Slow Cookin' Tortilla Soup

I had some beans and ground beef to use and I really wanted to do a crock pot dinner tonight so it wouldn't take too much of my time. I glanced at a couple of recipes and improvised this version of tortilla soup. Please feel free to glance at this recipe before improvising your own!

Slow Cookin' Tortilla Soup

1 lb (2 cups) dried Anasazi beans (they're not too far off of pintos if you were wondering)
6 cups water
2 cubes bouillon or 1/2 tsp or so salt
1 lb or so uncooked ground beef
1 med/large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 snack bag of frozen green chiles, peeled, seeded, and chopped (more wouldn't hurt)
1 can diced tomatoes
3 cans broth
1 carton of grape tomatoes (I don't like them raw, so this is how I use them up)
1 can corn kernels (I would have preferred frozen)
2 tsp or so chili powder
1-2 tsp dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste

Top with your preference of:
tortillas cut into small strips
shredded cheddar cheese
reduced fat sour cream
chopped green onions
chopped avocado (sadly I used all mine up earlier in the day)

1. Sort and rinse beans. Put in the crock pot with 6 cups of water and 2 bouillon cubes or salt. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or until beans are tender. Drain most of the liquid off before adding other ingredients. (Also just a great way to cook beans for any application without the hassle of soaking).
2. Brown ground beef in a pan. Add onions and garlic and a dash of salt and cook until translucent. Add beef and onion mix to the slow cooker. (Drain beef before adding to pot if it's not lean or if that's just your preference.) (If you decide to go for chicken instead or a pre-cooked beef or pork or just go vegetarian, make sure you add some oil to cook your onions and garlic in.)
3. Add the rest of the ingredients (minus the toppings) to the slow cooker. Cook on high for 2 or so hours or until you're ready to eat and the tomatoes are cooked.
4. Serve topped with tortillas and other condiments that you desire.

Rosemary

P.S. My 3-year-old who has never seen a [non-jelly] bean that he liked said that he loved these beans. It's either a miracle, a con, or a really tasty soup. :-)

As Promised: Peanut/Cashew Butter Balls

So, we had a Linger Longer after church today in which we were supposed to bring easily prepared finger foods to share. I thought I would take the opportunity to make a few batches of experimental chocolate candies to take and see how they went over. Running the risk of sounding prideful, they were a big hit.

So, full disclosure, this recipe is modified from a version found in the red Better Homes and Gardens cook book under peanut butter balls. Their recipe is as follows:

1/2 cup peanut butter
1 cup powdered sugar
3 Tbsp butter or margarine (softened)
Chocolate for coating (I think the recipe calls for 6 ounces, but I might be wrong)

Cream the butter and peanut butter together until smooth. Add sugar and stir, forming a stiff dough. Roll into balls approximately 1 in diameter. Melt chocolate and dip balls in it.

Pretty simple. Now, since our youngest has allergies to peanuts, I've been experimenting somewhat with different nut butters. I've been interested in cashew butter for some time, but I had never tried it. However, I decided to try my hand at making it, since I've had some success with sunflower seed butter in the past. The cashew butter is, for lack of a better description, one of the easiest things I have ever made. Basically, you need cashews, a food processor, and maybe a little bit of oil. Put the cashews in the food processor, pulse it until they are pretty fine, then turn it on and let it go. It will start forming a solid ball of cashew goo within about a minute. Depending on how thin you want it, you can then add your oil, but don't overdo it. Since the cashews are pretty oily themselves, a little veggie oil (I think I used canola, whatever you want) goes a long way. Keep processing it until it gets to the consistency that you want. Easy peasy.

So, using this cashew butter, I modified the above recipe by substituting half of the peanut butter with cashew butter. Everything else remained the same.

Now, truth be told, I couldn't tell a whole lot of difference between the straight up peanut butter ball and my modified chocolates. Mine were a touch saltier and had a little bit more mellow of a finish, but not enough to really be sure why. However, I did also make a batch of normal peanut butter balls but then, before the chocolate could harden, Thyme and I rolled them in chopped cashews to give them a kind of Ferrer Rocher look. These I am quite proud of. I liked the crunch and salt that you got right off the bat, and then the sweet. I think I may have to start making them that way every now and then, at least as long as I have cashews.

-Mint

Chocolate Fudge Sauce

So, I don't recall hearing anything other than the announcement from Rosemary that she wanted to do a contest for holiday baking items, but I thought it was a good idea. Truth be told, I forgot about it until last night when I made up some of my chocolate fudge sauce that I invented about 4 years ago. Then I was reminded by my awesome wife Thyme that I should put something up for the contest, and here we are.

