Comunidad Health Foods

Did you know that I have never posted a pie recipe on here before? I have shared cookies, layer cakes, sweet breads, fruit crisps, cupcakes, pastries, and practically every other kind of coma-inducing sugar bomb dessert ever invented. I have even posted one or two savory pies. But not once has a sweet blend of sugar, fruit and/or creamy confection ensconced in a buttery, flaky shell baked to golden-brown perfection made it onto this page. What is, perhaps, even more tragic is the reason that I haven’t shared a recipe for a dessert pie with you is not because I tried a recipe and it flopped, or I forgot to take a picture, or a million and a half other facets of life stepped in and forbade it; no, I haven’t written about pie before because, apparently, I had never made one.

Unless you count the apple pie I made with a friend from the Pillsbury refrigerated crusts back in high school in honor of Pi day.

For the sake of a good story, let’s not.

As it turns out, I think I’ll be attempting a classic pumpkin pie in honor of the big Turkey Day next week, but when I realized this epic culinary oversight on my part, I couldn’t even wait that long to right it. Luckily, I didn’t have to drop everything I was doing and whip up an impromptu dessert, because it just so happens that last week I did, in fact, bake a pie. Kind of. I say kind of because this wasn’t really a pie so much as it was a dessert baked in a pie dish, giving it the iconic shape without really any other overlapping characteristic. Still, pie is in the name, and so I have for you today Floptimism’s Very First Pie.

Does it surprise you that my first pie is actually called a Blondie Brownie Candy Pie, and that it is actually a layer of buttery blondie batter scattered with leftover Halloween candy doused in brownie batter iced with warmed chocolate chips and garnished with miniature m&m’s? No, I didn’t think it would. The chocoholic in me really is making up for all the lost time from when I was a little kid and eschewed all things chocolate unless preceded with the word “white.” I even ate white chocolate peanut butter cups. Yeah, they make them.

But anyway, back to this pie. Blondie. Brownie. Thing. It’s amazing. I mean, really, really good. My stumbling upon the recipe was even more fortuitous than my choosing to bake it just one week before realizing the sad truth of my lack of pie baking experiences. I was trying to find recipes that would use my leftover Halloween candy (how many other people grossly overestimated the amount of trick or treaters they would get? How many other people secretly intentionally did so to have an excuse to have leftovers for yourself? It’s ok, me too.), and I found this bad boy when I wasn’t even sitting down to conduct a formal search. It was just there, waiting for me, saying, “I know that I’m exactly what you’re looking for. You have no excuse.” And so I did the only thing someone in my position could do, really – I baked!

A few notes – I didn’t cut up the butter but as it goes into a pot to be melted, I don’t think that’s much of a problem. I used white whole wheat flour and it did not stop the boys in L’s dorm from devouring it (ok, I absolutely played a heavy hand in that too; I can’t pin it all on the male stomach being a bottomless pit). The blondie batter didn’t fully firm up in the freezer in 10 minutes as the recipe said, so after 12 or 13 I essentially threw in the towel and worked with it, anyway. It wasn’t too difficult. I melted the chocolate chips in the microwave on half power at 30 second intervals , though I tend to encourage avoiding microwaves whenever possible so a double boiler system on the stove would work wonderfully, too. Instead of the snickers bars that the original recipe called for (darn you hydrogenated oils!), I used what I had – a combination of Crunch and Krackle fun bars. I’m sure the pie wound up being less decadent in the end because of that change, but really, when you have something called a “Blondie Brownie Candy Pie” do you need the candy in it to be the most ridiculous thing in the world? It was plenty rich, and I really liked the crunch that the nougat gave. Just use whatever leftover candy you have on hand. You can’t go wrong.

I was worried that I had over-baked it, since I checked after 25 minutes and my toothpick was already clean as a whistle. Still, the pie turned out to be really soft and not overdone at all, so don’t get too concerned if you find the same thing happens to you (but if I were you, I’d check it a little earlier – maybe around 22 minutes – just to be sure). The blondie part on its own was a little bland and certainly won’t be my go-to stand alone blondie recipe, but taken with the rest of the dessert, I just about died and went to heaven. Add a little scoop of Ben & Jerry’s Chunky Monkey ice cream or pour a shot of Godiva white chocolate liqueur on top, and you’ll have me wrapped around your little finger. It was…phenomenal. And although I can’t really see myself running out and buying candy to use in this recipe again and again, it’s absolutely something I will be coming back to when I find myself with a bowl of leftover candy too big for even me to eat all of it on its own…and on my own. 

