Bella Life » In the Kitchen

Farmers Market Frittata That Will Even Impress Yo’ Mama

Quinn Asteak — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 03:21:10 +0000

This simple meal is loaded with protein, nutrients and flavor! Brilliant as breakfast, brunch or dinner, this is a super easy recipe that you can stuff with any veggie or herbs of your choice (as always, the recipe below is merely a jumping off point). Have some leftover roasted veggies that don’t quite qualify as a side dish?… throw them in a frittata! You can also upgrade this recipe into a quiche. Simple pour the egg mix into a pre-made crust, bake at 350F for 45 minutes… et voila! Dinner for 6!

12 large eggs, whites and yolks separated
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 tsp. unsalted butter
1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil (…. Or just 2 tsp of one or the other)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 leek, thinly sliced in half moons
2-3 kale leaves, de-veined and chopped (to de-vein just take out the thick vein running through the middle)
4 oz mushrooms, chopped
2 Tablespoons fresh dill, sage, thyme, cilantro, parsley or any other herbs that you love
optional garnish: sprinkle with cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat egg whites in medium bowl until frothy. Whisk in egg yolks to combine. Add salt and pepper and stir. Set aside.

In a 10-inch non-stick ovenproof skillet, melt the butter with the olive oil over medium-low heat, until they are fully incorporated. Add garlic, mushrooms and leeks. Toss to coat in the butter/oil and cook for 2 minutes, until soft. Add kale then continue to cook another 1-2 minutes until soft.

Pour in egg mixture so that the vegetables and eggs are distributed evenly throughout. Let cook undisturbed for 5-7 minutes or until the edges are set and just getting brown and the interior part is still slightly wobbly when you shake the pan.

Put the entire pan in the oven and cook for another 5-7 minutes until the frittata has set completely. Take out of the oven and allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring on to a plate. Slice into wedges to serve.

Quinn Asteak is a featured In The Kitchen contributor and an holistic-health coach/ cooking teacher teaching people to have fun in the kitchen! For more about her click here for her full bio and all of her articles!

Honey Nut Clusters Worth Fighting Over

Quinn Asteak — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 15:21:50 +0000

1 part power bar, 1 part cookie…It’s kind of hard to define these honey nut clusters but I do know one thing: they are super darn good. Harnessing the comforting flavors of a certain honey-bee endorsed breakfast cereal these clusters offer some childhood culinary nostalgia in the form of a healthy adult snack. Feel free to swap out the nuts and seeds for others of your choosing and play with the spices to come up with something that fits your tastes. Then throw a couple of these bad boys in your bag for when you’re on the run and hungry for something fun.

1 large egg white
2 tablespoon honey
1 cup sliced almonds
½ cup chopped peanuts
1/3 cup pumpkin seeds or sesame seeds
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Whisk the egg white and honey in a medium bowl. Add the nuts and seeds and coat well. Then sprinkle in the cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.

Make small clusters, about 1.5 inches wide on a prepared baking sheet.

Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until browned.

Then let them stand for about 30 minutes or until completely cooled.

Spiced Pumpkin Dark Chocolate Bread (Vegan, Gluten Free And SO EASY)

Quinn Asteak — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:19:41 +0000

It’s rare to find a decadent treat that is also guilt free. But it just happened. You found it. And not only that, but if you have a well stocked pantry you probably already have the ingredients to make this delicious delight right now! Similar baked goods tend to be loaded with sugar, but not this one, sistas! I’m hooking you up with a gluten-free, dairy-free, refined sugar-free, hassle free, GUILT free treat that you’re going to love. Slather on a little almond butter and mmm-mmm-mmm. You can thank me in the comments section

1 3/4 cup (1 15 oz. can) organic pumpkin pie mix (OR 1 can organic pumpkin plus 2 heaping tablespoons of pumpkin pie spice)
1/3 cup canola oil (you could also use butter, if you are not vegan)
1 cup organic sugar or maple syrup
3 eggs
3 cups All Purpose Baking Mix (I use Gluten Free Baking Mix)
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup dark chocolate chips , at least 70% cacao content

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Whisk the pumpkin pie mix with the oil. Add the sugar and salt, stir to combine. Then whisk in eggs, one at a time.

