my roommate and her mom found while antiquing, I came across this recipe. I had to try it. I mean, it's called "Pumpkin Delight." It's the perfect season to try such things, even if it means using a cake mix. This recipe ends up being almost like pumpkin pie filling, topped with something like a a thick, sweet, pecan-studded crust/shortbread. I highly recommend it if you are looking for an easy dessert to serve to a group

Pumpkin Delight

1 (29 oz.) Can Pumpkin 

1 (13 oz.) Can Evaporated Milk 

1 Cup Sugar 

¼ teas. Pumpkin Pie Spice 

½ teas. Cinnamon 

3 Eggs 

1 Box Yellow Cake Mix 

1 Cup Pecans (chopped) 

1 Cup Butter or Margarine (melted)

Beat together pumpkin, milk, sugar, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and eggs. Pour into a greased 9x13 glass baking dish. Sprinkle the dry cake mix evenly over the pumpkin mixture, then sprinkle on pecans. Drizzle melted butter over the top. Bake at 350F for 1 hour. Chill. Cut into squares, top with whipped cream, and enjoy!

Yellow Dal

It's another chilly Friday filled with reading for school, but I don't mind because I started my day off with a free yoga class from the Lexington Healing Arts Academy. Now that I have read some scripture, focused my mind and body, and made some simple dal, I can sit down with my tea and read about American diplomacy/negotiating strategy.

If you are like me and have been neglecting the "third pillar" of physical fitness (cardiovascular/aerobic, muscular strength/endurance, and flexibility), yoga is a great way to relieve stress and work on flexibility at the same time. I also find that, when I include it as part of my morning routine, it helps me to be more in touch with my body throughout the day. What does being "in touch with my body" mean? When I use that phrase, I mean being able to hear and identify what my body is asking for, whether it be more or less of a specific type of food/nutrition or a kind of movement (running, dancing, strength training, or a walk at the arboretum).

Believe it or not, now that I have been trying to listen to what my body wants and have given myself permission to follow those requests for over a year, I actually find that I crave things like carrots much more than ice cream. I always thought that if I ate what I truly wanted, I would eat nothing but cookies and cake, but it has been the the opposite. Of course, I still love a good dessert and eat them at least once a day, but I find I am satisfied with smaller amounts and do not "crave" them in a frightening way like I used to.

Preparing the onions, garlic, and masala.

Cooking the yellow split peas.

Time to mix the onion mixture and yellow split peas together. It smells so good!

Simplest Yellow DalFrom Whole Foods

1 cup yellow split peas
3 cups water
½ teaspoon sea salt, more to taste
2 cups chopped yellow onion, divided
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 teaspoons garam masala
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Whole wheat naan, for serving (no longer gluten free if you serve with naan, btw)

Rinse peas and soak in water for 10 minutes. Drain, rinse and place in a medium saucepan with water, salt and ½ cup of the onion. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover, and simmer until the peas are tender, 45 to 50 minutes.

While the split peas are cooking, heat oil in a skillet and sauté the remaining onion with garlic and garam masala over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until they are golden, soft, and just beginning to brown, 10 to 15 minutes.

Add the onion mixture to the cooked peas, stirring to combine. Simmer 10 to 15 minutes to blend flavors. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

Serves 4 to 6.

Florida+Me=Seafood for dinner!

Growing up, I lived a mere 45 minutes from the Atlantic Ocean, but somehow seafood never had much of a hold on me, that is, until I moved to Kentucky. Now when I come home, all I can think about is how I "need" to eat seafood.

The only bummer is that my dad and sister are not big fans of it, so I try to make seafood dishes that are easy for both of them to adapt to their liking. Fish tacos are great because they use white fish (pleasing my dad) and you can easily substitute beans or chicken for the fish (making my sister happy).

If you prefer, you can marinade your fish and shrimp in a citrus mix or anything you like (tequila?), but I never feel like marinades add much flavor when you consider how much work and time goes into them.

