September Daring Cooks' Challenge - Dairy-Free Bechamel

This month, the Daring Cooks got a little saucy! Jenni from the Gingered Whisk taught us the basics of how to make the five mother-sauces and encouraged us to get creative with them, creating a wide variety of delicious, fresh sauces in our very own kitchens.

There are several "basics" which every cook hoping to increase their skills really should learn.

One of those skills is how to make a correct, good sauce.

Well, this month's Daring Cooks' Challenge helped us learn exactly that.

There are five basic "mother" sauces from which you can create hundreds upon hundreds of amazing, delicious and impressive variations to use in almost any dish you can think of. Knowing the differences between these sauces and the basic tricks for perfecting them can increase your kitchen prowess (and confidence!) greatly.

The question for me this month was which sauce to try! Granted, I want to try them all over time. The trick, though, was finding one that we could fit into our schedule this month, and that had the greatest likelihood of most of the family eating. And enjoying.

Most of the sauces involve dairy of some sort - butter, milk or cream, specifically, all of which little man can't have.  So I decided to be creative.

I chose to make a simple, basic bechamel - a white sauce made from a roux (generally butter and flour) and milk, then seasoned.  But I challenged myself to make a dairy free bechamel.  Using little-man friendly ingredients.

Coconut oil in place of butter, coconut milk in place of milk. And flour. Because it's nice to not have to substitute all three major ingredients...

The basic process is simple.  Melt the butter (coconut oil for me), then whisk in the flour.

The recipe called for two tablespoons of flour. I could tell right from the first tablespoon, though, that the oil wasn't behaving the same as butter does, and that this sauce would need a little bit more flour in order to thicken up properly. So I went with three tablespoons.

Once the flour is fully incorporated and cooked, slowly add the milk (coconut milk).

And then you whisk.

And whisk.

And whisk some more. Eventually, the mixture comes to a simmer and thickens up beautifully. The whole process is supposed to take about half an hour.  I don't know whether it was the coconut oil, the coconut milk or the combination, but mine took a lot longer to simmer and thicken, but finally (after about 45 minutes) it did, as you can tell by how it coated the back of my spoon.

(I ran my finger through it to see if it would hold the line - it did!).

When it came time to add the seasonings, I had to think about what I actually wanted to do with this dairy free bechamel.  And then I remembered a chicken tikka masala spice mix given to me by a friend recently.

Coconut sauce... tasty spice mix... Aha! I added half of a can of diced tomatoes, a nice scoop of the spice mix and some diced leftover roasted chicken to my bechamel, let it simmer, and voila!

Served with cauliflower and a pan-toasted tortilla (I didn't have time to make naan - next time!) and there we had it! A dairy free, simple chicken tikka masala curry!

So maybe it's funny that a French sauce led to an Indian dinner, but either way, I'm super glad to have made this. Jenni, I never would have tried it without this challenge, so I thank you. And I look forward to trying other delicious sauces, too!!


Dairy Free Bechamel
(my own variation, based on the Daring Cooks' Challenge)

1 tablespoon coconut oil
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
2 coconut milk (I used Silk coconut milk beverage)

In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt the coconut oil.
When the coconut oil is fully melted and heated through, stir in the flour with a wooden spoon until a paste forms. It might not form a real paste, but stir until it is well incorporated and feels a bit thick. Continue stirring and heating this mixture for about four or five minutes.
Whisk in the milk about ½ cup at a time, making sure that the addition is fully incorporated before adding the next addition of milk. Continue to whisk the mixture over the heat until it simmers and thickens slightly.  This took me about 30 minutes once all of the milk was added, so be patient. I promise - it will work!
At this point, add in your seasonings. Salt, pepper and nutmeg are the standard for a basic bechamel, but let your creativity guide you as to how you'd like to use your sauce!
Enjoy!

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August Daring Cooks' Challenge - Freezer Meals

This month, the Daring Cooks challenged us to think inside the box - the icebox, that is! Audax taught us some really cool tips and tricks for stocking our freezers with prepare-ahead meals that can keep our taste buds satisfied even during the busiest of times.

I have a confession to make. And it's a doozy.

This is the first month ever that I don't have something new and original to post for a Daring Kitchen challenge.

It is not that I didn't want to. Or that I wasn't interested. On the contrary - I found the challenge topic fascinating and useful and really and truly perfect.

