Stuffed artichokes are one of my absolute favorite vegetables, but preparing then at home is such a hassle. Sure I'll make 'em every once in a while, when I want to be impressive or when I have a lot of time, but it isn't really a practical way to consume vegetables. Besides, they are so much work to eat and the majority of what's filling you up is breading.
That's where these guys come in. Using canned artichoke hearts not only means you can eat the whole thing, it means you can eat them anytime you want, no matter what season.
Plus they work as a nice little finger food. I served mine with a lightened up garlic goat cheese sauce that added a nice bit of tang. I've included the recipe below, but feel free to use any sauce you like. These things are so good I can't imagine what they wouldn't go with.
Baked Artichoke Hearts
Serves two
(recipe barely adapted from eat, live, run)
1 can whole artichoke hearts
1 egg
1/8 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
1/8 cup Panko breadcrumbs
1/8 cup grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Thoroughly drain the artichokes, gently squeezing as much excess liquid from each heart. Slice each heart in half and set aside.
In a small bowl, lightly beat the egg. In another bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, Panko, cheese, and salt a pepper.
One at a time, dip each half artichoke heart into the egg, then into the breadcrumb mixture, pressing
to insure full coverage. Lay breaded artichoke onto the prepared baking sheet and repeat with the rest of the hearts.
Bake in the over for 15 minutes, flip the artichokes, and bake another 15 minutes.
Serve with a side of dipping sauce.
Lightened up Garlic Goat Cheese Dipping Sauce
1/4 cup Greek Yogurt
I clove of garlic, minced
1/8 cup crumbled goat cheese
salt and pepper to taste
In a small bowl, combine all ingredients with a spoon, gently mashing the goat cheese into the yogurt.
Allow to sit at room temperature while the artichokes bake so the flavors can mingle.
Today, on the commercially acceptable day to express love, I wanted to make something special for my leading man and me, since every holiday should be celebrated with a festive treat.
After much deliberation, I decided to try out my miniature donut pan, the one my sister got for me ages ago but I hadn't yet gotten around to experimenting with.
After a taste of these little guys, I have no idea why it took me so long.
The way I figure it, these guys could be dressed up for any holiday. I had a lot of fun using my festively colored sprinkles, but with the right color combinations, these could be decorated for any time of the year, or just made for normal eating. They were, after all, really really good.
They don't exactly taste like donuts to me, more like light delicious little cakes, but their shape makes them extra fun. And according to my calculations, four glazed donuts are about 150 calories, if you happen to be counting that sort of thing. That's not too shabby a deal either.
The recipe I made these from claimed to yield 24 mini donuts, but I got 52 out of the batter. I might recommend trying to cut the recipe in half since the pan only cooks 12 donuts at a time. I mean, I've got nothing better to do than stand around in my kitchen all day, but you might have something better to do.
Baked Miniature Donuts
yields about 50 donuts
(recipe barely adapted from William Sonoma)
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk with a teaspoon of vinegar (or 1/4 cup milk and 1/4 cup buttermilk)
6 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a mini donut pan with non-stick spray.
In a bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt with a whisk. Set aside.
With the paddle attachment of your electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined.
Alternate adding the dry ingredients with adding the milk/vinegar combination until all of the ingredients are incorporated.
Pour the batter into a piping bag and pipe about a tablespoon and a half of batter into each donut well. (Be sure to evenly distribute the batter or your donuts will be lopsided.)
Bake in the oven for 8 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 3 minutes and then turn out onto a wire rack. Wipe down the pan, spray with more non-stick spray, and repeat piping and baking until the batter is gone.
Donut Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons milk
Whisk together the powdered sugar and the milk with a fork, slowly adding to milk to make sure the glaze doesn't get too runny.
Dip the top half of the donut into the glaze. I found that a toothpick was handy at this stage to clear the hole of glaze and to gently remove excess frosting. Dip the glazed donut in sprinkles if so desired.
Not to long ago, I was completely unaware of the wonderful combination that is fruit and cheese. Thus, I was astounded when I first tasted the brie coated in sweet apricot thyme jam that my sister prepared for Thanksgiving.
I was hooked from the first bite.
When my family hosts holiday parties, we slather a wheel of brie in the aforementioned apricot thyme jam and serve it up with crackers, but that is really more proportioned to feed a crowd, not two hungry people with a craving.
That's why I came up with this smaller, easier to handle, and slightly less messy version of the appetizer I can't get enough of. It's also easy to scale up if you happen to have a lot of hungry guests.
Brie and Apricot Jam Tartlette
(serves two)
1/3 sheet frozen pastry puff, thawed
2 oz brie cheese, sliced into thin pieces
3 tablespoons apricot jam
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Lay the thawed pastry puff out on a piece of parchment paper and roll until even and thin. Slightly fold over the edges of the pastry, about a forth of an inch on each side. Slide the parchment paper with the puff pastry on top onto a baking sheet.
Arrange the brie evenly over pastry. Bake the tart for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.
While the pastry is baking, stir the apricot jam with the thyme until combined. When the pastry comes out of the oven, spread the jam evenly over the tart while its still hot. Slice and serve.
Tuna patties are a classic dish from my childhood that I rediscovered lately only to realize that it is in fact a really tasty simple meal to whip up. My parents used to make it for us all the time, and now I really understand the beauty of it.
Sometimes my body craves the protein from tuna, and while I'm not against opening up a can and eating it just like that, sometimes I want something that resembles and actual meal.
I highly suggest eating this with some Kraft mac and cheese. The two mix really well together.
Tuna Patties
Serves two
1 5oz can of tuna (I prefer in oil)
1/4 cup bread crumbs1 egg
Salt and Pepper
Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl with a fork. Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat.
When the pan is warm, pour the tuna mixture into the pan and spread it out evenly to about a 1/2 inch thickness. Cook on that side for 2-3 minutes or until nicely browned.
Very carefully flip over the patty and cook on the other side for another 2 minutes or until cooked through. Slice and Serve
After I whipped up a batch of Yogurt Flatbreads, I couldn't wait to try out a breakfast pizza. I never can resist the idea of eggs with amazing runny yokes on top of cheesy, bready goodness.
And seriously, it was amazing. I was delightfully full after practically swallowing it whole, and it was less than 500 calories. In my mind, you really can't beat that.
Breakfast Flatbread Pizza
Serves two
1 batch of Yogurt Flatbreads or 2 of your favorite flatbreads
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
2 slices of deli ham, pulled into pieces
2 eggs
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Lay the two flatbreads out on a cookie sheet. Sprinkle top with cheese and ham and crack an egg in the middle of each flatbread.
Cook in the oven for 8-10 minutes. Allow to sit for a minute or two before digging in.
Note: If the egg is too runny, microwave the whole flatbread for 15-20 seconds or until it reaches the level of cooked that you like.
