Coconut (no chocolate) Brownies

What would a brownie look like without the chocolate? Maybe that just means it turns into a big cookie, but I decided to find out by combining the following ingredients in a loaf tin.

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups flour
1/4 cup almond meal
1 tsp baking soda
2 eggs
1 stick butter
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp coconut powder
1 tsp vanilla

* Mix all ingredients and bake in a loaf tin at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes. Turn off the oven and let sit for 5 minutes more. Cut into squares and serve. [Well... theoretically, you would cut into squares and serve. It's a different story if your concoction turns out to be one big gooey mess.]

The conclusion? Smells nice, tastes good, looks horrible. Turns out, a cookie recipe turned brownie is only a recipe for disaster.

Light and Fluffy Veggie Quiche

Here's another one of my homemade creations :)

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/3 cup almond meal
pinch of salt
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon coconut powder
1/2 teaspoon raw cane sugar
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 cups frozen vegetables
olive oil to cover the baking dish

* Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, almond meal, and salt. Add the water, coconut powder and sugar, and whisk until smooth. Beat in the egg and gently mix in the vegetables. Transfer mixture into a metal baking dish or loaf tin, and bake for 45 minutes. Cut into quarters and serve. Goes perfectly with breakfast sausages or bacon on Thanksgiving morning!

Happy Turkey Day!

Roasted Carrots and Onions

I had carrots and red onions in my fridge that I was afraid would go bad soon if I didn't use them, so I mixed them into a glass baking dish and made tonight's dinner. Baked at 375 degrees F for 30 minutes, the ingredients below were drizzled in at will...

- chicken bouillon
- olive oil
- sesame oil
- soy sauce
- ground cumin
- nutmeg
- all-spice
- rosemary
- garlic
- salt

Haven't tried it yet, but mmm mmm, my kitchen smells delicious!

Samantha Stosur's Marinated Chicken

I was reading this month's issue of Tennis View magazine, and saw an interview with Australian pro Sam Stosur. She mentioned that one of her favorite things to cook when she's home is chicken thigh marinated in garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, cumin powder, and cinnamon.

So, like the hungry person that I am all the time, I decided to try it for dinner last night. Must've been good, since I didn't even think to take a picture before I devoured the flavorful dish. The lemon juice really made the chicken juicy and tender!

Thanks for a great dish, Sam!

Pumpkin Spice Cookies

Another recipe (read: experiment) from my kitchen...

INGREDIENTS:

1 stick butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 large eggs
1 cup milk
1 tsp baking soda
2 cups flour
3/4 cup canned pumpkin
dallops of almond butter on top
sprinkles of ground nutmeg on top

* Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Melt butter into mixing bowl. Add sugar, eggs, vanilla, baking soda, flour, milk, and canned pumpkin to the bowl. Mix until smooth. Place on a cookie sheet. Add dallops of almond butter on top of each cookie. Sprinkle a bit of ground nutmeg on top of the almond butter as desired. Bake for 15 minutes, take out and let cool for 10 minutes. Enjoy!

Almond Meal-Encrusted Chicken w/Roasted Butternut Squash and Sundried Tomatoes

I took a stroll around my new neighborhood this evening, and felt, for the first time since moving to LA, a beautiful fall breeze that made me almost miss Philly. For a second, I was brought back to multi-colored leaves tumbling onto Locust Walk, and felt a slight pang of nostalgia. But then the memory of drafts that turned into sharp chills at the snap of a mud-coated twig brought me back to the present. Boy, am I glad I don't have to deal with east coast weather anymore!

Given my leisurely mood and inspired by the lovely fall day, I decided to actually spend the time to cook something tonight. (Just to preface—this is maybe my 34th (or so?) attempt at cooking on my own, and certainly a first in my new kitchen.) I had some chicken in the fridge, along with a nice butternut squash, so I thought I would try and make a meal of it. (The sundried tomatoes were an impromptu add-in at the end, when I caught a glimpse of the jar as the fridge was closing.) Not a great photo, but quite delicious (by my standards) if I do say so myself :)

Here are the deets for my dinner tonight...

Roasted Butternut Squash: a modified version of one I found from the Foot Network
- 1 medium butternut squash, halved lengthwise and seeded
- 4 teaspoons brown sugar
- salt and pepper
- ground cumin
* Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place butternut squash halves (flesh side up) in a glass baking dish. Sprinkle brown sugar over each squash. Season with salt, black pepper, and cumin. Roast uncovered for 30 minutes (or until the flesh is fork-tender).

Almond Meal-Encrusted Chicken: I was going for chicken parm, but seeing that I had no cheese, marinara, or bread crumbs, I made some substitutes. Actually, without the essential ingredients, this can only be considered a new creation...
- 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast
- 1 egg
- pinch of salt
- 3/4 cup almond meal
* Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Slightly beat the egg, and add a pinch of salt if desired. Dip chicken in egg, then almond meal, coating well. Place chicken in a glass baking dish, and leave uncovered in the oven for 30 minutes (or until the chicken is no longer pink).

Spoon sundried tomatoes onto plate to garnish.

Buon appetito!