Vegan Chocolate Pudding and Oatmeal Bread

I love pudding much more now than I did before I was diagnosed with a dairy allergy at age 12, probably because it is such a huge treat - a 4-pack of chocolate soy pudding is easily $3. Every recipe I looked at was using ingredients that either I couldn't use or I wasn't sure how it would do with soy milk. Then I had a stroke of genius - visit the Silk soy milk website and see what recipes they have! I found a recipe for chocolate pudding, made it, and will definitely make that again! It was creamy, smooth, densely chocolate, not too sweet, and easy. Plus, it used 3 cups of soy milk, and a whole half gallon costs less than $3, so I can certainly make it at home for less than what it costs at the store when I am actually able to find it! This recipe is a keeper!

Chocolate Pudding
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa

3/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 cup cornstarch
3 cups Silk, any flavor (I used Silk original)
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
3 Tbsp. non-hydrogenated margarine

1. Combine the cocoa, sugar, salt and cornstarch in a saucepan and mix well.
2. Slowly add the Silk, whisking constantly to prevent lumps.  (I added 1/4 c., then another 1/4 c., then added 1/2 c. at a time until all whisked in.)
3. Bring this mixture to a boil over medium heat while whisking constantly. Lower heat to a simmer and cook gently for 3-5 minutes, stirring constantly, until pudding begins to thicken. (It will thicken some when it cools. I took it off heat before it was the consistency of gravy, and cooled it is now the consistency of really thick gravy.)
4. Remove from heat and whisk in the margarine and vanilla.
5. Pour into 1 large bowl or 8 small serving bowls and refrigerate for at least an hour, until thoroughly chilled.
Recipe from http://www.silksoymilk.com/.

I also experimented with oatmeal bread yesterday. Fair warning: the recipe I used from http://www.reciperascal.com/ (the archive storage for breadnet) was not for beginners the way I found it! The recipe directions were very poor, and one ingredient was not included in the directions (listed in the ingredients but the directions never said when to add it). I'm listing my directions, not the original directions for this recipe. It's an easy recipe for a person who understands the basics of breadmaking - with the proper directions! The bread was good. A bit too crusty for my liking, and I didn't watch it and it really browned. The oatmeal the recipe called for putting on the outside looks nice, but it flakes off when you cut it. The interior, though, is definitely the star of the show. It is moist and tender but with great body, firm enough to hold up to a thick layer of jam, but tender enough that your teeth just sink into it and it's feather light across your tongue. It's a light brown, tan color. A and I couldn't discern the honey or the molasses, so I'm not sure why they were each needed since either one would bring the sugars needed to feed the yeast. I will likely try it with just honey to see how it turns out. The "cooked" oatmeal in this bread means it brings a lot of moisture while also bringing a lot of fiber and structure to the bread, and this bread should keep nicely for a few days.

Oatmeal Bread
2 packages dry yeast (4 1/2 tsp loose from the jar)
1/2 c. warm water (120 degrees - 130 degrees - piping hot tap water is usually the right temperature)
1/3 c. shortening
2 tsp salt
1 1/2 c. boiling water
1 c. quick cooking oats
1/4 c. honey
1/4 c. molasses
2 eggs, beaten
5-6 c. all purpose flour

1. Mix together the yeast and the warm water in a bowl. Allow this to sit to activate the yeast.
2. Combine the next six ingredients in a medium bowl, stirring to combine and setting aside to cool to lukewarm.
3. When the oatmeal mixture is cooled to lukewarm, mix in the eggs and 2 cups of flour, and beat well.
4. Add the yeast mixture and mix thoroughly.
5. Stir in enough remaining flour to make a soft dough (I needed 3 more cups of flour.).
6. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 minutes or until smooth and elastic. (I actually didn't flour the surface but just used the excess flour in my bowl and then didn't need anymore flour.)
7. Place in a greased bowl, turning the dough over once to grease the top. Cover with a towel and let it rise until double in size, 1 1/2 hours to 2 hours.
8. Punch down (this redistributes the yeast and air). Divide dough in half. Cover with the towel and let it rest for 10 minutes.
9. Grease two 9"x5" bread pans and coat the inside with oats (I'll skip the oats part next time). Shape dough into loaves, and place in the pans. Cover with the towel and let rise until double, about 45 minutes.
10.Mix 1 egg white with 1 T water and brush top of the loaves with the egg wash, then sprinkle with oats (I'll skip this part next time too.)
11. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 325 degrees and bake for 30 minutes more.

