Butter Dips

One of my Facebook friends posted a picture of her dinner this week which included homemade stew and butter dips. I had never heard of butter dips and Kathie kindly shared her recipe. I always like to make a special treat on Fridays after a week of work and this recipe hit the spot on a late winter afternoon. It is so easy and adaptable.

1/4 cup butter
1 1/4 cups flour
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cups milk

Heat oven to 450 degrees. In square pan melt butter in oven. Remove pan from oven. Measure dry ingredients into bowl. Add milk. Stir until dough forms.

Turn dough onto flour covered surface. Knead lightly, about 10 times. Roll into 8" square. With large knife cut dough in half then cut each half into nine 4" strips. Dip each strip in melted butter, coating both sides. Arrange in 2 rows in pan. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.

This recipe can also be doubled and baked in a 9 x 13 baking pan. Serves as many people as are at your table- anywhere between 2 and 6.

Hey, who ate 1/2 the pan of butter dips?!

 Variation: I used 1/2 c all purpose flour, 1/2 cup whole wheat flour and 1/4 cup ground flaxseeds. I used almond milk and added 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese to the dough. With the addition of a little minced garlic, they would have tasted like Red Lobster cheddar bay biscuits.

Sugar Cookies

I made this cookie dough in the food processor and it turned out very well.

Blend in food processor or by hand until light and creamy:

3/4 cup butter, (or 1/2 butter, 1/2 shortening)
3/4 cup sugar

Add:

2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract and process until smooth

Gradually add :

2-1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Dough will form into a ball.

Wrap and chill for a couple of hours or overnight.

Roll to 1/4 inch thickness between parchment paper or on a well floured board and cut into shapes.
Bake at 400F for 6-7 minutes until lightly browned (watch closely)
I made about 4 dozen heart shaped cookies with this recipe.

Potato Pancakes

 

I got my first food processor this Christmas (after 35 years of marriage) and wonder how I did without it for so long. Tonight I grated potatoes and onion for this recipe in just a minute or so. I did not peel the potatoes. The pancakes were delicious and were served with baked fish and steamed vegetables.

Grate: 8 medium potatoes, (leave peel on)

           1 medium onion

Beat : 2 eggs with a whisk until they are frothy and add 

          4 tablespoons of flour

          1 teaspoon salt

Add grated potato and onion to egg and mix well.

Heat a little oil in a frying pan and when the pan is hot, fry potatoes until well browned on each side. Flatten the potatoes so the pancakes are quite thin. Repeat until all potatoes are cooked, adding more oil to the pan as necessary.

Makes 12 pancakes.

Serve plain, with applesauce, sour cream, ketchup or other topping of your choice.

Here is an alternate (very easy) version from Mennonite Girls Can Cook

• 3 cups peeled chopped raw potatoes
• 1/2 onion coarsely chopped
• 2 eggs
• 2 tbsp to 1/4 cup flour
• 1/2 -1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 3 green onions (scallions) chopped

1. Put all ingredients but the green onions into blender container. 
2. Cover and blend, stopping to make sure all ingredients are getting chopped. 
3. Push down onions or potatoes with a spatula if necessary. 
4. Continue till blended well. Some coarseness of the potatoes and onions is O.K.
5. Stir in green onions.
6. Pour batter onto hot greased griddle. Brown then flip once to brown the other side.
7. Serve with sour cream and applesauce.

Tortilla Soup

This recipe is adapted from one published in the 2009 Milk Calendar from the Dairy Farmers of Canada. The original recipe calls for chicken and this version is meat-free.

Finely dice:
1 cooking onion
1 red pepper
1 jalapeno pepper

Cook until soft in 1 tbsp of vegetable oil or butter

Sprinkle 2-1/2 tbsp flour on cooked vegetables and stir it in thoroughly. Add

2 cups vegetable broth
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tin rinsed black beans
1 cup canned or frozen corn*
Handful of baby or chopped spinach

Cook over medium heat stirring until soup thickens

Add
2-1/2 cups milk of choice and heat through.

Top soup with broken tortilla chips, cilantro, diced tomato, grated cheese, lime juice as desired.

*I did not have corn on hand and added 1 cup of frozen edamame instead. The recipe is very versatile.

Baked whole salmon

We bought a fresh 9 pound salmon for Christmas Eve and wanted to prepare it whole for a buffet supper. I checked a number of websites and found a variety of methods for baking a big fish. The biggest variation was in cooking temperature, with some recommending a very slow oven and others a hot oven for a short period of time. In the end, the salmon was absolutely delicious, moist and tender. This is how we did it:

Cut a large peice of foil to completely wrap the fish. Lay it flat and grease it with butter. Place the fish in the foil and fill the cavity with chopped onion, thinly sliced lemon, chopped parsley or cilantro, a few peppercorns and any other herb or vegetable to want for flavouring the fish. Sprinkle the cavity with salt. Stand the fish on its bottom and curve the tail end so it fits in the pan. Sprinkle a little salt on the outside and place sliced onions, lemons, etc on the outside of the fish. Tightly seal the foil so no steam will escape during cooking.

