Category: Spices

Spicy Cauliflower Pate for Meatless Mondays

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In our household its spring cleaning time. We are literally tearing down and cleaning up, to make  and transform my condo into a joint expression of us. It’s hard to let go of some things, and fun to transform and refurbish others. It’s a long process with our joint schedules , but we are getting there, gradually. The Main room which houses the kitchen, living , and and dining room is now painted completely. Next task is to move all the furniture back, and declutter. I am actually selling some stuff on Ebay, so its fun to make a little cash while cleaning up.One thing I will not let go are my books! So while moving the large bookcases  and bookstore paint the final long wall, I found an cookbook I have been looking for for two years!I’s that bad.Certain Someone says I collect, and don’t read books. I read them all.He’s just not here to see me do so most of the time, and when he is here I don’t have time to read.The cookbooks are endless source of reference for me. The long lost book was a bargain basement find of which I have never seen anything else like  it.Terrines and Pates from the Brockhampton Healthy Home Cooking series. Filled with lots of old world type beautiful terrines in Aspic, it also has  many ideas for light vegetable pates and terrines and desserts. Spicy Cauliflower Pate was a recipe I found I could manage without a trip to the store. I still lacked some ingredients, so I made some twists and variations for delicious dish. We ate this as starters for a normal  Sunday dinner with meat (Lamb breast with the Rhubarb Onion Sauce from the previous post). However on Meatless Monday , it will be my lunch. I served it with some frozen whole wheat pizza dough I had, which I grilled in some oil,( seasoned with dried onion, herbs, and salt),to replicate a Naan style of bread. Again, using what I had with little fuss.Enjoy this flavorful starter. The ginger gives it a zesty bite.

Spicy Cauliflower Pate
inspired and adapted from Terrines and Pates
Brockhampton Healthy Home Cooking Series
* I changed some ingredients and proportions.
1 tablespoon Grape seed or Vegetable Oil
1/2 onion , diced
7 sun dried tomato pieces( in oil)
2 plum tomatoes  chopped
4 garlic cloves chopped
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp paprika
2 tablespoons dried minced onion
1/4 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp salt
1  cauliflower broken into small florets
1 inch ginger minced
Heat oil in a skillet on high. Add chopped onion, reduce heat to medium, and saute for 1 minute. Add chopped tomatoes, garlic, cumin, turmeric, chili powder, paprika , and garam masala ,dried minced onion, and salt.Continue to cook the mixture on medium until the tomatoes soften  for the next five minutes.At this point the cauliflower florets and cover pan. Cook on medium low until softened for 15-20 minutes. You may need to add a bit of water so it doesn’t stick. Add minced ginger at the last few minutes of cooking.
Puree the cooled mixture wither in a food processor or use and immersion blender until a smooth paste ios formed. Transfer to serving dish and place in the refrigerator for 15  minutes. Serve at room temp ( allow to to come to). Garnish with Paprika. Serve with crackers, Naan, or Pita.
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Curried Chickpeas and Onions with Roti , Fresh Juices…Meatless Monday Ideas

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 I’m in love my juicer again and having a ball. What’s propelling me ,among  good health, is an opportunity I’m exploring involving a portable juice stand this summer on Saturdays at a Farmers Market in the area. It’s not set yet, but I’m thinking about it hard. When my Mother had cancer she loved a nice simple glass of carrot juice.  For some reason I shied away from it, preferring to use my juicer for apples, and citrus. I’ve been missing out! One of my favorite go to morning drinks  to sip on at work is a chilled carrot and apple juice. It’s so delicious and surprisingly filling.
Apple Juice helps aides Obesity, Diabetes, cardiovascular disease, kidneys,liver, gallstones, colitis, gout and dysentery. 
Carrot Juice improves vision, aides recovery after physical or mental stress to body. Fights cancer, anemia, and tuberculosis. Its also increases appetite and strengthens immunity.
  The fun is playing around with your own proportions and mixes. The key to great  tasting juice is allowing it to chill but consume within a that day.
If you cant find or afford Organic Produce try this recipe I found on Tipnut.
Homemade Vegetable Wash
1 cup water
1 cup vinegar
2 TBS baking soda
2 TBS lemon juice 
Mix ingredients then pour in clean spray bottle. Spray fresh vegetables & fruit generously. Sit for 5 minutes then rinse off well.

Note: Make sure to first mix ingredients in deep container since there will be some fizzing from the baking soda & vinegar.

Carrot Apple Juice
4 small- medium organic apples
4  organic Carrots
I don’t bother peeling the apples but I do skin the carrots.
Cut into manageable pieces and extract in juicer.
Carrot and Sweet Lime Juice
I found these sweet limes in the Latin Market. Popular in India, they are more sweeter, and less acidic than limes. They are known to help upset stomachs and used as throat remedies.The taste reminds me of a mild sweeter grapefruit .
3 sweet limes either pressed in citrus juicer or peeled and cut into wedges to extract juice
4  small to medium carrots.

