Pasta with Braised Short Ribs

I'm a total sucker for a hearty pasta dish and I love when I find one that I know will become part of my repertoire.  Once that is forgiving, one that I can adapt and call my own, and one that has popular appeal.  Some of my all-time favorite pasta dishes that I make on a regular basis are:

Spaghetti Bolognese

Creamy Faijta Pasta

Kale with Pasta

and of course, Tandoori Chicken with Pesto

I've made a braised short rib with pasta before (with morels, for a recipe challenge), but something about this one seemed more attractive.  I watched Giada make it on the Food Network and was immediately hooked.  This isn't a weeknight kind of a meal, but a great snowy, Sunday afternoon kind of a dish.  The kind where you are cozying in with the fire on, mug of mulled wine, and all the time in the world to wait for a perfectly satisfying dinner.  The picture up there doesn't really do it justice.  The first night we enjoyed this I tossed it with penne and let the pasta cook in some of the sauce (which is deep, rich and creamy), and that picture above was taken the next day, when I tossed some of the leftover meat with some elbow.  So trust me, it's a beautiful dish, and shred some parmesan when serving up, drizzle some truffle oil, and curl up with a big bowl of it.     

Penne with Braised Short Ribs, adapted from Giada De Laurentiis

4 pounds beef short ribs

1/4 cup olive oil

1 large onion, diced

5 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped

~ 2 cups diced tomatoes (canned)

1 cup red wine, such as Cabernet Sauvignon

3 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 cups low-sodium beef broth

1 pound penne pasta

1 t garam masala

1 t ground cumin

2 t paprika

1 bay leaf

salt, pepper

Place an oven rack in the lower 1/3 of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Season the ribs with salt and pepper. In a large heavy-bottomed Dutch oven or ovenproof stock pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. In batches, add the ribs and brown on all sides, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the ribs and set aside. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, wine and mustard. Bring the mixture to a boil and scrape up the brown bits that cling to the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Add bay leaf, and spices.  Return the ribs to the pan. Add the beef broth, cover the pan and place in the oven for 2 1/2 hours until the meat is fork-tender and falls easily from the bone.

Remove the ribs from the cooking liquid and toss the bay leaf. Using a large spoon, remove any excess fat from the surface of the cooking liquid. Using a ladle, transfer the cooking liquid in the bowl of a food processor or Vitamix. Process until the mixture is smooth. Alternatively, you can leave the liquid in the pot and use an immersion blender.  Pour the sauce back into the pot and keep warm over low heat. Remove the meat from the bones. Discard the bones. Using 2 forks, shred the meat into small pieces. Stir the shredded meat into the sauce. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until very aldente. Drain the pasta and toss back into pot. Pour about two cups of sauce over pasta and let finish cooking.  Serve into bowls and spoon over meat sauce.  

French Pâté

My husband loves pâté.  It's one of those things I've picked up from cheese shops when we host our wine club, but I've never made it from scratch and always thought about doing so.  I grew up watching my mom sauté chicken livers so the thought of doing so doesn't really phase me.  I watched a few Mark Bittman podcasts on my way to and from Japan and his recipe for chicken liver pâté completely inspired me.  He makes things look so easy and effortless and I appreciate that, though I love America's Test Kitchen, he's the complete opposite - no fretting over precision.  I doubled the recipe so I would have enough for our holiday wine club party, ourselves, and a dinner party my parents were having.  So, I made a lot of pâté.  Way more than necessary, so I'll just post one for 1 lb of chicken liver.  I was feeling so inspired I even ran out to The Container Store to pick up a few hermetic glass jars but all kinds of containers would work, like a small mason jar or a ramekin.  I adapted Mark Bittman's recipe and added some garam masala (along with brandy and Marsala wine).  If I ever publish a cookbook it may be called "Everything's Better With Garam Masala". Don't steal that, OK?

I pureed the pâté in my Vitamix, which made it unbelievably smooth, but a food processor will also work well      

Chicken Liver Pâté, adapted from Mark Bittman's The Minimalist on The New York Times (link to video)

1 lb chicken livers, washed and dry

1/2 white onion, chopped

1 bay leaf

~ 1 stick butter (more as you see fit)

~1/2 c cream (more as you see fit)

2 t ground black pepper

1 t salt

1 t garam masala

1 t paprika

1/4 c Marsala wine 

2 T brandy

Sauté onion in a medium skillet with about 1 T of butter.  Add bay leaf and spices and aromatics.  Toss in livers and let cook, but not overcook.  They should be firm but still a bit pink inside.  Halfway through this process, add in alcohol and let simmer.  Remove livers from pan when cooked, and spoon into food processor (remove bay leaf and toss).  Meanwhile, let the liquid in the pan reduce down for a few minutes, then pour into food processor.  Pulse until pureed, then slowly add cream and add butter, and pulse until smooth and creamy. Let set in fridge for a few hours before serving.  

