Hazelnut Chocolate Cookies.

Published on by KellyInTheKitchen1 Comment

I found these cookies on smitten kitchen, and today was the perfect day to try them out. One thing that makes these so special is that, since the batter contains roasted hazelnuts, the kitchen starts to smell good long before you start the actual baking! And here’s a heads-up on a possible future post: I think my sister was on to something when she pointed out that this batter would make a heavenly pie crust.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup hazelnuts
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 cup brown rice flour (all-purpose flour works just fine, too)
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
1 egg
1 tbsp vanilla
handful of chocolate chips/discs/whatever shape your baking chocolate is

DIRECTIONS

Heat a pan on medium high and roast hazelnuts until fragrant but not browned or burned. Spread them out on a cutting board or sheet pan to cool.

In a food processor, pulse together cooled hazelnuts, sugar, flour, and salt until it reaches the texture of a not-quite-fine powder.

Transfer nuts and flour to a mixing bowl and stir in butter, egg, and vanilla. Cover and refrigerate 45 minutes to firm.

Preheat oven to 350 F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Remove dough from the fridge, form into balls, arrange on cookie sheet, and place back in the fridge to cool for another 15 minutes.

Remove dough from fridge. Make a small, shallow indentation in the center of each cookie and fill with chocolate (chips, discs, whatever). Place on middle rack and bake for about 12 minutes, until firm in the middle and golden around the bottom. When the cookies are done, remove them from the oven but let them cool on their baking sheet, without touching them, for 5 minutes, so that they firm up and hold together. Enjoy with a cup of hot chocolate or a glass of red wine!

Asparagus with Hard-boiled Egg Dressing.

Published on by KellyInTheKitchen1 Comment

Adapted from seven spoons, this alternative salad is unique, fresh, and bright. It’s perfect for dressing up a simple main dish, like a roasted chicken breast or mushroom ravioli. Welcome the spring with a vibrant and healthy asparagus dish, and watch out, or you might just eat the whole platter yourself.

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INGREDIENTS

2 hard boiled eggs, peeled and diced, whites and yolks separated
2 bunches asparagus, bases snapped off
1/8 tsp salt, plus more to taste
2 green onions, white parts finely diced, green parts sliced (keep them separate)
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp brown mustard
olive oil
red pepper flakes
parsley, chopped
pepper

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DIRECTIONS

In a medium-sized bowl (you’ll be mixing your dressing in here), stir together 1/8 tsp salt, the white parts of the green onion, and balsamic vinegar. Set aside.

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Fill a shallow pan with a bit less than an inch of water. Bring to a boil and add the asparagus. Cover and cook for 2 minutes, then remove from heat, drain, and place asparagus in an ice bath, so that they stay crisp and bright.

Combine mustard, half of the diced egg yolk, and 1 tbsp olive oil. Mix until smooth. While stirring, slowly add more olive oil until consistency is slightly runny. Stir in scallion mixture and egg whites, and add red pepper flakes, parsley, salt, and pepper to taste. Mix well.

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Place asparagus–either cold or hot, both are good!–on a platter and top with dressing. Garnish with remaining egg yolk and green parts of green onion. Happy St. Paddy’s Day!!

Cream Scones.

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I love tea! All types of tea, at all times of day, with any and all of the traditional tea accompaniments: tea sandwiches, bread and butter, little cakes, crumpets, scones… Let’s start with scones. A good scone has a somewhat dense but still fluffy texture and a touch of sweetness that pairs well with black tea. These scones have a little bit of crunch on the outside and a tender inside. They’re light as a cloud!

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cups cake flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp baking powder
3 tbsp sugar
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp ginger
5 tbsp cold butter, cut into cubes
2 eggs, divided
3/4 cups cold heavy cream
brown sugar

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 425 F.

Combine flours, salt, baking powder, sugar, cinnamon, and ginger in a mixer or food processor. Add butter and mix until combined, but still clumpy.

Add 1 egg and the cream and mix until starting to hold together. Knead the dough a few times on a floured surface until it holds, and form it into a ball. Roll it out into a disc about 3/4 inch thick.

Cut the dough pizza-style, into 8 triangular pizza-shaped slices. Place the slices on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Beat the remaining egg and brush it over each slice. Then sprinkle them with brown sugar to taste.

Bake for 14-18 minutes, until firm on the outside and starting to brown on the bottom. Serve warm, with jam and butter. Or clotted cream, yum. And don’t forget the steaming pot of tea!

Apple Cinnamon Coffee Cake.

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Yesterday I noticed that we had 2 apples that were about to go bad. I hate wasting perfectly good fruit, so I did some recipe-hunting and found some inspiration for an apple cake. After a few tweaks and additions, I came up with this super tasty coffee cake, with just the right sweetness and spice. A perfect accompaniment to my morning pot of Barry’s Irish Breakfast Tea (the best black tea on earth). Coffee cake is pure joy!

