Easy & Quick Paleo Muffins

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cup of coconut flour
5 dates
1 banana
1/2 stick of butter
1/4 cup of olive oil
1/2 cup of tahini paste
1/2 tsp of salt
1/2 tsp of baking soda
1 Tbs of honey
1 tsp cinnamon
pinch of cumin
pinch of cayenne pepper
1 tsp of ginger powder


**As you can see...the flour to fat ratio is almost 1:1. This makes for a very crumbly muffin. It won't be as dense as traditional muffins are. This one is lighter.

Assembly:
Combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender. Grease the muffin pan with a little bit of butter and add batter into each pan 3/4 of the way up.
Bake at 375 degrees F until golden on top and toothpick comes out clean. About 10-12 minutes.

I love these muffins for breakfast in the morning with a little bit of butter and peanut/almond butter on top. This is a great grab-and-go breakfast!

Butter Coffee?

Hi friends-
I have been so consumed with school, work and life in general that I have not had time to post any recipes or dedicate any time to expanding my blog. I have DEFINITELY been cooking and making a mess in the kitchen though, that will never change :)

If you don't know already, I have Chron's Disease and have been trying to figure out a diet that suits my body and its needs in the best way possible; a diet that will make me strong, give me energy and boost my immune system so that my body can fight not only against Chron's but also against all other things life throws at us.

So I've been experimenting in the kitchen: going gluten-free, going vegan, trying pescatarian, trying a vegan-ish type of diet where I'm vegan with the exception of greek yogurt and honey etc. The point is, I'VE TRIED SO MANY FOODS AND DIETS. I feel good for a few days, then I loose energy and I get bored of the food (which is surprising because I have a lot of ideas on how to make food fun and yummy).

This is why I decided to go PALEO. Its not a diet fad, or a trend. 

Its simply eating REAL food. No processed crap. No refined sugar. No additives or preservative. No chemicals that are slowing killing our bodies. Its eating food that is biologically what OUR bodies, as homo sapiens, need most. 

Its basically eating mostly fats and proteins, with lots of veggies, fruits and very limited carbs.
Thats how I came across BUTTER COFFEE. 

You might think Im crazy but its putting butter in your coffee. I know. WHAT.... I thought the same thing when I first read and heard about it. Surprisingly, its actually delicious and its AWESOME to put into your body first thing in the morning.
WHY?
Because you get a good source of fat into your body and get your metabolism going right away. This gets your body going and allows your body to absorb that fat, keeping you full and giving you energy for the day. No this will not make you fat. The butter is from grass fed cows, which provide us with good Omega-3 fats that our bodies CRAVE AND NEED.
By providing our bodies with what they need, they flourish and function properly.

So, I have been drinking butter coffee every morning. I feel fantastic! I thought I had to give up coffee, and I did for a while because it upset my stomach, giving me flares. But ever since discovering butter coffee, no flares from coffee :) Here is how to make it:

1 Tbs grass-fed unsalted butter (I use Kerrygold Irish butter...it is the best brand) 
1 cup of freshly brewed coffee 

also,
you can add 1 Tbs of coconut oil (this is also good fat, and when combined with the butter provides you with even more yummy fatty goodness for your system)
1/2 Tbs or more of honey (this is a natural sugar and is okay for consumption. I would stay away from white granulated sugar. Its terrible for you anyway, you don't want to put that stuff in your body)

Put butter and coffee in a blender and blend for about 10-15 seconds. Pour to a mug and enjoy :)
No need for cream or milk unless you really want it. Ive been drinking it like this and its been delicious; I don't need the milk anymore at all. I also sprinkle some cinnamon on top :) tastes like a latte!

Please let me know if you have any questions! I will be posting more on my paleo lifestyle very soon!
- Claudia

Nutty Oat Snack

This quick, extremely easy and healthy snack you can make in 2 minutes and probably finish eating it all even faster :) Great for anytime of the day!

Ingredients:
1/4 cup of oats
1/2 of a banana, sliced
2 tsp sunflower seeds
2 tsp dried cranberries
1 Tbs. peanut butter (or any nutty butter of your choice)
1/2 tsp. coconut oil
1 1/2 Tbs. almond milk

Assembly:
In a small bowl, combine nutty butter and coconut oil and microwave for 30 seconds. Add in oats and almond milk, mix until combined and microwave for another 30 seconds. Add in the rest of the ingredients, mix and eat up!

You can also add other super fruit or super foods of your choice, such as chia seeds, flaxseed, goji berries or acai!

Green Papaya Super Smoothie!