Toffee

These nutty, crunchy, buttery toffee bars come courtesy of my friend in cooking club, who adapted the recipe from Martha Stewart.  Here is a link to the original recipe.  She used semi-sweet chocolate instead of dark chocolate so go with your deep desire on that one.  I can't wait to try these myself - I've kind of always wanted to pour hot toffee in a pan, let it cool and then break it apart into pieces.  A note from another friend in cooking club is to possibly score the toffee before it cools to make breaking it up easier. 

1/4 pound almonds (I think any other nut would also be fine, pecans or hazelnuts sound great)

3 cups (6 sticks) salted butter (yikes!  but worth every calorie!)

3 cups sugar

1 pound semi sweet or dark chocolate    

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Toast nuts on baking sheet, about 15 minutes. Remove nuts from oven and let cool completely. Transfer cooled nuts to a large ziplock bag and pound nuts until coarsely ground.

Melt butter in an 8-quart pot over medium-low heat; stir in sugar. Continue stirring until toffee reaches 305 degrees on a candy thermometer, about 30 minutes.

Pour toffee onto an 18-by-13-inch rimmed baking sheet, spreading evenly. Let cool until toffee is slightly hardened. Run a knife along the edges of the baking sheet to make toffee easier to remove.  

In a bowl set over (but not touching) simmering water, melt chocolate. Remove chocolate from heat and let cool slightly until it reaches about 95 degrees on a candy thermometer. Immediately pour melted chocolate over toffee, spreading evenly to cover. Sprinkle over coarsely ground almonds, pressing down with offset spatula. Transfer to refrigerator until toffee is set, about 1 hour. To remove toffee from pan, run a sharp knife along the edges and lift toffee from the bottom. Using your hands, break toffee into large pieces.

Chai Cookies

Someone needs to seriously ask me to stop eating cookies.  I'm always a cookie monster, but I've turned into a terribly bad one this holiday season.  I just can't seem to get enough.  I've been craving Mexican Wedding Cookies for weeks now so I decided my Cooking Club holiday treat exchange was the perfect excuse to whip some up.  And the fact that I couldn't have the entire batch all to myself was a huge incentive.  I jazzed them up a bit by adding some "chai" inspired spices.  So I guess I should have just said I "spiced" them up, and then written no pun intended, ha!  I love the slight complexity the cardamom and ginger add.  The base is a nice nutty shortbread that isn't sweet at all, and then you roll them around in powdered sugar which makes each bite sweet, but not overly sweet, as the cookie crumbles.  These are perfect with tea.  I feel like I always say that, but seriously, these are perfect with tea.

I combined a bit of garam masala along with ground ginger and cardamom, but my garam masala is home made and has predominately clove in it, so just add a bit of ground clove instead, as store bought garam masala will not be the same.

"Chai" Mexican Wedding Cookies, adapted from Mom's old recipe box


1 c butter (2 sticks)

3/4 c blanched almonds, toasted
1/4 c toasted pecans
1 T vanilla extract
2 c flour
4 T powdered sugar plus about 1 cup more for rolling cookies in after baked
~ 1 t mix of ground ginger, clove, cardamom (just sprinkle them in and judge by the smell how strong you want the spices in the cookies, I like less cardamom and more ginger, for example)

In mini food processor (or coffee grinder) pulse nuts until fine. Cream butter with a hand mixer (or stand mixer) and then add sugar. Add vanilla, nuts, flour and spices and beat until incorporated.  Form 1 inch balls and place on cookie sheet.  Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes (until just toasted looking).  Roll cookies in powdered sugar while warm, and then roll again after they cool.

Pumpkin Custard and Shortbread Parfait

I had hoped to be able to post this recipe before Thanksgiving, but just didn't get a chance before I left for Japan. I created this recipe for Walker's shortbread who generously sent me boxes of shortbread cookies so I could develop a recipe for them.  I'm usually quick to decline these kinds of offers, but I've always loved Walker's shortbread so was happy to oblige.  I've also always thought my favorite custard recipe would pair so well with some shortbread cookies.....so I decided to make it a bit seasonal by converting the custard into a pumpkin custard.  It turned out perfectly, and I crushed a combination of butter shortbread and orange Viennese shortbread.  The orange essence tasted brilliant with the pumpkin.  I lightened up the texture with some whipped cream, but I think it's optional.      

