Category Archives: Recipes

Roasting Beets

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1. Heat the oven to 400°F.

2. Slice off the beet leaves close to the tip of the beet.  Scrub the beets thoroughly, then wrap loosely in foil.

3. Transfer the wrapped beets to a baking sheet.  Roast for 50-60 minutes. Check the beets every 20 minutes or so. Beets are done when a fork or skewer slides easily to the middle of the beet.

4. Let the beets cool enough to handle. Hold one of the beets in a paper towel and use the edges of the paper to rub the skin away. The skin should peel away easily; if it doesn’t, the beets likely need to cook for a little longer.

Lamb Shank Tagine with Dates

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  • 3 large lamb shanks, about 4 1/2 pounds
  • Salt and pepper
  • 6 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
  • 1 tablespoon paprika
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 large onion, sliced, about 2 cups
  • Small pinch saffron
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 2-inch piece cinnamon stick
  • 2 teaspoons dried ginger
  • 1/2 cup chopped dates of any kind, plus 24 whole Medjool dates
  • 1/2 cup golden raisins, soaked in hot water to soften for 30 minutes and drained
  • 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
  • Cilantro sprigs, for garnish
Trim shanks of excess fat, then season generously with salt and pepper. In a small bowl, combine garlic, fresh ginger, paprika and cumin, and smear over shanks. Leave shanks at room temperature to season for at least an hour. (Or you can wrap and refrigerate several hours, or overnight; return to room temperature before proceeding.)
In a Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed soup pot, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add onion, saffron and cayenne, and sprinkle with salt. Cook for 5 minutes, until somewhat softened. Stir in tomato paste and cook 1 minute. Lower heat to medium, add seasoned shanks and let cook with onions, turning occasionally, until meat and onions are lightly browned, about 10 minutes.
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Add cinnamon stick, dried ginger, chopped dates and water to barely cover (about 31/2 to 4 cups) to the pot. Bring to a simmer, cover pot with a tightfitting lid and place in oven. Bake for 30 minutes, then turn heat down to 350 degrees. Check sauce and add water if level of liquid is below meat. Continue baking for another hour, checking liquid level occasionally, then test meat by probing with skewer or paring knife. It should be quite tender and almost falling from bone, but cooked no further. (Tagine may be prepared to this point up to two days ahead. Reheat gently in a covered pot on the stovetop, adding a little more water as necessary.)
Remove meat from pot and place in deep, wide serving bowl. Skim off any surface fat from cooking liquid in pot. Add whole dates to pot and simmer for a few minutes to reduce sauce slightly. Pour sauce and dates over meat. To serve, garnish with raisins, pomegranate seeds and cilantro sprigs.

Cereal

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8 cups large rolled oats1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup chopped almonds
1/2 tbsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup honey or maple syrup
1/2 tbsp. vanilla extract

Bake at 300 degrees for 30 minutes, stir and cook for another 20-30 minutes.

Jerk Chicken

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3 green onions, chopped
1 habanero chile pepper
3 garlic cloves
1/2 inch fresh ginger root
2 teaspoons honey or dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground allspice
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup tamari or soy sauce
2 tablespoons canola oil
4 boneless chicken breasts

Cornbread

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1 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder
1 cup milk
2 large eggs

Heat oven to 425 with rack in centre.  Butter an 8-inch square baking pan and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt and baking powder.  In a small bowl, whisk together milk and eggs until frothy.  Pour the milk and egg mixture into the dry ingredients.  Mix until the ingredients are just incorporated.  Pour the batter into prepared pan.  Cook until top is golden brown, about 20-25 minutes.

Buttermilk Pound Cake (MOM)

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1 cup soft butter
2 cups white sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. lemon extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 cup buttermilk

Use conventional cake method.  Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes.  Cherries can be added for variety (about 1 cup).

Sift dry ingredients together.  In a large bowl cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffly. Add the beaten eggs slowly.  Stir in the flour alternatively with the buttermilk and at the end stir in cherries.

Dukkah

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30 grams (1 ounce, 1/4 cup) hazelnuts
– 30 grams (1 ounce, 1/4 cup) shelled pistachios (unsalted)
– 4 tablespoons sesame seeds
– 2 tablespoons coriander seeds
– 2 tablespoons cumin seeds
– 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
– 1 teaspoon black pepper berries
– 2 teaspoons dried thyme
– 1 teaspoon salt

Toast the hazelnuts and pistachios in a dry skillet, and set aside. Toast the seeds and berries (from sesame to black pepper) in the skillet for 2 minutes, until fragrant, shaking the skillet frequently. Let cool completely.

Combine all the ingredients, and grind to a coarse powder in an electric grinder or with a mortar and pestle. You may have to proceed in two batches.

Pour into a jar, close tightly, and keep somewhere cool and dry.

Tempeh and Rice with Orange Balsamic Vinaigrette

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approximately 1/4 cup olive oil, divided into multiple uses
3/4 cup tempeh, diced in small cubes
1 1/2 cups pre-cooked brown rice
3 1/2 to 4 cups diced vegetable medley (red cabbage, green cabbage, broccoli, carrots, radishes, jicama, green bell peppers, celery)
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. cumin
generous sprinkling of salt and pepper, to taste
optional spices and seasonings (curry, garlic, onion powder)
1 orange, halved

Orange Balsamic Vinaigrette
juice from half of 1 orange, about 3 tablespoons
2 to 3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar, or more to taste
1 tsp. ground ginger, or to taste
1 tsp. ground cumin
pinch salt and pepper, to taste
pinch sugar, optional and to taste

Sautee cubed tempeh in olive oil for a minute and toss into a bowl.

Warm the rice with a drizzle of olive oil and toss that into the bowl.

Sautee and season the veggies and toss them into the bowl.

Slice the oranges and toss them into the bowl.

Whisk up the marinade with orange juice, balsamic, and seasonings.

Pour it over everything that’s in the bowl and toss.

Jerky Sauce

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2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. soy sauce
2 tbsp. teriyaki
1/2 cup beer
1 tsp. worcestershire
2 squirts of sriracha
1/4 tsp. paprika
2 tsp. curry powder
10 turns of black pepper

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

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2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 cup white sugar
1 cup salted butter, softened
2 large eggs
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 cup coarsely chopped macadamia nuts
1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 300°F

In a medium bowl, combine flour, soda and salt. Mix well, set aside.
In a large bowl with a mixer blend sugars at medium speed. Add butter and mix to until it forms a grainy paste, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Add eggs and vanilla, and beat at medium speed until fully combined.
Add the flour mixture, macadamia nuts and white chocolate chips, and blend on low speed until just combined. Do not overmix.

Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 15 minutes or until edges begin to brown. Move immediately to cooling rack.