Ice-cream Cake

 

Made this a few days back.

I think it's looks pretty, and tasted good too.

It's hard for an ice-cream cake to taste bad :-)

 

Makes one 3" high 6" diameter cake.

I'd say enough for 6-8 people.

 

Method

 

Very easy to put together.

I baked half of a chocolate cake from a boxed mix. I wanted it to be flat and thin so I baked it in a baking sheet.

 

I used a 6" dia and 3" high Wilton springform pan to build the ice cream cake in. And once the chocolate cake was baked and cooled I used the pan like a cookie cutter and cut out 2 circular layers - one for the base and one for the lid (the rest of the cake was chopped up and used for another dessert but you can cut out more circular layers for a taller cake).

 

I had Baskin Robbins make me a 6" waffle disc (65 cents only) - I wanted to use that a crunchy center. Sadly it didn't stay crunchy :-) In retrospect I think I should have dipped it in tempered chocolate and let it harden before using it sandwiched between ice-cream.

 

I used a quart of OREO Cookies 'n Cream ice cream from Baskin Robbins (use what ever you love!)

I let it sit on the counter for a few minutes until it became soft.

 

Now lets build the cake!

Place the bottom layer of the chocolate cake in the pan.

Scoop out half the ice-cream and spread it over the cake.

Now place the waffle in position and spread the rest of the ice-cream over it.

Seal the deal with the chocolate cake disc.

Freeze for about 30 mins.

 

After 30 min I un-molded the cake and decorated it with some un-sweetened whipped cream on the sides. Then I poured come chocolate ganache on top and decorated it further with chocolate shards made from tempered chocolate.

 

Chocolate Ganache

1/2 cup heavy cream

9 oz. of dark chocolate bits.

 

Gently warm up the heavy cream in a double boiler and add the chocolate bits into it. Stir until chocolate dissolves completely. Let this cool to room temp before pouring it on the cake. Freeze the cake for another 20 min at least or until ready to serve.

 

Tada!

Some more pictures.

 

 

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No Butter Peanut Butter Cookie

Must try..... so wonderful and super easy to make!
This is the same recipe as my Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Cookies but without the butter and chocolate chips. You could add the chocolate chips to this if you wanted to.

(makes about 20  2"cookies)
(prep time 10 mins)
(bake time 15 mins)
Ingredients

All purpose flour 1 1/2 cups
Baking soda 3/4 tsp
Salt 1/4 tsp
Sugar 1/2 cup
Brown sugar 1/4 cup
Clover honey 1/4 cup
Chunky peanut butter 1/2 cup + 1 Tbs (I used fresh ground peanut butter from Whole Foods)
Large egg 1 (room temp)

Method

Pre heat oven to 350 degrees.
Whisk together the sugars, honey, peanut butter and egg in a large bowl.
Add to this the dry ingredients and fold in.
Scoop spoonfuls of the dough onto a baking sheet and bake for 13-15 mins or until light golden brown. They will feel soft when they come out the oven. Let them cool down completely and the centers will become nice and chewy.
Enjoy
:-)

 

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Oven Roasted Chicken with Lemon

 

I roasted a chicken for dinner a while back. Was feeling creative and decided to stuff lemon slices beneath the skin for a great lemony flavor.

 

It turned out quite nice and very pretty. Below is another picture with the skin removed so you can see what it looked like.

 

Not in the photo but I had some cottage cheese on the side as well and also made a quick gravy from the juice left behind in the pan.

 

 

 

Lets start with the easy things first.

 

(cook time 1 1/2 hours)

(serves 4-6)

Roasted Vegetables

Baby carrots 1/2 lbs. bag
Celery 5-6 stalks
Yellow onions 1 medium
Fingerling potatoes 1/2 lbs.

Cut the vegetables in similar size and length.
Sprinkle some fresh ground pepper, dried parsley and dried thyme on top and toss them around in some olive oil, you will need very little maybe 1/2 Tbs.
These will bake along side the chicken for an hour.
Make sure to turn their sides half way through cooking time.
Sprinkle some sea salt after they are fully cooked but still very hot.

How to prep the chicken

Ingredients:
Whole chicken 1
Fresh Lemon 1 large
Fresh ground pepper 1/2 tsp.
Red chili flakes 1/2tsp.
Dried thyme 1 tsp.
Dried parsley 1 tsp.
Olive oil 1 Tbs.
I used no salt

I used a mandolin to get thin slices out of the lemon.
Sprinkle the herbs and spices on the lemon slices.
Below is a picture of what it will look like.