Pumpkin Custard and Shortbread Parfait (link to my recipe on Walker's website)

1/2  cup  sugar
1/4  cup  cornstarch
2  cups  half-and-half
5  egg yolks
1  teaspoon almond liquor
3  tablespoons  butter
1  teaspoon  vanilla extract

1/2 cup pumpkin (not pie filling)

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4  teaspoon ground cardamom

1 cup cream, whipped

12 walkers shortbread cookies (6 butter shortbread, 6 orange Viennese cookies)

Combine 1/2 cup sugar and cornstarch in a medium saucepan. Whisk together half-and-half, egg yolks. Gradually whisk half-and-half mixture into sugar mixture in saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, and cook, whisking constantly, between 2-4 minutes - watch it carefully and as soon as it starts to thicken and "smell" like a custard remove mixture from heat.

Whisk in 3 tablespoons butter, vanilla and almond liquor.  Stir in pumpkin and spices; cover and chill at least 4 hours.  Place cookies in large ziplock bag and crush.

Layer pumpkin custard, crushed cookies and whipped cream in martini glass or parfait glass.  Serves 4.

Arigato!

Hello there!  It's been a while, and I have an excuse....I've been in Japan!  My husband has been traveling there for work and when we realized he would be there the week before Thanksgiving and the week after Thanksgiving we booked my flight over to Japan for the week OF Thanksgiving!  I can't say I missed my dear U S of A traditions all that much.....because, really, who has time to think of such things when there is Japanese culture and food to enjoy?  We were in Tokyo and Kyoto and had the most amazing time (Kyoto was charming beyond my expectations and I would go back there in a heartbeat).  We ate sushi to our hearts' content, I inhaled bowls of noodles (including some Miso Ramen that changed my life).  I enjoyed delectable yakisoba, platter upon platter of dumplings, an embarrassing number of rounds of tebasaki and lots of evenings full of yakitori and yakiniku.  And of course cups of green tea and I may or may not have had some sencha ice cream twice in one day.  I also ate the most amazing apples I've ever eaten - juicy and crisp beyond belief.  I don't know if these were Japanese apples, or, as I learned, Grade A apples from orchards in the US that never make it onto the US market because the Japanese buy them all up.  We celebrated Thanksgiving with dinner at Nobu.  Would you believe I was nearing growing tired of sushi at this point (I think the early morning trip to the Tsukiji fish market followed by sushi for breakfast may have starting pushing me over the edge).  Not quite, but I was getting there.  But everything on the menu at Nobu sounded amazing and I proved that the kobe beef gyoza, the tempura rock shrimp and the tuna tacos were more that just that.  I was only there six days, so as it may sound, I purposely overate.  I was quite determined, in fact.  Some of the things I brought back with me include Japanese sea salt, sushi rice, wasabi salt, packets of loose green tea, ceramic tea cups, bamboo trivets, and adorable bags of delicious hard candy in flavors like ginger and green tea (these are going to make great hostess gifts through the holidays). Unfortunately, it was hard to get good photos of food that I ate, mainly because it was too dark in most restaurants to get a good shot, or, I didn't bring my camera with me at night.  So there you have it.  I am back now and can't wait to have my first Japanese inspired dinner party.  Back to blogging soon!  

Mini Pecan Tarts

This is a repost of one of my favorite fall recipes that my cousin in-law shared with me.  They have a flaky, cream cheese crust, a dark buttery, gooey center with bits of pecans and a crunchy sweet top. My favorite part of this recipe is there is no stand mixer required. You just need two bowls, one to mix the crust and one to mix the filling.  You'll want to take the butter and cream cheese out well in advance so they come to proper room temperature (OK, so I've cheated before and softened them in the microwave). This is a great finger dessert for parties - I made them as part of my dessert trays for an engagement party we hosted and they are easy to whip up the morning of a party.  

Makes about 24 (one mini muffin pan)

For crust:
3 oz cream cheese at room temp
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter at room temp
1 c flour

For filling:
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 T butter at room temperature
1/2 c chopped pecans

Combine brown sugar, egg, butter and pecans in small bowl.  Mix together cream cheese, butter and flour in mixing bowl (I use a fork to cut the butter and cheese into the flour).  Form dough into small balls and flatten and then press around into mini muffin pan.  Spoon filling into each tart.  Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes.   

