It's hard these days to find a decent coconut cream pie. It used to be, when I was younger, back in the *cough* 60's & 70's *cough* coconut cream was a staple of restaurants and diners everywhere. Those were back in the days when food was made on site, not in some giant factory, flash frozen and sent out, en masse to everywhere and everyone. Don't you find that today everything tastes the same? And the taste is fake and well....tasteless? And we won't even start on the ingredient lists! Maybe because I cook the majority of my own food, I haven't lost the sense of good wholesome food. 

OK, so desserts aren't really wholesome, but when made from scratch, with decent ingredients and things you can pronounce, it's a better choice than eating a bunch of chemicals.  

When I asked Jim one time if he had any requests for dessert, this is what he wanted. Don't be intimidated -  it's super easy! If you've ever made a lemon meringue pie before, the method is a bit similar. Just get all of your ingredients measured and ready before you start and it will all come together, stress free.  

Coconut Cream Pie

1 (10-inch) baked pie shell (recipe follows)

3-4 tbsp. flaked or shredded coconut

3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut milk (do not use low-fat)
    (this measure will be almost an entire can)
1 1/2 cups milk 
4 tbsp. cornstarch
5 egg yolks (use the whites for an omelette)
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups flaked, unsweetened coconut
½ - 1 tsp. coconut extract  
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoon margarine

½ pint whipping cream
1-2 tbsp. powdered sugar



Pie Crust: - 1 1/3 cups unbleached flour
                   ½ tsp. salt 
                   ½ cup shortening
                   4-6 tbsp. cold water

(When making your pie crust, make sure that your shortening is cold and that you use very cold water. Before I even start, I put some ice cubes and cold water in a glass, that way, when I need to add it to the flour mixture in the bowl, I know it's super chilly.)

Mix flour and salt in medium bowl. Cut in shortening, using pastry blender until the shortening is the size of small peas. Sprinkle with cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with fork until all flour is moistened and just holds together. You don't want the mixture to be wet. And do not overwork the pastry or it will become tough. Pastry should be light and flaky. Shape dough into a ball, flatten slightly and wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes or so, or if in a rush, you can roll it out right away (so long as your shortening and water were super cold to begin with*). Roll into a circle about 1 or 2 inches larger than your pie plate. To get the pastry safely into the pie plate, fold it in half, then in half again. Place the point of the the folds into the center of the plate and carefully unfold. Trim the edge and if you're inclined, make a fancy fluted edge or use extra dough for cut-outs to place around the rim. Moisten with water so the cut-outs stick and stay in place.           

* For more tips on making a flaky crust, check out good ol' Betty Crocker.

Bake your pastry blind. Not sure what that is? Instructions can be found here.  I use the method that covers the crust with parchment and add weights to keep the crust from forming air pockets. My weights are some dried chickpeas that I've used over and over again. Just make sure you keep them separate from beans that you may actually want to soak and cook! Keep an eye to your crust and if the edge is starting to brown too much, cover it with foil strips. Allow the crust to cool completely before you add the filling.

While your oven is still hot, toss 3-4 tbsp. of coconut into an oven proof pan. A small cake tin is what I usually use. Set this in your oven to toast the coconut. Stir occasionally and watch it carefully! Coconut toasts very quickly and burns very easily. When it looks nicely browned, remove from oven and allow to cool.

To make filling:- In a medium-large saucepan, combine sugar, coconut milk, and 1 cup milk. Place over medium heat and scald the mixture.

In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining 1/2 cup milk and cornstarch and set aside. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk egg yolks with salt. Temper yolks by adding 1/2 cup scaled milk mixture to yolks, whisking while you do this so the hot mixture doesn't cook the egg yolk. Whisk well until all incorporated.  Add yolk mixture and milk-cornstarch mixture back into the pot and whisk over medium heat until thickened, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and add coconut, coconut extract, vanilla, and margarine. If you're finding this a bit difficult to keep up with the whisk (my whisk get loaded down with the coconut) then switch to a spoon.

Pour the filling into the prepared pie shell. Cover the pie with plastic wrap and press it down onto the surface of the custard to avoid getting a skin on the top. Place in the refrigerator and chill pie completely, about 2-3 hours

While you're waiting for the pie to cool, put the bowl you intend to use for making the whip cream and the wire whisk or beaters into the fridge. I use my Kitchen Aid stand mixer. The stainless steel bowl gets nice and cold. After the pie has cooled, it's time to make the whipped cream. 

Pour the entire half pint into the bowl and start whipping! As it's getting thick, sprinkle in the icing sugar. Continue whipping until it's nice and fluffly and holds it shape. Taste for sweetness and add more sugar if necessary. Spread the whipped cream over the entire surface of the pie. You can get artistic and make pretty, swirly designs if you like. Sprinkle the toasted coconut on top and pop the whole thing back into the fridge until you're ready to slice and serve.   

How flippin' good does that look? 

