Any Kitchen Will Do

15 Jul 2013

Strawberry Lemon Cake

Little B turned four and is taking it very seriously! There are a number of things she won’t do now that she is older than three. It is fun and serious to watch her work it all out. A couple of years ago we started a tradition of doing a family out of town trip to a beach for her birthday. We continued it this past weekend by dipping our toes in the Atlantic Ocean. A challenge for these trips is having a sugar free, wheat free cake ready and waiting for her on THE day. Last year we succumbed to a wheaty, chocolaty concoction from a store near the beach. We got a sugar buzz, while also feeling guilty about not following our diet rules. Rules are made to be broken, yes, but with consequences. She pinged and ponged, then crashed. Not fair to a body, but we did it anyway. I solved it this year by making this strawberry lemon cake and waiting to put it together the day of, thanks to a fridge in the hotel room. It traveled well and thankfully I packed a knife for spreading of the frosting and cutting of the pieces. Worked like a dream and the whole thing was inhaled by us all. We kept to our food rules, had fun, and no sugar/wheat crash. Besides the princess paraphernalia (ugh) and first bicycle (yay), the cake was a favorite. She wanted a strawberry cake with strawberry frosting. Instead of repeating the cupcakes we made a while back I decided to try a cake with almond meal. I thought the almond and lemon would go wonderfully with the strawberries. The result had a much different texture compared to the coconut flour concoction we came up with before – good, but in a different way. The cake came out dense, very strawberry, very moist and nice and sweet, just like the birthday girl!

Strawberry Lemon Cake

Cake
4 Tbsp butter
3 eggs
4 medium strawberries, cored and chopped
1 tsp vanilla
1 lemon, juiced with meat
1 cup almond flour
½ cup golden flaxseed meal
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp baking soda
2 cups granulated erythritol
1/8 tsp pure stevia powder
½ cup small quartered strawberries

Frosting
1 package cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated erythritol
1/2 cup pureed strawberries

In medium pan over medium heat melt the butter. Continue cooking it until the butter is brown and fragrant. Remove from heat and set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a blender add eggs, cored and chopped strawberries, vanilla and lemon juice with meat. Blend until combined and strawberries are pureed. Add almond flour, flaxseed meal, salt, baking soda, erythritol, stevia. Blend some more until you have a smooth batter. Stir in butter until well combined. Line the bottom of a 9-inch round baking dish with parchment paper. Pour batter into pan, then drop strawberries into the batter, distributing them evenly. Bake in preheated oven for 25 – 30 minutes. The time may vary based on the juiciness of the strawberries. Remove from oven and let cool in the pan. When cool gently flip cake out of pan and place on serving dish. Frost as desired – I used the strawberry cream cheese version above – combine all ingredients together and whip until smooth. It may need to be chilled for a few minutes to firm up before spreading on the cake. Keep cake refrigerated if room temperature is over 75 degrees. Enjoy!

Adapted from here.

Posted in baked, flaxseed, fruit, Takoma Park Kitchen, wheat free | Leave a Comment

11 Jul 2013

Salmon Patties

I got nostalgic on this one, in many respects. I was craving salmon and began remembering the patties my mom used to make with the canned stuff when I was little. I liked them, but always got a little shiver when I came across one of the soft, yet still crunchy pieces of bone from the canned salmon. I still recall not being able to decide whether the shiver was fun or not. The soft bone was easily chewable but always a surprise in the otherwise non-chewy dish. Another nostalgia point was from my time living in Juneau, Alaska. In late summer and early fall the salmon pile up on each other in an effort to swim upstream and practically jump out of the water into your arms. You have to make sure they are not aiming for bear arms, but after the all clear on the bear front, you can just grab the slippery suckers. Needless to say, even if you don’t fish there is a bounty of salmon, from ‘dogs’, also known as chum salmon, to the sweet, naturally bright red meat of the sockeye salmon. Living in Juneau you are surrounded by fisherpeople who get their maximum catch as often as they can and they share share share. It can be smoked, steamed, grilled, marinated, chopped, dried, jarred, canned….which brings me to this recipe. For this recipe I used canned pink salmon, which in this case is wild caught from Alaska. Not ideal, compared to the taste of the stuff that was swimming in the creek this morning, but effective in my effort to combine the nostalgie, and the fact that the only fresh salmon found in Maryland is Atlantic. Sigh. And as Big D said, these were the first salmon patties he ever had that were not dry and Little B enjoyed them, too. Score!

