Cod en Papillote with Zucchini, Tomatoes, and Basil

Another night, another solo dinner, and this time, rather than going vegetarian, I decided to buy some seafood for myself!  I believe I've mentioned it in the past, but seafood, really any kind, is my favorite type of food in the world.  I don't buy it as often as I'd like because of the expense involved, but ideally I'd like to incorporate at least two days worth of seafood in my weekly menus.  At the moment, I'm lucky if I can do one, but someday.... someday....  Since I was just cooking for myself tonight though, the expense was minimal, hooray!!

I've been intrigued by the whole parchment/foil packet cooking method for a while now.  I have quite a few recipes bookmarked that I'd like to try like this, and this, and this, but I just haven't gotten around to making them.  It's not that I'm intimidated, in fact, I didn't doubt that this was a simple cooking method, it's just one of those things that I kept putting off for no reason whatsoever!  I decided that tonight was the night, and because I had some yellow zucchini from the farmer's market to use, and my cherry tomatoes and basil are exploding in my garden... and because this is another thing that my boyfriend wouldn't eat due to his aversion to zucchini and tomatoes (craziness!!), this was absolutely perfect for just me.  In fact this was soooooo good that I want to cook this for my family when I go on vacation with them in a week- oh my goodness, I just can't wait for vacation!!!!!

This is an easily customizable recipe which makes it just perfect no matter what ingredients you have on hand, and what your personal preferences are.  I wouldn't omit the fish (obviously!), but you could use any kind of firm, flaky white fish, but you could customize the veggies to your choosing.  Serious Eats, which is where this recipe comes from, mentions sugar snap peas and asparagus as potential substitutions.  

Seriously guys, make this!!!!  It is so flavorful and amazingly delicious.  It is also incredibly easy and fancy looking.  It's perfect for a solo dinner, or a dinner party!

Cod en Papillote with Zucchini, Tomatoes and Basil

Serves 1

Ingredients:

1 small to medium zucchini (green or yellow), thinly sliced

1 boneless, skinless cod fillet (about 6 ounces)

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

A pinch of dried red chili flakes

1 clove garlic, minced

8 leaves fresh basil

8 cherry tomatoes

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into about 6 small pieces

1 tbsp dry white wine

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Tear off about a 12" by 24" piece of parchment or tinfoil and fold in half to make a crease.  Unfold, and place on a baking sheet.  

2. Assemble the packet by laying down your zucchini in the center of one of the sides of the parchment paper, leaving at least a one-inch border.  Place cod on the bed of zucchini, then sprinkle on salt and pepper, chili flakes and garlic.  Place the basil leaves on top, and your cherry tomatoes (they will probably want to roll off, but I found placing them stem side down helps).  Then top with your butter pieces, olive oil and white wine.

3. Fold the parchment paper in half over the fish and start crimping from one corner, and going all the way around to the other side to secure.  

4. Bake for about 12 minutes, until the fish is cooked though.  

5. Once done, you can place the parchment packet directly on your plate, and open at the dinner table.

Enjoy!!

Source: Slightly adapted from Serious Eats

Kale and Coconut Salad

I've had this recipe on my radar to try ever since I saw it on a couple of my favorite blogs- first Shutterbean and then Joy the Baker.  After seeing many bloggers posting recipes from Heidi Swanson's cookbook Super Natural Every Day, which this recipe is from, I had to buy it myself.   I guess you could call it peer pressure- but the good kind, not the jumping off a cliff kind.  After going to the farmer's market today, and buying a ginormous bunch of kale, I knew that tonight was the perfect night to finally try out this recipe.  I already had the coconut from some granola I made a few weeks ago, and the other ingredients are all pantry staples for me.... it was just meant to be!  Perfect for a night when my meat-loving boyfriend is at work, and it's just me at home, left to my own devices.... which also includes watching episodes of "Friends" back to back to back, menu planning for next week, and general laziness!  Hey, I already did my workout this morning, so that justifies being lazy for the rest of the day!  I guess this is what constitutes a wild and crazy Friday night when you're 29 1/2 :)

This turned out to be everything I wanted it to be.  Crunchy, chewy, salty, and just downright tasty.  I loved it and could easily have eaten the whole batch in one sitting.  Darn you portion control!!  I had some brown rice in my freezer that I heated up to go with this (seriously one of the best things to do ever- precooking long cooking grains in big batches and freezing for later), and squirted on a touch of sriracha (thanks Joy the Baker for the idea!), and it was sooooooo good.  I didn't even use half of my kale for this salad, so I envision lots of this salad in the next few days- I could easily eat it for every meal.

