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Homemade Peanut Butter Cups and Nutella Peanut Butter Cups

Sheila — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 05:59:51 +0000

A really sweet gal at work whom I’ve been working with for the past 13 years is having a birthday and I wanted to make her something sweet for her special day. I decided to make her some homemade peanut butter cups.

I wrapped each of them individually in plastic wrap and then tied each one with a little ribbon. I thought they turned out cute.

While I was making Kelly’s peanut butter cups, I also made Kemal a few Nutella Peanut Butter Cups since he was in the mood for something sweet and chocolaty and doesn’t care for peanut butter all that much. Here’s a picture of one of them. You can see I had a problem with getting the chocolate to cover all the Nutella filling in the center. I guess I need to put less filling next time.

He actually liked the flavor of the peanut butter which was mixed in with the melted chocolate because the peanut butter flavor was subtle, and even though you might think that peanut butter and Nutella might not be a good combination, it actually turned out great!!! Here’s a picture of Kemal’s peanut butter Nutella cup just waiting to be bitten into.

These homemade confections are so good that if you make them as a gift, you’d better have a whole lot of willpower because they aren’t easy to make and give away without having one for yourself. I made a dozen of the mini peanut butter cups for my friend at work, but she’s gonna end up with one shy of a dozen. What can I say? I had to cut one so you can see what the inside of the peanut butter cup looks like, now didn’t I?!

And since it was cut, well, I couldn’t very well give it to her could I? And besides, I need to sample my confections before giving them away…just to make sure they’re up to snuff. And they certainly were! They may not look as pretty as the peanut butter cups that you buy in the store, but what they lack in aesthetics they make up for in taste! They really are awesome!!

Homemade Peanut Butter Cups and Nutella Peanut Butter Cups

Yield: 12 mini peanut butter cups and 4 large nutella-peanut butter cups

Adapted from: Life in a Peanut Shell: Confessions of a Confection

Ingredients:

approximately 4 oz. milk chocolate (I used all but 4 squares of a large 4.4 oz. Hershey bar)
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter + 3 tbsp. peanut butter
1/4 cup Nutella
1/4 + 1/8 cup confectioner’s/powdered sugar
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
pinch of sea salt

Step One: Making the Peanut Butter Filling

Using a spoon, mix together in a medium-sized bowl 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter, 1/4 cup confectioner’s/powdered sugar, and a pinch of sea salt until all the ingredients are incorporated.
Set it aside on your counter to use later.

Step Two: Making the Nutella Filling

Using a spoon, mix together in small bowl 1/4 cup Nutella, 1/8 cup confectioner’s/powdered sugar, and 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract until all the ingredients are incorporated.
Set it aside on your counter to use later.

Step Three: Making the Chocolate for the Cups

In a small pot, melt the milk chocolate, semi-sweet chocolate chips, and 3 tbsp. peanut butter over low heat, stirring frequently.
After the ingredients are melted and the chocolate mixture is smooth, remove from the heat and let it cool for 5 minutes.

Step Four: Assembling the Cups

The first thing you want to do is line a mini cupcake pan with 12 mini paper lines.
Then pour a heaping teaspoon of the melted chocolate mixture into each of the mini paper liners.
Then line a cupcake pan with 4 large paper liners.
Pour two heaping tablespoons of the chocolate mixture into each of the large paper liners.
Then place the cupcake pans in the freezer so the chocolate can harden (about 10 minutes or so).
After the chocolate has hardened, take the large cupcake pan out of the freezer.
Divide the Nutella filling into four equal parts, shaping each part into a ball.
Place a Nutella ball onto one of the large cupcake papers that’s lined with the hardened chocolate, then press it down gently against the chocolate so it covers all the chocolate.
Repeat this process with the remaining three Nutella balls.
Now remove the mini cupcake pan from the freezer.
Divide the peanut butter filling into the 12 mini cupcake papers that are lined with the hardened chocolate.
Press the peanut butter filling down gently onto the hardened chocolate so it covers all the chocolate. Do this with all 12 of the cups.
Warm up the remaining melted chocolate on low heat…just so it’s barely warm.
Now you’re going to cover each of the 12 mini peanut butter cups with a heaping teaspoon of melted chocolate. You want to make sure all of the peanut butter is covered.
Then cover all the Nutella Peanut Butter Cups with about 3 heaping tablespoons of melted chocolate (or enough to fill the entire cup to the top with melted chocolate).
Freeze the peanut butter and Nutella peanut butter cups so they can harden.
After they’ve hardened, you can take them out of the freezer and refrigerate them in a plastic container.
If you’re don’t planning to eat these right away, you can place them in a plastic freezer container and keep them frozen until you want to eat them.

