Moosewood Fudge Brownies

I love these. And I love that I can make them in a small portion that's a little more reasonable (since I have been known to eat a whole pan if the moon's right, if you know what I mean...) My substitutions in parentheses.

Ingredients:
1/4 c. coconut oil
1/4 c. peanut butter (could replace these two with 1/2 c. butter)
1/2 c. chocolate chips, darkest and best quality you can get.
1 c. brown sugar (I use 3/4c. sucanat)
1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
1/2 c. all-purp flour (I use whole wheat)

Preheat oven to 350'. Grease a 8 inch square pan (I like them thick and chewy so I use a bread pan, lower the heat to 325' after 10 minutes and bake a bit longer).

In a heavy-bottomed pot, melt butter and chocolate chips on low. (If using a nut butter, add after removing from heat).

In a bowl, add all remaining ingredients. Beat with a mixer til well blended. Add melted chocolate & mix. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 20 minutes.

Pumkin Cake with Orange Frosting

~Sylwinn posted this on FB and it is now one of my favorite~

I altered the icing for a less sweet drizzle on top~

4 eggs

2 cups sugar

1 cup canola oil

1 can of pumpkin (15 oz)

2 cups unbleached all purpose flour

2 t baking powder

1 t baking soda

1/2 t salt

3 t cinnamon

1 t ginger

1/2 t cloves

**********************

heat oven 350, beat eggs, sugar, oil, pumpkin until smooth.

stir in flour, b.p. , b.s., salt, spices.

Spread into greased 15x10 glass baking pan.

Bake 25-30 mins- although I go 40.

Let cool before frosting.

***********************

Orange Frosting

1/3 cup soft butter

2-3 cups confectioners sugar

3-4 T orange juice

1/2 t vanilla

grated zest from orange

beat ingredients until smooth~ ice your cake

Enjoy!

Carrot Halwa

Ted got this recipe from one of his co-workers. It is rather time intensive, but totally worth the effort.

Carrot Halwa by Ratna Kumria

Carrots (grated) 4 cups
Milk 2 cups
Sugar 1 ½ cups
Butter Ghee or Veg Oil ½ cup
Cardamom Seeds (crushed) 5 pods
Allspice (crushed) 2 berries
Golden raisins 3 tablespoons
Cashews or Almonds(sliced) 3 tablespoons
Time 2-3 hours

1.Wash, peel, and coarsely grate carrots. Soak raisins in enough water to cover them.
2.Cook carrots in milk on medium heat stirring occasionally until the milk has evaporated. This step can take an hour or so.
3.Stir in sugar and spices. Cook well until all moisture has evaporated and carrots are dry. This step takes time too.
4.In the meantime cook the raisins and cashews in 2 tablespoons ghee until nuts are slightly browned. Remove raisins and cashews with a slotted spoon. Reserve ghee for next step.
5.Add the reserved ghee as well as the remaining ghee and cook on high heat until the color changes and carrots become slightly crisp.
6.Mix in raisins and cashews.

Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas

There are a bazillion recipes for this all over the internet. This is the version I've adapted for our family. It's quickly become a family favorite and is pretty simple to throw together in under an hour for dinner. Plus, it's a lot less processed than many of the versions floating around.

Ingredients

Filling:
• 1 lb chicken, diced
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2tsp Mexican oregano
• salt & pepper to taste
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• green chile, diced (optional)


• 8 8-inch flour tortillas, softened
• 1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese (or other Mexican/southwestern type cheeses)

Sauce:
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 2 tsp oregano
• salt to taste
• 3 green chiles, roasted and diced (1, 4 oz can)
• 1 cup sour cream

Directions
Make filling:
1. In large frying pan, heat oil & cook onion til soft. Add chicken, garlic, oregano, chile, salt & pepper cooking together over medium-high heat until chicken is just done.
2. Divide cooked filling evenly between 8 tortillas; add 1 1/2 tablespoons cheese to each tortilla.
3. Roll enchiladas and place seam-side down in 9x13" baking dish that has been lightly sprayed with no-stick cooking spray.

