Mexican Hot Chocolate Snickerdoodles

I made these today for a cookie exchange at work. Because it was for an exchange, I left the cayenne out and they were still delicious, just as the person suggesting the recipe said they would be.

Mexican Hot Chocolate Snickerdoodles

Makes 2 dozen Cookies

A beautiful crackle topped chocolate cookie with a spicy cayenne kick and a sugary cinnamon coating. Sold?

For the topping:
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

For the cookies:
1/2 cup canola oil
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
3 tablespoons almond milk (Or your preferred non-dairy milk)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon chocolate extract (or more vanilla extract if you have no chocolate)
1 2/3 cups flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cayenne

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.

Mix the topping ingredients together on a flat plate. Set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl, use a fork to vigorously mix together oil, sugar, syrup, and milk. Mix in extracts.

Sift in remaining ingredients, stirring as you add them. Once all ingredients are added mix until you’ve got a pliable dough.

Roll dough into walnut sized balls. Pat into the sugar topping to flatten into roughly 2 inch discs. Transfer to baking sheet, sugar side up, at least 2 inches apart (they do spread). This should be easy as the the bottom of the cookies should just stick to your fingers so you can just flip them over onto the baking sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, they should be a bit spread and crackly on top. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

From Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar

Pasta with Butter, Sage, and Parmesan

originally from the New York Times

I found this online while looking for a tasty way to use some of our fresh sage from our beautiful sage plant in our garden. It is husband- and kid-approved.

1 lb. cut pasta, such as ziti or rotini
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2-3 tbsp. butter
30-40 fresh sage leaves
1 cup (or more) freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

1. Bring big pot of salted water to a boil and add pasta. Cook until pasta is almost al dente.

2. Meanwhile, melt butter over medium heat and add sage leaves. Cook until butter is brown and sage leaves shrivel, then turn heat to very low. (You can do this step in a small skillet, like I do, or as the recipe suggests - in a pot large enough to hold all the pasta.)

3. When pasta is just about done, scoop out about 1 cup of pasta water. Drain the pasta, and either return it to the original pasta pot (like me) or pour it into the big pot with the butter and sage and raise heat to medium. (If you're with me, pour the butter and sage over the pasta and turn the heat on medium.) Add about 3/4 cup of the pasta water and stir about 1 minute, until most of water is absorbed.

4. Stir in the cheese and the sauce will become creamy. You can thin it with more pasta water if necessary. Season to taste with black pepper and serve.

Sausage, Bean and Green Soup

This is a Rachel Ray recipe that was featured on Kitchen Stewardship. Michael said it was the best soup I ever made! So I thought I'd better share it here too. (But I changed the name slightly.)

Ingredients:

2 Tbs Extra-virgin olive oil (I omitted this b/c who needs extra oil to cook sausage in??)
1/2 or 1 lb. bulk Italian sweet or hot sausage (can use roll sausage)
1 medium onion, chopped
2-3 carrots, chopped
1 large potato, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 bay leaf
2 cans white beans, drained and rinsed
salt and pepper
4 c. fresh kale (or other leafy green like spinach)
2 quarts chicken broth or stock
Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Romano, to pass at table

Method:
Heat medium soup pot over medium-high heat (medium-low if using EVOO!). Add the oil and sausage and brown. Add veggies, bay leaf and beans. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook 5 minutes to soften veggies. Add greens and wilt. Add stock and cover. Raise heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes. Serve with grated cheese for topping.

Sarah's notes: Like I said above, I didn't even bother with the EVOO since I don't think sausage requires any extra oil. For the green, I used pureed spinach which I had in the freezer. I waited until the end to add it so that I could give Michael his portion first without leaves and then serve everyone else. I figured a pureed green would also be the most kid friendly. I also didn't have any potatoes, so I didn't use them. Oh well! It was quite tasty.

