Coconut Krispie Baked Tofu

This will be a short sweet and to the point blog. I'm sure you've all had a night swallowed up by the unexpected! I put my adorable naked 10 month old into her playpen (where she sleeps) to grab a Snappi for her diaper. A minute later on my return I realized she had peed while standing up through the mesh and was both sitting in it and licking the mesh. Ughh. This resulted in a bath, her going to bed in the crib, and the toddler in our bed.

A trip to Costco this weekend yielded a multipack of tofu. Price-wise it was a great deal on three to four meals worth of protein. Inspired by a recipe on Cara's Cravings, I jumped off from that point and created a twist that fit my pantry.

Coconut Krispie Baked Tofu
Serves 4

1 lb firm tofu
2 egg whites
3/4 cup Rice Krispies
1/3 cup coconut
cooking spray

1/4 cup soy sauce
3 TBS maple syrup for sauce



1. Preheat oven to 425. Set up a cookie rack on top of a cookie sheet and spray it with cooking spray. Pour Rice Krispies and coconut into the food processor and pulse until the size of breadcrumbs. Pour onto a plate.

2. Remove tofu from liquid and pat dry on a paper towel. Mine came in four squares which I halved horizontally and then cut diagonally to create 4 triangles per square. (16 total).

3. Crack the egg whites onto a plate and dip the tofu into it. Make sure to egg both sides. It is easiest to egg a few at a time, drop them onto the coconut Krispie plate and then use your fingers to cover them completely with coconut. Then rinse your fingers and start again. Put the tofu onto the cookie rack.

4. Bake for 5 minutes, turn down the heat to 400 and bake for an additional 10.

5. Serve with dipping sauce (mix together soy sauce and maple) if desired. I also love to saute fresh spinach and serve it on the side.

Corn Fritters AKA Pancakes for Dinner

Toddlers. One day they amaze you by hoovering everything in sight. The next day nothing will get them to eat. Fun times in our house.

We've been super frugal lately and my husband went a few months working overnights. This meant that I spent a couple of months alone with the kiddos for dinner and bedtime. (Sidenote: sarcastic "Yay") This meant that we ate pancakes for dinner. A lot. I'd strap the baby to my back and serve the toddler pancakes one by one as they came off the skillet. Pancakes are an awesome dinner because:

- They're cheap.
- They're fast.
- If I put fruit in them and use whole wheat flour they're healthy.
- Great excuse to use the amazing Grade B maple syrup a client of mine makes.
- Watching me cook them qualifies as dinner and a show to the toddler.

Now here's where we figure out if my mom reads my blog. She used to make "corn fritters" when I was little. I HATED them. I was never a big corn fan, she thought I was nuts. Basically she was serving pancakes for dinner and I was turning up my nose at them. Now I am an adult and I get it. It was an easy dinner for her to make and at the end of some days pancakes are about all I have the energy to make. So the other day I (gasp) made corn fritters. And you know what? They've grown on me.

Corn Fritters
(Serves 4)

1 cup masa harina (you could use cornmeal but the masa harina is finer and cornmeal and less likely to break apart)
1 cup frozen corn (if you use canned add a little extra flour)
1 egg
1 cup millk
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp coconut oil

1. In a bowl, beat the egg. Add the milk and masa harina. Stir until blended. Add the baking powder and salt. Mix.

2. In a skillet, melt the coconut oil. Dump it into the batter. I love coconut oil because just the residue from that little bit melted was enough to cook the entire batch of pancakes in.

3. Add corn kernels and stir.

4. Make circles of batter on the skillet and cook over medium. Flip after 1-2 minutes and try to achieve a golden brown color.

Serve warm with real maple syrup (please don't defile them with anything that didn't bleed out of a maple tree). 

Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars AKA Party In Your Mouth

Pinterest viewing can be fattening to your health. I saw a picture on Pinterest of a Chocolate Peanut Bar (they called it a Reese's bar but I really don't want to be sued by Reese's since it contains no actual Reese's) and it reminded me of my Starbucks days. I worked at Starbucks for six years. It was a great job in college and I have fond memories of sitting down after a shift with a hot cocoa and a chocolate peanut butter bar to study. Plus the recipe called for graham cracker crumbs, which leads me to the question- Why the heck are crumbs sold in such big boxers? I was more than happy to use up the rest of the box I had on these. I think it was originally from a cheesecake a few years ago.

