Ever on the lookout for dinner-salads my husband will eat, I was inspired by Mexican Style Smart Ground at the grocery store. This salad approximates all the flavors of a typical family restaurant-style taco salad, but is low in fat and calories, vegetarian, and high in protein and fiber. Sorry about the crappy picture. Still working on the camera situation :).

The base salad is green leaf lettuce, green peppers, cucumber, roma tomato. This is tossed with dressing and Smart Grounds and topped with 2oz of crumbled tortillas. Garnish each serving with a dollop of fresh plain yogurt and cilantro.

Dressing: You can use any variety of yogurty, cheesy dressings and just add some chili powder. I went with 5tbs Kraft Light Three Cheese Ranch Reduced Fat Dressing and added 2 1/2tbs of homemade chili powder.

Nutrition Estimate (per dinner-sized serving, with dressing):

575 calories, 10g fat, 13g fiber, 24g protein

Someday soon I plan to host a make-your-own-Taco/Burrito/Nacho plate party. It’s been brewing for a while, and I’ve been testing recipes for all the different ingredients. Slow roasted chipotle-brown sugar pulled pork, spicy shredded beef, pico de gallo, guacamole, and this black bean and corn salsa. Maybe more… mojitos, some kind of coconut/lime dessert… I have a lot of ideas left to try. But for now, this salsa.

It’s amazing.

You can omit things you don’t like, add things you think are missing, whatever. I would say it’s pretty close to perfect as it is, but it’s not particularly spicy. You can leave the seeds in the jalepeno when you dice it up to add a bit more heat, or add some hot sauce or red pepper flakes. The corn, black beans, fresh cilantro, and red onion really make this salsa. It’s fresh and delicious on tacos or quesadillas or by the spoonful, whatever works for you. (Yeah, it might be ridiculous to eat it by the spoonful but I’m not gonna lie, I went there. SO GOOD.)

Adapted from Black Bean and Corn Salsa at cdkitchen.com

INGREDIENTS

1 (15 oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup frozen corn kernels (or 1 can of the vaccuum packed canned, or mexicorn, or fresh roasted corn, whatever you like!)
1/2 cup red bell pepper, finely diced
1/4 cup red onion, finely diced
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
5 small green onions, finely chopped (white and green parts)
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons lime juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 small jalepeno, finely chopped

INSTRUCTIONS

Combine all ingredients and refrigerate overnight (or at least a few hours) to let the flavors mix.

John’s new job is giving me a lot of opportunities to bake things I wouldn’t normally make for just the two of us. Last night we attended the first BBQ of the season with a bunch of his coworkers. It’s been gorgeous in Chicago - over 80 degrees some days - so of course on the day of the first BBQ of the season it was freezing. Beautifully sunny but COLD. Thanks, Mother Nature! Oh well, at least there was a bonfire (in the city! Yes!).

Anyway, I was tasked with bringing dessert since my baked goods have been quite popular at the office. I made Oatmeal, Chocolate Chip, and Pecan cookies for his first day, Nanaimo Bars for an Oscar Party, Coconut Banana Bread that I brought to the weekly happy hour… I’ve been busy cooking, but not posting, apparently. Anyway, I was actually asked for a repeat of the Nanaimo Bars but I decided to make these amazing little oatmeal cream pie cookies instead. I found the cream part of the Nanaimo bars to be too sweet, but now that I’ve made this recipe, I think I might try them again with this buttercream instead of the filling the recipe originally called for. LOTS of butter but hey, that’s what desserts are all about! Right? Right!

The cookies are uncomplicated. Oats, a hint of cinnamon and nutmeg, and a touch of salt. The buttercream is amazing. Not too sweet, amazingly silky and buttery and delicious. I’ve never made buttercream frosting before, and have long considered it to be something I didn’t really love, but this - this isn’t the overly sweet, slightly gritty stuff of supermarket sheet cakes. This is heavenly. It’s thick and glossy and, well, full of butter. But you don’t need much to sandwich the cookies together, and hey, if you make them for a party, you’ll probably only eat one anyway. And you will be revered for making decadent, crowd-pleasing desserts. Which is always nice.

