Banana Cheesecake Egg Rolls

Jeremy, Craig, and I went out to eat with my parents last week; my father is suffering from congestive heart failure, and he's not doing well. Yesterday, though, was his 86th birthday!

While at lunch, I was fixated upon egg rolls even though we weren't eating at a Chinese restaurant. I'd looked at the menu online ahead of time - with some hope of being able to narrow down my options, given my infamous lack of decision-making ability when presented with too many delicious things to try - and found two particularly noteworthy items: a Reuben egg roll and the Banana Caramel Fried Cheesecake.

The former, of course, was an egg roll stuffed with corned beef and sauerkraut, served with Thousand Island dressing; and yes, it was as good as it sounds! (Or, at least, that's what Jeremy told me.) Making our own version is high on the "to do" list.

The latter was a crisp, banana-and-cheesecake-filled egg roll, served with a drizzle of caramel sauce. And, well ... since I have a pretty hefty sweet tooth, I needed to make my own. This one jumped to #1 on the "to do" list.

Sweet, creamy, crispy, and with the caramel sauce to complement it, this is a dessert that completely seduces you!

My father didn't order any dessert on the day we met for lunch. He wasn't very hungry - that's what he told our waitress, anyway. He ordered just a cup of chili ... but then he ordered, and ate, a second one, too ... :)


Banana Cheesecake Egg Rolls

8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup sugar
4 small bananas, divided
12 egg roll wrappers
oil for frying
caramel sauce, for serving (use this recipe to make your own, or purchase a jar)

In a large mixing bowl, beat together cream cheese, egg, vanilla, sugar, and 2 bananas with an electric mixer; mixture will not be completely smooth. Stir in remaining 2 bananas, mashed.

In a very large skillet, heat 1" oil over medium-high heat until a drop of water sizzles when splashed into it.

One by one, lay an egg roll wrapper onto the countertop; place 1/4 cup banana filling into the center.

Fold the sides of the wrapper over the filling.

Fold the closest edge up.

Holding the furthest edge up a bit, continue to roll up from the closest edge. (The filling is fairly liquid, though it cooks up nicely when the egg rolls are fried; so you will need to balance the egg roll a bit while rolling it, to keep the filling inside rather than having it ooze out.)

Dampen the visible edge with a bit of water to help seal.

Place the egg rolls into the oil and cook for 3 minutes per side, until golden. Drain on paper towels, then serve with caramel sauce.

Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Kugel ... and it's vegan!

Anyone who's been following along on my adventures knows I believe firmly that kugel [KOO-guhl] is one of the great foods in the universe. There are savory versions; but to me, kugel is a sweet, creamy, luscious noodle pudding ... consummate comfort food. And that, of course, makes it perfect for breakfast, for brunch, as an accompaniment to lunch, as a partner for afternoon tea, for dessert ....

I've made numerous varieties of kugel over the years - chocolate and cherry, apple and almond (which is probably my most requested recipe). They all contain rich dairy products, to make them utterly decadent.

In honor of Ann Arbor Veg Week, which started on Monday, I've taken a pledge to eat a vegetarian diet until Sunday. And as part of that commitment, I'm trying to make some vegan dishes, as well - not just ones that are inherently meat- and dairy-free, but attempts to make healthier versions of beloved favorites.

While I was contemplating what to write about for my meat-free posts, my friend/co-worker Karan brought some kugel for the office staff at lunchtime one day - it was still warm from the oven, fragrant, delicious. And it was then, while enjoying this consummate dairy dish, that I had an epiphany:

Make a vegan kugel. No sour cream. No cottage cheese. No butter. No eggs. No animal products at all.

Vegan. Kugel. These aren't words that would normally play nicely together in my vocabulary. But I like a challenge, and so off I went on my little diversion!

