Veggie Wednesday: Dumplings, Potstickers, Gyoza

Take your pick! All are relatively similar (usually the cooking method is the only difference) and each is equally delicious! Step away from the traditional meat filling and give this veggie version a try.

Steamed Vegetable Dumplings
Printable Recipe

6 dried shiitake mushrooms
4 c cabbage-coleslaw mix-shredded
4 medium green onions-chopped
1 t ginger root-grated
2 cloves garlic-finely chopped
2 T soy sauce
1/2 t sesame oil
30 won-ton wrappers or gyoza wrappers

Soak mushrooms in hot water about 20 min. or until soft-
drain. Rinse with warm water-drain. Squeeze out excess
moisture. Remove and discard stems-chop caps. Spray
nonstick wok or 12-inch skillet with cooking spray-heat
over medium-high heat until spray starts to bubble. Add
mushrooms, coleslaw mix, green onions, ginger root and
garlic-stir-fry about 4 minutes or until vegetables
are very tender. Stir in soy sauce and sesame oil-cool.

Brush edges of 1 won ton skin with water. Place 1 T
vegetable mixture on center of skin. Cover remaining
skins with plastic wrap to keep them pliable. Fold
bottom corner of won ton skin over filling to opposite
corner, forming a triangle-pleat unfolded edges. Cover
filled dumplings with plastic wrap to keep them from
drying out. Repeat with remaining skins and vegetable
mixture.

Place dumplings on heatproof plate-place plate on rack
in steamer. Cover and steam over boiling water in wok or
Dutch oven 15 min. Serve hot with dipping sauce.
30 dumplings

See HERE for a great Cook's Illustrated pdf document on the many ways to fold dumplings.

One more link: THIS is a terrific (if a bit lengthy) article written by Michael Pollan about nutritionism that was certainly an eye-opener for me. Worth a read!

Ready, Set, Cook! #25

It's Tuesday! Time for Ready, Set, Cook! If you haven't played yet, click the button above to see the Rules of Play then come back and take a look at the ingredients for this week's game:


green beans
veal cutlets
walnuts

Get your apron on, and get to it!

A few things to check out...

Anyone environmentally conscious may enjoy the book Grave Matters; A Journey Through the Modern Funeral Industry to a Natural Way of Burial written by Mark Harris. It brings to light something I had not thought much of in an environmental sense; burial. He is blogging about the book at Grave Matters. Click on over and read a bit. You'll find yourself having second thoughts about something you may never have given even a first thought to. (No, this has nothing to do with food~Mr. Harris lives in the same town as I and I am acquainted with he and his family.)

Spiritual food...or food so good it makes you feel spiritual? Either way, please give a read to Cookin' in the 'Cuse. Wonderful recipes, comforting and REAL, I love this woman's blog!

Ian has done it again...head to The Gallumphing Gourmand where he has blogged about a recent game of Ready, Set, Cook! and the delicious results of his efforts.


Don't forget! Today is the chat over at AskABlueShirt.com with Sara Moulton. The chat is taking place from 2-3 pm EST. See my last post for more details.

Are you looking to have a great Super Bowl Party?

Gourmet Magazine’s Executive Chef, Sara Moulton and Best Buy are teaming up on AskABlueShirt.com for a Q&A chat session to help you score an awesome Super Bowl Sunday get-together. Join Sara and a Best Buy Blue Shirt expert on home theater this Monday, January 29, from 2 to 3:00 pm EST at AskABlueShirt.com.

Don't miss it!

R,S,C #24 Recipes

From Adopted Son (aka big brother) at Ear to the Heavens:

Holiday Pizza
Printable Recipe

Pizza dough:

3 1/2 cups flour
1 cup warm water (between 95° and 115° F.)
2 T yeast (2 tablespoons, I like my dough a little yeasty. You can use less)
2 T honey
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp. salt

Mix water, honey and salt until well blended.
Add yeast and mix gently. Let mixture rest for 5 minutes.
Add 1 cup of flour and olive oil.
Mix until well blended. Add the rest of the flour and mix well.
The mixture should form easily into a ball.
(If too dry, add water- one tablespoon at a time;
If too wet, add flour - one tablespoon at a time.)
Once the dough is in ball, place the ball on a flour dusted
board and knead for a minute. Cover and store in a warm, dry area to
rise.

