All R & R of Chefly - The whole collection

Hello

after we did Janie Appy Girls of course we have to make a collection of all Cheflys endless and healthy reviews....

Chefly you have given this board a wonderful healthy twist and your advise and reviews on sugar free, gluten free or diabetic recipes or dairy free desserts, tofu challanges or stevia reports and such - thank you very much for all your hard work and the tips and knowledge you share with us!

This is for you

Cheers Twinkle

Our cupboards were still bare after returning from vacation and needed something for breakfast so I made this with what I had on hand. It was delicious!! DD and DS commented on how good it was too.

I substituted sweeteners to make it much lower in sugar and it worked great but you can use the sugar the original recipe calls for or use Splenda if you prefer. I like that since it doesn't have eggs you can taste it for sweetness as you make it. The combination of fruits I used worked out so well, so feel free to use any combination you have available. We aren't big eaters so this made 6 to 7 servings. Oh, I also added ground flax for more nutrition.

chefly

Warm Peach Berry Bagel Crisp
Serves 4

2 whole blueberry bagels, halved (I used 5 or 6 whole wheat mini bagels)

1 lb hulled and quartered strawberries (1 cup frozen blueberries, 1 cup frozen sweet cherries)

1 lb fresh or jarred peeled, cubed peaches (28 oz. can sliced peaches in light syrup, rinsed and drained)
(I added 1/2 tsp. almond extract)

½ Cup powdered sugar (1/2 tsp. stevia powder=1/2 cup sugar)

2 ½ Tablespoons sugar (1 tbsp. real sugar plus 1/8 tsp. stevia=2 Tbsp. sugar, plus 1 Tbsp. erythritol)
(I added 1/4 tsp. gr. cinnamon)
(I added 5 Tbsp. ground flax)
¼ Cup melted butter


1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place bagel halves cut sides up onto a baking sheet and bake until well crisped, about 15 minutes. Let cool, then place in food processor and pulse until broken into small pieces not completely ground. Place (blueberries, cherries and peaches) strawberries, peaches, 1 Cup of bagel pieces, (almond extract) and (stevia) powdered sugar into a large bowl; toss to combine. Transfer to a 7x11 inch baking dish/pyrex. Place remaining bagel crumbs, (flax), sugar(and sugar substitutes) , (cinnamon)and melted butter into a bowl to combine. Sprinkle over top of fruit. Bake for 30 minutes or until crust is browned and fruit is softened. Serve in individual bowls and top with ice cream or fresh whipped cream (1 Cup heavy cream whipped with 1 Tbsp powdered sugar until light and fluffy). (Served plain but ice cream would have been delicious. I served it for breakfast. I used more sweetener in the topping because the bagels weren't sweet and I added the flax and cinnamon. It was delicious! Chefly

I made this when I was a short time ago and found it to be surprisingly good. The lime-honey dressing accented the sweet cantaloupe and creamy avocado very well. Even DD liked the salad.

chefly

Cantaloupe and Avocado Salad with Honey-Lime Dressing

220 calories; 3 g protein; 13 g fat; 27 g carb; 5 g fiber.

Serves 4.

    * 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
    * 4 teaspoons honey (agave)
    * 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons olive oil (1-1/2 tsp.)
    * 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt (1/4 tsp. sea salt)
    * 1 cantaloupe (3 pounds), quartered and seeded
    * 1 avocado, halved, pitted, and skinned
    * 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved (diced fresh tomato)

    
   1. In a large bowl, whisk together lime juice, honey, oil, and salt; set aside.
   2. Cut each cantaloupe quarter in half lengthwise. Run a knife between the flesh and the skin of the melon; discard skin. Slice each wedge lengthwise into 1/2-inch pieces.
   3. Cut each avocado half again length-wise and then into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Add cantaloupe, avocado, and grape tomatoes to bowl with dressing and toss to coat. Divide among 4 plates.

http://www.wholeliving.com/

This is a long recipe. The rest of the recipe and my review follows.
chefly

Subject: Rec. Bacon Pancakes with Walnut Butter and Caramelized Onions
Posted by: rosiewny Replies: 4 Posted on: 9/29/2007 9:05:31 AM
#T891796

Bacon Pancakes with Walnut Butter and Caramelized Onions

Emeril Lagasse

6 slices thick-cut bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (9 slices)
2 cups all-purpose flour (2 cups whole wheat, 1 cup unbleached)
1/4 teaspoon salt (1/2 tsp.)
2 teaspoons baking powder (1 Tbsp.)
1 large egg, beaten (2 Tbsp.)
2 1/4 cups buttermilk (2 cups soy milk with vinegar to sour)
2 tablespoons chopped chives (3 green onions, minced)
1 to 2 tablespoons vegetable oil (2 Tbsp. olive oil)
Walnut Butter, recipe follows
Caramelized Onions, recipe follows

Place the bacon in a large skillet and cook, stirring, over medium-high heat, until crisp and the fat is rendered, about 4 minutes. Remove from the pan and drain on paper towels.
Sift the flour, salt, and baking powder into a large bowl. Add the egg and buttermilk, and stir just until blended, being careful not to over mix. Add the chives, oil and crumble the bacon into the batter and mix to incorporate.

