Honoring Warriors
Sioux Cloth Dress ca. 1900
http://www.nmai.si.edu/exhibitions/identity_by_design/IdentityByDesign.html
Dancing in Beauty
A collection of telling history with the women’s dresses.
http://www.nmai.si.edu/exhibitions/identity_by_design/IdentityByDesign.html
Pages of early inventions, includes one to keep a baby upright in the bath tub....
http://blog.modernmechanix.com/category/house-and-home/
[Talk about using time, but imagine the taste, if they had used a wood fire.....]
Pastry Baked From Inside Out
[1933]
PERHAPS the only pastry which bakes from the inside to the exterior is the Tree Cake produced in the pastry kitchen of a Chicago hotel. In making the cake, the hatter mixture is poured on a revolving spit. When gas jets have baked or toasted it to a delicate brown, more batter is poured on and this in turn is browned. The process is continued until the spit takes on the shape of a tree trunk becoming more and more uneven with each additional layer.
http://www.elise.com/recipes/archives/007351broccoli_beef.php
Please welcome guest author Jaden Hair of Steamy Kitchen who brings us this Chinese-American classic, Broccoli Beef. ~Elise
After moving out of the dorms in college, I found an apartment to share with 3 others. My job was to cook, and as long as what I put out on the dinner table was better than instant ramen, I didn’t have to clean the kitchen or vacuum. A mighty fine trade of labor, if you ask me! But then pretty soon, friends of roommates discovered my cooking talent and would conveniently drop by at around 7pm. I knew cooking was my calling back then, because each new friend would try to find a suitable trade to be able to snag a coveted spot at our dinner table. No more grocery bill, laundry, ironing, washing the car or studying!
Broccoli Beef was one of my specialties, mainly because broccoli was cheap and beef could be sliced thinly to stretch and feed unexpected guests.
So, how do you get the broccoli crisp-tender and the beef juicy, succulent? Well, the secret is to blanch the broccoli first, before stir frying the beef. This helps you control the cooking times for the broccoli, instead of praying that the broccoli and beef finish cooking at the same time. You’ll add the broccoli back into the pan as the beef finishes cooking.
And how do you prevent the garlic from burning? Most recipes will have you add the garlic in the pan or wok before you add the beef. If you do this, you’ll surely burn your garlic, as the beef takes about 1 minute to 1 ½ minutes to cook through on high heat. In this recipe, you’ll add the garlic after you add the beef. There should be plenty of oil in the wok to fry the garlic (if you use a large frying pan or wok) and the timing will be perfect.
Ingredients
* 3/4 pound flank or sirloin, sliced thinly across the grain
* 3/4 pound broccoli florets
* 2 tablespoons high-heat cooking oil
* 2 cloves garlic, very finely minced or smushed through garlic smusher
* 1 teaspoon cornstarch, dissolved in 1 tablespoon water
For the beef marinade
* 1 teaspoon soy sauce
* 1 teaspoon Chinese rice wine (or dry sherry)
* 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
* 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
For the sauce
* 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
* 1 teaspoon Chinese rice wine (or dry sherry)
* 1 tablespoon soy sauce
* 1/4 cup chicken broth
Method
1 Marinate the beef: Stir together the beef marinade ingredients in a medium bowl. Add the beef slices and stir until coated. Let stand for 10 minutes
2 Prepare the sauce: Stir together the sauce ingredients in a small bowl.
3 Blanch the broccoli: Cook the broccoli in a small pot of boiling, salted water until tender-crisp, about 2 minutes. Drain thoroughly.
4 Heat a large frying pan or wok over high heat until a bead of water sizzles and instantly evaporates upon contact. Add the cooking oil and swirl to coat. Add the beef and immediately spread the beef out all over the surface of the wok or pan in a single layer (preferably not touching). Let the beef fry undisturbed for 1 minute. Flip the beef slices over, add the garlic to the pan and fry for an additional 30 seconds to 1 minute until no longer pink, Pour in the sauce, add the blanched broccoli and bring to a boil. Pour in the dissolved cornstarch and cook, stirring, until the sauce boils and thickens, 30 seconds.
Recipe adapted from Martin Yan.
Photo by Jaden Hair.
[The comments are also interesting with this recipe]
http://kalynskitchen.blogspot.com/2008/11/sausage-and-red-russian-kale-soup.html
Sausage and Red Russian Kale Soup Recipe with Tomatoes, Chickpeas, and Herbs
Kale, Sausage, and Garbanzo SoupThis week it snowed in Salt Lake and I was home sick with that coughing thing teachers get each year from being around too many small people with germs. I didn’t feel much like cooking, so I was very glad to have soup in the freezer that I’d made in August when my garden was overflowing with Red Russian Kale. In the soup I used Colosimo’s Tuscan Sausage, made by a local Utah company, and also added some fresh herbs from my garden. There must be a thousand variations on soups like this with sausage, kale, and beans, but I thought this version was delicious.
Weekend Herb Blogging is focused on cooking with herbs and unusual vegetables, and this soup with Red Russian Kale and the added bonus of rosemary and sage is my entry for this week. WHB is now sponsored by Haalo from Cook (almost) Anything At Least Once, and this week it’s traveling to Singapore where the host is Wiffy from Noob Cook. Here are the rules for Weekend Herb Blogging if you’d like to participate.
Start by sauteeing chopped onion in olive oil for a few minutes, then add garlic, finely chopped fresh rosemary, and sage and saute a few minutes more.
I squeezed the sausage out of the casings and browned well before adding it to the soup. Any type of flavorful sausage would work.
Red Russian Kale might have been my favorite garden crop this year. I don’t like long stringy pieces of greens in soup, so I chopped it fairly well. You could use any variety of kale, but some of the more curly types will require a bit longer cooking time.
The soup simmered for about 30 minutes with the onions, herbs, sausage, chicken stock, and tomatoes. Then I added the chopped kale and garbanzos and simmered for about 45 minutes more.
Sausage and Red Russian Kale Soup with Tomatoes, Chickpeas, and Herbs
(Makes about 6 servings, recipe created by Kalyn)
1 large onion, chopped
2-3 tsp. olive oil (depending on your pan)
2 tsp. finely chopped fresh rosemary (or use 1 tsp. dried rosemary, crushed)
3 tsp. finely chopped fresh sage (or use 1 1/2 tsp. dried rubbed sage)
1 T finely minced garlic
12 oz. Colosimo’s Tuscan Sausage (3 links) or use other sausage type of your choice
10 cups chicken stock (I use homemade chicken stock but you can use canned or bottled chicken broth)
2 cans diced tomatoes with juice
1/4 cup tomato sauce (freeze the rest if you’re opening a can)
1 tsp. Vegeta seasoning (optional, but good in soups like this)
fresh ground black pepper to taste
1 large bunch Red Russian Kale or other type kale, washed well and finely chopped
2 cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed well
freshly grated parmesan for serving (optional)
Heat 2 tsp. olive oil in heavy frying pan over medium heat, then add chopped onion and saute 3-4 minutes, until onion is soft. Lower heat a little and add garlic, chopped rosemary, and chopped sage, and saute 2-3 minutes more. Put onion-herb mixture into large soup pot with 10 cups chicken stock and start to simmer.
Add 1 more tsp. olive oil to frying pan if needed and turn heat back to medium. Squeeze sausage out of casings and cook, breaking apart with metal turner, until sausage is browned and well broken apart. Add sausage to pot with simmering chicken stock. Add canned tomatoes and juice, tomato sauce, black pepper, and Vegeta seasoning if using. Simmer about 30 minutes over low heat.
While soup simmers, wash kale, spin or shake dry, and finely chop into ribbons, then turn cutting board and chop again going the opposite way. Drain chickpeas (garbanzos) into metal colander placed in the sink and rinse with cold water until no more foam appears.
After about 30 minutes, add kale and garbanzos to simmering soup mixture. Simmer about 45 minutes more, until kale is completely softened, and all flavors are well blended. Serve hot. This would be great with freshly grated parmesan.
South Beach Suggestions:
Every ingredient in this soup would be a great choice for the South Beach Diet or any other low-glycemic eating plan.
More Ideas for Cooking with Red Russian Kale:
(Recipes from other blogs may not always be South Beach Diet friendly; check ingredients.)
Red Russian Kale and Red Cabbage Slaw
Red Russian Kale and Red Onion Savory Breakfast Squares
Red Kale and Cheese Omelet for Two
Autumn Harvest Soup with Kale, Butternut Squash and Farro
Rustic Red Kale and White Bean Soup from Fat Free Vegan Kitchen
Kale Pesto from I (heart) Kale
Kale Frittata from Too Many Chefs
Kale and Sweet Pea Soup with Mint from She’s in the Kitchen
(Find even more Red Russian Kale Recipes with Food Blog Search.)
[Links are live at site]
http://foodandspice.blogspot.com/2007/09/concord-grape-pie.html
Concord Grape Pie
I am guessing that not many of my readers have heard of grape pie before. Well, if you can get Concord grapes in your area, you are in for a real treat. Everyone that I know who has tasted this pie will forever remember it. For this recipe, you will need one unbaked single pie shell. I’m a firm believer in making my own crust, though you can purchase one if you don’t have the time or inclination to prepare your own. I’m providing a recipe here for the crust I made, but feel free to use your own favorite pastry shell recipe. Though the pie is delicious warm out of the oven, I would suggest chilling it before serving as it holds together better if you do.
I’ve submitted this recipe to Real Epicurean, who will be hosting In the Bag, a food blogging event featuring seasonal summer fruit.
Concord Grape Pie
4 1/2 cups of Concord grapes (about 2 pounds)
1 cup of sugar
1/4 cup of flour
2 teaspoons of lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon of salt
1 unbaked 9 inch pastry shell
Streusel Topping
1/2 cup of oats
1/2 cup of packed brown sugar
1/4 cup of flour
1/4 cup of butter
Squeeze the end of each grape opposite the stem to separate the skins from the pulp. Set the skins aside in a medium-sized bowl. Put the pulp in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Press the boiled pulp through a strainer to remove the seeds. Add the seedless pulp to the bowl with the grape skins, along with the sugar, flour, lemon juice and salt. Stir well to combine. Transfer the mixture to the pastry shell.
To make the topping, combine the oats, brown sugar and flour. Cut in the butter with two knives or a pastry cutter until crumbly. Sprinkle the topping over the filling. Cover the edges of the crust with foil.
Bake in a preheated oven at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Remove the foil, and continue to bake for another 20 minutes or so, or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack before serving.
For the crust, I made a Flaky Butter Pie Crust. The key to a good pie crust is to ensure all of the ingredients are cold.
Flaky Butter Pastry Shell
1 cup of flour
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1/8 teaspoon of baking powder
1/2 cup of cold butter, cut into 8 pieces
3 - 4 tablespoons of ice water
In a medium-sized bowl, combine the flour, salt and baking powder. Cut in the butter using two knives or a pastry cutter until the butter is reduced to very small pieces. Sprinkle 3 tablespoons of ice water over the dough and combine with a fork. The dough is ready for rolling once it holds together when you squeeze it. If the dough is too dry, add more of the ice water.
On a floured surface, roll the dough out into a flat circle shape with a floured rolling pin. Gently fold the rolled dough in half and transfer to the pie plate. Trim the dough and fold to make the crust edge. Crimp the edges.
Posted on Tuesday, September 18, 2007
SERVE IT UP! Fruit, Treats and Desserts
[Warning, a visit to this site, takes hours, recipes and links to other interesting sites....granny]
http://foodandspice.blogspot.com/search/label/Cornmeal
Showing posts with label Cornmeal.
Polenta Croutons with Parmesan
Croutons are not something I normally use. My soups and salads tend to be substantial and flavourful enough without them. I’ve also found that store-bought varieties are about as appetizing as the crumbs lingering on the bottom of my toaster oven. Recently however, a co-worker passed on a recipe for a brothy tomato soup with Parmesan croutons and chive oil that sounded just perfect. In preparation, I deviated from the original recipe and made these Polenta Croutons with Parmesan cheese. They turned out so well, I found myself enjoying them as a snack.
I sprinkled the Parmesan over the cooked polenta, but in hindsight, I would increase the amount of cheese and stir some into the pot before transferring it to the pan to cool.
On the subject of croutons, don’t forget to send in your entries to this month’s edition of No Croutons Required. Holler is the host this month and the theme is salads with cheese.
Polenta Croutons
3 cups of water
1 1/2 cups of cornmeal
1 teaspoon of cayenne
1 teaspoon of salt
2 teaspoons of olive oil
cracked black pepper to taste
1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese, finely grated
In a medium pot, bring the water to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low, and pour in the cornmeal, stirring constantly. Simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring often, until the mixture is thickened. Remove from the heat, and stir in the cayenne, salt, olive oil and black pepper.
Transfer the polenta to a greased 8X8 baking pan. Spread the polenta evenly with a spatula or knife. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese. Leave to cool.
Cut the polenta into small cubes. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Gently transfer the cubes to the baking sheet. Bake in a 450 degree oven for about 30 minutes, or until the croutons are crisp and golden. You may want to flip the cubes onto their sides part way through the baking time to ensure they brown evenly.
Makes about 3 dozen croutons.
Posted on Sunday, May 11, 2008 9 comments
SERVE IT UP! Cornmeal, No Croutons Required, Soups and Salads
Corn Cakes with Blue Cheese and Honey
I’ve always enjoyed trying new recipes, but before I started Lisa’s Kitchen, I would often make the same dishes, with little variation, over and over again until I tired of them. Cooking more often than not thus became a necessary chore and food a required fuel. There are still days when I have little time or inclination to cook, but this past year my kitchen has become my creative studio. Not only do I look forward to sharing culinary ideas with fellow food enthusiasts, I get to eat the products of my labour.
As elegant as these little corn cakes are, they were made on a lazy Sunday evening when I wanted something light but unique for dinner to go along with the red wine I had been enjoying for a few hours since afternoon breakfast. These chunky yet chewy cakes are mighty fine garnished with a bit of blue cheese and honey, or maybe goat’s cheese or balsamic jam. Choose your own culinary adventure.
Corn Cakes with Blue Cheese and Honey
1 cup of cornmeal
1/4 cup of unbleached white flour
1 teaspoon of sea salt
1/2 teaspoon of paprika
1/2 teaspoons of cayenne
3/4 cup of boiling water
a few tablespoons of olive oil
7 ounces of blue cheese
a few tablespoons of honey
In a medium-large bowl, stir together the cornmeal, flour, cayenne, paprika and salt. Pour in the boiling water and stir until the mixture is well combined and forms into a dough.
Shape the dough into small one inch round balls and with damp hands, flatten them into 1/2 inch thick cakes.
Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. When hot, fry the cakes until they are golden brown - roughly one minute per side. Drain on paper towels and top with blue cheese and a bit of honey.
