French Fries are the Devil...& other Silliness (recipe: Awesome Oven Fries)

On occasion--and more times than I typically care to admit--the inspiration for my cooking, in general, and posts, in particular, generates from utter randomness. Case in point: a silly video (originally posted on Facebook by my friend, and fellow blogger, Julie @ Peanut Butter and Julie) and thick-cut oven fries.

Like many other days, I spent the day divided--hovering over my computer one moment, my stove the next, conjuring and tweaking recipes for one project or another--without any thought of food that might actually be suitable for an evening repast. Fortunately, I took a break to procrastinate and check my Facebook page. It was there I spied a post from Julie. A video post. I clicked. I watched. I laughed to the point of tears. And I found inspiration for dinner.

It all came from a mention of french fries (namely, that they are the devil), which set my mouth watering while simultaneously reminding me that I had a 10-pound bag of russet potatoes in the pantry awaiting transformation.

I love a good french fry, and I can say the following with a (relatively) pure heart: I think oven fries can be even better.

I say "can be", because I have had some kicking deep-fried french fries (Balthazar in New York! Turns out they are Bobby Flay's favorites, too. Shucks.). But most french fries come no where close to Balthazar, whereas a batch of good oven fries can be near-perfection: crisp outside, fluffy inside, with the added bonuses of being easy-to-make (far lower risk of burning the kitchen to cinders in comparison to deep-frying) and not only lower in fat and calories but healthy, too (e.g., did you know that potatoes are really high in vitamin C? Munch on that).

These yummy fries will make you smile, even more so if you begin the meal preparation by watching the hilarious video that inspired it all.

Josh Groban Sings Kanye West Tweets (Watch and laugh; you won't be sorry)

Postscript: It struck me that I should add that I didn't just eat french fries for dinner (not that I'm above that). I cooked up some chicken apple sausages, too. Sometimes the side makes the choice of main easier for me.

Awesome Oven Fries
I have an assortment of fancy sea salts (gifts from Mom and others) in my pantry, so I decided to break open a new jar (black sea salt to be precise--wow!) and use some as a finishing salt to the fries. A delicious addition in case you have likewise been gifted with fancy salts.

4 large russet potatoes (scrubbed if leaving skins on)
2 tbsp olive oil
1-1/2 tsp salt ground
Optional: 1 tsp spice of choice (e.g., cumin, ras el hanout, curry powder, Garam Masala, you name it)
Optional: fancy schmantzy flaked sea salt , to serve

Preheat oven to 4ooF. If desired, peel the potatoes. Cut the potatoes into long French fry shapes about the thickness of your little finger. Rinse under the cold tap and pat dry with a clean dish towel.

Spread the fries on a large non-stick baking sheet and toss with the olive oil and regular salt. Place them flat in a single layer -use two trays rather than overcrowd one (otherwise, they will steam--still tasty, but not brown and crisp).

Roast for 45-50 minutes, turning now and then with a spatula. When cooked they should be golden brown and crisp with a light fluffy center. If desired, scatter on fancy sea salt to serve. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Toasted Quinoa Porridge

Many of you may already know about making quinoa for breakfast, but just in case it has missed your radar (or even if it's been awhile since last you made it), consider this post a gentle reminder.

I was in recent need of such a reminder myself. Last week was my birthday--a happy, quiet day, and one that was sunny and bright after several days of wicked cold and gloomy skies. Kevin had asked if I wanted something over-the-top to start the day, but I wanted to save the extravagance for dinner (or more precisely, dessert: I'm a firm believer in making one's own birthday cake to ensure one gets exactly what one wants. This year: red velvet cake).

Despite the streaming sunshine, it was still chilly, and given that I had taught my usual 6 am exercise class, I was (as usual) famished (verging on grumpy; Kevin has labeled these my "low blood sugar alert moments" I think he would add several exclamation points to that). I ate a banana (following firm but loving instruction from said husband to "eat this NOW"), perused the pantry, and decided it was the perfect morning for a warm, cozy bowl of quinoa porridge. It had been months since I'd had last made some.

In short, it set the stage for a perfect day. No need to wait until your birthday to try it. Enjoy!

