Zucchini Pineapple Bread with Pineapple Glaze

Here is yet another favorite zucchini recipe. I grew up eating (and still love) spiced zucchini bread with pineapple and sometimes raisins or dates in it, but I love the simplicity of this recipe. It is so moist, like most other zucchini recipes, but the pineapple really shines through in this sweet bread. The pineapple glaze also adds another pop of pineapple flavor that is just perfect! This bread is best a day or two after being baked (if you can keep it hidden that long)- store in a plastic bag and then glaze it an hour or more before serving, allowing the glaze to dry some and not be so sticky. The other thing I love about this recipe is that it makes 2 loaves- and you will find that both are eaten so quickly that you will be glad you made 2 loaves since nobody is going to stop at one slice! 

Makes 2 loaves - about 20 servings

Ingredients:

• 4 eggs
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup oil (coconut oil is great)
• 3 cups flour (I used ½ white wheat flour and ½ all purpose flour)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 15 oz. can of crushed pineapple, juice drained and reserved
• ¾ - 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 2 cups shredded zucchini (I peeled mine)- seeds also removed if large
• ¾ cup confectioner's sugar, sifted
• 2 Tbsp pineapple juice

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 deg F. Grease and flour 2 bread loaf pans; set aside.
• In a medium bowl, sift together dry ingredients. 
• In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar, vanilla and oil- or use mixer on low until combined, then increase to medium speed for 1 minute.
• Add in pineapple, zucchini and nuts and mix together until completely combined.
• Gradually add in dry ingredients.
• Divide half of batter between the 2 prepared bread loaf pans. Drop pan on hard surface a few times to even out the batter and help bubbles come to the top. 
• Bake in preheated oven for 55-60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center of bread comes out clean. 
• Cool breads in pans on cooling racks for about 10 minutes, then carefully turn out onto cooling rack to finish cooling.
• To prepare the glaze, sift the powdered sugar into a medium bowl. Add in reserved pineapple juice, adding the juice gradually, 1 tablespoon first and then 1 teaspoon at a time. If you want the glaze firmer to stay on top of the bread more, do not add as much liquid. Combine well and pour part of glaze over top of the cooled loaves and wait about 10 minutes for the glaze to thicken some. After glaze has dried a little on the bread, add any remaining glaze to add another layer, also scooping up any glaze that has drizzled down over the sides. This will be thicker and can be spread over top of the loaves again. Let loaves set until glaze is not sticky wet. Slice and serve or store in a covered container (if putting in a bag or covering with plastic wrap, the glaze will soften and stick to the plastic). I wait to apply the glaze until before serving as it becomes very wet and sticky in the bag/storage container.

*If you desire to make it a piña colada sweet bread- add ½- ¾ cup of sweetened shredded coconut into your batter with the shredded zucchini, but the coconut will make the loaf a little more dry. So adding a couple Tbsp's of pineapple juice may help the loaf still be moist. Otherwise, remove the loaf from the oven immediately- may be finished sooner.

**This bread is wonderful frozen and later thawed, glazed and served.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

While I am not a chocolate cake fan (I like cakes with fruit and other add-in's), this cake has changed my mind. It has a moist and fudgey consistency, unlike many chocolate cakes that I find are more dry and lacking in flavor. Of course, the moisture comes from the zucchini that totally disappears in the cake, especially if you peel it before shredding it. What sets this recipe apart from other chocolate zucchini cakes is that is uses more zucchini and includes vanilla and cinnamon, which adds something special to round out the chocolate flavor. 

I found that 4 cups of shredded zucchini equals about 1 large zucchini or 3/4 of a super-large one, minus the center pulp area with the seeds. If you are using smaller zucchini, you probably do not need to remove the seeds unless they are large. Since we are often finding those big zucchinis that have somehow been missed until they are enormous, this is just about the tastiest way to use up one of those over-sized veggies. There have been a couple people that tell me adamantly that they do NOT like zucchini, but when they tried this cake (through a little deception) they were amazed that something this good would have THAT in there-- and even went back for more. (I just love tricking people into eating veggies that they thought they didn't like!)

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup oil
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 4 cups peeled, grated zucchini (I let the zucchini drain in a colander while preparing the cake but did not press the liquid out of it.)
• 3/4 cup chopped nuts (optional)
• 3/4-1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips (about 1/2 of 11 oz bag)

    Icing:

• 1 stick butter
• 4 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa
• 6 Tbsp milk, half and half or cream
• 1 lb box or package of confectioner's (powdered) sugar (sifted or it clumps up later)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/8 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4- 1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional) 

Directions:

• Grease 9x13 inch baking pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a medium bowl, sift together the dry ingredients. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, oil, buttermilk and vanilla. 
• Gradually stir the dry ingredients into the bowl of wet ingredients and then fold in the grated zucchini and chocolate chips (nuts also if including).
• Pour into prepared baking pan and bake for 45-60 minutes- time depends on how wet the zucchini is. So start checking about 45 minutes but may need to go as long as 1 hr.
• When toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out pretty clean, remove cake to cooling rack and begin preparing the icing.

