The Official Susan's Cookbook

[schism]

so i'm a health freak and eat probably 80% raw.  here's one of my favourite green smoothie/dessert concoctions:

1 banana
2 ripe persimmons
1 avocado
handful of spinach
1 cup/250ml nut or rice milk (i usually use coconut milk but almond would work as well)
for an extra fibre kick add a tablespoon of ground flax

blend together until creamy, pour into glass or bowl, sprinkle with cinnamon, enjoy. 

[schism]

guilt free ice cream:

1 large or 2 medium bananas
cup of dates, soaked for a few hours
handful macadamia nuts
handful blueberries
1/2 cup mango
1/2 cup of oats
cup of coconut milk

blend together, pour mixture into bowl, shove in freezer for a few hours.  if it's frozen solid remove to thaw a little before serving. 

[Ms. OBrien CVT]

Faken (Veggie Bacon)

Absolutely yummy!

Ingredients

    1 (7.5 ounce) package smoked firm tofu, frozen and thawed
    1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
    1 tablespoon water
    2 tablespoons maple syrup
    1 dash liquid smoke flavoring (optional)
    2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
    1 teaspoon onion powder
    1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
    2 tablespoons butter or margarine

Directions

    Slice the thawed tofu into very thin slices (like bacon). In a medium bowl, stir together the yeast, water, maple syrup, liquid smoke, soy sauce, onion powder and garlic powder. Place the tofu strips into the bowl to marinate for at least 10 minutes.
    Heat butter or margarine in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Quickly fry tofu strips until crisp, turning once, about 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels, and serve immediately.

[spacial]

I recognise Ms. OBrien and that sounds wonderful.

[spacial]

This is one of those simple recipes which kids in the UK ate for several generations.

Toad in the Hole.

1 egg.

2 oz flour

5 oz milk

pinch salt/pepper

4 sausages.

A small frying pan and a shallow Pyrex dish or similar oven proof dish, about 1 inch or so deep, about 10 inches or so across. (dimensions not critical)




Lightly fry the sausages. Make sure they are properly pricked, allowing the fat and juces to drain out.

While these are frying beat up the flour, egg and milk with small pinch of salt plus 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. I use an electric mixer. This needs to be really beaten.

Preheat your oven to about 220, or really hot.

Remove the lightly cooked sausages, pour the fat into the pyrex oven dish and carefully turn the dish to coat the inside.

(Please be careful, the fat will be really hot. Cold water if you burn yourself).

Arrange the sausages in the dish.

Beat the mix one more time and pour over.

Put dish into the oven and cook for 40 mins. The mix should rise and get slightly crisp.

Serve with backed beans and mash potato.

[Jamie D]

Faken (Veggie Bacon)

Absolutely yummy!

Ingredients

    1 (7.5 ounce) package smoked firm tofu, frozen and thawed
    1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
    1 tablespoon water
    2 tablespoons maple syrup
    1 dash liquid smoke flavoring (optional)
    2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
    1 teaspoon onion powder
    1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
    2 tablespoons butter or margarine

Directions

    Slice the thawed tofu into very thin slices (like bacon). In a medium bowl, stir together the yeast, water, maple syrup, liquid smoke, soy sauce, onion powder and garlic powder. Place the tofu strips into the bowl to marinate for at least 10 minutes.
    Heat butter or margarine in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Quickly fry tofu strips until crisp, turning once, about 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels, and serve immediately.

Veggie bacon?!?

That is a crime against humanity.

[Alexis]

Veggie bacon?!?

That is a crime against humanity.

PEI Mussels with a Miso-Sake Broth (this is one I'm particularly fond of)
Time required: Prep, 2-10 mins (depends how quickly you cut); Cooking time, <10 mins
Level of difficulty: Minimal
Serves 6-8 as an App, 4 as a Main

Ingredients:
4 #               Mussels, any kind are fine, Prince Edward Island mussels are some of the ideal
2 T                Grapeseed (or any other neutral oil like veg. etc) Oil
1/2 C             Shiro Miso (White Miso Paste - Available in almost any Asian grocery store)
2 T                Sherry Vinegar
2 T                Ginger, minced
1/4 C             Scallions, whites only, thin sliced on a bias
6 ea              Garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 C         Filtered Sake
To Taste        Fresh Ground Black Pepper
As Needed     Scallion Julienne, greens only (Between the greens and the whites, you'll only need one bunch)

