Guinness-Ginger Cake

I recently made a cake for Father's Day that was so moist and good.  I got the recipe from noblepig.com but made a few little changes , like using applesauce instead of oil , that I thought I would share.

Butter a 9 x 5 loaf pan, line the bottom and sides with parchment and grease the parchment with butter as well.  Or butter and flour a 6-cup Bundt pan.
 
You will need:

1 cup Guinness stout
1 cup molasses
1/2 Tablespoon baking soda
3 eggs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup and 1 tablespoon firmly packed dark brown sugar (do not substitute light brown)
3/4 cup applesauce (unsweetened)
2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
3 - 4 Tablespoons peeled and grated fresh ginger (it's up to you)

In a large saucepan over high heat, combine the stout and molasses and bring to a boil.  Turn off the heat and add the baking soda.  Allow to sit until the foam dissipates; this takes about 10 minutes.




In a bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar, and applesauce.




In another bowl, combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and cardamom.




Combine the stout mixture with the egg mixture, then whisk this liquid into the flour mixture, half at a time.  Add the fresh ginger and stir to combine.

Pour the batter into the parchment-lined loaf pan and bake for 50 mins to 1 hour in a 350 degree oven, or until the top springs back when gently pressed.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool. 

 

You can sprinkle powdered sugar on top if you like.  I like whipped cream on mine but vanilla ice cream is good too.



Enjoy!

To Keep: Cover cake with plastic wrap and keep at room temperature for up to three days or refrigerate up to a week.  Or wrap well in plastic wrap, place in a zip-top freezer bag and freeze for 2 to 3 months.

Pumpkin Smoothie , NO BLENDER REQUIRED !

Hey all ,
When I really want a low calorie but filling smoothie , this is my go-to .  It is really fast , easy , and no blender is necessary ... which is great because right now I am blender-less .  This is good pretty much year round because it is like pumpkin pie but not as sweet .  There are two ways to make this , and you only need 4 ingredients .



Version 1
1/2 cup greek yogurt
1 cup canned pumpkin
2 cups vanilla soy milk
1 1/4 tsp pumpkin spice

Version 2 is not much different but if you don't drink vanilla soy milk (like my family) this is what you do so you don't have to buy a quart of something that you otherwise wouldn't touch .

1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
1 cup canned pumpkin
2 cups plain soy milk
1 1/4 tsp pumpkin spice

All you have to do is find a whisk and stir it up and you have a delish smoothie that is really healthy for you!  Pumpkin is one of those super foods and canned pumpkin , unlike other canned foods , doesn't lose much nutritional value.  There is a link below that is all about the health benefits of pumpkin if you are interested.  :)

Enjoy !

http://suite101.com/article/health-benefits-of-pumpkin-a153140

Beer Battered Clam Strips

12 ounces of lime beer (any beer is fine though)

1 1/2 cups flour 

1 teaspoon curry powder

1/2 teaspoon celery salt

1/2 teaspoon cayenne

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 1/2 teaspoons garlic

2 cups clam strips

oil with a high heat tolerance 

Hey everybody,
Sorry the post is late,  I made the food on time but never got a chance to post it.  Today's recipe is beer battered clams! They are a little time consuming and labor intensive but are worth the effort.  

 Rinse and drain the clam strips in a colander and then soak them in milk in a large bowl for about an hour.  This will remove a lot of the unpleasant fishy odor and will tenderize the clams.  Meanwhile mix all the ingredients in another bowl except for the flour, you want the beer to be flat.  After the hour is up heat about 2 inches of oil in a pan, you will want to have a screen to keep it from spitting or long sleeves (it hurts).  Mix the flour into the seasoned beer and whisk there are no lumps and then mix in the clams.  You could also dip it in the seasoned beer sans flour and then dredge it.  Either way your hands are going to be a big mess.  Fry coated clams until clams are crisp and golden, about 1 1/2 minutes, then transfer to paper towels to drain. Sprinkle with kosher salt to taste. Return oil to 380°F between batches, removing any bits of fried batter with a fine sieve and coating next batch of clams.  The batches will get progressively darker, but that won't affect the flavor.

Enjoy!

Cranberry Chicken (Super Easy, Super Fast!)

Hi all ,
This is my go to recipe when all I have is 15 minutes and dinner has to be ready NOW .   On the plus side , not only is it easy and ready in record time , but it is really tasty too .  In addition to that , it is a 5 ingredient recipe . . . can this get any better ?  I'm just going to share instead of keeping you in suspense any longer .  Enjoy !

1 TBSP of EVOO
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast fillets (or a package of raw Chicken Tenders)
1 cup Craisins
1/2 cup apple juice
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard

Directions

1. Combine mustard , apple juice , and chicken stock in a small bowl and blend it together .  Add the Craisins and set aside . (You can also add 1/4 cup Cranberry Juice if you like)
2. Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat .  Once the oil is hot , add the chicken and cook for 5 minutes each side .  Remove chicken from the pan temporarily and keep warm.
3. Pour the craisin-liquid mixture and reduce heat to low (and scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan) and add the chicken back into pan .
4. Cook for another 8-10 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink and sauce has thickened .  Serve chicken with the sauce poured on top .

Homemade Sweet and Sour Sauce

I don't know about you , but I always remember sweet and sour sauce differently than what it is .  When I get it at a restaurant , take out , or out of a spice mix it is always WAY to sweet .  (My family agrees with me on this.)  On Monday I was trying to use up the rest of the cilantro that I had in the kitchen before it bit the dust and I didn't want to just use the same old kind of sauce that I usually do .  Don't get me wrong , I love the usual but I felt like a change .  I ended up throwing whatever I felt like together in a little pot while the rice cooked and ended up with a Sweet and Sour Sauce that is finally like I always remember it . . . except with cilantro and a bit of a kick.  You can tone down the heat , but I like that though!

