I totally spaced on October’s fitness goal. I didn’t have a particularly bad month, health-wise, it was just such a whirlwind that setting a new goal, sticking to it, and writing about it just didn’t happen. It didn’t help that I spent 12 days out of the country, 8 in Malaysia and 4 in Ireland, and that exercise while traveling is usually a take-what-you-can-get situation for me (20 minutes on the treadmill between meetings and team dinner? Sold!). But so far November looks quiet, and as we move into the season of holiday parties, big family meals, and shorter, colder, darker days, I want to be especially diligent about working out and eating right and finish the year out strong.

I was originally going to do a sort-of-vague, sort-of-boring goal relating to increasing my number of weekly workouts. I do want to be sure that I’m working out frequently enough, as it’s so much harder to motivate myself to get out of bed for those early morning runs when it’s 40°, but I’m not as good as sticking to goals when they don’t excite me. Then last weekend while Trevor was out with friends, I found myself having one of those sort-of-secret mini-dance parties I tend to have when I’m home alone (just me? no?) and thought, what better way to ensure that I get into the habit of winter workouts than to dance more? So my goal for November is to get to at least 6 (hopefully more!) dance classes throughout the month. Not only is this goal a lot more fun than counting miles or sets of crunches, but I’m hoping that I find a few new classes to keep me energized during those icy weeks when outdoor exercise isn’t even an option. Of course, I’ll still be running throughout the month – 6 workouts in total certainly wouldn’t cut it – but I’ll be making dance class a priority.

And let’s not forget the food! My diet these past few weeks has definitely been missing a fresh element. Again, the 8 days of delicious Malaysian curries and 4 days of potatoes and Guinness did not lend themselves to the most commendable eating habits. I came up with this rice bowl, which combines warm, comforting ingredients with fresh, bright ones to try and find a balance between the stick-to-your-ribs food I crave at this time of year and the need to continue consuming fruits and vegetables. I love roasted Brussels sprouts, and my favorite part are the leaves that fall to the side and get wonderfully crunchy and caramelized, so I sliced the brussels sprouts thinly to encourage that effect. They combine wonderfully with the brown rice, a super simple lemon creme fraiche sauce that gets tossed with rotisserie chicken, and fresh pomegranate seeds for sweetness and crunch. It’s nothing earth-shattering in the creativity department, but it’s easy, flavorful, and nourishing, which is about as much as I can ask for in a healthy recipe at this time of year.

Past Fitness Challenges

January: 10 Visits to the YMCA; Recipe: Gluten-Free Olive-and-Feta Corn Muffins
February: One vegan meal every day; Recipe: Pakistani Chickpea Pulao with Sweet-Hot Date-Onion Chutney
March: Run 40  miles in 20 days; Recipe: Chocolate-Dipped Almond Butter Cookie Bites
April: Walk 8,000 steps a day; Recipe: Herb-Flecked Spring Couscous
May: 180 minutes of Nike Training Club; Recipe: Warm Arugula Salad with Maple Mustard Dressing
June: Fresh fruit/veggies at every meal; Recipe: Chickpea Crepes with Grilled Curried Chicken and Mango Salsa
July: 8 different types of exercise; Recipe: Homemade Spinach Wraps with Chopped Greek Salad Filling
August: Relax; Recipe: Green Tea and Zucchini Noodles with Honey Ginger Sauce
September: Average mile pace below 8’10”; Recipe: Potato, Poblano, and Chard Enchiladas with Salsa Verde

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Crispy Brussels Sprout, Lemon Chicken, and Pomegranate Rice Bowl

A Katie at the Kitchen Door original recipe. Serves 4.

