#147 best cocoa brownies

10 tbsp butter
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cold large eggs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour

8 in square pan

Grease pan and heat oven to 325. Over a double boiler combine butter, sugar and cocoa, stir until butter is melted and everything is combined. Remove from heat and stir to cool slightly. Add in vanilla and stir to combine. Add eggs and stir until mixture is shiny and homogeneous. Add in flour and stir until just combined. Bake ~20 mins

adapted from epicurious

#146 orange shrimp salad

1/4 pound shrimp
1 orange
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
1 tsp fresh minced ginger
1 tsp canola oil
handful chopped walnuts
1 serving of baby spinach

Peel orange with knife and section the pieces from it, place in bowl. Squeeze out any remaining juices from leftover pith sections. Add vinegar, oils and ginger and stir to combine. Wash spinach and toss with dressing. Cook shrimp and stir into salad, garnish with walnuts

adapted from various internet recipes

#145 lemon cookies

1 3/4 cups white flour
1/4 cup cornmeal
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1.5 sticks butter (softened)
1/2 cup sugar (1/4 white, 1/4 brown (ran out of white)), use more to mellow lemon, if desired
juice and zest from 2 med lemons
1 tsp baking powder

With mixer, mix together sugar and butter. Add egg, vanilla, lemon zest and juice and mix well. Add flour, cornmeal and baking powder. Chill dough in fridge 30 mins, bake at 375 ~11 mins

adapted from thedailygreen.com and epicurious.com

#144 brown rice with mint & lemon

1/2 cup uncooked brown rice
1 1/4 cups water
1/4 cup fresh chopped mint
juice of 1 lemon

Cook rice according to directions, ~30-40 mins. Stir in lemon juice and mint and serve

adapted from myrecipes.com

#143 pinapple marinated tuna

1/2 cup fresh pineapple, diced, mashed
zest and juice from 1 lime
1 tsp sesame oil
1 serving tuna

Combine marinade in bag and marinade tuna ~20-30 mins at room temp, cook over high heat 3-4 mins per side

adapted from allrecipes.com

#142 mint marinated tuna

1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 clove garlic (minced)
1 serving of tuna

Combine mint, lemon juice and zest and garlic in bag and marinate tuna ~20-30 mins on the counter, cook over high heat 3-4 mins per side

adapted from myrecipes.com

#141 marinated seared tuna

1 tuna steak
2 tbsp teriyaki sauce
1 tbsp tamari sauce
1 tbsp rice vinegar

2 tbsp coconut milk (or, tofu, sour cream, mayo, but none on hand)
a few heaping tsp horseradish to taste

Marinate tuna in teriyaki, tamari and vinegar in a bag on the counter 30 mins. Sear in a hot pan 3ish mins on each side. Mix together coconut milk and horseradish and serve with tuna

adapted from epicurious

#140 mint julep pineapple

a couple cups fresh pineapple (diced)
1/4 cup fresh chopped mint
2-3 tbsp rum (i know, whiskey=julep, but rum is in the cabinet!)
handful mint leaves for garnish

Marinate mint and rum for ~2o mins. Strain and pour rum over pineapple. Garnish with mint leaves.

adapted from epicurious

#139 pineapple muffins

1 cup pureed fresh pineapple
1 cup quick cooking oats
1/2 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup white flour (basically, 2 cups of flour-type-ingredients)
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
2 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp grated ginger
2 tbsp butter

brown sugar/cinnamon for topping

Combine oats, pineapple, egg, milk and vanilla. Mix in remaining dry ingredients. Sprinkle on topping. Bake at 350 for ~20 mins

adapted from various internet recipes

#138 minty orzo with pepperoni-lentils

1/2 cup cooked lentils that taste like pepperoni (see recipe #138)
1/2 cup orzo
2-3 tbsp olive oil
~1/3 cup apple cidar vinegar
1 large garlic clove, minced
~1/4 cup kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
~1/4 cup feta cheese
~1/4 cup diced onion
1/2 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
salt/pepper

Cook orzo according to directions, drain and let cool in bowl, add a tbsp or so of olive oil so it doesn't stick together. Combine vinegar, onions, garlic, olives and ~2 tbsp oil and let sit ~10 mins. Mix lentils with cool orzo, and mix in dressing. Mix in feta and mint.

adapted from allrecipes.com

#137 lentils that taste like pepperoni

~1/2 cup lentils
~1 1/4 cups water
1 tsp liquid smoke
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp anise seed
1/4 tsp garlic powder
salt to taste (~1/2 tsp)

