Peanut Butter Chocolate Squares

This recipe is not vegan or remotely healthy, but it is one of the best tasting and easiest recipes ever, it is also my brother's favorite. It was also requested by Nik Locker, so I posted it. Enjoy and go to the gym afterward.:)


Chocolate Peanut Butter Squares.

2 cups chocolate chips (16 oz.)
1 stick butter

2 1/4 cups confectioners sugar
2 cups peanut butter (one standard can)
1 sleeve of grham crackers, crushed
1 stick of butter melted

1. Crush the ghram crackers in a food processor or by hand.
2. With a mixer combine the confectioners sugar, peanut butter, cracker crumbs and melted butter. Mix well. Press mixture into a rimmed cookie sheet.
3. In a double boiler melt 1 stick of butter and chocolate chips. When they are well combined pour over the peanut butter crust. Smooth out the chocolate and place pan in the refrigerator until the chocolate hardens. (1 hour +)
4. Cut into small bars and serve.

Vegan Mexican Layer Dip

My family is notorious for our spread of appetizers mid-day Thanksgiving, and this year I really wanted to have something special that would still be vegan-friendly. One of Keith's favorite appetizers that my aunt Becky usually makes is a Mexican layer dip made from cheese, cream cheese, and canned chili. I attempted to give him something that he liked while redeeming the nutritional value. I think it was a success. Keith liked it, but said that you can not put the dips in the same category because they do not have ANY of the same ingredients. Whatever...it is delicious :)

Vegan Mexican Layer Dip

1 can vegan refried beans
1 package guacamole
1 1/2 cups black bean and corn salad http://sarahsfreshlife.blogspot.com/search?q=black+bean+and+corn+salad
1 cup organic salsa
1 cup Veggie Shreds
1/2 cup sliced black olives

1. Prepare the black bean and corn salad.

2. On a large plate or platter, spread the refried beans as your base layer. Next layer the guacamole, followed by the black bean salad, salsa, Veggie Shreds, and black olives.

3. Serve with Organic Tortilla chips.

**I think that chopped scallions would be great on top of this too. Make it with what you like and enjoy!!

Vegan Zucchini Sticks

When I was little our grandparents would take my brother and I to this amazing little Greek restaurant near Atlantic City, NJ called ZORBA'S. One of our favorite things was to get a whole bunch of Greek appetizers and have a taste of them all. We really liked the fried zucchini sticks that you dipped in sauce. I found this vegan version and tried it as part of our vegan Thanksgiving snacks. It worked really well. I did not use zucchini because I had a bunch of summer squash, which substitute quite well. My family really enjoyed them, and even Keith, my local summer squash hater ate two and said they were not bad for squash. (small victories)

Vegan Zucchini Sticks

2 Small Zucchini, cut into 2-inch sticks
1 cup almond milk (unflavored and unsweetened)
1 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 cup vegan parmesan
salt and pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 400. Line a baking sheet with parchment or use a baking stone.

2. Mix the crumbs, parmesan and dash of salt and pepper.

3. Dip the zucchini sticks in the almond milk, then roll to coat in the bread crumb mixture and place on the baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Serve with your favorite marinara sauce for dipping.

Tamari Roasted Chickpeas

We made some really fun vegan snacks for lunch on Thanksgiving day. One of the new things that I tried was roasted chickpeas. They turned out great, and the little boys really liked them. You can roast them, and serve them hot or chilled as a snack, on a salad, or to top a stir fry, soup or curry.

*Also: Tamari is a kind of soy sauce, but regular soy sauce or Braggs Liquid Aminos will work fine.

Tamari Roasted Chickpeas

1 can (14 oz.) Chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 tbsp veggie oil
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 tbsp Tamari or soy sauce
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/8 tsp salt
1 tbsp maple syrup

1. Preheat oven to 400. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Toss all ingredients in a medium bowl. The turn out onto the baking sheet.

3. Bake for about 25 minutes. Chickpeas will still be tender not completely crunchy.

Makes 1 3/4 cups

Vegan Ginger Orange Glazed Carrots

These carrots are sweet and delicious without any sugar, syrup or butter. I was able to use the "last harvest" carrots from Revision Farm down the street. They were fabulous. If you are not a huge fan of ginger you can substitute a dash of cinnamon and it will have a nice spicy/sweet, but not as sharp.