Warning: Consider using gloves because the next step is slightly gross :-)
Hope the picture helps, it was a dark and rainy day here and therefore the dull picture.

Lift up the skin near the breast and move your hand beneath the skin to loosen it... go all the way to the thighs and the bottom side of the chicken.

Do the best you can, no need to be perfect just be careful to not tear the skin.

When the skin is good and loose, slide the lemon slices underneath the skin. Make sure to cover the thighs as well.
 
Rub some oil on the outside and sprinkle fresh ground coarse pepper and salt (I didn't use any) all over the chicken

Now use a kitchen twine to truss the chicken. This means using a thick cotton thread to tie the chicken. I learnt how to do it from this YouTube video.

Doing this holds the chicken together while roasting and makes it easier to turn.

Another dark and gloomy picture on the left.



Now lets bake this.
Pre heat your oven to 400 F.

Place the chicken breast side down on a roasting rack and inside a large baking dish. Most of the lemon juice will drain out and you want to collect it to make a gravy later. Bake for 40 minutes. Turn the temperature down to 375 F turn the chicken breast side up and bake for 30 minutes. At this point you will place the vegetables in the oven as well. After 30 minutes turn the chicken one last time- breast side down again- and bake for another 30 minutes.

Note:
Your bake time might be different so please use a thermometer to make sure the internal temperature is 165 F for white meat and about 180 F for dark meat.

Done.
Let the chicken rest for 20 minutes before cutting into it.
You can use this time to make the gravy.

Gravy

Collect the juice that's in the backing dish. Most of the lemon flavor will be in this.
Skim the extra fat and place the juice in a saucepan.
Turn the heat on medium high and let this simmer for 5-6 minutes to thicken the gravy.
I decided not to but you can use roux or corn flour to thicken it as well.
Add some more fresh lemon juice to this.
Season with salt and pepper and you are done.

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Qeema Aur Shimla Mirch

There must be a thousand different ways to make this, every household does it differently.
Hope you like my version.

(cook time 15 minutes)
(serves 3-4)
Ingredients

White onion 1 small sized (about 1/2 cup chopped fine)
Minced fresh garlic 1/2 Tbs.
Thai chilies 3-4 medium sized sliced thinly (use less or more if you like)
Red bell pepper 1/2 large (cut into chunks)
Green bell pepper 1/2 large  (color of pepper won't matter use whatever you like)
Ground beef  1 Lbs. (you can use whatever meat you prefer)
I used fatty ground beef (16% fat) and therefore needed no cooking oil. If you are planning to use leaner meats then you will need around 2 Tbs. of your preferred cooking oil.

Spices:

Salt
Coarse black pepper 1/2 tsp.
Black cumin seeds 1/2 tsp. (You can buy this easily at an Indian grocery store)
Turmeric 3/4 tsp.
Red chili flakes 3/4 tsp. (make adjustments if you'd like)
Fenugreek leaves 1 1/2 tsp.
Coriander powder 1/2 tsp.
Roasted cumin powder 3/4 tsp.
This is made by dry roasting cumin seeds on a nonstick pan. They will turn dark brown to almost black. Let them cool down completely and then grind into a powder. Keep an eye on them while roasting they go pretty fast and they shouldn't smell burnt.

Method

Since I had used fatty ground beef my method was simple.
I combined all the ingredients and spices (except the peppers) together in a wide skillet and turned the heat on to medium high.
It took me under 15 minutes to cook this, I had to use a spatula to break down any lumps that formed.
I like the peppers to be not super tender and I added them in the last 4 minutes.

Method 2: (for leaner meats)

Heat cooking oil in a skillet to medium high.
Cook onions for 4-5 minutes or until soft.
Add garlic, chilies and spices... stir around for a minute.
Now you will add the ground beef to the skillet.
Use your spatula to make sure everything is well incorporated and break any lumps that might form.
Add peppers towards the end.
You are done.
:-)

This goes very well with most Indian breads like naan, roti or paratha.

 

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Raw Pear and Bean Sprouts Salad

Wonderful lunch :-)
This salad turned out quite nice... It was very easy to put together and had a re-freshing zesty flavor.

How to sprout beans

Sprout People has some good info on sprouting.