Combine everything and boil until lentils are tender ~25 mins.

recipe adapted from http://www.recipezaar.com/59074

#136 brown sugar pecan bread rolls

3/4 cup + 6 tbsp milk
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp maple syrup
1/4 cup water
4 1/2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamom
3/4 tsp salt
6 tbsp quick cooking oats
3 cups bread flour
2 1/4 tsp yeast
3/4 cup chopped nuts (pecans, hazelnuts, walnuts, almonds, toasted)

Put ingredients in according to breadmaker directions and make the dough. Shape into rolls and let rise another 20 mins, bake at 350 ~20 mins

adapted from http://www.grouprecipes.com/8001/brown-sugar-pecan-bread-bread-machine.html

#135 avocado and watercress salad

1 just ripe avocado
1 bunch watercress
1/4 cup vinegar (next time use a tbsp or so less)
4 tsp tamari sauce
1 tsp sugar
1/4 cup grated (using small holes) apple (next time use applesauce, and use 1-2 tbsp more)
handful walnuts
1 tbsp grated onion (use large holes)
2 tbsp canola oil

Combine vinegar, tamari, sugar, apple and onion, then add oil. Dice avocado and toss everything together.

adapted from epicurious.com

#134 turkey soup w/ fennel

~8-10 cups turkey stock
1/2 onion diced
1 carrot diced
~3/4 cup lentils
~1/2 cup pasta
~2 cups turkey meat
1 tsp crushed fennel
3 cloves garlic minced

Saute onion in olive oil 3-4 mins, add garlic and cook until fragrant, add stock, carrot, lentils and fennel and simmer ~20 mins until lentils are just about done. Add pasta and cook ~1o mins. Add meat, bring to a simmer and serve.

#133 chicken korma

from "best one pot meals", it wasn't the best so look for chicken korma #2 in a few weeks.

#132 turkey stock

1 leftover turkey leg with meat attached
1 leftover turkey leg w/o meat
water
bay leaf
10 or so peppercorns
2 cloves garlic
2 carrots
couple handfuls of cilantro/parsley stems (leftover, frozen and stored in freezer)

Put it all in a pot, add enough water to cover the bones and simmer ~4 hrs until meat falls off bone.

#131 sauteed spinach with feta and pecans

see may&june issue of cooks illustrated 2008, this was delicious!

#130 pumpkin oatmeal bars

1 1/4 cups brown rice flour
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp molasses
1/2 cup flaxseeds
2 tbsp canola oil
1 can mashed pumpkin
1.5 tsp vanilla
1 cup quick cooking oats
1/4 cup walnuts

Mix together sugar, brown sugar, molasses, flaxseeds, oil, vanilla and pumpkin. Mix in flour, nutmeg, cinnamon, baking powder and salt. When combined stir in oats and walnuts.
Bake in muffin tins ~20 mins at 350.

adapted from bobsredmill.com

#129 mango jicama salad

1 mango (diced)
1 jicamo (peeled, diced)
juice of 1 lime
handful of chopped cilantro

Mix it all together and enjoy!

#128 cherry clafouti

1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1 cup milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 pound frozen cherries, thawed and thoroughly drained
2 tablespoons powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 375. Arrange cherries in baking pan (8x8in), wisk together sugar, flour and salt. Add and mix in eggs one at a time. Add milk and vanilla and mix. Pour over cherries and bake ~45 min until edges are brown. Dust with powdered sugar.

recipe from wholefoods.com

#127 mushroom & sausage over pasta

1/2 lb cremini mushrooms (diced)
2 cloves garlic (minced)
1/4 of a med size onion (diced)
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 pound spicy italian sausage (1 sausage link)
1/2 pound pasta
1 package firm tofu (pureed in blender, use 1/2 of the blended product)

Cook pasta, meanwhile melt butter/olive oil together, add onion and saute ~4 mins, add garlic and cook until fragrant, add mushrooms and cook until they begin to give off juices. Remove sausage from casing and add to mushrooms, break it up and saute until cooked. When sausage is completely cooked add tofu, mix and heat through. Drain pasta and mix together.

adapted from ciaoitalia.com

#126 honey hazelnut spread

1 cup hazelnuts
~1/2 cup honey

Roast hazelnuts at 350 for ~10 mins, place in towel and rub until skins come off. Puree in food processor until smooth and almost oily. Add honey and pulse to combine.

recipe from recipezaar.com

#125 chocolate hazelnut spread

3/4 cup hazelnuts
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp chocolate (70% dark)
1 tbsp honey

