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The perfect silky smooth soup: 1 minute prep, 10 minutes cooking
Source: Improvised
Taste: 5 (out of 5)
Difficulty: 1 (out of 5)
Ingredients:
- 200 g portabella or button mushrooms (45 cal)
- 50 g roasted onions (20 cal)
- 10 g roasted garlic (15 cal)
- 2 cups milk (220 cal)
- 1 1/2 tbsp rice flour or all purpose flour (60 cal)
- 2 tsp Better than Bullion Chicken base (30 cal)
- 2 sprigs of fresh dill
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
Total: 390 cal, 2 generous servings, 195 cal/serving
Directions:
1. Place all ingredients into Vitamix in the order listed.
2. Start Vitamix on speed 1, gradually increase to 5, blend for 5 seconds, increase to 10 and switch to High. Let run for 8-10 minutes until steam starts escaping from the cover.
3. Done!
Afterthought:
- I could not find any cream of mushroom recipes for Vitamix, so I thought that maybe Vitamix does not do a very good job on these, given that in normal mushroom soups, you need to saute the mushrooms first. So I made a small experimental batch and it immediately exceeded all my expectations: Simply excellent soup! With the perfect mushroom aroma and silky smooth texture. And with less than 200 calories per serving you can have it with your favorite crusty bread without any guilt :-). This is the second time I am making this recipe and certainly not the last one.
- This recipe uses roasted garlic and roasted onions. I make those in large batches once a while and freeze in small portions. It's very handy to have those on hand. And because they are roasted in the oven with hardly any oil, they are mush more diet-friendly than their pan fried cousins. Here is my recipe for making roasted garlic cubes.
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Add potatoes to your bread to help keep it fresh
Source: Tea and Scones blog (originally from Dawn's Simply Sweet blog)
Taste: 5 (out of 5)
Difficulty: 2 (out of 5)
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 pounds russet potatoes (about 3)
- 1 1/2 tbsp salt
- 1/2 cup tepid reserved potato water (80F to 90F)
- 1 tbsp active dry yeast
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 3/4 cups rye flour
Directions:
1. Quarter and boil russet potatoes until fully cooked. Remove from water and allow to cool for at least 20 minutes, do not peel. Reserve the water.
2. Once the water is cool to the touch, measure 1/2 cup to proof the yeast. In the meantime mash the potatoes with potato masher or in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment.
3. Then add the flours, the creamy yeast mixture, olive oil and salt. Replace the paddle is replaced with the dough hook and start kneading. 4. At first the dough looks dry and crumbly, but after several minutes it comes together. It should take about 10-12 minutes for the dough to become smooth.
5. Cover the bowl and allow the bread to rise for 20-30 minutes.
6. Divide the ready dough in half and shape each half into an oval loaf. Or you can fill the loaves, like Dawn did. Let the bread rise for another 30 minutes, covered with a wet towel or a wet paper towel.
7. Place a broiler pan on the lower rack of the oven to be filled with water for the steam and place a pizza stone on the upper rack. Preheat to 375F.
8. Right before baking, slash the tops of the loaves. Slide the loaves onto the baking stone and pour a cup of hot water into the broiler pan. Immediately close the oven door to trap the steam and bake for 45-50 minutes until the loaves are brown. They should make a hollow sound when you tap on them.
9. Let cool to room temperature, for about 20-30 minutes, before slicing and eating. Enjoy!
Afterthoughts:
- The bread was delicious! It tastes like any "normal" bread, there is no "potato taste," but somehow the addition of potato helps keep the bread fresh. But the bread might be gone before you get a chance to test this ;-).
- This post was my SRC assignment. Just in case you don't know yet, SRC, or the Secret Recipe Club is a group of over a hundred food bloggers, who are assigned a "secret" blog each months. Then they choose a recipe from that blog, make it and post it on their own blog on a given reveal day. Then there is a big party, where you hop from one blog to another and check what everyone's been cooking. Lots of fun! And terrible for your diet ;-) I want to thank Amanda, Jane and April for making it all possible!
- This month I was assign Margaret's Tea and Scones blog. It has lots of great recipes, but the potato bread immediately drew my attention. And I am very happy with my pick :-).
