Sourdough Sandwich Bread

https://alexandracooks.com/2019/04/17/easy-sourdough-sandwich-or-toasting-bread/

100g starter

10g kosher salt

430g water (440g for focaccia)

-  Lightly mix together.

512g flour

-   Stir to form sticky ball

-   Cover for 30 mins

-   Do a series of folds and turns

-  Cover and repeat 2-3 times

-   Let it rise overnight until doubled in size 

-   drizzle with oil, gently scoop out of bowl to counter

-   fold in sides and gently place in oiled loaf pan (place in oiled 9x13 and cover with sprayed saran wrap for focaccia)

-   let rise until dough almost reaches rim

-   Bake at 425 for 20 mins. Turn heat down to 375 and continue baking for another 25 mins (dimple and season, bake at 425 for 25 mins for focaccia)

-   Remove from pan and let cook for 30 mins before cutting open (remove from pan but no need to wait to eat)

Simple Bruschetta

 

• Olive oil
• 16 slices French bread
• 2 large cloves garlic, minced
• 6 medium Roma tomatoes, diced
• 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
• Salt + pepper, to taste
• 2-3 Tbsp parmesan cheese
• Fresh basil, chopped

• Add a splash of olive oil to a small skillet over medium heat, and add the garlic. Cook, stirring, for 30 seconds to one minute just to cook it a bit–don’t let it get very brown.
• Add this to a bowl with the diced tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper to taste, parmesan cheese, and a few handfuls of fresh basil. Stir everything together and adjust anything to taste.
• Spoon over the toasted bread slices and enjoy!

Baked Pesto Bagels

 3 whole Stale Bagels (or Close To Stale) 

2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil 

3 Tablespoons pesto

Garlic Powder, To Taste

Sea Salt, to taste 

Cut bagels into chunks. In a bowl, combine the olive oil, pesto spice mix and garlic powder. 

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Make enough to dip your bagel chunks – it’ll depend on how many bagels you have.

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Dip chunks into bowl and place on foil lined baking sheet. 

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Sprinkle sea salt over them, and bake in a 400 degree F oven for approximately 11-13 minutes (again, baking time will depend on how many you have, and how “chunky” they are).

Baked Croissant French Toast

 

• 3 large croissants, a few days stale
• 3 eggs
• 3/4 cup milk
• 3 tablespoons Greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• cinnamon to taste (I used almost a full teaspoon)
• pinch of salt
• 3 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small pieces

1. Grease a small baking pan with butter (I just used a small loaf pan). Tear the croissants into small pieces and place in the dish.
2. Whisk the eggs, milk, yogurt, sugar, and vanilla. Pour evenly over bread. Cover and refrigerate overnight in the fridge (or for a few hours if you are short on time).
3. For the topping, mix flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Cut the cold butter in with a food processor or just using your fingers until your mixture looks like small crumbs.
4. When you’re ready to eat, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sprinkle crumb mixture over the top of the croissant/egg mixture in the pan. Bake for 30-45 minutes depending on how soft/crispy you want it to be. Make sure the french toast is fully cooked before you remove it from the oven – usually the top looks done before the inside is really done.
5. Top with butter and drizzle with maple syrup.

Authentic Mexican Rice

 https://stellanspice.com/authentic-mexican-rice/

(Step by step picture instructions on website)

• 1 1/2 cups Mahatma® Rice Extra Long Grain White Rice
• 3 tbsp canola, vegetable, or corn oil
• 1/4 onion diced
• 1 garlic clove crushed
• 1 tbsp Knorr chicken bouillon
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 roma tomatoes (makes 8 oz tomato juice)
• 2 cups hot water
• 1/4 tsp salt or to taste
• 3 sprigs cilantro
• 1 jalapeno

Over medium heat, add the oil to a heavy-bottomed or good quality non-stick pan, then fry the onions and garlic

When the onions and garlic have lightly browned, remove the garlic and set it aside

Add Mahatma® Rice Extra Long Grain White Rice to the pot and toast the rice in the oil, moving it constantly for about 5 minutes or until it becomes slightly puffy and golden brown.

