Halushka Recipe ~ Braised Cabbage and Dumplings

This recipe is very popular in Pennsylvania where my family is from.  There are slightly different names and slightly different recipes but basically halushka or haluski is a braised cabbage dish with either noodles, pasta or dumplings and sometimes bacon, ham or smoked sausage added.  It is sometimes a side dish but most often it's a main dish.  It is a common potluck dish.

In my version I use bacon and drippings and homemade dumplings.  Most recipes will call for cooked wide egg noodles, kluski noodles or bite size pasta like farfalle (bowties).  Instead, I like to make dumplings because they are delicious and because its more likely that I'll have a cup of flour and an egg on hand than a bag of noodles.  Either way it is a quick, easy, inexpensive and delicious dinner.

If you want to omit the bacon you can substitute butter for a vegetarian version or use olive oil and an egg-free pasta for a vegan friendly version.

I hope you give this recipe and try and I hope that you love it as much as my family does.



Ingredients:
1 medium cabbage, quartered, cored and sliced into 1/4" ribbons (about 10 cups)
2 cups chopped onions
1 cup matchstick carrots (or 3/4 cup grated carrot)
1/2 pound bacon sliced across in 1/2 inch slices
salt and pepper

Dumplings
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking POWDER
1 egg
2-3 TBSP cool water

Spinach Avocado Pasta

I love this recipe. It is delicious, quick and made with simple good-for-you ingredients. My family loves it.  It is a basic recipe that is so versatile.  I usually serve it warm for dinner then I have the leftovers cold for lunch the next day.  Its good both ways.  You can add diced chicken, cherry tomatoes, Parmesan cheese, or all three.



Ingredients (4 servings)
1/2 pound of frozen spinach, thaw and squeeze out excess moisture
2 TBSP lemon juice or to taste
1 avocado
1/2 pound whole wheat spiral pasta (or any pasta you like)
Salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil to taste *optional*

Cook the pasta is salted water according to package directions. In a food processor, blend together the spinach, avocado, lemon juice and salt and pepper. Add a couple tablespoons of olive oil if desired. Stir spinach and avocado mixture into cooked and drained pasta. Serve warm or cold.

Sweet and Sour Braised Red Cabbage Recipe

This braised red cabbage side is delicious and so simple to make.  It goes great with all sorts of German or Pennsylvania Dutch meals.  Pork chops, bratwurst, kielbasa, but also roast chicken, chicken fried steak, just about anything.

I like to add star anise to my red cabbage.  You can also use caraway seeds, fennel seeds, or omit them entirely.  You can also adjust the sweet and sour flavors to suit your preferences.  I like mine to be a bit more sour than sweet.




For this recipe I used:
1 medium red cabbage, quartered, cored and sliced into 1/4 inch ribbons
1 large yellow onion, sliced into 1/4 inch rings or half moons
1 large tart apple, peeled, cored, and sliced
6 TBSP apple cider vinegar or to taste
3-4 TBSP sugar or to taste
1/2 - 1 star anise pod (optional)
1-2 TBSP canola oil
salt and pepper to taste

In a large stock pot, heat the canola oil.  Add the onions, salt and pepper and fry for 2-3 minutes.  Add the cabbage and fry for about 5 minutes.  Deglaze the pan with about a cup of water.  Add the apples, vinegar, sugar, star anise.  Stir to combine, cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until the cabbage is as tender as you like it.

Mushroom Gravy - Dairy Free Recipe

This is a simple and delicious mushroom gravy.  I like to use this gravy on baked chicken, mashed potatoes, and Salisbury steak.  It also makes a great substitute for canned condensed mushroom soup in a lot of dishes, like the classic green bean casserole.



Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds brown mushrooms, sliced or diced
2 TBSP olive oil
1/4 cup all purpose flour (use corn starch for a gluten free gravy)
1 tsp dried thyme leaves
Salt and pepper to taste

Raw Kale Salad Recipe

Have you tried raw or massaged kale salads?  They were all the rage a few years ago but this trend has stood the test of time.  

I almost always have kale growing in my garden.  It's cold hardy and can be grown from early spring through to late fall.  I grow several varieties, curly, Toscano (sometimes called dinosaur kale), ragged, or red Russian.  I love them all.

I usually use a mixture of the different types and this recipe is no different.  

