Brown Butter Blondies with White Chocolate

I've been using my underdeveloped photography skills as a recent excuse for not blogging. I'll make a new recipe I just love or tweak an old recipe and be dying to share it with all of you, and then I'll look at the photographs and pause.

Sometimes it's the light that's all wrong. I often blame the only window in my apartment, far from my kitchen and on street level so the blinds are too often kept closed.

Other times, I'll have photos of the process all along the way, but I'll somehow have forgotten to photograph the finished product.

Or, like with this recipe, I'll only have a picture of the finished product (and an Instagram photo at that!). Look closely, and you can just see the blondies below that massive label.

Perhaps it's that I secretly never choose to cook recipes without photographs, so I feel guilty sharing them with you or nervous that you feel the same way and won't look any further.

Maybe I'll update this recipe with a better photograph later on, or maybe I won't. Either way, these blondies are delicious! The brown butter adds a delightful nuttiness, and the white chocolate ensures that each bit is just loaded with goodness. These bars are dense, something you can really sink your teeth into.

So make the blondies, despite the picture.

Thai Quinoa and Tofu Bowl

I've been in a lunch rut lately.

Until this week, I had nearly the same thing for lunch. Every day. Since August. And many dinners too.

One grain + one bean + whatever veggies were in my fridge.

Quinoa and chickpeas with peas and corn.

Buckwheat with mung beans, lima beans and avocado.

By no means am I complaining. The meals were cheap and healthy. They didn't require refrigeration, and they tasted good at room temperature. Best of all, they kept me full until dinnertime.

Despite the ease of preparation, I just couldn't bring myself to eat the same thing again this week.

This dish helped. It's got the same basic breakdown of ingredients as my typical lunch, but it's got something a little more.

Coconut (and a little peanut butter, which never hurts).

It's fabulous. It's loaded with protein from the quinoa, almonds and tofu. The scallions, carrots and lightly blanched peas give it just the right amount of crunch. Every bite explodes with a combination of flavors.

Although it took quite a bit more work than my typical lunch, it was certainly worth it, and this dish will be entering my regular lunch rotation.

Recipe Update: Cranberry Nut Muffins

It's a new year. 

2014. 

I often think of the new year as a time for updates. A time for fine-tuning what's already in place. A time for little tweaks that help perfect what's already going well.

This recipe has always been one of our family favorites, and this year, I felt that it needed a new year's update.  

I made the flavors more vibrant by adding freshly-grated nutmeg, fresh-squeezed orange juice and even more grated orange zest. I brought out the nuttiness by toasting the walnuts before chopping them up and throwing them in. I substituted half of the flour for whole wheat flour to make the muffins a bit healthier. 

Here's to a fabulous new year!