2011 | The Wannabe Chef

Yearly Archives: 2011

Honey-Olive Oil Butternut Squash

Written on February 17, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Side Dish

Even though Winter is ending, I still love eating any squash I can my hands on. They aren’t exactly Spring or Summer fare, but neither are the temperatures, so as long as it’s cold I’m going to figure out how to eat them in new, seasonal ways. Honey and olive oil are a natural pair for any dressing, but it turns out they work together well in this cooked recipe, too. The squash came out sweet and slightly fruity; if I closed my eyes I could almost imagine it weren’t 30 degrees outside.

Honey-Olive Oil Butternut Squash

Ingredients:

1 butternut squash, halved and deseeded
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons honey
pinch of salt

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Roast the squash by itself for an hour until soft and tender.

Remove the squash from the oven and poke holes in the flesh. Pour on 1 1/2 tablespoons of the olive oil and honey on each side of the squash. Put it back in the oven and cook for another 30 minutes.

Pour off the excess liquid and serve hot with a pinch of salt on top.

I was impressed with how strong the flavors of honey and olive oil were even after cooking; they make the squash taste more Summery and less earthy, so it was a nice depart from plain butternut squash. And because it was olive oil and not butter, it felt light.

24 Comments - Leave a comment!

Reviewing The Marathon Roadmap

Written on February 16, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Uncategorized

Hello, foodies! Today I’m taking a small departure from recipes to talk about my friend Matt’s new e-book, Marathon Roadmap: The Vegetarian Guide To Conquering Your First 26.2.

Unlike most beginning marathoner’s books, this is the first to be written by a vegetarian for vegetarian. Now, I’m not vegetarian(though maybe I should coin No Wheat Athlete…), but I would say I run on plants and am signed up for the National Marathon in March so I was excited to read this when Matt asked me if I’d like to. The more I read, the more I found myself relating to Matt and his first marathon: undertrained, injury-ridden, and stubborn? Check, check, and check. Needless to say, it was helpful to hear the things Matt does differently now training for a marathon to help me run the best I can.

3DCover

In this book, you will find:

How to pick your first marathon. This part I kind of breezed past having already picked mine but it had good advise such as not committing financially until you feel confident you’ll avoid injury along the way(Matt, where were you 6 months ago with this advice?!) and a training plan that I am considering using from here on out.
How to run and train. I thought I knew how to run, but now I’m not sure what I’m doing on the road or if it’s the best I can do. And I’ve never made a distinction between long runs and speed workouts. If you’re a new runner with a time goal, this will be crucial information.
How AND why to be a vegan or vegetarian for your first marathon. Let’s face it: If you’re buying this book this is probably the part that you’re most interested in. Even as a flexitarian, I appreciated how Matt really covered the whole topic from nutrition to recipes to meal planning and performance.
All about the race day. This is one thing I had yet to think about before reading and I have to say as a first time marathoner that I still feel pretty lost. It’s good to have the advice of someone who’s been around the block enough to know what they’re doing on race day and take their tips.

What I took away:

No more goal time. Matt makes a good point that running your first marathon is the goal and that obsessing over a specific pace and potentially burning yourself out is counterproductive. Come race day, I’ll be happy just to finish.

I need a tennis ball. Matt does a great job at showing how to stretch your muscles to prevent and help injuries. I’ve always heard of foam rolling but never have found one, but the amount of stretching you can do with a simple tennis ball is astounding.

There’s so much to do to prepare for race day. I never thought before how much detail and care has to be put in to the actual day of the race. It’s scary, really. At least there’s a checklist here I can print out and cross off when that time comes.

Matt’s e-Book launched yesterday and is available for a discounted price from now until next Monday, the 21st. If you want to read more about it, check out Matt’s post or go ahead and buy it.

