Author: laughingmoondesigns@yahoo.com

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Basic Focaccia

foccacia_finalIt has been quite a while since my last blog… still cooking a lot but sometimes I forget the camera and it has just been a really busy time. Life got in the way! I have been doing a lot of work and also involved with illustrating a children’s book so just have not had time to blog. This is a wonderful recipe adapted from Tyler Florence. You can top it with herbs, olives, parmesan cheese… whatever sounds good. I make this on a regular basis.

foccaccia

Ingredients:

  • 1 package rapid-rising dry yeast
  • 1 cup warm water
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 3 1/2 to 4 cups flour
  • 1 tablespoon coarse salt
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • Cornmeal, for dusting

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Directions:

In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a dough hook, proof the yeast by combining it with the warm water and sugar. Stir gently to dissolve. Let stand 3 minutes until foam appears. Turn mixer on low and slowly add the flour to the bowl. Dissolve salt in 2 tablespoons of water and add it to the mixture. Pour in 1/4 cup olive oil. When the dough starts to come together, increase the speed to medium. Stop the machine periodically to scrape the dough off the hook. Mix until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes, adding flour as necessary. I have also done this by hand with no difference to the outcome.

Turn the dough out onto a work surface and fold over itself a few times. Form the dough into a round and place in an oiled bowl, turn to coat the entire ball with oil so it doesn’t form a skin. Cover with plastic wrap or damp towel and let rise over a gas pilot light on the stovetop or other warm place until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.

Coat a sheet pan with a little olive oil and corn meal. Once the dough is doubled and domed, turn it out onto the counter. Roll and stretch the dough out to an oblong shape about 1/2-inch thick. Lay the flattened dough on the pan and cover with plastic wrap. Let rest for 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Uncover the dough and dimple with your fingertips. Brush the surface with more olive oil and then add the toppings. Caramelized onions are wonderful as well as just course salt and herbs. Bake on the bottom rack for 15 to 20 minutes.

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Caramelized Onion, Zucchini and Mushroom Turnovers

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These are easy and SO yummy. You can make them ahead of time and freeze on a baking sheet for an hour and then put in a freezer bag. You can make all kinds of fillings but I love this one. This recipe makes about 40 or so small turnovers.

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Ingredients:

  • 2 tbs Olive Oil
  • 1 sweet onion, chopped
  • 1 medium zucchini, diced
  • 7 or 8 large white or Bella mushrooms, diced
  • 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • Pie crust dough for 4 – 9 inch pies or use refrigerated dough (which can save time if you are in a pinch). I have been using the Betty Crocker recipe below for years.

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Instructions:

  1. Pre-heat oven to 350.
  2. Make dough according to your favorite recipe. Allow to chill for about half an hour if you have time. If using refrigerated dough let come to room temperature
  3. Heat Olive oil in a pan and caramelize onions until golden brown (about 15-20 minutes.
  4. Add zucchini and cook until tender.
  5. Add mushrooms and cook until browned.
  6. Add in the parmesan cheese, salt and pepper.
  7. While filling is cooling roll out the dough. Cut out rounds using a 3 inch round cookie cutter. I got about 12 from each 1 crust recipe.
  8. Spoon out the filling onto the middle of each round, fold the round in half and crimp with a fork.
  9. Place on a non-stick cookie sheet and bake for about 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Pie Crust:

  • 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1/3 cup cold shortening
  • 3 to 5 tablespoons ice-cold water

1. Mix flour and salt in medium bowl. Cut in shortening, using pastry blender or fork, until mixture forms coarse crumbs the size of small peas. Sprinkle with the water, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with a fork until all flour is moistened.

2. Gather pastry into a ball and flatten on lightly floured surface. Wrap flattened round in plastic wrap and refrigerate 45 minutes or until dough is firm and cold, yet pliable.

3. Using floured rolling pin, roll pastry on lightly floured surface into a round 2 inches larger than upside-down 9-inch glass pie plate.

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Roasted Corn, Tomato and Avocado Salad

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This is a recipe from “bake your day” blog which I have altered a bit. You can make it ahead and just add the avocados before serving. I doubled the recipe and had leftovers.

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 cups corn (cut from 2-3 ears or frozen/thawed)
  • 2 tsp. olive oil
  • 2 avocados, peeled and diced
  • 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
  • 1/2 cup diced red onion
  • 1 lime, juiced
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/4 tsp. pepper
  • 1 tbsp. Honey Balsamic Vinegar (optional)

Instructions:

  • Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat and brush a light layer of oil on the pan. Add the corn to the grill pan and cook for about 10 minutes, until the corn is lightly browned, stirring occasionally.
  • Pre heat the oven at 350. Line a baking pan with foil, place tomatoes in a layer and drizzle with olive oil and sea salt. Roast for about 20 minutes.
  • Combine the avocados, roasted tomatoes (with juice), roasted corn, and red onion in a large bowl. In a small bowl, mix the lime juice, Balsamic Vinegar, salt and pepper. Pour over the veggies and stir until combined.
  • Refrigerate the salad for at least 45 minutes, up to 4 hours. Serve cold.

