I heart panzanella. But up until last night I'd only ever made it with tomatoes and mozzarella. Welcome to my world butternut squash panzanella. I heart you.
Butternut Squash Panzanella
Adapted from the Whole Foods Recipe
5-6 cups (1-inch) cubes peeled and seeded butternut squash
4 T olive oil, divided
4 T capers, drained (reserve liquid)
1 T chopped garlic
Pepper to taste
6 cups (1-inch) cubed baguette or other crusty bread
1 tsp dried sage
Salt to taste
juice from 1/2 fresh lemon
zest from 1 lemon
5 T red wine vinegar
1 bunch kale, chopped
1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
4 oz feta cheese, crumbled
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, toss together squash, 2 tablespoon of the oil, capers, garlic and pepper. Transfer to a large baking sheet and bake, tossing occasionally, until tender and golden brown, about 20 minutes. Reuse large bowl to toss together bread, 2 tablespoon of the remaining oil, sage, pepper and salt. Transfer to a second large baking sheet and bake, tossing halfway through, until toasted and golden brown, about 10 minutes. Set both squash and bread aside as done to let cool to room temperature. Meanwhile, soak red onion slices in 3T of red wine vinegar. Saute wet kale in 1T olive oil. Add garlic salt & pepper as kale wilts. Add a squeeze of lemon when cooked to desired tenderness.
In a large bowl, whisk together lemon juice, zest, 1T caper liquid, and 2T vinegar. Add onions, squash, bread and cheese tossing gently to coat. Serve bread salad on top of bed of kale.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Homemade Crackers
Reading too many food blogs now and have all these recipes I want to try. Adding this one to the mix from www.foodinjars.com
Homemade Crackers
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon salt (add a bit more if you like a saltier cracker)
3 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 cup water
Pre-heat over to 450 degrees.
Combine the flours and salt in a bowl. Add the olive oil and water and stir until you have a cohesive ball of dough (you’ll need to use your hands to really get it all together). Set aside for 15-20 minutes.
While you wait, mix up a spice/seed blend (skip this if you want plain, salted crackers). Here’s what I’ve been using. Sometimes, I’ll swap out rosemary for the fennel and add some salt to this combo for a slightly different take.
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
2 tablespoons poppyseeds
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon fennel seed
After the dough has rested a bit, divide it into two pieces, flour a board and rolling pin and roll the dough out until it’s as thin as you can get it. Put on a parchment-covered cookie sheet, brush with water and sprinkle with your spice/seed mixture or salt (kosher or a coarse sea salt is best here). Use a pizza cutter to slice the dough into squares or diamonds and bake for 10-12 minutes).
Let the crackers cool completely and then store them in an airtight container. If you don’t eat them all up, they’ll last at least a week on the counter.
They are also delicious sprinkled with parmesan cheese. Each recipe makes between 40-50 crackers, depending on how small you make your cuts.
Homemade Crackers
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon salt (add a bit more if you like a saltier cracker)
3 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 cup water
Pre-heat over to 450 degrees.
Combine the flours and salt in a bowl. Add the olive oil and water and stir until you have a cohesive ball of dough (you’ll need to use your hands to really get it all together). Set aside for 15-20 minutes.
While you wait, mix up a spice/seed blend (skip this if you want plain, salted crackers). Here’s what I’ve been using. Sometimes, I’ll swap out rosemary for the fennel and add some salt to this combo for a slightly different take.
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
2 tablespoons poppyseeds
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon fennel seed
After the dough has rested a bit, divide it into two pieces, flour a board and rolling pin and roll the dough out until it’s as thin as you can get it. Put on a parchment-covered cookie sheet, brush with water and sprinkle with your spice/seed mixture or salt (kosher or a coarse sea salt is best here). Use a pizza cutter to slice the dough into squares or diamonds and bake for 10-12 minutes).
Let the crackers cool completely and then store them in an airtight container. If you don’t eat them all up, they’ll last at least a week on the counter.
They are also delicious sprinkled with parmesan cheese. Each recipe makes between 40-50 crackers, depending on how small you make your cuts.
Monday, December 7, 2009
jerusalem artichokes
with winter approaching...i'm gearing up for jerusalem artichokes. these always languish in the fridge and rarely get added to dishes. but there's a recipe for pickling them in the ball cookbook and just stumbled across the recipes below at http://macandcheesereview.blogspot.com...so i'll be giving them a try this year!
Artichoke Relish
Adapted from A Gracious Plenty: Recipes and Recollections from the American South
Makes 17 or 18 pints
5 quarts Jerusalem artichokes, chopped
2 gallons water
2 cups non-iodized salt
3 pounds green cabbage, chopped
1 ½ pounds onions, chopped
6 large green and red bell peppers, chopped
3/4 cup flour
1 (24-ounce) jar prepared mustard
2 quarts apple cider vinegar
3 pounds sugar
3 tablespoons mustard seed
2 tablespoons turmeric
2 tablespoons celery seed
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon hot sauce
* Soak artichokes overnight in 1 gallon of water and 1 cup of salt. In another container, soak the cabbage, onion, and bell peppers in the remaining 1 gallon of water and 1 cup of salt.
* The next day, drain the artichokes and vegetables. Spread the artichokes on one towel, and the vegetables on a separate towel.
* Combine the flour and prepared mustard in a bowl, avoiding lumps.
* In a 10-quart or larger pot, add the vinegar, sugar, mustard seed, turmeric, celery seed, and black pepper. Bring to a boil, then add the cabbage, onion, and bell peppers. Bring back to a boil and cook for 10 minutes over medium heat.
* Reduce heat to low. Add and mix about a cup of the cooking liquid to the flour and mustard mixture, then add the thinned mixture to the pot of cooking vegetables, and stir.
* Add the hot sauce and artichokes. Raise the heat and stir until almost boiling (about 5 minutes).
* Remove pot from heat, and ladle hot relish into sterilized jars, wipe rims of jars, apply sterilized lids and bands, and process for 15 minutes in a hot water bath.
Pickled Jerusalem Artichoke
Adapted from The Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook
Makes 2 pints
1 ¾ pounds Jerusalem artichokes, washed
1 quart water
2 tablespoons kosher salt
3 cups cider vinegar
1 cup water
3 tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon whole black peppercorns
¼ teaspoon coriander seed
3 whole allspice berries
½ teaspoon whole red peppercorns (optional)
¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
2 dried red hot chilies (Thai or chiles de arbol)
* Bring a 3-quart pot, three quarters full of water to a boil. Set jars and their lids, along with a slotted metal spoon in the boiling water to sterilize. Boil for 15 minutes, then remove carefully with tongs, and set aside.
* Trim bad spots from tubers, and cut the tubers into chunks between the size of a grape and a walnut (you should have about 4 cups of artichokes chunks).
* In a bowl, combine artichokes, 1 quart of water, and one tablespoon of salt, stir to dissolve. Soak for 4 hours on the counter top, or overnight in the refrigerator. Drain and rinse the artichokes, then pat them dry.
* Bring vinegar, 1 cup of water, the remaining 1 tablespoon of salt, sugar, and all the spices except the chiles to a boil for 4 minutes.
* Using the slotted spoon, place one pepper in each jar, then carefully pack the jars with the artichokes, and pour the hot vinegar brine over the artichokes up to 1/2 inch below the neck. Place any remaining spices in the pot into the jars. Seal the jars, and process in boiling water if canning (I processed these 15 minutes). If only making a small batch, allow to cool, and store in the refrigerator. Unprocessed pickled artichokes will keep for about 4 weeks in the refrigerator.
Artichoke Relish
Adapted from A Gracious Plenty: Recipes and Recollections from the American South
Makes 17 or 18 pints
5 quarts Jerusalem artichokes, chopped
2 gallons water
2 cups non-iodized salt
3 pounds green cabbage, chopped
1 ½ pounds onions, chopped
6 large green and red bell peppers, chopped
3/4 cup flour
1 (24-ounce) jar prepared mustard
2 quarts apple cider vinegar
3 pounds sugar
3 tablespoons mustard seed
2 tablespoons turmeric
2 tablespoons celery seed
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon hot sauce
* Soak artichokes overnight in 1 gallon of water and 1 cup of salt. In another container, soak the cabbage, onion, and bell peppers in the remaining 1 gallon of water and 1 cup of salt.
* The next day, drain the artichokes and vegetables. Spread the artichokes on one towel, and the vegetables on a separate towel.
* Combine the flour and prepared mustard in a bowl, avoiding lumps.
* In a 10-quart or larger pot, add the vinegar, sugar, mustard seed, turmeric, celery seed, and black pepper. Bring to a boil, then add the cabbage, onion, and bell peppers. Bring back to a boil and cook for 10 minutes over medium heat.
* Reduce heat to low. Add and mix about a cup of the cooking liquid to the flour and mustard mixture, then add the thinned mixture to the pot of cooking vegetables, and stir.
* Add the hot sauce and artichokes. Raise the heat and stir until almost boiling (about 5 minutes).
* Remove pot from heat, and ladle hot relish into sterilized jars, wipe rims of jars, apply sterilized lids and bands, and process for 15 minutes in a hot water bath.
Pickled Jerusalem Artichoke
Adapted from The Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook
Makes 2 pints
1 ¾ pounds Jerusalem artichokes, washed
1 quart water
2 tablespoons kosher salt
3 cups cider vinegar
1 cup water
3 tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon whole black peppercorns
¼ teaspoon coriander seed
3 whole allspice berries
½ teaspoon whole red peppercorns (optional)
¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
2 dried red hot chilies (Thai or chiles de arbol)
* Bring a 3-quart pot, three quarters full of water to a boil. Set jars and their lids, along with a slotted metal spoon in the boiling water to sterilize. Boil for 15 minutes, then remove carefully with tongs, and set aside.
