Love Every Byte

Self-confessed sugar addict spreading foodie love one byte at a time. Enjoy!

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Spinach, Sun-Dried Tomato & Parmesan Crusty Bread

Hey guys! I've been MIA lately because of work and classes, but I promise I will be updating more in the next couple of weeks. Last week, I was lucky enough to spend a few days in LA for work. If you follow me on Instagram, you already saw all the awesome foodie places I went to and if not, I will be profiling one of the restaurants soon.

Before I left, I still had a lot of fresh produce. Being one never to waste anything, I had to cook as much as I could and freeze for when I come back. I found this great spinach bread recipe from Sass and Veracity that I adapted to include only what I had in my fridge and pantry. I really like this recipe because similar to the other crusty bread recipe I've made before, this one requires very little time and no kneading at all. You literally just mix everything together with the biggest wooden spoon you have and let the yeast do the rest of the work.

1 cup fresh steamed spinach, chopped (about a 1/2 lb before steamed)

1 cup sun-dried tomatoes, julienned

3 egg whites

2 1/2 cups lukewarm water

1 1/2 tablespoons instant yeast

1 tablespoon kosher salt

2/3 cups grated Parmesan (can also use feta, Gouda, Pecorino, whatever cheese you want)

1 1/2 tablespoons sugar

6 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Steam the spinach and squeeze out as much water as you can. You should get a cup of spinach. Mix the yeast, salt, spinach, Parmesan, sun-dried tomatoes, sugar, egg whites, water and flour in a large bowl.

Mix until all ingredients are well incorporated. The dough will be a bit wet. This bread recipe is so easy you don’t even need to knead. Cover with either a tea towel or plastic wrap and allow to rise for two hours at room temperature.

Lightly spray a baking sheet with olive oil. Flour your hands and rip out ten balls of dough. Shape them into even rounds. Allow the dough to rise again for another hour at room temperature.

Preheat oven to 450F degrees. Place a tray with one cup of warm water in the oven while it is preheating. When the oven is ready, slide the bread quickly into the oven and close the door. You don’t want the steam to escape. It will help create the bread crust, similar to this baguette recipe and this crusty bread recipe. Bake for 20 - 30 minutes or until golden brown. Fresh bread is so irresistible to me. I hate the waiting part!

Allow to cool completely on a rack, if you can resist.

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Vegan Double Chocolate Chip Macaroons

Anyone else feeling incredibly large right now? I didn't have one Thanksgiving dinners. I had three. Yes, three. I am having one of those weeks right now when I feel compelled to eat slightly healthier and go to the gym a little longer to make up for a very indulgent holiday weekend.

So here I go again eating tons of fruit and veggies and lots of lean protein like tofu, non-fat Greek yogurt and eggs. Know what I can't give up though, no matter what? CHOCOLATE!

Chocolate cravings in the morning...at lunch...dinner...before the gym...after the gym...before I sleep...all the time. Yup, I have chocolate on the brain. #fatkidproblems

But not to worry. I came across a great vegan chocolate chip macaroon recipe from Never Homemaker that inspired me to make this recipe. Because you know what's better than chocolate? DOUBLE CHOCOLATE!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups shredded unsweetened coconut (try to use the flakes that are a bit finer)

1/4 cup oat flour (can also use whole wheat, all-purpose, almond, or rice)

Pinch salt 

1/2 cup dark brown sugar 

2 tablespoons flax meal

1/4 cup almond milk (or soy)

2 tablespoons maple syrup (or agave)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

1 tablespoon cocoa powder

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Spray a baking sheet lightly with vegetable oil. Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl.

Using a tablespoon, scoop out the mixture onto the baking sheet. Make sure the mixture is tightly packed. You may have to use your hands to make that happen.

Bake for 13 - 15 minutes until the edges are golden brown. Allow to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

These macaroons are ooey, gooey and delicious. They're also fantastic frozen, so double or triple the recipe and save them to enjoy for awhile. Enjoy!

