Monday, March 31, 2014

Coconut & Ground Hazelnut Banana Bread

Coconut & Ground Hazelnut Banana Bread// Loves Food Loves to Eat

This banana bread is a little different. It’s not that super banana-y bread you’re used to. It doesn’t have chocolate chips in it. But, it could. I mean. It should, right? Note to self.

Coconut & Ground Hazelnut Banana Bread// Loves Food Loves to Eat I don’t trust banana bread that comes out of other people’s kitchens. I know this is weird, but it’s my life. Same thing with deviled eggs and tuna sandwiches. Until about a year ago, I never ate a tuna sandwich that was made by someone other than my mom, my sister, or myself. And then I gathered up my courage and ordered a tuna sandwich from a little store/café a few blocks from my apartment, and I loved it, and I ordered it like it was going out of style…which it was, because now that store/café has closed.

Coconut & Ground Hazelnut Banana Bread// Loves Food Loves to Eat I also hate it when people say “tuna-fish sandwich.” That’s like saying you’re eating a chicken-bird sandwich, or a beef-cow burger. Sorry, I digress. We’re not here to talk about tuna. Or chicken or beef.

Coconut & Ground Hazelnut Banana Bread// Loves Food Loves to Eat We’re here to talk about banana bread. This one is heartier than most, with earthy whole wheat and hints of nutty-coconutty goodness throughout. It’s not overly sweet—less of a snack bread, and more of a breakfast bread. In fact, I think its best sliced thick, toasted, and slathered with a bit of butter and sea salt, served with a cup of coffee or tea. Evan likes it because it’s nutty without having distinguishable nut pieces (I’m a big fan of nuts in baked goods, but I know I’m in the minority here), and because, as he put it, it’s not as mushy as some.

Coconut & Ground Hazelnut Banana Bread// Loves Food Loves to Eat I like it because quick breads are my jam, and I typically have everything on hand to make it. And it tastes real real good. And, it came out of my own kitchen. So… there’s that.

Coconut & Ground Hazelnut Banana Bread Coconut & Ground Hazelnut Banana Bread

3 ripe bananas, mashed
2 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons sour cream or Greek yogurt
1.5 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup finely ground hazelnuts/ hazelnut meal
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup desiccated coconut (unsweetened, dried, and shredded)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a standard loaf pan.

Stir together bananas, eggs, and sour cream. Add remaining ingredients, and stir until combined. Scoop batter into loaf pan and bake for 50 minutes to an hour. Serve warm, room temperature, or sliced and toasted. 
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Thursday, March 27, 2014

Avocado & Orange Salad with Sesame Soy Dressing

Avocado & Orange Salad with Sesame Soy Dressing // Loves Food, Loves to Eat
I love to walk. My mom is a walker too. As long as I can remember, Mel has walked 2-4 miles every day, up and down the wooded country road I grew up on. When we were kids, Amanda and I went with her. I would inevitably fall and scrape my knees, which often led to me fainting right there on the side of the road. In addition to being a walker, I’m a fainter.

Avocado & Orange Salad with Sesame Soy Dressing // Loves Food, Loves to Eat My family also went on evening strolls after dinner—up the street a mile, then back down a mile. Sometimes I stopped a few yards before the turn-around spot, and waited. Then, when they got to me, I pretended I was an orphan, and that they found me on the road and were adopting me. I watched a lot of All Dogs Go to Heaven and Annie.

Avocado & Orange Salad with Sesame Soy Dressing // Loves Food, Loves to Eat Seattle is a small city, and you can easily go from one end of downtown to the other on foot. I’ve done it plenty of times. I walk from my office to the gym, from my doorstep to the farmer’s market. I have a car and a bus pass, but I just prefer to get around on foot.

Avocado & Orange Salad with Sesame Soy Dressing // Loves Food, Loves to Eat Lately, with the cherry blossoms blooming like crazy, the temperatures rising, and the sun staying out later and later each evening, I have a strong desire to just get out there and walk. Not to go anywhere in particular, but just to walk. To take in the fresh air and give my computer-strained eyes a break.

Avocado & Orange Salad with Sesame Soy Dressing // Loves Food, Loves to Eat I can usually bribe Evan with snack-stops, but he prefers walks that have a destination in mind (I mean, what he actually prefers is driving). The other day, I tricked him into walking across town to my favorite grocery store and back. The sunny walk and the store’s bountiful produce inspired me to make this springy salad with buttery bibb lettuce, red onions, creamy avocados, juicy oranges, umami filled dressing, feta for tang, and almonds for crunch.