But this was a difficult month for me to fill a freezer. Between moving and the family being sick, we actually spent more time emptying freezers than filling them.

BUT.

I learned a lot.  And the dishes that our members chose to freeze? Who knew!

You can par-bake pizza dough and freeze it. I knew you could do that with dinner rolls, but never thought to try it with pizza crusts.

One member froze falafel "dough," to speed up the prep time for future falafel-baking endeavors.

You can freeze fruit and veggie purees.

You can freeze a variety of prepared casseroles.

You can freeze soups and sauces.

Heck, during the school year, I prepare a week's worth of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches each Sunday night, storing them in the freezer, so that making little miss's lunch each morning is a snap.

You can pretty much make weeknight meals stress free with just a little bit of forethought and preparation.  And that is awesome.

I was the lucky recipient of some freezer meals when each of my children were born, and have shared prepared, frozen meals for friend when they've had babies or surgery or I felt they needed the time-saving help.

So now, after this awesomely thoughtful, informative and well prepared challenge, I have even more inspiration to fill both my freezer and those of my friends.

Audax, thank you so much for hosting this challenge.

To see the challenge as it was presented, check it out here.

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July Daring Cooks' Challenge - Bibimbap

The July Daring Cooks' Challenge took us to Korea, where Renata of Testado, Provado & Aprovado taught us to make bibimbap. This colorful rice dish can be customized to meet any taste, and is as much fun to eat as it is to say!

Two posts in one day?? That's what happens every few months when the second Monday of the month (SRC posting day) happens to fall on the 14th of that month (Daring Cooks' posting day).

And, yes, that means that I had two challenges in flux while preparing to move. Whee!

But I couldn't not participate in this awesome challenge, hosted by the even more awesome Renata.  Renata is from Brazil, but spent the last few years in Korea, so has such amazing influences in her cooking. She is always an inspiration and I just had to cook along with her.

This month she challenged us to make bibimbap, a Korean rice dish that usually involves a variety of vegetables, some sort of protein and, in most cases, an egg - usually added to the dish raw!

The dish is usually a bit spicy, thanks in part to a red pepper sauce that is served alongside the main dish.

Preparing to move, I didn't want to add another jar to my pantry, so I decided to forgo the red pepper paste and create my own sauce, inspired by the given recipe.  Many Asian dishes use peanut sauces, so I went with a nut-allergy-friendly version, and made a Sunbutter sauce, made with Sunbutter, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar and minced garlic.

It was super thick, even though I added quite a bit of extra soy sauce, but I decided to just go with it.

Sauce resting in the fridge, it was time to consider the main dish. Bibimbap is a rice dish, but the rice is the hidden part of the dish, being placed in the bowl under a variety of sauteed  vegetables.  The possibilities are endless, so I just went with what I had on hand.

The longest part of the process is prepping all those veggies.  They all had to be sliced into relatively similar matchstick sized pieces.

Then each veggie is sauteed, separately, in sesame oil.

But the result is a really pretty plate of deliciousness.

The final aspect is the egg. Now, the traditional dish is served in a stone bow, which is heated prior to serving. What does this have to do with the egg? Well, when using that traditional, heated dish, the egg is added just prior to serving - and is cracked right into the bowl, over the finished dish.  When served, one simply starts stirring things together, which results in the egg cooking right in the bowl.  Pretty cool.

Except I don't have any stone bowls.

So I had to cook my egg prior to serving.  So I whipped up an egg and cooked it nice and flat...

...then sliced it up into matchstick sized pieces comparable to the veggie pieces.

Then it was time to construct the meal!

It starts with a layer of rice...

...then all of those veggies and the egg strips, arranged as artistically as you can manage. Not so much for me, but hey.

For the finishing touches, add a protein of your choice (I chose chicken tenderloins, sauteed in sesame oil and seasoned with salt, garlic powder and soy sauce), and serve with a side of the previously prepared sauce.

I know it seems like a lot of work and a lot of steps.  But it actually isn't so bad, and the results? Totally worth it!  This was interesting to prepare and actually really fun to eat.

Renata, thank you so much for this fun challenge - I can't wait to try other versions of this rice dish inspired by the recipe that you chose.

To see the challenge as Renata presented it to us, check it out here.

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June Daring Cooks' Challenge - Haggis

Oh yes, you read that title correctly.