I made sure to buy egg-free noodles, and I knew that I couldn't use eggs to bind the ingredients together, either. I bought Tofutti non-hydrogenated sour cream, and I also bought soymilk-based yogurt. As I perused the various flavors, I chose strawberry because I had yet another epiphany: the traditional crumb topping could be made with chocolate Cheerios and chocolate graham crackers to make a dish inspired by a chocolate-covered strawberry!

I boiled, I stirred, I baked, I waited. Once the kugel cooled enough to taste it, Jeremy was a willing guinea pig. He told me that if I hadn't told him it was vegan, he would never have known that there was anything unusual about the dish. It offered the expected creaminess and crunch, and his favorite bites contained bits of fresh strawberries. He really enjoyed it!

And the best part about this? Almost everyone else can enjoy it, too, no matter their dietary issues or preferences. Use gluten-free noodles, and you've likely met requirements for everyone!


Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Kugel

Noodles:
1 12-ounce package egg-free noodles
1 12-ounce container Tofutti sour cream
2 5.3-ounce containers Silk dairy-free strawberry yogurt
1/3 cup sugar
pinch of kosher salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups chopped strawberries

Topping:
2 rectangles chocolate graham crackers
2 cups chocolate Cheerios
1/3 cup brown sugar
pinch of cinnamon
1/3 cup margarine, melted

Preheat oven to 400F. Grease a 3-quart casserole dish.

Prepare noodles according to package directions; drain.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together sour cream, yogurt, sugar, salt, vanilla, and strawberries. Add noodles, stir to combine, and pour noodles into prepared casserole dish.

Grind graham crackers and Cheerios into crumbs; place into a medium mixing bowl. Stir in brown sugar and cinnamon, then stir in margarine with a fork until crumbs are moistened. Place crumbs over the noodles, and bake for 30 minutes until topping is toasted and the noodle layer is bubbly.

Let cool, then serve.

Makes 12 generous servings.

National Bagels and Lox Day

I grew up in New York City, so bagels were - of course! - an essential part of my diet.  Bagels, thin-crust pizza perfectly suited to folding, black-and-white cookies, matzah ball soup ... these are just a few of the basic food groups in my world.  I could go on and on, but we'd all just get hungry and wish we were schlepping around in my hometown, eating our way from deli to pizza parlor to food cart.

According to America's Great Delis: Recipes and Traditions from Coast to Coast by Sheryll Bellman: "The modern bagel arrived in America in the early 1880s with a wave of Eastern European Jewish immigrants.  Not long after that, cream cheese was developed and lox met its mate ....  The genius that married the bagel with cream cheese and lox is a mystery, but we do know that it occurred sometime early in the twentieth century."  This is one of those innovations, like duct tape, that warrants a prize of some sort!

I don't normally eat much bread or many foods made with refined carbohydrates (my sweet tooth causing me to make an exception to the rule occasionally, I must admit).  But today is a special day requiring some deviation from my usual preferences.  So bring on the bagels!

And no bagel is complete, of course, without a schmear of cream cheese and some gorgeous lox.

In today's "recipe" (what, a bagel an' a schmear requires instructions???) I advocate for chopping the lox and the scallions and mixing them into the cream cheese, rather than serving the bagel with a slab of fish or a slice of onion.  This allows for the flavors to blend together in each bite, rather than any one ingredient overpowering the others.

But however you slice it (ha!), just be sure you don't miss out on this fabulous food holiday!


Don't forget to read about my "Chopped" challenge: dare me to use ingredients you suggest, and I'll post about my creations! Click here for the terms ....




Bagel an' a Schmear

6 ounces soft cream cheese
2 medium scallions, chopped fine
2 ounces lox, chopped fine
generous sprinkle of freshly ground black pepper
2 everything bagels (or savory bagels of choice - don't try this with a raisin bagel!)

In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, scallions, lox and pepper; mix well, cover, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (and preferably overnight) to let the flavors blend.

Slice the bagels, then schmear them with the cream cheese mixture.

Serves 2.

