My Inner Spanish Obsession

Did I say inner obsession?  Meh.  I realize it may not be such a secret after all.  And, of course, you all know about my feelings toward the Minimalist.  Needless to say, when my two not-so-secret obsessions collided, my interest was piqued, to say the least.  The day this recipe appeared on Bitten, my roommate Diane and I put it on our calendars to try out ASAP.  I give you: Chickpeas and Chorizo!

I wish this picture were a bit less flashed, but hey, we ate late, Spanish-style.  It's all about the autenticidad with me.  Obviously.

Here's Mr. Bittman's.

 Fried Chickpeas With Chorizo and Spinach

adapted from Mark Bittman's The Minimalist column

Ingredients:

1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for drizzling

2 cups cooked or canned chickpeas, as dry as possible

Salt and black pepper

4 ounces chorizo, diced

1/2 pound spinach, roughly chopped (We used more like 3/4 pound baby spinach and there could have even been more.)

1/4 cup sherry

1 to 2 cups bread crumbs (We used way less than that, like maybe 1/2 cup?  No idea what he's talking about there.)

Method:

1. Heat the broiler. 

2. Put three tablespoons of the oil in a skillet large enough to hold chickpeas in one layer over medium-high heat. (I recommend heating the dry pan for a minute before adding the oil.)  When it’s hot, add chickpeas and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

3. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, shaking the pan occasionally, until chickpeas begin to brown, about 10 minutes, then add chorizo. Continue cooking for another 5 to 8 minutes or until chickpeas are crisp; use a slotted spoon to remove chickpeas and chorizo from pan and set aside.

4. Add the remainder of the 1/4 cup of oil to the pan; when it’s hot, add spinach and sherry, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cook spinach over medium-low heat until very soft and the liquid has evaporated. Add chickpeas and chorizo back to the pan and toss quickly to combine; top with bread crumbs, drizzle with a bit more oil and run pan under the broiler to lightly brown the top. Serve hot or at room temperature.

This recipe came out pretty much awesome.  The chickpeas were really crispy, the spinach offset all the oil, and the chorizo basically flavored the entire thing.  It would be an AWESOME dinner party dish.

Now, I'm probably about to lose some street cred with a lot of you, but I highly recommend knowing where your oven's broiler is located before attempting this recipe.  Genius tip, I know.  I always knew that when you broil, then heat comes from above.  So I set the oven to broil, moved the top oven rack to the highest setting and let 'er rip.  After many minutes of absolutely no browning, I consulted Diane's friend, a culinary school graduate, who informed me that my broiler was actually below the oven.  Pardon?  You mean that shelf where I store pots and pans?  Turns out I had broiled the hell out of a shallow pot, but our chickpeas were not getting any browner sitting in a warmish oven.  PHEW.  And now you know.

I can't say that I often have chorizo in the house, so I had to rack my brain a little to come up with a good use for the leftovers.  I threw a little bit into a shakshuka, an Israeli dish that Joanna turned me on to in college.

 

Sorry, more ugly pics.  Shakshuka is not an attractive food, but I had leftover canned crushed tomatoes and one egg, and this chorizo, and it all just fell into place.  It's DELICIOUS.  Sometimes the ugliest foods really are the best, no?  I mean, seriously, have you ever looked at a brownie?  It's not winning any pageants.

With the rest of the chickpeas and chorizo, I put together an impromptu lunch the other day, drawing on inspiration from another Bittman creation (see "Best Repeat Recipe").

 

Fried Chickpeas and Chorizo Salad

Ingredients:

1/2 cup cooked or canned chickpeas

2 tsp olive oil

1 small clove garlic

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1 oz diced cured chorizo

salt, to taste

veggie salad base (mine was baby spinach, thinly sliced red onion, and chopped red bell pepper)

Method:

1. Heat a small pan for about a minute, then add the oil and heat one more minute.

2. Add the chickpeas and stir around a bit.

3. About 3 minutes in, add the garlic and cumin seeds.  (You don't want to do this right at the start otherwise the garlic will just burn.)

4. After another minute or so add the chorizo and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the chickpeas are nicely browned and crispy and the chorizo is heated through.  (If it's cured, then it's already safe to eat as is -- it just needs to be warmed.)  Add salt to taste.

