Lemon Cardamon Loaf

Cardamon is not a spice I usually use but have discovered that it can add an aromatic kick to some recipes. Like the citrus boost it gives this lemon loaf. This is not a cakey loaf but rather a firm pick-a-slice-up-with-your-hands loaf!

Ingredients:
3/4 cup butter, at room temperature
1  1/2 cups flour
1 cup icing sugar
3 eggs
zest of 1 lemon
2 tsps cardamon
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
3 tsps lemon juice

Glaze:
1/2 cup icing sugar
2 tbsps lemon juice
1/4 tsp cardamon

Beat the butter and sugar together until fluffy, then beat in the eggs. Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cardamon and zest together and add to the wet ingredients.

Grease and flour a 9 X 5" loaf pan. Pour the batter in then bake at 350°F for 40-45 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.

Cool in pan 5-10 minutes then remove to cool on a rack covered with a dish towel.

When completely cooled mix the glaze ingredients together and drizzle over the top of the loaf.

I like only a little glaze but if you like more feel free to double the glaze recipe.

Spinach, White Kidney Bean and Spicy Tomato Rice

It may not be pretty but it's darn good and nutritious! Just throw everything into one pot, uncooked rice and all, and you've got a healthy and satisfying meal on the table in about 30 minutes.

Ingredients:
2 tbsps olive oil
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp basil
1/4 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp rosemary
pinch red pepper flakes
black pepper to taste
1/4 cup tomato paste
1/2 tsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 medium onion, diced
10 oz (284 ml) can diced Rotel tomatoes and chilies or regular diced canned tomatoes
19 oz (540 ml) can white kidney beans, rinsed and drained
2 handfuls of greens (spinach, kale, arugula) roughly chopped
1 cup uncooked long grain rice
2 cups vegetable broth

Heat olive oil in a heavy bottom skillet and add the garlic, oregano, basil, thyme, rosemary, red pepper flakes and black pepper. Cook until fragrant 1-2 minutes. Add the tomato paste and brown sugar for 2 more minutes, then add the salt and diced onion. Cook until the onion softens, about 3-4 minutes. Add the drained white kidney beans to the skillet.

In goes the canned tomatoes next along with any juices. These Rotel tomatoes have just the right amount of heat for me, but you can always use regular canned tomatoes and add some chili powder so you control the heat. Or have no heat at all...your choice!

Add the spinach and uncooked rice along with the vegetable broth. Stir together and bring to a boil, then cover and gently simmer for 20 minutes.

Remove from heat, fluff up the rice, cover and let sit 10 minutes before serving.

Serves 4

Turmeric Sauerkraut

So... fermenting. Have you tried it yet? Since we're all stuck inside with time on our hands because of stay in place rules I figured why not! 

Sauerkraut fermentation promotes the growth of beneficial probiotics, you know, those healthy bacteria we keep hearing about. And with the double whammy of turmeric and black pepper in this recipe the improvement to digestion should be outstanding!
Here's a small batch recipe to get started with.

Ingredients:
1/4 small cabbage, finely sliced
1/2 small onion, finely sliced
1-2 tsps minced garlic
1-2 tsp salt (I used pink Himalayan)
1 tsp minced ginger
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1/4 tsp black pepper

Shred or finely slice the cabbage and massage with salt. Toss well with the remaining ingredients.

Let stand 15 - 20 minutes then mix again. Pack into a sterilized jar. I filled one quart size jar.

Add just enough water to cover.

Then, to make sure the cabbage stays below the water level, fill a small zip plastic bag with some water and tuck it into the top of the jar.

Cover jar loosely with the lid, you want any accumulating gases to be able to escape. Sit the jar on a tray or pan of some kind in case of leaks (I didn't have any) and cover with a dish towel.

Leave the jar on the counter for 5 days or up to 3 weeks. As a newbie to fermenting I was not comfortable with leaving the jar out for more than 5 days but the longer you leave it the more beneficial bacteria that will accumulate. Once you have reached the fermentation time you like remove the plastic bag, close the jar and place in the refrigerator. Fermentation will still go on but at a much slower rate.

Serve it any way you like regular sauerkraut. We like it on hot dogs, but you can just grab a forkful any time for a boost of health benefits! And your tummy will thank you!

