Vegan Dark Chocolate Mousse - final theme recipe

I promised a vegetarian dessert recipe at the beginning of the month and this from Mother Nature Network is the best.  It uses no animal ingredients and gives the rich flavor of dark chocolate.  Next month the recipe theme is zucchini, so we will have some fun with this abundant vegetable!

Dark Chocolate Vegan Mousse  

1 cup coconut milk

1 cup chopped dark chocolate (75% or darker)
1 tablespoon agave syrup
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoons candied ginger
Toasted hazelnuts for garnish

Directions

In a food processor, grate the candied ginger as fine as you can get it. The finer the better.  In a small saucepan on medium-low heat, combine the coconut milk, chocolate chunks and agave syrup. Stir constantly until the chocolate is completely melted. Remove from heat.  Stir in the cardamom, sea salt and ginger.

Pour the mousse into individual containers, like a ramekin or ½ pint canning jar. Refrigerate the mousse until completely chilled -- a minimum of 2-4 hours, depending on the size of container you use.  Just before serving, add the toasted hazelnuts.

Note: Even grated, the candied ginger has a texture that keeps the mousse from being perfectly smooth. If the texture bothers you, you can leave the candied ginger out, and sprinkle pieces of it on top with the toasted hazelnuts as a garnish. You'll still get the flavor, but with a distinctly different texture. 

RECIPE THEME

Each month a theme is chosen and a number of recipes on that theme from my massive archive will be shared.  This year we have 12 new topics, different from the topics of last year.  To find the recipes of last year, check out this recipe link or search the blog with the topic Recipe2018. 

You can search the monthly theme by looking for the theme keyword in the search box and it will pull up the recipes on that theme as posted, so look at the bottom of the recipe in each posting for the KEYWORD in the () to search for each  month.  All recipes this year will be tagged Recipe2019 so you can find them all.

The themes are:

Jan 2019 – Chicken and Dumplings (CDumpsJan)

Feb 2019 - Pasta Dishes (PastaFeb)

March 2019 - Edible Flowers (FlowerMar)

April 2019 - Seafood Recipes (SeafoodApr)

May 2019 - Cajun And Creole (C&CMay)

June 2019 - Vegetarian Dishes (VegJun)

July 2019 - Zucchini Recipes

August 2019 - National Mustard Day – mustard recipes

September 2019 - Quiche

October 2019 - Crock Pot meals

November 2019 - Pies

December 2019 - Mocktails

How Tuesday - Lighted Potpourri Jar

This is such a great item to make quickly and place in the bathroom.  It is festive, holiday themed and leaves a great scent when you have guests in the delicate room!

How to -

Step one - Gather your supplies.  You will need:

• 1 wide mouth 1 quart canning jar
• 1 string of 20 to 30 christmas lights (I got mine from the dollar store)
• potpourri
• two rubber bands
• a paper or cloth doily

Step two - Potpourri

       I suggest making your potpourri rather than buying it, but in the essence of time, you can get some store-made at your local hobby center.  Here is recipe for seasonal potpourri if you want to try your hand at homemade.

Potpourri for the Holiday

• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 2-3 cinnamon sticks, crushed
• 1 to 3 star anise, broken is fine
• 1 tablespoon cardamom pods, crushed
• 2 teaspoons whole cloves
• 1/4 cup candied ginger or 1/8 cup dried ginger root pieces
• Needles from a pine branch, or from one sprig of rosemary (about 1 tsp. dried rosemary)
• 5 to 7 slices of dried orange
• 1 to 2 tsp dried mint leaves
• 1 Tbls. dried bay leaves

Combine ingredients in a jar and shake to blend.  Store in the jar for a few days to meld the scents.

Use as the potpourri in this project or add 1 cup mixture to a medium saucepan and fill 3/4 full with water and use as a potpourri simmer on the stove.