5. Prepare salad base and top with warm chickpeas and chorizo.

Voila!  A Freya creation.  So so so satisfying.  I really only needed a small portion because the flavors were so rich and there was probably a high fat content.  But it kept me full a while.  Yay creativity!

More Office Follies

As if I hadn't just been slighted by the vending machine yesterday, today the microwave turned on me too.  I had the brilliant idea to bring oats to work with me to cook in the microwave here.  I wanted to make sure I wasn't late, and somehow eating breakfast at home takes me a long time.  I think it has something to do with those chatty Kathys I spend my meal with (ahem: Matt Lauer and Meredith Vieira AND/OR Kiran Chetry and John Roberts).

(bittenandbound.com)

VS

  

(reportercaps.com)

Showdown?


I brought this huge tupperware with me, because my oats always puff up to the top of the bowl, and I didn't want any overflow.  Annnnnd: fail.  I turned my head for one minute to glower at the vending machine, and then all of a sudden I was faced with an oatmeal explosion.  BAH.  I scooped up about half of my bfast with paper towels.  Bummer.  Not only was it messy and embarrassing, but obviously I was going to be hungry.  And I was.  Especially since I had to forgo my usual array of toppings (spoonful of PB doesn't travel well).  I started picking at lunch at 11:20.  I'm all about eating when I feel hungry, but on work days I know it's usually just the boredom talking when I'm hungry at 11. Not today, of course. This was actual hunger.  So I ate half my sandwich with one hand while holding the phone with the other, wondering when the never-ending conference call might relent.


I also brought some carrots and homemade hummus with me today!

This hummus was insanely easy and delicious.

White Bean Hummus

Adapted from Nava Atlas's The Vegetarian Family Cookbook


2 cans white beans (I used a mix of navy and cannellini)
2 tbsp tahini
2-3 cloves garlic
Juice of 1 small lemon
Salt and pepper to taste
Paprika to sprinkle on top
1/4 - 1/2 cup water
Put everything in the food processor (except for paprika) and blend.  BAM, you're done.  Ok, fine, sprinkle paprika on top to make it look pretty.  NOW you're done.  This makes a lot of hummus.  I guess if you're making it for yourself and not for a party (I brought this to our Super Bowl party), then 1 can of beans would be more than enough.

While we're talking about easy legumes (jeez, Skinny Bitch has been in my head lately...), I give you a new favorite, care of (who else) Mark Bittman.


Spiced Red Lentil Dal
Adapted from Mark Bittman's The Minimalist

2 tablespoons peanut oil (I used canola)

1 large onion, chopped

1 cup dried red lentils, washed and picked over

2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger (I had to add in some from a jar, but I recommend the real deal)

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon mustard seeds

2 cloves

1 teaspoon cracked black pepper

Salt

2 tablespoons cold butter (optional) (I used butter but only about 1 tbsp)

Chopped fresh cilantro leaves for garnish (My roomie happened to have some, and it actually added a lot, but is definitely optional.  Don't go buy it if you don't have it already.)

1. Put oil in a skillet over medium high heat; when it is hot, add onion and cook until soft, about 10 minutes; set aside.

2. Meanwhile, combine all remaining ingredients except the salt, butter and cilantro in a saucepan. Add water to cover by about 1 inch, and bring to a boil. Adjust heat so mixture bubbles gently, and cook, stirring occasionally and adding water if necessary, until lentils are tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and more pepper and keep cooking to desired tenderness. Lentils should be saucy but not soupy.

3. Remove cloves from pan and add reserved sautéed onion. Stir in butter if you are using it. Taste and adjust seasoning, then garnish with cilantro and serve.

SO good!  Like brothless lentil soup.  I made the full recipe so I would have leftovers, and I decided to get creative with them.  I ended up with this yummy, if a little odd, wrap.

Whole wheat wrap, spinach, red onion, avocado, feta, lentils, and almonds(?).  The almonds were a little weird.


I think that this is an "investment dish" of sorts.  I had to go buy mustard seed and cloves, and I had to make sure I had fresh ginger in the house.  But I want to make it for forever on, so I know I will use the stuff.  I also like buying new spices and finding recipes that call for them.  It's how you expand your palate!


