Cashew and Coffee Biscotti

Gives about 36 biscotti

Ingredients

• 625 ml (2 1/2 cups) all-pupose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
  
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
  
• 1/2 cup butter at room temperature
  
• 180 ml (3/4 cup) brown sugar
• 2 large eggs at room temperature
• 2 tablespoons instant coffee diluted in 1 tablespoon boiling water
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  
• 1 cup cashew nuts, unsalted and not roasted
  
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
  
• 1 egg, beaten
  

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a baking sheet with vegetable oil (Pam).
2. In a bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Reserve.
3. In a large bowl, whisk butter and brown sugar until well blended. Add eggs and whisk again until well combined. Add coffee and vanilla.
4. Using a wooden spoon, incorporate dry ingredients, cashew nuts, and chocolate chips to batter. Work dough with hands until a nice firm ball forms. Add some flour if dough is too sticky.
5. Divide dough in to half and roll out until 35 cm in length. Place rolls on the baking sheet and press down until they are about 6 cm in width.
6. Brush rolls with beaten egg.
7. Place oven rack to the top 1/4 of oven. Bake rolls for 20-25 minutes. With a spatula, remove rolls form baking sheet and let cool for 15 minutes.
8. Lower oven temperature to 300 degrees F.
9. On a cutting board, cut rolls to form diagonal slices of 1.5 cm.
10. Place slices on baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes, making sure to turn cookies over halfway through.
11. When done, biscotti should be hard. Be careful not to burn!

These cookies are delicious dipped in coffee!

Original recipe found in A la distasio

Roasted Peppers and Garlic Fettucine

Prep. and cook time: 1 hour

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup olive oil
  
• 15 garlic cloves, quartered
  
• 1 red onion, chopped
  
• 3 roasted red peppers, skin removed and sliced*
• 1/2 cup sundried tomatoes, chopped
  
• 1 cup red wine
• hot pepper flakes, to taste
• 400 g fettucine or other long pasta
• 1/3 cup parsley, chopped
  
• ricota or grated parmesan cheese
  
• salt and peper

Directions

1. *To roast red peppers: pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. Rub peppers with olive oil and place on a backing sheet. Roast for about 30 minutes, turning the peppers twice during cooking. When roasted, place peppers in a bowl and cover for 10 minutes (this will help remove the skin). Slice.
   
2. In a large pan, heat olive oil at medium-low heat. Add garlic cloves and toss for about 5 minutes, until they have absorbed the oil and are golden and tender. Becareful not to burn the garlic! Remove garlic from pan and reserve.
   
3. In the same large pan, add the onion. Saute for about 5 minutes.
4. Then stir in roasted peppers and sundried tomatoes, cooking for about 2 minutes, until all flavors have blended.
5. Add the wine, hot pepper flakes, and salt. Simmer for 8 more minutes.
6. When sauce is ready, stir in chopped parsley.
   
7. Meanwhile, cook fettucine in salted boiling water until al dente.
8. Add roasted pepper sauce and reserved garlic to fettucine and mix delicately.
9. Serve with either ricota or parmesan.

Recipe taken from Pasta et cetera from Josee Di Statio

Mediterranean Pasta Salad

Prep. and cook time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 450g penne rigate, or other short pasta
  
• 4 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  
• 6 tablepoons olive oil
  
• 4 green onions, chopped
  
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
  
• 1 can sliced black olives
  
• 1 can artichokes hearts, quartered
  
• 1/2 cup diced sun-dried tomatoes
  
• 1 cup of cooked green beans or asparagus, diced 2 cm in length
• salt
  

Directions

1. Cook penne until al dente (do not overcook pasta, or else salad will not have a nice texture)
   
2. In boiling water, cook diced green beans or asparagus until slightly tender.
3. In a large serving bowl, mix vinegar, olive oil, green onions, garlic, olives, quartered artichoke hearts, sundried tomatoes, and pasta. Add green beans.
4. Season with salt and mix well.
5. If there is not enough vinegar, salt, or olive oil, add some more!
   
6. Eat immediately or refrigerate and serve cold as a salad.

Inspired from Les Delices de Pastene, p. 68

Homemade Pizza, Always the Best!

