Girl Meets Farm (2018–…): Season 2, Episode 8 - Healthy New Year - full transcript

Nick's sister
Anna is coming over

with her new addition --
baby Cliff.

He's 3 months old today.

I'm making us a healthy lunch
to start the year off right.

I'm putting together some
deliciously spiced ground beef

to spread all over
some creamy hummus,

and of course,
you can't indulge in hummus

without some fresh pita,

which I'll also use as a crunchy
topping for my colorful salad

with a creamy tahini dressing.

And to top it off,
some pretty fresh-mint cupcakes



with cream cheese frosting.

Oh, yah. Mmm!

Hey!
This is me -- Molly Yeh.

I'm a cookbook author
and food blogger.

This is my husband, Nick.

This is our new addition,

and this is our home, our farm,

on the North Dakota/
Minnesota border,

the place where I eat, sleep,
and breathe food.

These look like a party.

My food is a delicious mix of
my Chinese and Jewish heritage

and a taste of the Midwest.

Nick's sister Anna is coming
for lunch today,

and she's bringing her
little baby, Cliff.



I am making them
my mint cupcakes

with cream cheese frosting.

They are so fresh and moist,

and they taste as bright
as they look.

I'm gonna start by pureeing
some fresh mint,

and this is not only gonna add
great minty flavor,

it's also gonna make
these cupcakes bright green.

So, I have about
a cup of it here.

I'm adding a 1/4
of cold almond milk.

Regular milk works
perfectly, too.

It's important that
it stays cold

because that'll help keep
the color extra bright green,

and now I'm gonna blend it
so that it's really smooth.

I don't want any little bits
of mint in there.

It's really strongly minty.

Okay, I'm gonna mix up
my dry ingredients.

I'll grab 1 1/2 cup of flour,

1/2 a cup of almond meal,
which is just ground-up almonds,

1 teaspoon of salt,

1 teaspoon of baking powder...

...and 1/4 teaspoon
of baking soda.

This will make these
extra fluffy.

Next, I'm gonna add
the zest of a lemon.

I'll zest off the very top layer
of the lemon.

I don't want to go too deep
because that could taste bitter.

I'll whisk these together,

and I'll set this aside.

Now, in my big bowl,
I will combine 1 1/4 of sugar...

...3/4 cup of olive oil,

and I love using olive oil
in this cake.

It goes really well with mint
and almond and lemon,

so it brings
all these flavors together.

Seems like a lot of oil,
but it'll make it really moist.

Gonna whisk this together
until it's combined.

And now I'm gonna add
two large eggs.

I'll whisk each one separately
to make sure

that they get
completely combined.

Okay, second egg.

This is really smooth.

I'm ready to add
some vanilla extract.

These cupcakes are small,
but they pack a ton of flavor.

Okay, I'm gonna add my dry
ingredients and the minty milk

in alternating batches
into this big bowl.

Okay, and I'm gonna mix
this most of the way.

I don't have to worry about
getting this first batch

of dry ingredients
combined completely

because I am gonna continue
to whisk.

What I don't want to do
is overmix my cake batter

because that could lead
to a gummy cake.

This is the fun part,

when it turns the entire bowl
of batter bright green.

And now I'm gonna add
the rest of my dry ingredients.

And then I'll fill my cake tins.

This batter bakes up easily
as a layer cake

or as loaf cakes,
but today, I'm doing cupcakes

because they're cute,
just like my nephew, Cliff,

and I'll use
my ice-cream scoop to fill them.

It's just cleaner that way,

and I'm filling them
3/4 of the way full,

and when they bake, their bright
green tops will rise up.

These are gonna bake at 350

until a toothpick comes out
of the center clean,

20 to 25 minutes.

Now I'm ready
to get going on my pita.

I like a thick, fluffy pita.

This is gonna be
the perfect thing

to have with my hummus
with meat all over it.

I'll get 1 1/2 cups
of warm water,

which I'll use
to proof my yeast.

I like to make my own pita,
and I do it all the time.

It's so easy.

And then I'm gonna add
1 1/2 tablespoon of sugar.

That'll help feed the yeast.

It'll also add a slightly
sweet note to my pita.

And now I'll add my yeast.

