17 Bean & Barley Soup

2 cups Trader Joe's 17 Bean Mix
2 ea. 32 oz. Trader Joe's Vegetable Broth
1 cup onion, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
1 cup carrot, chopped
1 cup bell pepper, chopped
1 tsp. tried basil
1 clove garlic
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp. Italian Seasoning
1 can Trader Joe's Canned Tomatoes
salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Soak beans overnight in a large pot of water, then rinse & drain.

2. Pour 4 cups of Vegetable broth into the pot with the beans.

3. In a separate pan, cook onion, celery, carrot, pepper, basil and garlic in olive oil until soft.

4. Combine this mixture and remaining ingredients into the bean pot and cover with more broth. Simmer covered for about 1 hour to desired tenderness.

5. Be sure to occasionally check liquid level and add more broth if necessary.

6. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Makes 8 hearty servings.

Source: the back of the package of Trader Joe's 17 Bean & Barley Soup.

NOTES:

1. The beans may also be "quick soaked": In a large saucepan, cover dried beans with triple their volume of cold water. Bring water to a boil, then lower heat and cook uncovered beans over moderate heat for 2 minutes. Remove pan from heat and soak beans for one hour.

2. The original recipe called for Trader Joe's products. However, this is hardly necessary. But I did have great success using a 20 oz. package of a 15-bean mix that made the trip with us from Arkansas.

3. Plain kefir (aka drinkable yogurt) works really, really well with this soup, making for a pleasantly mild sour taste. Plain yogurt should work just as well as would no doubt sour cream.

Chocolate Coconut Cookies

1 ea. 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk
3 oz. unsweetened chocolate
2 cups shredded coconut
1 cup pecan pieces
1 tsp. vanilla
dash of salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300° F.

2. Grease some cookie sheets very well.

3. Heat the sweetened condensed milk and the chocolate in a small pot over simmering water until the chocolate has melted.

4. Stir in the remaining ingredients.

5. Arrange by teaspoonfuls on the cookie sheets and bake for about 15 minutes, taking care that the bottoms do not burn.

The Ultimate Cookbook

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NOTE:

1. These cookies turned out to be sweeter than I expected. I only made them once. I might try them again in the future but with unsweeted condensed milk and less sugar.

Buttermilk Chocolate Cake

2 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla
2 cup sugar
2 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
2 sticks margarine
1 cup water

DIRECTIONS:
Mix eggs, buttermilk, vanilla, and sugar together.  Mix flour, cocoa, and baking soda together.  Add the wet and dry batches together.  Boil 1 cup water and 2 sticks margarine and then pour over mixture.  Bake 30 minutes in a 9x13 inch floured cake pan at 350 degrees.

Icing:
1 lb powdered sugar (approximately 3 1/2 cups)
1/4 cup cocoa
1 stick margarine
1/3 cup milk

Mix powdered sugar and cocoa.  Boil 1 stick margarine and 1/3 cup milk and pour over mixture.  Pour hot icing on cake.

Note:

1. Be sure to pour the melted margarine evenly and slowly over the entire pan of batter. Don't just dump it onto the cake in the middle like I did the first time that I made this cake. The result is almost inedible.

2. For the "death by chocolate" version substitute dark cocoa for regular cocoa.

Curried Chick Peas and Tofu

1 medium onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced or pressed
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
pinch of cayenne (optional)

1 cake tofu (3/4 pound), cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 cups undrained cooked chick peas (= 16-ounce can)
2 tomatoes, chopped (about 1-1/2 cups)
pinch of salt (or more to taste)

* * *

chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
plain yogurt (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Saute the onion and garlic in the oil until the onions are translucent, stirring occasionally.

2. Stir in cumin, coriander, turmeric, black pepper, and optional cayenne.

3. Add the cubed tofu and cook for about a minute, stirring occasionally.

4. Add the chick peas and about 1/2 coup of their liquid and simmer for 5 minutes.

5. Add the tomatoes and continue to cook until thoroughly heated. Add salt to taste.

Serve topped with chopped cilantro and/or yogurt.

SOURCE: Moosewood Cooks at Home.