* Trim bad spots from tubers, and cut the tubers into chunks between the size of a grape and a walnut (you should have about 4 cups of artichokes chunks).
* In a bowl, combine artichokes, 1 quart of water, and one tablespoon of salt, stir to dissolve. Soak for 4 hours on the counter top, or overnight in the refrigerator. Drain and rinse the artichokes, then pat them dry.
* Bring vinegar, 1 cup of water, the remaining 1 tablespoon of salt, sugar, and all the spices except the chiles to a boil for 4 minutes.
* Using the slotted spoon, place one pepper in each jar, then carefully pack the jars with the artichokes, and pour the hot vinegar brine over the artichokes up to 1/2 inch below the neck. Place any remaining spices in the pot into the jars. Seal the jars, and process in boiling water if canning (I processed these 15 minutes). If only making a small batch, allow to cool, and store in the refrigerator. Unprocessed pickled artichokes will keep for about 4 weeks in the refrigerator.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
pickles
now that i've tried my pickles...i know that i don't like pickling spice...at least not the kind that is pre-mixed. The dill pickle here is sooo good: http://greensandthings.blogspot.com/search/label/pickles. Super spicy.
But I'd like to have something that's not so spicy...I could just cut back on the hot peppers...but this sounds good too:
Spiced garlic dill pickles
5 lbs (2 1/4 kg) pickling cucumbers, ends cut
4.5 cups white vinegar
4.5 cups water
1/3 cup pickling salt
8 cloves garlic, peeled and halved (more or less, depending on number of jars, use two halves per jar)
1 fistful of dill sprigs per jar (or 1 tsp dill seeds, total)
1 tsp each: celery seeds, coriander seeds, black peppercorns, mustard seeds
First, crisp up your cukes by placing them in a bowl with a bunch of ice cubes and cover them with water (after you’ve scrubbed them clean and trimmed their ends). Let them soak for at least two hours, a few more is fine. When you’re ready, bring the brine (vinegar, water, salt and spices) to a boil, then simmer for five minutes.
Halve garlic cloves, separate dill into bunches (one per jar). Drain the cukes. Put a little dill, half a garlic clove and some tightly-packed cukes into sterilized jars (I boil mine in the canner), then a little more dill and another half clove of garlic. Pour the brine over top, leaving about 1/2 inch (just over 1 cm) of headspace. Process jars in a water bath for 30 minutes, making sure the temp stays between 180 F/82 C and 185 F/85 C.
But I'd like to have something that's not so spicy...I could just cut back on the hot peppers...but this sounds good too:
Spiced garlic dill pickles
5 lbs (2 1/4 kg) pickling cucumbers, ends cut
4.5 cups white vinegar
4.5 cups water
1/3 cup pickling salt
8 cloves garlic, peeled and halved (more or less, depending on number of jars, use two halves per jar)
1 fistful of dill sprigs per jar (or 1 tsp dill seeds, total)
1 tsp each: celery seeds, coriander seeds, black peppercorns, mustard seeds
First, crisp up your cukes by placing them in a bowl with a bunch of ice cubes and cover them with water (after you’ve scrubbed them clean and trimmed their ends). Let them soak for at least two hours, a few more is fine. When you’re ready, bring the brine (vinegar, water, salt and spices) to a boil, then simmer for five minutes.
Halve garlic cloves, separate dill into bunches (one per jar). Drain the cukes. Put a little dill, half a garlic clove and some tightly-packed cukes into sterilized jars (I boil mine in the canner), then a little more dill and another half clove of garlic. Pour the brine over top, leaving about 1/2 inch (just over 1 cm) of headspace. Process jars in a water bath for 30 minutes, making sure the temp stays between 180 F/82 C and 185 F/85 C.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Tortilla Soup w/ Butternut Squash
We have so much squash!! So I decided to try adding it to tortilla soup last night. Tasted delicious!
Tortilla Soup w/ Butternut Squash
1 small onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 T tomato paste
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chipotle spice blend
4 cups vegetable broth (i like no-chicken broth)
2 T chopped fresh cilantro
1 large tomato, chopped
1 c coarsely broken tortilla chips (big chunks are good!)
1 can black beans, rinsed
1 c butternut squash, peeled and cubed
Toss butternut squash with olive oil and roast at 450 degrees for about 10-15 minutes. Meanwhile heat olive oil in large pot, add onion and garlic and cook till almost tender, stirring often. Stir in tomato paste, cumin, and chipotle spices. Add broth, cilantro, and tomato. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer about 15 minutes. Add tortilla chips, beans, and squash. Simmer 2-5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Serve topped with shredded monterey jack cheese.
Tortilla Soup w/ Butternut Squash
1 small onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 T tomato paste
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chipotle spice blend
4 cups vegetable broth (i like no-chicken broth)
2 T chopped fresh cilantro
1 large tomato, chopped
1 c coarsely broken tortilla chips (big chunks are good!)
1 can black beans, rinsed
1 c butternut squash, peeled and cubed
Toss butternut squash with olive oil and roast at 450 degrees for about 10-15 minutes. Meanwhile heat olive oil in large pot, add onion and garlic and cook till almost tender, stirring often. Stir in tomato paste, cumin, and chipotle spices. Add broth, cilantro, and tomato. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer about 15 minutes. Add tortilla chips, beans, and squash. Simmer 2-5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Serve topped with shredded monterey jack cheese.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Honey Whole Wheat Muffins
I have a new favorite recipe. Seriously yummy.
Honey Whole Wheat Muffins
2 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 sticks butter
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup honey
2 tsp vanilla
3 large eggs
1 cup soymilk
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour muffin tins or just use muffin cups.
Mix flour, baking powder and salt together in a small bowl and set aside.
Use electric stand mixer to whip butter, sugar and honey on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Add vanilla. Add eggs one at a time, beating for about one minute after each addition. Add the dry mixture and soymilk in three additions, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Transfer the batter to prepared pans. Bake for 20-25 minutes.
Honey Whole Wheat Muffins
2 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 sticks butter
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup honey
2 tsp vanilla
3 large eggs
1 cup soymilk
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour muffin tins or just use muffin cups.
Mix flour, baking powder and salt together in a small bowl and set aside.
Use electric stand mixer to whip butter, sugar and honey on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Add vanilla. Add eggs one at a time, beating for about one minute after each addition. Add the dry mixture and soymilk in three additions, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Transfer the batter to prepared pans. Bake for 20-25 minutes.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Canning Cupboard
From left: Spicy Corn Relish, Zucchini Vegetable Strips, Mixed Pickles, Bread & Butter Pickles, Kosher Dill Slices, Kosher Dill Spears, Fermented Pickles, BBQ Sauce, Pickled Garlic, Plum Jam, Peach Almond Conserve, Plum Conserve, Raw Pack Plums
Canning Recipes
Peach & Almond Conserve
(Based on a recipe for Plum & Hazelnut Conserve just substituting fruit & nuts)
2 lbs Peaches, peeled, pitted and chopped
2 lbs sugar
.5 lb sliced almonds
Layer peaches and sugar in a nonreactive pot. Let sit for at least 2 hours. Cook over low to medium heat, slowly bringing to a boil. Make sure that all of the sugar is dissolved. Boil for ~15 minutes. (When we made this, we cooked a pot full of it for at least 4 hours.) Check for gelling. Place in sterilized jars and process for 10 minutes.
Bread & Butter Zucchini Pickles
4 lbs zucchini, sliced (can use mix of zucchini & yellow squash)
1 lb onion, sliced
1/4 c pickling salt
2 1/4 c cider vinegar
1 1/4 c sugar
1 T mustard seeds
1 t ground tumeric
Toss vegetables with the salt. Let stand until softened. Drain the vegetables well. Boil vinegar, sugar & spices. Add vegetables and bring slowly to a boil. Simmer for 5-7 minutes. Place vegetables and liquid into pint jars leaving 1/2 inch headroom. Process for 10 minutes. Allow to sit for a couple of weeks before opening.
Spicy Corn Relish
12 ears of corn
3 Ancho or Chipotle chiles, rehydrated, seeded and chopped
1 3/4 c honey
2 T pickling salt
1 T mustard seed
1/4 t turmeric
2 3/4 c cider vinegar
1/2 c water
2 c onion, chopped
1 1/2 c celery, chopped
1 c sweet red peppers, chopped
Par-boil corn until bright yellow. Cut kernels off.
Combine honey, salt, mustard seed, turmeric, vinegar, and water. Bring to a boil. Boil until honey and salt are dissolved. Add corn, onion, celery & sweet peppers. Bring to a boil, stir often until onions and celery are tender. Approximately 30 minutes. Add chiles and stir. Place in pint jars and process for 15 minutes.
Zucchini Vegetable Strips
1 lb zucchini
1 lb carrots
1/2 lb leeks
1 T kosher salt
2 c vinegar
1/2 c water
1/2 c honey
4 T fresh herbs, chopped
1/2 t peppercorns, crushed
Julienne zucchini, carrots & leeks. Toss with salt. Let stand until softened. Drain and rinse. Mix vinegar, honey, herbs & pepper in saucepan. Bring to a boil until honey is completely dissolved. Place vegetables into sterilized jars. Pour herbed liquid over vegetables leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Process half-pints 15 minutes, full pints 20 minutes.
