Empanadas!




Oh empanadas! How I love your pocketfull of goodness...Every culture has a version of you - rolled out dough folded over a sweet or savory filling. Peas and potatoes go into samosas, cherry pie filling go into American turnovers and beef, preserves or fruit pie filling go into empanadas...from Mexico down to Chile. I was craving pumpkin empanadas, so I whipped these up using whole wheat, soy and white flours. They turned out just as flaky and tasty as using all white flour, not to mention a bit more nutritious.

I also used part agave nectar, molasses and local honey instead of all brown sugar for the pumpkin filling. Scrumptious.

You need a rolling pin and some time to roll out the two dozen mini pie crusts. Also use two different kinds of filling - the pumpkin filling I used for this recipe is enough for one dozen. Grab a can of pie filling or homemade preserves for the other dozen and a little variety. If you don't eat them all up that day, stick them in the oven heated to 350 degrees for 8 minutes to crisp them up again. Great with coffee, milk or tea...

Some people may be a bit put off by the rolling out by hand part, but that's the most difficult aspect of this super easy recipe - and after the first couple tries, you'll get the hang of it...

Spice the pumpkin filling recipe or down depending on how you like your filling - I used lots of fresh grated nutmeg, cardomom and cinnamon for this...and it gave the pumpkin flavor a nice pop.

Pumpkin Empanadas

3 cups flour (I used 2 cups regular and 3/4 c whole wheat, 1/4 c soy flour)

2 t baking powder

1/2 t salt

2 T sugar

Mix the dry ingredients and cut in, with fingers,

1/2 c shortening

When it resembles cornmeal, add in with a fork

2 eggs

1/2 c milk

When the dough pulls together, take it in your hands and form into a ball, split into two, wrap in plastic and refridgerate for at least 20 minutes.

Make pumpkin filling - mix and simmer 10 minutes - but let cool before filling empanadas:

1/3 c brown sugar

1/4 c agave nectar

1 T honey

1 T molasses

1/2 t cinnamon

1/2 t cardomom

1/8 t nutmeg

1/8 t cloves

Let cool and drop in 2 or 3 T dollops onto rolled out empanada dough - 12 six to eight inch circles about as thin as a pie crust.



Like I said, experiment with the fillings to make them your own...Brush with egg whites, sprinkle with sugar and give each empanada a small slit a knife to allow steam to escape while baking. Bake in a 350 degree oven 20 minutes or until golden brown and filling bubbly.

Enjoy!





Chicken n Shrooms

When something savory is needed for dinner, I always like the combination of chicken and mushrooms for both flavor and nutrients...Served up with a green salad, it can't be beat.

I'm not a big fan of handling the whole bird I must admit. I'll do it if I have to, but less is more in that department, which is why I like chicken tenders - already sliced up and ready to throw in the frying pan.

They take mere minutes to cook and are healthy to boot, especially the organic, free-range variety. This dinner takes a few minutes and is delicious. I got the idea from grandma, who used to make these lightly fried chicken tenders for grandpa (and me if I was lucky enough to be hanging around). I added the mushrooms, wine and cream. For a lower fat version, don't add the whipping cream and use chicken broth. But if you can, try it with the cream - it's soooo yummy and gives it the decadence factor.

Chicken with creamy mushroom wine sauce

3/4 cup flour

1/2 cup corn flour or masa

1 t salt

1/2 t pepper

1/4 t smoked paprika

Mix together and dredge chicken tenders - about a pound - before adding to oil over medium high heat.

After chicken is cooked through, deglaze the pan with wine - either white or red for more color. Add the whole mushrooms.

Add to pan:

3/4 c wine

1 to 2 cups of whole mushrooms

1/2 c whipping cream

1 minced garlic clove

Let simmer till mushrooms are soft and cooked through, about 10 minutes. Add cream and simmer til a thick, creamy sauce emerges. Salt and pepper to taste. 

Pour sauce and mushrooms over chicken and serve. Mmmm...

French Silk Pie

An all-time fav, this is best eaten the day of, slightly chilled. It is oh so yummy in a creamy chocolatey kind of way...close your eyes and enjoy a blissful moment of heavenly chocolate.

French Silk Pie is a dream come true for chocolate lovers...and yet it's so easy to make. The secret is using the freshest ingredients - eggs, butter and heavy whipping cream - as well as quality chocolate, instant espresso powder and vanilla. Whip it up with a little love and you can't go wrong...

Quality ingredients include:

Chocolate - unsweetened...melted in the microwave.

Eggs - farm fresh if you gottem.

Butter and sugar

Espresso powder, or instant coffee works in a pinch.

Whip the butter and sugar well, with love...