The original recipe can be found on Let's Dish Recipes. 

I adapted it slightly to use up some extra Hershey bars from s'more season and after doing the first batch realized I would halve the amounts of the peanut butter layer to make a more balanced bar. Also, I make it in a square Pyrex not the 9*13 that was originally recommended. This recipe is by no means a healthy recipe so it's best made when you know it will be shared. Otherwise (if you're like me) you'll just grab a piece every time you open the fridge. 

1 cup graham cracker crumbs

1/2 cup melted butter

1/2 cup peanut butter (I spray the measuring cup with cooking spray so the pb slides out.)

1 cup confectioner's sugar

4 Hershey bars (1.55 oz bars) broken up into the squares

1 more large spoonful of peanut butter (roughly 2 TBS)

1. Melt the butter in a microwave or pan. In a bowl mix the melted butter, 1/2 cup of peanut butter, confectioner's sugar and graham cracker crumbs and stir until well mixed into a paste. Spray a square glass pan (9*9) with cooking spray then line the bottom with the paste. Even out the top so it is as smooth as possible. 

2. In a microwave safe bowl heat the pieces of Hershey bar and the large spoonful of peanut butter until the bars are melt-y. Stir and put back in for a few more seconds if you feel like it's not smooth enough. Just be careful, burnt chocolate does not taste good! Spread the chocolate peanut butter mixture on top of the peanut butter layer and smooth out the top.

3. Put the pan in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. Cut into squares and eat with friends! Beware they are addictive! I have found that storage in the fridge is best but taking them out and setting them on the counter for 5 minutes makes them easiest to cut. 

And yes I keep a fork & knife in the pan for ease of eating :) The fact that this many remain 4 days after I made them is a testament to my willpower.

I always have lots of help eating them.... 

No Crumb Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

My kids love muffins, particularly my toddler. If it's in muffin form she'll eat it. I love my kids but I don't love the disastrous crumb graveyards they leave everywhere after eating muffins. Enter my no crumb muffin. Yes, it's a bold statement to make but these muffins bind together so well I've even been known to hand my son one to eat in the car. These muffins are heavier than a normal muffin and have none of the "fluff" of a traditional muffin. That heaviness fills little bellies up and keeps them satisfied for hours.

See, no crumbs- even after gnawing thru one side. Chocolate face on the other hand is another matter.

No Crumb Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

makes 12 large muffins or 18 medium ones

4 ripe bananas

1/3 cup brown sugar, packed

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

2/3 cup Stonyfield Farm Lowfat Banilla Yogurt (you can substitute your favorite flavor)

2 3/4 cup flour

6 oz chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a muffin tin with cooking spray.

Mash bananas (I was lazy and just whisked them in the mixer. Add in all other ingredients except chocolate chips. Mix until all ingredients are blended. Add chocolate chips and blend until incorporated. Scoop into muffin tins. Fill all the way for 12 muffins. If you fill 2/3 full it will make 18 muffins. They puff up quite a bit.

Bake for 20 minutes. Enjoy the easiest banana muffins ever, you can thank me for the lack of crumbs later :) 

Variation: Just made these with blueberry yogurt, cinnamon, and blueberries instead of chocolate chips- still used the banana. They are awesome but turned out a creepy gray color. May use this for Halloween!

Squash and Cheese, Macaroni's Healthy Cousin

I believe that last week included a holiday known as "National Leave a Zucchini on Your Neighbor's Porch Day". Even if you don't have a green thumb, zucchini and squash in gardens tend to do what bunnies do- multiply! Then you are left with an assortment of baseball bat sized zucchinis and you're begging folks to take squash home every time they come over. One particularly abundant year I sent our UPS man off with a bag of produce.

This was one day's harvest. I swear they weren't there the day before when I looked!