I'll swirl this around
and let it sit

for about 5 minutes
until it gets foamy on top.

Meanwhile, I'll mix up
my dry ingredients.

I'm using 2 cups of bread flour

which has a slightly
higher protein level

than all-purpose,
and that'll make a chewier pita.

But if you don't have
bread flour,

all-purpose is totally fine,

and I also like adding
a little bit

of whole-wheat flour
for some nuttiness

and also
so I can feel healthier,

but if you just want to use
all white flour, that's fine.

And then I'm gonna add
1 1/2 teaspoon of salt,

and I'll whisk this to combine.

Yeast is foamy and happy

and ready
for the other ingredients.

I'm gonna add
a few tablespoons of olive oil.

This will make the bread moist
and also give it

a tasty olive-oil flavor,

and now I'm gonna gradually
whisk in my dry ingredients.

Okay.

I'm gonna grab a spatula.

I'm gonna continue stirring this
with my spatula to combine,

and once it forms
a shaggy dough,

I'll turn it out onto my work
surface and knead by hand.

My mixture has formed
a shaggy dough.

I'll scrape it out
onto my counter.

I'm gonna dust it with some
flour so that it doesn't stick,

and then I'll knead it
for a few minutes

until it's smooth
and slightly sticky.

Kneading helps give the pita
a light, fluffy texture.

I'm pressing it with the palm
of my hand, folding it over,

giving it a turn
and doing it all over again.

I know it's done when it's
smooth and slightly sticky.

This is perfect.
I'll transfer it to a bowl.

I'll drizzle in a little olive
oil so that it doesn't stick.

I'll add my dough and zhuzh
it around and then flip it over

so that it gets evenly coated
all over with olive oil,

and then I'm gonna cover it
with plastic wrap,

and I'll let this rise
in a draft-free place

for 2 hours
or until it's doubled in size.

Coming up, I'm getting the pita
ready for the oven.

Then I'm setting some aside
to use in my pita salad

with tahini dressing.

My ideal salad is actually
a bowl of bread.

Later, I'll make some
deliciously spiced ground beef

to top some creamy hummus.

Eating healthy
has never tasted so great.

My pita dough is puffy
and looking great.

I'll turn it out
onto my work surface.

It's so soft.
Oh, my goodness.

And now I'm gonna divide it
into 12 balls.

And I'm just eyeballing this.

Now I'll roll them into balls,

and I do that by stretching
their top surface under

and pinching at the bottom,

almost as if I'm making
a dumpling,

and that's just so they have
a smooth surface.

And then I'll place them about
an inch apart,

giving them more room to rise.

These are looking good,

and now I'm gonna tuck
them in for another little nap.

That will maximize
their fluffiness.

These have puffed up a bit,

and now
they're ready to roll out.

I'll dust my surface
with a little flour,

and now I'm gonna roll
these out

until they are
about 1/3rd of an inch thick.

1/4 inch is a little too thin.

1/2 an inch
is a little too thick,

1/3rd of an inch --
just perfect.

And I'll get the rest
of these rolled out

and transfer them
to my sheet pans...

...and when they're just
starting to brown

after about 5 or so minutes,
that's when I take them out.

Ah, they're so cute!

These are perfectly puffy pitas,
and they smell like bread.

Oh, they smell so good.

Okay, so every time I make pita,

I have to have one
immediately with butter.

Okay.
Oh, it's still really hot.

You can see that perfect pocket
in the middle.

I am gonna slather you
with butter.

This is, like,
the best bite ever.

I could live on this.

Mmm, oh, it's so good.

My pita salad
with tahini dressing

is packed with tons of colorful
veggies and loaded with pita

that's crispy on the outside
and chewy on the inside.

To start, I'm chopping up
my veggies --

half a purple onion,

two thinly sliced radishes,

dice two medium tomatoes
and one large cucumber,

and then I'm running my knife
along the inside

getting all these seeds out.

It's kind of therapeutic
chopping all these vegetables,

and I'll chop about 1/4 cup
of fresh mint.

Now I'm gonna grab
some spinach.

We'll get a few nice handfuls
into my bowl.

Hmm, okay.

And I'll add all the vegetables
to the top of the spinach.

