White Bean and Collard Green Casserole

2 slices bacon, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
3 stalks green onion, chopped
1 bunch greens, preferably collards or mustards
1 15-oz can white beans
Rosemary spring, leaves removed and chopped
8 Ritz crackers (or similar)
¼ cup white cheese, grated
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper

Heat the oven to 450°. In a large saucepan, cook the bacon until the bacon fat is rendered. Remove the bacon. Wilt the onion in the bacon grease, then add the garlic and cook for a minute or so more. Add the greens and wilt them, too.

Grease a casserole dish with one tablespoon of olive oil. Add the greens. Drain most of the liquid from the beans and pour the beans into the greens. Add the rosemary. Toss and mix. Spread the cheese on top. Crumble the crackers over that. Drizzle with the remaining olive oil, and sprinkle with a little salt and a lot of cracked black pepper.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes or until burbling. Uncover and bake until golden.

Pizza Calzone with White Cabbage

Ingredients: 1 onion, 100 grams diced ham, 5 chipolata sausages, 300 g white cabbage, 1 package fresh pizza dough with tomato sauce, grated cheese,

Number of persons: 3

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Bake in hot oil 1 chopped onion cut with 100 grams diced ham until the onion has softened. Meanwhile remove the skin of 5 chipolata sausages and make small pieces of it. Put it in the pan with the onions and stir fry to brown. Add 300 grams chopped white cabbage and stir until it is soft. Add 1 jar tomato sauce and stir well and also heat well. Put the fresh pizza dough on a surface and cut it into three. Place on the three parts a the cabbage mixture and fold it and close it. Sprinkle grated cheese over it. Place the pizza calzones on a baking tray. Place the baking sheet about 20 minutes in the preheated oven. Enjoy!

Tuscan White Bean Salad

A delicious summer salad with great flavors. Make it quick by buying a can of navy beans instead of dried. You’ll save lots of time (skip the first two steps entirely). It’d be even better with hunks of mozzarella instead of the cheap shredded kind, I’m sure.

Tuscan White Bean Salad

Makes 6-8 servings. Recipe from Epicurious.

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups dried navy beans, rinsed and picked over
1/4 cup olive oil
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
4 cups firmly packed spinach, washed, drained, and stems removed
1/2 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
1/2 pound fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 cup pitted black olives, such as kalamata or niçoise
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Dressing:
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano or 2 teaspoons dried oregano
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
To quick-soak the beans: Place the beans in a large pot with water to cover by 3 inches and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, 45 minutes. Remove from the heat, drain, and rinse.

To cook the beans: Place the beans in a large pot and add enough water to cover by 3 to 4 inches. Bring to a boil, lower heat, and simmer, uncovered, 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until beans are tender but still firm. Drain and rinse the beans thoroughly. Set aside to cool.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook and stir until slightly brown, about 5 minutes.

For dressing, combine the vinegar, garlic, mustard, and oregano in a small bowl. Add the olive oil in a slow, steady stream while whisking constantly until all the oil is incorporated. Season with salt and pepper and refrigerate in an airtight container until ready to use.

Toss the beans, onion, spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, mozzarella, and olives in a large bowl with the vinaigrette until just combined. Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately or refrigerate in an airtight container until ready to use or up to 1 day. If refrigerating, add the spinach just before serving.

Pasta with Spinach, Chicken, and White Bean Ragu

While I thought this recipe would be a bit more like a pasta-stew (don’t you think stew when you hear the word ragu?) it wasn’t at all disappointing! In fact, we’ve eaten it for 3 meals straight (read: it makes a lot) and are still raving about it.

We added the leftovers from a grocery store roasted chicken we bought on Friday. We were all cooked-out after Valentine’s day, but all the restaurants were jam packed because hey! it’s the Friday after Valentine’s day! Go figure! So we just ran to the store and bought a roasted chicken. Which was great because we spent a whole $6.50 (ok… $13.50 if you count the two boxes of girl scout cookies) on dinner when we could have easily spent $40 at the restaurant, so we weren’t complaining! Anyway, we just cubed the leftover meat and added it to the mixture.

Stew or not… it’s a keeper!