Vegan Ginger Orange Glazed Carrots

1 lb carrots (you can use baby carrots, or just cut up your big ones in bite size pieces)
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
1 tsp fresh, grated ginger
1 tsp grated orange peel
2 tbsp maple syrup

1. Place Carrots in a medium sauce pan with the water. Cover and simmer for 3-4 minutes or until fork-tender.

2. Drain carrots and return to the pan.

3. Add remaining ingredients and stir over medium heat until liquid is evaporated.

Pumpkin Ice Cream

I firmly believe that EVERY family should have an ice cream maker. We made tons of fruit sorbet desserts  over the summer, and it is a great way to create your own whole food desserts. This recipe is not remotely vegan. I made it because I love my husband and he has a passionate love affair with Ice Cream. (and I happened to have some whole milk in the fridge I bought to make Mac n' Cheese for the kiddos' school Thanksgiving feast.) It was fabulous though, and I thought that other people may enjoy it too.

Earlier this fall when I made my Stew-in-a-pumpkin http://sarahsfreshlife.blogspot.com/search?q=pumpkin+stew , i pureed the cooked pumpkin and froze it in quart sized bags. So for this ice cream recipe I used frozen pumpkin. You can use canned pumpkin it will just take a bit longer in your ice cream machine.

I have not yet attempted a vegan version of ice cream...I am kind of afraid. I think it will be my next big adventure.

Pumpkin Ice Cream

15 oz Pumpkin Puree
1 cup Whole Milk
2/3 cups 1/2 & 1/2
2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
pinch of ginger
pinch of nutmeg

1. Blend all ingredients in a blender (especially if your pumpkin is frozen)
2. Pour it into your ice cream maker and process according to manufacturers' instructions.
3. You can freeze this in an air-tight container for a few days and it will harden a bit. It does tend to be on the soft-serve side.

Vegan White Yam Pie

I came into some beautiful White Yams this week. (thank you Fair Foods) If you can find these delicious tubers you need to try them. They are in the same family as a sweet potato but their flesh is a very pale creamy white. They taste comparable, maybe a bit more sugary than a traditional sweet potato. You can use sweet potatoes interchangeably in this recipe.
My favorite part of this recipe is the gluten-free, vegan crust. Eating vegan has been great for me except for the baking. I know a lot about baking with white flour, butter and eggs, but NOTHING about vegan baking. This was my first successful vegan pie crust, and I liked it a lot.

Vegan, Gluten-free Pie Crust

1/2 cup almonds (pecans or walnuts would also work well)
1 1/4 cup oats
6 dates
2 tbsp oil
1 tbsp cashew butter (you can use almond or peanut butter also)
3 tbsp water

1. In a food  processor pulse nuts until they are a fine meal. Add the oats until they are incorporated into the meal.

2. Add dates, oil and cashew butter and pulse until combined but dry.

3. Add the water and pulse two times.

4. Pour it into your pie plate and press into the bottom. Tip: if you mound it in the middle of your pie plate and keep pressing in from the middle it will evenly spread up the sides. Refrigerate to set while you prepare the filling.

Vegan White Yam Pie

2 large white yams
3/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp corn starch
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp allspice
dash of salt
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup almond milk

1. Prick holes in your yams and either bake at 400 degrees for an hour, or microwave. (when microwaving do about 4 min on each side until the potato is soft)

2. Combine sugar, corn starch, spices, & salt in a small bowl.

3. Scoop the flesh out of the potato into a food processor. Pulse until mashed, scrape down the sides as you go. Add the dry ingredients and pulse to incorporate. Gradually add the vanilla and almond milk until smooth.

4. Pour into your prepared pie crust and bake at 35 for 50-55 minutes.

Vegan Peanut Butter Oat Cookies

Now lets be real...when I think of cookies I usually assume that they are baked and have butter, and eggs. These are AWESOME and the kiddos love them. If you like eating the dough before your mom got the cookies in the oven, you will especially like these. They do combine the three elements of awesome cookies, oatmeal, peanutbutter, and chocolate chips. Meghan Donohue found this recipe for me and we made some tweaks so we can call it our own :)

No Bake Vegan Peanut Butter Oat Cookies
You will need :

• 3/4 cup oat flour
• 3/4 cup rolled oats (we used old fashioned, not quick cooking)
• 1 cup pitted dates – comes out to about 8-9 dates
• 1/2 cup organic peanut butter
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• almond milk – start with 2 tablespoons and add more if needed to make the dough moist enough to press into balls
• 1 cup 60% cacao chocolate chips or carob chips

Directions:

1. In a food processor, pulse dates until broken down into crumb size pieces.
2. Add flour, oats, peanut butter, vanilla, almond milk. We started with pulsing in the food processor, but found that it was easier to put it in a bowl and mix while squashing with a spatula while adding the almond milk gradually. Then you are in control of the dough and can gauge the moisture level better.
3. If adding chocolate chips, stir in.
4. Form into small round balls and place on parchment or wax paper covered dish. We used a medium cookie scoop which helped press the dough together in a uniform way, then we squished them down so they looked like a disk of cookie.
5. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes
6. Enjoy!!

