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.

Spaghetti Squash with Ricotta, Sage, and Pine Nuts

Made this a few times. Easy & yummy. Will become a staple.
Another inspiration from thekitchn.  Don't think I'll need to modify this one beyond method for cooking squash.

Serves 4

1 tablespoon olive oil
6 to 8 fresh sage leaves
3/4 cup ricotta
2 cloves garlic, mashed or grated
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted 

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F: Preheat the oven while you prep the squash.
2. Slice the squash in half: Use a chef's knife to cut the spaghetti squash lengthwise from stem to tail. Spaghetti squash are really tough and hard, so be cautious and work slowly. You can cradle the squash in a balled-up dish cloth to keep it steady as you cut.
3. Scoop out the seeds: Use a soup spoon to scrape out the seeds and stringy bits of flesh from inside the squash. Be careful of actually digging into the flesh, though — we want that! The inside should look clean and fairly smooth. Discard the seeds (or save them and roast them for a snack!).
4. Place the squash in a roasting pan: Place the squash halves cut-side down in a roasting pan.
5. Pour in a little water: Pour a little water in the pan, enough to cover the bottom. Your squash will roast just fine without it, but I find that the water helps the squash steam and become more tender. You can also cover the pan with aluminum foil, if you prefer.
6. Cook the squash for 45 minutes: Transfer the squash to the oven and cook for 45 minutes. Smaller squash will cook more quickly than larger squash. Check the squash after 30 minutes to gauge cooking.
7. Heat the olive oil in a small pan: Quickly fry sage leaves until crispy but not burnt. Crumble sage leaves into a large bowl and combine with ricotta and garlic. Set aside. 
8. The squash is done when tender: The squash is ready when you can easily pierce a fork through the flesh all the way to the peel. The flesh will also separate easily into spaghetti-like strands. You can also taste it right now — if the noodles are still a bit crunchy for your taste, put the squash back in the oven for another 15 to 20 minutes.
9. Scrape out the squash: Use a fork to gently pull the squash flesh from the peel and to separate the flesh into strands. The strands wrap around the squash horizontally — rake your fork in the same direction as the strands to make the longest "noodles."
10. Add the squash to the bowl with the ricotta mixture: Combine squash and ricotta mixture and season to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with pine nuts before serving. 

Buttermilk White Bread

Inspired by this recipe.

¼ cup, plus 1 TBSP water
¾ cup buttermilk
3 TBSP vegetable oil
3 cups bread flour
⅓ cup oatmeal
1½ tsp salt
3 TBSP sugar
1.5 tsp rapid rise yeast

I made this using the dough setting for the bread machine.

Heat water and buttermilk to 80F (in microwave for 30 seconds). Next time, start with more buttermilk and add water to determine correct amount. The dough should be a soft tacky ball.

Pat or roll dough into rectangle of floured surface. Tightly roll up starting with narrow edge of rectangle. Pinch and seal edges underneath.

Place in 9.5 x 5x5 in pan (1.5 lb) to rise till ripe. Next time, try pushing the dough down into the pan to almost touch the sides. Proof at 100F for about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 375F on convection setting (350F). Bake until internal temp reaches 205F, about 35 min. Cool on rack if possible. If not, slice and eat warm. Yum.

Wheat Berry Salad

This has become a favorite for almost any occasion. Not gluten free :)

Recipe serves 6

Ingredients:
   1 1/2 - 2 cups wheat berries
   3/4 cups walnuts or pecans, chopped
   2 stalks celery, finely chopped
   1/2 cups dried cranberries or cherries, chopped
   1 scallion, chopped (white and green parts)
   1/2 cup parsley, finely chopped
   3 Tbs olive oil
   2 Tbs lemon juice + zest
   salt & pepper
   crumbled feta cheese
optional:
   arugula
   yellow bell pepper
   raisins, golden raisins

Directions:

In a large pot, combine the wheat berries and enough water to cover by 2 inches.
Bring to a boil and cook uncovered for 1 hour or until tender.
Drain and let cool.
Toast the nuts in a dry skillet over medium-high heat until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

This is good cold or room temperature. Probably keeps well, but we always eat it within 24 hours no matter how much we make.