4 Recipes: Beth-Style

I love to bake and cook. It feels therapeutic to me. I love dreaming about what meals I could create. The only two things I dislike are the preparatory shopping (I can never find all the ingredients) and the need to follow a recipe precisely (usually because I’m missing at least one ingredient, due to oversight or grocery store frustration).

The result: no two recipes are quite the same! Sometimes this is a disaster, sometimes it is a great success. Here are some of my more recent successes – good luck duplicating them. Also, I have no photos. I think there is one on Karen’s camera of the bread…but that’s about it.


(I’m doing all the wrong things on this blog post: no photos, long entry, unhelpful ideas to duplicate.)

Artichoke & Tomato Pasta


Olive Oil
1 can artichokes
¾ yellow pepper
Garlic, crushed/minced
Fresh herbs (I used rosemary, salt, pepper. Would like to try basil)
Half a pint of grape tomatoes
Spinach
½ c. White wine
½ c. Vegetable stock
Pasta (I use non-white)
Cornstarch (we were out of flour)
Goat Cheese

1. Chop veggies to desired size (I like big chunks).
2. Heat olive oil in the skillet – just a bit. Two twoonies worth.
3. Add pepper & artichokes to the oil. Add garlic & herbs.
4. Brown.
5. Add white wine, vegetable stock, remainder of veggies.
6. Bring to boil. Cook pasta as usual.
7. Thicken sauce slightly with flour/cornstarch, simmer for 5 minutes with no lid.
8. Remove from heat. Drain pasta.
9. Put it in a bowl. Top with goat cheese.
10. Eat. Will be hot. (if you want spicy hot, I bet you could add chili flakes)


Whole Wheat Crusty Loaf


1. Start with a basic no-knead bread recipe.
2. Substitute in 2/3 c. whole wheat flour. Add 2 Tbsp honey, 2 Tbsp water.
3. Follow recipe directions, encrust with wheat germ.
4. EAT DELICIOUS BREAD. ALL THE DELICIOUS BREAD.


Hummus

1 can chickpeas, drained
Olive oil
Lemon juice
Salt
Cumin
Fresh herbs (I used thyme, Karen uses mint. Mint is best.)

1. Blend in food processor.
2. Taste test.
3. Adjust flavor to your liking.
4. Put in container(s). Refrigerate.
5. Eat with veggies, pitas, nacho chips. Or a spoon. Or, if you’re having a super-ghetto-night, on rice noodles with crushed cashews.*


Almond-Date Bars


Almonds (the rest of the bag)
Ground almond (1/3 of a little bulk bag)
Dates (the rest of the container)
Dried cranberries (small handful)
Flax seeds (a small pour)
Cocoa (1/4 cup-ish)
Vanilla (couple drops)
Honey (Tbsp or two)

1. Coarsely chop the dates & almonds.
2. Whip the dates through the food processor.
3. Add everything else.
4. Process.
5. Taste-test. Adjust ingredients as desired.
6. Texture-test. Should stick together when pressed, but not too sticky.
7. Process again, if necessary.
8. Dump into wax-paper-lined dish. Press firm into bar shape. Choose thickness as desired.
9. Refrigerate. Cut into pieces and EAT.


*not naming names on this one, but it may have happened.