Baked Vanilla Bean Donuts with Chocolate Glaze

What had happened was...I ordered a donut pan on Amazon.  So, I made these baked donuts, dipped them in chocolate, and sprinkled them with goodness. And a Sunday morning was made.

Donuts were always a weekend treat growing up, and they still are. I am partial to the chocolate glazed with walnuts, and as you can see in the picture, I made sure to make my favorite.  I especially love vanilla bean anything because of the tiny flecks of vanilla beans that show up through anything it is used in, like vanilla bean ice cream, vanilla bean frosting, vanilla bean cupcakes, and these vanilla bean donuts!  Vanilla bean just adds a gourmet sweetness and touch to everything.  

Obviously baked donuts are not the same as their fried, yeasty counterparts, so I can't even compare. These baked donuts are great on their own merit.  They were pretty much tiny vanilla bean cakes with holes in the middle with chocolate drizzled on top.  Maybe we can call these a little healthy.  Maybe.  I mean, are they still considered healthy when you eat 3 (aka 4)?

I see myself making these pretty often, maybe taking turns with Sunday morning pancakes.  I really want to try some lemon poppyseed donuts with a lemon zest glaze. Or maybe lemon poppyseed pancakes with a lemon zest syrup! Or, dare I, both!

Definitely make these if you own a nifty donut pan!

Vanilla Bean Baked Donuts

1 cup all purpose flour, unbleached
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup milk (any)
1/4 cup plain greek yogurt
1 large egg
2 tbs unsalted butter, melted
1 vanilla bean pod, scraped (use a sharp knife to cut down the middle of the pod and scrape seeds out with a spoon or butter knife)
1 tsp vanilla extract

Glaze:

1/4 cup milk (any)
1 1/2 cups powdered/confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla
Assorted donut toppings, optional

Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Spray a donut pan with non-stick spray. Set aside.

For the donuts: whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, and granulated sugar together in a medium bowl. Set aside.

Whisk the milk, yogurt, and egg together until smooth. Add the melted butter, vanilla beans, and vanilla, whisking until fully combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Do not overmix. The batter will be very thick. 

Spoon the batter into the donut pan.  Or you can do what I did, take a ziplock bag, pour the batter into the bag, and cut a corner off the bottom of the bag and pipe the batter into each donut cup, filling 2 ∕ 3 –3 ∕ 4 of the way full.  This way was much easier!

Bake for 9–10 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned. Allow the donuts to slightly cool before glazing on a cooling rack. Once the donuts are cooled a bit, they're easier to dunk in the glaze. Mmmmmm, glaze.

For the glaze: combine the glaze ingredients in a medium saucepan over  low heat. Whisk until the glaze is smooth. Remove from heat, and begin dunking the donuts, one by one, into the glaze.  Transfer each donut to a wire rack over a baking sheet to catch the glaze drippings.  If you have extra glaze, you can dunk each donut again to make it EXTRA glaze-y...

Sprinkle with any toppings you wish, or devour them plain jane!  Either way, they are fantastic little donuts to be relished on a Sunday morning with your coffee.  

Enjoy!!

Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps & Sesame Veggie Noodles

Oh Monday, the beginning of me working towards another weekend!  I put together a pretty great dinner plan through Thursday and I'm super excited for it.  It's pretty heavily Asian inspired.  Maybe I'll go with this and have a weekly theme...maybe. I always have a million ideas, much like my dad, but not equal amounts of follow through.  The flaw of a creative mind. We're dreamers and mind wanderers.  I'm the girl who wants to be a geneticist, a cook, a food truck owner, music festival vendor, bakery owner, event planner, a travelling foodie couple, and the list goes on, all in my lifetime.  Possible?  Perhaps.  But right now, as I sit in my bed, I'll be a blogger for half an hour and entertain you with my tangents.

Today I made a relatively quick and healthy meal, using pantry staples, and lots of veggies that I'll mix and match through the week.

Most of you probably hear lettuce wraps and think appetizer.  At least that is what the hubby thought we were having.  But I think lettuce wraps can be made into a complete meal just by adding a side dish!  I threw together some sesame noodles with veggies in a wok and served alongside these tasty ground chicken lettuce wraps.  I didn't make a dipping sauce because I was lazy.  Sorry! These were great without a sauce though!  Saved calories, so you're welcome. I'm sure a dollop of plain greek yogurt would be great on these if you need a little saucy-ness!

