The Chocolate Viennese Filled Cookies

Most of my cooking and baking have a bit of a healthy twist. This is one exception. The only healthy thing about these is that they are made with all organic ingredients.

I usually do a lot of baking around the holidays. There are a couple delicacies that win the popular vote. The one baked item I get asked for more than any other is the viennese cookies. I have no idea why they are called viennese cookies and don't know if the recipe comes from Vienna. I do know that they are delicious. I do know they are addictive. I do know that I licked my fingers and the bowl and the broken ones so much that I woke up with a sugar hangover.

The recipe starts with a chocolate shortbread type cookie that is piped out and baked.

Dark chocolate is melted so that one edge of each cookie can be dipped.


The filling is flavored with espresso which gives such a nice coffee balance to the dark chocolate and the sweetness of the cream filling.

Now they're ready for gifting and for munching. They freeze well too!

If you want the recipe, post a comment requesting it, and I will gladly post it.

Vegetable Lasagna

This is such a great standby for us. I find it pretty easy to put together and everyone always loves it!

I start by mixing the cheese layer in a bowl. I use two containers of organic ricotta, a bag of frozen chopped spinach, 2 eggs and 1/4 cup of grated parmesan cheese.

I start layering the lasagna with a jarred organic spagetti sauce ladled on the bottom of a glass casserole dish. I place a layer of noodles next. I use rice lasagna noodles, but only Tinkyada brand. Any others I've tried are mushy and have a horrendous texture. I place the noodles on the sauce without precooking them - as simple as possible.

Then I spoon 1/2 of the ricotta mixture over the noodles and spread evenly. I pulled whatever veggies I could find in the fridge to chop and add on top of the ricotta layer (carrots, green beans and mustard greens), then more sauce, another layer of noodles, the rest of the ricotta mixture, more sauce, the last layer of noodles, topped with sauce and some parmesan sprinkled on top.

Bake at 400 for about 50 minutes or until the noodles are cooked through.

Collards and cornmeal

My dad grew up on a farm. Years ago he told me about how his mother used to prepare greens with cornmeal dumplings. The thought of this dish has been festering in the back of my mind ever since. Tonight I decided to tackle the yearning I've had for that meal. I had an abundance of collards and mustard greens from my csa.

I used this recipe from epicurious.com:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Simmered-Greens-with-Cornmeal-Dumplings-241202

I substituted turkey bacon for the regular bacon, changed the cornmeal to flour ratio so that it was mostly cornmeal and substituted agave for sugar.

It was sooooo so good.






I also made some roasted butternut squash, also from my csa, and some field peas and beans to round out the southern meal reminiscent of days gone by.

Thanksgiving

Since this public blog is meant to act as a personal reminder of things to cook, I will take the opportunity to remember also this Thanksgiving.

Cheddar and green onion scones for breakfast along with the grapefruit, orange and pomegranate fruit salad . . . 

Add in the cinnamon rolls for breakfast while watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade and ragging on the ones that mess up their steps or drop their batons or wear costumes that shouldn't see the light of day . . . 

If I serve a salad on Thanksgiving, everyone actually eats it, so I always do.  This one is organic romaine tossed with organic field lettuce from the csa and pomegranate seeds from the breakfast and a grapefruit vinaigrette also made from the juice of the fruit salad.

Organic potatoes mashed with the skins and a stick of butter made a day ahead, stored in my chambra pot, topped with chopped parsley and green onions.  Yes, they are still good reheated the next day, really . . .  I promise!

Just some green beans, because we have to.

 Cornbread dressing made with cornbread, of course and sauteed onions, celery, fresh parsley, fresh rosemary, fresh lemon thyme, dried sage because it doesn't ever do well in my garden, then moistened with broth. 