Avocado & Orange Salad with Sesame Soy Dressing // Loves Food, Loves to Eat Evan, the non-salad lover, even asked for seconds. Maybe it was all that fresh air. I’ll give partial credit to the walk, but you can taste this salad and decide for yourself!

Avocado & Orange Salad with Sesame Soy Dressing
Serves 2

Dressing
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 tablespoon mustard (I use spicy brown)
juice from 1/2 lemon
1 teaspoon olive oil 
salt & pepper

Mix ingredients together (either shake in a jar, or whisk in a bowl). 

Salad
1/2 head bibb lettuce, torn into largish bite size pieces
1 orange, peeled and cut into bit size chunks
1 tablespoon diced red onion
Dressing (recipe above)
1 avocado, sliced
1/4 cup almonds, roughly chopped
1/4 cup feta
Fresh ground pepper

Put lettuce, orange, and onion in a bowl, and toss with about half the dressing. Arrange on plates or a platter, and top with avocado slices, almonds, feta, fresh ground pepper, and if desired, more dressing. Note: wait til just before serving to toss dressing with lettuce, to avoid soggy salad. 

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Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Coconut Margaritas

Coconut Margaritas// Loves Food, Loves to Eat
My sister and her boyfriend just got back from the most amazing look tropical vacation ever. They went to Turks and Caicos, those jerks! And while I zipped up my raincoat and pulled on my galoshes, she texted me pictures of white sand and bright blue water. Jealousy level max over here. 

Coconut Margaritas// Loves Food, Loves to Eat
Coconut Margaritas// Loves Food, Loves to Eat Fact: the only possible way to overcome tropical vacation envy, aside from hopping on a plane, is to drink tropical drinks. Bonus points for pink umbrellas. 

Coconut Margaritas// Loves Food, Loves to Eat Turks and Caicos is all about the rum punch, but I only had one drink of my mind: coconut margaritas! 

Coconut Margaritas// Loves Food, Loves to Eat
Coconut Margaritas// Loves Food, Loves to Eat Last week my friend LZ and I had these coconut margs at happy hour the other day, and they were amazing! They weren't too sweet or over the top, and since they were made with coconut water, I felt all good and hydrated, something I don't usually feel when I'm drinking tequila! 

Coconut Margaritas// Loves Food, Loves to Eat So of course, over the weekend I decided to shake up my own coconut margs, and pretend I was somewhere sunny and warm…just ignore that rain sound on the windows. That's just ocean waves. Obviously. 

Coconut Margaritas// Loves Food, Loves to Eat I'm not trying to brag or anything, but these are the most amazing margaritas I've ever had. A little tart, a little sweet, a little coconutty… tropical perfection! I invited LZ over for taste testing, and we each had a couple tastes. I mean, full-glass sized tastes. Then maybe a couple more. Who was counting, ya know? We certainly weren't. 

Coconut Margaritas// Loves Food, Loves to Eat
Coconut Margaritas, on the Rocks
Inspired by El Borracho Coconut Margaritas
Makes enough for a crowd

Coconut Tequila (I used this brand)
Fresh lemon/lime juice (juice of 2 lemons & 3 limes, mixed)
Ginger syrup (like this, or make your own)
Coconut water (C2O is my favorite, Zico is my 2nd favorite)
1 can coconut cream (different from coconut milk, but that would work as well-PS. how great is Coco Lopez website... from like, 1999)
Toasted coconut sugar (2 tablespoons sugar & 3 tablespoons toasted desiccated coconut, stirred together)

To prepare your glass, add toasted coconut sugar to a plate. Run a lime wedge across the glass rim, and dip rim in sugar and coconut, twisting to coat. Add ice to glass.

For each margarita, fill up cocktail shaker half way with ice, and add:
 
1 oz tequila
1 oz lemon/lime juice
1/4 oz ginger syrup
2 oz coconut water
1/2 oz coconut cream

Shake until combined, and strain into prepared glass. Serve with a lime wedge and pink umbrella! Add a floater of coconut cream if you like it a bit sweeter. 


Coconut Margaritas// Loves Food, Loves to Eat
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Friday, March 14, 2014

Baked Chocolate Stout Donuts with Irish Cream Glaze

Baked Chocolate Stout Donuts with Irish Cream Glaze // Loves Food, Loves to Eat
I love St. Patrick's day! But, to be fair, i don't really know much about actual St. Paddy's day in actual Ireland (even though last year I made this traditional Irish  snack plate!). The St. Patrick's day I know is all about wearing green (and pinching people who aren't wearing green), eating corned beef and cabbage, drinking green beer and Irish whiskey, and spiking everything you can with stout beer and Irish cream. 

