Our Friday Foodies gathered for another Recipe Club and Potluck program last week, and shared a variety of wonderful recipes! Cozy up with a warm bowl of lentil veggie soup, get creative by making your very own soft pretzels, host a party with a simple pasta salad, and more with the recipes below!
Recipe Club and Potluck takes place on the first Friday of each month at 1:00 pm. Join us with a normal-sized dish to pass and a copy of the recipe to share-- you'll get to try new recipes, chat with fellow foodies, and walk away with a copy of each recipe! This fun, laid-back program is perfect for those looking to meet new people and share a simple meal. Cromaine's next Recipe Club program takes place on Friday, November 1 @ 1:00 pm, and registration opens on Thursday, October 24! We hope to see you there. For now, enjoy these fantastic recipes from your friends in the Recipe Club.
Chickpea Salad - Wonderful for Sandwiches!
Ingredients
- 1 (15 oz) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 stalk celery, chopped
- 1 dill pickle, chopped (about 1/2 cup); or, use pickle relish!
- 1/4 cup finely chopped red or yellow onion
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise, regular or vegan
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Black pepper to taste
- Make sandwiches with whole grain bread, lettuce, and tomato slices!
Directions
- Place chickpeas in a medium bowl. Coarsely mash with a potato masher, leaving some beans whole.
- Add celery, pickle, and onion; stir to combine. Add mayonnaise and lemon juice; mix well.
- Taste and add 1/4 teaspoon of salt or more, if desired. Season with pepper; mix well. Serve on bread with lettuce and tomato.
Simple Pasta Salad - Great for Parties!
Ingredients
- 16 ounces of pasta, of your choice
- 1-2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
- 1 large can of black olives, drained and sliced
- 1 green bell pepper
- 1/2 cucumber, sliced into half or quarter moons
- 1 tablespoon of Italian seasoning or spices
- 1/2 to 1 full bottle of your favorite Italian dressing
- 1 cup tomatoes (optional)
- Feel free to add 1 cup of any other uncooked vegetables of your choice!
Directions
- Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Place pasta in the pot, cook for 8-12 minutes or until al dente, and drain.
- Toss cooked pasta with Italian dressing and all remaining ingredients in a large bowl.
- Mix Italian seasoning in a small bowl, and gently mix into the salad.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.
Potato Lentil Soup
Ingredients
- 4 large russet potatoes, peeled (I used about eight small yellow, skins on)
- 1 cup cauliflower
- 2-3 stalks celery
- 2 carrots
- 1 yellow onion
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup red lentils, rinsed and drained
- 6 cups vegetable broth
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon oil
Directions
- Chop all vegetables.
- In your soup pot, heat oil, then add chopped onion. Cook until translucent.
- Add minced garlic and cook for another minute, or until fragrant.
- Add chopped celery and carrot and allow to sweat, stirring frequently.
- Add remaining ingredients and cook until vegetables are soft.
- Let the soup cool, then blend until smooth.
- Reheat if desired before serving.
- This recipe is adapted from a Facebook recipe by Mrs. Plant.
Soft Pretzels
Ingredients
For the Pretzels:
- 1 1/2 cups warm water at 110 degrees F
- 1 packet active dry or instant yeast (2 and 1/4 teaspoons)
- 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cool
- 4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for sprinkling on counter
- Coarse sea salt for sprinkling, flaked or coarse
For the Boiling:
- 2/3 cup baking soda
- 10 cups water
Directions
- Combine warm water, sugar and yeast in a large bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer. Mix together and set aside for 4 minutes or until it begins to bubble.
- Add salt, melted butter, and two cups of flour a cup at a time mixing with a spatula or wooden spoon in between.
- Attach dough hook to your stand mixer (or electric hand mixer). Add the remaining flour a cup at a time while mixing on a medium speed. Mix for about 3 minutes or until the dough comes together and bounces back when pressed lightly with your clean finger. If your dough is still quite sticky you can mix in a ¼ cup of flour.
- Transfer to a lightly floured counter and knead for about 4 minutes or until smooth and bouncy.
- Transfer dough to a large, lightly oiled bowl then cover with plastic and place in a warm place to rise for 40 minutes or until roughly doubled in size.
- Divide dough into 8 pieces then roll into 20-24 inch ropes. Form a U shape with the dough then twist the two ends together at the top leaving about an inch and a half free. Loop the twisted portion down to form a pretzel shape. Repeat for the remaining ropes.
