Walla Walla Sweet Onion Tarts

Spring is here! It's the time of daffodils, Easter eggs, lawns turning green, and planting gardens. It's a little early to plant very many things outside, but peas and Walla Walla Sweet Onion starts are hearty enough to withstand a bit of frost as the weeks go by. If you live in the valley, sets of onion starts can be found at any nursery and in most supermarket garden centers. It's possible to grow them "nearly" as sweet and delicious as the pros; the Italian sweet onion farmers who plant and bag Walla Walla Sweet Onions in abundance. Have you ever eaten an onion like an apple? If not, it's likely you've never tried a genuine Walla Walla Sweet.

I was going through one of my mother's recipe boxes a few days ago and found this delightful recipe. With spring here, it seems a perfect time to share! I hope you enjoy!

Walla Walla Sweet Onion Tart

1 cup butter
2 - 3 oz. packages cream cheese
2 cups all purpose flour, white

Combine ingredients and blend well. Then divide the doub into 48 equal balls. Press dough into 2" sections of ungreased, nonstick muffin tins. Work the dough up the sides of the tin to the rim. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Then cream together:

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 medium eggs, beaten lightly
2 cups Walla Walla Sweet Onions, diced
2 tsp. vanilla

Cream together butter and sugar. Add remaining ingredients. Fill tart shells to the rim. Bake from 30 - 40 minutes (check until golden brown). Cool completely before removing from muffin tin.

Serve as a "sweet" for afternoon tea. 

Veg Sausage and Red Quinoa Cabbage Rolls

Recipe conversion is an art that is interesting and can be fun. For those who live a vegetarian lifestyle, it becomes a way of life. Recently I found a great recipe for cabbage rolls on the Internet. I thought it sounded delicious and it reminded me of the cabbage rolls my grandmother and mother used to make. I decided to make them, adapting the recipe to fit the dietary needs of members of the immediate family. The cabbage rolls were not as time consuming as I expected, and they were essentially a one-dish-meal (protein, starch, and vegetable). You could add a tossed green salad if you liked. Here's the recipe as converted:

Veg Sausage and Red Quinoa Cabbage Rolls

• 1 head cabbage
• 1 cup red quinoa, cooked
• 1 egg, beaten OR egg substitute (ground flax seed or flax seed gel)
• 1/4 cup almond milk
• 1 sweet onion, diced
• 1 package Soyrizo, vegetarian sausage
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. garlic powder (or fresh, minced garlic)
• 2 - 8 ounce cans tomato sauce
• 1 - 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes with liquid
• 1 tsp. stevia
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp. vegetarian Worcestershire sauce

Stem head of cabbage and place base down in a kettle. Add 2" of water and lid. Steam until tender; about ten minutes. When leaves are tender, remove from heat and drain. Cool. Then remove leaves and dry individually with paper towel.

Combine red quinoa, egg OR egg substitute, almond milk, onion, garlic powder, Soyrizo, and salt. Scoop about 1/4 cup of this mixture into the center of each cabbage leaf. Fold them into small packages, making sure all ends are tucked in. Place each in a low casserole pan with the tucked in side down.

In a bowl, combine tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, stevia, lemon juice, and Worcestershire sauce. Pour the sauce over the cabbage rolls. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 1 hour.

Delicious!

This is a gluten-free recipe. The Angostura Worcestershire Sauce from Safeway is vegetarian (no anchovies).

Summer Green Salad with Raspberry Lemon Dressing

Summer Green Salad with Raspberry Lemon Dressing

• 1 lb. red and green artisan lettuces, torn into 1" pieces
• 1 medium green apple, peeled and diced
• 1 avocado, diced into 1" cubes
• 1 Tbsp. dried cranberries
• 2/3 cup corn kernels, defrosted

Prepare ingredients and toss together in a serving bowl.


Raspberry Lemon Dressing

• 1 small package raspberries
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup raspberry apple juice, concentrated OR raspberry white grape juice concentrate
• 1 to 2 packets stevia
• 1/2 cup lemon juice, fresh
• 3 Tbsp. black cherry fruit spread, fruit juice sweetened
• 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard OR 1 Tbsp. mustard powder
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• 1 tsp. poppy seeds

Place all ingredients except poppy seeds in a blender. Whiz until well blended. Pour into serving pitcher and stir in poppy seeds.

Enjoy!

Aunt Mabel's Potato Pancakes

My Aunt Mabel is a fantastic cook! Recently I prepared a recipe that she has always been famous for ~ Potato Pancakes! They are delicious served for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Recently we prepared them as 'cabin fare' and served ours with catsup and a dairy-free ranch dressing, but Aunt Mabel always served hers with creamy cucumber dressing (also very tasty) or Rogers Golden Syrup. Here's a recipe for her famous pancakes.

Aunt Mabel's Potato Pancakes

8 medium potatoes, raw and grated

1 1/2 medium onions

1 package silken tofu, firm and 2 Tbsp. flour*

[or 3 eggs *see note below]

1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. baking powder

oil

Heat oil in a large skillet to fry the pancakes.

Shred raw, peeled potatoes using a carrot grater. Put in a large bowl. Mince the onions. Add to the potatoes. Next add the tofu, flour, salt, and baking powder. Mix well.

Use a large spoon and spatula to add the potato mixture to the oil. Brown on one side, flip over, brown the other side. Repeat if necessary (so the potatoes are cooked through) then remove to a plate covered with paper towels to drain. Serve with your favorite dressing or maple syrup.

*Flour is used with the tofu to act as a binder. You can use regular all-purpose flour or a gluten free flour such as soy flour, fava bean flour, or a gluten-free flour blend. It works nicely. For a non-vegan version, add eggs and omit tofu.