Coconut Almond Biscotti

As you may know, I LOVE biscotti.  And over the past few years, I have shared a number of recipes that I have used over and over again for this wonderful treat (see the biscotti recipes on my blog).  I have been wanted to add some more biscotti recipes to my repertoire.  On of the motivating factors for finding this one was an extra bag of coconut that we had in the house after the holidays.  What to make???  Well, I found this great recipe on Cooking Light for coconut biscotti and I want to give it a whirl.  I also had some almond meal in my house (which is essentially ground almonds - and sometimes called almond flour) that I wanted to use.  So using a light recipe, I played with it a bit and I created a new recipe for coconut almond biscotti.  I think because you use so much coconut, that you can really pull back the butter.  I am not sure of the calories here - but I think (emphasis on think) that this is really not that bad.  So if you have to have biscotti - I think this is a potentially low-calorie and somewhat better than your run of the mill biscotti that you will find.  For me, I loved it and it is a keeper for sure!

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups Flour (plus some for making the cookie log)
1/2 cup Almond meal (or almond flour)
1 tsp Baking powder
1/4 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Baking soda
1/4 tsp Nutmeg
3/4 cup Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla extract
2 tbsp Butter
2 large Eggs
1 cup Flaked sweetened coconut
1/2 cup Chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 300°.

2. Add flour, almond meal, baking powder, salt, baking soda and nutmeg in a mixing bowl.

3. Add sugar, vanilla extract, butter and eggs in a large mixing bowl or mixer.  Beat with a mixer at medium speed 2 minutes.

4. Add the flour mixture, coconut and chocolate chips to the sugar mixture.  Mix until well blended (should happen in under a minute.

5. On a floured surface, mold the dough into a log around 15" long and no more than 1" high.  Move to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper

6. Bake at 300° for 40 minutes.  Let cool for 10 minutes.

7. Cut roll diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices.  Stand slices upright on baking sheet with at least 1/2 inch between them.  Bake for 20 minutes and then let them cool completely on wire rack.

Enjoy!

Simple Chicken and Mushrooms

It is nice to have a recipe that can come together quickly when you are tired or are just not in the mood for something complicated.  This is normally when you go out or get food to go.  But since you almost always do better at home, it is good to have some easy recipes with food that you are likely to have in your house.  So if you are debating what to do for dinner - you might be 45 minutes away from this meal.  Add some rice to go with this and you have a very satisfying meal.  I found this recipe for chicken and mushrooms from Martha Stewart for a simple chicken and mushroom dish. I want to play with this a bit more, but I really liked this and thought it made a really nice dinner.

Ingredients (serves 3-4)

1/4 cup Flour
3 Chicken breasts, trimmed and cut in half
1/2 tsp Kosher salt
1/4 tsp Black pepper
2 tbsp Olive oil, divided
2 tbsp Butter
12 oz Mushrooms, trimmed and cut in half (white mushrooms work well)
1 tsp Thyme, dried
1/4 cup White wine
1/2 cup Chicken broth
1 tbsp Parsley, dried

Directions

1. Place flour in a shallow dish. Season chicken with kosher salt and pepper, then coat with flour, shaking off excess.

2. In a large skillet, heat 1 tbsp olive oil and butter over medium-high. Cook chicken for 4 minutes, then turn for 3 minutes (until browned). Transfer to a plate and tent loosely with foil.

3. Reduce heat to medium. Add remaining 1 tbsp olive oil. Add mushrooms and thyme and cook for 4-5 minutes.

4. Add wine, broth and parsley and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring regularly. Return chicken to pan to mix with mushrooms and sauce.

Enjoy!

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Walnuts

I never thought I would be a fan of brussels sprouts.  As a kid, these would be steamed, bland, healthy and well, very hard to eat!  But more and more over the past 20 years, chefs have done a great job of making these once feared veggies into a real treat.  The trick for most of these methods of cooking is adding bacon or deep frying.  I did not want to try this...I want to try to do this a bit on the healthy side...and I like how this came out.

I pieced this together from a number of recipes I found on the web.  I triangulated them and it make a great dish that was tasty and healthier (I am pretty sure) than many that I found on the web and in cookbooks.  This was a very simple dish to make (which is always nice).  Enjoy this as a side dish.

Ingredients (serves 4-5 as a side)

1 lbs Brussels Sprouts, trimmed and cut in half
1 tbsp & 1 tsp Olive oil
1/2 tsp Kosher salt
1/4 tsp Black pepper
1/3 cup Walnuts

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a mixing bowl, add brussels sprouts, olive oil, kosher salt and black pepper.  Add to a roasting pan or cookie sheet (with rim).  Spread out in a single layer and bake for 20 minutes.
3. Remove the pan from the oven.  Add walnuts and mix thoroughly.  Return to the oven and bake for 15-17 minutes more.

Enjoy!

Corey's Spaghetti alla Puttanesca

When Pam and I went out to California, we stayed at a hotel in Capistrano Beach, near Dana Point, California.  The closest restaurant to the hotel was Agostino's Ristorante Italiano (or Agostino's By The Sea).  The restaurant is right on the Pacific Coast Highway and we ate outside over the highway - but more importantly with a great view of the Pacific Ocean.  Sure, we heard the cars - but we also heard the waves crashing along the shore of Doheny State Beach.  It was a wonderful place for a meal.  And while we had a great location, the food was fantastic.  They had a special menu item for an appetizer - Sauteed Mushrooms (which inspired the recipe I put on my blog earlier).  The other menu item we ordered both times at Agostino's was equally good.  We split one order of Spaghetti alla Puttanesca.  That was fantastic and we were so happy to make this dish at home.  This will be a staple at our house for sure!

