Chocolate Pretzels

2 days, 2 pretzels.

Well, sort of.

First, I made the "Everything Pretzels." Then, the following day, I decided to try Martha Stewart's "Chocolate Pretzels." Now, in case you are wondering, these are chocolate cookies - they are NOT meant to taste like a pretzel in any way. They just share the same shape. Don't go in, thinking that these will be "Auntie Annie's" meet "Chocolate Cookie."

Anyway, they taste good. It's basically a rich, crunchy, sugar dusted cookie, that looks very pretty. Well, it SHOULD look very pretty, but as I mentioned yesterday, I am not so great at creating uniformly shaped cookies. Instead, I have 2 dozen, oddly shaped, pretzel-esque looking thingies... They have that cakey crunch, that is sort of a melding of softt anf crispy. I like hem, though I still prefer a run of the mill, chewy, chocolate chippity type of cookie. I guess my dessert palate isn't quite asrefined as Ms. Martha...




You should make these, if you have someone to impress. Don't make them to put in your kids' lunches. Too much work... 3.5 Bowls!

Chocolate Pretzels

• 1/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon good-quality instant espresso powder
• 3 tablespoons boiling water
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1 large egg
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 large egg yolk
• Sanding sugar, for sprinkling

Directions

1. Stir cocoa and espresso powders into the boiling water in a small bowl until dissolved; set aside. Meanwhile, put butter and granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until creamy. Mix in vanilla and salt. Reduce speed to medium-low. Mix in egg, then cocoa mixture. Gradually add flour, and mix until a smooth dough forms. Turn out onto a piece of plastic; pat into a square. Wrap dough, and refrigerate until cold, about 30 minutes.
2. Divide dough into 24 equal pieces. Roll into balls. Shape balls into 12-inch-long ropes. Twist each rope into a pretzel shape. Space 1 inch apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
3. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Whisk egg yolk with 1 teaspoon water in a small bowl. Brush cookies with egg wash; sprinkle with sanding sugar. Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until dry, about 35 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks. Cookies can be stored in airtight containers at room temperature up to 1 week.

Read more at Marthastewart.com: Chocolate Pretzels - Martha Stewart Recipes

Spiced Chicken with Black Eyed Peas and Rice

So, you're supposed to eat black eyed peas on New Year's Day - you knew that, right? Well, technically, you're supposed to eat Hoppin' Johns, but I wasn't in the mood for that, so I made these during the first week of the year, instead. This recipe is super easy to throw together, and the flavor is really delicious. I always have issues with spicing and cooking chicken breasts. They always seem to be bland, boring, and dry. This recipe has a really nice rub for the chicken, and the cooking technique - starting on the stovetop, and finishing in the oven - really created a nice, flavorful, juicy chicken breast. The rice (I used brown, by the way) was really tasty, with a mellow spiciness, and a delicious bite of green onion. I will definitely make this again. It's a really great recipe to make when you are feeling rushed and desperately in need of a grocery run!!




Make this. It's so easy, healthy, delicious, and comforting. Oh, and it's good luck! 4 Bowls!

Spiced Chicken with Black-Eyed Peas and Rice

For juicier chicken, sear on the stovetop and finish in the oven.

Yield: 4 servings


1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 cup frozen chopped onion, thawed
1 teaspoon bottled minced garlic
1 1/2 cups cooked long-grain rice
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco)
1 (15.8-ounce) can black-eyed peas, undrained
1/4 cup sliced green onions

Preheat oven to 350�.

Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Combine paprika, seasoning, sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt; sprinkle over chicken. Add chicken to pan; cook 2 minutes on each side. Wrap handle of pan with foil. Place pan in oven. Bake at 350� for 6 minutes or until chicken is done. Cover and keep warm.

Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add frozen onion and garlic; saut� 3 minutes. Stir in rice, 1/4 teaspoon salt, hot pepper sauce, and black-eyed peas; cook 3 minutes or until thoroughly heated, stirring frequently. Spoon about 3/4 cup rice mixture into each of 4 bowls; top each serving with 1 chicken breast half. Sprinkle each serving with 1 tablespoon green onions.

