Irish Chocolate Potato Cake

This cake gets made for every birthday and celebration that requires cake.  We've even made it as a wedding cake for friends.  Topped with Incredible Chocolate Icing, it's the richest, moistest, most amazing cake I've ever tasted.

---

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 eggs
• 3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted
• 1 cup cold mashed potatoes
• 1 cup sour milk
• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Steps:

1. Combine the ingredients in the order given.  
2. Pour into two greased and lined 9" layer pans and bake in 350 oven for 35 minutes, or until done. 
3.  Cool in pans for 10 minutes, then turn out and cool on racks. 
4.  Fill and ice with "Incredible Chocolate Icing". We like to add raspberry jam between the layers for extra flavour.

---

From: Out of Old Nova Scotia Kitchens

Incredible Chocolate Icing

We use this icing with Irish Chocolate Potato cake, but it's just as good on brownies too.  It's a very thick and dense icing, so it's not good for delicate cakes or cupcakes.

---

Blend 4 seconds in food processor (electric mixer ok, but not as smooth):

• ½ cup soft butter
• 1 cup icing sugar
• 2/3 cup cocoa

Add and process until smooth:

• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 T. hot coffee
• 2 T. milk

---

From: Nuts About Chocolate

Eggs Baked in Avocado

Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon cumin seed 
• 2 teaspoons olive oil 
• 1/2 large onion, chopped  
• 1 1/2 cup diced tomatoes 
• 1 clove garlic, sliced very thin 
• Salt an pepper
• 1 large avocado 
• 2 eggs 
•  Warm corn tortillas

Steps:

1. Pre-heat oven to 425
2. Lightly toast cumin until fragrant in an oven proof frying pan.
3. Add olive oil, onion and garlic, cooking till soft.
4. Add tomatoes and salt and let simmer for 5 minutes.
5. Cut avocado in half, discard pit and peel.
6. Remove tomato mixture from heat and nestle avocado halves in the mixture, cut side up.
7. Crack an egg into each avocado, season with salt an pepper.
8. Bake in oven till egg is cooked to your desire, approx. 15 minutes
9. Serve on warm tortilla

Adapted from Food52.

---

HOT QUINOA BREAKFAST

Ingredients: 

2/3 cup of water
3 Tbsp quinoa
2 Tbsp quick cooking rolled oats
1-2 tsp maple syrup, honey or brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp flax
2 Tbsp blueberries, cranberries or raisins (fresh, frozen or dried)
Milk, cream or yogurt to serve with

Directions: 

Place water and quinoa in a small saucepan, bring to a boil and cover.
Reduce to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes
Stir in oats (and dried fruit if using), cover and cook for another 5 minutes, until oats are tender
Remove from heat
Stir in maple syrup, honey or brown sugar and flax
Fold in fruit if using fresh or frozen.
Top with milk, cream or yogurt
Serve immediately

 From: Quinoa 365 - The Everyday Superfood

Veggie-Quinoa Soup

I invented this recipe on a cold, snowy day based on the vegetables we had in the fridge.  I wanted to make a veggie-quinoa soup, so I did.

---

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 zucchini
• 3 celery stalks
• 1 small onion
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/4 jalapeno pepper
• 2 cups chicken broth 
• 1/3 cup quinoa
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• thyme to taste
• salt and pepper

Steps:

1. Heat oil in medium sauce pan
2. Sautée onion and garlic till translucent
3. Add in celery, zucchini and jalapeno.  Cook while stirring for 3-4 minutes, till tender.
4. Add broth, seasoning and quinoa
5. Bring to a boil, cover with lid and reduce heat
6. Simmer for approx. 20 minutes, till vegetable and quinoa are cooked through
7. Blend with a hand mixer till smooth and creamy.
8. Add in frozen peas and stir well
9. Serve and enjoy!

Makes 2 servings

Calories: 289

Carbs: 42

Fiber: 7

Protein: 8

Iron: 4

Calcium: 9

Irish Shepherd's Pie

This is one of the 4 recipes that I presented to the Daring Kitchen cooks for the December 2012 Challenge. You can check out the full file with all the how-to pictures here:  Paté Chinois

Recipe Source: Originally found in Homemakers Magazine (Nov. 2007) and now found online at FreshJuice.ca

---

Ingredients:

• 2 ½ lbs russet baking potatoes 
• 3 lbs boneless lamb shoulder or leg, cut in 1 ½ -inch cubes 
• 3 carrots, chopped 
• 1 parsnip, chopped 
• 1 large onion finely chopped 
• 8 oz mushroom, sliced 
• ½ cup chopped parsley
• ⅓ cup all-purpose flour 
• 1 bay leaf 
• 1 ½ tsp salt 
• 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves, or ½ tsp dried thyme 
• ¼ tsp ground pepper 
• 2 cups stout or dark ale 
• 1 cup frozen peas, thawed 
• 2 tbsp butter
• ¼ cup milk
• ¼ tsp nutmeg

Steps:

1. Peel potatoes, cut in half and place on the bottom of the slow cooker
2. Mix lamb and vegetables together in a bowl.
3. In a large bowl, mix flour with parsley, salt, pepper, thyme and nutmeg.  Add lamb and vegetables, and toss to everything is evenly coated.
4. Add this mixture to the slow cooker.
5. Pour in stout. Cover and set slow cooker.
6. Cook for approx 10 hours on low or 5 hours on high.
7. Remove potatoes with a slotted spoon to a bowl.  Don’t worry about the bits of lamb or vegetables that go with it, they enhace the flavour.
8. Stir in frozen peas
9. Transfer meat, vegetables and sauce to a oven proof casserole dish. I left mine in the slow cooker, as the insert comes out and is oven proof.
10. Preheat oven to 475°F.
11. Add milk, butter and nutmeg to the potatoes and mash them together.
12. Spread mashed potatoes over the stew.
13. Bake in oven for approx 15 minutes, until potatoes are browned.

---

Breakfast Strata

The best thing about a breakfast strata is that you put it all together the night before, refrigerate and just pop it in the oven in the morning.  Within 45 minutes to an hour you have a lovely brunch.

The amounts for this dish vary based on the amount you want to make.  You can have as much or as little bacon/mushrooms/asparagus as you like.  Simply ensure that your milk/egg mixture is enough to soak through all of the bread.

---

Ingredients:

• Bread
• Eggs
• Milk
• Bacon
• Mushrooms
• Onions
• Asparagus
• Grated cheese
• Salt and Pepper

Steps:

1. Fry the bacon mushrooms and onions till tender, not crispy
2. Cube bread into small bite size pieces
3. Cut asparagus into small bite size pieces
4. Toss bread, bacon, mushrooms and asparagus together
5. Place in oven proof dish
6. Whisk eggs, milk, salt and pepper together
7. Pour over bread mixture evenly.  Press down to ensure all of the bread is soaked through
8. Sprinkle grated cheese on top
9. Cover and refrigerate overnight or at least 2 hours to allow the egg/milk mixture to soak in completely
10. Pre-heat oven to 350°
11. Uncover dish and bake for 45-60 minutes, till golden brown and all the egg mixture is cooked through

---