Recipes Archives - Page 66 of 111

Baked chicken with tomatoes, olives and capers recipe (variations for GF and vegan!)

I just finished teaching this recipe in my March classes and it was a huge hit! I don’t even like chicken and I seemed to always be looking for a bite at the end of class. I had so many requests to post this recipe that I had to oblige, even though the images aren’t totally the best. I think this would be perfectly appropriate to prepare for Passover, with one minor adjustment. And it’s a great recipe to adapt as cherry tomatoes and beefsteak tomatoes become available.

The recipe is basically a braise, but the chicken is cooked uncovered for most of the time, which is why I call it Baked Chicken, versus Braised Chicken. But the formula is still very much the same — browning the meat first to create flavor and color, sauteing onions, deglazing, putting meat back in and baking in the oven until cooked through. Once you understand the steps, you can start making up your own recipe or adapting recipes like this one with other ingredients or flavors.

I personally like using bone-in, skin-on pieces of chicken since I think they taste better and stay a little moister, especially breast pieces. Unfortunately, cooking with bone-in, skin-on pieces takes longer than boneless, skinless and may not be a great option for those of you needing a really fast recipe for after work. Fortunately, this recipe can be adapted for cutlets and even a slow cooker, so look for those options in the instructions.

This dish produces very tender, flavorful chicken, as well as the accompanying onions and sauce. In the ingredient list it offers the option of draining the juice from the jar of tomatoes or keeping it. Here’s my thought process on that one: if you will be serving the chicken with noodles or pasta, polenta, mashed potatoes or something that would welcome a lot of sauce, then you should keep the juice. Otherwise, drain the juice and just use the tomato pieces. I also love this dish during cherry tomato season, when I will use 1 1/2 pounds of halved sweet cherry tomatoes in place of the jarred, and basil leaves instead of the thyme. Large vine-ripened tomatoes that have been blanched and chopped are also great. Both of these options create a much lighter, fresher dish. But every variation is very delicious.

Other adaptations I discussed in class:

subbing fennel for half the onion
omitting the olives and adding chopped mushrooms with the onions
adding a healthy pinch of crushed red pepper flakes with the garlic
in the summer, subbing sliced sweet bell pepper for some of the onion
searing cauliflower steaks and using those in place of the chicken for a vegetarian/vegan option

I always use breasts when I teach because most of my students prefer white meat, and therefore it’s just easier for me to buy all breasts. You can certainly use any part of the chicken you want. In fact, it’s more economical to buy a whole chicken and have the butcher cut it into pieces for you. But I highly recommend not buying 1 breast per person. It’s too much meat to eat in one sitting, unless you are an Olympian or a body builder! I have never actually seen anyone at my house or at a dinner party eat an entire breast. I have seen people cut them in half and push one piece off to the side and just each one half. What I love to do is prepare the breasts, allowing for 1/2 per person, and removing the bones after the chicken is cooked and has rested a bit. Then I slice the meat on an angle. It’s much more manageable to eat it this way, as well as more elegant and attractive to serve. See this post on the gloves I use to get down and dirty when I carve chicken!

Let me know if you have specific questions about timing or with what sides to serve this. Hope your holiday planning is going well!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Pamela Salzman (@pamelasalzman)

5.0 from 4 reviews

Save Print

Baked Chicken with Tomatoes, Olives and Capers

Author: Pamela

Serves: 6

Ingredients

3 ½ pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces, sprinkled with 2 teaspoons kosher salt when you get home from the market unless you are using kosher chicken which you should not salt (read this post on how and why to season your chicken in advance)
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Flour for dredging (all-purpose, spelt, GF flour, etc.) -- use matzoh cake meal for Passover
2 Tablespoons unrefined, cold-pressed, extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 ½ medium onions, cut through the root into sixths or eighths (or sliced thinly, but I like wedges better in this recipe)
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 18-ounce jar diced tomatoes with the juice (or drain juice for less sauce) (I like Jovial in glass jars. Read this post why.)
¼ cup dry white wine
¼ cup chicken stock, vegetable stock or more white wine
6 fresh thyme sprigs or large basil leaves in the summer/fall
½ cup pitted olives, such as kalamata or Bella di Cerignola
2 Tablespoons capers, drained
chopped parsley for garnish, if desired

