BtN's Kitchen

"I'm not eating enough vegetables" soup

2012-01-28T11:42:00.000-08:00

Life has been a bit crazy this week, and with one thing and another my diet has ended up heavily weighted towards meat, eggs and cream with a distinct paucity of veggies. Which is fine, for a while, but today my body just said GREEN so I went with the instinct. This was the result.

Ingredients:
1 whole broccoli, coarsely chopped (if you're like me and enjoy eating the stem, chop & include that as well)
1 whole cauliflower, coarsely chopped
1 whole brown onion, sliced
1 courgette, sliced into rounds
250g Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
250g mushrooms, sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed and chopped
1 vegetable stock cube
1 chicken stock cube
A dash of allspice
A large dash of sage
A large dash of rosemary
A dash of salt

To serve:
Grated cheddar
Sour cream
Double cream

Method:
In a large stock pot/soup pot, dissolve the two stock cubes in some hot water. Add all of the veggies, sprinkle the allspice, salt and herbs, then top up with more water until the veggies are almost covered.

Bring to the boil, then allow to simmer slowly until veggies are soft - I think it took about an hour and a half for mine, but maybe not even that.

Spoon into a bowl and add a pile of grated cheese (I used cheddar but parmesan would have been amazing) and a glug each of double cream and sour cream. Mix thoroughly and enjoy.

This makes a LOT of servings so be prepared to stock your fridge or freezer with the leftovers!

Turkey Mince with Paprika and Allspice

2012-01-13T12:56:00.000-08:00

This dish came about because I had turkey mince, a few bitsand pieces of veg and the spice cupboard, and not much else that was useful to go with it. So I just went with my instincts and came up with somethingunexpectedly amazing. It’s a rich, creamy dish, somewhat reminiscent ofMoroccan cuisine, sweet and spicy and warming.

It’s low-carb and therefore correspondingly protein andfat-rich – not great if you’re on a low calorie diet, but perfect if you’re notdieting or on a low-carb regime (as I am).

This recipe will make 2 big serves if you’re eating it byitself, or it could easily be stretched to 4 with sides of rice or couscous andsome extra veggies. I had it by itself and it was fabulous, but I'll relish it with rice when I'm allowed some again.

Ingredients:

500g turkey mince (ground meat)

1 brown onion, thinly sliced

1 red pepper (capsicum), diced

1 courgette (zucchini), grated

Double handful thin fresh green beans, ends cut off and beans cut in half

Splenda (or sugar)

½ a chicken stock cube

2 tsp freshly grated ginger, or ginger granules to taste

Paprika, allspice, turmeric, garlic granules to taste

1-2 tbsp lemon juice, to taste

Butter

A good glug of fresh double cream

1. Melt some butter to coat the bottom of a large fryingpan. Cook the onions in the butter with some Splenda (or sugar) on high heatuntil soft and translucent. Add the capsicum and beans and cook until thecapsicum starts to soften. Add more butter when necessary to keep the mixturemoist.

2. Add the ginger (if using grated) and the turkey mince.Fry stirring frequently until the mince is browned. Add more butter whennecessary to keep the mixture moist but don’t make it too greasy.

3. When the mince is browned, add the courgette and fryuntil it starts to go translucent.

4. Add the lemon juice – just go with your instincts – andthe crumbled stock cube. Mix well to incorporate. Then add plenty of paprika, agood scattering of allspice and turmeric, and a few dashes of garlic (plus a good scatteringof ginger if using granulated), a shake of splenda or sugar and a small shakeof salt. All this is to taste – add, check, adjust if necessary. You can’t gotoo far wrong. Make sure you use plenty to give the dish loads of flavour.

5. When the meat and veggies are coated with spices andeverything tastes great, turn the heat down to the lowest setting. When thesizzling calms down add a good glug of cream to the frypan, enough so that whenyou stir it in all the meat is coated. Cook until the cream is heated, stirringconstantly. When the cream is hot, serve immediately.

Sweet Potato Kugel

2011-12-31T23:17:00.000-08:00

This is a Jewish dish that I discovered (and tweaked) this past November. It's a delicious and healthy meal that I personally enjoy eating cold in the days afterwards. I suggest being liberal with the cinnamon. Enjoy!

SWEET POTATO KUGEL

5 lbs. sweet potatoes (about 8 cups)

2 apples (I use cameo apples, but any crisp apple is good)

6 eggs

1 cup raisins (You could also use dates. Just chop them and skip soaking.)

½ cup orange juice (or the juice of one orange)

½ cup walnuts, crushed to small pieces

½ cup pecan halves

1 ½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon powdered ginger

¾ teaspoon nutmeg

½ teaspoon cloves

butter for greasing (I've used Pam before and it works just fine)

1) Pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 9x12 cake pan with butter.

2) In a small bowl, soak the raisins in orange juice, adding water so the raisins are covered. (You can speed up the plumping by microwaving for 30-45 seconds.)

3) Peel the sweet potatoes. Using a grater blade on a food processor or a box grater, grate them. Put the grated sweet potatoes in a large mixing bowl.

4) Beat the eggs (The fluffier they are, the fluffier your kugel). Mix into sweet potatoes.

5) Grate the apples, add to the sweet tater & egg mixture.

6) Stir in the salt and spices.

7) Add the raisins and soaking liquids. Stir.

8) Pour/scoop mixture into your cake pan, smoothing flat.

9) Sprinkle with pecans and walnuts, pressing them a little into the kugel.

10) Bake 45 minutes or so, until the edges are a little browned and the top gets golden. Let it cool a bit, then cut into 24 pieces, but know that everyone will probably want more than one.

Calculations

TOTAL: 3936 calories, 111g fat, 93.1g fiber, $10.59

PER SERVING (TOTAL/24): 164 calories, 4.6g fat, 3.9g fiber, $0.44

PER (LARGER) SERVING (TOTAL/12): 328 calories, 9.3g fat, 7.8g fiber, $0.88

Crustless Quiche

2011-11-26T23:46:00.000-08:00

This recipe makes a great breakfast or handy snack food if you're on a low-carb diet such as the Neris & India diet or Atkins. It's easy to prepare, keeps well in the fridge for a few days, and tastes great.

Ingredients:

* 4 eggs
* 1.5 metric cups (375mL) of whole milk, cream, unsweetened soy milk or a combination; I used 150mL of double cream and 225mL of unsweetened soy milk.
* 1 large tomato, sliced
* 3 rashers of thick-cut streaky bacon, diced
* The crisp parts of three spring onions (green onions), sliced
* About 6 button mushrooms, sliced
* ½ red pepper (capsicum), diced
* 6 tinned asparagus spears
* ¾ metric cup grated cheddar cheese
* Oregano and marjoram, to taste
* Paprika, salt, pepper to taste

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 190C / 375F

2. Prepare a pie dish or alternative (I used two small round cake tins lined with greaseproof paper)

3. Arrange tomato slices over the base of the pie dish.

4. In a saucepan, gently fry bacon, pepper (capsicum), spring onion and mushroom until just soft.

5. Arrange bacon & fried veggies over the top of the tomato, and scatter grated cheese on top of the veggies. Sprinkle oregano and marjoram over the cheese.

6. In a large bowl or blender, beat eggs and milk/cream together with a good dash of paprika, some salt and some pepper, to taaste. When thoroughly blended, pour into the pie dish.

7. Arrange asparagus spears in a star shape on top.

8. Place pie dish in preheated oven and bake for 35-50 minutes. Start checking after about half an hour as times will vary. If you're making more than one you may need to rotate them in the oven. Cook until golden on top. It's ok if the centre is still a bit gooey as it will finish cooking from the heat of the rest of the quiche after it's taken out. Mine took about 35 minutes in a fast oven - I accidentally slightly overcooked one of them but it still tastes great.

9. Store well-wrapped in the fridge and eat within a few days.

I've only eaten this cold, but I imagine it's tasty hot as well! It went down a treat with my 3-year-old stepson too :)

You can vary this recipe a thousand ways - any combination of meats, vegetables, cheeses, seasonings etc will probably work. Experiment with it!

Cheesy Beef n' Rice

2011-02-06T19:07:00.000-08:00

My favorite dish to make.

Cheesy Beef n' Rice

1 c Long Grain Rice
2 T Butter

3 c Broth (or water)
2 Carrots, shredded
2 t Beef broth powder (if using water)
1 lb Ground Beef, browned

Parsley
Basil
Salt
Onion Powder
Garlic Powder

1/2 c Cheddar cheese, shredded

Saute rice in butter. Add everything else, save the cheese. Bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes. Stir twice during baking. Uncover, sprinkle with cheese, and bake until cheese melts.

(can be cooked on the stovetop, covered, until the rice is soft and the liquid is absorbed)

Kate's Hard Tack

2011-02-06T19:00:00.000-08:00

This is a favorite snack in my family. I use fresh-ground soft white wheat. I suppose store-bought whole wheat flour would work, but I've never had it in the house! :-/ I make a double batch of this, and the guys pack it up in their lunch boxes for school or work. We all love hard tack!

7/8 c Warm Water
1/3 c Oil
1/4 c Honey
1 t Salt
3 1/2 - 4 c Flour

Mix into a stiff dough and roll flat on baking sheet. Poke with fork and score. Bake 375 degrees for 25 minutes or until done.

Cora's note: "Done" can be anywhere from dark brown to barely hardened on top. Play around with it.

Grandma's Macaroni

2011-02-06T18:56:00.000-08:00

This is the "family recipe" that we thought Grandma was hiding for years and years... turns out she never knew anyone wanted it, and when I asked, she was happy to give it to me.

Grandma Shirley's Macaroni and Cheese

Equal parts dry macaroni noodles and cubed cheese (sharp or medium cheddar)
Cook noodles in salted water with some minced onion
Beat egg in a greased casserole: 1 egg per 2 cups dry macaroni
Add one cup milk per egg
Add noodles and cheese
Mix well
Bake 20-30 minutes at 300 degrees

Cora's note: We always put tons of paprika on top. I cover it for half the cooking time.

Breakfast smoothie

2009-10-10T00:15:00.000-07:00

Yummy, healthy, organic and filling!

200mL milk
1 small banana
1 free range egg
1/4 cup (62.5mL) natural organic yoghurt
1/4 cup puffed amaranth cereal
1 tbsp (20mL) nut butter (I used almond, cashew & brazil nut butter, but originally planned to use plain almond, which was out of stock)
1 tbsp honey
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Place everything in a blender, blend until pretty smooth, and drink!

Naturally you can substitute amaranth cereal for just about any other cereal, or even a finely blended or ground grain.

Great for pouring into a covered cup for the trip to work when sitting down to breakfast seems too hard ;)

Raspberry Cream Cheese Tart

2009-05-31T15:23:00.000-07:00

Adapted from Joy of Baking.

For the crust:
1 1/2 cups (210 g) flour
a dash of salt
1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter
1/4 cup (50 g) sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten

For the filling:
16 oz (500 g) cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup (200 grams) sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cup (360 ml) half-and-half

1 teaspoon vanilla extract
the zest of one lemon

1 1/2 cups (165 g) fresh raspberries

Directions:

For the crust:

Whisk together the flour and salt. Set aside.

Beat butter until softened.

Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy.

Gradually add the beaten egg, beating just until incorporated. Do not overmix.

Add the flour all at once and mix just until it forms a ball.

Flatten the dough into disk, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes or until firm.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry into a 12 inch (30 cm) circle that is about 1/8 inch (3 mm) thick.

When the pastry is rolled to the desired size, lightly roll pastry around your rolling pin, and unroll onto a tart pan.

Don't pull pastry the or you will get shrinkage.

Intead, lighly press the pastry into the bottom and up the sides of the pan.

Prick the bottom of dough with a fork (this will prevent the dough from puffing up as it bakes). Cover and refrigerate for ~30 minutes to chill the butter and to rest the gluten.

Preheat oven to 400 F (200 C)

Line the unbaked pastry shell with parchment paper or aluminum foil.

Fill tart pan with pie weights, rice or beans, making sure the weights are to the top of the pan and evenly distributed over the entire surface.

Bake crust for 20 to 25 minutes until crust is dry and lightly golden brown.

Remove weights and cool crust before filling.

For the filling:

Beat cream cheese intil smooth.

Add sugar.

Add eggs, one at a time, and beat until thoroughly combined.

Add remaining ingredients and beat until smooth.
Place the tart pan on a larger baking pan.

Pour the filling into the pre-baked shell.

Arrange the raspberries evenly around the tart shell

Bake at 350F (175C) for about 30 - 35 minutes or until the filling is set.

Transfer tart to a wire rack and cool.

Store in fridge.

Potato Acordeons

2009-05-20T11:15:00.000-07:00

Adapted from povarenok.ru. The original was with mushrooms, but because we are carnivores, I made mine with bacon. The point is, they are totally adaptable to fit different tastes.

Ingredients (for two servings):
2 medium potatoes
~ 100 g bacon
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon vinegar
rosemary, parsley to taste
~ 50 g cheddar

Directions:
Wash the potatoes with warm water and soap and scrub really well. Do not peel them.
Cut them lengthwise in 1 cm slices, but don't cut all the way.
Dunk them in a bowl of icy cold water for 10 minutes.
Cut the bacon.
Put a piece of bacon in each slit:

In a separate bowl mix oil, vinegar and spices.
Rub the oil mix on potatoes.
Wrap each one in aluminum foil.
Bake at 350F for 45 minutes, or until the potato is easily pierced with a fork.
Cut the cheese into thin strips.
Unwrap potatoes, cover each with a few strips of cheese, and bake for additional 5 minutes.
Serve warm.

Coconut Chicken

2009-05-03T17:02:00.000-07:00

Slightly spicy with thick creamy sauce, yum! And quite easy to make too. Recipe adapted from Indian Food and Folklore.

Ingredients:

14.5 oz (400 ml) coconut milk
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teasoon turmeric
2 teaspoons cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
~ 200 g mushrooms
1 lb (450 g) chicken pieces, skinned
2 tablespoons oil

Directions:

Heat the oil in a pan and brown the chicken pieces.
Add mushrooms.
Add the coconut milk and all spices.
Bring to a simmer and cook uncovered for about 30 minutes or until chicken is tender.

Semolina Halva

2009-04-01T22:04:00.000-07:00

This is an amazingly delicious dessert, and husband-proof to boot :). Recipe from my mom's notebook.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup oil
1 cup semolina
1 cup sugar
3 cups water
raisins, nuts to taste

Directions:

Stir sugar into cold water until sugar is dissolved. Set aside.
In a saucepan heat oil.
Sautee semolina in oil, stirring constantly. You want the semolina to turn golden, but not brown.
Start adding the sugar syrup little by little. Stir until incorporated.
Once the whole syrup has been incorporated, remove from heat.
Add walnuts, raisins, dried apricots or whatever else you feel like.
Stir well, then put warm mixture into a suitable dish (muffin pans or baking pan).
Let it cool.
Then flip on a plate...
Cut in slices...
Sprinkle with cinnamon...
And enjoy :)

Spicy Mushrooms in Coconut Sauce

2009-03-06T10:41:00.000-08:00

A nice side dish that is easy to make and is an alternative to potatoes and rice. Recipe from here.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon oil
1 red bell pepper, cut in strips
1/4 onion, diced
1/2 lb (~200 g) mushrooms, sliced
1 1/2 cup coconut milk
1/4 teaspoon red pepper (or more, to taste)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

In a large saucepan heat the oil and sautee onion and bell pepper.
Add mushrooms and sautee.
Add coconut milk and red pepper.
Bring to a boil and let it simmer for 20 minutes or until coconut milk is reduced to half.
Take off heat and add salt and pepper to taste.
Sprinkle with cilantro leaves.

Red Velvet Cake

2009-02-21T11:39:00.000-08:00

A strikingly looking cake with an unexpected hint of chocolate flavor. Its only caveat is that you are left with a lot of bowls to wash. It's all worth it, though :). Recipe from Joy of Baking, of course.

