This was one of those dishes I never would have tried if it were not for my CSA, which pushes me outside my comfort zone while I try to use up the vegetables from my share. I had read a recipe for a Savory Carrot & Tarragon Tart in Eating Well magazine, and since I am a bit overrun with carrots right now it seemed a good choice for a light dinner.
I ditched the crust entirely and simplified the rest of the instructions: in a small saute pan, I cooked the onions in a drizzle of olive oil until softened, then added 2 cups of shredded carrots (2 enormous carrots) and cooked those down with the onions for 5 more minutes. I patted that mixture into a 9″ non-stick round pan, and then combined and poured the following over it:
1 Tbsp. dry sherry
2 tsp. whole grain mustard
1/2 c. shredded cheddar
1/2 c. non-fat ricotta
1/2 c. 1% milk
2 eggs
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
salt & pepper
I baked it all in my toaster oven for about 35 minutes at 375° F.
All in all, it was an acceptable dinner. The onions and carrots made the dish surprisingly sweet (which made me wonder about the “savory” claim in the original recipe’s title) but pleasant. I should have used a smaller pan — the slices had little height and just weren’t that appealing on the plate because of it. In fact, the fritatta was so flat the boys mistook it for pizza, albeit “not the kind of pizza I like,” according to G. My dad had some leftovers for dinner tonight, and he liked it, too. In the future, though, I’ll stick to fritatta/quiche/baked egg dishes that use greens like broccoli or swiss chard to bulk them up rather than carrots.
J.’s aunt makes one of my favorite cakes in the world, an apple and walnut Bundt cake full of cinnamon and sugar. I would choose a piece of that cake over anything chocolate, any day!
Since G. and I went apple picking this week, and A. went with his class just before that, we have a ton of apples in the house. I decided to try to make a version of the apple cake, but as muffins — more breakfast-y and less dessert-like. I also wanted to branch out and see if I could get the boys to eat a sweet muffin, sans chocolate chips.
I used my food processor to finely chop (but not puree) the peeled apples, with the goal of the fruit being unobtrusive once baked. I also added flax seed meal to the batter to bump up the fiber. Because the muffin is already flecked with cinnamon, the flax blends right in and didn’t adversely affect the texture either — they still baked up fluffy.
Vicki and Rhys were over for a playdate when these muffins came out of the oven, and they gave them a thumbs up. I loved them, too. A. ate half of one without any derogatory comments; G. tried it too. But this morning when they asked for muffins for breakfast, they specified “the ones with the chocolate chips.”
Apple Flax Muffins
Makes about 30 muffins
4 c. peeled and chopped apples (about 5 large apples)
1 Tbsp. cinnamon
3 c. white whole wheat flour
½ c. flax seed meal
3 tsp. baking powder
2 c. sugar
1 tsp. salt
½ c. canola oil
4 eggs
½ c. orange juice
1 Tbs. vanilla
Preheat over to 375° F.
Toss apples and cinnamon together and set aside.
In a large bowl, stir together dry ingredients until combined. Then add in all the wet ingredients, mixing well. When batter is smooth, stir in apple and cinnamon mixture until it is evenly distributed.
Lightly grease muffin tins with non-stick spray (you can use a paper or foil liners, too, but spray them also). Fill cups almost to the top with batter (they will not rise much).
Bake 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
When I was done baking the PB & Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins the other night, I baked off a batch of these egg cups for a quick breakfast. I put a pinch of shredded cheddar in the bottom of each foil muffin liner, then added a teaspoon of leftover sauteed greens (braising and collard) and onions from a previous nights’ dinner. A single egg cracked over the top of each muffin completed the dish, for a kind of mini omelet. Bake at 375° F for 20 to 25 minutes, until the eggs are set the way you like them.
Don’t forget to grease your tin or liners! I used nonfat cheese and also forgot the non-stick spray, so I’ve been peeling many tiny pieces of foil off of each of these eggs (which makes them much less “grab & go!”).
Is it a proper frittata if you don’t start it in a skillet on the stove? Perhaps these are just baked eggs. Either way, they’re delicious.