Mint's Chocolate Fudge Sauce

3/4 cup Evaporated Milk
1/3 cup Sugar
1 Tbsp Butter
2 1/2 Tbsp Cocoa Powder

Optional

1/3 cup Unsweetened Raspberry Herbal Tea or Mint extract (to taste)

If using the raspberry tea, combine all ingredients in a small or medium saucepan and boil, stirring constantly until you reach your desired thickness. Usually, I will have a spoon next to the pan so I can check the cooled thickness from time to time, since it will be thicker cooled than hot. If you want to omit the tea and add the mint, wait until the end then boil for another 30 seconds or so to get the alcohol boiled out.

You can either use the sauce hot, which is great, or you can chill it overnight in the fridge and use it cold, which is equally as great. The choice is yours. Either way, you get the requisite too many calories that a great holiday treat requires. If you don't know what to put this on, ice cream and brownies are a great place to start.

A preview of future posts

So, I still have to actually figure out the recipe that I use, but soon I will be posting both a regular and a dairy free hot chocolate recipe, as well as a chocolate peanut/cashew butter ball. Stay tuned.

Mint

Cashew Chicken - Mali style

I found a random little "around-the-world" type cookbook at a yard sale a couple of years ago (by American University, with contributions, I'm assuming, from students and faculty), and drooled over it at the time, and then put it up to never look at it again. Until today! I was trying to find my granola recipe, and dug this little recipe book out of the stack and decided to look through it since several different ethnic cuisines are naturally allergen-free. And it didn't fail me. We found a peanut chicken stew from Mali that was easily adaptable and very good (the grownups really liked it, at least).

Tiga Degue
(modified from Tales of Taste: Famiy Recipes Around the World. Senem Baker, American University, June 2008)

2 lbs beef, lamb, or chicken, cut into small pieces (we used chicken)
2 bags frozen chopped spinach (we used about a pound of fresh chopped kale)
5 medium tomatoes, diced (we used about 5 tiny roma tomatoes from the garden and a can of diced tomatoes)
1 large onion, chopped (half an onion left in the fridge from something else)
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups smooth peanut butter - the real stuff (we used homemade cashew butter, since our boy is only allergic to peanuts, not tree nuts)
salt to taste
pepper to taste (we also used some red pepper flakes to give it a bit more kick)
2 medium carrots, cut in 1" pieces (I have no idea how close to 1" my pieces were)
1 bag from chopped okra (optional - we didn't have any, so none for us)

Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot (I think I used a little less than that, since I also had a little less meat than it called for, and a little less of everything else, too, come to think of it - maybe about 3/4 of the full amount). Add meat, salt, black pepper, and tomato, and let cook at medium heat for 10 minutes (I'll admit I didn't precisely time any of the simmering/cooking times - I just tossed the next round of stuff in when I was ready).
Add nut butter, stirring with wooden spatula to combine. Add carrots.
Reduce heat to medium and continue to cook uncovered for 15 minutes.
Add greens, onion, garlic, and okra (if you have any). Reduce heat to medium low. Cook for 1 hour, uncovered. Stir occasionally.

Serve with steamed rice.

-Thyme

Gumbo: The gluten-free, slow-cooker version

We were hankering for some gumbo the other day, and attempted a gluten-free version. And, since I'm a slow-cooker kind of gal, I went ahead and tried to modify it for that, too.

So...I made up the roux with sorghum flour and canola oil (although I don't think I got it quite dark enough), and sauteed the onions, garlic, celery, and peppers quickly in it. Then, I added a couple of teaspoons of cornstarch (since I wasn't sure how well the sorgum would thicken things up) and stirred in about a quarter of the needed broth - just enough to get roux and broth incorporated nicely. Then I tossed it and everything else (including the uncooked meat) straight in the crockpot (except the rice). I tried not to add as much liquid, but still ended up with too much and had to simmer it with the lid off for an extra long time. I think all told, it was cooked on high for about 3 hours, and then with the lid off for another two or so.

Verdict: It worked! Next time I'll only use a quart or so of the liquid, and increase it if needed. And the sorghum/cornstarch mixture worked great in place of the all-purpose flour. We'll definitely make it again.

-Thyme

Strawberry Cake

My baby girl just had her first birthday. I decided to make this cake from scratch, following an EatingWell cupcake recipe. The recipe is definitely healthier than a store-bought cake mix, with whole wheat pastry flour and real fruit and without all of the extra ingredients from a mix. It also tastes pretty darn good. The texture is spongier than a box mix, but more delicate than a muffin. Since I wanted to decorate the cake I used the Wilton buttercream frosting recipe instead of one of the frostings suggested on EatingWell. The frosting isn't healthy, but honestly, it's one of the only things that I EVER use shortening in. So I'm ok with it.

I really liked the cake. Well, at least after it was thawed. I had it frozen for ease of decorating and to preserve it until the party, but forgot to pull it out in time. One hour is not enough time to thaw this cake so it was solid and my husband could barely cut through it. I learned that babies make much less mess with frozen cake. Also, strawberries taste better thawed.

