Thai Crispy Rice

I tried a similar dish at Spork awhile back – LOVED it – and since we eat a fair amount of rice, I decided to add this to my list of favorites. You can use any sort of rice --- as noted below, it is best when it is a couple of days old. Yesterday, I whipped up a pot of sticky rice, and let it sit in the sun for a few hours. It worked well. I have also used Jasmine rice (brown) and it works great.

Ingredients:

• 2 Tablespoons of cooking oil (I used an organic blend, Chosen Oil, avocado, sunflower, safflower)
• 2 cups of cooked rice (can adapt to your needs, do adjust the liquid seasonings if you up the rice amount).
• 1 Tablespoon Mae Ploy (sweet chili sauce, Thai)
• ½ Tablespoon of Chili Garlic sauce
• 2 tsp of fresh lime juice
• 2 tsp of Tamari (can use soy sauce) 
• Eggs – one per serving
• Optional garnish  -- green onions or cilantro

Preparation:

1.    Combine the rice with oil. Stir oil into the rice, coating each grain, before it goes into the pan. This ensures that each rice has a layer of oil around it to protect it from the heat of the pan and allow it to crisp without burning.

2.    Spread the rice out in a thin layer. Spread the rice out so that there is maximum surface area for getting crisp and golden brown.

3.    Cook, without stirring. This is key. Let the rice cook over medium heat, without stirring it, until the entire bottom layer turns a nice golden brown, (5 minutes or longer) (You can lift small portions up with a spoon to check it as it cooks.)

4.    Season. Stir in the liquid mixture gently stirring the rice to break it up. Turn heat down.

5.    Fry up the egg(s), slide on top of the rice and garnish.

Note:  use rice that is a day or two old. Leftover rice is key. As the rice sits in the fridge for a couple days, it dries out. That makes it perfect for fried rice because it will hold its shape rather than turning soggy in the hot pan.

For the spicy level --- I adapted the above for my / our taste buds. If you like "heat" feel free to up the Chili Garlic and reduce the Mae Ploy.  

Cranberry Curd Tart

I saw this recipe in the NYT's awhile back, thought it sounded like a change up from the standard pumpkin, pecan pies that traditionally go with Thanksgiving.  Note - it turned out fabulous, just remember to plan ahead time wise -- there are a few steps.  Delia and Anne Marie - enjoy!

Cranberry Curd Tart

Tart crust, I used the following recipe "great unshrinkable sweet tart shell", with a couple of changes (noted below in ingredient list)  

Tart crust/ shell ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose organic flour, high grade
1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick plus 1 tablespoon (9 tablespoons; 4 1/2 ounces) very cold (or frozen) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces ( I used half butter/ half coconut oil – and as noted above – very chilled, the freezer works great for about 5 minutes.  Also – as an alternative, applesauce works straight across for butter and makes for a reduced fat crust). 
1 large egg

1 Tablespoon of sour cream.

*optional --- ½ cup of pecans broken in half scattered across the crust, lightly pressing in (before baking)

Mix the dry ingredients together, then add the butter/ oil.  Mix well – should be coarse in texture, like oatmeal.  Add in the egg and the sour cream until it pulls together.  I did not chill it but instead used the pat in method and placed it in the freezer for 30 minutes. 

Remove from freezer, butter a piece of aluminum foil and lightly press onto the crust. Pre-heat oven and place the tart pan on a baking sheet and bake the crust for 20 to 25 minutes. At this time, carefully remove the foil. If the crust has puffed, press it down gently with the back of a spoon. Bake the crust for 10 minutes, to golden brown.

Cranberry Curd Tart filling (adapted from The New York Times) makes a 9" tart
9" sweet tart crust, blind baked (above)
12 oz. fresh cranberries
1 cup organic sugar
½  cup juice and the zest from 1 orange (can use orange or I used mango)
1 stick unsalted butter, cut into pieces (I used half coconut oil and half butter)

1 -2 Tablespoons of fresh grated ginger (use to your taste)  
2 eggs plus 2 egg yolk
Pomegranate arils, for garnishing (optional)

Heat the cranberries, sugar, orange juice, and zest in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Cook until the cranberries have popped and softened, about 10 minutes.  Transfer to a food mill or sieve and push the cooking liquid into a medium bowl.  Place butter in the saucepan and pour the liquid back into the saucepan.

Whisk the eggs and egg yolks in the bowl, then add a bit of the cranberry liquid into the bowl and whisk to temper the eggs.  Pour everything back into the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened and steam just starts coming off.  Cool to room temperature.  

