Food goodness

This is out of "The Vegetarian Times Complete Cookbook" 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil 2 medium onions, chopped 2-3 cloves garlic, minced 4 medium potatoes, peeled and diced 4 carrots, sliced 1/2 medium head cauliflower, cut into bite-sized pieces 2 c. frozen green beans 1 to 2 tsp. grated fresh ginger 2 fresh mild chiles, seeded and minced (I cheated here and used a can of green chiles) 2 tsp. garam masala or curry powder, or to taste 1 tsp. coriander 1/2 tsp. tumeric 1 15-oz can light coconut milk salt to taste 1 c. frozen peas 1/4 tsp. chopped cilantro Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring often, until the onions are golden. Add the potatoes, carrots and 2 c. water and bring to a boil. Cover and cook gently until the potatoes are partially tender, about 10-15 minutes. Add the cauliflower, green beans, ginger, garam masala, chiles, coriander and tumeric. Continue to cook gently, covered, until the vegetables are tender, for 20 minutes.

Ernie makes this on special occasions and it is always met with rave reviews. Adapted from an Emeril Legasse recipe 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, plus 2 tablespoons, melted 4 large eggs 3 cups heavy cream 1 cup milk 1 cup packed light brown sugar 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 6 cups 1/2-inch cubes day-old bread 6 ounces white chocolate, chopped Amaretto Cream Sauce: 1 tablespoon cornstarch 1/4 cup Amaretto liqueur 1 1/2 cups heavy cream 1/4 cup granulated sugar For the Bread Pudding: Preheat the oven to 350 degree F. Butter a 10 by 14-inch baking dish with the softened butter. Whisk the eggs in a large bowl. Whisk in the cream, milk, brown sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon. Add the bread and chocolate and stir well, then mix in the melted butter. Let sit for 30 minutes so the bread will absorb the egg mixture. Pour into the prepared dish. Bake until firm when pressed in the center, about 1 hour. Cool on a wire rack until just warm, about 20 minutes.

I'm always sort of looking at Rachel Ray recipes with a wary eye, because very often I have to cut down the fat to a reasonable amount. This, however, was perfect as is. Ernie and I both devoured ours, and we'll be making it again. After we eat all the leftovers. (It says it makes 4 servings, but I bet it's closer to 6) We had it tonight with roasted brussel sprouts. from "Rachel Ray 2 30-Minute Meals" 1 lb. penne rigate pasta, cooked al dente according to package directions 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil 1 1/4 lb. chicken tenders, cut into 1-inch pieces salt and black pepper, to taste 2 Tbsp. butter 4 cloves garlic, chopped (or put through the garlic press) 2 medium shallots, chopped 2 Tbsp. flour 1/2 c. white wine the juice of 1 lemon 1 c. chicken broth or stock 2 Tbsp. capers, drained 1/2 c. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley chopped or snipped chives, for garnish Heat a deep nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add 1 Tbsp. oil and the chicken to the pan. Seaso

(which means) Yellow Mung Beans with Sauteed Onion and Ginger Yay! Finally, I'm cooking out of the gigantic Indian cookbook Ernie bought me for Christmas. I'm planning to eat this over couscous, but it'd be equally good over rice or with some nice chapatis or naan on the side. Or eat it out of the pan with a spoon, which is what I was doing this afternoon. from "1,000 Indian Recipes" by Neelam Batra 1 c. yellow mung beans (dhulli mung dal), sorted and washed in 3 to 4 changes of water 3 1/2 to 4 c. water 3 to 5 fresh green chile peppers, such as serrano 1/4 tsp. ground turmeric 3/4 tsp. salt, or to taste 1/4 c. finely chopped cilantro, including soft stems (I omitted this, because my cilantro was not good anymore) 2 Tbsp. peanut or canola oil 1 tsp. melted ghee (optional -- I left this out, because I didn't have any) 1 tsp. cumin seeds 1/2 small onion, finely chopped 1 Tbsp. peeled minced fresh ginger 1 Tbsp. ground coriander 1/2 tsp. ground cumin 1/4 tsp. gro

I'm always looking for the amount of liquid to add to plain couscous, so I can make my own without resorting to those boxed mixes. This is a good basic recipe, and then you can add whatever you want to it. from Mark Bittman's "How to Cook Everything" 3 Tbsp. butter 1 1/2 c. couscous 2 1/4 c. chicken, beef or vegetable stock, warmed 1/2 tsp salt freshly ground pepper, to taste Minced fresh parsley for garnish (I left out this, because I wanted to use the couscous as a base) Place 2 Tbsp. butter in a medium saucepan and turn the heat to medium low. When it melts, add the couscous and cook, stirring, until it is coated with butter, about 1 minute. Add the stock all at once, along with the salt. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down to its minimum. Cover and cook until all the liquid is absorbed, 5-8 minutes. Pour the couscous into a large serving bowl and stir in remaining butter with a fork, fluffing the couscous and breaking up any lumps. Add pepper and more salt if