Bear in a Cave: Eggplant Rolls

I have posted other eggplant rolls before, but because my kiddos came up with such an awesome name for these I had to post this one too.It simply is long, thin strips of eggplant that are stuffed with whatever I had in the house. The Bear Cave name comes from the fact that they rolls look like caves, and then I poured the Beschmelle sauce over them, like snow. So the brown filling (the bear) is in the cave (the eggplant) and it is hibernating under the snow (the white sauce). Very cute. Honestly, I don't care what they call it as long as they eat it. :)

                                    **Food Photography courtesy of Joseph and Timothy**

Bear-In-A-Cave: Eggplant Rolls

1 cup cooked brown rice (about 1/2 cup dry if you are starting from scratch)
1 cup chick peas
1/2 onion diced
2 cloves garlic, diced
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 green pepper, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 medium carrots, diced
1 roasted red pepper, diced
1 cup red wine
1 medium eggplant, Half sliced thinly from top to bottom,(you need about 8 slices) the other half diced
1 tsp thyme
salt and pepper
1 24 oz can chopped tomatoes
Vegan Beschmelle Sauce

1. In a large frying pan saute and salt the onion, garlic & red pepper flakes. When onion begins to turn translucent (about 2 min) add the green pepper, celery, chopped eggplant and carrots. Saute for about 5 min. Add the red wine, roasted pepper and thyme. Cover and steam for about 2 min. Then add the rice and chick peas. Remove from heat and set aside.

2. Pour the chopped tomatoes into the bottom of a 9X9 baking dish. Lay a slice of eggplant vertically on a cutting board. Place a large spoonful, about 1/3-1/2 a cup of filling in the middle, and gently bring the top and bottom edges to meet. Place the roll, seam side down on the tomatoes in the pan. continue with the remaining eggplant slices and filling.

3.Make the Beschmelle sauce and pour on top of the rolls. Bake at 350 for about 35 min, or until the top is beginning to brown slightly.

Vegan Beschmelle Sauce:

3 tbsp veggie oil
4 tbsp flour
2 cups unflavored almond milk
Salt & Pepper
1/2 tsp nutmeg

1. Heat the oil and flour in a medium saucepan for about 3 min. Add almond milk one cup at a time, whisking frequently. As the sauce thickens add the salt, pepper and nutmeg. Continue to heat until it has reached a loose custard consistency. Do not boil!

Apple Crisp

Tim's Kindergarten class went apple picking this Friday. the apples were picked fresh from the tree, but by the time they made it home they were looking quite abused, ( like a kindergartener had been carrying them around for 6 hours)  and needed to be used A.S.A.P. It was fine though because Tim was very excited about cooking up a dessert for us with his special apples. He was gracious enough to let his brother help, and together they created this excellent apple crisp.

I LOVE this recipe. It really is the best apple crisp recipe I have ever used. I don't like apple crisp that claims to have met cinnamon once, I want them to be in love. This recipe loves its spice and the crisp is just enough. It is easy, quick and delicious.

Apple Crisp

filling:
10 cups apples, peeled, cored and sliced
3/4 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon corn starch
juice from one lemon
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon allspice

crisp topping:
1 1/2 oats
2/3 cups flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted

1. Mix the apples, sugar, & spices together in a medium bowl. Dissolve the corn starch in the lemon juice in a small bowl, then mix it into the apple mixture. Pour apples into a 9X13 pan.

2. Combine all dry topping ingredients in a bowl and mix to incorporate. Then add the butter, mix together until there are pea sized crumbly bits.

3. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the apples. Bake at 350 for 35 minutes.

Veggie Spring Rolls with Peanut Sauce

Rice wrappers are awesome! You can pretty much wrap any combination of veggies or meat in them, dip it in a sauce and call it dinner. These round hard disks of rice noodle are not difficult to work with as long as you have a bit of patience with the roll and yourself. I have found the the age and brand of the wrap make a difference. i bought Blue Dragon wrappers at Shaws this week. They were under $3 for the pack and worked way better than the Red Rose ones that I have bought previously. The tricky thing is that you need to soften the noodle wrapper to the point that you can mold it around the veggies, but not too much or it will break apart all over you. The Blue Dragon wrappers had very little cracks in them and I had great success with them. Other brands that I have purchased have cracked or fallen apart pretty easily.

 Tonight I used marinated tofu and the veggies that were in my fridge, but you can easily  use mango, chicken, scallions, lettuce, shrimp, red peppers, or fresh sprouts.

Veggie Spring Rolls with Peanut Sauce

10 spring roll wrappers
2 carrots
1/2 onion
1/2 head nappa cabbage
10 leaves basil
rice thread noodles
1 tsp sesame seeds
1 tsp sesame oil
salt and pepper
1/2 block tofu
marinade (Teriyaki, Sesame Ginger etc...)