Yeast Breads Make Muscles!

This week my shoulder was almost better, and I could at least use forward strength (as opposed to arm out to the side or back), which meant experiments with yeast breads and kneading! I haven't been posting the recipes because I wasn't 100% satisfied with a couple of the breads I did, although minor tweaking will produce more of what I want, I think. I am also very aware of how many muscles it takes to knead bread dough by hand and how you too could have great looking arms and shoulders if you hand knead bread daily!

First up, chocolate bread. Yep, chocolate bread. This is not exactly a sandwich bread, and I think it is better toasted than straight up, but cut off a fairly thick slice, toast it medium darkness, and slather it with jam or peanut butter, and oh my goodness, what a delight! I suspect that this would also be a very good bread pudding and could make an interesting crouton or bread crumb since the chocolate is not overpowering. I've made this before with hand kneading, and I felt that I had to work in too much flour to keep it from sticking terribly to the counter and to my hands (and flour draws out moisture, making for a more dry, dense loaf). This time, I used my kitchenaid stand mixer to knead it. Don't use the dough hook for the parts of the recipe that say to mix the ingredients in a mixer, use the beaters or paddle attachment, but then switch to the dough hook for kneading, and knead the dough with no additional flour. If you do that, I recommend that when the dough is put in the greased bowl, spray the top of the dough with nonstick cooking spray or rub your oiled hands over it - flipping it was tricky to say the least! I did think that the dough was a bit moister and more airy, so I will do it this way the next time. I did also have the brilliant idea of substituting strong coffee for the cup of water in the recipe, and I'm looking forward to trying that this week! This loaf would also be good studded with tart dried cherries, chopped walnuts, mini chips, etc.

4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup baking cocoa
2 tablespoons sugar
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast (or 2 1/4 tsp if you have the jar of yeast)
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup water
1/2 cup milk (I used Silk plain soy milk)
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 egg (1/4 c. Eggbeaters for me!)

1. In a mixing bowl, combine 1-1/4 cups flour, cocoa, sugar, yeast, salt and baking soda.
2. In a saucepan, heat the water, milk, chocolate chips and butter; stir until chocolate is melted. Cool to 120 degrees F-130 degrees F.
3. Add wet ingedients to dry ingredients; beat on medium speed for 2 minutes.
4. Add 1/2 cup flour and egg; beat on high for 2 minutes.
5. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a stiff dough. II use all the remaining flour, and it is like sloppy play doh.)
6. urn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. (Or use a dough hook and knead for 5-6 minutes, no additional flour needed.)
7. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
8. Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide in half. Shape into loaves. Place in two greased 8-in. x 4-in. x 2-in. loaf pans. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
9. Bake at 375 degrees F for 25-30 minutes or until browned. Remove from pans to cool on wire racks.
This recipe came from either http://www.allrecipes.com/ or http://www.recipezaar.com/, I can't quite remember which.

Next was a basic white bread recipe. The biggest problem I had with this recipe was that I baked it for the full time plus an extra few minutes, and both loaves still had a slightly doughy section running through the whole loaf. Frustrating! The bread was still good, doughy section removed. S in particular loves having a thick slice toasted and spread with jam or with butter and cinnamon-sugar. It's a more dense bread, but it had a nice raise, a nice flavor (albeit mild, it is just a simple white bread), nice color (browned well on the top), and it has kept well for several days. This one I will make again, but the baking time will be more like 45 minutes instead of the recommended 25-30 minutes. I did put a pan of boiling water on the bottom rack of the oven to keep the oven a bit more moist, a trick I learned long ago for aiding in rise (the top doesn't harden as quickly, allowing for rise) and in the moistness of the loaf. I might also try this recipe with bread flour to get a chewier, stronger loaf.

