Welsh Cakes
One of Clara's classmates brought these to school for her snack day (technically, her mum did but whatever). I quite liked them and asked for the recipe, being drawn to baked goods that are from the UK and might be traditional. Of course, I modified the recipe for health reasons but they are quite yummy and would be extra good with cheese on top or clotted cream and jam, perhaps!

2 cups flour (1 AP, 1 WW)
2 tsp BP
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup butter/marg
1/2 cup dried fruit (traditionally currents but I used raisins)
1/4 cup sweetener (recipe calls for white sugar but I used Agave syrup)
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup of milk (I used buttermilk)

In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients, cut in the butter and combine until crumbs, mix in the dried fruit and sweetener (if you are using sugar, add to the flour/dry mixture). Combine egg and milk and add to the batter to make a lightly sticky dough. Turn onto a floured surface and roll out to 1/4 inch thick. Cut into the shape of choice (I made rounds). Heat a frying pan on low and cook slowly until browned on both sides (I didn't use any grease in the pan but I used a cast iron and a teflon crepe pan). The heat should be lower than you use to cook pancakes. They should take about 20 minutes to cook and will rise a bit.

Second batch, waiting to be fried

The leaning tower of Welsh Cakes

Arrrrr, it's getting hot in here

The most delicious veggie burgers
Our cooking group meets once a month and we cook up a storm and swap meals. We each take home 4 different vegetarian entrees and this is what Gillian made for us this month. So good. So good.

Veggie Burgers

These veggie burgers get their rich, earthy flavor from mushrooms and nutty quinoa, and are topped with sharp radish sprouts and cool cucumbers. Greek yogurt is a zesty Mediterranean replacement for ketchup.

Ingredients

Serves 6.

* 2 portobello mushrooms (8 ounces), stems removed, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
* 1 small zucchini
* 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
* 1/4 cup minced shallot (1 large shallot)
* 1/4 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
* 1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
* 3/4 cup quinoa, cooked according to package directions (2 cups cooked)
* 2 teaspoons coarse salt
* Freshly ground pepper
* 1 large egg, lightly beaten
* 1 1/2 cups fresh whole-wheat breadcrumbs
* 6 whole-wheat buns, split
* Yogurt-Garlic Sauce
* 1 cup radish sprouts, or other fresh sprouts
* 1/2 English cucumber, peeled and cut diagonally into 1/4-inch-thick slices

Directions
1. Pulse mushrooms in a food processor until finely chopped, and transfer to a bowl. Shred zucchini, place on paper towels, and squeeze to remove excess moisture. Add to mushrooms.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add shallot and red-pepper flakes, and cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Add mushrooms and zucchini, and cook until tender, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat, and add Parmesan, quinoa, and salt. Season with pepper. Let cool completely, then stir in egg and breadcrumbs. Cover, and refrigerate until cold and firm, about 1 hour.
3. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Shape mixture into six 1/2-inch-thick patties, pressing firmly. Cook in batches until golden brown and cooked through, about 3 minutes per side.
4. Wipe pan clean, and return to medium heat. Brush cut sides of buns with oil, and heat buns, cut sides down, until toasted, about 1 minute. Spread yogurt-garlic sauce on cut sides of bun halves. Divide burgers, sprouts, and cucumber among bottom halves. Sandwich with top halves.

Copyright 2009 Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Learning Something New
A new recipe tonight is shaping up very very nicely. It's "Acorn Squash Sauce" from Claire's Corner Copia Cookbook (vegan). When I asked Ben to buy 4 large acorn squash (squashes?), I didn't count on them taking up so much space in my medium-sized fridge. So, I moved this meal ahead instead of waiting to make it on the weekend.

Serves 8
4 large acorn squash, cut in half and seeded
1/2 cup of veg oil (I used olive)
6 large cloves of garlic, chopped (I used garlic from a jar, so shoot me)
1 bunch of flat-leaf parsley, chopped (I always use scissors to cut up herbs, way quicker)
1/4 cup basil leaves, chopped
SNP to taste
1 package noodles (I used whole wheat linguine)

Oven at 425. Arrange squash cut side down on a cookie sheet with sides, cover with foil and, once in oven, pour boiling water onto sheet to 1/2 inch. Bake for about 15 minutes and then turn off the oven and leave for about 1 hour. NOTE: the recipe said to bake for 1 hour and then cool but I had to go out and didn't want to leave the oven on so I turned it off and came back later and tada! cooked to perfection - I LOVE finding out energy-efficient tips this way :)
Once cooled, scoop out flesh and set aside.
Heat oil in a large skillet and cook garlic, basil and parsley for about 10 minutes on low. The garlic should be softened but not brown. Add the squash, SNP and cook, stirring occasionally, for 25-30 minutes. Adjust seasoning to taste.
Spoon some sauce over noodles and toss well. Serve with remaining sauce on top. Sprinkle with butter, brown sugar or agave syrup if you want.