Mmm, this all smells
so fresh and good.

I'm making it rain vegetables.

Now I'm gonna season my
vegetables with salt and pepper

to bring all the flavors
of those vegetables out...

...and then I'll toss
to combine.

Now I'll make
my tahini dressing,

which is hands down
my favorite dressing.

I make it all the time.

I'll grab my bowl, a lemon,
good smooth tahini,

and I'm also adding some sumac,

which has a lemony
almost vinegary flavor,

and I love adding it to salad
dressings to brighten it up.

I'm gonna start
with my tahini,

which is a nutty sesame paste

that's one of my
all-time favorite ingredients,

and whenever
I'm making dressings,

I always want to add
some water and lemon juice,

and that makes it fluffy

and just, like, the best,
smoothest dressing ever.

So, I'm gonna eyeball
about a one-to-one ratio

of water to tahini,

and this is the type of thing
that I just adjust as I go.

Not enough water will make
a consistency

that's kind of frosting
or nut buttery,

so I want to keep
going with this.

It's gonna get paler in color
and fluffier in texture,

and it'll actually thicken
before it thins out,

so this is looking so nice.

It's still on the thicker side,
but I'm adding lemon juice,

so I have to also take that
into consideration.

I'm gonna start with
the juice of half a lemon.

All right.
This lemon is gonna cut

right through
the richness of the tahini.

I'm realizing right now
I'm making kind of a lot of it,

but that's okay because
I just keep it in the fridge

and use it all the time.

Okay, so I'll add my sumac now,

and this makes
it nice and speckly.

I'm adding a few cloves
of garlic...

...and seasoning
with salt and pepper.

Okay, I'll give it a taste.

Mmm.

It's so nutty and creamy.

That sumac is punching through.

I could eat this with a spoon.

Coming up, I'll fry up
some of this pita

to add a crunchy bite
to the salad.

Then I'll get started on my
perfectly seasoned ground beef

to top
some ultra-creamy hummus.

My pita is going to be happy
to dunk in this.

I'll finish off my mint cupcakes

just before Anna and her cutest
little nugget arrive for lunch.

Now I have to get on
to my favorite part,

which is pan frying some pita.

This is my version of a
Middle Eastern fattoush salad

which is similar
to a panzanella salad

in that it's heavy on the pita,
a.k.a. my ideal salad.

I'm gonna add a good layer
of olive oil into my pan,

and then I'm tearing my pita
into bite-size pieces

and putting it directly
into the pan to fry,

and I'm frying it
just for a few minutes

until it's golden
and crispy on all sides,

but I like it where the insides
are still soft and chewy.

Okay, I'll use my tongs
to flip it

and make sure
it's getting crisp on all sides.

And this salad is a salad
that I make

when I'm dreading
having to eat a salad

because there's so much
bread in it.

My ideal salad...

is actually
a bowl of bread,

and I'm just frying these
for a few minutes,

flipping them every so often

until they're golden brown
on all sides.

These are looking golden
and brown,

and I can hear
that they're crisp

when I tap my tongs
against them.

These are ready to come out.

I'll transfer them
to a paper towel

to catch any excess oil.

Mmm.
They smell so good and toasty.

I'll season them with salt...

...and I'm gonna let these cool
before I add them to my salad.

When I'm in the mood
to make hummus --

a big, hearty main course --
I put meat all over it.

I'm using a beautifully spiced
ground beef,

and I'm using the fruity
subtle heat of Aleppo pepper

and a great combination
of warm spices.

To start off, I'm gonna
chop up an onion.

I'll finely chop this so that it
mixes in with that ground beef.

I'll add a drizzle of olive oil
to my hot pan...

...and then I'll add my onions
and let them soften.

I'll season them with some salt,

and I'm gonna let these cook
for 5 to 7 minutes

until they're soft
and translucent.

These are looking good,
and now I'll add my spices.

I'm gonna start
with the cumin.

Mmm,

which is really earthy
and kind of woodsy.

Next I'll add some cinnamon

which adds lovely warmth
and a subtle sweetness.

A little bit of allspice will
just build on that warmth

and some Aleppo pepper.

I love how it brings together
all of these flavors.