Greek Lemon Chicken Soup

Also known as avgolemono. We made this for Rachel, Sarah, and the boys, and they asked us to post the recipe. We usually double this recipe, which is from the Good Housekeeping 1998 Best Recipes Cookbook.

2 (14.5 oz.) cans chicken broth (or about 4 cups homemade stock)
2 1/2 cups water
1 medium, skinless, boneless chicken breast half, baked or poached (about 6 oz.) (we use canned cooked chicken instead)
2/3 cup white long-grain rice
3 large eggs
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (we always add more)
1 Tbsp. butter

In large saucepan, heat chicken broth and water to simmering. Meanwhile, shred chicken breast by hand into thin strips or shred up the canned chicken with a fork. Add rice to simmering broth and heat to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 15 to 20 minutes or until rice is tender.

While rice cooks, combine eggs and lemon juice in large bowl and whisk well.

When rice is tender, slowly whisk about 2 cups of simmering broth into bowl with egg mixture, whisking constantly (try to avoid adding rice to egg mixture - a little is okay). Return mixture to saucepan, whisking constantly, and heat to just simmering, about 5 minutes (do not boil or soup will curdle). Stir in shredded chicken and butter. Makes about 7 cups.

The Best Cranberry Chutney on Earth!

I was just eating this again the other day and it is sooo delicious. Everyone must try it!

Cranberry Chutney

3 C cranberries
1/2 C nuts (I usually use pecans)
1/2 C sucanat or rapadura
2 t sea salt
1/4 C whey
1/2 C prune juice (I've never used prune, but just whatever juice I have on hand.)
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t ground gloves
juice from one orange (I do about 2-3 Tbs of prepared OJ)
juice from half lemon (about 1 Tbs)

Pulse all the above in food processor

Stir in 1/2 C raisins

Cover and leave at room temperature for 48 hours then refrigerate.

Easy Eggplant Wraps

Jonathan and Bridget LOVE these.

ingredients:

eggplant (1 medium to large)
tomatoes, chopped
lettuce, chopped
hummus
feta cheese, crumbled
wraps of your choice

Slice the eggplant into 1/2-inch slices and brush liberally with olive oil. Season with a little salt. Place on foil and grill for 7-8 minutes per side on medium heat. Make your wrap with the grilled eggplant, tomatoes, lettuce, hummus and feta cheese.

Sticky Buns (Mom's recipe)

This is the recipe for sticky buns that Mom used to make once in a blue moon.  I just made some for Father's Day, per dad's request at Christmas when he learned that I had made Nana's rolls.

Dough Ingredients:

1.5 C milk
1/2 C sugar
1.5 t salt

1/2 C warm water (no more than 110 degrees)

2 pkg yeast
4.5-5 C flour
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk

3 T veg. oil

4 T softened butter (for spreading on dough)

Caramel Sauce Ingredients:  (See my modifications below)
3/4 C syrup

1/4 brown sugar

6 T butter

Nuts, optional

Method:

Heat milk.  Stir in sugar and salt.  Pour into large bowl.  Sprinkle yeast over warm water in small bowl.  Stand 5 min.

Add yeast to milk, 3 C flour (mix). Whisk egg, yolk, oil in small bowl.  Add.  Continue to add flour until stiff dough. 

Cover, let rest for 20 min.

On generously floured surface, knead dough until smooth and elastic (~ 10 min).  Dough will be slightly sticky.  Place in greased bowl, turning to grease top.  Cover and let rise in warm place until double in size, ~1 hr.

Punch dough down.  Roll on floured surface into 15"x8" rectangle.  Spread with 4 T softened butter. Sprinkle with 2-1 sugar cin mix.  Roll up the long side, leaving a 15" roll to slice into 12  1.25 inch rolls.  Arrange in big greased lasagna pan on caramel mix.  Cover, let rise 30 min.

Bake at 375 for 25-30 min.  Invert immediately.

