The Amorous Cook

Sunday, September 16, 2012

Healthy Apple Crisp

Ingredients for filling: 1 Fresh Orange Juiced 4 Medium Apples peeled and chopped (4 servings) 1 teaspoon of cinnamon 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract Ingredients for topping: 1/2 teaspoon of fresh orange zest 1/2 cup buckwheat flour 1/2 cup quick oats 3 tablespoons wheat germ 3 tablespoons ground flax 3 tablespoons agave nectar to help form crumb 3 teaspoons or more as needed of cold coconut oil to form crumbs Directions: Heat oven to 325 degrees. In a bowl whisk together orange juice, cinnamon, and vanilla extract. Place chopped apples in a medium size baking dish (too big of a baking dish will dry out apples! Make sure the apples pile at least 2 inches high) and pour liquid mixture over it. Stir the apples until they are well coated. In another bowl, place all the dry ingredients for the topping into a bowl. Pour in agave nectar. Spoon cold coconut oil over and stir until you get a crumbly mixture. Evenly, place crumb mixture onto the apples with a spoon. Place baking dish into the oven for 1 1/2 hours. Test to see if the apples underneath are soft. If so, take it out and let cool for 15 minutes. Enjoy with a scoop of your favorite vanilla icecream or alone! :)

Homemade Apple Butter

I haven't blogged in soo long! I am getting very experimental in the kitchen again trying to find ways to make new healthy dishes along with revamping the old ones using healthier and cleaner ingredients. So stay tuned! I am going to try my best to post recipes often again! I promise :)

Yesterday, My fiance and I took our nieces apple and pumpkin picking at Eastmont Orchards in Colts Neck, New Jersey. It was so much fun! I recommend taking children there. They are free to run everywhere & get to experience what it is like to pick apples straight from a branch. We all enjoyed the cool crisp weather and even some fresh Apple Cider. My three year old neice summed up the experience well when she said "This is the best Halloween ever!". LOL

So what to do with all these apples? Apple Butter and Apple Crisp! My next post will provide you with the recipe for my healthy version of Apple Crisp. For this recipe, you will need a crockpot.

Ingredients: 3 chopped medium sized apples (any red kind with a soft flesh. I used a mix of ida red apples & jonathan apples) 4 tablespoons of agave nectar 1 1/2 tablespoons of cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg 1 pinch of sea salt Directions: Mix all the ingredients in the crockpot and cook on low heat until apples begin to disintegrate. For me, it took a little over 2 hours so it depends on the heat of your crockpot. You def have to keep an eye on it every couple of minutes after the first hour. Once complete, place the mixture in a blender while hot and blend til smooth. Let it cool, and place into an airtight container in the fridge. Enjoy it on pancakes, toast, pork, or even dip your baked sweet potato fries into them! Whichever way, ENJOY your homemade Apple Butter!

Monday, April 11, 2011

Whole Wheat Linguine with White Wine Seafood Sauce

Do you need an idea on what to cook for your guest tonight? Do you love shrimp, clams, and pasta? If so, this Italian seafood dish is it! This is a great meal to entertain family and friends with. I promise you this dish will make everyone feel like their dining at a 5-star restaurant. Pair it with some red or white wine of your choice, toast up some garlic bread, and toss a light salad for a complete meal. You'll have your guest begging you for the recipe at the end of the night!

I chose to use whole wheat pasta here because I think its a great substitute for the regular. It taste just as good, and it is healthy! Eating whole wheat pasta is a reat way to add fiber into any pasta dish.

Ingredients:
1 can of chopped clams in clam juice
2 tablespoons of tomato puree
1 can of crushed tomato sauce
2 tablespoons of fresh grated parmesan cheese
1 cup of white wine
1 cup of chopped onions
1 dozen of farm raised clams rinsed
1 1/2 cups of shrimp with tail (deveined-not cooked)
5 cloves of chopped garlic
1/3 cup of chopped parsley
4 tablespoons of EVOO
salt & pepper to taste
1 box of whole wheat linguine

Directions:
In a medium sauce pan, heat EVOO. Add onions and a pinch of salt & pepper. Sautee until translucent. Add in garlic, tomato puree, juice of one can of chopped clams, and wine. Mix well and let the wine burn off its alcohol for 3 minutes. Add in the can of tomato sauce and 2 tablespoons of fresh grated parmesan cheese. Mix well. Then add in fresh clams. Cover with lid until clam shells start to open slightly. Add in chopped clams and shrimp. Mix well and cover with a lid until shrimp is pink and clam shells are open. Turn heat off and begin to boil your pasta water. Be sure to salt your water and not to add in the linguine until the water is boiling. Cook for the time the box directs you to. Strain and place linguine in a deep dish in which you will be serving with. Add some of the sauce to the linguine and toss. Place the rest of the sauce with the seafood over the linguine and serve with fresh chopped parsley over it. Buon Appetito!