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Pat the chicken dry and season with black pepper. Dredge in flour, shaking off any excess.
In a 12-inch ovenproof skillet or Dutch oven, heat 1 Tablespoon of the olive oil over medium heat. Add the chicken pieces in one layer and brown on both sides. Transfer to a plate and reserve.
If the pan looks dry, add a little oil. If it looks like there’s more than 2 Tablespoons oil, drain a bit off. Add the onions, cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened and lightly browned. Add the garlic and sea salt and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add the tomatoes, white wine, stock and cook, scraping any brown bits on bottom of the pan.
Arrange the thyme, olives and capers over the onion mixture. Place the browned chicken pieces side by side on top. Bring the mixture to a simmer. Cover and place in the oven.
After 15 minutes, baste the chicken with the juices in the pot. Continue cooking, uncovered, for an additional 30-40 minutes (depending on thickness), basting every 10 minutes if you have time. Sprinkle with parsley and serve. (You can also cook covered on the stove over low heat for 30 minutes.)

Notes

For a boneless, skinless version, check out my recipe for Lemon –Thyme Chicken Cutlets and follow the same directions.

For a slow cooker version, use skinless chicken and 3 Tablespoons each of stock and wine instead of 4. Follow same directions, but after deglazing, pour everything into the slow cooker and cook for 4-5 hours on HIGH or 6-8 on LOW.

Whole wheat carrot cake oatmeal cookies recipe (GF and vegan versions too!)

I am always so intrigued by new flavor combinations, ingredients and infusions, especially when it comes to dessert. But classic desserts, like carrot cake, are not only delicious, but have built-in memories for me as well. When I think carrot cake, I not only think of a dense, moist cake studded with walnuts, raisins, carrots and pineapple, I also think about egg hunts in my new spring coat, sitting down to dinner with my mom’s pastel tablecloth and napkins embroidered with rabbits, and stealing the black jelly beans from my sisters’ Easter baskets. Carrot cake holds a special place in my heart.

But carrot cake is more of a special occasion treat, especially if there’s frosting involved. Carrot cake cookies, on the other hand, feel like an everyday treat or a more reasonable serving size if you just want a little something for dessert. I think these wholesome cookies would be as welcome on my Easter dessert table as they would be in a lunchbox or Easter basket.

This cookie is just my type– chunky, hearty and substantial, lightly sweet and busting with all the good stuff you’d expect to find in a carrot cake. Maybe it’s because of the unrefined sugar, or maybe it’s because of the fiber-rich oats and whole wheat flour, but these cookies don’t make me crash and burn like a typical cookie would. Whereas I am not exactly endorsing these as tomorrow’s breakfast, I do think they are a higher quality sweet treat.

I am sure there are many ways to adapt the recipe to dietary intolerances. Drop the walnuts for sunflower seeds to make them nut-free. Use a flax egg in place of the real egg so they become vegan. Use 1/2 GF oat flour and 1/2 King Arthur Multi-purpose GF flour + 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum for a gluten-free cookie. I also know that not everyone likes pineapple or raisins, so feel free to drop either of those. I would just caution against omitting one than one add-in, since you’ll lose some of the support for the cookie.

If you wanted to get fancy, you could drizzle the cookies with a little icing (basically 1 cup powdered sugar + 1 – 1 1/2 Tbs. water whisked together.) Or you can take a look at something a little less naughty — my cashew frosting — and use that to frost a little swirl on top. After all, what’s Easter without a little decadence? That’s how I remember it.

