Hammy Pot Pie

Using up those Nigella Cherry-Coke Soaked Ham leftovers . . .

Ingredients:

1/3 cup butter

1/3 cup flour

1 onion, chopped

1 cup carrots, chopped

1 cup peas

1 cup corn

1 1/2 cups vegetable broth

1 cup milk

1 - 2 cups cooked ham, chopped

Mashed Potatoes

Method:

Preheat oven to 350*

1. Melt butter in Le Creuset Dutch oven.

2. Add onions, carrots, cook until soft.

3. Add flour, then peas and corn.

4. Stir in vegetable broth and milk. When everything is a gravy-like consistency, add ham.

5. Top with mashed potatoes

6. Cook for approximately 30 minutes, or until potatoes are suitably browned.

All-Natural All-Purpose Cleaners -- NOT FOOD!

The boys have pneumonia, so I am going way off the deep end with vegan, natural, organic, blah blah blah living. Today was the third day I visited an organic grocery store (Whole Foods) and dropped serious coin on organic, vegan, healthy foods (rice syrup and daikon radish, anyone?)

Now, regarding the recipes below -- obviously they are not a food products, I'm just including them so I don't have to google the recipes each time. But lately I've been thinking about trying to switch to homemade, non-toxic cleaners (if only to save money to spend at Whole Foods . . .) Because seriously, borax, white vinegar, baking soda, lemon juice, olive oil and Dr. Bronner's are really all you need to clean your house. Even when you've got the pneumoccal virus floating around!

Amazing All Purpose Cleaner

1 teaspoon borax (you can get this in the detergent aisle in any supermarket)
2 tablespoons vinegar or lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon Dr. Bronner's soap
2 cups very hot water

Combine all ingredients in a plastic spray bottle.Shake your new homemade all purpose cleaner to mix. Use anywhere as needed. Strong enough to wipe out germs and viruses. Use daily on door knobs and toilet handles, especially when a family member is sick.

Homemade Soft Scrub-like Cleaner

1/2 cup baking soda

Enough Dr. Bronner's to mix into a frosting-like goop

1 tsp glycerin

Mix together and store in a sealed container (I like to use a Soft Scrub bottle . . .)

Window Cleaner

1/4 tsp Dr. Bronner's

3 tbsp white vinegar

2 cups warm water

Mix together in spray bottle. Use like you would, oh, say, Windex?

Baked Kale Chips

Okay, this is NOT cribbed from Alicia Silverstone's book, but still counts as vegan (I think.)

This is also one of those rather annoying recipes with no amounts specified -- if we could cook like chefs who don't need recipes, then we wouldn't need to keep a blog like this! (I enjoy using the royal 'we' on occasion.) But use as much kale as you feel like you can eat. How's that for vague?

Ingredients:

Kale (washed and with the tough center ribs and stems removed)

Olive oil ( try to use the least amount while making sure the kale is entirely coated)

Salt

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 300*. Tear kale into potato chip sized pieces. Arrange on a rimmed cookie sheet. Bake for 10 - 15 minutes, checking that they don't burn.

2. I turn them out onto a paper towel to absorb any extra oil, then serve.

Barley Casserole with Tahini Dressing

Day 4 of being cooped up indoors (mostly) with sick boys. I think I can be forgiven this foray into the wilds of veganism. At the very least, the leftovers of dish will be great as a grain-y breakfast this week!

Again, this recipe is from Alicia Silverstone's "The Kind Diet"

Ingredients:

2 cups hulled barley (I used pearl; Alicia said that was okay.)

2 tbsp olive oil

1 large onion, minced

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 carrots, grated

2 celery stalks, finely diced

5 tbsp shoyu (I only used 3 tbsp because I ran out; seemed tasty enough.)

1/4 tsp fine sea salt (I used regular iodized salt; Alicia says this is a no no.)

1/4 tsp dried basil

1/4 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp garlic powder

3/4 cup tahini dressing (see recipe below)

Method:

1. Bring 3 cups of water to a boil; add barley and simmer for approximately 50 minutes, or until water is absorbed and barley is tender.

2. Heat oil in a skillet. Chop onions and garlic in food processor and add to skillet; saute until onion is translucent.

3. Add carrots, celery, shoyu, salt and spices. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.

4. Add barley and mix well over medium-high heat for approximately 3 minutes.

5. Transfer half of the barley mixture to a baking dish (I used one that was 9" x 9"); drizzle half of tahini dressing on top. Add a second layer of barley mixture and top with remainder of dressing.

