58. Acorn Squash and Quinoa (Serves 2)

Recipe and Photo Credit: http://oatmealafterspinning.com

• 1 acorn squash
• ½ c quinoa
• 1 ½ c water
• ½ small yellow squash
• ½ small Vidalia onion
• 1 small shallot
• 1 large carrot
• 2 white mushrooms
• 2 T walnuts
• 2 T dried cranberries
• ¼ to ½ tsp each: sea salt, pepper, cinnamon, cumin and garlic powder
• an extra sprinkle of salt and cinnamon
• cooking spray

1. Pre-heat oven to 400˚. Cut an acorn squash in half and scoop out the seeds (save them for roasting!). Sprinkle a little sea salt and cinnamon over top of the squash. Spray a square baking pan with cooking spray and place the two acorn squash halves face down. Bake uncovered for about 30 minutes (it should be soft).
2. While the squash is baking, put the water and quinoa in a pot over high heat. Once it’s boiling, reduce heat to a simmer and continue to cook until all liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat.
3. Dice the shallot, onion, carrot and yellow squash and roast in the oven for about 5 minutes. (I used my favorite appliance- the convection toaster oven)
4. Add the roasted vegetables to the quinoa, along with all of the spices. Chop the mushroom, walnuts and cranberries into small pieces and add to the quinoa mixture. Stir until all ingredients are mixed together well
5. Take the squash out of the oven and place the quinoa mixture into the empty cavities. It might overflow, but just keep piling it in. Place back in the oven under the broiler for about 4 minutes, or until the quinoa mixture has a nice crunchy crust over the top.

Different that Zucchini Latkes, this recipe only has 3 ingredients! I tried it for dinner tonight as I was craving something healthy and was I mistaken! Tried making the recipe in a pan that was too small so the pancake came out rather thick. This then soaked up all the oil and didn’t cook all the way thru, leaving me with delicious, crispy outside and mushy, doughy insides. Lesson learned: bigger pan or less zucchini!

Recipe and Photo Credit: http://soupbelly.com/2010/06/17/super-easy-zucchini-pancakes/

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups julienned zucchini
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• vegetable oil for frying

Directions:

1. In a bowl, combine julienned zucchini, flour, water and salt.
2. In a large frying pan, heat 2 Tbsp. oil on medium high heat. Using a spoon, spread zucchini mixture evenly onto the pan. Swish and tilt the pan to ensure the oil is evenly coating the bottom of the pancake and the pancake isn’t sticking to the pan.
3. After a few minutes peak underneath the pancake to see if it is browning. Using a spatula, flip the pancake to cook the other side (or if you’re a master chef, flip it without the spatula). Be careful with splattering oil. Use the spatula to press down on the pancake every so often. Add a bit more oil if necessary.
4. When both sides are golden brown and crispy, transfer pancake onto a dish. Sprinkle salt on top and serve

56. Kale Chips

1. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a non insulated cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. With a knife or kitchen shears carefully remove the leaves from the thick stems and tear into bite size pieces. Wash and thoroughly dry kale with a salad spinner. Drizzle kale with olive oil and sprinkle with seasoning salt.
3. Bake until the edges brown but are not burnt, 10 to 15 minutes.

55. Sweet Tomato Soup

Photo & Recipe Credit: http://www.shockinglydelicious.com/sweet-tomato-basil-bisque/

54. Chocolate Toffee

Recipe Credit: http://www.branappetit.com/2011/12/29/chocolate-covered-toffee-2/

Makes: 2-3 cups toffee pieces

• 2 sticks salted butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate

Directions:

1. Put butter, sugar, water, and salt in a saucepan and heat on medium high heat until melted.
2. Bring to a boil and let cook until mixture reaches a soft crack stage (about 285 degrees or a medium brown color). This will take 10-15 minutes.
3. Once your toffee is to the right temperature (or color), take off the heat and stir in the vanilla. The mixture will bubble up quite a bit when you stir in the vanilla – that’s okay!
4. After the vanilla is mixed in, pour your toffee onto a parchment lined baking sheet and spread out into an even layer.
5. Let the toffee sit 20-30 minutes or until hardened.
6. Heat chocolate in microwave and spread onto toffee.
7. Once the chocolate has set, break toffee into bite size pieces.

