Sunday, November 27, 2011

No Marshmallow Sweet Potato

Smoked Chile Scalloped Sweet Potatoes by Bobby Flay at the Food Network
4 to 6 servings
Ingredients
2 cups heavy cream (I used 1 1/2 cups half and half and 1/2 cup whipping cream)
1 heaping tablespoon chipotle pepper puree (I used 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce finely chopped
3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced 1/8-inch thick (2 large for me because they are easier to peel)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Whisk together cream and chipotle puree until smooth.

In a 7 by 11-inch casserole dish, arrange the potatoes in even layers. Drizzle with 3 tablespoons of the cream mixture and season with salt and pepper. Repeat with the remaining potatoes, cream, and salt and pepper to form layers. The top layer I made a spiral with triangles on the edges.

Cover and bake for 30 minutes, remove cover and continue baking for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the cream has been absorbed and the potatoes are cooked through and the top is browned.

This part was not at all convenient so I baked it for 30 min. turned off the stove and left it. Then when we left for Thanksgiving Dinner, I removed the cover and turned the oven bake on for about 45 minutes. Yum.

Prep Time: 10 min if you have a potato slicer. We borrowed Dez's mandolin

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Always looking for something to eat with our famous jambalaya. This worked out great. I think it was a bit sweet for Russ and Dez so next time I would maybe try to make my own corn bread mix. Also, although it was yummy, I think I would put half the topping on. Two reasons, calories and sogginess.


Indigo Grill’s Indian Corn Pudding

Makes about 12 muffins

1 package Jiffy corn-bread mix(only could find corn muffin mix)

¼ cup plus 1½ tablespoons milk

¼ cup butter, melted

1 tablespoon Tabasco sauce

1 cup creamed corn

1 cup grated cheddar cheese

½ cup sour cream

½ cup mayonnaise (I used low calorie and it tasted fine.)

1 white onion, thinly sliced (I diced it)

Butter 12 muffin tins or line them with paper liners. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine corn-bread mix, milk, melted butter, Tabasco and creamed corn. Mix well. Fill muffin tins half full with this mixture.

In another bowl, thoroughly combine cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise and onion. Top each muffin with cheese mixture to fill tin. Bake for 30 minutes. Serve hot.

From Chef Deborah Scott, executive chef for the Cohn Restaurant Group.
With this recipe, I’m carrying on a Thanksgiving tradition begun by my colleague, Caroline Dipping.

Years ago, she shared a corn pudding recipe from chef Deborah Scott. In subsequent years, she found she was besieged by requests from readers who had either lost the recipe or wanted to pass it on to someone else. So, around this time each year, Caroline would reprint the recipe.

Chef Scott created this Indian Corn Pudding recipe in 2004 for Indigo Grill, and it has since become a holiday staple there.

I have added it to my own Thanksgiving menu. The first time I made it, I cooked it in 4-inch ramekins, but that proved to be much too large a serving for such a rich dish. Now I use muffin tins, which seems just right.

To share or request a recipe, email food@uniontrib.com
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/nov/15/corn-pudding-is-holiday-favorite/

Written by
Chris Ross
12:40 p.m., Nov. 15, 2011
Updated 12:40 p.m.

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Spinach-Cheese Swirls or Jelly-Chocolate Swirls

The question was... what to do with the other sheet of puff pastry. The Pepperidge Farm Puff Pasty Sheet box had a recipe so I tried it. Yum.

1 sheet Frozen Puff pastry sheet- thawed

Glaze
1 egg
1 tps water
Beat egg and add water
Save for later

Cheese mixture
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese(however, I used mozzarella)
1/4 grated Parmesan
1/8 tsp garlic pwd
1 green onion, chopped
Hot salsa

Mix all ingredients together

10 oz Spinach thawed and with water squeezed out

Construction Plan
Unfold pastry sheet
Brush with egg mixture
Spread cheese mixture evenly over pastry leaving top 1/3 inch clear
Lay spinach evenly over cheese
Drip some tasty salsa over the spinach

Start rolling from the short side closest to you.
Roll up.
Cut into 20 slices ( I had to chill mine before I could do this step. I just put the roll into the freezer for a few minutes.)
Place slices cut-side down on well oiled baking sheets or parchment paper
Brush with egg mixture.
Bake 15 minutes or until golden
Serve warm or at room temperature.

Jelly Roll.
Since there are only 2 of us in the house, I actually cut the pastry in half and made only half the spinach rolls. The second half I used to make my own creation for dessert.

Unfold pastry.
Spread with Dawn's plum jam (or whatever is your favorite)
Sprinkle with chopped nuts ( we had some lying around)
Roll up
Cut up and lay on pan as in the above recipe
Brush with egg mixture (as above)
Bake 15 min or until golden at 400 degrees F
During the last few minutes, I took a small chocolate bar and chopped it up.
Then dropped small chunks onto each swirl.
Then back in the oven to slightly melt the chocolate.