Serve warm. Makes approximately 12 corn cakes.
Posted on Monday, April 14, 2008 9 comments
SERVE IT UP! Appetizers, Cornmeal
Jalapeno Spoon Bread
The theme for the next Weekend Cookbook Challenge is vintage recipes. Carla of Chocolate Moosey is the host this month and she is asking for recipes dated before 1980. Inspired by the theme, I decided to make a Jalapeno Spoon Bread. Spoon bread is a classic Southern recipe consisting of cornmeal, milk, butter and eggs. It has a custard-like texture and is perhaps best described as a cornbread pudding. I served this with a soup and salad, but it would also make a fine breakfast dish.
Jalapeno Spoon Bread
3 cups of milk
1 cup of cornmeal
2 jalapeno peppers, finely chopped
1 tablespoon of butter
1 teaspoon of sugar
1 teaspoon of sea salt
1/4 teaspoon of baking powder
3 eggs, separated
Grease a 8-inch baking pan or dish.
In a heavy saucepan, heat the milk over medium heat until it almost reaches a boil. Reduce the heat and stir in the cornmeal and jalapenos. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the butter, sugar, salt and baking powder. Beat the egg yolks together and stir into the pot, mixing well. Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Fold into the cornmeal, milk mixture until well combined.
Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan and bake in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes or until the bread is browned and puffy. Serve warm or cool, using a spoon to serve.
Serves 6.
Posted on Monday, April 07, 2008 15 comments
SERVE IT UP! Breads and Muffins, Breakfast, Cornmeal
Cornmeal-Crusted Chili
When I first became a vegetarian, I didn’t eat the most balanced and varied meals like I do now. I relied on rice, pasta, cheese, bread and vegetables for the most part. I’ve since learned the art of vegetarian meal combinations. The first lesson is to always eat a healthy breakfast consisting of eggs and toast or a grain such as oatmeal or spelt along with some fresh fruit. For other meals throughout the day, as a rule of thumb eat plenty of vegetables and take care to balance a legume with a grain component to ensure you get your complete proteins.
One of the earliest healthy staples I incorporated into my diet was vegetarian chili. I’ve become more creative in the kitchen over the years and have now expanded upon my repertoire of chilies, which include some oven baked variations. This Mexican-style baked cornmeal chili is a meal onto itself. I used kidney beans and black beans here, but feel free to use chickpeas and or/ pinto beans if desired.
Cornmeal-Crusted Kidney Bean and Black Bean Chili
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 large carrot, diced
6 mushrooms, sliced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 large Jalapeno, finely diced
1 green chili, finely diced
1 hot red chili, finely diced
1/2 teaspoon of paprika
1 tablespoon of chili powder
2 teaspoons of ground coriander
2 teaspoons of ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon of ground mustard
1/2 teaspoon of cayenne
3 large tomatoes, finely chopped
1 2/3 cup of cooked red kidney beans (2/3 cup dried)
1 2/3 cup of cooked black beans (2/3 cup dried)
1 - 2 tablespoons of fresh parsley, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon of freshly cracked black pepper
1 cup of unbleached white flour
3/4 cup of cornmeal
1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of sea salt
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup of buttermilk
1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup of sour cream
Grease a 13 X 9 glass baking dish.
In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat. When hot, add the onion and cook for a few minutes. Add the carrot and mushrooms and cook for another 5 minutes or so. Now add the spices, garlic, Jalapeno, and chillies and stir and fry for 1 minute.
Add the tomatoes to the pot, along with the beans, chopped parsley and black pepper. Cook for another 5 minutes or so, or until the chili is nice and thick. Transfer the contents to the prepared baking dish.
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In another bowl, combine the eggs, buttermilk, cheese and sour cream. Stir into the dry ingredients until just combined.
Pour the batter over the vegetables, spreading it evenly with a spatula. Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 25 - 30 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown.
Serves 6 - 8.
Posted on Sunday, March 09, 2008 9 comments
SERVE IT UP! Beans and Legumes, Black Beans, Cornmeal, Kidney Beans, Mexican, Vegetables
Jalapeno Cornbread Wedges
In the interest of variety and spiciness, I prepared a different cornbread recipe than the one I usually make. I certainly wasn’t disappointed with the result and it was very easy to prepare besides. I used a large jalapeno for the extra kick, but if you can’t take the heat, use a small one instead. This cornbread makes for a nice light lunch or snack but could also be served with dinner. Makes one 9-inch pie, or 8 wedges.
Jalapeno Cornbread
6 tablespoons of butter, melted and slightly cooled
1 cup of cornmeal
1 cup of unbleached white flour
1/3 cup of sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 cup of buttermilk
1 large egg
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely minced
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a 9-inch glass pie plate.
Melt the butter in a small saucepan and set aside to cook for a few minutes. In a medium bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk and egg with a fork until just blended. Pour the buttermilk mixture and butter over the dry ingredients and add the jalapeno. Stir with a rubber spatula until just blended.
Transfer the batter to the pie plate and spread evenly. Bake for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick or cake tester comes out clean. Let cool on a wire rack for at least 15 minutes before serving. Can be served warm or at room temperature.
Posted on Tuesday, November 27, 2007 0 comments
SERVE IT UP! Breads and Muffins, Cornmeal, Grains
Polenta with Mushroom Ragout
Two of my favorite foods are cornmeal and mushrooms, so when I came across a recipe combining the two, I of course couldn’t resist making it. The mushroom ragout, which is essentially a thick sauce or gravy, would also go nicely with rice or any other grain of your choosing, including pasta.
Polenta with Mushroom Ragout
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 1/2 - 2 pounds of mushrooms, quartered
1 onion, minced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tablespoon of fresh thyme (or 1 teaspoon dried)
1/2 teaspoon each of sea salt and pepper
1/2 cup of white wine or 1/4 cup of vermouth combined with 1/4 cup of water
1 - 2 tablespoons of flour
1 cup of vegetable stock or water
1/4 cup of chopped fresh parsley
For the Polenta:
3 cups of milk
1 cup of water
1/4 teaspoon of sea salt
1 cup of cornmeal
1/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
In a wok or large frying pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. When hot, saute the mushrooms, onion, garlic, thyme, salt and pepper until all of the liquid is evaporated - about 8 - 10 minutes.
Next, add the wine or vermouth and cook, stirring, until evaporated, about 5 minutes.
Add the flour, stirring to coat the mushrooms and then add the stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 10 minutes. Stir in parsley before serving.
To make the polenta, bring the milk, water and salt to a boil in a large saucepan. Whisk in the cornmeal and simmer over medium-low heat, stirring, until thickened - about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the cheese.
Spoon the ragout over the polenta and serve.
Posted on Thursday, November 01, 2007 3 comments
SERVE IT UP! Cornmeal, Grains, Italian, Mushrooms
Classic Cornbread
Considering I put hot chillies and / or Jalapenos in pretty much everything, my regular readers might be surprised to learn that my favourite cornbread consists of little more than cornmeal. But my regular readers will also know that I’m a huge fan of cornmeal and this dense and filling bread will satisfy any cornmeal craving. For a satisfying snack, serve with a bit of butter. It also goes well with any spicy meal.
Cornbread
3 cups of cornmeal
1 cup of flour
1/4 teaspoon of sea salt
3 tablespoons of sesame oil or olive oil
1/4 - 1/2 cup of natural sweetener, such as rapadura sugar or barley malt - you can also use brown or white sugar if desired
2 - 3 cups of water
Grease a loaf pan with butter or oil and set aside.
Combine the cornmeal, flour and salt in a large bowl. If you are using a dry sweetener, mix in to the dry ingredients. Next, add the oil and sift in with your hands. If you are using a liquid sweetener, add it now and stir to combine. Gradually stir in the water until the mixture resembles a thick cookie dough.
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Heat the prepared pan until hot but not smoking. Transfer the batter to the pan, and bake at 325 degrees for 30 minutes. Increase the heat to 350 degrees and bake for another 50 - 60 minutes, until the bread begins to brown and small cracks form on the top of the loaf. Remove the bread from the oven, cool on a metal rack for about 10 minutes and then remove the loaf from the pan. Cool for another 30 minutes on the rack before serving.
Posted on Saturday, July 14, 2007 1 Comment
SERVE IT UP! Breads and Muffins, Cornmeal, Grains
Blueberry & Cornmeal Buttermilk Pancakes
I’ve found that these light fluffy pancakes from Mollie Katzen’s Sunlight Café are the perfect way to start a lazy summer Sunday, combining the light crunch chewiness of cornmeal with the tartness of buttermilk and the sweetness of vanilla and fresh berries to produce an amazing balance of flavours and textures. With a little pat of fresh butter and a drizzle of my father’s homemade maple syrup, there’s nothing like them. I’ve used fresh blueberries here, but any kind of berry or chopped fresh fruit like peaches are just as pleasing.
Blueberry & cornmeal buttermilk pancakes
Dry mix ingredients
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup unbleached flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Gently melt the butter over low heat in a small saucepan.
Meanwhile, combine the dry mix ingredients in a bowl. In another bowl, beat the eggs into the buttermilk and then stir in the vanilla.
Pour the buttermilk mixture and the melted butter over the dry mixture. With a spoon or spatula, stir gently from the bottom of the bowl until the batter is combined, but without overmixing. Small lumps are fine, as long as they are moistened.
Heat a large frying pan over medium heat and melt a little butter in the pan just to cover the surface. Use a 1/4 cup spoon measure to scoop the batter into the frying pan, and sprinkle a tablespoon of blueberries into the middle of the pancake. Cook for 3 or 4 minutes until nicely browned on the bottom before turning the pancakes over to cook for 2 or 3 minutes on the other side. Makes 10 to 12 four to four-and-a-half inch pancakes.
Posted on Sunday, July 08, 2007 1 Comment
SERVE IT UP! Breakfast, Cornmeal
Egg And Cornmeal Pudding With Refried Beans
Anyone who reads this blog already knows that I use cornmeal in all kinds of dishes, not only for its sweet corn flavour and crunchy-chewy texture, but for its incredible versatility — and this smooth and creamy pudding takes full advantage of the versatility of both cornmeal and eggs to take care of almost any kind of bean or vegetable leftover that you might have on hand. Here I use my leftover Refried Beans to give it a zesty Mexican flair, but even if you don’t have any leftovers on hand, this pudding works just as well with a good few handfuls of some sautéed peppers, mushrooms, potatoes, corn, or whatever you’ve got on hand. For a more savoury version, add some of your favourite herbs or try using fresh grated parmesan cheese or crumbled goat’s cheese for the topping.
It was a very successful use of leftover refried beans, and a good reason to submit the recipe to Chronicles in Culinary Curiosity who will be hosting the next Leftover Tuesday, a roundup of creative and tasty ways to clean out your fridge.
Egg and cornmeal pudding with refried beans
3 cups milk
1 cup fine cornmeal
4 large eggs
1 cup refried beans
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
fresh ground black pepper
1 cup grated aged cheddar cheese
Preheat the oven to 350° and grease an 8-inch square baking pan with butter. In a bowl, beat the eggs.
Heat the milk in a saucepan over high heat until almost boiling. Turn the heat down to medium and slowly whisk in the cornmeal. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. The cornmeal and milk should have a porridge-like consistency after 5 minutes.
Remove from the heat and stir in the beaten eggs, refried beans, salt, mustard, black pepper to taste, and half the cheese. Pour the combined mixture into the baking pan, and bake for 20 minutes.
Sprinkle the top with the remaining cheese and return to the oven to bake for 10 more minutes, or until the pudding is firm in the center.
Cut into squares and serve hot with sour cream or salsa.
Posted on Monday, June 25, 2007 2 comments
SERVE IT UP! Breakfast, Cornmeal, Eggs and Cheese
Cherry Corn Scones
I had some cherries left over after making Cherry-Vanilla Ricotta Muffins the other day, so I decided to make some Cherry Corn Scones to fill out a meal of leftovers. I ate them for breakfast this morning as we didn’t eat them all for dinner. These scones are filling and very easy to make. Any type of berry or current can be used instead of cherries. For a spicy scone, omit the cherries, add some finely chopped jalapenos, along with some ground chili powder and a cup of shredded extra old cheese.
Cherry Corn Scones
1 cup of unbleached white flour
1 cup of cornmeal
2 teaspoons of baking powder
1/8 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of salt
3 tablespoons of sugar
6 tablespoons of cold, unsalted butter
2/3 cup of buttermilk
1 large egg
1/2 cup of fresh or dried cherries, finely chopped
Grease a baking sheet with butter or oil.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter or two knives until the butter is broken into little tiny pieces.
Put the buttermilk in a small bowl or 2 cup measuring cup. Add the egg and beat gently with a fork or small whisk until well blended.
Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and then pour in the buttermilk mixture, and add the cherries. Stir until just combined.
Using a greased ladle or 1/3 cup measuring cup, scoop some batter from the bowl and drop it onto the baking sheet. You will have about 6 - 8 scones, depending on how large you want them. Leave at least an inch between each scone.
Bake in the center of a 375 degree preheated oven for about 20 minutes, or until the scones begin to brown. Cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes before serving.
Posted on Tuesday, June 12, 2007 0 comments
SERVE IT UP! Biscuits and Crackers, Breads and Muffins, Cornmeal
Stuffed Mushrooms with Goat Cheese
Like Holler over at Tinned Tomatoes, I adore mushrooms. I could eat them almost everyday; they are so versatile, they are good at any time of the day in combination with a variety of foods. I was looking to fill out a meal of leftovers, and so decided to prepare some stuffed mushrooms with goat cheese. As I am also fond of spicy food, I added some cayenne pepper and chopped fresh chillies to the stuffing.
Stuffed Mushrooms with Goat Cheese and Cornmeal
10 - 12 large mushrooms
1 tablespoon of butter or oil
1 medium sized clove of garlic, finely minced
2 green chillies, finely minced
1 shallot, finely minced
4 - 6 oz of goat cheese
1/2 cup of cornmeal
1/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon of cracked black pepper
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
Grease a large 9” X 13” pan or baking sheet. Wash the mushrooms with a damp cloth and carefully scoop out the stems. Finely chop the mushroom stems.
Heat the butter or oil in a frying pan over medium heat. When hot, fry the garlic, shallot, mushrooms stems and chillies until the water has evaporated - about 7 minutes. Transfer to a medium sized bowl and let cool for a few minutes.
Mix in the goats cheese. I worked it in with my hands rather than using a spoon. Then add the Parmesan, cornmeal, pepper and cayenne pepper and stir well to combine. Using a small spoon, fill each mushroom cap with the stuffing. Transfer filled mushrooms to the baking pan and cook in a preheated 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. You can also put the mushrooms under the broiler for a few minutes at the end of the cooking time to brown the tops a bit.