 
As you know if you read this blog Certain Someone is a Carnivore. I find myself using the times he’s away on business or working late , to indulge in lighter , meat free recipes. He does loves curry as a spice however. Maybe acquired from eating the fabulous curry wursts in Germany growing up. So when he flew in late on Meatless Monday  night and wanted to know what the good  scent was that filled the hallways of the condo. I said it was my dinner and he probably would not like it ,as it had no meat. I save some leftover and served it to him later on in the week as a side dish. He totally liked it. You can eat this a side or just an main course. I used frozen Roti, an Indian pan fried flat bread which is unleavened as compared to Naan. Either or can be used, but this is a good option for those searching for unleavened  foods. I found in the Asian stores. But check your local grocer ad these items are showing up in  more mainstream markets.
* Note: You can add the shredded carrot puree from juicer to this dish as well.
Curried Chickpeas and Onions  with Roti
serves 2
 1 can or jar of Chickpeas/ Garbanzo beans rinsed. 
( I will always advocate for fresh/dried but these will work in a pinch for time)
1/2 yellow onion thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic minced
2 tbs vegtable oil
1 tbs curry powder
1 tsp Fenugreek powder ( optional)
1 tsp Tumeric
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/8 tsp white pepper
1/8 tsp sugar
salt to taste
1/2 cup water
Rinse and drain chickpeas. Set aside.
In a skillet heat vegetable oil and add  curry, fenugreek ,chili,turmeric, white peeper . Stir around until fragrant and add onions. Reduce heat to medium and saute until softened, about a few minutes. Add chickpeas, and saute until coated in spice and oil mixture. Add water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for  5 minutes .Taste and adjust with sugar and salt.
Prepare Roti according to package instructions and serve with curried Chickpeas. I use two Roti’s per person.

Fresh Homemade Hot Sauce or Sambal

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 I’m in  a phase right now. Fellow blogger Cheryl  face booked  some cool pictures takes with her I Phone and Hipstamtic and I have been obsessed ever since. I even set up a Tumblr acct to showcase my cool artsy pictures and other stuff that I cant put here. It’s that bad.  So I figured I could get some stylized  shots of these Red Chili Peppers to make the feeling of heat even more visible with this analog style of photography via digital means. I love the vintage feel . So you may see this from time to time here. It’s a phase I need to work through.
 A few weeks back I received my Culinaria Southeast Asia book and was captivated by the Sambal”s. Sambal’s are essentially chili based dipping sauce that precedes what we in the Western world think as as ketchup. Sambal Oelek being the most popular one to come to mind. Some Sambals have shrimp paste, lime, soy, sugar, ginger, garlic, tamarind, peanuts,etc. All sorts of variations exist.
I made my own variation  based on  the Sambal Cuka ( Vinegar and Chili Dip) in Culinaria. I ended up altering things and adding more ingredients. My batch was also larger because I had about 50 or so Chili peppers. I will give you roughly what I did. Taste and alter according to your tastes.This makes a large batch, that’s ideal to divide up and bottle to share. Fresh Sauce  keeps for 1 week in the refrigerator.
Fresh Homemade Hot Sauce/ Sambal
(You can scale this down as this makes over 1/4 liter, a rather large batch. You can use minimally 10 red chilies and amounts of 2 tbsp of vinegar, 2 garlic cloves, 1/2 inch ginger, 1 tbsp soy, 1 tbsp sugar)
1/4 lb red chili peppers ( about 50 chili peppers)
 2 inches of fresh ginger root, peeled and cut into small pieces
1/2 fist of garlic. Cloves peeled
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
3-4 tablespoons of Soy Sauce

Wash and Stem chilies (wear gloves to protect skin).  Add rest of ingredients. Process with food processor. Store in sealed jar in the refrigerator. Keeps 1 week

Happy Cinnamon Roll Day or Kanelbullens Dag

Did you know October 4th 2009 is Kanelbullens Dag in Sweden? Imagine a whole day in where the country celebrates the simple , delectable cinnamon roll. As they should! The Swedes are attributed to inventing one of the worlds famous pastry. In 1999 the Home baking Council /Hembakningsråde came up with the concept on the occasion of their 40th anniversary.The rolls would be perfect for a long leisurely Fika( coffee break). Many of you know I have a deep affinity for Sweden as my Certain Someone has a residence there and I have family on my fathers side. I never imagined Sweden would become part of my life, but it has. I didn’t make it there this year, but hopefully next year I can enjoy this view by the house.

I found a lot of recipes were very similar. I didn’t have the full amount of sugar or ground cinnamon on hand. As a result I had to grind my own and sift. I could have used a touch more, but the cinnamon and cardamon flavors shined through. I found it interesting the little rising time that these rolls needed. They can be whipped up rather easily without making it a days project. I used Trina Hahnemann’s recipe from The Scandinavian Cookbook.Trina is Danish, but compiled a lovely cook book of recipes in Scandinavia by the months. Naturally this falls under October.I reviewed her book here.