1. Cut the tofu into strips about 1/2 inch square and let sit in marinade for at least and hour.
2. Soak the rice noodles to package directions. Rinse in cold water and toss with sesame seeds, sesame noodles, salt and pepper.
3. Julianne the carrots, and then thinly slice the onion and nappa cabbage.

4. Heat a frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the tofu and brown on all sides.

5.When all ingredients are ready soften your first wrap. Find a wide shallow plate with a lip or bowl. Fill it with very  warm water. Place the wrap in the water for about 10 seconds (varies by the temperature of the water). When you can gently touch the wrap and it wrinkles evenly around your fingertips, remove the wrap and place it on a plate or cutting board. 
6. Place some carrot, onion, cabbage, basil, noodles and tofu on the lower third of the wrap.

7. Roll the wrap up by folding in the sides and then firmly rolling away from you.

8. Serve with Peanut Dipping Sauce

Peanut Dipping Sauce

1/2 cup natural peanut butter
1/4 cup warm water
juice of one lime
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp brown sugar

1. In a medium bowl whisk together the peanut butter and warm water.
2. When they are completely incorporated and smooth add the other ingredients and stir thoroughly.

Grape Jelly: from real grapes

We have this wicked old grape vine on our back fence, and every year we pick the grapes, eat a few and make some jelly. This year the crop was enormous. We picked over 50 pounds of grapes!! Half of them i have now made into jelly and the other half we are attempting to make into wine. (more on that in 9 weeks if it works out well)

If you have never had fresh grapes off a vine you are really missing out. We have been deceived by the marketing of "grape flavored" Popsicles, fruit snacks and cough syrup. Real grapes are so divinely delicious and fragrant, way more alluring than the chemically engineered masquerader. Try to get your hands on some. Grow your own, steal your neighbor's in the middle of the night or go to a farmer's market in September. However you do it...they are awesome

So now...the jelly. Making jelly is way easier than most people would think. Jelly from fresh grapes takes several steps to get from grapevine to jar, but as long as you mentally prep yourself for a few days of different tasks you will be fine. This recipe starts with the juice, so if you do not have fresh grapes and you want to just go from the bottle it still works great. You can also use pretty much any juice you like and make it into jelly.

Making Grape Jelly

1. Pick your grapes (duh)

2. Wash your grapes. This is important! We have lots of spiders on our grapes, and...well...the birds like to sit in the vine...WASH YOUR GRAPES! Lay them out to dry on towels on a flat surface. (Don't place them in a big pot or bowl they may mold if you have to leave them for a while)

3. Sort and pluck your grapes. You will only need the dark purple grapes. Take them off the stem. Put them in a big pot.

4. Render the juice. Place the pot over medium-high heat and mash your grapes with a potato masher or something else that will squish them. Bring the grape mash to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes. The skins should all be burst, the fruit should all be softened and broken down, and the liquid should be purple.

5. Separate the juice from the skins and seeds. Some people use a cheesecloth. They pour all of the mask into the cloth and squeeze it until all the juice is out. It works. I use a wire mesh sieve and push the juice and fruit though with a spoon. The thing I like about this method is that it allows some of the flesh of the fruit into the juice making the jelly a bit thicker, more flavorful and taste like fruit. The jelly is not clear, but I like it that way.

6. Make the Jelly

Fresh Grape Jelly

3 cups juice
1 package pectin
3 1/4 cups sugar

1. Dissolve the pectin in the juice in a heavy pot. Bring juice mixture to a heavy boil. Add the sugar and return to a boil for one minute. (stir constantly)
Remove from heat.

                                                     Meghan looking cute filling jars :)

7. Fill and process your jars. Here is some info on canning sterilization, equipment and methods.

http://www.simplycanning.com/sterilizing-jars.html

Curried Rice Bowl

If you like vegetables and you live in the Boston area you should head up to The Organic Garden in Beverly.
 http://www.organicgardencafe.com/
A few months ago I went and had a FABULOUS curry rice bowl. Theirs have candied cashews and chick pea cakes on top. Mine is a bit easier on the prep :) We made a veggie bar with all the chopped vegetables and the boys got to customize their own bowl. Also, feel free to throw any veggies that you like onto this. Napa cabbage, snow peas, bean sprouts, scallions would all do really well.

Curried Rice Bowl
(serves 4)

1/2 brick firm tofu cubed
1 cup brown rice
1 tbsp veggie oil
1/2 medium onion diced
1 cup frozen peas
Red or yellow curry sauce (I used the Trader Joes sauce)
Assorted chopped fresh veggies:
   We used Julianne carrots, red pepper, radishes, broccoli,  basil, & baby spinach

1. Cut the Tofu and mix with 1 cup of sauce. Place in a covered container and set aside in the fridge.
2. Cook the rice to package directions
3. Cut up all your veggies.
4. When your rice is done, heat the veggie oil in a large wok or frying pan, add the onion and cook until opaque. Add the peas and cook about 1 minute. Pour in the tofu, 1/2 cup more sauce, and 1/4 cup more water. Cook until heated through.
5. Assemble your bowls. Place rice on the bottom, chosen fresh veggies on top and then the curried tofu on top.

