QUAJILLO RED SAUCE...YUM, SPICY - NOT HOT!!

QUAJILLO RED SAUCE

INGREDIENTS:

7/8 QUAJILLO CHILES

1 LB OF CHOPPED TOMATILIOS

DASH OF SALT

8 GARLIC CLOVES

VEGETABLE OIL

1-2 CUPS OF WATER

IN A CAST IRON PAN, ROAST THE QUAJILLO’S FOR A FEW MINUTES TO RELEASE THEIR OILS, REMOVE.  CUT OFF THE ENDS AND TAKE OUT THE SEEDS.  SET ASIDE.

IN THE SAME PAN, AD THE OIL AND GARLIC. SAUTE UNTIL SLIGHTLY BROWN, AD THE TOMATILOS, WATER AND SALT.  TURN UP THE HEAT AND COOK UNTIL TENDER.  AD THE PEPPERS, STIRRING COOK UNTIL THE PEPPERS ARE VERY SOFT.  THE SAUCE WILL START TURNING RED AND REDDER!

REMOVE FROM HEAT AND PUT IN A BLENDER.  BLEND UNTIL SMOOTH, STRAIN IF YOU LIKE A SMOOTHER SAUCE OR LEAVE IF YOU LIKE A THICKER SAUCE.

Senior Center Fun! A Magical Experience!!!

Today I had the distinct pleasure and delight of entertaining the Seniors at the Ben Wilson Senior Center in Warminster, PA.

Senior shows are specifically designed with music of Frank Sinatra, Benny Goodman, Ella Fitzgerald, etc.  The Seniors really liked that!

Props are bigger, humor and magic are designed with them mind.  Great fun...for them and myself!

Pricing is also discounted - just for them, due to the fact that there funds don't always justify the professional entertainment.

Winery and Area Farm...

This weekend I discovered a hidden gem.

There is winery and farm tucked away in a quaint little town of Chalfont, PA - Tabora Farm.

They have amazing wines, Fresh/homemade baked goods (baked right on the premise!), yummy cookies, platters, sandwiches and wraps!  

This very cool place is on a back road, so unless someone told you about it, you probably would never know!  But if you like a local winery with tons of home baked goods, spices and an array of other delectables...check it out!  I am glad that I did...bought 3 bottles of wine, two sandwiches and a Baker's Dozen Cookies!

http://www.taborafarmandorchard.com/store/

Here's their menu too!

http://www.taborafarmandorchard.com/tour/tabora-bakery-menu.pdf

Mushroom Veggie Burger....

This is a great alternative to the regular Hamburger!  Great to take to a picnic, or just a substitute for the calories and fat from a Beef Burger.

Pre-heat oven to 375

Ingredients:

3 cups of walnuts
4-6 Slices of whole grain bread (usually found in the freezer section) (thaw before using)
2 Large Portabello Mushrooms
4-5 Regular Mushrooms
Half of chopped onion
Seasonings:  (these can vary, depending on your taste and how spicy you like it.  I like to include Horse Radish in many dishes, as it gives a zip and enhanced flavor)

One - two Tablespoons each.

Pepper
Basil
Thyme
Garlic Powder
Parsley
Whole Grain Mustard
White Horse Radish
Dashes of:  Worcester Sauce, Low Sodium Soy or Tamari Sauce, Hot Sauce, Balsamic Vinegar

Cheese Cloth

In a Food Processor, mix the walnuts so they become like a grated cheese consistency.  Remove.  Blend the bread in a bread crumb consistency.  Remove and mix with the walnuts.  Set aside.

In a Food Processor, mix the remaining ingredients; it will become like a thick soup consistency.

Mix, well, the wet & dry ingredients together.  Line a baking pan with Parchment Paper.  Begin to make the burgers by forming a ball, then wrapping the cheese cloth around it.  Squeeze gently to remove some of the moisture.  Form into a burgers set on the Parchment Paper.  This recipe should yield about 6 Burgers, depending on the size that you like.

Bake  for 20 minutes, flip and bake another 15-20 minutes.  Let cool.  Serve!