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Delicious, healthy and simple dinner
Source: Adapted from I Was Born To Cook
Taste: 4 (out of 5)
Difficulty: 1 (out of 5)
Ingredients:
- 4 tilapia filets
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp brandy
- 1 cup light sour cream
- 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp freshly grated lemon peel
- salt and pepper
Total: 4 servings
Directions:
1. Melt 1 tbsp of butter in a medium sized saucepan and saute the chopped onion stirring from time to time until until transparent, about 10 minutes.
2. Add the brandy, increase the heat and bring to boil. This will happen very quickly because there is very little liquid. Reduce the heat to medium and cook until brandy is almost evaporated.
3. Reduce the heat to low, add the sour cream and the lemon juice and peel, and stir until the sour cream is warm but not boiling.
4. Reduce the heat to the lowest possible setting to keep the sauce warm and make the fish.
5. In a large skillet melt the remaining butter on medium high heat. Add tilapia filets, season with salt and pepper and cook until nicely browned for about 3-4 minutes on each side.
6. To serve top the fish with the sauce and serve additional sauce on the side.
Afterthoughts:
- The sauce is wonderful, a little sour and lemony and pairs perfectly with the fish. And it is so simple to make. Goes well with roasted veggies of your choice.
- This post was my SRC assignment. Just in case you don't know yet, SRC, or the Secret Recipe Club is a group of over a hundred food bloggers, who are assigned a "secret" blog each months. Then they choose a recipe from that blog, make it and post it on their own blog on a given reveal day. Then there is a big party, where you hop from one blog to another and check what everyone's been cooking. Lots of fun! And terrible for your diet ;-) I want to thank Amanda, Jane and April for making it all possible!
- This month my assigned blog was a real treat - Melissa's site I Was Born To Cook is full of wonderful simple recipes. Many are Greek or Italian, but I think anyone can find recipes to their taste. I got so excited, that I changed my dinner plans and made the SRC recipe on the same day. In fact, I made 3 recipes from Melissa's blog on the same day ;-). I also made her Buttermilk Ranch Dressing (YUM!) and her Garlic Bread (YUM-YUM!). So I owe Melissa a triple Thank you! I will be visiting her blog much more and so should you :-).
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Delicious Indonesian beef stew, beef rendang, adopted for western ingredients. They say that a picture is worth a thousand words; in this case one whiff is worth a thousand pictures: your house will smell amazing all day!
Source: Adapted from Singapore Shiok and No Recipes
Taste: 5 (out of 5)
Difficulty: 3 (out of 5)
Ingredients:
- 1.5 lb sirloin steak, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground coriander
- 1/4 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp ginger powder
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 shallots
- 1/2 tsp ground chili pepper
- 1 stalk of lemongrass
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 can coconut milk
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1/4 tsp chili sauce
Total: 4 servings
Directions:
1. Discard the outer leaves of the lemon grass, keep only the white part. Finely chop the lemongrass, the garlic and the shallots. Place in the food processor. Add the salt, coriander, turmeric, ginger, chili pepper and process until you have a smooth paste. You might need to scrub the sides a few times.
2. Preheat a frying pan on medium heat and saute the paste until fragrant (about 5 minutes), stirring frequently. Remove the paste in a bowl, do not wash the frying pan.
3. Add oil to the frying pan and in batches, not to overcrowd the pan, fry the meat until browned on all sides (about 3-4 mintues on each side). Remove the ready batches and keep in the same bowl with the paste.
4. Return the paste and the meat to the frying pan and add the coconut milk. Stir well, and let cook on medium-high heat for about 10 minutes, until simmers. Add sugar, lemon juice and chili paste, stir, reduce the heat to low, cover with the lead and let cook for 2 hours, stirring every 20 minutes or so.
5. By the time the beef is ready the liquid will have almost completely evaporated. Serve with rice.
Afterthoughts:
- I love beef rendang, and this was probably the best one I've had. The beef was super tender and the sauce was amazing. And the house smells delicious for the rest of the day.
- The original recipes required some exotic vegetables that I could not find, like kaffir lime leaves and galangal, so I had to find substitutes. Also, I like my beef rendang very mild, so I significantly reduced the chili component, and increased the coconut milk. Also, I used a different cut of meat and smaller cubes, so I decreased cooking time.
- It is really challenging to grind lemongrass into a paste, because it's extremely fibrous. You might need to add water to your food processor, but even that might not necessarily help. The last time I made this stew I first chopped the lemongrass, then ground it in a meat / food grinder, then added water and processed in a blender. It was a very lengthy process but this was the first time I did not have lemongrass fibers in my food. I think next time I will prepare a large batch of lemongrass, and then make lemongrass paste cubes and freeze them for future use, similarly to roasted garlic cubes.
