Chocolate Yogurt Snack Cakes

Don’t you love the sound of a snack cake?  It sounds like an after-school snack.  But these aren’t at all like the Little Debbie variety…they’re really a cross between a brownie and a cupcake.  Chocolately and slightly dense like a brownie, but still light and not too rich.  These are great to make ahead because they will keep for a few days.  You can serve them as is, or with a dollop of whipped cream or ice cream.  This recipe comes from David Leibowitz via Smitten Kitchen and makes 12 cakes.

Ingredients:

7 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped (I used semi-sweet chocolate chips)

1/2 c vegetable oil

1/2 c plain whole-milk yogurt

1 c sugar

3 large eggs at room temperature

1 t vanilla extract

1 1/2 c all-purpose flour

1 1/2 t baking powder

1/2 t coarse salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease or line a 12-cup muffin tin.  In a double boiler over simmering water, melt chocolate with 1/4 c vegetable oil.  Stir until smooth and remove from heat.

In a medium bowl, mix the remaining 1/4 c oil with the yogurt, sugar, eggs and vanilla extract.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.  Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour the yogurt mixture into the center of the well.  Stir the wet and dry ingredients together a few times, then add melted chocolate and stir until just smooth.

Divide the batter among the muffin tin cups and bake for 20-25 minutes until they seem barely set in the middle and a cake tester comes out clean.  Let cool and remove from muffin pan, then serve.

Smoky Grilled Asparagus

I love asparagus, but this recipe really takes it up a notch.  It goes from a standard side to possibly the most interesting thing on your plate, and it’s super-simple to make.  This recipe is unlike any I’ve tried before and you make a mayonnaise-based marinade that you put on the asparagus prior to grilling.   Then the grill is where the magic happens and the asparagus becomes really flavorful.  I don’t have a picture of this one because it was eaten before I could take one…maybe a sign of how good it is.  This recipe, adapted from Food and Wine, serves 4.

Ingredients:

3 T mayonnaise

1 T extra-virgin olive oil

2 T fresh lemon juice

1 garlic clove, crushed

1 t hot smoked paprika

1 1/2 t paprika

1 t kosher salt, or to taste

1 t cumin seeds

1 bunch asparagus, ends snapped

Directions:

Place asparagus in a container with sides (a loaf pan that is long enough works well).  Combine the rest of the ingredients in a small bowl and stir to combine.  Toss the asparagus in the mixture and let sit for 30 minutes.  Preheat a grill and when hot, grill asparagus, turning to occasionally.  Grill for about 6 minutes, until tender and blistered in spots.  Serve immediately.

Greek Mahi Mahi and Toasted Orzo with Fennel

It seems a little odd that I don’t have any post-Fourth of July recipes, but I didn’t have to cook a bit over the weekend.  Last Thursday I

greek mahi mahi and toasted orzo

was able to cook and put together a meal to eat after tennis with some friends.  The meal was great because I was able to get everything pre-assembled so all I had to do was actually cook the items and dinner was on the table in under 30 minutes.  I made this Greek-inspired Mahi Mahi with toasted orzo, which somehow tasted a lot like mac and cheese, and smoky grilled asparagus that I will post tomorrow.  And the make-ahead dessert was chocolate yogurt snack cakes served with ice cream and strawberries.  It made a great, light meal after tennis.  These recipes, both from Gourmet, serve 4.

Greek Mahi Mahi

Ingredients:

4 6 oz Mahi Mahi fillets, skin removed

1/4 c Greek yogurt

2 T chopped fresh mint

2 T chopped fresh dill

1 t fresh lemon juice

1/4 c crumbled feta

8 very thin lemon slices

Directions:

Preheat broiler.  Grease a cookie sheet and place fish on sheet.  Mix together yogurt, mint, dill, lemon juice and feta in a small bowl.  Spread on top of fish fillets.  Top each fillet with 2 slices of lemon and cook under the broiler for 14-16 minutes, or until the fish is just done.  Serve immediately.

