Wine of the Week - Basket Wine

An article in Slate by Mike Steinberger encouraged readers to take another look at Chiantis; so I went out and bought a bottle of one of the first wines I ever had, which I always lovingly referred to as "basket wine" - D'Aquino Chianti. And it holds up! This is a simple wine with a gentle flavor and low acid.

Happy Purim!

This Sunday is Purim, a Jewish holiday celebrating the Jews not getting exterminated by Haman, all thanks to Queen Esther. It's a fun holiday where kids dress up in costumes, carnivals are held, and adults are encouraged to drink in excess. There's noisemakers and merriment and, most importantly, cookies. These special Purim cookies, called Hamantaschen, are tri-cornered cookies filled with goodies. Poppyseed and apricot seem to be the traditional flavors, but I'm all about raspberry jam. My mom is partial to chocolate chips.

I got this recipe online years ago, but the website sure doesn't want to work now. Oh well.

HAMANTASCHEN X

Mix well until fluffy:

* 2 sticks of margarine, softened (I use Earth Balance)
* 2 cups of granulated sugar (this was very thick for me- i used and
electric mixer)

Blend in well:

* 1/2 orange juice
* 2 teaspoons of vanilla

In separate bowl, mix together:

* 4 teaspoons of baking powder
* 1 teaspoon of salt
* 4 cups of flour

Spoon in flour mixture gradually until mixed well. Refrigerate for a few
hours until very firm. When ready cut into four balls and set aside. Roll
out dough to 1/4 of an inch thickness.

Cut 3-4 inch circles ( We use punch cups.) Place desired filling in center.
( about 1/2 teaspoon) and mold in to triangles.

Pinch the corners. Place on a baking sheet and cook at 400 degrees for 10
minutes or until lightly brown.

Do not over cook. These cookies are not to be crispy but flaky.

Quinoa and Veggies

This is my favorite simple, healthy meal to make. Lemon Herb Quinoa with assorted veggies. On this particular night I roasted broccoli in olive oil and garlic salt, as well as sweet potatoes in olive oil and sea salt. Steamed kale (which I like topped with a splash of Bragg Liquid Amino). Simple (as in I usually have most/all of the ingredients in the house) and fairly quick (start to finish everything's ready in under an hour). Did I mention delicious and nutritious?

Jalapeno-Corn Gravy

A great gravy alternative from The Veganomicon:

1 cup veggie broth 1 tbsp cornstarch 1 tbsp olive oil 1 medium sized onion, chopped 2 jalapenos, chopped 3 cloves garlic, chopped 2 cups corn 1/4 cup milk (I used almond) 2 tbsp lemon juice

Saute the onion and jalapenos in the oil for 5 minutes, until soft. Add garlic. Add the corn and cook for 5 minutes. Mix cornstarch and broth together in a bowl. Add broth mix and milk to pan, stir, and let thicken for ~4 minutes. Remove from heat. Transfer to blender or food processor and puree. Add lemon juice to taste.

Be sure to wash your hands after handling the jalapenos, and not touch your eyes and nose and then run around crying because it feels like they are burning off your face. Learn from my mistakes.

Wine of the Week - Chateau Meric 2007 Medoc

This wine hails from the Bordeaux region. This complex red is bold and heavy, with a smokey body.

Mini Pizza Bagels

This may be the least homemade item ever posted on Eat Well and Prosper. But delicious nonetheless. Store-bought mini bagels topped with store-bought pizza sauce (Trader Joe's Fat Free - best I've had) and Daiya vegan cheese (dairy free, casien free, soy free). Baked until the cheese was melty.

Green Shakes

Matt has recently discovered that greens, ideally, should make up 50% of our diet so he's been packing them in with some very simple shakes.

You just need:

• two oranges
• one banana (riper = more flavor)
• 2 cups of baby spinach, kale or other leafy green

Blend up the oranges first, then add the banana, and then the greens. It's that easy!

Vegetable Tikka Masala

Now, I'm not the biggest fan of Indian food. Normally, couldn't even stand the smell. But my New Year's resolution was to give Indian and Thai food a shot. Hence, my first Indian dish from Cooking with All Things Trader Joe's. (Recipe was altered a bit to suit what I had in stock).

• 1 15oz jar Masala Simmer Sauce from TJ's
  
• 4 cups cauliflower, cut into bite-size pieces
  
• 1/2 frozen vegetables (peas, carrots, corn, green beans - TJ's Organic Foursome)
  
• 1 cup canned garbanzo beans
  
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt

1. Pour sauce into a large pan over medium heat.
   
2. Add all veggies and stir until completely covered in sauce
   
3. Bring to a simmer, then cover and turn heat to medium-low. Simmer for 15 minutes.
   
4. Mix in yogurt and bring to a simmer again.

I served ours with a bit of quinoa, but rice would work well too.

Wine of the Week - La Granja 2008

This Spanish red wine has hints of cherry throughout, particularly in the aftertaste.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Pillows

Imagine if a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup and a cookie had a baby.



Peanut Butter Chocolate Pillows

Chocolate-dipped Strawberries

Just in time for Valentine's Day. Throw in some champagne and candles and you have a romantic after-dinner treat.



Ingredients:
Fresh strawberries
Chocolate chips of your choice (I used semi-sweet)

Melt the chocolate. I used about 1 1/4 cups of chips for 6 strawberries. If using the stovetop, use a double boiler, constantly stirring. If using a microwave, heat at 70% for about 40 seconds at a time, stirring in between.

Make sure strawberries are dry, or chocolate won't stick well and will clump. Dip each strawberry in the chocolate to cover. You could also then dip in nuts or candies for a little something extra.

Lay berries on wax paper and refrigerate for 5-10 minutes, until chocolate hardens.
Enjoy!

Breakfast Burritos

With Matt working two jobs right now and me being unemployed, I'm doing more cooking for myself. The other day, I made myself some breakfast burritos with spinach, black beans and some scrambled eggs. Fast, warm and tasty!

Stephanie's Banana Bread

Not to be confused with Grandma's Banana Bread, I got this recipe from a magazine and it's from an awesome vegan bakery in DC (Sticky Fingers). I don't know which of the two is better, but mine has chocolate chips, so...

Ingredients:
1/3 cup margarine
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 medium ripe mashed bananas
1/2 cup soy or rice milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup of chocolate chips (I probably use less, just eyeball it until it looks delish)

Directions:
-Preheat oven to 350.
-Cream margarine and sugar, mix in flour, baking soda and baking powder.
-Add bananas, soymilk and vanilla.
-Mix until batter is moist and sticky.
-Fold in chocolate chips.
-Pour batter into greased loaf pan and bake for about 50 minutes or until top is brown (or passes toothpick test).

Note: If you don't let it cool for a bit before cutting into it, the slices will be delicious, but not very photogenic.

Bursting-with-Blueberries Muffins

A super easy recipe from EgglessCooking.com. One of my favorite breakfast treats.

2 cups flour 1/2 tbsp baking soda 1 cup sugar 1 cup milk (I used almond) 1/4 cup applesauce 1 tbsp veggie oil 1 tsp lemon extract 1 tbsp apple cide vinegar 2 cups blueberries

In a medium bowl, mix together dry ingredients except for sugar. In a large bowl, mix the sugar and wet ingredients. Add the dry mix to the wet mix and stir until combined. Gently mix in the berries. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full Bake at 375°F for about 20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.

Makes a small dozen