Bulgur Pilav

This dish may seem to have a lot of ingredients for an everyday side dish, but it's actually very simple and quick to make. Everyone I have made it for likes it, even my dad... and even though he eats everything, he doesn't always like it! My son likes it, too... definitely worth a try.

Ingredients:
1.5 cups onion, diced medium
4 tablespoons olive oil
2.5-3 cups fresh diced tomatoes OR 2 cups canned crushed tomatoes (with no added salt or flavorings) plus 1/2 cup water. Do not use canned diced tomatoes.
1 tablespoon dried mint OR 1/2 cup chopped fresh mint
1 teaspoon dried dill OR handful of fresh chopped dill
1 tablespoon dried parsley OR 1/2 cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1.5 cups large grain bulgur

_____________

In a skillet or pot with a tightly-fitting lid (without vent hole), saute onions in oil over medium heat until transparent but not browned. Add herbs and stir. Add tomatoes, salt, sugar, and stir. Cover and cook for four or five minutes. Add the bulgur, stir, and cover. Turn off the heat immediately if you have electric burners. If you have gas burners, cook on the lowest flame for five minutes, then turn off heat. The bulgur will absorb the liquid from the tomatoes in about half an hour, and then this dish is ready to eat.

I highly recommend that you use fresh tomatoes for this one, even if they are flavorless winter ones...

Vera's Ukranian Borscht (almost)

I will admit it - I am not a fan of beets. Until one of my former students made this for me, I would probably have avoided the things my whole life. They are very easy to avoid, but they are extremely good for you. They help protect against colon cancer, heart disease, and are also high in folate, making them especially important for pregnant women. For more information about how incredibly good-for-you beets are, click here. This recipe also contains a pretty potent quantity of garlic, so if the beets don't convince you, click here to learn about the health benefits of garlic.

Even without the health benefits of this soup, it is worth making because it truly is delicious and easy.

Ingredients:
3 medium sized beets, peeled, quartered, and sliced into 1/4 inch slices
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, halved and sliced thin
3 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons fresh chopped flat leaf parsley for each serving
1 crushed or minced garlic clove for each serving
salt to taste
one large potato, in 1 inch cubes, if a heartier soup is desired (I usually omit it)

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Conventional instructions:

In a large soup pot, place sliced beets (and potatoes, if desired) and about 10 cups of water. Bring to a boil, and then cook until beets are soft, which will take around half an hour (maybe more - you'll have to taste one). When beets are almost done, in a separate pan, saute onions in olive oil until transparent. Add tomato paste and stir, then cook for one more minute. Take a ladle of liquid from the soup and add it to the tomato paste-onion mixture, then pour it all into the large pot. Add salt, to taste (it will need at least a tablespoon. Alternately, you could add vegetable or chicken bouillon, but this will change the taste).

Put parsley and garlic into serving bowls, and pour the soup over. Serve.

This soup will taste better the second day, but will lose its flavor the third, so if you're not going to eat this all the first or second day, you can freeze some of it.

Pressure Cooker Instructions:

Put beets, a teaspoon of oil (to discourage foaming) and water (and potato, if desired) into your pressure cooker (making sure not to fill it more than 2/3 full). Follow your pressure cooker's instructions for closing and sealing. Bring to high pressure, then cook for five minutes. Remove pressure cooker from heat and use the natural pressure release method.

Saute onions in olive oil until transparent. Add tomato paste and stir, then cook for one more minute. Take a ladle of liquid from the soup and add it to the tomato paste-onion mixture, then pour it all into the large pot. Add salt, to taste (it will need at least a tablespoon. Alternately, you could add vegetable or chicken bouillon, but this will change the taste).

Put parsley and garlic into serving bowls, and pour the soup over. Serve.

This soup will taste better the second day, but will lose its flavor the third, so if you're not going to eat this all the first or second day, you can freeze some of it.

