Category Archives: Condiments/Sauces

September 14, 2010 · 12:45 pm

How To . . . Roast Garlic

Roasted garlic adds a wonderful flavor to many dishes: salsa, steamed or roasted vegetables, grilled meats, soups & stews, pastas, mashed potatoes, garlic bread.

Roasting garlic is easy to do (much easier than peeling raw cloves), and can be done with either whole heads of garlic, or individual garlic cloves.

For Whole Garlic Heads:

Using a knife, cut off the top of the head of garlic (about 1/4 to 1/2 inch), just enough to expose the individual cloves of garlic.

Place garlic head on a square of aluminum foil (Large enough to wrap around garlic head). Drizzle each cut garlic head with about 1 Tbs olive oil.

Wrap foil around garlic head and place on a baking sheet. If you are doing a large number of garlic heads at the same time, you could also line a rimmed baking sheet with foil, place garlic heads in the pan and then cover the entire pan with foil, instead of wrapping each garlic head.

Bake at 400°F for 30-40 minutes. The garlic cloves should be soft and slightly browned.

Remove foil, and let the garlic cool slightly. Use the tip of a knife to remove garlic cloves from skins. If the cloves are soft enough, you can also gently squeeze the individual cloves out of the skin of the garlic head.

Empty garlic skin

For Individual Garlic Cloves:

I like to use fresh garlic, but do not like peeling it, and I’m not always a good judge of how many heads to buy for the week. So I buy peeled fresh garlic cloves in 3 lb bags from Costco or Sam’s Club (in the refrigerated produce section):

I definitely can’t use this much garlic before it goes bad, and it really makes the refrigerator reek of garlic. Unless you freeze the whole bag! This has been a perfect solution for me. I throw the entire bag in the freezer (before ever opening it), and then pull out as many cloves as I need for a recipe. They thaw quickly just at room temperature, but you can also microwave them in a small bowl for about 10 seconds, if time is short. No more peeling garlic!

These cloves also work perfectly for roasting.

Place as many cloves of garlic as you want to roast in a small foil-lined oven safe bowl (like a ramekin). Drizzle with olive oil (about 1 Tbs for 10-15 cloves) and wrap foil around cloves.

Bake at 400°F for 30-40 minutes. The garlic cloves should be soft and slightly browned.

To roast large quantities of garlic, use a larger baking dish or roasting pan. Drizzle garlic generously with olive oil, cover with foil and bake at 400°F. After 30 minutes, remove foil and stir. When you are roasting large amounts of garlic, it may take an additional 20-30 minutes until they are browned.

I roast large quantities of garlic at a time (on a day I can leave the windows open), then freeze it in several 1 cup containers. I always have one container in the refrigerator to use whenever a recipe calls for garlic.

How To Roast Fresh Garlic

For Whole Garlic Heads:

Using a knife, cut off the top of the head of garlic (about 1/4 to 1/2 inch), just enough to expose the individual cloves of garlic.

Place garlic head on a square of aluminum foil (Large enough to wrap around garlic head). Drizzle each cut garlic head with about 1 Tbs olive oil.

Bake at 400°F for 30-40 minutes. The garlic cloves should be soft and slightly browned.

For Individual Garlic Cloves:

Place as many cloves of garlic as you want to roast in a small foil-lined oven safe bowl (like a ramekin). Drizzle with olive oil (about 1 Tbs for 10-15 cloves) and wrap foil around cloves.

Bake at 400°F for 30-40 minutes. The garlic cloves should be soft and slightly browned.

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Tagged as cooking, food, freezing garlic, garlic cloves, garlic head, how to roast garlic, recipe, roasted garlic

July 29, 2010 · 8:31 am

Sour Cherry Vanilla Jam

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The final two jams that we made last week were Peach Butter (recipe found HERE) and this Sour Cherry Vanilla Jam. The vanilla flavor was not as pronounced as in the Peach Vanilla Jam, but the jam was still really good. Slightly tart from the sour cherries and nice and thick. To get more of the vanilla flavor next time, I am going to soak the chopped cherries with the sugar and vanilla bean overnight before cooking the jam.

