Tub Cleaner

A friend of mine introduced me to homemade cleaners a few years back. For some reason, it has taken me this long time to really try and convert to solely using homemade, natural, toxic-free cleaning products, but I'm almost there. Mixing up a batch of this bath scrub takes 2 minutes - that's easier than any of the other recipes I have posted. One of the best things is that I like this tub cleaner better than any other commercial product I have tried.

Have you heard of castile soap? It's liquid, all-natural soap (extra virgin coconut, olive, jojoba and hemp oils) that works wonders. Really, it's very powerful. Dr. Bronner's is the brand I've found, available at Trader Joe's. It may seem a little pricey, but it's so potent that a little goes a long way. Also, I recommend buying a big bottle of vinegar and a large box of baking soda. The more you buy, the cheaper the unit cost.

I'm convinced that most commercial cleaning products out there are simply a marketing scheme. Before Soft Scrub, how did anyone clean their tubs? That's what they want you to think, but a few generations ago they used common household products to clean. Where did that knowledge go?

Tub Cleaner
from Clean House, Clean Planet by Karen Logan

1 2/3 c. baking soda
1/2 c. liquid castile soap
2 Tbsp. water
2 Tbsp. white vinegar

Mix baking soda with liquid soap in a bowl. Add water. Mix with a fork until smooth. Stir in vinegar. Scoop the paste into a pint-size glass jar. Add warm water if it dries out before you use it all, and stir before use if needed.

Spring Rolls with Tofu and Mushrooms

Another find from my kitchen cleanout is a package of spring roll wrappers. On 101 Cookbooks, there was recent post for Wintery Spring Rolls. I love spring rolls, but am not quite creative enough to come up with my own fillings. Of course anything created by Heidi Swanson is always bursting with flavor, and this recipe was no exception. The ginger onion paste is genius, and the brown sugar mushrooms were a highlight.

Spring Rolls with Tofu and Mushrooms
slightly adapted from 101 Cookbooks

Ginger Onion Paste:
2 spring onions, finely sliced
2 red spring onions, finely sliced (or equiv. red onion / shallots)
3 tablespoons grated, peeled ginger
1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil

Brown Sugar Tofu and Mushrooms:
12 ounces extra firm tofu
3 medium cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
4 teaspoons natural cane sugar (or brown sugar)
2 tablespoons sunflower oil

8 ounces mushrooms, brushed clean, sliced 1/4-inch thick

For spring roll assembly:
Ginger Onion Paste (above)
Brown Sugar Tofu and Mushrooms (above)
crisp, crunchy lettuce (baby gems / romaine)
1 small bunch fresh cilantro or other herbs, well washed / dried
about 1 dozen rice paper wrappers

Make the ginger onion paste: Place the onions and ginger in a mortar and pestle. Sprinkle with the salt, and pound until the onions are quite bruised, but not paste-like. Heat the oil in a small saucepan until hot (hot enough that you could saute something in it). Add the onion mixture to the oil, remove from heat, and transfer to a jar to cool. Drain off any extra oil and reserve for another use.

Make the tofu and mushrooms: Cut the tofu into six equal slabs and arrange in a single layer on a rimmed plate. Place the garlic in a mortar and pestle, sprinkle with the salt and sugar, and pound into a paste. Work the oil in, a bit at a time, until the ingredients are completely combined. Use your hands to slather and gently coat each piece of tofu, be quite thorough. Set aside, and leave the bowl dirty.

Cook the tofu in a single layer in a large skillet over medium-high heat until deeply golden on each side. Remove from the pan, and when cool enough to handle, slice into pencil-thick pieces, and salt to taste.

In the meantime, toss the mushrooms gently (but well), in the residual marinade left in the tofu bowl. Once the tofu is done, you can use the same tofu skillet to cook the mushrooms. Use high heat, and cook until the mushrooms release their water and take on a nice, dark color. Transfer to a bowl or platter, and season appropriately.