Toasted Quinoa Porridge

This is such a great power breakfast. Quinoa is a superfood, high in protein, so you stay happily satisfied for hours. Best of all, it is a quick and easy bowl-full of cozy on a cold winter's day.

Makes 2 servings

Total Time: 30 minutes

1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed

1-1/4 cups regular or non-dairy milk, divided

1 cup water

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Pinch of sea salt

dried or fresh fruit

drizzle of agave nectar, honey, or maple syrup

1. Heat a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the quinoa. Cook and stir 3 minutes until toasted and fragrant.

2. Stir in the 1 cup milk, water, cinnamon, and sea salt.

3. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low.

4. Cover and cook about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally heat until the porridge is thick and grains are tender, about 25 minutes. (Add a small amount of water if needed if the liquid has dried up before it finishes cooking).

5. Serve, drizzled with some of the remaining 1/4 cup milk, and fresh or dried fruit, and 1 tsp agave nectar per serving.

Slow-Cooker Hearty Borscht

Apologies for the short post today. But I am trying to keep to my pledge (to myself and all of you--how I assume a lot about the number of readers I have with my use of "all" :)) to post more often and regularly, even on busy days. Today is one such day. In addition, I was longing to curl up in a blanket with a good book and eschew all deadlines because it is so darn cold here today--17 degrees when I left to teach my 6 am class, to be exact. It's warmed up to 38, which, although balmy for January in Maine, is arctic in East Texas.

Lucky for me, I had borscht.

I've never made borscht before now, but I have been holding on to a recipe card--one of those sample recipe cards that appears in the mail on occasion to advertise a binder collection of cakes, cookies, home-style this or that, or in the case of this particular card, slow cooker soups and stews. I 'm not altogether certain of my reasons for saving the card. Kevin happens to despise beets in all forms, so I couldn't have kept it in hopes of making a hearty, healthy family repast. It's more likely I had been reading about superfoods--beets are---and thought it would be a cheap, easy, and delicious (I do not share Kevin's convictions of the humble beet) bowl-ful of goodness.

Five years later, I my instincts proved correct. 

After some adjustments to the original recipe, I threw this together in the slow cooker in about 15 minutes, then cooled it, and tucked it in the far recesses of the refrigerator in anticipation of lunch today. I couldn't wait; still freezing from my morning antics, I heated my first bowl at 10:15. I've been hovering over and slurping from multiple steaming cups the rest of the day long. Why have I not made this sooner? The ruby broth is earthy, slightly sweet, and utterly restorative. I swear that my lingering sniffles have abated and my thoughts seem clearer. I may be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound by this evening.

I planned to freeze half the soup, but no longer. I cannot wait to eat more tomorrow.

Slow-Cooker Borscht with Potatoes & Dill

2 pounds red beets, peeled and halved
3/4 pound russet potatoes, peeled and halved (about 2 medium-large potatoes)
1 large yellow onion, ends trimmed, peeled, quartered
5 cups vegetable broth
3 tbsp canned tomato paste
3 cups very finely shredded green cabbage(feel free to use pre-shredded coleslaw mix to save time--I did)
1-1/2 tbsp dried dill
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1-2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
Salt & pepper to taste

Optional garnishes:

plain Greek yogurt (or Tofutti Sour Supreme)

chopped flat-leaf parsley

hard-cooked eggs, peeled and chopped
lemon wedges

Put beets, potatoes, onions, broth and tomato paste into a slow cooker and cook on high heat for 4 hours or low heat for 8 hours. Working in batches, carefully transfer half of soup solids to blender and purée until smooth; return to slow cooker. Add cabbage, stir well and cook on high for 45 minutes. Add dill, vinegar, lemon juice and salt & pepper to taste. Ladle soup into bowls and top with the garnishes of your choice (yogurt, parsley, eggs, lemon wedges). Makes 8 heart servings.