Strawberry and Raspberry Pavlova…Made Two Ways…As a Roulade Cake or a Parfait

Sheila — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 17:06:41 +0000

I want to start off by telling you that I’ve made pavlova three times in the past month. Kemal and I both adore it!!! You can make it with whatever kind of berries you want…strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries…or a mixture of two or more. Kemal and I love it with any kind of berry or berry mixture, but raspberry pavlova is our personal favorite.

Anyway, before I tell you how to make it, I want to tell you a little story about my adventures in making pavlova this summer.

The first time I made it, I made two mistakes. First, I used the wrong sized pan. This was a critical mistake because it made my roulade cake too thick so it didn’t bake properly. The second mistake I made the first time I made this was I set my oven at the wrong temperature. It was set way too low because I was using Celsius instead of Fahrenheit. Oops!

I ended up being able to salvage the cake by cooking it longer and turning the oven temperature up. It tasted great, but I wasn’t able to roll the cake nor did it look very pretty. No matter…we all enjoyed it nonetheless.

The second time I made pavlova, I baked it too long so it broke apart as I was rolling it. Oopsie! But again, I salvaged it by crumbling the meringue cake and putting the pieces in the bottom of a parfait glass. Then I layered the parfait with raspberries, whipped cream, strawberry puree, and a strawberry on top. It all worked out fine and tasted great!!! (See the very last picture of this post.)

But the thing is, I wanted to make a roulade cake, and I still hadn’t succeeded. I figured the third time’s the charm, and I was determined to succeed. And I did!! YAY!!! Here’s a picture so you can see my pavlova roulade cake.

Anyway, after making pavlova three times this summer, I can tell you that I still haven’t had enough. It’s become my favorite dessert of all time!!! It’s absolutely divine!!! Try making a pavlova roulade cake or pavlova parfait and see for yourself.

Strawberry and Raspberry Pavlova…Made Two Ways…As a Roulade Cake or a Parfait

Adapted from: Antony Worrall Thompson and Achtung Baby!

Equipment needed: blender, electric mixer, large stainless steel bowl, and a 11 x 17 inch jelly roll pan

Ingredients for Making the Roulade Cake:

5 egg whites
3/4 cups cane sugar (Castor/superfine sugar is preferred but if you don’t have it, I’ll tell you an easy way to make it.)
1/2 tsp. cornstarch
1/2 tsp. white vinegar
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
pinch of cream of tartar
confectioner’s/powdered sugar for sprinkling on top of the roulade when it’s done

Ingredients for the Filling:

12 oz. berries (you decide what kind…choose one kind or mix two or more)
9 oz. jam (you decide what kind), set out at room temperature
1/2 pint heavy cream
1 tbsp. pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup confectioner’s/powdered sugar
Optional: 1 pkg. Dr. Oetker’s Beat It or 2 tsp. dry non-fat powdered milk

Ingredients for the Berry Puree:

2 cups berries (you decide what kind…choose one kind or mix two or more)
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1/3 cup confectioner’s/powdered sugar

Step One: Getting Prepared

Set your eggs out and let them come to room temperature (about 30 minutes or so).
Note: If you’re using castor/superfine sugar, skip this step. If you’re using regular cane sugar, this step needs to be done. While the eggs are coming to room temperature, place 3/4 cup of cane sugar in a blender or food processor. If you blender has a “processor” setting, select that one, then press the “on” button for about 1 minute. (This will make the grains of sugar fine…but not quite as fine as confectioner’s/powdered sugar…and it will make it easier for the sugar to dissolve when you’re making the meringue.)
Set the sugar aside.
Set the jam out on your counter top so it can come to room temperature.
Wash all the berries that you’ll be using and set them aside to air dry. If you’re using strawberries, remove the green stems.
Set aside a few of the berries so you can decorate the top of the cake later.
Prepare a 11 x 17 inch jelly roll pan by placing a piece of parchment paper on it.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Step Two: Making the Berry Puree:

Place two cups berries in a blender.
Add 1 tbsp. of lemon juice and 1/3 cup of confectioner’s/powdered sugar.
Puree the mixture.
If you like, use a sieve to separate the seeds from the puree. This will make your puree smooth.
Refrigerate until you’re ready to use it.