Once the dough has about doubled in size
(about 30-40 minutes) punch it down.
Let the dough rise for another hour to an hour and a half.

Take dough and press it into a flat ball about
six to eight inches wide. Continually press the
dough from the center outwards to stretch
it out, turning the dough as you go.
When the dough is 1/2" thick, roll it out to 1/4".

Place the rolled out dough on a pizza stone or a lightly-greased cookie sheet.

Toppings:

2 or 3 whole tomatoes, diced.
2 cloves crushed garlic
1lb package of frozen spinach, thawed and drained
8 oz. ricotta cheese
8 oz. mozzarella, shredded.
(Any other toppings you'd like)

Spread the ricotta cheese evenly around the pizza dough, leaving a
1/2"-3/4" edge all around. Sprinkle the crushed garlic, evenly over
the ricotta cheese. Spread the spinach evenly; evenly add the
tomatoes, then sprinkle with the shredded mozzarella cheese. Salt and
pepper lightly.

Bake at 400° F. for 20-25 minutes or until the crust is lightly
browned and cheese is sufficiently melted.
@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@

From Ian at The Gallumphing Gourmand:

Roasted Tomato Bruschetta with Spinach Pesto
Printable Recipe

6 fresh plum tomatoes, thickly sliced
6 garlic cloves, minced
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
crusty bread or baguettes
1/2 C fresh Parmesan cheese

Pesto
2 C firmly packed spinach
1 C flat leaf parsley
2 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
1/4 C - 1/2 C olive oil
1/2 C fresh Parmesan cheese
1/3 C pine nuts

Preheat oven to 450F (230C).
Place the sliced tomatoes on a broiler pan, sprinkle the minced garlic and
salt and pepper over the tops. Drizzle the olive oil over all of the
tomatoes. Cook on the top rack for 5 minutes, then turn the tomatoes over
and cook for another five minutes. Remove from oven and let cool, but leave
the oven at 450F.

Then, prepare the pesto.
Combine nuts and garlic in food processor. Whirl until finely ground. Add
spinach and parsley. Whirl until coarsely chopped with motor running. Pour
oil through feed tube until mixture is finely chopped, not pureed. Stir in
Parmesan. Salt and pepper to taste.

Slice the baguettes diagonally, and place them on the broiler pan. Drizzle
with a little olive oil, place a roasted tomato on each piece, spoon on a
little pesto and sprinkle with more fresh Parmesan cheese. Bake for 10
minutes.
@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@

My own recipes:

Spinach and Feta Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Tomato Chutney
Printable Recipe

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts-pounded to an even thickness
8 oz. frozen spinach, thawed and chopped
1/2 cup crumbled feta
1 clove garlic minced
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 C. dry white wine or chicken stock

Mix all ingredients except chicken and wine. Be sure to drain spinach well.
Lay chicken out and top each breast with 1/4 of the filling. Roll each breast tightly and secure with toothpicks.
Brown rolls in a hot skillet, about 3 minutes per side. Place in a baking dish and pour wine or stock over the chicken breasts. Bake for 15 minutes 400 degrees or until the juices run clear.

Top with warmed chutney:

My idea for this is a bit different. I've used balsamic vinegar to replace part of the usual red wine or malted vinegar and an apple all for a sweeter taste. Likewise, I thought caramelized onions would be a flavorful addition.

Tomato Chutney

1 small onion, diced
1 T olive oil
1 large apple, peeled, seeded and chopped
3 large ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
1 T golden raisins
1 clove garlic, minced
2 T sugar
1 t curry powder
1/4 t cayenne pepper
1/4 c balsamic vinegar
1/4 c cider vinegar
1 t salt
2 c water

Cook onions in olive oil until well caramelized.
Mix in remaining ingredients and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally until thick.

