I just… have a muffin problem.

Actually, I have a mid-morning snack problem. And probably a mid-afternoon snack problem… as well as an after dinner snack problem.

I snack a lot. All day long. Because every morning I leave the house  around 5:30 , I pack both my breakfast and my lunch and take them with me to work. Everything goes into the same bag, and breakfast and lunch kind of blend together, morphing one mega-meal that’s consumed at a slow but constant rate between the hours of 7:00am and 3:00pm.

Rarely is there a time of day when there isn’t something edible sitting on my desk, slowly disappearing as I work and munch. And oftentimes, that slowly savored snack (see what I did there, with the alliteration?) is some variety of muffin.

Because my relationship with muffins is such an important one in my life, I’ve established some standards. Muffins should be:

1. Texture-wise: Sturdy (not a cupcake); Moist (not a rock).
2. Taste-wise: Good (um, obvious); Not too sweet (again, not a cupcake); Hopefully unique
3. Nutrition-wise: Not a sugar bomb (yep… still not a cupcake); Contain some redeeming value in terms of protein, fiber, healthy fat, etc.

Most of the muffins on my site fall within these standards (I’ll admit that the Chocolate-Chocolate Chip Muffins suffer slightly in terms of nutritional value… but they obviously have other strengths). Where these Banana Cappuccino Chip Muffins stand out, though, is in the taste department.

These are distinctly coffee-flavored, naturally sweet from the banana, a little spicy from the cinnamon, and slightly richer due to the chocolate chips — which also gives them texture. The oats+ ripe banana combination really give these a sturdy-yet-moist muffin texture that, happily, is also nutritious and satisfying.

Have I convinced you yet? They’re also easy to make, and quite unique! Go ahead, make yourself a snack. The recipe makes exactly a dozen — if you eat one in the morning, one mid-afternoon, and one at night, this batch should last until… Friday!

Nutritional facts (per muffin): 160 calories, 5 grams fat, 1.5 grams fiber, 3 grams protein

Banana Cappuccino Chip Muffins

Adapted from my Best Healthy Muffins

Makes 12 muffins

• 2 tablespoon milk (I used skim)
• 2 heaping tablespoons instant coffee
• ¾ cups oat bran
• ½ cup whole wheat flour
• ¼ cup all purpose flour
• ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½  teaspoon salt
• 1 cup mashed black bananas
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Spray a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray.

In a small bowl or microwave-safe mug, heat the milk for 15 seconds in the microwave. Stir in the instant coffee, and keep stirring until the coffee is totally dissolved.

In a large bowl, combine the oat bran, flours, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the bananas, egg, milk/coffee combination, and vanilla extract. Fold the banana mixture into the flour mixture. Fold in the chocolate chips. Do not over mix. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups.

Bake 18 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean and the tops spring back when lightly pressed. Cool on a wire rack.

Hi there! How about a healthy snack? I mean… a healthy breakfast treat? Or, uh… a healthy dessert?

Friends, I’m not even really sure what to call this one. You’ll notice that I graced this recipe with the “dessert” tag as well as the breakfast” tag… I guess those two categories can overlap once in a while… especially when combined with the “chocolate” tag

Remember those Healthy Banana Apple Pumpkin Pie Muffin Tops that I made a few weeks ago? Well, I was so attracted to the concept of a healthy muffin top — a chewy, sweet, satisfying combination of the best part of a muffin and cake-like cookie — that I made another version. These Banana Cocoa Muffin Tops are just as healthy (per serving: 82 calories, 1 gram fat, 2 grams fiber, 2 grams protein), but the addition of cocoa make them richer and more dessert-like.

These are just as dark, dense, and chocolatey as they look in the pictures. They’re a little sturdier than the Banana Apple Pumpkin Pie version — and just slightly flatter. But what I adore about these Banana Cocoa Muffin Tops is that while they absolutely satisfy my chocolate cravings, they’re also healthy enough to be an everyday food, rather than a sometimes treat. It’s a win-win!

