Australian Jack (Oatmeal Bars)

Traditional Australian oatmeal 'cake'/cookie bar...

Ingredients
2 tsp water
1½ cups oatmeal
1 tsp ground ginger
½ C unsalted butter
1/3 C dark brown sugar
¼ tsp baking soda

Directions
Preheat oven to 300˚.

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Dissolve baking soda in water, combine thoroughly with creamed butter & sugar.

Stir in oatmeal and ginger. Mixture should be fairly firm; if necessary add a little additional oatmeal. Knead briefly on lightly floured surface; press in a greased 9x9 baking pan or similar (dough should be about ½" thick).

Bake 35 minutes or until browned on top. Cut into wedges while still hot.

Australian Damper

Traditional bread made by Australian drovers in the outback - traditionally cooked in the coals of a campfire. (The photo isn't mine...we baked ours in round cake pans in the oven.  ...though we did serve it with vegemite!)

Ingredients
2½ C flour
5 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp butter
1 tsp sugar
1 C freshly mixed powdered milk - or use water
     (I used fresh milk, not powdered.)

Directions
Combine flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Cut in butter. Stir in milk to form a dough; knead briefly. Shape into flattened ball.

To cook in campfire coals, wrap in a double layer of well greased foil and place in coals of a campfire - OR - place in a cast iron skillet and 'nestle' in the the coals of a campfire.

To cook in the oven...  Preheat to 350˚; place dough in a greased round cake pan and bake for 30 minutes.

Eat in thick slices while warm, with butter, jam or vegemite. :)

Fluffy Pancakes

It felt like a pancakes morning, and I remembered that just last month there were four different basic pancake recipes in Food Network magazine (fluffy, diner-style, thin and lacy, and multigrain). I made the "fluffy" pancake version. Flavor was nothing out of the ordinary (maybe I'd try buttermilk next time), but they were very thick, light and fluffy, a wonderfully tender texture.

Ingredients
1½ C flour
3 T confectioner's sugar
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp kosher salt
1¼ C milk
1 egg yolk
3 egg whites
4 T unsalted butter, melted & cooled
½ tsp vanilla extract 

Directions
Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together milk, egg yolk, melted butter and vanilla. In another bowl, beat egg whites into stiff peaks.

Stir milk mixture into flour mixture until just combined (a few lumps are okay). Stir in a third of the egg whites; then gently fold in the rest until just combined - do not overmix.

Pour batter onto non-stick griddle lightly coated with butter. Cook until bubble form on top and the bottom i slightly browned (about 3 minutes). Flip and continue cooking until golden on the other side (about 1 minute more).

Chicken Satay

 For another version... Chicken Satay with Spicy Peanut Sauce.

Serves 8-10

Ingredients

3 C coconut milk, divided

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tbls + 2 tsp curry powder, divided

½ C + 1 T brown sugar, divided

1 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

1½ lb boneless, skinless chicken breast tenders (breasts, cut into strips)

1 C peanut butter

1½ C chicken stock

¼ C lemon (or lime) juice

2 tsp soy sauce

20 (6 inch) wooden skewers

Directions

In a bowl, combine 1 C coconut milk, garlic, 2 tsp curry powder, brown sugar, salt and pepper, stir until sugar is dissolved. Toss chicken tenders/strips in mixture; cover, and marinate for 2 hours (refrigerated).

In saucepan, bring 2 C coconut milk, 2 T curry powder, peanut butter, chicken stock, and ½ C brown sugar to a simmer over medium-high heat. Simmer 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until smooth and thickened. Remove from heat; stir in lemon juice, and soy sauce. (Add extra soy to taste if needed.)

Preheat grill. Presoak skewers in water. Thread chicken onto skewers. Grill 4-5 minutes per side, or until cooked through. Serve with warm peanut sauce.