Slowly fold in the baking mix using a rubber spatula, making sure not to overwork the dough. Then gently fold in the chocolate chips.

To make a loaf pour the mix into a glass baking dish and bake for 40-45 minutes. Or to make muffins (yields 2 dozen), use a spoon place the pumpkin mix into greased/lined cupcake trays and bake for about 30 minutes. Either way bake until the top is golden brown.

Cool before serving.

Gluten Free Pancakes Adapted From Institute Of Integrative Nutrition

Quinn Asteak — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 01:54:27 +0000

Who doesn’t love some yummy comforting pancakes on a weekend morning? The problem is that most recipes have a ton of ingredients or come in those super processed packages with mystery ingredients. This is the simplest pancake recipe I’ve ever come across and the best part—it’s so versatile! You can mix and match ingredients and seasonings to make the perfect pancake no matter what the situation.

Ingredients:

1 egg

1/2 cup finely chopped almonds, coconut OR 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips

1-3/4 cups gluten free all purpose flour or quinoa flour (if you do eat gluten you can substitute in wheat flour)

1-1/2 cups milk: dairy, almond, rice, coconut or soymilk

1/4 cup canola or coconut oil

1 tablespoon non-aluminum baking powder

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)

Directions:

1. Mix egg, milk, canola oil and vanilla extract in bowl and whisk to combine.

2. Mix almonds, flour, baking powder and sea salt in a bowl. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix well.

3. Cook on lightly oiled skillet until golden brown. Serve warm with organic butter, maple syrup, honey, fruit and/or nut butter

Variations:

*Add lemon zest, the juice of one lemon (add a little less milk) and 1/2 cup poppy seeds for lemon poppy seed pancakes.

**You can also experiment with spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, or for a more savory option you could add in curry powder, garam masala, ginger, garlic and/or pepper

Autumn Rolls For A Winter Gathering

Quinn Asteak — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 12:06:00 +0000

If you want to impress friends at a dinner party—this is the trick. Use this as inspiration to combine your favorite seasonal fruits and veggies and create your own rolls. They are so light, healthy and a great way to use up food that’s been lurking in your fridge… just wrap it in some rice paper, and voila, you’ve got a gourmet snack!

Ingredients

Rice paper
Sprouts (bean, brocco, alfalfa, any sprouts will do)
Carrot, julienned or shredded
Apple, thinly sliced
Zucchini, julienned or shredded (optional)
Mushrooms sautéed with garlic

Hoison Sauce

4 Tablespoons Soy sauce or tamari
2 tablespoons Peanut butter
1 tablespoon Honey or maple syrup
2 teaspoons rice or white vinegar
1 clove garlic
2 teaspoons sesame oil
25 drops Chinese-style hot sauce, or a couple pinches of cayenne pepper
pinch of ground black pepper

Directions

Sautee the mushrooms on medium heat with some extra virgin olive oil and garlic. Set aside in a bowl.

Get organized by arranging all of your other vegetables in small bowls.

Fill a medium sized bowl with luke warm water. This is where you will dip the rice papers for approximately 10 seconds. Use your hands to keep the rice papers stretched out so they don’t fold in on themselves.

Place the rice paper on a wet towel/papertowel and place a 1 slice of apple a ½ inch from the border, and small portions of everything else. Making sure there isn’t too much or the rice paper will tear.

Then fold the rice paper like a burrito: tucking up the bottom, folding over the sides and rolling it into itself.

Keep the spring rolls in a moist place. I like to line a dish with wet paper towels and keep them there. If you are making them well before serving, place another wet papertowel on top and store in an airtight container in the fridge.

To make the hoison sauce combine all ingredients in a blender and mix until smooth. You can also mix it by hand if you don’t have a blender.