5.0 from 2 reviews

Save Print

Whole Wheat Carrot Cake Oatmeal Cookies

Author: Pamela

Serves: makes 12 large cookies

Ingredients

1 ¼ cup whole wheat pastry flour (whole spelt flour would probably work just as well)*
½ cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon sea salt
⅔ cup coconut sugar, brown sugar or cane sugar
½ cup unrefined coconut oil, melted
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup shredded or grated carrots (about 2 medium)
1 cup walnuts, chopped
½ cup unsulphured golden raisins (or dark raisins if you prefer)
½ cup diced dried pineapple

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, salt, and sugar.
In a medium mixing bowl or blender, combine the coconut oil, egg, and vanilla, and blend until well emulsified.
Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and stir until combined. Fold in the carrots, walnuts, raisins, and pineapple. Mixture will be very crumbly. Use your hands to combine if necessary.
Using your hands, take about ¼ cup of the batter and form it into a small disk. Place on baking sheet leaving space between each cookie for them to expand. Bake for 15-18 minutes until golden around the edges.

Notes

*For a GF version, sub ½ GF oat flour and ½ King Arthur Multipurpose GF Flour and ½ teaspoon xanthan gum.

Matcha chia pudding parfait recipe

I promised I would get this recipe to you before St. Patrick’s Day and I have delivered! I know neither chia pudding nor matcha has any Irish lineage, but I don’t think we need to be limited to corned beef and cabbage on St. Patty’s Day. Why not just think green all day?

I’ve been saying this for years — St. Patrick’s Day is a holiday where everyone expects green food. And do not think I am talking about those offensive green bagels from the local bakery. Green food dye is out of the question, healthy friends. You have a huge opportunity to get spinach and kale and avocado into smoothies and no one will think it’s weird! (Leprechaun Juice recipe here and Healthy Mint Chip Smoothie here.)

I came up with this parfait concoction because I am really into blending my chia pudding these days with other textures — creamy, crunchy, juicy, whatever. And I also thought about ways to tint food naturally green. Spinach and avocado are the obvious ways to go, but I had a hunch matcha would work and it did! I just wrote about matcha in my last Friday favorites post. It’s actually green tea leaves finely ground so you consume the whole thing. You need the tiniest amount to add a lovely green tint and you also take advantage of the benefits of matcha.

You don’t need to follow this recipe exactly, but the concept is worth considering. The bottom layer is basically a smoothie bowl, i.e. a smoothie thick enough to eat with a spoon. I made this version with frozen banana, baby kale leaves, vanilla and a little almond milk. Spinach would make this much more mild than kale. The next layer is the chia pudding. And then I top it all off with some diced fruit and something else with a little texture. The variations on all the layers are endless, but this “recipe” I thought was cute for St. Patrick’s Day because it’s all about green. And tell me that bee pollen doesn’t look exactly like a…pot of gold??!! Other fun recipes are these green pancakes and green muffins, or go a completely different direction and try this green spinach risotto!

Save Print

Matcha Chia Pudding Parfait

Author: Pamela

Serves: 2-4

Ingredients

For the matcha chia pudding:
1 ¼ cups unsweetened almond milk, preferably homemade
3 pitted dates or sweetener of choice, to taste (optional)
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ teaspoon matcha powder
¼ cup chia seeds
For the green smoothie bowl (one suggestion, feel free to use your favorite):
2 cups frozen banana pieces
1 cup chopped kale (stems removed) or spinach leaves
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ - ½ cup unsweetened almond milk or milk of choice (you just want enough to get the blender/Vitamix going – Vitamix will need less)
a handful of ice if your almond milk is sweetened
You can also add extras to your smoothie like a few pieces of frozen, cooked cauliflower, hempseeds, ½ an avocado
Fun Toppings for St. Patrick's Day: bee pollen and diced, peeled kiwi

Instructions

To make the chia pudding: Place almond milk, dates, and vanilla in blender and process until dates are pulverized. A Vitamix does a great job with this. If your blender leaves the dates too chunky, you can strain the mixture before adding it to the chia seeds.
Add matcha powder and chia seeds to a medium container and add almond milk mixture. Stir immediately to dissolve matcha and loosen up chia seeds. Allow to sit on countertop and stir every 5 minutes so you don’t end up with blobs of chia seeds. After 15 minutes, it should have thickened.
Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour. I usually do this the night before. Stays in the fridge for as long as your almond milk would.
Place all smoothie ingredients in the bowl of a food processor or Vitamix or other high-powered blender. Add almond milk and vanilla. Process until smooth and creamy. I find that the food processor needs a little more liquid and a few more seconds to achieve the desired consistency, which is like soft serve ice cream.
Divide the smooothie mixture into short glasses or wide-mouthed jars. Top with chia pudding. And garnish with diced, peeled kiwi and a sprinkling of bee pollen.