Try to let them cool before eating or you will burn your mouth.

summer fruit tart

One of the first books that helped me learn about vegetarian cooking was The Vegetarian Epicure by Anna Thomas. Not a diet book, but with lots of great recipes.

Summer Fruit Tart

Make and cook your own crust or buy one pre-made. This week I used frozen puff pastry. I wanted to try filo dough, but... maybe next time. Make sure to read all the way through. Ingredients are listed for each layer so jelly is not mentioned until all the way at the end.

Filling (Enough for a 9 x14 pan and feeds 10ish)
8 oz cream cheese ( or similar)
1/4 cup sugar
Grated rind of one small lemon
Juice of that lemon (approx. 2 Tbs)
Beat together softened cream cheese, sugar, lemon juice, and grated rind.
Spread over pastry.

Fruit
Choose whatever fruit your muse leads you to.
This week I did peaches, small strawberries and blueberries
Also, plums, kiwi fruit, blackberries, grapes would work
Slice the fruit and arrange in rows.
Alternate colors and sizes
Start with the largest, then fill in the gaps with the smaller pieces.

Topping
1/2 cup jelly
Melt jelly in microwave (just 10-15 sec)
Brush it over the fruit.

Chill well

Serve on a nice plate and surround with any leftover fruit.

PS Pastry, If you want, you could make your own.
1/4 c butter or margarine
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
8 oz flour
pinch salt
ice water (about 1/2 cup)

Rub butter into flour
Add a bit water and mix
Repeat last step until you have a stiff dough
Put onto a lightly floured board

Chill

Roll into a 9 x 14 oblong
Put into a baking pan.
The crust should have a raised edge of 3/4 inch
Prick well with a fork

Chill

Cook in a hot oven 450 degrees F for 15-20 min

Chill

Take out of pie tin and put on an elegant plate.

On this website I found a new way to lay out the fruit. It is cool.
Rainbow tart.
I used two mandarin/tangarines/cuties, one kiwi, a bunch of strawberries, no raspberries and blackberries because there were no strawberries

http://www.thebakerchick.com/2014/03/my-favorite-fruit-tart/



Sunday, April 24, 2011

Tahini sauce

1/2 cup tahini ( sesame seed paste)
3 cloves crushed garlic
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbs olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice

Mix mix mix
If too thick add water until the right consistency
Serve with falafel.
Refigerate leftovers and use on sandwiches

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Red-Pepper and Carrot Soup

This soup comes from the Vegetarian Times February 2010

The recipe says that it serves 6. I doubled it and it served 3 with less than a third left. We did have it as dinner with some great buttermilk biscuits that Jesse concocted. So it may go further in a multiple course meal.

2 large red bell peppers (1 lb)
2 Tbs olive oil
1/2 tsp curry powder (Flower Brand)
1 bay leaf
1 large onion chopped
1/2 pound carrots
4 cloves of garlic
16 oz of Wolfgang Puck Vegetable Stock
2 Tbs lemon juice
Ground Pepper to taste

Place peppers on a baking sheet.
Roast in 350 degree oven for an hour.
Turn every 20 minutes
Peppers should be wrinkled and blackened all over.
Honestly, I let them cook for much longer because they did not blacken.
Put peppers in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap at least 10 min to steam.

Heat oil in a large saucepan.
Add curry powder and bay leaf. Saute while stirring for 15 seconds.
Add onion, carrots and garlic.
Cover and cook for 10 minutes or until onion is translucent.

Add 2 cups of water and 16 oz of stock.
Cover and simmer on med-low heat for 25 minutes.


Meanwhile, rub off blackened peel of peppers and remove seeds.

Put soup mix and pepper in blender until smooth.
Stir in lemon juice.
Grind some black pepper over the soup.

This would also be good with a spoonful of sour cream or yoghurt.
Russ had grated parmesan in his.

Saturday, February 26, 2011

Index

SOUP
Spicy sun-dried tomato soup with beans and greens soup 11/13/2010
Creamy summer squash soup 8/31/2010
Lentil and tomato soup 9/19/2009
Minestrone 2/26/2011
Red Pepper and Carrot Soup 3/13/2011

APPETIZER
Lake Poway 7 layer dip 7/12/2009
Spinach dip 7/16/2006
Spinach-Cheese Swirls 6/19/2011

SALAD
Golden Waldorf salad 7/4/2010
Potato salad 9/6/2009
Grilled eggplant salad with marinade 9/3/2006
Blue cheese deviled eggs 9/3/2006