White Bread
2 packages (1/4 oz each) active dry yeast (4 1/2 tsp of loose from the jar)
2 c. lukewarm water
1/2 c. sugar
1 T salt
2 eggs, beaten (I used 1/2 c. Eggbeaters)
1/4 c. vegetable or corn oil
6 1/2 - 7 c. all purpose flour

1. Place water in a bowl. Add 2 tsp of the sugar to the water, then sprinkle the yeast on top. Set aside for 5 minutes to let the yeast activate.
2. Combine the activated yeast, remaining sugar, salt, eggs, and oil.
3. Stir in the flour, 1 cup at a time. Add just enough flour to form a pliable, soft dough.
4. Place dough on a lightly floured surface and knead for 8 minutes.
5. Place dough into a greased bowl, making sure all the sides are coated. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp cloth, then place in a warm place (70-80 degrees) until the dough doubles in size, about 1 hour.
6. Punch dough down. Divide in half and shape into two loaves. Place in two greased 9"x5"x3" loaf pans. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
7. Bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 (yeah, right, I need to bake for 45!) or until golden brown. Remove from pans; cool on wire racks.

Recipe came from http://www.cookingbread.com/.

Finally, a Versatile Chocolate Muffin!

I used to buy occasionally those little cookbooks that you find at supermarket checkouts, back before I really got hooked on websites like http://www.foodnetwork.com/, http://www.recipezaar.com/, and all of the specialty recipe sites out there. Some of those little books looked good but I rarely used. Others have been used heavily. One of those heavily used is a Betty Crocker holiday cookbook. In it is a recipe I've been meaning to try for several years and just never got around to doing it: chocolate pistachio bread. Now I've been searching for chocolate muffin recipes, and I remembered that recipe and gave it a try. The longest part of preparation was the shelling of the pistachios, and little C helped with that which made it more fun (not necessarily faster but definitely more fun). These - or a variation - would be a great addition to a Christmas gift basket, holiday brunch, or snack tray. Tender, moist, rich chocolate flavor, the light flavor and crunch of the pistachio pieces, the crunch of the crusty top on the muffin all make this one to repeat. Don't like pistachios? Don't fret! Substitute chopped dried cherries, dried blueberries, chopped walnuts, peanut butter chips, white chocolate chips, or whatever else you like to combine with chocolate and is no larger than a chocolate chip!

2/3 c. granulated sugar
1/3 c. butter or margarine, melted (I used Blue Bonnet margarine)
3/4 c. milk (I used Silk plain soy milk)
1 egg (I used 1/4 c. Eggbeaters)
1 1/2 c. flour
1 c. chopped pistachio nuts (I cheated and did 1 c. of pistachio nuts then chopped them)
1/2 c. semisweet chocolate chips
1/3 c. baking cocoa
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
coarse sugar crystals (decorating sugar), if desired

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease bottom and sides of loaf pan, 9x5x3 inches, with shortening (I used 12 muffin liners in a muffin tin.)
2. Mix sugar, butter, milk, and egg in a large bowl until well blended.
3. Stir in remaining ingredients except decorating sugar. (I stirred in the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt, then gently stirred in the chopped pistachio nuts and chocolate chips.)
4. Spread into prepared pan (or scoop into muffin tin - the wells of the muffin tin were 3/4 full, about 1/3 c. batter per muffin). Sprinkle with sugar crystals.
5. Bake 50-55 minutes (for muffins, mine came out at 22 minutes) or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean (really look at the toothpick - it won't come out clean if you ran through a melted chocolate chip!). Cool 10 minutes. Loosen sides of loaf from pan; remove from pan to wire cooling rack. Cool completely, about 2 hours, before slicing.

