Tostadas

This is the recipe I make most often when Kiran's friends come over for dinner. It's easy, and very customizable so everyone can make their plates how they like. 

Tostadas

 

Ingredients:

-- 1 package tostadas (I get mine from the mexican store Fresh is Best on Broadway)

-- 1 can black beans or pinto beans

-- 1/2 clove garlic

-- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

-- 1/4 teaspoon cumin

-- shredded extra old cheddar cheese, or other cheese of choice

Toppings: 

-- diced tomato

-- shredded lettuce

-- sour cream

-- extra cheese 

-- salt and pepper

-- Any other toppings you like? But kids generally only like the above toppings, I have found. Adults like salsa or other spicy sauce. Meat eaters typically enjoy adding shredded chicken but it's not absolutely necessary.

Instructions:

-- Preheat oven to 400 degrees

-- Make your "refried" beans by blending the beans together with the garlic, oregano, and cumin. Taste and make sure they taste good, add salt if necessary. 

-- Sometimes I microwave the beans to make sure they will be hot before the next step. I'm not really sure if that is necessary.

-- Put 4-5 tostadas on a baking sheet. Ask everyone if they want beans and cheese, or just beans, or just cheese. Add a thin layer of beans and a regular layer of shredded cheese on each tostada, as desired. You would add the shredded chicken at this point if you are having that.

-- Bake the tostadas in the oven for a few minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly. 

-- Put each tostada on a plate and have each person add the toppings they like, including salt and pepper for the vegetables. 

-- Enjoy!

Vegetarian tofu rice paper dumplings

 These are really good and not as difficult to make as they seem. 

Vegetarian tofu rice paper dumplings

(makes 9 dumplings, not quite a dinner amount for 4) 

From Tiktok:

Ingredients:

 SAUCE:

- 4 T. soy sauce

- 1.5 T. rice vinegar

- 1 t. sesame oil

- 1 clove garlic, grated

- 1 t. ginger, grated 

- 2 scallions or green onions, sliced

- sesame seeds

- add sirraccha or chili flakes if you want it spicy

 

DUMPLINGS

- 1/2 block firm tofu, shredded

- 1 large carrot, peeled and shredded

- 1/4 head cabbage, sliced thin and chopped into lengths or shredded (these measures approx -- try to get roughly even amounts of tofu, carrot and cabbage)

- 1 garlic clove, minced

- 18 rice papers 

 

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Mix  sauce ingredients together in a bowl

2. fry veggies up in a pan with a little oil until cooked down. Near the end, add in some of the sauce to taste and cook it down -- I think I ended up adding 5 teaspoons or so? 

3. dip rice paper wrappers in warm water, put 1 heaping tablespoon of filling in the center of each one and fold over the edges: bottom, top, left, right. Then dip one more rice paper wrapper and wrap it again, making sure the folds are on the opposite side. 

4. In your frying pan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add your dumplings and fry until crisp. serve with more of the dipping sauce to dip into.

 I got this recipe from Stephanie and it is the best I have ever made! So I am saving it here. 

Kittencal's Buttery Cut-Out Sugar Cookies W/ Icing That Hardens

from food.com

 
 

Ingredients

COOKIES

• 1 cup butter, softened (no substitutes)
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• ¹⁄₂ teaspoon vanilla
• ¹⁄₂ teaspoon almond extract
• 3 ¹⁄₄ cups all-purpose flour
• ¹⁄₂ teaspoon baking soda
• ¹⁄₂ teaspoon baking powder
• ¹⁄₂ teaspoon salt 

   

  FROSTING
•  2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar (the sugar must be sifted)
• 1 tablespoon milk (adding in more if needed for proper spreading consistency)
• 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
• ¹⁄₄ teaspoon almond extract (can use 1/2 teaspoon vanilla in place of the almond)
• food coloring (use your choice of colours)

   

   

  DIRECTIONS

  
  

  1. For cookies; in a large bowl combine butter with sugar, eggs, vanilla and almond extract; beat using an electric mixer on high speed until light and fluffy.
  2. In another bowl combine the flour with baking powder, baking soda and salt; gradually stir into the butter mixture until well blended.
  3. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and chill for 2 hours.
  4. Set oven to 400°F.
  5. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper (do not grease cookie sheets use parchment paper only).
  6. On a very lightly floured surface roll out the dough into about 1/4-inch thickness.
  7. Cut into desired shapes using cookie cutters.
  8. Place cookies 2-inches apart on cookie sheet.
  9. Bake 4-6 minutes.
  10. Remove cookies to wire racks to cool completely before icing.
  11. For the frosting; in a small bowl mix the confectioners sugar with milk (start with 1-2 tablespoons, you will likely need more milk for the perfect spreading consistency).
  12. Beat in corn syrup and almond extract until the icing is smooth and glossy (if the icing is too thick add in a small amount more of corn syrup).
  13. Divide into as many separate bowls as you wish for different colours.
  14. Add in food coloring until desired intensity is achieved.
  15. Paint the icing over the cookies using a brush, or dip edges of cookies into icing.
  16. Allow to set on waxed paper.

