Chocolate-Glazed Toffee Bars
May 26, 2009 § 1 Comment
When it comes to desserts, I think I take after my grandpa. Joe loved desserts and he loved them all the time; I love desserts and I say breakfast isn’t complete without some form of chocolate. Joe also loved his desserts frozen, even fluffy cakes and cookies. I’m starting to be a frozen-foodie convert, too. While I love cookies best in dough form, these bars, taken straight out of the freezer, are just marvelous.
I was first introduced to this recipe on the veggie farm last summer. One day, after spending hours digging up twelve rows of rotted garlic, my boss handed each of us a chocolate-glazed toffee bar, frozen, that his daughter had whipped up the night before. I swear, as we stood there quietly chewing (me, with a giant smile and chocolate smeared across my sun-screened face), we swore we’d never tasted something so good. I probably haven’t tasted something so good since. Maybe it was the outdoor effect; my grandma says that hardboiled eggs taste best at a picnic. But I think there is something spectacular about these bars, outdoors or not. Naturally, I got the recipe from her. I have about three bars in the freezer and they’ll surely be gone by the time I make a triple batch of chocolate oat bars, which will invariably happen this evening.
Ingredients:
2/3 cup white whole-wheat flour
1 + 1/2 tablespoons organic evaporated cane sugar
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled (1/2 stick)
2 teaspoons rice milk (or desired alternative)
1 cup chopped pecans
4 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/2 stick)
1/2 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon rice milk (or alternative)
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup dark chocolate, chopped
Methods:
1. Grease an 8 x 8″ baking pan. In a large bowl, whisk flour, 1.5 tablespoons cane sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon sea salt together. Cut in 4 tablespoons butter. Add 2 teaspoons rice milk and knead until evenly distributed.
2. Press dough into bottom of pan and chill for 15 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake chilled dough for 10 minutes and set aside to cool slightly.
3. Meanwhile, toast chopped pecans by stirring slightly in a baking pan on medium heat until lightly browned (about 5 to 7 minutes). Set aside.
4. In a medium sauce pan, combine the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter, brown sugar, honey, 1 tablespoon of milk and pinch of salt. Stir, uncovered, for 3 minutes. (Mixture will begin to boil after about a minute.)
5. Remove sauce pan from heat. Stir in vanilla and toasted pecans. Spread the mixture evenly over the baked layer in the 8 x 8″ pan. Bake for 17 to 20 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown and slightly darker around the edges. Remove from oven. Immediately spread chopped chocolate over the top and let melt for several minutes and then spread melted chocolate with a knife until smooth across the surface.
6. Let the chocolate cool but before it hardens, cut bars; allow them to cool completely before removing the bars from the pan.
Pear and Gorgonzola Salad-Salad
May 19, 2009 § 2 Comments
“Salad-salads” are my throw- together Spring and Summer meal of choice. The top of my fridge is lined with various dried fruit packets and an assortment of nuts. My cabinets are stocked with a half-dozen vinegars. My veggie drawer is always packed. So, depending on the day, my mood, the heat, I’ll whip up a salad-salad with a variety of different ingredients and call it a meal.
But this Pear and Gorgonzola salad, I decided, needs a bit of broadcast time. I love salads with fruits (especially apple, or even clementines on occasion). And with paper-thin sliced pear, no beans (I promise, it’s not as good), and plenty of good quality gorgonzola cheese, nuts, and a generous amount of dried bing cherries/apple juice-sweetened cranberries, makes this salad a real winner. I’ve paired it with a very light honey dressing, but a spritz of oil and light vinegar would be just as good.
Ingredients (for two):
1 small head romaine lettuce
4-5 scallions
1 pear, thinly sliced
4 tablespoons gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup pecans, toasted
1/4 cup dried cherries
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar or balsamic*
sea salt, pepper
*For those on the SCD-diet, be sure balsamic vinegar is SCD-safe (aged 18 years; no added sugars).
Methods:
1. Heat a small sauce pan on medium-high and toast the pecans until fragrant, stirring constantly (about 5-7 minutes). Set aside.
2. Thoroughly wash and dry romaine leaves and rip into bite-sized pieces and layer on each plate.
3. Chop scallions and pear. Layer on top of salad with gorgonzola cheese, cranberries and pecans.
4. Whisk simple 3-ingredient dressing and drizzle on top of each salad just before serving.
Diet Notes: SCD-safe (see asterisk), gluten-free
Israeli Couscous with Caramelized Shallot, Asparagus, and Parsley
March 27, 2009 § 1 Comment
If you haven’t tried Israeli couscous, next time you’re near the bulk bin section at your favorite food store, pick up a cup of this orzo-like finished grain (made from semolina). Israeli couscous granules are slightly bigger than typical “fast cooking” couscous, but trust me, those extra 10 minutes are worth it. Israeli couscous leagues more fun to eat.
This recipe was adapted from one of “Everyday Food” magazine’s 15-minute recipes. I made a couple changes from the original recipe, but the one I thought I’d draw attention to was the Martha’s use of lemon juice. I know everybody loves lemon juice; frankly, I’m starting to wonder if some sneaky recipe writers tack on “juice of a half lemon” for good measure at the bottom of all their recipes. It’s ubiquitous! I’m on the bandwagon, but this time I went with my old standby: balsamic vinegar and honey.
Ingredients:
1 cup dried Israeli couscous
10 spears asparagus
5-8 shallots
1/2 cup parsley, chopped
2-3 garlic cloves
splash olive oil
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons honey*
*If following a strict vegan diet, replace honey with maple syrup.
Directions:
1. Heat water on the stove and cook couscous according to packaging instructions.
2. Meanwhile, splash a tablespoon of olive oil in the bottom of a skillet and heat on medium-high. When hot, toss thinly-chopped shallots into the pan and cook until wilted (about 4 minutes). If pan gets a little dry, add more oil if you like. Add the balsamic vinegar and honey and saute another minute.
3. Add chopped asparagus and garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes, until asparagus is al dente and bright green. Stir in parsley and remove from heat.
4. When couscous is cooked, mix in onion mixture and serve immediately.
Diet Notes: Vegan (see asterisk), nut-free
Simple Quartered Cabbage
March 9, 2009 § 3 Comments
Last week at the farm we harvested sugar snap + snow peas, collard greens, lettuce mix, a couple teeny beets and carrots, and some beautiful cabbages. This one was a little shrimpy, so I got to take it home. I toyed with making stuffed cabbages (vegetarian-style), but I decided that for the first cabbage of the season, I just wanted to appreciate it plain. This is a recipe I made up that is simple, quick, flavorful, and you only need a couple of ingredients.
Ingredients:
1 head green cabbage
1-2 teaspoon dijon mustard
2 tablespoons honey*
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
few tablespoons water
few teaspoons olive oil
sea salt, pepper
*If following a strict vegan diet, substitute maple syrup.
Methods:
1. Peel off scraggly layers around cabbage. Rinse and quarter.
2. In a medium-large sauce pan, splash a little olive oil to cover surface of pan. Heat on medium-high. When hot, add cabbage quarters and cook until crispy on one side (about 4 minutes). Then flip to other side and cook until browned.
3. Meanwhile, combine mustard, honey, cider vinegar and a little water in a small bowl. Whisk until combined.
4. When both sides of cabbage are nicely browned, pour liquid into pan and simmer, lowering the heat to medium. When all the liquid has boiled away, test cabbage with a fork. If necessary, add an additional two tablespoons of water to continue cooking.
5. When cabbage is cooked, take off the stove and serve immediately.
Diet Notes: SCD-safe, gluten-free, nut-free, vegan (see asterisk)