Ingredients

2 large bunches of kale, stems removed, leaves washed and spun dry

1/4 cup olive oil

2 crisp, sweet apples (Fuju, gala, pink lady), chopped into bite size pieces

1/2 cup raisins

1/4 cup roasted sunflower seeds

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1-2 Tablespoon honey

salt and pepper to taste

Tear the kale leaves into bite sized pieces, you can also cut the kale but I find it easier to tear as I wash the kale in a sink full of water.  Dry the kale with a salad spinner or blot with a clean kitchen towel.  Excess water will dilute the dressing.  Toss the kale with the olive oil to coat then massage the kale with your hands for several minutes.  The kale will darken and wilt down.  Mix the vinegar and honey and toss with the chopped apples (the vinegar will prevent browning). Toss the kale, apples with dressing, and raisins.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Just before serving toss in the roasted sunflower seeds.

Because kale is such a sturdy green, this salad keeps well in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.  The seeds may get soggy so add them in just before servings.  The raisins may slightly plump in the dressing, I like them this way but if you do not, you can add them just before serving with the sunflower seeds.

Salisbury Steak Recipe (Dairy Free)

Too many recipes for Salisbury steak include cream of mushroom soup.  This is a dairy free recipe for Salisbury steak with mushroom gravy from scratch.  I hope you enjoy!


Ingredients: (makes 4 servings)
1 pound lean ground beef
1 egg
1/2 cup ground oats or bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated or minced onions
2 TBSP chopped fresh parsley
a dash of Worchestershire sauce
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 - 1 TBSP vegetable oil or other fat for pan frying
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced (crimini or baby portobello are my favorite)
1 small onion sliced into rings or half moons
2-3 TBSP flour
1-2 cups chicken or beef broth

1) Mix the first 7 ingredients, I mix with my hands until thoroughly combined.  Form into oval patties.  If you have time, refrigerate the patties for a few hours, this prevents them from falling apart when you fry them.

2) When its time to cook, heat fat in skillet and pan fry the patties until well browned.  Add a splash of water and cover the skillet to allow the steam to fully cook the patties and deglaze the pan.  Remove the patties from the skillet.

3)  Remove the skillet from the heat and add mushrooms to pan, salt the mushrooms.  The salt will pull some moisture out of the mushrooms.  When mushrooms sweat or start to look damp, add the onions and put the pan back on the heat, add a touch more oil if needed and fry the mushrooms and onions until golden brown.  (Sweating the mushrooms is optional but mushrooms are little sponges, they will soak up all the oil you are trying to fry them in.  If you sweat them first you can use less oil, the mushrooms don't stick and you will get a better brown)

4)  Make a slurry of the flour and about 1 cup of chicken stock.  Add the slurry to the pan and stir well over medium low heat.  If it becomes too thick add more stock or water.  Allow the gravy to come to a boil and simmer until it become the consistency you like.  Add the patties back to the gravy to rewarm them.

5) Serve over mashed potatoes, egg noodles or rice.

Healthy Chocolate Avocado Mousse (Dairy Free and Delicious!)

Her first birthday was looming and I was fretting over what sort of cake I was to make.  I didn't want to feed her a ton of sugar but I wanted to make a special treat.  And most of all I didn't want to have to make a different cake for her and for the adults.

I tested out a cashew cream cheese recipe but it was a lot of work and without a Vitamix it didn't turn out as well as it could have.  My neighbor told me of a recipe made from roasted sweet potatoes and dates but I have neither in my pantry.  Then I stumbled upon a recipe for avocado chocolate frosting.  I tweaked it slightly and it turned out so delicious that I have made is a few times since just as a quick and nutritious treat.  It is vegan, gluten free, raw, paleo, and the best part... its CHOCOLATE!  :)

You can double or triple the recipe to make as much as you need.  Each avocado yields around 1 cup of finished mousse.

1 ripe avocado

1/4 cup cocoa powder

2-3 Tbsp pure maple syrup

Tomato Butternut Squash Soup

Are you looking for a great tomato soup recipe?  This rich and creamy tomato butternut squash soup really hits the spot!  Make a large batch and stock up your freezer.

Ingredients: 

1 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed

2 (28 ounce) cans of diced tomatoes

1 quart of chicken or vegetable stock **

2 fresh sage leaves or 1/2 tsp dried sage

Combine all the ingredients in a large pot and simmer 25-30 minutes until the squash is tender.  Puree with an immersion blender or in a blender until smooth.  Serve with garlic bread.