Step three - Fill the jar with lights and potpourri

Place a layer (about 1 inch deep) of potpourri in the bottom of the quart jar.  Thread in the lights and arrange on top of the potpourri.  Plug them in while you are working so you can see your progress. 

Add more potpourri as you thread in the lights and arrange the lights and potpourri artfully so you can enjoy the lights and the colors of the potpourri together.

Top off the jar with potpourri, leaving the tail end of the light cord outside the jar.

Step four - top the jar

Place a rubberband around the top of the jar to hold the string of lights in place over the rim.  Add the doily to the top and, using the second rubber band, secure the doily in place.   Now you have a scent opening.  Tie a bit of ribbon around the rubber band to cover it.

Step five - plug in to final resting place and enjoy!

We also had the one with the multi-color lights on the book shelf in the livingroom.

Iced Green Tea Chai - Weekend Recipe

There are many herbs that are cooling and cinnamon and ginger are two of them, so enjoy this Chai iced tea on a hot day to experience the cooling effects.

Iced Green Tea Chai

Serves 4

4 cups water

1 cinnamon stick

1 Tbls. green cardamom pods

1 tsp. whole cloves

2 Tbls. sliced ginger root

4 tsp. green tea leaves

milk or non-dairy milk to taste

Sweetener to taste

Bring water to boil.  Add cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and ginger root.  Simmer over low heat for 10 minutes.  Remove from heat and add green tea.  Cover and steep for 10 minutes.  Strain and chill tea mixture.  Serve in chilled glasses with cold milk and sweetener to taste.

Holiday Spices, part 2

There are a series of Spices that are associated with the holiday.  I decided that I would share those with you in two posts.   I’ll give a small description of its uses and provide recipes to go with the spice.  Spices I have included are:

         Ginger

         Clove

         Saffron

         Cardamom

         Star Anise

        Allspice

        Nutmeg

        Cinnamon

The first half of the list was posted yesterday and the second half today. Enjoy!

This post was updated in Autumn 2018.  Some recipes were removed to be rewritten and the photographs were replaced.  

Star Anise (Illicium verum)

Star anise, probably the world's prettiest spice, is used widely in Asian cuisine. It also makes an unusual but delicious flavoring for poached fruits such as pears and plums.   I also use this spice in Backyard Patch Spice Cider /Mulled Wine Blend.

Buy star anise whole. One or two "stars" usually impart sufficient flavor to infuse an entire dish. To substitute star anise for anise seed in a recipe, reduce the quantity to one-half or one-third of the recipe's recommendation. 

Thanksgiving Star Cider

1/2 cup dried hibiscus blossoms

4 cups pear nectar

2 cups red wine

1/4 cup lemon juice

2 cups star anise

1/3 cup honey

star anise, fresh pear wedges, if desired 

Directions

Pour 2 cups boiling water over 1/2 cup dried hibiscus blossoms (jamaica) and let steep 5 minutes. Meanwhile, warm 4 cups pear nectar, 2 cups red wine, 1/4 cup lemon juice, and 2 star anise over low heat.

Strain hibiscus infusion into a large pitcher, add pear nectar mixture, and stir in 1/3 cup honey. Serve warm in mugs. Garnish each serving with a whole star anise and fresh pear wedges if you like.

Allspice (Pimenta dioica)

As the name suggests, allspice's flavor and aroma are a mixture of cinnamon and nutmeg with a touch of clove. Allspice grows primarily in Jamaica, where it is simply called "pepper" and featured prominently in jerk seasoning paste. I also use this spice in Backyard Patch Cinnful Dessert Blend.

In addition to adding deep, warm flavor to savory dishes, use ground allspice in gingerbread and other cakes and cookies. It's a good idea to buy whole allspice, which stores indefinitely in an airtight container, and grind as needed in a peppermill.