Chocolate Mousse with Thin Mints

I'm starting to realize that two boxes of thin mints was not enough.  I am totally powerless around them.  We had some friends over for dinner so I crushed some up and layered them between some chocolate mousse because "how bad could that be?"  This is still one of my favorite chocolate mousse recipes.  It's simple and satisfying.  This made four servings.  Four amazingly minty, cloudy, chocolately servings.

4 egg yolks

1/4 c sugar

pinch of salt

2 T cocoa powder (unsweetened)

2 oz bittersweet chocolate

3/4 c heavy cream

~ 8 cookies

chop up chocolate; set aside. In a double boiler, whisk yolks, sugar, and salt until sugar has dissolved and mixture is warm to the touch, 2 to 3 minutes. Off heat, quickly whisk in chopped chocolate until melted and cocoa until smooth (mixture will be thick). Cool to room temperature.  In a medium bowl, whip cream until soft peaks form. Whisk half of whipped cream into room-temperature chocolate mixture. Gently fold in remaining whipped cream with a rubber spatula. Divide mousse among four serving dishes (and layer with crushed cookies if desired). Chill at least 2 hours and up to 1 day.  

Corned Beef

I really like picking up corned beef brisket when I see it at Costco (usually in March, but they had them in stock recently).  I marinate it overnight and throw it in the slow cooker the next morning, and come home to the most amazingly comforting smell. When my husband and I pull it out of the slow cooker to slice it up it, the piping hot slices just fall right off and we end up eating quite a bit right then and there, and then we've still got a few sandwiches to spare.  Slather on some mustard on a piece of toast and there you have it.  I like to marinate the brisket in Shan's Hunter Beef Curing Mix which you can find in your local Indian grocery store.  It's a mix of all kinds of spices.

3 lbs corned beef brisket (it really shrinks down, to about 6 servings)

1/2 packet Shan Hunter Beef Curing Mix

juice from 1 lemon or lime

32 oz beef or vegetable broth (plus a bit more liquid to cover the meat, I used water)

Make a paste with the spices and lemon juice.  Rub this all over the brisket and marinate overnight (ziplock bag).  Place in slow cooker and cover with liquid.  Keep slow cooker on high for about 6-8 hours.  The brisket from Costco also comes with a packet of spices like coriander seeds and bay leaves, which I also throw in.

Brownies

I've never made brownies from scratch, so I figured for my first attempt I should go big or go home.  This was also the first recipe I've made from my beloved Thomas Keller cookbook.  I've loved staring at it the past month and was pleased to finally open it out onto the counter and listen to what the master wanted me to follow. These are not the kind of brownies you can consume all yourself. They are incredibly rich and incredibly decadent so they require you share them with colleagues and neighbors.  What I love about these brownies are that they aren't sweet but what's highlighted is the rich chocolate flavors - one small piece is really satisfying.  I slightly adapted them by adding in some espresso powder and cutting back just slightly on the sugar.  I always prefer a dessert that isn't too sweet, especially if it has really high quality cocoa and chocolate.

Brownies (adapted from Ad Hoc at Home, by Thomas Keller)

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup unsweetened alkalized cocoa powder (or Dutch processed.  I found some at Williams and Sonoma)

1 tsp kosher salt

3 sticks unsalted butter, cut into 1 tbsp chunks

3 large eggs

1 1/2 cup granulated sugar (recipe calls for 1 3/4)

1/2 tsp vanilla paste or extract

6 oz. 61-64% chocolate (I used Scharffen Berger)

1 1/2 t espresso powder (optional)

powdered sugar for dusting

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 9″ square pan.

Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder and salt.

In a large bowl, place half the amount of cubed butter. In a saucepan, melt the remaining half of the butter over medium heat, stirring. Pour the melted butter over the cubed butter, and stir to combine. The butter should look creamy, with bits of unmelted butter still present.

In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs and sugar on medium speed for three minutes, until light and doubled in volume. Add the vanilla. On low speed, alternate adding the flour and the butter in several additions. Stir in the chopped chcocolate.

Pour the batter into pan, and bake for 40 minutes.