 Sweet potato souffle from my GrandFoy's recipe.  A large bowl full of organic mashed sweet potato (~10?), 4 organic eggs, a stick of organic butter, a generous splash of sherry, a pinch of salt, ~1/2 c. agave, 1/4 c. maple syrup (GFoy's recipe called for 2 cups of sugar!!!! That would make my teeth hurt.)  After whipping it all together, put it in a baking dish and top with a nut crumb topping.  I used butter, sucanat, oat flour and pecans.  Bake until bubbly on the bottom and crunchy on the top.  It looks a little burned, maybe so but still completely yummy!

Turkey isn't the main attraction for us, but can you really have a traditional Tgiving without?We didn't get a picture of the whole turkey, so this one of sliced turkey will have to do.

The cranberry sauce is in the previous post and has a starring role, since Matthias made it.

For dessert . . . Sydney made an organic pumpkin pie and added a sweet potato because we heard that makes it better.  She got creative and folded the crust into the pie, which gave it a sort of tort look.

And an apple blackberry pie that was much better the second day.  We put vodka in the crusts because you're supposed to?  I tossed the peeled and sliced organic apple assortment with sucanat, organic blackberries and a tablespoon of tapioca powder as a thickener.

                                              Matthias plays a song for us after our meal.

                                                            Teddy's too full to stand up.

                                                 Sydney practices her spiral off the ice . . . 

                                                    Matthias is suddenly camera shy . . . 

                             

         I have to call the other relatives to say Happy Thanksgiving.

                                      Who forgot to put water in the cat's bowl again?

                                                             Mom enjoys sitting outside.

                                           Paula and Sydney took most of the photos

                             spoiled with our beautiful lake and the unbelievable weather!

Organic Cranberry Raspberry Sauce

Matthias made this with a little help.  He dumped 2 bags of fresh organic cranberries into a small pot.  He picked through those berries before adding a bag of organic frozen raspberries.  He then squeezed three tangerines through a strainer into a measuring cup.  He added some organic apple juice to make the liquid equal ~1 1/4 cups.  He added the juice along with 3/4 cups agave.  He simmered the mixture with a stick of cinnamon.  We had to sweeten a little to get it right, but then we couldn't keep the spoons out of it.

Dominoes, you got served

When I did not feel like making anything for dinner, my kids started chanting, "pizza, pizza, pizza!"

Since the only pizza out here in the boonies is either Dominoes (eww) or a local place called N.Y. Pizza, which is even worse, I know. Yes, it is possible. I had to resort to desperate measures.

So, I looked in the fridge at the organic raw cheddar that was calling my name. I also thought about the organic pink lady apples I had bought that were the perfect balance of tart to sweetness. How could I bring these two ingredients together without any effort? Throw in some organic whole grain bread from a local bakery - using the raisin and the plain versions!

These grilled cheese apple sandwiches that I baked in the oven (to avoid the whole effort of standing at the stove) were orgasmic. They encompassed the pizza effect of melty cheese, a little bit greasy, a little bit of crispy crust, balanced by acid - amazing.

Tofu noodle soup

Tofu marinated in tangerine juice, Bragg's liquid aminos and ginger is sauteed. Sautee vegetables such as onions, carrots, turnips, radishes, pak choi and snow peas. Set aside and saute some softened rice noodles. Make a sauce from the marinade and pour over the vegetable and tofu covered noodles. We ate it like this as well as with vegetable broth as a soup. The tangerine gave it a great flavor.

Pumpkin Oatmeal

After cooking steel cut oats, I added some pumpkin puree, cinnamon, ground cloves and nutmeg. 

I added walnuts and sweetened with maple syrup.

It was good.  I didn't love it.

Butternut squash soup

An autumn standard for a chilly evening. This soup was great and pretty easy. I baked 4 whole butternut squash at 400 until they were soft enough to easily cut. I hate trying to cut those things raw.

I sauteed a bit of onion in some coconut oil, then added the squash meat, coarsely chopped. I poured in enough vegetable stock (I prefer chicken stock, but my daughter is a vegetarian, so I use veg instead) to 1/2 cover the squash. I added a can of coconut milk, a stick of cinnamon and one apple, chopped and cooked on medium low until the squash was rounding on the corners, indicating that it was getting soft. I poured in a bit of apple cider and a little agave. I forgot to fish out the cinnamon stick before I pureed the soup with an immersion blender (I use stainless steel so as to not bring plastic in contact with my organic hot soup), which left us fishing it out with our tongues - not recommended. I added a bit of allspice before serving.