Just like the majority of my other recipes, feel free to use whatever ingredients you have on hand for veggies, meats, and toppings!  I hope I can provide you a somewhat basic "template" of doing things and you can use your creativity to make it your own!

Since we are on the subject, if you make any of my recipes, please take a picture and tag me on instagram with #liveloveatrepeat.  It would make my day to see my recipes being prepared by all of you!  You can also follow me @liveloveatrepeat on Instagram and "like" my page on FB.  Okay done with the promoting, but thank you, seriously.

Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps

1 tbs olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large portobello mushroom cap, diced
1 lb ground chicken
1 tbs minced ginger
3 tbs reduced sodium soy sauce
1 tbs chili garlic sauce
fresh crack black pepper
minced cilantro
romaine lettuce leaves
shredded carrots
thin sliced cucumber
thin sliced radish

Heat olive oil over medium heat.  Add minced garlic and brown. Be careful not to burn the garlic! It happens pretty quickly, so keep an eye on it.

Add diced mushrooms and saute until softened.  Add chicken, ginger, soy sauce, chili garlic sauce, and a lot of black pepper.  Keep breaking up the chicken and brown.  Once chicken is almost cooked through, turn up the heat to evaporate the liquid. Top with cilantro.  Taste and add any additional seasoning you feel it needs.

Assemble the wraps by using the "cupped" side of the lettuce leaf, spooning on chicken, and topping with carrots, cucumber, and radish.  Chomp away!

Enjoy!
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Sesame Veggie Noodles

Ramen noodles (I just used some packets my mom in law keeps in the pantry and only used the noodles)
Sesame oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 serrano pepper, thinly sliced (discard seeds and/or ribs depending on spice level)
1/2 zucchini, diced
1/2 yellow squash, diced
1 roasted potato, quartered and diced (leftover potatoes from night before)
2 stalks green onions, large slices
2 tbs reduced sodium soy sauce
fresh cracked black pepper
1 tbs sesame seeds

Bring a pot of water to a boil, add the noodles and cook for 2 minutes. Drain and drizzle with just a little bit of sesame oil to avoid sticky noodles.  Let sit in the colander to dry thoroughly.

Heat a wok over medium heat, add 1 tbs of sesame oil.  Add garlic, onion, and the sliced serrano peppers, and saute until the veggies have softened. Add zucchini and squash and cook until softened. Add potatoes and heat through for a minute.  Add dried noodles, green onion, soy sauce, black pepper, and sesame seeds. Toss and cook for 3-4 minutes.

Some of the noodles may stick to the bottom.  Feel free to add more oil, but I figured a few lost noodles were worth not risking "greasy" noodles.

Season with more soy sauce if needed.  I kept the seeds and ribs in my peppers, so the noodles were quite spicy, but in a good way :)

Enjoy!!

Barbacoa Tacos

I've never met a taco I didn't like.  I think tacos may be my 2nd favorite food after pizza, really. Soft, crispy, puffy, vegetarian, and meat filled, I love them all! So it's no surprise that I quickly began craving tacos once I came back from my trip to North Carolina,  mostly in part by the fact that I had some bomb ass mini barbacoa tacos at a baby shower! Homemade, straight out of a dutch oven, topped with crispy slaw, and wrapped in a tiny little flour tortilla. Super adorable and extra easy to eat way more than one.

A hunk of roast made it quickly onto my shopping list, along with slaw, onions, and smoky chipotle peppers. I started the roast with a sear in the pan and let it do it's thing in the slow cooker.  The barbacoa is spicy and smokey from the different peppers and so tender from hours in the slow cooker.  The tangy and crispy slaw is perfect for these tacos, topped with cool, greek yogurt and creamy avocado.  Oh my gosh, yum.  Make these!