Strawberry Cake
(adapted from the Blueberry Cupcakes recipe that can be located at http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes_menus/recipe_slideshows/easy_healthy_cupcake_recipes)

2 large yukon gold potato, peeled and cut into small chunks
1 1/2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour
1 1/2 cups cake flour (I didn't have any so I did the ol' 1 cup minus 2 tbsp a.p. flour trick)
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup canola oil
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk or soured milk (1 tbsp lemon juice + enough milk to make 1 cup)
2 cups strawberries, 1/2" dice

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease pans and place parchment on bottom of cake pans for ease of removal.
2. Boil potatoes in water until tender, about 8-10 minutes. Drain and mash until smooth. If you have a potato rice, now would be the time to break it out. Measure out 1 1/2 cups and let cool.
3. Whisk whole-wheat pastry flour, cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl.
4. Beat sugar and oil in a large mixing bowl until combined. Beat in egg, vanilla, and potato until combined. Alternately add your dry ingredient mixture and your buttermilk, starting and ending with dry ingredients, scraping down sides as needed, just until combined (don't overmix it!) Gently fold in strawberries.
5. Divide batter between two 8"x8" square pans (or whatever pan your heart desires) and bake at 350°F until a toothpick inserted towards the center comes out clean. (Sorry I'm not sure how long this took.  The cupcakes take 22-24 minutes, so I know it's at least 5 minutes longer than that.) Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
6. Freeze before frosting to reduce crumb issues and to extend shelf life (only keeps 1 day at room temp). Just remember to remove it from the freezer well before you serve it.

Rosemary

Rolls so soft they'll think you bought them

This is the best rolls recipe I've ever run across. They come out so soft. The first time that we had them, my husband was sure that our friend had bought them and not made them as she claimed. Once he was convinced, he had to have the recipe. Now when we make it, people always ask for the recipe. I figure it's time to post it here.  I'll list the basic recipe along with my modifications in parentheses.

Rolls

6-8 cups flour (I used 5 cups whole wheat plus one heaping tbsp of vital wheat gluten; the rest was a.p. flour; once I get some dough enhancer, I'm going to try going 100% whole wheat)
1/2 cup sugar
3 tbsp yeast
3 eggs or 6 egg whites
1 tbsp salt
1 cup powdered milk
2 1/2 cups warm water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 tbsp melted butter, optional (I skipped it)

Mix together sugar, yeast, salt, powdered milk, and water. Let it sit for 5 minutes.

Add the oil, then the eggs, and gradually add the flour. Knead until smooth.

Let the dough rise for one hour (or until doubled in size; if you let it go too long it will taste yeasty).

Roll out to 1/4 or 3/8" thick and cut into rounds. Dip the rounds in melted butter and fold. (I tore off the right-sized hunks and formed a nice ball by pulling the sides around to the bottom. I skipped the butter altogether.)

Arrange in two 17 x 11 x 2" pans (jelly roll pans).

Let the rolls rise for 45 minutes (or until about doubled in size; again, don't let it go too long or it'll taste yeasty).

Bake at 350 F for 15 minutes.

Can also be used for cinnamon or orange rolls.

Rosemary

Peanut Butter Cookies Resurfaced

So I was looking through our blog to try to find a peanut butter cookie recipe I just KNEW I had posted somewhere. It was hard work (by that I mean I had to throw in a couple of extra clicks, but still!). I found it hiding as a comment and decided this recipe deserves a more prominent, tagged position on the blog. So now, should you desire some delicious peanut butter cookies you can find it under "peanut butter" or "cookies".

Posted in response to a request for a great peanut butter cookie recipe:

If you have been on the fence regarding your opinion of peanut butter cookies behold the recipe that just might make up your mind! I have tried it twice and had ooey, gooey and deliciously soft peanut butter cookies. Both times. Mmm....

2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
1 cup salted butter, softened
3 eggs
1 cup peanut butter
2 tsp vanilla

Preheat your oven to 300 degrees. Combing your flour, soda and salt with a whisk and set it aside. In another bowl blend your sugars and butter and you'll get a grainy paste. Add the eggs and peanut butter and vanilla. Now it should get light and fluffy and you can mix in your dry stuff but just until it is mixed.

Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto a sheet and with a wet fork do your little crisscross deal.

Bake 15 or so minutes or until just brown on the edges then don't let them sit on the pan too long. Get 'em on the wire rack right away. They may still seem a bit underdone but they will keep from getting crumbly this way.

Cayenne

Chewy Granola Bars!

Finding snacks that pack well, taste good, and will actually fill up little tummies is hard work. My son loves granola bars, but they can get expensive (not to mention sugary), particularly when he eats 6 of them at a time. I found a recipe at Kitchen Stewardship for granola bars. The whole family agrees that they're delicious (minus the baby who can't have honey yet). They hold together well. And while the ingredients can get rather expensive (1 cup honey and 1 cup butter per recipe), I don't think they'll end up costing any more than store-bought granola bars (probably less). However, they are much more wholesome and filling. So it should take us longer to go through them and actually tide us over for longer. They're not hard to make either. It's a good thing to throw together while you're baking something else anyways.

