Plum Bars

 

 

Crust:
1 1/2 cups flour or a gluten-free flour mix
1/2 cup nut flour
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup butter

Filling:

1/4 cup corn starch
2 Tbls honey
1 tsp. baking powder
1 lb plums
4 eggs

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a 9x13" cake pan.

Stir together the flour and nut flour. Cut honey and butter into the flour until there is no more fine powder and it can be pressed together into dough. Press dough evenly into the bottom of the pan.  Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until lightly browned.

When the crust is baking, remove the stones from the plums, then combine the corn starch, honey, baking powder, plums, and eggs in a blender.  Blend until liquefied.

Pour the filling over the hot crust, and bake for 20-25 more minutes.

 

 

Orange Sauce

 

1 cup orange juice
1/4 cup sugar
2 Tbls vinegar
2 Tbls soy sauce

1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp garlic powder or 2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 tsp black pepper

1 Tbls cornstarch

2 Tbls water or soup stock

In a medium pot, add orange juice, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, and black pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low.

 

In a small bowl, whisk cornstarch with water/soup stock to form a paste. Stir this mixture into the pot. Continue to cook for a few minutes, until the mixture thickens.

No-Knead Butter Rolls

 

 

1 cup water
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/4 tsp yeast
1 egg
3 cups flour

Add 1/2 cup water, butter, and 1/4 cup flour to a saucepan. Heat on medium heat until butter melts. Pour mixture into a large mixing bowl. Add sugar and salt, stir until dissolved.

In a small bowl, beat the egg.

Add yeast, egg, and remaining water to mixing bowl. Stir thoroughly. Stir in the rest of the flour until totally combined.

Cover bowl with greased foil and place in the refrigerator for 6-48 hours.

When ready to bake, remove dough from the refrigerator. Place dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 8 equal pieces. Roll each piece between your hand and the counter, working your hand in a flat, circular motion.

Place rolls on a greased baking sheet. Cover and let rise for one hour.

While rolls rise, preheat oven to 425°F . Bake rolls for 18-25 minutes, until golden-brown.

Slow Cooker Sweet Pork

 

2 lbs boneless pork roast
2 cups salsa
1 cup brown sugar

Mix the salsa and brown sugar together.

Place the roast in a slow cooker and then pour the salsa/brown sugar mixture on top. Cook on low for 7-8 hours or on high for about 4-5 hours.  At this point, it should be cooked through and soft enough to shred easily. After shredding it, you can cook it on low for 1-2 more hours, or serve immediately.

Peanut Sauce

 

 

1 tsp garlic powder or 2 Tbls minced fresh garlic

1 tsp ground ginger or 1 Tbls minced fresh ginger

1 tsp ground black pepper

1 Tbls coconut oil

2/3 cup creamy peanut butter (plain ground peanuts if possible, or low/no salt and sugar)
2 Tbls soy sauce
1 Tbls lime juice
1 - 2 Tbls honey

1/3 - 1 cup water

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

Optional: 1/3 cup peanuts
Optional: 1-2 Tbls sriracha
Optional: 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
Optional: 1 tsp chili powder

 

In a pot over low heat, combine the garlic, ginger, pepper, and coconut oil. Stir to combine completely. Add ingredients one at a time, stirring until combined before adding the next ingredient: peanut butter, soy sauce, lime juice, honey, optional peanuts, optional other spices. Stir in enough water to make it the desired consistency. Remove from heat and stir in the cilantro.

Serve with rice or noodles, add chicken and/or vegetables as desired.

Apple and Orange Cake

 

 

3 Tbls. melted butter

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 1/4 cup grated apple

2 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup nut flour

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg or mace

12 Tbls butter

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 cup plain yogurt

1-2 oranges or clementines or tangerines

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, nut flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg/mace.

Peel the oranges and manually remove the pith and seeds. Blend the orange flesh in a food processor to create a thick pulp, it doesn't have to be totally liquefied. You need to get 2/3 cup of orange pulp.

