Lemon Ricotta Pancakes with Cranberries (Syrniki)

I got this recipe from my friend Marina, a very talented chef and fellow blogger. This is her original recipe that I implemented with a few tiny modifications. Check out her fabulous blog and recipe here: Marina's Recipe for Syrniki.

I typically don't make traditional Russian food but these babies spoke to me because of the lemony addition of lemon zest. My gang is also not a huge fan of raisins so I substituted cranberries. And ALL around hit, even my picky 7 year old ate them with gusto.

I served with a berry sauce that make a few weeks ago for serving with french toast and froze for future use. The recipe for the Berry Sauce is here.

INGREDIENTS:

One 15 oz container of ricotta (I used part skim by Poly-0

3/4 cup of flour (I used whole wheat)

2 large eggs

1 cup of cranberries (soaked)

Pinch of salk

Zest of 1 lemon (use microplane to zest) 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

1 tablespoon brown sugar

Oil for frying (I used grape)

DIRECTIONS:

1) Soak your cranberries (or raisins) in 1 cup of hot water for about 10 minutes. Pour enough water to cover raisins. Continue other preparations.  Once finished soaking, drain and carefully pat dry. 

2) Combine ricotta, flour, eggs, salt and sugar in a large bowl. If using, add lemon zest and vanilla. Mix well. I use this micropane Microplane 40020 Classic Zester/Grater to zest my lemon (wash the lemon first).

3) Add cranberries. Mix.

4) Heat about a tablespoon of oil to a pan and let the oil heat up about 2 minutes. I use this 1o inch skillet Le Creuset Enameled Cast-Iron 11-3/4-Inch Skillet with Iron Handle, Marseille.

5) Wet your hands and form ONE round patty, about 2 inches in diameter and about 1/2 inch thick. If it falls apart, you will know to add more flour to the future patties. Mine was just right but you might need more flour depending on consistency of your ricotta (maybe about another 1/4 cup). Cook until golden brown, about 3-4 minutes per side. 

6) Remove and place on place on paper towels to absorb excess oil.

7) Serve immediately or save for later. Serve the russian way with sour cream, the russian healthier way with greek yogurt, or my way with berry sauce. I also serves some fresh berries on the side for a complete breakfast.

Super Easy Apple Cake

You guys should know, I am really more of a cook than a baker. I rarely bake as I try to watch my figure and just don't want to have tempting goodies around. 

That said, I got this recipe from a talented friend and a moment of weakness, decided to bake it up. It was very tasty and super simple to make.

Ingredients:

3-4 apples (I used granny smith)

~1/3 stick of butter 

4 eggs

1 cup of milk ( I use 1%)

3-4 tablespoons of sugar

1 teaspoon of vanilla

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

2/3 cup of flour (I used whole wheat)

1) Preheat oven to 400.

2) In a baking dish, melt a few tablespoons of butter--enough to cover the bottom of the dish. Add thinly sliced peeled apples, about 3-4 of them. I used granny smith.

3) Bake apples in the oven for 10-15 minutes.

4) While apples are baking, whisk together eggs, flour, sugar, milk, vanilla and cinnamon. 

5) Pour over apples, sprinkle with a bit more sugar and bake about 20-25 minutes till golden brown.

All done! I served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Fiddlehead Ferns in Butter and Lemon

Love trying seasonal ingredients. Got my hands on these fiddlehead ferns and of course had to attempt to make them.Results were great definitely will make again in a larger quantity.
Tasted similar to asparagus. I watched a few youtube videos trying to figure out how to make these. Usually these are served over pasta but we had them with brown rice and lamb chops instead.

Ingredients:
Fiddlehead Ferns-- mine came in a pack of about 2 cups
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoon unsalted butter
Salt to taste

In a colander, wash your fiddlehead ferns really well. I also removed the bottom of the stem with the brown thingy--it looked rough and unappealing.

Bring pot of water to boil. Add your cleaned fiddleheads and allow to boil for about 2 minutes. Remove with slotted spoon into a pot of iced water. Allow to cool for a minute.
Drain on paper towels.

