Farmers' Market Pasta and Sunflower Flax Bread

My best friend, Christina, visited for the weekend! We have been close since our sophomore year at the University of Idaho and lived together for two years at Kappa Delta. Through my move across the country and her long hours as an auditor at KPMG, we have prioritized to see each other 3-4 times a year and have kept a blissful friendship. She moved to Pennyslvania in July,was recently recruited by Corning Inc and begins her new awesome job at the end of the month. I could not be more proud of her! During her visit, we attended our first Wake Forest Football Tailgate, celebrated ChristinaPalooza with some of our new friends, had long talks about our dreams for the future and shopped at the local Farmers' Market. We both love cooking and eating healthy fare. She is training for the New York City Marathon in November so this post is carb-loaded!

Farmers' Market Pasta

Homemade Pasta
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 local egg
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup water (more to make a smooth dough)

Knead all ingredients until you have a smooth, elastic dough ball. Roll out and cut into noodles. Let dry for at least an hour.

Farmers' Market Sauce
5 tablespoons olive oil
6 cloves garlic
3 red dried chilis (red pepper flakes work too)
1 chopped red onion
2 cups cherry tomatoes (halved)
2 cups zucchini sliced in small chunks
1/2 cup basil
salt and pepper

Saute garlic, onion and red chilis in olive oil for 5 minutes.
Add tomatoes and zucchini.
Cover pan and let simmer for 10 minutes. Stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, boil pasta for 2 minutes.
Add basil, cooked pasta and salt and pepper.
Saute all ingredients for 2 minutes.
Serve with fresh grated parmesan cheese and fresh cracked pepper.

Sunflower Flax Bread

1 1/3 cup warm water
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon yeast
1/4 cup vital wheat fluten
1/4 cup self-rising bread flour
1 1/2 cup whole wheat bread flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup flax seeds
1 teaspoon salt

In a stand mixer, beat together warm water, oil and honey. Let sit for 10 minutes.
Add wheat gluten, flour, rolled oats, sunflower seeds, flax seeds and salt.
Knead for 10 minutes until a smooth elastic ball forms.
Let rise for at least an hour or until doubled in size.
Shape and put into loaf pan.
Let rise for another hour and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Black Bean/Black Eyed Pea Dip and Date Bars

Last night, I hosted 10 beautiful ladies at my house for wine and conversation. Most of these women are partners of First Year MBA students and we had a few gals who are new to the Winston-Salem community. It was a lovely evening of building community and further emphasized that Blake and I ended up in the right place for B-school.

We dined on appetizers including black bean/black eyed pea dip with veggies and Food Should Taste Good chips, cream cheese spread with homemade strawberry jam,  healthy date bars, desserts from Mt. Airy (home of Andy Griffith) and local watermelon.

My new friends asked for the recipes for the dip and date bars so here goes (please note I never follow a recipe so hopefully my measurements are correct).

Black Bean/Black Eyed Pea Dip
1 cup black beans
1 cup black eyed peas
2 small red onions
2 jalepenos
1 cup hot salsa
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp chili powder
1 cup cilantro
juice from 1 lime
2 tsp salt

Process all ingredients in a food processor or mash with a fork.
Serve with veggies and chips or fold into tortillas for delicious burritos or quesadillas.

Date Bars

Crust and Topping
1 1/2 cups almonds
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 tsp salt
2 tsp almond extract
10 dates
1/4 cup canola oil
2 tbsp honey

Filling
24 dates
1/2 cup water

Process almonds, rolled oats, salt, almond extract, dates, canola oil and honey in food processor or blender.
In an 8 by 8 pan, spread out half of the almond mixture and put the other half in a bowl to use for the topping.
Process dates and water for filling.
Top crust with filling and top with additional almond mixture.
Refrigerate for at least two hours and cut into 1-inch squares.
Serve or store in fridge or freezer.

These date bars make a beautiful dessert that you can feel good about serving your friends.