Kale and Coconut Salad
Serves 4

Ingredients:
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp sesame oil
2 tbsp shoyu, tamari or soy sauce
3 1/2 cups lightly packed cups kale (3.5 oz/100 grams)
1 1/2 cups unsweetened large-flake coconut (3 oz/85 grams)
1 cup uncooked farro, brown rice, quinoa or other whole grain

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cook your grain according to package directions.
3. Trim the stems of your kale, remove the large ribs, and chop.  Mix the kale and coconut together in a large bowl.
4. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, sesame oil, and soy sauce.  Pour about 2/3 of it into the bowl with the kale and coconut, and toss well.
5. Spread kale and coconut mixture on a large baking sheet, and bake for 11-18 minutes, stirring once or twice.  Bake until the coconut is golden brown. and the kale is crispy. 
6. Remove from oven, taste, and if desired add more of the leftover dressing.
7. Serve on top of your grain.

Enjoy!!

Source: Super Natural Every Day

Quinoa-Stuffed Pattypan Squash

What's up guys?!?! It's good to be back! I've been on a super-long hiatus, but hopefully I'll be posting here much more frequently and regularly from now on. I miss my little blog! I've been lacking motivation to blog for a looooooong time....I've been cooking more than ever, but when it comes time to take photos, write a post, edit it and publish, I've been majorly slacking..... But I really want that to change for myself and my readers!! So for my mid-summer resolution, I've decided to try and get back to this whole blogging thingamajig!


In the past 6 months or so I've really been trying to eat healthier, and be more conscious about what enters my body- it is a temple and all that ya know! So expect to see more healthy recipes on here. Now, that certainly doesn't mean I don't indulge in the occasional treat, for example the totally delicious and non-waistline friendly peanut butter pie I made and ate last night for my boyfriend's (30th!!!!) birthday, so expect to still see treats and whatnot as well. 


For my return, I am posting this delicious (and healthy) stuffed squash recipe that I made tonight for dinner. I found these cute Pattypan squash at Whole Foods this weekend and just couldn't resist! They were a really good price ($2.99/lb) especially for being local and organic! Hopefully I'll be able to find more soon since they were so yummy, and I'd love to make this recipe again and try out some others!  I've never cooked Pattypan squash before and so I searched around for a yummy sounding recipe, and stumbled upon one on one of the blogs I regularly read- Oh She Glows- which is a wonderful vegan blog.  I, as you know, am not vegan, but I do try to eat mostly meatless throughout the day, saving meat for dinner, and also sometimes omitting the meat from dinner as well- if my boyfriend is not home- he's definitely the more carnivorous one in out relationship :) 


I did not have all the ingredients needed for that particular recipe, but I used it as inspiration and adapted it to the ingredients in my own pantry/refrigerator.  I'd love to make the original recipe at some point as well, so check that one out too!  It looks awesome!

Quinoa-Stuffed Pattypan Squash
Serves 1


Ingredients:
3 pattypan squash
1/4 cup quinoa
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth (or vegetable broth if you want this to be completely vegetarian)
1-2 small garlic cloves, smashed
1 small zucchini
1 green onion
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1/2 Tbsp unsalted butter
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
2. Bring quinoa, broth, and smashed garlic cloves to a boil over high heat in a small saucepan.  Once it starts to boil, reduce heat to low, and cover.  Cook for 20 minutes.
3. While quinoa is cooking, fill a medium saucepan with water, 1-2 inches high, and bring to a boil.  Add pattypan squash and cook 7-8 minutes.  When done, drain and let cool.
4. Meanwhile, finely chop zucchini and green onion by hand or in a food processor.
5. When the quinoa is cooked, remove the garlic cloves, and mix in the tomato paste, butter, and zucchini mixture.
6. Once cool, cut off the stems of the squash and carefully spoon out the insides- don't throw those away though!  Add the spooned out squash to the quinoa mixture.  (Don"worry if you pierce the bottom of the squash, I did and mine turned out great anyway!)  Season the quinoa-zucchini-pattypan mixture to taste with salt and pepper.
7. Place the hollowed out squash in a baking pan- I used my Pyrex loaf pan and it was the perfect size for my 3 squash.  Stuff your squash with the quinoa mixture until it overflows, and spoon the rest around the squash (you'll most likely have more filling than you can stuff the squash with).
8. Bake the stuffed squash for 20-25 minutes.


Enjoy!


