Christmas Fruitcake with Brandy Frosting

(the last few bites of the fruitcake)

We're doing the rounds of the holiday parties, and I decided to take a chance and make a fruitcake; something I've never attempted before. Success! I adapted the recipe from this one: 21st Century Kitchen. I've included a recipe for frosting that I think would be an improvement over the Brandy Buttercream I used for the party. The frosting was nice on it's own, but I think too sweet for the richness of the fruitcake. So, I'm suggesting a cream cheese frosting, still flavored with brandy or brandy flavoring if you like, and just frost the top. Should be good :)

Base
1.5 cups apple juice
1 cup grated scrubbed carrots
1 cup raisins
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup blackstrap molasses
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 cup margarine (I used non-dairy margarine which tasted great)

Dry Ingredients
1 1/2 cups wholewheat regular flour
1/2 cup wheat germ
1 teaspoon baking soda

The important part: the fruit!
2 cups chopped pitted mixed dried fruits (chop the whole bag of dried prunes, apricots, apples, etc.)
1.5 cup chopped pitted dates
1.5 cups dried cranberries

Chop up your dried fruit and then measure what you need and set aside.

Next, in a large saucepan, bring the "base"ingredients to a boil and then simmer for about 10 more minutes. Remove from the heat. Let this mixture cool down to about room temperature while you preheat the oven to 300 degrees. (I actually had to put the base into the refrigerator for a little while to get the temp down.)

Combine the dry ingredients together, and then add the cooled down base and the dried fruit. Once well mixed, spray a bundt pan* with baking spray and pour evenly in all around. Bake for 60 minutes.

While the fruitcake is cooking, you have time to make your Brandy Cream Cheese frosting.

1/4 cups softened butter
4 oz cream cheese
Powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla (Or 1/4 tsp vanilla and 1/4 tsp brandy extract)

Mix all ingredients together until fluffy.

When your fruitcake has baked, let cool and then frost and enjoy! I topped it with cranberries for a festive appearance. :) Happy Holidays!

Won't Kill Kelsey Chili

We've been eating awesome chili made by the other VISTA working with me at Habitat, Nicole. She was kind enough to share her recipe with me, for her "Won't Kill Kelsey" chili. (I believe there's a college story attached to the name, but I will protect the innocent...)

1 can black beans
1 can kidney beans
3/4 can refried beans
1 32-oz can of crushed tomatoes
1 bottle of pale ale beer
1 red pepper, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
The following items to taste:
Garlic
Chili powder
Cumin
Salt and pepper
Bbq sauce and/or hot sauce

Saute the peppers, garlic, and onion in a little olive oil. When they are soft, add the tomatoes. Then add the black and kidney beans. Then add the beer. Then the spices. Then add the refried beans to thicken it up.

Serve with shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream and cornbread!

Spicy Sweet Sauteed Butternut Squash

The farm share has blown up.

Boring greens are now squashes, eggplants, loads of peppers, heirloom tomatoes, tiny onions, a tiny pumpkin, tiny yellow tomatoes. We're in the rabbit hole now people.

Last night I couldn't sleep and decided to figure out what to do with our overfull and eclectic fridge collection.

After 3 hours of sleeplessness, I figured out what to do with the Butternut Squash.


Ingredients:
(you should know all of these measurements are a rough estimation of mad pouring and tasting as I like to experiment as i go. There's never any real forethought. Just a vague idea and then ensuing chaos. so taste as you go)



1 Butternut Squash
3 T brown sugar
1 T butter
salt
pepper
1 T all spice
2 T cup raisins
2 T walnuts
1/3 C brandy
1 tsp cayenne pepper (i like spicy and sweet together. totally optional, but makes for an interesting dish)

Chop the squash into quarters. Peel off the skin (i did this roughly just with the kitchen knife. probably is a better way but this worked fine). Scoop out the seeds with a spoon. Cut the squash into one inch cubes.

heat skillet on medium heat. Add brown sugar and heat until it begins to melt. Add butter. Stir and let brown sugar melt, about 30 seconds. Add squash, coat with mixture.

Add everything else. Turn up heat to high, cook for 1-2 minutes. Add brandy.

Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Stirring every 5-10 minutes. You want your brandy to cook off when you're finished. If it gets too dry add a splash to keep it from burning.

Taste it, make sure it's seasoned correctly and the squash is tender. At this point mine was a little bland. I added a little more brown sugar and all spice, then raised the heat to high and cooked it for a minute or two. Just to incorporated the new flavors and caramelize the sugar.

We ate this with pan seared pork chops with a marmalade glaze. And sauteed kale with soy sauce, lemon zest, lemon juice, sesame seeds, a little garlic and vermouth. I wanted a bitter dish to compliment the sweet and this worked really well. Eating a bite of bitter kale, then switching to the sweet squash made all the flavors come out.

Thai Pumpkin Soup a la Nicky

What is good for cold weather and using up farm share veggies? SOUP! Especially applicable if it involves pumpkin and a little bit of heat from a chili. (Don't worry English family, the heat part is optional.) Enjoy!