Salmon Cakes

1 can pink salmon, drained with spine and other bones removed
1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
3 eggs
1 lemon, juiced with meat included
½ – 2/3 cup golden flaxseed meal
½ tsp sea salt
½ tsp dried dill
1 tsp dried thyme leaves
1 tsp dried parsley leaves
1 clove garlic, crushed
½ cup coconut oil

In medium bowl add salmon and break it up into small flakes. Make a pool in the middle of the salmon and drop in yogurt, eggs, salt, thyme, parsley, garlic and dill. Whisk together egg, lemon juice and yogurt mixture with a fork until eggs are broken up. Toss egg mixture with salmon until combined. Add ½ cup of the meal and stir. Let sit for a minute or two. While you wait add the coconut oil to a medium skillet and heat to medium high. If the salmon mixture is not thick enough to drop into the oil and hold shape as patties (thicker than pancake batter, thinner than, say, tuna salad) add some more meal and stir it in until thicker. Drop a large spoonful of mixture into the skillet and gently flatten so it is of even thickness and about two inches in diameter. Cook until the patties set and begin to brown on the edges, about 2 minutes. Gently flip the patties and cook for another minute or two. Repeat process until all the patties are cooked. Serve with zucchini wedges or other veggies.

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07 Jul 2013

Cucumber Cilantro Cooler

Cilantro is best when fresh leaves and stems are used. As usual, I bough a bunch of it for a Tex-Mex feast we made the other night, kind of like this one, and some was left over. Also as usual I dropped the extra cilantro in a jar with water to keep it fresh as long as possible. It was still staring at me, and it was the cocktail hour, so I looked for some beverage ideas. I enjoyed my Whiskey Watermelon from a few days ago, so why not?! Here is what I came up with. It came out fresh, tangy and perfect for a hot, humid July evening. I got the idea from here and tweaked to my taste. I also made a version with tequila for Big D and he very much enjoyed it, so if you are not a vodka drinker try it with your liquor of choice.

Cucumber Cilantro Cooler

½ cup chopped cucumber, seeds removed
Small handful of fresh cilantro
2 ounces vodka (I use Tito’s, made in Texas)
1 lime (or 2 key limes), juiced
1 tsp granulated sucralose
Ice
¼ to ½ cup Seltzer water (optional)

Add chopped cucumber to a cocktail shaker along with a large handful of cilantro leaves. Muddle well, and then add vodka, lime juice, sucralose and ice almost to fill the shaker. Shake well for twenty seconds and then strain into a lowball glass filled with ice. If you want to make the cocktail a little less powerful, strain it into a taller glass and top with a splash of seltzer, then stir quickly. Garnish with a wheel of cucumber and a sprig of cilantro. Sip sip sip!

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03 Jul 2013

Whiskey Watermelon

This treat was fun! After some frustration. Little B had been asking for watermelon for a week or so, but it was never when we were actually in the store. Big D and I don’t really eat much of it, so getting a whole one is often wasteful. Finally, one day I was at the store and there were smaller packages with just a few slices for sale. Is it cheaper to buy a whole melon and waste most of it, or pay a little more for a smaller quantity? It is often the question I ask myself in such situations, but it was a non-issue this time because the price was the same per unit. I grabbed it, excited to be surprising Little B. Alas, when I returned to the RV with the watermelon she had decided that she no longer liked it, it was yucky and she never wanted to eat it again. The reaction probably had something to do with not getting a nap on a busy, hot, humid Saturday, but I was still bummed. So now I have watermelon on my hands and the cocktail hour is approaching. In the past I made watermelon margaritas in such a situation, but no tequila. Then, I spotted the whiskey. Not an expensive, aged sipping whiskey, but a simple bottle of the stuff we use with mixers. Perfect! Let’s get the watermelon drunk! I set it all up and let the morsels soak for about an hour. Yummy! Reminded me of college days when the impact of a few jello shots in a row hits all at once. Be careful with these things. The watermelon soaked up the whiskey all right. And the juice left over at the bottom of the bowl worked quite well for a mixed drink later. Enjoy summer and watermelon while it lasts, in spite of your three year old’s protestations.

Whiskey Watermelon

1/2 small watermelon
1/2 cup whiskey

Remove rind from watermelon and cut melon into 1 inch square pieces, smalller if you want the alcohol effect stronger. In a resealable bag combine the watermelon squares and whiskey. Gently press the back to remove excess air and seal. Place in refrigerator for at least an hour, but four hours is better. Remove and serve in small bowls with forks or toothpicks.