Barbecue Sauce
2 T canola oil
2 onions, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
6 large tomatoes torn into chunks (removing core)
1 c dark beer or red wine
3 T honey
1 T worcestershire sauce
4 T vinegar
1 t mustard
1 t green peppercorns, crushed
1/2 t salt
1 T hot sauce
1 T molasses
Saute onion & garlic until translucent. Add tomatoes, beer/wine, honey, worcestershire, vinegar, mustard, peppercorns & salt. Bring to boil and boil for 30 minutes (or a few hours!) until thickened. Puree until smooth. Add hot sauce and molasses to taste. Return to a boil until sauce reaches desired thickness. Place in sterilized jars and process for 20 minutes. Yield ~3 cups.
Tomato Bruschetta
9 c chopped tomatoes (cored) or cherry tomatoes
6 garlic cloves, minced
6 shallots, minced
1 c fresh basil cut into ribbons
1/4 c fresh oregano
3 T white vinegar
2 T balsamic vinegar
1.5 t pickling salt
1/2 t peppercorns, crushed
Combine all ingredients except balsamic vinegar and let rest for 15 minutes. Heat on high for 5 minutes. Remove solid ingredients and set aside. Reduce juices by half. Add balsamic vinegar and pour over solid ingredients. Place in sterilized pint jars leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Process for 20 minutes.
(Based on a recipe for Plum & Hazelnut Conserve just substituting fruit & nuts)
2 lbs Peaches, peeled, pitted and chopped
2 lbs sugar
.5 lb sliced almonds
Layer peaches and sugar in a nonreactive pot. Let sit for at least 2 hours. Cook over low to medium heat, slowly bringing to a boil. Make sure that all of the sugar is dissolved. Boil for ~15 minutes. (When we made this, we cooked a pot full of it for at least 4 hours.) Check for gelling. Place in sterilized jars and process for 10 minutes.
Bread & Butter Zucchini Pickles
4 lbs zucchini, sliced (can use mix of zucchini & yellow squash)
1 lb onion, sliced
1/4 c pickling salt
2 1/4 c cider vinegar
1 1/4 c sugar
1 T mustard seeds
1 t ground tumeric
Toss vegetables with the salt. Let stand until softened. Drain the vegetables well. Boil vinegar, sugar & spices. Add vegetables and bring slowly to a boil. Simmer for 5-7 minutes. Place vegetables and liquid into pint jars leaving 1/2 inch headroom. Process for 10 minutes. Allow to sit for a couple of weeks before opening.
Spicy Corn Relish
12 ears of corn
3 Ancho or Chipotle chiles, rehydrated, seeded and chopped
1 3/4 c honey
2 T pickling salt
1 T mustard seed
1/4 t turmeric
2 3/4 c cider vinegar
1/2 c water
2 c onion, chopped
1 1/2 c celery, chopped
1 c sweet red peppers, chopped
Par-boil corn until bright yellow. Cut kernels off.
Combine honey, salt, mustard seed, turmeric, vinegar, and water. Bring to a boil. Boil until honey and salt are dissolved. Add corn, onion, celery & sweet peppers. Bring to a boil, stir often until onions and celery are tender. Approximately 30 minutes. Add chiles and stir. Place in pint jars and process for 15 minutes.
Zucchini Vegetable Strips
1 lb zucchini
1 lb carrots
1/2 lb leeks
1 T kosher salt
2 c vinegar
1/2 c water
1/2 c honey
4 T fresh herbs, chopped
1/2 t peppercorns, crushed
Julienne zucchini, carrots & leeks. Toss with salt. Let stand until softened. Drain and rinse. Mix vinegar, honey, herbs & pepper in saucepan. Bring to a boil until honey is completely dissolved. Place vegetables into sterilized jars. Pour herbed liquid over vegetables leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Process half-pints 15 minutes, full pints 20 minutes.
Barbecue Sauce
2 T canola oil
2 onions, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
6 large tomatoes torn into chunks (removing core)
1 c dark beer or red wine
3 T honey
1 T worcestershire sauce
4 T vinegar
1 t mustard
1 t green peppercorns, crushed
1/2 t salt
1 T hot sauce
1 T molasses
Saute onion & garlic until translucent. Add tomatoes, beer/wine, honey, worcestershire, vinegar, mustard, peppercorns & salt. Bring to boil and boil for 30 minutes (or a few hours!) until thickened. Puree until smooth. Add hot sauce and molasses to taste. Return to a boil until sauce reaches desired thickness. Place in sterilized jars and process for 20 minutes. Yield ~3 cups.
Tomato Bruschetta
9 c chopped tomatoes (cored) or cherry tomatoes
6 garlic cloves, minced
6 shallots, minced
1 c fresh basil cut into ribbons
1/4 c fresh oregano
3 T white vinegar
2 T balsamic vinegar
1.5 t pickling salt
1/2 t peppercorns, crushed
Combine all ingredients except balsamic vinegar and let rest for 15 minutes. Heat on high for 5 minutes. Remove solid ingredients and set aside. Reduce juices by half. Add balsamic vinegar and pour over solid ingredients. Place in sterilized pint jars leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Process for 20 minutes.
Canning Recipes
Spiced Peaches
1.5 cups dry white wine
1.5 cups water
9 T sugar
6 quarter size pieces fresh ginger, crushed
1 pod of cardamom, crushed
6 peaches, peeled, and sliced
1 tabled Vitamin C
Combine wine, water, sugar, ginger, cardamom and vitamin C. Simmer until the sugar is dissolved and syrup reaches desired spiciness. Remove cardamom pod (if you leave it in jars it will create a soapy taste). Place sliced peaches in 1/2 pint jars, pack loosely. Pour syrup over peaches leaving 1/2 inch headroom. Process for 10 minutes. (Can put raw ginger in jars with peaches instead of simmering it in syrup.)
Spicy Pickled Carrots
2 lbs carrots
1 quart white vinegar
1/2 cup water
2 T sugar or honey
2 T mustard seeds
1 T pickling salt
Fresh hot peppers
Garlic (optional)
Slice carrots into quarters. Cut peppers into rings Combine vinegar, sweetener, mustard seeds, and salt. Bring to a simmer until sugar and salt are dissolved. Place carrots, peppers (and garlic) into pint jars. Cover with vinegar mixture and process for 10 minutes.
Dill Pickles
3 lbs pickling cucumbers, cut into spears
2 quarts vinegar (white...can use cider)
1.5 cups pickling salt
Fresh dill (dillweed or dill seedheads)
Garlic cloves
Small fresh hot peppers
Scrub cucumbers and trim the ends off. Slice into quarters. Place 1-3 cloves of garlic, hot peppers, and dill in pint jars. Pack cucumber spears in tightly. Combine vinegar and salt and bring to simmer. Pour vinegar mixture over cucumbers leaving 1/2 inch headroom. Process for 10 minutes.
Mixed Pickles
Mix leftover chopped bits of carrots & cucumbers, with chunks of garlic, dill, hot peppers, and cracked peppercorns. Fill jars. Cover with pickle or spicy carrot brines from above recipes. Process 10 minutes.
Chunky Tomato Sauce
6 lbs tomatoes, chopped
1 c onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 T basil, chopped
1/2 c red wine
1 t sugar
1/2 t peppercorns, crushed
1/2 t pickling salt
2 T vinegar (red wine or balsamic)
Place all ingredients except vinegar in saucepan. Bring slowly to a boil. Lower to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft (at least 30 minutes but the longer the better...we cooked ours in a full pot for ~4 hours). Stir in vinegar. Place in jars leaving 1/2 inch head room. Process for 35 minutes in pint jars, 40 minutes for quarts (verify this time...we actually only processed for 25 minutes in pint jars).
1.5 cups dry white wine
1.5 cups water
9 T sugar
6 quarter size pieces fresh ginger, crushed
1 pod of cardamom, crushed
6 peaches, peeled, and sliced
1 tabled Vitamin C
Combine wine, water, sugar, ginger, cardamom and vitamin C. Simmer until the sugar is dissolved and syrup reaches desired spiciness. Remove cardamom pod (if you leave it in jars it will create a soapy taste). Place sliced peaches in 1/2 pint jars, pack loosely. Pour syrup over peaches leaving 1/2 inch headroom. Process for 10 minutes. (Can put raw ginger in jars with peaches instead of simmering it in syrup.)
Spicy Pickled Carrots
2 lbs carrots
1 quart white vinegar
1/2 cup water
2 T sugar or honey
2 T mustard seeds
1 T pickling salt
Fresh hot peppers
Garlic (optional)
Slice carrots into quarters. Cut peppers into rings Combine vinegar, sweetener, mustard seeds, and salt. Bring to a simmer until sugar and salt are dissolved. Place carrots, peppers (and garlic) into pint jars. Cover with vinegar mixture and process for 10 minutes.
Dill Pickles
3 lbs pickling cucumbers, cut into spears
2 quarts vinegar (white...can use cider)
1.5 cups pickling salt
Fresh dill (dillweed or dill seedheads)
Garlic cloves
Small fresh hot peppers
Scrub cucumbers and trim the ends off. Slice into quarters. Place 1-3 cloves of garlic, hot peppers, and dill in pint jars. Pack cucumber spears in tightly. Combine vinegar and salt and bring to simmer. Pour vinegar mixture over cucumbers leaving 1/2 inch headroom. Process for 10 minutes.
Mixed Pickles
Mix leftover chopped bits of carrots & cucumbers, with chunks of garlic, dill, hot peppers, and cracked peppercorns. Fill jars. Cover with pickle or spicy carrot brines from above recipes. Process 10 minutes.