MAINS, SIDES & SAUCES
Crispy BBQ tofu 5/2/2010
Mexican BBQ sauce 5/2/2010
Sausage, asparagus and mushroom risotto 4/24/2010
Taco seasoning mix 7/12/2009
Peach salsa 8/14/2008
Chicharrones de tofu 8/14/2008
Pear, Boca and Hazelnut stuffing 11/22/2007
Rae's Patties 11/22/2007
Pumpkin pasties 8/1/2007
Vegetable patties with sauce see post 8/1/2007
Twice baked potato and broccoli bake 12/10/2006
Breakfast pizza 8/29/2006
Tomato, corn and basil risotto 8/23/2006
Red beans and rice 7/16/2006
Russ's Tetrazzini 11/13/2010
New Year's Hominy Chili 1/22/2011

DESSERT
Cape Cod cranberry squares 11/22/2007
Rae's pavlova rules 8/13/2007
Banana nut bread aka Cindy 12/18/2006
Grandmother's cranberry bread 12/18/2006
Summer Fruit Tart 6/19/2011
Jelly-Chocolate Swirls 6/19/2011

Minestrone

The Bean Book by Crescent Dragonwagon was my lifeline when I first began cooking vegetarian food. The copyright is 1972, but it seems just like yesterday.

My version of Minestrone Soup comes from her recipe.

3 good Tbs olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1-2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 32 oz can tomatoes
1 can black beans
1 can red beans
2 carrots chopped
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup frozen bean
1/2 cup frozen spinach
1 tsp basil
1/2 tsp oregano
2in stick of rosemary
1 bay leaf
S&P to taste
Lots of homemade stock
uncooked pasta

Saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil until golden.
Add the beans and can of tomato (chop the tomato first)
Add carrot,herbs and stock.
Simmer for an hour.
Add frozen veggies simmer again.
About 20 minutes before you are planning to eat, throw in a handful of interesting pasta.
S & P

Soup should be thick and tasty.
Serve with a bowl of grated parmesan cheese



Also can add cabbage, zucchini,or other veggies. This is really a recipe which is flexible and can be made with whatever you have on hand.

Saturday, January 29, 2011

Index

SOUP
Spicy sun-dried tomato soup with beans and greens soup 11/13/2010
Creamy summer squash soup 8/31/2010
Lentil and tomato soup 9/19/2009
Minestrone 2/26/2011

APPETIZER
Lake Poway 7 layer dip 7/12/2009
Spinach dip 7/16/2006

SALAD
Golden Waldorf salad 7/4/2010
Potato salad 9/6/2009
Grilled eggplant salad with marinade 9/3/2006
Blue cheese deviled eggs 9/3/2006

MAINS, SIDES & SAUCES
Crispy BBQ tofu 5/2/2010
Mexican BBQ sauce 5/2/2010
Sausage, asparagus and mushroom risotto 4/24/2010
Taco seasoning mix 7/12/2009
Peach salsa 8/14/2008
Chicharrones de tofu 8/14/2008
Pear, Boca and Hazelnut stuffing 11/22/2007
Rae's Patties 11/22/2007
Pumpkin pasties 8/1/2007
Vegetable patties with sauce see post 8/1/2007
Twice baked potato and broccoli bake 12/10/2006
Breakfast pizza 8/29/2006
Tomato, corn and basil risotto 8/23/2006
Red beans and rice 7/16/2006
Russ's Tetrazzini 11/13/2010
New Year's Hominy Chili 1/22/2011

DESSERT
Cape Cod cranberry squares 11/22/2007
Rae's pavlova rules 8/13/2007
Banana nut bread aka Cindy 12/18/2006
Grandmother's cranberry bread 12/18/2006

Sunday, January 23, 2011

New Years Black Bean Hominy Chili

Serves 4-6

1 can black beans
4 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 onion, chopped
1/4 cup chili powder (I added a mixture of hot and mild chili powder)
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes ( again, think of your audience and how hot your flakes are)
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 (28 ounce) can tomatoes, chopped
3 cups vegetable broth
1 (28 ounce) can hominy, drained (white or yellow)
1 teaspoon ground pepper
1 teaspoon salt (optional)
1 -2 tablespoon cornstarch (for thickening optional)
1 packet Morningstar Farms Crumbles, optional


Directions:

1. Heat the oil in a large pot.
2. Saute the garlic and onion until they are softened but not brown, 5 - 10 minutes.
3. Add the chili powder, pepper flakes, sugar, thyme, cumin, oregano, and coriander.
4. Stir and cook for 5 minutes.
5. Add the drained beans, tomatoes(including the juice), vegetable broth, and salt.
6. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 1 1/2 hours..
7. Add the hominy and pepper.
8. Taste for salt and add if necessary.
9. Thicken, if desired by adding 1 Tbs cornstarch at a time
10. Repeat until chili is a good consistency.
11. Serve. Yum

The inspiration for this recipe came from
http://www.food.com/recipe/black-bean-hominy-chili-119393