Not Your Mother's Make-Ahead Whole-Grain Cinnamon Rolls

Dough:

• 2 cups milk
• 4 1⁄2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 11⁄2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1⁄4 cup granulated sugar
• 3 3⁄4 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1⁄2 cup quick-cooking rolled oats
• 1 cup whole-wheat flour
• 3 to 3 1⁄2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 3⁄4 teaspoons salt

Filling:

• 3 1⁄2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 3⁄4 cup light or dark brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

When ready to serve, you will need:

• 3⁄4 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 1 to 2 tablespoons milk
• 1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Place the milk and butter in a medium saucepan and warm slightly. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and add the vanilla, sugar, and yeast. Stir and allow the yeast to proof for 5 minutes. Add the oats, whole-wheat flour, 3 cups of the all-purpose flour, and the salt. Stir to combine well. Turn the mixture onto a lightly floured surface and knead. Continue kneading for 5 minutes to create a smooth, elastic dough, adding more of the all-purpose flour as necessary. Transfer to a greased bowl and turn the dough ball to coat. Let rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

When the dough is ready, roll it out on a lightly floured surface to form a 12 × 15-inch rectangle.

Spread the softened butter over the surface.

In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle this mixture over the butter.

Roll up the dough, jelly-roll fashion, starting from a long edge and pinching the seam to seal.

Cut the rolled dough into 18 slices, each about 2 ⁄3 inch wide, and arrange them on the prepared baking sheets 1 to 2 inches apart.

Freezing instructions:
Place the trays in the freezer and freeze the rolls until they are firm. Remove the trays from the freezer and place the rolls on their sides in the freezer bags, in stacks of six. Place the bags in the freezer immediately.

To thaw and serve:
The night before baking, remove as many rolls as desired from the freezer and place them in a greased 9 × 13-inch baking dish. You may need two pans if you bake all 18 rolls at once. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. The rolls will thaw and rise in the refrigerator. In the morning, remove the dish from the refrigerator and let the rolls rest for 20 minutes at room temperature. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake the rolls until browned, 20 to 30 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven and cool on a wire rack. To make the icing, stir together the confectioners’ sugar, milk, and vanilla until smooth. Glaze with the icing before serving.

Serves: 18.

VERDICT:  These are wonderful--not too sweet, with complex flavor from the whole grains.  I love that we can just take out a few rolls and not have leftovers lying around getting stale.  Good job, Jess!  Keep, obviously.

Thai Red Curry with Vegetables

• 1 14-ounce can “lite” coconut milk, divided
• 2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste, or to taste
• 1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
• 2 cups water
• 1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2-inch lengths
• 2 fresh cayenne chiles or bird chiles, cut into long strips (optional)
• 2 whole lime leaves or 2 teaspoons lime zest
• 2 cups coarsely chopped dandelion greens or arugula
• 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, preferably Thai basil
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce 

Heat a wide heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add about 2 tablespoons coconut milk and curry paste, stirring to dissolve it. Cook, stirring, until aromatic, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add 1 cup of the coconut milk and cook for 1 minute, then add sweet potatoes. Stir to coat the pieces and cook, stirring frequently, for 3 minutes more.

Add water and bring to a boil. Cook until the sweet potatoes are almost cooked through, about 5 minutes. Add the remaining coconut milk, asparagus, chiles (if using) and lime leaves (or lime zest); cook for 1 minute. Stir in dandelion greens (or arugula), basil and fish sauce until well combined. Continue cooking until the asparagus is just tender, 1 to 2 minutes more. Remove lime leaves, if necessary, before serving.

Note: This flavorful Thai red curry recipe matches sweet potatoes with fresh dandelion greens and asparagus, though you can also substitute cauliflower florets, cubed Asian eggplant, squash or carrots. If using cauliflower or eggplant, add them earlier, when the potato is only partially cooked, as they will take longer to cook than asparagus. Classic Thai red curry is flavored with lime leaves and Thai basil. If you find them, use them, but even without them the vegetable curry will still be a knockout.

Serves 4; 180 calories.

VERDICT:  I left out the chiles and fish sauce, used lime zest, arugula, and regular basil, and this still turned out very nicely and is a nice, unfussy recipe.  Unrelated to the recipe, but contributing to my happiness with the meal: I also made the first--and probably last--perfect pot of rice of my life, using instructions from thekitchn.com.  Keep!

