Pumpkin Muffins

As fall has officially begun, so has pumpkin season- meaning pumpkin baking crazes are now cooking acceptable. At the young start of my baking and cooking obsession, pumpkin muffins were one of the goods I was known for. Back in the days of 8th grade when I played basketball (but let's be real, I did more chilling on the sidelines than actually playing in the game due to my natural clumsy abilities) these muffins were always requested by the team to munch down on the bus rides for our away games. I guess since these were always discussed and requested, it sort of got to my head that I make a darn good pumpkin muffin. This big pumpkin ego head of mine also came out last night when once again I was talking up how great my muffins were all before I decided to do a keg stand. At least it was a relief I was around some gentleman who didn't pull a mean girls line on my and ask if I wanted my muffin buttered- but to be honest, these muffins are so moist and delicious no added butter is necessary.

Servings: 15 muffins

Ingredients: 

3/4 cup of granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup canola oil
12 oz of pumpkin puree
2 eggs
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon allspice

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Beat together the eggs, sugar, oil, and pumpkin puree. Then slowly add in the flour and baking soda.
Once all the ingredients are combined, add in the spices.

Line a cupcake tin with cupcake liners. Then ladle in about 3/4 of the way of batter into the cupcake liners. Place the muffins into the oven and allow them to bake for about 30 minutes. Once they are done (a toothpick comes out of the muffin clean) allow them too cool before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Enjoy!
 

Farro Salad with Swiss Chard, Portobello Mushrooms and Cannellini Beans

Braised tenderloin, escarole, sous vide salmon, swiss chard- all of these roll of the tongue with a polished and slightly obnoxious foodie tone. They could all be possibly found in a Michelin star restaurant or in the belly of a person who takes pride in indulging in exquisite food served in a pristine and classy setting. Why am I suddenly mentioning all this classiness talk? Well, only to tell you being a undergraduate at a large state school, class is far from apparent on a day to day basis. This weekend we had our large blackout football game. After starting the morning with our mailman telling us how he was going to rip "those hick's flag down," I knew the day would only be eventful. It then continued with me needing to use a porta-potty, hopelessly missing (I'll spare the embarrassing details) and coming home to drunkenly clean, do laundry, and pass out on my bed sprawled out in only a towel. My roommate could only laugh at my non-sober state. After my collecting myself and accepting the low point and gross state I was in, I decided to create a dish that was only opposite of my football game day mindset.

Servings: 6

Ingredients:
1 cup farro
4-5 cups chopped swiss chard (including stems)
1 diced onion
2 large portobello mushrooms (about 3-4 cups)
1 cup of cannellini beans (either from a can or soaked over night)
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts (note: you can also substitute walnuts or hazelnuts for the pine nuts)
Salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika for seasoning
Optional: truffle oil

Directions:

Cook the farro according to packaging. In a large pan, using either olive oil or cooking spray, begin to sautee the onion. Once the onion has softened, add in the mushrooms.

Allow the mushrooms to cook down until tender. Then add in the swiss chard. Once the chard is lightly wilted, add in the beans to heat them through. Then season the mix with 1 teaspoon of salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika.

Once all ingredients are done cooking, toss them all together in a large bowl to have the salad come together. To finish, drizzle either truffle oil or olive oil over the salad.

Enjoy!
 

Edamame Sushi Salad

I recently started doing research at school and have met some of the graduate students in the PsyD/PhD program. During our first encounter one of the questions was what is it like to be an undergraduate at my school. The best way to describe it is dirty, grimy, and overly entertaining. I think a sum of daily life here at college could be described by my recent finding near my house at school. I was taking out the garbage after making this edamame sushi salad for my weekly blog post, when I noticed something ever so interesting sitting at the edge of my driveway. It was a pair of men's boxers. Trying to be sensible, I asked my housemate if they were her boyfriends and possibly fell out of his bag. Well she took a picture and sent it to him only to find out that a strangers underwear were casually left in our driveway. From boxers, to panties, to shoes, and condoms, the odd things you find on the ground are far from classy. In contrast to the grimy interactions you come across on a college campus, I like to think that some of the foods that emerge from the kitchens on this campus (especially mine) can make up for the classic undergrad shenanigans that occur only mere inches from my doorstep. Whether cooking in a granite countertop and stainless steel appliance kitchen or a run down college house, I hope you stay semi-classy and don't leave your underwear on the ground.