To prepare the day or night before: prepare as instructed above, except do not add the avocados. When ready to serve, add the peeled & diced avocados and stir to combine with the other ingredients. The avocados can be added in advance, but will start to brown if the salad is left to chill overnight.

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Peppadew Peppers stuffed with Goat Cheese

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I have been cooking a LOT lately but I have a hard time remembering to take photos. I must get better. One of these days I will have a beautiful blog… But these little appetizers are so good I had to post the photos I did have. We had something similar at the Silly Goose a few weeks back and I tried to make my own version. These are spicy and sweet!

Ingredients:

  • 4 oz cream cheese, softened
  • 4 oz plain goat cheese (I added some herbs from my garden)
  • 25 marinated Peppadew peppers – Try to get ones with flat bottoms to make it easier to fill.
  • 1/4 to 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
  • 2-4 tbs balsamic glaze ( you can also use balsamic vinegar – it just won’t be as sweet.

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Instructions:

  • Preheat oven to 350*.
  • Mix the softened cheeses and herbs together until the everything is combined.
  • Scoop mixture into a strong freezer style zip bag and cut off one tiny bit off the end.
  • Drain extra juice off of the peppers and check for any stray seeds.
  • Fill each pepper to the top, but not overflowing. Arrange the peppers, open end up, in a oven safe casserole dish or platter. Top with grated or shredded parmesan.
  • Bake for 8-12 minutes or until parmesan has melted and begins to brown.
  • Remove from oven and drizzle with balsamic glaze.
  • Serve warm
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Vegetable Curry

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We love curry, I experimented with this one. The original recipe from Southern Living called for buttermilk but I substituted lite coconut milk. We loved it over brown rice and with Naan. This makes enough for about 6.

Ingredients:

  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 3 Tbsp olive oil for the tomatoes
  • 1 Tbsp fresh minced ginger
  • 1 Tbsp Sweet curry powder (I used Penzy’s)
  • 1-2 tsp red pepper
  • 1 serrano pepper, seeded and minced (if you want some heat)
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 package of grape tomatoes
  • 1 red pepper, cut into quarters and sliced
  • 1 zucchini, cut in half and sliced
  • 1 large sweet onion, sliced thin
  • 3 cups 1/2 inch cubed yukon gold potatoes
  • 2 Cups chicken broth
  • 2 cups cauliflower florets (I used half a head and saved the rest)
  • 2 Tbsp cornstarch
  • 1 can lite coconut milk ( or 2 cups buttermilk)
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Directions:

  1. Slice grape tomatoes in half, place on a tinfoil lined cookie sheet and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Roast at 350 for about 20 minutes. Set aside
  2. Heat olive oil in a large pan, add ginger and saute until golden
  3. Add onion and saute until golden
  4. Stir in curry powder, serrano pepper, salt and pepper to taste
  5. Add potatoes. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes.
  6. Add broth and cauliflower. increase heat to high; bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to low and simmer until potatoes and cauliflower are tender
  7. Add in the zucchini and red pepper and mix well
  8. While vegetable mixture is cooking, whisk together cornstarch and 2 Tbsp of the coconut milk until smooth. Whisk in the coconut milk. Slowly stir the coconut milk mixture into the vegetable and cook, stirring occasionally until thickened
  9. Add the tomatoes and juices into the mixture
  10. Serve over brown or white rice and Naan
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Kale Salad with Pine Nuts and Golden Raisins

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We had a wonderful meal at Kanye Prime on Friday night with friends. The black kale salad was divine. So I wanted to recreate it for us at home. I found a bunch of recipes online but this is the one I tried from www.eat-drink-smile.com

Ingredients:

1 large bunch of kale, washed, de-stemmed and torn into pieces
1 cup golden raisins
juice of 1 freshly squeezed lemon (2-3 Tbsp)
1/2 – 1 tsp lemon zest (from lemon above)
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan
1/4 cup of olive oil
1/2 cup chopped, toasted nuts (I used Pine nuts)
Salt to taste

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Directions:

  1. Take torn kale pieces and in batches, pulse in food processor until finely chopped*. Place chopped kale into medium bowl. Add raisins, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Toss together.
  2. Stir in parmesan and olive oil, evenly coating all kale. Add in nuts and toss. Salt to taste before serving.*It took about 3 batches in the food processor for me to get it all chopped. You should have approximately 4 cups of finely chopped kale when finished.
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Cinnamon Roll Cake

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Sometimes I make things that are vegetarian, low calorie and healthy. This is not one of them, but life is short. From the Blog Cinnamon Spice and Everything Nice by Reeni Pisano.