Sarah's notes:

First , I changed the carmel sauce because I assume "syrup" means corn syrup which I don't have in my pantry and I didn't want to buy some just for this recipe so I looked up a bunch of other sticky bun recipes and came up with this caramel sauce recipe:

6 T butter,

6 T brown sugar

4 T honey

2 T maple syrup

There's no instructions for the caramel sauce, but I put everything in to a small saucepan then heated it up till it boiled and thickened a little, stirring with a fork to combine.  I might try 2 T honey next time.  But increase the recipe if you do two pans.

If you're going to fit these all in one pan, it must be at least 11"x14".  The largest I have is 9x13, and I only fit eight buns in there.  Be sure to butter your pan all the way up the sides so that the buns fall out easily.  I melted the butter before spreading it on the dough, but I'd recommend going with the softened butter, b/c as I was rolling the dough up, the liquid butter was sort of sloshing around and oozed out the ends a little bit. 

Seeing as how large these buns are, I think the dough could easily be divided in half to make two 15" rolls that would make smaller, tighter buns.  Also, the dough is pretty soft and floobity (is that a Rachel word?), so they kinda want to come apart as they are being transferred to the baking dish.

Anyways, they are delicious!  It's hard to go wrong when you take white bread and slather it with butter, sugar and cinnamon.  :)  I don't remember exactly what they were like when Mom made them, but I know we all loved them.  The caramel sauce hardens a bit after it cools and becomes sort of chewy.  Not necessarily a bad thing, just FYI. 

Before going in the oven

Baking sticky buns

Cream Puffs (Zeppole di San Giuseppe)

This is another recipe I found on CatholicCulture.org.  Sometimes these are called "Sfinge de San Giuseppe." 

According to my reading, this is another must have for your St. Joseph table.  (March 19)

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup hot water
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup sifted all-purpose flour
• 4 eggs
• 1 teaspoon grated orange rind
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon rind

For the filling:  Most recipes included a recipe with either ricotta cheese or cottage cheese.  I just used whipped cream this time to keep it simple.  I shaved some chocolate and mixed it in.
Here are some filling recipes:
Filling 1
Filling 2


 Yield: about 40 puffs  (the original recipe said 18!)

 Prep Time: 1 hour

DIRECTIONS

Combine water, butter, sugar, salt in a saucepan. Bring to boil. Add flour. Stir vigorously until mixture leaves sides of pan. Remove from heat; cool slightly. Add eggs, one at a time; beat vigorously after each egg is added. Add grated rinds; mix thoroughly until mixture is smooth. Drop by tablespoon 2 inches apart on greased baking sheet. Bake 15 minutes at 450°. Bake 25 minutes at 350°. Cool completely. Cut top off. Fill with whipped cream or other filling.

Sarah's notes:  The puffs double or triple in size when baking, so leaving the space around them is important!  The puffs are rather crispy when then come out of the oven.  But after they have been filled and have some time to rest, they get nice and soft.  These would also be nice with some chocolate drizzled on top!

Recipe Source: Catholic Cookbook, The by William I. Kaufman, The Citadel Press, New York, 1965

Pane de San Guiseppe (St. Joseph's Bread)

St. Joseph's Bread is a traditional bread served on St. Joseph's Day, March 19. It is an egg bread with a crumb that has a tighter, denser weave, allowing the dough to be used for fancy bread-sculpting designs. Breads in the form of crosses, staffs, wheat sheaves, images of St. Joseph, and braids of the Blessed Mother adorn the St. Joseph table and are eaten throughout the feast day. This is the recipe I used:

Yield: 2 loaves, about 1 1/3 pounds each

Preparation Time: 30 minutes

Rising Time: first, about 2 hours; second, about 1 hour

Baking Time: 30 minutes

Proofing Mixture:

1/2 cup warm water (105 to 115F)

1 tablespoon active dry yeast

1 teaspoon sugar or honey

For the Dough:

7 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (I measured 840 grams.  I might need to add more next time, as I did not consider the dough firm as described.  I was still able to sculpt it, but I don't think the shapes stayed very distinct.)

