Squash with brown rice stuffing

{ February 3, 2007 @ 5:49 pm } · { Uncategorized }
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  • 1 squash, big enough to be stuffed  (pumpkin, large acorn, ambercup, buttercup, etc…)
  • 2 cups cooked brown rice
  • 2 slices of bread
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 large onion, minced
  • 3 stalks celery, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 cup cheese (blue, feta, goat, grated cheddar, motzarella, etc)
  • 1/4-1/2 cup dried fruit (cranberries, cherries, currants, raisins, etc…)
  • 1/2 cup nuts or seeds (walnuts, pumpkin seeds, cashews, sesame seeds, etc…)
  • 1/2 teaspoon sage
  • 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1.5 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari

Cut a lid in the squash and use a large spoon to pull out the seeds and scrape the inside clean. Cut the bread into small cubes. Combine bread and rice and eggs and mix well, then add all the other ingredients. Fill the squash with the stuffing.

Cook on a tray in the oven at 375 degrees for an hour and half or so, until you can stick a knife in the squash really easily.

Peanut Chicken with Cauliflower and mushrooms

{ January 26, 2007 @ 11:18 pm } · { Chicken, Soups }
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  • 1.5 cups dry roasted peanuts
  • 2 clove garlic
  • 2 tsp. soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp honey
  • 3 tbsp fish sauce (can get at most grocery stores, in the asian section)
  • 1 teaspoon tamarind paste (can find this at asian specialty stores. it lasts forever)
  • 1 tsp sambal chili paste
  • juice from 3 limes
  • 1 can coconut milk
  • 2 lbs chicken thigh meat
  • 1 head cauliflower
  • 1/2 lb mushrooms

Put the peanuts, garlic, soy sauce, honey, fish sauce, tamarind paste, sambal, lime juice, and about 1/2 cup of water in a food processor or blender. Grind until smooth.

Put the chicken in a large soup pot or crock pot. Cut 1/2 the head of cauliflower into chuncks and add to pot. Add mushrooms (whole or sliced). Put in sauce and coconut milk and add enough water to cover the rest of the ingredients. Put the lid on and turn to low-heat. Allow to simmer for 2 hours or more. I always make this in a crockpot and let it simmer all day, but if you’re doing it on the stove, it should be done in about 2 hours on low heat.

January 22

{ January 26, 2007 @ 11:10 pm } · { Uncategorized }
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Day 1:

  • Bagels with lox and capers
  • Grilled cheese sandwiches and salad
  • Stuffed acorn squash with apple salad

Day 2:

  • Bagels again
  • Yellow split pea and cauliflower soup
  • Thai green veggie curry with brown rice

Day 3:

  • Eggs and toast
  • Split pea soup and tuna sandwiches
  • Green curry and rice

Day 4:

  • Yogurt, granola and bananas
  • Salad and avocado quesadillas
  • Spanikopita

Day 5:

  • Yogurt/granola
  • Spanikopita and split pea soup

Day 6:

  • Whole wheat pizza with sundried tomatoes and motzarella

Spanikopita

{ January 26, 2007 @ 11:03 pm } · { Casseroles }
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  • 2 bunches fresh spinach, chopped and cleaned
  • 1 bunch italian parsley, chopped
  • 1 bunch green onions, sliced 1/4 inch
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 5-6 cloves garlic
  • 2 tablespoons dill
  • 1 tablespoon thyme
  • 16 oz cottage cheese
  • 7-8 oz feta cheese
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tsp salt
  • package of filo dough
  • 5-6 tablespoons melted butter

Pull filo dough out ahead of time to thaw completely. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Get a saute pan hot and add a tablespoon of butter with the onions and garlic. Saute until the onions turn golden brown. Add spinach a bit at a time until it’s all cooked down a bit…but don’t let it turn into gelatinous mush. It’s going to keep cooking, so pull it out before it even looks done. Put this mixture in a strainer and let it drain for 10-15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the parsley, green onions, dill, thyme, cottage cheese, feta, egg and salt. Put some pepper in there if you want to. Mix it all around and then add the spinach-onion mixture and mix it around some more.

Take a 9×13 pan out. Melt the remaining butter. Gently separate one piece of filo dough and lay it in the pan.  Brush a bit of the melted butter onto the sheet of filo, making sure to cover it completely. Now lay another sheet on top of that one and do it again. Do this 7 to 8 times. Put the spinach mixture on top and even it out with a spoon. Lay another piece of filo on top, and brush it with butter, repeating this with another 7-8 pieces of filo.