The June Daring Cooks Challenge was hosted by Ruth from Makey-Cakey. She brought out the Daring-est of Daring Cooks and challenged us to make real Scottish Haggis.

Unfamiliar with haggis?  It's a traditional Scottish dish, a meat pudding of sorts, made from organ meats.  Usually containing sheep heart, liver and lung. And encased in the sheep's stomach.

Yeah.

I have never wanted to try it.

Daddy actually tried it once. In Scotland. It was on the breakfast bar where he was staying. And he said it wasn't bad!

But I still have the truly American  squeamishness about organ meats, so I've never been brave enough to try it.

So when our hostess suggested that this would be the challenge she would like to host, I actually told her that it was a great idea.  I mean, we call ourselves daring, right? It's right there in the title every month!

But then... I chickened out.  And decided to make the vegetarian version.

Now... I don't know that you can rightfully call a vegetarian dish "haggis," but it is definitely inspired by the real thing, with the flavorings and process or preparing it.

It was quite simple to make, with a lot of fun flavors and textures.

It started with onion...

...then carrots...

...and then some protein. The recipe calls for ground hazelnuts and peanuts, but with little man's allergies, I substituted sunflower seeds. And there's also mashed kidney beans.

Everything is cooked together with some broth, some lentils and a delicious blend of spices...

...and then you add steel cut oats to bind everything together.  This is cooked on the stove top to soften up the oats...

...and then placed into a loaf pan to be finished off in the oven.

Little man actually loved it right at this stage, and gleefully chowed down on the bits that were left in the pot as I snapped a few photos.

The resulting dish is toasty golden brown on the outside and full of delicious flavors.

It made a very hearty side dish - it could probably stand all on its own, what with the lentils, beans and nuts (seeds for me).

This was definitely a fun dish, and I'd really like to make it again. I think it needed a bit more broth than I used, but it had tremendous flavor and was very enjoyable.

And I am seriously considering getting over myself and trying a more authentic version.

Maybe.

To see the most daring of Daring Cooks, check them out here.

And to see the full challenge, as wonderfully prepared by Ruth, check it out here.



Vegetarian Haggis
(from allrecipes.com)

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 small carrot, finely chopped
5 fresh mushrooms, finely chopped (I didn't have mushrooms, so I omm=itted these)
1 cup vegetable broth (I used chicken broth, making this not truly vegetarian...)
1/3 cup dry red lentils (I used regular lentils)
2 tablespoons canned kidney beans - drained, rinsed, and mashed
3 tablespoons ground peanuts (I used sunflowers, ground in the food processor)
2 tablespoons ground hazelnuts (again, I used sunflowers, ground in the food processor)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 pinch ground cayenne pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons mixed spice (I used salt, pepper and garlic powder)
1 egg, beaten
1 1/3 cups steel cut oats

Heat the vegetable oil in a saucepan over medium heat, and saute the onion 5 minutes, until tender.
Mix in carrot and mushrooms (if using), and continue cooking 5 minutes.
Stir in broth, lentils, kidney beans, nuts (seeds), soy sauce, and lemon juice. Season with thyme, rosemary, cayenne pepper, and mixed spice.
Bring pot to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer 10 minutes.
Stir in oats, cover, and simmer for another 20 minutes.
While this simmers, preheat oven to 375 degrees and lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.
Quickly stir the egg into the saucepan, then transfer the mixture to the prepared baking pan.
Bake 30 minutes, until firm.

Enjoy!

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May Daring Cooks' Challenge - Maftoul

The May Daring Cooks' Challenge was hosted by the incomparable Sawsan from chef in disguise. Sawsan challenged us to try our hands (literally!) at making maftoul - hand-rolled Palestinian couscous that is as versatile as it is tasty!

Did you read that?  It said couscous.  Our challenge was to make couscous. 

What?? You can do that??

Well, according to Sawsan and this challenge, you certainly can!

The key ingredient, which makes the core of the coucouc, is ground bulgur.  I couldn't find that, but I did find bulghur wheat grains, which is, as far as I know, the same thing, just not ground.

But I can  handle that part.

Making the couscous (maftoul), requires only the ground bulgur, salt water, and a combination of flours (half all purpose, half whole wheat).

The process involves wetting the bulgur and building it up with the flour by swirling things with your fingertips, adding water and flour alternately.

It sounds complicated, and it's a bit confusing, but it makes sense once you get started.  And after a few iterations, believe it or not, it actually starts working!