* 1 tablespoon oil (I used a combo of olive and safflower)
* 3 cloves of garlic, chopped or minced
* 1 small bunch of green onions, chopped
* 1 large leek, chopped
* 1 small fresh red chili pepper, chopped into small pieces (optional)
* 1 small piece of chopped ginger
* 1.5 tablespoons of lemon grass paste (they have this in the fresh herb part of the vegetable section at the grocery store)
* 32 oz cups chicken stock
* 2 cans of light coconut milk
* 2 small peeled and diced pie pumpkins; OR 1 small pumpkin and 1 package of frozen pureed winter squash (from the frozen veggie freezer section); OR 2-3 packages of frozen pureed winter squash
* 1 peeled and diced eggplant
* 2 tbsp red curry paste, or more to taste (in the Asian food section)

Set aside a small bowl with your chopped eggplant and salt lightly.

In a soup pot, heat oil and butter over medium heat. Once warm, add garlic, green onion and leeks, ginger, chili pepper, lemongrass and red curry pastes in oil until onions and leeks are soft and fragrant. Add a little salt and pepper. Rinse the salt off the eggplant and then add it and all other ingredients left to the leek mixture. Stir well, bring to a boil and then turn down to medium, cover and cook until pumpkin softens, stirring occasionally.

Take your soup off of the heat, and taste test; add more salt, pepper, red curry paste and lemongrass paste to taste. Once your soup has cooled somewhat, using a blender or immersion blender, blend the soup in batches to your preferred consistency, whatever you prefer.

Kohlrabi, Cauliflower and Cheese Soup

Another excellent recipe for cooler temperatures. This one sticks to your ribs :) We had a bunch of large kohlrabi in our farm share, but this recipe would work equally well with a head of broccoli instead.

Ingredients
1/4 cup of butter salted
1/4 cup of flour
4 cups shredded sharp cheddar
Head of cauliflower
1 large kohlrabi or 1 head of broccoli
2 cups vegetable or chicken stock
3/4 cups of milk
Chopped green onions to taste (white and green bits)
White pepper to taste
Mustard powder to taste
Salt to taste

Chop vegetable into bite-size or smaller pieces. Put broccoli or kohlrabi and cauliflower in to steam; cook until fork-in tender. In a separate saucepan, combine your flour and butter over medium heat. Stir constantly while butter melts until the mixture is caramel-colored and smooth to make your roux. When it reaches this state, throw in green onions and cook for 30 seconds, continuing to stir. Turn down the heat to medium-low and slowly stir in your milk, working it into the roux as you add it until smoothly combined. Add the stock slowly in the same way. Pour in the cheddar cheese and stir until it is evenly melted. Now add your spices to taste. Keep soup on medium-low heat. It's important to keep your soup from the boling point or from burning so keep stirring! Take 1/2 of your cooked broccoli and cauliflower and puree in the blender. Add the puree and the rest of your cooked veggies to your soup. Stir to combine and cook for another 5-10 minutes or until it thickens up. Serve and enjoy!

It's Fall: Applesauce

A friend of mine from Habitat gave us the gift of apples from her tree over the weekend. Applesauce immediately came to mind; such a comfort food especially on a cold, wet, fall night. Not to mention your house smelling of cinnamon, yum.

I like to leave the peel on my apples but if you would like it smoother, peel the apples before cooking or blend the sauce with an immersion blender after it's cooked.

8-10 apples, cored and roughly chopped (mine were small, green apples)
2 tbsp of unsalted butter
1/2 cup of dark brown sugar
1 cup of water
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg

Throw everything into a stock pot, cover, and bring to a boil. Turn down to medium low and simmer for 30-45 mins, or until the apples start to get mushy. Then, take off the heat and mash with a potato masher or spoon. Serve and enjoy.

Make Your Own Laundry Soap

I know, not exactly a food recipe! But, making laundry soap wasn't that difficult and has saved us some cash. Also, I have pretty sensitive skin and as of yet, no problems. You only need about a tablespoon per load, 2 if the load is really dirty.

Ingredients
Adapted from diy Natural

1 bar of shaved Fels-Naptha soap (I used a cheese grater on the smallest holes. Also, other recipes say you can used Dove, but most seem to agree that Fels-Naptha is the most effective.)
1/2 cup of 20 Mule Team Borax
1/2 cup of Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda
1/2 cup of Oxi-Clean Laundry Stain Remover powder

I found all the ingredients in the laundry aisle of our local grocery store, which is the Colorado equivalent of Giant or Safeway.

Shave your soap bar first. NOTE: If you're using Fels, it can irritate your skin in its straight form. Make sure to wash your hands after you are done shaving. Then simply add the other ingredients and mix well. Done and done! If you're feeling really ambitious, maybe double this recipe and get all the shaving out of the way.

