Basic Vegan Waffles with Oat Flour

This is a simple recipe for vegan waffles, very basic and plain. You can modify it to your taste by adding things you like to it, like cinnamon and nutmeg, or orange extract, anything you can think of. In my research I found few good recipes for vegan waffles online, but it just wasn't enough, I needed to make few changes here and there. So I came out with this healthy version of my own vegan waffles recipe. I am currently experimenting with oat flour, which is very healthy, has a lot of fiber and protein, and so I wanted to incorporate oat flour into this breakfast (well, or dessert) treat. Waffles came out super tasty, moist on the inside, brown and crispy on the outside. Pictures will follow soon :)


Basic Vegan Waffles

1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup oat flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups soy milk (regular or light)
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 tsp vanilla 
3 TBSP light brown sugar

Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl, add soy milk, oil and sugar and mix until well combined. Pre-heat your waffle iron and make waffles according to the directions. Depends on the size of your iron, this recipe made about 6 - 7" round Belgian waffles. Serve with whatever topping you wish. Hazelnut spread and bananas, fresh fruit and whipped cream, maple syrup... anything you want.

Vegan Coconut Bars

All I have to say is: SUPERB! I love it! Nutty, chocolaty with a lot of coconut flavor coming from sweetened coconut flakes and gooey coconut milk "caramel". Must try this recipe. Like the author calls those - MAGICAL! This is a "do ahead" dessert - it needs to be chilled at least 4 hrs before slicing, but for better results should be chilled overnight. Taste better the next day anyways.

Magical Coconut Cookie Bars

{Recipe adapted from Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar}

1 14 oz can of coconut milk (regular or light, I used light)
2/3 cup of brown sugar
2 cups graham cracker crumb
1/2 cup melted non-hydrogenated margarine
2 TBS sugar
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
2 cups flaked, sweetened coconut
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
(optional - 1/2 cup slivered raw almonds)

In a large saucepan whisk together the coconut milk and brown sugar over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove mixture from the heat and let it cool while preparing the crust.
Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 9 x 13 inch baking pan with parchment paper. In a large bowl combine graham cracker crumbs, melted margarine and 2 TBS sugar. Mix well to moisten all the crumbs. Firmly pressed the crumb mixture into the prepared pan, pressing it evenly.  Pour the warm coconut milk "caramel" over the crust. Top with even layer of the chocolate chip, coconut flakes and nuts, in that order. Firmly pat everything down. Bake 28-30 minutes until golden. Remove from the oven and cool down for few hours before cutting. Best to chill overnight.

My Vegan Journey - the Begining

Today is 30 days sine I stopped eating animal products, eggs, diary, basically anything that comes from animals. I needed a challenge. On February 14, 2011 I decided to give it a try and see if i could be vegan. I quit "cold turkey" or, as I heard them say "cold tofu"... and I like it! I have my moments of weakness when I think I would love to have a big, juicy ham slice with my breakfast, or a turkey sandwich, but I haven't given up, I have been vegan for 30 days and I am going for more, one month at the time... It definitely gets easier and easier. In the moments of weakness I read a story or two from Kathy Freston book "Veganist" or browse through vegan blogs or books in search of inspiration. My vegan cookbook library is growing rapidly, so many amazing recipes and ideas. It's so much more challenging, so much more fun in the kitchen. And my weakness - baking - who needs eggs to make cupcakes? Heavy cream? Why? Use coconut milk... It taste better and definitely a healthier alternative for deserts.

So as I am starting this Vegan Journey, this blog will be my recipe book. I will no longer be posting anything that has meat, cheese, milk or eggs on it. Only vegan recipes :) But please don't be discouraged to check it out once on a while. Just a few months ago, I would never imagine myself not eating meat (believe me! I am 100% polish, all we eat is MEAT!!!) but by exploring the subject, and reading a lot of vegan literature I decided to make the switch. Trying vegan recipes one at the time made me realize that you don't really miss much by eliminating meat and diary from your diet. After one month of being vegan, I noticed small changes in my life. I lost few pounds, I feel better, and I am much more happy. I am so much more concise of what I eat. And I feel great about my small contribution to the world :).

By the way - vegan desserts are awesome! Even if you're not a vegan I encourage you to try vegan baking. My favorite vegan baking books: Isa Chandra Moskovitz & Terry Hope Romero - "Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World" and "Vegan Cookies Invade your Cookie Jar", also "The Joy of Vegan Baking" by Colleen Patrick Gourdeau.

Curried Quinoa Salad with Mango

My friend brought it over for a party and I fell in love with this wonderful and easy dish. Served over bed of fresh spinach makes a quick and easy lunch. Holds well in the refrigerator for few days. The original recipe is from Epicurious and I made few little changes to my taste. This is 100% vegan.

