Peanut Butter Fudge

This fudge is supremely delicious, and results in anyone who tastes it begging for more. It’s super velvety and luscious. It needs to be chilled thoroughly, as it uses little powdered sugar. If you want a more crumbly fudge, increase the sugar to 2-2.5 cups – though I prefer the velvet texture.

Ingredients:

3/4 C Earth Balance vegan butter
1 C creamy peanut butter
1.5 C confectioners’ sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Line a 8X8 inch baking dish or loaf pan with parchment (or lightly grease it).
2. In a saucepan over low heat, melt EB vegan butter. Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter until smooth. Sift in confectioners’ sugar, 1/2 C at a time, until well blended. Pat into prepared pan and chill until firm. Cut into squares.

Happy Cooking!

Read Full Post »

Whole Wheat Pasta with Veg

This is an extremely quick meal that is sure to impress!  You can use a can of cannellini beans, and then the preparation basically involves chopping some garlic, spinach and tomatoes, and boiling water.  But you still get the satisfaction of a home cooked meal and fresh veggies.  Plus it tastes great!

Ingredients:

1 package whole wheat spaghetti

1 TBS canola oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 lb baby spinach

1.25 C fresh diced tomatoes

2 C cooked cannellini beans

1 tsp salt, or to taste

optional – 2 TBS mixed Italian herbs of your choice – thyme, marjoram, oregano, rosemary

2 TBS extra-virgin olive oil

Directions:

1.  Bring lot pot of water to boil.  Cook pasta according to package instructions.  When done, drain pasta, then return to pot (or large bowl) and toss with the extra virgin olive oil.

2.  While pasta is cooking, heat canola oil over medium in a wide pan.  Saute the garlic until slightly browned.

3.  Add the salt, herbs, beans and spinach.  Cook until spinach is fully wilted.

4.  Divide pasta in four pasta bowls.  Top with the spinach and beans, then the fresh tomatoes.

Enjoy!

Read Full Post »

Revival: Green Enchiladas

It’s time for a revival of my all time favorite recipe:  green enchiladas.  This was one of the first posts here at the Primate, so many of you probably haven’t seen it, and that is a damn shame!  The recipe is for layers of tomatillo, spinach and black bean enchiladas, but you could also roll them up, if you’re feeling ambitious.  

Suggested sides:  Papas Refritas, Green Chili Potatoes, Baked Yuca Fries, Lime and Cilantro Rice, or Mexican Quinoa.

 

On this day in history: Saffron Taters

Read Full Post »

Jalapeño Cornbread Muffins

I wouldn’t normally make cornbread (regular or muffins) in the summer, since I mostly associate cornbread with chili..and chili is a winter dish. However, at the Farmers Market last week I stumbled onto gold! Or more accurately…a boat load of jalapeños! I was at the stand where I normally get my tomatoes and onions, and I noticed a box of jalapeños just sitting there, all sad and lonely (well, it had fellow jalapeño boxes to keep it company). I asked my lady how much..and she responded with $1.00. I nearly lost it, one dollar for all those jalapenos – “Yes,” she said. “I’ll take it. I don’t know how I’m going to use them all, but I’ll find a way. I have no doubt.” I didn’t want to tell her she was crazy for letting all those jalapeños go for so little, but then I remembered where I was (Kansas) where spicy is a farcical term – not in Texas where spicy is not only accurate, but separate from descriptions such as ‘oh, it’s habanero hot’ or ‘fire hot’ ..”spicy” is often considered medium in certain places, and only the brave ask for hot. But I digress.. where was I, oh yes..don’t normally make cornbread in summer..yada yada.. so here’s some jalapeno cornbread!

Ingredients:

1 batch Texas Cornbread
2-4 (or if your peppers are on the mild side, go for 6) jalapenos, lightly roasted in the oven

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Roast jalapenos about 5 minutes on each side, until the skin starts to bubble up and look like yummy roasted goodness.
2. Meanwhile, mix up the batch of Texas cornbread.
3. When peppers are done roasting (and are cool enough to handle), slice down one side and remove some of the seeds (if necessary for the mild eaters). I used the full seeds of 1 pepper, and half the seeds of a second – out of 4 peppers total. I would classify mine as a medium to hot heat, which was perfect for me! Turn down the heat to 350°F.
4. Dice the peppers to your size preferancy – I don’t like huge chunks of jalapenos, so I diced mine to a small dice. But some are down with bites of pepper, that’s cool too. Stir into TX Cornbread batter. Butter and flour the muffin tin or 9X13 pan, and aliquot into B&F’d pan. Bake at 350°F for 18-20 minutes for muffins, or 40-45 minutes for 9X13 pan. Enjoy!