Date & Raisin Chutney

(Khajoor & Kishmish Chutney)

Ingredients

2 C pitted dates

½ C raisins (dark or golden)

¼ C tamarind pulp

½ C brown sugar

½ inch fresh ginger, minced

1 tsp salt – adjust to taste

2 tsp ground cumin

½ tsp black pepper

½ tsp red chili powder – adjust to taste

2 black cardamom pods

1½ C (about) water

Directions

Soak raisins in water for about ½ hour. Chop dates into ½” pieces. Remove shell from cardamom pods; crush seeds.

In saucepan, combine water, tamarind, sugar, salt, black pepper, red chili powder, cumin and cardamom. Bring to boil; reduce heat and simmer for about 2 minutes.

Add dates, raisins, and ginger. Return to boil, then remove from heat. Let sit at least 1 hour before serving. Serve at room temperature.

Chutney can be refrigerated for up to a month.

I used this as a marinade and condiment over a pork loin I roasted recently. Delicious!

Indian Vegetable Curry

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

1½ lb choice of vegetables: cauliflower, carrot, okra, spinach, babycorn

1 C canned chickpeas, rinsed & drained

2 medium onions, thinly sliced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 green chili, deseeded and minced

1-2 inches ginger, peeled and minced

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp salt

½ tsp mustard seed

½ tsp ground coriander

1 T curry paste

1 T tamarind purée and/or 1 T tomato paste

½ C coconut milk

oil for sautéing

Directions

Wash produce; trim and peel as needed. Medium dice all vegetables (except onions). In small bowl, combine curry paste, tomato purée and coconut milk; set aside.

Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat; sauté onion for 1-2 minutes; add garlic and chili, sauté another 2-3 minutes, stirring often. Add spices and ginger, stirring until well combined and fragrant.

Add diced vegetables, firmest first; cook, stirring often, until fork tender. Add chickpeas, cook until thoroughly warmed. Add coconut mixture, stirring gently to combine all ingredients. Cook until slightly thickened.

Serve over rice or with naan.

Roasted Root Vegetable and Farro Salad

Ingredients:
1½ cups farro
1 bay leaf
2 lbs assorted root vegetables: carrots, rutabagas, yams, turnips, parsnips, butternut squash, celery root, etc.
1 lg red oinion; peeled and diced
½ C olive oil
10 sprigs fresh thyme
sea salt
pepper
3 oranges, peeled and medium diced*
2-3 T sherry vinegar*

Directions:
Cook farro in 2 qts well salted water until tender (45 min - 1 hr); drain.

Preheat oven to 425˚. Peel root vegetables; medium dice (½"). Spread in single layer on baking sheet with onion, 2 T oil, and thyme. Roast until tender and slightly browned (20-30 min). Remove from oven. Toss cooked farrow with remaining oil and sherry vinegar. Combine with roasted vegetables and orange pieces. 

Salad can be served warm, cold or room temperature.

* When I first tasted this salad at an evening cooking class, I wasn't wild about the orange pieces. (Maybe they'd be okay if they were orange supremes? or the canned mandarin oranges) but the orange flavor was good. I didn't have either, but did have some orange juice. I also didn't have sherry vinegar; I do have a variety of flavored vinegars...worked/tasted fine. :)

Puff Pastry Cheese Filling

Ingredients - enough for 1 17-oz pkg (2 sheets) of pre-made puff pastry
6 oz cream cheese
6 oz chevre
¼ C sugar
½ tsp vanilla
optional: 1½ C fruit of your choice; 1 egg, beaten; turbinado sugar

Directions
Thaw puff pastry sheets and bring cheeses to room temperature.

Pre-heat oven to 400˚.

Lay puff pastry sheets on parchment lined baking sheets, brush ½ border around the edges with beaten egg.

Thoroughly blend softened cheeses and sugar. Divide the cheese mixture evenly between two puff pastry sheets, spreading in a thin layer over one half of the sheet, leaving egg brushed border bare. If desired, top each with ¾ cup of fresh fruit* of your choice.

Gently fold the puff pastry sheet in two, bringing the empty half over the cheese spread (and fruit) to align edges. Press edges with a fork to seal.

