Raspberry Sauce for Pancakes or Waffles

Breakfast, Desserts February 14, 2014 1 Comment

Pancakes and waffles while being served semi frequently in our home are still always a special treat for the family.  All I have to do is merely mention the idea of making either and Evan immediately requests (demands) Raspberry Sauce!  It’s an easy but oh so tasty addition to the weekend brunch and I highly recommend you add it to yours.  Your family will thank you (hopefully with squeals of delight, smiles and great big hugs)!

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Raspberry Sauce for Pancakes and Waffles

Author: Sweet Green Kitchen’s Jen Jones

 

Ingredients:

1 bag defrosted Frozen Raspberries (about 10 ounces)

1 – 2 Tablespoons Sugar

1 – 2 Tablespoons Raspberry or Blackberry Jam

A little Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice

A little Water, if needed

 

Directions:

 

In a small saucepan, add the raspberries, sugar and jam.  Cook over low to medium heat, occasionally stirring and breaking up the raspberries with the back of the spoon.  Add a little water if the sauce is too thick.  Just before serving add a bit of fresh squeezed lemon juice. 

 

The sauce comes together rather quickly as it’s merely a matter of heating up the raspberries enough to break them down and warm through.  Start it as you begin cooking your pancakes and waffles and just leave on the stove to stay warm until ready to serve.

 

Remove from heat and pour sauce into a small pitcher to serve.  Enjoy! IMG_2526

Orange Vanilla Waffles

Breakfast, Recipes February 13, 2014 1 Comment

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Orange Vanilla Waffles

Author: Sweet Green Kitchen’s Jen Jones

Dry Ingredients:

1 cup Unbleached White Flour

1 cup Whole Wheat Flour

½ cup Corn Flour

1 Tablespoon Baking Powder

1 teaspoon Baking Soda

¼ teaspoon Salt

¼ cup Brown Sugar

 

Wet Ingredients:

 

3 Extra Large or Jumbo Eggs – Seperated

1 cup Yogurt – Plain or Vanilla (preferably all natural without gelatins or artificial ingredients)

½ cup Almond Milk, Soy Milk or Cow Milk – whatever your preference

¾ cup Orange Juice

1 Tablespoon Vanilla

2 Tablespoon Canola Oil or melted Butter

 

Directions:

 

Combine all the dry ingredients in a large bowl and whisk together.

 

In a medium bowl or large measuring cup, combine the Egg Yolks with the remaining wet ingredients. 

 

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients.  Using a rubber spatula or large spoon mix until just combined.

 

In a separate bowl, whip the separated Egg Whites with either a large whisk or hand mixer until stiff and glossy peaks form.  Fold the Egg Whites into the combined batter, being careful not to deflate the whites.

 

Heat a waffle iron.  Once heated, brush with a little melted butter or spray with cooking spray.  Pour a scant ¾ cup of batter onto the heated waffle iron and spread around to almost cover.  Close the waffle iron and cook per your waffle iron’s instructions. 

 

Continue cooking waffles and keep cooked waffles warm in a 185 F oven, until all waffles are made. 

 

Serve waffles with maple syrup and/or raspberry sauce, chopped nuts (pecans, walnuts or slivered almonds are all delicious), fresh berries and/or bananas.  IMG_2527 IMG_2531

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Makes about 7 waffles.  Uneaten waffles will keep in the fridge or freezer and reheat well in a toaster oven.   

Satisfied Customer

Satisfied Customer

Broccoli Rabe Pesto

Pesto, Recipes, Veggies February 7, 2014 Leave a comment

This recipe is a delicious variation of the traditional basil pesto.  I make a lot of pestos and find that so many different vegetables can be prepared this way.  It’s a great way to get kids to eat their veges (at least some kids!), it doesn’t look like a veg, but a nice tasty spread.  I also like my pestos creamier and much less oily than the traditional, but if you prefer yours to be looser, by all means add more olive oil, but you may need to adjust the seasonings to account for the extra oil.  This pesto is fantastic mixed with pasta or any filled cheese pasta such as tortellini or ravioli, but it’s also equally good spread on a sandwich of grilled Mozzerella and Provolone or I imagine with grilled chicken a la Colin’s favorite sandwich from our local pizza joint of grilled chicken with broccoli rabe on a hero roll, or a nice spread on crostini or even drizzled over roasted vegetables.  

IMG_3126_Broccoli Rabe Pesto

Broccoli Rabe Pesto

Author: Sweet Green Kitchen’s Jen Jones

 

Ingredients:

1 Bunch Broccoli Rabe

1 clove Garlic

¼ cup shelled Pistachios

Zest of ½ Lemon

Juice of ½ Lemon

2 Tbsp Olive Oil

½ tsp Red Pepper Flakes (or more to taste)

¼ tsp Sea Salt (or more to taste)

1/3 – ½ cup grated Pecorino Romano Cheese (I always use Locatelli)

 

Directions:

 

Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil.