Anyway, hope you are enjoying your summer. I am loving Orlando and being so close to the beach. I went up to Daytona last night with a new friend and enjoyed a mahi mahi sandwich while watching the ocean -something close to heaven on earth. The only thing that would make it better is if I find a morning yoga class on the beach (but this is my vacation and I am not about to get up early).

Fish frying up.

Simple Fish and Shrimp Tacos Serves about 6

2 lbs. shrimp*, peeled and de-veined, un-tailed, sliced in half if they are too large to fit inside a taco
1.5 lbs. fish (cod, tilapia, catfish, flounder – any white flaky fish you like), cut into bite-sized pieces
1 cup Panko bread crumbs
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon chili powder
¼ teaspoon black pepper
Vegetable or canola oil, for frying

20-25 corn tortillas, warmed
Lime wedges, for garnish (do not skip! A squeeze of fresh lime is essential for a good fish and shrimp taco)
Avocado wedges, for garnish
Pico de gallo, for garnish
Sour cream or plain greek yogurt, for garnish.

*I buy frozen, pre-cooked shrimp, so if you are like me, the only thing you need to do is to thaw your shrimp according to the directions on the package and take off the tails.

To make the breading for the fish, combine the panko, flour, salt, chili powder, and pepper. Whisk to combine.

Prepare two large skillets: one for the shrimp and one for the fish. Heat each over medium-high heat with a little oil to keep them from burning.

Dip the fish in the breading, then add to the hot oil in the pan, frying in batches for 2 minutes or so on each side, until golden and cooked through. Remove the cooked fish from the pan with a slotted spatula and set on another plate, then cover with foil to keep warm.

For the shrimp, cook them (in batches, depending on how big your skillet is) over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes on each side, until pink and cooked through (they will probably curl up). Place them on another plate and cover with foil until ready to serve.

When you are ready to serve, heat your tortillas in the oven or in a skillet so they are no longer completely soft, fill with the shrimp and/or fish, and top with your favorite toppings and be sure to serve with margaritas.

CousCous with Roasted Bell Peppers, Turmeric and Mango Sausage, Cherry Tomatoes

Yum, a big bowl of couscous. What isn't to love about that?

Summer makes me want simple and light dishes that rely on the boldness of just a few, high-quality ingredients. Though, I have to admit, I am in the mood for light dishes almost every day, so maybe summer just makes me want simple and bold dishes.

My roomie roasting peppers. Yep, she's that awesome.

Indian Infused CousCous

2 cups cooked couscous

2 Turmeric Mango sausages from whole foods

2 roasted red peppers, chopped

3 garlic cloves, chopped

1/4 cup onion, finely minced

1 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half

Place a fry pan or grill pan over medium heat and cook sausages. Add garlic and onion if using a fry pan, until softened/fragrant (it is easier to use a separate pan for the onion and garlic if using a grill pan for the sausage). Cut sausages into bite-size coins. Toss together all ingredients and enjoy!

Dollar Burgers!

Whole Foods had $1 burgers (Raw, 6oz, pre-formed patties). My roomie and I just barely got some, since there were limited quantities. We were so excited for good quality meat that we decided to go simple and just enjoy the meat itself. Going simple to us means only adding a few things to the burgers: bacon and pepper. I am sure that a bit of onion would also be yummy next time.

Bacon and Pepper Burgers

2 6oz raw burgers/ground beef (good quality beef)

4 pieces of bacon, cooked and chopped/crumbled

1 tablespoon, or more, of freshly ground black pepper

Dash of salt

Asiago cheese, for slicing up and putting on the burger

Burger buns (I use whole wheat english muffins), lettuce, tomatoes, condiments

Mix the first 4 ingredients, form into burgers, grill to your preference.

Assemble burger however your heart desires, just make sure to include the Asiago.

Enjoy.

Dark Chocolate Cherry Smoothie

So good, so easy. And pretty dang good for you. Definitely try this for breakfast, a snack, or even dessert.

1/2 cup dark chocolate almond milk
1/2 cup of plain greek yogurt
3/4 cup of fresh cherries, pitted and stemmed

Place all ingredients in a blender for 30 seconds. Enjoy!

