Poached Pears with Blueberries

Happy February! 

Tomorrow is my Dad's birthday (Happy Birthday Dad! I love you more than anyone in the world.)

Who watched the Superbowl? Anyone? Yeah, I failed as an American and didn't watch it. Partly because I worry about seeing people get injured (apparently someone broke their arm? Can't handle it), and also because I'm an avid Sea Hawks fan and I knew that I would be sad if they lost. (Which, whelp... we all know how that ended). I will admit that I'm more of an ice skating fan than I am a football fan, though. Maybe because I can actually imagine myself ice skating, but not playing football? I am way too intimidated by large men running towards me to be successful in any type of football career.

Things here at CSU have been going very smoothly. I've been drinking copious amounts of coffee and keeping up with school work, which is great. I still have this weird sensation that each day is flying by faster than I can catch up, though. I'll wake up at 6AM and bam, it's 7PM and I'm tired (because yes, I do go to bed at 8PM every night. I am internally an old person in terms of sleep. And probably about five years old in terms of energy level during the day). 

I've really been digging having before-bed snacks. They're usually composed of mini caramel rice cakes (once again: I'm old) or some type of cereal doused in soy milk (living the college life). But recently it's been all about the fruit. Fruit fruit fruit. It started out with me adding frozen raspberries to my cereal but after a while I was really craving something more fresh. Then a few days ago I started to feel a cold come on, which made me crave ginger --I have this weird association between sickness and ginger, because I always crave it whenever I'm sick-- and that led to some pretty creative combinations. 

Thankfully for you, I won't be sharing all those disgusting creative combinations (dates and rice and popcorn may have been involved). Instead, you get this lovely creation, which has actually been a staple of mine for some years now.

Poached pears with blueberries! And ginger. And vanilla extract for that little extra (is that a pun? It could be a pun) sweetness. This is a simple recipe that still impresses friends and family. When I made this for guests back in High School, they thought I was some type of fruit magician. In reality, I put the pears in a pot, walked away to do something else, came back and voila! That was pretty much it. It is a quick and easy way to create a fresh end to a meal. 

A simple scoop of ice cream or some whip cream is always a bonus, but this perfectly sweet dessert is delicious without it as well! Cooking the pears brings out a nice sweetness and the poaching softens them to give a smooth, melt-in-your mouth desert. Blueberries and ginger add little pops of flavor to keep it interesting.

If anyone has suggestions of fruits besides pears to use in this, I'm all ears! Because I think I could devour a whole table's worth of ginger-based goods around this time.


Xoxoxo. 

Poached Pears with Blueberries

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 4 large Green Anjou pears (firm, but ripe), peeled and cored, cut in half
• 4 and 1/4c. water
• 3tbl sugar
• 1/2 inch segment of peeled fresh ginger
• 1/2tbl vanilla extract
• 1 cup frozen (thawed) or fresh blueberries

 Instructions:

1. In a large pot, bring the water to a boil. Dissolve in the sugar, and add ginger/vanilla. 
2. Gently slide the pears into the water, and cook over medium until soft when a knife is able to slide in and out easily (about 15 minutes, but may take as much as 30 depending on your elevation).
3. Remove the pears from the syrup, and let cool. Cut pears into bite-sized cubes, and divide cubes evenly among 4 serving bowls. Top each serving with 1/4c. blueberries and 1/4c. liquid.

Note: If you want to serve the pears warm, you can chose not to cut them up into pieces. Simply serve each person the equivalent of 1 pear, 1/4c. blueberries, and 1/4c. liquid. This method is best if you are planning to top it with ice cream or some other creamy deliciousness!

Nutritional Information: 
Sodium: 7mg
Total Fat: 0g
       Saturated:  0g
       Trans: 0g
Protein: 1g
Sugar: 39g
Calories: 196

Crustless Broccoli-Cheddar Quiche

Today is feeling so much like spring, I can't even handle it.

Colorado has the tendency to completely do 180s on the weather, which shouldn't surprise me considering that I've lived here for nearly two years. But every single time we have a week of cold and then a week of warm, I become weirdly infuriated but thankful at the same time? My thing is that I am the poster child of first-world, lazy-person problems and the switching weather means that I have to alternate between spring and winter wardrobes.

