Nutty Salad

From The Best Ever Indian Cookbook by Baljekar et. al.

I started making this salad and looked into the bowl dejectedly. "This will never make enough!" I thought to myself. "I think I will double it." "Heck," I thought, "I will triple it!"

A few minutes later when I had a huge entire pot full of salad, I realized that after marrying the Robber my life will never be the same. I have already forgotten how to cook for myself.

It is now one week later and I still have a half-pot of salad left.

Ingredients for the salad:

5 ounce can red kidney beans, drained
1 medium onion, cut into 12 rings
1 medium zucchini, sliced
1 medium yellow squash, sliced
2/3 C pasta shells, cooked
1/2 C cashew nuts
1/4 C peanuts
fresh cilantro and lime wedges, to garnish

Ingredients for the dressing:

4 ounces low-fat ricotta cheese
2 T. plain low-fat yogurt
1 fresh green chile, chopped
1 T. chopped fresh cilantro
salt and pepper
1/2 tsp. crushed dried red chiles
1 T. lemon juice

Directions:

1. Drain the kidney beans. Arrange them with the onion rings, kidney beans, zucchini slices, and pasta in a salad dish and sprinkle the cashew nuts and peanuts over the top.

2. In a separate bowl, mix together the ricotta cheese, yogurt, green chile, fresh cilantro, and salt. Beat well using a for until all the ingredients are thoroughly combined. You may find it easier to add the cilantro leaves a few at a time and mix in to let their flavor permeate the mixture and ensure the resulting dressing is smooth in texture.

3. Sprinkle the crushed peppercorns, red chiles, and lemon juice over the dressing. Garnish the salad with fresh cilantro and lime wedges and serve with the dressing.

Serves 4.

Nutritional notes from the book, per portion:

Energy 199 cal
Fat 11.6 g
Saturated Fat 2.63 g
Carbohydrates 15.2 g
Fiber 2.9 g

Mary's Lemon Bars

These were served at my bridal shower and came to SLO by way of R.-A. Daines. These are the best home-made lemon bars I think I have ever had. I have tried before in the past to make lemon bars and failed, hopefully when I have the chance to try this recipe personally I will have better results!

Ingredients for Crust:

1 C butter
1/2 C powdered sugar
2 C flour

Directions for Crust:

Mix and press in a 9 x 13. Bake at 350 for 15 mins. Then remove. Cool slightly until warm.

Ingredients for Filling:

1/2 C flour
2 C sugars
4 beaten eggs
6 T fresh lemon juice and a little zest

Directions for Filling:

Pour liquid over crust. Bake at 325 for 20-25 mins until feels fully firm when touched. DON'T OVERBAKE. Let cool. Sift powdered sugar on top.

Mark Bittman's Rhubarb Crisp

I first saw this recipe in the New York Times two days before my wedding and liked it so much that I emailed it to Bob and asked him if I could make it for him when we were married. Then marriage was so good I didn't get around to it until the last full day we were together, when I put it together in between running errands and crying. Thank goodness it was worth it, possibly one of the most tasty foods I have ever put on a plate. Even better was that Robber loved it so much too, so perhaps I shall make it again for him when he comes in August. This is so fast and easy to make.

Ingredients:

6 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small pieces, plus more for greasing pan

2 1/2 to 3 pounds rhubarb, trimmed, tough strings removed, and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces (about 5 to 6 cups)

1/4 cup white sugar

1 tablespoon orange or lemon juice

1 teaspoon orange or lemon zest

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, or to taste

Pinch salt

1/2 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup pecans.

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Grease an 8- or 9-inch square baking or gratin dish with a little butter. Toss rhubarb with white sugar, orange or lemon juice and zest, and spread in baking dish.

2. Put the 6 tablespoons butter in a food processor along with brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt, and pulse for about 20 or 30 seconds, until it looks like small peas and just begins to clump together. Add oats and pecans and pulse just a few times to combine.

3. Crumble the topping over rhubarb and bake until golden and beginning to brown, 45 to 50 minutes.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings.

Note: I left out the pecans and just used a simpler topping, this was fine. I also used the orange flavoring, this was delicious! I 1 and 1/2d this recipe and still cooked it in the 8 x 8 pan for the same amount of time and was well pleased with the result.

Chocolate Cream Pie

This recipe came by way of my old roommate KT, who sent it to her friend Kim, who published it on her pieloveyou.blogspot.com blog. The recipe itself is adapted from Gourmet Magazine in 2004. I made this for the Robber for Minnissippi Founders' Day.

Ingredients:

Crust:
2 cups chocolate wafer crumbs (you can use the accompanying recipe for chocolate wafers, or I just used one package of Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers which are delicious and worked just fine for this recipe)
1 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped
5 T. unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup sugar

Filling:
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 large egg yolks
3 cups whole milk
5 oz fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened), chopped
2 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla

Topping:
1 pint chilled heavy cream
1/4 cup sugar

Directions:

1. Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F.

2. Use a food processor to crumb the cookies or put the cookies in a resealable plastic bag and press the air out before sealing. Roll over the bag of cookies with a rolling pin until they form fine crumbs.

