Annie's Eats | Making your days taste better.

Annie's Eats

My hope is to inspire you to be fearless in the kitchen, to try new things, to take the time to make things the homemade way and most importantly, to have fun doing it!

Let’s Do Lunch: Quinoa Salad with Roasted Tomatoes, Broccoli and Feta

26 comments

posted in: Healthy, Let's Do Lunch, Main Dish, Side Dish, Vegetarian

03.20

2013

Most of the time I have no problem eating a healthy diet. But, I’m still human, and some days I come home exhausted wanting only grilled cheese-mac and cheese-cheese pizza-cheese anything. On those same days, I usually do all sorts of mental backbends and end up convincing myself that making something healthy will take too much time or energy. (This, even despite the fact that I’ve shared plenty of recipes that would suggest otherwise.) Thankfully I powered through, made this, and absolutely loved it. It has only six ingredients, and they are things I nearly always have on hand. For that reason, this is a perfect healthy recipe for those times when you’re tempted to go a different way. Six ingredients and minimal effort go a long way in this dish! Cooking the quinoa in veggie broth rather than water adds an extra layer of flavor, and we loved the combination of the broccoli with the sweet tomatoes and salty feta.

Also, a side note: In case you’ve been following recent articles about ethical farming of quinoa and its impact in countries such as Bolivia, you may be questioning the greatness of this recently popular superfood. I certainly have been. Thanks to my friends Alex and Sonja of A Couple Cooks for pointing me in the direction of a source of fair trade quinoa, AlterEco. Read more about the company and shop here if you’re interested. (Disclaimer: I have no affiliation with this company, just passing along the information.)

Quinoa Salad with Roasted Tomatoes, Broccoli and Feta

Yield: about 6-8 servings

Ingredients

1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
1 head broccoli, cut into florets
Olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup uncooked quinoa
2 cups veggie stock
4 oz. crumbled feta, divided

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400˚ F. Line a baking sheet with foil. Place the tomatoes and broccoli on the baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper to taste, and toss to combine well. Bake, stirring every 10 minutes or so, until the veggies are just tender, about 30 minutes. About 5 minutes before the baking time is up, add the garlic to the pan and toss to mix well.
Rinse the quinoa well in a fine mesh sieve before using. In a medium saucepan, combine the quinoa and veggie broth. Cook the quinoa according to the package directions, until tender and fluffy. Set aside.
When the quinoa is cooked, add the veggies to the pot and stir to combine. Stir in about three quarters of the feta. Serve, topping with a sprinkle of additional feta if desired.

Source

inspired by Smells Like Home

How to Make Fresh Coconut Curls

14 comments

posted in: How To

03.18

2013

I’m not typically one to be intimidated in the kitchen, or to shy away from a challenge, but one thing that has long intimidated me is dealing with fresh coconut. I’ve looked longingly at the gorgeous fresh coconut curls atop pretty cookies, cakes, pies and more in magazines and cookbooks and finally I decided enough was enough. It was time to figure this out. As with so many things, the biggest obstacle was getting over the mental hurdle of intimidation. Turns out, the whole process was pretty simple. Certainly more involved than buying a package of shredded coconut but the results are so much more visually striking. I know this will be my go-to choice for topping coconut flavored things from here on out.

I know that some supermarkets sell various pre-cut or otherwise manipulated coconuts to make this process more simple. I wanted to figure out how to work with a regular old coconut in the event that this is the only kind available. (And it actually was the only kind I saw at the store when I went to buy this one.)

So, let’s get started! The coconut will have three eyes in the base. Use the tip of a (clean) screwdriver to poke a hole through the two softest of the eyes. (You may need to use a hammer to pound the screwdriver through the shell.)

Pour the water/milk from the coconut through a fine strainer into a bowl or cup. Discard or save for a later use.

Place the coconut on a baking sheet and bake at 350˚ F until the shell is cracked in multiple places, about 30-35 minutes. Set aside until cool enough to handle.

Wrap the coconut in a towel and hit it with a hammer several times in the same place to break it in half or multiple large pieces. (I just banged it against the edge of our counter and it worked fine.)

