Hi, Everyone!  I’m Alicia, and I met Elizabeth many moons ago when our then boyfriends (now our husbands) were roommates fresh out of college.  I’m thrilled to be the guest blogger for this week, sharing one of my favorite recipes.

First some background. A couple of years ago I transitioned into the world of “clean eating” – not an easy feat for a girl who loved her diet sodas, frozen convenience meals, and 100-calorie snacks.  I take some liberties with the term – everything in moderation, after all – but I do focus on limiting processed food for myself and my family, and opting for whole or very minimally processed
items instead.

Lucky for me, during this time of transition I discovered quinoa! All of you longtime Wicked Domestic readers have seen the recipes for awesome quinoa dishes on this blog. Is it odd that I was in my thirties before I had ever heard of this beautiful superfood?  Once I mastered how to pronounce it, learned that it is a complete protein also rich in many vitamins and minerals, and saw how easy it was to incorporate into countless dishes, I was sold.

I originally found this quinoa salad recipe courtesy of Allrecipes.com, and made some adaptations to suit my tastes.  It’s easy. It’s versatile.  Use it as a side, year round.  Use it as a base for a main dish. Change up the veggies based on what you love. Add olives and feta and it’s instantly Mediterranean.  Add avocado and some salsa and you have a dish with Spanish flair.  Throw in some tofu or chicken for an extra protein punch.  And share it! I’ve made quite a few people into quinoa converts with this “gateway recipe.”

Quinoa Veggie Salad with Zesty Vinaigrette (adapted from allrecipes.com)

Serves 6 or so

1 Cup Quinoa

2 Cups Water, Vegetable Broth or a combination thereof

1 cucumber, chopped

2-3 peppers, chopped

1 pint grape tomatoes, halved

 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

3 ½ tablespoons canola oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Bring the quinoa and water/broth to a boil, simmer 15 minutes or so until the liquid has absorbed.  Refrigerate quinoa for an hour or so.

Combine the vinegar, lemon juice, mustard, oil, salt and pepper until well blended. The measurements above are just guidelines – increase and decrease amounts based on the flavors you like. I usually whisk it together, though the recipe calls for a blender.

Mix the veggies and the quinoa, and toss with the dressing.  Enjoy!

Check back next week when I guest blog about my favorite granola bars!

-Alicia

A few weeks ago, my sisters and I attended my cousin Katherine’s bachelorette party down the Cape in Barnstable.  As you may remember, I posted about the fabulous brunch we had in the middle of the celebration, with the pesto and prosciutto strata and all-star bloody mary bar.  We did much more than just brunch, there was singing, dancing, beach walking, hot tubing and general merriment.  Here are a few highlights.

The house we rented was so beautiful, a quintessential Cape Cod antique called Bag End…we all wish we lived there!

We stocked up on vino and got a drinkin’!

The ever so lovely Wicked Domestic Mum and Aunt Didi were enjoying themselves…we love it when mums come to bachelorette parties!

And the fabulous bride to be with her soon to be mother in law (singing into kitchen utensils of course)!

A tambourine may have been whipped out.

After many, many, many drinks and a good nights sleep later, we did some good beach walking.

Then more cocktails, more beachy shots and a visit from the littlest Wicked Domestic, Meghan!

It was such a great weekend filled with more laughter than my ab muscles could bare.  But the question is, did the bachelorette have a good time?

If you end up wearing a tambourine on your head, it means it was a good time.

Best of luck, Kat and Adam!

- Jackie

You know what I love?  The combination of ritzy and casual.  Hoity toity meets everyday.  The fabulous and the mediocre.  And I’m not talking about a homeless man sporting a Rolex.  I’m talking about taking a ho-hum ingredient and classing it up, big time.  Case in point: truffled popcorn.  Not that popcorn isn’t one of the tastiest snacks this side of the Mississippi-or on the other side for that matter.  But popcorn on its own is relatively dull.  You need a lot to doctor it up: butter, salt, caramel etc. etc.  Since I have a jar of amazing truffle salt burning a hole in my spice cabinet, I thought it would be quite the fabulous addition to a big, hot bowl of popcorn.  This is snacking at it’s finest, folks.  Here’s what I did:

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/2 cup popcorn kernels

sprinkling of truffle salt

In a heavy-bottomed pot with add the butter and set over medium high heat until melted.  Add three kernels and when one or more of the kernels pop, add the remaining popcorn kernels and cover.

