Recipes – Page 8 – a hippie with a minivan

Szechwan Eggplant and Cauliflower

I had no idea what I wanted to make for supper but knew that I wanted to use the eggplant that I had in my fridge. I also knew that I didn’t want to make my usual eggplant dishes so I went searching…

I was looking for something salty and sweet and tangy with a bit of heat. I found an obscure recipe that gave me an idea and decided to figure something out and this is what I came up with…

Szechwan Eggplant and Cauliflower on rice..

It was so delicious!! I liked eggplant, but I never knew how much I actually love eggplant!!

So it started… first I sauteed some cubed eggplant (1 whole large eggplant) in the wok with a bit of peanut oil… I didn’t stir too much, and didn’t crowd the pan as I wanted the eggplant to get a nice caramelized colour..

Then I saw that even a whole eggplant doesn’t make too much… so then entered the cauliflower…

I put the eggplant aside, chopped up a head of cauliflower and then did a few batches the same way in the wok as I did the eggplant… You don’t want to overcook the cauliflower though, a bit of crunch adds so much to the dish alongside the soft texture of the eggplant..

In the meantime I put together the sauce… I made it up a bit as I went along so the measurements are approximative and you might need to adjust as you see fit…

In a bowl mix together

1/2 cup stock
5 tbsp garlic
Black bean garlic sauce (or chili bean paste)
4 tbsp of tamari
2 tbs of rice vinegar
5 tsp sugar
6 cloves of garlic (minced)
2 tbsp of ginger

Put the cauliflower aside, add some chopped onion to the wok and stir-fry until translucent. Add the sauce, bring to a boil and then add a bit of a cornstarch slurry to thicken the sauce. Adjust seasonings if needed…

Once thickened, add the cooked eggplant and cauliflower to the sauce and stir…

Serve over rice with some green onions on top… or even just on its own… it is just that good…

Cherry-Vanilla jam…

I am finally discovering the world of jam. I have always loved jam but in my memory jam was a labour intensive, long process that needed a whole day to make. I have come to my senses though and I am not afraid. Jam can be so easy to make and the results are so worth it!

I made a small batch, but you can adjust the recipe for whatever quantity because it isn’t really a recipe which is why it is so easy to make.

I forgot to take pics of the process… sorry

For this cherry-vanilla jam you need 4 ingredients. Cherries, lemon, sugar and a vanilla pod. (the vanilla is optional)

First, pit the cherries (I used about 2 lbs of cherries) and put in a heavy-bottomed, non-reactive pan. Roughly chop a bit more than half of them (or use a wand to puree a bit more than half of them to save on mess and time) Start cooking the cherries on medium-high heat. Add the rind and juice of a lemon. (The natural pectin will help gel the jam later and the sour will compliment the sweet)

Cook for about 20 min until the whole cherries are soft and cooked through.

Now, measure what you have and add 3/4ths of the amount of sugar. I had about 4 cups of cooked cherries so I added 3 cups of sugar… (or a little less since I was not preserving the jam and I like it a bit more tart)

Mix the sugar in and let cook until you have the right consistency. The more you cook the thicker it will be. Just before it is ready add the seeds of 1 vanilla pod. (this of course is optional but I love the flavour that vanilla adds to the jam)

Put in clean jars and either process or put in the fridge…

Enjoy…

Kale chips

I finally got the grocery store near me to have Kale in their inventory. It is the only store around here that has it and I have a feeling that I am the only one that has been buying it, so to make sure that they keep on stocking it, I have been buying a lot and using it often. On Pizza it was great, but Kale chips have become a favourite around here… well… for Colin and I especially.

If you haven’t heard of Kale chips, well you are missing out on something. They are great for snacking on and their crunch is so satisfying. Colin, who at the moment is going through a bit of a picky phase tried them and has fallen in love with them. He cant get enough and has finished off a baking sheet full a few times now.

Of course, not only are they satisfying and delicious, they are also really easy to make.

Preheat oven at 350

To take off the Kale leaves from the stem, run your hand on the stem and pinch while pulling off the leaves, what you can pull off is what is tender enough to eat. Discard the rest.

Tear the larger leaves into bite sized pieces, but not too small, they will shrink while baking.

Wash and dry the leaves and then place in bowl and toss with 2 tbsp of olive oil and about a tsp of salt…

Place on baking sheet in a single layer (I use two sheets) and bake for about 15 min until dry and crisp but not burnt.

Enjoy 🙂

Simple veggie tomato soup…

I have a new toy in my kitchen… a brand new Cuisinart Elite food 12 cup processor. I have had an old cheaper food processor in my kitchen for about 8-9 years now and it was just not working out for me anymore. I was waiting for it to die but it wasn’t, even though it has been struggling through many recipes.

So I was dealing with it while I waited for a Cuisinart to come on special at Canadian Tire. I was still waiting when I decided to go check out Food Processors at “Home Sense” since I had a 100$ gift card for HBC stores. Instead of having the one that I had been looking at they only had the Elite models and I didn’t want to pay 340$ for a food processor even if I have 100$ off. We were heading to the mall anyway, so I decided to go though “The Bay” while we were there and to my luck, the Elite was on special at 249$, so with the 100$ gift card it was a great deal that I couldn’t pass up!

I am having so much fun with my new toy!

Tonight I wandered around in the kitchen wondering what to make for supper. Khéna said he wanted tomato soup so I got a bread in the oven and started on the soup.

I went to the fridge to see what I had on hand…

So in the food processor went 3 carrots (cut into thirds), two stalks of celery, a large onion (quartered), a half of a red pepper that I needed to use up, a full orange pepper (cut into large pieces), a few cloves of garlic, some parsley and a few green onions. I processed it until nearly puréed and then put it in my soup pot with a bit of olive oil and cooked it through.

Then, into the food processor, I added a can of whole tomatoes, a can of diced, and puréed that and then added it to the pot along with two cans of tomato paste, a bit of salt, 2 tsp of sugar, some garlic powder a tsp of powdered broth and a bit of oregano and let it simmer for about 45 min while the bread was baking.

When cooked through, and slightly thickened, I used the wand to make it smoother and it was done… So easy to make and so delicious…

A perfect creamy veggie tomato soup for a cool rainy day.

(served with fresh bread and a drizzle of cream that I had on hand)

Vanilla bean buttercream frosting…

I love Vanilla but I always seem to make chocolate icing to go with our favourite Black Magic cake… Two nights ago though I got a craving and I needed to make Chocolate cake with vanilla icing…

I looked for a recipe and found one that had great comments, followed the directions and it didn’t turn out well at all.. the butter separated and the texture was grainy and oily and unappetizing… so I went back to my tried and true chocolate buttercream icing but to omit the cocoa and make Vanilla the star… OMG… it was perfect!!

1/2 cup butter
about 3 cups icing sugar, (sifted)
1/3 – 1/2 cup cream
2 teaspoons vanilla
seeds of one vanilla bean

cream the butter until fluffy and then add the sifted icing sugar, cream and vanilla… start with 1/3 cup of cream but you might need more for a thinner frosting… beat with mixer for at least 2 min until light a fluffy…

This makes enough for the inside and out of a two layer cake…

This brought the black Magic cake to another dimension… I think I am going to call this combination “Oreo cake”