Chewy Granola Bars


4 1/2 cups rolled oats (toast ahead of time for some extra flavor)
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup honey
2 cup add-ins such as chocolate chips, nuts, dried fruit, coconut, and sunflower seeds

 Grease a 9x13 or large jelly roll pan.  In a large mixing bowl combine butter and honey.

Add all ingredients except add-ins.  Beat hard until combined.  Stir in add-ins.  Press mixture into pan — really jam it in there so your bars don’t fall apart.  (Getting your hands wet and then using them is the most effective method that I've found.)  Bake at 325 degrees for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.  Let cool for at least 10 minutes before cutting into bars.  Let bars cool completely in pan before removing and serving.

Variations:

• Add 1/4 cup cocoa powder and skip the chocolate chips
• Use 1/2 cup natural peanut butter in place of 1/2 cup of butter

Rosemary

BTW, if anyone finds a recipe for something like a Clif Kid Z Bar, please let me know! I think they're pretty great, but they're EXPENSIVE.

Strawberry-Cucumber-Lime Jam

We had more cukes than we knew what to do with, and they weren't good for pickling. So combine that with a recipe I found for cucumber lime jam and the pureed strawberries I had saved for jam, and I had an idea.

I'd finally braved the world of canning a couple of weeks ago (a half bushel of tomatoes will do that to a girl), and so I thought I could manage jam. I've made freezer jam before, to great acclaim, but never cooked/canned jam. And of course, I couldn't just follow a regular recipe, could I.

Strawberry-Cucumber-Lime Jam

4 cups pureed cucumber (seeded, peeled, about 3 large cucumbers)
3 limes
1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger
3 cups strawberries, pureed or crushed
7 cups sugar
1 package liquid pectin

I cubed and then pureed two of the limes (the whole lime), and then pureed the cucumbers in with them. (I actually had to do this in two batches). Then I grated the fresh ginger in and added the juice from the third lime. Then I tossed all the fruit/veg mix into a pot with the sugar. Bring to a rolling boil and boil for about 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the liquid pectin, bring back to a boil, and boil for one more minute. Skim the foam off the top and let it sit while you finish all of your canning prep.

The National Center for Home Food Preservation has great instructions on how to can, so I won't even try to get into that here, so I'm such an amateur I'd probably mess up the instructions and someone would try to hold me liable. Go to another resource, like the one above, for the canning part of things. I'll simply say that I did the 5 minute boiling water bath.

So far (I just barely finished up and the jam is still setting and cooling), the only thing I think I would change is to puree only 1 lime, and juice two. The lime is a bit strong (which I like, but not everyone is a fan), so a bit less lime zest/pith would probably be better. I'd be hesitant to go with less lime juice overall, though, just because I'm not so good at guessing how much acid I need to balance the cucumbers.

The boys are currently eating the jam foam with some fresh gluten-free/allergen free "graham" crackers the hubster just made.

-Thyme

Potato and Kale Hash

The only cruciferous vegetable that did well in my garden this year was a curly-leafed kale. Kale is a wonderfully nutritious and flavorful leafy green. It also tends to be really bitter if you don't treat it just right. In this rendition, it added a nice flavor and no bitterness. It also helped me use up my potatoes, something I'm always forgetting to do.

Potato and Kale Hash

5-6 medium potatoes, medium to large dice
4 oz bacon, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 or so cups chopped kale (could have done more, but this was a nice amount)
salt and pepper to taste
extra virgin olive oil as needed

Pre-cook potatoes in the microwave for about five minutes (I used a microwave vegetable steamer with some water in the bottom to prevent them from drying out or getting tough). Meanwhile, render bacon in a frying pan. Add onion and some salt and sweat for a few minutes until just becoming translucent. Add potatoes and cook for a few more minutes. Add kale and continue to cook, adding olive oil as needed to keep things from sticking too badly, until potatoes are soft. Salt and pepper to taste.

Great for breakfast or dinner.

Rosemary

Asian BBQ Marinade

I found this one on another food blog and have LOVED it! It has been delectable on pork, chicken, and tofu (more on that later). Here's the original recipe and link.