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RECIPE:

Sour Cherry Vanilla Jam

Servings: Makes 6 Half-Pint Jars
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5 cups chopped pitted sour cherries (about 3 lb)
1 cup cherry juice or water**
1 ½ cups sugar, divided
½ tsp powdered stevia
1 vanilla bean
1 box low-sugar pectin

Mix cherries, juice or water, 1 ¼ cups sugar, and stevia in a large bowl or saucepan. Split vanilla bean in half lengthwise and using the tip of a knife, scrape the seeds into the cherry mixture. Stir vanilla bean pod into the cherries. Let sit for 2-3 hours to overnight (strengthens the vanilla flavor in the jam).

Mix pectin with ¼ cup sugar. Stir into cherry mixture. Bring to a hard boil (boiling doesn’t stop when stirred) over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Remove vanilla bean.

Ladle into jars, leaving 1/8” headspace. Wipe rims of jars. Place lids on jars.

Place jars in a boiling bath canner or steam canner. Return water to a gentle boil. Process 10 minutes. Cool on a towel on kitchen counter for 24 hours. Check seal.

Yield: 6 half-pint jars

**NOTE: The cherries I used were from a 10 lb bucket of pre-pitted sour cherries. I added 1 cup of the juice from the bottom of the bucket to the jam. If you are pitting your own cherries, you may not need to add this much additional liquid.

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Tagged as canning, cherry jam, cooking, food, jam, low sugar jam, preserves, recipe, sour cherry, sour cherry jam, vanilla bean

July 27, 2010 · 9:25 am

Low Sugar Peach Vanilla Jam

Of the five jams that we made last week (maybe of all the jams I have ever made), this is my very favorite. Fresh ripe peaches and flecks of vanilla bean. And low in sugar. What could be better.

Try it mixed into some homemade yogurt, or on top of ice cream.

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It is still too early in the season here for freestone peaches, but there are some good deals at the farmers market on some luscious, ripe non-freestone varieties. And for jam, these are perfect!

To quickly and easily remove the peach skin, blanch the peaches in simmering water for 15-30 seconds, then transfer to an ice water bath.

When making jam, the easiest way to crush your peaches, especially non-freestone varieties, is to take the whole peeled peach in your hand (over a large bowl) and squeeze. If your peaches are ripe, which they should be for a good jam, the peach flesh will be crushed through your fingers, leaving you with just the pit in your hand. Kids love this job!

To get as much vanilla flavor in this jam as I could without overcooking the peaches, I combined the crushed peaches with some lemon juice, 1 cup sugar and 1/2 tsp stevia in a large bowl. Then I added the vanilla bean (cut the bean in half lengthwise, then use the tip of a knife to scrape all of the seeds into the bowl with the fruit); stir in both the seeds and the vanilla bean halves. Let peach mixture sit for 2-3 hours, or overnight (in the refrigerator).

Leave the vanilla bean in while cooking the jam, removing it just before filling your jars.

I love vanilla bean flecks!

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RECIPE:

Low Sugar Peach Vanilla Jam

Servings: Makes 5-6 Half Pint Jars
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5 cups crushed peaches (about 4 1b)
1 ¼ cups sugar, divided
½ tsp powdered stevia or 1 tsp liquid stevia
2 Tbs lemon juice
1 vanilla bean
1 box low-sugar pectin

Combine peaches, 1 cup sugar, stevia, and lemon juice in a large saucepan or bowl. Split vanilla bean in half lengthwise. Scrape seeds into bowl with peaches. Stir in the vanilla bean pod. Let sit for 2-3 hours or overnight (cover and refrigerate if leaving overnight).

Mix pectin with ¼ cup sugar. Stir into peach mixture. Bring to a hard boil (boiling doesn’t stop when stirred) over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Remove vanilla bean pod.

Ladle into jars, leaving 1/8” headspace. Wipe rims of jars. Place lids on jars.