No Bake Cookie Granola Bars

It's been a long hiatus since I last posted. Blake and I have moved to Winston-Salem, NC as he begins his new journey as a Wake Forest MBA Student and I have continued to work for the University of Virginia from my home office. We are absolutely loving North Carolina! The fresh produce is endless, the days are warm and the people are incredibly friendly! We are getting settled in and meeting lots of new friends. Since we arrived, I have traveled to Virginia Beach, Indiana, Raleigh, Charlotte and made two return trips to Charlottesville. I enjoy traveling and sometimes find it hard to find healthy fare. When I was a child, one of my favorite treats were chocolotely no-bake cookies. Of course, the original recipe is loaded with butter and processed sugar, two things I try to limit in my daily life. Here is a raw healthy version that is packed full of whole grains, protein, natural sweetener and filling fiber.

No Bake Cookie Granola Bars
3 cups rolled oats
1 cup dates
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup natural peanut butter
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup roasted peanuts (unsalted)

Process rolled oats and dates in a food processor. Add honey, peanut butter, cocoa and salt. Add enough water (about 1 cup) to make a sticky consitency. Add roasted peanuts and pulse until coursely chopped.

Add mixture to a cake pan and put in refrigerator for at least one hour. Cut into individual squares and wrap in plastic wrap. Store in freezer.

These make incredible travel and school snacks!

Homemade Carnitas Tacos

The Third Annual Armstrong Cinco de Mayo party was a success! We celebrated my favorite holiday of the year surrounded by friends and dined on homemade pork tacos. As I mentioned in my previous post, I bought myself a cast iron tortilla press which added an extra special touch to this year's fiesta! Many of my friends raved about the homemade tortillas and carnitas and asked for the recipes. I promise, they are much easier (and healthier) than you think!

Homemade Tortillas
2 cups Masa Harina (I used Bob's Mill brand and it worked great)
1 1/2 cups hot water
1/4 teaspoon salt

In a bowl, mix masa harina and salt. Add water slowly and begin incorporating with hands until a soft and not sticky dough is formed. Once you achieve the correct consistency, knead dough for 5 minutes.
Let rest in a bowl covered with plastic wrap for one hour, this step is important to let the gluten develop.
Divide dough into 16 small balls. Roll out with rolling pin between two pieces of parchment paper (use tortilla press if you have one). Heat a cast iron skillet and cook tortillas for about 1 minute on each side. Keep tortillas warm in a dry dish towel.

Crock Pot Carnitas

1 pork tenderloin
1 15-ounce jar of tomatillo salsa
2  chopped bell peppers
1 chopped red onion
2 chopped jalapenos

This is one of my favorite party recipes because it is incredibly easy, healthy and my friends love it! Put all of the ingredients into a crock pot and cook on low for 7-8 hours.

Chana Masala (Chickpeas in a Tomato Cream Sauce)

It has been an exciting week! It started off with a Wine and Beer tasting in Yorktown, Virginia with the UVaClub of the Peninsula and will end tomorrow night with the Annual Armstrong Cinco de Mayo party. As I have mentioned in the past, it is my favorite holiday and this year I bought myself a present, a cast iron tortilla press! Blake also bought me a gift of unlimited Bikram Yoga in our next home, Winston-Salem!

On Monday, Darden held a beautiful celebration for my friend and mentor, Fred Drake, who passed away from cancer last week. I was humbled to be asked to speak to the community and was able to share beautiful words that he wrote me on my last day as a Darden employee. He spoke from the heart and told me I was the daughter he never had...pretty touching words, especially with his recent passing. Tomorrow we will gather again to celebrate his life's achievements including being at NASA when man first landed on the moon, dancing with Jackie O. Kennedy and serving Darden's students as a career consultant for 10 years. However, it's not his achievements that I will remember. Instead, I will recall his passion and zest for life and his unwavering kindness towards his wife, son, siblings and friends. I love you Fred Drake, thank you for teaching me invaluable life lessons!

As you can tell from reading my blog, I have a passion for cooking and creating new recipes. Chana Masala (one of my favorite Indian dishes) is one of my recent go-to recipes because it is spicy, full of nutrition and delicious!

