British Flapjacks

 Ingredients

2-1/3 cups rolled oats quick-cooking or old-fashioned, see Recipe Notes

½ cup butter salted or unsalted 

½ cup brown sugar light

¼ cup golden syrup see Recipe Notes 

¼ tsp sea salt flaky

Mix-ins as desired optional, see Recipe Notes

2/3 cup chocolate chips semi- or bittersweet, optional

Instructions

If you’re using American-style old-fashioned rolled oats, chop them in a food process to a medium coarseness (they’ll be closer to the texture you can find in the UK).

Heat oven to 325°F (160°C). Line an 8- × 8-inch baking pan with parchment paper. Try to get all four sides covered so the bars don’t stick when you remove them…you’ll have to do a little bit of parchment-paper origami, but trust me, it’ll make things easier later.

In a medium-sized pot, melt the butter with the brown sugar, golden syrup, and about ¼ tsp of flaky sea salt (omit if using salted butter) over medium-high heat. Once bubbles form, simmer for one minute, then remove from heat.

Stir in the oats and any desired mix-ins until the mixture is completely coated. Press into the pan in an even layer.

Bake the bars for 20 to 25 minutes, until deeply golden at edges. The longer cooking time will yield a deeper flavored bar, but it won’t be quite as soft and sticky as with a shorter baking time.

If you’d like to add a chocolate topping (and who wouldn’t?), let the bars rest in their pan on a cooling rack for 3 to 4 minutes before sprinkling the chips all over. Wait 5 minutes, then spread the melted chocolate in a even layer using a small offset spatula.

Let the flapjacks cool completely, either at room temperature or in the refrigerator (especially if you added the chocolate chip layer).

Use the parchment paper to slide them out of their pan onto a cutting board and cut them with a serrated knife into 16 squares or into 4 large ones, then cut those quarters diagonally to form 4 triangles.

Store at room temperature in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week (if they last that long!).

Notes

If you can’t find golden syrup, try using honey or maple syrup. Just make sure it’s pure (not adulterated or pancake syrup) because you’ll really taste the flavor.

Rolled oats in the UK vs. the US have different levels of coarseness. American old-fashioned oats are whole, while British oats are smaller and more akin to US quick-cooking oats. If you have old-fashioned oats in your cupboard, just pulse them in a food processor to cut them a little smaller. That will keep the flapjack texture just right.

I

Chicken Wild Rice Soup

 

3 – 3 ½ cups shredded or diced chicken (approx. 1 lb chicken meat or 1 store bought rotisserie chicken)
3 cups cooked wild rice (2:1 water to rice ratio in rice cooker)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 medium carrots, peeled as desired & diced
3 stalks celery, diced
1 medium yellow onion, diced
8 ounces cremini mushrooms (baby bella), trimmed & sliced
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
2 teaspoons dried poultry seasoning
2 teaspoons chicken base


4 cups chicken broth or stock, divided

1/2 cup flour

3 T butter
3 cups half & half
½ lemon, juiced
kosher salt & ground black pepper, to season


INSTRUCTIONS
Soften the veggies: Add the butter to a large, heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven (at least 5-qt capacity) over medium heat. Once melted, add in the carrot, celery, onion, & mushroom. Season with 1 teaspoon kosher salt & ground black pepper as desired. Stir to combine. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the veggies have softened slightly, 6-8 minutes. If you haven’t already, this is a great time to shred or dice the cooked chicken.

Cook the aromatics: Add the garlic, dried poultry seasoning, & chicken base to the pot, stirring to coat the softened veggies. Cook until fragrant, 1-2 minutes.

Build the chicken & wild rice soup: Make a roux by whisking flour in melted butter until cooked. Pour the chicken stock & roux into the pot. Cook, stirring often, until the stock thickens, 2-3 minutes. Stir the shredded/diced chicken and wild rice into the soup. Increase heat to medium-high to bring the soup to a steady simmer, then cook about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, to bring the flavors together.

Finish the soup: Stir the half & half into the soup, cooking for about 5 minutes more to ensure it’s warmed through without boiling it. Turn off the heat & stir in the lemon juice. Taste & season with additional salt & ground pepper as needed.

Norwegian Waffles

 INGREDIENTS

7 eggs

¾ cups sugar

1½ cup flour

5 green cardamom pods, ground 

1½ cup sour cream 

6 Tbsp melted butter 

METHOD

Beat the eggs and sugar in a blender for 8 minutes, until the preparation becomes white and makes ribbons. 

Incorporate half the flour and cardamom, alternating with the sour cream, folding delicately using a spatula.