Posted on Wednesday, May 30, 2007 7 comments
SERVE IT UP! Appetizers, Cornmeal, Eggs and Cheese, Mushrooms, Vegetables
Raspberry Cornmeal Muffins
I’m relatively new to food blogging, but as I explore other food blogs, I’m discovering a number of food roundups that make blogging and cooking (and yes, baking) even more fun. It has inspired me to find new ways to cook with food and it’s a good way to discover other cook’s creations. So when I saw that the next Weekend Cookbook Challenge was featuring one of my favourite grains, I took a quick look through my cookbooks and dashed off to the grocery store for some raspberries.
Raspberry Cornmeal Muffins
1 cup of unbleached white flour
1 cup of cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
1/8 teaspoon of baking soda
2/3 cup of sugar
1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1/2 cup of buttermilk
1 large egg
4 tablespoons of butter, melted
1 cup of raspberries
Lightly butter 12 muffins cups.
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, salt, baking powder, baking soda and sugar.
In a small bowl, combine the orange juice and buttermilk. Add the egg and beat gently with a small whisk or fork.
Slowly pour the buttermilk mixture into the dry ingredients. Add the melted butter. Gently mix until almost combined, then fold in the raspberries. Take care not to over-mix.
Spoon the batter evenly into the muffin cups. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 15 - 20 minutes, or until lightly browned and a cake tester inserted into the middle of a muffin comes out clean. Set the muffin pan on a wire rack and let cool for 5 - 10 minutes before removing the tender muffins. Transfer muffins to a wire rack and let cool for 20 - 30 minutes and serve.
Adapted from Mollie Katzen’s Sunlight Café
Posted on Thursday, May 17, 2007 5 comments
SERVE IT UP! Breads and Muffins, Cornmeal, Grains
Cornmeal Biscuits
If you are looking for a simple solution to fill out a meal, these easy to make delicate biscuits are a perfect choice. The addition of cornmeal provides a slightly crunchy texture. They take about 30 minutes to prepare and bake and are best served warm with some butter. If you have any biscuits left over from dinner, consider finishing them off for breakfast.
Cornmeal Biscuits
1 3/4 cups of unbleached white flour
2/3 cup of cornmeal
2 tablespoons of sugar
1 tablespoon of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of sea salt
1/2 cup of cold butter
1 cup of buttermilk
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt. Using two knives or a pastry cutter, cut the butter into the flour mixture until only small pieces of butter are visible.
Make a well in the center of the bowl and add the buttermilk. Stir until just combined.
Spoon the dough onto a greased baking sheet. Alternately, you can gently shape the dough into twelve equal portions, and transfer to the baking sheet. For fluffier biscuits, place the biscuits closer together on the baking sheet. For crustier biscuits, place the biscuits 2 inches apart. Bake in the oven for 10 - 12 minutes or until golden brown.
Posted on Monday, May 14, 2007 0 comments
SERVE IT UP! Biscuits and Crackers, Breads and Muffins, Cornmeal
Blueberry Cornmeal Muffins
These cornmeal and blueberry muffins are a slightly sweeter and moister version of the cornmeal muffins I usually make. The sugar content is the same, but the addition of plump blueberries make these an extra special treat.
Note: If you are using frozen blueberries, do not thaw before adding the berries.
Blueberry Cornmeal Muffins
1 cup of unbleached white flour
1 cup of cornmeal
1/4 cup of sugar
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1 1/2 cups of buttermilk
1 egg
1/4 cup of melted butter
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1 1/3 cups of fresh or frozen blueberries
Grease 12 muffin cups with butter. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and lemon zest. Make a well in the center.
In another medium sized bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, egg, butter, and vanilla. Pour into the flour mixture and stir until just combined. Take care not to overmix. Fold in the blueberries.
Spoon the batter into the muffin tins. Bake in the oven for 20 - 25 minutes or until golden brown. Leave the muffins in the tins for about 10 minutes to cool before removing.
Posted on Thursday, April 19, 2007 4 comments
SERVE IT UP! Breads and Muffins, Cornmeal
Quick and Easy Corn Muffins
These cornbread muffins make a good breakfast snack or addition to a meal as they contain little sugar. They are really easy to prepare and best enjoyed fresh out of the oven with a dab of unsalted butter.
Corn Muffins
1 1/4 cups of unbleached white flour
1 cup of cornmeal
1/4 cup sugar
4 teaspoons of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 large egg
1/4 cup of sesame oil
1 cup of milk or plain yogurt
1. Combine flour, corn meal, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Stir together and make a well in the center.
2. Beat the egg in a small bowl until frothy. Mix in the oil and milk or yogurt. Pour into well and stir just enough to moisten. The batter should be lumpy.
3. Fill 12 greased muffin cups. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 20 to 25 minutes, depending on how energy efficient your oven is. Leave the muffins in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove and cool on a wire rack. Good warm or cool, depending on your personal preference.
Posted on Thursday, March 22, 2007 3 comments
SERVE IT UP! Breads and Muffins, Cornmeal, Grains
http://foodandspice.blogspot.com/search/label/Oats
Banana Oatmeal Pancakes
If you like your pancakes light and fluffy, overnight-soaked oats are probably not the way to go with your batter. But if you like thick, wholesome and nourishing pancakes, these banana oatmeal pancakes are warm, moist and tasty little parcels of all the many vitamin, mineral, soluble fat, fibre and protein benefits of soaked oats.
Banana oatmeal pancakes
3/4 cup rolled or steel-cut oats
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup yogurt
1 cup spring water
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg
1 large egg
2 bananas
Stir the oats and flour into the yogurt and water in a large mixing bowl and leave to soak overnight at room temperature. In the morning when you’re ready to make the pancakes, stir in the baking powder, baking soda, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Break the egg and combine the peeled bananas into the mixture with a potato masher until well blended but slightly lumpy.
Lightly butter a large cast-iron skillet or frying pan and warm up on medium-low heat. At the same time, preheat an oven to 175°.
Drop in a quarter-cup of the batter for each pancake and fry for a couple of minutes before turning over and frying on the other side until the pancakes are golden brown on both sides. Remove from the pan and place on a plate in the oven to keep warm until all the batter’s been used up for pancakes.
Serve the pancakes warm and pour over them some pure maple syrup. Add a little butter if you like, and slices of banana.
Makes about 12 four-inch pancakes.
Posted on Saturday, April 19, 2008 9 comments
SERVE IT UP! Breakfast, Grains, Oats
Blueberry and Maple Syrup Oat Smoothie
In addition to all her lovely recipes and her wonderful idea to host our new “No Croutons Required” food blogging event, there are many things that I have to thank my fellow vegetarian blogger Holler from Tinned Tomatoes for, not the least of which is that she is such a dear friend even though she’s halfway across the world from me. One other thing that I’m grateful to her for is turning me on to the idea of oat smoothies blended with yoghurt and fruit. What a terrific way to combine all the proteins, minerals and fibre of oats and yogurt with the vitamins of fruit into a quick, easy, wholesome and delicious pick-me-upper for any time of day!
Holler’s blueberry, maple syrup and oat smoothie already inspired me to dabble around with oats, yoghurt and a blender to come with my own fermented oat smoothie base to which I added mango and blackberries. It worked out so well that I would consider an overnight room-temperature soaking of one part rolled oats and two parts whole-fat yoghurt to be a one-size-fits-all base for adding any variation of fruits and sweeteners to make a thoroughly nutritious and digestible oat smoothie. So of course I had to try applying it with Holler’s yummy-sounding combination of blueberries and maple syrup. It was absolutely gorgeous, and didn’t last long!
Blueberry and maple syrup oat smoothie
3/4 cup rolled or steel-cut oats
1 1/2 cups whole-fat yoghurt, from raw milk if possible
1/2 pint fresh or frozen blueberries
2/3 cup fresh-pressed apple cider or apple juice
1/3 cup cold water
2 tablespoons fresh maple syrup
4 ice cubes
Stir the yoghurt into the oats and let soak overnight at room temperature in a covered non-plastic bowl.
In the morning, blend the soaked oats together with all the other ingredients in a blender until smooth and frothy. Serve with breakfast, or as a snack. Makes 4 large servings.
Posted on Saturday, February 09, 2008 6 comments
SERVE IT UP! Beverages, Breakfast, Fruit, Grains, No Croutons Required, Oats
Oat-Mango Smoothie with Blackberries
If you’re ever looking for a super-quick, healthy and delicious pick-me-up for breakfast — or any other time of the day, for that matter — oat and fruit smoothies are the way to go, as my good friend Holler from Tinned Tomatoes has discovered. The mild flavour of oats provides just a hint of nuttiness without overcoming the tang of yogurt and the sweetness of fruit that makes these drinks so appealing, while providing an especially good source of B vitamins, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, protein, and soluble fat and fibre. Together with the vitamins from mangoes and blackberries, notably C, B6, B9 and A, and the easily digestible milk protein in fermented yogurt, what’s not good about this smoothie?
Like other glutinous grains, oats must be fermented themselves to make their proteins digestible and available for absorption. For my smoothies, I use the yogurt with its whey content to soak and ferment the oats in a variation of the muesli technique. While some may find the idea of leaving yogurt overnight at room temperature unappealing, it is perfectly safe since the broken-down lactic acid in yogurt prevents harmful bacterial culturation, and it really brings out the natural tangy flavour of yogurt besides.
Oat-mango smoothie with blackberries
3/4 cup rolled or steel-cut oats
1 1/2 cups whole-fat yogurt (from raw milk if possible)
1 medium red mango, peeled and chopped
1/4 pint blackberries
2/3 cup water
2 tablespoons honey
pinch of ground cardamom
4 ice cubes
Stir the yogurt into the oats and let soak overnight at room temperature in a covered non-plastic bowl.
In the morning, blend the soaked oats together with all the other ingredients in a blender until smooth and frothy. Serve with breakfast, or as a snack. Makes 4 large servings.
Posted on Sunday, January 20, 2008 4 comments
SERVE IT UP! Beverages, Breakfast, Fruit, Grains, Oats
Staple Corner: Quinoa-Oat Croquettes
Cooking quinoa and oats together combines the best of both of these astonishingly healthy foods for a high-protein, high-fat meal rich in calcium, iron, B-vitamins, vitamin E, phosphorus for nerve tissues, and silicon for bones and connective tissues. And frying the cooled porridge really brings out the unbeatable nutty flavour and crunchy texture of quinoa in little croquettes that are deliciously satisfying and wholesome just on their own or with a dash of tamari sauce added. But they’re also so simple to make that you’ll have time to cook up some Best-ever Mushroom Sauce to pour over them for one of my all-time favourite combinations of flavours.
Quinoa-oat croquettes
1 cup quinoa
1 cup rolled or steel-cut oats
3 cups water
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
sesame seeds
Scrub the quinoa with your hands in a fine-mesh strainer under cold running water for a minute or two to rinse the bitter saponin from its surface. Soak overnight with the oats overnight in a medium stainless-steel or pyrex saucepan in 3 cups of water.
Stir in the sea salt and bring to a gentle boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently to prevent the oats from sticking to the bottom. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 25-30 minutes, still stirring frequently, until it has the consistency of a thick porridge.
Pour the cooked quinoa and oats into a square 9x9 baking dish and spread evenly. Sprinkle sesame seeds over the top. Refrigerate for 20 minutes or longer to let the mixture cool, then cut into slices.
Lightly oil a frying pan over medium heat and fry the slices on both sides until golden-brown and crispy.
Serves 4.
Posted on Saturday, November 10, 2007 1 Comment
SERVE IT UP! Grains, Oats, Quinoa
Chai spice oatmeal
Oats are the perfect grain for starting the day, naturally sweet and soothing, and a terrific source of calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, fibre and B vitamins. Samuel Johnson once noted that oats are “a grain used in England to feed horses and in Scotland to feed the populace,” which might be why there were so many splendid specimens of English horses and Scots. Oatmeal porridge was a staple breakfast food of older Canadians, and it’s so quick and easy to make there’s no reason why it shouldn’t become a staple for a new generation as well. Avoid instant oats, because most of the nutrients are lost during a high temperature precooking stage, and they also contain preservatives and artificial sweeteners. The time saved is a matter of mere minutes, compared to a significant loss of taste and nutritional value.
Oats are easy to dress up with fresh or dried fruit, butter, milk or cream, but every once in a while I like to spice it up for a change. This recipe is adapted from Mollie Katzen’s Sunlight Café The oats taste like they were cooked in a chai tea latte, and it’s as simple and fast to make as any oatmeal porridge.
Chai spice oatmeal
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup spring water
1 cup yogurt
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground cardamom
1/4 tsp. ground turmeric
1/4 tsp. ground coriander
A pinch of saffron (optional)
2 tsp. honey
1/4 tsp. vanilla
Soak the oats overnight at room temperature with half the water and yogurt.
Pour the other half of the water and yogurt in a small saucepan, and whisk in the salt and spices. Put on stove over medium heat and bring almost to a boil. Immediately turn down the heat to low and let the pan simmer for a few minutes.
Add the vanilla and honey and stir until the honey is dissolved. Pour in the oat and yogurt mixture that had been soaking overnight. Cover the pan and leave it over low heat, stirring occasionally, for a few minutes until the oats have thickened to your liking.
Serve hot by itself, or with raisins, apples or pistachios.
Posted on Monday, April 16, 2007 0 comments
SERVE IT UP! Breakfast, Grains, Oats
Oatmeal apple pancakes
Nothing warms up a cold morning like hot homemade pancakes with fresh butter and pure maple syrup… especially when I’ve just returned home with a jug of my parents’ own homemade syrup! These oatmeal apple pancakes are my favourites; they’re ridiculously easy to make, and they make a perfect start to a weekend morning. Enjoy!
Oatmeal apple pancakes
3/4 cups large rolled oat flakes
1/2 cups whole spelt or wheat flour
1 cup yoghurt
1/3 cups spring water
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 small apple, any variety, diced
2 eggs
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 tablespoon honey
Soak the oats and flour in the yoghurt and water at room temperature overnight. In the morning when you’re ready to make the pancakes, stir in the baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and apple.
In a separate bowl, mix the eggs, melted butter and honey. Pour over the oat and flour mixture and mix well.
Lightly butter a large cast-iron skillet or frying pan and warm up on medium-low heat. At the same time, preheat an oven to 175°.
Drop in a few tablespoonfulls of the batter for each pancake and fry for a couple of minutes before turning over and frying on the other side until the pancakes are golden brown on both sides. Remove from the pan and place on a plate in the oven to keep warm until all the batter’s been used up for pancakes.
Serve the pancakes warm and pour over them some pure maple syrup. Add a little butter if you like, and any fresh fruit toppings that tickle your fancy.
Makes about 10-12 five-inch pancakes.