Ingredients:

For the cake:
2 1/2 cups (250 g) flour, sifted
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons (15 g) Dutch-processed cocoa powder*
1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups (300 g) sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup (240 ml) buttermilk**
2 tablespoons liquid red food coloring
1 teaspoon vinegar
1 teaspoon baking soda

* As a substitute use 2 tablespoons natural cocoa and throw in a pinch of baking soda.
** Or, to make your own, stir 1 tablespoon of vinegar into 1 cup of milk, and let it sit for 10 minutes before using.

For the frosting:
1 1/2 cups (360 ml) heavy whipping cream
16 oz (450 g) cream cheese, room temperature
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup (115 g) confectioners' (icing or powdered) sugar

Directions:

For the cake:
Preheat oven to 350 F (175 C) and place rack in center of oven.
Butter two 9 inch (23 cm) round cake pans and set them aside.
In a mixing bowl sift (this is one of those recipes where sifting *is* important!) together the flour, salt, and cocoa powder. Set aside.

In a separate bowl beat the butter until soft.
Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy.
Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Add the vanilla extract and beat until combined.

In a separate cup whisk the buttermilk with the red food coloring.
With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and the red buttermilk in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour.

In a small cup combine the vinegar and baking soda.
Allow the mixture to fizz and then quickly fold into the cake batter.

Working quickly, divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans and smooth the tops with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon.
Speed is of the essence here, as your only rising agent is the vinegar-soda mix, and it dissipates quickly.

Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 25 - 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean.

Cool the cakes in their pans for 10 minutes, then invert them on a wire rack and cool completely. Once completely cooled, wrap cakes in plastic wrap and place them in the freezer for at least an hour. (This is done to make filling and frosting the cakes easier.)

For the frosting:
Beat the cream cheese until smooth.
Add the vanilla and confectioners' sugar and process until smooth.

In a separate bowl (I told you there are too many bowls!) whip the cream until stiff peaks form.
With a large spatula, gently but quickly fold a little of the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture to lighten it.
Then fold in the remaining whipped cream, in two stages.

Recipe advises to place the frosting in the refrigerator for an hour if it is not thick enough to spread, but I've never had that problem.

To assemble:
With a serrated knife, cut each cake layer horizontally in half to get four layers.
Place one of the cake layers, top facing down, onto a plate.
Spread the cake layer with a layer of frosting.
Place another layer of cake on top of the frosting and continue to frost and stack the cake layers.
Frost the top and sides of the cake.
Garnish with coconut if desired.

Parmesan cheese and ham muffins

2009-02-18T06:27:00.000-08:00

This one of my mom's piéces de résistance, it's basically a Mediterrenean addition to the basic muffin recipe. It makes a great party food or snack.

Ingredients:

2 eggs
2 spoonfuls of sugar
1 deciliter of seed or rice oil
2 spoonfuls of parmesan
1 dl of milk
1 teaspoon of butter
100 g. of ham in small pieces
Flour as needed
a sachet of baking powder

Beat the eggs, sugar and oil together. Add parmisan, milk, butter and ham and mix well. Add flour through sieve and baking powder and mix as little as possible. Put mixture in muffin cups andbake at 180 celsius for 15 minutes.

Slow Cooker Beef Stew

2009-02-16T17:06:00.000-08:00

A very colorful and very flavorful winter dish. Recipe from the Taste of Home website.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lb (750 g) potatoes, peeled and cubed
6 medium carrots, cut into 1-inch slices
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
3 celery ribs, coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 lb (700 g) beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
14 1/2 oz (410 g) canned diced tomatoes, undrained
1 cup beef broth
1 teaspoon ground mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

Directions:

Layer the potatoes, carrots, onion and celery in a slow cooker.
Place flour in a large resealable plastic bag.
Add stew meat; seal and toss to coat evenly.
In a large skillet, brown meat in oil in batches.
Place over vegetables.
In a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, broth, mustard, salt, pepper and thyme.
Pour over beef.
Cover and cook on high for 1 1/2 hours.
Reduce heat to low; cook 6 hours longer or until the meat and vegetables are tender.

Ricotta Cheesecake

2009-02-10T09:08:00.000-08:00

Adapted from this recipe.

Ingredients:

For the crust:
1 cup (100 g) graham cracker (digestive biscuit) crumbs
1/4 cup (57 g) unsalted butter, melted

Recipe also adds 2-3 tablespoons sugar but I figure graham crackers are sweet enough by themselves.

For the filling:

2 1/2 cups (570 g) ricotta
8 oz (230 g) cream cheese at room temperature*
1 cup (200 g) sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch (corn flour)
4 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup berries
The zest of one lemon or orange

* So says the recipe. I've tried several other proportions of ricotta and cream cheese, depending on what I have in the fridge and it's always fine. More ricotta makes the cake creamier, more cream cheese makes it, well, cheesier :).

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C) and butter a 9 inch (23 cm) springform pan.
Wrap the outside of the pan with two layers of heavy aluminum foil (otherwise water leaks in and cheesecake leaks out). How to line a springform pan.

For the crust:

In a medium sized bowl combine the graham cracker crumbs and melted butter.
Press the mix evenly over the bottom of the springform pan.
Cover and refrigerate while you make the filling.

For the filling:

Recipe says to drain the ricotta first. I must be buying some fake ricotta, because I swear!, there is nothing to drain there.

Beat softened cream cheese until smooth.
Add the ricotta and sugar and beat until smooth.
Beat in the cornstarch.
Add the eggs, one at a time, beating about 30 seconds after each addition.
Beat in the lemon zest and vanilla extract until incorporated.
Fold in the berries.
Take the crust out of the fridge and pour the filling in it.
Place the springform pan in a large roasting pan.
Pour enough hot water into the roasting pan to come about halfway up the sides of your springform pan.
Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes, or until the top of the cheesecake has browned and the center of the cake moves slightly when the pan is gently shaken.
Remove the pan from the water bath and cool on a wire rack.
Once cooled, cover and refrigerate the cheesecake for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight.

Prune tzimmes (meat and potato stew with prunes)

2009-02-06T03:35:00.000-08:00

This recipe comes from Claudia Roden's The Book of Jewish Food: an Odissey from Samarkand to Vilna to the Present Day which I'd recommend to anyone who wants not only a Jewish cookbook but also a sort of cultural and culinary encyclopedia.
I've tweaked the recipe slightly, though, both for quantities and ingredients. It makes a great, filling, colourful winter dish. I was a bit concerned about sugar in meat, but I promise you that, especially with the addition of red wine, it's not all sweet, just pleasantly sweet 'n'sour. You need time to make it but the preparation's very straightforward.

Ingredients for 4 people:
1 kg beef meat. Pick something like brisket or flank. It has to be tender and with a little bit of fat.
3 tablespoons oil
1 and a half large onions, coarsely chopped.
salt and pepper
1 teaspoon cinnamon
a good pinch of nutmeg
2 deciliters of red wine
1 kg new potatoes
4 large carrots
500 g prunes
1 tablespoon sugar
1 cube stock
1 teaspoon ginger

In a heavy pan over medium heat, turn the meat in the oil to brown all over. Then remove it and fry the onions gently till soft. Return the meat to the pan and cover with water. Add stock cube. Season with salt and pepper, add the cinamon, nutmeg and ginger and simmer for one and a half hours.
Add the potatoes, carrots, prunes, sugar and wine and more water to cover and simmer 1h longer. You may want to have plenty of black pepper to balance the sweethness. There should be a lot of liquid. Serve hot.

Sweet Salami

2009-01-27T15:21:00.000-08:00

A childhood favorite from socialist times. Recipe from my mom :).

Ingredients:

100 g butter, room temperature
250 g sugar
75 g powdered cocoa
200 g walnuts
250 g graham crackers (cookies, biscuits or whatever those are called in your part of the world)
2 eggs

Directions:

Beat butter, sugar and cocoa together.
Dice walnuts, crush crackers, making sure there are a few larger pieces in there.
Add walnuts and crackers to butter mix.
Beat eggs and stir them in.
Put the sticky mess on a piece of wrapping foil and form it into a roll.
Cover with foil and refrigerate for 2 hours or until firm.
Store in fridge.

Chickpea & Tomato Pasta Casserole

2009-01-10T19:39:00.000-08:00

I made this up as I went along, and I'm not convinced I've got all of the ingredients, so play with the amounts and types of herbs and spices and season to taste!

Ingredients:

1 ~400g tin tomatoes (I used whole peeled Roma tomatoes because that's what I had, but diced or crushed would be fine too)
1 ~400g tin chickpeas (I threw the tinning juice in along with the chickpeas - if you don't add the liquid, double the amount of stock)
About 1 cup (250mL) chicken stock (broth)
1 medium brown onion, thinly sliced
About 1/2 cup port, sherry or red wine
About 2 teaspoons each of dried garlic powder and mixed herbs
About 1 teaspoon each of mixed spice, cinnamon and nutmeg
About 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
About 1 teaspoon fresh mint
About 1 teaspoon fresh oregano
About 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary
Several drops of red Tabasco sauce
Salt and pepper to taste

About 2 cups wholemeal pasta (I used penne, but anything medium-sized would work)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180 C

2. Put everything except the pasta in a covered ovenproof casserole dish. Stir thoroughly.

3. Cook for one hour at 180 C.

4. Remove from oven, stir thoroughly, add pasta, return to oven.

5. Cook for a further 45 mins. The pasta will soak up most of the liquid.

6. This will be VERY hot, so let it sit in the serving bowls for 5-10 minutes before you try eating it, or like me you'll have a very sore mouth the next day :D This is great just on its own, or you can put some sour cream or whole egg mayonnaise on the side to add a creamy texture.

Pumpkin Roll

2008-11-09T11:15:00.000-08:00

Very flavorful and not too pumpkin-ey in texture. Source.

Ingredients:

For the roll:
3/4 cup (100 g) flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cloves*
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg*
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1 cup (200 g) sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup (150 g) pumpkin puree

* Recipe has 1/4 teaspoon allspice, but I find clove and nutmeg more suitable for pumpkin.

For the filling:

8 oz (226 g) cream cheese at room temperature
2 tablespoons (28 g) unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup (115 g) confectioners' (powdered, icing) sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 F (190 C) and place oven rack in the center of the oven.
Oil a 15 inch x 10 inch (38 x 25 cm) baking pan, line it with parchment paper, and then butter and flour the parchment paper.
Sift (do sift!) flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt together.
In a separate bowl beat eggs with sugar on high speed until thick, pale yellow, and fluffy (about 5 minutes).
Beat in the vanilla extract and pumpkin puree.
*Gently* (by hand, no mixer!) fold in the sifted flour mixture.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and spread it evenly with the help of an offset spatula.
Bake for about 10 - 13 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the center of the cake springs back when lightly pressed.
Remove from the oven and immediately flip onto a clean dish towel that has been sprinkled with confectioners' sugar.
Carefully peel away the parchment paper, sprinkle lightly with confectioners' sugar, and roll up with the towel while the cake is still hot and pliable.
Place on a wire rack to cool.

Beat the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla extract until light and fluffy.
Add the sugar and beat until smooth.

Once the roll has cooled, unroll it, spread the filling, and reroll.
Cover and chill in the fridge.
Recipe says, and my experience confirms that chilling it for a few hours sets the filling and makes the roll easier to slice (and eat!)

Chicken Cacciatore

2008-10-30T19:10:00.000-07:00

This dish kept coming up on "Everybody Loves Raymond," so I finally looked it up. I can't vouch for its originality, but it's really good. I mean, chicken, bell peppers, tomatoes and mushrooms - what's not to like :). Recipe from allrecipes.com.

Ingredients (for 2 servings):

1/2 cup flour for coating
1 pound (450 g) chicken, cut into pieces
1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/4 onion, chopped
1/2 clove garlic, minced
1 green bell pepper, chopped
3.5 oz (100 g) caned diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 cup white wine
1 cup fresh mushrooms, quartered
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Combine the flour with a pinch of salt and pepper in a plastic bag.

Shake the chicken pieces in flour until coated.

Heat oil in a large skillet.

Brown chicken pieces. Remove from skillet.
Add the onion, garlic and bell pepper and saute until the onion is slightly browned.

Return the chicken to the skillet and add the tomatoes, oregano and wine.

Cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
Add the mushrooms and salt and pepper to taste.

Simmer for 10 more minutes.

Sprinkle with basil and serve over pasta or rice.

Sweet Pumpkin Parfait

2008-10-28T21:32:00.000-07:00

This one of those things that husband calls chick flick desserts but is oh-so-amazingly delicious. Recipe from Self.com. Oh, did I mention that it is 119 calories per serving?

Ingredients: (for one serving)

1/4 cup part-skim ricotta
2 tablespoons nonfat plain yogurt
2 tablespoons semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest
1/4 cup pumpkin puree
1 1/2 teaspoons orange juice
1 teaspoon honey

Directions:

Mix ricotta, yogurt, 1 tablespoon chocolate chips and 1/4 teaspoon zest in a bowl.
In a separate bowl combine pumpkin, orange juice and honey.
Spoon half of ricotta mixture into a parfait glass or bowl.
Top with half of pumpkin mixture.
Repeat.
Top with remaining 1 tablespoon chocolate chips and remaining 1/4 teaspoon zest.
Refrigerate until needed.

Ham and Cheddar Soup

2008-10-25T20:04:00.000-07:00

Very delicious :). From here.

Ingredients:

2 cups cubed potatoes
1/2 cup sliced carrot
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 cup frozen peas
3 cups water
2 cups milk
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup cubed ham
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Put carrots, potatoes, peas and water in a saucepan.
Bring to a boil and cook until vegetables are tender (10-15 minutes).
In a separate dish melt butter and whisk in the flour.
Stir in milk.
Bring to a boil, then simmer stirring continuously until the mix starts to thicken (about 2 minutes).
Add the grated cheese and stir until it melts.
Finally, add the ham and the vegetables with their water.
Bring to a boil again, then take off heat and enjoy.

Avocado pasta

2008-10-24T09:23:00.000-07:00

A very easy, quick Italian-with-a-twist recipe.

Ingredients for 4 people:

400 grams of pasta, preferably linguine (though spaghetti and fusilli work as well).

4 ripe avocadoes.

150 mililiters of sour cream.

salt and pepper.

Boil the pasta for 8 mins, add 2 teaspoonfulls of salt during cooking. In the meantime, peel the avocadoes and mash them in a bowl with a fork. Mix sour cream. The whole thing should take a lovely lime green colour. Add the pasta. A great way to get the sauce to really seep into the pasta is, once you've taken the water out of course, to put the cooked pasta and the sauce back into the pan to mix them together. Add pepper if you want a bit of spice.

Eggplant Fan

2008-10-22T22:18:00.000-07:00

For eggplant fans :). Source.

Ingredients (for one serving):

1 small eggplant
1 tomato
~ 100 g feta cheese
50 g oil
50 g water
thyme to taste

Directions:

Cut eggplant in 1 cm (1/2 inch) slices but don't cut it all the way:

Soak in salty water for about an hour. Take out and rinse.

Cut tomato in slices. Cut cheese in slices.

Put a slice of tomato and a slice of feta cheese (and a clove of garlic if you wish) into each cut.
Sprinkle thyme on top.

Pour water and oil in baking dish.

Cover and bake at 200 C/400 F for about an hour.

When eggplant is done, sprinkle some grated yellow cheese on top and bake it uncovered for additional 10 minutes.

Checkered Cake

2008-10-21T20:25:00.000-07:00

It's big (you might want to halve the ingredients), easy and pretty much mistake-proof :). Source.

Ingredients:

For the cake:
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
3 cups flour
400 g (a little less than 3 cups) sour cream or yogurt
2 teaspoons baking powder
3 1/2 tablespoons cocoa powder

For the cream:
1 kg (7 cups) sour cream
1 cup sugar

For the icing:
100 g (7 tablespoons) butter
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F/180 C.
Beat eggs, sugar, flour, sour cream and baking powder together.
Split in two, add cocoa powder to one half.
Pour each half into a separate baking dish and bake for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

In a large bowl stir sour cream and sugar together.
Break cake layers into bitesize pieces.
Dip each piece into sour cream mix, and arrange them on a serving plate in the form of a cake.
*or*
Drop all of them into bowl and stir well.