And, just in case this post was feeling too healthy, feast your eyes on these mamas:

These were in honor of Amanda's/Joanna's 25th bdays last weekend!  Mmmm, Crumbs is the most magical bakery on earth. :)

Restaurant Week: Take Two

NOTE: I started this post a week ago.  Last week was just... one of those weeks where nothing gets accomplished in any area of life.  Ever have those weeks?  I'm going to leave what I wrote originally and comment as needed.  And make this week's goal: productivity.


Tonight my friends and I are going out for another Restaurant Week dinner, which will undoubtedly be better than the last one because, well, how could it not be?  We are going here, and I am SO excited.  It sounds right up my alley.  They change the entire restaurant for every season, including menu, decor, etc.  I always study menus ahead of time, but I honestly can't even pick what I want!  This will have to be a game time decision.


Results: SO MUCH BETTER THAN BUTTER!  It was a great meal.  They started us with croissant-like rolls and walnut bread, plus some parmesan poppers.  I'd never had fried parmesan before, but the way it holds together is really nice -- not melty/stringy like mozzarella.  I ended up unintentionally doing a complete cross-comparison of the two restaurants by ordering the Park Ave Winter version of everything I ate at Butter: butternut squash soup, salmon, and banana dessert.  So much for variety, eh.  I thought the soups were almost too different to compare.  The one at Butter was brighter and bolder, but Park Ave's had a really elegant sophistication to it.  I'm talking truffle oil and roasted squash seeds.  Really beautiful and light.  The salmon was cooked perfectly at Park Ave (and no one asked me how I wanted it cooked...), and I loved the citrus glaze and kale.  It was a MONDO portion, too!  Dessert was amaaaaazing.  It was banana ice cream with whipped cream, chocolate crunchies (like a Carvel cake!) and butterscotch sauce.  I ate all of mine and some of Allison's. :)


Yikes!  So much text.  I will spare you my rambling restaurant reviews and get to the cooking.  Yeah, yeah, I hear those sighs of relief.


In my own kitchen, I had a few new things on the menu.  Last week I tried to make this recipe for Curried Cauliflower Flatbread, and I kinda failed.  Had I not, it might have looked something like this:

(photo credit nytimes.com)

My own was so unappetizing in appearance that I will not burden you with a photo.  It was uggo.  Just leave it at that.  However, I learned a few things: 1. I like roasted cauliflower, 2. light coconut milk is AWESOME, and 3. aesthetics matter a lot when it comes to food.  The flavors of this bread were right on, and the texture was, well, almost right on, but it was visually unappealing, which really took away from the eating experience.  This is more my fault than Mr. Bittman's, as I didn't use the right type of pan, but it's incredible how big a role our eyes play in eating, huh?  Anyway, I recommend the recipe if you have the right cookware.


I did, however, succeed with a 101cookbooks.com recipe.  It was called Ten Minute Tasty Asparagus and Brown Rice.  10 minutes?  Maybe in Heidi-land, but in Freya-land, this was more like Thirty Minute Tasty Asparagus and Brown Rice.  Granted she used frozen rice, which sped things up.  However, that wasn't my issue: I let the rice cook while I showered, so no biggie there.  I found the sauce to be a little time consuming.  Measuring is a pain in the butt.  I think I'm over it.  (Hence why Mark Bittman is my cooking hero.)


Hello, asparagus!  I know it's not in season, but until the stores stop tempting me with veggies from South America, I can't totally let go...

Here's what I ended up with.

Obviously served in my super mature Shrek bowl that I ordered from a cereal box.  It's a bowl with ogre antennas!  Seriously?  How could you not love that?

