Monday, May 27, 2013

Caribbean Shrimp Kebabs


Ingredients:

  • 32 medium shrimp (about 1 pound), peeled and deveined
  • 2 large red bell peppers, ribs and seeds removed, cut into 24 pieces (about 11/2 inches each)
  • 2 tablespoons dark rum
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for grill
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder (preferably Madras)
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • coarse salt
  • Cilantro Dipping Sauce

Directions

  1. Heat grill to high. Assemble 8 kebabs (using 2 short skewers for each), alternating 4 shrimp with 3 pieces of pepper on each. Arrange skewers in a nonmetallic dish.
  2. In a small bowl, whisk together rum, oil, curry powder, allspice, and cayenne. Pour marinade over skewers, and turn to coat. Let stand 5 minutes. Season with salt.
  3. Lightly oil grates. Place skewers on grill; cover grill, and cook until grill marks are visible and shrimp are opaque throughout, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Season with more salt, if desired. Serve with sauce.

Cilantro Dipping Sauce


Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup firmly packed cilantro leaves
  • 1/4 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
  • 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
  • 1 teaspoon dark rum
  • 1/2 teaspoon curry powder (preferably Madras)
  • Coarse salt and ground pepper

Directions:

  1. In a blender, puree cilantro leaves, reduced-fat mayonnaise, fresh lime juice, dark rum, and curry powder. Season with coarse salt and ground pepper.

    Best with Caribbean Shrimp Kebabs

Grilled Three-Cheese Potatoes


Ingredients:

  • 6 large potatoes, sliced 1/4 inch thick
  • 2 medium onions, chopped
  • 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
  • 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
  • 1 pound sliced bacon, cooked and crumbled
  • 1/4 cup butter, cubed
  • 1 tablespoon minced chives
  • 1 to 2 teaspoons seasoned salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper

Directions:

  • Divide the potatoes and onions equally between two pieces of heavy-duty foil (about 18-in. square) that have been coated with cooking spray.
  • Combine Parmesan cheese and 3/4 cup each cheddar and mozzarella; sprinkle over potatoes and onions. Top with bacon, butter, chives, seasoned salt and pepper. Bring opposite ends of foil together over filling and fold down several times. Fold unsealed ends toward filling and crimp tightly.
  • Grill, covered, over medium heat for 35-40 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Remove from the grill. Open foil carefully and sprinkle with remaining cheeses. Yield: 6-8 servings.


Veggie Spiral Salad


Ingredients

  • 1 cup uncooked tricolor spiral pasta
  • 1/2 cup chopped seeded cucumber
  • 1/2 cup thinly sliced celery
  • 1/2 cup chopped red onion
  • 1/2 cup sliced radishes
  • 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup sliced ripe olives, drained
  • 1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese
  • 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 tablespoon Italian salad dressing mix
  • 2 tablespoons plus 1-1/2 teaspoons cider vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions

  • Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the cucumber, celery, onion, radishes, tomatoes, olives, cheese, garlic powder and pepper. Drain pasta and rinse in cold water; stir into vegetable mixture.
  • In a bowl, whisk the dressing mix, vinegar and oil. Drizzle over salad and toss to coat. Serve immediately or refrigerate. Yield: 5 servings.


Foil-Pack Vegetables


1
 zucchini, cut into 1-1/2 inch chunks
1
cup  button mushrooms
1
 each red and yellow pepper, cut into 1-1/2 inch pieces
1
cup  large cherry tomatoes
1/4
cup  KRAFT Lite Zesty Italian Dressing
2
Tbsp.  KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese

HEAT grill to medium-high heat.
COMBINE vegetables, tomatoes and dressing. Spoon onto center of large sheet heavy-duty foil; fold to make packet.
GRILL 8 to 10 min. or until vegetables are crisp-tender, turning after 4 min.
CUT slits in foil to release steam before opening packet. Sprinkle vegetable mixture with cheese.

SPECIAL EXTRA
Toss vegetables and tomatoes with 1 Tbsp. pesto along with the dressing. Or, sprinkle cooked vegetable mixture with chopped fresh parsley just before serving.
SUBSTITUTE
If you don't have heavy-duty foil, you can use a double layer of regular foil instead.