Step Three: Making the Cream:

In a large stainless steel bowl, beat the heavy cream with an electric mixer on medium speed.
Optional: If you want to stabilize the cream (keep it firm longer and not get runny), add a package of whipped cream stabilizer, like Dr. Oetker’s Whip It, to the cream. I also read here that another way to stabilize the cream is to add 2 tsp. of non-fat dry powdered milk per each cup of cream and then beat the cream.)
When the cream thickens, increase the speed to high.
Continue beating until soft peaks form.
Then add about 1/4 cup of confectioner’s/powdered sugar and 1 tbsp. vanilla extract.
Continue beating until you have the desired consistency of your cream.
Refrigerate until you’re ready to use it.

Step Four: Making the Roulade Cake

Separate the eggs after they’ve come to room temperature.
Using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites and a pinch of cream of tartar in a large stainless steel bowl until the egg whites form soft peaks.
After soft peaks form, add the sugar a little at a time and beat until the egg whites are stiff and glossy. To test to see if it’s ready, turn the beaters off, then put some of the egg whites in a spoon. Turn the spoon upside down. If the egg whites cling to the spoon and don’t fall off, then you’ll know you’ve beaten the egg whites enough.
Add 1/2 tsp. cornstarch, 1/2 tsp. vinegar, and 1 tbsp. pure vanilla extract and beat for 1 minute.
Now take a teaspoon and fill it with some of the egg whites you’ve just beaten.
Take the parchment paper off the jelly roll pan, and then place a small amount of the egg white mixture in each corner of the pan.
Place the parchment paper back on the pan. Press the paper down in the corners. The egg white mixture will make the paper stick to the pan, making it easier for you to spread the mixture on it. (Don’t worry…it cleans up easily.)
Use a spatula to spread the egg white mixture fairly evenly over the parchment paper. Don’t worry if it’s not completely even.
Place the pan in the oven uncovered.
Reduce the heat to 300 degrees Fahrenheit, and then bake for 15 minutes.
After 15 minutes, remove the roulade from the oven and set it aside to cool.

Step Five: Assembling the Roulade Cake

Note: Before assembling your cake, I’d recommend watching Chef Antony Worrall Thompson’s video so you can see him demonstrate how to get the roulade cake off the paper after it’s baked, as well as how to assemble it. Seeing him do it really helped us a lot.
Tape two pieces of wax and/or parchment paper onto your counter top.
Sprinkle the paper with confectioner’s/powdered sugar.
Then invert the cooled cake onto sugar-covered paper so the parchment paper that’s sticking to the baked roulade cake is on top.
Remove/peel off the parchment paper that’s sticking to the roulade cake. If a few pieces stick to the paper, try to remove them so you can “patch” up your cake. I had a few holes in mine, but it still worked fine.
Now you’re ready to spread the jam on top of the cooled roulade cake.
Then spread the whipped cream on top of the jam.
Then you need to place 12 oz. of berries on top of the whipped cream.
Now it’s time to roll the roulade, and you’ll start rolling on the widest side of the cake, using the paper to help you. Here’s a picture of Kemal demonstrating this step.

Now that your roulade cake is partially rolled, let the parchment paper rest on the counter while you press down the top edge of the roulade cake like this:

Now you need to roll the roulade cake a little more, so grab the parchment paper and roll some more:

Then take the part of the parchment paper that’s covering the cake and pull it back on the counter. At this point, Kemal removed the tape that was connecting both pieces of parchment paper on the counter, and then he started rolling the cake some more

until it’s completely rolled.

When you’re done rolling, take the part of the parchment paper that’s covering the cake and pull it back. And now you’re done rolling! You can see our roulade cake had a few holes, but we put that side on the bottom so they didn’t show.

The next step is to transfer the roulade cake from the parchment paper on your counter to your serving dish. To do this, you need to hold the parchment paper on both sides, lift it up, and then slide the cake right off the paper onto the serving dish. Sorry I didn’t get a picture of Kemal doing this step, but Chef Antony Worrall Thompson demonstrates it in his video toward the end at the 7:45 mark.
Once the cake is on the serving dish, sprinkle it generously with powdered sugar. Here’s how mine looked:

Then decorate the top with some fresh fruit.

Now it’s time to chill the roulade.
When you get ready to serve it, slice it, placing an individual slice on a serving plate.
Then take a spoon and place some of the berry puree sauce onto the plate around the pavlova.