Veggie Wednesday

I made these last night and they were awesome-my kids asked for seconds and I almost wished I had company to share them with! Since I knew we were going meatless I chose zucchini to replace the meat. My tortillas were a bit dry so if you choose to make your own remember to use enough water and to do it slowly since wheat flour expands slower than white and may feel "done" before it is.

The beans were made with no fat at all and were equally terrific! I'd have this again tonight in a second if I had all the ingredients on hand. I had a plate set for a picture and by the time I found the camera, the food was half-eaten.

Enjoy!

Veggie Fajitas
Printable Recipe

3 med zucchini-cut into strips
1 med onion-sliced
1 med green pepper-cut into strips
1 med red pepper-cut into strips
1 med yellow pepper-cut into strips
1 packet taco seasoning
2 T vegetable oil

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.
Toss lightly to thoroughly coat. Cover
and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Add veggies and cook until crisp-tender, working in batches if necessary,
about 8 minutes.
Serve with warm whole wheat tortillas, sour cream, salsa, guacamole and black olives.


Whole Wheat Flour Tortillas
Printable Recipe

2 c whole wheat flour
1 t baking powder
3/4 t salt
1/4 c shortening
1 to 1/2 c warm water

Combine dry ingredients well. Add shortening and blend. Add water slowly to make a soft biscuit type dough. Divide into 8 balls and roll to 6" circles. Cook in a non-stick pan with no oil until lightly browned on both sides.


Refried Beans
Printable Recipe

1/2 lb dried pinto beans
1 T salt
3 garlic cloves

Soak beans overnight in enough water to cover by 1".
Rinse beans well and put in large pot.
Add enough cold water to cover and heat to boiling.
Cover and simmer for 3 hours or until beans are soft,
adding more water when necessary during cooking.
Add salt and garlic. Cook at least 1 hour more, stirring occasionally.
Heat a large non-stick skillet and add beans.
Stir frequently, until beans are reheated. Mash with a fork or potato masher.
Brown beans until dry and a little crusty, stirring frequently.
Add salt, if needed, to taste.

Ready, Set, Cook! #24

Today's ingredients are coming directly from the lists submitted for my deserted island question. Three of the foods listed most often were:

spinach
tomatoes
cheese

Remember, your pantry is limitless and you can round these out in any way you wish! Click HERE for full rules and get your stove started!

Sunday Dinner

• Pork Stew
• Layered Salad
• Whole Wheat Bread with Honey
• Ice Cream Sundae Dessert

Pork Stew
Serves 6-8
Printable Recipe

2 lb pork stew meat-cubed
4-5 medium potatoes-peeled and cubed
4 medium carrots-peeled and cut into chunks
1 medium onion-peeled and cut into chunks
3 stalks celery cut into diagonal chunks
1 c frozen peas
1/2 c flour salt and pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
dry thyme
bay leaf


Toss pork cubes in flour that has been seasoned to taste with salt and pepper.
Fry pork in 2 T of oil until browned. Add vegetables (except peas) and seasonings and add enough water to cover all. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Simmer until vegetables are tender and pork is cooked through; about 30 minutes. Thicken if necessary and remove bay leaf before serving.


Layered Salad
Serves 6
Printable Recipe

3 c shredded greens
1/2 c celery cut diagonally
1/2 c diced green pepper
1 c shredded carrots
10 oz frozen peas
1 c shredded cheddar cheese
1 c. mayo
2/3 c. sour cream
1/2 t. garlic powder
pinch dry basil
5 strips turkey bacon cooked and crumbled

In a clear salad bowl, layer greens, celery, pepper, carrots, peas and cheddar. Combine mayonnaise, sour cream, garlic powder and basil. Mix well and pour on top of salad. Top dressing with bacon and refrigerate, covered, overnight. Mix well before serving.