Really Green Salad with Goat Cheese Croutons

Ingredients:

fresh leaf spinach (about 4-5 large handfuls per person)

avocado, about 1/2 per person

goat feta cheese, or log of fresh goat cheese

1 egg

1/4 cup sesame seeds

balsamic vinegar

olive oil

honey

salt

_____________________

For dressing: for each serving, place 3 tablespoons of balsamic, 4 tablespoons of olive oil, one tablespoon of honey, and 1/4 teaspoon salt into a small saucepan and slowly bring to a boil.

For cheese croutons: Heat oven to 375F. Cut cheese into large cubes or slices. Beat egg in a bowl and pour sesame seeds onto a plate. Dip each piece of cheese into egg, then coat with sesame seeds. Place on baking paper or foil, on baking sheet, and place in oven for five minutes.

While warming the dressing and cheese, wash spinach well and remove any tough stems. Peel and dice avocado into large chunks. Place spinach into large bowl and toss well with hot dressing (stir the dressing well before pouring). Spinach will wilt. Distribute spinach onto plates and top with avocado pieces and cheese croutons.

Add grilled chicken or turkey strips, if you so desire (this is a good use for leftovers!)

Add caramelized pears, if you like to mix sweet and savory!

Caramelized Pears

It does not take many ingredients to make this easy dessert, but it looks really impressive. As if that's not enough, it's also very healthy.

• 1 pear per person
  
• about a tablespoon of white sugar per pear
  
• optional: whipped cream, vanilla ice cream, or vanilla sauce
  

Directions

1. Halve pears lengthwise; remove cores. (A melon baller removes cores easily, but a small spoon works, too.) Place sugar on a plate.


2. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. A regular (as in not non-stick) skillet works best here because you can see when the pears start to caramelize. Press cut side of each halved pear in sugar. Place cut side down in skillet. Cook until beginning to brown, 7 to 8 minutes.


3. Add 1/2 cup water. Cover; simmer until pears are tender, 5 to 10 minutes (depending on ripeness), adding more water if sugar begins to burn.


4. If liquid in pan is thin, simmer until thickened to a saucelike consistency; if it is thick, add more water. Serve sauce over pears.


5. Serve pears with a dollop of whipped cream, vanilla ice cream, or vanilla sauce. Even without this addition, these are amazingly simple, delicious, and not even bad for you! You could even serve the pears on top of the spinach salad recipe (see salads category)
   

Baked Brussels Sprouts

You say you don't like brussels sprouts but wouldn't mind liking them? If this easy and delicious dish doesn't do it, nothing will. I have always had my brussels sprouts steamed, with butter and I have always liked them that way. But then I heard something on NPR about making them crispy in the oven. I tried it, and they came out even better than I expected. As they lay on their baking sheet, waiting for the other elements of dinner to be ready, everyone who walked by was popping them into their mouths, and about a quarter of them were gone before the rest of dinner was on the table. That is something you might expect for fries, not brussel sprouts! I urge you to try these while they're in season:



Ingredients:
Any quantity of brussels sprouts, dirty or grainy outer leaves removed, cut in half lengthwise (so that each half gets part of the base, and they thus don't fall apart) and soaked in salted water.
olive oil, to coat
salt and garlic powder, to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F/around 200 degrees C. Drain the sprouts and toss them in the olive oil, then sprinkle with salt and garlic powder. Spread them on a foil-lined (for easier cleanup) baking sheet, cut side up. Roast in the oven for 30 minutes, or until they are browned but not burned. Serve.

I recommend that you make more than you think you want to eat because believe me, they will be better than you expect!

Bara Brith

This recipe is from my Aunt Diane, who lives in England, close to Wales. I will convert the measurements to US measurements soon...


(Bara Brith means speckled bread in Welsh)

450g strong plain flour

4 level teaspoons dried yeast

225ml milk

50g brown sugar plus 1 teaspoon

1 level teaspoon salt (I'd miss this out, try to keep salt out of my diet)

75g butter or margarine

1 size 2 egg (large)

1 level teaspoon mixed spice

350g mixed dried fruit

a 2lb (900g) loaf tin well greased

Method

First warm the milk in a small saucepan till it's hand hot, and then pour into a bowl. Whisk in 1 teaspoon of sugar, followed by the yeast, then leave aside in a warm place to froth for about 15 minutes. Now, sift the flour and salt if used into a large mixing bowl and stir in the rest of the sugar.