Ten (or Forty) Minute Tasty Asparagus and Brown Rice
Adapted from Heidi Swanson's 101cookbooks.com


3 tbsp EVOO
1 or 2 cans chickpeas (I used one), drained
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 bunch asparagus, cut into 1-inch segments
3 cups pre-cooked brown rice
1 cup almond slivers, toasted (I used a mix and almond and cashew pieces)
fine grain sea salt


Tahini Dressing:
1 garlic clove, smashed and chopped
1/4 cup tahini
zest of 1 lemon (this might have been the most time consuming piece, made infinitely worse by the fact that we don't have a zester)
scant 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tbsp EVOO
2 tbsp hot water
scant 1/2 tsp fine grain sea salt


Make the dressing by whisking together the garlic, tahini, lemon zest and juice, and olive oil. Add the hot water to thin a bit and then the salt. Set aside.  Add a couple glugs of olive oil (roughly 3 tablespoons) to a big skillet over medium-high heat. Swirl the oil around to coat the pan, then add the chickpeas and sprinkling of salt. Let the beans saute there for a couple minutes (I like to try to get some crusty color on them). Be careful, they seem to hiss and pop more then other beans over high heat. Add the garlic and onions. Stir for a minute. Stir in the asparagus with another pinch or two of salt, cover with a lid for a minute or two to steam - just until the asparagus brightens and softens up just a bit. Uncover and stir in the rice and almond slivers, reserving a few almonds for garnish. Taste and add more salt if needed (likely). Serve family-style in a big bowl drizzled with a few tablespoons of the tahini dressing, let each person add more dressing to their tastes.


I think my favorite thing about a recipe like this is that now that I have a "formula", I can more or less do whatever I want with it.  Like switching up some veggies (bok choy?  chard?) or a grain, and just winging it on the sauce.  If you don't have a zester, don't worry.  I didn't think it added that much.  Even a bit too lemony for me.  Overall, loved the recipe.  Great weeknight dinner.  


I had leftover rice and dressing, so I put that aside in a container and it made an appearance in lunch the next day!

Hm, apparently hiding, but in there.  The yogurty blob on top is from my eggplant recipe a few posts ago.  I love using yogurt sauces as salad dressing!


More recipes a-coming.  Happy Monday (BLECH)!

Scavenger Hunt

If there is one product that I hear about more than any other on the food blogs it's BARNEY BUTTER: almond butter that is supposedly better than all the others?  Everyone raves about it, but it's nowhere to be found in NYC.  Not even at my go-to stores, Whole Foods and Fairway.  This stuff is officially foreign to NY.  But on one of our many trips to Whole Foods at Franklin and California in SF, Alex and I finally spotted the elusive nut butter!!!

I felt like I had won a scavenger hunt.  So obviously we each bought an $8 container to lug back across the country. I have to say (and I hope the blog gods don't strike me with lightning), I wasn't impressed.  It's certainly good, but let's be real, what almond butter is bad?  None, in my book.  It's the consistency of Skippy, which is maybe what people like about it?  I actually prefer the grainy consistency of natural nut butters.  Especially in oatmeal.  It just holds up better.  This stuff kinda melts.  But I do like it to eat with a banana or apple or anything not hot.  So, a little disappointing, but at least I feel in the loop now :)

I have been cooking up a storm this week!  I get so ambitious when I'm home for the week (2 weeks, actually!), and I went a little nuts with groceries and meal planning.  But I love it.

My first new recipe attempt was an ode to Bitten/The Minimalist/my hero Mark Bittman.  Andddd... veggies!  I'm trying to eat vegetarian as often as possible, just because I want to be more serious about socially-responsible eating.  It's just as easy and satisfying (and cheaper!) to eat vegetarian when I cook for myself.  Every once in a while I buy a responsibly farmed/wild-caught fish or organic chicken.  I have yet to buy beef, but maybe if I find a good recipe.  My formerly vegetarian stomach is still a bit of a snob and refuses to digest an entire meal-size portion of beef.  Believe me, that's all the information you need.

Numero uno: Quick-Cooked Bok Choy (scroll down for this recipe), courtesy of How to Cook Everything Vegetarian:


Ingredients

1 head bok choy, about 1 1/2 pounds

3 tbsp peanut or neutral oil, like grapeseed or corn (Canola was lovely)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Cut the leaves from the stems of the bok choy.  Trim the stems as necessary, then cut them into roughly 1-inch pieces; rinse everything well.  Put the oil in a large skillet over medium-high hear.  When hot, add the stems and cook, stirring occasionally, until they just lose their crunch, about 3 minutes.  Add the greens and about 1/2 cup water (or vegetable stock, if you prefer).