Gently shake the pot to prevent the kernels from burning.

Continue shaking until most kernels have popped and you can’t hear many moving against the bottom of the pan.

Turn off the heat and continue to shake – a few stragglers will pop.  Just make sure you don’t burn the popcorn…because I’m pretty sure that’s the worst stench in the entire world.  Add the truffle salt and mix, to ensure the salt is evenly distributed.

Serve to your hungry guests and enjoy! The popcorn is super luxurious and intensely flavorful.  I highly recommend it, dahhhling.

- Jackie

I’m sure all of you readers have been wondering what incredibly talented (and not to mention attractive) human could produce two wildly domestic bloggers…well here he is folks, in all of his blogging glory, the Wicked Domestic Dad!

What can be more American than apple pie, you ask? Peanut butter and jelly, of course! And what is the ultimate PB&J? How about a peanut butter and jelly cookie! Add a big glass of milk and you’ve got the All American dessert. Yum – yum!

Having grown up on two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches every day for lunch (Sweetie, my mom, was not very adventurous when it came to meals, especially lunches. Then again we four boys were not very adventurous eaters [except Jack]). Sometimes you might catch me making mini – PB&Js using Saltines instead of Wonder Bread (Builds Strong Bodies 12 Ways!)

Easy to do and I’ve worked out some of the kinks for you. Here we go:

You need:

2 ¾ cups flour

1 cup sugar

1 tsp baking soda (whatever that is)

½ tsp salt

1 ½ cups smooth peanut butter (Skippy, of course)

½ cup jelly or such (Welch’s Grape Jelly flows through my veins)

½ cup butter

½ cup honey

2 tbs milk

Preheat to 375, line 2 baking sheets with parchment (makes it real easy and no clean up)

Combine flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Mix it up. That’s the easy part. Then add the peanut butter and butter. Gotta use an electric mixer here as it gets pretty thick. Mix for about 3 minutes then add the honey and milk. Now it’s really, really thick.

The recipe I used said to roll the mixture into one inch diameter balls, press a thumb or finger into the center and fill the indent with your choice of filling. Then bake 10 to 12 minutes, let cool for 10 minutes then put on a rack.

My first batch came out looking like Dunkin’ Donut Munchkins. I thought they would flatten out in the oven. They didn’t.

Next batch I made larger – 2” diameter. Ended up with 2’ Munchkins. Third batch I pressed flat, made my jelly indent and fill with the Welch’s Grape Jelly. Perfection!

I couldn’t snag all the peanut butter for myself.   Douglas, the Bernese Mountain Dog, loves peanut butter from time to time…of course serve in a Kong!

Enjoy these cookies with a big glad of milk…preferably in a Rolling Stone glass.  Rock ‘n Roll!

-Nifty

Hello bloggers!  Guest blogger Kate here, checking in with a delicious tofu recipe for you all.  So buckle up.  Get ready.  I am about to substitute tofu for fresh mozzarella.

Now don’t get me wrong – I love fresh mozzarella, I really do.  I have vivid, amazing memories of my college roommate Annie bringing back “fresh moozarell” from Yonkers and being blown away by the deliciousness.  However, there comes a time when you realize that you may want to dial back the cheese binges.

So, when you’re in the mood for a delicious, bursting with flavor caprese sandwich with tomato, basil, & mozzarella, why not try subbing tofu for the mozzarella?  Let’s be real: the dominant flavors in a caprese sandwich/salad are from the tomato, basil, & balsamic vinegar drizzle.  And guess what: tofu is available at your local grocery story, is VERY cheap, and has less fat & fewer calories than mozzarella.

