COTTAGE CHEESE PIE

Growing up I used to eat cottage cheese pie.  The pie was not made with any sort of pie shell but was a mixture of cottage cheese, eggs, raisins, a little bit of sugar and cinnamon.  It would be baked in the oven for about 30 to 40 minutes in a small casserole dish.  My mother would make this pie when the cottage cheese was getting close to the expiry date and there was too much to consume before it would start to sour.

Thinking about what to make for supper and having a few containers of cottage in the fridge due to buying it at Costco provided me with the idea to make cottage cheese pie.  I decided to make a crust and searched the internet for some ingredient ideas to mix with the cottage cheese.  Including raisins was not essential and I wanted it to be on the sweet side versus savoury side.  I found some ideas and provide the link below for the cottage cheese mixture I used.  I also decided to make a basic biscuit recipe for the crust as biscuit ingredients includes baking powder and is less fussy to make than a real pastry recipe.  Both the DH and I enjoyed this cottage cheese pie.  I especially liked the grated lemon peel using Meyer lemons and fresh lemon juice.  I will be making this recipe again.

Cottage cheese mixture.

Biscuit dough rolled out onto a pie plate.

Cottage cheese mixture poured into the pie shell.

Just out of the oven.

I used this biscuit dough recipe and didn't make any alternations.  The recipe made enough for two pie shells.  I did tweak the recipe for this mixture for cottage cheese .  I used 1/3 cup Splenda for the sugar, 3 cups of cottage cheese (750 gram container), I used the juice from half of the Meyer lemon and sprinkled cinnamon on the cottage cheese after pouring it into the biscuit pie shell.  The pie was baked for about 47 minutes at 350 degrees F using convection heating.  I didn't want the biscuit crust to over brown so I checked it for the last five minutes while in the oven.

BLUEBERRY AND SASKATOON MINI TARTS

I wanted to bring a bite size dessert to a meeting at work and decided to make two bite mini tarts using frozen blueberries and saskatoons.  The recipe is really no different than making pie.  You can use a muffin tin which makes a bigger tart but I used mini tart tins to make them smaller.  The mini tins I have hold two dozen shells.  You could also use mini muffin tins.

Dough for a double pie crust makes two dozen shells.  I use the recipe from the Tenderflake website and I make it in a mix master.  The Tenderflake recipe makes three double pie crusts.  I like to freeze the dough I don't need for future pies.  I use vegetable shortening for the pie crust.

To get the shape for making the shells for the mini tarts, I used a glass whose rim was a bit larger than the diameter of each well in the tin.  After rolling out the dough I used the rim of the glass to cut out a round circle which I pushed down into each individual well.  The recipe for the fruit filling is very similar for regular pie.  I used only a small amount of sugar.  The recipe takes a bit more time to make than regular pie as you need to keep re-rolling the leftover pieces from cutting out the dough with the glass rim.  The mini tarts turned out great partially due to the addition of the lemon zest.

Filling each shell with the fruit.

Cooling off on a rack.

INGREDIENTS:

dough for a double pie crust.  Another recipe that I like to use is the one from Tenderflake.

2 cups of blueberries or saskatoons
1/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp lemon juice
lemon zest from one fresh lemon
pinch of salt


DIRECTIONS:

Mix up with the fruit, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, lemon zest and salt in a bowl and set aside.  Taking sections of the dough at a time, roll it out and use the rim of a glass jar to cut circles.  Gently push each circle into each well in a mini tart tin.  Instead of using the rim of a glass, you can also cut the dough into small squares and push each square into the well.  

To each tart shell, add a heaping teaspoon of the fruit mixture.  You don't want it to be heaping out of the tin well.  Depending on the size of the fruit you are using, you may need more than a teaspoon.  Bake at 375 degrees F for about 25 to 30 minutes.  Check to make sure the crust does not over brown.  Makes two dozen tarts.