Vegan Moussaka

Moussaka requires a few separate steps but it is worth it. This recipe makes at 9X13. It keeps well in the fridge for about a week and reheats easily for lunches. This vegan version has not meat and no dairy but it is rich and delicious and very flavorful.

Vegan Moussaka

Lentil Bolognese:

1 onion diced
2 cloves garlic, diced
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
2 carrots shredded
2 stalks of celery diced.
1 tbsp oil
3/4 cup red lentils
14 oz crushed tomatoes
1 cup red wine
1 cup veggie stock
salt & pepper
1/2 cup fresh basil
1/4 cup fresh mint

Heat oil over medium heat. Saute the onion, garlic, red pepper flakes until onion is opaque, then add carrots, and celery. Cook for 5 min. Add the lentils, tomatoes, wine and stock. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook on low for 20 min, or until lentils and veggies are soft. Simmer to boil off any excess water. Stir in basil and mint.

Filling:
Roasted Red peppers
1 eggplant
1 zucchini
 -slice eggplant and zucchini in 1/4 inch slices and arrange on parchment covered baking sheets. Sprinkle the eggplant with salt and let it sit for 10 min. (this reduces the acidity and brings out some of the excess water) Wipe the eggplant with a paper towel, then bake the eggplant and zucchini in the oven at 350 for 20 min.

2 lbs potatoes
 -I had fingerlings, so I roasted them whole for 40 min at 400 degrees and then I mashed them with some almond milk. If you have bigger potatoes I would microwave them for 12 min, (6 min, then turn, then 6 min more) then mash.

Constructing the Moussaka:
Start by ladling about 1 cup of the sauce into the bottom of  a 9X13 pan. Then arrange a layer of eggplant, then red peppers. Follow with 1/2 of the mashed potatoes and 1/2 of the remaining sauce. Top with eggplant, zucchini, remaining potatoes and remaining sauce. Let the dish cool a bit while you make the Beshmelle sauce

Beshmelle Sauce:
3 tbsp vegetable oil
4 tbsp flour
3 cups plain almond milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp pepper
1.4 cup breadcrumbs (for topping)

Heat the oil, add the flour and whisk to warm for 1 min. Gradually add the milk and whisk, cook over medium heat until thickened. Do not boil.  If the sauce gets too thick add a bit more milk. Season to taste and  pour over the Moussaka. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs.
Bake at 350 for 30 min, or until the top just begins to brown. Let cool for about 10 min then serve.

Vegan Carrot Cake

I got a box of carrots from Fair Foods on Thursday and I have been creating lots of ways to use them, glazed, salads and soups. This was a stretch and I was not sure how it would turn out, but it cooked up great and tasted delicious. Great way to get rid of a load of carrots :)

Vegan Carrot Cake

1 cup sugar
8 oz. Pineapple
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups shredded carrots
1/2 cups dried cranberries
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2   tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp salt

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil an 8X8 inch baking dish.
2. Pulse pineapple in a food processor until it is finely chopped. (it will look like thick apple sauce)
3. Combine sugar, pineapple and oil. Stir in Carrots and cranberries.
4. Mix together all dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Gradually stir the dry into the wet ingredients until combined.
5. Pour batter into baking pan. Bake for 35 min or until a tester comes out clean in the  middle. Let the cake cool completely then dust with powdered sugar, or try a vegan tofu-cream icing. (I made some icing using Tofu, almond milk and sugar, but I am not set on the proportions well enough yet to post it. Be creative and try it yourself)

Gouda and Apple Stuffed French Toast

I was feeling very gourmet the other morning and decided to make something  fancy. This easy stuffed french toast recipe was quite tasty. :) You can easily substitute pears or peaches for the apple and any cheese will complement well...mix it up and enjoy.

Gouda and Apple Stuffed French Toast

1 green apple
5 slices of gouda cheese
10 slices of bread
1 ripe banana
1 cup milk (we used Almond Milk)
1 egg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg

1. Slice the apple into 1/4 inch slices. Mash the banana in a medium, shallow bowl. Add the milk, egg, cinnamon and nutmeg and whisk until combined.

2. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Make the sandwiches by stacking the cheese and about 6 slices of apple on one piece of bread and topping it with the second slice of bread.

3. Holding the sandwich together, gently dip both sides in the banana mixture. Then place the dipped sandwich on the hot skillet. Cook until golden brown and flip to cook the other side until cheese begins to melt. Dust with powdered sugar and enjoy.

