CEIMB: Shortcut Collard Greens

I still do not know exactly what's going on with the Craving Ellie in My Belly group. For a few weeks now, there has not been a new recipe chosen for us, as nobody has heard from the group's leader. It's been sad, really. I loved cooking along with the group and always looked forward to it. Plus, at this point we're all getting concerned for our leader. I just hope everything's okay with her.

All is not lost, though! Thanks to a couple people in the group (Joanne of Applecrumbles, and Peggy of Pantry Revisited), we are still cooking! They have decided to continue choosing recipes from Ellie's vast collection, and this week's choice was her Shortcut Collard Greens.

As luck would have it, Andy and I have been wanting to try collard greens for quite some time now. In this particular incarnation, we absolutely loved them. I believe that, normally, these are made by rendering some crazy amounts of pig fat and cooking the greens in them. Ellie healthified these by using Canadian bacon (still so yummy) and a smidge of olive oil. A simple mixture of maple syrup, cider vinegar, chicken broth, and crushed red pepper were added to the greens, and they were simmered for 30 minutes. These were extremely easy to make and so delicious! Now that I know how wonderful these can be, even when made lower in fat, I will be making collards more often.

I hope that the group will continue to cook together. For now, here's the link for these delightful greens. If you're scared to make these, don't be. They really are a pleasant surprise.

Pomegranate Gingersnaps

Back when I first started baking, about 3 1/2 years ago, I had a lot to learn. I didn't fully realize then that you can't just go around substituting any old ingredient for another. I used to try all kinds of things at first, because I was dieting and wanted to make certain recipes lower in fat and calories. I would try making cookies with no butter, only to find that they turned out gross and weird, with a horrible texture. I attempted brownies made with carob instead of cocoa, and could barely choke down one serving before making my poor husband eat them. Ugh. I could go on and on with more stories like these, but I'll spare you for now. Just take my word for it; I quickly learned to fear ad-libbing in my baking.

Now that I've become a bit more knowledgeable, I decided I was ready to try my hand at improvising again. Only this time, I was determined to make it work, not fail miserably like all those other recipes had.

After looking through The Craft of Baking a bit, I decided that what I really wanted to make were the gingersnaps in the book. I've had this book out from the library for a while now, and this was to be the third time I would bake from it. Since I had made one pretty huge failure first (a pile of yummy crumbs which should have been coffee cake muffins), followed by a rousing success (see my Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookie post!), I figured I would go for best out of three to determine whether this book is one I would want to eventually purchase.

So once I had settled on gingersnaps, I knew instantly how I wanted to switch it up a little bit. I have this open bottle of pomegranate molasses just sitting in my refrigerator, waiting for me to figure out how to use it up. I only buy this molasses for one thing (a scrumptious roasted red pepper dip, which I should really get around to blogging about one of these days!), and that recipe doesn't require me to use much. So normally I end up having to throw out the rest of the bottle after a while, because it'll go bad before I can use it again. Not this time, though. This time I was putting that baby to some good use!

I baked these cookies almost exactly as the recipe indicated. The only two changes I made were to substitute pomegranate molasses for the regular blackstrap kind originally called for, and turbinado sugar in place of the Demerara sugar on the tops of the cookies. After I mixed up the dough, I noticed that it was very soft. Too soft to roll into balls by hand, as the recipe instructed. No problem; I just decided to chill the dough well in the fridge before working with it again. After several hours of chilling, the dough was still pretty soft. I ended up dropping the cookie dough by scoopfuls onto my baking sheets, and then sprinkling sugar on the tops, rather than rolling the dough balls in sugar. I think it was fine this way.

I thought the dough smelled a little funny, and was initially worried. Then I reassured myself by remembering that all molasses smells a little funny. I wasn't deterred! I baked up a small batch of these, and then performed a little taste test with my brave boy, Evan (Xander barely touched his).