Place in an oven at 325F and bake for approximately 15 minutes per pound. If you have a meat thermometer, the internal temperature should be around 145F. When salmon is still hot, remove the skin. Place on a platter when ready to serve and garnish as desired.

This YouTube video was very helpful although I did not cook our fish at such a high temperature.

Black Bean Brownies

These brownies are lower fat, high fiber and gluten-free. And they taste good too!

Combine in food processor bowl:

• 2 cups cooked black beans, rinsed and drained (one tin)
• 3 eggs
• 3 tbsp butter or oil
• 1 tsp instant coffee (optional- we do not prefer this)
• 1/4 cup cocoa
• 3/4 cup brown sugar or sweetener of choice
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 teaspoon each baking powder and baking soda (optional if you want a cake-like brownie)

Process for 2 minutes until smooth. Put into a greased 8 inch square pan and bake for 30 minutes at 350 F. Sprinkle with chocolate chips before baking if desired.

Serving Size: 1 (42 g)
Servings Per Recipe: 16

Amount Per Serving

 

Calories 102.6

Total Fat 3.7 g

Sodium 23.3 mg (without baking powder and baking soda)

Potassium 104.1 mg

Magnesium 21.7 mg

Total Carbohydrate 14.9 g (with sugar)

Dietary Fiber 2.1 g

Protein 3.2 g

Barley Pilaf

We went out for dinner last night and I had a delicious vegetarian meal at a restaurant best known for its schnitzel and German cuisine. The chef made me a phyllo-wrapped mushroom pastry that was out of this world (must figure out how to make it) and served it on a bed of creamy barley. Our newspaper featured a barley stew this week and I modified it slightly as follows:-

30 ml (2 tbsp) olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium yellow onions, diced
28-ounce can chopped tomatoes ( I would use no-salt tomatoes next time)
5 ml dried thyme and basil
1 litre (4 cups) vegetable broth
375 ml (1 1/2 cups) pearl barley
341-ml (12-oz) jar roasted red peppers, drained and cut into strips
140 g (5 oz) fresh baby spinach
2 diced portabella mushrooms
250 ml (1 cup) water
Ground black pepper, to taste

1. In a large saucepan over medium, heat the olive oil. Add the garlic and onions and saute until soft and translucent, about 6 to 7 minutes.
2. Add the tomatoes, broth, and barley, then bring to a simmer. Cover and continue to cook until the barley is tender, about 50 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Add the mushrooms about half way through the cooking time. Stir in the roasted red peppers, baby spinach and water. Cook until the spinach is wilted, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper. Serves 6.

Garnish with sliced olives if desired.

Energy Bars

I enjoy a variety of LÄRABAR products, especially their peanut butter and chocolate varieties. At $2.00 a bar, they are pricey and I usually get them in larger boxes where the price works out to about  $1.00 a piece. I got a food processor for Christmas, the first one I have ever owned. I have made a couple of LÄRABAR type squares and they turned out well. The measurements are approximate and can be adjusted until the right consistency is obtained.

Chocolate Bars:

Combine in a food processor and process until a paste:

1 cup dates ( I covered them with boiling water for 5 minutes because they were very hard)
1/2 cup whole raw almonds
1/2 cup raw walnut pieces
2-3 tbsp cocoa powder
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
a few dark chocolate chocolate chips

Press into a 8 inch square pan. Cut into squares or bars. I put the pan in the freezer for 1/2 hour before cutting them.

Oatmeal Raisin Bars

3/4 cup dates
1/4 cup raisins
1/2 cup almonds
1/4 cup walnuts
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Process until you reach a paste consistency. You may need to add a little water during the processing if it is too dry.

For other ideas, check out this website.

Black Forest Trifle

This light trifle has only 1/2 cup of sugar in the entire recipe and except for the whipped cream is very low fat.

Cake: Make a hot milk sponge cake following the variation with the cocoa. Use 1/2 cup of sugar and 1/2 cup of Splenda in the cake. ( I used whole wheat flour for the cake but would not recommend that unless you are make trifle as pudding moistens the cake)

Fruit: I used 2 cups of sour pitted cherries which I froze in the summer. Thaw the cherries, add 1-1/2 tbsp of cornstarch and 1/2 c Splenda to the juice and cook in the microwave stirring frequently until thickened. You could use sliced fresh fruit like strawberries or canned fruit instead.

