Blueberry Grunt

Got it from Huffington Post and plant to try:

• 1 quart of blueberries (4 cups), frozen or fresh
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup sugar (more or less to taste)
• 2 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon butter, cold
• approximately 1 cup milk
• you will need a Dutch oven with a tight fitting lid

In a large Dutch oven, over medium heat, bring the the blueberries, water and 1/2 cup sugar to a gentle boil and continue cooking until there is plenty of juice (several minutes).
As the blueberries are cooking, sift the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar together into a medium sized bowl. Cut in 1 tablespoon butter with two knives or a pastry cutter (until it resembles peas). Then add sufficient milk to make a soft dough – I find I usually need about 1 cup of milk. The dough should hold together but still be wet looking – softer than play dough.
Once the blueberries have become nice and juicy (and cooked down slightly), drop the dough by tablespoonfuls over the berries. Cover closely and cook for 15 minutes over medium heat. Do not lift the lid during the cooking time. After 15 minutes the dumplings should be poofed up and cooked through. Remove from heat and serve hot.

Potato and Cabbage

Colcannon 

• 2 pounds baking potatoes
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3/4 pound green cabbage, coared and coarsely chopped
• Peel potatoes and cut into 2-inch pieces. Simmer potatoes in salted water to cover until tender, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, bring remaining cup milk, water, butter, remaining 2 Tablespoons oil, cabbage, 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1/4 teaspoons pepper to a simmer in a 3-quart saucepan and simmer, covered, until cabbage is tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain potatoes well, then add to cabbage mixture and mash with a potato masher. Season with salt and pepper.

(got it on huffingtonpost.com)

NO-WAY-THESE-CAN-BE-GOOD-FOR-ME CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES

INGREDIENTS
(Yeld 5 dozen truffles)

• 3 cups chickpeas, cooked and cooled
• 250g dried figs, chopped
• ½ cup extra dark cocoa powder
• ¼ cup pasteurized egg whites
• few drops pure almond extract
• ½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• ¼ cup pistachio, chopped
• ¼ cup dried cranberries
• ¼ cup hemp hearts

Coating ideas

• Cocoa Powder
• Hemp hearts
• Unsweetened shredded coconut
• Flaxseed meal

DIRECTIONS

1. In a food processor, process the chickpeas and dried figs until they’re completely incorporated and become nice and smooth and creamy in consistency.
2. Transfer that mixture to a standing mixer with the paddle attachment.
3. Add the cocoa powder, egg whites almond extract and mix on medium speed until well incorporated. At this point, the mixture should have the consistency of a thick cookie batter. If you find the mixture to be a tad too dry, you can always add a little bit more egg whites, until you get the desired consistency.
4. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix until incorporated, no more.
5. Put this in the refrigerator to chill for about 30 minutes.
6. Once the dough has chilled, shape it into ¾-inch balls – that’s about a teaspoon per ball.
7. Roll the balls into coating of your choice, place in airtight container and refrigerate.
8. This makes about 5 dozen truffles and they will keep for about a week in the refrigerator (although I really wouldn’t worry about that!).
9. You can also freeze them, to try and prevent yourself from eating them all at once, but know that after only about a minute or two at room temperature, they’re good to go and as good, if not better, as fresh!

Baked Cheesy Chicken Penne

(from realmomkitchen.com)

• 6 tablespoons butter, plus more for baking dishes
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 1 pound penne rigate (I used a 14.5 oz box of Ronzoni Smart Taste Penne Rigate)
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 8 ounces each), halved horizontally (I used some leftover cooked chicken)
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour
• 6 garlic cloves, finely minced
• 6 cups whole milk
• 10 ounces white or cremini mushrooms, trimmed and thinly sliced (I used 8 oz of button mushrooms)
• 1 cup sliced oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained
• 1 1/2 cups shredded provolone (6 ounces) (I used an italian blend that had provolone in it)
  
• 1 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan (about 6 ounces)