In a pan, heat your butter for about a minute or two.  I use this pan by Le Creuset, it's a favorite and fantastic  Le Creuset Enameled Cast-Iron 10-1/4-Inch Skillet with Iron Handle, Marseille Add fiddleheads and lemon juice.  Cook for about 3-4 minutes per side on medium heat till start till get brownish. Add salt to taste. 

Serve and enjoy!

Sunday Brunch: Poached Eggs, Roasted Potatoes, Ramp Leaves and OrganicBacon

Ours is a busy family and because of this, we often don’t get to eat meals together. Our favorite family meal is Sunday breakfast. Which is really becoming more brunch as the kiddos get older.
That combined with my poached egg obsession, gets you the lovely brunchy meal below.

Poached Eggs seem so simple but are actually tricky. I have watched a few YouTube videos and tried a few recipes till finally found this one that results in perfection. Not surprisingly, it’s by smitten kitchen http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2008/08/how-to-poach-an-egg-smitten-kitchen-style/
this entry shows pictures along the way and is the best step by step that I have seen.

If you follow this recipe, you will get that perfect poached egg, I promise! Well at least after a few botched attempts!
I will note that this has only worked for me by poaching eggs individually which is why husband gets only ONE instead of two.

POACHED EGGS:

Heat a pot with a few inches of water in it. You will need enough to COVER the egg.
Put a splash of vinegar in the water. This helps to tighten the egg, in my opinion, you do not taste the vinegar.

Heat the water till it’s hot but NOT boiling or simmering. You want hot water BEFORE it simmers. If it simmers, reduce the flame.

Break the egg CAREFULLY into a small dish or ramekin.

Make a whirlpool in the water with a fork or a spatula and very carefully slide the egg in the middle, continue to create the whirlpool AROUND the egg for a few seconds. Now leave it alone for a few minutes. If your egg gets stuck, CAREFULLY slide a spatula under for about 30 seconds. In about 2-3 minutes your poached egg should be ready.

Scoop it out with a slotted spoon. Let it drain on a paper towel. Serve.

For each additional egg, repeat above. Time consuming but so worth it!

I served with roasted potatoes, organic bacon by Applegate, ramps (wild leeks that are currently in season) and a flat bagel.

ROASTED POTATOES

4-5 potatoes, washed, dried, cut into ½ pieces
Peel if the skin is not good, otherwise leave the skin
2 tablespoons of oil (I use grape)
Salt and pepper to taste.

Preheat oven to 425degrees. I use my Breville Smart Convection Oven—you will see it listed under my favorite products.
Otherwise, regular oven is fine. Toss potatoes with oil and salt. Roast about ½ hour till golden brown.

RAMPS
Wash and spin dry ramp leaves. I already used the bulbs earlier in the week so I only had leaves.
Heat a pan with a tablespoon of oil (I used grape). Add ramps, cook till wilted. Add a bit of salt.

Balsamic Maple Bone In Loin Pork Chops

Ingredients:
3 bone in pork chops, about ½ inch thick
2 tablespoons aged balsamic
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons chicken stock
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Wash and dry pork chops really well. Salt and pepper on both sides.

In a small bowl, combine maple syrup, stock and balsamic vinegar. Set aside.

Add oil to your pan, heat till really hot. I used a grill pan but a regular pan is fine as well. I have this grill pan by Le Creuset which I love: Le Creuset Square Skillet Grill Pan
Add your pork chops to pan. Cook about 2 minutes and flip over to the other side. Cook another 2 minutes (more or less).
Do not overcook. Remove to a plate and cover. Add your mixture of balsamic, maple syrup and stock. Deglaze pan and bring to a fast boil. Add pork back to pan for a few seconds.
Serve immediately.

I served my pork chops with a side of roasted fennel. Recipe here: http://www.saladgirlnat.com/2013/05/coasted-curried-fennel.html

Recipe adapted from www.blackdogfoodblog.com

Roasted Curried Fennel

I have had fennel many times in salad but have never roasted it and this was so much better. Next time I will add a bit more curry for a bigger kick.

Ingredients:
2 bulbs of fennel, sliced thin.
1-2 teaspoons of curry powder (depending on how spicy you want it to be)
1 teaspoon of smoked paprika
Salt to taste
2 tablespoons of Olive Oil
Cooking Spray

Preheat your oven to 425. I have been doing all my roasting, veggie and otherwise in my Breville Smart Oven. Highly Recommend it. If you are interested, link here.