Whole grain banana bread with almond pulp recipe

Something I really hate to do is to waste food. One of the reasons I plan out a week of meals is that I can shop accordingly and only buy what I know I will use. But what about that leftover almond pulp? Despite my best efforts to use up the almond byproduct that results every time I make almond milk, it just doesn’t always happen. And raw almonds are so expensive that it actually pains me to throw the pulp in the trash. It’s perfectly good food, especially since the almonds were previously soaked, making them much more digestible and nutritious!

So what do I do with it? Of course, there’s the obvious — add it to anyone’s smoothie or stir it into a warm porridge or muesli. And almond pulp freezes well, so I can save it for another time. But I am just way too lazy to get out my dehydrator and dry out the pulp to use as almond meal. And then I thought to myself, what if I just tried the almond pulp in a quick bread in place of some of the wheat flour? Well, guess what? It worked! Although apparently, a million other people already knew this and I am extremely late to the almond pulp party!

I decided to take one of my banana bread recipes and tweak it a bit with almond pulp that was leftover from 1 cup of whole, soaked raw almonds. Remember, almonds have a lot more fat than grain flours, so we can cut back on some of the added fat. But almonds have no gluten, so I was reluctant to make an all-almond pulp bread this first time. I know this will be neither Paleo nor gluten-free (although I am confident you can swap the gluten flour for a good GF all purpose mix + a little xanthan gum), but I think we can fix that with a few more tweaks. Using half whole wheat flour and half almond pulp, this bread came out to be ABSOLUTELY PERFECT! Moist but hearty, not crumbly, and not too sweet. It’s perfect banana bread, in my book. My life changed instantly!! Let’s all imagine the possibilities of subbing some almond pulp for flour in different recipes! Is this exciting or what??

Most of the recipes on my site have been made in my cooking classes and at home about 20 times, but this one I just did once so I haven’t tested all the permutations, e.g. all almond pulp, no bananas, butter for coconut oil, and so on. But you can bet I will! I am planning on making my Millet Blondies today with almond pulp. Check my Instagram for updates! And please share your experiences with subbing in almond pulp in any recipes — I’ll try anything!

One last favor — I love Saveur Magazine and they’re conducting their annual food blog awards right now. If you like my blog, would you kindly take 15 seconds out of your busy day and nominate me for a Saveur Food Blog Award? I think the category of Best Special Interest Blog (healthy cooking) would be great. Thank you so much! Here’s the link (and I promise it takes 15 seconds!) http://www.saveur.com/article/contests/blog-awards-2015-nominate

5.0 from 18 reviews

Save Print

Whole Grain Banana Bread with Almond Pulp

Author: Pamela

Serves: makes one 8½ x 4½ -inch loaf

Ingredients

1¼ cups whole wheat pastry flour, whole spelt or sprouted spelt flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
½ teaspoon sea salt
¾ cup packed almond pulp (leftover from 1 cup of almonds to make almond milk)
½ cup pure maple syrup
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter or unrefined coconut oil, melted
2 large eggs
1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2-3 very ripe bananas, mashed (2 large or 3 small-medium)
½ cup pecans or walnuts, chopped

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease the bottom and sides of a 8 ½ x 4 ½ loaf pan with butter or coconut oil and line with unbleached parchment paper, if desired.
In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
Place the almond pulp, maple syrup, melted butter or coconut oil, eggs and vanilla in a blender and process until combined. Or whisk well in a medium bowl.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and combine until just blended. Fold in the mashed bananas and nuts.
Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan 10 minutes and then remove the bread and transfer to a rack.

almonds banana coconut oil eggs maple syrup pecans vanilla whole wheat pastry flour

Three pea sauté with (or without) turkey bacon recipe

There was a time when I would watch those cooking competitions on Food Network and criticize anyone who used bacon in a recipe. “Well, yeah it’s going to be good now!” I would shout at the tv. I could have done that. Try making something awesome without bacon. That’s talent! I also feel this way about feta. Just makes everything so delicious. Well if they can do it on “Chopped,” little ole me can do it here. And so can you! We’re going to take simple peas, like the kind you have in your freezer that no one gets all that excited about, and we’re going to liven them up with some turkey bacon, or regular bacon if you eat pork. And everyone will fall in love with peas again.

