Roasted Beet Salad

Let's say someone, hypothetically, were to spread obscene quantities of Nutella onto obscene numbers of pretzel crisps.  Let's say said someone did that several times a week.

And let's say on off days that person made chocolate chip cookies with real butter.

Do you think that person would be salvaged by eating greens every day? Twice a day? Triple portions laden with healthy oils and protein?

I'm not saying I know anyone like that. (I wouldn't associate with anyone THAT unbalanced.)

But if I did, do you think all those greens would save her soul?

Roasted Beet Salad, inspired by a recipe shared by my wonderful CSA, Earthen Harvest
Serves 2 as a main dish salad

2 beets, scrubbed and unpeeled

1 clove garlic

a couple dozen mint leaves 

4 t red wine vinegar
¼ cup olive oil
¼ teaspoon dijon mustard
a pinch of sugar

salt and pepper to taste
1 head of Romaine lettuce, coarsely chopped

some goat cheese, optional

Preheat the oven to 425*. Wrap the beets in foil and roast until fork tender (45-60 minutes). Allow the beets to cool and remove the skins (you may want to wear gloves).

Cut the beets into small pieces, about 1/2 inch square.

Finely mince the garlic and mint. In a small jar, combine the vinegar, oil, mustard, sugar, salt and pepper. 

Toss the beets with half of the vinaigrette and allow to marinate for at least an hour or two. 

Immediately before serving, toss the lettuce with the other half of the marinade. Put the beets over the lettuce and crumble goat cheese over the top if desired.

Linking this up to Melt in Your Mouth Monday, Hearth and Soul Hop, Let's Do Brunch, Real Food Wednesdays. Also submitting to Weekend Herb Blogging, hosted this week by Mele Cotte.

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Cherry Muffins and Flowers (Baking with Dorie)

I promise. I am good at following instructions. I can usually follow a recipe to the t. So how did a Fluted Polenta and Ricotta Cake (with Figs) become a combination of Cherry Muffins and Flower? Um. I'm not quite sure.

The first problem was that I didn't have any figs. Sad state of affairs when you're trying to make a recipe that calls for sixteen of them. Sixteen moist, plump Mission figs, to be exact.

Undettered, I forged ahead, planning to swap dried cherries for the figs, and to add some thyme to make up for the ordinariness of the cherries.

By the time I realized I didn't have a 10 1/2 inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom, there was no turning back. So I didn't. What should have been an elegant cake became a very approachable batch of muffins and cookies. Oh, did I mention that I left out the baking powder? The good news? They're terrific. Dorie does it again. In spite of me.

Cherry Muffins and Flowers, adapted from Baking: From my Home to Yours
Makes a dozen muffins and about a dozen small cookies; 30 minutes prep time
1 cup ricotta cheese

1/3 cup tepid water

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup honey

grated zest of 1 lemon

1 stick butter, melted

2 large eggs

1 cup yellow cornmeal

1/2 cup flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup dried cherries

Leaves from one sprig of thyme, optional

Preheat the oven to 350*. Line 12 muffin tins with baking cups and spray a small square pan with Pam. 

In a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the ricotta and water together on low speed until totally smooth. This will take a few minutes. 

Add the sugar, honey, and lemon zest and turn up the speed a bit. Beat for another couple of minutes till light. 

Add the melted butter and the eggs. Beat for another minute or two, till smooth. 

Add the cornmeal, flour and salt. Beat briefly till combined. Stir in the cherries and thyme (if you're using it) by hand. 

Spoon most of the batter into the muffin cups. Pour what's left into the baking pan. (You should have just a thin layer.) Bake the cake for about 15 minutes, till firm and golden. Leave the muffins in for about 10 minutes longer (25 minutes total) till a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 

When the cake is cool, use your favorite cookie cutter to cut pretty shapes. Cool the muffins completely before eating. (These also freeze great!)

Read my fellow bloggers' recipes over at Baking with Dorie! 


Linking this up to Muffin Monday. 

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Baking with Dorie: Great Grains Muffins

I've always been skeptical of people who eat muffins for breakfast. Buttery scones and biscuits are all very good and well. So are French Toast or even chocolate pancakes.

But these muffins have me convinced. After all, they are make with three different whole grains, plus some dried fruit. They don't have very much sugar at all, and I suspect you could replace it with maple syrup. So they've got to be good for you. 

I don't claim to be a nutritionist but I can tell you this: these guys taste healthy. And good. A great way to start my day.

Great Grains Muffins, adapted from Baking: From my Home to Yours
Makes a dozen muffins; 30 minutes prep time

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup white flour
• 2/3 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/3 cup cornmeal
• 1/3 cup oats
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 2 eggs
• 1 stick butter, melted and cooled slightly
• 3/4 cup dried fruit (I used a mix of dried cherries, raisins, and chopped prunes)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400*. Line a muffin tin with paper cups.
2. Mix all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the buttermilk with the maple syrup, eggs, and butter.
3. Pour the liquids over the dry ingredients and stir until combined. Don't overmix - these are muffins; they don't need to be real smooth. Stir in the fruit.
4. Spoon the batter into the muffin cups and bake for about 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into one of the muffins comes out clean. Cool well before removing from the pan.
5. Eat fresh or wrap and freeze for another time. These rewarm perfectly in the microwave, or you can just defrost them on the counter for an hour or so.

Prep Time: 20 min Cook Time: 10 min Ready in: 30 min

Read my fellow bloggers' recipes over at Baking with Dorie!
Linking this up to Weekend Bloggy Reading and Craft Schooling Sunday. 

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Baking with Dorie: Honey Nut Scones

I'm pleased to join the Baking with Dorie group, a small group of bloggers who post about recipes from Dorie Greenspan's Baking: From my home to yours. Thank you for welcoming me in!

I know I should be ashamed to admit this on a blog that is supposed to be both healthy and ordinary. But every once in a while, when I'm feeling particularly relaxed (or hungry) I do enjoy me a good buttery breakfast of biscuits or scones (preferably accompanied by tea with milk to make it feel authentically British). I've posted my favorite biscuit recipe over on my other blog.  And I think I have found a favorite scone recipe too!

Scones are a wonderful, luxurious, special occasion breakfast. These are unusual because they have - you guessed it - honey and nuts. (I used pecans instead of walnuts.) They also call for regular milk instead of buttermilk.

This recipe appears on page 31 of Baking: From my home to yours. For those of you who don't own the cookbook, I've copied my version of it below, adapted from the original.

Honey Nut Scones, from Baking: From my home to yours
The original recipe calls for walnuts, which I don't care for. I substituted pecans and they were wonderful. Feel free to use walnuts if you prefer. 


1 large egg
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 cup cold whole milk (or use part skim milk and part cream, which is what I did)
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut in pieces
1/2 cup chopped pecans


Preheat the oven to 400*. Line a baking sheet with foil.

Mix together the egg, honey and milk.

Combine the flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Add in the butter and use your fingers to rub it into the dry ingredients. (I love this part! Enjoy the texture of the butter and the coarseness of the grains. It's like a personal massage!)

When the butter is in pea-sized pieces, pour in the liquid ingredients. Mix briefly and then add in the nuts. Gently knead the dough for just a minute or two till it all comes together. Turn it onto a work surface and divide it in half. Flatten each piece and pat it into a circle. Cut each circle in 5 or 6 wedges and put on the baking sheet.

Bake the scones for about 20 minutes till golden. Cool for at least a few minutes before devouring with jam, cream cheese, or simply plain.

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