Red Cabbage with Shallots and Apple Sauce (V)

This is a traditional Swedish Christmas dish that I added shallots to. It's easy to make, but needs to simmer for close to an hour.

Ingredients:
1 head red cabbage 2 - 3 lbs
4 shallots
3 tbsp vinegar or to taste
3 tbsp maple syrup (or Swedish syrup or molasses)
1/2 tsp salt or to taste
2/3 cup apple sauce
ground black pepper to taste
1 - 2 tbsp cooking oil
5 - 10 whole cloves

1. Peel and slice shallots thinly and add to a large pot. Fry in cooking oil until until translucent and slightly brown
2. Slice cabbage thinly (I use a mandolin).
3  Add cabbage to shallots and cover with lid. Let sit on low heat until cabbage starts to wilt then stir and add the remaining ingredients.
4. Let simmer on low heat for at least 40 minutes stirring occasionally.
5. Taste and add more spices and/or vinegar/syrup if necessary.

Mashed Sweet Potatoes (V)

2 - 3 sweet potatoes
1 apple
1/2 - 1 cup coconut milk
1 vegetable bouillon cube
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground cardamon
1/3 cup raisins or dried cranberries

Peel (optional) and cut potatoes and apple in pieces (remove seeds and seed pods from apple) and put in a pot. Almost cover with water and bring to a boil. Add bouillon cube, lower heat and cover with a lid. Cook until soft. Remove broth and save for later. Add spices and mash potatoes and apples, adding coconut milk, maple syrup and broth until reaching desired texture. Then mix in raisins. If you prefer softer raisins, soak them for 10 minutes in water before adding to the mix.

Festive Chocolate Cupcakes (V)

Raspberries are my favorites berries and I love how their flavor enhances the taste of dark chocolate. For my July birthday my daughter Ingrid surprised me with homemade Chocolate-Raspberry Cupcakes. They had a slight resemblance to a scrumptious chocolate cake we enjoyed at Mildreds in London in June 2012. Ingrid's recipe is a combination of parts from Chef Chloe's Chocolate Strawberry Chortcakes, Chef Chloe's raspberry sauce (from her Tiramisu-cupcake recipe) and Ingrid's own tasty chocolate-raspberry frosting.

Chocolate Cupcakes

• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup coffee
• ½ cup canola oil
• 2 tablespoons white or apple cider vinegar
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 (12-cup) cupcake pans with 14 cupcake liners. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together coffee, oil, vinegar, and vanilla. Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and whisk until just combined. Do not over mix.

Fill the cupcake liners about two-thirds full with batter. Bake for 16 to 18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out clean with a few crumbs clinging to it. Cool the cupcakes completely before frosting.

Raspberry Sauce

• 1 cup raspberries (fresh or frozen)
• ½ cup agave nectar or sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
• dash of salt

In small saucepan, heat raspberries and agave over medium heat until raspberries wilt down. Let simmer on low for 5 minutes until the mixture becomes a pourable consistency. Remove from heat and mix in vanilla, lemon juice, cinnamon, and salt. Taste and adjust sweetness by adding more agave if necessary. Let cool in refrigerator.

Chocolate Raspberry Frosting (generous, enjoy extra as mousse)

• 8 oz vegan cream cheese
• 5 oz raspberries (frozen or fresh)
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 5 tbsp Earth Balance/margarine
• 1 cup semi-sweet or dark chocolate
• 1/2 tsp vanilla

Melt chocolate and fat together in a pot on low heat, continuously stirring. Whip "cream cheese", vanilla and sugar until fluffy. Add raspberries and chocolate/fat and mix until all ingredients are well blended.

Raspberries and toasted almonds for decor.

Assembly:
Let cupcakes cool completely. Cut a small cone-shaped hole in the middle and add raspberry sauce in the opening. Cut off the piece of cupcake that originally filled the hole and place top back on top of raspberry filling.  For tips on how to fill cupcakes click here. Top with a generous amount of chocolate-raspberry frosting. Decorate with raspberries and toasted almonds, or be creative and decorate with something else. Enjoy!

Gravlax (cured salmon) & Mustard Sauce

This is a Swedish favorite of mine. It has taken many years of practice to get it right. One trick is to omit the weight on top of the fish while curing that some gravlax recipes call for and go lightly on the sugar/salt mix. Sauce recipe below can be varied - doesn't have to be French mustard, but don't add sugar if using sweet mustard.

