Whole Wheat Knots & Week's Menu Plan

I've found it: my favorite rolls.  When my husband was working late one night, I realized I would have more time than usual before we had dinner.  So as soon as I got home from work, I got busy making these rolls.  Normally, these rolls would be near-impossible to make on our typical weeknight because they require a bit more time for steps like cooling the oats mixture and letting the dough rise (twice).  The majority of the time is hands-off, so if happen to have the chance, it is so, so worth it.

I couldn't believe how unbelievably light these knots tasted even though they're chock full of good for you ingredients like whole wheat flour, oats and flaxseed.  I had 2 right out of the oven because they were just that good.  Also, when I toasted one the next morning, it tasted a lot like a bagel! We've had them toasted for breakfast, as a sandwich bun, and served as a side dish for dinner and loved them each way.  I was originally going to brush them in a butter garlic topping which I think would still be wonderful.  I can promise I'll be making these again!


Whole Wheat Knots
Taken from: A Hint of Honey
Makes 16-24 rolls (I believe I made 20

• 1 cup old-fashioned oats
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 cups boiling water
• 1 package (2 1/4 tsp.) active dry yeast
• 1/3 cup warm water (100-110 F)
• 1/4 cup flaxseed meal
• 4 cups white whole wheat flour
• 1 Tbsp. gluten (optional)
• Approx. 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 
• 1 large egg, whisked + 1 tsp. water (optional, I omitted)
• 1 Tbsp. rolled oats (optional, I omitted)
• 1 Tbsp. poppy seeds (optional, I omitted)
• 1 Tbsp. sesame seeds  (optional, I omitted)

1. Combine the first 4 ingredients in a large bowl, and add 2 cups boiling water, stirring until well blended. Cool to room temperature (I stuck mine in the freezer which took about 10-15 minutes to cool).
2. Dissolve yeast in 1/3 cup warm water in a small bowl; let stand 5 minutes. Add yeast mixture to cooled oats mixture; stir well. Stir in flaxseed meal.
3. Gradually add 4 cups whole wheat flour to oats mixture; stir until a soft dough forms. Knead about 1 minute and then let dough rest for 20 minutes.  Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic (about 8 minutes by hand, 5-6 minutes by stand mixer); add enough of all-purpose flour to prevent dough from sticking to hands (dough will feel tacky).
4. Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place, free from drafts, approx. 60 minutes or until doubled in size. (Press two fingers into the dough. If indentation remains, the dough has risen enough.) Punch dough down, and let rest for 5 minutes.
5. Divide dough in half; cut each half into 8-12 equal portions. Working with one portion at a time (cover remaining dough to prevent from drying), shape each portion into an 8-inch rope. Tie each rope into a single knot; tuck top end of rope under bottom edge of roll. Place each roll on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Cover with plastic wrap coated with cooking spray; let rise in a warm place, free from drafts, for 30-60 minutes or until doubled in size.
6. Preheat oven to 400 F.
7. Optional step: Combine water and egg in a small bowl; brush egg mixture over rolls. Combine oats, poppy seeds, and sesame seeds; sprinkle evenly over rolls.
8. Bake in preheated oven for 10-15 minutes or until golden. Cool on wire racks.

Week's Menu Plan

Sunday: Thai Chicken & Noodles
Monday: Cod with Coconut Curry Sauce, quinoa and roasted cauliflower
Tuesday: Southwest Sweet Potato & Black Bean Hash
Wednesday: Sweet & Sticky Chicken Breasts, Mashed Turnips & Potatoes, steamed broccoli
Thursday: Skirt Steak Salad with sauteed asparagus
Friday: out

Crispy Bourbon Glazed Salmon

When I found Jessica's post on How Sweet It Is for her crispy bourbon glazed salmon, I knew I had to drop everything -- rearrange my (somewhat) meticulous weekly meal plan -- because I needed to make that salmon that night.  I can't say that happens too often, even when I stumble across a delicious-looking recipe, but this was worth it.  It definitely lived up to our expectations; my husband couldn't stop talking about it - the sweet and tang together, a little bit of heat to add complexity - altogether a wonderful combination of flavors. 

My only regret is that I halved the bourbon glaze recipe because it seemed like too much for just two of us and I hate wasting food.  That was a mistake - the glaze is the star of this dish so I highly recommend making the whole thing! 

Sadly, we ate all of the salmon without taking a single picture until the very last bite.  But that means that you'll just have to make it yourself to see what it looks like! It would be so easy to serve with a few simple sides (like roasted cauliflower and rice pilaf).

