Ella's Oatmeal Cookies

Ella saw a film clip during Elmo's World of a girl making oatmeal cookies with her mom. She wrote down the recipe as they made it and then wanted to make them herself. As soon as they were ready, Felix ate two, one after the other. They were delicious!

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar (we use organic evaporated cane juice)
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1-1/2 cups quick cooking oats

1. In a medium bowl, cream together butter and both sugars. Beat in egg, then stir in vanilla. Combine flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon; stir into the creamed mixture. Mix in oats. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour.
2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease cookie sheet. Roll the dough into 12 walnut sized balls, and place 2 inches apart on cookie sheet. Flatten each cookie with a large fork dipped in sugar (flattening & sugar optional).
3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in preheated oven. You want them to still be a bit soft to the touch, not browned. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. and eat while still warm.

Artichoke Bread

Jean brought this when we had our annual soup day. It was so delicious, the kids kept eating it too. You could use non-fat or low-fat sour cream to make it a little healthier.

¼ cup butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp sesame seeds
1 can (14 oz) artichoke hearts or artichoke bottoms
1 cup Monterey jack cheese, shredded
1 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
½ cup sour cream
1 loaf (large) French bread or two small loaves, unsliced.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter in large skillet; add garlic and sesame seeds. Cook, stirring constantly, until sesame seeds are slightly browned. Remove from heat and stir in next three ingredients. Set aside.

Cut bread lengthwise and scoop out centers, leaving a shell of about ½ inch. Place soft removed bread in hot oven to slightly dry it out (10 minutes or so). Put dried bread in food processor to make fine bread crumbs. Add crumbs to artichoke and cheese mixture in the pan and stir well. Texture should be that of a thick dip. It shouldn’t be runny. But if it looks too dry, add a bit more sour cream or milk to loosen it. (I think mine was a bit on the dry side, but that might have been from transporting and then re-heating; not sure).

Place loaf halves on cookie sheet, cover lightly with oil-sprayed foil, and bake about 25 minutes. Uncover and bake another 5 to 7 minutes to brown top, or pop it under broiler.

Allow the bread to set for 5 minutes or so; then slice and serve. Can be an appetizer or dinner accompaniment.

Tamarind Sweet Potato Soup

Much as I love lemon, the soup as made according to the recipe below [from Slow Cooker Cooking by Lora Brody] had too strong of a lemon flavor, overpowering the tamarind and lemongrass. The 2nd time I made this, I left out the lemon, and also used 1/2 the amount of ginger.

3 lbs (1 bag) sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 piece (2-by-1 inch) fresh ginger, peeled and minced
1 large onion, peeled and diced
1 stalk lemongrass, outer leaves discarded, cut into large sections; bash a bit to split and release flavor
1 Tbsp toasted mild sesame oil
1 1/2 tsp tamarind paste
1/4 cup plum vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 cups orange juice
finely grated zest of 1 large lemon
2 cups vegetable stock

Place all of the ingredients in the insert of your slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 4 1/2-5 hours or until the potatoes are extremely tender. Remove and discard the lemongrass. Puree potatoes and cooking liquid with a hand-held immersion blender, adding more water if needed until desired consistency is achieved.

Taste and season with salt and pepper if desired.

Chickpea Pot Pie

A no-meat version of the comforting old classic! I halved this recipe and it was plenty for the 4 of us with some left over. If halving, use a shallower casserole dish; I used a 9 x 12 inch baking dish.

Serves 12

2 Tbs oil (neutral flavor eg. Canola, sunflower, grape seed)
1 1/2 cups onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 celery ribs, chopped
2 medium carrots, diced
5 cups + 1 cup vegetable broth (low-sodium okay)
2 cups frozen corn
1 15 oz can or 2 cups cooked chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
2 Tbs dried parsley
1 Tbs dried rubbed sage
1 Tbs dried marjoram
2 bay leaves
16 oz egg noodles
2 Tbs cornstarch
2 Tbs whole wheat flour
4 oz low fat cream cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 cups frozen peas or shelled edamame
2 cups frozen green beans
1 sheet puff pastry (thawed if frozen)

1. Heat oil, add onion and sauté until browned. Add garlic, carrots, celery, sauté 5 more mins.

2. Stir in 5 cups broth, corn, chickpeas, herbs and bay leaves; reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 30 mins. Add noodles, cook 5-10 mins until tender (add a bit more water if necessary). Remove bay leaves.

