In the Kitchen with Katie

This week I had to work nights, which not only messes up my sleep schedule but changes my diet too.  I often crave soups, comfort foods, and breakfast baked goods.  Usually around 2am I indulge in a cup of coffee and a 600 calorie cinnamon scone from au bon pain.  Them posting the calories still does not discourage me.  For my first night of work I thought I would bring in a homemade baked breakfast goodie.

I stumbled across this coffee cake recipe and thought it would be enjoyed by all at 2am.  I was right!  Perfect with a cup of coffee this cake is moist & flavorful.  The oats give a wonderful texture for the topping.  Honestly this cake would be enjoyed anytime of day.  Okay, I need to go and get some sleep, but please make this coffee cake!

Ingredients

3/4  cup  old-fashioned rolled oats (about 2.5 ounces), divided
Cooking spray
4.5  ounces  all-purpose flour (about 1 cup)
1  ounce  whole-wheat flour (about 1/4 cup)
1  teaspoon  baking powder
1/2  teaspoon  baking soda
1/4  teaspoon  salt
1/2  cup  granulated sugar
1/2  cup  packed brown sugar, divided
1/3  cup  butter, softened
2  large eggs
1  teaspoon  vanilla extract
1  (8-ounce) carton light sour cream (such as Daisy)
2  tablespoons  finely chopped walnuts, toasted
1/2  teaspoon  ground cinnamon
1  tablespoon  chilled butter, cut into small pieces

Preheat oven to 350°.

Spread oats in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 350° for 6 minutes or until oats are barely fragrant and light brown.

Coat a 9-inch spring-form pan with cooking spray; set aside.

Reserve 1/4 cup oats; set aside. Place remaining oats in a food processor; process 4 seconds or until finely ground. Weigh or lightly spoon flours into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine processed oats, flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; stir with a whisk.

Place granulated sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, and 1/3 cup butter in a large bowl. Beat with a mixer at medium speed for 3 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture alternately with sour cream, beginning and ending with flour mixture. (Batter will be slightly lumpy because of oats.) Spoon batter into prepared pan; spread evenly.

Combine remaining 1/4 cup oats, remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar, nuts, and cinnamon in a bowl. Cut in 1 tablespoon butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until well blended. Sprinkle top of batter evenly with nut mixture. Bake at 350° for 38 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, top is golden, and cake begins to pull away from sides of pan. Cool cake in pan for 10 minutes; remove from pan.

Source: First Look, then Cook; originally from Cooking Light

For those of you who don’t know we have been experiencing a heat wave in the Northeast.  I think it has finally broken.  During this one hundred degree weather my cooking has been limited as we could not bare to turn on the oven or stand outside to grill.  Looking for cooler alternatives I ended up trying some new sandwiches and salads.  This taco salad was a perfect summer night meal. 

A couple of weeks ago I made taco salad for dinner, but it was lacking.  I seasoned the meat, but did not have a dressing for the salad.  It tasted really bland.  From that point on I was on the look out for a flavorful dressing and was excited to try this sour cream based one.  The dressing came out thick, but was perfect to coat the salad.  Not only is this salad delicious, but very healthy.  It is a win win!

Ingredients

Dressing:
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2/3 cup light sour cream or greek yogurt
1 tablespoon minced chipotle chile, canned in adobo sauce 
1 tablespoon homemade taco seasoning
4 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon salt

Salad:

4 cups shredded romaine lettuce
2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts shredded
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 avocado peeled & diced
1/3 cup thinly vertically sliced red onion
1  (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1  (15-ounce) can no-salt-added whole-kernel corn, rinsed and drained
1 red bell pepper

Feel free to adjust salad ingredients to your preferences.

To prepare dressing, combine ingredients, stirring well.

To prepare salad, combine lettuce and remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Drizzle dressing over salad; toss gently to coat. Serve immediately.

Source: adapted from My Recipes

It is almost a 100 degrees today in Boston and I thought it’s the perfect day to share a refreshing summer drink with you.  One of our favorite summer drinks is La Paloma and so on a recent trip to the New Hampshire liquor store we stocked up on tequila.  With all this tequila on hand and recipes of fruity margaritas popping up all over the place I decided to try one.  Choosing which one was a rather simple task as one of my favorite summer fruits is watermelon.  Jordan and I enjoy watermelon so much we usually devour it the night I get it home from the store.  Recently when I came across a recipe for a watermelon margarita I knew I had to make it.  If you like watermelon & tequila then this is the drink for you!  Stay cool out there.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups pureed watermelon
juice of 2 limes
1 1/2 ounces triple sec
3-6 ounces tequila
ice, for the glass
salt for the rim

Puree watermelon in food processor.  Add the pureed watermelon, lime juice, triple sec, tequila, to your mixer. Drop in a few ice cubes and shake for 30 seconds. Wipe the rim of each glass with a wedge of watermelon, then dip the edges in your salt and fill with 2 ice cubes each. Strain the drinks into the glasses and garnish with small watermelon wedge or a slice of lime.