Strawberry Sorbet


Ingredients:
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1 pound frozen Florida strawberries (thawed)
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon Grand Marnier (optional)
In a small saucepan, over low heat, combine water and sugar. Stir until all the sugar is totally dissolved. This should take around five minutes. Any grains in the syrup will work against your smooth sorbet.
Once all of the sugar is dissolved, put the syrup in the refrigerator to cool. Next, puree the strawberries with lemon juice using a blender or food processor. Transfer pureed berries to a large bowl and refrigerate until very cold.
After about an hour, remove the syrup and the strawberries from the refrigerator.
If you have an ice cream maker, pour puree and syrup into the bowl and process using the manufacturer’s instructions. Once it is finished, place in the freezer until you are ready to enjoy your sorbet.
If you do not have an ice cream maker, combine the syrup and berries. Then transfer to a small, metal baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap and place in the freezer for 3-4 hours.
Remove from freezer and let thaw slightly on the counter. Transfer sorbet back to your blender or food processor to whip it up a bit more, breaking any ice that might have frozen solid. Transfer to an air-tight Tupperware type container and refreeze. Once it has hardened, you are ready to enjoy your sorbet!
If you want a smoother and even tastier sorbet, add 1 tbsp of Grand Marnier to the strawberries as you puree them.

Strawberry Syrup



  • 4 cups ripe strawberries, rinsed and hulled
  • 1 3/4 cups of water
  • 2 tsp. finely grated lemon zest
  • 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
Crush the berries in a heavy saucepan. Add one cup of water and the lemon zest. Bring mixture to boil then reduce heat to a simmer for five minutes. Skim any foam that forms off the top.
After five minutes of simmering, set the mixture aside to cool.
Meanwhile, place the sugar and the remaining 3/4 cup of water in a small, heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook until the syrup reaches 260°F on a candy thermometer. Set aside.
Strain cooled strawberry mixture through cheesecloth, squeezing to separate the majority of the seeds.
Pour the strained strawberries into a heavy saucepan with the sugar syrup. Bring to a boil and cook for eight minutes. Remove from heat and pour into two sterilized half-pint jars, leaving 1/4 inch of head space. Process in a boiling water bath for ten minutes.

No-Bake Strawberry Cheesecake


  • 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
  • 1/3 cup white sugar
  • 1 (12 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
  • 1 (9 inch) prepared graham cracker crust
  • 1/2 pint sliced fresh Florida strawberries

  1. Beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Fold in whipped topping. Spoon mixture into graham crumb crust. Refrigerate for 2 hours. 
  2. Once the cheesecake has set, garnish with sliced strawberries and serve. For even more strawberry flavor, try adding our strawberry syrup to the top of the cheesecake while it chills in the refrigerator.

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Dairy-Free Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pie


Yield: 1 9" pie

Ingredients:

  • For the Crust:
  • 1 1/2 cup all-purpose gluten-free flour mix
  • 1 t. powdered sugar
  • 1/2 t. salt
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) cold dairy-free gluten-free margarine
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • 1 t. cold water
  • For the Filling:
  • 1 15-ounce can canned pumpkin (NOT canned pumpkin pie filling)
  • 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 cup coconut milk or other dairy-free milk alternative
  • 1/2 cup maple syrup
  • 1 t. ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 t. ground ginger
  • 1/8 t. ground cloves
  • 1/8 t. salt
  • White granulated sugar, for sprinkling
  • Vegan Whipped Cream (optional)

Preparation:

1. Prepare the crust. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine the flour mix, powdered sugar and salt until well mixed. Using a pastry cutter or your hands, cut in the diary-free gluten-free margarine until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Create a well in the center of the ingredients and add the egg and water, mixing until the dough comes together to form a soft dough. Press the dough into a disk, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
2. Unwrap the pie dough and place between two pieces of lightly floured (with gluten-free flour) parchment paper. Roll out the dough between the two sheets of parchment and carefully transfer to the prepared pie plate. Make a crust with your fingers and smooth out any breaks or cracks. (Gluten-free pie crusts crumble considerably more than traditional flour ones.) Place the pie plate in the refrigerator while preparing the filling.
3. Preheat the oven to 425 F.
4. Prepare the filling. In a medium-sized mixing bowl using an electric hand mixer or a standing mixer, mix the pumpkin, eggs, coconut milk, maple syrup, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, ground cloves, and salt until smooth and well combined. Pour the mixture into the prepared crust and sprinkle lightly with granulated sugar. Bake for 10 minutes, then turn down the oven to 350 F and bake for 35-40 minutes more or until a skin forms on top of the pumpkin and the crust is just lightly golden (gluten-free crusts do not brown quite like wheat-based ones.) Transfer the pie to a wire cooling rack to cool completely, then place in the refrigerator to chill completely. Serve cold with Vegan Whipped Cream if desired.
Cook's Note:
    Something I've found with gluten-free pie crusts is that there is benefit to allowing the pies to refrigerate for a day to soften the crust a bit and keep it from being too tough or crispy (gluten-free crusts are not as flaky as wheat-based ones). So, feel free to make this pie the day before you intend to serve it!