 

While the water comes to a boil, wash the Broccoli Rabe and cut the ends off the stems.  Prepare an ice bath by filling a large bowl with ice.

 

When the water comes to a boil, add a large pinch of salt and then the Broccoli Rabe to the pot.  Blanch for about 1 minute and then immediately remove the Broccoli Rabe from the pot using tongs or a large handled strainer and place in the ice bath. 

 

Once the Broccoli Rabe has cooled a bit, drain it from the icy water.  Roughly chop.

 

Add the chopped Broccoli Rabe and all other ingredients, except the cheese, into the bowl of a food processor and pulse until the mixture forms a paste. 

 

Pour the pesto into a bowl and then mix in the Romano Cheese.  Enjoy!

 

Serving Notes & Suggestions:

 

  • If serving over Pasta, scoop out a bit of the pasta cooking water to thin out the pesto to make it more of a sauce..
  • For Crostini, thinly slice a crusty loaf of baguette or Ciabatta bread, toast lightly with drizzled olive oil if you like and then top with Pesto.  Additional toppings could be a thin sliver of Romano cheese or a small dollop of Ricotta cheese or some crumbled goat cheese or even some chopped Sun Dried Tomatoes.
  • Stuffed Portobello mushroom, grill or roast Portobello and then fill with Pesto and top with cheese of choice.

 

 

This is how we enjoyed the pesto most recently.

 IMG_3130_Grilled Mozzerella & Provolone with Broccoli Rabe Pesto Sandwich

Grilled Mozzerella-Provolone Broccoli Rabe Pesto Sandwich

 

Heat a grill pan or large skillet over medium heat and add some olive oil to the pan.  Cut slices from a nice crusty loaf of Italian bread.  Spread each slice with some pesto and place in the heated skillet pesto side up.  Top half the bread slices with slices of fresh Mozzerella and then top the other half with slices of Provolone cheese.  If you like you can also add slices of fresh tomato or chopped sun dried tomatoes on half of the bread.  When the cheese begins to melt, put the sandwiches together by combining a Mozzerella topped bread with a Provolone topped bread.  Continue to cook until the cheese has melted completely and the bread is nicely toasted.  Enjoy!

Simple Asian Tofu

Main Dish, Recipes, Tofu, Vegan February 7, 2014 Leave a comment

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Simple Asian Tofu

Author: Sweet Green Kitchen’s Jen Jones

Vegan

4-6 Servings

Ingredients:

2 – 12 ounce packages Extra Firm Tofu (or Sprouted Super Firm Tofu)

4 Tbsp Low Sodium Soy Sauce

1 Tbsp Sesame Oil

1 Tbsp Honey or Agave Syrup

1 heaping tsp Chili Garlic Sauce (found in the Asian aisle, I use the one with the Rooster)

2 Tbsp Orange Juice

1-2 Tbsp Water

2-4 Scallions – thinly sliced lengthwise, cut into 2-3 inch pieces

Canola Oil or Cooking Spray

 

Directions:

Prepare Tofu: Remove from package and drain out liquid.  Place in a rimmed plate or pie dish (to catch any liquid that releases) wrapped in a few paper towels and top with a heavy object (book, cast iron skillet, etc).  Allow to press and drain out excess liquid for about 20 minutes.  Note: do not skip this process, it will affect the texture of your finished dish and the tofu will not fully absorb the marinade.IMG_2487

Meanwhile, Prepare the Marinade: Combine remaining ingredients, up to the Canola Oil/Cooking Spray in a small bowl or directly in whatever container you will marinate the Tofu in.

 

After 20 minutes or so, unwrap the Tofu and slice each block into about 8 equal pieces (my last slice almost always ends up a bit slimmer).  Leave the Tofu in slabs OR if you prefer, cut each slab in half lengthwise into “fingers”.

In a small casserole dish or lidded container, pour a little bit of the marinade on the bottom of the dish and then layer the sliced Tofu, pouring a bit more marinade between layers and top with all remaining marinade.  Add the sliced scallions. Slosh around a bit so all the Tofu is covered in the marinade.  Cover the dish and refrigerate. 

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Allow the Tofu to marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, all day, over night or up to 2 days.  You can prepare it in the morning and it’s ready to go when you get home from work.

 

To cook: If pan searing, heat a non stick 12 inch skillet over medium heat coated with a bit of Canola (or other light) Oil.  If baking, pre-heat oven to 375 and spray a rimmed sheet pan with Cooking Spray. 

Remove Tofu from refrigerator, leaving the marinade behind, place pieces in your prepared pans.  A 12 inch skillet can hold about 8 slabs or 12-16 fingers of Tofu at a time.  Cook in batches, removing finished Tofu to a serving platter.  Save the marinade. 

Pan Searing: Over medium-high heat, cook the Tofu about 7-8 minutes on the first side, then carefully flip and cook another 3 ½ – 4 minutes until both sides are golden.  If necessary, add a little more oil to the pan.