Easy Zucchini Bread

Hi everyone! It's been a long time since our last post- I'll blame the awesome summer weather and new job adjusting! (New job is fantastic by the way!) Also, for any English readers, zucchini=courgette.

Recently, our farm share has been full of squash and zucchini and we were wondering what to do after we'd already been through, soups, stews and stir-fries! Of course, the answer is obvious: zucchini bread. In the words of the 1990's, "Duh."

This made two loaves and was attacked at home and at work. Recipe adaptation success! Enjoy family :)

Zucchini Bread, adapted from Mom's Zucchini Bread at allrecipes.com

Ingredients
2.5 cups all-purpose flour
.5 cups wheat germ
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 eggs
1 cup vegetable or canola oil
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar (You could probably halve this amount if you wanted it less sweet. I would keep the brown sugar though, it got really nice and caramel-y.)
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 zucchini + 1 yellow squash grated in the food processor (or just 2 zucchini)


Grease two small loaf pans. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
Wash and prepare your squash and zucchini, and grate in the food processor. You don't have to peel either vegetable.
Sift dry ingredients except sugars together into a small bowl.
In a separate bowl, beat eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar together. (This would be where our lovely stand mixer came in handy.) Slowly add dry ingredients to the egg/sugar mixture. Split batter into the two loaf pans.
(If you didn't want to make 2 loaves, I've read that the batter freezes well.)
Bake for 40 to 60 minutes, or until tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on rack for 20 minutes. Remove bread from pan, and completely cool.

Pan-Fried Glazed Pork Chops with a side of Red Kale and Summer Squash

Nicky and I are getting a weekly farm share. And it's full of green leafy things. Spinach, Kale, Cabbage, Greens, Romaine, Buttered lettuce etc. Giant herbivore staples that usually end up in a salad. And i'm sick of salads. This is a good recipe for the greens without the use of a salad. Plus, there's pork chops involved.

The glazed pork chops are from Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution. With slight changes.

Glazed Pork Chops
Pork Chop (I used boneless, thicker chops. about 3/4 inch)
Fresh Sage (2 sprigs per chop)
Olive Oil
S/P
Apricot Jam (or maple syrup, honey, apple sauce, mango chutney)

Slice along the fatty edges of your pork chop in 1/4 inch increments. It helps make them more delicious. Cover the chops in olive oil and salt and pepper. Coat sprigs of sage in olive oil.

To cook them i used my cast iron skillet. I can get it much hotter than my non-stick skillet. If you have one, i'd suggest using it. I turned my stove up to about 7/8 and got the pan pretty hot. You're going to cook each chop for about 8-10 minutes. Flipping every minute. You'll get a lot of smoke. Just watch the color, you'll want to keep the pan as hot as possible so they're seared on the outside. But if it's getting black too quickly turn down heat.

Throw in the sage. It takes maybe 30 seconds for them to crisp up. By the time I got the tongs out of the drawer they were ready. Pull them out and set them aside.

For the next part, get ready to move quickly. Once you put the glaze on the heat you're going to get smoke. You want to get the color to a golden brown. As close as you can get to burning the glaze without actually burning it. Probably take about a minute and a half. Put one tablespoon of jam on each pork chop. Let it melt down a little (20 seconds) and get ready for more smoke. Flip it jam side down. Then keep flipping until it's covered and both sides are a golden brown.

Garnish with the crisped sage (worth it).


Sautéed Red Kale and Summer Squash
1 head of red kale
2 -3 summer squash
basil
ground ginger
1/4 of a lemon
fresh sage
vermouth
olive oil
garlic scape (we get these from our farm share , sub. a clove of garlic for this)
s/p

Put Kale in boiling pot of salted water. Cover. Let cook for 10 minutes.

In the meantime, cut your squash into slices. Sprinkle basil over the top, and very lightly sprinkle ginger over the top of the squash. Once your kale is done boiling, drain it.

Heat olive oil in pan. Add kale, squash, fresh sage, garlic to pan. Pepper (don't salt) to taste. Cook until the squash starts to soften about 2-3 minutes. Add a splash of vermouth. Stir until the vermouth is cooked off. Squeeze lemon over the top (careful with the seeds). Salt to taste.


Serve both of them together with a little apple sauce on the side and eat like an omniovre.

The BEST Macaroni and Cheese You Will EVER Taste

This is not a healthy recipe, it is not heavy on the veggies and low on the salt like most recipes I try out here, but this recipe will change your life; at least as far as mac and cheese is concerned! I tried it out last week while my Auntie Jan, Uncle Don and their granddaughters were staying with my Mom and Dad, and it was very enthusiastically received. (Note to self: I know what I'm making for potlucks and kids from now on.)

The Pioneer Woman's Mac and Cheese

My only adaptations to this recipe:
* Instead of regular seasoned salt, I used the same amount of garlic salt
* Instead of ground black pepper, I used the same amount of ground white pepper
* I added ½ tsp - 1 tsp of paprika
* I didn't butter the casserole dish before adding the macaroni, and with all that cheese it really didn't need it. No sticking.