Vegan Ganache


Makes about 2 cups

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 6 minutes

Total Time: 16 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup unsweetened plain soymilk
  • 2 ½ cups dark dairy-free chocolate chips

Preparation:

1. In a small saucepan over low heat, combine the soymilk and chocolate chips. Stirring frequently, cook until the mixture is well combined and the chocolate has a glossy finish. Remove the ganache from the heat. Use while warm or slightly cooled.

Vegan Chocolate Cheesecake

Makes one 10" cheesecake or 4 4"cheesecakes

Good topped with Vegan Chocolate Ganache

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

  • ¾ cups almond meal
  • ¼ cup cocoa powder
  • ¾ cup white flour
  • 1 t. ground cinnamon
  • ¼ t. salt
  • 1/3 cup maple syrup
  • ¼ cup oil
  • ¼ cup Egg Replacer powder
  • ¼ cup plus 2 T. hot water
  • 2/3 cup dark dairy-free chocolate chips
  • 1 T. dairy-free soy margarine
  • 32 oz. dairy-free cream cheese, such as Tofutti
  • 1 cup sugar
  • ½ t. vanilla

Preparation:

1.Preheat oven to 375 F. Lightly oil a 10” spring-form pan or, alternatively, six 4” spring-form pans.* Set aside.
2. Make the crust. In a small bowl, combine the almond meal, cocoa powder, white flour, cinnamon and salt. In another bowl, mix the maple syrup and oil until well combined and add to the dry mixture until forming a slightly crumbly dough that just holds together.
3. Press dough into the bottom of prepared pan(s) and puncture in several places with a fork to prevent bubbles from rising. Bake for about 7 minutes, or until crust is just slightly browned, but not burnt. Set on a cooling rack to cool slightly.
4. Turn up oven to 400 F.
5. Make the filling. In a small bowl, combine the Egg Replacer powder with the hot water, stirring quickly with a spoon until mixture is consistent and slightly stiff. Set aside. Place the dairy-free dark chocolate chips and dairy-free soy margarine in a stainless steel bowl set over boiling water, stirring often, until the chocolate is melted.
6. Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl with an electric hand mixer, mix the cream cheese and sugar on medium speed until smooth, about 4 minutes. Add in the Egg Replacer mixture and beat on high speed for 2 minutes more. Add the melted chocolate and vanilla and beat for 1 more minute on high speed, or until mixture is consistent.
7. Pour filling over the prepared crust, smoothing the top with an offset spatula. Bake at 400 F for 5 minutes, then turn down oven to 275 F and bake for about 40 minutes more. Allow cheesecake to cool and then chill in the refrigerator at least 2 hours before serving. (Note: It is a good idea to open the oven door for about 3 minutes to let the heat out when turning down the oven. If the oven is too hot for too long, your cheesecake will puff up and then fall.)
*If preparing six 4" cheesecakes, bake at 375 F for about 25-30 minutes.

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Vegan Cheesecake


Makes one 10" cheesecake or six 4" cheesecakes*
Also works on graham cracker or Oreo crust.

