Italian Monkey Bread

LA has an abundance of farmer's markets, and I've been here almost two years, but I had yet to partake in one.  That is until last weekend.  I don't know what took me so long because it was more magical than I could have imagined.  Items from fresh fruits to seafood to pies lined the walkway.  It was hard to not buy everything.  However, the one stand that won all of my money was the olive oil and mozzarella stand.

Having spent an extended period of time in Spain, I've become a little bit of an olive oil connoisseur.  Nothing beats single estate Spanish olive oil.  It has an earthy flavor that is a bit of an acquired taste, but makes dishes fuller in flavor.  Single estate just means that it is made from a single source rather than a blend of different oils.

Quality olive oil also has a lot of benefits.  My hair never looked better after eating home cooked meals filled with olive oil every night.  It also acts as an anti-inflammatory and despite it's fat content, helps fight obesity along with many other health problems.  Look good inside and out.

Because of my new purchases (two bottles of homegrown olive oil and homemade mozzarella - yummm) I needed to find a dish that would utilize the quality ingredients.  Despite my love of Spain, it's food doesn't get me quite as excited as it's Italian counterparts.  Since I had extra time due to my extended time off I went with something traditional in ingredients, but a little more out of the box in presentation.

If you are cooking for kids, or just want to eat like one, this meal is perfect.  I know I've been on a health kick lately, but I couldn't resist the fun that this dish packs into each bite.

You may be familiar with the original version of this dish that resembles a cinnamon bun.  However, this time I wanted to make it into a savory main dish, so I tried out two different popular italian flavors in order to use my oil and mozzarella.  Half of the ring is bruschetta and the other half is pepperoni pizza.  Appetizer and main course in one.

Italian Monkeybread (Bruschetta and Pepperoni Pizza)

Ingredients: (Double the filling ingredients other than the cheese if only making one flavor)

2 lbs of Pizza Dough (two of those pop open tubes)

24 slices of Pepperoni
6 oz of Mozzarella Cheese
12 Cherry Tomatoes
24 medium Basil Leaves
2 cloves of Garlic, minced
2-3 Tbsp of Olive Oil
Parmesan cheese for topping
Oregano to taste
Salt and Pepper to taste
Marinara Sauce and Balsamic Vinaigrette for dipping

Directions:

Chop up the garlic before starting.  Let it sit until you are forming thedough balls.  Garlic is packed with health benefits, but they only gain these benefits if they sit out for at least five minutes after being chopped.

Pull dough into large marble sized balls and flatten them to just slightly bigger than a pepperoni slice.

Cut tomatoes in half and season with salt and pepper.

Place tomatoes, basil and half of the cheese (divided up evenly) on top of half the dough.  On the other half place the remaining cheese and pepperoni slices.

Heat the oil in a pan and cook the garlic until just beginning to brown.  About 8 minutes

Fold the dough over the ingredients, forming balls.

Take a brush and coat the inside of a bundt pan with the garlic oil.  Place the first layer of dough balls and brush on more oil.  Top with parmesan and oregano on the pepperoni bites and salt and pepper on the bruschetta bites.  Repeat with each layer.

Let dough sit in the fridge for about 30 minutes while the oven preheats to 400.

Bake dough for 30 minutes or until dough is golden brown.

Let sit for an extra 10 minutes before removing from pan.

Serve with marinara and balsamic vinaigrette.

Spicy Coconut Milk Chicken

This dish was inspired by my friend's roommate who made a similar dish for us one night.  Her family is Indian, and I find myself being more and more surrounded by Indian cuisine recently.  I've been adventuring slowly into this realm.  I love the Indian food I've had in the past (meaning the two times I've eaten it) but I admit that I'm a little intimidated by the blend of spices and multiple flavors each dish packs.

This dish was my metaphorical toe in the water of Indian cuisine.  It isn't completely culturally accurate, but for a basic weeknight dinner it will delight your taste buds.

As a bonus, this dish is dairy free because it utilizes coconut milk.  And even though you are probably thinking the same thing I thought - when will I ever use up the rest of the coconut milk? - trust me it is more versatile than you think.  Substitute it for milk in baked dishes like pancakes and it will add an extra touch of sweetness that you won't be sorry about.  Also, check back soon for the recipe for my Mumbai Fish Fry, that will give you one more option.  It's definitely a worthwhile investment to switch things up if you want to go dairy free or just add to your arsenal of flavors.

Spicy Coconut Chicken

Ingredients:

1 lb of Chicken
1 Tbsp of butter
1 Leek, chopped
2 cloves of Garlic, minced
1/4 cup of Onions
1 Tbsp of grated Ginger
2 tsp of Thai Chili Paste
1/2 Tbsp of Curry Powder
Pinch of Cinnamon
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 cup of Coconut Milk
1 tsp of Lemon Juice
3 Tbsp of chopped fresh Cilantro

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Heat butter in pan.  Saute leek, garlic, onions and ginger until soft.  About 10 minutes.

Coat chicken in Thai chili paste, curry powder, cinnamon, salt and pepper.

