Roasted Tomatillo Salsa Verde

This salsa is awesome! Sweet and tangy. 

lb tomatillos (remove husks and cut in half)
3-6 cloves of garlic
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp lime juice, fresh is sweeter
1/4 cup diced sweet onion
1-3 diced jalapeno
chopped fresh cilantro, up to one bunch
1 tbsp maple syrup, or to taste
salt to taste
water, to desired consistency
for an extra twist add halved husk/ground cherries at the end

Roast tomatillos cut side down in a thick skillet until they soften most of the way through, and brown/blacken on the bottom. Then flip to cook the rounded side. You can snuggle the garlic cloves in there, cut in half, to roast at the same time. It’s okay if things blacken a little. You can also roast your jalapeno if you like.

Blend roasted tomatillos, garlic, olive oil, and lime juice. Add a little water if you want a wetter salsa or your blender needs help. Add onion, cilantro, jalapeno and a little salt. Blend for a second to mix. Taste, add maple syrup if desired, more salt if needed, same with lime juice, and then husk cherries at the end if you want them. Serve with corn chips or burritos or on enchiladas etc.

Tip: if you want to make a big batch, you can roast everything in the oven instead.

Super Simple Hot Sauce

A great simple hot sauce to whip up when you have extra peppers around. You can roast the peppers for this sauce also to give it that kind of flavor. Use red peppers for red sauce, green peppers for green sauce.

1/2 cup fresh hot peppers of choice, stems removed
2/3 cup white vinegar
1-2 tsp salt, to taste

Put all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Store in a clean container in the refrigerator – flavor gets better as it goes!

Roasted Red Pepper Hot Sauce

A great way to preserve hot peppers and enjoy them little bit by little bit. 

olive oil
1 cup chopped carrots
1/2 cup chopped onions
2-3 cloves chopped garlic
6 whole chiles any kind, stems removed
1/2 cup white vinegar
1 tsp salt, or to taste

The types of chiles you use will affect the flavor and heat of the sauce. Choose any kind you like or use whatever you have. Roast the whole chiles, coated with olive oil, on a grill or under the broiler (or in a pan on the stovetop). Roast until the skins get browned and blackened in spots – gives good flavor.

Meanwhile, saute onions, carrots, garlic in a pan with a little olive oil until translucent. Once done, let the saute and the roasted peppers cool. Then put saute and peppers in a blender or food processor, and blend until smooth, adding vinegar until you get to the right consistentcy for you. Add salt to taste.

Pour finished sauce into a clean jar. Keep in the refrigerator for up to 6 months.

Makes about 4 cups.

Yogurt Raita with Shallots

From Sarah Voiland, 2011

Goes very nicely with rice and curried lentils. Raita is a typical Indian condiment. This is my own version. 

1 cup plain yogurt
1/2 tsp salt or to taste
1 tsp sugar or to taste
1/8 tsp cumin powder
1 shallot clove, diced (you can also use onion)
Other optional ingredients as available: diced tomato, cucumber, cilantro, apple, or your inspiration.

Dice shallot and put in bowl with hot water for a minute or so to cut oniony-ness (if using onions, you can cut the bite more with a little boiling water). Drain water and mix shallots with yogurt and all other ingredients. Taste and add more salt or sugar as desired. Add other ingredients if you like. You can also thin the sauce with water for a different consistency.

I usually aim for an equal balance between sweet and salty flavor, with ingredients like shallots that add a little crunch to the sauce. This gets better in the fridge for the next day’s lunch!

Warm Fruit Sauce for Pancakes

From Sarah Voiland, 2014

An easy sauce you can make with any frozen fruit. Cook it while you are flipping pancakes or crepes.

1 1/2 cups frozen fruit (peaches, blueberries, strawberries, etc.) 
3 tbs honey or other sweetener
1/2 cup orange juice or water
1/2 tsp vanilla extract (opt)
1 tbs cornstarch

Other additions:
a pinch of cinnamon, ginger, lemon juice

To prepare the sauce, mix the cornstarch with the orange juice or water (cold) in a medium sauce pan. If you use water instead of orange juice, using a little bit of lemon juice to brighten it up would be good if you have it on hand. Add the blueberries, vanilla extract, and honey, and bring to a boil over medium heat. Stir constantly until thickened. Serve warm over pancakes or other delicious things.

