Rhubarb Coffee Cake

Covered up in rhubarb at the moment. 

This cake is so good. I halved the recipe so it would fit in an eight inch cake pan. I also added a half teaspoon baking powder.

Rhubarb Coffee Cake

http://www.food.com/recipe/rhubarb-coffee-cake-25430




6-8
1⁄2 cup butter or 1⁄2 cup margarine
1 1⁄2 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups finely chopped rhubarb

Topping
1⁄2 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter, softened

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Cream butter and sugar together in mixing bowl.

Beat in eggs one at a time.

Stir in sour cream and vanilla.

Mix flour and baking soda together and fold into batter.

Stir in rhubarb.

Turn into greased 9x13-inch pan.

Topping: Mix all ingredients together until crumbly.

Sprinkle over top.

Bake 30-40 minutes until done.

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Rhubarb Strawberry Crisp

Rhubarb Strawberry Crisp

1 cup oats
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 tablespoon splenda
1 cup diced rhubarb
1 cup diced strawberries

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Microwave butter in a glass 8 x 8 baking dish.

Place oats, flour, brown sugar and salt in melted butter and mix. Stir until clumps form. Set aside 1/2 cup of the crumble mixture. Press the rest of the crumb mixture evenly in the bottom of the pan.

Spread the diced fruit over the crust. Sprinkle it evenly with lemon juice, and then the splenda. Scatter reserved crumb topping over fruit and bake 40 minutes.

Let cool in pan and serve warm with cool whip, if desired. Store leftovers in fridge.

Jalapeno Lime Hummus without Tahini

I used to believe I wasn’t crazy about hummus.  I later found out I was crazy about hummus.  It was the tahini I wasn’t crazy about.

So here is the recipe I am crazy for.

Jalapeno Lime Hummus without Tahini

1-  15 oz Can Chickpea drain and rinse
1 clove garlic
Squirt olive oil spray
1/2 lime juice and zest
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
Small handful cilantro
1 to 2 tablespoons jarred jalapeno
Water to desired consistency

Put all but water in a food processor. Add water to desired consistency while you process until smooth. Serve with vegetables or chips for dipping.

Trash or Something to be Desired

I am a sucker for any repurposing.  I am not vegan so I can’t use that as an excuse.

Anyway I kept seeing chickpea liquid being whipped into meringue instead of fodder for the waste bin.

I wanted to try it with cocoa and see if it tasted like a pudding. I added 3 teaspoon of cocoa and 1/4 cup powdered sugar with a little Cream of Tatar. Armed with my trusty hand mixer I was about to give up. After about 15 minutes this is what I had.

I slung that stuff into some martini glasses. Ha!

After about an hour in the refrigerator it had deflated a little bit.

I have to admit it didn’t taste like pudding. More like a chocolate meringue with a touch of heartburn.  Yes, I got heartburn from the stuff. Pudding would never do that to me.

Trash or something to be desired?
I guess it depends on individual preferences.

Pad Thai Cucumber Salad

I used cucumber,  carrots, radishes, green peppers. You can use whatever you have available.  Zucchini and onion would be nice.

Pad Thai Cucumber Salad

Cut cucumber and assorted vegetable into “noodles” using a mandoline

Whatever won’t mandolin well, like green peppers, dice fine.

Just slather on dressing and serve.

Ingredients
1 large cucumber, mandolin
1  large carrot, mandolin
1/4 green bell pepper, chopped fine
4 radishes, chopped fine

Dressing
Juice of 1/2 lime and the zest
3 tbsp Soy sauce
1 tbsp Sriracha sauce
1 tbsp honey
1 clove of garlic, pressed
2 tbsp fresh cilantro chopped fine

A pic of my herb bed cilantro. I LOVE that stuff.

Summer Squash Ratatouille

I’m trying again. Trying to grow eggplant.

I have yet to be successful so I have to improvise if I have one of my favorite dishes, ratatouille. This is a throw together with no real measuring. Just layer with plenty of garlic and basil.

I always freeze enough summer squash for months of this dish, so that is what I use.

I freeze the blanched slices of summer squash about 3/4 to 1 inch thick. I’m also using frozen basil here.

I start off by spraying a low rimmed casserole dish with olive oil and then layer onions, green peppers, basil, sea salt and garlic. I top that with my frozen pieces of summer squash and mozzarella cheese.

Another spray of olive oil.