Breville BOV800XL Smart Oven 1800-Watt Convection Toaster Oven with Element IQIt comes in several sizes. I have the big one which is perfect for my family of 4. If you don’t have one, regular oven is perfectly fine.

Spray oil onto your baking sheet. Combine spices and oil in a bowl. Toss with the fennel.

Roast about 15 minutes, flip over and roast another 10-15 minutes till golden.

Adapted from http://www.sonisfood.com/2013/04/roasted-curried-fennel.html

I served with a Balsamic Maple Bone In Loin Pork Chops, recipe here : http://www.saladgirlnat.com/2013/05/balsamic-maple-bone-in-loin-pork-chops.html

Overnight Refrigerator Oatmeal ( Overnight Oats)

I learned about the no cook refrigerator oatmeal from a  fellow blogger Daria at http://dariasdelishdish.com . The original recipes are from the Yummy Life at http://theyummylife.com/Refrigerator_Oatmeal .

These are so good, filling and low in calories that I have had one of the varieties for breakfast almost every day since I have discovered them. These are completely portable, nutritious and keep me full till lunchtime (rare). They are even a hit with my kids (SCORE!)  Anyway, for a full post with all the info, check out the original link. I will tell you about my tweaks and what I did/did not like as far as the flavors. And of course, there are some I am yet to try.

Essentially, what this is an overnight porridge or a muesli or yogurt oats or summer oatmeal. Whatever you call it, you will be glad you tried it. It’s cute to store/serve transport these in a mason jar but really any container, preferably glass will do.

If you are interested in 8 oz mason jars, you can purchase them through Amazon here. They are also available at Walmart, Target and others but if you are a lazy online shopper like me, check out below.
Ball 8-Ounce Quilted Crystal Jelly Jars with Lids and Bands, Set of 12

There are many flavors of these and so for full info, you can have a look on the original link but so far these are the ones that I tried:

Raspberry Vanilla—very tasty

Strawberry Raspberry Vanilla—very tasty (not in original link though but it’s great)

Mango Almond—very tasty

Blueberry Maple—very tasty

Cherry Chocolate—tasty but I found this one slightly more labor intensive


I tried these and did not like them so not blogging about them, feel free to look at original link as mentioned above.
Banana Peanut Butter—ok but not as good as the others

Pineapple Coconut—I used fresh pineapple and it turned bitter so I did not like it.

For ANY of these flavors, you will need the below:

1 Teaspoon Chia Seeds (any brand is fine)
¼ Cup Old Fashioned Rolled Oats (NOT instant, quick or steel cut)
I have been using Bob’s Red Mill Organic Oats with good success
¼ Cup Greek Yogurt (I have tried it with Fage Total and Chiobani, both fine)
1/3 Cup Milk (I have tried 1% milk, Almond Milk, Coconut Almond Milk, all work well)

I will list the ingredients for the above flavors separately.

Also, note that though Monica from The Yummy Life says that you can premake these and store for up to THREE days in the fridge, this has not worked for me as I did not like the texture after the 2nd day.

So what I have been doing is pre-measuring the dry ingredients for as many jars as I have (oats and chia seed) and adding the wet ingredients the night before for the next day. That’s my preference.

Let me know what you think and what flavors you have tried!


Raspberry Vanilla
1 Teaspoon Chia Seeds
¼ Cup Old Fashioned Rolled Oats
¼ Cup Greek Yogurt
1/3 Cup Milk
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 Tablespoon Raspberry Preserves/Jam/Spread (I have been using Sarabeth’s)
¼ to 1/3 cup of fresh or frozen raspberries cut in half.

In a 1 cup jar, combine oats, chia seeds, yogurt, milk, vanilla and raspberry jam. Stir well or close jar and shake to mix. Stir in raspberries. Close jar and store in fridge overnight. Eat the next morning. You can also top with slivered almonds or mix in shredded coconut.