Cinnamon Rolls
adapted from The Scandinavian Cookbook
2 oz fresh yeast
2 cups lukewarm water
3/4 cup softened butter
1 egg beaten
6 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cardamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar
Filling
3/4 cup softened butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Glaze
1 egg beaten
Swedish Pearl Sugar for topping

In a large bow/ stand mixer, mix yeast and warm milk until dissolved. Add butter, and then beaten egg. Sift dry ingredients of flour,cardamon,and salt. Add to milk and yeast. Add sugar to dough. Knead until a smooth ball forms . If you knead by hand, knead for five minutes.
Cover dough with a towel and let rest/rise for 30 minutes at room temperature.

Mix butter, cinnamon and sugar for filling.

After 30 minutes divide dough in half. Roll out into 16 x 12 in rectangles. Spread cinnamon sugar butter mixture over dough. Roll starting on the long side into a wide cylinder. Cut into 1 inch pieces and place on a parchment lined baking sheep or muffin baking cups. Press down slightly if you want to spread on baking sheet( without muffin cup).Cover and let rise 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 425 F. Brush the cinnamon rolls with egg wash and sprinkle with the Swedish pearl sugar. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.


Not Quite Australian Meat Pies and How I Met Certain Someone


Who is this Woman and what does she have to do with Certain Someone?
Why this woman would be a Gabi, my dear Australian friend who is responsible for this blog and how and how I met Certain Someone. Gabi is from Australia, Adelaide to be exact. And she introduced me to world of blogging. After a dinner at my house she sat down at my computer started blogging and I was hooked. My first blog Diary of a Shop girl morphed into Coco Cooks.
So what does she have to do with Certain Someone? Well I had a disastrous affair with an Australian man, one of those bad boy phases every woman must go through before she finds that Mr. Right.That man was a good friend and colleague of Gabi’s. The man and I parted ways, but I gained a good friend in Gabi. Gabi had other friends too, a whole expat community in Chicago, and through them at a dinner party I met him. Certain Someone. A tarot card reader was at the table to even confirm it ‘was him’.So you see everything and everyone in your life has a purpose, no matter how short the time.
Gabi moved back home to Australia this month. Her father, a regular and somewhat quiet reader of Coco Cooks has been suggesting to me from the beginning to make some Aussie food. Real stick to your bones type of food. I always think of modern Australian food as a melting pot with heavy Asian and Greek influences due to the current populations.And lets not forget the incredible wines! But pure Australian food would conjure up vision of meat pies,pavlovas,lamingtons, lamb and such. I could take the meat pie even further and float it on split pea soup. Gabi was quick to say Australians do not” throw shrimps on the barbie, drink Yellowtail, or Fosters”. That’s some American stereotypes perpetuated by Crocodile Dundee and Outback Steakhouse. Although they do eat Kangaroo and Moreton Bay Bugs ( delicious if you get some by chance). So hopefully one day Certain Someone will take me to this fascinating Continent and country. In the meanwhile I leave with my version of meat pie which is more Jamaican meat patty than Australian. Those African roots keep slipping through my cooking. Australians use puff pastry on top and short crust on bottom. I wanted more of a hand pie so I used a short crust and colored it with with some Turmeric. I also used some Palm oil( another African ingredient) and some red lentils for the filling with the beef. Australian meat pies have beef and gravy fillings and are served with a squeeze of ketchup on top. Look and see most places on this each have a version of meat pies. Empanadas for Latin America, Jamaican meat patties, Cornish pasties, samosas,etc. All good stuff.

Coco’s Not Quite Australian Meat Pies



Short Crust
1 cup /100 grams all purpose flour
1/2 cup/50 grams Atora( suet) or butter or shortening
3 tbsp cold water
1 tsp turmeric
pinch of salt
1 egg beaten with milk for wash before baking
In a stand mixer mix flour, Atora, turmeric,salt and water until combined. Form into a disc, wrap ,and chill for a few hours.

Filling
1 lb ground beef
2 onions chopped fine
2 tbsp Palm Oil or regular vegetable oil
1 tsp curry
1 tsp cumin
salt and pepper to taste* I used Mrs. Dash salt free seasoning blend/Spicy Blend
1 tomato chopped
1 cup tomato sauce
1/4 cup red lentils
water
In a skillet brown ground beef with onions in Palm oil. Drain any excess oil.Add curry and cumin, salt, pepper. Add tomato and tomato sauce. Let simmer. Add red lentils and bit more liquid( ie: water if needed). Cover and let simmer until red lentils are done. 15-20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 F.
Take out pastry dough. Roll out on floured surface and cut into circles based on your size preference. I made small ones . Brush edge with egg wash and fill with meat filling. Turn over close and seal with a fork or crimper. Place on parchment lined baking sheet. Brush each pie with egg wash. Bake for 10-15 or until golden. Serve with ketchup if you like( Aussie style).We used German curry ketchup.


For a printable version click here.
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Check out my latest post on EbonyJet.com about my latest travel adventure in the Pacific Northwest ( Vancouver and Seattle).