Now, my maftoul granules weren't as consistent or nicely shaped as many others' who shared their results on the forum, but they weren't too shabby, especially for a first effort!

I had a little trouble steaming them, too, because I don't have a good pot/colander setup (there is a traditional couscous pot that is used for this, with a colander type top over a larger pot, double boiler style), so it needed a little extra help after it's initial steaming.

So I chose to cook it further and turn it into a side dish with our chicken dinner inspired by a Lebanese rice and lentil dish called mujadara. Lots of caramelized onions, lots of yummy spices and...

Yum! The further cooking of the maftoul was exactly what it needed, and the resulting dish was super yummy. 

I definitely want to try this again - I feel like trying it once and reading about other peoples' experiences on the forums will definitely help to make my next effort a bit more successful.

Sawsan, you are awesome and I am so amazed by what you do. Thank you for this super challenging challenge.

To see the full challenge as Sawsan presented it to us, check it out here.

And to see the impressive results of the other Daring Cooks, check them out here.

Maftoul

(from the Daring Cooks' Challenge)

1 cup fine bulgur (I found bulghur wheat, which I ground myself)

1 tablespoon salt

2-3 cups water

4 cups whole wheat flour

4 cups all-purpose flour

Add the salt to the water and stir to dissolve the salt (I usually do this in a measuring cup for easy pouring) set aside.

Mix the whole wheat and all-purpose flour in a separate bowl, set aside.

Add 1/4 cup of water to the bulgur.  Rub the water into the bulgur with your finger tips just enough to moisten the bulgur granules to allow the flour to stick to them.

Sprinkle the bulgur over the bottom of a wide tray, pan or large bowl. (You want something large, with a rim and a flat base)

Sprinkle half a cup of the mixed-flour over the bulgur.

With your finger tips start swirling the bulgur granules in a circular motion. The aim is to evenly coat the bulgur granules with flour. Keep swirling until all the flour is taken up by the bulgur. If you get any big clumps, break them down by gently rubbing them between your finger tips.

Collect the bulgur to one side of the pan.

Pour 1/4 cup of water in the empty side.

Use the circular swirling motion again to wet the bulgur granules.

Sprinkle another half a cup of flour and swirl using your finger-tips again.  You will notice that the maftoul granules will start to grow in size.

Repeat the steps of wetting the bulgur granules, rolling, sprinkle with flour, and rolling again until the maftoul granules are the size you want them to be.

Note:

Please note that the water and flour amounts provided in the recipe are for guidance, you may need more or less depending on how big you roll your maftoul pearls

Cooking the maftoul

There is a traditional couscous pot that is generally used to steam the maftoul. It consists of 2 parts on top of each other. The bottom part is a large pot and the top part is a colander that holds the couscous or maftoul. 

I don't have one of these (nor does our host, who makes this quite often with amazing results). Instead, you can use a regular metal colander that fits over a large pot. Try to find a colander that fits your pot as closely as possible because you don't want any steam to escape between the pot and colander

To steam the maftoul, you will need:

Water

1 stick of cinnamon (optional)

5 cardamom pods (optional)

10 all-spice pods (optional)

2 bay leaves (optional)

Prepared maftoul

In the bottom part of the couscous pan (or in a pot) add 2 inches of water.

Add the spices to the water (if you are using them) and bring the water to a boil.

Brush your steaming colander (or the top part of the couscous pan) with olive oil generously.

Place the maftoul in the colander and then place it on top of the pot with boiling water. Make sure that the bottom of the colander does not touch the water. If you notice steam escaping from the space between the edges of the colander and the pot, use a kitchen towel to seal the edges. Do not cover.

Leave the maftoul undisturbed for 5 minutes or until you see steam coming through.

Using a fork gently stir the maftoul in the colander.

Sprinkle 1/4 cup of water over the couscous and continue to gently turn the maftoul bringing the steamed maftoul from the bottom to the top and allow the top granules to steam.

The total steaming time is around 15 minutes. The maftoul granules will change color from white to a light golden color. (My bulghar was darker, so the color was different from this, but it did change!)

Take the maftoul off the heat and empty it in a large pan.  Add a 1/4 cup of olive oil and gently toss the maftoul granules to coat them in olive oil and fluff them.

Allow the maftoul to cool down.

You can use it immediately, store it in the fridge for up to a week or in the freezer for up to three months.

Enjoy!