Asian BBQ Chicken
Adapted from Cooking Light

1/4 C packed brown sugar
1/4 C soy sauce
2 T lime juice (about 1 lime)
1/4 t cayenne pepper
1/4 t curry powder
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
1 t grated fresh ginger
8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs

Combine everything but the chicken in a small bowl. Whisk to dissolve brown sugar. Place marinade and chicken in a zip-lock bag. Pop that bag in the fridge for a minimum of 4 hours, or longer if you have it (even overnight)
 

Preheat a grill (or an indoor grill pan or broiler). Spray cooking surface with cooking spray and place chicken on it to cook. Cook for 5-10 minutes on each side depending on the thickness.  Optional:  garnish with sliced green onions

*Tip:  When I make this I usually make 1 1/2 times the marinade.  I reserve some of the marinade before adding the chicken and then use it in the last few minutes of grilling, or just brush it on after for extra flavor.

http://www.ourbestbites.com/2011/05/asian-bbq-chicken/

Now, as I promised, here is more on the tofu. We are a tofu eating family. We haven't always been, but I've been trying to incorporate it for some time. At first, it just wasn't coming out well. But my techniques have improved and now the results are turning out fantastic. Tonight I made up two 14-oz packages of extra firm tofu and there was barely enough left for hubby's lunch. My 3-year-old loved it as much as the adults did. The 9-month-old can't give much of an opinion on the grilled tofu but she did have some silken tofu which she thoroughly enjoyed.

Why tofu? Tofu is inexpensive and good for you! It's also very versatile. It can be used as a meat alternative; just don't expect it to have the exact same taste and texture any more than you'd expect an egg (another meat alternative) to have the same taste and texture as meat. Silken tofu is great for smoothies, desserts, and more. So don't let all of the bad tofu-based meat substitute products put you off. When you take tofu on its own merits, it can be wonderful!

For great tofu "steaks", buy extra firm tofu. Drain the water from the tofu (most tofu is water-packed) and freeze. Freezing helps give the tofu a meatier texture. When you thaw the tofu, wrap it in a clean towel (tea towels are best) and place between two plates or cutting boards with weights on top. This presses out excess liquid so that the tofu is ready to take on the marinade flavors and, again, have a meatier texture. Once thawed and pressed, slice tofu into desired size and shape of steaks (I first cut mine in half to make it thinner kind of like you would a layered cake then cut in half width-wise to give 4 steaks per 14 oz package). Place steaks in an airtight bag with the marinade and let sit in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes; the longer the better.  Grill for 5-6 minutes over medium heat. Enjoy!

Rosemary

Experiment Polenta: Success!

I remember eating polenta at my Italian grandafather's house and not being particularly impressed with it. I learned to enjoy it more after having a variation of it in Africa, and especially after a fabulous polenta dish I had in Italy when I was visiting relatives. But I'd never actually tried to make it before. However, since our son was recently diagnosed with multiple food allergies, we've been getting more creative than usual in finding complete meals that we can enjoy together, and it seemed time to bring polenta to the table.

I used a basic recipe I found on foodnetwork, and tweaked it just a touch:

5 cups vegetable broth, 1 cup water
2 tsp salt
1 3/4 c. stoneground corn meal
1 tsp olive oil

Bring the broth/water to a boil, add salt, then whisk in corn meal. Stir it frequently for about 15-20 minutes until it's thick enough for a spoon to stand up in. Once it's cooked, turn off heat, add some olive oil (the recipe calls for butter...but milk happens to be one of the wee one's allergies) to make it creamy.

We served it with a marinara sauce (sausage, onions, garlic, crushed tomatoes, fresh sage, oregano, and parsley). The three year old wasn't interested, but the rest of us enjoyed it.

-Thyme

The Great Smoothie Challenge of 2011

It's hot where I live. That means it's smoothie season! Smoothies are great for breakfast or for a snack. They can be very nutritious and tasty or just plain sugary indulgences, all depending on how you put them together. My basic formula for a nutritionally balanced smoothie goes like so:

1 cup plain yogurt (I like plain because I can control how much sugar is going into the soothie, but you can use flavored if that's what you have around, just don't add as much honey later on; maybe omit the banana as well if it's already sweet enough)
1-2 cups frozen fruit
1 small or 1/2 regular/large overripe banana
honey to taste (if necessary at all)
1-3 tbsp ground flax seed for a nutrition boost

Blend to perfection

You can play with this to get all kinds of variations. For instance, when I'm using frozen berries that include dark berries like blueberries and black berries, I like to throw in a big ol' handful or two of fresh spinach; you don't really taste it and with the dark color, you don't really see it either. Then again I know some kids enjoy the green color, so you can do the spinach trick whenever it strikes your fancy as long as the color doesn't bother you.

Coming to the present, I was making smoothies today for snack. Instead of following the above formula, I was winging it with very ripe fresh strawberries that needed used. Since my yogurt was fat-free I needed to add some fat* to the mix. Peanut butter usually overpowers things, so I got creative and went for the Nutella. It was a total gamble and it paid off. So I'm going to continue tweeking this idea now and then to get the perfect strawberry Nutella smoothie. This unexpected flavor combo brings me to the premise of this post:

Please post your favorite or most creative smoothie flavor ideas and how you make them great. Nobody wants to eat the same smoothie over and over all summer long; or at least I don't. So post away. There's no prize except for the wealth of ideas that we'll get from each other.  Now get blending!