Assemble the spring rolls: In bowl of hot water, dip each rice paper wrapper for just 3 seconds. Resist over-soaking, even if the paper is a bit stiff it will continue to absorb water as you assemble the wrap. Place on a flat work surface and fold in half. Keep all ingredients crowded into 1/3 of the available surface of the wrapper at this point, not too close to the straight-edge of the semi-circle.

Put down a generous smear of ginger onion paste. Then a lettuce leaf, tofu, a few mushrooms, cilantro. Then, tuck and roll. This method creates an open-sided roll, but you can also make burrito-style rolls.

Makes about a dozen rolls.

Brown Butter Parmesan Chicken Linguine

Again, in clean-out mode, I found some linguine. Found this recipe online, of course, and it was fabulous! Buttery pasta with caramelized onions, mushrooms, and Parmesan, how can that not be good?

Brown Butter Parmesan Chicken Linguine
adapted from How Sweet Eats

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium sweet onion, sliced
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 pound linguine
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese + more for topping
fresh chopped parsley for topping

Pat chicken dry with a paper towel then toss with salt, pepper and paprika. Heat a large skillet oven medium-high heat and add canola oil. Add chicken to the skillet and brown on all sides, cooking for about 8-10 minutes total. Remove and set aside in a bowl. Turn heat down to medium-low and add 1/2 tablespoon butter. Add sliced onions with a pinch of salt and stirring occasionally, cook until caramelized, about 15 minutes.

While onions are caramelizing, heat a small saucepan over medium-low heat and add 3 tablespoons of butter. Whisk constantly until butter has brown bits on the bottom, then immediately remove from heat. Whisk for about 30 seconds more just to make sure the bits don’t burn. Set aside. At this time also prepare the water for your pasta and cook according to the directions.

After onions have caramelized, set them aside in a bowl. Add the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of butter and add mushrooms. Cook for 5-6 minutes until juicy and caramelized. Place onions back in the skillet, add garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant. Increase the heat to medium and add chicken broth. Let the broth bubble and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add chicken and pasta both to the skillet, tossing multiple times to coat. Turn off heat and stir in grated cheese. Drizzle brown butter over top, tossing to coat a few more times. Serve with additional cheese and chopped parsley.

Fudgy Oatmeal Bars

We're moving to a different apartment, and so I'm in clean-out mode, including the kitchen. I found a few old cans of sweetened condensed milk. Cooking with processed foods like sweetened condensed milk isn't my style anymore, but this recipe was worth it. I remember my mom making these when I was growing up. The chocolate layer is super fudgy and so good.

Fudgy Oatmeal Bars
from my mother

2 c. packed brown sugar
1 c. butter, softened
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 ½ c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
3 c. oats
2 c. chocolate chips
1 can sweetened condensed milk
2 Tbsp. butter
1 tsp. vanilla
½ tsp. salt

Mix brown sugar, 1 c. butter, eggs, and vanilla in a large bowl. Stir in flour, baking soda, and ½ tsp. salt. Stir in oats. Reserve one-third of the oatmeal mixture. Press remaining oatmeal mixture in 15 ½ x 10 ½ x1 inch pan (jelly roll) or 9 x 13 inch pan.

Heat chips, milk, 2 Tbsp. butter over low heat until melted, stirring constantly until melted. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla and ½ tsp. salt. Spread over oatmeal mixture in pan. Drop reserved oatmeal mixture by teaspoonful onto bars. Bake 25-30 minutes until golden brown at 350˚. While warm, cut into bars.

Almond Poppy Seed Cake

I love this classic cake which combines almond extract with poppy seeds for amazing flavor. The texture is thicker, like pound cake, and the bundt pan shape makes a lovely presentation. This is a super easy cake to make anytime. Well, anytime except right before a drug test.