Tomato Orange Marmalade

Here is another fun way to use tomatoes. This jam takes a long time to boil down, but it is delicious and goes great with scones. http://sarahsfreshlife.blogspot.com/search?q=scones

Tomato Orange Marmalade

3 lbs tomatoes, chopped (this is about 15 medium tomatoes)

3 cups sugar
2 oranges
1 lemon
1/8 tsp salt

1. Chill 2 small plates in the refrigerator for testing your Marmalade, and sterilize your canning equipment and jars.

2. Chop your tomatoes. Grate the peels of the fruit. (I used the zester for the lemon and a large holed cheese grater for the oranges.) Then gently cut the tops and bottoms off the lemon and oranges. Standing them up on a flat end cut the white pith off in strips from the top down. Reserve the strips and the tops. Holding the naked orange or lemon in your hand over your bowl, cut out the fruit segments by running your knife along the pith of each segment. Place the fruit segments in the bowl, and try to catch as much juice as you can into the bowl as you work. When you are done, squeeze as much juice as you can out of the left over pith and tops you previously cut.

3. Add all ingredients to a large pot over medium heat. Stir frequently until sugar is dissolved. (about 6 min)

4. Simmer on low, stirring occasionally as marmalade thickens (50 to 90 min)

5. Begin testing the marmalade after 50 min. Drop a spoonful of Marmalade on a chilled plate, then tilt; if the marmalade is done it should remain in a mound and should not run.

6. Process by filling sterilized jars and boiling 10 min. Let Marmalade stand in jars for 1 day for flavors to develop.

Tomato Jam

Thanks to Nancy at Fair Foods there are a lot of tomatoes in my life. Our relationship usually consists of salads, sandwiches and a lot of saucing. But that was getting a little routine so I decided to spice things up. I found this recipe for Tomato Jam and it is AMAZING!!! I made some tweaks because I have to, but if you would like something new to do with your tomatoes try it! The Jam tastes like the insides of a mincemeat pie, sweet and spicy and very surprising. It takes a good bit of time, but totally worth the wait.

We have not formally eaten any yet, just licked all the remnants out of the pan and on the spoon. But we think it would be great on croissanti with  goat cheese. We will try it.

This recipe makes about 1 pint of jam. Multiplying the recipe works fine, but it takes a little longer to boil down. When I doubled mine it took 2 hours instead of 1 hr. 15 min.
 You can make the jam and put it in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, or you can can it. This recipe requires the water bath canning method, but that is only because the lemon rind and juice lend enough citric acid to keep the botulism at bay. **IMPORTANT** You must have enough lemon or you can make people very sick. Tomatoes do not have enough acidity of their own, and without the lemon you will need to use the pressure canning method. To ensure safe acidity in canned tomatoes, add 2 tablespoons of bottled lemon juice or ½ teaspoon of citric acid per quart. The quantities of this recipe are sufficient, just be careful folks. 

Tomato Jam

1 1/2 lbs tomatoes chopped
1 1/2 cups brown sugar, firmly packed
1/4 cup sherry
1/2 lemon, juiced and zested
1 tbsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper

1. In a 3-4 quart saucepan, combine all ingredients. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring often.

2. Reduce heat to a simmer, stir occasionally, until mixture is reduced to 2 cups and has the consistency of thick jam. (this takes about 1 hr and 15 min)

3. Spoon into prepared sterilized jars and process 10 min in water-bath or place in the refrigerator.

Raw Golden Beet Salad

I am a lover of vegetables but I have NEVER been a lover of beets. My mother tried to feed me canned beets as a kid...FAIL. When roasted beet salad became vogue I tried...really really tried to like them...FAIL.

 After a good friend, Ehren Flynn, called me from his farmers' market asking me for a good recipe he could use with his CSA beets that his wife might actually eat, (love you Jen) I started researching, because I had no ideas for him.

I came across an article that claimed that "beet haters" tend to like raw beets instead of boiled or roasted beets...HUH!!??

Yesterday I got some georgeous golden beets from Fair Foods and I was determined to try a raw beet salad. This recipe is excellent. Even Keith (world renown beet hater) really liked it and said that it did not taste "beety."

So if you are shy with beets, get cozy with this salad and get to know them better...you will like it ;)

Raw Golden Beet Salad

3 Medium to small Golden Beets, peeled and cut into matchsticks
1/2 Large Yellow Onion sliced
1/2 English Cucumber, cut into matchsticks
1.3 cup Chopped Walnuts
2 tbsp Lemon Zest
1/3 cup chopped Fresh Dill
1/3 cup chopped Fresh Parsley 2 tsp Olive Oil
2 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
1 tsp Whole Grain Mustard
Salt and Pepper

1. Chop beets, cucumber, onion and walnuts, and combine in a large salad bowl. Add the lemon zest, dill and parsley.
2. Whisk together olive oil, cider vinegar, mustard, salt & pepper. Pour dressing over the salad and toss to combine.

