Vegan Macaroons

Today I failed to verify ingredients with friends who have allergies in the house, and I used something I shouldn’t have in a treat I made them. I feel terrible, because I know better than to make assumptions.
Allergies are no joke, and if you aren’t used to accommodating them it can be intimidating to make goodies for folks that can’t eat certain foods. On that note, here is a tasty recipe for coconut macaroons, made without eggs or dairy – which makes them good for vegans or those with dairy allergies.

Vegan Macaroons (makes 12 cookies)
Oven to 350*F
1 cup coconut milk
4 Tbsp sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups shredded coconut, lightly packed

Put first four ingredients in a saucepan and heat over medium, just until it simmers and thickens like gravy. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and coconut. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto parchment paper lined cookie sheet; bake for 16 -20 minutes, or until light golden brown. Allow to cool on the pan undisturbed for ten minutes before moving / eating. These cookies are moist and chewy, a bit denser than traditional ones made with egg – but equally tasty!

Redemption and ripples

The failed chocolate cake has redeemed itself, in the form of cake balls. Time consuming but yummy. I highly recommend the melts that can be found in the cake aisle at Joann / Michael’s; they melt well and taste pretty good (especially the peanut butter ones).

And the ripple afghan is moving right along, it’s about three feet wide now and definitely cumbersome to maneuver on my lap as I crochet. Keeps me warm, though.

Let them eat steak

This morning I tossed a bunch of little steak tenderloins into a simple marinade for tonight’s dinner. I will sear the steaks in a hot, cast iron skillet with a little butter, top them with a bit of gorgonzola cheese and a pinch of parsley, and serve with some kind of potatoes and a green vegetable (exact side dishes to be determined, after I see what we have).

The marinade:

• 1/4 cup water
• scant 1/4 cup low-salt soy sauce (I was running low)
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 Tbsp worstershire sauce

 

Breakfast Casserole

Good for breakfast or dinner!

Breakfast Casserole, serves about 6

• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 lb ground sausage
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 can cream of ___ condensed soup (broccoli, chicken, celery, or mushroom, your choice)
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 2 cups broccoli florets, cut into small pieces
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
• 6 eggs, beaten
• 1 large bag of shredded frozen potatoes
• salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 350*F. In a well-greased 10″X13″ pan, spread a layer of shredded potatoes approximately 3/4″ thick. Bake 15 minutes, then press them down firmly into the pan. Meanwhile: cook onion in a frying pan until translucent. Add sausage and cook until no longer pink, crumbing into small pieces. Add garlic and saute for 2 minutes more. Drain.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the condensed soup, milk, and sour cream. Add meat mixture and mix well.

Time to layer the casserole: To the pan with the potato layer: sprinkle evenly with broccoli. Sprinkle 1 cup of the cheese on top of that, then the meat mixture; press and smooth out without mixing it together. Pour the beaten eggs over the meat. Top with another 3/4″ layer of shredded potatoes, some salt and pepper, then the rest of the cheese.

Bake for 30 – 40 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve!

Sausage & Orzo

Serves 4

• 1 keilbasa sausage (approx 13 ounces) cut in half lengthwise and then sliced 1/4″ thick
• 1 cup orzo pasta (dry)
• 2 cups beef broth
• 1 cup fresh or frozen veggies of choice
• 1 tsp ground thyme
• 1 tsp basil
• black pepper

In skillet, brown sausage in 1 Tbsp oil for a couple of minutes. Add dry orzo and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in broth and seasonings, cover and simmer until most (but not all) of the liquid is absorbed – about 8-10 minutes. Add veggies, cover and simmer for another 5 minutes or until hot throughout. Pepper to taste; should not need salt unless you used low-sodium broth.

Salmon Chowder

I did not dream this up in its entirety, I modified a recipe I found online while searching for a way to use up some leftover salmon. Here’s my version, which we enjoyed last night:

Salmon Chowder      (Serves about 6)

• 3 Tbsp butter
• 3/4 cup finely chopped onion
• 3/4 cup finely chopped celery
• 3/4 cup finely chopped carrots
• 2 tsp garlic powder OR 2-3 cloves minced garlic
• 2-3 cups cubed potatoes (I left the skins on baby reds)
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 2 tsp dill
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 (12-oz) can fat free evaporated milk
• 1 can creamed corn (or regular corn, but I liked the smaller pieces of the creamed corn)
• 1 cup shredded cheese (I used colby-jack)
• 1-2 cups salmon, flaked / shredded (cooked or raw, no skins or bones)

In a large pot, melt the butter and saute the onions, celery, carrots, and garlic until the onions are translucent. Add the potatoes, broth, dill, and pepper. Bring to simmer and cook for about 15 minutes, until the potatoes are just cooked. Stir in evaporated milk, corn, cheese, and salmon. Heat through to gentle simmer but don’t allow to boil. Serve!