Reduce heat in oven to 350°F.  Pour the cooled curd into the blind-baked tart crust.  Bake for 10 minutes to set the curd.  Allow to cool completely before garnishing with pomegranate arils.

Lastly - as my kitchen hero (Julia Child) would say "Bon Appetit"! 

Grilled cauliflower and veggies in a Maille mustard sauce

I came across this recipe on Facebook - and tweaked it to incorporate more veggies, thus adding more color. This was easy and very tasty!  

Roasted cauliflower, string beans and shitake mushrooms ~ can be served as a main dish or 4 for a side course.

Ingredients

Olive oil to drizzle on veggies

1/ 2 head of cauliflower – cut into florets

½ pound of fresh green beans, ends snipped off

2 oz of fresh sliced shitake mushrooms

Grated rind of one lemon

½ lemon juiced

1 tablespoon Maille (Dijon) mustard

1 teaspoon sea salt

Pepper flakes to taste

2 Tablespoons of olive oil

2 Tablespoons butter

Marsala

Directions

1. Melt the butter/ olive oil together add the lemon juice, lemon peel, mustard, lemon flakes and sea salt together - set aside 
2. Preheat oven (I roasted the veggies on the grill on foil at 350) 
3. Place the cauliflower florets on the foil – drizzle lightly with olive oil
4. Roast cauliflower (turn every 5 minutes) for 20 minutes
5. Add the string beans and mushrooms -- - add more oil if desired
6. Grill /bake an additional 10 minutes
7. Pour over the mustard /lemon sauce over the veggies and cook for 5 more minutes
8. Drizzle Marsala (1 -2 Tablespoons max) over the veggies – and let it co-mingle for another 5 minutes.

Serve as a side vegetable or – over pasta of your choice.  Enjoy and as Julia would say Bon Apetit!

Jackfruit Thai Curry --- Vegan / Plant based

Earlier this year, I picked up a copy of Michael Gregar's new cookbook - "How Not To Die Cookbook".  Yes, a bit of a strange title, but the essence of the book is how to eat healthy, avoid the downfalls of poor health (by choice of diet) and how to improve your life by way of eating "plant based".  As John (husband) has been a vegetarian for 35 years, I am always interested in trying out new recipes and ideas and of course eating healthy is key to me/us.  At any rate, I discovered "jackfruit" in this book and have been playing around with different recipes.  This one is an adaptation of one I found via a google search.   Julie Cowan - this recipe is for you!  xo ~ 

Ingredients

1 -2 tablespoons of coconut oil

1 20 oz can of jackfruit (available at Trader Joe’s) drain and rinse, chop into smaller chunks

5 cloves of garlic, minced

1 onion – coarsely chopped

1 tablespoon of fresh chopped ginger

1 teaspoon (depending on taste) of red Thai Curry paste

½ of a 5 oz can of water chestnuts (I saved the remainder and mixed it up with tuna / salad)

3 small heads of bok choy (chop into small bite sizes, including tops, wash in cold H20, drain, set aside)

1/ 2 carrot, sliced into matchsticks
1-2 cups of vegetable broth

1 cup coconut milk

Fresh basil to taste

Directions

1. Heat coconut oil in a large skillet/saucepan over medium high heat
2. Add the onion / ginger and cook for 2-3 minutes, then add the curry paste
3. Mix well -- -add in the jackfruit, coating well.  Cook for 5 minutes
4. Add in the water chestnuts and carrots and then the broth
5. Continue to cook, shredding the jackfruit (two forks work well) adding broth as you go, to not dry out the jackfruit, veggies (check and add as you go – for 30 minutes).
6. Add in the coconut milk. If you have a heavy hand as I do with curry pastes, you can dim the fire by adding a wee bit of coconut sugar.
7. Heat all ingredients together for about 5 minutes 
8. Add in the basil, until it wilts
9. Add in the bok choy for just a minute or two, to keep it crisp and colorful
10. You are ready to dish up this easy, tasty meal

Serve over Jasmine rice --- and as Julia would say --- Bon Apetit! 

Summer in a jar - Raspberry Lavender Jam

I love raspberries, summer and lavender --- so what better way to indulge than whipping up a batch of jam that will bring satisfaction throughout the year. 

This is an easy recipe - takes about an hour if you are proficient at canning. I have omitted the basic steps on jar sterilization etc, assuming that if you can, you are familiar with the process. 

