Monday, December 2, 2019

the best banana bread

This one is it

https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/banana_bread/


Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Thanksgiving recipes to save

Thanksgiving recipes:

Baked tofu -- easy but only OK
https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/homemade-baked-tofu

Stuffing:
(USE 1/2 salt):
https://www.food.com/recipe/betty-crockers-classic-bread-turkey-stuffing-44938

To make very good mashed winter squash, cut in wedges, roast in oven at 350 until soft, then mash.

Mushroom gravy:

-- 1/2 lb sliced mushrooms (crimini is our favorite, white would work also)
 -- butter
-- 1 shallot, minced
-- 2 cups water
-- a little soy sauce
-- 1 teaspoon better than bullion veggie stock mix
-- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
-- 2 Tablespoons flour
-- salt
-- pepper

1. heat up some butter in another big fry pan or sauce pan. Put the mushrooms in the pan and fry and stir until they are brown on both sides. This takes a while, maybe 15 minutes?

2. When the mushrooms are almost done, add in the shallots and let those cook. Maybe another 5 minutes.

3. When the shallots are cooked, add in the soy sauce and thyme let it cook down.

4. Add in the water, stock, and bring to a boil. Taste the water for seasonings, if it needs more salt or anything add it here. If this water does not taste good, your gravy will not taste good!

6. In a separate bowl, mix the flour and some water together to make a slurry. While the mushroom and stock mixture is boiling, whisk it rapidly, and pour the milk and flour mixture in a stream into the gravy. Keep whisking and boil the gravy until it thickens.

7. Finally, add salt to taste and you are done!


Apple cake

This is a good way to use up extra apples!

https://smittenkitchen.com/2008/09/moms-apple-cake/


Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Loaded sweet potatoes

BudgetBites is on a roll lately! I was very pleasantly surprised how easy, healthy, and kid-friendly the chili mac was, so I checked out their other recipes and found this one for loaded sweet potatoes. I gave it a shot tonight and it was surprise hit! Both kids really liked the sweet potatoes.

Loaded Sweet Potatoes with Lime Crema

Ingredients

  • 2 sweet potatoes (about 1 lb. each) 
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1 red bell pepper
  • 1 15oz. can black beans, drained 
  • 1/4 tsp cumin 
  • 3/4 tsp salt, divided
  • 1 lime, zested and juiced
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1 avocado, chopped 
  • 1 jalapeño (optional), sliced thin
  • 1 green onion, sliced 

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 400ºF. To make the Lime crema, zest and juice the lime. Combine the sour cream with 1 Tbsp lime juice, about 1/2 tsp lime zest, and 1/4 tsp salt. Stir the ingredients together, then refrigerate until ready to use. (I didn't have sour cream so I substituted my other crema substitue, yogurt mixed with a little mayonnaise. I liked it but Kiran said he preferred plain yogurt)
  • Wash then dry the sweet potatoes. Use a fork to prick the skins several times all over. Slice the sweet potatoes in half lengthwise, then use 1 Tbsp olive oil to coat the surface of all four pieces.
  • Season the cut sides of the sweet potatoes with salt or seasoning salt. Coat the surface of a baking sheet with a thin layer of oil, then place the sweet potatoes cut side down. Bake the sweet potatoes for 30 minutes, or until they are soft, you can see the juices oozing out from underneath, and the skins look a little wrinkly.
  • While the sweet potatoes are baking, Mince a clove of garlic, dice the red bell pepper, slice the jalapeño (if desired) and green onion.
  • Add the minced garlic to a skillet with the remaining 1 Tbsp olive oil. Sauté over medium heat for one minute, then add the diced bell pepper. Sauté the pepper for 2-3 minutes, or just until it begins to soften, then add the black beans, cumin, salt, and green onion. Stir and cook until the beans are heated through. 
  • When the sweet potatoes come out of the oven, use a spatula to flip them over. Mash the flesh of the sweet potatoes with a fork, then pile the bean and pepper mixture over top. Add the sliced jalapeño and a dollop (or drizzle) of the lime crema to each, top with avocado, then serve.