The origin of the name for Pasta alla Puttanesca could be taken in a few different directions.  I will go with the PG version - and refer to the notion that you can make this great dish with what you probably have in the house.  So all that being said, it is sometimes referred to as "garbage" pasta - where you throw in everything you have to make a dish.  Regardless, it is a fantastic dish and it can easily be made with pantry items you probably already have in your house.  Once again, we are so glad we ate at Agostino's and so glad we have this new recipe.

Ingredients (served 4-5)
1 box (12-14oz) Pasta
2 tbsp Olive oil
1 Onion (small), chopped
1 Shallot, chopped
4 cloves (or tsp) Chopped garlic
2 oz can Anchovies, oil mostly drained
1 tbsp Parsley, dried
1/2 tsp Kosher salt (adjust to taste)
1/4 tsp Black pepper (adjust to taste)
1 tsp Oregano, dried
1/2 tsp Basil, dried
2 tbsp Capers, drained and rinced
2/3 cup Kalamata olives, cut in half
28 oz can Crushed tomatoes

Directions
1. Prepare pasta as directed.
2. Heat oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat for 1-2 minutes.
3. Add onion, shallot and cook for 6-8 minutes.
4. Add garlic, and anchovies and cook for 2 minutes.  Break up the anchovies as you saute.
5. Add remaining ingredients to the saute pan (parsley kosher salt, black pepper, oregano, basil, capers, kalamata olives and crushed tomatoes).  Lower the heat to medium-low, cover with lid and cook for 23-25 minutes.
6. Mix with cooked pasta and serve.

Enjoy!

Brown Rice and Quinoa

In an effort to eat better in the new year, I want to have better sides with my meals. One of the things that I wanted was to get more quinoa into my diet. I wanted to mix it with brown rice to make a side dish that Pam would like (she does not love quinoa on its own). I found a recipe for Basic Brown Rice and Quinoa from the Chicago Tribune and I tweaked it with some great suggestions that I received at a great cooking demonstration at my work (the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan). They showed some great tricks with quinoa that I wanted to try. The chef also encouraged us to use more cinnamon and nutmeg for their health benefits. So I pulled it all together and made this great side dish. This will definitely be a regular in our house.

Ingredients (Serves 5-6)

1 1/3 cups Brown rice

2/3 cup Quinoa (rinsed and drained)

1 1/2 cups Water
1 cup Broth (vegetable or chicken)

1/2 tsp Kosher salt

1/2 tsp Black pepper

1/2 tsp Cinnamon

1/4 tsp Nutmeg

1 cup Baby spinach, chopped (about one big handful)

Directions

1. Add rice, quinoa, water, broth, Kosher salt, black pepper, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a pot. 2. Heat to boil. Cover pot and lower heat to a simmer for 30 minutes.

3. Remove from heat. Add the spinach and mix thoroughly. Replace the cover and let stand for 15 minutes.

Enjoy!

Chili-Cornbread Casserole

Watching Good Morning America over the holidays, I saw this recipe from Country Music Star Trisha Yearwood. The recipe was for Trisha Yearwood's Cornbread-Chili Casserole.  The recipe is found in her cookbook - "Trisha's Table: My Feel-Good Favorites for a Balanced by Trisha Yearwood." (use link to find it at a local library near you.  It looked great - but I wanted to play with it a bit.  I tried to 'health' it up by adding some beans and using ground sirloin.  It was fantastic and a perfect comfort food meal for cold weather.  This also seems great for big family meals or dishes that you can pass at a potluck.  For the record, it reheated great for lunches and, if you like it, is great with hot sauce.

Ingredients (Serves 5-8)
1 tbsp Olive oil
1 medium Onion, chopped
3 tsp Garlic, chopped (or cloves)
1 lbs Ground sirloin
2 cups Salsa (16 oz container)
1 15 oz can, Red or kidney beans, drained
1/3 cup Vegetable (or beef) stock
1 tbsp Chili powder
2 tsp Cumin
1/2 tsp Kosher salt
1/4 tsp Black pepper
1 8.5 oz box cornbread muffin mix
1/2 cup Skim milk
1 14-15 oz can Creamed corn
1/3 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (adjust to taste)

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 F. 
2. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, then saute until soft, around 6-7 minutes. Add the ground beef to the skillet, and cook until brown, 7-9 minutes. Drain any excess fat and remove from heat. Stir in the salsa, kidney beans, vegetable stock, chili powder, cumin, Kosher salt, and pepper. Transfer the mixture into a 9 x 13-inch baking dish and smooth into an even layer.
3. Mix the corn muffin mix with 1/2 cup skim milk and can of creamed corn. Mix until blended. Spread it over the chili mixture evenly. 
4. Bake until browned on top, 30-32 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle cheddar cheese atop the casserole. Set aside for 10 minutes to allow the casserole to set and the cheese to melt. 

Enjoy!