Posted on Sunday, April 08, 2007 1 Comment
SERVE IT UP! Breakfast, Grains, Oats
Staple Corner
By now everyone is familiar with the advice to eat whole grains as part of their daily diet, but many people still don’t know how to go about getting them properly. Whole grains are widely marketed these days in all kinds of breads, granolas, cereals and snacks, but unless you’re familiar with the actual process used in their productions, you’re better off without them. Most commercial whole grain products are baked at too high temperatures — it’s quick and efficient for the producers, but these temperatures destroy most of the nutritional content of the foods. Another common problem in modern production processes is the use of rancid grains — the outer layer of the whole grains are especially susceptible to becoming rancid quickly without freezing.
Most importantly, however, the grains used in most commercial processes have not been soaked before being cooked. All grains contain phytic acid in their outer layer, or bran, that when left untreated combine with calcium, magnesium, copper, iron and zinc in the intestinal tract and block their absorption. Soaking grains in warm water overnight allows enzymes and lactobacilli to break down the phytic acid so that the benefits of grains are realized. Soaking and fermenting also helps break down the complex proteins in grains, especially gluten, into simpler components that are much more easily digested by the body.
It’s ridiculously easy to prepare whole grains for yourself, and one of the best times to get them is in the morning with your breakfast. Grain porridges have been a staple of cultures around the world for as long as anyone knows, and they’re almost as quick as pouring a bowl of corn flakes. Oat porridges are fondly remembered by older generations of Canadians as a staple breakfast food, and they’re also one of my favourite quick morning pick-me-uppers. Rolled or steel-cut oats are almost as good as using the whole oat groats, because they’ve only been lightly processed with light steaming and rolling or cutting.
Oat porridge for two
Add 1 cup of rolled or steel-cut oat flakes to 1 cup of warm water, yoghurt, or any mixture of the two, and add a small stick of cinnamon. Let the oats and liquid soak together for at least seven hours and as much as twenty-four hours.
Bring 1 cup of water to a boil with a pinch of sea salt if desired. Toss in some finely diced apple pieces, and add the soaked oats. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for a few minutes until thick. Just before taking the oats off the stove, add fresh or frozen berries or raisins and stir in for thirty seconds.
Take the oats off the stove and let cool for just a few minutes before serving.
Whole grains should always be eaten with good fatty dairy products to provide the catalyst for mineral absorption. The easiest way to do this is to add some whole cream, yoghurt, buttermilk, or a pat of butter to the porridge. A few freshly ground flax seeds to give you a good dose of omega-3 fatty acids are always a good addition to the porridge after it’s cooked. If you like a little extra sweetness, swirl in a bit of maple syrup or raw honey.
Although oat flakes are what I usually use in porridge, other grains can be substituted as well, although some grains like rye or teff may require soaking for longer than seven hours. Two popular alternatives in my house are spelt, an ancient member of the wheat family with a gluten that breaks down more easily during soaking and is often more digestible for people with digestion problems, and kamut, another ancient grain with a mild nutty taste. Give them a try, they’re all good, and good for you.
Posted on Friday, March 30, 2007 3 comments
http://foodandspice.blogspot.com/search/label/Turkish
Sweet Potato and Apricot Rolls with Mint Yogurt Sauce
For the Mint Sauce:
1 cup of plain yogurt
1 garlic clove, crushed
1/4 cup of finely minced fresh mint
juice from one small lemon
For the Rolls:
1 medium sweet potato
1 cup of cooked chickpeas (1/3 cup dried)
4 green onions, finely chopped
1/2 cup of dried apricots, finely chopped
4 tablespoons of pine nuts
1 - 2 fresh red chillies (or cayenne peppers), finely chopped
1/4 cup of fresh basil, finely chopped
1/4 cup of fresh dill, finely chopped
lots of freshly cracked black pepper
1 teaspoon of sea salt
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup of cornmeal
1/2 - 1 cup of breadcrumbs
1/2 cup of unbleached white flour
oil for frying (I used peanut oil)
Whisk together the ingredients for the Mint Sauce and refrigerate.
Peel the sweet potato, cut into slices, place in a small pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat slightly and cook until soft. Drain and transfer to a medium bowl, along with the cooked chickpeas. Mash the chickpeas and sweet potato together until well combined.
Stir in the green onions, apricots, pine nuts, red chili, dill, basil and salt and pepper. Now stir in the egg. Add the cornmeal and 1/2 cup of the breadcrumbs. Add more breadcrumbs until the mixture is slightly moist and holds together.
Shape into roughly 3” long croquettes. Roll each portion in the flour.
In a heavy frying pan or pot, heat roughly 1/2 inch of oil over medium high heat. When it is hot, put the rolls in the oil, and fry for roughly 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Turn the rolls every few minutes so they evenly brown. Drain on paper towel. Serve with the mint yogurt sauce.
Yields roughly 14 - 16 croquettes.
Other Turkish recipes from Lisa’s Kitchen you might enjoy:
Wilted Spinach with Pine Nuts and Lemon Yogurt Dressing
Turkish Yogurt Hummus
Feta and Olive Scones
Turkish Barley and Apricot Porridge
Turkish Sour Cherry Pilaf
Posted on Tuesday, September 23, 2008 14 comments
SERVE IT UP! Beans and Legumes, Chickpeas, Turkish
Wilted Spinach with Pine Nuts and Lemon-Yogurt Dressing
This lovely little warm wilted spinach dish will enhance a quiet summer evening meal of pasta, bread, olives and cheese with a loved one … there’s no need to tell your special friend that it’s especially nourishing and healthy besides. Adapted slightly from Martha Rose Shulman’s Mediterranean Harvest.
Wilted spinach with pine nuts and lemon-yogurt dressing
Dressing:
2 garlic cloves
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup whole-fat yogurt, drained in a cheesecloth for several hours or overnight
juice from 1 lemon
Spinach:
10 oz. baby spinach
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small red onion, finely chopped
1 fresh green cayenne pepper, seeded and minced
1/2 teaspoon demerara or rapadura sugar
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon pine nuts
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
fresh ground black pepper to taste
To make the dressing, mash together the garlic with the salt in a mortar and pestle. Mix together with the drained yogurt and lemon juice. Add more salt if desired and set aside.
Put the baby spinach in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Let stand for just a couple of minutes, then drain and rinse with cold water. Squeeze dry and chop.
Heat a medium saucepan or wok over medium heat. When hot, add the olive oil, wait a few moments, then swirl around to coat the pan. Toss in the onion, cayenne pepper, sugar and cumin and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until the onion is tender. Stir in the pine nuts and continue to stir for a couple of minutes until the pine nuts are lightly browned.
Remove from heat and season with salt and fresh ground black pepper, or set aside to reheat gently with a little water later on if preparing ahead of time. Transfer to a serving plate and top with the dressing. Serves 2.
Posted on Tuesday, August 26, 2008 13 comments
SERVE IT UP! Turkish, Vegetables
Turkish Sour Cherry Pilaf
If you can imagine the sweet and tart perfume of fresh cherries, just multiply that thought by a dozen or more factors and you’ll have an idea of the most perfectly cherry-like of aromas that is obtained by cooking dried sour cherries. And if that isn’t reason enough to add this very unusual Turkish sour cherry pilaf to your next Middle Eastern themed summer menu, try imagining the warm tangy flavour of caraway seeds combined with the tart but refreshing sourness of cherries and the soft butteriness of perfectly cooked white basmati rice…
…it’s like nothing else than a light and fluffy, slightly sweet but mostly savoury dinner cake spooned into the most astonishing little morsels on your plate. If this picture sounds inadequate it’s because this dish pretty much exhausts my powers of description. But don’t let that stop you — this rice, adapted from Martha Rose Shulman’s Mediterranean Harvest, is a perfect accompaniment to any light and garlicky Mediterranean summer meal, like the Turkish yogurt hummus I served with fresh vegetables.
Look for dried sour cherries, also known as Morello cherries, in most large grocery stores and in natural food stores. Readers in London, Ontario can obtain them at Quarter Master in Wortley Village.
Turkish sour cherry pilaf
1 1/4 cups basmati rice
1 cup (about 3 1/2 oz. or 100 g) dried sour cherries
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon demerara or rapadura sugar
2 teaspoons caraway seeds
2 1/4 cups water
1 teaspoon sea salt
Optional topping:
1 cup whole-fat yogurt, drained in cheesecloth for several hours or overnight
Thoroughly rinse the rice under cold running water for several minutes until the water runs clear. Let stand in a strainer for half an hour or longer to air dry. Meanwhile soak the dried cherries for 10 minutes in hot water, then drain and set aside.
Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the cherries and sugar and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, giving the pan frequent but gentle shakes. Stir in the rice and caraway seeds to coat the grains with butter, then add the water and stir in the salt. Raise the heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes undisturbed.
Remove from heat, remove the lid, and cover the pan with a dishtowel. Put the lid back on and let sit for 15 more minutes, undisturbed.
Serve warm on bowls or plates with yogurt if desired. Serves 6 to 8.
Posted on Monday, August 11, 2008 3 comments
SERVE IT UP! Grains, Rice, Turkish
Turkish Yogurt Hummus
The meze table — or selection of “little foods” — that greets guests in eastern Mediterranean homes is not only a wonderful tradition for entertaining but a wonderfully varied source of inspiration for feeding oneself in the hot summer months when appetites are not so enormous. And if hummus is already one of the classic staples of “little food” tables, what could be more appealing on the very hottest and most humid of summer days than a light and fluffy hummus made with yogurt instead of tahini, as in this refreshingly tangy Turkish version adapted from Martha Rose Shulman’s Mediterranean Harvest?
This is my contribution to My Legume Love Affair - Second Helping - hosted by Susan of The Well-Seasoned Cook.
Turkish yogurt hummus
1 cup dried chickpeas
4 garlic cloves, peeled
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
3 tablespoons whole fat yogurt
juice from 3 lemons
1 teaspoon sea salt
fresh ground black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon pine nuts
Rinse the chickpeas and soak overnight covered in several inches of water with a little yogurt whey or lemon juice added. Drain and discard the soaking liquid the next day and add the chickpeas to a medium saucepan covered in several inches of fresh water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until the beans are buttery soft. Drain and set aside.
Place the garlic cloves in a food processor fitted with steel blades and pulse until the garlic is finely chopped and sticks to the side of the processor. Scrape the garlic down to the bottom and add the cooked chickpeas and cumin. Process until the beans form a coarse paste. Add the yogurt and lemon juice and purée until smooth. Stir in the salt and add black pepper to taste. Transfer to a serving dish.
Just before serving, heat a frying pan over medium-low heat. When hot, toss in the olive oil, wait a few moments, then swirl to coat the pan. Add the pine nuts and gently fry until golden brown. Spoon the pine nuts and drizzle the oil over the hummus.
Serve with fresh vegetables and/or triangles of pita bread. Makes 2 cups and keeps for 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator.
Posted on Thursday, August 07, 2008 16 comments
SERVE IT UP! Beans and Legumes, Chickpeas, Sauces and Dips, Turkish
Feta and Olive Scones
After reading Johanna’s post on the biscuit / scone “controversy,” I wasn’t sure what to call these savory little quick breads. Probably they are best described as scones, but depending on where you live, they could also be dubbed a biscuit. Regardless of what you call them, if you love feta cheese and olives as much as I do, you’ll want to try these Turkish pastries that I was inspired to make after finding a recipe for Dill-Feta Po aça at Almost Turkish.
Perfect for breakfast, brunch or as an accompaniment to a Mediterranean meal. Quite simply appropriate at any time of day.
Feta and Olive Dill Scones
1 cup of plain yogurt (preferably goat’s milk yogurt)
1/2 cup of olive oil
1/2 cup of melted butter
2 eggs (reserve the yolk of one egg for coating the scones)
2 teaspoons of baking powder
2 2/3 cup of flour
1 cup of crumbled feta cheese
1/3 cup of finely chopped dill
1/3 cup of olives, pitted and chopped
1 teaspoon of sea salt
1/4 teaspoon of dried red chili flakes
1/4 teaspoon of freshly cracked black pepper
sesame seeds
kalonji (also known as Nigella sativa seeds or black onion seeds)
Grease or line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the yogurt, melted butter, eggs (minus the yolk of 1), baking powder, feta, dill, olives, red chili flakes and salt and pepper. Stir in the flour until just combined.
Shape roughly 1/3 cup portions of the dough with your hands and drop onto the prepared baking sheet and brush with the reserved egg yolk. Sprinkle with kalonji and sesame seeds.
Bake in a 350 degree oven for 45 - 50 minutes, or until the tops of the biscuits are slightly browned.
Makes 12 - 14.
Posted on Tuesday, January 29, 2008 7 comments
SERVE IT UP! Biscuits and Crackers, Breads and Muffins, Breakfast, Turkish
Anooshavoor: Turkish Barley and Apricot Porridge
Although whole grain porridges are a staple breakfast food in my kitchen, I’d never considered barley a morning grain until I came across this recipe in my treasured copy of Mollie Katzen’s Sunlight Café for anooshoavoor, an apparently traditional Turkish barley porridge that’s flavoured with apples, apricots, honey and cardamom. It’s one of the most delicious and satisfying porridges I’ve ever had.
Cooked in a risotto style with liquid slowly added to very low heat, the result is a creamy, sweet porridge surrounding the still chewy grains of barley. But although the preparation and instructions are so extraordinarily simple, it takes about two hours to cook so it’s not a breakfast for a weekday unless you make it the night before and reheat the next morning.
Mollie’s recipe calls for cooking the barley in apple juice, but using apple cider instead gives the porridge an especially full, rich apple taste.
Anooshavoor
½ cup pearl barley
1 ¼ cups water
1 ½ cups apple cider, room temperature
6 green cardamom pods
¼ teaspoon sea salt
5 or more dried apricots, to taste, sliced or chopped
1 tablespoon honey
Rinse the barley and soak overnight in a small saucepan in the water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to its lowest setting and cover. Simmer, stirring every 10 minutes or so, for 45 minutes while checking the water level (if the porridge dries, add a little more water).
Stir in ½ cup of the apple cider. Put the cardamom pods in a tea ball and add to the saucepan along with the salt. Cover, and continue to simmer, stirring every 10 minutes as before.
After 20 and 40 minutes, stir in another ½ cup portion of the apple cider, while continuing to stir every 10 minutes. When the last portion of the apple cider has cooked in the barley for 20 minutes, you should end up with a thick, but not too thick porridge. If it’s too thick for your taste, thin it with a little more apple cider. Remove the tea ball and stir in the honey and apricots, letting them settle for a few minutes to that the apricots soften.
Serve hot or at room temperature, topped with milk, cream or yogurt. Serves 2 - 3.