Cold Remedy

• 1 oz. sliced fresh ginger
• 1 cinnamon stick, broken
• 1 tsp. coriander seeds
• 3 whole cloves
• 1 lemon slice
• 1 pint water

Simmer 15 minutes; strain.

VERDICT:  Super astringent.  It probably works, but I did not enjoy it.  Toss.

Smoked Cheddar and Lentil Burgers

• 2 1/2 cups water
• 1 cup dried lentils
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 cup finely chopped onion 
• 1/2 cup finely chopped carrot 
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded smoked cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 3/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 3 large egg whites, lightly beaten
• Cooking spray
• 8 teaspoons stone-ground mustard
• 8 (2-ounce) whole wheat sandwich buns, toasted
• 8 (1/4-inch-thick) slices tomato
• 2 cups trimmed arugula

Place first 3 ingredients in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes or until tender; drain. Discard bay leaves. Place lentils in a large bowl; partially mash with a potato masher. Cool slightly.

Heat oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and carrot; sauté 5 minutes or until tender. Cool slightly.

Add onion mixture, cheese, and next 8 ingredients (cheese through egg whites) to lentils; stir well to combine. Cover and chill 45 minutes. Divide mixture into 8 equal portions, shaping each into a 1/2-inch-thick patty.

Heat a grill pan coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add half of patties, and cook 5 minutes on each side or until done. Repeat procedure with remaining patties. Spread 1 teaspoon mustard on top half of each bun. Place 1 patty on bottom half of each bun, and top each serving with 1 tomato slice, 1/4 cup arugula, and top half of bun.

Serves 8; 354 calories. 

VERDICT:  I made these because I had smoked cheddar and most of the other ingredients.  I was not terribly impressed--the flavor of the burger after cooking was strangely muted.  I think I'd rather eat the cheese on crackers.  Toss.
 

Whole Wheat, Oatmeal, and Raisin Muffins

• 1 cup whole wheat flour (about 4 3/4 ounces)
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons untoasted wheat germ
• 2 tablespoons wheat bran
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats
• 1/3 cup chopped pitted dates
• 1/3 cup raisins
• 1/3 cup dried cranberries 
• 1 cup low-fat buttermilk
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten 
• 1/2 cup boiling water 
• Cooking spray

Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 7 ingredients (through salt) in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Stir in oats, dates, raisins, and cranberries. Make a well in center of mixture. Combine buttermilk, oil, vanilla, and egg; add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Stir in boiling water. Let batter stand 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375°.

Spoon batter into 12 muffin cups coated with cooking spray. Bake at 375° for 20 minutes or until muffins spring back when touched lightly in center. Remove muffins from pans immediately; place on a wire rack.

Yield: 12; 204 calories.

VERDICT:  Made entirely with things on hand (finally using up the dates!).  Much, much better warm.  Keep.
 

Chunky Vegetarian Chili

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 cups chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped yellow bell pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 (16-ounce) cans stewed tomatoes, undrained
• 2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained 
• 1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained

Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion, bell peppers, and garlic; sauté 5 minutes or until tender. Add sugar and remaining ingredients, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes.

Serves 8 (1 c.); 257 calories.

VERDICT: A perfectly nice and easy chili.  We also used it for nacho topping and taco filling.  Keep.
 

Vanilla Bean Angel Food Cake

• 1 1/2 cups sugar, divided 
• 1 (2-inch) piece vanilla bean, split lengthwise
• 1 cup sifted cake flour (about 4 ounces)
• 12 large egg whites 
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice

Preheat oven to 325°.

Place 3/4 cup sugar in a small bowl. Scrape seeds from vanilla bean, and add seeds to sugar; discard bean. Work the vanilla seeds into sugar with fingers until well combined.

Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour and sugar mixture, stirring with a whisk to combine.

Beat egg whites with a mixer at high speed until foamy. Add cream of tartar and salt; beat until soft peaks form. Add remaining 3/4 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time, beating until stiff peaks form. Beat in juice. Sift flour mixture over egg white mixture, 1/4 cup at a time; fold in after each addition.

Spoon the batter into an ungreased 10-inch tube pan, spreading evenly. Break air pockets by cutting through batter with a knife. Bake at 325° for 50 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched. Invert pan; cool completely. Loosen cake from sides of pan using a narrow metal spatula. Invert cake onto plate.

Serves 12; 144 calories.

VERDICT:  No better or worse than any other angel food cake, despite the expensive vanilla bean.  Toss.