Cinnamon Walnut Banana Bread

I know June isn't synonymous with banana bread but, as I reached to grab some sherbet from the freezer last night, several bananas-on-ice stared back at me, asking, "When are you going to use us up?"

Well, fine: ask and ye shall receive.

I've baked this recipe before, with fantastic results, but I wanted to play around a tiny bit. Cinnamon and walnuts (toasted to enhance the flavor) are a lovely addition, but there's no reason you couldn't play more. If I'd had pecans on hand, I would have used them. What about swapping the cinnamon and walnuts out for cardamom and pistachios? Mmmm, that would be tasty.

As it is, though, I'm very happy with my Cinnamon Walnut Banana loaf. I can hear the bananas calling again: "Don't you think it's time for another slice?"

Why, yes. Yes, I do.

Cinnamon Walnut Banana Bread
2 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup smashed ripe bananas (about 3 medium)
1/3 cup fat free milk
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped and toasted

Preheat oven to 325-degrees. Lightly grease 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 by 2 1/2-inch pan and dust with flour.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat eggs and sugar in large bowl until thick and light, about 5 minutes. Mix in smashed bananas, milk, oil and vanilla. Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon over mixture and mix until just blended. Stir in nuts.

Transfer batter to prepared pan and bake until golden brown on top and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Turn bread out onto rack and cool.

Chewy Chocolate Drop Cookies

Well, Happy New Year, everybody! Sure, it's only a month and a half late, and three and a half months since my last blog post, but who's counting?

Where have I been? I started a new job about six months ago (has it been that long? Holy crap.) in which I am mistress of all things web ("strategic messaging and brand conformity" to be specific). The initial focus of my job was make sure a new website was launched and ensure over 30,000 web pages were converted to the new look. If not readily apparent, this is a HUGE task but, fortunately, I am not alone - there is a special-ops CIT team bringing their time, talent and patience in dealing with me to get the mission accomplished.

I have promised two members of the team (coincidentally named "Laura" and "Laurie") that if their portion of the job is finished by April, they receive a cake of their choosing. (I think I floated the opera cake at one point, which illustrates just how desperate I was/am to finish this project.) "The Lauras," as we are sometimes collectively referred, accepted and now we are eyeing one another carefully, hungry for what the other has promised. (I'm not sure if the other members of the CIT team are aware of this deal but if they find out, I will happily enter a similar bargain with them.)

In any event, all of this web work -- staring at web pages, reorganizing architecture, planning URLs, discovering bugs, tweeting, facebooking, etc. etc. -- has driven me from updating this blog. Because at the end of the day, the last thing I want to do use a rich text editor to upload another g.d. picture to the Internet.

Cooking has fallen to the wayside too. We have eaten many quick-fix meals over the past several months, things that take 20 minutes, max, to make.

But, I love cooking. And blogging has always been pretty great, too -- particularly the interaction between readers and other bloggers.

So, I think I'm back. It won't be exactly like before: though I've always had an emphasis on simple recipes with delicious results, I'll likely be looking for recipes that are that much simpler -- but I'm not wandering into Sandra Lee territory, either.

The other shift will be a greater emphasis on vegetarian cooking. Shane has decided to become a fish-etarian, meaning he's avoiding all meat except seafood. That's been another challenge for me, as I've always viewed a good Sunday dinner being centered around a roast chicken, meat lasagna, or pork tenderloin. So, we'll see what happens there.

As always, if you have recipe ideas, suggestions or questions, send them my way via LauraRebeccasKitchen@gmail.com . And if you've read this far, you deserve a cookie; here's a recipe. :)


Chewy Chocolate Drop Cookies
(adapted from Laura's Best Recipes)

2 cups + 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 sticks of unsalted, melted butter -- cooled
1 1/2 cups packed golden brown sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate drops (like M&Ms)

Place oven rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat oven to 325.

In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter in the microwave, then set aside and allow to cool.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the melted (and cooled) butter and sugars together with a mixer on medium speed for about 2 minutes. Beat in the egg, yolk and vanilla and beat until the blend starts to lighten in color and looks like it's beginning to whip; scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Place mixer on the lowest speed and very slowly add the flour mixture a little bit at a time. Don't over mix; mix until the flour is just blended into the wet ingredients. Add the chocolate drops and stir with a spoon until well-incorporated. (Beating the chocolate into the dough with the mixer will break the chocolate drops.)

Chill the dough in the refrigerator for 10 minutes.

Take approximately 2 tablespoons of dough at a time and roll the dough into well-formed balls. For flatter cookies, flatten the dough gently; for puffier cookies, leave the dough in balls. Place the dough on the baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Bake the cookies for 6 minutes, rotate the cookie sheet, and bake another 7- 10 minutes. The cookies' edges should just barely begin to brown. The center will look puffy and/or slightly set.

Remove the baking sheet and let the cookies cool for 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to allow the cookies to completely cool. Store in an air-tight container.

Chickpea Ratatouille

From Dreena Burton's Vive le Vegan! is a hearty, filling, economical and, most importantly, delicious chickpea ratatouille.

If I were Cathy at Not Eating Out In New York I could even figure out the cost of the meal but I'm not, and I'm bad at math to boot.

I adapted it slightly, using honey versus vegan-friendly honey substitute, and served it with Pan de Sal.

Chickpea Ratatouille (adapted)
3½ - 4 cups cooked chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
1 ¼ - ½ cups red onion, finely chopped
3 - 4 medium-large cloves garlic, minced
1 28-oz can diced tomatoes
1⁄2 cup red or orange bell pepper, diced
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp freshly grated ginger
2 tsp honey (or honey substitute)
2 tsp mustard seeds
2 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1⁄2 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp sea salt
1⁄8 tsp allspice
freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 dried bay leaves

Preheat oven to 400-degrees. In a large, deep casserole dish, combine all the ingredients except the bay leaves. Stir through until well combined, then embed the bay leaves in the mixture. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Stir through, cover, and bake for another 35-45 minutes, until the onions are tender and translucent (stir through again once or twice through baking). Remove bay leaves and serve. Makes 4-5 servings or more, depending on accompaniments.