Strawberry Raspberry Vanilla
1 Teaspoon Chia Seeds
¼ Cup Old Fashioned Rolled Oats
¼ Cup Greek Yogurt
1/3 Cup Milk
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 Tablespoon Raspberry Preserves/Jam/Spread (I have been using Sarabeth’s)
If you have strawberry preserves, go ahead and use those.
¼ to 1/3 cup of fresh strawberries cut into small pieces

In a 1 cup jar, combine oats, chia seeds, yogurt, milk, vanilla and raspberry jam. Stir well or close jar and shake to mix. Stir in strawberries . Close jar and store in fridge overnight. Eat the next morning. You can also top with almonds or mix in shredded coconut.


Mango Almond
1 Teaspoon Chia Seeds
¼ Cup Old Fashioned Rolled Oats
¼ Cup Greek Yogurt
1/3 Cup Milk
¼ teaspoon almond extract, vanilla extract also worked for me
½ teaspoon honey (or another sweetener)
¼ cup diced mango (I used frozen from Dole brand) and it was delicious

In a 1 cup jar, combine oats, chia seeds, yogurt, milk, almond extract and honey. Stir well or close jar and shake to mix. Stir in mango. Close jar and store in fridge overnight. Eat the next morning. You mix in shredded coconut which I tried and liked.

Blueberry Maple
1 Teaspoon Chia Seeds
¼ Cup Old Fashioned Rolled Oats
¼ Cup Greek Yogurt
1/3 Cup Milk
1 Tablespoon Maple Syrup
¼ cup blueberries

In a 1 cup jar , combine oats, chia seeds, yogurt, milk, almond extract and honey. Stir well or close jar and shake to mix. Stir in blueberries. Close jar and store in fridge overnight. Eat the next morning. Also tasty topped with slivered almonds.


Cherry Chocolate
1 Teaspoon Chia Seeds
¼ Cup Old Fashioned Rolled Oats
¼ Cup Greek Yogurt
1/3 Cup Milk
1 teaspoon honey
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon finely chopped dark chocolate
¼ cup fresh or frozen pitted cherries

In a 1 cup jar , combine oats, chia seeds, yogurt, milk, honey and vanilla. Stir well or close jar and shake to mix. Stir in cherries and chocolate. Close jar and store in fridge overnight. Eat the next morning.

As you can see in the first picture, I topped these with some slivered almonds. Totally optional.

For my other healthy breakfast recipes, check out Chia Breakfast Pudding .

Cauliflower Soup with Seared Scallops

Cauliflower Soup with Seared Scallops and Lemon Oil Garnished with Chives

Made this soup this week as part of another cooking challenge. A challenge makes my competitive nature come out.  Also, my husband normally does not like cauliflower but we had this type of soup when we went out to dinner once and he loved it. Seriously? But not my roasted cauliflower that I make all the time? 

So I decided one of these days, I will try it at home. In comes the cooking challenge, ingredient "cauliflower". And what do you know, it was a big hit!

I adapted this recipe from http://pennyluxe.com/2011/01/14/cauliflower-soup-with-seared-scallops-lemon-oil/ as well as well as http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Cauliflower-Soup-with-Seared-Scallops-Lemon-Oil-and-American-Caviar-236185. Made a few modification here and there. Tried to use as little cream as possible, lower fat milk. But when push comes to shove, this is not the healthiest of soups. Oh well!

While the lemon oil is a nice touch, it's totally optional.

INGREDIENTS:

2-3 scallops per serving (I used for 9 for 3 servings)

7 tablespoons of olive oil

3 garlic cloves chopped

1 leek (white part only chopped)

2 shallots or one onion chopped

1 large head of cauliflower

2 cups chicken stock (homemade or low sodium)

1 1/2 cups 1% milk

1/4 cup cream 

1 lemon (if making lemon oil)

Salt and pepper to taste

Chives or microgreens for garnish (optional)

SOUP:

Cut cauliflower into pieces about 1 inch big. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add shallots, leeks and garlic. Cook on a low flame for about 7 minutes till soft.  Add cauliflower, stock and milk. Reserve cream for later. Bring to boil, reduce heat and cook mostly covered till cauliflower is soft, about 15-20 minutes.

Puree soup till smooth using emersion blender. Once smooth, add cream and cook a few more minutes till hot. Add salt and pepper to taste. 

LEMON OIL

If you are making lemon oil, wash a lemon and using a veggie peeler, remove rind. Reserve lemon itself for another use, you dont need it for the soup.