Caribbean Pork

1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce

3/4 teaspoon salt, divided

3/4 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper

1/8 teaspoon ground allspice

1 pound pork tenderloin, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided

1 tablespoon butter

1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped onion

1 cup chopped green bell pepper

2 large yellow plantains, chopped (about 3 cups)

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon habanero hot pepper sauce

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro 

Directions

Combine soy sauce, 1/4 teaspoon salt, thyme, and next 4 ingredients (thyme through pork); toss well to coat. Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork mixture; sauté 4 minutes or until done. Remove from pan; keep warm. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and butter to pan. Add onion, bell pepper, plantains, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and black pepper; cook 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in garlic; sauté 2 minutes or until plantains are tender. Drizzle with hot sauce, and stir well. Sprinkle with cilantro.

 Note: Use semi-ripe plantains--not green or soft, ripe black ones. The plantains brown better if not stirred too much as they cook. 

Nutmeg (Myristica fragrans)

Nutmeg is the kernel of the fruit of a tropical evergreen tree. Each kernel comes wrapped in a lacy covering that we use separately as the spice mace. Nutmeg and mace share a warm, sweet, musky flavor suited to cakes, cookies, and other desserts. Nutmeg has an affinity with dairy, too—it is excellent in milky desserts and drinks. 

Use nutmeg freshly grated or milled. Nutmeg mills pass the spice over a sharp blade, shaving off minute amounts. Except in cakes, add nutmeg toward the end of cooking to retain its evanescent aroma and warm, spicy flavor. I also use this spice in Backyard Patch [Cinnful Dessert Blend].

Fresh Fruit Salad with Nutmeg-Cinnamon Syrup

2 cups thinly sliced Granny Smith apple (about 1 large apple)

2 cups thinly sliced ripe pear (about 1 large pear)

1 cup sliced strawberries

1/2 cup orange sections (about 1 orange)

1/2 cup sliced banana (about 1 medium)

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl. Drizzle with juice; toss gently.

Combine maple syrup, nutmeg, and cinnamon in a small saucepan. Cook over low heat 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Spoon over fruit, and toss gently. Serve immediately.

Cinnamon (Cinnamomum zelanicum)

Cinnamon comes from the aromatic bark of a tree native to Sri Linka, India, and Burma.  It's a traditional ingredient in gingerbread, cider or mulled wine, and chocolate cakes and desserts. 

Cinnamon is also good with apples and pears, and tempers savory dishes like this lamb tagine. This is the main spice in Backyard Patch Cinnful Dessert Blend.

You can buy cinnamon as sticks, or ground; however, cinnamon sticks have a sweeter, subtler flavor and a longer shelf life than ground. Whole cinnamon is best ground in a clean coffee mill.

Cinnamon Sugar Cookies

1 cup granulated sugar

6 tablespoons butter, softened

1 tablespoon light corn syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 large egg

1 cup cake flour (about 4 ounces)

3/4 cup all-purpose flour (about 3 1/3 ounces)

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 cup turbinado sugar (or brown sugar)

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

 Place granulated sugar and butter in a bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 3 minutes). Add corn syrup, vanilla, and egg; beat 3 minutes or until well blended.

Lightly spoon cake flour and all-purpose flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon. Add flour mixture to butter mixture; stir until just combined. Wrap in plastic wrap; chill 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 375°.    Combine turbinado sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon in a small bowl. Shape dough into 48 balls, about 1 teaspoon each. Roll balls in cinnamon-sugar mixture. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 375° for 12 minutes or until golden on bottom. Cool on wire racks.

Note: If you prefer a slightly chewier cookie, reduce baking time to 10 minutes. A sprinkling of large-grained turbinado sugar makes a pretty presentation to attract bake sale buyers.

I hope you enjoyed this exploration of spices.  We will repost some of the removed recipes in Fall 2018.

Holiday Spices, part 1

There are a series of Spices that are associated with the holiday.  I decided that I would share those with you in two posts.   I’ll give a small description of its uses and provide recipes to go with the spice.  Spices I have included are:

             Ginger

             Clove

             Saffron

             Cardamom

             Star Anise

             Allspice

             Nutmeg

             Cinnamon

The first half of the list will be posted today and the second half tomorrow. Enjoy!  

