Okra Rellenos: Fried Cheese-stuffed Okra in Coconut Flour Batter

Chili Rellenos comes a close second to Mirchi Bajji (Milagai Bajji or Molaga Bajji, colloquially), when done right. Okra Rellenos is just one step away from this, especially since Stuffed Baked Okra comes close, without the frying.

I am not an expert at frying foods. I invariably mess with the batter and ruin it, or not have patience to check the oil temperature and therefore either burn the outsides or get them soggy with oil. I think it is a subconscious defense mechanism: If I don't do it right, then I won't be eating a lot of fried foods, and that must be just fine.

Anyway, I do like to try out different batters, just for the fun of it. I like the tried and tested ones, no doubt. Since I had a big sack of coconut flour and chickpea flour, I wanted to see if the batter made with these two would turn out all right.

Stuffing is easy this time - just some cheddar and mozzarella sticks plus finely minced pickled jalapeno.

Ingredients
for the batter:
¼ cup coconut flour
¼ chickpea flour
2 Tablespoon fine cornmeal (optional - I like the gritty crunch it adds)
2 Tablespoon all purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ cup buttermilk
1¼ cup water (plus or minus a few Tablespoons)
salt and chili powder or smoke paprika powder for seasoning the batter

okra and filling - cheese, jalapeno

Oil for deep frying

Preparation

1. Combine the dry batter ingredients in a bowl, add the buttermilk, then slowly add the water; try not to overstir; coconut flour absorbs water quickly so alternate adding water and stirring to get the batter to a pancake batter like thick yet flowing consistency
2. Slit and stuff the okra and keep it ready
3. Heat the oil for frying to medium
4. Dip the stuffed okra in batter and deep fry in batches
5. Serve warm with chutneys and dips

Spargel with Cheese Sauce

I had these dreamy white spears for the first time about 6 years ago during a visit to Germany where they enjoy an exalted status. It was boiled in water and served with a simple cheese sauce. It was best when eaten steaming warm and fresh off the stove, tender enough to cut with a fork, and not at all chewy and woody.

Asparagus, a favorite, often just roasted and eaten right away, is usually green when grown above ground thanks to photosynthesis. White asparagus (Spargel) is cultivated underground/covered to prevent the green coloration. They tend to be less woody when mature than their green cousins.

Every once in a while we come across white asparagus here in the local markets and can't resist buying them. This time, I boiled it for a good 20-25 minutes in salted water to get it fork tender. (Gently peel the skin before boiling.) And served it with a quick cheese sauce, sprinkled with parsley and ground black pepper.

For the cheese sauce:  (recipe from BBC)
flour
butter
milk
cheese

I usually don't measure precisely for this type of sauce. Sometimes, I make a roux of sorts by heating butter in the pan and adding the flour and cooking to make a paste; then, slowly add in some milk while stirring constantly. Then, add in grated cheese - like Colby Jack, Cheddar, even a bit of Parmesan mixed in...

Home-made Cheese Bread

This simple bread is wonderful when toasted, but just amazing fresh from the oven on a nippy Spring morning. It freezes well so can be made ahead and warmed up when needed.

Leave out the cheese, or add any other favorite herbs to make a customized loaf that satisfies your taste.

Ingredients
2 Tbsp butter
1¾ cup milk
4 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp salt
2 to 3 cups shredded cheese - Colby Jack, Cheddar, Parmesan
Optional Herbs: parsley, marjoram, rosemary

2¼ tsp active dry yeast
¼ cup warm water (110 F)

1 cup whole wheat flour
4 cups unbleached flour
4 Tbsp flax meal (optional)
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)

1 to 2 Tbsp oil for greasing


Preparation

Scald the milk, remove from heat, stir in sugar, butter, salt and cheese; cool to lukewarm.

In a  large mixing bowl, sprinkle the yeast on warm water, stir to dissolve and set aside for 5 minutes till bubbly.

Into the yeast mixture, add the milk mixture, 2 cups of flour and beat at medium speed, scraping down the sides.

Add the remaining flour a little at a time, stirring and incorporating it in with a spoon or spatula, till a smooth elastic dough forms.

Knead the dough on a floured surface for about 8 minutes, shape into a ball, set it in a greased bowl turning over to grease all of the dough ball, cover and let it rise in a warm place for about 2 hrs until doubled in size.

Pre-heat the oven to 375° F.

Divide the dough to fit into loaf pans, shape into 3 loaves, allow to rise again for 1 hour.

Bake in a 375° F oven for about 40 minutes till brown on the outside and done on the inside. If the outside browns too fast, cover with Aluminium foil.

Cool for about 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

The bread freezes well - wrap it up in an air-tight bag when completely cooled and leave it in the freezer. To warm and serve, simply pre-heat the oven to 400° F and allow to warm up all the way through, about 8 to 10 minutes.

Witlof in Jalapeno-Cheese Sauce

Witlof (Belgium Endive) apparently just translates to "White leaf" in Dutch. It has a nice delicate flavor, crunchy and juicy. I like it lightly sautéed or baked so it retains its crunch and yet is not too raw.

I still fondly remember Witlof and Banana dish a (Dutch) friend made for us up in Winlaw B.C., and I was hoping to make it this time. But, ended up making a cheese sauce with jalapeños that tasted quite like D's favorite Ema Datsi.



The serving here is for two portions - one witlof head per person. Adjust quantities for making a larger batch.

