Glazed Carrot Salad

glazed carrot salad

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

• 1 ½ pounds carrots (about 10 medium carrots)
• 1 tablespoon plus ½ teaspoon coarse sea salt
• 2 tablespoons peanut oil
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted (see sidebar, page 9)
• ¼ cup packed chopped cilantro
• 2 tablespoons roasted peanuts, crushed
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a large roasting pan with parchment paper.

Put about 12 cups of water in a large pot and bring to a boil over high heat. While the water is heating up, cut the carrots into sticks by cutting them in half crosswise, trimming away the edges of each piece to form a rough rectangle, then quartering each rectangle length-wise. (Compost the scraps or save them for another use.)

When the water is boiling, add 1 tablespoon of the salt, then add the carrots and blanch for 1 minute. Drain the carrots well, then pat them dry with a clean kitchen towel.

Put the oil, lemon juice, maple syrup, cinnamon, garlic, cumin seeds, and the remaining ½ teaspoon salt in a large bowl and mix well. Add the carrots and toss until evenly coated. Transfer to the lined pan (no need to clean the bowl). Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 10 minutes. Remove the foil, gently stir with a wooden spoon, then bake uncovered for about 10 minutes, until the carrots start to brown.

Return the carrots to the bowl. Add the cilantro and toss gently to combine. Serve garnished with the peanuts and mint.

Crepes

Wow, it's been over six months since I last posted here!
Cooking new recipes, unfortunately, has not been a priority, but here's an easy one I just learned- really, easy to memorize:

Makes 2 crepes.

1 egg
1/3 cup flour (or a little more if you want it thicker)
2/3 cup milk

Whisk together. You can even add some vanilla (my mom's suggestion).

Pour half of the batter into a heated, buttered pan. Use a knife to edge up sides and help determine when it's ready to flip.

Serve with favorite jelly/jam filling and optionally, sour cream or cottage cheese.

Wrap up and drizzle with maple syrup.

Taster approved! He refuses to eat eggs, per say, but this is a good way to get some in him :)

Bengali Five-Spice Roasted Chicken and Vegetables

This special recipe is from Uncle Fred & Aunt Rolleen from the '14 Gockel family reunion in Damariscotta, Maine. Many happy memories, this delicious meal included! 

Panch Phoron Blend
1 TB cumin seeds
1 TB fennel seeds
1 TB brown mustard seeds
1 TB fenugreek seeds
1 TB nigella sativa seeds (aka charnushka) 

Bengali Five-Spice Roasted Chicken
and Vegetables

Baked in a very hot oven, the sauce reduces until the panch phoron seeds cling to the chicken and vegetables in chewy nubbins.

SERVES 4 to 6 | 1 HOUR, PLUS AT LEAST 2 HOURS TO MARINATE

21⁄2 tbsp. vegetable oil
2 tbsp. panch phoron
2 dried bay leaves
21⁄2 tbsp. grated fresh ginger 21⁄2 tbsp. minced garlic
21⁄2 tsp. ground coriander
11⁄2 tsp. kosher salt
11⁄4 cups plain whole-milk yogurt mixed with 11/2 tsp. flour
4 each bone-in chicken legs and thighs (separated; 2

lbs. total)
1 each red and yellow bell peppers, cut into chunks
2 large carrots, quartered lengthwise, cut into 3-in. pieces
1 lb. Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks

1. Heat oil in a small frying pan over medium-high heat. Add panch phoron and cook, stirring, until seeds begin to pop, about 30 seconds. Reduce heat to medium. All at once, add bay leaves, ginger, and garlic; cook, stirring, until ginger softens, about 3 minu​tes. Remove from heat, stir in coriander and salt, and let stand until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add yogurt, stir to loosen browned bits, and

let marinade cool.

2. Marinate by putting chicken, bell peppers, and carrots in a 1-gal. resealable plastic bag. Scrape in yogurt mixture, seal, and squish to coat. Chill at least 2 hours or overnight.
3. Bake chicken: Preheat oven to 475° with a rack set in upper third of oven. Put potatoes on a large rimmed baking sheet and squeeze contents of bag over them. Mix to coat, then pat ingredients into a single layer. Bake, turning food with a wide spatula every 15 to 20 minutes and ending with chicken skin side up, until browned, 40 to 45 minutes.

Blueberry Muffins

Copied from all recipes.com.  A great recipe- used frozen blueberries and Turbinado sugar for the topping mix (which I had extra of- froze it). I recommend using muffin liners (even with nonstick spray they were hard to remove). In my 12 muffin pan, it did make 8.  In a day, only 1 is left! Taster approved!! To Die For Blueberry Muffins

Rated: Submitted By: Colleen Photo By: Dianne Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cook Time: 25 Minutes Ready In: 40 Minutes Servings: 8

"Extra big blueberry muffins are topped with a sugary-cinnamon crumb mixture in this souped-up blueberry muffin recipe."