I should probably divulge how I became aware of the fact that I had yet to post a recipe about pies. Well, it all came about when I saw a giveaway that involved sharing a pie recipe. Naturally, I went back into my archives to find one, and was shocked and amazed to realize that there wasn’t a single sweet dessert pie in sight! I still wanted to join in on the fun, and with this beauty of a recipe in my to-share file, I knew it had to make it onto these pages over the next week or so. So, here it is, and there you have it!  

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Yesterday was National Guacamole Day and today is, of course, Thirty Minute Thursday, so I thought I would combine these two with a Mexican-inspired meal that I had recently. I think that potatoes have gotten a bad rep recently, and although I don’t tend to eat copious amounts of them, I do think it’s a little undeserved. This potato tortilla is a perfectly healthy dinner option, and the incredible health benefits of the tomatillo guacamole that I paired it with make that even more true.  I chose to leave the skins of the potato on because I just can’t get enough of them, but it also helps add an extra boost of fiber that will counter the potentially less than ideal effects of a higher starch food. The healthy fats from the avocado and the protein from the egg will also certainly help curb any glycemic response that potato-haters seem to fear.

Now, I did flub this recipe a little bit. Strike one was when I let the potatoes brown, despite the recipe saying explicitly not to. I don’t really know the reason behind this – it’s possible that preventing browning makes for a better tasting tortilla, or perhaps it helps with cohesion – but I personally never complained over a golden-brown, crisped up potato product. That’s when they taste the best, right? What was far more disheartening was my total inability to flip the “tortilla” in one piece. It crumbled to pieces, but it still tasted good. And I say, if this happens to you, call it an egg-and-potato hash and move on. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from getting more involved in cooking, it’s that stressing over such things is not worth it.

I’m very happy that I chose to pair it with a recipe for tomatillo guacamole that I found online. It added a beautiful, vibrant color (and as a topping it hid my fallen-apart tortilla). I would also love to see some red pepper or salsa to add an additional color and flavor component. The tomatillo guac, though, was wonderful without the help of a spicy salsa. It wasn’t as creamy as a traditional guacamole, but it was a nice blend between that and a salsa verde. I’d also like to note that I used a completely unripe avocado and once I peeled it from its skin it worked just fine! Ah, the beauty of blenders.

It feels strange to be sitting down to write about a meal that consisted of hot soup and a warm vinaigrette-dressed salad. It feels even stranger to know that my dinner tonight is going to be pumpkin pancakes with a hearty mushroom stew. It’s 65 and sunny here. Even my knit sweater feels inappropriate for the weather; forget how silly I feel in the Ugg boots I threw on this morning without consulting weather.com. Still, it’s November, and not even a gorgeous day that reminds me of Father’s Day more than Turkey Day can keep me from talking about pumpkin. (It does, however, make me wish that I hadn’t left my ice cream maker at home, since a batch of pumpkin ice cream sounds just about perfect today!)

In honor of Halloween a few weeks ago, I made myself a dinner consisting of pumpkin soup and a spinach salad dressed with a warm olive oil and walnut vinaigrette. The pumpkin soup actually had to grow on me, as the first spoonful reminded me a little bit too much of chicken stock and not enough of pumpkin. I was expecting a thicker soup, more of a slightly-thinned-out bowl of pumpkin puree, so the broth-based soup that I wound up with really just took me by surprise. In the end, though, I was really happy with it – it was nice and light, yet at the same time – especially when paired with the spinach salad – was actually more than enough for me. I wound up saving half of it for the lunch the next day! The chicken stock, which I might reduce just a smidge next time (reflected in the recipe below), pairs exceptionally well with the pumpkin, making it taste absolutely like fall in a bowl. I also replaced all of the sugar with half the amount of maple syrup, and used nutmeg instead of allspice. It was great! For a more substantial meal, pair it with a loaf of homemade bread, or a nice sandwich (in fact, it’d be just about heavenly next to a sandwich made from Thanksgiving leftovers)!

I didn’t have homemade bread or a sandwich, though – on the side of this soup, I had one of the best salads I have had in a while. I do enjoy traditional salads, but I’m also the kind of person who likes my food hot 9 times out of 10. The creation of a warm oil and nut vinaigrette was the perfect solution for a brisk, fall evening. I really didn’t change much in the recipe – I just used red wine vinegar because that’s what I had, and I admittedly burnt the walnuts a little (but they just tasted reminiscent of popcorn so who’s going to complain, really?). The vinegar added just enough sweetness so that sugar wasn’t necessary, and it was extremely filling due to the heart-healthy fats in the oil and walnuts.  You can find the recipe for the spinach and walnut salad over at In Good Taste.

Exactly one year ago today I wrote one of my most viewed entries on Floptimism. It was a recipe for applecider muffins that are, by far, some of the tastiest muffins I’ve had. Looking back on that entry has reminded me that I should make them again, especially since I’ve been meaning to experiment with some recipe tweaks since the last time I made them.