6. Bake at 350*, uncovered, until heated through -- about 35 minutes.

Serves 6 - 8.

Tahini dressing:

1/4 small onion, diced (I skipped this)

1/2 cup of tahini

1 tbsp shoyu

Pinch garlic powder

Pinch paprika

Pinch dried oregano

1/8 tsp dried basil

Vegan Sweet-Potato Lentil Stew

from "The Kind Diet" by Alicia Silverstone

Ingredients:

3 tbsp safflower oil (I used olive)

1 medium onion, diced

2 small tomatoes diced (I used 1/2 cup canned, diced tomato because I had some leftover)

1 tsp fresh ginger, minced

1 1/2 tsp turmeric

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp coriander

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp cayenne

1 ginormous yam (didn't have any sweet potatoes)

5 cups vegetable broth

1 cup lentils (I used green, she suggests brown, I say whatever)

Method:

I used my slowcooker and did everything in the one pot.

1. Turn slowcooker to High and put oil in pot.

2. When it seems hot enough, put onions in and cook until they look translucent. (Took a while)

3. Add spices and tomatoes; cook for a few minutes.

4. Add remaining ingredients, mix well and cook on High for 2 hours. Reduce heat to Low and keep cooking until ready to serve.

I served this over couscous, but brown rice would be nice too. Even my boys ate more than a "No thank you" bit (not MUCH more, but more.)

Vegan Pumpkin Bread

from Alicia Silverstone's "The Kind Diet"

This is shockingly good!

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups pureed pumpkin

1 cup brown sugar (Alicia suggests maple sugar, but that cost $27.99 at my health food store.)

1 "egg" (1 tbsp flax seeds pureed with 3 tbsp water)

1/2 cup almond milk

3/8 cup safflower oil (I used canola because it was what I had)

2 cups spelt flower

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp cardamom

1/8 tsp mace

1/2 cup vegan carob chips

Method:

I made this in my breadmaker.

1. Put all wet ingredients in breadmaker, set on "cake" setting. Let it mix for approximately 12 minutes (when it starts to beep), then add the dry ingredients (I put them all in a sifter and sifted them into the breadmaker pan.) Add chips when all flour is mixed in.

2. Wait until breadmaker is done.

If you want to make this the old fashioned mixing bowl - oven way, make sure to oil your 9"x 5" loaf pan and bake at 350* for 45 to 60 minutes.

Orange Sables

Another recipe lifted in its entirety from my friend Miranda Levenstein's excellent recipe blog -- http://insweettreatment.blogspot.com. (Doesn't she present the recipes beautifully??) I think these will be a lovely teacher gift packaged with the Lemon Poppy Seed cookies below. Sometimes you need a break from chocolate!

(Note: I used 3 egg yolks because my eggs were on the small side.)

Ignorance Is Bliss Orange Sables
Adapted from Baking: From My Home to Yours, Dorie Greenspan 2006
Printer Friendly Version
Ingredients
2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter (preferably high-fat, European style), softened at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
Zest of one orange
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted before measuring
1/2 teaspoon salt, preferably sea salt
2 large egg yolks, preferably at room temperature
2 cups all-purpose flour.

For the decoration (optional):
1 egg yolk
Crystal or dazzle sugar.

Directions
In a small bowl combine granulated sugar and orange zest. Rub zest and sugar together with your fingers to incorporate.
Working in a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter at medium speed until it is smooth and very creamy. Add the sugars and salt and continue to beat until smooth and velvety, not fluffy and airy, about 1 minute. Reduce the mixer speed to low and beat in 2 egg yolks, again beating until well blended.
Turn off the mixer, pour in the flour, drape a kitchen towel over the mixer and pulse the mixer about 5 times at low speed for 1 or 2 seconds each time. Take a peek; if there is still a lot of flour on the surface of the dough, pulse a couple of more times; if not, remove the towel. Continuing at low speed, stir for about 30 seconds more, just until the flour disappears into the dough and the dough looks uniformly moist. If you still have some flour on the bottom of the bowl, stop mixing and use a rubber spatula to work the rest of it into the dough. (The dough will not come together in a ball -- and it shouldn't. You want to work the dough as little as possible. What you're aiming for is a soft, moist, clumpy dough. When pinched, it should feel a little like Play-Doh.)
Scrape the dough onto a work surface, gather it into a ball and divide it in half. Shape each piece into a smooth log about 9 inches long (it's easiest to work on a piece of plastic wrap and use the plastic to help form the log). Wrap the logs well and chill them for at least 2 hours. The dough may be kept in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months.
Hint: To prevent your logs from flattening on one side, cut the empty cardboard tubes from two rolls of paper towels down the middle. Then rest your dough inside the cardboard cradle and put them in the fridge.
When ready to bake, center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper and keep it at the ready.