Place jars in a boiling bath canner or steam canner. Return water to a gentle boil. Process 10 minutes. Cool on a towel on kitchen counter for 24 hours. Check seal.

Yield: 5-6 half-pint jars

Note: Peaches, stevia brands, and personal taste vary. Taste jam after cooking; if needed, add small amounts of additional sugar or stevia until desired sweetness. Return jam to a full rolling boil after adding any additional ingredients.

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Tagged as boiling water bath, canning, cooking, food, jam, low sugar jam, peach jam, peach vanilla jam, peaches, preserves, recipe, stevia, vanilla bean

July 25, 2010 · 5:03 pm

Overnight Whole Wheat Blender Pancakes with Raspberry Nectarine Jam

Another jam we made last week was a seedless raspberry nectarine freezer jam (recipe from Kitchen Simplicity via Simple Bites). The flavor of the nectarines really complimented the raspberries. It did not set quite as firmly as some other jams, but that was perfect on these pancakes!

Next year I will definitely make this jam again, but I will try to make it lower sugar and as a regular canned jam, instead of a freezer jam.

I love these freezer containers from Ball! Perfect for jam.

Little A wanted pancakes with jam and sausage for his birthday breakfast on Thursday. This sweet jam was a perfect topping for these healthy, but delicious, pancakes.

I make these pancakes with kefir and whole wheat berries, blending them and then letting the mixture sit overnight. A quick blend again in the morning with an egg and some leavening, and they were ready to throw on the griddle!

They can also be made all in the same day, but the batter thickens up more if it is allowed to sit. For a slightly different flavor, try using other grains; often I will add some whole oat groats in place of part of the wheat.

RECIPES:

Raspberry Nectarine Freezer Jam

Servings: Makes 6 Half-Pint Containers
Print

3 nectarines, pitted and chopped (do not peel)
2 cups raspberries
1 Tbs lemon juice
4 cups sugar, divided
¾ cup water
1 package powdered fruit pectin

Use a blender or food processor to puree nectarines and raspberries. Strain through a sieve to remove seeds. Add lemon juice and 2 cups sugar; let sit 10 minutes.

Stir water, pectin, and 2 cups sugar together in a small saucepan. Bring to a hard boil; boil for 1 minute.

Stir into fruit mixture for 2 minutes or until sugar is dissolved.

Spoon into freezable containers and allow to sit, sealed, at room temperature until set (up to 24 hours).

Store in the fridge for 3 weeks or in the freezer for 6 months.

Yield: about 6 half-pint containers

Adapted from Simple Bites

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Whole Wheat Blender Pancakes

Servings: 12
Print

1 cup wheat berries, oat groats, rolled oats or other whole grain
1 ¼ cups kefir or buttermilk or 1 cup milk
¼ cup melted butter or coconut oil
2 eggs
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 Tbs honey or 1 pkt Stevia

Combine wheat berries (or other grains) and kefir (or buttermilk or milk) in a blender. Blend for 2-3 minutes. Let the mixture of grain and milk sit on the counter for 1 hour or overnight (refrigerate if using regular milk).

After letting the mixture sit, blend the grain/milk mixture again for about 1 minute. While blender is running, add the egg and melted butter. Add baking powder, salt, baking soda, vanilla, and sweetener and blend just until combined.

Cook pancakes on a hot griddle.

Makes about 12 pancakes

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Tagged as blender pancakes, canning, freezer jam, jam, kefir, nectarine, pancakes, preserves, raspberry, soaked grains, whole wheat pancakes

July 23, 2010 · 11:54 am

Low Sugar Strawberry Citrus Jam

Summer is in full swing here; temperatures hover between 85° and 90°, with humidity levels making it feel a good 10 degrees hotter. So have we been hanging out at the swimming pool, or in the sprinkler? Or finding nice, cool activities to do inside? No-we’ve been canning! Seeing just how hot we can get the kitchen with multiple pots of boiling water and macerated fruit. I do have some great helpers in this effort. Mashing fruit with the potato masher is quite a coveted job around here!

