Bean and Vegetable Wraps

I really love tasty vegetarian meals.  They often tend to come together quickly and be fairly healthy.  I typically spend very little time preparing lunch.  You can usually find me eating leftovers, vegetables and crackers dipped in hummus, or something else very quick to prepare at lunch time.  These wraps are tasty and filling enough to enjoy for dinner, but also quick enough to prepare on a busy weekday for lunch.  The cream cheese, cheddar cheese and spices add some great flavor to all the crunchy goodness of the vegetables. 

Bean and Vegetable Wraps
Yield: 1 wrap
Note: It probably goes without saying that this can be adapted to whatever kind of beans, vegetables and cheese you prefer or need to use up.  The measurements given are approximate and can easily be changed to suit individual tastes.
Ingredients:
1 large burrito-size tortilla (I like whole wheat)
1 tablespoon cream cheese
Cumin, to taste
Chili powder, to taste
1/4 cup cheddar cheese, grated
1/3 cup cucumber, chopped
1/3 cup black or pinto beans
1/4 cup corn, canned or frozen (thawed)
5-6 cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
1/2 carrot, grated or thinly sliced
1/2 avocado, chopped
Salt and pepper, as desired

Directions:
Spread cream cheese evenly on tortilla.  Sprinkle with cumin and chili powder.  Sprinkle with cheddar cheese.  Top with beans and vegetables.  Season with salt and pepper if desired.  (I particularly like to sprinkle on some salt if I have tomatoes and avocado.)  Roll up burrito-style.

Source: adapted from Mel of Mel's Kitchen Café as posted on placetobloom.blogspot.com

Apricot Almond Torte

A friend of mine introduced me to this cake recipe and I love it!  I love chocolate, but every once in a while it's nice to have a dessert with different flavors.  I love the combinations in this cake--apricot and almonds with a delicious cream cheese frosting.  I feel like this recipe speaks of my roots.  On my grandpa's apricot ranch he also had some almond trees.  I like to think he might have enjoyed this cake. 

This cake takes some time to put together, but it's a fun baking project.  One of my cake layers broke into pieces when I removed it from the pan the last time I made this.  Luckily the frosting and filling can hide a lot of errors!  Next time I may increase the frosting by 1.5 times to make sure I have enough to fully cover the sides of the cake.

Apricot Almond Torte
Note: To prepare the almonds spread whole unsalted almonds into a single layer on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees until fragrant (about 8-12 minutes).  (See elenaspantry.com.)  Keep a close eye on them so they don't burn.  Allow to cool, then process some in the food processor to yield 1 cup ground almonds.  Coarsely chop the remainder to use as garnish.
Also, if the preserves are difficult to spread, heat them briefly in the microwave.  If desired, you can also blend the preserves with an immersion blender or traditional blender to eliminate any chunks of apricot.
Ingredients:
Cake:
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup ground almonds, toasted
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream, whipped

Frosting and filling:
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream, whipped
10-12 oz. apricot preserves
1/2 cup chopped almonds, toasted

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.   Line two 9-in. round baking pans with parchment paper.  Grease and flour pans.  In a large bowl, beat the eggs, sugar and vanilla on high speed until thick and lemon-colored.  Combine the flour, ground almonds, baking powder and salt; gradually fold into egg mixture alternately with the whipped cream. 

2.  Divide batter evenly between the pans.  Bake at 350 degrees for 22-28 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.  Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely. 

3. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar and salt until smooth.  Beat in extract.  Fold in whipped cream.

4. Cut each cake horizontally into two layers.  Place bottom layer on a serving plate; cover with frosting.  Top with another cake layer; spread with half of the preserves.  Place another cake layer on top; cover with frosting.  Place remaining cake layer on top; cover with frosting.  Frost sides of cake.  Spread the remaining preserves on top of the cake.  Sprinkle with the chopped almonds.  Decorate the top edge with remaining frosting as desired. 

Source: adapted slightly from http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/apricot-almond-torte, via my friend, Yvette

Dark Chocolate Frosting

For quite a while I've been wanting to find a chocolate frosting recipe my family really likes.  I've tried some here and there, including one that uses cream cheese and sour cream.  I really wanted to love that one because it looks so beautiful piped onto cupcakes, but it just wasn't quite the taste I was going for.  One night I decided to make half batches of 4-5 chocolate frosting recipes and start taste testing.  My husband was a very good sport to help out with this project.  There were some good ones, but I kept my eyes open for more recipes to try.  Eventually I found this one and it's our favorite so far.  Some of the other recipes I've tried have a strong butter flavor, but this one does not.

I was using Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa for many of the frosting recipes.  It's a blend of natural and dutch-process cocoa.  I thought the frostings made with it had more of a grayish look rather than a rich, brown chocolate color.  Eventually I switched and started using unsweetened cocoa.  I much prefer the look of the natural unsweetened cocoa in frosting, and it tastes great too.

Dark Chocolate Frosting
Update 3/15: The last time I made this it was too thick to beat up nicely and I had to add in some extra cream.  I've updated the recipe accordingly.
Note: I decreased the powdered sugar by 1/2 cup from the original recipe.  If the chocolate flavor is too dark and you want to sweeten it a bit, you can add back in the 1/2 cup of powdered sugar.
Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups powdered sugar
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
6 tablespoons heavy cream, plus additional tablespoons as necessary
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:
1. Sift together the powdered sugar and cocoa powder to ensure there are no lumps.  Set aside.