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Cheesy Vegetarian Mac

This one is easy, relatively healthy, and makes a whole lot! The kids didn't eat too much but I think I under-salted it, will try again with more salt and report back. I quite liked it.

from budgetbytes

Ingredients

  • 1 Tbsp olive oil 
  • 1 yellow onion 
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 2 Tbsp flour
  • 2 Tbsp chili powder -- this is supposed to be very mild chili powder, I used 1/2 T of ancho chili powder instead
  • 15 oz. can diced tomatoes 
  • 15 oz. can tomato sauce
  • 15 oz. can kidney beans
  • 15 oz. can black beans 
  • 15 oz. can pinto beans
  • 1 cup frozen corn kernels
  • 2 cups vegetable broth 
  • 2 cups uncooked macaroni noodles 
  • 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar 
  • salt -- at least 1/2 t. maybe more

Instructions

  • Dice the onion and mince the garlic. Sauté the onion and garlic with olive oil in the bottom of a large pot (5 qt) over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, or until the onions are soft and transparent.
  • Add the flour and chili powder to the sautéed onions and garlic. Continue to stir and sauté for about two minutes, or just until the flour and chili powder begin to coat the bottom of the pot.
  • Drain and rinse the kidney beans, black beans, and pinto beans. Add the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, all three beans, corn, and vegetable broth to the pot. Stir to combine and to dissolve any flour and chili powder off the bottom of the pot.
  • Add the uncooked macaroni noodles and stir to combine. Place a lid on the pot, turn the heat up to medium high, and let the pot come up to a boil. Stir every other minute or so to loosen the noodles from the bottom of the pot as it heats up.
  • When the pot reaches a boil, turn the heat down to low, or just above low, so it continues to gently simmer. Let the pot gently simmer for 12-15 minutes, or until the pasta is tender and the liquid is thick and saucy. Stir frequently as it simmers to make sure the pasta does not stick to the bottom of the pot.
  • Once the pasta is tender, add the shredded cheddar and stir it in until melted. Serve hot.

Thursday, September 12, 2019

Chickpea flour crepes with mushroom pea cream sauce filling

OK this is a bit of a crazy conglomeration that adds up to a fast-ish healthy-ish dinner that I am hoping the kids will eat. They already like the chickpea flour crepes, I tried the recipe for Socca, a Nice specialty from David Lebowitz. But it needed some vegetable component that went with them. So I went with another french classic, vegetables with bechamel sauce. Peas are not a classic crepe filling but my kids both eat them so I am using that. This recipe I think will make enough for one meal for our family.

Socca with vegetable cream filling

-- 2 cups chickpea flour
-- 2 cups plus 4 tablespoons water
-- 1 teaspoon salt
-- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
-- 3 tablespoons olive oil 

-- 1 package crimini mushrooms, cubed into 1/2-inch cubes
-- 1 cup peas
-- 2 T. butter
-- 2 T. flour
-- 2 cups milk
-- salt and pepper to taste
-- fresh herb of choice, maybe thyme would be good here? or parsley? or mint?

To make the crepes:

1. Mix together the flour, water, salt, cumin, and olive oil. Let batter rest at least 2 hours, covered, at room temperature. (or in my case, 10 minutes max)
2. Oil a frying pan pan with some olive oil and heat the pan on high heat on your stove.
3. Once the pan is hot, pour enough batter into the pan to cover the bottom, swirl it around. It should bubble up if the pan is hot enough.
4. Cook until the socca is brown on the bottom, then flip and cook more until more brown spots appear on the other side. These are easy to undercook, and if they burn a little are fine, so err on the side of cooking them more. 
5. Put the finished socca on a plate, cover with tin foil to keep warm. You can eat them plain or with filling.
6. Cook the remaining socca batter the same way, adding a touch more oil to the pan between each one.
 To make the filling:
1. In a pan on high, fry the mushrooms in the butter until they are browned on all sides and smelling and tasting good. 
2. Add the peas to the pan, as well as the flour. You want the flour to incorporate with the butter left in the pan if at all possible. If this is hard you can always add in more butter. Let the flour cook at least 60 seconds to eliminate any raw flour taste. 
3. Whisk in the milk. Let it all bubble up and cook until thick, approx. 3-5 minutes or so. If the sauce gets too thick you can always add in more milk. 
4. Add salt and pepper to taste. 
To serve, just fill the center of each crepe with maybe 1/4 cup of the vegetable cream sauce mixture, fold in the sides, and yum!!



Wednesday, February 13, 2019

Instant-Pot (or pressure cooker) Italian Chickpea Stew

We don't have an instant pot but I made this with a pressure cooker and it worked great so I am adjusting the recipe for our pressure cooker. The original recipe calls for homemade pesto but that is too much for me to make. I added a scoop from jarred pesto and it was a good addition but no one else even wanted any so I might skip entirely next time.



