Applesauce

I had this basket of apples, decided to make applesauce. It is so delicious and so different than store brought, it's a must try. Especially right now, the apples are so beautiful & just off the trees. I added a little vanilla & some all spice. Serve with ice cream or yogurt, warm or chilled. Too good. COOK ON.............

Preparation time: 45 minutes. The sugar amounts are just guidelines, depending your taste, and on the sweetness of your apples, use less or more. If you use less sugar, you'll likely want to use less lemon juice. The lemon juice brightens the flavor of the apples and balances t he sweetness.

INGREDIENTS

3 to 4 lbs of peeled, cored, and quartered apples. (Make sure you use good cooking like Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Fuji, Jonathan, Mcintosh, or Gravenstein.)

4 strips of lemon peel - use a vegetable peeler to strip 4 lengths

Juice of one lemon, about 3-4 Tbsp

3 inches of cinnamon stick

1/4 cup of dark brown sugar

up to 1/4 cup of white sugar

1 cup of water

1/2 teaspoon of salt

METHOD

1 Put all ingredients into a large pot. Cover. Bring to boil. Lower heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes.

2 Remove from heat. Remove cinnamon sticks and lemon peels. Mash with potato masher.

Ready to serve, either hot or refrigerated. Delicious with vanilla ice cream or vanilla yogurt.

Freezes easily, lasts up to one year in a cold freezer.

Simply Recipes http://simplyrecipes.com

Healthy Mexican Beans

My dear friend in Alabama, Susie requested the Healthy Mexican Beans. I'm gonna try and put it together. It's one of those, put this in and then that. These are all approximates go with what you need.

Let's see.....

1 lb. FRESH pinto beans, put in a big bowl with water at least 3 inches above the beans, soak overnight
1 onion chopped
8 cloves garlic, chopped
Epazote - mexican spice flavors the beans and removes some of the "noise" after you eat them. Available at Mexican markets.
1 tsp ground cumin (optional) but I like the flavor it adds to the beans
Salt & Pepper to taste DO NOT ADD SALT UNTIL THE BEANS ARE SOFT, toughens the beans if you add salt when they are still raw.

Drain the beans, put fresh cold water about 2 inches above the beans. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, add onion, garlic & Epazote. Simmer for at least two hours, I simmer them for hours because I like a soft bean. Add water as needed, DO NOT ADD COLD WATER, it makes the beans turn dark, ugly. Boil water and add that to the beans as they begin to dry out. You want a soupy bean so you can refry with liquid.

When the beans are very tender and soupy add cumin and the salt and pepper to taste. Beans require a lot of salt so add & taste, add and taste to desired saltiness.

Ok, so now you are ready to refry if that's what you want. Get out a skillet add about 1-3 TBS olive oil, when it's hot add the beans along with juice. Keep cooking and stirring, they will slowly begin to thicken as the juice evaporates. When they are at the consistency that you like, you have refried beans. There is very little fat but lots of flavor.

Use these beans for:
Bean & cheese burritos
Saute some chicken tenders for chicken burritos
Bean Tostada - Toast a corn tortilla, spread w/beans, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, salsa, & avocados you can also had a meat if you like.

If you choose not to refry these are great "de olla", (from the pot). Just add cheese, salsa, onions, you have a little bean soup.

This is sort of rambling but I don't know how else to tell you, it's just stuff I've been doing for years and it's how my mom cooked her beans, except she used LARD. Taste w/lard is incredible but really not healthy. That is what you get at the Mexican restaurants, you know where the beans are very light in color? LARD. But yummy for sure. Hope you try these and let me know how you liked them, can we improve them in any way? Want to hear from you. COOK ON..........

Sweet Potato Pie

Good Morning. The other day I noticed I still had those 5 sweet potatoes in the basket, have to make something. Remembered I also had some crust in the refrigerator!!! OH BOY, Sweet Potato Pie. I found this recipe, You only use one bowl, hate to clean kitchens. It was so delicious, creamy, light, yet dense with sweet potato flavor. Make sure you get fresh potatoes, makes a difference. This would be a good alternative to Pumpkin pie.

Note: Never one to leave a recipe alone, I added a little extra cinnamon, about 1/2 tsp. allspice & 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice. To keep it one bowl, beat your eggs with a fork in the measuring cup. I roasted the potatoes in the oven which gives even more sweetness because they caramelizes in the oven. Either wrap in aluminum foil or place on a cookie sheets, they will leak all over your oven, bake at 400 deg for approx 1 hour, check them, when they're soft they're done..


Sweet Potato Pie


Ingredients: Makes 2 pies.