If desired, brush tops with additional beaten egg (thinned with a little water if needed) and sprinkle lightly with turbinado sugar.

Bake 25-30 minutes, or until tops and edges of puff pastry are golden brown and crispy. Delicious warm or cold.

* Personally, I love berries and often use a berry mix. Blueberries and blackberries are plenty sweet on their own, but if I'm using raspberries I'll often lightly sweeten them before layering them over the cheese in the puff pastry.

Chocolate Peanut-Butter Molten Cake

Found this recipe for a single-serve molten cake...easy to double or make more.

Ingredients
3 tsp butter
¼ C chocolate (chips, or chopped)
1 egg
1 Tbls + 1 tsp sugar
1 Tbls peanut butter
1½ tsp flour
non-stick cooking spray
1 tsp cocoa powder

Directions
Preheat oven to 375˚. Spray ¾-cup ramekin with non-stick cooking spray; dust with cocoa powder and set aside.

Using a double boiler or microwave, melt butter and chocolate. (This is a very small amount; if using a microwave, be very careful not to cook your chocolate!)

In a separate bowl, whisk egg, sugar and peanut butter until light and creamy. Stir in chocolate until well incorporated; add flour, stirring until just combined. Pour into ramekin.

Set on baking sheet; bake approximately 10 minutes - a little less for a runnier molten center (about ¾" around the edge will look dull, with the center still moist), slightly more for a creamy yet 'set' center (almost all of the top will look dull/dry).

Let cake cool 2 minutes before serving; cake can be (carefully!) inverted onto dessert plate and dusted with cocoa powder or powdered sugar if desired.

Couscous with Apricots & Ginger

This comes from a collection of recipes - "The Well-Fed Backpacker". With ingredients that are easily transportable, require no refrigeration, and easy one-pot cooking, this could make a warm, filling breakfast or is plenty sweet to serve as a dessert. Personally, I don't think it needs the extra honey. I happened to have pearl couscous on hand, but the smaller grained variety would work just fine.

Recipe makes enough for one hungry hiker.

Ingredients:
1 C couscous
1½ C water
½ C dried apricots (torn or diced, if desired)
½ tsp ginger
¼ tsp cinnamon or nutmeg
1 T honey
salt to taste

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in saucepan, stir to combine. Heat to boiling; reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes or until water is absorbed and couscous is tender.

Smoky Mushroom Stroganoff

This doesn't satisfy my craving for a traditional stroganoff; the sour cream flavor is less pronounced. But the smoky, mushroom combo is a nice switch. I'd love it with pappardelle, I'm sure, but I had spinach linguine on hand...delicious and nice colorful presentation too!

Ingredients
1 8-10 oz pkg dried pappardelle (or other pasta noodles)
1½ lb mushrooms, sliced (button, cremini, shitake, etc)
2 cloves garlic
1 Tbls olive oil
1 8-oz carton sour cream
2 Tbls flour
1½ tsp smoked paprika
1 C vegetable broth
salt and pepper to taste
chopped parsley to garnish, if desired

Directions
Cook noodles according to pkg directions; drain and keep warm.

In large skillet, cook mushrooms and garlic in olive oil 6-8 minutes over medium heat, until tender. Remove from skillet; keep warm.

In skillet, combine sour cream, flour, and paprika. Slowly add broth, stirring until smooth and creamy. Cook over medium-low heat until thickened and bubbly. 

Serve mushroom mixture and sauce over noodles; garnish with parsley if desired.

Crispy Chickpeas

Ingredients
2 15-ounce cans chickpeas
2 Tbls olive oil
1-2 tsp smoked sea salt

Directions
Preheat oven to 350˚F. Rinse and drain chickpeas; place on clean kitchen towel or several paper towels and dry thoroughly. Lightly coat a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray.

In medium bowl, toss chickpeas with olive oil. Sprinkle with sea salt and toss. Spread in a single layer on coated baking sheet.

Bake 1 hour, shaking pan halfway through. Let cool thoroughly; chickpeas become crunchier as they cool, but are best eaten fresh.