Pan de Sal

A couple of weeks ago, I got an email from Dorothy, a blog reader, asking me to test out a recipe for Pan de Sal.

Pan de Sal is a traditional Filipino roll, usually eaten for breakfast and, despite its name, is on the sweet side.

I've never made these before, so I wasn't quite sure what I was getting into. But, the recipe is rather straightforward and, if using a stand mixer (as I did), was fairly simple to pull together. (You don't have to, of course: follow these directions to make them by hand.)

The rolls bake up nicely, are best eaten hot from the oven, and highly addictive -- pillowy soft and lightly sweet. (According to some, they should be sweeter and can be made so by increasing the sugar to 2/3 cup.)

Two other points to note:
I did not roll the dough in breadcrumbs from previous pan de sal as is traditional. The recipe below doesn't address this but if I were to try it, I'd probably roll the dough in the crumbs just before the second rise.

The original recipe calls for the dough to be divided into 4 equal pieces, rolled into logs 1/2 inch in diameter and then cut into 1/2 inch pieces. I thought this was too small (those are the smaller rolls in the picture above) so instead, I rolled the logs out into 1-inch diameter, and cut into 1-inch pieces.

Pan de Sal

2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
2 tsp active dry yeast
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup oil
1 1/2 tsp salt
6 cups all-purpose flour

Put the warm water in a small mixing bowl and add the yeast and 1 teaspoon of the sugar; stir to dissolve. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.

In a bowl of a stand mixer, combine the remaining sugar and the oil and mix until smooth using the paddle attachment. Add the salt, 1 cup of flour and the yeast mixture; stir well. Switch to the dough hook, and add the remaining 5 cups flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.

Using the dough hook, continuing kneading the dough until smooth, supple and elastic; about 10 minutes. If the dough is too sticky, add a tablespoon or two of flour.

Lightly oil a large mixing bowl, place the dough in it and turn to coat the dough with oil. Cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap and let sit in a warm place until the dough has doubled in volume; about 1 hour.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 4 equal pieces. Form each piece into a ball and roll out into a log about 1 inch in diameter. Using a sharp knife, cut each 'log' into 1 inch pieces. Place the pieces, flat side down, onto two lightly greased baking sheets. Gently press each roll down to flatten. Cover the rolls with a damp cloth and let rise until doubled in volume, about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Bake rolls until golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Orzo with Chicken and Parmesan

It still may be too early for comfort food: the days are fairly sunny and warm, and it's still light out at 7pm. But when those cooler, darker days roll around (or if you just want a preview) this quick and easy recipe fits the bill.

My favorite part of this dish is the mouthfeel. It's like eating risotto but with only a fraction of the work. Even reheating it in the microwave the next day yields a fantastic creaminess.

Orzo with Chicken and Parmesan (adapted)

1-2 Tbsp olive oil
12 ounces skinned, boned chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces
2 -3 cloves garlic, minced (or more, if you prefer)
1 cup water
1 (16-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 1/4 cups uncooked orzo (rice-shaped pasta)
1 cup frozen green peas, thawed
1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary, basil, and oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

In dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat. Add chicken and cook until opaque; add garlic and cook for 30 seconds, being careful not to let the garlic burn. Add water and broth to the pan and bring to a mixture to a boil.

Once boiling, add pasta and return to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 9 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add peas, and continue to cook until the peas are heated through and the pasta has absorbed all the liquid, stirring occasionally.

Remove from heat and stir in 1/4 cup cheese, herbs, salt and pepper. Top each serving with 1 tablespoon cheese.

Cinnamon Apple Cake

When September rolls around, I want apples.

I want to go apple picking. I want to drink apple cider. I want to eat caramel apples.

I want to bake with apples.

I stumbled across this recipe, which combines apples with my favorite spice, cinnamon. It’s very simple to pull together; the most complicated thing about it is needing a springform pan, and you could even do away with that.

The result is a tender, moist cake, almost like an English steamed pudding. It’s chockful of apple flavor and the cinnamon topping gives everything a nice lift. I wish the cake itself had more cinnamon flavor but a) that could probably be easily achieved by combining more cinnamon sugar with the apples and b) I always want more cinnamon, so this may be more of my personal taste rather than a fault of the recipe.

Cinnamon Apple Cake (adapted)

1 ¾ cups sugar, divided
1 stick unsalted butter (1/2 cup), softened
1 tsp. vanilla extract
6 ounces block-style fat-free cream cheese, softened (about 3/4 cup)
2 large eggs
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ tsps. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
3 cups chopped peeled baking apples (about 2 large)

Preheat oven to 350-degrees F. Lightly oil a 8-inch springform pan* and set aside.

Beat 1 ½ cups sugar, margarine, vanilla, and cream cheese at medium speed of a mixer until well-blended. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Add flour mixture to creamed mixture, beating at low speed until blended.

In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon. Toss two tablespoons of the cinnamon mixture with the apples in a bowl. Fold apple mixture into batter. Pour batter into prepared pan and sprinkle with remaining cinnamon mixture.

Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until the cake pulls away from the sides of the pan. Cool the cake completely on a wire rack, and cut using a serrated knife.

*You can substitute a 9-inch square cake pan or a 9-inch springform pan if you reduce the baking time by 5 minutes.