Whole Wheat Bread with Honey
three small or two large loaves
Printable Recipe

3 Tablespoons butter
3 Tablespoons honey
1 pint milk
1 T salt
2 pkgs dry yeast
6 c whole wheat flour (King Arthur white whole wheat is great)

Proof the yeast in 1/2 cup of milk that has been warmed to 110-115 degrees F.
Melt butter and honey in the remainder of the milk in a saucepan over low heat. When lukewarm add the yeast and salt. Stir while adding flour until the dough is stiff enough to knead. Knead on a floured board for 6 to 8 minutes. Put into a greased bowl and let rise until doubled in bulk.
Turn out onto a floured surface and punch down. Divide into 3 small or 2 larger loaf pans and let rise again. Bake in a preheated 350-375 degrees F oven about 50 minutes or until the loaves sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.


Ice Cream Sundae Dessert Serves 12-16
Printable Recipe

2 cups (12 oz) semisweet chocolate chips
1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 package (12 oz) vanilla wafers, crushed
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
2 quarts vanilla ice cream or other flavor, softened

In a saucepan over medium heat, melt chocolate chips with milk and salt; cook and stir until thickened, about
25 minutes. Remove from the heat; set aside. Combinewafer crumbs and butter; set aside 1 cup. Press
remaining crumbs into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. pan. Chill for 10-15 minutes. Pour chocolate over
crumbs. Cover and freeze for 10-15 minutes or until firm. Spread the ice cream over chocolate. Sprinkle with
reserved crumbs. Freeze at least 2 hours before serving.

If you were stranded...

I don't care about the three books you couldn't live without if you were stranded on a deserted island. What about this:

If you were stranded on a deserted island (not desserted, although that would be awesome haha!) and could somehow miraculously have any 10 foods you desire for the rest of your life, what would those foods be? Processed or prepared are fine to list!

Send everyone you know on over to answer this; I'd love to see as many top tens as possible!

Here are my own top ten foods that I could not live without:

1) tomatoes
2) tapenade
3) goat cheese
4) olive oil
5) whole wheat bread
6) spinach
7) dark chocolate
8) chicken
9) new potatoes
10) olives

Garlic, French Roast coffee, hummus and linguine run a hugely close second!

R,S,C #23 Recipes

Here are the submissions for this week's R,S,C! I'm hoping to be invited to dinner soon. Enjoy!

From Ian at The Gallumphing Gourmand using maple, pork AND chocolate!:

Maple-Glazed Pork Roast with Raisins, Pine Nuts and Chocolate
Serves 6
Printable Recipe

Preparation time less than 30 mins
Cooking time over 2 hours

2 tbsp olive oil
2 kg (4 lbs) pork shoulder roast
2 medium onions, sliced
3 carrots, peeled and sliced
3/4 C red wine
3/4 C chicken stock
1/2 C maple syrup
salt and freshly ground black pepper

3/4 C red wine vinegar
1/4 C sugar
2 tbsp dark chocolate, chopped
1/2 C raisins
1/4 C pine nuts, toasted on a dry pan, or hot oven until golden for three
minutes.
Enough rice for 6 people

Pre-heat oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
Place a large saucepan, or dutch oven on high heat.
When very hot add the olive oil and brown the roast on all sides. Remove
the roast from the pot and set aside.
Add the onion and stir on heat for a minute until the onion is slightly
golden. Add the roast back into the pot, then add the sliced carrot, red wine,
chicken stock and maple syrup, and bring to the boil.
Season with salt and pepper, cover, and place in the pre-heated oven.
Cook for 2 - 2.5 hours, until the meat is tender and falling apart, basting
every 20-30 minutes. Make sure the liquid does not completely boil away,
adding some more chicken stock or wine if necessary. While the meat is cooking, place the red wine vinegar and the sugar in a small saucepan, stir till the sugar dissolves and then boil for two minutes. Add the chopped chocolate, stir it, add the raisins and then set aside to allow the raisins to plump up in the liquid.
When the meat is cooked, shred with two forks and add the chocolate and
vinegar mixture and the toasted pine nuts.
Serve with rice.

