pancakes with cranberry compote

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 1/4 cups milk
1 egg
3 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Make a well in the center and pour in the milk, egg and melted butter; mix until smooth.
Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.


Compote

1 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup water

Cook ingredients together until the cranberries are soft, then reduce until it becomes thicker.

Red Bean Burgers

Erik is HUGE fan of beans! I didn't think I was much of a meat eater until we spent more time together. Now I seem like a dedicated carnivore. In comparison to the average American, I still look like I'm a vegetarian. I've revamped the bean burger recipe I used some 12 years ago and this is what we came up with.

This recipe makes 8 large burgers! Packed with fiber and protein. Feel free to substitute 1 egg for 1 tbsp of ground flax meal (mix 1 tbsp hot water with 1 tbsp flax meal to thicken.)

1 cup dried red beans
1-2 chicken boullion
2-3 tbsp olive oil + 1 tbsp butter optional
1 small onion= 3/4 cup chopped
1/2 zucchini chopped
1 yellow bell pepper
1 jalepeno pepper
3/4 cup chopped mushrooms
1-2 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp curry
1/4 chopped FRESH cilantro or parsley or both
couple dashes of hot sauce
4 eggs beaten
1/4-1/2 cup bread crumbs

Soak beans over night. If you didn't do that, add water and start boiling them. After the first boil pour off water and replace with fresh water. Add boullion, bring to a boil then cut down to a simmer. You may need to add more water. They tend to soak up a lot. Especially these larger red beans. When they're almost tender you can start the veggies. Heat a pan with olive oil (and butter). Add all chopped veggies and garlic. Add salt, cumin and curry. Stir and saute. Set aside. Check on the beans again. They should be firm and cooked through. Strain. and pour beans into a medium sized bowl. Use a pastry blender to coarsely chop them or do it with a knife on a cutting board. Mix sauted veggies and beans together. ( I had some left over quinoa and sprouted lentils that I added to the mixture too.) Add chopped herbs and hot sauce. Stir in eggs and sprinkle on bread crumbs as needed. The mixture should be wet looking, a little mushy. It will ensure a good bind when you cook them or else they fall apart easier. Spoon some onto the olive oil hot pan. Spread out into burger shapes and cook until toasted then flip carefully.

My personal favorite is to serve on multi-grain or rye bread with fixins' like fresh spinach or lettuce, spicy mustard and sliced tomatoes.

place a mound of mixture and flatten,

if it falls apart when you flip it, add more egg

I didn't cook all of it so I only added egg to what I

used and put the rest in the fridge

November 12-14, 2010

This weekend is a bit busy. Erik and I just went grocery shopping. Usually what happens after shopping is a really busy day in the kitchen. I tend to cook a few things at the same time to have some dishes pre-made in the fridge. In case of being in a hurry to go somewhere, I can just heat and go. For all of you who say, "I don't have time to cook" this is one way to manage the time. If you have a laundry day or a stay at home day where you take care of things or relax, you can cook at the same time! Anyways, we have a few dinner engagements this weekend so the cooking that follows are the dishes we'll be bringing along or cooking there.

Birthday Party Dish!!!
Apple Struedel
Preheat to 350

Dough*

1 cup all-purpose flour
6 Tbsp unsalted butter
4-6 Tbsp cold water
pinch of salt

Apples

which ever are you favorites will do, some tend to stay firm better, just experiment
for this amount of dough we tend to use 2-3 apples, but it really depends on how you plan to use the dough.

