dreamsherd

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hungry

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so, i've been curious about the whole raw food thing.  i've tried some- it's ok, but a bit under-proteined for me.  but whatever i can do to increase my fresh fruits-and-veggies intake has got to be good, right?  so i got a dehydrator and have been experimenting with energy-foods that a) taste good to me and b) are easy to keep around at work for those don't-have-time-for-lunch days.  do you realize how much sugar most "energy bars" have in them?  right, suger *is* a source of energy, but i'm looking at getting my energy from non-sugary stuff, cuz of the diabetes.  and the lousy teeth.  so, without further adieu:

Oatmeal jerky

Equal parts:

Oatmeal (plain ol' non-quick rolled oats, ground or not as you desire)

Hot water

Nut meal or ground nuts (TJs makes almond meal or you could grind it yourself)

Fresh fruit, pureed or chopped

and
¼ flax meal

Mix into paste, adding water or fruit juice to achieve desired consistency. Eat hot as cereal or dehydrate in bars or sheets (8 -12 hrs at 135*F). Can add spices, chopped dried fruit (1/2 part), protein powder or dried milk. 

heartspunmom

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nostalgic

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This soup is one of my ultimate comfort foods. When I was in college, the cafe down the street served up a generous bowl of the day's soup along with a baguette and butter, all for dirt cheap. Potato leek was always on the menu, and the fragrance of it brings back those days of hunkering down at a table near a steamy window, reading for an assignment or scribbling in a notebook, watching the buses splash past.

I spotted pre-trimmed and cleaned leeks, two to a package, at Trader Joe's and knew that I had to try to recreate this simple pleasure! As usual, this is not really much of a recipe. There are more elaborate and probably traditional recipes out there, but this simple approach cooks up lighting fast and tastes, to me, exactly like the daily bowl from my college days.

Simple potato leek soup

You'll need two leeks, with a long white section. Some stores sell these pre-trimmed and cleaned, but you can start with untrimmed leeks too. Make sure you clean them well because they can hide a lot of gritty crud in between those tightly packed leaves.

Slice up the leeks nice and thin, discarding the roots at the end. Only slice up to the pale green part of the leek, don't use the darker green ends of the leaves (if you're starting with untrimmed leeks).

TJ's also sells fingerling potatoes in a bag, which is what I used. A couple of handfuls of small white creamer or yukon gold potatoes will work as well. Chop these roughly into big slices, half an inch thick or so. The goal is just to get them mostly the same size so they'll cook quickly and evenly.

Heat up some butter - I used an *ahem* generous amount - in a large saucepan and cook the leeks until they are wilted, soft and beginning to brown. I grind in some sea salt and black pepper at this point. Toss in the potatoes as well, and cook those with the soft leeks for a few minutes. Pour a can of chicken broth over the top - just enough to cover the potatoes, then cover the pot and bring to a boil. Turn it down and let it simmer until the potatoes are nice and tender. Now comes the really fun part - mashing! I used a potato masher and broke up all the potato until the soup was chunky, not too smooth and not too many big pieces left. Pour in some heavy cream - how much is up to you. I didn't really measure, just eyeballed it. Stir it all up, check the salt and pepper, and serve in a nice heavy bowl with crusty bread and butter alongside.

Yum.

dreamsherd

more a method than a recipe

thinly sliced fresh raw potatoes (a bunch)
butter
salt 
pepper
a little flour
melty cheese, grated
milk

layer the ingredients above (about 1/3 of each to a layer) in a buttered pie or lasagna dish.  cover with foil and bake at 400F til they're soft when you stick a knife into them & the cheese is melted.  
this was the basic recipe i got from my mom; she used velveeta cheese.  i grew older and realized that there was better cheese to be had, so i switched to making a basic cheese sauce using real cheddar (same ingredients as above) and layering that over the sliced potatoes.  ta da!  easy cheesy.
many sorts of cheese can be used- gruyere is good.  or you can leave out the cheese & have scalloped potatoes ( i usually add some herbs/spices & onions to this).  you can use cream or half&half instead of milk if you don't care about calories.  you can even substitute cooked pasta for the potatoes- ooops, then it's mac & cheese!
edit:  just remember to add enough liquid to let the potato slices cook through (the liquid should be about level with the rest of the ingredients when you're done). takes about one to two hours to cook, depending on how many potatoes you use.

heartspunmom

Cold Vietnamese noodle salad - wonderfully refreshing on hot summer days, and easy to make! This is more of a formula than a recipe.

