My Recipe Box

The Best Granola Bar Recipe

2009-07-08T15:59:00.000-07:00

Homemade Cliff Bars (no bake!) from www.enlightenedcooking.blogspot.com

There is plenty of room for variation here, so let your mind and tastebuds run wild. I have a few variation ideas to get you started. And yes, you can definitely double this recipe and press into a 13x9-inch pan instead of an 8-inch pan.

1 and 1/4 cups crisp rice cereal (e.g., Rice Krispies)
1 cup uncooked quick-cooking oats
3 tablespoons ground flaxseed (flaxseed meal)don't overdo the flax, it makes them crumbly
1/4 cup finely chopped dried fruit (e.g., raisins, dried cranberries, dried cherries, etc.)
1/4 cup finely chopped nuts (preferably roasted or toasted)
1/4 cup brown rice syrup (or honey, maple syrup, or light molasses)-I use honey, and maybe a tablespoon more than this calls for...
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1/3 cup nut butter (e.g., peanut, almond, cashew, soynut)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Optional: 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Combine the rice cereal, oats, flaxseed meal, dried fruit, and nuts in a large bowl.

Bring the syrup and brown sugar to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring constantly; remove from heat. Stir in nut butter and vanilla until blended.

Pour nut butter mixture over cereal mixture, stirring until coated (mixture will be stiff). Press mixture firmly into an 8-inch square pan (sprayed with nonstick cooking spray) using a large square of wax paper. Cool in pan on a wire rack. Cut into 12 bars. (Wrap bars tightly in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator).

Nutrition per serving (1 bar):
Calories 228; Fat 7.4g (poly 2.3g, mono 4.1g, sat 0.9g); Protein 10.8g; Cholesterol 5mg; Carbohydrate 34.3g; Sodium 156mg)
(Note: I did the nutrition analysis using Diet Analysis Plus 7.0.1)

2009-07-04T21:20:00.001-07:00

Mexican Chocolate Ice Cream

There is one image from my childhood that is seared into memory, that of the yellow octagonal box of Mexican chocolate on the top shelf of our kitchen pantry. I can still remember my mother making pots of hot chocolate for us, and even using a Mexican chocolate stirrer to beat up the hot chocolate until it was frothy. What makes Mexican chocolate different from regular chocolate? The cinnamon. That's the distinctive flavor. With this ice cream recipe you can skip all of the little extras - coffee, vanilla, chili, and as long as you keep the cinnamon, you will have an ice cream that tastes just like Mexican hot chocolate.

I've made the ice cream both using Ibarra chocolate and using regular chocolate with added cinnamon. Both work fine, though if you use regular chocolate, you can have more control over the quality of the actual chocolate, and the bitterness level (I like bittersweet).

Mexican Chocolate Ice Cream Recipe

Print Options

If you have access to Ibarra Mexican chocolate you can use this instead of the semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate and cinnamon called for in the recipe. Use about 1 disk and 2 triangles of the chocolate. After heating with the cream, blend in a blender. Do not add any additional cinnamon as there is enough in the Ibarra.

Ingredients

2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 cup milk
1/4 cup cocoa powder
4 ounces bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
Pinch salt
Pinch cayenne
Pinch espresso powder (or instant coffee)
6 egg yolks, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 Tbsp brandy (optional)

Method

1 Heat one cup of cream in a small saucepan (1 qt). Whisk in cocoa powder. Bring to a simmer. Whisk until cocoa powder is well incorporated. Remove pot from heat. Stir in chocolate until completely incorporate.

2 Put mixture into a metal bowl and add the remaining cup of cream. Set that bowl over a larger bowl half-filled with ice water to help cool it down. Place a mesh sieve over the bowl with the chocolate mixture.

3 Put one cup of milk, the sugar, cinnamon, salt, cayenne, espresso powder (or instant coffee) into a saucepan and heat until steamy (not boiling), stirring to incorporate the spices and dissolve the sugar. Place egg yolks in a medium sized bowl. Slowly pour the heated milk and mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly so that the egg yolks are tempered by the heated milk, but not cooked by it. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan.