• 1 cup uncooked white Quinoa
• 1 cup diced seedless cucumber
• 1 mango, diced
• 2 TBS chopped green onions or chives
• 1 tsp chopped cilantro (optional)

Dressing:

• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 2 TBS rice vinegar (or any other vinegar)
• 1 TBS mango chutney
• 1 1/2 tsp curry powder
• 1/4 tsp dry mustard
• 1 TBS agave nectar (optional)

For 1 cup of quinoa you need about 2 cups of water. Cook quinoa in medium pot of boiling salted water over medium heat until tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally, about 12 minutes. Drain well; cool. Transfer to medium bowl.

Meanwhile, whisk all dressing ingredients in small bowl to blend. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper. Add chopped mango, cucumber, green onions, and cilantro. 

Vegan Fudge Brownie Cupcakes

Very easy recipe. Yummy vegan brownie cupcakes. Definitely tastes like fudge brownie, with the light and airy consistency, not dense like expected from the fudge brownie. Just sprinkled with powdered sugar is enough, although chocolate fudge frosting would be a nice complement.

• 1 1/2 cups unbleached flour
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup coffee
• 3/4 cup soy milk
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 325 F. Grease 9 x 9 inch brownie pan. Or lined cupcake form with cupcake liners.
Mix together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, stir together brown sugar, coffee, soy milk and vegetable oil. Combine the wet and dry mixes and stir to mix well. Stir walnuts into the batter. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, bake 35 minutes. Or fill cupcake liners about 2/3 full. Bake cupcakes about 25 minutes. Insert toothpick to check if done. Cool before sprinkling powder sugar or frosting.

 Makes: 16 cupcakes, 160 calories each. Recipe from "Rebar: Modern Food Cookbook"

Caramel Pumpkin Mousse Pie

Post-thanksgiving recipe for great no-bake caramel pumpkin mousse pie. Very light and tasty, not too heavy in calories. Recipe has 10 servings and about 262 calories per slice. Perfect for holidays. My mother-in-law made it for the Turkey Day and it was gone in no time. I have all the ingredients and I will make it this week, so photo will be added. But trust me - this is by far THE BEST and the EASIEST pumpkin dessert I have ever had.

1 graham cracker crust
6 TBSP caramel topping
2 oz chopped pecans
1 cup 2% milk (or skim milk)
1 box instant vanilla pudding
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
8 oz light whipped topping

Pour 1/4 cup (4 TBSP) caramel topping into the pie crust, sprinkle with half of the amount of pecans.
In a large bowl whisk together milk, pudding mix, pumpkin, cinnamon and nutmeg until well blended. Stir in 1 1/2 cups of the whipped topping. Spread mixture evenly onto the crust. Chill at least one hour.
Top with remaining whipped topping, drizzle with remaining 2 TBSP of caramel topping and sprinkle with the rest of pecans.

Makes: 10 servings, 262 calories per serving (source: Calorie Count.com)

Cranberry Swirl Cheesecake from Cooking Light

First issue of my new Cooking Light subscription finally showed up in my mailbox, and I couldn't resist the cover photography of this beautiful cheesecake with red cranberry swirl. I made it within next couple of days. And I have to say the cheesecake is amazing. Very light and airy with decadent flavor. Definitely a keeper! Great for Holiday season. [It was almost gone before I had a chance to even think of photographing it.]




The cranberry sauce swirl can be replaced with any other fruit swirl, or even a chocolate. The bottom of the cheesecake can be mad with regular Nilla wafers, or graham crackers. If you don't like fruit, i would recommend making white chocolate ganache, or even milk chocolate ganache on top of it to add extra flavor. The base cheese mixture is made using 1/3-less fat cream cheese and fat free yogurt, which helps to keep calories down.

Below is the recipe to save you time for researching the internet.


Crust:
4 ounces chocolate graham crackers
[I used Nilla wafers and 2 TBSP of cocoa powder]
3 tablespoons canola oil

Cranberry Compote/Sauce:
1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup Chambord (raspberry liqueur)
3 tablespoons water

Cheesecake:
1 cup sugar
2 (8 oz.) packages block-style 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup (4 oz.) block-style fat-free cream cheese, softened
1 cup plain fat-free Greek yogurt [I used regular fat free yogurt, not Greek]
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs [I added 4 eggs and skipped egg whites step]
2 large egg whites

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375°. Wrap outside and bottom of a 9-inch springform pan tightly with a double layer of heavy-duty foil.
Place crackers in a food processor; process until finely ground. Drizzle with oil; pulse until combined. Press mixture into bottom and 1/2 inch up sides of prepared pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 375° for 8 minutes; cool on a rack.
Reduce oven temperature to 325°.
Place cranberries, sugar, liqueur, and water in a saucepan; boil. Cook 8 minutes or until cranberries pop and mixture is syrupy. Cool 20 minutes. Place mixture in a food processor; process 1 minute or until smooth.
Combine 1 cup sugar and cheeses in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until smooth. Beat in yogurt, vanilla, and salt. Add whole eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.
Place 2 egg whites in a medium bowl; beat with a mixer at high speed until soft peaks form using clean, dry beaters. Fold beaten egg whites into cream cheese mixture. Pour filling over crust. Spoon cranberry mixture over filling; swirl together using the tip of a knife. Place springform pan in a 13 x 9-inch metal baking pan. Add hot water to pan to a depth of 2 inches. Bake at 325° for 50 minutes or until center of cheesecake barely moves when pan is touched.
Turn oven off. Cool cheesecake in closed oven 30 minutes. Remove cheesecake from oven. Run a knife around outside edge. Cool on a wire rack. Cover and chill 8 hours.