Serve with some extra grated Parmesan cheese, warm toasted garlic bread, a light tossed salad, and some more wine!

Joe's Stone Crab's Famous Key Lime Pie- using 1 shortcut

HAPPY 1 YEAR ANNIVERSARY!!
Hello everyone!! I have missed my blog so much! It has officially been one year since I first started this blog! Here's a big 'Thankyou' to all my visitors who keep my blog ALIVE! So there is no better way, in my opinion, to celebrate than with a big piece of Key Lime Pie!!! Joe's Stone Crab's Famous Key Lime Pie, that is, with one small shortcut- premade graham pie crust. Trust me, IT IS DELICIOUS!!!

Ingredients for filling:
3- egg yolks
1 1/3 tsp- Grated zest of two lime
1- 14oz can of sweetened condensed milk
2/3 cup- freshly squeezed lime juice.

Directions for filling:
In an electric mixer with the wire whisk attachment, beat the egg yolks and lime zest at high speed until very fluffy, about 5 minutes. (Using a hand mixer is totally fine-that's actually how I made it.) Gradually add the condensed milk and continue to beat until thick, 3 or 4 minutes longer. Lower the mixer speed and slowly add the lime juice, mixing just until combined, no longer. Pour the mixture into the crust. Bake for 10 minutes or until the filling has just set. Cool on a wire rack, then refrigerate. Freeze for 15 to 20 minutes before serving this AMAZING PIE.

I recommend this pie in the warmer months. Super REFRESHING!

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Simple Tomato Soup with Garlic Croutons

Ingredient:
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
salt and pepper
pinch of red pepper flakes
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons tomato paste
4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 cans (14 1/2 ounces each) reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 cans (28 ounces each) whole peeled tomatoes in juice
1 teaspoon of dried basil

Directions:
In a medium size saucepan or Dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat; add oil, red pepper flakes, and onion. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in flour and tomato paste; cook 1 minute.
To saucepan, add thyme, broth, and tomatoes, breaking up tomatoes with your fingers. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, 30 minutes. (Remove thyme sprigs before blending.)
Using an immersion blender, puree soup in pot, leaving a fair amount of the tomatoes in chunks. Or, working in several batches, puree half or all of the soup (if you want to have a smooth consistency) in a conventional blender until smooth; return to pot. Season with salt and pepper if needed. Serve hot with garlic croutons on top and grated Parmesan cheese.

Directions for Garlic Croutons:
Over medium heat, spray a non tick pan with olive oil. Add in chopped white bread or small Portuguese roll. Spray bread with olive oil spray and dust with a little bit of garlic powder and salt. Toss bread constantly over heat until golden brown.

Martha Stewarts Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

These are, by far, the best chocolate chip cookie recipe ever. I was so excited to finally come across a great recipe just in time for Christmas this year and of course I want to share it with the rest of you! :D

Makes about three dozen cookies!

Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups (about 12 ounces) semisweet and/or milk chocolate chips

Directions:
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and baking soda; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter with both sugars; beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to low; add the salt, vanilla, and eggs. Beat until well mixed, about 1 minute. Add flour mixture; mix until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
2.Drop heaping tablespoon-size balls of dough about 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
3.Bake until cookies are golden around the edges, but still soft in the center, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven, and let cool on baking sheet 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack, and let cool completely. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week.