White Yam & Apple Soup

Again another season of neighborhood women's Bible study is at an end and we celebrated by having a lunch "feast" together. Everyone contributed and it was quite delicious. I was responsible for soups. Thanks to Fair Foods I had a large amount of White Yams sitting in my kitchen so I made a white yam and apple soup. It was delicious and the recipe was requested, so here it is, cook well and enjoy :)

White Yams are in the same family as sweet potatoes. They have creamy white flesh and taste a bit more like sugar. Regular sweet potatoes or any winter squash can easily be substituted for the White Yam in this recipe.

White Yam and Apple Soup

1 Large Onion, chopped

3 Cloves of Garlic, smashed

1 inch Fresh Ginger, chopped

1 tbsp Butter

6-8 Medium White Yams, peeled and chopped

2 Apples, peeled, cored, and chopped

2 Bouillon Cubes or 2 tsp Bouillon Substitute

1 tsp Thyme

1/2 tsp Nutmeg

Salt and Pepper to taste

1. In a large heavy-bottomed stock pot heat butter. Add the onion, garlic, and ginger and saute until the onion is opaque.

2. Add yams, apples, bouillion and enough water to cover the yams by 1/2 inch. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer covered for 20 minutes or until the yams and apples are soft.

3. With and immersion blender, or in a regular blender in batches, puree the soup. Stir in Thyme, Nutmeg, Salt and Pepper and serve.

Fire Dragon Fruit Smoothie

Thanks to our great friend Grace we were introduced to a new and interesting fruit. Grace brought us a Fire Dragon Fruit which is a tropical fruit from Viet Nam that is a kind of Cactus. It has the internal consistency of a kiwi, and the seeds are also similar.

 It is sweet and fleshy and works well for smoothies. To use it simply split it in half, cut off the ends and peel off the tough skin. We used half of it in our smoothie this morning.

Fire Dragon Smoothie

1/2 Fire Dragon Fruit

2 Bananas

1/4 large Papaya

8-10 frozen Strawberries

2 cups Almond Milk

Water to cover

Add all ingredients into a blender, blend on high until the seeds are pulverized 2-3 min. Enjoy...and feel the power of the dragon. ;)

Citrus Bread Pudding

A friend of mine left a large bag of fresh bread on my doorstep last week and I had a lot of oranges and grapefruits laying around. I needed to use them both and needed to make a dessert so I found this recipe that combined them both into a delicious and refreshing treat. I really like the technique of this recipe. It leaves the bread pudding moist and delicious. The only thing that I would amend is that the directions say to put water in the roasting half way up the baking pan the bread pudding is in. I found this to be too much water. I would use a quarter of the way up or less. There was so much water left in the roasting pan that I had a hard time getting the pudding out without getting myself and the pudding soaked. I  substituted grapefruit for the lemons which worked really well, and I used almond milk instead of the heavy cream which still gave a firm pudding without all the extra fat. I served the pudding with home made caramel sauce which was awesome too!! http://sarahsfreshlife.blogspot.com/search?q=caramel+sauce

• 

Ingredients

• 9 ounces (about 1 loaf) day-old French bread, crusts removed, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
• 1/2 cup golden raisins
• 1/2 cup dark raisins
• Zest and juice of 1 lemon
• Zest and juice of 1 orange
• 8 large eggs
• 4 cups heavy cream
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, room temperature, for parchment paper
• Whipped cream, for serving (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees with a rack in the center. Place bread cubes in a shallow 2 1/2-quart baking dish; set aside. Place raisins in a small bowl. Add zests and juices; let stand 30 minutes.
2. Place eggs in a large bowl. In another large bowl, combine heavy cream, 1 cup sugar, vanilla, and nutmeg. Pour the cream mixture into eggs, whisking constantly until fully combined. Add the raisin mixture, and stir to combine. Pour over bread, making sure all the bread is thoroughly saturated. Sprinkle with remaining sugar.
3. Brush a sheet of parchment paper with butter. Place, buttered-side down, over the bread. Place baking dish in a larger roasting pan. Place in oven, and add enough water to the larger pan to come halfway up sides of baking dish. Bake 45 minutes. Uncover and bake 15 minutes more. Remove from oven and let stand 20 minutes before serving. Top with a dollop of whipped cream, if desired

Hunger Games: Katniss' Favorite Plumb Curry

Yesterday I went to go see the Hunger Games movie with my girls and before hand a few of us had dinner. I decided to make Plumb Curry to celebrate, and then was disappointed that the plumb curry never made it into the movie. (too bad) So I guess it is a secret that those of us who have read the books too many times get to keep. Enjoy and may the odds be ever in your flavor...I mean favor ;)

