Northern Cornbread

Every once in a while during my childhood my mom would serve Jiffy cornbread with dinner. We all enjoyed the sweet flavor of corn perfectly blended with butter from the Millerville Co-Op Creamery and topped with honey from a neighbor's bees. It was heavenly! Last year I made a batch of chili to bring to a friend's house for a potluck but I was completely out of cornbread mix, so I sent the hubs to the store to pick up a few boxes. He came home with a container of cornmeal. After a brief exchange of very frustrated words I found a recipe online for cornbread and decided to give homemade cornbread from scratch a try. Since that day I haven't bought a single box of Jiffy cornbread mix. So the real credit for this gem in my recipe collection goes to the hubs for making an epically brilliant shopping mistake!

Four Bean Chili

If you think chili needs meat, then you don't know beans! Unlike meats, beans are naturally low in fat, they're saturated and trans fat free, and are a cholesterol-free source of protein. They're an excellent source of fiber and complex carbohydrates giving them a low glycemic index which is perfect for anyone managing their blood sugar. Beans are also loaded with antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals including folate, potassium, iron, copper and magnesium. A purely bean chili makes a protein-packed meal without the added fat and cholesterol that gives a good recipe a bad nutritional reputation.

Baked Falafel

In the words of novelist Roald Dahl, "we all have our moments of brilliance and glory, and this was mine." Definitely one of the tastiest things you can do with chickpeas, falafel is one of my favorite foods of all time. It's a traditional middle-eastern street food made from chickpeas and spices, deep fried and served with tzatziki sauce wrapped in pita bread. I know, right?  But there is a certain amount of guilt that accompanies any dish that has been fried, so I decided to invest some time in perfecting a lighter falafel. I tried mixes, pan-searing, browning the patties in a skillet before finishing them the oven, even a version where I skipped cooked chickpeas and just soaked dry chickpeas in water and baking soda. At the end of the day, the easiest methods turned out the best quality product. Now that's my kind of cooking!

Tzatziki

They say that vegetarian cuisine has it's roots in Greek cooking, and both have been sources of culinary musings in my kitchen for quite some time. The essence of Greek food is simple ingredients including fruits, nuts, grains, legumes, vegetables, olive oil, honey and yogurt - all of my favorite things. The cooking methods are also simple, enhanced by traditional Greek seasonings of garlic, oregano, basil, mint and thyme. What you get is a seemingly endless variety of combinations and flavors to choose from. But what I love most about Greek food is the idea that the social aspect of dining, specifically family, friends, ambiance and conversation, are as essential to a good meal as the food itself.

Whole Wheat Pita Bread

There isn't another bread in the world that is more versatile than pita. It makes a delicious base for pocket sandwiches filled with falafel or salads. You can use it instead of a traditional pizza crust. There isn't a more perfect delivery vehicle for dips like tzatziki, hummus, or even tabouleh salad. You can even slice it, season it, and bake it to make lowfat homemade pita chips. But until you've eaten homemade pita bread, you have no idea how good pita can be!

Pear and Havarti Panini

The only thing you need to know about this dish was said very eloquently by a friend who tried it for the first time last week: "Yummy, yummy, yummy, there's panini in my tummy!" Paninis are the ultimate sandwich delicacy in my book because they're uber-simple to make and crazy delicious. They're fantastic in winter paired with soup or in the summer with a cold salad. And this is the world's most perfect panini.

Honey Wheat Bread

When I was a kid I always made honey wheat bread for the county fair. I remember spending hours in the kitchen on a hot August afternoon trying to craft the perfect loaf in hopes of getting a blue ribbon. Obviously my life is filled with more responsibilities than I had at 12 giving me less free time to bake honey wheat bread from scratch. So while dreaming of how this bread would be the ideal addition to the perfect panini sandwich, I set out to make an easier honey wheat bread.

Blood Orange, Beet, and Fennel Salad

The older I get, the more I love the foods that I refused to even taste as a child. This salad includes several of those flavors - beets, fennel, and onion. Let me explain. I grew up in a tiny little town in rural Minnesota where you were either Lutheran or Catholic, Scandinavian or German, and lived on a farm or in town. At every family gathering we ate pickled beets, which to an 8 year old are decidedly gross. My disgust for pickled beets probably had very little to do with the beets and more to do with the fact that the beets were served alongside potato sausage, pickled herring, creamed peas, and lutefisk. Thank goodness for lefse, otherwise I wouldn't have eaten anything! It wasn't until this past summer when my mother-in-law planted beets in my garden that I first ate beets that weren't pickled, and it turns out they are very delicious and one of my new favorite foods!

Creamy Sweet Potato Burritos

This recipe came about after I came home from the supermarket with a can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce that mistakenly made it into my cart. It sat in my cabinet for a year before I even opened up the can to see what was inside. One night while making my usual black bean burritos, I opened up the can and the Creamy Sweet Potato Burrito was born. It has evolved a lot from my first attempt, including one fateful evening when I managed to use an entire can of pureed peppers to create burrito filling so spicy we couldn't even eat it. Thankfully, this version has been perfected!

Deep Dish Veggie Pizza

Regardless of what nutritionists say, I think pizza makes a spectacularly perfect meal.  But I can appreciate why it has such a bad reputation.  We've changed the way we think of pizza, making crusts thicker, stuffing them with extra cheese, and topping them with fatty cuts of meat.  This recipe is a lighter version of the traditional deep-dish style pizza that still tastes hearty and filling.  I've added more veggies to a little less cheese, used a very flavorful sauce, and piled those toppings onto a deceptively delicious whole wheat crust.

Breakfast Bread Pudding

Everyone knows egg bakes are perfect for serving guests because they're easy to make ahead of time, keep well, and always a crowd pleaser.  But egg bakes aren't just for weekends anymore.  A good egg bake makes a convenient breakfast for busy weekday mornings when you need a solid breakfast on the go.  I like to make this recipe on Sundays and take a slice with me to school the rest of the week, buying me a little extra sleep time every day.  Who wouldn't enjoy getting a little extra sleep?

Wisdom Bread

My recipe for Wisdom Bread came after a long conversation with a trusted classmate in the medical student lounge last spring.  I was feeling very unsure of myself (ok, maybe it was a bit of a pity party) and she shared some wonderful advice that really helped me shift back to my usual attitude of gratitude.  That afternoon I felt very inspired to do some baking, something that was earthy, nurturing, and comforting - something that tasted good for the soul.  The final result was exactly that, a crusty, dense loaf with earthy flavors of whole wheat, yeast and rosemary.  It's the perfect base for a veggie sandwich, paired with a plate of pasta, or even a bowl of homemade soup.  I like to gift this loaf to my preceptors (a physician instructor who gives practical training to medical students on clinical rotations) as a way of thanking them for sharing their time and knowledge with me.  And I never ever forget to bring an extra loaf for their nurse!