Thai-Style Chicken and Quinoa Salad

Serves 6

Ingredients

Salad:

• 1 1/2 cups uncooked quinoa, rinsed well
• 2 cups cooked chicken
• 1/2 cup chopped carrots
• 1/2 cup shelled edamame
• 1/2 cup chopped red pepper
• 4 green onions, chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped roasted peanuts
• 1/2 cup freshly chopped cilantro
• Salt and pepper to taste

Sauce:

• 4 tablespoons sweet chili sauce
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons canned coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon packed light brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons creamy peanut butter
• 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
• 1 lime juiced, about 2 tablespoons
• Pinch of ground ginger

Directions

1. Prepare quinoa according to package directions. I usually cook quinoa in low-sodium chicken broth: 1 cup quinoa to 1 1/2 cups liquid.
2. While quinoa is cooking, combine all of the sauce ingredients together in a liquid measure and whisk to combine (or pulse in a blender). When the quinoa finishes cooking, scoop it into a large bowl. Stir in the sauce and mix well. Stir in the chicken, carrots, edamame, red pepper, green onions, peanuts and cilantro. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm, room temperature or chilled. 

From Mel's Kitchen Cafe (www.melskitchencafe.com)

Key Lime Ice Cream

from about.com

Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 cups heavy cream*
• 6 large egg yolks*
• 1 (15-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1/2 cup lime juice (fresh from 4 to 5 medium limes)
• graham cracker pieces (optional)

Bring the cream to a simmer in a heavy medium saucepan. Slowly beat the hot cream into the egg yolks in a medium mixing bowl. Pour the entire mixture back into the pan and place over low heat.

Stir constantly with a whisk or wooden spoon until the custard thickens slightly. Be careful not to let the mixture boil or the eggs will scramble.

Remove from the heat and pour the hot custard through a strainer into a large, clean bowl. Allow the custard to cool slightly, then stir in the sweetened condensed milk and key lime juice. Cover and refrigerate until cold or overnight.

Stir the cold custard well, then freeze in your ice cream machine according to the manufacturer's instructions.  Add the graham cracker pieces, if using, the last 5 minutes of freezing.

When finished, the ice cream will be soft but ready to eat. For firmer ice cream, transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze at least 2 hours.

Yield: about 1 quart; 8 servings.

Per serving sans graham crackers: 373 calories; 25 g fat (14.4 g saturated fat; 60 percent calories from fat); 31.7 g carbohydrates; 239 mg cholesterol; 90 mg sodium; 7.3 g protein; 0 g fiber. 

*I made this substituting a can of coconut milk for the heavy cream and it was so good! I've also used 5 egg yolks and it turned out fine.  The yolks just keep the ice cream from freezing rock solid in the freezer.

Eva's Carrot Pudding

2 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. cloves
1/2 cup shortening
2 cup brown sugar
4 eggs
2 c. raw carrots
2 c. raw potatoes
2 c. chopped walnuts
1 c. raisins

Sift flour with the soda, salt, and spices.  Cream shortening, add sugar gradually, creaming well.  Add eggs 1 at a time, beating after each addition.  Add carrots and potatoes.  Dredge nuts and fruit in 1 cup of flour mixture.  Add flour to shortening mixture gradually beating after each addition.  Combine with nuts and fruit stirring well until blended.  Fill pans 2/3 full.  Cover tightly and place on rack in kettle.  Fill kettle with boiling water to 1/4 depth of mold.  Cover kettle and steam 3 hrs. (I actually have done this in a large greased slow cooker and it turned out well.)

1/2 cup granulated sugar  

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 pinch ground cinnamon (I leave this out)

1 egg

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1 1/4 cups whole milk

1 pinch salt

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

For vanilla sauce, whisk 1/2 cup sugar, the cornstarch, a pinch of cinnamon, 1 egg, 2 tablespoons of melted butter, 1 1/4 cups of whole milk and salt together in a heavy saucepan until smooth. Heat over medium heat, whisking constantly, until thickened and the sauce coats the back of a spoon, 10 to 12 minutes. Stir in the vanilla extract. Pour sauce over warm bread pudding, or serve on the side in a bowl.

Buttermilk Rolls

makes 36-48 rolls

adapted from melskitchencafe.com

3 cups buttermilk at room temperature

3 cups whole wheat flour

1 tablespoon bread machine or rapid rise yeast

1/2 cup sugar

3 eggs, lightly beaten

2 teaspoons salt

½ cup potato flakes

5 cups all-purpose flour, more or less

1/2 cup oil or melted butter

1 teaspoon baking soda

Mix the buttermilk, flour and yeast together thoroughly in a large mixing bowl. Let stand at room temperature until double in size, about 2 hours. Add sugar, eggs, salt, potato flakes, flour, oil, and baking soda. Mix well and knead for 7-10 minutes.  Shape the dough into rolls. I either do crescent shapes (roll a third or a fourth of the dough into a 12-14" circle and cut into triangles. Start at wide end and roll up to point.) or cloverleaf (roll dough into small balls, about 3/4-inch in diameter and place three balls in each cup of a greased muffin tin).

Brush rolls with oil or melted butter and cover lightly with plastic wrap.  Let rolls rise until double in size. Bake at 375* for 12-15 minutes.

I like to make the full batch and freeze them in a single layer on a cookie sheet, then put them in a sealed bag.  They keep for a while in the freezer and taste just as good when thawed and warmed in the oven.

Whole Wheat Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins

makes 24

Ingredients:

• 2 cups whole wheat flour (whole wheat pastry flour works best)
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3 medium bananas, mashed
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1/3 cup skim milk
• 1/4 cup Canola oil
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips 

1.    Preheat to 350 degrees.  Use muffin liners in your muffin tins, for best results (or spray the heck out of your tins with non-stick cooking spray).  You can make mini muffins, regular size of jumbo…just adjust the time in the oven.

2.    Stir the mashed banana, peanut butter, sugar, brown sugar, milk, oil, eggs, and vanilla together in a large bowl until smooth. (I just blend everything up in my blender until smooth.)

3.    Add the flour, baking soda and salt into the wet ingredients.  Fold in until no white streaks of flour remain (but don’t overmix – just mix until the flour is all mixed-in). Gently fold in the chocolate chips.

4.    Using a food scoop (like an ice cream scoop) fill each muffin cavity about 2/3 to 3/4 full.

5.    Bake for about 20-25 minutes on the middle rack.  Test for doneness with a toothpick.

Remove muffins from tins and let them cool for about 10 minutes.