Whole Wheat Maple Pumpkin Bread w/ Hazelnuts/ VIDEO, TOO

Pumpkin Bread Video

I realize I will get no sympathy from my east coast friends by complaining of the 70-degree weather we experienced here in Texas yesterday, so instead, let me simply extol the gorgeousness of today: sunny, clear, and, at present, a cool 49 degrees. I started the day with a brisk walk at 6 am with my friend Lindsey, and now, with Nick off to school, I'm cozy at my computer in my favorite fleece (the same fleece that had me sweltering bu 8 am only yesterday).

Adding to my sense of snug is the pumpkin hazelnut bread I've been nibbling. I made a double-batch pre-Christmas and froze one of the loaves. I forgot it's existence until this morning, when I spied it during my vain search for frozen chicken breasts (a misguided attempt to plan ahead for dinner).

Hooray for forgotten treasure! If you have a few cans of pumpkin lying around from the past months of holiday baking, give this a try. It's not too sweet (the only sweetener is maple syrup), but will still satisfy residual post-holiday cravings for something sweet. And it's very versatile. For starters, any other liquid syrup sweetener can be used in place of the maple (I know, maple is a but pricey). Think brown rice syrup, agave, or honey. Second, if you have white whole wheat flour on hand, you can use two cups of it in place of the 1 cup regular whole wheat flour + 1 cup all-purpose flour.The spice options are wide open: I like the simplicity of all-cinnamon in partnership with maple (1 tbsp of the former may sounds like a lot, but it is not too strong--the flavor is mellow and true), but you can spice it any which way. And finally, the hazelnuts may be skipped, replaced with other nuts, or subbed for dried fruit.

Happy baking!

Whole Wheat Maple Pumpkin Bread with Hazelnuts

Makes 12 servings
Preheat oven to 350°F
9x5-inch loaf pan, sprayed with nonstick cooking spray

1 cup whole-wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup pure maple syrup (or honey, agave, or mild molasses)
1 cup solid pack unsweetened pumpkin
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs ( to make vegan, use the equivalent of 2 egg replacers)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts, toasted

In a large bowl, whisk the flours, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in large bowl.

Add the maple syrup, pumpkin, oil, eggs, and vanilla, stirring until just blended (do not overmix). Gently fold in the hazlenuts.

Spread into prepared loaf pan. Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center of loaf comes out clean. Cool on rack 5 minutes,

then unmold, and cool on wire rack; or transfer to serving platter, and serve warm.

Top Chef Desserts Viewer Quickfire/ Key Lime Lollies

Forgive me tooting my own horn, but in my absence for the past two months, I neglected to share that I was selected as one of the top three finalists in the Top Chef Desserts Quickfire Challenge! It was extra-exciting because one of the other finalists was my beautiful friend, fellow blogger, and baker extraordinaire Julie Hession at Peanut Butter & Julie. 

I won't give away who won (hee hee)--watch the video and see. Sherry Yard (pastry chef genius--think Wolfgang Puck's restaurants, several award-winning cookbooks, and one of the Top Chef Desserts guest judges) is a hoot--it's so exciting watching her make (and eat!) our recipes. Click below to see. And further down you'll find my recipe, Key Lime Lollies. I ate a half dozen of them in the testing process--without regret. 

VIDEO: Sherry Yard Makes Top 3 Finalists' Recipes

Key Lime Lollies

Graham Cracker Toffee:

15 graham cracker squares

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1/8 tsp salt

Lollie Filling:

2 8-oz packages cream cheese, room temperature

1 cup confectioners’ sugar

2 tsp finely grated Persian lime zest

3 tbsp key lime juice

1 tsp vanilla extract

24 lollipop sticks

Coating:

3 cups white chocolate chips

2 Tbsp finely grated Persian lime zest for garnish

Toffee: Preheat oven to 350F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Arrange graham crackers close together in a single layer. Combine butter, brown sugar, and salt in small saucepan; cook 1-2 minutes until mixture is bubbling vigorously and appears foamy. Immediately spread mixture over graham crackers. Bake 10 minutes. Cool completely on sheet. Place in plastic zipper-top bag and coarsely crush.

Filling: In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, confectioner’s sugar, lime zest, lime juice, and vanilla with an electric mixer until blended and smooth (stop to scrape down bowl 1-2 times). Reserve 1/4 cup crumbled toffee; fold remaining toffee into filling.