Source: Inspired by Oh She Glows

Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies

Cook's Illustrated is one of my most trusted sources on recipes.  I absolutely love the scientific method they take (one of the reasons I love Alton Brown as well), and the numerous trials they run to develop each recipe perfectly.  Therefore I knew that their recipe for Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies had to be one of the best out there.  It's very similar to the recipe from Baking Illustrated except without that extra dough shaping step, but goes a step further with the cookie flavorwise, not only melting the butter, but browning it as well.  Wow.... If you've never browned butter before, you have to try it, if only to make your kitchen smell like the most amazing place on earth.  That extra step made a subtle difference in the taste of the cookies, adding a depth of flavor that my tasters really loved... this is one of the top two of my trial recipes so far.  Amazingly these cookies got better after a few days of sitting, which I would never have expected cookies to do.  In fact, most of the recipes I've tried have been better after a couple of days, rather than when they first came out of the oven (they were delicious then too)!

Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies

from Cook's Illustrated

Makes about 16 cookies

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (8 3/4 ounces)

1/2 tsp baking soda 

14 tbsp unsalted butter (1 3/4 sticks), divided

1/2 cup granulated sugar (3 1/2 ounces)

3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar (5 1/4 ounces)

1 tsp table salt

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

1 1/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips or chunks

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees, and adjust rack to middle position.  Line 2 large baking sheets (18- by 12- inch) with parchment paper.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and baking soda, set aside.

3. Heat 10 tbsp of butter in a 10-inch skillet, over medium-high heat until melted, about 2 minutes.  Continue cooking, swirling pan constantly, until butter is dark golden brown and has a nutty aroma, 1 to 3 minutes more.  Remove the skillet from the heat, and transfer the butter to a large heat-proof bowl.  Add the remaining 4 tbsp of butter, and stir together until completely melted.

4. Add the granulated sugar, brown sugar, salt, and vanilla to the bowl with the melted butter, and whisk until fully incorporated.  Add the egg and egg yolk and whisk until the batter is smooth, with no sugar lumps, about 30 seconds.  Let mixture stand 3 minutes, then whisk for 30 more seconds.  Repeat this process of resting a whisking 2 more times until the mixture is thick, smooth, and shiny.

5. Add the flour mixture, and stir until just combined, about 1 minute.

6. Add the chocolate chips, and stir to incorporate.

7. Divide the dough into 16 portions, or scoop into 3 tbsp balls (#24 cookie scoop).  Arrange on the prepared baking sheets, 2-inches apart.

8. Bake the cookies one sheet at a time, 10 to 14 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through, until the cookies are golden brown, still puffy, and the edges have begun to set, but the centers are still soft.

9. Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack, and let cool completely before serving.

Notes:

• Once again, I used Ghirardelli 60% cacao chocolate chips for these cookies.
• I loved the way these tasted, but I wanted them to look a bit more crackly.... next time maybe I'll use the method for shaping in the Baking Illustrated recipe.
• The flavor of these was awesome, the texture remained chewy, and they got better by the day!  ..... only time will tell if they become the overall favorite.

Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

.... so I started my Chocolate Chip Cookie Project a few weeks ago, and so far it's been very fun and delicious!  I'm so sorry that it's taken me so long to start posting about the project... I got busy with Halloween, and then the crazy October snowstorm that knocked out our internet for almost a week.... not that I'm complaining though and I got off lucky compared to many people.  Somehow we never lost power, even though 88 percent of our town did, and even now, a week later, over 200,000 people in Connecticut are without power.  A tree did fall on the building I live in a couple of apartments over, but somehow it didn't actually do any damage to the building, other than break a screen door!  Again, I consider myself incredibly lucky!

.... and back to the cookies :)

The first recipe I tried was from Baking Illustrated.  This is a cookbook I don't yet own, but has been on my wishlist for a while.  These cookies were big, and chewy, and very delicious, although out of the four recipes I've tried so far, they haven't received any votes for the best... They are great though, and they are a fairly straightforward recipe, except for the part where you actually shape the balls of dough... You actually have to make a ball of dough, pull it apart into two halves with your fingers, turn the jagged parts of each side up, and then put the ball of dough back together, leaving the jagged sides facing up... it's a weird step that I haven't seen in any other recipe so far, but it gives the top of the cookie that uneven crackly look that you see in bakeries.

Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

from Baking Illustrated, via Brown-Eyed Baker  

Makes about 18 large cookies

Ingredients:

2 cups plue 2 tbsp (10 5/8 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled until warm

1 cup packed (7 ounces) light or dark brown sugar (I used dark brown)

1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) granulated sugar

1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1- 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees, and place oven rack in middle setting.  Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper, or spray with cooking spray.

2. Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl and set aside.

3. In a separate bowl, or stand mixer, mix together the butter and sugars until thoroughly blended.  Beat in egg, egg yolk, and vanilla until combined.  Add the flour mixture, and beat on low until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips to taste.

4. Roll a scant 1/4 cup of dough into a ball.  Hold the dough ball with the fingertips of both hands and pull into 2 equal halves.  Rotate the halves 90 degrees, and with the jagged surfaces facing up, join the halves together at their base, again forming a single ball, being careful not to smooth the dough's uneven surface.  Place the dough balls on the prepared baking sheet, jagged surface up, 2 1/2 inches apart from each other.

5. Bake 15-18 minutes until the cookies are light golden brown and the outer edges start to harden, but the centers are still soft and puffy.  Cool the cookies on the sheets.  

Notes:

• Like I mentioned, the shaping step in unusual, and I am interested in seeing what happens if you don't perform that step... I know it would alter them visually, but would it affect the texture?  
• The only alteration I made to this recipe was to use bittersweet chocolate chips.... I used Ghirardelli 60 % chips, which I love.  I got comments ranging from not enough chocolate chips, to too many chips, to the perfect amount, to a coworker wanting normal chocolate chips (the semisweet ones)... so I think that's all personal preference.
• Delicious, but these are so far not the favorite among my tasters.... I will be making more batches though as there are some who have requested to be taste-testers yet haven't had the chance to try any of the batches!

Finding the Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie

This past week I was craving chocolate chip cookies- a craving that strikes me often... This craving got me thinking about chocolate chip cookie recipes, and how I've never made one that I've been in love with- most likely because I just haven't tried that many recipes out.  Usually I want immediate gratification and so instead of actually looking up a recipe, I just go with the one on the back of the chocolate chip bag- usually Nestle Tollhouse...  and while it's decent, it could stand for much improvement.  I mean, it makes great cookie dough (for eating before baking), and they are of course good when warm from the oven, but as they sit they become underwhelming.  Everyone has different standards they hold their perfect chocolate chip cookie to, and my idea of a perfect chocolate chip cookie is one that's big and chewy, and stays chewy even after it cools..... and so I've decided to embark on a quest to find my personal favorite chocolate chip cookie.  I've done some research and have a preliminary list of recipes I will try... and I'm sure I'll find more.  I expect this to be a delicious journey, and at the end, I will hopefully find the best chocolate chip cookie known to man.

Here's a list of some of the recipes I'll be trying... If you have a favorite, let me know, and I'll add it to the list!

Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies from Baking Illustrated
Jacques Torres' Chocolate Chip Cookies adapted by The New York Times
Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies from Cook's Illustrated
Alice's Chocolate Chip Cookies from Sweet Savory Life
Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies from Martha Stewart
Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies from Martha Stewart
Alton Brown's The Chewy
Ad Hoc Chocolate Chip Cookies

.... This should be a fun experiment!

Brown Sugar Cookies

My recommendation is that you make these cookies right now.  Just drop whatever you're doing and bake up a batch.  You most likely have all the ingredients in your pantry and it won't be long before you are enjoying one of the most wonderfully delicious cookie recipes ever.  Seriously, these are one of my new favorite cookies- like a cross between sugar cookies and molasses crinkles, they are chewy, buttery, and unbelievably tasty... especially when still warm... not that I would know that or anything- I mean I'd never, ever eat 4 straight off the cookie sheet....

Brown Sugar Cookies

from Joy the Baker, originally from Epicurious

Makes 2 1/2 dozen

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1 1/2 sticks (6 ounces) unsalted butter, softened

1 1/4 cups dark brown sugar

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 large egg

Directions:

1. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and ginger in a medium bowl, and set aside.

2. In a stand mixer mix together the brown sugar and butter on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the egg and vanilla extract, and beat on medium speed for one more minute.

3. Add the dry ingredients all at once to the sugar mixture, and beat on low speed just until the dough comes together and the flour disappears.  Stop the mixer, and finish incorporating the ingredients with a spatula.  Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and place a rack in the center.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.  Dollop tablespoon balls of dough on the baking sheets, and couple of inches apart from each other.

5. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until lightly browned around the edges.

6. Cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes, and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes:

• The cookies will last about 5 days if stored in an airtight container.