Toasted Orzo with Fennel

Ingredients:

Pinch saffron threads

2 c water, plus 1 T boiling water

2 T olive oil

1 1/2 c orzo

1/2 t salt, or to taste

1 c chopped fresh fennel bulb, plus 2 T chopped fennel fronds

Directions:

Place saffron threads in the tablespoon of boiling water and let soften for a few minutes.  Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat.  Add orzo and stir to toast for about 4 minutes.  Add 2 c water, 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus the saffron water and bring to a boil over high heat.  Lower heat and simmer, covered, for 12 minutes until the orzo is tender and the liquid is absorbed.  Place chopped fennel and fronds on top of orzo and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes.  Stir to incorporate and serve.

Chicken Shawarma

This recipe is going on the repeat list, which is a pretty short list for me.  Maybe it’s the name that I like so much, or maybe it was the chicken, which had the most amazing spice rub on it.  The nuggets of chicken were so tender and juicy and flavorful I couldn’t stop eating them right off the pan.  The mixture of pepper, allspice and cinnamon really made them unusual.  For my friends who don’t like dark chicken meat, I think you should give chicken thighs a try.  They’re tender, quick to cook, and cheap!

chicken shawarma

The recipe called for roasting some vegetables alongside the chicken, then rolling them in pita breads split horizontally, then stuffed and rolled.  If you figure out how to do that without ending up with sad, crumbling pita, let me know.  Otherwise, I think lavosh would be a great substitute (it’s bigger and meant for rolling), or do what I did on the second batch and just cut the pitas in half and stuff them, then grill it like a quesadilla.  So much easier.  The chicken would also be great skewered and grilled, and served over salads or rice.  This recipe, adapted from Food & Wine, serves 4-6.

Ingredients:

1 lb zucchini, sliced 1/4″ thick, then halves sliced

1/2 lb green beans, ends trimmed and cut in half

3 T olive oil

6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-size pieces

1 1/2 t ground allspice

1 1/2 t ground black pepper

1/2 t ground white pepper

1/4 t ground cinnamon

1/4 t ground cumin

1/4 t ground coriander

salt and pepper to taste

1 garlic clove, minced

1 c plain yogurt

2 T lemon juice

1 package pita breads or lavosh

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees and place one oven rack at the top of the oven and the other at the bottom of the oven.  Place zucchini and green beans in a large bowl and toss with salt to taste and 1 T olive oil.  Spread on a greased cookie sheet.  In the same bowl, place chicken pieces, all the spices, 1 T olive oil and salt to taste and toss to coat the chicken in the spice paste.  Spread chicken on another greased cookie sheet.  Place vegetables on top oven rack and chicken on the bottom.  Bake for 15 minutes, switching pans between the racks in the last 5 minutes of baking.  After 15 minutes the chicken should be cooked through, with crispy edges and the vegetables should be tender but still have bite.  If not, bake for a few more minutes.  Remove from oven and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat 1 T olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat and add garlic.  Cook garlic for 30 seconds, then turn off heat and whisk in the yogurt and lemon juice and set aside.

To assemble the sandwiches: heat a griddle pan or a large frying pan coated with cooking spray over medium high heat.  Take either a lavosh or pita bread half and spread 1 1/2 t of the yogurt sauce on the bread.  Add chicken and vegetables to the bread and roll tightly if using lavosh, or stuff the chicken and vegetables into the pita.  Place in the pan and cook each side until toasted and crispy, about 2-3 minutes.  Serve with extra yogurt on the side.

