What to with some unexpected ingredients?

[Laura B]

Well, I got a box from Ethinc Grocer today. Excited, I ripped it open to find... horseradish? decaf espresso beans? three cans of coconut milk? yeast! ancho chile peppers! and buckwheat flour?

This is not what I ordered! The folks at ethinc grocer sent me some guy's order and told me to keep it instead of sending it back to them. They credited my account for the amount of my original order so that I can reorder what I wanted. Of course, now the rice wine I had ordered is out of stock (probably in so small part to CL readers)!

Anyway, what do I do with coconut milk and buckwheat flour? Also, I have never had horseradish. What do I use it in? And I don't drink coffee! AND, I have never used a dried chile in my life (not a spicy food girl). Perhaps this box of wonder will have a positive influence on my life! Suggestions anyone?

[Laura B]

Isn't this just hysterical? All of the items I had originally ordered are now out of stock!

[SueK]

Laura- I don't have any recipes for you, but I got to thinking that this would be a cool idea---find a friend that likes to cook as much as you do, then give each other boxes with surprise ingredients in it, and force each other to come up with dishes using the ingredients. I guess this would be a home version of "Ready, Set, Cook" (on Food TV).

I ordered from Ethnic Grocer for the first time last week, and got my order on Tuesday. Thank goodness it was the right stuff! Good luck! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[SandyM]

Hi Laura,

One of my favorite Cooking Light recipes is Horseradish and Roasted Garlic Encrusted tenderloin. Roast a head of garlic, add 1/3 cup of horseradish to the garlic paste, toss in some basil and rosemary, and spread on a beef tenderloin; bake until thermometer reads 170º (for medium).

I bet it would be great on a pork tenderloin also.

[Laura B]

Sue, that would be fun! Too bad my box was not more well-rounded on one theme. I could have done my own Ready, Set, Cook tonight. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif

Thank you for that recipe, Sandy. I love tenderloin and I will definitely try that the next time I cook one.

[This message has been edited by Laura B (edited 01-17-2001).]

[SueK]

Too bad you didn't get my box! With the exception of chipolte peppers in adobo sauce, everything else I ordered was Thai or Chinese.

(You can always use the coconut milk for Thai foods, if you like that).

[L.Rose]

Laura B,

I'm sorry to hear about what happened with EthnicGrocer. The good news is that there are hundreds of really delicious things you can make with coconut milk (especially if you like Thai food)-- curries, soups, coconut rice, and so on. If you do a search on CL's Recipe Finder with "coconut milk" as the specified ingredient, there are several recipes to choose from. You can also search EthnicGrocer's recipe database, just to show that there are no hard feelings (heh heh).

If you're not into curry or Thai cuisine, you can use the milk in rice or tapioca pudding (CL had a tapioca recipe a few months back that called for coconut milk-- it was really good), or make coconut ice cream.

I have no idea about the buckwheat flour.

Also, I don't know where you live, but if there is even one Asian grocery store in your town, they will most definitely have rice wine. Rice wine is about as commonplace an ingredient in Chinese cooking as soy sauce...

[Laura B]

It turns out, after closer inspection, that I have Dijon Mustard with Horseradish IN IT (brand name Maille). So, this changes things a little.

I do like Thai and Chinese food (but just do not usually cook it), so I am sure I will find a use for the coconut milk. Now that I am calm, I seem to remember at least one soup from CL that used coconut milk. I even bought a can of low fat coconut milk for the recipe but never made it. So, now I have one can of low fat and three cans of regular coconut milk!

OK - I really do not drink coffee and I certainly do not have a coffee grinder. If anyone wants me to send them a can of Illy brand decaf espresso beans, I will be overjoyed to do so! According to the packing slip this 8.8 oz can cost almost 16 dollars, so I would hate for it to go to waste. Just let me know and it's yours.

[This message has been edited by Laura B (edited 01-17-2001).]

[BarrieCov]

I can only drink decaf, and Illy is a great brand!

As for the Maille mustard, it's the only kind my French friends use, so enjoy. It makes a great salad dressing (mixed with a little oil and vinegar, natch).

[This message has been edited by BarrieCov (edited 01-17-2001).]

[Laura B]

*

[This message has been edited by Laura B (edited 01-18-2001).]