Chicken Maryland Salad and Red Velvet Cupcakes

This post brought to you from Burke, VA, where I am visiting my sister and her fiance in their new house!

Before going to see fireworks last night, we had a cooking extravaganza all day. Erica had Maryland salad at my parents and loved it, so we set about recreating it. I have to say, some of the ingredients caught me off guard, but it all works amazingly well together! The red velvet cupcake recipe we found at Smitten Kitchen: Smitten Kitchen's Red Velvet Cake. The frosting to die for. One important note: When you adapt this recipe to make cupcakes, as Deb has at the bottom of the recipe, it makes about 30 cupcakes!!! I think you could safely cut it in half.

Chicken Maryland Salad
Adapted from (Eeek, not sure. Will post later!)
Serves 4

Ingredients - Salad
4 boneless chicken breasts
Vegetable oil for brushing
Herbs de Provence, S&P to taste for chicken
8 oz bacon
1/2 of a small bag of frozen corn (Original recipe calls for 4 ears of corn, grilled)
3 tbsp butter, melted
4 ripe bananas, peeled and halved
4 firm tomatoes, each cut in half (We used cocktail tomatoes, but I bet plum or roma would be good too)
2 hearts of romaine lettuce, washed and torn

Ingredients - Dressing
5 tbsp walnut oil (Original recipe calls for peanut oil, but the walnut was lovely)
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
2 tsp maple syrup
2 tsp smooth Dijon mustard (We thought the Grey Poupon mixed very well)

Season chicken on both sides with herbs and S&P to taste, brush with oil and broil for 7 minutes. On a separate pan, place bananas and tomatoes and brush with melted butter. When the first 7 minute timer for the chicken has gone off, take the chicken out and flip it, and place back in the oven along with the tomato pan. Set the timer for another 7 mins of broiling.

In the meantime, wash, spin dry and tear your lettuce into your salad bowl. Crisp the bacon to taste and set aside. Microwave corn with a little butter until warmed through. In a small jar or container, mix your dressing ingredients and 1 tbsp of water and shake vigorously until combined. Toss the salad with the dressing right before serving.

When everything has finished cooking, distribute salad leaves evenly on 4 plates. Arrange chicken on each salad, along with bananas, tomatoes, bacon and corn. Enjoy!

Love from the Maryland/VA/DC corridor!

Homemade Pizza

Ever since we got a stand mixer, we've been having fun making breads, cupcakes, and the biggest revelation, Homemade Pizza Dough!

We've made this recipe no less than 5 times, and every time I go through the most ridiculous process to find it:
1) Google "best pizza dough"
2) Go to link for Mitch's pizza dough
3) Search through the article for the link to his friend's recipe which is better than "Mitch's Best"
4) Think "I should write this down or put it on the blog."

So, finally, here it is!

Homemade Pizza Dough (Adapted from Cheri's Favorite Pizza Dough)

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups very warm water
2 teaspoons yeast
2 teaspoons sugar
16 ounces (about 2 3/4 cups) bread flour
3 1/2 ounces (1/2 cup) semolina flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 tbsp of olive oil

Also, set out a food processor or a stand mixer (or a bowl and spoon if you have strong arms!) and a(nother) large bowl. Take a splash of olive oil and lightly oil the bottom and side of the bowl you set aside.

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Place very warm water, yeast and sugar in your mixer and give a couple spins to really mix it. You will need to let it stand for about 4 mins, so you'll have time to measure out everything else you'll need. If your yeast is alive (how you want it, of course), at the end of your sitting time it will have little bubbles in it or on top. If you don't see any give it another 5 mins and then if still nothing you may need to get new yeast.

Place your dry ingredients into the yeast mixture and mix with your dough hook attachment. You'll see the dough go from a stringy mixture to a ball. Add flour if you think you need it (you probably won't). When it is in a ball shape, take it out of the mixer and place in the oiled bowl to rise, covered with a paper towel. I like to place on one of the stove burners that has heat from the oven rising through it. Let it sit until it's doubled in size, 30 mins or so.

Once it's doubled, you can grab a hunk and roll it out on a floured board into a pizza shape. I like to make personal size ones, but if you want a bigger pizza you can roll out the whole thing.

Now the fun part: ADD TOPPINGS! See our suggestions below.

If you have a pizza stone, feel free to bake the finished pizza on that! Ours cracked in half, so now we use the alternative: a lightly olive-oiled baking sheet. Works great!

As I'm sure you know- you can put anything on a pizza. That's why they're awesome! While my fam was here visiting, Mik went and got supplies for pizza, and we made the following:
Asparagus, broccolini, goat cheese brie, tomato sauce
Tomatoes, peppers, tomato sauce and cheddar
Pesto, fresh mozzarella, artichoke hearts, red onion and shredded parmesan
Basil, tomatoes, tomato sauce and shredded mozzarella
ETC.
They were all great! Enjoy experimenting.