Fennel Slaw

I love the crunch of fennel and found this is a very quick, basic fennel slaw recipe on epicurious.com that they recommend go with fish.  Fennel smells a lot like black licorice, but the taste is tamed by the dressing and you don’t get an overpowering licorice taste.  Serves 4-6 as a side dish.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lb fennel, bulbs trimmed and thinly shaved

1/4 c Greek style yogurt (I used 2%)

1/4 c cider vinegar

2 t sugar

2 t ground black pepper

1-2 T chopped fresh dill (depending upon how much you like dill)

zest of 1 lemon

Directions:

Thinly shave fennel and set aside.  In a medium bowl, combine the remaining ingredients and whisk to combine.  Add fennel and toss to coat with the dressing.  Serve cold.

Mediterranean Roasted Pepper Salad

I’m on a mission to find a bunch of vegetable salad recipes that don’t contain lettuce.  I’ve always loved those salad bar vegetable salads, like tomato salad, marinated mushrooms and good slaws.  They seems easy to find on a salad bar, but harder to find in recipes that look good and aren’t loaded with mayo.  I think I’ve found some good ones, starting with this one.  This is based on a recipe from Smitten Kitchen, but instead of using raw bell peppers, I’ve roasted them for more sweetness.  The salad turned out really good and I served it with fennel slaw, which I’ll post tomorrow, and swordfish Greg grilled.  Serves 4.

Mediterranean Pepper Salad

Ingredients:

3 bell peppers (I used one red, one yellow and one orange), roasted

2 T extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 c red wine vinegar

2 T chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1-2 t sugar

1 cucumber, halved, seeded and sliced

1 c grape tomatoes, halved lengthwise

1/2 pitted Kalamata olives, halved

1/2 c crumbled feta cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Slice bell peppers into 1/4″ strips.  In a large mixing bowl, combine olive oil, red wine vinegar, parsley, sugar and salt and pepper.  Whisk to combine.   Mix in red pepper strips, grape tomatoes, cucumber and Kalamata olives.  Spinkle with crumbled feta cheese and gently toss to incorporate.  Let marinate in the fridge for a few minutes before serving, or keep in the fridge for a few days.  It gets better tasting with time.

Basil Caesar Dressing

This dressing is one worth making…it’s typical Caesar style, but with fresh basil and parsley blended into it for a light, herbal flavor.   I made this for Amanda’s last supper, so to speak, before she moves to Nashville.   You can either serve it Caesar-style, over romaine, croutons and Parmesan, or as I did with some added tomatoes and cucumber.  This can be made ahead of time by blending all the ingredients up to the herbs and refrigerating, then adding the herbs and process right before serving.  This recipe adapted from Gourmet makes about 10 servings.

Ingredients:

2 garlic cloves

2 large eggs

6 T extra-virgin olive oil

4 T fresh lemon juice (about 1 large lemon)

1 T anchovy paste

1/2 t ground black pepper

1 1/2 c basil leaves, coarsely chopped

1/2 c flat leaf parsley, coarsely chopped

Directions:

While motor is running, drop the garlic cloves through the feed tube and process until finely chopped.  Add the lemon juice, eggs, anchovy paste and pepper and process until smooth.  With motor running, slowly stream in 6 T of extra-virgin olive oil and process until dressing has emulsified (it should be thick and completely blended.)  Add herbs and process until they are finely chopped and dressing is green.

Simple Israeli Salad

Sometimes this salad is called Fattoush, and sometimes it’s just called Israeli salad.  But what it is a a simple combination of tomatoes, cucumbers and green bell pepper chunks dressed with herbs, lemon juice and olive oil, and some crisp pita bread thrown in at the end.  While this is pretty simple as it is, I had a brainstorm that made me feel like a genius the other day…instead of heating up the oven and spending time toasting pita bread…why not use pita chips?   Geen-yus!  This makes the recipe super-quick and you don’t have to turn on the oven.  This salad is best made ahead of time, up to the part where you add the pita chips…add those just before serving and toss to coat them with the dressing.  Serves 4.