These cookies are great! The taste is so unique. They definitely have a disctinctive gingersnap flavor to them; Andy tried one without knowing beforehand what kind of cookie it was, and he could identify instantly that it was a gingersnap. However, they have this interesting, fruity tartness to them, offset nicely by the raw sugar on top. The pomegranate paired well with the ginger. Overall, I was really proud of these cookies; Andy even took them to work and people actually ate them! It felt so good, especially knowing that this was purely experimental and I had no idea how it would all turn out. So this was my first time riffing on an existing recipe in about 3 years, and I was successful!

Pomegranate Gingersnaps

adapted from The Craft of Baking, by Karen DeMasco

makes about 24-30 cookies

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1 cup granulated sugar

12 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into pieces, at room temperature

2 large eggs

1/4 cup pomegranate molasses (The original recipe used blackstrap molasses. Pomegranate molasses can be difficult to find; I normally can get it at an international grocer, and it can also be ordered online. Another option is to make your own: reduce pomegranate juice on the stovetop by 2/3, until thick and syrupy. Cool before using.)

1 Tbsp. finely grated fresh ginger

1/2 cup turbinado sugar (The original recipe used Demerara sugar. The two sugars are very similar; both are coarse, brown-colored sugars, but Demerara is a bit coarser and molasses-y in flavor.)

Directions

1. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the granulated sugar and the butter until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs, molasses, and ginger to combine. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the flour mixture, beating until just incorporated. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator, at least 2 hours. (I chilled half of mine for several days, and it was still great.)

3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Shape the dough into 3/4-inch balls (I used my small cookie scoop) and place 2 inches apart on baking sheet. Sprinkle the tops generously with turbinado sugar. Bake, rotating baking sheets once halfway through, for about 12-14 minutes, until dark golden brown. Transfer sheet to wire racks to cool completely. Cookies can be stored in airtight containers at room temperature for 5 days.

Grilled Lime-Soy Chicken with Miso-Mixed Vegetable Salad

This is one of those meals that just makes you feel good after you eat it. It's so fresh, so clean and healthy, that it can truly leave you feeling satisfied but not overly so. It's plenty filling, but you don't feel kinda gross afterwards, like you ate too much. Once again, Cooking Light Magazine has provided the inspiration (and most of the recipe) for a home run meal at our house.

The chicken was actually tuna in the original version I found in my June issue of Cooking Light. Since I am still not brave enough to try tuna (yet!), I decided that this meal would be just as good with chicken instead. I can't speak for the tuna dish, but I can tell you that the chicken was a huge success. A quick marinade of lime juice, soy sauce, oil, honey, ginger, cayenne pepper, and garlic is thrown together with the chicken. About 20 minutes later, simply discard the marinade and toss the chicken on the grill. How easy is that?

You can easily make the side dish while the chicken is marinating. It can be served at room temperature, so it's fine if it has to sit for a bit. The crisp veggies soak up the simple dressing, yet somehow they retain their shape and texture. The flavors are delicate, yet everything comes together so beautifully in this salad. I highly recommend this as a side dish to almost anything with an Asian flair. It can be made in a flash and it's so yummy!

The original version of this recipe, made with tuna, can be found here. I modified this so the chicken was the protein, of course, and I also omitted the noodles that are served with the tuna. Feel free to make them, though; they sound delicious. We didn't make them because we had a huge lunch the day we made this and we were going for a lighter dinner.

Grilled Lime-Soy Chicken with Miso-Mixed Vegetable Salad
adapted from Cooking Light
makes about 2 servings

Ingredients
For the chicken:
8 tsp. fresh lime juice
8 tsp. less-sodium soy sauce
4 tsp. canola oil
4 tsp. honey
2 tsp. fresh peeled ginger, minced
dash of cayenne pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
2 (6-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, about 1-inch thick

For the vegetable salad:
1 cup sugar snap peas, trimmed
1/4 cup radishes, thinly sliced
1/4 cup red bell pepper, finely chopped
2 tsp. rice vinegar
1 tsp. red miso (original recipe used white miso)
1 tsp. canola oil
1/4 tsp. dark sesame oil