  Icing:

• Boil butter, cocoa, milk and cinnamon in a medium saucepan, whisking constantly. (Don't worry if the butter fat separates some. Just keep stirring and then move on to next step- it will all come together in the next step.)
• Whisk in sifted sugar while stirring and then vanilla. Stir well to combine.
• Allow to sit and thicken for a few minutes off the heat, then pour slowly over the warm cake. (If it has thickened too much to pour, then use a spatula to spread over the cake.)
• Garnish with nuts if desired.

Zucchini Potato Tart

This is the perfect lunch or light supper dish and is wonderful with different meats-- or leave the meats out entirely, if you prefer. I love how the tomatoes take on a roasted flavor as it bakes. This dish is a real breeze with a mandoline slicer- have I told you how nice this tool is? I have fallen in love with it for thinly slicing garlic when I sauté vegetables, slicing carrots thinly for salads (my kids don't love big chunks of anything hard to chew- eating a salad will take forever!). I also love to use this slicer for the veggies in this dish. I'm so crazy that I almost took it to my parents house when I went for a visit the last time because it is cuts down on prep time so much! Anyways, back to the recipe-- check this out and give it a try and see my notes at the bottom.

Serves: 6-8
Ingredients:

• 1 pie crust
• 1 small yellow squash, thinly sliced
• 1 small zucchini squash, thinly sliced
• 1 large or 3 small potatoes, thinly sliced (may leave skins on)
• 1 medium or large onion- I used a mix of red and sweet onion, diced
• 1/4 pound ham, diced (may use bacon or other meat)
• 1 cup shredded cheese of choice- I used mix of cheddar and monterey jack
• 1 large tomato or 2 plum tomatoes, sliced
• oregano, divided, crushing in palm of hand before sprinkling over tart
• seasoned salt/pepper
• celery salt
• 2-3 Tbsp milk
• 5 eggs

Directions:

• After your vegetables are sliced, cover the potatoes so they do not brown.
• Place pie crust in a deep dish 10 inch pie pan. 
• Begin layering about half of each of the vegetables except the tomatoes, seasoning well with salt/pepper and herbs between each layer.
• Then sprinkle top of vegetables with onion and cheese and then ham or meat. 
• Repeat layers, seasoning each layer well until all the squash, potatoes, onion and meat is in the pie.
• In a separate bowl, whisk eggs and milk together with 1/4- 1/2 tsp seasoned salt/pepper and then pour over the vegetables in the pie crust.
• Arrange tomato slices over the top and sprinkle with more salt/pepper and crushed oregano. Cut a couple smaller slices into 1/2 to make crescent shapes and place them in the center to form a swirl or pinwheel effect.
• Fold the top edges of the pie crust over the pie.
• Cover with foil and bake at 400 degrees for approximately 1 hour- 1 hour and 15 minutes or until vegetables are tender to fork. Remove foil for the last 30 minutes.
• Remove from oven and sprinkle more cheese on top if desired.

*Note: If you want this to bake quicker,  sauté the squash and potatoes with a couple tablespoons of butter or oil for about 5 minutes until they are just beginning to soften. Then follow the recipe as above. This will shorten the baking time by at least half.

Enjoy!!

Succotash

Succotash is a dish that immediately takes me back to my grandmother's house. She seemed to regularly make this and would offer us some when we came to visit. I came to enjoy this dish very much and eventually joined her in a mission to find the beans when local growers stopped growing them for the markets around us.

This dish was especially popular years ago with farm and country folks. The dish is based on beans (often lima beans) and corn. However, the version my grandmother always made is quite different- she always used a shell bean.

The shell beans that my grandmother and great grandmother used seem to resemble closely the cranberry bean- the shells were a red and cream/white variegated pod and the beans also had a similar creamy background with reddish swirls around the bean. When dried, they are often anywhere from a tannish/red flecked color to a darker reddish/brown color. These beans can be difficult to find- I was not able to find them for many years after I married and moved away from the area where I grew up near my grandmother.

For this reason, my grandmother tried to find farm markets that would sell the shell beans so she could make her succotash the "right way"- she actually canned the beans together with fresh sweet corn, cut from the cob. The two would cook together during the canning and the flavors would be so concentrated. After I married, she gave me some beans to plant in our garden, with the idea that we would share some of the harvest with her. So I decided to can the beans and corn together- when I finished canning, I thought I was doing something wrong because almost all of the juices came out of the jar and everything cooked into a solid mass. When I was talking lately with one of my aunts about this recipe, she told me that this is how the jars of beans/corn come out. Anyhow, I do know that the flavor was different than just cooking the beans and then adding in the corn.

