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Jun 17, 2017

One-Bowl Yogurt and Honey Olive Oil Cake

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It’s been…quite a while since I’ve baked.  Or cooked.  Or gone grocery shopping, to be honest.  Life’s been a bit nuts.

Easy one-bowl yogurt & honey olive oil cake, flavored with fresh lemon & thyme

And last Sunday I had every intention of actually cooking a real meal that I could use for lunch all week, but as the hours flew by on Sunday I lost all my motivation.  I ended up getting Uber Eats and actually getting to sit and read for a half hour, which was lovely, but then I decided that I needed to bake something to prove that I wasn’t entirely lazy.

Yes, I realize that’s a weird justification, but it was very compelling so I went with it.

Yogurt & Honey Olive Oil Cake with Lemon & Thyme...one bowl, easy cleanup, moist with subtle flavors

The key was, it had to be super easy and fast.  I had just found this recipe on The Kitchn and it checked a lot of boxes for me.  One bowl (and not even the mixer), yay.  Lemon, check.  Add some herbs, check.  Super moist because of the yogurt, check.

Easy one-bowl yogurt & honey olive oil cake, flavored with fresh lemon & thyme

I literally threw it together in about 15 minutes, while a hair deep-conditioning treatment was soaking in.  It was fast, easy, and tasted amazing.  My house smelled divine, and it made for lovely leftovers.

The flavor combination is very subtle (very much my style), and a bit of homemade whipped cream or mascarpone cream provides a great texture counterpoint.  I’m looking forward to taking this base recipe and trying some different flavor combos…I’ve got my eye on orange and rosemary next. [Read more…]

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Filed Under: Recipe Experimentation · Tagged: , , , , , , , , ,
Jun 11, 2017

Fresh Corn Galette with Goat Cheese, Zucchini, and Thyme

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I actually made this last year, right at the tail-end of summer.  You know that time when there are like 7,000 pounds of zucchini, and the corn is just perfect but it’s like the last week of corn season??

Summer corn galette with goat cheese, zucchini, & thyme...summer recipe perfection, looks fancy but is easy to make

And then I accidentally sat on it too long, and then it just seemed mean to post it in the late fall when you couldn’t get yummy fresh zucchini and corn to make it.  So I’ve been patiently sitting on this recipe for several months, waiting for summer to roll around once again.

Summer corn galette with goat cheese, zucchini, & thyme...summer recipe perfection, looks fancy but is easy to make

Nom nom nom.  It looks fancy, but it really isn’t a difficult recipe.  The only thing that’s a bit of a pain is making pie crust, but you can just buy it pre-made if you don’t want to deal with it.  Add a glass of cold white wine and you have a summer masterpiece.

Summer corn galette with goat cheese, zucchini, & thyme...summer recipe perfection, looks fancy but is easy to make

The combination of the tangy goat cheese, the fragrant herbs, sweet corn, and then mellow crunch of zucchini is sublime.  This is summer perfection. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Recipe Experimentation · Tagged: , , , , , , ,
May 14, 2017

A Healthier Take on Strawberry Shortcake for a Big Group

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I want to eat this all day, every day.

It’s no secret that there are a few select foods that I could literally could eat every single day and not get tired of them.  Nachos (and I do), a good burger, and my homemade strawberry shortcake.  My homemade strawberry shortcake is sublime.

I stumbled upon this recipe years ago when I needed to come up with a dessert for like 15 people.  Individual shortcakes would have been way too time-consuming (and quite frankly they’re kind of dry), but I had it stuck in my head that I wanted to use the pounds of strawberries that my mom had.  And then I found the original recipe I’ve adapted here…as my original post mentioned, I’m obsessed.  It’s literally the best.

healthier-strawberry-shortcake-for-a-big-group-nessa

But, as with many recipes, I wanted to see if there was a way to make it just a tad more healthy—cut down on the calories just a bit, but also bringing in some healthier elements.  And the fact is, I might like this version even just a bit more.