   

   

   

   

   
  

 

Winter Squash and Spinach Pasta Bake

 This is Smitten Kitchen's version of a recipe originally by Ottolenghi. We made it tonight and I really loved it. The down side is it take 1.5 hours to bake and then another half hour to rest, but other than that it's pretty easy and infinitely variable which I really like in a recipe so I definitely hope i make it again. I have varied it a little here.

Winter Squash and Spinach Pasta Bake

From Smitten Kitchen

 Ingredients:

• 1 large egg
• 1 cup (250 grams) ricotta
• 1 cup (100 grams) finely grated parmesan, divided
• 1 cup (85 grams) coarsely grated fontina cheese (I substituted cheddar for this and it was fine)
  
• 1 1/4 cups (300 grams) water
• 3 tablespoons (45 ml) olive oil, divided
• 2.5 teaspoons kosher salt (use less if you are using table salt)
• Freshly grated nutmeg
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, to taste (I omitted this for kids)
  
• 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 5 ounces (140 grams) baby spinach, roughly chopped
• 2 tablespoons thinly-sliced sage leaves or 1 teaspoons chopped thyme leaves (optional) (I substituted 1/2 t. dried sage)
  
• 1 1/4-pound (560-grams) butternut or another sturdy winter squash, peeled, seeded, sliced thin or 1 pound (455 grams) in prepared chunks, sliced thin
• 8 ounces (225 grams) dried pasta (see Note), broken into pieces if large/long (I used penne and it was great)
• 3 Tablespoons pine nuts
  

Instructions:

Heat oven to 350°F (176°C). Line a 9-inch springform with 3-inch sides (see Note) with parchment paper, pressing it across the bottom and creasing the sides to get it to fit as best as possible. If the sides aren’t well covered, repeat with a second piece of parchment in the other direction.

Whisk egg and ricotta in a large bowl. Stir in half of the parmesan, fontina (or cheddar), water, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, salt, a few gratings of fresh nutmeg, lots of freshly ground black pepper, red pepper flakes (if using), and garlic. Stir in squash, spinach, pine nuts, and sage or thyme, if using. Add dried noodles and stir until everything is coated.

Pour into prepared pan and press gently so everything is in as even of a layer as possible. Sprinkle with second half of parmesan. Gently fold any parchment that extends over the rim of the pan into the center and cover the pan tightly with foil. Bake on a sheet (for extra security against drips) for 1 hour, then remove foil, reopen the parchment folded over the top, and drizzle the dish with remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Return to the oven uncovered for 30 minutes. Pasta will be baked through and the top will be crisp. If it doesn’t have as much color as you’d like on top, you can finish it under the broiler for a minute or two.

Cool in pan on a rack for 30 minutes before removing the springform ring, sliding the pasta bake by its parchment onto a serving plate, and cut it into wedges.

Do ahead: This keeps in the fridge for up to 1 week. Rewarm uncovered in a 350-degree oven. I haven’t frozen it, but would expect it to freeze well, tightly wrapped.

Notes:
* Structural note: Like a lasagna, this is more wet and messy when it first comes out of the oven. I recommend a 30-minute rest at minimum (what you see here in the loose slices) but it will be cleaner to cut and more set the longer it hangs out. It reheats fantastically and keeps up to a week in the fridge. Last night, we reheated wedges from 6 days ago and they were (still) perfection.

* Pan size: I only tested this in a 9-inch springform but would expect it to also fit in a 11 to 12-inch ovenproof skillet and also, less glamorously, a 9×13-inch baking dish. No need to line with parchment if you’re serving it from the pan or not worried about leakage

Homemade chocolate pudding

I love chocolate pudding but I didn't realize it was so easy to make and made out of stuff I always have. Like homemade brownies, this recipe is dangerous!!

Chocolate Pudding

From Spend with Pennies

Ingredients

• 1 ⅓ cup sugar
• ⅔ cup cocoa
• ⅓ cup cornstarch
• pinch of salt
• 4 ½ cups milk
• 3-4 tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

• In a saucepan, combine sugar, cocoa powder, salt, and cornstarch. Mix well. Add in cold milk, whisk until combined. 
• Increase heat to medium, stirring constantly until mixture reaches a boil.
• Allow mixture to boil for 1 minute while stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla.
• Allow mixture to cool completely, stirring occasionally to avoid a skin forming on the pudding. 
• Serve chilled or warm.