4 Stir the milk egg mixture constantly over medium heat with a wooden spoon, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spoon so that you can run your finger across the coating and have the coating not run. This can take anywhere from 3 to 10 minutes, depending on how hot your burner is.

If the custard base doesn't coat the back of the spoon, it's not ready.

The custard base coats the back of the spoon.

5 As soon as the mixture coats the spoon, remove it from the heat and immediately pour it over the mesh sieve into the bowl of the chocolate cream mixture. (The sieve is there to catch any curdled bits.) Stir into the cream mixture.

6 Add a teaspoon of vanilla. Let the mixture cool a bit in the ice bath and then chill in the refrigerator until completely chilled, a couple hours or overnight. Right before churning, add 2 Tbsp of brandy to the mix. This is an optional step, but it will help keep the ice cream from getting too icy if it is stored beyond a day. If you are planning on eating the ice cream the same day you make it, you can skip this step.

7 Churn the mixture in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Store ice cream in an airtight container in your freezer for several hours before eating. The ice cream will be quite soft coming out of the ice cream maker, but will continue harden in your freezer. If you store it for more than a day, you may need to let it sit for a few minutes to soften before attempting to scoop it.

Makes 1 quart.

From: http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/mexican_chocolate_ice_cream/

2009-06-24T19:32:00.000-07:00

Savoury Waffles

Yield: 6

Ingredients:

Savoury Waffles

1 x acorn squash
1 cup olive oil, divided
1 cup balsamic vinegar
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
6 x basil leaves, sliced finely
Salt
1/2 cup asiago cheese, finely grated
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/3 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 x eggs
1 cup milk
5 slices black forest ham, cut thicker than usual and diced
3 x sage leaves, sliced finely
2 x chives, sliced finely
1/2 cup sour cream

Directions:

Savoury Waffles

Preheat oven to 375°F
Cut squash in half and scoop out the seeds. To a baking dish, add water until it is 1/4-inch deep. Place squash, cut side down in water and cover tightly with aluminum foil. Bake for 1/2 hour.
Remove squash from oven, discard any remaining water. Turn squash over and drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Return to oven uncovered and roast for 45 more minutes, or until squash begins brown at the edges. Let cool, then scoop out flesh. Reserve.
In a small pot over medium heat, reduce balsamic vinegar until it is 1/4 of the original volume. Reserve.
Slice cherry tomatoes in half. In a medium bowl, add tomatoes, 1/3 cup of olive oil, basil and salt to taste. Reserve.
In a large bowl, add asiago, flour, baking soda, baking powder, nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper. Mix.
In a second large bowl, add eggs, milk, 1 cup roasted butternut squash, 1/4 cup olive oil, ham, and sage. Mix.
Slowly add the contents of the dry bowl to the wet bowl.
Ladle batter into a preheated waffle maker and bake until cooked throughout.
To serve, set a waffle in the middle of each plate. Top with tomato salsa and sour cream. Drizzle balsamic vinegar reduction around the plate.

Yummy...

2009-06-07T13:21:00.001-07:00

Chewy Granola Bars

These homemade chewy granola bars are easily customized to taste with your own favorite fruits and nuts. Step-by-step photos illustrating how to make these granola bars are available at Bakers' Banter, our King Arthur blog.

1 2/3 cups quick rolled oats
1 cup + 2 tablespoons Sticky Bun Sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar, optional (see "tips" at right)
1/3 cup oat flour (or 1/3 cup quick oats, processed till finely ground in a food processor or blender)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, optional
2 to 3 cups dried fruits and nuts*
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup melted butter or vegetable oil
1/4 cup honey, maple syrup or corn syrup
1 tablespoon water
*We like 1/2 cup each dried cranberries, chopped dried apricots, chopped pecans, sunflower seeds, and coconut. Walnuts, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, dried cherries or apples, or even chocolate chips would all be delicious as well.

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9" x 13" pan.

1) Stir together all the dry ingredients, including the fruit and nuts.

2) In a separate bowl, whisk together the vanilla, melted butter or oil, syrup or honey, and water.

3) Toss the wet ingredients with the dry until the mixture is evenly crumbly.

4) Spread in the prepared pan, shaking the pan to evenly cover the bottom and patting down gently

5) Bake the bars for 25 to 30 minutes, until they're golden brown around the edges.

