: Monday : Nourishment :

Food this last week has been very tasty, as usual. But I think we overdid the sweets a bit. Maybe we will mellow out on that this week. Check out some of these recipes below.

Raw Vege and Fruit Salad

The other night I made this raw vegetable and fruit salad, accompanied by the quiche shown below. The recipe and variations can be found here. Essentially the recipe included 1 cup each of finely chopped cabbage, celery, and spinach, along with 2 each sliced peaches, pears (we used asian pears...crisp and sweet), and apples. Lastly it called for the addition of walnuts. You can toss it in your favorite dressing or leave it plain. We left it plain and all of the kids kept eating it right up, as we had it with lunch and dinner for a couple of days in a row. No complaints, just happy tastebuds and tummies.

Fresh Corn Quiche

Here is the fresh corn quiche I just spoke of. It was delicious! I usually make a homemade wheat crust for my various quiches because it is tastier and healthier than the store-bought crusts. It stays together better, too, free of sogginess. The recipe for the crust and the quiche is as follows....

Whole Wheat Pie Crust

1 cup whole wheat flour

¼ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon sugar

5 tablespoons butter, cold and cut into a few pieces

3-4 tablespoons cold water

 

Combine your dry ingredients in a large bowl. Rub in butter with your fingertips until the mixture resembles a very coarse meal. There should some pea sized pieces as well as some sand sized pieces. Pour in water and press dough together with your hands until it comes together into a ball. Add a bit more water if necessary. Wrap dough disc in plastic wrap and freeze for 1 hour if you want to use it right away. Alternatively, you could refrigerate it for 4 hours, or until ready to use. Roll out on a floured surface. Makes 1 crust.

Fresh Corn Quiche

3 large eggs

1/2 small onion, coarsely chopped

1 tablespoon wheat or all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/3 cups half and half

3 tablespoons butter, melted

2 cups fresh corn kernels (cut from about 2 ears) or frozen, thawed

1 pre-prepared wheat pie crust

You want to preheat the oven to 375 degrees or equivelant and get your crust in a 9-inch pie dish (we used a cake pan because our moss garden is occupying our pie dish). Blend the first 5 ingredients for a moment. Add the next 2 ingredients and then transfer to a bowl. Mix in the corn and pour into your crust. Now you want to bake until filling is slightly puffed and top is golden, about 50 minutes. Transfer to rack; cool slightly. Serve warm.

Kabobs with Rasberry Dijon Vinaigrette

On Jared's birthday, we made these kabobs on the barbecue with a delicious rasberry dijon vinaigrette, which included 4 tablespoons sherry vinegar, 4 tablespoons Dijon mustard, 2 small shallots, minced (3 tablespoons), 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest, 2/3 cup olive oil, and 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary. You simple together vinegar, mustard, shallots, lemon juice, and lemon zest in small bowl. Slowly whisk in olive oil until mixture thickens or emulsifies. Stir in rosemary, and season with salt and pepper, if desired. Allow your choice veges, tofu, poultry, and or meat selection to marinate. Cook on the grill and periodically brush your food with the leftover marinade.

Lemon Fairy Cakes

On Fairy Day, we decided to make Fairy Cakes, which are essentially the phrase for cupcakes in the UK. When making the icing, Jared decided on a soft yellow, since it was flavored with fresh lemon, and matching magic fairy dust sprinkles. The recipe for both the cakes and the icing can be found at Once Upon a Plate.

Decadent Chocolate Cake

Lastly, the cake topper (and the cake).

Decadent Chocolate Cake

Butter, for greasing the pans

1 3/4 cups wheat flour, plus more for pans

2 cups sugar

3/4 cups cocoa powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 cup buttermilk, shaken

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter pans and sprinkle with flour. Add parchment paper if you like (I was fine without it). In a large bowl, sift your dry ingredients together. In another bowl, combine everything else, except the coffee. Add the wet to the dry. Once well mixed, add the coffee. Pour into your pans equally and bake 35-40 minutes. Cool for 30 minutes before removing from pans. Cool completely on a wire cooling rack before applying your frosting.

 

Chocolate Frosting

 

6 ounces good semisweet chocolate

1/2 pound (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

Heat the chocolate in a double boiler so it is just melted. Cool for a moment. In a bowl, whip your butter 'til creamy. Then, add yoke and vanilla and whip for a couple minutes. Add sugar and mix well. Mix coffee with 2 teaspoons of hot tap water. Add chocolate and coffee mixture to the butter mixture. Mix gently now. Spread immediately onto your cake. Create a layer on your bottom cake, top it with the other cake, and spread evenly on the top of your cake, and around the sides. Put any toppings you like atop the finished cake. Chill for later or dig in! It was absolutely delicious...both the cake and the frosting (and I don't even like frosting).

So, I hope you can enjoy one or more of these recipes. We certainly did. Have a great week and get cooking.....and baking.