VEGETABLE CURRY STEW

I was looking for a vegetarian or vegan dish to make for supper and adapted this recipe from 'oh she glows' cookbook.  The DH can't eat a lot of beans in one sitting and tofu is not his go to source of protein so I was looking for a dish that provided some protein or fat in the way of nuts.  I like using raw cashews in recipes and this curry uses cashews.  I soaked the raw cashews for about eight hours.  You can soak the raw nuts for less time than that.  Other vegetables can be added than what is listed in the ingredient list.  I didn't add any spinach but could have and only thought of adding it after the dish was cooked.  I used a mild curry powder and you could add a chile pepper if you want to increase the heat.  Instead of grating ginger I have been buying fresh ginger paste in the tube and find that more convenient to use.  A big frying pan or skillet is required to make this dish.

The recipe makes four servings so the leftovers will be used for another meal this week.  Both the DH and I enjoyed this meal.  I made basmati rice to go with the curry stew. 

Cooking in the large frying pan.

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup raw cashews, soaked beforehand
3/4 cup water
1 tbsp coconut oil or other fat
1 medium onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp fresh grated ginger or fresh ginger paste
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and diced (2 to 3 cups)
2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
2 stalks celery, diced
4 mushrooms, chopped
2 medium tomatoes, diced
2 tbsp curry powder
1 cup fresh or frozen peas
salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS:

Blend the cashews and water in a blender or food processor until smooth. Set aside.  Heat the oil in a large frying pan on medium high.  Once hot, add the onions, garlic and ginger.  Reduce the heat to medium and sauté for five minutes.  Add the remaining ingredients except for the cashews and peas.  Saute for about five to ten minutes.  Stir frequently.  Add the cashews and peas, combine and reduce heat to low.  Cover the skillet with a lid and cook for 25 minutes.  Stir every few minutes and if the vegetables are sticking to the pan add some water.  The potatoes take the longest to cook and need to be soft for serving.  Serves four.  

VEGAN FAT FREE ZUCCHINI BROWNIES

Zucchini flourished in the garden this year and there are many recipes that can be made using zucchini.  You can add zucchini to muffins, breads, omelettes, casseroles, stews and soups.  You can sauté, fry, bake or roast zucchini.  I decided to make zucchini brownies as I saw this recipe in a blog that I follow- FatFree Vegan Kitchen.  I followed the recipe but made a few changes.  I used splenda for the small amount of sugar required.  I also added chocolate chips instead of walnuts to the batter.  I didn't make icing as I am not an icing kind of gal and I thought these brownies would be sweet enough with the splenda, dates and apple sauce added to the batter.  I baked the brownies for 35 minutes using convection heat but the recipe called for about 25 minutes.  We all like these brownies and they were consumed before it was necessary to freeze the leftovers.

Here is the link to the site for the recipe. 
vegan fat free zucchini brownies

EGGPLANT WITH TOMATOES AND GREEN ONIONS

Recently I bought an eggplant from the farmer's market.  I grew up eating eggplant but I know that it is not part of everyone's vegetable menu.  This recipe is somewhat nostalgic as my mother would make it and I still remember eating it growing up.   The DH likes this recipe and he didn't eat eggplant until he met me.

It is a recipe made with a handful of ingredients, simple but delicious.  You can see from the photo that the tomatoes are coarsely chopped.  You can chop the tomatoes more finely.  I didn't as this was a juicy tomato from the garden.  I used the juice from half a lemon so the amount may have been a bit more than what I provided in the ingredient list.  I like lemons so the added juice is desirable.

INGREDIENTS:

1 medium to large size eggplant
1 green onion, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp good quality olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Cut the stem off from the end of the eggplant and pierce the eggplant in several spots with a fork.  Microwave in a dish for 10 minutes.  Let cool.

Cut the cooled eggplant in half lengthwise and peel the eggplant flesh away from the skin.  I use a fork to help peel it away and I also use the fork to scrape the skin of any remaining eggplant.  Place the eggplant flesh on a cutting board and chop into small pieces.  Place it in a bowl and add the remaining ingredients.  Use a spoon to thoroughly mix all of the ingredients.  Serves four as a side dish.

