Truffles December 17, 2008

I’ve never actually made this for mo-hubbs before, but it’s a recipe that I recently discovered that I really like.

Truffles:

3/4 cup raw cashews
3/4 cup cold water
2 cups bittersweet chocolate
cocoa powder

Put cashews and cold water in a blender and blend at high speed for 1-2 minutes.

Scrape the sides down and blend again until the mixture is the consistency of heavy cream.

Meanwhile, in a double boiler heat the chocolate until it’s all melted.

Cool the chocolate until it’s comfortable to work with and fold in the cashew cream (making sure not to stir too fast or you’ll create bubbles).

Cool in the fridge for 2 hours (to set).

Take out a small ball, roll in cocoa powder and store in fridge/freezer.

Repeat until done.

Thumbprint Cookies December 17, 2008

Thumbprint Cookies

Makes 25 cookies
1 cup flour
1/2 cup ground hazelnuts (1 cup as whole)
4 oz margarine, at room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup raspberry jam
1/3 cup apricot jam, or other favorite jam

Preheat your oven to 350 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
Cream margarine with sugar until light and fluffy (5 minutes).
Whisk together flour and ground hazelnuts and add to the creamed butter. Mix until well combined.
Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes (it will be easier to shape).
Take a teaspoonful of dough in your hand, form a small ball, press in the center with your finger to make a hole (not all the way) and arrange on baking trays 2 inches apart. (Don’t be tempted to make them bigger than a teaspoonful).
Bake for 15 minutes, until the edges are slightly colored.
Let the cookies cool and fill the holes with your favorite jams.

Oatmeal cookies December 17, 2008

50g soft margarine, or 2/3 of this in canola oil.
2/3 cup light brown sugar
1 egg replacer (like 1/2 banana or 1/2 cup soy yogurt)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
3/4 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 180 degrees. In a large bowl beat sugar and margarine until well mixed. Add egg replacer and vanilla and beat again just enough to mix well. Sift flour, salt, baking powder and cinnamon. Add to egg/sugar mixture and stir well. Add oatmeal and raisins and mix well. Arrange tablespoons of mixture , not too close together, on a baking tray lined with baking paper. You might have to use your (moistened) hands a bit. Bake at 360 for about 15-18 minutes. Let cool on rack for another five minutes.

Banana puff pastry December 17, 2008

And now begins the desert section of the recipes. I wasn’t able to bake a desert every week because of financial reasons, but here are some of my recipes.

bananas
brown sugar
chocolate chips
puff pastry
Soy milk

slice bananas
roll around in brown sugar and chocolate chips
acording to instructions on package, roll banana pieces into puff pastry and glaze with soy milk.
Bake at 350 for 5-10 minutes on slightly oiled cooking sheet.

We love cauliflower, part 2 December 17, 2008

Cauliflower soup!

2 1/2 cups chopped onions
2 tablespoons water
2 cups diced potatoes
5 cups chopped cauliflower
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons ground fennel
4 cups hot water
2 vegetable bouillon cube
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
salt & freshly ground black pepper
chopped tomatoes and chives

In a large Dutch oven or saucepan, sauté onions in water for 5 minutes, or until translucent. Add more water as needed.

Add the potatoes, cumin, and fennel; cook for 1 minute. Add the hot water; cover, turn up the heat and bring to a boil. Add the cauliflower and bouillon cubes and return to a boil.

Lower the heat and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.

In a blender, puree and vegetable/broth mixture until smooth.

Add lemon juice, salt, and pepper to taste. Reheat the soup, being careful not to scorch it.
Makes about 4 servings

Sweet Potato Stew December 17, 2008

3 carrots, chopped
3 stalks celery, sliced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium yam or sweet potato, peeled and cut into cubes
minced ginger root, to taste
1 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans Cannellini Beans, rinsed and drained
curry powder, to taste
ground cumin, to taste
ground pepper, to taste
salt, to taste
6 cups water
1 tbsp lemon juice

Combine all ingredients except lemon juice in a large soup pot. Bring to a boil and stir; then lower heat to simmer for about 40 minutes, or until sweet potatoes are tender. To make the soup creamier, remove about 1 cup of vegetables and liquid and puree; return puree to pan. (Skip this step if you prefer a chunkier, stew-like soup.) Add lemon juice just before serving.

“Creamy” Pumpkin Soup December 17, 2008

1/4 cup water
1 small onion,chopped
4 cups Vegetable Broth
16 ounces canned solid-pack pumpkin
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 teaspoons curry powder
chili pepper, to taste
1/2 cup soy or rice milk

Place the water and onion in a medium saucepan. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes, until the onion is soft. Add the broth, pumpkin and applesauce. Stir to combine. Add the seasonings. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Stir in the milk just before serving.
Serves 10.

Cauliflower Soup December 17, 2008

1 large cauliflower, trimmed and chopped
2 medium sized leeks, trimmed and chopped
3 C vegetable stock
2 tsp herbs de Provence
2 C unsweetened soymilk

Combine cauliflower, leeks, stock and herbs in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cover. Cook, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.

Remove from heat and stir in soymilk. Puree soup if desired, adding more soymilk if needed. Return soup to pot and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Servings: 6

December 17, 2008

This is a bit sweet, but still really good. I did not blend it, but either way would work well.
Squash soup

Servings: 6-8

2 onions, diced
6 cloves garlic, chopped
3 pounds butternut squash, peeled, de-seeded, and cut into 1-inch cubes
some fresh ginger, minced
bay leaf
7 cups vegetable stock or water
1/2 cup orange juice
orange zest, to taste
cinnamon, to taste
soy sauce, to taste
nutmeg, to taste

In a large pot, combine the onions, garlic, squash, ginger, bay leaf and stock. Bring to a boil and then simmer gently for about 30 minutes. When the squash is tender, add the orange juice, orange zest, cinnamon, soy sauce, and nutmeg. Simmer another 5 minutes.

Puree with an immersion blender or place in a blender jar and process until smooth. Transfer back to the pot, season to taste, and re-heat.

Pea soup! December 17, 2008

Black-eyed Pea Soup

15 oz can blackeyes peas, rinsed and drained
8 oz can tomato sauce
1 1/2 cups water
2 medium chopped onions
10 oz spinach
3-4 chopped cloves of garlic
black pepper, to taste
oregano, to taste
parsley, to taste

Put onions into 1/2 cup of water and sauté on high for about 15 minutes. Add spinach and stir in for 2-3 minutes. Add all other ingredients. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 15 minutes.