Rye Waffles

Rye Waffles with Black Raspberry Sauce
from Naturally Ella

2/3 cup rye flour
1/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 tablespoon molasses
1/4 cup regular or greek yogurt
1/4 cup milk or almond milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup black raspberries (or substitute blueberries)
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Preheat waffle iron and preheat oven to 200˚.
In a bowl, combine rye flour, wheat flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir to combine. In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, melted butter, molasses, yogurt, milk, and vanilla extract. Pour into dry ingredients and stir until combined.

Pour some of the batter into a waffle iron and cook according to iron’s instructions. Remove from iron and place on a baking tray. place tray in oven and keep waffles warm while making the rest.

While waffles cook, combine black raspberries, maple syrup, and lemon juice in a small sauce pan. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Continue to simmer until ready to use.

Gazpacho with Croutons

Gazpacho
from Ina Garten

1 hothouse cucumber, halved and seeded, but not peeled
2 red bell peppers, cored and seeded
4 plum tomatoes
1 red onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
23 ounces tomato juice (3 cups)
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup good olive oil
1/2 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

Roughly chop the cucumbers, bell peppers, tomatoes, and red onions into 1-inch cubes. Put each vegetable separately into a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse until it is coarsely chopped. Do not overprocess!

After each vegetable is processed, combine them in a large bowl and add the garlic, tomato juice, vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Mix well and chill before serving. The longer gazpacho sits, the more the flavors develop.


Croutons

stale, crusty bread
olive oil
salt
pepper

Cut bread into crouton-sized cubes. Place in a bowl, drizzle with olive oil, salt and a little pepper. Toss to coat. Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add bread and stir occasionally, cooking until croutons are browned.

Key Lime Pie Gelato

Key Lime Pie Gelato
from Cookin Canuck

2 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
4 large egg yolks
2/3 cup sugar
3 tablespoons Key lime juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons grated lime zest
3/4 cup crushed graham crackers, frozen

In a medium saucepan, combine milk and cream and heat over medium-low heat until small bubbles start to form around the outer edge of the pan, stirring occasionally. While the milk and cream are heating, whisk together egg yolks and then add in sugar, continue to beat until pale yellow.

When the milk and cream have reached 170º F temper the egg yolks by adding a cup or two of the hot cream to them and slowly while constantly whisking. Add the mixture to the pan, pouring slowly and whisking. Heat over low heat, stirring frequently, until the mixture is thick enough to cover the back of a wooden spoon and reaches 185º F, without allowing it to boil.

Strain the mixture through a mesh strainer to remove any possible lumps. Slowly add in lime juice, vanilla extract and lime zest. Cool slowly to room temperature, stirring every so often, and then cover and refrigerate until cold.

Once the gelato mix is cold, freeze it in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's directions. Stir in frozen graham cracker crumbs and transfer immediately to an airtight container. Freeze until firm and serve.

Pureed Beet Soup

So long time, no post. I've decided to make some changes to the blog. My main purpose is to catalog recipes I've made so I can easily find them for future use. So to help me do that, I may post recipes with no prose or photo. I don't want to let the fancy extras get in my way of recording good food! I do have some words and a photo for you today, though.

It's beet season in my CSA, so I reluctantly tried this beet soup. I'm still on the fence about beets, but I seriously loved this soup! It's creamy and sweet and probably a good introduction to beets for those who are just getting to know this gorgeous vegetable.

Pureed Beet Soup
adapted from Dishing Up the Dirt

1 tbsp coconut oil
3 large red beets, scrubbed clean and cut into 1/4 inch pieces (if organic, no need to peel)
1 tbsp fresh minced ginger
1 large yellow onion, diced
3 large cloves of garlic, minced
dash of cayenne pepper
1/2 cup of full fat coconut milk
4-5 cups of vegetable stock
salt and pepper to taste

In a large soup pan heat the coconut oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add beets, garlic and ginger. Cook for about 3-5 more minutes stirring often. Add 4 cups of vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer for about 25 minutes. Add cayenne pepper. Make sure beets are fork tender, and then carefully with a blender or immersion blender, puree the soup. Add more stock or water if it is too thick. Add coconut milk. Stir to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve warm.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars

These bars whip up and bake in a jiffy and are delicious. The original recipe says do not use natural peanut butter. So many recipes say that, and I'm beginning to doubt that it's a problem. I've made these several times with natural peanut butter (the kind where the oil separates), and they are totally fine.

Another ingredient swap I make now - I no longer buy brown sugar. Brown sugar literally is granulated white sugar with molasses added back in. I buy organic sugar from Costco for a decent price, so when I'm not using a better sugar, like maple syrup or sucanat, I feel good about this brand of organic sugar. It's slightly less processed (larger granules and a little brown in color), and it's not GMO. Did you know sugar is one of the common GMO crops?

