by jphilo | Jun 11, 2014 | Recipes
The pot of cilantro in the kitchen garden is going great guns, and so the hunt for recipes requiring copious amounts continues. Today’s recipe for cilantro pesto comes from A Teaspoon of Happiness, the same website where last week’s cilantro-peanut pesto was found. (I must have been half-asleep when typing that recipe as a couple ingredients were left out. The second link above takes you to the corrected recipe.)
But, back to today’s offering. This pesto has plenty of zip. We served to friends who used it as chip dip. And I used it instead of tomato sauce on pizza…and the pizza exploded with flavor. The only change made from the original recipe was to replace the cheese with non-dairy bread crumbs.
Cilantro Pesto
½ cup whole almonds (with or without skin)
2 cup cilantro, large stems removed
⅓ cup non-dairy bread crumbs
2 garlic cloves
½ cup olive oil
1½ tablespoons lemon juice
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)
Process the almonds in a processor or blender until the almonds turn into fine crumbs. Add the remaining ingredients and process until smooth. Store in an air tight container in the refrigerator. Or drop spoonfuls into ice cube trays and freeze. Once frozen solid, pop the pesto out of the tray and store it in freezer bags.
by jphilo | Jun 4, 2014 | Recipes
Right off the bat, you should know that the above picture does not do justice to today’s recipe for cilantro-peanut pesto. That’s why it’s jazzed up with a few cilantro leaves. This pesto is very easy to make, and the tastes of the ingredients explode in the mouth.
The original recipe, which can be found at the Teaspoon of Happiness blog, suggests tossing the pesto into a pound of cooked linguine. But, the man of steel was already grilling a whole chicken when the time came to barber the cilantro in our herb garden and try out this recipe. So, we each put a little on our plates and did a little chicken dipping.
The man of steel declared the meal the best of the summer so far, and asked when another batch could be made for him to take to work and share. Absolutely, positively, undeniable proof of the Hiram coveted seal of approval!
Cilantro-Peanut Pesto
1 cup roughly chopped cilantro
1/3 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup peanuts
1/4 cup lime juice
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 1/2 tablespoons grated, fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 cloves garlic
Put all ingredients in a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth. Put in an airtight container and refrigerate. Let flavors meld for at least an hour before serving.
by jphilo | May 21, 2014 | Recipes
Remember Monday’s sweet post about elevators, bathrooms, and the reconsecration of the church my parents, sibs, and I attended in the 1960s and beyond? Well, between my weekend away and editing page proofs for my latest writing project, the man of steel hasn’t been eating high on the hog lately.
Therefore, today’s recipe comes from my cousin Gary, the former Hudson, Iowa volunteer fire fighter and their department’s cook. I haven’t made it before, but am pretty sure it would receive the coveted Hiram Seal of Approval from the hungry and somewhat-neglected-of-late man of steel. But since hominy is on the list of foods banned from my table, my poor husband may have to arrange a fishing trip with Gary to discover how good it is.
Once you read through the ingredient list, you will realize two things. First, a 12 inch cast iron skillet with high sides is necessary to contain all the ingredients. Second, this meal can easily satisfy several hungry firefighter or teenagers without even trying!
Gary’s Skillet Supper
Cover the bottom of a 12 inch cast iron skillet with olive oil. Fill the skillet half full of sliced red potatoes. Chop one large onion (Vidalia or red) and add to skillet. Mix potatoes and onions. Salt and pepper to taste. Cover and cook over medium heat. When the onions are tender, add:
1 pound Little Smokies
1 can (14–16 oz) whole kernel corn, drained
1 can (14–16 oz) sliced carrots, drained
1 can (14–16 oz) yellow hominy, drained
1 small can lima beans, drained
1 small can sliced mushrooms
Mix all ingredients together. Cook over medium heat until potatoes are tender.
Photo Source
by jphilo | May 14, 2014 | Recipes
Just like yesterday’s post, this one is an encore performance. Why? Because I need to work on page proofs of The Caregiver’s Notebook instead of testing new recipes and blogging about the results. And since the rhubarb in our little patch is almost ready to pick…and maybe at your house, too…here’s the recipe for strawberry-rhubarb pie that first appeared on this website in July of 2009.
Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie
Filling:
2 cups sliced strawberries
2 cups sliced rhubarb
2 tablespoons Minute Tapioca
Topping:
1/4 cup softened butter
3/4 – 1 cup brown sugar (depending on your taste)
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup oatmeal
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Combine filling ingredients and pour into an unbaked, 9” pie shell. Combine topping ingredients and sprinkle on top of fruit mixture. Bake for 15 minute at 425, then turn heat to 400 and bake for 30-45 minutes more, until fruit is bubbly.