Then rub the fat into the dry ingredients until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the mixed spice, pour in the beated egg and frothed yeast and mix to a dough. Knead the dough on a floured surface until smooth and elastic (about 10 mins) and put back in bowl, cover with clingfilm or a cloth. Leave in a warm place to double in size - about one and a half hours.

After that ,turn the dough out and knock it down to get the air out, then gradually knead the fruit in and pat out to a rectangular shape. Roll it up from one short side to the other and put in the loaf tin (seam side down). Place the tin inside an oiled plastic bag and leave to rise, until the dough has rounded nicely above the edge of the tin (about 30 - 45 mins). Meanwhile preheat the oven to gas mark 5 (375 F) (190 C).

When the dough has risen and springs back when pressed lightly with a floured finger, remove the polythene bag and transfer the loaf to the oven and bake on the shelf below centre for 30 minutes, Then cover the top of the loaf tin with foil to prevent it overbrowning, and continue to bake for a further 30 mins. Turn the loaf out, holding it in a teacloth in one hand and tapping the base with the other. It should sound hollow - if not pop it back withour the tin for a further 5 mins. Cool the loaf on a wire rack and brush the top with clear honey, to make it nice and sticky, before the loaf cools. Slice thinly and serve buttered.

Martha Stewart's Cranberry Upside Down Cake

I cannot take any credit for this - it is all Martha Stewart and is so perfect that it needs no modifications. I've made it 4 times in the last month, and it's always eaten up before I get a chance to take a photo! If you don't have allspice, substitute with a little ground ginger and ground nutmeg.

The topping is made by simply baking cranberries placed in a layer over sugar and spices at the bottom of the pan. As the cake bakes, the sugar caramelizes, forming a rich syrup.

Prep: 20 minutes
Total: 1 hour

Serves at most 8, not very hungry people

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1 3/4 cups cranberries (or any other berry, frozen or fresh)
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees with rack in center. Rub the bottom and sides of an 8-inch round cake pan with 2 tablespoons butter. In a small bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup sugar with the cinnamon and allspice. Sprinkle mixture evenly over bottom of pan; arrange cranberries in a single layer on top.

With an electric mixer, cream remaining 6 tablespoons butter and 1/2 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla; beat until well combined. In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture to butter mixture in three batches, alternating with the milk, until well combined.

Spoon batter over cranberries in pan, and smooth top. Place pan on a baking sheet; bake cake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes (or more!! Make sure it really is cooked in the middle). Let cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Run a knife around edge of cake; invert onto a rimmed platter.

German Apple Pancake

This is a perfect dish for brunch and is very impressive to guests. It is easy to make, and the last bit is in the oven, which means that you don't have to stand over the stove. You have to make this in an oven proof pan - meaning one with a metal, not plastic, handle. If you don't have one, you could cook the apples first, as directed in step 3, and then put them into a preheated ovenproof pan (such as pyrex) and continue the recipe as directed. It tastes great with apples, but you could also try with nectarines or peaches. Pears will work if they are a hard variety, and bananas would be great too, but the texture would be different. Try it with other fruits and let me know in the comments! This "pancake" has a heavy egg content and does have an egg flavor, so it's probably not for you if you don't like the taste of eggs.

4 eggs
1/2 cup flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons melted butter (or oil)
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 large apple, cored and sliced
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1. In a large bowl, blend eggs, flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Mix in milk while stirring. Add vanilla and 2 Tablespoons of oil/melted butter. Let mixture stand 30 minutes or overnight.


2. Preheat oven to 220 degrees Celcius (425 Fahrenheit).


3. Melt 1/4 cup butter in a 10" oven-proof skillet and brush the butter up the sides of the pan. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of sugar and the cinnamon over the butter. Line the pan with apple slices. Sprinkle more sugar over the apples (1/4 to 1/2 cup). Cook over medium heat until the mixture bubbles.