Rosemary

*Yes, I said fat. Fat is important as a part of your meals and snacks to help keep you full for longer. It actually slows down the rate that your stomach is emptying, hence keeping you full. It's also very important for small children. Their stomachs are very small and without the concentrated calories from fat it can be hard for them to get enough calories. So when I'm making these for my kid, I'm extra conscious to make sure that there's some kind of fat either in the smoothie or on the side.

Gumbo!

There was a time many moons ago when our parents were high adventurers in culinary land. I distinctly remember a cajun food kick which included the making of gumbo and jambalaya. The jambalaya I was never too fond of as I am not a fan of [un-battered and deep-fried] shrimp. The gumbo on the other hand, became a family favorite. This old favorite vanished for a few years, forgotten in the annals of Lewis family history until a recent family reunion when I requested that we eat it again. This time, I was wise enough to get the recipe. I'll document it here and post comments with any alterations that I might create later on.

Chicken and Okra Gumbo
from La Cuisine Cajun
3/4 cup of cooking oil
3/4 cup of all-purpose flour
2 large onions, chopped
1 large bell pepper, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 stalks of celery, minced
1 hen (6 1/2 to 7 pounds), cut into serving pieces and most of skin removed
2 tsp of chicken seasoning (our mom used a cajun seasoning blend)
2 3/4 quarts of chicken stock, chicken broth, or water
3/4 pound of tasso (smoked beef) (I don't think we've ever had this one on hand, you can substitute sausage. Mom uses hot Italian sausage that she cooks ahead of time to removed most of the grease.)
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp sweet basil
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp of onion powder
1/8 tsp of white pepper
1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp of freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp of Tabasco sauce
1 1/2 tsp of salt
2 1/2 cups smothered okra (last time we used frozen; canned is also an option)
1 tsp of file powder (the label says it contains thyme and sassafras)
3/4 cup of chopped green onion
1/4 cup of minced fresh parsley
file powder to taste
cooked white rice

*In a gumbo pot or large stockpot (2 1/2 to 3 gallons), heat the cooking oil over high heat until the oil begins to smoke. Add the flour and stir constantly with a wire whisk or wooden spoon, making sure that the roux is constantly moving and not sticking in any part of the pot. (I find that tilting the pot from one side to another helps.) Continue to cook over high heat until the roux becomes a dark reddish-brown. This will take about 3 minutes.
When the desired color is reached, add the onions, bell pepper, garlic and celery. Saute over medium heat in the roux for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Season the chicken with the Chicken Seasoning Mix. Fry half of the chicken in the roux mixture over medium heat for 5 minutes, then remove that half and fry the other half for 5 minutes.
Put all the chicken back into the pot and add the Chicken Stock. Stir  until the roux is absorbed into the stock. Add the tasso, bay leaf, sweet basil, garlic powder, onion powder, white pepper, cayenne pepper, black pepper, Tabasco sauce and salt. Heat over medium heat until the gumbo comes to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 1 1/2 hours, then add the smothered okra and the teaspoon of file powder and continue to cook at a low simmer for 2 1/2 more hours.
Add the green onions and parsley and stir them in well. Cook for 7 more minutes at a low simmer. Serve hot in individual serving bowls with file powder over cooked white rice. Serves 10.

Rosemary with help from Nutmeg

Moroccan-style Chickpeas and Greens

So I saw this recipe for Spicy Moroccan Chickpeas and thought yummm... Plus we'd gotten both mustard and collard greens and I thought how that would be a great combination. So I mostly followed the instructions in the above recipe (I forgot to read the part where you coat the chickpeas in oil first and then coat in spices, so I mixed all the spices in the oil and then coated the chickpeas). I also used less cayenne since someone's heartburn acts up when things are excessively spicy, and cut back on the salt a bit. Also, I only used about 3/4 of it.

Then I sauteed the greens with some scallions and garlic, braised them with some vegetable broth, and then tossed in the rest of the oily spices. We served with rice. So delicious!

So delicious in fact that I made up the seasonings again the next night and used it on baked chicken (again with rice and collards). And then the chicken on a salad today.

Here's a list of the seasonings, for reference:
½ teaspoons Curry Powder
½ teaspoons Allspice
½ teaspoons Ground Cloves
½ teaspoons Pumpkin Pie Spice (optional... If You Have It In Your Spice Rack, Use It!)
2 teaspoons Cinnamon
½ teaspoons Cayenne Powder (or More... If You Are The Spicy Type!)
2 teaspoons Fresh Grated Ginger
2 teaspoons Sea Salt


-Thyme

Pizza Style Carrots, Iceberg Lettuce Tarts and other fine foods

Pizza Style Carrots

Serves 5

You will need:

• 2 carrots
• 10ml milk
• 10g pickle

Instructions:

1. pre-heat the oven to 220 C
2. whisk the pickle
3. fry the milk
4. defrost the carrots
5. bake for 50 minutes and serve hot

Yum.

 

Ok, so we found a site http://jamesoff.net/site/fun/random-recipe-generator/ You should check it out.

