Curried Pickled Cucumbers - Refrigerator Style

I am clearly not a serious blogger.

I took no photos during this pickling adventure because I was so sure it wouldn't work.  After all, I broke sooooooo many rules of pickling!  

For starters.....

1.  I used the wrong cucumbers!

I ordered a double batch of cucumbers in my delivery from Washingtons Green Grocer expecting that they would be small, pickling cucumbers.  It ends up that Diva Cukes are relatively thin skinned, but are huge and have tons of seeds.  Not what you want in a pickler, and not what I *thought* Google told me before I placed my order.  Oops.

2.  I did not boil the pickling liquid.

Heated it in the microwave.  My new favorite way to make it! :-)

3.  Made substitutions in the recipe.

Okay, hardly a news flash there.  I am incapable of following a recipe.  Or, as it seems, checking that I have all the ingredients before I start.

That all said, these are delicious pickles!  

The recipe (mostly) came from Andrea Chesman's  The Pickled Pantry.  The recipe I made is below-- consult her awesome book for the original.  (To start, she uses the correct cucumbers and boils her pickling liquid!)    Also, her curried pickles are water-bath processed so that they are shelf stable, and will last longer.

Because I used the large slicing cucumbers, I was concerned that their high water content will make them mushy before too long.  Water bath canning, and making them shelf-stable, seemed unnecessary.  After tasting these, I'm definitely interested in doing it the 'right' way, in order to make more than one jar at a time.  I think they would also be great cut into spears or thicker slices.

Curried Pickled Cucumbers

4 cups sliced cucumbers (I sliced thinly by hand)

3/4 onion, sliced thin

1 heaping Tbsp coarse sea salt

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup sugar

1 Tbsp raisins

1 1/2 tsp curry powder

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

Mix cucumber, onions and salt in a bowl, and cover with ice water.  Let soak for 2 hours or so, until the cucumbers taste slightly salty.

At the tail end of the brining time, mix remaining ingredients in a microwaveable bowl and heat until  the sugar is dissolved and the mix is hot-- 1 minute did the job in my microwave.  Set aside.

Drain the cukes and onions, and pack into a clean quart jar.  Pour hot brine over the veggies, then put the lid on the jar and store in the fridge.  Try to wait a day before eating.  

Note:  soaking the cukes in salt water- brining them, really- is a new one to me.  I can't argue with the results!

Best Snack Ever! Crunchy Chickpeas!

I know, I know.... best ever?  A wee bit of hyperbole for a snowy day?

I think not.

These are awesome.  Sweet or spicy, and definitely crunchy.  And unlike many of the recipes I've seen on the interwebs, these STAY crunchy for days... not that they last that long.

Crunchy yummy goodness.

As a bonus, these are healthy, full of fiber and vegetarian.... and gluten free depending on your seasonings. No guilt, all goodness.  And did I mention delicious?!

I've made multiple batches, and the best came when I started with dried chickpeas*, not canned.  It might be a coincidence that these were the best batches, but it's not much harder to start with dried, and you get the chance to make so many more.... so I'll always start there.

Crunchy Chickpeas
1lb dried chickpeas
10-12 cups water

1.  Rinse dried chickpeas and pick through them, discarding any discolored ones or stones that found their way into the bag.  Place chickpeas in slow cooker, cover with water, then cook on high for five hours until tender.

2.  Drain, and spread in a single layer on a cookie sheet(s) lined with paper towels/cloth.  Rub chickpeas gently to remove liquid, and pick out any skins that come off-- no need to skin them if the skins hold on.
*Suggestion 1:  1lb chickpeas = 2 full cookie sheets.  These need some elbow room.
*Suggestion 2:  Leave the chickpeas in a colander or on a cloth for a few hours/overnight... let evaporation do some of the drying for you

3.  Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Use the convection setting if you have one.  Line cookie sheet(s) with parchment paper and spread chickpeas on top in a single layer.  No need for oil or flavors yet... just chickpeas!  Place the cookie sheet in the over and set the timer for ten minutes.

4.  When the timer goes off, shake the pan, then put it back in the oven and set the time for another ten minutes.  Repeat two more times (a total of 40 minutes)

5.  After 40 minutes, the chickpeas should be nicely browned, and if you eat one, it should be crunchy all the way through, and not at all soggy.  If it's still not crunchy, try another five minutes before proceeding.

