Fresh Strawberry Crepes
Strawberry Crepes
With what looks to be a great strawberry season this year I am looking forward to a lot of cooking with and just eating of fresh strawberries. One of my favorite dishes is Strawberry Crepes. The crepes take a little time but the end result is so worth the effort. These can be served as a dessert, but also for brunch or breakfast.
Strawberry Crepes
1 recipe dessert crepe batter- see below
2 lbs.fresh strawberries, washed, hulled and sliced
sugar to taste- start with 1/2 cup, then adjust to your taste
1 t. vanilla
1 t. grated orange peel
powdered sugar
whipped cream, optional
Make the crepe batter (recipe below) and cook the crepes. Toss the berries with the sugar, vanilla and orange peel. Place a crepe on your work surface and spoon berries down the middle. Fold up the sides of the crepe and move to serving dish. Repeat with remaining ingredients until you run out of something. I tend to put a lot of the berries in each crepe so I run out of berries and have left over crepes. How much fruit you put in each one is completely up to you and your taste. Dust filled crepes with powdered sugar and top with extra berries- if you have any left. You can also add some whipped cream on the top. I list it as optional- but I really think you’re going to want that whipped cream. Makes about 12 crepes, give or take.
Dessert Crepes
1 c. flour
4 eggs
1 1/2 c. milk
1 T. sugar
2-T. orange-flavored liqueur or orange juice concentrate
1/4 c. butter, melted and cooled
Mix all ingredients in blender (except butter) until smooth, scraping sides often. Add butter and blend well. Let stand for 30 minutes before using, or batter can be refrigerated, covered, over night. Beat again, just before using.Heat 6 or 7 inch skillet. Brush with butter or oil and pour in about 2 teaspoons of batter, tipping pan to cover bottom of pan completely with batter. Cook until edges start to brown, turn over and cook until lightly browned (about 2 minutes per side.) Crepes can be made day ahead or even placed between sheets of waxed paper and frozen. Makes 20.
Kale and Bean Stew
Kale and Bean Stew
I really like most leafy greens. A lot of people don’t though and I often hear from people who would love to get family members to eat them. Sometimes you have to get creative and add them to dishes where the flavor is masked a little with other foods. This simple stew is a great way to maybe get family members to try kale in a less obvious way. It tastes pretty good, too.
Kale and Bean Stew
1½ lb. kale leaves, center ribs removed
3 T. oil
1 c. chopped carrots
1 c. chopped celery
1 c. chopped onions
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 c. dry white wine
2 (15 oz.) cans beans, rinsed and drained- I used garbanzos and lima beans
4-5 cups Vegetable or chicken stock
1 t. dried savory or thyme
1 bay leaf
1 T. white balsamic vinegar
2 T. fresh chopped herbs
Blanch kale in boiling water for 1 minute. Rinse under cold water. Drain and squeeze out excess water. Chop kale leaves coarsely. Heat oil in pot over medium heat. Cook vegetables and garlic until tender but not browned. Add wine and simmer until liquid is reduced by half. Add 4 cups of the broth, beans, savory and bay leaf and simmer over medium-low heat for 20 minutes. Add kale and simmer 5 minutes more. Add more stock if stew is too thick. Add vinegar, fresh herbs and salt and pepper to taste. Serves 6.
Strawberry-Vanilla Jam
Strawberry Vanilla Jam
I picked up some great berries. Making jam this weekend. I really like the addition of some vanilla to my strawberry jam. I think it adds a nice additional layer of flavor without covering up the natural beauty of the berries. I try to make enough to last all year but I end up running out quickly. This jam is great on toast but also a nice addition to several desserts I make.
Here is the recipe.
Strawberry-Vanilla Jam
2 qts. strawberries, stemmed, washed and crushed
2 T. pure vanilla
1 package dry pectin
1/4 c. lemon juice
7 cups sugar
Combine berries, vanilla, pectin and lemon juice in large saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring often. Add sugar and turn heat up to high. Stir often until mixture comes to a boil. Boil hard one minute stirring constantly. Ladle hot jam in to jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe rims and screw on lids comfortably tight. Place in boiling water bath and process 5 minutes. Remove to cooling rack, towel or wooden surface to cool. Makes 8-9 half pints.
