Coconut Peanut Sauce

1 heaping tablespoon fresh minced ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 can coconut milk
5 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon tamari
1 tablespoon fish sauce
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 teaspoons Worcestershire
squirt of sriracha, to taste
dash of toasted sesame oil

Heat a bit of coconut oil in a saucepan, add garlic and ginger and saute until fragrant.  Add remaining ingredients and heat through.

Great served over noodles with crushed peanuts, chicken, veggies, cilantro & toasted sesame seeds.  Would make a great satay dip.

Beet Burgers

These are lip-smacking delicious. Lip. Smacking.

Cook 3 good-sized beets and shred 'em.

In a large bowl, haphazardly mash up a can of drained black beans. Add a hefty squeeze of lemon juice, large handful of minced parsley, large handful of currants, 2 teaspoons brown sugar, 3/4 cup cooked quinoa, 1/3-1/2 cup oat bran, very liberal sprinkling of ground coriander, gentle sprinkle of thyme, hefty grinds of pepper and salt, drizzle it all with good olive oil, dump in the beets and stir well.

Saute up 1/2 of a sweet yellow onion and 2 thinly sliced green onions until soft. Add 3 big cloves minced garlic and heat briefly till fragrant. Splash in about 2 TBS apple cider vinegar to scrape up all those good browned bits. Stir this into the above mixture and let sit to meld a bit.

Heat olive oil in a cast iron pan until shimmery. Shape into patties and gently lay into the hot pan. Cook a few minutes on med-high and flip. Top with a mild cheese - I used Swiss. Cook a couple minutes more until heated through. Eat and smack your lips.

For your ease:

3 cooked beets, shredded

1/2 yellow onion, diced

2 green onions, sliced

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 TBS apple cider vinegar

1 can black beans, drained

1 TBS lemon juice

2 tsp brown sugar

3/4 cup cooked quinoa

1/3 - 1/2 cup oat bran

handful currents

handful parsley, minced

1 tsp coriander

1/2 tsp thyme

lots of freshly ground pepper

good salt

good olive oil

mild cheese

The "original" recipe is found here.

Best. Waffles. Ever.

Adapted from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything

Sift:

2 cups flour

1 TBS sugar

3 TBS malt powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon yeast

Whisk:

1 stick butter, melted

1 teaspoon vanilla extract or bean paste

2 cups whole milk

2 tablespoons whole yogurt

Add wet to dry and mix well. Lightly cover with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature overnight or at least 6 hours. Use a large bowl...the batter will rise significantly.

Whisk in 2 egg yolks. Gently fold in 2 egg whites, stiffly beaten.

Custard-Filled Cornbread

Recipe credit to Molly Wizenberg - A Homemade Life

Preheat to 350. Grease a 9" round pan.

Sift together:

1 cup flour

3/4 cup yellow cornmeal

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

Whisk together and add to the dry, mixing well:

2 TBS melted butter

2 eggs

3 TBS sugar

1 1/2 TBS vinegar

2 cups whole milk

Pour into prepared pan. Pour 1 cup heavy cream gently into the middle. Do not stir. Transfer carefully to the oven taking care not to slosh. Bake for 1 hour until golden brown.

Delicious served with maple syrup.

Potato Soup to Swoon Over

In a crockpot, toss:

1 quart chicken stock

1 TBS dried onion

hefty dash red pepper flakes

heftier grind black pepper

liberal dash Lawry's

2 minced garlic cloves

2.5 pounds red potatoes, quartered, skin-on

Cook on high for 2-ish hours. Add half a head worth of broccoli florets. Cook 2 more hours. Add 4 ounces cream cheese. Let it simmer 30 minutes. Add 2 green onions, sliced. Stick your beaters into the crock and beat it till semi-smooth. Or a stick blender would be swell as well. Stir in 1.5 cups minced fresh-outta-the-oven ham. Top with shredded extra-sharp cheddar and sour cream. Win over your friends and family. Compliment yourself with every bite.