This smoothie is PACKED with natural vitamins that will fill you up and satisfy you at the same time! If you're worried about the spinach, please don't! You can't taste it at all! It only adds more nutrients and a pretty green color :) Start off only adding a few leaves at a time until you get used to the idea, then pack in the spinach leaves into those smoothies!
Perfect for breakfast, lunch and even dinner. For breakfast, I like to add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of cooked oats to fill me up in the morning :) A little tangy and sassy, this smoothie is awesome! Feel free to add some honey or agave if its a little too zesty for you!

Ingredients:

1 cup of cubed Papaya
1/2 of a banana
1/2 cup of spinach
3 fresh mint leaves
1 Tbs of chia seeds
1 orange
1 apple

Assembly:

Juice the apple and orange. Add the papaya, spinach, banana and orange/apple juice into to blender. If you do not have a juicer, simply squeeze an orange into the blender, and add the apple, peeled and cubed. Blend until smooth and creamy. Pour into glass and sprinkle in chia seeds. Enjoy!

Polish Strawberry- Rhubarb Cake

This is a recipe I followed and baked for a family bbq this weekend! It turned out absolutely wonderful and fully Polish-grandma/ family approved :) It is very simple to make, so simple I was shocked! And this is a crowed pleaser; everyone loves the strawberry-rhubarb combination, especially if its in a cake. 

If you're looking for traditional Polish-style cake, this is definitely one for you. More traditional cakes are sharlotka: apple cake, makowiec: poppy seed cake, mazurek: nut cake or adwokat: chocolate cake made with Adwokat Liquor, which range from very simple to a little bit more difficult. 

Mazurek especially is a nut cake eaten during Christmas and winter time. If not done correctly and paid close attention to during baking, it will turn out extremely dry (its happened to me :/ ). 

If you have any questions about Polish baking or recipes, please email me at claudiamgrabowski@gmail.com 

I will be posting more of my grandmothers recipes this summer, since I'll be in Poland with my family from July until August! 

This is not my recipe- it is a Polish recipe that I am translating into English.

Ingredients:

Cake batter:
3 stalks of cleaned and washed rhubarb, chopped
1/2 cup of sliced strawberries
2 eggs
2 1/3 cups of all purpose flour
1 cup of sugar
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp of vanilla extract
1 stick of butter ( I used Polish butter for baking called "KASIA": You can get it in all Polish stores)

Streusel:
1/5 stick of room temperature butter (Polish  butter "KASIA")
2 Tbs sugar
2/3 cup of flour

Assembly:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees

For the streusel--
1.  In a mixer, combine butter, sugar and flour until becomes a nice crumble. Make into a ball, wrap it in plastic wrap and put in the freezer.

Cake Batter--
2. Melt 1 stick of butter and set aside to cool.
3. Mix chopped rhubarb and sliced strawberries in a bowl with a pinch of salt and sugar.
3. Mix flour with baking soda. Then, in a separate bowl beat eggs, add sugar and vanilla until becomes fluffy.
4. Add flour to egg mixture in thirds. Combine until fluffy.
5. Butter a pan dust it with flour (I used a 9x13 pan) and pour batter into the pan. Add fruits on top of the batter.
6. Take streusel out of freeze. Grate streusel ball into small shreds. Sprinkle those shreds on top of the fruit.
7. Bake for 40 minutes to an hour depending on how much your cake rises and the size of your pan (my cake spilled over a little bit).

Busse was catching a sniff! 

My dad already stole a slice (or two) ;) 

Healthy Snacks!

Vanilla Peanut Butter Spread
1 Tbs Peanut Butter
1/2 cup of Vanilla Yogurt (or 1 cup of Vanilla yogurt, depending on how peanutty you would like your spread to be)

Stir both ingredients together until they make a smooth consistency.
This spread is great on apples, bananas, with strawberries, on toast, waffles,  in crepes, or just by itself!

Crunchy Lettuce Wraps
4 romaine lettuce leaves (washed and dried with the crisp white ends cut off)
2 small plum tomatoes (sliced)
1/4 cup of sliced almonds
Dressing:
2 Tbs olive oil
1 Tbs balsamic vinegar
1 tsp dijon mustard
1/2 tsp parley
pinch of salt and pepper

Lay the lettuce leaves up and place 3 slices tomatoes down the lettuce leaves. Sprinkle about 1 Tbs of almonds on top. For the dressing, combine balsamic, mustard, salt, pepper and parsley in a bowl. Drizzle in olive oil and stir. Pour a little of of the dressing over the tomatoes and almonds. From the top of the lettuce leaf, and roll it tucking in the sides. Use a toothpick to keep them together.