*Feel free to adjust the amounts of milk and yogurt, or even add ice, depending on what texture you prefer.

Blackened Salmon

Ok, I splurged. My grocery bill is a ridiculously large portion of my budget as it is, but this week it has definitely gone overboard. The salmon at Whole Foods was just so beautiful, I couldn't resist it. I wanted to do something simple with it so that I could really appreciate the taste of wild caught salmon. To let it shine, I chose cheesey polenta with swiss chard (from my pastor's garden) as the side.

1 tablespoon of blackened seasoning

2 6oz fillets of salmon

Sprinkle blackened seasoning evenly over fillets.

Cook salmon in 1 tablespoon hot oil in same nonstick skillet over medium heat 4 to 6 minutes on each side or just until fish begins to flake with a fork. Remove from pan onto serving plates.

Brownie Cookies

I have a confession, a kind of guilty pleasure. Brownie mix cookies. They are sooo rich and then you add the chocolate chips and they are to-die-for. Believe me, if you are having a chocolate craving, this will more than satisfy. I'm slightly ashamed that it is from a mix, but it is a doctored mix at least, right? They are just so irresistible! Bring them to your next get-together and just wait for the "oooohs and ahhhhs" to begin.

I got home from work today and knew I had to make them. It was one of those long and tedious days when you want to go home even before you walk inside, and then, two hours into your shift, you end up bleeding through (thank goodness for black pants) and have no feminine items on hand. However, when I ate these cookies witch a cold glass of milk from a local farm, my day automatically became perfect. Even with the fact that I chipped my tooth last night and have a slightly exposed nerve, haha. Yay brownie cookies.

Double Chocolate Brownie Cookies!

19.5 oz Brownie Mix

¼ cup butter, melted

4oz cream cheese, softened

1 egg

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (or more, if you would give you are anything like me and would be tempted to chop off your right hand for chocolate)

Preheat oven to 350F.

Mix all ingredients except chocolate chips in a bowl with a spoon until well blended. Dough will be sticky.

Fold in chocolate chips.

Drop onto ungreased cookie sheets by the tablespoon. Should make 24-30 cookiesBake for 13-15 minutes. Let cool. Enjoy!

Peach Mint Breakfast Shake

Yes, this shake is in a coffee mug thing because I have yet to buy real glasses. However, despite the fact that I don't have real glasses, I do have white and red and champagne glasses, in addition to 3 nalgene water bottles.

I went to the farmers' market after the early church service this morning and was inspired by all of the peaches and the overabundance of mint in my herb garden, so I made this for my roomie and me when I got home. I also picked up some organic, locally grown chicken thighs that she and I will find something to do with, even with our partially-destroyed kitchen (leaking pipes have rotted the wall where the stove and oven are hooked up).

Peach Mint Breakfast Shake

Serves 2 (not terribly hungry) people

1/2 cup vanilla yogurt

1/2 cup plain greek yogurt

1/2 cup milk

2 peaches, pitted and sliced/chopped

2 sprigs of fresh spearmint leaves, chopped

Mix all ingredients together in a blender, enjoy!

Hint: I think a little bit of lime juice and maybe some ginger and/or coconut would be delicious in this. Or, instead of vanilla yogurt, substitute chocolate chip mint ice cream!

Mac N Cheese

The last few days have been ones of change: packing up my belongings, starting a new job, and beginning a 3-week period of couch surfing. Overall, the new job has been surprisingly pleasant and couch surfing isn't all that bad with an air mattress and some good friends.

Because I am staying in other people's houses, my culinary adventures are going to be fairly limited over the next few weeks, but I am going to do my best to eat more than just scrambled eggs and peanut butter sandwiches. This week, the Tuesday night get-together was a potluck, so I decided to make the classic potluck entrée, mac n cheese. I bought all of the ingredients on the way there, showed up an hour early, and made the dish at my friends' house. Let's just say that there was none left at the end of the night =).