To decorate the edges of the sables, whisk the egg yolk until smooth. Place one log of chilled dough on a piece of waxed paper and brush it with yolk (the glue), and then sprinkle the entire surface of the log with sugar. Trim the ends of the roll if they are ragged and slice the log into 1/3-inch-thick cookies.


Place the rounds on the baking sheet, leaving an inch of space between each cookie, and bake for 17 to 20 minutes, rotating the baking sheet at the halfway point. When properly baked, the cookies will be light brown on the bottom, lightly golden around the edges and pale on top. Let the cookies rest 1 or 2 minutes before carefully lifting them onto a cooling rack with a wide metal spatula. Repeat with the remaining log of dough. (Make sure the sheet is cool before baking each batch.)

Yield: 48-50 cookies

Lemon Poppy Cookies

When you're tired of chocolate, nuts and cherries, these make a refreshing palate cleansing biscuit!

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons lemon zest

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

1 1/2 sticks butter

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1 to 2 tablespoons poppy seeds

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350*. Whisk together dry ingredients, set aside.

2. Beat lemon zest and sugar. Add butter, cream until light and fluffy. Mix in lemon juice, add flour.

3. Roll into equal-sized balls, press tops into poppy seeds, flattening cookies slightly when placing on cookie sheet.

4. Bake 10 - 12 minutes.

(Can also try making refrigerator cookies with this dough -- roll into a log, wrap in Saran wrap and refrigerate until ready to slice cookies. Sprinkle with poppy seeds if using this method.)

Bread Machine Cornbread

Cornbread

1 cup cornmeal
1 – 1/4 cup flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs – lightly beaten
1 cup milk
1/4 cup melted butter or oil

Follow the instructions that came with your bread machine in terms of which ingredients to put in the machine first. Then select the cake setting with a light crust.

Mountain Dew Apple Dumplings

Mountain Dew Apple Dumplings

Ingredients

2 cans crescent rolls
3-4 tart apples
1 c. sugar
1/2 c. butter
1 tsp cinnamon
1 can Mountain Dew soda

Directions

Spray a 13 x 9 baking dish or pan.
Peel and slice apples into 16 pieces. Roll each apple slice in 1 section of crescent roll.
Place rolled slices in pan in two rows, put extra along side.
Melt butter, add sugar and cinnamon and pour over apples.
Pour can of Mountain Dew over all.
Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.
Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Magic Recovery Smoothie

So it may just be psychosomatic, but I swear that whenever I drink this tasty concoction, I feel fantastic. No matter how crappy the run that preceded it felt!

Herewith is my recipe for an amazing post-run smoothie. It's adapted from a recipe I saw in the September 2010 "Runner's World" magazine:

8 oz low fat milk

5 oz strong, cold coffee

1 frozen banana (if not frozen, just toss in a handful of ice cubes)

2 tbsp Ovaltine (or unsweetened cocoa if you're hard core)

1 - 2 tbsp almond butter

Whiz in blender. Drink while stretching.

Baked Fried Chicken

Mmmm . . . nothing like buttermilk fried chicken with a quarter of the fat! This doesn't really taste much like real fried chicken, the kind that Mama makes, but it'll do.

This recipe is maddeningly vague. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Buttermilk (enough to cover the chicken pieces)

Hot sauce (a couple few teaspoons. Depends on your taste, the amount of buttermilk you're using, the heat of the sauce . . .)

Chicken pieces (you can use just a couple of skinned breasts or a whole, cut up chicken. Your choice, just adjust buttermilk and hot sauce accordingly.)

3 cups panko bread crumbs or crushed cornflakes

1 cup flour

2 teaspoons Creole seasoning

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt.