Pry the coconut flesh away from the shell. (I slid a knife around the inside of the shell to help loosen it and it came out easily.)

Use a vegetable peeler to remove the tough dark outer skin.

Rinse the coconut chunks and the vegetable peeler. Peel along the broken edges of the coconut flesh to make long, thin curls of coconut.

Transfer to a skillet over medium heat and toast, stirring occasionally, until browned to your liking. Use to garnish desserts, etc. as desired. (Side note – many recipes will call for coconut to be toasted in the oven but I vastly prefer to do this in a skillet, where I can keep a close eye on the toasting and avoid burning or uneven browning.)

Looking for a dessert to top with these pretty fresh coconut curls? A few of my favorite ideas:
Coconut and Tropical Fruit Trifles
Toasted Coconut Shortbread
Hummingbird Coffee Cake
Coconut Cream Pie

Source

method from Martha Stewart

Mudslide Brownie Layer Cake

30 comments

posted in: Chocolate, Dessert

03.15

2013

My brother’s girlfriend totally rocks. She is super fun, as sweet as can be, smart, loving, incredibly gorgeous… She goes with me to Britney Spears concerts. She is my perfect teammate for Wii Pictionary (what what?!) And to top it off, she is a fellow brownie lover who really, truly loves brownies as much as I do. Her birthday was in early March and obviously brownie something or other was in order. But this wasn’t just any birthday – it was her 21st. I started thinking of ways to combine brownies and booze and this was the first idea to strike me. It was also the last, because really how could I improve upon boozy brownies layered with Kahlua and Bailey’s spiked whipped cream and chocolate syrup? You’re right. I couldn’t.

This cake’s outrageousness is ideal for a 21st birthday, but don’t worry – you could just as easily adapt this to make a single layer of boozy mudslide brownies (divide the recipe in half and bake in an 8 x 8 inch pan.) Because the brownie layers are dense and fudgy compared to the light, fluffy whipped cream, the cake should be assembled just before serving. (If you assemble it further in advance it will still taste awesome but just be a bit unsightly.) And obviously, since we’re talking about three layers of brownie, a thin sliver is plenty so there is lots of cake to go around. This can feed a crowd for sure! If there are kids or others in attendance who choose not to partake in alcohol, consider baking an extra pan of brownies for them and have vanilla ice cream at the ready. No one should be left out of birthday fun!

Boozy Brownie Mudslide Layer Cake

Yield: about 16-20 servings

Ingredients

For the brownies:
10 oz. semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
4 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped
16 tbsp. (1 cup) unsalted butter, cut into chunks
6 tbsp. cocoa powder
6 large eggs
2½ cups (17.5 oz.) sugar
1½ tbsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. salt
2 cup (10 oz.) all-purpose flour
About 2 tbsp. Kahlua (or other coffee-flavored liqueur)
About 2 tbsp. Bailey's Irish Cream

For the whipped cream:
1½ cups heavy cream
½ cup confectioners' sugar
2 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. Kahlua
2 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. Bailey's Irish Cream

To finish:
Chocolate syrup, for drizzling

Directions

Place an oven rack in lower-middle position and preheat the oven to 350° F. Line the bottom of three 8-inch round cake pans with parchment paper. Lightly grease and flour the edges of the pans, shaking out the excess. Set aside. In a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water, melt the chocolate and butter, stirring occasionally until smooth. Whisk in the cocoa powder until smooth. Set aside to cool.
In a medium bowl, combine the eggs, sugar, vanilla and salt; whisk until combined, about 15 seconds. Whisk in the warm chocolate mixture until incorporated. Then stir in the flour with a wooden spoon until just combined. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans and spread into even layers. Bake until slightly puffed and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a small amount of sticky crumbs clinging to it, 30-35 minutes.
Transfer the pans to a wire rack. Brush the warm brownie layers with Kahlua and Bailey's. Allow it to soak in and repeat one more time. Let cool to room temperature, about 2 hours. Run a knife along the outside edge of the brownie layers and carefully turn them out of the pans. Remove the parchment paper.
When ready to serve, place a brownie layer on a cake board or cake platter. In an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the heavy cream and confectioners' sugar. Whip on medium-high speed until medium-stiff peaks form. Blend in the Kahlua and Bailey's until evenly incorporated. Spread about a third of the whipped cream in an even layer over the first brownie layer. Drizzle generously with chocolate syrup. Top with a second layer of brownie. Smooth half of the remaining cream over the top and drizzle with chocolate syrup. Place the final brownie layer on top, top with remaining whipped cream and drizzle with chocolate syrup. Slice and serve.