Ingredients:

5 plum tomatoes, cut into large chunks

1 medium cucumber, cut into large chunks

1 green bell pepper, seeded and cut into large chunks

1 lemon, juiced

2 T olive oil

2 T chopped fresh parsley

1 T chopped fresh mint (optional)

1/2 t ground cumin

2 pita breads, toasted and cut into wedges, or 1-2 c pita chips

Directions:

Combine all ingredients except pita chips and toss to combine.  Add pita chips right before serving.  Serve cold or at room temperature.

Circassian Chicken

I have seen this recipe in a few places and wanted to try it.  It’s kind of a chicken salad-like recipe, but with a Mediterranean twist, and no mayonnaise.  Instead of mayo, the chicken is bound together with a mixture of garlic, paprika, soaked bread and walnuts.  I think it can pass as being South Beach-ish, but since the sauce contains some bread, it’s not 100% Phase 1.  The chicken salad was great last night while still warm, and might be even better today when it’s cold.  I would recommend eating it with a quick and easy Israeli salad, which I will post tomorrow, and pita chips.  It would also be great served on a bed of greens.  Serves 4.

Ingredients:

3 pounds bone-in chicken breasts

1 quart chicken broth

1 1/4 c chopped walnuts

3 garlic cloves, chopped

2 T olive oil

2 t paprika

1/2 t cayenne pepper

2 T chopped fresh parsley

2 slices white bread, crusts removed

1 lemon, juiced

Salt and pepper

Directions:

Place chicken breasts skin side down in a pot and add chicken broth.  Cover, bring to a boil and lower heat.  Simmer chicken until it is cooked through, about 20 minutes.  Remove chicken breasts and let cook.

Meanwhile, tear bread into little pieces and place in a bowl.  Ladle 1 cup of the hot chicken broth over the bread and allow to soak in.  Set aside.

Heat olive oil and paprika in a small saucepan until you can smell the paprika.  Turn off heat and set aside.

In a food processor, combine walnuts, garlic, cayenne, 1/2 t of salt, 1 T parsley and the soaked bread.  Process until you have a chunky paste.  If the mixture is too thick and difficult to process, add more chicken broth until it reaches a paste.  Add paprika oil and process to combine.  Taste and add salt, if needed.

When chicken is cool enough to handle, remove skin and bone and shred chicken into bite-sized pieces.  Stir walnut mixture into chicken and add remaining 1 T parsley.  Mix and add lemon juice to taste (I used a whole lemon, but you might want less).

Serve cold or at room temperature.

Asian Tuna Tartare

How often can you call an hors d’oeuvre on a potato chip fancy?  I guess it depends on what you put on the chip.  This Food & Wine recipe for Asian tuna tartare is delicious and really impressive, and great for an appetizer or cocktail party.  One word of caution- the potato chips do get soggy if they sit for a while, so you want to buy kettle chips which tend to be thicker and sturdier, and perhaps make them in two batches.  I have made this recipe twice now, for two of my good friend’s going away parties…I hope to not be making this again very soon.  Makes about 20 pieces.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup corn (or vegetable) oil
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
1 pound sushi-grade tuna
1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
1 teaspoon minced jalapeño
1 1/2 teaspoons wasabi powder
1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
1 tablespoon finely chopped scallion
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice, plus half a lemon
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tomato–peeled, seeded and cut into 1/8-inch dice
20 best-quality potato chips

Directions:

In a bowl, combine the corn oil and ginger and let stand at room temperature for at least 2 hours. Strain the oil.

With a very sharp knife, cut the tuna into 1/8-inch dice. In a large bowl, combine the tuna with 3 tablespoons of the ginger oil, 3 tablespoons of the cilantro and the jalapeño, wasabi, sesame seeds, scallion and lemon juice. Mix gently and season with salt and pepper.

If serving as an appetizer, spoon 1/4 of the tuna in the center of a plate, drizzle with remaining oil and lemon juice and sprinkle remaining cilantro and tomato, then arrange 5 potato chips around it.  If serving as an hors d-oeuvre, spoon tuna mixture onto chips, and sprinkle chips with remaining oil, lemon, tomato and cilantro.