Ingredients:
One large salmon file with skin to add flavor, but no bones
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup salt
1 bunch of dill

1. Mix sugar and salt
2. Cut file in half and rub all over the non-skin side with salt-sugar mix. If too much salt/sugar, save mix for next time. Cover with dill.
3. Put salmon pieces together, skin side out on a bed of dill in a dish with edges to prevent the liquid which will emerge from the salmon from messing up your fridge.
4. Cover dish with plastic wrap and place in fridge.
5. After 24 hours, turn salmon files upside down.
6 After 48 hours, remove dill, rinse off salt and sugar, pat salmon dry and slice thinly. Decorate with dill. Serve with mustard sauce (recipe below), boiled potatoes and cucumber salad.

Mustard sauce
3 tbsp French mustard (Dijon)
1 1/2 tbsp sugar
3/4 cup canola oil
1 - 1 1/2 tbsp white vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
Lots of chopped dill

Mix mustard, vinegar, sugar and spices. Slowly whisk in oil. Add generous amounts of finely chopped dill. If you like it smoother you can add an egg yolk and some sour cream. Cooking is no exact science.

Sauce can also be altered by adding sour cream and horseradish.

Chef Chloe's Vegan Mac N' Cheese (V)

I have served this Mac N' Cheese dish many times and it never fails to please. In place of cheese this recipe uses nutritional yeast.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound elbow macaroni
• 3 cups broccoli florets
• ¼ cup vegan margarine
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour (or gluten-free all-purpose flour)
• 3 cups soy, almond, or rice milk
• ½ cup nutritional yeast
• 2 tbs tomato paste
• 2 teaspoons sea salt
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 tbs lemon juice
• 1 tbs agave nectar

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add macaroni and cook according to package directions. Add broccoli for the last 5 minutes of boiling and let cook until broccoli is fork tender. Drain and return to pot.
Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, make a roux or paste by whisking the margarine and flour over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes. Add nondairy milk, yeast, tomato paste, salt, and garlic powder to the saucepan and bring to a boil, whisking frequently. Reduce heat to low and let simmer until the sauce thickens. Adjust seasoning to taste and stir in lemon juice and agave. Toss the noodles and broccoli with the sauce and serve immediately.

Pickled vegetables (V)

Before refrigerators became common, people used to pickle food as a way of preservation. Last week's New York Times had the recipe above called Giardiniera for pickled vegetables, which I tweaked a little to suit my Scandinavian palate. Four serrano chiles and 1 tsp pepper flakes are definitely too hot for me. I had no celery seeds so I substituted with dill weeds and it gave a lovely hint of Sweden, where dill is a common spice in pickle recipies. Also, I doubled the amount of dressing:
Veggies:
2 Serrano chiles, thinly sliced with seeds removed
2 red bell peppers cut in 1/2 inch pieces
2 stalks of celery, sliced
2 carrots, julienned
1 medium head of cauliflower, cut in florets
1/2 cup salt

Dressing:
4-5 cloves garlic, slivered
1 tbsp oregano
1 tbsp Italian spice mix
1 tsp dill weeds
2 tsp crushed black pepper corns
2 cups white vinegar
1 1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup olive oil

1. In a bowl, mix cut vegetables with salt, making sure everything is well combined. Cover with water and let sit at room temperature for 10 - 12 hours. This can be done in the evening or in the morning before going to work.
2. Mix dressing ingredients well until emulsified.
3. Rinse vegetables well and put in two sterilized one-quart jars. Push to get all veggies in if necessary. Cover with dressing and let sit in the refrigerator for 2 - 3 days before serving. Will keep for about three weeks.

Calamari Salad

My son's current favorite food is Calamari Salad from Scotto's Italian in Hampton Bays, NY. This is my copy attempt:

2 lbs cleaned squid
3 thinly sliced celery stalks
1 yellow or orange pepper, cut in pieces
2 - 3 thinly sliced shallots
8 - 10 Calamata olives, pitted and diced
3 - 4 Campari tomatoes

Dressing
3 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
11/2 tsp Italian spice mix
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

1. Thinly slice squid and boil in lightly salted water until opaque, about one minute. Do not over boil. Toss squid with ice cubes to stop from further cooking.
2. Whisk dressing together and add sliced shallots. Let sit while you slice remaining ingredients.
3. Add remaining ingredients and save a few tomato wedges for decoration.
4. Cool for a couple of hours before serving, turning content upside down a couple of times to better distribute the flavors.