Source

brownies adapted from Baking Illustrated

Coconut Cream Pie

40 comments

posted in: Dessert, Pies

03.14

2013

It’s 3.14, people, and you know what that means. It’s Pi Day! It’s the one food holiday I make sure to celebrate each year. Sure, most of us make pies for Thanksgiving, but those tend to be the classics – pumpkin, pecan, etc. I like Pi Day because it gives me a chance to bake a new pie I haven’t tried yet, and the very date on the calendar is a perfectly legit reason. As I do every year at this time, I mulled over many choices in my mind, considering both sweet and savory options. This time it was coconut cream pie I couldn’t get out of my mind. Believe it or not, I’ve never actually tried coconut cream pie before this. Newsflash (to probably only myself) – it’s fabulous.

Never having tried another version, obviously I have no basis for comparison, but I loved this pie. The coconut custard filling is silky smooth and luscious without being too rich. A cloud of freshly whipped cream on top makes nearly any pie better, and this is certainly no exception. I went the extra mile and made fresh coconut curls for the top (tutorial coming next week) – such fun and so pretty. I just love the way they look! Are you celebrating Pi Day with pie? I want to know what flavors you all are making!

And as always on this day, I would like to dedicate this pi(e) to the world’s best calculus teacher (and almost certainly the world’s best teacher), Mr. Strawn. Thanks for being awesome!

Coconut Cream Pie

Yield: about 8-10 servings

Ingredients

1 (9-inch) blind-baked pie crust*
2 oz. bittersweet chocolate chips or chunks, melted
4 large egg yolks
3 cups unsweetened coconut milk
2/3 cup granulated sugar
5 tbsp. cornstarch
¼ tsp. salt

For topping:
1 cup heavy cream
¼ cup confectioners' sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Toasted coconut curls (or toasted shredded coconut)

Directions

Be sure the blind-baked pie crust is completely cooled before proceeding. With a pastry brush or small spatula, brush a thin coat of melted bittersweet chocolate over the inside of the pie crust. This will act as a barrier between the crust and the filling, preventing the crust from becoming soggy. Chill about 10 minutes or until the chocolate is set.
To make the filling, place the egg yolks in a medium bowl or liquid measuring cup and whisk briefly. In a medium saucepan, combine the coconut milk, sugar, cornstarch and salt. Bring the mixture just barely to a simmer over medium heat. Slowly add a bit of the coconut milk mixture to the bowl with the egg yolks, whisking constantly to prevent the eggs from curdling. Continue adding until at least half of the liquid has been added to the bowl. Return the coconut-egg yolk mixture to the saucepan and whisk to blend. Continue to heat, stirring and whisking frequently, until the mixture begins to bubble and thicken. The mixture should thicken significantly. Remove the pan from the heat. Strain through a fine mesh sieve to remove any lumps, then smooth the coconut custard in an even layer in the prepared pie shell. Cover with a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the coconut custard (this will prevent a skin from forming). Transfer the pie plate to the refrigerator and let chill until well set, at least 4 hours.
Just before serving, combine the heavy cream and confectioners' sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer with the whisk attachment. Whip on medium-high speed until medium-stiff peaks form, being careful not to over beat. Blend in the vanilla. Remove the plastic wrap and smooth the whipped cream in a fluffy layer over the coconut custard. Top with toasted coconut as desired. Slice and serve.
*To blind-bake a pie crust, preheat the oven to 400˚ F. Roll pie dough out on a lightly floured surface to a 12-inch disc. Place it in a 9-inch pie plate, trimming away the excess and creating decorative edges as desired. Prick the bottom and sides of the crust with the tines of a fork. Line the crust with a piece of aluminum foil or parchment paper and fill with baking beads. (If you don’t have baking beads, dried beans or rice also work.) Bake 15-20 minutes. Remove the baking beads and foil and bake about 5-10 minutes more, until light golden. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool.

