Blog - Girl and Her Kitchen

Another Girl in the Kitchen!

It is an exciting day!

Another girl has joined me in the kitchen!

For awhile, I have been wanting to build Girl and her Kitchen to try and bring all of you more of those delicious recipes you love. It has been tough to manage life, motherhood, ~~relaxing~~, ~~time for myself~~ AND posting frequently during the week!

Enter my dear Aunt. Yes-a love of cooking runs in the family…

Kelley has a love of cooking and writing, and is joining me on Girl and Her Kitchen to post some wonderful and tasty recipes that all of you will surely enjoy!

Check back-her first post goes up on Monday.

Show her the love!

Vegetarian

Quinoa Patties

It is always funny to me how food becomes popular and mainstream. I never even heard of Quinoa when I was a kid, and believe me, if I would have seen the word, I would have thought it was pronounced “qui-NO-a” for sure.
Nowadays, everything you see has this ingredient in there. And guess what? It is really good!
I have found so many recipes to make using this and it is really good for you too!
This time, I attempted these little patties that I found on a really good food blog that I like called Mel’s Kitchen Cafe. I changed a few things about it to suit our tastes, but I was still skeptical. In her blog, she swore her kids just at these up and I figured it was worth a try.
Fast forward to dinner and my kids didn’t even flinch when I called them quinoa patties-seriously hilarious-I could only imagine my poor mother if she told us we were having quinoa patties for dinner. There would be a swift exit, I could promise you that. My kids just waited for me to place one on their plates. They sort of stared at it at first, and then, bless her soul, my oldest and most easy going about food, took a quick bite.
She chewed slowly, and I nervously waited for the verdict.
SUCCESS! She loved them.
Of course, once it was kid approved, the other two simply snarfed down one, two, three…yes, four patties. They dipped them in ketchup, which sounds absolutely horrendous to me, but is it really food to a child if it is not dipped in ketchup?
My husband might have been even more skeptical than the kids. He nervously tried one, not wanting to burst my bubble of quinoa happiness, and a smile spread across his face.
“These are actually really good,” he told me, in complete shock that he actually liked such a strange, new dinner food.
I asked him if he ever doubted me.

What to serve these with was my next dilemma. It is kind of a bread-y type thing, so I didn’t need anything like that with them….We could put them on buns? They are like burgers?
Good idea, but still not what I was looking for.
We opted for Roasted Tomato Soup , lots of fresh veggies with one of our favorite dips, the Carmelized Onion Yogurt Dip, and lots of fresh sliced fruit. It was a delicious dinner and a delicious success.

Quinoa Patties

1 cup quinoa, uncooked
2 cups chicken broth
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, coarsely chopped
3/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
1 cup whole wheat, seasoned bread crumbs (feel free to use regular if you prefer)
Olive oil for the pan

In a saucepan, cook the quinoa according to its package directions in the chicken broth instead of water. Let cool. Remove 1 1/2 cups of the cooked quinoa for the recipe and place into a medium mixing bowl. Add eggs, salt, pepper, garlic and parsley to the bowl. Stir well. Add in cheese and bread crumbs and stir until moistened and mixture sticks together. Form into small patties, about the size of slider burgers. Heat olive oil in a frying pan. Add a single layer of patties and cook until browned, about 4-6 minutes on each side.

Adjust the heat as necessary to prevent burning. The patties should be golden brown and heated through. Use more olive oil for another layer of patties and repeat cooking process. Serve warm.