Posted on Thursday, September 27, 2007 2 comments
melamine
Worried about food safety? You should be
http://whattoeatbook.com/tag/melamine/melamine
[Several articles and reports on melamine in our foods.]
http://foodandspice.blogspot.com/search/label/Spices
Staple corner: Harissa
Harissa is the classic flavour of Tunisia, a fiery hot sauce that is widely used across Algeria and Morocco as well. Plenty of dried hot chili peppers, garlic and roasted cumin seeds give harissa a characteristic burst of fire that works wonderfully as a condiment for couscous, flatbreads and vegetables and also as an ingredient in soups, stews and salad dressings. If you’re looking for a creative way to spice up any of these kinds of dishes, try adding a little harissa — but be sparing with it until you’re used to it!
This is a typical version of harissa, although caraway seeds and tomatoes are often used in variations. It’s a little trouble to make it, especially if you were to use the traditional method of grinding the ingredients with a mortar and pestle, but it keeps for months when stored in a jar with a tight-fitting lid with olive oil poured over the top.
Harissa
24 dried hot red chili peppers
2 tablespoons coriander seeds
4 teaspoons cumin seeds
6 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon salt
6-8 tablespoons olive oil
Place the chilis in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Leave to soak for half an hour until softened.
Meanwhile, heat the coriander and cumin seeds in a frying pan over medium heat for five minutes or until they become aromatic. Grind to a powder with a mortar and pestle or with a grinder.
Drain the chilis when they are soft, and place in a small blender or food processor with the coriander and cumin powder, garlic and salt. Blend together while trickling in the olive oil until the sauce has a thick salsa-like consistency.
Makes about 1 cup of harissa.
Posted on Saturday, May 19, 2007 6 comments
SERVE IT UP! African, Sauces and Dips, Spices, Staple Corner
Staple Corner: How to make your own Chana Masala Powder
Whenever possible, I prefer to make my own spice mixtures. Quality pre-blended varieties are available at Indian grocery stores, but not everyone has local access to a neighborhood Indian grocery, and it’s much more fun to concoct your own mixture to complement your culinary creations. I made this mixture in preparation for the chana masala I will be making this week. If you want to make your own garam masala, some recipes can be found here.
Homemade Chana Masala Powder
1 tablespoon of coriander seeds
2 tablespoons of cumin seeds
2/3 teaspoons of black cardamom seeds
1/3 teaspoons of yellow cardamom seeds
1 2/3 teaspoons of black peppercorns
2 - 3 dried red chillies
1/3 teaspoons of whole cloves
pinch of ground ginger
pinch of mace
pinch of nutmeg
1/3 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
1/3 teaspoon of amchoor powder
Dry roast the seeds, peppercorns, chillies and cloves in a large frying pan over low heat until they begin to brown. Transfer to an electric coffee grinder with the ground spices and grind to a fine powder.
Makes about 1/3 cup. The recipe can be increased if you want to make a larger quantity.
Posted on Saturday, April 14, 2007 2 comments
SERVE IT UP! Indian, Spices, Staple Corner
How to make your own garam masala
As some of my readers might not have ready access to some of the spice mixtures that will appear in these pages, I will be providing recipes so you can make your own at home. Since garam masala is often used in Indian dishes, I’ll provide a few variations here for my readers to try.
Indian culinary specialist Madhur Jaffrey is a good place to start, as I have yet to be disappointed with any of her recipes. Slightly adapted from Madhur Jaffrey’s World Vegetarian
Classic Garam Masala
1 tablespoon cardamom seeds
1 teaspoon of whole cloves
1 teaspoon of whole black peppercorns
1 teaspoon of cumin seeds
a 2 inch stick of cinnamon
1/3 of a whole nutmeg
one bay leaf
Grind the spices to a fine powder in a coffee grinder or blender. Store in a tightly closed jar. Ms. Jaffrey also points out that the garam masala spices can be used whole, meaning two or more of the components can be used together to make up the masala. For a milder version, decrease the amount of cardamom, and increase the amount of cumin and add some coriander seeds.
Another staple cookbook in my kitchen is “Lord Krishna’s Cuisine” by Yamuna Devi. I’ll have more to say about this cookbook, which is essentially the bible of Indian cooking, but for now, I’ll provide a few versions of Yamuna Devi’s garam masala.
Yamuna Devi’s Garam Masala
1 dried whole chili pod
1/2 teaspoon of saffron threads
5 cloves of mace
1/4 cup of whole cloves
3 3-inch cinnamon sticks
15 black cardamom pods
1/2 cup of cumin seeds
2/3 cups of coriander seeds
1/4 cup of fennel seeds
1 1/2 tablespoons of ground nutmeg
Toast the seeds and spices in a heavy pan over low heat for about 15 minutes to release the flavor, stirring occasionally. Crush the cinnamon sticks and remove the black seeds inside the cardamom pods. Discard the pods. Grind to a fine powder and store in a tightly covered jar.
Delhi-style:
1/3 cup of whole cloves
five 3-inch cinnamon sticks
1/2 cup of green cardamom pods
1 cup of cumin seeds
3/4 cup of coriander seeds
Follow the procedure for the above version.
Bengali-style
3-4 dried whole chili pods
3 tablespoons of sesame seeds
2 tablespoons of green peppercorns
2 tablespoons of black peppercorns
2 tablespoons of white peppercorns
1 tablespoon of whole cloves
three 3-inch cinnamon sticks
20 green cardamom pods
1/4 cup of cumin seeds
3/4 cup of coriander seeds
3 bay leaves
1 teaspoon of ground ginger
Again, follow the roasting and storage procedure outlined above.
[An interesting recipe site, with unusual recipes....I like it all.
granny]
http://foodandspice.blogspot.com/
Chickpeas with Mango Powder (Amchoor Chana)
660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer is proving to be one of the wisest cookbook investments I have made lately. There is an abundance of easy, but deliciously satisfying curry recipes that are ideal for days when you want proper nourishment without the fuss. The extensive chapter on legume curries is one that I continue to explore, as most of my meals are centered around beans and legumes.
Amchoor powder is readily available at Indian grocery stores. It is made from unripe green mangoes that are dried and turned into a powder. It adds a tangy, slightly sour flavour to Indian dishes. If you do not have mango powder on hand, you can substitute the juice from one lime.
I’m sending this along to Suganya who is hosting Vegan Ventures, Round 2.
Chickpeas with Mango Powder (Amchoor Chana)
1 1/4 cups of dried chickpeas (yields roughly 3 cups cooked)
2 tablespoons of oil, or a mixture of butter and oil
1 teaspoon of cumin seeds
2 - 3 black cardamom pods, crushed
1 long cinnamon stick, broken in half
1 teaspoon of ground cumin
2 tablespoons of mango (amchoor) powder
1 tablespoon of ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon of turmeric
1 1/2 teaspoons of sea salt
2 medium ripe tomatoes, finely chopped
generous handful of fresh parsley or cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup of chopped red onion (I used shallots), finely chopped
Soak the chickpeas in enough water to cover overnight. Drain, transfer to a large saucepan and cover with fresh water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer until the chickpeas are soft: one - two hours depending on how old your beans are. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking liquid, drain and set the beans aside.
Heat the oil over medium heat in the same pot you cooked the beans in. When hot, add the cumin seeds, cardamom pods, and cinnamon sticks. Stir and fry for roughly 1 minute. Now add the ground spices, stir and pour in the tomatoes, and add the salt. Cook, uncovered, stirring often, until the tomatoes begin to thicken up (roughly 5 - 10 minutes.
Now add the chickpeas, the reserved cooking liquid and half of the chopped parsley or cilantro. Cover the pot and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thickened (roughly 20 minutes).
Serve, garnished with some of the remaining parsley and cilantro and some of the chopped onions (or shallots).
Serves 4.
Posted on Monday, November 10, 2008 6 comments
SERVE IT UP! Beans and Legumes, Chickpeas, Indian
Cassoulet with Bread Topping
An old legend about cassoulet relates that the popular French bean casserole was invented in the southern French town of Castelnaudary during an English siege in the Hundred Years War. Unable to venture outside the town walls to collect fresh vegetables, the townspeople invented a rich and hearty repast with their preserved stock of dried beans and herbs, cold storage vegetables, and pork sausages and duck fat. A more contemporary legend has it that we vegetarians can dispense with the copious meats that are added to traditional cassoulets and still enjoy a robust, filling and delicious meal that’s perfect for cool fall weather.
This recipe, adapted from Delicious Living, includes a mock version of herbes de provence, a mixture of dried herbs and lavender flowers, for those of us who don’t usually have it on hand. If you do have it, however, just substitute a tablespoon of herbes de provence for the herb blend given below.
Cassoulet with bread topping
Herb blend:
3/4 teaspoon dried marjoram
3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
3/4 teaspoon dried savory
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/8 teaspoon dried sage
1/8 teaspoon fennel seeds
Cassoulet:
1 1/4 cups dried cannellini (white kidney) beans
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 large potato, diced
1 large carrot, diced
2 celery stalks, sliced
2 whole dried hot red chilies
3 cloves garlic, minced or crushed
2 cups vegetable stock
3 plum tomatoes, diced
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon sea salt
fresh ground black pepper
Bread topping:
3 thick slices French bread
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh parsley
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
2 cloves garlic
Rinse the dried beans under running water and soak overnight covered in several inches of cold water with a little yogurt whey or lemon juice added. Drain the next day and add to a medium saucepan with several inches of fresh cold water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until the beans are soft but not falling apart. Drain and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 325° and heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. When hot, add the olive oil, wait a few moments, then swirl around to coat the pan. Toss in the onion, potato, carrot, celery and dried red chilies and sauté for 5 minutes. Now add the herb blend along with the garlic, and continue to cook for another minute.
Remove from heat and stir in the beans, vegetable stock, tomatoes, bay leaf, salt, and black pepper to taste. Pour into a large and lightly oiled casserole dish, and bake uncovered for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare the bread topping by combining the bread, olive oil, parsley, Parmesan cheese and garlic in a food processor and blending on high speed until the bread is reduced to fine crumbs.
Remove the cassoulet from the oven and discard the whole chilies and bay leaf. Turn up the oven to 400° and sprinkle half the bread topping over the beans. Bake for 15 minutes.
Remove from the oven once more, and stir the baked topping into the cassoulet. Sprinkle the rest of the topping over the beans and return to the oven for 15 more minutes, or until the bread topping is a light brown.
Let cool for 5 minutes before serving. Serves 6 to 8.
Posted on Friday, November 07, 2008 6 comments
SERVE IT UP! Beans and Legumes, Kidney Beans, Vegetables
Baked Cheese and Tortilla Pie with Jalapeños, Corn and Pinto Beans
At least once a year towards the end of the summer I’m confronted with the problem of disposing of an absurd number of jalapeños from the over-zealous plants in my garden. Giving dozens away to friends and family turns out to be an inadequate solution, and I’m not especially partial to the taste — or labour, to be honest — of preserving them. So jalapeño-heavy recipes it must be then…
Even people of average tolerance to heat should not be deterred by large quantities of hot peppers when they are tempered with plenty of dairy — east Indians have happily known this for centuries, serving cooling bowls of yogurt raitas with their spicy dishes. So last year I made an extraordinarily simple jalapeño pie loaded with jalapeños and lots of cheese and eggs that was surprisingly easy on the palette.
This year I went with loads of jalapeños and cheese again, but in a more elaborate Mexican-style pie with plenty of cool sour cream, pinto beans, and some lovely fresh local sweet corn. Layered like a lasagne but with soft corn tortillas instead of pasta, this is a firm but deliciously gooey pie that goes beautifully with a green salad and vinaigrette to cut the dairy.
If you’re still not sure about using twenty whole jalapeño peppers, reduce the amount by as much as half, or chop them into finer pieces. The crisp juiciness of fresh jalapeños makes them a must in my consideration, but if you do use canned jalapeños be sure to reduce the amount a little and cut them finer.
This is my contribution to Food and Fun’s Vegetarian Thanksgiving Celebration. Mansi is looking for tempting dishes to please the vegetarians at holiday time.
Baked Cheese and Tortilla Pie with Jalapeños, Corn and Pinto Beans
Bean layers:
2/3 cup dried pinto beans
2/3 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
large handful fresh coriander, chopped
Cheese corn layers:
cooked kernels from 1 ear of fresh corn (or 3/4 cup frozen corn, defrosted)
1 1/2 cups grated aged cheddar cheese (about 5 1/2 ounces)
1 1/3 cups sour cream
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
You will also need:
10 soft corn tortillas, 10” or larger
2 9-inch flat-sided pie plates
olive oil for brushing
20 jalapeño peppers, seeded and sliced into rounds
1/2 cup grated aged cheddar cheese (about 1 1/2 ounces)
chili powder for garnish
To prepare the bean layers, rinse the beans under cold running water and soak overnight under several inches of cold water with a little yogurt whey or lemon juice added. Drain the beans and place in a small saucepan covered with several inches of fresh cold water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 1 to 1/2 hours or until the beans are soft. Drain and remove the beans to a small mixing bowl. Mash the beans with a potato masher and mix with the sour cream, chili powder and coriander.
Prepare the cheese corn layers by stirring together the corn, cheddar cheese, sour cream and chili powder in a separate mixing bowl.
Preheat the oven to 300°.
If necessary, trim the edges of the corn tortillas to sit comfortably but fully within the 9-inch pie plates. For each of the pies, brush one side a tortilla with olive oil and place oiled side down in the bottom of the pie plate.
For each pie, spoon a quarter of the bean layer mixture onto the tortilla and spread evenly. Place a tortilla on top, and spoon and spread a quarter of the cheese corner layer mixture over that. Scatter half the jalapeños evenly over the cheese and cover with another tortilla. Repeat a layer of the beans, add another tortilla, and repeat a layer of the cheese and corn. Cover with one more tortilla and brush the top with a little olive oil.
Place in the preheated oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the cheese begins to bubble around the edges and the top tortilla begins to brown. Remove from the oven, turn on the broiler and move the oven rack to the top. Scatter the remaining cheddar cheese and sprinkle a little chili powder over the pies. Place under the broiler, one at a time if necessary, for 2-3 minutes or until the cheese on top begins to bubble. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5-10 minutes.
Run a rubber spatula around the edges to loosen from the pan, and slide the pies onto serving plates. Serve in wedges, with a little extra sour cream if desired. Serves 6 to 8.
Posted on Tuesday, November 04, 2008 14 comments
SERVE IT UP! Beans and Legumes, Eggs and Cheese, Mexican, Pinto Beans, Vegetables
Rice and Green Lentils in Coconut Milk
Once again I have consulted my copy of World Vegetarian Classics by Celia Brooks Brown. Forgoing the simple task of deciding on a bean and soaking it the night before, I was focused on split dals and legumes, and a grain to balance it all out. This one pot creamy rice and lentil dish from Tanzania turned out to be the perfect mid-week meal solution. Like the Split Pea Cilantro Dumplings in a Coconut Curry I made, this recipe comes from the chapter on dishes from Central, East and Southern Africa. Much like a khichari in texture and spicing, the Indian influence in the Eastern region of Africa shines out here. I modified the recipe to suit my spicy tastes.