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3 delectable layers from 1 simple batter - it's a kind of magic...
Source: Old Time Cooking Recipes
Taste: 5 (out of 5)
Difficulty: 1 (out of 5)
Ingredients:
- 4 eggs, separated, at room temperature
- 1/4 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp water
- 3/4 cup / 150 g sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 stick / 125 g butter, melted
- 1 cup / 115 g white cake flour
- 2 cups / 500 ml milk, lukewarm
Directions:
1. Whisk egg whites. When the peaks start forming add the vinegar, to stabilize the whites, and continue whisking until stiff.
2. In another bowl, beat the egg yolks with the sugar, water and vanilla until light. Add melted butter and continue beating for another minute. Then sift in the flour and mix.
3. Add the milk (it has to be lukewarm, otherwise the butter will harden) and beat until well incorporated.
4. Add about 1/4 of the egg white mixture and whisk to lighten the batter. Then gently fold in the rest of the egg whites using a spatula.
5. Grease and dust with flour a 8x8 inch square pan or a 9 inch round pan. Do not use spring form because batter is too liquid and the pan could leak.
6. Pour the batter into the pan and bake in preheated 325F oven for about 60-80 minutes or until the top is golden.
7. Cool in the pan for at least 3 hours. Serve sprinkled with powdered sugar.
Afterthoughts:
- Yummmm - what more can I say! My favorite layer is custard :-)
- In my case the top was refusing to brown evenly and then eventually it cracked a bit, but it still tasted amazing!
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Gooey, yummy and super quick flourless cookies.
Source: Adapted from Ooey Gooey Rocky Road Cookies of Fifteen Spatulas
Taste: 4 (out of 5)
Difficulty: 1 (out of 5)
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- pinch of salt (1/8 tsp)
- 2 egg whites
- 1/2 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chunks
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds or walnuts, toasted
- 1/2 cup mini marshmallows
Total: 12 giant cookies
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 350F, and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, mix together the sugar, the salt and the cocoa powder. Add the egg whites and vanilla and whisk until combined. Stir in the chocolate chunks and the almonds.
- Use a 2 tbsp cookie scoop to portions out small balls of dough onto the parchment paper, spacing them at least 3 inches apart, because the cookies will spread. Then top each cookie with 4-5 marshmallows. Pop into the freezer for 5 minutes to chill slightly to minimize the spreading.
- Bake for 12-13 minutes until the marshmallows are golden brown. Let the cookies cool down on the baking sheet. Best served the same day.
Afterthoughts:
- These cookies are ooey gooey, brownie-like with great Rocky road texture. And the marshmallows on top are melted, roasted, yummy and delicious! The only thing I would change next time is reducing the sugar, quite a lot, maybe I would use 1/2 of the sugar, or at most 2/3. But I don't know what that would do to the texture: after all there is no flour in these cookies, so maybe the sugar is holding them together :-).
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A healthier version of a classic Italian dessert
Source: Adapted from An Italian Cooking in the Midwest
Taste: 3 (out of 5)
Difficulty: 1 (out of 5)
Ingredients:
- 1 cup non-fat yogurt
- 1 cup milk
- 1 tbsp gelatin
- 3 tbsp cold water
- 4 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp lingonberry syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Total: 4-6 servings (depending on serving size)
Directions:
1. Soak the gelatin in cold water for about 5-10 minutes until it blooms.
2. In the mean time warm the milk until it starts to boil. Add the sugar, the lingonberry extract and the vanilla and mix. Add the gelatin and mix until dissolved.
3. Remove the milk from the heat and add the yogurt. Mix well.
4. Using a strainer to leave out gelatin lumps, pour the mixture into serving bowls and refrigerate for several hours until set.
5. Decorate with your favorite fruit or sauce and serve cold.
Afterthoughts:
- I have to admit that I have deviated from the original recipe, it called for Greek yogurt, and I used a non-fat one, so my "panna cotta" lacked any creaminess and was more similar to yogurt jello. Another addition to the recipe that I made, using the lingonberry syrup, was probably another mistake, because as soon as I added it to the hot milk, it started separating. I love lingonberry syrup in milkshakes, it adds a really nice sweet and tangy flavor, but I did not account for the milk temperature in this case. So my panna cotta also did not look very pretty. Fortunately, the fruit topic hid the most of my wrong doings :-). And overall, after a heavy dinner, this panna cotta turned out to be a nice tangy dessert.
