Recipe Wish List

Within the depths of my little laptop, I hold a Holy Grail of sorts.

This most-valuable document is protected by an external hard drive, network accessibility, and multiple flash drives.

Daily I visit this baby of mine, feeding it, cleaning it and dispensing loving comments.

Such great care is given to the document of all documents, my Recipe Wish List.

Currently 22 pages long, my Recipe Wish List contains the name, photo, and link for 173 recipes. 173 recipes from fellow bloggers. Some which I’ve already tried and other that I still dream of reincarnating.

They are the recipes that make me drool on my keyboard.

Force me to question a lifestyle of complete and udder gluttony.

The recipes that make me want to lock myself in the kitchen and never come out.

The best of the bloggers’ best. That’s what makes it into the Recipe Wish List.

Today was a cold and rainy day in Germany.

If you were a cat, it would be the perfect day to sit and watch the rain.

After heading to the gym early this morning and being back home by 1, my agenda was free.

What is a girl to do with a free afternoon and evening?

I could do laundry.

I could vacuum.

I could take down the garbage and recycling.

I could do a lot of things, but what I really wanted to do was tackle the Recipe Wish List.

Today I made 4 amazing recipes from 4 talented bloggers

My day of wishes coming true started with dessert, naturally.

Healthy Chocolate-Blueberry Cake

Adapted from Fat Free Vegan Kitchen

• 1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour (white whole wheat preferred)
• 6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground chia seeds or flax seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/2 cup blueberries
• 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
• 1/3 cup agave nectar
• 1/2 banana, per Angela’s recommendation *
• 1/ 4 tsp. vanilla extract
• coconut oil for greasing
• 1 cup blueberries to garnish

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. In a medium bowl, mix flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, chia (or flax) and salt. In blender, combine water, 1/2 cup blueberries, banana, vanilla and balsamic vinegar and blend until smooth.
2. Make a well in the dry ingredients.  Add the syrup and the blueberry mixture. Stir until completely mixed.  Pour into an oiled 9-inch round cake pan.
3. Bake 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely before inverting onto serving platter.

* Note, the extra moisture from the banana was great, but three was a slight banana taste. Next time I’ll use about 1/3 cup of apple sauce.

Chocolate Glaze

Adapted from Oh She Glows

• 100 grams dark chocolate, shaved or 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
• 1 Tbsp. coconut oil

1. Combine the chocolate and oil in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 30 seconds on high. Stir and microwave for 30 seconds more, or until chocolate is melted and creamy.
2. Pour glaze over the cooled cake, allow to partially harden then top with blueberries.

I just love the feel of a sharp knife shaving through a block of chocolate!

This recipe produced much more glaze than I needed… so I also made chocolate covered almonds and raisins with the remaining glaze!

Cake Verdict

Wow! This cake was dense, moist, decadent, and indeed dainty. The chocolate coconut glaze made it. I would serve this cake to anyone, vegan or otherwise, with confidence that they too would love it. This combination is definitely a keeper!

 

Baked Sweet Potato Falafel

Adapted from Bran Appétit

• 3 sweet potatoes, cooked and peeled
• 1 can lentils, drained and rinsed (I didn’t have chickpeas)
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp coriander
• 1 Tbsp fresh parsley
• 1 Tbsp fresh cilantro
• 2 Tbsp ground flax

1. Preheat oven to 400.
2. Mash sweet potatoes with chickpeas in a food processor.
3. Add in seasonings and flax and mash again until the mixture sticks together.
4. Spray baking sheet or line with foil. Use two spoons and the “cookie method” to make 1” balls and place on baking sheet.
5. Brush or spray with olive/canola oil.
6. Bake 25-30 minutes.
7. Let cool on baking sheet 5 minutes.
8. Serve!

Yes, I will be using this pillow case tonight. The incredible, buttery smell will certainly leave me with visions of pita bread dancing in my head.

Homemade Whole Wheat Pita Bread

Adapted from Just Hungry

• 1/2 block fresh yeast *
• 250ml warm water (A U.S. cup plus a bit)
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 cup white bread flour (
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp olive oil

Equipment needed:

• a non-stick frying pan or two
• lids to fit the pans
• mixing bowl
• clean washed pillow case

* Note on Yeast: I’m miserable with active dry yeast, but fresh yeast and I are buddies. For more information on fresh yeast, visit this website. My grocery store carries the blocks of yeast in the refrigerator section near yogurt.

1. Mix together the yeast and sugar with the back of a spoon until the crumbles of yeast turn to liquid. Dissolve the yeast mixture in warm water.
2. Mix together the flours and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add the liquid gradually, stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon. Add the oil, and as soon as it’s formed a ball start to knead. Knead until smooth and pliable.
3. Put the dough ball in a clean bowl covered with plastic wrap and leave in a warm place until more than doubled in bulk.
4. After the dough has risen, punch it down and knead again. Cut into 8 to 12 equal pieces. Round off each piece into a smooth ball, and leave, covered with a damp cloth or plastic, to rest for about 10 minutes, on a floured surface. (This resting time the author finds is critical for the successful formation of the pocket inside the pita.)
5. Flatten the balls with your hand or a rolling pin to your desired diameter. Let rest again for a few minutes so that the dough balls ‘relax’.
6. Heat up one or more non-stick frying pans, over medium heat.
7. Take a flattened ball and put in a hot frying pan. Cover with a lid or large piece of aluminum foil. Leave for about 2-3 minutes, until it puffs up. Flip over and cook for another 2-3 minutes on the other side. Some will puff more than others – don’t worry if the puffing is minimal, you can still use it.
8. Take out of the pan and immediately put into the pillow case. Close up the pillow case. This allows the pita to cool in a somewhat closed environment, so the surface is sort of pliable rather than crispy and brittle. Repeat for the rest of the dough.

Sandwich Verdict

Again, wow. The pita bread is so incredibly simple and absolutely spot-on. The smell alone is enough to make me devote my life to pita making. I agree with what the author said about this recipe taking a lot of time, but not being time consuming. Bread takes time, but the actual hands-on demand of this recipe is next to none. The falafel turned out fantastic, even with the lentil substitution. Flavorful, exotic yet slightly sweet. I will use the little balls on salads and sandwiches all week. This was so good, I called Sebastian and told him to come home hungry. I already have one waiting for him! I ate my sandwich with horseradish hummus, cucumber, tomato, and sprouts.

There is something so gratifying about recreating a recipe that a “friend” somewhere else in the world created; adding my own taste and personality to something that is already outstanding.

Do you keep a Recipe Wish List or something similar?

If creating 4 amazing recipes wasn’t enough, my day of wishes coming true was made even more magical when I received a box from my mom!

I’ve told you before that when living abroad, there’s nothing better than receiving a card or package from home.

Today’s loot included: a shirt and sunglasses I forgot when I was back at Easter, stamp sets and a stamp pad (one of my mom’s many hobbies is being a Stampin’ Up! demonstrator), a beautiful homemade quilt runner (my mom is very crafty and talented), 2 new plates, bookmarks, clippings from the local newspaper, an article about my main musician, Tom Petty, and photos from my friend’s wedding that I was unable to attend.

Thanks Mom, you’re the best!

This has been a great day!

I hope your Monday was equally as wonderful!

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