I'm the worst.

But I also have a kind of legitimate reason for hating this time of the year, and that's geese. I hate hate hate geese, with a burning passion that can be ignited by the simple sound of one honking outside my window. They are so mean (I have a friend who was attacked by a goose once. No joke) and messy (and therefore smelly), and serve no purpose in my mind but to eat all the pretty green grass outside my apartment. Also someone told me that they have sharp teeth?? Is this true? Are there any geese experts among my readers who can tell me whether or not a goose would draw blood if it bit me? I'm going to stick with caution and believe it until someone tells me otherwise. It fuels my irrational perfectly reasonable and accurate fear and disgust. 

Blah, blah, blah, I know. I'm a ruiner. I should be outside jumping for joy, shrieking "It's warm! It's warm! I can eat bright spring things with lots of green without feeling completely and totally strange!" I haven't been running around, but I have been eating a lot of bright greens and daydreaming about spring foods. For me, spring usually reminds me of fresh fruits and lots of bright green vegetables, because it's so alive and happy. Plus yellow, which obviously means cheddar cheese. It also brings to mind Easter (even though my family isn't technically Christian, whoops!), which reminds me of eggs, which reminds me of quiche. So if I combine all of the above fresh thoughts and greens and yellows, it's pretty easy to come up with something that perfectly captures that mood.

Quiche.

Crustless quiche, to be exact. I've never actually been a fan of traditional pie crust?? I like it more raw (I know, it's gross, but I seriously could eat an entire package of refrigerated pie dough and be super happy. It doesn't happen often), so it seems pointless to me to add it. taking the crust away also hugely cuts down on fat, which therefore means we can add more cheese, which isn't even a question. I also use a mix of whole eggs and egg whites, to get more protein (one serving of this is about 25% of your daily value!) but less cholesterol, while not sacrificing flavor.

Quiche is actually one of the few egg dishes I will contemplate eating sometimes, especially if it is packed with veggies. I'm a sucker for anything broccoli-cheddar, and this recipe is especially suitable for any non-vegetarians or vegetarians who do eat eggs. It's easy to make and has familiar flavors. Warm, gooey cheese and tender broccoli, baked with eggs into a light, fluffy cloud of deliciousness. Half and half adds a splash of richness, complimenting the bold flavors of the sharp cheddar. The cheese melts and bubbles to create a golden crust that adds "wowza" to the dish. Every bite is packed with broccoli and sharp cheddar.

Drool.

Crustless Broccoli-Cheddar Quiche

Adapted from Martha Stewart
Serves 4                Serving Size: 1 (12-oz) ramekin

Ingredients:

• 12 oz uncooked broccoli florets
• 2/3c chopped onion
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 4 large eggs
• 2 large egg whites
• 1/4c. skim milk
• 1/4c. fat free half-and-half
• 3/4c shredded (3oz) reduced fat (2% milk) sharp cheddar
• 1/4tsp salt
• 1/4tsp pepper
• 1/8tsp paprika
• 4 (12-oz) oven safe ramekins

Instructions:

1. Cook the broccoli (I prefer to steam it). Allow to cool, and then chop into small bite-sized pieces. In a small pan, saute the onions until slightly tender (about four minutes on medium). Remove from heat. Put the broccoli and onion into a medium-large bowl, and set aside.
2. Preheat the oven to 350F.
3. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, beat the eggs and egg whites. Slowly add in the milk and half-and-half, whisking as you do so. Add in the broccoli-onion mixture and the cheese, along with the salt, pepper, and paprika.
4. Place the ramekins on a rimmed baking sheet. Ladle broccoli mixture into ramekins, dividing evenly. Bake until golden brown, 45 to 50 minutes. You can test the doneness by gently poking the top of the quiches; they should not leak any milk when touched.
5. Remove from oven and serve!

Nutritional Information:
Sodium: 360mg
Total Fat: 9g
      Saturated: 4g
      Trans: 0g
Protein: 14g
Sugar: 4g
Calories: 180

Green Chile Cheddar Biscuits

Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day! I debated not posting today, in honor of his legacy and the lives and dedication of those who took part in the Civil Right's Movement, but I realized that I wanted to write a little dedication in the end. Although this country is far, far away from being equal in many respects, it honors me to be able to learn about those who have stood up against oppression and unfair treatment, even when risking their own lives in the process. Due to sacrifice and hard work from people who were willing to give up every physical and emotional comfort, things are not as bad as they once were. We, as individuals, need to come together and continue the wave of civil rights legislation and mindset that those before us have fought for.

