Tag Archives: whole wheat

Alone Time

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I came to law school in the fall of 2009. I was thrilled to be in a new city and starting law school. I met Jason the first day of law school, and we dated until the following August. Then in September, I serendipitously met Chris, which then turned into the raging catastrophe of my law school career. We parted ways at the beginning of 2011, and I felt as if I was suddenly free. I felt wonderfully alone. I reveled in the silence and the complete lack of commitment to a single needy individual. Instead, I was suddenly free to do whatever I wanted. I thoroughly enjoyed my spring semester free of any romantic attachments and threw myself into my studies.

Then, a couple days ago, I met with some law school friends who were recounting hysterical stories about how these parties they had attended, or a dinner party someone had hosted. At first, I was indignant that I hadn’t been invited… but then I remembered all of the times that the men in my life demanded more of my time. And as the obliging girlfriend, I would put my friends second. I was usurped by the boyfriends, and whatever they wanted. I didn’t understand or know how to say no. I just followed. I’ve since learned better. I have learned to tell people to leave me be. I need my alone time.

The other day, I commented that I felt lonely to a friend and he was so shocked he dropped his phone. He wanted to know how I managed to feel anything… between the running, the baking/cooking, the social events, work, and painting – how did I feel anything? And you know what? He’s right… there is no time for pity or loneliness. We only live once, and we should live it fully.

I truly believe that in life, we make mistakes and then we move on and learn from them. So, despite feeling bereft because I missed out on all of these things because I stupidly over-prioritized my boyfriends, I decided never to let moments pass me by. I know that in this life, I am not a follower. I am a force to be reckoned with… I just forgot for a small blip because I was enthralled by relationships and the “we” instead of the “me.”

However, even though we should all strive to be a force to be reckoned with, a tidal wave of greatness… we do need to eat. As my training for the SF Marathon intensifies (before I start to taper in July), I need meals that are quick and delicious. Carbs, vegetables, and protein are important in replenishing my body when I fleet footedly run 30+miles a week.

This pasta is something that takes 30 minutes from start to finishing the bowl. This time I didn’t add protein, but occasionally I’ll throw some clams, chicken, or strip steak in to make it stick to my ribs a bit more. The pasta is simple, and probably can be made from whatever is in your kitchen right now. I used whole wheat pasta and salted butter.

Pasta for the Runner In You (Kaprise Kitchen style)

  • 2 tablespoons of butter
  • 2 tablespoons of chopped garlic
  • 1/4 -1/2 cup of frozen corn, spinach, or other vegetable you want to include
  • 4 tomatoes, cubed
  • 1/2 cup of dry white wine
  • salt/pepper to taste
  • parsley, chopped
  • 2 servings of pasta
  1. Bring a pot of salted water to a rolling boil, add pasta and cook to al dente
  2. Since my pasta only took 9 minutes to cook, I started my sauce a couple minutes before I added the pasta to the water
  3. Melt butter in a saucepan until foamy
  4. Stir in garlic and saute until translucent
  5. Add white wine and stir in tomatoes
  6. Simmer gently, adding the vegetables you desire to the sauce
  7. Salt and pepper sauce as needed
  8. Once the pasta has been drained, toss the pasta with the sauce and parsley.
  9. Sprinkle a bit of cheese over the top and enjoy!!

Easy right??

 

 

Bibbity Bobbity Boo!

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Tada! I’m back. I promise. I’m not sure what I’ve been doing that would excuse my 10 day hiatus, but I do have a delicious quick recipe for you.

I was making lemon tart a while back, and as I removed the crust from the oven to pour the lemony curd into the shell I dropped it. The little pieces of crust scattered everywhere! But I snagged a little piece from the pan and thoughtfully chewed on it while I swept up the other crumbs. I’m a sucker for pie crust. I was notorious for picking the crust off the pumpkin pie during Thanksgiving as a kid, so I guess not much has changed. I swapped out some white flour for whole wheat, sprinkled sea salt over the tops, and mixed turbindo sugar in for a delightful little crunch. The flavor is mild and the sweet/salt melting on your tongue is just my favorite. The cookies can be difficult to roll out, so I roll them out on plastic wrap and pop the little cookies up and onto my baking sheet.