To be clear, I’m not talking about just pulling tofu out of the package & slapping it on a sandwich.  You’re going to finesse the tofu.  Treat it with love.  And be pleasantly surprised at how easy & delicious this sandwich is.

So let’s get started! Assemble your ingredients:

-          Organic extra firm tofu (you don’t want GMO soybeans) – 15 oz. package

-          Fresh basil – 1 small package

-          Good tomatoes –  approx 2-3

-          Olive oil – a few tablespoons

-          Balsamic vinegar – for drizzling; to taste

-          Flour, any kind – approx ½ cup

-          Nice bread of your choice.  If you would like extra credit, you may bake your own bread.

Full disclosure: I’m only working with a half block of tofu in these photos (hence why it’s in my own Tupperware rather than normal packaging) as I’d used the other a half a few nights before.

Step 1: Drain the tofu for approx 10 minutes.

This is a critical step.  Tofu is generally packaged in water.  Have you ever tried to fry something waterlogged?  I don’t advise it.  Now there are various schools of thought on how best to drain tofu.  Feel free to do a google search for other methods, but I myself like to employ a hands-off, slightly precarious balancing act method.  I place the tofu on an inverted colander, on a plate (to catch the water).  Then I put a plate on top of the tofu and then balance a book on top of the plate to give it a little weight.

Step 2: Rinse & slice up the tomatoes; pluck the basil leaves off the stems.  Set aside.

In an ideal world, this would involve strolling out to your backyard organic garden & plucking some home grown tomatoes straight off the vine & snipping some fresh basil.  But it’s February.  And you live in the city.  And your window herb garden died a long, slow death last year.   So you come to terms with all of these things & just go to Whole Foods…

Step 3: Slice the tofu & dredge in flour.

Cut the tofu into slices (1/4” to 1/2”).  Dip tofu slices into a bowl of flour, making sure that both sides are lightly coated in flour.

Step 4: Pan fry the tofu.

Heat 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Cook the tofu for 2-3 minutes then flip & cook for approximately 2 more minutes.  It will be a lovely golden brown!

Step 5: Assemble your sandwich!

Let the tofu cool off for a few minutes, then grab your delicious bread & layer it up with sliced tomato, fresh basil, & golden pan-fried tofu.  Drizzle it with a little balsamic vinegar.  Now you may think you can just whip up a nice balsamic reduction by throwing a small saucepan of it on the stove and forgetting about it.  Let me save you the trouble: you’ll wind up with a saucepan full of balsamic vinegar that has somehow become rock hard and is in no way a mouth-watering reduction.  But that is another blog for another time.  So, for now, just stick to plain non-reduced balsamic vinegar.

Now would you look at that sandwich!  Blog readers, I hope you enjoy it.  Please note that you can use pan fried tofu in many other sandwiches & delicious stir fries too.  So feel free to use the tofu-frying instructions as a jumping off point for other culinary adventures!

- Kate

I love Bloody Marys.  Not the terrifying urban legend of chanting the phrase “Bloody Mary” three times into a mirror at night and waiting for the ghost of Bloody Mary to appear.  Quiver.  I mean the delicious boozy brunch fixture of course!

No brunch is the same without the bevy, so at the bachelorette brunch that featured the delightful prosciutto and pesto strata, I whipped up quite the spread, sure to wet the whistle of anyone looking to partake in the hair of the dog.

There are a lot of great Bloody Mary mixes out there, but I think it’s fun to serve up straight tomato juice and all the fixings to make each drink to each persons specific taste.  Here’s a list of ingredients I included in the spread:

Vodka

V8 Tomato juice (both original and Spicy)

Tabasco sauce

Worcestershire sauce

Old Bay

Sriracha sauce

olives

lemons and limes

celery

You could always go above and beyond with some of these ingredients:

boiled shrimp

banana peppers

crisp bacon strips

horseradish (this is usually a staple in the Wicked Domestic household, but I had run out)

seasoned salts

clam juice

And what perfect way to enjoy said Bloody, than outside in the middle of January, on the Cape, wrapped in a blanket and by the fire.  Life is good.

