Chocolate Coconut Muffins

Source: Family Feedbag

Ingredients:
2 eggs
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup milk
3/4 cup granulated white sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shredded sweetened coconut, plus another 1/4 cup for topping

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees (F).  In a large mixing bowl, add the eggs, oil, milk, sugar and vanilla, and beat until smooth.  In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, nutmeg, salt and 1/2 cup of the shredded coconut. Gradually add the dry mixture to the wet mixture, beating well between additions. Pour the batter into a muffin pan lined with paper muffin cups to about 1/4 inch from the top of the paper.  Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of coconut on top of the muffin batter. Bake for 20-22 minutes (mine took 18) until a toothpick inserted in the center of one of the muffins comes out clean.  (Made 18 muffins for me.)

Notes:
I was in a muffin mood the other night and wanted to try something new, so I turned to my Muffins and Quick Breads board on pinterest for inspiration.  I found this recipe that I had pinned a while ago, and since I had recently bought some coconut, I had everything on hand to give it a whirl.  They smelled amazing as they were cooking, but my first bite was a little disappointing - didn't really taste like chocolate to me.  They weren't bad, but just not what I was expecting.  Some muffins are best right out of the oven, but I think these definitely get better with age.  They've made a perfect quick breakfast the past couple of mornings, and they really are quite tasty.

Pita Bread

Source: Mel's Kitchen Cafe (per my sister Heather's suggestion and modifications)

Ingredients:
1 Tablespoon active dry yeast
1 1/4 cups warm water (or whey! - since I've made cheese a couple of times now, I have a lot of whey saved in my fridge - it makes a great liquid to use in breads and soups and such - just FYI)
1 teaspoon salt
3 to 3 1/2 cups  flour (I used about half wheat, half white)

Directions:
Soften the yeast in the water with just a bit of sugar.  When the yeast is softened, add the salt and about 1 1/2 cups of wheat flour.  Mix that in, then add the while flour a little at a time until it makes a soft dough but is still slightly tacky.  Knead the dough for 8-9 minutes until smooth and elastic.

Divide into 6 equal portions and form into balls.  Let the dough balls rest, lightly covered, for 10-15 minutes. Roll each ball into a thin disc, about 1/4 inch thick - be careful to roll them out as evenly as possible so that they will puff bettter.  Let the dough discs rest again, raising slightly, for 30-40 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 425 F.  If you have a stone, preheat the oven with the stone in it so it gets nice and hot.  If you don't have a stone you can just use a regular old cookie sheet, just spray it so the dough doesn't stick. When ready to bake, gently place the pita rounds (I could only fit 2 at a time) onto the pan.  Mel says to flip it over so the side that was exposed to the air while raising is on the bottom.  Also, if the dough is a little dry you can spritz it with a bit of water which supposedly aids in the puffing process.  Cook for about 10 minutes.  The round should be puffy and lightly brown on top.  If it didn't puff, take it out after 10 minutes anyway and eat it as flat bread!

After they are baked you can rip off the top and stuff it with whatever you'd like.  For my pita pockets I put in some of my hummus, lettuce, tomatoes and homemade mozzarella cheese.

Notes:
This was a fun (they really puffed - it was so cool!), different bread to try and I enjoyed my pita-hummus sandwiches for a few days.  Note that this does make six pretty good sized pitas - I'd say like 6 inches in diameter - so you may consider halving the recipe if you don't need that much, as the bread tended to go a little bit stale (I just nuked it for 11 seconds and it softened right up) or moldy (tossed it then) within a few days on the counter.  Or just freeze it for future use.  I'm sure that would work great.

Hummus

Source: My sister Heather's Israeli roomate Einav (pronounced AY-nahv, in case you were wondering)

Ingredients:
1 can garbanzo beans, reserve liquid
2 Tablespoons tahini (or, if you are like me and don't have tahini - which is sesame seed paste, by the way - you can substitute peanut butter)
3-4 Tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves pressed garlic
Lemon juice (a couple tablespoons should probably do it)
Salt, pepper to taste

Directions:
Throw it all in the blender or food processor and pureé away, adding some of the bean liquid a little at a time to get the consistency you want.  You can eat it with veggie sticks, or with bread, on crackers.  Whatever floats your boat.  (I personally like it with flatbread of some sort (pita, naan) or pretzels.)

Notes:
It's been a while since I've made anything new - I've still been making food, mind you, just nothing really new or exciting or post-worthy.  Well, a couple weeks ago my sister Heather told me about the hummus and pita bread she made and I decided to give it a whirl myself.  This is super quick and very tasty.  I admit the peanut butter flavor seemed a little strong at first, but after a while in the fridge the peanut buttery taste kind of faded and melded into the rest of the spread.  I made a second batch today and decided it was time to share.  Good stuff.

Indian Butter Chicken

Source:  Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Ingredients:

• 1 medium yellow onion, peeled and diced
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 jalapeño, seeded, and finely chopped (I didn't have a jalapeño, so I just added a drop of green habanero sauce, which I had in the fridge)
• 1 tablespoon olive or canola oil
• 2 teaspoons garam masala
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon cardamom
• 1/2 teaspoon coriander
• 1 can (6 oz.) tomato paste
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 cup fat free half-and-half
• 1 1/2 pounds (about 2-3) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 3/4-inch chunks
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons butter
• Hot cooked rice for serving (I used basmati rice)
• Chopped fresh cilantro for extra garnish

Directions:

1. In a large 12-inch skillet, heat the oil over medium heat until hot. Add the onion, ginger and jalapeno. Stir often while cooking until the onion is translucent, about 4-5 minutes. Stir in garlic, garam masala, chili powder, cardamom, and coriander. Cook stirring, constantly for another minute.
2. Scrape the mixture into a blender or food processor and add tomato paste and chicken broth. Blend until the mixture is smooth. Pour the sauce back into the skillet and add the half and half. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat and add the chicken pieces and the salt and pepper. Stir. Keep the sauce at a simmer, stirring occasionally, and cook for 10-15 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has slightly thickened.
3. Cut remaining 3 tablespoons butter into chunks and stir into the sauce until melted. Serve the chicken and sauce over hot rice. Garnish with fresh, chopped cilantro, if desired.

Comments:

I haven't been this excited for a recipe in a LONG time!  Scott's favorite food on this planet is butter chicken curry.  Luckily, we have discovered Ganesh in Fort Union which has butter chicken just like the stuff Scott ordes at the Indian restaurants in NZ.  However, I'm always looking for sauces in stores and online so we can make butter chicken at home. 

I found this recipe on Mel's Kitchen Cafe, and figured I'd give it a try.  I've always been hesistant to try Indian cooking from scratch since I've always assumed the unusual spices would be too hard to find.  Go figure, though; I was shopping in Walmart today and found both garam masala and ground cardamom in the baking aisle!  So, I couldn't wait to get home and make this.

This butter chicken is amazing!  It even passed Scott's test!  It's not exactly the same as the butter chicken in the restaurants -- probably because those use heavy cream, and this recipe uses fat-free half-and-half. . .and it's made by people who are actually Indian! -- but it's better than anything we've made out of a packet or bottle.  Plus, it was pretty easy and quick.  This will definitely become a regular at our house!