NOTE - This post was updated in Autumn 2018, new information was added, pictures were replaced and some recipes were removed to be rewritten.  

Ginger (Zingiber officinale)

Ginger's warm, slightly woody flavor makes it one of the world's favorite spices. By and large, fresh ginger is used in savory cooking, while dried or ground ginger is favored for sweet dishes. I also use this spice in Backyard Patch Cinnful Dessert Blend.

Choose the freshest, youngest-looking ginger you can find—old rhizomes tend to be fibrous, tough, and not so flavorsome. It will keep two to three weeks in the refrigerator. Or store whole fresh ginger in a refrigerated jar of sherry, and use both ginger and sherry in Asian dishes. Ground ginger loses its aroma and flavor quickly, and it should be used within two or three months.

Pear and Ginger Crisp

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup water

1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon rind

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

2 1/2 pounds pears, peeled, cored, and sliced

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into small pieces

1 1/2 (1-ounce) slices white bread

1/4 cup slivered almonds, ground

1/4 cup finely chopped pecans

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add first 6 ingredients; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Place pear mixture in a 2-quart casserole lightly coated with cooking spray. 

Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons ginger, and salt; cut in butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal.

Place bread in a food processor; pulse 10 times or until crumbs measure 3/4 cup. Stir breadcrumbs and nuts into flour mixture.  Sprinkle flour mixture evenly over pear mixture. Bake at 350° for 40 minutes or until filling is bubbly and topping is golden.

Note: The slight heat of ground ginger brings out the sweetness of the pears. Ground gingerroot is far more intense and peppery than fresh. If you prefer only a hint of ginger, omit it from the topping.

Cloves (Syzyium aromaticum)

Cloves are an ancient spice, used for millennia in China and imported by the Romans. Cloves are the dried flower buds of a tree with an intensely sharp, slightly bitter taste. Use sparingly as they can overpower other flavors. In holiday cooking, cloves traditionally appear ground in gingerbread and fruitcake, and whole in mulled wine or for studding baked and glazed hams. I also use this spice in Backyard Patch Cinnful Dessert Blend.

Use cloves whole or ground. If you use whole cloves to flavor a dish, make sure to remove them before serving, as in this fresh ham recipe. Cloves don't need toasting before use.

Baked Ham

1 (8-pound) 33%-less-sodium smoked, fully cooked ham half

2 teaspoons whole cloves

2 cups apple juice, divided

2 tablespoons dark brown sugar

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard 

Directions: 

Place ham in a large Dutch oven or stockpot. Cover with water to 2 inches above ham; cover and refrigerate for 24 hours. Drain; rinse well with warm water. Drain. Preheat oven to 325°.

Trim fat and rind from ham. Score outside of ham in a diamond pattern; stud with cloves. Place ham, skin side down, on the rack of a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Place rack in pan; pour 1 cup apple juice over ham. Cover ham loosely with foil. Bake at 325° for 2 1/2 hours, basting occasionally with remaining 1 cup apple juice.

Remove ham from oven (do not turn oven off); uncover ham. Combine sugar and mustard; brush over ham. Bake, uncovered, at 325° for 30 minutes or until a thermometer inserted into thickest portion registers 140°. Place ham on a cutting board; cover and let stand 10 minutes before slicing.

NOTE: Soaking the ham in water draws out some of the sodium so the ham won't taste too salty.

Saffron (Crocus sativus)

The yellow-orange stigmas from a small purple crocus make up the world's most expensive spice. The prices comes from the extremely labor-intensive way it must be harvested.  Each crocus flower provides only three stigmas, which must be hand-picked then dried. Fortunately, a little saffron goes a long way, only a few dried stigmas are needed to color a dish and impart an aromatic slightly bitter quality. This spice is integral in many traditional dishes such as the Swedish saffron buns, risotto milanese, bouillabaisse, and paella.  Best known for its use with rice, saffron also combines well with honey, pears, rosemary, garlic, and onions, and ginger and cardamom.  