Prep. and cook time: 1h15 hr

Ingredients for the pizza dough

• 1 package (2 1/4 teaspoons) of acive dry yeast
• 1 cup of warm water
  
• 2 1/4 to 2 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour (or bread flour)
  
• 2 tablepoons olive oil
  
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
  

Directions

1. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 5 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, combine 2 1/4 cups flour, olive oil, salt, white sugar and the yeast mixture; stir well to combine.
   
3. Knead with hands until a stiff dough has formed. If the dough is too sticky, add a little bit of flour. The dough should be slightly sticky, but not to the point where it sticks to the hands.
   
4. Cover and rise until doubled in volume, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
5. Turn dough out onto a well floured surface. Form dough into a round and roll out into a pizza crust shape. Place dough on baking sheet and cover with your favorite sauce and toppings and bake in preheated oven until golden brown, about 30-35 minutes.

Ingredients for the pizza topping

• 1/2 can of Unico pizza sauce (homemade is better)
  
• 350g Capicollo
• sliced red onions
  
• sundried tomatoes
• 1/2 green pepper
• goat cheese
• About 1 cup of mozzarella cheese
• fresh basil leaves
• olive oil
• dried oregano
• dried rosemary

Directions

1. When the pizza dough is rolled out onto a baking sheet, spread 1/2 can of pizza tomato sauce, leaving about 2 cm around the edges to form a nice crust.
2. Add toppings of choice onto the tomato sauce (first the meat, then the onions, green peppers, sundried tomaotes, goat cheese, mozzarella, olive oil, oregano, rosemary). Only add the basil 5 minutes before the pizza is cooked, or else it will burn.
3. Cook pizza on middle rack for about 35 minutes, or until crust is golden-brown and the center is cooked.

Note: the pizza might appear cooked but the center could still be soggy. If this happens, simply place pizza on the lowest oven rack and bake at 400 degrees F for about 5 more minutes, always making sure the crust does not burn.

To see original pizza dough recipe, click here

Curry-Tumeric Pasta with Broccoli and Cashews

Prep. and cook time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 broccoli cut in to small bouquets
• 350g whole wheat saghetti
  
• 2 tablepoons olive oil
  
• 4 green onions, chopped
  
• 5 garlic gloves, quartered
• 1/2 cup of 15% cream
• 1 teaspoon tumeric
• 2 teaspoons curry powder
  
• one handful of non-salted roasted cashews (or almonds), chopped
  
• 1/4 cup of reserved cooking water
• salt and pepper
  

Directions

1. Cook broccoli in boiling water for 1 minute. Drain and reserve 1/4 cup of water.
   
2. In salted water, cook pasta according to manufacter's directions.
3. Meanwhile, in a large non-stick skillet, heat olive oil on low-medium heat.
4. Add garlic and green onions and let simmer for about 5 minutes, until garlic is tender.
5. Increase heat to medium, add broccoli, cream, reserved cooking water, tumeric, and curry powder. Mix well.
6. Add cashews, salt and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes, or until a nice creamy sauce has formed.
7. Add sauce to pasta, mix, and serve immediately.
8. Enjoy!

Recipe modified from Pasta et cetera from Josee Di Stasio

Oven-roasted Sweet Potatoes and Balsamic Tofu

Prep and cook time: 40 minutes

Ingredients for oven-roasted sweet potatoes

• 3 medium-sized sweet potatoes with skin on
  
• 3/4 teaspoon of salt
  
• 1 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
  
• 1 1/2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
  
• pepper
  

Directions

1. Wash and cut potatoes in 4-6 strips lengthwise.
   
2. In a large bowl, mix potatoes, salt, olive oil, and pepper.
3. Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Place potatoes on a greased baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes.
4. Add balsamic vinegar and bake for another 10 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.
   
5. Note that baking time can vary depending on the size of the potatoes.
   

Ingredients for Balsamic Tofu

• 454g (one package) of extra-firm plain tofu
  
• 1/2 cup of constarch
  
• 1/2 cup of balsamic vinegar
  
• 1/4 cup of fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablepoon dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
  
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions

1. In a small saucepan, bring together balsamic vinegar, lemon juice and sugar to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer for 20 minutes, or until reduced to a thin glaze.
   
