Morgan's Meals

Gypsy Soup

2009-05-20T20:45:00.000-07:00

Adapted from the Moosewood Cookbook by Mollie Katzen

Olive oil for sauteing

1 large onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, passed through a press

3 smallish sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped

3 stalks celery, chopped

2 medium fresh tomatoes, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped, membrane and seeds removed

1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas

4 cups water

Seasonings:

2 teaspoons paprika

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon salt

Pinch of cinnamon

Pinch of cayenne

2 bay leaves

1 Tablespoon tamari

In a large heavy pot, warm the oil and saute the onions, garlic, celery and sweet potatoes for 5 minutes. Add the seasonings--except for the tamari--and the water. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the remaining vegetables and the chickpeas and continue to simmer for 10 minutes more, until the vegetables are as tender as you'd like. Stir in the tamari and adjust the seasonings.

* For dried chickpeas, you will need 3/4 cup, which should be soaked at least 3 1/2 hours, but preferably over night. To cook them, fill a pot with water to 1" above the soaked chickpeas and cook, mostly covered, for 1 - 1 1/2 hours.

* You can substitute any orange or green vegetable, like carrots, squash, peas or green beans. I like to use butternut squash and kale. Make sure the kale is cooked thoroughly.

Pan-Fried Sole with Lemon-Butter Sauce

2009-05-20T20:31:00.000-07:00

Fried in butter. Need I say more?

8 Sole fillets
1/2 c flour
1/2 tsp salt (or seasoning salt)
1/4 tsp black pepper
7 tbsp butter
1/4 c fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp fresh chopped parsley

Mix the flour with salt and pepper in a shallow dish (or use a plastic bag). Dredge the fillets in the flour mixture. Heat a large skillet on high heat and add 3 tbsp butter when the pan is hot. Saute the fillets in two batches, two minutes on each side or until cooked through. Transfer to a plate to keep warm.

Add remaining 4 tbsp butter to pan and cook until golden brown. Add lemon juice, bring to a boil. Season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle warm sauce over cooked fish and sprinkle with parsley. Serve immediately.

Thea's Greek Shrimp Stew

2008-07-14T12:38:00.000-07:00

From Feeding the Whole Family by Cynthia Lair

Good served with bread and salad, pretty easy and really tasty.

1 Tbs EVOO
2 onions, chopped
1/2 tsp sea salt
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 C chopped or diced tomatoes
1 C tomato sauce
2 tsp whole-grain mustard
3 Tbs fresh dill (1 Tbs dry)
1 tsp honey/agave/brown-rice-syrup
1 lb cooked shrimp
1/4 lb feta cheese, crumbled
1 C chopped parsley

In a large pot:
Heat the oil
Add onions, salt, garlic; saute until soft.
Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, mustard, dill & syrup; simmer 20 min.
Five min before serving, add shrimp, feta & parsley
Stir and serve.

Golden Sourdough Buttermilk Biscuits

2008-07-04T08:37:00.000-07:00

2 cups of unsifted flour
1 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1/2 cup of butter
1/2 cup of buttermilk
1 cup of sourdough starter mix

In a bowl combine flour, soda, salt, baking powder, cut in butter with pastry blender until like corn meal.

(At this point, you can put it in the fridge overnight so it's faster in the morning.)

Blend sourdough and buttermilk, stir into crumb mixture with fork to soft dough.

Turn out onto floured cloth; knead 30 seconds. Roll out into 1/2 inch thickness, cut into biscuits with 3 inch cutter.

Place on greased baking sheet, brush with melted butter and put in warm place to raise for 30 minutes covered with a towel.

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden in 425ºF. oven. Good with honey and butter.

Lussekake ( St. Lucia Buns)

2008-03-01T20:55:00.000-08:00

Pat T's recipe for traditional Swedish saffron buns. Growing up my (Casey's) family always had these when we visited the T's at or around Christmas. This year we hosted my Dad and step-Mom for the holidays. It was the first time we've "done" Christmas all ourselves, so I finally got around to making saffron buns myself and they turned out great (see end for pics). They will definitely be a Christmas/winter tradition for my family from now on.
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This calls for lots of saffron which is expensive (it works out to more than the cost of gold) - have some sent from home or be prepared at the market - not all grocery stores carry it . It sometimes comes in little vials of .2 grams - you will need at least two of these for one batch of rolls. William Sonoma carries a better quality in a lager amount.
{lately Whole Foods carries saffron in packets of .2 grams for a decent price}