*Note: I enjoyed mine with a tall glass of Orange Pekoe Ice Tea.

On this day in history: Cherry Almond Sorbet

Happy Baking!

Read Full Post »

Orange Pekoe Sun Tea

Another sun tea to get you through the hot summer days! I’m a huge fan of black tea (Irish Breakfast is my personal fav that I drink every morning), and so naturally I’d like to have it any time of the day. However, when it’s 100°F outside, the thought of hot tea isn’t that appealing – unless it’s chai. Having an iced tea is just the ticket! But sometimes you don’t want something herbal, you want something dark and delicious. Try this bad boy out! This recipe makes about 2 qts.

Ingredients:

6 bags Orange Pekoe or other Ceylon tea bags (I used Twinnings)
*optional – 1 TBSP dried rosebuds (to give a subtle complement to the OP or C)

Directions:

In a pitcher (with lid), place the 6 teabags (with strings out) and rosebuds (if using). Fill with 2 quarts cold water and place in sun for 2.5-3 hours. Strain into a pitcher, sweeten with sugar/nectar if desired, and serve over ice!

*Note: if you prefer a weaker strength tea, use only 4 tea bags with 2 qts water. Leave in sun same amount of time. The only thing you change is the number of tea bags to adjust the strength to your liking.

Happy Teatime!

Read Full Post »

Green Chile Potatoes

These potatoes are VERY spicy, because New Mexican Green Chili is VERY spicy. If you’re not a New Mexican, or have never been there, green chili sauce is pervasive. The official state question (no, really) is “red or green?” They make red chili sauce too, but the green is clearly superior. 😉 Anyway, my favorite source of green chili (El Patio) doesn’t sell theirs online, but if you can’t buy any green chili where you are, a very tasty second choice is 505 Green Chili Sauce.  The chili is really the focus of this dish and not just a subtle flavor booster; the potatoes are just serving as a vehicle for chili consumption.  Why would I do such thing?  Because I love green chili!  And I live on the East Coast now, and am deep in withdrawal.  But on Friday a case of chili arrived (thanks, Sharon!) and I just want to drink the stuff.  Yes, your lips will burn.  Yes, you’ll break a sweat.  But then (after the pain subsides), you will experience a green chili high.  And it will be awesome.

Ingredients:

3 lbs potatoes, scrubbed and cubed small

1 medium onion

3-4 cloves garlic

1 jar New Mexican Green Chili

1 TBS canola oil

1-2 tsp salt, to taste

Instructions:

1.  Heat oil in a skillet over medium.

2.  Add potatoes and fry for 10 minutes, without stirring them.

3.  Toss in the onions, garlic and salt.  Stir it up.  Cook an additional 5 minutes.

4.  Stir in the green chili.  🙂  Simmer for 5-10 minutes, until potatoes are cooked through.

5.  Let sit for 15 minutes before serving to allow the sauce to thicken up.

On this day in History: Jamaican Pineapple Tango

Read Full Post »

French Martini Frozen Yogurt

What does one do with the last peaches of the season, that are good but not as good as the earlier ones? Since they aren’t as addicting as the previous ones, turn them into something else…frozen yogurt, perhaps?! Here’s a non-alcoholic frozen yogurt version of the French Martini I posted a while back. Of course, you could always add a shot of vodka for kicks, but here’s one that doesn’t call for any booze whatsoever! Makes about 2 C worth (just over 400 mL for my metric homies, pre-frozen).

Ingredients:

1 C Frozen raspberries
2 C Fresh (or frozen) peaches (I used about 3 fresh peaches)
1 container plain/vanilla coconut milk yogurt

Directions:

1. In a blender, puree the raspberries and peaches until smooth. Place in fridge, and chill for at least 4 hours to overnight (unless you’re using all frozen fruit, then you can immediately proceed) – or put in freezer for 30-45 minutes. Stir in the yogurt.
2. Transfer to ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturers instructions (mine took about 18-20 minutes). Let sit in freezer to set up properly, about 45 min to an hour. Enjoy!