Apple Cinnamon Coffee Cake | KellyintheKitchen | 2 apples, 1/2 tbsp cinnamon, 2 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp lemon juice, 6 tbsp butter, heaping 1/2 cup brown sugar, 2 eggs, 3/4 cups flour, 1/2 tbsp baking powder, pinch of salt, 1/4 cup milk, 1/4 cup almonds, 1/8 tsp cinnamon, pinch of ground ginger

INGREDIENTS

2 apples, peeled and sliced thin
1/2 tbsp cinnamon
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp lemon juice
6 tbsp butter, room temperature
heaping 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cups flour (I’ve used half wheat, half all-purpose, and I’ve used just all-purpose. Both are good)
1/2 tbsp baking powder
pinch of salt
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup almonds, sliced or chopped
1/8 tsp cinnamon
pinch of ground ginger

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Toss sliced apples in cinnamon, sugar, and lemon juice. Set aside.

In another bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar until smooth. Add eggs one at a time. Sift in half the flour and stir to combine. Then stir in the milk. Finally, add the rest of the flour, the baking powder, and the salt. Stir until just combined.

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Grease a spring-form pan or other cake pan. Spread about half the batter on the bottom of the pan, and cover with apples. Then spread the remaining batter over the apples.

Combine almonds, cinnamon, and ginger, and sprinkle evenly over the cake. Bake for about 40 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. I don’t blame you if you dig right in, but cooling it slightly means it will cut a little cleaner. Yum!

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Red Lentil Soup.

Published on by KellyInTheKitchen1 Comment

I’m always on the lookout for new healthy, yummy, and portable dishes to bring to work for lunch. This bright and fragrant spiced lentil soup is full of protein and iron, and it’s sure to hold you over until you get home for dinner! And the best part is, dried lentils are so much faster and easier to cook with than many of their fellow legumes, which require soaking overnight. Lentils only cook 20-30 minutes until they’re tender and ready to eat!

INGREDIENTS:

1 large onion, diced
4 carrots, peeled and diced
3-5 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups red lentils, picked clean and rinsed
8 cups water or stock (I used homemade chicken stock, but vegetable stock is just as good)
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp turmeric
1/2 tsp coriander
1/4 tsp ground ginger
2 bay leaves
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil

DIRECTIONS

In a dutch oven or large soup pot, saute the carrot and onion in olive oil until soft. Add garlic and cook another minute or two.

Add the washed lentils and water or stock. Then add the cumin, turmeric, coriander, ginger, bay leaves, and salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook 20 – 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lentils are tender. Remove from heat.

A very yummy soup, even if one of your bay leaves is broken...

Discard bay leaves and puree in batches. Garnish with parsley and serve with crusty brown bread and butter.

Vegetable Pot Pie.

Published on by KellyInTheKitchen1 Comment

Growing up, my family used to make chicken pot pie using the easy recipe on the back of the Bisquick box. But the dish we’d end up with always turned out flavorless and dough-heavy. This recipe is your cure for the common pot pie! And you won’t miss the chicken at all; it’s so robust and flavorful that even the manliest carnivore won’t miss the meat!

INGREDIENTS

crust: (if you don’t want to make one, buy a pre-made crust–just make sure you have both a top and a bottom layer)
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup wheat flour
2 tbsp sugar
3/4 salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 cup cold butter
1 cup milk
egg wash: 1 egg and a splash of water or milk

filling:
1 cup quinoa
1 cup water or broth (I use homemade chicken stock)
olive oil
1 cup red onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tbsp rosemary
1/2 tsp salt
1/2  tsp cumin
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp paprika
1 cup carrots, diced
1 cup celery, diced
1 cup sweet potato, diced
1 cup spinach, julienned
1 cup frozen green peas
2 tbsp wheat flour
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp red wine
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 cup milk

DIRECTIONS

First, prepare the crust. Let the butter sit out while you mix the dry ingredients. Combine the flours, sugar, salt, pepper, and cumin with a fork. Then cut the butter into cubes and break it into the flour mixture, using a fork to combine. Chunks of butter are okay! They melt and make the crust flaky and good.

Slowly stir in the milk. You might not need it all–add just enough until the dough holds loosely together. Cut the dough in half, cover, and refrigerate while you prepare the filling.

Cook the quinoa. Bring one cup quinoa and one cup liquid to a boil, then turn down to simmer until the liquid is absorbed. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium. Cook onion, garlic, rosemary, paprika, salt, cumin, and pepper until onion starts to soften, about 3 minutes.

Add celery, carrot, and sweet potato and cook until veggies start to brown, about 8 minutes.

While the veggies cook, prepare the bottom layer of crust. On a floured surface, roll out half the dough until it’s slightly larger than the size of your pie pan. Drape the dough over the pan, and press it into the sides to fit. Trim the edges. Bake the crust for about 8 minutes and then remove from the oven.

Back to the vegetables. Stir in the flour to evenly coat the veggies. Cook out the raw flour taste, about 2 minutes.

Now add soy sauce, red wine, and lemon juice. Stir to combine. Cook for another minute before adding milk. Simmer until the milk becomes like a gravy or sauce, and remove from heat.

In a large mixing bowl, combine cooked veggies, spinach, peas, and quinoa. Fill your pie crust.

Now prepare the top crust. On a floured surface, roll out the second half of the dough so that it will fit easily over your pie. Trim the edges and crimp the two layers of crust together using the prongs of a fork.

Make the egg wash by scrambling the egg and adding a splash or water or milk. Brush it over the crust, especially along the crimped edge.

Poke a few holes in the center with your fork and bake for 15 minutes. Brush with egg wash once more, and return to the oven for 10-15 more minutes, for a total bake time of 25-30 minutes. Let it cool a bit and enjoy!