CABBAGEY ROLLS

Wow, been forever since I posted last! I have been doing a lot of cooking, but always forget to take pictures or write down recipes. I did finally remember to take a pic, though (the second time I made this, forgot the first time), and the recipe is so simple that it didn't need writing down... so here we go! My healthy version of egg rolls! These are delicious, quick and easy, and with the wrappers I use, only about 63 calories per! Can't beat that!

CABBAGEY ROLLS!

Ingredients:
1/4 head cabbage, shredded
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 carrot, grated
3 eggs, beaten
5 Tbsp soy sauce
pepper to taste
12 spring roll wrappers

1. spray a pan or wok with cooking spray and fry the egg in a pancake until set. once cool, cut into strips.
2. using a nonstick wok, or a wok with a tablespoon of oil coating it, fry the cabbage, onion, and carrot with the soy sauce and pepper to taste. Cook until mixture is soft.
3. mix the vegetables with the egg and set aside to cool.
4. prepare the spring roll wrappers per directions. mine didn't include instructions, I just soaked it in warm water until soft.
5. place 3 tablespoons of mixture in the middle of the wrapper. fold the bottom up (loosely. if you try to make it tight it will rip), then fold in the sides and roll to the top.
6. chow down and make one for someone else!

Here is a picture of the spring roll wrappers I use. They are thin and translucent, just flour, salt, and water. The yellow ones in the refrigerated section are more like eggroll wrappers, containing egg, and are best cooked, not raw.

Sweet Noodles with Egg

This is my version of pad see ew (i dont often have broccoli around). It is a simple and delicious dish that anyone can make! This recipe serves one.


1 small handful chinese noodles
2 eggs
2 tablespoons oil
5 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons white sugar

1. boil the noodles for 7-8 minutes or until al dente.

2. heat oil in wok. add eggs and scrambled until done.

3. add cooked noodles to the eggs.

4. add soy sauce and sugar. stirfry for 2 minutes.

5. serve and enjoy!

Strawberry Spice Cake

Growing up, my mom always made the best cakes for the 4th of July (it is my father's birthday). I remember her doing strawberries and blueberries and making a flag out of a cake. So to celebrate the holiday this year, I decided to make a cake with strawberries! This was an experiment that turned out absolutely heavenly!

DOUBLE SPICE CAKE

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground cardamom
1 tablespoon ground cloves
2 tablespoon ground allspice
2 tablespoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons vanilla extract

1. sift together the flour, baking powder, sugar, and spices.
2. melt butter and mix in along with the milk.
3. stir in the eggs and vanilla extract.
4. pour into a greased cakepan and bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.


CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

16 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1. cream together all ingredients until well blended.
2. spread over cooled spice cake.

JUICY STRAWBERRIES

1 lb strawberries
1/2 cup sugar

1. cut off tops of strawberries and quarter them.
2. put strawberries into a bowl and pour sugar over, mixing til well covered. let rest 1-2 hours.
3. spoon over slices of cake.

DINNER ROLLS

I wanted to make up a ton of rolls for the soup kitchen I volunteer at, so I used this nice and easy recipe! I used 2 packets of yeast per batch, but you can do it with 1 and increase rise time to an hour.

QUICK DINNER ROLLS

2 1/4 cup flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 packages of dry yeast
1 cup very warm water
2 tablespoons butter
1 egg


1. Mix 1 1/4 cups of flour, the sugar, the salt, and the yeast in a large bowl. Add water, shortening, and egg; beat with spoon until smooth.

2. Stir in remaining flour.

3. Cover with a damp towel and let rise for 20 minutes or until double.

2. Grease 12 regular size muffin cups. Stir down batter and spoon into muffin cups. Let rise 20-30 minutes or until batter rounds over the top of the cups.

4. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Bake 18 minutes or until golden brown.

TACO DIP and CHIPS

Tonight I made taco dip and tortilla chips for dinner. The chips are easy to make, just brush both sides of corn tortillas with oil and rub with salt, cut into quarters. Place on a cookie sheet (don't overlap) and bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes.

TACO DIP

16 oz cream cheese
6 oz sour cream
1 package taco seasoning
shredded lettuce
chopped onion
sliced black olives
chopped tomatoes
shredded cheese

1. mix together sour cream and cream cheese.

2. mix the taco seasoning into the sour cream mix, spread over the bottom of a pan (i use 6x12).

3. top with lettuce, onion, olive, tomato, and cheese.