It took me close to 4 days to sprout the mung beans. I prefer them when the tails are very small, if you want them to be longer it will take you more than 4 days - I don't know how many because I haven't really tried that :-)

I had no special tools for sprouting I simply soaked them overnight  in plenty of water and then drained them. I then spread the beans in a colander and put them in a warm place for 2 days. I chose my oven because its cold here, otherwise your counter-top would be fine. Twice or thrice a day I sprinkled them with water. And then after a couple of days they just sprouted :-)

They had no bad coloring, no funky smells or any kind of bitter flavor.
They tasted wonderful. Light and crunchy!

It is quite a commitment to start prepping for lunch 4 days in advance :-) just skip them if you don't want to trouble yourself too much.

(prep time 10 mins)
(serves 1)
Ingredients

Bosc Pear 1 large (a little over 3/4 cup chopped)
Mung sprouts 1/3 cup
Red peppers 1/2 medium sized (1/2 cup chopped)
Salad greens 2 cups *I used Organic Girl's I heart baby Kale!
(baby kale, tango, baby spinach, baby green chard, green romaine, baby green oakleaf lettuce)

Vinaigrette

Red onions 1/2 Tbs - minced very fine
Garlic 1/4 Tbs - minced very fine
Macadamia nut oil 1 Tbs *I used Brookfarm Natural Macadamia Nut Oil
(I tend to consider most cold press nut oils as raw... I know some might not agree. So please don't use this if you have concerns)
Fresh lime juice 1 Tbs
Lime zest  1/4 tsp
Pink Himalayan salt 1/3 tsp
Fresh ground coarse pepper 1/8 tsp

Whisk together all the ingredients in a large bowl and keep aside.
You can use olive oil instead but macadamia oil was wonderful... very buttery and delicious. I highly recommend it.

Method

Simply chop the pear and red pepper into chunky pieces.
Toss these in the vinaigrette along with the mung sprouts and pour over the greens.
Enjoy.

 



 

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Raw Banana Ice Cream

I have been greatly enjoying learning different aspects about raw foods. This recipe may not be perfect for an ice cream connoisseur but I was happy with how it turned out and thought I should put it up and share my experience.

Healthy.
Very simple and easy.
No sweeteners no dairy no eggs.
Surprisingly satisfying :-)
I loved it.
:-)

Inspired from various sources:

For raw ice cream click here.

For fresh coconut milk click here.

I did not discard the water from the coconut and used it to make the milk. And I felt too lazy to peel off the dark outer side of the coconut so I left it on thinking that it might add a nice creamy color to the "milk".

 

Both these sites are very well written with absolutely beautiful pictures.

Highly recommend you read the info there.

Note:
You can make this without a fancy blender like a Vitamix or an ice cream maker. I own a Braun Multiquick 400W Immersion hand blender. Which is just AWESOME and I love it to death. I have had it for 8 years now and no complaints. Bought it from amazon but sadly it is now unavailable..... anyway the point of this whole story is that any decent (300W and up) blender should work. The end product might not be super flawlessly smooth but it will be good enough.

Note:
This will not freeze like regular ice cream. After an overnight in the freezer  it will be too hard or crumbly to scoop out. You will need to rest it on the counter top for 7-10  minutes to soften a little before you can handle it.

(serves 3-4)
Ingredients

Raw cashews 3/4 cup (soaked in cold water for 2 hours)
Raw coconut milk 1 cup
Very very ripe bananas 4 large
By very ripe I mean the peel should be 70% dark brown. After peeling cut into small pieces and freeze over night - you should have about 4 cups.

Toppings *optional

Raw cacao nibs 1/4 cup  *I bought mine from Marie & Frères
Walnuts 1/2 cup (freshly shelled and chopped roughly)

Coconut Milk

Making fresh coconut milk is easy once you have successfully cracked it open :-)
First I poked 2 hole in the "eyes" of the coconut and collected the water - it was about half a cup. I used a clean screwdriver and hammer to accomplish this.
Then I smacked the coconut very hard with a hammer several times and all over to crack it open.
Once it was open I used the power of my bare hands to break it into large chunks.
To take the hairy shell off  I used a butter knife and stuck it between the shell and the flesh to loosen the flesh. This was easy... the flesh came out without much effort in large pieces.
I washed and then chopped up the flesh into 1" chunks and threw everything in a blender.
I added an extra 1/2 cup of regular plain water.
And then I let the blender do it's thing for several minutes.
I drained the pulp through several sheets of cheese cloth and collected the "milk" in a cup.
I was also left with maybe 1/2 Tbs worth of coconut butter at the bottom of the blender and I added that to the milk. You can see bits of the fat floating in the liquid in the picture below.
I have to say that the milk and the especially butter was so MmmmmMmm YUMEE!
Very delicate coconut flavor and so fresh tasting..... way better than anything out of a can.
Seriously I wanted to just drink it plain!