4 ounces butter, softened
2 cups cooked and mashed sweet potatoes
2 cups granulated sugar
1 small can (5 ounces, about 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons) evaporated milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 prepared pie shells, unbaked

Preparation:

Mix butter, potatoes, sugar and evaporated milk until well blended. Add vanilla, eggs, and cinnamon; mix well. Pour into the prepared pie shells. Bake in a 350° oven for about 1 hour, until set.

Quick Enchiladas

This is a quick Enchilada dinner recipe, well not really a recipe. I brought the Enchilada Sauce at Trader Joe, $2.99 for a 12 oz bottle, a little pricy but worth it, a small can of sliced black olives. I quick poached two chicken breasts and shredded them, used 10 tortillas and using a 8x11 oblong baking pan. Put a little oil or spray in a skillet, just get the tortilla soft & pliable. Pour some sauce in a small bowl. Grate cheese probably about 1/2 lb. or use the Mexican Blend grated bag from TJ's, I did. Now place a tortilla in the sauce just to wet it, lay it on a cutting board or plate, put some shredded chicken, a few sliced olives and cheese, (as cheesy as you want them) Roll them tight place in pan, keep going until the pan is full, 8-10. Pour sauce over top of all, a few more olives and more cheese, (again as cheesy as you want it). Bake in 350 oven for 25 minutes, done. I can't eat red sauce enchiladas any more, but it's Michael's favorite. If you don't have a Trader Joe's, so sorry for you (Vic & Sue). LOVE THAT STORE! Add some beans, (TJ's Organic pintos are really good too.) a little salad with some avocado and you have a Delicioso Mexican meal!!!! COOK ON...........

Note: Quick poach- put enough water in a pan to cover breasts, add some spices, salt, pepper, thyme, whatever, or none. Bring water to simmer, add chicken, cover. Let simmer for 8 minutes, turn off heat and let stand in water for 20 minutes. Take out and shred.

Curried Red Lentil Soup

Hi All, Yesterday was SOUP DAY at my house. I made two different soups. A vegan split pea and curried red lentil. Both were very good, I really enjoyed the lentil soup. It is so chalked full of veggies, not only is it delicious and satisfying it is also very healthy. I did use lite coconut milk for the soup and it didn't seem to hurt the creaminess at all. There are two things you could do with this soup, eat it with the texture, lentils, brown rice and the veggie or puree it, which produces a thick creamy soup, I always prefer my soups blended, I'm a little weird about too much texture. I used my INVERTED BLENDER and it was easy. The amount of curry depends on how much you like curry, I probably used almost a tablespoon, I also threw in some fresh herbs if you have any. I might suggest thyme, tarragon, even sage or basil, if you don't have any fresh you could add some of the mentioned dried herbs. Remember, savory recipes almost always allows for creativity, know what the herbs taste like and you can play around with them. Don't leave out the squish of lime juice and the cilantro, it made the soup pop with flavor and freshness!!! Make this soup, it is definitely a winner! COOK ON.........


Curried Red Lentil Soup


3 chopped garlic cloves,
1 onion chopped
1 carrot chopped
1/2 tablespoon chopped ginger and a
pinch of cayenne in oil.
11/2 tsp to 1 TBS curry powder (depends on your taste)
1 can coconut milk (I used lite for this soup)
1 cup red lentils
1/2 cup rice
6 cups of water, (I supplemented with a 4 cups of Veggie broth and 2 cups of water, optional)


Cook garlic, onion, carrot, ginger and cayenne in oil until onion soft. Add curry & herbs, sir.

Add 6 cups water, 1 can coconut milk, 1 cup red lentils and 1/2 cup rice;

Simmer 20 minutes. Garnish with lime, cilantro and scallions.

Coconut Tapioca Pudding

Happy Saturday. Today I'd like to share a recipe I've been preparing for years. We went to visit friends in the San Francisco area about 10 years ago. Some one recommended a restaurant called Betel nut. My brother Jim, his wife Virginia, Michael and I enjoyed an incredible Asian meal, we had a shy, beautiful waitress, as the meal progressed and we loved everything so much, (we'd had two martinis before lunch so everything tasted "amazing). She became more confident, she insisted that we try the tapioca pudding, it was her favorite and we just had to have some.

We ordered the tapioca pudding, it was the most incredible pudding we'd all ever tasted. When I got back home to Boston, I tried to find a recipe that would be close, tried a few and none of them had that same rich, unique flavor. I finally wrote the chef at Betel nut and asked him to please, oh please share the recipe. A couple of weeks later I received a response with the very simple recipe.

Jell-o Brand Fat Free Tapioca pudding
Coconut Milk (not lite)

Cook according to directions but substitute coconut milk for regular milk.

Note: You can use the lite coconut milk, (I have) it is still delicious but just not incredible.

