Double Dessert

Since we haven't had many breakfast recipes on the blog so far, I thought that I'd start this post off with a delicious breakfast scone recipe. In addition to the scone recipe below, I found and made a great cake with a unique combination of flavors.

Cranberry-Almond Scones

Ingredients

2 cups Original Bisquick mix

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/3 cup heavy whipping cream (or milk)

3 tablespoons sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

Slivered almonds

Additional heavy whipping cream

Additional sugar

Instructions

• Heat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray.
• Stir Bisquick mix, cranberries, 1/3 cup whipping cream, 3 tablespoons sugar, the egg, and vanilla until soft dough forms.
• Pat into 8 inch circle on cookie sheet (if dough is sticky, dip fingers in Bisquick).
• Brush circle with additional whipping cream, sprinkle slivered almonds, then sprinkle with additional sugar.
• Cut into 8 wedges, but do not separate.
• Bake about 12 minutes or until golden brown; carefully separate. Serve warm and enjoy!

Rosemary Olive Oil Cake

(original recipe found here)

Dry Ingredients

3/4 cup spelt flour

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking power

3/4 teaspoon (kosher) salt

Wet Ingredients

3 eggs

1 cup olive oil

3/4 cup whole milk

Other Ingredients

1 1/2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, finely chopped

5 ounces (140 grams) dark chocolate (70 - 82 % cacao), irregularly chopped into 1/2 inch pieces

2 tablespoons sugar for top crunch

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350F. Rub a 9 1/2-inch fluted tart pan with olive oil.
• Sift the dry ingredients into a large bowl, pouring any bits of grain or other ingredients left in the sifter back into the bowl. Set aside.
• In another large bowl, whisk the eggs thoroughly.
• Add the olive oil, milk and rosemary and whisk again.
• Using a spatula, fold the wet ingredients into the dry, gently mixing just until combined. Stir in 2/3 of the chocolate.
• Pour the batter into the pan, spreading it evenly and smoothing the top. Sprinkle with the remaining chocolate and run a fork along the length of the chocolate so that the batter envelops it just a bit. Sprinkle with the second sugar.
• Bake for about 40 minutes (even a little less because cake can dry out easily), or until the top is domed, golden brown, and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
• The cake can be eaten warm or cool from the pan, and garnished with whipped cream, fruit (strawberries or raspberries), and some chocolate syrup. Enjoy!

A Mediterranean Meal

While browsing through my favorite bookstore, Schuler Books & Music, I found a great cookbook with recipes from some of my favorite countries' cuisines. The book, The Essential Mediterranean Cookbook, was on sale for a steal, so I bought it and decided to experiment. After the recipes turned out so well, I am excited to try more.

I selected Psari Plaki, a Greek fish recipe, for the main dish (found on page 38) and a North African cucumber, feta, mint, and dill salad to accompany it (found on page 251). Find the recipes retyped below and enjoy!

Psari Plaki - baked fish with tomato and onion

Ingredients

1/4 cup olive oil

2 onions, finely chopped

1 small stick of celery, finely chopped

1 small carrot, finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic, chopped

13 oz (400g) can of chopped tomatoes

2 tablespoons tomato passata (I couldn't find this, so I used tomato paste)

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon sugar

2 oz (50g) day-old white bread (I used packaged bread crumbs instead)

1 lb 2 oz (500g) white fish fillets, such as snapper or cod

3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius).
• Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in frying pan. Add onion, celery, and carrot. Cook over low heat for 10 minutes, or until soft.
• Add garlic, cook for 2 minutes, then add chopped tomato, passata, oregano, and sugar. Simmer for 10 minutes, occasionally stirring, until reduced & thickened.
• Stir chopped parsley and lemon juice into sauce. Season to taste.
• Arrange fish in single layer in baking dish. Pour sauce over fish. Scatter breadcrumbs all over the top, then drizzle remaining olive oil over fish.
• Bake for 20 minutes, or until fish is cooked.

Cucumber, Feta, Mint, and Dill Salad

Ingredients

4 oz (120g) feta cheese

4 cucumbers

1 small red onion, thinly sliced

1.5 tablespoons fresh dill, finely chopped

1 tablespoon dried mint

3 tablespoons olive oil

1.5 tablespoons lemon juice

Instructions

• Crumble feta and place in large bowl. Peel and seed the cucumbers, cut into 1/2 inch dice. Add cucumbers to bowl along with the onion and dill.
• Grind mint in a mortar and pestle. Combine with the oil and juice, then season with salt & black pepper. Pour over salad and toss.

Summertime Couscous

Last week, my family and cousins from out of state got together for a big summer cookout. Although we had only one committed vegetarian in our midst, the family chefs ended up selecting a vegetarian dish for our entrée. We copied the recipe from Food Network's website, and the dish was a hit with the whole crowd. Total preparation and cooking time was under a half hour, and since we doubled the recipe (and our grill died out), we sauteed some of the veggies. We also used 3 boxes of Near East couscous (2 boxes of Near East Parmesan couscous and 1 box of Near East Garlic & Olive Oil couscous).

I suggest a large fruit salad to accompany the couscous. I used half a watermelon (diced), one honeydew melon (diced), 2 mangoes (diced), 2 boxes of strawberries (sliced), 2 boxes of blueberries, and 2 boxes of raspberries.

Toasted Israeli Couscous with Grilled Summer Vegetables

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

• 2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped

• 1 cup olive oil

• Salt and freshly ground pepper

• 2 green zucchini, quartered lengthwise

• 2 yellow zucchini, quartered lengthwise

• 6 spears asparagus, trimmed

• 12 cherry tomatoes

• 1 red bell pepper, quartered and seeded

• 1 yellow bell pepper, quartered and seeded

• 1/4 cup basil chiffonade (stack leaves, roll in a cigar shape and cut crosswise into thin strips)

• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 pound Israeli couscous

• 
  

Instructions

• In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, mustard and garlic, slowly add the olive oil and whisk until combined. Season with salt and pepper.
• Cut the zucchini and peppers into 1/2-inch pieces, cut the tomatoes in half.
• Pour 1/2 the marinade over the vegetables and let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes. Preheat the grill.
• Remove the vegetables from the marinade and grill the vegetables until just cooked through.
• Follow the instructions on the Near East box for preparation of the couscous itself. Boil 1.25 cups of water (per box of couscous) with some olive oil (optional, but 1-2 tablespoons total recommended) and the contents of the spice packets. When boiling, remove from heat and add all couscous. Cover completely and leave sit (for about 5-10 minutes) until water is absorbed. Couscous is now ready.
• Place in a large serving bowl, add the grilled vegetables and herbs and toss with the remaining vinaigrette.

Ta-Da!