Shredded Beef

My daughter called and asked for this recipe. It is a family creation, with no specific measures.

Beef roast and/or pork roast approx 2-3 pounds
We use pork tenderloin or beef round rather than fattier cuts. If you don't like hot peppers, use more tomato or sweet chili sauce.

Put in crockpot with

1- 28 oz tin diced tomatoes
1 cup canned salsa or chili sauce
pickled or canned hot peppers if desired

Cook in crockpot until meat shreds. Add more liquid or salsa during cooking to keep meat moist.
If you slice or dice the meat before cooking, it will finish faster. I usually cook this overnight for 8-10 hours.

Serve on buns, in tacos or over rice or noodles.

Whole Grain Tabouleh

This recipe is from the cookbook Simply in Season. You can be creative with this dish.

Prepare 1 cup uncooked bulgar, quinoa, or couscous according to package directions. Fluff with a fork and allow to cool. You should have at least 2 cups or more of the cooked grain.

Add
1/4 c green onions, chopped
2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, mint or parsley
1 cup chopped vegetables: cucumbers, sweet peppers, diced summer squash
1 cup chickpeas (optional)

2 tbsp lemon or lime juice (preferably fresh)
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Mix and pour over salad.
Yields 6 cups

Blanc Mange

This is Blancmange playing tennis in a Monty Python movie.
(Monty Python is too bizarre for me, but I will never forget this very random scene...but then, the entire movie is random!)

My daughter asked me for this recipe so it is posted for her. She ate a lot of this when growing up. I seldom bought boxed puddings and made this instead with a number of variations.

Blanc Mange is a traditional European dish that started as a bland, milky meal with chicken that was served to invalids. It then evolved onto a dessert like flan, made with milk and egg that was set in a molded dish. It now refers to a pudding made with cornstarch or flour. It could be made stiff enough to be molded, but we like ours to be creamier. Here is the basic idea for a modern version using a microwave oven.

In a microwave proof dish combine

3 tbsp cornstarch (or flour)
1/4 cup to 1/2 cup sugar or sweetener

Add 2-1/2 cups milk (regular or soy)
It is easier to blend if the milk has been warmed, but I don't do this.
You can thin the pudding with extra milk after it has cooked to reach the desired consistency

Cook in microwave. I set it at 50% power for about 3-5 minutes.
Stir the pudding every minute. Remove after it thickens.
Add 1 tbsp butter (optional) and 1/2 tsp vanilla to the thickened pudding.

Variations:

Chocolate: Add 2-3 tbsp cocoa to sugar and cornstarch mixture. Use the greater amount of sugar.

Maple: Add 1/2 cup maple syrup instead of the sugar

Rice pudding: Add 1-2 cups cooked rice to thickened pudding. Add raisins and cinnamon if desired.

For a richer pudding with a custardy flavour, add one well beaten egg to the hot mixture. Stir a little of the hot pudding into the egg before adding the egg to the dish. You may have to return the pudding to the microwave for 15-30 seconds to set the egg.

"Mexican" Cheesecake

This is Mom's recipe which she learned in Mexico. I love cheesecakes, preferably plain, and flans served with fresh fruit or fruit sauce. A rich New York cheesecake, with lots of cream cheese, eggs and sour cream, is only an occasional indulgence. This cake is flavourful and low fat as well. Mom bakes it in a graham cracker crust, but I just put it in a cheesecake pan with no crust.

1 1/2 cups dry curd cottage cheese (I buy this in a 500 gram package in the dairy section, so I really use 2 cups)
4 eggs
1 tin sweetened condensed milk
3 tbsp lemon juice

Mix all ingredients until smooth in a blender or with beaters.
Pour into a 8"-9" cheesecake pan or deep pie dish.

Bake at 350 F until set, about 40 -50 minutes.
Chill before serving.