Winter carrot salad

I've had some full on feasting the past few days with salmon and brussel sprouts, tenderloin and asparagus, all kinds of salads, and a ham. Woah. And all I wanted after the feasting was over was to eat apples and nuts, and maybe some dried fruit.

This salad was a random creation from My Charming Companion, who incidentally does not keep track of amounts very well, so this is my best attempt at recipe dictation. But oh! This was so good as a refreshing, but filling salad: fresh, raw veggies, apple, and nuts. And much use was made of my julienne slicer - my latest fave kitchen gadget that I also use to make "zucchini noodles". The nuts really are the star of this salad though - sweet and spicy, they are totally delicious.

Makes 4 small salads or 2 big ones:
3 carrots, julienned
1/4 lb of red cabbage, thinly sliced (about 1/2 c.)
1 apple, diced (there are still local Haralson's at the Seward)
small handful of currents (any dried fruit would probably do)
2 T. diced onions
1/3 c. nuts (a mix of pecans and almonds was good)
1 T. butter

cayenne (pinch)
2 t. honey

dressing:
2 T. olive oil
1 T. sesame oil
2 T. apple cider vinegar
1 t. yellow mustard
salt to taste

Prepare the nuts:
Melt butter in a heavy pan (cast iron), and stir in nuts over low heat. Toast slowly. When they are mostly toasted, add the honey and stir. Turn off the heat, and let the nuts "set" - they will look almost caramelized. Sprinkle on a pinch or two of cayenne. (Oh jeez, these are just SO good.)

Mix carrots, cabbage, apple, onion and currents with nuts. Pour dressing over the top, and serve.

Blueberry pancakes (gf)

Okay, I know I posted a pancake recipe already this month, but this one is better. I really think any gluten eaters would not even know that it was gluten free, and instead would wonder if it was whole wheat flour or some other really nice grain something. These are delicious!

And, they use some more of that dry curd cheese that I posted about last time, so this is another way to make use of that tasty substance (I have also been eating mine with some applesauce - yum).

This recipe is from Breaking the Vicious Cycle (that I referenced a couple of weeks ago). I have made it four times in the past few weeks because I thought I would never again have pancakes so amazing.

Makes 8 pancakes:
1/2 c. dry curd farmer cheese
4 eggs
1 banana
1 c. almond flour
1/4 t. salt
1/2 t. baking soda
2 T. honey
3/4 c. frozen blueberries (optional)

Mix all ingredients up in a food processor. Stir in blueberries if using. Pour on a griddle or frying pan and cook on medium heat until edges are looking done and bubbles are popping in the middle. Flip. Serve! These are great with walnuts and apple sauce on top.

Almond Bread x 2 (GF)

I've become a big fan of almond flour lately - it has really good flavor, lots of protein and good fat, and low sugar/carbs for anyone watching their glycemic index. Also I actually like it better than any of the GF flours out there (of which there are a TON, and you need to mix a bunch of them to get a good texture that binds, meaning you have to have anywhere from 3-8 flours around. sheesh).

Almond flour can be pricey, but the Wedge just started carrying it in bulk for a better deal. Be aware that almond flour is pretty filling - this bread is more dense than other loaf bread counterparts.

There are two recipes below: one with dry curd cottage cheese (which is so good, it is pro-biotic, tastes like yogurt, and is the texture of ricotta - see photo of empty container), which makes my fave version of this bread; and another that is totally dairy free. Both are great toasted, with soup, for French Toast, and apparently for grilled cheese sandwiches (though I have not tried that yet).

Loaf 1 (which is available at this link):
2-1/2 cups almond flour
1/4 to 1/3 cup melted butter (or ghee or coconut oil)
1 cup dry curd cottage cheese
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 eggs

Preheat oven to 350F. Place eggs, melted butter, cottage cheese, baking soda, and salt in food processor using metal blade. Process until the mixture is thick and resembles butter in texture. Add almond flour and process until mixed thoroughly.

Grease a loaf pan and spread mixture in pan. Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes, until a knife comes out clean.

Loaf 2:
4 eggs
1 T cider vinegar
1/2 c. lightly melted butter or coconut oil
2 c. almond flour
1/4 c. flax seed meal (replace flax with almond flour if preferred, but then use a little extra almond flour)
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. baking soda

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Beat eggs, vinegar, butter/oil together.
Mix dry stuff together.
Combine.
Put in greased loaf pan and bake for 30-35 minutes (when a toothpick comes out clean and all that jazz). Done!!

Store bread wrapped in a dish towel or cloth, and then in a plastic baggie if there is any left after a few days.

The Chilly Spider

Hi, WFDM!

Sorry to be so absent from this blog--I haven't been cooking that much "new" stuff, and I've been focused on my dog blog. (Shameless plug!) Also, I'm pretty sure that I started my last WFDM post like this. Ah well.