Pea Shoots with Cashews
Pea Shoots with Cashews
I grow peas every year and find their tender shoots a great addition to many dishes. I trim off young, tender shoots and add them to soups, salads and stir fries. Older shoots may have tough stems. If that is the case I’ll just use the leaves. Last night for dinner I had a great veggie stir fry with onions, baby bok choy, nappa cabbage, baby peppers and pea shoots. I added some cashews for texture and tossed with soba noodles.
Pea Shoots with Cashews
oil
1 onion, sliced
1 c. nappa cabbage leaves, sliced thin
1 1/2 c. sliced baby bok choy leaves
3-4 baby sweet peppers, seeded and sliced
2 c. pea shoots
soy sauce to taste
2 t. sesame oil
1/2 c. cashews
4 oz. soba ( buckwheat) noodles, cooked and drained
In skillet or wok heat the oil and saute the onion until tender. Add the rest of the veggies and cook until tender/crisp. Season to taste with soy and add the sesame oil. Toss in the cashews and then toss in pasta and heat a minute or two. Serves 2-3.
Coconut Cracker Snacks
Coconut Cracker Snacks
If you are craving something sweet and pressed for time these are really a fun snack to make. Super easy they are also a great recipe for kids to make. The base is saltine crackers topped with butter, brown sugar, coconut and cinnamon. They are ready in just a few minutes. Sweet and just a little salty, too. You could use chopped nuts in place of the coconut if you prefer.
Coconut Cracker Snacks
36 saltine crackers
1/3 c. butter
1/3 c. brown sugar
1 c. coconut
1 t. cinnamon
Cover a baking sheet with foil. Place the crackers, touching, side by side in a single layer. Melt butter in microwave, then add sugar and heat together 1 minute on high. Stir butter and sugar mixture together until smooth and drizzle this over the crackers. Combine coconut and cinnamon and then sprinkle the coconut over the crackers. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 8-10 minutes, or until coconut is toasted. Cool on baking sheet on a cooling rack. Crackers will easily break apart from each other. Makes 36.
Arrange crackers on a baking sheet
Drizzle crackers with the butter/brown sugar mixture
Sprinkle on the coconut and bake until coconut is toasted
Raspberry Chocolate Wonton Bundles
Raspberry Chocolate Bundles
Still playing around with wontons and since I have some fresh raspberries I decided to use them together. I added chocolate, too. Once I filled all the bundles I baked them until golden brown, cooled them a little, and dusted with powdered sugar. These would be a cute dessert to make when fresh berries are available. I could see using blackberries or blueberries, too. They were quick to assemble, too.
Here is what I did.
I started by washing the raspberries and then putting them in a small bowl with some sugar. I rolled the raspberries around to coat them. I put a combination of chocolate chips- I had mini ones- and 3 raspberries in the center of each won ton wrapper. I’d say about a teaspoon of chips.
Place chocolate chips and 3 raspberries in the center of each wonton wrapper
I used water to moisten the edges of the wrapper and brought 2 points together to form and triangle. Then I brought the other 2 points up to create a cute little bundle. I pressed all the edges together to minimize leaks. I put the little bundles on a baking sheet- lined with a silicone baking mat and sprayed them with some non-stick spray. I could have brushed them with oil instead or even used nothing. I baked them in a 400 degree oven for 10 minutes. They were crispy and golden brown. They could have even cooked a minute or two longer. I placed them on a tray to cool and dusted them with powdered sugar. They came out quite nice.
I wasn’t sure how much moisture the raspberries would create when they got hot. I tried to leave them intact and not crush or bruise them as I placed them in the wrappers. The wrappers I used already had a cornstarch coating on them. I assumed the cornstarch would thicken any juices the raspberries made and that seemed to be the case. While some juices bubbled out of some of the wrappers it was no worse than berries bubbling out of a pie. The next day I tested a couple and they were still pretty crisp.
Bring points together to form a bundle
Place on parchment, silicone baking mat or lightly oil a cookie sheet.
Bake until golden brown
Allow to cool a little before dusting with powdered sugar
Ready to serve
Crab Rangoons – Baked!!
Crab Rangoons
I love crab rangoons but I don’t always feel like frying them. You don’t have to. You can bake them and still end up with crispy wontons filled with creamy, crabby goodness. Easier than frying if you have a lot of people or just aren’t in the mood for frying.