- This post was my SRC assignment. Just in case you don't know yet, SRC, or the Secret Recipe Club is a group of over a hundred food bloggers, who are assigned a "secret" blog each months. Then they choose a recipe from that blog, make it and post it on their own blog on a given reveal day. Then there is a big party, where you hop from one blog to another and check what everyone's been cooking. Lots of fun! And terrible for your diet ;-) I want to thank Amanda, Jane and April for making it all possible!
- Pola, the author of Italian in the Midwest, as the name of her blog suggests, has a lot of yummy Italian recipes on her blog, some classic and some with very original twists, for example her eggplant pesto. I will be back for that recipe.
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Delicious fluffy and soft buns that will remind you of Hawaiian bread
Source: Adapted from Pani Popo form Roxana's Home Baking
Taste: 5 (out of 5)
Difficulty: 2 (out of 5)
Ingredients:
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast (can use instant yeast)
- 2 tbsp lukewarm water
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp grapeseed oil (can use canola or coconut oil too)
- 1 can / 400 ml coconut milk (you might not need to use all of it)
- 1/3 cup sugar
Total: 8 buns
Directions:
1. Fill a small bowl with 2 tbsp lukewarm water and let rest for 5 minutes until bubbles appear and the yeast starts dissolving.
2. Combine the sugar with the coconut milk and stir until incorporated.
3. Sift the flour and the salt into a bowl of a stand mixer with dough hook, pour in the water with the yeast and start mixing, slowly adding coconut milk until the dough comes clean from the sides of the bowl. I used slightly less than 1/2 can, about 190 ml.
4. Transfer the dough into a greased bowl, cover with wet towel or wet paper towel and let rest at room temperature until doubles in size. In my case in a warm kitchen it took about 1 hour.
5. Divide the dough into 8 balls and place in a greased 9x13'' baking pan. Cover again with and let rest until double in volume (another 30-40 minutes).
6. In the meantime preheat the oven to 375F.
7. Pour the remaining coconut milk over the buns. You don't need to use all of it. I did and the buns turned a little too soggy at the bottom. Next time I will use 1/2 of the remaining coconut milk, about 100 ml or 1/4 can. You can also sprinkle raw sugar on top of the buns.
8. Bake for 40 minutes or until the buns are golden brown and the coconut milk is absorbed.
9. Server warm or cold.
Afterthoughts:
- These buns are super soft and fluffy. They are really great with butter and jam for breakfast.
- I followed the original recipe and poured all the remaining coconut milk over the buns, it was more than 1/2 a can, and it took very long for the milk to evaporate. Even though the buns were quite baked after 40 minutes, I had to keep them in the oven for another 30 minutes, until the milk was almost gone. I had to cover the top with parchment (so that it does not brown too much and burn) and decrease the temperature. And then eventually the buns were slightly soggy at the bottom. They tasted great, but I do not feel very comfortable eating soggy buns, so next time I will simply use less coconut milk. And I am sure I can find creative ways to use the remaining sweetened coconut milk (as a coffee creamer? or in a milkshake?)
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Freeze a batch of home made roasted garlic cubes, and they are ready to use whenever you need them.
Source: Improvised
Taste: 5 (out of 5) - for those who love roasted garlic
Difficulty: 3 (out of 5) - mainly time consuming
Ingredients:
1 lb whole garlic heads (or as many as you want)
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with a piece of aluminum foil, and place the garlic heads on the foil. The aluminum foil should be large enough to wrap around the garlic.
2. Cut the tops of the garlic heads (about 1/4 of the head), but keep the cut piece. Drizzle olive oil over the lower part of each head and cover with the upper part.
3. Wrap the aluminum foil so that it completely covers the garlic heads and seal the edges. Bake for 1 hour, then turn off the heat and keep in the over for one more hour.
4. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and discard the aluminum foil. When the garlic is at room temperature squeeze the flesh out of the cloves and mash it with a blender, a food processor, or a fork.
5. Line a flat tray (I used a plastic lid of a Pyrex pan) with parchment and spread the mashed garlic. Freeze until firm.