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April Daring Cooks' Challenge - Pathiri

I am so sorry I haven't posted in a while! But look at this - two posts in one day? What??

Yup - that's what happens every few months when the posting dates for the Secret Recipe Club and Daring Kitchen collide. I mean coincide.

The April Daring Cooks Challenge was brought to us by Joanna from What’s On The List. She taught us all about Pathiri and challenged us to create our own version of this inspirational Indian dish!

Pathiri was something completely new to me. Pathiri are a type of crepe-like pancake, usually rice based, which can then be used to create all kinds of savory dishes. Our challenge this month was to use these crepes to create a sort of savory crepe cake. Fun!

The given recipe was for a traditional Indian style dish.  Which looked outstanding.

But I only followed the recipe for the crepes.

For my filling, I went with what I had on hand - which happened to be Mexican inspired.  I had some leftover cooked Mexican-style chicken. I chopped the chicken, along with the tomatoes and onions that had cooked with it, and mixed everything together.

To construct my "cake," I spread each crepe with a thin layer of refried beans, then spread on some of the chicken filling.

I repeated these layers until I ran out of filling.

I then smothered the whole thing with a Mexican-spiced tomato sauce, then smothered the whole thing in cheese.

Which baked up...

...perfectly.

The results were super fun to cut into...

...and absolutely delicious to eat.

Well, for me. The kids didn't like it because of the tomato sauce (I made a cheese-free mini-version for little man). But I thought it was really fun and delicious.

Now, I have been wanting to make a (sweet) crepe cake for quite some time, so this challenge  has re-inspired me to try my hand at it, and I definitely want to try another version of the savory version, too, to see if I can find one that is a winner for everyone in the family!

Joanne, thank you so much for introducing me to this fun, delicious dish!

To see the challenge as Joanne presented it, check it out here.

To see the delicious varieties of pathiri cooked up in the kitchen this month, check them out here.


I know I usually put the recipe that I used here at the bottom, but I really just winged my final recipe (and used leftover chicken from a chicken dish that I'd... yeah... totally winged...), so I'll put here the crepe recipe, from the challenge, that I used, and give you a basic overview of the finishing steps.

Pathiri-inspired crepes
(from April Daring Cooks' Challenge)

2 large eggs
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 tablespoon grape-seed oil or neutral-tasting oil (I used vegetable oil)
1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
pinch of salt
oil for crepe pan (I used non-stick cooking spray)

In a jug or mixing bowl add vinegar to milk; allow to sit for 5 minutes.
In a bowl (or larger jug), combine milk mixture with remaining ingredients; refrigerate for at least one hour.
Heat pan coating pan lightly with oil; remove excess oil with paper towel.
Pour batter to desired size; flip when edges start to lift.
Cook second side until just cooked.

For the final dish, prepare a cooked filling of our choice and allow it to cool. Also prepare a coordinating sauce of your choice.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Spoon a bit of sauce onto a baking dish (so the final product won't stick), and alternate layers of crepes and filling. There is no rule for how many layers you need to use, so go with what works for you. Cover all of the layers with sauce.
Bake in preheated oven until heated through.

Enjoy!

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March Daring Cooks' Challenge - Salad Dressing

There are times when I'm cooking, or looking at food blogs, or looking for recipe ideas when I'll think "hey! That would make a great challenge!"

Well, this month, when we needed a challenge idea in a hurry, we got the chance to actually make one of those ideas happen!

For March’s Daring Cooks’ Challenge, Ruth, Shelley and Sawsan asked us to totally veg out! We made salads and dressings, letting the sky be the limit as we created new flavors and combinations that reflect our own unique tastes.

Yup, Ruth, Sawsan and I had the chance to challenge the Daring Cooks to get creative and create their own salad dressings to dress up any kind of salad they chose. 

And let me tell you - it was fun. And delicious. And creative. And made me want lots and lots of salad over the course of the month!

For my dressing (I mean, aside from the challenge), I went with a taste of summer, in hopes that it'll make this crazy, cold, snowy winter finally leave. 

Strawberries.

Let me tell you - dressings are actually really easy to make. This is a fresh berry vinaigrette style dressing and it was super fast and super simple. Some berries, some spices (salt and pepper are plenty!), some balsamic vinegar and a blender.

Add a bit of olive oil to bring it all together...

...and you're ready!

Seriously, that's it. And it's so much better than what you can buy in the supermarket.