6.  And now... seasonings!  During one of the ten minute baking rounds, mix up seasonings in a bowl large enough to hold your chickpeas.  Here are some suggestions:

Spicy:  1/2 Tbsp (or more) Sriracha, 1 Tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp line juice 1/2 tsp sweet paprika, 1/2 tsp salt
Flavorful: 1 Tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp each smoked paprika and cumin, 1/2 tsp salt
Sweet: 2 Tbsp honey, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, 1/2 tsp salt
Sweet II: 1 Tbsp maple syrup, 1 tsp cinnamon sugar, 1 pinch cayenne pepper, 1 pinch salt
Tons of seasoning suggestions on the web... just make sure you dry roast them first following the instructions here to make them crunchy crunchy crunchy!

7.  Pour chickpeas into seasonings and mix until coated, then return the chickpeas to the oven (on the parchment covered cookie sheet) for another five minutes.  With wetter seasonings like the sweet combo above, you may need to make it ten minutes to bake the seasoning onto the chickpeas.  Keep an eye on them to ensure your creation does not burn!

8.  Important last step.... when done, turn off the heat and crack the oven door.  Leave the chickpeas in the oven until cold.  I don't know if this is necessary, but my chickpeas are awesome and I will continue to do it until someone tests it another way and tells me it definitely works :-)

When cool, store in a tightly covered container-- jar, glass bowl, plastic or whatever.  I understand these can be frozen also, but mine never make it that long.

Enjoy the deliciousness!


*chickpeas = garbanzo beans.  Same thing... main ingredient in hummus and falafel.  Sold canned or dried, in the grocery section with beans.  You'll need a larger and/or healthier store to find dried garbanzos.
** Post updated 3/30/14 to reflect that fact that drying these like crazy using tons of paper towels is not necessary is you follow the rest of the directions.  I did my last batch by defrosting cooked chickpeas for a few hours on the counter, then roasting them with nary a paper towel involved.  They came out great!

Credit to www.thehairpin.com for introducing me to the idea of dry roasting the chickpeas, and for the bones of the Sriracha Lime seasoning combo.

Mexican Pizza

My goals, of late, have not included blogging.  But when I go to the office, a certain co-worker notes that he's looking for more recipes.  He's gluten-free, so here's one for Tim!

Mexican Pizza.  We eat a lot of mexican food in our house.  What's not to like.... easy to prepare, easy to adjust for various tastes and dietary issues, and always delicious. 

I make a rolled taco dish that's delicious (here).  If you put them in a dish and covered them with salsa and cheese, you'd have enchiladas.  And in this variation, I make them open-face, and call them pizza.

I'm ready for my cheese!

Mexican Pizza
serves 4

4 flour tortillas (12" size or so)-- substitute 8 corn tortillas for a GF variation

8 oz refried beans (1/2 can)

8 oz canelli beans (1/2 can- can substitute another variety you like)

8 oz cooked meat-- left-over rotisserie chicken, ground beef, chorizo, vegetarian or skip all together

8 oz shredded cheese (mexican blend or your favorite)

Heat over to 425 degrees.  Lay tortillas onto baking sheets.  Divide the refried beans and spread over the tortillas.  Top with whole beans, then meat, then cheese.  Bake 10 minutes or until the tortillas get crunchy and the cheese is melted and bubbly.

Serve with guacamole, salsa, sour cream and any other mexican sides.

Note:  The extra 1/2 can refried beans will keep in your freezer.  Simply put it in freezer-safe container, and don't forget about it!

Thirsty Thursdays- Smoothies!

While I love to give my kids a choice of what to eat for breakfast (and have even developed a written menu of appropriate items), it's sometimes hard to make a decision first thing in the morning.   Once again, credit goes to my red-headed friend for the idea of themed breakfasts.

This blog's title ruins the surprise, so you already know that we have christened the day 'Thirsty Thursday'.  Here's how we make smoothies in my house:

Basic Smoothie Recipe
1 cup yogurt
1/3 cup milk
1 Tbsp cocoa powder
1 Tbsp chia seeds (undetectable, and good for protein, fiber and Omega 3s)

Then, choose from at least one:
7 frozen strawberries
1 frozen banana
1/2 cup frozen raspberries
or.... another frozen fruit?  Maybe mango or blueberries?

My $50, ten year old blender does not handle ice well, but works fine blending frozen fruit.  This recipe contains a serving of fruit, which is more than my kids get most mornings- yogurt and milk supply calcium and protein, the cocoa adds anti-oxidents... and it's yummy. 