Mother's Day Breakfast

MOTHER'S DAY BREAKFAST

Mother's Day is one of the most important celebrations; mothers are most people's number one supporters, heroes, fans and they're our best friends. I love this day because I love to spoil my mom with my food and spend all day with her :) 

Below is what I made my mom this year for her special day. Coffee was of course served with the meal! She enjoyed it very much; my dad was very jealous that it wasn't Fathers Day! 

Breakfast Muffins
2 medium potatoes, shredded
1 ball of fresh mozzarella
1 can of sundried tomatoes
1 dozen eggs
1/2 cup of kale, chopped
salt and pepper
1/2 Tbs dried oregano
a couple of leaves of fresh basil

Makes about 10-12 muffins!

Assembly:
1.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, and oil muffin pan.
2.) Place shredded potatoes on a couple of sheets of paper towels and pat down with another paper towel. This is to take some water out of the potatoes, it will help them crisp up in the oven (very important step!)
3.) Place potatoes in a bowl and toss with 1/2 tsp of salt, pepper and dried oregano. Then press mixture onto sides and bottom into muffin cups.
4.) Layer the muffins with a few pieces of kale on top of potatoes, followed by a piece of sundried tomato, a slice of mozzarella cheese.
5.) Break an egg on top of all the layers. Lightly sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper. Place in oven for 20-30 minutes (or until egg on top is cooked the way you like it to be).
6.) Take out of oven and let rest about 5 minutes. Lightly remove each muffin and serve immediately!

Perfect Breakfast Parfaits
1 jar of any flavor jam (I used Polish jam made from Chokeberries...my favorite :) )
1/2 cup of fresh chopped strawberries, blackberries or blueberries (you can also use one or more types of berries and they can also be frozen ones that have been thawed)
1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
1 Tbs sour cream
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1 Tbs honey
1/4 cup of cooked oatmeal
1/2 sliced banana

Makes 1 big parfait or 2 smaller ones.
I made 1 big one for my mamma :)

Assembly:
1.) Mix yogurt, sour cream, lemon juice and honey together in a bowl. I know sour cream sounds weird in this mixture, but it adds creamy-ness and flavor to the dish! Its also not that much, so don't worry about breaking your diet if you're on one.
2.) In a pretty, tall glass (you want to be able to see the layers of the parfait), begin layering with a tsp of jam, followed by a few berries. Then pour about 1/3 of the yogurt. Follow by another layer of jam and a few berries. Add 1/2 of the oatmeal to this layer. Pour over another 1/3 of yogurt. Add one last layer of jam, berries, the rest of the oatmeal and yogurt. Top with banana slices. You may add a sprig of mint for decoration!

ENJOY!

Chocolate Chip Cookies--Gluten Free& Vegan

DONT GET SCARED OR FLIP TO THE NEXT PAGE. I SWEAR THESE DARN THINGS ARE AHHHHH-MAZING!!!! 

I've never been the kind of person to eat vegan or gluten free. I do like to eat healthy, and always look for healthier options with less sugar, sodium and more veggies but recent events have forced me to make a change. I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease a month ago that really scared me; I had to go on a bunch of medication and change my diet. I am now making the change to being gluten free (but not vegan just yet). Being gluten free as a college student is very difficult-- the cafeterias do have gluten free bread and pasta however, thats all. I can't live off of bread and pasta, especially if those carbs aren't paired with yummy veggies, cheese or protein of some kind! 

I made these cookies at home, a couple days before Easter. This recipe was completely made up, lets just say I "winged it" and boy did I hit a home run. These cookies are the best Ive ever made and I didn't use milk, eggs or sugar! The best part is that if I didn't tell you the change in ingredients, you would have never guessed how healthy they are! 

Give them a try. They satisfy the sweet tooth without making you feel guilty!

Yield: 18 coookies

Ingredients: 

1 1/2 cups of gluten free flour

1 cup of oats 

1/4 cup sliced almonds

1/4 cup chopped pecans 

1/4 cup roasted peanuts 

1/4 cup roasted edamame 

1/2 cup of regular almond milk
1/2 cup of dark chocolate almond milk
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup of agave nectar
2 Tbs olive oil
1 cup of chocolate chips
2 Tbs coconut oil

1. Preheat oven for 355 degrees.
2. Make edamame and peanut paste for protein. Put edamame in a bowl and pour hot water over them just to take off the skin if they have skin. In a blender combine edamame and peanuts and puree until it has a powder like consistency. Set aside.

3. In a mixing bowl, combine flour, oats, edamame paste, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.


4. Keep mixer on low and slowly pour in regular almond milk. Add olive oil, agave nectar and slowly pour in second half of chocolate almond milk. Melt coconut oil if solid and add to mixture. Add chips, and all nuts. Mix until combined.





5. Oil a baking sheet. Take dough and roll into golf sized balls. They won't grow much so you can place them close together on the baking sheet.