13 Comments - Leave a comment!

Maple Peanut Butter

Written on February 15, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Miscellaneous

I could go broke on peanut butter; I really could. My favorite has to be PB&Co.’s Mighty Maple. If you’ve never had it, it’s love on a spoon. It has just the right amount of peanut and maple flavor, and a smooth-spreading consistency. It also has a heavy price tag at Whole Foods for something that’s mostly peanuts. After making chocolate peanut butter, making my own maple peanut butter seemed like the natural progression. It’s good; it’s not quite as good as Mighty Maple but what is? Not much. Oh, and it’s cheap and easy like a bad Valentine’s Day date. What more could you ask for?

Maple Peanut Butter

Ingredients(Makes about 1 cup):

3/4 cup natural peanut butter OR 6 ounces shelled peanuts
2 tablespoons maple syrup
3 tablespoons maple sugar(or brown sugar)
2 tablespoons coconut oil, softened
1/4 teaspoon salt(omit if your peanut butter is salted)

If you’re starting with whole peanuts, grind them in a food processor for about 10 minutes until they make a smooth, runny peanut butter.

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and stir with a spoon. That’s it. Once it’s all come together, move it to a seal-tight jar for up to 2 weeks without refrigeration.

Like Mighty Maple, it’s smooth, semi-solid at room temperature, and has bits of sugar crystals to chew on in each bite. It didn’t taste quite as much as maple as I’d have hoped, but I bet with maple sugar that wouldn’t be a problem.

29 Comments - Leave a comment!

Almond Butter Date Bars

Written on February 14, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Dessert

Happy Valentine’s Day! I like a good pun, so making date bars for Valentine’s Day was a no-brainer. Dates are nature’s candy(or is that beets?) and their flavor is as sweet as the sweetest valentine. I’ve also been wanting to make these for a while and being out of cocoa powder seemed like a sign. I love the flavor of almonds in the shortbread crust; if I made these again I’d definitely add nuts on top for a more intense flavor.

Almond Butter Date Bars

Ingredient:

1 cup dates, diced
1/4 brown sugar
3/4 cup water
3/4 almond butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour(I used gluten-free)
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
coconut flakes(optional)
chopped nuts(optional)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

To make the filling, combine the dates, brown sugar, and water in a sauce pan. Boil until the water has evaporated and the dates are soft and mushy. Add more water if necessary.

In a separate bowl, combine the almond butter, sugar, flour, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, and egg and mix until it makes a coarse and crumbly dough.

Press 2/3rds of the dough into a greased 8×8 baking pan.

Spread on the filling mixture in an even coating.

Sprinkle on the remaining dough in crumbs. Mix in any nuts or coconut if using.

Bake for 25-30 minutes until the topping starts to brown.

These were soft and crumbly, and definitely sweet enough with the date filling. The cinnamon added a good earthiness to balance the almond butter. Like I said, if I made these again I’d add coconut and hazelnuts on top. Maybe next Valentine’s Day; nuts are great on Valentine’s Day(I told you I liked puns).

February 13th 138

35 Comments - Leave a comment!

Food For Training

Written on February 13, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Uncategorized

Saturday I didn’t want to get out of bed in the morning, because I knew I had to at least attempt a long run even after a less-than-stellar week of running. The plan was to shoot for 14 miles and—if I made it—continue marathon training for a week, and if not accept that I should drop down to the half-marathon. Unfortunately(fortunately?), I did make it. It was long; it was hard(TWSS). But somehow I pushed my tired bones along 14 miles in 2:18:17. I can only assume that my stellar diet is to thank.

Every time I workout, whether it’s running or going to the gym—no matter how long—, I need something sweet to get me out the door. It doesn’t matter if it’s 7am or 3pm. And I’m fine without coffee, but without sweets? Keep dreamin’. I recommend double chocolate oh baby bars.

After finishing 14 miles, I stopped and waddled(think John Wayne in a Western only painful and without the chaps) into my home, took a few swigs of water and then went for a sports drink:

Gatorade, soda—it’s all sugar anyway so what’s the difference? Besides, this drink tells me I’m a grown-up whereas the other one only makes me worried I’m going to sweat purple, so this seemed like the better choice.

