Stir Fry Napa Cabbage

Needed to use up a small Napa cabbage we got a few weeks ago from Seton Harvest.  This was very good with brown sugar game and green beans for dinner tonight.  I got the recipe from the Food Network, http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ellie-krieger/stir-fry-cabbage-recipe.html, and only modified it slightly, using olive oil instead of canola oil and coconut amines instead of soy sauce.

INGREDIENTS

1 small onion, or 1/2 medium one, sliced or diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 small head Napa cabbage, cleaned and thinly sliced

2 Tbsp coconut aminos

1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar

2 tsp toasted sesame oil

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

Heat olive oil in large skillet.  Add onion, garlic, and ginger.  Sauté about 1-2 minutes.  Add cabbage and sauté until begins to wilt, about 2 minutes.  Add coconut aminos (or soy sauce if okay with soy) and rice vinegar.  Continue cooking until cabbage wilted, about 3 minutes.  Remove from heat and drizzle with sesame oil.

Nancy's Sweet Potato Bread

My wife Nancy makes a very tasty sweet potato bread for most of our Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners.  She got the recipe off the back of a yeast package, and has modified it slightly.  Her notes are in italics, and the original recipe is in regular type.  When making it so that I can eat it, too, she uses soy-free Earth Balance buttery spread instead of magarine or butter.  And she doesn't use the milk glaze - just rubs some of the buttery spread over the warm loaves.

Sweet Potato Coil  - original recipe in regular type, comments in italics

Things to know before you start: this recipe includes a 2-24 hour period of chilling the dough in the refrigerator.  This makes it good for holidays, and the mixing and kneading can be done earlier, and the forming the dough, rising and baking done later, at a convenient time – you just have to figure out your schedule.

Ingredients for bread to make 2 loaves: (amounts for 3 loaves in parentheses)

½ cup warm water (105-115°)     (3/4 cup)

2 pkg yeast                                         (3pkg)

¼ cup packed brown sugar          (3/8 cup)

1 Tbsp. salt                                          (1 ½ Tbsp)

3 Tbsp. margarine, melted (butter works)             (4 ½ Tbsp)

2 eggs, room temperature           (3)

3 ½ cups flour (white or pastry wheat)   (5 ¼ cups)

An  8 or 9 ounce can of sweet potatoes, drained and mashed (can also microwave a large sweet potato, and use the mash)                                   (a 14 oz can)                  

½ cup chopped walnuts (can substitute pecans)                                (3/4 cup)

Ingredients for glaze to brush on bread before baking: (I sometimes skip this, and just butter the loaf when it comes out of the oven. If you do use it, the amounts don’t change for 3 loaves.)

1 egg, room temperature

2 Tbsp cold milk 

Instructions for bread:

Get eggs out of the fridge so they can get to room temperature.

Mash the sweet potatoes.

Melt the margarine.

Get the rest of the ingredients out.

Put the warm water into a bowl.  I always use a thermometer to check the temp, as I have had yeast problems in the past.

Sprinkle in the yeast, and stir until dissolved.

Add sugar, salt, margarine, eggs, and one cup of flour.  Beat until smooth.

Stir in sweet potatoes, nuts, and enough remaining flour to make soft dough.

Turn out onto floured surface, knead 6-8 minutes.

Set in greased bowl, turn.