Method

Blend the frozen bananas, coconut milk and cashews (throw away the soaking liquid) in a blender until smooth.
My blender took me 3-4 minutes, depending on what you use... yours might take less or more time.
I also had to stop a couple times during blending and use a spatula to dislodge frozen bananas in the blender.
It should look like soft serve with a slight texture after everything is blended well.
At this point you can eat it plain or with some walnuts and cacao nibs sprinkled on top.
If you want it to be more frozen or if you have left overs then pour out the slush in a large bowl.... freeze it for an hour and then blend it again. I used the stick attachment for this.
Do that 2-3 times and you will have a nicer and smoother consistency.
Mix in the walnuts and cacao nibs or just sprinkle on top.

Note:
You can easily use an ice cream maker if you have one... just follow instructions on the manual.
Typically that means freezing the bowl insert overnight and then churning the cooled ice cream custard - which in this case would be the blended slush - for about 30 mins..... hmm I am thinking maybe you don't need to use frozen bananas for the ice cream machine?

I should also point out that I happen to love fruity or nutty ice-creams more than chocolate flavors. What makes it good for me is a natural flavor and a natural color.

I really enjoyed some pretty awesome banana ice-cream last year in Hotspot Lahore. It had walnuts and bits of chocolate in it. In fact I made the above recipe thinking about the one from Hotspot.

And while we are on the subject..... OMG 3 Twins Ice Cream!
The scoop shop in SF had the best ever banana (not listed on their site) and strawberry ice-cream. Needless to say both flavors were incredibly tasty but what drew me to them was their perfect color!

Really good blueberry ice cream  from Cascadian Farms.
Yum.....







 

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Buckwheat Pancakes

Very very good!
 

I first had them at Chace's Pancake Corral a few years ago and fell in love. This is my absolute favorite type of pancake ever! Since then I have tried them at various other breakfast places and found that many of them use a much higher ratio of plain flour in their mixture, which results in a lighter colored very meh kind of buckwheat pancake.

This recipe uses very little flour and delivers a rich buckwheat flavor. I even dare to believe that this pancake is much better than Chase's :-) Give it try... you might agree with me.

(serves 2 - makes six 4" pancakes)
(prep time 5 mins)
(cook for a few mins per pancake. Total cook time 15 mins)
Ingredients

Buckwheat flour 1/2 cup
All purpose flour  2 Tbs
Melted butter 2 Tbs
Large egg 1
Lemon zest 1/3 Tbs * adjustable - add more,less or none
Fat free Greek yogurt 2 Tbs  *I love Chobani
(Dilute this with enough water to make 1 cup liquid. Start by adding 1/4 cup of water to the yogurt. Mix well with a fork and then add the rest of the water... otherwise the mixture will be lumpy)
Fat free milk 1/4 cup
Pure cane sugar 1 Tbs
Salt 1/4 tsp
Baking powder 1/2 tsp
I didn't have fresh blueberries otherwise I would have liked to toss a handful (1/2 cup) into the syrup and/or the batter.

Blueberry Syrup

You can ofcourse use any brand of syrup or jam with these :-)
But just to cut back on sugar and also to make it a syrupy consistency I added one part of water to two parts of Bonne Maman wild blueberry persevses and warmed it up in a sauce pan.

Method

Combine everything in a large bowl.
Heat a non stick pan to medium high.
Add a drop of butter before pouring about 1/4 cup worth of batter on to the pan.
The batter will spread by itself to roughly a 4" diameter.
Cook for a minute or until you see little bubbles forming on the surface on the pancake, this is a good indication that you are ready to flip the pancake and cook the other side... this side will take about 30-45 seconds to cook.
Repeat until the batter runs out with a drop of butter before each pour.