Almond Poppy Seed Cake
from my mother

3 c. flour
1 ½ tsp. salt
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
2 ¼ c. sugar
1 1/8 c. oil (canola, grapeseed, vegetable)
3 eggs, beaten
1 ½ c. milk
1 ½ tsp. vanilla
1 ½ tsp. almond extract
2 Tbsp. poppy seed

Glaze
1 c. powdered sugar
¼ c. fresh orange juice
½ tsp. vanilla
½ tsp. almond extract

To prepare cake combine flour, salt, baking powder and sugar in a large bowl. Stir in oil, milk, eggs, vanilla and almond extract and mix until smooth. Add poppy seed. Pour into lightly greased 10-inch tube pan. Bake at 350˚ for 1 hour. Cool in pan for 20 minutes. Remove from pan and glaze. To prepare glaze mix all ingredients until smooth. Pour over warm cake.

Red Chile Sauce Chicken Enchiladas

The other day I had what I'd guess you'd call a craving for a dish like this. That motivated me to take the effort to make the enchiladas. They really weren't too hard to make, but just took a little time. Since this recipe makes a large pan, there was plenty for dinner the next day, so it was time well spent.

Red Chile Sauce Chicken Enchiladas
from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

1 medium onion, chopped fine
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped fine
1 teaspoon canola oil
3 medium cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
3 teaspoons sugar
2 (8-oz) cans tomato sauce
1 cup water
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 3 large chicken breasts)
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded Monterey jack cheese
1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro
12 (6-inch) soft corn or flour tortillas (fajita-size for flour tortillas)
cooking spray
salt and ground black pepper

In a large saucepan, combine the onion, jalapeno, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and oil. Cover and cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, until the onions and peppers have softened, 8-10 minutes. Stir in the garlic, chili powder, cumin, and sugar, and cook until fragrant, less than 30 seconds. Stir in the tomato sauce and water. Bring to a simmer.

Nestle the chicken into the sauce. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until chicken is cooked through, about 12-20 minutes, depending on the size and thickness of the chicken breasts you are using. Transfer the chicken to a plate, and set aside to cool. Continue to simmer the sauce over medium heat until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.

Strain the sauce through a strainer into a medium bowl, pressing the onion mixture to extract as much liquid as possible. Season sauce with additional salt and pepper to taste. Transfer the leftover onion mixture from the strainer to a large bowl and set aside.

Shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Add to the onion mixture in the large bowl. Also stir in 1/4 cup of the enchilada sauce, 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, 1/2 cup Monterey Jack cheese and the cilantro. Toss to combine.

Stack the tortillas on a plate and cover with plastic wrap; Microwave on high until warm and pliable, 40-60 seconds. Spread the tortillas on a clean work surface, and spoon 1/3 cup of the chicken mixture evenly down the center of each. Tightly roll each tortilla and lay seam-side down in a greased 9×13 inch baking dish.

Heat oven to 400 F. Pour the enchilada sauce evenly over the top of the enchiladas. Top with the remaining cheese. Cover dish with foil and bake 20 minutes, or until heated through.

Remove foil and bake another 5 minutes, until cheese browns. Remove from oven and let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Serve with sour cream, guacamole, salsa, additional cilantro, if desired.

Oatmeal Scotchies with Coconut

Cookies with whole oats ease my conscience slightly. Whole oats are very nutritious, but the butter and sugar probably cancel out any benefit. I really liked the combination of butterscotch chips and coconut. So good.

Oatmeal Scotchies with Coconut
adapted from Joy the Baker

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar, packed
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups old fashioned oats
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoons salt
2 cups butterscotch chips
1 cup shredded coconut

Beat the sugars and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fit with a paddle attachment. Beat until creamy, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating well between each addition. Add the vanilla extract and beat until blended.

Whisk together the oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add to the butter and egg mixture slowly beating on low speed until just incorporated. Stir in the butterscotch chips and coconut.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 13 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Makes about 2 1/2 dozen cookies.