4. Gently pour batter over apples.


5. Bake 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 190 C (375 F) and cook 10 more minutes.


6. Keep your eye on the pancake after 15 minutes - it should be puffed up but not burning on top. If it starts to brown significantly, it is done and may not need the extra 10 minutes. Fan assisted ovens will require less time.

Çoban Salata (Shephard’s Salad)

Ingredients:
diced tomatoes
cubes of “white cheese” (aka Feta)
cucumber, cubed
onion diced, optional
green pepper diced, optional
parsley, chopped
lemon
olive oil
salt

Mix all ingredients together. Serve in a bowl. Alternately, serve on a bed of washed arugula.

Imam Bayildi (Cold Eggplant Dish)

There are different ways of presenting this dish, but the ingredients are always the same. The name means, in Turkish, "the imam fainted". Some stories claim that the imam fainted because the dish was so delicious, others claim that the imam fainted when he found out how much olive oil his wife had used to make it. Frying the eggplant is a bit of work, but you can prepare the other ingredients while it's frying so it actually does not take a huge amount of time to make. This is one of my favorite dishes...

Ingredients:
3 long (“asian”) eggplants, or 1 large or 2 small globe eggplants
equal amount of diced tomatoes as you have uncooked eggplant
1 onion, diced large (about ½ to ¾ cup)
5 cloves of garlic, crushed slightly with the side of a knife, but not chopped.
Equal amount of diced tomatoes as you have uncooked eggplant. Can be peeled or unpeeled, seeds are ok. Canned diced tomatoes are NOT a good substitute in this recipe.
vegetable oil for frying
olive oil
green spicy pepper, optional
juice of half a lemon
chopped flat leaf parsley, for garnish

To prepare the eggplant: Peel stripes into the eggplant (don’t peel the whole thing, but leave some stripes of peel) and cut into either 1 to 2 inch cubes or 1-inch thick slices, if globe eggplant. If Asian eggplant, cut into 2-inch lengths. The shape is not too important. Place the eggplant pieces into a colander and sprinkle them with salt (try to get salt on all of the cut parts of the eggplant). Let the eggplant sit for at least half an hour. Rinse the eggplant and squeeze as much liquid out of each piece as you can without breaking the eggplant pieces. Dry each piece with a paper towel.

Fry eggplant in heated oil until brown. You will know the oil is hot enough if you press a bamboo chopstick into the bottom of the pan and small bubbles come up from it. When each piece is fried, take it out of the oil and let excess oil drip off. Place onto paper towel to drain.

For the rest of the recipe: Soften diced onion in some olive oil. Add garlic and tomatoes and stir. If you want to add a chile or pepper, chop into pieces the same size as the onion and add it now. Let these ingredients come to a simmer, then add fried eggplant and cover with boiling water (it should not be more than a cup of water, even less is ok). Add one or two teaspoons of salt, the juice of half a lemon, cover and simmer until the tomato has melted into a sauce.

Empty into a serving platter and cool. Garnish with chopped parsley.

Scrambled egg nests

I saw this recipe in the newspaper and thought it looked worth trying :) I'd just do plain scrambled or scrambled and cheese eggs, personally - maybe add some pieces of smoked salmon and capers on top? Lots of variations possible, I suppose. The cool idea is the shredded potato cups :)


In these easy and charming bites, shredded potatoes are baked in a muffin tin to form crunchy cups, which are then filled with scrambled eggs to make a festive finger food.
Ingredients:
3 1/2 cup shredded potatoes
1/2 cup vegetable oil or butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
6 eggs
2/3 cup milk
1/2 cup finely diced onions
1/3 cup finely diced bell peppers
1/3 cup diced cooked breakfast sausage
Shredded cheddar
Chopped parsley for garnish

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, toss together the potatoes, 1/4 cup of the oil or butter, salt and pepper. Spoon about 1/3 cup of the potato mixture into each cup of a 12-serving muffin tin. Press the mixture into the bottom and up the sides of each cup, then bake until golden brown, about 30 to 35 minutes. Remove the nests from the oven and allow them to cool.