CALORIES 405 (14% from fat); FAT 6.5g (sat 1.3g,mono 3.1g,poly 1.2g); IRON 3.4mg; CHOLESTEROL 99mg; CALCIUM 64mg; CARBOHYDRATE 37.5g; SODIUM 868mg; PROTEIN 47g; FIBER 5g

Cooking Light, JULY 2004

Grammy's Chocolate Cookies

These are not the cookies of any Grammy I know... Perhaps they come from Martha Stewart's Grammy, since the recipe is from her Cookie Book. Anyway, these big, chewy, sugar encrusted masterpieces are a great addition to my cookie recipe arsenal. The flavor is simple - rich, sweet, and chocolatey. They spread into a thin cookie that gives the facade of having a crunch, but it's actually quite chewy. My only words of advice are to give them space. If they are too close together, you'll have one giant cookie. Trust me.




Makes these. They're pretty, rich, delicious, and easy. 4 Bowls!

Grammy's Chocolate Cookies

Makes about 100

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup Dutch cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 cups (2 sticks plus 4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 cups sugar, plus more for dipping
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Directions

1. Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter, 2 cups sugar, and eggs on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add vanilla, and mix to combine. Gradually add dry ingredients, and combine with mixer on low speed. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, and chill until dough is firm, about 1 hour.
3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with Silpat baking mats. Roll dough into 1-inch balls. Dip top of each ball into sugar. Place on prepared baking sheets about 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake until set, about 8 minutes. Cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

From Martha Stewart Living, February 2000

Read more at Marthastewart.com: Grammy's Chocolate Cookies - Martha Stewart Recipes

Ethiopian Honey Rolls

I love homemade bread. I love the smell of my house, the crusty tops of the rolls, and the steamy dough, when you break the bread. I am on a baking bonanza lately, in anticipation of Jonah's first birthday party, and these were my first experiment. They are really crusty, but soft inside, and the flavors are pretty complex. At first bite, you get a sweet, subtle flavor, but as you chew, you can taste the coriander undertones, and the bite of the cloves. Oh, so good. Throw a slice of turkey or cheese on these rolls, or even a smear of hummus, and you have a perfect little lunch.





Don't be scared of yeast. Just make these. 4 Bowls...

Ethiopian Honey Bread/Rolls (Yemarina Yewotet Dabo)

1 pkg. active dry yeast
1/4 cup lukewarm water (110-115 degrees)
1 egg
1/3 cup honey
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup lukewarm whole milk
6 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
4-5 cups all-purpose flour

In a small bowl, sprinkle yeast over the warm water. Let stand for 3 minutes, then stir to dissolve. Set the bowl in a warm place for about 5 minutes; mixture should double in volume. If it does not, repeat procedure.

Combine the egg, honey, coriander, cinnamon, cloves, and salt in a deep bowl, mixing until smooth. Add the yeast mixture, milk, and 5 tablespoons of the melted butter. Beat until well blended. Stir in flour 1/2 cup at a time, until becomes too stiff to stir.

On a lightly floured board, knead the dough, adding a small amount of flour when necessary to keep from sticking. Knead for about 5 minutes. Place dough in a large, greased bowl. cover with a damp cloth and let sit in warm place for about 1 1/2 hours.

Grease a cookie sheet with the remaining tablespoon of butter. Punch down the dough and knead it again for a few minutes. Shape the dough into a round, and place it on the greased sheet. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Let the bread rise again while oven is preheating. Bake the bread for 1 hour, or until the top is crusty and light golden brown.

Thai Veggie Chili

I hesitate to call this a chili, because it is clearly a stew, but whatever...

When I tried this chili, my first reaction was, "Wow, this tastes really unique. The flavors are so different, considering a lot of the ingredients are the same ones I use all the time."

Kevin's first reaction was, "This tastes sort of generic. I mean, it tastes similar to a lot of things you make."

Hmph. Really? Were we eating the same thing?