(i much prefer this with some refried beans between the sour cream layer and the veggies)

RANCH DRESSING

I don't really measure when making this, so measurements are approximate.If your dressing looks too thin, add more oil slowly. I also like mine very garlicky, if you aren't a fan of that reduce the garlic powder by half. Since raw eggs spoil, the dressing should be kept no longer than a week.

RANCH DRESSING

5 eggs
1 1/2 cup oil (i used canola)
2 tablespoons vinegar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup buttermilk powder
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon mustard powder
1 tablespoon dill
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

1. Puree the eggs in a blender and slowly add the oil through the hole in the lid, while the blender is running.

2. Add vinegar and lemon juice, blend well.

3. Add buttermilk and spices, mix with a wooden spoon, then blend for about 2 minutes.


And there you go! A delicious homemade dressing, which is absolutely fantastic over some fresh spinach!

ASPARAGUS STUFFED EGGS

This is another recipe from the cookbook "From a Monastery Kitchen". I followed the recipe mostly as is, except I did not use parsley (but I garnished with fresh basil leaves), and I used slightly less than a cup of asparagus (i did the tips of 1 lb worth, broiled with garlicky olive oil).

8 eggs, hard-boiled
2 tablespoons parsley, minced
1 cup asparagus tips, cooked
1 tablespoon french mustard
mayonnaise
salt and pepper to taste
tomatoes (optional)
olives (optional)

1. Cut the hard-boiled eggs in half lengthwise. Gently remove the yolks and place them in a bowl. Add the cooked asparagus and parsley and thoroughly mash everything together, or process in a blender until smooth.

2. Add mustard, enough mayonnaise for moisture, salt, and pepper, and blend well. Fill the egg white halves with the mixture and serve with slices of ripe tomato and olive.

RHUBARB BREAD PUDDING

The bread pudding went over so well that I decided to make more! Got the rhubarb at my raid of the Farmer's Market.

RHUBARB BREAD PUDDING

8 slices white bread, cubed
1 1/2 cup soy milk
4 tablespoons butter
2 eggs
2/3 cup splenda
2 cups chopped rhubarb
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon


1. preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. melt the butter and add to the milk.
3. place cubed bread into a bowl and pour milk mixture over. let stand 10 minutes.
4. mix together the eggs, splenda, and cinnamon.
5. add rhubarb to the egg mixture.
6. pour the egg mixture into the bread mixture.
7. butter a dish and pour the batter in. bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

CREAMED MUSHROOM ON TOAST

This is a recipe from my new cookbook, 'From a Monastery Kitchen'. I used the recipe as is except instead of garlic powder I added a handful of halved immature garlic that I got at the farmer's market (add at same time as onions). Ok, and I added 3 tablespoons of fresh parsley to the sauce. I can never leave a recipe as is, no matter how good it sounds.


WHITE SAUCE

4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk
salt and pepper to taste

1. dissolve flour in 1/2 cup milk
2. melt butter in a stainless steel pan over medium heat
3. when butter foams, add milk mixture and stir well
4. add in the rest of the milk and salt and pepper
5. stir well until the mixture boils. reduce heat and simmer until thickened


SAUTE MIX

1/2 pound mushrooms, washed and sliced
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup onion or shallot, diced
salt and pepper
garlic powder (optional)

1. saute mushrooms with the butter and olive oil until they begin to brown; add onion, salt, pepper, and optional garlic powder, and continue sauteing gently until onion is transparent.
2. stir mushrooms and onions into the sauce.
3. serve over slices of toast. you may wish to place sauce-covered toast under a broiler for a few minutes, until sauce is bubbly and slightly brown on top.

CABBY'S SUMMER SANDWICH

It's summertime, which means time for my favorite sandwich! This sandwich is wonderful grilled. I normally use my sandwich griller, but it works perfectly fine on a foreman grill or pan fried like grilled cheese. Use the cheese of your choice, my favorite for this is a combo of gorgonzola and pepperjack, but it's perfectly fine with plain old cheddar too!
(I apologize for the bad pic, camera isn't working too well)

CABBY'S SUMMER SANDWICH

2 slices of bread (best with wheat, but I used white for the picture)
mayonnaise
fresh spinach
sliced roma tomato
cheese of choice
1/4 avocado
salt and fresh ground pepper

1. arrange ingredients on bread. I've found the easiest order to be mayonnaise, spinach, tomatoes, avocado, cheese, salt and pepper.
2. grill sandwich til golden brown on both sides

'From a Monastery Kitchen'

I bought myself a new cookbook yesterday that I am really excited to start using, called 'From a Monastery Kitchen' by Brother Victor-Antoine d'Avila-Latourrette. It features a lot of recipes that sound absolutely delicious to me, and most of the recipes use common ingredients, unlike most of my cookbooks that require special planning for.