Need 6 to 6 1/2 cups of unbleached flour;

GETTING READY

Place in Bowl or Cuisenart 4 cups of unbleached flour and 2 packages of yeast - quick rise if possible);

Place the following in a pan and heat until the margarine melts, keep warm:
1 1/2 cups milk (1 %)
3/4 cups sugar
3/8 cup water
3/4 tsp. salt
3/4 cups margarine;

Crush enough Saffron Threads to make 3/4 teaspoons of saffron dust - some of the threads won't crush well but that is ok. I put the threads between waxed paper or just paper will work and roll a rolling pin or heavy can over them.

Add 3 Tablespoons of boiling hot water to the saffron and let stand;

Crack and separate three eggs - you need 3 yolks only --

{you can use the whole egg - then use 2 only but the rolls will be lighter - I haven't tried egg beaters yet but it would be worth it to try it.
Note - if you have no uses for the white and put them down the drain, run a lot of water immediately and some soap or you will clog the drain}

Chop 1/2 cup or more of pecans; measure out 1/2 cup of raisins.

MIXING EVERYTHING

To the flour and yeast; add the milk mixture; the saffron/water; the eggs; Beat until the batter is smooth and elastic.

Add the 5th cup of flour to make a stiff dough. ADD in the nuts and raisins.

Put the remaining flour on a board and knead the dough until it it smooth and satiny. {or in the cuisenart just keep pushing the buttons }

Place the dough in a greased bowl, turn to grease the top and cover and let rise in a warm place for about 45 to 60 minutes.

FORMING the ROLLS

Punch down. Cut the dough first in half and continue doing this until you have 48 pieces. Cover the pieces while you work.

Roll out a piece into a long strip (like you do with clay). Then coil the strip one of two ways: You can coil both ends in - like in the letter "C" or one in and one out like in the letter "S".

I place them on a greased cookie sheet at this point and let them rise for 30 minutes.

But for larger rolls you can put two C's back to back; or cross two S's for either something that looks like a pin wheel or like a fancy X depending on which direction the coils face.

These are all traditional shapes.

Brush the rolls with a mixture of 1 egg beaten with 1 Tablespoon of cold water just before baking.

Place in 375 degree oven for about 12 to 15 minutes.

Cool on racks.

Pictures:
measuring/crushing the saffron:

In January we spent a weekend of snowy fun at Jay and Mary Davis' cabin in Bear Valley with the King/Davis family and their boys (Morgan's cousins) so I made the buns again.

Here is what happens when you let the dough rise for a long time at high altitude:

This could almost be an image from my own childhood in Syracuse. Morgan enjoying a saffron bun in the snow:

Wheat Germ Casserole Bread

2008-02-02T21:03:00.000-08:00

1 1/2 c whole wheat flour

1 1/2 c all-purpose flour

2 tsp salt

1/2 c wheat germ

2 pkg yeast

2 T oil

1 1/3 c warm water

2 T molasses

Soften yeast in 1/3 c warm water. Stir to dissolve.

In large mixing bowl, stir ww flour, salt and wheat germ.

Add yeast, remaining cup of water, oil and molasses and beat at med. speed until smooth. Mix in enough of remaining flour to make a stiff batter.

Cover and let rise in warm place until doubled (~45 min. or longer)
Stir down and beat vigorously by hand for about 30 sec. Turn into greased 1 1/2 qt. round casserole.

Bake at 375 degrees for 45 min. or until done. Remove immediately from casserole.

Kathy's Buttermilk Oatmeal Pancakes

2007-12-02T10:09:00.000-08:00

We used to have a different oatmeal pancake recipe on this blog, but then we found our sister-in-law Kathy's recipe and made it one day. The results were strikingly different, and these pancakes were the clear winner. We make a double batch and freeze at least half of the finished cakes. Morgan loves to eat them, heated in the toaster, nearly every morning.

2 c. buttermilk
1 1/4 c. rolled oats
1/4 c. oil
2 eggs
3 tbsp. sugar (or agave syrup) (double is 3/8 cup)
1 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt

Soak oats in buttermilk overnight in fridge. Mix in oil, eggs and sugar. Combine dry ingredients and mix into wet.

