Summer Rolls with Peanut Sauce

For some, this may not be the best meal for a bitterly cold January evening. For us tonight, the crisp veggies and clean flavors were a reminder that warm weather will come again. This is great for picky eaters, as each person can tailor their meal to their taste. You could add shredded chicken or shrimp as a filling option if it suits you. Round out the meal with some orange and apple slices and you have a fresh, healthy meal.

Summer Rolls
1 package of rice paper wrappers
4 ounces rice noodles
1 small bunch of Kale, washed and tough ribs removed
1 cup matchstick cut carrots
1 1/2 cups frozen edamame

Peanut Sauce
2 tablespoons peanut butter
4 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
Juice of 1 lime
2 tablespoons water (add more or less for desired consistency)
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon brown sugar

Whisk ingredients for peanut sauce in a small bowl and set aside.

Cook the rice noodles according to package directions. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add edamame and cook for 5-7 minutes. Drain and set aside. Bring another pot of water to a boil and blanch the kale, then the carrots for about 3 minutes each. As each is removed from the boiling water, plunge into ice water, then drain and set aside.

Fill a shallow pie pan or plate with hot water. Working with one at a time, place a rice paper wrapper in the water for about 20 seconds, until it is soft and pliable. Remove it and gently lay it onto a paper towel and blot with another paper towel. (It should feel a little sticky.) Place a piece of kale in the center of the wrapper, then add the noodles, carrots, and edamame onto the kale. Fold the bottom of the wrapper up over the filling, fold in the sides, then roll to close. Slice and serve with dipping sauce.

Makes about 10 rolls

Maple-Walnut Oatmeal Cookies

Most years I try out a new cookie recipe for the holidays. Last year it was the Bittersweet Chocolate Cookies with Nutella, the year before that is was Giada's Holiday Biscotti. Both have become favorites for the cookie gifting season and this year's recipe will follow suit. I started with Martha Stewart's recipe and modified it slightly. The warm maple flavor infused throughout these oatmeal cookies is a nice variation on an old favorite.

1 1/2 cups rolled oats
3/4 cup unsweetened shredded dried coconut
1 1/3 cups white whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 stick plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons agave nectar
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons boiling water
1 teaspoon pure maple extract
1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Spray cookie sheets with cooking spray or line with parchment.

Combine oatmeal, coconut, flour, salt, and sugar in a medium bowl. Stir to combine and set aside.

In a small saucepan over medium heat combine butter, maple syrup, and agave nectar. Heat until the butter is melted. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the baking soda with 2 tablespoons of boiling water. Stir this mixture into the melted butter, then add the maple extract. Stir the butter mixture into the oatmeal mixture, then fold in walnuts.

Drop by tablespoons onto prepared pans (I used a small cookie scoop). Flatten each cookie slightly. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes, rotating racks halfway through. Store in an airtight container up to 1 week.

Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

Taste and Create XXV - Southwestern Hummus

I am excited to be paired with Min of The Bad Girl's Kitchen again this month for Taste and Create. I still have some recipes of hers I would like to try, and found even more to add to that list. I am starting with her Southwestern Hummus. It was quick and easy to make and was enjoyed by everyone.

Southwestern Hummus from The Bad Girl's Kitchen

2 green onions, sliced
2 cloves garlic
handful of fresh flat parsley
2 cans pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup pine nuts
1/4 cup olive oil (use more or less to adjust consistency)
juice of 1 lime
1 can diced green chiles or jalapenos
1 to 2 teaspoons kosher salt, to taste

Add all ingredients to food processor and puree until smooth. Add more olive oil as needed to adjust the consistency until the puree moves smoothly in the processor and everything is well combined.

Let stand about 1 hour. Serve with tortilla chips or crostini. You can also make this up to two days in advance, store, covered, in refrigerator. Allow to come to room temperature (about 1 hour) and stir before serving.

Creamy Potato and Leek Soup

This warm and creamy soup is a great cool weather meal. The flavor of the leeks is very subtle, so if you like the leek flavor to be more pronounced use three or four. Using low fat evaporated milk gives the soup a creamy texture without the added fat and calories of heavy cream.