Make sauce:
4. While chicken is cooking, melt butter in a medium saucepan; whisk in flour to make a roux. Gradually whisk in chicken broth small amounts at a time (to prevent clumping). Bring to boiling, stirring frequently. Add chiles, oregano and salt. Correct seasonings.
5. Remove from heat and let cool a bit; whisk in sour cream. Pour sauce evenly over enchiladas.
6. Top with remaining 3/4 cup cheese and bake at 400° for 20 minutes until cheese is melted and sauce near edges of baking dish is bubbly.

Enjoy!

Korean Cucumber Salad

This is the dish I brought to Sylwinn's mama blessing.

2 large cucumbers, thinly sliced
3 tsp coarse salt
1 cup water
2 Tbs white vinegar
1 tsp suger
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1 spring onion, minced
1 Tbs toasted sesame seeds, ground

Put sliced cucumbers in a bowl, sprinkle with salt and add the water. Soak for 15 minutes, then drain off liquid. Combine other ingredients, pour over cucumbers, mix well and serve chilled.

Beet Risotto

This comes from my new favorite food blog, A Good Appetite. I made it tonight and loved it.

1 T olive oil
1/2 c diced beets, about 1/4" dice
1 garlic scape, sliced (or one clove garlic, minced)
10 beet leaves & stems, chopped & separated
pinch of sugar
4 c chicken or vegetable stock
1/2 T unsalted butter
1 spring onion, white & green parts chopped (or one scallion, chopped)
1/2 c + 2 T arborio rice
2 T sherry
3 T grated Parmesan + extra for serving
salt & pepper

Heat 1/2 tablespoon of the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beets, garlic scape & about one half the beet stems (save the remaining stems for another use). Sauté for about 2 minutes. Stir in the sugar until dissolved. Set aside.

Bring the broth to a simmer in a saucepan. Keep the broth simmering the whole time you are cooking.

In another saucepan, heat the remaining olive oil & the butter over medium heat. Add the onion & sauté for a minute. Add the rice & cook while stirring for another minute, coating the rice. Add the sherry & cook while stirring until evaporated. Add the stock 1/4 - 1/2 cup at a time. Cook & stir each addition until evaporated before adding the next. Test the rice from time to time to see if its getting tender. When it's tender & creamy with just a slight bite it is ready (you may not use all the broth). As you are adding your last addition of the broth also stir in the beet mixture & the chopped beet leaves. Once that final broth addition is absorbed stir in the Parmesan until melted. Season with salt & pepper as needed.

Serve sprinkled with extra Parmesan if desired.

Carry-In meals... Vegetarian enchiladas

Maybe I'm the only one, but I have to make a meal to carry to someone at least once a month. I usually double the recipe and make 1/2 for us and 1/2 for the family receiving the meal. So, I get bored making the same 4 dishes and have been trying to come up with a list of recipes that I can turn to when the usual mix-up is either over my budget or I'm just plain sick of it. I'll be listing recipes here as I come across good ones and if anyone else wants to join the party, post the recipe and tag it "carry-in" and maybe potluck too :)

First up:
Vegetarian Enchiladas
(this makes about 12 enchiladas)

For the filling:

Saute until soft
1 med-large onion, diced
1 bell pepper, diced

When soft add:
2-4 cloves garlic
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chilli pepper
Cook for 1 minute

Add:
2c. diced tomatoes (or 1 can diced tomatoes, drained)
2c. cooked black beans (or 1 can)
2c. cooked pinto beans (or 1 can)
2c. cooked rice
salt to taste
Stir and cook til heated through. Adjust seasonings as needed. Add water or broth as needed to prevent sticking.


Place 1/2c of filling into a 8"flour tortilla, roll and put into casserole dish. Repeat til your dish is full or you're out of filling. Top with your favorite enchilada sauce (I like this ranchero recipe) or not. Finally sprinkle about 1c of shredded cheese (queso, cheddar, monterey jack, etc.) Wrap in foil and carry to it's final destination with instructions to bake, uncovered, at 350' til cheese is melted and sauce (if you're using any) is bubbly.