Or, you can drizzle some on top if you prefer.

How to make a pavlova parfait instead of a roulade cake:

Follow all the steps for baking the roulade cake except instead of baking it for 15 minutes, bake it for 25 minutes. This will make the meringue crunchier on the outside, and this is actually how I prefer my meringue…crunchy on the outside yet soft on the inside. But baking it this long makes it impossible to roll. That’s okay though because if you want to make a parfait instead of a roloude cake, you don’t need to roll it.
After the meringue is done baking, let it cool.
Then remove the crunchy meringue from the parchment paper. It’s going to crumble off and be in a lot of small pieces. That’s okay…that’s what you want.
Then press some of the meringue pieces of the cake in the bottom of a parfait glass.
Next, spread some jam on top of the crumbled meringue cake.
Now add whipped cream on top of that.
Then place some berries on top of the cream.
Use a spoon to drizzle some berry puree on top of the cream.
If you like, add a sliced berry on top.
Chill and enjoy!

Here’s a picture of my mixed raspberry/strawberry parfait. The raspberries are on the bottom, and it’s drizzled with a strawberry puree:

Doesn’t that look scrumptious!! It’s also easier to make than a roulade cake.

Whichever way you make your pavlova, enjoy every bite!

Cabbage Crunch

Sheila — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 15:50:29 +0000

About once a week we have lunch at our local Whole Foods Market, and one of my favorite items on the salad bar is cabbage crunch. It’s also easy and convenient to make at home any time I’m in the mood for it since I always have seeds and nuts on hand.

The cabbage crunch that’s on Whole Foods’ salad bar doesn’t have tomatoes or grapes in it…that’s my addition…and the dressing they use is also different than what I put on mine. But I just love combining sweet and spicy which is why I add tomatoes and grapes and then use the Latin Lemonaise which gives it a bit of kick in terms of spiciness. But if you prefer a vinaigrette, mayonnaise, or some other salad dressing, go for it.

You’ll notice I didn’t put any measurements on my ingredient list, and that’s because when I make cabbage salads, I usually just dice, shred, sprinkle, and chop…throwing everything into a bowl without measuring, and then mixing it up. You can do the same. Hope you enjoy every crunchy bite! I know I did!

Cabbage Crunch

Adapted from: Whole Foods Market

Ingredients:

cabbage, shredded
green onions, diced
almonds, slivered
poppy seeds
sesame seeds
flax seeds
cherry tomatoes
black seedless grapes
The Ojai Cook’s Latin Lemonaise

Instructions:

Clean the cabbage then cut it into shreds.
Clean and dice the green onion.
Wash the tomatoes and grapes. You can cut the grapes and tomatoes in half or quarter them, or you can leave them whole. It all depends on what you like.
Place the shredded cabbage, diced onions, grapes, and tomatoes in a bowl.
Sprinkle the almonds, poppy seeds, sesame seeds, and flax seeds (however much you want of each) into the bowl with the cabbage mixture.
Mix in the lemonaise (or mayo/salad dressing of your choice).
Serve chilled.

Bok Choy Stir Fry

Sheila — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 06:02:13 +0000

We love stir fry and eat it probably at least once a week. We make it differently every time, and the final result depends on what fresh veggies we have available on the day we’re making it. The bok choy stir fry Kemal made this evening was wonderful!!

It’s very healthy for you and easy to make. And you don’t need any special stir fry sauces to make it. We normally just use regular soy sauce or teriyaki sauce, but tonight we used a pre-packaged sauce because we got it fairly cheap with a coupon.

Anyway, this recipe is quite versatile. You can add in some fresh ginger, cashews, or water chestnuts. I also like a little fruit in mine and sometimes like to add canned pineapple chunks to the mix. It’s really good like that.

One thing to keep in mind is that certain vegetables requires different cooking times. Cauliflower and broccoli, for example, will take longer to cook than zucchini and peppers. So when you’re making a stir fry, don’t fry everything together if some of your vegetables are long-cook items and some are short-cook items. Otherwise, you’ll end up with some vegetables being overcooked and some being undercooked.

The vegetables in Kemal’s bok choy stir fry all took about the same time to cook so he just fried everything together.