*Recipe adapted from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe

Breakfast Muffins & Scones

Power Muffins

I have quite an obsession with muffins.
Really I do.
I LOVE muffins! When I was a kid, my friend Melissa and I would bake two pans of blueberry muffins and eat them all, slathered in butter.
Seriously do not judge me. I was probably about 100 pounds and COULD eat 12 muffins and NOT feel guilty about it.
Plus, when you are watching “Lost Boys” for the hundredth time and obsessing over Corey Haim and you need a snack-it is entirely okay that you pause the movie and bake some blueberry muffins with your best friend.
I’m just sayin’.
Did I just age myself?
Probably.
Anyways, that was my first muffin obsession.
Move on to sophomore year of high school. My breakfast consisted of an orange, a yogurt and a healthy bran muffin. I felt so good about myself eating such a “healthy” lunch. Later in life, when I found out that those giant “bran” muffins were like eating half a cake, I about died.
I mean really.
I could have had cake for lunch everyday for the same amount of sugar and calories as my “healthy” bran muffin.
So fast forward to now. My family loves muffins too and I am always trying to find the perfect one. Healthy, but tasty. Flavorful, but not too sugar-y and dessert-y. I found a few yummy ones in this muffin recipe and this one too.
But, in my never ending quest to eat muffins as much as possible, I came across these beauties and baked a batch.

I am not kidding about these. They are powerful! Good for you and they keep that hungry feeling away for a really long time! Most importantly, they are so good! I used salted pistachios on top instead of unsalted and it really gave it a unique flavor. Don’t be all crazy like me though. Try them out unsalted first and then, go ahead, be daring.

Power Muffins

Makes 12 muffins

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
2 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp orange zest
1/3 cup orange juice (freshly squeezed or regular)
3/4 cup sugar
2 egg whites
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup plain, fat free, Greek yogurt
2 cups finely grated carrots

1 1/2 cups frozen cranberries, thawed
2 tblsp low fat buttermilk
1/4 cup shelled pistachios, finely chopped

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray muffin cups with non stick spray. In a large bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. In another bowl combine orange zest and juice, sugar (saving 2 teaspoons to the side), egg whites, olive oil and yogurt. Whisk until well combined. Stir into the flour mixture. Fold in carrots. Toss the cranberries with the 2 tsp sugar you put to the side until coated. Fold into the batter. Add milk and mix until batter is thick and creamy. Divide evenly among muffin cups. Top with a pinch of pistachios on top of each muffin, pressing the pistachios lightly into the top of the muffin. Bake 20-22 minutes. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove muffins and let cool completely.

*Recipe adapted from Health Magazine

Uncategorized

Whole Wheat Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies

Yum! These were fabulous! I could not believe how delicious these were and they were made with whole wheat pastry flour, oatmeal, and dark chocolate chips. In addition to those ingredients, these cookies call for half the butter than most cookie recipes and not as much sugar either. My kids loved these and couldn’t even tell the difference from the usual chocolate chip cookies.
Serve these with a tall glass of milk and enjoy a better for you cookie!

Whole Wheat Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies

3/4 cup rolled oats (do not use quick oats!)
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup canola oil
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup dark chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pulse oats in a food processor until finely ground. Transfer to a medium bowl and combine with flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In another medium bowl,combine butter and canola oil. Mix with a hand mixer until smooth and creamy. Blend in sugars, egg and vanilla extract. Slowly add the dry ingredients, mixing just until combined. Fold in chocolate chips. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 10-12 minutes until lightly browned. Cool for 1 minute on the baking sheet and remove with a spatula to a baking rack. Cool completely.

Uncategorized

Butternut Squash Risotto

This is one of those dishes that is pure comfort to me. I just love the creamy goodness of this rice dish and it is so flavorful. I love making risottos, although once believed to be really difficult, I learned by trying that they are not challenging at all. The results are worth any effort put forth, I promise you that. Although packed with butternut squash, the butter and cheese make this a bit decadent, so I paired it with some fresh steamed broccoli and herb seasoned grilled chicken. I also used frozen butternut squash to make this a quick and easy weeknight meal, but I have made it with fresh squash as well. Although a little more time consuming, the fresh squash is delicious. I assure you though that the frozen squash really does not take away any flavor and can be a lifesaver on a busy “get dinner on the table quick!” sort of night. The most important thing with risotto is to remember to stir, stir and stir! The better you stir and let the liquid absorb, the creamier your risotto will be. My kids really like this too! They all gobbled it up and declared it really good-which in mom world, as you might know, is like winning the highest award around.

