BB: Cheddar Corn Chowder

Corn chowder was a perfect choice for this week’s Barefoot Bloggers recipe.  The air is just started to get chilly here, and we are primed for soups and chilis alike.   I’ve never made a chowder before, so this was a first for me.  I read some comments from the others barefoot bloggers and decided to cut down the recipe quite a bit.  I also took notes from Debby and added Old Bay seasoning (yum!).  I also decided to cut way down on the fat, because, well…that’s what I do! 

The chowder turned out really good – hearty and it hit the spot on a cold day.  I’ve listed my version below, but click the name to link to Ina’s version. 

Cheddar Corn Chowder
Chosen by: Jill of My Next Life 
Source: Adapted from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook on page 74
Serves 4

• 2 Tablespoons good olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onions (1 large onion)
• 1/4 cup flour  (I used whole wheat)
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 3 cups medium-diced white boiling potatoes, unpeeled (1 pounds)
• 5 cups corn kernels, fresh (5 ears) or frozen (1.5 pounds)
• 1/2 cup 2% milk
• 2 ounces sharp white cheddar cheese, grated

Directions

In a large stockpot over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil.  Reduce the heat to medium, add the onions and cook for 10 minutes, until the onions are translucent.

Stir in the flour, salt, pepper, old bay and turmeric and cook for 3 minutes. Add the chicken stock and potatoes, bring to a boil, and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, until the potatoes are tender (it took a lot longer for me, I just let them simmer).  If using fresh corn, cut the kernels off the cob and blanch them for 3 minutes in boiling salted water. Drain. (If using frozen corn you can skip this step.) Add the corn to the soup, then add the milk and cheddar. Cook for 5 more minutes, until the cheese is melted. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.

Pasta with Goat Cheese and Spinach

This is a great variation on pasta salad. The cool, creamy goat cheese goes with with the bite from red wine vinegar, dijon mustard, and red onion. The original recipe calls for arugula, but we don't care for it so I used spinach instead. This is a great way to get some nutrient rich spinach into your meal!

Pasta with Goat Cheese and Spinach
Adapted from Everyday Food, June 2009

• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 3/4 pound gemelli or other short pasta
• 1 can (15 ounces) cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• 3/4 cup crumbled fresh goat cheese (3 ounces)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 bunch spinach, rinsed well and torn
• 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced

Directions

1. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until al dente. Drain pasta and rinse under cold water. In a large bowl, toss pasta with beans and goat cheese.
2. Make dressing: In a bowl, whisk together oil, vinegar, and mustard and season with salt and pepper. (To store, refrigerate pasta mixture and dressing separately, up to 1 day.) To serve, toss pasta mixture with dressing, spinach, and onion.

Chili Chicken Kabobs

My husband requested chicken kabobs over the weekend, but while he was imagining these, I was trying to think of what else I could make to avoid the sugar and soy sauce. A quick search led me to this recipe for chili chicken kabobs from the Eat-Clean Diet for Men book... how perfect! I knew the flavor profile was one my husband would love, so I was excited to make them.

I did cut the amount of oil down by half, and still found the sauce to be thinner than I would like. Perhaps I'm just a really good lime juicer? Either way, the kabobs came out great, not too spicy for me, but great flavor for him.

Chili Chicken Kabobs
Source: The Eat-Clean Diet for Men™, via Fitness Freak

• 3 Tbsp best-quality olive oil
• 1 1/2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
• Juice of one fresh lime
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1 large onion, chopped into thick pieces
• 2 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• Sea salt, to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces

1. In a small bowl whisk together the olive oil, vinegar and lime juice. Season with chili powder, paprika, cayenne pepper, salt, pepper and pressed garlic.

2. Place the chicken in a shallow baking dish with the sauce and stir to coat.

3. Preheat the grill to medium high. Thread the chicken onto the skewers, alternating with chopped onion pieces. Discard the marinade.

4. Lightly oil the grill grate. Grill the skewers for 10 to 15 minutes or until the chicken juices run clear.

Cannellini Beans with Tomatoes, Bulgur and Spinach

I've been trying to experiment with new grains to keep things interesting in this clean eating lifestyle. So far, I've done well making tasty meals using couscous and quinoa that my husband really enjoys. Next on the list was bulgur, and after seeing it in the bulk food section of my local grocery store, I knew it was time to dive in! A quick google search brought me to this recipe, which was perfect for the leftover beans and spinach I had in the refrigerator.

The recipe was quite easy to throw together. Saute some vegetables, add the rest of the ingredients and let it simmer away. Add the spinach until wilted and - done! Easy and relatively quick, not to mention delicious. I think this would benefit from a light sprinkling of some grated parmesan cheese, too. The best part is the creamy, risotto-like texture that arises as it cooks down.