If you're reading this maybe you were one of the thousands of folks "googling" - What can I do with 15 pounds of squash? Well, the childhood blue box macaroni and cheese got fancied up a bit in our house.  Whether you have kids who don't love veggies or you're trying to cut out pasta, using squash as the macaroni has delicious results.

Ooey Gooey Squash and Cheese
(serves 4 hearty servings)

A glut of zucchini or squash, I used about 2 1/2 lbs- chopped into rounds it was close to 8 cups of summer squash
2 TBS oil (I used olive oil.)
3 TBS butter
3 TBS flour
1 1/4 cups milk
1 1/2 tsp paprika
1 tsp dried mustard
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 1/4 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1. Wash the squash. I leave the skin on otherwise that texture ends up a little- well, squashy- after you cook it. If the squash is large slice it lengthwise and remove the seeds. (Bonus on this preparation is that you end up with elbow macaroni shaped slices.) Slice squash into 1/4" thick slices.

2. In a stockpot heat up 2 TBS oil. Add the squash and saute gently for 3-5 minutes flipping to coat all the slices. Turn the heat down to low and cover. The squash will continue to steam. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking.

3. In a saucepan melt the butter over medium heat. Measure out your milk. When the butter is melted add the floor and whisk gently to make a smooth paste.

Slowly whisk in the milk to form a roux (basically a white gravy). Add in salt, pepper, paprika, and mustard.

Add the cheese, stirring gently to mix. Let it heat until melted completely.

4. Pour cheese sauce over the squash and stir gently until all the squash is coated in ooey, gooey melted cheese. Serve to a happy family and enjoy!

Note: This is great in the fridge as leftovers for quick kid lunches.

Pineapple Basil Jam

Nothing better than jam and fresh baked bread!

I have a Ball jar problem. I see them in the store and I have to have them. I have stacks of flats in my home and once they're staring me in the face I spend hours in the kitchen playing around with ideas until things work.

This isn't even all of them.

Our farm share has been yielding copious amounts of the most beautiful basil. Now I love pesto as much as the next girl (maybe more, I'm allergic to pine nuts so I have to make my own to ensure it's safe for me) but I wasn't feeling inspired to make some. So I left the basil in the fridge for a few days and was the creepy lady who pulled out the bag occasionally just to sniff it.

I had been toying with the idea of a pineapple jelly when I realized that the flavors would compliment each other. It was a huge hit. Yasmina licked it off of cracker after cracker at dinner and demanded more, I used it to glaze chicken one night, and the cherry on the sundae was that it won both a blue ribbon and a best of show ribbon at our regional fair. (My husband demands that I insert here the fact that I competed against and beat Amish people. Apparently, he is impressed with their jam making skills and this elevates my win.)

She is a big fan of the giant purple ribbon.

I hope you enjoy it! This is actually a great beginner's jam so if you're just starting out try it....

Pineapple Basil Jam
(makes 6 12 oz jelly jars) and a tiny bit extra to go into the fridge for snacking

1 20 oz can of pineapple (you can use crushed or food process rings or chunks)
1 1/2 cups basil, chopped (you can use unpretty basil that has a few spots since you'll be discarding the boiled leaves)
3 cups water
1.75 oz pectin powder (Make sure you weigh this out.)
3 cups sugar

Note: For this recipe you will need prepared canning jars. For instructions on preparing jars for canning visit the Ball website, 2nd question down. You will also need a prepared ladle so keep that in mind and boil it when you do the jars!

1. Boil chopped basil in water for 10 minutes. Take it off the heat, cover &  let it sit for 10 additional minutes. Strain into a bowl discarding the basil and reserving the water. Measure out 2 1/2 cups of the basil water for the jam.


2. Pour can of crushed pineapple into saucepan.
Add the 2 1/2 cups of basil water.






3. Add 3 cups of sugar and bring it up to a rolling boil. A rolling boil means that when it boils and you go to stir it it continues to boil. Stir the mixture with a wooden spoon to ensure that the sugar gets incorporated completely.




