Knead to Cook

Food & fitness obsessed girl.

El Gringo II.

by Filed Under: Beverages 7 Comments

 

I had this amazing drink at The Standard in the Meatpacking District in NYC.  I fell in love with it.  It honestly seduced my thoughts from the time we left in September until we returned to NYC to celebrate my 40th birthday a week ago.  While we were there, we befriended the bartender to get a rough idea of what made up this lovely concoction.  Although my husband doesn’t remember the list of ingredients, he decided to make up his own version and it was quite good.  If you love spicy, you must give this a whirl!

Recipe:

Slice 1/4 inch piece of jalapeño and place in a cocktail glass.

In your cocktail shaker add the following:
1.5 shots of tequila
2 tsp of Cointreau or Triple Sec
3 tsp of simple syrup
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Juice of 1/2 lime
Splash of water (according to taste).
Add several ice cubes and shake.  Pour into prepared glass & enjoy!

Now the original drink has a smoked salt rim.  We didn’t have any smoked salt to use but I’m on the hunt for some now because it does add to the flavor of the drink.  Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

— Knead to Cook

Black Bean Pumpkin Chili.

by Filed Under: Chili, Vegetarian Leave a Comment

    • I love black beans & pumpkin… so why not combine them?!  Perfect recipe for a cool fall day or a snowy winter one.  Easy & vegetarian!
      Ingredients:
      1 yellow onion, diced
      1 bell pepper, diced
      2 tbl olive oil
      6 garlic cloves, chopped
      3 c vegetable broth
      1 c of sweet corn (canned or frozen)
      3- 15 oz cans of low sodium black beans, rinsed and drained
      2 c pumpkin
      1 -28 oz can of diced tomatoes
      2 tbl parsley flakes
      3 tsp chili powder
      2 tsp smoked paprika
      1-2 tsp cayenne pepper (to taste)
      3 tsp ground cumin
      2 tsp dried oregano
      Salt and pepper to taste

      Directions:
      In a large Dutch oven, sauté the onion and bell pepper in the olive oil. Add garlic and continue to sauté for one additional minute. Then add the remaining ingredients. Bring to a slight boil and then turn the burner down to the lowest flame. Simmer for 4-6 hours. Top with jalapeños, low fat cheddar, etc.

 

— Knead to Cook

Teriyaki Orange Sesame Sauce

by Filed Under: Sauces Leave a Comment

Perfect sauce for chicken (as shown in the photo), beef, tofu or even just vegetables.

Ingredients:

1/4 c low sodium soy sauce
1 c water
2 – 3 tsp of freshly grated ginger
3 tbl light brown sugar
2 tbl toasted sesame seeds
3 garlic cloves, minced
Zest from one orange
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
2 tbl cornstarch
1/4 cup cold water (to mix with cornstarch)

Directions:
Combine 1 cup water, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic and ginger in a saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
Dissolve cornstarch in 1/4 cup of cold water and add to sauce as a thickening agent. Stir constantly. Add sesame seeds, red pepper flakes and orange zest. Then you can add your protein to the sauce… chicken, shrimp or tofu etc.

— Knead to Cook

Cranberry Orange Chobani bread.

by Filed Under: Breads, Holiday 2 Comments

 

This bread is so yummy!  Perfect during the holiday and it makes a delicious treat for friends and family!

Ingredients:

2 c all purpose, unbleached flour
1 c sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 c of Chobani 2% vanilla yogurt (or use the non fat)
1 egg
1/2 c freshly squeezed orange juice
Zest from one orange
1 tsp orange extract
2 tbl melted butter
2 tbl hot water
1 cup fresh cranberries
1/2 c chopped walnuts

Directions:
In a large mixing bowl combine all of your dry ingredients. In your mixer bowl beat the egg, orange juice, zest, orange extract, butter and hot water together. Add the flour mixture to the wet batter and beat only until incorporated. Add the Chobani yogurt. Mix until blended. Add by hand the cranberries and walnuts. Spoon mixture into mini loaf pans or muffin tins that have been sprayed and floured. Bake at 325 for 50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. I also dusted a few loaves with turbinado sugar from a crunchy top. Cool in the loaf pan for about 10 minutes then remove. Cool the remaining time on a wire rack. Dust with powdered sugar.

— Knead to Cook

Cinnamon sweet & oh so spicy almonds.

by Filed Under: Snacks Leave a Comment

Perfect for snacking or for when you have company coming over.  These store perfectly in a tupperware container for up to about 2 months.  You can control the sweet/spicy combination by adjusting the ingredients to your preference.

