Dark chocolate truffles

Who knew chocolate truffles could be so easy to make? Sadly, this photo is what happens when you wait too long to photograph your food, and most of it gets eaten...

My original plan was to make vegan truffles, and I found this easy and healthy recipe at one of my favorite food blogs, Enlightened Cooking. But wouldn't you know, I am a scatterbrain and was more focused on finding good quality chocolate for the truffles -- I opted for Ghirardelli's semi-sweet chips -- than on reading the ingredients to make sure the chocolate itself was vegan, too.

Well, good thing I'm not vegan! These truffles turned out delicious. I followed the recipe in the link above with my milk fattened chocolate chips being the only change. I was so impressed with how the cashews and water really turn into a cream when processed. (I wish I'd taken a picture of that, too! Next time...) They are the vegan substitute for heavy cream in this. And, while I love the taste of cashews, they blended right into the truffle, making it taste rich and nothing like nuts (except of course for the ones I rolled in toasted almonds).

Next time I make this, I'm going to find vegan chocolate chips and try different flavors in the truffles. What a great gift for someone!

How annoying!

For some strange reason, the computer I usually use to do my blog is no longer recognizing my camera. That's why I haven't posted since Monday.

Please check back tonight or tomorrow for an update. I have two great recipes to share -- banana-berry bread and easy dark chocolate truffles!

Thai chicken thighs with coconut rice

I created this recipe as an experiment, and I'm always nervous about those because I hate the idea that so many ingredients could go to waste.

Luckily, I guess it's hard to go wrong with common Thai ingredients such as peanuts, sweet potatoes, and curry. It turned out SOOOOO delicious, if I may say so myself!

I made this in a crock pot, but I'm guessing you could also layer everything the same way and cook it in the oven at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, or at a lower temp for a little longer to really let the flavors blend. (Just make sure the chicken is done; its juices should run clear. But I highly recommend investing a little money in a crock pot. They are totally underrated!)

The dish is shown in the photo above with Thai cucumber salad. (If you're a cucumber person, you should also try this Scandinavian cucumber salad and Michelle's gazpacho.)

Thai chicken thighs (serves 4)

2 tablespoons smooth peanut butter (the all-natural, unsweetened kind)

2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari (look for a post on tamari in the near future!)

1 tablespoon honey

1-1/2 tablespoons Thai fish sauce

1-1/2 tablespoons Madras curry powder (I used this because I didn't have curry paste; you could whisk in a little of that instead)

1-1/2 tablespoons canola oil

pinch of red pepper flakes

1/2 cup chopped tomatoes (I used canned)

10-12 mini sweet potatoes (are these called fingerlings?), peeled

1/2 large red onion, sliced

1 ounce fresh basil leaves

1-1/4 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs

1/2 cup cooking rice wine (you can get this at an Asian supermarket)

salt and pepper, to taste

fresh cilantro to garnish generously when serving

1.) Whisk together peanut butter, soy sauce or tamari, honey, fish sauce, curry powder, red pepper flakes, and canola oil in bottom of crock pot.

2.) Pour tomatoes on top; stir. Put the sweet potatoes on top of that.

3.) Spread the onion slices over the potatoes. Top with the chicken thighs.

4.) Pour the rice wine over the chicken. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

5.) Cook on low for about 5 hours, sprinkling in the basil leaves and stirring the whole dish about a half hour before cooking time is up. Serve over coconut rice (recipe follows).

Coconut rice (makes about 3 cups)

1 cup brown basmati rice, rinsed

14 ounces coconut milk (shake the can before opening)

as much water as needed

Using a fork, smooth the coconut milk that has separated in its can. Mix with the amount of water required for cooking the rice and cook until done.

Note: I use a rice cooker, so I fill mine to whatever level is indicated; it was tricky with the coconut milk. The bottom of the rice browned a little, and the rice was a little crunchy. A stovetop pot is recommended, and make rice however you normally would as far as liquid content goes. (The coconut milk thins out as it heats, by the way.)

Coming soon: Vegan chocolate truffles from Enlightened Cooking!

Thai cucumber salad

I successfully recreated one of my favorite salads from Bloomingfoods; I adapted it slightly by leaving out the hot green pepper and making a dressing that I guessed would taste similar using sweet and spicy chile sauce. It's really good! A great spring/summer side.