Source: Crepes of Wrath

When I started cooking I had a few kitchen mishaps, like taking a flaming salmon out of the broiler and cutting my figure with a butter knife trying to open a pepper shaker.  The other night I had another cooking incident.  I proceeded to rub my eye with a finger with jalapeno juice residue on it.  I don’t recommend this, especially when you have contacts in.  My eyes began to burn and it only got worse as I tried to take my contacts out.  I spent a good 10 minutes in the bathroom cleaning out my eye.  Bloodshot & in glasses I finally got to try my dip.  It was quite a scene.  I only tell you this for a disclaimer for this recipe.  See what I need to endure to bring you recipes:)

When I take Jordan to the store with me I can assure you of three things that will end up in the cart: steak, gushers, and queso dip.  We often inhale the queso dip in one sitting.  I don’t even look at the ingredients because I dare not know what is in that orange cheese dip. Recently I came across a recipe for a nacho cheese sauce, which I thought could easily be made into a dip.  With a few simple changes I had my own version of queso dip.  It was supposed to be an appetizer, but it ended up being our dinner.  However, if you are going to have dinner it is a great appetizer to this Chicken Enchilada Casserole!

Ingredients

4 cloves garlic, minced
2 scallions, minced
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. flour
1-1 1/2 cups milk
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded (I also have made with one cup jalapeno Monterrey Jack Cheese & 1 cup Cheddar 
1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
2 tbsp. minced jalapeno peppers (I used jarred jalapenos)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
dash cayenne pepper

Mix together olive oil, garlic and butter in a saucepan. Saute ingredient until they soften.  Sprinkle in flour, pour in milk and stir until mixture simmers — do not allow to boil. When mixture begins to thicken, stir in the cheese and remaining ingredients, Simmer on low heat an additional five minutes or until cheese is fully melted. Serve immediately!

Source: adapted from Shutterbean

This weekend as most of you were outside enjoying BBQs, the beach, and Fourth of July festivities I was working three 12 hour shifts. Every time I have to work for a holiday I try to make the most of it.  Everyone who is working tries to bring in a dish to share in order for us to celebrate and for it to truly feel like a holiday.

This Fourth of July when I found out I would be working with two vegetarians I knew exactly what I wanted to make.  The first time I made this chickpea salad was for my friend Ashlee’s going away dinner and she loved it. This salad is the perfect blend of sweet, spicy, and salty. It tastes good over spinach, by itself, or with tortilla chips.  I made this salad the night before and letting it sit overnight only enhanced the flavors.  The only ingredient I added right before serving was the avocados because I did not want them to get brown.  This would be a great salad to bring on a picnic or to a BBQ.

For all you meat eaters out there for Jordan’s work I made this zesty crockpot BBQ chicken!  For dessert I made both of us a key lime pie and homemade whipped cream to take in, but that will have to wait for another post. 

Hope you all had a Happy 4th!  What did you do to celebrate?  I was thankful I got to see a spectacular view of Boston Fireworks.

Ingredients

4 (15-ounce) cans garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup finely diced red onion
1 to 2 whole  jalapeno, deseeded and finely diced (I used jarred jalapenos)
1 teaspoon lemon zest
juice of 1 a lemon
2/3 cup sliced almonds
2 ripe avocados, diced into chunks
small handful flat leaf parsley leaves, coarsely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, smashed and coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
2 teaspoons whole grain mustard
2 teaspoons agave honey
4 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
salt to taste
clean baby spinach leaves

Start by making the dressing.  In a medium bowl, with a fork, mash together garlic and salt until it forms a paste.  Blend in the mustard, agave, red wine vinegar, and red pepper flakes.  While whisking, slowly drizzle in the olive oil until mixture is thick and emulsified.  Add salt and pepper to taste (I didn’t need much at all).

In a large bowl, toss together chickpeas, onion, jalapeno, lemon zest and juice, almonds, and parsley.  Toss the dressing into the chickpea mixture and blend well. Add the avocados just before serving.  Serve over spinach immediately or store in a container in the refrigerator for up to three days.

Source: Joy the Baker