1 tablespoon salt
2 cups water

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

4 large eggs, beaten slightly

For the Work Surface and Baking Sheets:

Extra flour for work surface and kneading (if necessary)

1/2 cup yellow or white cornmeal

For the Egg Wash:

1 whole egg

1 tablespoon water

To proof the yeast, pour 1/2 cup warm water into a small bowl. Sprinkle the yeast and sugar over the surface, and stir with a fork for about 30 seconds. Let stand for 5 minutes, until the mixture is frothy. (If the yeast does not froth, it is no longer active and should be discarded.)

While the yeast is proofing, place the flour and salt in a large bowl and stir to combine. Make a deep well in the center of the flour by pushing flour up the sides of the bowl. Pour the proofed yeast mixture, the 2 cups water, 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, and eggs into the well in the flour.

Holding the edge of the large bowl with one hand, use the other hand to mix the liquid into the flour. Starting from the center, slowly work your way around the bowl, incorporating a little of the flour at a time. Keep going around until all the flour and liquid is combined to form a soft dough. Rub the extra dough clinging to your hand into the mixture. If the dough is too sticky, add a little more flour, a tablespoon at a time, until the stickiness is gone. If there is flour left in the bowl, add a little more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until all the ingredients are combined into a non-sticky mound of dough.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Lightly oil your hands to prevent the dough from sticking. This dough needs to be firmer than the other bread doughs; knead more flour into it. The firmer the dough, the easier it is to get more definition in your sculpted bread. It will not rise as much, allowing you to make more intricate designs.

To knead, divide the dough in half. Knead for about 10 to 15 minutes. The dough will become smooth, elastic, and satiny.  (I did not divide the dough and I kneaded it with my Kitchen Aid mixer.  I kneaded a little by hand once I'd had enough of trying to keep the dough from climbing the hook.)

Place 1 tablespoon olive oil in the palm of your hand and rub the oil over the entire surface of the dough. Place the dough in a large, unscented plastic bag. Push all the air out of the bag and close it at the top with a twist tie, leaving room for the dough to rise and double in bulk inside the bag. Place in a draft-free warm spot (about 80 degrees F) to rise.  (Not sure why she says to use a bag.  I did, but I think I'll use a lightly oiled bowl next time.)

In about 1 1/2 hours, the dough should be ready. To check on its progress press two fingertips about 1/2 inch into the dough. If the indentations remain when your fingertips are removed, the dough is ready. Punch the dough down and knead briefly to distribute the air bubbles, about 30 seconds.

Sprinkle 2 tablespoons cornmeal on each of two 17x11-inch baking sheets. Divide the dough into two portions and form loaves. Place the loaves on the baking sheets. Brush top with egg wash. Allow enough room for each to double in size. The second rising will take about 1 hour.  (I scuplted the dough into shapes according to descriptions I will include at the end of the recipe.)

Prepare the oven by arranging on oven rack on the bottom shelf and the other on the second from the top shelf. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Place one baking sheet on the bottom rack and bake for 15 minutes, then transfer it to the upper rack, baking for an additional 15 minutes. Place another baking sheet on the bottom rack. This is my staggering technique of baking, making the best use of the oven space, allowing you to be more efficient. The loaves will take 30 minutes to bake. You will know the bread is done if it makes a hollow sound when you tap on it or by its golden brown color.

When done, remove the bread from the baking sheets immediately and place on wire racks or kitchen towels to cool.

NOTES

If you are going to use the bread on the same or following day, store the loaves at room temperature in a brown paper bag. This will help retain a good crust. The bread will keep fresh this way for up to 2 days.

This bread freezes very well and will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. Wrap individual loaves in heavy-duty aluminum foil and place in reclosable plastic freezer bags. To reheat frozen bread, remove plastic bag and allow to defrost at room temperature. Place unwrapped bread directly on the oven rack in a preheated 350 degree F oven for 7 to 10 minutes.