Cannellini Beans with Tomatoes, Bulgur and Spinach
Slightly adapted from Mark Bittman
Yield: 4 servings

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 small zucchini, sliced lengthwise and cut into 1/4 inch thick slices
• 3 cups cooked cannellini or other white beans
• 1 cup low sodium chicken broth
• 2 cups chopped tomatoes, including juice; canned are fine (see note)
• 1/2 cup coarse bulgur
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, minced
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 cups spinach or other tender green
  
  1. Put oil in large pot over medium heat; when oil is hot, add onion and cook, stirring occasionally until soft, about 5 minutes. Add beans with their liquid, tomatoes, bulgur, chili and rosemary and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook, over medium-low heat, until tomatoes have broken up and flavors begin to blend, about 12 minutes, adding water to make it as soupy as you like.
  
  2. Add arugula and continue to cook, just until it wilts. Taste and adjust the seasoning, and serve.
  

Pumpkin Banana Oat Muffins

It's officially October so I figured it was time to break out the pumpkin and let the fun begin! As fall approaches, thoughts of pumpkin bread, ice cream, muffins, spice cake, etc, start to swirl in my head. I love the stuff and thankfully, there has been no shortage of pumpkin puree in my area. Still, this year I am faced with a challenge of a different sort. Then new and improved clean eating me can't bear the thought of making pumpkin-you-name-it and not being able to enjoy it.

I set out to try and find a clean way to enjoy pumpkin, and found inspiration from Katie at Good Things Catered. She took a pumpkin banana oat muffin recipe from recipeZaar.com and made some substitutions to make it a little more nutritious. Still, her recipe packed plenty of sugar and white flour, and that wasn't going to work for me. I switched out the white flour, whole eggs and sugar with some cleaner ingredients and the results were fabulous! This was my first time working with sucanat as a sweetener, and although I was hesitant to try it - it's great! The molasses flavor is fantastic and really adds to the complexity of the flavors in the muffin. I omitted the nuts this time around because I wasn't sure where I would be with the calorie count, but might throw them in next time now that I know the base recipe is only 100 calories per muffin!


Pumpkin Banana Oat Muffins
Adapted from Good Things Catered
Makes 18 muffins

Ingredients:
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup oat bran
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1.5 large ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 of a 15 oz. can pumpkin puree
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
4 egg whites
1 tbsp ground flaxseed
1/2 cup sucanat

Directions:
-Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
-Spray with cooking spray or line muffin tins with paper liners.
-Combine flours, bran, oats, baking powder, spices, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.
-Using whisk or spoon, stir until well mixed.
-Combine remaining ingredients in a large mixing bowl; beat until smooth.
-Gradually beat in flour mixture until just combined
-Spoon into prepared pans or tins.
-Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until toothpick inserted in the middle of the muffin comes out clean.
-Remove muffins from pan and cool on wire rack as soon as they come out of the oven.

Nutritional Information per muffin:
Calories: 98
Fat: 0.7 g
Saturated fat: 0.1 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sodium: 150 mg
Potassium: 83 mg
Carbohydrate: 20.7 g
Fiber: 2.9 g
Sugar: 6.5 g
Protein: 3.3 g

Chicken Piccata

I've made chicken piccata before, but that recipe didn't call for capers (blasphemy!) and no longer fits in my clean eating lifestyle. I was very excited to see a new version in the Sept/Oct issue of Clean Eating Magazine - capers included!

This recipe turned out to be fantastic. I had some leftover artichoke hearts so I threw them in - what a great addition that turned out to be! Surprisingly, and thankfully, I didn't miss the butter in the sauce at all!

Chicken Piccata
Slightly Adapted from Clean Eating Magazine, Sept/Oct 2009, page 49

• 1/4 cup whole wheat flour, divided
• sea salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste
• 4, 4-oz boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded to 1/4 inch thick
• 3 tsp olive oil, divided
• 2 cloves garlic, minced or grated
• 1 cup low sodium chicken broth
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 2 tbsps capers or olives, rinsed and coarsely chopped
• 1 tbsp flat leaf parsley, chopped (I omitted)
• 1/2 cup artichoke hearts, chopped (I added)

1. Reserve 1 tbsp flour for later use. In a shallow dish, combine remaining flour with salt and pepper. Dredge chicken in flour and shake off excess.

2. Heat 1 tsp oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken to pan and cook 2 to 3 minutes per side, or until golden brown. Remove chicken from pan and transfer to plate.

3. Using the same pan over medium high heat, add remaining 2 tsp oil, garlic, and reserved 1 tbsp flour. Heat mixture, stirring constantly for about 1 minute, scraping up any brown bits from pan. Add stock, lemon juice, artichokes and capers. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat to medium high and simmer for about 3 minutes, until sauce thickens. Add chicken back to pan and continue to simmer for an additional 2 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in parsley and season with salt and pepper.