Meanwhile, whisk together the eggs and milk. Heat a large nonstick saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the remaining oil or butter to the pan and heat. Add the onions and peppers to the pan and saute until both are soft and the onions are slightly golden, about two to three minutes. Add the sausage and cook until heated through. Add the egg mixture and stir until the eggs have set and small curds have formed. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Remove the potato nests from the muffin tin and place them on an ovenproof platter or cookie sheet. Fill each cup with some of the egg mixture, top with a sprinkling of the cheese, and place the nests in a 375-degree oven until the cheese is melted, about two to three minutes. If you like, garnish each nest with a little parsley.

Corn Bread Muffins

I'm originally from the south, and I love cornbread. Here's the best recipe I've found. I only have metal muffin tins and the muffins usually get stuck, but a friend has the silicone kind and I am definitely going to have to get some of those! These are really easy to whip up around dinnertime :)

1.5 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup cornmeal (I used polenta - white or yellow, doesn't matter)
2/3 cup white sugar
5 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter (I used oil)
1 large egg
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 400F (200C - or 180 with fan). Spray muffin tins with vegetable oil spray (I think this will make around 12 muffins).
In a large bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
In a separate bowl, mix oil, egg, milk, and vanilla extract.
Make a well in the center of dry igredients and pour in the mixed liquid. Stir lightly, just until blended. Don't overmix, or the muffins won't be tender.
Spoon the batter into muffin tins.
Bake in preheated oven 15-18 minutes, until the muffins have risen and are golden brown and springy to the touch.
Pop out of the tins and let cool a bit before serving.
Guten appetit! :)

Pavlova

INGREDIENTS:
4 egg whites
1 1/4 cups white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 pint heavy cream
6 kiwi, peeled and sliced
DIRECTIONS:
Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Draw a 9 inch circle on the parchment paper.
In a large bowl, beat egg whites until stiff but not dry. Gradually add in the sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat until thick and glossy. Overbeaten egg whites lose volume and deflate when folded into other ingredients. Be absolutely sure not a particle of grease or egg yolk gets into the whites. Gently fold in vanilla extract, lemon juice and cornstarch.
Spoon mixture inside the circle drawn on the parchment paper. Working from the center, spread mixture toward the outside edge, building edge slightly. This should leave a slight depression in the center.
Bake for 1 hour. Cool on a wire rack.
Remove the paper, and place meringue on a flat serving plate. Fill the center of the meringue with whipped cream, sweetened if desired. Top whipped cream with kiwifruit slices.

HUMMUS

Everyone loves this recipe. You don't have to bother with the parsley oil, but it looks nice and tastes special.


4 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon salt
two 1-pound 3-ounce cans chick-peas, drained and rinsed (about 2 cups)
1 cup well stirred tahini
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves
4 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted lightly

In a food processor or with a hand blender, purée garlic with lemon juice, 1/4 cup of the oil, and 1/2 cup water, and the salt. Slowly add the chickpeas and 2 tablespoons of pine nuts, scraping down the sides, until the hummus is smooth and add salt to taste. Add water, if necessary, to thin the hummus to the desired consistency and transfer the hummus to a bowl. In the food processor, cleaned, purée the remaining 1/4 cup oil with the parsley until the oil is bright green and the parsley is minced transfer the parsley oil to a small jar. The hummus and the parsley oil may be made 3 days in advance and kept covered and chilled. Divide the hummus between shallow serving dishes and smooth the tops. Drizzle the hummus with the parsley oil and sprinkle it with the pine nuts. Serve the hummus with pita and carrots.

Fruit Pizza

Layer 1

Purchase one roll of Pillsbury sugar cookie dough (in the refrigerator - NOT
freezer - section.) Put it in the freezer for 20 minutes before using.
Slice the dough to medium thickness (about ¼ inch) and arrange cookie slices
on an ungreased pizza pan (you can use a disposable aluminum one). Make sure
the cookies are touching each other. Put that in a 300 degree oven until
cookies are done but not brown - about 15-20 minutes. Take out of oven and
cool.

Layer 2

8 oz cream cheese, softened by leaving out of the refrigerator one hour
½ cup sugar
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

Cream together the ingredients.