Notes

Note: Place a plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pudding while it cools to avoid a skin from forming.

Waffles

 I got a new waffle maker! We have tried a total of 2 waffle batters, predictably, we prefer the one called "All-American Waffles."

All-American Waffles

From a photo from a book my mom sent me

Ingredients:

2 eggs, separated, room temperature

1 3/4 cups milk

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 3/4 cups flour

2 T. sugar

4 t. baking powder

1 t. salt (I did not add this)

Beat egg yolks, stir in milk and oil. Add flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt (if using). Stir only until large lumps disappear. Beat egg whites until stiff and gently fold into batter.

Overnight cinnamon buns

Making homemade cinnamon buns from scratch is way easier than I thought it would be, although it does take a lot of passive time for the dough to rise, etc. Prepping these buns the night before so you can have them in the morning is genius.

Here is the recipe:

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/overnight-cinnamon-rolls-recipe-2014250

A few notes:

-- Make sure to dissolve the yeast in a little water before adding to the dough.
-- I didn't use the final 3/4 cup of flour at all.
-- I added 1/2 cup (maybe 3/4 cup?) of chopped walnuts to the brown sugar mixture and it was great! 
-- Don't dump all the frosting on the buns, just drizzle a little and serve the rest on the side since they are quite sweet!
-- Make sure the buns are in the middle of the oven when you cook them, mine were too close to the top and the top of the buns got a little too brown

Vegan Pad Kee Mao

We all really liked this recipe including the kids!! So I don't want to lose it.

Pad Kee Mao 'Drunken noodles'⁣⁣ adapted from an Instagram recipe by @woon.heng 🧡 
Ingredients (yields 2-3 servings)⁣⁣ ⁣(NOTE: DOUBLE this recipe for 5 of us including Zoey)
  
~ 1lb fresh flat rice noodles (separate noodles to loosen them up)⁣⁣⁣
~ 1/2 package sliced fried tofu or pan-fried firm tofu⁣⁣⁣~ 4 cups mixed vegetables, thinly sliced, such as: bell peppers, onions, carrots, Chinese broccoli, regular broccoli, etc. 
~ 3 shallots⁣⁣, minced
~ 3 cloves garlic⁣⁣
~ 2 cups packed Thai basil⁣⁣ (1/2 bunch)
~ 3 chopped chili⁣⁣⁣ (I left this out for kids)
~ 1 teaspoon chili flakes plus more for garnish⁣⁣ (I left this out for kids)
~ oil & salt to taste⁣⁣⁣
~ lime juice⁣⁣
⁣⁣⁣
🍃Sauce (whisk all in a bowl):⁣⁣⁣
~ 2 tablespoons soy sauce/tamari⁣⁣
~ 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce⁣⁣
~ 4 tablespoons sweet & sour sauce⁣ (I found this in a Chinese grocery store, it said it was a japanese dipping sauce)
~ dash of white pepper⁣⁣⁣

1. In a heated pan on high heat with 3 teaspoons of oil, saute vegetables until cooked through. Remove vegetables and set aside with the sliced tofu.

2. Add 3 more teaspoons oil to pan, sauté shallots & garlic until fragrant. Then, add in tofu and vegetables, rice noodles & sauce. Stir-fry continuously so noodles are all coated with sauce.⁣⁣
⁣⁣
3. Stir in Thai basil, chili, chili flakes (if using) and toss until well combined. Season to your preference & add splashes of water, if needed. Serve warm with some lime juice. ⁣⁣⁣

*If your rice noodles appear hard to separate: place noodles in a microwaveable bowl covered with damp paper towel & heat for 2 mins. This will help soften noodles.

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!!

Vegetarian hand pies

I had the idea to make a savory hand pie for Kiran's lunches, I wanted to make one as close to classic chicken pot pie as I could, but without the chicken. This came out so good, both Kiran and Mahesh loved it. You can also use the same filling and crusts to make a full-size veggie pot pie. This would be great for a really nice vegetarian main dish at a celebration like Thanksgiving as well. I love chicken pot pie and I'd bet most meat eaters wouldn't even notice no meat chunks, especially if you make a really good crust.