If you have trouble finding it,
you could just add a few pinches

of crushed red pepper
or smoked paprika.

I've added all my spices.

I'll mix them around
and let them toast

to bring out their flavors,

and then I'll be ready
for my beef.

I'll add my ground beef
directly to the pan,

and I'm gonna stir it up
to make sure it gets

all of those spices mixed in.

I'm breaking up the meat
with my spoon

to make sure it gets crumbly
and browned all over.

I want it to be broken up
into little pieces

to make it easiest
to scoop up with a pita.

While this cooks, I'll grab
my hummus and my toppings.

I've got some pomegranate seeds,

some buttery pine nuts
for nuttiness,

and I'm gonna chop up
some parsley

just to add a pop
of green on top.

Okay.
I'll check on the meat.

My ground beef is looking
good and nicely browned.

I'll take it off the heat,

and now I'm gonna add
some lemon juice

to balance out
all that warmth.

And now,
I'll put everything together.

I'll add a few good plops
of hummus into my bowl,

and this is just my tried
and true recipe,

and now I'm gonna do a swoop

to create a well
to catch my beef.

Okay, I have a perfect spot
for the meat.

I'll use a slotted spoon
to drain the meat of any juices.

Okay.

Now I'm ready for the rest
of my toppings.

I think a drizzle of olive oil
around the edges

would look nice...

...just for that flavor.

And some pomegranate seeds.

I love how bright and colorful
these are,

and they add an unexpected
hit of sweetness.

And now
some buttery pine nuts.

I love pine -- Oh, they
smell... so good.

I'll finish it with
a little parsley.

It'll add some freshness
and just complete the look.

And this is a pretty bowl
of hummus

with meat all over it,
if I do say so myself.

My pita is going to be happy
to dunk in this.

Still to come, I'm topping
my mint cupcakes

with some cream cheese frosting
and crushed pistachios.

YOLO.

Then it's time for
a deliciously healthy lunch.

Mmm, they smell
minty and cakey.

They've domed beautifully,

and they're lightly browned
around the edges.

The color's gonna be even
brighter when I bite into them.

I'm gonna let these cool

and then make
my cream cheese frosting.

I'm starting
with softened butter

and softened cream cheese,

and I'll mix these up to combine
and get them creamy.

Now I'll add my powdered sugar.

Most of the time
when I make frosting,

I just kind of go to taste,

and I don't really measure
things precisely.

With these cupcakes and
this frosting in particular,

I don't want it
to be too sweet.

I'll start slowly
with the mixer.

I don't want the powdered sugar
to fly everywhere,

and I'm gonna mix this in
until it's combined.

Now I'm gonna flavor it
with some vanilla extract

and then a little bit
of almond extract.

Just a tiny bit
will do the trick,

and then I'm also gonna add
a pinch of salt

because saltiness
is good with sweet,

and then I'll mix this up,
and then I'll be done.

So, this is ready to go.

I'll scrape it into
my piping bag

and then get this
on the cupcakes.

Now I'll fold these sides up.

I'll squeeze it down to the end,
and I am ready to pipe.

I'll squeeze firmly and evenly,
releasing at the top

to get a nice, smooth,
round dome like that.

I like about a one-to-two ratio
of frosting to cake...

...which is a lot,
but YOLO.

You can leave them like this,
but I like to add

a little something crunchy
on top,

so I'm gonna roll these
in crushed pistachios.

All right.
These are ready to go.

My sister-in-law
is gonna love these,

but I also want to taste one

to make sure that
they're okay for her first.

The salad is just a lot
of vegetables

with pita croutons
on top of it.

Are you ready for lunch?

-He's ready.
-Okay.

He's hungry.

All right,
so here is some pita...

- Yum. Yep!
-...for the hummus.

Do you want to go
to Auntie Molly?

-Come to me.
-Say hi.

Hello!

This is hummus with spiced beef
on top of it.

This is so tasty.

I also made cupcakes.
What?!

They're fresh mint cupcakes

with cream cheese
frosting and pistachios.

-Oh, my goodness.
-And they're mini.

I love the crunch
from the pistachios.

Say, "Thank you so much,
Aunt Molly."

Yeah.

I heard it.