Directions
1. Combine the first seven chicken ingredients in a small bowl. Pour lime juice mixture into a ziplock bag. Add chicken to bag; seal and marinate at room temperature 20 minutes, turning bag once.
2. Meanwhile, make the vegetable salad. Steam the sugar snap peas 3 minutes, or until crisp-tender; rinse with cold water, then drain. Combine the peas with the radishes and bell pepper. Toss with the vinegar, miso, and the oils; mix everything well. Set aside.
3. Back to the chicken: remove the chicken from the bag and discard marinade. Heat a grill pan or grill to medium-high heat. Coat grill with cooking spray. Cook chicken for at least 5 minutes per side, until fully cooked. Serve alongside vegetable salad.

Buffalo Chicken Chili Mac

I'm always looking for new incarnations for buffalo chicken. We've done buffalo lasagna, buffalo dip, buffalo potato skins. I've also made Rachael Ray's Buffalo Chicken Chili. As it turns out, this recipe is just like her chili, but taken to another level. Instead of just serving up the buffalo chili in bowls with chips and other garnishes, you toss the whole pot with a pound of pasta, and then top the whole thing with cheese and slip it into the oven to cook a bit longer. Voila; chili mac!



This recipe makes a mountain of food! Seriously, I think it made enough for us to have it for dinner maybe four times, along with side dishes, before we ran out. It would be great to make for company (as long as they like buffalo), served with bread and salad. If I had to change anything about this, it would be to increase the heat level. I felt like I couldn't really taste the buffalo sauce as much as I would have liked to; it got lost somewhere amid all the tomato sauce and cheese. It still had a kick, though. The kids had a hard time eating it because of the spiciness. Andy and I loved it, though!

The original recipe can be found here. I did change a couple things, so I'm leaving my version of the recipe below.

Buffalo Chicken Chili Mac

adapted from Rachael Ray

serves 6-8

Ingredients
1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 large carrot, peeled and finely chopped
1 large onion, chopped
3 ribs celery, finely chopped
5 large cloves garlic, finely minced or chopped
1/2 Tbsp. smoked paprika
1/2 Tbsp. chili powder
2 bay leaves
salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 1/4 cups chicken stock or broth
1/4-1/2 cups buffalo wing sauce (use your own personal discretion here)
1 (15-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 lb. short-cut pasta, any shape (I used these cute tennis racket shapes)
3/4 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions
1. Place a large pot of water on high heat, bring to a boil. Add pasta, cook according to package directions, and drain. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Meanwhile, place a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil to the pan, then the chicken, browning on all sides (about 8-10 minutes). Add the carrot, onion, celery, garlic, paprika, chili powder, bay leaf, and salt and pepper to the chicken. Cook veggies, stirring frequently, until tender, about 3-4 minutes. Add chicken stock and scrape up the brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Add the hot sauce and crushed tomatoes and bring up to a boil. Simmer the chili for at least 10 minutes, until slightly thickened.
3. Add the pasta to the chili and toss to combine. Transfer to a casserole dish and sprinkle the pepper jack and blue cheeses evenly over the top. Cover with foil, then bake for about 15 minutes at 375 degrees.
4. Remove the casserole dish from the oven, remove foil, and continue to bake for another 10-15 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the casserole is bubbly. Sprinkle chopped cilantro over the top. Let stand a few minutes before serving.

Dark Chocolate Mocha Cake

I made this cake recently when I needed a dessert that tasted decadent, but wasn't outrageously unhealthy. This is another one of Ellie Krieger's fantastic recipes, and I've made it before. It's a pretty basic chocolate cake, but made with a few simple swap-outs to lower the calories and fat. Some espresso is thrown into the mix, which obviously pairs up excellently with the chocolate. The cake is frosted with a reduced-fat cream cheese frosting spiked with more espresso. Simple, yet delicious.