55. Chocolate & Pecan Fudge (AKA Foolproof Fudge)

Recipe Credit: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/foolproof-chocolate-fudge-2/detail.aspx

• 3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 (14 ounce) can Sweetened Condensed Milk
• Dash salt
• 3/4 cup chopped nuts (optional)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Photo and Recipe Credit: http://www.wishfulchef.com/2011/12/farro-with-mushrooms/

Ingredients

box of whole grain wheat pilaf
1 pound mushrooms (I used a mix of sliced portabello and white button)
1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon thyme
1 tablespoon corn starch (I used 2 tablespoons of flour as replacement)
1 cup vegetable broth
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup pecorino romano or parmesan cheese, grated (or to taste)
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
salt and pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon truffle butter (I used truffle oil instead)

Steps

1. Cook pilaf according to package instructions. Mine took about 20 minutes.
2. While the pilaf is cooking, heat a large pan over medium heat. Add about a tablespoon of olive oil and saute onions and garlic for 1-2 minutes.
3. Toss in mushrooms and stir frequently until they reduce in size and release all their liquid, about 6-8 minutes. Stir in thyme, salt, pepper, then flour.
4. Increase heat to medium-high and pour in broth and milk. When the sauce becomes thick, reduce heat to medium-low. Add in grated cheese and stir until melted. Add parsley, then stir in truffle oil.
5. To serve, add mushroom sauce on top of pilaf and garnish with more cheese and parsley.

Lots of learning happened in 2011. We lost the election, but began occupying the state. I moved from Chicago to Los Angeles to Charlotte in a matter of weeks and accepted my dream job. I did grown up things like find a long term apartment, buy a car, make new friends and get promoted at work. Perhaps the most raw, I immersed myself in a love story, with eyes and arms and heart wide open. I let love back into myself  completely, and communicated clear boundaries that I created. That line was crossed, and now I am letting it go.

As cliche as it may read, I learned that I will never be able to love him enough or support him enough for him to change. He will only change if he wants to, and that it actually has nothing to do with me. That I am responsible for communicating my needs, my wants, my desires–and most importantly being true to them.

Goodbye 2011. Thank you for all of the growth and discomfort and challenge. One step forward in learning how to let it all go.

52. Basic French Toast

Ingredients:

• 4 eggs
• 1 teaspoon sugar, optional
• dash salt
• 1 cup milk
• 10 to 12 slices white bread
• butter
• maple syrup or other syrup

Steps:

1. Break eggs into a wide, shallow bowl or pie plate; beat lightly with a fork. Stir in sugar, salt, and milk.
2. Over medium-low heat, heat griddle or skillet coated with a thin layer of butter or margarine.
3. Place the bread slices, one at a time, into the bowl or plate, letting slices soak up egg mixture for a few seconds, then carefully turn to coat the other side. Soak/coat only as many slices as you will be cooking at one time.
4. Transfer bread slices to griddle or skillet, heating slowly until bottom is golden brown. Turn and brown the other side. Serve French toast hot with butter and syrup. (We added powdered sugar too!)

51. Nutella Fudge

Recipe & Photo Credit: http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/desserts/chocolate-nutella-sea-salt-fudge/

Ingredients:

• 1 Tablespoon Butter, For Greasing Pan
• 1 can (14 Oz) Sweetened Condensed Milk
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 8 ounces, weight High-quality Bittersweet (60%) Chocolate Chips
• 1 cup Nutella (chocolate-hazelnut Spread), Room Temperature
• 3 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, Room Temperature, Cut Into 1/2-inch Pieces
• ½ teaspoons (approximately) Sea Salt

1. Grease the bottom and sides of an 8- by 8-inch baking pan with butter. Line the pan with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overlap on the sides.
2. In a medium glass or stainless steel bowl, stir together sweetened condensed milk, vanilla, bittersweet chocolate chips, Nutella, and butter.
3. Form a double-boiler by setting the bowl over a medium pot of gently simmering water. The water level should be low enough that the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water. Stir until the chocolate chips are melted and the mixture is smooth, 5 to 7 minutes.
4. Scrape the mixture into the prepared pan, spread the top smooth with a spatula, and sprinkle with sea salt. Refrigerate until the fudge is firm, at least 2 hours.
5. Once the fudge is chilled, run a knife under hot water, dry it off, and run it around the edges of the pan to loosen the fudge. Using the overhanging parchment paper, lift the fudge out. Peel off the parchment paper. Cut the fudge into 3/4-inch squares. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container or wrapped well in plastic wrap and foil.

#50: Green Onion Pancakes

Recipe & Photo Credit: http://kelvin-wu.blogspot.com/2011/12/spring-onion-pancakes.html