6. Bake for 20 minutes, let rest for 5 minutes.

Enjoy these cookies as a snack, or with coffee/ tea at breakfast! Please share and comment! :) 

XOXO- Babushka 

Greek Style FIsh with Rice Balls

I love fish; my dad has been bringing home fresh catcher fish since I can remember. He would spend all weekend fishing in some forest way off in the nowhere, and come home with up to 40 fish! 

Having so much fish, Ive always been in charge of coming up with creative ways to cook, the fish; smoke it, shallow fry it, deep fry it, bake it. 

Being in love with Greek culture, this is my way of being creative and blending my passions together: various cultures and cooking. Hope you enjoy this one! 

Ingredients:

12-15 filets of fish

Fish Marinade:
1 cup of olive oil
1 Tbs Balsamic Vinegar
2 cloves of garlic
1 Tbs Basil pesto
1 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

Rice Balls:
1 1/2 cups of brown rice
1 Tbs olive oil
2 cups of vegetable/chicken broth
1/4 cup of red wine
3 egg yolks
Salt and pepper to taste

Assembly:

Fish:

1. Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl. Transfer half of the mixture into one plastic bag and half into another.

2. Place half of the fish into one marinade and half in the other. Massage the fish in the plastic bag; this is to make sure that the marinade gets all over the fish. All to marinade for 4-8 hours.

3. Once marinade process is done. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Place fish on a baking sheet drizzled with olive oil, and bake for 25-30 minutes.

Rice Balls:

1. Combine vegetable broth and wine in a medium pot. Bring to boil, add rice. Stir and bring back to boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Allow rice to simmer for 10 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes. Once liquid is absorbed and rice is soft, add olive oil and take off heat. Incorporate egg yolks. When the rice mixture is cooled, roll rice into golf size balls (or larger). Put them on a oiled pan and bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

2. When they're finished, place the rice balls in a warm tomato sauce so that the rice absorbs delicious tomato flavors! 

Serve Greek style fish along side the rice balls covered in tomato sauce! 

The fish I used for this recipe is Perch… DELICIOUS! 

These rice balls aren't in tomato sauce; simply drop them in a saucepan with warm tomato sauce!

ENJOY! 

Rosemary Orange Chicken

My favorite colder, winter time meal is roasted chicken. Its the perfect hardy dinner that one needs after a snowy and bitter afternoon. The smell of apples, oranges and rosemary combined with crispy chicken is almost divine. For me, theres no better meal to cook for my family in December. 

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken

1large potato

1 medium apple

1/4 cup of celery

2 oranges

2 sprigs of fresh rosemary

1 basil leaf

2 Tbs salt

1 tsp pepper

1 tsp dried parley

3 Tbs olive oil

Assembly:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees

2. Make sure your chicken is thawed if it is frozen. Take the chicken and place on a clean cutting board (make sure you have an apron on and have washed your hands with soap and water). Drizzle olive oil all over the chicken and use your hands to massage it all over the chicken. Wash your hands again.

3. Sprinkle half of the salt, pepper, dried parsley and rosemary over the chicken, and massage it in. Wash your hands again.

4. In a large bowl, place the peeled and diced potato and apple. Cut the orange into fourths and then again each fourth in half. Add the celery and sprinkle in the rest of the salt, pepper, herbs and chopped basil. Take the other orange and squeeze all of the juice out over the mixture.

5. Transfer chicken into a roasting pan. Place half of the potato and apple mixture inside the cavity and half around the chicken.

6. Bake for 30-40 minutes, depending on how large the chicken is. You will know the chicken is done when the skin is brown and crispy and then the meat is fork tender. 

(Unfortunately I didnt take a  picture of this meal) 

You may choose to baste the chicken every 10 minutes or so with the drippings in the pan. This will help the chicken in absorbing the juices from the fruit and veggies, and get the skin crispy. 

STAY WARM! 

ENJOY! 

Homemade Pumpkin Puree

Ever since I learned how easy it is to make your own pumpkin puree, I never buy the canned stuff! Fresh pumpkin puree, made by yourself tastes so much better in food than canned ever did! 

Ingredients:

1 pumpkin (size of your choice)
2 Tbs olive oil

Assembly:

1.) Preheat oven to 425 degrees F

2.) Thoroughly wash your pumpkin. With a sharp knife and sturdy cutting board, cut the pumpkin in half, and using a spoon, scoop all the seeds out from the inside. (If you want to make pumpkin seeds for a snack, save the seeds in a small bowl and bake them for 25 minutes with salt and pepper at 375 degrees!)

3.) Then depending on how big your pumpkin is, you'll need to cut each half in half or into fourths.

