Here are two different vinaigrettes that I have tried and absolutely love. I've made the Balsamic-mustard vinaigrette for D&J, M&B, as well as B&D (Boyd and Janie) and it seemed to be a hit with all of them, so I will go ahead and recommend that you all try it. I'm also including one that I more recently tried and really enjoyed that's a lemon vinaigrette. I'll also include some salad fixings that went really well with these particular dressings.

Balsamic-Mustard Vinaigrette

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons very finely minced shallot
1/2 teaspoon regular or light mayonnaise
2 teaspoons Dijon Mustard
1/8 teaspoon table salt
Ground black pepper
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1. Combine vinegar, shallot, mayonnaise, mustard, salt, and pepper to taste in small nonreactive bowl. Whisk until misture is milky in appearance and no lumps of mayonnaise remain.
2. Place oil in small measuring cup so that it is easy to pour. Whisking constantly, very slowly drizzle oil into vinegar mixture. Vinaigrette should be glossy and lightly thickened, with no pools of oil on its surface.

Lemon Vinaigrette

1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon regular or light mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/8 teaspoon table salt
Ground black pepper
Pinch of sugar
1/4 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Follow directions for Balsamic-Mustard vinaigrette adding the sugar and lemon zest with the salt and pepper.


*For the Balsamic-Mustard Vinaigrette I used more assertive greens (I generally prefer spinach and the like) with Cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, feta cheese, kalamata olives, and toasted pine nuts. I have also added penne to the mix to make a delicious pasta salad.
For the Lemon Vinaigrette its recommended to use milder greens, and I added white mushrooms, craisins, red onions, and toasted slivered almonds.

Chewy Congo Bars

For Father's Day I was to provide a dessert. After eating some congo bars at Annie's I was cravin some congos, but I haven't been able to find my moomy munker's recipe book for ages. I went ahead and checked out allrecipes for something that sounded good and this one came up. It's always a scary thing to try a recipe for the first time. I didn't know how they would turn out, but I must say...these were delicious. If you prefer a cakey congo bar over a chewy one I would stick to the classic moom recipe. If not try this.

Ingredients

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup butter
2-1/2 cups packed brown sugar
3 eggs
1-1/2 cups milk chocolate chips (you can use dark or semisweet if you prefer)
1 cup chopped pecans (or nut of your choice)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Melt butter, stir in Brown sugar. Let cool.
3. Beat in all 3 eggs
4. Add dry ingredients
5. Add chocolate chips, nuts, and vanilla
6. Pour into 10"x15" pan and bake for 30 min.

These were very good. The original recipe called for 2 cups of chocolate chips. If you are a little intense in your love for chocolate you can try it out, but we all agreed that 1-1/2 cups was more than plenty.

Creamy Tomato Pasta

Alright, I thought I'd better finally get on here and add something. I found this recipe in one of my Cook's Illustrated Annuals, so I initially attempted it for D & J and it turned out well, but there were a few things that I thought might be nice to adjust to my personal taste. So, I tried it again for Brett and Meesh and I must say, those few minor tweaks made this great recipe into a spectacular one. This one can be easily made at least vegetarian by leaving out the prosciutto.

This sauce is best served with short pasta, such as ziti, penne, or fusilli.

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 ounce proscuitto, minced (about 2 tablespoons)
1 small onion, diced fine (about 3/4 cup)
1 bay leaf
Pinch red pepper flakes
Table salt
3 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1 tablespoon)
2 tablespoons tomato paste (I added an extra tablespoon to make the sauce a little more tomato-y)
2 ounces oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained, rinsed, patted dry, and chopped course (about 3 tablespoons- I made these pretty generous tablespoons since I'm a huge fan of sun-dried tomatoes)
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons crushed tomatoes
1 pound pasta (I ended up using only about 3/4 of the box of pasta since I like it pretty saucy)
1/4 cup heavy cream
Ground black pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
Grated Parmesan cheese

1. Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. Add prosciutto, onion, bay leaf, pepper flakes, and 1/4 teaspoon salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is very soft and beginning to turn light gold, 8 to 12 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high, add garlic, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomato paste and sun-dried tomatoes and cook, stirring constantly, until slightly darkened, 1 to 2 minutes. Add 1/4 cup wine and cook, stirring frequently, until liquid has evaporated, 1 to 2 miutes.
2. Add 2 cups crushed tomatoes and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to low, partially cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce is thickened (spoon should leave trail when dragged through sauce), 25 to 30 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts water to boil. Add pasta and 1 tablesoon salt and cook until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup cooking water; drain pasta and transfer back to cooking pot.
   
4. Remove bay leaf from sauce and discard. Stir cream, and remaining 2 tablespoons crushed tomatoes; season to taste with salt and pepper. Add sauce to cooked pasta, adjusting consistency with up to 1/2 cup pasta cooking water. Stir in basil and serve immediately, passing Parmesan separately.
   

Mystery Biscuits

These biscuits are super easy and are always fluffy and really delicious. We use them as a side for almost any meal or as the substrate for tempeh sausage and gravy. If you make this recipe with vegenaise and soy or almond milk, then you can make them vegan in case you have any vegan friends or family members.

2 C. sifted flour

1 T. baking powder

1 t. salt

1/4 C. vegenaise (or mayonnaise)

1 C. soy milk (or almond milk or just regular milk)

1 t. sugar

Sift flour, baking powder and salt. Add remaining ingredients.

Mix till smooth and drop by tablespoon on greased cookie sheet or fill 12 muffin tins two-thirds full.

Bake 18-20 minutes at 375°F.

Tempeh Sausage Crumbles

This tempeh sausage recipe has been a hit every time we've made it. It is unlikely to fool any omnivores, but if you have a vegetarian loved one (oh wait, you have several) they will certainly enjoy it, and I imagine you will too. Or just give it a try for something a little different. Consider serving it with biscuits and this gravy. This comes from the Vegan With A Vengence cookbook.

1 (8 oz) package tempeh*
1 tbsp. fennel seed
1 tbsp. dried basil
1 tsp. marjoram or oregano
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. dried sage
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp. tamari or soy sauce
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 1/2 tbsp. lemon juice

In a small pan, crumble the tempeh and add enough water to almost cover it. Over medium-high heat, simmer the tempeh until most of the water is absorbed, about 12-15 min. Drain the remaining water and add the rest of the ingredients. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 10 min.

*some normal grocery stores carry tempeh, but a natural food store might be better (and often cheaper).

Best Tasting Gravy on the Earth

This is without a doubt the best gravy I've ever tasted. I made it for dinner last night with biscuits and tempeh sausage, a dish we haven't had in a while, and it blew my mind all over again. 

Spice Mix

2 1/2 c. nutritional yeast*

1/3 c. dried parsley

1 1/2 tbsp. salt

1 1/2 tbsp. dill weed2 1/2 tbsp celery seed

2 1/2 tbsp onion powder

2 tsp. each basil, oregano, thyme

1 tsp. rosemary

In a small, dry, seal-able bowl mix all ingredients well

Roux 

1/3 c. soybean oil (i've also used olive oil and vegetable oil with no noticeably difference)

1/3 c. unbleached flour

Heat the oil in a small saucepan. When hot, gently whisk in the flour, stirring constantly, until the mixture develops a nutty aroma and starts to lightly turn brown (Be careful; it burns easily). Set aside.

Base

4 c. water or vegetable broth

1/3 c. tamari, soy sauce or Braggs amino acids

1/4 c. spice mix (above)

In medium pot, bring all the base ingredients to a high simmer. Gradually whisk in the roux and cook to desired thickness. Add freshly ground pepper to taste.

The spice mix makes quite a bit and should provide enough mix to make gravy about 8 times. That said, since the mix is made of all dry ingredients it stores well and the gravy itself is good enough that you will undoubtedly want to eat in on everything. I will include the recipe for tempeh sausage as well as the biscuits we like on separate posts. 