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Vegan Marbled Banana Bread

When I was a kid, I HATED bananas. I hated the smell, taste and texture of bananas. Most people go gaga over the smell of fresh baked banana goods, but I had to leave the room. Believe it or not, I used to be a very picky eater. I won't mention the long list of things I hated right now, but trust me bananas were just the start. As with many other aspects of my life, my taste buds are also a work-in-progress and changing as I get older.

Sometime in the past year, I learned to love bananas in pastries. I'm not sure when it happened, but it just did. Now, I love the smell of bananas in breads, cakes, cupcakes and muffins. Which is a great thing because bananas are fat-free and economical. FreshDirect smells them for only $1.79 / bunch with 6 - 8 bananas in each "bunch". 

That kind of "everyday value" means that I almost always have a bunch in the house. Using a bunch of really ripe bananas, I made this vegan marbled banana bread (slightly adapted from Post Punk Kitchen) for breakfast for the rest of the week.

O.M.G. If I keep finding vegan recipes this good, I may never ever bake with butter again. Yes, this marbled banana bread will have you trying more vegan recipes. It's that good. 

Ingredients:

1 cup mashed very ripe banana (about 3 bananas)

3/4 cups sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 tablespoons canola oil

1/3 cup almond milk plus 6 tablespoons (reserved)

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Mash the banana in a large mixing bowl. Beat in the sugar, canola oil, 1/3 cup almond milk and vanilla. Sift in flour, baking soda and salt. In a smaller bowl, microwave the cocoa powder and 3 tablespoons almond milk for 30 seconds and stir until well combined. Scoop one cup of the batter into the chocolate mixture and combine well. Add the other 3 tablespoons of almond milk to the vanilla batter and mix.

Lightly grease an 8×4 loaf pan. Scoop alternate 1/2 cupfuls of chocolate/banana batter into the loaf pan and swirl with a teaspoon. Bake for 55 minutes. Allow to cool on a wire rack completely.

Slice and serve.

Have any banana recipes? Send me your faves! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

[loveeverybyte]

Healthy Peanut Butter, Honey & Banana Muffins

I see many protein smoothies that contain peanut butter, honey and bananas. Am I the only one who thinks it's weird to make a drink with those three ingredients? For some reason, there's something about the texture that I simply can't reconcile in my mind, but I do like the flavor combination.

So when I found this peanut butter, honey and banana muffins recipe from An Edible Mosaic, I was delighted. These muffins are a good source of protein in the morning and also make great post-workout snacks. I'm always looking for a guilt-free way to have a little something without feeling like I'm ruining all the exercise I just did. These muffins are low in sugar, yet still flavorful because of the bananas and honey.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 very ripe medium bananas, mashed

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup smooth all-natural peanut butter

1/2 cup plain non-fat Greek yogurt

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

2 tablespoons powdered sugar (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375F and line a muffin tray with paper liners. Cream together the mashed bananas, honey, peanut butter, yogurt, and vanilla in a large bowl.

Sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt into the wet ingredients. You will notice that I don't whisk together the dry ingredients in a separate bowl. I find that most muffin recipes have enough baking powder and baking soda to give the muffins a nice rise. And if you don't overmix the dry and wet ingredients then the gluten will not stick together and you'll still get fluffy, crumbly muffins. This also saves time and effort washing a separate bowl! You can certainly follow the instructions explicitly, but I don't personally find that step to be necessary for muffins.

Stir the dry ingredients into the wet, being careful not to overmix. 

Pour the batter into the lined muffin cups, filling each about 2/3 full (you should get about 18 muffins).

Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, about 15 to 18 minutes. Allow to cool in tin for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. When the muffins are cool, sift some powdered sugar on top.

What are your healthy post-workout snacks? Send them my way!

[loveeverybyte]

Classic Oatmeal Cookies

This post was originally scheduled for last Wednesday, but guess what! Hurricane Sandy, unfortunately, hit Jersey City a bit harder than I naively predicted. I lost power for a few days and couldn't update the blog in time to finish the draft that was already queued up. 

A couple of lessons learned:

1) Be more prepared for major storms. I have to thank my amazing neighbors and friends for rescuing me when the power went out.

2) Never queue up drafts until I'm ready to publish!

Now on to the good stuff.

