Oatmeal Dried Cranberry Scones

These are a bit like an oversized homey oatmeal cookie - but not so sweet. Addictive and delicious and easy to make.

One jelly-roll pan or cookie sheet lined with parchment or foil.

1.5 cups bleached all-purpose flour

1.5 cups rolled oats (not quick oats, but in a pinch, I suppose you can use them)

1/3 cup granulated or light brown sugar (I prefer light brown)

1 T baking powder

1 t table salt

8 T cold unsalted butter, cut into 12 pieces

1.5 cups dried cranberries

1 c milk OR buttermilk OR plain yogurt (if using buttermilk or yogurt, add 1/2 tsp baking soda)

1 T sugar mixed with 1/4 tsp cinnamon

1 . Set rack at the middle level of the oven and preheat to 450.

2. Combine dry ingredients in a food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Pulse 5 times at 1 second intervals.

3. Add butter pieces, pulse 12 times or until the mixture resembles fine meal.

4. Add dried cranberries and milk and pulse 3 or 4 times until a soft dough is formed.

5. Flour the work surface generously, turn the dough out onto it and fold it over on itself 3 or 4 times, until it is less sticky. Flour your hands...this is a little messy.

6. Divide the dough into 3 equal parts and press each into a 5 inch disk. Using a floured knife or bench scraper, quarter each disk into wedges.

7. Arrange scones on prepared pan. Brush tops with milk and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.

8. Bake 12-15 minutes.

Eat em up, YUM.

Amazing Granola

This is the best granola I've ever had and it is easy and healthy. It is from Epicuious.

3 cups rolled oats (NOT quick oats)

1/2 cup flax meal (I grind flax seeds in a coffee grinder, but you can buy meal at the store)

1 cup walnut halves, coarsely chopped

2 egg whites

1/2 - 3/4 cup dark brown sugar

4 T Walnut Oil, divided

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 cup sliced dried dates

1/4 cup honey

Preheat oven to 350. Spread 2 T Walnut Oil on a large baking sheet.

Mix oats, flax meal and walnuts in a large bowl. Mix egg whites, brown sugar, salt and 2 T Walnut Oil in a small bowl. Pour the mixture over the oats and mix thoroughly. Spread the granola onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake 15 minutes. Stir it around. Bake another 15 minutes. Stir it around. Sprinkle dates over; drizzle with honey. Bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes longer. Stir to loosen. Transfer to clean baking sheet to cool completely. (This last step is important, otherwise it sticks like mad to the original sheet.

You can substitute other nuts and fruits.

Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler

Really Delicious and Easy Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler (and easy, too!)

INGREDIENTS

Filling
1 quart fresh strawberries , rinsed and hulled
10 ounces rhubarb , cut into 1/2-inch chunks
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon cornstarch

Biscuit Topping
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour (5 ounces)
3 tablespoons yellow cornmeal
1/4 cup sugar plus 2 teaspoons
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1/3 cup buttermilk
3 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 400 degrees. Toss the fruit filling ingredients together in a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate. Place the pie plate on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until the fruit releases its liquid and is hot and bubbling around the edges, 20 to 30 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, whisk the flour, cornmeal, 1/4 cup of the sugar, the baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl; set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk the buttermilk, butter, and vanilla together; set aside. In a third small bowl, mix the remaining 2 teaspoons sugar with the cinnamon; set aside.

3. When the filling is ready, stir the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture with a rubber spatula until just combined and no pockets of flour remain. Remove the cobbler filling from the oven and stir. Pinch off 8 equal pieces of the biscuit dough and arrange them on top of the hot filling, spaced 1/2 inch apart. Sprinkle the tops of the biscuits with the cinnamon sugar.

4. Continue to bake the cobbler until the biscuits are golden brown on top and cooked through and the filling is again hot and bubbling, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool the cobbler on a wire rack for 15 minutes before serving.