BB: Birthday Sheet Cake

This month, we had two cake recipes for Barefoot Bloggers. I was happy to make Beatty's Chocolate cake and share it with friends, but I didn't have an occasion for the other recipe, Birthday Sheet cake. I decided to take the recipe and try to make a clean version. It was quite a challenge, as I had to switch out butter, flour, eggs, and sugar - all the things that make cake great! Armed with knowledge I've picked up from reading Clean Eating Magazine, I set out to twist this recipe and make some clean cupcakes. (I should note that I have no idea if cornstarch is clean or not, but I kept that ingredient in the recipe).

In my first attempt, I used whole wheat pastry flour to replace the white flour, and sucanat to replace the sugar. The results were delicious, but nowhere near a white cake. The sucanat is closed to brown sugar than white, so it imparted a nice molasses flavor to the cake. I think my baking soda was a little old, causing a failure to rise properly. I blended some cream cheese, agave nectar, and lemon zest together for an impromptu frosting and it was fantastic! The recipe ended up being a start to a great carrot or apple spice cake - so I can't wait to experiment further!

For my second attempt, I set out to try and correct the recipe by switching to spelt flour and agave nectar for a lighter flavor. I got a little confusing in the grocery store, since it was my first time buying spelt flour. I got what was labeled as spelt flour, and probably should have gotten white spelt flour. The regular spelt flour looks a lot like the whole wheat pastry flour, but I was trying to go for something lighter than that. Maybe next time I'll get the white spelt flour and see how the cupcakes turn out then! Using agave nectar has it's own complications, since it's a liquid about the consistency of thin honey. To compensate, I needed to increase the amount of dry ingredients by I'm-not-sure-how-much. Luckily, my first attempt at making cupcakes with agave nectar turned out great! Armed with new baking soda, my cupcakes had gorgeous high domes. I tried a few different levels of batter in the muffin tin, and ultimately preferred the ones that were 2/3 full. Like others that made the original recipe, these are very dense cupcakes.

I wasn't sure what kind of frosting to make for these. My original vision was to use a chocolate cream cheese frosting that I'd seen in Clean Eating Magazine, but in tasting the cupcakes, that just didn't seem right. Then I tried a peanut butter cream cheese, but that wasn't right either. I ended up using the same simple frosting I'd made for the first batch of cupcakes, and it was a perfect, light complement to the dense cake.

If you aren't as crazy as I am, and want a normal sheet cake, see the recipe here, and see how the other Barefoot Bloggers fared with the recipe, here. Otherwise....

My-First-Attempt-At-A-Clean-Cupcake
Makes 12 cupcakes

• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1/2 cup agave nectar
• 3 egg whites
• 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
• 2 ounces greek yogurt
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/3 cup spelt flour
  
• 1 3/4 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/3 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1. Add oil, agave nectar, egg white, flaxseed, yogurt, and vanilla extract in a medium bowl. Stir to combine.
2. In a separate bowl, combine flour, cornstarch, salt and baking soda. Whisk to combine.
3. Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, combine thoroughly.
4. Line muffin tin with cupcake liners. Fill liners 2/3 full with cupcake batter. Bake at 350 for 18-24 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool a few minutes in the pan, then remove and cool on a wire rack before frosting.

Simple Cream Cheese Icing

• 8 ounces low fat cream cheese, softened
  
• 8 teaspoons agave nectar
• 1 tsp lemon zest

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and beat until smooth. Spread on cooled cupcakes.

Nutritional Information:
(Per cupcake, assumes 1 batch of frosting spread equally between 12 cupcakes)
Calories: 220
Fat: 7.1 g
Sat Fat: 3.1 g
Cholesterol: 13.6 mg
Sodium: 183 mg
Potassium: 83 mg
Carbohydrate: 34.4 g
Fiber: 3.3 g
Sugar: 20 g
Protein: 4.8 g

BB: Beatty's Chocolate Cake

This week for Barefoot Bloggers we had the second of two cakes. I made this earlier in the month for a party to honor a friend who is getting married. Since she loves chocolate and this cake was on my To Do list for the month, I thought it would be a great fit for this special occasion.

As I started making the cake, I was pleased to see it was one of the easy recipes... combine dry ingredients in one bowl, wet in the other, them mix together. To me, nothing is worse than having to add each ingredient one at a time to a whirring stand mixer. I love easy. At the end, as I added the coffee, I realize that this was quite similar to my favorite chocolate cake recipe, Hershey's Perfectly Chocolate Cake (which I used here for S'mores Cupcakes). A quick look at the two recipes shows that they are nearly identical! Slight variations in baking soda, baking powder, vanilla extract and the use of hot coffee or hot water are all that separate these two recipes.