1. Brush the Mussels to remove any beards that may be on the shells. Discard any that do not tightly close when you tap on the shells since they're already dead
2. Finely mince the ginger and garlic, slice the scallions (whites), and combine with the miso and sherry vinegar to form a thick paste
3. Heat the oil over high heat in a saute pan large enough to incorporate all the mussels (that you can cover)
4. Add the mussels and the sake to the pan, cover immediately, and allow the mussels to steam in the sake until they open (3-4 minutes)
5. Scoot the mussels to the side, add the miso mixture, and stir to incorporate
6. Use a slotted spoon to serve the mussels in a bowl, and then pour the broth into the bowl. Garnish with the Scallion Julienne and Fresh Black Pepper

[Alexis]

Panzanella di Pomodorro (Tuscan Bread Salad)
Time Required: 30 mins
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Serves: 4-6
This is a pretty easy recipe that highlights the beautiful summer produce coming in right now. It's also a great way to get rid of any stale bread that you have left over from last night since that's the ideal texture for the bread going into this recipe

Ingredients:
2#                       Tomato, Beef steak or similar   
1 ea                     Cucumber, seedless, Euro
1 ea                     Red onion
1/3 C                    Basil, chiffonade
~3-4 Stalks          Celery heart
~15   ea                Olives
                            Vinaigrette (Recipe Below)         
½ loaf                  Bread (Italian Rustic is best but Baguette works too)   ½   loaf
5 ea                     Basil sprigs, torn roughly
                           Basil oil (Recipe Below)
to taste                Balsamico tradizionale

1. DO THIS THE NIGHT AHEAD Cut the bread into rough 1" cubes (large dice) Let the bread sit out on the counter to dry overnight (you can also use any stale bread you have for this)
2. The next day, toss the dried bread lightly with some olive oil, place on a sheet tray or baking sheet, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake in an oven for 7-10 mins at 375 F or until you have nice golden croutons
3. Cut tomatoes in small quarters and place in stainless steel bowl.
4. Peel the cucumber cut in half length wise and seed them. Cut them in small half moon shaped pieces
5. Cut three quarters of the onion in small dice and reserve for service. Slice the remaining into thin rounds for garnish.
6. Wash the celery heart and cut in small dice.
7. 20 minutes before service, toss the tomato, cucumber, red onion (minus the slices), and the celery together with ½ of the vinaigrette, salt and pepper.
8. Also 20 minutes before service, soak the croutons in some of the reserved vinaigrette
 
Vinaigrette
Ingredients:

Red wine vinegar   1 ½   Tbsp
Balsamic vinegar   ¾   Tbsp
Extra virgin olive oil   ⅔   Cup
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper      to taste

-Combine all and mix together with a whisk

Basil Oil
Ingredients

Basil, picked and blanched   2  bunches ( 2 oz.)
EVOO   1  fl oz

Method:
1. Blanch the basil, shock, remove from water and squeeze dry.
2. Rough cut basil.
3. Blend with olive oil.
4. Strain through a fine mesh sieve or cheesecloth

Assembly

• Plated Salad
  Plate the Tomato/Veg Mixture, getting 4 pieces of tomato per person
  Add basil and 4 large diced toasted croutons per portion.
  Garnish with the olives and the thinly sliced onion. Drizzle some of the red wine vinaigrette around tomatoes. Basil oil, basil sprig and some drops of tradizionale balsamico.
  Serve immediately
• Family Style   
  Combine the croutons and the salad in a large bowl, sprinkle in some of the basil oil. Add the sliced onion, olives, and basil leaves and serve with any remaining vinaigrette on the side

Edit: Added the photo

[Alexis]

Shrimp and Grits
Time required: Active ~1 hour, Total 2-6 hours
Level of difficulty: Moderate
4 as a Main
Components with a * can be made in advance and then reheated day of

Grits *
Makes 3 Cups – Enough for 4-6 portions

3 C      Whole Milk
½ C      Heavy Cream
1 C      Grits
½ Tbsp   Salt
¼ tsp   White Pepper
2 oz       Butter
½ #      White Cheddar, Grated