Option:
Before microwaving the eggplant, you could use a peeler and peel the skin off of the eggplant flesh.  I have never cooked the eggplant this way but it is an alternate way to get the peel off.

SHRIMP PAD THAI

I like the dish pad thai and decided to make a healthy version of it using shrimp.  If the shrimp was not included it would be vegan.  It is also low fat as no oil was added to sauté the vegetables.  This was a meal for both the DH and I.  It was filling and we had some leftovers.  We both enjoyed it and I liked the sauce which included some peanut butter.  You can add different vegetables than what I used and could substitute tofu for the shrimp.  I added zucchini which is not traditionally added to pad thai.  I didn't add any red or coloured pepper but that would be a good vegetable to add to the sautéing vegetables.  You could also add some shredded cabbage and celery as options.

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 small package of vermicelli rice noodles (not the very thin noodles)

1 small onion, chopped

1 medium size carrot, thinly chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

4 mushrooms, chopped

3 inch piece of zucchini, chopped

8 to 10 raw shelled shrimp

1 handful of fresh cilantro, chopped

Sauce

1 tbsp maple syrup or agave

1 tbsp lemon or lime juice

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp peanut butter

1 tbsp sweet chili sauce

DIRECTIONS:

To a pot of boiling water, add the rice noodles, reduce the heat to medium and cook for 10 minutes.

While the noodles are cooking, add the ingredients for the sauce to a small blender and blend until well mixed.  Set aside.  Drain the noodles and cool off with cold water.  Let the noodles drain and while in the colander, cut the noodles with a knife so that they are in smaller lengths.

Using a nonstick pan, heat the pan to medium high.  Add the garlic and onions and sauté for a few minutes.  Reduce the heat to medium and add the carrots, mushrooms and zucchini and sauté for five minutes.  Add the shrimp.  Cook for another five minutes and stir every so often.  Add the cilantro.  Stir and then add the noodles.  Combine well and pour the sauce over the mixture.  Mix well and serve.  Serves two. 

CHINESE STYLE SAUTÉED VEGETABLES AND RICE

When cooking rice I usually make enough for several meals.  I had about two and a half cups of brown basmati cooked rice in a container in the fridge and decided to use most of it to make a meal for two people.  I made a healthy version of chinese style vegetable fried rice.  I used one and a half cups of the rice for this dish and froze the remaining cup in a freezer bag.  I will likely use it in the future to add to the weekly soups I make.  

In making this dish, I sautéed a variety of vegetables with the rice and included two eggs and a small amount of cashews for protein.  I didn't add any leftover cooked meat but that is an option to do.  The meal was good and both the DH and I enjoyed it.

DIRECTIONS:

2 tbsp oil
1 garlic clove, minced
6 to 8 baby carrots, chopped into small pieces
2 green onions, chopped
1 stalk celery, diced
2 mushrooms, chopped into small pieces
1 cup cabbage, chopped
1/2 cup frozen peas
1 1/2 cups cooked rice
2 eggs, beaten in a small bowl
8 dry roasted cashews or almonds, chopped
1 to 2 tbsp low salt soy sauce

Heat a wok on medium high heat.  Before it gets too hot, add 1 tablespoon of oil to the wok.  Reduce the heat to medium and add the garlic and carrots.  Saute for two minutes and add the onion and celery.  Using a wooden spoon move the vegetables around so that they don't stick to the bottom of the wok.  Add the mushrooms, cabbage and peas and saute for about four minutes.  Add the rice and mix it throughout the vegetable mixture.  

Make a well in the wok by pushing the vegetables and rice up the sides.   Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the bottom of the wok and add the beaten eggs.  Mix the eggs around the bottom of the wok to quickly cook them and then combine them with the vegetables and rice.  Add the cashews.  Add the soy sauce around the edges of the food and then mix it all together.  Serves 2 as the main meal.

