Homemade Ketchup

6 oz. tomato paste
1/3 cup water
1/4 tsp. ground mustard
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
pinch cayenne pepper
pinch cloves
2 T. vinegar
1/4 - 1/3 cup honey

Mix and enjoy.

Recipe from Anna Low.

Falafel

• 1 cup dried chickpeas (or 1 can)
  
• 1/2 large onion, roughly chopped (about 1 cup)
• 1 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
  
• 1 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2-1 teaspoon dried hot red pepper
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 4-6 tablespoons flour

1. Put the chickpeas in a large bowl and add enough cold water to cover them by at least 2 inches. Let soak overnight, then drain. Or use canned chickpeas, drained.

2. Place the drained, uncooked chickpeas and the onions in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add the parsley, cilantro, salt, hot pepper, garlic, and cumin. Process until blended but not pureed.

3. Sprinkle in the baking powder and 4 tablespoons of the flour, and pulse. You want to add enough flour so that the dough forms a small ball and no longer sticks to your hands. Turn into a bowl and refrigerate, covered, for several hours.

4. Form the chickpea mixture into patties and place on a cookie sheet.

5. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes. You can flip them over half way or you can broil them for the last few minutes to brown them, if desired.

6. Serve in pita with hummus and fresh vegetable (tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers).

This recipe is adapted from an a recipe off of epicurious.com. We prefer baking our falafel, rather then frying.

Beatty's Chocolate Cake

From the Barefoot Contessa

butter for greasing the pans
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for the pans
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup good cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk, shaken
1/2 c vegetable oil
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee (we use postum)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter two 8 inch round cake pans. Line with parchment paper, then butter and flour the pans.
Sift the flour, sugar, coca, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. With the mixer still on low, add the coffee and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.
Place one layer, flat side up, on a flat plate or cake pedestal. With a knife or offset spatula, spread the top with frosting. Place the second layer on top, rounded side up, and spread the frosting evenly on the top and sides of the cake.

Frosting
6 oz good semisweet chocolate (Callebaut)
1/2 lb (2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
1 extra large egg yolk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon instant coffee powder (Postum again)

Chop the chocolate and place it in a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Stir until just melted and set aside until cooled to room temperature.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed until light yellow and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg yolk and vanilla and continue beating for 3 minutes. Turn the mixer to low, gradually add the confectioners' sugar, then beat at medium speed, scraping down the bowl as necessary, until smooth and creamy. Disolve the coffee powder in 2 teaspoons of the hottest tap water. On low speed, add the chocolate and coffee to the butter mixture and mix until blended. Don't whip! Spread immediately on the cooled cake.

Bittersweet Chocolate and Pear Cake

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 eggs, at room-temperature
4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter
3/4 cup sugar
3 pears, peeled, in a small dice (I used anjou, but would recommend a softer variety, like a bosc or any other of your favorites)
3/4 cup bittersweet chocolate chunks

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-inch springform pan and dust with flour, set aside.

Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together, set aside.

Using a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the eggs on high speed until pale and very thick. (In a professional Kitchen Aid, it takes at least five minutes; on a home machine, it will take nine minutes to get sufficient volume)

While the eggs are whipping, brown the butter. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan (because it will foam a lot) and cook it until the butter browns and smells nutty (about 6 to 8 minutes). It helps to frequently scrape the solids off the bottom of the pan in the last couple minutes to ensure even browning. Remove from the flame but keep in a warm spot.

Add the sugar to the eggs and whip a few minutes more.

Just as the egg-sugar mixture is starting to loose volume, turn the mixture down to stir, and add the flour mixture and brown butter. Add one third of the flour mixture, then half of the butter, a third of the flour, the remaining butter, and the rest of flour. Whisk until just barely combined — no more than a minute from when the flour is first added — and then use a spatula to gently fold the batter until the ingredients are combined. It is very important not to over-whisk or fold the batter or it will lose volume.

Pour into prepared pan. Sprinkle the pear and chocolate chunks over the top, and bake until the cake is golden brown and springs back to the touch, about 40 to 50 minutes, or a tester comes out clean.

