Green Tea Pound Cake

Think outside the tea bag for a minute. I love the flavor of tea in cakes and desserts. I have to make my Earl Grey Tea Cake and Chamomile Almond Torte for ya'll soon (like you would let me forget). 

One of my all time favorite desserts is the green tea ice cream and I never pass an opportunity to devour some.  So, got me to the brilliant idea of baking a green tea cake. Lets see if it turns as good as I think it will.

Ideally, one would use Matcha or Sencha powders in the batter but since I don't have any I will be splitting open my tea bags and using it in my cake. You can blitz it in a coffee grinder to make a fine powder but I am keeping the leaves as it for a mild texture in my cake.

RECIPE: Green Tea Pound Cake

Ingredients

• 1 Cup All-purpose flour
• ½ tsp Baking soda
• ½ tsp Sea salt
• 2 tsp Matcha/Sencha tea bags split open
• 1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp Sugar
• 1/4 Cup Sunflower oil
• 1/4 Cup Apple sauce
• 2 large Eggs
• 1/4 Cup Greek yogurt
• 1 tsp Vanilla flavor

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and grease grease a loaf pan with cooking spray.

2. In a large bowl, beat together sugar, oil, apple sauce, eggs, yogurt and vanilla until smooth.

3. Sift together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, salt and green tea leaves into the larger bowl, mixing as you go in make sure it is all incorporated and the mixture is smooth.

4. Pour batter into the prepared loaf pan.

5. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

6. Cool on wire rack for 20 minutes before turning out of the pan.

7. Before serving dust with powdered sugar and serve with sliced, fresh strawberries or with fresh blueberries and a dollop of Mascarpone and of course a pot of freshly brewed green tea.

 Makes about 10 servings with roughly 172 calories per slice. Its a dessert after all. Hope you enjoy making it and leave me a comment with your favorite baking with tea recipe.

Nutrition Facts
Servings 10.0
Amount Per Serving
calories 172
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 6 g	10 %
Saturated Fat 1 g	5 %
Monounsaturated Fat 4 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 37 mg	12 %
Sodium 17 mg	1 %
Potassium 37 mg	1 %
Total Carbohydrate 26 g	9 %
Dietary Fiber 0 g	2 %
Sugars 16 g
Protein 3 g	6 %
Vitamin A	1 %
Vitamin C	2 %
Calcium	1 %
Iron	4 %

"Dump it" Breakfast Loaf

You all know what crazy mornings look like. Everyone is in a mad rush to get out the door and no time to make breakfast. This recipe works great and makes a perfect to go breakfast if you do a little pre-planning and make it the day before. There is no recipe as such, just find stuff in the fridge and dump it in a loaf pan. Seriously, its that easy and different each time depending on what I have.

RECIPE: 'Dump it" Breakfast Loaf

2 Cups left over Mushroom and herb Risotto from a previous meal
1 grated Zucchini
1/2 grated Sweet Potato
6 Egg whites
1 diced Serrano pepper (optional) or red pepper flakes
herbs like parsley or cilantro
salt and pepper to taste.
1 Tomato, slices

Method

Pre heat oven to 350 degrees. Dump everything in a mixing bowl and stir together. Pour mixture into a loaf pan and garnish with tomato slices. Bake it in the oven for 45 minutes or till the egg sets.

Now this proportion yields about 5 slices and its roughly only 160 calories per slice.

Hope you try your variations and don't forget to share them with me. Hope you enjoy making it.

Make life easy: A little planning and forethough

The long weekend was hectic with Valentines and Monday being a school holiday. I knew I had a lot packed into my 4 day week with school commitments for my boys, after school activities and personal commitments. Where am I going with this?

This blog post is about putting a little planning and forethought in the way you shop and cook to make weekday mealtimes a little less stressful. Yes, I can always stop at a fast food drive through on the way back from our activities and I actually enjoy doing that once in a while but doing that often leads to a massive guilt trip and it’s a health compromise.

I made the grocery list with the boys and shopped with them Monday, makes for a fun outing as they love to pick the “just right” produce and bag it for me J. It’s a mini lesson on reading labels for them too. My 11 year old picked up a can of chicken soup because it looked super fun with alphabet pasta. The label said “For Kids” and used words like natural and healthy. That got us to reading the label and he figured out there was not much healthy in there with 27% of your daily intake of sodium.

When I know I have some busy days ahead of me I make a few dishes in advance and portion them out into individual boxes and use them as needed. These make for perfect balanced and nutritious meals on the go. You can heat it up at home after a long day of running around or take them with you for lunch etc. Today on the menu was,

Chicken Piccata, Mushroom and Herb Risotto and Sautéed Asparagus and Shiitake Mushrooms. (Click on the links for recipes).

The younger audience loved it too :)

Sautéed Asian Asparagus and Shiitake Mushrooms

Recently saw this recipe featured on an episode of Americas Test Kitchen and am totally obsessed with it. I have used a very similar sauce to make a variation of Mapo Tofu in the past and love the sweet/tangy Asian flair to it so decided to make it today. It is fairly simple and takes a few minutes from start to finish.