I cut the sugar a bit, and it definitely doesn’t lose anything.  And then I’ve substituted half of the flour for whole wheat (or white whole wheat, which is a bit softer), which gives it a great heartiness and also a slightly nutty, warm flavor that I really love.  You can make this ahead of time when feeding a big group and it’s the most moist, fragrant, yummy summer dessert I can think of.  Pair it with fresh strawberries and a bit of homemade cinnamon whipped cream, and you’ve got yourself a winner! [Read more…]

Filed Under: Foods I'm Obsessed With, Go-To Recipes, Recipe Experimentation · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Apr 17, 2017

Pakistani Kima

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Full disclosure:  I have no idea if this recipe is truly Pakistani, nor do I know what “kima” is.

But I *do* know that it’s delicious, filling, healthy, and easy.  That’s a dinner grand slam in my books.

30-minute Pakistani Kima, full of veggies, protein, and aromatic spices, and comes together for a healthy & easy dinner

My sister has been making this for her family for quite a while, and she made it for us while I was visiting my parents a couple years ago.  I fell in love with the incredible aroma and flavors of the spice combination.  It’s truly what makes this dish special.

30-minute Pakistani Kima, full of veggies, protein, and aromatic spices, and comes together for a healthy & easy dinner

But it has a lot more going for it.  It’s chock-full of veggies, across the color spectrum (something that I’m usually desperately needing).  It’s also super satiating, with a one-two-three punch of the fat in the butter (don’t skimp on this), the lean ground beef, and the fiber-full vegetables.

It clocks in at around 320 calories per serving (if you make 6 servings out of the batch), which is great if you’re trying to keep your calories down but not feel hungry all the time.

30-minute Pakistani Kima, full of veggies, protein, and aromatic spices, and comes together for a healthy & easy dinner

And best of all, this recipe is super easy to make, a one-pot standby.  It only takes about a half-hour total, and only requires you to do some vegetable chopping and throw everything into a pot.  I made two desserts while putting this together a couple weeks ago, because I didn’t have to spare any brainpower for it.  So I’m kind of in love. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Family Secret Recipes, Recipe Experimentation, Super Healthy · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Mar 19, 2017

Turkish Red Lentil Soup (Corba)

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I’m on the record as stating that soup is not a meal, in and of itself, with very few exceptions.

This is one of them. (My mom’s baked potato soup is basically the only other)

Delicious & easy Turkish red lentil soup, ready in half an hour

I also don’t like lentils usually.  That is, until I went to Istanbul last year and we ate in a Kurdish family’s house and were served corba as an appetizer.  Corba is a hearty red lentil soup, super flavorful and comforting.  When I returned to the States, I started pinning recipes right away so I could try it myself.  I learned that red lentils are very different than the dark ones I’d had before, and didn’t have as many texture issues for me.

I’ve made this recipe a few times, trying to get the texture and flavors just right.  For some weird reason I have issues with it separating a bit (so becoming a little watery), but since I like it better with crushed up crackers in it anyway, I decided to just let that go.  One time I even tore up half a bagel into the soup, and the texture was awesome!

Healthy & easy red lentil soup

One of the great things about this soup is that it comes together really quickly—like half an hour from start to finish.  So you can get home from work, get it simmering, and go about your business until it’s time to blend everything up and serve.  Efficiency FTW!
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Filed Under: Recipe Experimentation, Super Healthy · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Mar 11, 2017

Another Adventure!

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So I figured it was about time I shared something that’s pretty exciting (to me at least).

It isn’t exactly a secret, but it isn’t exactly widely-known either.  A few months ago I started a travel blog!

It really came about because I realized that I have so much travel research, so many trial-and-error tips, beautiful pictures, and perfect itineraries to share, but didn’t have a way to do it.  Travel and food are two of my main passions in life—ones that thankfully often overlap 🙂

I’ve been trying to travel more and more over the last year.  Successfully, I might add…in 2016 I was blessed to visit Mexico, Argentina, Turkey, Canada, Sweden, France, Italy, and Spain, in addition to a few great trips in the U.S.  My first half of 2017 is even more jam-packed (Norway, the California coast, Switzerland, Portugal, Jordan, Israel, and Turkey again!).

SO.  If you like seeing new places, hearing about different cultures, beautiful pictures, amazeballs-looking food, wacky travel mishap stories, and super practical tips on how to see the world on your own, I’d love for you to join me over at One Girl, Whole World as well.  Or, share with a friend or family member who loves to travel.