It is surely one to try-if you make it, leave a comment and let me know! This is one of my favorites-I hope you like it too!

Butternut Squash Risotto

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3/4 cup diced onion
1 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded and diced (I used one 16 oz bag of frozen squash–SO EASY!)
2 cups arborio rice
1/2 cup white wine
4 cups chicken stock or broth
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
4 tblsp butter
3/4 cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano

In a dutch oven or large saute pan, heat oil. Add onion and butternut squash and cook until both are soft, about 8 minutes.

Add rice and stir until rice is toasted and opaque, about 4 minutes. Add wine and stir for one minute.

Add 1 cup of stock and stir frequently until all of the stock has been well absorbed into rice. Repeat for remaining three cups of stock. Make sure it is absorbed and that you stir continuously! Once stock has all been added and it has been stirred well, continue cooking for 8 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in butter and cheese and serve hot.

Breakfast

Blueberry Cornmeal Pancakes

So if you thought that I have all of these recipes stored in my head and I spend my days whipping up delicious creations in my test kitchen…you are wrong. Sometimes it as easy as, yep, looking on the back of a box. Well, in my case, looking on the back of the box and then continually making changes to that recipe because I am apparently not good at taking directions from anyone but myself.

Tell my husband he is not allowed to answer that one.
Or my mother.
Or anyone else that would agree.

We are talking recipes here. Just recipes.

This recipe is one of my FAVORITES! Do I say that every time? I apologize in advance if I do, but let’s face it. I love food. FACT.

I started eating these pancakes a looooooong time ago when I was a kid living at home with my parents. Having a big family meant hot, homemade breakfasts were usually a treat. My poor mother, how could she have possibly taken care of all of us and not dropped dead? I mean, seriously, I would have for sure. So anyways, it wasn’t as if she was cooking up pancakes and sausage for us every morning, (although she did cook dinner EVERY night…seriously-pure exhaustion just thinking about cooking for all us kids) but when she did…..yum. Especially these. Blueberry cornmeal pancakes. The best.
I wish I had a crazy creative recipe for you. If I did, you would really be convinced that I was a cook when you tasted these…a real cook. Instead, here you go and get a girl who uses recipes on the back of a box. Then blogs about it. Wow.

But, alas, I am a normal, everyday cook. I am that person who may come up with their own recipe here and there, but will not pass by a simple, easy to make, delicious recipe on the back of a box.
And these? You will love them. I guarantee it. (Why every time I say “guarantee” do I think of some man on a commercial I cannot even place saying, “I guar-own-tee!” in a loud booming voice? What is that?!)

I know I have this sort of obsession with cornbread and cornbread related foods, but these I cannot resist. They are so sweet and delicious, you barely need any syrup. Well, my kids do. They will not pass up an opportunity to have some sugar at breakfast. Me? I eat them hot from the griddle, no frills necessary.

Blueberry Cornmeal Pancakes

1 box of cornbread mix, any variety (I use Jiffy)
1 egg
3/4 cup low fat milk
2 tblsp butter, melted and cooled
1 cup + blueberries, fresh or frozen

In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, egg, and butter. Sprinkle in cornbread mix, stirring gently with a spoon until it is all combined. Heat your griddle or frying pan until a drop of water dripped onto it sizzles. Place 1/4 cup of pancake mix on the griddle and let it spread. When it stops spreading, sprinkle a handful of blueberries on the top, pushing extremely gently into the batter.

Repeat until griddle is full. Let pancakes cook about 3-5 minutes or until bubbles form on the top of the pancake.

Flip carefully and repeat cooking process.

Serve hot with butter and syrup, or eat straight from the griddle. Either way=YUM.