By the way, I should note that when I made these Banana Cocoa Muffin Tops, as well as the Healthy Banana Apple Pumpkin Pie Muffin Tops, I baked them, let them cool, packed them in plastic containers, and froze them right away. I’m not sure what kind of countertop-life these muffin tops have in them, or whether they get dry or sticky or something strange in two days. I almost always freeze my baked goods — with two people, we don’t have the belly space to eat everything I bake! But, that also means that I don’t know how well these little guys age. If you make them and find  out — let me know in the comments!

Healthy Banana Cocoa Muffin Tops

Very loosely adapted from Fat Free Vegan

Makes 16 muffin tops

• 1 cup regular or quick oats
• ¾ cup white whole wheat flour
• ¼ cup cocoa
• ½  teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 2 overripe (almost black) bananas, mashed (about 1 cup)
• ½ teaspoon vinegar
• 1 egg

Preheat the oven to 375.

Combine the oats, flour, cocoa baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, vanilla, mashed banana, vinegar and brown sugar. Whisk until well combined. Pour into the dry mixture and stir just until the texture is consistent. Do not over mix.

Drop by heaping tablespoons onto a baking sheet lined with a silicon mat or parchment paper. Bake for 8-12 minutes or until tops spring back when lightly pressed. Don’t overbake – these are cake-like, not like a crispy cookie!

These kinds of meals define my daily repertoire: fast, easy, healthy meals. Almost all of my dinners are fast, because I don’t make anything that takes more than 30-40 minutes, maximum. And, most of them are healthy. And all are easy… because we eat a lot of soups (dump and stir) and stir fries (dump and stir… fry).

But these Edamame Teriyaki Noodles are special. They take (honestly!) 15-20 minutes to prepare. In terms of technique, they are extremely easy to pull together — if you can boil water, you can make this dish. And in terms of health, this is a meal that I’d call “accidentally vegan” — I didn’t set out to make a vegan dish, and you wouldn’t notice right away that this meal doesn’t include any animal products. But it sure doesn’t! It’s based on plants, whole grains, and the lovely roasted flavor of edamame.

This is another dish adapted from Mark Bittman’s The Food Matters Cookbook — can you tell that it’s a favorite? I’ve modified his method and substituted my new favorite vegetable — bok choy! — for his suggestion, which was asparagus. I don’t do asparagus in my stir fries — tried that, gagged on the bitter stringiness, and never went there again. Asparagus was made to be roasted or steamed. Not stir fried. Besides, asparagus is out of season, and for $1/lb., I can get lovely, leafy bok choy. What’s not to like?

By the way… I promise that this dish is satisfying and hearty, even though it is “accidentally vegan.” Edamame and soba are both extremely filling, and you won’t make it through more than one bowl of this in a sitting. However, I do have to let you know that after I made this for the first time, I did catch Sean hunched over the refrigerator… horking down salami, straight out of the package.

There are no words.

Edamame Teriyaki Noodles with Bok Choy

Serves 3-4

Adapted from The Food Matters Cookbook

• 1 – 1 1/2 lb. bok choy, chopped, stems separated from leaves
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup scallions, chopped
• 1 tablespoon ginger, minced
• 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
• 8 oz soba noodles (whole wheat pasta will work too)
• 2 cups shelled edamame, fresh or frozen
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup mirin, or 2 tablespoons honey mixed with 2 tablespoons water

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it. If you’re using frozen edamame, add it to the pot when the water boils. After two minutes, add the soba noodles. Let the noodle cook until soft but not mushy, around another 3 minutes (so that the frozen edamame gets 5 minutes in the water, and the noodles get 3). Reserve 1 cup of the cooking liquid, then drain the noodles and edamame.

Meanwhile, put a large skillet over high heat, and add the oil. When the oil is hot, add the bok choy stems and stir fry for one minute. Add ginger and garlic, stir until aromatic, then add bok choy leaves and scallions. Stir fry until the veggies are softened — you can leave them as crispy as you like, it’s a matter of taste.