Pasta with Spinach, Chicken, and White Bean Ragu

Makes 6 servings.
Recipe from Global Gourmet

INGREDIENTS
4 tbsp olive oil, divided
1/4 cup pancetta or bacon minced
1 onion, finely chopped
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 (16-oz) can white (navy/cannellini) beans, rinsed and drained well
1/4 to 1 cup white wine
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
Salt and Pepper
1 lb pasta
5 cloves garlic chopped
1 lb spinach, stems removed, leaves chopped or 1 box frozen chopped spinach, thawed
4 plum tomatoes, chopped
1/2 roasted chicken, cubed (optional)
2 tbsp butter
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS
In a large saucepan, heat 1 tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat. Sauté pancetta in olive oil until lightly golden brown. Add onion and red pepper flakes and continue to sauté until onion is golden brown. Gently add beans, and stir. Add wine and parsley and simmer about 15 minutes or until thickened. If mixture gets too dry keep adding white wine. Add chicken and toss until just heated through. Season with salt and pepper and remove from heat.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large pot of boiling, salted water until al dente; drain.

Heat remaining olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and cook until lightly browned. Add spinach and sauté until wilted. Add tomatoes and cook until tomatoes begin to simmer. Add butter and toss until melted. Season with salt and pepper.

Return drained pasta to pot. Add bean ragu and spinach mixture and combine very well. Add Parmesan cheese, toss to coat and serve immediately.

(Disappearing) White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

Continuing my strange cravings for chocolate and nuts…

I decided I wanted white chocolate macadamia nut cookies. I NEEDED white chocolate macadamia nut cookies. But I didn’t just stop there, I wanted to make my own vegan white chocolate as well. Ever since I saw the recipe over atBitterSweet, I knew I had to try it. I bought some cocoa butter and soymilk powder, waited far too long for them to arrive (needless to say this has been a long craving in the works). It was surprisingly easy to make, and when I chopped it up for the cookies and popped a few bites in my mouth, was ridiculously delicious. Definitely not the cheap white chocolate you’re used to buying in the stores.

When the cookies finally came out of the oven, the delicious cookies I had been craving for so long, I eagerly bit into one. And bit again. And again. Where was the white chocolate? I was getting crunchy bites of macadamia nut, but that creamy concoction I had sampled earlier? Nowhere to be found.

Hence the ‘disappearing’ white chocolate in the title of this post.

Yup, vanished. Melted into oblivion.

The cookies were surprisingly good, nonetheless, which is why I’m repeating the recipe here, but I’ve got to figure out where I went wrong with the white chocolate – what I need to change about it so that it actually lasts 10 minutes in a hot oven.

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

Makes approximately 2-3 dozen cookies. Recipe from Betty Crocker.

INGREDIENTS
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup shortening
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 ounces white baking bars (white chocolate), cut into 1/4- to 1/2-inch chunks
3 1/2 ounces (about 1/2 cup) macadamia nuts, coarsely chopped

DIRECTIONS
Heat oven to 350°F. Beat sugars, butter, shortening, vanilla and egg in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, or mix with spoon. Stir in flour, baking soda and salt (dough will be stiff). Stir in white baking bar chunks and nuts.

Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until light brown. Cool 1 to 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cupcakes

Is it weird to crave white chocolate? Like, seriously crave?

I knew I had to bake, and I had to bake immediately. And even the thought of the delicious almond cupcakes weren’t hitting the spot.

So I adapted a basic vanilla (vegan!) cupcake recipe and loaded it with white chocolate. Add some chopped macadamia nuts and you have one decadent cupcake.

Wedding cupcake contender? I think so!

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cupcakes

Makes 12-14 cupcakes.

INGREDIENTS
For cupcakes:
1 cup soy milk
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup canola oil
3/4 cup granulated sugar
4 ounces white chocolate
1/2 vanilla bean, seeded, or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup macadamia nuts, chopped

For Frosting:
1/2 cup butter or margarine, room temperature
2-3 cups confectioner’s sugar
2 tablespoons soy milk or soy creamer
1/2 vanilla bean, seeded, or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 ounces white chocolate

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin pan with cupcake liners.