As I started to say last week, I love classic cookies. You know, the kind you grew up with. These oatmeal cookies (slightly adapted recipe from The Novice Chef) are even better than what you remember.

Ingredients for Cookies:

2 cups old fashioned oats

2 cups all purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg (optional)

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Ingredients for Icing:

1 cup powdered sugar

2 tablespoons milk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Spray two large cookie sheets with vegetable oil spray. Combine melted butter, both sugars and vanilla extract. Add eggs in, one at a time. Sift in flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.

Fold in oats until thoroughly combined.

Drop dough onto prepared cookie sheets. Bake for 14 - 16 minutes. Let cookies rest on the cookie sheets for 10 minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool completely.

While cookies are cooling, combine powdered sugar and milk to create a thick glaze. When the cookies are completely cool, drizzle glaze over the cookies.

Eat. Eat. Eat them all.

These cookies, like most cookies, can be easily frozen. Make sure to let them cool completely before storing in a Ziploc bag. When you're ready to enjoy again, let them defrost at room temperature overnight.

[loveeverybyte]

Spiced Cocktail Nuts

They tell me a hurricane is coming. Are you ready? I am! I've got water, cookies, sugar, more cookies, so clearly all set. ;) Okay, okay, I know I need more sustenance than sugar and cookies.

Nuts are rich in vitamins and antioxidants, but I find eating plain nuts to be quite bland. I tend to avoid them even if they are healthy. And I would've continued down this road until I tried store-bought spiced cocktail nuts and realized I could totally do this myself!

I adapted this recipe for spiced cocktail nuts from the Food Network to be easy to make and quite satisfying. So grab a bowl of spiced nuts, park yourself in front of your TV and try not to go too restless while they make us stay inside.

Ingredients:

Vegetable cooking spray

2 egg whites

6 cups mixed nuts

1/2 cup sugar

2 tablespoons hot curry powder

1 tablespoon ground cumin

2 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 1/4 teaspoons cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom (optional but delicious)

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions:

Place an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 250F degrees. Spray a baking sheet with vegetable cooking spray. 

In a large bowl, whisk the egg whites until very frothy. You can use a hand mixer to do this in a snap, but it only took two minutes to whisk by hand.

Add the nuts and stir until coated. In a small bowl, combine the sugar, curry powder, cumin, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, cardamon and cinnamon. Sprinkle the sugar mixture over the nuts and toss until coated. Arrange the nuts in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet.

Bake for 45 minutes until golden. Allow to cool for at least one hour. Break into pieces and serve.

Stay safe!

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Shortcut Pizza Dough Cinnamon Rolls

I got this ingenious idea from my good friend and neighbor, Darren. We were brainstorming ways I could use all my extra pizza dough and he mentioned his mom used to make cinnamon rolls from pizza dough when he was growing up. What a great idea!

Using guidance from The Daily Waffle, I used my extra pizza dough to create cinnamon rolls in minutes!

Ingredients:

1 lb pizza dough

6 tablespoons butter, softened

3 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375F degrees. Take the dough out of the fridge and let sit on the counter for 40 minutes to an hour. Butter a 9 in. round cake pan with 1 tablespoon of the butter and set aside.

In a small bowl, stir together the cinnamon, sugar and salt. Lightly flour your board and roll the dough into a ~12 rectangle, about 1/4 of an inch thick. Give the dough a good rubdown with 3 tablespoons of butter. Sprinkle the cinnamon/sugar mixture evenly across the rectangle from end-to-end.

Roll tightly into a log, ensuring the end does sag. Using a sharp knife, cut the log into 1 in. pieces. Place the slices in the pan, about an inch apart. Dot the top of each roll with the remaining 2 T. of butter.

Bake for 15-18 minutes until the tops of the rolls just begin to brown.

Have I mentioned how much I love food photography? Chomp! Yummy!

[loveeverybyte]

Pear and Gouda Flatbread

Now that you've made all this pizza dough, what are you going to do with it? As I've mentioned before, I love making pizza and flatbread. Fresh, homemade pizza dough is beautiful in it simplicity and trust me, you will notice a huge difference in the taste versus store bought. Here's a recipe for super simple flatbread featuring one of my favorite combinations, fruit and cheese! YUM!