When you the vegetables are tastefully soft, add the noodles, edamame, soy sauce, mirin, and enough of the reserved cooking water to keep the pan moist (about a 1/2 cup). Gently break up the noodles and work them into the bok choy, combining well, moistening the pan as necessary with the reserved water. Taste and adjust — you may prefer to add more mirin or soy sauce.

Divide into individual bowls and serve hot, spooning any leftover broth over your noodles.

I promise to explain why my Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies aren’t… red. But first, play a little imagination game. Pretend that it’s Monday morning. Imagine that the temperature is way below freezing, and that it’s snowing (AGAIN). Let’s say, hypothetically, that you’ve been sick, tired, and cranky for… possibly… three weeks.

If — you know, just IF — that were true of you (me) right now, what would make you (me) feel better?

This morning, if you happen to find yourself in this, ahem, hypothetical situation, I give you the virtual gift of brownies. And not just any brownies: Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies. On an Oreo Cookie Crust.

I adapted my Red Velvet Cheesecake brownies from this recipe, basically turning up the chocolate factor by starting with an Oreo cookie crust and adding more cocoa powder to the brownie layer. I’m in love with the crusted brownie idea — the crunch and sweetness of the cookies adds a whole new texture to an otherwise rich, fudgey cheesecake brownie.

The ratio of cheesecake to brownie in this recipe is spot-on; the components (crust, brownie, cheesecake) are perfectly balanced. However, when I tasted the brownie batter, it just didn’t have that dense chocolate taste that I crave in brownies. Adding more cocoa powder to the brownie layer was, therefore, a no brainer.

Now.  To the question you are all dying to ask, but are just too polite to come right out and say: “If these are red velvet brownies… why aren’t they red?” Excellent question. Let’s explore that.

I love cocoa powder-based brownies — I rarely make any other kind. And for my cocoa powder, I always use Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa. It is incredibly dark and chocolately — so dark, in fact, that it turns baked goods a really, really dark color. Almost black. Take this cake, for example — or these Mexican Hot Chocolate Brownies, and especially these Andes Brownies.

So, I’m afraid that my poor red velvet cheesecake brownies never had a chance of being red. When I added in my additional two tablespoons of cocoa powder, their fate was sealed. I had fantastic dreams of how pretty they would look for Valentine’s Day — black cookie-crusted bottom, festively red fudgey top with playful cheesecake swirls… cute, romantic, and delicious.

What I got instead were these deliciously dark black velvet cheesecake brownies… with a little bit of red showing up around the cheesecake swirls. Almost as if the brownies were bleeding. However, if you wanted to try yourself to realize my red velvet dream, I am 100% convinced that with a different cocoa powder, and maybe some additional food coloring, red velvet cheesecake brownies would be your reward.

For now, though, I can’t imagine any Valentine — romantic or otherwise — would say no to red velvet cheesecake brownies… even if they are black.

Red Velvet Brownies with Cream Cheese Swirl and Oreo Cookie Crust

Adapted from Sunny Anderson.

Oreo Cookie Crust Layer

• 25 crushed Oreo cookies
• 4 tablespoons melted butter

Red Velvet Brownie Layer:

• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• Pinch salt
• 1 tablespoon red food coloring
• 1 teaspoon vinegar
• 2 eggs
• ¾ cup all-purpose flour

Cream Cheese Layer:

• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• ¼ cup sugar
• 1 egg
• ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8 by 8-inch baking pan with tin foil; spray the foil with baking or nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

Crust: In a small bowl, mix together crushed cookie crumbs with melted butter until combined; press into the bottom of the prepared pan.

Brownie layer: In the microwave, melt the butter. Pour the butter into a large bowl and add the sugar, vanilla, cocoa powder, salt, food coloring, and vinegar, in that order, whisking together between additions.

In a small bowl, beat the eggs lightly with a fork and fold them into the cocoa mix. Fold in the flour until lightly combined. Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan, saving ¼ cup of the batter for the top.

Cream cheese layer: In a medium bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the cream cheese, sugar, egg, and vanilla. Remember to scrape down the edges of the bowl frequently to fully incorporate the cream cheese.