Baked Mac n' Cheese

Adapted from Southern Living

1 pound uncooked pasta -I used penne, the original recipe calls for cellentani

2 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons flour

1 cup milk

1 (12-oz.) can evaporated milk

2 cups (8 oz.) shredded smoked Gouda cheese

1 (3-oz.) package cream cheese, softened

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper, divided

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1 (8-oz.) package chopped cooked, smoked ham

2 cups cornflakes cereal, crushed

2 tablespoons butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350°. Prepare cellentani pasta according to package directions. Transfer hot pasta to a large bowl.

Melt 2 Tbsp. butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Gradually whisk in flour until smooth; cook, whisking constantly, 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk and evaporated milk; cook, whisking constantly, 3 to 5 minutes or until thickened. Whisk in Gouda, cream cheese, salt, and 1/4 tsp. ground red pepper, and nutmeg until smooth. Remove from heat, and stir in chopped ham.

Combine pasta and Gouda cheese mixture, and pour into a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish. Stir together 2 cups crushed cereal, 2 Tbsp. melted butter, and remaining 1/4 tsp. ground red pepper; sprinkle over pasta mixture.

Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until golden and bubbly. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Make me anything except a tuna salad sandwich

As some of you may know, my mother visited me about two weeks ago. We had a great time exploring Lexington and the small towns that surround it (Versailles, Georgetown, Midway, Wilmore) and she bought me lots of stuff that I had been too cheap to buy myself, like mascara and a candle lighter.

Because she is caring enough to not want to see her baby starve, she also stopped by the grocery store to get herself some cereal for breakfast and to pick me up some goodies while I was at work. Also, I asked for a can of tuna, since they were 3 for a dollar and I figured, heck, it's 33 cents, might as well get one. However, when she returned, she did not return with just one can of tuna, but 6. Thank goodness that stuff lasts forever. I like tuna a lot, but 6 cans is a lot for one person. Luckily, I have the internet to help me come up with more creative uses for tuna than just the typical tuna salad sandwich.

I love you, Mom. Thank you for all the yummy food and the great weekend.

Tuna Balls with Asparagus

Adapted from BBC

Makes 2 adult portions

Ready in 30 minutes

5oz can tuna in water, drained

1/4 cup fresh breadcrumbs

1/4 cup cheddar , finely grated

1 large egg , lightly beaten

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

2 tbsp olive oil , for frying

1 cup uncooked, wheat rotini pasta

10 stalks of asparagus

*you can always substitute frozen peas and add in at the same time as corn

a handful of frozen corn pieces

1 tablespoon parmesan cheese, grated

Cook the pasta according to directions. Add asparagus to the boiling pasta/water for the last 5 minutes, then add the corn for the last minute. Drain.

To make the tuna balls, spoon the tuna into a 2-3 cup bowl and stir in the breadcrumbs and grated cheese. Add the beaten egg and Italian seasoning and stir again until everything is well mixed.

Form into 8-10 balls the a tad smaller than ping-pong balls, then chill until you're ready to cook.

Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat and fry the balls for 8-10 minutes, turning often, until they're golden brown. Drain them on a paper towel and keep warm.

Toss pasta, asparagus, corn, and tuna balls. Top with parmesan.

Easy, Easy Key Lime Pie

One of Florida's greatest gifts to the world is the Florida Keys. Beautiful mangroves, clear blue water, soft sand, Hemingway's 7-toed cats* and a fun atmosphere. Also, the 7-Mile Bridge always inspires awe in me, as well as a ridiculously overwhelming fear that I will fall off the edge and die in my car.

The most important, in my opinion, is the small and delicious Key Lime. As citrus season is pretty much over, I am running a little behind to be making a Key Lime Pie, but I just couldn't help myself. Key Limes are still in the stores and I had vowed back in January to make one with real Key Limes (it just tastes gross with regular limes).

*I took piano lessons from a woman who literally COLLECTED "Hemingway cats" (cats with 7 toes on each foot). If that's not the greatest example of a stereotype, crazy piano teacher, I don't know what it is. We were always stopping in the middle of lessons because the cats were getting into something. Not surprisingly, I did not make it very far in my career as a concert pianist.

