Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

This is the frosting that the Robber used for my carrot cake birthday cake. After making the recipe we both thought it wasn't maple-y enough, so the Robber added in perhaps another 1/4 C. of maple syrup but then the frosting was too runny. What to do? Use maple extract instead of syrup? So there is that speed bump to consider but the maple in the cream cheese with the cake was actually very good and worth trying to find a way to make it work. Tried to find help with that on the reviewers comments on Epicurious, but no luck.

The link also sends you to a carrot cake recipe that the Epicurious people just love, love, love so if our other carrot cake recipe ever disappoints we may try turning to that one. The reviewers are also a fan of some cream cheese lemon zest frosting recipe on Epicurious, so if you think maple sounds gross try looking for that one. I'll only be posting the recipe for the maple frosting here, however, not the cake or the lemon frosting.

From Epicurious:

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Carrot-Cake-with-Maple-Cream-Cheese-Icing-102155

Ingredients:

10 oz. cream cheese, room temperature

5 T. unsalted butter, room temperature

2 1/2 C. powdered sugar

1/4 C. maple syrup (Robber used 1/2 C.)

Directions:

1. Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese and butter in large bowl until light and fluffy. Add powdered sugar and beat at low speed until well blended.

2. Beat in maple syrup. Chill until just firm enough to spread, 30 minutes.

3. Place 1 cake layer on platter. Spread with 3/4 cup icing. Top with second layer. Spread remaining icing over entire cake. Arrange walnut or pecan halves around top edge. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover with cake dome; chill. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes before serving.)

Birthday Carrot Cake Ala The Robber

The Robber made me this delicious carrot cake for my birthday with maple cream cheese frosting. He tried to find a recipe that was lighter so the whole affair wouldn't seem quite as heavy as carrot cake usually is. I'm not a carrot cake expert, so I'm not sure how it stacks up to other cakes but it was very, very good. I am certain the Robber loved it even more than I did. I think he is hoping I will make it for him for Easter. "Carrots are what the Easter bunny eats, right?" So this will be making a comeback in our house.

From the Food Network, adapted by the Robber:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/carrot-cake-recipe/index.html

Ingredients:

2 1/2 C. all-purpose flour

12 oz. grated carrots, medium grate, approx. 6 medium carrots

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. ground allspice

1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp. cloves

1 T. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/3 C. granulated sugar

1/4 C. dark brown sugar

3 large eggs

6 oz. plain yogurt

6 oz. vegetable oil

Optional: 1/2 C. raisins (plumped by soaking for 1/2 hr in warm water)

Optional: 1 C. chopped, toasted pecans (can also add to surface of cake)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a 9-inch round and 3-inch deep cake pan (Or two 9" pans for two layers). Line the bottom with parchment paper. Set aside.

2. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt in a bowl and add in grated carrots. Toss until the carrots are well-coated with the flour.

3. In separate bowl, combine the sugar, brown sugar, eggs, and yogurt. Drizzle in the vegetable oil and combine. Pour this mixture into the carrot mixture and stir until just combined.

4. Pour into the prepared cake pan and bake on the middle rack of the oven for 45 minutes. Reduce the heat to 325 degrees F and bake for another 20 minutes or until the cake reaches 205 to 210 degrees F in the center.

5. Remove the pan from the oven and allow cake to cool 15 minutes in the pan. After 15 minutes, turn the cake out onto a rack and allow cake to cool completely. Frost after the cake has cooled completely.

Couscous Salad with Dried Cranberries and Pecans

So one thing about my current rotation is that their food is GREAT. They are a vegetarian residency and every day they have salad and the best fruit salad and I am just in eating heaven because I can eat a lot of volume with few calories. A few days ago they had this amazing couscous chili with garbanzo beans and kidney beans and couscous and tomatoes and it was so so good. But on to this couscous. This couscous, also so so good. Light. Tasty. I thought the finely chopped pecans were essentially to giving it an underlying nutty, tasty flavor but then the Robber thought they weren't needed as much. Who knows, but that this was delicious.

