Mediterranean Chickpea Stew

Mediterranean Chickpea Stew

Ingredients

    1 whole head garlic, unpeeled
    2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
    Pinch freshly ground black pepper and sea salt
    2 sweet red bell peppers, seeded and julienned
    1 red finger hot chile pepper, seeded and minced*
    3 scallions, thinly sliced
    2 teaspoons paprika
    1 teaspoon cumin
    Pinch sea salt

    2 (28-ounce or 796 ml) cans whole, peeled, organic tomatoes, hand crushed
    Pinch brown sugar
    3 cups canned chick peas, rinsed and drained
    Zest of 1 lemon
    10 large fresh mint leaves, stacked, rolled up and sliced into ribbons (chiffonade)
    Handful fresh parsley, leaves picked and minced
    *Cook's Note: Hot chile, omit if sensitive or prefer less heat.
    Whole-wheat pitas, cut into wedges and toasted, for serving

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Slice the top off of the head of garlic; lay it on some aluminum foil and drizzle with olive oil, and a pinch black pepper. Seal the aluminum foil over the garlic and roast for 40 minutes.

In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the peppers and scallions to the pan, coat with salt, paprika, and cumin. Saute for 8 minutes. Pour in the hand-crushed tomatoes, brown sugar, sea salt, and freshly ground pepper. Let simmer for 20 minutes. Peel 8 cloves of roasted garlic and crush with a fork. Add the garlic, chick peas, lemon zest, mint, and parsley to the stew. Stir and heat through. Ladle stew into big bowls and serve with toasted whole-wheat pita wedges.

Peanut Sauce - Thai Style

• 3/4 cup natural-style creamy peanut butter
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons water
• 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice (about 1 1/2 medium limes)
• 4 1/2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 2 1/4 teaspoons chile-garlic paste
• 1 medium garlic clove, mashed to a paste
• 1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

Whisk all together -dip away

Candied Orange Peel

Prep Time: 1 hour     Cook Time: 5 hours     Total Time: 6 hours

Ingredients:

• 4 oranges
• 4.25 cups water
• 2.5 cups sugar, plus more for coating

Preparation:

1. Use a knife or a citrus peeler to score the peels of four oranges into quarters. Peel the oranges carefully, trying to keep the peels intact as much as possible. Set the peeled oranges aside and reserve for another use.
2. Using a sharp knife, cut away the bitter white pith from the underside of the peels. The remaining peel should be approximately 1/8” thick. Do not worry if small amounts of white pith remain.
3. Slice the peels into long, thin strips approximately ½” thick.
4. Combine 4.25 cups of water and 2.5 cups of sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir to dissolve the sugar, and heat, uncovered, until the sugar boils for 5 minutes.
5. Add the strips of peel and turn the heat down to low, until the mixture is just at a simmer. Cook, uncovered and simmering, until the syrup reduces to a quarter of its original volume (the syrup will barely cover the tops of the peels). Do not stir during this process, as that might cause the formation of large sugar crystals. The simmering will take approximately 2 hours.
6. Remove the saucepan from the heat and allow it to cool. Once cool, drain the peels in a colander. At this point, turn your oven to 200 degrees.
7. Place about one cup of sugar in a small bowl. Dredge the peels in the sugar until they are coated, and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Add more sugar if necessary.
8. Place the sugar-coated peels in the warm oven and allow them to dry out. This should take approximately one hour, but check them every 20 minutes to ensure that they are not burning or cooking in any way. Alternately, they can be left to sit overnight on a drying rack instead of placed in the oven.
9. Once peels are completely dry, scrape off any excess sugar clumps. Store them in a dry location and they should keep for weeks. Candied peels can be dipped in melted chocolate and enjoyed plain, or used in cake, cookie, candy, or bread recipes.

Buttermilk - subsitution

BUTTERMILK  --

• Milk (just under one cup)
• 1 Tablespoon white vinegar or lemon juice

 . Place a Tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice in a liquid measuring cup.
2. Add enough milk to bring the liquid up to the one-cup line.
3. Let stand for five minute. Then, use as much as your recipe calls for.
Have heavy cream in the fridge? If so, you have everything you need to make real buttermilk:

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this substitution was needed as one i've never bought buttermilk and probably wont use it all, either way I don't have any on hand and all ingreditents ready so a subsitution it was.  

Carrot Cake - Betty Crocker

1 1/2

cups granulated sugar

1

cup vegetable oil

3

eggs

2

cups Gold Medal® all-purpose flour

2

teaspoons ground cinnamon

1

teaspoon baking soda

1

teaspoon vanilla

1/2

teaspoon salt

3

cups shredded carrots (5 medium)

1

cup coarsely chopped walnuts

Cream Cheese Frosting

1

package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened

1/4

cup butter or margarine, softened

2

to 3 teaspoons milk

1

teaspoon vanilla

4

cups powdered sugar

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease bottom and sides of one 13x9-inch pan or two 8-inch or 9-inch round pans with shortening; lightly flour. In large bowl, beat granulated sugar, oil and eggs with electric mixer on low speed about 30 seconds or until blended. Add flour, cinnamon, baking soda, 1 teaspoon vanilla and the salt; beat on low speed 1 minute. Stir in carrots and nuts. Pour into pan(s).
2. Bake 13x9-inch pan 40 to 45 minutes, round pans 30 to 35 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool rectangle in pan on cooling rack. Cool rounds 10 minutes; remove from pans to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
3. In medium bowl, beat cream cheese, butter, milk and vanilla with electric mixer on low speed until smooth. Gradually beat in powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, on low speed until smooth and spreadable. Frost 13x9-inch cake or fill and frost round layers with frosting. Store in refrigerator.