You Don't Need a Special Pig to Find Chocolate Truffles

With my dairy allergy, certain treats are forbidden unless I make them myself. Chocolate truffles is one of those things. They always look incredible, and I've always wanted them, but I've never been sure about trying to make them. This year I threw caution to the wind and tried it out, using the Alton Brown recipe from Food Network. I don't even know how to begin to describe them. Let's start with the texture. The one I ate was rolled in toasted coconut. First on the tongue is the crunchy coconut, then as you fully bite into the truffle, you have the snap, the sharp give of the chocolate shell, then you are falling into the creamy smooth but firm ganache center. It's like cream cheese only smoother, fuller. And the flavor! The coconut adds less coconut taste than you would think and more of an almost warm flavor, a light caramel flavor from being toasted. The outside layer of chocolate is semi-sweet chocolate, smooth and slightly sweet but still richly chocolate. Then the ganache is like falling onto a velvet pillow of dense chocolate flavor, not really sweet but not quite bitter, perfectly balanced with all the other flavors and feeling sinfully rich in both flavor and texture.  Wow. Feet. Socks. Knocked off.

Okay, okay, now that I've whetted your appetite, here's the "how" part of the truffles. Like I said, I got the recipe from Alton Brown (www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/chocolate-truffles-recipe/index.html) but I've made so many changes and want to show you exactly how I did this, so you can find the original recipe at the above link, and I'll give the recipe as I did it (complete with photos) below.

10 oz Ghirardelli bittersweet chocolate (60% cacao premium baking chips)

3 T. Blue Bonnet margarine

1/2 c. Silk soy creamer

1 T. light corn syrup

1/2 c. Hershey's special dark cocoa powder

1/2 c. toasted sweetened coconut flakes

1/2 c. toasted finely chopped pecans

8 oz. Hershey's semisweet chocolate chips

parchment paper

mini muffin papers

1. Place the bittersweet chocolate and margarine in a medium size glass mixing bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds. Remove and stir.

Microwave for 30 seconds again. Remove and stir. Set aside.

2. Heat the soy creamer and the corn syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat until just simmering. Remove from the heat and pour the mixture over the melted chocolate mixture; let it stand for 2 minutes. Using a rubber spatula, stir gently, starting in the middle of the bowl and working in concentric circles until all the chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth and creamy.

3. Spread  the mixture (ganache, pronounced guh-nosh) into an 8x8 glass baking dish, spreading it fairly evenly, and refrigerate for 1 hour. It will be very smooth and very shiny.

4. Using a 1 tablespoon scoop (like a mini ice cream scooper, one of my absolute favorite kitchen tools and one I found at Target), scoop the ganache into level scoops and place them on a parchment paper lined board or cookie sheet. When all of the ganache has been scooped (I got 24 balls), refrigerate them for 30  minutes. (In this picture, you can see that two balls in the lower left have already been re-rolled to become smooth balls.)

 

5. While the balls are chilling, melt the semisweet chocolate using the following method. Put the chips in a medium glass bowl. Warm up a heating pad. We don't have a traditional heating pad, so I warmed both a buckwheat heating pad and my stone dish warmer. Alton Brown recommends the heating pad for melting the chocolate. One reviewer belittled this idea and got out the classic double boiler. My problem with the double boiler is that it often gets the chocolate above the 94 degrees Alton says is the upper limit for when you no longer get the snap of the chocolate when it cools. That's fine for when I'm doing chocolate covered pretzels, but I wanted the snap for the truffles. So I warmed the heating pad and sat the bowl of chocolate on it. I then got some pie plates out and put the coating materials in each pan: 1 for toasted coconut, 1 for toasted finely chopped pecans, 1 for cocoa powder. In about five minutes, the chocolate had really begun to melt. I stirred it a bit, then got the ganache scoops out of the refrigerator.