:)

Adapted slightly from ModernDomestic

Makes ~20 completed cookies (40 individual oatmeal cookies, 2 cups buttercream frosting)

INGREDIENTS:

Cookies:
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp kosher salt
3 cups rolled oats
2 cups vanilla buttercream (recipe follows)

Vanilla Buttercream:
2 large egg whites
7 tablespoons + 1 teaspooon sugar
Very small pinch kosher salt
13 tablespoons butter, at room temperature, cut into 1-tbs chunks
2 teaspoons vanilla

INSTRUCTIONS:

Cookies:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.

In the bowl of a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter, sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until combined.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Add flour mixture to the butter and sugar mixture, and mix on low speed until just combined. Add oats and mix until evenly distributed.

Scoop dough in 1 tablespoon mounds onto the baking sheets, leaving 2 inches between each cookie. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until the edges are just turning golden brown and the centers are barely cooked through. Let cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before remove to a rack to cool. Sandwich together with vanilla buttercream frosting.

Vanilla Buttercream:
Combine egg white, sugar and salt in the heat-proof bowl of a stand mixer. Place over a pan of simmering water. Whisk constantly until mixture is warm to the touch and the sugar dissolves (when you rub the mixture between your fingers, you won’t feel any sugar granules – it will be completely smooth).

Immediately remove bowl from heat and attach to a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whisk on medium high speed until cool, fluffy, and glossy (about 10 minutes).

With the mixer on medium low, add the butter a few tablespoons at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add vanilla and whisk until completely smooth (it might seem like it’s falling apart at first - just keep the whisk going and it will come together in another minute or two).

I have to be honest. I made this cake in December. I apparently came and wrote up the recipe right away, saved the draft, and waited for the photos. Four months later, here they are - lost to the archives and rediscovered this morning when I had a free moment and a touch of motivation to post something, anything.

The cake itself I remember as being delightfully firm and moist, a simple tower of chocolate with a light powdered sugar dusting on top. I used dark chocolate cocoa powder and the cake was so dark it was almost black. It wasn’t overly sweet or overpowered by too many competing flavors - if you like chocolate cake, this is CHOCOLATE CAKE. And nothing more. The coffee doesn’t add a coffee flavor so much as a deepening of the chocolate flavor. It’s a nice anytime cake, which, let’s face it, are the best kind. Cake anytime? Yes please.

Adapted from Marcy Goldman’s A Passion for Baking

INGREDIENTS:

13⁄4 cups white sugar
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, melted
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
31⁄4 cups all-purpose flour
3⁄4 cup cocoa powder (I used Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa Powder)
2 teaspoons baking powder
11⁄2 teaspoons baking soda
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
13⁄4 cups warm coffee or flat cola (I used strong, double-brewed coffee)
Confectioner’s sugar

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Generously grease a 12-cup Bundt pan or 9- or 10-inch fluted tube pan with shortening and place pan on a parchment paper–lined baking sheet.
3. In a mixer bowl, by hand or in a food processor, combine white sugar, brown sugar, and butter. Add eggs and vanilla; beat 1 minute until smooth.
4. Add flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir briefly and then drizzle in coffee or cola, stirring at the same time to make a smooth batter.
5. Spoon batter into prepared pan. Bake 60 to 72 minutes or until top springs back when pressed with fingertips. (Bundt cakes often take longer to bake than tube-pan cakes do.)
6. Let the cake cool. When cool, invert onto a plate and dust liberally with confectioner’s sugar.

Before I begin: Check your schedule for next Sunday. Are you free? Yes? Good! Plan a brunch and invite 7 of your favorite people. And then put this on the menu. Or maybe you should just skip the invites, have a brunch for yourself, and eat this all on your own. I won’t tell.

This is quite possible the most perfect brunch food I have ever eaten. Savory, cheesy, with eggs and potatoes and crunchy bits on the edges… Oh man, I wish it wasn’t all gone. I could go for another slice right now.