• 1 1/2 c. uncooked brown rice
• 1 tsp butter
• 1 1/2 lbs. large brussels sprouts
• 3 TBS olive oil
• sea salt and pepper
• 1 1/2 c. cooked, shredded, rotisserie chicken
• 1/2 c. creme fraiche
• juice from 1/2 fresh lemon
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tsp minced fresh chives
• 1 c. fresh pomegranate seeds

1. Rinse the rice in cold water and drain well. Place the rice in a saucepan and add 3 cups of cold water and the butter. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, then reduce the heat to low, cover the pan, and simmer for 35-45 minutes, or until the rice has absorbed all the water and is tender. Remove from the heat and leave covered.
2. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Remove the stems and outer leaves from the brussels sprouts and discard. Slice the trimmed brussels sprouts into round about 1/4 inch think and place the slices on a large rimmed baking sheet. Add any leaves that have fallen off to the pan as well. Drizzle the brussels sprouts with the olive oil, then sprinkle generously with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and use a spatula to flip the sprouts so they are evenly coated with the mixture. Roast until golden brown and crispy on the edges, about 20-25 minutes, flipping once about halfway through.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the creme fraiche, lemon juice, black pepper, and chives until evenly combined. Season to taste with sea salt. If your rotisserie chicken is still warm, simply toss the creme fraiche sauce with the chicken to thoroughly coat. If the chicken is cold, reheat the chicken in the microwave or on the stovetop, and then toss with the sauce.
4. Mix together the rice, chicken, roasted brussels sprouts, and fresh pomegranate seeds. Serve warm.

The post Monthly Fitness Goals: November // Crispy Brussels Sprout, Lemon Chicken, and Pomegranate Rice Bowl appeared first on Katie at the Kitchen Door.

I’m so thrilled to be back on Cup of Jo today. When Joanna and her team first reached out to me last year about contributing a recipe, I had heard of her blog but only glanced at it once or twice. Since then, I’ve become a loyal reader – and I mean I actually read all her posts, not just skim through the pictures like I do with so many blogs. It’s almost always the first blog I click on when I open up my reader, and reading her posts makes me feel like I’m chatting with a slightly older, slightly wiser, really sweet girlfriend. Making strangers feel like that over the internet takes a whole lot of talent. But enough with the fangirling – on to the food! Last year I shared my favorite recipe for guacamole with Joanna and her readers, and I’m flattered to be returning with a super simple, three ingredient pasta dish that’s perfect for summer eating.

July is really the perfect time for quick dinners – less time in the kitchen means more time outside soaking up the sunshine, or laying on the floor in your underwear as close to your AC unit as you can get, depending on where you live. Of course, I took my three ingredients – smoked salmon, creme fraiche, and capers – and decided that I should make two of the three from scratch, defeating the simplicity point a little bit. Creme fraiche is super easy to make at home – all you need to do is add a few tablespoons of buttermilk to a cup of heavy cream, stir it up, cover it, and let it sit on the counter until thick, usually about 24 hours. Smoking your own salmon takes a bit more effort, but it’s a fun project and totally doable. Trevor did most of the hard work, stoking and tending the fire and keeping the temperature just right as the fish smoked, so I can’t take too much credit here, but the end result was really delicious. The pasta gets well coated with the tangy creme fraiche, the salmon is incredibly rich and slightly sweet from a maple syrup brine, and the capers add some much-needed piquancy. Even with all store-bought ingredients, this recipe is a winner for summer nights. Head over to get the full recipe on Cup of Jo.

Thanks to both Joanna and Caroline for featuring this recipe!

Note: we used the following three sources for info on hot-smoking salmon at home. We’re still perfecting our technique, but once we do, maybe we’ll have our own recipe to share.

Alton Brown
Hunter Angler Gardner Cook
Epicurious 

The post Smoked Salmon, Creme Fraiche, and Caper Rotini on Cup of Jo appeared first on Katie at the Kitchen Door.

I was reminded the other night of the difference between a mediocre English pea and a perfect one. The bag of peas I had picked up at the farmer’s market was just so-so – the peas were fresh, but not particularly sweet, and starchy even though they were small. As I shelled them I wondered if perhaps I had built them up as a favorite ingredient in my memory more than I should have. Really, these run of the mill vegetables were what I had spent months anticipating? Then, last night we went to Andover to take care of this week’s gardening needs. Of course, as soon as I got off the train in town it started pouring, then thundering, and then hailing. It was not an ideal situation. Instead of gardening we sat inside and listened to the storm while eating tacos made from the El Paso kit I found in the cupboard. Around 8 the lightning moved far enough into the distance that we decided to brave the remaining weather, so we ran out into the humid garden, the darkness deepening by the minute, and rushed through our chores. It was dirty, and dark, and the mosquitos were vicious, but I managed to grab a few handfuls of peas, favas, lettuce, and rhubarb to take home. On the drizzly drive back I was frustrated – we put so much work and money and time into this garden and here it was, mid-June, and all we had was a measly half-full bag of veggies to show for it, while the deer were having a free-for-all with our baby fruit. What was the point?

