Strudel . . . Ahhh...

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Strudel . . . strudel is amazing. Light, buttery, flaky . . . mmmmm... However, I rarely make a whole batch of strudel. I mostly just use the ends of the long, tubelike roll to make 4 strudels when I make a big batch of cinnamon rolls. For strudel, I allow for a longer rising time, then roll out, and fold, roll out and fold - incorporating plenty of softened butter into the dough. It makes for a very delicate pastry.

After getting just the right amount of butter folded in, the dough is rolled out into a long rectangle and spread with filling down the middle. Then the sides are folded over brochure style and slits cut in the top.

Once baked, a glaze or icing can be spread or drizzled over the top, and nuts if desired. Yum!

Underneath It All

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I'm always showing my rolls from the top with all the gooey goodness, but just so ya know, they look pretty tasty from bottom view as well!






Pictured on top are caramel apple rolls and on the bottom are chocolate chip Nutella rolls.both were a big hit!

These would also be very tasty with a powdered sugar icing or glaze.

Caramel Rolls Galore

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Caramel Apple Caramel Rolls

My regular roll base with cinnamon apple filling spread liberally on the dough before rolling, then topped with gooey, made-from-scratch caramel.

Banana Wheat Caramel Rolls

My dough base was changed a bit for this yummy roll, which features banana, honey, and whole wheat flour made into a caramel-topped cinnamon roll. Mmmm...








Chocolate Chip Caramel Rolls

This gooey roll was made with chocolate chips added to the dough, which was then spread with a Nutella filling. I wanted to add hazelnuts to the caramel sauce, since Nutella is a hazelnut spread, but not having any, I settled on toasted almonds instead.



The Nutella melted down right into the caramel and made a rich, fudgy goo. Very tasty!


More to come . . .

Yummy Homemade Cinna-Buns

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Made these cinnamon rolls this morning. Actually, they are more like cinnamon biscuits, as they are made with baking powder. I still like yeast rolls better, but these made for a quick and yummy breakfast, especially good right out of the oven.

A Kale Salad

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Kale is a powerfully beneficial food nutrient - full of vitamins A and C, with plenty of calcium and iron as well. But most people don't care to just eat a bunch of kale - I know I don't! I often add kale to fresh vegetable juices or salads.





I make this salad from napa cabbage, baby kale, red and yellow peppers, a little onion, a little garlic, and some apricot kernels. Just run the veggies through the food processor until choppy, and the garlic until fine. Normally, I would top with some dried cherries or cranberries (they're not raw, but add a nice sweetness), but I didn't have any on hand when I made this.

I used to put a little oil and vinegar on my chopped up salads, but I have found that if I just toss them with enough sea salt to give a good flavor and stick the covered bowl in the fridge, the natural juices of the veggies will permeate the salad and give it just the right amount of moisture.

Next, believe it or not, I used some of my kale salad to top a pizza! I made a little sauce of blended young coconut, sea salt, and garlic, spread it all over my crust and just threw on some of the kale salad. (Had I thought this out in advance, I would have topped the pizza before adding the apricot kernels, but it was all okay.) Added some grated parmesan and shredded mozarella, and it was really good! I think it would have been even better with a little Swiss cheese, but, anyway, it really hit the spot.

Thai Curry with Vegetables

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I'm finally getting around to posting my first experience with making my own Thai curry. It was delish!!! I can't give you an actual recipe, because, as usual, I just glanced over a recipe online to see what goes into it and then threw it all together according to taste. I did a combination of the red and yellow curry.

However, instead of using canned coconut water as the recipe called for, I used fresh coconut water with some young coconut flesh, as well. Also, I did not cook it, as directed in the recipe, but just blended it all up in my Vitamix and then added cooked veggies, which warmed it up a bit. So, the curry paste is actually a raw food (yay!).

I'm sure I used more ginger, garlic, and spices than the following recipe calls for. 

Curry Paste

1/2 to 1 stalk lemongrass, minced
1-2 yellow chilis
1-2 red chilis
2 shallots or small onion, sliced
1 thumb-sized piece of ginger
4 cloves garlic
1 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 tsp. turmeric
1/3 tsp. white pepper
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. lime juice
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
Water and meat from one young coconut