1. Preheat oven to 400. Butter two shallow 2-quart baking dishes. If you’re going to freeze one, use a disposable foil pan.  In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta 3 minutes short of al dente; drain pasta and set aside.
2. While pasta is boiling, heat oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Season chicken with salt and pepper; cook until opaque throughout, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Halve each piece lengthwise, then thinly slice crosswise.  While chicken pan is still hot, toss the mushrooms in and saute until golden brown (3-4 minutes).  Use a little extra olive oil if needed.(Since I used left over chicken, I just cooked the mushrooms in the olive oil)
3. In a 5-quart Dutch oven or heavy pot , melt butter over medium. Add flour and garlic; cook, whisking, 1 minute. While whisking constantly, gradually add milk; bring to a simmer.  Keep whisking frequently as sauce thickens, about 1 minute more. Add mushrooms and tomatoes; cook 1 minute. Take the pan off the heat and and gradually stir in provolone and 1/2 cup Parmesan.
4. Add chicken and pasta to pot; season with salt and pepper to taste. Divide pasta mixture between baking dishes.  If freezing, place remaining parmesan cheese in a zip-top baggie.  If cooking, sprinkle on top.
5. Bake, uncovered, until top is golden and bubbling, about 25 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Mung beans, Beets and Quinoa Salad

Got this recipe from http://thehealthyfoodie.com. Very tasty.

 

Mung beans, Beets and Quinoa Salad

Yield: Serves 2

INGREDIENTS

Salad
• ½ cup mung beans, cooked and cooled
• 1 cup quinoa, cooked and cooled
• ½ cup red onion, finely chopped
• ½ cup fresh flat parsely, chopped
• 2 small carrots, diced
• 4 small beets, cooked, cooled and diced
Dressing
• 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp old style grain mustard
• ½ tsp marinated garlic flowers
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• ½ tsp salt
• Black pepper to taste
Garnish
• 2 tbsp mint, chopped
• Whole mint leaves

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Cook quinoa and mung beans per instructions on package. Allow to cool completely in the refrigerator.
2. Mix all ingredients for the salad together in a medium size mixing bowl.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk all the ingredients for the dressing and pour over salad.
4. Toss to combine. If you can, allow to marinate for a few hours in the refrigerator, to allow flavours to fully develop.
5. Garnish with chopped and whole mint leaves.

Carrot Oven Roasted Meatballs

I prefer to cook the meatballs in oven instead of frying them on additional oil in a skillet. I like this recipe because it can be also made into small meatloafs (in the muffin tray) or maybe even converted to a full size meatloaf which I haven't tried yet.

Carrot Oven Roasted Meatballs

1 lb ground beef

2 carrots shredded

1 yellow onion chopped

2 cloves of garlic minced

1 cup of breadcrumbs

1/3 cup milk

1 egg

1/3 cup ground parmesan cheese

3-4 pieces of sun dried tomato in oil chopped (remove as much of the oil as possible)

1/2 cup chopped fresh herbs chopped (basil is my favorite, but parsley works as well)

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Salt and pepper

Head the oven to 400F. In a small bowl combine the breadcrumbs and milk and let stand for about 3-4 minutes. In the meantime, in a large bowl, combine the meat, carrots, onion, garlic, egg, and parmesan cheese. As you start mixing, add the soaked breadcrumbs and milk. Add the chopped sun-dried tomatoes and basil, Worcestershire sauce and salt and pepper. Mix well.

Roll the meatballs and place on a cookie sheet. Bake the meatballs for 15-20 minutes; time depends on the size of the meatballs.

The flavor of the meatballs is very much the sun-dried tomato and basil but I love to see the color of the carrots mixed in, so I call them carrot meatballs.

NOTE: I've stopped buying breadcrumbs from the store. Now, I save old bread and butts from the sliced breads in a Ziploc bag in the freezer. When I need the breadcrumbs, I toast the frozen bread and stick them into the food processor for some freshly made breadcrumbs.