Cinnamon Zucchini Bread

3 eggs 
1 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
2 cups grated zucchini
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/4 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
3 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup raisins (optional)
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Grate zucchini and let sit in a colander to drain for 30 min, pressing out extra liquid.

In a large bowl, combine eggs, oil, sugar, zucchini, and vanilla. Mix well.

Add flours, baking powder, soda, salt, wheat germ, and cinnamon; stir to combine. Stir in raisins and nuts, if desired.

Bake at 350˚ F for 1 hour, or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

Blueberry Crumb Coffee Cake

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 
¼ cup cornmeal
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 stick butter, softened
¾ cup granulated sugar or maple syrup
2 eggs
½ cup sour cream
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups (1 pint) blueberries

***Topping***
½ cup light brown sugar, packed
½ cup flour
½ cup quick oats
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
dash ground nutmeg
5 tablespoons melted butter
½ cup finely chopped walnuts or pecans, optional

Grease a 9-inch springform pan. Heat oven to 350°.

Combine the 1 1/2 cups flour, baking powder, soda, and salt; set aside. In a mixing bowl cream the softened butter with the sugar. Beat in the eggs until smooth. Beat in sour cream and vanilla. With mixer on low speed, beat in the flour mixture just until blended. Spread the batter in the prepared baking pan. Sprinkle blueberries evenly over the batter.

In another bowl (or a food processor if you have one) combine the brown sugar, flour, oats, cinnamon, and nutmeg, stirring with a fork until smooth. Add the melted butter and blend well with the fork. Blend in chopped nuts, if using. Sprinkle the crumb mixture evenly over the blueberries.

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until the cake is firm and top is browned.

Let cool for about 10 minutes on a rack; remove the side of the pan and cool completely before slicing.

Yellow Springs Carrot Cake

This carrot cake was a big hit at the 2008 Picnic Feast in the Fields. 

½ cup oil (or butter)
2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
3 cups grated raw carrots
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
4 eggs, beaten
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup finely chopped pecans (opt.)

Mix oil and sugar. Sift dry ingredients. Add ½ dry to oil and sugar, mix. Alternate dry and eggs into oil and sugar while mixing. Add carrots and pecans, mix well. Bake in 8”x12” pan for an hour and 10 min at 325˚. Frost with cream cheese frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

3 oz cream cheese, softened
1 tbs milk
1 tsp vanilla
dash salt
2 ½ cup confectioner sugar

Mix all ingredients. Spread on cooled cake.

Sweet Potato Pie

1 pound of sweet potatoes
1 tsp vegetable oil
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup -1 cup white sugar (or other sweetener, if you use a liquid like maple syrup, reduce the milk by 1/4 cup)
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust

Rub sweet potato skin with vegetable oil and bake whole at 400˚ for 40 to 50 minutes, or until done. Run cold water over the sweet potatoes, and remove the skin.

Break apart sweet potato in a bowl. Add butter, and mix well with mixer. Stir in sugar, milk, eggs, nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla. Beat on medium speed until mixture is smooth. Pour filling into an unbaked pie crust.

Bake at 350˚ for 55 to 60 minutes, or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Pie will puff up like a souffle, and then will sink down as it cools.

Serve with fresh whipped cream.

Variations: Maple Bourbon – add two tablespoons of bourbon, and use 1/2 cup of maple syrup as the sweetener (reducing the milk to 1/4 cup).
Poached Pear topping – peel, slice in half, and remove seeds from 4-5 bosc pears. Boil them in a mixture of 1/2 cup maple syrup, 3 cups water, 1/2 cup brandy, with 3-4 whole cloves, a vanilla bean sliced open, and 1 stick of cinnamon, until pears are tender through. Once pie is assembled, slice the pears into thin long slices and arrange in a circular pattern covering the surface of the pie. Glaze with a few tablespoons of jelly warmed in a pan, like apricot or cider jelly. For bonus fun, add little teeny cubes of candied ginger to the jelly while it warms, and sprinkle those over the top of the pears while you brush the glaze on.