And flip on a plate:

For the icing:

Melt butter on low heat.
Mix in milk, sugar and cocoa and stir until the sugar is dissolved.
Cool and pour on cake.

Refrigerate cake for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.

Fake Sweet and Sour Pork

2008-10-08T21:44:00.000-07:00

Sounds positively disgusting, and it's absolutely messy to eat but it's surprisingly good, especially considering the effort that goes into making it. The coke helps create a caramelly glaze and the vinegar in ketchup serves as a tenderizer.

Ingredients:

2 pork chops
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup coke

Directions:

Stir ketchup and coke together.
Poke steaks with a fork (or cut them into bitesize pieces), and cover with marinade.
Leave in fridge for about 2 hours.
Drain meat but reserve the marinade.
On high heat brown the meat for about 2 minutes per side.
Pour in the marinade, cover and simmer on low heat until meat is cooked through.
If you want more sauce, you can make more, just keep the ratio of coke to ketchup at 1:1.

Ginger Beer Pork

2008-10-05T05:40:00.000-07:00

Another invention of mine. Make sure you use real brewed-from-ginger beer, not the soda water with ginger flavouring that is passed off as ginger beer by some companies! I used Bundaberg Ginger Beer, but I don’t know whether this is available overseas.

This will appeal to anyone who enjoys fruity meat dishes such as apricot chicken and apple cider pork. It has a sweet, spicy tang to it.

Ingredients for one person:

120g pork fillet, cut into strips or squares
1/4 brown onion, finely sliced
125mL (1/2 metric cup) ginger beer
1 tablespoon cornflour (cornstarch)
Water

Instructions:

1. In a hot non-stick frypan, dry-fry the onion until it is turning brown and soft.

2. Add the diced pork fillet and fry, turning constantly, until meat is browned.

3. Turn the hotplate down to medium and add the ginger beer. Cover and allow to simmer for 5 minutes.

4. In a glass or cup, place the cornflour (cornstarch) followed by few tablespoons of water and stir firmly until it is completely dissolved.

4. After the 5 minutes are up turn the heat back up and bring the ginger beer to the boil. As soon as it is boiling add the dissolved cornflour and stir constantly until the sauce thickens. Remove from the heat as soon as it is thick.

I served this with rice, green peas and corn kernels. It was very tasty!

Parmesan Crusted Cauliflower

2008-10-03T16:46:00.000-07:00

A fast and easy side dish :).

Ingredients:

1 medium head of cauliflower

2 eggs

1 tablespoon grated parmesan

1 tablespoon flour

Directions:

Preheat oven to 500 F (260 C).

Separate cauliflower into fairly large florets and boil (or steam) them until soft but not mushy.

Beat egg with flour. Stir in parmesan.

Dip each cooked floret into the egg mix and arrange them on a baking pan.

Season to taste.

Bake in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes or until golden.

And serve:

Wheatbelt Casserole

2008-09-30T03:55:00.000-07:00

This is my own recipe, a perfect hearty casserole for a cold day when you want something that is both easy and tasty. It brings together the tastes of the Western Australian wheatbelt and the surrounding bush (lamb and kangaroo, and wheat pasta), along with good old garden vegetables and herbs.

Of course, given that this is an international board, most of you won’t be able or inclined to cook with kangaroo meat (or, for that matter, with vegemite). Don’t worry, you can replace it with beef. But if you’re in Australia or can get hold of kangaroo where you live, I would thoroughly recommend it. It’s low in fat, low in kilojoules, high in iron and very tasty.

This much will feed two, three or four people depending on how hungry you are!

Ingredients:

200g lean kangaroo fillet (or beef fillet), cubed
150g lean lamb fillet, cubed
2 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch)
375mL liquid stock (broth) – I used vegetable but beef would be fine
2x ~400g (1 pound) tins diced or crushed tomatoes
1 large brown onion, sliced
2 carrots, peeled and sliced into rounds
2 tsp mixed herbs (I used one tsp each of Lamb Herbs and Italian Herbs – just use whatever you like best!)
1 tsp vegemite (optional)
1 tsp red Tabasco sauce
Salt and pepper to taste

180g dry pasta (I used spirals; shells or any other medium-sized shaped pasta would be good too)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180 C (356 F)

2. In a large freezer bag (or sealable plastic container) place 2 tbsp cornflour, a dash each of salt and pepper, and the diced meat. Seal the bag / container and shake to coat all of the pieces of meat in the flour. Continue shaking until all flour is taken up.

3. Dry-fry the meat in a hot frypan until the flour is browned.

4. Place the meat in a casserole dish (I used a stoneware casserole with a lid – the dish must be coverable) and add all other ingredients except pasta, including salt and pepper to taste. Stir thoroughly until ingredients are spread evenly throughout.

5. Place covered casserole in the pre-heated oven and cook for one hour.

6. After one hour, remove casserole from the oven and add pasta. Stir thoroughly and return covered casserole to oven.

7. Cook for another hour, then it’s done!

Remember that this will be *very* hot when it first comes out of the oven. Don’t burn your mouth out of enthusiasm to taste it! I recommend that you dish out the casserole into bowls or plates and then let it sit out for 5 minutes before tucking in. Enjoy!

Plum Cake

2008-09-28T15:14:00.000-07:00

Very delicious, especially if you like tart fruit in cakes. Recipe from here. Cup = a standard American cup that holds 250 ml liquid.

Ingredients (for a 9-inch cake):

~ 1 lb plums (10 big ones or 20 small ones), we like it best with tarter varieties but any sort will do.
1 1/4 cup sugar
1 cup flour
150 g (5 oz, 3/4 cup) butter, room temperature
2 eggs
1/3 cup milk
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F (175 C)
Set aside 1/4 cup sugar and 50 g (1/4 cup) butter.
Beat rest of the sugar with rest of the butter, baking powder and vanilla.
Add the eggs, milk and flour and mix well.
Cut plums in half and discard pits.
Put your baking dish on the stove (yes, the stove), and melt the 50 g butter in it.
Stir the 1/4 cup sugar in to caramelize it: how to caramelize sugar.
Watch it carefully, as caramel burns fairly quickly. It also burns fingers badly, but I assume you know better than I do and won't try to touch it :).
Arrange the plum halves, cut side down, on the caramel.
Pour batter on top.
Bake for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Once baked, cover cake with a clean towel and let it cool for 15 minutes.
Flip on a serving plate (the plums should be on top) and let it cool completely before cutting.

Home-made Pesto

2008-09-28T15:01:00.000-07:00

It's cheaper and more delicious than the store-bought stuff. East to make too :) Recipe from somewhere on the internet, but I haven't written down the source.

Ingredients (for about 1 cup pesto):
~ 2 cups fresh basil leaves (one bouquet of store-bought basil)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup pine nuts (or walnuts)
3 garlic cloves
1/4 cup olive oil

Directions:

Separate basil leaves from stems.
Wash leaves in a collander under running cold water.
Put nuts, olive oil and garlic in food processor and chop them.
Add basil leaves, little by little and process them until you get a somewhat smooth paste.
Blend in the parmesan cheese.

You can store it in a glass jar in the fridge for 1-2 weeks (oil acts as a conservant), but better make as little as you need for one use.

Mint Chicken Curry

2008-09-17T10:15:00.000-07:00

This is a recipe that combines mint, yogurt and tomato flavors. It is not something I'd have every week, but it is definitely interesting. Recipe from my Indian recipe book.

Ingredients:

1 medium onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint*
1 tablespoon grated ginger
3 tablespoons ghee
2 teaspoons garam masala
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 1/2 lb (~ 750 g) boneless skinless chicken breast, cubed
1/2 cup plain yogurt
6 oz (180 g) chopped tomatoes

*I cut up 4 peppermint teabags, which came up to about 4 tablespoons dried mint.

Directions:

Place onion, garlic, mint and ginger in a food processor and blend to a smooth paste.
In a saucepan heat the ghee and gently fry the paste for about 5 minutes.
Add the garam masala and chili powder and fry for 1 more minute.
Add chicken, toss to cover with spice mix and cook for further 5 minutes.
Add yogurt and tomatoes, stir well.
Simmer, covered for about 15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
Remove the cover and simmer for 30 more minutes to thicken the sauce.
Serve with steamed rice (or loads of bread :).

Pitas With Veggies and Hummus

2008-09-13T13:35:00.000-07:00

This was to die for. The original recipe is from a magazine, but I don't know which one. We find magazines when sorting, they come into the breakroom and then they disappear. This one disappeared before I could write the title down but thankfully not before I could get the recipe.

First, I made my own hummus using this recipe. Note: We used lime juice and extra garlic. It's by far the best hummus I've ever had.

Then the recipe:

Ingredients:
- 1 medium garlic clove
2 1/2 tbs olive oil, divided
1/3 cup hummus
1 tbs. Parmesan
1/8 tbs salt
1 cup chickpeas (or garbanzo beans, they're the same thing)
1 cup grape tomatoes
3/4 cup cucumbers
1/2 walnuts
1/3 feta cheese
1 tbs lemon juice
Instructions:
With food processor running, add garlic to proccessor. Then add 1 tbs of the oil. Add the hummus, cheese and salt, process.
Combine all remaining ingredients in meidum bowl Spread scant 3 tbs hummus in pita bread, then fill with veggie mixture.
AND YUM!

Baguettes

2008-09-12T12:01:00.000-07:00

I like to make those occasionally - they are more time-consuming than regular bread but oh-so-delicious :). Recipe from here.

Ingredients:

1 cup (240 ml) water
2 1/2 cups (340 g) bread flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons bread machine yeast

Directions:

Place ingredients into bread machine pan in the order recommended by manufacturer.
Run the Dough cycle.
When the cycle has completed, place dough in a greased bowl, turning to coat all sides. Cover, and let rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes, or until doubled.
* My machine has a french dough option, which takes care of the second rising too, so I just take out dough and proceed.

Split dough in half.
On a lightly floured surface, roll each half into a rectangle that is about 8x12 inches.
Roll up each rectangle along the longer side, making sure to roll it tightly and to pound out any air bubbles as you go.
Taper ends.
Place the two baguettes on a greased cookie sheet.
Place them at least 3 inches apart or separate them with a wall of aluminum foil so they don't merge into each other while proofing
Make deep diagonal slashes across loaves every 2 inches.
Cover, and proof in a warm place for 30 to 40 minutes, or until doubled.
Preheat oven to 375 F (190 C).
Mix 1 egg yolk with 1 tablespoon water; brush over tops of loaves.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown.

Tomato Turmeric Rice

2008-09-01T04:35:00.000-07:00

I made this to go with my dinner this evening, and it was rather yummy.

Ingredients:
1/4 metric cup white rice
3/4 metric cup leukwarm water
1 fresh whole tomato, diced
1 teaspoon turmeric (ground)

Method:
Place all ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to the boil on high, then turn right down and simmer on low for 15 minutes. The water should have completely evaporated.

I served this on top of a bed of lettuce with a couple of teaspoons of mayonnaise drizzled over it (you could use natural yoghurt instead), and with a 200g fillet of snapper on top. I coated the snapper in Masterfoods African Seasoning and dry-roasted inside foil in a 180 C oven for about 25 minutes.

Yum!

Nanaimo Bars

2008-08-30T12:15:00.000-07:00

For serious sweet tooths (sweet teeth?) only :). This is a very easy, non-bake recipe, but it requires time (a total of about 3 hours) for the different layers to set. Recipe from my favorite Joy of Baking website.

Ingredients:

For the bottom layer:
1/2 cup (8 oz, 113 g) butter at room temperature
1/4 cup (50 g) sugar
1/3 cup (30 g) unsweetened cocoa
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups (200 g) graham cracker crumbs
1 cup (65 g) coconut flakes
1/2 cup (50 g) walnuts, coarsely chopped

For the filling:
1/4 cup (4 oz, 56 g) butter at room temperature
2 - 3 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons vanilla custard powder or vanilla pudding powder
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups (230 grams) powdered (confectioners, icing) sugar

For the topping:
4 oz (115 g) semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 tablespoon (14 g) butter

Directions:

For the bottom layer:

Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat.
Stir in the sugar and cocoa powder and then gradually whisk in the beaten egg.
Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens (1 - 2 minutes).
Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla, crumbs, coconut, and chopped nuts.
Right away (otherwise it sticks to the pan) press the mixture evenly into a 9"x9" square pan.
Cover and refrigerate until firm.

For the filling:

Cream the butter.
Beat in sugar, pudding and vanilla.
Add the milk tablespoon by tablespoon until the mixture is thick, but spreadable. Be careful, as it is easy to make it too liquid.
Spread the filling over the bottom layer, cover, and once again refrigerate until firm.

For the top layer:

Melt the chocolate and butter in a double boiler if you have one or in a saucepan dipped into another saucepan filled with simmering water.
Spread over the filling and refrigerate.

To serve:
Recipe says to bring the squares to room temperature before cutting. I like to run a knife under hot water and carefully cut the squares straight from the fridge. You can skip both, but the chocolate will crack :).

* I didn't have any pudding powder this time, so I made my own pastry cream. And, of course, I misjudged the quantity, so there is much more cream in my version than there should be.

Daal Curry

2008-08-21T13:28:00.000-07:00

This is, of course, vegetarian though my husband adds sausage on the side. Recipe from my favorite Indian recipe book.

Ingredients (for about 4 servings):

250 g (about 1 1/2 cups) red lentils
3 tablespoons ghee
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves
1 bay leaf
1 chilli pepper
1 tablespoon ginger
1 teaspoon turmeric
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons coriander (cilantro)
1 teaspoon salt
25 g (~ 3 tablespoons) coconut milk
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Directions:

In a saucepan heat ghee and sautee onion, garlic, chilli pepper, bay leaf, cumin, coriander for 30-40 seconds, stirring continuously.
Add lentils, rest of spices.
Add enough water to cover the lentils and cook until lentils are done (about 15-20 min).
Remove from heat and discard bay leaf and chilli pepper.
Stir in coconut milk (you can skip it, it makes the spices milder).
Before serving, stir in lemon juice.

Not that you haven't seen cooked lentils, but here's a pic:

Black Bottom Cupcakes

2008-08-15T09:52:00.000-07:00

Those are chocolate cupcakes with a cream cheese middle - what's not to love about them :D. Recipe from the Joy of Baking website.

Ingredients (for 12):

For the cream cheese filling:
8 oz (227 g) cream cheese at room temperature
1/3 cup (65 g) white sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (essence)

For the chocolate cupcakes:
1 1/2 cups (210 g) all-purpose (plain) flour
1 cup (210 g) brown sugar
1/3 cup (30 g) natural unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch processed, and definitely not one of those hot cocoa mixes!)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (240 ml) water
1/3 cup (80 ml) unflavored vegetable oil
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C).

For cream cheese filling:
Beat the cream cheese until smooth.
Add the sugar, egg, and vanilla extract and beat until creamy and smooth.
Set aside.

For chocolate batter:
In a large bowl sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.
In a separate bowl mix the water, oil, vinegar, and vanilla extract.
Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and stir in the wet ingredients until smooth.

Divide the chocolate batter evenly among 12 oiled muffin cups.
Spoon a few tablespoons of the cream cheese filling into the center of each cupcake.

Bake in the preheated oven for about 25 minutes, or until the cream cheese filling is a little brown and a toothpick inserted into the chocolate part of the cupcake comes out clean.

Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool.

Boeuf Bourguignon

2008-08-14T11:22:00.000-07:00

Or beef Burgundy style. I am going to write the original recipe, jacked from somewhere and my slow cooker version.

Ingredients for 4 servings:

3 lb (750 g) beef chuck, cut into large pieces

3.5 oz (100 g) bacon, cut into strips

2 medium onions

4 medium carrots

9 oz (250 g) mushrooms

1 clove of garlic

1 tablespoon flour

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 teaspoon thyme

2 bay leaves

salt, pepper, parsley to taste

~ 700 ml (1 bottle) full-bodied red wine, or enough to cover the beef*

* Or substitute half of the wine with beef broth

Directions:

Regular version:

In a saucepan brown the bacon.