YUMEE! YUMEE! YUMEE!
Awesome with butter and warm syrup.
:-)

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Chicken Karhai - Zar's Recipe

One of the things I love about my visits to Pakistan is all delish food I get to eat. I am very lucky to have come from a family of extremely talented cooks :-)

The picture above is what Zar - my very pretty and very talkative bhabhi - cooked for us one day.
It was quite possibly one of the best chicken karhais that I have ever had!
No kidding... it was finger licking good :-)
We sort of like naming recipes after her so lets call this one Zar-hai lol :-)




recipe soon

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Whole Wheat Snickerdoodle Cookies

I have made a few different types of cookies over the past few weeks and have discovered that cookies don't really need that much butter as I find on many popular food blogs on the the internet. My recipe uses half the amount therefore making them a little bit lite. Normally 1/2 a cup would go into a batch this size but I  used 1/4 cup and the results were perfect. In my opinion 1/4 cup is the ideal amount, any additional butter would have made them very greasy. I also added some whole wheat to make them more healthier.

(Makes 9 2" cookies)
(Prep time 10  mins, rest time 20 mins, bake time 15 mins)
Ingredients

Whole wheat 3/4 cup
All purpose flour 1/2 cup
Melted butter 4 Tbs
Baking soda 1 tsp
Brown sugar 1/4 cup
White sugar 1/4 cup
Vanilla 1 tsp
Egg 1 large
Salt 1/8 tsp

Coating:
Cinnamon 1 Tsp
Brown sugar 1/2 Tbs
White sugar 1/2 Tbs

Method

Combine butter, sugar, salt, egg, vanilla in a large bowl and mix all the ingredients together for about 2 mins. I just used a large fork to mix this all.
Then fold in the flour, whole wheat and baking soda.
Refrigerate this dough for about 20 mins so that it firms up a bit.
Roll out about 2 Tbs worth of dough (I could make 9 balls) and toss them around in the cinnamon sugar mixture. Make sure they are very liberally coated on all sides.
Place on a a lined cookie sheet and bake for about 15 min in a preheated 400 degree over.
When they are done take them off the cookies sheet and allow them to cool down a bit before eating.
Enjoy.

Inspiration:
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/mrs-siggs-snickerdoodles/

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Idli - Sambhar - Chutney

This humble meal is what we recently had on Christmas Eve.
A small gathering of close friends and good food is always a good idea :-)

Following were the deciding factors behind our selection:
We wanted to spend very little time in the kitchen.
Wanted something spicy.
Something soupy and soul warming.
Vegetarian.
Very little cleanup.
And something you could eat tons of without feeling full or too guilty :-)

The idlis were made using store bought batter.

We used "Shastha idli batter" purchased from Mayuri.
You can get this easily from any Indian grocery store.
We steamed the batter in idli molds for about 15 mins on the stove top. We sprayed a little oil on the molds before filling it up with batter.

The sambhar was semi home made.

Tomatoes 1/2 cup chopped
Daikon radish 1 1/2 cups chopped
Okra 1 cups chopped
Eggplant 1 cup chopped
Green peas 1/2 cup
Carrots 1/2 cup chopped
Garlic 1/2 Tbs copped
Thai chilies 1 Tbs chopped (about 5-6 medium sized chilies) *adjust according to your tastebuds
Water 5-6 cups
Sambhar mix 5-6 heaping Tbs (we used MTR Sambar Mix available from any Indian store)
Butter 3-4 Tbs *optional - we went for it :-)

All the vegetables need to be cut small and they need to be the same size.. about 1/2".
Add the vegetables in a big pot filled with water, add the spice mix and turn on the heat.
Once the water has begun to boil, lower the heat and cook slightly covered for 30 mins.
Add butter at very the end after turning off the heat.

And the chutney was home made.

Fresh cilantro 1 bunch (stems and all - washed ofcourse)
Vinegar 1/2 cup (we used apple cider)
Dried red chilies 2-3 medium sized *adjust according to your tastebuds
Dried un-sweetened coconut flakes 1/2 cup *you can also use frozen or fresh grated coconut
Tomato 1 medium sized
Garlic 1 large clove
Red onion 1/3 of a small onion (roughly 1.5" thick slice)
Thai chilies 3-4 medium sized chilies *adjust according to your tastebuds
Salt 1/2 tsp

All of the above ingredients blended well in a blender.