4. Add pectin powder to boiling mixture and stir well to mix in. Boil for 1 minute at a high boil.


5. Remove from the heat and use the wooden spoon to skim the foam off the top of the jam. Discard the foam. Using a sterilized ladle fill the prepared jars leaving 1/4" of room at the top (called headspace). I visualize my pinky finger on it's side as the amount of space I need to leave. There is usually about 4-6 oz extra of jam. I put that in a container in the fridge to eat right away.

I did my 1st batch in big jars, then wised up.

6. Process the jars in a hot water bath for 10 minutes. Remove them and put them somewhere where they can sit quietly undisturbed for 24 hours. You may here occasional pinging noises as the jars settle that is okay. The next day make sure all the seals are sucked down and discard anything that did not properly seal. Label and date them and store them for later use. Yum :)

Kale & Chicken Freezer Burritos

Kale is abundant at our CSA right now. I've made kale chips, I stirfry it with apples and bacon for quick dinners but I needed to do something new. After getting some sale priced chicken breasts, I cooked the entire package and made enchiladas with half. I shredded the rest and waited for inspiration to strike. Freezer burritos went over so well last time, and the idea of a quick meal has been super handy. With it getting hot out there are days where I just don't want to turn on the oven and having these on hand will solve that problem. My husband ate a few for lunch today, pronounced them "awesome" and they were child approved as well. The trick is to use the kale as a sauce to moisten the chicken.

There is a little Vermont humor in here too. We have an entrepreneur here, Bo Muller-Moore, who makes t-shirts that say Eat More Kale. Check out his website. Chick-Fil-A is currently suing him saying he can't use that phrase because it infringes on their "Eat Mor Chikin" slogan. Crappy spelling aside- I'm sure that most people can tell the difference between chicken and kale, the fonts are completely different, and there are no Chick-Fil-A's in the state of Vermont. I used to eat at Chick-Fil-A when I lived in Texas and I can tell you I will never set foot in one ever again after seeing the way that they bully small businesses. As a business that advertises themselves as a Christian business it is very un-Christian of them, unless they're trying to pull a David vs. Goliath.

Sorry- I got sidetracked. Anyways this recipe has more chicken in it than kale but the kale is truly the star of the dish. These burritos can be made to be frozen or served for a meal.

Kale & Chicken Burritos
(makes 16)

2 lbs of shredded chicken (I had crockpot cooked mine ahead of time. Great way to use leftovers.)
2 bunches of kale (roughly 24 oz)
2 TBS oil
1/2 large shallot
8 oz shredded Cabot Pepperjack cheese (I shredded a stick of it.)
1 tsp salt
16 flour tortillas

1. In a large pot on the stove, heat 2 TBS oil. Take 2 bunches of kale, chop off the bottom stems (don't bother taking out the large piece running down the middle), and cram them into the pot.

Using tongs flip the kale around a couple of times to get a little oil on it. Let it sizzle for about 5 minutes, then add 16 oz of water. Keep it on high heat and continue to flip the kale with the tongs. The kale should start wilting. 

2. In a food processor, chop the shallot. Add the kale a little at a time, until it is all blended into a paste. Add the salt and 4-8 oz of water. You want it to be a thick sauce not runny. The shallot is important- you want to use some strong flavors when freezing items so that the taste holds up.

3. I pre-tear sections of tinfoil and plastic wrap and lay a tortilla on each one ahead of time. For photos feel free to check out my last burrito post . Dump your pureed kale sauce into the bowl of shredded chicken and mix well. 

Dose out some of the kale chicken mix onto a tortilla. I used about 4 oz for each.

Top with cheese, I used 1/2 oz. I love my kitchen scale. 

Now fold in the sides and roll it up.

Wrap the plastic wrap around the burrito, then the tinfoil. This helps to keep it fresh and to prevent freezer burn. Now label them and load your freezer! Enjoy them for quick lunches or no cook dinners on hot summer days. (3 minutes in the microwave is about right)

Pork with Mustard Sauce and Dill & Shallot Potatoes

It was hot today. Not melt your brain 108 degree hot like my Southern friends but hot for Vermont. I did a quick sear and oven bake of our pork to minimize the amount of time the oven had to be on. The end result went over well. My husband had thirds and the 8 year old gave me a hug and told me he loved me so I guess I did something right! Pork sirloin cutlets are frequently discounted in our supermarket and I personally like them better than chops so we use them a bit. Not a ton of pictures in this one because the toddler was wondering around with an ice pack on her boo-boo, the baby was spitting her binky out, and the 8 year old was questioning every single thing I was doing. In other words, a totally normal day.