2. Cook, stirring occasionally until the liquid evaporates and the stems become very tender, about 10 minutes more; add a little more water if necessary.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

I know bok choy is a random ingredient, but I saw a girl carrying a bundle of it at Fairway, and suddenly I needed bok choy in my life.  This was incredibly easy and satisfying.  Bok choy (mine was baby bok choy, actually) becomes really creamy when it's cooked, so this felt rich and hearty.

I served this with numero dos, another Bittman credit: Grilled Eggplant Salad with Yogurt, or in my case, Broiled Eggplant Salad with Yogurt Sauce.

Ingredients


1 pound eggplants, preferably small light purple ones (a big eggplant is fine but will need to cook almost twice as long)
1 medium onion, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 cups plain whole milk yogurt (or fat free Greek yogurt)
Salt and pepper, to taste
Pinch cayenne or Aleppo pepper or other mild ground chili powder
1/4 cup chopped parsley or mint (totally optional in my opinion)

Method


1. Start a charcoal or wood fire or preheat a gas grill or broiler; rack should be no more than 4 inches from heat source.  Cut eggplants in half lengthwise up to stem, but do not cut through.  Spread about 2/3 of the onion and garlic between the eggplant halves and press the two sides back together. (This was the trickiest part.  Once stuffed, my eggplant kept falling over, so I made it a little aluminum foil bed, which helped.)
2. Grill eggplants, turning once or twice, until they are blackened and collapsed, 10 to 15 minutes, 25 or so for a big eggplant.  Do not worry if the skin burns a bit.  Meanwhile, mix remaining garlic and onion with yogurt; season to taste with salt, pepper and a little cayenne.
3. When cooked, let eggplants cool a bit, then peel off skins and let cool further.  Roughly chop eggplants, then mix with yogurt dressing.  Serve at room temperature or chill if you like, in either case, garnish with parsley or mint.

Recipe notes: I didn't bother with the herbs.  The eggplant took longer to cook (about 25 mins) because I used a big one, but everything else was great.  If nothing else, I highly recommend this yogurt sauce.  I used fat free Greek yogurt (Oikos, of course!) instead of full fat regular to make it a little healthier, and I used it as a salad dressing the next day.  I know it sounds simple, but the flavor was outrageous.

This was a small dinner because I had eaten lunch at like 4.

The leftovers made an appearance the next day at lunch with a side of my new "wish-I-didn't-know-how-good-these-are-because-I-may-never-stop-eating-them" find.  Food Should Taste Good Buffalo chips.  DROOL.

I adore this brand for their name and their message.  And their chips, of course.  My faves are these and the Multigrain variety.

I also found an adorable new yogurt at Food Emporium.

Baby Oikos!  Awww.  Mama and baby yogurt.  They're 4 ounces each and I got a 4-pack on sale for $4.99.  Score!  I can't believe Stonyfield didn't first run it by me, their most loyal customer on the planet!  That hurts, Gary.

Back to work, and then more recipes to come soon.

Awards, part deux

Best Brussels Sprouts (and yes, I've made them a lot): Brussels Sprouts with Pecans and Cranberries

As promised, Allison makes her online debut with... BRUSSELS SPROUTS.

I even got her to taste some when it was done!  I promised her that I had used enough butter that she wouldn't even notice there were veggies involved.  I was inspired by this recipe, care of Alton Brown:

Ingredients

• 1 pound fresh Brussels sprouts, rinsed and trimmed
• 3 ounces coarsely chopped pecans
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 4 ounces coarsely chopped dried cranberries

Directions

Slice the Brussels sprouts using the thinnest slicing disk of a food processor. If you do not have a food processor, you may slice thinly with a knife or a mandoline.

Set a 10-inch straight-sided saute pan over medium-high heat and add the pecans. Cook, stirring continually, until the pecans darken in color and begin to give off a toasted aroma, approximately 2 minutes. Add the butter to the pan and stir to combine. Once the butter has melted, add the Brussels sprouts, salt and pepper and cook, stirring continually, until the color brightens and the sprouts are just tender, approximately 6 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, add the cranberries, toss and serve.