Jerk Seitan

For the Marinade:

1/2 large white onion, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1.5 T fresh ginger, chopped
3 T soy sauce
3 T fresh lime juice
2 T olive oil
2 T real maple syrup
1 T dried thyme leaves
1 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cayenne
1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg (or ground)

For the Seitan

2 cups seitan, cut into thick strips
2 tsp olive oil
1 onion, thickly sliced
1 green pepper, seeded and thickly sliced


Prepare the marinade by pureeing all of hte ingredients in a blendor or food processor until smooth. There will be some chunkiness but that is okay. Placethe seitan in a shallow bowl and pour the marinade over it. Mix to coat. Marinate for an hour. (In a pinch, I have cooked it right away and it is fine.)

In a large skillet, saute the onions and peppers in olive oil over medium-high heat for 5-7 minutes until the onions start to brown. Remove seitan from the marinade, reserving the liquid. Saute the seitan with the onions and peppers for about 10 minutes or until is the seitan is brown to your liking. Add the remaining marinade and cook for about 2 minutes to heat it through.

Serve with rice or whatever suits you.

Zucchini Soup (EASY-PEEZY)

Fabulous! Tastes Creamy and Guess What? There's no Cream!

1.5 pounds zucchini (ask the McGary's for some...they have a huge garden)
1.5 Tbs butter
1 cup or so finely minced onions
1/2 tsp salt or to taste
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp dried tarragon
1/4 tsp dried thyme

2 cups milk, heated but not scalded (I scalded it the first time and it was fine, by the way)


1. Steam the zucchini until just tender.
2. Saute the onions over medium heat in the butter and salt, until soft, about 5 minutes. About half way through the saute, add the spices to the saute.
3. Puree all ingredients together in a blender until smooth. You will probably have to do this in batches, so mix it all up in a pot or bowl first or do whatever it is you do when this situation presents itself.

Eat it as is, warmed up (gently) or cold.

The Best Chicken Rub EVER

Herb Rubbed Chicken:

4 lb. cut-up chicken
Pinch or more dried sage
2 tablespoons dried thyme
1 tablespoons coarse salt
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
4 cloves garlic

Mix all ingredients (except chicken) together in a bowl. Rinse chicken and rub each piece with the mixture. Place on grill over medium heat until fully cooked.

Hint: Place a meat thermometer into the breast. Grill to a safe internal temperature of 165 degrees

Fusilli with Lentil Sauce

I had completely forgotten about this really easy to make yummy pasta dish until I got out an old cookbook today and happened across it. The good thing about this recipe is that if you have a reasonably well stocked pantry, you will pretty much always have the ingredients on hand to make it.

1 1/4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. cayenne (optional)
1/2 tsp. ground paprika
1 tsp. dried basil leaves
2 3/4 cup fresh chopped tomatoes or canned chopped tomatoes in juice
3/4 cup brown lentils, rinsed and picked over
1 T sugar
1/2 cup plain yogurt, non-fat, low fat or whole fat
12 oz fusilli, cooked al dente and well drained

1. Heat 1/4 cup (or more) of the broth in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic, onion, carrot. Cook and stir for 5 minutes. Add more liquid if necessary.

2. Add the remaining broth, cumin, ginger, cayenne, paprika, basil, tomatoes, lentils and sugar. Simmer for 30 minutes.

3. Remove from heat and stir in yogurt. Serve sauce over cooked fusilli.

Cannelinni- Northern Bean Chili

This morning, someone mentioned that they saw my recipe for White Chicken Chili on this site and wondered if it would be good without the chicken. She's a vegetarian and was craving some white chili. It made me recall a recipe that I have not made in years that I used to love. Here it is. It is from a fat free cookbook that has some amazingly tasty recipes in it: 500 Fat Free Recipes by Sarah Schlesinger.

Makes about 8 cups

1 3/4 cups nonfat chicken broth or vegetable broth
1 cup diced onions
2 cups diced carrots
1 cup diced celery
1 clove garlic, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and sliced
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 1/2 cups home cooked or canned cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
2 1/2 cups home cooked or canned Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves

1. Heat 1/4 cup (or more if you like) of the water or broth in a large, heavy soup pot over medium heat. Add onions, carrots, celery, an dgarlic. Cook and stir for 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

2. Stir in the remaining cup broth, jalapeno pepper, parsley, beans, thyme, black pepper and oregano.

3. Simmer for 30 minutes.

Delicious White Chili

This recipe is adapted from a cookbook that a good friend gave to me last year.  I made this today and it is really REALLY delicious.  My husband loved it as did another couple.  Make it right now, Loyal Readers!

