Dad's Pralines

Adapted from Sugar Baby

1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed

1 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup half and half

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 cup pecan halves (toasted, if you'd like)

1 tablespoon vanilla extract (bourbon, if you have it)

In a heavy-bottomed saucepan over low heat, combine the sugars, half and half, and salt. Cook, stirring constantly, until the sugar has melted. 

Raise the heat to medium, stop stirring, clip on a candy thermometer, and cook to just two or three degrees shy of 235°F (the mixture will continue to heat slightly when off the heat, and you don't want to overcook it). 

Remove the pan from the heat and add the butter, pecans, and vanilla extract. Use a wooden spoon to stir gently to combine the ingredients and melt the butter, then stir like crazy until the mixture just thickens and starts to lose its shine. (Stirring too much will make them too dry and crumbly.) 

Scoop onto a parchment-lined baking sheet a little at a time, making pralines the size that you want. They should only spread slightly if they've been stirred enough. Cool until set, a few hours. Store in an airtight container for up to two weeks. 

Quinoa/White Bean Veggie Burgers

Adapted from The Simple Veganista

This mixture can be made ahead, stored covered in the fridge for a few days, and cooked "to order," making it a great source of mid-week leftovers. 

Makes ~8 patties
1/2 cup quinoa (I used tri-color)
1 cup water
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons dried thyme (oregano would be good too)
1/2teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground ancho pepper,
1 can (15 oz.) white beans (I used cannellini), drained and rinsed
1/2 cup corn, fresh or frozen (about 1/2 fresh corn off the cob)
1/2 cup red bell pepper, finely diced (about 1/2 bell pepper)
1/2 cup shallot, finely diced (about 1 medium) or red onion
juice of one lemon
1/3 cup buckwheat flour, oat flour, or flour of choice (note: doesn't need gluten)
1 egg
Salt and pepper to taste
Neutral oil, such as grapeseed, for cooking

In a small or medium pot, bring water, quinoa, and garlic powder to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for ~15 minutes. Once done, let set for a few minutes, then fluff with a fork.

While quinoa is cooking, prepare your corn, shallot and red pepper. Be sure to dice your shallot and red pepper fairly fine; they should be about the same size as the corn kernels.

Mash your beans with a fork or pastry cutter in a medium or large bowl. I mashed about 3/4 of the beans leaving a quarter of the batch whole or somewhat whole.

Once quinoa is ready, add the quinoa to the beans along with the shallots, red pepper, corn,  thyme, paprika, ancho powder, and lemon juice. Mix well. Add in the flour and egg, and mix well again (with your hands this time). Season to taste with salt, pepper and more of the other spices. 

Divide the mixture into about 8 balls. Pack each ball tightly with wet hands, then flatten each into a patty. 

In a large skillet, heat neutral oil over medium to medium high heat. Cook patties about 4 – 5 minutes on each side, a few at a time, until golden and crispy.

Quinoa-Fig Energy Bars

Adapted from Ambitious Kitchen.com

• 1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats 
• 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
• 1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds
• 1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds
• 1/4 cup flaxseed meal
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds
• 1/2 cup dried figs, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup natural peanut butter
• 1/3 cup honey 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• Small handful chocolate chips

Add oats, quinoa, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, flaxseed meal, chia seeds, and figs to a medium bowl. In a small pot over low heat, stir together peanut butter, honey, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Let cool for a few minutes, then add to the bowl with the other ingredients. Stir well (probably with your hands, tbh) until well incorporated.

Line a loaf pan with parchment paper. Press mixture firmly and evenly into the pan. Microwave the chocolate chips on low heat until melted, then drizzle over bars. 

Place pan in freezer for at least 30 minutes, or until mixture has hardened. Remove the parchment paper sling and slice the mixture into bars. Keep in refrigerator. 

Fennel, Celery, and Sardine Pasta

From Martha Stewart

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling 

• 1 large bulb fennel, trimmed, cored, and thinly sliced, plus 1/4 cup chopped fennel fronds 

• 2 stalks celery, thinly sliced on the bias, plus 1/4 cup celery leaves 

• 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced 

• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper 

• 10 ounces short tubular whole-wheat pasta, such as penne rigate or elicoidali 

• Grated zest of 1 lemon 

• 1 can (4.2 ounces) sardines packed in olive oil, drained
• 
  
• Heat oil in a large straight-sided skillet over medium-high heat. Add fennel, celery, and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until tender and deep golden, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat. 
• Meanwhile, bring a pot of generously salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package instructions. Reserve 1 cup pasta water; drain. 
• Add pasta and pasta water to skillet with vegetables. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring to coat pasta, until warmed through, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in fennel fronds, celery leaves, and lemon zest. Break up sardines into large pieces and gently fold into pasta. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with oil.

Fresh Milk Bread

From The Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book (2nd edition)
[Note: this is closer to a no-knead bread, with a longer rise time and a wetter dough.]

Makes 2 loaves (freeze one!)

2 cups whole milk (475 mL)
.25 cup honey (60 mL)

2 teaspoons active dry yeast (.25 oz or 7 g)
.5 cup warm water (120 mL)

6 cups stone-ground whole wheat flour [or APF, or whatever] (900 g)
2.5 teaspoons salt (14 g)

1/2 cup more water (120 mL)
2 tablespoons cool butter (28 g)

Scald the milk and cool to lukewarm. To cool it quickly, put the pan of hot scalded milk in a pan of cold water and stir the milk until it cools. Stir the honey into the milk.

Dissolve the yeast in the warm water.

Measure the flour and salt into a large bowl and stir lightly. Make a well in the flour and pour the milk  and yeast mixtures into it. Stir from the center outward, until all of the flour is mixed in, making a stuff dough. Knead vigorously for about 15 minutes without adding more flour. Use the extra water on your hands to keep the dough from sticking, working in as much as you need of the .5 cup (or even more) to make a soft, elastic dough. Now knead in the butter in bits, continuing to work the dough until it is silky. [Note: when I've made this bread, the dough has been surprisingly soft and sticky, too much so to form a ball in the next step, but has baked well.]

Form the dough into a ball and place it smooth side up in the bowl. Cover and keep in a warm, draft-free place. After about an hour and a half, gently poke the center of the dough about .5 inch deep with your wet finger. If the hole doesn't fill in at all or if the dough sighs, it is ready for the next step. Press flat, form into a smooth round, and let the dough rise once more as before for about 45 minutes.

Press the dough flat and divide it in two. Round and let relax, then deflate and shape into loaves. Place in greased 8"x4" loaf pans and let rise in a warm place until the dough slowly returns a gently made fingerprint. The loaves should arch beautifully over their pans.

Place in a preheated oven (350° F) and bake about 40 minutes, or until done. If the occasion merits, brush the crust with butter. Cool the bread before you slice it.

(You can also make excellent rolls with this recipe. Bake them about 15 to 20 minutes at 400°F. A sprinkle of poppy seeds is pretty. Brush the rolls with butter and serve them piping hot.