1 15-oz can chickpeas (drained and rinsed)
1 26-oz can whole tomatoes
1 cup water
5 whole carrots (peeled and chopped)
1 red onion
1 red pepper (diced)
3 tablespoons ginger garlic sauce
2 tablespoons low-fat cream cheese
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
2 tablespoons curry powder
1 tablespoon guam masala
1/4 teaspoon red pepper (more if you like it spicier)
1 teaspooon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil

Heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add cumin seeds and cook for 2-3 minutes.
Add onion, carrots, peppers, ginger garlic sauce, and spices. Cook for 4-5 minutes.
Add canned tomatoes and water. Bring to simmer and cook for 20 minutes.
Remove pot from heat and stir in cream cheese.
Serve over hot brown jasmine rice. Enjoy!

Butternut Squash Lasagna

Blake and I have big news to share! We will be moving to Winston-Salem, NC as he enters the world of an MBA student at Wake Forest University. Red Carpet Weekend was two weeks ago and we signed a lease on a duplex one mile from the Business School and paid our deposit. We made friends with some restaunteurs in town, met some of his classmates and their partners, and I found an awesome Bikram Yoga studio! While I am sad to leave Charlottesville, a place that has given us so many friends and mentors, I am excited for our next chapter.

In advance of our move, I have been trying to clean out the freezer and I found some frozen butternut squash left over from our CSA last fall. This was an experimental dish and it turned out wonderfully healthy and delicious.

Layer 1 (Whole Wheat Lasagna Noodles)
12 whole wheat oven ready lasagna noodles

Layer 2
5 cups spinach

1 large red onion
6 oz part skim ricotta cheese
1 cup provolone cheese
1 egg
1/4 cup basil leaves
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil

Saute onion in olive oil and sauted for 5 minutes. Add spinach and wilt.
Mix together cheeses, egg, basil and salt and pepper.
Add spinach mixture to cheese mixture.

Layer 3 (Butternut Squash)
3 cups roasted butternut squash

Layer 4 (Spicy Tomato Sauce)
15 oz can crushed fire-roasted tomatoes
4 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 cup  torn basil leaves
2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons olive oil

Sauted garlic, oregano, basil leaves and red pepper flakes in olive oil.
Add tomatoes and simmer for 20 minutes.

Begin layering lasagna starting with layer 1 and ending with layer 4. Repeat until you have used all of the ingredients. Top with 1 cup of parmesan cheese.

Bake at 375 for 45 minutes or until bubbly. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

Homemade Pasta and Banana Pancakes

Blake and I traveled to Andrews Airforce Base two weeks ago to spend the weekend with one of my best friends, Jess and her husband, Mica. As I mentioned in a previous post, they just moved east from Buckley Airforce Base in Colorado. Jess will be leaving for Afghanistan on Wednesday for a short-term deployment until September.

We had a wonderful time during our visit. Jess and I cooked a delicious dinner of roasted chicken, homemade pasta and sauted asparagus for the boys and spent hours catching up over glasses of sparkling and red wine on Friday. Saturday was spent playing with the dogs, eating delicious food all over Capitol Hill on a walk/food tour and taking in the beautiful night sky in downtown DC while Sunday was filled with homemade banana pancakes and a round of golf. I simply cannot convey how proud I am of my beautiful friend and our country's military. Please take a moment today to say a prayer and thank our soldiers for sacrificing time with their families and friends to protect our nation.

Homemade Pasta
2 cups flour
2 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
water

Knead flour, eggs and salt with enough water to make a soft ball. This will take several minutes of kneading. Roll out as thinly as possible (cut into noodles or cute shapes).

Bring water to a boil and cook noodles for 2 minutes. Serve with homemade sauce.

Banana Pancakes
1 cup uncooked rolled oats

1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour

1/4 cup raw sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 egg

2 cups milk

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 bananas, mashed

Mix together dry ingredients in one bowl and wet ingredients, including bananas, into another bowl.

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix until combined and still slightly lumpy.

Head griddle to medium-high and spray with pam.

Cook pancakes about 2 minutes on each side.

Serve with pure maple syrup, homemade fruit syrup or peanut butter.