(It is also a Really Great Recipe for using up leftover turkey after Thanksgiving. If you want, you can take a shortcut by using a good quality tomatillo salsa instead of making your own.  I've done it both ways with successful results.  I use either a fresh salsa from our local coop or Rick Bayless's Frontera Brand.)

Beans

1 pound Great Northern or Navy Beans 

8 cups water

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 garlic cloves, minced

Chili

12 oz Mexican beer (not dark)

2 cups chopped onions

3-4 cloves minced garlic

1 large red pepper, chopped

2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and diced (I used my own pickled hot peppers)

4 Anaheim or New Mexico green chiles, roasted, peeled and seeded

1 Tablespoon dried oregano

1 Tablespoon crushed cumin seeds

1 & 1/4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 can (14.5 oz) chicken broth

2 T ground New Mexico Chile (I used regular mild Chile powder, but I will try NM next time)

1 pound tomatillos, husks removed by soaking (they are fun to de-husk...call me crazy)

1 cup minced fresh cilantro

1 Tablespoon rice vinegar

1 tsp. salt

Garnishes:

Grated sharp Cheddar Cheese

Chopped avocado

1.  To make beans, rinse and pick over beans.  Place in large pot with water, garlic and onion.  Bring to a boil.  Simmer for 2-3 hours or until beans are tender.  (Or, used canned beans or your own bean cooking method.  This method was pretty effortless.)

2.  To make the chili:  While the beans are cooking, place the beer in a large heavy duty pot.  Add onions, garlic, bell pepper, jalapenos, green chiles, oregano and cumin.  Simmer for 10 minutes or so.  ( I toasted the cumin seeds in a non-stick frying pan and then ground them up in a spice mill.  Already ground cumin would probably be fine as well.)

3.  Cut the chicken into small chunks, about 3/4 inch big.  Add to the pot along with the chicken broth.  Sprinkle in the ground chile and simmer for 15 minutes.  

4.  Place the tomatillos, minced cilantro, vinegar and salt in a food processor and process to a salsa consistency.  Stir into the chili.  Add the beans.  (I added all but about a cup of the beans.  Then I took that cup, combined with some of the broth from the chili and pureed it.  I added the bean puree to the chili.  It gave it a great consistency and a slight sweetness from the beans - a great foil for the tart tomatillos.)

5.  Simmer for 20 minutes and then season with salt to taste.  At this point, I put the whole batch into a crock pot and held it on low for a couple hours until dinner.)

Serve with grated cheese and avocado.  

Italian Apricot Cake ("Torta Di Albicocche")

This cake can be made with any number of fruits and in fact, I have never once made it with apricots. I have used apples, pears & plums with great success.

The recipe is easy, comes together quickly and is not a sweet cake. It looks quite plain, but don't be fooled. It is delicious and addictive.

1 stick unsalted butter at room temperature
1 1/2 pound ripe apricots or plums, halved, pitted and cut into thin slices (if you are using apples or pears, see note below)
1 cup granulated sugar, divided
1/3 cup warm water
4 extra large eggs
2 cups unbleached flour
Additional granulated sugar for topping cake

Preheat oven to 375. Butter a 10 inch springform pan. (I just spray it with PAM)

Heat 1 T of the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. When the butter foams, add the apricots or plums and 1/2 cup of the sugar. Cook, stirring until the apricots begin to soften, 3-4 minutes. With a large slotted spoon, scoop up the apricot or plum slices and place them in a large bowl. Cook the juices in the skillet over high heat until only a few tablespoons of thick, glazy sauce are left. Pour over the apricots or plums. Cool the apricots to room temperature or refrigerate until ready to use.

Stir the yeast into the water until dissolved and let it sit for 10 minutes until it foams up. I always add a tsp. of sugar to the water and then add the yeast to give it a jump start.