6. Roll the ganache scoops in between your palms to roll them into tight, smooth balls. The ganache will have the consistency of Play-Doh. Roll three balls, then wash your hands with cold water. Keep repeating until all 24 balls are done. If you do not wash your hands, your hands magically get sticky on the fourth ball. Washing with cold water keeps your skin cool to minimize stickiness too. The hand washing is a bit tedious (and boy is our well water cold in December!), but it works really well.

7. Stir the melting chocolate again until it is completely smooth, scraping down the sides as you stir.

8. Now for coating. I had gotten out a soup ladle (Alton recommends an ice cream scoop) which then looked too big, so I switched to a gravy ladle. I double checked the temperature of my melted chocolate with a candy thermometer - 90 degrees. I sat the ladle in the bowl of chocolate (leaving the bowl of chocolate on the heating pad), scooping some chocolate onto the ladle. I rolled the balls in the chocolate on the ladle, first trying to roll with my fingers, then trying a fork, finally going back to my fingers and just dealing with the chocolate build up (my hands were still cool, so the chocolate was actually cooling and hardening on my fingers). One of the recipe's reviewers asked what Alton had been thinking, as she was burning her fingers doing the chocolate coating. I have no idea what in the world she was doing. The chocolate should be less than body temperature, so it should not hurt to touch it! Because it is so barely melted, it's sticky and thick, so watch out. I had chocolate fingers to say the least, and I never did get a silky smooth coating on any of the balls. As each ball is coated in chocolate, roll it in the coating of choice. I found it worked very well to drop it into the coating, then use a fork or spoon to pour coating over the ball, then roll to really coat. This is not a race, but you can't dawdle. The cool ganache balls will harden the barely melted chocolate fairly quickly. If you want the truffles to have an extra coating besides the chocolate, you have to do it right after you cover it in chocolate. From start of rolling the scoops into balls until finishing the last coating on the last truffle, it took me 50 minutes, and this was my first time doing this recipe.

9. As each truffle was coated, I placed it in a mini muffin paper, the perfect sized "cup" for each truffle. This should help to keep coatings separate, should make serving easy, and just look nice. They are also very, very inexpensive! Alton Brown says to leave each truffle in the coating for 10-15 seconds, but I didn't see the need for this. It might be to keep from distorting the shape of the truffle, but to be honest, my first attempt has produced slightly bumpy truffles, so I wasn't particularly concerned about that aspect.

10. Allow the truffles to set in a cool, dry place for at least 1 hour, then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. However, truffles should be served at room temperature; serving cold will result in a more firm ganache, and honestly, the velvety texture of room temperature ganache is not to be missed!

 

*A note on toasting: I toasted both the coconut and the chopped pecans in my oven at 450 degrees (although I've toasted at 350 degrees in the past, this is flexible, I happened to be making tater tots for C's lunch). I spread each in separate baking dishes, then placed in the oven. The coconut takes longer, maybe 15 minutes while the pecans took 5-7 minutes, shaking the pan or stirring them every few minutes. Keep an eye on them, as they look like nothing is happening and then suddenly start to brown. When each are golden and fragrant, they are toasted. You can under-toast, but don't over-toast!

Peanut Butter Chip Brownies Really Are Easy!

Tonight I baked peanut butter chip brownies. The brownies were an experimental twist on a tried and true recipe. So many people are daunted by the idea of making brownies without a box mix, but they aren't any more difficult and can be so much better than the box! The brownie recipe I *always* use is the one from the inside of the Baker's unsweetened chocolate box: Baker's One Bowl Brownies. This time I did my usual but when it came to pouring the batter into the pan, I only poured in half, topped with the chips, then spread the remaining batter over the chips. Having had them, I can now say that I'll just stir in the chips and pour in the pan like usual. I will also be making these again - they were wonderful! Don't doubt the need for the vanilla - vanilla enhances chocolate!