Ingredients:
2 witlofs, cut in half length-wise with root intact
2 jalapeños, seeded, sliced
½ medium onion sliced thin (optional)
1 cup fresh grated Colby Jack cheese
½ cup fresh grated aged Cheddar
¼ cup fresh grated Bergenost cheese (optional, for garnish)
¼ cup milk
¼ cup Smart Butter™ Omega Lite (or butter, if preferred)
1 Tbsp canola oil (or butter if preferred)

Preparation

1. Heat the milk, butter, cheeses, Smart Butter, jalapeños in a pan over medium low heat, stirring often till cheeses melt and the sauce comes together
2. Heat the oil in a pan, place the witlof cut side down and allow to brown a bit
3. Add the cheese sauce and simmer a bit longer
4. Serve hot off the pan

Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Mustard Greens and Bergenost Cheese

Much like classic Chicken Kiev, Chicken Cordon Bleu, this is stuffed chicken breast dish. Stuffing can be anything - like the Pesto Sun-dried Tomato Feta Chicken, or greens and cheese as in this recipe.

Any favorite cheese would work. I had a small chunk of buttery Bergenost, some (non-smoked) Gouda, and some Colby-Jack which is what I ended up using. A combination of fresh mustard greens, Swiss chard and baby spinach leaves worked well. But, any favorite greens would be fine, I'm sure.

These Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Mustard Greens and Cheese are served here with Asparagus Salad.

Ingredients
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (even-sized for uniform cooking)
a handful of greens - mustard, chards, spinach
Bergenost, Gouda, Colby-Jack cheeses
salt and pepper to taste
a few teaspoon olive oil, or canola oil, or butter if preferred
marinade: red wine vinegar (optional)

Preparation

1. Pre-heat the oven to 400°F
2. Marinate the chicken in red wine vinegar for 15-20 minutes, if preferred
3. Slit the chicken breasts to make a pocket into which the stuffing can be introduced
4. Stuff with cheese and greens, season with salt and pepper, place in a baking sheet, brush with oil, cover with Aluminium foil and bake at 400°F for about 25 minutes
5. Remove the foil, brush with oil cook uncovered for another 8-10 minutes
6. Check for doneness - juices run clear, internal temperature is 170°F
7. Optional: Before serving, heat oil in a pan and brown the sides to desired richness

Easy Spinach & Cheese Casserole

This is a simple spinach casserole recipe, but, any other vegetable can be used to make a delicious sizzling hot casserole for a mid-week dinner, especially on cold, soggy Spring evenings.

I prefer frozen cut spinach as it is par cooked and I simple have to get it ready by microwaving for a few minutes. Zucchini, summer squash, eggplant, even simple carrots+potatoes+peas make good casserole. Adjust the cheese combination to suit your tastes. I like to go light on the cheese, just enough to bind it all together. Top with some of the reserved cheese and broil towards the end to give a crisp topping.

Ingredients
½ cup Egg Whites*
4 cups cooked chopped spinach, drained well
1 small onion sliced thinly
1-2 cloves of garlic minced finely
½ cup colby jack or aged cheddar, shredded†
½ cup part-skim mozzarella, shredded†
¼ cup crumbled feta
salt to taste

*I use All Whites® liquid egg whites that is fat free and cholesterol free
†I like local Tillamook cheese blocks that I can grate as needed; already shredded packaged cheese usually have additives "to provide non-agglomerating properties" as they label on the package which makes me shudder a bit, even if the additives are food-grade and potentially nutritive :) Besides, it is cheaper to get a huge hunk of cheese than buy small quantities packaged for quick serving...

All right, enough with my discourse... here's the simple recipe.

Preparation

1. Heat the oven to 450°F
2. Combine the ingredients in a casserole dish, stir well, cover with a foil and bake for about 20 minutes, checking often to see if the cheese is bubbling enough for your tastes and if the egg is cooked through
3. If preferred, top with ready-made french fried onions, or pan-fried onions, and broil for a few minutes at the end, just like for green bean casserole
4. Serve warm with ciabatta-olive bread or enjoy it on its own

Spinach Artichoke Dip

This spinach artichoke dip is another of our quick fixes for snacks on weekend afternoons and since it is such a simple recipe I guess I didn't get around to posting it so far... and, it is versatile enough to be adjusted to taste - add as much or as little cheese, more chilies if needed. And, most of the ingredients are out of a box - simply blend together, bake in the oven for a bit and serve sizzling hot.

I like to have it with rustic* tortilla chips or pita chips. But, any ready-made tortilla chips would be fine too...
*rustic, in my case, simply means I tore up some slightly old (high-fiber, low-carb) tortillas or pita pockets, sprayed them with some cooking spray and toasted them in the toaster oven till crisp :)

Ingredients
½ block silken tofu
1 cup chopped frozen spinach, cooked per package and drained
3-4 pickled jalapeno rings
½ cup artichoke hearts
½ cup grated mozzarella and colby jack cheese
salt to taste
chopped spring onions and cilantro for garnish (optional)

Preparation
Simply blend all but the cheese, stir the cheese in (reserve some for topping), bake in a 400°F oven for about 8-10 minutes till cheese bubbles. Stir well before serving.

Piping hot dip from the oven on a cold wet afternoon with freshly crisped tortilla or pita chips, and some cardamom chai... mmmm... simple pleasures...