Gently spread the cream cheese layer on top of the brownie batter in the pan – I find that an offset (icing) spatula works well for this step. Dollop the remaining brownie batter over the cream cheese layer. Using a skewer or the tip of a knife, drag the tip through the cream cheese mixture to create a swirl pattern, being careful not to disturb the Oreo layer.

Bake the brownies for 30 minutes. Remove to a cooling rack and allow them to cool completely before cutting.

Stir fry is one of my favorite things to make for dinner – if you can’t tell that already by the copious amount of stir fry recipes already on this site! I love that you can add whatever you want – including a ton of vegetables – and it will pretty much end up OK, once you have a few basics down. It’s fast, it’s versatile – and even if you are using a recipe, it rarely ends up tasting the same way!

To be honest, though, I am almost cringing at the idea of using the words “stir fry” to describe this dish. As much as I love to stir fry my way to dinner, the actual phrase “stir fry” conjures up a lot of memorable tastes for me… and they’re not always good tastes. If you’ve been to college – or a hospital – recently, you may know what I’m talking about. For whatever reason, mass food production companies have gotten a hold of the stir fry idea and latched onto it as something easily reproduced and served to 1,000 people a day.

They are SO wrong. If you’ve ever eaten stir fry out of a lunch line or a hospital tray, you know that the vegetables are mushy, the meat is chewy, and the whole thing is covered in a horrific, generic sauce that masks its mangy taste with too much added sugar.

This is not that stir fry.

This Miso Chicken Stir Fry is flavorful, with a sweetness that comes naturally from the carrots – which, by the way, keep their natural crunch. The tangy daikon radish blends into the salty, savory miso to create a sauce with complexity and depth. The mushrooms add a chewy texture, and the chicken, because it gets plenty of moisture from the vegetables, is tender and nicely steamed.

And, because I’m married to a Korean man but secretly (erm, not very secretly anymore) hate rice, the soba noodles tie all the ingredients together with their soft texture and subtle, nutty flavor.

Like any good stir fry, it comes together in under 30 minutes and makes fantastic take-to-work leftovers. Oh, and it uses up that pesky miso paste and the soba noodles you have sitting in your pantry from when you made my Miso Soup with Tofu, Bok Choy, and Soba.

You’re welcome.

Miso Chicken Stir Fry

Adapted from The Food Matters Cookbook

Serves 4

• 8 oz soba noodles
• 2 cups dried shitakes (or other dried mushroom)
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 8 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breast or thighs, cut into chunks
• Black pepper
• 2 tablespoons minced ginger
• 8 oz. carrots, julienned
• 12 oz. daikon radish, shredded (use the largest holes on a box grater, it’ll take 60 seconds)
• ½ cup miso
• ½ cup chopped scallions
• 1-2 teaspoons rice vinegar (to taste)
• 1-2 teaspoons sesame oil (to taste)

Rehydrate the mushrooms by pouring boiling water over them and letting them sit for 5-10 minutes while you prepare the rest of the meal.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the noodles in the boiling water until they’re tender but not mushy, about 3 minutes. Drain, reserving some of the cooking liquid.

Put the oil in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the chicken. Pepper it lightly, then add the ginger. Let sit for one minute. Then stir fry until it’s no longer pink, 3-5 minutes.

Add carrots and stir fry for another couple minutes, then add shredded daikon radish and stir to combine well. Let the mixture cook for another 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, letting the moisture from the daikon cook out. Drain and squeeze the moisture out of the mushrooms, then add them and stir to combine.

Turn the heat down to medium-low. Whisk the miso with about ½ cup of the reserved pasta water, then pour it over the carrot mixture. Toss in the noodles, and toss to combine. I find that tongs are the best for this job, since you want to combine the noodles with the carrots, chicken, and daikon without smashing or breaking the soba noodles. As needed, use the rest of the reserved pasta water to moisten the pan and noodles. Add the scallions, then stir in the rice vinegar and sesame oil to taste. Divide into bowls, and serve.