Little man liked it so much, henot only dipped his lettuce in it (yes, he dips rather than drizzles. Whatever works!), he also dipped his turkey in it. And his bread. And his fingers.  That's good praise from a three year old!

Ruth and Sawsan, you guys are miracle workers - thank you so much for helping pull this off so deliciously and for helping us have so much delicious fun this month!!

If you want to see the super fun, creative and delicious dressings created in the Kitchen this month, check them out here.

Fresh Strawberry Dressing

(from Delish)

1 cup strawberries, rinsed, hulled and sliced

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

3/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons oil (I used extra virgin olive oil, but you can use any - play around with flavors!)

Place strawberries, vinegar, pepper, sugar and salt in a blender or food processor; process until pureed, stopping once or twice to scrape down the sides. Add oil and process until smooth.

Enjoy!

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February Daring Cooks' Challenge - Spanakopita

The February Daring Cooks' Challenge was hosted by Audax of Audax Artifex. The challenge brought us to Greece with a delicious, flaky spanakopita - a spinach pie in a phyllo pastry shell.

I have never made spanakopita before, but have been wanting to for a really, really long time. So I was super excited when this challenge came!

But then reality hit and I wondered how I could make this... daddy isn't eating carbs, so won't eat the phyllo dough portion, little man is allergic to eggs and dairy, making the spinach and feta filling, with egg as a binder, a no-go, and little miss... well... she can be hit or miss with spinach. So as excited as I was about this challenge, I had to be realistic and realize that I was really the only one who would eat it.

So, as close to the spirit of the challenge as I could stay, I made my own mini spanakoptia pockets.

I started with the filling, sauteeing onions, garlic and fresh spinach.

Once the sauteed vegetables cooled, I mixed them with an egg to hold everything together.

The mixture wound up being really wet, so I stirred in about a tablespoon of ground flax, which helped.

And then it was time to assemble.  I took a few sheets of phyllo dough and cut them each into thirds. Each third-of-a-sheet section was then brushed with melted butter and folded in half to make a double layer.  I then put a small scoop of filling on the end of each doubled-over strip of phyllo and sprinkled on a touch of shredded cheddar (which I prefer over feta... inauthentic, but hey...).

I then brushed the rest of the phyllo strip with more butter, then folded up the bottom corner and folded the whole strip up, the way you would a flag, to make little triangle pockets.

Which were then brushed with even more melted butter, before being baked.

But it worked! They were golden and puffy and looked super fun and cute!

And even better than that?

They were super tasty! I ate three as a side dish that night, and they re-heated beautifully the next night (then the following day as lunch!).  I kept offering tastes to little miss, but she refused. Her loss!

And daddy didn't have to fully miss out - I made nine of these little pockets, then took the rest of the filling, added one more egg, and poured it into a few wells of a muffin tin (and then topped them with shredded cheese) to make spanakopita-style baked fritatas that were both carb-free (or darn close...) and super tasty! He ate all three with his dinner and let me know he'd be happy to have me make them again.

Audax, thank you so much for hosting this delicious challenge. I hope to one day make the recipe you provided (you should seriously check it out here!), but had a lot of fun adapting it to these little single-serve triangles.

If you want to see some of the other spanakopitas that were cooked up (beautifully, I might add!) this month, check them out here.


Spanakopita Pockets

(my own interpretation, loosely based on this Food Network recipe)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 yellow onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

6 oz. fresh spinach leaves (I used a bag of baby spinach)

Salt and pepper to taste

grated cheese (I used cheddar, crumbled feta is what is traditional for spanakopita)

phyllo dough sheets (I used three sheets, cut into thirds, but there was enough filling to make more than this...)

melted butter (didn't measure, but you need plenty - probably a good 3-4 tablespoons, or more for more pockets than I made)

Heat the olive oil in a sautee pan, then add the onions. Sautee onions until translucent, then add the garlic. Sautee for a minute or two (you don't want to burn the garlic),then add the spinach to the pan. Allow the spinach to wilt down. Salt and pepper to taste. Allow filling to cool.

When the filling is cool, preheat your oven to 350 degrees, cover a baking sheet with parchment, melt your butter and prepare your phyllo sheets - I cut each sheet into thrids (by width).

