The Hungry Squid

A loaf of banana bread is a beautiful thing. Especially when laden with toasty bits of pecan. And even more so when the whole package is healthy. In our quest to eat cleaner (ignore the last post), M and I have been on the hunt for healthier baking recipes, because baked goods are ubiquitous in this busy Atlantic household.  Healthy recipes that are actually delicious are surprisingly hard to come by. This particular one makes use of two of our staples du jour , quinoa and Greek yogurt, which together cut the amount of fat and flour used in traditional banana bread, and make us feel a little bit better about ourselves.   The loaf is pleasantly crispy on the outside, and soft, spicy, and a tiny bit dense on the inside, a lovely combination best enjoyed with a hot coffee. Or before consuming a package of Mini Eggs. Quinoa pecan banana bread Adapted from here Ingredients - 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour - 1/2 cups sugar - 1 ...

...describes these little gems to a T. Crispy, too, and thin, with a buttery vanilla flavor that melts out from the tiny golden crumbs as they fall onto your tongue. Best enjoyed with a good cup of coffee midmorning, or perhaps post-call, if that's how you roll. Happy Valentine's Day! Cinnamon vanilla sugar cookies for M Adapted from 'Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy Melt-In-Your-Mouth Cookies' by Alice Medrich Ingredients - 2 cups all-purpose flour - 1 cup granulated sugar - 1/2 tsp baking powder - 1/4 tsp salt - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened slightly - 1 large egg, room temperature - 1/2 tbsp pure vanilla extract - Cinnamon sugar, for sprinkling (instructions below) Yields about 50 1 1/2" heart-shaped cookies Prep time (1): 20 min Chill: 2-3 hours or overnight Prep time (2): 40 min Bake time: 8-10 1. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl and set aside. 2. Using an electric mixer, cream together ...

As we get busier with work, and the winter weather makes remaining indoors more and more appealing, M and I have gotten infinitely better at meal planning and shopping for the week. The initial input of energy that comes with deciding what to eat ahead of time is more than compensated for by how economical the whole outing ends up being. Buying the week's groceries, and planning meals around them, also gives you the liberty to experiment in the kitchen and to cook recipes that require small amounts of ingredients with particular flavors. Enter dill. Dill isn't an herb that M or I have ever cooked much with. Its strong, sharp, bright flavor gives it limited versatility, and the sheer size of the bunches sold at the grocery store mean that we always, always , end up wasting more than we'd like to admit. Tonight's delightful main attractions, which put to good use the oodles of dill we had left in the fridge, were made extra-economical by the u...

A one pot meal that has 3 types of greens, tons of tomatoes, carrots, white beans and...bacon? Sign me up. I love soup. It's such a versatile and forgiving dish; my mother has been known to throw apples, cucumbers, and various back-of-the-fridge foodstuffs into hers. These days I am particularly fond of broth-y soups with lots of sustenance and depth without being too heavy, perfect for the cold, post-holiday-eating winter months.  Soups are also a great way to save a bit of money, which is something M and I have been trying to do in anticipation of our trip to Vietnam. We came across this gem in a great little cookbook from the editors of Gourmet , a selection of 'weekday gourmet' recipes that are fast and fresh. It played double duty this week, fulfilling our craving for something wholesome and fresh while yielding enough to last a few days plus a couple of servings stored in the freezer.  It is savory without being rich, flavorful an...