If you’ve been around Bridezilla Bakes for a while, you may have noticed my love for muffins. We’ve had Cinnamon Apple Muffins. Then I made you all some Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffins (aka chocolate therapy). There were also Cinnamon Chocolate Chip Muffins, which introduced one of my very favorite flavor combinations. In September, I even went so far as to declare that I had discovered the Best Healthy Muffins (you may want to check those out… they really are good!).

Less frequently, but just as emphatically, I also declared to you my love of the chewy, cakey cookie.

Today, I have a new passion to share: muffin tops. Muffin tops are what happens when my favorite muffins get together with my favorite cakey cookies, and have love children.

They are cakey. They are chewy. They are carb-y… and yet, they are healthy. Go figure.

Really, they’re exactly like the top of a muffin (obviously, the BEST part of the muffin). The texture is what makes them so satisfying. The consistency is indulgent and fun, just like my Chewy Double Chocolate Cookies, yet they contain no butter or oil, and have less than a half cup of sugar. Which, by the way, isn’t white sugar — it’s a combination of brown sugar and pure maple syrup.

These Banana-Apple-Pumpkin Pie Muffin Tops were inspired by the awesome Oh She Glows blog, where Angela frequently posts healthy cookies and baked goods. Back in August, she made these Pumpkin Pie Banana Chunk Oatmeal Cookies. Then last week, she posted these oil-free apple pie muffin tops. This healthy muffin top recipe is a cross between those two recipes — but is mostly a modified version of my favorite pumpkin muffin recipe. The flavor, then, is what you like best about pumpkin muffins (spicy, moist sweetness) crossed with what you like best about apple pie (cinnamon-kissed cooked apples). And check out the nutrition facts at the end of the recipe. Not bad at all. Wouldn’t you rather have one of these than a packaged 100-calorie snack? Yes, you would.

By the way, I was so excited about the concept of muffin tops that I baked TWO kinds of healthy muffin tops this weekend. So keep your eye out for version #2.

Oh, and… get it? Healthy muffin tops? Heh, heh.

Banana-Apple-Pumpkin Pie Muffin Tops

Inspired by Oh She Glows

Makes 15 muffin tops

For apples:

• 1 peeled and diced apple
• 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup (not pancake syrup — look for Grade B pure maple)
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon

For muffin tops:

• 1 cups oats
• ½ cup whole wheat flour
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoons cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• ¼ cup pure maple syrup
• 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 ripe banana, mashed (around ½ cup)
• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350.

In a small saucepan, combine the apples with the 1 tablespoon maple syrup and ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon. Heat the apples on low for 5-10 minutes, until they softer but not mushy.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine oats, flours, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. In a separate, smaller bowl, whisk together the egg, ¼ cup pure maple syrup, brown sugar, banana, pumpkin, and vanilla. Whisk until well combined.

Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture, then add the apples and their juices. Fold to combine but do not overmix.

Spoon onto a baking sheet lined with nonstick silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Bake at 350 for 15-18 minutes, or until tops spring back when lightly pressed.

Nutrition (for 1 serving, if yield is 15 muffin tops): 97 calories, less than 1 gram fat, 1.5 grams fiber, 2.2 grams protein, 20 grams carbs,  7.7 grams sugar

You know what I like about this Miso Soup with Tofu, Bok Choy and Soba? I like that I didn’t pay $15 for it at a restaurant. I like that it was warming, satisfying, and didn’t depend on meat for its bulk. I like that it was so easy that I’ve already made it twice. This week. (Yep, it was that good.)

And you know what else? I like that this Miso Soup with Tofu, Bok Choy and Soba is going to inspire you to go buy ingredients that you didn’t think you would ever own. Like miso, tofu, bok choy, and yes… soba noodles.

Ok, so I guess this is me addressing my non-Japanese readers. (Seriously – I have exactly 1.5 Japanese readers… that I know about.  There may be others.)

Anyway, to my non-Japanese readers (there should be about 73.5 of you, on average): this is important. You can make miso soup at home.

And.

If you make miso soup at home, you can add all kinds of delicious wholesomeness, such as… you guessed it… tofu, bok choy, and soba noodles.