•   Add Milk, Cream, Grits, Salt, and Pepper to Saucepan and turn heat on high
•   Whisk constantly (sorry ) while grits are coming to simmer
•   When comes to a simmer reduce heat to low and let cook slowly for 2-6 hours, stirring occasionally and add milk if starts to get too thick; they'll be done after about 30 mins but the more they cook the creamier they get
•   Remove from flame and adjust consistency with milk
•   Add butter and cheese, whisking constantly until melted in
•   Grits can be stored or brought back to temp over a low – med flame to serve.  Too hot and the butter and cheese will separate.  If you store then you are going to have to whisk in cream while its coming back to temp

Shrimp Stock *
Makes 1 Quart

1 fl oz   Vegetable or Canola Oil
>20 ea   Shrimp Shells, rinsed, the more the better
1 ¼ qt   H20
½ #   Yellow Onion, Large Rough Dice
¼ #   Celery, Large Rough Dice
¼ #   Parsnip, Peeled, Large Rough Dice
2 ea   Bay Leaf
8 ea   Italian Parsley Stems
8 ea   Black Peppercorns
4 ea   Garlic Cloves
1 oz   Tomato Paste
2 ea   Thyme Sprigs

1. Add oil to saucepan and turn flame on high
2. Add shrimp shells to hot oil and caramelize
3. Add onions and sweat for 2 mins, then add parsnip and sweat for 2 mins, then add celery and sweat for 1 min
4. Add the tomato paste and stir until mirepoix and shells are coated.
5. Continue to cook until tomato turns to a rusty-burgundy color
6. Add water and scrape bottom to release tomato from bottom of pan
7. Add Bay Leaves, Parsley Stems, Garlic, Peppercorns, Thyme, and simmer until flavor develops (about 45 mins)
8. Strain into container and reserve

Sun-dried Tomato and Andouille Compote *
Makes a lot

Note: if you want a bit of a spicier flavor to come out, switch the Andouille for Chorizo

½ fl oz   Vegetable or Canola Oil
¾ #   Andouille Sausage, medium dice
½ ea   Yellow Onion, sliced thin
1 qt   Shrimp Stock, from above
¼ C   White Wine
10 ea   Sundried Tomato, fine julienne
¼ bu   Italian Parsley, fine julienne
TT   Salt
TT   Black Pepper

1. Add shrimp stock to saucepan and bring to simmer, reduce by ¾
2. When stock is about halfway, heat a sauté pan with oil (should be a thin film of oil on the bottom of the pan)
3. When hot, add the sausage and caramelize
4. Add sundried tomato and continue to cook another 4 mins
5. Deglaze pan with white wine and scrape the bottom
6. Add shrimp stock from saucepan into sauté pan and finish reducing the stock in the saucepan until thickens
7. When ready to serve add parsley and season

Shrimp

½ fl oz   Vegetable or Canola Oil
3-5 ea/person    Shrimp, peeled and de-veined, tail (and head) left on if possible
TT   Salt
TT   White Pepper
3 ea   Thyme Sprigs

1. Heat Cast Iron Skillet (If you don't have one of these either take mine or use a non-stick pan) over high heat with oil
2. Add thyme to oil (careful oil will start to crackle and spit)
3. Cook shrimp in oil, they only take about 1 min on each side, but if you can get some color on them; just be careful not to overcook cause they get rubbery

Assembly

Reserved Grits
Reserved Sauce
Cooked Shrimp
Chives, sliced

Plate a bed of grits and arrange shrimp resting in bed.  Sauce the shrimp from the center of the plate and sprinkle with chives

[Alexis]

btw, if anyone makes any of these that I posted (and is willing to of course) can you please let me know how the recipe reads/flows/etc. Curious for certain undisclosed reasons atm. Happy cooking

[Jamie D]

I'm going to let you in on a little secret. I love grits.
I am going to try the shrimp and grits recipe.
Thinking about a brunch.
But let me ask - how about bacon-wrapped shrimp and grits?

[Cindy]

What are Grits?

And do they bite?

[Alexis]

I'm going to let you in on a little secret. I love grits.
I am going to try the shrimp and grits recipe.
Thinking about a brunch.
But let me ask - how about bacon-wrapped shrimp and grits?