2. Whisk in dijon mustard and hoisin sauce, cover and keep it warm.
   
3. Meanwhile, cut tofu in bite-sized cubes. In a bowl, combine tofu and cornstarch. Make sure tofu is completely covered with cornstarch.
4. In a large skillet on med-high heat, heat olive oil. Stir-fry tofu until it is crisp and brown, about 5 minutes.
5. Add glaze to tofu and combine (add glaze a little at a time, since this glaze has a strong taste).
6. Serve immediately with rice.

*note that balsamic vinegar has a strong smell while cooking, so don't freak out if your whole house smells like vinegar.

Recipes taken from enlightenedcooking.com

Zucchini Patties

Prep and cook time: 40 minutes

Makes about 15 patties

Ingredients

• 3 cups of grated zucchini
• 1/2 large red onion, chopped
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup of all-purpose flour
• 5 tablespoons fresh parmesan cheese
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of cumin
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
  

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine grated zucchini, onion, eggs, flour, cheese, cumin, salt and pepper. Mix well.
   
2. In a large frying pan, heat olive oil on medium heat. With a tablespoon, drop heapings of dough in the pan, in order to form small pancakes.
3. Cook for 5 minutes per side, until crisp and golden brown.
4. Serve with a fresh tomato-feta salad for a light dinner.
   

Click here to see the original recipe from enlightened cooking.

Orange Cashew Bulgur Salad

Prep and "cook" time: 35 minutes
Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

• 1 and 1/2 cups of bulgur
• 1/3 cup orange juice
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons of honey (or less, depending on how sweet you want it to be)
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons fresh grated orange zest
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 4 green onions, chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint leaves (or parsley, or nothing)
  
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves (coriander)
• 1 15-ounce can mandarin oranges packed in juice, drained
• 1/2 cup roasted, lightly salted cashew pieces

Directions

1. In a bowl combine bulgur and water. Let bulgur soak, uncovered, until softened, about 30 minutes. If, after 30 min, there is too much water left, press out the excess water.
2. In a large bowl whisk together orange juice, lemon juice, honey, cumin, mustard, orange zest, cinnamon, salt, pepper, and oil until emulsified; season with additional salt & pepper to taste.
   
3. Add bulgur, raisins, green onions, mint, cilantro, and oranges to dressing and toss well.
   
4. Chill until ready to serve. Just before serving, stir in cashews.

Click here to see the original recipe from enlightened cooking.

Asparagus Fettucine in a Lemony Cream Sauce

Prep and cook time: 35 minutes
Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

• 1 lb of asparagus
• 3 tablespoons of butter
• 5 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
• 3/4 cup of 15% cream
• 1/2 cup of chicken broth
• Zest of 1/2 to 1 lemon
• 1 lb of fettucine or other long pasta
• 1/2 à 3/4 cup of parmesan cheese
• Salt and pepper

Directions

1. Break off the ends of the asparagus. Cut the asparagus in pieces of 2 cm.
2. Cook the asparagus in salted boiling water for 2-3 minutes until they are tender but crisp. Drain the water and cool the asparagus off in cold water. Transfer the asparagus on a towel and pad try.
3. Cook pasta until al dente.
4. Meanwhile, prepare the sauce. In a large saucepan, melt butter on low-medium heat and add garlic. Cook for 5 minutes until the garlic is tender. Be careful not to brown the butter. On low heat, add asparagus, cream, chicken broth, and lemon zest. Season with lots of black pepper and simmer a few minutes until the sauce becomes creamy.
5. Drain pasta and reserve 1/2 cup of water. Mix pasta with sauce and parmesan cheese. If the pasta is too dry, add some of the reserved water, a 1/4 cup at a time.
6. Transfer to a serving plate. Sprinkle with additional parmesan and lemon zeste if needed.

Click here to see the original recipe from À la di Stasio.

Cranberry Orange Cake

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon grated orange zest (for me 1 tsp was enough)
• 1 1/2 cups fresh (or frozen) cranberries
• 1/2 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
• 1/4 cup margarine, softened
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup orange juice

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x5 inch loaf pan. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir in orange zest, cranberries, and pecans. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream together margarine, sugar, and egg until smooth. Stir in orange juice. Beat in flour mixture until just moistened. Pour into prepared pan.
3. Bake for 1 hour in the preheated oven (rotating the cake after 30 min if your oven is old), or until the cake springs back when lightly touched. Let stand 10 minutes.
4. Slice and enjoy!

Click here to see the original recipe.