Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

(adapted from: http://www.lovefromtheoven.com/2011/02/15/double-chocolate-chip-cookies-inspired-by-levain-bakery/)

·         1 cup (2 sticks) room temp, unsalted butter

·         1 cup sugar

·         ¼ cup dark brown sugar

·         2 large eggs

·         2 tsp. vanilla

·         ½ cup dark cocoa powder (Ghiradelli)

·         1¼ cups all-purpose flour

·         1 cup whole wheat flour

·         ½ tsp. kosher salt

·         1 tsp. baking powder

·         2½ cups 60% cacao chocolate chips (Ghiradelli)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350˚ F.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.  In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the butter and sugar.  Beat together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes.  Blend in the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl as needed.  Mix in the vanilla and cocoa powder until well blended.

Combine the flour, salt and baking powder, then slowly add to the mixing bowl on low speed just until incorporated.  Fold in the chocolate chips with a spatula (or on slow with the mixer).  The dough is very thick.

Divide the dough into 2 ounce pieces.  Place on the prepared baking sheets, a few inches apart and flatten each cookie just slightly into a disc.

Bake 13-14 minutes.  Let cool on the baking sheets 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Yeast Pancakes

I made these: http://theperfectpancake.blogspot.com/2007/01/yeast-raised-pancakes.html last night for breakfast this morning.  They were very light and much smoother texture than I expected.  The only modifications I made to the recipe were to add an additional Tbl of sugar (to the batter as it rose overnight in the refrigerator) and a tsp of vanilla extract (mixed into the eggs).

Red pepper and lentil dip

These are more guidelines really than a recipe...

3-4 large cloves garlic, coarsely minced
~ 1 tsp cumin
~ 2 tsp red curry powder
chopped onion (1/4 c.?)
salt
pepper
~2 Tbl olive oil
1 bay leaf
2 cups broth, boiling (I used "No Chikn" veggie broth)
1 cup red lentils (sorted & rinsed)
2  red or orange bell peppers coarsely chopped

heat the oil in a deep skillet over medium heat.  add the cumin, curry powder and some fresh cracked pepper.  stir and cook about 1-2 minutes until fragrant.  add the garlic, onion, and bay leaf and cook another minute.  add the bell pepper and cook until very tender (about 5-6 minutes), stirring frequently.  increase the temp to high and add the lentils, stirring for about a minute to coat with oil and lightly toast.   Pour in the broth and stir.  Lightly cover (leave some room for steam to escape) and cook about 20 minutes, until the lentils are tender and have started to burst.  Remove from heat, extract the bay leaf and puree in a blender.  Add a bit of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar and salt/pepper to taste.

Old world meets new world

Tonight's experimental dinner: Veggie roulade in collard greens with Jamaican jerk spices

Ingredients:

1 large bunch collard greens, hard stems removed

1/2 lb dried lentils

1 lb brown mushrooms, thinly sliced

1 medium zucchini, medium dice

1 green bell pepper, medium dice

1 orange bell pepper, medium dice

2 firm Roma tomatoes, medium dice, seeds removed

3 stalks celery, medium dice

1/2 c. mashed Russet potato

1/2 c. mashed sweet potato

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

1 c. crushed tomatoes

oil

salt

pepper

juice of 1/2 of lime

1 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

Jerk seasoning (recipe below)

Directions:

Cook the lentils with a bay leaf according to directions on package until just slightly mushy (I cooked mine for about 40 minutes). Pre-heat oven to 350F. Lay the collard leaves in a large dish and cover them in boiling water. Set aside. Heat a large sautee pan over medium high heat with a bit of olive oil. Sautee the mushrooms for a few minutes, add 1/2 of the garlic and continue sauteeing until the mushrooms are mostly dry again. Add the bell peppers and continue sauteeing until the bell peppers are just al dente. Add salt and pepper. Dump this mixture into a large bowl and reheat the pan with another dash of olive oil. Sautee the celery and zucchini over high heat until it just begins to brown. Add the Roma tomatoes, the rest of the garlic, and a dash of salt and pepper. Continue sauteeing over medium heat until the tomatoes go soft. Add this to the bowl with the mushrooms. Add both the potato mashes to the bowl with the veggie mixture. Add the smoked paprika, lime juice and about 1/2 of the jerk seasoning (I added some additional cayenne to up the heat). Adjust to taste (make sure to retain about 1/2 tsp of the jerk seasoning).