Ingredients:

Cake:
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 + 1/2 cups milk
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup butter, melted
Topping:
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Glaze:
  • 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
  • 5 tablespoons milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

  1. Butter and flour a 9×13 baking pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. To a large bowl add all the cake ingredients except the butter. Mix until just combined – the mixture will be thick. Slowly stir in the butter until just combined – don’t overmix or it will be rubbery.
  3. Pour or spoon into the prepared pan.
  4. To make the topping mix all the ingredients together until well combined. Drop spoonfuls evenly over the batter and swirl with a knife.
  5. Bake 28-32 minutes. While cake is warm whisk the glaze ingredients together until smooth and drizzle over the cake. To serve cut into squares.
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Butternut Squash, Chickpea & Lentil Moroccan Stew

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A healthy Moroccan-spiced Stew with butternut squash, chickpeas, and lentils! You’ll love this protein and fiber packed meal!
I adapted this from a recipe from the Ambitious Kitchen blog. I added chicken to this but it could be completely vegetarian. You can also use sweet potatoes instead of butternut squash.

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Ingredients:

  • 1 teaspoon olive or coconut oil
  • 2 sweet onions, sliced thin
  • 2 teaspoons cumin
  • 1 teaspoon roasted or regular cinnamon
  • sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 1 can (15 oz) chickpeas, rinsed and drained
  • 1 can (28 oz) fire-roasted, diced tomatoes
  • 4 cups organic vegetable broth
  • 1 pound butternut squash, diced large (about 4 cups)
  • 1/2 cup dried apricots, cut into quarters
  • 5 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (optional
  • 1 cup green lentils, rinsed well
  • 1/8 teaspoon saffron
  • 1/2 cup cashews, if desired
  • 1 Tbs of lemon juice
  • few dashes of red pepper flakes, if desired
  • Couscous

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Directions:

  1. Heat the oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Add the onion; cook stiring frequently until the onion becomes caramelized, about 15-20 minutes.
  2. Next stir in cumin, cinnamon, and salt and pepper; cook for a few more minutes until spices are fragrant.
  3. Add chickpeas, tomatoes, broth, butternut squash, lentils, apricots and saffron. Bring to a boil, then cover, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until butternut squash is tender and lentils are fully cooked.
  4. At this point if you are using chicken, add the chicken and simmer until tender. Remove and shred with 2 forks and return to the pot.
  5. Stir in lemon and cashews. Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary. Garnish with greek yogurt, if desired
  6. Cook couscous according to directions (I like trader joe’s tri-color) and serve the stew over the couscous.

6 servings – about 1 1/2 cups each.

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Roasted Cauliflower Mac & Cheese (low guilt)

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I love mac and cheese. My mom makes the best baked mac and cheese (loaded with fatty goodness) but this has all sorts of gooey wonderfulness without quite so much guilt..and hidden veggies. I think this would be great for kids, you don’t even realize there is cauliflower in with the pasta. I served it as a side dish with chicken but it would make a great vegetarian entree. This is adapted from a Vanilla and Bean blog post. You could also add some caramelized onions.

cauliflower

Ingredients:

  • 1 head of cauliflower, trimmed
  • Olive oil for drizzling over cauliflower
  • 1/2 Cup Grated Parmesan
  • 2 Cups Grated low fat Sharp Cheddar Cheese
  • 8 oz Pasta Shells
  • 2 Cups skim or 2% Milk
  • 2 Tbs Unsalted Butter
  • 2 Tbs All Purpose Flour
  • 1 C Panko Flake Bread Crumbs
  • Black Pepper to Taste
  • 1 tsp salt
  • Smoked Paprika to taste
  • Fresh Thyme for garnish

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425F, with rack positioned in the center of the oven. Line a sheet pan with foil.

2. Arrange the trimmed and cut cauliflower on the sheet distributed in one layer. Drizzle with olive oil. Once the oven is preheated, put the sheet pan in the oven and set the timer for 15 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, put a pot of water on to boil for the pasta shells. Add the pasta once the water is boiling and boil until tender (or as indicated package directions). Drain pasta and rinse. Set aside.

4. Check on the cauliflower after 15 minutes. Give the pan a shake and gently, using a spatula, redistribute the cauliflower again in one layer. Set the timer for another 5 minutes then check again. The cauliflower should be turning a nice golden color with crunchy bits . Cook for an additional 5 minutes if needed. Add 1/2 C Parmesan and 1/2 Cheddar and bake for an additional 15 minutes or until the cheese is throughly melted. Remove the pan from the oven and set aside.

5. Reduce the temperature of the oven to 350. Spray a 2 quart baking dish with cooking spray.

6. Heat the milk in the microwave, about a minute, until hot. Set aside.

7. In a medium saucepan, add the remaining 2 Tbs butter. Melt and allow the butter to bubble. Turn the burner to low. Sprinkle in the flour and whisk constantly until a paste is formed. Now you’re ready to add the milk, a little at a time, while whisking the entire time. Continue to add a little more milk at a time while the sauce begins to thicken and become smooth. The goal is no lumps! Once all the milk is in the pot and your sauce is smooth, add the salt, pepper, and the remaining cheese. Stir until completely smooth. Remove the pot from the heat.

8. Stir in the cooked pasta, the cauliflower, and the little bits of crunchies on the pan. Transfer the mac and cheese to the baking dish and cover the mixture with breadcrumbs. Sprinkle paprika over the top, to taste.  Bake for about 20 minutes until the breadcrumbs are toasty and the mac and cheese is heated throughly.

9. Garnish with fresh thyme.