Cauliflower Tikka Masala

This is a meat free take on the popular Chicken Tikka Masala dish - great flavors!

Marinade: 

You need: 

1/2 head of cauliflower cut into medium size pieces
3 tablespoons low fat yogurt
1 inch piece of fresh ginger, finely chopped and crushed 
1 teasp. chili powder
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teasp. garam masala
1 teasp. paprika powder
1 teasp. salt
1/4 teasp saffron

Boil the cauliflower at medium heat for 8-10 minutes and cool down  for a little bit.
In the meantime, mix everything else together in a bowl.
add cauliflower to the marinade and mix until all covered
leave in the fridge for 2-3 hrs

Sauce:

You need:

1 tablesp. oil
1 tablesp. ghee
3 cloves
3 cardamom seeds
1 inch piece cinnamon stick
1 onion finely chopped
1 teasp. Ginger & garlic finely chopped and made into a paste
Marinaded cauliflower from before
1 leek chopped
2 tomatoes finely chopped
1 teasp. cumin powder
1 teasp. coriander powder
salt to taste
2-3 cups (or more if desired) chicken or vegetable stock
2 medium size carrots chopped
1 cup presoaked Mung beans (if you cant find Mung beans use Garbanzo beans)
1-2 green Serrano chili peppers 
fresh chopped coriander leaves for garnish

Put oil and ghee in a large pot at high heat. Add cloves, cardamom & cinnamon stick and follow with onion and ginger & garlic paste. (Note that Cloves can burst when added to the hot ghee so keep your distance)
Add marinaded cauliflower and turn down heat to medium and sauté for a few minutes. 
Add Leeks and tomatoes and cook for another 3-5 minutes
Add cumin coriander salt and stir
Add carrots, beans, chili pepper and stock and let simmer for medium heat 15 minutes

Serve with brown rice and garnish with coriander 

Note: use the fresh chili peppers to taste. I have young children and so only use between 1/2 - 1 pepper (all depending on size), make sure I completely de-seed it and chop it up
The amount of stock completely depends on your preference. If you like a  runny sauce feel free to add more and if you like it really thick add less

Spinach Frikadeller

Its Detox Time! 
Every January we go into detox mode and this year is no exception. We have one month with no meat, no dairy (apart from eggs), no white food and no sugar. This is a great way to give your insides a rest from the overindulging of the holidays and shed those extra holiday Lbs.

Frikadeller is a danish meatball and spinach frikadeller is the vegetarian option for these. Having just returned from a trip to Denmark, I am all about spreading the danish recipes to the United States. This is recipe is interpreted from the Danish vegetarian food blog "Vegetaropskrifter"

You Need: 
1 lbs chopped frozen spinach - thawed
4-5 slices of wholewheat bread, crust cut off
1 egg
1 spoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
2 pods garlic finely chopped
3 spoon olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
oil for frying

Let the spinach drain in a sift and squeeze out the liquid.
Put the bread in the food processor and blend until crumbs.
mix the other ingredients in, put in a bowl and leave in the fridge for about 15-30 minutes

Heat an oiled pan to medium heat. The frikadeller should be about a  spoonful. 
Fry them on the pan a few minutes on each side until cooked through.

serving ideas: 
Brown ride and red lentils
Steamed brocoli
Avocado & tomatoes

enjoy!

BBQ Turkey

Brining and bbqing a turkey makes a deliciously moist turkey with an extra smokiness  that is incomparable. The brine recipe we use is from The San Francisco Chronicle (with a few changes); the  most important in a brine is the salt and sugar - the rest can be changed to your liking, this recipe is delicious though...

The Brine

You need (for approx 12 lbs turkey)
1 cup sugar
1 1/2- 1 3/4 cup of kosher salt
2 gallons cold water
2 bay leaves torn into pieces
1 bunch fresh thyme
1 head of garlic, cloves seperated and peeled
5 whole all spice berries, crushed
4 juniper berries, smashed

Instructions:
Remove giblet bag and wash turkey.
Combine sugar salt and 3-4 quarts of water and stir until disolved.
Add the rest of ingredients minus the rest of the water
Put turkey in brine bag, fill up with brine and add the rest of the water. Close bag tight with minimum air. Make sure all of turkey is in brine.
Refrigerate for 24-48 hrs.
Alternatively (if you dont have a brine bag) double bag two heavy duty trash bags (unscented and not made from recycled material).
Then put in an ice chest large enough to hold turkey.
Place turkey in bags, pour in brine & add remaining water till it covers the bird.
Press out air and tightly close each bag seperately.
Keep turkey cold by piling bags of ice over and around the closed bags. Brine for 24-48 hrs

BBQ

You need:
1 brined turkey 
4 tablespoons melted butter for basting

Instructions:
Take the turkey out of the fridge/brine 20-30 minutes before roasting so that it can somewhat reach room temperature. 
Make sure the turkey is completely dry.
Baste the turkey with the butter
Bbq for 1 hr at indirect medium heat
Thereafter cover the wings and leg ends with foil and return to the bbq
Add more coals to keep temp. above 350 degrees f. 
Bbq turkey until internal temp reaches 145-150 degrees f.  (In the thick part of the breast) 
(A 12 lbs turkey takes approx 2 hrs bbq)
Take the turkey off the bbq, cover in foil to retain heat.
Let the turkey sit for 20-30 minutes (internal temp. Will rise 10-15 degrees)

Enjoy! 