Apple Crisp Pie with Oatmeal

This oatmeal crisp pie was adapted from a Swedish recipe

3 apples (Jonathan or other baking variety)
1 2/3 cups oatmeal
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup regular sugar
1 x 8 oz stick margarine
cinnamon

Oven 405 F for 25 minutes or until apples are soft.
1. Mix butter, 1/2 cup brown sugar (or regular sugar) and oatmeal until you have a coarse mixture.
2. Butter a pie form
3. Peel and remove seeds from apples. Cut into wedges or cubes.
4. Distribute apples evenly across form and sprinkle with 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon. Cover with oatmeal mixture and bake for about 25 minutes.
Serve with whipped cream or vanilla sauce

Curried Squash and Apple Soup (V)

Winter time is perfect for hearty soups. This recipe is from a Wild by Nature Market circular. Instead of roasting cumin and coriander seeds, I am using already powdered spices to save time.

2 cups chopped onions
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 1/2 tbsp cumin seeds
2 tbsp coriander seeds
2 tsp salt
6 cups/3 lbs peeled, seeded and cubed butternut squash
2 cups peeled, seeded and cubed apples
2 cups peeled and cubed sweet potatoes
4 cups water

Topping
10 oz fresh chopped spinach
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp vegetable oil

1. Saute chopped onions in vegetable oil until translucent.
2. Toast cumin and coriander seeds in a skillet until fragrant and grind to powder.
3. Add spices and remaining ingredients to soup and bring to a boil, then let simmer for about 30 minutes or until all ingredients are tender.
4. While soup is simmering, saute topping garlic in vegetable oil on low heat until golden. Add fresh spinach, crank heat up and stir until spinach has wilted and liquid is gone.
5. Puree soup in blender. Add water if too thick.

Serve with spinach topping and a nice crusty bread.

Carrot Cake (V)

This carrot cake recipe uses ground flax seeds instead of eggs. By combining ground flax seeds with hot water, you'll get a mixture with an egg resembling texture and a nice nutty flavor. A rule of thumb is a tablespoon ground flax seed per egg.

Use a 9 inch form with removable bottom. If you like a double layer cake, make two 9" forms and add a layer of frosting between (frosting recipe after the cake recipe).

1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup raisins
2 cups grated carrots
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup apple sauce
4 tbsp ground flax seeds mixed with 4 tbsp warm water
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 cups flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder

1. Mix flax seeds with warm water and stir - you'll get a jelly resembling mass
2. Add remaining wet ingredients (vegetable oil, apple sauce, vanilla extract and grated carrots).
3. In another bowl, mix dry ingredients (sugar, flour, salt, spices, baking soda and baking powder).
4. Combine dry and wet ingredients, add raisins and walnuts.

Pour in a greased 9 " form and bake for about 35 - 40 minutes in 325 F or until a tooth pick comes out clean and cake separates from form.

Let cool.

Frosting
8 oz box of vegan cream cheese
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup confectioner's sugar
Cream ingredients together and cover cake. Enjoy!

Due to the comparatively low amount of sugar in this frosting it is not as light and fluffy as frostings with more fat and sugar, which I find too sweet. 

Chocolate Chip Cookies

This is a step-by-step guide to my husband's scrumptious chocolate chip cookies. An urban legend says this recipe hails from Mrs. Fields. My husband omitted nuts, which can be added if desired.

Start by creaming together:
1 lb room temperature butter
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups dark brown sugar
2 cups regular sugar
Add 4 eggs after creaming sugar, vanilla and butter

Step 2:
Prep the the dry ingredients:
1. Grate 5 cups oatmeal into flour
2. Grate 12 oz bar of milk chocolate

Step 3:
Mix grated oatmeal and chocolate with:
4 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt

Step 4: Combine dry and creamy ingredients and add 24 oz (3 - 4 cups) of semi-sweet chocolate chips

330 F for 8 -10 minutes depending on desired texture and oven personality

We divide the dough into rolls enough for 6 - 8 cookies, wrap them in wax paper and keep these in the freezer. This way we can enjoy freshly baked cookies in less than 30 minutes - just zap in the microwave for about  20 seconds, slice, put on cookie sheet and bake (toaster oven is the fastest).