Before you put this in the oven, cut it into pieces with a sharp knife. Cook it, uncovered, for 45-60 minutes…until the top is nice and brown. Let it cool for a few before you eat it.

Whole Wheat Pizza Dough

{ January 8, 2007 @ 2:12 am } · { Breads }
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  • 1 cup warm water (105-115 degrees)
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 2.5 cups whole wheat pastry flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 package active dry yeast

In a mixing bowl, add water and honey. Mix thoroughly with a fork and then add the yeast. Mix with a fork again until the water becomes cloudy. Add the salt. Add 1 cup of the flour and stir with a wooden spoon. Add the second cup of flour and stir. The dough should be coming off the sides of the bowl. Using the last 1/2 cup of flour, sprinkle flour on work surface and coat your hands with it. Knead the dough, adding flour as necessary.

When the dough has been kneaded properly, it will be fairly elastic and will spring back when you press your palm into it. This takes about 5 minutes. Roll into a ball.

Coat a mixing bowl with olive oil. Rub the ball of dough around in the oil and then cover it with saran wrap. Put in a warm and draft-free place for an hour and let it rise. After an hour, uncover it, punch it down and let it rise for another 20-30 minutes.

This dough is not elastic like white flour dough. Because of that, I roll it out into the shape I want, using a couple of teaspoons of flour. We usually use square pans. I push the rolled dough into the edges and then cover it with plastic again and place it in a warm area while I am preparing the sauce, grating the cheese, etc. By that time, the edges will puff up again and it’s ready.

Pineapple cranberry upside down cake

{ December 26, 2006 @ 10:52 pm } · { Sweets }
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  • 1 cup honey
  • can pineapple, opened with juice reserved
  • 1/2 cup dried unsweetened cranberries
  • 1/2 cup dried shredded coconut
  • 1.5 cups flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2/3 cup butter
  • 1 egg
  • milk or water
  • 1/2 tsp salt

I made this on a whim for our solstice dinner. It’s fantastically delicious and takes about 15 minutes to make.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Melt 1/3 cup butter and mix in 1/2 cup honey. Pour this into the bottom of a springform pan. (A 9xwhatever will work too). Strain the pineapple from the can, but save the juice. Lay the pineapple in the melted butter/honey mixture. Sprinkle on the cranberries and coconut.

In a mixing bowl, cream the remaining 1/3 cup of butter and 1/2 cup of honey. Add the egg and vanilla. Add a little less than a cup of liquid (all the pineapple juice, and then milk/water until almost a cup). Stir well and add baking soda, salt and flour. Pour this mixture into the pan.

Cook for 20-40 minutes…until a toothpick in the center comes out clean.

Bean and saurkraut soup

{ December 19, 2006 @ 5:23 am } · { Soups }
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  • 5 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 2 carrots, diced
  • 2 stalks celery, diced
  • 2 – 2.5 cups dried beans (one kind or various), soaked in water for an hour or more
  • 8 cups stock (chicken works best, but veggie or mushroom is good too)
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 1/2 cup dark beer
  • pinch of each: sage, basil, chili powder
  • 1 – 1.5 cups naturally fermented saurkraut
  • 1 tablespoon unrefined coconut oil
  • 4 tablespoons soy sauce
  • salt and pepper to taste

In a soup pot over medium-high heat, cook coconut oil until hot. Add onions, garlic, celery and carrots. Cook until onions carmelize. Add vinegar and beer and cook for 2 or 3 minutes. Add chicken stock, herbs, soy sauce and salt and pepper. Cook for 1-2 hours, or until beans are tender. Add saurkraut and enjoy.

Veggie Burgers with spinach

{ December 6, 2006 @ 12:56 am } · { Uncategorized }
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  • 1.5 cups cooked brown rice
  • 1.5 cups cooked beans (no liquid with these)
  • 1/2 cup walnuts
  • 1/2 cup cashews
  • 1/2 cup sunflower seeds (or pumpkin, etc…)
  • 2 bunches spinach, cleaned, chopped, steamed, strained and squeezed dry  (you could use frozen stuff instead and just squeeze it dry too)
  • 1/2 pound mushrooms
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 medium onion pureed or finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
  • salt and pepper and any spices or fresh herbs

Puree the nuts and seeds in a food processor until the consistency of a course flour, or even a paste. Add the beans and mushrooms and process again. Combine all the other ingredients either in the food processor (for smooth burgers) or just in a bowl (if you want them to have some texture).  Add salt and pepper to taste.