In a recipe like this, where the brown sugar gets mixing time, I just add the sugar and molasses separately. If you need brown sugar and don't have a mixing step in the recipe, go ahead and mix the sugar and molasses together with a mixer or food processor. I don't usually measure the molasses, but you should add anywhere from 1 1/2 Tbsp. to 1/4 cup molasses per cup of sugar.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars
adapted from Averie Cooks

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted (1 stick)
1 large egg
1 c. organic sugar (or try 1 c. sucanat and omit the molasses)
2 tsp. molasses
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup creamy, natural peanut butter
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
pinch salt, to taste (depends on the salt content of the peanut butter)
1 c. chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease an 8-by-8-inch baking pan with some butter; set aside.

In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter, about 1 minute. Allow the butter to cool for a few minutes. Add the egg, sugar, molasses, vanilla, and stir vigorously to combine, for about 1 minute.

Stir in the peanut butter. Add the flour, baking soda, and salt and stir until just incorporated. Stir in chocolate. Turn batter out into prepared pan, smoothing it lightly with a spatula. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, or until center is just set and golden. Bars will firm up more in pan as they cool.

Allow bars to cool in pan for at least 30 minutes before slicing and serving. Store extra bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Indian Dry Rub Chicken

This is a fabulous recipe with lots of flavor for chicken thighs. I like serving it with rice and an easy vegetable, like sauteed greens.

Indian Dry Rub Chicken
adapted from Maya Adam

8-10 boneless skinless chicken thighs
2 tsp ground coriander
1.5 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder (mild)
1/2 tsp dry mustard powder
Less then 1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
juice of 1 small lemon
2 tsp fresh ginger
2 cloves fresh garlic
1 green serrano chili
1/2 tsp sugar
3 tbsp olive oil for searing
cilantro for garnish (optional)

Place chicken thighs in a large mixing bowl. Add in ground coriander, chili powder, cumin, dry mustard powder, ground turmeric, salt, sugar, and lemon juice.

Use a garlic press on the cloves of garlic (or just mince finely), adding them to the bowl of chicken. Use garlic press on a small knob of ginger (or grate or mince it finely) and add it to the bowl. Lastly, use the garlic press on the serrano chile (or mince it finely) and add to the bowl.

Mix everything together with your hands to evenly distribute all the spices. Cover and let it sit in the refrigerator for a few hours, or up to 24 hours.

Heat up a skillet on medium-high, add olive oil and lay the chicken on the pan in a single layer (may need to do several batches). Cook until the chicken is golden brown, and then flip over. Cook this side until golden brown. Test if it is done by cutting into one to make sure there is no pink meat. If chicken is browning too fast, turn down the heat. Serve with rice and vegetables.

Black Bean, Rice, Guacamole, and Salsa Burritos

I've found an easy, delicious combination that I keep returning to - black beans, rice, guacamole, and salsa.  Pictured below are these items gathered for a simple lunch with a friend for assemble your own.  I also had sour cream, but I really think these burritos taste better without the sour cream.

When I plan my menu for the week I purposely plan at least one meal around beans, and this one is quick and yummy, so we have it a lot.  In the winter I like to use grape tomatoes, but in summer use any kind that are ripe.  Also, I've worked in cooking up a large pot of beans and then freezing them in smaller quantities for later use to my routine.

Black Bean, Rice, Guacamole, and Salsa Burritos

2 cups home-cooked black beans or 1 can black beans
olive oil
1/2 onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
salt and pepper
cooked brown rice
guacamole (1 avocado, lime juice, salt, cilantro)
salsa (tomatoes, lime juice, salt, cilantro, green onions)
shredded cheddar cheese
4 flour tortillas

Add a drizzle of olive oil to a large skillet.  Heat over medium heat and add onions and garlic.  Saute until onions are translucent.  Add beans (drained, but can leave some liquid), cumin, chili powder,  and salt and pepper to taste.  Use more salt if using home-cooked beans.  Stir to combine and cook until beans are heated through.

Make guacamole by peeling and removing the pit of one avocado.  Mash with a fork in a bowl.  Add freshly squeezed lime juice, salt, and chopped cilantro.  Taste and adjust seasonings.

Make salsa by chopping 1 large or a couple small tomatoes.  Chop cilantro and green onions and add to tomatoes.  Add freshly squeezed lime juice, salt, and a drizzle of olive oil.  Stir to combine.

Assemble burritos: Over one tortilla, layer cheese, a scoop of beans, rice, salsa, and guacamole.  Roll up or fold in half like a taco.