Servings: 5 (if eating as an entree)

Ingredients:
1 cup brown rice
1 1/2 cups of de-shelled edamame
1 cucumber (de-seeded)
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1 avocado
2 sheets of nori (broken down into small pieces)
2 tablespoons of black sesame seeds
1 bunch (about 1/2 cup) of chopped scallions
1 tablespoon of mirin
4 tablespoons of soy sauce
1 tablespoon of ponzu
1 teaspoon of freshly grated ginger
1 teaspoon of wasabi paste

Directions:

Add 1 cup of rice and two cups of water to a pot. Bring the rice and water to a boil and then lower the heat to a simmer. Cover the pan and allow the rice to simmer for about 30 minutes (or until all the water has evaporated).

In a large bowl combine the edamame, carrots, diced cucumber, sliced avocado, and sesame seeds. Then add chopped scallions and the rice when done cooking. In a smaller bowl whisk together the ginger, ponzu, soy sauce, mirin, and wasabi paste. Pour the dressing over the rice and edamame mixture. Lastly toss in the crumbled nori sheets and fully mix the salad.

Enjoy with chopsticks, a fork, or simply your hands!
 

Shredded Fennel and Apple Wheatberry Salad

Rosh Ha'Shana- or the Jewish New Year just passed. It is a custom to have apples and honey at the table as well as a fish head, to represent having a sweet new year and to be at the head of the year. Various foods have their representations for new beginnings, such as the custom of eating a new fruit, or to reinforce ideals in Judaism, such as the 613 mitzvot (or commandments) that seeds of a pomegranate symbolize. All of these ideals inspired me to create and fresh salad with some pomegranate flavoring to welcome in the new year.
With a new year comes new goals, new ideas, new friends, new opportunities, and change. Each year we evolve as people no matter how old; it is nice to have a holiday to remind us of the constant change we experience in our lives, whether to better ourselves, excel in academia or work, or to have a resolution of loosing the love handles gained by the over indulgence of large meals that Jewish holidays are notorious for. I have many goals for myself, as I'm sure many of you have. It's a fresh year (at least if you follow a school calendar) and new things will come as the autumn air returns and the leaves turn crisp.
 In my hebrew school class I discovered my first graders goals of the year are to obtain five stickers and then receive a prize from me- priorities of a six year old are definitely set straight. Regardless of your goal (whether it is getting stickers or getting an A in that super hard class) I hope the new year starts right and fresh (or at least as fresh as this salad tastes).

Servings: 6-8

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups of wheatberries
1 cup of shredded fennel
2 cups of shredded granny smith apples
2 cups of watercress
1 cups of slivered toasted almonds
4 tablespoons of pomegranate juice
1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar
Salt, pepper, garlic powder

Directions:

Combine the 1 1/2 cups of wheatberries with 3 1/2 cups of water in a pot. Bring the mixture to a boil. Then cover the pot and allow the wheatberries to simmer for about 30 minutes until they are tender.

Using a food processor, shred the fennel and granny smith apples. Once the wheatberries are done cooking and cooled add them to a large bowl with the fennel, apple, and watercress.

To make the dressing combine the 4 tablespoon of pomegranate juice with 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar. Add salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste. Stir well, then pour over the wheatberry salad. Lastly add the almonds and toss the salad.

Enjoy!

Mexican Inspired Chocolate Chip Cookies

Sometimes you just want something sweet with a little kick- you want a little feisty to spice up your life. This might just be your small and feisty indulgence- although do remember it is a cookie and not an exotic stripper as this description is starting to read like. (I did once have a teacher with a twitter account with that name- that along with the tweets were semi-questionable, but that is quite a far-fetched story from this cookie recipe.) I happen to love putting cinnamon in cookies and thought why not add a bit of spice as well. Thus, I concocted this sweet, spicy, and delectable bite in a cookie that hopefully can make your taste buds do a small fiesta dance in your mouth and give you the socially acceptable amount of feisty feelings you can get from eating a cookie.

Servings: about 30 cookies

Ingredients:
1 3/4 sticks of browned butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 3/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 cups of dark chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Take your butter and place into a saucepan over medium heat. Allow the butter to melt until it turns a brownish color and gives off a caramel-like scent.

In a large mixing bowl place the brown and granulated sugar. Once the butter is browned, add it to the sugar and mix it in until there are no lumps of sugar. Then add in the vanilla. Once the mix is slightly cooled, mix in the eggs.

In a smaller bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients. Then in small batches add them in to the sugar mix. Once all is combined, add in the chocolate chips.

Scoop a spoonful-sized amount of batter and roll it into a ball. Place the shaped dough onto parchment lined cookies sheets and bake the cookies for 10-14 minutes. Then allow them to sit on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Enjoy!