food

Red Pepper Flake Toast

~ cookingdairyfree ~ 1 Comment

red pepper toast

My oldest is completely obsessed with red pepper flakes.  He puts them on his eggs, his potatoes, his meat, his toast, and pretty much everything else in between.  He even tried it on plain oatmeal once, although I’m not sure if that was a keeper.

This toast is his creation, and he did the photography also.  The bread is buttered (with dairy-free margarine, Nucoa spread), and then sprinkled with red pepper flakes.  Propping up the bread on a rack allows the air to circulate and dry the bread on the bottom also.  A couple of minutes under the broiler, until it is toasted to your liking, and your red pepper flake toast is ready to enjoy.

 

Easy Dill Pickles

~ cookingdairyfree ~ 5 Comments

Refrigerator_pickles combined

Simple crisp dill pickles–no canning required.

 

Summer whizzed by, and fall has arrived.  I hope your summer was amazing.  Mine was fantastic–full of camping, family reunions, and lots of summer garden produce.  My cucumber plants were especially fruitful.  Making pickles helped keep up with the all the cucumbers.

I adapted my recipe from Old World Garden’s Refrigerator Dill Pickles.  The Refrigerator Dill Pickles are the easiest and tastiest pickles I have made.  I have never had any luck making crispy pickles when they are canned; they are tasty, but a little on the soggy side. These pickles, however, are very crisp.

When making pickles, make sure your cucumbers are fresh, small, and not overripe and turning yellow.   Wash them well.  Cut off the blossom-end of the pickles.  I like slicing the cucumbers lengthwise before putting in my clean jars–that way they are ready for sandwiches.

The recipe makes one pint of pickles.  When I make pickles, I will fill my jars with the cucumbers, and then double or triple the brine recipe based on how many pickle jars I have filled.

Simple Dill Pickles

Makes one pint

 

Pickling cucumbers, washed and blossom-end removed (sliced, quartered or left whole)

2/3 c vinegar

2/3 c water

1 Tbsp pickling salt

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1/4 tsp red peppers

1 tsp dill seed

1/2 tsp peppercorns

 

Pack the cucumber into a clean jar.  Boil vinegar, water, and salt. While the brine is coming to a boil, add the seasoning into the jars with the cucumbers.  Pour the boiling brine into the jars.  Put a canning lid on the jar and store in the refrigerator.

For the best flavor, let the pickles brine for a couple of weeks before eating.