Guacamole

Ingredients:

3 large avacados
1 lime, juiced
1/2 t kosher salt
1/2 t ground cumin
1/2 t ground cayenne

Mix together.

Stir in the following:
1/2 medium red onion, diced fine
1/2 of jalapeño pepper, chopped fine (omit if making for children)
2 Roma tomatoes, chopped fine
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
1 clove garlic, minced

Serve with vegetables or tortilla chips.

Pumpkin Muffins

Ingredients:

2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp. baking soda
2 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or 1 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ground ginger, 1/4 tsp ground cloves, 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg)
1 1/2 cup pumpkin purée
1 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil ( I like grape seed)
1/2 cup applesauce (I make my own, unseasoned)
1 tsp vanilla

Mix, bake on 350  for 15-20 minutes

Optional cream cheese frosting:
8 oz cream cheese
1/2 cup butter (softened)
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Allergy friendly frosting:
3 cups powdered sugar
1/2 margarine (softened)
2 tsp vanilla
2-3 tbsp rice or coconut milk to consistency

Corn and Bean Salsa

Ingredients:

1 yellow bell pepper
1 orange bell pepper
1 red bell pepper
1 red onion
4 green onions
1 bunch cilantro
7 Roma tomatoes
16 oz frozen or fresh corn
1 can black beans
4 cloves garlic
4 limes (juiced)
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt to taste

Optional:
1/2 jalapeño seeded and chopped
1 teaspoon cumin

Finely chop all peppers, tomatoes, onions and cilantro.  Drain and rinse beans, add to mixture.  Add corn.  Add optional ingredients.  Mince garlic.  Add lime juice, oil salt.  Mix.

Quince Jam

Ingredients:

10 quince, sliced and cored (quince brown quickly, so as soon as I cut them, I put them in a large bowl of ice-cold water with at least 1 sliced lemon)
7 cups of sugar (more or less to your liking)
2 teaspoon vanilla
7-10 lemon or limes (juice only)
4 cups water

Drain the water from the quince.  Place the sliced quince in a large pot with the 4 cups of water.  Let come to a rolling boil for about 10 minutes.  Add the sugar slowly, stir and add the vanilla.  Let cook for 1 1/2 hours.

Add the lemon or lime juice.  The quince will start turning a pretty red/purple color.  Let it continue to cook for 1 1/2 hours until nice and tender.  The liquid surrounding the quince will slightly thicken (like syrup).

Allow to cool.  Jar the quince, and reserve the syrup for drinks.

Serve quince jam with warm bread, cream cheese, and hot tea.  Delish!

My Cheesecake

Ingredients: 

Crust
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup butter or 1/4 cup margarine, melted


Filling
5 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 1/3 cups sugar
3 tablespoons flour
3 large eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons lemons, zest of
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract


Topping
Sweet Whip Cream
10 oz raspberries
2 T sugar
1 t lemon juice

Directions:

1.  Crust: In a medium bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs and sugar.
2. Add melted butter; stir to combine.
3. Press crumb mixture into a 9-inch spring pan and chill for 30 minutes.
4. Filling: In a large bowl, using an electric mixer (med. speed) beat cream cheese for 2 minutes.
5. Add sugar, gradually add flour and mix well.
6. Beat in eggs one at a time.
7. Add sour cream, lemon zest and vanilla.
8. Pour into crust.
9. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
10. Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes.
11. Remove cake from oven and cool 15 minutes.
12. Topping: Beat egg white with sugar until soft peaks appear.
13. Fold in sour cream; spread on top of cake.
14. Return cake to oven; bake until topping is set, (not brown) approx.
15-20 minutes.
16. Cool completely.


17.  Use a pastry bag and pipe sweetened whipped cream all over the top.

18.  Raspberry Coulis to serve on the side. Mix: raspberries, sugar and lemon juice in blender and put through a fine sieve to get rid of the seeds. Add a few fresh, whole at the end for garnish.  

Torshi Makhloot

Ingredients:

Red Wine Vinegar (1/2 - 1 gallon)

6 large eggplant, peeled and baked whole.  Eggplant should be soft.
6 jalapeno peppers (add more if you like it spicy) - rough chop
10 large carrots, peeled and rough chop
6 medium turnips or 'mountain potato', peel the turnip, but no need to peel moutain potato
1 bunch celery, rough chop, you can add the leaves as well
1 head cabbage, shredded
2 head cauliflower, rough chopped
15 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
6 T salt
2 packages of angelica (3 oz)
1 T nigella seeds
4 T tumeric
1 bunch fresh mint, chopped fine
1 bunch parsley, chopped fine
1 bunch dill, chopped fine
1 bunch taragon, chopped fine
1 bunch green onions, chopped fine

1. Salt the eggplants and either bake them in the 350 degrees Fahrenheit oven for 30 minutes. Set aside to cool.
2. Once eggplant is cooled, smash it, it should be 'goo-y'
3. In a large mixing bowl combine all ingredients and mix well.  Add vinegar to cover all vegetables. 
4. Using a wooden spoon pack the pickles in the clean glass jars up to the rim. Press down on them to make more room as you are filling up the jars. Add more vinegar if needed.
5. Sprinkle a teaspoon of salt into each jar before closing the lid tightly.
6. Store in a cool dry place for at least 2 weeks before serving.  

