Basil and Parmesan Popover

Popovers are a great, easy quick bread for any meal. These popovers do not require a special pan, nor any unusual mixing method; just blend in a blender, and bake a dozen delightful popovers, ready in just about 30 minutes.

The secret to light and airy popovers is to not over blend/mix the batter, a very hot oven for baking, and not to peek for the entire baking time. Serve them alone as a delicious savory treat or filled with jam. 

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter, melted for brushing popover cups

1 1/2 cups whole milk

3 large eggs

1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons fresh basil or 3 teaspoons dried basil

3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Direction

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Brush popover cups with the melted butter.

2. In a blender or food processor, combine milk, eggs, flour, and salt. Process just until batter is smooth. With a spoon, stir in basil and parmesan cheese.

3. Pour batter into prepared cups, filling up to 1/4 inch below rims. Bake for 30 minutes or until puffed and browned. Remove from oven, let it cool for 2 minutes, and invert to release. Serve immediately.

Leek and Potato Soup

This classic leek and potato soup is inexpensive and so easy to make, you may be surprised at how much flavor it has. This is a tasty, warming soup for a cold day.  I  adapted this recipe from the cookbook "SOUP". 


Ingredients

3 tablespoons butter

1 medium onion, chopped

2 leeks, sliced thinly

14 oz red potatoes, sliced thinly

3 tablespoons butter

3 cups boiling water

2 cubes vegetable bouillon dissolved in 1/2 cup hot water
sour cream, to serve

Direction

1. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat.

2. Add the onion, leeks, and potatoes, and saute for 4-5 minutes until soft. 

3. Pour in the dissolved vegetable bouillon and 3 cups boiling water, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes.

4. Transfer the mixture to a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Return to the rinsed-out saucepan. Reheat the soup, and serve warm with sour cream.

Meatless Meatballs

These versatile vegetarian meatballs  are made with a store-bought ground beef substitute. They have a nice crunch on the outside and soft on the inside. I served them with sweet chili dipping sauce. 

Note: You could also make burgers out of these.  

Ingredients

Meatballs

14 oz. (1 pkg.) Gimme Lean Ground Beef style (meat free)

1 red bell pepper, chopped finely

1 green onion, chopped finely

1/3 cup panko bread crumbs

1 1/2 teaspoon oregano

1 1/2 tablespoon fresh flat parsley, finely chopped

2 eggs, beaten

1/4 teaspoon salt

oil for frying

Breading

½ cup all-purpose flour 

¾ teaspoon salt 

2 eggs

1 cup panko bread crumbs

Direction

1. Place the vegemeat in a bowl, loosen it up with a fork.

2. Add in the red bell pepper, parsley, and green onions. Combine well.

3. Add in the bread crumbs and eggs. Mix until well blended.

4. Shape the mixture into 1 inch balls. 

5. Mix together flour and salt in a bowl. Roll each meatball in the flour and salt mixture to evenly coat.

6. Dip them in eggs.

7. And roll them  in panko bread crumbs.

8. Deep fry the meatballs in hot oil until golden brown.

9. Drain on paper towel.  Serve immediately with your favorite sauce.

Vegetarian Empanada

These empanadas had a soft and flaky crust, stuffed with vegetables and mushrooms. They were very tasty and filling. By the way,I used an empanada mold but you don't have to, you can use a round cutter then use fork to seal the edges.

Ingredients

 Dough

5 cups bread flour

2 teaspoons salt

3 tablespoon sugar

2 sticks (18 tablespoons) butter, diced, chilled

3/4 cup cold water

3 egg yolks

Filling

2 (3.5 oz) packages shiitake mushroom, diced

1 cup diced red onion

2 red bell peppers, diced

4 medium size red potatoes, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 celery stalks, diced

2 cups frozen carrots and peas

1 (14.5 oz) can cream of mushroom soup

2 tablespoons flour dissolve in 2 tablespoons water (thickener)

2 tablespoons brags amino

salt to taste

Egg wash: 1 egg and 1 tablespoon water

Direction

1. Dough. Place all dry ingredients in a food processor and pulse 3 times. Add in butter and pulse until well blended. Whisk the egg yolks with 3/4 cups water. Add in egg and water mixture into the flour mixture, a little at a time until the dough starts to come together smoothly. Take the dough out and knead it 3-4 times. Place the dough in a bowl, cover, and chill for about an hour.

