Christmas Scones...

If you know us you've heard the story but here it goes again...
One spring I received Baking with Julia as a gift.  When Christmas morning rolled around we baked scones using the recipe in the book.  The next Christmas we bought the ingredients but didn't get around to baking.  Around 10 pm Christmas night, toddler Jeremiah asked "When are we having scones?"  We made them then and there and our tradition was born.  Scones and tea on Christmas morning for more than a decade!  These scones are why we will never be vegan.

Buttermilk Scones

a recipe from Baking With Julia

3 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter cold and cut into small pieces

1 cup buttermilk
1 Tablespoon grated lemon zest

1/2 stick unsalted butter melted
1/4 cup sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
In a medium bowl, stir together the first five ingredients with a fork.
Add the cold butter and using fingertips work the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal.
Pour in buttermilk, toss in the zest and mix with the fork only until the ingredients are just moistened. The dough will have a rough look. If dry, add another tablespoon of buttermilk.
Gather the dough into a ball and knead very briefly on a lightly floured surface, about a dozen turns.
Cut the dough in half. Press each half into a seven inch circle about half an inch thick. Brush each circle with melted butter and sprinkle with sugar.
Cut each circle into six pieces.
Place on an un-greased baking sheet.
Bake for 10-12 minutes until golden.

Notes:  I usually start with cutting up the butter and putting the small pieces in the freezer until I need it.  Also, I usually don't end up using the whole amount of sugar for dusting.

Merry Christmas!

Chick Pea Salad...

This is another one of those recipes that must be renamed.  This is originally called Mock Tuna Salad.  I don't like saying something is 'mock' because it makes it seems 'less than' somehow.  Chick Pea Salad is great in its own right!

Chick Pea Salad

a recipe from Jennifer Raymond

1 15 ounce can chickpeas, drained
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
1 carrot, grated
1 green onion, finely chopped
2 teaspoons vegan mayonaise
1 Tablespoon sweet pickle relish

Mash the chickpeas with a fork or potato masher.

Add the remaining ingredients.

Serve on bread or with veggies and crackers.

Notes:
This can be tweaked the same way one would tweak tuna salad.
If vegan isn't an issue this works with Miracle Whip or mayo.

Lentil Barley Soup...

I always forget how good this soup tastes!

Lentil Barley Soup

a recipe from Jennifer Raymond

1 pound lentils
3/4 cup barley
8 cups water
1 large onion, chopped
2 carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, sliced
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoon salt

Place all ingredients, except for salt, into a large kettle and bring to a simmer.

Cover and cook for one hour, stirring occasionally, until lentils and barley are tender.

Add salt to taste.

Notes:
It can get pretty thick, just add water if you need to.
We add salt at the table.

Minestrone...

Minestrone?  Minestroneeeee?  Here's a recipe for soup!

Minestrone

a recipe from Jennifer Raymond

1 small onion chopped
3 1/2 cups water
3 cups tomato juice
1 clove garlic minced
2 medium carrots diced
1 stalk celery diced
2 medium red potatoes diced
1 Tablespoon fresh parsley chopped
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 medium zucchini diced
1/2 cup pasta shells
1 15-ounce can kidney beans drained
2 1/2 cups greens chopped
to taste salt


Heat 1/2 cup water in a large kettle. Add the onion and cook over med-high, stirring frequently, until the onion is soft.
Add water, tomato juice, garlic, carrots, celery, potatoes, parsley and basil.
Bring to a simmer, then cover and cook for 20 minutes.
Add remaining ingredients, except salt, then cover and simmer an additional 30 minutes.
Additional tomato juice can be added if it is too thick.
Add salt to taste.

Pasta with Broccoli and Pine Nuts...

This is another favorite Jennifer Raymond recipe.

Pasta with Broccoli and Pine Nuts

a recipe from Jennifer Raymond

12-16 ounces pasta
1 pound broccoli
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes or pinch of cayenne
2 Tablespoons pine nuts
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes

Begin the water for cooking pasta and proceed with cooking the pasta while making the sauce.

Break or cut the broccoli into florets and slice the stems into rounds.  Steam over boiling water until just tender, 3-5 minutes.  Set aside.

Saute garlic, red pepper flakes and pine nuts in olive oil in a large skillet for 1 minute, then add tomatoes and cook over medium heat 5-10 minutes.

Stir in the cooked broccoli.

Serve over cooked pasta.

Notes:
I usually use red pepper flakes.
I like to use petite diced tomatoes.
I find it easier to serve the broccoli on the side.

Chocolate Peppermint Kisses...

Mrs. Zunker mades these meringue cookies for a Christmas potluck at Grace Church.  They were delicious.  I was a little kid and I don't remember if I asked for the recipe or if my mom asked for me but I ended up with the recipe.  I made them and it was like magic!  I was so proud of my official "Irva Zunker shares her recipe" card.  I think she even sent it thru the mail...bliss!  As an adult I've screwed these up by messing with the recipe and misplacing the card.  When I found the card, got back to basics and baked like a kid with a precious recipe in front of her they turned out great!