CABBAGE, VEGETABLE AND WHITE BEAN SOUP

With having lots of ripe tomatoes to use, I thought I would make a soup using about six tomatoes along with cabbage, beans and vegetables.  I had bought a big green cabbage from the farmer's market which also needed to be eaten.  To add some flavour and variety to the soup, I decided to sauté several slices of bacon with the onions and garlic before adding the rest of the vegetables and stock.  I also had fresh basil and parsley so that was added to the soup.  I used dry northern beans but you can use canned or other white beans in the recipe.  I soaked the beans overnight to ease the cooking time.  My go to pot for making soups has been an electric pressure cooker and I cooked the soup on medium pressure for 25 minutes.  The soup turned out well and it will be great for lunches for the next number of days.

INGREDIENTS:

1 medium-large onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
5 strips of uncooked bacon, chopped (optional)
2 tbsp oil (if not using bacon)
1 cup of dry white beans soaked overnight in water OR 1 can (19 ozs) of white beans
2 stalks celery, chopped
4 carrots, chopped
6 tomatoes, chopped
4 cups of cabbage, chopped
6 -7 cups of broth, vegetable or chicken
handful of each - fresh parsley and basil, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

In a large soup pot or using an electric pressure cooker, sauté the onion and garlic with the bacon or oil on medium heat for 10 minutes.  Add the rest of the ingredients. If you need to add more broth because it looks thick you can.  The tomatoes will also add some liquid to the soup. If cooking on a stove top, increase the heat to a boil and then reduce to a simmer and cook for 2 hours if using dry beans. You can reduce in cooking time in half if using canned beans.   If using an electric pressure cooker, cook on medium pressure for 25 minutes if using dry beans or 15 minutes if using canned beans.  Makes 8 servings.

SALMON VEGETABLE CHOWDER

While doing the weekly shopping one weekend, I picked up a package of two fillets of wild salmon.   One of the fillets would have been ample but all of the packages had at least two fillets and I knew that there would be leftovers.  I grilled the fish on the barbecue and of course had leftovers.  I could have frozen one of the fillets before cooking it but I didn't think of it at the time.  With the leftovers, I decided to make a salmon vegetable chowder to have for a supper meal.  The soup is freezable and I could always freeze single portions for future lunches.  Adding a side salad and some toasted french baguette bread made a nice meal.

Chowder in the soup pot cooling off. 

INGREDIENTS:

2 tbsp oil

1 medium size onion, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, minced

2 stalks celery, chopped

2 medium size carrots, chopped

2 medium size potatoes, diced

1/2 coloured pepper, diced

3 tbsp flour

4 cups of broth, chicken or vegetable

1 pound of cooked salmon, chopped into small pieces

1 cup milk

one handful of chopped herbs - parsley, dill

salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Heat the oil on medium high in a large soup pot.  Add the garlic and onion and reduce the heat to medium.  Saute for three to four minutes.  Add the celery, carrots, potatoes and pepper to the pot and continue to saute for about five minutes.  Reduce the temperature to low.  Add the flour and combine with the vegetables.  Add the salmon and the broth, increase the heat to high and reduce it to low once the chowder starts to boil.  Simmer for 30 minutes.  Add the herbs and milk.  Stir and finish off with pepper and salt to taste.  Serves 6. 

PEACH PIE

I had a request this week to make peach pie from the DH. With fresh peaches being available, it is hard to resist not making peach pie. Instead of a standard 9 inch pie plate, I used a quiche baking dish. I did this as the deep pie plates I usually use, are in the freezer holding other pies for future consumption. Depending on the juiciness of the peaches, you can get some liquid after you add the lemon juice. The pie turned out fine as I combined flour and corn starch to thicken the peach mixture. I also used Splenda instead of sugar in the recipe. The pie was delicious and met all of our cravings.  