Makes 12 to 16 servings

Banana Nut Bread 2 (Betty crocker)

1 1/4    cups sugar
1/2    cup butter or margarine, softened
2    eggs
1 1/2    cups mashed very ripe bananas (3 to 4 medium)
1/2   cup buttermilk
1    teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2    cups Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
1    teaspoon baking soda
1    teaspoon salt
1cup chopped nuts, if desired

Mini Banana Breads make great gifts! To make, grease bottoms only of 10 miniature loaf pans, 4 1/2x2 3/4x1 1/4 inches. Divide batter among pans (about 1/2 cup each). Bake 30 to 35 minutes.

Stir 1/2 cup chocolate, peanut butter or butterscotch chips into the batter for mouthwatering flavor combinations.Rise to the occasion! If using self-rising flour, there is no need to add baking soda and salt.  No buttermilk on hand? In an emergency, you can mix 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice or white vinegar and enough milk to make 1/2 cup. Or substitute 1/2 cup plain yogurt.

Made on 2/25/12 at midnite - turned out awesome except for the crack which went every which way.

Split Pea Soup

• Prep time: 10 minutes
• Cook time: 1 hour, 45 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 lb (2 1/4 cups) green split peas
• 1 large onion, peeled and chopped
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 1 large leek, chopped
• 1 large carrot, chopped
• 1 large clove of garlic, halved
• 1 herb bouquet*
• 2 well-rinsed ham hocks
• Salt and Pepper
• Optional garnish - small toasted croutons (avoid for gluten-free version)**, chopped parsley or chives

*Herb Bouquet: Tie 3 cloves garlic, 4 allspice berries, 2 bay leaves, 1 teaspoon thyme, 8 sprigs parsley in rinsed cheesecloth or place in bouquet garni muslin bag.
**To make toasted croutons, take 2 or 3 slices of day-old French or Italian loaf bread, cut into cubes. Let dry out a bit (can put in 200 degree oven for 10 minutes to help dry). Melt a tablespoon or two of butter on medium high heat in a large skillet. When hot, add the bread cubes, spread out in a single layer. Let toast on one side and then turn to other sides. Add more butter if necessary. Alternatively you can toss the cubed bread with olive oil and let toast in a 350°F oven until lightly browned.

Method

1 Pick over the peas and remove any stones. Wash and drain peas. Place in a 4 quart pan with the vegetables, herb bouquet, ham hocks and 2 1/2 quarts of water. Bring to a simmer. Skim the scum off the top of the soup for several minutes, until the scum ceases to rise. Cover loosely and simmer about 1 1/2 hours, or until peas are tender, stirring occasionally in case they stick to the bottom of the pan.
2 Remove the ham hocks and herb bouquet from the soup. Purée the soup with a blender. An immersion blender works great for this; if you are using a regular blender, take care to workin batches and only fill the blender halfway if the soup is still hot, and hold down the lid while blending. If you want an exceptionally smooth soup, pass the purée through a sieve.
3 Return the purée to the pot and heat to serve. Add salt and pepper to taste. Ladle into warm bowls and garnish with croutons and parsley or chives.
If you want, don't discard the ham hocks, but cut away the outer skin and remove the meat from the bones. Dice the meat and serve with the soup.
Makes 2 quarts. Serves 6.

This split pea soup recipe is adapted from one written by Julia Child years ago for a Parade Magazine article. It's a shortened version of the split pea soup recipe in her book, The Way to Cook. In that book, Julia uses a slightly different method. She first prepares the ham hock stock, with onions, carrots, celery, and an herb bouquet. After simmering the ham hock in 3 quarts of water for three to four hours, she strains the stock. In a separate pan she sautés chopped onion, celery, carrots, and turnips or rutabaga in butter. She then blends in a few tablespoons of flour, cooking for a few minutes, before slowly adding the ham stock. She then adds the split peas and lets cook for 45 minutes. Everything else is the same (skimming, puréeing, etc.)

Banana Nut Bread 1

• Prep time: 5 minutes
• Cook time: 1 hour

Ingredients

• 3 or 4 ripe bananas, smashed
• 1/3 cup melted butter
• 1 cup sugar (can easily reduce to 3/4 cup)
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• Pinch of salt
• 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

Method

No need for a mixer for this recipe. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). With a wooden spoon, mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the sugar, egg, and vanilla. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. Add the flour last, mix. Pour mixture into a buttered 4x8 inch loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour. Cool on a rack. Remove from pan and slice to serve.
Yield: Makes one loaf.