New York Style Crumb Cake

When I was very little, I would ride with my parents from Long Island to NYC; my parents would go to work, and I would stay at my grandma's house until they returned. We'd usually stop at a coffee truck pulled over on the side of the road and grab breakfast: for me, a carton of chocolate milk and a slab of crumb cake. I would ignore the cake's base (more of a sweet bread than a cake anyway) in favor of the sugary crumbs.

It's something I hadn't thought about in years until watching Cooks Illustrated's podcast on New York Style crumb cake -- and then I had to make it.

The result is a moist, dense (but not heavy) cake base topped by heaps -- and I mean heaps -- of brown sugar crumbs. This recipe does not skimp on the crumb topping; even after you slice the cake into pieces and chunks of topping fall onto the platter, your piece of cake still has a generous crumb cover.

The one thing I would change is the amount of cinnamon used in the crumb. Although the cinnamon flavor intensified the next day (and the day after that) I still would have liked a greater cinnamon punch. Next time, I'd probably add three tablespoons to the crumbs, taste them, and adjust accordingly.

Overall, however, a nice tribute to the NY Style Crumb Cake.




New York-Style Crumb Cake (adapted)

Crumb Topping
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (or way more -- 3 Tbsp. -- to taste)
1/4 teaspoon table salt
16 tablespoons unsalted butter (2 sticks), melted and still warm
3 1/2 cups cake flour

Cake
2 1/2 cups cake flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon table salt
12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 ½ sticks), cut into 12 pieces, softened)
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup buttermilk
Confectioners' sugar for dusting


For the crumb topping, mix together sugars, cinnamon, salt, and butter in medium bowl to combine. Add flour and stir with rubber spatula or wooden spoon until mixture resembles thick, cohesive dough; set aside to cool to room temperature, 10 to 15 minutes.

For the cake, adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and preheat to 325-degrees F. Line a 13x9 pan with a parchment paper sling (spray the pan with cooking spray, lay in a sheet of parchment, pushing it into corners and up sides, allowing excess to overhang edges of dish.

In bowl of standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment, mix flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt on low speed to combine. With mixer running at low speed, add butter one piece at a time; continue beating until mixture resembles moist crumbs, with no visible butter chunks remaining, 1 to 2 minutes. Add egg, yolk, vanilla, and buttermilk; beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 1 minute, scraping once if necessary.

Transfer batter to baking pan; using rubber spatula, spread batter into even layer. Form crumb topping into large pea-sized pieces and spread in even layer over batter, beginning with outer edges and then working toward center. Bake until crumbs are golden and wooden skewer inserted into center of cake comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Cool on wire rack at least 30 minutes. Remove cake from pan by lifting parchment overhang. Dust with confectioners' sugar just before serving.

All-in-the-Pan Chewy Chocolate cake with Chocolate Butter icing

Another day, another cake but from the same cookbook: In the Sweet Kitchen by Reagan Daley .

Last week, we were invited to a "Thanksgiving dinner in February" at Carolyn's house. She provided the turkey (21 lbs!), mashed potatoes, mashed turnips, stuffing and gravy and all I needed to bring was dessert.

Given that there was a mixed crowd of people -- all ages, all tastes -- I chose a traditional chocolate cake that could feed a crowd. As the name suggestes, the cake is mixed and baked in the same pan (though you do use an extra bowl...) making it quite simple to pull together. You don't have to frost it with the icing, but you'd be missing out.

The cake is very moist, though it could have a deeper flavor. Although Daley says not to "add anything silly to this cake, like liquers or other flavorings" adding some espresso powder would give it a nice punch.

The frosting is simply delicious. Imagine the flavor of fudge in a frosting. Yum!

All-in-the-Pan Chewy Chocolate cake with Chocolate Butter icing
Cake


3 cups AP flour
2 c. sugar
½ c. natural unsweetened cocoa
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
¾ cup vegetable oil
2 Tbsp white vinegar
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 cups cool water

½ c. unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 cups confectioners’ sugar
4 to 6 Tbsp milk or water
3 TBSP natural unsweetened cocoa
2 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350- degrees F. Sift flour into an ungreased, unfloured 13x9 baking pan.

In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Add this mixture to the flour in the pan and stir well with a fort of small whisk to blend the ingredients.

With the back of a teaspoon, make three indentations or wells in the dry mixture: one large, one medium-sized, and one small. In the large well, our the vegetable oil. In the medium well, add the vinegar. In the small well, add the vanilla extract, and then pour the water over everything. With a for, stir the mixture until well blended, making sure you reach into the corners and sides to catch any dry pockets. Do not beat this batter, but just mix enough until most of the lumps are smoothed out, and there are no little patches of overly thick or thin batter. A few lumps are fine.

Bake the cake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out clean & the top feels springy when lightly touched. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and cool the cake completely before frosting.

In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and 2 cups of the confectioners’ sugar until butter is well distributed. The mixture will be very dry and powdery. Stir in 2 Tbsp. of milk or water, then sift the cocoa powder over the mixture and cream to blend. Mix in the vanilla then add the rest of the sugar. Add as much of the remaining liquid as needed to make a thick and creamy frosting.

Carmelized Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

To be honest, I was initially disappointed with this cake. The day I made it -- Valentines' Day, a Thursday -- the topping struck me as too bitter, despite all the caramel encapsulating the pineapple. But by Saturday, the bitterness had given way to a gentle tartness, pairing well with the dense and lovely vanilla-flavored cake. I was snitched away pieces every time I had the chance.

