Curried Lentil, Rice and Carrot Burgers

Posted on May 6, 2013 | Leave a comment

Lentil Burger

Indian food rarely lacks for flavor.  Packed with exotic spices and chutneys, the dishes brim with colors and culinary delights.  This dish is no different.  And better yet, this dish won’t send you scurrying to exotic markets or stores; all of the ingredients are staples of most pantries and refrigerators.

A vegetarian and Indian take on the classic American burger, this Curried Lentil, Rice and Carrot Burger packs a healthy punch.  Sandwich it between two toasted buns and adorn with a little mayonnaise, and this vegetarian burger is bound to please.  Serve alongside roasted sweet potato fries or, for the sake of regional consistency, prepare a side of Aloo Gobhi Masala.

A word of warning: this recipe Continue reading →

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Whole-Wheat Homemade Pizza

Posted on March 9, 2013 | Leave a comment

Whole Wheat Pizza

Pizza is the ultimate convenience food.  There is the restaurant pizza, ready in minutes, delivered to your table, warm and sliced.  There is the delivery pizza, delivered to your doorstep with the push of a few buttons.  In the freezer section, there are countless versions of the frozen variety, ready to be brought home and baked or microwaved in a manner of minutes.  There are even pre-made pizza doughs and pizza crusts, leaving the harried home chef with some room for creativity and imagination.

To be sure, we’ve tried each and every one Continue reading →

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Almond-Raisin and Chocolate-Nutella Rugelach

Posted on February 5, 2013 | 3 Comments

Rugelach

Rugelach was always one of those desserts that I wanted to try to make.  For whatever reason, there seemed to be some mystery to it, some complexity locked within its spiral shape.  At the bakery or deli, I always peered through the glass cases with equal parts wonder and admiration.  How did they get that perfect spiral shape?  How did they get the filling so evenly distributed?

In bakeries with rugelach, I always felt tempted to try one.  What was an ordinary, cookie or brownie, when there was rugelach.  What was a simple circle or square when there was a dough-filled spiral?  Indeed, each bakery Continue reading →

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Pineapple-Coconut-Banana Upside-Down Cake

Posted on December 23, 2012 | 1 Comment

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

I was a little skeptical about this recipe when I first saw it.  Flaked coconut is often a miss for me.  The same is true of canned pineapple.  But the convenience of each is undeniable, particularly in the dead of winter, when the idea of finding a beautiful, ripe Pineapple at the local Giant seems utterly fantastic.  But on the strength of the Cooking Light name, I decided to give this recipe a fair chance.

In the course of cooking and posting recipes on my blog, Continue reading →

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Beef Tacos

Posted on December 16, 2012 | Leave a comment

Beef Tacos

Caitlin and I have been watching Breaking Bad recently, a show whose plot-lines and premise may be as addicting as the “blue stuff” that plays such a critical role in the show.  Over the last few weeks, we’ve watched episode after episode, pinned to the couch or nestled in bed, watching Jesse and Walter navigate a world of dirty money, secret drops, federal agents, and violent cartels.  As one episode ends, we have increasingly found ourselves reaching for the next, swapping Netflix disks with such speed that we often find it necessary to download an episode or two from iTunes, unable to wait for the return mailer.

While the show has certainly taken over some of our evenings, Continue reading →

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Pumpkin Roulade with Ginger Buttercream

Posted on October 13, 2012 | 3 Comments

The idea of making a roulade seemed, at first glance, somewhat intimidating.  There was the rolling, then unrolling, and finally, the re-rolling.  The instructions seemed intricate and the cake seemed delicate.  Visions of a cake suddenly collapsing and crumbling under its own weight flashed before me, wiping away my mixing and baking efforts in a moment.

But then I stopped, and remembered that this was not the first time that I faced what seemed to be an insurmountable cooking hurdle.  There had, after all, been many intimidating cooking projects before this one.  I had made flan, caramelizing sugar.  I had made oat bread, coaxing the yeast.  I had made spanakopita, Continue reading →

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Homemade Whole Wheat English Muffins

Posted on September 29, 2012 | 6 Comments

I love baking breads.  There is a unique pleasure in stirring the yeast, watching it foam, and then kneading the tough flour in and out of your hands and across the cutting board.  There is a certain magic to leaving the room and, returning an hour later, discovering that the small ball of dough has doubled in size, the yeast breathing life into the round.

One of the additional pleasures of baking bread is in the anticipation, as the smell of baking break slowly fills the kitchen, before settling over the entire apartment, building a sense of eagerness in the room’s occupants.

For better or worse, there is Continue reading →

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