This is in Mark Bittman's "How to Cook Everything," which is a fantastic cookbook. I borrowed Gwen's for a few days, and had to go out and buy my own when I had to give hers back. I'm definitely a Bittman convert now. Because Bittman has so many variations on his recipe, you can use this for any firm-fleshed fish. We had snapper in the freezer, so that's what I used. Don't be afraid of a whole fish -- the fish counter will clean it for you (have them scale it, take the head off, clean the inside out, but leave the skin) and it's very good. Okay, the recipe. My note (addition) in parenthesis. 2 Tbsp. olive oil 1/4 white wine or dry sherry salt and pepper (granulated garlic) rosemary (dried or fresh) Mix the oil, white wine, salt and pepper and the garlic in a bowl. Put the fish in the marinade and let it sit in there (turn it over a few times) while you heat the broiler or the grill. (if you're using a broiler, oil the broiler pan a little before pu

from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian He has like 72 different things you can serve this with -- the fresh cheese and chickpea dish I semi-used it for, cubes of fried tofu, dipping sauce for flatbread with potato or dosa, etc. etc. Makes 2 cups. 4 T butter or 1/4 c neutral oil, like grapeseed or corn 1 medium onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced one 1-inch piece ginger, peeled and minced 1 T minced fresh chile or hot red pepper flakes or cayenne to taste 2 T garam masala or curry powder 1/2 t chili powder large pinch sugar 2 c chopped ripe tomato (about 1 lb. whole), preferably peeled and seeded, or drained canned tomatoes 1/2 cream or coconut milk 1/2 c chopped fresh cilantro leaves 1 t cumin seeds 1 t mustard seeds 1. Put 3 T of the butter or oil in a deep skillet over medium0-high heat. When the butter is melted or oil is hot, add onion, garlic, ginger and chile. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in garam masala, chili powd

This recipe for the classic Moroccan dish is from Betty Crocker's cookbook. The list of ingredients is a bit daunting, but there's nothing too unusual, just lots of spices. This would probably adapt really well to a crockpot, too, which would bring out the flavours of the spices more. 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 4 chicken breasts or thighs 1 medium onion, sliced 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (I used 1tsp dried because I didn't have any fresh on hand and it was fine) 1 tsp ground cumin* 1 tsp ground turmeric* 1 tsp ground ginger 1 tsp salt 1 cinnamon stick (I just used 1 tsp ground cinnamon) 1 cup chicken broth 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained 1 cup dried plums, cut into bite-sized pieces (I didn't have any so left these out) 1/2 cup pitted whole green olives 1 small lemon, cut into forths (I found this was too much lemon and will probably use half a lemon in future) (I added a small handful of almonds as well just because it seem

One of my friends cooked this for me a couple of years ago, and it was gorgeous. We're having it for dinner tonight, and I hope it will be equally as good. It's very easy to make as well. The fresh sage is best, though dried would work too. The recipe is from waitrose.com and serves 4. 2 x 225g Pork Tenderloin 250g tub Mascarpone cheese Rind and juice of 1 large lemon 1/2 punnet fresh sage, chopped or Freeze Dried Sage Salt and freshly ground black pepper 80g packet Parma Ham Sage leaves to garnish Cut incisions along the pork tenderloins, approximately 1.25cm apart, from the top to the bottom, but do not cut all the way through. In a small bowl, mix together the mascarpone, lemon rind, sage and seasoning. Fill the pockets with half of the mascarpone mixture, then wrap the pork with Parma ham. Place the tenderloins in a small roasting tin and roast in a preheated oven 200ºC, gas mark 6, for 30 minutes. Remove the tenderloins

from Mark Bittman's How To Cook Everything Vegetarian This recipe uses Bittman's Spicy Indian Tomato Sauce, the recipe for which is also in this book, but it was too time-consuming the night I wanted to make this. (The rest of the recipe takes about one second to assemble.) I wound up sort of cribbing from the sauce recipe: I took store-bought tomato sauce, heated it in a pan and added some coconut milk to thin it out. I put in some curry powder, masala spices, chili powder and fresh cilantro. It was delicious, but probably not as good as it would be with the full recipe. Some manipulation is definitely necessary, I think -- I thought about using plain tomato sauce but I think the dish would have been too bland without the spices. I'm going to transcribe the recipe with the spinach that I used -- it's one of his million variations. In place of the paneer, you can use tofu, feta cheese, farmer cheese or queso fresco. Serve with biryani, Indian flatbread or baked potatoes

from Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook Celebrating the Promise 1 egg, beaten 3 Tbsp. milk 1 1/4 c. crushed cornflakes or finely crushed rich round crackers (about 35 crackers) 1 tsp. dried thyme 1/2 tsp. paprika 1/4 tsp. salt 1/8 black pepper a few shakes of granulated garlic (my own addition) 2 Tbsp. butter or margarine, melted 1 1/2 pounds chicken tenders In a small bowl, combine egg and milk. For coating, in a shallow dish, combine crushed cornflakes, thyme, paprika, salt, garlic and pepper; stir in melted butter. Dip tenders, one at a time, into egg mixture; coat with crumb mixture. Place tenders in a single layer on a baking pan. Bake, uncovered, in a 400 degree oven for 10 to 12 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink. Do not turn tenders while baking.

Richie and Sylvia bought me a new cook book for Christmas, by virtue of the fact that this one had a huge pink ribbon on the front of it and a portion of the proceeds benefited a breast cancer charity. In any case, it's a nice one, and I thumbed through it a few weeks ago, picking out some recipes I wanted to try. This was the first one, and it was really good. I think we'll be adding it to the rotation (just not too often, as it does have both cream and egg in it). from Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook Celebrating the Promise 6 slices bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces 6 oz. dried fettuccine or linguine 1 egg, beaten 1 c. half-and-half, light cream or milk 2 Tbsp. butter or margarine 1/2 c. Parmesan or Romano cheese 1/4 snipped fresh parsley Black pepper Cook bacon until crisp; drain. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain and keep warm. Meanwhile, for sauce, in a saucepan combine egg, half-and-half and butter. Cook and stir over medium heat until egg mixture just c

from Cooking Light, Dec. 2007 2 cups all-purpose flour (about 9 ounces) 1/4 teaspoon salt 3/4 cup packed brown sugar 2/3 cup granulated sugar 1/2 cup chunky peanut butter 1/4 cup butter, softened 2 large eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Cooking spray 7 tablespoons seedless raspberry preserves 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice Preparation Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and salt, stirring well with a whisk; set aside. Place sugars, peanut butter, and butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well combined. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Gradually add flour mixture to sugar mixture, beating on low speed just until combined. Lightly coat hands with cooking spray. Shape dough into 36 balls (about 2 1/2 teaspoons each). Place balls 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Press thumb into center of each dough ball, leaving an indentation. Cover and chill 1 hour. Pr

I must admit I'm in a bit of a food rut these days -- it's easy to just throw together the same few dishes I know always turn out well. But it's boring, and I quickly get tired of cooking that way. Last week I got myself out of the rut by making this soup, which was quick to pull together and pretty tasty. In the coming weeks I'll be thumbing through my cookbooks (I got two new ones for Christmas this year) and challenging myself, once again, to try three new recipes a week. We'll see how it goes. Where do you turn when you're in a food rut? (other than here, of course) Which blogs do you read to find inspiration? This soup could easily be made without the crab, or you could substitute chicken, if you like, I think. from Gourmet, January 2008 1 16-ounce bag frozen petite white corn (do not thaw), divided 1 cup low-fat (1%) milk 1 8-ounce bottle clam juice 4 tablespoons sliced green onions, divided 2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger, divided 4 1/2 teaspoons f

from All-New Complete Cooking Light Cookbook 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter 1 tablespoon butter 1 (10-1/2 ounce) bag miniature marshmallows 6 cups oven-toasted rice cereal (such as Rice Krispies) cooking spray 3/4 cup peanut butter chips (I substituted chocolate chips, which I had on hand) 1. Combine peanut butter and butter in a large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on HIGH 30 to 45 seconds or until mixture melts. Add marshmallows; microwave at HIGH 1 minute or until smooth, stirring every 30 seconds. Add cereal to peanut butter mixture, toss until well combined. Press cereal mixture into a 13x9-inch baking pan coated with cooking spray. (Test kitchen tip: The cereal mixture is very sticky, so coat your hands with cooking spray before pressing it into the pan.) 2. Place peanut butter (chocolate) chips in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at HIGH 20 to 30 seconds or until chips melt. (If using chocolate, follow melting instructions on the package.) Spoon melted chips into a s