Guinness chocolate cake:

*My thanks to Danielle Miller for passing this recipe along to me!  :)  

For the cake:

1 cup guinness (please use the real stuff!)
1 stick plus 2 TBS unsalted butter
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
2 cups superfine sugar (i use regular c&h)
3/4 cup sour cream
2 eggs
1 TBS vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 tsp baking soda

* i find it helps to measure out the cocoa & sugar in a bowl; beat the eggs, sour cream, & vanilla together in a bowl; & have the flour & soda measured out in a bowl ready for when you mix it all in at the end.

* don't worry if the batter is thin; it often is.

for the frosting:

8oz philadelphia cream cheese
1 1/4 cup confectioners sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream

preheat oven to 350, and butter and line a 9 inch springform. pour guinness into a large wide saucepan, add the butter --in spoons or slices-- and heat until the butter's melted, at which time you should whisk in the cocoa and sugar. beat the sour cream with the eggs and vanilla and then pour into the pan. whisk in the flour and baking soda.

pour batter into the greased and lined pan and bake for 45 minutes to an hour. leave to cool completely in the pan on a cooling rack.

for the frosting: whip the cream cheese until smooth, sift over confectioners sugar, then beat together. add cream and beat again until it makes a spreadable consistency. 

from:  Nigella Lawson's "Feast". great book. 

Homemade tortillas

This recipe works really well!  I made mine with 100% whole wheat, and I added 1/2 tsp of baking soda.  Also, I made the water boiling water and rolled them as thin as I could.  The final product doesn't look as round and neat as store-bought tortillas, but they're soft and tasty, and very cheap/relatively healthy! :)  Enjoy!

• Prep/Total Time: 30 min.
• Yield: 8 Servings

102030

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup water
• 3 tablespoons olive oil

Directions

• In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Stir in water and oil. Turn onto a floured surface; knead 10-12 times, adding a little flour or water if needed to achieve a smooth dough. Let rest for 10 minutes.
• Divide dough into eight portions. On a lightly floured surface, roll each portion into a 7-in. circle.
• In a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray, cook tortillas over medium heat for 1 minute on each side or until lightly browned. Keep warm. Yield: 8 tortillas.

From: http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Homemade-Tortillas

Corned Beef and Cabbage Pot Stickers!!

To celebrate St. Patrick's Day I made corned beef and cabbage pot stickers, a variation on the recipe below and a few more I found like it.  I just took leftover: corned beef, carrots, potatoes, cabbage, sauerkraut, and swiss cheese and then blended it all in the food processor until it was mixed and small enough to put in a wonton wrapper.  I fried them in canola oil for 3 minutes approx on each side, and served them with Thousand Island dressing as a dip.  Awesome stuff!!

Corned Beef and Cabbage Egg Rolls

Print me!

1 pound cooked corned beef
1 1/2 cups steamed or roasted cabbage
5 green onions
2 ounces Swiss or Monterrey jack cheese, diced
10-12 egg roll wrappers
1 egg, beaten
oil for frying

Finely chop corned beef, cabbage, green onions and cheese and mix together in a bowl. Place an egg roll wrapper like a diamond, with a corner pointing towards you. Place 3-4 tablespoons of filling in the center. Fold the corner over and tuck it around slightly. Fold up both side corners and roll over slightly, . Using a pastry brush, brush beaten egg onto the remaining corner and finish rolling the egg roll. Repeat until all the filling is used.

Heat oil in a heavy pot or fryer to 375° F. When the oil is preheated, add in egg rolls slowly. Fry for 2-3 minutes until they blister and turn dark golden brown. Remove and drain on cooling rack covered with a brown paper bag or paper towels. Serve with Russian or thousand island dressing.


Makes 10-12 egg rolls.

Taken From: http://foodformyfamily.com/recipes/corned-beef-and-cabbage-egg-rolls-with-ole-on-our-wedding-night

Crispy coconut curry chicken strips:

Crispy Coconut Chicken Fingers
Recipe by Our Best Bites

12 chicken tenders (ya know, more or less…)
1-2 eggs (start with one and crack another if it runs out)
1/2 C flour
1 C sweetened coconut flakes
1 C panko bread crumbs
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
3/4 tsp table salt
3/4 tsp curry powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (you can leave this out if you want to skip the spice for the kiddos)

preheat oven to 450 degrees. Give coconut a rough chop so it’s about the same size as the panko pieces.  Combine it with Panko and spices in a shallow dish. Mix well to distribute all of the spices. Place the flour in another shallow dish, and the egg in another. Give the egg a quick beating. Working with one chicken tender at a time, dredge in flour and then dip in egg, and then finally coat in the coconut Panko mixture. Press in with your fingers to make sure the entire thing is well coated.

Place chicken tenders on a foil-lined baking sheet (for easy clean up!) that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. I give mine a teeny drizzle of olive oil on top to help them crisp nicely, but it’s optional.

Bake in your 450 degree oven for about 20 minutes or until juices run clear. Try not to overcook them because chicken tenders go from perfect to overcooked really fast! If your tenders are on the small side, they could even be done in about 15 minutes so keep an eye on them. If they’re big they can take more like 25. The coconut will be nice and golden and the panko crisp, but light in color still.

Taken from: http://www.ourbestbites.com/2009/11/crispy-coconut-chicken-fingers/

Pork and Sweet Potato Mole

Pork and Sweet Potato Mole:

Ingredients:

½ lb lean ground pork

1 sweet potato, scrubbed well and cut into ½ inch cubes (I peeled it)

1 clove garlic, roughly chopped

1 cup diced plum or vine-ripe tomatoes (I used a can of diced tomatoes)

1 T natural unsalted peanut butter

2 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp chipotle chile powder (I didn’t have chipotle chile powder, so I used 1 tsp regular chili powder and 1 cut up chipotle pepper that I keep frozen)

2 cups shredded Napa cabbage

1 lime, zested and juiced

12 6-inch corn tortillas, warmed

¼ cup low-fat sour cream

Instructions:

1.     Heat a large sauté pan on medium-high.  Gradually add pork a bit at a time and cook, stirring and breaking up with a wooden spoon, until beginning to brown, about 2 minutes.  Add potato and garlic and sauté, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes.  Add tomatoes, peanut butter, cocoa, chipotle powder, and ½ cup water.  Stir until peanut butter melts, about 20 seconds.  Cover, reduce heat to medium and simmer for 10 minutes. 

2.    Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine cabbage and lime zest and juice.  Top each tortilla with pork mixture, cabbage mixture, and sour cream, dividing evenly.

From:  Clean Eating Magazine, March 2012, pg. 60

Zucchini oven chips

Ingredients

• Print
• Email
• Send To Mobile

• Save Recipe
• Add to Menu
• Add to Shopping List

• 1/4 cup dry breadcrumbs
• 1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmesan cheese $
• 1/4 teaspoon seasoned salt $
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper $
• 2 tablespoons fat-free milk $
• 2 1/2 cups (1/4-inch-thick) slices zucchini (about 2 small) $
• Cooking spray $

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 425°.
2. Combine first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Place milk in a shallow bowl. Dip zucchini slices in milk, and dredge in breadcrumb mixture. Place coated slices on an ovenproof wire rack coated with cooking spray; place rack on a baking sheet. Bake at 425° for 30 minutes or until browned and crisp. Serve immediately.

Linda Oldenburg, Cooking Light 
AUGUST 2005

From: http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/zucchini-oven-chips-10000001087041/