Sweet and spicy sauce!

I have discovered the secret to delicious, quick meals. You take a 12 ounce jar of apple jelly (I've heard that grape jelly works too) and cook it in a sauce pan with about 2/3rds (less if you don't like incredibly hot food) of a 5 ounce thing of tabasco sauce. Then you can just use the sauce on any meat and in any way--dip chicken nuggets in it, cook meatballs in it, baste chicken breasts with it and bake it, etc, etc. Throw in some veggies and rice/noodles to make it complete. Use a little or a lot depending upon how much flavor/hotness you want. I have seriously used this on all my meals in the last few days. It is an addiction.

Chai tea Concentrate

I love chai, but it's really a pain to make from scratch. I'm also a snob and don't like most of the mixes available at the store. They're either too sweet or not spicy enough or whatever. Today I was reading Angry Chicken and came across this recipe for a mix that's kept in the fridge for 6 months. It is perfect! No too sweet and with the addition of 1/4 tsp ground pepper is definitely spicy enough! Enjoy!

Pumpkin Black Bean Soup

Pumpkin Black Bean Soup
(adapted from Bon Appetit and originally posted at AMU) (posted by Carol)

Yield - 2 servings

1 15 oz can pumpkin (or equivalent amount of fresh, cooked pumpkin)
1 15 oz can coconut milk, regular or light
1 15 oz can black beans, drained
1 cup vegetable or chicken stock
2 tsp ground cumin
lime juice
chopped cilantro to taste
salt to taste

In heavy saucepan, heat cumin over medium heat for ~ 30 seconds. Add pumpkin, beans, coconut milk and stock. Cook until hot and flavors meld. Add 1-2 Tbsp of fresh lime juice and cilantro to taste. Add salt if needed. Serve with chopped cilantro on top.

My Notes:
I discovered this recipe on a forum I frequent. I assume sharing is good! I love how fast and good this is.

I use parsley or skip it as DH hates Cilantro.

Toast with Apples & Cheese

We had this today and it was SO yummy! It's a good snack or part of a lunch.

Slice of bread
1 apple sliced thinly (I used my mandarin for really thin slices)
some raisins
two or three slices of cheese

On a cookie sheet, layer the apples, rasins, then cheese on top of the bread. Put under the broiler for two or three minutes til cheese is melted. Enjoy! If you want some crunch to your bread, it would be best to toast it lightly first since the broiler will just make it soggy.

Lacto-fermented turnips

Sywinn and I were talking about this today. If ou find yourself with a few extra turnips, you can make a quart of this. Far and away the best way to eat turnips, IMO. So, so good and good for you. Also, incidentally, the only ferment that Hugo would happily eat besides pickles.

This will seem very easy, and it is.

5 pounds turnips
3 tablespoons salt
Wide mouthed glass or lead-free vessel. If you are making a lot you can use a fod grade bucket.

1) Chop the turnips. We made them this year in like steak and shake fry thickness and about an inch long. Perfect. You can also grate them witha food processor, but they will not be as crunchy that way.

2) Place one layer of turnips in your jar. Sprinkle with salt. You ca pound them down a little.

3) add another layer of turnips and salt.

When you are done using your salt and turnips, you will need to weigh down the turnips. A plate that covers them with a jar filled with water over it is fine. You can cover the whole thing loosely with a cloth. Do not seal it to air.

Within a couple hours, the weight should have pushed all the turnips under water - the turnips will release quite a bit of water.

After a few days, wipe away any mold and check the taste. The most important thing is to make sure the turnips are under the brine. After 2-4 weeks, refrigerate. It will keep for several months in the fridge.

Thats it!

This is also, incidentally, how you make saurkraut, old-fashioned pickles, kim-chi and any number of other sour vegetables. Beets and kale are really great this way too.

Fermentation is a very healthy way to preserve the harvest - each bite of raw femented veggies will be full of the same kind of healthy bacteria that you get in yogurt, in addition to other healthy stuff. A fermented veggie is pretty salty, but less so than, say a vinegar pickle.

Enjoy!

Kids-can-make pancakes

I haven't posted much here lately, mostly because I really don;t follow recipes. However, Hugo and I have been having such great success and fun with these pancakes, I wanted to share. The "recipe" is flexible enough that Hugo can almost make them with just verbal direction. Awesome! Not measuring things carefully really cuts down on prep time and makes these pancakes something that we make at least once a week before adam and hugo leave for the day.

All measurements are approximate and *heaping*. We usually use a single dry measuring cup and a tea-spoon or small cereal spoon.

1 cup whole wheat flour (right now we have whole wheat white which works really well)
1 cup fine-ground corn meal
1 tsp baking powder
half of that of baking soda and also salt

2 eggs
1-3 cups liquid (milk, soymilk, yogurt, etc) (everyone likes a different thickness. You will have to add water if you use thick yogurt)

Apple cider vinegar (you will need a couple cap-fuls if you are not using a sour liquid like yogurt or buttermilk
Dollop of oil
smaller dollop of honey

Banana slices, nut, chocolate chips, berries (we usually use frozen blueberries) or whatever, however much you want.


Mix dry
Add wet
Add fruit

Cook like a normal pancake, although since they are whole grain, a slower, slightly cooler pan works better, I think.

Black Bean & Sweet Potato Burritos

Christina posted a version of these burritos a year ago but this version involves no slow cooker. Besides, I always like to see variations on recipes, so I thought I'd share my version here, too. I calculated the cost of this meal while we were eating it and I was so pleased to discover that (excepting spices, which I always have on hand) I fed the four of us with plenty of leftovers (2 lunches worth) for $5.50 and that's including good cheddar and canned beans. Plus it's fast... you can't beat that!

Ingredients:
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled & diced (about 3 cups)
1/2 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2c black beans cooked (or one can, rinsed)
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp chili powder
salt to taste

8 flour tortillas, warmed
1 c. shredded sharp cheddar

Directions:
In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, melt butter and saute onions til clear. Add sweet potatoes, garlic, cumin, oregano and chili powder. Cook til sweet potatoes are soft, using apple juice or water to keep them from sticking to pan. When sweet potatoes are done, add beans and salt to taste. Cook til beans are heated through. Serve with warmed tortillas and cheese. You can add sour cream, salsa, avocado and/or cilantro as garnish if you wish! Enjoy!