INGREDIENTS:

pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie

1 egg, beaten

5 - 6 cups sliced peeled peaches

2 tbsp lemon juice

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

2 tbsp corn starch

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon  

1/4 tsp salt

2 tbsp butter

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F). Roll out the pie crust to create two crusts.  Place one crust on the bottom of a 9 inch pie plate. Brush the pie crust with the beaten egg to keep the dough from becoming soggy later.

In a medium sized bowl, add the sliced peaches in a large and sprinkle with lemon juice and mix gently. In a separate bowl mix together the flour, sugar, cinnamon, corn starch and salt. Pour over the peaches, and mix gently.  Pour into the pie crust and dot with butter. Cover with the second pie crust and press down on the edges using a fork dipped in egg. Brush the remaining egg over the top crust. Cut several slits in the top crust to vent steam.

Bake for 10 minutes at 425 degrees F and then reduce the heat to 350 degrees F and bake for an additional 30 to 35 minutes. If the top crust is browning too fast, cover with aluminum foil about halfway through baking. Cool before serving.

modified from www.allrecipes.com

SOFT PRETZELS

A couple of weeks ago I saw that a friend on Facebook had a photo of soft pretzels that she had made that day.  They looked very good.  I decided to try making pretzels as I never had made them before.  They are not difficult to make but the recipe requires several steps as they are boiled before they are baked.  The shape of my pretzels are not perfect, they look more like a roll than a pretzel, but they tasted really good.  This is a recipe that I will be making again.  The DH quite enjoyed them.  I did freeze about half of them for future eating.

Rolled into pretzels and getting ready to put into a pot of boiling water.

Ready for sampling.

INGREDIENTS:

1 tbsp yeast

1 tbsp sugar

2 cups warm water

1 cup flour

1 tbsp salt

4 cups of flour

1 egg, beaten in a small cup with 1 tbsp water (egg wash)

small roasting pan filled half way with water

1 tbsp baking soda

DIRECTIONS:

Into a medium size bowl or a food processor/mix master bowl, add the yeast, sugar and 2 cups of water.  Gently mix the ingredients and then let it rest for a few minutes until the yeast is foamy.  Add the one cup of flour and using a mix spoon or a dough hook, mix the flour into the water yeast mixture.  Add the rest of the flour and the salt, mix the ingredients and either knead by hand on a smooth surface or use the dough hook and knead for about 4 to 5 minutes.  Oil a medium size bowl and place the dough into the bowl.  Roll the dough around until it is covered with the oil.  Cover, place the bowl out of the draft, and let it rise for about an hour.

Gently punch the dough down and knead for a minute.  Divide the dough up into sixteen pieces and roll out each piece into a 14 inch length rope.  Make the rope into a U shape and cross the ends over each other and press the ends into the bottom part of the U so it looks like a pretzel.  Place each pretzel onto an oiled cookie sheet or a parchment lined cookie sheet.  Let the dough rest for 15 minutes.  

Add the baking soda to the roasting pan and boil the water in the roaster to a rolling boil on top of the stove.  You need to use a roasting pan that can sit on a heat element on top of the stove.  Using a flat slotted spoon, add a few of the pretzels at a time to the roasting pan and let the pretzels boil for 30 seconds.  Remove each pretzel using the slotted spoon back to the cookie sheet.

Once all of the pretzels have been boiled, brush each pretzel with the egg wash and sprinkle with salt.  Place the cookie sheets into a preheated oven at 450 degrees F for 12 to 15 minutes.  Cool on a wire rack.  Makes 16 pretzels.

GREEN BEAN POTATO SALAD

With more green and yellow beans being produced in the garden, it was time to do some picking.  Previously I had picked about 15 cups of beans and blanched 12 of these cups to freeze for future meals.  After picking a few pounds of beans today I had to give some thought to what I would do with these beans.  I had seen recipes in the July/August Nutrition Action Health newsletter of which one combines potatoes and green beans.  This was a good option for using garden beans.  The recipe turned out well.  I like to mix the oil vinegar dressing with the potatoes and beans while the vegetables are warm.  The dressing seems to stick to the warm potatoes and beans.  I prefer this recipe to one that is cream based.  For the mustard in the dressing I used a dill mustard.  The addition of dill to add to the flavour was a good choice.