At this point, there are a couple of things you can do. You can just freeze the patties on a cookie sheet and then put them in ziplock bags to use later. If you’re going to eat them now, you can fry them in an iron skillet with a little coconut oil, so that they hold together pretty well. Put them on a greased cookie sheet in the oven and heat them up when you’re ready for dinner. I usually prefer to fry them before I freeze them, but it doesn’t make a huge difference, I just think they taste a little bit better. I usually triple or quadruple this recipe if I am freezing a lot. This makes about 8-10 patties.

Quickie Tom Kha Kai for Sickos

{ December 4, 2006 @ 8:53 pm } · { Soups }
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  • 1 small yellow onion
  • 3 cloves garlic, peeled
  • 3 inch piece of ginger, peeled and cut into small pieces
  • 2 stalks lemongrass
  • 8 cups chicken stock
  • 1 lb mushrooms, or two cans straw mushrooms
  • 2 lbs chicken thigh meat
  • 2 cans (about 3-4 cups) coconut milk
  • 3-4 teaspoons sambal chili paste
  • 3/4 cup patis (fish sauce)
  • 5-6 juicing limes
  • 1/4 bunch cilantro

This soup is badass for sick people and doesn’t take very long to make. In fact, I’ve made it twice for myself in the last week and a half, while I’ve been stuck to my couch with a box of tissues. Interfuron (the HIV immune boosting medication) is made from coconut milk, so get as much as you can, and don’t lower yourself to the lowfat varieties. You’re too good for it.

So, put the onion, garlic and ginger in the food processor and grind the hell out of ‘em. If you don’t have a food processor, put them in a blender with the chicken stock. Put the pureed stuff in a pot with the chicken stock. Cut the stalks of lemongrass so that they are about 4-5 inches long. Slice the mushrooms (or open the cans) and add them. Add the 3/4 cup fish sauce and the chili paste. Bring to a boil.

Turn the heat down to super low, even simmer works at this point. Cut the chicken into pieces and put that into the pot. Cut the limes and juice them all into the mix. Shake the cans of coconut milk well and add them, then chop the cilantro up and throw it on top. Let this simmer for about 20 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Cooking it at this low temperature keeps it really soft and moist, and keeps all the cholesterol in it healthy and good for you. I know you’re tempted to turn it up, but just let it sit at low. You’re done!! Eat up. It’s good for you.

As far as the patis and the sambal, you can pretty much buy these things at any regular store in the asian section now. Thai Kitchen makes fish sauce and that’s usually what they sell at the “regular” grocery store. If you’ve got an asian store nearby, I recommend buying the fish sauce there. It should be super stinky, which the Thai Kitchen stuff is not. Not to be rude, but that stuff is make for the people with overly sensitive taste buds, and your soup will not taste like the stuff you get in the restaurant. The fish sauce is the most important ingredient in this soup, and if you can get a better quality, you will thank yourself later. I prefer Lucky Brand. Buy a big one. It lasts forever.

Cioppino

{ October 21, 2006 @ 1:19 am } · { Uncategorized }
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  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 2 poblano chiles, diced
  • 5-6 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1 lb fresh tomatoes, skins removed, diced
  • 1 lb canned tomatoes
  • 5-6 tablespoons chopped Italian flat-leaf parsley
  • 3-4 bay leaves
  • 2 tablespoons dill
  • 2 tablespoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 tbsp coconut oil
  • 8 oz clam juice
  • 2 cups red wine
  • 8 cups fish stock (or veggie or chicken)
  • 8 oz scallops
  • 1 can clams, with juice
  • 15-20 shrimp (shells removed and deveined), or 1.5 cups bay shrimp (or both)
  • 3 lbs fish, cubed
  • Any other seafood you like, or would rather substitute

Heat coconut oil over medium heat in a large soup pot. Add onion, poblano, garlic and saute until onion becomes soft and carmelized. Add red wine and let cook for a few minutes. Add tomatoes, clam juice, stock and seasonings. Let cook for 15-20 minutes. Add scallops, clams and fish and let cook for 10-15 minutes, then add the shrimp. Let soup cook until shrimp are done.

This seafood stew is awesome. I usually buy frozen scallops, fish and shrimp because they are so expensive. Crab is delicious if you can find it at an affordable price. This recipe makes enough soup for many meals, and it is delicious frozen and thawed out.

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