Vegetarian Hand Pies

makes 22 hand pies

For crust:

-- 1 cup butter (2 sticks) plus more for pie plate
-- 2 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling out dough (I usually use 1 1/2 cups white and 1 cup whole wheat flour)
-- 1/2 t. salt

For filling:

-- 1/2 potato, peeled and cubed (maybe 1/2 cup)
-- 1/2 cup peas, frozen
-- 2 T. butter
-- 1 cup carrots, chopped (1 medium)
-- 1 onion, chopped
-- 1/2 cup celery, chopped (1 rib)
-- 2 T. flour
-- 1/2 tsp. salt
-- 1/4 tsp. pepper
-- 1/4 tsp. celery seed
-- 2 cups milk
-- 1 heaping T veggie bullion

-- 3 T. milk or 1 egg, beaten with 1 t. water (to seal and wash pies)

Instructions

First, make your pie crust.

1.   The trick with pie crusts is 1) keep everything cold and 2) try not to work the dough any more than you absolutely need to. Cut each stick of butter into 8 pieces, refrigerate until needed

2.   Place the flour, and salt in a large mixing bowl and mix to combine

3.   Add the chilled butter. Using a pastry blender, chop the butter into the flour mix - the mixture should resemble coarse meal with small pieces of butter, the size of peas, visible.

4.   Drizzle 1/4 cup ice water over flour-butter mix, blend, repeat with another 1/4 cup of ice water. Keep adding 1/4 cup of ice water until the dough mostly sticks together. Squeeze a little bit if you must but don't touch it too much with your hands at this point. The dough will get a bit stickier as it rests.

5.   Divide dough into 2 pieces, flatten into disks, wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 hour.

Make the filling

6.   Prep all your ingredients for the filling.

7.   Preheat your oven to 425 F (220 C).

8.   Boil a pot of water and add chopped potato and boil gently for about 15 minutes. When there are 2 minutes left on the timer, add frozen peas to the mix. Drain and set aside.

9.   In a large skillet over medium heat, melt butter and cook onions, celery, and carrots for about 15 minutes or until onion is translucent.

10. Stir in the flour, salt, pepper and celery seed and cook for at least 60 seconds to cook out the raw taste of the flour. 

11. Slowly whisk in milk and veggie bulllion. Whisk for about 5 minutes until thickened.

12. Stir in the potatoes and peas. Boil until it reaches the right consistency, you want it saucy but not to run all over the place. Some runniness is OK because it gets thicker as it cools. 

13. Remove from heat and set aside.

Make the pies

14. Take one pie crust out of fridge and roll out a bit thinner than regular pie crust. 

15. Cut 4.5 inch circles (I used a blue plastic bowl) and move the circles to a greased baking sheet (or one covered with a silpat).

16. Refrigerate circles until fully chilled. (the crust is easier to work with when cold)

17. To make a pie, wet the entire edge of the circle with milk or egg wash. Add about 2 heaping Tablespoons of filling, then fold dough in half, press around the edge, and crimp with a fork. Wash top with egg wash or milk, then poke with fork on top to let vent.

18. Bake the pies 17 minutes, or until brownish on top and the crust is baked through. 

19.  Remove your pie from the oven and allow it to cool for 10 minutes before serving. 

Maple Pudding

Kiran wanted to invent a new dessert dish (he really wanted to sift some flour!) but we didn't really have time for a huge production in the kitchen. SO I found this recipe for Vanilla Pudding and we switched it to Maple! Kiran sifted the cornstarch instead. It was easy and excellent, a little on the sweet side, would have been better with whip cream on top. We gobbled up the whole thing for dessert.

Ingredients

• ¹⁄2 cup maple syrup
• ¹⁄₄ cup sugar
• ¹⁄₄ cup cornstarch
• 2 ¹⁄₂ cups milk
• ¹⁄₂ teaspoon salt
• 3 egg yolks, slightly beaten
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

1. In medium double boiler, cook maple syrup, sugar, cornstarch, milk and salt. When mixture begins to thicken, add part of mixture to egg yolks; mix well, then pour egg mixture back into mixture in double boiler.
2. Cook until thick; take off stove, then add butter and vanilla.

Javanese Roasted Tofu with Pepper Rainbow

I inherited the Whole Foods Market Cookbook from my cousin Debbie after she passed away 2 years ago. I think of her every time we open this book. We have made quite a few recipes from this cookbook but this one is our favorite. The sauce tastes a little bit like satay sauce. Even Kiran loves it. "I will eat brocolli with this sauce!" He once proclaimed. That is quite an endorsement. Here it is, with our changes.