Spinach, Potato, Onion, Bacon Frittata with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Ingredients:
1 box frozen spinach thawed. Squeeze spinach in paper towel to remove excess water.
6 bacon strips chopped
1 medium onion diced
10 small yukon gold potatoes sliced thinly
7 large eggs
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 grated garlic clove
salt & pepper to taste

Directions:
On medium heat render chopped bacon in a large non stick skillet. Once bacon is browned remove bacon onto a dish layered with paper towels. Add 2 tablespoons of Olive Oil to bacon fat and add in diced onions along with a pinch of salt and pepper. Once onions start to become soft, mix in the potatoes and lower the flame to low. Cover the skillet with a lid and allow the potatoes to steam for 7-10 minutes. In a bowl, beat eggs with a pinch of salt and pepper and set aside. Add in spinach and cover again with a lid for another 7-10 minutes. Make sure you mix the spinach in well. Add in the bacon pieces that you cooked earlier to the mixture. Add eggs to the skillet and bring the heat back to medium. Add finely grated cheese to the top. Cook on stove top for 10 minutes and transfer to a 350 degree heated oven for 30-45 minutes or until the top is browned and the center is firm.

This recipe does not contain milk like many other recipes call for. I personally do not like milk and find this recipe to be good without it. You can also add any type of cheese into this dish like cheddar or mozzarella. You can also omit the spinach and add broccoli! This dish is very versatile. Its great for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

Here are some different mixtures you can add to this dish:
Caramelized onions, potatoes, and bacon.
Sausage, sauteed red peppers, caramelized onions, and potatoes.
Broccoli, potatoes, and cheddar cheese.

Have fun!

Monday, October 4, 2010

French Onion Soup

If you love French Onion Soup as much as I do, you are going to be amazed as to how easy it is to make! You can top this recipe off with your favorite melting cheese. I recommend trying Gruyere. It melts so beautifully and compliments this dish very well. Don't forget some good toasted French Bread!

I also want to mention you can substitute an onion with a red onion in this dish..or just slice a mix of whatever onions you like to play with the flavors.

Sorry I do not have a picture for this post either!! I will post a picture the next time I make it!

Ingredients:
3 Medium Size white Onions (sliced as thick or thin as you like.)
1 glass of Red wine ( Do NOT use cooking wine from the grocery store. A cheap bottle from the liquor store will do you good.)
1/4 stick of butter
Salt & Pepper
1 Tablespoon of flour
6 cups of low sodium beef broth

Directions:
In a saucepan, melt butter on medium heat. Add onions and a pinch of salt & pepper and sautee for 5 minutes. Bring the heat down to a low-medium heat, allowing the onions to slowly carmelize until it turns a nice brown. Once the carmelization is done, add the flour. Mix the flour in and give it a minute or 2 to let the flour cook. Add the one cup of wine and bring the heat back up to medium. Once the alcohol has simmered away (most of the liquid should have evaporated), add one cup of the beef broth. Let the mixture simmer for 10-15 minutes, then add the rest of the beef broth. While this simmers for another 15 minutes, toast some slices of french bread topped with shredded Gruyere cheese in your oven on 350 degree F. Once the Cheese is bubbly and brown set aside and ladle yourself a bowl of the onion soup and place the cheesy bread on top. Enjoy!

P.S You can either drink the rest of your wine..or make a red sauce later in the week with it! :)

Tortilla Soup

I know I haven't been around in a while. School is getting the best of me, and well, it should. However, I have not stopped cooking. Did I mention it is now FALL?! This is my favorite time of the year. I now have the excuse to make all these comfort foods! Plus, it's also football season. So I get to make my favorites like chili, enchiladas, baked ziti just to name a few.

I'm going to share my Tortilla Soup Recipe today. I wanted to make something hearty and meatless and yet healthy at the same time. Me and my boyfriend have been hitting the gym hard everyday so I try to make things during the weekdays that are light, saving the meats & carbs for the weekends. This Mexican soup is perfect for the fall. So if your looking for a recipe that will warm you up, please your stomach, and not add inches to your waste.. TRY THIS SOUP!! It is super fast and super easy to make.

Sorry that I will not be providing a picture with this post. I was not planning to be making posts for a while and therefore took a break with the camera. If you have never had tortilla soup, you can get an idea of what it looks like by typing it into a search engine.

This dish serves 4 people.