Using a #40 size cookie scoop, scoop balls onto foil-lined cookie sheets (mixture will be soft). Place in freezer 15-20 minutes to firm up, then roll into balls. Stick a lollipop stick into each ball. Freeze at least 30 minutes more.

Coating: Finely crush the reserved 1/4 cup toffee. In the top of a double boiler, melt the white chocolate chips. Holding lollipop stick, dip each lollipop in white chocolate to coat, tapping off excess. Place upright in glasses or stick in flower foam (set atop baking sheet) and garnish with a tiny bit of the reserved 1/4 cup toffee and pinch of lime zest. Place in the refrigerator to set up. Makes 24 lollies.

Lemony Mixed "Greens" Soup (Spinach, Green Onions, Parsley & Peas)

Eek! Two months since my last post? Say it isn't so. Yes, there's been promotion duties for my 750 Muffins Book, and then a looming (but no longer!) deadline in mid December for my next book, and Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the general activities required to keep one's house from turning into a complete hovel. 

But it's a fresh new year, so be gone excuses, and on with the cooking. I've been infatuated with the Green Smoothie Revolution book I bought last fall. I've been stuffing spinach into my smoothies since I was in graduate school; slurping my vegetables just works for me and typically gets me off to a good start, even when I awake bleary, groggy, cranky, or all of the above. 

I always regarded my blueberry-spinach smoothies a tad odd (until I learned, years later thanks to the world of blogging, that I was not alone), but my little concoction is milk-toast compared to some of the concoctions in G-S-R.

But the ones I've tried have been really good, and I've been adding fruits and vegetables that I hadn;t before considered as smoothie-worthy. Like Romaine lettuce, parsley, celery, and cilantro, all of which are refreshing and delicious in the right combination with different fruits. I should, as caveat, mention that I use the book for recipe ideas mostly; I took the introduction with a grain of salt (I'm not willing to stop cooking all my food. Doing so would make me a professional not-cook). Further, some of the recipes are truly nutty (e.g., (1) "Colon Surprise Pudding." I, for one, do not like surprises where my colon is concerned; and (2) Probiotic Guacamole Spread (made with--I do not kid--sauerkraut). But the great majority of recipes are inspiring and delectable.

This morning, however, I simply wasn't game for a smoothie. I could have used it; I was decidedly cranky. But it was chilly and I was shivery from the shower--sipping my breakfast through a straw did not appeal.

So I cooked my smoothie for lunch.

This is a very flexible recipe, made with what I had on hand, which means you can tweak it, too, based on what you've got. I do recommend keeping the peas; even if you typically avoid them. They add sweetness and a velvety texture to the soup. And forgive me for going all Martha Stewart on you, but, for heaven's sake, don't use bottled lemon juice. I’m all for using a smidge of bottled lemon juice in a pinch for a wide range of recipes, but it  just won’t taste right here. If you don’t have a spare lemon or two, add a bit of vinegar (start by the teaspoon-ful) instead for the acid. I offer no promises for what this soup will do for your colon, but it does wonders for your palate and state of mind.

Lemony Mixed "Greens" Soup (Spinach, Green Onions, Parsley & Peas)

1 cup chopped green onions (about 1 bunch)
2 tbsp olive oil
6 packed cups pre-washed baby spinach leaves

5 cups vegetable or chicken broth (plus, if desired, additional to thin soup)
1 16-oz bag frozen green peas
4 peeled garlic cloves (no need to chop)
2 tsp dried basil
1 tbsp finely grated lemon zest
roughly 1 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves (just lop off top of 1 bunch parsley)

2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup low- or non-fat Greek yogurt (vegan option: use Tofutti Sour Supreme)

In a large saucepan set over medium heat, cook the green onions in the olive oil stirring, until softened, about 4-5 minutes. Stir in spinach, broth, peas, garlic, basil, and lemon zest. Simmer soup 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the parsley.

In a blender, purée soup in batches until smooth, adding additional broth to thin to desired consistency. Return to saucepan and whisk in lemon juice and yogurt (off the heat--yogurt will curdle if soup is reheated). Generously season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with dollops of yogurt, if des. Makes 4 servings.