Ingredients:

  • ¾ cup almond meal
  • ¾ cup white flour
  • 1 t. ground cinnamon
  • 1/8 t. salt
  • 1/3 cup maple syrup or honey (if vegan, use maple syrup)
  • ¼ cup oil
  • ¼ cup Egg Replacer powder
  • ¼ cup plus 2 T. hot water
  • 32 oz. soy cream cheese (4 8-oz. tubs), such as Tofutti
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 t. apple cider vinegar

Preparation:

1.Preheat oven to 375 F. Lightly oil a 10” spring-form pan or, alternatively, six 4” spring-form pans.* Set aside.
2. Make the crust. In a small bowl, combine the almond meal, white flour, cinnamon and salt. In another bowl, mix the oil and honey until well combined and add to the dry mixture until forming a slightly crumbly dough that just holds together.
3. Press dough into the bottom of prepared pan(s) and puncture in several places with a fork to prevent bubbles from rising. Bake for about 7 minutes, or until crust is a light golden brown. Set on a cooling rack to cool slightly.
4. Turn up oven to 400 F.
5. Make the filling. In a small bowl, combine the Egg Replacer powder with the hot water, stirring quickly with a spoon until mixture is consistent and slightly stiff. Set aside.
6. In a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer, mix the cream cheese and sugar on medium speed until fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add in the Egg Replacer mixture and beat on high speed for 2 minutes more. Add the vinegar and beat for 1 more minute on high speed.
7. Pour filling over crust, smoothing the top with an offset spatula. Bake at 400 F for 5 minutes, then turn down oven to 275 F and bake for about 40 minutes more, or until top is lightly golden. Allow cheesecake to cool and then chill in the refrigerator at least 2 hours before serving. (Note: It is a good idea to open the oven door for about 3 minutes to let the heat out when turning down the oven. If the oven is too hot for too long, your cheesecake will puff up and then fall.)
*If preparing six 4" cheesecakes, bake at 375 F for about 25-30 minutes.

Thursday, May 9, 2013

Kale Chips


Ingredients:

  • 2 large bunches kale
  • Olive oil
  • Hawaiian sea salt or coarse salt

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Lightly oil a large baking sheet with olive oil.
2. Wash and dry the kale, then tear into chip-sized pieces. Place on the prepared sheet, then drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with Hawaiian sea salt or coarse salt. Bake for about 8-12 minutes, or until crisp. Cool on a wire cooling rack to room temperature and serve!

Vegan Banana Bread Muffins


Ingredients:

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
  • 3/4 t. baking soda
  • 3/4 t. salt
  • 1/2 cup plain soy milk
  • 1 t. lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup canola oil
  • 1 t. vanilla extract
  • 2 cups mashed bananas (from about 4 large overripe bananas)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with muffin liners or lightly oil.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugars, baking soda, and salt. In another small bowl, whisk together the soy milk, lemon juice, canola oil and vanilla extract. Add the bananas and mix until combined. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, mixing until just combined. Portion the batter into the muffin tin and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the muffins emerges clean. Allow muffins to cool for 15 minutes in the pan before removing to cool completely on a wire cooling rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Pecan Pie Bars


Ingredients:

3 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cups white sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 clove butter
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups light corn syrup
1 1/2 cups white sugar
3 Tbsp butter
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups chopped pecans ( i leave some of them whole)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.Line a 10x15 inch jelly roll pan with parchment paper and leave a little over hang to make it easier to lift bars out. Lightly spray with Pam.

2. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, ½ cup sugar, and salt. Cut in the 1 cup of butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the prepared pan, and press in firmly.

3. Bake for 20 min. in a preheated oven.

4. While the crust is baking, prepare the filling. In a large bowl mix together the eggs, corn syrup, 1 ½ cups sugar, 3 tablespoons butter, and vanilla until smooth. Stir in the chopped pecans. Spread the filling evenly over the crust as soon as it comes out of the oven.

5. Bake for 25 min. in the preheated oven, or until set. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack before slicing into bars. I also loosen the edges of the whole thing with a knife. They can be a little sticky trying to get them out of the pan!

Apple Pie Recipe*


Ingredients:

Pastry for 2 crusts (Never Fail Two Flaky Pie Crust)
8 cups sliced, peeled assorted baking apples - about 3 lbs.  (Granny Smith, Cortland, Jonathan, HoneyCrisp)
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
3/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg (optional)
2 Tablespoons butter 



Directions:

1. In a large bowl, toss the pealed and sliced apples with lemon juice.

2. In a side bowel combine sugars, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg; add to apples and toss well to coat.

3. Fill pastry lined 9 inch pie pan with apple mixture. Dot with butter. Apples should be overflowing as it will reduce in the oven.