Ingredients
1 cup of frozen yellow corn
1 can of black beans washed cleaned
1 can of organic diced tomatoes with juice
1/2 of an onion finely chopped
2 garlic cloves finely chopped
half a can of tomato paste
olive oil
3 tablespoons chili powder
1 pinch of cumin
1 teaspoon of the sauce from chipotle chili peppers in adobo sauce (optional)
salt
5 cups of organic, low sodium chicken broth
1 lime
tortilla chips
shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Directions:
Sautee onions & garlic in olive oil with chili and cumin powder and a pinch of salt for 2 minutes on low heat. Add tomato paste and adobo sauce. mix well for a minute over the low heat. Add your can of diced tomatoes and mix well over low heat for 3 minutes. Add your chicken stock. Stir all the ingredients together and raise the heat to medium so everything simmers together. Let it simmer for 10-15 minutes then add your black beans and frozen corn. Simmer for another 15-20 minutes. Once that's completed, turn the heat off and squeeze lime juice all around the soup but don't blend. You can skip this step and serve with a lime wedge.

Serve the bowl with crumbled tortilla chips topped with sharp cheddar cheese..and VIOLA! :)

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Pan-Seared Chicken Breast with Basil & Lemon Pesto Sauce

This dish gives me a warm cozy feeling that you would also get with chicken marsala. Just minus the mushrooms, loads of butter, and flour. This dish is lemony and creamy because I make a thick pesto sauce to coat the chicken in. I also thinly cut the chicken breast so the chicken cooks fast in the sauce and stays juicy all around. This can be enjoyed alone with an italian side salad or over even over pasta. Even throwing a few sliced cherry tomatoes in can jazz it up even more. I also recommend trying in in a sandwhich with fresh tomatoes and your favorite cheese or have it hot, and made into a pannini. Which ever way, I garentee you will enjoy this dish!

Ingredients:
1/3 cup of Lemon Infused Oil (If you do not have, Extra Virgin Olive Oil will work)
1 cup of Basil Leaves
1/2 of a Lemon juice
1 teaspoon of fresh Lemon zest
Salt & Pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon of Garlic Powder
5 chicken breast thinly sliced
1 tablespoon of water

Directions:
In a blender, mix all ingredients together well. Pour over chicken in a bowl and let it marinate for 20 minutes. Place into a medium heat non-stick pan with all the sauce and let it cook for about 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Then Enjoy!

Dont forget to serve the chicken with the remainders of the sauce from the pan!

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Cheddar & Scallion Biscuits with Garlic Butter

Here's a quick biscuit that can be enjoyed early in the morning ..as snack for lunch.. or for dinner. Its easy to make and it is sure to satisfy. So you should give it a try..

Ingredients:
1 cup of chopped scallions
3/4 cups of shredded cheddar cheese
2/3 cups of milk
2 1/4 cups of Bisquick
1/4 stick of butter melted
1/3 of a tablespoon of salt
1/3 of a tablespoon of garlic powder

Directions:
Heat oven to 350. Line a baking pan with parchment paper. In a large bowl combine Bisquick, Scallions, Cheddar cheese. Then add milk and mix with a spoon. Next, with your hands knead the dough making one large ball. On a large surface lay out more parchment or use a wooden cutting board dusted with a little bit of Bisquick to prevent sticking, and flatten out dough with hands or a rolling pin until its 1 inch thick. Using a cup or a cookie cutter, cut out biscuits and lay on the baking pan lined with parchment paper. Place in the oven and cook until golden brown on top. I don't give a specific time because the width of your biscuit can only determine how long it will need to cook. So keep an eye on them. Once the tops are golden brown remove it from the oven. In a cup melt butter then add salt and garlic powder. Mix well. With a brush or a spoon, top the hot biscuits with the garlic butter mixture. Let the biscuits cool for 5 minutes, then enjoy!!!

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

My Favorite Egg

I can literally eat this every morning next to some hash browns. This IS my favorite way to eat an egg.

Ingredients:
Pinch of chopped fresh or dried chives
1 strip of bacon
2 tablespoons of chopped onion
Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions:
Heat pan with 1 teaspoon of olive oil on medium heat. Cook bacon until half way done. Add onions and cook until it starts to become transparent. Crack one or two eggs ontop. Add chives and a pinch of salt & pepper. Let the egg cook the way you like it!

Enjoy with wheat toast, tortilla, or any kind of breakfast potato.

Saturday, July 24, 2010

Joe's Stone Crab, Miami (Review)

I don't really have the time to do restaurant reviews and I often times forget to take pictures. However, I just came back from my Florida vacation and can NOT stop thinking about how friken DELICIOUS Joe's Stone Crab restaurant in Miami was. I just have to share that if you ever get the chance to go, GO. Me and my boyfriend enjoyed the following with not a single complaint.