Some variations we've tried:
1) Use 50% AP and 50% whole wheat flour (what we usually make).
2) Make the whole batter and leave it overnight in the fridge.
3) Mix the oats and flour with buttermilk and soak them overnight at room temperature - the cakes end up very soft/light and a little more tangy.

Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

2007-10-16T19:56:00.000-07:00

One medium sized pumpkin
Salt
Olive oil

1 Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut open the pumpkin and use a strong metal spoon to scoop out the insides. Separate the seeds from the stringy core. Rinse the seeds.

2 In a small saucepan, add the seeds to water, about 2 cups of water to every half cup of seeds. Add a tablespoon of salt for every cup of water. Bring to a boil. Let simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and drain.

3 Spread about a tablespoon of olive oil over the bottom of a roasting pan. Spread the seeds out over the roasting pan, all in one layer. Bake on the top rack for 20 minutes or until the seeds begin to brown. When browned to your satisfaction, remove from the oven and let the pan cool on a rack. Let the seeds cool all the way down before eating. Either crack to remove the inner seed (a lot of work and in my opinion, unnecessary) or eat whole.

Links:
Toasted Pumpkin Seeds: Three Ways from Heidi of 101 Cookbooks.

Knead-less Bread

2007-10-10T21:54:00.000-07:00

Make this recipe just once and you'll find there's nothing needless about this bread.

3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting
¼ teaspoon instant yeast (not rapid-rise)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/3 (to 1 1/2) cups water
Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed.

1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Mix thoroughly. Add 1 1/3 cups water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap (not sealed airtight). Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.

2. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes. (This step is somewhat optional, I often skip it.)

3. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2-4 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.

Another easier option for rising, is to flour a large piece of parchment paper, place the dough ball on it, then cover with a floured towel, plastic wrap, or even an inverted glass bowl so you can watch it.

4. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is O.K. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes.

If you used the parchment paper option, just uncover it and pick the whole thing up like a sling, and lay it in the pot.

5. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 20 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool thoroughly on a rack. If you don't let it cool, it will be gummy and gooey.

Yield: One 1½-pound loaf.
Time: About 1½ hours plus 14 to 20 hours’ rising
Adapted from Jim Lahey, Sullivan Street Bakery (from New York Times, also see this article)

This bread is easily modified. Try 1 to 1-1/2 cups whole wheat or rye flour instead of all white. Toss in 1/4 to 1/2 cup of sunflower seeds. One I do a lot is 1/2 cup whole wheat (2-1/2 cups white) plus 1/2 cup chopped walnuts and 1/2 cup dried cranberries. Sometimes I also throw in some orange zest and ground cardamom.

Sprinkling some caraway/sesame/poppy seeds on top is nice. You can also slash the top with a sharp knife or razor to make nice designs and avoid splitting on the sides.

I also do sourdough a lot. I keep a starter I grew from scratch in the fridge and just feed it a little every now and then. Just leave out the yeast and mix 1/2 cup of starter into the water. Usually sourdough is very wet dough, if you're going to do a free-form dough ball on parchment paper, only use about 1-1/4 cups of water or it will spread out too much. Or leave it wet and rise (proof) in a bowl for fluffier bread.

There are so many other possibilities out there, I've only started to scratch the surface. Look on www.breadtopia.com and www.thefreshloaf.com or Google "no knead bread".

Some day I'll add a post about how we use no-knead to make great pizza dough.

Cruiser's Chowder

2007-10-10T18:28:00.000-07:00

4 medium potatoes, diced
1 medium onion, diced
3 tablespoons butter, margarine or bacon fat
1/2 cup or more of clams in their juice (canned will do)
1 can evaporated or condensed milk (or 1 cup milk or half & half)
1/2 teaspoon parsley flakes
salt, garlic and pepper to taste

Boil potatoes in enough sea water to cover until soft to touch. In a small frying pan, saute onions in butter. Add onions, clams and butter to potatoes in their seawater.

If using half & half, drain all potato water and use all canned clam juice. If using milk, drain all potato water and withhold some canned clam juice.

Slowly add milk over a low flame. Season with pepper, garlic and clam juice. Be careful not to boil. Top with parsley. Serves four.