Beat the eggs and the remaining sugar in a large bowl until pale yellow and thick. Beat in the remaining butter and when it is incorporated, beat in the flour and the yeast mixture. Add the fruit to the batter and fold it in with a large spatula. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle sugar over the top generously.

Bake 30 - 40 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of the cake.

NOTE on other fruit:

If you are using apples or pears, there is no need to cook them before hand. Just peel and slice and fold the fruit directly into the batter. Since you will not use the 1 T butter for saute-ing the fruit, you may either use 7 T in the batter or the entire half stick. I have made the cake with as little as one half stick of butter and it comes out fine. For sugar, use a scant cup.

Perfect Potato Salad

This wonderful recipe is from The Nantucket Open House Cookbook by Sarah Leah Chase. The book is filled with delicious recipes. (You can get it at Amazon.) I have made this salad many times and not only is it really pretty it tastes really good. You can make the vinaigrette a day ahead.

Serves 15 - 20

6 pounds small Red Bliss potatoes, scrubbed but not peeled (Get organic or locally grown, the freshest you can find. It makes a difference!)
4 - 6 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch dice
6 ribs celery, coarsely chopped
1 large red onion, minced
1 cup chopped fresh dill, plus extra for garnish
1 cup Basic Herb Vinaigrette (see below)
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 1/2 cups Hellmann's mayonnaise
3/4 cup sour cream


1. Place potatoes in a large pot and add water to cover. Heat to boiling, then lower the heat and simmer uncovered until fork tender but NOT mushy, about 25 minutes. Drain in a colander.

2. Place the carrots, celery, red onion and dill in a large mixing bowl. Cut the hot potatoes into uneven chunks and combine with the vegetables in the bowl. Toss with the vinaigrette and the white wine.

3. Blend the sour cream and mayonnaise together and add this to the potato mixture and toss well. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate the salad for a few hours to mellow the flavors. Serve with and additional sprinkling of fresh dill.

Basic Herb Vinaigrette

2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1.5 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
3 oz red wine vinegar
1 1/4 cups good quality olive oil
1.5 Tablespoons dried Italian Herb blend
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1. Whisk the garlic and the mustard together. Whisk in the vinegar. Add the oil in a steady stream, whisking, whisking, whisking to make that emulsion. Blend in the herbs and salt and pepper.

Let stand at room temperature for a few hours to mellow. Store in the refrigerator if not using right away. Let warm to room temperature before using.

A Subtle But Very Good Dinner: Cossack Pie

Loyal Readers, here are two pictures of what is left of tonight's dinner. What you are seeing is called "Cossack Pie" from the original Moosewood Cookbook. I modified the recipe a bit to accommodate the ingredients I had at home and I must say, it was a lovely dinner with just a salad and some excellent dry French Rose (my latest pet wine for the summer.)

I tried a new pie crust for this creation, also from the Moosewood Cookbook and I was pleasantly surprised at how easy and good it was. I use approximate measures because when I made this, I used more than the called for amount of veggies (probably double) and it was really good.

RECIPE:

1 9" unbaked pie shell (recipe below)

1 zucchini (green or yellow), yellow squash or a good cup of sliced mushrooms
1 cup or so chopped onions
1 cup or so shredded cabbage
1 cup or so thinly sliced broccoli
1 cup or so thinly sliced carrots
3 T butter
2 T flour
generous 1/2 tsp ground up caraway seeds (I smashed them around in a mortar & pestle)
generous 1/2 tsp dried basil
2 T dry white wine
1/2 dried dill (I forgot this but it would probably add a nice flavor)
1/3 cup farmer's or cottage cheese
2 eggs
3/4 mixed sour cream & yogurt (I used Greek yogurt...YUM)
Paprika

Saute all the vegetables except zucchini (or mushrooms) in the butter until just tender. This might take a while, but what's the hurry? Add spices. Remove from heat and toss with wine and flour. Set aside.

Puree the eggs and cheese in a blender or in the food processor you used for the crust (just wipe it out a bit...no need to get crazy about it). Add salt and pepper as desired or not.