My grandmother grew up in a poor family where most of the children spent their teenage years working on nearby farms because the family needed the money and could not really afford to feed and clothe everyone. This is one of the family dishes that was passed down from her mother and could be made with things from the garden that were inexpensive and yet filling. 

If I do not have the home-canned beans and corn, I found that you can get a pretty close flavor by pressure cooking the beans (saves a lot of time and there is no need to soak the beans first) and then simmering the beans and corn together for an hour or two. If you do not have a pressure cooker, try cooking the beans in a crockpot on high for about 6 hours. This is a very simple dish- my grandmother only used the beans, corn, salt and pepper, and some canned milk at the end. Now, on the other hand, I have never been one to leave a simple recipe alone! So I have almost always sauteéd some onions and celery to put in the succotash, added chunked potatoes to make it more of a main course soup and added some other seasonings.

These beans were quite red (usually the beans are more of a brown color when cooked) and colored the succotash. They still taste the same. The corn was farm-fresh grown and frozen white corn that is very sweet.

Servings: about 8-10

Ingredients:

• 1 pound bag of cranberry beans or similar shell beans
• 1 quart bag (or 4 cups) of frozen or fresh sweet corn with juice
• 3 medium-large potatoes, cut into chunks (optional)
• chicken soup base or broth
• water
• 1-2 large onions
• 2-3 cloves garlic, grated or pressed
• seasoned salt/pepper
• 1-2 Tbsp dried parsley
• evaporated milk or cream

Directions:

• Cook the beans as instructed on the package, or cover beans in a slow cooker with about 2-3 inches of water and cook on high in a slow cooker for 6 hours, or in a pressure cooker for about 30 minutes. Drain beans from liquid.
• In a dutch oven style soup pot, sauté onions with a couple Tbsp of olive oil until they become translucent. 
• Add in the garlic and sauté for a couple more minutes, stirring constantly.
• Add the beans, sweet corn, chunked potatoes and enough water/broth to cover all the ingredients. If using water, add in a few bouillon cubes or a few Tbsp of soup base. 
• Season with salt/pepper and dried parsley.
• Simmer together until beans and potatoes are soft. 
• When finished cooking, add in milk/cream gradually until broth is milky-- if you use a whole can of evaporated milk, it will be quite thick. If you desire a thinner succotash, you may need to add a little more water to thin it out. Season to taste, adding more salt as needed.

*We recently ate succotash (made for this picture without the potatoes added) over top of mashed potatoes and it was delicious.

If you are only cooking for a couple people, cook up the entire recipe and then freeze half of the succotash for another time- although it is best frozen if you do not add in the potatoes.

Tortellini In Vegetable Sauce

This was my latest brainstorm recipe that turned out so well that my husband and I could hardly stop eating this. I had a lot of different vegetables that needed to be used up, not enough time to thaw some meat and wanted to do something easy before I had to run off to work in the evening. It turned out that the veggies I had worked wonderful together for this dish, but I really think you could use all different types of vegetables and have a great dish. The cooking time for this is less than 30 minutes and would be a great weeknight meal if you have the veggies already prepped.

Serves about 6 (or 4 adult servings)

Ingredients:

• 1 large head of cauliflower, cleaned and finely chopped, including the upper stems
• 1 pint size container of grape tomatoes (or you could substitute 1  15oz. can of diced tomatoes with juice)
• 1 large onion or 2 small-medium onions
• 2 medium carrots, medium diced, or may use baby carrots chopped
• 2 large celery ribs, chopped
• 2-3 mushrooms
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• olive oil
• palmful of Italian seasoning/herb blend
• salt blend like Goya Adobo with pepper
• 1 pound pasta of choice
• cream or half and half
• 2-4 large handfuls of spinach, chopped (or may use 1/2 small package of frozen spinach); may use another type of greens
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, shredded
• 1/2 cup romano cheese, shredded
• 2-3 low fat string cheese sticks, shredded and then chopped (optional), or may use handful of shredded mozarella cheese
• chopped parsley for garnish

Directions:

• In a large covered skillet, generously drizzle olive oil over the vegetables and season with seasoned salt blend and crushed Italian seasoning. After it has begun to cook and soften a little, cover the pan so the juices do not evaporate out. Stir occasionally and add a little water if needed.
• While the veggies are cooking, start the pasta water. Liberally salt the water. Cook pasta about 2 minutes less than the recommended time as it will cook in the sauce at the end.
• As the veggies become tender as you desire, add in the cream gradually until the sauce is lightly creamy- I used about 1/4-1/3 cup.
• Add in the chopped spinach. 
• Pull out about 1 - 1 1/2 cup of pasta water as the pasta is finished and set it aside.
• Add the cheeses to the vegetable mixture and then add in the drained pasta.
• Combine everything together and add in as much pasta water as you need to make enough sauce to cover the pasta. Cover the pan as it cooks together for a couple more minutes. 
• Garnish with parsley and serve with a garlic bread or other warm rustic bread.

