Peanut Butter Balls

I made a modified version of this recipe today - yum!

Peanut butter balls

original recipe from Praying Twice

Mix together:

2 cup creamy peanut butter

3 cup rice krispies

1lb (3cup) powdered sugar

1/4 cup melted butter

Make balls and dip in melted:

 2 (maybe 3) package milk chocolate chips

Put on cookie sheets in fridge to harden. Enjoy.

Makes about 70 balls.

Here's my 

Modified version

I substituted this for the Rice Krispies - add just enough so it's possible to make balls. 

Spread about 1 cup nuts (I used almonds and walnuts), 1 cup oats, and 1/2 cup seeds (I used pumpkin) on a large cookie sheet. Roast in oven for 10 minutes at 400 or until just starting to turn golden. In food processor or blender (I used vitamix dry blade), grind coarsely. Substitute this for the Rice Krispies, 

I also decreased the sugar to 2 cups.

I used good quality dark chocolate instead of chocolate chips.

Lemon Cupcakes w/ Lemon Curd Filling and Lemon Icing

I made these last night for a tennis match and they were a hit.  Someone even asked me if I bake for a living :) 

Lemon curd is not difficult to make.  There are many recipes online.  To make things simple last night I just used jarred lemon curd from the grocery store.  I put it into a pastry bag and used that to pipe it into the cupcakes.

Makes 2 1/2 dozen cupcakes

FOR THE CUPCAKES
3 1/2 cups (445 grams) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks or 226 grams) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups (400 grams) sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla
1 - 1 lb. package (about 2 cups) sour cream
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (180 C). Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners.
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
In a large bowl, or the bowl of a standing mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, scraping the bowl between additions. Stir in the zest and vanilla until thoroughly combined. Add one-third of the flour mixture and mix until just combined. Stir in half of the sour cream until just mixed in. Repeat this process with the remaining flour and sour cream until all of the ingredients are combined. Scrape the bowl, then stir the batter for another 20 to 30 seconds to make sure everything is mixed in.
Fill the prepared muffin pans with 3 tablespoons of batter in each cup. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the tops are just turning golden brown. Transfer to a wire cooling rack and allow to cool completely before frosting.


FOR THE FROSTING
1/2 cup (1 stick or 113 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
6 cups confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup (2 ounces) lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons (30 to 45 ml) heavy cream (start with 1 tablespoon, adding more, as needed)
In a large bowl, or the bowl of a standing mixer, beat the butter for 3 minutes. Beat in half of the sugar, and all of the lemon juice and the zest, until combined. Add the remaining sugar, the vanilla, and the cream (as needed), and whisk on high for 4 minutes, until light and fluffy. If the frosting is too thick, add more cream, 1/2 teaspoon at a time, until desired consistency is reached.

TO ASSEMBLE
Core a small amount out of the center of each cupcake and pipe in lemon curd filling.  Replace the top of the core and then top with the frosting.

eat your greens - spinach toasts

Greens in Guyana March 2013

I think we need some posts on ways to use greens. 

We recently bought a food share from a local organic farm (La Nay Ferme in Provo Utah) and the early food bags are full of gorgeous fresh picked greens - some for salads, but others work better cooked. So I thought I'd collect some recipes to help us consume this wonderful food.

Greens are: 

• richly nutritious
• relatively inexpensive
• easy to grow
• versatile
• beautiful

Why don't we eat more of them?

My grandparents grew up in the south and ate turnip greens, dandelion greens, mustard greens, collard greens, beet greens and more.

We lived in the Caribbean for a few years and the produce markets were full of gorgeous green leaves of all sizes (I took the picture above during a visit to Guyana a month ago).

Greens are loaded with good things for our bodies.

On the nutrition front, dark green leafy vegetables, calorie for calorie, are considered one of the most nutrient-dense foods available. Specifically, they are an excellent source of several minerals, including iron, calcium, potassium, and magnesium as well as vitamins K (providing nine times the recommended daily allowance (RDA) per 1 cup serving) C, E, and many of the B vitamins. In addition, leafy greens provide a number of phytonutrients including beta-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin and also contain small amounts of fatty acids. Cementing their place on the nutritional honor roll, leafy greens contain very few carbohydrates, much of which is offset by its high fiber content (so much so that the leafy greens are generally considered a “freebie” vegetable in most low-carbohydrate diets).

In addition to their shared nutritional benefits, leafy green vegetables also have several medicinal benefits in common. According to recent research, for example, leafy green vegetables can help prevent age-related cognitive declines, can help prevent cataracts and boost eye health (you can thank the potent combination of lutein, and zeaxanthin for that one!), and may also reduce your risk of skin cancer.