Roll It Up

We're not really big sushi eaters, but every once and a while, I get a mad craving for it. Although I don't go for any of the fishy stuff, the vegetarian offerings are so tasty, who needs it? Sushi chefs are artists when it comes to preparing and presenting their "works".  The speed and skill they demonstrate is as entertaining as the food is delicious. And it's filling, but not in a sluggish, heavy way.

We got it to go, so I plated it up for an attractive photo op. The small seaweed wrapped rolls have different vegetables in the middle, carrots, cucumbers, avocado... makes for pretty colours. 

Look how fancy these avocado rolls are. The avocado was thinly sliced and wrapped around julienned vegetables. 

The entire roll is encased in rice paper to hold it all together. These are so freakin' good, you have no idea. I never even use any of the sauce for these rolls. I just eat them au naturel. Yum! 

Since I'm on a roll....(groan) 

These I made. They're Moroccan-Infused Vegetable Phyllo Rolls from Dreena Burton's book "Eat, Drink & Be Vegan" 

These are sooooo good! Don't be intimidated by phyllo dough. It's fairly easy to work with and is very forgiving. Just remember to keep the sheets of dough covered with a damp towel and use a light touch on the pieces you're working on. 

I did a search and found the recipe on line at Vegan.com. Want to make these tasty rolls? Just roll on over here!

Chickpea Salad

I really enjoy a good chickpea salad - firm beans & crunchy vegetables all melding together with a fresh, delightful dressing.  I'm sure you've tried them at buffets, parties, salad bars, always hoping that it's a good one. Quite often though, I feel let down because it's too bland, too vinegary, too salty, too oily. I've made salads at home trying many recipes over the years but never really found one that suited my tastes. So, I took the components I liked and came up with my own.

Lemon gives it a nice fresh flavour. The feta cheese melds nicely with vegetables and kicks it up a notch. I like to toss it with some mixed lettuces making it an easy and delicious way to get more greens into your diet. If you try this, I'd love your feedback. 

Carrie's Chickpea Salad

½ tsp. lemon zest

1 tbsp. lemon juice

1½ tbsp. red wine vinegar

1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1 large clove garlic, minced

¼ salt

freshly ground pepper to taste 

¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

1 (19 ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1 tomato, seeded and chopped

3 scallions, sliced

5 oz. tub mixed baby greens of your choice

2-3 oz. crumbled feta cheese

Whisk together lemon zest, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add parsley, chickpeas, tomato and scallions. Toss to evenly coat with dressing. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour - but overnight is preferred. 

To serve, crumble half of the feta into the chickpea mixture and add the greens. Stir gently to distribute the dressing over the greens. Pile onto serving plates and top with remaining feta. 

Serves 4-6 

**You can easily make smaller portions of this. Just scoop out enough chickpea mix for a serving, and mix with greens and cheese in a seperate bowl. The rest of the chickpeas will keep in the fridge for 3 or 4 days. 

Rockin' Rapini

Known as rapini or sometimes called broccoli rabe, this bright green vegetable may look a little like tiny broccoli, but in fact, it's a member of the mustard family. This bitter green is very popular in Italian cuisine and it is loaded with vitamin K, which helps with many important functions in your body including helping to heal wounds, maintain blood vessels and healthy bones. Vitamin K may also help in preventing broken bones, especially in post menopausal women. It's also a good source of vitamins A & C and Folate. And, to top it all off, it's delicious! 

When I first discovered this little gem, I wasn't quite sure what to do with it. I pretty much just stuck to using it with pasta dishes. I read that it could be cooked up numerous ways and I wanted to expand my rapini offerings.  

Looks good, doesn't it? It tastes even better! After a few tries, I think I've got this one perfected. Hell, even Jim likes it! It's a nice versatile side that can be served with just about anything. 

When buying rapini, choose bunches that are nice and green with compact buds. Some may have a bit of yellow flower showing, but that is A-OK. 

Balsamic Rapini with Sun-dried Tomatoes

1 bunch rapini 
2 tbsp. slivered almonds
3 tbsp. sliced sun-dried tomatoes
1-2 tbsp. olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
pinch of red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp. salt
1-2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar

Wash rapini, trim off the bottom part of the stem. You can leave the stalks whole, but I prefer to cut them in half.  
Bring a pot of water to boil and add rapini. Simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from water and drain. 
Place a small non-stick skillet over medium heat and toss in the almonds. Stir occasionally until nicely toasted. Set aside. 
If using oil packed sun-dried tomatoes, pat off excess oil, thinly slice and set aside. If using non-oil packed, then thinly slice and place in a small bowl and cover with hot water. Let sit for approx. 3-4 minutes to soften, then drain.  
In a large deep skillet or wok, heat olive oil. Add garlic and red pepper flakes. Add more red pepper flakes if you want it a bit spicier. Once the garlic has softened, add the drained rapini, almonds, tomatoes and salt. Stir until hot and to and incorporate all the ingredients. Finish with a splash of balsamic vinegar, stir again and serve. 