Add egg-cheese puree to sauteed veggies and put in the crust.

Saute the zucchini slices (or sliced mushrooms) in oil or butter about five minutes.

Spread the yogurt/sour cream on the veggies. Top with the zucchini slices. Dust with paprika.

Bake at 350 for 40 minutes. Let rest 10. Serve with salad and good wine. YUM YUM.

EASY AS PIE PIE CRUST

In a food processor, put a cup of flour. (A mixture of white and wheat is nice...about 3 parts white and one part wheat or something like that). Put the bowl of the processor with the flour in it in the freezer or fridge for a little while to chill it.

Meanwhile, cut up 1/3 cup unsalted butter into chunks and put that back in the fridge to keep it cool.

When everything is cold, combine the butter and flour in the food processor and pulse about 12 times. Add about 3 -4 T yogurt, buttermilk or water (cold) and pulse until you can pinch the mixture and have it hold together. This won't take many pulses.

Pour it out onto a floured surface and form it into a ball. Put it into a plastic bag and refrigerate for an hour or so. Then, roll it out and put it into a pie dish and follow the instructions above. This dough is very easy to work with. An easy and GREAT recipe.

BBQ Pomegranate Tofu

I know that this sounds strange but it is a dish that I actually get cravings for and have to make pretty frequently. This recipe is in Vegan with a Vengeance.

For my local readers, Bloomingfoods carries Pomegranate Molasses. It is the "gourmet" section over by the cheese case.

The recipe makes a good amount of sauce and you can even double the tofu and still have enough.

I haven't tried it but I imagine that the sauce would be very good on grilled chicken as well.

TOFU
1 pound tofu, drained and pressed and sliced into eighths* (or 2 pounds...there is enough sauce)
2 T canola or peanut oil
1 T soy sauce, tamari or shoyu (shoyu is my choice)

*I press tofu by putting the block in a pie pan, placing a plate or second pie pan on top and putting a heavy pot on top of the second plate. Let it sit about 30 minutes. Then, blot with paper towels and cut the tofu.

SAUCE

1 T canola or peanut oil
1 cup minced onions or shallots
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 tsp Chinese five-spice powder (do not omit)
2 cups vegetable broth
1 6-oz can tomato paste
2 T all natural peanut (or other nut) butter (I use almond)
2 T pomegranate molasses
2 T soy sauce, tamari or shoyu
1/4 cup real maple syrup
1 tsp hot sauce
1 tsp liquid smoke

Preheat oven to 350. IN a 9X13 inch glass baking pan turn the tofu in the canola oil and soy sauce to coat on both sides. Bake for 15 minutes. Flip. Bake for 15 more minutes

In a 4 cup measure or a medium sized bowl, blend together vegetable broth, tomato paste, nut butter, pomegranate molasses, soy, maple syrup, and hot sauce. Set aside. In a saucepan over medium heat, saute the onions in the canola oil for about 5 minutes. Add garlic and five-spice powder and saute 1 minute more. Add the blended liquid ingredients and the liquid smoke and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

At this point, your tofu will probably be done baking. Pour all of the sauce over the tofu, return to the oven and bake 15 minutes more.

Serve with rice.

Seitan (Basic Recipe)

Greetings Culinarians! I am posting this basic Seitan recipe at the request of two of my readers - one of whom is my vegetarian daughter. I happen to like cooking with Seitan because it is so easy to make, so inexpensive, so nutritious and so versatile. Believe me, it wasn't too long ago that I would have scoffed at the thought of making this. Now, I make it just about once every other week.

This is a basic recipe, adapted from Vegan With a Vengeance by Isa Chandra Moskowitz. Mine comes out a little different each time, but always okay.

Ingredients notes: Vital wheat gluten is available in the baking section of supermarkets. It is sold in small boxes. Or, you can buy it in bulk at Bloomingfoods if you are local or at a health food store.

Nutritional Yeast is available in bulk at health food stores. It is a yellowish flaky material. I have not been successful finding it in supermarkets. I suspect that this is an optional ingredient, added for nutritional purposes. So, if you can't find it, you can probably omit it.