Enjoy!

Marble Cake

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/4 cup cake flour
• 1/2 cup dry instant vanilla pudding mix (about one small 3.4 oz package)
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 eggs, room temperature
• 1 1/2 tsp almond extract
• 3/4 cup milk, room temperature
• 
  
• Mix ingredients above until smooth and creamy.  Seperate 1/3 of the mixture and add it to the following: 
• 
  
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder dissolved in 1/3 cup very hot water

Marble the two batters in a large bread pan.  Bake for 30 minutes on 400 until golden brown.  

Polo Havij Lubia

Ingredients:

2 cups julienned carrots
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups long grain basmati rice
5 cloves of garlic pealed and cut in half
4-5 peeled and sliced potato
1 tablespoon of saffron
1 hard sugar cube
Salt
Hot water

Directions:

Boil the rice in salted water until it's el dente, drain and rinse.  Set rice aside.

This rice is very tasty with potato ta-dig.

In a pan, or dutch oven, add some oil and potato to the bottom of the pan.  Place the sliced potatoes on the bottom of the pan.

Sprinkle some rice on top of the potato, add 1/3 of the carrots, and 1/3 of the kidney beans.  Sprinkle some of the garlic on top.  Add more rice, then carrots, then kidney beans and more garlic.  Repeat until all the rice, carrots, kidney beans, and garlic are all in the pan.

Use a mortar and pestel to mix the saffron and sugar.  The goal is to powderize the saffron.  Once this is complete, add 4 oz of boiling hot water to the mixture.  Allow sugar and saffron to dissolve.  Evenly pour it over the top of the rice, carrots, bean mixture in your pot.

Add salt.

Add additional water if needed.

Allow to cook for 45 minutes on medium heat.

Mung Bean Soup

Ingredients:

2 large onions (thinly sliced)
5 cloves garlic (chopped)
1/3 cup oil
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon tumeric
1 cup dried mung beans
7 cups homemade chicken broth
5 cups water
1/2 cup rice
6 small turnips (peel and cut in fourths)
2 bunches parsley (fine chop)
1 bunch dill (fine chop)
1 bunch scallions (fine chop)

1 lbs ground beef
1 onion

1. In a large pot, brown the onions and garlic in the oil.  Add salt, pepper and tumeric.  Add the mung beans and saute for 3 minutes.  Pour in the chicken broth and water.  Bring to boil, cover, reduce to simmer for 45 minutes.

2. Add rice, turnip, dill, parsely, scallions. Cover and simmer for 25 minutes.

3. Finely chop the remaining onion.  Add it to the ground beef.  Add salt and pepper.  Make the meat mixture into meat balls, and gently place them into the simmering soup.  Allow to cook for additional 15 mintues.

Slow Cooker Lamb Shanks

Ingredients:

• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 2 celery stalks, diced
• 2 carrots, peeled and diced
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 cup peeled, seeded and chopped tomatoes
• 2 Tbs. tomato paste
• 1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 lamb shanks, external fat trimmed (can be cut into osso bucco style, or left whole)
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 2 Tbs. olive oil
• 1 cup red wine

Directions:

Put the onion, celery, carrots, garlic, stock, tomatoes, tomato paste, thyme and bay leaf in a slow cooker and stir to combine.

Season the lamb shanks with salt and pepper. In a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil until nearly smoking. Add the shanks and brown on all sides, about 5 minutes total. Transfer to the slow cooker.

Remove the sauté pan from the heat, pour in the wine and return to medium-high heat. Bring to a simmer, stirring to scrape up any browned bits from the pan bottom. Add the wine to the slow cooker, cover and cook on high for 6 hours according to the manufacturers instructions. Transfer the lamb shanks to a large serving dish.

Remove the bay leaf from the cooking liquid. Using a blender or stick blender, puree the liquids and solids until smooth. Pour some of the sauce over the shanks and pass the rest alongside.

Serves 4.

Khoresht Gheymeh

1 large onion
1 tablespoon tumeric
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2.5 lbs of Chuck Beef Roast (should have marbled fat) - chopped in 1-1.5 " cubes
3/4-1 cup tukas tomato paste
2 cups quick cook yellow split peas
3 dried lemons (whole)
salt / dried ground lemon
water

In a large pot, cook the onion in the vegetable oil.  Cook for about 5-10 minutes until onion is very soft and translucent.  Add the tumeric.  Mix well.

Add the meat.  Brown on all sides, does not need to be fully cooked.  Just browned.

Add water to cover the meat.

Cook for 1 hour.

Add the tomato paste.  I feel like the tukas brand has the best flavor.

Add the dried lemons and salt.

Continue to cook for another 30-45 minutes.  Stir every 15 minutes.

In a separate pot, cover the split peas in plenty of water.  Cook for about 30 minutes until they are soft, but still a little hard.  Almost el dante style.

Drain the split peas.  Add them to the meat and tomato mixture.

Cook on medium/medium-low for 1 hour (stir every 15 minutes) until the yellow peas are fully cooked, but not mushy.

Add additional salt or lemon to taste.

Nooshe Jan.