Pudding: Make a single recipe of chocolate pudding following the variation of blanc mange with the cocoa. I used Splenda to sweeten the pudding. You could also make an instant no-sugar chocolate pudding.

Whipped Cream: Whip 250-500 ml (1-2 cups) of heavy cream with 1/2 tsp vanilla and 1/4 c Spenda until soft peaks form. I don't use Cool Whip or other fake creams but feel free to do so if you like them.

Assemble Trifle: Place 1/2 the cake on the bottom of the trifle bowl. Add half the pudding and fruit. Top with half the whipped cream if using the larger amount. Repeat layers ending with whipped cream. I grated one small square of 70% cocoa dark chocolate on top and added 2 fresh cherries for garnish. Let it sit a few hours before serving.

Trifle is very easy to make and the type of cake, pudding, and fruit used can be changed easily. You can make all parts of the recipe with sugar and higher fat ingredients if you wish.

Bacon and Egg Pie with Vegetarian Option

Vegetarian version

Mom used to make a bacon and egg pie which was a good lunch for guests when served with a salad. Unlike quiche, the eggs are not beaten and no milk is added. I remember her wrapping hot pies in newspaper and taking them to a church picnic. The recipe was lost and she called me this week to see if I had it written down anywhere. I looked on the internet and discovered that this pie is very popular in New Zealand. There are  many variations including some with added cheese. This version is closest to Mom's and I tried it out tonight. I caramelized onions and added a couple of handfuls of spinach to replace the bacon. It is a very easy main dish to make and is good hot or cold. 

Ingredients

Pastry of your choice for a 2-crust 8- or 9-inch pie (puff pastry can be used)

1/4 lb side bacon

1 large onion, sliced

1 tomato, sliced

Salt and pepper

6-8 eggs

1/3 cup shredded cheese, optional

Roll out bottom pastry and fit into a pie pan.
Cut bacon strips in half and saute to desired crispness
Arrange bacon in the prepared pie pan.
Saute onion slices until limp and spread over the bacon.
Add sliced tomato and sprinkle with salt, pepper
Break eggs on top
Sprinkle with cheese if desired. (I did not use cheese)
Cover with rolled-out top crust dampening the edges to seal tightly.
Cut a few slits in the top crust

Bake at 425F for 15 minutes, then reduce heat and bake at 350F for 15-20 minutes.

Vegetarian option:

Finely dice 2 onions and put in frying pan with 1-2 tbsp oil. Cook over medium heat for 20-30 minutes, stirring frequently until onions are carmelized. Add a package of thawed and drained spinach or a couple of handfuls of fresh spinach and cook until wilted. Mushrooms can also be added and cooked with the onions if desired. Put the onion mixture on the bottom and break whole eggs on top. Season with salt and pepper then top with thinly sliced tomato. Add top crust and bake as described above.

Vegetarian Chili

I made chili tonight with ingredients on hand and it turned out very well. Served on tostadas with a salad and fruit for dessert, it made a tasty meal.

Dice:
1 onion
2 Poblano peppers
3 cloves of garlic
 and cook in a small amount of olive oil in a wok.

Add:
2 teaspoons crushed cumin seeds
2 teaspoons or more chili powder
1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper

Add: 6-8 oz of tomato paste and an equal amount of water and simmer with lid on for 10 minutes until vegetables are soft.

Add:
1 19 -oz tin each of lentils, kidney beans and black beans, drained
Add a little more water if necessary.

Slice one zucchini and chop 1/2 fresh cilanto, 1/2 cup salsa and add to mixture. Simmer until zucchini just starts to soften. Adjust seasonings adding salt and pepper to taste.

Makes 6-8 servings

Bonavista Fruit Bread

This recipe from Newfoundland is from the Laura Secord Canadiana Cookbook. The bread keeps well, is easy to slice and is relatively low in fat. I did not add the walnuts. I soaked the raisins and cut up all the fruit into small pieces. The sugar could be cut down to 1/2 cup if you want.  It is a nice, light alternative to more traditional Christmas fruit cake.

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3-1/2 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup diced candied pineapple
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup chopped candied cherries
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 3 tbsp butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x5x3" loaf pan thoroughly. Sift or blend flour, baking powder, salt and sugar together. Mix in the fruits and walnuts. Beat eggs, milk and butter together with a fork. Add liquids to dry ingredients and stir only until combined (batter will be lumpy). Fill prepared loaf pan and let stand 30 minutes. Bake for 55 to 65 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in centre comes out clean. Remove from pan and allow to cool. Serve plain or buttered. Makes 1 loaf.