Cajun Creole in New Brunswick

On Friday night, the fiancé and I joined a few friends to celebrate a friend’s new job, as the editor of New Brunswick’s Patch.com. Since the site officially launched on Friday morning, it was only appropriate to celebrate that evening. It was a nice way to kick off a new turning point in her career, especially because I know she’s worked really hard to get everything ready. I’m looking forward to reading the articles on the site, and I’m also looking forward to contributing! That’s right, you can now find this blog on New Brunswick’s Patch under their “Local Voices.” I’ll also have the opportunity to do some other writing (restaurant reviews, etc.) which I’m really looking forward to.

So, to celebrate we headed to The Old Bay in New Brunswick, which is a restaurant and bar serving up Cajun Creole cuisine. I’ve been a few times, but only to meet friends for drinks, so I was excited to try their food. So like I always do, I checked the menu ahead of time and was immediately drawn to their jalapeno corncake appetizer. Other than that, though, I had no idea what I’d order, which is rare. So, it wound up being a game time decision!

I decided to go with the Andouille crusted red snapper, that’s served over edamame succotash and wilted spinach. I was hoping it would have a little kick from the andouille, but that was something a dash of hot sauce easily fixed. The edamame succotash was amazing – I would have ordered an entire bowl of it if I could!

photo 2 (1) — Andouille Crusted Red Snapper

The fiancé decided to get two appetizers as his dinner, and went with the Bayou fish tacos, and their version of beef pies, which were both really good (of course I had to sample them!).

I washed everything down with some Victory Summer Lovin’ ale, which was nice and light, crisp, and fruity – just the way I like my beer!

I would defintely recommend The Old Bay – especially if you’re looking for a bunch of appetizers and drinks. Plus, if you stick around on most nights after 10pm they have drink specials, and live music!

Stuffed Peppers: Chilean Style

My alarm has been set for 5:45a every single day for the past two weeks or so, but I haven’t gotten out of bed once when it’s gone off. I’ve been well intentioned to get up and go for a quick run before work, but I’ve been having an extremely difficult time actually getting up and completing the run. For whatever reason, my running mojo hasn’t been the same since the Disney Half. I think the chronic injuries I’ve sustained have put me on the defensive side when it comes to running, afraid and waiting for that next twinge of pain I’m going to feel. To put it bluntly, I think I’m a bit scared of running. However, I’ve turned over a new leaf and have decided to face the fear of a sport I know deep down inside I love, and to just go with it. This Philadelphia Marathon isn’t going to run itself in November!

I’ve also been in a bit of a rut when it comes to cooking; I’ve been making a lot of the same things over and over again (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing), but I haven’t really ventured to make anything new. So, I decided to really start tackling both running and cooking new things this week. It’s time to get the old Danielle back!

I’ve only made a few things from the Vegan Fire & Spice book I bought myself a few months ago, so I decided to make something else from it this week. I love that it has recipes from all over the world, so I can expand my ethnic palate at home. After making my fiancé pick a region to focus on for the recipe, we then narrowed it down to the Chilean Stuffed Peppers. The recipe only had one pepper in terms of it’s spice level (the book goes from one to three), so I of course had to add a jalapeno to kick up the heat. I also didn’t have any soy milk on hand, so my version wasn’t truly vegan. I also used freshly diced tomatoes instead of canned.

Because this recipe was a bit longer, I was able to prep the stuffing, put them in the oven, and then go out for a three mile run. It was nice to know that something delicious was waiting at home for me. I should try that method more often!

Chilean Stuffed Peppers adapted from Vegan Fire & Spice
– Serves 2 –

Ingredients:
2 large bell peppers
2 Tbsp canola oil
1 yellow onion, diced
1 jalapeno, diced (I added for extra heat)
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne
14.5 oz. of diced tomatoes (either canned, or fresh)
1 cup frozen corn kernels
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup soy milk (I used regular and it was fine)
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 Tbsp bread crumbs

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Slice the tops off of the peppers and remove the seeds and guts. Heat 1 Tbsp of the oil in a skillet, and add onion and jalapeno, cooking for about five minutes until slightly soft. Add the nutmeg, cumin, and cayenne, cooking for about another minute. Add the tomatoes and cook for about 3 minutes, until the mixture thickens. Add the corn and mix well. Set aside.
2. In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs (1/2 cup), milk, sugar, and salt, and mix well. Add the bread crumb mixture to the skillet and mix until combined.
3. Fill the peppers with the corn bread crumb mixture and arrange them in a baking dish filled with 1 cup of water. Sprinkle the rest of the bread crumbs (2 Tbsp) and oil (1 Tbsp) over the peppers. Bake for 45 minutes (took me closer to 50) or until the peppers are tender, and the stuffing is browned but still moist.