What’s that? You think you don’t like turnips? Well, you have two choices: don’t worry about it, because you’d never know they were there, or don’t worry about it, and don’t add them. Whatevs. Gruyère too expensive? (It is for me, too!) Get some Gouda (that’s what I used) or some white cheddar and go to town. Do not forget the fresh chives. Do not substitute the yogurt. If you can’t find plain greek yogurt, at least strain your watery Dannon overnight so it’s nice and thick by morning.

Do not halve the recipe. You will regret it. I know this from experience.

Original Recipe from Cooking Light: Rösti Casserole with Baked Eggs, found via the “Did They Eat It?” feature at Suburban Bliss

NOTE: I halved this recipe since it was just for me and the hubs, but you should make the full recipe and just keep eating it for days and days. I was so sad when it was gone. Therefore, the original, un-halved recipe is posted below.

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/4 cups fat-free Greek-style yogurt
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups grated peeled turnip (about 8 ounces, 2 small)
1 1/4 cups (5 ounces) shredded Gruyère cheese (or Cheddar, or Gouda)
1/3 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon grated whole nutmeg
1 (30-ounce) package frozen shredded hash brown potatoes, thawed (such as Ore-Ida)
Cooking spray
8 large eggs
Chopped fresh chives (optional)
Freshly ground black pepper (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 400°.

2. Combine yogurt and flour in a large bowl, stirring well. Add turnip, Gruyère cheese, butter, chives, 1 1/4 teaspoons salt, black pepper, nutmeg, and potatoes to yogurt mixture. Spread potato mixture evenly into a 13 x 9–inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.

3. Bake at 400° for 30 minutes or until bubbly. Remove from oven. With the back of a spoon, make 8 indentations in top of potato mixture. Crack 1 egg into each of 8 indentations. Return dish to oven.

4. Bake at 400° for 8 minutes or until egg whites are firm and yolks barely move when pan is touched. Cut into 8 pieces. Garnish with additional chives and black pepper, if desired. Serve immediately.

The second time I made it, I did it a bit differently than what is shown in the photos. I used whole wheat linguine and walnuts instead of almonds, and I cut the brussels sprouts into quarters instead of halves. All worthwhile changes, for sure, although the first version was delicious as well. You can decide for yourself - just MAKE this. Try it, even if you wince at the thought of brussels sprouts. Believe me, if you put a maple vinaigrette on something, it immediately tastes a million times better than you think it might.

Inspired by Maple-Dijon Roasted Brussels Sprouts at Closet Cooking

INGREDIENTS:

2 lbs brussels sprouts
1/2 package of linguine (whole wheat works nicely)
salt
pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
1/3 cup walnuts, chopped and toasted (or sliced almonds)
shredded parmesan cheese

For the vinaigrette:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp cider vinegar
1 tbsp grainy mustard
1 tsp dijon mustard
salt
pepper

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 450˚ F. Start preparing the brussels sprouts - take off the outer, dark green or wilted leaves, cut off the hard bottom, and slice them in quarters. (In the photo, they are in half, but the second time I made this I cut them again, in quarters, and they cooked faster and tasted better!).

2. About halfway through the cleaning of the brussels sprouts, put on your pasta water to boil. Make sure to salt the water.

3. Once the sprouts are prepared, toss them with 1 tbsp of olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Really mix them around, to make sure the oil covers all the sprouts. Transfer them to a rimmed baking sheet and pop them in the preheated oven for about 15 minutes, stirring once about halfway through.

4. Your pasta water should be boiling now, too - so add the linguine and cook until al dente, according to package directions.

5. While the pasta and brussels sprouts are cooking, make the vinaigrette. Combine all the ingredients and whisk until emulsified. Set aside. Toast the walnuts now, too, if you haven’t done so already.

6. When the pasta is done, reserve ~ 1 cup of the pasta water. You probably won’t need that much, but it’s better to have too much! Drain the pasta and put it back in the pot.The sprouts should be just about done at this point, too. Remove them from the oven.

7. To the pasta, add 1/2 of the vinaigrette and ~ 1/4 cup of the pasta water. Toss to coat. Add the brussels sprouts and the walnuts, then add the rest of the vinaigrette and a little more pasta water (until the consistency seems right to you, you want it to be a little wet but not soupy). I probably used about 1/2 cup total of the pasta water.