2-3 apples, cored, peeled & cut into quarters or slices (I like them chunky but slices fit better)
1 Tbsp cinnamon
2-3 Tbsp of brown sugar
1/8 tsp clove or nutmeg, optional to make the flavor have more depth

Let's make dough first.... I've discovered lately that if we let it sit for at least an hour, better over night, the result is flakier. Get a medium sized bowl, add flour and pinch of salt. Cut butter into small cubes and add to flour mixture. If you have a pastry blender use it. Otherwise two butter knives will work to cut into the mixture, using the knives pull away from center in opposite direction; or use your hands- the key here is not to heat the butter too much- and your hands can be too warm at times. So, if you notice the butter melting stop and run your hands under cold water for a minute then continue. We're looking for a uniform crumbled mixture of butter and flour. When you've reached that point it's time to add the water. Add 4 Tbsp and mix before you decide to add more. The dough should be wet but not oozing. It shouldn't stick to your hands, that means it's too wet. If it's still crumbly or when you pick up a handful and try to flatten it, the edges crack, add more water. You want the dough to roll out nicely without that happening. Its not odd to use up to 7 Tbsp of water. Mix well, kneading for a few minutes in the bowl. Cover and let stand for at least an hour. If you are preparing a day in advance, put it in tupperware, sealed or wrapped well in plastic wrap, in the fridge.

Apples....
Peel, core, cut and or slice, you can make cubes or stars if you want. Add all spices and sugar. Mix well.
Roll out dough into a rectangle. You can cut this in half or fold over when it comes time to close it. Place apples on top and arrange so that they are snug together leaving about an inch around them to connect the dough. Wet the edges with a little water on your fingers. Fold over or place your second piece on top. Pinch together with your fingers or use a fork. Cut a few slits on top to allow air to escape. Repeat until dough or apples are gone. Place on a buttered cookie sheet. Cook until top becomes light brown. Depending on size it could take 20-40 minutes.

*This dough is versatile! I use it for dumplings, pie crust, empanandas, pot pies or anythings else you need dough for.




Tapas Party Dish!!!!
Empanaditas de Carne
(little empanadas- crust stuffed with meat or other filling)

Dough
refer to recipe above, doubled

Meat Filling

Today we'll be using ground beef. They are typically made with beef, chicken, or spinach. But let's face it, there is a lot of room for creativity here.

1/2 large yellow onion, chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 jalepeno, chopped
2 Tbsp olive oil
1.5 lb of ground beef
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 cup yellow raisins
1 large tomato, chopped


Heat olive oil over med-hi heat. Add onion, garlic, jalepeno, salt, pepper, saute until fragrant. Add meat and saute until browned. We want to brown it, not steam it. So use a large enough pan so the meat has breathing room, other wise a lot of liquid will develop. If this happens, turn up the heat a little and let it evaporate. Once brown, add tomatoes and raisins, cover for a few minutes to let the tomatoes cook and the raisins plump up. When it all looks like it has integrated and isn't to wet or dry and it tastes good, turn off the heat. You don't want it too wet because it will make the dough soggy.

Roll out the dough into the shapes desired, fill leaving a border to join both sides. We (my friend Raquel and I, sh'es visiting to learn how to make them) will be making small, bite size versions since they are for a Tapas Party. Cook until light brown on top and edges. You're only cooking the crust so it should be more than 15 minutes, depending on how many you have on the cookie sheet and the size. If you want to go the extra mile...whip an egg white and brush on after cooking for about 8 minutes. It will make the crust a beautiful golden brown.

Rooftop Pool Party
Stir-Fry
One of my Favorite Staples
My friend, Nidhi, will be receiving a cooking lesson for this dish. Super easy, fast and cheap!

Shopping List:

1 lg onion
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic
2-3 tbsp shredded or chopped ginger*
1/2+ cup sliced onion
(one small or 1/2 of a large one or for more color add scallions)
2 lg carrots, sliced thin
1/3 head of green cabbage or 1/2 napa cabbage
2 cups chinese green beans (they are really long)
1/4 cup soy sauce*
juice of 1-2 limes
1 tbsp sugar
2-3 tbsp sesame oil
1 chili pepper, jalepeno or other, or red pepper*