[Photo courtesy of Cooking Light]

Basic Crepes

Crepes are very thin pancakes originated in France and actually considered a french national dish. Made by pouring thin consistency batter onto a flat round pan. The batter is spread evenly by tilting the pan in a circular motion, until it creates a round, thin surface. Sweet or savory can be filled with different ingredients and served as a main course or dessert.

My alltime favorite, since childhood, are crepes filled with vanilla creamed farmer's (cream) cheese and strawberry preserve, dusted with powdered sugar. Sauteed apples with sugar and dash of cinnamon make a delicious crepe filling, topped with homemade whipped cream... yum!
Try crepes with nutella and bananas... especially sauteed bananas. Warm bananas melt the chocolate nutella little bit and make it all just come together in the little bites of heaven.



There are several different versions of recipes for crepes, and they all are pretty good. I usually make crepes from my old family recipe that came from my Aunt Maria, who used to cook for a family of french Counts in Poland back in the 1930's.

Crepes

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• 2 cups AP flour
• 1,5 cup milk
• 1 cup sparkling water (regular water is fine, or milk)
• 2 eggs
• 2 TBS melter butter (or vegetable oil)
• pinch of salt
• 2 TBS sugar
• 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla

Whisk all the ingredients together, the batter should be somewhat thin, much thinner then standard american pancake batter. Refrigerate the batter for 20-30 minutes before using.
Preheat a teaspoon of vegetable oil on a nonstick skillet (use crepe pan if you have it), pour some batter and tilt your pan couple of times around to distribute the batter in a thin, even layer.
Cook on a medium heat about a minute on the first side, flip and another minute or less and the other side. Just until the crepes are lightly golden.

Fill with your favorite filling, and either roll them or fold in a half or quarters...

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Blueberry Scones from America's Test Kitchen

I'm not sure how you like your scones, I like mine light and fluffy and this is by far the best scone I ever had in my entire life. The secret in this recipe is to make sure that you freeze your butter first, then grate it and freeze it again. This allows the butter to get super cold and that is what makes those scones so light and wonderful. I haven't made them yet, but a friend of mine did, and believe me - the BEST scone ever! {Unless you like them crumbly, and dense this will not be what you are looking for.} I will be making them tonight for my Easter Brunch tomorrow morning, so I will post pictures and other comments in another post. :)



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Blueberry Scones
{Recipe from America's Test Kitchen}

• 8 TBS unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp fresh lemon zest
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp baking soda

Freeze your butter before you start. You can do it the night before, or a few hours before.

Preheat oven to 425 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment. Set aside. Grate the butter and set aside in the freezer, again. Freeze your blueberries until you need them in the folding process. Or use frozen ones.

Whisk the milk and sour cream together. Refrigerate until needed, so it stays cold.

In a large bowl, whisk the flour,1/2 cup sugar,baking powder, lemon zest,salt, and baking soda. Add the frozen, gated butter and mix until butter is coated with flour mixture. Fold in the cold milk/sour cream mixture, just until combined - important is not to overmix.

Turn the dough and any floury bits on a well floured counter-top. Flour your hands and the dough and knead for 6-8 times...be gentle. It should just hold together in a raggedy ball. It is a soft/wet dough. It will stick as you knead, so add a bit of flour to prevent it from sticking. I like to use a bench scraper to lift the dough off the counter-top.Roll dough out in a 12 inch(or so) square. Fold the top and chill the dough in the freezer for about 5 minutes.

Flour your counter-top again. Roll the chilled dough again in a 12 inch square. Sprinkle the chilled berries evenly over the whole surface. Fold the sides of the dough to form a 4 inch square. Loosen the dough with a bench scraper. Roll the dough in a log. Turn the seam side down and press down on the log to form a 12x4 inch rectangle.With a floured knife, cut the dough in 4 small rectangles. Cut each rectangle in 2 triangles. Place the scones on a parchment lined baking sheet. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with some raw sugar or regular. Bake for 18-25 minutes OR until light golden brown. Cool 10 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!

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Spinach Artichoke Dip

Sometimes you want to bring something to a party and don’t know what to make. You don’t want to spend all day in the kitchen slaving over a dish that not everybody might like. That’s the tricky part – you want to make sure that whatever you make will be a crowd pleaser.