- Preheat oven to 450 F
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats. Bring 10 cups of water and the baking soda to a rolling boil then add the pretzels in one at a time for 30 seconds, remove with a slotted spoon, and place on your lined baking sheet.
- Brush with the beaten egg and a teaspoon of water then sprinkle with coarse salt. Bake for about 12 minutes or until golden brown.
- Get the full recipe and details from Preppy Kitchen!
Orange-Infused Millionaire Bars
Ingredients
For the Shortbread:
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, plus more for greasing
- 3/4 cup flour
- 3 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
- 1/3 cup cornstarch
- Pinch of salt
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Grated rind from 1/2 orange
For the Toffee:
- 14 ounces condensed milk
- 1/2 cup demerara sugar
- 7 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons corn syrup or glucose
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
For the Chocolate Ganache:
- 7 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons corn syrup or glucose
- 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, cut into chunks
- Grated rind from 1/2 orange
Directions
- Prepare the shortbread: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a nine-inch square baking pan, or line with parchment paper. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter, flour, sugar, cornstarch, salt, vanilla extract, and orange rind. Mix on low speed until a soft dough forms.
- Flatten the dough into the pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until golden. Cool to room temperature.
- Prepare the toffee: In a heavy-based saucepan, combine the condensed milk, sugar, butter, corn syrup, vanilla extract, and salt. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the sugar melts and a smooth toffee forms. Increase the heat to medium and continue cooking, while stirring, for about seven minutes, until a light brown toffee forms. (You'll know by the scent that the toffee has formed, but don't taste it as it's very hot!)
- Pour the hot toffee onto the shortbread, and let it cool to room temperature. The refrigerate for about two hours.
- Prepare the chocolate ganache: using a double-boiler or microwave, heat the butter, corn syrup, both types of chocolate and the orange rind, until smooth and shiny.
- Pour the chocolate ganache onto the chilled toffee and cool to room temperature, and then refrigerate until the chocolate hardens. Cut into thin rectangular bars and serve. May be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to one week, or stored in the freezer for up to two weeks.
Alfajores
Ingredients
- 1¼ cup cornstarch
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- 3 egg yolks
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 (13.4-ounce) can dulce de leche
- ⅓ cup shredded coconut, unsweetened
Directions
- In a large bowl, whisk to combine the cornstarch, flour, salt, and baking powder, then set aside.
- To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or a large bowl if using a hand mixer), add the softened butter, and sugar. Beat on medium speed for about 3 minutes or until light and fluffy.
- Add the egg yolks and vanilla extract, then mix for 1 minute until combined. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula and mix once more.
- Add the flour mixture all at once. Mix on low speed for 30 seconds until just combined. Scrape the bowl down one last time and mix for a few seconds more.
- Transfer the dough to a piece of plastic wrap and flatten it into one or two disks. Wrap well and chill for about 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and bring the dough out onto the countertop to warm up for a few minutes.
- Lightly flour the surface and the top of the dough. With a rolling pin, roll the dough to be ¼ to ⅛-inch thick. Use a 1¾ to 2-inch round cookie cutter to cut the dough into circles. Place the cookies on parchment or silicone-lined baking sheets. Re-roll any excess dough and cut or freeze for later.
- Bake for about 10- 12 minutes, until the cookies are just set, and start to turn light brown on the edges, rotating the pans halfway through. Allow to cool on the baking sheet before assembling.
- Once the cookies are cool, pipe or spread a dollop of dulce de leche onto the back of a cookie and sandwich it to the bottom of another cookie. Roll the edges of the cookie in shredded coconut and repeat the assembly for the remaining cookies.
- Get the full recipe and details from Preppy Kitchen!
Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, optional
Directions
- In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat butter and vanilla extract until creamed.
- Add confectioners sugar and salt; mix until combined.
- Scrape bowl down and add flour while beating on low. Scrape bowl once more and mix until combined.
- Shape the dough into a rectangular prism, wrap in plastic and chill until firm. At least an hour.
- Preheat oven to 350 F (177C). Use a sharp knife to cut 1/2 inch thick slices.
- Place slices, spaced at least an inch apart onto a baking sheet lined with a silicone mat or parchment paper.
- Use a fork or skewer to indent a pattern onto the top.
- Bake for about 10 minutes, rotating baking sheet in the oven halfway through.
- Transfer to a wire sheet to cool.
- Get the full recipe and details from Preppy Kitchen!