Chunky Tomato Sauce
6 lbs tomatoes, chopped
1 c onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 T basil, chopped
1/2 c red wine
1 t sugar
1/2 t peppercorns, crushed
1/2 t pickling salt
2 T vinegar (red wine or balsamic)
Place all ingredients except vinegar in saucepan. Bring slowly to a boil. Lower to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft (at least 30 minutes but the longer the better...we cooked ours in a full pot for ~4 hours). Stir in vinegar. Place in jars leaving 1/2 inch head room. Process for 35 minutes in pint jars, 40 minutes for quarts (verify this time...we actually only processed for 25 minutes in pint jars).
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Fermented Pickles
My house smells like pickles. My farm delivered an extra 10 lbs of pickling cucumbers on a Wednesday afternoon so I decided my best option was to set up a fermenting spot for them. Bought a huge punchbowl at Goodwill and set them up on the counter. They have to stay between 70-75 degrees and my basement is too cool for that unfortunately.
I'm only a week and a half into the fermenting process. It should take 2-3 weeks. And then I'll can them...though I'm out of jars at this point!
I'm only a week and a half into the fermenting process. It should take 2-3 weeks. And then I'll can them...though I'm out of jars at this point!
Plums
It's been a weekend of free stuff. it started with free woodchips. we filled up the back of the car with 4 trash bins and made 3 trips to pick them up a few blocks from our house. take that weeds!
Then my neighbor told me to come take as many plums from his tree as i could handle. i took two big bowls full and planned to make plum jam and conserve. well...two big bowls of plums goes a lot farther than i expected so i ended up with 6 jars of raw pack plums too!
I think they are Italian plums. They're quite delicious.
Plum Conserve Recipe (c/o http://elise.com/recipes/archives/005260plum_conserve.php
Ingredients
* 7 cups seeded, chopped tart plums (about 3 pounds)
* 4 cups sugar
* 1 navel orange, thinly sliced, including rind
* 1 lemon, thinly sliced, including rind, seeds removed
* 3 1/2 cups raisins
* 1 cup chopped walnuts
1 Prepare jars for canning in any of the following ways. You can run them through a short cycle on your dishwasher. You can place them in a large pot (12 quart) of water on top of a steaming rack (so they don't touch the bottom of the pan), and bring the water to a boil for 10 minutes. Or you can rinse out the jars, dry them, and place them, without lids, in a 200°F oven for 10 minutes.
2 Put plums, sugar, orange, lemon, and raisins into a large 6 or 8-quart pan. Heat until boiling. Gently boil for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring frequently, or until the mixture starts to thicken slightly. Stir in walnuts.
3 Carefully ladle the conserve into the jars, one at a time, leaving 1/4 inch head space at the top of the jars for a vacuum seal. Wipe the rim clean with a clean, wet paper towel. Place the lid on the jar, securing with a jar ring. Work quickly. Allow the jars to sit overnight. You will hear them make a popping sound as a vacuum seal is created.
Makes 5-6 pints.
My before:
And after:
Plum Jam
10 cups plums
7 cups sugar
juice of 2 lemons
Combine all in large stockpot. Cook over medium-low heat stirring often. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer 30-35 minutes until it thickens. Ladle into sterilized pint jars and process in boiling water bath for 15 minutes.
Then my neighbor told me to come take as many plums from his tree as i could handle. i took two big bowls full and planned to make plum jam and conserve. well...two big bowls of plums goes a lot farther than i expected so i ended up with 6 jars of raw pack plums too!
I think they are Italian plums. They're quite delicious.
Plum Conserve Recipe (c/o http://elise.com/recipes/archives/005260plum_conserve.php
Ingredients
* 7 cups seeded, chopped tart plums (about 3 pounds)
* 4 cups sugar
* 1 navel orange, thinly sliced, including rind
* 1 lemon, thinly sliced, including rind, seeds removed
* 3 1/2 cups raisins
* 1 cup chopped walnuts
1 Prepare jars for canning in any of the following ways. You can run them through a short cycle on your dishwasher. You can place them in a large pot (12 quart) of water on top of a steaming rack (so they don't touch the bottom of the pan), and bring the water to a boil for 10 minutes. Or you can rinse out the jars, dry them, and place them, without lids, in a 200°F oven for 10 minutes.
2 Put plums, sugar, orange, lemon, and raisins into a large 6 or 8-quart pan. Heat until boiling. Gently boil for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring frequently, or until the mixture starts to thicken slightly. Stir in walnuts.
3 Carefully ladle the conserve into the jars, one at a time, leaving 1/4 inch head space at the top of the jars for a vacuum seal. Wipe the rim clean with a clean, wet paper towel. Place the lid on the jar, securing with a jar ring. Work quickly. Allow the jars to sit overnight. You will hear them make a popping sound as a vacuum seal is created.
Makes 5-6 pints.
My before:
And after:
Plum Jam
10 cups plums
7 cups sugar
juice of 2 lemons
Combine all in large stockpot. Cook over medium-low heat stirring often. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer 30-35 minutes until it thickens. Ladle into sterilized pint jars and process in boiling water bath for 15 minutes.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Tomatoes
I love tomatoes.
Someday I must try "Upside-down Tomato Basil Bread"
and for more ideas...
27 Recipes
Someday I must try "Upside-down Tomato Basil Bread"
and for more ideas...
27 Recipes
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Pickling
Emily & I made 30 jars of pickles (cucumbers, zucchini & garlic) today. I had a goal to finish by 2pm and at 1:57pm walked Emily out to her car. 5 hours of canning fun! Pickles are sooooo much easier than last year's jam, applesauce, peach extravaganza. Not nearly as much prep, not nearly as much mess, not nearly as much time. We used my mandolin for all the slicing. It was a great help. If only there was something as convenient for making spears. Made kosher dills, sunshine pickles (like bread & butter but not as much sugar), and a vinegar/wine combo for the garlic.
Before:
After:
Monday, July 27, 2009
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Links
Here are some good links to check out:
This one converts your recipe into smaller or larger servings
http://www.fruitfromwashington.com/Recipes/scale/recipeconversions.php
And this one will help calculate your dietary intake on each recipe
http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-calculator.asp
This one converts your recipe into smaller or larger servings
http://www.fruitfromwashington.com/Recipes/scale/recipeconversions.php
And this one will help calculate your dietary intake on each recipe
http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-calculator.asp
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Simple Slaw Salad
Got this recipe off "Delish" and because it's full of rice vinegar and it's super easy, it's become one of my favorite summer sides.1/4 c. rice vinegar
1 TBS. toasted sesame oil
2 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp salt
6 c. thinly sliced bok choy
2 carrots (shredded)
2 scallions (thinly sliced)
Whisk vinegar, oil, sugar, mustard and salt in a large bowl until sugar dissolves. Add bok choy, carrots and scallions; toss to coat with dressing. I used presliced carrots and a little more vinegar. It was even crunchy the next day!
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Collard Greens & Hoe Cakes
This time of year we gets tons of greens in our CSA box. This week we got kale, collard greens, 2 heads of lettuce, mixed salad greens, sorrel, and bok choy. Greens-city. We usually just saute greens with a little soy sauce but I decided to try this southern version and it was quite good. And the hoe cakes tasted like a skillet cornbread. De-licious. I've been using wheat flour in place of all-purpose flour in most recipes because we got some fresh, local wheat flour in our CSA box and it is sooo good.
Southern-style (but Vegetarian) Collard Greens
2 c water
1/4 c shallots
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp allspice
1 T worchestershire sauce
2 tsp tamari
1/4 tsp cumin
1 tsp honey
4 cups collard greens
Simmer everything but the collard greens for 5 mins. Add collard greens, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes stirring occasionally. Remove greens from liquid with slotted spoon into a separate bowl, toss the bay leaf, and add 1 T olive oil + garlic salt, pepper & cayenne to taste.
Hoe Cakes
1 1/2 c coarse corn meal
1 c whole wheat flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/3 c sugar
1/4 c butter, melted
2 eggs, beaten
1 c milk
1/4 c plain yogurt
Mix dry ingredients. In a separate bowl stir together wet ingredients. Combine all together and stir until blended. Heat 2 T vegetable oil in skillet. Drop in spoonfuls of batter (~1/4 c size)...leave plenty of room because they expand quite a bit! Brown for 2-3 minutes per side and then remove. Keep warm in a 250 degree oven till ready to serve. Top with a pat of butter.
Southern-style (but Vegetarian) Collard Greens
2 c water
1/4 c shallots
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp allspice
1 T worchestershire sauce
2 tsp tamari
1/4 tsp cumin
1 tsp honey
4 cups collard greens
Simmer everything but the collard greens for 5 mins. Add collard greens, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes stirring occasionally. Remove greens from liquid with slotted spoon into a separate bowl, toss the bay leaf, and add 1 T olive oil + garlic salt, pepper & cayenne to taste.
Hoe Cakes
1 1/2 c coarse corn meal
1 c whole wheat flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/3 c sugar
1/4 c butter, melted
2 eggs, beaten
1 c milk
1/4 c plain yogurt
Mix dry ingredients. In a separate bowl stir together wet ingredients. Combine all together and stir until blended. Heat 2 T vegetable oil in skillet. Drop in spoonfuls of batter (~1/4 c size)...leave plenty of room because they expand quite a bit! Brown for 2-3 minutes per side and then remove. Keep warm in a 250 degree oven till ready to serve. Top with a pat of butter.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Mini Blueberry Muffins
When my mom visited me recently, she talked me into buying a mini muffin pan. I never really thought I needed one. But now that I've made these muffins a few times, I dunno what I'd do without my mini muffin pan. They get slightly crunchy on the sides. So yummy. The kids snacked on them all day (okay, Jeff & I helped) until they were gone so I didn't get a picture.