Use whatever brand/flavor yogurt your family likes.  My kids prefer it with bananas; I've been told that if you use a dark colored fruit, like blueberries, you can also add powdered spinach in order to up your intake of leafy greens.  Like the flax seeds, the powdered greens don't add to the taste of the smoothie, but they do add to the nutritional content.

Drink up!

Apple Crisp Bars

Fall = apples, right?

I bought a 10lb bag of Nittany apples at the farmers market.  After a taste test of all the apples the market had to offer (Stayman, Rome, Jonagold and more!) it seemed that this was the best-tasting, best-for-storage-in-the-basement-fridge apple.  Yum.

Besides snacking, I had one ulterior motive for these apples-- this recipe for Apple Pie Bars.  This blog is great, especially for seasonal crafty food things.  A friend of mine celebrates the end of each week with fun food and family (Fun Food Friday), and I am working to adapt a version of that in our home to embrace fun and try new culinary treats.

So, Apple Crisp Bars.  Most of the original recipe for the apples is intact, although I increased the seasonings and decreased the sugar.  The biggest change I made was to use a 'crisp' topping in lieu of the top pie crust.  This added another layer of texture to the treat, although it did make it more messy.

Ah well, fun = mess, right?

Apple Crisp Bars

• 1 pie crust (store-bought or homemade)
•  6 cups chopped apples (no need to peel)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 Tbsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Topping:

• 1 cup oats
• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 3/4 cup chopped nuts (pecans or walnuts, I think)
• 6 Tbsp softened butter

1.  Heat the oven to 375 degrees
2.  Roll the crust to fit the bottom of a 9x13 baking pan.  If the crust tears, patch it together with your fingers-- this is a great job for the kids.
3.  In a large bowl, mix apples, sugar, brown sugar, flour, vanilla and spices.
4.  Pour apple mixture into the pan on top of the crust, spreading it to cover the crust evenly.
5.  Use the same bowl and mix up the crisp ingredients, taking care to blend the butter in well.  Pour this over the apples, and again, spread to cover evenly.
6.  Bake for 50 minutes, and allow to rest for five minutes before serving.  

Sweet Potato Chili

I'd been looking to try a sweet potato chili for a while. A few good candidates have surfaced, but this one rose above the rest. 

Why?  First, no meat.  That means I can make it for Mr. Unwired's friend.  Didn't know what to make for this week's jam session anyway. 

Second, it cooks in the slow cooker. Like my never-ending desire to instill independence in my children, I like my meals to cook themselves. 

Third, all the ingredients were in the house.   And that's all she wrote... off to the kitchen!

Sweet Potato Chili, before topping with plain yogurt and green onions.

 This turned out pretty well. I was intending to serve it to the kids for dinner, by the spices were too sharp. I used only 1/2 Tbsp chili powder and only a small (15oz) can of tomatoes with chili peppers (the other 15oz was just tomatoes). Next time, I'll cut the chili powder out entirely.  With the blast of heat from the chili powder and peppers, I didn't notice the cocoa powder.  It should have rounded out the spice panel, instead of being wiped off the flavor map.  Another reason to decrease/eliminate the chili powder (funny, this is my 'cooler' chili powder-- I had to throw out the cayenne pepper as even a dash was too much for most recipes!)  I also used red pepper instead of green since that was what I had. Green pepper, with its stronger flavor and contrasting color would have been a better choice. 

I'm hopeful that with these adjustments, I'll be able to introduce this to the kids, then dial the spices back up a bit to find a happy medium- flavorful, colorful and yummy for all.  What do you think?

Sweet Potatoes with Black Beans

Another from my short list of recipes for Mr. Unwired's gluten-free vegetarian friend.  While the yogurt is optional, it is a really lovely contrast to the full flavor of the beans-- smooth and cool.  Not sure of the origins of this one- my apologies if it's yours!

Photo to come... it's much prettier than most of my recipes, and worthy of a photo.

Sweet Potatoes with Black Beans
4 sweet potatoes (medium)
2 tsp olive oil
1 onion coarsely chopped
1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed
1 can (15 oz) tomatoes, diced
1 tsp ground cumin
4 Tbsp plain yogurt, optional
4 scallions, thinly sliced, optional

1. Wash sweet potatoes and pierce the skin several times with a knife.  Bake in a 400 degree oven for 60 minutes, or until soft all the way through.