Bok Choy Stir Fry

Yield: 3 servings

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs. baby bok choy
1/4 lb. leeks
28 garlic cloves
1 large onion
1 cup jasmine rice
2 cups water
1/2 cup olive oil
1 pkg. Simply Asia Ginger Teriyaki Stir Fry Sauce

Note: You can use a bottle of soy sauce or teriyaki sauce instead of the package of Simply Asia stir fry sauce if you don’t have that available.

Instructions:

Place the rice and water in a medium sized pot and cook over medium heat uncovered until the water starts to boil.
Once the water starts to boil, reduce the heat to simmer and then cover the rice. Do not stir the rice while it’s simmering.
After the rice has simmered for 20 minutes, it should be done, so remove it from the heat and set it aside.
In the meantime, peel the garlic, leaving the cloves whole.
Peel and dice the onion.
Wash the leeks and bok choy, cutting the thick stems off the bok choy.
Heat the oil, and then fry the garlic, onion, leeks, and bok choy until all the vegetables are soft.
After the vegetables are soft, mix in the stir fry sauce.
Place a scoop of rice on a plate and cover it with the stir fry vegetables. Enjoy!

How to Make Homemade Granola

Sheila — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 05:36:15 +0000

Making homemade granola is really easy to do.

The recipe is also flexible and open, giving you the ability to mix and match ingredients based on your preferences and what you have available in your pantry at any given moment.

Don’t have almonds or maybe you don’t like them all that much? No problem. Use walnuts, hazelnuts, macademia nuts, pistachios, or cashews.

Don’t have flax seeds on hand? Throw in some pumpkin or poppy seeds instead.

Don’t have agave nectar in your pantry? Use molasses, honey, or maple syrup.

Don’t use safflower oil in your house? Try canola.

You’re not big on papaya? Use raisins, dried mangoes, or dried cranberries.

Add cinnamon if you want. Maybe use a rum extract instead of vanilla.

You get the idea. Change the recipe however you want.

Another perk is that your house will also smell like homemade oatmeal cookies, and that’s such a warm and inviting aroma, isn’t it. Who can resist!?

Even Kemal who’s never eaten the first bite of any kind of cereal in all the years I’ve known him was all over this granola as soon as it came out of the oven. He loved it and had some this morning with milk and honey! He’s even going to have some on sprinkled on some Greek yogurt tonight for dessert!

I keep asking myself why in the world I waited all these years to make my own granola!? But one thing’s for sure…I’m never buying it again! It’s SO much better than what you buy in the store!

And best of all, you will have made a wholesome breakfast for yourself or your loved ones, and when they enjoy your granola for breakfast, they’ll not only appreciate your efforts, but you’ll also feel a sense of satisfaction as well.

Homemade granola also makes a great homemade gift. Keep some for yourself, and then give some away to friends and family to enjoy. Trust me, they will!!

How to Make Homemade Granola

Adapted from: Willow Bird Baking

Yield: 2 1/2 pints

Ingredients:

2 cups raw oats (not the quick-cook kind)
1 cup almonds, chopped
1/3 cup wheat germ
1/3 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
1/3 cup agave nectar
2 tbsp. flax seeds
2 tbsp. sesame seeds
2 tbsp. safflower oil
1 tbsp. pure vanilla extract
1 tsp. sea salt
1/2 cup dried papaya spears, diced

Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.
Line a cookie sheet with a piece of parchment paper.
Chop the almonds.
In a large, stainless steel or glass bowl, mix together the oats, almonds, wheat germ, flax seeds, sesame seeds, and sea salt.
Heat the agave nectar, oil, and vanilla in a small pot over medium heat until the mixture is warm.
Pour the heated agave mixture over the dry ingredients, mixing well with a spoon so the granola is coated evenly.
Spread the granola over the parchment-lined cookie sheet and bake for about 10 minutes.
Then stir the granola and put it back in the oven.
Bake for 10 more minutes and stir again.
Repeat this step two more time so your granola has baked for 40 minutes and is stirred every 10 minutes.
After 40 minutes, the granola should be well toasted, so remove it from the oven and let it cool, stirring a few times during the cooling process.
While the granola is cooling, dice the dried papaya spears, then toss it in the granola after it’s cooled.
Store the granola in glass jars tightly fitting lids. You can store it outside, unrefrigerated for about 2 weeks. If you store it in the refrigerator, that will increase the length of time it will keep.

Mini Greek Cheesecakes (Lyhnarakia)

Sheila — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 18:16:07 +0000

These individual Greek cheesecakes are the perfect way to end a meal when you want to end it in a sweet way. They small and light while satisfying your sweet tooth. And the best part is the raw honey on the top…definitely the icing on the cake.