4. Place second crust on top of pie filling, cut slits in top of crust to vent. Seal the edges of the crust with a fork or by hand and put on egg wash (one egg yolk and 1Tablespoon milk).

5. Bake at 425 degrees F for 15 minutes.

6. Reduce heat to 350 degrees F and bake 40-45 minutes more or until crust is golden and filling is bubbly.

7. Let the pie cool (an hour is usually good) so the juices thicken

  

Rainbow Truffles


Ingredients:

1 pkg white cake mix, plus ingredients on back of box
1 small box sugar free/fat free vanilla instant pudding mix
1/3 can vanilla frosting
1 pkg white chocolate (or white almond bark)
Rainbow sprinkles
Red, golden yellow, lemon yellow, kelly green, royal blue and violet Wilton gel food coloring

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line a muffin tin with 12 paper liners. First, prepare your cake mix according to package directions, stirring dry pudding mix into the batter to combine. Divide the batter evenly among six small bowls. Tint each bowl a different color of the rainbow to the intensity of your choice. I made my colors bright, but pastels would be cute, too!
2. Divide the colored batter into the muffin cups–2 muffin cups per one color–and bake about 13-15 minutes or when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with light crumbs. Allow to cool completely.
3. Once cooled, crumble the cake by color into six separate bowls. Add about one Tablespoon or so of vanilla frosting to each bowl and mix with a spoon until combined.
4. To make the balls, take a small pinch of red crumbs, followed by orange, yellow, green, blue and purple. Once each color is in the palm of your hand, gently roll them into a tight ball. Place on a foil-lined baking sheet and repeat until all the crumbs are gone. Allow to harden several hours in the freezer.

5. Once chilled, melt the white chocolate. Once melted and smooth, dip each truffle one at a time into the melted chocolate with a toothpick, turning it gently to coat. Allow excess to drip off, then carefully release the coated cake ball back onto the baking sheet. Immediately sprinkle with rainbow sprinkles and repeat until finished. Allow chocolate to harden, then store airtight up to 2 days.

Vegetarian Lasagna Roll Ups


Ingredients:

  • 8 lasagna noodles, uncooked
  • 14 oz freshly shredded, low-moisture part skim Mozzarella cheese, divided
  • 3/4 cup Ricotta cheese
  • 1 large egg white
  • 1/3 cup freshly, finely shredded Parmesan cheese (about 1 1/4 oz)
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 - 4 medium Roma tomatoes, thinly sliced (about 1/6 inch thick slices)
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil, plus more for garnish
  • 1 cup marinara sauce, recipe follows
  • Simple Marinara Sauce
  • 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped yellow onion
  • 2 cloves garlic finely minced
  • 1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook pasta according to directions listed on package to al dente. Drain pasta (DO NOT rinse with water) and align lasagna noodles in a single layer on a large sheet of parchment or wax paper.
  • For filling, in a large mixing bowl, whisk together ricotta cheese and egg white until well blended. Stir in Parmesan cheese. Mix in 12 oz. of the Mozzarella cheese and season with black pepper to taste (I wouldn't recommend seasoning with salt just because the cheeses already have plenty of salt).
  • Place 1/4 cup of the cheese mixture over each lasagna noodle and spread into an even layer, going from one end of the lasagna to the other. Align 4 thin tomato slices over cheese mixture then sprinkle fresh basil over top. Snugly roll lasagna noodles to opposite end. Spread about 1/4 cup pasta sauce in the bottom of an 11 x 7 inch baking dish. Align lasagna roll ups, seam side down in dish. Top each roll up with about 2 Tbsp of the pasta sauce (covering edges of pasta so they don't dry out while baking). Sprinkle top with remaining 2 oz. shredded Mozzarella. Bake in preheated oven 30 minutes. Remove from oven, plate pasta and garnish with plenty of basil ribbons. Serve warm.
  • Simple Marinara Sauce
  • Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium high heat. Add onions to hot oil and saute about 3 minutes until soft, adding garlic during last minute of sauteing. Pour in crushed tomatoes and season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring mixture just to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and allow sauce to cook for about 25 - 30 minutes (which will allow some of the water in crushed tomatoes to evaporate) while you prepare pasta and lasagna filling (you can freeze or refrigerate left over sauce in a small airtight container for later use, adding fresh basil if desired).