There are gazillions recipes for spinach artichoke dip, and quite frankly I made several of them, but there is always something that I don’t like about it. Either the consistency or the flavor… I know – how picky of me? One Saturday afternoon I noticed a bag of fresh spinach in my refrigerator, it was couple of days past the “best by” date. I had an open jar of Trader Joe’s marinated artichokes, and pita chips – so what else could go better together than spinach artichoke dip.

I had no recipe.

I just sauteed one small, thinly sliced red onion with about a teaspoon of fresh chopped garlic (or less – whatever you like) added the bag of fresh spinach, which at first looked like way too much, but it will wilt down to almost nothing. After the spinach wilts, added 1/3 less fat cream cheese (8 oz.) and 2-3 TBS of light sour cream. The cheese will start melting as it gets warmer, stir it all together to combine the ingredients and it starts creating creamy consistency. One of the last steps was adding chopped marinated artichokes and some freshly grated Parmesan cheese (cheese is completely optional, as the dip tastes really good without it). Season the dip with salt and pepper and taste it. If the dip is too thick, I add some of the artichoke marinate juice from the jar to loosen it up a little. It all depends what brand of cream cheese you are using. Pour warm dip to a serving bowl and serve with pita chips or baguette.

Adding some thinly sliced, sauteed baby portabella mushrooms (or any mushrooms) is another great way to improve this dip. This recipe can be easily doubled or tripled. Oh, and I just wouldn’t recommend frozen spinach, can’t guarantee the flavor…

I have made this dip more than several times and it's always a winner. :)

Chicken Curry With Sweet Potatoes

Great recipe from Cooking Light magazine. I made it this past weekend for a potluck dinner, it was relatively easy to make even though the list of ingredients seems really long. I had leftover baked sweet potatoes from the night before and I used them, and I added those just couple of minutes before the dish was done cooking, since those were already cooked all the way through.
The picture is from the magazine also, we were running late and I didn't have a chance to do a photo shoot before we left. I served it with steamed jasmine rice, and there was no leftovers. Omitting chicken will make it a great vegetarian recipe.

{Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner; Styling: Sabrina Bone for Cooking Light}

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Sweet Potato Chicken Curry
{Recipe courtesy of Cooking Light Magazine - Danielle Stephenson, MN}

• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 1/2 cups sliced onion
• 1 1/2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 (14-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 2 cups (1/2-inch) cubed peeled sweet potato
• 3/4 cup canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup frozen green peas
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Combine curry powder, coriander, turmeric, salt, black pepper, red pepper, and bay leaf in a small bowl.

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add chicken to pan; sauté 5 minutes or until browned, stirring occasionally. Remove chicken from pan. Reduce heat to medium. Add onion to pan; cook 10 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Increase heat to medium-high; return chicken to pan. Cook 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Stir in ginger and garlic; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add curry powder mixture; cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add broth and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour. Stir in potato and chickpeas. Cook, uncovered, 35 minutes, until fork tender. Add peas; cook 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Remove from heat; stir in lemon juice. Discard bay leaf.

Sweet Potato Buttrnut Squash Gnocchi with Sage Brown Butter

Gnocchi – who doesn’t like gnocchi? Little fluffy and delicate dumplings or I like to call them “pillows” made from potatoes, flour and eggs. Very neutral taste of gnocchi takes on a flavor of sauce it’s served it with. Traditional tomato sauce with garlic and basil makes a great flavor combination for this Italian favorite.

Harvest season is upon us, and I am all about utilizing what fall has to offer in the kitchen. Squash, pumpkins, sweet potatoes, root vegetables, herbs like sage and thyme… great earthy flavors, paired with a glass of good red wine! Makes it autumn my favorite season… gnocchi and harvest - why not make sweet potato and butternut squash gnocchi with brown butter and sage – just the thought of this dish made me hungry!

I did some research on line and found couple of recipes. I based my dinner on the recipe from the October issue of Gourmet Magazine with couple of changes. Have you ever tried gnocchi with brown butter sprinkled with sugar? This is by far the best recipe to try that for the first time. The hint of sweetness from the sweet potato, rich and delicate brown butter and couple of sprinkles of sugar - delicioso! The sugar is optional. I served my gnocchi either with butter and sage or butter and sugar… although mixing both did not taste bad at all… actually it had a quite interesting flavor.

I have to admit the gnocchi itself tasted wonderful, so light and fluffy. I couldn’t put my fork away, it was so good. The ratio of butternut squash is very little, I didn’t want to make my gnocchi too wet, since the sweet potato has already much bigger water content than russet potatoes. And adding too much flour will make them too heavy… so this was basically playing with ingredients and testing the amounts of flour until I achieved the right consistency. The “dough” was still very sticky, it was hard to roll, but it was worth the efforts.