*Note- if using more sturdy greens in place of spinach, add them in with the vegetables at the beginning since they need more time to cook.

Patty Pan Squash Casserole

This recipe was one that just came together in an attempt to use up a bunch of large patty pan squash and tomatoes that I had from our garden. Somehow, we always seem to end up with overgrown squash- both zucchini and patty pan. My husband grew up eating small patty pan squash that were steamed or boiled and then browned butter was put over it. I never tasted this squash until we married and began our own garden. The first couple I picked were small, but ever since then, we often seem to end up with ones that are so big. I tried peeling them in the beginning- ever try peeling such an irregular piece of vegetable? Well, I quickly decided that this was for the birds. Really, you don't need to peel them because the squash is quite firm and needs a longer cooking time. Anyways, I was not very impressed with my first patty pan cooking attempt and decided I preferred it better mixed in with other foods- much like I prefer zucchini and yellow summer squash.

If you  notice from the next picture, I used some pre-made ingredients that I keep on hand to make up something quick when I have not had time to cook ahead. Feel free to substitute your own homemade versions, if desired.

Serves: approximately 4-6

Ingredients:

• meat of choice- poultry, beef, sausage or lamb (I used sausage)
• 1 large patty pan squash, washed and sliced through the center and seeds removed, or may use a few smaller ones (may also use zucchini or other summer squash)
• 1-2 medium onions, chopped
• 4-5 medium mushrooms, or to taste
• potatoes- mashed (I used some dried potato flakes made up with garlic seasoning and butter)
• 1 box of stuffing mix (cornbread or savory herb, if available), prepared according to directions
• 1 can of condensed cream of mushroom soup- may use own recipe if you prefer, but do not dilute it- you need it thick
• 1 cup of chopped tomatoes
• carrots/celery, chopped- optional
• chopped parsley- 1 Tbsp if fresh or 2 tsp if dry (more or less to taste)

Directions:

1. In a large oven-proof pan, brown the meat and vegetables except the tomatoes, adding some oil if the meat is not releasing enough to keep everything from sticking. Season with salt/pepper or seasoned salt and parsley.  If there is much grease, may remove most of it when finished browning everything.

2. Cover and allow to cook until the squash is fork-tender. Add in the tomatoes and stir in the mushroom soup (undiluted) and allow to cook, covered, for about 3 more minutes or until tomatoes begin to soften.

3. Spread the prepared stuffing over top of the mixture.

4. Place under preheated broiler at 375 or 400 degrees F. for about 5-10 minutes- watching carefully to make sure it does not burn. You just want it to be lightly browned.

5. Serve over prepared mashed potatoes.

Shared with the following:
Recipes For My Boys- Thursday's Treasures Wk 51

Squash Dal Curry

One of my favorite cuisines is Indian food because of the rich flavors that are combined into amazing dishes. I don't think I really even ate much Indian food before I was married but tried it while visiting larger cities with my husband, as well as a nearby Indian restaurant that we have grown to love. However, what I have realized in the process of learning how to cook this food is that there are many different types/styles of Indian food, depending on the region you are cooking from, as well as the fact that Indian restaurant food is quite different from what most Indian people eat in their homes everyday. I have bought a couple good Indian cookbooks that I have studied and tried to learn from and now have accumulated quite a few spices/herbs that are often used in their cooking. However, with just a small investment in about 5 spices (some you may already have), you can make some very tasty Indian dishes. I like the fact that, while much of the Indian food is spicy hot, when you make it at home, you can omit or temper down the heat to your liking and yet still enjoy the wonderful flavors. In addition, although Indian restaurant food is quite expensive, you can make many dishes very cheaply at home. Since I have been trying to cook more dishes with beans for my family, I often like using Indian recipes because they take the lowly bean from oh-hum to oh-yum!

this is the masala dabba I bought to hold some of the spices I frequently use- includes tumeric (outer left and continuing clockwise), cardamom, fennel seed, black mustard seed, ground ancho chili powder, cumin seed and black salt (center)

This recipe I share here was inspired by a Green Pumpkin Curry recipe that I have enjoyed making quite a few times. A few years ago, I picked up a small, thick cookbook at a local craft store titled Greatest Ever Indian for about $5. While I have not made many of the recipes in the book, there are a lot of nice pictures illustrating the steps and many of them are simple dishes with a variety of ingredients and ranging from sides to main dishes to breads, appetizers and desserts. When making this recipe, I never saw or found green pumpkin but it said I could substitute ordinary pumpkin. So I also figured that since butternut squash is in the pumpkin family, then that should also work well. This most recent time I made this, I decided to add in some dal I had- I believe it is moong dal, which is very quick cooking and mild in flavor, as well as some extra cooking liquid. You can omit the beans, if desired and reduce the cooking liquid, or substitute some red lentils. This dish comes together pretty quickly- in about 30 minutes, and is very rich in antioxidants from not only the spices but also the squash and beans. 