Heat 3 tablespoons of oil till hot, add lemon and simmer until brown. Remove peel and disgard. Reserve oil.

SCALLOPS

Wash and pat dry scallop. Make sure they are nice and dry or you won't get a good sear on them. Season w salt and pepper.  Heat 2 tablespoons of oil until hot. Add scallops and allow to sear unit side is brown for about 1-2 minutes, depending on the size of your scallops. Do not move around or disturb. Flip over and repeat.

Laddle soup into shallow bowls. Place scallops in the center. Top with greens if using. If using oil, drizzle around the scallops.

Whole Wheat Pappardelle with Ramps and Roasted Butternut Squash

This was such a lovely and easy weeknight dinner. Ramps are only available for a short period of time so it’s always a treat to snatch them up.
I think you can probably achieve similar results with regular leeks but it’s obviously better with ramps.

Ingredients
Whole Wheat Pappardelle (if you can find whole wheat, feel free to substitute)
1 bunch ramps—leaves and bulbs washed and separated.
4 cloves of garlic sliced thin
½ of organic low sodium chicken broth
Shaved aged parmesan
4 cups of butternut squash
Oil (I used grape)
Salt and Pepper to Taste

Preheat oven proof dish in the oven at highest possible temperature. I recently learned that this achieves best roasting results and have been doing this ever since. It works. My highest temperature is 450.
Cube butternut squash and toss with 2 tablespoons of oil. Once oven is preheated together with your tray, reduce temperature to 425. Roast for about 30-40 minutes tossing occasionally.

Wash and dry your ramps. Separate leaves from bulbs. Roughly chop the leaves and set aside. Slice the bulbs across, you will cook them before the leaves.

Heat oil in a skillet, add garlic. Cook till starts to get golden, add bulbs and a splash of broth. Cook about 8 minutes, mixing frequently. Add leaves and another splash of broth. Cook till leaves start to shrink and broth is absorbed. Add salt and pepper to taste.

While all is happening with the ramps, boil salted water and cook pappardelle per package direction. Drain, reserve some of the water.
Add pasta and the water to your skillet, cook for about a minute or two till hot.

Serve topper with shaved parmesan. I use a veggie peeler to slice mine into very thin strips.

Enjoy!

Skirt Steak with Roasted Potatoes and Sautéed String Beans

I won't lie, this one is a collaboration with hubby as he is the steak master. Roasted potatoes and string beans are by yours truly.

Skirt steak (about 4 ounces per person)

For Steak Marinade:
2 tbsp of soy sauce (we use low sodium)
1 tsp chopped garlic
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp brown sugar
Squeeze of fresh lemon
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine above ingredients in a bowl, mix well. Wash and dry steak. Marinade for a few hours, or even better, overnight. Sometimes, we even marinade it for 2 nights, this results in amazing steak.

Spray a broiler pan with cooking spray. Broil on high but FAR from flame 4 minutes per side. More up closer to flame and broil another 1-2 minutes per side, depending on thickness of steak and how you like your steak. This cooking time results in medium/medium well steak depending on steak thickness. You can play with the time depending on your preference.

Last night, we had this steak with a side of roasted red potatoes and string beans. I often serve this over salad as well. In fact, will be making a kale salad with skirt steak over it tonight as I have some leftover steak and a bunch of kale.

Roasted Potatoes

4-6 red potatoes unpeeled but washed and blemishes removed cut into ½ inch pieces
2 tablespoons of oil (I used black truffle oil as I had it on hand but any oil will do)
Salt to taste

Preheat oven with baking dish in it on highest possible temperature. Mine is 450. Once preheated, reduce temperature to 425. Carefull add your potatoes. Roast about ½ hour turning occassionally.

String Beans
1/2 pound of string beans or french beans
1 tbsp oil (I use grape)
Salt/ pepper to taste

Wash and spin dry string beans, remove tails on both sides.
Preheat oil for about 2 minutes. When nice and hot, add your string beans. Cook about 15 minutes total, flipping over occasionally. We like them w a bit seared. Add salt and pepper to taste.

If you are interested in the salad over steak, I have a variation of that here

http://www.saladgirlnat.com/2012/10/skirt-steak-mango-salad-over-arugula.html