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When all the Tofu has been pan seared and placed on a serving platter, pour the saved marinade into the hot skillet, lowering the heat to avoid splattering.  If you wish, add a little more orange juice into the pan to help deglaze and make it a little more saucy (note there will not be a lot of sauce).  Cook for a few minutes, allowing the marinade to reduce and slightly carmelize.  You can then add some of the Tofu back to the pan and flip around the sauce or simply pour the sauce over the finished Tofu. The scallions can be cooked slightly with the marinade or left raw. 

Oven Baking: Place all the Tofu in a single layer with a little space between each piece on the baking pan.  Cook Tofu at 375 F for about 20 minutes, then flip and cook an additional 10-15 minutes, until both sides are lightly browned.  

IMG_3094_Baked Simple Asian Tofu

Oven Baked Simple Asian Tofu

Notes about cooking methods:  Pan frying the tofu will allow the exterior to brown and carmelize a bit more, while leaving the center a bit softer.  When I have the time to let the tofu rest a bit after cooking or plan ahead to serve it cold or at room temperature, I much prefer it cooked this way.  However, if I am going to eat the tofu warm, I prefer the oven baked method, which will result in tofu that is a little drier (but not in a bad way) and firmer.  Also, pan frying requires a bit more of your time and presence as you need to keep an eye on things, whereas if you oven bake, you can just pop it in and forget about it for a little while.  Either way, it’s delicious and a frequent meal in our home.  Enjoy

Curry Spiced Lentil Salad

Beans, Recipes, Salads, Vegan January 1, 2014 1 Comment

 

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAOLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA                       Curry Spiced Lentil Salad
 
Altered ever so slightly from the original My New Roots, Best Lentil Salad, Ever….Even though I enjoy Indian foods and the many spices associated with that region of the world, this is not my comfort zone of cooking.  I tend toward Mediterranean style cooking with a smattering of Asian influence and sometimes a bit of “California Mex”, but for me cooking Indian food is rare.  My husband, once (many, many years ago) bought me a Vegetarian Indian cookbook (which was one of the most thoughtful and one of the rarest gifts he’s purchased completely on his own), which I have yet to make a single recipe from.  It is not that I don’t love this gift and find many of the recipes in it interesting, but I’m scared off a bit by the looooong list of ingredients each recipe entails and not to mention the sheer weight of the book itself (which causes it to most often be used as a weight for pressing tofu, perhaps that’s why I don’t get many gifts from dear hubby, hmm).  I do get turned off by very long recipes, even though I myself when improvising a recipe tend to add more and more ingredients as I go, but I also feel unfamiliar with the combination of spices and other ingredients that go into Indian cooking and can never really imagine in my mind and taste buds what exactly the final dish is going to end up as.   So, on New Year’s Eve, searching for recipes that included foods that are said to bring good luck in the new year, I stumbled upon this recipe and decided without much thought to give it a go.  I didn’t change it much, except for the quantity of some of the ingredients and left out or changed a few that my daughter doesn’t like.  Skipped the currants and replaced them with cranberries and pomegranate seeds, the two add a nice balance of sweetness against the curry spice.  Don’t let the long list scare you off, it’s mostly items from the spice drawer and the recipe comes together fairly quickly.  What I ended up with was a lovely lightly spiced and a little bit sweet lentil salad for the new year.

Ingredients:

1 ¼ cups dry French Black Lentils (about ½ pound) – don’t substitute other varieties as they will turn to mush when cooked, while the tiny French variety will hold up

2 Tbsp Olive Oil

1 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar

½ Tbsp Honey

½ Tbsp Dijon Mustard

½ teaspoon Cumin

¼ teaspoon Turmeric

¼ teaspoon ground Coriander

¼ teaspoon Cardamom

1/8 teaspoon ground Cayenne

1/8 teaspoon ground Cloves

1/8 teaspoon Nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon Cinnamon

Salt and Pepper to taste, plus a little salt for cooking the lentils

2 Shallots – diced

¼ – ½ cup dried Cranberries – chopped

¼ – ½ cup Pomegranate seeds

About 1 Tbsp chopped fresh Mint

To make the salad, begin by preparing the lentils.  Rinse, pick over and add to a pot with enough water to cover by a few inches.  Add a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 15-20 minutes.  The cooked lentils will retain a nice al dente bite.  Once cooked, drain off and set aside to cool just a bit before adding to the dressing.

Meanwhile, make the dressing. Add all ingredients above after lentils and up to the cranberries.  Whisk together and set aside until the lentils are done.  Add the lentils to the dressing and stir.  Add in the chopped cranberries and pomegranate seeds, then the chopped mint.

Optional add ins; other fresh herbs, maybe a bit of parsley or tarragon, some crumbled goat cheese… I enjoyed mine atop a Romaine salad.

Enjoy!