Barbacoa Tacos

(feeds an army)

1 tbs olive oil
2 lbs roast
sea salt
coarse black pepper
1 medium onion thinly sliced
2 large dried peppers (sold in bulk bins and are shriveled up dried red/black looking peppers)
3-4 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
1 jalapeno, roughly chopped
2 tbs minced garlic
1 cup chicken stock
juice of one lime
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Slaw:
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
1 cup ready made coleslaw, no mayo
3 tbs red wine vinegar
1 tsp sugar
3 tbs water

Toppings: slaw, sliced avocado, Greek yogurt, limes

Heat olive oil over medium high heat in a skillet.  Dry the roast thoroughly and sprinkle all sides with sea salt and black pepper patting it in.  Place the roast in the skillet and do not touch!  Let it get a good sear and then flip for the other side.  Make sure to sear all sides of the roast.

As the roast sears, add sliced onions and dried peppers in crockpot.  In a blender, blend the chipotle peppers, jalapeno pepper, garlic, lime juice, and chicken stock.

Add seared roast on top of the onions and dried peppers.  Pour chicken stock mixture over the roast and place lid on slow cooker.  Cook on low for 8 hours.

After 8 hours, the roast should be falling apart tender.  Shred the meat with a fork and get it all in the sauce, add chopped cilantro, and continue on warm as you get the fixings ready.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Slaw:

Toss red onions with coleslaw, red wine vinegar, sugar, and water.

We had our tacos on fresh made wheat tortillas, and all the toppings listed with a sprinkle of cilantro and a squeeze of lime.

Enjoy!!

Tom Kha Gai (Thai Coconut Chicken Soup) & Curry Brown Butter Grilled Cheese

Oh myyyyyy, flavor explosion in my mouth!  A hot bowl of spicy, rich coconut soup served alongside bomb-diggity grilled cheese using brown butter seasoned with curry powder.  One of my absolute favorite dinners ever.  Sometimes I just need to give myself a pat on the back.

Please make this tomorrow.  Granted, you must like thai food and cheese and butter.  I mean, cheese. CHEESE.

I almost always order a bowl of Tom Kha from this Thai restaurant in Houston and eat it up with rice.  It's great Thai style comfort food.  I grew up eating my mom's chicken soup with fried rice mixed in and people thought it was weird.  It's not weird.  Don't make people feel weird about what they eat.  Back to the soup, Tom Kha is full of flavor from the lemon grass, ginger, and red curry paste.  There's no need for salt or black pepper in this recipe. I used the curry paste as a cheat because I could not find the galangal and kaffir lime leaves that give this soup it's signature taste.  The red curry paste includes these two ingredients.  Granted, I could have made an extra stop to the Asian market on my way, but I didn't want to.  All the ingredients listed in this recipe can be found at your grocery store.

Feel free to omit the chicken from the soup if you would like to make the soup vegetarian.  Add some extra veggies like sliced red bell pepper, or snap peas, or even tofu to make up for the chicken.  It's a great flavorful soup with an added richness from the coconut milk.  Use fresh ingredients and a good chicken stock. Or vegetable stock.  I adapted the recipe for the soup from Bon Appetit, best foodie resource ever.

Instead of rice, I decided on grilled cheese because cravings.  I upped the ante on the grilled cheese by making a batch of browned butter seasoned with curry powder that was used to coat the inside and outside of the sandwich.  I'll probably use the leftover butter to make my eggs tomorrow morning.  Butter is a good fat.  I hope you all know this.  Moderation is key.

Tom Kha Gai (adapted from Bon Appetit)

2 stalks lemongrass, woody leaves discarded, cut into large chunks

1 in. piece of ginger, peeled, cut in half
1 thai pepper, sliced in half lengthwise
zest and juice of 3 limes
4 cups chicken broth
1 lb. sliced chicken breast
oyster mushrooms, sliced thin
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 tbs Thai red curry paste
1 13.5 oz can coconut milk (full-fat)
1 tbs fish sauce
1 tsp brown sugar
cilantro, chili oil, lime wedges (garnish)

Bring to a boil the chicken broth with the lemongrass, ginger, thai pepper, lime zest, and lime juice.  Once boiling, bring down the heat and allow the broth to simmer for 15 minutes.  This will allow all the good stuff to get infused in the broth.

Drain the broth through a sieve/colander into another heat proof bowl.  Discard the chunks.  Carefully transfer the broth into the pot and place back on the heat.