Burritos

This is a duck shaped sweet potato from my csa




I made some burritos with browned ground turkey, black beans, mustard greens (csa), red peppers (csa) and a little salsa. Others I made without the turkey due to our vegetarian/carnivore household. I wrapped the filling with some spelt tortillas, placed in a baking dish side by side, then covered with enchilada sauce. The enchilada sauce is just tomato sauce with finely sliced onions, basil, oregano and chili powder - simmered in a pot at least until the onions soften. I sprinkled the top with monterray jack cheese and baked until the cheese was beginning to brown.

I served the burritos topped with chopped romaine and a dollop of sour cream.

Potato Kale Soup

Potato Kale Soup

Saute onions in olive oil. Add some chopped potatoes to pot and continue to saute. Add vegetable broth to the pot as well as the rest of the potatoes. Add a chopped carrot. Add chopped kale. Cook until potatoes are tender. Add a chunk of butter. Mash the potatoes roughly, so the soup remains chunky. Season to taste. Serve with a dollop of sour cream chopped green onions or chives.

Okra Lentil Dish, Savory Tarte Tatin and Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cake

Unfortunately, my camera battery charger is still missing.

I came across this recipe:

Hyderabadi Dahi Bhindi Masala

which gave me an inspiration for using okra differently. I have been getting tons of okra from my csa. Mostly, I have made soups and ragus? by just tossing the veggies together in a pot according to what I had in the fridge. We ate it over noodles, over rice, over polenta and alone as a soup. We were all getting tired of these vegetable mixtures. The early summer appeal of the beautiful ripe tomatoes grown down the street had started to fade. I had lost the loving feeling for the vegetables that I had rushed to use with a focused gusto in the early summer. My vegetable drawer is now overflowing with lovely colorful peppers, slicer tomatoes, eggplant, okra, cherry tomatoes, green onions and green beans. They are just as beautiful, but no longer hold the attraction they did just a few months ago.

This recipe is a departure from my southern background. For any Indian purist, my recipe would absolutely not do. Mine is more of a fusion based on what I had on hand in my fridge and pantry.

Okra Lentil Coconut Stew

Okra, 1 bag chopped
Assorted tomatoes, chopped
Onions, chopped (I used green)
Raw cashews, handful
Green beans, 1 bag
Ginger, powdered
Curry spice mix, powdered
Cayenne pepper
2 cans lentils, drained
1 can coconut milk

Sprinkle salt on okra and let sit in a bowl for 30 mins. Saute okra and cashews in olive oil in a pan until cashews are light, golden brown. Place the okra and cashews in a bowl. In same pan, saute onions, adding the curry and ginger (~1-2 tsp. of each?). Add chopped tomatoes to pan and continue to cook on medium heat. Add green beans and coconut milk, stirring to combine the flavors. Cook until the green beans are tender. Add lentils and okra, cashew mixture. Stir together and heat through. Add cayenne to taste. This can be served in a bowl or over rice.

Vegetable Tarte Tatin

I found this recipe:
Pepper Tarte Tatin

It looks so good in her picture, and I was dying to try it.
I modified it slightly to use more of the veggies in my drawer. After preheating the oven to 350, I covered the bottom of my cast iron skillet in olive oil then placed sliced green onions, sliced cherry tomatoes and sliced colorful peppers to the bottom of the skillet in a decorative pattern. After drizzling the veggies with agave and white wine vinegar, I cooked the vegetables on medium heat without stirring for ~10 mins. I then covered the veggies with filo dough and placed in the oven for ~18 minutes.

I removed the tarte from the pan immediately by placing a plate over the skillet and inverting the tarte onto the plate.