Vegan Baking

I’ve known many a vegan in my life, and even more vegetarians. Up until recently, however, I hadn’t ever experienced vegan baking. A good friend of mine was once a vegan herself and just so happens to be the delicious mastermind behind Serial Baker. So, every now and then she makes vegan treats since she has quite a few friends that are vegans. After sampling yet another amazing cupcake from her (recipe and drool-worthy pictures here), I decided to give vegan baking a try.

I don’t remember how I stumbled upon this recipe from Namely Marly, but I was excited to see that I had almost all of the ingredients on hand. I had been given a generously sized jar of Tropical Tradition’s Coconut Oil awhile back to sample, and was pleased to see the recipe called for coconut oil. It had never occured to me that coconut oil is a great substitue for butter because of it’s not quite liquid, not quite solid state. Using the coconut oil as well as some apple sauce made the cookies super moist and chewy, which happens to be my favorite qualities of a good cookie.

Now that I’m aware of coconut oil’s versatility, I’m looking forward to incorporating it more into my baking. Though I do really need to work on my presentation. These cookies blobbed together, as do most of my cookies. I realize that it isn’t always about looks (taste is much more important), but I do want my baked goods to look pretty, too! I suppose that will come with practice, and I certainly haven’t made enough cookies in my life to even think for a second I’ve had practice. I’m also hoping some new baking and cookie sheets will help do the trick (along with all of the other awesome kitchen gadgets on my wedding registry).

So what’s the bottom line here? Vegan baking can be absolutely delicious (for all you skeptics out there), coconut oil is awesome, and you should go make these cookies. Okay, so that was more than one line.

Salad with a twist

Since I’ve been all about keeping the kitchen cool the past few weeks with the summer heat, I’ve been trying to come up with healthy (and easy!) dinners that both myself and my fiancé would enjoy throughout the week that require little to no cooking. Enter, the salad.

Last week I made another taco salad, but that still required me to use the oven. Since just a “regular” salad (i.e. on a plate or in a bowl) didn’t seem adventurous enough for dinner, I decided to give lettuce wraps a try. I know they’ve been around for awhile, but aside from ordering them once at Chilis about 10 years ago, I’m pretty clueless when it comes to them. They’re typically labeled as Thai or Chinese, and include chicken, some type of cabbage mixture (with carrots), scallions, and a ginger sesame dressing. At least those were the common ingredients I found when doing some research.

Since I’ve never made them before, and have only had them once, I really didn’t know what to expect. However, I figured it would be nearly impossible to screw up, and I was right! You can really wrap almost anything in lettuce. I remember when the no-carb diet was huge, and everyone was eating their burgers with lettuce “buns” and I thought it was insane and gladly ate theirs in addition to my own bun (swimming will do that to you), but now I see the appeal. Though I’m not planning on wrapping my burgers in lettuce any time soon, I definitely want to try some other variations of this nice twist on a salad! But be prepared – it’s messy!

Unfortunately I had grand plans to make my own ginger sesame dressing, but Wegmans was out of ginger. I was so annoyed, but when I stumbled upon a Bangkok Padang Peanut Sauce in the Asian aisle, all was forgiven. This sauce rocked my socks. It has a light peanut flavor with hints of ginger, rice wine, garlic, and most importantly, it has a nice kick to it! I’m looking forward to using it in other stir-fry styled dishes.

Thai Styled Lettuce Rolls
– Serves 2 very hungry adults –

Ingredients:
10 pieces of butter or Boston lettuce, washed (I used Boston)
1/2 bag rainbow cabbage mix (about 6 oz.)
handful of soybean sprouts (make sure to wash them well, no one wants e.Coli!)
2-3 Tbsp Bangkok Padang Peanut Sauce
4 scallion stalks, diced
1/4 cup water chestnuts, roughly chopped
1/4 cup peanuts, chopped in half

Directions:
1. In a medium bowl, combine cabbage mixture, soy bean sprouts, diced scallion, water chestnuts, and peanuts. Add peanut sauce, using a spoon toss to coat.
2. Add about a Tbsp of the mixture to each individual piece of lettuce. Roll like a miniature burrito (tucking the sides in), and have napkins handy!

Creamy and Dreamy

I tend to go through stages with my eating; one week I’ll want sushi all the time, another week it might be pasta, or french fries, or even salads. They usually stick around for a few days, and once I finally have it, the craving goes away. The past few weeks, however, have left me wanting avocados and peanut butter (with chocolate, of course) almost non-stop. Don’t worry, not together. I have visions of creamy guacamole, or avocado sliced atop a sandwich, and following it up with some type of chunky peanut butter dessert. It’s totally weird, and I’m okay with it – I think about food 90% of my day anyway.