(I did freeze the loaves since I made them a few days in advance, and they were great on the day we ate them.  It was delicious with butter and eaten alongside the spaghetti.  I think I will make this bread recipe at other times during the year too just because it tastes good!)

Directions for sculpting bread.  I found these descriptions at Catholic Culture.org.  However, the recipe starts with 7 lbs of flour and describes enormous loaves which is why I put ?? in for the lengths.  I just used my best judgement to sculpt in proportion to the dough I had.  I divided the above recipe into four equal portions and made four different shapes as pictured above.

Joseph's Staff With sharp knife, cut dough into three equal parts. Roll dough into a long tube. Place on greased cookie sheet in shape of candy cane. Slightly flatten dough with heel of hand. With scissors at a 45° angle, make one-inch snips along both sides and on top of dough. (Snips should all go in the same direction.)


Palms Cut dough into four equal parts. Roll dough to about ?? in length. Place on greased cookie sheet and flatten slightly with heel of hand. Snip dough on both sides and in middle.  (I don't think I interpreted this one too well!)

Cross Cut dough in half. Roll dough to about ?? long. Cut off a little less than half. Place the long piece on greased cookie sheet vertically and place the shorter piece horizontally forming a cross. Where it crosses, use your fist to mesh together the two pieces of dough. Tuck under ends of each bar to give a rounded, finished end.

Twist Cut dough in half. Roll dough about ?? long. Cut off one third. Bend remaining dough in half. Place the short piece in the middle and begin plaiting.

Artichokes Cut dough in half. Roll out to ?? long. Flatten out with heel of hand. With scissors on an angle cut half-way through dough about every 3 inches all the way down only on one side. Starting at one end, roll as you do a jelly roll. Place on greased cookie sheet with cut end up. Let rise. (As it rises, the points take on the shape of artichoke leaves.)

Quick Bean & Bulgur Pilaf

This was a recipe I made when Rebecca and Annie visited last weekend, and they asked me to post it. It is from The New Whole Grains Cookbook by Robin Asbell. It can also be made with couscous.

2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 large carrot, diced
1 large onion, chopped (about 2 cups)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 14-oz. can diced tomatoes, with juice
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
3/4 tsp. salt
1 15-oz. can chickpeas
1 1/4 cups vegetable broth
1 cup bulgur or whole wheat couscous
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley (I used 2 Tbsp. dried parsley)
4 oz. aged cheese, shredded (I used a parmesan-romano mix)

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan with a tight-fitting lid. Add the carrot and onion and saute over medium heat until soft and golden. Add the garlic, tomatoes, pepper, salt, and beans. Saute, stirring gently, until heated through. Add the broth, push veggies to the sides, and bring liquid to full boil. Add bulgur, stir, and return to full boil. Cover tightly, reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes, then remove from heat. (If using couscous, add it to the pot, stir once quickly, cover tightly, and remove from heat.) Let the pot stand at room temp. for 10 minutes to absorb the liquids and flavors. Add parsley, fluff with a fork, and top with cheese.

Carrot Soup

This will be similar to the carrot soup recipe Mary posted, but I had been planning to post it before then and just never got around to it. This is definitely one of my favorite soup recipes from Nourishing Traditions and I make it regularly! I love the dimension of the curry seasoning and the sweetness of the carrots.

Ingredients:
2 medium onions, peeled and chopped
1 pound carrots, peeled and sliced
4 T butter
2 t curry powder
1.5 quarts chicken stock (preferably home made)
1/2 t freshly grated lemon rind
1/2 t freshly grated ginger
sea salt and pepper to taste
sour cream or creme fraiche

Method:
Saute onions and carrots very gently in butter about 45 minutes or until tender. Add curry powder and stir until well amalgamated. Add stock, bring to a boil and skim. Add lemon rind and ginger. Simmer, covered, about 15 minutes. Puree soup with a handheld blender. Season to taste. Ladle into heated bowls and serve with cultured cream (i.e sour cream).