Happy Freezing!

Read Full Post »

Tart Apple Turnovers

I’ve never been a huge fan of cooked apples.  Apple pie, apple sauce, apple crumble… I could take it or leave it.  But then my CSA delivered to me some Lodi apples.  I tried to eat one and it was so tart, I just couldn’t do it.  So the time has come for me to cook up some apples.  I thought that I’d make up some turnovers and then give them all away, since I wouldn’t want to eat them myself.  But, it turns out that cooked apples aren’t so bad under certain circumstances, like when the apples are really tart and you give them a shot of lime juice because you don’t have any lemons on hand.  At least for me, these tart apple turnovers are a winner!  Any tart green apple will work, like Granny Smith, or whatever crazy thing you find at your market.

Ingredients:

Crust
1.5 C AP flour
1 C walnuts
1 stick Earth Balance
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 C cold water
Filling
1.25 C apples
1/4 C brown sugar
1 tsp lemon (or lime) juice
1/2 tsp cinnamon
dash nutmeg
few tsp cinnamon sugar

Instructions:

Crust

1.  Put all dry ingredients in a large bowl, or food processor.  Cut in the “butter” with two sharp knives, or a few quick pulses of the processor.

2.  Slowly add the water, stirring, or pulsing, adding just enough for the dough to hold together.  

3.  Form the dough into a ball and wrap in plastic.  Refrigerate for at least an hour while you make the filling, or up to a day, if you need to make it in advance.

Filling

1.  Peel and core the apples.  Cut into small chunks.

2.  In a medium bowl, combine the apples, sugar, lemon juice, and spices.

Turnover

1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface.

2.  Cut out 6-8″ circles.  Drop a few spoonfuls of apples on one side and turn the other side of dough over it.  Pinch the edges together.  Sprinkle with some cinnamon sugar, if you like.

3.  Bake on a cookie sheet at 375 for 25-30 minutes, until they are golden brown.

Read Full Post »

Cabbage and Green Pea Curry

I had never cooked cabbage myself before, so when my CSA handed me one last week, I was stumped.  When it’s raw, cabbage tastes a lot like cauliflower, so I figured I couldn’t go wrong with a simple curry.  Especially if you’re new to cabbage cooking like me, this was a great first experience.  One note of caution:  a single head of cabbage is a huge amount of food!  So, this recipe is only for half a head.

Ingredients:

1/2 head cabbage

1 C chopped onion

1 C frozen green peas

2 serrano chilis (optional)

1/2 tsp each cumin, coriander, turmeric

1 tsp salt

1 TBS canola oil

1/2 C chopped cilantro

Instructions:

1.  Chop the cabbage by first slicing it down the middle, with the stem still in tact.  This way, the half that you’re saving for later won’t fall apart on you.  Then cut the stem out of one half, turn the flat side down on your cutting board, and take 1/8 – 1/4 inch slices until the whole thing is shredded.

2.  Chop up the onion and chilis.

3.  Heat the oil in a wide skillet over medium heat.  Add the onions and cook for 3-4 minutes, until at least half of the onions have start to turn clear.

4.  Add the cabbage, chilis, salt and spices.  Cook covered for 10 minutes, stirring 2 or 3 times.

5.  Add the green peas and cook for 5 minutes, or until the peas are hot.

6.  Remove from heat and stir in the cilantro.

Serve hot with some potatoes or  saffron potatoes or lime & cilantro rice or rice pilaf.

 

On this day in history:  Watermelon Sorbet.  It’s definitely hot in DC today; I bet many of you could use some watermelon refreshment!

Read Full Post »

Redux: Pineapple-Cherry Pick-Me-Up

This has been a hectic week for me, hence the lack of posts…so for today, I’ll direct you to the post from one year ago to the day – here’s to July 17, 2008. And surprisingly, the benefits of this juice from a year ago still apply…just don’t drink one you juiced one year ago 😐 eww… So back to YUM…

Pineapple-Cherry Pick-Me-Up

Happy Juicing!

Read Full Post »