Always a treat we have in store

Tonight's FHE treat is . . .
Fudgy Chocolate Brownies
So sinfully rich, you won't believe they're light!

Prep: 19 minutes Cook: 27 minutes

5 Tbsp. stick margarine or butter
1 ounce unsweetened chocolate
2/3 c Dutch process or unsweetened cocoa
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 large egg whites, lightly beaten
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
Cooking spray
preheat oven to 325 degrees. Melt margarine and chocolate in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in cocoa, cook 1 minutes. Stir in sugar; cook 1 minutes. remove pan from heat; cool slightly. Combine egg whites and egg. Gradually add warm chocolage mixture to egg mixture, stirring with a whish until well-blended. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour and baking powder; add flour mixture to chocolate mixture, stirring well. Spoon batter into a 9 inch square baking pan coated with cooking spray. BAke at 325 degree for 27 minutes ( do not overbake). Cool in pan on a wire rack. Yield 20 servings

My Aunt Maija Had a Flour Thumb

My Mother's sister, Maija Karvanen had a "flour thumb". She was an excellent baker!! Our family's favorite of hers is made with something we don't have here, "rahka" and vanilla sugar, you can only get at a Scandinavian store. Growing up, our Mother used to use small curd cottage cheese, which she'd strain the whey from and mix some cream cheese with it for the "rahka". When I came across her handwritten recipe this week, I made it with ricotta cheese and it tastes pretty close, yet not perfect. Vanilla sugar looks like powdered sugar with flecks of vanilla bean in it. You can try just vanilla instead.

Rahkapiirakka Crust

150 gr. voita 1 1/3 cubes butter
1 dl. sokeria 3/4 c sugar
1 kanamuna 1 egg
4 dl vehnäjauhoja 3 cups flour
1 tl. levinjauhetta 1 tsp. baking powder

Mix the ingredients above together and press it into a lightly sprayed round quiche pan, including up the sides, to form the crust. Now make the filling below.

Täyte Filling

1 purkki (2 dl) rahkaa 1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese or mascarpone sweet cheese
1 kanamuna 1 egg
1 dl. sokeria 3/4 c sugar
2 tl. vaniljasokeria 2 tsp. vanilla

Mix together and pour onto the unbaked crust. Bake at 325 degrees for about 25 minutes or until the filling is set and a knife comes out clean.

Enjoy this taste of Finland!

Dress it up!

Dress up any salad with one of the many raw dressings below.
If you want a great CAESAR Dressing, try . . .
1 cup pine nuts
1 tbs flax oil
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
1/3 cup olive oil
1 date soaked
1 large garlic clove
2 1/2 tbs lemon juice
2 tbs water
1/2 tbs white miso (Miso Master Organic brand unpasteurized (raw) www.great-eastern-sun.com)
sea salt as needed
blend till grainy pine nuts, oil, sea salt
blend the rest

If you want to know the basics for a great raw salad dressing, Chari says "for Raw Salad Dressing Formula/Dressings, 3 main ingredients make tasty dressing
-- something acidic, a fat, and seasoning.
Mix them in a blender so flavors mix well. Will keep from 3-5 days in the fridge.
Aproximately equal parts of acidic & fat then season to taste.
Acidics: lemon, lime, tomato, apple cider vinegar, orange, grapefruit
Fat: extra virgin olive oil, flax seed oil, avocado, nuts, seeds
Seasoning: garlic, onion, herbs"

Examples:

Spicy Tomato Dressing
1 small tomato
2 T extra virgin olive oil
1 t garlic powder
1/4 t cayenne pepper (to your taste)
1 t minced fresh ginger

Oriental Twist
1/4 c apple cider vinegar
1/4 c flaxseed
1 T Braggs Liquid Aminos
1 t garlic powder
1 t raw honey

Kalamata Dressing
1 pint Kalamata olives Pitted
place in blender cover with xvoo (extra virgin olive oil)
small handfull fresh basil
blend til creamy
Optional add garlic

Orange Cardamom Dressing
1c fresh squeezed orange juice
2T olive oil
2T agave or raw honey
2t ground coriander
1t groung cardamom
Makes 11/3 c

Asian Salad Dressing
2 cloves garlic
1/2 c rice vinegar
1/4 c olive oil
1/2 c Bragg liquid aminos
2 T sesame oil
3-4 T honey
2 T sesame seeds
food process garlic til minced
add all remaining until blended

Summer Peach Vinaigrette
1 ripe peach
2T agave or raw honey
3T olive oil
1 lime, juice & zest
sea salt & hot chili pepper to taste
blend- can be chunky or not
makes 3/4 c

Caesar Dressing
4 cloves garlic chopped
2t Bragg liquid aminos
1 small lemon juiced
2T dijon mustard
2t blk pepper
1c olive oil
1/2 c raw pine nuts
food process until smooth add oil last
makes 1 1/4 c

Bok Choy Salad
Chop up and put in a bowl:
~ 4 bunches Bok Choy
~ 2 tomatos
~ 2 avocados
~ 1/2 bunch cilantro
Dressing:
~ 4 tablespoons raw tahini
~ 2 tablespoons raw honey
~ 1/8 cup apple cider vinegar
~ 4 tablespoons olive oil
~ herbs and spices (experiment with what you have available)
~ salt to taste with unrefined sea salt

It's a Wrap!