(Notes: I did not need to add any flour or cornstarch to thicken this, the combo of potatoes and creamed corn did the job well. Also, the butter might seem a bit much but it will incorporate with the cheese to make a nice texture, so just roll with it.)

Homemade applesauce

The easiest thing to can is applesauce – no measuring needed, no ‘recipe’ to follow. I made some today and took pictures along the way.  (This is not a thorough canning tutorial – I’m presuming you know the basic equipment needed and steps to take – if not, THIS is a great website.)

First off, you need apples. Just about any kind, but the sweeter ones don’t require added sugar; I had a mix of red and yellow, about four different varieties. Wash them well. You also need canning jars and lids, plus a large deep pot for the water bath processing. Wash those, too.  I made sure to have plenty of jars ready, since I didn’t know how much applesauce I would get.

Slice the apples and remove the cores, but leave the skins on for added flavor. I used one of those handy corer/slicer things to do it in one step. Cut out any bruised or yucky parts. Put 1″ of water into a large pot (no more, or you’ll have apple soup), and add the sliced apples. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally.

Continue to simmer and stir until the apples are soft and the skins come off. Make sure the jars and lids are ready, with jars simmering in the processing pot.

At this point, you need to remove the skins and mush the apples. I used the peeler/seeder attachment on my KitchenAid, but you can do this with a hand-operated food mill as well. (If you have none of these, you may want to peel the apples at the beginning and them mash them with a potato masher after cooking. Or I suppose you can pick the skins out by hand…)

The skins and any seeds come out the front, while the fruit slush comes out the back and into the bowl. Toss the skin paste into the compost or worm bin.

And dump the applesauce back into the large pot. Keep warm, but no need to boil it. Add cinnamon to taste, if desired.

Fill hot jars to within 1/4″ of top, wipe rims, set lids and screw on bands. Water process for 15 minutes, then allow to sit and cool undisturbed. Since I used both red and yellow apples, my applesauce has a pink tinge. I ate the last couple of spoonfuls that wouldn’t fit in a jar, and it is delicious! Perfectly, naturally sweet with no sugar needed.

(finished applesauce, cooling. I got 7 jars total from the apples pictured at the top. Small jar in front is a typical jelly jar, and the smallest one I used.)

Mmmmm, butter

This morning I made some butter.

Yes, butter.

It’s super easy and tastes fresh and light. All you need is a stand mixer (like a Kitchenaid) and whipping cream. It took me about a half hour start to finish, but I was fiddling with the mixer and taking pictures and stuff – it should take closer to 15-20 minutes total.

My full photo tutorial is here on Flicker, but the basic steps are thus:

Start with a stand mixer and a quart of whipping cream. I want to point out that I would rather have had organic cream, but the store was out so I settled for Darigold.

Beat on low and then medium as it thickens up, until you get whipped cream – then switch to a paddle and keep mixing on medium.

Like magic, the butterfat will cling together and form BUTTER. The extra water will separate out. Keep this and use it in any recipe that calls for milk – I’m going to make pancakes.

 After straining and a bit of rinsing / pressing out the extra water, you have perfectly good butter ready to spread on toast or whatever. I didn’t salt mine this time, though I usually do – but I wanted this batch plain because I have plans to serve it with a drizzle of olive oil and flakes of sea salt, to put on some crusty bread with our jambalaya tonight. MMMMMMM!

I formed mine into sticks and wrapped them in parchment paper.

And voila – twelve ounces of fresh, pure butter.

Chicken salad

1 can (12.5 oz) chicken, drained
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1/2 small apple, chopped

Optional: 1/2 cup halved, seedless grapes

Stir well. Now, decide how you want to eat it: add some mayo and make a sandwich or scoop onto crackers; or leave plain and put on a salad and drizzle with dressing of choice. I opted for sandwiches. Mmmmm…

Cupcakes

A plug for a friend of mine, who makes the most scrumptious cupcakes ever – and they are non-dairy (if that matters). This is her picture, which I stole because it’s so beautiful:

And her site: Crazy Cake Recipes

Try one. They are a.ma.zing.