Let me come right out and say that this was not my own idea. I took it from Mark Bittman’s fantastic Food Matters Cookbook. I loved the idea of adding nutrition and flavor in the form of gorgeous, green bok choy and nutty, buckwheat soba noodles. The tofu was my idea (although it’s obviously a traditional one). When I first made the soup without it, as Bittman recommends, it lacked the bulk needed to make this a whole meal. With all of the add-ins, this meal is bursting with flavor, contrasting textures, and soupy comfort.

To make it a little easier for you to try Miso Soup with Tofu, Bok Choy, and Soba, I have some tips:

• Buying miso: You’ll notice that it’s sometimes labeled with a color (red, white, etc.). Any color will do for this soup. The darker the miso, the more flavorful.
• Cooking with miso: Miso should be heated slowly (that’s why you don’t just dump it into the boiling soup here). If you heat it too quickly, you’ll cook the flavor out of it.
• Buying soba noodles: Soba noodles come dried, typically in small bundles of about 4 oz. each (see picture). I bought the Korean kind (Memil guksu, or 메밀국수), because while we were debating over brands, Sean spotted a Korean brand and the discussion was over. “When in doubt, support the Motherland.” If your motherland is Texas, or Stockholm, or, you know, Tokyo, you can buy whatever kind you feel does the best job representing. Or just buy the bag labeled “Soba”.
• Bok Choy: We use what is sometimes labeled “Baby Bok Choy” or “Shanghai Bok Choy,” which is slightly smaller, greener, and more tender that the large, white bok choy. Again, either one will do.
• Buying tofu: Soft tofu is for soups (buy this). Firm tofu is for frying (do not buy this… right now). Silken tofu is for… something else. Don’t buy this either. But please, do leave a comment if you know what it’s for…

In general, I suggest that you go to your local Asian market for these ingredient. Larger supermarkets will have these items, but you may pay a higher price point for them. For example, as much as I love me some Trader Joe’s, they wanted to charge me $10 for the amount of bok choy I needed in this recipe. My local Asian market charged me $1.16. Yep.

Don’t know where your local Asian market is? Google. Yelp. You can do this.

Don’t know what you’re going to do with those leftover miso, bok choy, and soba noodles? Stay tuned! A recipe is coming next week that will help you with that.

Miso Soup with Tofu, Bok Choy and Soba

Adapted from Mark Bittman’s Food Matters Cookbook

Serves 4-6

• 8 oz. soba noodles (any whole grain noodle would do)
• ½ cup any kind of miso
• 1 lb. bok choy (baby or regular), stems separated and roughly chopped, leaves rolled and cut into ribbons
• 1 package (16-18 oz) soft tofu, cubed
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds (preferably toasted)
• 1/3 cup scallions, finely chopped
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it generously. Add the soba and cook until tender but not mushy, 3-4 minutes. Reserve 2 cups cooking liquid, then drain and rinse the noodles with cold water. Put 1 quart plus 3 cups of clean water and set it to boil again (no salt this time).

While the water boils, whisk the miso into the reserved cooking liquid until smooth.

When the water boils, add the bok choy stems to the pot and let cook for around a minute. Add the leafy ribbons and heat so that the soup continues to steadily bubble and the greens wilt, another 3-5 minutes. Add the tofu and let cook for another 3-5 minutes, or until the soup returns to a slow simmer and the tofu is heated.

Turn the heat down to low, add the miso mixture as well as the noodles, and heat just long enough to bring everything to an even, warm temperature, only a minute or two. Add the sesame seeds, scallions, and black pepper then immediately turn off the heat. Ladle into bowls and serve.

You may recall that one of my January Goals was to try a Green Monster Smoothie. For the uninitiated, a green monster is a smoothie that incorporates spinach or kale, resulting in a (somewhat alarming) green color. Green monsters are decidedly popular among healthy living bloggers, and decidedly frightening for most other groups of people. I resolved to jump on the band wagon and try green monsters because they’re so darn healthy — and isn’t it so hard to eat all the vegetables you are supposed to eat?

