now that i have brought you up to speed, let’s get down to why you all come here anyway – the food!  i have been trying to get tomas to eat quinoa for quite awhile, and while he doesn’t outright refuse it (like brown rice for example), it’s not the easiest thing to get him to eat either.  enter classmate with fabulous advice – “have you tried red quinoa?  it has a better texture and is more flavorful than golden quinoa.”  come to think of it, i had not in fact tried red quinoa so a couple of weeks ago i bought some and made one of my favorite recipes that i used to make with israeli cous cous (i will post that particular recipe this summer) and wow was she right!

red quinoa is larger in size, doesn’t get as mushy as golden quinoa, is more pearlescent and has a far better texture than its golden counterpart… i was sold in one measly bite!  as for tomas you ask?  he was sneaking it all week – SCORE!!!  so tonight i thought i would make some more to have for lunch or dinner during the upcoming week and decided to make it instead of risotto, but with the same flavors, serve it over spinach, and top it with a roasted portobello mushroom… i must say, i hit the flavor trifecta with this one!  i can’t wait for tomas to try it!  i know a lot of people are intimidated by quinoa, but this cooks exactly like rice and can take on endless flavor profiles so play around with it and find your favorite combination!

serves 8

1 T olive oil

3 cloves chopped garlic

1/4 cup thinly sliced fennel

2 cups raw red quinoa

1/2 cup white wine

1.5 cups water

1 package basil, chopped

2 T garlic butter (i use kerry gold)

1 T olive oil

zest of 1 lemon

juice of 1.5 lemons

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

8 portobello mushrooms

preheat oven to 450 F.

saute garlic and fennel in olive oil until the fennel is soft.  add in the quinoa and stir well – allow the quinoa to toast for 1 minute.  add in the wine and water and bring the liquid to a boil on high heat.  when boiling, turn the heat down to low and cover the pot for 25-30 minutes.  when the quinoa has absorbed all the liquid, fluff it with a fork and put the lid back on for another five minutes to allow it to steam.

while the quinoa is cooking, pop the stems off the mushrooms, then brush them with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  place them curved side down in a baking dish and set aside until the quinoa is done.  while the quinoa steaming, place the mushrooms in the oven for 10 minutes.

toss the quinoa with the remaining ingredients and serve over your favorite type of green and one mushroom per plate.  enjoy!

a few weeks ago we had a few friends in town and of course took them to our fav place in ballard, the walrus and the carpenter. that night there was a new swiss chard salad on the menu with pine nuts, a lemon vinaigrette and topped with a fried egg… for me it was love at first bite! since that night, I have made this salad several times for myself for lunch and am completely obsessed with its simplicity and yummiest that I had to share it with you all!

This recipe isn’t particularly exact because I normally just toss it together…

chiffonade 2-3 big leaves of chard, depending on how big you want the salad to be.
for the vinaigrette, whisk together about 1 T olive oil, juice of 1/2 a lemon, 1 capful apple cider vinegar, salt and pepper.
toss the chard with the vin and a small handful each (about 1/4 cup) sunflower seeds and grated parmesan.
plate the chard and top with 1 or 2 fried eggs.
promptly devour!

HAPPY 100TH POST!!!  i can’t believe this is the 100th post, it seems like i just started writing a few months ago.  i just wanted to take a minute and thank you all for your continued support and for those newbies who are just joining in the fun here at three blondes and a tomas!  this blog (even though i’m not always on top of getting posts written) has kept me sane during the rollar coaster called grad school.  i have had such an amazing time coming up with recipes for you all, exploring new foods and continuing to grow as a chef, something i was afraid was not going to happen since i am no longer working in a kitchen everyday.  to celebrate this milestone, let’s celebrate with a little homemade nutella frozen yogurt, and thank you again from the bottom of my heart for your support and encouragement!!