If you’ve never had raw honey, you really have to give it a try. There’s a huge difference in flavor, with raw honey winning out in the taste department. It’s also smoother and creamier with its texture reminding me of a smooth caramel.

There’s no doubt I’ll make these little Greek cheesecakes again. They’re lusciously lovely!!

Note: I recommend these little cheesecakes be eaten within 24 hours of making them. I made them yesterday afternoon at 4 p.m., and we ate two of them at midnight. They were awesome. Then 24 hours after that (tonight), I tried another one and threw it away. It just doesn’t hold up well, so if you make these, plan to share them and eat them soon after making them.

Mini Greek Cheesecakes (Lyhnarakia)

Recipe Adapted from: “The Complete Book of Greek Cooking” by Rena Salaman & Jan Cutler, page 226, (Sifnos Cheese and Honey Tart), Anness Publishing Ltd., 2005, 2008

Yield: 6 individual cheesecakes

Ingredients:

2-3 sheets filo dough (use 2 sheets for a thinner pastry shell and 3 sheets for a thicker one)
3/4 cup ricotta cheese
1 egg
1/8 cup confectioner’s sugar + more for sprinkling
1 tbsp. + 6 tsp. raw honey
1/2 tsp. cinnamon + more for sprinkling
3 tbsp. butter, 1 for greasing the muffin tin and 2 for brushing the pastry
Optional: 6 dried prunes

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Grease a 6-count muffin tin with butter.
Cut out 2-3 sheets of thawed out filo dough so the cut-out pastry fits inside the muffin tin.
Melt 2 tbsp. butter and then brush the pastry with the melted butter.
To make the filling, beat the egg in a medium-sized bowl.
Add the confectioner’s sugar and flour to the egg, and then beat it with an electric mixture until it’s fluffy.
Add the ricotta cheese, 1 tbsp. honey, and 1/2 tsp. of cinnamon, beating it until it’s well mixed.
Pour the cheese mixture into the pastry shell and use a spoon to level the top of it.
Optional: Place 1 dried prune into the middle of the cheesecake filling.
Bake uncovered until the cheesecake filling is set and brown. You’ll know it’s done when you insert a toothpick and it comes out clean.
Remove the mini cheesecakes from the oven and sprinkle with a little cinnamon and confectioner’s sugar while it’s still hot. Here’s how it looked before I added the honey:

After the cheesecakes have cooled for about 15-20 minutes, top each of them with 1 tsp. raw honey. If you like, you can sprinkle the tops of them with more cinnamon and confectioner’s sugar.
Refrigerate and serve chilled.

Fresh Fig Filo Tart

Sheila — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 05:45:34 +0000

Kemal grew up in the Mediterranean, and fig trees were commonplace in his hometown of Mostar. He has always enjoyed munching on fresh figs,

and any dessert with figs is always welcome.

I found a recipe for a fresh fig tart in my Greek cookbook that I have at home that I’ve been wanting to try, and while I liked the tart, I didn’t think it was sweet enough. I think it needs a LOT more sugar.

The tart reminds me of a milk pie that I had when I was a little girl. Brings back nice memories, and while it tasted good, this isn’t a dessert that I’ll make again.

Fresh Fig Filo Tart

(Adapted from: Fresh Fig Filo Tart,“The Complete Book of Greek Cooking” by Rena Salaman & Jan Cutler, page 224, Anness Publishing Ltd. 2005, 2008)

Ingredients:

5 sheets filo dough
6 fresh figs
4 tbsp. butter, salted (plus extra butter for greasing the pan)
4 eggs
2 cups milk
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
6 tbsp. sugar
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
1 tbsp. confectioner’s sugar, for dusting
2 tbsp. shredded coconut, unsweetened
Optional: Greek yogurt or whipped cream to garnish with when serving
cinnamon for garnishing
confectioner’s sugar for garnishing

Instructions:

If your filo dough is frozen, you’ll need to remove it from the freezer and set it out on your counter top to thaw out.
Put the sugar in your blender and process it until it becomes fine…almost as fine as powdered sugar.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees C.
Grease a pie pan with butter.
Press a filo dough sheet in the pie pan.
Melt 4 tbsp. butter, and then brush the filo dough with butter.
Place the remaining filo sheets in the pie pan, brushing each with butter.
Cut off any excess filo dough that might be hanging too much over the pan.
Wash the figs, and then cut each of the figs in half. Then cut each half into 3 pieces. (Each fig should give you 6 slices.)
Arrange the fig wedges skin side down onto the filo dough.