Layer more onion, basil, garlic, salt and green peppers.

Top that with a layer of tomato.

Then a bread crumb parmesan topping on top of that. I added a bit of fresh parsley to the bread crumbs too.

Press the topping down over the layers and spray with oil again. Cover with aluminum foil tightly. Bake in a 350 degree oven about one hour 15 minutes. Uncover and place back in the oven long enough for the bread crumbs to brown.

Pretty easy just layers of onion, green peppers, garlic, basil, summer squash, tomato, salt and olive oil spray with a parmesan bread crumb topping.

I like to serve it on top of spaghetti with garlic toast.

Anyway keep your fingers crossed that I will be successful growing eggplant this year.

In the meantime here are some pics of a few things growing well so far.

Radish

Strawberries

Chives and baby kale

Lettuce, cabbage, and onion.

A lot of things aren’t peeping out of the ground yet.

Oh please little eggplants…grow!

I am sharing this with Tell em Tuesday #11

Sausage Lentil and Kale Soup

Baby kale covered up right now so I’m trying something new. A soup more in line with fall, but it tasted great with a grilled cheese this spring.

This was adapted from one of Rachel Ray’s recipes.

Sausage Lentil and Kale Soup

1/2 pound breakfast sausage
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 bay leaf
1 stem fresh rosemary
1 carrot, finely chopped
5 spring onions sliced, tops included
1 potato, peeled and cut into small dice
3 tablespoons tomato ketchup
1 bunch baby spring kale
Dash nutmeg
6 cups water
3 teaspoons powdered chicken bouillon
1 1/4 cups dry lentils , cleaned and rinsed well
Garlic salt to taste

Simply brown and drain grease from your breakfast sausage.  Add all other ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer about one hour. Remove bay leaf and rosemary stem before serving.

Scalded Greens

It is that time of year again. Harvesting greens and onion.

I have heard this called roadkill greens or wilted greens.

I always called it scalded greens.

Scalded Greens

Big bowl mixed leaf lettuce and baby kale mixed
Lots of green spring onion, tops included, chopped
For dressing
3 tablespoons bacon grease
4 tablespoons vinegar
5 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup water

Simply heat all dressing ingredients. Pour dressing,  while warm, over the large bowl of greens and onion. Mix well. The greens will wilt. Serve immediately.

Sharing with Let’s get Real Friday #89

Wacky Mac Antipasto Pasta Salad

Who can’t love a pasta called Wacky Mac.

It is a wheat pasta combined with dried vegetables.  Tomato, spinach, carrots,  and even beets.

Wacky Mac Antipasto  Pasta Salad

Servings: 12

Ingredients:
1 pkg (12 oz.) WACKY MAC Veggie pasta uncooked
1/2 cup diced green peppers
1/4 cup pepperoncini peppers minced
1 cup sliced black olives
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
3 tablespoons sun dried tomatoes diced
1/3 cup vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
1 ounce sliced pepperoni
Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Instructions:
Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Rinse with cold water to cool quickly; drain well. Toss all together lightly until well blended. Season to taste. Cover; refrigerate to blend flavors. 10 to 12 servings.
Serves: 10-12

Let’s party at Let’s Get Real Party #88

Sabotage Again

All the times I try to eat healthy is for naught.  It always occurs.

One of the big saboteur is this little voice in my head that forces me to use up leftovers.

Have I said we always use leftovers?  Like 100 times maybe?

Anyway, I had leftover cauliflower mash that needed to be utilized. Since hubby wanted breakfast for supper, he does that often, I decided to use the leftover mash in some Tator Tots to accompany “breakfast”.

This uses about a cup of cauliflower to 3 peeled and shredded potatoes.

Nothing healthy about it. Sabotage.

3 peeled and shredded potatoes
1 cup leftover cauliflower mashed
1 teaspoon Italian herbs
2 tablespoons flour
Salt and pepper

Preheat a fryer.

Put potatoes in a covered microwave container and microwave on high 3 minutes.

Remove lid and stir to cool a bit. Press down on the potato with a paper towel to remove excess water. Stir in remaining ingredients well using plenty of salt and pepper.

Form into little tot sized balls. If you keep your hands a little damp with cool water they are easier to work with.

Deep fry in a preheated Fry Daddy, or other fryer, until golden. They may not come out perfect “tot” shapes but different is good sometimes.

Remove and drain on paper towels. Serve warm.