CHOCOLATE ZUCCHINI CAKE

RECIPE FROM CATHY NELSON

4 EGGS
3 C. SUGAR
1 1/2 C. OIL
3 SQUARES UNSWEETENED CHOCOLATE (MELTED AND COOLED)
1 1/2 t. VANILLA
1/2 t. ALMOND EXTRACT
3 C. GRATED ZUCCHINI
3 C. FLOUR
1 t. BAKING POWDER
1 t. BAKING SODA
1 t. SALT
1/4 t. CINNAMON
*OPTIONAL 1 C. NUTS, DATES, CHOCOLATE CHIPS

SIFT DRY INGREDIENTS TOGETHER.  SET ASIDE.  BEAT EGGS IN A LARGE BOWL UNTIL FROTHY...GRADUALLY B EAT IN SUGAR AND OIL.  ADD CHOCOLATE, VANILLA & ALMOND EXTRACT.  FOLD IN DRY INGREDIENTS.  SQUEEZE EXCESS MOISTURE FROM ZUCCHINI AND FOLD IT IN. AND IF YOU WANT..NUTS, DATES OR CHOCOLATE CHIPS.  POUR INTO A GREASED AND FLOURED 10 INCH TUBE PAN OF BUNDT PAN.  BAKE AT 350 DEGREES FOR 1 HOUR AND 15 MINUTES..COOL.   FROST WITH CHOCOLATE GLAZE.

ZUCCHINI BREAD

ZUCCHINI BREAD

2 C. SUGAR
3 EGGS
1 C. SALAD OIL
2 C. PEELED, GRATED ZUCCHINI
3 1/2 C. FLOUR
1/2 t. SALT
1/2 t. VANILLA
2 t. SODA
1/2 t. NUTMEG
1 t. CINNAMON
2 C. SEEDLESS RAISINS
1 C. CHOPPED WALNUTS

IN A LARGE BOWL, MIX TOGETHER OIL & SUGAR.  MIX IN EGGS, ZUCCHINI. ADD THE DRY INGREDIENTS. ADD THE VANILLA. MIX WELL.  STIR IN RAISINS AND WALNUTS. BAKE IN 2 GREASED AND FLOURED 9 X 5 X 3 INCH LOAF PANS AT 350 DEGREES FOR 75 MINUTES OR UNTIL BREAD TESTS DONE.

Vegan Bread Stuffing Casserole

Delicious Thanksgiving (or other time) stuffing! Easy and if you omit the dried fruit, darn close to that storied Stovetop taste!

Serves: 6

4 cups whole grain bread cubes
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/4 teaspoon dried sage
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
1/8 teaspoon ground rosemary,
or 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary, crumbled
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup finely diced celery
1/2 cup dried cherries, dried cranberries, seedless raisins,
or chopped dried fruit (such as apricots, apples, or prunes)
1/2 cup boiling vegetable broth or water
2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 to 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Oil a two-quart casserole dish (that has a tight-fitting lid) or mist it with nonstick cooking spray.

Place the bread cubes in a very large bowl. Combine the parsley, nutritional yeast flakes, salt, marjoram, sage, thyme, rosemary, and pepper in a small bowl and stir to mix well. Sprinkle over the bread cubes and toss with a fork or wooden spoon until evenly distributed. Add the walnuts, onions, mushrooms, celery, and dried cherries. Toss again gently but thoroughly.

Stir the soy sauce and olive oil into the boiling broth and pour over the bread cube mixture to moisten it. Again, toss gently but thoroughly. Add a little additional broth or water if the mixture appears too dry. Transfer to the prepared casserole dish, cover, and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake for 10 minutes longer.

Found via the internet, but reprinted from Vegan Vittles: Down Home Cooking for Everyone.

mustard-and-lemon-glazed pork with roasted vegetables

mustard-and-lemon-glazed pork with roasted vegetables

(recipe taken from the april edition of food & wine)

[the tall man and i made this for dinner last night and boy howdy was it delicious. we didn't have enough time to let the pork loin marinate in the lemon mustard for two hours let alone 24, so we did it for 45 and it was fine. we were also kind of wary about the number of shallots and garlic cloves, but i don't think i would omit any.] 

1/4 c. dijon mustard

1/4 c. whole-grain mustard

finely grated zest of 1 lemon

1 T. chopped thyme

1 T. unsalted butter, softened

1 3 lb. boneless pork loin roast, trimmed of all fat

salt and freshly ground pepper

1 lb. baby carrots, peeled

16 large shallots, peeled

1/2 c. dry white wine

12 garlic cloves, unpeeled

1/4 t. crushed red pepper

1 1/4 c. chicken stock or low-sodium broth

2 T. extra-virgin olive oil

1 T. sherry vinegar

In a small bowl, whisk the Dijon and whole-grain mustards with the grated lemon zest, thyme, and butter. Set 2 tablespoons of the mustard mixture aside. Season the pork with salt and pepper and spread the rest of the mustard mixture all over it. Let stand at room temperature for 2 hours or refrigerate overnight. 

