This week: Sprouting Seeds for Healthy Greens; with a ping to Kartographer for the prep-value of seed sprouting.
(If you would like to be on or off of this weekly cooking thread ping list, please send a private message.)
-JT
All you need is a nice wide mouth quart jar, and a glass bowl with some plastic wrap. And a small screen for when they are in the jar. I use a stainless steel drain screen works great.
For alfalfa I soak for 24 hours, for the 2 of us I use 1/4 cup seeds. Soak in the jar with the jar pretty full of water and use the screen to change out the water at least twice during the 24 hours. Then I leave it sit on the kitchen counter for a few days, rinsing it twice a day. The concave drain screen keeps the tiny sprouts in the jar easily.The sprout roots come out first.
When you see the leaves I transfer to the glass bowl. Shake out everything into the bowl and rinse well, using your hand to gently break up any clumps. By then any seeds that won't germinate can sink to the bottom. I use a wide splatter screen to put handfuls on temporarily while I rinse then dump the seeds that did not germinate. Keep in the glass bowl after that, and cover almost completely with plastic wrap. That's when I put them on the sunny windowsill. Rinse every day, sometimes twice a day. They want to grow together into a clump so gently break them apart in the water to clean them. Set handfuls on the big screen to drain and you can clean out the seed hulls that way. Your sprouts will be really clean that way, and taste great. From the time they good on the glass bowl it is about 3-4 days. The last day I do a final rinse and leave in the sun all day without disturbing them. the tops all have a chance to grow up and get really green.
WHISKEY CAKE
1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix
1 (3.4 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix
5 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup whiskey
3/4 cup VERY COLD butter, cut into pieces
1 (11 ounce) package butterscotch chips
1 cup chopped walnuts
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan.
In a large bowl, stir together cake mix and pudding mix. Make a well in the center and pour in eggs, milk, whiskey and butter. Beat on low speed until blended. Scrape bowl, and beat 4 minutes on medium speed. Reserve a 1/2 cup of the butterscotch chips for the top of the cake. Stir in the remaining butterscotch chips. Pour batter into prepared pan and sprinkle with reserved chips and nuts.
Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool.
*I dust mine with powdered sugar.
Now that the weather is getting crisper (on the east coast, at least), soups are a favorite. Just made this clam chowder and it was very good.
Clam Chowder
Adapted from a Cooks Illustrated recipe
4 slices of thick-cut bacon, diced
1 large onion, cut into a medium dice, about 2 cups (480 ml.)
2 tablespoons (30 ml.) all-purpose flour
16 oz. (480 ml.) bottled clam juice
3 6½ oz. (184 gr., or 552 gr. total) cans of chopped clams
1 10 oz. (283.5 gr.) can of baby clams
1 cup (240 ml.) water (See note)
1½ pounds (680 gr.) boiling potatoes, scrubbed and cut into medium dice
1 large bay leaf
1 teaspoon (5 ml.) fresh thyme or ¼ teaspoon (1.25 ml.) dried thyme
1 cup (240 ml.) heavy cream
2 tablespoons (30 ml.) fresh parsley, minced
Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste.
Fry the bacon in a Dutch oven over medium-low heat until it is crisp and brown, about 5-7 minutes.
Add the onion and sauté until softened, about 4-5 minutes more.
Add the flour while stirring constantly until it is lightly colored, about a minute or so.
Gradually whisk in the water, the bottled clam juice along with the juice from the canned clams.
Add the potatoes, bay leaf and thyme.
Simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes or so.
Add the clams, cream, parsley, salt (if necessary) and pepper to taste.
Bring to a simmer, remove from the heat and serve.
Serves 6.
Note: If you like a thicker chowder, add less water and another T. or so of flour.
Fresh clams and juice would make it awesome, if you can get them. We live inland, so that’s not going to happen.
I loathe alfalfa sprouts or, in my rural youth, cow food not meant for human consumption.
There’s an outstanding pasta salad in one of their books.
Help!
Desperately looking for a good hot dog chili recipe.
We usually bought the Texas Pete brand hot dog chili.
It was perfect.
The beef was finely ground and it had a thick consistency that kept it where you put it.
The company that produced it was bought out by a competitor and the Texas Pete brand was discontinued.
All the brands sold in my area are watery and the chunks of beef are more suited to chili *beans*.
If anyone has a recipe for a non-spicy, thick hot dog chili please post it or mail me.
My perfect hot dog is a beef dog (Hebrew National preferred) on a slightly toasted bun with mustard, onions, chill and slaw.
On occasion I go with mustard and sour kraut for a taste difference.
I’m not a big fan of sprouts, but I did make a delicious apple cobbler last night. I’ve made this three times already in the last few months.
Apple Cobbler
Ingredients:
Filling:
2 1/2 cups of diced honeycrisp apples, brown sugar, and cinnamon plus 1 cup of liquid they were simmered together in.
1 stick butter
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
Topping:
2 cups Baking Mix (recipe follows)
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 cup milk
Instructions:
Place butter in medium sauce pan and melt. Whisk in flour, brown sugar and liquid from apples.
Place over medium high heat while stirring constantly until mixture is smooth and creamy.
Bring ingredients just to a boil, stirring constantly, and then remove from heat. Stir in diced apples.
Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray and pour in filling.
For Cobbler Topping
In medium mixing bowl, stir together baking mix and brown sugar.
Add milk and stir until smooth and well combined.
Pour over filling in pan. Bake at 400 for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown on top. Serve warm with whipped cream.
Homemade Baking Mix
1 1/2 cups of flour
2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons of dry milk
2 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
2 teaspoons of sugar
1/2 teaspoon of salt
2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons of shortening
Mix well in kitchenaid until grainy.
Makes about 2 cups.
I saw a ‘quick & easy’ lemon bar recipe on Facebook. The person said to take a white cake mix & a can of lemon pie filling, beat them together & then bake. I tried to do that but found the mixture too dry to mix. I ended up adding an egg & a small amount of water (quarter cup?) just so I could work it. The result was the softest, most melt-in-your-mouth lemon cake I’ve ever had. I used cream cheese icing & it was terrific. Now I always keep a white cake mix & lemon pie filling on hand for any event that requires a dessert. VERY simple, & everyone I’ve served it to has wanted the recipe.
It's far better than it sounds.
Excellent topic! Thank you!
I know they are nutritious, but I just haven’t ever found any I like.
Today, I am making crock pot yogurt. It’s the only way I can get yogurt without all the additives or sugar that I don’t want.