I *think* that it may be a little much going on (omg I can't believe I'm saying no to bacon. Forgive me kitchen gods, forgive me for my insolence). The compote or sauce or whatever I want to call it is really flavorful, I just realized that I should make the name consistent in the recipe though. I would say if you want to add the flavor, consider cooking the shrimp in bacon fat. If you decide to go all out and bacon wrap the shrimp though, let me know how it turns out, and I'll update the recipe

What are Grits?

And do they bite?

Grits are a porridge made from ground corn. Really similar to polenta
I haven't known them to bite, in fact just the opposite. I think they may be made out of love

[Seb]

Hope I can still post on this after so long. I don't know how much of you like Chinese cooking, but I have a recipe of baozi or steamed meat buns I really enjoy.



A quick note: To any vegetarians, the bun will not hold together well without the meat, but it is definitely possible. I suggest adding extra cabbage.

Also, I'm the worst cook--I don't use measurements! Just use about as much filling as you want to make, ha ha.

None of this stuff is specialty (maybe the mirin?) and can all be found at Marketplace. I'd try there before Walmart.

What you will need:

Water
Self-rising flour
Sugar
Sesame Oil
Peanut Oil
Soy sauce
White cooking wine/rice wine (I use Japanese Mirin for this but it calls for Michiu which is the Chinese version of the same thing)
1 Tray of ground pork
Napa cabbage
Green onions
White onions
Freshly peeled ginger
Salt

1. Put as much flour as you intend on using into a bowl and quite a bit of sugar (maybe 1 cup) and slowly add water and knead until it has the correct dough-like consistecy, then place a wet paper towel over the top of the bowl and let sit while you make the filling.

2. Add everything else into a big mixing bowl (solids first, then all of the oils--the most prominent thing here will be cabbage or pork). I add things in slowly and stir them with chopsticks to make it a little easier on myself.

3. After about twenty minutes of sitting, the dough should be ready to use. Pinch off little sections of dough a little bigger than cookie sized and  roll them out flat--dont forget to flour them to keep it off your hands--then push the filling inside and wrap it up like a little ball. I suggest pushing as much filling as you can possibly get inside of it because the dough will swell in the steamer.

4. Put your little buns into a steamer for about 25 minutes. Keep in mind that the dough will swell up considerably so unless you dont mind them sticking together, make sure to separate them quite a bit.

5. Put em on a plate and enjoy! I eat them plain but many like to eat them with a little soy sauce (If I do that, I usually use a lite soy sauce and add a little sugar to keep the sweet taste of the pork buns.)

[Simon]

I LOVE this recipe! I make it in the Winter for something hearty and in the Summer I use less water and eat it like a salsa with chips.

Easy Chicken Taco Soup

2 lbs boneless chicken breasts
1 Medium Onion
2 cans of stewed tomatoes
1 can of Ro-Tel Tomatoes
1 can kidney beans
1 can pinto beans
1 can whole kernel corn
1 packet of taco seasoning
1 packet of hidden valley ranch (the powder)
1 cup of water

Cook chicken in large stock pot, shred when cooked through. Afterwards
add everything else to the pot with the chicken, stir, cover, and simmer
for 1 hour. Easy peasy! smile I like mine with a little shredded cheese, hot sauce, and a dollop
of sour cream on top!

[chefset28]

Tetrazini

Chicken breast Boneless skinless or Turkey (great use for leftovers from Turkey day!)
2 Tablespoons of Parsley
2 Tablespoons of Flour
2 Tablespoons of Butter
2 cups of Milk
2 cups of Chicken broth
1 1lb. Package of Thin Spaghetti
3 cups of shredded cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Boil chicken until fully cooked, (reserve 2 cups of the broth from boiling the chicken) let cool for several minutes.  While cooking chicken boil spaghetti noodles until firm (it should take from 8 to 10 minutes).  Once the chicken is cool enough to handle dice into about 1/2 inch  pieces. Place cooked, drained spaghetti noodles in an un-greased glass casserole dish (or metal pan). Spread chicken over top of noodles.