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Sweet Potato Butternut Squash Gnocchi with Sage Butter

• 1 1/4 lb russet (baking potatoes)
• 1 (3/4-lb) sweet potato
• 1/2 cup roasted butternut squash
  
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
• 1/3 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano plus more for serving
• 1 1/2 to 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour plus more for dusting
• 2 TBS extra-virgin olive oil
• 20 sage leaves
• 4 TBS unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 450°F with rack in middle bake russet potatoes, sweet potato the squash and until just tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Cool potatoes slightly, then peel and force through ricer into sheet pan, spreading in an even layer. Cool mixture completely.

Lightly flour 2 or 3 large baking sheets or line with parchment paper. Beat together egg, nutmeg, 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper in a small bowl. Gather potato/squash into a mound in sheet pan, using a pastry scraper if you have one, and form a well in center. Pour egg mixture into well, then knead into potatoes. Knead in cheese and 11/2 cups flour, then knead, adding more flour as necessary, until mixture forms a smooth but slightly sticky dough. Dust top lightly with some of flour. Cut dough into 6 pieces. Form 1 piece of dough into a 1/2-inch-thick rope on a lightly floured surface. Cut rope into 1/2-inch pieces. Gently roll each piece into a ball and lightly dust with flour. Repeat with remaining 5 pieces of dough.

Turn a fork over and hold at a 45-degree angle, with tips of tines touching work surface. Working with 1 at a time, roll gnocchi down fork tines, pressing with your thumb, to make ridges on 1 side. Transfer gnocchi as formed to baking sheets.

Add butter, oil and sage leaves in skillet with 1/2 tsp salt and cook until golden-brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat.

Add half of gnocchi to a pasta pot of well-salted boiling water and stir. Cook until they float to surface, about 3 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to skillet with butter sauce. Cook remaining gnocchi in same manner, transferring to skillet as cooked. Heat gnocchi in skillet over medium heat, stirring to coat. Serve sprinkled with fried sage and grated cheese.

Uncooked gnocchi can be frozen (first in 1 layer on a baking sheet, then transferred to a sealable bag) up to 1 month. Do not thaw before cooking.

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Oatmeal Raisin Cookies with Walnuts - Yum!

So I did take some time off from blogging, recipes, and cooking all together, and now I think I am recharged and ready to start again. I have to admit, with a full time job, dog, husband and the rest of everyday life it's hard to find time for this. Photographing your food before you eat it (LOL), editing, and publishing recipes - it all takes time, and sometimes I just want to be lazy and read a book or watch DVR-ed shows... or just enjoy a glass of wine with take-out.
I actually thought I would have more time to do that this past summer, but I was wrong. Summer in Chicago is so short and I tried to do as much as I could outside, enjoying nice weather before it's gone again. It comes and goes so fast, it's over before you know it. More and more I think about moving somewhere with a milder climate. I love Chicago, I love where we live, our big loft with great city views and huge rooftop deck, but the climate here might just not be worth it anymore. This country has so many great places to live to offer. Right now I would like to move to Pacific Northwest. I know, i know, the weather there is not as great as in Arizona but there i so much more to do out there. Pacific coast, mountains, beautiful lakes, trails, lighthouses, rain forests, wineries... and I don't think they get as much snow as we get here, in the midwest. Right? Portland and Seattle are my two top cities whre I could see myself living for the next couple of years...

So, cookies?! I'm not sure what made want cookies this weekend, but all of the sudden I had to make cookies. Sugar cookies are definitely my top choice but white chocolate macadamia take the spotlight completely. Oatmeal raisin are number three, and that's pretty much all cookies I really like. So I rarely make cookies, since I try to stay in "shape" and once I have cookies sitting on my counter top looking at me - I can't resist! I could finish the whole batch! In fact, I actually had (in the past)... so I stay away from making cookies...


I started with the Quaker Oatmeal Cookies recipe and modified it to my likings, if I can say that. I used margarine instead of butter to make it healthier, and I added chopped walnuts. I also reduced the amount of sugar. My husband likes white chocolate in his cookies, so after I split the cookie dough I added some chopped white chocolate to the second batch. The cookies were crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside, warm, straight from the oven tasted amazing with a big glass of cold milk!

Walnut and white chocolate with raisins and oatmeal - I have to admit - I was worry about all this ingredients but the effect was delicious. You can almost call them everything but kitchen sink cookies or garbage cookies??? maybe not...

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Oatmeal Raisin Cookies with Walnuts

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) plus 6 tablespoons soften butter {margarine}
  
• 3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar {1/4 cup}
  
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
  
• 3 cups Quaker® Oats (quick or old fashioned, uncooked)
• 1 cup raisins
• { 3/4 cup chopped walnuts, and chopped white chocolate-optional}

Preheat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, beat butter and sugars on medium speed of electric mixer until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Add combined flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; mix well. Add oats and raisins {and walnuts and chopped white chocolate} - mix well.