Add the sliced chicken and bring the broth back to a boil.  Add mushrooms, tomatoes, and curry paste and let all of this simmer for 30 minutes so the flavors come together.

Add the coconut milk, fish sauce, and brown sugar.  Allow this to simmer for a few minutes.  Serve hot with cilantro, lime wedges, and chili oil.  Enjoy!

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Curry Brown Butter Grilled Cheese

4 tbs unsalted butter
1 tsp curry powder
4 slices sourdough
4 slices Muenster cheese

In a small saucepan over medium heat.  Add butter, let it melt and foam up. Begin whisking continuously until the butter takes on a dark yellow tinge and smells nutty. Once you see the brown bits appear, add curry powder and whisk for 15 seconds. Take the saucepan off the heat and continue to whisk.  

Using a brush, brush on the seasoned butter on one side of all the bread slices. Or use a spoon to drizzle on the slices. Add 1 slice of cheese to each slice of bread. Assemble the sandwiches. Brush one side of the bread with the browned butter and grill over medium heat until crispy. While the buttered side cooks, brush the top of the sandwich with butter. Flip and cook other side until crisp and cheese is melted.

Enjoy!

Best Ever Chocolate Nutella Mug Cake

Tonight I am featuring two blog posts, dessert AND dinner for you hungry readers!  I had some fun experimenting in the kitchen tonight and both turned out delicious, so I wanted to share it with you all!  Plus I have messages from friends asking for the recipes, NOW.

We wanted something sweet post dinner and since we are both trying super hard not to leave the cookie jar full of Girl Scout cookies empty, I opted for something small.  Not sure if it was the healthiest thing, but it was a small amount of cake that was just right to satisfy our sweet tooth without feeling guilty.  Plus I threw on some strawberries and blackberries.  Boom. Fruit.

I've made a mug cake before, but it turned out dense and chewy, and frankly, not good.  But I really wanted cake tonight and something quick, so I did some research and found a couple of helpful tips!  Use self rising flour for best results and instead of splitting an egg, use the whole egg and make 2 cakes.  Both of these together will yield fluffy, light, and chocolate-y cakes.  And the best tip of all, ALWAYS USE NUTELLA. Because, it's Nutella.

This recipe makes enough for 2, perfect for sharing.  Or don't share.  I don't judge.

Chocolate Nutella Mug Cake

2 tbs vegetable oil

1/4 cup milk
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup self rising flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 tbs cocoa powder
1/4 cup chocolate chips of choice
2 tsp Nutella
Sliced berries, garnish, optional

Whisk vegetable oil, milk, egg, and vanilla.  Add flour, sugar, and cocoa powder and mix well.  In 2 mugs, evenly distribute chocolate chips and pour in the cake batter evenly into both mugs.  Add 1 tsp each of Nutella into each mug.

Heat both mug cakes in the microwave for 90 seconds on "high".  Check cakes after 90 seconds and if cake springs back when touching it, they are ready!  If not, heat on 15 second intervals until cooked through.

Garnish with sliced berries and ENJOY!

Spicy Shrimp & Beef Sausage Gumbo

As I write up this post, I keep getting distracted by watching House of Cards, but I really need to post something!  House of Cards, watch it.

Going to New Orleans in a few weeks and as I looked up restaurants and things to do, I kept running across gumbo on restaurant menus.  Well, hello there craving!  Might as well get the NOLA party started in our stomachs!

This recipe is quick, hearty, and spicy. A very big taste of Cajun!

Truth be told, I kind of just threw whatever I had into the pot. Like all my recipes, you can delete or add any sort of meat, or add additional vegetables.

Spicy Shrimp & Beef Sausage Gumbo

1 tbs. vegetable oil

1 cup sliced beef sausage, preferably organic to keep it clean
1 sliced jalapeno, with/without seeds/membrane (controls spice level)
1 tbs. butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 small onion, diced
1 large bell pepper, diced
2 ribs celery, sliced
2 tbs. minced garlic
3 cups seafood broth
1/2 lb okra, sliced
1 large tomato, diced
2 bay leaves
red chili flakes
1 tbs. dried parsley
sea salt
black pepper
hot sauce
1 tsp. Worcestershire
1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined
cajun seasoning
dark chili powder

Toss shrimp with cajun seasoning and dark chili powder. Set aside.

