Greens and Goat Cheese Scramble

Boy do we have a snow day today. We've got a foot on the ground already and more is coming down as we speak!

Sassy is not impressed with the snow.

What better way to keep your snow day occupied than cooking?

Notes: I made this for lunch, but it could be a nice weekend breakfast.

It actually happens that I end up with small amounts of greens that I need to use up and this is a great way of doing that. I also happened to have some fresh herbs because I was making some spaghetti sauce.

The key to a nice scramble is to keep the heat low. Not really low, but low enough so that the eggs cook slowly.

Ingredients:
2 large eggs or 3 medium eggs
1/2 cup of fresh arugula leaves
1/2 cup of fresh spinach leaves
1 tablespoon fresh herbs (oregano, chives, or basil would all work well)
Goat cheese (to taste)
Salt
Pepper
Butter

Directions:

Give your greens a rough chop and mince the herbs. Crumble your goat cheese into small pieces.

Put the herbs in a bowl big enough for your eggs. Crack the eggs into the bowl and beat together with the herbs until well combined. Season with salt and pepper.

Heat a small amount of butter in a skillet on medium heat. Once the butter is melted, add the greens and cook until just tender. Turn the heat down. Pour the eggs over the greens. Start to stir the eggs around in the pan. When the eggs still look wet, but are mostly cooked, add the goat cheese. Gently fold the goat cheese into the eggs.

Serve hot and enjoy!

What's in the Box? Lunch Crudites

For the second installment of What's in the Box?, I bring you my recent favorite lunch box combination.

Lunch Crudites.

As you know, crudites is a French appetizer of raw vegetables. You're thinking this doesn't sound at all exciting, but I promise you that if you are bored taking sandwiches all the time, lunch crudites is for you.

First of all, it's healthy. You're supposed to be getting 3-4 servings of vegetables every day. How often do you actually accomplish that? It's tricky. Lunch crudites has at least two servings built in. Second, it's easy to pack. You'll notice I have a handy snap-lid plastic container. It's thin enough to fit into my lunch box, but big enough for plenty of veggies. Third, it's versatile. You can include any combination of veggies you want. Fourth, it requires minimal prep time: wash and cut your veggies on Sunday night and you'll have them ready to pack every day that week.

As you can see, I also supplement my lunch crudites with other things because two servings of vegetables is not enough food for me. I'll give you the run down of things I like to include.

Here's a list of all the crudites I've used in various combinations. I usually take two different veggies at a time:
1. Fresh green beans: No, they're not cooked. Raw green beans are delicious! They're crunchy and refreshing.
2. Baby carrots: Packaged and pre-washed? Couldn't be easier.
3. Sliced red, yellow, and green bell peppers: Mix and match or pick your favorite!
4. Sugar snap peas: When these are in season, you just can't beat them.
5. Snow peas: These are great if you're trying to get yourself into raw veggies. They have a nice mild flavor and they're tender.
6. Cucumber: I like the long seedless ones. They have thinner skin.
7. Yellow squash and zucchini: Again, in season these are fresh and delicious

I buy my lunch crudites during my big weekend grocery store trip. When I get home, I wash the veggies and let them air dry on a clean kitchen towel out on the counter. When they're dry, I put them away. For the green beans, all I do is snap off the ends and snap them in half. In the case of bell peppers, squash, zucchini, and cucumber, I slice them. The others I put straight into plastic food storage containers. In airtight containers, the veggies will keep in the fridge for a week. And they're ready to pack when you need them.

I supplement my lunch crudites with all sorts of things:
1. Yogurt: I try to eat yogurt every day.
2. String cheese: String makes the perfect side for veggies.
2. A hard boiled egg: Eggs get a bad reputation, but they're really perfect. Lots of nutrients and protein. I boil 5 of them on Sunday, peel them, and keep them in an airtight container in the fridge.
3. Nuts: Again, protein, which I need to keep me going until dinner.
4. Fruit: Most of the time it's apples, but I take oranges too. You're supposed to get 3-4 servings of those too!

If you're bored with sandwiches, enjoy some lunch crudites instead!

What's in the Box? Arugula, Sweet Potato, and Goat Cheese Salad

I take my lunch to work. We don't have a ton of dining options on campus and I don't like having to spend money on food everyday, so I buy lunch supplies during my weekend grocery run.