It didn’t last long.

And then of course there’s the importance of vegetables…

Spinach on one leg and broccoli on the other, because variety is important in your diet. I’ve also learned that small vegetables like peas and corn are good, whereas clunky ones like green beans are not. These are really just a starter until I give in and finally go to take a cold shower, which by the way are as awful as they sound and never get easier no matter how many you do.

And that’s how I would eat differently on a day that I run 14 miles. I would also eat in bed, where I would watch 27 Dresses and do some reading for 8 hours because the thought of walking anywhere is not appealing. Marathoning is the sport of masochists.

25 Comments - Leave a comment!

Double Chocolate Oh Baby Bars

Written on February 11, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Dessert

Now this is a chocolaty recipe for Valentine’s Day.

I’ve been wanting to make Jenna’s Oh Baby Bars(again) for a while now when I remembered the jar of chocolate peanut butter I just made. Oh yes; it was meant to be. These are a layer of firm, sweet chocolate peanut topped with a soft chocolate coating. What more can I say? Give these as a gift on Valentine’s Day along with bigger pants.

Double Chocolate Oh Baby Bars(adapted from this recipe)

Ingredients(makes 16 squares):

3/4 cup chocolate peanut butter
1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup melted butter(or Earth Balance)
10oz semi-sweet or bitter-sweet chocolate
1 tablespoon butter(or Earth Balance)

Mix together the chocolate peanut butter, melted butter, and powdered sugar until it’s a homogenous dough.

Press the mixture into an even layer in an 8×8 baking pan. Don’t worry if there’s some bumps or texture to the top because it won’t be noticeable at the end.

Melt the chocolate and remaining tablespoon of butter and mix until it’s smooth and creamy. Pour the melted chocolate over the dough and spread it into an even layer.

Allow the pan to chill in the refrigerator until it’s firm enough to cut into squares. Serve at room temperature for the best texture.

These are so good that they’re not going to last until Valentine’s Day. I might have eaten those 3 within 3 hours. Don’t judge; you’d do the same. The chocolate flavor is extremely song but there’s no lacking of peanut butter flavor, either. Next time I might add a sprinkling of sea salt to the top to round it off.

Yum.

31 Comments - Leave a comment!

Lemon-Garlic Asparagus

Written on February 10, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Side Dish

As much as I love cooking desserts and brownies, standing over a stove with a pan of olive oil and garlic and other familiar ingredients is just as comforting. The more garlic the better. The flavors reminded me of Spring and Easter, which is where my mind wants to be when the temperature is negative degrees with the wind-chill. I was a little heavy handed with the lemon when I made this so if you’re not in love with the flavor then I’d suggest going with less as more.

Lemon-Garlic Asparagus

Ingredients:

1 bunch of asparagus
4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt

Start by heating heating the oil in a pan with the minced garlic. Let the garlic sauté for a few minutes.

Meanwhile, cut the asparagus into 1-inch long segments.

Add the asparagus to the pan and toss with the garlic and olive oil to coat.

Pour in the lemon juice and continue to cook for 5-7 minutes until the asparagus is tender. If you’re not sure if it’s cooked enough, taste one from time to time.

When it’s ready, sprinkle with salt to finish and serve hot.

I’m not sure what you could serve this with. Or rather, I’m not sure what you couldn’t serve this with. It would be great as a light side dish with some red meat or a perfect flavor pairing with Jenna’s Lemon Brown Sugar chicken and mashed potatoes(OK, I just love mashed potatoes, but who doesn’t?).

18 Comments - Leave a comment!

Maple-Soy Marinated Chicken Breasts

Written on February 9, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Entree

There’s a reason that “tastes like chicken” isn’t usually a compliment: chicken without sauce or seasoning isn’t exciting. I don’t like to spend too much time working on meals(or rather, I don’t have too much time to spend working on meals), so this marinade is perfect for me. It’s 3-ingredients, takes no time to put together, and with a little patience makes the food taste incredible. The smell and flavor reminded me of a teriyaki sauce but with a New England twist. And no one will call your chicken bland ever again.