I finished off my French-Indian fusion meal with a pumpkin chocolate cake based on this recipe:

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cake

I always have to tweak a recipe and probably never make something exactly the same twice. I only modified this one a little. I just wanted to make it in a way I could justify eating it for breakfast. I substituted the 2 c. flours with this mixture: 3/4 c. ap flour, 1/2 c. whole spelt flour, 1/2 c. almond flour, 1/4 c. coconut flour. For the sugars, I substituted 1/2 c. agave nectar and 1/2 c. sucanat. I used ~1 cup of chocolate chips. This is a very good recipe, and the cake came out just like the picture!

Raspberry Tea Bread

I made this tea bread that I found at this link:

Raspberry Tea Bread

It is really, really good. I omitted the banana because I couldn't find where to add it in the recipe. I substituted agave for honey and used 3 Tbsp. (probably because I omitted the banana). I used dried cherries, because I don't love raisins. It's a very nice, light breakfast or tea bread. I will definitely make it again.

Potatoes, carrots and green beans

Tonight it was the above mentioned veggies in a pressure cooker with a little olive oil and ~ 1 cup of water.

So simple and good. Serve with a little butter and salt.

My camera battery is dead, and since Thomas is out of town I don't know where the charger is. . . so, no pictures of this or chicken fricassee.

Chicken Fricassee

I made this recipe because whenever my kids see white asparagus in the grocery, they think of their Oma's (grandma) special meal that she makes for them when they visit her in Germany. Ideally, it would be made with a roux so as to thicken it. I couldn't be bothered with the different pots that would entail, so I made it this way:

3 halves boneless skinless chicken breast (free range)
1 bunch white asparagus, peeled and halved
2 carrots, sliced
1 onion, chopped
2 handfuls snow peas
1 cup green peas (organic frozen)
1/2 qt. chicken broth
1/2 pint whipping cream
splash of sherry

Saute onions and carrots in olive oil in a pressure cooker. Add chopped chicken, asparagus and chicken broth to just cover the vegetables and chicken. Bring to pressure and cook for 6 minutes. Take off of pressure, add asparagus, peas, whipping cream and sherry. Simmer for a few minutes to thicken. Add the snow peas and cook for another minute or two.

Serve over rice.

Lentil Coconut Soul Satisfying Soup.

This soup was comforting and sublime. The flavor satisfied something in my soul. It was also very filling, so I could only eat a small bowl.



Lentil Coconut Soup
2 bags organic green dry lentils (soaked overnight or quick-soaked)
coconut oil
onions, chopped (1 medium or several babies)
sweet peppers, chopped
tomatoes, ~1 pint chopped
cooking sherry, just a splash
vegetable broth, 1 qt.
coconut milk, 1 can
fresh rosemary, 2 - 3 sprigs
fresh thyme, a small handful
celtic salt, a pinch
optional - hot pepper or cayenne



Saute the onions, peppers and tomatoes until onions start to brown. Add the rinsed and drained lentils that were soaked. Add the broth and coconut milk and bring to a slow boil. Add the rosemary and turn down to low. Allow the soup to cook until the lentils just begin to break down. Splash the sherry into the soup.

Garnish with some chopped red pepper and chopped herbs.

Coconut Milk Chocolate Pudding

I got this recipe from Gotta Learn to Measure and only changed a few ingredients:

Chocolate Coconut Pudding
1 14-ounce can of coconut milk, divided
3 tbsp sucanat
pinch celtic salt
1/4 cup arrowroot
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3 tablespoons organic cocoa powder
3.5-ounce organic semi-sweet chocolate chips (or any dark chocolate)
1 tsp vanilla extract

Shake the can of coconut milk vigorously for a few seconds. In a heavy saucepan bring 1 1/4 cups of the coconut milk, sucanat, and the salt (just) to a simmer over low heat.

While that is heating, in a separate bowl whisk together the remaining coconut milk, arrowroot, spices, and cocoa powder. It should look like a chocolate frosting.