Hunger Games Plumb Curry

2 tbsp butter
1.2 medium onion diced
3 cloves garlic minced
2 medium carrots sliced thin into founds
3 stalks celery diced
1/2 cup diced poblano chilies
1/2 cup diced yellow or red peppers
2 tbsp flour
2 tbsp Jamaican curry powder
1 cup diced dried plumbs
1/2 cup golden rasins
2 bone-in chicken breasts
3 cups chicken broth

1. Melt the butter in a heavy bottomed stock pot. Saute the onion, garlic, carrot, celery, and peppers until the onion is translucent. Add the curry and flour and cook, stirring constantly for one minute.
2. Slowly add the chicken broth, stirring quickly. Add chicken breasts meat side down, ans sprinkle the plumbs and rasins on to of the chicken.
3. Bring the sauce to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer 25-30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
4. Take the chicken out, shred meat off the bone and add it back into the pot. Serve over couscous.

Vegetarian Irish Stout Stew

Happy St.Patrick's day!!! Usually I make a traditional Irish stew with beef and veggies, but this year #1 I did not have the ability to get out to the store and purchase meat and #2 I was hosting a vegetarian, so I amended my traditional recipe for this veggie version and I love it. Enjoy and be healthy!

Vegetarian Irish Stout Stew

1 large onion chopped
3 stalks celery chopped
3 medium carrots chopped
2 garlic cloves minced
4 medium potatoes cut into large chunks
1 medium summer squash chopped (I happen to have summer squash, but peeled butternut or acorn works great too!)
1/4 cup flour
1 bottle of stout beer (I used Sam Adams Black Lager)
4+ cups of veggie stock*
1 tablespoon thyme leaves
 1 tsp rosemary
Salt and pepper
1 cup frozen peas
1 can cannelini beans rinsed and drained (or any white beans)

1. Heat 2 tbsp veggie oil on medium-high in a heavy stock pot. Add onions, celery, carrots and garlic, season with salt and pepper. Saute until onion is opaque. Add potatoes, squash and flour. Stir constantly for one minute to cook the flour, then gradually add the beer and continue stirring, mixture will thicken. Add enough veggie stock until the potatoes are covered. Bring the stew up to a simmer, cover, lower the temperature to low and cook for 20 minutes.
2. Check that the potatoes are cooked through. If they are add thyme, rosemary, peas and beans. Return the stew to a simmer to warm the peas  and beans through (about 5 min), season with salt and pepper if necessary then serve.

Simple Home Made Caramel Sauce

Last night I made a citrus bread pudding which was really excellent but what gave it the perfect finishing touch is this amazing caramel sauce. What I absolutely loved about this recipe is how easy it is and it turned out perfect, and because you make it yourself you can determine the thickness of it to your liking. It would go well with ice cream or apple pie. It gets thicker when it cools, but it microwaves well if you re-heat it on low or defrost.

Caramel Sauce (Makes about 1 1/2 cups)

1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 tsp vanilla
Pinch of salt

1. Combine all ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently until it reaches your desired consistency. (3-5 min)

Vietnamese Tofu Subs...My Way

Keith always loves it when someone buys Vietnamese subs for our summer staff so I thought I would try it at home. I created a version of their vegetarian Tofu sub that EVERYONE ATE!!! There was not one scrap of sandwich left, so the Tofu went over well and I am proud. I used bread that someone gave me from Panera. It is long and flat, but not as hard as a cibatta. I am not sure what it is called but it worked well and tasted good. You can use a French or Italian style bread, or some sub rolls for individual subs. This recipe is for one long loaf, and it should serve 4 adults. We ate the sandwiches with nappa cabbage salad: http://sarahsfreshlife.blogspot.com/search?q=nappa+cabbage+salad

Vietnamese Tofu Subs

1 Brick firm Tofu sliced 1/2 inch thick (about 10 slices)
Teriyaki marinade (I used Trader Joes Soyaki)
1/2 English cucumber
2 Medium carrots
1 Medium Daikon Radish
1/2 cup Cilantro sprigs
1 Large soft baguette-style bread

Sauce:
1/2 cup Mayonnaise
2 tbsp chili sauce (siracha if you like it hot, or sweet chili for those who like it milder)
2 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp fish sauce

1. Place sliced tofu in a large sealed container with the marinade and let it sit for 2+ hours.
2. With a veggie peeler slice the cucumber, carrot and radish into long strips and set aside.
3. Prepare the sauce by whisking all the ingredients together in a small bowl.
4. Slice the bread lengthwise. Heat a large skillet to medium high. Add the sliced tofu and heat through. When the tofu is hot layer it on the bread. Next layer the veggies and cilantro. Spread the sauce on the top side of the loaf. Close the sandwich up and slice it into sections to serve.