Add eggs, one at a time, whipping a minute or two after each addition, and pour into your favorite crust - here I used a store bought chocolate cookie crumb crust for an extra chocolate boost, but I prefer grandma's pie crust - the tender flaky crust balances the blast of chocolate and vanilla cream nicely.

Whip the cream as soon to serving as you can, and top with chocolate curls, chips or nothing at all...

French Silk Pie:

Baked pie shell, 9 inch

1 c sugar

3/4 c butter, softened (be SURE it is at ROOM TEMP)

3 squares of unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled - I heat in microwave in 30 sec, then 10 seconds, stirring with fork till smooth

1 1/2 t instant espresso powder

1/4 t cream of tartar

1 1/2 t vanilla

3 eggs (Some people boil them a few seconds to prevent any random diseases, but I don't if they are fresh - and I've never been sick yet. I also use a raw egg when I make a Caesar salad - it's all about where you get your eggs from and noticing when you crack them - if they look strange, or rotten. In that case, even if they were "sterilized" they would still taste like crap.)

For topping:

1 cup chilled whipping cream

1 T vanilla syrup if you have it (the kind you use for coffee) or 1 T powdered sugar and 1/2 t vanilla.

Beat sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Stir in melted, cooled chocolate, espresso powder, cream of tartar and vanilla. Beat in three eggs one at a time til mixture is light and fluffly. Pour into baked pie shell. Refridgerate three to four hous. Beat whipping cream, sugar, etc. til stiff. Top with pie with whipped cream and using a veggie peeler and chocolate bar, warmed...chocolate curls. Wha la!

Cafe Borgia Scones

One thing I love are scones.

I have been making different variations of this recipe for years and I love love love it because the end result is the way a scone should be - light, flaky and buttery on the inside and crispy on the outside. The buttermilk gives a slight tang, but if you don't have it onhand then mix a teaspoon of vinegar with milk for the same effect. Make sure you cook these long enough - they should be golden brown and are best eaten while warm, with coffee or tea - or milk. Use your imagination to create the scone of your dreams - lemon with almonds, blueberry with vanilla, or the following recipe, Cafe Borgia, chocolate and orange.
Cafe Borgia Scones:
Preheat Oven to 400 degrees
Mix together:
2 cups flour
1/4 c sugar
1/2 T baking powder
1/4 t salt
zest of one orange
Cut in, using hands until it resembles cornmeal with small chunks of butter:
1 stick of butter (1/2 cup)
Stir until you can shape with hands:
2/3 to 3/4 cup buttermilk
3 squres of semi sweet chocolate, chopped, or 1/2 c chocolate chips
2 T fresh orange juice
Flatten from ball into circle on floured board, about 10 inches across and 1 inch thick.
Cut into six wedges with pizza cutter and transfer to ungreased cookie sheet.
Spread melted butter, about 2 T, covering each scone and dust with raw sugar if you have it - if not, regular works fine.
After they cool on a wire rack, enjoy! Freeze if you don't plan to eat them with the next couple days, as they turn doughy the longer they sit. Make sure you allow them to cool entirely before wrapping.
Get ready for ecstacy...these are the best scones ever. You can substitute a teaspoon of vanilla or almond for the orange juice and the half cup of chips for anything you like - dried cherries, nuts, raisons, blueberries, raspberries...the possibilities are endless...
Bake 20 minutes or until golden

Slammin sandwiches

Veggie Pesto

Some of my favorite meals are sandwiches. Depending on my mood and the ingredients lying around, I like to dress them up. For example, many people already know the trick of putting potato chips in Turkey sandwiches to give them a salty crunch. But a lesser known dynamo is pesto. There is something about the fresh aroma of basil, garlic and pine nuts in pesto that transforms and elevates the sandwich to Mmmville.
Pesto can and should be slathered on the bread of a Veggie sandwich atop creamy mayo; unless you're a mayonnaise hater, then you should go for cream cheese. Coincidentally, the combination of pesto and cream cheese is also excellent on toasted bagels in the morning, but I digress. For a slammin veggie sandwich, I like to add avocado, tomato and fresh mozzarella on whole wheat or french bread. Simply stated, it slams your taste buds and delights the mouth with soft and supple textures.
Another delectably satisfying sandwich involves turkey and cream cheese - and can be created by spreading one side of your bread of choice with cream cheese and the other with sliced canned cranberry - add lettuce and you're off!
But back to pesto, for a turkey sandwich with a Mediterranean flair, substitute the fresh tomato for minced sundried tomatoes and any mozarella cheese as they all go great with turkey. I like to top it with a big, crunchy lettuce leaf and some freshly torn basil or cilantro leave, which gives the sandwich an unexpected zing and enhances the overall flavor.
Finally, an old standby that is always well received and just plain easy is an Egg Salad sandwich. Boil at least a half dozen eggs, peel and mash while warm with a fork and enough mayo to make it creamy. Season with powdered mustard, salt and pepper to taste. My favorite version is on whole wheat with lettuce and tomato.
These are just a few of my favs...Bon Appetit!