Blue Cheese-Stuffed Turkey Burgers

Day 2 of the Atkins Diet, chez Jeremy and Stuart, offered burgers -- turkey burgers, to be specific. But that's kinda boring, especially if you can't put the patties on any bread at all to make things more interesting.

I didn't have any nutmeg with me, which I always add to turkey burgers; so I worked with salt, pepper and garlic powder. I had to liven this up a bit! So I combined equal amounts of blue cheese and cream cheese, then stuffed a dollop of the mixture into the centers of the patties. (For the boys, anyway; I had mine plain, just trying to get some nutrition into me. The Food Floozie is havin' a hard time being seduced by any food lately, thanks to stress and a cold which then devolved into bronchitis. Bleah!)

But I have digressed ....

As an accompaniment, I also served a mix of bacon and onion -- way too much fat for lil' ol' me, but a flavorful addition to the plate for Jeremy and for his dad ....

Blue Cheese-Stuffed Turkey Burgers

(Please remember, as I said yesterday, that without my usual toys and tools a lot of these measurements are approximations. And this is how I made it for 3 people, only 2 of whom had stuffing in the burgers. I know -- it's not entirely helpful, but it's the best I can do for you right now ....)

1 package ground turkey (I think the package is 18 ounces ...?)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
2 tablespoons cream cheese
3 strips bacon, cut into 1" pieces
1 small onion, halved, sliced

Combine the turkey, salt, pepper and garlic powder; form into 3 large patties. Combine the blue cheese and cream cheese. Spread 2 of the patties into large, flat rounds; divide the cheese mixture between them, then roll the turkey around the filling like a ball, then flatten the balls into patties.

Cook in a large skillet over medium heat for at least 5 minutes per side, until the burgers are golden brown and firm when pressed.

Meanwhile, in a small skillet, cook the bacon and the onion over medium heat until the bacon is golden and crisp and the onion is caramelized.

Serve the bacon-onion mixture over the stuffed burgers, and make your hosts happy at dinnertime ... :)

Still Having Fun While Senility Creeps In

Well, the Docent Invitational Exhibit Reception was held at the Riverside Arts Center this past Saturday night, and I was there twirling in my beautiful new dress in the only pair of high heels that I own.  Jeremy told me that Tom should be sure to let everyone know I'm already taken; and Tom said I looked "like a million bucks" ... :)

But do I have a photo to commemorate my rare and priceless non-officewear, non-jeans, and non-jammies moment?  Did I take a picture of the buffet table that I, of course, meandered over to on "enumeritus" (thank you, "Squidbillies"!) occasions?  Heavens, no!!!  Your foolish Food Floozie switched purses -- bad words that I haven't uttered, literally, in years -- and very inconveniently left her camera at home.

Now, admittedly, the little red purse with sequins was cute, and it was much easier to tote than the behemoth that I usually carry my life around in.  However, while I remembered other critical items like my lipstick and a card bearing the Jewish traveller's prayer (don't leave home without it!), not having brought my camera is really posing (no pun intended -- ha!) some problems for someone who likes to decorate her posts with a little bit of color and with lots of food.

So the one and only picture that I have to offer from Saturday night is the lovely one at the top of the page.  MUCH credit to my beloved, Tom, for taking it before the schmoozing began and further opportunities were lost!!!  But unfortunately, I now have to compensate for the lack of pictures from the actual event by placing props around my home and asking them to pose photogenically for me ... sigh.

Anyway ... let me tell you about those fabulous chocolates that are not yet for sale but will be soon, I hope -- I'll keep you posted when I learn more.  They were made by a friend of Tom's who is a devoted chocolatier in his spare time, after work.  They're raw (only heated slightly, for melting), vegan and organic -- all normally terms that would make me think of tofu and other wretched ingredients not readily placed into my mouth.