Because the post was so popular, though, I decided to honor this one year entry anniversary with another apple baked good, yet another sweet confection that blurs the line between breakfast and dessert. These applesauce cinnamon rolls were definitely good – in fact, everyone who tried them loved them, though I still think there’s room for improvement (although really, when I’m I not itching to change something or other with a recipe?). The dough is surprisingly easy to make – surprising, at least, considering how intimidated I usually feel with yeast. It isn’t that I’m afraid of the rising process or getting the right temperature. I’m not afraid of failure as much as I am deterred by the in-depth process that seems to go hand in hand with yeasted doughs. Sure enough, this is relatively time consuming, especially if you make your own applesauce (which I do recommend regardless of the slight increase in prep time), but it can be spread out over multiple days if that makes it easier, and it all flows together pretty well. I can certainly handle this type of relaxed, involved recipe better than I can the ones that have me running around like a chicken with its head cut off. Which may or may not happen more often than I’d care to admit.

As far as taste goes, the applesauce was a little bit too lemony. I used dried lemon peel rather than chunks of fresh peel that would later be strained out, and although I dialed back the quantity, it was still a little too potent for my liking. It worked in the recipe, but it impacted the appeal of eating the leftovers as a standalone. In general, I prefer my applesauce recipe (apples + water, easy as pie). The rolls were a little too flat for me – I’m not sure if I did something wrong with the dough or if it was just a fluke, but mine did not stand up like the ones in the photos in the original post. The dough may also be on the drier side, though it’s important to note that I baked them earlier in the day and warmed them in the oven for an additional 10 minutes or so before serving, which could have dried them out a little more. The insides are perfectly moist and sweet, and I didn’t even think they needed much of a glaze (I didn’t include one – I wanted to make a honey glaze, but I was vetoed in the end so I left them plain) except for the occasional outside, drier bite. If you use a glaze, consider reducing the sugar in the filling a little bit, which I did, anyway.

Oh, Rachael Ray and her “stoups.” As much as I sometimes joke at her silly names for food, I made this soup for L when he came to visit me a few weeks ago, and I have to say, I was actually pretty impressed. I got a late start making it but managed to throw it together relatively quickly, and it was the perfect antidote for the cold, rainy, and dreary night. I really appreciate foods that can be filling and satiating while still feeling light, and this soup did exactly that. It was definitely simple – this is no flavor explosion – but still good, and in fact, the nutmeg in the meatballs completely stole the show. From now on I think I’ll be adding nutmeg into other similar dishes, for the extra spice it brings.

Of course, no Floptimism meal would be complete without my changes. I used ground turkey breast instead of the veal, in part because the idea of sad baby cows tied up in confined spaces makes me not too keen on eating meat (my conscience rests slightly more easily with sad turkeys – let’s not get too analytical here, lest my mild hypocrisy officially convinces me to be a veggie-vore), and also in part because I just don’t know where you buy ground veal around here. Then, because turkey breast is sold in 1 1/3 pound containers, I still just used half of the package so it may have been a little meat heavy (and, in the end, I did notice that the meatball:liquid ratio was a little off). I also used quinoa spaghetti instead of egg noodles, and let them boil a little longer because I had a feeling the egg noodles were supposed to be fresh instead of dried, though the recipe didn’t say. I also forgot the beans, and by forgot I mean I ate them as a snack earlier in the day and didn’t realize until the recipe told me to add them in that I had made a mistake. I threw in some diced green peppers as a pseudo replacement, and actually really liked it, so I’d encourage you to put those in even if you don’t munch on your beans before it’s time to cook with them.  The only other change I’d make was to let the carrots cook for a little longer to soften them up.  Oh, and there was an anchovy “gremolata” that was supposed to go on at the end, and I just ignored that part of the recipe because anchovies really aren’t my thing. Or L’s. Or many people’s, really.

As I sit here typing up the ingredients, I suddenly realize my problem with the aforementioned meat:liquid ratio – there was so little liquid because I intended to use all chicken broth instead of a chicken-beef broth combo, but I must have just added in the quantity for the chicken broth. There were 2 cups of broth missing from my soup! You see, this is what happens when you get a late start and just throw things together haphazardly. So apparently I really did a number on this dish – buying the wrong meat, eating the beans as a snack, forgetting about nearly half of the cooking liquid…if it was as good as I claim it was with all of these mistakes, just imagine how fantastic it’ll taste when you make it the right way! Or at least the less horrifically modified way.