1 1/4 c all purpose flour
1 c whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
2 large eggs
3/4 c milk
2/3 c vegetable oil
1 1/4 c sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 c frozen blueberries (little ones work best)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Oil muffin pan. Mix flour, baking powder, cinnamon & salt. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs, milk, oil, sugar & vanilla. Add to dry ingredients and stir until mixed. Fold in berries. Spoon into muffin tins so that cup is ~3/4 full. Bake 15-20 minutes. Makes ~48 muffins.
1 1/4 c all purpose flour
1 c whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
2 large eggs
3/4 c milk
2/3 c vegetable oil
1 1/4 c sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 c frozen blueberries (little ones work best)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Oil muffin pan. Mix flour, baking powder, cinnamon & salt. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs, milk, oil, sugar & vanilla. Add to dry ingredients and stir until mixed. Fold in berries. Spoon into muffin tins so that cup is ~3/4 full. Bake 15-20 minutes. Makes ~48 muffins.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Potato-Kohlrabi Cakes with Strawberry & Spinach Salad
Last night's dinner was one of those times where I had a bunch of random stuff and didn't know what to do with it. But it turned out great.
Potato-Kohlrabi Cakes
10-12 small potatoes
3 kohlrabi
1 large shallot, finely chopped
1 T butter
4 T fresh cilantro (or other herbs), chopped
Quarter potatoes & kohlrabi and boil till soft. Meanwhile saute shallots in olive oil. Drain potatos & kohlrabi. Mash with butter, shallots & cilantro, salt & pepper to taste. Heat a little more olive oil in your shallot pan, and form the potato-kohlrabi mixture into small patties. Brown on either side. Serve right away.
Strawberry-Spinach Salad (from the Smith & Hawken Gardener's Community Cookbook)
1 bunch spinach, roughly chopped
2 cups of strawberries, sliced
"Kentucky" Dressing (slightly adapted)
1/4 c vegetable oil
1/4 c apple cider vinegar
1/4 c sugar
1/2 T finely chopped shallot
1 T poppy seeds
1 T sesame seeds
2 drops worcestershire sauce
Mix all ingredients with whisk. Drizzle over salad.
Potato-Kohlrabi Cakes
10-12 small potatoes
3 kohlrabi
1 large shallot, finely chopped
1 T butter
4 T fresh cilantro (or other herbs), chopped
Quarter potatoes & kohlrabi and boil till soft. Meanwhile saute shallots in olive oil. Drain potatos & kohlrabi. Mash with butter, shallots & cilantro, salt & pepper to taste. Heat a little more olive oil in your shallot pan, and form the potato-kohlrabi mixture into small patties. Brown on either side. Serve right away.
Strawberry-Spinach Salad (from the Smith & Hawken Gardener's Community Cookbook)
1 bunch spinach, roughly chopped
2 cups of strawberries, sliced
"Kentucky" Dressing (slightly adapted)
1/4 c vegetable oil
1/4 c apple cider vinegar
1/4 c sugar
1/2 T finely chopped shallot
1 T poppy seeds
1 T sesame seeds
2 drops worcestershire sauce
Mix all ingredients with whisk. Drizzle over salad.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Potato Lasagna
I had potatos, kale, leeks and shitake mushrooms to use up tonight. Jeff had mentioned lasagna the other night. I thought there might be a way to turn these ingredients into a lasagna. Google didn't disappoint.
The first link I clicked on was this recipe on Allrecipes: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Potato-Lasagna/Detail.aspx
My adaptation changed it to:
6 medium yukon gold potatoes, thinly sliced (as thin as my mandolin could do)
3 medium carrots, shredded
2 leeks, chopped
1 bunch kale, chopped
8 oz fresh shitake mushrooms, chopped
1/4 cup shredded smoked Gouda cheese
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste
1 jar marinara sauce
Saute kale for 5 minutes with carrots, leeks, shitakes, garlic salt, pepper, and I tossed in some other pasta seasonings for good measure.
Lightly oil 9x13 casserole, layer two rows of potatos, lightly salt & pepper. Then put a layer of half of the kale mixture, a layer of 3/4 cup of sauce, and a layer of cheese. Then repeat again ending with cheese on top. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes (I did this on convection bake), and then 10 minutes uncovered. (I browned it under the broiler for a minute too. I think it could've baked another 5 minutes covered but I was getting impatient.)
I can definitely see how this could work with a whole slew of different vegetables in place of the veggies I used. The gouda, cheddar, mozzarella combo made for a really rich lasagna. I just happened to have the smoked gouda on hand so I used it. I am interested in trying it with a more traditional lasagna cheese concoction so it's not so heavy next time.
The first link I clicked on was this recipe on Allrecipes: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Potato-Lasagna/Detail.aspx
My adaptation changed it to:
6 medium yukon gold potatoes, thinly sliced (as thin as my mandolin could do)
3 medium carrots, shredded
2 leeks, chopped
1 bunch kale, chopped
8 oz fresh shitake mushrooms, chopped
1/4 cup shredded smoked Gouda cheese
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste
1 jar marinara sauce
Saute kale for 5 minutes with carrots, leeks, shitakes, garlic salt, pepper, and I tossed in some other pasta seasonings for good measure.
Lightly oil 9x13 casserole, layer two rows of potatos, lightly salt & pepper. Then put a layer of half of the kale mixture, a layer of 3/4 cup of sauce, and a layer of cheese. Then repeat again ending with cheese on top. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes (I did this on convection bake), and then 10 minutes uncovered. (I browned it under the broiler for a minute too. I think it could've baked another 5 minutes covered but I was getting impatient.)
I can definitely see how this could work with a whole slew of different vegetables in place of the veggies I used. The gouda, cheddar, mozzarella combo made for a really rich lasagna. I just happened to have the smoked gouda on hand so I used it. I am interested in trying it with a more traditional lasagna cheese concoction so it's not so heavy next time.
Friday, May 8, 2009
Jalapeño my Bagels
Sage came home from school after reading a really cute story about a kid whose mother is Hispanic and father is Jewish. They make jalapeño bagels in their bakery because it represents them as a family and blends both cultures together. At the end of the story, there is the (following) recipe for these bagels. Sage was super excited to try them because he had not only just read about them but also because they are my dads favorite snack (and it's almost his birthday). We thought it would be a great present but I have to admit these bagels are a little so-so but it was our first time. Maybe we'll get better with time, practice or tweaking the recipe. Either way, here goes:1 3/4 C. lukewarm water
1/2 tsp. dry yeast
2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 TBS. sugar
5-6 C. flour
1/3 C. jalapeño chopped
1/4 C. dried peppers
Mix water, yeast, salt, sugar. Add flour and jalapeños and mix into a ball. Knead for 10-12 minutes, adding more flour if necessary until dough is stiff. Add red peppers and knead for a few minutes more. Let dough rest for 10 minutes then cut into 12 pieces with a knife. Roll each piece on a table to form long tube like shapes. Then for each of the twelve pieces, take the ends and overlap them about 3/4 inch to make a ring like shape. Secure the joints so it won't come loose in the next process. Cover with a damp towel and store in a warm place for 1-1 1/2 hours. In a large pot, boil 1-2 gallons of water. Once at a rolling boil, place bagels in pot til they float (15-30 seconds). Remove from water with a slotted spoon and place on a lightly oiled cookie sheet. Bake at 400 for 10-15 minutes or until brown.
Monday, May 4, 2009
Sum Siam Salad
We are so fortunate to live close to two different huge and amazing Asian Supermarkets. I was searching our local produce places for this Green Papaya but came up empty til I thought of going to the Assi and of course, found what I was looking for. Anyway, this is easy and makes my mouth water:1 Large Green Papaya (~4 cups shredded)
3/4 tomato (seeded)
dressing:
3 TBS brown sugar
1.5 TBS lime juice
2 cloves of garlic (mashed to a pulp)
3 TBS fish sauce
4 dried chili peppers (crushed)
crushed peanuts to garnish
I mixed the "dressing" together and threw it in the microwave for 20 seconds and stirred til the sugar dissolved into the rest of the liquid then tossed with the rest. Garnish with crushed peanuts, topple on cabbage, add dried shrimp or green beans. Even better the next day!! Yummy!
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Not Yo Gramamma's Au Gratin
Had to make some sweet potato side tonight and was sick of the same 'ol so I made this one up and it came out super yummy and sticky. I'm not sure on the quantities because I was just flinging this one together but this is what I did:3 large pealed (thinly sliced) sweet potatoes
salt, cinnamon, 2 tsp. of dried chilies
2 cloves garlic, 1 inch of grated ginger
Olive oil, a few squirts of Agave Nectar
2 Tbs. of whipping cream
Set the oven to 350 then threw everything in a bowl (sans the cream) and tossed it all together. Poured that into a baking dish and poured the cream over everything (just enough to cover the bottom). Baked the potatoes for about 45min stirring everything up every now and then. Waited til it was bubbly and brown on top. Chris said it was like his grandmas sweet potatoes but mixed up in Thailand. I thought it had a great sweet/spice combo going on and was truly comfort food to the max.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Egg Rolls w/ Soba Noodle Salad
I decided to try making egg rolls tonight. I've always wanted to try it. Got a head of napa cabbage in our veggie box today and had some egg roll wrappers stored in the freezer so I gave it a try. It was much easier than I expected. Emmett loved his dinner and ate two egg rolls. He kept declaring "good dinner, mommy!" I prolly would've mixed up the veggies with some others if I'd had different things on hand but this worked out fine.