Remove bacon strips, and use drippings to brown the beef.

When beef is browned, add enough wine to cover the meat.

Add garlic clove, onions and carrots.

Add tomato paste and all seasonings.

Stir flour into ~ 2 tablespoons of water and add it.

Return the bacon to the pan.

Bring everything to a boil (so any acidity of the wine evaporates), then lower the heat.

Cover and simmer for about 2 hours or until the meat is fork-tender.

Sautee mushrooms and add them to the beef just before serving.

Slow-cooker version ('cuz that's the only way I cook beef):

In a saucepan brown the beef and the bacon.

Layer carrots in slow cooker.

Add onions on top.

Add meat.

Stir tomato paste, wine (broth), flour and seasonings together.

Pour over meat.

Drop garlic clove in liquid.

Cover and cook on low for about 6 hours/high for 3 hours, or until the meat is fork tender.

In both versions sautee mushrooms and add them to the beef just before serving.

In both versions when the meat is done you can thicken the sauce with some more flour.

Tatiana Cake

2008-08-12T10:37:00.000-07:00

That's how the recipe is called - I am not sure why Tatiana exactly. But it's light and fluffy and incredibly easy. And delicious too :).

Ingredients:

For the cake:
5 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup raisins
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup honey
1 teaspoon baking soda (bicarbonate of soda)

For the icing:
1 lb (450 g) sour cream
1 cup confectioners' sugar (or according to taste)

Directions:
Whisk all ingredients for the cake together. Whisk *by hand*, no mixer!
Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight.
* There is science that explains how the eggs, honey and the baking soda act together to create fluffiness, but I'll spare you that.

Pour 1/3 of the batter in a 9-inch buttered baking dish (or 1/2 of the batter for a 12-inch baking dish).
Bake at 350 F (180 C) for 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out dry.

And repeat with rest of the batter. You should get 3 9-inch or 2 12-inch layers of cake.

Stir sour cream and confectioners' sugar together (I use about 1 cup sugar, but adjust sugar suit your taste).
Ice cooled cake layers with icing.
Decorate with chocolate shavings (or however else you wish :P)

Quiche

2008-08-10T20:26:00.000-07:00

This is yet another dish I use for cleaning my fridge because there are very few things that can't be put into a quiche. If you want to stick to the authentic quiches, check the Wiki article for the ingredients that go into each type.

Ingredients for one 9-inch quiche (6 servings):

For the crust:
200 g flour
100 g soft (not melted) butter
3-4 tablespoons icy cold water
A pinch of salt

For the filling:
3 eggs
200 g sour cream
100 g grated hard yellow cheese like gruyere or emental
+ whatever else you feel like - more cheeses, spinach, mushrooms, bacon, sausage, tuna, chicken breast, etc. Even Roquefort and pears :).

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 180 C (350 F).

For the crust:
With a fork or in a food processor mix butter and flour until they form a mix of buttery crumbs.
If mix is too dry, add water, tablespoon by tablespoon until it gets to the desired consistency.
Pour the mix into a 9-inch pie pan and press it to the bottom and sides with your palm.
Bake for about 10 minutes or until crust turns golden brown.

For the filling:
Beat eggs, sour cream and grated cheese together.
Add whatever other fillings you are using (cook all meat beforehand).
Pour into baked crust and bake for another 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Serve hot or cold, but cold is better!

Smoked Salmon Pasta

2008-08-02T04:13:00.000-07:00

This is a light, tasty, Weight Watchers friendly meal I threw together on impulse yesterday, and it turned out rather nice. Unfortunately I didn't think to take a photo!

This amount serves one person.

Ingredients:

100g (3.5 oz) uncooked pasta (I used spaghetti, anything would work)

100g (3.5 oz) thinly sliced smoked salmon, sliced into strips

~8 grape tomatos or cherry tomatos, halved

1 whole spring onion (green onion / eschalot), chopped

1 metric (20mL) tablespoon light sour cream (I used the Weight Watchers branded sour cream)

Method:

1. Cook pasta according to instructions on packet.

2. While the pasta is cooking: in a non-stick frypan (or an ordinary frypan with a spray of cooking oil) fry the tomatos and the spring onion until the spring onion begins to brown and the skin is coming off the tomatos.

3. Add the smoked salmon and fry until the salmon turns opaque and separates into small bits. Remove from heat.

4. When the pasta is cooked, strain and discard water before returning cooked pasta to the saucepan.

5. Add the salmon fried mixture to the pasta in the saucepan and stir thoroughly until the pasta is coated with the salmon mixture.

6. Add a tablespoon of sour cream and stir until it forms a sauce with the salmon.

7. Garnish with a bit of fresh spring onion if you're feeling creative; otherwise, serve and enjoy!

Lemon Bars

2008-08-01T17:30:00.000-07:00

Or, in my case, lemon wedges, as I don't have a square baking pan. Either way, they are good :). Recipe from I don't remember where :P.

Ingredients:

For the crust:
1 cup all-purpose flour
113 g (4 oz, 1/2 cup) unsalted butter
1/4 cup confectioners' (powdered) sugar

For the filling:
1 1/2 cup sugar
5 eggs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
the juice and zest of two large lemons (~ 3/4 cup juice, 2 tablespoons finely grated zest)

Directions:

For the crust:
Preheat oven to 350 F/180 C.
Cut butter into slices.
In a food processor, or with a mixer on low speed, mix together flour, butter and sugar until they form a mix of buttery crumbs.
Pour mix in a 20 cm x 20 cm (8"x8") baking pan and flatten with your palm.
Bake for 8-9 min or until light brown.
Take out of the oven and let it cool.

For the filling:
Beat all ingredients together.
Pour on the cooled crust.
Put everything back in the oven and bake on 350 F/180 C for 20-25 min. Check doneness like with cheesecake - when you gently shake the pan, the middle should still wobble a little bit*.
Cool on a wire rack.
Once cooled, refrigerate for 2 hours. (Don't take it out of the baking pan yet, put the whole thing, pan and everything in the fridge).
Once it's chilled, take out of pan, cut into bars, triangles or squares and dust with confectioners' sugar.

*If you take them out on time, the squares have a light, creamy texture. If you overcook them, they become less creamy and more dense, but are still good.

Caprese Salad

2008-07-27T12:18:00.000-07:00

We had that in Italy a few years ago and really liked it, so I make it once in a while when we get mozzarella on sale.

Ingredients (for 2 servings):

2 large tomatoes
~ 6 oz (120g) fresh mozzarella
2 teaspoons fresh chopped basil
olive oil

Directions:

Cut tomatoes into 1/2 inch (1 cm) slices.
Cut mozzarella into 1/2 inch (1 cm) slices.
Layer tomato slices and cover each with a mozzarella slice
Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle basil on top.

Or go with the even lazier version, cherry tomatoes and cilengini:

Panna Cotta allo Yogurt

2008-07-21T21:26:00.000-07:00

Or panna cotta with yogurt, but you knew that! An insanely easy but elegant light summer dessert.

Ingredients (for two portions):

200 ml heavy cream*
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 tablespoons sugar
7 g gelatin + 4 tablespoons cold water for dissolving it.
150 g yogurt

* Or substitute cream with half-and-half, or milk, or any combination of those.

Directions:

Dissolve gelatin in cold water.
In a saucepan on medium heat mix cream, vanilla and sugar, stirring continuously until sugar melts.
Add gelatin and stir until it dissolves.
In a separate bowl stir the yogurt to get rid of any lumps.
Slowly pour the hot cream mix into the yogurt, whisking constantly.
Pour mix into two glass bowls or ramekins or whatever suitable bowls you have.
Refrigerate for about 4 hours or until firm.

To serve:

Flip onto chilled plate, and garnish with warm raspberry preserves, or cranberry sauce or fresh fruit or any combination of those.

Fruit Tart

2008-07-17T19:30:00.000-07:00

I love fruit tarts - they are fun to make, look pretty and have a perfect summery taste. This recipe is from the Joy of Baking website.

Ingredients:

For the crust:
1 1/2 cups (210 g) all-purpose (plain) flour + a pinch of salt
1/2 cup (1 stick, 8 oz, 113 g) unsalted butter
1/4 cup (50 g) sugar
1 egg

For the cream:
1 1/4 cups (300 ml) milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/4 cup (50 g) sugar
1/8 cup (20 g) all-purpose (plain) flour
3 tablespoons (20 g) cornstarch (or wheat-, potato-, whatever- starch)
Optional: 3/4 tablespoon (10 ml) liqueur

For the glaze: (optional, but recommended)
1 tablespoon apricot jam or preserves
1 teaspoon liqueur or water or a combination of the two

For the topping:
2 - 3 cups fresh fruit, such as berries, kiwi, bananas, plums, pineapple, melon, peaches, or whatever else you think belongs on a fruit tart.

You also need a tart pan or a springform pan, or another pan with detachable sides.

Directions:

For the crust:

Sift or whisk together the flour and salt. Set aside.
Beat butter until softened. Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy.
Add the egg, beating just until incorporated.
Dunk flour mixture all at once and mix just until it forms a ball of dough. Don't overwork or pastry will be hard when baked.
Flatten dough into disk, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 20 minutes or until firm.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry into an 11 - 12 inch (28 - 30 cm) circle that is about 1/8 inch (3 mm) thick.

* So says the recipe. To avoid a floury mess, I like to cover both the rolling pin and the counter with plastic wrap, so the dough doesn't stick to either.

To make sure it is the right size, take your tart pan, flip it over, and place it on the rolled out pastry. The pastry should be about an inch larger than pan.
When the pastry is rolled to the desired size, lightly roll pastry around your rolling pin, dusting off any excess flour as you roll.
Unroll onto top of tart pan.
Gently lay in pan and lightly press pastry into bottom and up sides of pan.
Prick bottom of dough (this will prevent the dough from puffing up as it bakes).
Cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes to chill the butter and to rest the gluten.

Preheat oven to 400 F (200 C)
Line unbaked pastry shell with aluminum foil or parchment paper.
Fill pastry shell with rice or beans, making sure the weights are to the top of the pan and evenly distributed over the entire surface.
Or, you know, use *proper* ceramic pie weights if you have them :).
Bake crust on the center rack for 20 to 25 minutes until it is dry and lightly golden brown.
Remove weights (or rice, beans, whatever) and cool crust on wire rack before filling.

For the cream:

In a medium bowl, whisk the sugar and eggs together
Sift the flour and cornstarch together and then add to the egg mixture, mixing until you get a smooth paste. Set aside.
Meanwhile, in a saucepan combine the milk and vanilla and bring to a boil
Remove from heat and add slowly to egg mixture, whisking constantly to prevent curdling.
Place the egg mixture back into the saucepan and cook over medium heat until boiling, whisking constantly.
When mixture boils, whisk it constantly for another 30 - 60 seconds until it becomes very thick and hard to stir.
Remove from heat and immediately whisk in the liqueur (if using).
Pour into a clean bowl and cool.

For the glaze:

Heat the apricot jam or preserves and water in a small saucepan over medium heat until melted. Remove from heat and strain through a fine strainer to remove any fruit lumps.
If using, add the liqueur at this point.
Let glaze cool until it is only slightly warm.

Assembly:

Brush a thin layer of the glaze over the bottom and sides of the cooled pastry shell to prevent the crust from getting soggy.
Let the glaze dry 20 - 30 minutes.
Spoon the cream into the tart.

Wash and slice the fruit you are using.
Arrange fruit (in concentric circles or randomly) on top of the cream, making sure no cream is showing.
Rewarm glaze and lightly brush on fruit.
Chill and serve.

Store covered in the fridge.

Slow Cooker Green Beans

2008-07-16T20:05:00.001-07:00

A quick and easy recipe for the summer nights.

Ingredients:

4 cups green beans
14.5 oz (410 g) canned diced tomatoes
1 lb (450 g) pork shoulder or another marbled cut, cut into cubes
2 bay leaves
a pinch (or more) of red pepper

Directions:

Wash beans and remove tops and tails. Cut in half, or leave them whole.
Put beans in slow cooker.
Layer meat cubes on top, and pour can of tomatoes over everything.
Add bay leaves and red pepper.
Cook on high for 3 1/2 hours / on low for about 7 hours, or until the beans are cooked.
Serve with french bread. Or beer. Or both :)

Choc Berry Butter Cake

2008-07-09T23:14:00.000-07:00

My twelve-year-old sister and I made this yesterday. It's based on a simple butter cake recipe with various innovations along the way.

Ingredients:

All tablespoons are 20mL metric tablespoons

8 ounces butter / margarine
8 ounces caster sugar (super fine sugar)
4 eggs
8 ounces self raising flour
2 heaped tablespoons cocoa
2 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk
1 or 2 ~400g / 1 pound tins of mixed berries in syrup (my tin had strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and blueberries) - strained and the syrup reserved
1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180 C and grease and flour an approx 20cm x 20cm (8" x 8") square cake tin.

2. Cream margarine and caster sugar.

3. Add eggs one at a time and mix together thoroughly

4. Sieve (sift) in flour and cocoa and stir in until completely incorporated.

5. Add sweetened, condensed milk, 2 tablespoons of the berry syrup, and the vanilla essence one at a time and stir until completely incorporated.

6. Gently fold in the mixed berries. I used one tin of berries but the mixture could easily have taken another tin's worth so use your own judgement depending on how berry-filled you like your cakes!

7. Spoon the mixture into the greased and floured cake tin and place in pre-heated oven. bake for about 50 minutes (I cooked mine for an hour and it was just slightly burned on one corner, so check regularly!).

8. Once baked, turn onto a wire cooling rack and leave to cool.

Icing (Frosting):

I made this with the aim of trying to replicate a crystally, slightly crunchy icing I'd tasted on a cake at a school morning tea, but it didn't work very well. This is a modified recipe replacing the white sugar I originally used with more coconut.

Ingredients:

All tablespoons are 20mL metric tablespoons
All cups are 250mL metric cups

2/3 cup icing sugar (confectioner's sugar) - preferably the pure stuff not icing mixture
1/2 cup dessicated (shredded) coconut
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
2 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk
2 tablespoons of the syrup from the tinned berries
Red food colouring (can be ommitted if you don't mind the icing being a funny brownish colour)

Method:

1. In a bowl, combine sieved (sifted) icing sugar and coconut.

2. Add the melted margarine and stir thoroughly.

3. Add the sweetened condensed milk and the berry syrup and mix thoroughly until all ingredients are combined.

4. Add four drops of red food colouring to make a nice pastel pink - or more or less to your own tastes!

5. Using a flat implement, smooth onto the top and sides of the cake. You may need to refrigerate the mixture slightly to make it firm enough but don't leave it too long - this icing sets rock solid! Once the cake is iced, refrigerate overnight to set the icing.

Curried Rice and Vegetables

2008-07-08T19:19:00.000-07:00

This is actually based on Ivayla's recipe, with a few alterations. It came about because X's family gave him a few pounds of chicken, so I found Ivayla's recipe. I made the curry half with veggies, half with chicken. We had left juice and left-over veggies, so I added two cups of rice to it. It turned into a fantastic side dish or light meal

Ingredients:

- Two cups cooked rice

- Vegetables (whatever you have on hand. We used leeks, potatoes, onions and carrots, I think.

2 cups plain yogurt

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon ginger

1 teasoon turmeric

2 teaspoons cumin

1 teaspoon chili powder

1.5 tsp. curry

2 tablespoons oil

Instructions:

- Mix yogurt, spices and garlic in bowl.

- Add the oil to large skillet, letting it heat. Add in a few extra cloves of garlic and then the onion.

- Sautee until onion is soft and slightly golden. Add in the rest of the veggies and yogurt mixture.

- Simmer on low for 10-15 minutes, depending on the veggies.

- Add in cooked rice and continue to simmer for five minutes.

It's really good and fairly easy.

Skillet Lasagna

2008-07-02T09:25:00.001-07:00

I tried to look if I posted this already and couldn't find it, so if it's a repost, I'll delete it.