Powdered saffron loses its flavor and can often be adulterated with imitations, so for best flavor buy a small quantity of high-quality threads, and crush or steep just before using. For most dishes, saffron is best soaked in a few tablespoons of warm liquid to allow the color and flavor to develop fully before adding to the rest of the ingredients. It is easy to use too much, which gives an unpleasant medicinal tang to the dish, so never double the amount, even if you double the recipe, without tasting it with the original measurement first. Store saffron airtight in a cool, dark place.

Holiday Saffron Cake

6 tablespoons butter, softened

1/4 cup sugar, divided

1 large egg

3/4 cup milk

1/4 teaspoon saffron threads

1 3/4 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup golden raisins

10 almonds

1 teaspoon pearl sugar (sugar crystals) 

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°.   Place butter and all but 1 teaspoon sugar in a bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy (about 5 minutes). Add egg; beat until well combined.

Heat milk in a small pot over medium heat. Crush saffron with remaining 1 teaspoon sugar in a mortar or small dish. Remove milk from heat; add saffron sugar to pot, and stir. Cover and let steep 5 minutes.

 Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.  Add flour mixture and milk mixture alternately to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture, blending well after each addition. Stir in raisins.

Scrape batter into a lightly greased 8-inch round cake pan. Arrange almonds on top of batter; sprinkle evenly with pearl sugar. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until tester inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes on a wire rack; remove cake from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.

Note:  This cake isn't overly sweet, but it is topped with pearl sugar, which you can sometimes find among the icing and cake decorating items in the grocery store. Regular granulated sugar would work in a pinch, but we highly recommend using either pearl or turbinado sugar. Make sure to use high-quality saffron threads.

Cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum)

Cardamom comes from the same family as ginger and turmeric. The best pods will be pale sage green and have sticky black seeds inside. They are intensely aromatic and have an orangey flavor that works well in sweet and savory dishes.

Cardamom's essential oils are volatile, so ground cardamom's flavor dissipates quickly. Bruise whole pods before using to allow the flavor to escape—press down on them with the blade of a knife until the pod opens. If the seeds are dry and light brown, they are old and have lost their flavor and aroma. Discard those pods.

Orange with Carmel and Cardamom Syrup

1/2 cup water

2 cardamom pods, crushed

6 tablespoons sugar

5 medium navel oranges (about 2 1/4 pounds)

1 cup whole-milk Greek yogurt

2 tablespoons honey

1/8 teaspoon orange water or orange juice

Mint sprigs (optional)

Directions
Combine 1/2 cup water and cardamom in a small, heavy saucepan; bring to a boil. Remove from heat; cover and let stand 20 minutes. Strain through a fine sieve over a small bowl; discard solids.

Combine 1 tablespoon cardamom water and sugar in pan over medium heat, and cook for 9 minutes or until sugar is melted and barely golden (do not stir). Increase heat to medium-high, and cook for 1 minute or until mixture darkens to a deep amber. Remove from heat; carefully pour remaining cardamom water down the side of the pan. When adding the cardamom water to the caramel, pour down the side of the pan to prevent the caramel from sputtering too much.  Return pan to medium-high heat; stir until well blended. Remove pan from heat.

Peel oranges. Cut each orange crosswise into 6 slices. Arrange slices on a rimmed platter; pour hot syrup over oranges. Cover and chill overnight.

Combine yogurt, honey, and orange-flower water in a small bowl. Serve yogurt mixture with oranges. Garnish with mint sprigs, if desired.

Note:  Orange-flower water infuses this simple dessert with Moroccan flair; look for it in gourmet markets or Middle Eastern grocery stores. Chilling overnight is crucial for imbuing the oranges with flavor.