Perfect Summer Thunderstorm Salad

I've had a variation of this salad once in Miami and once in Boulder. It's so good, and now that we figured out how to make it, I may never go out again!



Ingredients
1 can of sliced beets in juice
1/3 red onion, sliced as thin as you can
1 bag of darker mixed greens (I found a mix of Mâche, Baby Greens, and Fresh Herbs)
Small 'log' of goat cheese
Panko Bread Crumbs (These may be in the ethnic food section with the Japanese stuff. They're lighter and crispier than regular bread crumbs.)
Canola or vegetable oil
1 egg, whisked
1 cup of flour
Balsamic vinegar
S&P

Put your goat cheese in the freezer for 30 minutes plus. In a salad bowl, mix washed salad greens and sliced onion. Set aside.

In 3 separate bowls, place the flour, egg and panko bread crumbs. Also, get out a plate for later. Add a pinch of salt to the panko bread crumbs. Cut cheese log into 1 inch slices and cover each slice in flour. Shake off excess. Let sit for 10 minutes. Pour about 1/4 inch of oil in skillet. Heat to medium or medium high (until shimmering). Dip cheese in the flour again, shake off excess. Dip in the egg (make sure coated). Dip in Panko bread crumbs. Drop into the oil. (If they sizzle when they hit the pan, it's hot enough) Fry for about a minute and a half on each side until golden. Remove and put on plate covered with paper towel.

Add salad to each plate. Sprinkle with balsamic vinegar. Open your can of beets and drain the juice (I like to drink it, but Mik thinks I'm crazy) and place about 8 slices on each salad. Top with your cheese croutons and S&P to taste.

Moroccan Bison with Couscous

Bison in a Moroccan dish cooked by a Russian/Texan using an English chef's recipe, it all makes sense. But, in the end, I think my picture of a Jamie Oliver recipe turned out almost as good as the one in the book. Followed the recipe almost exactly.
(Nicky would like me to note that there are most likely no bison in Morocco. However, the original recipe called for lamb, which she doesn't eat, and so we experimented by substituting bison which was determined to be "delicious".) [Also, Nicky wrote this part and made it sound like I wrote what she asked me to, but in actuality she just wrote it.]

Moroccan Bison with Couscous
(Adapted from Jaime's Food Revolution by Jaime Oliver) Serves 2

Ingredients
1 medium red onion
3 ripe Roma tomatoes
Small bunch of fresh Italian parsley
2 fresh, mild chiles (You could leave this out, but Nicky says there wasn't much-to-any heat)
8 dried apricots (1 bag)
Olive oil
Small pat of butter
Cumin
Salt and pepper
Small handful of pine nuts
1 x 16 oz can of Garbanzo beans
1 1/2 cups couscous
1 lemon
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
10 oz bison steak (or 1/2 lb lamb leg steak if you'd like to use the original ingredient)
2/3 cup plain yogurt to serve (Nicky recommends Wallaby Plain Low-fat Yogurt)

Chop onions, apricots, chile peppers. Keep together. Chop tomatoes and parsley (keep a little parsley for garnish). Keep together apart from the other veggies. Add a splash of olive oil to a hot pan (medium-medium/hot). Sauté onions, apricots, and chile peppers. Add a tab of butter. Cook until onions start to go soft. Add salt, pepper, pine nuts, tomatoes, parsley and garbanzo beans (with all their juice). Add 1/4 cup of water. Simmer for five minutes. Meanwhile, put couscous in a medium sized mixing bowl and add enough boiling water to just cover the couscous. Add salt and pepper, squeeze a wedge of lemon. and a splash of olive oil. Once mixed lightly, cover bowl for 5 mins.

To cook bison, I liked using a cast iron skillet because you can get it so hot. Cut bison into 1 inch squares. Toss meat in cumin, salt and pepper until it's covered well. Add splash of olive oil then quickly (like really quickly) add the meat to the pan. Let sear for a minute and then keep it moving until browned.

Add salt and pepper to taste to the vegetable mixture in the other pan. Add balsamic vinegar.

To serve put couscous in one half of a bowl. In the other half put the vegetable mixture. Top with bison. A drizzle of olive oil. Dollop of yogurt. Salt and pepper. Parsley.

It's really good.

The Easiest "Recipe" I Will Ever Post - Raspberry Yogurt

I'm calling this a recipe, because it includes ingredients and directions, but really it's so obvious that I'm hoping you're all not insulted!



All you'll need is plain, low-fat yogurt (This is my preferred yogurt of the moment; has the flavor of Greek yogurt and texture of American yogurt), raspberries and Splenda, or the sweetener of your choice.

Take about 1/4 a box of raspberries and poor a packet of Splenda over them and mash them together until it looks like jam. Pour over a couple cups of plain yogurt, mix togther until pink and then add another handful of non-mashed raspberries.

So simple, so much better than yoplait could ever be. Yum, summertime.

Trying New Things - A Smothered Tempeh Sandwich

You know, it's funny, but in all my years of health food eating, I bypassed tempeh every time I saw it in the health food refrigerated section. I think I was intimidated? Worried it would taste like feet?