as you all know, i am a nutella lover, through and through – this has been demonstrated through many posts already.  today’s post is yet another ode to my nutella love – homemade nutella frozen yogurt!  i have a bit of a sweet tooth, which i try to ignore most days, but sometimes my inner sweet tooth fairy is just too loud for my to ignore!  on those days i usually end up going to either cookies or ice cream.  this frozen yogurt is me trying to create a healthier option for myself, without having something that is loaded with a bunch of chemicals and preservatives

this frozen yogurt was crazy easy to make – i didn’t even use an ice cream maker because i couldn’t find my ice cream bowl attachment for my kitchen aid so i had to wing it.  i literally threw the ingredients into a bowl, whisked them together and put the whole bowl into the freezer overnight, et voila, tangy, sweet frozen yogurt!

the beauty of this recipe is its simplicity – you could really make it any flavor your little heart desires by changing up a few ingredients.  you could leave out the nutella (gasp!!!), and put in 2 T lemon juice for a tart and tangy mixture, vanilla beans for a simpler take, or even mash some fruit up and mix it all together, the options are endless!

24oz container Greek yogurt (mine was honey flavored, but you could use plain as well)

1/4 cup sugar

1 T vanilla extract

2 T nutella

1/4 t salt

whisk all ingredients together until smooth.  place in a small metal bowl and cover with plastic wrap.  put in the freezer overnight to allow the mixture to set completely and enjoy!

for those of you who read last week’s post – shredded brussels sprouts coleslaw – i’m sure you have been anxiously awaiting this fried chicken post i promised!  i just have to say again… the fried chicken i had while we were in scottsdale was out of this world good!!  no one would have EVER known it was gluten free – it was light, crispy and not too greasy!  i’m sure my family is reading this going, “but sara doesn’t like fried chicken (aka, shake and bake)”… well family, this stuff rocks!!!

thankfully i asked our server that fateful night what flour was used for the breading, to which she told me, rice flour.  tomas has been begging me to make fried chicken for years now and i never have because i don’t really  have much experience number one, and number two, like my family said, i’m just not a huge fan.  after scottsdale that all changed so when i told tomas i wanted to make fried chicken this past weekend he simply smiled and gave me a high five!

the next test was actually making the fried chicken, something i’ve never really tackled.  i did some research to find the best methods (i already knew buttermilk was a must) and set out on my mission.  tomas was shocked when i came home with a tub of vegetable shortening (non-hydrogenated of course) and said that if bastyr knew i had bought that, they would kick me out  my response was that while i am a nutrition student, the blog is not a nutrition blog, it’s a food blog, and sometimes food isn’t always healthy – you have to have a balance in life!

i was completely nervous that i was going to royally mess the chicken up, but thankfully tomas and our friends, amanda and pablo, were there to cheer me on!  after a few hours sitting in buttermilk, i prepped the chicken and set out to frying… the result, i must say for my first attempt, was finger lickin’ delicious that we served with yucca and the brussels sprouts slaw!  tomas of course had a few critiques for the next round because the boy can not eat something and not put his two cents in (love you babe!), but overall, i’d give this fried chicken an 8/10!!

serves 8

4 chicken breasts, skin on

2 chicken thighs, skin on

6 chicken drumsticks, skin on

1 pint buttermilk

1 T honey

6 dashes chahula sauce (or tobasco)

6 cups white rice flour

1 T paprika

1 T garlic powder

1/2 T onion powder

1/2 T salt

1/2 T ground pepper

3-4 cups vegetable shortening, non-hydrogenated (the amount will depend on the size of your pan)

whisk together the buttermilk, honey and hot sauce.  put all the chicken into a large plastic bag that you can close once everything is in there (i used the plastic bags the butcher had put the chicken in).  pour the buttermilk mixture into the bag and close the bag.  set it into a large bowl (to prevent spills) and place the whole bowl into the fridge for at least four hours (overnight would be even better if you have the time).

while the chicken is in the fridge, you can toss together the breading mixture.  whisk together the rice flour, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper in a 9 x 13 baking dish (the shallowness of the baking dish will make it easier to coat the chicken in the breading later).

since the chicken will still be in the fridge at this point, you can get your breading station ready as well… place two cookie sheets under wire racks next to your 9×13 baking dish.