Tada!
:-)

 

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Oven Roasted Chicken - Rana's Recipe

My gal Rana made this Arabesque last minute thanksgiving dinner possible just now :-)

She started with a whole, free range... organic chicken from Trader Joe's. She then rubbed some Baharat - an exotic Arabian spice blend that contains several different spices and herbs - all over the chicken. She also poured some Kraft olive oil vinaigrette, sprinkled some coarse black pepper and crushed bay leaves on all sides of the chicken and never used any salt. She let this bird sit on the counter for about an hour and a half - just the time I needed to shower, get ready, grab a few potatoes and head her way. We baked this on a roasting rack... breast side down for 30 minutes in a pre-heated 350 degree oven. We then turned the bird.. breast side up, we also turned the heat up to 400 degrees and baked for 40 minutes. We turned it over one last time... breast side down and baked for another 30 minutes.

VERY IMPORTANT:
Roasting the chicken on a rack ensures a nice and even brown color and the skin also gets very crispy. And to catch all the drippings and to prevent a mess and a possible fire inside your oven please place the rack inside a baking dish. We used a disposable aluminum pan.

The result: This fabulous, golden, succulent, super juicy oven roasted chicken bursting with flavor :-)
The sides were simple and quick to put together.
Mashed potatoes
3 small red potatoes boiled with skin on. Mashed with 1 Tbs of butter, 1 Tbs of onion and chives Boursin cheese, salt, pepper and some milk.
Sauteed vegetables
Carrots, green beans, mushrooms, onions, peas, garlic cooked in a tiny amount of oil and seasoned with salt, pepper and herbs. (The carrots and green beans were pre-cooked from Haggen)
Spinach salad
Baby spinach, sweet onions, carrots, cherry tomatoes tossed with olive oil, some balsamic vinegar and of course a little salt and pepper.
Cranberry and walnut tart
From Trader Joe's
French Bread
Haggen bakery

Everything was super awesome!
She suggested sweet Riesling will pair well with it :-)

And oh yeah... almost forgot.

We cooked while sipping Turkish coffee and munched on Boursin cheese with rice and charcoal crackers, cashews, raisins, Ritter Sport hazelnut chocolate and prunes!

Had a terrific time :-)

Thanks Rana for pulling this off :-)

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Chocolate Chip Cookies

I love soft baked cookies and these I made with some wholewheat and less butter.
And that makes them...... hmm..... lets say healthier. Therefore its okay to eat all of them in one go :-)

(makes about a dozen 1 1/2" cookies)
(prep time 5 mins)
(bake time 15 mins)
Ingredients

Vanilla 1 tsp
Salt 1/8 tsp
Baking soda 1/2 tsp
Bittersweet chocolate chips 1 cup (I used Nestlé Toll House )
Melted butter 4 Tbs
Wholewheat 3/4 cup
All purpose flour 3/4 cup
Egg 1 large
Dark brown sugar 1/3 cup
White sugar 1/3 cup
Whole milk 1 Tbs

Method

This is quite simple and easy to make.
Preheat your oven to 350.
I used a fork and a large bowl to mix up the dough.
First combine the melted butter, egg and all of the sugar together.
Whisk this for a minute.
Now add the rest of the ingredients - except the chocolate chips -  and mix really well you might need to use your hands.
When the all the ingredients are fully incorporated fold in the chocolate chips and drop spoonfulls on a cookie sheet.
Bake for abour 12-15 mins in a preheated 350 oven. The sides should feel firm and the center only slightly soft.
Let these rest for a few minutes and they are ready to eat.


 

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Chewy Oatmeal Cinnamon Cookies

 

These turned out pretty awesome :-)
This is my lighter version of the classic cookie. Incredibly chewy and yummy specially considering the fact that I used half the butter that would normally go into making these.

(Prep time 10 mins + 1 hour refrigeration)
(Bake time 15 mins)
(Makes 8 cookies, approx 3" dia)
Ingredients

Flour 1 cup
Quick cook oats (not instant oatmeal) 1 3/4 cups
Melted butter 1/4 cup
Dark brown sugar 7 Tbs (1/2 cup minus 1 Tbs)
White sugar 7 Tbs (1/2 cup minus 1 Tbs)
Condensed milk 2 Tbs
Egg 1
Cinnamon 1 tsp
Vanilla 1 tsp
Salt 1/4 tsp
Baking soda 1/2 tsp

Method

Combine the sugar, salt, vanilla, egg, condensed milk and melted butter in a large bowl.
Whisk together for a minute and then add the flour and baking soda.
Mix well until a thick batter is formed.
Fold in the oats.
Make sure everything is well incorporated.
Roll out an 8" log and wrap in some saran.
Refrigerate for about and hour.
Cut the log into 8 discs and place on a baking sheet.
Bake in the middle rack of a pre heat oven at 375 degrees for 15-18 mins or until the sides seem slightly brown and the centers are firm but not fully hard.
Allow to cool for 10-15 mins.
Enjoy :-)

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Lite Beef Chili

 

 

 

A perfect start to the long winter months ahead :-)

It was nice, very filling and soul warming :-)

 

I read someplace that cocoa powder is a great flavor enahncer in chili. This was new to me so I included some in the spice rub. The taste overall was good and I think the cocoa powder definetly added good color to the dish.