But these sinful little tidbits are simply the purest chocolate, with nothing to interfere with your sensual experience.  They literally melt over your tongue as you are transported into a reverie ... I exaggerate not, even though I am admittedly prone to both enthuse and to effuse.  Daniel, the man who creates these magical treats, has located a commercial kitchen for production and is currently networking to seek outlets for sales.  A company name, packaging ... all of those little details are still a-brewing.  But Daniel had better speed up this process, as I steered every one of my guests on Saturday night to the chocolate tray and every single person was nearly in ecstasy from just the small tasting opportunity.

As for the rest of the buffet table -- my vegetable and chip tray with Spicy Mustard Dip (photo taken prior to Saturday night, or else you'd be using your imagination for that, too) seemed to be pretty popular, though no one seemed quite capable of figuring out that the bowl of chocolate stuff surrounded by cookies was yet another type of dip ... sheesh!  Cookies disappeared, but the bowl of chocolate -- bowl of chocolate, may I reiterate! -- was barely acknowledged.  Oh, well -- their loss!  The mini bagels schmeared with a lox-dill cream cheese and then cut into quarters to become bite-sized were also a hit, so I was 2 for 3 with my offerings.

Besides my contributions, there was a Mexican dip in a 9"x13" Pyrex pan that looked remarkably like spaghetti topped with tomato sauce (to my trifocal-ed eyes) until a closer perusal showed beans and sour cream and -- ohhhhh -- shredded cheese underneath the chunks of tomatoes.  It was good, once I figured out what it was!  There was a beautiful cheese tray with very thick asparagus for a garnish (???), lots of fresh fruit, cheesecake, cookies, and more food than I can remember after 4 long days.  (The senility of the title refers not only to having forgotten my camera, but to my inability to even remember why I've walked into the kitchen at any given time, let alone what I ate on Saturday!) There was even a nice assortment of beverages such that I could add dribbles of white wine to my sparkling water, making me feel a bit grown-up in my party dress (but without becoming an embarrassing drunk, since I have perhaps one glass of wine annually and have no tolerance whatsoever).

Tom's father and stepmother drove out to Ypsi from Royal Oak for the event, which was a nice surprise; I'd known they'd been invited, but hadn't expected them to come out.  But as Gary put it, this was a family event and he always shows up for family events ... even though, as Monica pointed out, the Masters was on and her golf-addicted husband was missing it!   Tom's sister Sandy came, as did an old acquaintance from his former writing group.  Several of his co-workers, who are just wonderful, attended -- Daniel (of chocolate fame), Flo, and Sara (whose mom has even commissioned an artwork from Tom after seeing a fabulous piece he'd made featuring a photo of Sara).

Fellow co-workers and very dear friends of Tom's -- Alan and Carol -- had prior commitments and couldn't attend the reception, so they'll get private tours; Carol's will actually be tonight, after dinner at the Prickly Pear (which just happens to be donating 10% of today's proceeds to Alpha House to help the homeless, I might add, which is how it was selected as the restaurant du jour).  I asked Tom to warn Carol that I have the odd habit of photographing my food, so she should be prepared ... though, according to my beloved NYT, I am not alone in this hobby; and I do it for the sake of my faithful readers on AnnArbor.com and Food Floozie, rather than for my own perverse amusement.  Rationalize, and all can be right with the world!

Many of the people I'd invited couldn't attend because they're observant Jews and the reception was held before Shabbat ended after sundown.  But others -- mostly my "bubbes," as I affectionately call the women in their 80s who have adopted me and taught me to play Mah Jong -- came and ate and laughed and, oh yeah, made sure to schmooze with Tom and to fuss over him and to admire his beautiful artworks.  I was thrilled to have them there, and it wouldn't have been the same without their love and support.  I hope they know how special they are to me, and how blessed I felt that they considered this an important occasion to attend ... :)

So, I came, I ate, I schmoozed, I ate, I ate some more, and the reception was a huge success!  Stay tuned for my next post -- "Prickly Pear and Paintings," or something like that ....