Coming up with things to eat for lunch, however, can be tedious. No one wants to eat PB&J every day, right? To help you come up with ideas, I thought I'd do a couple of posts on my lunch. So what's in the (lunch) box?

This week it's an arugula, sweet potato, and goat cheese salad. I'm topping mine with pomegranate seeds.

Here's what you need to make at least three of these salads for the week:
1 box or bag of pre-washed arugula
1 medium sweet potato
1 small container of goat cheese

On Sunday or Saturday (whenever you have some time), peel and chop your sweet potato. Toss the cubes with a little olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and roast at 400 degrees for about 20-25 minutes until tender. Let them cool and store them in a food storage container in the fridge.

I use this little Rubbermaid container (LunchBlox). It comes with a little tray that sits on top of your greens and holds your toppings. That way you can mix everything together when you eat it. It even comes with a little container for dressing (I'm not using a dressing since I've got the pomegranates and cheese, but you can use what you like).

If you don't have one of these, no worries. Whatever container you have is fine---mason jar salads are all the rage! To pack it in a regular container, put the dressing at the bottom of the container. Then put in the greens and then top with some of the sweet potatoes and some of the goat cheese. When you're ready to eat, just mix everything together.

Now, I usually supplement my salad with more things for lunch (a salad this size isn't enough food for me!). I might bring an apple or an orange, a yogurt, and some salted nuts. But I'll post more ideas like that later!

Enjoy your homemade lunch!

Baked Spinach and Chicken Taquitos (Slow Cooker Option)

Happy New Year, everyone! As often happens, the blog took a back seat to school last term. No matter! It's a new year and a new day, so time to get back to cooking.

For you, I have a fun and delicious finger food: taquitos! Taquitos are often fried, but these are baked. If you're trying to eat healthy for the new year, you've got a good recipe to start with.

Notes: I modified this recipe for my taquitos. You'll notice that these are freezer friendly, which is great. I made enough filling to make two batches, so I might try freezing some. So far I've just made one round.

I made my filling in the crockpot. If you wanted to cut down on your prep time, you could use a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store. As long as you have about three cups of shredded chicken, you're good.

Make sure your tortillas are warm or at least room temperature. If they're too cold, they'll crack when you try to roll them.

Ingredients:
2 lbs chicken tenderloins (see notes)
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
1 onion
2 heaping tablespoons chili powder
2 heaping tablespoons cumin
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
Hot sauce to taste
1 package of 12 taco-sized tortillas (corn or flour will work)
2 cups baby spinach leaves
1 to 1.5 cups shredded cheese (I used colby jack)
Cooking spray
Salt
Pepper

Directions:
If using a crockpot to make the chicken, slice the onion and lay the slices in the bottom of the slow cooker. Lay the chicken on top and the season the chicken with salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder, paprika, and hot sauce. Pour the diced tomatoes on top. Set the slow cooker on 8 hours on low.

When the filling is ready, heat the oven to 425. Roughly chop the spinach. Shred the chicken with two forks. Mix the spinach, chicken, and cheese (I mixed it right in the slow cooker) until combined.

To assemble the taquitos, place a small amount of the filling (about 2 tablespoons) toward the bottom of the tortilla in the center. Roll it up and put the taquito seam-side down on a baking sheet (the baking sheet needs to be lined with non-stick foil or parchment paper). When you've rolled all the taquitos, spray them lightly with cooking spray and sprinkle with salt.

Bake for 15 minutes. Serve and enjoy!

Single Layer Pumpkin Cake

You didn't think I'd forget the pumpkin recipes for fall, did you? Of course not! I'm looking around for pumpkin desserts that aren't the typical ones you see. I'll let you know if I find any others.

Notes: I was planning to top this cake with some white chocolate ganache, but I messed up the chocolate to cream ratio and it came out too thin. *sigh* Further proof that frosting and I have a troubled relationship. I ended up pouring it over the cake anyway, but I won't include it here.

You could top this cake in a number of different ways. Some powdered sugar would be great, or you can make some frosting if you feel enterprising.

If you don't have cake flour, you can use all purpose. I think the crumb is nice with the cake flour.

This recipe makes one single layer round cake. I cut mine into squares to make it easier to eat.

Ingredients (modified from Martha Stewart):
1 2/3 cup cake flour
1 1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 stick (8 tablespoons) butter, softened
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup milk, warmed
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 eggs

Directions: Heat the oven to 350

In an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until it's fluffy. Add in the eggs and beat until combined. Add in the milk and the pumpkin and mix until combined.