moong dal

Ingredients:

• 2-3 Tbsp oil
• 1 large onions, sliced
• 1 1/2 tsp cumin seeds (may substitute 1/2 tsp ground cumin if you don't have seeds)
• 1/2 - 3/4 tsp black mustard seed (optional)
• 1 1/2 - 2 pounds butternut squash (1 large), peeled, deseeded and cubed
• 1 tsp amchur/amchoor- dried mango powder (optional, but adds a nice flavor)
• 1 1/2 tsp mild curry powder
• 1 tsp tumeric 
• 1/2 tsp black salt (optional- may use adobo seasoned salt or other salt)
• 1/2 tsp chili powder (not the chili powder blend)- (optional)
• 1 1/2 Tbsp grated fresh ginger * (may substitute 1 tsp dried ginger- not quite as good)
• 2 large garlic cloves, crushed/made into paste
• 3 1/2 cups chicken broth- or may use vegetable broth or salted water
• 1 cup moong dal (or split lentils), sorted and rinsed
• 10 dried apricots, chopped
• 1 Tbsp dried fenugreek leaves (optional)

Directions:

• Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the onions, cumin seeds, black mustard seeds and curry powder, stirring occasionally, until a light golden brown color.
• Add the cubed squash or pumpkin to the skillet and stir-fry for 3-5 minutes over low heat.
• Mix in the amchur powder, tumeric, salt, chili powder, ginger and garlic cloves together in a small bowl. 
• Add the spice mixture to the squash  mixture, stirring well to mix.
• Add the broth or water, rinsed moong dal or lentils, apricots and fenugreek, then cover and cook over low heat for about 20 minutes or until beans are soft and slightly creamy, stirring occasionally. 

Serve warm with rice, warm naan or paratha (chapati) bread.

*ginger is easy to keep on hand ready to use if you peel it/chop into large chunks after bringing it home from the store, place it in a plastic bag in the freezer. Then when you need it, simply remove a piece or two and either grate it or thinly slice/chop it. It is actually easier to work with when it is slightly frozen. This will keep for a long time in the freezer. It is great in chicken soups, with bean dishes, smoothies with coconut milk, etc.

This was shared with the following:

I Should Be Mopping The Floor: Mop It Up Mondays #11
The Sweet Spot: Recipe Party
Simple Lives Thursday, #91- A Little Bit Of Spain In Iowa
Weekend Potluck #13
Financial Friday + Fabulous Features
Country Momma Cooks: Link and Greet #14
Taylor House Thursday #3
Miz Helen's Country Cottage: Full Plate Thursday 4-12-12
Six Sisters' Stuff: Strut Your Stuff Saturday Link Party-Week 40

Thai Shrimp Curry

In the past, I never thought I wanted to eat Thai food because my perception has always been that it is spicy hot. However, I occasionally watch Chef Tommy Tang on PBS making easy Thai food, and I absolutely salivate over his dishes. In addition, last year I was looking for other ways to use coconut milk and came across this recipe online. The thing I love about this dish is that it is pretty fast and you can adjust the level of heat- making it mild or spicy.  Every time I make it, we all spend the meal exclaiming how good it is. I have also made this dish and served it over angel hair pasta. In addition, this dish would also be good with fish or chicken. The recipe I am posting is an adaptation of one I found on Epicurious.com- I followed the basic recipe but added in some other vegetables and seasonings.

     Ingredients:

2 Tbsp oil

1 cup thinly sliced onion

1 cup chopped green onion

1-2 Tbsp Thai green curry paste

1  14 oz. can unsweetened coconut milk

2-3 cups chicken broth (or enough to cover vegetables)

3 Tbsp fish sauce

2 tsp sugar

1 cup diced plum tomatoes (I used grape tomatoes)

2 pounds uncooked shrimp, peeled and deveined

chopped cilantro

lime wedges

*optional (I also added these items)- 

•      2 stalks of celery, bias cut 
•      1 small yellow summer squash, quartered and thinly sliced
•      1/2 sweet green or red pepper, chopped (may use any combination of sweet or hot peppers)
•      1/2 cup carrots, julienned
•      3 cloves garlic, pressed/finely minced or 1-2 Tbsp of garlic paste
•      1-2 Tbsp freshly grated ginger or may use ginger paste (this really adds wonderful flavor), may substitute 1-2 tsp dry ginger powder
•      1-2 shrimp flavor bouillon cubes

     Directions:

Heat oil in bottom of a large soup pot and add sliced onion (not the green), celery, peppers, squash and carrots. Cook for approximately 2-4 minutes until the onion is just becoming translucent. Season with some seasoned salt. Add in the garlic, ginger and green curry paste and stir around for about 1 minute. Then add in coconut milk, chicken broth, fish sauce and sugar. Boil for 2 minutes.  Add in green onions, shrimp and tomatoes and cook for about 2 minutes if using medium shrimp or a couple minutes longer if using larger shrimp- just until they begin to turn pink. Serve over prepared rice or noodles and garnish with chopped cilantro and lime wedges.   