Serves four if no one wants seconds. Sprinkle with a little shredded parmesan and enjoy!

It is so easy to make this rustic, savory tart. The possibilities of what to put in the filling are endless, too. Basically anything you think tastes good together is probably going to taste better when it’s baked in a pie crust! This is a hearty vegetarian version with leeks, potatoes, zucchini, and feta. The recipe utilizes a store-bought piecrust but feel free to make your own. I also used a lovely peppercorn studded feta. You could make this for lunch or dinner, or cut it into small slices and serve it as a hot appetizer at a small party.

Original recipe from Potato, Leek, and Feta Tart at RealSimple.com

INGREDIENTS:

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 leeks (white and light green parts), thinly sliced into half-moons
2 small zucchini, sliced into half-moons
kosher salt and black pepper
1/2 cup crumbled Feta (about 2 ounces)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill (or ~1 tsp dried)
1 large potato (8 ounces), thinly sliced
1 store-bought 9-inch piecrust

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 375º F.
2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the leeks, zucchini, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until just tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in the Feta and dill. Add the potatoes and toss to combine.
3. On a piece of parchment paper, roll the piecrust to a 12-inch diameter. Slide the paper onto a baking sheet. Spoon the potato mixture onto the piecrust, leaving a 2-inch border. Fold the edge of the piecrust over the edge of the potato mixture. Bake (covering with foil if the crust gets too dark) until the piecrust is golden brown and the potatoes are tender, 50 to 60 minutes.

Around Thanksgiving, when cranberries were readily available and inexpensive, I bought an extra bag and froze it so I’d have some around once they were gone for another year. For some reason supermarkets think we don’t want to eat cranberries any time of the year except late fall. While it’s true that they happen to be in season then, it’s not like seasonality has ever concerned the grocery store before (see: tomatoes RIGHT NOW).

These muffins are delightful. Have I ever made muffins from scratch before? Nope. Were these super easy? Yep. Tart cranberries, fresh orange zest, and yummy toasted walnuts, with a crunchy muffin top thanks to the sugar sprinkles. You could make blueberry muffins with the same recipe, although I would use lemon zest in that case. I might increase the amount of fruit, too - 1 1/2 cups is fine, but I think they could have handled two cups and would have been all the more full of cranberry flavor.

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
1 1/4 cups sugar
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter (cold)
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup milk
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 tablespoon orange zest (about 1 large orange’s worth)
Clear sugar sprinkles

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400˚F.

2. Pulse the cranberries in a food processor until they’re coarsely chopped. Transfer from food processor to a bowl and toss with 1/4 of the sugar.

3. Toast the walnuts - heat a small pan over medium high heat and add the nuts. Cook, stirring frequently, until they start to brown a bit and are fragrant. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

4. Wash out the food processor and dry thoroughly. Add the flour, baking soda, salt, and remaining 1 cup of sugar and pulse to combine. Cut the butter up into chunks and add it to the flour mixture. Pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Transfer mixture to a large bowl.

5. Combine the eggs with the milk. Stir into the flour mixture until just moistened. Gently fold in the nuts, orange zest, and cranberries. Don’t over-mix.

6. Fill paper-lined muffin tins two thirds full. Sprinkle with the sugar sprinkles. Bake at 400˚F for 23 - 25 minutes. Makes about 18 muffins.

I know that’s a strange name, but these cookies are so full of butter (and therefore amazingly good) we could only make them once per year in my house growing up. I guess since Christmas and Thanksgiving were already full of bad-for-you treats, Valentine’s Day got these cookies. The original recipe, from a set of recipe cards from 1984, calls them “Chocolate Nut Logs”, but for whatever reason we stopped making them with nuts long ago. To make them seem more appropriate for Valentine’s Day my mom would sometimes shape the cookies into hearts. Now that I live in Chicago I’m rarely home for Valentine’s Day and I miss these cookies like crazy, so I convinced my mom to make them with me over the Christmas holiday.

They’re amazing straight from the refrigerator - something about them works best when they’re nice and cold, although you can certainly eat them at room temperature.