Hopefully my blog will be featuring these recipes soon! Just need to get through the tons of leftovers I have from my day of cooking yesterday =P. I will make sure to mention what recipes come from this book so you can determine if it would be a good book for you!

SPINACH SOUP

SPINACH SOUP

6 oz bowtie pasta
1 small yellow onion, diced
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 Tablespoon butter
7 cups stock or broth
6 oz sugar snap peas, halved diagonally
4-5 oz fresh baby spinach
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoon grated lemon peel


1. cook the noodles until al dente and set aside in a covered bowl.
2. sautee onion in a large pot, with olive oil and butter until tender.
3. add broth and bring to a simmer
4. add sugar snap peas and simmer for 2 minutes (5 if frozen)
5. add pasta, spinach, lemon juice, and lemon peel and simmer for 2 minutes, or until spinach is wilted.
6. ladle into bowls and serve.

EDIT: This makes a FANTASTIC cold soup! I actually like it better cold than hot. Perfect soup for summer!

PART 3- BREAD PUDDING

A friend challenged me to make a healthier version of bread pudding, so here it is! It turned out absolutely fantastic!

SOY BREAD PUDDING

2 cups soy milk
1/4 cup butter or margarine
3 eggs
1/3 cup splenda
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups bread torn into small pieces

1. preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. heat the soy milk to simmering and stir in butter until it is fully melted, remove from heat and cool to lukewarm.
3. in a medium bowl mix together eggs, splenda, sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla.
4. stir the milk mixture into the egg mixture.
5. lightly grease a casserole dish and line with bread.
6. pour the egg mixture over the bread.
7. bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

PART 2- OKARA BURGERS

I like my okara burgers heavily seasoned and spicy. Feel free to reduce or omit any of the spices. These burgers are fantastic with a spicy brown mustard! This recipe makes about 20 medium sized burgers.


OKARA BURGERS


okara left from batch of soy milk
4 eggs
1 cup flour
1 2/3 cup oats
1/2 tsp salt
4 Tbsp crushed red pepper or chili powder (optional)
4 Tbsp garlic powder (optional)
2 Tbsp coriander (optional)
additional flour for coating

1. preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. in a large bowl, add beaten eggs to okara. mix well
3. stir in the flour and oats
4. add desired seasonings
5. form into balls and roll in flour
6. flatten the balls on a greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. flip burgers and bake an additional 15 minutes.

alternate method: fry in a pan with oil til golden brown on each side.

PART 1- SOY MILK

This is the first of 3 parts, the soy milk. We will be using the pureed beans from the soy milk for okara burgers, and the milk for a healthier alternative to bread pudding. So on to part one, making the soy milk!

SOY MILK

4 cups dried soybeans
Drinkable water

1. soak beans overnight in a pot of cold water.
2. drain beans and rinse.
3. blend each 1 cup of beans with 2 cups hot water, place back in pan.
4. bring to a boil and boil uncovered until it stops foaming (about 20 minutes). boil an additional 10 minutes.
5. strain through a cheesecloth over a colander. press the bean mash to get the last of the liquid out, and set this stuff aside (this is called okara, very nutritious. we will use it for burgers!).
6. Add 1 Tablespoon sugar or splenda and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.

SODA BREAD

It's time to revive my blog! Today's post is good old irish soda bread. Traditional soda bread is made with buttermilk, but not everyone keeps that around, so here is a soda bread recipe that uses things found in everyone's home! I like mine with a lot of soda flavor. If you like less, reduce the baking soda to 1 tsp.



White Soda Bread

4 cups of all purpose flour.
3 Teaspoon baking soda
1 Teaspoon salt
14 oz of milk (about 1 3/4 cups)
splash of vinegar


1. Preheat the oven to 425 F. degrees. Lightly grease and flour a pot with a fitting lid.

2. In a large bowl combine all the dry ingredients.

3. Add the milk and vinegar to form a sticky dough. Place on floured surface and lightly knead (it will be sticky).

4. Put the dough in the pot and flatten it out. Cut a cross in the top of the dough.

5. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Remove cover and bake for 15 minutes.

6. Using potholders, tip the pan over to slide the bread out. Cool on a wire rack.