Heat a large cast iron, or regular, pot over medium heat.  Add vegetable oil.  Once hot, add sausage slices and jalapenos. Cook until the sausage has browned.  Scoop out the sausage and jalapenos and set aside in a bowl.

To the same pot with sausage drippings, add the butter. Sprinkle in flour and whisk continuously until it smells nutty and turns a dark brown color.  This is your roux!  Keep a close eye on it.  It can go from a dark, pretty color to burned within seconds.

Add the onion, garlic, bell pepper, and celery.  Make them nice and coated in the roux and cook until vegetables have softened a bit.

Add broth and whisk to dissolve the roux.  Add in the okra, tomatoes, bay leaves, chili flakes, parsley, sea salt, black pepper, a few dashes of hot sauce, and Worcestershire.  Feel free to taste and add seasonings as you wish.  If you are new to my blog, I do not add measurements for seasoning.  I realize this is a huge blogger faux paux.

Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer.  Add sausage and stir.  Cover pot and let cook for 30 minutes. Stir occasionally.  Use this time to cook up your rice of choice.  We cooked brown basmati rice.

After 30 minutes of simmering, add the seasoned shrimp to the gumbo, stir, and cover pot.  Cook until the shrimp has turned opaque.  Once cooked, check for seasoning.

Serve over rice and let your taste buds be transported to the great city of New Orleans!  Enjoy!

Sunshine Lemon Tart

Days like yesterday where the weather is too cold for Texas and no sunshine in sight, all I wanted to do was eat and be cozy.  These dreary days can take a toll on my cheeriness and happy all the time attitude, so I look for pick me ups to get me back to a good place!  If there is no sunshine outside, I'll bring it inside my kitchen.  I got a craving for something lemon-y and a desire to make something I have never attempted...a lemon tart.

This lemon tart was the perfect dessert!  A bright, sweet, and tart creamy lemon filling over a shortbread crust warmed with cardamom to give it that "winter" feel.  I use cardamom whenever I can!  I put it in my chai while it boils, in my Pakistani version of coffee, and any dessert that needs a bit of this warm spice. The tart is then topped off with a dollop of fresh whipped vanilla cream and eaten happily in bed watching TV and snuggling.

Sunshine Lemon Tart

Shortbread Crust:

1 cup all-purpose flour, unbleached
1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar
1 tbs ground cardamom
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into chunks

Lemon Filling:

6 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup white sugar
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice, about 3 small lemons
2 large eggs
1 tbs grated lemon zest

Vanilla Whipped Cream:

1 cup heavy cream, cold
2 tbs powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Shortbread Crust:

Prepare a 8"-9" tart pan, pie pan, or any pan (I used a 9" cake pan) with vegetable oil or spray.

Combine flour, powdered sugar, ground cardamom, and salt.  Add butter and work in the butter until the crust begins to form large chunks and comes together. You can use a food processor for this, however, since ours is on the fritz, I just used my fingers to work the butter into the flour.

Add the crust into your pan and evenly press it into pan so it reaches the edges and up the sides a bit. You can smooth out the crust with the back of a spoon.  Pierce the bottom of the crust with a fork, cover the pan and place in the freezer to set for 15 minutes.  This will prevent puffing of the crust and the crust from shrinking.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees, place the pan on top of a baking sheet and bake 15 minutes until the crust is a golden brown. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool.

Decrease the oven temperature to 350 degrees.

Lemon Filling:

In a blender, process the cream cheese until smooth.  Add the sugar and process until incorporated.  Add the eggs and process until combined.  Add the lemon juice and lemon zest and process until well blended and smooth.

Pour filling into the pre-baked crust and bake 25-30 minutes.  Transfer the tart to a wire rack and let cool. Cover and refrigerate until well set chilled, at least an hour.

Vanilla Whipped Cream:

Place your mixing bowl and whisk in the freezer for about 15 minutes.  Pour in the whipping cream and powdered sugar and whip on high speed until almost stiff.  Add vanilla and whip until stiff peaks are formed. Spread on tart, or add a dollop to individual slices and store the rest in a sealed container in the fridge.

Slice a huge slice for yourself, add a dollop of cream, and garnish with a thin slice of lemon.  ENJOY!