Add the Knorr chicken bouillonand garlic powder, the mix and continue toasting for another minute.

Blend together the roma tomatoes and fried garlic clove. You should have about 8 oz (1 cup) of tomato sauce.

Add it to the rice, stirring constantly for 30 seconds. The color should change to warm reddish orange color. At this point, watch the heat to make sure the bottom is not burning. Adjust the heat if you need to.

Add the HOT water to the rice. It has to be hot- if the liquid isn't bubbling on the sides of the pot, your water is not hot enough. Stir in salt to taste at this point if you're adding. I recommend about 1/4 tsp.

Add the cilantro and jalapeno on top, continue boiling over medium-low heat until some of the water has evaporated. Then turn the heat to the lowest setting and cover for 20 minutes. Do NOT lift the lid!

After 20 minutes, turn off the heat and fluff the rice with a fork. There will be a thin layer of tomato sauce at the top- that is what we want. Just gently fluff & mix it into the rice to distribute evenly.

At this point, the rice is ready if you don't like overly soft rice. This is good for me, but if you want it more soft & fluffy, cover for another 10 minutes (no heat).

Kuchumber Salad

 

• 1 red onion peeled and sliced
• Juice of 1 lemon
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• ½ cucumber sliced
• 3 medium tomatoes sliced

• Place the sliced red onions, salt, and lemon juice in a bowl and mix thoroughly. (This will help soften the onions and make the flavour less harsh. The onions will also flavour the dressing beautifully.)
• Add the cumin, sliced cucumber and tomatoes and stir everything together.
• Leave to sit at room temperature for 15-30 minutes to allow the flavours to mix and mingle. (See Note 1.) Serve with your favourite curries, rice, naans and other Indian dishes.

Apple Goat Cheese Salad

 

Green salad

• 5 ounces (about 5 cups) spring greens salad blend
• 1 large or 2 small Granny Smith apple(s)
• ⅓ cup dried cranberries
• ¼ cup pepitas (green pumpkin seeds) or chopped raw pecans
• 2 ounces chilled goat cheese, crumbled (about ⅓ cup)

Apple cider vinaigrette

• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 ½ tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 ½ teaspoons honey
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1. Toast the pepitas: In a medium-sized skillet, toast the pepitas over medium heat, stirring frequently, until they are turning golden on the edges and making little popping noises (if using pecans instead, warm them just until they are fragrant). Transfer the pepitas to a small bowl to cool.
2. Make the dressing: In a cup or jar, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, honey, mustard and salt until well blended. Season to taste with pepper.
3. Just before serving, chop the apple into thin, bite-sized pieces. Place your greens in a large serving bowl. Top with sliced apple, dried cranberries and toasted pepitas. Use a fork to crumble the goat cheese over the salad.
4. Drizzle the salad with just enough dressing to lightly coat the leaves once tossed (you probably won’t need all of it). Gently toss to mix all of the ingredients and serve!

Baked Sweet Potatoes with Black Beans

 

• 4 medium- large sweet potatoes
• 1/2 teaspoon of ground black pepper
• 1/2 of a medium red onion, finely diced (about 1 cup diced)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons of oil (I used olive oil)
• 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon of onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon of cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon of chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt
• 1 15oz can of black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 an avocado, chopped
• handful of cilantro, chopped
• Sour cream
• Cheese

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Place the sweet potatoes on a lightly greased baking tray and bake for 55-65 minutes or until a fork can easily be inserted into the flesh of the potatoes.
3. When the sweet potatoes have about 10 minutes left, heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat and then add in onion. Saute for 5 minutes until the onions begins to become translucent. Add in the spices stir and cook for an additional 3 minutes.
4. Add the black beans to the skillet and toss to combine. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the black beans are fully heated through. About 5 minutes. Take off of heat and set aside.
5. Once the sweet potatoes are done baking, let cool slightly. Once cool, cut the sweet potatoes open and shred the flesh from the skin so that the inside is mashed and easy to scoop out.
6. Evenly spread the black bean mixture, avocado, cilantro, cheese and sour cream on top of the 4 sweet potatoes.