Whole Wheat Shortbread, for pie crust lovers like Kaprise!

  • 1/2 cup of all purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup of whole wheat  flour
  • 1/3 cup of sugar (I used a mixture of granulated and turbindo sugar)
  • 8 tablespoons of unsalted butter
  • 1/2 teaspoon of flaky salt
  1. In a heatproof bowl, melt the butter until completely melted. Allow the butter to cool to room temperature
  2. Mix the flour, sugar, and salt into the melted butter. Knead for a minute or two until the ingredients come together.
  3. At this point, you may chill the dough for 30 minutes to allow the dough to firm up a little. This makes it easier to roll out and cut.
  4. But, I’m not patient enough to wait for the dough to firm, so I spread parchment paper or plastic wrap on my counter and use my little 1/2 inch fluted circle cookie cutter and punch out my cookies. Then I just lift the paper/wrap and pop the cookies onto a baking sheet
  5. Bake cookies at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown

Whole Wheat Pitas

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(^Those are whole wheat ones)

Has anyone been to Lebanese Taverna? It’s my grandmother’s favorite restaurant because of the cute puffy little pitas that are served. The pitas are white, soft little pillows of bread that are served piping hot. She loves these pitas.

(^Whole wheat dough)

A few days ago, I was making pizza, when I just tossed the leftover dough into the oven, and it ballooned into a little pita. It was delicious! So I tried it again, and then again with whole wheat flour. And then again with some honey. I ate these little pitas with cheese and some avocado…. but then I wanted more! So I made more. The water added to the dough fluctuates depending on the type of whole wheat flour you use. Keep in mind that whole wheat dough requires just a bit more water than regular dough to keep the bread soft.

 

(^ Whoops! A plain dough picture… hehe)

Whole Wheat Pitas (Kaprise Kitchen, adapted from a cookbook, which I don’t remember the name of (and I’ll promise to update, but inevitably forget))

  • 1 1/2 cups of whole wheat flour
  • 1 1/2 cups of bread flour
  • 1 teaspoon of salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon of active dry yeast
  • 1 cup of warm water
  • 3 tablespoons of honey
  • 1 tablespoon of olive oil
  1. In a mixing bowl, sprinkle yeast over the warm water. Allow the yeast to soften and bloom for about 10 minutes
  2. Sprinkle the whole wheat and bread flour over the water. Sprinkle the salt over the flour (salt can kill yeast, but I find that this method works best.
  3. Drizzle the honey over the flours and salt and begin to incorporate all of the ingredients into a shaggy ball
  4. Using your hands (washed first!!), knead the dough to combine all of the ingredients. Add another tablespoon of warm water if the dough is stiff and hard to work with.
  5. The dough should be supple and warm to touch. It should be just a bit more moist than regular bread dough.
  6. Add the olive oil to a clean bowl and roll the dough in the oil to coat. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a dish towel.
  7. Allow the dough to rise at room temperature for 3 hours, or until doubled.
  8. Once the dough has doubled,  knead the dough for 10 minutes to redistribute the yeast.
  9. Allow the dough to rise again, this time in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours, but overnight is best.
  10. Allow the dough to come to room temperature before kneading and dividing into 16 equally sized balls
  11. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit
  12. Roll the dough into ovals, about 1/2 inch thick.
  13. Sprinkle cornmeal on a baking sheet before placing the dough on the sheet (this helps prevent sticking)
  14. Bake the pitas for 8 to 12 minutes, until puffy and golden.

(The next two pictures are plain dough pitas)

(I forgot to take pictures when I rolled the whole wheat ones out)