Cool and dust with powdered sugar before serving.  Makes about 16.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

This is a repost, of this recipe, from Cook's Illustrated.  I took a proper picture of them so I decide to post again and rave about what a fantastic recipe it is.  Dark chocolate, semi sweet, whatever chocolate chips you want, nuts or no nuts, mini cookies or big cookies, this recipe always comes out great and it's the only chocolate chip recipe I use and I make them all the time.  Ok, I mean, not all the time, but often.  Often enough.  Just make these cookies, they are worth every calorie.  

1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 t baking soda
14 T unsalted butter

1/2 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar

1 t table salt

2 t vanilla extract

1 large egg

1 egg yolk

1 1/4 cup semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips or chunks (when I use semi sweet, I cut the granulated sugar back to just over 1/4 of a cup)

3/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

Whisk flour, baking soda together and set aside.  Heat 10 tablespoons of butter in skillet. Cook while swirling pan constantly until butter is dark brown and nutty. You'll see little brown specks throughout. Remove from heat and pour into a mixing bowl, Add remaining 4 T of butter and stir untill completely melted.  Add both sugars, salt, and vanilla to bowl with butter and whisk untill fully incorporated. Add whole egg and 1 egg yolk. Whisk until mixture is smooth with no lumps remaining. Let mixture stand for 3 mins, then whisk for 30 secs. Repeat process of resting and whisking 2 more times untill mixture is thick, smooth and shiney. Using spatula or wood spoon add flours mix until just combined, about 1 min. Add choco chips and nuts.  This recipe makes 16 large cookies or 3 dozen small cookies.  With ice cream scoop, scoop mounds of dough on to baking sheet lined with parchment paper or silicone pad.  Bake at 350 for 10-14 minutes.    

Blinis with Smoked Salmon

I'm always on the hunt for good appetizers.  Something that doesn't require a fork, and something that doesn't need to be served immediately.  I've been wanting to try Barefoot Contessa's recipe for blinis for a while, so I assigned that to myself for my most recent cooking club's appetizer theme.  I followed Ina's recipe precisely except for the dill (I'm not a big fan of dill or buying an herb just for garnish, though that photo is pretty much screaming for some). The recipe calls for clarified butter, which has a higher smoke point, but it still started smoking a bit toward my last batches.  I actually think grapeseed oil would work well, which I'm a new fan of for cooking.  These pancakes are great little bases for things....cavier, cheese, a cucumber slice, a sliced grape, so I will most likely be making them again.  I think the recipe made about 25 small pancakes.      

1/3 cup buckwheat flour

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk

1 extra-large egg

1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, clarified, divided

1/2 pound smoked salmon, thinly sliced

1/4 cup creme fraiche or sour cream

Fresh dill sprig, for garnish (optional)

Combine both flours, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, egg, and 1 tablespoon of the clarified butter, then whisk into the flour mixture. Heat 1 tablespoon of the clarified butter in a medium saute pan and drop the batter into the hot skillet, 1 tablespoon at a time. Cook over medium-low heat until bubbles form on the top side of the blini, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook for 1 more minute, or until brown. Repeat with the remaining batter. (I clean the hot pan with a dry paper towel between batches.) Set aside.

To serve, top the blini with a piece of smoked salmon. Add a dollopof creme fraiche and a sprig of dill.

Goulash

It's been a galoshes and goulash kind of a week here in D.C. and I was craving the latter, though I've never actually had goulash.  I had come across this post ages ago from a lovely food blog, and it really appealed to me, so I finally got around to making it.  I read several recipes online, and couldn't really figure what a traditional goulash was all about, so I took a little from everything and created my own interpretation.  It looks a lot like hamburger helper, no?  Well, I assure you it tastes much more homemade.  I love that the pasta cooks with the meat sauce.  Truly a one pot dish.  Really comforting and perfect to welcome fall.   

2 cups macaroni 

1 lb ground beef

1 red, bell pepper, chopped

1 onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 12 oz can diced tomatoes

1 8 oz can tomato puree

1 cup red wine

2 T soy sauce

2 bay leaves

salt, pepper

seasonings to taste (cayenne pepper, thyme, Italian seasonings)

Heat some oil in a dutch oven over medium high heat and brown ground meat.  Salt.  Next, add onions and garlic and let cook.  Salt.  Add bell pepper and then wine and let the wine reduce.  Pour in soy sauce and then tomatoes along with puree.  Add seasonings and bay leaf, 1/2 cup water, cover and let simmer for 30 minutes on medium low.  Next, stir in uncooked pasta and let cook in sauce, covered, for about 10 minutes.  Turn off heat and let sit until ready to reheat and serve (let flavors get absorbed).  