Have no fear—I’ll still be posting tons of great recipes here.  This is just a new adventure that I’m super excited about, and wanted to share with you guys as well.

See you on the flip side!

Filed Under: Traveling and Food · Tagged: , , ,
Mar 5, 2017

Chocolate, Cinnamon, & Almond Loaf Cake (gluten-free)

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My dessert tastes don’t always quite jive with other people’s.  I don’t like things super sweet, I tend more toward fruity desserts rather than super chocolate, I will always choose dark chocolate over milk (and don’t even talk to me about white chocolate and its lies…).

Chocolate, Cinnamon, & Almond Loaf Cake | Finding Time for Cooking

I was blown away by the complexity of the flavors in this cake, yet how subtle they were.  I cut back on the sugar quite a bit from what the recipe called for, and for me that made it perfect—letting the chocolate have more of a bittersweet quality and the cinnamon shine through.  Also, whoever thought to put cinnamon in whipped cream is a genius and I can’t believe I haven’t done that before.  But I assure you I will forever moving forward…
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Filed Under: Foods I'm Obsessed With, Gluten-Free, Recipe Experimentation · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Mar 4, 2017

Chicken Tikka Masala

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It’s funny how quickly a new dish can become a go-to.

Easy Chicken Tikka Masala | Finding Time for Cooking

Indian food has been a challenge for a long time…in restaurants, even when it’s mild it’s usually too spicy for me.  But I’ve also had several recipes I was dying to try.  The intense combination of spices, held together with creamy sauces, is just too much to resist.

chicken-tikka-masala-bowl-2

I finally pulled myself together over winter break and gave this a try.  Part of that was just making sure I had all the spices I needed.  And I was shocked at how easy this dish was to make, how satisfying, and how great the leftovers were.  So I made it a few days later.  And the week after that.

It’s now in my regular rotation, because the lunch leftovers are unbeatable.  Pair it with some of my delish and easy homemade naan, and you’ve got an exotic and yet comforting winner.  Don’t be scared by the ingredient list, because you make the paste once and it will last you through several batches. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Foods I'm Obsessed With, Recipe Experimentation · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Feb 5, 2017

Almond Magic Cake

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It’s been a long time since I’ve been so obsessed with a recipe.  I pinned it years ago, and somehow forgot about it, though the idea was fascinating.  Then over winter break this year I stumbled back across it and knew I had to give it a try.

Almond Magic Cake | Finding Time for Cooking

I did make one major change to the recipe.  The original is for a vanilla cake, but my M.O. in life is, why make something vanilla when it can be almond instead??  I mean, seriously.  This cake is really easy to throw together, and yields the most amazing, creamy, custardy, flan-y cake.  I ended up making it again a few days later, in a gluten-free version (to be posted here later once I’ve perfected it).  Give this a try, you won’t be disappointed! [Read more…]

Filed Under: Foods I'm Obsessed With, Recipe Experimentation · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Jan 29, 2017

Easy Homemade Naan Bread

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Once upon a time, I made homemade naan bread, and it turned out terrible.

This is not that naan bread.  This is awesome.

This has become my go-to homemade naan bread recipe

I have no idea what went wrong with the first recipe I tried, probably a year or more ago.  But it did put me off trying it again for quite a while.  However, when I decided to try my hand for the first time at Indian cooking with this chicken tikka masala over winter break this year, I knew that naan had to be in the cards for me again.

My go-to homemade naan recipe

This recipe comes together super easily and doesn’t require any special handling.  It’s not finicky at all.  Just proof your yeast, add the ingredients all at once and knead in the machine for a couple minutes, let it rise, and then roll out and fry up.  Very hands-off.

Homemade naan bread recipe...easy and yummy

I tend to use half white whole wheat and half regular flour.  To me, when I use all whole wheat it tends to be a bit too dense and loses a bit of that chewiness that makes naan so satisfying.  But you can use all of one, or mix it up however you want.

The other important thing is that you use ghee, not just regular butter.  You can buy ghee fairly easily these days (Trader Joe’s, Amazon, or a well-stocked grocery store), but if you can’t get it for whatever reason I’d recommend making a batch of your own and storing it.  The water in regular butter will keep it from frying up right.
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Filed Under: Cooking for One, Go-To Recipes, Recipe Experimentation · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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