From the NYTimes Well Vegetarian Thanksgiving 2010 blog:
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/11/08/health/20101108_thanksgiving.html#Couscous_Salad_With_Dried_Cranberries_and_Pecans

Ingredients:

1 C. couscous, preferably whole wheat
Salt
2 large carrots, grated
1/2 C. chopped pecans
1/2 C. chopped dried cranberries
1/4 C. chopped scallions
1/4 C. olive oil, or more as needed
Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon, or more juice as needed
1 tsp. coriander
Pinch of cayenne, or to taste
Black pepper
1/2 C. chopped fresh parsley
1 T. chopped fresh sage, or 1 teaspoon dried

Directions:

1. Put the couscous in a small pot and add 1 1/2 cups water and a pinch of salt. Bring the water to a boil, then cover and remove from the heat. Let steep for at least 10 minutes, or up to 20.

2. Put the slightly cooled couscous in a large salad bowl along with the carrots, pecans, cranberries, scallions, oil and lemon zest and juice, and sprinkle with the spices and salt and pepper. Use 2 big forks to combine, fluffing the couscous and tossing gently to separate the grains. (The salad can be made up to this point and refrigerated for up to a day; bring to room temperature before proceeding.)

3. Stir in the parsley and sage. Taste and adjust the seasoning, moisten with a little more oil and lemon juice as you like, and serve.

Yield: 4 servings.

Rosemary Chicken Salad

I made chicken salad on Saturday for M.'s baby shower and, loving this new blog, looked to it for some inspiration. What I ended up making was a hybrid between my standard chicken salad and this one-- basically I just made my old salad but used some of her ideas (using one half Greek yogurt instead of straight mayonnaise, a hint of Dijon, rosemary) and was very pleased with the results. I use toasted slivered almonds, cucumber, and celery in my salad and also threw in some green onions this time, for effect. Anyway, everyone liked the salad, so I'll blog this recipe here as a remind to myself that next time I made chicken salad I might make my hybrid again.

From a Hint of Honey:
http://www.ahintofhoney.com/2009/01/rosemary-chicken-salad-sandiwches.html

Ingredients:

1 lb. chicken breast, cooked and diced
1/3 C. green onions, thinly sliced
1/4 C. smoked almonds, chopped (I use toasted slivered almonds)
1 tsp. fresh rosemary, chopped
3 T. nonfat Greek yogurt
3 T. mayonnaise
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Whole wheat bread or pita, for serving (I still think eating chicken salad with a cheddar dill scone is amazing.)

Directions:

1. Toss to combine chicken, onions, almonds, and rosemary in a medium bowl. Add yogurt, mayonnaise, and Dijon, stirring to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Yield: Serves 4

Raspberry, Almond, and Goat Cheese Empanadas

This was another recipe where I told the Robber what I made and he made a face at me and I wanted to say well then, you can't have any, but then he ate one and decided it was the best thing ever and I am a sucker when the Robber likes what I make and I get all happy, but maybe I would be happier if I hadn't told him and then I could just eat these all myself! So good!

I didn't have the time or energy to make 20 small empanadas, so I made 8 big ones which threw the filling-to-dough ratio quite off, with not enough filling, so I threw in some Ghiradelli chocolate chips and almonds into my leftover dough and it was delicous! I might just use this dough and put anything into it, but trust me if you have the goat cheese, go that route. So good.

Note: I also did not put the almonds in the filling but rather opted just sprinkle the tops generously with almonds (after brushing them with egg so the almonds would stick), which allowed the filling to remain creamy and smooth on the inside. I mixed the raspberries into the filling directly also instead of adding them separately to each empanada.

Note: If you make 8 empanadas, use about 1/4 cup of filling per empanada.

From a Hint of Honey:

http://www.ahintofhoney.com/2009/05/raspberry-almond-and-goat-cheese.html

Ingredients:

For the basic sweet pastry dough:

3 C. all purpose flour (I used half white whole wheat)

1/4 C. sugar

Pinch of salt

2 sticks butter (16 T.), cut into 16 pieces

2 eggs

2-4 T. cold water

For the raspberry goat cheese filling:

12 oz. raspberries (fresh or frozen)

11 oz. plain goat cheese, room temperature

½ C. sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1 T. orange zest

½ cup sliced almonds

1 egg, yolk and white separated and lightly whisked

¼ cup demerara or Turbinado sugar to sprinkle on top

Directions:

1. Prepare basic pastry crust dough as follows:

1. Mix the flour, sugar and salt in a food processor.

2. Add the butter, eggs and water until a clumpy dough forms.

3. Knead the dough for a few minutes.

4. Form dough into 2 balls, flatten into thick discs, and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

5. Divide dough and roll out into as many thin disks as desired.

2. Combine the goat cheese, sugar, vanilla, orange zest in a bowl, mix well.

3. To assemble the empanadas place a spoonful of the goat cheese mixture, a couple of raspberries and a few almond slices on the center of the empanada disc.