Brush each third-of-a-sheet piece of phyllo with melted butter and fold it in half. Place a scoop of the filling on the edge of the stip of dough and sprinkle on a bit of your shredded cheese. Brush the still-exposed portion of the strip of phyllo dough with more melted butter. Now fold one corner up over the dough to create a point, then fold up and across repeatedly to create a triangle of phyllo-encased filling. Transfer the triangle to the parchment-covered baking sheet and brush the top with more butter.

Continue until you have made as many triangles as you want (or until you have used all of your filling).

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes, until golden and crispy.

Enjoy!

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January Daring Cooks' Challenge - Arancine

Once upon a time, almost four years ago, the Daring Cooks had a risotto challenge.  I actually can't believe that it was four years ago... because it was both the first time that I'd ever made risottoe... and the last. Not on purpose, though! I enjoyed it very much and have wanted to make it again, but just... haven't!

But this month I got just the push I needed to jump in again!

January’s Daring Cooks’ challenge was a ball! The lovely Manu from Manu’s Menu brought our taste buds to the streets of Sicily and taught us her family tradition of making arancine – filled and fried balls of risotto. Delizioso!

Now, Manu gave us some super, amazing and delicious examples, and I kind of wanted to try them all. But I didn't want to stuff my arancine with cheese, because then little man couldn't enjoy them. And since daddy is still doing the low-carb thing, I didn't want to reduce my audience any more than that.  So I thought... dessert.

Believe it or not, dessert risotto is not uncommon. It's like super creamy rice pudding, all in one step. One long step, but one step.

I started by lightly toasting the arborio rice in coconut oil, then adding my flavorings - sugar and vanilla (along with some hot water).

And for my broth, I used coconut milk.

Scooping, stirring, scooping stirring... until...

Perfect!

Now, in a perfect world, I would have given myself lots of time to do this. And I could have - I decided on the flavor two weeks ago. But with how busy everything has been, lots of time just didn't happen.  So I had to rush a bit. Ideally, the risotto would not only cool completely, but would sit for a long time. Like... overnight. Me? I just let my risotto cool through.  And then I set to shaping.

I scooped up big balls of the risotto, added a few chocolate chips to the middle, re-rolled them, then rolled them in a bread crumb and coconut mixture.

All that's left is to fry them up!

Now... since my risotto didn't fully set and congeal (in a good way), my arancine were very... soft. So they didn't hold their shape very well. Or... in some cases... at all.

Despite that, these were a real treat!

They were also really rich, full of flavor and very filling. The only problem with that being that they're best right away... and there are only so many my little family can eat. Next time I'll know to make these for a crowd. And next time, I seriously want to do an all-arancine meal - meat filled ones, cheese filled ones, dessert ones... the possibilities are endless!

Manu, thank you so much for this super fun, super delicious challenge. I couldn't have asked for a more perfect host!

To see the full challenge as presented this month, you can check it out here.

And to see the other delicious arancine cooked up in the Kitchen this month, you can check those out here.



Vanilla Coconut Risotto
(from Just For Licks)

2 tablespoons butter (I used coconut oil)
1 cup arborio rice
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup hot water
2 cans (about 3 1/2 - 4 cups) unsweetened coconut milk

Heat coconut milk medium saucepan. In a larger saucepan, melt the butter (coconut oil) on low-medium heat. Add the rice and coat with butter (coconut oil). Add the hot water, sugar and vanilla. Cook until all of the liquid has been absorbed, stirring frequently. Add a ladle-ful of the milk and stir until it is almost absorbed. Continue this process until all of the liquid has been added to the risotto. It should take approximately 30-40 minutes and the risotto should be slightly al dente. Mine took a good hour, but be patient - it will work!
It's delicious as is, but for the arancine, allow it to cool fully. Preferably overnight (in the fridge once it's reached room temperature).


For the Breading:
1/3 cup bread crumbs
1/3 cup honey-crunch wheat germ
1/3 cup shredded sweetened coconut

Combine all breading ingredients together, set aside.


To prepare the Arancine:
prepared risotto
prepared breading
chocolate chips
frying oil of choice

Heat frying oil in a frying pan.
Take a generous scoop of the prepared and cooled risotto and form it into a ball in your hands. Using your thumbs, create a hole or indent in the risotto ball. Place a few (I used 5 or 6) chocolate chips into the hole, then seal the risotto ball back up.  Roll the ball in the prepared breading then fry in the hot pan until the breading is golden on all sides. Repeat with until all risotto is used.

Enjoy!

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