Tasty Tuesday – Fall Harvest Cake

- Posted by to General

Two of our favorite fall fruits play nicely together in this fruit cake that’s a great way to end a meal on a cool autumn evening. Be sure to use deep orange and fully ripened Hachiya persimmons; buy them when they feel like a soft tomato. You have to wait until the fruit is practically turning to mush before you can be sure it’s ripe, but when it is ripe, it’s rich and sweet like candy. Ask the farmer at your local market to point you to the right persimmon for your needs.

This is a fruit cake in the sense that it’s almost as much fruit as cake, making it dense, moist, and sweet. I combined persimmons with apples because they taste great together and they are both in season this time of year, but feel free to try other types of fruit, adjusting the agave nectar as necessary. Persimmons are very sweet, so you may need a little more sweetener if your substitute, for say, bananas or mango.

Fall Harvest Persimmon-Apple Cake
Servings: 6

Fruit:
3/4 cup ripe persimmon pulp
1 large apple
1/8 cup agave nectar
1/8 cup water
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger

Cake:
1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup orange juice
1/2 cup agave nectar
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup soy yogurt or apple sauce

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F. Oil a 8 or 9-inch baking dish or cake pan. Remove the skin from the persimmons along with any seeds. Mash pulp and measure. Peel the apple and chop into 1/2-inch cubes.

Place the apple into a saucepan along with the 1/8 cup agave nectar, water, cinnamon, and ginger. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring, until the apple softens, about 10 minutes. Add the persimmon and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. In a large measuring cup or small bowl, mix together the water, orange juice, 1/2 cup agave nectar, cider vinegar, and vanilla. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the wet ones along with the soy yogurt or apple sauce. Stir until well-moistened. Fold in apple mixture.

Pour into the prepared pan. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool in the pan for at least 15 minutes before removing from pan. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving, if desired.

french toast casserole

Tasty Tuesday – French Toast Casserole

- Posted by to Tasty Tuesday

How do you celebrate the holidays? With a traditional feast for your close, immediate family? Or a big open house where all your friends, family and neighbors are invited to share in your holiday traditions? With Thanksgiving right around the corner, I am reminded of long-standing family traditions that we celebrate, and some of the new traditions and memories we have created along the way.

One of my favorite traditions is a holiday breakfast on Christmas morning. Before everyone digs into their stockings and Christmas presents – we all sit down to an amazing feast of homemade breakfast casseroles and coffee cake. I’ve always been a fan of french toast, so I’d like to share a tasty recipe that we tried a couple of years ago that was a big hit!

“This is a delicious overnight French toast casserole that my family likes to prepare for Christmas breakfast. It’s easy to prepare and sets overnight, so in the morning you just put it in the oven and enjoy.”
french toast casserole
Orange-Pecan French Toast Casserole
Servings: 12

Ingredients:
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted
2 tablespoons light-colored corn syrup
Cooking spray
1/3 cup chopped pecans
1 teaspoon grated orange rind
1 cup fresh orange juice
1/2 cup fat-free milk
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 large egg whites
2 large eggs
12 (1-inch-thick) slices French bread (about 1 pound)

Directions:
Combine brown sugar, butter, and corn syrup; pour into a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle chopped pecans evenly over sugar mixture.

french toast casserole preparation

Combine rind and next 7 ingredients (rind through eggs); stir with a whisk. Arrange bread slices over pecans in dish; pour egg mixture over bread. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour or up to overnight.

french toast casserole preparation continued

Preheat oven to 350°.

Carefully turn bread slices over to absorb excess egg mixture. Let stand at room temperature 20 minutes. Bake at 350° for 35 minutes or until lightly browned. Serve & enjoy!

No matter how you celebrate, your holiday is sure to involve a special meal, or two… or five. I would love for us to share our holiday traditions and special recipes throughout this holiday season. If you’d like to share one of your favorite holiday traditions with our readers, or if you have a wonderful holiday recipe (cookies, pies, casseroles, etc.), please submit them to info@sevenhopesunited.com.