2 cups vital wheat gluten
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
2 T chickpea flour or soy flour or all purpose flour
1 & 1/2 cup cold water or broth
1 T tomato paste
1 T olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped


In a large bowl, mix together gluten, yeast and flour. In a medium bowl or large measuring cup, mix together the wet ingredients and the garlic until well blended. Add liquids to dries and mix with a wooden spoon until a spongy dough forms. Knead this dough for about 5 minutes and then form it into a longish loaf and let it rest for five minutes. It will be sort of wet and spongy looking.

While the dough is resting, fill a large pot with cold water.

Cut the dough into thick slices of sort of uniform size. Gently put the slices into the cold water. Partially cover the pot and bring the water to a boil. Turn the heat to low and gently simmer for about an hour, moving the strange looking seitan slices around every now and then.

Let the seitan cool in the water and then use as desired or refrigerate.

I squeeze the excess water out of the slices before I use them in recipes.

Spelt Chowder

At left, is a photo of dried New Mexico Chiles. These are an important ingredient in Spelt Chowder, the recipe for which is below. What is spelt? It is a grain that is related to wheat but has a higher protein content. You can buy spelt at BloomingFoods in the bulk section if you live here in town. I haven't looked for it at the supermarket so I don't know if you will find it there. It is worth the search, though. It is nutty tasting and chewy in the most delightful way.

Uncooked, spelt looks like sunflower seeds. Indeed, my husband, who snacks on sunflower seeds, saw the unmarked bag of spelt sitting on the counter, opened it, grabbed a handful of the kernels and threw them into his mouth. A brief moment later, he realized his mistake. Funny but not pretty.

Anyway, this chowder is REALLY delicious and healthy, too. It has a little heat to it from the chile peppers, which give it a southwestern flair. It is easy to make as well. You should MAKE THIS SOUP TODAY. The recipe is from the wonderful Hay Day Market Country Cookbook by Kim Rizk.

Recipe:

1/4 cup olive oil (you can use less if you like)
1 large onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 pound ripe plum tomatoes (or two cups of good quality canned tomatoes)
1 large russet or Idaho potato, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch dice
2 dried medium hot red chile peppers broken in half, seeds shaken out and discarded(I used medium hot New Mexico chiles. You could use Pasilla if you want. These are available in most grocery stores now-a-days)
6 cups vegetable stock (I use low sodium)
2 tsp. kosher salt (optional)
1 cup spelt kernels, rinsed and drained
2 cups corn kernels (frozen are OK...just thaw first)
Salt & pepper to taste

1. Heat oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and saute until nicely colored and caramelized, about 10 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and saute until softened and slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Add the potato, chiles, stock and salt (if using) and allow to come to a boil.

2. Stir in the spelt and reduce the heat to a simmer. Partially cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the spelt is tender, about 30 - 45 minutes. Remove and discard the chile pieces, and stir in the corn. Continue to simmer just until the corn is crisp-tender, about 3 minutes more.

Serve hot and swoon!

Sichuan Green Beens

This has become one of our favorite easy meals at Chez McGary. You can prep everything earlier in the day - and believe me, there isn't much prep - and then stir fry it up when you are ready to eat. This is a very authentic tasting dish. I urge you to try it....TRY IT RIGHT NOW!

You can make this vegan/vegetarian by substituting either ground seitan or frozen crumbled tofu for the pork. See note at the bottom of this entry for more details.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons soy sauce (preferably tamari or shoyu)
1 tablespoon dry sherry
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoons dry mustard
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 pound fresh green beans, ends trimmed, cut into 2 inch pieces (I sometimes use a combination of sugar snap peas and green beans)
1/4 pound ground pork (or tofu or seitan, see below)
3 medium garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
3 scallions, white and light green parts, sliced thin (optional)
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
white sesame seeds

1. In a small bowl, stir together soy sauce, sherry, sugar, cornstarch, white pepper, pepper flakes, mustard, and water until sugar dissolves. Set aside.