Rice and Green Lentils Cooked in Coconut Milk
1 tablespoon of sesame oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped
2 - 3 hot red chili peppers, finely chopped
1 cup of green lentils, rinsed
1 cup of brown basmati rice, rinsed
1 teaspoon of garam masala
1/2 teaspoon of cayenne
1/2 teaspoons of cumin
1/2 teaspoon of ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon of turmeric
1 14 ounce can of coconut milk
2 cups of water
1 1/2 teaspoons of sea salt
Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. When hot, add the onion to the pan and cook, stirring often, until it begins to brown. Now add the garlic, ginger and hot pepper and stir and fry for about 1 minute. Throw in the spices, stir a few times and then add the lentils and rice. Stir and pour in the water, coconut milk and add the salt. Stir to combine all the ingredients, bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium low, cover, and cook, without stirring for 40 - 50 minutes, or until the liquid is absorbed and the lentils are soft and tender. Check the dish periodically in case you need to add more water.
Serves 4.
Other African dishes you might like:
Northeast African Millet Patties
Nigerian Baked Beans
African Bean and Peanut Soup
Ethiopian lentil & mustard salad (Azefa)
Harira (Moroccan Chickpea and Lentil Stew)
Posted on Sunday, November 02, 2008 12 comments
SERVE IT UP! African, Beans and Legumes, Grains, Lentils
No Croutons Required - The Winner of the Hearty Soup Challenge
As usual, there was some tough competition, but the votes are in and Ashley of Method is the winner of the Hearty Vegetarian Soup challenge with her inspired Pumpkin Chili. This thick veggie and bean soup is a perfect autumn creation. Congratulations Ashley!
Holler will be hosting November’s Edition of No Croutons Required. This month we are asking for hearty soups or salads containing pasta.
Posted on Friday, October 31, 2008 10 comments
SERVE IT UP! No Croutons Required
Savoury Cheese Crackers
Somehow or other, I’ve had more kitchen disasters in the last few weeks than I have had in the past two years. First, there was a cornmeal shortbread that tempted me, and though the dough was delicious, it didn’t hold together and into the trash can it went. After that, there were the little discs of goat cheese that I tried to fry up to serve with sauted portabello mushrooms. It was all good until it was time to flip them over. I ended up with a glob of cheese, but I spread it over some toast, along with a mushroom, and so managed to salvage dinner. Finally, we come to this recipe for Savoury Cheese Crackers.
As I mentioned in an earlier post, I was treated to a visit from my Dad this past weekend. On the afternoon he arrived, I decided I wanted to make a little snack. I was short on ingredients but had everything I needed for these crackers. Into the food processor went the dry ingredients, butter and cheese. At this point, I was supposed to have a dough to knead. Well, the mixture just resembled flour. Perhaps my ingredients were too cold? What to do? Not wanting to waste cheese and butter, and still determined to make something for my Dad to enjoy, I threw in a couple of eggs, pulsed them a few times and so I had a dough. I probably could have managed with just one egg, but no matter, as they ended up turning out well and the egg gave the crackers an extra richness and a slight crispiness. They are essentially a cross between a cracker and a savory cookie.
Savory Cheese Crackers
1 1/4 cups of flour
1 teaspoon of dry mustard
1 teaspoon of sea salt
1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
1/2 cup of cold butter
2 cups of cold grated extra old cheddar cheese
1/2 cup of cold grated Parmesan cheese
2 eggs
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Combine the flour, mustard, salt and cayenne in a food processor.
Add the butter and cheeses and pulse. Now add the eggs and pulse until you get a dough. Turn out onto a whole wheat floured board and knead a few times. Divide the dough into four pieces. Roll out the dough until it is roughly 1/8 thick. Cut with a cookie cutter of your choice and transfer to the baking sheet. Repeat with each portion of dough, and reroll the scraps.
Bake in batches in a preheated 375 degree oven for 10 - 12 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack and serve at room temperature.
Makes roughly 3 dozen.
Posted on Thursday, October 30, 2008 9 comments
SERVE IT UP! Appetizers, Biscuits and Crackers, Eggs and -————
Rice Flour Pancakes
A shortage of munitions in the kitchen with a corresponding failure to consider the solution the night before, combined with a desire to produce something for dinner without resorting to pizza delivery or dining out, resulted in a focus on staples.
Pancakes were an obvious choice, especially when you can salvage the last few peppers from the vine along with some vibrant green parsley. A comforting treat any time of day, I adapted this Dosa recipe from Madhur Jaffrey’s World Vegetarian to suit my tummy. Delightfully satisfying for breakfast, lunch or dinner, serve with some chutney, such as Fresh Tomato Chutney, or as a bread alongside an Indian meal as a substitute for Naan.
Indian Rice Flour Pancakes
1 cup of unbleached white flour
1 cup of rice flour
1 1/2 teaspoons of sea salt
1 cup of yogurt
3/4 cup of water
2 tablespoons of finely chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped
2 - 3 jalapenos or hot green chilies, finely chopped
dash of cayenne
dash of ground coriander
dash of cumin
dash of turmeric
peanut oil for frying
Combine the flours, salt and yogurt in a food processor. Add the water and process until you have a smooth batter. Add the remaining ingredients, pulse for a few quick seconds and transfer the mixture to a bowl. Stir a few times.
Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in a nonstick frying pan over medium low heat. When hot, pour in roughly 1/3 cup of batter. Swirl it around a bit so you get a roughly 6 - 7 inch pancake. Add another teaspoon or so of oil to the edges of the pan, cover and cook for roughly 6 minutes, or until the bottom of the pancake is reddish brown. Gently flip the pancake and cook, uncovered, for another 5 minutes or so. Transfer the pancake to a plate, cover with foil and repeat the process with the remaining batter.
Makes roughly 8 pancakes.
Other Indian fried savories to be enjoyed:
Chickpea Flour Pancakes with Crushed Peas and Cilantro (Pudla)
Savory Rice and Urad Dal Pancakes (Dosa)
Savoury Mung Dal Pancakes
Posted on Tuesday, October 28, 2008 11 comments
SERVE IT UP! Breads and Muffins, Indian
http://foodandspice.blogspot.com/search/label/Barley
Mango Barley Porridge with Blackberries
Tangy chunks of mango in a thick, creamy mango juice broth surrounding soft and chewy grains of barley, topped with the mild tartness of fresh blackberries — even the most reluctant of porridge eaters will be back for a second bowl of this naturally sweet and colourful breakfast delight. Cooked at low temperature in a risotto style with the juice slowly added to preserve the barley, this porridge does take about two hours to cook even though the preparation and method are extraordinarily simple, so it’s definitely not a weekday breakfast option for most of us. But do try it on a Sunday morning when you’ve got plenty of time — your family will love you for it.
Mango barley porridge with blackberries
1 cup pearl barley
2 1/2 cups water
2 cups mango juice, room temperature
6 green cardamom pods
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon honey
1 large red mango, peeled and chopped
1/4 pint blackberries
Rinse the barley and soak overnight in 2 1/2 cups water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to its lowest setting and cover. Simmer, stirring every 10 minutes or so, for 45 minutes.
Stir in 1 cup of the mango juice. Put the cardamom pods in a tea ball and add to the saucepan along with the salt. Cover, and continue to simmer, stirring every 10 minutes as before.
After 20 and 40 minutes, stir in another ½ cup portion of the mango juice, while continuing to stir every 10 minutes. When the last portion of the mango juice has cooked in the barley for 20 minutes, you should end up with a thick, but not too thick porridge. Remove the tea ball and stir in the honey and chopped mango. Simmer for 5 minutes.
Serve hot or at room temperature, topped with fresh blackberries. Serves 4 - 6.
I’m sharing this with Escapades who will be hosting the next edition of Weekend Breakfast Blogging. The theme is mangoes.
Posted on Thursday, May 15, 2008 14 comments
SERVE IT UP! Barley, Breakfast, Grains
Anooshavoor: Turkish Barley and Apricot Porridge
Although whole grain porridges are a staple breakfast food in my kitchen, I’d never considered barley a morning grain until I came across this recipe in my treasured copy of Mollie Katzen’s Sunlight Café for anooshoavoor, an apparently traditional Turkish barley porridge that’s flavoured with apples, apricots, honey and cardamom. It’s one of the most delicious and satisfying porridges I’ve ever had.
Cooked in a risotto style with liquid slowly added to very low heat, the result is a creamy, sweet porridge surrounding the still chewy grains of barley. But although the preparation and instructions are so extraordinarily simple, it takes about two hours to cook so it’s not a breakfast for a weekday unless you make it the night before and reheat the next morning.
Mollie’s recipe calls for cooking the barley in apple juice, but using apple cider instead gives the porridge an especially full, rich apple taste.
Anooshavoor
½ cup pearl barley
1 ¼ cups water
1 ½ cups apple cider, room temperature
6 green cardamom pods
¼ teaspoon sea salt
5 or more dried apricots, to taste, sliced or chopped
1 tablespoon honey
Rinse the barley and soak overnight in a small saucepan in the water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to its lowest setting and cover. Simmer, stirring every 10 minutes or so, for 45 minutes while checking the water level (if the porridge dries, add a little more water).
Stir in ½ cup of the apple cider. Put the cardamom pods in a tea ball and add to the saucepan along with the salt. Cover, and continue to simmer, stirring every 10 minutes as before.
After 20 and 40 minutes, stir in another ½ cup portion of the apple cider, while continuing to stir every 10 minutes. When the last portion of the apple cider has cooked in the barley for 20 minutes, you should end up with a thick, but not too thick porridge. If it’s too thick for your taste, thin it with a little more apple cider. Remove the tea ball and stir in the honey and apricots, letting them settle for a few minutes to that the apricots soften.
Serve hot or at room temperature, topped with milk, cream or yogurt. Serves 2 - 3.
Posted on Thursday, September 27, 2007 2 comments
SERVE IT UP! Barley, Breakfast, Grains, Turkish
http://www.eatmedelicious.com/2008/06/beet-barley-black-bean-soup.html
Beet, Barley & Black Bean Soup
Adapted from Vegan with a Vengeance
1 tsp olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped (about 2 cups)
5 cloves garlic
2 tsp dried tarragon
Black pepper
8 cups water
4 medium-size beets, cut in half & half again, sliced 1/4 inch thick
3/4 cup pot barley
2 tbsp soy sauce
15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained (about 2 cups)
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Dill (optional)
In a stockpot over medium heat, saute the onion in the olive oil for 5 minutes. Add the garlic, tarragon, and pepper; saute until fragrant (about a minute). Add 8 cups of water, the beets, barley, and soy sauce, cover, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Add the beans and simmer for another 10 to 15 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent the barley from sticking together, or unitl the barley is tender. Add the balsamic vinegar. Add dill if desired.
http://www.eatmedelicious.com/2008/05/choklays-tibetan-lentil-soup.html
Choklay’s Tibetan Lentil Soup
Adapted from Moosewood Restaurant Daily Special
1 1/2 cups dried red split lentils, rinsed
6 cups water
1 tsp oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onions
2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1 fresh chile, seeded and finely minced
1 carrot, peeled and diced into 1/2 inch cubes
1 potato, diced into 1/2 inch cubes
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
3 cups (28 oz can) undrained canned chopped tomatoes
3/4 tsp salt
In a nonreactive soup pot, bring the lentils and water to a boil; then reduce the heat, cover, and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a medium saucepan and saute the onions, garlic, and chile for 5 minutes. Add the carrots, potatoes, coriander and cumin and saute for another minute, stirring to prevent sticking. Remove from the heat and set aside.
When the lentils are tender, stir the canned tomatoes into the soup pot. Add the salt and sauteed vegetables. Cover and simmer for 10 to 12 minutes, until all of the vegetables are tender. If you like, take 2 cups of the soup out and puree them, then add back to the soup.
http://www.eatmedelicious.com/search/label/healthy
Wild Rice Almond Cherry Pilaf
I bought ExtraVeganZa a couple of months ago and so far have only made this one recipe. There are lots of interesting recipes in the book including some intriguing pie crust recipes - pumpkin seed rice flour crust, almond oat crust, barley coconut crust, buckwheat hazelnut crust, etc. Okay looking over these crust recipes reminds me that I must make crusts more often and must try out these healthier pie crusts. Anyway, the wild rice almond cherry pilaf was yummy. It could be a meal on its own though I usually ate it with something else as well. It makes a ton so either be ready to eat it for at least a few days or have people to share it with!
Now onto something a little (a lot) more unhealthy. MyRecipes has started their cookie countdown - go here to sign up for the newsletter. I’ve already found a few I want to make (mind you there aren’t many cookies that I wouldn’t want to make. So far - lemon coconut snowballs, chocolate chip cookie bars and death by caramel bars.)
Oh and some of you asked what our kitten’s name is - her name is Abby. She was sick for a while but now seems to be doing better, and acting like a psychotic little kitten running around. She also chases her tail! Which I’ve only ever seen dogs do. Mind you she has a very enticing puffy tail.
Wild Rice Almond Cherry Pilaf
Adapted from ExtraVeganZa
My adaptations were to use less oil, more onion and more garlic.
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, diced
2 ribs of celery, thinly sliced
6 cloves garlic, diced
1 cup brown basmati rice
1 cup wild rice
1 tbsp sea salt
2 tsp dried savory
1/2 cup dry sherry
1 cup dried cherries, finely chopped
4 cups water
3/4 cups almonds, toasted and coarsely chopped
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 tbsp tamari
Toast the almonds in a small frying pan for 5-10 minutes on medium heat, until they begin to lightly brown. Remove from heat and allow the nuts to cool. When cool, chop into coarse chunks and set aside.
In a large cooking pot, saute the onion, celery and garlic in the olive oil on medium heat. When the onions become translucent, stir in the basmati and wild rice. Add the salt, savory and sherry and allow the rice to simmer in the sherry for 5-10 minutes. Stir in the cherries and water and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to low and allow the rice to simmer for about 45 minutes.
Check to make sure that all of the water is evaporated. You may need to cook the rice a few minutes longer to ensure that it is thoroughly done. When all of the water has evaporated, remove from heat and allow the rice to cool for 5-10 minutes. Stir in the toasted almonds, parsley and tamari. Transfer the rice to a serving dish and enjoy.
at 10:52 PM 17 comments
Labels: dried fruit, healthy, main course, nuts, rice, side dishes, vegan
Monday, September 15, 2008
Sunny Jungle Bars
I’m in my third week of classes now. Last week we were learning about salmon and had to gut and can them. Thankfully I didn’t have to do the gutting. Now that I’m back in school I’m recalling the great lack of time for food blogging. I do love being part of the food blog world but if I only have a bit of free time I’d rather spend it baking (as I’m sure most/all of you would, well for some of you it’s cooking). But hopefully I will still be around often enough and won’t miss out on too many yummy things on people’s blogs. I found some amazing looking easy cinnamon bun bread on Baking Bites this morning - must make that soon.
