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Wednesday, March 28, 2012

OLD FASHIONED SOFT MOLASSES COOKIES

1 cup sugar
1 cup shortening or lard (non hydrogenated)
2 cups molasses
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream or Greek style (thick) yogurt
1 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons baking soda dissolved in a small amount of hot water
6 cups flour (or more)
Cream together sugar and shortening (butter may be used but cookies will spread out more when baked), add molasses, vanilla, sour cream or yogurt, slightly beaten egg and spices. Dissolve baking soda in just enough hot to mix; add to dough.Stir in enough flour to make a soft dough, stirring just until combined.
Cover bowl and set dough aside for one hour in a cool place.
After 1 hour, roll dough out 1/4-inch thick, or slightly thicker, and cut with a large round cutter dipped into flour or cocoa before each cut. (Note: For fancy cutouts, add a little more flour to make a stiffer dough, making dough easier to handle).
Lift cut-out cookies gently with a spatula to a greased cookie sheet.
Bake in a preheated 350°F for about 15 minutes or until done.
Cookies should be soft inside.
Spicy Variation: Add 1 tablespoon rum or bourbon, increase cloves and nutmeg to 1 teaspoon and ginger to 1 1/2 teaspoons (very spicy and an acquired taste)

Pink Grapefruit Yogurt Cake Recipe

ingredients:

3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 cup granulated sugar
Zest of 1 1/2 pink grapefruits
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup canola oil
Grapefruit Syrup
1/4 cup freshly squeezed grapefruit juice
2 T granulated sugar
Grapefruit Glaze
1/3 cup powdered sugar
2-3 T freshly squeezed grapefruit juice

directions:

Preheat the oven to 350F. Spray a 9-inch round cake pan with cooking spray. Dust lightly with flour too. Set pan aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In a small bowl, add the grapefruit zest to the sugar. Rub together with your fingers until fragrant. In a large bowl, mix together the yogurt, sugar, and zest with large spoon or spatula. Whisk in the eggs-you can do all three at once. Mix until smooth and then add in the vanilla and stir again.
Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients. Mix just until flour is incorporated.
Add the oil and mix well. It might take a minute to get the oil mixed in, but it will.
Pour the batter into your prepared cake pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until your cake tester comes out clean and the cake springs back when lightly touched in the center.
Cool on a cooling rack for about 15 minutes and then remove from the pan. While the cake is cooling make the syrup and glaze.
For the syrup, in a small sauce pan add the grapefruit juice and sugar. Whisk over medium heat until the sugar dissolves.
For the glaze, in a medium bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and grapefruit juice. If it is too thick, add more juice, if it is too runny, add more sugar.
Poke little holes into the cake with a toothpick. Spoon the grapefruit syrup over the cake and let it soak in. Let the cake cool to room temperature and then add the glaze. Drizzle over the top of the cake.

Greek Panna Cotta Dessert

http://www.yumsugar.com/Come-Party-Me-Greek-Dinner-Dessert-7433245

Ingredients
1 envelope unflavored gelatin (2 1/4 teaspoons)
2 tablespoons cold water
1 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup sugar
1 vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped
One 17.6-ounce tub of Greek yogurt, such as Fage Total brand (2 cups)
1 cup dried apricots
1 cup semi-dry white wine, such as Vouvray
1/4 cup honey
Directions
  1. In a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water; let stand until softened, 5 minutes.
  2. In a small saucepan, bring the cream, sugar and vanilla bean and seeds to a simmer. Off the heat, stir in the gelatin until melted. In a bowl, whisk the yogurt until smooth. Gradually whisk in the vanilla cream; remove the vanilla bean. Pour the mixture into six 1/2-cup ramekins and refrigerate until set, at least 3 hours.
  3. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, simmer the apricots in the white wine over moderately low heat until the apricots are plump and the wine has reduced by half, about 20 minutes. Stir in the honey and simmer the syrup until thickened, about 5 minutes; let cool.
  4. Run a knife around the inside of each ramekin. Set a plate on each ramekin and invert each panna cotta onto a plate; you may have to tap and shake the ramekins to loosen the panna cottas. Slice the apricots and spoon them on top of the panna cottas. Drizzle with some of the honey syrup and serve.