Carmelized Pineapple Upside-Down Cake (from In the Sweet Kitchen)

Topping:

1 large, sweet ripe pineapple
1/3 c. unsalted butter
1 cup plus 2 Tbsp sugar

Cake:

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp salt
3 large eggs
4 or 5 large egg yolks (use 5 if the yolks seem small)
1 ½ cups sugar
1 Tbsp Brandy
2 tsp. vanilla
¼ cup butter, melted & cooled

Preheat oven to 350-degrees F. Grease a 10-inch springform cake pan and line the bottom, and 2 inches up the sides, with a sheet of foil. Press the foil into the pan, smoothing out creases as best as possible. Grease the foil and line the bottom with a circle of parchment paper. Grease the paper and sprinkle the bottom with a little sugar, carefully tapping out the excess while keeping a finger on the linings to hold them in place.

Cut the rind from the pineapple and cut away all the tough little eyes. Cut the fruit lengthwise into four pieces, setting aside one quarter for another use. Slice each of the remaining three quarters lengthwise into three pieces, then slice each of these into 1/3- to ½- inch slices. Place these into a bowl and set them within close reach of the stove.

Melt the 1/3 cup of butter in a large, heavy pot over medium heat. As soon as the butter is liquid, add the 1 cup plus 2 Tbsp. of sugar and stir constantly with a wooden spoon until the sugar dissolves and begins to color. At first, the mixture will be grainy and foamy , then after a few minutes, the oil will separate from the caramel and rise to the top. Keep stirring slowly, the mixture should look thick and creamy. Watch carefully, continuing to stir, for the caramel to turn a dark amber color.

As soon as the caramel is this color, place all the pineapple slices in the pot, being careful not to get burned by the splatter. Allow the fruit and caramel to sputter for about 30 seconds, then use the wooden spoon to move the fruit around and become covered by the caramel. The syrup will likely have seized a bit but the lumps will eventually melt back down. . When the contents have settled into a steady boil, keep stirring slowly for about 6 yo 8 minutes until the pineapple is golden with glassy edges. Remove the pot from the stove and set beside the prepared pan.

Using tongs to grab hold of the pineapple, arrange slices decoratively in the pan. Use a slotted spoon to remove any little bits of pineapple still in the caramel, and return the pot to the head. Continue boiling, stirring slowly, until the mixture is very thick and syrupy, being careful not to burn the caramel. You may need to tilt the pan back and forth gently to gauge the consistency – it should be similar to that of thick honey. When ready, pour the caramel over the pineapple slices, and set the pan aside.

Into a small bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a larger bowl, lightly whisk the eggs and egg yolks to break them up. Whisk in the 1 ½ cups sugar, then blend in the brandy and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture in two or three additions, stirring with a whisk until thoroughly incorporated. Gently stir in the cooled melted butter; the batter will be a bit runny. Pour the batter over the pineapple slices in the pan, being careful not to disturb the fruit.

Place the cake pan on a baking sheet and set in the middle of the preheated oven. Bake for 70 to 80 minutes. A golden crust should have formed on the top of the cake and the edges should be beginning to pull from the sides of the pan. To test for doneness, poke a wooden skewer into the cake, making the hole a bit larger than the skewer – it should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool for 7 or 8 minutes, then run a thin-bladed knife around the cake and carefully release the sides of the pan.

Invert the cake onto a serving platter and remove the bottom of the pan; peel away the foil and parchment taking care not to disturb the hot cake. Cool completely before serving or covering and storing.

This can be stored for several days at room temperature if it’s well covered.

Baked Spaghetti Romanoff

I am so sick of winter.

I'm tired of the snow. I'm tired of being cold. I'm tired of it getting dark before dinner time.

And just when I thought that we were out of the woods ("Hey! There are buds on those trees!"), we get hit with a snow storm.

The only thing to do is have a casserole for dinner -- a hot, creamy, cheesy casserole -- and eat it curled up on the couch with a warm blanket and a glass of something that warms you from the inside out.

Note: with the exception of the cheddar cheese I topped things with, this is a lightened- up recipe from the Courier-Journal. For a richer flavor, use full fat products!

Baked Spaghetti Romanoff

3 cups cooked, protein-enriched spaghetti, hot
1 cup 99 percent-fat-free cottage cheese
1 cup plain low-fat yogurt
1 clove garlic, minced (or 1/8 teaspoon dried)
2 tablespoons chopped onions (or 2 teaspoons dried)
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
Dash Tabasco sauce
3 tablespoons shredded, grated extra-sharp Romano cheese
2 tablespoons seasoned bread crumbs
1/4 to 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350-degrees F and lightly oil a casserole dish.

Combine hot spaghetti in a casserole with remaining ingredients except bread crumbs and cheddar cheese. Sprinkle top with bread crumbs and bake 30 to 35 minutes. Sprinkle casserole with cheddar and bake for another 5 minutes or until melted.
Serves 6.

Chicken Tikka Masala

Photo courtesy of CooksIllustrated.com

I really love chicken tikka masala, mainly because my favorite Indian restaurant, Thali of Inda, makes it so well. (But all of their food is amazing -- mmmm.)

Admittedly, this version from Cook's Illustrated is not as divine as Thali's. But it's still delicious, and I'm thrilled to have found a recipe that I can recreate at home.

I've noticed that some of CI's recipes are a bit bland for my tastes, and I can't help but wonder if it's due to their by committee adjusting of recipes. Too many cooks spoil the broth, I think, or in this case, render it boring.

As such, the amount of garam masala they recommended was not enough, so I nearly doubled the proportions. Of course, the garam masala itself was terrific; I'm fortunate to have a top notch spice company right here in town -- the Canandaigua Spice Co. -- where I could pick some up, hand-blended.

I tried to reduce the fat a bit by using less oil, substituting whole plain yogurt for fat free Greek yogurt, and swapping the cream for buttermilk. Yes, not using cream did change the consistency of the sauce; it was less, well, creamy -- but still very good. By all means, use the full fat versions of everything if you like.

The recipe calls for serving the tikka masala over basamati rice but we used brown rice to get some more whole grains into our diet.

