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CONTENTS:
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WILD RICE TACOS
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WILD RICE CHILI
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VEGETABLES IN FOIL
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REFRESHING STRAWBERRY COOLER
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TEA (information and three websites)
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RISSOLES (information and one website)
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ORANGE MARMALADE (recipe and one website)
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SCONES (two websites that have recipes)
Hello, and welcome back to Hi Arbor. Today's newsletter has two
great
recipes from my mother in time for July 4th, plus a recipe for
vegetables
cooked in foil and a refreshing strawberry cooler. And there's
more. I hope
each of you finds something you like. If you have any recipes,
information or
suggestions, please send them to Hiarbornews@aol.com. The next
issue of
the HA will go out on July 15, 2004.
Take care and have a wonderful Fourth of July holiday.
Roxanne
My mother is a wonderful cook and here are two of her
recipes.
WILD RICE TACOS
1 C wild rice, boiled and drained
1 T olive oil
1/2 C onion, coarse chopped
1-2 garlic cloves, fine chopped
1/2 C green pepper, coarse chopped or dice
1/2 C tomato, coarse chopped or dice
1 T cilantro, fine chopped
1 t cumin (ground)
1/2 C salsa (your choice)
10-12 yellow corn tortillas (or pre-formed taco shells)
Oil for frying if pre-formed taco shells are not used (your
choice of oil)
Heat olive oil in medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion,
garlic and
green pepper and sauté' until limp, about 5-6 minutes. Add
tomato, cilantro
and cumin, stirring well to combine flavors, reduce heat a
little and simmer 5
minutes. Add wild rice and salsa stirring to mix well all
ingredients and
simmer another 5 minutes. Remove from heat, cover and let cool
about 5
minutes allowing ingredients to blend flavors.
Using pre-formed taco shells, simply divide up filling to fill
shells to desired level, but leaving room to add one or more of
the suggested condiments (to
follow). These may be micro-waved a few seconds to heat.
For traditional fried tacos, heat enough oil to cover bottom of
skillet about
1/4", adding more oil when needed. The skillet should be large
enough to fry
tacos *2 at a time. Taking care to avoid splattering, using
salad tongs or
similar instrument, place one tortilla in the hot oil and
quickly turn it over to
other side to soften. **Quickly place one generous ablespoon
of warm filling
on one half of the tortilla and using a spatula, flip the other
side over the filling
to form a half-moon shape.
Fry the taco until the bottom half in the oil is firm. The time
will depend upon the heat of the oil. Tapping the edge of the bottom half with
the spatula will
tell you when it is firm. Now carefully flip the taco to allow
the other half to
cook in the oil. When both sides are firm, remove from skillet,
draining as
much of the drippings as possible, then place on paper towels
already laid out
for the purpose to finish draining. Lightly sprinkle prepared
taco with salt and
garlic powder or garlic-salt if desired.
Condiments in desired quantities. Then ahhhhhh! Time to eat!
SUGGESTED CONDIMENTS
Finely shredded head lettuce
Finely shredded green cabbage
Small diced tomatoes
Small diced onions
Thinly sliced green onions
Finely shredded cheese substitute (preferably jack, pepper-jack, cheddar or American flavors)
Finely minced jalapenos
Salsa or taco sauce of your choice
* Trying to cook too many tacos at one time cools your cooking
oil and tends to leave tacos greasy (oily)
** If this step in cooking isn't done quickly, the tortilla will
firm up and make it
difficult to flip one side over the filling or crack when you
do.
NOTE: The fried tacos freeze nicely, but when
micro-waved later to eat, the
tortilla will be soft. Any condiments should be added after
heating.
WILD
RICE CHILI
Serves 4-6
1 C wild rice, boiled according to directions and drained
1 T olive oil
3/4 C onion, coarse chopped
1-2 garlic cloves, fine chopped
3/4 C green pepper, medium chopped or dice
1/4 t cumin (ground)
1 T *chili powder of your choice, regular or hot (add more if
desired, small amounts at a time, after all
ingredients are combined)
1/8 t oregano (ground - optional)
1/8 t instant coffee (any brand, regular or decaffeinated)
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
1 14.5 oz can peeled whole tomatoes, coarse chopped, or diced tomatoes, either one with juices
1 15.25 oz can dark red kidney beans, drained, reserve juices
Salt and pepper to taste
Water
Heat olive oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion,
garlic and
green pepper and saute' until limp, about 5-6 minutes. Add wild
rice, cumin,
chili powder, oregano and instant coffee, stirring well to
blend. Reduce heat a
little and allow flavors to combine over heat another 5 minutes.
Add tomato sauce and 1/2 the sauce can of water and the chopped
tomatoes
with juices, stirring well. Increase heat to medium, cover and
bring the
mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, using a fork, mash about 1/3 the kidney beans in a
little of their
juice and add the mashed beans and the remaining whole beans to
the
mixture, stirring well. The mashed beans will serve to thicken
the mixture
some.