Crispy Bourbon Glazed Salmon

Taken from: How Sweet It Is

Serves 3-4 (makes about 1/2 cup of glaze)

• 1 pound fresh salmon
• 1 tablespoon coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tablespoon black pepper
• 3/4 cup bourbon (I used whiskey)
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 1-2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/2 teaspoon ground mustard

1. Combine the bourbon, sugar, mustard, garlic, honey, vinegar and worcestershire in a small saucepan and whisk. Heat over high heat and allow it to come to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and let simmer for 8-10 minutes, or until mixture reduces by about half. Pour mixture in a bowl and let sit at room temperature while the salmon cooks. The glaze will thicken a bit at this time.
2. Preheat the broiler in your oven. Make sure the salmon is dry and season it with the coarse salt and pepper on both sides. Lay it on a non-stick baking sheet.  Broil for about 5-6 minutes on each side, until the top develops a crispy crust. If your salmon is very thick, you may need to go a little longer.
3. Remove the salmon from the oven and brush it with the bourbon glaze. Add as much or as little as you would like. Feel free to use it as a dipping sauce too. The glaze can be stored in the fridge for a week or two – just allow it to come to room temperature (or slightly warm it) before using.

Kale Chips

If you don't know about kale chips...well, you should.  They're pretty incredible. Who knew taking kale, (arguably one of the healthiest foods), and a few other ingredients could make something that tastes remarkably like potato chips?  The kale ends up crisping in the oven so it gives you the same satisfying crunch as a potato chip.  You can keep it as simple as kale, salt and cooking spray (3 ingredients!) or add a few extra spices for a barbecue flavored chip. I did half of the chips just with salt and the other half as barbecue chips, and, honestly, we liked both equally. 

We had our kale chips as a side for our spicy chicken and avocado sandwiches.  A delicious spring dinner!

Kale Chips with Salt

• 1 head kale (preferably curly kale)
• salt
• cooking spray

Barbecue Kale Chips
Taken from: Peas and Thank You

• 1 t. paprika
• 1/2 t. garlic salt
• 1/2 t. sugar
• 1/4 t. onion powder
• 1/4 t. chili powder
• 1/4 t. dry mustard (I omitted)
• pinch of cayenne (optional)
• 1 head kale
• cooking spray

-For BBQ kale chips, mix all spices together in a small bowl. 
-Preheat oven to 300.  Line 2 baking sheets with aluminum foil (the foil is optional but makes for easy clean up) and then spray foil with cooking spray.
-Rinse and dry the kale, then remove the stems and tough center ribs. Cut into large pieces and arrange leaves in a single layer on baking sheets.  Spray kale pieces with cooking spray and then sprinkle with salt or BBQ spice mixture.
-Bake for approximately 20 minutes; after 10 minutes of cooking, rotate the pan and then check every few minutes so they don't burn. Chips should be light and crisp.

Cinnamon-Topped Baked French Toast

On the rare occasions when Bryant and I go out to breakfast or brunch (my favorite meal of the day), I pick up the menu and study it intently, lost in the possibilities of what I should order.  Bryant, however, knows better.  He simply says, "I know you'll be ordering the French toast." And he's right...pretty much every single time. (Of course, we split our meals so I do know that I'll be getting half of a delicious savory breakfast item, too.  But I can't really help that I'm a sucker for French toast.)

So when Bryant and I FINALLY got a quiet Saturday together, I knew I would be celebrating...with French toast.  So I found one of those delicious recipes that I had bookmarked a while ago that looked divine: a cinnamon and sugar topped baked French toast.  I loved that you prepare the night before so we still get a lazy morning together. It was also an incredibly easy recipe to halve or to third (like we did). Served with some fresh strawberries from our CSA box, Grade B maple syrup (maple syrup is a must!), and a side of eggs and bacon, it was exactly the kind of celebratory/lazy/delicious meal I was hoping for.

Cinnamon-Topped Baked French Toast
Taken from: Two Peas and their Pod
Serves 16*
*To halve this recipe to serve 8, halve the ingredients and use an 8x8 baking dish.  To cut this recipe into a third (like we did), cut the ingredients to approximately one-third and then serve in a 4x8 loaf pan (I had a glass loaf pan but a standard loaf pan would work as well).