The first green monster I tried was rather basic — spinach, banana, milk, ice. It was bright green (!) and tasted… exactly like a banana smoothie. Not a single “weird” thing about it. The problem? I don’t really like the taste of bananas. Especially cold bananas, as in banana smoothies.

But, I was encouraged — at least it tasted normal. I went shopping for a new recipe, one that would mask the banana flavor. I was saved by Heather’s Dish. A while back, Heather posted her recipe for a Chocolate Peanut Butter Green Monster. It was amazing! Chocolatey. peanut buttery, and, blessedly… no taste of banana.

I’ve been tweaking Heather’s recipe for a couple of weeks now, and below is my favorite version. Many people think of smoothies as a breakfast thing, but Sean and I will blend this up after dinner and split it for a really healthy dessert! Yep, it’s that good… spinach for dessert. This you have to try! If you’re interested, one smoothie (half of this recipe) is about 160 calories, 5 grams of fat, 10 grams of protein, and 4 grams of fiber.

Chocolate and Peanut Butter Green Monster Smoothie

Adapted from Heather’s Dish

Serves 2

• 4-5 cups raw baby spinach
• 1 tablespoon peanut butter (natural and regular both work!)
• 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
• 1 cup nonfat milk
• 1 frozen banana
• 2 ice cubes

Layer in your blender in the order listed above. Pulse a few times to break up the ice and banana, and then blend until smooth. Pour into two small glasses, and enjoy.

In my (mostly) Swedish family, Christmas is a meat-heavy affair. I suppose that is the American/European way – every special occasion is marked with a large chunk of meat. Thanksgiving has its turkey, Christmas has its ham, and so on.

In my family, however, Thanksgiving has its two turkeys, and Christmas has its ham… and its meatballs.

Why, yes, we do eat meat with a side of meat. Is that not normal?

In any case, after the holidays, when many people are thinking about cutting down on fat, sugar, etc., I began to think about cutting down on meat, and adding more vegetable-based meals into the mix. In fact, when I rattled off our weekly meal plan to Sean at the start of last week (stir-fried bean sprouts in orange sauce, homemade miso soup with bok choy, tofu scramble with greens…), he called it “veggie detox week” – and he was right.

Sean, fitting into my family's Thanksgiving tradition (that's turkey #2 of 2).

One of my go-to, lots-of-veggies meals is this vegetable bolognese, the brainchild of Caroline from A Cozy Kitchen. I love the way that this meal is so hearty, and seemingly rich, but in actuality is chock-full of delicious vegetables! The first time I made it, I had some leftover chicken sausage that I threw in the pot (you might see it in the pictures)… but it didn’t really add anything spectacular. The veggies are the star of this show!

I’ve made this vegetable bolognese a couple times, and adjusted the recipe each time – like all great comfort-food recipes, it’s very flexible. In my version, I’ve added much more tomato flavor, a little spice, and also added in my favorite secret sauce ingredient – vegetable stock (the same one that makes this soup so delicious!). This sauce has all the flavor and herbed goodness of a meat sauce, but meat is definitely optional.

Caroline recommends using a food processor to blend the garlic, onions, carrots, and bell pepper. I haven’t done it this way – I imagine that it gives the sauce a more smooth, even consistency and may blend the taste of the vegetables more. To be honest, I really can’t be bothered to pull out the processor, and I’ve been 100% happy with the texture I’ve been able to achieve just using my knife and cutting board.

One last thing – when you make this, or any other recipe using tomato paste, remember that you can freeze the rest of the tomato paste in a freezer safe ziplock bag. No more wasted half-full cans of tomato paste!

Vegetable Bolognese

Adapted from A Cozy Kitchen

Serves 4

• 12-16 oz. short pasta – I used penne
• 1/8 cup olive oil
• 1-2 cups of peeled and diced carrots (about 3 small – medium)
• 1 small onion, peeled and diced
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
• Red pepper flakes, to taste
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 8 oz assorted mushrooms, stemmed and chopped
(I used baby bellas)
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 14 oz can of diced tomatoes
• 1 8 oz can of tomato sauce (the plain canned kind, not a jar of marinara…)
• ½  cup red wine
• 1 ½ cups vegetable broth
• ¼ cup Parmesan, shredded or grated

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta.