[Gail]

I recall Lorilei mentioning she regularly makes rice using coconut milk for the liquid. You can find her method here: www.cookinglight.com/bbs/Forum1/HTML/001324.html (http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/Forum1/HTML/001324.html)

There's also CL's Malaysian Lime Coconut Swordfish:
www.cookinglight.com/bbs/Forum1/HTML/003540.html (http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/Forum1/HTML/003540.html)

which you could do with halibut as suggested.

Insofar as buckwheat flour is concerned, I'm immediately thinking buckwheat pancakes. I've got a couple of recipes for those, if you're at all interested. Also, if you're into breadmaking, Bernard Clayton's New Complete Book of breads has several recipes utilizing buckwheat flour. Rather than typing one up (they're kind of long), I suppose I should find out if you're interested in that sort of thing beforehand.

Good luck!

[sneezles]

Laura
I agree with Barrie on the Dijon mustard. Maille is the only brand I buy and once had to settle for the one with horseradish because the store was out of the plain. I suggest you try it in any recipe that calls for Dijon, especially any chicken ones.
The Kitchen Companion says that buckwheat is a grain native to Mongolia or Siberia. It has a pleasantly sour, nutlike taste and robust texture. A popular choice for side dishes in eastern Europe and Russia, the grains are ususally pan-toasted before being cooked to tenderness in boiling water.
IF you are sure to remove all the seeds of the chilis and they may be milder than you think, the real heat is in the seeds.

[LGBurns]

The only thing I can think of for the buckwheat flour are pancakes. Here's my recipe for multi-grain pancakes which I'm sure you could use buckwheat flour in:

Multi-grain Pancakes (adapted from Jane Brody's Good Food Book)

2/3 cup whole wheat flour (maybe substitute all buckwheat flour or 1/3 whole wheat & 1/3 buckwheat?)
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup corn meal (or you can substitute the buckwheat here, although I like the texture of the corn meal myself)
2 tablespoons wheat germ (I've made them many times omitting this with no problem)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon sugar

1 cup buttermilk (or yogurt)
1/4 cup skim milk (more or less depending on how thick you like your pancakes)
1 whole egg
1 egg white
1 tablespoon canola oil
1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Mix dry ingredients together with a whisk until well blended. Mix wet ingredients until well-blended. Combine until just moist (don't worry about lumps).

I also always add one of the following:

one large grated apple
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon ginger

or

1 mashed banana
same spices as above

I mix the spices in with the fruit and then add to the pancake mixture gently just until blended.

Cook these on a hot griddle handling them as little as possible. I serve these a lot at home and for company and always get rave reviews. I'm sure the buckwheat would make them super yummy!

[This message has been edited by LGBurns (edited 01-17-2001).]

[Vanessa]

Hi. Well there are several ways to use the coconut milk. CL had several recipes so look under search. Also the decaf coffee why not give it to a friend who enjoys decaf as well as the other items which you are not going to use.For the buckwheat flour here some ideas:

Fruity Buckwheat Muffins

1 c Flour
1 c Peeled, cored, finely
Choppped Granny Smith
Apples
3/4 c Buckwheat flour
1/3 c Sugar
1/4 c Chopped, pitted dates
1 1/2 ts Baking powder
1/4 ts Baking soda
1/8 ts Salt
3/4 c Non fat buttermilk
2 tb Oil
1 Egg, lightly beaten

combine flour, apples, buckwheat flour, sugar, dates, baking powder,baking soda and salt in large bowl. Make well in centre of mixture. combine buttermilk, oil and egg in another bowl and add to dry ingredients, stirring just until moistened. divide batter evenly among muffin cups coated with cooking spray. Bake at 375F for 20 minutes. Remove from pan immediately. Let cool on wire racks. Makes 12 muffins

Buckwheat Pretzels
3 1/2 c Flour; all-purpose
2/3 c Flour; buckwheat (light or
Whole
2 ts Salt
2 Eggs
1 c Milk
1 Egg white; slightly beaten
Sesame seeds; poppy seeds
And/or coarse salt
In large bowl, mix two flours and salt. Add eggs and milk; blend to form a medium soft dough. Knead dough on a floured board for a few minutes. Place dough into a sealed container or zipper-top plastic bag; let rest for about 20 minutes. Cut dough into 12 or 16 pieces, depending upon pretzel size you prefer. Roll each piece into a rope and a twist into desired shape. Place pretzels on a lightly oiled baking sheet; brush with egg white. Sprinkle with salt, sesame or poppy seeds. Bake at 425d for 15-20 minutes. Serve warm.

Makes 12-16 pretzels.