4.) Drizzle a baking sheet with olive oil and place the pumpkin pieces flesh side up.

5.) Bake the pumpkin for 45 minutes, or until fork tender. Sometimes a pumpkin will need to be baked more, especially if it is larger. If this is the case, just bake it until it is fork tender.

6.) Once pumpkin is cooked and cooled, place the pumpkin in a blender and blend until smooth.

7.) Transfer pumpkin puree into a large bowl. Use for anything from pumpkin soup, bread, smoothies, oatmeal and even pumpkin gnocchi! 

** This pumpkin puree will be a lighter shade of orange than canned pumpkin. This is because this pumpkin puree is fresh and have NO ADDED PRESERVATIVES! 

Have happy and healthy fall fun! 

<3 Babushka

Homemade Potato and Pear Gnocchi

We have a pear tree in my backyard. One morning I walked out and two pears dropped down right as I walked past the tree. It was a sign. So naturally I started thinking how can I make something delicious, but different at the same time with these pears? I've never made gnocchi before, so I decided to give it a try and honestly they turned out a lot better than I ever thought!  

Give this gnocchi with a fruity twist a try! I promise they wont disappoint! 

Ingredients:
4 medium to large potatoes (Russets or Idaho's work best)
1 1/2 cups of white unbleached flour
2 egg yolks
1 Tbs olive oil
about 1 cup of pear puree

Pear Puree:
2 large diced pears (leave one unpeeled and one peeled--the color of the peels looks great in the gnocchi and enhances the pear taste as well!)
1 Tbs of hot water
1/2 zest of a lemon

For the Sauté:
1/2 a shallot (chopped)
1/2 cup of wine
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp dried basil and parsley
1 Tbs fresh parsley

Puree: In a blender combine all the ingredients and puree until smooth!

Instructions for Gnocchi:

1.) Start with boiling the potatoes. When they are cooked and cooled, using a fork smash/mash the potatoes until they are as smooth as you can get them. Try to get all the lumps out! This is very important in having a good gnocchi dough.

2.) To the mashed potatoes, incorportate the 2 egg yolks. Then add the pear puree and stir until smooth.

 Then slowly, in thirds, add flour. The dough will be very mushy and lumpy at first; you need to kneed it until it can be formed into a large dough ball.

3.) Flour your work surface. Cut off a portion of the dough (maybe 1/6) and roll it into a log. The log should be about 1 inch wide! Using a sharp knife, cut off inch size pieces. Repeat until you end up with a lot of little gnocchi squares!

4.) Bring a large boiling pot to a boil (make sure to salt the water). Carefully drop in 10-12 gnocchi into boiling water and allow to cook for 2-3 minutes, or until the gnocchi float to the top. Keep a close eye on these! They cook quicker than you think! 

5.) Once the gnocchi float to the top, ladle them out into a large boil, and drizzle a little bit of olive oil over them so they don't stick to each other. Continue this process until all of your gnocchi are cooked!

6.) In a large sauté pan, heat a Tbs of olive oil, stir in 1/2 a shallot (chopped) and cook until light brown. Add in about 10-12 gnocchi and allow them to get lightly brown on both sides (will take about 3-4 minutes per side). Once slightly brown, add red wine, apple cider vinegar, salt, pepper and herbs. Sauté for another 3 minutes or until wine is nicely reduced.

Serve immediately! They're the best when eaten straight out of the pan they were sautéed in! 

** You can also freeze the gnocchi after they are boiled and sauté them later on!

 My Dad and I ate 3 full plates of these! Can you say yummy! :) 

This one looked like a fish!

Happy Eating!

<3 Babushka

Choco-Banana Smoothie!

Wait...regular college kids don't have blenders in their rooms? WHAT!

Hey fellow foodies! 

I havent posted a recipe in quite some time because I have been studying hard in college! I go to school in Milwaukee, Wisconsin studying Speech Pathology and Anthropology. I love going to school and learning, but Ive got to admit...I miss cooking!! I miss being able to invent new recipes and combine various flavors to satisfy my every craving. 

In college, I don't have access to a kitchen or delicious food, thus Im left with a long urge and craving to cook for weeks at a time. My solution? Bring a blender to school and try to make the best out of life. I get fruits, yogurts and veggies from the cafe and try to invent delicious and nutritious smoothies; college doesn't have the healthiest options for meals. 

So in an effort to be healthy while satisfying my food creativity, I made this delicious smoothie for lunch this afternoon! Its chocolaty in all the right ways :) 

Ingredients: 

1 banana

1 Tbs sunflower butter (or peanut butter)..., I like sunflower butter better :]

1/2 cup of chocolate almond milk

1 1/2 Tbs of greek yogurt 

Combine all the ingredients in a blender, blend until smooth and velvety and enjoy!!

