Dukkah

Dukkah is a mix of nuts and seeds used for dipping with bread, crackers, or raw vegetables along with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. It makes a great appetizer or snack food. These are two ideas for making dukkah, but there are limitless variations. Nearly any kind of nut or seed or spice can be used. The quality of the olive oil and the vinegar is critical in creating a good dipping experience. Olive oils infused with lemon or herbs are particularly good with dukkah. 

Kelly’s Dukkah

1/3 cup hazelnuts

2 Tablespoons pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

2 Tablespoons sunflower seeds (salted and roasted)

½ teaspoon whole cumin

All of the above ingredients can be ground in a coffee grinder. They can be ground together or separately, depending on the size and strength of your grinder.

Add the following to the ground mix:

Dash of onion powder

Tablespoon of dried parsley

Dash of curry

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon salt

Dash of ground thyme

½ teaspoon paprika

Pinch of saffron if you have it

Dash of garlic salt

¼ cup sesame seeds

Sweet Dukkah

1/3 cup hazelnuts

2 Tablespoons pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

2 Tablespoons sunflower seeds (salted and roasted)

½ teaspoon whole cumin

1/3 cup pecans

All of the above ingredients can be ground in a coffee grinder. They can be ground together or separately, depending on the size and strength of your grinder.

Add the following to the ground mix:

Dash of onion powder

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon paprika

Pinch of saffron if you have it

¼ cup sesame seeds

2 tablespoons whole flax seeds

1 Tablespoon brown sugar

Put a little oil and vinegar on a plate and the dukkah mix into a small bowl.  Dip bread or vegetables into the oil and vinegar and then into the seed and spice mix. This is one of the best appetizers ever. 

Kindness is a language that the deaf can hear and the blind can see.    Mark Twain

Beef Stew with Orzo or Stroganoff Stew

2 cups cut up beef – could be chuck steak or stew meat

1 cup flour

Salt

Pepper

Beef bouillon

Carrots

Parsnips

1 Onion

3 cloves garlic

¼ cup safflower or olive oil

1 cup sour cream

Thyme

Parsley

½ cup orzo

Step 1 - Put 2 teaspoons salt, 2 teaspoons pepper and 1 cup flour into a flat baking dish and mix until the salt and pepper are evenly distributed. Pour in cubed beef and coat the cubes with the flour mixture; then put them in a skillet with about 3 tablespoons of oil. (Save the remaining flour in a glass container.) Sauté until the beef cubes are slightly golden on the outside. They do not have to be cooked through.

Step 2 – Put the sautéed beef cubes into cooking pot with about 3 quarts of water and the beef bouillon. Bring to a boil; then simmer for 2 – 3 hours or until the beef is tender and flaky.

Step 3 - While the beef is simmering, sauté the onion and garlic and add them to the beef.

Cut up the potatoes, parsnips, and carrots into approximately half inch cubes.

Add a cup of water and 1 cup sour cream to the remaining flour and mix together. This can sit in the refrigerator until needed.

Step 4 – When the beef is thoroughly cooked, add the cut up vegetables and continue to simmer for about ½ hour. Add seasonings: parsley, thyme, salt, pepper. Add water if neeeded. 

Step 5 – Add the orzo and continue to simmer slowly until the orzo is soft.

Step 6 – Add the flour and sour cream mixture, and stir until the stew is an even consistency.

Add more spices if necessary. If the stew is too pale for you, add some browning liquid, such as Kitchen Bouquet to get it back to a brown color. You may also need to add more water, depending on how thick you want your stew.

Serve with bread and salad for dinner or all by itself for a hearty lunch. Worry about calories some other day!

The heart has its reasons of which reason knows nothing.   Blaise Pascal

Chicken Enchilada Soup

3 cups medium enchilada sauce

3 cups spaghetti sauce

3 cups cubed raw chicken

3 cubes chicken bouillon

6 small carrots

5 medium size potatoes

½ cup quinoa

1 small onion

2 jalapeno peppers

2 cloves garlic

Mince and sauté the onion, garlic and jalapenos in a little EVOO.  Cut the potatoes and carrots into half inch cubes.

Put the sauces, the chicken, bouillon, and onion/garlic/pepper mixture, into a large cooking pot. Heat to nearly boiling and then simmer on low for about 2 hours.

Put the carrots and onions into the soup and cook for one more hour.

Put the quinoa into the soup and cook for an additional half hour. If the soup is too thick, add water and simmer for a few more minutes.

Top the soup with avocado slices.

You can diminish the spiciness of the soup by deleting the jalapenos and using mild enchilada sauce.

Life is what happens while you are making other plans.      John Lennon

Blueberry Rum Custard

Somewhere between a dessert and a Jamaican vacation is the blueberry rum custard. It is lighter than cheesecake and melts on your tongue.

Crust (optional)

Phyllo dough

Melted butter

Layer # 1:

16 ounces of Ricotta cheese

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 eggs

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup raw honey or brown sugar

1 cup fresh blueberries

Top layer:

8 ounces of mascarpone cheese

2 tablespoons of spiced rum

1/3 cup raw honey

Layer about 6 sheets of phyllo dough and butter in the bottom of a 9” x  9” glass baking dish. Mix the ricotta, vanilla, eggs, berries, salt and sugar and pour over the phyllo layers. Bake in a 325 oven in a water bath for about 45 minutes or until solid in the middle.

While the first layer is baking, mix the mascarpone, rum and brown sugar or honey. Stir well and set in a warm place. When the baked layer comes out of the oven, gently spread the mascarpone mixture over the ricotta layer. Put back in the oven and bake for another 15 minutes.

Cool for about 2 hours and cut in 2 ½ inch squares. Whipped cream is a great topping.

Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.         John F Kennedy

Kabocha Tomato Soup

Tomato soup is a favorite of nearly everyone; the addition of the winter squash creates a slightly new flavor without masking the delightful tanginess of the tomato.

2 cups steamed kabocha or other winter squash such as acorn, hubbard, or butternut

2 cups canned crushed or stewed tomatoes

2 cubes of tomato or chicken bouillon

2 Tablespoons pureed onion and garlic that have been sautéed in olive oil.

2 tablespoons dill weed

1 ½ teaspoon salt

1/3 cup olive oil

1 cup whole milk or full fat coconut milk

Not all squash is equal in water content. If your soup is too thick, simply add some water.

Add all ingredients and blend with a hand blender. Heat and stir over low heat. Serve with croutons, crackers or sourdough bread.

‘Rejoice at your life, for the time is more advanced that you think.’ - Lau Tzu