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From Truth at Piece of the Puzzle using seasoned tomatoes (and OLIVES! They aren't on the list, but I love them):

Chicken with Tomatoes and Green Olives
Printable Recipe

4 Boneless Chicken Breasts Cut up
1/4 cup olive oil + 2 TBS
1/2 cup white wine
2 cloves garlic
1 cup chicken broth
1 14.5 oz. can Hunt's Diced tomatoes w/balsamic vinegar, basil, & oil
1/2 lb. sliced mushrooms
1 TBS lemon juice
3 oz. jar green salad olives

Saute chicken in olive oil until golden brown. (I add a little salt and pepper.) Add garlic and saute a minute longer. Add wine, tomatoes and chicken broth. Simmer 45 minutes. Saute mushrooms in 2 TBS oil or butter in a separate pan. Add lemon juice and olives. Combine all ingredients. Serve over rice. (I like the wild rice/brown rice combination.) This is a recipe that I have made. My husband loves green olives.

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My own recipe using salmon and seasoned tomatoes:

Smoked Salmon Bruschetta
4 Servings
Printable Recipe

1 15 oz can Italian style seasoned tomatoes , drained
1/2 yellow bell pepper, seeded, chopped
1/2 sweet onion, chopped
olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/4 pound thinly sliced smoked salmon
French baguette sliced lengthwise and again into 6" lengths making 4 pieces
fresh garlic clove, cut in half

Sautee onion and pepper in olive oil until translucent. Add tomatoes and lime juice and heat through. Cool to room temperature.

Rub the baguette lengths with the garlic cloves (discard or keep for another recipe) and toast under a broiler until golden-turn if desired.

Lay slices of salmon on each toast and top with tomato mixture. Sprinkle with a *chiffonade of basil.


*Chiffonade ~Lettuces, sorrel, basil leaves and other leafy vegetables cut into julienne strips.

Veggie Wednesday

This is my contribution to everyone's health; something I would like to do each Wednesday. Nothing overly special; just a recipe each Wednesday that is either all veggie or very close. These may be completely vegan, ovo-lacto, or a recipe that simply includes a lot of veggies.

With the temperature outside a whopping 12 degrees F with the wind chill, soup seemed like the right choice for today.

Salsa Bean Soup
Serves 6-8
Printable Recipe

4 cups cooked beans
8 cups vegetable stock
3 T olive oil
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 sweet onion, chopped
1 cup salsa, mild or hot, your choice
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. dried oregano
OR
In place of these 3 seasonings, add a packet of your favorite taco seasoning.

Cook onion and bell pepper in olive oil until transparent. Add beans stock and salsa;bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add seasonings and continue simmering for an additional 20 minutes.

Garnish ideas: chopped green chiles, shredded Monterey jack cheese, pepper jack cheese, sour cream. I love tiny pasta like ditalini or acini in this to make it a bit heartier-about 1/2 cup uncooked does it.

Ready, Set, Cook! #23

Today's edition is going to be a bit different.

Last week's ingredients were based on this year's top flavor predictions.
Today's game will be based on the predictions made in the newest issue of Kraft Food & Family. The foods picked by their staff are; seasoned tomatoes, salmon, maple, pork and dark chocolate.

Now, your challenge for today is not to use all 5! I can't think of anything remotely edible that would have all 5 of those foods in one dish. I'd love to see someone else's take on these so, pick one or two of these top foods for 2007 and share your favorite recipe or concoct something brand new.

Have fun!

Sunday Dinner

Mediterranean Chickpea Salad

Our dinner today comes from the recipe I submitted to Ready, Set, Cook! this week.