Back in Somerville, I washed the veggies and began putting them away. On a whim, I cracked open one of the pea pods and popped the peas into my mouth. I was immediately overwhelmed by the sweetness. How different from the peas I had bought! I’m sure the farmer’s market peas were initially just as sweet, but after coming off the vine they deteriorate quickly. Although the garden is still frustrating, the peas were positive reinforcement that all of our work is paying off, at least as measured by quality.

Now, after that story I’m being a little bit unfair and sharing a recipe that actually wouldn’t suffer too much from starchy peas (I’m saving what I made with our garden peas for Thursday’s post!). This recipe for green pea fritters uses both fresh and dried peas in what is basically a take on falafel. It’s from Deborah Madison’s Vegetable Literacy, and I was pleased with how easy, healthy, and flavorful these were. I love the use of tarragon in the fritter batter – something about tarragon just makes peas taste more like peas, a discovery I made when trying to create one of my favorite meals from Prague (that is a really old post – please don’t judge me too much!). The herbed creme fraiche is essential in making these fritters really sing, so don’t skip it. And, if you haven’t tried making creme fraiche from scratch, you should – all you do is stir together 1 cup of heavy cream and 2 TBS of yogurt or buttermilk, cover it, leave it in warm place, and 24 hours later tah-dah! Creme fraiche, for a fraction of the price you’d pay in the store.

To summarize: peas are really good right off the vine and they make gardening worthwhile. Make these fritters with some fresh peas. Make your own creme fraiche, it’s easy and cheap. Come back tomorrow for more pea recipes.

Green Pea Fritters with Herbed Creme Fraiche

Recipe adapted slightly from Vegetable Literacy. Makes 12 small fritters (serves 4).

• 3/4 c. green split peas (dried)
• 1 clove garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 1 c. shelled fresh peas, divided, from about 1 lb. of pea pods
• 2 TBS chopped tarragon, divided
• sea salt
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 3 scallions, white and green parts only, thinly sliced, divided
• freshly ground pepper
• 1/3 c. creme fraiche
• 1 tsp minced chives
• olive oil or ghee, for frying

1. The day before making the fritters, place the green split peas in a bowl and cover with water. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let sit on the counter overnight to soften.
2. The next day, drain the green split peas and puree them in a food processor until smooth. Add the garlic, and 1/2 c. of the fresh peas and pulse until the peas are well broken up. Add 1 TBS of the chopped tarragon and a sprinkle of sea salt and pulse a few times to combine.
3. Scrape the mixture into a bowl. Stir in the baking soda and 2/3 of the sliced scallions. Season the fritter batter to taste with salt and pepper.
4. Bring a small pot of salted water to a boil. Blanch the remaining 1/2 c. of fresh peas in the boiling water for 1-2 minutes, until bright green, then immediately drain and run under cold water. Set aside.
5. Stir together the creme fraiche, remaining 1 TBS of tarragon, remaining scallions, and the chives. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.
6. Heat a film of olive oil or ghee in a large frying pan over medium heat. Drop spoonfuls of the fritter batter into the pan, pressing down on the batter to make rounded fritters about 1/2 an inch thick. Cook for 2 minutes a side, flipping when golden brown. Drain cooked fritters on a paper towel lined plate. Repeat until all fritter batter is used.
7. Serve the fritters warm with a generous drizzle of the creme fraiche and a spoonful of the blanched peas on top.

The post Ingredient of the Week: English Peas // Green Pea Fritters with Herbed Creme Fraiche appeared first on Katie at the Kitchen Door.