Beat the eggs in a small bowl, and then beat in 1/2 cup of milk to the eggs, whisking until smooth.
In a large bowl, mix together the flour and sugar.
Pour the egg/milk mixture into the flour/sugar mixture, whisking until smooth.
Gradually pour the rest of the milk (1 1/2 cups) and the vanilla into the flour/milk/egg mixture, whisking until smooth.
Pour the flour/egg/milk mixture over the figs.
Bake uncovered for 1 hour or until the batter has set and is a golden brown.
After 30 minutes, open the oven door and mist the filo dough and tart with water, repeating this procedure after 45 minutes have passed as well.
Remove the tart from the oven when it’s done, letting it cool for about 10 minutes.
Dust the tart with confectioner’s sugar.
Serve warm or chilled. You can serve it plain or you can serve with whipped cream or Greek yogurt.

Kale Chips

Sheila — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 02:06:40 +0000

They’re crunchy.

They’re tasty.

They’re healthy.

Did I say how great they taste? I believe I did.

It’s worth repeating a second time though.

Season your chips however you want. Experiment.

Bet ya can’t eat just one!

By the way, they didn’t look this green when I pulled them out of the oven. I adjusted the colors some. I just wanted you to know.

Kale Chips

Recipe Source: a thought for food

Ingredients:

1 bunch of kale
1 tbsp. olive oil
Greek seasoning to taste
chili powder to taste

Instructions:

Wash the kale, and then tear it up into small pieces, discarding the stems.
Let the kale dry. To remove any excess water, blot the kale with paper towels.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Line your baking pan with parchment paper.
Toss the kale in a large bowl with the olive oil.
Sprinkle the seasonings over the kale, and then toss it by hand until it’s seasoned the way you like.

Note: The kale is to great to eat raw at this point. I enjoyed a handful before popping them into the oven.

Spread the kale on the lined baking pan.
Bake until each piece of kale is completely dried out and crispy.

Note: Some pieces dried faster than other pieces. After 20 minutes, I removed the kale and picked out the pieces that were dried out. Then I put the kale which wasn’t done back in the oven to continue cooking. I repeated this process a third time until all the pieces were done. The wetter the kale is, the longer it’ll take to dry them out. It took around 50 minutes for all the kale to be done. Just make sure you don’t walk away from the oven. Check it after 20 minutes, then after every 10 minutes after that.

Low Carb Eggplant Parmigiana

Sheila — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 15:33:08 +0000

There are no doubt many variations on how to make this popular Italian dish. The way we made it involves cooking eggplant slices on a griddle, then rolling the slices with a ricotta cheese mixture, covering with a homemade tomato sauce and cheese, then baking. If you want to see another way we’ve made eggplant Parmesana, (with bread crumbs and Prosciutto) click here. Scroll down the page after you click to see the photos.

Anyway, I’m not sure which variation of eggplant Parmesana I prefer. I like it both ways.

This version has a softer look, as well as a softer texture, and I while I like the crunchiness of the breaded eggplant, I think I prefer this version better. It tastes wonderful, and I really don’t think you’ll miss the bread crumbs at all.

If you’re trying to find a way to get your kids to eat more veggies, you might want to try this recipe. All the cheese and tomato sauce is so delicious…like eating lasagna…just without the noodles. The flavor of the eggplant is mild anyway, but with all the cheese and tomatoes, you can barely taste…let alone see…the eggplant.

In addition, if you’re watching your carbs, this version is good because it’s prepared without breadcrumbs.

If you like the eggplant skin, you don’t have to remove it the way we did. We’re not overly fond of how eggplant skin tastes so we generally remove it prior to cooking it.

Also, salting the eggplant prior to cooking it is optional. We usually don’t do that, but we did this time; however, the next time we make it we’ll skip that step because despite rinsing the salt off the eggplant, we thought it turned out too salty. Part of that was my fault because I think I used too much salt, but still, I’ll skip that step altogether next time.