6) Remove them from the oven, loosen the edges, and cool for 5 minutes.

7) Use a knife (or bench knife) to cut the bars while they're still warm in the pan. Carefully remove warm bars from the pan, and cool on a rack. Alternatively, remove from the pan before cutting into bars; it helps to cut in half first, then loosen the bottom of each half with a turner/spatula before turning out onto a sheet of parchment to cut into bars.

8) Wrap bars individually to store; or place in a single layer on a plate, and cover with plastic; or store in layers with parchment in between. In humid weather, it's best to store bars in the refrigerator. They also freeze well.

Rustic No-Knead Bread

2009-04-01T17:09:00.000-07:00

Rustic No-Knead Bread

3 cups flour

1/4 tsp yeast

1 1/4 tsp salt

1 5/8 cups water

-mix ingredients and let ferment in a bowl with a cover for at least 18 hours.

-fold dough twice and place in a cotton towel lined with cornmeal or flour and then let rise for 2 hours

-Preheat oven to 450 degrees for 1/2 hour with baking pot in the oven

-Bake covered for 30 mins (seam side up)

-Bake uncovered for 15-30 minutes.

Veggie Meatloaf--SO YUMMY

2009-01-14T17:18:00.000-08:00

Ingredients

2 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup lentils
1 small red onion, diced
1 cup quick-cooking oat
at least one cup grated cheese (cheddar, swiss, jack or american)
1 egg, beaten
2 1/2 ounces tomato sauce or more
2 1/2 ounces or so of BBQ sauce
3 stalks of celery, finely chopped
1 TBS of garlic
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon white pepper

Directions

Add salt to water and boil in a saucepan.
Add lentils and simmer covered 25-30 minutes, until lentils are soft and most of water is evaporated.
Remove from fire.
Drain and partially mash lentils.
Scrape into mixing bowl and allow to cool slightly.
Stir in onion, oats and cheese until mixed.
Add egg, tomato sauce, garlic, basil, parsley, seasoning salt and pepper.
Mix well.
Spoon into loaf pan that has been generously sprayed with Pam (non-stick cooking spray) or well-greased.
Smooth top with back of spoon.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30- 45 minutes until top of loaf is dry, firm and golden brown.

from: http://www.recipezaar.com/Really-Good-Vegetarian-Meatloaf-really-33921

Red Lentil Dal

2008-04-11T20:12:00.000-07:00

Ingredients
1 c. red lentils
3 c. water
1 t. ground tumeric
1 1/2 cumin seeds
1 t. coriander seeds
1/4 t. ground cardamom
1/8 t. each ground cinnamon, cloves, cayenne
1 T. vegetable oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
Salt to taste
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1 1/2 T. lemon juice
Vegetable stock
1/2 c. cilantro, coarsely chopped

The Cooking
Sort the lentils and pick out any foreign matter. Rinse well under cool water.
Put lentils in the water and bring to a boil over medium heat. Skim off the foam. Add the tumeric.

Cover loosely, reduce the heat to low and cook for 45 to 60 minutes until the lentils are tender; they will separate into a soupy layer on top and thick layer underneath.

Heat a heavy-bottomed skillet over low to medium heat and roast hte cumin and coriander seeds for several minutes, stirring the pan often to keep them from burning. Grind the seeds in a mortar. Add the cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and cayenne, and grind again.

Set the skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil and onion and saute until translucent. Sprinkly lightly with salt, cover tightly, reduce the heat to low, and cook for several minutes, until the onion is tender.

Add the spice mixture and black pepper an cook briefly. Stir in the cooked lentils. Turn the heat to low and cover the pan. Cook until the mixture is hot and flavors are blended. Thin with several tablespoons of stock. Add lemon juice and salt to taste. Garnish with cilantro just before serving.

Tunnel of Love Bundt

2008-01-28T20:09:00.000-08:00

Okay, so this is actually called "Cook's County Tunnel of Fudge Cake." But, I think Tunnel of Love is much better. This serves about 12-14 (or 2 if you are married to Dave Snyder). I got this from the Star Tribune website, after all everyone needs a good bundt recipe.