{Refrigerate cookie dough for about 10-15 minutes before dropping, it helps with the stickiness}

Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheets; remove to wire rack. Cool completely. Store tightly covered.

Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes

This is a winner recipe for quick and easy buttermilk pancakes. Fluffy, crispy on the edges and soft in the middle with mouthwatering blueberries peaking through - those are by far my favorite buttermilk pancakes. I'm not sure where I got this recipe from, it's been in my folder for some time now. I never really felt the need to make homemade pancakes. But lately I got tired of the store bought pancake mix that was not that great at all, and finally decided to make the real, homemade pancakes. Smothered with real butter and maple syrup, paired with a crispy slice of grilled ham creates a perfect combination for Sunday's brunch.

Buttermilk Pancakes

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 2 TBS. sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 2-3 TBS. melted butter
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla

Preheat a pan or a griddle. Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt until combined. In a separate bowl mix eggs, milk, buttermilk, sugar and melted butter and vanilla until well mixed. Combine flour mixture with the egg mixture and mix together to get a batter consistency without larger lumps, but do not over mix it. It's ok to have some small lumps in your pancake mix. Mix in 1 cup of fresh blueberries. {I do not add fruit to my mix until the mix is poured on the pan or griddle, once the pancakes starts cooking, i add 5-8 blueberries per pancake, depends on the size of pancakes.} Pour on griddle and cook until the pancakes appear bubbly, turn and cook another 2 minutes. Serve with butter, maple syrup, yogurt or fresh fruit - whatever you like.

Peach and Plum Upside-Down Cake

I found myself baking much more often lately. Even though it is summer and it is hot enough without the oven on, there is nothing better than the smell of baking in my kitchen. The house filled with warm aromas of cookies, cakes and pies just makes me happy. And there is always the first bite, the moment of truth. Is it as good as you expected? Would I change anything in the recipe, maybe add less sugar or few drops of almond extract...

After purchasing couple great baking books and subscribing to few great "baking blogs" - my "want to make folder" is growing rapidly. Fall is my favorite baking season, and I know, I will be sad to say goodbye to the summer, but there is something great about the harvest season, its cool evenings, the cinnamon and cloves and cider, and the endless possibilities of baking with apples...


But anyway - today is about plums, and plum upside down cake. Actually my cake has mixed plums and peaches to make it more summery. I research for a perfect recipe, there are quite of few available online. I made the cake batter with cinnamon and milk, and the topping with butter and brown sugar. Another recipe I found - had sour cream added to the batter and regular sugar in topping. Both looked equally great, and my next upside down cake will be experimenting with the other recipe. Maybe it will be apple upside down ...



This cake is tender and moist, the brown sugar-butter topping is juicy and melts in your mouth. Perfect combination of plums and peaches makes it a great dessert. This recipe is a keeper.

For Topping:
3/4 stick of butter (6 TBS)
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 TBS honey
6 large plums, pitted and cut in wedges (I used 4 white plums and 2 large peaches)

For Cake:
3/4 stick of butter (6 TBS) - I used margarine, it works well for baking, and it has fewer calories
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. almond extract (goes really well with stone fruit, like plums, peaches)
1/2 cup of milk
2 TBS buttermilk
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt

Directions:

Topping: Place butter, brown sugar and honey in a saucepan and melt together on low heat, whisk to combine. Pour into 9 or 10 inch round cake pan with at last 2 inch sides. (Do not use spring pan form, it will leak) Arrange sliced plums evenly over the butter-brown sugar mixture.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (180 C). In a medium bowl mix in all the dry ingredients - flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Melt the butter in a microwave. In a bowl with electric mixer pour melted butter, add sugar and beat for couple of minutes. Add eggs and vanilla and almond extract, beat until light and fluffy. Add dry ingredients alternately with milk and buttermilk, mixing until well blended. Spoon batter evenly over plums.

Bake for 50 minutes to an hour, until golden and tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer to rack and cool for 30 minutes. Using a knife, cut around the sides of pan to loosen the cake. Place serving platter on top of the cake pan and invert cake. Lift the pan, and serve the cake.

Plums can be substituted for peaches, apples, pineapples, blueberries, or other combinations of fruit.



That little someone couldn't wait to get a bite of this amazing upside-down cake. It only took a second and he was on the top of table getting started with my slice! :)

Walnut Cupcakes with Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting

I made those cupcakes couple of weeks ago. We had company coming over and I had nothing sweet at home, so I opened up my "want to make it" folder and found this pretty easy and fast recipe. I whipped those in about an hour including cooling time. Ok, maybe and hour and fifteen minutes! :) The cupcakes were pretty tasty the same night, but I would suggest to make them at least one day ahead, they get more moist as they get older.