Mexican, low fat...refried beans...Delilsh!

Vegetarian Re-fried Beans!!  The traditional re-fried beans are made with lard or bacon fat - tons of fat & calories in that!  I have developed a recipe that is much lower in fat, - a healthy alternative and VERY tasty too!

Ingriedents:

2 TB of coconut oil
1 chopped onion
half of chopped red pepper
3 cloves of garlic
1 can of pinto beans
seasonings...pepper, low sodium tamari or soy sauce, chile de arbol (or chili powder)
1-2 TB of BBQ sauce (optional)

I like using a cast iron pan, it retains the heat better.

Saute' the onion, red pepper, garlic and seasonings - in the coconut oil until soft and brown - about15 min on a low heat.

After opening the can of beans, make sure you rinse them real well in cold water, until all the foam is gone...not rinsing them well leads to increased gas!

Add the beans to the onion mixture.  Cook for a couple of minutes until all is heated through.  Remove from heat, let cool for a minute or so, then add the entire mixture into a food processor.  Process until smooth.  DONE!!!

Goes great with Quajillo/Garlic Shrimp, Rice...Look for that recipe in an upcoming blog!!

Vegan Macaroni Salad.....really? No way!!!

Another one of my recipes that will be going into my cookbook later this year!

Easy and oh so yummy!!  Really Vegan, too!

Ingredients:

One Package of Quinoa & Rice elbow or tri color Macaroni (any health food store should have it)
Half a cup of Vegan Mayonnaise (any health food store should have it)
3/4 cup of chopped celery
3/4 cup of chopped carrots

One Quarter cup of Whole Grain Mustard (German variety)

Pepper
Chipolte Powder
Italian seasoning (or use oregano, thyme, basil)
One TB of Horseradish
One TB of Honey

Boil a pot of water, add the Macaroni until done.  Remove and place in an iced bath to cool, remove after cooling and pat dry.

Mix with a Whisk the other ingredients in a bowl.  Seasonings...measure to taste, if you don't like the chipolte, skip it...but it does give it a little kick!

Add mixture to cooled macaroni, refrigerate for at least  an hour.

Enjoy!!

Magic Tricks...New book with VERY cool & easy to do tricks!

This Magic Book was just published this week!

The Magic tricks are detailed with pictures and are VERY EASY to do!  Great for kids and even greater for parents to do with their children!

Materials for the tricks are household items, not complicated and FUN, FUN, FUN!

Amaze your friends & family!

Only $5 pp in the Continental United States.  Will ship world wide, but shipping costs will vary.  No handling charges!

Order yours today.  Easy go to my web site, under the payment tab pay the $5, then send me an e mail with your address.  Tell me your name or your child's name and I will be glad to personally autograph your copy!

http://steveblackentertainment.com/products/

ENJOY!

CHEESECAKE WITH CHERRIES - NO DAIRY? ...AND VEGAN, TOO!!!

I developed this amazing cheesecake working on an old recipe.  "EVERYONE" who has tried, just raved...you will too, particularly if you don't want the fat and calories from dairy.

Ingredients:

One package of frozen Cherries
One jar of Cherry Preserves
One cup of Maple Sugar
One pound (large package) of Firm Tofu
One-two TBL of Vanilla
One Quarter stick of Vegan Butter
One Package of Ginger Cookies
One tsp of Cinnamon

In a high speed blender, like Vitamix, mix the tofu & Maple sugar until it has a cream cheese consistency.  Set aside.

In a Food Processor, crumble the cookies, add the butter, crumble again until mixed.  Remove mixture into a pie dish, Press it in and move it up the sides as much as possible.

In a pan, add the Cherry Preserves, Cherries and Vanilla.  Heat until all melted and smooth.  Set aside.

Add the Tofu mixture to the Cookie crust and bake at 350 degrees until semi firm, remove, let cool, add the cherry mixture on top - spreading evenly.  Refrigerate over night.

YUM!!!!  Your friends, family will never know it was tofu, unless you tell them!!!