when the chicken/buttermilk mixture has been in the oven for at least 4 hours, take it out and place the chicken and buttermilk into separate bowls (DO NOT THROW OUT THE BUTTERMILK!!!!).  toss a few pieces of the chicken into the flour mixture at a time, making sure to cover all sides of the chicken thoroughly.  dip each piece back into the buttermilk mixture, again making sure to cover all sides of the chicken.  coat the chicken one last time in the flour mixture, shake off the excess and place on the wire racks and allow to sit for 30 minutes before frying.

when all the chicken is breaded, place the shortening into a large cast iron skillet with high sides and turn the heat to medium.  allow the oil to come up to 325 F, then fry each piece for a total of 20 minutes (10 minutes each side).  place the finished product on paper towel lined baking sheets to soak up the excess oil.  serve warm and chow down!

about a month ago i went to arizona with tomas for a weekend when he had to go down to work… i was trying to escape cloudy seattle and get a healthy dose of vitamin D, but alas, it ended up being cloudy and rainy for the most part in arizona that weekend  we still had an awesome time in scottsdale eating at many fabulous restaurants and taking a beautiful hike on the one sunny morning.

one of the restaurants we went to the first night had several gluten free options… one of which was fried chicken and waffles.  OH. MY. GAWD!  this dish was nothing short of amazing – much to his dismay, i wouldn’t let tomas touch it!  i ended up trying to recreate the fried chicken last night for a few friends (post to come next week), and for one of the sides i decided to make an unconventional ‘coleslaw’ salad from shredded brussels sprouts!

the flavor of the this dish was so yummy, and the texture of the sprouts after sitting in a vinaigrette for a few hours was perfect – not too chewy, not to slimy!  the dried cranberries and red onion lent a beautiful, rich color to the dish and the vinaigrette was subtle and light!  this dish could honestly be made anytime of the year in my opinion, and you could mix up the nuts/fruit in the dish to make it more seasonal!  all-in-all, it was a perfect accompaniment to some pretty tasty and crispy gluten free fried chicken!

3 cups shredded brussels sprouts (simply slice them thinly like you would a mushroom)

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/4 cup salted (shelled) sunflower seeds

1/4 large red onion, diced

salt and pepper

vinaigrette:

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1 T honey

1 T red wine vinegar

1 t ground coriander

whisk the vinaigrette ingredients together until fully emulsified.  season with salt and pepper.

to serve, toss the salad ingredients together, then toss the salad in the vinaigrette.  season with salt and pepper.  allow the dish to sit in the fridge for at least 30min in a plastic or glass container (don’t use metal – the acid in the vinaigrette combined with the metal will create an unwanted flavor in the dish)  before serving so the vinaigrette has a little time to break down the brussels sprouts a bit.

most of you should now know, or at least be aware of my nutella obsession!  last year i discovered that there is a WORLD NUTELLA DAY!!!  needless to say this discovery was nothing short of mind blowing for me.  an entire day dedicated to nutella… where do i sign up?!  i have dedicated a few different posts to my beloved treat of a condiment over the past year, but i must say that this year’s recipe takes the cake.

the idea for these first came on because i had to make a treat for a bake sale at school to support the student nutrition council this weekend at our annual top chef event.  once i figured out it was soon to be world nutella day, my idea morphed into something fantabulous!  while in my mind you can put nutella on just about anything, this year’s world nutella day recipe is shortbread cookie sandwiches with ducle de leche and nutella.

these cookies are melt in your mouth good if you ask me… the shortbread cookies have the perfect consistency and are just sweet enough, but not too sweet that they overpower the gooey goodness nestled inside, which is made up of home-made ducle de leche and nutella, umm, yum!!  this cookie seriously embodies three of my most favorite desserts… i am a total cookie monster and this may have just become my new all-time favorite dessert!!  ACTUALLY, it IS like my favorite candy, which i can no longer enjoy, TWIX!!  yes, that’s it – a nutella twix!!!!  thanks again to Ms Adventures in Italy and Bleeding Espresso for creating such a wonderfully delicious day!!

shortbread cookie recipe from ina garten (should yield around 20 sandwiches)

3/4 lb unsalted butter, room temp

1 cup sugar

1 t vanilla extract

3.5 cups gluten free flour (i used C4C)

1/4 t salt

preheat oven to 350 F.