To make about 20 cupcakes you need:

3/4 cup grounded walnuts/pecans
1/2 cup vegetable oil or melted butter
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. grated lemon peel
1 TBS. lemon juice
1 1/2 cup flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
4 eggs

3 TBS. chopped walnuts for decorating

Beat eggs with sugar, oil/butter, lemon juice and lemon peel until combined. Add walnuts, and mix together. In a separate bowl mix flour with baking powder and baking soda. Add to the egg mixture and fold together to combine the dry ingredients with the wet ones. If the batter is too stiff add couple of TBS of buttermilk or milk.

Fill cupcakes liners with the batter to about 3/4 of a height of liners. Bake in 375 degrees for about 20 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool cupcakes and frost with vanilla cream cheese frosting and sprinkle with chopped walnuts.

For this simple vanilla cream cheese frosting you need:

1 - 8 oz. cream cheese
3/4 cup powdered sugar
2 TBS vanilla

Beat all ingredients until well combined and fluffy. About 5-7 minutes. Frost cupcakes, sprinkle with chopped walnuts.

Strawberry Cupcakes

Strawberries are my favorite! I wish I lived somewhere closer to strawberry farms, I would eat fresh strawberries everyday. Living in Chicago is not giving me too many opportunities to get fresh farmed Michigan strawberries. Working full time is not helping either. So Thursday’s Farmers Markets on Daley Plaza downtown are basically the only option for me. During June, almost every Thursday I got couple of little baskets of those fresh, beautiful, red and juicy strawberries…

I love to eat them just by itself, but it's great to make something sweet - strawberry desserts are great. Strawberry-rhubarb crisp was one weekend, than cupcakes, and jam… yes, I did slave in the kitchen for couple of hours to make 9 pint size jars of strawberry jam – but that’s another post. Today, I want to share my recipe for those little moist and sweet cupcakes with whole strawberries inside. The recipe for the cake batter is very simple and you can make it in 9x13 pan, or 9” round pan, and pretty much put whatever fruit you want.

I made cupcakes with strawberries and powdered sugar on top. I frosted some with strawberry butter-cream frosting, but unfortunately I do not have any pictures of those.

Strawberry Cupcakes

5 eggs, yolks and whites separated

1 ¼ cup sugar

1 vanilla sugar or 1 tsp pure vanilla

½ cup vegetable oil

2 cups flour

2 heaping tsp baking powder

20-25 medium size fresh strawberries, washed, stem removed, and dried

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line cupcake form with paper liners. Separate egg yolks from egg whites. Beat egg whites until soft peaks and set aside. In a clean mixer bowl mix the egg yolks with the sugar and vanilla until well incorporated. Add vegetable oil, mix for another minute. Fold in beaten egg whites. Mix the flour with baking powder andadd to the egg mixture about 3 TBS at the time, slowly folding in together.

Fill about ½ of each cupcake form with the batter and insert the strawberries in the middle. The strawberry does not have to be pushed in too far, the batter will rise up as it bakes and will cover the strawberries anyway. This should make about 20-24 cupcakes.

Bake for about 20-25 minutes until golden. Cool completely before frosting or sprinkling with powdered sugar. Cupcakes are even better the next day, they get more and more moist as they get older…

For strawberry butter-cream frosting I used 1 stick of butter and about 1 ½ cup of powdered sugar. Mix it together until creamy. I made strawberry compote and added to the frosting. Compote: about 1 1/2 cup of fresh strawberries, roughly mashed with potato masher, added some sugar, not exactly sure how much, maybe ¼ cup, maybe more, just taste it and see if more is needed. Let it simmer on low heat until thickens. Cool completely before adding to the butter cream frosting.

You will only need about 2-3 TBS of strawberry compote to the frosting. I added 1 tsp. lemon juice to bring out the flavor of strawberries. {Instead of making your own compote you can just add about 2-3 TBS of low sugar strawberry jam.}

Basil Pecan Pesto

Pesto is one of those things that is super easy to make, but you just never do it. At least that what was for me until one evening my husband went to the grocery store to pick up couple of little things, and I asked him to get me basil. And I meant just a little package, to have with my tomatoes and fresh buffalo mozzarella. He comes home with this super huge box of basil leaves... almost like the industrial size! I didn't want to waste it, so I decided to make pesto. The only nuts I had in my pantry were pecans, and I decided to use them. They gave my pesto slightly different nutty flavor, and added more richness. I liked it a lot, and made it couple more times since...
I have basil growing on my roof top deck in pretty good quantities, it's so nice to just go upstairs and pick some fresh basil whenever you need it!



So, into the food processor goes: bunch of fresh basil, garlic cloves, pecans, and cubed Parmesan cheese and some olive oil. {I do not have exact proportions for this recipe. I just kept tasting it to make sure that the taste is right.} Pulse together several times to get the ingredients pureed, adding more olive oil as needed. Season with salt and pepper to taste.