And this is a good thing because peas are actually quite nutritious and many people always have them on hand. Peas contain a healthy dose of protein (about 9 grams/cup). I love peas mixed with rice for a complete protein. Yum! Peas are also loaded with Vitamin C, Vitamin K and manganese! And they’re a good source of iron, folate, vitamin B1, phosphorous, magnesium, potassium and fiber. The only thing I did read about peas that is not great is that they contain an anti-fertility compound, m-xylohydroquinone, so it might be a good avoid to avoid them if you’re trying to get pregnant.

For now, we’re going to stick with either fresh peas (unfortunately, kind of a pain in the neck to shell them and only sweet if they’re super fresh) or frozen ones. I think there is an undeserved stigma attached to frozen vegetables, but there shouldn’t be. Fortunately, freezing vegetables (and fruits) does not destroy their vitamins and minerals. Maybe 10-15% of vitamin content is damaged, and Vitamin C is the biggest loser there. But pretty much every fruit and vegetable has a good amount of Vitamin C so you’ll make up for it. Canned vegetables, on the other hand, are a sad, depressing lot which always seems overcooked, in my opinion. Beyond that, you’re also getting BPA with your veggies because of the can liners and BPA leaches. Not cool.

My entire family loves this incredibly simple side dish. And it’s perfect for a busy family because you can make it in less than 10 minutes. In the winter, I make it with all green peas. But in the spring, I love using a mix of green peas, sugar snap peas (my favorites), and snow peas. Green peas have the most protein and are eaten shelled. Sugar Snap Peas, which are plump and crisp, are a cross between regular peas and Snow Peas which are flat. Both these types of peas are sweeter than garden peas, but a little less nutrient-dense. Sugar Snaps and Snow Peas are both not shelled — you eat the whole thing. I love to mix them together because I love all the different textures most of all, but believe me when I say it’s delicious with one type of pea if that’s what you’ve got. For you veg heads, I’ve got you covered. Omit the turkey bacon and season with smoked salt or a pinch of smoked paprika and sea salt. Serve with poultry, lamb or fish, roasted vegetables or sautéed greens, or cauliflower mashed potatoes. If you have ham leftover on Easter, dice it up and use that instead of the bacon. Remember, St. Patrick’s day is coming up and your family will not be weirded out if you make an entirely green meal! Peas anyone??

4.0 from 1 reviews

Save Print

Three Pea Saute with (or without) Turkey Bacon

Author: Pamela

Serves: 6

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons unrefined, cold pressed, extra virgin olive oil
½ onion finely chopped OR 1 leek, white and light green parts only, cleaned very well and thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
3 slices nitrate-free turkey bacon*, diced
1 pound frozen peas, thawed OR 1 cup thawed peas + 1 ½ cups snow peas (about 4 ounces) + 1 ½ cups sugar snap peas (about 4 ounces), trimmed
½ cup chicken or vegetable stock, preferably homemade
½ teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion/leek and garlic and sauté for 3 minutes or until translucent.
Stir in the turkey bacon and sauté for an additional 3 minutes, or until some of the edges of the bacon become a little golden.
Add the peas, stock and salt and pepper and cook for about 3 minutes or until the peas are crisp tender and most of the stock is evaporated.