Inspired by Eat, Live, Run (by far one of my favorite blogs out there), I used Gouda instead of Gorgonzola but feel free to use any sharp cheese you have. The pears can also be substituted with Granny Smith apples.

Ingredients:

1/4 of basic pizza dough (about 1lb)

1 large anjou or bartlett pear, cored and sliced thin

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

3/4 cup shredded Gouda cheese

1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425F degrees. Roll out the dough on a floured surface and then stretch into a large rectangle on a greased sheet tray. Brush top of dough with olive oil and then scatter mozzarella cheese and Gouda on top, followed by the sliced pear. Bake for 10-15 minutes until golden.

I should mention the pizza dough recipe can easily be halved but since dough freezes well, I recommend making the entire portion and freezing some for another day. To freeze, roll the dough into a ball, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and store in a freezer bag. To defrost, simply let it rest at room temperature overnight.

[loveeverybyte]

Best & Easiest No-Knead Pizza Dough

Cool weather encourages baking, which means it's pizza making time! Yes, you can buy pizza dough and there are a few decent options out there (FreshDirect, Whole Foods, Trader Joes), but why bother? Making it is faster and more economical.

Jim Lahey's famous no-knead pizza dough is by far the best pizza dough hands down, ever, EVER. I've tried so many other pizza dough recipes, but this is by far the best one. I consider it fool-proof. The dough is tasty, striking the perfect balance of yeast-y, bread-y flavor (yes, those are technical term), and EASY to make. You combine a few ingredients together and leave it overnight to rest. How much easier can bread making get?!

Ingredients:

7 1/2 cups all-purpose flour plus more for shaping dough

4 teaspoons fine sea salt

1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast

3 cups water

Directions:

Whisk flour, salt, and yeast in a medium bowl.

While stirring with a wooden spoon or spatula, gradually add 3 cups water; stir until well incorporated. It will not look pretty when you first do this. Don't worry!

Mix dough gently with your hands to bring it together and form into a rough ball. Transfer to a large clean bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let dough rise at room temperature. The dough should double in size. It's like magic! Food magic!

Transfer dough to a floured work surface. Gently shape into a rough rectangle. Divide into 6 equal portions. Working with 1 portion at a time, gather 4 corners to center to create 4 folds. Turn seam side down and mold gently into a ball. Dust dough with flour; set aside on work surface or a floured baking sheet. Repeat with remaining portions.

Let dough rest, covered with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel, until soft and pliable, about 1 hour.

Then go crazy. The next few posts on this blog will be devoted to using up all this pizza dough!

[loveeverybyte]

Vegan Pumpkin Muffins

What happened to September? Do you ever feel that way? Like you've completely lost track of time? I woke up this week and realized it's cold out. Fall is upon us! I love summer but I kind of like the change in weather too. Pumpkin picking, apple cider donuts, leaves changing colors...I love it all! Here's a slightly adapted vegan pumpkin muffins recipe from Peta2 to start your Autumn off right.

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 1/4 cups sugar

1/2 tsp salt

2 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice

1 1/4 cups puréed pumpkin

1/2 cup almond milk (soy milk is fine too but has more calories per serving)

1/3 cup vegetable oil

2 tablespoons maple syrup

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375°F and line one muffin tin. In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. In a separate bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, almond milk, oil, and maple syrup. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix.

Spoon the batter into the muffin pan, filling each cup three-forths full. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven. 

Lightly dust with powdered sugar or glaze them like I did! Makes about one dozen delicious, healthy muffins.

Happy Fall!

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Lemon Olive Oil Cake

I'm taking a PMP (Project Management Professional) class for the next few weekends at NYU. Why would I voluntarily give up my Sundays to talk about project plans, schedules, scope statements and more geeky project management documents? Don't I get enough at work? 

The answer, simply, is "no"! I truly, truly enjoy this. So many parts of project management are part of my core strengths. There is something almost poetic about the discipline. The core principle of "progressive elaboration" basically means filling in the blanks as you go along. PMs conduct post-mortems and lessons learned with the singular goal of continuous improvement to manage projects a little better each time.