And I decided to make some soba noodles to go with it. These were delicious. The kids are always fans of things with beets which still blows my mind.
Soba Noodle Salad
1 pkg soba noodles (10 ounces)
1 large beet peeled & grated (i used my cuisinart)
1/2 c tamari
6 T rice vinegar
1/4 c sesame oil
2 T mirin
2 T sugar
2 tsp ground ginger (i wish i would've had fresh on hand)
4 drops chili oil
black pepper
Boil the noodles per package directions. Meanwhile prepare dressing by mixing together everything but the beets in a small bowl. Drain noodles and pour dressing over the top. Set aside. When cooled down add beets and toss to coat. I had a little chopped shallot sitting around too so I tossed that in as well. Top with toasted sesame seeds. Serve at room temperature.
I just used the beet raw this time. I think the salad would be good with other grated veggies as well like carrot and prolly could've had green onion in it. But I was using carrot in our egg rolls so I decided just to go with the beet and it was satisfying that way.
Veggie Egg Rolls
1 pkg tofu drained
3 carrots
1 shallot
3 burdock roots (gobo)
2 cups napa cabbage finely shredded
Sesame oil
2 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp ginger
~14 egg roll wrappers
salt & pepper
1 egg, beaten
vegetable oil
Shred carrots, shallot & burdock root using Cuisinart attachment. Crumble tofu and brown in skillet w/ a little sesame oil. Add veggies and stir-fry ~3 minutes, add soy sauce, ginger and salt & pepper. Let cool. Place ~2 Tablespoons of veggie mix in the center of egg roll wrapper and follow package directions on folding. Use a little beaten egg to close the wrapper. Heat vegetable oil to about 350 degrees. It'll need to be about 2 inches high in your pan. Fry in small batches for about 4 minutes turning frequently. Remove rolls from pan and sit on paper towels.
Dipping sauce
1/2 c tamari
1/4 c mirin
1/4 c rice vinegar
1 T ginger
1/2 tsp ground mustard
Mix all together and set aside till ready to serve.
And I decided to make some soba noodles to go with it. These were delicious. The kids are always fans of things with beets which still blows my mind.
Soba Noodle Salad
1 pkg soba noodles (10 ounces)
1 large beet peeled & grated (i used my cuisinart)
1/2 c tamari
6 T rice vinegar
1/4 c sesame oil
2 T mirin
2 T sugar
2 tsp ground ginger (i wish i would've had fresh on hand)
4 drops chili oil
black pepper
Boil the noodles per package directions. Meanwhile prepare dressing by mixing together everything but the beets in a small bowl. Drain noodles and pour dressing over the top. Set aside. When cooled down add beets and toss to coat. I had a little chopped shallot sitting around too so I tossed that in as well. Top with toasted sesame seeds. Serve at room temperature.
I just used the beet raw this time. I think the salad would be good with other grated veggies as well like carrot and prolly could've had green onion in it. But I was using carrot in our egg rolls so I decided just to go with the beet and it was satisfying that way.
Veggie Egg Rolls
1 pkg tofu drained
3 carrots
1 shallot
3 burdock roots (gobo)
2 cups napa cabbage finely shredded
Sesame oil
2 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp ginger
~14 egg roll wrappers
salt & pepper
1 egg, beaten
vegetable oil
Shred carrots, shallot & burdock root using Cuisinart attachment. Crumble tofu and brown in skillet w/ a little sesame oil. Add veggies and stir-fry ~3 minutes, add soy sauce, ginger and salt & pepper. Let cool. Place ~2 Tablespoons of veggie mix in the center of egg roll wrapper and follow package directions on folding. Use a little beaten egg to close the wrapper. Heat vegetable oil to about 350 degrees. It'll need to be about 2 inches high in your pan. Fry in small batches for about 4 minutes turning frequently. Remove rolls from pan and sit on paper towels.
Dipping sauce
1/2 c tamari
1/4 c mirin
1/4 c rice vinegar
1 T ginger
1/2 tsp ground mustard
Mix all together and set aside till ready to serve.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Soy Stash
This has become a family favorite. I love the spice but you can tone it down. It's easy to keep these things on hand so we make this one alot.1 bag of Trader Joes Organic SoyCutAsh (frozen edamame/corn/red pepper)
(cook as directed)
1 c. dried cranberries
dressing:
2 Tbs. Thai sweet red chili sauce
1/4 tsp. thai red curry paste
2 Tbs mirin
1 1/2 Tbs toasted sesame oil
Make the frozen bag of edamame/corn/red pepper. Rinse with cold water or let cool down and set aside. Mix the dressing ingredients, then add the cranberries and edamame mix. Mix well. Tastes even better the following day.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Orange Spring Salmon
This picture doesn't do this recipe justice. I thought this fish was good last night but it was amazing today at lunch. My mouth is watering for more. It was super simple, delicious and even complex tasting. I can't wait to make it again.1 lb salmon fillet
2 oranges
1/2 lemon
1/2 onion
2 green onions
dill
salt
pepper
olive oil
Thinly slice the 1/2 onion and 1 orange (unpeeled), put into a baking dish and sprinkle olive oil, salt and pepper on top of it. Bake at 400 for 20-30 min. Fry the salmon skin side down in a little olive oil for 5 min. or until the skin is crispy. Lay the fillet in the baking dish skin side down and sprinkle dill, salt and pepper on top. Put the baked orange slices and onions on top of the salmon and put the dish back in the oven at 450 for 10-15min. or when the fish is fully cooked. While that is cooking squeeze into a bowl the other orange and 1/2 lemon, slice the green onions and add some dill, stir. Once the salmon is cooked and cooled (or chilled even) remove the orange peels, pour the juices over the salmon and serve.
Acorn's Agave
I know this is a ridiculously easy recipe and shouldn't even be on here but it's such a fast easy yummy winter side. I usually make it with brown sugar and wasn't sure how it would taste with the agave nectar instead but I gave it a try. It was so good that no one could tell the difference. All you need are these four ingredients and and an oven.acorn squash, pat of butter, squirt of agave, pinch of salt
Turn oven on at 400, cut the squash in half, scoop out the seeds, add the butter and agave, sprinkle with salt, put in a shallow baking dish with water on the bottom and bake for an hour.
Diabetics Delight
Trying to find a chocolate dessert type recipe that's sugar free but still tastes good is so hard. Although the Trader Joe's No Carb Dark Chocolate fits the bill most of the time, I wanted to find an alternative. I first googled apple, pb, no sugar, oat balls and somehow found this recipe. It called for 1.5 cups of fructose so I used the Trader Joes Blue Agave instead.
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 cup Agave
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup milk
~*~
1/2 cup peanut butter
tsp vanilla
3 cups oats - not instant
Stir first 4 ingredients into a saucepan and bring to a boil for a minute. Add PB and vanilla, mix well. Stir in oatmeal. Take off the heat and when cool enough to handle (but still warm) shape into small balls, place on waxed-paper lined cookie sheet, and chill in refrigerator. Makes a couple dozen. Throw in the freezer for a "cooler" dessert. Chris liked these a lot so it's not just for those who are looking to lower their blood sugar.
Feel Better Noodle Soup
I'm home with a sick kid today which has me thinking of my comfort foods. This is another one I've eaten since childhood but adapted to fit into my veggie life. I remember my dad making this whenever we were sick but I suppose my mom did as well. They'd boil chicken till it fell off the bone with some carrots, celery & onions then add egg noodles to the broth and cook till done. Then they'd serve it over mashed potatoes. So whenever we get sick or it's just a rainy yucky day and we want some comfort food I make my version of it...which varies depending on the veggies I have on hand...but goes something like this:
Feel Better Noodle Soup
~2 cups chopped veggies (I usually pick 3 items from the following list: carrots, celery, celeriac, parsnips, leeks or onions, shitake mushrooms, kale)
~ 6 cups broth (I like the Imagine No-chicken Broth best)
1 T Soy sauce (optional, to taste)
1-2 tsp herbs (marjoram and/or thyme)
Salt & pepper
~2 c egg noodles
Saute veggies in olive oil till they're starting to get tender. Add broth and seasonings and bring to a boil. Add noodles and simmer 8-10 minutes (or as package directs).
Meanwhile boil potatoes till soft enough for mashing. Drain and add a pat of butter and a little milk, salt & pepper. I mash by hand to keep them a little chunky.
To serve, add a spoonful of mashed potatoes to each bowl and ladle soup over the top.
Feel Better Noodle Soup
~2 cups chopped veggies (I usually pick 3 items from the following list: carrots, celery, celeriac, parsnips, leeks or onions, shitake mushrooms, kale)
~ 6 cups broth (I like the Imagine No-chicken Broth best)
1 T Soy sauce (optional, to taste)
1-2 tsp herbs (marjoram and/or thyme)
Salt & pepper
~2 c egg noodles
Saute veggies in olive oil till they're starting to get tender. Add broth and seasonings and bring to a boil. Add noodles and simmer 8-10 minutes (or as package directs).
Meanwhile boil potatoes till soft enough for mashing. Drain and add a pat of butter and a little milk, salt & pepper. I mash by hand to keep them a little chunky.
To serve, add a spoonful of mashed potatoes to each bowl and ladle soup over the top.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Apple-Peanut Butter Cookies
I don't bake much. But I do love peanut butter. And this cookie brings together peanut butter and apples two things I almost always have on hand. What's not to love. It's from a cookbook I had when I was a kid. I can still picture the cover in my head. I think my mom still has it in her cupboard. I should see what else is in there since I still love these after all this time. Hmm, I wonder if they are considered a whole grain cookie?