Place the olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the diced vegetables, garlic, red pepper flakes, basil, oregano, salt, and pepper and cook until tender, about 6 minutes.

Add the tomato paste, stir the pot to combine, and let the tomato paste dissolve without disturbing the pan too much (it’s good if the tomato paste forms a kind of crust around the vegetables – this lets the tomato flavor develop). Add the mushrooms and continue cooking until the mushrooms are softened, about 5 minutes.

Add the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, vegetable broth, and red wine. Bring the liquid to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and let the mixture simmer until the liquid is reduced by half, about 20 minutes.

Toss the pasta with the sauce, sprinkle with parmesan and serve.

This delicious, simple soup is another Korean recipe with a myriad of awkward English spellings — but don’t let that deter you. Its clear, mild broth (gook) with chewy rice cakes (dduk), comforting dumplings (mandoo), and silky eggs is ideal for the cold winter weather we’ve been having lately.

This recipe is also timely because Dduk Gook  is the traditional Korean dish for New Years. Sean and I made this soup for my family on New Years’ Eve — but if you’ve missed your chance, just wait until the lunar New Year, traditionally celebrated in most of East Asia, which this year falls on February 3rd.

The broth is a typical Korean anchovy broth, which may sound fishy at first (heh heh), but it’s really quite mild – much smoother and tastier that the salty chicken broth you might be used to getting from a certain red can. Not being Korean myself, I have a hard time using the dried anchovies that dduk gook calls for – I swear those little guys are staring me down – so I have Sean pull together the broth ingredients before he leaves for work in the morning.

Because the broth is so mild, you may want to dip your dduk and mandoo into a dipping sauce, or even spoon a little sauce into your bowl to season the soup itself. Sean is the designated dipping sauce maker in our house – below is his special recipe. Simple ground pepper (white pepper is great) is also a wonderful, low-sodium condiment for this soup.

This is such a delightful soup in texture and taste, with each simple ingredient perfectly complimenting the others. And for such a comforting meal, it is done quickly and with minimal effort — boil some broth, dump in the rice cakes (and, in our case, dumplings)  – and you’re done! Perhaps the best part comes while adding beaten eggs to the boiling broth. Ever wondered how the ribbony eggs in Egg Drop Soup are achieved? Wonder no more, and read on.

Dduk (Mandoo) Gook – Rice Cake Soup with Dumplings

Serves 4-6; adapted from Quick and Easy Korean Cooking, and my in-laws

For broth:

• ½ cup dried anchovies
• 3 quarts water
• 1 onion, peeled and quartered
• 3-4 inch piece of daikon or white radish
• 30 grams of dried kelp

If desired, place anchovies in a large tea strainer. Combine all ingredients in a large stockpot, cover, and boil 20-25 minutes, adding water as needed to recover from evaporation. Taste for desired strength; strain out anchovies, onion, radish, and kelp.

For Dduk Mandoo Gook:

• Anchovy broth (above), or equivalent amount (2.5 – 3 quarts) beef broth
• 1 lb. frozen korean dumplings (mandoo; pork or beef are best)
• 16 oz. rice cakes (dduk; look for flat ovals, as pictured)
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 2 green onions, sliced
• Pepper, to taste

Bring stock to a boil; add dumplings and rice cakes and cook until both are soft. The dumplings will rise to the top of the broth when they are done. Don’t get overzealous and cook it too long — depending on their quality, both the dumplings and/or the rice cakes may fall apart under heavy boiling.

Slowly add the beaten eggs into the boiling water without stirring — now sit back and marvel at your ability to create egg drop soup. Add in the scallions, stir once, and turn off the heat. Top with freshly ground pepper, and serve your Dduk Gook with the dipping sauce (below) on the side.

Sean’s Special Dipping Sauce

Makes about four servings

• 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 2 teaspoons gochukaru (or other hot chile powder/flakes)
• 2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds
• 1/4 cup to 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 1-2 small green onion, very thinly sliced

Mix all together, split into individual bowls, and serve!

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