 

I am into lite cooking these days so I wanted to make this with as little added fat and salt as possible. So I began with a cut of meat that was lean and trimed off all the extra visible fat. And since I used canned kidney beans I added them in the last 10 mins of cooking to avoid an overly mushy texture.

 

(serves 2)



(prep time 15 mins)

(cook time 1 hour 15 mins)

Ingredients

Beef round steak 1 1/2 lbs
Celery 1/2 cup
Red onions 1/2 cup
Green bell pepper 1/2 cup
Garlic 1 tsp (minced)
Serrano chili 1 tsp (mined)
Canned tomatoes 1/2 cup (no salt added)
Canned red kidney beans (low sodium)
Oil for cooking 1 Tbs
Water 1 1/2 cup
Salt 1/2 tsp (I love using the pink himalayan salt for cooking - I get mine from Penzeys Spices)

For roux

Butter 1/2 Tbs
Flour 1/2 Tbs

Heat the butter in a non stick fry pan and add the flour to it.
Cook this on a medium high heat until the color of the paste turns medium brown.
This could burn easily so stir continually and don't take your eye off it.
Add some water to this (1/4 cup) and mix until all the lumps are gone.
Keep aside.

Spice Rub

Brown sugar 3/4 tsp
Cocoa powder 1/3 tsp
Dried chipotle 1 whole
Dried habenero chili 1 whole
Cumin seeds 3/4 tsp
Coriander 1/2 tsp
Whole peppercorns 1/4 tsp
Mexican dried oregano 1 tsp

Grind every thing in a coffee grinder and keep aside for later use.
The spice rub doesn't contain salt.

Condiments

Avocado slices
Fresh lime juice
Green onions
Cilantro
Shredded cheese (I used pepper jack)

Method

First prepare the steak, trim the extra fat and cut it up into 1/3" cubes.
Rub with the spice mix and let it marinade while you prep your vegetables.
Cut your celery, onions and green peppers into a fine dice about 1/4" thick.
Mince the garlic clove and the serrano chilies.
Heat some oil in a wide pot and sear the meat on high for a few minutes.
Don't worry about cooking it all way yet.
Remove the meat from the pot and keep it in a plate for later use.
Add all the veggies, garlic and chilies into the same pot and season with salt.
Turn the heat down to medium low.
Place the lid on the pot and let this cook for about 8-10 minutes or until all veggies are soft.
Add the meat back into the pot, add the tomatoes and the water.
Bring everything to a boil, cover and simmer on low for 50 mins.
Smash half the beans with a fork and add it to the pot.
Continue to cook for 15 mins.
Thicken as much as you like with the roux.
I ended up using half the amount I made.
The roux is very well cooked so just stir it in and cook the chili for another 5 mins.
Done.
I had this with some green onions, cilantro, avocado and shredded cheese.
Yummeee :-)

 

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Butter Bean Salad

A lovely refreshing salad that I had with some herb roasted chicken breast.

I took this picture on day 3 so the colors of the vegetables are less vibrant but the salad itself still tasted great if not better :-)

 

(serves 3-4)
(prep time 15 mins)
Ingredients

Butter beans 2 14 oz cans
Cucumber 1/2 cup (diced small and seeds removed)
White onion 2 Tbs (diced small)
Red pepper 1/2 cup (diced small)
Green beans 1/3 cup (blanched and cut into small pieces)
Roma tomato 1 (diced small and seeds removed)
Celery 1/2 cup (diced small)

You can play around with the amounts.
Just make sure all the veggies are cut into a similar size.
Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and pour the vinaigrette on top.
Toss well.

Vinaigrette

Olive oil 2 Tbs
Fresh lime juice 3 Tbs
Red wine vinegar 1/2 Tbs
Minced garlic 1/2 tsp
Salt 1/4 tsp
Pepper 1/8 tsp
Chili flakes 1/8 tsp

Whisk everything together with a fork for a few seconds and it's ready.

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