3. Whisk together cornstarch, flour and remaining 1 cup broth. Add this to vegetables along with the cream cheese and Parmesan cheese. Salt & pepper to taste. Remove from heat. Stir in peas and green beans.

4. Preheat oven to 375° F. Transfer vegetables& noodles to casserole dish. Place puff pastry on top, first rolling out to size if necessary. Tuck in sides. Or make individual servings - divide among 12 small pie dishes, roll out puff pastry into large square and cut into 12 small squares. Pierce top of pastry with fork in several places. Bake 30-40 mins (check after 30 mins), until crust is golden brown.

Chutneys

We have a plum tree which yielded a lot of fruit this year! Moby already made plum jam, so we are making: plum chutney. Don't have a recipe for this but will let you know how it turned out (see below *), based on these recipes provided by Nicole & Jim:

Jim's fruit chutney
Remove the skins from the fruit and cut them into chunks. In a small saucepan saute a small diced onion, sliced ginger, and a clove of diced garlic in oil (any type except olive). Then add the fruit, and, depending upon how many fruits you have to add say a cup (250 ml) of water for every 4 to 6 fruits. You can always add more if it gets dry. Then add a tablespoon of white or cider vinegar, a tablespoon of sugar or honey and a teaspoon of salt. Also add a tablespoon of garam masala and a pinch of ground red pepper. By the way you can adjust all of these for taste, more sugar if you want it sweeter, pepper for spicier and so on.

Let the mixture simmer on low heat for 45 minutes to an hour until the whole thing is pretty soft. I would let it chill in the fridge for a few days before eating it. It should last for a few weeks in the fridge, or longer if you take the time to can it.

Apple-Apricot Chutney
1 pound of peeled and diced tart apple
1/2 cup of coarsely chopped dried apricot
3/4 cup of cider vinegar
1/2 of a lemon, zest and pulp prepared separately
3/4 cup of light brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup of minced fresh ginger
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup of golden raisins
2 shallots, chopped
2 1/2 teaspoons of salt

In medium nonreactive saucepan combine all ingredients. Boil gently, uncovered, until thickened, 20 to 30 minutes. Let cool to room temperature. Store chutney tightly covered in refrigerator for up to two weeks or can.

Green chutney
2 1/2 cups coriander leaves
1 1/2 cup mint leaves
6-8 green chilies
1 tsp salt
1 tsp lemon juice
water as required

Grind all the ingredients together adding 2-3 tbs of water to get the desired consistency.

Kumquat Chutney
6 navel oranges
12 fresh kumquats
or 1 10 oz (280 g) jar preserved kumquats
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 cup (250 ml) raisins
2 cups (500 ml) cider vinegar
2 cups (500 ml) packed brown sugar
2 cinnamon sticks
6 whole cloves
2 Tbs (30 ml) finely chopped fresh ginger
1/2 tsp (2 ml) cayenne pepper, or to taste
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Cut the unpeeled oranges into 1/4 inch (5 mm) slices, and cut the slices into 6 or 8 pieces. Cut the kumquats into 1/4 inch (5 mm) slices. Combine all the ingredients in a large saucepan and bring to a boil over moderate heat, stirring frequently. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Ladle into clean jars and seal. Will keep refrigerated for up to 4 weeks. Makes about 5 cups (1.25 L).

Spicy Fruit Chutney
4 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and diced
1 cup (250 ml) diced dried fruits, such as apricots,
peaches, prunes, pears, etc.
1 Jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped (add
more or less, to taste)
1/4 cup (60 ml) balsamic or red wine vinegar
1 Tbs (15 ml) sugar
1 Tbs (15 ml) salt
2 tsp (10 ml) ground cinnamon
2 tsp (10 ml) ground coriander
1/2 tsp (2 ml) ground cloves

Combine all ingredients in a sauce pan and bring to a boil, covered, over moderate heat. Reduce heat and simmer covered for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Store covered and refrigerated for up to 1 month. Makes about 2 cups (500 ml).