Maple-Soy Marinated Chicken Breasts

Ingredients:

1/4 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/2 juiced lemon(about 2 tablespoons of juice)
1lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Start by collecting all the marinade ingredients into a thin deep container or a Ziploc bag.

Add in the chicken and let it marinade for at least 3 hours or up to 48 hours(I let mine sit for 24 hours).

Drain the excess marinade from the chicken before cooking.

To roast, preheat an oven to 350 degrees and bake for 60 minutes. Then remove the chicken from the oven and let it sit at room temperature for 10 minutes to rest.

To grill, coat the grill pan with some cooking oil. Cook the breasts for about 6-8 minutes on both sides until the center has cooked through.

I recommend serving this with something like rice or spinach to absorb the juice for the chicken because it adds some unreal flavor. I know I’ll be making this again and again because I always have maple syrup and soy sauce on hand. You could also use this marinade for anything from pork to seitan to tofu.

15 Comments - Leave a comment!

Chocolate Peanut Butter

Written on February 8, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Miscellaneous

We all have our expensive habits; mine happens to be food. For me, it’s too easy to get sucked in to buying expensive specialty food like Justin’s chocolate peanut butter, which is amazing if that was ever in question. This time around, I was determined to make my own chocolate peanut butter since I knew it could be made much much cheaper. I used pre-ground peanut butter, but if you want to do this from scratch simply add an extra step at the beginning of grinding the peanuts in a food processor. All in all, the entire jar came in at less than $2, which is some serious savings, and I’ll eat to that.

Chocolate Peanut Butter

Ingredients(Makes 16oz):

12oz of peanut butter OR 3 cups of peanuts
6 tablespoons powdered sugar
1/3 cup cocoa powder(preferably dutched)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
1/2 teaspoon salt(omit if you’re using salted peanut butter)

Like I said, I started with pre-ground peanut butter but if you want to start with peanuts grind them to a smooth consistency. Pour this into a large mixing bowl.

Add in the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, and salt and mix it thoroughly until you get what looks like a large ball of dough.

Melt down some coconut oil and slowly pour it into the bowl, as well.

Mix the contents of the bowl until the peanut butter is smooth and even.

Store in a 16oz jar at room temperature for up to a month.

To me, this tasted like Reeses Puff cereal, which is never a bad thing. There’s nothing this doesn’t go good on: oatmeal, yogurt, carrots, a spoon—you name it. And with that price, it’s unbeatable. Next time I’m going to try this with almond butter, which I’m sure will work and taste terrific, too.

34 Comments - Leave a comment!

Lunchtime Stir-Fry

Written on February 7, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Entree

Lunchtime is a funny time. I usually just want hot food fast, that still tastes good but won’t take too long to cook(because that might interfere with watching Days of Our Lives). I usually opt for leftovers, quick-cooking quinoa, or—a big favorite of mine—a stir-fry. Start to finish, a stir-fry only takes 12-15 minutes to cook, and it usually has a lot of flavor. I make this with frozen veggies which makes the preparation even faster without changing the flavor.

Lunchtime Stir-Fry

Ingredients:

1/2 block extra-firm tofu, cubed
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2-3 garlic cloves, diced
1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 cup steamed broccoli
1-2 handfuls spinach
a pinch of salt

Heat the oil in a pan with the garlic. Let it sauté for a few minutes over low-medium heat to flavor the oil.

Once the garlic starts turning slightly browned, add in the tofu, soy sauce, and salt. Keep stirring the pan as the ingredients cook and the tofu browns.

Once the tofu has browned on all sides, add in the broccoli and spinach and continue to cook until they have absorbed the liquid.

All the flavor and none of the fuss. To steal the words from Ina Garten(and actually mean them), “How easy is that?” My favorite part is the broccoli after it has sucked up all the salty sauce and is tender and juicy when you bite in.

19 Comments - Leave a comment!