That's similar to cooking in many ways and it's generally how I approach life. You decide on an end goal and make a plan to execute that goal. Like managing projects, with cooking and baking you will inevitably get better. EXPERIENCE teaches you so much, so don't give up! 

Drawing inspiration from class, I decided to exercise my cake baking skills. As I've mentioned before, I don't have much of a hand for delicate cake baking but I wasn't ready to give up!

And since I ran out of butter (being forgetful is an unfortunate side effect of being busy) this weekend, I searched through my recipes for an oil-based recipe. I found this amazing recipe for lemon olive oil cake recipe from Eat, Live, Run. This cake is slightly tart, slightly sweet and beautifully fragrant and light. It's like a lemon-flavored angel food cake. It's simply exquisite and deliciously delicate in flavor.

Ingredients:

4 eggs, room temperature

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 cup flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

Zest of 1 lemon

Juice of 2 lemons

Powdered sugar for serving

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9″ cake round with cooking spray. Line the bottom of the cake pan with parchment paper. I always line the bottom with parchment paper to prevent sticking. You worked hard for this cake. Take the precautions to ensure success!

Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, beat together the eggs and sugar until very pale and fluffy. If you're using a hand mixer, tip the bowl to one side slowly to beat in even more air bubbles. It will give you your cake that light, airy quality. Slowly stream in the olive oil and lemon juice into the eggs and sugar mixture and fold in with a rubber spatula.

In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and zest. Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, making sure you get down to the bottom of the bowl so everything is incorporated well.

Pour batter into prepared cake pan and bake for 45 minutes.

Let cake cool in pan slightly before inverting onto a cake plate and dusting with powdered sugar. 

This cake is just sexy and comfortable in its own simplicity. Here are a few glamour shots.

[loveeverybyte]

Vegan Banana Chocolate Chip Cake

So my little hiatus from the blog lasted longer than expected. I've been pretttty busy lately. After going back and forth for a few years (literally), I've finally decided it's time to go to B-school to get my MBA. It's a pretty big decision, but for many reasons, which I won't bore you with today, I feel like I'm finally ready to make this leap forward. Wish me luck! 

Although I have less time to blog, I hope each post will have little nuggets of knowledge and foodie love to keep you entertained.

Now, I don't know about you guys but I stress eat. I do. Some people smoke. Some people drink. Some people stop sleeping. I eat. I eat a lot. Not a lot of things feel better than grabbing something delicious to eat between study breaks. 

In the spirit of trying to stay healthy-ish, I made this vegan banana chocolate chip cake to feed those cravings.

I slightly adapted a recipe from Soap Mom's Kitchen to make a dessert that quite honestly shocked me. I shutter at the "v" word but this is good for any dessert but pretty amazing for a vegan dessert. This was so good, I might rethink my POV on vegan desserts.

Ingredients:

1 3/4 c unbleached flour or whole wheat pastry flour

1 c sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp fine salt

1/2 tablespoon cinnamon

3/4 c soy milk or almond milk (I used unsweeted almond milk because there are less calories per serving)

2 overripe bananas, mashed (plus one additional for topping if desired)

1/2 c light vegetable oil

1 tsp vanilla

3/4 c vegan chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Spray a 9-inch round pan with baking spray. Line the bottom with parchment paper.

Put the dry ingredients into a bowl and blend with a fork. Add the oil, soymilk and vanilla and stir until the mixture comes together, being careful not to overmix. Remember gluten sticks together when agitated so be gentle!

Mix in mashed bananas and fold in the chocolate chips.

Pour the batter into your prepared pan. Top with additional sliced bananas if desired. Bake on center rack for 35-40 minutes until edges are golden brown. If you stick a toothpick in the middle of the cake, it should come out clean.

Remove the cake from oven and place it on wire rack to cool. 

Slice and enjoy. Serves 6 - 8.

[loveeverybyte]

My Favorite Posts (So Far)

Hey guys! It's been a busy week, so although I've been cooking a lot I haven't had a chance to write. No worries, I will get back to it this week. Here are some of my favorite posts to keep you entertained. And if you're looking for more recipes, make sure to check out the recipe index in the navigation. If you don't have a specific recipe you're looking for, try out the Roulette option!