Cover with plastic wrap and chill 2 to 24 hours.

~~~2 to 24 hour Interlude~~~

Oil round 8-inch baking pans.

Oil hands and punch down dough. Divide into two parts. Roll (I just pull and stretch it) each part into 25-inch rope. Beginning in the center of greased 8-inch round baking pan, coil rope.

Cover. Let rise in warm, draft free place until doubled in size – about an hour.

Preheat oven to 375°

Instructions for glaze (I consider this optional, and prefer the butter method mentioned earlier, though it is less shiny, and the crust less crunchy that way)

Beat egg with milk, brush on loaves.

Bake at 375° for 30-35 minutes, or until done.

Remove from pans and cool on wire racks.

Pecan Pie

This recipe is from Epicurious, modified only slightly so I can enjoy it, too.  http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/old-fashioned-pecan-pie-356072

INGREDIENTS

1 deep dish frozen pie crust

6 Tbsp soy free Earth Balance buttery spread

1-1/4 cups packed light brown sugar

3/4 cups light corn syrup

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/2 tsp orange zest

1/4 tsp salt

3 large eggs

2 cups pecan halves

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

Place cooking sheet on middle rack in oven.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In small saucepan over medium heat, melt buttery spread.  Whisk in brown sugar.  Remove from heat. Whisk in corn syrup, vanilla, orange zest, and salt.  Lightly beat eggs in separate bowl, then add to brown sugar/syrup and mix together well.  Put pecans in bottom of pie crust.  Get cookie sheet out of oven and put pie on.  Pour syrup mixture over pecans evenly.  Return to middle rack in oven.  Bake 50-60 minutes, or until done.  Let cool thoroughly before serving.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Squash, Dried Cranberries, and Dijon Vinaigrette

Trying a new dish this Thanksgiving.  Our Thanksgiving dinner is still very traditional - turkey, chestnut stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes, creamed onions, peas, sweet potato bread, crudités, pies.  With the kids off having Thanksgiving with friends, we can cut back and make some changes, tho.  This recipe comes from the Blogging Over Thyme blog, http://www.bloggingoverthyme.com/roasted-brussels-sprouts-squash-dried-cranberries-dijon-vinaigrette/

INGREDIENTS

1 pound butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 3/4 inch chunks

1 pound Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved lengthwise

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil + 1 tsp

1/2 tsp salt

Freshly ground pepper

1/4 cup dried cranberries

Dijon Vinaigrette

2 tsp Dijon mustard

1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 pinches salt

Freshly ground pepper

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.  Place squash and sprouts on cookie sheet in single layer. Drizzle with oil, toss using hands, sprinkle with salt and pepper, toss.  Roast in oven 20-30 minutes, tossing 2 or 3 times.  Add cranberries last 5 minutes.  Remove from oven (should be well carmelized), sprinkle with remaining tsp olive oil, and let cool slightly.

Whisk together vinaigrette ingredients.  Place squash, sprouts, and cranberries in serving bowl and mix with vinaigrette before serving.

Delicata Squash with Orange & Pistachios

Three of my favorite flavors together in one dish!  Yum!  The recipe is from EatingWell, http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/delicata_squash_orange_pistachios.html   Delicata squash has a wonder, delicate flavor, and the skin is tender enough to eat when cooked - so no peeling!

Takes about 35 minutes to make, and serves 4.

INGREDIENTS

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 shallots, halved and sliced

1 large, or 2 smaller, Delicata squash, halved lengthwise, seeded, and thinly sliced (about 4 cups)

1 tsp orange zest

3/4 cup orange juice

1/4-1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

2 Tbsp chopped salted pistachios

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add shallots and cook, stirring, until softened and beginning to brown, about 2 minutes.  Add squash, orange zest and juice, salt and pepper.  Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook, stirring once, until the squash is almost tender, 6-8 minutes.  Uncover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is absorbed and the squash is tender and beginning to brown, 12-15 minutes more.  Garnish with pistachios.

Nutritional information:  each serving - 130 calories, 5 g fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 20 g carbs, 2 g protein, 4 g fiber, 313 mg sodium, 507 mg potassium

Roasted Spaghetti Squash and Kohlrabi Soup

Trying a new soup recipe and using up things from our Seton Harvest partial share.  This recipe is from http://www.theintentionalminimalist.com/2013/10/roasted-spaghetti-squash-and-kohlrabi.html.  I'm hoping it will help get rid of this cold I seem to be coming down with.

INGREDIENTS

1 spaghetti squash (yields about 4 cups)

1 cup kohlrabi, peeled and chopped

1 medium onion, peeled and chopped (about 1 cup)

2 Tbsp Extra virgin olive oil

1 medium apple, peeled, cored, and chopped (about 1 cup)

2 Tbsp pure maple syrup, plus some for drizzling on soup

1/4 tsp Garam masala 

Salt

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Cut spaghetti squash in half lengthwise.  Place squash halves cut side down in a glass baking dish with 1/2 inch water.  Baked, covered, about 30 minutes.  Flip squash halves and bake, uncovered, an additional 10-15 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool 10 minutes.  Remove seeds.  Scoop out spaghetti squash and set aside.

In a large metal soup pot, add 1 cup chopped onion,1 cup chopped kohlrabi, 2 Tbsp olive oil, 1/8 tsp salt.  Cook over medium heat 10 minutes.  Add chopped apple, spaghetti squash, and 1 cup water.  Stir, cover, and cook 10 minutes.  Add 3 cups water, 2 Tbsp pure maple syrup, 1/4 tsp Garam masala, 1/4 tsp salt and bring to boil.  Reduce heat to medium low, cover, and cook 20 minutes.  Remove from heat.

Blend.  This can be done in soup pot using emersion blender or handheld blender, or in batches in free-standing blender.  Serve with small swirl of maple syrup or plain.

Corn Fritters

Making the kohlrabi fritters last week reminded me of my love for corn fritters.  Not the round, deep-fried variety one finds at the Fall Festival, but the kind my mom made.  Her corn fritters, with maple syrup and bacon, was one of my very favorite meals.  Daniel and Hope recently sent me a few more family treasures, and amongst them was a note pad with several hand-written recipes, in mom's handwriting, including her corn fritters recipe.

Real corn fritters without flour

   4 ears raw corn

   2 eggs beaten

   Pinch of salt, dash of pepper

Score the rows of raw corn, press out the milk with the back of a knife.  Add the eggs and seasonings and fry in shallow fat over not too hot a fire.  Serve immediately.  If the corn is excessively milky, you may add a tiny bit of flour.

I made mine a bit differently, but they tasted very much like I remember Mom's.  Lovely trip down memory lane.

INGREDIENTS

1/2 - 3/4 cup frozen corn kernels

2 large eggs, beaten

Bacon fat from cooking 3-4 slices bacon

Salt & pepper to taste

Sprinkle (maybe 1/2 tsp) flour

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

Place corn in covered microwave dish.  Microwave about 2-3 minutes.  Place corn in colander and run cold water over to cool.  Mix corn with beaten eggs and seasonings.  Sprinkle flour over and mix well.

Drop large spoonfuls of batter into skillet with bacon grease at medium hot temperature.  Cook until browned, flip and cook other side till browned.  Repeat until all batter is used.  Makes about 4 large fritters.

Serve immediately with the 4 slices of bacon you just cooked and a little maple syrup.

Cornflake Oatmeal Cookies

These are a favorite in our family.  The recipe came from Nancy's family, and we've modified it a little over the years.  To make so I can eat them, I use Earth Balance soy free buttery spread as the shortening (otherwise we use Crisco).  We usually use a bit less sugar and less salt than the recipe calls for.

To make these vegan, I use 1/2 cup Earth Balance soy-free buttery spread, 1/2 cup coconut oil, and Egg Replacer.

INGREDIENTS

3/4 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup white sugar

1 cup shortening

2 eggs

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

2 cups flour, scant

2 cups old fashioned oats

2 cups cornflakes

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Cream together shortening and sugars.  Add eggs and beat well.  Add dry ingredients and mix well (I often mix them together separately then add them).  Gently stir in oatmeal and cornflakes.

Use teaspoon to drop batter on ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake 10-12 minutes.

Makes 4-5 dozen cookies.