So, Happy MLK day.

We are going to do a complete turn-around now, and switch topics back to the blog. Hang onto this train of thought with me, ok?

Going back to CO was rough.

How can someone easily transfer from 65F weather to just 10F?? If any of you internet friendsies have advice on how you got insane enough to live in a cold state, shoot me a message.

Seriously, though. I've been curled up in a heated blanket with so many layers on, drinking copious amounts of tea, and attempting not to catch the sickness that every single one of my friends seems to have. Soup and sauteed vegetables have been my go-tos this entire week. It's not even snowing, currently, and this weather is apparently "warm." I missed the coldest weeks of negative degree days, thank goodness, when I was in CA. I'm pretty sure all my Coloradan friends think I'm pathetically below average temperature. There are girls walking around in short sleeved shirts, and here I am barely able to leave the heated apartment.

Such first world problems.

But! Do you know what isn't a problem?

Biscuits. So many biscuits, I can't even begin to describe the pure biscuitness (making this a word now) that I am filled with currently. They're helping me keep warm, and require very little effort which translates to more time that I can spend wrapped in my heated blanket. Those beauties above (look at them again. Look at that cheese!) combine whole and all-purpose flours, rich green chiles, and sharp cheddar to basically make heaven on a baking sheet. In all honesty, I ate about three of these before they even cooled down? Burnt tongue= totally worth it.

These aren't your traditional flaky biscuits, because I've never found those kind enjoyable in cold weather. At Thanksgiving or in the summer with a BBQ? Heck yes! But not in January. When it's cold, all I want is something to dip in soup or to slather with some type of spread (read: butter). You just can't dip those other biscuits in soup. You can with these. I really love drop biscuits, because they are a bit more crumbly and (in my opinion) have more flavor than just butter biscuits.

These kind of have a southwest feel, but aren't spicy because of the balance between the cooling yogurt and the mild green chiles. They are also a lot lower in fat (particularly saturated fat), calories, and sugar. They also pack 6g of protein each! I basically took my standard biscuit recipe and added some pops of color and deliciousness, because I knew that I would want to eat a few a snack just on their own. It works perfectly. Flavor isn't sacrificed just because they are healthier, that's for sure.

Check out the recipe below.

Green Chile Cheddar Biscuits

Serves 6                 Serving Size: 1 large biscuit

Ingredients:

• 3/4c. all-purpose flour
• 1/4c. whole-wheat flour
• 1/4c. light margarine 
• 1/2tbl. baking powder
• 1/8tsp. baking soda
• 1/4tsp salt
• 1/2tsp honey
• 1/2c. nonfat plain yogurt
• 3/4c. (3oz) finely shredded sharp 2% cheddar cheese, divided
• 2 tablespoons diced green chiles, from the can, drained
• cooking spray

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
2. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Cut the margarine into the mixture a little bit at a time until the mixture is coarse.
3. Add the honey and yogurt into the dry ingredients, mixing until nice and moist. The resulting mixture should be a little bit sticky, but not incredibly so.  Add in 2 tablespoons of the chile, and 1/2c. plus 2 tablespoons sharp cheddar.
4. Coat a medium baking sheet with cooking spray. Divide the mixture into 6, making each 1/6 a biscuit dollop (I divide my mixture in half, and then take that half and split it into 3). Make sure to space them apart, as the biscuits expand a lot during cooking.
5. Gently press down on the biscuits with the back of a spoon so they look prettier in the end with a smoother top.
6. Take remaining 2 tablespoons cheese and divide evenly among biscuit tops.
7. Bake in the oven for 16-19 minutes (or until cheese is melted and golden, and a toothpick inserted into the center of a biscuit comes out completely clean).

Nutritional Information
Sodium: 927mg
Total Fat: 6g
       Saturated:  2g
       Trans: 1g
Protein: 6g
Sugar: 1g
Calories: 151