Preparation time: 20 minutes.
Adapted from Cruising in Seraffyn by Lin Pardey

Skillet Corn Bread 2

2007-10-09T20:38:00.000-07:00

5 tablespoons butter (divided)
1 cup finely ground yellow cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 tablespoons agave syrup
1 egg
1 cup 2 percent or whole milk

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place 4 tablespoons butter in an 8- to 10-inch cast-iron skillet and place in the oven while it preheats. (If a cast-iron skillet is not available use a well-greased 8-inch square baking pan.) When butter has melted, pour it from the pan and allow to cool slightly. Place remaining 1 tablespoon butter in pan and place in oven to melt.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, stir together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder and salt.

Whisk the egg, milk and agave together and whisk in the melted butter. Combine the milk mixture with the cornmeal mixture and stir gently until just combined.

Remove the hot skillet from the oven and pour in the batter. Spread evenly in the skillet and bake 15 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and cool for about 5 minutes, then turn onto a rack and cool a few minutes longer.

Pla Muk Yang (Charcoaled Squid)

2007-10-07T11:32:00.000-07:00

1 lb. whole squid
1 tbsp. soy sauce
2 tbsp. fish sauce (nam pla)

dipping sauce:
6 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp. fish sauce
1 tbsp. cilantro, chopped
3 tbsp. lime juice
1 tbsp. onion, chopped
1 tbsp. palm sugar (available in Asian markets)

Cut open the squid and remove the entrails, leaving the tentacles intact. Remove the skin. Place on a rack and charcoal-broil for 2 minutes on each side. Brush with the combined soy and fish sauces during broiling to add flavor and color.

Mix together dipping sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Cut the cooked squid into 1-inch pieces and serve with the dipping sauce.

French Bread a la Tinto

2007-10-07T09:19:00.000-07:00

Preheat oven to 400 degrees; place a shallow pan of water on the bottom rack. Grease a French bread pan.

In a bowl, mix together:
3 c. unbleached white flour
1 envelope quick-rising yeast
2 tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. salt

Add 2 1/4 c. warm water.

Beat well and add an additional 1 c. flour. Beat until dough is smooth and elastic. Mix in a fifth cup of flour to make a stiff dough. Measure the 6th cup and place half of it on a board. Turn out the dough into the flour. With floured hands, knead the bread, adding the rest of the 6th cup of flour - if needed add another 1/2 cup - until the dough no longer sticks and is smooth and satiny.

If you have the time, you can place the dough in a greased bowl and let it rise in a warm place. (If you have used regular yeast, then you must do this step, and let the bread rise for about an hour and a half.) Or you can immediately shape into loaves and place in the greased pans. Shape by pressing into an oval, flattening the dough to get out the air bubbles and then bring the edges together to form the slightly rounded loaves.

Cover with a cloth and let rise anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes.

Using your fingers, slightly brush the loaves with cold water--just make the outsides slick. Place in oven and bake about 45 minutes. You can rotate the loaves out of their pans so that they brown on all sides, but beware of doing this too early or the loaves will collapse.

Variations: use 2-3 c. whole wheat flour (start and end with white) and use brown sugar or honey. With whole wheat or rye, the loaves will not rise as high, nor as fast. Light rye is 1 c. of rye to 5 c. white flour.

Orange "Pork" Stir-Fry

2007-10-07T09:03:00.000-07:00

2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/3 cup orange juice
1/3 cup soy sauce or teriyaki sauce (depending on your desire for sweetness)
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons minced fresh gingerroot
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon grated orange peel
1 c. dry TVP, reconstituted (or use 1 lb of meat if that's your thing)
bite-size vegetables of your choice (pepper, broccoli, onion, mushrooms etc.)
olive oil for stir-frying
brown rice, soaked (1 hour or more) and rinsed

Begin cooking rice. In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and orange juice until smooth. Stir in the soy sauce, mustard, ginger, garlic and orange peel; set aside.

In a large skillet or wok, stir-fry vegetables; cook and stir for 2-3 minutes or until tender.Stir orange juice mixture; add to pan. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1 minute or until thickened. Stir in TVP. Serve over rice.

Note: if you use real meat, cook the meat in the pan first and set aside. Return meat to pan to re-warm just before serving.