Preheat the oven to 350. In a medium saucepan of boiling salted water, blanch the carrots for 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the carrots to a bowl. Add the shallots to the saucepan and cook for 4 minutes. Drain and halve the shallots lengthwise and add to the carrots. Add the wine, garlic, crushed red pepper, 1/4 cup of the stock and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil to the vegetables and toss well. Spread the vegetables around the edge of a shallow roasting pan, setting the shallots cut sides down. Leave enough room in the center for the pork. 

In a large nonstick skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the pork loin and cook over moderately high heat until browned on 2 sides, about 6 minutes total. Nestle the pork in the vegetables and roast for about 45 minutes. Turn the pan 180 degrees, add 1/2 cup of the stock and roast for about 20 minutes longer, until a thermometer registers 140. 

Transfer the pork to a board. Roast the vegetables on the bottom shelf for 15 minutes longer, until very tender; transfer to a bowl and keep warm. Set the roasting pan over moderately high heat, add the remaining 1/2 cup of stock and simmer for about 1 minute, scraping up the browned bits. Add the vinegar and bring to a simmer. Off the heat, whisk in the reserved 2 tablespoons of mustard and season with salt and pepper. Slice the pork and serve with the vegetables and sauce. 

CRUNCHY CHICKEN CRESCENTS

3 C. CHOPPED COOKED CHICKEN
6 OZ. CREAM CHEESE W/CHIVES
2 T. BUTTER
1 8-COUNT PKG. CRESCENT DINNER ROLLS, SEPARATED
1 C. SEASONED STUFFING MIX
3/4 C. MELTED BUTTER

CREAM 2 T. BUTTER AND CREAM CHEESE. ADD CHICKEN AND MIX WELL.
SPOON 1/4 C. CHICKEN MIXTURE ONTO EACH ROLL, ROLL TO ENCLOSE
FILLING, SEAL EDGES WELL. DIP ROLLS INTO MELTED BUTTER AND
COAT IN STUFFING MIX. PLACE ON BAKING DISH.
BAKE AT 375 DEGREES FOR 20 MINUTES.

These are really yummy. We had fresh green beans and cranberry sauce with them!!

Batter Fried Chicken

This is super delicious. So good in fact that I ate all four pieces I cooked in one sitting, instead of leaving some for leftovers.

You'll Need:

1 Chicken - Cut into pieces - or your favorite chicken parts

Vegetable Oil - (I used corn oil)

1 egg

1/2 cup chicken broth (or water)

1 cup flour

1/2 tsp. allspice

1/2 tsp. chili powder

2 tbs minced garlic (I used around 7 cloves)

Salt and Pepper

A pan to fry in, with a lid

Beat the egg with the broth, add the seasonings and the garlic, don't be afraid to be generous with the salt and pepper. Slowly add the flour until everything is mixed into a batter. It should be pretty thick and kinda sticky, but not really really sticky. You can add a little water if you need too but be conservative.

Let the batter sit while you heat 1/2 inch of oil in your pan on medium high. Dry off your chicken pieces with paper towels.

Once the oil is hot - (about 350 - or you can drop a tiny bit of batter in to see if it begins to fry) - turn the heat to high, dip each chicken piece into the batter until it's coated and place into the pan with enough room so nothing is touching. Cook in batches if necessary.

Cover, wait a minute for the oil to heat back up, then adjust back down to medium high. After 7 minutes, take the lid off, flip the chicken, and cook another 7 minutes. After that time is up, cook about another 5 minutes, turning the chicken to make sure both sides are good and brown.

Make sure you give it time to cool off, nothing sucks more than burning your mouth before a good meal.

spinach and tomato soup with rice

this is the new soup i'm going to try. 

(it's from New York Times: Fitness & Nutrition)

2 pounds spinach (1 or 2 generous bunches)

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 (14-ounce) can tomatoes, chopped, with juice, or 2 good-sized tomatoes, chopped

1/2 teaspoon paprika

5 cups water

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (more to taste)

1/4 cup rice

Salt to taste

1. Stem and wash the spinach, keeping the stems and leaves separate. Trim off the ends of the stems and discard. Cut the stems into 1/2-inch lengths. Coarsely chop half the leaves, or stack and cut into strips. Refrigerate the remaining leaves to use elsewhere. Set the chopped leaves aside.

2. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large saucepan, a soup pot or Dutch oven, and add the garlic. Cook, stirring, just until it begins to smell fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes and paprika. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the tomatoes have cooked down slightly. Add the spinach stems, water and lemon juice, and bring to a gentle boil. Cover and cook for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, and add the rice and salt to taste. Simmer uncovered until the rice is tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Stir in the chopped spinach, simmer one minute, remove from the heat and serve.