• 2 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped

• 1/2 c. boiling water

• 3/4 c. Dutch-processed cocoa powder, plus extra for pan

• 2 c. flour

• 2 c. walnuts or pecans, finely chopped

• 2 c. powdered sugar

• 1 tsp. salt

• 5 eggs, at room temperature

• 1 tbsp. vanilla extract

• 1 c. granulated sugar

• 3/4 c. packed light brown sugar

• 11/4 c. (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus extra for pan

For glaze:

• 4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

• 1/2 c. heavy cream

• 2 tbsp. granulated sugar

• 2 tbsp. water

Directions

To prepare cake: Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously butter a 12-cup Bundt pan and dust with cocoa powder, tapping out excess. Place bittersweet chocolate in a small heatproof bowl. Add boiling water, whisk until smooth, cool to room temperature and reserve.

In a large bowl, whisk together cocoa, flour, walnuts (or pecans), powdered sugar and salt and reserve.

In a large measuring cup, whisk together eggs and vanilla extract and reserve.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat granulated sugar, brown sugar and butter until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Reduce speed to low, add egg mixture and mix until just combined, about 30 seconds. Add chocolate mixture and mix until just combined, about 30 seconds. Add flour mixture and mix until just combined.

Scrape batter into prepared pan, smooth batter with a rubber spatula and bake until edges are beginning to pull away from pan, about 45 minutes; do not overbake (do not use a cake tester, toothpick or skewer to test the cake).

Remove to a wire rack and cool, upright, for 1 1/2 hours. Invert cake onto serving plate and cool completely, at least 2 hours.

To prepare glaze: Place chocolate in a heatproof bowl. In a small saucepan over high heat, combine cream, granulated sugar and water and bring to a boil. Pour liquid over chocolate and let sit for 30 seconds. Using a whisk or a rubber spatula, gently stir chocolate and cream together in small circles, starting at center of bowl and working your way out in increasingly larger concentric circles.

Leave glaze at room temperature until it thickens just enough to pour in a ribbon, about 20 minutes. Drizzle glaze over cake and let sit for at least 10 minutes before serving. Cover tightly and store at room temperature for up to 2 days.

Bitter Greens with Sweet Onions and Tart Cheese

2008-01-27T19:14:00.000-08:00

For a vegetarian, it might seem strange to want to add more veggies to my diet. Perhaps it would be accurate to call me a carbo-tarian. Anyway, I am working my way through Mollie Katzen's new cookbook. This one was a huge hit!

Ingredients

2 Tbs. olive oil
3 cups sliced onions (a sweet variety, such as Vidalia)
3 large bunches of fresh green coarsely chopped (I used chard...Mollie recommends a combo of kale, chard and mustard greens)---about 12 cups
salt
up to 1 cup feta cheese, crumbled
fresh ground pepper

Directions
Place a large, deep skillet over medium heat. After about a minute, add the olive oil and swirl to coat the pan. Add the onions and saute over high heat for about five minutes. Reduce the heat to medium, cover the pan, and let the onions cook until very tender, about 10 minutes more.

Add the greens in batches, sprinkling very lightly with salt after each addition and turning them with tongs, bringing up the wilted ones from the bottom to the top of the pile. (If you are using the stems, cook those first until tender.)

When all the greens have been wilted, stir in the cheese and cook for about 2 minutes longer.

Grind a generous amount of black pepper prior to serving over or on pasta/grains or bread.

Greek Avgolemono Soup

2008-01-13T17:13:00.000-08:00

This is another winner of a recipe from the Vegetarian Times series on healing soups (Jan/Feb 2008). This is the third recipe I've tried from this series (the Pho and the French Portage) and this one does not disappoint. Such a yummy lemony light taste....a little bit of sunshine in your mouth when it is in single digits.

Serves 8

Ingredients

2 Tbs. olive oil
2 medium leeks, white parts finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 small carrots, peeled and diced
6 c. no-chicken broth (I just used regular ol' vegetable broth)
1/2 orzo (although next time, I'd add a cup)
2 large eggs
3 Tbs. lemon juice (I used all the juice from a large lemon...perfection)
1/4 c. chopped fresh parsley
1 Tbs. chopped fresh mint
1 Tbs. chopped fresh oregano
lemon wedges for garnish

Directions
1. Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add leeks, onion, carrots, and a pinch of salt; cover and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, or until veggies are softened, stirring often.

