Christina's Fried Chickpea Salad

adapted from 101 Cookbooks blog

1 tablespoon clarified butter, olive oil, or coconut oil
2 cups cooked chickpeas (garbanzo beans), pat them completely dry with clean dish towel
1 cup of chopped leeks
1 medium clove of garlic, minced
zest of one lemon
1/3 cup plain yogurt
1 1/2 teaspoons Indian-style curry powder
1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1 or 2 tablespoons warm water
1/2 cup of loosely packed fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 cup red onion or red spring onions, chopped 

Heat the cooking oil in a large skillet and add the chickpeas. Saute over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until they start getting a bit golden in color. Stir in the leeks and cook until the chickpeas are more golden and the leeks have browned a bit as well, roughly 7 - 10 minutes total. At the last minute stir in the garlic and the lemon zest. Remove from heat, and set aside.

While the chickpeas cool, make the yogurt dressing by combining the yogurt, curry powder, and salt in a small bowl. If you need to thin it out a bit, whisk in warm water a tablespoon at a time. Taste, adjust, and set aside.

When you are ready to serve the salad, toss the chickpea mixture with most of the cilantro and most of the chopped red onion. Add about 1/2 of the yogurt dressing and toss again. If you like more dressing, keep adding until you are pleased. Serve on a platter sprinkled with the remaining onions and cilantro.

Can serve over rice or as a stand-alone salad.

Christina's Sweet and Sour Citrus Stir Fry

adapted from Our Best Bites

Sauce

2/3 cup orange juice
Juice and grated rind of 1 lime (about 2 tablespoons juice)
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons fresh ginger, minced or grated

Stir-Fry1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1″ chunks
Salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups broccoli florets (fresh or frozen; if frozen, pull them out when you begin cooking)
1 1/2 cups green beans (fresh or frozen; pull these out of the freezer with the broccoli)
1 red, orange, or yellow bell pepper, seeded and sliced
1 small or medium red onion, halved and cut into 1/4″ slices

In a large pan, whisk together the sauce ingredients. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Add about 1 tablespoon oil to the skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Swirl the pan to coat it. Add the seasoned chicken and stir-fry for 4-5 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Add the onions and other veggies and stir-fry until the beans and broccoli are tender-crisp. Add the sauce, a few tablespoons at a time, allowing the sauce to bubble up after each addition. Serve immediately over hot rice. Makes 4 servings.

Christina's Crock Pot Sesame Beef and Broccoli

from bsrecipes.blogspot.com

1 pound boneless beef chuck roast, sliced into thin strips
1/2 cup water
1 tsp beef bouillon
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 TBSP sesame oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons cooled sauce from the crock pot after being cooked
Fresh broccoli florets (as many as desired)
1 TBSP sesame seeds
Hot cooked rice

1. Place beef in a crock pot.
2. In a small bowl, combine consomme, soy sauce, brown sugar, oil, and garlic. Pour over beef. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
3. In a cup, stir cornstarch and sauce form the crock pot until smooth. Add to crock pot. Stir well to combine. (If your sauce is not thickening, try bringing your sauce to a boil on the stovetop with the corn starch mixture. Boil until your desired consistency is reached).
4. Add broccoli and sesame seeds to the crock pot. Stir to combine.
5. Cover and cook an additional 30 minutes on high (the sauce has to boil for it to thicken).
6. Serve over hot cooked rice.

Christina's Pumpkin Cream Puffs

from The Prairie Homestead

 

Puffs:
1/2 cup butter
1 cup boiling water
1 cup unbleached, all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
4 eggs

Filling:
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup pumpkin puree
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Bring the water to a boil and add in the butter and salt. Once the butter is completely melted, add the flour all at once.

Cook and stir the flour/water mixture until it forms a ball. Remove from the heat and let it cool for several minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time. Stir in egg into the mixture very thoroughly before adding the next. Allow the dough to almost become “dry” between each addition. Don’t rush the eggs. 

Drop the egg mixture mounds on an ungreased baking stone or sheet. I usually get 10-12 puffs from this recipe, depending on what size you would like. Bake in a 400 degree, preheated oven for 30 minutes or until they are golden brown and gorgeous

Allow them to cool until you can pick them up without saying “ouch”. This is a great time to make the filling.

In a mixing bowl or stand mixer, combine the cream, syrup, vanilla, and spice. Whip it until it forms stiff peaks. Fold the 1/4 cup of pumpkin into the whipped cream. Now prepare to stuff your puffs.

Depending on your puff consistency, you may or may not have to gut the puffs. If they are dense, you’ll need to cut or break them in half and gently scoop out the “innards. Put the filling in and put the "lid" on top. Eat same day.