Anyway, we both loved it. Well, actually, all four of us loved it, with the ultimate winner being Jonah, who couldn't tear himself away from it. I took this recipe from the the author of Veganomicon, who adapted it from an "Eating Clean Magazine" recipe. I really liked this dinner. It has a sweet and spicy flavor, with a really nice, subtle coconut curry undertone. It's a nice, thick stew, and it went beautifully over a bowl of brown rice. I will definitely be making this again. Soon.







This is a vegetarian hot pot of yums. Make it. 4 Bowls.

Red Lentil Thai Chili

Olive oil (1 teaspoon to 2 tablespoons, however much you feel like using)
1 large yellow onion, diced medium
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced medium
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 ½ lbs sweet potatoes cut into ¾ inch chunks
1 cup red lentils
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups vegetable broth
2 15 oz cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
1 15 oz can lowfat coconut milk
28 oz can diced tomatoes
½ cup fresh cilantro, plus extra for garnish
Limes for garnish (optional)

Preheat a 4-quart pot over medium heat. Saute onions and pepper in oil with a pinch of salt, for 5 to 7 minutes. Add garlic and saute a minute more.

Add chili powder, sweet potatoes, lentils, salt and vegetable broth. Cover and bring to a boil. Let it boil for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. When lentils are cooked and sweet potatoes are tender, add the remaining ingredients and heat through.

Taste for salt and seasoning, top with cilantro and lime and serve!

Soy-Sherry Chicken with (Turkey) Fried Rice

This was a last minute, "I have a million ingredients to get rid of" type of meal. I basically found a couple of recipes that would help me use up my fresh produce. I wanted to use some leftover cabbage, red peppers, carrots, chicken, etc. The chicken recipe was on the front page of the Cooking Light website last week, and I dug around a bit, to find the other one, so I could serve the two, side by side. Needless to say, I was clearly in Asian mode last week.



This fried rice recipe, is clearly meant to be one of those "Day After Thanksgiving, Use up your Leftovers" type of recipes. I omitted everything "turkey" about it, and just made the fried rice with veggies (though I did use chicken broth). The rice was super tasty. I loved the addition of cabbage and peas, and the flavor combination of the rice vinager and sesame oil was perfect. This would be a terrific way to use up Thanksgiving leftovers. Then again, doing it veg style was delicious also.

Make this. Make it with turkey, make it with chicken, make it vegetarian. Any way you make it, it'll be a 5 Bowler.

Turkey Fried Rice


Canned chicken broth will work in place of the Turkey Stock, though the stock will enhance the dish's turkey flavor. Chilling the rice keeps the grains from sticking together as they're reheated. For more spice, add an extra teaspoon of chili garlic sauce.


Yield: 6 servings (serving size: about 1 1/2 cups)


1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons Turkey Stock (I used chicken)
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
2 teaspoons dark sesame oil
1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce (such as Lee Kum Kee)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
5 teaspoons canola oil
2 cups shredded green cabbage
1 cup sliced green onions
1 1/2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger
5 cups cooked long-grain rice, chilled (I used brown rice)
4 cups chopped cooked turkey (light and dark meat) (omitted)
2 cups leftover green peas or frozen peas, thawed
1 cup leftover carrots or frozen carrots, thawed (I used fresh)
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Combine the first 7 ingredients in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk until well blended.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add cabbage, onions, and ginger to pan; sauté 3 minutes or until tender. Add rice, turkey, peas, and carrots; sauté 3 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Stir in soy mixture; cook 2 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in cilantro.


CALORIES 456 (22% from fat); FAT 11.1g (sat 2.3g,mono 3.5g,poly 2.8g); IRON 5.4mg; CHOLESTEROL 72mg; CALCIUM 97mg; CARBOHYDRATE 50.4g; SODIUM 705mg; PROTEIN 35.5g; FIBER 5.2g

Cooking Light, NOVEMBER 2007




Make this. It would have been just as good over plain rice. So easy to make. Mmmmm. I want this again, immediately. 5 Bowls.