Ingredients:
2 egg whites
2 tsp cold water
1/2 c white or brown sugar
4 tbl vegetable oil
2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp garlic salt
1.5 tsp ground cinnamon
1.5 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
4 c unblanched whole almonds

Directions:
In a mixer with the whisk attachment, whisk the egg whites with the cold water until frothy. Toss the almonds in the wet mixture until well-coated. Remove with a slotted spoon.

In a bowl, combine the all of the dry spice ingredients and the oil. Toss in the almonds and mix to coat. Spread out on a tin foiled lined cookie sheet and bake at 250 degrees for 45-50 minutes. Stirring once a the halfway point. Cool. Store in tupperware.

— Knead to Cook

Meyer Lemon Bundt Cake

by Filed Under: Desserts Leave a Comment

Meyer Lemon Bundt Cake

I love this time of year for many reasons, but one that really stands out is that winter yields Meyer lemons.  Okay what is a Meyer Lemon?  Well, it’s a cross between a mandarin orange and a lemon.  It originated in China and was brought to the US in the early 1900’s.  These fragrant little fruits are versatile and smells beyond fabulous!

For Christmas, my family always makes a cake so we can celebrate Jesus’s birthday.  Because I had several Meyer lemons, I thought I would create a light and delectable cake with a glaze to celebrate.  The cake turned out fabulously and it was a huge hit!

 

 

Meyer Lemon Bundt Cake: 

3 c + 6 tbl of unbleached cake flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 c butter, room temp
1 1/2 c white sugar
3 large eggs
Zest of 1 Meyer lemon
1/2 c Meyer lemon juice
1/2 c milk + 1 tbl Meyer lemon juice (stir to make curdle the milk and make a buttermilk mixture)
Glaze:
2 tbsp Meyer lemon juice
1 cup confectioners sugar

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour your bundt pan. In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
In your mixing bowl with a flat beater attached, cream together butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, followed by lemon zest. Stir 1/3 of the flour mixture into the butter mixture, follow with Meyer lemon juice. Add in additional 1/3 of the flour mixture, follow with the milk (buttermilk). Mix in remaining flour, mix until just combined. Avoid over mixing. Pour into prepared bundt pan.

Bake for 45 minutes or until lightly golden or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let rest in the bundt pan for 20 minutes and then invert to serving plate. While cooling, mix the Meyer lemon juice and confectioners’ sugar together. Drizzle over cake.

Enjoy!

— Knead to Cook

Challah bread.

by Filed Under: Breads, Holiday, Vegetarian 14 Comments

 

Challah is a loaf of yeast-risen egg bread that is traditionally eaten by Jews on the Sabbath and at other holidays.  Today, this sweeter bread is enjoyed by the masses and is especially good to use for French toast creating.  The recipe yields two loaves.  They can be topped with sesame or poppy seeds.  I do a double egg wash for a super shiny finished product.  This recipe can also be made a day ahead of time.

Ingredients:

2.5 cups warm water

1 tbl active dry yeast

1/4 cup of honey (I use raw organic)

1/4 cup of agave syrup

4 tbl vegetable oil

3 eggs (I use organic)  

1 tbl kosher salt 

8.5 cup of unbleached, all purpose flour (I use King Arthur’s brand)

1 tbl poppy seeds (optional)  

Directions:

In a large bowl, sprinkle yeast over warm water. Beat in honey, agave, oil, 2 eggs, and the kosher salt. Add the flour one cup at a time, beating after adding each cup of flour. Knead until smooth and elastic and no longer sticky – I used my dough hook with my mixer for 4 minutes. Cover with a damp clean cloth and let rise for 1.5 hours.
Punch down the risen dough and turn out onto floured surface. Divide in half. Working with one half at a time – then divide the dough into 3 equal amounts. Roll into long snake about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Pinch the ends of the three snakes together firmly and braid from middle. Pinch the ends together and tuck under the loaf. Grease two baking trays and place finished braid or round on each. Cover with towel and let rise about 45 minutes.
Preheat oven to 375. Beat the remaining egg and brush a generous amount over each braid two times. Sprinkle with poppy seeds if desired.
Bake at 375 for about 25 minutes or until nicely browned. Bread should sound hollow when thumped on. Cool on a rack for at least one hour before slicing.

 

 

— Knead to Cook