Some Healthy Dark Leafy Greens

While this might not be the most interesting post, it's definitely the healthiest! As someone who has always had a tendency toward anemia, it's really important that I get a lot of iron in my diet. Hence, all the dark, leafy greens! Whenever I get bored of spinach, I usually turn to kale.... and this recipe for sesame kale that I found on Epicurious was really tasty!

Ingredients

1 large bunch of kale

1 tsp vegetable oil

1 tsp garlic paste

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

2 tsp toasted sesame oil

2 tsp sesame seeds, toasted

Trim the bottom stems off the kale and roughly chop.

In a large pot, bring 1 cup of water to a boil. Place a steamer basket in the pot and add the kale. Let it steam, covered for 4 minutes. Uncover and cook for another 3 minutes.

While the kale is steaming, toast the sesame seeds by placing them in a dry pan and heating until lightly browned.

Heat the vegetable oil over medium heat in a skillet. Add the garlic paste and cayenne, followed by the kale. Cook for 3 minutes. Finally, transfer kale to a bowl and toss with sesame oil and toasted sesame seeds.

Not a Horrible First Brisket Attempt

I'm a big fan of brisket, especially when done right. One of the best briskets I've had in recent memory was at my sister-in-law, Andrea's house. Like a trooper, she had the entire extended family over for a Hannukah party and served up a delicious and huge Jewish Style Sweet and Sour brisket. I tried to replicate the recipe for my own little Hannukah party, but cooking for four is a little different than cooking for twenty-something. While my meat tasted delicious, I dried it out by following the cooking time intended for the larger portion of meat. (Not my proudest moment!). If you're going to try this recipe at home, I'd suggest using a shorter cook time and testing the meat every so often to make sure it stays in "juicy" land and out of "well done" world.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds beef brisket
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup ketchup
• 1/2 cup white vinegar
• 1 onions, sliced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon salt

Start by browning all sides of the brisket in a dutch oven (I like Le Creuset) over medium-high heat.

Stir in water, ketchup, vinegar, onions, garlic, brown sugar, and salt. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Continue simmering until tender, turning brisket occasionally. The original recipe called for the brisket to be cooked close to 3 hours, but I would start with a half an hour per side with the smaller cut of meat. If the meat is too rare, continue cooking.

Remove brisket and let cool before slicing it against the grain. Serve with gravy poured on top.

I Want to Be Like Bobby

I know it's been a while, but I'm finally back to blogging! Holiday traveling and being pregnant with twins haven't been very conducive to cooking (but at least I can still reach the stove!) Now that I'm back in the city and it's freezing out, what better to do than stay in and try out some new recipes?

I live just down the block from Bobby Flay's Southwestern restaurant, Mesa Grill, and really love the bread basket they serve at brunch. In an attempt to be like Bobby, I thought I'd try to make some jalapeno cheddar corn muffins. They weren't as good (aka "buttery") as the ones at Mesa Grill, but were a nice pre-dinner treat with their bit of heat and cheesy gooeyness :)

Ingredients

2 tbsp unsalted butter

1/3 cup finely chopped onion

1 cup fresh corn kernels

1 tsp salt

3 dashes Tobasco Sauce

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup yellow cornmeal

1 tbsp baking powder

Pinch cayenne pepper

3/4 cup shredded Cheddar

1 cup buttermilk

1/4 cup vegetable oil

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

2 tbsp minced seeded green jalapenos

3 tbsp honey

Start by preheating your oven to 375 degrees and greasing a muffin pan. Melt the butter in a small skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onions and cook for 3-4 minutes.

Add the corn and cook another 3-4 minutes. Set the skillet aside to let cool.

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, cayenne pepper and cheese.

In another bowl, mix together the buttermilk, oil, eggs, jalapenos, tobasco sauce and honey.

Add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture. Mix together then add the cooled corn and onions.

Fill each muffin tin 3/4 of the way full and bake about 15 minutes, or until golden.

Let the muffins cool and serve with either butter or some kind of jelly.