Javanese Roasted Tofu with Pepper Rainbow

Ingredients

1 pound extra-firm tofu (or firm, or med firm) -- if you want lots of tofu, can use 2 pounds in this recipe, it will just be a little less saucy

1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup tamari or soy sauce
3 T. honey
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 cup canola oil
1 cup thinly sliced green pepper
1 cup thinly sliced red pepper
1 cup thinly sliced yellow pepper
1.5 cups thinly sliced additional vegetables, can be more peppers, or carrots, or brocolli

Instructions: 

-- Preheat oven to 350 F
-- Cut the tofu into 1 inch thick slices across the short side of the tofu block. You will have 6 slices. Place the slices in a baking dish (I use a 9x13 pan) and bake in the oven for 25 minutes. The tofu should not be crispy - you want it to simply dry up.
-- While the tofu is baking, in a medium bowl blend the peanut butter, tamari, honey, water, lemon juice, garlic, and salt.
-- Pour the peanut butter sauce over the cooked tofu, cover the pan with aluminum foil, and continue to bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the tofu from the oven, and place on a serving dish.
-- Just before the tofu is done, heat the canola oil in a large saute pan, and saute the red, green, and yellow peppers and additional vegetables for 5 minutes or until softened.
-- Top the tofu with the vegetable mixture and serve on rice.

Pouding Chomeur (Poor Man's Pudding)

This is a French-Canadian treat I remember having on rare occasion as a child. My mom made this recipe the other day, it was so delicious I couldn't stop eating it and I had to have the recipe. 

Ingredients 

⦁ 1/2 cup softened butter or 1/2 cup margarine

⦁ 1 cup sugar

⦁ 2 eggs

⦁ 1 teaspoon vanilla

⦁ 2 cups flour

⦁ 1 teaspoon baking powder

⦁ 1 1/3 cups milk

⦁ 1 1/2 cups pure maple syrup

⦁ 1 1/2 cups brown sugar

⦁ 1 1/2 cups heavy cream

⦁ 1/3 cup butter

Directions

CAKE.

1. In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, mix the butter and sugar till the mix is light.

2. Add eggs and vanilla and mix.

3. In another bowl, mix flour and baking powder.

4. Alternate flour mix and milk to the butter mix.

5. Pour into a 13 inch by 9 inch greased pan.

MAPLE SAUCE.

1. In a large casserole, bring to boil the syrup, brown sugar, cream and butter and constantly stir.

2. Reduce heat and gently cook 2 minutes or till sauce has reduced a little bit.

3. Pour sauce gently over cake.

4. Bake at 325°F about 40 - 45 minutes or till cake is light brown and when toothpick inserted comes ou

White Bean Dip With Feta And Black Olives

A very good dip, and pretty healthy too. We ate it with raw carrots, snap peas, and red pepper strips.

From Choosy Beggars

White Bean Dip with Feta and Black Olives
Makes appx 1 3/4 cups

• 1 can (19 0z) navy beans
• 1 large clove garlic
• 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 smallish lemon
• 1 small sprig fresh rosemary (or 1/2 tsp dried)
• 1 cup feta cheese
• 1/2 cup oil packed sundried black olives (or kalamata olives)
• freshly ground black pepper to taste

-- Drain and rinse your can of beans.  Put the beans into a food processor and add the garlic clove and olive oil.  Crumble in the feta cheese and squeeze in the juice of one whole smallish lemon, or the better part of a large one.

-- Scrape the flavorful needles off your rosemary and add them to the beans, discarding the stalk.   There should be about 3/4 tsp of fresh rosemary.   Season the mixture generously with a good grinding of fresh black pepper.

-- Whiz the mixture up in your food processor until it is smooth and no chunks of bean or feta remain.

-- Add the olives to the mix and pulse the mixture 5 or 6 times until the olive is coarsely chopped but not blended.

-- Drizzle a little bit of extra virgin olive oil on the top, and you’re laughing.

Vegetarian Tamale Pie

This is a very good recipe. The ancho chili powder and green olives give it a meaty-strong taste which is rare to find in a vegetarian recipe.

From Serious Eats

Vegetarian Tamale Pie

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels (or fresh, if you have it)
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 poblano pepper, diced (I couldn't find this so used a small green pepper)
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 medium cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 Serrano pepper, minced (I left this out)
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 3 tablespoons ancho chili powder
• 1 cup pitted green olives, sliced
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (15-ounce) can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, drained and coarsely crushed with your hand
• 4 ounces grated sharp cheddar cheese (about 1 cup)
• 3 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves and fine stems, minced
• For the Brown Butter Cornbread Crust:
• 6 talespoons unsalted butter (I only used 2, and used a bit more buttermilk instead)
• 1 cup (about 5 ounces) fine yellow cornmeal
• 1 cup (about 5 ounces) all-purpose flour
• 4 tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 eggs
• 6 ounces (about 3/4 cup) sour cream
• 4 ounces (about 1/4 cup) cultured buttermilk
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced scallions
• 1 red jalapeño pepper, finely minced (I left this out also)
• Sour cream, for serving

Directions

1. Adjust oven rack to center position and preheat oven to 425°F. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven, or saucepan over high heat until lightly smoking. Add corn and cook, stirring occasionally, until corn is well charred in spots, about 4 minutes. Add onion, bell pepper, and poblano pepper, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring, until softened but not browned, about 3 minutes.
   