Spray a 9x13 baking dish with non-stick spray. Take a softened collar green leaf out of the water and lay on the counter. Add about 1/2-2/3 cup of the veggie filling near one end of the leaf. Form into a roll (if you've never made roulade before, there are youtube videos on how to do this process) and place into the baking dish. Continue until you've used up the collards, the filling, or filled the baking dish (whatever comes first). Open the can of crushed tomatoes, mix in a pinch of salt, some black pepper, the sugar, and remaining jerk seasoning to taste. Pour over the rolls. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake 10-15 additional minutes, until the collards are very tender. Serve.

NOTES:  Next time I'll add more sweet potato and a bit more cayenne.  I'd probably add a bit of vinegar (apple cider vinegar?) to the tomato topping too.

Jamaican Jerk:
1 tablespoons dried minced onion
2 teaspoons dried thyme
8-10 allspice berries
8-10 black peppercorns
1/2" cinnamon stick
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt

Put all jerk ingredients into spice blender and process until fine and powdery.

3 potato pancakes

These were a hit tonight....

2 small-ish Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled & grated
1 medium Russet potato, peeled & grated
1 large sweet potato, peeled & grated
1/2 medium white onion
3 eggs, beaten
1/3 c. bread crumbs
1 Tbl flour (more if wet)
salt, pepper

Squeeze excess water from onion and Russet potato in kitchen towel. Mix the grated potatoes in a large bowl. Add the eggs, bread crumbs, flour, salt and pepper to the potatoes. Mix thoroughly. Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat with a bit of oil. Add a small "patty" of potatoes to the skillet and pan fry on each side until golden brown. Keep warm in a low-heat oven until ready to serve.

Curried potato & sweet potato gratin with brown mushrooms

This was to use up some leftover mushrooms, milk, and cheese. I had sweet potatoes and russets that were on the verge.

2 small-ish russet potatoes (peeled and sliced into ~1/4" slices)
2 small-ish sweet potatoes (peeled and sliced into ~1/4" slices)
~1.5 c. sauteed brown mushrooms, drained (if wet)
salt
pepper

For the sauce:
2 Tbl butter
2 Tbl flour
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1.25 c. liquid (I used a combo of ~1 c. skim milk and ~0.25 c. mushroom broth)
1 c. grated cheese (I used leftover mozzarella)
curry powder to taste (I used about 1.5 tsp)

Preheat oven to 375F.

Warm your sauce liquid to just below boiling. Melt the butter in a separate small pot over medium heat. Add garlic and saute until fragrant. Add the flour and cook for about a minute, stirring or whisking constantly. Slowly add the liquid to the roux, whisking the entire time. Cook until slightly thickened. Remove from heat and add in the cheese, one handful at a time, stirring until fully incorporated before adding the next batch of cheese.

Spray a 9x9" baking pan with cooking spray. Tightly layer with russet slices. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Distribute about 1/2 of the mushrooms. Cover with about 1/3 of the sauce. Tightly layer with sweet potato slices. Sprinkle again with salt and pepper. Dust with curry powder. Distribute the remainder of the mushrooms. Cover the layer with about 1/3 of the sauce. Add the final layer of potatoes, alternating russet and sweet to make an almost checker-board pattern. Press lightly to compress all ingredients. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and curry powder. Cover with the remaining sauce. Loosely cover with foil and put into oven. Bake for 50-60 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. Remove cover and broil until the sauce on top is lightly browned.

EDITS: Use a glass/ceramic baking dish and microwave for 3-5 minutes before baking in the oven. Uncover the dish for at least 15 minutes during the bake to allow for moisture to escape.

Commentary: YUMMY!

Carrot muffins - yummy!

2 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 c. sugar
1 c. Splenda
2 tsp. baking soda
1 heaping tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
2 1/2 c. shredded carrots
1/2 c. shredded coconut
1/4 c. raisins
1/2 c. chopped pecans
3 eggs (I used 2 and 1/4 c. egg substitute)
1/2 c. oil
1 c. + 2 Tbl. applesauce
2 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350F. Put the flour, sugar, Splenda, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk to thoroughly mix. Add the carrots, coconuts, raisins, and pecans and stir until all are evenly distributed in the dry mix. In another bowl, lightly beat the eggs then add the oil, applesauce and vanilla mixing until all the wet ingredients are combined. Add the wet to the dry and stir until just incorporated--don't overwork. Line muffin tins (18) with paper inserts. Spoon batter evenly across all 18 muffins. Bake for 25 minutes--turning the tins halfway through the process for even baking.