Alright onto the food! As with many other things, I’ve wanted to make granola bars for a long time. And I’ve also wanted the Nurture cookbook for a long time. These granola bars are more effort than others I’m sure, as they involve making a fruit pulp that you spread in the middle of two granola layers. But they are delicious, if a bit soft and crumbly. Mind you I reduced the oil so maybe that’s why. I’ve been keeping them in the freezer and just eating them directly from there. This recipe can be played with a lot, using different combinations of fruit, nuts, seeds, nut butters and natural sweeteners. I wonder what it would be like if I just mixed it all together instead of making a separate fruit pulp layer hmm.
Sunny Jungle Bars
Recipes to Nurture
The original recipe called for 1/2 cup apple juice, 1 cup almonds, 1/2 cup oil, almond butter, and no applesauce.
1 cup pitted dates, finely chopped
1 cup dried apricots, finely chopped
1/2 cup + 2 tbsp apple juice
2 cups rolled oats
1 cup walnuts
1/2 cup flaxseed, ground
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
pinch of sea salt
1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup applesauce
1 tbsp peanut butter
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp lemon juice (optional)
Preheat oven to 375F and line a 9x9 (or 8x8) baking pan.
Place the dates, apricots and apple juice in a saucepan and bring a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Uncover and mix well with a spoon to form a pulp.
Meanwhile, in a food processor combine walnuts and pumpkin seeds. Pulse into a “meal” (very finely chopped) but not so far it becomes a butter. Add rolled oats, sunflower seeds, ground flax seeds and sea salt.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients. Add this mixture to the oat mixture and stir to combine. Press half the oat mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Spread the fruit pulp evenly over top, then finish with the remaining oat mixture. Bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 25 minutes.
Allow to cool in the tin on a rack before slicing into squares.
at 6:07 PM 23 comments
Labels: baked goods, bars, dried fruit, healthy
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Applesauce-Oat Bran Muffins
I was really excited to see that my library had Veganomicon as I’ve seen many people posting recipes from it and have been curious. I’ve since bought the cookbook but have only tried out a few recipes from it so far. These delicious applesauce oat bran muffins are one of the recipes I’ve tried. I’ve made them many times, with modifications to make them healthier.
Which brings me to the Healthy Cooking event hosted by Fun and Food that I’m taking part in. The point behind this event is to gather vegetarian recipes (including baked goods) that are healthy, and I know I could definitely use some new healthy recipes! And a bonus is that a winner will be chosen and will receive a free healthy cookbook. What I did to make these muffins healthier is what I usually do with muffins - swap applesauce for oil (which works especially well in this recipe since it’s an applesauce muffin!), omit the sugar, use whole grain flours, and add healthy nuts and dried fruit.
I changed the spices a bit (added more cinnamon and added some cloves) to simplify it rather than measuring out a tiny bit of a few different spices. So add whatever spice mixture you like to this (cloves, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, nutmeg, allspice)! I’ve also tried making these muffins with combinations of flours with success, like a mix of whole wheat flour and amaranth flour. And of course switch out the raisins and pecans/walnuts for other favourite fruit and/or nut combinations. I haven’t tried any yet because I’m really stuck on this version, but I bet chopped dried apples would be perfect. This is probably one of my favourite healthy muffin discoveries/creations!
Applesauce-Oat Bran Muffins
Adapted from Veganomicon
Makes 12 muffins
3/4 cup unsweetened soy milk
1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 cup + 3 tbsp unsweetened applesauce
2 tbsp sugar (optional)
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (or a combination of whole wheat flour and other flours, such as 1/2 cup amaranth flour and 1 cup whole wheat)
3/4 cup oat bran
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp cloves
1/8 tsp salt
1/3 cup raisins
1/2 cup pecans or walnuts, chopped
Preheat the oven to 350F and lightly grease a 12 cup muffin tin.
In a large bowl, whisk together the soy milk and apple cider vinegar; allow it to rest for 1 minute to curdle. Add the applesauce, and sugar (if using), and whisk to completely incorporate them.
In a separate smaller bowl, sift together the flour, oat bran, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet; stir only to moisten and don’t overmix. Fold in the raisins and pecans. Use an ice cream scoop or measuring cup to scoop the batter into muffin cups.
Bake for 28 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the middle of a muffin comes out clean. Allow the muffins to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to complete cooling.
at 9:59 PM 25 comments
Labels: apples, baked goods, dried fruit, healthy, muffins, nuts, vegan
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Pomegranate Smoothie
This is the first beverage I’ve ever posted about, and possibly the last. I like trying out different drinks but I don’t really care that much about making them at home. Except for smoothies, which I make with yogurt, frozen fruit and fruit juice. Not that I’ve been making many recently due to the cold weather. (Where are you summer? And who ever thought I’d be wanting summer to come and not relishing the cold weather?)
Anyway, so I subscribe to Everyday Food magazine but haven’t been looking through the issues recently. I came across this pomegranate smoothie recipe and was both sad that I had missed it in the issue, but also happy that I had stumbled across it on the internet. It’s really quite a perfect, delicious and healthy smoothie. The silken tofu gives it this really nice mouthfeel (a term I’ve gleaned from my food technology program) - as though there’s heavy cream in there or something and it doesn’t taste like tofu at all. And it’s full of antioxidants, especially if you use frozen berries.
Pomegranate Smoothie
Adapted from March 08 Everyday Food magazine (found on Husband Tested Recipes From Alice’s Kitchen)
1/3 cup silken tofu (about 3 oz.)
1 cup frozen mixed berries
1/2 cup pomegranate juice
1 teaspoon honey (add more if you like it sweeter)
2 ice cubes (or just omit because the frozen berries make them kind of pointless)
In a blender, combine all ingredients. Puree until smooth. Serve immediately. (If the smoothie seems too thick, just add a bit more pomegranate juice.)
at 10:29 PM 23 comments
Labels: breakfast, fruit, healthy, vegan
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Mini Pear Loaves
This recipe is originally for pear ginger “bread” (not sure why it’s called bread though as it’s really more muffin/loaf-y). Anyway I thought - pear and ginger? That sounds good. Well I was wrong! The recipe calls for 3 tbsp fresh ginger which is a lot of ginger, too much for me and I love ginger. But I think I prefer it in savoury things like beet and tofu salad. Or at least in the dried form for baked goods, though I’ve never tried crystallized ginger.
Anyway, the great thing about these little loaves is that they’re so deliciously soft and the pear in them is just perfect and doesn’t make them mushy, as I’ve found apples can in muffin recipes. I tried a pear, cardamom and pumpkin seed muffin version of this recipe and while I liked the sound of it, I didn’t really like the cardamom in there. I plan to try out other variations on this recipe adding different spices, nuts and fruit (and of course I’d like to try out a version that involves chocolate!) I modified the recipe to be healthier, as with most other muffin recipes I make (unless I just want to go all out).
Mini Pear Loaves
adapted from The Garden of Vegan
Makes 8 mini loaves or 12 muffins.
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tbsp sugar
3/4 cup apple juice
1/3 cup applesauce
1 banana, mashed
1 large pear, cored and cubed
1/2 cup nuts or seeds (pecans, pumpkin seeds, etc)
Preheat oven to 350F. In a large bowl, sift together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir in sugar, apple juice, applesauce, banana, pear, and nuts/seeds. Stir together gently until “just mixed.” Pour batter into a lightly oiled mini loaf pan or muffin pan and bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
at 9:56 AM 28 comments
Labels: baked goods, breads/loaves, fruit, healthy, vegan
Thursday, April 3, 2008
My 100th Post! And Chocolate Walnut Banana Bread
This is my 100th post! I don’t have anything exciting to celebrate it with but this banana bread was pretty delicious. I rarely make banana bread because when I was growing up my mom always made it. It was yummy but I guess lost its magical appeal. She never put walnuts or chocolate chips in it though, and this was actually my first time putting chocolate chips in banana bread. I like to maintain this image in my mind of banana bread being healthy and if I put chocolate chips in it, well it just makes it a little more difficult to believe! But I thought if I cut down the sugar a lot (to 2 tablespoons) and only put a small amount of chocolate chips, it wouldn’t be a terribly unhealthy snack. And thus begins my love of this chocolate walnut banana bread.
I haven’t used my mini loaf pans for a while and forgot how great little loaves are. In the recipe I wrote that you can use either oat flour or whole wheat pastry flour. The oat flour makes it much denser, but I loved it that way. If that’s not quite for you, try the whole wheat pastry flour. It will still be a dense muffin but lightens it up a bit.
Chocolate Walnut Banana Bread
Adapted from How It All Vegan!
Makes 1 loaf, 6 mini loaves, or 12 small-ish muffins
3 ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup applesauce
2 tbsp sugar
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour OR oat flour
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/3 cup chocolate chips, optional*
Preheat oven to 375F. In a small bowl, mash the bananas with a fork until very mushy, then add the applesauce, sugar, and walnuts and stir together.
In a separate large bowl, stir together the whole wheat flour, whole wheat pastry flour (or oat flour), salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
Add the banana mixture to the flour mixture and mix together gently until “just mixed”. Gently stir in the chocolate chips.
Spoon into a lightly oiled loaf pan (or muffin pan) and bake for 40-50 minutes**. Test with a toothpick or a knife to see if done.
*Use nondairy chocolate chips or omit them to make this vegan.
**The first time I made these, I used mini loaf pans and I can’t remember how long it took. I would check them around 25 minutes and see how they are. Maybe even 20 minutes.
at 7:57 PM 28 comments
Labels: baked goods, bananas, breads/loaves, chocolate, healthy, nuts, vegan
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Pumpkin Pecan Raisin Muffins
I’ve sadly never heard of the Weekend Breakfast Blogging event, even though it started over a year ago. I’m happy I stumbled across it though and can’t wait to see the round up for this month’s theme which is balanced breakfast meals. I’m always looking for new and healthy ideas for breakfast (that can be used for snacks too!) and the bonus is that everything for this challenge has to be vegetarian. I think my muffin does a good job of meeting the balanced meal requirements, especially if paired with a yogurt. It has pumpkin and raisins (vegetables and fruit), whole wheat flour (grains), and pecans (protein). And to top it all off, it’s healthy!
I’ve been making a lot of things from Vegan with a Vengeance recently, including corn chowder. I’m trying to cut back on dairy and eggs, so I’ve been turning more often to my vegan cookbooks and finding yummy recipes. These pumpkin muffins are really moist and soft, and very delicious. Since a can of pumpkin is about 1 3/4 cups of pumpkin (and the recipe only calls for 1 cup), the second time I made these I attempted to replace the applesauce with extra pumpkin. That really did not work out so well. I need a pumpkin recipe that uses up the whole can! (Or I could approximately double this one.)
Pumpkin Pecan Raisins Muffins
Adapted from Vegan with a Vengeance
Makes 12 muffins.
1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour*
1/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/8 tsp ground cloves**
1 cup pureed pumpkin (fresh or from a can; do not use pumpkin pie mix)
1/2 cup soy milk
1/2 cup applesauce
1 tbsp molasses***
1 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup raisins
Preheat oven to 400F. Lightly grease a 12 muffin tin.
Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and spices. In a separate bowl, whisk together pumpkin, soy milk, applesauce and molasses. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix.
Fill the muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick or knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
*I think I might’ve used 1 3/4 cups of whole wheat flour, no whole wheat pastry flour but I’m not sure. So to be on the safe side, I’d say use some whole wheat pastry flour so the muffin isn’t too dense.
**If you have pumpkin pie spice, replace the cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice and cloves with about 2 1/2 tsp of pumpkin pie spice.
***Original recipe called for 2 tbsp but I am not a huge molasses lover. I might cut it back to 1/2 tbsp next time.
at 8:43 AM 21 comments
Labels: healthy, muffins, nuts, pumpkin
http://www.eatmedelicious.com/2008/10/oatmeal-coconut-chocolate-pecan-squares.html
Oatmeal Coconut Chocolate Pecan Squares
I saw these bars on Everybody Likes Sandwiches and of course knew I had to make them. Oats, coconut, chocolate, pecans - how could I resist? At first when I tried them I was disappointed that there wasn’t more coconut, but then I froze them and started to eat them out of the freezer. A little too often. They’re really addictively delicious.
If this sounds good, you might also like:
Chocolate Oatmeal Coconut Cookies
Chocolate Fudge Souffle Bars
Chocolate Marble Chunk Cookies
Oatmeal Coconut Chocolate Pecan Squares
everybody likes sandwiches
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
5 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
Preheat oven to 350F. Combine all the dry ingredients (oats through salt) in a large bowl. In a smaller bowl, mix together the melted butter, egg and vanilla. Dump the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until well blended. Oil up an 8x8 pan and pour mixture in, patting the top flat with your hands while making sure the mixture gets into the corners. Bake for 25 minutes and cool. Cut into squares.
http://www.eatmedelicious.com/search/label/rice
Fried Rice
Fried rice is one of my favourite things to eat. My friend taught me how to make it back in high school and I’ve made it many times since then. Recently I’ve started to eat more healthy, as some of you know, so I wanted to try using brown rice instead of white rice. I found a recipe for pineapple fried rice in Real Vegetarian Thai (my first recipe out of that book). I was really excited! But in the end, it really did not turn out so well. It was fine and it was edible, but I know that as much as I want to use brown rice for fried rice, I really should be using the evil white rice. Or maybe brown basmati rice? Using brown rice to make fried rice results in more of a gooey rice dish, almost like risotto actually (though not that creamy). Also, I tried not to use as much oil as I used to and that doesn’t really work for fried rice either. Anyway, rather than post the pineapple fried rice recipe, I will give you my recipe for fried rice, and let this be a cautionary tale! Simple and delicious and I’m sure many of you don’t need a recipe for this. But if you’re like I was and need a recipe, here’s an easy starting point for. For me, the key is adding lots of onions because I love the way it flavours the fried rice. I don’t add any soy sauce or sesame oil or anything, though of course you can do that.