<3 
Babushka

Veggie Pizza

This is my mom's and I pizza. We cook a lot together; although we bump heads in the kitchen sometimes...(she claims its her kitchen and I claim that it's mine). I love to cook with my mom and I've learned countless kitchen secrets from her that I will use of the rest of my life, as a young cook, mother/ wife, and old grandmother.

 

After the whole artichoke fiasco and struggles, we fell in love with the roasted jarred artichoke flavor and started to cook with it more often. This is one of the first pizzas we made using artichoke!

 

It is extremely easier to make because you just dump all the ingredients on there to be honest. Its a quick and easy dinner-- its also pretty healthy, considering all the veggies and calcium you're getting from the cheese!

Ingredients:

Store bought pizza dough
1 cup of tomato sauce (you could use my recipe :) )
1/2 cup of chopped roasted or pickled artichokes (from the jar is fine...that's what I used!)
1/3 cup chopped fennel 
1/4 cup chopped sun dried tomatoes
3 Tbs ricotta cheese
3 cloves of minced roasted garlic
1 large ball of sliced mozzarella
1 Portobello mushroom
1 Tbs olive oil
1 tsp salt


Assembly:
Preheat oven to 370 degrees

 

1.) Take the pizza dough, and on a floured surface, roll out the dough until about 1/2 inch thick and looks like a deformed circle.

2.) Cover a pizza pan with aluminum foil and drizzle with olive oil. Place pizza dough on the pan and form/stretch it so that it covers the surface of the circular pan.

3.) First, cover the pizza with a layer of tomato sauce, then add slices of mozzarella cheese all around. Add teaspoon sized dollops of ricotta cheese here and there as well, until the pizza is nicely covered with cheese.

4.) Next, top the pizza with fennel, sun dried tomatoes, mushrooms, artichokes and garlic. Drizzle with olive oil and bake in the oven for about 15-20 minutes-- until the edges of the crust is golden brown, cheese is melted and veggies are roasted.

5.) When you remove the pizza from the oven, sprinkle 1 tbs of salt on top. I also like to drizzle more olive oil on top as a finish. Adds yumminess also!

 

Cut into squares or triangle slices, I prefer triangle because it looks more traditional, is easier to eat and cut!

 

Eat up!!

Its even better the next day ;)

ENJOY

 

<3 Babushka

Polish style Jambalaya!

I have always wanted to cook jambalaya! I don't know what it is about this dish but it just sounds fun!

So...I decided to go for it and cook jambalaya! Now, I'm not sure if this dish can actually be called jambalaya because I've never seen it be cooked or tasted it before making this dish. So call it what you will, I'm calling it jambalaya because it tasted hella great and sure looked like jambalaya from the Google search I did afterwards! :)

 

My dads exact words, "You got another pot of that stuff? NO?!... Better get started on the next pot then".

 

Ah,, you can always count on daddy to make you feel confident about your cooking :) If my dad approves, then this dish is golden...(he's always been a picky eater)

Now all I've got to do is take this recipe down to New Orleans and get their approval!

 

p.s.. this is "Polish Style Jambalaya because I used smoke Polish sausage!

Ingredients:

5 links of smoked Polish sausages, cubed
20 shrimp ( you may leave them whole with the tail, whole without the tail or cubed them, whatever you prefer. I just removed the tail and cut them in half)
1 1/2 cups of cooked rice
3 cups of chicken stock
2 Tbs tomato paste
1 diced sweet potato
1 diced red pepper
1 diced onion
2 cloves of minced garlic
1 cup of white wine
1 Tbs balsamic vinegar
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp red pepper flakes (add more if you prefer spiciness)
2 Tbs fresh parsley
2 Tbs green onions
2 Tbs fresh chives
3 Tbs olive oil
salt and pepper to taste


Assembly:

1.) Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2.)  In a medium pot, bring 2 cups of water to a boil, add in rice and cook for about 15-20 minutes, or until fluffy. Add in 1 Tbs olive oil when rice is finished cooking.

3.) In a large pot, heat oil and add in 2 cloves of garlic. Once golden brown, add in diced onion. Cook until caramelized. Add a pinch of salt and pepper

4.) Put the diced sweet potato on a baking sheet with olive oil and bake in the oven for 25 minutes. Check up on them after 15 minutes, and stir them around so they don't stick to the baking sheet.

5.) Meanwhile, add cubed sausage into garlic and onions. Stir and allow sausage to brown.

6.) Add wine and both vinegars to the sausage, as well as the tomato paste, reduce heat and allow for the wine to reduce a little bit, about 5-7 minutes. Pinch of salt and pepper.