My New Favorite Muffins: Apple Muffins

I love muffins. They're easy to whip up, easy to play with different flavors, and it's easy for even the littlest of helpers to "help" (as long as you  don't mind losing some of your dry ingredients...I have to remind myself to relax when this happens). Today I was thinking that it was high time for me to whip up a batch, but I was out of my "usual suspects" ingredients like overripe banana and pumpkin puree. Something with applesauce perhaps? A plain old muffin? What to do? Then I checked Facebook and a friend of mine posted a link to her blog and the muffins I never knew that I wanted. It's a nice-looking blog with some great recipes, so check it out when you've got a chance.

Here is a link to her original post:
http://perkinsgoodeats.blogspot.com/2009/09/whole-wheat-apple-muffins.html?spref=fb

And here is my version of the recipe because it would be highly out of character for me to follow a recipe precisely.

Whole Wheat Apple Muffins

Dry Ingredients:
1 cup oat flour (the original recipe calls for all-purpose, but oat adds a lovely flavor)
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour (use regular whole wheat flour if you don't have pastry, I did)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup ground flax meal (optional)

Wet Ingredients:
3/4 cup buttermilk or soured milk (1 tbsp lemon juice or vinegar plus enough milk to make a cup)
2/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 unsweetened apple sauce
2 egg whites or 1 whole egg
2 tbsp canola oil

Add-ins:
1 cup finely chopped and peeled apple
1/2 cup sliced almonds

Mix the dry ingredients in one bowl, and mix the wet ingredients in another. Pour wet into dry and and fold in gently, just until evenly moistened. Don't over mix. Add 1 cup finely chopped and peeled apple and sliced almonds and fold in. Pour into 12 regular sized muffin tins that have been sprayed with non-stick spray. Bake at 400 for 20 minutes. Put on wire rack to cool.

Rosemary

Salmon, Dill and Cheddar Frittata

This is probably one of my favorite things that I've cooked lately. The flavor combination of the salmon, dill and cheddar in this frittata made me extra happy.

It all started when I roasted a salmon fillet with lemons, olive oil, salt and pepper for dinner last night. Trouble was, it was too frozen and didn't finish in time for dinner. Then I overcooked it. But at the end of it, I had some lovely lemony salmon ready to flake up and use in a multitude of other applications, like this frittata.

Now, for some background here, let's define a frittata. It's kind of like an omelet, crustless quiche or Spanish tortilla. Like a quiche, it is a great way to use up leftovers and eggs. But I think it's even better because you don't have all the work (or added saturated fat and calories) of a pie crust. You have a nice egg base, usually some kind of cooked protein item (ham, chicken, fish), cooked veggies (leftovers are lovely), starch (leftover pasta, rice, potatoes...), and some cheese to top it off (I've used cheddar, ricotta, parmesan, etc alone and in combinations). Throw in seasonings of your choice, bake it (or cook it stove top until the bottom is set and then finish it under a broiler), and you've got your meal!

The only problem with this particular frittata was that I forgot my starch. So even though it was cooked, it was a bit liquidy. What can I say? I forgot. But, flawed or not, here's an approximate recipe, just to give you an idea of what you can do with a frittata. But I don't usually measure, so take it all with a grain of salt.

Salmon, Dill and Cheddar Frittata

6 eggs (feel free to substitute all or part of this with egg whites according to your taste and needs)
1/3 to 1/2 cups plain yogurt
1/3 cup or so milk
salt and pepper
1 tsp or so dried dill weed (fresh would be grand, just use a bit more)

Whisk together all of these ingredients for your egg base and set aside.

8 oz cooked salmon, flaked (again, mine was roasted with lemons, which added to the flavor a lot. If you're using canned or unseasoned, throw in some lemon juice or squeeze lemon juice on to your frittata after you plate it)
1-2 cups diced roasted zucchini
1 roasted red pepper, diced
I forgot to add a starch, but you should probably add at least a cup of one, just make sure the total filling doesn't make you overflow your pan.

Toss all of these together and throw in the bottom of an oven-safe 10" skillet that you've sprayed with cooking spray. Pour the egg mixture into the pan. Bake in a 350°F oven for 30 minutes or so until a knife comes out of the center clean.

1/4-1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Top with cheese during the last 5 minutes or so of cooking or put it on at the end of cooking and just let it melt.


Rosemary

Cream of asparagus soup

We've started getting our new CSA already and while I'm still scouting for more beet recipes and our dehydrator has already had some mushrooms go through it, I dusted off this recipe I found a couple of years ago for the first asparagus we got last week.