Greek Potato Salad With Yogurt and Mustard Dressing

http://www.food.com/recipe/potato-salad-with-yogurt-and-mustard-dressing-130835

Ingredients:

Servings:

4-6
Units: US | Metric

Directions:

  1. 1
    Mix together in a large bowl: potatoes, onion, cucumber, celery, bell pepper, olives, eggs, parsley and mint.
  2. 2
    Mix the yogurt with the mustard, cayenne, capers, anchovies (or salt), pepper and garlic, taste and adjust the seasoning to your taste.
  3. 3
    Gently mix the dressing with the salad, transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with the tomatoes (and more olives if you like).


Creamy Mashed Cauliflower


Hands down, my absolute favorite side dish is my mom’s mashed potatoes. She makes them with sour cream which gives them a nice creamy tang and when it comes to food, I tend to devour anything with a little tang. Over the years, I’ve adapted this recipe into a slightly healthier version by substituting Greek yogurt and it tastes just as decadent. Continuing on the healthy route, tonight I decided to make my adapted recipe with cauliflower instead of potatoes.

Truth be told, if someone placed this in front of me and told me it was mashed potatoes, I would probably believe them. While the consistency is a bit thinner, it tastes very similar. This dish also gets bonus points by saving you time (no need to peel away at tons of potatoes), and this cruciferous vegetable is packed full of health benefits that you can read all about here. Here’s how to make this easy side dish…
1 head of cauliflower (florets only – no stems)
1 small, 6 oz container of greek yogurt
2 tbsp butter
3 tbsp grated parmigiano reggiano
2 cloves of garlic chopped
1/2 small shallot chopped
1 chopped scallion for garnish
Salt, pepper and seasonings to taste (I like to use garlic pepper andAdobo)
In a medium pot, bring water to boil (I like to add some garlic pepper and Adobo to the water). Add cauliflower florets to the boiling water and let cook for about 8 minutes or until soft. Remove and drain. In a food processor, combine the cauliflower with the greek yogurt, butter, garlic and shallots and blend until a creamy consistency. Add salt and pepper or Adobo or seasonings of your choice and blend once more. Transfer to a bowl and while hot, mix in the parmigiano reggiano and top with scallions for garnish.

Yogurt Recipes and other vege recipes

http://chobanikitchen.com/recipes
http://www.voskos.com/recipes/
http://www.sproutandpea.com/recipes/

Yogurt Key Lime Pie

http://chobanikitchen.com/recipes/detail/key-lime-pie

  • 1 C (about 15 cookies) finely crushed gingersnaps
  • 3 Tbsp butter, melted
  • 1 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk
  • 2 C Plain 0% Chobani Greek Yogurt
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 C key lime juice
  • 2 Tbsp confectioner's sugar
  • zest of 1 lime

GREEN GODDESS DRESSING

http://www.yumsugar.com/Green-Goddess-Dressing-Recipe-13019032


Ingredients
1 cup chopped avocado (about 1 avocado)
3 or 4 anchovy fillets, mashed or 1-1/2 to 2 teaspoons anchovy paste
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 scallions, chopped
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
1 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon minced fresh tarragon leaves
1/4 cup Greek yogurt
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1-1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
Extra-virgin olive oil (for making dressing)
Directions
  1. Combine the avocado, anchovies, garlic, scallions, basil, parsley, and tarragon in a food processor.
  2. Add the Greek yogurt, white wine vinegar, and lemon juice. Process until smooth. Serve with crudités as a dip or over steamed green vegetables.
  3. For dressing, add olive oil 1/4 cup at a time, processing constantly until the desired consistency is reached. Toss with salad greens.

Making yogurt

http://www.makeyourownyogurt.com/