Beans & Rice

1 pound dried beans
water to cover
2 large bay leaves
1 onion, diced
3 stalks celery, diced
olive oil, salt, pepper
roasted diced vegetables (optional)
field roast 'sausages', pan fried (optional)
canned tomatoes (optional)
1 cup brown basmati rice

Wash and pick through beans. Cover with water + 2 inches and bring to a boil. Add bay leaves.
Cook at 175 - 200 on induction burner for 2 hours until slightly tender.
Saute vegetables in olive oil with salt and pepper to taste.
Add vegetables, and optional ingredients  to beans with 1 tsp salt and additional pepper.
Cook one more hour or until almost tender. Add rice and 2 cups water and cook 40 more minutes.
Let sit for 5 minutes. Enjoy!

Feel free to experiment with beans and ingredients. This was great with Yellow Indian Woman  Beans, leftover roasted sweet potatoes and apple sage field roast sausage with tomato sauce.

Kale & Brussels Sprouts Salad

This has become a mainstay salad for us lately. Keeps well

Total Time: 15 min.
Prep Time: 15 min.
Cooking Time: None
Yield: 4 servings, about 3 cups each

Ingredients:
1 large bunch kale, washed, thoroughly dried, stems removed, finely chopped & massaged
(6 to 8 cups chopped)
8 brussels sprouts, finely shredded
1½ medium cucumbers, thinly sliced
1 medium red bell pepper, thinly sliced
½ tsp. Himalayan salt
3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp. raw cider vinegar
24 whole almonds, chopped

Preparation:
1. Combine kale, brussels sprouts, cucumbers, and bell pepper in a large serving bowl.
2. Season with salt.
3. Drizzle with oil, lemon juice, and vinegar; toss gently to blend.
4. Refrigerate, covered, for 15 minutes.
5. Sprinkle with almonds and enjoy!

Corn Tortillas

Makes 10

1 cup Maseca masa

1 cup Bobs masa

1.5 cups hot water

0.5 tsp salt

Mix together and knead for 2 min. Dough should be soft, but not sticky. It will become stiffer after resting.

Rest for 30 - 60 min in warm place (proof at 85 in oven).

Cook at 500F on electric skillet

Summer Squash Soup

This recipe was derived from a recipe by Faith Durand. I initially made this with yellow squash, although the original recipe was for zucchini. 

This makes 1 1/2 quarts - appetizers for 4 or  dinner for 2

•   3 tablespoons olive oil

•   1 white onion, sliced

•   8 to 9 large cloves garlic, sliced thinly

•   2 medium squash, about 1 1/2 pounds

•   4 cups water

•   1 cube Rapunzel veggie boullion (or add stock veggies)

•   1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger

•   Salt and pepper

•   Almond yogurt seasoned with amchur powder

•   chopped mint leaves

Heat the olive oil in a heavy 4-quart stock pot over medium heat. Add the sliced garlic and onions and cook on medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, or until the onion is soft and translucent. Keep the heat low enough that the garlic doesn't brown; you want everything to sweat.

When the onions are soft, add the squash and cook until soft. Add the broth and bring to a simmer. Simmer at a low heat for about 45 minutes.

Let cool slightly, then blend. 

Taste and season with ginger, salt and pepper. When serving, top with a dollop of yogurt and sprinkle with finely chopped mint leaves

Unike most soups, this is not significantly better after a night in the refrigerator. The flavors meld, but IMHO the soup was slightly better fresh.

Mexican Layer Dip

I made this for E's birthday party and it was very good.

2 cans Bush's pinto beans
1 can diced green chilies (mild)
cheddar (yellow & white) & pepper jack cheese
3 avocados
1 cup sour cream
limes
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
homemade salsa (garlic, tomatoes, shallots, cilantro, bell peppers, cumin, chili powder, lime, salt, pepper)

Rinse and drain pinto beans, pan fry in olive oil with a little crushed garlic, mashing a little over half the beans. Add green chilies and a squeeze of lime, salt & pepper. Cook until well seasoned. The beans will become stiffer after they cool.

Mash avocados with a little lime juice.

Mix paprika into sour cream, add a squeeze of lime. Flavor should be subtle.

Make salsa and lit sit an hour to let flavors develop.

Spread beans in glass casserole dish.
Top with a layer of finely grated cheese.
Spread avocados over cheese layer.
Spread sour cream over avocados. Refrigerate if making ahead.
Drain salsa & spread on top immediately before serving.