Apple-Peanut Butter Cookies
3/4 c peanut butter
1/4 c butter
2 c brown sugar
---
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
---
1 c flour
1 c wheat flour
2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
---
1 c oatmeal
1 med apple, peeled, chopped (~1 cup)
Mix all ingredients together (using the lines above as mixing points before adding the next set of ingredients). You'll probably have to stir by hand when you get to the point of adding oatmeal & apple. It's really thick & heavy at that point but the apples add a lot of moisture during the baking. Form into 1 inch balls and slightly pat down. Bake 12-14 minutes on ungreased cookie sheet in 350 degree oven.
These are best the day you bake them. Don't seal up leftovers too tight because the apple will continue to soften the cookie.
Apple-Peanut Butter Cookies
3/4 c peanut butter
1/4 c butter
2 c brown sugar
---
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
---
1 c flour
1 c wheat flour
2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
---
1 c oatmeal
1 med apple, peeled, chopped (~1 cup)
Mix all ingredients together (using the lines above as mixing points before adding the next set of ingredients). You'll probably have to stir by hand when you get to the point of adding oatmeal & apple. It's really thick & heavy at that point but the apples add a lot of moisture during the baking. Form into 1 inch balls and slightly pat down. Bake 12-14 minutes on ungreased cookie sheet in 350 degree oven.
These are best the day you bake them. Don't seal up leftovers too tight because the apple will continue to soften the cookie.
Catchup w/ Betty's Salad Dressing
Did I really not post anything in the month of February. Sheesh. Yay for Emily (E4Mle) starting to post here. It's good to get some new recipes!
Tonight we had my favorite salad for dinner. We do lots of variations on it. The dressing rocks with a tangy bite to it. I think the recipe comes from a woman who ran a hotel/restaurant we used to go to in Ohio...yep, thank you Wikipedia: "Betty's Salad is a regional, Midwest salad created by Betty Timko and featured as a menu item at her restaurant, Timko's Soup and Such, in Toledo, Ohio. The restaurant was located in a brick building at the Northwest corner of Sylvania and Douglas Roads of the Devaux Village strip mall in West Toledo. After Betty died, the restaurant closed, and her signature salad dressing is still produced and distributed at regional grocery stores."
Anyway, we ate this a lot growing up and I still love it. I've just tweaked it to use veggie bacon in place of the real thing.
Salad:
lettuce (mixed, iceberg, romaine, whatever you have on hand)
fresh spinach
fresh bean sprouts
chopped boiled egg
crumbled bacon
Dressing (combine in blender or food processor):
1/2 c ketchup
3/4 c veg. oil
3/4 c sugar
1/4 c apple cider vinegar
2 tsp worcestershire sauce
1 small onion, chopped (optional...I sometimes replace this with onion powder or just drop it all together)
salt & pepper to taste
Additions we've tried: roasted potatoes, blanched green beans, fresh tomatos.
Tonight we used mixed greens, skipped the spinach, and added a medley of roasted beets, potatos, and parsnips. Yum.
Tonight we had my favorite salad for dinner. We do lots of variations on it. The dressing rocks with a tangy bite to it. I think the recipe comes from a woman who ran a hotel/restaurant we used to go to in Ohio...yep, thank you Wikipedia: "Betty's Salad is a regional, Midwest salad created by Betty Timko and featured as a menu item at her restaurant, Timko's Soup and Such, in Toledo, Ohio. The restaurant was located in a brick building at the Northwest corner of Sylvania and Douglas Roads of the Devaux Village strip mall in West Toledo. After Betty died, the restaurant closed, and her signature salad dressing is still produced and distributed at regional grocery stores."
Anyway, we ate this a lot growing up and I still love it. I've just tweaked it to use veggie bacon in place of the real thing.
Salad:
lettuce (mixed, iceberg, romaine, whatever you have on hand)
fresh spinach
fresh bean sprouts
chopped boiled egg
crumbled bacon
Dressing (combine in blender or food processor):
1/2 c ketchup
3/4 c veg. oil
3/4 c sugar
1/4 c apple cider vinegar
2 tsp worcestershire sauce
1 small onion, chopped (optional...I sometimes replace this with onion powder or just drop it all together)
salt & pepper to taste
Additions we've tried: roasted potatoes, blanched green beans, fresh tomatos.
Tonight we used mixed greens, skipped the spinach, and added a medley of roasted beets, potatos, and parsnips. Yum.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Classy Quinoa
So in this new quest for foods that are high in protein, low in carbs and sugar but still taste good, I came up with this. Thought I'd revamp this Quinoa since I'll be doing a lot of it. I wasn't sure how this combo would stack up but it was pretty tasty so I thought I'd share it.
1 c. Quinoa
Add:
bunch of Cilantro, 1 Tomato, 1 can of Black Beans and some Salt
Dressing:
2 Tbs. Lime juice, some Lime zest, 1 Tbs. Agave nectar, White wine vingr, 1 ts. butter, 1 ts. olive oil
I cooked the Quinoa in my rice cooker. 1c. - 2c. water. Fluffed it and added the beans, cilantro and tomato. Then I mixed the dressing and thru it in the microwave for a minute and then mixed it over the salad. We didn't eat it until it was cooled down but I'd imagine it was good hot too.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Friday's Fish
So I don't know anything about making fish besides fish sticks, tuna (out of a can) and the occasional Salmon so I dug up an old recipe book and made my own variation on this Cod:
1 Tbs. white wine vingr.
Sea salt
2 8oz. (or 1 1lb) Fillets of Cod, Sole or Red Snapper (~cleared of skin/bones)
Aioli:
2 egg yolks, 3 cloves garlic, sea salt, 1/3 c. olive oil, 3/4 c. veg. or canola oil, 1 1/2 Tbs. lemon juice, 1/2 tsp saffron threads ~steeped in 2 Tbs. of water (for 15 min.)
Garnish:
Shredded raw beets, capers, pepper, lettuce
Pour 4c. water, the salt and vinegar into a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Once boiling, bring the temp. down and cook for about 5-8 min. or until the fish is cooked. Drain and set aside. To make the Aioli crush the garlic and salt to a paste. Mix the egg yolks and then drizzle in the mix of both oils just a few drips at a time until the mixture looks like cake batter. Whisk in the lemon juice and the saffron threads and the water that the threads were steeping in.
Throw the fish on some lettuce, add the Aioli, some beets, capers, salt and pepper...
We had left over Dolmas and I made some simple steamed carrots and squash to go with. The beets turned my hands red but every bite was worth it!
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Under pressure Indian soup
I was trying to make a savory spicy Indian dip with my pressure cooker but ended up with this yummy soup instead. Sometimes the best recipes are the accidental ones :) or so I hope.
Ingredients:
3/4 c. Moong Dal
1/4 c. Massor Dal
1/2 onion
2 clove garlic
1/2 inch ginger grated
1/2 mushrooms chopped
1/3 c. peas
1/3 c. carrots
1-2 dried red chili peppers
4.5 c. water
1/4 c. cilantro
1 tomato
spice mixture:
turmeric
cumin
coriander
cardamon
dill
salt
pepper
I sauted the onions, mushrooms, garlic and ginger w. a little veg. oil and 2 tablespoons of the spice mixture above in the pressure cooker. Then rinsed the two different Dals until the water ran clear. Put the Dals into the pressure cooker, added the chili peppers, peas, carrots and water. Heated up the pressure cooker with the lid on til the pressure was obtained (the first whistle) and cooked at full pressure for 8 min. After I quick released the pressure, I threw the chopped tomato and cilantro and kept the heat on low for another 10 min. Add some Naan and you've got dinner in under 20 min.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Sesame Snaps
**This is from Jenny...apparently she forgot to hit publish post!**
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Butter a 10x15 inch jellyroll pan.
Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in brown sugar and vanilla. Remove from heat, and stir in oats, sesame seeds and baking powder until well blended. Press evenly into the prepared pan.
Bake for 7 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or golden brown. Cool in the pan over a wire rack. Cut into bars.
Here's a tasty little treat I found on allrecipes.com! I used old fashioned oats because that's what I had and it's a bit crumbly. I'm wondering if the quick oats would hold together better. Also, baking it in the jelly roll pan, it's really thin.
3/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
2 1/4 cups quick cooking oats (i used old fashioned oats)
3/4 cup sesame seeds (i used 1/2 c)
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
2 1/4 cups quick cooking oats (i used old fashioned oats)
3/4 cup sesame seeds (i used 1/2 c)
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Butter a 10x15 inch jellyroll pan.
Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in brown sugar and vanilla. Remove from heat, and stir in oats, sesame seeds and baking powder until well blended. Press evenly into the prepared pan.
Bake for 7 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or golden brown. Cool in the pan over a wire rack. Cut into bars.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Chocolate Dipped Macaroons
I got this recipe from Kathleen's friend Malinka in the recipe exchange. I don't have many dessert recipes so it's cool to get some new ones. And it sounds like something EmilyW would like too. Let me know if you try it before I do!:
Chocolate dipped macaroons
ingredients;
2 bags of MOUNDS sweetened coconut flakes (396g per bag I think)
7 eggs
1/4 cup sugar
2 sticks of butter
dark chocolate for melting and dipping
procedure;
Melt butter and let cool to room temp.
Beat all the eggs with the sugar until they become foamy. (Kitchen aid rocks-takes 5 minutes)
In a big bowl combine coconut flakes (make sure that there are no clumps of coconut), eggs and butter and stir well.