But, left with a packet after Abby's visit, I was curious. I read a little more about it (thanks Wikipedia) and found out that tempeh:
Like tofu, ...is made from soybeans, but tempeh is a whole soybean product with different nutritional characteristics and textural qualities. Tempeh's fermentation process and its retention of the whole bean give it a higher content of protein, dietary fiber, and vitamin.
I convinced Mik to try it too, and we were both pleasantly surprised! Because it has whole beans, it has a pleasant, firm texture (think the opposite of tofu) and kind of a nutty, mild flavor. Nice! I highly encourage people to try it out for something different!

Smothered Tempeh Sandwiches
Adapted from Eating Well

INGREDIENTS
1 8-ounce package tempeh (we had one called 5-grain tempeh)
1 tablespoon canola oil or vegetable oil
10 ounces mushrooms, sliced
2 small shallots, thinly sliced (the original recipe called for 1 red onion, but we had shallots on hand)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup dry red wine
4 ounces sliced provolone cheese
8 thin slices whole-wheat bread, toasted (we used a great whole grain tuscan loaf from the bakery at the supermarket- yum!)

PREPARATION
Our tempeh came in two thick, rectangular pieces. We cut them in half lengthwise and down the thickness of the pieces so we ended up with 8 thinner pieces. Set aside.
Heat oil in a non-stick pan on medium. Add mushrooms, onions and salt and cook, stirring often for about 10 minutes. Now the fun bit- splash in the wine and drink what's leftover (with your meal or while cooking. I know what I did!). Give everything just a minute to soak in the wine, and then add your tempeh slices. Spoon some of the mushrooms and onions over each slice, make sure that each piece gets thoroughly coated in wine. Cook for another 5-7 minutes until you've warmed everything through and the wine has evaporated. Get out your cheese slices and lay over each slice of tempeh and remove from the heat. Cover the pan and let stand until the cheese melts (won't take long). Meanwhile, slice and toast your bread.
When the bread is toasted and the cheese has melted, make your sandwiches! Put 1-2 slices of tempeh and cheese on each one and cover with onions and mushrooms. Serve while your cheese is still melty and enjoy!

We ate this with some leftover vegetables we had on hand and black beans, but I bet this would be awesome with a spinach, goat cheese and balsamic salad if you want.

Smitten Kitchen's Roasted Acorn Squash and Gorgonzola Pizza

An oldie but goodie! We've made this quite a few times, and met with success each time. Now, of course you can use a Boboli ready made crust if you want, but I highly recommend making your own dough! It's actually pretty easy and you can't beat the taste or the smell while it's cooking. (See below for a recipe.) One other point of personalization: if you aren't a fan of gorgonzola, feel free to leave it out. The smell doesn't usually do it for me, so sometimes I leave it out and sometimes I substitute goat cheese.

Roasted Acorn Squash and Gorgonzola Pizza
Adapted from Giada DeLaurentis by Deb Perelman of Smitten Kitchen

Serves 4 as a side dish, 2 as a main dish.

1 (1- pound) acorn squash
2 tablespoons maple syrup (I like to get Grade B if I can, as it has a deeper flavor and is less watery.)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (Deb says 1 tsp in her recipe, but also says 1/2 was fine. It worked for us.)
1/4 teaspoon salt, plus 1/4 teaspoon
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus 1/4 teaspoon
1 pound pizza dough
1 cup shredded whole milk mozzarella
1/2 cup crumbled Gorgonzola
1 cup arugula
Squeeze of lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Slice squash in half and scoop the seeds out of the middle. Next, (carefully- you could loose a finger!) slice into 1/2 inch half moons and place in a mixing bowl. Add maple syrup, olive oil, red pepper flakes, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Toss until each piece is evenly coated in the mixture. Place the squash on a baking sheet.and bake until tender (insert a fork and check) and golden, about 20 to 25 minutes. When you take out the squash, don't turn off the oven as you can use it for your dough.

If you're using a pre-made pizza crust, skip to the next paragraph. Dust a pizza stone or cutting board with flour and roll out your dough into a nice foot wide circle. Add a little olive oil to a baking sheet, and place your crust in the center.

Add the mozzarella and the gorgonzola cheese to your pizza dough. Bake in the oven until cooked through, about 25 to 30 minutes if using your own dough, or follow the directions on your pre-prepared crust package.

When your pizza is cooked, take out and let it cool for a few minutes. Then, top with the acorn squash half moons. In a separate bowl, toss arugula with lemon juice and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Top the pizza and acorn squash with the arugala. Slice and serve.

Cheri's Favorite Pizza Dough
Recipe by Cheri Sicard

1 1/2 cups very warm water
2 teaspoons yeast
2 teaspoons sugar
16 ounces (about 2 3/4 cups) bread flour
3 1/2 ounces (1/2 cup) semolina flour
1 teaspoon salt
About a tablespoon of olive oil

For recipe CLICK HERE

Mik's Migas and Proof-

That Mik cooks even if I'm the only one posting! Here's Mik making migas (gluten-free, might I add) for Abby and I last weekend.