I think you could easily omit the meat altogether, or throw in some other veggies here or there that you may like or are in season. It may not be “Zuppa Osso Buco” anymore, but that won’t make it any less popular at the dinner table, now will it?

What's that you say? It's getting a little bit late to be posting a Thirty Minute Thursday post? I'm sorry for the borderline neglect I've been putting this blog through. I really have been getting my butt kicked this semester, and appreciate any patience you have. I think it's more my Twitter activity that's suffered, since I can find time here or there to write updates, but still. Thank you for sticking with me, even when life threatens to steal me away to much, much less enjoyable places.




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I have terrible luck with dinner cakes/patties. First it was the tuna burgers that turned into a tuna salad, and now these brown rice & broccoli cakes. I just can’t get my cakes to bind together – sometimes I take the blame wholeheartedly, since if I’m trying for a low-carb meal I’ll be stingy with the breadcrumbs. This time, though, I’m at a loss as to why these guys just did not want to hold up. I’m thinking that an egg would help next time.

If you move past the fact that they really didn’t want to stay together, though, you’re faced with a really delicious recipe – which is why I’m taking the time to tell you about it. They’re not greasy or heavy like a cake that may be heavily sautéed in oil would be, and they’re full of savory flavor. Plus, they’re easy and relatively quick to make. I did make some substitutions, using polenta (corn meal) instead of bread crumbs because I didn’t have any of the latter, and didn’t feel like taking the time to grind up a piece of bread for just 2 tablespoons’ worth of crumbs. Maybe this was my downfall – for all I know, cornmeal is just not meant for dinner cakes the way bread crumbs are. Or, maybe the simple process of scaling down the recipe for 1 serving was enough to through the consistency of the dish out of whack. I also used about ½ of a small onion instead of the shallot, and subbed in red wine vinegar for the balsamic.

If you like broccoli, I would definitely encourage you to give these a shot. Maybe you’ll have better luck than I did. If you’re making the mixture and it’s not feeling particularly cohesive, try adding something like an egg or other notorious binder. I did notice that they were loose before cooking them, but wanted to follow the recipe instructions the first time around, just in case they did something crazy like firm up while cooking – after all, it does say at the end to let them sit for 10 minutes after cooking to solidify a little more. Since they didn’t, though, I’m here to tell you not to fear experimentation. Go with your gut, and I hope it works out. They really do taste amazing, otherwise I wouldn’t be wasting your or my time with the recipe. If you can get them to stay together, you’ll have yourself a really excellent meal!

Lastly, because I did tweak the recipe and because I also did have trouble getting the cakes to bind, I’m not going to post my version of the recipe here. It might be safer for you to go with the original, or take the risk and refer to my substitutions mentioned above. Good luck – and may the force be with you (and in your cakes)!

Earlier this weekend, it was National Doughnut Day. I was so excited to devote Saturday’s entry to these delicious cinnamon doughnuts that I made for a bake sale last month, only to have life get in the way. Between regular course work and trying to prepare graduate school and internship applications, there hasn’t been much room left in the day for the things I love – like writing endlessly about fantastic food. Apparently, there also hasn't been much time for taking pictures of said fantastic food. I could have sworn I had a doughnut photoshoot, but either I did it on my dad's fancy camera and never uploaded them, or I made that up entirely. So, I missed actual National Doughnut Day, and I don't even have a decent picture to show you, but that does not mean that I’m going to let you miss out on this amazing recipe.

 I only tried half of one, since I didn’t want to cut into the profit margin of the organization for which I was baking, but they all sold out so I’m going to take that as a baking success. L, who was one of the few who actually liked the last baked doughnuts I made, said that these were even better – so if you had your doubts about a doughnut that didn’t take a dip in a deep fryer, maybe give these a try before the previous recipe I posted. I found them both to be wonderful, but then again, I’m not your average eater when it comes to fried foods.

These doughnuts are spongy and soft, moist and 100% cinnamony. The glaze was plain vanilla, but I could imagine that adding a little hint of maple syrup or maybe even apple juice would be heavenly, and perfect for autumn.  Nutritionally, I might next time experiment with a heartier flour (because I’m me, after all), and consider swapping out the measly 4 tablespoons of melted butter (in 3 dozen mini doughnuts!) for oil, though really, 1 teaspoon of butter per three minis is not something to get too hung up on.

What’s more, these babies couldn’t be easier to make. The one thing that I have loved about both mini doughnut recipes I’ve made so far is that, like mini muffins or cupcakes, they go from raw ingredients to beautiful baked goods in the blink of an eye. I would suggest that any baker invest in a mini doughnut pan, if for no reason other than that if you’re ever in a pinch, you’re just about 15 minutes and a handful of pantry staples away from a solution. Not too shabby, if you ask me!