Christina's Pistachio Marzipan Truffles

source unknown (maybe about.com?)

• 10 oz shelled pistachios, preferably raw
• 7 oz (1 3/4 cups) powdered sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt, if using raw or unsalted pistachios
• 1 egg white, lightly beaten
• Green food coloring, optional
• 12 oz chocolate

1. Raw pistachios will give you the most vibrant green color, so use those if you can find them. They can be difficult to track down, however, so you can use toasted pistachios if that is what's available. Whichever type you choose, begin by placing your pistachios in the bowl of a food processor and pulsing them until they are finely ground. Remove a few tablespoons of ground nuts to use as decoration later.

2. Add the powdered sugar, and if your pistachios are unsalted, the salt. Process until everything is a very fine powder.

3. Add a quarter of the raw egg, and pulse the processor until it's completely incorporated. Add a little more of the egg, and pulse again. Keep adding the egg white, a little at a time, until the marzipan comes together in a clump around the food processor. It should have a texture similar to Play-Doh. You might not need to use the whole egg white, so go slowly in your addition of the white so that you don't end up with marzipan that is too sticky.

4. If you want to increase the green color of your marzipan, add a drop or two of green food coloring and knead it in until the color is even.

5. Pinch off small balls of marzipan and roll them between your palms until they are round, then place them on a baking sheet lined with foil or waxed paper. Refrigerate them for 10 minutes.

6. While the pistachio marzipan balls are chilling, melt the chocolate or candy coating in the microwave until smooth or fluid.

7. Use forks or dipping tools to dip a marzipan ball into the melted chocolate, then place the dipped candy back on the baking sheet. While the chocolate is still wet, sprinkle the top with a bit of the reserved chopped nuts. Repeat until all of the pistachio marzipan balls are dipped.

8. Refrigerate the tray for 10 minutes to set the chocolate, then your Pistachio Marzipan is ready to eat! Store dipped candies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Christina's Hot Fudge Sauce

adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

• 1/3 cup sifted cocoa powder, Dutch process or regular
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• pinch table salt
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
• 10-12 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 
  

1. In a heavy-bottomed medium saucepan, combine the cocoa powder, sugar, honey, cream, salt and 1/3 cup water. Warm the mixture over medium-low heat until the sugar is dissolved. Increase the heat to medium or medium-high; simmer mixture, stirring frequently, about 4 minutes.
2. Turn off the heat and whisk in the vanilla, butter and semisweet chocolate. Serve warm.
3. The hot fudge sauce can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks. For serving, reheat the sauce on low (in the microwave or over simmering water), stirring several times until the sauce is smooth and shiny.

Christina's Pork Carnitas

adapted from Our Best Bites

3 1/2-4 pounds boneless pork butt roast (sometimes called boneless pork shoulder or boneless picnic roast)
2+ cups water (enough to cover the pork in the pot)
1 white or yellow onion, peeled and halved
4-6 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
2 tablespoons lime juice (about 1 lime)
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon dry oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 bay leaves
1 orange

Easiest prep option: throw it all in the crock pot and cook on low for several hours. 

Place the oven rack in the lower middle position and preheat the oven to 300 degrees.

Trim the pork of excess fat and cut into 2″ chunks. Place the pork in a heavy lidded pot like a Dutch oven. Add enough water to cover the pork and then add onion, garlic, lime juice, red wine vinegar, oregano, cumin, bay leaves, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, and the juice from the orange. After squeezing the juice from the orange, toss the rinds into the pork mixture and stir to combine. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally.

Cover the pot and transfer to the oven. Cook for about 2 hours or until the pork falls apart when poked with a fork. When the pork is fork-tender, remove the pot from the oven.

Remove the orange rinds, onion, and bay leaves. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the pork from the liquid to the foil-lined baking sheet. Set aside.

Return the pot to the stovetop and bring the liquid to a boil over high heat. Boil for 8-15 minutes (longer or shorter if necessary) until the liquid is thickened and glaze-y and, when stirred, the spoon leaves a trail in the liquid (you should have about 1 cup of liquid).

Use your fingers to pull apart the pork pieces, discarding any particularly fatty pieces (or removing the fat from them). Drizzle with the cooking liquid. Turn your oven broiler on high and place the pork in the oven for 5-8 minutes or until the pork starts to brown and the edges become crispy. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and use a spatula to flip the pork. Return to the oven for another 5-8 minutes, broiling until the pork is browned and crispy (but not charred, unless that’s your thing). Serve in warmed tortillas with desired toppings. Makes about 12 servings.