Corn and Quinoa Salad with Chicken Sausage

3/4 cup uncooked quinoa

1 1/4 cup chicken broth

3 tablespoons olive oil

12 oz red pepper asiago chicken sausages, diced

1 small onion, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

2 small zucchini, diced

2 1/2 cups corn kernels (about 4 ears)

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon cumin

salt & pepper

6 oz feta, crumbled

parsley, chopped

Bring quinoa and chicken broth to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 15 minutes. Fluff it. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet and brown the sausages. Set them aside and add another drizzle of oil along with the onion and bell pepper. Saute until softened. Add the zucchini and corn and fry 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and mix in the sausages and quinoa to the veggies. Whisk together a tablespoon olive oil, the lemon juice, cumin and salt & pepper. Drizzle over the top and stir well. Pop into the fridge to chill. Before serving, stir in the feta and a handful of parsley.

Adapted from Fitness Magazine July/August 2011

Kimchi Fried Rice

The Rice:

5 slices thick-cut bacon, sliced into bite sized chunks

1 16-ounce jar kimchi

5 cups cooked rice - a day or two old*

butter

sesame oil

toasted sesame seeds

scallions

fresh eggs

In a large skillet, cook the bacon until most of the fat is rendered. Add a knob of butter, a drizzle or two of sesame oil, kimchi and fry until it's nicely browned in a few spots. Dump in the rice and stir and scrape your heart out until it's all heated through. Fry up some eggs. Spoon the rice onto a plate, top with some sliced scallions and toasted sesame seeds. Plop the egg on top. Mmmmmmm.

*Or, if you're like me and too impatient to wait, cook it and spread it out on a piece of parchment and let sit at room temp a few hours.

Larb - Thai Chicken Salad

3 teaspoons grated lime peel

1.5 teaspoons grated lemon peel

1/3 cup fresh lime juice

1.5 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1.5 tablespoons fish sauce

3 teaspoons brown sugar

1 -2 teaspoons finely chopped serrano

1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

coconut oil

16 oz ground chicken

1 chopped shalllot

handful chopped mint

Toppings:

lettuce leaves

chopped peanuts

cilantro

dried shrimp

toasted coconut

chopped ginger

thinly sliced and diced lime

Whisk together first 8. Set aside. Brown the ground chicken and shallot in a bit of coconut oil. Dump on the sauce and mint. Stir it up and let it meld while preparing the toppings.

Spoon the chicken mixture onto a lettuce leaf and pile high with fixin's. Shove in mouth. Lick the juice that runs down your arm. Sigh with contentment. My kids couldn't get enough of these. I even videoed it. Except, I didn't. There was a mishap and I ended up with an eight minute audio of our dinner conversation. I talk insanely fast. If I hadn't known what I'd said...I'd never have understood. Please make these. With all the fixin's. Especially the shrimp. My kid eats them for snack...plain. Honest. Oh, and use bottled lemon/lime juice and I'll hunt you down and slap your face.

Cardammmmm!

*very slightly adapted from Gesine at Confections of a (Closet) Master Baker

3 cups flour
2 sticks butter
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup honey
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon ginger

1 teaspoon cardamom
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda

powdered sugar and cardamom for dusting

Cream together the butter and the sugar. Add eggs one at a time until combined. Add vanilla extract and honey and beat until well combined.
Sift together dry ingredients and slowly add to the butter/sugar mixture. Don't overbeat.
Chill while preheating oven to 350*.

Bake 10-12 minutes.

Cool completely and coat with powered sugar/cardamom. I used maybe 1/2 teaspoon for 1 cup of powdered sugar. Whisk well.

Black Bean and Sweet Potato Quesadillas

The Uptown Farmer's Market has an amazing taco cart. And a falafel cart. And a hippie bus with fantastic hotdogs. And the best chai tea this side of India. Anyway, back to the taco cart. This fall they had a black bean and sweet potato soft taco that was out of this world. I bring you a semi-copycat. I'm always a bit hesitant to give out favorite recipes because I'm afraid you'll make a substitution that's not okay and then not like the recipe...follow? You need to a)make homemade tortillas or b)buy fresh that you cook at home. The ones that come prepackaged with an ingredient list longer than your arm...not okay.

