Armenian Eggplant Spread (caviar)

This is my favorite eggplant/vegetable spread I grew up eating in Armenia! Very delicious!

Ingredients

2 eggplants
6 red or green bell peppers
3 big onions
3 carrots
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1 TB tomato paste
1 pinch sugar (or stevia)
2 tsp salt (or to taste)
1 tsp black pepper (or to taste)
1 cup vegetable oil


Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line big cookie sheets with aluminum foil and arrange the eggplants, peppers and onions on them WITH the skins on! Don't even peel the onions. Roast them until the skins look dark brown (about 45 minutes or even longer).

In a small pot or a microwave steam the carrots with little water until soft. Mash them well with a potato masher. Blend the tomatoes in a blender and set aside.

Once the vegetables are roasted well put them into a bag and let them sit for a few minutes to get the skins loosened up. Once they are cooled enough to handle, peel all of the roasted vegetables, remove the cores and seeds from the peppers. Blend the onions in the blender and then put in a big skillet with oil and then start sauteing over medium heat on the stove. Cook the onions until they are golden brown. While the onions are cooking blend the rest of the vegetables and parsley.

Once the onions are golden brown add tomato paste and ground-up tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes. Then add the rest of the vegetables, garlic, sugar, salt and pepper and cook for an hour to 1 1/2 hours on a low heat stirring occasionally. It will be ready when the liquids are evaporated and it looks thick enough for a spread or dip.

this is what it should look like after it's done cooking

Truffle Cookies

Ingredients

2 sticks of butter
1 egg
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp hot water
1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg (optional)


Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a medium bowl mix all the ingredients together with a hand mixer except for the last 3 ingredients, until everything is blended nicely.

Take some batter into your palm and with the tips of your fingers shape them into cones/pyramids. I like to use 1 tablespoon batter for each truffle. Put them onto an ungreased cookie sheet and bake them for 17 minutes. Don't let them brown or even get pink, so that they melt in your mouth once they are cooked.

Meanwhile prepare the topping by mixing the powdered sugar and cocoa powder (and the nutmeg, if using) on a big plate or in a shallow container. While the truffle cookies are HOT dip them into the powder and set them on a tray until you have done so with each one of them. You'll need to do the same for the second coating and then dust the rest of the powder over them to look nice.

Makes 44 truffles (if using 1TB batter for each one)

Quote of the week

"Don't take a butcher's advice on how to cook  meat. If he knew, he'd be a chef"

Andy Rooney

Sweet Potato Casserole

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup regular oats
• 1 1/2 cups milk (I used Almond Milk)
• 2 cups chopped raw sweet potatoes
• 1 ripe large banana mashed
• 1 tbsp ground flax seeds
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/3 cup raisins and chopped dried apricots
• 2 tbsp molasses
• a pinch of salt

Crunchy Topping:

• 1/3 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp flour
• 3 packets Stevia* 

 Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F.

  In a medium size pot combine sweet potato and 1 cup of water and cook until the potatoes are tender. Mash them coarsely with a fork. Empty it into a bowl and set aside.
  In the same pot add the oats and milk and bring to a boil. Add the rest of the ingredients including the sweet potato (except for the crunchy toppings) and cook for about 5 minutes.
  Make the crunchy pecan topping by mixing together the pecans, flour, butter, and Stevia with a fork until very clumpy. Pour the oatmeal into a small baking dish and sprinkle on the pecan topping.
  Bake uncovered for 20 minutes at 350F. Then set oven to BROIL and broil on for a couple minutes, watching very closely so you do not burn the topping.

Makes 3-4 servings


*Araksya's Tip: If you don't have Stevia you can use any dry sweetener you have, or just 1/4 cup brown sugar.