Saturday, April 4, 2015

Cooking in Impfondo- 4

"Cooking in Impfondo" is a series with recipes and cooking tips for our town.  It will give you a picture of a little slice of our life here, and who knows, maybe a few ideas! 

Dairy Free Chocolate Cake
for Caleb's birthday.
These are some of my favorite simple recipes. The first one is from a friend, but I believe it was originally from the "Joy of Cooking" cookbook.

Dairy Free Chocolate Cake
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons sugar
6 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup water
1/4 cup oil
1 Tablespoon vinegar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Mix all ingredients. Place in 9x9 pan. Bake at 350 for 30 min.

Anna’s note: This is another recipe that I usually double and bake in a 9x13 pan, or quadruple so that there is plenty to share. You can also add instant coffee for a darker chocolate flavor, and substitute Matinel for unsweetened cocoa.

Guacamole
2 ripe avocados, mashed
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1 sliver onion, finely minced
1 Tablespoon lemon or lime juice
Stir together, refrigerate 30 minutes


Anna’s note: I like to add about 1/2 teaspoon salt and a dash of pepper. You can increase the spiciness with more onion and garlic. You can also add fresh tomatoes or a variety spices (try chili powder, cumin, coriander, or chipolte powder. I think this is a great side for almost any meal, but especially grilled or fried fish and hamburgers.

Ketchup
Hamburgers, coleslaw, sweet potato chips, and pineapple.
Homemade ketchup rounds out the meal!
* 6 ounce can tomato paste
* 1/4 to 1/3 cup tap water
* 2 tablespoons vinegar
* 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
* 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1 pinch cloves
* 1 pinch allspice
* 1 pinch cayenne pepper
* 1/4 cup brown sugar


This is simplicity itself. In a medium bowl combine all of the ingredients with a wire whisk. Blend well. Scrape the mixture into a pint-sized, resealable container. Chill overnight, to blend the flavors. Use wherever ketchup is desired.

You can see the recipe with a more complete explanation at Hillbilly Housewife.

Anna’s note: I don’t chill overnight, but usually just make what we will need for that meal. I almost never have the right spices to make it exactly, but I’ve found that if you have the ground mustard and cinnamon, you can play around with the other spices. If you are out of vinegar, or you want to make it a bit more organic, substitute lemon or lime juice.

Guacamole
2 ripe avocados, mashed
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1 sliver onion, finely minced
1 Tablespoon lemon or lime juice
Stir together, refrigerate 30 minutes


Anna’s note: I like to add about 1/2 teaspoon salt and a dash of pepper. You can increase the spiciness with more onion and garlic. You can also add fresh tomatoes or a variety spices (try chili powder, cumin, coriander, or chipolte powder. I think this is a great side for almost any meal, but especially grilled or fried fish and hamburgers.


Tip #4 for Cooking in Impfondo
You don’t need a mix for that! Think about what you can make from scratch instead of buying in a box, bottle, or can.

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