Almost ready to serve...

Chicken Tikka Masala (adapted from Cooks Illustrated)

Chicken Tikka
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon table salt
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts , trimmed of fat
1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt or at fat free plain greek yogurt
1 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 medium garlic cloves , minced
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

Masala Sauce
2 - 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion , diced fine
2 medium garlic cloves , minced
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
1 fresh serrano or jalepeno chile , ribs and seeds removed, flesh minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons garam masala
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
4 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon table salt
2/3 cup low-fat butter milk OR heavy cream
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves (Optional for cilantro haters like me)


For the chicken, combine cumin, coriander, cayenne, and salt in small bowl. Sprinkle both sides of chicken with spice mixture, pressing gently so mixture adheres. Place chicken on plate, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 to 60 minutes.

In large bowl, whisk together yogurt, oil, garlic, and ginger; set aside.

For the sauce, heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently, until light golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, chile, tomato paste, and garam masala; cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add crushed tomatoes, sugar, and salt; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in cream and return to simmer. Remove pan from heat and cover to keep warm.

While sauce simmers, adjust oven rack to upper-middle position (about 6 inches from heating element) and heat broiler. Cover chicken with yogurt mixture thickly and arrange on wire rack set in foil-lined rimmed baking sheet or broiler pan. Discard excess yogurt mixture. Broil chicken until thickest parts register 160 degrees on instant-read thermometer and exterior is lightly charred in spots, 10 to 18 minutes, flipping chicken halfway through cooking.

Let chicken rest 5 minutes, then cut into 1-inch chunks and stir into warm sauce (do not simmer chicken in sauce). Stir in cilantro if using, adjust seasoning with salt, and serve.

Serves 4 to 6.

Happy Valentines Day

Moist, chewy brownies can be made – and eaten – without throwing one’s healthy diet under an oncoming bus.

I made the recipe two ways – first using dutch processed cocoa, and then with traditional baking cocoa. The traditional cocoa yielded a reddish brownie with a detectable coffee flavor, while the dutch-processed turned out a nearly black brownie with a more complex depth of flavor (the coffee was much harder to taste).

All-in-all, I prefer the version using the dutch-processed cocoa. Not only did it have a richer flavor, but the DP brownie is visually stunning, telegraphing, “I am the chocolate brownie of your dreams.” Unfortunately, the chocolate hit you expect to get with them isn’t there. The flavor simply isn’t as intense as the color of the brownie suggests. I’d like to increase the amount of bittersweet chocolate and fold miniature chocolate chips into the batter in the hopes of kicking up the chocolate decadence quotient.


Bittersweet Brownies
1/4 cup boiling water
1 tablespoon instant espresso granules or 2 tablespoons instant coffee granules
1/4 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
6 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 large egg white
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (about 6 3/4 ounces)
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa or dutch processed cocoa
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Cooking spray
2 teaspoons powdered sugar (optional)

Preheat oven to 350-degrees F. Line a 9-inch square pan with aluminum foil, allowing it to overhang on two sides, and spray with cooking spray

Combine 1/4 cup boiling water and espresso in a medium bowl. Add chocolate chips, stirring until chocolate melts; cool slightly. Stir in butter, vanilla, egg, and egg white.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 4 ingredients (through salt), stirring with a whisk. Add coffee mixture to flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Spoon batter into baking pan and bake for 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired.


Yield: 16 servings (serving size: 1 brownie)

CALORIES 171 (31% from fat); FAT 5.8g (sat 3.4g,mono 1.4g,poly 0.3g); PROTEIN 2.5g; CHOLESTEROL 25mg; CALCIUM 26mg; SODIUM 107mg; FIBER 1.2g; IRON 1.1mg; CARBOHYDRATE 29.3g

Lemon Chicken with Mushrooms

Photo courtesy of Light & Tasty.

As a flavor, lemon has been on my mind a lot lately. Naturally, it took center stage in January's Daring Baker challenge, but I think there's more to it than that.

When I was in London, though the calendar said "January," the air felt like early spring. The days were sunny and bright, the temperatures ranged between 45 and 50 degrees, and flowers (yes, FLOWERS) were blooming.

When I returned home, there was snow on the ground, it was well below freezing, and the light had that sad, greyish cast typical of winter.

Still, the knowledge that spring is coming (eventually) is there, and the flavor of lemon -- bright and sunny -- is akin to those longer, warmer days ahead.

This recipe is adapted from one in the current issue of Taste of Home's Light & Tasty magazine, which is fitting, as this is a light and tasty meal. I added more lemon juice (about 1/4 cup total) to brighten the flavor and additional chicken stock (2/3 cup total), as it took longer than expected for my thickly cut mushrooms to cook. If you like, you could leave the mushrooms out altogether, make extra sauce, and serve the chicken and lemony sauce over a bed of rice. If you'd like more mushrooms, double the amount making sure to increase the chicken broth and lemon juice as well.

Additionally, it's a healthy recipe, featuring healthy fats (only 9 grams per serving), lean meat, and veggies. Since I began watching what I eat and exercising about a year ago, I've lost over 25 pounds, knocked 4 points off my BMI, and built up my muscle mass and overall endurance -- it's something I'd like to continue in 2008!


Lemon Chicken with Mushrooms (adapted)

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (4 ounces each)
1/4 cup plus 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons butter
2/3 cup plus 3 tablespoons reduced-sodium chicken broth, divided
1/2 pound sliced fresh mushrooms
1/4 cup lemon juice

Flatten chicken to 1/4-in. thickness. In a large resealable plastic bag, combine 1/4 cup flour, salt and pepper. Add chicken, one piece at a time, and shake to coat.

In a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, cook chicken in butter until golden brown and juices run clear, flipping once. Remove and keep warm.