Thai cucumber salad (makes 4 side servings)

2 cucumbers, peeled, seeded and sliced

1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

optional: a little sliced onion (I decided not to include that today)

a splash of lime juice

2 teaspoons honey

2 teaspoons sweet chile sauce

generous splash of rice wine vinegar

Whisk together the lime juice, honey, chile sauce, and vinegar. Put the rest of the ingredients in a bowl and drizzle with dressing. You might have a little left over.

Hawaiian ginger-chicken stew

Well, all this talk of cheese has made me realize I should up my intake of leafy greens. And I do love a warm dish rich with collards, mustard greens, or chard. (Check out this awesome spicy white bean stew recipe; it's a favorite!)

Thanks again, Eating Well. I stumbled upon this easy and super-healthy recipe the other day, and I adapted it by adding a mixture of brown and wild rice.



Hawaiian ginger-chicken stew (serves 4)

1 tablespoon canola or sesame oil (I mixed them)

4 cloves garlic, thinly slices

a 2-inch piece of ginger, peeled and sliced into matchsticks

1/2 cup dry sherry

1-3/4 cups chicken broth

1-1/2 cups water

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon chile-garlic sauce

1 bunch greens (I used red chard)

2 cups brown rice, or a mixture of brown and wild rice

1.) Heat the oil over medium heat in a pot. Add the chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, about 6 minutes. Transfer to a plate with tongs.

2.) Add ginger and garlic to the pot and cook about 10 seconds. Add sherry and cook, craping up any brown bits, for 3 minutes. Add broth and water, and increase heat. Bring to a boil, and boil for 5 minutes.

3.) Add soy sauce, chile sauce, and greens. Cook for 2-3 minutes, or until greens are tender. Return the chicken to the pot, add the rice, and cook another 2 minutes.



Today's question: Do you have a favorite recipe for greens, or a favorite kind of greens? I need ideas!

Ricotta cheese

As I've previously mentioned, I've been craving all things cheese. And all kinds of cheese, as you can tell by the difference between this cheese dish and the one I made today.

As it turns out, ricotta is very easy to make, and it seems pretty hard to screw up, too. The only drawback is that it takes so much milk to make the cheese. I used a half gallon for this 1-1/2 cups of ricotta!

I decided to try it drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with salt and pepper, to really be able to taste the flavor of the cheese the first time I made it. Next time, I'll use it in a recipe, such as for lasagna or gnocchi.

Ricotta cheese (makes 1-1/2 cups)

8 cups whole milk

1 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1.) Bring milk and salt to a simmer over medium heat.

2.) Add the lemon juice, stir, and continue cooking 2 minutes. The mixture will curdle.

3.) Take off heat. Using a slotted spoon, scoop out the curds and put them in a cheesecloth-lined (four layers) colander. Drain for 1 minute.

4.) Transfer cheese to a bowl, cover, and chill about 3 hours.

Baked beans

To go with our barbecue chicken tonight -- and I must add here that if you like barbecue, try Stubb's sauces! -- I decided cornbread and baked beans were in order.

Homemade cornbread is a cinch, but I'd never made homemade baked beans until today. Suprise! Also a cinch! It's one of those things that I now will probably never buy again. The add-ins are minimal, so even if you're having a cookout for lots of people, you can make this dish for very little money.

I browsed through several recipes for baked beans and found there's a wide range of possibilities. You can use different kinds of beans and choose from ingredients such as brown sugar, maple syrup, or even corn syrup; molasses, barbecue sauce, or ketchup; soy sauce or worcestershire; you name the condiment, it can fit in there.

Lots of the recipes had bacon as an ingredient, but I wanted to keep this vegetarian, so I left it out. Here's what I came up with, and I think it tastes delicious. (The color is not typical of baked beans, though, so if that bothers you, add a little B&B Kitchen Bouquet or something to darken it.)

Baked beans (serves 6-8)

3 small cans (15 ounces) navy beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup chopped onion (about 1/2 large onion)

1 teaspoon dry mustard

2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce

1-1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 cup ketchup

1/2 cup light brown sugar

a splash of lime juice -- I added this in the middle of baking because the beans tasted so sweet to me; you could just cut down a little on the sugar

1.) Combine all ingredients in a baking dish. Stir to mix well.

2.) Bake at 350 degrees, uncovered, for 1 hour, stirring once while cooking.