Chocolate Peppermint Kisses

a recipe from Mrs. Zunker

coming soon!

Rum Balls...

So is it weird that eating rum balls at the family Christmas party is a childhood memory?  Probably but oh well!  Found this recipe online and it's a keeper!

Rum Balls

a recipe from Martha Stewart

link to Martha's Rum Ball Recipe

Notes:
I used turbinado sugar for coating.
I think the taste and texture was better after 24 hours.
When buying ingredients, buy diet pepsi and limes or else you will be sad.

Zesty Cranberry Sauce...

This is required for Thanksgiving to even happen. See: The dish that saved Thanksgiving...  It is delicious for other holidays as well!  Yum! 

Zesty Cranberry Sauce

a recipe from the Horjus Kitchen

2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries

1/2 cup undiluted orange juice concentrate

2 ripe pears, finely chopped

1 medium apple, finely chopped

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Put everything in a saucepan and simmer, uncovered until the cranberry skins pop and the mixture is slightly thickened.

Notes:
If you don't like it tart you can add sugar at the end (we like it without).  This is great hot, cold or room temp.  We would eat this in a box or with a fox.

Muesli...

I don't know why we don't make this more often!

Muesli

a recipe from Jennifer Raymond

2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup chopped dried fruit (apples, figs, apricots etc.)
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup chopped almonds

Combine all ingredients.  They may be left whole or ground in a food processor until fairly fine and of uniform texture.  Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

Notes:
Muesli can be served with "milk", juice or applesauce.  The liquid can be added right before eating or even the night before.

Schoolhouse Eggs...

Last fall, we stayed at a bed and breakfast inside a one hundred year old school building!  The room was huge with a wall of windows, original wood floors and chalkboards!  Breakfast was a feast but my favorite thing was the egg dish, simple but delicious.  

Eggs with Feta and Spinach
a recipe from the Horjus Kitchen

eggs

feta cheese, crumbled or cubed

fresh spinach, torn or sliced

Make scrambled eggs.  Near the end add spinach and feta and cover for a bit so that cheese melts a bit and spinach wilts a bit.  Enjoy!

Chinese Noodle Salad...

This is always well received at potlucks and it keeps well.  It reminds me of the Gruner salad at Good's Furniture in Kewanee, Illinois.

Chinese Noodle Salad

a recipe from Jennifer Raymond

Salad:

6-8 cups finely shredded cabbage

1/2 cup slivered almonds

1/4 cup sesame seeds

3 green onions, thinly sliced or 1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped

1 package ramen noodle soup (see notes)

Dressing:

1 Tablespoon toasted sesame oil

1/3 cup seasoned rice vinegar

2 Tablespoons sugar or other sweetener

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Toast the almonds and sesame seeds by baking at 350 degrees for 5-10 minutes until fragrant and lightly browned.

In a bowl, toss together cabbage, toasted almonds and sesame seeds, onion, crushed dry ramen noodles and ramen seasoning packet.

Mix together the dressing ingredients and pour over salad.  Let stand at least 30 minutes before serving.

Notes:  Be kind to the veg people in your life and look at the ingredients.  Mass market ramen all have meat products in their seasoning.  However, many health food brands have vegan ramen but the noodles are soft, not crunchy (seems like soft noodles wouldn't be right). I get around this by using the mass market noodles and the health food store seasoning packet.  I continue to be on the lookout for crunchy ramen with vegan seasoning.

Black Bean Salad...

This is the first of many recipes that will be from Jennifer Raymond (see below*).  Most of my favorite recipes seem to come from her.  This salad is named both Fiesta Salad and Aztec Salad but I would never remember what that means so we call it by the very original name of 'black bean salad'.

Black Bean Salad

a recipe from Jennifer Raymond

For the salad:
3 15-ounce cans of black beans, drained
2 cups frozen corn, thawed
2 large tomatoes, diced (or petit diced from a can)
1 green pepper, diced
1 red or yellow pepper, diced
1/2 cup chopped red onion
3/4 cup chopped cilantro, optional

For the dressing:
2 Tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 lime or lemon, juiced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper or pinch of cayenne
1/2-1 teaspoon salt

Combine the salad ingredients.  Whisk together the dressing ingredients and pour over the salad.  Toss gently to mix.  Can be made in advance.

Notes:  I like to use green, red, yellow and orange peppers if they look good.  I also prefer to use petit diced tomatoes from a can when produce tomatoes look tasteless.  I just substitute what looks like a good amount to me at the time.  I prefer lime and cayenne for the dressing.  If starting beans from scratch use 11/2 cups dry beans.




*We were introduced to Jennifer Raymond's recipes in the back of Food For Life by Neal Barnard.  Many of those same recipes are in The Peaceful Palate by Jennifer Raymond.  All the recipes are vegan, made with 'normal' ingredients and are 'keepers'!  The recipes in the two books are not absolutely identical and sometimes go by different names.  If a recipe I post comes from Jennifer Raymond it will be from one of these two books.

Kale Crisps...