Preheat your toaster oven to 375° F (it was in the mid-80s today, too hot for the big oven). Saute two small onions, diced, in a little olive oil. While they are turning soft and golden, wash and trim about 10 cups of swiss chard, and then chop it roughly. Add the chard to the pan, cook until wilted. Let it cool a bit. Beat a dozen eggs with 4 to 8 oz. of shredded Gruyère, add the chard mixture, and stir. Pour into a greased pan (I used the one that came with my toaster oven, which is about 9.5″x11″) and bake for 25 minutes, or until eggs are set.
Once you’ve cooled the frittata, slices can be individually frozen.
Last night I made Nick’s Banana Pancakes for dinner. I only used one banana and blended it into the batter, rather than slicing an additional one into the pancakes, because there’s no way the kids would have eaten it if the fruit was visible. Otherwise I followed the recipe, using whole eggs and 4% cottage cheese. I thought this was a nice, easy recipe and although I was skeptical that the oats would blend up into a smooth batter, they did. (I used my Cuisinart to blend the ingredients, as I don’t own a blender.)
Even without added sugar, I thought the banana made it sweet enough that it would pass muster with the boys. Nope. I felt very deceptive and sneaky — I’d told the boys I was making pancakes for dinner, and they were thrilled, thinking I was making the usual recipe. A. went so far as to request I make 20 pancakes, so he could have 10 and his brother could have 10. I totally let them down when I served this new version.
G. didn’t know what to make of it all — they looked like something he loved, but they did not taste right to him. He just couldn’t figure it out. Finally, he just sort of sadly pushed his plate away and told me “I don’t think these are flapjacks, Mommy.” A. managed to eat a couple, and he had watermelon. Overall it was a huge bust. Still, I’d recommend the recipe to someone with less picky kids — it’s an easy way to get protein and fruit into a well-loved carbohydrate meal.
This morning A. asked me to make “real flapjacks” for breakfast. (It still makes me grin every time they call them that, rather than pancakes!) I didn’t have time this morning, but I did make them for lunch, and I used all whole-wheat flour. They gobbled them up. I may try adding a pureed banana to my regular pancake recipe next time, and see if that works for them.
J. took the day off Friday to go to an event at the boys’ school, so he cooked dinner! (I had a feeling it would pan out this way, which is why I scheduled pancakes for dinner to begin with.) Although he doesn’t get much opportunity to do so, J. is a great cook and the boys absolutely love his pancakes. They devoured them plain — they could not be convinced to try a little syrup, even for dipping. Less mess for me.
This recipe comes from my copy of The All-New, All-Purpose Joy of Cooking, which is apparently no longer published under that title (it’s called The 1997 Joy of Cooking). I use this cookbook much more as a reference for cooking techniques (I can never remember how to hard boil an egg) rather than for recipes, though this pancake recipe is a keeper. J. thinks what makes them so delicious is the sugar and vanilla. They have just a hint of sweetness, without tasting like you’re eating dessert (and leaving plenty of leeway for syrup).
Silver Dollar Pancakes
Adapted slightly from Basic Pancakes in The All-New, All-Purpose Joy of Cooking
1½ c. white whole wheat flour
3 Tbsp. sugar
1½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
1½ c. milk (we use 1%)
3 Tbsp. butter, melted
2 large eggs, beaten
½ tsp. vanilla
Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat with a small pat of butter.
With a whisk, combine all ingredients in a large bowl, mixing until they are just combined. (If batter seems too thick, add cold water by the tablespoonful until it is corrected.)
Drop batter onto the pan in small circles (about 2-3 inches across), and cook until the tops start to bubble. Then flip and cook another couple of minutes, until the bottom is browned. Take the pan off the heat in between batches, adding a new small pat of butter each time. Serve immediately.
I'm Dara, the chick in the kitchen. Living in the suburbs of Manhattan with my two boys, ages 3 and 5, and husband. Trying to feed my family something more diverse than a different shape of pasta each night. Reach me at .
Want to Try
Black Bean Cakes: Looks like a delicious, high-fiber way to dress up some leftover chicken.
Cook to This
"Dirty Little Secret," by All-American Rejects. We played Rock Band on our friends' Wii New Year's Eve, and had a total blast. This was my favorite song to sing. When I checked out the video today I was tickled to find it based on Postsecret!
I'm Dara, the chick in the kitchen. Living in the suburbs of Manhattan with my two boys, ages 3 and 5, and husband. Trying to feed my family something more diverse than a different shape of pasta each night. Reach me at .