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound of potatoes, cut into small cubes
1 pound of green and yellow beans, cut into small pieces
1 tbsp mustard, grainy or flavoured preferred
2 tbsp oil
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

In a medium to large pot bring potatoes cover with cold water to a boil. Reduce to medium heat and gently boil them with the lid partly off for ten minutes until also tender. Add the beans, turn the temperature up to get the mixture to a gentle boil and then reduce the heat to medium.  Cook for four to five minutes.  Drain in a colander.  Pour some cold water over the beans and potatoes to partly cool them down.  Set aside for a few minutes.

In a medium size serving bowl, mix the mustard, oil, vinegar and salt and pepper.  Add the potatoes and beans and combine so that the vegetables are coated with the dressing.  Serves 5 to 6.

CHERRY CLAFOUTIS

With cherries still on the trees in the backyard, I decided to try a new dessert recipe.  A clafoutis is of French origin and originates from the Limousin region of France.  It is a baked dessert that traditionally uses black cherries that are not pitted.  The cherries are placed on the bottom of a baking dish and the flan like batter is poured over.  A final dusting of sugar is sprinkled over the batter before baking.  I like to pit the cherries before baking with them and did so with this recipe.

The batter is based on a crepe batter and has more eggs and less flour than a cake batter.  Other fruit besides cherries could be used.   I was in a hurry making this recipe and I forgot to add the milk.  It still tasted good.  Since I used a heaping 4 cups of pitted sour cherries, I added another egg and a bit more flour.   Instead of sugar I used splenda.  I baked the dessert in the oven using the convection option so I baked it for 40 minutes and I reduced the oven temperature to 350 degrees F for the last five minutes.  The DH thought this clafoutis was delicious even without the milk in the batter. 

Ready to go into the oven.  I sprinkled some splenda on top of the batter before put the dish in the oven.

Just out of the oven.  You can see the white specks from the splenda on top of the cooked batter.  

Cherry Clafoutis

INGREDIENTS:

1 ¼ pounds (about 4 cups pitted) sweet cherries

3 large eggs, at room temperature

½ cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/8 tsp almond extract

½ cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar

1 1/3 cup whole or lowfat milk

Softened butter, for greasing the baking dish.

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 375ºF.   Smear a 2-quart shallow baking dish liberally with butter.   Lay the cherries in the bottom of the baking dish.

In a standard blender, or using an immersion blender in a bowl or a mixmaster, mix the eggs, flour, vanilla and almond extracts, ½ cup sugar, and milk together until smooth.

Pour the batter over the cherries and sprinkle the fruit and batter with the 3 tablespoons of sugar.  Bake the clafoutis until the batter is just set for about 45 minutes.

Serve warm or cold.  Makes eight servings.

Recipe adapted from www.davidlebovitz.com

KEEPING MEMORIES CLOSE

This past weekend I read a commentary by Rob Walker in the New York Times ("my digital cemetery") about all of the digital contacts he has acquired over the years.  His list of over 2700 contacts stretches over two decades including those recorded on his first palm pilot.  His contact list runs the gamut from work to personal to home repairs.  He has not edited his contact list over the years and he is not in communication with all of these 2700 people.  Some contacts have moved on, there is no longer any more need for a connection to this contact, the person has died, residences and geographic locations have changed or numbers have simply changed.  He did focus on his commentary about keeping the contact information for friends who have passed away.

His commentary got me thinking about my own experiences.   I have some old address books that includes information on people that I have not had contact with in years.  I even carry around a slim address book in my purse that lists telephone numbers and addresses for people that I have lost communication with, whose ties to me no longer exist for a variety of reasons.  I have not updated this address book by erasing these written names and their coordinates.  This book dates back to before I had a phone or a computer with an address app.  When necessary, I add names to the written address book as required.  And at home, I still have a traditional address book with alphabetical tabs that includes old and new home addresses and phone numbers that I use when sending out greeting cards during the course of the year.  