In sauce pan melt butter and mix in flour, then slowly add the reserved broth from boiling the chicken until fully combined then add the milk, add salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil stirring constantly to keep the milk from scalding. While waiting for the sauce to boil pre-heat the oven to 350degrees Fahrenheit. Once it begins to boil remove from the heat and pour over chicken and noodles. Sprinkle cheese and parsley over top.  Bake the dish for 25 to 30 minutes, until the cheese is completely melted and golden brown.

My personal favorite side item for this dish is a salad during the summer or a mixed veggies dish in the winter (green beans, corn, and carrots for example) Just something to add a little color to the plate.  Even alone I have never seen this dish fail to become a favorite!

[Jamie D]

MMMM.  That sounds good!

You might want to check out a bunch of our cooking posts.  Some serious, some not!

[DriftingCrow]

This is delicious; I used it as part of my world cooking project (I am trying to cook at least one dish from every country in the world) -- this is The Gambia, and this meal is a common dish there.

Gambian Peanut Chicken Stew

2 large potatoes, peeled and cut in bite-sized pieces
1 small yam, peeled and cut in bite-sized pieces
1 medium turnip, peeled and cut in bite-sized pieces
2 small onions, peeled and chopped
1.5 lbs boneless chicken thighs
7 fresh tomatoes, chopped
1 cup peanut butter
Crushed red pepper
Salt and Pepper


1) In a large pot cover the potatoes, yam, turnip, and onions with water, and boil until tender.
2) In a medium pot, cover the chicken thighs with water, add salt, and boil until cooked. 
3) Removed the chicken from broth and cut into bit-sized pieces.  Add chicken to the vegetables.  If necessary, add some of the chicken broth to the vegetables and chicken.  Add the peanut butter and gently stir. Add red pepper and salt and black pepper to taste. 
4) Allow to simmer for 20 minutes or until flavors are blended and stew is thickened.  Serve hot.


*Note: you can add the tomatoes with the other veggies to be more broth-like, or add them at the end so they're more fresh.


I originally got this from: http://finefettlekettle.blogspot.com/2011/09/gambian-peanut-chicken-stew.html

[Crackpot]

Oh my gosh this is so wonderful. I'm going to steal more then a few of these!
My SO has proclaimed me the grilled cheese master of the house. This is by far the best grilled cheese I've ever had, also completely stolen from Pinterest.

White Pizza Grilled Cheese!!!
Makes 4 sandwiches

Ingredients
½ cup whole milk ricotta cheese
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1 small clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil (or 1 teaspoon dried)
2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano (or ½ teaspoon dried)
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
8 ounces mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced
8 slices white bread (6 slices if your bread is on the larger side)
1 large clove garlic, peeled and halved (for rubbing on the outsides of the bread)
Butter

Instructions
In a small bowl, mix together the ricotta, olive oil, garlic, basil, oregano, salt, and black pepper. Refrigerate for at least an hour (or up to 24 hours) to allow the flavors to develop.
Lay down the bread slices and, using a butter knife, spread the ricotta mixture evenly on each piece. The ricotta mixture should coat the insides of both pieces of bread. Note: If you're using large pieces of bread, you may want to make more of the ricotta mixture, or only make two or three sandwiches instead of four).
Lay the mozzarella slices evenly on every other piece of bread (one side of each sandwich). Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and close the sandwiches by place both cheesy insides together.
Rub the outsides of the sandwiches with the cut side of the garlic clove, then butter both sides generously.
In a large frying pan over medium-low heat, cook the sandwiches, flipping often, until they're golden-brown on the outside and the cheese is melted inside, about 10 minutes.
Serve immediately.

[franie]

 Franies Thick Oatmeal Raisin cookies with dark chocolate chip's

2 ½ sticks of butter softened
2 cups (packed) light brown sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
3 cups all purpose  (unbleached) flour
1-teaspoon baking soda
1-teaspoon cardamom
2-teaspoon salt
3 cups of rolled oats (old fashion)
1 ½ cups raisins
12 oz dark chocolate chips
Pre heat oven to 347 deg.
In a large bowl cream together the butter, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla until smooth. In a separate bowl whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, cardamom together. Stir this into the butter/sugar mixture until smooth.  Stir in the oats, raisins, chocolate chips.
Refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes (this will make thicker cookies). Bake for 11 -13 minutes. Do not over bake.