reciplex.com » side dishes

Vanilla Snack Cakes (Twinkies)

Matt — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 02:51:04 +0000

By popular demand… the home-made twinkie recipe! Note that the ingredients in the parentheses are for the chocolate version that I haven’t tried to make yet (melt the chocolate into the butter). Next time I might try grapeseed or coconut oil instead of the canola. Likewise I used 2% milk in the filling and I might try whole or half and half to make the filling sweet and creamy instead of just sweet… oh so sweeeet.

Adapted from King Arthur Flour
Yield: 24 cakes

Snack Cakes:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons corn starch
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup canola oil
3/4 cup cold water
1 teaspoon Princess flavoring (or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract)
7 eggs, separated

(1/2 cup cocoa powder)

Filling:
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup milk (I used soy milk)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar

(1/4 cup cocoa powder)
(1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate chips – 60% cacao)

Cakes:

Preheat the oven to 350°. Spray a canoe pan or muffin tins with cooking spray and set aside.

Using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites until they are very stiff. They should hold their shape when removed from the bowl. Set aside.

Combine the flour, corn starch, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk together or beat on low speed for a minute, until combined. Add oil, water, Princess flavoring, and egg yolks. Beat on medium speed until smooth.

Using a rubber spatula, gently scoop 1/3 of the egg whites into the batter. Fold the egg whites in by slicing the spatula through the center of the bowl, gently scooping batter from the bottom and wrapping it over the top. Turn the bowl 1/4 turn and repeat until the egg whites are barely visible. Repeat this process with each remaining 1/3 of the egg whites.

Spoon the batter into the pan, filling the wells 2/3 full. Bake for 8-12 minutes, or until cakes are golden brown and just starting to pull away from the sides of the pan. Cakes will puff up when cooking, but will settle as they cool. Cool the cakes in the pan for 5 minutes, then gently remove them from the pan using a rubber spatula. Allow them to cool, flat side down, directly on the cooling rack.

Filling:

In a small saucepan, heat the flour and milk over medium heat, stirring constantly. When the mixture becomes a paste (about 5 minutes), remove from heat and allow to cool for 1 minute. Stir in the vanilla extract. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming, and set aside to cool completely.

With an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the cooled milk mixture and beat for about 5 minutes, until smooth and creamy.

Fill!:
Use the pastry filler that comes with the pan (or a pastry bag with round tip) to fill the cakes. Place the tip about halfway into the cake and squeeze gently. Holding the cake in your palm while filling it will allow you to feel when it is full. Fill each cake 3 times to ensure that each bite contains cream filling!

Arugula & Roasted Potato Salad

danar — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 01:05:21 +0000

Salad for breakfast? Just say yes. This is a hearty and satisfying entree salad appropriate for any meal of the day. I like to make on winter weekend mornings when it’s nice to have the oven on.

Ingredients

4-5 potatoes, chopped into pieces less than a square inch
salt & pepper
oregano & sage (optional)
baby arugula
olive oil
1/2 a lemon
Parmesan cheese
Other optional toppings: chopped avocado, bacon, shredded cheese

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
Toss the chopped potato pieces in olive oil on a baking sheet
Season the potatoes with salt, pepper, and other optional spices such as oregano and sage
Roast the potatoes for 1 hour, turn the pieces after 30 min
While potatoes are roasting, prepare the other toppings. Cook and break bacon into pieces, chop the avocado, etc.
Spread the arugula on a platter, sprinkle parmesan cheese, and squeeze lemon over both
Add the roasted potatoes and other toppings to the arugula salad

Chipa Guazu Express Recipe (Corn Casserole from Paraguay)

admin — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 15:50:55 +0000

I am paraguayan living in the US, and I found an easy way of making this dish, which is a great side dish for summer barbecues, appetizers, and it’s always a hit… it makes a large pyrex.