When the coconut milk and sucanat mixture has started simmering take about 1/4 cup of it and whisk it little by little into the arrowroot mixture, creating a slurry. Turn down the heat to the very lowest setting. Now drizzle the slurry mixture into the simmering pan of coconut milk whisking vigorously all the while. Keep whisking until the pudding comes back up barely to a simmer and thickens up a bit, about a minute.

Remove the saucepan from heat, continue whisking while it is cooling for about a minute. Now whisk in the chocolate and vanilla. Keep stirring until the pudding is smooth. Place in a refrigerator to chill thoroughly. To prevent a skin from forming press plastic up against the surface of the pudding.

Real local and organic vegetables

These sweet peppers and onions were tossed in olive oil in preparation for the grill.





I know I need to get a better camera for my pictures, but I'm trying anyway. Here's an awesome heirloom tomato. It was divine in a turkey blt with fresh herbs!









I have trouble eating eggplant - it makes my mouth itchy. But I love the color and don't mind preparing it for my hubby who enjoys it.

What's in those brownies?

I found the black bean brownie recipe on tastespotting and was intrigued. Several friends were also interested in trying them. I finally made them and was actually impressed at how well they turned out. They taste great, even though they are a little more fudgey than a traditional brownie.

I used this recipe:

http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/amazing-black-bean-brownies-recipe.html

CSA organic cheating vegetable dinner

This dinner was earlier in the summer. I made some roasted fingerling potatoes, some green beans with turkey bacon - the cheating part, a freshly made cole slaw and a summer squash mix with fresh rosemary.

Veggie dinner

Tonight I wanted to use my veggies from the csa, even though we're getting tired of okra, tomatoes and peppers.

I chopped some of the baby onions into a cast iron skillet with olive oil. I added okra that I chopped and sauteed to cut down on the slime factor. I added chopped grape tomatoes, torn collard leaves, torn fresh basil leaves and a can of chick peas to finish my tagine? or is it a ragu? I almost forgot that most important splash of wine vinegar!

Whatever you want to call it, I heated up some brown rice left over from yesterday. I served the tagine/ragu over the warm rice. On the side we had a salad of ramaine with avocado and a fresh lemon drizzle.

When I took the first bite of the warm veggie combo, I was transported to my grandmother's kitchen. Since she never made anything like this that I know of, I can only guess that it's the collards. She used to keep a pot of greens on the stove as well as a pot of field peas and her famous black coffee. Friends and family members who dropped by and knew her coffee would ask 'cut me off a slice of that coffee.' There were also always fresh biscuits in the oven that I have never been able to duplicate.

For a funny tummy

I wasn't feeling tip top yesterday so I made some brown rice. I added a little coconut milk, some grated coconut and some dried currants to the warm rice for an impromptu, comforting 'rice pudding' make-do. It hit the spot.

Apple pancakes

We peeled and cored a large apple then sliced it in1/4-1/2" slices. We used Pamela's gluten free mix for the batter. We dipped the apple slices in the batter, then laid the slices in a hot pan and spooned the batter on top of the pancakes. Of course, we sprinkled cinnamon on them.

So yummy - we didn't even need syrup.

What's for dinner

Tonight we roasted the fingerling potatoes in the oven with some olive oil, baby red onions and salt. We accompanied them with sauteed okra and cooked collards. I sliced up a beautiful orange pepper to add color to the plate. All the vegetables are organic and local from my csa.



Due to an abundance of 'horse apples' from the csa, I made some apple muffins from this recipe:

http://thecrepesofwrath.wordpress.com/2008/08/25/apple-nut-oatmeal-muffins

I doubled the recipe and substituted 3/4 c. almond meal, 3/4 c. coconut flour, 1/3 c. spelt flour, 1/3 c. oat flour, 1/3 c. oat flour, 1 c. ap flour for the flour. I also substituted 3/4 c. agave for the sugar. I left out the nuts and raisins, b/c my kids don't like either in their muffins.


They taste great. They are very light, just a tad crumbly due to the flour exchanges, but really really good. No one noticed the difference with the different flours, while they usually complain after the first bite. Now . . . if I can just maintain texture without the ap flour.