  Serves approximately 4-6 people   

Shared with the following:

     Weekend Potluck #13

     The Taylor House #3

     Miz Helen's Country Cottage: Full Plate Thursday 4-12-12

     Six Sisters' Stuff: Strut Your Stuff Saturday Link Party-Week 40

Moroccan Beet Salad

Beets are such a lovely vegetable- great color and have such a wonderful flavor, and they are another one of those superfoods that is rich in antioxidants, vitamins and minerals that our bodies crave. I have always loved them and this dish is just another big reason why! Last summer, my family went to a mission open-house at a local church and had a great time talking to people from all around the world and sampling some wonderful food. While there, I found this beet salad and could not believe how good the flavors were. Near the end of the day, I asked someone about what was in it- she didn't know for sure because it was made by a local man from Morocco. She then offered me an entire large pan of it since there were a lot of leftovers, which I readily accepted. My husband and I were in heaven for the next few days eating the leftovers. After eating this and trying to figure out what this was made out of, I decided to try making it myself. I think the key to the great flavor is the cilantro, which I have never had with beets before. Somehow, the onion and cilantro give such a brightness with the sweetness of the beets and the marinade (dressing) imparts a subtle flavor that results in such wonderful combination! This is a great summer salad, but it is also great anytime of the year when you want a little different beet dish.

     Ingredients:
3  15 oz. canned beets, (drained, chopped into strips or cubes if not already done for you)
     or you may use approximately 5-6 cups cooked and chopped beets
1 medium red onion, chopped
1/2 cup chopped cilantro (may use more or less or substitute chopped fresh flat leaf parsley)
1/3 cup olive oil
2/3 cup vinegar (or may use 1/2 cup vinegar and 3 Tbsp lime juice)
3/4 tsp salt (may adjust to taste)
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
2/3 cup sugar  
   
     Directions:
Mix together olive oil, vinegar/lime juice, salt, pepper and sugar in a large bowl. Add in the prepared beets, onion and cilantro. Stir well. Refrigerate in a covered dish for at least 4 hours, mixing ingredients every couple hours. Mix again before serving.


Yields approximately 8-10   1/2 - 2/3 cup servings
     

Cilantro, Lime and Lentil Salad

I got this recipe from my daughter's diabetes specialist's office last summer where they usually have some recipes that people can take that feature healthier diet choices. This recipe caught my eye because I have really come to enjoy the flavors of cilantro and lime and am also trying to incorporate more beans into my family's diet. The recipe originally called for 1 pound of lentils, but it ended up being such a huge amount that I decided to adjust it down to 1/2 pound. Even this amount makes a large salad. I also increased most of the other ingredients in the recipe and added some olive oil. However, my husband and I enjoyed eating this like a dip with chips or crackers, as well as as a salad. I have posted this recipe with the changes I made and am not sure who made the original recipe. The nice thing about this recipe is that you can add a number of different vegetables

Ingredients:

1/2 pound lentils, sorted and rinsed

1/4 - 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped (I used approximately 1/2 cup)

1/2 cup minced red onion

juice of 1-2 limes (adjust to taste)

2-3 medium or large tomatoes, diced (may substitute canned diced tomatoes)

2-3 garlic cloves, minced

3-4 Tbsp olive oil

1/4 - 1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1 - 1 1/2 tsp salt, or adjusted to taste (I used Adobo seasoned salt)

1 Tbsp cumin (may start with less and adjust to taste)

1/2 cup chopped cucumber

1/4 cup chopped bell peppers

hot pepper sauce (green or red) to taste

Directions:

     Simmer lentils in 6 cups of water until soft, about 25-30 minutes. Drain any excess liquid. Cool. Add the remaining ingredients together in a bowl and toss. Add in the cooled lentils and stir well. 

