African Curried Coconut Soup with Chickpeas

We had this last night and it was wonderful -- a great meal on a cold, fall evening.


2 Tbs. oil
1 onion, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 jalapeño, seeded and chopped
4 large garlic cloves, crushed
32 oz low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
2 cans chickpeas (15 oz), rinsed and drained
1 cup chopped tomatoes (if canned, drain)
1 1/2 tsp. curry powder
1/2 tsp salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 can light coconut milk (14 oz)
1 cup brown rice
2 Tbs chopped fresh cilantro or parsley

1. In large stock pot, heal oil. Add the onion, red pepper and jalapeño; cook, stirring periodically until softened, about 5 minutes. 
2. Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. 
3. Add the broth, chickpeas, tomatoes, curry powder, salt, black pepper and rice, bring to a boil over high heat.
4. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook 30 minutes until rice is done.
5. Add the remaining ingredients and cook, stirring occasionally until heated through, about 5 minutes.

Quinoa Salad

Had a version of this a few weeks ago at a friend's cookout. Delicious! Made up my own last night. You can really added any vegi you've got, but this was a huge hit. One of my son's friends even had seconds!

1 cup dry quinoa
1/2 red pepper, diced
1/2 cucumber, diced
1/3 c. chopped red onion
4 oz muenster or swiss, diced
1/4 c. fresh herbs, rinsed, dried and chopped (I used oregano)
2-4 Tbs. vinaigrette

1. Prepare the quinoa according to package directions. Make this a few hours ahead of time so it can cool.
2. Mix in vegetables, cheese and herbs.
3. Toss with dressing and serve.

Raspberry Chipotle Chicken Chili

A friend told me about a recipe for chicken chili that included a maple chipotle sauce. I don't have any maple chipotle sauce, but I do have a bottle of raspberry chipotle sauce, so I thought I would give it a try with this substitution. We had it the other night and it was fabulous -- the spicy sweetness of the raspberry chipotle is wonderful. Not a huge hit with the kids, but at least they ate it.

2 1/2 lbs of chicken (I used a mix of boneless, skinless breasts and thighs)
olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, crushed
32 oz chicken broth
1/3 cup chili powder
1/2 tsp cayenne
2 cups Raspberry Chipotle sauce (Kirkland brand)
salt and pepper to taste

1. Saute the chicken in olive oil until done. Shred into bite-sized pieces
2. Saute the onion in olive oil until starting to caramelize. Add the garlic and continue cooking for 30 seconds.
3. Add the chicken, chicken broth, chili powder, cayenne and Raspberry Chipotle sauce. Simmer for 30-45 minutes. Salt and/or pepper to taste.
4. Serve over rice.

Tofu Enchiladas

These are super easy and really yummy!

1 block firm tofu

1 package flour or corn tortillas (the small size)

1 1/2 cups corn

1 cup salsa

1 bunch chopped, fresh cilantro

2 cups shredded cheddar

1 can enchilada sauce

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Lightly oil a large baking dish.
3. Mash tofu in large mixing bowl.
4. Add corn, salsa, cilantro and 2 cups of the cheese. Combine.
5. Put a few spoonfuls of the mixture in a tortilla and roll up. Place, seam-side down in the pan. Continue making until pan is full and mixture is used up. You'll need to gauge how much to use in each one.
6. Pour the enchilada sauce over each enchilada -- try not to leave any tortilla exposed. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top.
7. Bake 34-40 minutes, until bubbling on top and beginning to brown.

Lemon Ice Cream Pie

I made this over the weekend -- Meriel said it was so good, she wants me to make it for her wedding when she grows up.... well, first she asked if people ever have pies at their wedding, then she said that this is what she wanted. :-)

The crust recipe came from a cooking class Meriel took this summer, but her filling used Cool Whip and lemonade mix. While it was good, I had a feeling we could make it better and I have enough distrust of the chemicals in Cool Whip to want to try something with ingredient names I can pronounce. This is a wonderful combination of salty-sweet, so if that's your thing, you'll probably love this dessert!

Ice cream filling:

1 1/4 cups heavy cream

1 1/4 cups milk

3/4 cup sugar plus 2 Tbs. sugar

4-5 tsp. finely grated fresh lemon zest

1/8 tsp. salt

6 large egg yolks

2/3 cup fresh lemon juice

Crust:

1 1/2 cups ground pretzels (I did them in a food processor)

1/4 cup sugar

6 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted

1. Heat cream, milk, sugar, zest and salt over medium head, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Whisk yolks in a bowl, then add hot cream mixture in a slow stream, whisking the whole time. Pour custard back into saucepan with cream mixture and cook over moderately low heat, stirring constantly until it's thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon and it registers 175-180 degrees F, 3-5 minutes (do not boil).
2. Poor into a clean bowl and stir in lemon juice. Let cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally. Cover the surface with wax paper and chill until cold, about 3 hours. Freeze in an ice cream maker.
3. CRUST: Combine ground pretzels, sugar and butter. Press into pie plate and chill for 30 minutes.
4. Scoop ice cream into crust, smoothing the top. Cover with plastic and freeze until firm, at least 2 hours. Twenty minutes before serving, put pie in fridge to soften.

Bacon-Date Tasties

We had these appetizers while visiting friends in Dayton last weekend. They were awesome! I have never seen fresh dates in my grocery story, so I'll probably use re-hydrated prunes when I make them again. My kids liked the bacon and cheese part, but weren't big fans of the dates... oh well, perhaps they'll develop a taste for them eventually.

1 lb of thick cut bacon

Fresh dates or prunes (same number as you have slices of bacon)

4 oz goat cheese

2 tbs. brown sugar

1 tsp. cumin

toothpicks

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Partially cook the bacon on paper towels in the microwave. The slices should still be completely flexible, but you want to try to get rid of some of the grease.
3. Combine the brown sugar and cumin in a small bowl.
4. Lay out each slice of bacon and sprinkle with 1/2 of the brown sugar/cumin mixture.
5. Take about 2-3 tsp. of goat cheese in a wad and press it against one side of the date. Wrap a piece of bacon around the date/cheese cupping the bottom of the cheese with the bacon. Secure the bacon with a toothpick and stand upright on a cookie sheet. Repeat with each slice of bacon. Sprinkle remaining sugar and cumin on the top.
6. Bake for around 20 minutes. Serve immediately.

Dark Chocolate Sauce

This sauce is so delicious, you will never want to buy the manufactured stuff again. Just don't forget to share!

1 cup heavy cream

6 Tbs. unsalted butter

3/4 cup sugar

2/3 cup brown sugar

pinch of salt

1 cup dark chocolate cocoa powder (make sure you use dark chocolate powder and not the regular -- I use Hershey's)

Combine cream and butter in a medium sauce pan. Stir over medium heat until the butter is melted and the mixture comes to a slow boil. Add the sugars, stirring until completely dissolved. Reduce heat and add salt and cocoa, whisking gently until smooth. Remove from heat and serve.

You can keep it in the fridge in an airtight container -- a spoonful in the middle of the afternoon is as good as a candy bar! Reheat over low heat or in the microwave at 50% power.