sift together flour and salt and set aside.  cream butter and sugar together in an electric mixer with the paddle attachment until just mixed.  add in the vanilla and mix to incorporate.  slowly add in the flour while on low speed until all is incorporated.  form the dough into two discs, then wrap them in plastic and put them in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.  putting them in the fridge will help them keep their shape when you bake them later.

after the dough has chilled, roll it out to 1/4″ thick and use a 2″ square cutter to cut cookies out.  bake on parchment for 8 minutes, or until the bottoms/edges are slightly golden.

dulce de leche

1 15oz can sweetened condensed milk

poke two holes into the top of the can.  place the can in a saucepan that is as tall as the can and fill with water until 1″ from the top of the can.  bring the water to a boil, then turn down to a simmer.  let the water simmer for 3.5-4 hours.  you will have to watch the water level and continually replenish the water periodically.  also keep a watchful eye on the can to make sure none of the milk spills into the water.  after 3.5-4 hrs, dump the contents in the can into a bowl and whisk together to produce a smooth caramel!

to assemble

spread about 1 t nutella (you will need a large jar) on the inside of half the cookies.  spread the 1/2 t dulce de leche on the inside of the remaining cookies, then put a dulce de leche half and a nutella half together, et voila!  i put mine in the fridge to keep them fresh and so the nutella and caramel will set a bit so they aren’t quite as messy to eat  happy nutella day!!!

oftentimes on superbowl sunday there are a whole lotta dips fighting for center stage… they are the perfect, easy way to allow people to snack throughout the meal while they down their millers and budweisers.  they generally involve some sort of bean and come topped with all manner of cheeses and sour cream.  there is generally one lonely crudite platter than everyone pretends not to notice until all the other yummy dips have been devoured, but there isn’t much of an in-between.  this edamame & arugula puree is my attempt at filling in the middle ground, where the only other contender as of recent years has been hummus.

i started making this edamame & arugula dip a few years ago after reading about a fava bean and arugula puree in bon appetit.  i switched the ingredients around a little bit, and have loved the result ever since!  sometimes this dip can intimidate people, especially those who aren’t veggie fans – it’s BRIGHT green!  if they are bold enough to give it a try however, they are in for a tasty surprise!  because of the lemon juice, parmesan and roasted garlic, this dip is bursting with flavor!  i love to serve it warm, right after it’s been made because i feel like the flavors are at their best when it is warm.  it is also pretty darn tasty cold however, so whichever way to decide to dish it up will be fabulous!  you can serve it on crostini with a piece of shaved parmesan on top if you wanna make it fancy, or you can just plop it in a bowl and serve it with crackers or crudite – it will be delicious either way!

whomever you are cheering for this sunday, make sure to include this tasty dip, and be confident in knowing that you are brining something healthy disguised as awesomeness to the party, instead of being “that person” who brought the veggie platter that everyone ignores all day!

1 head garlic

4 cups arugula

1/2 cup grated parmesan

2 cups shelled edamame (frozen)

3/4 cup olive oil

juice from 1 lemon

salt & pepper

preheat oven to 400 F.

to roast the garlic, chop the top of the head off, and wrap the whole head in tin foil loosely, after drizzling with olive oil.  place it in an oven safe dish for baking so the olive oil doesn’t leak out into your oven.  bake at 400 F for 30 minutes.  allow to cool for 10 minutes before handling.  if you don’t have the time or the patience to wait for the roasted garlic, you can simply use 3 raw cloves instead).

while the garlic is in the oven, blanch the edamame.  when the edamame is done, drain it off and place it into a food processor.  add in the arugula, garlic, parmesan and lemon juice and half the olive oil.  process until somewhat smooth.  add in the remaining olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  continue to blend until the mixture is smooth.

i’m sure i’ve said this before, but i am definitely a particular eater.  i can be hesitant to try new things – it took me years to get on the sushi train, i still refuse to try kombucha, and no one will ever get me to try a plantain (they are way too much like bananas to me, which i despise).  i have been tricked into trying things in the past… when i was a kid, a friend’s mother told me that everyone else was having salmon, but that mine was “pink chicken” because she knew i wouldn’t eat it otherwise.  she also told me my blueberry muffin was chocolate chip for dessert.  i was naive enough to believe her of course, and have loved both salmon and blueberry muffins ever since of course.  my mom was of course shocked to hear what i had eaten when i told her – and i’m sure was internally yelling at herself for not trying that method with me before.