Roast hazelnuts in oven at 350 for ~10 mins, until fragrant. Rub nuts in a towel to remove skins. Puree in a food processor with chocolate, add honey and process until combined.

recipe from allrecipes.com

#124 artichoke linguini

1 package silken tofu
1 can artichokes (drained and cut in half)
1 lime (zest and juice)
handful of cilantro (diced)
1/2 linguini

Cook pasta, meanwhile puree tofu in blender. When pasta is done, drain and mix in the tofu, artichokes, lime juice/zest and cilantro and heat.

recipe adapted from cooks country magazine

#123 applesauce muffins

1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup brown sugar
1 stick plus 3 tablespoons butter (melted)
1 cup unsweetened applesauce

Topping:
2 tbsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

Combine wet ingredients and mix in dry ingredients and scoop into muffin pan, mix together topping ingredients and sprinkle on top, bake at 350 ~20 mins

recipe adapted from epicurious

#122 turkey & veg leftovers sandwich

1/2 of a stuffed pepper (see recipe #113)
turkey meat off leftover roated turkey legs (see recipe #118)
hot sauce
1 pita pocket
cheese

Chop up pepper and meat and heat in pan. Toast the pita, spread turkey mixture in pita and top with cheese.

#121 turkey lentil soup

~2 servings worth of leftover turkey leg meat/bones
1 bay leaf
2 cloves garlic
red pepper flakes
~3/4 cups lentils
1 tsp salt

Heat garlic, bay leaf, a few shakes of pepper flakes and turkey meat in a pan, saute a few minutes, add 2-3 cups water. Add lentils and simmer ~50 mins. Remove meat and debone/cut into small pieces and put back into soup to serve.

#120 chocolate chip cookies

See back of nestle chocolate chips!

I baked these in muffin pans to make thicker cookies.

#119 oatmeal molasses bread rolls

2.25 tsp yeast
1 cup quick cooking oats
3.25 cups bread flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup molasses
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 1/3 cups water
1/4 cup honey

Add ingredients to bread machine in this order:water, honey, molasses, salt, oats, flour and yeast. When dough cycle is done shape into 12 balls, let rise another 15 mins and bake at 350 for ~25 mins

Recipe from allrecipe.com

#118 horseradish/honey glazed sweet potato

1 large sweet potato
2 heaping tsp horseradish
2 tsp honey
1/2 tbsp butter

Cut sweet potato into wedges and cook at 350 until crisp. Heat honey, horseradish and butter in saucepan and cook to reduce, ~5 mins. After potato is crisp coat with glaze and cook 3-4 mins

Adapted from epicurious.com

#117 roasted turkey legs

2 turkey legs
1/4 cup rum
onion powder
garlic powder
italian seasoning

Marinate legs in rum and seasonings ~2 hrs, cook at 350 until internal temp is 180F, around 1.5 hrs.

Adapted from allrecipes.com

#116 molasses cookies

1/2 cup applesauce
1 1/4 cups sugar
6 tbsp butter (softened)
1/4 cup dark molasses
1 egg
1 cup flour
1 cup brown rice flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground ginger

Strain applesauce in a mesh strainer ~5 mins, combine applesauce, 1 cup sugar and butter with a mixer, add molasses and egg and mix another few minutes. Mix in the remaining dry ingredients. Freeze 10-20 mins, form into balls and roll in remaining sugar. Bake at 375 ~10 mins.

Recipe from myrecipes.com

#115 mexican chicken soup

8 cups chicken stock
1 onion (diced)
5 cloves garlic (minced)
2 jalapeno peppers (seeded, minced)
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground corriander
2 cups shredded chicken
1 can black beans
1/4 cup corn
3 tortillias (sliced in strips)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 lime

sour cream
shredded cheese

Saute onion in olive oil ~5 mins, add jalapeno, garlic, cumin and corriander and saute another few minutes. Add chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Add chicken, beans, corn and tortillas, cook another 5 mins, stir in cilantro and juice of 1 lime. Serve with sour cream and cheese.

Adapted from various foodnetwork.com recipes

#114 calamari salad

1/2 lb baby squid
1 lemon
1 tbsp red vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic (minced)
salt/pepper
1/4 onion (diced)
handful kalamata olives, diced
1.5 cups grape tomatoes (halved)
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

Wisk together lemon juice, vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic then add onion and let sit for at least 5 mins. Boil water, cut squid into rings, simmer in the boiling water ~1 min, drain and run under cold water. Combine onion mixture, squid, olives, tomatoes and parsley.