Moroccan Spiced Beef Roast and Sweet Potatoes (I'm also adding white potatoes--spiced and roasted the same way--to this for the kids who don't eat sweet potatoes.)
Mediterranean Chickpea Salad
Benne (Sesame) Seed Wafers


Moroccan Spiced Beef Roast and Sweet Potatoes
Printable Recipe

1 1/2 lb beef roast (ours is larger today)
3 large sweet potatoes
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 t kosher or sea salt
2 t ground cumin
2 t sweet paprika
1 t ground cinnamon
1 t cayenne pepper
olive oil

Combine garlic, salt and spices. Rub half of the mixture into the roast, cover and chill for 2 to 12 hours.

Was sweet potatoes well and cut into thin wedges. Coat wedges with olive oil and the other half of the spice mixture.

Preheat oven to 350° F. Place roast on a rack in a shallow baking pan and surround with potatoes. Roast, covered, for 1 1/2 hours until roast reaches 160° (well done) in the center and potatoes are tender.


Mediterranean Chickpea Salad
6 servings
Printable Recipe

2 15-ounce cans chickpeas (or garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
1 large cucumber, peeled and diced small
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
2 cloves garlic minced
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
salt to taste

Combine chickpeas, cucumber, tomatoes, garlic, parsley, and basil in a large bowl.
Drizzle olive oil, vinegar, and salt over the top, and toss all ingredients well to combine. Cover and chill at an hour or two so flavors blend.


Benne Seed Wafers
24 cookies
Printable Recipe

1 cup sesame seeds
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 stick butter
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/2 cup flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325ºF. Grease baking sheets and set aside. In a heavy pan, toast
the sesame seeds over medium heat until they are golden brown.

Mix the brown sugar and butter together until fluffy. Add the egg, flour,
salt and baking powder and mix together to form a soft dough. Add the
sesame seeds and vanilla extract; blend well.

Drop the dough onto the baking sheets by the teaspoonful, leaving space between them
for the cookies to spread. Bake for 15 minutes, or until they are lightly brown at the edges. Let them cool on the baking sheets for a minute or so, then transfer them to a rack to cool completely.

R,S,C #22 Recipes

Awesome entries! Give the participants' blogs a read, won't you?

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From Ian at The Gallumphing Gourmand:

Sweet 'n Spicy Shepherd's Pie

3 8oz steaks, boneless
1/4 C honey
1/4 C dark soy sauce
1/4 C chicken broth
6 cloves garlic, crushed & minced
2 tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and finely diced
2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 large onion, sliced
3 large sweet potatoes, peeled, boiled & mashed
1/2 C fresh parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 C cheddar cheese, grated

In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the honey, soy sauce, chicken broth,
garlic, ginger and pepper and stir until blended.
Place the steaks into a large Ziploc baggie, and pour mixture over the
steaks. Seal the bag, then shake to coat the steaks. Place in the
refrigerator for from 2 hours to overnight, turning the bag occasionally.
Remove steaks from bag and reserve ¼ C of the marinade.
Stir-fry the onion over medium-high heat until softened. Add ¼ C of the
marinade and let cook for an additional 5 minutes.
Grill the steaks until medium-rare, then let rest for about 10 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
Thinly slice the steak on the bias and place in into a large mixing bowl.
Add the onions, and toss to combine.
Place the steak and onions in the bottom of a lightly greased casserole
dish.
Cover with the mashed sweet potatoes, and cover that with the grated cheese
mixture.
Bake for 30 minutes, until the potato topping has browned and puffed up
slightly.

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From K at KFarmer & The Dell. See the real dish here at KÂ’s Simple Fare & Victuals:

Spicy Beef & Sweet Tater Stir Fry

2 tbs. Olive Oil
1 Green Onion
1 Green pepper
Sirloin Steak
3 Sweet Taters
Cayenne Pepper
Beef Stock
3 tbs. Soy Sauce
Ginger
3 Cloves Garlic
Orzo

Sprinkle cayenne pepper, salt and pepper all over beef, slice into thin strips then
stir fry beef in olive oil until brown on outside but pink on inside. Remove from pan.

