Pumpkin Dip

I had never heard of pumpkin dip till this year. But now after making it twice this season, I think I can safely say, it is a hit!  Easy to make and people love it.  It’s a great appetizer for holiday gatherings.  

I served it with apple and pear slices, and pretzels.  I think I would add ginger snap crips as well if I could find them here. 

Pumpkin Dip

1 package of cream cheese softened.  Beat lightly

add 1 cup brown sugar.  I like to smooth it in my blender to take out any lumps. 

2 cups cooked pumpkin (you can use canned or fresh, be sure the fresh is blended smooth.)

spices:

1 t. cinnamon

1/2 t. ginger

1/4 t. ground cloves

1/4 t. nutmeg

Beat cream cheese and then add other ingredients.  Beat till smooth and creamy.

Cover and refrigerate till serving. 

 

Cajun Chicken Soup

In the cold weather, you can’t beat Chicken Soup. I made this video for my newly married daughter last year when we were staying in America for a few months and I just found it today. I thought I would post as it is probably cold in the USA since it is December already. What a good soup to make for a decorating the tree night. I like to eat with garlic toast or brown rice.

 

 

Rice Stuffing

Some people would rather have rice than bread stuffings.  I did this a few times and really liked it.

1 1/2 cups wild rice blend or brown rice

1 onion sliced thin

1 t. salt

1/2 t. pepper

1 large clove garlic pressed

3 T. olive oil

4 cups chicken or veggie stock

1 c. green onions

1 c. fresh cranberries, you could use dried if you wanted as well.

1/2 c. toasted almonds

Heat oil and add garlic and onions, add spices,  cook till clear add rice and stock.  and cranberries.  Cook till water is evaporated and rice is just done, be careful not to over cook.  Add green onions and almonds.  toss.

Serve with roasted turkey, duck, quail, or chicken

 

 

Spicy, Cheesy, Cornbread

 

 

In the southern United States, people love to eat cornbread with beans and rice, bean soup, chili, and other things.

When my mom was a kid, she crumbled up her cornbread in her buttermilk and ate it like cereal.

Thank you to the American Indians who first introduced this wonderful bread to us.

2 Cups Cornmeal- in Thailand, cornmeal is hard to find so I use polenta mix or have made my own from fresh pop corn, ground in the blender with the grinder attachment.  (she must really like her cornbread!)

1/4 cup whole wheat flour or gluten free mix

1 egg

1/4 cup oil

1 1/3 cup milk

one small can cream corn

1/4 cup cheddar or jack cheese or any combo of cheese, (shredded)  I use my blender to shred cheese.

1/4 cup chilies in a can or roast your own and scrape from the peeling once it is cool.

1 T. raw sugar or honey

dash salt

sprinkle of black pepper

heat oil in skillet in a 425F degree oven and pour in batter once it is hot.  It will sizzle so be careful.

bake at 425 for 25 min. or until it starts to pull away from the sides and the center is firm.  You can test with a toothpick if desired.

 

 

 

 

 

Image via~http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Zankopedia

Tomatoes and Other Fruits

You may notice that the tomatoes you buy in the store,  

even some that say “organic”  do not taste quite the same as tomatoes tasted when you were a kid.

Did you ever taste a vine-ripened tomato directly from your garden?  The sweetness and flavors are amazing and with just a sprinkle of salt, you can actually have sliced tomatoes as a meal on its own.

But now days, most companies pack green tomatoes and even sometimes freeze them before they get to your grocery.  By the time you buy them they are sort of a dull pink color and many times when you cut into one it is so disappointing to find a mushy inside!

I have also noticed many fruits being this way and the tastes are far inferior to that of a home grown or farmers market variety.

There is a little trick you may not know.  If the tomatoes have not ripened yet, instead of storing them in your fridge, you can put them on a sunny window sill for a day or two, until the desired ripeness is apparent.  Then, you can store them in your fridge.  When you bring them out to eat, you will be surprised at the delicious taste.

You can also try with peaches, plums and nectarines.

Pasta and Black Beans

This is a great dish to make when you have left over pasta in the fridge that you don’t know what to do with.

1 cup black beans

1 T. coconut oil

1/2 cup pepper jack cheese

1/2 cup salsa

1 cup cooked and cooled pasta – (I used quinoa spaghetti pasta because it is gluten free)

It is very important that this pasta is cold, preferably in the fridge over night.

Melt oil in saucepan over medium heat.  add beans, and pasta.  Stir in cheese and salsa.

stir till warmed through and the cheese is melting.

serve with avacado slices and salad

Black Bean Soup

For a really quick soup:

1 can black beans or two cups of cooked  black beans I usually use dried beans, soak overnight, rinse in the morning and cover with new water. place in crockpot on low or high till beans are tender.  usually all day.

1cup salsa

heat and serve

Garnishes and additions:

handsome dollop of greek yogurt or sour cream

grated Pepper Jack Cheese

Blue corn chips or brown rice

eat with avocado salad

Humus with Pita

One thing leads to another… First I made hummus then thought, I need pita bread to go with that.  As the bread was rising, I thought, well I might as well make some morrocan chicken and cucumber youghurt to go with that.  Before I knew it I was pulling out stuff for saffron rice as well.  Enjoy the recipe!

Humus

2 cups chick peas cooked

3T. (sesame paste) make with sesame seeds and grind till makes a paste.

2 T. lime juice, more or less to taste

1 1/2 tsp salt, more or less to taste

1 clove garlic – more to taste roasted first

1 – 2 TBSP reserved liquid if needed

1/4 tsp cummin, 1/4 t. corriander seeds ground in food processor

2 TBSP chopped parsley (garnish)
1/2 roasted red pepper
Drain chickpeas, reserving liquid.
Peel, roast and chop garlic.
Put chickpeas, garlic, tahini, lemon juice and salt in food processor, process to thick paste.  add roasted red pepper. process.
if desired 1/8 cup fresh corrianderGarnish with parsley (optional) and serve with pita or arabic bread, or crackers.I made pita bread to go with this.

Pita Bread
1 1/3 c. water (80 deg.)8 t. olive oil4 t. sugar1 1/4 t. salt2 cups bread flour1 1/3 c. whole wheat flour2 1/2 t. yeast

mix, knead, riseDivide into 10 smooth balls, let rise 20 min. flatten to 6 inch circles.Bake at 500 F. for 5 min. till puffed and light brown.

Only one word for this meal. delicious.Cheers,Julie

Stir Fry Granola

Easy Granola

 

You can stir this granola in a wok!

This recipe saves time (oven methods could take up to two hours) and money (the gas or electricity used by the oven.)

 

1. Put together in a bowl:

4 cups old fashioned oats

1 cup non fat dry milk powder

1 cup dried fruit (I used cranberries)

½ cup walnuts or almonds ground fine or chopped (my kids are picky about nuts but if I grind them up fine in the blender, they will eat them.

½ cup dried coconut ground fine or chopped (optional)

¼ cup wheat germ (optional)

1 T. Cinnamon

 

2. In a wok, melt:

1 cup brown sugar

¼ cup water

1 t. vanilla

 

3. Stir the brown sugar syrup into the oat mixture.

 

4. pour ½ cup olive oil and heat in the wok.

(you could use melted butter)

 

5. Add the oat mixture to the oil and butter

Stir until mixture is all mixed and starts to brown.

 

6. Put out on cookie sheet to dry.

 

7. Keep in airtight container.

 

Yields 8 cups and is 111 calories per ¼ cup.