Location:Jægersborggade,Copenhagen,Denmark

PAPRIKA PORK SHOULDER CROCK POT

As soon as the grey, dreary weather kicks in, I go stew-mad! There is nothing better than a rich stew at the end of a rainy day; its yummy, its economical and it lasts for a few days. This pork shoulder recipe is one of my favorite, the spanish paprika adds a delicious smokey flavor and the pork just falls apart.

You need: 

1 onion finely chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
Approx. 2 lbs. pork shoulder (bone out)
4 tablespoons spanish paprika
3 medium size carrots copped into chunky pieces 
1 parsnip peeled and chopped into chunky pieces
1 pepper fruit (prefer red but any color will do) finely chopped
1 bay leaf
2 cups tomato sauce
1 quart beef broth 
1 large potato (optional)
1 can garbanzo beans
1 cup barley
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions: 
Sautee onion in a skillet with olive oil and put in the crock pot. 
Add chopped carrots, parsnip, pepper fruit.
Rub 1 tablespoon of spanish paprika on all sides of the pork shoulder, cut of any strings on the shoulder, and place it in the crock pot.
Add beef broth, bay leaf, tomato sauce and salt and pepper and set crock pot on 8 hrs/low temp
Add 2 tablespoons of spanish paprika 
1 1/2 hr before serving add the garbanzo beans and potato (if applicable)
At the same time, in a separate pot, boil the barley for 20 minutes
Add the barley to the stew and let it cook together until done.
Break up the shoulder into smaller chunks with a fork and serve 

Enjoy!

Dill Salmon on the BBQ

My husband is obsessed with his bbq... Really obsessed! If it was up to him, he would bbq his toast in the morning. This recipe is a collaboration between the two of us; I dress it - he grills it.  I love using dill with salmon; a hommage to my danish roots and gravad lax, and the bbq adds a nice touch of smokiness.

You Need:
1 fillet of salmon with skin on
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 cup of olive oil
1/3 cup fresh finely chopped dill
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:
Mix the olive oil and chopped dill in a small bowl
Clean the salmon and pad dry it. Squeeze the lemon juice on it.
rub the olive oil and dill mixture on the skinless side of the fillet
Add salt and pepper to taste 

Cook on the bbq on direct heat for 4 minutes skin down and 3 minutes on the other side with closed lid. If your fillet is thicker than 1 inch give it a couple of more minutes on each side. 

If you have a long fillet that is thin in the tail end and thick at the head, it might be worth cutting it in half and cook the head end a little longer.

Enjoy!

Butternut Squash & Sage Saute'

Butternut squash is one of my favorite autumn veggies great in soup as well as a side dish like this.

You Need: 
1 butternut squash 
3-4 tablespoons butter
Approx 15 fresh leaves of sage 
Salt and pepper to taste


Instructions: 
Peel and shred the butternut squash (I use the food processor for the shredding) 
Finely chop the fresh sage leaves
Melt the butter in the pan, when browned add the butternut squash and sage and saute' for approximately 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy

CHRONICLE CLASSIC: BEST WAY PUMPKIN PIE

Again, this is The San Francisco Chronicle's Classic: Best way Pumpkin Pie from former Chronicle  Recipe Editor Fran Irwin. This is a recipe I have used for years and I am sharing it with you because it is simply the best :)

You Need:
1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree (freshly cooked - see earlier post)
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves 
1 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
3 eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup evaporated milk (one 6 oz can)
1 cup of whole milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
A 9 or 10 inch unbaked piecrust (see earlier post)
Lightly sweetened whipped cream (optional)

Instructions:

My daughter helping me with the pie

Preheat oven to 450 degrees f.
Combine pumpkin puree, sugar, salt and spices in a large bowl; blend well.
Add eggs, both milks and vanilla. Mix thoroughly.
Pour into piecrust.
Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees f. and bake for 50-60 minutes longer, until a knife inserted in the center of the pie comes out clean.

Serve at room temperature. If desired, garnish each piece of pie with lightly sweetened whipped cream

If I have any of the batter left over (depends on the size of pie I'm making), I always mix it with a bit of flour, 1teaspoon of baking powder and a bit of oil until it has the consistency of cake batter, then put in little muffin cups and bake with the pie for approx. 15- 20 minutes - presto - yummy pumpkin muffins :)