Layer 3

Assorted fruit. Try to choose fruit for their colors. I like to use kiwis,
canned mandarin oranges, fresh strawberries, rasberries, blueberries. Other
good fruits to use might be mangoes, pineapple, nectarines, blackberries,
bananas.

Layer 4

½ cup orange juice
1/8 cup lemon juice
1/8 cup water
½ cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch

Mix together the sugar and cornstarch in a saucepan until well mixed. Add
liquids and stir until dissolved. Bring to a boil. Once liquid has boiled,
continue to boil for 1-2 minutes, until thickened.

Instructions:

Prepare layer 4, set aside. Prepare layer 1. While it is cooling, prepare
layer 2 and fruits. When layer 1 has cooled to room temperature, spread
layer 2 on layer one. Arrange fruits. Pour layer 4 over pizza slowly. You
may not need to use all of layer 4. Refrigerate fruit pizza at least one
hour before serving.

Baklava

What you need: (you should be able to find everything at a regular grocery store)

Supplies:
Oven
9x13” glass baking dish
pastry brush or paint brush that has never been used for toxic materials

Ingredients:
SYRUP
1 ¾ cup cold water
1 ¼ cup sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice

OTHER
1.5 cups walnuts or pistachios
1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup unsalted butter
1 package filo dough

DIRECTIONS:
Heat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Make the syrup. Combine the cold water with the sugar in a saucepan. Boil the mixture for 5 minutes, then lower the heat and simmer, uncovered, for about 15 minutes. The syrup is ready when it is light yellow. Turn off the heat and stir the lemon juice into the syrup. Put the syrup aside and let it cool.

Make clarified butter: In a saucepan, slowly melt the butter. After a while, the white part of the butter will float to the top. Remove the white part and throw it away. The other part is called clarified butter.

Chop the walnuts and mix them in a bowl with 1 tablespoon of sugar.

Take the glass pan now and brush the inside of the pan all over with a little of the clarified butter. Now, open the filo dough and cut it in half (the short way). The sheets will now fit in the pan. Put one sheet in the pan. Brush it with a little more butter. Continue layering the dough and brushing with butter until half of the filo has been used. Filo dries VERY quickly, so work fast!

Now, spread the walnuts into the pan. Sprinkle a little water on them, so that the next layer of filo will stick to the walnuts.

Now, layer the rest of the filo dough with the butter as you did with the first half. When you have put the last sheet of filo, brush the top layer and edges with butter.
Using a sharp knife dipped in hot water, cut through the dough halfway (to the walnuts) making triangle-shaped pastries.

Put the baklava in the center of the oven for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, lower the heat to 325 and bake for 30 more minutes, until the top is light golden. Remove the baklava from the oven and then let it sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes. Recut the pastries along the lines all the way to the bottom of the baking pan. Now, pour the cold syrup evenly over the cut lines. Sprinkle some more nuts on top of the baklava, if you want. Now, let it cool completely before serving.

Afiyet olsun!

Zucchini Bread

2 cups shredded raw zucchini
3 eggs
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup chopped walnuts
Beat eggs, sugar, and oil together. Add flour, baking powder, soda, cinnamon, salt, vanilla, and walnuts. Mix together by hand. Add drained zucchini. Mix well. Pour into 2 greased and floured loaf pans. Bake 1 hour at 350° F.