So, when YumSugar linked to one of Oh She Glows‘ recipes that had avocado as a main ingredient, I just knew I had to try my hand at it! I don’t know why I haven’t thought of using avocado in a regular pasta dish to help make a creamy sauce, but seeing the recipe was just what I needed to try and create my own. I’ve actually made two different versions, equally delicious.

Avocado Pasta with Cannelini and Tomatoes inspired by Oh She Glows
– Serves 2 –

Ingredients:
1 ripe avocado, pitted
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup fresh basil
1 cup cannelini beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup Roma tomatoes, diced
1/2 lb your favorite pasta (I used whole wheat spagetti)
1 Tbsp lemon

Directions:
1. Cook pasta according to package directions (since different types of pasta require different cooking times)
2. In a food processor, add avocado, basil, garlic, and lemon juice. Pulse until creamy
3. Combined cooked pasta, beans, and avocado mixture, and add tomatoes.

Avocado Pasta with Tomatoes and Caramelized Onions inspired by Oh She Glows
– Serves 2 –

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp oil
1 ripe avocado, pitted
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup fresh basil
1/2 cup onion, sliced
1/2 cup Roma tomatoes, diced
1/2 lb your favorite pasta (I used whole wheat spagetti)
1 Tbsp lemon
2 Tbsp herbed Feta (I used Athenos brand)

Directions:
1. Cook pasta according to package directions (since different types of pasta require different cooking times)
2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a skillet on medium high heat, then add onion, sautéing until caramelized, about 10 minutes.
3. In a food processor, add avocado, basil, garlic, and lemon juice. Pulse until creamy
4. Combined cooked pasta, caramelized onions, and avocado mixture, and add tomatoes. Top with crumbled feta.

Heat Wave Fries

The past few days have been quite warm. Actually, they’ve been down-right HOT.

Growing up, whenever it was hot out, my mom would refuse to put the oven on. In the days prior to us having central air it was a godsend, and then even after we finally had central air installed, the tradition stuck. Her logic was that heating up an oven would only heat the entire house more than what was bareable. So, this meant our dinners were either grilled, or in the rare event we needed something to be cooked in some sort of oven, we opted for the toaster oven, which emitted far less heat. Like most things you encounter when you’re young, this is something that’s stuck with me, and is the norm in my own kitchen.

With it being so hot this past week, I insisted on grilling. Not only does warm weather put me in the mood for grilling, I just couldn’t stand the thought of heating up my oven to 425 degrees. It’s making me sweat just thinking about it. So, since I couldn’t make oven fries, I made grill fries! They had a perfect crisp (with a little char, of course) and were full of flavor even though I didn’t season them too much. They were a perfect compliment to our grilled veggie burgers! You should make these.

Grill Fries
– Serves 2 –

Ingredients:
2 baking potatoes, sliced into wedges
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

Directions:
1. Preheat grill to medium-high heat
2. Toss sliced potato wedges with oil, salt, and red pepper flakes
3. Place wedges on the top rack of the grill, and cook on each side for about 10 minutes, or until crisped to your liking

Sisterly Love

Sometimes it seems as though my sister and I are years apart, while at other times it feels like we’re much closer in age. There are times when she acts like the adult and I’m the child, and vice versa. The truth is, though, we’re 6 years apart (almost exactly since we were both born in June), and even though I grew up wishing I had sibling(s) closer in age, I wouldn’t want it any other way. Growing up with someone so much younger than me was actually a lot of fun – sure, we didn’t get to share clothes until she was in high school and I was already in college, but it was fun to bring around my “little sister” who was just so darn cute.

Today, my “little” sister turns 19 – not so little anymore! It wasn’t that long ago she was introducing her self as “Just Kate,” because people couldn’t understand her name wasn’t a nickname for something else. Or that she was obsessed with Gulla Gulla Island and Barney. When for her second birthday she got a Lamb Chop plastic plate (which my parents still have!), or when she turned four and we celebrated at McDonalds in the ball-pit. When she made it through the awkward middle school years beautifully, and was the swimmer to beat throughout her elementary days all the way up to her very last swim season as a senior in high school. And most recently, when I saw her off to college, hiding my tears as I hugged her goodbye, remembering her tearful goodbye to me, 6 years earlier. Oh how time flies! Now here we are just three months before my wedding, with her as my maid of honor.

So happy birthday, Kate! We’ve had our moments, but you’re the best sister a girl could ask for.