Baked Chocolate Stout Donuts with Irish Cream Glaze // Loves Food, Loves to Eat Spike all the things! Baked chocolate Stout and Irish Cream donuts! Let's do this! 

Baked Chocolate Stout Donuts with Irish Cream Glaze // Loves Food, Loves to Eat Guys, this donut pan business is dangerous! They're so easy and fun and cute! I could make donuts for every holiday. Friday is a holiday, right? 

Baked Chocolate Stout Donuts with Irish Cream Glaze // Loves Food, Loves to EatBaked Chocolate Stout Donuts with Irish Cream Glaze // Loves Food, Loves to Eat The baked cake portion of these is dense and chocolaty, with a little bit of stout flavor shining through. Use your favorite Irish stout, or find something fun. I used a salted caramel stout. What! Yep, it happened! It exists! The glaze is all boozy and Irish creamy. Ps. You can make your own Irish cream

Baked Chocolate Stout Donuts with Irish Cream Glaze // Loves Food, Loves to Eat St. Paddy's Day donut time. Here's what you do: whisk, stir, drink some stout, pour, stir, mix, drink some stout, bake, drink some stout, whisk glaze ingredients, cool donuts, drink some stout, glaze donuts, eat donuts. Drink some stout. 

Baked Chocolate Stout Donuts with Irish Cream Glaze // Loves Food, Loves to Eat Baked Chocolate Stout Donuts with Irish Cream Glaze
Adapted from this recipe
Makes 6-8 donuts

Donuts
1 cup flour
1/4 cup unsweetened dark cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup dark stout beer
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 egg
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Glaze
1.5  cups powdered sugar
2-3 tablespoons Irish Cream
Green food coloring

Preheat oven to 325. Coat donut pan with cooking spray. 

Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together beer, sugar, egg, and butter until combined. Add wet ingredients to dry, and gently fold with a spatula until combined (making sure to get all the dry ingredients mixed in). 

Spoon batter into a ziplock baggie and cut the corner off one end, so you have a hole about the size of a nickel (or spoon into a pastry bag). Pipe a thick ring of batter into each donut circle. Bake for about 11-12 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean, and when you gently touch the top of a donut, it springs back. 

Let donuts cool in pan for a minute or two, then gently turn out onto wire rack. Repeat with remaining batter if necessary (the original recipe said it made 6, it weirdly made 7 donuts). 

Let cool completely before glazing. 

To make glaze: Stir powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons of Irish cream together until combined. If it's too thick, add more Irish cream (also, you can add a splash of your stout). Scoop about 1-2 tablespoons into a small dish, and to this small portion, add a drop or two of green food coloring, until desired color. Spoon into a ziplock bag. 

Gently dip donuts into un-colored glaze, being careful when you pull it out to not break donut. Let glaze cool until hard/dry, about 30 minutes, then cut a hole in the tip of the baggie, and drizzle green glaze over top. Let cool another 10-20 minutes. (You can also let first layer of glaze dry, then double or <gasp> triple dip for more glazey goodness!)

Baked Chocolate Stout Donuts with Irish Cream Glaze // Loves Food, Loves to Eat
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Monday, March 10, 2014

Machaca {Shredded Beef Tacos}

This time of year always makes me crave Mexican and Southwest flavors. Part of it is seeing my twitter and Facebook feeds filled with scenes from SXSW in Austin, Texas, and part of it is that we’re finally starting to see a few signs of spring: cherry blossoms, later sunrises. Spring means summer is just around the corner, and summer means sunshine and tacos.

Machaca {Shredded Beef Tacos}// Loves Food, Loves to Eat

Today we’re making machaca! Machaca (which I had never heard of until now) is slow cooked beef, flavored with peppers and spices, shredded for tacos or taquitos. It satisfies my summer cravings, but is warm and hearty enough for the chilly March weather. Perfect for early spring!

Machaca {Shredded Beef Tacos}// Loves Food, Loves to Eat

This recipe comes from my friend Jessica. From birth until I was about eight years old, Amanda and I spent nearly as much time with Jessica (Amanda’s age) and her brother Jared (my age) as we did with each other. They were our first best friends, and we’ve always had a connection with them, regardless of time and miles. They moved away from Washington to Arizona the summer before I went into second grade—my first heartbreak.

Machaca {Shredded Beef Tacos}// Loves Food, Loves to Eat

Obviously their years in the Southwest have paid off, because this recipe is awesome. Jessica said it was a labor of love, and through tons of trial and error, she finally came up with this recipe. The meat marinates in lime juice and spices overnight, then slow cooks all day. When it’s time to eat, you have juicy, tender shreds of beef that fall apart with the poke of a fork.