From Marks Daily Apple
Read more: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/dark-leafy-greens/#ixzz2QFG32OHQ

Here's a recipe (haven't tried it yet) from Dr Weil's Healthy Kitchen

Spinach Toasts

Description

Cooking spinach takes very little time, but you need to wash and drain it carefully, and remove tough stems first, which may take 5 or 10 minutes. Plan accordingly. The spinach on these little appetizers is a great source of iron and vitamins A and C.

Ingredients

3/4 cup purified water 2 bunches fresh spinach (about 2 pounds), stemmed 9 pieces thinly sliced whole wheat bread 1 small onion, minced 1 clove garlic, minced 1 tablespoon canola or grape seed oil 2/3 cup low-fat**  plain yogurt 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint Freshly ground pepper to taste 11/2 tablespoons chopped toasted walnuts GARNISH 1 red apple, cut in thin wedges

Instructions

Preheat oven to 300°F. Pour the water into a large stainless steel pot and bring it to a boil. Drop in the washed spinach and cook for 3 minutes, stirring several times. Drain the spinach in a colander over a pan to catch all the water, which you can save to make vegetable stock (page 122). Put a bowl or plate on top of the spinach, inside the colander, and press down to squeeze excess water from the leaves. Trim the crusts from the bread slices, cut on the diagonal to create 2 triangular pieces, then cut again to make 4 triangles. Put them on a cookie sheet and bake until lightly toasted, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, sauté the onions and garlic in canola or grape seed oil in a medium nonstick sauté pan over low heat until onions are softened, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Put the spinach leaves into a medium bowl, along with the onions and the garlic. Add the yogurt, mint, pepper, and nuts and toss thoroughly with a fork. Spread the spinach mixture on the toasts just before serving. Garnish with apple wedges. Makes 36 pieces - 3 triangles per person.

Swiss chard and rice soup

I made this yesterday with my Lay Nay Ferme greens and it's delicious!

from the New York Times

created by Martha Rose Shulman

This is a simple and comforting soup that is especially delicious in the spring, when Swiss chard is at its sweetest and most tender.

2 pounds Swiss chard (2 generous bunches)

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

2 stalks celery, finely diced

Salt to taste

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 quarts chicken stock, vegetable stock or water

A bouquet garni made with a bay leaf and a couple of sprigs each parsley and thyme

1/2 cup basmati rice

Freshly ground pepper

Freshly squeezed lemon juice (optional)

Freshly grated Parmesan for serving (optional)

1. Trim the bottoms of the chard stems. If the stems are thin and fibrous, separate the leaves and discard the stems. If they are wide, separate the leaves and cut the stems into 1/4-inch dice. Set aside with the celery and onion. Wash the leaves in 2 changes of water and chop medium-fine.

2. Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy soup pot and add the onion, celery and chard stalks. Cook, stirring often, until the vegetables begin to soften, about 3 minutes, and add a generous pinch of salt. Continue to cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are tender, another 3 minutes. Add the garlic and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the stock or water, bouquet garni and rice. Bring to a boil, add salt to taste, reduce the heat, cover and simmer 10 minutes.

3. Stir the chard into the soup, cover and simmer another 10 minutes. Add freshly ground pepper, taste and adjust the salt. Serve with fresh lemon wedges for people to squeeze into their servings if desired and Parmesan for sprinkling.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings.

Advance preparation: This can be made through Step 2 a day or two ahead. It can be frozen. The rice will absorb liquid as it sits, so you may want to add more when you reheat.

Nutritional information per serving (4 servings): 191 calories; 5 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 3 grams monounsaturated fat; 0 milligrams cholesterol; 33 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 491 milligrams sodium (does not include salt to taste); 10 grams protein

Nutritional information per serving (6 servings): 128 calories; 3 grams fat; 0 grams saturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 2 grams monounsaturated fat; 0 milligrams cholesterol; 22 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 327 milligrams sodium; 6 grams protein

Martha Rose Shulman is the author of “The Very Best of Recipes for Health.”

Arugula salad and spinach frittata

Eat your greens - they are good for you!

We just got our first  fresh picked, full of vitamins,  produce bag from La Nay Ferme - a local organic farm. It has baby veggies (carrots and turnips) and lots of greens, including spinach and arugula. I went searching for recipes and found these two winners for dinner tonight. Every plate was licked clean.

Frittata 

from March 2013 Sunset Magazine

(original recipe has swiss chard - I substituted spinach)

2 Tbs olive oil

2 Italian turkey sausages (8 oz total), casings removed

1/2 cup each sliced red bell peppers, sliced mushrooms, and chopped onion

1 bunch Swiss chard, chopped

8 large eggs

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/4 tsp salt

Preheat broiler with rack set 4 inches from heat. Heat oil in large ovenproof frying pan over high heat. Cook sausage, stirring often, until browned, about 3 minutes. Add bell pepper, mushrooms, and onion and cook until vegetables are softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in Swiss chard, reduce heat to medium, and cook, stirring occasionally, until wilted, about 10 minutes (less for spinach).