Kathy's Awesome Lentil Salad

2007-10-07T08:59:00.000-07:00

2 c. green lentils (brown lentils are a poor substitute)
1 c. raisins or currants
1 red pepper, chopped
chopped fresh parsley, mint or both (about 1/2 c.)
1 c. chopped orange sections

dressing:
1/4 c. yellow onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
grated rind of one orange and one lime
4 tbsp. lime juice
4 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp. salt

Rinse lentils. Bring large pot of salted water to boil, add lentils and simmer mostly covered for about 25 minutes. Start checking for doneness at 20 minutes and watch carefully, it's easy to overcook them. Rinse lentils in cold water, add dressing, currants, and orange pieces. Refrigerate, add chopped pepper and herbs just before serving.

It says a lot that I am calling this salad, with its raisins, awesome. I do not call things with raisins awesome very often, but this salad makes the cut. Thanks Kathy!

Skillet Corn Bread

2007-09-29T19:17:00.000-07:00

1/2 c. all-purpose flour (or whole wheat flour)
1/2 c. cornmeal
1 tsp. baking powder
pinch of baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 large egg
1/2 c. milk (or buttermilk)
2 tbsp. oil or butter
2 tsp. oil for pan

In a bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, soda and salt. In another bowl, beat the egg, milk and 2 tbsp. oil; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Heat remaining oil in a large cast iron skillet over low heat. Pour batter into the hot skillet; cover and cook for 4-5 minutes. Turn and cook 4 minutes longer or until golden brown.

Moonbear's Sardine Dip

2007-09-22T19:25:00.000-07:00

1 flat sardines in olive oil
1 small flat anchovies in olive oil
1/2 c. cottage cheese
1/3 c. mayonnaise
2 tbsp. dijon mustard
juice of one lemon
1 tbsp. dry dill
salt and pepper to taste

Whirl everything in a blender or food processor. Add cream cheese to thicken, if necessary. Serve with crackers and/or veggies, and a crisp cold white wine. (Alcohol complements omega-3s, doesn't it?)

Thai Coconut Red Curry

2007-09-22T08:54:00.000-07:00

1/2 to 1 tbsp. curry paste
1 can coconut milk (low-fat not recommended!)
1/4 c. fresh basil
3 tbsp. fish sauce
2 tbsp. brown sugar
1/3 c. vegetable broth
vegetables (we use broccoli or green cabbage, red bell pepper, zucchini, lots of mushrooms, green beans, etc.)
shrimp or other meat

Simmer curry paste and coconut milk in a medium saucepan for five minutes. Add basil (or wait until end--Casey and I differ on this), fish sauce, sugar and vegetable broth. Add vegetables and meat, in order depending on how slowly they will cook. Fastest cooking goes in last. Duh. Try not to overcook the veggies, but make sure the meat will cook completely.

Serve over rice.

Lemon-Cayenne Grilled Corn on the Cob

2007-09-11T20:41:00.000-07:00

Corn on the cob
Whole lemons
Butter
Cayenne Pepper
Black Pepper
Salt
Sour Cream
Aluminum Foil

Remove husks; wash and clean corn, and then rub down each ear with a thin layer of butter.

Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper.

Squeeze a slice of lemon over each ear before placing it on double layer of heavy duty foil; wrap snugly.

Prepare sour cream sauce while corn is grilling.

Lemon Sour Cream Sauce:
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
2-3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Cook, with cover down for 25 to 30 minutes, turning every 5 minutes or so. Beth likes to make sure part of each ear is charred brown or even a little black before she takes them off the grill. Drizzle with sour cream sauce, and enjoy!

Note: If you toss the ears of corn directly into the hot coals they will caramelize better and the kernels will practically fall right off the cob…it’s delicious! Beth and George's favorite camping side-dish.

Old Uncle Gaylord's Ice Cream

2007-09-10T19:49:00.001-07:00

We've become obsessed with hand-cranked homemade ice cream of late, and these recipes are to blame. Just try not to eat it all in one sitting. We dare you.

Uncle Gaylord recommends you use 1 cup cream for every 4 cups half & half to achieve proper butterfat content, although the recipes don't say so. You do the math. (The total "milk" amount must equal whatever each recipe calls for.) We've also taken to using agave nectar to sweeten our ice cream. I suggest adding a bit less agave than the amount of sugar the recipe calls for, then adding more if necessary.