I made 1.5 times the original recipe because I have 9 inch cake pans and hate having flat cakes. I divided the batter between those two pans, but it proved to be too much batter as the cake rise quite a bit. Mine collapsed a little in the center, so I should have reserved some of that batter for cupcakes.

Ultimately, I loved the lift that these cakes had, but love the ease of using regular milk and water in the Hershey's recipe. I'll probably tweak the two recipes together the next time I need chocolate cake. Both recipes make truly fantastic, moist, rich, chocolatey cake. The frosting was very easy to work with, spread smoothly (even with my poor decorating skills) and was a good amount of chocolate and sweet.

I topped the cake with lazy chocolate covered strawberries and white chocolate shavings. Everyone loved it!

Beatty’s Chocolate Cake
Source: Barefoot Contessa at Home on pages 165-166
Chosen by Mary of Passionate Perseverance

• Butter, for greasing the pans
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans
• 2 cups sugar
• 3/4 cups good cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup buttermilk, shaken
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter 2 (8-inch) round cake pans. Line with parchment paper, then butter and flour the pans.

Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. With mixer still on low, add the coffee and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.

Place 1 layer, flat side up, on a flat plate or cake pedestal. With a knife or offset spatula, spread the top with frosting. Place the second layer on top, rounded side up, and spread the frosting evenly on the top and sides of the cake.


Chocolate Frosting:

• 6 ounces good semisweet chocolate (recommended: Callebaut)
• 1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 extra-large egg yolk, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
• 1 tablespoon instant coffee powder

Chop the chocolate and place it in a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Stir until just melted and set aside until cooled to room temperature.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed until light yellow and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg yolk and vanilla and continue beating for 3 minutes. Turn the mixer to low, gradually add the confectioners' sugar, then beat at medium speed, scraping down the bowl as necessary, until smooth and creamy. Dissolve the coffee powder in 2 teaspoons of the hottest tap water. On low speed, add the chocolate and coffee to the butter mixture and mix until blended. Don't whip! Spread immediately on the cooled cake.

Cilantro Ginger Tilapia

Tilapia is one of the few fish we agree on in this house. Since we eat so much chicken, (and now even more so with our love for chicken at breakfast!) I'm trying to make more of an effort to choose fish at least once on the weekends. I had already decided on making quinoa with an avocado dressing, so I did some searching for flavors I wanted to use and found this recipe from Martha Stewart.

The sauce is fantastic, and not at all spicy... it complements the delicate fish well. I loved how easy it was to prepare - blend, baste, and grill!

Cilantro Ginger Tilapia
Slightly Adapted from Martha Stewart

• 1 clove garlic, peeled
• 1 small jalapeno pepper, seeds and white pith removed
  
• 1 piece fresh ginger (1 inch), peeled and roughly chopped
• 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice (2 limes)
• 1 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tilapia fillets (4-6 ounces each)

Directions

1. Combine garlic, jalapeno pepper, ginger, lime juice, and cilantro in the jar of a blender. Cover blender, and remove the stopper. Turn on blender, and slowly drizzle in the olive oil. Process until mixture is bright green and smooth. Season cilantro sauce to taste with salt and black pepper.
2. Season both sides of fillets with salt and black pepper. Brush the top of each fillet with 1 tablespoon cilantro sauce.
3. Heat a skillet or grill pan over medium-low heat. Spray with olive oil and allow oil to heat up. Place tilapia in pan, grill until fish has just cooked through but is still moist, 5 to 6 minutes. Remove fish from pan, drizzle with additional cilantro sauce, and serve.

Quinoa with Zucchini and Avocado Dressing

This is another great way to prepare quinoa. I decided to use it as a side dish with some tilapia, so I made a few modifications to the recipe. This went very well with the fish, and the avocado dressing is delicious!

Quinoa with Zucchini and Avocado Dressing
Adapted from Branny Boils Over

• 1/3 cup quinoa, prewashed or rinsed very well
• 2/3 cup low sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 medium zucchini, sliced into 1/4 inch thick half moons
  
• 1/2 medium yellow squash, sliced into 1/4 inch thick half moons
• 1/4 cup pine nuts
• 1/4 cup mexican cheese (queso) (omit the cheese or choose low fat for a cleaner side dish)
  
• 1/3 cup avocado dressing (recipe follows)
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
  
• olive oil
• salt and pepper
  

Combine quinoa and chicken broth in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer 10-15 minutes, until quinoa is translucent. Meanwhile, spray zucchini and squash with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill 5 minutes on each side, until tender.

Combine cooked quinoa and squashes, nuts, cheese, cilantro, and 1/3 cup avocado dressing in a large bowl. Toss to combine, then serve.

Avocado Dressing
Makes about 1.5 cups

1 large avocado, ripe
1 T lemon or lime juice
1 clove garlic
1/4 cup greek yogurt
3/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt

Puree all ingredients together.