Place chopped onion, green pepper and garlic into pan and cook till onion is clear. Add beef broth (around 1/2 cup), soy sauce, the cut and cubed sweet taters, more cayenne pepper, ginger, a little salt and black pepper. Steam until taters are tender. Add beef and warm through. Serve on orzo. Garnish with tops of green onion.

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From Krista at Going Gluten-Free and In the Kitchen with Krista:

Sweet Potato Hash with Fried Eggs

2 mediumpotatoespotatos, cut in 1/2" cubes
1 to 1 1/2 lbs leftover pot roast, shredded or cut in small cubes
1 large onion. diced small
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup beef broth (consomme adds a nice level of flavor)
1/4 to 1/2 tsp cayenne - to your taste
dash black pepper
good dash of kosher sea salt
6 eggs


In large skillet, add about 2 Tbs of olive oil and allow to heat over
medium heat. Add onions and sweat/saute until lightly carmelized.
Add garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add sweet potato cubes. Saute for
5 minutes until the are getting crispy on the outside. Add
broth/consomme, cayenne, salt and pepper. Cover and let come to a
boil for about 10 minutes. Remove cover, increase heat to medium high
and add beef cubes. Cook until the liquid is almost gone.

In a separate pan fry eggs to desired doneness - I personally like over-medium.

Place hash out on six plates, top with 1 egg each....or make more eggs
if you like.

ENJOY!!!

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My own recipe:

Moroccan Spiced Beef Roast and Sweet Potatoes

1 1/2c lb beef roast
3 large sweet potatoes
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 t kosher or sea salt
2 t ground cumin
2 t sweet paprika
1 t ground cinnamon
1 t cayenne pepper
olive oil

Combine garlic, salt and spices. Rub half of the mixture into the roast, cover and chill for 2 to 12 hours.

Was sweet potatoes well and cut into thin wedges. Coat wedges with olive oil and the other half of the spice mixture.

Preheat oven to 350° F. Place roast on a rack in a shallow baking pan and surround with potatoes. Roast, covered, for 1 1/2 hours until roast reaches 160° (well done) in the center and potatoes are tender.

Check These Out

Unbeknownst to me my sister-in-law, Krista, recently started another blog. I'll lash her with a wet rice noodle later on, but for now check out her chronicles of a gluten-free life at Going Gluten-Free. This chick is an awesome cook (I'm starting to think you can't be in my family in any capacity unless you're a good cook) so her recipes will really be worth a look!

On another note, while I was perusing the many sites brought to my attention by the Well Fed Food Blog Awards, I got a bit addicted to littlefoodies. Not only is this girl and her baby boy adorable, her recipes and photos of the resulting creations are just...WOW. Hop on over and take one look at that timpano and you'll be hooked too!

@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@

Ready, Set, Cook! recipes will be posted tomorrow; keep 'em coming!

Ready, Set, Cook! #22

This is our first game of Ready, Set, Cook! for 2007.

Participation is not really huge, but we have a good time. I'm not sure if people are not playing because there is no prize, no winner chosen or if they feel too pressured to "make something good". Let me assure anyone reading this that this is ONLY FOR FUN! You do NOT have to submit a real recipe, you do NOT have to actually make something from the ingredients, you just have to do what was done on the show; come up with a reasonable recipe or idea with the ingredients you're given.

One of my regular players (Ian at The Gallumphing Gourmand) will often come up with a recipe and later test it and make changes and then blog about it.

Read HERE for instructions and get your apron on!

In regard to food trend predictions for 2007, I found several reputable sources that say beef is still big and African cuisine is taking root outside it's own borders (among many other trends), so with that in mind I chose these three ingredients for today's game:


1 to 1 1/2 lbs beef (whatever cut you like-not ground)
2-3 sweet potatoes
cayenne pepper (to taste~remember, some like it hot!)