That's it. I was amazed, couldn't be that easy. It is actually what he used to make the pudding for the restaurant. Well, I tried it and yes, in fact it was the wonderful pudding. I don't make it very often it is high in fat, but according to my natural path doctor Coconut oil and coconut milk is the best fat for your diet and it is non-dairy (YEA!).

I hope you'll all give this a try you won't be disappointed. I made some last week but had only prepared one small box, Kirstin said "OMG you have to make more of this". COOK ON..........

Pumpkin Soup

Good Morning, Now that Portland is knee deep in Fall, I'm making soups almost daily. I love the warmth and healing effects that soup brings to the body. Last week I had a Kabocha squash which I made into the pumpkin soup. Just a hint though, I would probably not use it again, it is delicious but it took my husband Michael 20 minutes to peel it and then I had my way with it for another 20 minutes to get more of the skin off and dice it. I would suggest a butternut squash or even a pumpkin, one of those little sweet ones, not a Halloween pumpkin.

The lemongrass and corn are a perfect addition to the pumpkin flavor. My daughter tasted it and asked if I put sugar in it. Add a hearty, rustic bread and maybe a little cheese plate, a complete meal.

I might suggest that if you enjoy making soup you consider purchasing an inverted blender. You can stick it in the hot soup and blend, no mess and it the job just as well as a regular blender. I'm very pleased with my Cuisinart, about $40.00.

I will be adding photos, restaurant reviews and cooking information. I would also love it if you would add comments especially if you try a recipe. Let's all share recipes as well, if you have a favorite one that you love to make and enjoy eating, SHARE IT.

Lynn Murphy: How about your Frijoles de olla recipe? Share?

See you all next time, remember COOK ON..........

PUMPKIN, CORN, AND LEMONGRASS SOUP

Ingredients SERVES 8

1 fresh lemongrass stalk, root end trimmed and 1 or 2 outer layers discarded

1 large onion, chopped

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 3/4 lb. kabocha or butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch pieces (4 cups)

2 1/2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels (10 oz; from 2 to 3 ears)

5 cups water

GARNISH: cilantro leaves

Directions

Cut off and discard top of lemongrass, leaving a 6-inch stalk, then smash stalk with side of a large heavy knife.

Cook lemongrass, onion, and 1 teaspoon salt in butter and oil in a heavy medium pot over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, about 10 minutes. Add squash, corn, water, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and bring to a boil over high heat.

Reduce heat and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until squash is tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and discard lemongrass.

Purée soup in 3 or 4 batches in a blender until very smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids), straining each batch as blended through a fine-mesh sieve into a large heatproof bowl, pressing hard on and then discarding solids. Season with salt and pepper and reheat if necessary.

COOKS’ NOTE: Soup can be made 2 days ahead and chilled, uncovered, until cool, then covered. Reheat over medium heat, stirring occasionally.

Home Again

Hi All,

Home again, so good. I wanted to tell you about my last night in Alabama. my friend Vic is from New York and Italian, he often makes his Italian feast for special guests, we were lucky to enjoy it on Suday night. He makes a very rich, tomato gravy (sauce), adds some Italian sausage and simmers it all together. Excellent, it's rich and spicy. He also makes a bread/pasta sauce. Which is the first recipe I'd like to share with you. Because I can no longer eat acidic foods, including tomatoes, Vic provided this amazing sauce for my pasta. It was also a perfect compliment to the toasted french bread.

Olive Oil & Anchovy sauce

1 can anchovies (optional, if you can't stand anchovies, too bad though)
1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tbs. minced garlic
1 Tbs. basil flakes

Mix olive oil, garlic, basil and oregano in a small fry pan. Simmer for 5 minutes on low heat.

Cut anchovies into small pieces and add to fry pan. Simmer for 2 minutes on medium heat.

Use your favorite pasta. Remove from heat and serve.

I'm still packing and getting back on schedule. I will be posting many recipes in the future. I cook for my family every night and feel it's important for families to come back to the dinner table, enjoy the meal and your loved ones. I also know how busy everyone is today and every day, I hope I can provide some easy and delicious meals to share. Another recipe tomorrow. COOK ON......

Elaine is the Portland Foodie

Hi,

Just learning how to blog. I'm visiting friends in Alabama, they helped me start this blog. I'll be posting my first recipe on Tuesday for you to try. COOK ON.....

Welcome To The Portland Foodie

Hello Everyone,
This is my first post ever, I'm so thrilled to be able to chat with everyone about my passion for food and feeding people. In the future I will share recipes, food stories and lots of information for you to feed yourself and the people you love. Come visit me often and we'll cook together. COOK ON....