4. Brush the edges of the empanada disc with the egg whites.

5. Fold the empanada discs and seal the edges, use a fork to help seal the empanadas.

6. Lightly brush the top of the empanadas with the egg yolk; this will give them a nice golden glow when baked.

7. Sprinkle the almond slices on the top of the empanadas, do this immediately after you brush them with the egg yolk, it will help the almond slices stick to the empanada.

8. Sprinkle each empanada with a little bit of the demerara sugar.

9. Chill the empanadas for at least 30 minutes or until ready to bake, this will help them seal better.

10. Bake the empanadas in a pre-heated oven at 375 F for 15-20 minutes (longer if making bigger empanadas) or until golden. Serve warm.

Yield: 8-20 empanadas.

Balsamic Roasted Asparagus

The irony of the title of this blog is that I don't really try out new vegetable recipes all that often anymore. That's because somehow vegetable recipes don't really come across as appetizing enough to bookmark and save as often as say, scone recipes. But that was the original intent of this blog... to learn how to cook vegetables in appetizing ways. The realization of this disconnect sent me searching the other day, with little success, but I did find this recipe which sounded easy and promising so I tried it out. The net decision was that asparagus is one of those things that really is best when just cooked simply, but I liked the idea of roasting it instead of trying to cook it in a pan (honestly who has a frying pan large enough to easily cook asparagus evenly?) If I do this again, I'll omit the garlic and just use the balsamic vinegar.

From my new favorite cooking blog, a Hint of Honey:

http://www.ahintofhoney.com/2010/02/balsamic-roasted-asparagus.html

Ingredients:

1 lb. asparagus, ends trimmed

1 T. balsamic vinegar

1 T. extra virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 F. Lightly grease or line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.

2. Toss the asparagus with the vinegar, olive oil, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Spread in an even layer on the prepared baking sheet.

3. Roast in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes (depending on the size of the asparagus, mine could have baked for only 10 minutes), turning halfway through, until tender-crisp.

Yield: Serves 4.

Cornmeal Cranberry Drop Scones

Why would you eat cornmeal scones when you can have cornbread? This is what the Robber asks me after taking a bite of these scones. I, on the other hand, find that while corn-bread-ish indeed these were actually surprisingly there own thing. A little more dense than cornbread. The dough only barely sweet, making each bite with a dried cranberry in it a tangy surprise. And a satisfying scone matrix, if you ever decide you want your butterscotch chips/raspberries/dark chocolate/apricots/what-have-you in cornmeal instead of cream.

From the Well Vegetarian Thanksgiving Blog from the NYTimes. If you haven't discovered their vegetarian Thanksgiving dishes, you should, because some of them are pretty fabulous:

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/11/01/health/20111101_vegetarian_thanksgiving.html#Cornmeal_Cranberry_Drop_Scones

Ingredients:

1 C. whole wheat pastry flour

1 C. coarsely ground cornmeal

1/4 C. sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

2 tsp. lemon zest

7 T. cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

1 egg

2/3 C. buttermilk

3/4 C. dried cranberries, soaked in warm water for 10 minutes and drained (I suspect these would be good with whole frozen cranberries too)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment.

2. Sift together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Dump any bran remaining in the strainer into the bowl. Place in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Add the butter and lemon zest and pulse until you have a coarse, even mixture.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg and the buttermilk. Turn on the food processor and add the egg mixture to the flour mixture. As soon as the dough comes together, turn off the machine. Add the cranberries and pulse just a few times to distribute through the dough. Don’t pulse too many times or the cranberries will be chopped.

4. Drop the batter by heaped tablespoons (or larger wedges) onto the parchment-lined baking sheets, leaving an inch or more of space between each one. Bake one baking sheet at a time in the middle of the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, reversing the baking sheet front to back halfway through, until lightly browned.

Yield: 20 3-inch scones or 8 regular size scones.

Nutritional information per 3-inch scone: 113 calories; 3 grams saturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 1 gram monounsaturated fat; 20 milligrams cholesterol; 17 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 113 milligrams sodium; 2 grams protein.