1 lb. ground beef
1 jar tomato sauce
half an onion
no-boil lasagna noodles
LOTS of grated parmesan
shredded mozzarella

Brown the beef and drain, add in the (chopped) onion until soft. Break up the noodles and layer all over the top of the meat, then top with tomato sauce. Cover and simmer for about five minutes. Stir and continue cooking if the noodles haven't softened yet. Remove from heat, stir in as much parmesan as you can stand, and top with mozzarella. Return to heat briefly to melt, and serve.

While this sounds like any other skillet Italian recipe, you really must use broken lasagna noodles and lots of parmesan. The noodles act like scoops for the meat and sauce, and the parm makes a thick sauce with the meat that's just amazing.

Zippy Tuna Salad

2008-07-02T09:20:00.000-07:00

I know everyone likes their tuna salad particular, but here's my version.

1 can tuna
1/2 tsp. horseradish
1/2 tsp. pickle juice (trust me)
2 1/2 tsp mayonnaise
pepper

Drain tuna well, sprinkle liberally with pepper. Moisten with pickle juice, then stir in the horseradish and mayonnaise to coat. You can adjust the sauce portions according to taste and consistency. This is best served cold on a bed of lettuce or on a sandwich rather than heated with cheese and an English muffin the traditional "tuna melt" style.

Egg and Cheese Turnovers

2008-06-21T13:01:00.000-07:00

Turnovers are my signature dish for potlucks. They are always very popular, if I do say so myself :).

Ingredients:

1 lb (450 g) puff pastry sheets
1 egg
200 g feta cheese

Directions:

Beat egg.
Crumble feta cheese into beaten egg.
Stir with a fork until you have a homogenous thick mixture.

Take out puff pastry sheet(s).
Cut pastry sheet into 12 2-inch x 4-inch (5 cm x 10 cm) rectangles.
Put one teaspoon of filling on one side of each recrangle.
Flip the other side of the rectangle over the filling and seal the edges with a little bit of water.
Cover a cookie sheet with aluminum foil.
Arrange turnovers on cookie sheet. Bake at 375 F/190 C for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Stuffed Bell Peppers

2008-06-21T12:16:00.000-07:00

The idea is the same as in sarmas, but those are much faster to make.

Ingredients (for 6 servings, so adjust accordingly):

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup rice
1/2 medium onion, diced
1 pound (500 g) ground (minced) meat
diced raisins, optional
diced mushrooms, optional
salt, pepper, thyme to taste
~ 6 large bell peppers or 12 small bell peppers

For the sauce:

1 cup yogurt
2 tablespoons flour
1 egg, beaten

You can skip the meat and make them vegetarian.

Directions:

In a skillet heat olive oil.
Saute onion, raisins and mushrooms.
Add ground meat and cook until it divides into crumbs and is no longer pink.
Add rice.
Cook for 5 more min until rice gets translucent.
Remove from heat, add spices.

Wash and deseed bell peppers.
Spoon rice/meat mix into each pepper. Do not fill them more than 3/4, as rice expands when it cooks.
Arrange stuffed peppers lying on one side in a baking dish.
Poke each pepper with a fork (so that any steam may escape).
Pour enough water to cover the bottom half of the peppers.
Bake on 350 F/175 C for 60 min or until rice is fully cooked.
To ensure even cooking, rotate peppers to expose a different side on top on the 15th, 30th and 45th minute.

For the sauce:

When peppers are done cooking, spoon the leftover water into a saucepan.
Put over medium heat.
Stir flour into yogurt and carefully pour into hot pepper broth.
*Slowly* pour beaten egg into mixture, stirring continuously.
Bring to a gentle boil and cook, stirring continously, for 2 more minutes or until the sauce reaches desired density.
Pour over peppers before serving.

* Or, skip the sauce and use plain yogurt :).

Pesto Pasta

2008-06-19T07:50:00.000-07:00

Sort of a spin-off of Lael's pasta recipe. This is for one person, so just double or triple the recipe. I hate having to split recipes and having it call for somethin' like half an egg. So, without further ado...

1 c noodles (Spaghetti, egg noodles, Rotini, it doesn't care...)
1-2 T pesto (It's a matter of taste. Use less if you want.)
10 black olives (Chopped up. Use 20 if you're prone to snacking.)
1 T butter (Optional. I never use it.)
Salt (Optional. I sometimes forget it.)

Boil noodles until tender. Drain. Stir in pesto, olives, and butter. Sprinkle with salt. Put on a plate and serve hot. Or cold. Or room-temperature. Or use your imagination. I did...

A few recipes for you.

2008-06-10T09:38:00.000-07:00

As I stated before I've switched to the Weight-Watchers Core Plan, which has made life both easier and more difficult. Last night we had Ivayla's Curried Chicken (except with veggies for me) and it was delicious. I served it with Apple and Potato Curry Soup (which mind you is a bit of an acquired taste!) and a Spinach Salad with this dressing:

Susan's Lite Goddess Dressing

Make this dressing more like the original by increasing the tahini a tablespoon at a time, until it tastes the way you like. Remember that the fat and calories go up as the tahini increases!

6 ounces lite firm silken tofu (1/2 pkg. of Mori-Nu)
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon tahini
2 green onions, white parts removed, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, packed
1 large clove garlic

A few things to keep in mind: I know a lot of you guys don't eat tofu. We don't do it on a regular basis ourselves, but we had some that needed to be used. You could use a base of canola oil if you wanted to...but realize that it's going to skyrocket the calories. You do not taste the tofu in this. Tofu - unless kept solid - merely works as a base for recipes. I make a mean Tofu Chocolate Mousse and get rave reviews on it. Also, we did not have Apple Cider Vinegar, so we used Red Wine Vinegar. You could probably use regular vinegar. We used olive oil mixed with sesame seeds to replace the sesame oil. While it was good we wanted it tangier, so we plan on increasing the vinegar and lemon juice. Overall, however, it was very, very good. The best part? All but the tahini is core and the overall points for the sauce (serving size 2tbs) is 1 weight-watchers point. So...YUM.

Homemade Pizza Crust

2008-06-07T14:12:00.000-07:00

Yeah, yeah, there are places like Domino's, that deliver 24-7, and there are places like Little Caesars, that sell a large pizza for $5 but homemade pizza is always better :).

I don't remember where I jacked the recipe from but it's good! The crust is thin but firm enough to hold the toppings, and the work put in is no more than 10 minutes, though you do have to wait for it to rise.

Ingredients for one large crust:

2 cups (250 g) flour
1/2 cup (120 ml) milk
1 egg
4 tablespoons oil
2/3 teaspoon yeast

Directions:

Stir the yeast and a pinch of sugar into the milk, beat the egg and mix it into the milk and yeast.
Add the rest of the ingredients and mix to form soft dough.
Cover with a towel and let dough rise in a warm spot for about 30 min.
*Or*
Use the pizza setting on your bread maker. Mine is 45 minutes long.

When dough is done, preheat oven to 500 F (250 C).
Put a dab of oil on your hands, form the dough ball into a flat disk, put it in onto a pizza pan and stretch it so it so it covers the whole pan.
Cover crust with your favorite pasta sauce (or spray it with oil), otherwise it gets too dry.
Layer your favorite ingredients.
Bake for 10 minutes.

Gardener's Skillet - aka Vegetarian Shepherd Pie

2008-05-30T21:40:00.000-07:00

I am 100% addicted to this site

Utterly, completely, totally love. The site may scare you, as it's "Vegan" but it has fantastic recipes that are really easy to customize. I live with a non-Vegan and not once has he ever complained about the food from this site. We do customize - often times we'll use beef bullion instead of vegetable broth (because it's what we have), regular milk instead of dairy, eggs instead of egg substitutes. Still. it's good.

Anyway, to get to the point. I'm currently do the CORE plan on Weight-Watchers and therefore eating has gotten slightly more tricky. I found this recipe, decided to make it...and it was good. Beyond good. Delicious. Yummy. Fantastic. And I present for you. :-D

Skillet Gardener's Pie
(printer-friendly version)

I used kidney beans here because I like their flavor and texture in this dish. But feel free to substitute about 1- 1/2 cups of any cooked beans or lentils. Or, if faux meats are your thing, rehydrate some TVP, crumble up a couple of Boca burgers, or chop up some seitan and use it instead.

2 pounds Yukon gold or red potatoes
1/2 cup soy milk
salt and pepper, to taste
1 large onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 large carrots, diced
2 ribs celery, diced, leaves minced and reserved
8 ounces mushrooms, diced
2 cups fat-free vegetable broth
16 ounces kidney beans, cooked
2 cups green beans, cut in 1" pieces
1 1/2 teaspoons thyme
2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, minced (or 1 tsp. dried)
1/4 teaspoon sage
2 cups baby spinach leaves, packed
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons water (or veg. broth)
extra rosemary for garnish

Scrub the potatoes and cut them into cubes. (I leave mine unpeeled, but if you want you can peel them before dicing.) Place potatoes in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and simmer until potatoes are tender. Reserve a cup of their cooking water, if possible, and drain. Place in a large bowl, add the soymilk, and mash until smooth, adding a little of the potato-cooking water if they seem too dry. Add salt and freshly ground pepper to taste and set aside in a warm place.

While the potatoes are cooking, make the "pie" filling. Spray a large non-stick or cast iron skillet with canola oil. Heat it on a medium-high burner and add the onions. Sauté until onions are translucent. Add the garlic, carrots, celery, and mushrooms, and sauté for 3 more minutes.

Add the vegetable broth, kidney beans, green beans, and herbs. Simmer on medium heat for 20 minutes and all vegetables are tender. Add salt and pepper to taste (I added a little hickory smoke salt). There should still be some liquid in the pan, but if it has become too dry, add a little of the potato-cooking water. Add the spinach and stir until it's completely wilted. Mix the corn starch with the water until smooth, and add it to the pan. Cook, stirring, until mixture has thickened.

Spoon the potatoes evenly over the top of the filling and sprinkle with chopped rosemary. If potatoes have cooled, put the skillet under the broiler for a minute or two. Serve immediately while hot.

Things to keep in mind:
- Keep the heat lower to keep the juices in there
- Celery Leaves go in with the herbs (and make a huge difference. Don't forget them)

Enjoy!

Mexican Rice

2008-05-19T05:02:00.000-07:00

Vegetarian times had an entire Mexican meal spread in their March magazine (which I just got) and I went ahead and made it. Everything was good but the Mexican Rice was especially good. I thought I'd share it, plus it looked so pretty when it was done.

Ingredients:
1 tbs. olive oil
1 cup instant brown rice
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup frozen peas
8 green onions, chopped (1/2 cup)
3 cloves garlic, minced (1 tbs.)
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
2 tbs. tomato paste
12 ounces or a can of black beans (optional but recommended.)

Instructions:
1. Heat oil in saucepan over medium-high heat. Add rice and saute 3 to 4 minutes or until beginning to brown. Add corn, peas, green onions, garlic, cumin and oregano, saute 1 minute.
2. Spoon tomato paste in 2-cup measuring cup. Add enough boiling water to make 2 cups and stir to combine. Pour tomato paste mixture into rice and season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer 15 minutes or until all liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat, add black beans if desired and fluff with fork.

The rest of the meal can be found in these links. I recommend the tacos but warn that if the slaw is made...beware. It's beyond spicy. :-D

Chickpea Tacos
Spicy Orange Slaw - If you don't like spicy foods I recommend skipping the cayenne pepper altogether. It's really good but incredibly spicy.
In-a-pinch Profiteroles - fantastically good. Ice-cream with a coating and chocolate sauce.

Carrot Cake

2008-05-11T21:40:00.000-07:00

The recipe is from here. The original recipe yields a two-layer cake, which would be too much for my two person household, one of whom is on a diet :), so my rendition is pretty much the original halved. It's still moist and flavorful and yummy!

Ingredients:

For the cake:
4 cups grated carrots
1/2 cup (110 g) brown sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cup (150 g) white sugar
1/2 cup (125 ml) vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (essence)
1 1/2 cup (190 g) all-purpose (plain) flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

* Original recipe also uses 1/2 cup raisins and 1/2 cup crushed pineapple, which I skipped because I didn't have the former and I dislike the latter.

For the cream cheese frosting (icing):
8 oz (220 g) cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup (55 g) butter, softened
1 cup (130 g) confectioners' (powdered) sugar, sifted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Combine grated carrots and brown sugar in a medium bowl. Set aside for 60 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350º F/175º C.
Grease and flour a 9-inch (23 cm) cake pan.
In a large bowl, beat eggs until light. Gradually beat in the white sugar, oil and vanilla.
Combine the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon, and stir into the wet mixture until absorbed.
Lastly, stir in the carrot mixture and the walnuts.
Pour batter into the prepared pan.
Bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan.
Remove and let cool on a cooling rack.
When completely cooled, frost with cream cheese frosting.

For the frosting:
Cream together the cream cheese and butter.
Mix in the vanilla, then gradually stir in the confectioners' sugar.
Frost cooled cake.

* I only had 4 oz of cream cheese, so, as you can see, I was a little short on frosting:

Chicken Curry

2008-05-11T21:09:00.000-07:00

Recipe from Indian Food and Folklore.

Ingredients:

2 cups plain yogurt
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teasoon turmeric
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 lb (450 g) chicken pieces, skinned
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tablespoons oil

Directions:

Place yogurt, garlic and all spices in a large bowl and mix well.
Add the chicken pieces and toss to cover with yogurt mixture.
Cover and leave to marinade for at least 4 hours.

Heat the oil in a pan.
Add the onion and fry until golden.
Add the chicken and the marinade.
Bring to a simmer, cover and cook for about 30 minutes or until chicken is tender.

Cod Pakistani Style

2008-05-04T10:43:00.000-07:00

A friend sent me this recipe with very high recommendations. We don't eat tilapia at home, but I tried it with cod. It turned out delicious just the same.

Ingredients:

1 lb (450 g) cod fillets
1/4 cup olive oil
14.5 oz (400 g) canned diced tomatoes
2 teaspoons ginger
2 bay leaves
2 garlic cloves (skinned)
2 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin seed
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon ground fenugreek seed
the juice of one small lemon
2 teaspoons salt
2 jalapeno peppers slit in half, length-wise. I used 1/4 teaspoon of chili powder instead - we cannot tolerate that much spiciness :).

Directions:

In a food processor blend tomatoes, garlic and ginger into a smooth paste. Add oil and pulse a few times.
Put the paste in a skillet and simmer on low heat, uncovered, for about 5 minutes or until the oil begins to separate from the liquid.
Add the bay leaves, cumin, turmeric, fenugreek seed, salt and the jalapenos.
Stir well and allow the mixture to cook for a few more minutes.
Poke a few holes in each cod fillet, and add them to the paste.
Add the juice of the lemon.
Simmer for 10 more minutes or until fish is cooked through.
Garnish with cilantro leaves and serve over white rice (or, with a lot of bread).

Curry Couscous

2008-04-27T11:47:00.000-07:00

I love curry, I love couscous... Yeah!

Put the amount of water your couscous package says to use for 2 servings into a small pot. Add:

1 1/2 tsp Curry Powder (I used 1 tsp Sweet Curry and 1/2 tsp Maharajah with saffron in it)
1/2 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Cumin
1/4 tsp Poultry Seasoning
Lemon pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder to taste

Finish couscous according to the directions and add 1 Tbsp butter. Serve as a side dish (I suggest with baked chicken).

Info on my spices:
Sweet Curry: http://www.penzeys.com/cgi-bin/penzeys/p-penzeyscurryswe.html
Maharajah Curry: http://www.penzeys.com/cgi-bin/penzeys/p-penzeysmaharajah.html
Poultry seasoning: http://www.penzeys.com/cgi-bin/penzeys/p-penzeyspoultryseas.html

Cottage Pie

2008-04-19T19:00:00.000-07:00

Or rather, Ivayla's bastardized version of an English classic :). Ideas from here and here.

Ingredients for a 12-inch (30 cm) pie:

4 medium potatoes
milk, butter, salt to taste

~ 1 lb/500 g ground beef meat*
1/2 medium onion, diced
2 medim carrots, sliced
3 roasted peppers, cut into strips
7.5 oz/200 g canned green peas
7.5 oz/200 g canned chopped tomatoes, undrained
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon thyme
salt, pepper to taste

* I had pot roast leftovers that I ground in the food processor, and since it was already seasoned, I skipped the spices.