Black Bean Brownies

I just made these last night and they came out great! So yummy! There are a lot of very similar black bean brownie recipes on the internet. This is the one I made. So for Rebecca who buys black beans 25 lbs at a time and Mary who is looking for healthy dessert recipes, here you go!

Ingredients:
2 C cooked black beans or 1 can black beans, drained
3 eggs
1/3 C melted butter or melted coconut oil
1/4 C cocoa powder
1/8 t salt
2 t vanilla
1/2 C honey
1 t baking powder (optional) for a slightly more cakey brownie.

1/2 C chocolate chips or chocolate chunks (optional)
1/3 C chopped nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8x8 baking dish. Place all but the final two ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Fold in or sprinkle on optional nuts and/or chocolate chips. Pour batter into prepared baking dish. Bake for 30 min; until brownies start to pull away from the edge of the pan.

From what I read, the brownies taste better if they have been refrigerated overnight. I left mine out on the counter overnight b/c they were still hot when I went to bed. I had one this afternoon and it was delicious!

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Kibbeh

This sounded really good but I haven't made. I didn't want to lose the recipe...

BAKED PUMPKIN KIBBEH
Servings: 6
I prefer this dish served at room temperature.

1 cups fine (#1 grade) bulgur wheat, soaked in 2 cups boiling water
(for info about bulgur wheat)
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 cups canned pumpkin
(or use very well-drained, thick mashed, cooked pumpkin or dark orange winter squash [see Cooking Tip Below])
4 cloves garlic, peeled
1 teaspoon ground coriander seed
1 teaspoon Aleppo Pepper
(*Aleppo Pepper substitute: 4 parts sweet paprika and 1 part ancho chile or cayenne powder)
3/4 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1 cup chickpea flour (besan)
4 teaspoons olive oil (for greasing)

Tofu/Tahini Mint Sauce
2/3 cup (5 oz.) firm or extra-firm silken tofu
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons tahini
2 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon dried mint (or 1 tablespoon fresh, chopped)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pinch sugar
freshly-ground pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 375 °F.

Heat the 1 tablespoon olive oil in a nonstick skillet and, when hot, add the chopped onions and salt lightly. Saute briefly, then turn the heat down to medium-low and continue to cook until they are softened and just started to brown.

MICROWAVE OPTION: Place the oil in a microwave safe dish, add the onions, salt lightly and toss to coat with oil. Cover and cook on High for 4 minutes (that's at 1200 watts-- slightly longer for less wattage).

When the bulgur has absorbed most of the water, pour it into a fine strainer over a bowl and then squeeze handfuls of it as dry as you can. Place the squeezed bulgur in a medium bowl and discard the liquid. Mix the salt into the bulgur, distributing evenly.

Place the cooked onion, pumpkin, garlic, coriander, pepper, allspice, cumin, cayenne (or Aleppo Pepper), and chickpea flour in a food processor and whirl until thoroughly blended.

Scoop the processed mixture into the bulgur and mix well.

Grease two 8-inch square pans, each with 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Scoop half of the mixture into each pan, and smooth the surface of each until level. Drizzle a teaspoon of olive oil over the top of each and spread it around gently and evenly with your fingertips.



Bake for 25 minutes or until the surface looks dry. (The inside will be moist.)

Place the pans under the broiler for a few minutes (watching carefully!) just to brown and crisp up the surface a bit. Remove the pans to a rack to cool.

Cut the kibbeh into squares or triangles and serve at room temperature with the Tofu/Tahini Mint Sauce.



To make the Tofu/Tahini Mint Sauce,
blend all the ingredients until smooth. Scoop into a bowl, cover and refrigerate until serving time.

Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving—includes sauce): 275.6 calories; 31% calories from fat; 9.8g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 822.3mg sodium; 525.3mg potassium; 40.0g carbohydrates; 9.5g fiber; 6.1g sugar; 30.5g net carbs; 10.4g protein; 5.5 points.