For about 4 dozen small cookies or 1 1/2 dozen large cookies

INGREDIENTS:

3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 pkgs (12 oz) semi-sweet mini chocolate chips
1 tbsp shortening
(2 cups finely chopped nuts, optional - not used in the cookies we made this time)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Cream butter, sugar, vanilla, and egg until light and fluffy.
2. Mix flour and salt. Add to first mixture. Using hands (or a wooden spoon and a lot of muscle) mix until well blended.
3. Stir in 1/2 bag of mini chocolate chips.
4. Use 1 level tablespoonful of the mixture for each cookie (for small cookies). Ours are probably closer to 2 tablespoonfuls each. Shape into logs, rounds, hearts, whatever. Arrange on ungreased baking sheets.
5. Bake at 350˚ for 12-15 minutes or until the bottoms of the cookies are just turning golden brown. Remove from oven and let sit on the baking sheet for 2 minutes, then transfer cookies to wire rack.
6. Melt remaining chocolate with the shortening (we do this in short bursts in the microwave, stirring frequently).
7. When cookies are cool enough to handle, dip into chocolate. If using nuts, sprinkle or coat with nuts at this time. Let stand on wax paper until cool, then pop them in the fridge to firm up. We leave them in the fridge and eat them cold.

Apparently, I am a big fan of beef bourguignon, since I actually have another recipe here for it. This one is quite a bit better, though. The sauce is thicker and more flavorful, and doesn’t rely on canned mushroom soup for flavor. I saw the recipe over at Ezra Pound Cake last week and knew I had to make this yummy winter stew again.

I left out the bacon (intentionally) and the pearl onions (unintentionally). I just never have bacon on hand and really didn’t want to buy it just for this dish. And I am one of those people who doesn’t love bacon flavoring in everything, although I know many people do. I’m sure it adds a lot of flavor to the dish, but I promise, if you leave it out it is totally fine. The pearl onions, on the other hand, were forgotten about until it was already served. Oops! I might throw them in when reheating the leftovers.

That’s fresh baked No-Knead Bread on the plate, along with creamy mashed potatoes and roasted asparagus (two accompaniments I repeated from the first recipe). Yum!

Recipe adapted from Ezra Pound Cake via Ina Garten

Makes 4-6 servings

INGREDIENTS:

1 tablespoon good olive oil
1 1/2 pounds chuck beef cut into cubes
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 pound carrots, sliced diagonally into 1-inch chunks
2 yellow onions, sliced
2 teaspoons chopped garlic (2 cloves)
1/2 cup Cognac
1 (750 ml.) bottle good dry red wine such as Cote du Rhone or Pinot Noir
1 can (2 cups) beef broth
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (1/2 teaspoon dried)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature, divided
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 pound frozen pearl onions
1/2 to 1 pound fresh mushrooms, stems discarded, caps thickly sliced

For Serving:
No-Knead Bread
Mashed Potatoes
Roasted Asparagus
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.

2. Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven. Dry the beef cubes with paper towels, and sprinkle them with salt and pepper. In batches in single layers, sear the beef in the hot oil for 3 to 5 minutes, turning to brown on all sides. Transfer the seared cubes to the plate with the bacon, and continue searing until all the beef is browned. Set aside.

4. Toss the carrots, onions, 1 tablespoon of salt and 2 teaspoons of pepper in the fat in the pan. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are lightly browned. Add garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the Cognac, stand back, and ignite with a match to burn off the alcohol. Return the beef and bacon to the pot with the juices. Add the wine and enough beef broth to almost cover the meat. Add the tomato paste and thyme. Bring to a simmer, cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid and place it in the oven for about 1 1/4 hours or until the meat and vegetables are very tender when pierced with a fork. (Depending on the size of your beef cubes you could increase the cooking time to 2 hours.)

5. Combine 2 tablespoons of butter and the flour with a fork, and stir into the stew. Add the frozen onions.

6. In a separate skillet, saute the mushrooms in 2 tablespoons of butter for 10 minutes until lightly browned, and then add to the stew.

7. Bring the stew to a boil on top of the stove, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Season to taste.

8. Spoon stew over mashed potatoes and serve with bread and asparagus. Sprinkle with chopped parsley.