Put chicken and vegetables in a glass pan.  Pour in the coconut milk, lemon juice and top with cilantro.

Bake until cooked through.  About 20 minutes.

Healthier Blueberry Sour Cream Muffins

Being fairly new to cooking, I've been struggling with wanting to cook every interesting recipe that comes my way and wanting to eat healthier.  I even tried a stint of not eating dairy.  That lasted about two days before my love of food got the better of me.  There are just too many delicious things out there to start limiting what I eat.  I'm even getting better with peppers, which used to be my arch nemeses.  Now they are more like that drunk uncle that you would rather not be around, but every once in a while he get's you an awesome gift and he doesn't seem so bad for a little while.

My love of food, though, doesn't cloud my judgement all the time, just some of the time.  I make sure to keep salt and fat in moderation.  I make sure I eat fruits or vegetables at every meal.  And I have lessened my diary intake and tried meatless Mondays.  Knowing the facts and weighing both sides against each other is part of a healthy lifestyle.  This article can be a nice starting point to educating yourself, but make sure to do all your research and don't just rely on one article.  Decide what's best for you.  And for me it was limiting, but not cutting out my dairy and meat intake.  Part of life is being healthy so you can experience more, but at the same time, in my opinion, you can't eliminate other experiences just to be healthy.

And on that note, I give you a healthier recipe for blueberry muffins that uses no butter or oil, and instead uses fat free sour cream and apple sauce.  You won't be able to tell the difference.  Full experience, with more health benefits.  Plus blueberries are a super food, so besides the sugar in these, they are a pretty good win for a breakfast or snack food.

Included is a crumb topping if you want to forgo a little bit of the healthiness factor and make these a little more dessert like.

Healthier Blueberry Sour Cream Muffins

Servings: 24 muffins

Ingredients:

4 Eggs
1 cup of White Sugar, plus one pinch
1/2 cup of Brown Sugar
1 cup of Unsweetened Apple Sauce
1 1/2 tsp of Vanilla Extract
4 cup of Unbleached All Purpose Flour (you can substitute 2 cups for Whole Wheat Flour)
1 tsp of Salt
1 tsp of Baking Soda
2 tsp of Cinnamon
1 tsp of Nutmeg
1 1/2 cups of Fat Free Sour Cream
2 cups of Blueberries
1 tsp of Lemon Juice
Crumb Topping - optional (recipe below)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Line 2 muffin tins.

Rince the blueberries and dry.  Then in a bowl mix together berries, lemon juice and pinch of sugar.

In a large bowl beat the eggs while gradually adding the sugars and apple sauce.  Add vanilla.

In a separate bowl mix together the flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and baking soda.

Alternate mixing the flour and the sour cream into the egg mixture.  Do not over mix because this recipe already makes a dense muffin.

Gently fold in the blueberries.

Scoop batter into muffin cups.  Fill at least 3/4 full.

For a more dessert style muffin, top with Crumb Cake Topping before baking.

Bake for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Crumb Cake Topping

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp of cold Butter
2/3 cup of Brown Sugar
1/4 cup of Flour
Pinch of Cinnamon

Curried Carrot Apple Soup

When I got my wisdom teeth out I was so excited to eat all the mashed potatoes and ice cream I could stand.  I had it all planned out.  Five different flavors of potatoes, plenty of vanilla ice cream to make milkshakes, peanut butter banana smoothies, and sundaes.  It was going to be glorious.  A reason to eat some of my favorite food without feeling guilty about my indulgence.

Well, that got old after the first day.  

That's why I turned to some more creative endeavors while my face swelled up larger than I thought possible.

You always think that you will be different than everyone else, that your face won't swell and you won't be in pain.  That you'll get all the sympathy without any real problems.  Yeah, that almost never happens.  It was a rough week filled with lots of naps, pain killers, and names that ranged from chipmunk to cheeks.  

This soup was the bright spot in it all, both in its color and flavor.  What was also great, was that it allowed me to still work in my vegetables while I could barely open my mouth.  Potatoes and ice cream are great, but they don't pack the most nutritious punch if you know what I mean.

Curried Carrot and Apple Soup

Servings: 4 bowls - 3/4c per serving

Ingredients:

• 1/2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 large onion, chopped
• 1 stalk celery, finely chopped
• 1/2 tablespoon curry powder
• 3 large carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 large McIntosh apple or two small, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 14oz can of reduced-sodium chicken broth
• Pinch of salt
• Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Directions:

Heat oil soup pot over medium heat. Stir in onion and celery; cook until the onion is softened and translucent, about 10 minutes.

Stir in curry powder, then add carrots, apples and bay leaf. Stir well over medium heat for 2 minutes.  Add broth and salt. Bring the mixture to a low boil, then reduce the heat to low. Cover tightly and simmer until the carrots and apples are tender, 20 to 25 minutes.

Remove the bay leaf. Using a large slotted spoon, transfer the soup solids to a food processor, adding about 1/2 cup of the broth.  Process to a smooth puree. Pour the puree back into the soup. Reheat and season with pepper. 

Recipe used - http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/curried_carrot_apple_soup.html