Directions:

Boil the potatoes in water until soft.
Drain and mash with the butter and milk.
Season with salt and pepper

Heat some oil in a skillet.
Add the onion and carrots and cook over a medium heat for 5 minutes until soft.
Add the ground beef and brown it.
Add the tomatoes, bay leaf and thyme.
Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes or until the meat is no longer pink.
Add cornstarch.
Stir in peas.

Spread a thin layer of mashed potatoes on the bottom of an oiled pie pan.
Spoon the meat mixture on top.
Cover with strips of roasted pepper.
Top with the rest of the mashed potatoes.
Bake on 375 F/190 C for about 30 min or until golden brown.

Twice-baked Potatoes

2008-04-18T20:10:00.000-07:00

I put the vegetarian (vegan?) and low-fat labels on it, because you can take out the bacon, add a little salt, and have no negative effects. But, since I'm a carnivore, there's bacon. :-P

Twice-baked Potatoes
Yield: 2 servings

1 Big honkin' baking potato
2 Strips bacon
2 1/2 Tablespoons pesto
2 Handfuls of fresh spinach, rinsed

Bake the potato on a 1 hr. at 425 F (220 C) on a baking sheet. Fry bacon and drain on a paper towel in a small bowl. Crumble them. When the potato is done, take it out and cut it in half lengthwise. Scoop out the meat into a medium-sized bowl and add the pesto and bacon. Stir until it is just brought together. Roughly chop spinach into smallish pieces and mix with the potato. Put the mixture evenly in the two potato skins. It won't look like it will fit, but it will (spinach shrinks). Put it back on the tray and bake in the oven for 30 min.

You can throw a handful of shredded Parmesan cheese in it if you so desire.

Chocolate Cake for Tiziri

2008-04-14T17:41:00.000-07:00

This recipe was originally my Great Aunt's, but then I changed it a little (which is what ends up happening to just about every recipe I've ever made). I hope you like it!

1/2 c Butter
2 t Baking Soda
2 c Sugar
1 t Salt
2 Eggs
3/4 c Cocoa Powder
1 t Vanilla Extract
2 c Boiling Water
2 c All-purpose Flour
Strawberry or raspberry pie filling/syrup

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cream butter and sugar in a large bowl. Add eggs and vanilla. Sift together flour, soda, and salt in a separate bowl. In yet another bowl (that can hold 3+ cups), pour the boiling water over the cocoa and stir. Mix a little of the flour mixture with the butter, then a little cocoa/water, then a little flour... Repeat until all is combined. Bake for 30 minutes in a 9x13 pan. When cooled, pour a little too much of the pie filling or syrup over the top and spread it around. Let it soak in and serve.

Berry Pie

2008-04-13T10:37:00.000-07:00

I've been eyeing this recipe for a while, especially since it's from a book that I am contemplating getting. I finally got a chance to make it - my first ever American pie, yay! It's delicious too :). The crust takes in from the filling and gets wonderfully juicy, but not soaked and it holds the filling beautifully. And the filling has this divine tartly sweet taste that cooked berries have. OK, enough with the self-promotion, on with the recipe :).

Ingredients for one two-crust 9-inch (23 cm) pie:

For the crust:
14 tablespoons (7 oz, 200 g) unsalted butter
2 1/4 cups (320 g) all-purpose (plain) flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
5 to 7 tablespoons ice water*
1 tablespoon vinegar**

* Ice water = water with ice in it. I don't remember why the cold temperature is so important, but it is.

** The vinegar's purpose is to prevent the dough from forming tight gluten bonds and help it stay flaky. You can't taste it, so don't skip it. The recipe said cider vinegar, but I used wine vinegar. I assume any type will do.

For the filling:
1/2 cup (100 g) sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons (20 g) cornstarch (cornflour)
a pinch of salt
the zest of one lemon (about 2 teaspoons), finely grated
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
4 cups (about 1 lb, 500 g) berries. The recipe uses fresh blackberries, I used a mix of frozen raspberries, blueberries and marionberries.

Directions:

For the crust:

* The crust is not labor-intensive, but it takes a while to make, as it has to rest in the fridge a few times in increments of 1 hour, 30 min, and 1 hour, so a total of 2 and a half hours. The resting is important, as it allows the dough to settle, not shrink during baking and form the flakes that it should. If you don't care to wait, just use store-bought crust.

Divide the 14 tablespoons of butter into 2 portions: 9 tablespoons and 5 tablespoons (130 g and 70 g).
Refrigerate the 9 tablespoon portion and freeze the 5 tablespoon portion for at least 30 minutes.
Place the flour, salt and baking powder in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade. Process for a few seconds to combine.
Add the refrigerated butter, cut into 3/4 inch (2 cm) cubes, and process for about 20 seconds or until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
Add the frozen butter, cut into 3/4 inch (2 cm) cubes, and pulse until the frozen butter is the size of peas.
Add 5 tablespoons of ice water and the vinegar and pulse 6-7 times
Pinch a small amount of the mixture to see if it holds together.
If not, add another 1 tablespoon water and pulse 3 times.
Try pinching again to see if it holds together.
If not, add the final 1 tablespoon water and pulse 3 times.

At this point, my dough still looked like a mess of dry crumbs, but I am happy that I resisted my urge to add more water in it :).

Divide the dough in half. Wrap each portion with plastic wrap and flatten into discs. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 2 days.

Remove one disc of pie dough from the fridge.
If it's too hard to roll, let it sit out for about 10 minutes.
Roll out the dough to about 1/8 inch (0.3 cm) thick and about 12 inches (30 cm) in diameter.

I always have trouble rolling buttery doughs, as they tend to stick to the counter and tear. So I cover the counter with plastic wrap, cover the rolling pin with plastic wrap and roll it like that. Easy to clean up too!

Carefully transfer to a 9-inch pie pan.
Trim the dough edge to about even with the edge of the pan.
Cover with plastic and let dough rest in fridge for at least 30 minutes and up to 3 hours.

For the filling:

In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, salt, lemon zest.
Whisk in the lemon juice to make a slurry.
Add the berries and gently toss them to coat with the slurry.
Mine were frozen and easy to handle, but if you are using fresh, be careful not to crush them.
Let sit for about 15 minutes.

Assembling the pie:

Toss the berries once more and then pour the mixture into the bottom crust.
Roll out the remaining disk of dough to about 12 inches in diameter.
Moisten the edges of the bottom crust with water and gently place the top crust over the berries.
Tuck any overhang under the bottom crust and press down to seal the two crusts.
With the tip of a knife, cut 3-5 slits in the top crust to allow steam to vent.
Cover pie loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour before baking.

Set your oven rack to the lowest position, so that the bottom crust bakes well.
Preheat oven to 425F (220 C).
Place pie on a rimmed baking sheet to catch any juice.
Bake for 30-45 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.
Check the pie after 20 minutes and protect the edges from over-browning (mine did!) with a ring of foil if necessary.
Allow pie to cool on a rack for at least 4 hours before serving. This is not only to protect you from burning your mouth :) but also to allow the filling to settle.

Quick bread recipe

2008-04-12T12:14:00.000-07:00

This is the ultimate quick bread recipe, in my opinion. It's called "Zucchini Bread", but today I didn't have zucchini, so I decided to use applesauce instead. Figures I wouldn't have applesauce either, so I dug out some frozen mashed pears, peeled and chopped up a granny smith apple into it, and called it good enough. And it was good enough!

Oh, and your mouth will thank you to let the bread sit for a few minutes before devouring. Apple chunks get pretty hot... :-/

3 Eggs
1 c Vegetable Oil
2/3 c Sugar
2 c Grated zucchini (or whatever)
2 t Vanilla extract
1 t Salt
1/4 t Baking powder
3 c All-purpose flour
1 t Baking soda
3 t Ground cinnamon (optional, but strongly suggested)
Fresh-ground nutmeg (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two 8X4 inch loaf pans. In a large bowl, beat eggs, oil, and sugar together. Stir in zucchini and vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, soda, baking powder, and salt. Stir into egg mixture. Divide the batter between the two pans. Bake for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with a few little crumbs left. Let cool as long as possible before you or a family member devour it.

You can ruin it with 1/2 c chopped walnuts if you absolutely must.

Sweet Chocolate Fruit Cake

2008-04-12T00:19:00.000-07:00

I just invented this cake for the fun of it today, based on various other cakes, and it’s scrumptious – moist, sweet, chocolatey, fruity . . . oh, try it. It’s good.

This quantity makes a small cake in a loaf tin, but it’s easy to make it bigger.

Ingredients:

4 ounces (110g) margarine
4 ounces (110g) caster sugar
2 eggs
4 ounces (110g) self-raising flour
2 heaped tablespoons cocoa
2 tablespoons milk
½ cup (125mL) mixed dried fruit
Heaped ¼ cup (60mL+) desiccated coconut (shredded coconut)
Golden syrup

Instructions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 180 C (350 F) and grease a loaf tin (pan).

2. Cream margarine and sugar.

3. Add eggs to margarine and sugar, and mix until incorporated.

4. Sieve (sift) flour and cocoa and mix until incorporated.

5. Add milk, dried fruit and coconut and combine until mixture is even.

6. Place about half of the mixture in the loaf tin (pan) and spread it out evenly. Drizzle golden syrup (generously, but not completely covering the mixture) over the top of the mixture, then add the rest of the mixture, smooth out and repeat drizzling of golden syrup.

7. Bake in 180 C oven for half an hour.

8. After cooking, turn cake out onto cooling rack and immediately flip over so that the top of the cake is facing upwards. The top of the cake will be extremely soft and may stick and tear if allowed to cool onto the cooling rack.

9. The cake should be left to cool for a while as the hot fruit may burn the mouth, but it can be enjoyed warm once it has cooled a little – that’s what I did!

I have no plans to ice the cake but I’m sure it would be superb with a vanilla cream cheese icing or even just a drizzle of basic glacé icing.

Mediterrean Pasta

2008-04-08T15:21:00.000-07:00

I had no idea what to call this, my friend introduced me to the preparation and given the ingredients I thought the name fit. :)

It's quite easy and very versatile. It makes a nice side or a hearty vegetarian lunch for two.

4 oz. whole wheat spaghetti (any pasta can be used, but spaghetti is best)
1/2 cup chopped broccoli OR zucchini (and/or onion) or both :D
enough EVOO to coat the spaghetti, about 2 tablespoons or so
(*optional 1 tablespoon EVOO and 1 tablespoon butter instead, I prefer straight oil, but I compensate for my husband)
to taste:
garlic powder
dried basil
parmesan

Do I even need to explain? *Grin* Cook spaghetti and vegetables, toss with oil (and/or butter) and spices. (You don't even need the veggies if you don't want, but really, why not?)

It's so easy but the taste is somewhat, I don't know, sophisticated? At least for this domestically-challenged girl. :D I adore basil so I use a lot. Normally I would recommend just cooking with fresh (or minced) garlic but the powder makes sure the flavor is evenly distributed and the texture is smooth instead of chunky, depending on how/if you do the veggies. You can use regular spaghetti but the slightly nutty taste of the WW makes it better, in my opinion.

Boring recipe, but I haven't posted in a while and I just made this tonight and wanted to share.

Leek and Potato Soup

2008-04-06T22:48:00.001-07:00

I was looking for a recipe and I found a recipe for microwavable Leek and Potato Soup. I don't have any microwavable dishes. I didn't have the spices they were looking for. So I created my own version and it was delicious:

Leek and Potato Soup
- Four cups of vegtable broth (I used boullion)
- Two Bay Leaves
- Two Potatoes or Three Small Potatoes - roughly chopped
- 1 Small Onion - roughly chopped
- 6-7 Garlic Cloves
- 2 Leeks - roughly chopped
- 1 tbs. olive oil
- In a large stockpot heat vegtable broth until it boils. Add in potatoes once it's boiling, turn the heat to medium. Add in three cloves of garlic and bay leaves
- In a pan add olive oil, heat until it's spitting. Add in three cloves of garlic, sautee until fragnant, then add onions and leeks. Sautee until they become brown.
- Add onions and leeks to broth, turn down heat and simmer until potatoes are done. - Top with a sprinklilng of parsley

Spinach Salmon Roll

2008-03-31T21:15:00.000-07:00

Yay, spinach is in season! The spinach, cream cheese and salmon flavors really complement each other. Recipe from here. Makes about 15 slices/7 servings.

Ingredients:

125 g spinach
4 eggs
50 g monterey jack, or other hard cheese, shredded
250 g smoked salmon (can also use chicken strips or ham)
150 g cream cheese + 50 g yogurt, stirred together*
parmesan cheese, salt, pepper to taste

*Recipe says 200 g Frischkäse which, as best as my palate can tell, is a light version of cream cheese. I imagine you can use straight cream cheese, but it would be heavier.

Directions:

Cook the spinach if you are using fresh.
Beat together eggs, shredded cheese, chopped cooked spinach and seasonings.
Oil a large baking pan - the larger, the better as the eggy part of the roll gets thinner. I used a 10" x 14" (25 cm x 35 cm).
You might also want to line it with parchment or baking paper, as the egg mix tends to stick.
Carefully pour the egg mix in the baking pan, spreading it evenly.
Bake at 200C/400F for 10 minutes.
Let it cool.
Once cooled, flip egg and spinach mix on a piece of foil.
Sprinkle some parmesan cheese on top.
Put a layer of smoked salmon on top of the parmesan.
Stir cream cheese with yogurt (with a fork, not a mixer).
Finally, spread cream cheese mix on top of the salmon.
With the help of the foil and rolling along the longer side of the rectangle, form a tight roll.
Wrap with foil and leave in the fridge for at least 6 hours to tighten.

A slice (it looks huge because of the zoom, but is only about 2 inches/5 cm in diameter):

Does anyone mind

2008-03-26T18:56:00.000-07:00

If I use their recipe for the cookbook I'm making for X? Everything will be properly cited with links to the original website and it won't be passed around. I just want to make sure first.

And yes, I will probably upload the cookbook once it's done.

Microwaved Instant Enchiladas

2008-03-26T14:19:00.001-07:00

Original Recipe Here:

This is so good. This is beyond good. I was unable to contact to the 'net when I made it, so this is how I did it:

Ingredients:
- Refried Beans (they said fat-free. We're not wusses. Okay...so I forgot...)
- Cheese if you want
- Black Olives
- Tortillas
- Spinach
- Frozen Corn

Instructions:
- I took a plastic container out of the cupboard
- I ripped a tortilla into pieces and put it on the bottom.
- I spooned a good amount of salsa on it.
- I topped it with frozen corn.
- I sprinkled cheese on it (bad me, but this was also for X's lunch)
- I ripped up another tortilla and put it on top.
- I spooned on refried beans
- I put on three or four LARGE pieces of spinach
- I sprinkled a little bit more cheese
- Put on another layer salsa
- topped it with the tortillas
- X dumped WAAAAY too much cheese on top (that made it even yummier but STILL), then the olives)
- I covered the container with plastic wrap
- As it was a large container I nuked it (microwaved it) for 4 minutes.
- We ate.
- And it was good.

Has anyone ever cooked with seitan or nutritional yeast?

2008-03-23T15:15:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to be better at what I'm eating and I found two fabulous recipes I want to try:
http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2008/03/dublin-coddle-with-vegan-irish-sausages.html
and
http://veganyumyum.com/2007/10/colcannon/

But I've never used either and I'm a bit hesitant. I thought I'd post this here and somewhere else to see if I figure it out.

Siri - the once strict vegetarian who has started cheating waaaay too much.

Waffles

2008-03-23T12:09:00.000-07:00

Husband and I changed a lot of roommates during college and one of them left us a waffle maker. It is one of those super cheap versions and sat in storage for three years as I thought it is the most useless thing ever. A few months ago I dug it out and what do you know - it turns out that waffles make a great lazy Saturday brunch. The recipe is my own combination of a few different recipes, as I wanted waffles that are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.