Ingredients

8 cups fresh raspberries

3 cups organic turbinado sugar  

**I actually used a blend of organic coconut and organic turbinado for this last batch

4 Tablespoons of lavender (fresh / or dried or a blend)

Zest and juice of ½ lemon

1 box lite fruit pectin (I used Sure-Jell)

Directions

Pour ¼ cup of boiling water over the lavender and let it steep for 30 minutes

You can strain the lavender “tea” – or you can add the lavender “seeds” to the mix .  **I added the lavender and “tea”

Measure 2 cups of sugar in one bowl. In another bowl, combine remaining 1 cup sugar and pectin.

Combine raspberries, lemon zest/juice, and lavender tea in large, heavy saucepan or stockpot. Stir in sugar-pectin mixture. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly.

Add remaining sugar all at once. Return to a full rolling boil. Boil for one minute. Remove jam from heat and skim off any foam from surface.

Ladle hot jam into hot sterilized jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Wipe the rims of the jars, cover with lids, and screw bands on until just barely tight.

To process: put in a small canning kettle (water should be boiling). Cover pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Process for 10 minutes. Turn off heat, uncover pot, and allow jars to rest in water for five minutes. Remove jars from pot and allow them to rest undisturbed on counter-top for six hours or overnight.

Luscious Lemon Brownies

Having lunch with a friend yesterday, was sharing the menu planned for this upcoming weekend (Easter/Passover weekend 2018). My youngest son, is coming down for a quick visit. Lemon brownies for Saturday's desert, topped with fresh raspberries --- perfect after the main course (veggie burritos topped with a spicy Mole sauce and a Caesar salad). This one is for you Theresa Langley! Bon Apetit! 

Note - I pretty much stick to organic only ingredients, but it is not required. Simply a choice on my part.

Lemony Lemon Brownies

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour of choice (I use GF or organic spelt)
• ¼ cup almond flour
• 3/4 cup organic turbinado sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter – or – I use coconut oil and butter equal parts
• 3 large organic eggs
• 2 tablespoons lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons ginger grated fine
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

I don't always "frost" these - often times, I simply do a light dusting of powdered sugar. That said, should you want to frost them, here you go.

For the tart lemon glaze

• 4 T lemon juice
• 8 t lemon zest
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 T cream cheese (Nancy’s Organic)

Directions:
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1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Line a pie pan with parchment paper (or grease well with butter/ coconut oil)
3. Zest /juice lemon(s) and set aside.
4. In the bowl of an electric mixture fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the flour, sugar, salt, and softened butter until combined.
5. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, lemon zest, and lemon juice until combined.
6. Pour it into the flour mixture and beat for 2 mins at medium speed until smooth and creamy.
7. Pour into baking dish and bake for 23-25 mins, should turn golden around the edges.
8. Allow to cool completely before glazing. Do not overbake, or the bars will dry.
9. Filter the powdered sugar and whisk with lemon zest and juice.
10. Spread the glaze over the brownies with a rubber spatula and let glaze set.
11. Cut into bars and serve.

Paleo GF Carrot Cake

This recipe has been in my “card file” since 1977. Passed on by a friend – Rhoda Priebe. This version is adapted to the 21st century. Rich, moist and yummy. Posted for Julie Silver Robertson! Enjoy Julie!!

Ingredients
• 3 cups of grated organic rainbow carrots (I use my kitchen aid attachment, easy peasy with little mess)
• 1 cup applesauce (organic home made for me)
• ¼ cup melted organic coconut oil
• 4 eggs
• 2 cups organic turbinado sugar (could use coconut sugar as well)
• 1 cup organic almond flour
• 1 cup Bobs Red Mill GF flour mix
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon cardamom powder
• 1 Tablespoon cinnamon
• 1 Tablespoon fresh grated ginger
• ½ cup almonds
• 1 cup craisins

Directions
• Mix sugar, applesauce and coconut oil – beat to a smooth texture
• Add eggs – ONE at a time, beating well for each addition
• Add carrots and then dry ingredients

• Line 4 cake pans with parchment
• Lightly coat with cooking spray, then sprinkle a small amount of flour (for removal)
• Pour cake batter evenly into the pans
• Bake for approximately an hour at 325 (start checking at 45 minutes)

• Remove from oven
• Cool on racks for 45 minutes (minimum)
• Remove from pans and continue to cool

For today’s cake – I did a coconut cream cheese frosting in between the layers and then thinned it down for the top glaze. Topped with toasted almonds.

Voila and Bon Appetit as Julia would say.