Low Carb Eggplant Parmigiana

Adapted from: ShowMeTheCurry.com

Ingredients:

2 medium eggplants
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. safflower oil (or you can use any other vegetable oil)
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
8 oz. mozzarella cheese, shredded
Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
7 garlic cloves, finely diced
1 can tomato paste
1 red bell pepper, finely diced
1 green chili pepper, finely diced
1 small onion, finely diced
cherry tomatoes
basil to taste
parsley to taste
sea salt
black pepper pepper to taste
water

Instructions:

Wash the eggplants then slice the skin off then.
Then cut the eggplant into thin slices. You want to cut the eggplant so so you get long vertical slices (not round, circular shaped slices). The need to be thin slices but no so thin that they’ll break.
Optional step: Sprinkle the eggplant slices with some salt and then place then in a colander with a plate underneath.
Let the eggplant sit on the counter for 30-60 minutes.
In the meantime, peel the skins off the garlic and the onion, then dice them into tiny little pieces.
Wash the peppers, then finely dice them as well.
Fry the diced onions, garlic, and peppers in 1 tbsp. of olive oil on medium heat until the vegetables become soft.
Separate the mixture into two bowls and let it cool.
Then mix half the fried vegetable mixture with 1/2 cup ricotta cheese, basil, parsley, and black pepper.
Mix in some freshly grated Parmesan cheese to the ricotta mixture and refrigerate until you’re ready to use it.
Now you will make the tomato sauce mixture that you’ll pour over the top of the eggplant. To do this, mix together the tomato paste with other half of the fried vegetables, adding in enough water until you have the desired consistency of your sauce. Set the sauce aside for later.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Grease your baking dish (I used a glass pie pan) with 1 tbsp. olive oil.
Wash the salt off the eggplant slices. To remove any remaining moisture in the eggplant slices, blot them with a paper towel.
Now you’re going to cook the eggplant slices. I used an electric griddle to do this.
Heat the griddle up to 400 degrees, then when the griddle is hot, brush it with vegetable oil.
Place the eggplant slices on the griddle and sprinkle them with black pepper to taste.
Let the eggplant slices cook, and while they’re cooking, brush the top side with a little vegetable oil.
After the slices have browned, flip them over so they can cook on the other side.
After the eggplant slices are fully cooked, they will be browned and soft. Don’t overcook them though. You don’t want them to be crispy because that will make them difficult to roll.
Remove the cooked eggplant slices from the griddle and place them onto a plate to cool.
After they’ve cooled, take one eggplant slice and place it on a cutting board.
Drop about a tablespoon or so of the ricotta cheese mixture onto the widest part of the eggplant slice.
Then start at the part of the eggplant slice where the cheese is and roll the eggplant slice upward.
Place the cheese-stuffed eggplant roll onto the greased baking dish.
Repeat this step until you’ve rolled all the eggplant slices with the cheese.
Then, wherever you have space, place cherry tomatoes in the pan. Here’s what the eggplant looked like at this stage:

Then pour the tomato sauce mixture over the rolled eggplant slices and cherry tomatoes, then sprinkle with some freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Bake uncovered for about 20 minutes…just long enough to warm everything up.
While the eggplant Parmesana is baking, grate the mozzarella cheese.
After the eggplant has baked for 20 minutes, turn off the oven and remove the baking pan from the oven.
Sprinkle the eggplant Parmesana with the grated mozzarella, then put the baking pan back into the oven.
Leave it in the hot oven (with the heat off) until the cheese melts.
Then remove it from the oven, let it cool for about 5 minutes, then dig in and enjoy!

Flourless-No Bake Honey Almond Oatmeal Cookies

Sheila — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 04:32:57 +0000

What can I say? They’re freakin’ awesome!!! They’re so yummy you wouldn’t believe it. Seriously…this is one helluva cookie!!! And guess what? You don’t need to bake it and you don’t need to cook it. How cool is that??!!

Flourless-No Bake Honey Almond Oatmeal Cookies

Yield: 9 cookies

Ingredients:

1/3 cup freshly ground almond butter
3 tbsp. raw honey
1 individual package of instant maple oatmeal (or you can substitute with 1/2 cup raw oats)
9 whole almonds

Instructions:

Grind your almond butter. (I used the grinder they had at Whole Foods to grind mine, but you can grind them in your food processor if you want. Just add a tbsp. of oil to the nuts while grinding them.)
In a small bowl, mix together 1/3 cup of almond butter, 3 tbsp. of raw honey, and oatmeal.
Make walnut sized balls, and then place the dough balls on a piece of parchment paper.
Press the dough ball down so it flattens out.
Place one whole almond in the center of the cookie.
Refrigerate whatever you don’t eat.