Veggie Kebabs

Ahhh....spring is in the air. The snow has melted away. The sun shines warm. When I'm deciding what to make for dinner, BBQ immediately springs to mind. Jim is the grill master at our house, but I'm still the planner, prepper, plater, server - isn't that how it goes in most households? ;o)

We were both going to be working late-ish, so something "make ahead" was called for. We have vegetable kebabs quite a lot when we do a barbeque, because they're so good and clean-up is quick and easy. I've got a few recipes I rotate, and this one is great because most of it can be made ahead of time. I mix up the marinade and cut up some of the vegetables in the morning and let them soak all day. When it's time to get cooking, I prep the rest of the vegetables and thread the skewers while the grill heats up. I don't put all of the vegetables in the marinade. I've found that onions give off too much of their own flavour, so I leave those out. Also, the mushrooms tend to get too squishy and sometimes fall off the skewer, so I put those into the marinade for only a short time.

 After 10-15 minutes on the grill these babies are ready! The great thing about kebabs is that you can use pretty much whatever vegetables you like and it's also a good way to clean out the vegetable drawer in your refrigerator. This recipe can easily be doubled depending on how many hungry people you are feeding. Leftovers can be nuked for a quick lunch or for a side to another meal. 

Vegetable Kebabs

8 small potatoes, cut in half (leave skins on - new potatoes work really well, as do red) 
2 large carrots, peeled and sliced on the diagonally in ½-inch thick slices
2 large red or yellow peppers, cut into chunks
1 medium zucchini, cut into ½-inch thick slices
1 large purple onion, cut into chunks
12-16 white mushrooms, depending on size; cut in half if very large

Marinade: 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
                  1/3 cup apple juice
                  1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
                  2 tbsp. Dijon mustard
                  2 tbsp. agave nectar
                  2 tbsp. soy sauce
                  1 tbsp. olive oil
                  4 cloves garlic, pressed 
                  a few grinds of black pepper

Steam the potatoes for 6-7 minutes until just tender. Do not over cook them or they won't stay on the skewer. After you remove the potatoes, put the carrot slices into the steamer and steam for 6-10 minutes until just tender. Again, do not over cook them. 

While those vegetables are steaming, prep the peppers and zucchini. Put all of the vegetables expect the onions and mushrooms into a shallow dish. I usually use a 9 x 13 baking dish. Whisk all of the marinade ingredients in medium sized bowl and pour over the vegetables. Give it a good toss (I just use may hands) to get all of the vegetables covered with the marinade. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours and up to 8 hours, tossing occasionally if you can.   

Half an hour before cooking, add the mushrooms to the marinade and toss again.  If you are using bamboo skewers, put them into some water to soak for half an hour. This helps to keep them from catching on fire. 

Thread the vegetables onto the skewers - you'll probably need 8-10 depending on how long they are and how much you want to put on each skewer - alternating to get a nice mix of veggies. Grill over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, brushing with marinade, until the vegetables are tender-crisp, about 10-15 minutes. 

Serves 4-6      

Tofu JD

Sadly, Vegan Dad isn't blogging anymore, but he was kind enough to leave his blog up with all of the lovely posts and recipes. While surfing around for something to make for dinner, I happened upon this. I had all the ingredients and it sounded super easy, so my dinner dilemma was solved.

Looks good, eh? It was extremely tasty. How could it not be? Um...hello! It has Jack Daniels in the sauce. 

I served this up with some good ol' garlic mashed potatoes and to contrast the spiciness of the sauce, sugar snap peas. 

These are naturally sweet and really don't require much cooking or seasoning. They are best done very simply. These I sauteed in a little broth with some scallions. After about 3 or 4 minutes, I threw in some chopped fresh dill. A squeeze of fresh lemon juice at the end  finishes it nicely. 

Hermits

I'm not talking about recluses, I'm talking about cookies! My mother used to make these when I was little. I liked them then and I like them now.

This is one of those old-fashioned goodies that has stood the test of time. They are homey with warm spices,  sweet raisins and crunchy nuts. There are quite a few variations of this cookie as people have adjusted recipes to suit their tastes or to make them more trendy or fancy. Sometimes things should just be left alone. And, in my opinion, this is one of those cases. If it ain't broke....

To keep things traditional, I use the recipe from my '83 edition of Betty Crocker's Cookbook - before she went vegan. But it's easy to substitute the egg for a animal free alternative (try 1/4 cup of soft tofu, whizzed around in the food processor until smooth). While these bake, your kitchen will be filled with a nice cinnamon scent. That never goes out of style. 

Hermits

1 cup packed brown sugar

¼ cup shortening

¼ cup margarine, softened

¼ cup cold coffee

1 egg

½ tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. ground cinnamon

½ tsp. ground nutmeg

1¾ cups unbleached all-purpose flour (I use half all-purpose, half whole wheat)

1 cup raisins

¾ cup chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 375°F. Cream together the brown sugar, shortening and margarine until fluffy. Add coffee, and egg and mix to incorporate. In another bowl, mix together baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and flour. Add to the wet mixture. Stir in raisins and nuts. 

Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls about 2 inched apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet. (I always line mine with parchment paper for an easy clean up). Bake for 8-10 minutes, until lightly browned. Immediately remove cookies from  baking pan.