*Recipe adapted from the back of the Jiffy Cornbread Mix box

Breads, Quick Breads and Rolls

Cheesy Buttermilk Herb Bread

I have mentioned, I am sure a million times, how much I love homemade bread. It is really one of those things that can intimidate a beginner (even not so beginner) cook. I want to share some easy bread recipes on this blog to help take the fear out of making homemade bread! Seriously, everyone should enjoy some homemade bread. The aroma while baking and the warm bread right out of the oven is like nothing else.
This recipe I found on Pinterest, changed it up a little bit to fit my kids’ tastes and was incredibly happy with the results. It is a really easy bread since it isn’t a yeast bread and doesn’t require any kneading or rising. This bread is filled with flavor and is the perfect thing to accompany your fall and winter soups and stews.

Cheesy Buttermilk Herb Bread

2 1/4 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp salt
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
3 tblsp green onion, sliced
3 tblsp Italian parsley, minced
1 tbslp fresh thyme leaves or 1 tsp dried thyme
2 eggs
2 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
1 1/4 cup buttermilk
4 tbslp butter, melted
Extra thyme springs and sea salt, for topping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously butter a loaf pan and set aside.

Sift flour, baking powder, soda, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Whisk with a whisk to incorporate the dry ingredients. Add both cheeses, green onion, parsley and thyme and stir them thoroughly together.

In another bowl, whisk the eggs, then whisk in the oil and buttermilk until they are well combined.

Pour the wet ingredients into the flour and cheese mixture. Stir together to form a thick, sticky batter. Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan and spread it out evenly.

Pour the melted butter evenly over the batter in the loaf pan and sprinkle some thyme leaves and sea salt onto the loaf.
Bake for 40 – 45 minutes until a toothpick can be inserted in the middle of the bread and comes out clean. Leave in the loaf pan for 5 minutes before turning it out onto a wire rack.

Serve warm.

Breakfast Muffins & Scones

Whole Wheat Cinnamon Streusel Muffins

So this morning we woke up and it was totally one of those lazy days. You know those days. The ones where it is almost 9:30 and you realize you haven’t even started breakfast yet. And…considering my kids are up by 7am at the latest, no matter what, 9:30 is really late in my house.
I was in the mood for something sweet, but did not want to fill my kids (or myself) with junk first thing in the morning. I wanted something good, but something that still had some healthy merit to it. I found this delicious streusel muffin online. YUM. But…it contained two whole sticks of butter, over a cup and a half of sugar, white flour and whole milk. Um….not exactly what I was looking for. I am sure it would be very tasty, but….no.

Alas, this muffin.
I could not even believe when I ate it that it was made with whole wheat flour. A whole cup of greek yogurt in the recipe too! I was worried about replacing a lot of the butter with apple sauce would not give it that decadent feel. I was wrong. I seriously felt like I was eating cake for breakfast, but without the annoying carb overload feeling. I eliminated a lot of sugar and butter from the streusel, once again wondering if I was sabotaging this muffin and making it something no one would eat.
Wrong again. The streusel was more than sweet enough and we didn’t miss the extra butter and sugar at all. I am not calling this health food by any means, but it gives you a tasty muffin and contains some good for you ingredients. Good enough for a lazy Sunday morning.

Hungry for breakfast? These are easy to whip up, pack some healthy ingredients, taste great and make your kitchen smell heavenly when they bake. Win Win.

Whole Wheat Cinnamon Streusel Muffins

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 cup of plain 2% Greek Yogurt
1/4 cup of unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Streusel Topping
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup unsalted butter, cold, cut into pieces

In a food processor or with a pastry cutter, combine brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and cold butter for the streusel. The mixture should be crumbly and well combined. Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together sugar and eggs. Add Greek yogurt, applesauce and melted butter. Whisk until smooth (may still be a few small lumps). Slowly add dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Do not over mix.

Prepare a 12 cup muffin tin using baking spray. Fill each muffin cup 1/2 full. Sprinkle a small pinch of streusel in each cup. Top with more muffin batter. Sprinkle remaining streusel on top of each muffin equally. Bake at 350 degrees for 18 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes in pan. Remove and serve warm. Preferably on a lazy day.