Chocolate Chip

4 1/4 c. half & half
1 fresh egg
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. cane sugar
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 tbsp. sherry wine
1/2 c. semi sweet and milk chocolate chips, chopped
(add the chips when the ice cream is almost done being cranked)

Coffee

4 1/2 c. half & half
1 fresh egg
1/4 tsp. salt
2/3 c. cane sugar
3 tbsp. instant coffee (El Salvador ground coffee is suggested, but the book was printed in 1968 or so.)

Mint Chip

4 1/2 c. half & half
1 fresh egg
1/4 tsp. salt
2/3 c. can sugar
1 tbsp. peppermint extract
2 tbsp. Creme de Menthe liqueur
1/3 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips, chopped
(add the chips when the ice cream is almost done being cranked)

Old Fashioned (aka Vanilla)

4 1/2 c. half & half
2 fresh eggs
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
3 tbsp. cane sugar
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
1 tbsp sherry wine

With all these recipes, don't stop cranking once you start. The ice cream is done when you think your arm is about to break.

Morgan enjoying(?) his first taste of ice cream, age 2y5m.

Nana's Cheddar Fish Burgers

2007-09-10T19:41:00.000-07:00

1 lb fresh white fish (haddock, sole, flounder)
1 c. (4 oz.) grated Cheddar
1/3 c. dry bread crumbs
1 large egg
1 tbsp. minced onion
1 tbsp. chopped parsley or cilantro
1 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 tsp. salt

Cook fish (poach in water). Drain and flake. Add remaining ingredients. Mix and shape into patties of your preferred size (but not too thick).

Heat small amount of olive oil over medium heat. Brown patties, cooking 5-7 minutes on each side. Serve on whole wheat hamburger buns, garnished with the usual suspects.

Patties can be refrigerated up to 2 days or frozen. Thaw in fridge before cooking.

Lentejas y Arroz con Coco

2007-09-10T19:18:00.000-07:00

1 lb dried lentils
several tbsp. olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 or 2 carrots, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
1/3 c. cilantro, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

brown rice
coconut milk
water
olive oil
salt
coconut oil

Soak lentils overnight. Rinse, and add fresh water to cook them until they are mushy. (Lentejas are traditionally mushy.)

With olive oil saute up onion and chopped carrots, when almost cooked add garlic, and tomato, and then at the end chopped cilantro. You can leave out cilantro if people don't like it. Add this oily mixture to lentils, mix and salt to taste with some pepper. Done.

Wash brown rice, and cook it as you would normally in your house, although this time add half water, half coconut milk. Add salt and a bit of olive oil too. Once cooked, fluff and add some more coconut oil, but only as much as the rice can take without getting soggy. Add salt to taste.

A traditional Panamanian dish, lentejas y arroz con coco would usually be served with deep-fried plantains as well as an iceberg wedge. Thanks Becca for introducing us to the magic of rice cooked in coconut milk!

Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookies

2007-09-09T19:52:00.000-07:00

2 sticks butter, softened
1 c. firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 c. granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
3 c. oats (I use Country Choice organic multi-grain hot cereal)
2/3 c. butterscotch chips (chocolate chips are good too, or a mix)

Heat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, beat butter and sugars until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Add combined flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; mix well. Add oats and chips; mix well.

Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheets; remove to wire rack. Cool completely. Store tightly covered.

Inbar's Buckwheat Pancakes

2007-09-09T19:45:00.000-07:00

½ cup buckwheat flour
¼ cup regular wheat flour
¼ cup almond meal
Pinch of salt
1- 1½ tbsp baking soda
2 tbsp maple syrup
¼ cup almond or other nut oil
1 egg
1 cup milk of your choice

Mix everything until smooth, and fry the pancakes at your preferred size. These are great served with roasted hazelnuts, which you can also add to the mix if it is safe for your kids. They go well with apple sauce, fruit and of course (more) maple syrup.

We have not made these yet. I know they'll taste great, but I'm intimidated by all those ingredients. Let me know what you think of them.

'Nemma Bread

2007-09-09T19:18:00.000-07:00

2 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. butter
3/4 c. brown sugar
2 eggs, beaten
2 1/3 c. mashed overripe banana
1/3 c. chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar. Stir in eggs and mashed bananas until well blended. Stir banana mixture into flour mixture and add chocolate chips; stir just to moisten. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.

Bake in preheated oven for 60 to 65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean. Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.