7.) Add in chicken stock, bring to boil and reduce to a simmer. Add in uncooked shrimp to the broth, along with the fresh and dried herbs.
8.) Allow to simmer for 5 minutes, so the shrimp cook. Add in sweet potato while shrimps are cooking and after 5 minutes of the shrimp being in the broth, turn off the heat. Add cooked rice into broth and stir.
9.) Taste the broth. If not seasoned enough, add the appropriate amount of salt and pepper.

Serve right away!

ENJOY

<3 Babushka

 

 

 

Rustic Roasted Veggie Spaghetti

This spaghetti recipe came about because my mom bought artichokes and had no idea what they were. I've never actually cooked with them, but I've watched them be cooked on Food Network countless times, so I thought: No problem.

Let me just tell you....problem.

Artichokes are extremely hard to cook and are sure stubborn vegetables! No matter how long I cooked that artichoke, the leaves were tough, chewy and not edible at all. The only part that was edible (the artichoke heart) is TINY and I felt like I was wasting good vegetable.

 

Don't beat yourself up if you cant cook artichokes either...There is a reason why the word "choke" is in there: if you try to mess with it... (that was me trying to joke lol)

 

So I decided to give myself a break because I wasn't going to be able to cook the damn thing anyway, so I bought pickled artichokes in a very cute glass jar and used them in this spaghetti dinner.
Turned out delicious and very fulfilling! Especially since I didn't have to image myself banging my head against the counter top while cooking this time around with the artichokes!

This spaghetti dish is super yummy, filled with nutritious veggies and is perfect for any season or occasion!


Ingredients:

1/2 box of spaghetti
3 large pickled artichoke hearts (roughly chopped)
2 large carrots (peeled into strips with a potato peeler)
1 onion (diced)
1 parsnip (cubed)
1 cup of wine
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup of chopped green onions
1/2 cup of chopped fresh cilantro
1 Tbs of dried herbs (parley, oregano, basil, cilantro and thyme)
2 Tbs of tomato paste
1/2 Tbs of red pepper flakes
3 Tbs olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Assembly:

1.) Bring 2-3 cups of water to a boil, and drop in spaghetti. Cook until al dente.

2.) Peel carrots with a potato peeler into medium sized strips. Set aside in a bowl.

3.) In a large pan, heat olive oil, add in diced onion and cook until golden brown. Add diced parsnip. Cook until fork tender, or brown.

4.)  Reduce heat and slowly add wine. Bring to simmer and allow most of the alcohol to cook off. Add in balsamic, apple cider vinegar and tomato paste. Allow sauce to simmer and reduce. Add in 1/2 cup of water or chicken stock, stir and remove from heat and add in chopped artichoke hearts into sauce.

5.) Incorporate spaghetti into the sauce. Add in the fresh and dried herbs, as well as salt, pepper and red pepper flakes.

6.) Drizzle 1 Tbs of olive oil on top. May be served hot right away, served cold, or made in advance and served at a later time.

ENJOY

<3 Babushka

Homemade Tomato Sauce

Easy and quick to make, tomato sauce!

Yield: about 1 1/2- 2 cups of sauce

Ingredients:
5 large Roma tomatoes (you could use other kinds if you'd like)
1 cup of water
1/2 cup of fresh chopped basil
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp dried parsley
1 Tbs olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Assembly:

1.) In a sauce pan, or Dutch oven like I used, heat oil until hot, add diced tomatoes. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and let them simmer for about 10 minutes.

2.) Add chopped basil, balsamic vinegar, parsley, salt and pepper. Stir, then add water and continue to cook for 5 minutes.

4.) Turn off heat, and taste. Add more salt and pepper if needed.

5.) Take the sauce and carefully pour it into a blender, and pulse until smooth. ( I leave mine a little chunkier!)

 

Great on pizza, pasta, Mexican dishes...etc!

 

  

ENJOY

<3 Babushka

Chocolate Pancakes

 

My mom and I had just finished eating dinner one night when she told me she was still hungry. This hardly ever happens...I turned to her and, in shock replied, "What do you want me to make you?"

I decided to make my mom chocolate pancakes as a post dinner snack lets call it. They took me less than 10 minutes to prepare, and I was all finished in under 20 minutes. I used the simplest ingredients: whatever I had in my fridge. Ultimately I could've made just plain old pancakes, but I saw the almost empty jar of Nutella in our cupboard, and I chose to add some hazelnut spice to my evening.

 

These pancakes are almost soft when you eat them, and the chocolate isn't overpowering at all; it gives the hint of chocolate to all the right taste buds.