There are also names with contact information of friends and family who have passed away in my written and my electronic address books.  I see these names with their cell numbers and email addresses as I scan my books for other contacts.  I simply can't erase their contact information.  At the start of this calendar year, two friends of mine passed away within a short time span to each other.   I have all of their contact information on my various electronic tools.  I know their cell numbers and email addresses are not connected anymore but it doesn't matter.  Having their contact logistics creates a feeling for me that they are still part of my everyday life.  I recently had to change my cell phone and I was worried about losing the text messages with the dates and time of day from my girlfriend who passed away in January.  With assistance from the IT support person, we transferred this data to my new phone.  

I thought I may be a bit quirky wanting to keep all of the contact information from friends who have passed away but in Rob Walker's commentary he also talks about this very issue.  He gives examples of other people who have kept their contacts lists intact with logistics of people who have passed away.  We all want to keep traces of people who we have loved and admired in our lives.  Now if I can only figure out a way to send text messages and emails to heaven cyberspace.

BLUEBERRY CRUMB CAKE

As soon as the DH saw the full page of recipes in the newspaper for one bowl cake recipes, his heart was set on having one of these for dessert on the weekend.  There were four different recipes but he settled on the blueberry crumb cake.  This is a crumb cake that has a lot of crumbs, it is not just a smattering of crumbs.  There is more flour in the crumb layer than the cake layer.  The crumb layer also has a cup of melted butter which made me first gulp.  I was already calculating the calories in my head.  I compromised by using Splenda instead of sugar in the cake and batter layers.  I didn't have unsweetened shredded coconut so I used sweetened coconut flakes.  I used 9" X 11" pan which worked out fine.  The crumb cake was of course delicious and I am sure I will be making the other three recipes over the next few months.

First layer done, blueberries scattered over the cake batter.

Crumb batter placed over the cake layer and now ready for baking.

Ready for sampling.

INGREDIENTS:

Cake Layer:

1 1/2 cups flour

1/4 cup white sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

3 tbsp oil

1 large egg at room temperature

1 tbsp pure vanilla extract

3/4 cup milk

5 tbsp blueberry, blackberry or current jam or spread

1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

Crumb Topping:

2 3/4 cps flour

1 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

1 tbsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

1 tbsp pur vanilla extract

1 cup plus 2 tbsp melted butter

DIRECTIONS:

Line a 9" X 9" pan with parchment paper that is butter or oiled.  Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Using parchment paper makes it easier to get the cake out of the pan.

Making the cake layer:

Into a medium to large size bowl, add the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.  Combine well.  Add the oil, egg, vanilla and milk to the bowl and mix well.  Pour the batter into the prepared pan.  Use a spatula to scape down the sides of the bowl to get any batter clinging to the sides and add to the pan.  Drop each tablespoon of the blueberry jam over the top of the cake batter and swirl it into the batter using a table knife.  Scatter the blueberries over the top of the batter.

Making the crumb topping:

Use the same bowl that the batter was mixed in.  Combine the flour, brown sugar, coconut, cinnamon and salt.  Add the vanilla and melter butter and mix well using a wooden spoon.  The mixture should appear like climbs.  Scatter the crumbs of the batter and make sure that the batter is completely covered.  You don't need to press down on the crumbs.

Bake for 35-40 minutes.  The centre should be firm. Place on a wire rack to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.  Makes 9 to 12 squares depending on how large you cut the squares.   

Adapted from Karen Barnaby, The Vancouver Sun.

FARRO VEGETABLE SALAD

I have been thinking of the ancient grain farro recently and wanting to cook up a batch for different uses.  Using my rice cooker, which can be used for other things besides rice, I cooked two cups of farro which made about four cups of cooked grain.  Farro has a wonderful nutty taste to it and I have written about farro in a previous post einkorn berry salad.