Chocolate Energy Bars
I have just finished my first ever boot camp and the instructor, Jen, rewarded our efforts at the last class with a tasting of these bars. She provides them for her marathon runners and, I have to say, they beat a package of Gu any day.
However, they really do give you energy and should come with a warning that they'll keep you up if you have them at night.

1 1/4 Cup natural *creamy peanut butter (or more, can also use almond butter)
¾ Cup honey
¾ Cup brown sugar
½ Cup cocoa
1 1/4 Cups Oatmeal (more for more density in the bars)
1 1/2 Cups Rice Krispies (more to make the bars lighter)
1 Cup dried fruit (i.e. Craisons)
1 Cup crushed peanuts (or almonds)

If mixture seems dry or crumbly, add more peanut butter, less oats/ krispies.

How to prepare:
In a pot, combine peanut butter, honey, brown sugar, cocoa and cook until smooth. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.
Spray a 9 X 13 inch pan with oil and firmly press batter in pan.

Cut into small squares, cover, place in fridge to set and cool. Can then remove them from pan, wrap in plastic and freeze for snacks when needed.

*peanut butter needs to be creamy as you need the moisture to hold the bar together.

Coconut Yam Fritters | Planet Organic Market

Coconut Yam Fritters | Planet Organic Market
This looks really yummy and I just love yams so I think I'll haul out the food processor and give it a go. Let you know how they turn out!

These Asian-inspired fritters, developed for a Planet Organic Cooking class, are an excellent way to enjoy the sweet earthy taste and nutritional goodness of yams.

Ingredients:

1/2 lb	Yams (about 1/2 of a large yam)	250 g
1/2 cup	Unbleached white flour	125 ml
1/2 cup	Rice flour	125 ml
1/2 tsp	Turmeric, ground	2 ml
1/2 tsp	Sea salt	2 ml
1/2 tsp	Baking powder	2 ml
1 cup	Coconut milk	250 ml
-	Canola oil (enough to pan-fry)	-

Method

Peel the yam, grate coarsely and extract as much moisture as possible by squeezing in your hands.

In a large mixing bowl, mix the two flours with the baking powder, salt and turmeric. Toss in the grated yam.

Gradually add enough coconut milk to moisten. If the mixture becomes too dry, add more coconut milk; however, it should be solid enough to hold its shape.

In a large skillet, heat a tablespoon of the oil to medium-high heat. Lightly form a heaping teaspoon of the fritter mixture and fry on both sides until golden brown. Flatten slightly with a spatula to ensure the inside is cooked. You may need to add small amounts of oil as you go.

Once made, keep them in a warming dish in a preheated oven. Serve fritters with a plate of soft lettuce, herbs, bean sprouts and dipping sauces. Yields 4 servings.
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Kid Cobb Salad: Don't let the name fool you

I found this recipe at Atascocita Branch Library, where I worked in Texas, in an old parenting magazine. And we used to eat it a lot when we lived in Houston but it fell off the menu list when the kids came around (something about lettuce that kids don't, at first, understand). We had it on Saturday night and I remembered why we loved, loved, loved it. So, here you go:

1 head of romaine, chopped
1/2 cup of carrots, chopped
1 large avocado, chopped
1 cup roasted turkey breast, chopped (we used Tofurkey)
2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
1 cup shredded cheese (any type)
4 strips of crumbled bacon (we usually leave this out)
Ranch dressing

And while it doesn't sound like much, it's surprisingly filling and yummy.

Making cookies en masse
Here's a tip that I picked up from our neighbor who is a chef. He makes batches of cookie dough and divides out enough for a dozen cookies, shapes it into a long rectangle on plastic wrap, wraps it up and freezes it. Then he pulls it out of the freezer, slices the dough up and bakes it from frozen. I think you need to add a couple of minutes to the overall bake time to make up for the freezing but they taste great. I tried this with wax paper and I wouldn't recommend wax paper because it tears too easily. Also, you need to make sure that the plastic wrap isn't embedded in the dough somehow otherwise when you take it off, it will be frozen 'in' the dough and you might not get it out without having to thaw the whole batch of dough. Here are the ones I made last night (chocolate chip cranberry almond cookies) and, as you can see, I wasn't sure how much dough would make a dozen cookies.