Notes

*You can also use ½ cup of diced pancetta or a high quality pork bacon if you prefer.

bacon garlic onions peas

Sprouted french toast casserole recipe

Sprouted French Toast Casserole | Pamela Salzman

When I was planning on what recipe I wanted to post this week, I knew it had to be something warm! My cousins in Boston are freezing. My parents and sisters in New York are freezing. My daughter in Dallas is freezing. I am in LA and when I arrived to teach at someone’s house yesterday morning, we both shivered because it was “freezing” out. Yeah, yeah, I know 59 degrees is not freezing, but it’s all relative. My point is that we’re all feeling chilly! The best way to warm up is with warming foods and drinks and breakfast is a good place to start.

Even though Southern California doesn’t experience really cold temps, I still like to start my day with warm water and lemon and I prefer to leave the cold smoothies to the truly warm (i.e. summer) weather. I am a huge fan of a proper breakfast, especially for the kids. It’s honestly more important to me than what we eat for dinner. Breakfast jump-starts your brain and your metabolism and sets the tone for the day, in more ways than one. So many people tell me they have no time in the morning and that cereal with milk is about all they can manage. I get it. Mornings are tough for me too, especially since I also have to make school lunches and they’re even crazier on days when I have to leave the house at 7:00 am to go to work! My ace in the hole is the do-ahead breakfast. I cannot get enough of recipes that can be assembled the night before and eaten as is or simply baked the next day. This sprouted french toast casserole is just that.

I love using sprouted bread for this because sprouted grains are much better for you than non-sprouted. Simply, they are more digestible and more nutritious. My favorite for this recipe is Food For Life’s sprouted cinnamon raisin bread. It’s naturally sweet and perfect for French toast. My kids don’t love sprouted breads plain or untoasted because they can be a little dry. But here they have no idea since the bread soaks up the almond milk/egg/vanilla mixture and is just like French toast — moist on the inside and crispy on the outside. But you can make this with absolutely any kind of bread you want, including your favorite gluten-free bread, and it would actually be the perfect way to use up different ends of bread you have languishing in the freezer that you know no one is ever going to eat.

Same goes for the fruit. I taught and photographed this a while back in a class that took place when blueberries were in season. You can definitely use frozen blueberries here, but bananas or apples would be fantastic as well.

I always eat this plain, straight up, but my kids love to add a drizzle of maple syrup. I think a dollop of plain yogurt would be delicious, too. However you eat it, this is a well-balanced breakfast with lots of protein, complex carbs and good fats — all the things I’m looking for to start the day. And it’s warm and toasty, too!

4.8 from 4 reviews

Save Print

Sprouted French Toast Casserole

Author: Pamela

Serves: 6

Ingredients

Unrefined coconut oil or unsalted butter to grease pan
8 slices sprouted bread (thawed if frozen), cut into 1-inch pieces (cinnamon-raisin is a great option), about 6 cups
6 large eggs
1 ½ cups unsweetened almond milk or milk of choice
1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon sea salt
½ cup sliced almonds, chopped walnuts, or chopped pecans
optional: 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries, diced apples or bananas
accompaniments: pure maple syrup or fruit sauce, sautéed banana or apple slices

Instructions

The night before you plan to serve this, grease an 8 x8 or 9 x 9 glass baking dish with a little coconut oil or unsalted butter.
Place the bread cubes in the baking dish.
In a large bowl, beat together the eggs, almond milk, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Pour over the bread cubes, pressing on the bread to make sure it all soaks up the egg mixture.
Cover and refrigerate the dish overnight.
The next morning, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Scatter the fruit and nuts on top and bake uncovered for 45-50 minutes or until set.
Serve warm with desired accompaniments.

Notes

To double this, use a 13 x 9-inch baking dish and bake for closer to 55-60 minutes.

Homemade ramen noodle soup recipe

Since my oldest child started college this past fall, it’s been hard not to compare everything at her school to what I had when I was in college. I do my best not to sound like, “When I was in college, we had to use quarters in the washing machines and we had to wait for our laundry to be finished. No text alerts back then!” Although now that I think about it, I met my future husband in the laundry room while we were both waiting for our laundry to finish! Ha! Of course, I am so food-centric, I pay close attention to dining hall options and food choices in the area around my daughter’s campus. And let me tell me you, back when I was in college, there was no juice and smoothie bar in the dining hall for breakfast. There was, however, an all-you-can-eat supply of Quaker granola, sugar cereals and hydrogenated peanut butter! It’s no wonder I gained about 20 pounds in college.