4 squares Baker's unsweetened chocolate (4 oz)
3/4 c. (1 1/2 sticks) butter or margarine (I've always used Blue Bonnet margarine)
2 c. sugar
3 eggs, beaten lightly (or 3/4 c. egg substitute)
1 tsp vanilla
1 c. flour
1/3 c. peanut butter chips (I used Reese's)
1/3 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used Hershey's)
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 pan (1/2" thick brownies) or an 8x8 pan (1"+ thick brownies).
2. Microwave the chocolate and the butter in a large microwaveable bowl on high for 2 minutes. Stir until chocolate is completely melted. (This will take a couple of minutes. Keep stirring until you have a thick, creamy chocolate spread that looks a lot like icing.)
3. Stir in sugar.
4. Stir in eggs and vanilla.
5. Stir in flour.
6. Stir in chips.
7. Spread into prepared pan. Bake 30-35 minutes (may need to bake for 38 minutes if using an 8x8 pan) or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with fudgy crumbs clinging.

Chocolate Truffle Pie

Due to popular demand, I am posting the recipe for chocolate truffle pie, which is tonight's dessert. You have to follow this recipe as I post it - if you use dairy cream cheese, you will get a no bake chocolate cheesecake and not the lush, fluffy, creamy, and oh so incredible confection we have dubbed chocolate truffle pie!

1 1/2 C. semi-sweet chocolate chips (we use Hershey's)
11 oz. tofu cream cheese, such as Tofutti better than cream cheese
1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c. butter or margarine
2 c. frozen nondairy whipped topping, thawed (you know, Cool Whip :) we've used regular and light with same results)
1 packaged graham cracker crust (you can use the Oreo crust if you want extra chocolate)

In a small bowl, melt chocolate chips; microwave on high 1 to 1 1/2 minutes or until melted. Set aside to cool slightly.
In a large bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, and butter until creamy.
On low, blend in melted chocolate, then fold in whipped topping until blended.
Spread into the crust. Refrigerate until firm, a few hours.

Extra tip: sprinkle mini chocolate chips on top of the pie, or even better is to top with chocolate shavings. Refrigerate chocolate bars - dark, semisweet, milk, or white, your choice - then when cold, use a vegetable peeler to shave strips off the end of the chocolate bar and let them fall as they may on top of the pie.

This is an incredible dessert, rich and chocolately, cool velvet on the tongue, creamy and filling but every bite is light and delicate. Have it once and swear forever that it is well worth the $7 or so that it costs to make it!

Quick and Easy Comfort Food

Comfort food is different for every person. For me, it usually involves roasted meat, mashed potatoes, and/or gravy. Boiled pot pie in all its Pennsylvania Dutch glory, Thanksgiving dinner, meatloaf with roasted garlic mashed potatoes and savory beef gravy, roast beef crusty brown on the outside and juicy on the inside with creamy mashed potatoes topped with herbed gravy made from the drippings, baked meat pies with flaky golden crusts that I split open to reveal a steaming concoction of rich gravy, chunks of roasted meats, and bright vegetables. Of course, a comfort food meal for me absolutely must include a baked dessert - no fruit salad need apply for a comfort food meal! Creamy brown pumpkin pies that ease across your tongue, apple crisp with crunchy sweet topping and tender sweet apples underneath, cobblers that melt in your mouth and make you swoon, even a fabulous chocolate cake, moist but full bodied, subtle in its underlying flavors like cinnamon but with rich chocolate seducing your tastebuds.

Obviously, today is a day that I'm feeling the need for some comfort food! I don't have the time for boiled pot pie or even baked meat pies and I'm out of baked meat pies in the freezer, darn it. No thawed turkeys, chickens, or beef roasts hanging out in my fridge, either. Things aren't looking good for me! Then inspiration hits: my crockpot and the venison pieces in my freezer can make beef/venison tips and gravy and the mashed potatoes in my freezer can be reheated to go with them. I still have green beans and wax beans in the fridge from my harvest the other day, and I think roasting them will be a great side dish. Now for dessert.... I came across a recipe for vegan raspberry mocha cake the other day, and that sounds made to order for decadent but easy dessert. In fact, the recipe even looks like I can freeze 1/2 the cake for eating later - cut into serving size pieces, flash freeze, bag or put into a freezer container, then get them out to thaw when I want. Convenience comfort food I've made myself using whole foods, no artificial flavors, colors, or sweeteners, no preservatives, a fraction of the price, and no worries about my food allergies. I love it!