To make strawberry-rhubarb crisp, heat oven to 350 degrees. Omit the pie shell and put fruit mixture in a 9 x 9 Pyrex baking dish. Sprinkle on the topping and bake for 30-45 minutes. I usually double the recipe and bake it in a 9 x 13 Pyrex baking dish.
If you want more pie recipes, you can download the Philo Family Favorite Pie Recipes. Enjoy!
by jphilo | May 7, 2014 | Recipes
Today’s post is a follow up on last week’s recipe which featured a DYI butter substitute. (As my daughter mentioned in the comment section last week, she found the recipe at The Provident Homemaker.)
In last week’s post ended with a picture of the mixture poured into mini-loaf pans. Below is a picture of what they looked like after they spent the night in the freezer in a plastic bag.
And after they popped out of the loaf pans with a butter knife.
The picture at the top of the page shows the chocolate chip oatmeal cookies made from the butter substitute shown above (minus 3 tablespoons). The cookies were delicious, made from a recipe featured previously on this blog. Here’s the recipe again…with italicized notes about changes made to compensate for the butter substitute which is slightly softer than real butter.
Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
1 cup butter substitute
3/4 cup brown sugar (half of what the original recipe amount)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2-1/3 cup flour (1/3 cup more than original recipe)
2 cups oatmeal
12 ounces chocolate chips (Costco’s Kirkland chocolate chips are non-dairy)
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional–not used in cookies pictured above)
Place baking stones in oven. Preheat oven to 365°.
Cream butter substitute, eggs, and brown sugar until fluffy and smooth. Add vanilla, salt, and baking soda. Mix well.
Add flour and mix well. Scrape down sides and mix some more. Add oatmeal. Mix well. Add chocolate chips and nuts. Mix again.
Drop by teaspoonfuls onto baking stones. Bake about 12 minutes. Makes 4–5 dozen.
by jphilo | Apr 30, 2014 | Recipes
Today’s butter substitute recipe comes from my daughter. She’s a DYI queen. She’s also very sensitive to dairy products, so she’s always hunting for good replacements for them. She recommends this one, so I gave it a try yesterday and took pictures of each step since it’s a foray into new territory for me. Maybe for you, too.
This was very easy to make, though clean up was a bit…greasy. Later this week, I’ll use 1 cup of the “sticks” to make chocolate chip cookies. The remaining 3 tablespoons will be used to butter toast, muffins and the like. Next week, I’ll be back with a report on how that goes. For now, here are the results from yesterday’s experiment. In each case where ingredient options are listed, the one I used is indicated in parenthesis.
Butter Substitute
2 tablespoons water (3 tablespoons if using saucepan on stove instead of microwave)
1 teaspoon cornstarch OR coconut flour OR 1/4 tsp. xantham gum (cornstarch)
1/8 teaspoon liquid aminos OR soy sauce OR scant ½ tsp. nutritional yeast (soy sauce)
½ teaspoon salt
A pinch each turmeric and paprika, optional for color (omitted)
½ c. coconut oil, softened just til creamy and stirrable
½ c. olive oil or other liquid oil like canola (olive oil)
In a glass 2 cup measuring cup, stir together water and cornstarch. Microwave until it boils, stir until smooth. The small amount of liquid makes it hard tell when it’s boiling in the microwave. But it hasn’t boiled unless the cornstarch mixture has turned clear. Like this:
Mix in the soy sauce and salt, turmeric and paprika. Scrape the bottom and sides of cup well and stir some more. Set aside to cool for a few minutes.
After it’s cooled to nearly room temperature, mix in the coconut oil. Again, scrape the edges and bottom of cup and stir again. Really well. Or you’ll discover lumps later on. (Don’t ask how I know this.)
Add oil in a thin stream, whisking continually with a fork until smooth. Again, scrape edges and bottom of cup and stir some more.
If desired pour mixture into two miniature loaf pans. Put mixture in fridge to chill.
Stir with a fork after it starts to thicken, about 15-30 minutes. The photo shows one pan straight out of the fridge after 15 minutes. The other’s been stirred. Store covered in the refrigerator.
If you want a firmer consistency, put mini-loaf pans the freezer to solidify. After they’re hard, pop them out of the molds and store in ziptop bags or wrapped in plastic. Label and keep in the freezer for longer storage, or keep in the fridge for short term use.
This recipe makes just over 1 cup–9 ½ ounces or 3 tablespooms more than 2 sticks of butter.