Spray griddle with non-stick cooking spray. Ladle 1/4 cup portions of batter into the pan, being careful not to overcrowd, and cook until golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and cover to keep warm. Add more oil to the pan as needed and repeat with the remaining batter.

To serve, place 3 pancakes on each serving plate. Top each pancake with a pat of Walnut Butter and Caramelized Onions, and serve immediately.

Walnut Butter:
1/2 cup walnut pieces
4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces, at room temperature (salted Earth Balance)
1 tablespoon minced shallots
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt (omit)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Spread the walnuts on a baking sheet and lightly toast in the oven for 7 to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool. Roughly chop.

Place the butter, walnuts, shallots, garlic, and salt in a medium bowl, and mix well with a rubber spatula. Spoon down the middle of an 8-inch piece of parchment paper and roll into a log, about 1-inch in diameter. Wrap tightly and refrigerate until ready to use.

To use, cut into thin slices and place on top of the Bacon Pancakes. (The Walnut Butter can be frozen, tightly wrapped in plastic, for up to 1 month.)

Yield: 2/3 cup


Caramelized Onions:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 pound yellow onions, peeled and very thinly sliced (4 cups) ( did this in the small crockpot with 2 Tbsp. Earth Balance--worked great)

Melt the butter in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and lower the heat to medium-low. Cook slowly, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and caramelized, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Remove from the heat and set aside until ready to serve with the Bacon Pancakes.

Yield: 1 cup

This recipe does have many steps but the butter can be made ahead of time. It is a beautiful presentation and very gourmet compared to plain pancakes. Made into 2 inch pancakes they would make wonderful appys, but served in big pancakes they were a delicious dinner and a big change from sweet pancakes. For my children, I topped them with sauteed apples and syrup, and for DH and me I topped them with the onion and butter as directed plus a drizzle of maple syrup. Thanks Rosie. Chefly

I've been baking a lot with almond flour and love it. Here is my review of these almond crackers. They are very easy to make and taste wonderful.

chefly

R&R: Almond Thins (Crackers. Savory Version) Great!!

Posted by Linda (cllw)
These sure weren't boring burgers, they sang in my mouth! The lemon and pepper combined so well with the spinach, red pepper and mushrooms, even DD liked them. They did tend to fall apart a little bit, so next time I'd add some egg and cracker crumbs to help bind them. I also reduced the liquid smoke, lemon and pepper for my family's tastes. Linda, This definitely goes in the Keeper file. Thank you for sharing it. chefly

Deluxe Chicken and Feta Burgers
Nichelle Wilcox
Nashua, NH
2007 Finalist

1 pound ground chicken (20 oz. lean ground turkey)
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
1/2 shallot, minced (1 shallot)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 package (10 oz.) chopped frozen spinach, thawed and drained
1/3 cup chopped roasted red peppers
1/3 cup chopped cremini mushrooms
1 teaspoon kosher salt (Sea salt)
2 teaspoons pepper (1-1/2 tsp.)
1 lemon, zest and juice (1/4 cup juice, zest of 1/2 lemon)
1 tablespoon liquid smoke (2 tsp.)
4 ounces Feta cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup grated Provolone cheese
4 whole wheat buns, toasted

Lemon-Pepper Mayonnaise Dressing: recipe follows

sprig curly parsley

lemon twists

In large frypan over medium high heat, place 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Add shallot and garlic and cook about 4 minutes. Remove to large bowl and add chicken, spinach, roasted peppers, mushrooms, salt, pepper, lemon juice and zest and liquid smoke. Mix well; add Feta and Provolone cheeses and form into 4 patties. To frypan, add remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil; chicken patties and cook about 5 minutes on each side. On top and bottom of each bun, spread dollop of Lemon-Pepper Mayonnaise Dressing. Top with chicken and garnish with parsley and lemon twists. Makes 4 servings.

Lemon-Pepper Mayonnaise Dressing: In medium bowl, mix together 1/4 cup (low-fat~ chefly) mayonnaise; zest of 1/2 lemon; juice of 1/2 lemon;  (1/2 tsp.~chefly) 2 teaspoons pepper; and 1 teaspoon liquid smoke.

I was having a long converstion with my step-daughter last night when DS came to me and asked what was for dessert. I didn't have anything made. Horrors! Lol! I had this in my "to try" list so I whipped it up while I was on the phone (it is that fast!).  It was like a rich chocolate pudding. Very good tasting. I tweaked the recipe a little by using regular pudding, whipped coconut cream instead of whipped cream and extra-firm silken tofu instead of soft, since I didn't have soft at home. It worked out great with my tweaks. This is another recipe tofu haters will love. Thanks to angelfire for this delicious and easy recipe. chefly)

Sugar Free Chocolate Mousse To DIE For!!!

