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Rice and Vegetable Salad

September 11, 2023
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A chilled salad of green beans, peas, carrots, and legumes with rice,

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what's not to like about this on a hot, muggy summer day!

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The recipe that I somewhat followed is posted below. I didn't vary too far but here's what I did. 

The ingredients I used were organic brown rice, green beans, carrots, peas, scallions, fresh herbs, and cannellini beans. 
Please use fresh green beans, I used frozen French cut and they were just o.k. When I use green beans in salads I prefer fresh. 

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The only fresh herbs I had on hand were parsley and Thai basil so I used those and the salad was just fine. 

I have this handy mini chopper that is the absolute best thing for mincing fresh herbs. 

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I got it for like about $15.00 off Amazon. Money well spent. 

So here's the original recipe but like all recipes, they can be subject to change. 

Enjoy!

Bountiful Beautiful Salad

Bountiful, Beautiful Bean & Barley Salad
Serves 6-8

1 cup frozen peas (do not thaw)
2 to 3 carrots, scrubbed and chopped into 1/4-inch dice
1/2 pound chilled, cooked green beans
1 1/2cups cooked or canned beans (preferably chickpeas or kidney beans; canned beans should be rinsed well and drained)
4 cups pearled barley, cooked and chilled
3 scallions, derooted, whites and 2 inches of green sliced
1 small unwaxed cucumber, quartered lengthwise and sliced
1/2 to 3/4 cup minced fresh herbs
About 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 to 2 lemons, halved
Coarse salt and freshly cracked black pepper
Lettuce leaves, for serving
Red and yellow cherry tomatoes, for serving
Crumbled feta or ricotta salata cheese, for serving (optional)

Bring a medium-size pot of water to a boil. Place the peas in a colander in the sink, then drop the carrot pieces into the boiling water and cook briefly, until their color brightens, about 30 seconds. When the carrots are ready, drain them over the peas (if you like, place a bowl beneath the colander to trap the carrot cooking water for a stock). Rinse the carrots and peas with cold water, and drain well. In a large bowl, combine the carrots and peas with the green beans, chickpeas, barley, scallions, cucumber, and herbs. Toss together well. Drizzle with the olive oil and squeeze the lemons over the salad (through a strainer to catch the seeds, or pick them out if you don’t mind fiddly work). Season with salt and pepper, toss again, and add more oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste—whatever you think it needs. But the beauty of this dish is that it is not swimming in dressing; the good grainy flavors and the vegetables are not obscured.
Serve the salad on lettuce leaves, surrounded by cherry tomatoes and sprinkled with crumbled feta, if you like. Serves 6 to 8 Note: If you buy your pearled barley in a box, simply prepare it according to the package directions. If you purchase it in bulk, however, follow these basic cooking instructions: Combine 1 cup pearled barley and 2 cups water in a medium-size pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and let cook for 30 minutes. After the time is up, turn off the heat and let the barley sit, still covered, until the grain is soft and tender, another 10 minutes.

Source: Bean by Bean Cookbook
 

And that's that!

Posted at 12:34 PM in Salads/salad dressing | | Comments (0)

Kohlrabi Slaw with Fennel and Apple

July 31, 2023
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Cool, crunchy and refreshing,

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This can be a nice light lunch or a great side dish with dinner. 

All you need is, 

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kohlrabi, fennel, and apple for the slaw and some shallot, mustard, vinegar, honey, salt pepper, and oil for the dressing. 
No, I'm not trying to pass off jicama as kohlrabi; after hitting up two supermarkets, neither of which had kohlrabi I opted to substitute it with the jicama. 

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Having a good Mandoline makes the prep work a breeze. Don't forget to use your cut-resistant glove. (you're welcome)

I hope you try it, it's really easy and refreshing when it's too hot to cook or even want to eat. 

Kohlrabi Slaw with Fennel & Apple

 

1 medium fennel bulb with fronds
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 teaspoons whole-grain mustard
2 teaspoons minced shallot
1 teaspoon honey
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
1 medium kohlrabi, peeled and cut into matchsticks
1 small apple, cored and cut into matchsticks

Chop enough fennel fronds to equal 1/4 cup. Thinly slice the bulb.
Whisk oil, vinegar, mustard, shallot, honey, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add the fennel and fronds, kohlrabi and apple; gently stir to coat.

Source: Eating Well
 

And that's that!

Posted at 01:39 PM in Salads/salad dressing, Vegetarian | | Comments (0)

Eggfree pancakes

February 17, 2023
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With pancakes this good, who needs butter and syrup!

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I was eating these as fast as they came off the griddle. 

Using the flaxseed meal recipe (1 T ground flaxseed meal mixed with 2 1/2 T water and let sit for 5 minutes) as an egg substitute,added a nice little crunch to the pancakes.

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  Using a 1/4 cup measure the recipe yielded about 12 pancakes.

These pancakes are cooling so they can be packaged for the freezer. I placed the pancakes between sheets of waxed paper and then into a plastic freezer bag. Now I can have a pancake snack any time I want. I really like them warmed up with a bit of cheese melting on top. 

Here's the original recipe I tweaked a little, o.k. a lot. I hope you try both. 
Instead of the nut butter I used the flaxseed mixture as my egg substitute. 

Enjoy

koko's version of Eggless Pancakes

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/2 tablespoons light coconut sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons avocado oil
egg substitute 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed mixed with 5 tablespoons water, let sit for 5 minutes
1 1/4 cup buttermilk, or more to reach desired consistency 

In a medium bowl, whisk together the all purpose flour with the baking powder, sugar, and kosher salt.
In a liquid measuring cup, whisk together the oil, flaxseed mixture, and buttermilk.
Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. The batter will be thick, add regular milk (whole, 2% etc..) if needed to reach desired consistency. 