Ingredients

2 large packages of frozen corn
1 package of shredded cheese, like mozzarella or six cheese italian
1/2 large white/yellow onion or 1 pre-chopped onion container
3 eggs
vegetable oil (1 cup)
milk (moderate)

Directions

Stir fry the onion with abundant oil and let it cool. If you don’t like to feel the texture of the onion, you can blend it. Let it cool down…
Process the corn (thawed) with a little bit of milk until it gets to a creamy texture (the texture is personal, if you like to feel some texture, process it less)…
In a large bowl, mix the cream of corn, shredded cheese, lightly beat eggs, salt to taste, and the fried onions with the rest of the oil from the pan.
Pour in a pyrex or disposable baking tray and cook in 375-400 degree oven for 40 min to 1 hour until golden. Once it cools down, cut it in squares and serve.

Spanikopita (Greek Spinach Pie)

melissafd — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 19:33:37 +0000

Ingredients:

2 lb spinach, chopped (I used frozen – it’s easier because it’s already chopped!)
¼ c minced onion
½ lb feta cheese + ½ lb cottage cheese, mixed together
4 eggs
1 tsp dill
pinch parsley & salt
1 stick butter, melted
½ lb phyllo dough, thawed according to directions

Directions:

Combine first six ingredients together.
Butter 9×13” pan.
Place 4 leaves on bottom of pan, buttering each leaf with a basting brush.
Place ½ of spinach mixture on leaves.
Place 4 buttered leaves on mixture, buttering each leaf with a basting brush.
Place remaining mixture and 4 more leaves on top, buttering each leaf with a basting brush.
Turn edges of dough toward edge of pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes until golden brown.

NOTES:

You need to work really quickly with the phyllo dough. This takes a bit of practice.

The above recipe is for a casserole. To make appetizers, instead of using one pan, use two – this will make a thinner spanikopita, which you can cut into small squares. These are a huge hit at parties!

Quinoa Salad

melissafd — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 19:27:39 +0000

Prepare quinoa according to package. (I use 2 cups chicken stock and 1 cup quinoa…once boiled, cover and simmer low for approx 15 min or until liquid is absorbed)

Add 1 can black beans drained and rinsed
1/2 cup frozen corn kernals
1/2 cup frozen peas
2-3 chopped red peppers
1 teaspoonful cumin
salt and pepper
1-2 T olive oil
juice of 1/2 lime
fresh thyme and basil (optional)

Toss it all together and serve warm or room temp. Great way to get protein and veggies into a meal. Also great for BBQ’s and potlucks. Enjoy!

Brazilian Style Collard Greens

melissafd — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 19:25:45 +0000

Ingredients:

2 1/2 pounds collard greens, leaves halved lengthwise and stems and center ribs discarded
4 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Directions:

Stack half of collard leaves and roll into a cigar shape. Cut crosswise into very thin strips (1/8 inch wide) with a sharp knife. Repeat with remaining leaves. Or, if you’re lazy like me, use the food processor.
Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a heavy 12-inch skillet over moderate heat until hot but not smoking, then cook half of collards, tossing, until just tender and bright green, about 1 minute, and transfer to a serving dish. Cook remaining collards in remaining 2 teaspoons oil in same manner, then toss all of collards with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Alternate:

Sautee a few cloves of garlic in the oil. Delish! And healthy!

Fried Breakfast Potatoes

danar — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 01:50:11 +0000

We get a lot of potatoes with our organic produce box and I’ve been frying them! The time investment and the nutritional sacrifice of fried potatoes is big, so I insist that they come out right! With a lot of advice from my friend, Mart, who has been successfully practicing the art of the fried potato over many years, they came out crispy and perfect this time.

Ingredients

4-5 medium potatoes
canola oil
salt
black pepper
optional spices: red pepper, cumin, or rosemary.
optional veggies: chopped onions, bell peppers, kale
optional cheese: any type that melts