[ConfettiPie]

Hey there, sorry to hear about your situation. Thats pretty crazy. But I do have a suggestion. Have you ever been to www.************* (http://www.*************) .com ? If not you should really check it out. They have a feature which might help you, called "Use Whats In My Fridge". Basically you type in an item or a group of items you have and it tells you a bunch of recipes for them. Its really quite handy. And registering with them is really easy. Anyways, hope this helps!

[Laura B]

Thanks for all of the help, y'all. I am sure I will figure out what to do with this stuff. I mailed the coffee to Barrie already. I checked the fat content on that coconut milk, though, and I was shocked. There are 5 servings per can and each serving has 15 grams of fat. I think I will be giving that away, too!

[This message has been edited by Laura B (edited 01-19-2001).]

[Laura B]

Thanks for the censoring CL!

[This message has been edited by Laura B (edited 01-19-2001).]

[Gail]

Originally posted by ConfettiPie:
Hey there, sorry to hear about your situation. Thats pretty crazy. But I do have a suggestion. Have you ever been to www.************* (http://www.*************) .com ? If not you should really check it out. They have a feature which might help you, called "Use Whats In My Fridge". Basically you type in an item or a group of items you have and it tells you a bunch of recipes for them. Its really quite handy. And registering with them is really easy. Anyways, hope this helps!

Oh, Maelynn! I LOVE it! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif

It's like a gag order. Thanks.

[Jen]

I found another couple of recipes with buckwheat flour that sound delicious...although I haven't tried either. Let me know if you give them a try!

Buckwheat Crepes with Caramelized Apples - More HeartSmart Cooking (Bonnie Stern)

3 eggs
1 1/4 cups milk
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp granulated sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup buckwheat flour or whole wheat flour
1 tbsp soft margarine, melted

3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tbsp cold water
6 apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
1 cup apple juice
2 tbsp icing sugar

In large bowl, beat together eggs and milk. Beat in salt, sugar, all-purpose flour, buckwheat flour and melted margarine. Cover tightly and let batter rest in refrigerator for at least 1 hour. (If batter is too thick, add a little water until it is the consistency of buttermilk).

Meanwhile, to make apples, combine sugar and water in large deep skillet. Stir together and bring to a boil. Cook on medium-high heat, without stirring, until sugar turns golden. Carefully, standing back (as sugar is very hot), add apples. Cook for about 20 minutes. Mixture will at first be very sticky, but apples will start to lose their juices into the caramel and smooth it out. Add a little of the apple juice during cooking if apples stick or burn.

To make crepes, heat 10" non-stick pan and brush with oil. Add ladleful of batter and swirl around bottom of pan. Pour back into bowl any batter that does not stick.

Cook crepe until browned, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook second side for 30-60 seconds. Remove to plate and cook remaining crepes - you should have about 8 crepes.

Add remaining apple juice to apples and bring to boil. Cook until juice evaporates a bit.

Remove apples from pan and divide among crepes (leaving juices in pan). Roll up crepes. Place crepes back in pan with juices (add a little more juice if pan is dry). Cook until crepes are hot and juice has been absorbed. Dust with icing sugar.

8 servings, each: 270 cal, 3 g fibre, 4 g fat (1 g sat), 6 g protein, 82 mg chol, 136 mg sodium, 55 g carb.

Power Waffles with Yogurt, Bananas and Almonds - Bon Appetit, March 1999

2 1/2 cups warm light soy milk or nonfat milk
1/4 cup minced crystallized ginger
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp dry yeast
1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup buckwheat flour
1 cup old-fashioned oats
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp salt

6 large egg whites, beaten to blend
6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted, or veg. oil
2 tsp baking powder

1 cup plain lowfat yogurt
6 bananas, sliced
honey or pure maple syrup
3/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted

Mix first 4 ingredients in medium bowl to blend. Let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes. Mix both flours, oats, cinnamon and salt in large bowl. Add yeast mixture; stir to blend (batter will be thick). Cover and chill at least 1 hour or overnight.
Preheat oven to 200°F. Preheat Belgian waffle iron according to manufacturer's instructions. Mix egg whites, melted butter and baking powder into batter. Spoon 1 cup batter onto iron; spread with spatula. Cover and cook until golden and cooked through, about 4 minutes. Transfer waffle to baking sheet and keep warm in oven. Repeat, making 6 waffles total.
Place waffles on plates. Top with yogurt, bananas, honey, and almonds.

Makes 6 servings