Besides adding farro to salads, I will use it over the next few days as an alternate to rice and as a cereal for breakfast.  I think farro would be a great in the morning instead of oatmeal as a cold muesli with berries and yogurt.

Instead of making one big bowl of salad for supper to serve two people, I like to make individual salad bowls.  The ingredients listed here are for one individual bowl of salad and you can just multiply the amounts if making for a number of people.   I used grapefruit flavour balsamic vinegar which has a nice taste in a vegetable salad.  You can add other vegetables to the salad than those listed in the recipe.

Cooked farro in a bowl

Vegetables piled over the farro.

Dressing has been added and all of the ingredients are combined.

INGREDIENTS AND DIRECTIONS:

1/2 cup cooked farro
1 stalk of celery, chopped
1/4 coloured pepper, chopped
small chunk of cucumber, coarsely diced
1/2 cooked beet, coarsely diced
1/4 avocado, chopped

Dressing

1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar, flavoured
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp maple or agave syrup

Using a medium size soup/salad bowl, add the farro to the bowl.  Separate the kernels with a fork.  Add the vegetables.  Mix the dressing and pour over the salad. Combine well and serve.

UPSIDE DOWN RHUBARB CAKE

With rhubarb growing in the garden, I like to look for different recipes.  This recipe is like a pineapple upside down cake.  I used a springform pan instead of a regular pan or a pie plate.  I thought it would be easier to invert it after it was baked.  The problem with using a springform pan is that the rhubarb will leak out of the seams on the bottom of the pan and make a mess in the oven.  After I realized that the rhubarb was leaking out of the pan I lined a cookie sheet with parchment paper, placed the springform pan on the sheet and continued baking the cake.  Another change I made was using splenda instead of sugar. 

The cake turned out to be simply delicious and the DH said that I outdid myself with this cake.

Rhubarb, jam and sugar mixture spread on bottom of pan.

Cake batter spread over the rhubarb.

Springform sides taken off of the cake pan.  Ready to invert the cake into a plate.

Cake inverted so rhubarb is on top.

Sampling is starting. 

INGREDIENTS

3 cups sliced fresh or frozen rhubarb

1 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/4 cup strawberry or raspberry jam

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

2/3 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 eggs

1/4 tsp almond extract

1/4 tsp vanilla, or 1/2 tsp vanilla

1/3 cup milk

DIRECTIONS:

Slice the rhubarb into small pieces. Place in a medium-size bowl.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Generously coat the bottom and side of a 9-inch cake pan or a 10-inch deep-dish pie plate with 1 tbsp butter.

Place jam in a small bowl and microwave for 30 seconds, until melted.  Pour the jam over rhubarb and stir to evenly coat.  Evenly sprinkle 1/4 cup sugar over bottom of cake pan or pie plate. Spoon rhubarb mixture over the sugar and evenly spread it out.

In a medium-size bowl, using a fork, stir flour with baking powder, cinnamon and salt.  In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat 2/3 cup butter until creamy, then beat in the remaining 3/4 cup sugar until evenly mixed, occasionally scraping down side of bowl. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Then beat in almond and vanilla extracts.

Gradually beat in half the flour mixture, then half of milk. Repeat additions and mix until blended.  Batter will be thick.  Spoon evenly over rhubarb to completely cover, then smooth the top as best you can.

Bake for 35 minutes and check to see if it is done.  It may need 10 or so more minutes.  If the top is a deep golden brown, cover loosely with a piece of foil. When done, remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes. Then run a knife around edge of cake. Invert onto a large cake plate. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Other Options:

You can use other fruit beside rhubarb to make this cake.  I used frozen blueberries to make this cake a second time and it was delicious.  I used the same proportions of fruit, three cups.  It is best to let the cake cool down before you flip it over as it take times for the berries to solidify.  Instead of using a springform pan, I used a 9 inch round cake pan.

Adapted from www.chatelaine.com