i have gotten more adventurous over the past few years, especially since culinary school and am very proud at how much larger my list of likes is versus my list of dislikes.  one of my new favorite things is yucca.  tomas has been trying to get me to try yucca for a few years now, and for whatever reason, i always refused to try it.  last month however when we went to mt diablo to visit tomas’s sister and her husband, we of course made a big dinner the first night and tomas made yucca.  he had never made it at home before where i could watch what was going on and how it was made, and maybe that’s what had prevented me from trying it before.  that night i tried, and LOVED me some yucca!

for those of you who are unaware of what yucca is, it is a starchy root vegetable that can be used in lieu of potatoes.  it has a slightly sweet flavor to it, and a very waxy skin that has to be cut off before it is cooked.  it is naturally high in vitamin C, calcium and iron.  when tomas made it when we were in california, he made a garlic-y sauce to go over it, which i then took and changed up a bit in this version.  i’m sure i’m going to smell like garlic for a few days now, but i’m telling you what, my house smells amazingly yummy right now and there’s no chance of vampires coming to get me while tomas is away for work

1 large yucca (about 1.5 feet long)

1 head garlic

3 T butter

1 T olive oil reserved from the roasted garlic)

6 oz fat free milk (or any other milk you generally use)

salt & pepper

preheat the oven to 400 F.

chop the top off the head of garlic and place in a piece of tin foil.  drizzle with olive oil, then loosely wrap the garlic in the tin foil and place it in an oven safe dish to bake for 30 minutes in a 400 F oven.  after 30 minutes, take it out and allow it to cool for 10 minutes before handling.

while the garlic is roasting, cut the yucca into 4 pieces so it is more easy to handle.  slice the skin off as you would a pineapple.  cut each piece into 4 again and place them into a medium sized saucepan.  cover the yucca with water and bring to a boil.  cook until the yucca is soft, but not mashable.  drain off the water.

when the garlic is cooled, squeeze it out of the skins and make a paste out of it.  place the butter, olive oil and milk into a small saucepan and heat over low-medium heat.  whisk occasionally while the butter is melting.  when the butter has melted, whisk in the garlic paste.  allow the sauce to simmer for 10 minutes, whisking occasionally.

pour the sauce over the yucca in the pan and toss well to cover.  put the lid on the pot and allow the yucca to absorb the sauce for 5 minutes before serving.  season with salt & pepper and enjoy!

if you are anything like me, you go through phases with the food you cook.  i’ll make one thing and love it so much that i make it continually over the next few months, then am randomly inspired by or reminded of something else and will switch over to that for a time.  the best example is my breakfast cycle, which over the past few years has ranged from eggs and avocado, to scrambled eggs with a waffle & nutella, to cereal, and now has moved onto yogurt with granola and raisins.

as much as i love quinoa, and rice dishes, they have become a bit repetitive as of late for my lunches.  luckily, a few days ago something reminded me of chicken salad so i decided to make my favorite chicken salad to have on hand for the next week or so for lunches!  it is such an easy recipe, and has such wonderful textures and flavors that it is perfect on a bed of spinach for lunch!  we’ll see how long this cycle lasts, but in the meantime i wanted to share the recipe with you and hopefully inspire your next lunchtime “fav”.

2 breasts boneless, skinless chicken

1 cup chopped walnuts

1 T tarragon, chopped

1/2 cup celery, diced

1/4 cup mayonnaise (i prefer olive oil mayo)

salt & pepper

optional: 1/2 cup quartered red grapes.  they add color and another flavor dimension that is great, i’m just not a grape fan so i left them out of mine.

preheat oven to 350 F.

drizzle the chicken with olive oil and sprinkle them with salt & pepper.  bake for 25 minutes in a 350 F oven – until the juices run clear and the meat is no longer pink in the center.  let the baked chicken cool for 5-10 minutes before dicing.