Adapted from epicurious

#113 neopolitan style calamari

1/4 lb baby squid
1 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup red wine
1 clove garlic (minced)
3 tbsp diced onion
red pepper flakes
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 tbsp red vinegar

Saute red pepper flakes and onion in olive oil for 3-4 mins, add garlic and cook until fragrant, add tomato sauce and wine and bring to a simmer. Add squid and simmer 2-3 mins, stir in vinegar and parsley.

#112 stuffed green pepper

1 green pepper (cut in half)
handful grape tomatoes (diced)
~1/4 cup cooked rice
1-2 tbsp lentil dip (see recipe #98)
juice of 1/2 lemon
handful parsley
1 carrot (sliced thin)

Mix all ingredients together and stuff the pepper. Cook ~15 mins at 350.

#111 bombay style fish

1 tbsp tamarind paste
1 clove garlic (crushed)
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp ground tumeric
olive oil
2-3 tbsp coconut milk
1/4 lb dover dole

Mix tamarind paste, cinnamon, garlic, cinnamon, cayenne and tumeric with enough olive oil to make a paste/marinade. Marinade fish 10-20 mins and then cook 3-4 mins until fish is done. Add coconut milk, simmer another minute and serve.

#110 green beans with bacon

1-2 cups trimmed, diced green beans
1 tbsp bacon fat
crumbled bacon
zest of 1 small lemon
juice of 1/2 small lemon

Heat bacon fat, lemon zest and add green beans. Saute a few minutes until cooked. Stir in lemon juice and crumbled bacon.

Inspired by Erika's bacon book (Everything bacon)

#109 red curry w/ chicken and veggies

1 can light coconut milk
2 tbsp red curry paste
2 tbsp fish oil
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 red pepper (diced)
handful green beans (trimmed, diced)
1 can bamboo shoots
1 chicken breast (diced)
1 lime (juiced)

Heat olive oil and add diced chicken, saute until all sides are brown, add curry paste and saute until fragrant. Add coconut milk, fish oil, sugar and simmer for 5 mins. Add the veggies, cook another 5 mins, stir in lime juice and serve over rice.

#108 mushroom pate

~3/4 lb cremini mushrooms (diced)
1/4 onion (diced)
~1/4 cup walnuts

Heat onion and mushrooms in 1 tbsp olive oil and cook until mushrooms give off all water and pan is dry ~15 mins. Meanwhile toast walnuts and process in food processer. When mushrooms mixture is cooked processer in food processor and mix with walnuts.

adapted from epicurious

#107 bacon pecan brittle

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup water

1 tbsp butter
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup chopped pecans
~1/2 cup bacon bits

Heat sugar, honey and water together and boil until it reaches 290F. Remove from heat and stir in butter, vanilla, baking soda, pecans and bacon. When foaming subsides pour onto greased baking pan.

adapted from http://www.chow.com/digest/1595

#106 maple brown sugar bacon

bacon
brown sugar

Bake bacon on a cookie sheet in the over ~400 for ~15 mins. 10 mins in sprinkle bacon with brown sugar, let brown, flip and sprinkle with more sugar

Recipe adapted from foodnetwork.com

#105 white bean pasta with bacon

bacon (cooked & crumbled)
1 can white beans (drained)
~1 cup fresh parsley (minced)
2 cloves garlic
1 lemon (zested and juiced)
1 tbsp olive oil
pasta

Cook pasta, meanwhile in a bowl combine the beans, lemon juice, zest and olive oil. Roast the garlic cloves in the pan while cooking bacon (to remove the raw taste), then mince and add to beans. Let beans marinade. When pasta is done, drain and add bean mixture. Cook the parsley in the bacon drippings for 20 seconds and add to pasta. Serve and add crumbled bacon on top.

Recipe adapted from http://chezmegane.blogspot.com/2006/08/sizzling-herb-pasta-with-bacon-and.html

#104 mango sticky rice

1 ripe mango (peeled, diced)
~1 cup cooked white rice
~4 tbsp sugar
~1/2 cup coconut milk

Heat coconut milk and sugar until sugar dissolves, add rice and mix/simmer for a minute. Put aside and let cool ~20 mins. Serve mango on top of rice, drizzle with remaining coconut milk.


Adapted from epicurious

#103 strawberries & coconut milk

fresh strawberries (chopped)
~1/4 cup coconut milk
~1 tbsp sugar

Mix coconut milk and sugar together and pour on top strawberries. You can also whip up coconut creme as a whipped creme alternative.