Source

slightly adapted from Martha Stewart

Buffalo Chicken Salad with Creamy Avocado Ranch Dressing

21 comments

posted in: Chicken, Main Dish

03.12

2013

This past weekend, Ben and I enjoyed a kid-less weekend. (Thanks Grandma and Grandpa!) Don’t get me wrong, we adore our kids. Really, there isn’t even a strong enough word in my vocabulary to begin to describe how nuts I am for them. But, every once in a while, we need to hear ourselves think. Or breathe. Or have a conversation without having to shout or repeat ourselves five times before giving up altogether. So yes, this was in order. Friday night we went out for drinks and dinner. I can’t remember the last time we did that without worrying about leaving the babysitter hanging for too long.

Saturday we slept in late. Yes, 7:30 am feels luxuriously late to us. We did a glorious amount of nothing all morning long. And then for lunch I decided to make this salad, mainly because I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since Tara posted it. Though I normally don’t gravitate toward buffalo-anything, this just sounded so good to me. And even more than that, I knew Ben would love it. The cool, creamy avocado ranch dressing is the perfect pair for the spicy buffalo chicken. We enjoyed ours atop a bed of Bibb lettuce and baby spinach leaves. This was definitely a fabulous meal that we thoroughly enjoyed in our too-quiet house. Even though we may have spent a huge chunk of the weekend talking about how much we love our little ones, it was a refreshing break.

Buffalo Chicken Salad with Creamy Avocado Ranch Dressing

Yield: about 4 servings

Ingredients

For the chicken:
2 cups panko
2 tbsp. olive oil
½ cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. garlic powder
½ tsp. kosher salt
3 large egg whites
1 tbsp. water
1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
¼ tsp. dried thyme
Cooking spray
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
½-¾ cup buffalo wing sauce

For the dressing:
½ avocado, roughly chopped
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup sour cream (or greek yogurt)
2 tsp. olive oil
2 tsp. lemon juice
1 small bunch chives, coarsely chopped
2 tbsp. fresh parsley
1 clove garlic, minced
Up to ½ cup buttermilk
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

For the salad:
About 6-8 cups salad greens, such as Bibb lettuce and baby spinach leaves
¾ cup grape tomatoes, halved

Optional topping suggestions:
Crumbled blue cheese or feta
Chopped scallions
Crumbled bacon
Shredded cheddar cheese
Thinly sliced red onion

Directions

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position. Preheat the oven to 475˚ F. Combine the panko and oil in a 12-inch skillet and toast over medium heat until golden, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Spread the breadcrumbs in a shallow plate or pie dish. In a second shallow dish, combine the flour, garlic powder, and salt. In a third shallow dish whisk together the egg whites, water, mustard and thyme. Whisk to blend.
Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and place a wire rack on top. Spray the rack lightly with cooking spray. Pat the chicken pieces dry with paper towels, then season lightly with salt and pepper. Lightly dredge each chicken piece in the flour to coat completely, shaking off the excess. Then dip into the egg white mixture and finally coat with the panko. Press gently into the panko to make sure they adhere. Place the chicken pieces on the prepared baking sheet. Spray the tops of the chicken pieces lightly with cooking spray.
Bake until the chicken is no longer pink and reads 160˚ F internally on an instant-ready thermometer, about 8-10 minutes. Remove the chicken from the oven. Place the buffalo sauce in a bowl and use tongs to lightly coat the chicken pieces in the buffalo sauce. Set aside for a few minutes to cool slightly and let the sauce soak in.
To make the dressing, combine all of the ingredients in a blender or food processor starting with ¼ cup of the buttermilk and blend for 10 seconds. Check the consistency and taste and blend in additional buttermilk as desired. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Divide the salad greens among four serving plates. Top with halved cherry tomatoes. Add a few chicken tenders to each plate. Drizzle lightly with the dressing. Garnish with additional toppings, as desired.

Source

Smells Like Home