It's been a year since I first went to a fermentation class but I'm glad I finally got back to it.
Here's the link to the Fermented Hot Sauce we did in that class if you want to give it a try:
https://hotandcoldrunningmom.blogspot.com/2019/03/fermented-hot-sauce.html

Ground Beef and Veggie Stir Fry

Easy, comforting and full of healthy and colourful veggies.

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
1 medium onion, sliced
1 red pepper sliced
1 carrot, thinly sliced
2 tbsps minced ginger
2 tsps minced garlic
1-2 cups greens (spinach, kale, etc)
2 tbsps soya sauce
2 tsps rice wine vinegar
1/4 tsp pepper flakes
sesame seeds

Using a large skillet or wok and on medium high heat brown the beef until quite dark. Then turn it over and brown. Add 1 tbsp soya sauce and start breaking up the meat. Remove to a plate.
Add a little oil to the skillet if needed and on medium high heat fry the onion, red pepper and carrots 5 minutes.

Next add the ginger, garlic, red pepper flakes and greens. Cook until the greens are wilted 1-2 minutes.

Add the meat back to the pan along with the rice wine vinegar and 1 tbsp soya sauce.

Heat through and serve with your favourite rice and a sprinkle of sesame seeds.

Serves 4

Banana Apple Skillet Cake

Staying at home 24/7 due to covid19 is making us all a little "bananas"!!

Ingredients:
1 cup mashed banana (2 ripe bananas)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup applesauce
2 eggs
2 tsps vanilla
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsps ground flax and/or mixed seeds
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 small apple, unpeeled and diced
2 tbsps seed mix

10" cast iron skillet

Mash the ripe banana then add the sugars and applesauce. Beat the eggs and vanilla together and add to the banana mix.
Combine the baking powder, cinnamon, flax, seeds, baking soda and salt and mix in. Add the flours to the wet ingredients in 3 additions. Mix well then stir in the diced apple.

Pour into a greased skillet and sprinkle more seeds on top.

Bake at 350°F for 35 - 40 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.

I used President's Choice Blue Menu sunflower, pumpkin and super seeds mixed pack but whatever seeds you like should be good.

Cover with a tea towel and cool about 1 hour before cutting.

Quarantine Coffee Trifle

Fancy desserts can be a challenge when you're trying to not go to the grocery store often because of Covid19 stay in place rules. But this one has pretty simple ingredients that you might just have in your pantry!

Ingredients:

Coffee layer:
2 tbsps sugar
2 tbsps instant coffee
2 tbsps hot water

Cocoa layer:
2 tbsps sugar
2 tbsps cocoa powder
2 tbsps hot water

vanilla yogurt (or cool whip topping if you have it!)
lady finger biscuits (or cake cubes)

For each of the coffee and cocoa layers blend the ingredients together than whip for about 4 minutes. The coffee layer will whip up light pretty quickly. The cocoa layer stays more saucy.
So, just start layering...

add some broken cookies or cake cubes to the bottom of a glass or bowl. Top with some cocoa sauce, then some whipped coffee and dollops of yogurt or cool whip (which would be awesome! But I had yogurt)

Continue layering until you use all the coffee and cocoa.

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
Serves 2

Repurposed Sleep Mask to Face Mask

If you have a sleep mask it can be repurposed to use as a face mask. I'd first off like to say I don't usually sew and am not good at it. So if you do I'm sure you can do a better job than me.
But here's the gist of what I did and sorry I didn't take any in progress pics but you'll get the idea.

I used a piece of cotton 8 X 16" folded in half or you could use 2 - 8 X 8" squares. The thickness of the material really doesn't matter as you have the thickness of the sleep mask as protection.
Sew the raw edges together on 3 sides (inside out if you have a good side/bad side of material) and turn it right side out.
Sew a pocket or channel across the top. This will hold a wire to squeeze over your nose.  Next sew a few pleats so that the finished piece will be about 3.5" deep.

Sew the top onto the top of your sleep mask with just a bit extending over the top. Tack the bottom corners of the mask onto the bottom corners of the sleep mask. Don't sew right across the bottom or the pleats won't open up as easily.

For the nose piece wire I used the top closure of a cookie bag which is ideal, but if you don't have that a pipe cleaner or a large paper clip straightened out could work as well. Slide your wire through the pocket.

And fold the end over the outside edge. You will be able to remove it when you want to wash the mask.

You may need to adjust the sleep mask elastics to fit the mask snuggly on your face.
And there you have it.... sleep mask to face mask. And if you still need to use it as a sleep mask just pull it up over your eyes 😀
Happy sewing!