Add in the flour, salt, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, and baking soda. Stir until just combined.

Oil or butter a 9 inch round cake tin. Pour in the batter and bake for about 50 minutes until a tester comes out clean.

Cool in the pan for 20 minutes and then carefully remove to a cooling rack. Cool about 10 more minutes. Cut, serve, and enjoy!

Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos with Kale Honey Lime Topping

The weather is getting chilly, which is the perfect time to break out your slow cooker. But what should you put in it? How about something with just four ingredients? These slow cooker chicken tacos are perfect for a busy weeknight meal.

Notes: This an easy meal with just a few ingredients. It take no time at all to put together. When you get home from work, the chicken is ready for you whenever you're ready for it.

I loved the kale salad, but Scott was not so crazy about it. He thought it was overpowering. I thought it was different and refreshing. You be the judge!

If you didn't want to put the kale on top of the tacos, you could always eat it on the side. Toss some chopped nuts and maybe some fruit in the bowl and you'd have a delicious salad.

Ingredients:
1 1/2-2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 15 oz cans diced tomatoes
1 packet of taco seasoning
1 onion
Taco shells
Cheese of your choice (I used a Spanish cheese)

Kale Topping
1 small bunch or 1/2 large bunch kale
1 teaspoon honey
1 lime

Directions:

Slice the onion into rings. Lay them at the bottom of the slow cooker. Lay the chicken on top of the onions. Sprinkle half the taco seasoning packet on top of the chicken. Pour the tomatoes over the chicken and onions. Sprinkle the rest of the taco seasoning on top. Set on low for 8-10 hours.

About 30 minutes before you're ready to eat, add the honey to the bottom of large bowl. Slice the lime in half and squeeze out the juice. Whisk until combined.

Slice the kale thin and add it to the bowl. Using your hands, toss the kale in the dressing and massage as you toss. Keep massaging and tossing until the kale starts to get tender and shrinks down. Set aside.

Take the chicken out the slow cooker and shred it on a plate. Return it to the slow cooker and stir.

Heat up your taco shells, shred your cheese, and put everything together. Serve and enjoy!

My Favorite Buttermilk Biscuits + Pepper Fried Egg and Bacon Breakfast Sandwich

After many attempts at making buttermilk biscuits, I have perfected my recipe. Fluffy on the inside and golden brown on the outside---they're perfect for biscuits and gravy or a pepper fried egg and bacon breakfast sandwich!

Notes: I do one thing that all the biscuit recipes will tell you not to do: knead. Everyone says it will make your biscuits tough. But every Southern lady I've ever known kneads her biscuits. Once I started kneading, I finally got the consistency I was looking for. My biscuits also starting rising correctly. As long as you don't knead them like bread, it won't make them tough.

I think a pastry blender is incredibly helpful, so if you plan on making these a lot, I would invest in one. You can also use a dinner fork, but it will take you a little longer.

This is also my favorite way to make a fried egg. The whites are fully cooked, the bottom is a little brown and crispy, and the yolk is still runny. If you don't like your yolk runny, poke it before you flip it over.

Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk, cold
1 stick butter, cold

For the sandwich:
1 egg
1-2 strips of bacon
Pepper
Salt
Cheese of your choosing (optional)

Directions:

Heat the oven to 400. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Cut the cold butter into small cubes. Work the butter into the flour mixture with a pastry blender or a fork until the butter is the size of large peas.

Stir in the buttermilk. Once the dough comes together, knead it in the bowl for just a minute. Pat the dough out on to a floured service. Pat it into a circle that's about a 1/2 inch thick. Use a round cookie cutter (or an empty aluminum can) and cut out rounds. When you work your way through the circle, gather the scraps and reshape into a ball. Pat the dough out again and repeat until you use up all the dough (should make about 8-10 biscuits).

Bake for 18-20 minutes until golden brown.

While the biscuits are cooling, heat a skillet on medium. Cook the bacon. When the strips are done, put them on a plate lined with paper towel. Crack your egg right into the bacon grease. Sprinkle a liberal amount of pepper on the top and season with a little salt. Cook the egg on one side until the edges are a little crisp and brown and the whites are mostly set. Gently flip it over and turn the heat off. Let is sit for about 20 seconds. If you want cheese, lay it on top of the egg now.

Slice open a biscuit. Slide the egg from the skillet onto one of the halves. Top with bacon and make a sandwich. Enjoy!