Brown Butter Apple Shortbread

I'm starting to think everything is better with browned butter.  When I brown butter (I say that as though it happens every day) my husband always walks into the kitchen saying "it smells good!".  It's butter browning and it's an amazing smell.  There should be candles that smell like browned butter.  I made this apple shortbread as an adaptation of Smitten Kitchen's peach shortbread and upon the recommendation of a friend.  I wanted to bring an apple dessert to my friend's BBQ and something that didn't require a pie server or forks.  This was the perfect answer.  Apples and browned butter is like fall in a pan.       

Apple Shortbread, adapted from Smitten Kitchen

1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) browned butter*
1 large egg
2 apples, I used granny smith, peeled, cored and sliced thin

* Melt butter in a small/medium saucepan over medium-low heat until it turns a golden brown with brown specs. Transfer to small bowl and set it in the freezer until solid (about 30 minutes).

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Butter a 9×13 inch pan, or spray it with a nonstick spray. In a medium bowl, stir together sugar, baking powder, flour, salt and spices with a whisk. Use a pastry blender, fork or your fingertips, blend the solidified brown butter and egg into the flour mixture. It will be crumbly. Pat 3/4 of the crumbs into the bottom of the prepared pan, pressing firmly. Lay apple slices over crumb base, overlapping slightly. Scatter remaining crumbs evenly on top and bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, until top is slightly brown and you can see a little color around the edges. Cool and cut into squares.

Birthday Love

Is when your Dad grinds fresh wheat berries to make his own flour and bake you bread.  You'll need a Vitamix for this one if you want to make it from scratch.  It is the most heavenly bread I've ever had, most likely because it was made with love.  It has a smooth taste of orange with bites of blueberries and a really luscious texture to it. I can't seem to get enough of it; I've been enjoying it for breakfast, and as an afternoon snack before hitting the gym.    

Blueberry Orange Bread, courtesy Vitamix

Use 3/4 cup of wheat berries in place of whole wheat flour. Grind berries into flour using a Vitamix Dry Blade container for I minute on high prior to using in recipe 

preparation: 5 minutes processing; 30 second. bake time: 60-70 minutes, yield: I loaf (16 slices)

1 cup flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 t baking powder

1/4 t baking soda

1/4 t salt

2 T butter

1/4 cup water

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

1 orange, peeled, halved

1/4 inch orange peel

1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries, thawed

Preheat oven to 350, spray an 8 1/2 in x 4 1/2 in loaf pan with cooking spray.  Combine first five ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Place butter, water, sugar, egg, orange and orange peel into the Vitamix in the order listed and secure lid.  Select Variable 1.  Turn machine on and quickly increase speed to Variable 10, then to High. Blend for 30 seconds. Pour liquid mixture into dry ingredients and mix gently to combine.  Fold in blueberries. Pour into loaf pan.  Bake for 60-70 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.

Salmon Curry

A simple fish curry is incredibly easy to make.  If you have the staples that most any Indian dish calls for as well as a can of rich coconut milk, you can create an aromatic broth and add whatever kind of meat or seafood you like.  Salmon has a stronger taste than other fish and I felt it competed a bit too much with the curry itself, but my husband loved it and its complex flavors.  Tilapia or any white fish would also work well.  I adapted this recipe from a new cookbook I picked up, the Curry Bible.  


4 salmon fillets
salt, to taste
1 T lemon juice
3 T olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 t garlic paste
2 t ginger paste
1/2 t ground turmeric
1 t ground coriander
1/2 t ground cumin
1 t chili powder
2 T tomato puree (or a small spoon of tomato paste or a chopped tomato)
1 cup coconut milk
1 green chili, chopped
2 T white wine vinegar
2 T chopped fresh cilantro


Cut each piece of salmon in half and sprinkle with salt.  Rub with lemon juice.  Let sit in fridge for 15 minutes.  Meanwhile, heat oil in skillet over medium heat.  Sautee onion for several minutes.  Add ginger and garlic paste and stir for a minute.  Add spices and let cook for a minute.  Add tomato and let cook for one minute.  Pour in coconut milk, add chili and vinegar and some salt.  Let simmer for 5 minutes.  You may want to thin out the coconut milk if you want it less thick.  Add in fish and let cook gently for 5 minutes.  Add fresh cilantro.  Serve over rice, with quinoa, cous cous or naan.