2. While the potatoes are baking, warm the oil in a pan over medium heat.  Saute onion until translucent,  Add cumin, and stir it into the onions until it releases its aroma- should only take about a minute.  Add the cans of black beans and tomatoes, stir and cook over low heat as the tomato liquid evaporates and the mixture warms through.

3. When potatoes are cooked, slit each open, and spoon in 1/4 of the bean mixture.  Top with 1 Tbsp yogurt, then sprinkle with the scallions.

Servings: 4

Mulligatawny Soup

Really good on a cold day (or any day in Florida if you're my mother).  Full flavored and delicious!  If you don't have garam masala, substitute with more curry plus 1/2 tsp of cumin, and then go buy some for the next time you make this.  I've made the recipe both ways and there's a reason garam masala is included.




You can stretch this soup to serve more than four people or 'weaken' the flavor by serving over basmati rice.


Mulligatawny Soup
1 Tbsp veggie oil
1 cup chopped onions (about 1 medium)
2 tsp minced garlic (2-4 cloves)
1 Tbsp minced ginger
1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp garam masala
1 cup dried yellow or green lentils
1 can (15 oz) diced tomato, with juice
4 cups veggie broth (can substitute chicken broth if you are not feeding vegetarians)
1/2 cup light coconut milk
lemon wedges as garnish/to taste (optional)

1. Heat oil in a stockpot  over medium heat.  Add onions, garlic, ginger, cumin and garam masala, and sauté, stirring occasionally until the onions are lightly browned (5-7 minutes).  Stir in lentils to coat, then add tomatoes and chicken broth.

2. Bring soup to a boil then reduce heat to medium-low and allow to simmer until the lentils are tender (25-30 minutes).  Stir occasionally as the soup is cooking.

3. To smooth out the texture of the soup, puree about 50% with an immersion blender, leaving plenty of it chunky.  Stir in the coconut milk, then squeeze in the lemon to taste.


Alternatively, make this soup in your slow cooker:

1.  Omit the oil and combine the onions, spices, lentils, tomatoes and broth in the cooker. 
2.  Cook on high for 2 1/2 hours- the lentils should be soft but still holding their shape.
3.  Turn off the cooker, blend with the immersion blender, stir in the coconut milk, and serve with lemons on the side.
4.  Unlike most meat recipes, this one is fine to serve the same day, although a day in the fridge doesn't hurt.

French Toast Casserole

Ah, another weekend breakfast dish.  I feel bad posting this on a Sunday night- if your life is like mine, you won't be able to make this until Saturday morning at the earliest, which is a long ways away. 

This is one of those recipes I make as is, with only one teeny tiny change. Instead of challah/brioche, I use cinnamon bread.  The loaf I made for the recipe (yes, I bake much of the bread we eat) was 1.5 lbs.  Larger than what the recipe called for, but it worked well in a 9x13 pan.  There's no need to bake bread for this recipe, although I do caution you to start with unsliced bread.  I cut mine into 1-2 inch thick chunks and give it to the kids to break into bite size pieces and toss them into the pan.  Keeps them busy, and only minor vacuuming is needed after to clean up all the crumbs from the floor. If you start with pre-sliced bread, I think the bites will be too small as one dimension will always be defined by the slicer.

While my cinnamon bread would make wonderful 'regular' french toast, it is nice to have a breakfast where I'm not stuck at the stove. So here it is-- enjoy!  http://cooktj.com/french-toast-baked-casserole

Yogurt Pancakes

Mmmmmm, breakfast. This one is adapted from the recipe Your Favorite Yogurt Pancakes in Mollie Katzen's Honest Pretzels.  It's a wonderful cookbook for elementary school aged kids.  There are also two for preschoolers- Salad People  and Pretend Soup.  Even if the recipes don't do it for you, the thoughtful manner in which the instructions are laid out is an awesome guide for cooking with children.



We have banana yogurt in the house, so that's what we use for these pancakes.  I add cinnamon and nuts to compliment the banana flavor.  Vanilla yogurt matched with ginger and blueberries would be pretty good too.  Or maple yogurt with nutmeg and pecans?  Coffee yogurt with chocolate chips?  What's your favorite combo?