Meanwhile, whisk eggs in large bowl until they start to foam. Stir in cheese and salt. Pour mixture into pan with vegetables; cook on stove until bottom sets, about 3 minutes. Broil until firm and browned.

Arugula, Fennel, and Orange Salad  from Allrecipes.com

Rated: Submitted By: Ms.P. Photo By: Piglet1983 Prep Time: 15 Minutes Ready In: 15 Minutes Servings: 6

"A honey-and-lemon-juice dressing is drizzled over arugula, fennel, oranges, and olives in this tasty salad recipe."

INGREDIENTS:

1 tablespoon honey 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 1/4 cup olive oil

1 bunch arugula 2 orange, peeled and segmented 1 bulb fennel bulb, thinly sliced 2 tablespoons sliced black olives

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Whisk together the honey, lemon juice, salt, and pepper; slowly add the olive oil while continuing to whisk.
2.	Place the arugula in the bottom of a salad bowl; scatter the orange segments, fennel slices, and olives over the arugula; drizzle the dressing over the salad to serve.

Peach and Blueberry Cobbler

I want to try this:
from Dr Weil

Peach & Blueberry Cobbler

Description

This is an old-fashioned dessert that most people thoroughly enjoy eating. The baked fruit filling is crowned with a thin biscuit topping. It can be eaten warm or cold, plain or topped with vanilla ice cream. Food as Medicine A study at Tufts University found that blueberries have the highest antioxidant content of the 60 fruits and vegetables analyzed. The antioxidants in blueberries - anthocyanins - are responsible for this berry’s dark blue hue and its ability to reduce free radical damage to the body's cells. Just one-half cup of blueberries provides the antioxidant power of five servings of peas, carrots, apples, squash or broccoli. Peaches, with their bright orange flesh, provide different kinds of antioxidants: carotenes such as lutein and zeaxanthin. At only 40 calories each, peaches are a good source of vitamin A, vitamin C, potassium and zinc.

Ingredients

FILLING 5 peaches, peeled and sliced 1 cup fresh blueberries 1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice 1/2 cup sugar Pinch nutmeg (less than 1/8 teaspoon) 2 teaspoons cornstarch BISCUIT TOPPING 5 tablespoons softened butter or Spectrum Spread 2 cups flour plus 1/4 cup flour for rolling out 1 tablespoon sugar 1 tablespoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 3/4 cup milk GLAZE 2 tablespoons sugar

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400°F. Bring all the filling ingredients to a boil in a large saucepan, then turn down heat and simmer until the filling becomes thick. Spoon the thickened fruit filling into a medium (at least 10 x 8-inch) baking or casserole dish, and spread it around evenly until it meets all sides of the dish. Using clean hands, pinch the butter and the flour together between your thumbs and forefingers until the flour and butter become crumbly. Mix in the sugar, baking powder, and salt and slowly stir in the milk to make a soft dough. Sprinkle a work surface with the 1/4 cup flour, knead the dough lightly a few turns on the floured surface, and roll out to a perimeter approximately the size of your baking dish. With a cookie cutter or a glass cut out 10 biscuits and lay them slightly overlapping on top of the fruit filling, using scraps of leftover dough to fill in any uncovered spots. Sprinkle the top with the sugar. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes until biscuit topping turns golden brown. Cool for 10 minutes. To serve, scoop out a biscuit and fruit filling and transfer to a dessert bowl or plate. Serves 10 Per serving: Calories 241.8 Fat 6.9 g Saturated fat 4.1 g (25% of calories from fat) Protein 3.9 g Carbohydrate 42.3 g Cholesterol 19 mg Fiber 2 g This recipe is from The Healthy Kitchen - Recipes for a Better Body, Life, and Spirit(Hardcover) by Andrew Weil, M.D. and Rosie Daley (Knopf)

Great Grandma Schultz's Chili Sauce

This recipe is a memory for me. My grandpa (Clyde) Schultz must have made this chili sauce occasionally because I remember loving it with pot roast and meat loaf at his house. I just can't visualize my grandma (Isabelle) canning. I lost the recipe for a while but just found it - so it's now part of Robison Yum for the generations.

1 peck ripe tomatoes (about 17 baseball sized)
10 medium onions
2 cups celery or 2 TBS celery seed
4 red peppers
3 green peppers
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup mustard seed
1/2 cup salt (this sounds like a lot so do it to taste)

Scald, peel, and chop tomatoes and drain. Do not use the juice.
Chop or grind remaining vegetables.
Add the following spices

2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp ground nutmeg
3/4 tsp ground cloves
2 cups apple cider vinegar

When tomatoes are drained, put all together in a large pot and cook 2 hours or until fairly thick. Stir frequently to keep from sticking.

Put in hot sterilized jars and process in canner for 20 minutes.