Anyway, "The Chilly Spider" is the name that my pal Caitlin and I gave a drink we (well, mostly Caitlin) concocted the other night. I rarely--if ever--deviate from a recipe, much less create my own, but Caitlin went for it and this is the result!

Some sort of fizzy water (we used a lemon La Croix, but I'm sure seltzer or tonic would be good, too)
Whiskey! (We used Jameson)
Ginger (we used powder, but fresh would undoubtedly be better/more flavorful)
Cointreau
Star anise (the spider!)
Agave nectar

Measure how you like (er, to taste) and mix it all up! Add ice!

Banana Pancakes (GF)

Okay, this recipe is so totally easy, AND it is gluten and dairy free, and it is a tasty item when you don't have a lot of time but maybe still want a pancake like breakfast-y something. And there are only two ingredients!

one egg + one banana + blending up in a food processor = one delicious large pancake

It was fluffy and light, and I just needed to be patient while it cooked on low heat...

Roast Chicken

I am not a frequent poultry cooker, but chickens were on sale at the Wedge last weekend and I couldn't pass up the deal! Several years ago I spent many an evening watching "America's Test Kitchen" videos from the library, where they very persuasively urge that chickens be brined before cooking. This recipe comes from them, and I have to say, it is DELICIOUS. seriously.

One 3.5-4 lb chicken:

Brine = 1/2 c. salt in 1/2 gallon water. They suggest also adding 1/2 c. sugar, but I left that out. I would maybe try some apple cider in place of sugar and part of the water though.

Put chicken in brine for one hour, then pat dry. I brined mine for 2-3 hours, then took it out to dry on a tray in the fridge overnight.

Mix up compound butter (by hand in a bowl):
3-4 T butter (room temp)
1 clove garlic, mashed
1 T dijon mustard
1 t minced fresh thyme
ground black pepper

Cut out backbone so that chicken can be butterflied for cooking. I had no idea how to do this, but this very helpful Youtube video made it appear super easy. My only problem was getting the breastbone out - I got it, but only after breaking it in the middle and using a knife a bit.

With your fingers, loosen skin across breast and as far down drumsticks as you can, do not tear skin. Spoon butter under skin and work across as much of the chicken as possible. (This was easy, you can move it around under the skin and sort of see it. weird!) Rub 1.5 T olive oil over chicken.

The chicken cooks on top of potatoes (or sweet potatoes and onions in my case):
2.5 pounds roasting potatoes, russets or Yukon Golds
3/4 ts salt
ground black pepper
1 Tb olive oil

Slice potatoes 1/8" to 1/4" inch thickness. Salt and pepper lightly, toss with 1 Tb oil. Line bottom of grilling pan with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Spread potato slices across pan evenly.

Place grilling rack over potatoes. Arrange butterflied chicken on top, folding drumsticks inward so they cover part of the breast. (I did not get how to do this - so just left it as it was.) Roast at 500 degrees for 20 minutes, turn pan around, roast for another 20 minutes or until internal temperature in breast is 160. *Be sure to put your chicken towards the top of the oven. I had it lower, and it seemed to not get brown enough. I also didn't fully allow the oven to preheat before putting the chicken in, and would wait next time for the full high heat.

Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly. Cut chicken up and serve with potatoes, and make sure to spoon any delicious buttery broth over the top too.

Pizza (GF)

I happened upon this recipe for a gluten/grain free pizza crust in a book called "Breaking the Vicious Cycle: Intestinal Health Through Diet." I was curious about the book because I have a friend who was recently diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, and this diet is one of the lesser known "cures" of sorts. There are lots of recipes involving almond flour or nut flours, which I was excited about.

So - pizza! This crust was delicious and did not get soggy - I could eat a slice by holding it in my hand, which in my experience is near impossible for gluten-free crusts. And it stayed crispy/solid in leftover form too. woah!
It's also super simple - just a few minutes, and fast baking time. Be aware it is more filling because of the almond flour.

Makes one small/individual pizza
1/2 c. almond flour (add more as needed for a workable dough)
1 egg
1 t. extra virgin olive oil
1/4 t. salt
Italian spices such as oregano and basil to taste

In a bowl mix the above ingredients together and add more flour as needed to form a ball (I needed to add about another 1/4 cup of flour). Oil a pan with olive oil. Add the dough ball pressing down with hands to form the shape of a small pizza crust. The mixture will be pretty wet, and I pressed mine out to get an 8-10" pizza, which resulted in 1/4" crust or so. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and put the crust in the oven while preheating. After 5-10 minutes, the crust should be crisp and ready for toppings. Put your toppings on, and then bake another 10 minutes.

This one was bacon, sweet potato, and carmelized onions. So good!