Beef/Venison Tips
1/2 c. flour
1 tsp salt (I prefer kosher salt for its cleaner flavor)
1/2 tsp - 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 c. beef broth/stock (I use 2 tsp beef base from Sam's Club + 2 cups boiling water, which costs pennies and tastes great)
Worcestershire sauce to taste, at least 1 tsp and up to 1 T
2 tsp tomato paste (can substitute in ketchup, but I prefer to use the less sweet, whole foods option of tomato paste)
2-3 lb cubed red meat - beef sirloin tips, beef stew meat, venison chucks, etc.
Optional: 1/2 c. chopped green onions and 1/2 lb mushrooms, sliced
Thickening paste: 3 T flour or cornstarch + 1/4 cup dry red wine, water, or broth (cool, not hot!)
Combine the flour, salt, and pepper and toss with the meat cubes to coat thoroughly. Place in a crockpot. If using green onions and mushrooms, add those.
Combine beef broth, worcestershire sauce, and tomato paste. Pour over everything in the crockpot, and stir well. Cover and cook on low setting for 7-12 hours. Crockpots vary, so check after 7 hours for doneness!
One hour before serving, turn to high setting. Make the thickening paste by stirring together the flour/cornstarch and the liquid until smooth, then stir into crockpot. If you add flour or cornstarch to a hot liquid, it will clump. Mixing it into a cool liquid first results in a thickener that doesn't clump.

Mashed potatoes from the freezer: make extra mashed potatoes, then portion the cool mashed potatoes into quart or gallon freezer bags (1 cup is a nice individual portion, and you can do 1 cup portions in sandwich bags and then put two sandwich bags in a quart bag or several into a gallon bag). I like to lay them on a cutting board and press flat, freeze, then I can stack them easily or stand them on end, plus they are only 1/2" thick or so which speeds up reheating. Reheating takes only minutes in the microwave.

Roasted Green Beans
Experience has made it possible for me to throw any roasted vegetable together. General rule of thumb: 1 lb vegetable (green beans, asparagus, radishes, onions, brussels sprouts, cauliflower) + 2-3 tsp olive oil + 1/2 tsp kosher salt or sea salt + 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper. Roast at a high temperature such as 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Times vary for each vegetable because of size and initial crispness. Green beans, wax beans, and asparagus take about 8 minutes, while brussels sprouts take closer to 45, cauliflower takes about 25. Vegetables can be placed into a gallon zipper bag with oil and seasonings poured in on top, bag closed, shaken, then poured into a shallow baking pan that can accommodate the vegetables in a single layer.

Vegan Raspberry Mocha Cake
3 c. flour
1 1/2 c. sugar
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 c. cocoa
1/4 c. oil
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2 T vinegar dissolved in 1/4 c. water
3/4 c. strong brewed coffee or espresso (I've added 1 tsp instant coffee to 3/4 c. regular coffee)
3/4 c. raspberry preserves (I'm using homemade red raspberry jam, but I don't see why seedless raspberry jelly couldn't be used for those who hate the seeds!)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9x13 cake pan or two round cake pans (guessing on this one since the recipe didn't give a pan size, just said "cake pans").
Mix together flour, sugar, baking soda, and cocoa in a large mixing bowl.
Slowly incorporate into the dry mix the oil and vanilla, then the vinegar in water, coffee, and raspberry preserves. When batter is well mixed, it will be smooth and creamy.
Pour into prepared cake pan(s) and bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean with no cake/batter clinging to it.
Cool before frosting or sprinkling with powdered sugar.
Recipe from http://vegetarian.about.com.