Yogurt Pancakes
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup white whole wheat flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
2 Tbsp melted butter
2 cups yogurt (we use banana)
1 cup milk
2 large eggs
1 cup diced walnuts or pecans

1. In a large bowl, combine all dry ingredients. Set aside.

2. In a smaller bowl, break eggs and scramble.  Add milk and butter, mixing to combine.  Then, add the yogurt and make sure it's blended well.

3. Add wet to dry and combine well.  Cook on a heated griddle greased with butter or oil.  Unlike 'regular' pancakes, I don't get bubbles rising through the pancakes as they cook; without that cue, I find I need to keep a closer eye on these.

This serves the four of us, usually with four pancakes left over.  Those leftovers become Monday lunch for two people, in the form of pancake sandwiches.  My kids will likely choose to have these with peanut butter and cream cheese.  Personally, I would choose cream cheese and jam, but that's just the boring adult in me.

Oven Pancake

 I love weekend breakfasts.  My kids are woefully under-scheduled, so unless we've made specific plans for the weekend, there's no reason to leave the house before lunch.  This is one of our favorite meals for weekend mornings. 

Like most of my recipes, I can't take credit for inventing this one.  Unfortunately, the original is long lost to the ages.  I do recall it suggested candied walnuts or vanilla syrup or something sticky and sweet to go on top.  In our house, we've settled for sliced bananas, chopped walnuts and maple syrup.  A dusting of powdered sugar would be nice too, especially if you're trying to impress the person eating it.  After 22 minutes in the oven, we're usually too hungry for the niceties.

I don't recommend increasing the size of this recipe-- it serves four hungry people in our house. Because of the way the pancake rises, you're better off making 2 pancakes to feed more people.   If too much batter is poured into one pan, the result is more 'loaf of bread' rather than poofy pancake.

Oven Pancake
4  Tbs unsalted butter
1 1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
6 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
2 bananas, sliced
maple syrup
walnuts, roughly chopped

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Add 1/2 stick butter to 9" round pie pan and place it in the oven until butter is melted.

2. In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar and spices together.  In a second bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk and vanilla.  Add wet ingredients to dry, mixing until combined.  Pour batter into prepared pan, then bake in oven until pancake is fully cooked and has climbed up the side of the pan, about 20 minutes.

Poofy Oven Pancake

 3. Serve hot with sliced bananas, maple syrup and walnuts.

Black Bean Burgers

I was afraid of this recipe.

I had it on my list to make for several months, and just never got around to it.

The idea of cooking vegetarian appeals to me. Besides the fact that we have a guest at our home 2-3 times a month who is vegetarian, it's better for the environment than eating meat, less expensive and in general, healthier.

But still, some recipes just scare me. It was outside my comfort zone. Like tofu, which also took me a few months to get around to (but was really good once I took the plunge and cooked it).

I should not have been such a wimp, because if I'd made this a few months ago, we could have been eating it that much longer. It was AWESOME!

Everyone loved it -- including the veggie.  What a pain. But he is good for expanding my recipe box, and that's what my year is supposed to be about.

The recipe came from Six O'Clock Scramble. This is the tripled version, as it makes enough for two dinners for our family.  We shape all the burgers, then cook half and freeze the other half.  Defrost in the fridge during the day, then cook as directed.  For the original, see Aviva's first book The Six O'Clock Scramble: Quick, Healthy, and Delicious Dinner Recipes for Busy Families . We had it with garlic-sauteed green beans (from our own plants- how cool is that?!) and broccoli slaw.

Black Bean Burgers
3 cans black beans (rinsed)
3 Tbsp salsa (or substitute tomato paste)
1 cup minced onion, about 1/2 of an onion
1 1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/2 Tbsp dried oregano -- crushed
3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup cornmeal
3 Tbsp vegetable oil

1. In a large bowl, mash beans with a fork or potato masher.  You want a coarse texture, not a puree.  To this, add all the remaining ingredients except for cornmeal and oil.  Mix well.

2. Place the cornmeal in a shallow bowl or plate.  Scoop up the mixture with a 1/3 cup measure (or use an ice cream scoop), forming gently into patties.  Coat each side of the patty in the cornmeal, then set aside.

3. Heat oil in a non-stick plan over medium heat.  Place patties gently in oil, and fry until the cornmeal turns golden brown.  Drain on a paper towel, and serve with hamburger accoutrements (buns, tomato slices, lettuce, etc).  Or do as we do and just eat them plain, and fast, before someone takes your portion.