Chicken with Sherry-Soy Sauce


Serve this Asian-inspired chicken recipe with bagged salad greens and quick-cooking rice noodles for an easy meal.


Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 chicken breast half, 1 tablespoon sauce, and 1 tablespoon onions)


Cooking spray
4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup dry sherry
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Sprinkle chicken with salt and black pepper. Add chicken to pan; cook 4 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Remove from pan; keep warm.

Add sherry, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, and red pepper to pan; scrape pan to loosen browned bits. Bring to a boil; cook 1 minute. Stir in oil.


CALORIES 230 (13% from fat); FAT 3.3g (sat 0.7g,mono 1g,poly 1g); IRON 1.6mg; CHOLESTEROL 99mg; CALCIUM 27mg; CARBOHYDRATE 4.7g; SODIUM 528mg; PROTEIN 39.9g; FIBER 0.3g

Cooking Light, DECEMBER 2005

Lo Mein with Tofu

I'm pretty sure that when I tell Kevin we are having tofu for dinner, his heart sort of sinks. That's okay with me, because I really enjoy eating tofu, and I think it's a nice alternative to chicken or beef. This recipe is really easy, and the flavor combination is perfect.

An ingredient lesson:

One of the key ingredients is Mirin, which is sweetened sake. If you don't want this to be a sweet dish, I supposed you could use regular sake or dry sherry (which is often a sub for sake, in Asian dishes), but I'm not sure how it will affect the flavor. If Mirin is MIA from your cabinet, or you want to be able to monitor the sugar content of your dinner, you could always use dry sherry (or sake), and add a couple of teaspoons of brown or granulated sugar, to fake the flavors of the dish. I think the subtle sweetness is definitely essential to the dish, but anything is worth a try! Wondering where to find Mirin? Look no further than the Asian section at your grocery store. I found it at Stop and Shop, so it can't be that mysterious!



Maybe you should make this... If you like tofu. Kevin probably gives this 2 Bowls, but I give it 4. The tofu was delish, but it was tofu...

Lo Mein with Tofu

Although lo mein is traditionally made with Chinese egg noodles, here we substitute whole-wheat linguine. Pan-frying the tofu gives it a crisp exterior.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 3/4 cups)


1 (14-ounce) package firm water-packed tofu, drained and cut crosswise into 4 (1-inch-thick) pieces
8 ounces whole-wheat linguine
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
3 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons mirin (sweet rice wine)
1 1/2 tablespoons less-sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
3/4 cup vertically sliced onion
2 cups shredded cabbage
2 cups peeled, thinly diagonally sliced carrot
2 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups fresh bean sprouts
1/4 cup chopped green onions

1. Place tofu in a single layer on several layers of paper towels. Cover tofu with several more layers of paper towels, and top with a cast-iron skillet or other heavy pan. Let stand for 30 minutes. Discard paper towels.

2. Cook pasta in boiling water until al dente; drain. Combine pasta, sesame oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper; toss. Set aside.

3. Sprinkle remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and remaining 1/8 teaspoon pepper evenly over tofu. Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon canola oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add tofu to pan; cook 4 minutes on each side or until golden. Remove from pan; cut into bite-sized pieces. Combine oyster sauce and next 3 ingredients (through vinegar) in a small bowl, stirring well.

4. Heat a wok or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add remaining 1 tablespoon canola oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add onion; stir-fry 2 minutes or until lightly browned. Add cabbage, carrot, and garlic; stir-fry 2 minutes or until cabbage wilts. Reduce heat to medium; stir in tofu and vinegar mixture, tossing to coat. Add pasta and bean sprouts; toss. Cook 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Sprinkle with green onions.

CALORIES 397 ; FAT 15.4g (sat 1.3g,mono 8.8g,poly 4.1g); CHOLESTEROL 0.0mg; CALCIUM 248mg; CARBOHYDRATE 55.1g; SODIUM 736mg; PROTEIN 18.2g; FIBER 9g; IRON 4mg


Cooking Light, APRIL 2010