Whole Wheat Pecan Shortbread

I forgot to buy walnuts, so I didn't bake ma'mul today. Instead, I used half the ma'mul dough to make shortbread.

(It's worth mentioning that I deviated from the traditional recipe for the ma'mul dough, replacing some of the white flour with 3 c. whole wheat and 1/2 c. ground flaxseed.)

I pulsed the dough with 1/2 c. sugar, 1/4 c. pecans and 1 t. Mexican vanilla. Patted the mixture into a square Pyrex dish, scored it with a spatula, and baked it for 50 minutes at 300 degrees. (At 40 minutes, I removed the pan from the oven, sprinkled the shortbread with turbinado sugar and covered it with foil before baking ten more minutes.)

Let the shortbread cool completely, then break into squares and store in an airtight container. These are quite nice dipped in cafe au lait.

Whole Wheat Pecan Shortbread
Ingredients

• 1/2 c. sugar
• 2 1/2 c. AP flour 
• 3 c. whole wheat flour
• 1/2 c. ground flaxseed
• 1/4 c. pecans
• 1 c. lukewarm milk
• 2 c. clarified butter

Directions

1. Pulse the dry ingredients in a food processor
2. Incorporate the milk and butter.
3. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.
4. Spread on small cookie sheet; should be 2/3 - 1/2 inch thick.
5. Back at 300 degrees for 40 minutes.
6. Sprinkle top with turbinado sugar, cover with foil and bake 5-10 more minutes.
7. Let cool then cut into squares.

Apologies for the pathetic photo.

Ugly Soup for a sick “boy”

It looks a bit like chunky grey slop, but it tastes like a spoonful of heaven. This soup is mild and hearty, to soothe a body that hasn't eaten for over a day. Simple, fast comfort food.

Sauté a chopped red onion, a few cloves of garlic, ½ t Spanish paprika and 4 crumbled dry sage leaves in olive oil. Add 3 chopped russet potatoes and ¼ of a small kabocha, also chopped. Simmer in 4 cups of stock.

If you’re inclined, add 1 c. (cooked and chopped) lean meat to the simmering veggies – we had roast pork leftovers. Chicken would do nicely as well. Even fish, though I’d add that as last step.

When the taters are tender, stir in 1 cup milk, a pat of butter and a hearty grind of black pepper. The soup is unattractive, but yummy good. A bit bland for my tastes, but perfect for someone getting over the flu. If your tummy can handle it, add a fresh, minced jalapeno to the initial sauté, or spritz your bowl with sriracha.

We're having leftovers for brunch today.

Edible: Eat Your Vegetables

Edible, adj.:  Good to eat, and wholesome to digest, as a worm to a toad, a toad to a snake, a snake to a pig, a pig to a man, and a man to a worm.  ~Ambrose Bierce

And cauliflower to a. . .well, not to my husband. He's not a fan. Until tonight.

In the summer heat, I cook in batches after the sun goes down. Currently in the oven, half a dozen chicken breasts on the bone. Just roasted: two cookie sheets of vegetables -- cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, snow peas -- and several mini-loaves of banana bread. Dry chilis soak while I toast spices for the harissa.

So what's for dinner? We munched earlier on the turkey meatballs I made last night, so I filled a couple small plates with oven-roasted cauliflower & broccoli served with a fresh jalapeno ranch dressing.  That'll do it.

Oven-Roasted Veggies with Homemade Ranch Dressing

Step 1: Veggies

1. Spray, brush or toss veggies in olive oil. My favorite roasted veggies are broccoli, asparagus, red peppers, roma tomatoes, cauliflower, rutabagas, carrots. Salt /very/ lightly.
2. Sprinkle with garlic powder. (If you toss with olive oil, add freshly minced garlic and fleur de sal to the oil.)
3. Roast on a baking sheet at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes. Play it by ear to avoid overcooking. Veggies should be browned and al dente.

Step 2: Spicy Herbed Ranch Dressing

Beforehand: Put a 32 oz. tub of nonfat yogurt in a muslin or cheesecloth, set it in a strainer and let the liquid drain for at least a couple of hours. Voila! "Greek" yogurt, aka "yogurt cheese."

Ingredients
2/3 c. reduced fat buttermilk
2 T minced fresh chives or green onions
2 T minced red onion
2 T minced fresh Italian parsley
1 T minced fresh cilantro
1/2 jalapeno, minced
1/8 t. dry mustard
1 FAT clove of garlic (or more), minced
salt, fresh ground pepper
1 T lemon juice
1 T olive oil
1 c. drained plain nonfat yogurt

Directions
Put all the ingredients in a jar, seal and shake like crazy. This is wonderful fresh, and even better the next day when the herbs have married. If you're on Weight Watchers, 1/4 cup = 1 pt.

Et cetera

• Feel like something spicier? Add Sriracha or Louisiana Hot Sauce.
• If you prefer, don't add buttermilk and use the spicy herbed yogurt cheese as a spread. I was using cream cheese in our wraps until I found out the fat calories. Gah! This is a tasty substitute!

Liquid Comfort

"Soup is liquid comfort." I agree. I make a different soup every week. Usually I don't bother consulting recipes, I simply use the ingredients on hand for inspiration. But I want to try some new flavor combinations, so here are some recently discovered soup recipes posted on my favorite cooking blogs. Something for everyone here:

Perry’s Plate
Southwest Chicken and Barley Soup

101 Cookbooks
A Simple Tomato Soup

What’s For Lunch, Honey?

Roasted Fennel Soup w/ Smoked Salmon

She Simmers: Thai Home cooking

Thai Muslim Beef Soup

Naturelita

Red Beet Soup

The Taste Space
Finnish Double Pea Stew with Apples

Kitchen Illiterate

Saffron Chickpea Soup

Closet Cooking

Reuben Soup

eCurry

Masala Chana Dal

Closet Cooking

Ale and Cheddar Soup

Wives with Knives
Thai Red Curry Coconut Soup w/ Chicken

Skinny Taste
Brotchán Roy (oatmeal leek soup)

Kitchen Confidante
Tofu Soup with Pea Shoots & Radish

Curried Kabocha Soup

This is perhaps the easiest soup to make EVAH. I oven-roasted a kabocha squash the other night. Although the skin is edible, I peeled most of it off for today’s soup. All told, prep was 10 minutes. And because I use a vegetarian “chicken broth” from New Leaf, the soup is vegan. Jim likes it anyway.

You may be tempted to substitute butternut or another winter squash for the kabocha, but the soup will not taste the same. IMHO, there is no substitute for kabocha. Try it and you'll see why.

Curried Kabocha Soup
Ingredients
1 medium kabocha squash
1 yellow or orange bell pepper, diced
1 red onion, diced
1 can coconut milk
1 fat teaspoon of powdered curry spices
4 cups broth

Directions

1. Roast the squash until tender. Let cool. Peel and remove seeds.
2. Saute the onion, pepper and spices in olive oil.
3. Add the broth and squash and simmer for 15 minutes.
4. Puree with immersion blender.
5. Add coconut milk.
6. Serve.

We had leftover country potatoes from breakfast -- also seasoned with curry and red onions -- so I tossed those in.

Jim’s words: “oh man, this is incredible.” That's an understatement.