Fried Rice
Serves 1 (easily doubled, quadrupled, etc)
2 cups cold cooked white rice
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup of chopped veggies (including lots of onions)
salt & pepper
4 tablespoons oil
Heat the oil in a skillet at medium high heat. Once hot, add the veggies and sautee until onions are soft (or slightly caramelized, whatever you like). Add the cold rice and stir everything up. Once the rice is heated through and has browned a little bit (I like the browned bits, if you don’t then just don’t cook it as long). Once the rice and veggies are cooked to the point you want them to be at, pour the beaten egg (or add two eggs if you want lots of eggs) over the rice/veggie mixture. Stir everything up together quickly so the egg is well dispersed. Once the egg is cooked (a minute or two), you’re done! I like adding cashews too.
at 4:54 PM 5 comments
Labels: main course, rice
Thursday, August 9, 2007
Most Delicious Salsa
I’ve eyed the recipe in the Rebar cookbook for Parmesan corn risotto cakes many times. Of course this was always at times of the year when there was no fresh corn to be had. Finally it happened where I looked at the recipe and I knew I could get fresh corn. I set out to make these one day for lunch for a friend and myself, but without a lot of foresight. The risotto needs time to completely cool before it can be made into cakes. I spread it out on a cookie sheet and put it in the fridge (then was scared that that was the reason our fridge broke but no it wasn’t) hoping it would cool down fast enough but it just didn’t really work. It was really difficult to shape the corn risotto into balls (oh and did I mention that I completely forgot to add the Parmesan, it still tasted good though!) The next day when I had leftovers, I just took them to work instead of trying to make them into cakes again.
You can really see here how the risotto didn’t shape very well into patties.
The risotto is made with corn stock (made using fresh ears of corn that have had the kernels sliced off), shaped into balls, covered in cornmeal, then pan fried. And of course you add the freshly cut corn kernels to the risotto. I had no idea how delicious fresh raw corn is when cut off the cob (and hopefully this is something that’s okay to eat and not going to screw up my digestive system or something). The taste of the risotto was good, and the crispy cornmeal bits on the outside were good too. I have definitely discovered that I do not enjoy shaping things into patties and pan frying them though - unless the things I’m pan frying are really going to stick together. One time I tried to make potato patties but I must have let the potatoes boil too long because the patties were too moist - or maybe I should’ve just added some flour or bread crumbs to them. I really love the idea of risotto balls or risotto cakes (one time I saw Emeril using leftover risotto to make risotto balls that he stuck a piece of cheese in the middle of, then deep fried), so I’d like to say that I’d try it again. But if nothing else, the corn risotto was good on its own (with or without the Parmesan!)
Anyway, it was the grape tomato basil salsa that really stole the show here. I’ve seen the recipe before and thought I’d like to try it, but salsa was one of the many things I feared making (along with pie crusts savoury and sweet), and it requires fresh basil so I’d prefer to make it in the summer when basil is cheap. (Though now that I know how delicious it is, I’d like to make it all year round.) It was very strange that I had all the ingredients in the house to make this salsa (which was the salsa suggested to go with the Parmesan corn risotto cakes), because I don’t usually have grape tomatoes or basil in the house. I’m extremely happy that I did though because this salsa is amazing. Truly truly amazing and so delicious. I will be making it again and again. (Which reminds me that I should make a list somewhere of all my favourite food so I have this wonderful master list to refer to.) There’s balsamic vinegar in the salsa which seemed different because I’ve never had vinegar in a salsa (to my knowledge), but it was oh so good.
I served the cakes and salsa with sauteed zucchini on the side - local yellow zucchini at that. I was very excited about this yellow zucchini, but for some reason it ended up tasting very odd to me, like seafood or something. Now I want to stay away from yellow zucchini, though I really should give it another chance.
I wasn’t going to post the recipe for the Parmesan corn risotto cakes but then after I wrote all about it, I’m sure someone might be interested in it so I’ll just post both recipes. Though if you’re only going to make one of them, make the salsa! Make it soon while things are still in season. If you’re looking for other risotto recipes, you can check out the baked sweet potato and beet risotto with peas I made.
Grape Tomato Salsa
(adapted from Rebar)
1 pint grape tomatoes
1 garlic clove, minced
3 scallions, greens only, minced
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
salt and cracked pepper to taste
Slice grape tomatoes into quarters. Toss with remaining ingredients, season to taste.
Parmesan Corn Risotto Cakes
(from Rebar)
Fresh corn stock
4 ears fresh corn, kernels removed and reserved
1 yellow onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, crushed
2 bay leaves
few springs fresh oregano, parsley or thyme
1 tsp black peppercorns
2 tsp coarse salt
8 cups cold water
Risotto cakes
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1 small yellow onion, finely diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup arborio rice
2 cups fresh corn
1 cup white wine
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 cup fine cornmeal
Note: Make the risotto the day before you want to make the cakes so the risotto has lots of time to cool completely. If you just want to eat the risotto and not make cakes, then obviously this doesn’t apply.
1. Place stock into a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and simmer, partially covered, for 45 minutes. Strain to a boil and simmer, partially covered, for 45 minutes. Strain and keep warm (you will need 4-5 cups in total).
2. Heat butter and olive oil in a large heavy saucepan and saute onion and garlic until translucent. Add the rice and cook, stirring until the rice is well coated. Add the corn, season with salt and saute for several minutes. Pour in the wine and simmer until asborbed. Now start adding warm corn stock, one cup at a time. Keep stirring and add the next cup of stock only when most of the liquid is absorbed. Now start adding warm corn stock, one cup at a time. Keep stirring and add the next cup of stock only when most of the liquid is basorbed and the rice still looks creamy. When the rice is tender but the grains still slightly firm to the bite, remove risotto from the heat and stir in the parmesan cheese. (Stop here if you are just making the risotto and not the cakes.) Season to taste and spraed the risotto into a baking pan to speed cooling. Cover and refrigerate.
3. To saute cakes, form the risotto into 2 1/2” round cakes and dredge in cornmeal. Fry in hot olive oil unitl golden and crispy on both sides.
at 9:15 PM 8 comments
Labels: basil, corn, dips, main course, rice, tomatoes
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Baked Sweet Potato & Beet Risotto With Peas
I love risotto and the creaminess of it that comes from the starch in the Arborio rice (at least I assume that’s mostly where it comes from). I love risotto so much that even when my coworkers give me disgusting images of why they don’t like risotto (that I won’t repeat here in an effort to sustain the risotto love), I still love it. I’ve only made it once, so I figured it was time again. I used my homemade vegetable stock, Giada De Laurentiis’s basic risotto recipe, and some of my favourite veggies (sweet potato - not yams!, beets, and peas). I baked the yams and beets together for about 45 minutes with no oil (yes I’m sure they would’ve been more tasty with oil but this was a small effort to be healthy). They were a bit dry but once added to the risotto, totally fine. I’ve never baked beets before and while they still had their delicious beet essence, I much prefer them boiled (where they end up more succulent and tender). Maybe if I had tossed the beets in oil before baking them they would’ve turned out differently but I doubt they would’ve been as good as when boiled. I added frozen peas at the end and just stirred the risotto around a bit to heat them up.
I had quite the ordeal with the wine because first, I couldn’t find the white wine, second, I couldn’t find the bottle opener, and third, once I found the bottle opener I had no idea how to use and wasn’t sure if the cork was ever going to come out and when it did if I was going to jab myself in the eye. But it came out and my eye is intact. And the wine smelled so delicious when added to the risotto, so it was all worthwhile.
I think one of the reasons I haven’t made risotto more often is because of the $5 it costs for a small bag at Safeway (if they have it in stock). When I went to Eat Vancouver several weeks ago, Bosa Foods had a stall set up (well actually it was more like a mini store) selling a selection of Italian food items. I picked up a box of Arborio rice for about $3, which ends up being about half the price of the rice at Safeway. I haven’t been to the actual Bosa Foods store yet, but apparently their new one on Kootenay St is huge.
Bosa Foods
562 Victoria Dr & 1465 Kootenay St
Vancouver, BC
Phone: 604-253-5578
Giada’s recipe is for basic/plain risotto, so you can feel free to add whatever vegetables, meat (wait why did a vegetarian just suggest meat...), or cheese (probably only hard cheese like Parmesan and Asiago?) to it that you want. It’s best to cook the vegetables separate from the rice so they don’t get mushy. As for how much of each to add, it’s up to you but for this amount of risotto, I did one sweet potato, one beet, and about half a cup of peas. I should’ve used some of the leftover risotto to try making risotto cakes (risotto that’s been shaped into patties and then pan fried) or maybe deep fried risotto balls with mozzarella on the inside (I think I saw that on Emeril).
Basic Risotto
(from Everyday Italian)
4 cups vegetable stock (my note: she calls for reduced-sodium chicken broth)
3 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup finely chopped onion (my note: about 1/2 an onion)
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
In a medium saucepan, bring the broth a simmer. Cover the broth and keep hot over low heat. (My note: this is a really important step, because it will take forever for the broth to incorporate into the rice if it’s not already hot.)
In a large, heavy saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until tender but now brown, about 3 minutes. Add the rice and stir to coat with the butter. Add the wine and simmer until the wine has almost completely evaporated, about 3 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of simmering broth and stir until almost completely absorbed, about 2 minutes. Continue cooking the rice, adding the broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly and allowing each addition of broth to absorb before adding the next, until the rice is tender but still firm to the bite and the mixture is creamy, about 20 minutes total. Remove from the heat. Stir in the Parmesan cheese, the remaining tablespoon of butter, and the salt and pepper. Serve immediately.
http://www.opensourcefood.com/people/wokkingmum/recipes/potato-cheese-balls
Potato Cheese Balls
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License
Ingredients
* 2 Potatoes
* 60g Parmesan Cheese, grated
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1 Egg Yolk
* Spring onions, chopped (optional)
* Batter
* Oil for frying
Tags
* quick
* vegetable
1. Boil potatoes till soft.
2. Peel the skin and mash will cooled.
3. Add in cheese, salt spring onions and egg yolk to mashed potato.
4. Mix well.
5. Divide into equal portion and shape into balls.
6. Dip potato ball into batter and fry to golden brown.
7. Remove, drain and serve.
Note:
* You can also coat will breadcrumb instead of batter for a crunchier bite.
* You can use either tempura batter or normal plain flour plus water batter. A thin batter is preferred.
http://www.opensourcefood.com/people/wokkingmum/recipes/chocolate-and-cream-cheese-truffles
Chocolate and Cream Cheese Truffles
Ingredients
* 180g Confectioner’s Sugar aka Icing Sugar
* 60g Cream Cheese (I use Philadelphia Cream Cheese)
* 100g Unsweetened Chocolate
* Cocoa Powder for rolling
1. Mix cream cheese and sugar together.
2. Melt Chocolate using double boil method.
3. Add to the cream cheese and sugar.
4. Mix well.
5. Scoop some mixture and roll into balls.
6. Refrigerate for an hour to harden.
7. Pour some cocoa powder on a plate.
8. Place chocolate balls on the powder.
9. Roll to coat evenly.
10. Pop one in your mouth now and enjoy. wink
http://www.opensourcefood.com/people/Paula/recipes/apple-cookies
Apple cookies
For Dough:
* 350 grams of flour
* 200 grams of butter
* 100 grams of sour cream
* 1 egg
* 1 yolk
* pinch of salt
* 10 grams of yeast
* half spoon of sugar
For filling:
* 500 grams of apples, cores cut out, cut into eigths
* custer suger and vanila suger for dusting
1. Stif the flour, put in slices of butter and yeast mixed with sugar, add cream, yolk, egg, knead swiftly.
2. Form dough into ball and keep in the fridge over night.
3. Next day, roll the dough into 3-4 mm thick, cut out circles, place apple and close
4. Bake in preheated oven, in 180 degrees, till golden brown.
5. Dust with custer/ vanila sugar mixture.
[There are many hidden links in this post for more info, posted for those of you that it might help...granny]
Link to beingfrugal.net
Tightwad Tuesday: Get Great Deals on Christmas Presents
Posted: 11 Nov 2008 06:00 AM CST
Christmas Shopping.jpg
I avoid malls like the plague during the month of December.
I’m one of those people who likes to have all of my Christmas shopping done by Thanksgiving, so I can relax and enjoy the holiday season, rather than fight insane crowds at the shopping mall.
And like many other people this year, my family is on a tight budget this Christmas, meaning I need to make my Christmas dollars go farther. Fortunately, being frugal, I have a plan of attack when it comes to getting quality Christmas presents on the cheap.
Know Where to Find the Deals
I like to peruse message boards, where members post great deals on everything from toys to clothes to furniture. My favorite is Fishing For Deals, but a Google search will surely give you other results.
By keeping an eye on the message boards, other people do the work of finding the deals, and I can reap the benefits. When I find a great deal on the message board, I shop through the board’s link, so I can support them.
Shop Through Rebate Programs
If I find a deal on my own or just need to buy something that’s not on sale, I shop through programs like Ebates and MyPoints. These programs give cash back (in the form of actual cash or points to be applied to a gift card), making your money stretch farther. And right now if you sign up for Ebates through this link and make a qualifying purchase, $5 will be credited to your account! (and $5 to mine too!).
Ebates and MyPoints aren’t the only game in town anymore, as far as rebate programs go. ShopatHome.com is an up and coming rebate site. I’ve made a purchase through them already, and my cash back was credited directly to my account. The offer the same refer-a-friend bonus that Ebates does, where if you sign up through my link, we both get $5 if you make a qualifying purchase.
Don’t Forget to Use Coupon Codes
When shopping online, I always, always, ALWAYS do a search for an online coupon code before I check out. Often I can’t find one, but sometimes I can find a code that I can combine with the rebate program to save big bucks!
Doing a Google search usually works, as does checking the forums I mentioned earlier. Kyle of Rather-Be-Shopping, who writes for me every Wednesday, also has a great list of deals and coupons on his site.
Speaking of codes, I have the opportunity to share with you a great code for Small World Toys. Small World Toys is a company that focuses on quality educational toys for children. (My kind of toys!) If you use the code SALE134 from now until December 15, you can get 20% off your order!
And to Kick Off the Shopping Season”: A Giveaway!
Finally, Walmart is spreading the holiday cheer by offering a $50 gift card for me to give away to one lucky reader! You can use the gift card to buy gifts, food, or anything else you might need from Walmart this Christmas season!
To enter the giveaway, you must be subscribed to my blog. I’ve put a secret phrase at the bottom of the posts that go out by RSS or email. Just contact me with the secret phrase in the subject line, and you will be entered in the giveaway.
If you’re not subscribed to Being Frugal yet, it’s easy. If you use an RSS reader, click here. If you’d rather receive Being Frugal by email, click here (and make sure to click the email verification link that will be sent to your email address). Don’t worry, I don’t spam or sell your email address. If you’re confused, this link might be helpful.
I will take giveaway entries until Thursday, November 20 at noon PST. I will draw a winner using a random number generator and announce the winner on Friday, November 21. Only one entry per person.
Have a great holiday season, and remember to stay in your budget! You don’t want to be paying off credit cards come January!
Photo by singsing_sky.
Contact Me with the secret phrase “Candy Cane” to be entered in a drawing for a $50 Walmart gift card.
Copyright 2008 Lynnae McCoy