Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Not a recipe

...but I just had to share. We went to the beach the other day, and it was absolutely gorgeous.  I just couldn't get over how majestic and scenic everything was.



Ahh, I miss living near the coast. There's something powerful about the ocean crashing back and forth, the cliffs, the dunes. Ah well.

Cheddar and sweet corn Pancakes

Pancakes are a wonderful breakfast tradition. Plain and simple buttermilk is always a classic, but this is one of my favorites to make. It goes delightfully well with honey, instead of syrup or pesto, if you prefer.

1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1-1-1/4 cups milk
4 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
2-3 ears sweet corn
butter for frying
2 cups grated cheddar cheese

1. remove corn kernels from cobs using your preferred method. I generally just slice them off with a sharp knife. Set aside.
2. Mix together dry ingredients
3. Beat the eggs and mix them in to dry ingredients along with melted butter and milk.
4. Over medium high heat, melt frying butter in skillet. When butter is bubbling, pour out pancakes around 4-5 inches in diameter
5. When pancake is brown on one side, sprinkle a good amount of shredded cheddar on uncooked side before flipping. Then cook until cheese is crisp and golden brown.
6. Serve hot with syrup or topping of your choice.

Vegan cadbury eggs

This recipe is taken from here. It was too delicious not to share, though. Yum!

TOP SECRET RECIPES VERSION OF CADBURY'S CREME EGG (VEGANIZED, IN THEORY, ANYWAY, BY BRYANNA CLARK GROGAN)

Here's a little Easter present for you. It's a clone version of the first soft fondant-filled egg candy to hit the market, many Easters ago. Now, because of the success of these chocolates with the orange yolk-colored center, other candy companies have come out with their own milk chocolate eggs. Some are filled with Snickers or Milky Way centers, while others contain peanut butter, coconut, caramel or the same type of fondant center as the original...right down to the colors. These eggs are sold only once a year, for the Easter holiday. And, in that same spirit, this recipe will only be up for a week; so get it while you can or you'll have to wait until next year. Happy Easter, everyone!

1/2 cup light corn syrup (**or brown rice syrup )
1/4 cup Earth Balance Natural Buttery Spread, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups powdered beet sugar, or powdered very light unbleached sugar (++See Note above)
4 drops yellow food coloring
2 drops red food coloring
1 12-ounce bags organic vegan chocolate chips
2 tablespoons vegetable shortening (Spectrum, or Smart Balance are non-hydrogenated)

1. Combine the corn syrup, marge, vanilla, and salt in a large bowl. Beat well with an electric mixer until smooth.
2. Add powdered sugar, one cup at a time, mixing by hand after each addition. Mix well until creamy.
3. Remove about 1/3 of the mixture and place it into a small bowl. Add the yellow and red food coloring and stir well to combine.
4. Cover both mixtures and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or until firm.
5. When mixtures are firm, roll a small, marble-size ball from the orange filling, and wrap around it a portion of the white filling that is roughly twice the size. Form this filling into the shape of an egg and place it onto a cookie sheet that has been brushed with a light coating of shortening. Repeat for the remaining filling ingredients, then refrigerate these centers for 3-4 hours or until firm.
6. Combine the chocolate chips with the shortening in a glass or ceramic bowl. Microwave chocolate on high speed for 1 minute, then stir and microwave again for 1 more minute, and stir.
7. Use a fork to dip each center into the chocolate, tap the fork on the side of the bowl, then place each candy onto wax paper. Chill.
8. After 1-2 hours of chilling, dip each candy once more and chill for several hours, or until completely firm. (http://www.topsecretrecipes.com) Makes 2 dozen candy eggs.

Another tasty recipe- Tomato and veggie soup



 This delicious recipe makes a wonderfully refreshing winter soup, and certainly enough soup to last you all winter. I make it for Christmas each year and it never fails to please.

1 can tomato paste
1 can diced tomato
1 large (2 small) zucchini
1 large yellow onion
2 medium potatoes
2 sweet potatoes
all the garlic you can stand
3-5 sprigs of rosemary
Oregano
4-5 carrots
salt and pepper to taste
1 large can of water
1 cup of COOKED rice
2 fresh tomatos (diced)
20-30 whole button mushrooms
1 cup black beans
1 1/2 tsp red pepper
1 tsp garam masala


1. sautee garlic and onions in skillet until brown and fragrant. Add to large pot with tomato paste, fresh tomatoes, and diced tomatoes and water, and bring to boil. Add all other ingredients except for the rice, and let simmer until all vegetables are cooked. Rinse rice and beans until water is clear, then add to soup, bring to boil. Serve and enjoy

Some of my favorite recipes

This is a delicious and surprisingly light salad that makes a wonderful treat for a hot summer's day. I made this the other night for my boyfriend and mother, and we all gave it two thumbs up. It's something that anyone can make, too. All it takes is the ability to boil pasta. You can do many things to make this salad more interesting- adding sweet corn, maybe? or perhaps a nice raspberry vinaigrette? Fresh berries might be really lovely, or even some sun dried tomatoes. I'll definitely be making this more often. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Serves 3
2 Large avocados
2 roma tomatoes
1 portobello mushroom cap
1 package of fresh/pearl/young mozerella
Balsamic vinegar
1 head of spinach
whole basil leaves
fettuccine noodles
pesto sauce
salt to taste

1. Cook noodles to al dente, drain, and then mix with as much pesto sauce as desired. Set aside to cool.
2. Drain mozerella if necessary.
3. Wash all vegetables thoroughly
4.Slice and peel avocados, thinly slice mushroom cap and tomatoes.
5. Chiffonade basil leaves (basically, stack the basil leaves together, roll them up like a burrito, and then slice the burrito widthwise)
6. Assemble by placing 1/3rd of the pasta with pesto on each plate, then placing 1/3rd of the spinach on top. Place mozerella pearls, avocado, mushroom, and tomato slices on top.
7. Sprinkle fresh basil on top of each plate
8. Lightly splash balsamic vinegar over each salad.
9. Top with a sprinkle of salt, and enjoy!