Muffins Matter

There is nothing like a homemade muffin in the morning. I once worked at a coffee shop that claimed to sell them, and guess what? The mix came out of a big CAN. Yeah. Plastic tub. Sorry, but no thanks. Besides being a dough ball, they are loaded with oil and sugar.

WHY?It doesn't have to be that way. Muffins are meant to be light and aromatic - very satisfying when paired with coffee or tea. They can even, dare I say it, be halfway healthy with the right ingredients!

Sunflower Seed kernels top this healthy muffin...



I am including recipes for my favorites, besides the healthy carrot sunflower seed, a lemon poppyseed and a banana streusel muffin. My carrot muffin has grated carrots and zucchini in them (from local gardens when available) with whole wheat flour for fiber and applesauce to cut back on the fat without compromising the taste or texture of the muffin. The sprinkling of toasted sunflower seeds gives the muffin a nice crunch - while adding nutty nutrition. It only takes 10 minutes to whip up a batch of muffins, with an extra 20 in the oven. So when you get the craving for a store-made muffin, grab some veggies or fruit and make your own.

1 c toasted sunflower seed kernels

1/4 c canola oil 

1/3 c brown sugar 

1/4 c molasses

1 egg 

3/4 c applesauce 

1 c grated carrots 

1 c grated zucchini 

1 c whole wheat flour

3/4 c unbleached flour 

2 t baking powder 

1 t cinnamon

1/2 t salt

1/2 t fresh ground nutmeg 

1/2 t cardamom 

Preheat oven to 400. Pour raw sunflower seeds, no shells peeps - the kernels, and brown for about 6 minutes giving the pan a shake halfway through. Watch the seeds to make sure they don't brown too much as they will brown even more once their atop the muffins. Whisk together oil and sugar in a large bowl. Beat in egg, then applesauce, followed by the HAND grated carrots and zucchini. Measure flours, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cardamom, whisking together before stirring in until just combined. Spoon into sprayed, paper lined muffin tin, top with seeds and bake for 18 minutes, inserting toothpick to make sure center is done (and not gooey). These have 160 calories, 5 grams of fat, 180 g of sodium, 3 g of protein and 2 grams of fiber - so don't feel an ounce of guilt when eating one!

Green Chile season

With September's chill in the air comes the harvest of my favorite pepper, green chiles! In the Southwest, there are festivals and cookoffs that center around these babies, which range from mild to screaming hot. Trust me when I say, if you are lucky enough to pick up a fresh bushel from the scraggly looking guy outside Walmart, the farmers market or along the side of the road who roasts them on the spot, do yourself a favor and nab them. Chile peeling is good medicine best shared with friends and family. After transfering the chiles into a brown paper bag that is sealed for about 10 minutes to loosen their skins, put them, a dozen at a time, in a bowl of water. Sitting around a table, peel off the charred skin, remove most of the seeds (they make it hot) and put five or six into a plastic bag, occasionally slipping a rogue one inside a hot, homemade tortilla to munch if you can. Freeze most of the bags immediately, holding back some of the fresh, steamy peppers for green chile cheeseburgers and cheesy green chile casserole. If you can't get fresh, get the frozen kind in a plastic tub, Bueno is good.

I was first introduced to cheesy green chile casserole at a work potluck. As soon as I tasted the hot, cheesy, melty spiciness, I cornered the guy who brought it until he told me his wife's recipe. It's deceptively easy. It is slightly different everytime depending on the mood of the chiles and what cheese you choose. But it is ALWAYS good. You can't screw it up - in short, it's the perfect recipe for featuring fresh green chile. Enjoy!

First make some rice - brown, basmati, long or short grain - whatever. I usually throw 2 cups in a rice cooker with 4 cups of water or chicken broth and a chile (if I have fresh) and go from there. After the rice is cooked, stir in the rest of the ingredients and spread the mixture into a 9 x 13 pan. That simple.

Cheesy Green Chile Casserole
4 cups cooked rice
1 1/2 cups sour cream
2 cups shredded cheese, I like a mixture of colby and pepper jack
1 can cream of celery soup
1 1/2 cups chopped, fresh green chile
A dash of salt
1 cup of sharp cheddar, for topping

Mix and pour into pan. Top with sharp cheddar cheese, about a cup and bake at 350 until the cheese bubbles around the edges and is melted through, about 40 minutes, but check after 30. This casserole is even better the next day, but serve it hot for the full effect. It's a perfect side dish, especially with a green chile cheeseburger, tacos or chicken.