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Also shared on Simple Lives Thursday # 87

Sweet Potato Waffles

Waffles are something I make that my kids just love! I really only started making them more recently- had to dust off the 2 waffle makers we were given for wedding presents a long time ago. Lately, I was inspired by Rachael Ray's recent tv shows on all the different ways to use your waffle maker and decided to branch out a little with my recipes. So this past weekend, I was thinking about what kind of waffle to make and decided it needed to be with items from the pantry that I needed to use up, as well as something deceptively healthy. For inspiration, I looked through my Christmas present from my husband and daughter, Simply in Season by Mary Beth Lind and Cathleen Hockman-Wert. I just love this book and have so many recipes I want to try this year. In the winter section, there is a recipe for Nutty Sweet Potato Waffles, which I adapted to make my recipe featured here. I love all the healthy ingredients and the flavor was really wonderful. Our entire family decided this was going to be a keeper. 

These waffles are packed with goodness from the sweet potatoes (full of fiber and vitamin A), oatmeal, coconut milk and meat, as well as the ground nuts. These are a great way to feed your family something they will like, even if they do not usually like these ingredients alone, yet give them a nutrient-filled meal to power them for the day. For convenience sake and to use up some of my stockpile, I used a large can of yams in light syrup, which equaled about 2 1/4 cups. So I just added a little extra flour; this was probably not really necessary since it is such a thick batter.

I have also recently rediscovered and totally love the coconut flavor and found that this was a nice flavor combination with the sweet potato. However, you might try a number of other flavors or add-ins like dried cranberries, raisins, banana, etc. In addition, you might freely substitute other nuts instead of walnuts.

Makes approximately 8-10 large waffles

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter

2 cups sweet potatoes, cooked and mashed

6 eggs, beaten

2 cups milk ( I used coconut milk)

1 Tbsp coconut extract/flavoring

1 cup whole wheat flour (I used white whole wheat)

1 cup rolled oats, finely ground in blender

1 cup walnuts, pecans, almonds or hazelnuts (finely ground)

2 Tbsp baking powder

2 tsp salt (I used a little less since I was using a canned sweet potato)

2-3 tsp pumpkin pie spice

2-3 Tbsp brown sugar

shredded coconut for garnish

Directions:

Melt butter and set aside and allow to cool. Stir sweet potatoes, eggs, milk and flavoring together. Then stir in the cooled butter. 

Mix dry ingredients together and then add gradually into the wet ingredients. Mix until combined. Bake in a hot waffle iron. Serve warm with syrup of choice and garnish with coconut or other chopped fruit.

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Unstuffed Pepper Soup Supreme

This soup started out as a regular Unstuffed Pepper Soup since I had a lot of peppers to use up and I had been in the mood to make this for a long time. However, as I have written in the past, I tend to start adding some of this and some of that until the soup morphs into something else. This leads to moving the soup from one pot to another larger pot- sometimes a couple of different times before it is finished. That is how this soup became what it is- I really didn't even know what to call it because it is not really an Unstuffed Pepper Soup anymore. However, since it still has the "bones" of a pepper soup, I left the name. My children told me after the initial supper that they enjoyed it, which is remarkable given the variety of vegetables in it and the fact they are not fans of peppers usually. This time around, I used sausage, as well as a large patty pan squash that was begging to be used up, some yellow summer squash, mushrooms and cabbage. This made a huge pot of soup and would probably feed about 10 people. I have listed the ingredients along with the approximate amounts. The average size family or couple might want to cut this in half, at least.

Ingredients:

1/2- 1 pound ground beef or sausage
1-2 large onions, chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely minced
5-6 large green peppers, chopped
1/4- 1/2 cup mushrooms, chopped
1 large carton of beef broth (approximately 32 oz.)
1 carton of chicken broth (32 oz.)- you may need to add more if you  need more liquid as the rice cooks
28 oz. tomato sauce or spaghetti sauce (I prefer spaghetti sauce)
1  15 oz. can of diced tomatoes
2 cups cabbage, coarsely chopped
1 small yellow summer squash, chopped
1 larger patty pan squash, seeds removed & chopped
1 cup rice- white or brown
1 1/2 Tbsp dried parsley
1 1/2 tsp Italian herb blend
1 1/2 tsp seasoned salt- adjust to taste depending on how salty broth is


In a LARGE soup pot, sauté meat with onions until meat is browned. Drain off fat, if needed. Add in the garlic and cook for another couple minutes. Add in remainder of ingredients and cook for approximately 30-40 minutes, or until rice is fully cooked. Serve with a hearty bread.

Freezer Pickles

This is the season for an abundance of cucumbers in my garden. We have been eating these with tomatoes so many meals, and I was looking for an easy pickle recipe that could use a lot of them at once without getting out the canner and heating up the kitchen. Unfortunately, the extreme heat during July adversely affected my pickle cucumbers, causing the plants to die out before I was able to get more than a few off the plant. I had tried a couple long cucumber varieties, but was disappointed to find that they would grow much larger around on one end, having a larger seed section. Anyways, since I have so many of these larger cucumbers, I decided to try using them in the pickle recipe.