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27 Jun 2013

Veggie Meatloaf

For the most part I don’t have to hide veggies in food to get Little B to eat them. She goes after most of them with a vengeance or by way of an earnest request. Like her all time favorite snack, frozen broccoli “trees”. Yep. Straight out of the freezer. They started out as something to gnaw on when she was teething, but survived as a favorite long after. We try to offer her vegetables every chance we get, even in restaurants, in spite of the restaurants efforts to fill her otherwise. The kid menus at most places include breaded chicken tenders, pasta, sad little mini burgers or a hot dog. Besides being loaded with carbs and often deep fried, such offerings have little nutritional value or variety to expand little palates. More often than not we end up ordering soup or a side of vegetables for her from the non-kid menu. She dives right in. A few times I have tried to order the kid food, but she finds the food as unappealing as I do. It is refreshing to go to a restaurant and actually see smaller versions of the food offered on the rest of the menu, like 1/4 rack of ribs at a barbeque joint, or a kid size version of seafood at a seafood joint. What a concept! I rant because our travels recently have taken us to new restaurants in new places, and I am reminded that sometimes it is not easy to keep Little B eating our version of healthy away from home. This recipe actually stemmed from my desire to use up the vegetable odds and ends in the fridge. It worked very well, held together like meatloaf tends to not want to do. On top of it all Little B ate it up in spite of not being one of her favorite veggies – frozen broccoli, green beans or squash.

Veggie Meatloaf

1 ½ pounds ground beef
2 Tbsp tomato paste
2 stalks celery
1 carrot (or 1 ½ cups mini carrots)
1 small yellow onion
2 cups fresh spinach
4 cloves garlic
3 eggs
½ cup fresh parsley
1 Tbsp dried thyme leaves
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp sea salt
½ tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp paprika
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated

In a blender or food processor add tomato paste, celery, carrot, onion, spinach, garlic, eggs, thyme, cumin, salt, pepper and paprika. Pulse until vegetables are very small pieces and herbs are combined. In large bowl combine beef and vegetable mixture. With your bare hands mix meat and vegetables until all the meat is coated and the vegetables are combined with the meat. Press mixture into rectangular bread pan. Bake at 350 for 45 – 55 minutes, until cooked through. Sprinkle top of loaf with cheese and place in hot oven with heat off for five to ten minutes, until cheese is melted. Remove from oven and let rest for about five minutes. Slice in pan, arrange on serving tray and serve.

Posted in baked, beef, eggs, garlic, onion, parsley, Silver Spring Kitchen, tomato, Uncategorized, vegetables, wheat free | Leave a Comment

22 Jun 2013

Caprese Salad

Basil always reminds me of Italy. In 2004 Big D and I explored Rome and Tuscany with another couple. There were, as always, some ups and downs during the trip. Big D’s luggage was not found until halfway through the trip, the pool at our villa was too darned cold for midnight skinny dipping, and cheap grappa is nasty when imbibed warm and straight. The luggage was finally found and took forever because the villa was not easy to find and the local washer/dryer machine was not really a dryer. No solution about the pool, except for some teeth chattering. The grappa was resolved with ice and mixing it with Coke Light (Italy’s version of Diet Coke). Very potent. The reminder basil gives me relates to the week we spent at the little villa. It had three bedrooms upstairs, a dining area and living area downstairs. There was also a lovely, large kitchen. Right outside the kitchen was an herb garden. Even being early summer, it overflowed with rosemary, oregano, thyme, parsley and of course basil. Most nights Big D and I would walk to the co-op in the nearby village, pick out fresh beef and vegetables, walk home, pick a collection of herbs and cook cook cook! The couple we traveled with often went out to eat at one restaurant or another, so we had the place to ourselves for the night. It was a wonderful, quiet time of day after exploring Siena, Pisa, Florence, Rome…. When I smell basil I think of the quiet evenings, fresh steaks and veal, and another, funny and memorable element – frogs croaking in the pond below our bedroom window all night. Believe it or not it was like an elixer, lulling us to sleep. On to the salad. I almost called it insalata caprese, but decided not to because of the – dum dum dum – basalmic vinegar. I loved salad when made with fresh ingredients and high quality olive oil, but never recall seeing the basalmic vinegar offered in Italy, only in the US. My research was consistent. Insalata caprese is typically seasoned with salt, pepper and olive oil.