Noodles: 1 package of thin rice noodles. Easy to find at your local Asian market, or sometimes even a Big Chain Grocer in the "International" aisle. Cook these in boiling water for 3-4 minutes, just until al dente, then drain and rinse in cold water until completely cooled. If you want to keep them from sticking, toss with a smidge of veggie oil. Set aside.

Veggies: Shredded carrots, shredded daikon, mung bean sprouts, thinly sliced cucumber, diced sugar snap peas, and shredded lettuce (optional) in the proportions you desire

Herbs: Basil, cilantro, and mint, in fairly equal quantities - don't skimp on the herbs, they are a big part of the flavor and freshness of this dish!

Shrimp: Get a two pound bag of frozen raw shrimp (the peeled kind is easiest). Thaw them and pinch off the tails, then chop roughly in a food processor or with a knife. Mix with two teaspoons of brown sugar, two teaspoons of coarse salt, and two or three big cloves of chopped garlic. Heat a couple of teaspoons of veggie oil over medium heat and cook the shrimp mixture until the shrimp are just cooked through and pink all over; transfer to a bowl and cool to room temperature (or stick in the fridge to chill).

Sauce: This is a variation on Nuoc Cham, a traditional Vietnamese sauce. You can simmer this over the stove to dissolve the sugar, but I just mix everything in a Pyrex measuring cup and stick it in the nuker for a minute or so. Here's the general list of ingredients - tweak to your taste: 1/4 cup fish sauce, 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, fresh juice from two limes, freshly grated ginger (I use the stuff in a tube from the produce section), a healthy squeeze of Sriracha hot sauce or Asian chili paste, and about 1/2 cup of water.

Garnish: Chopped unsalted peanuts (stick them in a Ziploc and smash them with a can, if you don't want to bother chopping them).

Assembly: In a big bowl, pile up some of the veggie and herb mixtures, then pile on a generous amount of the cold rice noodles. Spoon on the cooled shrimp mixture, sprinkle with chopped peanuts, and drizzle with sauce. Ahhhh! Delicious! You can top this with a little Hoisin sauce or more Sriracha as you desire.

Variations on the theme: Instead of the cold shrimp mixture, use char-grilled flank steak, sliced thin; crunchy spring rolls, cut into slices; marinated tofu; or just leave it out entirely and have a yummy bowl of veggies and noodles.

dreamsherd

GYNGERBREDE
Take an quart of hony and sethe it and skime it clene; take Safroun, pouder Pepir and throw theron; take gratyd Brede and make it so chargeaunt that it wol be y-lechyd; then take pouder canelle and straw ther-on y-now; then make yt square, lyke as thou wolt leche yt; take when tho lechyst hyt, an caste Box leves a-bowyn, y-stykyd ther-on, on clowys. An if thou wolt have it Red, colour it with Saunderys y-now.

**Note that this isn't even baked- it makes a very thick paste that can be shaped and sliced. You pat powdered cinnamon all over the outside to reduce the stickiness. And I'd recommend using food color paste rather than powdered red sandlewood if you want it red.

Translation (rough):
Boil a quart of honey and skim it (probably not necessary here in the States)
Stir in saffron and powered black pepper
Add enough fine breadcrumbs to make a paste thick enough to cut
Gather into a ball, roll in powdered cinnamon, and pat it into a square or loaf.
To serve: Slice. Garnish each slice with box leaves impaled on cloves
And if you want it colored red, add enough red sandlewood sawdust to color it.