Black Bean and Sweet Potato Quesadillas

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

1 teaspoon dried or 1 tablespoon fresh oregano

1 teaspoon ground cumin

tortillas

1 1/2 cups mashed, cooked sweet potatoes

1 cup shredded monterey jack

1 1/2 cups tightly packed spinach leaves

*cook onion and garlic in oil. stir in beans, lime juice, oregano and cumin. heat through. cook tortillas. fill with onions/beans, potatoes, cheese, spinach. wrap in foil and toss in a hot oven until cheese is melted. or, grill 'em.

Baked Oatmeal

This is a favorite in our house. I assemble it the night before and pop it in the oven in the morning. The additions are endless...a recent favorite was blueberry/banana/walnut.

3.5 cups oats

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 cups milk

1/2 cup butter, melted

1/2 cup applesauce OR mashed banana

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

chopped nuts and dried fruits as desired

*combine all and pour into a greased 9 x 13 pan. bake at 375 for 35 minutes.

Overnight Oatmeal Pancakes

Molly Wizenberg's Oatmeal Pancakes *slightly adapted*

2 cups oats

2 cups buttermilk

1/2 cup flour

*mix well and soak overnight. add the following:

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

4-8 tablespoons butter, melted

2 eggs

*mix well and griddle away!

Quinoa Porridge - 5 Stars!

Adapted from Good to the Grain by Kim Boyce

spiced milk:

1 cup heavy cream

1 cup whole milk

2 cinnamon sticks

1 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp allspice

8 cardamom pods, crushed

2 tsps dark brown sugar

1/8 tsp sea salt

quinoa:

1 cup quinoa, rinsed well

1/2 cup raisins

1/4 tsp sea salt

1 cup apple cider

1 cup water

Finish:

Jam or fruit compote

Plain yogurt

In a small pot whisk together the cream, milk, spices, sugar and salt. Bring to a boil. Turn off and let sit 20 minutes.

Put quinoa ingredients into a medium pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes. Pour the spiced milk through a fine mesh strainer into the quinoa. Boil for 5 minutes, turn off the heat and let sit a few minutes. Spoon into bowls and top with a dollop of plain yogurt and jam or compote.

Original recipe said 6 servings. This fed 2 adults and 2 children.

Thai Fried Rice

2 shallots, thinly sliced

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 serrano pepper, seeded and finely chopped

2 pork chops, thinly sliced and dusted in dried ginger

1 egg

2 small carrots, thinly sliced

1/2 cup frozen peas

3 green onions, sliced

3 cups cooked rice, 2-3 days old - mixed with 1 TBS coconut oil

heaping cup of fresh diced pineapple (or use an 8 oz can of tidbits)

1/4 cup golden raisins

1/2 cup cashews

2 TBS fish sauce

2 tsps curry powder

juice of 1 small lime

big handful of cilantro leaves

***Drizzle a couple tablespoons of oil in the skillet. Add the shallots, garlic, serrano and pork strips and saute until soft and cooked. Scoot it to the side and scramble the egg. Add the carrots, peas and green onions. Stir-fry a couple minutes. Add the rice, pineapple, raisins and cashews. Stir-fry until hot.

Whisk together the fish sauce and curry powder. Add to the rice and mix well. Toss with lime juice and cilantro.

Eat.***

Got Goat?

A little mistake resulted in a delicious supper. The following recipe was intended for ground chicken, turkey or lamb. We used goat. Amazing.

From A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg - Doron's Meatballs with Pine Nuts, Cilantro and Golden Raisins

Yogurt Sauce

1 cup plain yogurt, whole milk

3 TBS lemon juice

1 garlic clove, minced

1/4 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp salt

*Whisk and set aside to mingle at room temperature while making the meatballs.

Meatballs

1/2 cup minced yellow onion

1/4 cup minced cilantro leaves

1/2 cup chopped pine nuts

1/2 cup golden raisins, roughly chopped

1/2 cup soft bread crumbs (whir a torn slice in the processor)

1 large egg

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon ground cumin

fresh ground black pepper

1 pound ground goat tenderloin

Mix onion - black pepper well. Add goat. Lightly mix with hands. Form into meatballs and fry in a skillet with olive oil until cooked through. I browned mine good and finished them in the oven. Serve with yogurt sauce. Drink the leftover sauce with a straw. Kidding. But you'll want to. Am I not the worst recipe writer ever?!