Method:

1. Combine buttermilk and hot sauce in a large bowl. Add chicken and stir buttermilk until all pieces are completely covered. Chill for at least 4 hours (overnight is best.)

2. Preheat oven to 400*F. Crush cornflakes if necessary. Combine cornflake or bread crumbs with flour, baking powder and salt. Remove chicken from buttermilk, letting excess drip off. Dredge chicken in crumb mixture. Arrange pieces bone side down on a shallow baking tray coated with cooking spray.

3. Coat tops of chicken lightly with cooking spray and bake for 20 minutes. Carefully turn each piece over, coat again with cooking spray and bake for an additional 15 minutes. Turn chicken one more time, coat with cooking spray and bake for a final 10 - 15 minutes, or until the chicken is done (I check with a thermometer.)

Homemade Turkey Meatballs

From "Real Simple Family", August 2010

This is a recipe that William has not stopped asking for since I made it the first time. Definitely a keeper!

Ingredients:

1/2 small onion, finely chopped

1 tbsp. olive oil

2 - 4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup fresh, flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

1 lb. ground turkey

1/2 cup panko bread crumbs

1 large egg

Salt and pepper

Method:

1. Heat oven to 400*. Heat oil in a skillet, add onion and cook until translucent. Add the garlic, parsley, fennel seeds and cook for about a minute. Transfer mixture to a large bowl and let cool for at least 5 minutes.

2. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

3. Add turkey, bread crumbs, egg, salt and pepper to the cooled onion mixture and gently mix to combine.

4. Wet your hands (to prevent meat from sticking to them) and form into meatballs. You should get around 20 - 24. Place on baking sheet about 1" apart.

5. Bake until they are cooked through, 18 - 22 minutes.

6. Make a box of spaghetti, heat up a jar of tomato sauce and add the meatballs. Mmm . . .

Marinated Curried Chicken

From the DK "Children's Cookbook"

Ingredients:

1/2 cup plain yogurt

1 tbsp. curry powder

2 tbsp vegetable oil

Juice of 1/2 a lemon

1 tsp. tomato paste

2 chicken breasts, skinless and boneless

Optional garnishes:

Mango chutney

Sliced almonds and raisins

Method:

1. Mix tomato paste, oil & curry powder together to make a paste. Add lemon juice & yogurt to complete the marinade.

2. Add cubed chicken breast and stir well to cover each piece thoroughly. Season with salt and pepper, cover the bowl and let marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes

3. Place a frying pan over medium-high heat and fry the chicken until cooked through.

Serve over rice, garnished with mango chutney and almonds and raisins if desired.

Fresh Garden Tomato Sauce

Unlike last year, I actually have a great crop of tomatoes! So . . . time to make some sauce!

Ingredients

10 ripe tomatoes

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

1 onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped (I used 1/2 cup of grated zucchini this time)

2 carrots, grated

4 - 6 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1/4 cup Burgundy wine

1 bay leaf

2 stalks celery

2 tablespoons tomato paste

Directions

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Have ready a large bowl of iced water. Plunge whole tomatoes in boiling water until skin starts to peel, 1 minute. Remove with slotted spoon and place in ice bath. Let rest until cool enough to handle, then remove peel and squeeze out seeds. Chop 8 tomatoes and puree in blender or food processor. Chop remaining two tomatoes and set aside.

In a frying pan over medium heat, cook onion, bell pepper, carrot and garlic in oil and butter until onion starts to soften, 5 minutes. Pour in pureed tomatoes.

Transfer mixture into a slow cooker. Stir in chopped tomato, basil, Italian seasoning and wine. Place bay leaf and whole celery stalks in pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 2 hours. Stir in tomato paste and simmer an additional 2 - 4 hours. Discard bay leaf and celery and serve.

A Mad Men Cocktail

I started drinking Old Fashioneds last season just because Don Draper makes them look so damn good. I moved on to the Manhattan and a few weeks ago, the NY Times kindly printed a recipe that requires much shopping -- I guarantee that your local liquor store will carry NONE of the liquors called for in the recipe below. And oh, start macerating those cherries in brandy now -- regular maraschinos are unacceptable. But this is definitely worth it, if you can stomach a Manhattan.