I was oh-so pleased that I was able to employ my new brussels sprout slicing technique that I learned from cooking guru Rebecca when Alex and I went to a cooking class (highly recommended!).  I used fresh cranberries instead of dried because I wanted to use them up, and it made the whole thing a little fruit-juicier than it otherwise might have been.  I was also too lazy to chop the pecans, which resulted in a little burning, but they didn't taste charred once mixed in with all that buttah and co.  This was so seasonal and lovely!  Shaved brussels sprouts resemble a bowl of, well, grass, but I thought that the butter really helped make it rich and not grassy.  Note: I almost never use butter in cooking, but I'm always happy when I do.

Best Repeat Recipe: Chickpea and Arugula Salad
This, of course, is another Mark Bittman specialty from How to Cook Everything.  I made it a couple months ago when I had a big dinner party at my apartment, and it was just as delicious this time.

3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp. minced, peeled fresh ginger
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
salt & freshly ground pepper
1 1/2 c. cooked or drained, canned chickpeas
1 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
1 tsp. honey
4 c. arugula leaves, chopped
1 red onion, thinly sliced


Put the olive oil in a deep skillet over med. heat. When hot, add the ginger, garlic, and cumin seeds and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant and the ginger and garlic are soft, 1-2 min. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then stir in the chickpeas until hot and coated in the oil and seasonings, about 3 min. Remove from heat. With a fork, stir in the vinegar, honey, and 1 Tbsp. water. Mash a few of the chickpeas as you stir to add texture to the dressing. Put the arugula and onion in a large bowl and toss with the warm chickpea dressing. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve immediately, warm.

I had never used cumin seeds before, but they are sooo fragrant and have a really unique flavor.  This recipe is such a winner.  Do it.

Best Comfort Food: Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili

This one is now a classic for me.  I make a huge pot of it and freeze most of it to have throughout the winter. The recipe is from Nava Atlas's The Vegetarian Family Cookbook, which was kind of my bible in college. 

2 medium-large sweet potatoes

2 tablespoons light or extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
2 to 3 garlic cloves
1 medium red bell pepper, diced
1 can (32 ounces) black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes
1 or 2 small fresh hot chilies, minced
OR
1 can (4 ounces) chopped mild green chilies
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
salt to taste

1. Bake or microwave the sweet potatoes on high until just firm, about 3 to 4 minutes per potato. When cool enough to handle, peel and cut into 3/4-inch dice. Set aside.


2. Heat the oil in a large soup pot. Add the onion and garlic and sauté over medium heat until golden. Add the bell pepper, beans, tomatoes, chilies, cumin, and oregano. Bring to a simmer. Cover and simmer gently for 15 minutes. Add the sweet potatoes and continue tosimmer until the vegetables are tender -- about 10 to 15 minutes.


3. Season lightly with salt. If time allows, let stand off the heat for 1 or 2 hours, then heat through as needed.


Embellish it: Pass a bowl of chopped fresh cilantro for sprinkling over the top of individual portions.

Make it a Meal: For an easy meal, serve this with purchased cornbread or other hearty whole-grain bread and a bountiful tossed salad.

A couple of notes on this: I accidentally bought only half of the beans that it called for, but I actually thought the proportion was right on.  So, if you wanted to go light in the beans (let's say you have a social situation to attend later?), you would be just fine.  Also, I tried it a couple days later topped with pecan chunks, and it brought it to a whole new level.  WHY have pecans not been on my radar until now???  Nuts, nuts, nuts!

Best Dessert Derived from Laziness: Frozen Banana with Melted Chocolate and Almond Butter

I've been totally into banana soft serve lately, but food processors are maybe the least fun thing to wash EVER.  Not mention my incredible clumsiness.  So I dug into my stash of frozen bananas and went the lazy route.

I kind of wished I had a popsicle stick or something for the bananas because my hands got cold holding them to dip, but OMG this was way too delicious.  I know it's totally weird to just eat plain old frozen bananas, but don't judge.   Try it for the sake of warm AB and dark chocolate, at the very least!
And now, your lightning round is complete!  Will try really hard to get back on a post-a-day schedule (with fewer than 5 recipes...) soon!  
Happy Friday!  I'm spending the weekend in Dallas, so social life should be minimal and posting will be maximal.