Machaca {Shredded Beef Tacos}// Loves Food, Loves to Eat

I’m always so busy creating new recipes that sometimes I forget how good family recipes are—one bite and I felt like I was sitting around the table with Jessica and her husband and four kids. Or, like I was six years old, with Jared, Jessica, and Amanda frantically helping me clean my plate so we could all go play. 

PS. I have no trouble finishing my dinner these days.

Beef Machaca
Recipe from Jessica Gilmore

Plan ahead. This needs to marinate overnight, and then cook for at least 6 hours. If you’re making taquitos, Jessica recommends letting the cooked meat sit in the fridge overnight (a 2nd night…torture!) to bind. 

Marinade:
2-3 lb chuck roast
¼ cup Worcestershire
Juice of 2 limes
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ cup oil (canola or olive oil)

Machaca:
1 large sweet onion, diced
½ green bell pepper, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalepeno, minced
1 14oz can diced tomatoes (and juice)
½ cup beef broth
1 tablespoon oregano
1 tablespoon cumin
Salt & pepper
Hot sauce

Trim beef and cut in two to three pieces, and lay in a baking dish or in a large ziplock bag. Whisk together marinade ingredients, and pour over meat. Seal bag (or cover dish with plastic wrap) and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, add marinated beef and remaining marinade to slow cooker, along with all remaining ingredients except salt, pepper, and hot sauce.

Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Shred and stir into juices. Add salt, pepper, and hot sauce to taste.

Serve with warm tortillas and taco fixings.

For baked taquitos: Refrigerate shredded beef and juices in an airtight container overnight. Roll inside flour or corn tortillas, and bake in a 425 degree oven for approx. 10 minutes (until crispy, but not burned).
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Saturday, March 8, 2014

Sausage & Pesto Fried Egg Sandwiches

Runny egg. Slightly crispy sausage. Creamy sharp white cheddar. Fresh, garlicky pesto. 

Sausage & Pesto Fried Egg Sandwiches // Loves Food, Loves to Eat That's what went in between the slices of my toasted English muffin this morning. This breakfast sandwich is based on the Yolko Ono, which is the best fried egg sammie around, from the best Portland food cart: Fried Egg I'm in Love

Sausage & Pesto Fried Egg Sandwiches // Loves Food, Loves to Eat Amanda is friends with one of the Fried Egg owners, Jace. We make sure to stop by every time we're in Seattle's little sister to the south…not just because we know Jace, but because holy fried egg, it's so good! And also, they have a lot of fun. Those guys are basically the only reason I still look at Vine. And they sell super cute tshirts. And they use Aardvark hot sauce, which I love. And, the sandwiches all have fun music-inspired names, like Yolko Ono, Sriracha Mix A Lot, Free Range Against the Machine, and Back in Black Bean. Annnd one more thing, they have contests on Facebook where you can help name their new sandwich specials. So fun. So good.

Sausage & Pesto Fried Egg Sandwiches // Loves Food, Loves to Eat My favorite is their original crowd pleaser, the Yolko Ono, which inspired this lil' mashup here. Of course I still dream about the real deal, but this homemade version will totally do the trick between trips to Portland. 

Sausage & Pesto Fried Egg Sandwiches // Loves Food, Loves to Eat If you're not putting pesto on your fried egg sandwiches, you're not livin', friend. 

Sausage & Pesto Fried Egg Sandwiches // Loves Food, Loves to Eat


Sausage & Pesto Fried Egg Sandwiches
Inspired by the Yolko Ono

For each sandwich, you'll need:
1 English muffin, toasted
1-2 tablespoons pesto (store-bought, or recipe below)
2 slices aged white cheddar
1 pork breakfast sausage patty, cooked
1 fried egg (over medium for me, please, with salt & pepper)
Hot sauce for serving

To assemble, add a healthy dollop of pesto to both pieces of English muffin, then add cheese to one side, top with sausage patty, fried egg, and other English muffin half. Serve with hot sauce. Dig in.

Basic Basil Pesto
Makes about 1/2 pint

1/4-1/2 cup  extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup grated parmesan 
2 garlic cloves
2 cups fresh Basil
1/4 cup cup nuts (I used almonds, but you can also use pinenuts, walnuts, etc)
Squeeze fresh lemon juice
salt and pepper

If using a high-powered blender like a Vitamix or Ninja: add ingredients in order listed (not including salt & pepper), starting with 1/4 cup olive oil, and blend, slowly increasing speed, until smooth (use tamper as necessary). Add more olive oil if it's too thick. If using food processor, add garlic & nuts, and pulse for a few seconds until ground, then add remaining ingredients, and pulse until smooth (adding more olive oil as needed. 

Stir in salt & pepper to taste. 

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. 
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