Ketchup or Catsup. Take your pick.

I strongly dislike bottled ketchup. It's sickeningly sweet and smooth and hits my gag reflex all wrong. There is an amazing place downtown (and Duluth) called Hell's Kitchen. It's on my top five favorite restaurant list. They make wicked awesome ketchup. They also happen to have recently published a cookbook in which they share the recipe. I tweaked it slightly and I'll share that version with you:

1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes

1/2 cup minced onion

3 canned pear halves, drained

3 TBS juice from canned pears

1 can tomato paste

1/4 cup brown sugar

3 TBS apple cider vinegar

1 tsp dry mustard

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tsp salt

1 tsp white pepper

1 TBS whole peppercorns

1 whole bay leaf

1 tsp whole allspice

1tsp ground mace

1 tsp whole cloves

Put the first group of ingredients (tomatoes - white pepper) into a food processor and whir it good until smooth-ish but don't overdo. Transfer to a saucepan and bring to a simmer over low heat. Put the remaining group of ingredients in some cheesecloth and tie it up. Plop it in and let it simmer, stirring occasionally, for at least an hour and up to 3. Squeeze the spice bag good, discard, let it cool and put it in a pretty jar.

Mock Ice Cream

I've recently started a pretty restrictive diet due to digestion issues. Among the many things I can't eat...milk and sugar. Boo. Because those are major ingredients in ice cream. My most favorite indulgence ever. Double Boo. BUT. I came upon this FANTASTIC little disguise today! It. Is. Amazing.

1 frozen banana
a titch of honey
a spoonful of nut butter

Whir in the food processor. I'd recommend doubling it for the processor to be most effective. Eat. Make satisfied noises. Mmmmmmmmmmm. Life is good.

Belly Warming Lentil Andoullie Soup

Olive oil
1 onion, diced
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
2 celery stalks, finely diced
2 bay leaves
fresh ground black pepper
dash of Lawry's
*In pot, saute until onions start to brown. Add the following:

1 red bell pepper, diced
4 carrots, diced
2 potatoes, diced
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 cup lentils, rinsed and picked (I always think I can skip this but always find at least two pebbles)
4 cups chicken broth
1 1/4 cups water
*Simmer 30 minutes and then add:

4 Andoullie sausages, sliced lengthwise into fours and then cut into bite sized pieces
3/4 cup frozen peas
3 handfuls fresh spinach
*Simmer 5-10 minutes and ladle into bowls and top with:

freshly ground Parmesan cheese

ENJOY!

My Ultimate Comfort Food - Dried Beef Gravy on Toast

This is the meal that brings me back home. My ultimate fuzzy feel good food. My Dad always poached eggs to go with it. And my Mom always finished the little bit left in the pan with oyster crackers. I don't use a recipe and I'm not sure of amounts. The key is the best dried beef you can find. Lucky for me, my Mom brought me some this past weekend.

Toast
Eggs done your way

Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a pan. Add about the same amount of flour and stir until browned and bubbly. Dump in a few cups of milk. Whisk and whisk until the lumps are gone and continue to stir frequently. Add a bunch of fresh ground black pepper. Add desired amount of chopped or shredded dried beef. Eat in PJ's for best results.

Triple Decker of Goodness - Chicken Chipotle

Chicken Chipotle Triple Decker -- from R.Ray's people.

Bacon, fried

1 1/4 cups mayo

5 cloves garlic, minced *if you don't really, really love garlic, I'd cut this to 1-2*

2 TBS fresh lemon juice

1 canned chipotle chile chopped, plus 2 teaspoons of the adobo sauce

1/3 cup cilantro leaves,

1/2 roasted chicken, shredded

toast

lettuce

avocado, sliced

Mix together the mayo, garlic and lemon juice. Reserve 1/2 cup. Mix the chipotle pepper, adobo sauce and cilantro into the remaining mayo. Add chicken. Spread mayo on a slice of toast, add a scoop of chicken salad, another piece of mayo-ed toast, top with bacon, avocado and lettuce and top with another piece of mayo-ed toast. I didn't say it was low calorie. It's deeeelicious.