From Smitten Kitchen

Swedish Meatballs

Meatballs:
1 large egg
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 large slice high-quality white sandwich bread, crusts removed and bread torn into 1-inch pieces
8 oz ground pork
1 small onion, grated on large holes of box grater (about 1/4 cup)
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon packed brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons table salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
8 ounces lean ground beef
1 1/4 cups vegetable oil

Sauce:
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons juice from 1 lemon
table salt and ground black pepper

For the meatballs:
Whisk egg and cream together in medium bowl. Stir in bread and set aside. Meanwhile, in stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat pork, onion, nutmeg, allspice, pepper, brown sugar, salt and baking powder on high speed until smooth and pale, about 2 minutes, scraping bowl as necessary. Using fork, mash bread mixture until no large dry bread chunks remain; add mixture to mixer bowl and beat on high speed until smooth and homogeneous, about 1 minute, scraping bowl as necessary. Add beef and mix on medium-low speed until just incorporated, about 30 seconds, scraping bowl as necessary. Add beef and mix on medium-low speed until just incorporated, about 30 seconds, scraping bowl as necessary. Using moistened hands, form generous tablespoon of meat mixture into 1-inch round meatball; repeat with remaining mixture to form 25-30 meatballs.
Heat oil in 10-inch straight-sided saute pan over medium-high heat until edge of meatball dipped in oil sizzles, 3-5 minutes. Add meatballs in single layer and fry, flipping once halfway through cooking, until lightly browned all over and cooked through, 7-10 minutes. (Adjust heat as needed to keep oil sizzling but not smoking.) Using slotted spoon, transfer browned meatballs to paper towel-lined plate.

For the sauce:
Pour off and discard oil in pan, leaving any fond (brown bits) behind. Return pan to medium-high heat and add butter. When foaming subsides, add flour and cook, whisking constantly, until flour is light brown, about 30 seconds. Slowly whisk in broth, scraping pan bottom to loosen brown bits. Add brown sugar and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium and cook until sauce is reduced to about 1 cup, about 5 minutes. Stir in cream and return to simmer.
Add meatballs to sauce and simmer, turning occasionally, until heated through, about 5 minutes. Stir in lemon juice, season with salt and pepper, and serve.

We have had these meatballs with both noodles and mashed potatoes.

Snobby Joes

1 cup uncooked lentils

4 cups water

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium-size yellow onion, cut into small dice

1 green bell pepper, seeded and cut into small dice

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 tablespoons chile powder (I only used 2 tablespoons)

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 teaspoon salt

1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce

1/4 cup tomato paste

2-3 tablespoons maple syrup

1 tablespoon yellow mustard

4-6 rolls or buns

Pour the lentils and water into a small saucepan. Cover and bring to a boil. Once the mixture is boiling, lower the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, until the lentils are soft. Drain and set aside.

About 10 minutes before the lentils are done, preheat a medium size saucepan over medium heat. Saute the onion and pepper in the oil for about 7 minutes, until softened. Add the garlic and saute for a minute more.

Stir in the cooked lentils, chile powder, oregano, and salt. Add the tomato sauce and tomato paste. Cook for about 10 minutes. Add the maple syrup to taste and the mustard, and heat through.

Turn off the heat and let the pot sit for about 10 minutes, so that the flavors can meld. Serve on buns garnished however you would like. We did avocado and pepper-jack cheese and it was delicious.

Recipe from Anna Low and Kate Wangsgard

Red Kidney Bean Curry (Rajmah)

This is an Indian cousin of spicy red bean chili.

Serves 6

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup chopped fresh ginger (I used a lot less then this)
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 plum tomato, diced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 large green chili, chopped (optional- I didn't use)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon ground tumeric
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
8 ounce can of tomato sauce or 8 ounces of one of your choice
3 cups boiled red kidney beans or 30 ounces canned red kidney beans, undrained
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (or parsley)

Heat oil in a deep sauce pan over medium heat for one minute. Add ginger, garlic, onion, green chili, and let sizzle for one minute. Add the tomato sauce, salt and remaining spices and cook for an additional five minutes, stirring frequently. Add the kidney beans with water or canned red kidney beans (undrained) plus one additional cup of water, and tomatoes. Bring it to a boil, then reduce to medium heat and let cook uncovered for 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Garnish with cilantro.

Serve over rice or with naan. A dollop of plain yogurt or sour cream on top is heavenly.

From Smitten Kitchen.

Tuscan Vegetable Soup from Ellie Krieger

1 (15-ounce) can low-sodium canellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 large onion, diced (about 1 cup)
2 carrots, diced (about 1/2 cup)
2 stalks celery, diced, (about 1/2 cup)
1 small zucchini, diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves (or 1 teaspoon dried)
2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage leaves (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
32 ounces low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
1 (14.5-ounce) can no salt added diced tomatoes
2 cups chopped baby spinach leaves
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan, optional

In a small bowl mash half of the beans with a masher or the back of a spoon, and set aside.

Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery, zucchini, garlic, thyme, sage, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper, and cook stirring occasionally until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes.

Add the broth and tomatoes with the juice and bring to a boil. Add the mashed and whole beans and the spinach leaves and cook until the spinach is wilted, about 3 minutes more.

Serve topped with Parmesan, if desired.

Courtesy of Anna Low

Healthy Granola

10 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup sliced almonds or walnut pieces
1/4 cup wheat germ
3 large ripe bananas
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 T vanilla
1 t salt
2 t cinnamon
1/4 cup hot water
your choice of dried fruit

Preheat oven to 275 degrees. In extra large bowl, mix together oats, coconut, nuts and wheat germ. In food processor or blender puree bananas, brown sugar, vanilla, salt, cinnamon and hot water.
Pour the banana mixture into the bowl with the oats and mix well (you may have to use your fingers).
Spread mixture onto 2 large baking sheets. Bake for 1 hour 35 minutes, stirring every half hour or so.
Allow to cool before adding dried fruit. Store granola in the refrigerator to maintain freshness.

Recipe from runningwithfood.com

coconut cupcakes by ina garten

3/4 lb unsalted butter at room temperature
2 c sugar
5 extra-large eggs at room temperature
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp pure almond extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup buttermilk
14 oz sweetened, shredded coconut
Cream cheese icing

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. With the mixer running on low, add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and mix well.
In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In three parts, alternately add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk to the batter, beginning and ending with the dry. Mix until just combined. Fold in 7 oz of coconut.
Line a muffin pan with paper liners. Fill each cup to the top with batter. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, until the tops are brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Remove to a baking rack and cool completely. Frost with cream cheese icing and sprinkle with a remaining coconut.

cream cheese icing
1 lb cream cheese at room temperature
3/4 lb unsalted butter at room temperature
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp pure almond extract
1 1/2 lbs confectioners sugar sifted

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, blend together the cream cheese, butter and vanilla and almond extracts. Add the confectioners sugar and mix until smooth.

Bread Gnocchi with Tomato and Basil

8 slices day old Italian bread
3 T EVOL
2 T butter
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
salt and pepper
2 c tomato sauce
3 small plum tomatoes, chopped
several torn basil leaves
2 c shredded mozzarella

Heat pan over medium heat. Chop bread into bit size pieces. Add EVOL, butter and garlic to skillet. Melt butter then add bread. Season with salt and pepper. Toss and cook the bread 7-8 minutes then add tomato sauce and tomatoes. Turn to coat and warm the tomato sauce, 3-4 minutes. Remove the gnocchi from heat and transfer to casserole dish, top with basil and mozzarella cheese. Put under broiler for 2-3 minutes until cheese browns and bubbles.

Recipe: Rachel Ray

French Toast (the kind that will kill you)

1 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3/4 cup butter or margarine
1/4 cup plus 2T light corn syrup
10 slices French bread (I prefer Italian bread)
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 1/2 cups milk or half and half
1 T vanilla extract
1/4 t salt
3 T sugar
1 1/2 t ground cinnamon
1/4 c butter or margarine melted

Combine first 3 ingredients in a medium sauce pan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly for 5 minutes or until mixture is bubbly. Pour syrup mixture evenly into a lightly greased 13x9x2 baking dish. Arrange bread slices over syrup.
Combine eggs and next 3 ingredients, stir well. Gradually pour mixture over bread slices. Cover and chill at least 8 hours.
Combine 3 T sugar and cinnamon, stir well. Sprinkle evenly over soaked bread. Drizzle 1/4 c melted butter over bread. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly.
Recipe from Jen Smith "domestic diva"

Moon Pie

• 1 c water
  
• 1/2 c butter
  
• 1 c flour
  
• 4 eggs
  
• 2 small boxes of instant pudding
  
• 8 oz cream cheese
  
• Cool Whip (or Whipping cream)
  
• Chocolate syrup
  
• slivered almonds

Combine water and butter, bring to boil until butter melts. Add the flour all at once and stir into a ball. Remove from heat. Beat in eggs one at a time. Put on ungreased jelly roll pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes.

Make 2 small boxes of instant pudding. Whip in 8 oz package of cream cheese. Spread on pastry. Top with Cool Whip, chocolate syrup and nuts.

Recipe from: Susan Babcock