Oreo Chocolate Chip Cookies: Oreos laced through a chewy cookie? Yes, please!

Lemon Curd: Fast, easy, delicious and economical. Drizzle it over yogurt, ice cream or frozen yogurt. Spread it on a scone or biscuit. Eat it with a spoon. The possibilities are endless.

Europe: My first big girl trip abroad by myself. Traveling solo was enlightening. Getting to eat everything without sharing was awesome.

Strawberry-banana muffins: Two amazing flavors combined in one delicious, healthy-ish muffin.

Flourless chocolate cake: Gluten-free delight that's delicious for everyone.

Confetti Blondies: SPRINKLES!!!! Need I say more?

Sriracha White Bean Dip: A party-time staple in my house. This dip is perfect for football season!!

[loveeverybyte]

Cornmeal-Crusted Tilapia

My writing has been a bit dry lately. Sorry! Anyone else find it difficult to go from business writing for PPT decks to writing normally for enjoyment / entertainment? Work has been busy, busy lately which I LOVE but it's zapping a lot of my creative energy. Bear with me as I try to rebalance my writing. 

My consistent need for a home cooked meal hasn't changed though! I recently made cornmeal-crusted tilapia that was quick and easy to prepare and cook; about 15 minutes total. This slightly adapted recipe from The Boho Birdy is great for any busy weeknight meal.

Ingredients:

2 tilapia fillets, cut into pieces (cod or sole would work well here, too)

1 cup flour

1 cup cornmeal

2 eggs, beaten or 1 cup egg beaters

2 tbsp Old Bay seasoning (or paprika)

1 tsp garlic powder with dried parsley

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Heat a skillet over medium heat with enough canola or vegetable oil to cover the entire pan. Set up an assembly line. Pour the flour with 1 tablespoon of Old Bay mixed in into a shallow dish. Pour the egg beaters into another shallow dish. Pour the cornmeal with the other tablespoon of Old Bay into a third shallow dish. Dredge the tilapia in flour. Shake off the excess flour. Dip the tilapia into the egg mixture making sure the entire fish is covered thoroughly. Then dredge with cornmeal on both sides.

Cook tilapia in heated skillet for 5 - 7 minutes on each side until you get a golden brown crust.

Repeat with the other tilapia fillet. Serve with a salad or rice and a squeeze of lime.

[loveeverybyte]

Lemon Crinkle Cookies & My 4th Anniversary

Four years ago today, I moved to Jersey City. In many ways, it was a momentous occasion. Looking back, the most significant being living on my own for the first time. It was a huge adjustment to go from a bustling house with three generations living under one roof to living in a studio apartment by myself. It took a bit of getting used to at first, but I love it now.

It helps that I met so many wonderful neighbors in my building. I'm definitely the scrappy kid in the group. I look to them not only as my friends but also my wise advisors, motivating gym buddies and reliable foodies. They helped me see the world and myself in new, more sophisticated ways. They give me the courage to fumble through life, make mistakes, pick myself back up and try again. I really do consider them my second family. 

They also happen to be big supporters of the blog, both as readers and as guinea pigs. So of course to celebrate any big event, I'm the one bringing sweets. Last weekend, to celebrate one of the neighbor's graduation from nursing school (congrats, K!! so proud of you!!) I made lemon crinkle cookies using a recipe from Heather Homemade.

As described by one avid eater, mid-bite, the cookie has "the softness of a chewy sugar cookie with the sugar-y crust of creme brulee". Now, doesn't that sound good? This was one of the easier cookie recipes I've tried, so if you're looking to try baking for the first time or if you're a veteran this is a recipe for you.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup powdered sugar

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350F degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or aluminum foil and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar together with a hand-held mixer or spatula until light and fluffy. Add the egg, lemon juice, zest and vanilla; beat until well combined.  Scrape sides of the bowl, and mix for an additional 30 seconds. Add the dry ingredients to the bowl with the wet ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon until just until combined. Scrape sides of the bowl down with a spatula, and give once more stir just to ensure that you have incorporated everything.