My roommate freshman year blew my mind with this instant noodle soup concoction that she made in our room every day. I could not believe, especially coming from an Italian home where we ate fresh pasta multiple times each week, how she could just pour hot water into a cup and it would turn into a tasty noodle soup. She called it ramen noodle soup, to be exact. Many years later I discovered that this instant meal was probably one of the worst things anyone could eat. (I really should check up on this girl to make sure she’s still ok!) Between the myriad of MSG and MSG-derivatives, the seasonings in the mixture also contain preservatives, chemicals, food coloring and other inexplicables. To make things worse, I just found out recently that instant ramen noodles are deep fried and dehydrated. Deep fried foods are also among the worst things you can eat. Therefore, you don’t need to be a rocket scientist to deduce that instant ramen noodle soup is a DISASTER.

So, since I have a lot of college kids following my blog and Instagram now, I thought I should share my version of a quick ramen noodle soup recipe. I looked at some seasoning packets from “healthier” soup packets and saw a few ingredients that showed up regularly — onion powder, garlic powder, miso powder, shoyu powder, and ground ginger. I could do that! So I played around with a few proportions and came up with the recipe here.

I also did a little research into authentic ramen noodle soups (like the kind that use fresh, homemade noodles), and learned that most of the broths are pork, veggie or a seaweed and bonito (fish)-base. But I think if you want to use chicken stock, you should! When I taught the soup in my classes, I used homemade vegetable stock. I found a great ramen noodle called Koyo that is baked, not fried. But feel free to use any noodle you want. Lotus Foods makes a gluten-free noodle which is good. I also kept it simple with toppings, but really the sky’s the limit. You can add cooked chicken, pork or shrimp. I love adding a halved hard or soft boiled eggs. Veggies that are great include bean sprouts, spinach, green onions, shredded carrots, bok choy or whatever you have on hand recently. You can really make this into a meal!

I think what many of my students found appealing though, was how fast this came together and that it is quite kid-friendly. I know so many of you are struggling with rather cold temperatures and I think this would be the perfect thing to whip up for lunch or dinner to warm up!

Save Print

homemade ramen noodle soup recipe

Ingredients

5 cups (1 quart + 1 cup) vegetable or chicken stock, preferably homemade
2 ramen noodle cakes* (see note above)
3 Tablespoons shoyu or gluten-free tamari (I like Ohsawa brand)
pinch sugar
¾ teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon + a pinch garlic powder
¼ teaspoon + a pinch ground ginger
2 Tablespoons dry wakame flakes
2 Tablespoons white or yellow miso
handful of baby spinach leaves
¼ cup scallions, green and white parts, sliced
other suggestions: thinly sliced mushrooms or bok choy (add to pot with noodles), bean sprouts, halved hard boiled egg, cooked shredded chicken or pork, cooked shrimp (add to the soup bowl), chili garlic sauce

Instructions

Place the vegetable stock in a large pot and bring to a boil.
Add the noodles, shoyu, sugar, onion powder, garlic powder, ground ginger, and wakame flakes and cook for 3-4 minutes or until the ramen noodles are soft.
Pour a ladle-full of stock into a bowl and add the miso*, whisk until smooth and then pour back into the stockpot.
Stir in a few handfuls of baby spinach leaves until wilted.
Ladle into bowls and garnish with scallions. Serve as is or with additional accompaniments as suggested above.

Notes

Feel free to adjust measurements based on your taste. I originally taught the soup with more seaweed because I really like it, but I don't think everyone liked it as much as I do, so I reduced the amount. Of course you can leave it out altogether if you wish! Also, some noodles are starchier than others, which means they will thicken up the soup a bit. If you want to avoid that, cook the noodles separately and dived them up between the bowls and pour the soup on top.

Miso is a live food. In order to preserve its beneficial enzymes, do not boil it.