Ingredients

  1. For the chickpeas:
    • 1 tablespoon plus 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
    • 1 quart water
    • 12 ounces dried chickpeas
    • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
    • 1 small onion, chopped (about 3/4 cup)
    • 2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped (about 3/4 cup)
    • 1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
    • 4 cups chicken stock
    • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan or similar cheese
    • Some basil pesto (if desired)


    Preparation

  2. Soak the chickpeas:
    1. In a large bowl, dissolve 1 tablespoon of kosher salt in the water. Add the chickpeas and soak at room temperature for 8 to 24 hours. Drain and rinse.
  3. Sauté the onions:
    1. Put the pressure cooker pan on a burner over high heat. Add the olive oil and heat until it shimmers. Add the onion and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onion pieces separate and soften, 2 to 3 minutes.
  4. Pressure cook:
    1. Add the drained chickpeas, carrots, tomatoes with their juice, stock, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Lock the lid into place. Once the pressure cooker whistles, let it cook for 10 minutes. It will whistle occasionally. Then, turn off the heat and let the pressure come down for at least 30 minutes before touching it. Push the weight a little to see if there is still pressure inside, if it is mostly gone you can take off the weight to let the rest out. Unlock and remove the lid. 
  5. Serve the chickpeas:
    1. Ladle the chickpeas into bowls and top each with a spoonful of pesto (if desired). Sprinkle with the cheese and serve. 



Sunday, February 10, 2019

Vegetarian Calzones

Makes 3 calzones (enough for our family of 2 adults and 2 kids with some leftovers). We always use the same veggie toppings but you can change the toppings to whatever you like.

Ingredients

For dough:

-- 1 1/2 c. warm water
-- 1.5 t. instant yeast
-- 1.5 t. sugar
-- 3 cups all-purpose flour
-- 1.5 t. salt

Toppings:

-- 3/4 large green pepper, diced
-- 3/4 red onion, diced
-- 1 med tomato, diced
-- 1.5 small can pizza sauce
-- 1.5 package pizza cheese from the store (we maybe could get away with 1 package here as we don't use that much cheese)



Preparation:
  1. Sometime in the afternoon before you are going to make calzones, make the dough. 
  2. In a bowl, combine the water, yeast and sugar. Let stand until the mixture foams on top, about 5 minutes.
  3. In another bowl, mix together flour and salt. Add water/yeast mixture to flour and stir into a dough.
  4. Remove the dough from the bowl and knead for a few minutes on a floured surface to prevent sticking.
  5. Place in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a clean cloth. Let the dough rise for about 30 minutes in warm and draft-free area. Cut the dough in thirds, each third will make 1 calzone
  6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  7. Take the dough and roll it out with a rolling pin to be thin and roughly 12 inches to 18 inches in diameter. I try for the biggest circle I can fit in a sheet pan. 
  8. Cover sheet pan with silpat (or oil) and transfer dough circle to sheet pan. 
  9. Add one large handful of cheese onto half of the dough (or 2/3), leaving a clear edge all around so the dough will stick when you fold it over. 
  10. Sprinkle 1/3 of veggies on the cheese
  11. Sprinkle 1/3 of sauce on the veggies
  12. Add on another 2 large handfuls of cheese on the top. If you cover the veggies so you can't see them it will be a LOT of cheese. 
  13. Pull the uncovered dough over the toppings and push to seal all around the edges. Then, fold the edge up all around the seal to make a nice pattern and really seal it in. 
  14. Brush top of calzone with milk or egg wash and cut a slit into the top. 
  15. Bake in oven 30 - 35 minutes.


Tuesday, January 22, 2019

Vetta Korrumbuh or vatha kuzhambu

This is a south Indian gravy that is mixed with rice. It is very strong and rich and one of Mahesh's favorites. This is a winter curry and can be made with preserved vegetables or even papadam instead of vegetables. Or, instead of garlic and onion, you can substitute the same amount of eggplant, drumstick, flat bean, or even cooked applam (papadums) instead of onion and garlic.


Garlic and Pearl Onion Vetta Korrumbuh

Ingredients:

-- 1 1/2 cups pearl onions (I will likely sub red onion for this)
-- 2 heads of garlic
-- 2-3 T. Sesame oil (gingerly oil)
-- 1/4 t. mustard seed
-- 2 big shakes asofetida powder
-- 1 1/2 T. chana dal
-- 1/2 t. fenugreek seed (or a little more)
-- 3 t. sambar powder
-- 1 T. tamarind concentrate
-- 2 t. salt
-- little jaggery or sugar if tamarind is too sour

1. Peel the garlic and onions and set aside.

2. Put the oil in the pan with the mustard seed and asofetida powder. Too much asofetida will make it bitter. Turn on the pan. After the mustard pops, add in the chana dal, and then add in the fenugreek.

3. When the dal is a little brown add in the peeled garlic and onions. After a minute add in the sambar powder.

4. After that fries a little add in 2 cups of water and tamarind concentrate and salt. Add a little jaggery or sugar if the tamarind is too sour.

5. Boil until it becomes korrumba consistency (a thickish sauce). If you want to stretch it further you can thicken with a little rice flour mixed with water.

Instead of garlic and onion, you can substitute the same amount of eggplant, drumstick, flat bean, or even cooked applam (papadums) instead of onion and garlic.

Often served with potato curry and raita.