Lightly grease a skillet with oil over medium-low heat. Using a 1/4 measuring cup, ladle batter onto the skillet. Cook the pancakes until the bubbles pop on the top, flip them and cook until done. Place pancakes on a platter and cover them with a kitchen towel to keep warm until served. 
 

And that's that!

Posted at 02:08 PM in Breakfast, egg free | | Comments (0)

Hummus from scratch

January 15, 2023
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For a quick easy snack or a delicious sandwich spread, you can't beat hummus. Throw in a tomato and cucumber salad drizzled with olive oil, and sprinkled with some Za'atar and you have a great lunch. 

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Just a few simple ingredients and you are good to go. 

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Garbanzo beans and tahini are two of my must have pantry staples so I can make this quick easy snack anytime I want. 

The basic recipe is just beans, tahini, lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, and a little salt. 
When you drain the canned beans, be sure to reserve the "bean juice," the aquafaba. If you like a thinner, smoother hummus you will need it to thin the hummus out a little, it also has several other good uses.

Here at Creaky-bones compound, aka Senior Citizen Apartment living, on Fridays, some of us get together to play cornhole. I like to bring tasty snacks to share and the hummus and tomato salads are always a favorite. 

Enjoy

Hummus from scratch

 

Yield: about 1 1/3 cups

1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas (do not drain), or about 2 cups drained, cooked chickpeas

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons tahini

1 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (from 1/2 lemon), plus more as needed

1 small clove garlic, coarsely chopped

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Serving options: pita wedges, pita chips, raw sliced vegetables

Drain and rinse the chickpeas. Drain the chickpeas into a strainer, reserving the liquid from the can. If time and patience allow, pinch the skins from each of the chickpeas; this will make your hummus smoother.

Combine all ingredients in the food processor. Combine the chickpeas, olive oil, tahini, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper in the bowl of the food processor fitted with the blade attachment or blender.

Blend hummus until smooth, at least 5 minutes. Process the hummus continuously until it becomes very smooth, about 5 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to integrate any large chunks.

Taste and adjust seasonings. Taste and add more of any of the ingredients to taste. If your hummus is stiffer than you'd like, blend 2 to 3 tablespoons of the reserved chickpea liquid to thin it out and make the hummus creamier.

Transfer to a bowl and serve. Scrape the hummus into a bowl and serve with pita chips or raw vegetables.

Note:

Using dried chickpeas: For even tastier and more authentic hummus, try cooking your own dried chickpeas from scratch.

Hummus variations• Add 1 to 3 teaspoons of spices for more flavor, like cumin, sumac, harissa, or smoked paprika. • Drizzle a little pomegranate molasses or sprinkle a pinch of sumac on top. • For a roasted vegetable hummus, blend in 1 cup of roasted vegetables such as eggplant, zucchini, bell peppers, or garlic. • For an olive hummus, fold in 3/4 cup of chopped green or black olives. • For a nutty hummus, blend in some lightly toasted walnuts, almonds, or pine nuts. • For a more lemony hummus, add 1/4 cup of chopped preserved lemons.

Storage: Hummus will also keep for up to 1 week in a sealed container in the refrigerator.

Source: Kitchn

And that's that!

Posted at 01:29 PM in Appetizer, Middle Eastern, Snack | | Comments (0)

Fire Cider

January 07, 2023
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Great for what ails you, I mean really, what malady could survive a mixture of garlic, jalapeno peppers, horseradish, onions, ginger, cinnamon, star anise honey, and vinegar. 

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All you need to do is peel the garlic and cut the ginger, onion, and peppers into chunks, no need to peel the ginger. 

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After cutting off a 1 1/2-ounce chunk of horseradish, I chunked up the rest of the root, vacuum-sealed it, and put it into the freezer. 
Someday I'll figure out what to do with the rest of the $10.00 piece of root. 
At the time I was so happy to find fresh horseradish I didn't even look at the price per lb. I sure noticed it when I went to check out and it rang up at $10.00 YIKES!!! LOL, this will probably last me a lifetime. 

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Now, unlike me, I know you are better about reading a recipe all the way through first, and you'll know that all the ingredients except the honey are packed into the jar with the vinegar and that the honey isn't added until the "brewing" time is up. 

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Then you top it all off with the vinegar seal the jar then store it at room temperature away from direct sunlight,

When I feel a cold or whatever coming on, I put a shot glass next to the bottle of cider and take a few shots of it throughout the day, about 1-2 tablespoons at a time. If it's too strong for your tastes it can be diluted in a glass of water. 

Don't do what I did and wait too long to make your next batch, it has to "brew" for at least a month first. 

Fire Cider

3 ounces diced ginger root

3 ounces yellow onion

1 1/2 ounces garlic cloves

1 1/2 ounce diced horseradish

1 1/2 ounces jalapeños

3 star anise pods

1 cinnamon stick

2 cups raw apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup honey

  1. Layer the ginger, onion, garlic, horseradish and jalapeño into a quart-sized jar with the star anise and cinnamon stick. Cover with apple cider vinegar, adding additional vinegar to cover the contents of the jar as necessary.
  2. Seal the jar, and store it away from direct sunlight at least 1 month and up to 6 weeks. Shake daily.
  3. Strain the vinegar, discarding the solids. Next, stir in the honey until fully dissolved. Store at room temperature up to 6 months and in the fridge up to 18 months.

 

And that's that!

Posted at 12:57 PM in Beverages | | Comments (2)