*be forewarned that nutritional yeast can be a pain to find depending on where you go. I had to ask an employee and they had to ask someone else. Health food stores may be the easiest bet.

Oatmeal Pancakes

I risk flooding the blog with round foods. I think just about every recipe I've posted featured roundness...cheesecake, cupcakes, and now pancakes. I'm apparently going overboard on different kinds of cakes as well. These are good round cakes though, so I will post them proudly.

I don't have photos of the oatmeal pancakes. They're not really very photogenic. if you can't adequately visualize pancakes, go to the Smitten Kitchen blog. Our mutual friend Deb has pictures.

My brother Joel has been known to say that eating pancakes or cereal for breakfast is like riding in the back of a pickup with a funnel in your mouth. He's not impressed with their ability to sustain life all the way to lunch. My views on the subject are not, perhaps, quite so extreme...but they're along those lines.

These pancakes, however, are pretty substantial. Add a couple of sausage patties, a couple of eggs, plenty of butter, syrup, maybe some fruit and a refreshing beverage and you're well on your way to having a moderately sustaining breakfast.

Seriously though, these are very tasty pancakes. They have a nice oat-y flavor and more heft than the average pancake. They also hold up better in the fridge than regular pancakes, so you can make a big batch on Monday and enjoy pancakes two or three times during the week. This recipe uses cooked oatmeal, so you can get double-double frugality points by using leftover oatmeal...which does not keep well in the fridge and cannot be eaten for days after you make it. This might be the only reasonable way to use leftover oatmeal, unless you're planning on hanging wallpaper.

I have to give Deb at the Smitten Kitchen blog credit for the recipe...and as you can see, she has to credit a cookbook for the original idea. The authors of the Good to the Grain cookbook probably got it from somebody else. Sharing is good.

Oatmeal Pancakes
Adapted and just tweaked a little from Good to the Grain

Makes about 18 pancakes

3/4 cup oat flour (you can make this by pulsing rolled oats into a food processor or spice grinder until finely ground; 1 cup of oats yielded 3/4 cup oat flour for me)
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon Kosher or coarse salt
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly (plus extra for the pan)
1 1/4 cups whole milk
1 cup cooked oatmeal*
1 tablespoon unsulphured (not blackstrap) molasses or 1 tablespoon honey
2 large eggs

Whisk the dry ingredients (oat flour, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt) together in a large bowl. In a smaller bowl, whisk the butter, milk, cooked oatmeal, honey and eggs together until thoroughly combined. Gently fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Using a light hand is important for tender pancakes; the batter should be slightly thick with a holey surface.

Heat a 10-inch cast-iron pan or griddle over medium heat until water sizzles when splashed onto the pan. Lower to medium-low. (This is my tip; I find pancakes impossible to cook well over higher heats. I’ve got more pancake tips over here.) Rub the pan generously with butter; Boyce says this is the key to crisp, buttery edges. Working quickly, dollop 1/4-cup mounds of batter onto the pan, 2 or 3 at a time. Once bubbles have begun to form on the top side of the pancake, flip the pancake and cook until the bottom is dark golden-brown, about 5 minutes total. Wipe the pan with a cloth before griddling the next pancake. Continue with the rest of the batter.

Serve the pancakes hot, straight from the skillet or keep them warm in a low oven. We also found these to reheat surprisingly well the next morning, again in a low oven.

Do ahead: Although the batter is best if using immediately, it can sit for up to 1 hour on the counter or overnight in the refrigerator. When you return to the batter, it will be very thick and should be thinned, one tablespoon at a time, with milk. Take care not to overmix.

* Make oatmeal, if you don’t have any leftover: Bring 2 cups of water, 1 cup of rolled oats and a pinch of salt to a boil and simmer on low for 5 minutes. Let cool. You’ll have some extra oatmeal, which you can eat while you’re cooking.