Add 2/3 cup broth to the pan, stirring to loosen browned bits. Bring to a boil. Add mushrooms; cook and stir for 3-5 minutes or until tender. Combine the remaining flour and broth until smooth; stir into the mushroom mixture. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in lemon juice, taste and adjust seasonings. Serve with chicken.

I Love You but I’ve Chosen Karol Lu’s Champion Vegetarian Chili

PHOTO TK? The camera still isn't taking a charge. Sigh...

Not Eating Out in NY is Cathy's journal of, well, not eating out in NY. She's committed to not eating at ANY restaurants in the city in which she lives, instead creating her own recipes. The results are pretty fantastic, and if you haven't checked out her blog, please take a look.

Each recipe is accompanied by a cost calculator, which breaks down exactly how much it costs to prepare, and the "Brownie Point," which rates each recipe's health factor (one being the most healthy, and 10 being the least).

So now, in the month following Christmas -- December being a time when there was an excess of both cash-spending and calorie counting in this house -- I'm especially loving the recipes on Not Eating Out in NY.

I gave I Love You but I’ve Chosen Karol Lu’s Champion Vegetarian Chili a test run the other day. As the name implies, it's an award-winning chili, and let me tell you -- it's a vegetarian chili for those who are normally put off by vegetarian chili. It's flavorful, it's spicy, and it's just very good. We paired it with tortilla chips and grated cheddar; if I'd had sour cream in the house, I would have put a dollop on top as well.

Cathy's cost calculation was $10.22 for "a lot of servings" (it yielded 12 cups for me) and with a two brownie point health rating.

Click here for I Love You but I’ve Chosen Karol Lu’s Champion Vegetarian Chili recipe and enjoy!

January '08 Daring Baker Challenger: Lemon Meringue Pie

A quick pic using Shane's digital camera -- my camera (with allllll the other pictures) is holding its images hostage...

This month's DB challenge was hosted by Jen of The Canadian Baker. She asked us to make Lemon Meringue Pies as "it is something [she's] always wanted to try to make and [she] also wanted something lighter after all the holiday treats. "

Sounds like a good idea to me, Jen!

I baked the crust -- a lovely, lightly sweet shortbread style crust -- on Saturday night, then made the curd and meringue yesterday, about 6 hours before serving. I invited my friends Jenny and Nancy over for dinner, so Shane, Kian, Sadie, and I wouldn't have to tackle the finished pie by ourselves! (If you're wondering, we had lasagna, Italian bread, and a simple green salad for dinner.)

I was fairly confident about the whole thing (or at least not stressed) until I begain reading some meringue "tales of woe" on the DB blog. Reports of shrinking meringue (the meringue pulls away from the crust after baking) or weeping (a watery layer fors between the meringue and the curd) got me a little nervous, nor was I thrilled to hear about lemon curds with a soupy consistancy.

Still, given my inexperience with meringue, I was more worried about that. So, I turned to my Christmas-present-to-myself, CookWise by Shirley O. Corriher. (She's the food scientist featured on Good Eats.)

Corriher prefers using superfine sugar for soft meringues on pies, but writes that "undercooking and overcooking are the most common problems" adding, "it's possible to both overcook and undercook a meringue at the same time."

Oh, good.

"If you pile meringue onto a cold filling and cook it in an oven that is too hot," writes Corriher, "the top of the meringue can over cook and bead [little drops of moisture form on the baked topping] while the bottom remains undercooked and weeps. The filling has to be hot for the meringue topping to cook through."

She further advises preparing the meringue BEFORE the filling, so it's ready to go when the filling is nice and hot (this differs from the DB recipe, which directs you to spread on the meringue after the curd has cooled). Corriher also mentions that a colleague even sprinkles fine cake crumbs over the surface of the curd before spooning on the meringue. The crumbs absorb any moisture, but you can't detect them when you eat the pie.

Her biggest tip is to add cornstarch (1 TBS stirred into 1/3 cup of water and heated to form a thick gel), which gets beaten into the beaten egg whites a tablespoon at a time. "This prevents the meringue from shrinking, lowers the changes of beading, and makes the meringue tender and easier to cut smoothly."

Well, I cheated a bit on the DB challenge (I know, I know...) and spread the meringue on the curd while it was was hot. I still had a bit of weeping and shrinkage, so either it doesn't really matter when you pile the meringue on OR I'd screwed up the pie badly enough that using Corriher's fail-safe measures proved only partially successful. (I'm leaning toward the latter explaination.)

But the taste? Really wonderful. The curd (which was a little loose, but I think that was completely my fault for not vigorously whisking the mixture for the entire time) was packed with lemon flavor, but not so much so that it fell into "Sour Patch Kid" territory. The meringue was light and lovely, and along with the crust, balanced the acidic notes in the curd nicely.



(Incidentally, I rolled out the leftover dough and sprinkled it with cinnamon and sugar. Then, I rolled it and sliced it as you would for cinnamon buns, and baked them in a 350-degree oven for 11 minutes. The result is a very tasty cookie!)

So, all in all, I would make both the crust and curd again, but to cut down on weeping and shrinkage, I'd try Corriher's meringue recipe; see the end of this post for her recipe.

Additionally, I'd use a smaller pie plate -- there was a lot of "head room" left for my curd on the 10-inch dish, nor did the meringue look as impressive as it could have (as it was partially "buried" beneanth the top of the pie plate).

Big thanks to Jen for hosting! Check out scores of other Daring Bakers via the Daring Bakers Blogroll.