Caprese Salad

1 large red tomato
1 ball fresh mozzarella
1 large stem fresh basil
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Aged Basalmic Vinegar
Salt and Pepper to taste

Slice tomato and mozzarella into slices of equal thickness. Sprinkle slices with salt and pepper. Layer slices with leaves of basil. Sprinkle salad with olive oil and basalmic vinegar. Serve immediately.

Posted in cheese, salad, side dish, Silver Spring Kitchen, tomato, vegetables, wheat free | Leave a Comment

17 Jun 2013

Double Chocolate Cupcakes

These cupcakes came from the mouth of my babe, Little B. As with our strawberry concoction from a while back, she got a baking hankering and we followed it through. Little chocolate cupcakes with chocolate frosting that don’t have any wheat or sugar. She is adamant about those two points, which meant we got to create a new recipe “with only really good tasting ingredients Mommy. Don’t forget they have to be really good” she tells me. Well, they are really good, and buttery and rich. Also a chance to crack eggs and spread frosting, which are always good things. Really good things.

Double Chocolate Cupcakes

Cakes
6 eggs
½ cup butter, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla
¼ cup coconut flour
½ cup golden flaxseed meal
¼ cup cocoa powder
1 tsp pure stevia powder
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp sea salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Frosting
1 8 ounce block cream cheese, room temperature
½ cup butter, room temperature
½ tsp vanilla
¼ cup cocoa powder
½ cup granulated erythritol

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine eggs, butter and vanilla in a medium bowl. Whisk together until combined. In a separate bowl combine flour, meal, cocoa powder, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and stevia. Add dry ingredients to egg mixture and stir until well combined. Divide batter among a lined 12 regular sized or 24 mini muffin pan. Bake for 15 – 18 minutes until tops are firm. Remove from oven and let cool completely. For the frosting add the cheese, vanilla and butter in a medium bowl. Whisk until combined. Add cocoa and erythritol and continue whisking until combined. Chill a few minutes if it comes out thin. Spread frosting over cupcakes. Store cupcakes in the refrigerator until serving – mostly to keep the frosting firm, otherwise they can sit at room temperature.

Posted in baked, chocolate, coconut flour, eggs, flaxseed, Silver Spring Kitchen, snack, Uncategorized, wheat free | Leave a Comment

13 Jun 2013

Stuffed Flank Steak

Flank steak, also known as skirt steak, used to be cheap. It was a slightly tougher cut of meat that could be marinated and grilled or broiled, cut up and served south Texas style as fajitas. It still can, but the cheapness is gone. I don’t know what happened. Maybe, like buffalo wings, it got popular and so the price hiked. Did price hike because of demand, or the mere fact the price was higher, and so demand increased? I guess I could go back to my college business textbooks and try to dig deeper, but not gonna do it. The point here is I have turned the once cheap fajita meat into a fancy looking main dish that went POW! Of course, anything with goat cheese tickles my fancy, but the cheese combined with the steak resulted in a tangy, juicy roll. I made a couple and ended up freezing one, and I discovered it froze well, too! Double POW! You can still make old, reliable fajitas with flank steak, but if you want to get a little fancier, you definitely can!

Stuffed Flank Steak

1 – 2 large flank steak (1 ½ – 2 pounds total)
8 ounces bacon
½ cup red onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, sliced
4 – 5 ounces goat cheese
1 Tbsp fresh oregano leaves, coarsely chopped
8 ounces baby spinach leaves
8 – 12 wooden toothpicks

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slice bacon into ¼ inch strips. In a medium skillet over medium heat cook bacon until it begins to release fat. Add onion and garlic and continuing to cook until garlic slices begin to brown. Transfer bacon, onion and garlic to paper towel to soak up extra grease. Lightly salt and pepper the steak. Place steak between two layers of cling wrap. With a tenderizing mallet or side of a regular hammer flatten steak until about ¼ inch thick. Remove the top layer of wrap. Spread the goat cheese on the steak, leaving about ½ inch border around the edges. Make a layer of spinach leaves on top of the cheese. Sprinkle the bacon, garlic and oregano on top of the spinach. Add another layer of spinach. Sprinkle spinach with a little more salt. To roll the steak, begin by lifting the wrap edge on the long side of the steak, pull the steak off the wrap and begin curling it over the spinach. Continue rolling it, squeezing slightly to keep the roll an even size along the length. When completely rolled, place the seam facing up. Impale the roll every inch along the seam with toothpicks. If it is thin enough on the ends, weave a toothpick across them to seal it – like you would a straight pen through cloth. Place the roll in a shallow baking dish or baking sheet covered with foil. Bake for 20 minutes. Turn oven temperature down to 350 degrees and cook for 20 – 30 minutes longer, depending on thickness of steak and desired doneness. I like it more rare, so the shorter cooking time appeals to me.