*Try to buy a brand where the noodles are baked, not fried, like Koyo or Ka-me. If you use gluten-free noodles, boil them in a separate pot since they’ll make the soup too starchy.

green onions miso noodles

Whole wheat-almond thumbprint cookies recipe (vegan)

I think I might be the only person who owns Gwyneth Paltrow’s book, My Father’s Daughter, to finally be making the recipe called “Lalo’s Cookies.” The book was published a few years ago and I am just getting around to this recipe. I was at my friend Alex’s house a few weeks ago and she said to me, “you know what recipe my kids love?” I was all ears. “Lalo’s Cookies from Gwyneth’s book.”

“Why have I never tried those?”

“I don’t know, but they’re so easy my kids can make them!”

What I should have done that day was go straight home and do laundry, pay some bills, respond to my emails, work on my book proposal, prep dinner and take the dog for a walk. Instead, I went straight to Whole Foods to buy barley flour (an ingredient in the recipe) and then went home to make the aforementioned cookies. I was obsessed and nothing else seemed to matter. Mr. Picky would just have to wear his soccer jersey a second time, emails would wait until tomorrow and we could eat cookies for dinner!

Alex was right — the cookies were delicious and super easy (ONE BOWL!!) Because they’re egg-less, they have a shortbread-like quality to them and the perfect subtle, nutty sweetness. They are slightly crumbly, without falling apart and I really loved the texture. I love the look of a thumbprint cookie, too. There’s something so homey and old- fashioned about them. I used some no sugar-added jam in some, and a Hershey’s kiss in others since Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. So cute, don’t you think???

I think this is among the more healthful cookie recipes I have seen, but I couldn’t help but make a few tweaks which, please don’t tell Gwyneth, I have to say made the cookies even better, both taste-wise and nutrition-wise.

Gwyneth’s recipe uses barley flour, like I mentioned. But who in the heck has barley flour laying around? Random ingredients is one of the biggest pet peeves of my cooking class students. Not that there’s anything wrong with barley flour — it’s actually amazing and really high in fiber and protein, but it’s just not an ingredient I have ever seen in anyone’s pantry. Except Alex’s, of course. I used whole wheat pastry flour instead. I also subbed unrefined, virgin coconut oil for the canola oil, which is a big no in my book since it’s always refined and almost always GMO (i.e. it’s a big bottle of free radicals and inflammation.) I love coconut oil in baked goods. I think it enhances the sweetness and I really can’t detect any coconut taste. Then I decided to use almond meal instead of using the food processor to grind almonds, only because I thought it would easier not to break out the food processor.

The difference in the two batches seen here is barley flour and ground almonds with Hershey kisses vs. whole wheat pastry and almond meal with jam. My family and I preferred the cookie that had the whole wheat pastry flour-almond meal, but loved the chocolate kiss element of the other. I know there are a lot of nut-free schools, so I think you could probably make these with ground sunflower seeds, but I can’t be 100% sure. To make these GF, I would try a good GF flour blend like King Arthur Multipurpose GF Flour and add a pinch of xanthan gum.

All I can say is that these would be perfecto to make with your kiddos on Valentine’s Day! Spread some cookie love!

5.0 from 3 reviews

Save Print

Whole Wheat-Almond Thumbprint Cookies

Author: Pamela, adapted from "My Father's Daughter" by Gwyneth Paltrow

Serves: makes about 25 cookies

Ingredients

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour or barley flour
1 ½ cups whole raw almonds crushed in a food processor or 1 ½ cups almond meal or flour
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ cup unrefined coconut oil, melted
½ cup pure maple syrup, Grade A or Grade B
No sugar-added jam, such as raspberry, strawberry or blueberry or 25 unwrapped Hershey’s kisses

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper or a Silpat mat.
Combine all ingredients except for the jam/kisses in a large bowl with a spoon.
Take a tablespoon of the dough and shape into a ball. Place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough.
Using your finger, make a dent in the center of each cookie. Fill with a small bit of jam. If you want to use Hershey’s kisses, do not add to cookie until after baking.
Bake until the cookies are lightly browned, about 20 minutes. If you want to use the chocolate kisses, when the cookies come out of the oven, place the piece of chocolate in the indentation and allow to cool.