Add remaining flour and melted butter. Mix delicately - let rest for 10 minutes.

Heat the waffle maker. Pour about ¾ cup of dough at a time (or follow the manufacturer’s instructions). Close the appliance and cook for 6 to 7 minutes until golden.  Repeat with the remaining dough.

Cottage Pie

 Cauliflower topping

• 1 head of cauliflower, steamed
• 3 oz cream cheese
• 1/4 c milk 
• salt and pepper
• Blend together in food processor

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F

Filling

Saute 5 min:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped yellow onion

Add and cook until beef is brown:

1 lb. 90% lean ground beef 

2 teaspoons dried parsley leaves

1 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves

1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Add and cook 1 min:

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

2 garlic cloves -minced

Add and stir well:

2 tablespoons all purpose flour

2 tablespoons tomato paste

Add and bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer and simmer for 5 min:

1 cup beef broth

fresh or frozen peas, green beans, carrots, etc.

Pour the meat mixture into a 9x9 (or 7x11) inch baking dish. Spread it out into an even layer. Spoon the cauliflower on top of the meat. Carefully spread into an even layer. Bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before serving.

5 Spice Tofu

•  1 block super-firm (16 oz) tofu
• ½ cup vegetable or chicken broth
• ½ cup water
• ¼ cup low-sodium tamari
• 1 tbsp brown sugar 
• 1 tsp chinese five spice blend

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Cut the block of tofu in half lengthwise, then cut each piece in half again to form four even blocks.

Add the broth, water, tamari, sugar, and five spice to the base of a large, oven-safe pot or sauté pan and whisk until combined. Place the tofu in the pan, then cover and bring to a simmer. Cook covered for 20 minutes on medium-low heat. Use tongs or a spatula to flip the tofu every 5 minutes, to ensure even cooking.

Place the pan into the oven and bake on the top-most rack for 10 minutes, then flip the tofu and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes, or until almost all of the liquid has evaporated from the pan. 

Let the tofu cool for at least 10 minutes, then slice and serve as desired. Leftovers will keep in the fridge for up to one week, or the freezer for up to two months.

From From My Bowl

 

Vegetable Pancit

 INGREDIENTS

• 8 ounces rice vermicelli noodles
• 1 small white onion, finely diced
• 6 garlic cloves, finely minced
• 4-5 cups shredded veggies (cabbage, carrots, sugar snap peas, bok choy, etc.)
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce 
• 1/8 teaspoon sesame oil
• Salt and black pepper, to taste
• 3 green onions, finely sliced
• Calamansi juice or lemon juice

INSTRUCTIONS

Place the rice noodles in a large bowl and cover them with lukewarm water. When the noodles are soft, after about 10 minutes, drain and set noodles aside.

In a wok or large saucepan over medium heat, add in the oil along with the onions and garlic. Sauté for 4 minutes.

Add in the remaining vegetables along with a splash of the chicken broth and a pinch of salt. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until tender.

Remove the vegetables from the wok and set them aside. If there is leftover liquid, just leave it in the wok.

To the wok, add in the remaining broth and soy sauce. Bring to a simmer and then add in the noodles. Allow the noodles to simmer for about 5-7 minutes, or until cooked through.

Add in the vegetables, green onions, and sesame oil. Gently toss with tongs until uniform. Season with salt and pepper as desired. 

Serve with calamansi or lemon and enjoy!

https://sweetsimplevegan.com/vegan-pancit-bihon/

Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies

 Ingredients

½ pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and just warm to the touch

¾ cup packed light brown sugar

½ cup granulated sugar

1 egg

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons nonfat milk powder

1 ¼ teaspoons kosher salt

½ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon baking soda

12 ounces semisweet or dark chocolate chips

¼ cup flaked salt

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

With a wooden spoon, mix the sugars together in a large bowl and add the melted butter. Stir vigorously for about a minute or more. Mix the egg and vanilla in the measuring cup you used for the sugar and add to the mixture. Stir until the mix gathers a glossy sheen, about 1 more minute.

Mix in the flour, milk powder, salt, baking powder, and baking soda until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips and mix until evenly distributed.

Use a #24 squeeze handle scoop to portion the dough (or lightly form into balls about the size of a golf ball) and place on a baking tray lined with parchment paper about 2 to 3 inches apart.

Bake for 9-11 minutes or until golden brown around the edges but still soft in the middle. The cookies will fall as they cool. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

https://www.foodiecrush.com/milk-bars-salted-chocolate-chip-cookies/