Herewith, I share with you a recipe cut and pasted from the New York Times:

ABC Kitchen Rye Whiskey Manhattan

Yield 1 cocktail

Time 5 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 ounces McKenzie rye whiskey
• 3/4 ounce Carpano Antica vermouth
• 2 dashes Fee Brothers Old Fashion bitters
• 1 teaspoon brandied cherry juice
• 3 brandied cherries, for garnish.

Method

• Combine ingredients in a glass shaker with ice. Stir for 30 seconds and strain into a martini glass. Garnish with cherries.

Awesome Peach-Apricot Cobbler

Why do I always use a new recipe for everything? I want to be one of those cooks that has signature dishes -- a well-loved pasta salad, a favorite chicken casserole, blah blah blah. But yet I always look for a new recipe and try that. Perhaps it gives me the freedom to fail -- "Oh, I've never tried this recipe before . . ." Perhaps I think that a perfect recipe resides in the ether and someday I'll chance upon it, just as long as I keep looking.

I make lots of cobblers, crisps and crumbles. Partly because I find pie crusts a bother and partly because I always curse too much when I try to fit them into the pie plate. But most of all, I make them because my 9 year old doesn't eat fresh fruit, only cooked. So even though it's drowning in sugar, at least I can assuage my guilt with the thought that at least he's eating fruit. So you'd think I'd have a go to cobbler/crumble/crisp recipe, right? Well, you'd be wrong. Well, up until the recipe below. I found it today on the internets and it was supremely yummy and easy. I can't recommend it highly enough and imagine that just about any traditional pie fruit would work well, just adjust the spices to suit your palate. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups fresh peaches, chopped (about 5-6 medium size peaches)
• 1/2 cup apricots, chopped (about 3)
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon powdered ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup milk
• 4 tablespoons butter, softened

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Meanwhile, in a medium sauce pan over a medium-high heat, toss in peaches, apricots, 1/2 cup white sugar, salt, cinnamon, vanilla extract, and ginger. Once it begins to boil, keep boiling for 10 minutes (occasionally stirring).

2. While the peaches are boiling, prepare the cobbler batter. Mix one cup flour with baking powder and brown sugar. Knead in 4 tablespoons butter, then add milk and mix until combined (it will be lumpy, but thats okay, it should be the consistency of pancake batter).

3. Grease 8×8 baking pan. Pour in cobbler batter, then spoon peach-apricot over batter (the fruit will settle to the bottom during baking). In a small bowl, mix 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, 3 tablespoons oatmeal, and 3 tablespoons brown sugar together, then sprinkle evenly over the top. Bake for 35-40 minutes.

Eggplant Parmesan

Two plump eggplants were part of the bounty I picked up from my erstwhile veggie co-op, so I thought to make Eggplant Parmesan. I like this recipe because you bake instead of fry the breaded eggplant slices.

Ingredients:

2 eggplants, peeled & thinly sliced (1/4")

1 egg, beaten

2 cups breadcrumbs with Italian seasoning

1 24 oz jar of spaghetti sauce

8 - 16oz of grated mozzarella (I love cheese. You may not.)

1/2 cup grated Parmesan

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

Method:

1. Peel and slice eggplant. Place in layers in a colander, sprinkling a little Kosher salt on each slice. Let sit for about 2 hours. (This allows the moisture to seep out and keep the baked slices crisp).
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
3. Dip eggplant slices in egg, then in bread crumbs. Place in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven for 5 minutes on each side.
4. In a 9x13 inch baking dish spread spaghetti sauce to cover the bottom. Place a layer of eggplant slices in the sauce. Sprinkle with mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Repeat with remaining ingredients, ending with the cheeses. Sprinkle basil on top.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 35 minutes, or until golden brown.

Blueberry-Rhubarb Crumble

I went back to my old food co-op on a one-off basis this week -- they needed a fill-in person and said they were getting rhubarb. That stuff is so hard to find and I love it so! I can't even find out how you grow it, it seems like it would be an easy and early addition to the garden. (Of course, I haven't looked terribly hard.) Below is a recipe I found on Cooks.com, and significantly added to. I used frozen blueberries and fresh rhubarb. Mmmmm . . .