Toss some cooked warm pasta with it, or use it as a marinate for chicken or pork. Also great as a spread on the sandwich with tomato and fresh mozzarella... Super easy to make, holds in the fridge in a jar for 3-4 days. Substitute pecans for walnuts or other nuts...

Mango Cheesecake

Indie Cafe in Chicago has this awesome mango cheesecake on their menu. Ever since I tried this wonderful, creamy dessert I have been trying to recreate it. I have to say, it's not as easy as I thought. I did quite a lot of research and apparently it is very hard to achieve this great "mango-ey" flavor I remember from Indie Cafe. In my cheesecake I used fresh mangoes and a mango puree thinking that might give me more flavor than just using fresh mangoes. I read several reviews on different blogs/sites, and there was a lot of complains that the mango flavor was just not strong enough.

For the crust, I used graham crackers with melted butter and a little bit of sugar. And I experimented with the cheese mixture portion. The final effect was pretty good... maybe a little too moist... so there is definitely room for improvement there. One thing I thought was great, is the taste - it was creamy, smooth and mango-ey! :)




For Crust: 1 1/2 cups of graham cracker crumbs mix with 1/2 cup of sugar and 3/4 of a stick of melted butter (unsalted). Stir cracker crumbs with sugar and add melted butter, mix until moistened. Lightly butter 9 " springform pan and press crumb mixture onto the bottom of the pan. Preheat oven to 325 F/160 C, bake until crust is set, about 12 minutes.

For Cheese Filling:
1 1/2 cups mango puree (from the can)
1 cup fresh mango - pureed in food processor or blender
3 8oz packages of cream cheese, room temperature
3/4 cup of granulated sugar
3/4 cup of condensed milk
1 vanilla sugar/2 tsp. vanilla
4 larg eggs
2 - 3 TBS fresh lemon juice (brings out the mango flavor)
3 TBS pudding powder

Beat cream cheese, sugar, vanilla sugar until smooth adding 1 TBS of condensed milk at the time. Add mango puree, mix well. Add eggs one at the time, beating well after each addition, add lemon juice and pudding powder to incorporate. Pour the cheesake mixture over the crust. Bake until set, puffed and golden around the edges, about 1 hr and 25 minutes. Cool 1 hour, refrigerate uncovered overnight. Serve with mango slices or mango puree. {I run out of mangoes, and served it with a blackberry and mint.}

This recipe is combining couple of my cheesecake recipes... basically taking bits and pieces of other recipes... the cheesecake was super moist, so maybe next time less mango puree or less condensed milk... oh, and while I was making it - I constantly tasted my cheesecake mix, making sure that it's not too sweet or too sour... making sure it tasted good... and that definitely helped. The cheesecake tasted pretty darn good!



Oh, and maybe next time I will use champagne mangoes instead of the regular ones {on the picture}... I think they might have more flavor...

Family Famous Spinach Salad

Now I know why everybody loves it but no one wants to make it! It's washing the spinach that is such a lengthy process, especially when you are having a dinner party for 10, and don't have a salad spinner!




I remember this salad at my husband's family gatherings, his mom would always make it. As I learned later - everybody always asked her to make that particular spinach salad. I remember tasting it for a first time, and realizing why. It was just delicious! Sweet and tangy dressing with celery seeds and red onions complements the fresh spinach like nothing else. Few bacon bits and hard boiled egg just make all come together in a perfect way.
The dressing is the key. It has to be made one day ahead or overnight, so all the ingredients have time to infuse their flavors and make this incredible flavor.

Original dressing recipe calls for:

1 small red onion, finely diced
1/2 cup of sugar (or less)
1/3 cup vinegar (cider, white wine or red wine vinegar)
1/3 cup vegetable/canola oil
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. celery seeds
1 TBS. Dijon mustard

Put all above ingredients to a jar or a plastic container with a lid, cover and give it a good shake. Refrigerate overnight before serving. This makes about 1-1 1/2 cup of dressing, serves about 10.

For a salad, to assemble before serving:
1 large bag of spinach, washed
3 hard boiled eggs
1/2 cup of bacon bits

Toss all salad components with the dressing, let sit for few minutes before serving. Do not put all the dressing on the salad, as it might be too much, the spinach leaves needs to be just barely covered with he dressing. It will taste too sweet if too much dressing is added.




This is the original salad, but believe me - with this dressing the possibilities are endless. One Sunday afternoon I made a batch of the dressing, so we could have a salad for couple of days during the week. I did not want to eat the same salad every day. On Monday I mixed it with mixed greens, chopped pecans and some blue cheese. On Tuesday, I made spinach salad with fresh raspberries and feta. Wednesday - we had mixed greens, spinach, green apple, cranberries and feta cheese.... and Thursday - I made a salad with chopped romaine, olives, chicken, tomatoes and blue cheese - it was a hit!

As you can see - it works great with lot of different combinations.