Baby Overload

I know some people reading this might see the word “baby” in the title and automatically assume it has to do with me – but alas, it does not! No babies for me over here. However, I’ve been spending a lot of time with babies, particularly my cousin’s adorable 4-month old, who you can oggle at below…

…And also in helping to plan a co-worker’s surprise baby shower. Both have been daunting tasks since I have little to no baby experience, but I think I’ve done well!

At any rate, after work on Wednesday I got right down to business as I had plans to make some hummus, cake balls, and the most amazing and delicious looking chocolate chip cookie, Oreo cookie, and brownie combo-dealy. Oh yes, you read that correctly. I had grand plans to celebrate National Running Day, but with all the work ahead of me, plus the tornado watches that were in effect, I figured I didn’t want to risk being taken away Dorothy & Toto style.

Last time I attempted cake balls they tasted fine, but they were far from pretty. A combination of not having enough chocolate to coat them and not really knowing what I was doing were the major factors. After doing some research for proper ball-coating techniques (insert giggles here), I decided to give it another shot. While these came out much better than my last attempt, they are still far from perfect. I’m thinking next time I’ll try candy melts instead of chocolate, actually buy lollipop sticks, and take a little more care when mixing the cake with the frosting.

I also made Kevin & Amanda’s Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie ‘n Oreo Fudge Brownie Bar… try and say that three times fast! There really aren’t any words to describe this aside from unbelievably awesome. Seriously, how could something that combines chocolate chip cookies, Oreos, and fudgey brownies all in one not be amazing? I figured it would be a ton of work to combine all of that together, but it really wasn’t. It also helped that everything I was making (cake balls and dinner) needed to be cooked at the same temperature. Perfect multitasking! Just look at the layers of deliciousness – you need to go and make these…

I also made some homemade hummus and paired it with some pita just to try and prevent a complete sugar overload. Another co-worker brought in a cheese & olive plate, which was also a huge hit. At the end of the day I think (and hope!) my manager was pleasantly surprised not only by the shower, but also with the gifts and yummy goodies we gave her. She’s due in July, and I can’t wait to meet her baby! Plus, everyone else in the office was impressed with my treats, and it’s always nice to hear positive feedback!

Milestones

Today marks the three year anniversary from when I entered the real world.

Sure, you could say that my graduation from The University of Scranton back in May of 2008 was my official push into the “real world,” but I like to think it didn’t officially begin until a week later, when I pulled on my big-girl panties and set off on my very first day of work at a “real job.”

Looking back, it seems surreal to think I’ve already been out of college for three years, have been working for that long, and am just beginning to embark on more exciting things within my life. Today also just so happens to be a special marker in our wedding planning.

That’s right folks, a mere 100 days until I walk down the asile and marry my very best friend! It seems like just yesterday we started dating. Now we’re in the crunch zone with wedding related things arriving in the mail, etc., almost daily. My how time flies.

I can’t wait to see what the future holds – I have grand plans and can’t wait to fill you all in! 🙂

Muffin Remix

I haven’t been posting much these days, but I promise I’ve been in the kitchen! Even though I’m done with classes for the semester, a new project has taken it’s place – wedding planning! Obviously, I’ve been planning the wedding for quite some time now seeing as that we got engaged back in January 2010, but with the wedding a mere three months away, I’m in wedding overdrive.

Having taken off two weeks from running to try and rest my achey and less than perfect legs, I set out for a two mile jaunt sans music and GPS, just to get myself back in the swing of things. It was hot (85 degrees with 70% humidity), so of course it felt much worse than it actually was. Either way, it was nice to be back out there. I’ve been having a lot of fun experimenting with yoga, and I can already see some extra definition in my arms, but running is still my favorite.

After the run and a much needed shower, I decided to make some muffins. I basically took the same recipe from my Coconut Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Muffins, and made them Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Muffins… YUM! I left out sugar simply because I wasn’t paying attention. So, if you want your muffins sweeter, I would suggest adding 1/2 cup of brown sugar to the mix. Whoops!

I love muffins for one simple reason – you can eat them at any time of day as an acceptable snack. Sure you typically associate a muffin with breakfast, but you really can eat it at any time of day without breaking eating rules. We all know I’m not one for following rules, especially when it comes to eating, but you get my point.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Muffins
– makes 12 muffins –

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup oatmeal (not instant)
1/4 cup chunky peanut butter
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/4 cup butter
1 cup milk
1 egg
1 cup of chocolate chips

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees
2. Combine dry ingredients in a medium bowl (including coconut)
3. Heat butter, and stir in milk and the egg. Add that mixture into the dry mixture, to combine, finally adding in the chocolate chips.
4. Spoon mixture into greased cupcake/muffin tin, and bake for 15 minutes.