while the chicken is in the oven, chop the walnuts, tarragon and celery (and grapes if using them) and put into a medium sized bowl.  when the chicken is cooked and diced, add it to the bowl, along with the mayo and stir to incorporate everything.  season with salt and pepper and enjoy!

wow, so that was quite a long title i just wrote for this post… phew!  i was originally going to include spinach in the recipe as well, imagine how word-y that could have gotten  happy 2013 everyone!!  i can’t believe it’s been almost a month since my last post… for all of you who have been anxiously awaiting the turn out of the chili cookoff i mentioned in the jalapeno & cheddar cornbread recipe, sadly the contest didn’t end up happening this year.  a flu bug made its way into out house over the holidays and ended up knocking out quite a few family members so we had to call off the shindig until next year.  since i didn’t get any shots of when i tested out the recipe here, i want to wait to post it until i make it again so you can visually see how yummy it is!

for those of you who may have joined in the fun here at three blondes and a tomas over the holidays after being sent here from the purlbee, welcome and i hope you enjoy the recipes i post and the tidbits that often come along with them!  i can not believe 2012 is over – it was quite a whirlwind with the first year of grad school completed, getting married, having andrew back from afghanistan, and going gluten-free just to name a few events!  i can’t wait to see what 2013 has in store for us!!

for my first recipe of the 2013 year, i decided to make something i haven’t really played with in a long while… stuffed chicken.  i have been very into roasting garlic as of late (so easy and so amazing), and i made a risotto for new years eve that had gorgonzola cheese in it, both of which inspired this recipe!  the flavors are quintessential winter to me, and evoke a sense of warmth and comfort, while not being too incredibly bad for my “holiday” waist line (which i plan to promptly leave in the dust with all the put away christmas decorations now that i am home!).  i hope you all had a wonderful holiday season and that 2013 has gotten off to a great start!

serves 4

1 head garlic

1 sweet onion, julienned

1/8 cup white wine

4 skinless chicken breasts, butterflied

salt & pepper

1 T chopped sage

1 T chopped thyme

4 pieces prosciutto ham

1 T butter

1 T olive oil

sauce:

4 oz gorgonzola cheese

2 T butter

1/2 cup white wine

1 cup milk

preheat oven to 400 F.

cut off the top of the garlic bulb and set the whole bulb into a large piece of tin foil.  drizzle 2 T olive oil over the top of the bulb, then seal the tin foil loosely around the garlic.  set in an safe baking dish and bake for 30-40 minutes.  when the garlic is done, allow it to cool, then squeeze out the roasted garlic from the skins and roughly chop it.  set aside.  turn the oven down to 350 F.

while the garlic is roasting, caramelize the sliced onion.  saute the onion in olive oil over medium high heat, tossing occasionally so that the onion doesn’t burn.  add in the white wine when the onions are very soft and golden.  allow the wine to cook off, then lower the heat to low/medium and continue to caramelize the onions for another 10-15 minutes.  set aside.

butterfly the chicken breasts and gently pound them to tenderize and allow them to lay flat.  season all four breasts with salt and pepper.  divide the herbs between the 4 breasts and sprinkle then on the inside of each chicken breasts.  divide the roasted garlic between the 4 breasts and spread it over one inside half of each breast.  divide the caramelized onions between the 4 breasts and spread them over one half of the butterflied chicken breast.  fold the butterflied chicken back over so it looks like a whole breast with the top side up.  place a piece of prosciutto flat over the top of each piece of chicken breast.

melt 1 T butter and 1 T olive oil in a large cast iron skillet to medium/high heat.  when the pan is hot, place two of the breasts (or however many fit so that they aren’t crammed in) with the prosciutto side down.  cook for 2-3 minutes per side.  take out those breasts and repeat the cook time with the remaining breasts.  when all 4 have been sauted, place them all back in the same pan and put in the 350 F oven for 20 minutes.

when the timer goes off, remove the skillet from the oven, and place the breasts on a separate plate.  in the hot pan, place all the sauce ingredients in over medium heat and whisk together.  when the butter and cheese are melted, put the breasts back in the pan and allow the sauce to cook for another 5-10 minutes.  to serve, plate the chicken, then top with the sauce and enjoy!