(For the record, he has since gotten both a haircut and a shave!)

Mik's Migas
(Serves 3-4 people)

6 eggs
Splash o milk
Chili Powder
Cumin
Olive oil
1 onion
3 cloves garlic, minced or chopped
Tab o butter
Handful of chopped, fresh cilantro (Optional, for all you cilantro-haters out there)
3 handfuls tortilla chips
Grated cheese (we had a habenero cheddar and it was perfect!)
Can of black beans
Guacamole
Salsa
Lime wedges

In a bowl, beat the eggs with butter, milk, chili powder and cumin (to your taste specifications), and chopped cilantro if you want it. Heat a pan on med-hi, add a splash of olive oil, heat and saute the onions in pan for 3 mins. Next, add garlic and cook for another minute until onions are soft. Add in egg mixture and cook until eggs are 90% set, stirring intermittently.

While eggs are cooking, drain your black beans and warm in the microwave for a couple minutes. When you feel eggs are done, stir into the mix salt and pepper to taste, cheese and crumble tortilla chips over the whole thing.

Move servings to plates, and top with heated black beans, guacamole, salsa, and a wedge of lime. Add a cup of strong coffee and a sunny porch to eat it on, and your morning can't get better!

Easiest Spaghetti Sauce EVER

Ever wanted to make pasta but realize you have no spaghetti sauce? Has happened to me more than once, for sure! But, we seem to have most of the ingredients for this on hand and it's so simple and customizable that you may never buy spaghetti sauce again! Ways to customize: a couple cloves of garlic tossed in the mix (or minced garlic), a handful of fresh basil tossed in at the end, Italian seasoning, etc!

Tomato Sauce with Onion and Butter
Adapted from Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking by Marcella Hazan


28-ounce can whole plum tomatoes (You'll want to rough these up a little with a potato masher or fork, but make sure to keep them with their juices, as they were in the can.)
5 tablespoons salted butter (You can use unsalted butter, but you'll need to salt to taste. Well, you will anyway- so just use what you have on hand.)
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and halved
S&P to taste

Heat a heavy, medium saucepan over medium heat. Add all of the ingredients and bring to a simmer. Turn the heat to low to keep a steady simmer. Cook for 45 minutes, or until droplets of fat float free of the tomatoes. Stir occasionally. Discard the onion. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve over cooked pasta. Done!
Note: While this recipe says to discard the onion, I like to keep it and serve it chopped on toast with a sunny-side up egg for breakfast on the weekend!

Abby Feast: Italian Spaghetti Squash and Chocolate Beet Cupcakes

My friend Abby (pic of her cooking Zucchini Lasagna last year) is here visiting Boulder for her cousin's graduation from CU Law. Tonight, after a 3 hour hike through the foothills we decided to make a feast! Soooooooo good. We made 2 recipes we thought were worth sharing: Italian-style Spaghetti Squash and Chocolate Beet Cupcakes!

Spaghetti squash is a really great substitute for pasta and a lot more healthy. Kind of fun to change it up, and again, pretty simple. We used: 1 large spaghetti squash cut in 1/2 lengthwise, olive oil, and salt and pepper. After it's cooked, you'll need the pasta sauce of your choice and shredded cheese if you like. Preheat the oven to 375 F.

You'll need a sharp knife or cleaver to cut the squash. (More here.) Next scrap the seeds and pulp out and discard. Add a little olive oil to the bottom of a baking pan, add S&P to taste to the squash halves and place in the pan, rind side up. Bake about 30 to 40 minutes at 375 F. (If it's slightly soft on the top, it's done.)

Give the squash a little while to cool down, then flip over and use a fork to pull the strings out into a bowl. You should be able to get all of the flesh out right down to the skin. Now- the best part! We got a great garlic-y pasta sauce and some grated cheddar cheese, and prepare just as you would your pasta!

Next, chocolate beet cupcakes: dessert and vegetables! Sounds bizarre, but tastes like fudgy-brownies.


This recipe from "Ming Makes Cupcakes" is so good and we only took a couple of shortcuts to make it easier. We used one can of whole beets instead of the whole washing, peeling, cutting thing! We also did have to bake them for about 20 minutes (maybe the altitude?) more than the recipe called for and don't be worried if they collapse in the middle- they still taste fantastic. UPDATE: I also used semi-sweet chocolate chips. So, not too sweet!

I topped these with fresh whipped cream, which is so easy! Briskly whisk together 1 cup of heavy whipping cream, 1/4 cup sugar, and 1 tsp vanilla extract until it is stiff.

ENJOY!

