I Made A LOT of Food This Weekend

Mike and I were supposed to go camping this Saturday, so on Friday night I made us treats to take with us. It ended up raining, and we ate the stuff I made at my house on Saturday instead. We were also supposed to go apple-picking, but were again thwarted by the rain. On Friday night I made Streusel-Oat Scones and Bean and Barley Soup from Cooking Light. Both were extremely yummy. It was my first time cooking with dried beans, so I was very proud of myself. As usual, I at least doubled the amount of seasonings (salt, pepper, hot sauce) and omitted the cheese. I will definitely make both again, although when it comes to the soup I might use canned beans simply because the dried ones take so much time.

Streusel-Oat Scones
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar object
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup chilled stick margarine, cut into small pieces [I used butter]
3/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
Cooking spray
1/4 cup quick-cooking oats
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon margarine, melted [butter]
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1) Preheat oven to 450°.
2) Combine first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl; cut in 1/4 cup margarine with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add buttermilk, stirring just until flour mixture is moist.
3) Turn dough out onto a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Pat dough into an 8-inch circle; set aside.
4) Combine oats, brown sugar, 1 tablespoon margarine, and 1 tablespoon flour, forming a streusel. Gently pat oats mixture into surface of dough. Cut dough into 12 wedges (do not separate wedges).
5) Bake at 450° for 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Serve warm.
Makes twelve scones.

Bean and Barley Soup
This is an especially nutritious soup; barley adds another source of soluble fiber. This recipe quick-soaks the beans, but you can soak the beans overnight, if you wish. Pureeing some of the beans adds extra body to the soup.
1 cup dried borlotti or pinto beans
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups finely chopped red onion object
1 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1/2 cup finely chopped carrot
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
9 cups water
2 cups organic vegetable broth (such as Swanson Certified Organic)
2 bay leaves
1/3 cup uncooked pearl barley
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
2 tablespoons grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1) Sort and wash beans; place in a large saucepan. Cover with water to 2 inches above beans; bring to a boil. Cook 2 minutes; remove from heat. Cover and let stand 1 hour. Drain beans. Wipe pan dry with a paper towel.
2) Heat oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add onion, parsley, celery, carrot, and basil; cook 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add beans, 9 cups water, vegetable broth, and bay leaves; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour and 15 minutes or until beans are tender. Discard bay leaves.
3) Place 3/4 cup beans and 3/4 cup cooking liquid in a blender; process until smooth. Return pureed bean mixture to pan.
4) Stir in barley, salt, pepper, and hot sauce; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes or until barley is done. Ladle soup into individual bowls; sprinkle with cheese.
Serves 4 (at least).

On Sunday night I had Lauren and Fi over for dinner and Cranium. Yay. I made Falafel Burgers from Vegetarian Planet at Mike's request, because this is one of his favorite dishes I have made so far. I also made Caramel Apple Bars that I found on desertculinary.blogspot.com. I made my own caramel! I was so proud. Everyone around was very impressed, including some of my roommate Ryan's friends, who offered me a free room in their apartment if I would cook for them. My favorite part about this was that I reduced the amount of fat in this recipe. Not a lot, but at least some. I used fat-free half-and-half instead of heavy cream in the caramel and you cannot taste the difference at all. I will definitely make these again, as these were extremely popular with everyone, Mike most of all (he ate several servings). Oh, and I didn't set aside any extra caramel--I used all of it in the bars because I had doubled the amount of apples.
Falafel Burgers
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups minced onions
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin seeds
1 cup finely chopped carrot
1 3/4 cups (1 15-ounce can) cooked and drained garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
1 1/2 tablespoons tahini (sesame paste) or peanut butter
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
1/3 cup chickpea flour or unbleached white flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 lemon (optional)
1) In a skillet, combine 1 tablespoon of the olive oil with the onions over medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onions soften, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, cumin, and carrot, and cook 2 minutes more. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl.
2) Add the drained chickpeas, and mash them wiht a potato masher or chop them in a food processor until they are broken down and unidentifiable. Add the tahini or peanut butter and the parsley. In a smaller bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add the mixture to the large bowl, and stir well.
3) With floured hands, form four patties from the chickpea mixture, then lightly dust the burgers with flour. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat, and add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Turn hte heat to medium-low, and add the patties. After about 1 minute, or when they have just begun to brown, flip them. Cook them about 2 minutes more on the other side. Then flip them back onto the first side, and cook another minute. They should be a deep golden brown on both sides. (They burn easily, so wath them well.) Remove the burgers from the skillet, and squeeze a bit of lemon juice onto each. Serve immediately.
Makes 4 large burgers.

Caramel Apple Bars (Adapted from KA Cookie Companion)
For the Crust:
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup butter1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup ground pecans
2 cups rolled oats

For the Filling:
3 1/2 cups sliced apples (about 24 ounces)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup Homemade Caramel*

Homemade Caramel:
1 cup heavy cream
2 cups brown sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
4 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon good quality vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1) Mix all of the above ingredients into a 2 quart saucepan. Heat over medium, stirring constantly, until it reaches soft-ball stage (230-234 degrees). Remove and gently pour your 1 cup over the apple mixture.This recipes makes more than you will use so pour the rest into a 8X8 pan lined with foil and let cool. Cut into squares and you have your own homemade caramel squares! [I just used all of the caramel since I used more apples]

Directions:
1) Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Line a 9X13 pan with foil and lightly spray with cooking spray.
2) In a medium bowl, beat the brown sugar and the next 4 ingredients (through baking soda) until thoroughly combined. Mix in the flour, ground pecans and oats until crumbly. Scoop out 1 cup and set aside.
3) Place the remaining crumbs into your prepared pan and press down firmly to coat the bottom. Toss the apples in a large bowl with the salt and cinnamon. Arrange them over the crust. Drizzle the warm homemade caramel over the top and then sprinkle with the remaining crumbs you set aside.
4) Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until bubbly and the apples are just tender. Remove and let cool until they are just warm to the touch. Cut into squares. Try and let the bars rest until the caramel has set before serving. [This did not happen for us]