If you're looking for a healthier chocolate option, follow my recipe! If you would like something sweeter, simply add either 1/2 cup of honey or granulated sugar to this recipe :)

 

Yields: around 6 pancakes

 

Ingredients:

1 cup of flour

1 egg

1 Tbs of olive oil

1/2 cup of Nutella

1/2 cup of cocoa powder

3 Tbs of vanilla yogurt

1/4 cup of milk (add more if the batter is not liquid-y enough)

1 1/2 tsp of baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 tsp nutmeg

 

Assembly:

 

1.) In a large bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, nutmeg, cocoa powder and salt.

2.) In a separate bowl, beat the egg and slowly drizzle in olive oil. Add yogurt, Nutella and milk. Whisk until all are combined.

3.) Slowly, add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in thirds. Mix until you have reached a smooth consistency (you might have to add a little more milk if the batter is dry).

4.) Heat oil in a large frying pan. When you see the oil start to lightly smoke, ladle in batter into pancakes of desired size. Let them cook until little bubbles appear on the surface of the pancake and until the edges appear brown. Flip the pancake and fry for another 3-5 minutes, or until golden brown.

 

Serve with maple syrup, honey, jam, preserves or yogurt. I made my moms with raspberry preserves, Greek yogurt, and topped them with fresh figs. You can add more Nutella, fruit or whatever you would like!

 

 

 

 

 

ENJOY

 

<3 Babushka

 



Autism Speaks!

Hello Everyone!

 

I mentioned earlier in my introduction that I am an intern at Autism Speaks for the summer of 2013. Although my internship is only for a short while, I have been an advocate of supporting people with disabilities my entire life, and plan on supporting Autism Speaks and their cause for a long time.

 

I am raising money for Autism Speaks; I ran 5k last weekend, and plan on running for Autism Speaks  every other race that I decide to run as well.

 

If you would like to donate, or know anyone who would like to please visit my donation page:

http://events.autismspeaks.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=1048330&lis=1&kntae1048330=9464E0869FAD4EF3A139DC4ED287B231&supId=384435615

 

 Any amount is greatly appreciated and welcomed! Please spread the word about Autism Speaks and continue to be kind to one another.

 

Please visit the Autism Speaks website if you wish to find out more about our organization:

www.autismspeaks.org

 

or email me with any questions:

claudiamgrabowski@gmail.com

 

Thank you for reading my blog, please post any comments or questions! :)

 

 

<3 Babushka

Polish Beet Pancakes

These Beet Pancakes are a twist on the traditional Polish placki ziemniaczane (potato pancakes)!

 

Potato pancakes are a staple food in Eastern Europe, and many Middle Eastern countries, such as Israel. I remember helping my mom and grandma make these when I was a little girl; I had the job of mixing :) I love making potato pancakes to this day, they're still one of my favorite foods, but trying to cook healthier foods, I came up with the idea to use beets instead! Beets are also a very common food, that is incorporated into many Polish dishes, so we always have a couple of beets stocked in our fridge.

 My family and I absolutely love these pancakes and they go faster than they fry!

Absolutely delicious :)

Ingredients:

Pancakes-
2 beets, peeled
1/2 diced onion
2 eggs
1/4 to 1/2 cup of flour
1 Tbs apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp fennel seed
1 tsp died basil
1 tsp dried parsley
3 Tbs olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Sauce-
1 cup of Greek yogurt
1/4 cup of chopped dill
1/2 a large cucumber, grated
1 tsp of lemon juice
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried mint
1 tsp salt and pepper
1 tsp olive oil

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Assembly:

Beet Pancakes

1.) In a medium pot, bring about 5-6 cups of water to a boil. Add peeled beets, and let them boil until the surface of the beets is fork tender; you've cooked the beet too long if the entire beet is fork tender.

2.) Drain the beets and rinse them with cold water, until they are cooled off enough to handle. Grate the beets in a large bowl (make sure to include all the juices!)

3.) Add 1 Tbs of olive oil, and the remained of the ingredients to the grated beets and mix. You might have to add more flour depending on how much juices the beets release; you want to consistency of cake batter.

4.) Heat the rest of oil in a large pan. Once the oil has heated, form the beets into tennis ball size, add them to the pan, and press them down to make a flat pancake. (You can make the pancakes bigger or smaller).

5.) Fry them until golden an crispy on one side, flip and fry them until golden, about 4-5 minutes on each side. Transfer to a plate covered with paper towel to drain the excess oil.

 

** The pancakes are not going to be perfectly round, its okay if they come out a little deformed, mine always do!

Cucumber Sauce

1.) In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients. Mix together and top beet pancakes!

 

Serve immediately! Best when hot!

 

 

** Everyone loves how bright red these turn out! Also, the red pancakes with the sauce on top resembles the Polish flag!! :)

 

ENJOY

<3 Babushka