Ingredients:

1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/6 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup milk

Directions:

In a mixing bowl sift together flour, baking powder, salt and sugar.
In a separate bowl beat egg with milk and egg.
Pour wet ingredients into dry ingedients and mix.
The resulting batter would be very thick, but still pourable.
Follow the directions of your waffle maker for preparing the waffles.

Makes 5 small waffles (i.e. those on the picture plus two more):

Herbed Potato Wedges

2008-03-22T13:28:00.000-07:00

I am fairly sure I got this from the Taste of Home website, but I can't seem to find the exact recipe right now. This is a quick and easy side dish that works with any type of potatoes but is best with the fresh potatoes that are in season right now.

Ingredients (for two servings):

2 medium potatoes
2 teaspoons thyme (or rosemary, or other spices to taste)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons parmesan cheese
~ 1 tablespoon oil
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Cut potatoes in bite-size pieces.
Layer potato wedges in a microwave safe dish, cut side up.
Brush potatoes with oil.
Sprinkle with spices first, then with parmesan cheese.
Drizzle with a bit of lemon juice.
Layer a second layer of potatoes on top.
Brush with oil.
Sprinkle with spices and parmesan again.
Drizzle with lemon juice again.
* The dish that I use is small but tall, that's why I end up with several layers of potatoes.

Close the dish with its lid.
Microwave on high for about 10 min or until the potatoes are tender.

If your dish doesn't have a steam vent on the lid, be very careful when opening it, as the trapped steam comes out fast.

The potatoes on this picture are with red pepper only, but you get the idea:

Macaroni Salad (my mom's style)

2008-03-20T05:13:00.000-07:00

What you will need:

One lb of shell noodles or elbow noodles
7 eggs
1 jar of green olives
one onion
Mayo or Miracle Whip
Milk
Parsley
Celery Salt
Salt
Pepper
Paprika

FIRST STEP:

Cook and boil your noodles. Drain the water and put the noodles in bowl.

SECOND STEP:

Boil your eggs. Boil them for atleast 10 minutes.

THIRD STEP:

Peel the shells from your eggs and cut them up and put them in the bowl with the noodles.

FOURTH STEP:

Cut up green olives and put in bowl with noodles and eggs. It is up to you how many olives you use. I only use half the small jar.

FIFTH STEP:

Cut up the onion and put it in the bowl.

SIXTH STEP:

Add your miracle whip to the bowl and mix up well. Add in a little bit of milk and then some more miracle whip until thick and creamy.

SEVENTH STEP:

Add your parsley, salt, pepper and celery salt. Mix well.

EIGHTH STEP:

Sprinkle the paprika on top for garnish. Then place in the refridgerator until it is cold and you are ready to eat.

And that is it. Your done! Go and enjoy your salad. :)

Posted by Egyptian Princess

Delicious Vegetable Soup

2008-03-16T13:27:00.000-07:00

So good, so incredibly, incredibly, incredibly good. It's relatively easy to make you and adjust it however you want.

5-6 cups vegetable broth (or beef boullion cubes, it was what we had on hand. :-D)
1 16-ounce can diced tomatoes
2 16-ounce cans beans, rinsed and drained (I used kidney beans and white beans)
2 1-pound bags of frozen vegetables
4 cloves minced garlic
1 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoons oregano
1/2 teaspoon thyme
a shake or two of hot pepper sauce (or even a jalapeño)
black pepper and salt to taste
OPTIONAL: 1/2 cup small pasta OR 2 cups diced potatoes OR 1 cup frozen corn or other starchy vegetable OR 1/2 cup of quick-cooking grain (pearled barley, millet, or quinoa) or cooked rice (We used sweet potatoes)

Put 5 cups of vegetable broth and all remaining ingredients into a large pot and cook until vegetables are done, about 20-30 minutes. If the soup seems too thick, add more broth.
Taste and adjust seasonings before serving.

We adjusted this as to what we had on hand, since right now neither of us can afford groceries. Instead of spinach we used cabbage, added at the beginning. We used peas, carrots, celery, and sweet potatoes. Very good. It's incredibly filling and it's 2 points per half cup.

Instant Tomato Sauce

2008-03-15T23:14:00.000-07:00

There are NO exact measurements in this, it was truly "this is what we have and I need tomato sauce" It was really good and easy to make.

- Sun-Dried Pesto - 2tbs to 3tbs
- Can of fire-roasted tomatoes (15.5 ounces)
- Handful of black olives
- Fresh garlic (as much as you want)
- Oregano and Crushed Red Pepper (to taste)
- Roasted Red peppers

Toss it in a saucepan, put a cover on it, and wait till it thins. It's incredibly good and easy to make...and pretty low-fat.

Baklava

2008-03-14T23:09:00.000-07:00

In honor of St. Teodor's Day (which falls on March 15 this year), nameday boy has requested the insanely calorific dessert that is baklava. I remember I posted my family recipe on BtN and someone commented that it looks really complicated. It is not!

Ingredients:

500 g (1 lb) phyllo (fillo) dough
500 g (16 oz, 2 cups) butter, melted
250 g (9 oz, 2 cups) chopped walnuts (or pistachios) + 1 teaspoon cinnamon

For the syrup:
500 g (2 1/2 cups) sugar
350 ml (1 1/2 cup) water
3 teaspoons lemon juice or 1 teaspoon pure lemon extract

Directions:

Melt the butter and set one half aside.
Mix walnuts with cinnamon.
Brush the bottom of a 10" x 14" (25 cm x 35 cm) baking pan with butter.
Put in one sheet of phyllo dough. Brush it with butter.
Put another sheet on top. Brush with butter and sprinkle some walnuts.

Continue layering the baklava, putting butter on every phyllo dough sheet and walnuts on every other phyllo dough sheet.

It may look like the walnuts are too sparce but you end up with about 10 layers of walnuts on top of each other, so every piece gets decently walnutty.

* Walnuts on every other sheet is the way we like it layered in my family. Some people put all the walnuts on one layer in the middle of the baklava. Some put walnuts after every sheet. It's pretty much up to you.

End with a phyllo dough sheet on top.

Cut into diamond shapes:

Carefully pour the butter that was set aside on top of the baklava, making sure you get the edges, as that's where it is likely to remain dry.

Bake at 250F/120C for 20 min or until golden. There is nothing that needs to be cooked per se, you just need the phyllo dough to get crunchy.

Let the baklava cool before proceeding to the next step.

Mix the water and sugar for the syrup.
Bring to a gentle boil and let boil for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Do not under- or overboil. Less than 2 minutes will result in a runny syrup; more than 5 minutes will result in a thick syrup that will give you quite a sticky baklava.

Take syrup off the stove and stir in lemon juice or lemon extract.
You can omit the lemon juice/extract, but keep in mind that you can't really taste it anyway. Its purpose is to prevent the syrup from forming a sugary coat on the baklava.

Pour the *hot* syrup on the *cooled* baklava.

You need to let it stand at least 12 hours (ideally 48 hours) so it takes in all the syrup.

Skillet Sausage and Peppers

2008-03-13T07:33:00.000-07:00

This is one of my ultimate comfort foods. My mom used to make this time-intensive version but I changed it up to be a one-dish wonder.

3 mild (or spicy if you prefer!) Italian sausage links - sweet gives it an off flavor to me, but I guess you could use it; casings removed and crumbled
2 or 3 green peppers, chopped
half an onion, chopped
minced garlic or powder if you don’t have any (or fresh. whatever. just give it some garlic.)
a little over a quarter of a large jar of traditional marinara-style tomato sauce
1 small can diced tomatoes
1 cup of rice or a pouch of instant

This is really easy.
1. Brown the sausage crumbles.
2. Add veggies and saute for about five-seven minutes. Cook the rice.
3. Add sauce and simmer for another five-ten.
4. Stir in the rice.
5. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese if desired (and you should).

This feeds two ridiculously starving people or three to four normal ones. Can you guys tell I adore onions and garlic? Yah... I promise to post something that doesn't require it. Like my favorite chocolate cake. ;)

Tomato Cream Sauce

2008-03-13T07:17:00.000-07:00

I adapted a recipe from "The Pioneer Woman Cooks!" this week and it turned out scrumptious. Here is an easy sauce to toss on pretty much anything... especially ravioli. :)

1 small white onion
as much garlic as you can stand
1/2 c. low-sodium chicken broth OR white wine
16 oz. tomato sauce - not chunky. I prefer Hunts because it's thin.
1 1/4 c. heavy cream
fresh parsley
fresh basil (lots)
pepper
bit of flour (optional)

I'm so precise, aren't I?

So chop the onion and mince the garlic if you're using fresh, pretty finely unless you don't mind your sauce with onion chunks. (I don't mind, and I'm lazy so you can guess how much chopping I do.) Put a saucepan on medium heat and add a bit of olive oil and a bit of butter, allow to melt, swirl around pan, then toss in your onion and garlic. Let cook until soft and starting to color, then add your wine/broth. Stir occasionally and let that evaporate off for a few minutes until reduced a bit. In the meantime, chop and/or chiffonade your herbs. Then add your tomato sauce, stir, and slowly add in your cream, stirring the whole time. Add in the parsley and basil and pepper to taste. If you don't like a thin sauce, add the flour now and allow to cook for a few minutes longer to blend the flavors a bit and to thicken the sauce.

Pour over pasta or whatever you're eating. This will make enough to coat a full pound of rotini.

Italian Minestrone Soup

2008-03-10T14:35:00.000-07:00

This is by far the best and most filling soup I've had in a long time, and I'm a soup fan. We almost always have a pot of homemade soup in the fridge and I'm thinking this one will quickly become the favorite. It's a very thick soup - we added a can of tomato soup - and we also (of course!) used vegetable broth instead of beef broth. It's absolutely perfect with homemade bread...and that's a filling dinner. It's also four points per serving, so it's also points friendly. Yay.

Ingredients:
1 med. onion, chopped
1/4 c. celery leaves, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
Olive oil
1 c. chopped carrot
1 c. chopped celery
1 (28 oz.) can tomatoes with liquid
1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
2 c. beef stock or broth
1 c. red wine
1 zucchini, sliced
1 1/2 c. chopped cabbage
1 (14-16 oz.) can white beans or pinto or kidney beans
1 c. elbow macaroni
Water or V-8 juice
Pepper
2 bay leaves
1 tsp. oregano

Instructions:
Saute onion, garlic and celery leaves in olive oil until
onions are clear, 5 to 10 minutes. Add chopped carrots,
celery, tomatoes, tomato sauce, beef stock, wine, bay
leaves, oregano and pepper. Simmer until carrots are
tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Add zucchini and cabbage and
simmer until they are tender. You may need to add 1 to 2
cups more water or V-8 juice to get desired consistency.
Add beans and macaroni and cook until tender. Serve with
Parmesan cheese. You can vary this recipe with other beans,
vegetables or rice.

We didn't use Parmesan cheese.

Self-Layering Light Fruit Cake

2008-03-10T05:49:00.000-07:00

I call this invented cake recipe ‘self layering’ because the gentle cooking temperature means that the fruit is able to settle a little. When the cake is cooked and turned out you end up with a bottom layer of soft, moist butter cake with almost no fruit, and an upper layer full of juicy fruit embedded in a little cake. Sounds like an accident (well, it was an accident), but it’s very tasty that way!

This is a two-day process as the fruit has to soak overnight.

Ingredients:

Approx 1.5 metric (250mL) cups mixed dried fruit (mine included sultanas, mixed peel, currants, raisins and glacé cherries).
Enough sherry to cover the fruit

4 oz (110g) plus two tablespoons white sugar
4 oz (110g) margarine plus extra for greasing
2 large eggs, or 3 small eggs
4 oz (110g) self-raising flour
1 teaspoon vanilla essence

Method:

1. Place the dried fruit in a small bowl and cover with sherry, then sprinkle over two tablespoons of white sugar. Leave to soak overnight.

2. Preheat oven to 160 C / 320 F. Prepare a cake tin (cake pan) – I used a round tin with a 20cm / 8inch diameter and a capacity of about 1 litre / 16 oz – by greasing the tin with margarine then covering the base and sides with greaseproof paper (baking paper) and coating the joins with more margarine.

2. In a large mixing bowl, cream sugar and butter until light and fluffy.

3. Add eggs to mixing bowl and mix until fully combined.

4. Using a slotted spoon of some sort, lift the fruit out of the sherry mixture and add it to the butter mixture along with the vanilla essence. Reserve sherry mixture as it is used in the icing. Mix fruit in until fully coated in butter mixture.

5. Add sieved (sifted) flour to fruit mixture and stir until it forms a smooth batter around the fruit.

6. Spoon mixture into cake tin and smooth top. Place in oven and bake for about 40 minutes, or until top is golden. The top may still be a little moist and should appear bubbly when the cake is cooked.

7. Allow cake to cool completely in the tin (pan) before turning out. Ensure cake is completely cold before icing.

The Icing:

I expected this icing to harden when the cake was refrigerated, but it didn’t, so apparently I’ve invented an icing that stays very soft! It’s hard enough to stay where it’s put but still very sticky when touched, and it tastes delicious if I do say so myself!

Ingredients:

1 cup sieved (sifted) icing sugar (confectioner’s sugar)
2 tablespoons margarine
2 tablespoons Philadelphia cream cheese
1 tablespoon milk
1 dessertspoon sherry mixture from fruit
1 teaspoon vanilla essence

Method:

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Mash margarine and cream cheese into the icing sugar, then beat all ingredients until they form a smooth mixture.

2. Smooth onto cake using a flat utensil. The cake should be fruit-side-up when iced.

3. Keep cake refrigerated until serving so that icing doesn’t run.

4. Enjoy!

The last piece, right before I ate it!

Cinnabon (tm) Knock-off Cinnamon Buns

2008-03-03T19:00:00.000-08:00

I love Cinnabons but I rarely have them as they are incredibly fattening and somewhat expensive. So when I found this recipe, I *had* to try making them at home. They turned out really good, though not quite as good as the real thing. This is not your everyday dessert, as they are quite filling, but they are great for special treat, and they come up to about 75 cents a pop, which is way cheaper than the real thing.

Ingredients (for 10-12 rolls)

Rolls:
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 cup (240 ml) milk
1/2 cup (100 g) white sugar
1/3 cup (75 g) butter
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
4 cups (500 g) all-purpose (plain) flour

Filling:
1 cup (220 g) packed brown sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon
1/3 cup (75 g) butter, softened

Icing (Frosting):
1/4 cup (60 g) butter, softened
1/4 cup (60g) cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cup (190 g) confectioners' (powdered) sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon lemon extract
~ 1 tablespoon water or more to achieve desired consistency

Directions:

For the rolls:
Put all the ingredients for the rolls in the bread machine and use the dough setting. The resulting dough was a bit too soft for my bread machine, and it kept getting under the paddle. Other than that, the machine did just fine. If you don't have a bread machine, see the recipe on top for instructions on making it manually.

On a piece of plastic foil flatten the dough into a rectangle approximately 21 inches long, 16 inches wide (53 cm x 40 cm), and about ¼ inch (1/2 cm) thick. Or so says the recipe, but next time I am going to split it into two balls and two smaller rectangles, as the resulting buns were too big for me.

For the filling:
Combine the brown sugar and cinnamon in a bowl. Spread the softened butter evenly over the surface of the dough rectangle, and sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar evenly on top.

With the help of the foil form the dough rectangle into a tight roll along the longer (21 inch) side. Tight is the operative word here, or the cinnamon filing will fall out when the roll is cut.

When working with a roll like this, I like to stick it in the freezer for 15 min so it's easier to cut. Don't overdo it though, as freezer temperatures kill the yeast.

Cut the roll into 2 inch (5 cm) thick slices and place slices on a greased baking sheet.

Proof until they double in size (about 30 minutes).

Bake for 10 minutes at 400 F (205 C) until they are golden on top.

While buns are baking, beat the butter and cream cheese in a large bowl. Add the powdered sugar and mix on low speed until the sugar is incorporated, then add the flavorings and enough water (or milk) to obtain the desired consistency. Mix on high speed again until the icing is smooth and fluffy.

Let the buns cool for about 10 min and cover with frosting.