Stir the soy milk and vinegar in a measuring cup and set aside a few minutes until curdled.

In a large bowl, sift or mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar. Add oil and soymilk mixture and stir until just combined.

Meanwhile, gently melt the white chocolate in a double boiler or VERY CAREFULLY in the microwave. When melted, stir in the vanilla bean seeds or extract and stir until dispersed. Slowly add chocolate to batter and stir until incorporated. Gently fold in nuts.

Fill each cupcake with 1/4 cup of batter. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until tops are lightly golden and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely before frosting.

To make frosting, beat butter or margarine until fluffly. Slowly add confectioner’s sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, until creamy. Melt white chocolate as before, and mix in vanilla seeds or extract. Add to frosting and mix well. Add extract and soy milk, and beat until fluffy (add more sugar and/or soymilk if you need it, until you get the right texture). Generously pipe or spread onto cooled cupcakes.

White Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes

Happy National Cupcake Day! When I heard that there was, indeed, a holiday honoring my favorite confection, I knew I had to celebrate. I had been scheming about making some white chocolate raspberry cupcakes for some time now, and figured what better time to put it to the test.

Despite a bit of a fiasco with the frosting (see: I broke my buttercream), and a bit of an ‘overflow’ issue with the cupcakes, these turned out quite well. We made half of them with the raspberry filling and white chocolate frosting, and left the other half unfilled but flavored the frosting with the remaining raspberry, to see which one we liked better. The filled cupcakes are definitely the winners.

If you’re brave I’d encourage you to try the fancy white chocolate buttercreamthat I attempted to do (supposedly not nearly as sweet as regular buttercream, but 10x as hard to make), but for the faint of heart and the cooked-sugar-phobes, these cupcakes are still plenty delicious with the good ole’ fashioned sugary sweet American buttercream.

I love the fact that these cupcakes look like the iconic cupcake with a cherry on top. Whenever you see a cute representation of a cupcake, they always look just like this. Always. It cracks me up that I actually made a cupcake that fit that cliche. Rarely do you ever see an actual cupcake with a cherry on top – so in this case, a raspberry will just have to do!

White Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes

Makes 12 cupcakes.

INGREDIENTS
Cupcakes:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
4 ounces white chocolate, melted
1/3 cup oil
1/2 cup soy milk
1/2 cup coconut milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

Filling:
8 ounces frozen raspberries
1 tablespoon water
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 1/4 cup water

Frosting:
If you’re brave, try this recipe (and let me know how it turns out!). If you want something less complicated, use American buttercream, instructions below.

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/3 cup cream cheese or tofutti cream cheese
3 to 3 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/2 vanilla bean, seeded, or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon soymilk
6 ounces white chocolate, melted
12 fresh raspberries

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350ËšF.

In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add sugar and brown sugar and mix. Slowly mix together melted chocolate and oil. Whisk together soy milk, coconut milk, lemon zest, and vanilla. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. Mix until relatively smooth. Fill cupcake liners with a scant 1/4 cup of batter (should be just under 2/3 of the way full – my cupcakes overflowed, so err on the under-filled side here). Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden, and toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer to cooling rack and allow to cool completely.

To make filling, combine frozen raspberries with water, sugar, and lemon juice in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat until raspberries begin to break down. Add 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixture and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat, and strain mixture through a fine mesh sieve, pressing as much through as possible. Return strained mixture to heat once again. Add another tablespoon of cornstarch mixture, and bring to a simmer. If mixture still seems thin, add more cornstarch as necessary. It will thicken more upon cooling. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely.

Cut out small cones from tops of cupcakes (holes should be approximately 1/2″ across and 1/2″ deep), saving removed cake. Fill holes with raspberry filling, and replace cake on top.

To make frosting, beat butter or margarine and cream cheese until fluffy. Slowly add confectioner’s sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, until creamy. Melt white chocolate as before, and mix in vanilla seeds or extract. Add to frosting and mix well. Add extract and soy milk, and beat until fluffy (add more sugar and/or soymilk if you need it, until you get the right texture). Generously pipe or spread onto filled cupcakes. Top each cupcake with a single fresh raspberry.