   
2. Add garlic, Serrano pepper (if using), cumin, coriander, oregano, and chili powder and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add olives, soy sauce, tomatoes, black beans, and kidney beans. Bring to a simmer and adjust heat to maintain. Cook, stirring occasionally, until thick and fragrant, about 20 minutes. Stir in grated cheese, scallions, and cilantro and season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside. You can do up until this point the day ahead for a quick weeknight meal the next night.
    
3. For the Brown Butter Cornbread Crust: Heat butter in a 12-inch cast iron or stainless steel skillet over medium heat until melted. Continue to cook, swirling pan gently until butter is nutty-smelling and solids are a toasty brown. Transfer to a heatproof cup or bowl and let rest until slightly cooler, about five minutes. (I did this but because I used less butter I don't think it made much difference, next time could just use melted butter for speed)
    
4. Combine cornmeal, flour, sugar, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a large bowl. Combine eggs, sour cream, and buttermilk in a second bowl and whisk until homogenous. Whisking constantly, slowly drizzle in reserved browned butter. Whisk wet ingredients into dry ingredients until homogenous. Fold in scallions and jalapeño pepper. 
    
5. Transfer bean mixture to a large cast iron skillet (I had to use a dutch oven because my cast iron skillet is way too small). Using a large spoon, place small dollops of the cornbread batter mixture on top of the bean filling, then use the back of the spoon to spread it into an even layer. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake until pale golden brown and a skewer inserted into the cornbread comes out clean, about 20 minutes. 
    
6. Let cool 15 minutes, then serve with sour cream.

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

I must have seen a pineapple upside-down cake on Facebook, because somehow the image has been stuck in my head all day. I decided to make us one for dessert tonight in my cast iron fry pan. I don't know if I've ever even had pineapple upside-down cake before, I've certainly never made it. What a loss! This cake is so easy and fast to make, and so delicious! The brown sticky crust on the outside reminds me of delicious grand peres my french-canadian grandmothers made for us growing up (that I've never been able to replicate as an adult), but the pineapple and cherries make it even better! I suggest you stop whatever you are doing and make this right now.

From Food. com

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup butter
• 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 4 slices pineapple, from a can of sliced pineapples
• 9 maraschino cherrys (plus more for cake batter, if desired)
• 1 1/3 cups flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup melted butter (I used a little less and topped up with pineapple juice)
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 large egg

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Melt butter in iron skillet.
3. Sprinkle brown sugar over butter. Mix together a little bit.
4. Arrange pineapple slices on top brown sugar/butter.
5. Place cherries in center of slices. and then 1 between each slice, and 1 in the middle.
6. Mix dry ingredients: flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in one bowl
7. Mix wet ingredients: melted butter, milk, egg in another bowl.
8. Combine dry and wet ingredients, mix to combine but only as little as possible. 
9. I also chopped up extra maraschino cherries and added them in to this cake batter because I like maraschino cherries. 
10. Pour batter over pineapple in skillet and bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until tooth pick inserted comes out clean. (35 minutes worked great for me)
11. Remove from oven, let cool about 5 minutes or so, turn onto heat-proof plate while still warm.

Strawberry Shortcake

Every year when I see the first local strawberries in the store, I think "strawberry shortcake." It's one of my favorite desserts, and I finally found the perfect biscuit recipe, I don't want to forget it!

Adapted from Betty Crocker

Makes 6 biscuits worth

Ingredients

1 lb fresh strawberries 

2 Tablespoons granulated sugar

3 Tablespoons butter, chilled, cut into small pieces

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

2.5 Tablespoons granulated sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

pinch salt

1/2 cup milk, plus a little more for brushing on biscuits

1 teaspoon granulated or coarse decorating sugar

3/4 cup whipping cream 

 

1 Tablespoon sugar

 

 

Directions

Directions

• Heat oven to 400°F. In large bowl, slice strawberries, mix with 2 Tablespoons sugar; set aside.
• In medium bowl, cut butter into flour, 2.5 Tablespoons sugar, the baking powder and salt, using pastry blender or 2 forks, until butter is the size of small peas. Stir in milk.
• Place on lightly floured surface; knead 5 to 7 times or until dough forms. Pat dough 1/2 inch thick; cut out 6 rounds with 2 1/2-inch round cutter (I used a cup). Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Brush milk over rounds; sprinkle with 1 teaspoon sugar.
• Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 15 minutes.
• In chilled small bowl, beat whipping cream and 1 T. sugar with electric mixer on high speed until soft peaks form. (or do what I do, put it in a tight Tupperware container, cover tightly, and shake) 
• Split shortcakes in half horizontally. Spoon strawberries between halves and over tops. Top with whipped cream and additional strawberries.