RECIPE: Sauteed Asian Asparagus and Shiitake Mushrooms

Ingredients

Sauce,
2 Tbsp water
1 Tbsp Sherry, cooking wine
2 tsp Brown sugar
1 Tbsp Soy Sauce
1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
1 tsp, sesame oil

1 Tbsp vegetable oil (to saute vegetables)
1 bunch Asparagus, cut
1 box Shiitake Mushrooms, sliced

Method

1. To make sauce, combine the water, sherry, brown sugar, soy sauce, ginger and sesame oil.
2. In a cast iron skillet heat the vegetable oil on medium heat for a few minutes till the oil is very hot and the chopped vegetables. Stir occasionally and let the veggies brown a bit. 
3. Add the sauce and let thicken, stir occasionally till the liquid is almost dry.

Enjoy!

Chicken Piccata

RECIPE: Chicken Piccata

Ingredients

1/4 Cup Flour
2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp sea salt
black pepper to taste
red pepper flakes to taste
6 Breast cutlets, boneless

2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp butter
1/2 Cup chicken stock
1/4 Cup dry White wine (I used Sauvignon Blanc)
1/4 cup brined capers with 1Tbsp juice
Fresh Flat Leaf Parsley, chopped

Method

1. Mix together the first 5 ingredients, flour, cheese, sea salt, black pepper and red pepper in a bowl. Set aside.
2. Preheat your cast iron skillet on medium heat. Once hot add the olive oil and butter to it.
3. Rinse the chicken pieces and coat them with the flour mixture thoroughly. Add the chicken pieces to the pan in a single layer. I had to do them in 2 batches. Brown well on each side for 2-3 minutes. Once all of them are done, place them on a baking sheet and stick them in the oven at 200-250 degrees to fully cook and stay warm so you can get the sauce ready.
4. In the same skillet add chicken broth, wine, capers with some brine. scrape up everything from the pan and let the liquid reduce to half and thicken slightly. plate the chicken and pour the sauce over it. Garnish with parsley.

Hope you make this and enjoy it with your family.

Shrimp Saute with Soft Polenta

Shrimp Saute with Soft Polenta

Have you ever eaten cream of wheat, grits, oat bran, oatmeal, steel cut oats? If yes stay with me.

I personally love all of the above and it makes for an absolute comfort food in my book. My day has to start with one of these delicious whole grains or something feels amiss. Now that you all are familiar with my extreme attachment to the grains above, Polenta for me belongs to the same family. The soft, almost saucelike polenta in this recipe is absolutely divine.

If there is a polenta dish on the menu, I have got to order it. Not many have passed my perfect polenta test. On a recent visit to Emmer and Rye, I tried their Polenta, Fermented Mushroom, Fresh Shiitake, Mint and Marigold Spuma. They were pretty darned close to nailing it with the exception of adding too much butter/cream which took away from the flavors of other ingredients but the texture and consistency of the soft Polenta was perfection.

I have made a few different versions over the years but my absolute favorite is this Mario Batali’s variation that I am making today. Another great addition to this recipe would be adding fresh mushrooms. The flavors will work really well together.

RECIPE: Shrimp Saute with Soft Polenta

Ingredients

1 Tbsp Sugar

1 Cup Quick Cooking Polenta

1/4 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Salt to taste

4 Scallions, thinly sliced

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

3 Tbsp Tomato paste

1/2 Cup Dry White wine

1 1/2 Lb Shelled Shrimp

1/4 Cup Coarsely Chopped flat Leaf Parsley

1 Tbsp Fresh Lemon Juice

1 1/2 tsp finely grated Lemon Zest

Ground Black Pepper to taste.

Method

1. In a medium saucepan, bring 5 cups of water to a boil with the sugar. Whisk in the polenta in a thin stream. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir in 3 tablespoons of the olive oil and season with salt. Press a piece of parchment paper directly onto the surface of the polenta and keep warm. This will prevent the top layer of the polenta getting hard.
2.  In a large skillet, heat the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the scallions and crushed red pepper and cook over moderate heat for 1 minute. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, until slightly darkened, about 3 minutes. Add the wine and 1/4 cup of water and simmer over moderately high heat for 1 minute. Add the shrimp and simmer, stirring, until just cooked through, about 2 minutes. Stir in the parsley, lemon juice and lemon zest and season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat.
3. Rewarm the polenta over moderately high heat, whisking constantly. Spoon a pool of polenta in the center of 8 shallow bowls. Spoon the shrimp and sauce over and around the polenta and serve right away.

In a large skillet, heat the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the scallions and crushed red pepper and cook over moderate heat for 1 minute. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, until slightly darkened, about 3 minutes. 

Add the wine and 1/4 cup of water and simmer over moderately high heat for 1 minute.

Add the shrimp and simmer, stirring, until just cooked through, about 2 minutes. Stir in the parsley, lemon juice and lemon zest and season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat.

In a medium saucepan, bring 5 cups of water to a boil with the sugar. Whisk in the polenta in a thin stream. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir in 3 tablespoons of the olive oil and season with salt. 

Press a piece of parchment paper directly onto the surface of the polenta and keep warm. This will prevent the top layer of the polenta getting hard.