BLUEBERRY - RHUBARB CRUMBLE
For filling: 3 c. fresh or frozen blueberries 2 c. fresh rhubarb, cut into 1 inch pieces or 2 c. frozen cut rhubarb 1/2 cup sugar 1/4 cup all purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 2 tablespoons orange juice For topping: 1 1/2 c. regular rolled oats 2/3 c. brown sugar, packed 1/2 c. all-purpose flour 1/2 c. butter 1/2 c. sugar 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour Whipped cream 1. Thaw fruit, if frozen. Do not drain. 2. Mix sugar, flour and cinnamon together. Pour mixture over rhubarb and blueberries. Add orange juice. Stir until fruit is well coated 3. For the topping, in a large mixing bowl combine the oats, brown sugar and the 1/2 cup flour. With a pastry cutter or fork, cut butter into oat mixture until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Reserve 2/3 cup crumb mixture for topping. Pat remaining crumb mixture into the bottom of a greased 9 x 9 inch baking pan. 4. Bake in a 350 degree oven 10 to 15 minutes or until light brown.

Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

Like that raw food thing was going to last . . .

I'm making these for my last graduate workshop of the semester -- can't make them for the kiddies because of the evil, dreaded peanut butter, but I figure adults can handle it.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

3/4 cup dark brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 12oz. package small peanut butter cups, coarsely chopped

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

2. Whisk flour, baking soda and salt

3. Beat butter and sugar together. When creamy, add egg and vanilla and mix to combine.

4. Gradually add in the flour mixture, beating until just incorporated.

5. Fold in chopped peanut butter cups.

6. Drop by tablespoon about 2" apart on a lined baking sheet

7. Bake for 12 - 15 minutes.

Going Raw, part 2 -- Carrot Cucumber Salad w/ Spicy Peanut Dressing

Something that greatly amused me as I was trolling the Internets for simple raw recipes was the number of raw junk food ones I found. I mean, raw "ding dongs"? Raw "oreos"? Raw "chocolate banana bread"? The sweet recipes outnumbered the savory two to one. I think, if you want to eat the sweet stuff, EAT THE SWEET STUFF. Don't drag out a dehydrator and pretend to make oreos.

Anyway, this recipe is just a salad and could have been listed on any recipe website. I like that it's not officially "raw" because I feel enough like a fraud.

Ingredients:

2 large carrots

1 cucumber

1/4 cup peanut butter

1 tablespoon Bragg's Aminos

1 tablepoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon lime juice

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 cup of water

Method:

1. Peel thin strips of carrot and cucumber with a vegetable peeler.

2. Mix the remaining ingredients together in a bowl.

3. Toss the vegetables with the dressing. Top with raw, unhulled sesame seeds.

Going Raw -- Marinated Portobello Mushrooms

My cousin Eileen sent me an email describing a raw foods dinner party she hosted. (Eileen can be very hard core in her diet at times.) While switching to a completely raw food lifestyle holds zero appeal -- sorry, but I like my chocolate, steak and bread -- of late, I have been eating fewer fruits and vegetables than a nine-year old boy. So, I thought, why not try to have a raw food day? What's the harm in it? It's only one day.

Here, then, is a recipe I found on the glorious Internets, home to just about every perversion (0h, relax, all you offended raw foodists out there!)

Ingedients:

4 large Portabello mushrooms

2 tablespoon sesame oil

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped or pressed

1 tablespoon chopped ginger

2 tablespoons of Bragg's Amino Acids

2 tablespoons raw, unhulled sesame seeds

Method:

1. Slice the mushrooms into strips

2. Mix the remaining ingredients in a bowl. Add the mushrooms and "gently massage" until they are evenly covered.

3. Allow to marinate for at least two hours. Eat.

4. Feel very virtuous and still hungry

Peep Sushi

Okay, we must have way too much time on our hands a) to troll the internet long enough to FIND something like and b) to take the time to MAKE this, but I guess we do.

We (well, really John) made these to give as favors for William's birthday party. (We'd outsourced the whole party to Sportstime, so I guess we felt guilty and had to go all out for the goodie bags.)

There's really not much in the way of a recipe here:

Ingredients:

Rice Krispy Cereal

1 bag of marshmallows

3 tbsp. butter

Peeps

Fruit Roll-ups

Fruit by the Foot

Rainbow Twizzlers

(It is useful to get a sushi mat -- you can find these in the Asian food section of just about any grocery store.)

Method:

1. Make the Rice Krispy treats using the recipe on the box (3 tbsp. butter, 1 bag marshmallows, 6 cups Rice Krispies) but leave half of the mixture in the warm pot. Press the other half in an 8" x 8" pan.

