Ginger's Green Enchiladas

Ginger’s Green Enchiladas –Adapted from “Cheese Enchiladas with Green Sauce” from Epicurious.com

Sauce:
Oilive oil
½ large onion, chopped
3-4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 jalapeños (including ribs & seeds), chopped
½ lb. tomatillos, husked and chopped
½ bag frozen spinach (Trader Joe’s)
1 4oz. can diced green chilies, drained
½ bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
3-4 green onions, minced
2-3 teaspoons ground cumin (or to taste)
1 Tablespoon butter
1 Tablespoon flour
2 cups half-and-half
salt and pepper to taste
½ cup sour cream

Saute onions, garlic, jalapeños, and tomatillos in olive oil until soft. Add frozen spinach and canned green chilies. Simmer until spinach thaws and excess moisture evaporates. Add cilantro, green onions and cumin. Stir and cook a few more minutes and set aside. In another pan, melt butter over medium heat. Add flour and stir mixture 2 minutes. Do not brown. Gradually wisk in half-and-half. Simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in vegetable mixture. Puree in batches in food processer (I used a stick blender in the cooking pot –much easier) until almost smooth. Season with salt and pepper. (This sauce can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refigerate. Bring to room temperature before using.) When ready to use sauce, stir in the sour cream.

Enchiladas: 13 x 9 pan

Option 1: Cheese Enchilada casserole
-Green sauce (from before)
-Corn tortilla halves
-4-6 cups grated cheese (I used equal parts: TJ’s Grated Sharp Cheddar and TJ’s Pepper Jack)
½ cup finely chopped red onion
½ bag TJ’s frozen roasted corn, thawed
1 can black beans, rinsed
½ bunch fresh cilantro, chopped

Set aside 1½ cup cheese mixture. You are going to make 3 total layers. Spread a little sauce in the bottom of the pan. Dip each tortilla half in remaining sauce, wipe off excess, and sent in pan to make one complete layer of tortillas. Layer cheese, corn, onion, beans, and cilantro. Continue layering 2 more times. Top with sauce and reserved cheese.
Bake in preheated oven at 375° for about 25 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.

Option 2: Chicken Enchilada Casserole
Same ingredients and layering as above, except leave out the beans and add 3-4 cups chopped, cooked chicken. Bake as above.

Option 3: Individually Rolled Enchiladas
½ cup vegetable oil
12, 16 inch corn tortillas
Filling of choice as above (reserve 1½ cup cheese for the top)
Green sauce

Heat oil in heavy, small skillet over medium-high heat. Using tongs, briefly dip each tortilla in oil to soften (about 15 seconds per side). Transfer to paper towel and drain. Combine filling of choice above. Place generous ¼ cup mixture in the center of 1 tortilla. Place seam side down in 13 x 9 baking dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas. Pour sauce over enchiladas. Sprinkle with reserved 1½ cup cheese. Bake as above.

Michelle's Apple Cake

Apple Cake

4 to 6 tart apples (medium size; I used 3 large granny smith apples)
2 lemons, juiced (this is just for the apples)
3 tablespoons sugar (this is just for the apples)
3 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup sugar
2 egg yolks (do not put 2 yolks together; they will be used individually)
1/2 lemon, juiced, peel grated
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon rum (I didn't include this)
2 egg whites
1 teaspoon butter (to grease pan)
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
3 tablespoons powdered sugar (just for decoration; both times I've made this, I didn't bother to add it, though in the picture it was added along with what looks like Cinnamon)

Peel apples. Cut in half; core. Cut decorative lengthwise slits in apples, about 1/2 inch deep. Sprinkle with lemon juice and 3 tablespoons sugar; set aside.

Cream butter and 3/4 cup sugar together. Beat in egg yolks one at a time. Gradually beat in lemon juice and grated peel.

Sift baking powder and flour together; gradually add to batter. Blend in milk and rum.

In a small bowl beat egg whites until stiff; fold into batter.

Generously grease spring form pan. Pour in batter; top with apple halves. Brush with oil.

Bake in preheated 350 F oven 35 to 40 minutes.

Remove from pan; sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Yield 6 servings.

So I used this sugar-honey substitute break down: http://allrecipes.com/HowTo/Baking-with-Sugar-and-Sugar-Substitutes/Detail.aspx I pretty much eyeballed what I thought was 3/4 of whatever the original sugar amount was.

Also, I only had 2 small lemons, so I juiced one for the apple honey mixture, and the other was juiced (and peel grated) for the cake.

F.Y.I. I used a (non-spring form) bundt cake pan with ridiculously high sides because the first time I made this cake I used a standard (non-springform) 9" pan and it looked really close to spilling over (thankfully it did not). Also, if you decide to use a non-springform pan, the cake will still release from the pan (provided enough butter was used to grease it), though some (apple) juice is lost from turning it over. And then there's turning it over again so the apples are facing up, which is tricky, but totally do-able!

"There's a hole in this cake" -My Big fat Greek Wedding

Birthday Strawberry Shortcake

Birthday Strawberry Shortcake
Inspired by Cafe Gratitude's "I Am Rapture"

This recipe is for a 9" diameter spring-form pan. All of the ingredients except for the lecithin and coconut butter/oil can be purchased at Trader Joe's (you can find lecithin & coconut butter/oil at Whole Foods).

Cake
2 cups well packed dates, chopped
¾ cup raw, unscented coconut butter
¼ cup lemon juice
3 tablespoons vanilla
1 teaspoon salt
8 cups almond meal, almond flour, or left-over pulp from making almond milk (wet pulp is fine)
3 cups strawberries

Whipped Cream/Frosting
2 cup soaked/drained cashews
2 cups coconut milk (you can use canned milk, or simply blend 1 part dried coconut with 3 parts water in high speed blender)
½ cup honey, agave nectar, or maple syrup (depending on how sweet you like it)
1 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon vanilla
Pinch of salt
1 cup melted coconut butter
2 tablespoons lecithin (found at Whole Foods or another health food store)

**If you want to have pink filling, add a handful or so of strawberries during the final blend. Also, if you want to “frost” the entire outside edge of the cake make a double recipe of the cream**

Strawberry Layer and Decoration
3 cups strawberries, sliced or diced (depending on how you like it)

Assembly:
To make the Whipped Cream:
Blend all ingredients except lecithin and coconut butter until smooth. Add lecithin and coconut butter and blend until thoroughly mixed. Pour into a wide, shallow pan and set in fridge for about 1 hr.

To make the Cake:
Place dates in food processor and process until a smooth paste forms. You may need to add a little water. Then add the rest of the ingredients except the almond flour and mix until smooth. Finally mix in the almond flour by hand. When thoroughly mixed separate cake into two equal portions.

Cake Assembly:
Grease a spring-form pan with a little coconut butter. It might also be useful to put wax paper on the bottom portion of the pan. Next, form an even layer on the bottom with ½ of the cake mixture, followed by some of the whipped cream. Top with 1/2 of the strawberries, and some more whipped cream. Set in fridge for 20 minutes or longer. Add the second and final layer of cake, and then set in the fridge for 20 minutes or more. Finally, add the final layer of cream frosting and strawberries, and make sure that the strawberries on top are decorated/arranged the way you want them! Leave in the fridge until you serve the yummy cake!