 

Corn Chowder - light and delicious!

We went apple picking this weekend, and the farm also offered U-Pick corn as well! Of course we had to take some home. I decided to make some corn chowder with our fresh corn, and I was glad I did! This recipe is a lot lighter than some of the other recipes I googled, and truly worthy of corn just off the stalk. The real genius here is making a corn cob broth that captures every last bit of sweet corn essence.

The minimalist's Corn Chowder

Adapted from Mark Bittman

Ingredients

• 4 to 6 ears corn
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tomatoes, cored, seeded, and chopped, optional
• 1 cup milk
• Parsley for garnish

Preparation

1. Shuck the corn and use a paring knife to strip the kernels into a bowl. Put the cobs in a pot with 4 cups water; bring to a boil, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, put the butter or oil in a saucepan and turn the heat to medium-high. When the butter melts or the oil is hot, add the onion and potatoes, along with a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion softens, about 5 minutes; add the tomatoes if you're using them and cook, stirring, for another minute or two.

3. After the corn cobs have cooked for at least 10 minutes, strain the liquid into the onion-potato mixture. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down so the mixture simmers. When the potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes, add the corn kernels and boil for 3-5 minutes or until tender. Add the milk and heat through. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary, garnish with parsley, and serve.

Baja Avocado Tacos

In Los Angeles I used to eat Baja fish tacos all the time. Even though I'm not the craziest about fish, I loved these crunchy creamy delights. Since moving to Vancouver, Mexican food, especially anything specific I am craving any given day, seems to be in very short supply, so I have had to make do.  That why when I saw this vegetarian version of Baja fish tacos my eyes perked up. They are quite good. We normally don't deep fry things in this house, but to satisfy a craving this recipe is worth it.

Baja Avocado Tacos
adapted from Your Vegan Mom

serves 2.5

INGREDIENTS

-- 2 ripe avocados
-- oil for frying

beer batter:
-- 3/4 cup flour
-- 1/2 teaspoon salt
-- pepper
 -- 3/4 cup mexican lager (or any lager, or any beer, or soda water if that's how you roll)
-- could try adding some powdered seaweed to give a bit of that "fishy" flavor?

 sauce:
-- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
-- 1 tablespoon milk
-- 1 tablespoon yogurt
-- 1 small clove garlic, crushed or minced very finely
-- salt and pepper to taste

to serve:
-- 2 cups shredded cabbage
-- 10 or 12 corn tortillas
-- hot sauce
-- lime wedges
-- 1 medium tomato, cubed
-- 2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Make the sauce by mixing all the sauce ingredients and setting aside

NOTE: if this is your first time deep frying, please research it so you do it safely! It can be very dangerous. If not, read on:

2. In a 2 inch deep frying pan or other pot, pour 1 inch of oil. Heat on medium-high until it is good and hot.

3. While the oil is heating, whisk together your batter ingredients. It should be the consistency of pancake batter.

4. Cut the avocado into slices (I did 8 slices per avocado), dip in the batter, and ease into the batter, being sure not to crowd the pan. I cooked these in 2 batches. When the avocadoes are golden brown all over (you may need to turn them if they're not completely submerged in oil) remove to a cooling rack or paper towel covered plate. Cover with another paper towel until ready to eat.

5. Just before serving, heat tortillas on a griddle or dry frying pan, or wrap in a damp towel and microwave for about a minute until steamy.

6. To assemble taco: place 1 1/2 slices fried tortilla on a hot tortilla. Top with cabbage, a little tomato, cilantro, lime juice, mayo sauce, and hot sauce to taste. Enjoy!!

TODDLER FOOD:
For Kiran's taco, since he has a hard time with raw cabbage, I just microwaved his cabbage until it was soft and left the hot sauce out. 