• 1 loaf French Bread (I used challah)
• 8 large eggs
• 2 cups milk (I used skim)
• ½ cup heavy whipping cream (I used a little whole milk and one tablespoon of butter instead)
• ¾ cups granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons vanilla extract

For Streusel:

• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons cold butter, cut into pieces

1. Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Tear French bread into chunks, or cut into cubes,  and evenly place in the pan. 
2. In a large bowl, mix together eggs, milk, cream, sugar, and vanilla extract. Pour evenly over bread. Cover pan with saran wrap and store in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight.
3. In a separate bowl, mix together flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Add butter pieces and cut into the dry mixture using a fork or your hands. Combine until the mixture resembles sand with a few pea sized chunks. Cover and store mixture in the refrigerator.
4. When you’re ready to bake the French toast, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove casserole from refrigerator  and sprinkle crumb mixture over the top.  Bake for 45-55 minutes, or until the French toast is set and golden brown.
5. Serve warm with maple syrup.

Spaghetti al Limone & Week's Menu Plan

The other week just seemed like one big downpour of cold rain.  And this week? 80 degrees today! I believe we've skipped spring and went straight to summer (although I think it'll drop down to low 70s for the rest of the week).  And nothing seems like spring (or summer) more than bright yellow lemons.  And I just so happen to have 10+ lemons sitting in my kitchen that my co-worker picked from her tree for me (that's love right there).

So to celebrate spring and to use some of these lovely lemons, we had spaghetti al limone.  Basically, it was spaghetti with olive oil, a touch of cream and lots of lemon.  Very light...actually, probably a bit too light for my starving husband without any other kind of side dish (we did eat at close to 9 pm) but really refreshing on a summer-like day.  Also, I served it with a roasted artichoke which we just LOVED.  Instead of the traditional mayonnaise-like dipping sauce, you place a artichoke in foil, drizzle with olive oil, lemon juice, sliced garlic and salt and roast at 400 degrees for 45-75 minutes (depending on the size of the artichokes).  As you can tell, lots of lemon and olive oil in our life!

Also, by popular demand, I am bringing back the menu plan.  And, of course, by popular demand, I mean me -- I happen to like having each night's meal a click away. Most of these meals happen to be quick weeknight dinners which I always like having in my arsenal.

Spaghetti al Limone
Taken from: Cook's Illustrated, January 2011 issue
Serves 4 (I halved this recipe)

• 1 pound spaghetti or linguine
• 1 1/2 cups reserved pasta water (you can use regular water if you forget)
• Salt
• 3 lemons (approx. 1 tablespoon of zest and 1/4-1/2 cup of juice)
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil , plus additional for serving
• 1/4 cup heavy cream (you could decrease this amount if desired)
• 1 ounce finely grated Parmesan cheese (about 1/2 cup), plus additional for serving
• Ground black pepper
• Small handful fresh basil or arugula, chopped (approximately 1/8 cup)

1. Bring water to a boil and cook spaghetti until al dente.
2. While pasta is cooking, zest lemons until you have a little shy of a tablespoon of zest. Juice lemons — you’ll have anywhere from 1/4 to 1/2 cup lemon juice.
3. Drain pasta, reserving 1 1/2 cups of pasta cooking water. Dry out your pot, then boil the olive oil, cream, zest and 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water together for two minutes over high heat. Return pasta to pot and stir until coated. Add the cheese and 1/4 cup lemon juice and toss, toss, toss everything together. Add more pasta water, 1/4 cup at a time, if you’d like your dish a little looser. Quickly taste a strand of pasta and see if you want to add the remaining lemon juice . Stir in basil or arugula and season generously with salt and pepper.
4. Serve immediately, drizzling individual portions with a bit of extra olive oil and sprinkling with extra Parmesan cheese.

Week's Menu Plan

Tuesday: Slow Cooker Coconut Chicken Curry with broccoli

 

Wednesday: Stuffed Flank Steak with biscuits and roasted asparagus

Thursday: Spicy Asian Noodles 

Friday: Nachos 

Saturday: Pepita Crusted Mahi-mahi with polenta and baked spinach

Slow Cooker Pork Tinga Tacos

I happen to love my slow cooker.  It was such a great wedding gift -- I just love the idea of throwing things in a pot, going to work and then coming home to a complete meal.  Who wouldn't want that? So when I found this slow-cooker taco recipe, I couldn't wait to try it!  

This was a huge success, too! I only had pork tenderloin in our freezer instead of pork shoulder so I just cut down on the cooking time dramatically and it ended up being perfect - not too dry, which is usually the problem with using a lean cut of meat. The meat was so easy to shred with two forks.  I think one of my favorite things was that usually after work, my mind goes straight to cooking.  But for this meal, I threw it in the slow cooker at lunch time and forgot about it, had a great coffee date with Bryant after work and was still able to have dinner on the table within minutes of coming home.