Heat the olive oil + 1 tbsp sesame oil in a large pan or pot on medium to high heat. (We don't want to burn the garlic to adjust heat as necessary.) Add garlic, ginger, peppers and onions.(If you're using scallions add them with the veggies.) Allow them to become fragrant and start to brown a little, add carrots and cabbage. If you cut your carrots a little thicker let them cook a little before adding the cabbage. Stir occasionally to get an even cooking rate. Add beans. Keep stirring for a few more minutes. Turn up the heat a little before adding the soy sauce...this will ensure that it doesn't steam your vegetables too much and wil kind of caramelize the soy a bit to be a glaze over the veggies. Add lime juice. Add tbsp of sugar and mix, mix, mix. Add remaining sesame oil.

Serve with brown or white rice. This dish can easily be altered to add meat. Meat should be chopped into small pieces or ground. Just add it in with the garlic and ginger at the beginning and wait until it browns up before adding other veggies. Or this can be a side dish to a meat.

Buen probecho!

Green Lentil Soup with Fixins'

I think this dish would serve 4 people comfortably

You will need this stuff for the lentil soup:

3/4c lentils, i used green, but any will do if you want a colorful soup go for yellow!
1 large carrot, cut in 3
1/2 onion
1/8 tsp thyme
1/8 tsp basil
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp cumin
1/8 tsp curry powder (indian pref)
2 cubes chicken boullion
1 tsp salt
couple sprigs of cilantro


I tend to presoak my beans for cooking but if you're in a pinch, you've come to the right place because lentils don't take long to cook anyways.(note- if you soak beans, throw out water and replenish with fresh water to boil! or if its last minute, pour off water after first boil- my friend Jason's grandma says "that's where the winds' at." Boil until beans are almost tender then add boullion carrot and onion. Simmer until all is tender. Pour into a blender and puree. If you have one of those hand held things that puree...go for it. If you lack something to puree with, sorry, just leave it chunky. Just Take out the carrot and onion after it cooks thoroughly and chop it up. I leave the carrots in larger pieces for better flavor. Taste and add salt if desired.

You will need this stuff for the fixins:

hot peppers*
2 cloves garlic
4 Tbsp Olive oil
1 Tbsp butter
8oz-16oz Mushrooms*
2-3 cups Chopped Kale
1/4c H2O + 2-3 Tbsp
1/2 onion
1/2 jalepeno

Saute finely chopped hot peppers, one clove garlic, 2tbsp olive oil and 1tbsp butter together until you get an aroma and the garlic starts to become golden.Then add mushrooms and saute until they are well cooked and release all their liquid.

Add Kale + 1/4c water, cover for a few minutes until kale changes color to bright green, then leave the cover off and let the remaining liquid evaporate. Once this is done, transfer to a bowl and set aside.

In the same pan, (since i try to use as little kitchen ware as possible= less dishes) saute olive oil, a clove of garlic, half of a yellow onion and half of a jalepeno. Saute until fragrant and garlic is turning golden. Add Brown rice (left overs are great for this) and 2-3 tablespoons of H2O. Let the water steam off to revitalize the rice, if you just made rice for this dish DO NOT ADD WATER.

To SERVE this wonderful dish I decided to put the soup in a larger wide bowl, filling the bowl 1/2-2/3 full and then spooning in the rice mixture. Add a sprig of cilantro for garnish and an extra umph of taste!

ENJOY!!!

*quantity depends on desired burn. I used a few different peppers and sorry, I can't tell you two names because we got them at a market in Tennessee. I can tell you what they looked and taste like...one is yellow, small and about 2-3 inches shaped like a banana pepper. It is the spicy of the bunch and has a growing, lingering heat, mild. One was enough for me to put a slight burn on the dish and make a more complex pepper taste. The other was orange, with a strong habanero flavor without the burn of it. An absolutely wonderful flavor! The third was a regular ol' jalepeno pepper.
*depending on how much you like mushrooms. Any kind, today I used white ones because that's what was in the fridge