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 3/4 cup white sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/3 cup vegetable oil 1 egg

1/3 cup milk 1 cup fresh blueberries 1/2 cup white sugar 1/3 cup all-purpose flour 1/4 cup butter, cubed 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease muffin cups or line with muffin liners.
2.	Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 3/4 cup sugar, salt and baking powder. Place vegetable oil into a 1 cup measuring cup; add the egg and enough milk to fill the cup. Mix this with flour mixture. Fold in blueberries. Fill muffin cups right to the top, and sprinkle with crumb topping mixture.
3.	To Make Crumb Topping: Mix together 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup flour, 1/4 cup butter, and 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon. Mix with fork, and sprinkle over muffins before baking.
4.	Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until done.

Fish Sticks or Chicken Nuggets

This recipe is from beyond salmon.com
It's delicious! 
Make sure you have your favorite dips on hand. In this case, Shaw's "Essential" tartar sauce is pretty good. 
I used the leftover marinade in a stuffing mix for the other flounder filet I had: with Ritz crackers, and small bay scallops/stalk of celery, sautéed, seasoned with Old Bay and Morton Nature's Seasons.
Andrew enjoyed the fish sticks! I froze the leftover fish sticks which will be handy to reheat in the oven for future dinners. 

For chicken nuggets:
1 Lb skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into nugget-size pieces

For fish sticks: 
1 Lb mahi-mahi fillet, cut across the grain into 1/2 inch thick pieces (I used flounder- I think any firm fish would do)

For yogurt mix (enough for 1 Lb of chicken or fish):
1/4 cup plain whole milk yogurt (not too thick)
1.5 tsp Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt (or 3/4 tsp fine grain sea salt)
1 garlic clove, grated on a microplane zester (optional)
1/4 tsp Dijon mustard (optional)
Black pepper (optional)

For frying:
Panko bread crumbs.

1. Combine all the "yogurt mix" ingredients together in a bowl.  Add chicken or fish and coat them thoroughly with yogurt mix.  For best flavor and texture, refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 day.
2. Set up a large skillet with oil over high heat.  Chicken won't stick in any pan.  Fish will be easier to flip in a non-stick pan, but stainless steel works too.  Coat fish or chicken in panko.  Fry on one side until brown (2-3 minutes).  Flip and fry on the other side until brown (1-2 minutes). 
3. Remove to a plate.  Let rest 7 minutes and serve. 

Chicken Enchiladas

This is simple to put together.

You need: 2 cups of cooked, shredded chicken (1 large breast).
8 corn tortillas
1 jar of tomato verde salsa
1 handful of cilantro
2 cloves garlic
bag of shredded cheddar/mexican cheese
container of sour cream

 Puree salsa with cilantro & garlic (makes a bright green sauce). Pour 1/3 of sauce in bottom of baking dish.
Cook corn tortillas in vegetable oil, 10 seconds each side, put on paper towels to drain. This process makes the tortillas flexible for rolling (so they don't crack).
Preheat oven to 400º.
Roll small amount of chicken in each, place seam side down in baking dish.
Using a spatula, slather sour cream over all. Pour remainder of salsa on top, top with cheese.
Bake until bubbly and cheese is slightly browned, around 20 minutes.

Baked Sole Fillets with Herbs and Bread Crumbs

This is an America's Test Kitchen recipe. I made it using haddock and it was delicious. Served with rice pilaf; asparagus with marjoram, lemon zest & butter; sauteed tomatoes with balsamic vinegar.

• YIELD: 6 fillets (6 Servings) (I made it with 2 fillets and same amount of other ingredients)
• PREP: 5-10 mins
• COOK: 15-25 mins
• READY IN: 20 mins

INGREDIENTS

• 2-3 Tablespoons parsley minced
• 2-3 Tablespoons chives minced (subbed green onions)
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest finely grated
• 5 Tablespoons butter
•  salt, pepper
• 2/3 cup panko bread crumbs (subbed stuffing mix, crushed in a baggie with a mallet)
• 6 (about 6 oz each) sole fillets or you can use flounder (I used haddock)
• 1 Tablespooon Dijon mustard (used 1/2 yellow mustard & 1/2 grainy since I was out of Dijon)
• 1-2 garlic cloves minced

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Melt the butter in a skillet and cook the minced garlic on medium heat for about 30 seconds. Take the garlic butter off the heat. Pour all but 1 Tablespoon of the butter in a small bowl and set aside.
2. Wipe the skillet with a paper towel and put the 1 Tablespoon of butter back in the skillet. Add the panko bread crumbs. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the crumbs are golden. Add 1/2 - 1 Tablespoon of minced herbs to the breadcrumbs. Set aside.
3. Mix the rest of the minced herbs with the lemon zest.
4. Pat the fish dry with paper towels. Season each side with salt and pepper. Lay the fish with the narrow end pointed away from you. 
5. Spread a thin layer of mustard on each fillet. Sprinkle with the minced herbs and lemon zest. Drizzle about a teaspoon of the garlic butter over each of the fillets. 
6. Roll up the fillets tightly, starting with the widest side. Place seam side down on a baking dish and drizzle the rest of the butter over the fish bundles.
7. Cover with aluminum foil and bake until the center of the fish is 135 degrees. When the fish is 135 degrees in the center, (you'll need to cook it for 15-25 minutes, depending on how thick the fish is) sprinkle half the breadcrumb mixture over the fish and cook for 5 more minutes, uncovered. Sprinkle with the remaining breadcrumbs right before serving. (I put *all* the breadcrumbs on for baking and that was fine.)