Easy Weeknight Pasta V: Garlic Noodles

Do not use a non-stick coated pan for this.  The best part about this dish is the great flavor that is developed at the bottom of the pan when the noodles are cooked on high heat to caramelize a bit.  This will involve some sticking to the pan, but nothing too terrible to clean up afterwards if you are diligent about tossing and scraping the bottom of the pan while cooking.

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 6 garlic cloves, finely minced
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce (or additional soy sauce, if you don't eat fish)
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 lb chow mein noodles, ramen noodles, or spaghetti
• salt and pepper to taste

1. In wok or large sautee pan, heat the butter and vegetable oil on medium-high heat.
2. Add garlic and sautee until golden, 5-7 minutes.  Be careful not to burn garlic.
3. Add soy sauce, sesame oil, fish sauce, and sugar. Mix well and set heat to low to keep sauce warm.
4. Cook noodles until tender, according to package directions.  Drain and set aside.
5. Set the wok with the sauce on high heat.  When the sauce is bubbling again, add the cooked noodles and toss until the sauce is well distributed.
6. Cook on high for about 3 minutes, until the noodles in the bottom are slightly brown and crispy.  Toss again to brown some of the noodles on top.   Do this a couple of times to achieve browning on several of the noodles.  You might need to scrape the bottom of the pan every time you toss, as some of the noodles in the bottom will stick.  That is OK.  Just keep scraping and tossing every 3-5 minutes or so until you have a good amount of crispy noodles.

Easy Weeknight Pasta IV: One-pot Penne Alfredo

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon salted butter
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 can evaporated milk
• 28 oz vegetarian broth
• 1 lb uncooked penne
• 2 cups shredded Parmesan cheese
• salt and pepper to taste
• roasted veggies (optional)

1. In a large dutch oven, heat oil and butter in medium-high heat.
2. Add garlic powder, milk broth and penne.
3. Bring to a simmer.  Lower heat to low, cover, and cook for 15 minutes, until pasta is al dente.  Uncover and stir a couple of times during cooking.
4. Mix in cheese and salt & pepper, cover, and let sit for about 10 minutes.
5. Toss in roasted veggies, if using.

Microwave Mug Cakes

This is the perfect weeknight dessert.  I microwave them when we are sitting down to eat, and they are perfect for dessert time.   I have been playing with many flavor combinations, and will continue to add them to this blog post as I come up with them.

Serves 4

PROCEDURE:
Place 4 wet ramekins or coffee mugs on a microwaveable platter.  Mix all the ingredients and divide batter evenly among the ramekins.  Top each container of batter with the fillings.  Microwave for 2-2.5 minutes on high, then let cool for a few minutes.  Top with a sprinkling of powdered sugar, whipped cream, or ice cream, and serve warm.

INGREDIENTS:

Chocolate:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour, 1/3 cup sugar, 1/4 cup cocoa powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 cup milk, 1 teaspoon vinegar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 2 tablespoons olive oil.  Recommended fillings: miniature chocolate candies; chocolate chips; peanut butter; Nutella; pie filling; jam

Vanilla:
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, 1/3 cup sugar, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon cornstarch, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 cup milk, 1 teaspoon vinegar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 2 tablespoons olive oil.

Coconut, guava, and cream cheese:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon cornstarch, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 cup cream of coconut (such as Coco Lopez), 1 teaspoon vinegar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 2 tablespoons olive oil.  Filling: 1 inch piece of guava paste and 1 inch piece of cream cheese.

Key Lime Pie:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon cornstarch, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 cup milk, 1 tablespoon lime juice, 1 tablespoon grated lime zest, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 2 tablespoons olive oil.  Extras: graham cracker crumbs packed in the bottom of the cup before pouring batter, and lime curd injected with a squeeze bottle after baking.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes 10 large cookies, soft and chewy.

3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ cup sugar
¼ teaspoon sea salt
⅓ cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup canola oil
1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350.

In a large bowl, mix flour through salt. In a separate bowl, mix syrup, vanilla, and oil.  Add the syrup mixture to the dry mix and mix with a spatula until combined.  Add chocolate chips, and mix until combined.  Scoop onto baking sheet covered with parchment.

Bake on preheated oven for 9-10 minutes, until the edges feel firm to the touch.  At this point, the centers will still be very soft.  Remove from oven, and let cool in pan for 5 minutes.  Remove from pan and place on cooling rack, to cool completely (or eat immediately with ice cream).

Vegan Alfredo Sauce

Makes 2 cups

1.5 cups cauliflower, chopped
1 cup slivered almonds, soaked for at least 30 minutes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, diced
4 large cloves garlic, minced
1 cup vegan milk (I used refrigerated coconut milk)
¼ cup nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Steam cauliflower until tender.  In medium sauce pan, heat oil.  Add onion and garlic and saute until soft.

Combine cauliflower, onion, garlic and the rest of the ingredients in a blender and process until smooth.  Return to pan and heat.

Homemade Cake Mix

Mix in a zip-lock bag and store in pantry for up to 3 months.   Use as you would use store-bought cake mix.


Vanilla cake:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon potato flour
1/2 teaspoon salt

Chocolate cake:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon instant coffee granules
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Kale Salad

The trick here is the hot grains.  They wilt the kale just a bit without taking away too much of the crunch.  This makes the kale a lot more palatable to pickier eaters.  

6 cups shredded raw kale
1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
3 cups cooked grains, hot (I usually use a combination of quinoa and brown rice)
1 cup dried cherries
1/2 cup roasted pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 large clove of garlic
1 pinch Herbes de Provence
salt and pepper to taste
crumbled feta cheese (leave out if making a vegan salad)

In a large bowl toss kale, beans, grains, cherries, and pumpkin seeds until well mixed.

Whisk vinegar, oil, mustard, honey, garlic, salt and pepper until emulsified.  Add to kale mixture and toss to combine.  Serve immediately, or refrigerate up to 3 days.

Southwestern variation: Replace the balsamic vinegar with apple cider vinegar; replace cherries with sun-dried tomatoes; replace the garbanzo beans with pinto beans; replace the Herbes de Provence with cumin and oregano; replace optional feta cheese with shredded Monterrey Jack; garnish with crushed tortilla chips; garnish with crushed tortilla chips.