1 lb asparagus (ends trimmed off, cut into about 1 inch pieces)
chicken broth/stock
green onions (optional)
butter
flour
milk
salt and pepper

Cook the asparagus and some of the sliced green onions in about a cup or so of chicken stock - just let it simmer away in a skillet. Make a white sauce with the butter, flour and milk by melting the butter then stirring in the flour to make a roux, then thinning it with milk and then toss in another cup or so of chicken stock. When the asparagus is soft (7 minutes or so), let it cool for just a second and then toss it in a food processor or blender . Then add the pureed asparagus and broth into the white sauce and let it simmer until you're ready to serve. Salt and pepper to taste.

Ways to change it up: add in some fresh chives at the end, reserve some of the cooked tips to add texture, use pureed white beans instead of white sauce to make it healthier, and/or serve it in a bread bowl.

-Thyme

Orange-scented stir-fry

I had to get creative to make a decent dinner in a hurry last night, so I made up a new stir-fry sauce. I liked it pretty well and will attempt to tell you what went into it.

Orange-Scented Stir-Fry

2 medium oranges
1/3 cup soy sauce (I used lite soy sauce which is lower in sodium)
1/4 tsp or so ground ginger
1 clove garlic minced or mashed (not sure how essential this one is, but it didn't detract)
crushed red pepper to whatever level of spiciness you like
1/4 cup or so water
1-2 tbsp corn starch
1 lb your choice of meat or 14 oz. tofu
5-6 cups sliced vegetables of your choice
canola or vegetable oil as needed
cooked rice

Remove zest from 1/2 to all of one of the oranges into a bowl large enough to accommodate your meat (don't skip the zest! It gave it the signature orange flavor that you're looking for that you can't get from juice alone). Juice both oranges into the same bowl and add soy sauce, ginger, garlic, crushed red pepper, and water, stirring to combine. Place sliced meat in the newly-formed marinade for half an hour or more in the refrigerator.

Stir-fry vegetables, remove from pan/wok and set aside. Remove meat from marinade with a slotted spoon and stir-fry it. After meat is cooked, return vegetables to the wok. Stir corn starch into the remaining marinade and then pour it into the wok as well. Allow everything to cook together for a couple of minutes until the sauce thickens up and all remaining salmonella or e. coli is dead. Serve atop rice.

Not bad for a first try at this. The amount of soy sauce is something of a guess since I added more than that and thought it was too much. I'll definitely try this one again though.

Rosemary

Honey Whole Wheat Oatmeal Cookies

I have a cookie obsession. I admit it openly and honestly...having thus admitted that, I feel the need to insert that I have begun trying to take a more healthy/wholesome spin on my cookie making. One very positive outcome of these attempts was the discovery of this cookie recipe, which was so soft and chewy I loved it as a cookie, but included so many healthy ingredients I justified it as being nearly a granola bar. In short; tasty. Unfortunately I don't remember where I found this recipe so I cannot give full credit where it is due, I am sorry! I think it was out of a Taste of Home cookbook? Perhaps?

Whole Wheat Honey Oatmeal Cookies

1 c butter (softened)
1/2 c molasses
1 1/2 c honey**
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 Tbsp. milk
2 c whole wheat flower
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
3 c oats (the recipe notes that it is best with "old fashioned" oats...I used quick
oats and it turned out fine)
Whip the butter with the honey and molasses. Add eggs and mix well. Mix in milk and vanilla. Mix in the dry ingredients. Bake for 10-13 minutes at 350.

**If you are using regular honey (vs granulated honey) let the dough stand for 2 hours before baking.

Fun additions: I tried 3 different variations of these cookies and liked all of them! I'll go through them now.

The recipe recommends 2 cups of chocolate chips, and it was good, but not my favorite. I really liked taking some of those wrapped caramels you get at the store and chopping them up and throwing it in with some chopped almonds, and in some of them I put white chocolate chips and in some of them I put regular chocolate chips and in some I only did the caramel and almonds. I think the ones with just caramel and almonds were my favorite. So go crazy! Have fun! Throw in some other things you think will be tasty.

So have your cookie and eat it too!

-Cayenne

Merry Christmas with Pomegranates on Top

Well, we hope everybody had a great Christmas. We sure did! Here's a picture of the carnage.

One new dish that we tried out was a lovely fruit salad (even if the pictures don't look so lovely, it tasted lovely). Cayenne found the recipe in the grocery store. We varied it slightly and this is our take on the recipe. Please note, the pictures don't do it justice.

Pomegranate Apple Salad

2 pomegranates seeds only (we had about 4 small pomegranates)

1 cup dried cherries

1 1/2 cups chopped roasted almonds

4 small apples cored and chopped

6 oz vanilla yogurt (about 3/4 cups)

1-2 tsp vanilla

1-2 cups cool whip

Mix the yogurt, vanilla and cool whip together. (Next time I'm going to try straight yogurt, but we didn't have enough to do that this time around.)

Mix together everything else. Fold in cool whip and yogurt mixture. Chill until service.

The original recipe called for raisins (ours were too hard and the cherries went very well with the salad), pecans, and instead of yogurt and cool whip it called for whipping cream, sugar and vanilla. 

Rosemary