2. Stir in broth. Season with salt and pepper. Cover, reduce heat to medium low, and simmer 10 minutes. Add orzo, and cook 11 minutes more, or until pasta is tender. Remove from heat.

3. Whisk together eggs adn lemon juice in bowl. Add 3 ladles soup broth to egg mixture, whisking constantly. Whisk egg mixture back into soup, and cook over low heat 2 to 3 minutes, or until soup is thickened, but without letting it come to a boil. Serve sprinkled with parsley, mint and oregano, and garnished with lemon wedges.

Per Servings: 144 calories, 5 g. total fat, 3 g. fiber.

Vegetarian Pho

2008-01-11T20:03:00.000-08:00

Broth

6 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
3 large shallots, sliced (1 cup)
1/2 c. dried shiitake mushrooms
10 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
3 Tbs. low-sodium soy sauce
12 thin coins of fresh ginger (about 1/4 inch thick)
1 Tbs. brown sugar
1 Tbs. rice wine vinegar
1 tsp. ground black pepper
2 cinnamon sticks
2 star anise
5-6 fresh basil stems, leaves reserved for the soup
5-6 cilantro stems, leaves reserved soup

Pho

8oz. pkg. rice noodles
8 oz. pkg Asian-flavor baked tofu, thinly sliced (maybe more)
2 cups soybean sprouts
2 cups watercress
4 green onions, sliced
1/4 c. chopped cilantro
1 c. fresh basil leaves
1 lime

To make Broth: Place all ingredients in large pot with 8 cups of water. Cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, covered, 1 hour. Strain broth and return to pot. Discard solids.

To make Pho: Cook rice noodles according to package directions. Drain, and rinse under cold water. Divide among 6 large soup bowls. Ladle broth over noodles, and top with tofu, sprouts, watercress, and green onions. Serve cilantro, basil and lime wedges on the side to be stirred into the soup.

290 CAL; 16g PROTEIN, 5.5g TOTAL, 3g FIBER

Thank you Vegetarian Times Jan/Feb. 2008

Lentil Pancakes

2008-01-11T19:51:00.000-08:00

Coming up with interesting finger foods for Spence can be a bit of challenge. I threw this together as a new way for the boy to get a bit of protein.

Ingredients
1 c. lentils
1/4 c. firm tofu
Handful of green peas
1-2 Tbs wheat germ
2 egg yolks
A few shakes of shredded Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp or so oregano

1. Put all ingredients in a bowl. With a pastry cutter or perhaps a potato masher, mash the mixture.
2. Form into small patties the size of silver dollars.
3. Heat up a skillet with a little olive oil. Brown the patties on both sides.

Spence love...Love...LOVES peas. I added the peas just to keep a bit of the green color to grab his attention. These were a big hit. His little mouth stayed open to get more tidbits...just like a baby bird.

My Recipe Box

The Best Granola Bar Recipe

Mexican Chocolate Ice Cream

Mexican Chocolate Ice Cream Recipe

Print Options

Ingredients

Method

Savoury Waffles

Savoury Waffles

Savoury Waffles

Yummy...

Chewy Granola Bars

Directions

Rustic No-Knead Bread

Veggie Meatloaf--SO YUMMY

Ingredients

Directions

Add salt to water and boil in a saucepan.

Add lentils and simmer covered 25-30 minutes, until lentils are soft and most of water is evaporated.

Remove from fire.

Drain and partially mash lentils.

Scrape into mixing bowl and allow to cool slightly.

Stir in onion, oats and cheese until mixed.

Add egg, tomato sauce, garlic, basil, parsley, seasoning salt and pepper.

Mix well.

Spoon into loaf pan that has been generously sprayed with Pam (non-stick cooking spray) or well-greased.

Smooth top with back of spoon.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30- 45 minutes until top of loaf is dry, firm and golden brown.

Red Lentil Dal

Tunnel of Love Bundt

Bitter Greens with Sweet Onions and Tart Cheese

Greek Avgolemono Soup

Vegetarian Pho

Lentil Pancakes