Cooking Tips
If you use home-cooked pumpkin or squash, bake it until it is tender and then scoop it out of the shell and puree it in a food processor. Drain it for several hours hanging in a cloth (tied with string) suspended by your kitchen tap over the sink, until it’s thick like canned pumpkin.
Measure AFTER draining.

Carrot & Coriander Soup

This recipe is from my friend, Allison, who made this soup for me when I visited her a few months ago.

Serves 4

1 tsp. canola oil (or whatever oil you prefer)
1 lb. carrots, peeled and sliced in large chunks
1 large onion, sliced in wide rings
1 tsp. ground coriander
32 oz. vegetable or chicken broth*

Saute the carrots, onion, and coriander in the oil about 5 minutes. Add the broth, cover, and bring to a boil. Simmer, covered, until vegetables are tender. Blend in the pot with an immersion blender, or pour into a blender. Blend until totally smooth. If you removed it to a blender, pour it back into the pot and keep warm. Serve warm.

Allison served this with fancy grilled cheese sandwiches - Raclete on ciabatta and Drunken Goat on ciabatta - and both were fantastic.

*Making your own vegetable broth is super easy. I made 2 quarts, so I used 2 1/4 quarts water, one bay leaf, 1 tbsp. peppercorns, 2 carrots in big chunks, 2 onions in large wedges, 3 stalks celery in big pieces, and about 1 tsp. of finely diced candied ginger (optional). I also added in the innermost papery skin of the onions, because I read somewhere that the pigment in the onion skin will add a nice color to the broth. It worked! I covered it, brought it all to a boil, and then simmered it for about 45 minutes. I added 1 tsp. salt at the very end. Add salt to taste. Then I strained it through a fine mesh strainer into a big bowl, let it cool, then portioned into 2 1-quart containers.

Whole Grain Sourdough Crackers

Adapted from an adapted recipe at Sarah's Musings.

These crackers are absolutely delightful! They do not last long around here. I can hardly stop myself from eating one batch before the next batch is done! Honestly, I think the lard is a big reason why they are so nice. They are crisp and tender all at the same time! I haven't tried them with coconut oil yet, but that would be a good alternative for you veggies out there! Please use lard from a good source (i.e. pastured animals and with no additives.)

Ingredients:
1 C sourdough starter (use inactive starter leftover from feedings)
1/4 Lard (from pastured pork) or coconut oil
1 C whole grain flour, or as much as you need to make a stiff dough
1/2 tsp sea salt
olive oil for brushing
Coarse salt (such as kosher salt) for sprinkling on top

Equipment:
mixing bowl
prep bowl
silpat liner
rolling pin
pastry brush
pizza cutter
baking sheet (in which the silpat fits)

In a large bowl combine the sourdough and lard and mix thouroughly. (This is easy when the lard is room temperature.) In a separate small bowl, mix the salt and 1/4 C of the flour then add it to the sourdough mixture. Knead it together in the bowl, adding the remaining flour - as much as necessary to make a stiff dough. Cover the bowl with a lid, or place plastic wrap over the dough so that it doesn't dry out. Let it sit at room temperature for 12-24 hours.

After 12-24 hours, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Take a small portion of the dough (about 1/4 cup) and roll it out on a silpat liner until it is very thin. Then brush the dough with olive oil and sprinkle with coarse salt. (I tried fine sea salt and it really isn't as good as coarse salt.) Use a pizza cutter to cut the dough horizontally and vertically into cracker quadrangles. Place the silpat on the baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes or until just golden brown. The crackers will shrink and separate while baking.

Notes: I have made a double batch of the dough, the divided it up into 8 portions after the soaking period and froze those so I could make a quick batch of crackers with less lead time. It doesn't take too long to thaw (maybe an hour or so? I took it out of the freezer before we went to church and when we got home it was room temp.) They came out just as good as the other batches and that portion is just right for one sheet.