Soft Prezels & Bagels

2 tablespoons warm water, plus 1 1/3 cups warm water
1 package dry yeast
1/3 cup brown sugar
5 cups flour
1/2 cup baking soda
Kosher salt
Mustard, as an accompaniment
In a large mixing bowl, mix 2 tablespoons warm (110-115 degrees F) water with the yeast to dissolve it. Then stir in the remaining warm water and brown sugar. Place bowl on a mixer and using a dough hook, gradually add the flour and continue mixing until it forms a ball. You may not need to add all the flour – play it by ear. Turn it out onto a work surface and knead the dough to make it smooth. Use enough flour on your work surface so the dough is not sticky.
Preheat oven to 475 degrees F.
Butter 2 sheet pans. Bring 2 quarts of water and the baking soda to boil in a large saucepan. Cut dough up into golf ball size pieces. Then roll them into 1/2-inch thick worms. Form a U then cross the ends, twisting at the middle. Fold the ends back down to meet the U (which is now an O) and press to secure the dough. (basically: make a pretzel shape). Drop it into the boiling water for 30 seconds then fish it out and place it on the greased sheet pan. Sprinkle with kosher salt, sesame seeds, or anything else you like. Repeat with the rest of the dough. Bake for 6-8 minutes or until golden brown.
I served the non-salty ones with honey butter. YUMMY! You can freeze or refrigerate some of the dough for later use :)
Yield: 20 servings
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Difficulty: Medium

To make bagels with the same dough:

Preheat oven to 425 F. Bring water with some salt (no baking soda) to a boil while you’re working with the dough. Form balls of dough a little smaller than the size of your fist and press down to make a shape like a bagel without a hole. Poke your finger into the middle of the dough, then spin it around your finger to form a hole in the bagel. The hole will shrink a little. Let bagels rise for about 5 minutes. Then put them into the boiling water and boil for a few minutes on each side. Remove bagels and place them on greased baking sheets. Add toppings while the bagels are still wet from having been boiled. Put bagels into preheated oven for 20- 30 minutes, or until golden. Enjoy them while they are hot or store in plastic bags (once cool) for up to 5 days.

Shirley’s B&B Whole Wheat Bread (quickbread – nonyeast)

My parents and I stayed at Shirley’s Bed & Breakfast on Vancouver Island years ago. I liked the bread that Miss Shirley served so much that I asked for the recipe. I never made it, because it needs buttermilk, bran, and whole wheat flour, things I don’t normally have. I recently read that one can often substitute yogurt (which I always have on hand) for buttermilk in recipes, so I decided to give it a try, and it worked. I hope you try this recipe, because even though it sounds like a lot of work, it’s not, and the result is a fantastic breakfast bread. It’s yummy (albeit a little less healthy) warmed up in the microwave with some butter slathered on it. Enjoy!

Makes: 2 loaves
Preparation time: 1.5 hours, start to finish

Ingredients:
5 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup bran (I prefer oat bran, wheat bran also ok)
1 cup Sunny Boy or Red River cereal
(if you cannot find this cereal (which is usually with health foods or in the oatmeal section) you can substitute with 1/3 cup cracked wheat, 1/3 cup cracked rye, and 1/3 cup flax seeds. You can often find this combination in healthy grain hot cereals)
1 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons baking soda
¼ cup demerara or brown sugar
1 liter plain nonfat yogurt (about equal to 4.5 cups)
¾ cup milk, any type
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon honey

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Mix all dry ingredients.
Stir in yogurt, milk, olive oil, and honey. Stir until moist, but do not over-stir. It will seem a little dry and tough – not stretchy like yeast bread, but not moist like banana bread.
Put the dough into two greased bread pans (regular loaf size).
Reduce oven to 325 F and bake one hour.
Then, turn off oven and keep oven door closed, and let bread sit in oven 15 more minutes.
Remove from oven and allow bread to sit on counter a few minutes before popping it out of the pans. Allow them to breathe upside-down for an hour or so before putting them in plastic bags, in the fridge, or slice them and put them in Tupperware.

Irmik Helvasi (Wheat dessert)

½ kilo (2 cups) irmik (semolina - old style (not instant) cream of wheat can be used)
2 cups milk or half milk half water, room temp or hot
Slightly less than 1 cup olive oil
2 cups sugar
A few spoonfuls of pine nuts


Stir irmik, oil, and pine nuts in a heavy pan (with a tight fitting lid – you’ll need it later) continually over medium heat until pine nuts are hazel in color. Then add the milk/water mixed with the sugar. It may splatter, so please be careful. Stir and cover. The irmik will absorb the liquid within around half an hour. Can be eaten warm, room temperature, or cold. Sprinkle with ground cinnamon to serve. For a slightly lighter dessert, use 3 cups of liquid rather than 2.