Posted in baked, beef, cheese, garlic, Silver Spring Kitchen, tomato, Uncategorized, vegetables, wheat free | Leave a Comment

09 Jun 2013

Gazpacho

Look at me diving into summery goodness! I am not a real big fan of summer heat, which is only kind of funny, considering I grew up in Texas, where hot and humid are the name of the game for half the year. Maryland has its share of hot and humid, but for only a fraction of the Texas time, thank goodness. After a particularly rainy week we landed ourselves in the RV for a mostly warm, sunny weekend. Such a weather change inspired me to make a nice, cold soup to go with our fire seared meaty dinner. I stocked up on some fresh vegetables, threw them in a blender and waited, not turning on an oven or firing up a single burner on the stove. The meat got cooked over the fire pit as the sun set, making for a beautiful summer meal at twilight and grand evening of simple, refreshing food.

Gazpacho

2 pounds ripe tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1 small cucumber, peeled
1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 cup fresh cilantro, loosely packed
1/2 cup parsley, loosely packed
1/2 sweet Vidalia onion, coarsely chopped
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/8 – 1/4 cup sherry

Combine all ingredients except sherry into a blender or food processor. Pulse until combined and all pieces uniform size. Add 1/8 cup sherry and pulse again to combine. If you like chunkier soup like me don’t pulse further. For smoother soup, continue pulsing to desired texture. Depending on the sweetness of the tomatoes and onion you may need more sherry and/or salt. If you are not sure, chill soup for about an hour and taste before deciding to add more. Chill at least two hours or overnight before serving. Garnish individual servings with any combination of tomato/cucumber/bell pepper/herbs you wish.

Posted in cilantro, cucumber, garlic, onion, parsley, RV Kitchen, seasonal, soup, tomato, wheat free | Leave a Comment

02 Jun 2013

Crispy Tuna Melts

We found ourselves hanging out in the RV the other day after a hot, hilly hike along a section of the Appalachian Trail. A few years ago Big D did a stint solo from Georgia to Virginia, and has had a hankering to return to the trail ever since. I am keen to spend a few months on the trail with him and Little B, but finding a gooldly chunk of time during the right seasons of the year has yet to happen, so we will continue with it on our radar for now. Living in Maryland, so close to the trail inspired us to dip our toes into the experience. The dip not only reminds us of our desire to dive in, but also to see how our little trooper, Little B, would do. Ever since she was about 2 years old we have taken her on stroller free walks and hikes. To this day she gets excited about going ‘on a dirt trail’, which is much more fun than the more structured ‘asphalt trails’. When given a choice she always chooses the dirtier path. We all did well with the rocky hills and deep drop offs during our hike, but the heat really drained all my extra energy. Hungry, but also melting into our lounge chairs, we tried to figure out what to have for dinner. Wanting something quick, while limited by our decision to pass on a trip to the store, I dug through the fridge and pantry and came up with these guys – crispy tuna melts. When you think of a tuna melt it is probably an image of hot cheese and tuna between two pieces of buttered, crispy toast. To avoid the carbs and wheat of the bread I made some tasty tuna treats without the sandwich part. They were filling, so it did not take much to sate us, and we sank back into our chairs, full and sleepy as the evening air cooled with the setting sun. Nice day and nice food with nice company.

Crispy Tuna Melts

2 cans tuna in water, drained
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat medium sauté pan over medium high heat. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of cheese in the pan, followed by half a can of tuna and some garlic. Season with salt and pepper. After a minute or so the cheese will begin to crisp as stick together in a cheese pancake. When the tuna and garlic mixes with the melted cheese it is time to flip. Push spatula under half of the pancake and flip it over the other half, like you would an omelet. Flip the crisp to make sure it is evenly browned on both sides. Remove from pan to a plate for cooling. Repeat the process three more time to use the rest of the ingredients. Cut crisps in half, or strips, or any shape for eating. Can be eaten cold or reheated.

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