NOTES:

1. This is an excellent recipe to introduce someone to tofu. It is flavorful without being overwhelming.

2. Serve this with yesterday's Coconut Basmati Rice.

3. In America yogurt is primarily a sweet, dessert food. In many parts of the world, especially in Central Asia yogurt is valued for its sour flavor and is used sauces for main meals.

4. I strongly recommend the cilantro and yogurt for a clean, almost refreshing taste.

Coconut Basmati Rice

Original Recipe:

1¼ Cups water
1 Cup white Basmati Rice
½ cup coconut milk
½ tsp turmeric
¼ tsp salt
1 piece cinnamon stick (1-1 ½) inches)
¼ cup currants or raisins.
1 dried chile (optional)

In a heavy saucepan with a tight fighting, bring the water to boil. While the water heats, rinse the rice well. When the water boils, stir in the rice and all the remaining ingredients. Return to a boil. Stir, cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove the cinnamon stick, and the optional chile.

SOURCE: Moosewood Cooks at Home.

* * *

Tim's variation of the above for a double batch using a 14 oz. can of coconut milk:

2 ¼ cups water
1 ea. 14 oz. can of coconut milk.
2 cups rice
1 tsp.turmeric
½ tsp salt
2 pieces cinnamon stick (1-1/2 inches ea)
1 ½ cup raisins or currants
1 or 2 dried chiles

Combine all ingredients in a rice cooker. Cook until done.

While the original calls for white basmati rice, I have found that long grain white rice, long grain brown rice, as well as jasmine rice all work just fine with this recipe. Just be sure to check that the amount of liquid is appropriate for the type of rice. Not all rice uses the same proportions of liquid to rice.

NOTES:

1. Although this recipe calls for basmati rice, it will work well for other kinds of rice IF the amount of liquid is adjusted. Different types of rice require different ratios of rice to liquid.

2. My girls love this rice with soy milk.

3. This dish works really well with tomorrow's Curried Chick Peas and Tofu.

Macka Moh

(aka 4 Cheese Macaroni & Cheese)

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 (8 ounce) package elbow macaroni
1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded provolone cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup shredded Colby-Monterey Jack cheese
1 egg, beaten
1 cup milk

DIRECTIONS:

1.Bring a large saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil. Place macaroni in the saucepan and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until al dente; drain.

2.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease an 8x8 inch baking dish.

3.Spread the Cheddar cheese over the bottom of the baking dish. Top with a thin layer of macaroni. Top macaroni with Provolone cheese, another layer of macaroni, a layer of mozzarella and a third layer of macaroni. Top with a layer of Colby-Monterey Jack cheese. Pour the egg over all, followed by the milk.

4.Bake in the preheated oven 20 minutes, or until bubbly and golden brown.

NOTES:

1. I don't remember where I found this recipe on the internet. It's simple enough that it will show up on multiple recipe sites.

2. The original recipe called for a cup of milk. I have found that 1/2 to 2/3 cups works much better otherwise there is liquid on the bottom.

3. I mix the egg and milk and pour over together.

Cranberry Banana Bread

1/4 C (55 g) butter, softened
1 C (200 g) sugar
2 eggs

2 small bananas, sliced
1 C (110 g) cranberries
1/4 C water
1 tsp vanilla extract

1 3/4 C (200 g) flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 180°C (360°F). Grease a 9 by 5 inch (22 by 12 cm) loaf pan.

Cream the butter and sugar together in a food processor. Add in the eggs one by one, mixing well between each addition. Add in the banana slices, the cranberries, the water and the vanilla extract. Mix again until blended, but not too much : it's nice if the banana and cranberries are not completely mushed.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Add the dry ingredients into the batter, and mix until just combined -- do not overmix.

Pour the batter into the pan and bake for approximately 55 min or until the top of the cake is nicely brown and a cake tester comes out clean.

Let rest for ten minutes, then run a knife around to loosen the sides, and turn out on a rack to cool completely.

Original recipe : Wilson's Farm, Lexington, MA.

NOTES:

1. I found this one on the internet. I started making Cranberry Pumpkin bread and discovered after mixing the dry ingredients and cracking the eggs, that I didn't have any pumpkin. I did have some very ripe bananas. A quick google search later...