As you can see, my frosting skills are pretty much non-existent:

Moroccan Honey Lamb

2008-03-03T05:22:00.000-08:00

Early last year, after moving house, I was buying recipe base sachets pretty much at random at a little corner shop, and picked up one for a honey lamb casserole. This Moroccan-inspired recipe base was absolutely divine, but I’ve never been able to find it again. So I looked up the ingredients on the manufacturer’s website, and I’ve managed to recreate it. It’s a smooth, slightly spicy and very aromatic bake, incredibly easy to make.

Serves 4, but easy to adapt.

Ingredients:

4 lamb shoulder chops (preferably the sort with the little round bone in them, but you could use any lamb chops)
100mL tomato paste (tomato concentrate)
150mL honey
Juice of ½ lemon or orange
2 teaspoons dried garlic powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground Chinese Five Spice (contains cinnamon, star anise, clove, fennel and pepper)
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin seeds
Dash of salt
Ground pepper to taste
1 brown onion
2 tablespoons cornflour (cornstarch)
Water

Method:

Preheat oven to 180 C / 350 F.

1. Cut the onion into rings and spread them out in a shallow microwave dish. Add enough water to cover the bottom of the dish and microwave uncovered on medium high for five minutes.

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the tomato paste with 400mL water. Stir until it forms an even mixture.

3. In a small jug, combine the honey with 300mL of very hot or boiling water and stir until dissolved. Add to the tomato mixture and stir in thoroughly.

4. Add lemon/orange juice to the tomato mixture.

5. Once onion has finished microwaving, pour off the water into the tomato mixture and reserve onion rings.

6. Add all of the spices to the tomato mixture (including salt and pepper) and whisk or mix thoroughly until spices are evenly distributed.

7. Place the cornflour in a dry glass or jug, add 200mL of cool water and stir firmly until cornflour is dissolved. Add to tomato mixture and stir thoroughly.

8. Take a casserole or baking dish large enough to spread out all of the chops. Pour a small amount of the tomato mixture into the base, enough to cover the bottom of the dish. Arrange onion rings across base, then place chops on top (do not overlap unless necessary). Pour all of remaining tomato mixture into the dish. It should cover the chops completely.

9. Bake in the middle of the oven for 1 hour. It will fill the house with the exotic spicy aroma while it’s cooking – delicious!

Serve a chop with sauce and onion over rice, with some green veggies (I had green peas).

I made the full amount of this along with four serves of rice, and froze the chops, onion, sauce and rice together in individual serves for future easy meals. There was a lot of sauce left over which I’ve frozen to use as a stock base for a future casserole or stir-fry.

PS: The sides of your casserole dish won't be as messy as they are in the pic . . . unless you're like me and repeatedly drop the lid into the sauce while serving!

Melting Moments

2008-03-03T05:11:00.000-08:00

These are light, crumby, buttery, sweet biscuits (cookies) that I’ve been baking for years. The plain version is the original but I’ve developed my own chocolate version, which is also included here.

Ingredients:

120g / 4oz butter or margarine (recipe says butter but I’ve always used marg) OR
140g / 5oz butter or margarine if you’re making the choc version
60g / 2oz icing sugar (confectioner’s sugar)
30g / 1oz cornflour (cornstarch)
1 cup Self Raising flour
2 tablespoons cocoa for the chocolate version
About 2 tablespoons white sugar for choc version

Method:

Preheat oven to 150 C / 300 F

1. Melt butter/margarine and sieve (sift) in icing sugar. Mix well.

2. Add sieved (sifted) flour and cornflour to butter mixture (and cocoa for choc version). Mix thoroughly until it forms a dough.

3. Roll into balls – this quantity should make 20 balls. Place the balls on a greased / oiled baking tray (cookie sheet) and squash down with a fork. I generally push the fork down twice, the second time at right angles to the first time, to form a cross-hatch on top.

4. Choc version only: using a sieve, sprinkle white sugar over the biscuits.

5. Bake at 150 C / 300 F for 15 minutes.

6. Allow to cool on the tray. Once cooled they can be kept in a sealed container or on a cling-wrapped plate in the fridge.

Icing (Frosting)

There are a variety of ways to ice (frost) these. Traditionally they’re sandwiched together with vanilla icing, but there’s many variations and you can simply pipe squiggles of icing on top of the biscuit if you don’t want to make sandwiches.

Ingredients:

4 metric (20mL) tablespoons icing (confectioners’) sugar
2 metric (10mL) teaspoons butter / margarine, melted
1 metric tablespoon milk
1 metric teaspoon vanilla essence (can be substituted for any other flavour of essence, such as lemon, orange, raspberry or peppermint)
Food colouring if desired.

Method:

Mix all ingredients together to make a creamy mixture. Spoon or pipe onto the biscuits as desired, and chill before serving.

Crêpes

2008-02-24T11:32:00.000-08:00

I learned to make those when I was about 10, and I have two left hands, so they are not as complicated as they look and sound.

Makes ~ 30 crêpes that are ~ 7 inches (15 cm) in diameter. You may get more or less depending on the size of your skillet. Once the skillet is heated, plan on a minute and a half to two minutes per crêpe.

Ingredients:

1 cup (130 g) all-purpose (plain) flour
2 cups (480 ml) milk*
3 eggs
A drop of vanilla extract, optional

* I know that a few people here avoid milk for a variety of reasons. You can substitute water, but whole milk crepes taste a lot better than low-fat, no-fat or water crêpes. I assume soy milk would work too, but I honestly haven't tried.

Directions:

Beat all ingredients with a mixer. The resulting batter is slightly thicker than buttermilk.
Heat a skillet.
Put a few drops of oil, so the crepe doesn't stick. My friend soaks a cotton ball with oil and runs it across the bottom of the skillet but that's a bit too demanding for me.

Pour a bit of the batter in the middle:

*Quickly* hold the skillet and wiggle it with a circular motion, so that the batter spreads evenly in a thin layer.
It takes a bit of practice to figure out the exact amount of batter you need. My advice is to go easy. If you underestimate the amount of batter, that happens:

But it can be fixed by spooning batter into the holes. The other way around, you get a thick crêpe, and that is not fixable.

When the top layer dries up (happens fast, so stay by the stove), the crêpe is ready to be flipped.

Run a spatula around the edges - that's where it is most likely to stick to the skillet.
Gently slide the spatula under the crêpe:

... and flip:

Cook for about a minute more, or according to taste - we like ours medium baked.
Transfer to a plate.
Repeat the whole thing until you run out of batter.

I cover mine with another plate while they are warm so they soften up.

They go well with sweet or savory filling.

Black-Jack Quesadillas

2008-02-23T20:06:00.003-08:00

These are so, so, so good - and pretty good for you.

Ingredients:
- 16 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained (unless you're like me and prefer to use dried. If you use dried beans you must soak them overnight, then cook for 45 minutes. I normally do large batches of different beans and keep them in the fridge through the week)
- Banana peppers (use to taste, about three per quesadilla)
- 8 oz. package shredded cheese
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
- 1/2 cup salsa

Instructions:
- Dump the beans into a bowl and mash to a pulp.
- Stir in the peppers, salsa, and oregano.
- Cover a tortilla with the mixture, add cheese to the top, top with another tortilla and cook until golden in a large skillet with little to no oil.

These are incredibly filling - I was unable to finish mine.

Meatballs with White Sauce

2008-02-22T20:12:00.000-08:00

My big problem is that husband likes fried meatballs, while I hate frying for both health and cleaning reasons, and I am not too crazy about meatballs either. This recipe is a decent compromise. Makes 5 servings of 2 meatballs each, and eats a lot of bread :).

Ingredients:

For the meatballs:
1 lb (450 g) ground meat (mince)
1 egg
1 small onion, finely diced
1/4 teaspoon of each: salt and black pepper or other spices to taste

For the sauce:
1 egg
4 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup yogurt
1 bay leaf
lemon juice

Directions:

Mix the products for the meatballs. Form into 10 balls.
Put the meatballs in a deep sauce pan and cover with water. Add bay leaf.
Bring water to a boil, reduce to simmer and cook until meatballs are no longer pink inside.
Remove from heat.

Beat egg, mix with yogurt and flour.
*Gradually* spoon about 1 cup of the hot broth from the meatballs into yogurt mixture. Stir continuously.
When the yogurt mixture and the meatball broth are at pretty much the same temperature, pour yogurt mix into saucepan.
Cook over medium heat stirring continuously for 2 more minutes or until the sauce is at desired density.
Season with lemon juice.
Remove bay leaf before serving.

Cranberry Muffins

2008-02-19T18:54:00.000-08:00

Original recipe from here. Those are American-style, not English muffins. Cups are American standard cups that hold 240 ml of liquid. This recipe makes 12. You will need one 12-cup (or 2 6-cup ones) regular muffin pan, for which the cups measure about 3 inches/7.5 cm in diameter.

As far as the filling goes, that recipe is very versatile. You can substitute other berries for the cranberries, or substitute the walnuts with chopped apple for cran-apple muffins. Or make some combination of fillings - as long as you keep everything to 2 cups, you should be fine.

Ingredients:

1 1/3 cups (165 g) all-purpose (plain) flour
2/3 cup (135 g) white sugar + 1/3 cup (70 g) brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda (bicarbonate of soda)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon*
1/3 cup (70 g) shortening
1/2 cup (120 ml) milk**
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg, beaten
1 cup chopped cranberries
1 cup chopped walnuts

* Original recipe also calls for nutmeg and ginger but I skip them
** Recipe uses orange juice, but I prefer them with milk

Directions:

The main principle of making muffin batter is to mix the wet and the dry ingredients separately, and combine them in the end, mixing with a wooden spoon (no mixer!) just so all the dry ingredients get moistened. Proper muffin batter may be lumpy, but that's OK. Overmixing creates a dense heavy texture, and that is not the purpose here.

In a large bowl sift together flour, sugars, cinnamon, baking powder and baking soda. In a small bowl beat egg, milk, vanilla and shortening together. Stir into dry ingredients until dry ingredients are moistened. Fold in cranberries and walnuts.

Spoon into muffin pan - this one is more dough-like than batter-like, so pouring is kind of difficult. Bake at 350 F (175 C) for 25 minutes or until brown.

Egg Bread

2008-02-09T18:11:00.000-08:00

Siri had asked for bread recipes. This is the one I make most often; the recipe is from my bread machine manual.

Ingredients for an M size bread which is, I think, 1 lb/450 g:

3 cups bread flour
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 tablespoon butter
1 egg
1 1/4 cup milk* with the egg**
1 teaspoon dry yeast

* Recipe says 1 1/2 tablespoon dry milk + water but I never have dry milk around the house, so I use straight milk.
** Break the egg into the measuring cup and fill the rest with milk until it reaches the 1 1/4 cup mark.

Put in the bread machine in the order which your manual recommends and voila! If you feel like it, the dough is very easy to form into fun shapes.

Making your own stock

2008-02-06T09:51:00.000-08:00

I have just used up the last of my canned broth and am now looking to start making my own stock. Any tips?

Request for mango recipes.

2008-02-04T21:11:00.000-08:00

Today we discovered that we have a mango tree and there are a lot of fruit on it.
So my question for you guys is do you have any great mango recipes to share?

Tofu & Peas/Chicken & Peas

2008-02-03T18:05:00.000-08:00

This is an incredibly easy, delicious, and filling dinner to make. The recipe calls for garam masala, but I really hate the taste. I've made this so many times and it's always gotten rave reviews.

Ingredients:
1 Large Onion - chopped
1 Package firm tofu, cubed/2lbs chicken thighs, cut up/2lbs chicken breast, but up (I recommend thighs if you're using chicken)
2.5 Cups (or a regular sized bag) frozen green peas
3 garlic cloves (or however many you like.)
3 tbs. olive oil
15.5 ounces Canned Diced tomatoes
2 tps. garam masala if you're using it.
Instructions:
In a large skillet heat the oil and garlic cloves. When it's heated, cook the chicken or tofu. If it's chicken, place it in the skillet and sauté it until it's golden brown. For tofu, keep flipping it until it's golden brown on all sides. The recipe originally called for frying it in 2 cups of olive oil...obviously not so healthy.
After the chicken/tofu is golden brown, add in the onions and sauté until soft. Add in the tomatoes (undrained!), peas and garam masala, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
This is an incredibly hardy and filling dish, plus it's pretty to look at. Everyone who has tried has liked it, and my family is full of picky eaters who don't "that foreign stuff" I cook. When I cooked it with chicken I used bone-in thighs, which made it much heartier. Darker meat also tends to give more of a taste to the meal than white meat, however I'm prejudiced. No one in my family likes white.

Vegetarian Paella

2008-02-03T17:22:00.000-08:00

This was unbelievably delicious, even if the rice didn't cook quite through. I recommend using minute rice or cooking the rice half-way beforehand. Also, unless you're made of money, use tumeric instead of saffron. I'm still amazed that a teaspoon of something could cost $7.

Recipe, as always, from Vegetariantimes.com

Ingredients:
1 1/2 Tbs. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 to 3 medium cloves garlic, minced
1 medium red bell pepper, cut into 2-inch-long strips
1 medium green bell pepper, cut into 2-inch-long strips
14.5-oz. can diced tomatoes
15-oz. can vegetable broth
2 cups uncooked quick-cooking brown rice
1 tsp. saffron threads, dissolved in small amount of hot water
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
14-oz. can artichoke hearts, drained and coarsely chopped
1 1/2 cups frozen peas, thawed
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp. salt

Instructions:

In large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 5 minutes.
Set aside half the red pepper strips for garnish. Add all remaining pepper strips to onion mixture and cook, stirring often, 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes (with liquid), broth, rice, saffron mixture, thyme and 1 cup water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 10 minutes.
Stir in artichoke hearts, peas, half the parsley and salt. Season with freshly ground pepper to taste and add a little water to moisten if needed. Cook, stirring, just until heated through, about 5 minutes.
Transfer paella to large, shallow serving dish and garnish with circle of reserved red pepper strips. Sprinkle with remaining parsley and serve hot.

We just used green peppers, as red were twice the price. :-)

Homemade Hot Cocoa.

2008-02-03T17:18:00.000-08:00

I'm a big lover of hot chocolate and whenever I get a strong sugar craving I'm apt to make this. It's very, very good, if a bit involved. The recipe is as follows:

Ingredients:
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 cup white sugar
1 pinch salt
1/3 cup boiling water
3 1/2 cups milk
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 Cup Half and Half
I normally skip the half and half, as we never need it for anything else.

Instructions
Combine the cocoa, sugar and pinch of salt in a saucepan. Blend in the boiling water. Bring this mixture to an easy boil while you stir. Simmer and stir for about 2 minutes. Watch that it doesn't scorch. Stir in 3 1/2 cups of milk and heat until very hot, but do not boil! Remove from heat and add vanilla. Divide between 4 mugs. Add the cream to the mugs of cocoa to cool it to drinking temperature.

Now I always up the vanilla amount, normally at least a tablespoon to two tablespoons. This would also be fantastic with Bailey's Irish Cream.

Tsatsiki

2008-02-03T13:58:00.000-08:00

Aka Snezhanka salad. It's named after this Snezhanka. You will need a cheesecloth for this one ;), though Google says a clean dishcloth will do the same job.

Ingredients:

3 cups yogurt
1 cup diced cucumber
1 cup diced walnuts
1 clove garlic, minced
salt, red pepper, lemon juice to taste

Directions:

Line a bowl with a piece of cheesecloth.
Put yogurt on cheesecloth.
Tie cheesecloth in a pouch and leave it hanging above the bowl to drain.

The rule is 1 hour of straining per cup of yogurt, though it depends on the quality of yogurt.
3 cups of yogurt yield 1 1/2 to 2 cups of strained yogurt, again, depending on the quality of yogurt.

Properly strained yogurt for this purpose has a consistency between that of sour cream and that of cream cheese. You have to be able to eat it with a fork.

* Reserve the drained liquid - I use it in my breads, as it has vitamins and minerals.

Remove yogurt from cheesecloth.
Add cucumber, diced walnuts, garlic and spices to taste. Stir carefully.
Serve chilled.