6. Cut into 1/2 inch cubes, separate the cubes and freeze in plastic bags. Use as needed :-)
Afterthoughts:
This is a really convenient way to store roasted garlic. Whenever you need some, you have just the right amount ready in the freezer. And it's very cheap, too: you can usually buy a 1 lb bag of garlic for $2-$3, and the cubes will last for a very long time.
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A cloud of chocolate Chantilly cream resting on hazelnut dacquoise and crunch. All coated with rich and creamy ganache. A chocolate dream come true.
Source:
Hazelnut Dacquoise adapted from foodilicOus
Hazelnut Crunch improvised
Cream Chantilly from "Chocolate: More Than 50 Decadent Recipes" by Dominique and Cindy Duby
Chocolate Ganache from Martha Stewart
Taste: 5 (out of 5)
Difficulty: 4 (out of 5)
Ingredients:
Hazelnut Dacquoise
- 40g ground hazelnuts
- 7g flour
- 50g egg whites
- 50g granulated sugar
Hazelnut crunch
- 1/4 cup ground hazelnuts
- 1/4 cup puffed rice cereal
- 40 g dark chocolate
Cream Chantilly
- 50 g dark chocolate
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 tsp Irish cream
- 1/4 tsp orange zest
Chocolate Ganache
- 50 g dark chocolate
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- pinch of salt
Total: one 6 inch cake, 6 servings
Directions:
Hazelnut Dacquoise
1. Preheat oven at 350F and line a 6'' spring form pan with parchment paper.
2. Beat the eggs whites, gradually adding the granulated sugar until stiff.
3. Sift the flour into the ground hazelnuts. Pour the hazelnut meal mixture into the egg whites and blend delicately with a spatula.
4. Use a little (about a teaspoon) of the batter to glue the parchment to the side of your pan. Then pour the batter into the pan and spread evenly.
5. Bake at 350°C for 15-20 minutes (depends on your oven), until golden. Then turn the oven on and leave the dacquoise in the warm oven for another 30 minutes. In the meantime prepare the crunch.
Hazelnut Crunch
6. Crush the puffed rice in a food processor, but don't bring it to the powder consistency - you want to keep that crunch.
7. Mix the rice with the hazelnut meal.
8. When the dacqouise is ready to be taken out of the oven, chop the chocolate and melt it in microwave for about 30 seconds, then stir and melt for another 30 seconds. Mix with the spatula until no chunks are left and all the chocolate is melted and uniform.
9. Add the hazelnut / rice mixture to the melted chocolate, mix well and spread over the dacqouise layer. Allow to cool to room temperature and refrigerate.
Cream Chantilly
10. Chop the chocolate, and add the Irish cream and the orange zest.
11. In a small sauce pan heat the cream until it almost boils. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate. Mix well with a whisk and leave in the refrigerator to cool.
12. When the mixture is cold, whip it with a mixer on high speed until it forms firm peaks. Spread cream Chantilly over the chilled base and refrigerate again for at least 2-3 hours.
13. Before preparing the ganache transfer the cake into freezer. It will make it a little firmer for easier release from the pan.
Chocolate Ganache
14. Coarsely chop chocolate.
15. Bring cream just to a boil over medium-high heat. Pour over chocolate, and add salt. Let stand for 10 minutes (don't stir -- doing so will cool the ganache too quickly, making it grainy).
16. Stir with a whisk until smooth and shiny to break up any pieces and emulsify cream and chocolate.
To finish
17. Remove the cake from the freezer, release the spring form pan and remove the parchment paper from the cake. It should come off cleanly and easily.
18. Place the cake on a serving plate and pour the ganache over it.
19. Refrigerate again until ready to serve.
Afterthoughts:
- This cake is heavenly. The dacquoise layer is a little chewy, then the crunchy chocolatey layer, then the fluffy Chantilly cream and all topped with the rich ganache. So much texture and so much chocolate in all its manifestations :-)
- I think chocolate and hazelnuts were made for each other. I have this theory that the real reason for the discovery of America by Columbus was to unite hazelnuts, native to Europe, with chocolate, native to America. All other traditional reasons that they give you at school, like exploration, trade, imperialism, etc, pale in comparison, when one thinks about the world without Nutella, Ferrero Rocher or cakes like this one. Don't you agree?
- I might try to add a little gelatin to cream Chantilly at some point to make it a little stiffer and mousse-like, but I am not completely convinced it's needed.
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