2. Beat the butter until creamy, for about 2 minutes.  Gradually add the sugar/cocoa mixture alternately with the heavy cream.  Beat on low speed after each addition.  Beat in the vanilla and continue to beat on high speed for 2 minutes, adding additional cream as necessary to reach desired consistency.  Add a pinch of salt if desired.

Source: slightly adapted from sallysbakingaddiction.com

Sausage, Potato and Kale Soup

It's been a long time since I've had the Zuppa Toscana at Olive Garden, but I've enjoyed it at home over the last few years.  I tend to like mine heavier on the potatoes and kale and lighter on the meat.  You can adjust the ratio to your liking.  I can't remember if Olive Garden's soup has bacon in it, but next time I think I'm going to make mine without it as the spicy sausage has plenty of flavor.  A bowl of soup like this really hits the spot on a cold winter day.

Sausage, Potato and Kale Soup (aka Zuppa Toscana)
Notes: If you want to add bacon to the soup, cook four slices bacon until crispy and then slice or crumble and stir into soup at the end.  Heavy cream or half and half make for a richer, creamier soup, but the soup is also delicious with milk if you don't have cream on hand or want to cut fat calories.
Ingredients:
1/2 lb spicy (hot) Italian sausage
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
6 potatoes, thinly sliced
4 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
4 cups chopped kale (or more--I'll often add as much greens as I can fit)
1 cup heavy whipping cream, half and half, or milk
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:
1. In a skillet over medium-high heat, cook the sausage, breaking it into small pieces as it cooks.  Remove from heat, drain grease, and set aside.

2. In a large pot, heat oil over medium-high heat until shimmering.  Add garlic and onions, and cook 3 minutes.  Add potatoes, chicken broth, and water and simmer for about 5 minutes, until the potatoes are beginning to get tender.  Add the kale and continue to simmer about 10 minutes longer, until potatoes are tender and kale has softened.

3. Stir in cream (or half and half or milk) and sausage.  Heat through.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Source: adapted from gimmesomeoven.com and allrecipes.com

Sour Cream Cake

Since my mom did most of the cooking for our family, most of the family recipes I have come from her side of the family.  This cake, however, is one of the few recipes I have that comes from my dad's mother.  She raised seven boys and somehow still managed to find some time to bake.  When my dad was growing up this cake was dubbed "tooth cake" because my grandma would often make it when one of her boys lost a tooth.  Isn't taking the time to celebrate an every day moment like that absolutely wonderful?  Sometimes she would bake coins into the batter so her boys would find an extra surprise in their piece of cake.

This recipe was our most-requested birthday cake growing up.

Sour Cream Cake
Note: This recipe can be halved to make an 8x8 pan.  The baking time may need to be decreased if recipe is halved.
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cups sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups sour cream
Chocolate chips, if desired

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 9x13 pan.

2. Sift dry ingredients into a mixing bowl.  Add the eggs, vanilla and sour cream.  Beat for 2 minutes.

3. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  If desired, place rows of chocolate chips on top of cake immediately after removing from oven.

Chicken Rice Casserole with Almonds

When I was growing up, my mom made a home-cooked meal most every night of the week.  This chicken rice casserole is a recipe that survived the test of time as we have enjoyed it through the years. The original recipe calls for chopped pimientos and green pepper, but those were eventually omitted to suit the various tastes of picky eaters.  (I seem to remember being the one to pick out pimientos...)

Now that I'm trying to feed my own picky eaters, I'm grateful for a basic recipe that will appeal to (most) everyone in the family.  I love the crunch of the almonds, but leave those out of part of the casserole to help make everyone happy.

Chicken Rice Casserole with Almonds
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups cooked rice (brown rice works great)
2 cups cooked chicken, cubed or shredded
1/3 cup sliced or slivered almonds, plus additional for sprinkling on top

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan.  Whisk in the flour, salt and pepper.  Heat until bubbly and cook and stir for one minute.  Gradually whisk in the broth and milk.  Heat to boiling, stirring constantly.  Boil and stir one minute.

3. Stir in the rice, chicken and almonds.  Pour into a greased 2 quart casserole dish or 9x13 pan.  Sprinkle additional almonds on top, if desired.  Bake for 40-45 minutes.

Source: slightly adapted from my mom

Buttermilk Oatmeal Muffins

Oatmeal pancakes have become a staple in our home over the past couple of years.  These muffins are basically the deliciousness of those pancakes in a handheld muffin form.  While the muffins don't grace our table as often as the pancakes, it's nice to change things up a little once a while.  I love these with a generous slather of strawberry jam.

Buttermilk Oatmeal Muffins
Yield: about 20 muffins
Ingredients:
2 cups quick oats
2 cups buttermilk
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted and slightly cooled
2 cups flour (I use a combination of white whole wheat and all-purpose)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:
1. In a large bowl, soak oats in the buttermilk for 15 minutes.

2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line muffin tins with paper liners or grease with cooking spray.

3. Stir the eggs, sugar and melted butter into the oatmeal/buttermilk mixture.  Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Stir until just moistened.

4. Fill the muffin cups three-fourths full.  Bake for 13-16 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.  Cool for 5 minutes in the pan before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Source: adapted from a recipe I found years ago on allrecipes.com--I can no longer find the link to the original recipe, but this one is very similar