You can also use this with anything you want . I used pork chops but you can use chicken , veggies , tofu etc.  

This might not be exact , because I wrote it down after-the-fact and I tend to not use measurements while I'm cooking , (NOT when baking , don't ever bake without measuring ! ) but it gives you the general idea .

1 tsp Sesame oil
1 1/2 cups Pineapple Juice
1/2 cup chopped Cilantro
1 tsp Cumin
2-3 tsp Sriracha ( I did 3 swirls into the pan)
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp Coriander
2 TBSP Hoisin Sauce
1 TBSP Oyster Sauce
1 TBSP Vietnamese Fish Sauce
1 TBSP Tamarind Concentrate
2 TBSP Lime Juice (half a lime if you are working with the fruit)
2-3 TBSP Soy Sauce
Fresh Minced Garlic
Cornstarch

Stir everything together while tasting it and making adjustment to your preference .  Then strain the sauce and add cornstarch to it to thicken it until it is you desired consistency .  If you are using vegetables in addition to meat , or simply cooking a large amount , I would double the recipe.  Put 1 tsp of sesame oil in the pan with a TBSP of butter or vegetable oil and cook whichever vehicle for the sauce that you have chosen .  In the end it will look something like this.

Enjoy !

Rhubarb Muffins

Hey Everyone ,

I have a special treat for you today !  I am currently so happy because it is Rhubarb season .  I love Rhubarb , my current obsession is pouring honey on it and eating it raw .  So good !  Anyhoo , I know I just posted a recipe last week that had rhubarb in it , but this is what I like to do when I have some left over from cooking something else .  I normally end up buying more Rhubarb than I need for one recipe .  This is a great breakfast muffin because it is not super sweet . 

This is a recipe that I adapted from Karen Barker @ finecooking . com .  I made it much lower fat and loaded it with more Rhubarb , it makes about 12 generous muffins or a bakers dozen.  (The picture below is from her website .  I'll put a picture of mine up later .)

 

For the muffins:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
2-1/2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 1/2 cups unsweetened Applesauce
8 Tbs (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
2 large eggs
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 cups 1/4-inch-diced rhubarb (About 3 stalks)

---

In a large mixing bowl , combine the flour , sugar , baking powder , cinnamon , baking soda , and salt and whisk to blend .
In a medium bowl , whisk together the applesauce , melted butter , eggs , and vanilla until smooth . Lightly stir the applesauce mixture into the dry ingredients with a spatula until the batter just comes together ; do not over mix . Gently stir in the diced rhubarb . The batter will be very thick . . . Do not be afraid, embrace it ; ) .
Divide the batter among the muffin cups , using the back of a spoon or a small spatula to settle the batter into the cups . The batter should mound a bit higher than the tops of the cups .

If you want a little bit more sweetness , the original recipe had cinnamon sugar on top .  You mix 2 TBSP sugar with 1/2 tsp Cinnamon and sprinkle it over the muffin before you pop it in the oven .  I like mine less sweet so I leave it off , but it's a matter of preference .

Bake the muffins 18 to 22 minutes . Transfer to a rack and let the muffins cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes .  Serve warm or cold .  I prefer it the next day as breakfast personally , but it is up to you .

Enjoy

Spicy Chicken Thighs with Sweet Cucumber-Rhubarb Relish

This AWESOME recipe is one that I found on Epicurious .  I did a little adapting though and found it to be quite easy and fun .  It is refreshing with a bit of heat , a very good spring/summer dish .  My family loved it when I made it last week , so try it and let me know what you think !

Here is your list of ingredients:


Chicken

2 TBSP soy sauce

1/2 head minced garlic (equivalent of 1 level TBSP)

3 tsp Sriracha (Asian chile paste) You can make this recipe as hot or as mild as you would like by adjusting how much Sriracha you put in .

1/2 cup olive oil

1 tsp honey

12 bone-in or boneless chicken thighs (It's up to you)

Sea salt

 Relish

3 cups diced rhubarb

2 cups diced cucumber

1 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro

2 tablespoons honey

1 TBSP avocado oil ( I am on an avocado kick right now , it's spring. You can switch with Olive Oil/Peanut Oil/Vegetable Oil , you get the idea)

1 TBSP fresh lime juice

I doubled the relish , but you don't have to . We used the extra , plus the seasoned juices from the chicken , in the rice .  If you don't want to have left overs just cut the relish recipe in half .

Preheat oven to 500°F and line a baking sheet with foil , it makes the clean up so much easier .  Whisk all the ingredients in a deep bowl ,  then dip the Chicken Thighs in the sauce and season lightly with salt .  (If you are using skin-on thighs slash  crosswise at 3/4" intervals down to the bone so the flavor can get in there .)  Bake for 20-25 minutes . (Broil on high for an additional 2-3 minutes for crisper skin if you prefer it that way .)  Let rest for 5-10 minutes.

Meanwhile , as soon as the chicken goes in the oven , (or make it ahead of time) toss rhubarb , cucumber , cilantro , lime , honey , and oil in a medium bowl and let it stand for at least 10 minutes to allow flavors to meld .  Chill until you serve and serve the chicken with rhubarb relish on top . 

For those of you who do not live in the asian foods section, unlike me, this is Sriracha.  It is amazing...learn to love it.  My little brother uses it like most people use ketchup.   I would recommend building your way up though because if you are a newbie it is strong.
   

Enjoy!