Every time I make these I search the web and wonder which recipe I used.  Hopefully placing it here will help with that.  The web has many recipes and all have a slightly different take...here's ours.

Kale Crisps

a recipe inspired by the web

kale
olive oil
salt (we use kosher salt)

Wash the kale, remove the stems and slice or tear into big-ish pieces.  Hit the kale with a little bit of oil and a tiny bit of salt*.

Bake at 375 degrees until crisp.  Start checking at 10 minutes or so but be patient and wait for them to be truly crisp, not chewy.

Notes:  It is easy to use too much oil and too much salt.  One recipe suggests salting after they are baked and I think I will try that next time.  (*Update:  salting after baking works.)   In the different recipes the oven temp varies from 300-475.  The kale shrinks and two trays can be snarffed quickly, plan accordingly!

Haroset...

Haroset is served at Passover as a symbol of the mortar the Jews used when they were enslaved in Egypt.  Mother Nature's Garden is a vegan cookbook I found at the library.

Haroset

a recipe from Mother Nature's Garden by F. Bienenfeld

3 cups grated apples

1 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 cup grape juice

Mix together all ingredients and chill.  Tastes great with matzah. 

Notes:
I use whatever firm apples happen to look good and sometimes use a mix of a sweet red apple and a tart granny smith. 

Spaghetti Carbonara...

This is yummy and worth the bother of frying bacon.  I'm hoping to think of something veg and salty to replace the bacon.  In the meantime, we pass the bacon on the side.  We ate this for Christmas dinner and it was great...quick, filling and yummy!

Spaghetti Carbonara

a recipe from Everyday Food

link to Martha's Spaghetti Carbonara recipe

Note:

It's also great with peas added.  Defrost frozen peas by running under hot tap water and add peas during the last minute of the pasta cook time.

Apricot Slush...

This was the magical drink that the grown-ups drank at big family parties.  It's an alcoholic slushy with maraschino cherries...what's not for a kid to love and therefore beg for a sip?  When I remembered this recipe in 2003 I always thought it was Aunt Dot's recipe.  When I got the recipe it ends up she'd gotten it from Mom!  This seems like such a '70s thing and I've always assumed it was from an ad for 7 Up or the Apricot Brandy Association or something like that...

Apricot Slush

a recipe from Aunt Dorothy via Mom

4 tea bags
2 cups sugar
frozen orange juice concentrate, 12 ounces
frozen lemonade concentrate, 12 ounces
2 1/2 cups apricot brandy (approximately half a 750ml bottle)

1)  Make strong black tea (4 tea bags in two cups of boiling water) and set aside to cool.
2)  Make a simple syrup by boiling together 7 cups of water and 2 cups of sugar
3)  Mix together the tea and the syrup.
4)  Mix together frozen orange juice concentrate and frozen lemonade concentrate.
5)  Mix together the tea/syrup and the juice concentrate mixture.
6)  Mix in apricot brandy
7)  Freeze at least 24 hours.

To serve, mix 3-4 tablespoons with 7 Up and garnish with a cherry.

Best Ever Sugar Cookies...

This was the recipe New Heights church gave to volunteers baking for the fall festival.  

They are the best cut-out cookies I've ever had.  We've had this recipe since probably October 1999.

Best Ever Sugar Cookies

a recipe from New Heights Church, Vancouver Washington

1 cup unsalted butter (two sticks)
11/2 cup powdered sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cream of tartar



Cream the butter and add the rest of the ingredients.

No need to chill- just roll out and cut with cookie cutters.

Bake at 375 degrees for 5-7 minutes

Notes:
After putting the cookies on the baking sheet I usually put the sheet in the freezer or fridge for a couple minutes, the cookies seem to stay flatter.  If decorating with egg yolk paint, decorate before baking.

JKL Soup...

Greetings and welcome to Good dooF!  This is one of our favorite meals and it reminds us of JKL so it's perfect for the first recipe here.  Dad made great soup and never really used a recipe.  Years ago, I asked dad to write down what he used and from that came up with this basic recipe which can be tweaked to one's liking.  

JKL Soup
a recipe from John K. Lorenzen

49 ounces vegetable broth
49 ounces water
1-28 ounce can diced tomatoes
1-15 ounce can corn, drained
1-15 ounce can beans (We have used: lima, garbanzo or kidney)
1-4 ounce can mushrooms, drained
2 small onions diced
4 ribs celery, sliced
3-4 red potatoes, diced
4 stems of kale, chopped
3 carrots, peeled and sliced
1-2 cups cabbage, chopped
2 bays leaves

Combine the above and simmer until potatoes and carrots are tender, around one hour.  Can be served with noodles or macaroni.  Enjoy!

Notes:  Not all broth comes in 49 ounces cans anymore so anywhere around 49 works.  Also, not all vegetable broths taste great.  It took us several tries to find one we like, the Jewel organic store brand.  If you prefer chicken broth that works too.  We never use bay leaves but dad always did so I left it in the recipe.  It's always fun to see who gets stuck with the bay leaf, it was usually dad!