Place the powdered sugar in a shallow bowl or pie plate and set aside. Scoop one tablespoon of the cookie dough and roll into a ball. Roll in the powdered sugar and then place on the cookie sheet.  Cookies should be placed about two inches apart, as they do spread. Repeat with the rest of the dough. The dough was very soft and slightly sticky. Lightly dust your palms with powdered sugar to keep the dough from sticking to your hands.

Bake for 9-10 minutes, or until the bottoms of the cookies begin to brown and the cookies are no longer shiny. Remove from the oven and let rest for three minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. 

These cookies are great for freezing. Make sure to allow the cookies to cool completely then store in a Ziploc bag. The night before you're ready to consume, allow to defrost overnight until the cookies are room temperature again. They will taste like you just baked them.

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Korean Steak Tacos

I know I've featured a lot of grilling recipes this summer, but guess what? I LOVE SUMMER. I love grilling. So if you're a grilling addict like I am, here's another interesting recipe for you drawn from living in the town I now call home.

There are many food trucks in Jersey City and I've tried quite a few of them, but my fave is probably Krave. They specialize in Korean-style steak tacos, which have been popular for quite some time around the country, and have been a main stay in JC for the past few years. Krave became so popular in Jersey City that they opened up a sit-down restaurant, Kraverie, close by. I recommend the kimchi bacon fried rice.

I draw a lot of inspiration for my home cooking from eating out. With flank steak on sale, I adapted this Korean-style grilled flank steak from Epicurious to make my own version of Korean steak tacos.

Ingredients for Korean-style grilled flank steak:

1/4 cup soy sauce

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

1 tablespoon grated peeled ginger

1 garlic clove, minced

2 teaspoons Sriracha

2 teaspoons sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons sesame oil

1 to 1 1/4 pound flank steak

2 scallions, finely chopped

2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

Directions for Korean-style grilled flank steak:

Combine all ingredients in a Ziploc bag. Allow steak to marinate overnight. Grill over medium-high heat, covered, for 6 - 8 minutes for medium-rare on one side. Turn over once and grill for another 6 - 8 minutes, covered. Allow the steak to rest fo 10 minutes before slicing.

To assemble the tacos, warm up the tortillas. I like using two tortillas for each taco. Top each tortilla with three slices of steak and any toppings you want. 

Suggested toppings:

Lettuce or spinach

Mexican cheese blend

Sliced avocados

Cilantro

Tomatoes

Sour cream

Thinly sliced red onions

Sweet chili sauce (I used this and it made the tacos crazy good)

If you're not in the mood for tacos, the steak would also pair nicely with a salad or rice / noodles.

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Chocolate Zucchini Olive Oil Cake

Use zucchinis in a cake? Are you serious? Those were the responses I got when I mentioned finding this chocolate zucchini olive oil cake recipe from Country Spoon. Why not? I've tried zucchini in cupcakes before that were delicious; and because zucchinis were so abundant this summer, I've already prepared zucchinis in dozens of savory ways.

I found lots of chocolate zucchini muffin and bread recipes online but this was the first one I found that used olive oil instead of butter. I found the results to be stellar. The cake was extremely moist. I definitely did not miss the butter at all. Since I went all out and combined chocolate, zucchini and olive oil together to make a cake, I actually had this as a breakfast cake with my morning coffee. It's not too sweet and just healthy-ish enough to make cake for breakfast acceptable. Cake for breakfast? Why not? :)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

3 eggs, room temperature

2 1/2 cups zucchini, grated (about two medium zucchinis)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup skim milk

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 1/2 cups chocolate chips (semi-sweet or bitter sweet are fine)

Powdered sugar (optional)

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 325F degrees. Spray an 11x13 pan with vegetable oil and set aside. Cream sugar and olive oil. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Mix in vanilla extract. Slowly mix in zucchini and milk. Sift in flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Mix wet ingredients with dry ingredients. Be careful not to overmix (stop as soon as the dry ingredients disappear into the wet ingredients). Gently fold in chocolate chips.

Pour cake batter into prepared pan. Bake for 40 - 45 minutes. Cool completely. 

Slice and remove from pan. Dust with powdered sugar if desired.