Lemon Meringue Pie
(from "Wanda's Pie in the Sky" by Wanda Beaver)
Daring Bakers Challenge #15: January 2008

Makes one 10-inch (25 cm) pie

For the Crust:
3/4 cup (180 mL) cold butter; cut into ½-inch (1.2 cm) pieces
2 cups (475 mL) all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (60 mL) granulated sugar
1/4 tsp (1.2 mL) salt
1/3 cup (80 mL) ice water

For the Filling:
2 cups (475 mL) water
1 cup (240 mL) granulated sugar
1/2 cup (120 mL) cornstarch
5 egg yolks, beaten
1/4 cup (60 mL) butter
3/4 cup (180 mL) fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp (15 mL) lemon zest
1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla extract

For the Meringue:
5 egg whites, room temperature
1/2 tsp (2.5 mL) cream of tartar
1/4 tsp (1.2 mL) salt
1/2 tsp (2.5 mL) vanilla extract
3/4 cup (180 mL) granulated sugar

To Make the Crust:
Make sure all ingredients are as cold as possible. Using a food processor or pastry cutter and a large bowl, combine the butter, flour, sugar and salt.Process or cut in until the mixture resembles coarse meal and begins to clump together. Sprinkle with water, let rest 30 seconds and then either process very briefly or cut in with about 15 strokes of the pastry cutter, just until the dough begins to stick together and come away from the sides of the bowl. Turn onto a lightly floured work surface and press together to form a disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for at least 20 minutes.

Allow the dough to warm slightly to room temperature if it is too hard to roll. On a lightly floured board (or countertop) roll the disk to a thickness of 1/8 inch (.3 cm). Cut a circle about 2 inches (5 cm) larger than the pie plate and transfer the pastry into the plate by folding it in half or by rolling it onto the rolling pin. Turn the pastry under, leaving an edge that hangs over the plate about 1/2 inch (1.2 cm). Flute decoratively. Chill for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line the crust with foil and fill with metal pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Carefully remove the foil and continue baking for 10 to 15 minutes, until golden. Cool completely before filling.

To Make the Filling:
Bring the water to a boil in a large, heavy saucepan. Remove from the heat and let rest 5 minutes. Whisk the sugar and cornstarch together. Add the mixture gradually to the hot water, whisking until completely incorporated. Return to the heat and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly until the mixture comes to a boil. The mixture will be very thick. Add about 1 cup (240 mL) of the hot mixture to the beaten egg yolks, whisking until smooth. Whisking vigorously, add the warmed yolks to the pot and continue cooking, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil. Remove from the heat and stir in butter until incorporated. Add the lemon juice, zest and vanilla, stirring until combined. Pour into the prepared crust. Cover with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming on the surface, and cool to room temperature.

To Make the Meringue:
Preheat the oven to 375ºF (190ºC). Using an electric mixer beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar, salt and vanilla extract until soft peaks form. Add the sugar gradually, beating until it forms stiff, glossy peaks. Pile onto the cooled pie, bringing the meringue all the way over to the edge of the crust to seal it completely. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden. Cool on a rack. Serve within 6 hours to avoid a soggy crust.

***

Shirley O. Corriher's Meringue (via this link).
This is NOT what the DB challenge used, but what I plan to try in the future.

6 egg whites
3/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla (optional)

Stir the egg whites, 2 tablespoons water, cream of tartar and sugar together well to break up whites in a medium-size stainless-steel bowl.

Heat 1 inch water to a simmer in a medium skillet and turn the heat off. Run a cup of hot tap water; place an instant-read thermometer in it.

Place the metal bowl of egg white mixture in the skillet of hot water and scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl constantly with a rubber spatula to prevent the whites from overheating. After 1 minute of constant scraping and stirring, remove the bowl of egg whites and place the thermometer in the whites. If the temperature is 160 degrees, beat until stiff peaks form when the beater is lifted from the mixture and the mixture slides only slightly when the bowl is tilted. (Peaks are stiff if the tips stand straight. If they bend over at the top, they are ''soft'' peaks).

If necessary, keep heating the whites 15 seconds at a time until they reach 160 degrees. Rinse the thermometer in the skillet to kill salmonella and return it to the cup of hot water after each use.

Sprinkle cornstarch into a small saucepan, add 1/3 cup cool water and let stand 1 minute. Then stir well to form a paste. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly. The mixture will be thick and slightly cloudy.

Let it cool for a couple of minutes, then whisk 1 to 2 tablespoons of the cornstarch mixture into the meringue and continue adding and beating until all is incorporated. Whisk in the salt and vanilla (if using).

Pour over pie filling, pushing all the way to the crust to form a seal over the filling. The meringue tops one 9-inch pie.

Grilled Flank Steak with Corn, Black Bean and Avocado Salad

Image source.

I'm still shocked this is a Weight Watchers recipe: it's casually elegant, tasty, and there's nary a "diet substitution" in sight. I can't say I detected the garlic or lime flavors on the beef, yet it remained tasty. And the salad is terrific, fresh and flavorful. For an added dimension of flavor, I roasted the corn in the oven for 45 minutes at 450-degrees F, then cut off the kernels after it had cooled.

Grilled Flank Steak with Corn, Black Bean and Avocado Salad

Ingredients
1 pound raw lean flank steak
1 medium garlic clove(s), peeled and smashed with side of a knife
1 tsp fresh lime juice
1/8 tsp table salt
1/8 tsp black pepper, freshly ground

Salad
1 Tbsp jalapeno pepper(s), minced (do not touch seeds with bare hands)
1 small corn on the cob, cooked, kernels removed
1/2 medium avocado, peeled, pitted and diced
1 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed
4 tsp fresh lime juice
2 Tbsp cilantro, fresh, minced (optional)
1/8 tsp table salt
1/8 tsp black pepper


Preheat grill to medium hot.

Score steak on one side by making shallow crisscross slashes with a sharp knife; rub garlic over cut surface of steak. Brush steak with lime juice and season with salt and pepper; set meat aside for 10 minutes to allow meat to absorb flavors.