Use two table spoons to scoop out spoon sized, ball-shaped cookies onto a greased ( may not be necessary to grease) parchment paper on a cookie sheet. Bake until the top of cookies turn golden brown ~20 minutes. This recipe makes about 50 cookies- you will need at least two baking sheets. When cookies are cooled, dip in melted chocolate and plate back onto the parchment paper. Place cookies in the fridge to allow the chocolate to solidify. Yum-this is one of my favorite cookie recipes.
Chocolate dipped macaroons
ingredients;
2 bags of MOUNDS sweetened coconut flakes (396g per bag I think)
7 eggs
1/4 cup sugar
2 sticks of butter
dark chocolate for melting and dipping
procedure;
Melt butter and let cool to room temp.
Beat all the eggs with the sugar until they become foamy. (Kitchen aid rocks-takes 5 minutes)
In a big bowl combine coconut flakes (make sure that there are no clumps of coconut), eggs and butter and stir well.
Use two table spoons to scoop out spoon sized, ball-shaped cookies onto a greased ( may not be necessary to grease) parchment paper on a cookie sheet. Bake until the top of cookies turn golden brown ~20 minutes. This recipe makes about 50 cookies- you will need at least two baking sheets. When cookies are cooled, dip in melted chocolate and plate back onto the parchment paper. Place cookies in the fridge to allow the chocolate to solidify. Yum-this is one of my favorite cookie recipes.
Baked Oatmeal
Jenny introduced me to this one a few years ago and it's become a breakfast/brunch favorite. And it travels well if you're going to a brunch potluck. We usually make it with soymilk and whatever dried fruits and nuts we have on hand. Sometimes we even use assorted dried fruits (apricots, cherries, berries) to get to 1/2 cup. It's always been delicious! Jenny says not to make it with whole milk.
Ingredients
2 c. old fashioned oats
4 cups milk
1/4 tsp almond flavoring
1/4 c. brown sugar (I use 1/4 c. loose vs. packed)
1/4 c. sliced almonds (or walnuts, or other chopped nuts)
1/2 c. dried cherries (or cranberries, or other dried fruit)
1 large apple, unpeeled, grated
Procedure
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Spray 7" x 10" baking dish with cooking spray. In mixing bowl, combine all ingredients. Transfer to baking dish. Bake uncovered 30 minutes or until bubbly. Let sit 5-10 minutes. It will thicken more as at cools.
Ingredients
2 c. old fashioned oats
4 cups milk
1/4 tsp almond flavoring
1/4 c. brown sugar (I use 1/4 c. loose vs. packed)
1/4 c. sliced almonds (or walnuts, or other chopped nuts)
1/2 c. dried cherries (or cranberries, or other dried fruit)
1 large apple, unpeeled, grated
Procedure
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Spray 7" x 10" baking dish with cooking spray. In mixing bowl, combine all ingredients. Transfer to baking dish. Bake uncovered 30 minutes or until bubbly. Let sit 5-10 minutes. It will thicken more as at cools.
Oatmeal Cookie Apple Pie
This is a recipe Jenny sent for the recipe exchange. I'm looking forward to trying it!
Oatmeal Cookie Apple Pie
Ingredients
DOUGH
2 sticks butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cups flour
1 pinch salt
1 1/2 cups oatmeal
FILLING
4 apples, peeled and sliced
1/4 cup raisins
SYRUP
1 cup water
2/3 cup white sugar
1 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon clove
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
Cream butter and sugar.
Mix in flour and salt completely, then the oatmeal.
Press 1/2 the dough into a greased pie pan or Pyrex dish.
Place the apples over dough and sprinkle with raisins.
Boil the syrup ingredients together for 5 minutes.
Pour syrup over apples.
Cover apple mixture with remaining dough.
Bake at 350F for 50-55 minutes.
Serve warm with vanilla ice cream!
Oatmeal Cookie Apple Pie
Ingredients
DOUGH
2 sticks butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cups flour
1 pinch salt
1 1/2 cups oatmeal
FILLING
4 apples, peeled and sliced
1/4 cup raisins
SYRUP
1 cup water
2/3 cup white sugar
1 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon clove
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
Cream butter and sugar.
Mix in flour and salt completely, then the oatmeal.
Press 1/2 the dough into a greased pie pan or Pyrex dish.
Place the apples over dough and sprinkle with raisins.
Boil the syrup ingredients together for 5 minutes.
Pour syrup over apples.
Cover apple mixture with remaining dough.
Bake at 350F for 50-55 minutes.
Serve warm with vanilla ice cream!
Monday, January 12, 2009
Spiced Vanilla Granola
This is based on a recipe from The Big Book of Vegetarian. I've been playing around with it to make it "chunkier" and more like a snack and less like a cereal. And I use whatever nuts, seeds or dried fruit I've got in the house.
4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 1/2 cups chopped nuts (pecans, walnuts, pepitas, sunflower seeds)
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup dried fruit (currants, cranberries, apricots, cherries)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 300F. Grease a large baking pan.
In a large bowl, mix the oats, nuts, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. In a small saucepan, combine the oil, maple syrup, and honey. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla and dried fruit. Pour over the hot oat mixture; stir well. Toss the mixture until thoroughly combined.
Spread in the prepared baking pan. Bake, stirring occasionally, for about 30 minutes, or until golden brown. Transfer the pan to a rack and let cool completely.
Makes about 9 cups.
4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 1/2 cups chopped nuts (pecans, walnuts, pepitas, sunflower seeds)
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup dried fruit (currants, cranberries, apricots, cherries)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 300F. Grease a large baking pan.
In a large bowl, mix the oats, nuts, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. In a small saucepan, combine the oil, maple syrup, and honey. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla and dried fruit. Pour over the hot oat mixture; stir well. Toss the mixture until thoroughly combined.
Spread in the prepared baking pan. Bake, stirring occasionally, for about 30 minutes, or until golden brown. Transfer the pan to a rack and let cool completely.
Makes about 9 cups.
Chilaquiles
Oof, I've been bad about posting. Emily sent me a recipe-chain mail today and it got me thinking of the stuff I've been meaning to post but haven't gotten around to.
My off-the-top-of-my-head recipe for chainmail was for Chilaquiles. I first had them at Luisa's and fell in love. Then I started making them at home for breakfast or dinner. And now even Amy's Kitchen has a frozen lunch version (I haven't tried it).
Here's how I make them (for a single serving):
Whisk together 2 eggs and 1 T milk. Add 1/4 c of your favorite cheese (cheddar, monterey jack, cotija, etc.). Add 1/4 c crumbled (about the size of a quarter) tortilla chips. Stir all together. Heat skillet with 1 T oil over medium heat. Add egg mixture to pan. As eggs begin to set add 2 T of your favorite salsa (green or red), salt & pepper. Serve with fresh avocado chunks.
My off-the-top-of-my-head recipe for chainmail was for Chilaquiles. I first had them at Luisa's and fell in love. Then I started making them at home for breakfast or dinner. And now even Amy's Kitchen has a frozen lunch version (I haven't tried it).
Here's how I make them (for a single serving):
Whisk together 2 eggs and 1 T milk. Add 1/4 c of your favorite cheese (cheddar, monterey jack, cotija, etc.). Add 1/4 c crumbled (about the size of a quarter) tortilla chips. Stir all together. Heat skillet with 1 T oil over medium heat. Add egg mixture to pan. As eggs begin to set add 2 T of your favorite salsa (green or red), salt & pepper. Serve with fresh avocado chunks.
Friday, January 9, 2009
Mexican or "Hot" Chocolate Cake
This has become our family favorite and is easy to cut down to make a perfect serving for two. I just use 1/3 of the recipe and pour it in to two mini 3" cake rounds. A full recipe makes one 9" round.
It's a moist and delicious chocolate cake that gets an extra kick from the cinnamon and cayenne.
1 1/2 cups flour, sifted
1 cup sugar (try Florida Crystals brand)
4 Tbsp. cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2-3/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 Tbsp. distilled white vinegar
5 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 cup cold water
Confectioners’ sugar for garnish
• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9-inch cake pan.
• In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, and baking soda. Stir in the cinnamon, cayenne, vanilla, vinegar, oil, and water. Mix until just combined.
• Pour into the prepared cake pan and cook for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool.
• Dust with the confectioners’ sugar before serving.
Makes 8 to 10 servings
Note: This recipe goes great with a spicy dark-chocolate sauce. To make the sauce, melt 2 squares of dark chocolate with 1/4 cup water or soy milk. Stir constantly until the chocolate is melted. Stir in 1/2 cup sugar and cook, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in 3 Tbsp. vegan margarine, 1/2 tsp. vanilla, and cayenne pepper, to taste.
It's a moist and delicious chocolate cake that gets an extra kick from the cinnamon and cayenne.
1 1/2 cups flour, sifted
1 cup sugar (try Florida Crystals brand)
4 Tbsp. cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2-3/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 Tbsp. distilled white vinegar
5 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 cup cold water
Confectioners’ sugar for garnish
• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9-inch cake pan.
• In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, and baking soda. Stir in the cinnamon, cayenne, vanilla, vinegar, oil, and water. Mix until just combined.
• Pour into the prepared cake pan and cook for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool.
• Dust with the confectioners’ sugar before serving.
Makes 8 to 10 servings
Note: This recipe goes great with a spicy dark-chocolate sauce. To make the sauce, melt 2 squares of dark chocolate with 1/4 cup water or soy milk. Stir constantly until the chocolate is melted. Stir in 1/2 cup sugar and cook, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in 3 Tbsp. vegan margarine, 1/2 tsp. vanilla, and cayenne pepper, to taste.
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