2. Filling. Saute onions and garlic in olive oil until translucent. Stir in red potatoes, bell peppers, celery, and mushrooms for 3 minutes. Stir in carrots and peas and cook for a minute. Add in cream of mushroom soup, brags amino, and salt. Cook until the vegetables are tender. Stir in water and flour mixture. Let it simmer for another minute. Let cool.

3. To make the empanada, turn dough out onto a floured surface, and roll into desired thickness. Using the back side of an empanada mold, cut out some round dough.

5. Place the round cut out dough on the empanada mold, fill the center with the filling, brush the edges with beaten eggs, then close the mold to seal the edges.

4. Poke holes in the empanadas to keep them from bursting, also this makes the dough flaky.

5. Egg wash the empanadas before and half-way of cooking. (give the empanadas a beautiful golden brown color)

6. Bake in a preheated 375F degrees oven for 30 minutes or until golden brown. 

Cinnamon Rolls with Strawberry Glaze

I've made these cinnamon rolls four times now and it always comes out perfect.They were very soft and moist, and the bottom glaze cooked perfectly; drizzled over the rolls is freshly made strawberry glaze. YUMMY!


Ingredients

Dough

1/2 cup lukewarm water

1 large egg, beaten

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 1/2 tablespoons agave nectar

1 2/3 cups bread flour

1/3 cup whole wheat flour

2 tablespoons powdered milk

1 tablespoon xylitol or sugar

3/4 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 teaspoons highly active dry yeast

Filling

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (divided into 4tbsp and 2 tbsp)

3 tablespoons agave nectar

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup chopped pecans

1/3 cup raisins


Strawberry glaze
1 cup fresh strawberries, quartered
2 tablespoons agave nectar
1/8 teaspoon guar gum powder

Glaze

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

4 tablespoons agave nectar

2 tablespoons dry milk

Direction

1. Mix together lukewarm water and yeast. Let it sit for 5 minutes.

2. To make the filling, combine together the agave nectar, 4 tablespoons butter,  cinnamon, chopped walnuts and raisins until well blended.

3. To make the glaze, mix together butter, agave nectar and dry milk. 

4. To make the strawberry sauce, place strawberries and agave nectar in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour the sauce into the strainer to strain, then pour the sauce back into the  blender; add guar gum and blend until thickened. 

5. To make the dough: In a large bowl, whisk together the bread flour and wheat flour; powdered milk and salt.

6. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg, canola oil, and agave nectar together. 


7. Stir the egg mixture into the flour mixture with a wooden spoon until absorbed, about 30 seconds. The dough will look shaggy. Turn the dough out onto a generously floured counter and knead until smooth, about 1 minute. Place the dough in a bowl and cover with a plastic wrap to rise for an hour. Punch the dough down and knead a couple times. 

8. Press the dough out into a 14 by 12 inch rectangle using your hands. Brush the dough with 2 Tablespoons melted butter. Sprinkle the dough evenly with the filling, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Press the filling firmly into the dough. Loosen the dough from the counter using a bench scraper or a metal spatula. Starting at a long side, roll the dough, pressing lightly, to form a tight log. Pinch the seam to seal. Slice the dough into 12 even pieces.

9. Brush the pan with butter, then pour the glaze on the bottom of the pan. Place the slices of cinnamon rolls in the glazed pan. Let the rolls rise overnight at a warm temperature.

10. Brush the top with the remaining 2 Tablespoons melted butter. Bake in a 350F degrees preheated oven  until the edges are golden brown, 20-25 minutes.

11. Use a knife to loosen the buns from the pan. Flip the buns out onto the prepared wire rack, then turn buns upright and let cool for 10 minutes.