Apple Oatmeal Muffins

This is recipe was modified from http://www.food.com/recipe/apple-oatmeal-muffins-38059

Ingredients 

• 2 eggs 
• 3/4 cup milk, almond milk, ...
• 1/2 cup peanut oil - or use 1/4 butter, 1/4 oil
• 1 cup all-purpose flour - I used a little whole wheat as well 
• 1 cup uncooked thick cut oats 
• 1 1/2 mashed ripe banana, milled
• 1 Tbs baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp  ground cinnamon  
• 2 medium or 3 small apples,  -cored, peeled and chopped

Directions

    1. Preheat oven to convection bake at 425 degrees F. 

    2. Grease 2 mini muffin tins.

    3. In a large bowl, lightly beat eggs; add milk and oil, stirring until just blended.
    4. Add milled banana and stir.
    5. Combine flour, oats, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon in a small bowl

    6. Chop apples
    7. Stir dry ingredients into liquid mixture, mixing until only just moistened (do not over mix).

    8. Gently fold in the apples.

    9. Spoon batter into the muffin tins, dividing evenly among the cups. I used medium sized cookie scoop.

    10. Bake in preheated oven for 22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. rotate pan half way through.

    11. Cool in pan 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to finish cooling.

    12. Serve warm or cool; store unused portions in an airtight container.

Fisherman's Stew

This is an inexpensive, easy and tasty dish. Original source here was modified for our preferences.

6 large garlic cloves, crushed in press
4 anchovy fillets, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
1 medium carrot, chopped
Salt to taste
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, with liquid
3/4 cup white wine
8 oz clam juice 
3 cups water
1 pound potatoes (yukon gold or new), cut into big chunks 
1 large bay leaf
1 sprig pars 
Freshly ground pepper
1.8 lb pounds cod, cut in 2-inch pieces (could be more)
1 cup chopped parsley leaves (or more)



Place the garlic cloves and anchovies in a small bowl and mash. Set aside.

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in Dutch oven, and add the onion, celery and carrot with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring, until the onion is tender, about five minutes.

Add the pureed garlic and anchovy. Cook, stirring, until the mixture is very fragrant, about one minute, and then add the tomatoes. Cook, stirring often, until the tomatoes have cooked down a bit and the mixture smells aromatic, about 10 to 15 minutes.

Add the wine, clam juice, water, potatoes and the herbs. Salt to taste. Bring to a simmer. Turn the heat to low, cover partially and simmer 30 minutes. Taste, adjust salt and add pepper to taste.

Season the fish with salt and pepper, and stir into the soup. The soup should not be boiling. Simmer five to 10 minutes (depending on the thickness of the fillets) or just until it flakes easily when poked. Remove from the heat, stir in the parsley, taste once more, adjust seasonings and serve.

Advance preparation: You can make this without the fish up to three days ahead. Keep in the refrigerator, bring back to a simmer and proceed with the recipe.

 

Dill & Shallot Bread

This one worked out very well. Makes a sandwich style loaf, went well with spicy lentil soup. Will try to duplicate.

2/3 cups Italian flour
1/2 cup WW flour
3 cups white bread flour
1.5 tsp salt
dollop unfed starter
2 tsp yeast
2.5 Tbs olive oil
1.5 cups water
3-4 Tbs chopped dill
1 large diced shallot

Made a very soft dough. Baked convection bake 425F for 20-25 min in dark metal loaf pan.

Thai Peanut Salad Cups

 

Thai Peanut Salad Cups (makes 12 cups)


You'll need:
24 wonton wrappers
vegetable oil cooking spray
1/4 cup all natural peanut butter
2 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
3 tsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp honey
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 tbsp grated ginger
1/4-1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (chili flakes)
450 grams shredded cabbage and carrots (buy a pre-washed bag at the grocery store if you wish!)
1-2 tbsp sliced green onions
2-3 tbsp crushed peanuts

To make:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Spray a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray and place 2 wonton wrappers inside each muffin cup, making sure to offset the corners to create a "flower" pattern. Push the wrappers down into the muffin cups.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 10-13 minutes or until the cups are crispy and slightly browned. Let them cool in the muffin tin until they reach room temperature and then remove them to a wire rack or serving platter.

Combine the peanut butter, rice vinegar, lime juice, oil, soy sauce, honey, minced garlic, grated ginger, salt and red pepper flakes in a small bowl and whisk very well until combined. Set the dressing aside.

Add the shredded cabbage and carrots to a large bowl. Pour the dressing over the cabbage mix and toss well to coat. Spoon the cabbage salad into the cooled wonton cups and arrange them on a serving tray or platter. Top them with the sliced green onions and crushed peanuts and serve immediately!

To help the wonton wrappers keep their crunch it's best to serve these immediately after assembling. If you're making them for a party, feel free to assemble the cabbage salad ahead of time and keep it in the fridge until it's time to serve. Simply spoon the salad into the cups right before serving, and you're good to go!

Broccoli Cheese Muffins

These are a work in progress, first attempt at this. I didn't like any of the recipes I saw online so this is what I've tried.

• 2 cups broccoli florets, cut into bite size pieces 
• 1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled to room temperature 
• 2 large eggs 
• 1 1/2 cup buttermilk, room temperature 
• 1 cup self-rising flour
• 1 cup corn meal
• 1 tsp baking powder 
• 1/4 tsp salt 
• 1 tsp mustard powder 
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper 
• 1+ cup goat feta & Vermont cheddar cheese , grated

Preheat oven to 350F.

Mix dry ingredients and wet ingredients separately. I used blender on wet ingredients since butter solidified.

Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Fold in broccoli & cheese. Add more buttermilk if needed.

Grease mini muffin tins with butter. Fill to top of muffin tin, bake for 35 min.

Makes 39 mini muffins.