3. Stir together crumbs, chocolate, and sugar. Pour hot melted butter over the top and combine (The butter will melt the chocolate). Firmly press onto the bottom and sides of a 9-inch deep pie pan. Bake for 15 minutes and before cooling on rack, use the back of a spoon to press the hot crust back up the sides of the pan. Cool completely.

4. Whisk together sugar, cornstarch, salt, and yolks in a 3-quart heavy saucepan until combined well, then add milk in a stream, whisking. Bring to a boil over moderate heat, whisking, then reduce heat and simmer, whisking, 1 minute (filling will be thick).

5. Force filling through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl (I skipped this step, it was fine!), then whisk in chocolates, butter, and vanilla. The pudding should still be warm hot enough to melt the chocolate. Cover surface of filling with plastic wrap (make sure there are no air bubbles between the pudding and the plastic wrap) and cool completely, about 2 hours.

6. Spoon filling into crust and chill pie, loosely covered, at least 6 hours.

7. Just before serving, beat cream in a bowl using an electric mixer until it just holds stiff peaks add vanilla and sugar and spoon on top of pie. Top with chocolate shavings for additional effect.

Chocolate Wafers (for Chocolate Cream Pie)

This recipe came with the Chocolate Cream Pie recipe from Kim at pieloveyou.blogspot.com. The recipe is adapted from Bubby's Homemade Pies and is used to make wafers that become part of the crust for the chocolate pie. I haven't made the wafers myself, since I used Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers for my crust, but I imagine that these are good so I'm blogging the recipe for future use if needed.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt; set aside. With an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until incorporated. On low speed, gradually add the dry ingredients, mixing well after each addition. Shape the dough into a 2-inch-diameter log. Wrap it well and chill completely—at least two hours.

2. Preheat the oven to 375 F. Slice the dough into 1/8-inch slices and place them 1 inch apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake them for 8 to 10 minutes, until they smell good and remain firm when lifted with a spatula.

3. Cool the cookies on a wire rack, uncovered, overnight or until they are completely dry and wafer-like.

Rebekka's Jambalaya

This jambalaya recipe is adapted by Rebekka from Chef Paul Prudhomme's Louisiana Kitchen and can be found on her blog: rebeatworld.blogspot.com. This makes a very spicy dish, but that is part of what makes it so grand.

Ingredients:

2 whole bay leaves
1 1/2 t cayenne pepper
1 1/2 t salt
1 1/2 t white pepper
1 t dried thyme leaves
1/2 t black pepper
1/4 t rubbed sage

2 T butter
1/2 pound chopped andouille sausage, about 2 cups
3/4 lb boneless chicken, cut into bite-size pieces, about 2 cups
1 T minced garlic
1 c chopped onions
1 c chopped celery
1 c chopped green bell peppers
1/2 c canned tomato sauce (I just use a whole little can of tomato sauce)
1 c chopped tomatoes
2 1/2 c low-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 c uncooked converted rice

Directions:

1. Melt butter in a large skillet over high heat. Add sausage and cook for a few minutes, stirring frequently. Add chicken and continue cooking until chicken is brown, 3 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently, and scraping pan bottom well if it's not nonstick.

2. Stir in seasonings (bay leaf through sage), garlic, and 1/2 c each of the onions, celery, and bell peppers. Cook until vegetables start to get tender, 5 to 8 minutes, stirring.

3. Stir in tomato sauce and cook about 1 minute, stirring often. Stir in the remaining 1/2 c each of the onions, celery, and bell peppers and the tomatoes. Remove from heat.

4. Stir in the broth and rice, mixing well. Transfer mixture to an ungreased 9x13-inch baking pan (I found that the recommended 8x8 was much too small). Bake uncoverd in a 350 F oven until rice is tender but still a bit crunchy, about 1 hour. Remove from oven. Stir well and cool a bit before eating.


Note: The seasonings really are quite flexible. I haven't yet used the bay or the white pepper and it has turned out plenty spicy!

Thai Chicken Stir-Fry With Spicy Peanut Sauce

This is a recipe that the Robber found that we have now made twice together. It is tasty and a nice meal all in one dish, with the meat and rice and vegetables. I especially love the peanut taste! It comes from here: http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1627,158167-247199,00.html, but we alter it by adding in a whole can of coconut milk to dilute the otherwise very strong peanut taste and to make the curry a little bit thinner. The recipe is quite versatile, really you can throw in anything you want. Onion, pepper, whatever in addition to the broccoli.

Ingredients:

2 whole chicken breasts, skinned, boned & cut into bite-size pieces
1/2 c. peanut butter
1/2 c. water
2 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tbsp. brown sugar
2 tbsp. peanut or vegetable oil
2 or 3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
3 to 4 c. sliced broccoli or spinach

Directions:

In a small bowl, blend peanut butter, water, soy sauce and sugar; set aside. In a wok or large skillet, heat oil over high heat. Add garlic and pepper; stir-fry 30 seconds. Add chicken, stir-fry until firm and white, about 5 minutes. Add broccoli or spinach, stir-fry until bright green, about 3 minutes. Stir in peanut butter mixture. Cook, stirring constantly until sauce is smooth, about 3 minutes.

Serves 4.