Banana Pancakes and an Anniversary

Los Altos B&B

Hi folks! We just got back from a quick trip to celebrate our one year anniversary to Grand Junction. It was so beautiful and the B&B we stayed at - Los Altos - was so lovely. It was settled on a cliff looking into the Grand Junction Valley and the farm land in Palisade at the base of Colorado National Monument. We took so many pictures it should be a crime! The B&B owners, Lee and Young-Ja made us spectacular breakfasts every morning, and the recipe below may be updated to include some of Young-Ja's recipe for Buttermilk Multi-grain pancakes. SO GOOD! Pictures to come.

This recipe is for all of you, our wonderful family who have been so awesome and who made our wedding so special one year ago! We've been having a blast since then (even with three moves) and we can't wait for more. These pancakes are seriously tasty, help you get a serving of fruit, use up any brown bananas you have in the freezer (the browner the better), and you can make it in the BLENDER. Why aren't you making them already? :)

From: Nigella Lawson's 'Feast' (Our adaptations marked with a * as usual)
Music: Akron/Family

Banana Buttermilk Pancakes
(Serves 2, multiply as needed)
1 very ripe bananas
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
*Pinch of salt (Mik says this is very important)
1 egg
1 cup buttermilk (No buttermilk in the house? See below pancake recipe for easy substitution)
1 teaspoon sugar
1 oz butter, melted

Put all the ingredients except the melted butter into the blender and blend until smooth. If you want to make ahead, simply place in the fridge until you're ready. Stir in the melted butter just before you start to cook the pancakes.
We find it's easy to cook these in a non-stick pan with some melted butter on medium heat. Flip over once the underside is set (30 secs or so) until golden brown.

The last time we ate these, Mik served them with some raspberry preserves and a dollop of low-fat vanilla yogurt which was awesome. They are equally good with maple syrup!

Buttermilk Alternative
Place a Tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice in a liquid measuring cup. Add enough milk to bring the liquid up to the one-cup line. Let stand for five minute. Then, use as much as you need.

Mixed Greens Salad with Mozzarella*, Mint, Peach and Prosciutto and Olive Oil and Lemon Dressing

From: Jamie Oliver's 'The Naked Chef Takes Off'
Music: Strict Joy by The Swell Season

This is a super quick and easy salad, and if fresh peaches are in season you have to try this!
*We substituted goat cheese for the mozzarella and that I would recommend, as it was creamy and had a little more flavor than fresh mozz usually does.

(Serves 2, double or triple as needed)
2 ripe peaches
Ball of mozzarella (or crumbled goat cheese)
3-4 slices of nice prosciutto
Salt and Pepper
Chili Flakes (optional)
Dark mixed greens
Fresh Mint
Olive Oil
Lemon Juice

Skin and cut the peaches up into small pieces. (About 1 peach per person.) Crumble cheese over the peaches, and also rip a couple slices of prosciutto over the top as well. Lightly season with salt if you want and definitely pepper! Mik liked it with some chili flakes as well for some kick. Add a couple of handfuls of dark mixed greens to each plate and 5 or so torn up mint leaves. Add S&P to taste.

For the dressing, simply add 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice to 5 tablespoons of olive oil and S&P, shake and you're ready to pour.

Easy right? And perfect and easy meal that tastes summery. I bet served with some nice crusty bread and butter and a glass of white wine, this couldn't be beat. Bon Appétit!

A Maryland Themed Meal for 4

What We Had:
Maryland Crab Cakes (See below. The stars are our adaptations.)
Corn and Scallion Salad
Garlicky Roasted Asparagus
Lemony Smashed Potatoes
Entertainment: Season 1, Episodes 1-3 of THE WIRE

Maryland Crab Cakes, adapted from a recipe by Martha Stewart (Serves 8)

1 pound small-size fresh crabmeat, such as special or claw
1 pound larger-size fresh crabmeat, such as jumbo lump or backfin
1/2 cup light mayonnaise
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
*1/8 cup fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon), plus wedges, for serving (We halved the amount of lemon.)
1 large egg
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
*2 tablespoon Old Bay Seasoning + a little extra for sprinkling on top (And we doubled this amount from the original recipe.)
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 cup fine saltine crumbs (from about 30 crackers)
4 tablespoons butter, melted
Tartar Sauce, homemade or store-bought, for serving

1. Heat broiler, with rack 4 inches from heat. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil; set aside. Keeping each pound of crabmeat separate, turn out onto paper towels; pick through to remove any shells or cartilage.

2. In a large bowl, stir together mayonnaise, parsley, lemon juice, egg, mustard, Old Bay, teaspoon coarse salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

3. Add crumbs and small-size crabmeat to mayonnaise mixture; stir well to combine. Gently fold in larger-size crabmeat just until combined. Dividing evenly, form mixture into 8 cakes. (To make ahead: Arrange cakes in a parchment-lined container so they do not touch; separate layers with additional parchment. Cover and refrigerate up to 1 day.)

4. Place cakes on prepared baking sheet; drizzle with melted butter. Broil until golden brown and warmed throughout, 12 to 15 minutes (move to lower shelf if tops brown too quickly). Serve with tartar sauce and lemon wedges.