In a large bowl, cut the butter into the sugar, then beat them until they are creamed together. One ingredient at a time, beat in the eggs, yogurt, and orange pulp.

Spray the bottom and sides of a large cake pan. In the bottom of the pan, spread the melted butter, then evenly sprinkle the brown sugar, then evenly spread the grated apple.

Gently stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Spread the batter evenly over the apples. Bake for 45-55 minutes or until the cake tests done.

Let the cake cool until it has shrunk away from the edges of the pan, then turn out up-side down onto a serving tray.

Focaccia Bread

 

 

4 3/4 cups flour

4 Tbls olive oil

2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp yeast

2 1/4 cups warm water

olive oil

coarse salt

dried rosemary

 

Coat a 9" x 13" cake pan with cooking spray.

 

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, olive oil, and salt.

 

In a small bowl, combine yeast, with 1/2 cup warm water. When it is foamy, stir the yeast mixture and the rest of the water into the flour mixture.

 

Stir together and then knead for a few minutes to make a cohesive dough.

 

Place the dough into the can pan. Gently flatten it. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 1 hour.

 

After 1/2 hour of rising, set the oven to 375 F.

 

After 1 hour of rising, poke holes all over the dough with your fingers. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with coarse salt and rosemary.

 

Bake for 28-30 minutes until golden brown.

Simple Chicken Curry

 

 

1 pound boneless chicken, diced
3/4 cup onion, diced
2 Tbls oil
2 tsp  yellow curry powder
2 Tbls red curry paste
13.5 oz (1 can) coconut milk
1 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup cold water
2 tablespoons corn starch
    
In a large skillet over medium heat, stir chicken, onions, and oil. Cook for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally til chicken is just cooked through.

Sprinkle yellow curry powder over everything and stir 1 minute.

Add coconut milk, red curry paste, and salt. Bring to a low boil.

Whisk corn starch into water until dissolved. Add to the pan and stir 1-2 minutes til thickened.

Serve over rice or rice noodles.

Optional add-ins:

Add at the beginning with the chicken, 1/2 cup - 1 cup of any of these ingredients:

celery, potato, carrot, peanuts, cashews, bell peppers

Add at the end with the coconut milk, 1/2 - 1 cup of any of these ingredients:

cabbage, spinach, paneer, cilantro, fresh basil, tomatoes, peas, cooked chickpeas

Chicken Pad Thai

 

1/2 pound uncooked rice noodles

1 Tbls sesame oil
1 Tbls coconut oil
1/2 cup onion, diced
1/2 pound boneless chicken, sliced into thin strips
1 Tbls minced garlic
1/2 Tbls ground ginger
8 oz cabbage

1/2 cup grated carrots
1 Tbls soy sauce

2 Tbls fish sauce
2 Tbls lime juice

1 Tbls honey or agave syrup
1 egg

1/4 cup green onions, sliced thinly
1/3 cup raw peanuts

1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Cook rice noodles according to package directions, drain, rinse under cold water; set aside in a bowl with a small amount of cold water.

 

In a small bowl combine the ginger and garlic.

 

In another small bowl combine the soy sauce, fish sauce, lime juice, and honey.

 

In another small bowl, combine the green onion, peanuts, and cilantro.

 

In a large pot over medium-high heat, add a little bit of oil. When the pot is hot, add in the egg and stir it to quickly scramble it. Remove the egg and put it in the bowl with the green onion, peanuts, and cilantro.

Add the sesame oil, coconut oil, and onion, to the pot, sauté over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes.

Add the chicken and cook for about 3 minutes, or until done, stirring frequently.

Add the garlic and ginger, and cook for about 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Add the cabbage, carrots, soy sauce, fish sauce, lime juice, and honey; stir to combine, cover pot with a lid, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for about 3 minutes, or until cabbage wilts and softens. Remove lid and stir.

Add the cooked noodles, turn off the heat, and stir well to combine. Add the scrambled egg, green onion, peanuts, and cilantro, and stir to combine.