**Store bought chicken stocks and broths often have dairy ingredients.  Use homemade stock or check the label carefully.

Whole Wheat Soft Pretzels (Dairy-Free)

After a little tweaking I came up with a perfect whole wheat soft pretzel recipe.  These pretzels are soft and chewy, slightly sweet and completely delicious.  They are awesome served warm with spicy brown mustard.


I based the recipe on Alton Brown's recipe but I needed to make it dairy free and I wanted to make it whole wheat.  In my opinion, the egg wash is unnecessary and a silicone mat is a better option that greasing the pan.  Upping the yeast to a full tablespoon helps the whole wheat dough rise to its full potential.

 Below is the recipe as I made it.

1 1/2 cups warm water
1 T Sugar
2 t salt
1T yeast
2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 stick Earth Balance vegan margarine
10 cups water with 2/3 cup baking soda

Combine the 1 1/2 cup warm water, sugar, salt and yeast.  Stir to dissolve.  At this point you can proof the yeast.  If you know your yeast is viable (fresh and stored properly), you can skip this step, it will still work perfectly fine.

Add the melted and cooled Earth Balance.  Be sure your margarine is not too hot or it may kill your yeast.

Stir in the whole wheat flour and add enough of the all purpose flour to form a dough.  I start with the whole wheat flour, then add the all purpose flour.  The atmosphere and weather can affect how much flour you will ultimately need, and I want to make sure I will have the full amount of the whole wheat flour in my final product.

Knead the dough 8-10 minutes until it is smooth and elastic.  Place the dough in an oiled bowl and allow the dough to rise in a warm place for 1-2 hours or until doubled in size.  (see below for the best way I have found to proof the dough)

Punch down the dough and divide into 12-14 pieces.  Cover the dough with plastic wrap while you are working so that it doesn't dry out.  Roll the dough into long ropes and shape the pretzels.  Alternately, you can cut the rope into 2 inch segments to make pop-able pretzel nuggets.

Meanwhile, mix the 10 cups of water and baking soda in a wide shallow pan.  Make sure you add the baking soda before the water heats. If the water is hot when you add baking soda it will bubble over and make a big mess.  Once the baking soda is dissolved, bring it to a slow simmer.  Using a slotted spatula carefully lower the shaped pretzels into the simmering baking soda solution.  Only put 2-3 pretzels in at a time.

Remove the pretzels after about 30 seconds and transfer them to a baking sheet lined with a silicone mat or parchment paper.  While they are still damp, sprinkle each pretzel with pretzel salt.  Regular coarse salt can be used, but the crumbly pretzel salt really makes them awesome.

Bake in a oven preheated to 450 degrees (F) for about 10 minutes until they are dark brown all over.


Notes:
Proofing:
The best way I have found to proof yeast dough is in the microwave.  You don't heat the dough with the microwave, but you create a warm steamy environment.  Place 2 mugs of warm water in the microwave and cook them for 1-2 minutes until they are hot and steamy.  Place your bowl of dough in the microwave and quickly close the microwave door to prevent too much temperature loss.  The heat helps the dough rise and the steam keeps it from drying out or forming a skin.

Storage:
Store the baked pretzels in an airtight container in the refrigerator.  For pretzels you want to store, omit the pretzel salt sprinkled before baking, it will just melt off.  Add the salt before reheating (See reheating instructions below).

Reheating:
brush each pretzel with a scant amount of water then sprinkle the salt all over.  Warm the pretzel in the microwave for 15-20 seconds then toast them in a toaster oven.  It seems like a complicated reheating process but its the best way to get the crunchy outside and warm chewy inside.

Pretzel Dogs:
This is the best part of this post.  My reward for those of you that read all the way to the end.  These pretzels (or any soft pretzel recipe) wrapped around a hot dog make an amazing treat.  Simmer in the baking soda solution and bake as previously described.

This weeks meals

I'm working on posting a weekly dinners video on YouTube.  I love watching these types of videos to get ideas for my own meal planning, new recipes, re-invented classics.  Here is a little teaser.

This is what we had Sunday.  Since it was Super Bowl Sunday I made a selection of party snacks.  My husband requested hot wings and I had wanted to make pretzel wrapped hot dogs for a while and now I had the perfect excuse.  Originally I was going to simply wrap the pretzel dough around the hot dog but after watching a video from Noreen's Kitchen I learned how to braid the hot dog into the pretzel.  Don't they look amazing?  Deviled eggs and some veggies round out the meal.  The game was a little underwhelming but dinner was excellent!