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 leeks, washed and sliced
1 1/2 pounds of potatoes, thinly sliced - I used Dutch Yellow
4 cups vegetable broth
12 oz can low fat evaporated milk
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika

Heat the olive oil in a large sauce pan or small soup pot. Add the leeks and heat until they just begin to brown. (To clean leeks, thinly slice up to the light green part. Place sliced leeks in a bowl of cool water and separate pieces. The sand and dirt will fall to the bottom of the bowl and the clean leeks can be taken off the top.) Add the potatoes and the vegetable broth. Simmer about 10 - 15 minutes, until the potatoes are cooked. Blend the soup with a hand blender or with a food processor until smooth. Whisk in evaporated milk, then season with salt, pepper, and paprika (adjust salt and pepper to taste).

Mini Soft Pretzels

This past September my husband and I were invited to a local Beer Summit by the father of one of our good friends. Each couple was to bring a cooler of their favorite unique beer to be sampled by all participants. Sampling glasses and charts to rate your likes and dislikes were provided by the gracious hosts. Here is a map of where the beers that night hailed from, thanks to Mr. B-ography. My husband acquired some Mother Goose ale, a homebrew from another good friend who was not attending, to share with the group. My contribution that night were these mini soft pretzels.

While searching for recipes, all pages seemed to point back to the same recipe - Alton Brown's. I followed suit and was not disappointed. They were fairly easy to pull together, and the mess that ensued while making them was definitely worth it. I modified his recipe to make 32 mini soft pretzels instead of 8 large ones.

Although a tempting step to skip, the dip in the boiling baking soda bath is of utmost importance for that true soft pretzel taste and texture. Traditionally pretzels are dipped in a food grade sodium hydroxide solution. A sodium bicarbonate, or baking soda solution, provides similar results while being much more accessible to the home chef. This step provides conditions to maximize the Maillard reaction that produces the brown, crispy crust while maintaining a soft interior. The Maillard reaction is at play any time you combine a protein (like eggs or milk) with a sugar. This is why brushing breads and pastries with milk or an egg wash gives them that glossy golden brown color. An increase in temperature and pH speeds up this process, hence the pretzels dip in the baking soda solution (a chemically basic substance with a high pH).

Recipe from Alton Brown's Homemade Soft Pretzels
1 1/2 cups warm (110 to 115 degrees F) water
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 package active dry yeast
4 1/2 cups flour
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
10 cups water
2/3 cup baking soda
1 large egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon water
Pretzel salt or coarse sea salt

Combine water, sugar, and salt in a small bowl and add the yeast. Let sit for 5 - 10 minutes until the mixture becomes foamy. Mix the flour and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment or in the bowl of a food processor with a dough blade. Turn on mixer or food processor and slowly add yeast mixture. Mix until combined. Knead dough with mixer or processor (about 5 minutes) until dough becomes smooth and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Place dough in an oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place for about 50 minutes, until the dough has doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line two baking pans with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray. Set aside.

Bring the 10 cups of water and the baking soda to a rolling boil in an large saucepan or stockpot. (The bigger the pot the better.)

While the water is boiling, turn the dough out onto a slightly oiled work surface and divide into 8 equal pieces. Divide each of those pieces into four pieces for a total of 32 pieces. Roll out each piece of dough into a thin rope (about the thickness of a pencil). Make a U-shape with the rope, then holding the ends of the rope cross them over each other and press onto the bottom of the U in order to form the shape of a pretzel. Place onto the parchment-lined baking sheet.

Place the pretzels into the boiling water, in batches, for 30 seconds. Remove them from the water using a large flat spatula or tongs. (Be careful - they will be slippery.) Return to the baking sheet, brush the top of each pretzel with the beaten egg yolk and water mixture and sprinkle with the pretzel salt.

Bake until dark golden brown in color, approximately 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before serving.

Makes about 32 small soft pretzels