1 package (4-serving size) chocolate sugar-free instant pudding mix

1 package (about 10 ounces) soft tofu

1 heaping tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon instant coffee crystals (more if you like mocha)

8 to 12 ounces heavy whipping cream, chilled, (about 1 cup whipped coconut cream)

Using an electric mixer, beat first four ingredients until very smooth. (I used a food processor~chefly) (I used a mixer- Jill) In a separate bowl, whip the cream until just about stiff. Turn the mixer to the lowest setting, blend in the pudding/tofu mixture, and TURN OFF THE MIXER! If you overbeat, you'll get chocolate butter!

I like this with the smaller amount of cream, for a sturdier texture, but I know folks who like it with the larger amount, for a fluffier texture. Your choice! Try it with vanilla pudding and a half-teaspoon of extra vanilla, too! (not my  comment~chefly)

I made this for dinner a few nights ago and aside from making the cooking easier and using Chinese chili paste with garlic instead of the Korean because I couldn't purchase any (see my notes below for cooking*) I followed the recipe closely. I've never had anything like this, it was kind of like a stir-fry but different. DD and I thought it was delicious. Check out Dr. Kim's web site as it has step-by-step pictures. 

chefly

Bi Bim Bap Recipe (pronounced bee-beem-bahp)

By Dr. Ben Kim on June 09, 2009

If you ever find yourself at a Korean restaurant and unsure about what to order, know that you can't go wrong in ordering bibimbap (pronounced bee-beem-bahp).

Bibim means "mixed," while bap means "rice." But bibimbap is far more than mixed rice. It calls for perfectly cooked rice with a number of well seasoned vegetables, mixed well with sesame oil and just a touch of red chili paste. If you enjoy mushrooms, eggs, chicken, or beef, you can add any one or all of these items to create your own version of bibimbap.

2 medium zucchini
1 (1.5 lb) bag of spinach (9 oz. pkg.)
1 large onion
1 large or 2 small carrots (2 large)
Sesame oil to taste
Olive oil for stir-frying
Sea salt to taste
2 cups of rice, cooked
1 egg for each person
Go-chu-jang (Korean hot chili paste)

The first thing to do is boil the water in your steamer. Once it's boiling, lower the temperature so that the water can simmer. Steam spinach until the leaves are wilted but the spinach still retains a bright green color. Quickly dunk the spinach into a big basin of cold water so that it stops cooking. This will retain the bright green colour. Use your hands to gently swirl the spinach around in the water. Once the spinach has cooled in the water, scoop it out into a strainer. Scoop out a handful of the spinach from the strainer and, using both hands, gently squeeze the moisture from it. You don't need to squeeze it to oblivion; just enough so that it forms a moist spinach-ball like the one pictured above. Repeat this process until you have squeezed the water from all of the spinach. Set aside.
Thinly slice zucchini (using a mandoline if available. Put your zucchini in the steamer and steam until the zucchini is tender but still retains a bright green colour (see above). It's the same process as with the spinach. As with the spinach, dunk your steamed zucchini into a pool of cold water to stop it from continuing to cook. Use your hands to gently swirl the zucchini around in the water. Strain the zucchini and gently squeeze it with both hands. Again, don't squeeze too hard, otherwise the zucchini will fall apart.

Now, take your bowl of squeezed spinach. Sprinkle it with salt to taste and a drizzle of sesame oil. Get your tongs out and lightly toss the spinach.

Once you've finished tossing the spinach, do the same thing to your zucchini.

Set aside the zucchini and spinach.

Chop onions. Heat about a tablespoon of olive oil in a medium-sized frying pan, and throw in your onions.
Stir every few minutes so that the onions won't stick to the pan and will cook evenly.
Scoop the cooked onions into a bowl.

Peel and cut carrots into matchstick sized pieces. Heat another tablespoon-full of olive oil and toss in your carrots. Stir every couple of minutes to cook the carrots evenly. You only need to cook the carrots for a few minutes. They'll turn a slightly lighter shade of orange when they're done.

Take all of the vegetables that you've prepared and arrange them neatly in a bowl.

Fry a couple of eggs, sunny-side-up. The secret to sunny-side-up eggs that don't stick to your pan (assuming that you avoid teflon-coated pans) is to use low heat. Put the pan on low heat, drizzle in some olive oil once the pan's been warmed, crack in your eggs, and wait for them to cook. It takes a while, but the eggs won't stick, which means the yolks will stay intact. And intact yolks are generally considered to be essential for bi bim bap.

Scoop some cooked rice into a bowl. Add as much of each of the vegetables as you'd like. Slide an egg on top. Add a scoop of the Gochujang (if you can't tolerate spicy foods very well, either add only a little bit of Gochujang or omit it altogether).
Drizzle with some sesame oil. Nothing left to do at this point except mix well and enjoy.
*I cooked the zucchini in a small amount of water in my waterless pans until just done then drained them and gently squeezed them. I cooked the onion and carrot with olive oil in my non-stick pan, then added the spinach until just beginning to wilt, but still had some shape. I used Chinese chili paste with garlic because I couldn't find any Korean chili paste at the store.  DD and I loved this and it reheats well.~chefly