Salt, pepper and any desired additional spices should be added
at this point,
stirring well. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer about 30
minutes stirring
occasionally.
If chili is too thick, add water to suit and correct spices
accordingly. Continue
cooking until mixture is blended and hot. Serve.
*Package (envelope) chili mix may be used being careful to
adjust salt, etc.,
accordingly by taste testing.
VEGETABLES BAKED IN FOIL
(from coupon section of the newspaper)
1 sheet (18"x24") aluminum foil
3 cups broccoli florets
2 cups cauliflower florets
1/2 medium red bell pepper, cut in 1-inch pieces
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 ice cubes
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F or grill to medium-high. Center
vegetables on sheet of foil. Sprinkle with seasonings. Top
with ice cubes. Bring up foil
sides Double fold top and ends to seal making one large packet,
leaving
room for heat circulation inside. Bake 20 to 25 minutes on a
cookie sheet in
oven or grill 15 to 18 minutes in covered grill.
4-6 servings
REFRESHING STRAWBERRY COOLER
(from coupon section of the newspaper)
1 1/4 cups whole strawberries
1 cup cranberry drink
1/3 cup honey
water
Place strawberries in a blender and process until smooth.
With the
blender running [carefully] pour in honey in a thin stream.
Process until well
blended. Pour into a canning jar and refrigerate for at least
two hours and up
to 10 days. To make strawberry soda: pour 1/4 cup of the
strawberry mixture
(more or less to taste) and 1 cup of cranberry drink into a
glass. Add water
and ice cubes. Makes about 1 1/2 cups, enough for 6 servings.
TEA:
In March, I visited the home of a friend and was introduced to
the camellia flower, which she had growing in her yard. The
camellia flower is beautiful. I was very taken with it so when
I saw the word "camellia" in an article on tea, it caught my
eye. I am not even
remotely a plant expert so I will offer only that my friend's
flowers may be a distant cousin to tea. The tea version is
called camellia sinensis.
I found many websites on the subject and have listed three
below. According to one, "There are three main types of
Camellia
sinensis: China, Assam (mostly found in India), and
Cambodian (mainly a cross between the other two). Even though
there's only three types of plant, there are more than 2,000
varieties of teas. The variations come from the differences in
the soil, the climate, and how
the plant is harvested, just as changes in the vineyard affect a
fine wine."
Quote is from -
http://www.chinamist.com/knowledge/theprocess/plant.htm
Two more -
http://www.nobleplants.com/articles/ajccamellia.htm
and
http://www.museums.org.za/bio/plants/theaceae/camellia_sinensis.h
(this site has medicinal benefits and risks information and
more)
RISSOLES:
I first saw the word rissoles in "The Single Vegan" by
Leah Leneman [copyright 1989, out of print, Amazon.com,
new or used from $2.22] so I checked online to find out
what they are. Rissoles frequently have meat added to them,
often seafood, making me compare them to a crab cake. Ms.
Leneman offers a recipe for nut rissoles and below is a link to
a vegetarian rissoles recipe. This recipe says to mix up a
packet of gravy to go with the rissoles. It would need to be a
vegetarian or vegan gravy. Some recipes had the rissoles served
with a tomato sauce.
http://vegetarian.allrecipes.com/az/Rissls.asp
Because marmalade uses the rind of the orange, it might be best
to use
organic oranges that have been washed well.
ORANGE MARMALADE
Amount Ingredient:
4 medium oranges
1 medium lemon
1 1/2 cups water
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
5 cups sugar
1/2 of a 6-oz package (1 foil pouch) liquid fruit pectin
Preparation Tips:
Score orange and lemon peels into 4 lengthwise sections. Remove
peels; scrape off white portions. Cut peels into very thin
strips. Combine peels, water, and baking soda. Bring to boiling.
Cover; simmer for 20 minutes. Do not drain. Remove membranes
from fruits. Section fruits, reserving juices. Discard seeds.
Add fruits and juices to peel mixture. Return to boiling. Cover
and simmer for 10 minutes. Measure 3 cups. In an 8- or
10-quart kettle combine the 3 cups fruit mixture and sugar.
Bring to a full rolling boil. Boil, uncovered, 1 minute. Remove
from heat; stir in pectin. Skim off foam. Ladle at once
into hot, sterilized half-pint jars, leaving a 1/4-inch
headspace. Adjust lids. Process in a boiling-water canner for 15
minutes. Makes about 6 half-pints (96 one-tablespoon servings).
The above recipe was found at:
http://www.sandisrecipecorner.com/recipe19S.htm
SCONES:
If you want scones to go with that orange marmalade, there are
many scone recipes at:
http://www.virtualcities.com/ons/0rec/11scones.htm
There are a few vegan scone recipes at:
http://www.recipezaar.com/r/168/272
The End
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