2. Unwrap a Fruit Roll-up and put it on the sushi mat. (It helps if you refrigerate them for about 15 minutes before starting, otherwise they stick and rip and make you yell at your cat.)

3. Coat your hands in cooking spray, then take a good handful of the warm mixture and spread it out on the lower third of the sushi mat. Place two Twizzlers horizontally along the middle of mixture and then roll it up in the mat. Slice into 4 pieces and set aside. Make as many rolls as you can until you use up all the mixture.

4. Turn to the Rice Krispy mixture you pressed into the pan. Cut into rectangular pieces about 1" x 2". Take a Peep and slice it in half, laying it on top of the Rice Krispy piece. You can also vary the look by wrapping some Fruit by the Foot around the middle.

5. Package them in sushi trays (that you can buy from your friendly sushi restaurant for about .10 cents each).

Pasta Bean Toss

Okay, so the majority of things I post are sweet -- my dirty little secret is that I don't really care about food all that much. I mean, I don't JUST eat sweets, but I wish I could.

This recipe below is adapted from one in the April 2010 issue of "Runner's World". I like it because it's easy, pasta-based and my kids will eat it without weeping.

Ingredients:

1/2 pound whole-grain penne

1 medium red onion

1 large garlic clove, minced

1 tsp vegetable oil

3 carrots, cut julienne-style

1 cup raw broccoli florets or snow peas

1 8 oz can diced tomatoes

1 1/2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

2 tbsp fresh basil (optional)

1 15 oz can kidney beans

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Method:

1. Cook pasta.

2. While pasta cooks, saute onion & garlic in a large frying pan until tender. Add remaining vegetables, tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce & basil, if using.

3. Simmer for about 5 minutes, then add beans and simmer about 2 more minutes, or until veggies are tender.

4. Toss in pasta and cheese. Serve.

Serves 3.

Sour Cream Coffee Cake

This is from the March 2010 issue of Cooking Light. It's a little fiddly what with the toasting of oats and walnuts -- I don't usually like any recipes with too many steps, but it is worth it. I made this for a meeting with the School Board President when she came to my house to discuss an email I'd sent her. How many elected officials take the time to respond personally like that? Vote Yes for the budget!

I've noticed that I'm using a lot of sour cream lately. What can it mean?

Ingredients:

Cooking spray

3/4 cup old fashioned rolled oats

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup whole wheat flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar, divided

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 (8 oz) carton reduced fat sour cream

2 tbsp finely chopped walnuts, toasted

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tbsp chilled butter, cut into small pieces

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 35o degrees.

2. Spread oats in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake for 6 minutes or until oats are barely fragrant and a light brown.

3. Coat a 9" springform pan with cooking spray and set aside.

4. Reserve 1/4 cup toasted oats and set aside. Whiz remaining oats in blender until finely ground.

5. Combine whizzed oats, flours, baking soda & powder and salt; stir with a whisk.

6. Put granulated sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar and 1/3 cup butter in a large bowl. Beat until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Add flour mixture, alternating with with sour cream. Batter will be slightly lumpy, so do not overbeat unless you like a tough cake. Spoon batter into pan.

7. For topping, combine remaining oats, brown sugar, nuts and cinnamon in a bowl. Cut in 1 tbsp of butter until well blended. Sprinkle over the top of the batter.

8. Bake for 40 minutes. Cool cake in pan for 10 minutes.

Lemon-Blueberry Bundt Cake

This is a five-year old recipe from Cooking Light. I'm always inspired to make it when the lemony forsythia bushes start to bloom.

Ingredients:

Cooking spray

2 tbsp granulated sugar

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 3/4 cups granulated sugar

1/4 butter, softened

1 tbsp grated lemon rind

4 large eggs*

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

16 oz reduced fat sour cream*

2 cups fresh blueberries*

Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar

3 tbsp fresh lemon juice

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Coat 12 cup Bundt pan with cooking spray and dust with 2 tbsp granulated sugar. Set aside.

3. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda & salt in a small bowl. Stir gently with a whisk.

4. Put 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar, butter and lemon rind in mixing bowl and beat until well-blended. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla and sour cream

5. Add flour mixture and beat just until incorporated. Fold in blueberries.

6. Spoon into prepared Bundt pan and bake for at least 1 hour. Cool completely before glazing.

7. Drizzle glaze over cooled cake.

Makes 16 servings.