Meanwhile, combine salad ingredients in a medium bowl; stir gently and set aside.

Grill flank steak for 5 minutes on first side; flip and grill until well-browned on outside and medium-rare inside, about 5 to 6 minutes more. Immediately remove steak from grill and set aside on a clean plate for 5 minutes for meat to reabsorb juices. Thinly slice steak across grain and serve with salad. Yields about 3 1/2 ounces of steak and 1/2 cup of salad per serving.

Easy Lemon Mousse

Even though I'm pretty sick of seeing Rachel Ray EVERYWHERE, her recipe for easy lemon mousse is easy and pretty tasty, though a bit looser in consistency than a regular mousse.

For a fresher, brighter flavor, buy a lemon or two to zest and then add the peel to the mousse (keep tasting until you've got the right amount).

Easy Lemon Mousse
2 packages lemon instant pudding
Milk, amount depends on pudding brand, check panel on box
2 cups heavy cream, whipped
2 rounded tablespoons sugar
1/2 pint berries, for garnish
Store bought butter cookies or shortbread rounds

In a medium bowl, stir pudding and milk and set aside. Beat whipping cream and sugar until peaks form. Add about 1/4 of the whipped cream to the pudding and gently fold it in to lighten it. Fold the remaining whipped cream into pudding and serve in small bowls or cocktail glasses on an underliner plate. Place a few berries on each dessert to garnish and serve a few cookies on the underliner plates.

Roasted Corn, Jicama and Mango Salad

Next time, I'll reduce to amount of Jicama by half and increase the amount of corn by two or three. I couldn't get enough of the taste of roasted corn in this salad -- delicious! (And, yes, I left out the cilantro...)


Roasted Corn, Jicama and Mango Salad4 ears fresh corn, unshucked
1 large jicama, peeled and thinly julienned
1 ripe mango, peeled and chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves
Citrus vinaigrette, recipe follows

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Put the ears of corn on a baking sheet and place in the oven for 45 minutes. Remove and let cool. When the corn has cooled, shuck it and stand it on end. Using a sharp knife, run the blade down the cob to cut the kernels off. Rotate the cob and repeat until all the kernels have been cut off.

Combine the jicama, mango, red onion and cilantro in a large mixing bowl. Add the cooled corn, and toss with the vinaigrette. Chill until ready to serve.


Citrus Vinaigrette:
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
1 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest
2 teaspoons sugar
Dash hot sauce
1 cup olive oil
Salt pepper
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves
In a large bowl combine the lime juice, orange juice, orange zest, sugar and hot sauce. Whisk together and slowly add the olive oil, whisking as you go. Add salt and pepper, to taste, and cilantro and whisk until combined.

Yield: 1 1/4 cups

Cardamom Banana Bread

As long as I've known Shane (coming up on six years), he's wanted to go on a camping trip.

My idea of camping is staying at a hotel that doesn't leave a mint on the pillow. (HEY-O! I'll be here all week!)

So we've never been. Oh, Shane has tossed out the idea of buying a tent, snuggling in sleeping bags and finding a wild spot near a waterfall -- but it's never come to anything. And, I certainly did nothing to encourage it.

Until this year -- sort of. Last week, we headed down to the Hayowentha cabin in Onanda Park, a former YMCA camp turned public park on the shores of Canandaigua lake. (I made sure to get the only cabin with an indoor bathroom.) We cooked on a grill outside, or used the propane fueled Coleman stove Shane bought for the occasion.

Just before we left, though, I used some nearly over-ripe bananas to bake up loaf a Cardamom Banana bread. I increased the amount of ground cardamom (to one teaspoon) but still couldn't detect it in the final product (sigh). Still, the bread was delicious: it had a fresh banana flavor that I haven't tasted in banana breads before and it was wonderfully moist. The bread was a wonderful quick breakfast or afternoon snack at the camp ground.

Cardamom Banana Bread (adapted)

2 cups cake flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana (about 3 bananas)
1/3 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1 teaspoon ground cardamom (or more)

Preheat oven to 350-degrees and coat a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt, stirring with a whisk.

Place sugars and butter in a large bowl, and beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 1 minute). Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add banana, sour cream, and cardamom; beat until blended. Add flour mixture; beat at low speed just until moist. Stir in pistachios. Spoon batter into loaf pan and bake for an hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool bread completely on wire rack.

Spinach Stuffed Potato Skins

Image Source.

If you're looking for a lighter version of the cheese laden and bacon studded potato skins served at American pubs everywhere, his WW recipe isn't going to sate that craving.

But if you're looking for good side dish, one that help reaches your veggie quotient for the day, give these a try. I love the flavors and textures of the roasted potato skin against the creaminess of the spinach filling. The salty, smoky hit from the turkey bacon studding the top doesn't hurt either.

Spinach Stuffed Potato Skins
3 medium potato(es), baked, sliced in half and cooled
1 sprays cooking spray
20 oz chopped frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
4 oz light cream cheese, at room temperature
1/4 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
3 slices cooked crisp turkey bacon, crumbled

Preheat oven to 400ºF. Scoop out flesh of potatoes, leaving about 1/4 of potato flesh in potato. (Reserve remaining potato flesh for another use such as mashed potatoes.)

Place potato halves on a baking sheet and coat with cooking spray. Bake until lightly browned, about 15 minutes. While potato skins bake, combine spinach, cream cheese, salt and pepper in a medium bowl until well-blended.

Remove skins from oven and spoon 3 tablespoons of spinach mixture into each potato half; bake until warmed through, about 5 minutes more.

Remove skins from oven and top each half with about 1 tablespoon of crumbled bacon. Yields 1 potato half per serving.