Have FUN!

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Pssst...new baby pic over at my other blog ;o)

Apple Fritters with Sour Cream Glaze

Very often, between lunch and dinner my kids are howling that they are "…hungry m-o-m!". Yesterday was such a day and to quell the tummy monster I whipped up a batch of apple fritters.



Fritters are so simple to make and transform from savory to sweet quite easily with slight adjustments. Some time ago I took my basic recipe for Veggie Fritters and altered it to make Apple Fritters. Yesterday I changed the standard glaze and used sour cream in place of the usual milk and the result was delicious!

Apple Fritters and Sour Cream Glaze

1 ½ c . flour
1 ½ t. baking powder
½ c. granulated sugar
½ t. ground cinnamon
½ t. ground nutmeg
½ t. vanilla extract
1 large apple, peeled, cored and diced small
1 egg, slightly beaten
Milk as needed

Sift the dry ingredients into a bowl. Add vanilla, egg and enough milk to make a thick batter. Add apples and mix well. Drop by spoonfuls into hot oil and cook, turning once, until puffy and brown. Drain well on paper towels. Glaze with Sour Cream Glaze (below) or other icing.

Sour Cream Glaze

1/3 c. sour cream
1 to 1 ½ c. powdered sugar
½ t. vanilla extract
¼ t. each ground cinnamon and ground nutmeg

Mix well and add milk to thin if necessary.

More Bloggers to Meet!

If you regularly read my blog you will know that last year's BoB Awards was fun for me in one very specific way; I got to read new blogs and meet new bloggers!

Well, I was informed today that I have again been nominated for a blogging award (you can vote here) at Well Fed Network. How his wonderful thing happened I shall never know. I'm loving checking out the other nominees, though! Do so yourself and see if you don't find a new good read or 2 or 5.

In addition to myself they are:

Vegan Lunchbox
Sweetnicks
Daily Tiffin
Gastro Kid

One Way to Give All Year Long

I recently posted about the gift of food. I realize that there are many, myself included, that are not able to flat out give money to help ease the hunger of another. There is an organization that will help you to feed yourself and others at the same time. That organization is Angel Food Ministries.

For every box of food that you purchase from them they will match that box of food and give it to a person or family that truly needs it. The cost is so minimal that it doesn't seem possible. The charge is $25 for a box of what they refer to as "restaurant grade" food that will provide dinner-plus for family of four for a week. Since this is a monthly endeavor, people will benefit all year long! They are also completely non-profit.

Now, before you dismiss this whole idea, check out the menu for January:


(6) 5 oz. Bacon-Wrapped Beef Filets
(1) 1.5 lb. Boneless Pork Roast
(1) 2 lb. Fully Cooked Frying Chicken
(1) 2 lb. Salisbury Steak Entrée
(1) 2 lb. Boneless/Skinless Chicken Breast
(1) 1 lb. Flame-Broiled Meatballs
(1) 16 oz. Bean Soup Mix
(1) 26 oz. Pasta Sauce
(1) 16 oz. Pasta
(1) 7.5 oz. Mac & Cheese
(1) 24 oz. French Fries
(1) 16 oz. Green Peas and Carrots
(1) 15 oz. Diced Bartlett Pears
(1) 14 oz. Peanut Butter
(1) 8 oz. Pancake Mix
(1) Dessert Item
(1) 7 oz. Brown N Serve Sausage

They also offer (with the purchase of a regular box of food) several other items at varying prices such as:

10 lb. Box of Popcorn Chicken - $16

5 lb. Combo Box - $18
1 4, 8-oz. Ribeyes
2 2 lb. Beef Back Ribs
3 1 lb. Italian Sausages


Take a moment to see if there is a host site near you and, if not, consider checking with your church to see if they would like to become a host site.


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Next Tuesday is January 9th and is also the date of the first Ready, Set, Cook! game of 2007! Tune in my fellow cooks and see what ingredients will be listed for your culinary creation.