Tasty Tuesday – Lentil and Harvest Vegetable Stew

- Posted by to Tasty Tuesday

It’s that time of year where the days are getting a little shorter, and it’s getting a bit chillier, so I thought I would share one of my favorite recipes for vegetable stew. It’s such an easy thing to make on those nights where you don’t really feel like cooking, because you can just throw a couple of packages of frozen veggies, along with some pantry staples in the mix and it’s basically done. I hope this soup keeps you warm on a chilly night! Enjoy!

Lentil and Harvest Vegetable Stew
Servings: 6

Ingredients
1 large onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic cloves, minced
2 pounds fresh vegetables cut in bit-sized pieces (or 2 – 12oz packages of frozen veggies)
1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes, preferably fire-roasted
1 15-ounce can cooked lentils (or 1 1/2 cups cooked lentils and cooking liquid)
4 cups vegetable broth
1 1/4 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/3 cup quinoa, rinsed very well
2/3 cup pumpkin
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions:
Cook the onion in a large, non-stick pan until it begins to brown. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for another minute. Add next 7 ingredients and cook until vegetables thaw and broth begins to boil. Add quinoa and cook on medium heat until it is tender, about 15 minutes. Add pumpkin and salt and pepper to taste and cook for 5 more minutes, adding a little water if it seems too thick. Serve hot and enjoy.

*I used a frozen blend of zucchini, carrots, cauliflower, lima beans, red bell peppers, and Italian green beans, but any blend of chunky-cut vegetables will do.

Tasty Tuesday – Gingerbread Cupcakes with Pumpkin Cream Cheese Frosting

- Posted by to Tasty Tuesday

‘Tis the time of jack o’ lanterns, spicy pumpkin pie and other festive holiday recipes, so I’d thought I’d share one of my new favorites with you in honor of All Hallow’s Eve! You can make these delicious gingerbread cupcakes with any type of frosting; I thought since I was was making them to help celebrate Halloween I would try a Pumpkin Cream Cheese frosting & they turned out great! You can decorate them with a little raw cane sugar like I did, or go for a little more festive look with Halloween sprinkles or candy corn.

Gingerbread Cupcakes with Pumpkin Cream Cheese Frosting

Cupcakes

1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 stick butter, room temperature
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
3/4 tsp. ginger
1 tsp. cinnamon
pinch nutmeg
pinch salt
1/2 cup molasses
2 eggs
1/2 cup sour cream

Mix flour and baking soda. In separate bowl, beat together butter, brown sugar, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Beat in molasses, then eggs one at a time. Mix in sour cream until well blended. Pour into lined cupcake pan. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes, or until toothpick comes out almost clean.

Frosting

8 oz package of cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup canned pumpkin purée
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar (more if you prefer to pipe the frosting on instead of spreading)

In a large bowl, mix frosting ingredients with electric hand mixer. Spread onto cooled cupcakes, or pipe on with a piping bag and a tip. Sprinkle with a little raw cane sugar on top for a little crunch, or place your favorite Halloween candy on top & enjoy!

Tasty Tuesday – Mocha Punch

- Posted by to Tasty Tuesday

I first tried this smooth, creamy punch at a friend’s graduation party. It was so delicious I think everyone at the party asked for the recipe. Having a frosty glass of this mocha punch is almost like sipping a chocolate shake. It would be perfect for a family gathering or Christmas party. It’s sure to be the first thing gone, so plan to have everything ready to make more!

Mocha Punch
Servings: 20-25, Prep: 15 min. + chilling
Ingredients
6 cups chilled coffee
1/2 cup instant chocolate drink mix
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 gallon fair trade vanilla ice cream
1/2 gallon fair trade chocolate ice cream
1 cup heavy whipping cream, whipped
Fair Trade Chocolate curls, optional

Directions

  • Brew 6 cups of fair trade coffee. In a large saucepan or mixing bowl: Add coffee, drink mix, and sugar; stir until dissolved. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.
  • About 30 minutes before serving, pour mixture into a large punch bowl. Add Fair Trade ice cream (Ben & Jerry’s) by scoopfuls; stir until partially melted.
  • Garnish with dollops of whipped cream and Fair Trade chocolate curls if desired.