For recipe club, the theme is Healthy! I'm making Romaine Lettuce Wraps

Chari says, "Use the lettuce to fill with goodies! Whatever you love... chop & add!"

shredded carrots
thinly sliced onions
sliced avocado
home made salsa
home made guacamole
chopped sweet red peppers
Sliced pineapple


Mango Salsa
An amazingly delicious sweet/salty salsa!
~Put in blender:
2 tomatoes
1/4 of a red onion diced fine
1 bunch cilantro chopped fine
juice of 1 lemon
1/3 cup water
2 tablespoons cold pressed olive oil
1 teaspoon unrefined sea salt
~Blend on 1 for 2 seconds so still chunky.
~Add 1 mango (with seed removed) and blend for 1/2 a second so pieces still chunky.
~Add spices such as oregano or tarragon (optional)
~Add finely chopped hot peppers if desired

Chari also some great dressings to try.

CAESAR Dressing - great
1 cup pine nuts
1 tbs flax oil
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
1/3 cup olive oil
1 date soaked
1 large garlic clove
2 1/2 tbs lemon juice
2 tbs water
1/2 tbs white miso (Miso Master Organic brand unpasteurized (raw) www.great-eastern-sun.com)
sea salt as needed
blend till grainy pine nuts, oil, sea salt
blend the rest

Creamy Peach Pie
Filling:
Slice up four peaches in a bowl
Blend up Sauce:
~ two peaches ( or nectarines)
~ 1/2 a young coconut's meat (Fresh Thai Coconut )
~ dash of Celtic sea salt
~ dash of Nutmeg
~ dash of Cinnamon
~ dash of Olive Oil
~ 2 Medjool Dates
~ one tablespoon honey
Crust:
Grind up one cup of almonds with a dash of salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon
Then add
~ one tablespoons honey
~ dash of olive oil
~ four dates
Blend again then pour into bowl and kneed with hands
Form into two crusts on two plates
Stir the sauce and the filling together and pour onto crusts

Raw Salad Dressing Formula/Dressings
3 main ingredients to make tasty dressing. Something acidic, a fat, and seasoning.
Mix in blender so flavors mix well. Will keep from 3-5 days in the fridge.
Aproximately equal parts of acidic & fat then season to taste.
Acidics: lemon, lime, tomato, apple cider vinegar, orange, grapefruit
Fat: extra virgin olive oil, flax seed oil, avocado, nuts, seeds
Seasoning: garlic, onion, herbs,
Example:

Spicy Tomato Dressing
1 small tomato
2 T extra virgin olive oil
1 t garlic powder
1/4 t cayenne pepper (to your taste)
1 t minced fresh ginger

Oriental Twist
1/4 c apple cider vinegar
1/4 c flaxseed
1 T Braggs Liquid Aminos
1 t garlic powder
1 t raw honey

Kalamata Dressing
1 pint Kalamata olives Pitted
place in blender cover with xvoo (extra virgin olive oil)
small handfull fresh basil
blend til creamy
Optional add garlic

Orange Cardamom Dressing
1c fresh squeezed orange juice
2T olive oil
2T agave or raw honey
2t ground coriander
1t groung cardamom
Makes 11/3 c

Asian Salad Dressing
2 cloves garlic
1/2 c rice vinegar
1/4 c olive oil
1/2 c Bragg liquid aminos
2 T sesame oil
3-4 T honey
2 T sesame seeds
food process garlic til minced
add all remaining until blended

Summer Peach Vinaigrette
1 ripe peach
2T agave or raw honey
3T olive oil
1 lime, juice & zest
sea salt & hot chili pepper to taste
blend- can be chunky or not
makes 3/4 c

Caesar Dressing
4 cloves garlic chopped
2t Bragg liquid aminos
1 small lemon juiced
2T dijon mustard
2t blk pepper
1c olive oil
1/2 c raw pine nuts
food process until smooth add oil last
makes 1 1/4 c

Bok Choy Salad
Chop up and put in a bowl:
~ 4 bunches Bok Choy
~ 2 tomatos
~ 2 avocados
~ 1/2 bunch cilantro
Dressing:
~ 4 tablespoons raw tahini
~ 2 tablespoons raw honey
~ 1/8 cup apple cider vinegar
~ 4 tablespoons olive oil
~ herbs and spices (experiment with what you have available)
~ salt to taste with unrefined sea salt

Green Lemonade or Green Smoothie Please

Thanks Chari for sharing with me some of your great smoothie recipes to try. I love my Vitamix (www.vitamix.com) industrial blender and my Jack La Lane juicer (http://www.everythingkitchens.com/jack_lalane_power_juicer.html) when I am making smoothies.

Fruit smoothies
Bananas (ripe! can be frozen without skin in freezer- makes smoothie chillier)
Fresh fruit
Frozen fruit
water
Blend!

Green smoothies
handful greens (spinach, parsley, romaine, kale, etc..)
2 ripe pears ( any juicy fruit peeled oranges, peaches, nectarines, strawberries, etc)
2-4 stalks celery
water to cover
Blend! (more water to thin or less for thicker)

Green Lemonade
(Juice all)
1 head romaine or celery
5-6 stalks kale
1-2 apples
1 whole lemon
1-2 T fresh ginger
JUICE! Drink up!
The lemon cuts the "green" flavor.

Five Minute Tomato Sauce

Tomato Sauce
http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/five-minute-tomato-sauce-recipe.html