2. Heat oil in 12 inch nonstick skillet until just smoking. Add beans and cook, stirring frequently, until crisp-tender and skins are shriveled and blackened in spots, 5-8 minutes. If the beans darken too quickly, reduce heat to medium high.) Transfer beans to a large plate or bowl.

3. Reduce heat to medium-high and add pork to now-empty skillet. Cook, breaking pork into small pieces, until no pink remains (or until lightly browned if using seitan or tofu), about 2 minutes. Add garlic, and ginger and cook (you might need to add a bit more oil at this point if not using meat) and cook, stirring constantly until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Stir sauce to recombine and add it along with the beans to the pan. Toss and cook until sauce is thickened, about 5 - 10 seconds. Remove pan from heat, stir in scallions (if using) and sesame oil. Sprinkle generously with sesame seeds. Serve immediately and ooh and aahh about how good it is. ( we serve it with brown rice)

Tofu note: Tofu that has been frozen works beautifully here. Freeze firm tofu and thaw. Squeeze water out of it and then crumble it and use it as you would the pork in this recipe. Throw the remainder into a chili or stew.

Seitan that has been finely chopped or ground works very well here. I use relatively unflavored seitan that I make myself. Leave me a comment if you need that recipe.

Mixed-Bean Minestrone Stew

This delicious soup/stew is from The Healthy Kitchen by Andrew Weil & Rosie Dailey. Rosie shot to fame being Oprah's cook some time ago and in my never humble opinion, she isn't a particularly gifted chef. However, she does have a few good recipes in this book that have become staples in our home and this soup/stew is one of them.


2 cups mixed dry beans (I usually use a combination of garbanzo, kidney and white beans but I have also made the soup using just one kind of bean. 2 cups dry beans yeilds about 5 or so cups of cooked so remember that if you are substituting canned.)

1 cup chopped onion
3-4 carrots, peeled or not, sliced
1 cup chopped celery
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 cup good olive oil
1 Tablespoon Italian Seasoning
1/8 tsp. chili flakes
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 teaspoon salt ( I don't add this, but you sure can)
1 cup peeled and cubed eggplant (the recipe says you can use cabbage, squash or broccoli but I have not done this. The eggplant really adds a nice flavor)
4 cups chopped fresh tomatoes or a 28-35 oz can of chopped tomatoes with their juice
1 large baking potato, cubed
6 cups water or stock (I use low sodium vegetable stock)
1 cup chopped fresh green beans (or frozen peas or frozen green beans)
1 1/2 cup uncooked small pasta

Cook the beans. (If I have time, I soak them for at least four hours or overnight, drain & rinse them and simmer them in water or stock until tender. If I haven't planned ahead enough, I rinse them, put them in a pot with enough water to cover and bring them to a boil for 2 minutes. Then, you let them sit in the pot for an hour. Drain, rinse and cook as if you soaked them longer. If I haven't planned ahead at all, I used rinsed canned beans, preferably with no salt added.)

In a large soup pot, sweat the onions, carrots, celery and garlic in the olive oil on low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the Italian seasoning, chili flakes, rosemary and salt along with the eggplant (or whatever vegetable you are using), tomatoes, potatoes and stock. Bring to a simmer and cook for another 20 minutes. Add cooked beans, green beans or peas, and pasta and cook on medium heat for another 15 minutes.

Serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and crusty bread. YUM.

Carrot Raisin Muffins

This wonderful recipe is taken from Vegan with a Vengence.

These muffins are delicious and good for you and very easy to make. So, make them right now, loyal readers. Make them right now!

1/2 cup raisins
1 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground or freshly grated nutmeg (freshly grated is better!)
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup soy or rice milk (my guess is that regular milk will work, though I haven't tried it)
1/4 cup canola oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups grated carrots

Preheat oven to 400 F. Spray a muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray or lightly grease with oil.

Soak the raisins in a bowl of hot water while you are preparing the batter.

In a large mixing bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, sugar and salt. Create a well in the center and add the milk, oil and vanilla; mix with a wooden spoon until just combined. Remove the raisins from the hot water and fold in along with the grated carrots.