Hope you enjoy making this recipe with your family,. don't forget to leave me feedback and also tell me more about the kind of things that you would like me to cover. Hope ya"ll have a great day!

Restaurant Review: Emmer and Rye

Emmer and Rye

51 Rainey St
Austin, TX 78701

Price range: $$$$

Finally got to try one of the top 10 Restaurants rated by Zagat. (https://www.zagat.com/l/austin/the-hottest-new-restaurants-in-austin?zagatbuzzid=jan16week3&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=austin20160118)

First the good things about the evening, loved the decor and ambiance. It was cozy and romantic with a beautiful decor. The service was great and the wine/cocktail selection was very good. The Dessert, Tres Leches Cheesecake was by far one of the better one's I have had and I have had quite a few being one of my favorite desserts. Great job nailing that one.

The Dinner on the other hand was a different story for me, everything was laden with butter and cream which masked and took away from the real flavor of the ingredients. For example, a couple tapas style dishes had some drippings and sauces that should ideally be served with a dry crusty bread to mop up the flavors from it. We had to ask for some bread on the side that came as two sad looking sourdough pieces for fried bread and a giant dollop of butter, totally lacked appeal and finesse you expect from a fine meal. It was still dripping oil from the deep frying so no chance of soaking up any flavor. 

I would give it 3 stars at the most as my overall rating. Hope this helps with choosing your next dinner date night.

Pan Seared Tuna Steak Salad

Pan-seared Tuna Steak Salad

Following up on last weeks post about healthy eating and how fresh foods pack a lot more punch than processed foods. Real food that is healthy and nutritious does not have to be boiled, bland mush. I will be featuring more recipes on healthy eating in the coming weeks with the calorie breakdown. Eating fresh and "clean" (has been way overused and I dislike the word) does take a little prepping, planning, some chopping but then the benefits make up for the hard work. Any achievements you want to make have to come with a little effort and hard work. 

The salad might look super fancy and laborious but I promise it only a few ingredients and was super quick and easy to make. I get my Tuna steaks from Costco for their quality and freshness but you can pick any store that works for you. A Tuna steak that I cooked was 1.37 lbs so don't assume its 1 portion. Mine turned out to be 4, 6 oz portions so please be mindful of portion sizes. 6 oz meat should look like the size of your fist. If Tuna is not your thing you can replace it with any meat of choice.

For a Steak that big I seared my tuna on a cast iron skillet (pre-heated medium low heat) for 4 minutes on each side for a medium cooked steak. You can season it with just salt and pepper or amp it up with the spice blend. If you like it fully cooked or medium rare, alter the timings accordingly. So it took me 8-10 minutes to get this ready and a few minutes to toss the salad. 

Number	Food	Calories
1 6 Oz	Tuna Steak (Costco)	195
1 Cup	Organic Romaine Salad	7
1 Cup	Broccoli slaw	20
1 tsp	Sprouted Pumpkin seeds (Go Raw, Costco)	45
2 Tbsp	Champagne Pear Vinaigrette (Trader Joes)	50
1 Spray	Olive oil non stick spray	5
Total		322 Calories

Let me know if you would like to see more quick and easy food ideas.

New Year Resolution: Anti-Starvation Diet

No, I have not lost it (not yet) but if I see one more new year resolution related cleanse or lose weight overnight, I will. Now that all the holidays and parties have taken a back seat in the new year, diet and health resolutions are in full swing (says the parking lot at my gym). I am not the one to shy away from food since I love to cook and eat but that can be done in a healthy way. Starving has never worked for anyone and once we understand that, life will be a lot less complicated and successful. 

Who has read the recent article about Tom Brady and his Victoria Secret Model wife's diet? Something to read and think about.(http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/tom-brady-s-personal-chef-details-quarterback-s-diet-201642671.html) I will keep my opinions to myself on this one. 

Today is a little preview on how you can have a healthy and satisfying snack when hunger strikes and not reach for the 100 calorie snack packs. This is a whole new can of worms and my pet peeve. Every time you grab the 100 calorie snack packs and feel you did good today by staying under the calorie count or not indulging and overeating, flip the pack and read the ingredients. Simply put, IF YOU CAN'T READ THEM, YOU CAN'T EAT THEM. Nothing compares to the fresh, real food that you can eat. I did a post sometime ago about eating foods in its natural forms and trying to stay away from processed foods as much as possible. The calories might be more in the snack I am about to put forth but the body knows how to process it compared to the chemicals that it cannot detect how to process and then store as fat. Another big difference is the satiety level of fresh foods vs. processed packaged food that causes more cravings by messing with your insulin levels.

Here is my go to snack when hunger strikes and it does strike us all.

Number	Food	Calories
1 Slice	Ezekiel Sprouted Seseme Bread, toasted	80
1	Egg, Hard boiled	70
1/2	Tomato, sliced	10
6 slices	Cucumber	5
1 Cup	Power Greens Trio	10
1/4	Avocado, sliced	50
1 tsp	Balsamic vinegar	5
Salt and pepper	To taste
Total		230 calories

Enjoy and leave a comment if you would like to see more healthy food options that are quick and easy.