Evan's making this sad, worried face because he isn't sure what's going on with the Craving Ellie in My Belly group! Ok, I'm kidding. He was actually making that face because we were inside a capsule in the St. Louis Gateway Arch, going up to the top to look out from the observation windows. He was pretty unsure of what was going on, but he handled it like a trooper! He was even good the whole time we were at the top of the Arch, much to my surprise.

We really don't know what's going on with the CEIMB group, though. There haven't been any new recipes assigned to us, so I didn't have a recipe to make for this Thursday. I figured I'd cover my bases and post about this cake, since it is an Ellie creation. I'm hoping we get some new recipes to make for next week, since I've really enjoyed being a part of this blogging group and definitely do not want to stop.

In the meantime, though, try this cake! It's fabulous for fulfilling a chocolate craving. It's tender and moist, and it's just sweet enough without being super sweet. Oh, and a final note about it: I've made it before with regular cocoa powder, but this time I switched it up and made it with Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa Powder. What a difference! It was pitch dark and heavenly. I sprinkled milk chocolate shavings across the top of the cake, and it was perfect.

The recipe for the Chocolate Mocha Cake can be found here.

Caribbean Chicken Drumsticks with Asparagus and Radish Salad

I can hardly believe this, but I made this over a month ago and then forgot to write a post about it! This is actually a pretty unforgettable dish, but I got caught up in blogging more recent things I had made and somehow this one just slipped through the cracks. I found this all the way back in January, in Food Network Magazine. I had bought that particular issue of the magazine because they had done a feature on cupcakes, and I'm a sucker for those. However, I ended up using this issue for all sorts of tasty dishes, and this one may have been the very best one.

These chicken drumsticks are the creation of Food Network personality Sunny Anderson. This is the first recipe of hers I've made, and it really makes me want to make more of her meals. This was so simple and unbelievably flavorful. The best part about these drumsticks is that they are baked in the oven, making this cooking method way healthier than other cooking methods listed in the magazine (a bunch of Food Network chefs had contributed to this feature on chicken wings, each providing a unique recipe for chicken).

The drumsticks are marinated in a jamaican jerk-style blend of herbs, spices, and juices. Then they're placed on a baking sheet to bake. After boiling the leftover marinade on the stove, you remove the drummies from the oven, baste them with all of that leftover goodness, and bake them a bit longer at a higher temperature. The glaze becomes caramelized and sticky and just absolutely delicious and messy. The meat is insanely tender, and the flavors are perfectly combined.

I decided to serve these drumsticks with a simple buttered Israeli couscous, and a quickly thrown-together asparagus and radish salad. If I recall correctly, the salad was dressed with a mixture of vinegar, soy sauce, and olive oil, along with salt, pepper, and dried cilantro. It was great; the crunch of the radish contrasted well with the quick-steamed asparagus, and the flavors in the dressing were present in the chicken drumstick marinade as well. A wonderful meal, and do-able on a weeknight!

The original recipe for Sunny's wings can be found here.

Sunny Anderson's Caribbean Chicken Wings (or, in my case, drumsticks!)

from Food Network Magazine

makes 3 lbs. wings or drumsticks

Ingredients

1/2 habanero pepper, seeded and chopped

2 Tbsp. soy sauce

2 Tbsp. honey

2 Tbsp. packed light brown sugar

1 Tbsp. granulated sugar

1 tsp. fennel seeds

1 tsp. cayenne pepper

1 tsp. allspice

1 tsp. dried thyme

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

2 cloves garlic, chopped

2 scallions, chopped

2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar

2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice

2 Tbsp. fresh orange juice

3 lbs. chicken wings (I used drumsticks)

Directions

1. Combine the first 12 ingredients (through scallions) in a blender. Add the vinegar, lime juice, and orange juice and blend until smooth. Place the wings in a large, resealable bag and pour the marinade over them. Seal and refrigerate for 4 to 6 hours.

2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with foil. Remove the wings from the bag, place on the lined sheets, and bake for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, bring the marinade to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat and cook until reduced by one-third, about 10 minutes.