-Bread Basket with assorted bread, crackers, and muffins. Honey biscuit was our favorite.
-Florida Little Neck Clams – steamed with lobster lemongrass broth, andouille sausage, leeks, garlic, tomatoes & slice of french bread (the broth was to die for..and the bread hit the spot with this dish..)
-Joe’s Stone Crab Bisque (best crab bisque you will ever have according to my boyfriend and trust me he knows his seafood soups!)
-8 Select Stone Crab Claws (Big juicy crab claws..and we went when they weren't in season..so that means if you go when there in season you can get them 2 sizes bigger!! Season ends in May)
-Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes – with green tomato caper remoulade (Now up there with my favorite's from Faidley's from Baltimore and Legal Seafood from Boston)
-Skinny Fried Sweets (Deliciously fried sweet potatoes seasoned with sugar and cinnamon..I swear once you smell and taste these you will never forget these from Joe's and you will be hooked. I took the left overs home..I just couldn't bear to see them get chucked in the trash..)
For Dessert (even though we were stuffed)
Pecan Pie – with a honey caramel sauce à la mode (YUM!)
AND THE WINNER DESSERT
Joe’s Famous Key Lime Pie – a.k.a. the official Florida State Pie (HOLY &%*!%. IT WAS AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! EVERY BITE WAS LIKE A PUNCH TO EVERY SINGLE TASTE BUD ON MY TONGUE! SUPER DELICIOUS..A MUST HAVE IF YOU EVER MAKE IT TO JOE'S)

I miss you already Joe's!

I just wanted to add..I'm super excited to announce that Joe's website offered a few recipes including the Key Lime pie.. which I am going to attempt to make before the summer is over. Hell WHO AM I KIDDING.. I'd even eat in the winter..

Here's the link..
http://www.joesstonecrab.com/recipes/intro.html

Have a WONDERFUL day everyone!

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Horchata!

This is such an awesome drink. It's a type of a Mexican 'Aqua Fresca'. I recommend it to everyone! It is a must try for the summer. I was told it taste like rice pudding. I'm not a fan of milk so I never had rice pudding but I'm sure it taste similar because it's made from rice and has vanilla and cinnamon in the mix. So enjoy this drink while there is still hot weather. I promise you will be hooked like I am. This recipe calls for the rice to sit over night. So it is not something you can whip up right away. I tend to make it during get togethers. I actually look forward to get togethers for this reason! :) Stay Cool everyone!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup of long grain white rice
1 1/4 cups of warm water
1 cup of blanched almonds
2 cinnamon sticks
4 cups of water
3/4 cups of sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla

Directions:
Place uncooked rice in a blender. Blend until powdery. In a bowl combine blended rice, 1 1/4 cups of warm water, almonds, and the 2 cinnamon sticks. Cover and let it sit at room temperature overnight. Transfer mix to a blender. Add two cups of the 4 cups of water and blend until smooth. Line a fine mesh strainer with some cheesecloth and pour the rice mixture through it. Squeeze the remaining liquid into the bowl and throw away the solids. Pour the liquid into a pitcher or large bowl and add the remaining 2 cups of water, sugar, and vanilla. Serve immediately over ice. Garnish with a bit of cinnamon powder! Enjoyyy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

*FYI* You can store this in the fridge up to 3 days before serving!

Jalapeno Chedder Corn Muffins

Awesome Savory Muffins. It is NOT spicy. It may have a little kick. Make sure your Jalapenos doesn't have any lines on it because that mean it will be more spicy. Anyway.. you are going to love this. So give it a try. Eat some alone, with chili, or BBQ meats.

Ingredients:
2 Boxes of Jiffy Corn Bread Mix
3 fresh Jalapenos chopped and seeded
2 cups of shredded Cheddar Cheese
2 eggs
2/3 cups of milk

Directions:
Line a cupcake tray or two with baking cups. Set oven to 400 degrees. Blend milk and eggs with corn bread mix. Add 1 1/2 cups of Cheddar cheese and chopped Jalapenos into the mix and blend good. Place a tablespoon and a half into each baking cup. Once finished filling each cup, you then add a sprinkle of the left over Cheddar cheese on to each cup. Place the trays in the oven and let it cook until golden brown on top. Should be done anywhere between 15 to 20 minutes.