Monday, August 29, 2011

Marinara....simplistic but necessary for any cook! Plus some meatballs :)

Tonight I made one damn good pot of sauce. Although its impossible to duplicate my elder relatives, I really like my combo. Not much to it.....

Ingredients

2 big cans of crushed tomatoes (I used my mom's canned tomatoes)
3 carrots, chopped finely
1 medium onion, chopped finely
3 stalks of celery, chopped finally
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch of fresh basil
1 bunch fresh parsley
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 bay leaves
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil


Directions
1. Using a knife or food processor, chop carrot, onion, and celery to bits.
2. In a large sauce pot, add enough olive oil to coat the bottom and add chopped veggies, along with minced garlic.
3. Cook until onions are transparent.
4. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for an hour or so.
5. If you are going to add meat, simmer for about 15 minutes before doing so.
Enjoy alone or with meatballs made from recipe below!




Meatballs
2 lbs of meatloaf mix (pork beef and veal) or all beef
4 slices of bread dipped in milk and broken into small pieces
3 tablespoons minced onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 eggs, beaten
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper to taste



Directions
1. Mix all ingredients together except meat.
2. Once ingredients are combined, add might and mix through handling as little as possible.
3. Form into balls of desired size.
4. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes to release some of the fat.
5. Add to pot of sauce and cook for another 20 minutes.

NOTE: The less you handle the meatballs, the less dense they will be. You will get nice light and fluffy meatballs as a result of proper handling. Omit cheese and use unsweetened soy milk for non dairy meatballs. Also, buttermilk can be used to dip bread in and provide meatballs with some acidity to break down fat.

Chocolate Chip Cookies for the Dairy-Free Eater :)

There are some things that I have not be able to perfect for my son to enjoy. However, Chocolate Chip Cookies is no longer on that list. I used "Enjoy Life" brand chocolate chips and they were great. He keeps sneaking them because he has never been able to have them before!! So cute....



Ingredients:
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 ¼ t. salt
  • 1 t. baking powder
  • 1 t. baking soda
  • 1 cup all-vegetable non-dairy shortening, such as Spectrum
  • 2 cups dark brown sugar, packed
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 t. vanilla
  • 2 cups dairy-free chocolate chip
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment and set aside.
2. In a medium-sized bowl, sift together the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Set aside.
3. In another medium-sized bowl and using an electric hand mixer at a medium speed setting, cream together the shortening and brown sugar until well combined and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla, and beat until well combined.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the eggs, mixing until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips. Using a ¼ cup measuring cup, drop cookies onto the prepared sheet, about 2 inches apart, and bake for 20 minutes, or until cookies are golden brown.

NOTE: The drops seem big, but they made nice size cookies :) I used Earth Balance instead of shortening.

HELLO, ARE YOU THERE? It's me Kaitlin and my favorite Chocolate Cake Recipe

It's been oh so long!! However, I made a delicious cake from scratch and I have to share it with you!! Hopefully I can get back to this thing sooner and post ALOT of deliciousness that I have been making. But this should start things off for you!! Please make for your favorite chocolate lover ASAP!!! I raided many recipes and put this together. Came out Fabulous! And its milk free if you want it to be!! Enjoy!



Cake Ingredients
- 1 3/4 c all purpose flour
- 2 c sugar
- 3/4 c cocoa powder
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 c strong black coffee
- 1 c buttermilk (See NOTE for substitute)

- 1/2 c vegetable oil
- 1 tsp real vanilla extract

Chocolate Frosting Ingredients
- 1/2 c margarine, softened  
- 2 oz melted unsweetened chocolate, cooled
- 3 c powdered sugar
- 3 Tbsp milk
- 2 tsp real vanilla extract

Directions
1.   Combine flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl or stand mixer.
2.   Add eggs, coffee, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla.
3.   Beat at medium speed for two minutes. Batter will be thin.
4.   Pour batter into a greased and floured 9x13 pan or two 9 inch cake pans.
5.   Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes for a 9x13, or 30-35 minutes for layer pans.
6.   Combine frosting ingredients and mix with a hand or stand mixer. Spread frosting on cooled cakes. 

NOTE: You can use a cup of soy or rice milk with 1 tablespoon of vinegar to replace the buttermilk. You can also use any kind of margarine and milk in the frosting. I used soy for all three and it came out FABULOUS!!