Crab Rangoons
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
1 (6 ounce) can crabmeat, drained and flaked
2 green onions with tops, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon soy sauce
48 wonton wrappers
Directions
Preheat an oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Lightly spray baking sheet with cooking spray. Combine garlic, cream cheese, crab, green onions, Worcestershire sauce, and soy sauce in a bowl. To prevent wonton skins from drying, prepare only 1 or 2 rangoon at a time. Place 1 teaspoon of filling onto the center of each wonton skin. Moisten the edges with water and fold the wonton skin diagonally to form a triangle, pressing edges to seal. Arrange the rangoon on the baking sheet and lightly spray with cooking spray.
Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes.
Pot Stickers
Pot Stickers
We went down to the Asian market recently. I always have so much fun there- and buy so much. Stocked up on won ton wrappers. OK, I had a class on cooking with wontons but I bought a LOT more wontons than we would need for class. I’ve been having fun playing around with them. I’ll be posting pictures and recipes. Some of these are recipes from class, some are new.
Pot Stickers are called that because when the steaming liquid evaporates and they start to brown on the bottom they tend to stick to the pot. Doing them in an un- seasoned pan that does not have a non-stick coating can result in the pot stickers leaving their bottoms behind them in the pan.
Feel free to play around with fillings. I could easily have left out the meat and added chopped, cooked mushrooms for a vegetarian version.
Traditional Pot Stickers
1/2 pound ground pork- I used ground chicken
1/2 medium head cabbage, finely chopped- I used Chinese cabbage, or nappa
1 green onion, finely chopped
2 slices fresh ginger root, finely chopped
2 water chestnuts, drained and finely chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon white sugar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 (14 ounce) package wonton wrappers
5 tablespoons vegetable oil
3/4 cup water- or stock
Dipping Sauce:
1 tablespoon chili oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
Crumble pork into a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain and set aside. In a medium bowl, mix together the pork, cabbage, green onion, ginger, water chestnuts, salt, sugar and sesame oil. Chill in the refrigerator 6 to 8 hours, or overnight. Place a tablespoon of the pork mixture into each of the wonton wrappers. Fold the wrappers, and seal the edges with a moistened fork. In a large, deep skillet, heat 3 tablespoons vegetable oil over medium high heat. Place the pot stickers into the oil seam sides up. Heat 30 seconds to a minute. Pour water into the skillet. Gently boil 7 to 8 minutes, until oil and water begins to sizzle, and then add remaining oil. When the bottoms begin to brown, remove pot stickers from heat. In a small serving bowl, mix together the chili oil, soy sauce, and vinegar, adjusting proportions to taste.
Start browning in a pan.
Steam in liquid
Pot stickers should be brown on the bottom
Applesauce Fruit and Nut Muffins-Vegan
Applesauce Fruit and Nut Muffins
I had a request from a friend recently for more vegan baked goods. Came up with this recipe today and they came out moist and light. I also have a LOT of applesauce that I canned so looking for things to do with it other than just eating it.
Applesauce Fruit and Nut Muffins
2 c. applesauce- I used unsweetened
1/2 c. oil
1 c. sugar
1 t. vanilla
2 c. flour Note: You can use all purpose, I used whole wheat pastry flour.
1 c. rolled oats
2 t. baking soda
2 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. baking powder
1 c. dried cranberries or raisins
1 c. chopped nuts
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners or grease lightly. Set aside. Combine applesauce with the oil and stir in sugar and vanilla. Add flour, oats, soda, cinnamon and baking powder. Stir to mix well. Stir in fruit and nuts. Spoon batter in to muffin cups filling just over half-full. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown on top. Makes 24.
Cocoa Mint Hearts
Cocoa Mint Hearts
If you want an easy chocolate treat to make these may just be what you are looking for. They are a simple candy that require little time and no cooking. Easy enough for kids to help, too.
Cocoa Mint Hearts
9 c. powdered sugar
1 c. cocoa
1/2 c. butter, softened
1/2 c. water
2 t. peppermint extract
In large bowl combine ingredients until well blended. You can add more water, if needed, 1 teaspoon at a time. Divide mixture into 2 pieces and shape in balls. Place each between sheets of wax paper and roll out to 1/4 -inch thickness. Cut out with tiny cutters and place on foil-lined tray. Chill several hours, then wrap up in colored foil or place in tiny candy bags. Makes 80 1-inch candies.
Roll out between wax paper
Cut out with heart-shaped cookie cutters