- Jackie

Last weekend I attended my cousin Kat’s bachelorette party down the Cape (re-cap post to come) and we had a beyond wonderful time.  Because honestly, what we did all weekend was eat and drink.  And laugh.  A lot.  Laughing so much, that I had tears streaming down my face and I couldn’t breath at one point.  We think we’re wicked hilarious.  Anyway, this fabulous girls weekend was planned around a series of big breakfasts, big dinners and big snacking.  And big bottles of wine too.  Do we have a consumption problem?  Yikes.

I signed up for a brunch dish and one of my old favs came to mind when I was thinking of what to make: my tried and true prosciutto and pesto breakfast strata.   This Bad Larry of a recipe has been in my repertoire for years and I thought it was finally time to have it be front and center on Wicked Domestic.  So here it is ladies and gentlemen, here’s what did:

1/2 loaf of sourdough bread (I used the brand When Pigs Fly)

8 oz cream cheese

8 oz pesto

2 cups shredded mozzarella

1/4-1/2 lb sliced prosciutto

1 lb. tomatoes

6 eggs

1 cup whole milk

S&P

Since I was making this strata for a bachelorette party brunch, I used a foil baking dish so I wouldn’t have to worry about cleaning it or bringing the dish home.

First off, grease the baking dish and put in a layer of the sliced bread.  Feel free to tear up piece so the bottom is completely covered.  Then, take half of the cream cheese and distribute over the bread.

Then take half of the pesto and do the same thing.

Sprinkle half the cheese on top of the pesto.

And then tear up the slices of prosciutto and layer on top.  It’s important to tear it up (or cut) because otherwise the strata is difficult to slice up to serve.

Add a layer of sliced tomatoes on top…

And then start the layering process all over again.  I doubled the recipe for the brunch I was bringing this to, so I had a boatload of strata to serve.

Off to Cape Cod the strata went to feed hungry bachelorette partiers!

The night before the brunch, I whisked together the eggs, milk and S&P and poured it over the strata to sit overnight.

In the morning, make sure to remove the strata from the fridge and let it come to room temp for about an hour before cooking.  Bake the strata at 350 for an hour and serve with plenty of Bloody Marys and Mimosas (oh and Dayna’s french toast casserole, a recipe that  I will be stealing from her).  We wouldn’t want the buzz from the night before to be completely lost.

Ohhh brotha is this strata a show stopper.  It’s a wicked crowd pleaser.

Gooey cheese, salty prosciutto, tasty pesto…delish!

Stay tuned for my perfect Bloody Mary bar, comin’ up next!

- Jackie

Good morning, WD! Please allow me to introduce myself. I’m an English professor, LivingSocial copywriter, general freelance writer, avid exerciser, and dance teacher masquerading in an old woman’s name: Joan. Back in December, when Jackie asked if I’d be interested in guest posting, I immediately knew what I’d be writing about: a truly hearty, healthy, and surprisingly flavorful snowy-winter-Sunday meal (inspired by and modified from a food blog called Elly Says Opa). Given the fact that I’ve only worn a coat about 4 times in 2012 and I still crave this protein-packed dish enough to want to blog about it, I think I’ve found a palatable winner.

Listed together, the ingredients don’t look like much — they have a kind of “cabinets are getting empty” feel. But, as anyone who has ever watched a feel-good ‘90s sports movie knows, the underdogs always win.

A couple of notes: I double-rinse canned beans to get rid of the salt-sugar substance they are packed in as well as reduce the raffinose content — which effectively eliminates sodium and aids in bean digestion. Also, since we primarily drink red wine, I find that buying the single-serving white wines cut down on waste for cooking purposes.

I relate much more to the DIY crafters of the world than the kitchen maidens, so rest assured that it’s a simple and hands-off dish. As a bonus, it tastes so good that it makes me feel like I’ve been wearing an apron and basting (or some equally cooking-related term) all day long.