Tomato Chutney (not Ines’)
1/4 cup (60 ml) vegetable oil
1/2 tsp (2 ml) cumin seeds
6 - 8 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
4 - 6 green chilies, halved and seeded
1 lb (450 g) ripe tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1 tsp (5 ml) paprika
Cayenne pepper to taste
Salt to taste

Heat the oil in a skillet over high heat. Add the cumin seeds and fry for 10 seconds. Add the garlic and halved chilies and cook for 1 minute. Add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 1 hour, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes are reduced to a thick paste and the oil has separated. Cool and serve at room temperature. Will keep covered and refrigerated for 1 week, and frozen for several months. Makes about 1 cup (250 ml).

*Julie's plum & 'Swedish' chutney
True to the mission statement of this blog, I did a 'Swedish chef' of the recipes above plus Ines' advice (some of which I followed), and the chutney turned out great. Here's the 'recipe' (if I can remember):

2 diced onions, some garlic, approx 12 plums (skinned), 6 plum tomatoes (skinned), 2 handfuls of raisins, 1 dried chili pepper. Approx. 300 gr. sugar, 250 ml white vinegar, good spoonful of mustard. Ample cumin powder, cumin seeds, 2 tsp salt, some pepper, pinch nutmeg, coriander, ginger, bit of fennel, 8 cloves, err.... don't remember the rest. Then the secret ingredient: one lime cut into slices approx. 1/2 cm thick. Then cook for approx. 3 hrs (stir frequently) until it is nice and thick. This made 3-4 jamjars full.

It was my first chutney and it is good! =)

Flo's Tomato, Goat Cheese & Onion Tart

1 prepared pie crust (puff pastry is best)

3 TB olive oil 

2 large onions very thinly sliced 

 6 oz. crumbled goat cheese 

4 or 5 ripe tomatoes sliced [GOOD tomatoes e.g. beautiful summer heirloom/dashti toms]

Salt & pepper to taste

GARNISH: fresh basil or tarragon leaves

   

Preheat oven to 375 degrees/according to dough packaging. 
 Place dough into a tart pan with a removable bottom, press into sides. Prick the dough all over (including the sides). Blind bake (cover with foil filled with aluminum foil and beans, rice or pie weights) for approximately 15 minutes. Remove foil and weights and bake for approximately 15 minutes until light golden brown.

Remove the crust from the oven and allow to cool. Sauté the onions in the olive oil over a very low heat until caramelized [optional: stir a little dried basil into caramelized onions towards end of cooking time]. Cool the onions completely and spread over the cooled pie shell. Sprinkle with 4 oz of the goat cheese and make decorative spirals on top of the cheese with the sliced tomatoes. Sprinkle the remaining goat cheese and place under the broiler for approximately 5 minutes to brown and soften the goat cheese.

Garnish with small or shredded basil leaves, or tarragon leaves. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Easy Gazpacho

I made this for dinner last night, and Nicki asked me to post the recipe. Works great when it's hot like it has been here, because it's nice and cold and doesn't require any cooking in a hot kitchen.

Gazpacho

16 oz canned diced tomatoes
1 cup cucumber, peeled and seeded
1 medium sized bell or sweet Italian pepper
1 large red onion
2 cloves garlic
2/3 cup of olive oil
juice from 1 lemon
1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon dried parsley (or 1 Tbsp fresh if available)
1 teaspoon dried oregano (ditto)
salt to taste

Finely chop the onion, garlic, cucumber and pepper (works best if you mince them in a food processor). Combine the finely chopped ingredients in a blender with the tomatoes and the olive oil, lemon juice, Worcestershire, vinegar, herbs and salt. Blend until smooth.

Chill in the refrigerator at least 4 hours before serving. Serve cold with tabasco sauce, if desired.