Uncategorized

Skinny Chocolate Cake

Today is definitely a day to bake.
It is sooooo cold! I am usually not one of those cold complainers, but today is really cold. This is a day where you never want to get out of your pajamas, light a fire in your fireplace, watch movies all day, only stopping to prepare some delicious, hot comfort food and bake a delicious, gooey, not-very-good-for-you dessert, because who cares? You are only wearing your pajamas, those are loose…and you are not going anywhere so it wouldn’t even matter.
That is what I would love to be doing.
Although, when you have kids, this is sort of a pipe dream. Sit around and watch movies all day? Oh yeah…I am sure my kids that cannot sit still would really go for that. We would get through one and then the ever so familiar cries of , “I’m kinda bored,” would start.
Well, and of course, they do have school today too.
Okay.
Nix the sit around in your pajamas all day and do nothing. Back to the regular day. But, if you get a chance, seriously make this cake. It is so delicious. Chocolatey, gooey, and honestly just as decadent as the best chocolate cake that I make, but with a twist. It is has less calories and less fat.
Now, you have to make the best chocolate cake sometime in your life. It is truly an indulgent treat. If you are just trying to satisfy a chocolate craving though, without having to wear your pajama pants for the rest of your life, this is definitely the cake to make.

Skinny Chocolate Cake

1 1/3 cups sugar
3 tbsp canola oil
1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1 egg
2 egg whites
1 cup hot, strong coffee
3/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup low fat buttermilk
2 cups cake flour -not self rising
1 package regular (not sugar free) instant chocolate pudding
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup plain fat free Greek yogurt
Raspberries, quick chocolate sauce, and vanilla frozen yogurt for serving, if desired

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray a 13×9 pan with baking spray and lightly flour. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, pudding mix, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Set aside and in another medium bowl, combine coffee and cocoa powder together. Whisk gently until cocoa powder completely dissolves into the coffee creating a smooth, thick liquid. Then, whisk in the buttermilk and vanilla. In a third bowl, using a hand mixer, combine sugar and oil until well blended. Add applesauce, egg, and egg whites and mix. Pour in cocoa powder/coffee/buttermilk/vanilla mix and blend well. Then, slowly, mix in dry ingredients until all is incorporated into a smooth batter. Using the hand mixer to blend well, add greek yogurt.

Pour into your prepared 13×9 inch pan. Bake for about 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Garnish with raspberries and a dollop of chocolate sauce. Serve with vanilla frozen yogurt if desired.

Chicken & Turkey

Pesto Tomato and Mozzarella Chicken

You know me and my eternal quest to make chicken the opposite of boring. I really love chicken, but thinking of always preparing it the same way all the time is sort of …um…not interesting! I found this recipe, changed it up a little, and was really happy with the result. I was sure that my kids would not eat it because of the strange, foreign green stuff on top. Well, I was half right. They ate everything else on their plates and left the chicken. I coaxed them to try one bite, sure that they would love it. It took some prodding, but finally, they relented. After one bite, I had to tell them to slow down. They proclaimed it the “best chicken ever”! Wow! That is quite a compliment coming from kids. Anyone who is a mom knows that! Hopefully the reaction will be the same at your house, but don’t worry, if they happen to not like it, there is more for you!

Pesto Tomato and Mozzarella Chicken

Serves 6

3 – 6 oz boneless chicken breasts

salt and pepper

3/4 cup pesto (homemade or store bought is fine)

2-3 ripe tomatoes, cut into 12 thin slices

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place the chicken breasts between two sheets of wax paper and pound until about 1/2 inch thickness. Slice each chicken breast in half. Salt and pepper each chicken breast. Dollop about 1 tablespoon of pesto over each chicken breast, spreading over it evenly. Layer two tomato slices on top.

Bake for 15 minutes. Sprinkle mozzarella evenly over each chicken breast. Broil under the broiler for 3-5 minutes or until mozzarella is brown and bubbly.