We thought these tacos did have quite a bit of heat (even after removing most of the seeds in the chile); the avocado helps cool it down but I cooled it a bit further with some nonfat yogurt.  We served it with some homemade refried beans on the side to round out an easy weeknight meal.

Smoky Pork Tinga Tacos
Taken from: Elly Says Opa via Mexican Everyday by Rick Bayless

• 1 lb. redskin or Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 1/2″ cubes
• 2 lbs. boneless pork shoulder, cut into 1″ pieces OR 1 1/2 lbs pork tenderloin, fat removed
• 1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes (preferably fire-roasted), including juice
• 3-4 chipotles in adobo, sliced (remove seeds for a milder dish)
• 1 Tbsp. adobo sauce
• 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tsp. dried oregano
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 medium white onion, sliced 1/4″ thick

For serving:

• 4 oz. fresh Mexican chorizo sausage (optional)
• 24 warm corn or whole wheat tortillas
• 1 cup crumbled Mexican queso fresco or other fresh cheese, such as feta or goat cheese
• 2 large avocados, diced
• nonfat yogurt (optional)

1. Spread the potatoes over the bottom of a slow cooker and top with the pork.
2. In a large bowl, mix the (undrained) tomatoes with the chipotles, adobo sauce, Worcestershire, oregano, garlic, onion, and about 1 1/2 tsp. salt.  Pour the mixture evenly over the meat and potatoes.
3. Cover and slow cook on high for 6 hours or low for 10 (if using pork tenderloin, cook on low for 5-6 hours - I had halved this recipe and the pork was perfect at 4 hours on low).
4. When you’re ready to eat, fry the optional chorizo and then stir everything together, breaking the pork into smaller pieces (with pork tenderloin, shred with two forks).  Taste and season with additional salt if necessary.
5. Serve with warm tortillas, cheese, avocados and optional yogurt for making soft tacos.

Homemade Wheat Thins

I've begun to make more and more of our food at home.  I still prepare almost all of our meals but now, I've started to make some of the foods we used to just buy from the store - baguettes, granola bars, English muffins, bagels, cereal (a new venture for me), and crackers.  These latest crackers are not difficult at all - the recipe only has a few ingredients and since there's no yeast, you don't have to wait around for the dough to rise.   We really liked these mock wheat thins - not only are they tasty and pretty easy but they just look good, too. Using a pizza cutter to cut these crackers is a great tip because it gives them beautiful straight lines so they actually look similar to store-bought crackers.  Just without the suspicious additives and high price.  Served with some Tillamook cheddar cheese or hummus (or plain), it has been the perfect evening snack for us!

Homemade Wheat Thins

Taken from: Two Peas and Their Pod

• 1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus extra for topping
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup water (you might need to add a little more)
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
2. Add the flour, sugar, salt and paprika to a medium bowl and whisk to combine.  Cut the butter into small pieces and add it to the bowl.  Using a pastry blender, mix the butter into the dry ingredients thoroughly (I used two knives to cut the butter into the flour mixture instead).  Combine the water and vanilla in a small measuring cup or bowl.  Add to the butter/flour mixture and mix until a smooth dough forms. If the dough is still dry, add a little more water.
3. Divide the dough into 4 pieces.  Work with one piece at a time, keeping the others covered with a towel so they don’t dry out.  Lightly flour your work surface and rolling pin and roll the dough into a large rectangle.  Lift the dough and turn it as you roll to ensure it’s not sticking.  You want to roll the dough as thin as possible, try to make sure it’s 1/16-inch thick at most.  If you want all of your crackers to be perfect, trim the edges of the dough so you have a rectangle with even sides.  Use a pizza cutter to cut the rectangle into squares about 1 to 1 1/2 inches wide.
4. Transfer the dough squares to the prepared baking sheets. You can place them close together because they will not spread.  Sprinkle the squares lightly with salt.  Repeat the rolling and cutting process with the remaining 3 pieces of dough.  Save all of your scraps under the towel to keep the dough from drying out; reroll them all at once to create a final batch of crackers.
5. Bake the crackers, one sheet at a time, until crisp and browned, about 5-10 minutes.  Check the crackers at 5 minutes, and if some of the thinner ones are browning too quickly, remove them from the oven.  The crackers can burn quickly so you want to keep a close eye on them.  Remove crackers from oven and place on a wire rack to cool.  Store the crackers in an airtight container.