Baja Avocado TacosBefore you run away in horror, keep in mind that you're not frying the tortilla, so I like to think that the fat content sort of evens out.  Am I rationalizing?  Mmm, fried avocado.  
Beer-battered avocado:

• 2 ripe avocados
• mild oil for frying 
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 3/4 cup Mexican lager (that's a half a beer)

- See more at: http://www.yourveganmom.com/your_vegan_mom/2010/10/taco-night-giveaway.html#sthash.isbhOSAx.dpuf

Baja Avocado TacosBefore you run away in horror, keep in mind that you're not frying the tortilla, so I like to think that the fat content sort of evens out.  Am I rationalizing?  Mmm, fried avocado.  
Beer-battered avocado:

• 2 ripe avocados
• mild oil for frying 
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 3/4 cup Mexican lager (that's a half a beer)

The sauce:

• 1/2 cup vegenaise 
• 2 tablespoons nondairy milk
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

2 cups shredded cabbage12 taco size fresh corn tortillas
hot sauce and lime wedges
- See more at: http://www.yourveganmom.com/your_vegan_mom/2010/10/taco-night-giveaway.html#sthash.isbhOSAx.dpuf

Gruyere, Leek, and Mushroom Quiche

I have made quiche a lot over the years, but I think today I finally got the crust and the filling right! So I want to remember what I did for the next time.The crust I got from this recipe, and the filling I adapted from this recipe. You can mix up the filling ingredients with any meat/veggie/cheese/herb combo you like. But this one is pretty good. 

GRUYERE, LEEK, AND MUSHROOM QUICHE

FOR THE CRUST:

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling
• 1/2 cup (1 sticks or 4 ounces) unsalted butter, very-cold, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 to 4 Tbsp ice water

 FOR THE FILLING:

-- 2 leeks, trimmed so only the white and lightest green parts remain.
-- 1 lb crimini mushrooms
-- 2 T. butter
-- 2 T. olive oil
-- 1 1/2 cups Gruyere cheese, shredded (approx. 6 ounces)
-- 1/2 cup milk
-- 1/2 cup heavy cream
-- 3 eggs
-- pinch nutmeg
-- salt and pepper

METHOD:

First, start the crust:

1. Combine flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor; pulse to mix. Add butter and pulse 6 to 8 times, until mixture resembles coarse meal, with pea size pieces of butter. Add ice water 1 Tbsp at a time, pulsing until mixture just begins to clump together. If you pinch some of the crumbly dough and it holds together, it's ready. If the dough doesn't hold together, add a little more water and pulse again. Note that too much water will make the crust tough.

2. Remove dough from machine and place in a mound on a clean surface. Gently shape the dough mixture into a disk. Work the dough just enough to form the disk, do not over-knead. You should be able to see little bits of butter in the dough. These small chunks of butter are what will allow the resulting crust to be flaky. Sprinkle a little flour around the disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour, and up to 2 days.

Then get the quiche ingredients prepped:

3. Slice mushrooms. Melt 1 T. butter and 1 T. olive oil in a frying pan and fry mushrooms until browned on the outside, stirring occasionally. This will take a while, maybe 20 minutes. Put Mushrooms in bowl.

4. Slice leeks in half lengthwise and then thinly slice into half-moons. Soak the rings in water, mixing well to remove any hidden dirt. Then drain. If you are not sure you got all the dirt out wash them again. Then dry. After the mushrooms are removed from frying pan, add 1 T. butter and 1 T. olive oil in pan and fry the leeks on med heat until they are soft and beginning to caramelize and taste good. Add to the bowl with the cooked mushrooms, set aside.

Then, roll out the crust:

5. Remove crust disk from the refrigerator. Let sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes in order to soften just enough to make rolling out a bit easier. Roll out with a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface to a 12-inch circle; about 1/8 of an inch thick. As you roll out the dough, check if the dough is sticking to the surface below. If necessary, add a few sprinkles of flour under the dough to keep the dough from sticking. Carefully place onto a 9-inch pie plate. Gently press the pie dough down so that it lines the bottom and sides of the pie plate. Use a pair of kitchen scissors to trim the dough to within 1/2 inch of the edge of the pie dish.

6. Make a nice crust by fluting the edges with your fingers, then when perfectly formed, transfer crust to freezer to chill for 30 minutes or overnight.

7. Preheat oven to 350°. Line pastry with parchment paper, or aluminum foil, pressing into the corners and edges. Fill at least two-thirds with baking weights - dried beans, rice, or aluminum pie weights. Bake first for 15 minutes, remove from oven and let cool a few minutes. Carefully remove parchment paper and weights. Poke the bottom of the pie pan with the tines of a fork and return to oven and bake an additional 10 minutes or until lightly golden. (Fork holes are for any air to escape.) Transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly. 

8. Mix milk, cream, eggs, nutmeg, and salt and pepper in a bowl. Add half your cheese to the crust, then sprinkle on the leeks and mushrooms, then add the other half of the cheese. Pour the egg/cream mixture on top. Transfer to oven, and bake until just set in the center, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for about 10-15 minutes before slicing.

Enjoy!!