Ingreds:

4 slices of bacon, cooked then chopped
3-4 boneless chicken breasts

salt and pepper

1 large or 2 medium onions, chopped
2-5 cloves minced garlic (to taste)
2 heaping tbsp. tomato paste
1/2 cup white wine
1 cup plus ¼ cup chicken broth
2 bay leaves

1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 tsp. oregano
1 can cannellini or other white beans, drained and double-rinsed
3 large handfuls spinach

Directions:

In a large, lidded sauté pan, cook the bacon until crisp. Remove the bacon, blot, set aside, then drain the bacon fat, leaving a barely-there coating in the pan.

Sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides of the chicken, and sear in the pan on medium heat until golden brown (approximately 3 minutes on each side). Remove from pan and set aside.

Add in onions, and cook approximately 2 minutes or until lightly browned. Sprinkle in garlic (we love garlic, so I prefer extra, but adjust according to your tastes). Next, add tomato paste, cooking for one minute.

Pour in white wine, scraping up brown bits, and stir for about 2 minutes while the sauce rounds out. Add in one cup of chicken broth, bay leaves on either side of the pan, and seasonings. Put chicken back in the pan, cover, reduce heat, and allow to cook about 15 minutes.

(In the meantime, mash about half of your double-rinsed cannellini beans with a fork, leaving the other half whole. This will thicken the sauce and add a rich texture. Crumble or chop bacon pieces.)

Uncover, flip chicken, and add bean mixture plus another ¼ cup chicken broth. Re-cover, cook for 12-15 more minutes, checking that the chicken is cooked through. When it seems done, stir in spinach until it is wilted, add in crumbled bacon, and remove bay leaves. If desired, season with salt and pepper, then serve.

This recipe theoretically serves about four people, but let’s be honest — the two of us can finish it off.

- Joan

This sandwich sounds like it’s straight out of a vegan/hippie fair where everyone is walking around in Birkenstocks and wearing crochet ponchos, screaming about the evils of eating meat.  I assure you, I don’t attend these fairs…but I do have strange fondness for Birkenstocks.  I’m definitely no vegetarian, but what I can say is that I tend to feel better about my eating habits when I don’t eat a ton of meat and substitute more veggies into my diet.

So this recipe is me trying to recreate the amazing sandwich that I had at Clover Food Lab Food truck.  I’ve mentioned Clover here and here on the blog before, singing the praises of their vegetarian treats.  It’s amazing what a food truck can do!  I couldn’t stop raving about this sandwich so I had to just gather my ingredients and try to make my own.  Food truck be damned.  Here’s what I did:

1 head cauliflower, cut into  small florets

2 cups shredded cabbage or cole slaw mix

3 T. olive oil

2 T. vinegar

bunch of cilantro, finely chopped

hummus

Sriracha sauce (or any kind of hot sauce)

whole wheat pita pockets

Start by preheating your oven to 450 degrees.  Drizzle the cauliflower with olive oil and S&P and place in the oven for about 25 minutes, half way through tossing it to ensure even cooking.  So yummy and crunchy!

In the meantime, mix the olive oil and vinegar together with some S&P and mix with the cabbage.  Let this sit for a few minutes to let the cabbage wilt a bit.  Then grab the pita pockets and wrap them in a damp paper towel and microwave for about 2 seconds, just to get a little warm and soft.

Once the cauliflower is out of the oven, you’re ready to prepare the sammies.  Cut open the pita pocket and spread the hummus on one side.  Slide in about a cup of the cauliflower, a few tablespoons of the cabbage slaw, a sprinkling of cilantro and a few healthy dashes of hot sauce.  Dive on it.

The crunchy cauliflower, spicy Sriracha and ciltrano, creamy hummus and crisp cabbage slaw was a really tasty combo.  This is 100% health food, but I say why can’t health food be tasty?  Definitely give this puppy a try.

- Jackie