Today's full disclosure includes the fact that I used 5 eggs instead of 4, didn't have enough sour cream so used about 10 oz of Turkish yogurt plus 6 oz of sour cream and used frozen instead of fresh blueberries. (That last substitution required that the cake bake for an extra 1/2 hour.)

Salted Caramels

I have stolen this recipe in its entirety from my high school classmate, Miranda Levenstein. I simply ripped it straight off her website (as you can tell, because I never take pictures of the making, only the made.) Check out her blog: InSweetTreatment.com

Don't Be Scared Salted Chocolate Caramels
Gourmet, December 2006
Ingredients
2 cups heavy cream
10 1/2 oz fine-quality dark chocolate (no more than 60% cacao if marked), finely chopped
1 3/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon pieces
2 teaspoons flaky sea salt such as Maldon
Vegetable oil for greasing

Directions
Line bottom and sides of an 8-inch straight-sided square metal baking pan with 2 long sheets of crisscrossed parchment.
Bring cream just to a boil in a 1- to 1 1/2-quart heavy saucepan over moderately high heat, then reduce heat to low and add chocolate. Let stand 1 minute, then stir until chocolate is completely melted. Remove from heat.
Bring sugar, corn syrup, water, and salt to a boil in a 5- to 6-quart heavy pot over moderate heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Boil, uncovered, without stirring but gently swirling pan occasionally, until sugar is deep golden, about 10 minutes.
Tilt pan and carefully pour in chocolate mixture (mixture will bubble and steam vigorously). Continue to boil over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until mixture registers 255°F on thermometer, about 15 minutes.
Add butter, stirring until completely melted, then immediately pour into lined baking pan (do not scrape any caramel clinging to bottom or side of saucepan).

Let caramel stand 10 minutes, then sprinkle evenly with sea salt. Cool completely in pan on a rack, about 2 hours.
Carefully invert caramel onto a clean, dry cutting board, then peel off parchment. Turn caramel salt side up.
Lightly oil blade of a large heavy knife and cut into 1-inch squares.
Yield: 64 caramels
More notes: Additional sea salt can be pressed onto caramels after cutting.
Caramels keep, layered between sheets of parchment or wax paper, in an airtight container at cool room temperature 2 weeks or they can be wrapped in 4-inch squares of wax paper; twist ends to close.

Chocolate Walnut Cake

I'm always looking for desserts to bring to potlucks or dinner parties that are not decadent and fat-laden. I don't know, maybe I've been watching too much "Food, Inc." or "Super Size Me" lately, but I'm kind of obsessed with how rotten the American diet has become. And I don't exclude myself from that statement -- I can snack all day and never eat a proper meal. So, when I'm asked to contribute something to a meal, I want to make it healthy and tasty. (God, I sound like Nancy Drew or something!)

Here's a recipe I adapted from a Weight Watcher's recipe of the same name. It has only FOUR ingredients!

Ingredients:

9 large eggs, separated

1 cup sugar, divided

5 oz bittersweet chocolate, melted (I used 4 oz semi-sweet and 1 oz unsweetened just because that's what I had in the house!)

1 cup walnuts, ground to a powder (just use your food processor or blender)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. Beat eggs yolks and 1/2 cup sugar in a small bowl. Pour in warm chocolate (not hot or you'll cook the eggs) and 1/2 of ground nuts. Mix well.

3. In a large bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Add 1/2 cup sugar. Beat some more until egg whites are glossy and hold their shape.

4. Mix a heaping cup of egg whites into the chocolate mixture. Then, fold chocolate mixture into egg whites (do NOT use the blender, do this by hand with a spatula.)

5. Spoon batter into an angel food pan and bake for about 75 minutes. (Test with a toothpick)

6. Remove from oven invert cake pan on rack to cool (if your angel food pan doesn't have feet, invert over a bottle.) Cool thoroughly before loosening with a knife to remove cake from pan. (If you do this before the cake is completely cool, it will break apart!)

7. You might want to serve this with a drizzle of chocolate syrup, or a scoop of ice cream or whipped cream.

However, without any toppings, this makes sixteen teeny tiny pieces at 4 Weight Watchers points per piece.