Key Lime Pie

Adapted from Emeril

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1/2 cup granulated sugar

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick butter) melted

2 (14-ounce) cans condensed milk

1 cup key lime juice (do not use regular limes)

2 whole eggs

1 cup sour cream

2 tablespoons powdered sugar

1 tablespoon lime zest

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

In a bowl, mix the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter with your hands. Press the mixture firmly into a 9-inch pie pan, and bake until brown, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature before filling.

Lower the oven temperature to 325 degrees F.

In a separate bowl, combine the condensed milk, lime juice, and eggs. Whisk until well blended and place the filling in the cooled pie shell. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes and allow to chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

Once chilled, combine the sour cream and powdered sugar and spread over the top of the pie using a spatula. Sprinkle the lime zest as a garnish on top of the sour cream and serve chilled.

Gluten-Free Dinner for 20+ Made Easy

This weekend I was given the opportunity to make dinner for a wonderful group of people with whom I attend church (sorry if that's incorrect grammar). Because so many people are trying to be healthy or have dietary restrictions, I tried to think of something yummy, nutritious, gluten-free, and cheap, so of course Black Bean Soup came to mind.

Being that this soup is primarily compromised of my favorite combo, onions+green peppers, this is one of my favorite meals. I like to make it a few days ahead of time to give the flavors time to really come out and to allow it to thicken up. Actually, if you allow it to thicken up over 2 or 3 days, it will become very thick and remind you of your grandma's authentic Cuban black beans and rice (or maybe that's just me). Serve it over brown rice and top with plain yogurt (or sour cream) and shredded cheese. Magnificent.

A double batch of this soup, along with rice, cheese, and sour cream, ran me less than $1.50 per person, when feeding 20 people. Seriously though, it was probably cheaper per person because I probably have enough for leftovers to feed at least 6 people soup with the rice, cheese, and sour cream.

Honestly, if you are looking to cut down on fat, you can halve the bacon in this recipe and still have it turn out well (I did that when I served it for my family's Christmas Eve dinner in 2010). There is a ton of protein from the black beans, then lots of carrots, tomatoes, and green peppers boost your veggie intake. I put plain yogurt and cheese on top for deliciousness and calcium. The brown rice makes for a great, gluten-free complex carbohydrate. All in all, this is one yummy and good-for-you meal, so be sure to finish it off with a big chocolate chip cookie or something, k?

Black Bean Soup

adapted from Food Network

Note: to serve 20+, double the soup recipe and make sure you have a 9 quart stock pot.

5 slices bacon, finely chopped (cut fat: 3 will work too, or just bacon grease)

2 medium onions, chopped (about 2 1/2 cups)

1 to 2 large diced green peppers (I use two because I love green peppers)

5 diced carrots

4 garlic cloves, minced very finely (no one wants a huge bite of garlic)

1 (14 1/2-ounce) can reduced-sodium chicken broth

1 1/2 cups canned diced tomatoes

2 tablespoons ketchup

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon chili powder

4 (15 1/2-ounce) cans black beans, drained but not rinsed

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 bunch cilantro

Juice of 1 lime

Thinly sliced scallions, for garnish

Plain yogurt or sour cream, for garnish

Grated cheddar, for garnish

Brown rice, to serve with

Put the bacon into a large heavy pot and place it over medium heat. Cook until it starts to give up its fat, about 4 minutes. Stir in the onions, green pepper, carrots and cook, stirring, until the onions start to turn translucent and carrots soften, about 6 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until you can smell it, about 1 minute.

Add the broth, tomatoes, ketchup, Worcestershire, and chili powder. Stir in the beans, turn the heat to high and bring to a boil. Adjust the heat so the soup is bubbling gently and cook 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, pick off all the thick stems from the cilantro. Wash it and shake dry. Chop the cilantro coarsely and stir it into the soup when it has been simmering 10 minutes. cook until the soup is thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the lime juice. Serve with the garnishes.