3. Remove the wings from the oven and brush with the glaze. Raise the oven temperature to 400 degrees and continue to bake until the wings are cooked through, 20 more minutes.

Southwestern-Style Shrimp Taco Salad

Now that the weather has turned warmer, and the weekend days have turned a bit lazier, it's always nice to have some lighter meals on the menu. Salads, in particular, are one of those meals where if we haven't had one in a while, we forget how great they are. When done right, salads can be a completely satisfying, filling dish.

We couldn't believe how delicious this Southwestern-Style Shrimp Taco Salad was. I found this one in the May issue of Cooking Light Magazine. It was, as my husband put it, exquisite. So many flavors, but none of them competed with each other. The dressing was a sweet-tart delight that added a hit of smoky spice. The shrimp contributed a filling, tasty protein to the mix. The greens and tortilla chips were so crisp, and the roasted corn, burst tomatoes, and avocado were all so tender and unique in taste.

Were it not for the steps involved in the preparation, this would be a snap to make. It does take a bit of time, but I assure you that it is well worth every second you will spend on readying this salad for your dinner table. Trust me on this.

Once all the components have been gathered and prepared, you can assemble this any way you want to. The recipe, as written, instructs you to use the tortilla chips as a bed for the rest of the salad, but we framed our bowls with chips rather than throwing them on the bottom. Alternatively, you could crush the chips and sprinkle them on top. Then you can add the remainder of the ingredients any way you like. The dollop of sour cream is totally optional; I had mine without and loved it. Andy used the sour cream and thought it was a revelation. So it's really your call.

Best of all, this salad was fantastically filling, but it doesn't make you feel heavy or gross after you've eaten it. It's almost refreshing in a way; it feels so good to eat something comprised mostly of fresh ingredients that taste so great together. I can't stress this enough, but I'll try one more time: you should try this salad! It's a perfectly summery meal, and one that we can't wait to eat again.

The original recipe can be found here.

Southwestern-Style Shrimp Taco Salad

adapted from Cooking Light

makes 3-4 servings

Ingredients

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

1 tsp. ground cumin

2 tsp. fresh minced garlic

2 tsp. pure maple syrup

2 tsp. chipotle hot sauce (we used Chipotle Cholula, yum!)

3/4 pound peeled, deveined raw shrimp

2 ears shucked corn

cooking spray

1 cup chopped romaine lettuce

1/2 cup chopped green onions

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained

3 plum tomatoes, chopped (we used 1/2 pint of cherry tomatoes, halved and slightly burst)

2 oz. baked tortilla chips (Cooking Light used blue corn chips, we didn't have those)

1/3 cup light sour cream

1/4 cup peeled, diced avocado

Lime wedges, for garnish (optional)

Directions

1. Prepare grill to medium-high heat. Combine lime juice, olive oil, cumin, garlic, maple syrup, and hot sauce in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Place shrimp in a shallow bowl. Drizzle 1 Tbsp. of lime mixture over shrimp, tossing gently to coat. Reserve remaining lime mixture. Thread shrimp onto metal skewers. Lightly coat corn with cooking spray. Place shrimp kebabs and corn on grill rack coated with cooking spray. Grill 8 minutes, turning kebabs once and turning corn frequently until browned. Remove from grill; cool slightly.

2. Remove shrimp from skewers and place in a large bowl. Cut kernels from the ears of corn. Add corn, chopped lettuce, green onions, cilantro, black beans, and tomatoes to shrimp. Drizzle reserved lime mixture over the shrimp mixture, and toss to combine.

3. Divide tortilla chips evenly among shallow serving bowls; top each chip serving with shrimp mixture, dividing evenly. Combine sour cream and avocado in a small bowl; mash with a fork until well blended. Top each serving with 1 Tbsp. sour cream mixture. Serve with lime wedges if desired.

Note: we didn't mix up the sour cream and avocado like the recipe indicates. Instead, we sprinkled the diced avocado and dolloped the sour cream on top. It worked great!