Fill the muffin tins three-quarters full. Bake for 18 - 22 minutes (18 is plenty of time in my oven), until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool if you can wait that long.

Eat 'em up YUM.

Stir Fried Cauliflower with Thai Red Curry Sauce

This is a very easy to make tasty, pungent and somewhat spicy stir-fry not for the faint of taste buds. It comes together quickly once everything is prepped. You can get everything ready earlier in the day, including the sauce and refrigerate it until you are ready to start stir-frying.

I often add either little cubes of fried tofu or seitan or chickpeas to make a more complete meal, but it is also great without these things. Serve with brown rice.

3 T Fish Sauce
1 T juice plus 1 tsp grated zest from 1 lime
1 T light brown sugar
1/4 tsp red pepper flake
1 cup coconut milk (you can use low fat coconut milk but it isn't quite as good as regular)
2 tsp Thai-style red curry paste
1 T plus 1 tsp. peanut or vegetable oil
3 pounds cauliflower - one large head, broken into small florets
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp to 1 T minced fresh ginger (your call...I like more ginger)
6 ounces snow peas, strings removed (about 2 cups)
2 tablespoons minced fresh basil leaves

1. Mix together fish sauce, lime juice and zest, brown sugar, red pepper flakes, coconut milk, red curry paste. Set aside.

2. Heat 1 T oil over high heat until shimmering in a 12 inch wok or non-stick or cast iron skillet. (I don't use non-stick at high heats, but maybe I'm just paranoid...my cast iron skillet works great.) Add cauliflower and cook, stirring every 10 - 15 seconds until just barely tender, about 3 minutes. Push cauliflower to edges of skillet and add remaining tsp of oil, garlic and ginger to the center of the pan. Mash garlic and ginger with the back of a spoon and cook unitl fragrant, about 30 seconds. Mix garlic and ginger in with cauliflower. Reduce heat to medium -high, add sauce and stir. (If you are adding tofu or seitan or chick peas, add them now.) Simmer, stirring occasionally until cauliflower is tender, about 2 minutes. Add snow peas and cook about three minutes longer, until cauliflower is fully tender. Add basil & serve immediately.

Really Great Chocolate Chip Cookies

Devoted readers, I rarely give out cookie or brownie recipes as you know, but I am in a generous mood tonight so I am going to post what I consider to be a perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe. I have adapted it from The Dessert Bible by Christopher Kimball. These are delicious warm from the oven but in my never humble opinion, they are even better when completely cooled.

Preheat oven to 375 (conventional) or 350 (convection)

Prepare a cookie sheet by lining it with parchment.

Ingredients

1/4 cup Crisco (I know, I know...evil trans fat. But, how many of these are you planning to eat? You have a higher chance of getting killed in a car accident than by these cookies....But for those who might be worried about it, I think that Crisco makes a non-trans fat shortening now. Why even include this? Shortening prevents the cookies from spreading out as much as an all butter formula would. You can substitute butter for this, but the cookies will be flatter. Your call.)

8 T (1 stick) butter, softened just a bit

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 large egg white

3/4 tsp to 1 scant teaspoon vanilla (I prefer 3/4 tsp)

2 cups plus 2 T bleached all purpose flour

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 - 3/4 tsp salt (your call..I prefer 3/4)

10 ounces great quality chocolate chips or chunks. I prefer Ghiridelli semisweet chips. Bittersweet overwhelms the cookie in my opinion.

1. In a mixing bowl with a hand held electric mixer, beat the butter and shortening (if using) together until smooth and whipped with a few lumps. Add sugars and beat until blended. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until smooth.

2. Whisk together dry ingredients (not the chips).

3. Add dry ingredients to butter/egg/sugar mixture. Blend in until smooth. Fold in the chips or chunks.

4. Place heaping tablespoons of batter on the baking sheet, with at least 1 1/2 inches between cookies.

5. Bake for about twelve minutes, rotating baking sheet once half way through. If at the end of the twelve minutes I notice that the tops aren't brown enough, I switch on the broiler and leave the cookies under it for about 45 seconds.

Cool on a wire rack and eat-em-up-YUM.