My sister-in-law shared this recipe with me, and I did not see how they would have flavor and be crunchy. However, they turned out very well- crunchy with a nice slightly tangy/sweet flavor, resembling the bread and butter pickles. The onions look like they would still be raw but they have a crunch with the flavor of the pickle juice- nothing like a raw onion. In addition, I did not add in the green peppers but added some mustard seed to the mixture. After storing these in the refrigerator and stirring them everyday for 4 days, you can put them into freezer containers, or I have just kept some in the fridge and they are still great indefinitely. I also used a crinkle cutter blade and even removed some of the seeds on some of the larger cucumbers and simply cut them into some chunks.


Ingredients:


7 cups sliced cucumbers
1 cup onions, sliced (may use sweet or cooking onions)
1 cup green peppers, sliced (optional)
        
      Place the following ingredients in a large 4-5 quart bowl with a lid: 
1 cup white vinegar
2 cups sugar
1/2 Tbsp salt
1 Tbsp celery seed
1 Tbsp mustard seed (may use less, optional)
       Combine ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil about a minute or until the sugar has completely dissolved, stirring well. Cool it down somewhat. (The recipe says cool completely, but I poured it over while still warm.) Pour syrup over the cucumber mixture and stir around. (The cucumbers will be higher than the liquid.)  Put in the refrigerator.
     Once a day, remove from the refrigerator and stir cucumbers, bringing the cucumber slices on top to the bottom. You will note that the cucumbers will add to the liquid and eventually the liquid will cover the cucumber mixture. On the fourth or fifth day, you may put them in freezer containers and then freeze. When ready to eat them, remove from the freezer and allow to thaw before serving.


The challenge with this recipe will be having enough pickles left at the end of the 4 or 5 days to actually freeze- if you can resist nibbling along the way!




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Broccoli Salad

This broccoli salad has been in my family for a long time. I am not really sure where it originally came from, but it may have been from a church cookbook my mom has that includes many Pennsylvania Dutch recipes. This salad has a dressing that is typical of the Amish/Mennonite salads with a creamy and mildly sweet/sour flavor. I have seen and tasted many variations of this salad and many are equally tasty. This picture shows it with only the ingredients listed on the recipe I have. However, I have seen it made with sunflower seeds or other types of dried fruit.

Many people, especially children, do not enjoy the flavor of raw broccoli. This salad is a great way to get some people to eat vitamin-rich broccoli with the added benefit of some protein from the peanuts. My children like this better than plain raw broccoli, and it is a nice dish for potluck dinners.



Ingredients:                                                        Serves: approx. 8

• 1 very large or about 3 small heads of broccoli, rinsed and chopped, removing the thick and hard stem first. (I use the smaller stem parts that do not have such thick-skinned and chop them small.)
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 1/2 cup peanuts
• 1/2 cup bacon bits
• 1/2 cup golden raisins

Mix above ingredients together.

To make dressing, mix the following together:

• 1 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/3 cup sugar or zylitol or other granulated sweetener
• 3 Tbsp vinegar (I have used either white wine or apple cider vinegar with good results)

Combine the dressing with the other ingredients and then allow to marinate in the refrigerator for several hours. This salad lasts well for some time.

** Another great variation is to use red onions, dried sweetened cranberries and chopped cauliflower and leave out the nuts and raisins.

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Mexican Bean Salad

I do not know how authentic Mexican this dish is, but it combines some of the flavors of mexican food, including chili powder, cumin, lime and lemon juice, as well as cilantro. I was introduced to this dish by my sister-in-law earlier this summer and instantly fell in love with it. It is great for those hot picnics when you do not want to worry about salads spoiling. Plus, it is great made up a couple days ahead, if needed.

This recipe originally was taken from Allrecipes.com submitted by Karen Castle on http://allrecipes.com/recipe/mexican-bean-salad/detail.aspx. I added some yellow pepper, a little extra lemon juice, as well as extra cilantro, chili powder and cumin. This is not a "hot" or very spicy salad- although you could add extra green pepper sauce/hot sauce and adjust the spices as desired. It really is a nice mix of flavors that will appeal to most people who enjoy a little flavor.

Serves about 8

Ingredients:

• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, drained
• 1 (15 ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 (10 ounce) package frozen corn kernels
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 clove crushed garlic
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/2 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1/2 tablespoon ground black pepper
• 1 dash hot pepper sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 
  
1. In a large bowl, combine beans, bell peppers, frozen corn, and red onion. 

2. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar, lime juice, lemon juice, sugar, salt, garlic, cilantro, cumin, and black pepper. Season to taste with hot sauce and chili powder.

3. Pour olive oil dressing over vegetables; mix well. Chill thoroughly, and serve cold.

Optional- A previous time I made this recipe, I added cooked ditalini pasta, which soaked up some of the dressing and added great texture and flavor, as well as made the salad go a little further.

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