And it will all be worth it come January when we are snowed in, cracking open a little bit of summer in a jar.

I tried several new jam recipes this week, including this Strawberry Citrus Jam. Made with strawberries and and a chopped orange (plus peel), it is quite tart. Not so tart that the kids wouldn’t eat it, however. They really like it. I do too. And I love how the orange really brought out the color of the strawberries. I make most of my jams low sugar (substituting all but one cup of sugar with stevia), and the lower sugar often makes the jam less bright and clear. But the added citrus really brightened up this jam!

If you do try this jam, take a taste before you add it to your jars, and adjust the sweetness to your liking.

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RECIPE:

Low Sugar Strawberry Citrus Jam

Servings: Makes 6 Half-Pint Jars
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1 large orange
4 cups crushed strawberries (measure after crushing)
1 Tbs lemon juice
1 cup sugar
½ tsp powdered stevia
1 box low-sugar fruit pectin

Grate zest from orange into a large saucepan (you should have about 2 tsp). Cut white rind from orange; discard. Chop orange pulp and add to the saucepan. Stir in crushed strawberries, lemon juice, sugar, and stevia.

Optional step: Let fruit/sugar mixture sit for 1 hour to overnight (place in the refrigerator if you are going to let it sit overnight). Letting the fruit sit in the sugar will help sweeten the individual fruit bits. It also helps keep the fruit bits from settling in your finished jam.

Stir pectin into fruit mixture. Bring to a hard boil (bubbles don’t stop when jam is stirred) over medium-high heat. Boil hard for 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.

NOTE: This is a tart jam. Try the jam at this point. If it is not sweet enough, add additional stevia or sugar. If you add additional sweetener, return jam to a hard boil before filling jars.

Ladle jam into sterilized jars. Wipe rims; add lids and rings. Process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Let jars sit on a towel on kitchen counter for 24 hours to set. Check seal.

Yield: 6 half-pint jars

Adapted from Big Black Dog

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Tagged as canning, jam, low sugar, low sugar jam, orange, preserves, stevia, strawberry citrus jam, strawberry jam, strawberry orange jam

July 15, 2010 · 9:31 am

Black Bean Fruit Salsa and Spicy Grilled Chicken

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I love the colors of summer food. Bright, vibrant hues that scream freshness!

This fresh salsa is one of my favorites. Fresh tomatoes, mangos (or peaches or nectarines), cilantro, black beans, and just a little bit of fresh hot pepper. It is not too spicy, which makes it perfect to pair with a spicy grilled chicken.

RECIPES:

Spicy Grilled Chicken

Servings: about 6
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6 boneless chicken breasts or 10 boneless chicken thighs
1 Tbs smoked paprika
1 Tbs chili paste (or 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes)
6 cloves garlic, crushed
2 teaspoons kosher or sea salt
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/4 chopped mint leaves

Place chicken pieces in a Ziploc bag.

Combine paprika, chili paste, garlic, salt, olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, and mint. Add to the bag with the chicken. Seal and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 2-3 hours, or overnight.

Heat grill. Remove chicken from marinade and grill until cooked through.

Serve with Black Bean Fruit Salsa, if desired.

Adapted from Once Upon a Plate

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Black Bean Fruit Salsa

Servings: 8-10
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1 cup black beans, drained & rinsed
1 cup corn
3-4 tomatoes, chopped (or 2 cups quartered cherry tomatoes)
1-2 mangos, nectarines, or peaches, chopped
1 hot banana or jalapeno pepper, minced
1 small red onion, finely chopped
5 green onions, sliced
3 Tbs fresh lime juice
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbs olive oil
½ bunch cilantro, finely chopped
½ tsp salt

Combine all ingredients. Toss gently. Serve with tortilla chips or as a condiment to grilled chicken or fish.

Also try with Grilled Peruvian Chicken Thighs

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Tagged as black beans, chicken, cilantro, fruit salsa, grilled chicken, mango, mint, salsa, spicy chicken, tomatoes