Pork with Mustard Sauce
(serves 6)

3 lbs of pork sirloin cutlets
salt & pepper
1 TBS butter
2 TBS dijon-type mustard
2 TBS ricotta cheese (could also use sour cream)
1 TBS maple syrup

This could not be easier. Preheat the oven to 450 and cover a cookie sheet with foil. In a pan on the stove melt the butter. Sear the pork sirloin pieces on both sides so that you can just see a small line of pink in the middle. About 2-3 minutes on each side should do it. Lay the meat on the cookie sheet.

Put it in the oven for 10-15 minutes. It will depend on how big your pieces are. Using a meat thermometer the pork should reach a temperature of 160. The USDA recently dropped their guideline to 145 but I feel better cooking it to 160.

While the pork is cooking mix together the mustard, ricotta, and maple to make your sauce. You can use sour cream if you'd like. I always have ricotta on hand and love the creamy texture it gives the sauce.

Dill & Shallot Potatoes

(serves 6) 

6 medium red-skinned potatoes
1/2 tsp salt
3 TBS butter, split
1/4-1/3 cup milk
2 TBS fresh dill
1/2 large shallot, sliced

Rough chop the potatoes into chunks (leave the skins on) and toss them into a pan of boiling water. Boil for roughly 8 minutes or until fork tender. In a saucepan, melt 1 TBS of the butter and brown the sliced shallots in it. Drain potatoes and put them into a mixing bowl. Add 2 TBS of butter, the browned shallots, salt, and dill and mix. Add milk slowly stopping when the mixture comes together.

Serve with a green salad if you'd like and enjoy!

Refrigerator Radish Dill Pickles

Radish Dill Pickles

Early in the CSA season there are an abundance of radishes and greens to use. We eat salads nonstop and even experiment a little. My husband was NOT a fan of the mustard green juice I made :)

The ginger juice did not exactly get a "Woo-hoo" response either. 

Radish dill pickles are a new item to my lineup this year but this is now the third batch I've made. They are super simple to make as they are just refrigerator pickles. This means that I don't process them in any way- no hot water bath, no pressure canning- just good old-fashioned vinegar. I'm going to run through the steps but there will be no exact measurements. If you follow the proportions you'll be able to do this with any quantity of radishes. I had a mixing bowl full and it made 3 pint jars and one small canning jar of pickles.

You will need:
Canning jars, bands & caps
Radishes
Fresh Dill
Kosher Salt
Water
Vinegar- I use white

Soak your radishes in water for 5 minutes to remove any loose debris. Agitate the water with your hand to get dirt off of them. Dump the water and carry the bowl over to your cutting board.

Chop the roots and tops off of the radishes and halve or quarter them depending on their size. I keep a little bowl nearby to put the ends in so I can run them to the compost easily.

If you see any black spots on the outside just slice them off. If the spot is on the inside too discard the radish.

Bring the radishes back over to the sink in the bowl and give them one more rinse. Then pack them into your jars. You want to leave about 3/4" at the top for the dill. Wash your dill and take stalks of it off. Curl them into the top of the jar over the radishes. 

Pour vinegar through the dill until the jars are halfway full. 

Sprinkle about 1 teaspoon of kosher salt on the top of each jar. Fill the jars the rest of the way with water.

I top off the dill at this point. I want a lot of dill flavor so I cram as much as I can fit in there. Once your done cap and band the jars. 

Turn them upside down for about an hour on the countertop so that the dill infuses into the vinegar. After an hour put them into the fridge.

Within an hour of making them the pickles will start turning pink. I try to leave them in the fridge for at least a week before we open them to eat. They keep 3-6 months in the fridge. As a fair warning, radishes make stinky pickles. They taste delicious but they are smelly.