Directions

Cut up the potatoes in small 1/2 inch pieces and shake generous amounts of salt, pepper and other spices over them.
Fill a large frying pan with canola oil. Leave at least an inch of room between the oil and the top of the side so the oil doesn’t escape the pan.
Heat the oil on high heat. Test if the oil is hot enough by tossing in one piece of potato – it should bubble and fry vigorously. If the oil gets smoky, then you’ve waited too long! Be careful and stand back at an arm’s length from the pan as you add the rest of the potatoes to the hot oil. Arrange the potato pieces so that they are all mostly covered by the oil.
Monitor the stove temperature so the oil doesn’t boil over, but don’t touch or stir the potatoes. Let them fry as long as it takes to see them browning. This will take awhile – about 25 – 35 min.
In the meantime, pre-heat the oven to 350 – 375 and chop 2 onions into large pieces. Toss the onion pieces in olive oil on a baking sheet and put them in the oven.
After the potatoes are browned in the skillet, drain the oil and add them to the onions. Bake for 15 min.
Sautee the other optional vegetables while the potatoes finish in the oven.
Combine the potatoes with other vegetables and/or shredded cheese and serve while hot!

Redhead Lentils

lara — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 01:44:25 +0000

Redhead Lentils & Rice

This will serve a crowd:

2 cups red lentils, washed and picked over
olive oil
1 onion chopped
1/2 apple thinly sliced and cut in quarters
3 cloves garlic, minced
just over half of one box of lo sodium veggie/chicken stock/water (stock makes them more flavorful.)
3 whole peeled canned tomatoes and a splash of their juice
hefty pinch dark brown sugar
big pinch: cumin
lesser pinches: curry powder, cinnamon, turmeric, salt, sage
splash of apple juice
2 handfuls raisins

basmati rice

1. Heat a stock pot on high. Heat olive oil. Saute onions until translucent.
2. Turn down the heat. Add Lentils to pan and dry and toast them a bit.
3. Add apple to the pan stirring and cooking until some of the juices are released.
4. Add minced garlic. Saute until just fragrant.
5. With your fingers break up the tomatoes and add them and the juice to the pan.
6. Add stock and remaining ingredients.
7. Bring mixture to a boil. Then turn the heat to low and cover the pot.

MAKE RICE.

Check after around 25 minutes to be sure their is still some liquid. The beans will take between 30-45 min to cook. If you need to, add more stock.

Daddy’s Special Bread

patdaddy — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 14:41:33 +0000

This is a quick and easy garlic bread that goes perfect with pasta. Originally made in 1997 while I was working as a cook at The Blue Danube restaurant in Columbus Ohio, this recipe has, as they say, stood the test of time. My kids love it, and have even named it Daddy’s Special Bread.

INGREDIENTS:

freshly made sub buns (from your grocer’s bakery section)

fake butter (what we call soft spread in a tub)

garlic powder

dried oregano

sprinkle cheese (Kraft parmesan cheese)

DIRECTIONS:

Place upper oven rack in the second position from the top. Preheat to BROIL temperature. Cut two sub buns and place open faced upon a baking sheet (Four halves). Spread the fake butter on each. Sprinkle garlic powder on each. Pour oregano in your left palm, take a pinch, and crush it as you sprinkle onto bread. This help open up the flavor of the oregano (credit: mom). Shake the sprinkle cheese. Don’t use too much cheese.

Place in broiler for 3-ish minutes. Keep a close eye, they’re done when golden brown. A little black around the edges is OK. You’ll smell it if you’re’ve left it in too long

Remove from oven and cut horizontally into roughly two-inch strips. Throw ‘em on a serving plate and place on dinner table. Watch them disappear!

Serves 4

Grilled summer broad flat beans

constancecg — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 18:19:11 +0000

So I haven’t seen these yet at the farmers market this year but I’m eagerly awaiting their arrival so that I can make these beans. I’ve noticed that most recipes for broad flat beans call for braising. While I’m sure these sturdy, fleshy beans hold up well in liquid, I prefer not to have to have to overcook them for as long a time as required in a braise because they are pretty tender. Grilling imparts a great smoky flavor.

Ingredients:

1/2 a pound of broad flat beans, such as Romano, or Dragon’s Tongue (purple and white marbled)

Olive oil

Garlic

1-2 T summer savory, finely chopped

Salt & pepper

Toss a mixture of the romano and dragon’s tongue in the olive oil, and add salt, pepper, and summer savory to taste. Grill over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, 5-8 minutes.