Seriously guys, don't skip the yogurt/sour cream and the cheese, they make the dish!

Oh, and if you happen to have a ham bone and some ham around, feel free to throw that in too.

The same goes for a bay leaf.

After a few days, everything mushes together and becomes less vibrant, but -in my opinion- more flavorful.

Cold-Brewed Coffee

Coffee is something some people see as utilitarian (the only way to wake up in the morning), some see it as almost an art form of choosing the right region's soil, the perfect roasting conditions, etc. But if you're like me, coffee is mostly what you drink when you want to relax in a nice, cozy coffee shop or sit down to talk to some friends.

I like the smell of coffee and the taste of coffee-flavored foods, but the taste is so bitter and it is so acidic that I usually end up masking the coffee flavor with generous amounts of milk and honey.

Well, I have found the answer: cold-brewed coffee. The process brings out the flavor of the coffee and leaves behind most of the bitterness and acidity. As far as I can conclude from reading various websites, cold-brewed coffee stays good for 7-10 days in the fridge and only has 30% less caffeine than traditionally-brewed coffee. The only drawback is the 12 hour or overnight brewing time required, but if you are like most people with an automatic-timer on their coffee pot, you set up your coffee the night before anyway. Even if you don't do that, it keeps for at least a week, so you can always make it ahead of time and keep it around for when you get a craving.

For my first attempt, I used my Barnie's Decaffeinated Cupcake-Flavored Coffee. It was delicious. I could have taken it black, but I added the tiniest bit of milk and sugar 'cus I love sweet things (example: faced with choosing between French fries or cookies, I will take cookies every time). Next time I will try it with my Snickerdoodle flavored coffee!

Anyway, so here's the deal, taken from this lovely NYTimes article:

Ingredients:
1/3 cup ground coffee (medium-coarse grind is best and I recommend flavored coffees)
Water, cold or room temperature

1. In a jar, stir together coffee and 1 1/2 cups water. Cover and let rest at room temperature overnight or 12 hours.

2. Strain twice through a coffee filter, a fine-mesh sieve or a sieve lined with cheesecloth. I simply put a coffee filter in my coffee-maker and poured the grounds/water mixture into the filter where you would normally just put the grounds. Be sure to pour slowly so that you don't get a messy overflow of wet coffee grounds. Discard grounds. You now have a coffee concentrate that will keep in the fridge for a week or so.

3. In a tall glass filled with ice, mix equal parts coffee concentrate and water, or to taste. If desired, add milk and sweetener.To make hot coffee, dilute concentrate one-to-one with water and heat in the microwave.

Makes 2 drinks.

Simply heat in the microwave if you desire hot coffee.

Blueberry Banana Wake Up.

Ever since I tried making a smoothie with banana, blueberries, milk, coconut, lime juice, and ginger, I've been trying to figure out how I can put those ingredients into pretty much everything. My answer to my blue-banana-coconut-ginger-lime craving this morning was oatmeal. Mmmmm. There's pretty much only good things in this! Calcium to fight osteoporosis, complex carbohydrates for energy, blueberries for antioxidants, banana and coconut for yumminess, lime and ginger for some help waking up.

There were Pillsbury cinnamon rolls in the oven for the kids when I started work today (which, incidentally, taste nothing like cinnamon rolls to me, but are tasty anyway, especially when topped with homemade orange-mascarpone icing), so I was pretty glad to have something that would keep me full and satisfied a tad longer than cinnamon rolls, in addition to being yummy enough to distract me from the oh-so addictive cinnamon roll icing. Ok, so I did give in and lick the spoon after icing the little boy's roll, big deal =).

Blueberry Banana Oatmeal for One

1/3 cup rolled oats

2/3 cup milk

1/2 frozen banana, defrosted/mashed

1/4 cup fresh blueberries

1 tablespoon coconut (unsweetened, shredded)

1/8 teaspoon ginger

1/2 teaspoon of lime juice, optional

Mix together in 2-cup microwave-safe bowl, microwave on high for 2 minutes. Let cool and thicken for 5-10 minutes. Enjoy!