summer solstice recipes - feel free to add yours!

[branwyn]

found here: Nurtured by Love

Dandelion Cornmeal Muffins

1 cup packed dandelion petals (yellow parts)
2 cups corn meal
2 cups white flour
4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 large eggs
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup honey
2 cups yogourt

Mix dry ingredients, including dandelion petals, together in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, mix eggs, oil, honey and yogourt. Add wet ingredients to dry, mix until moistened. Spoon into greased* muffin pan. Bake for 25 minutes in a 375 degree oven. Allow to cool for five minutes and then remove from pan. Share with children especially, but neighbours and friends get a kick out of these too. There's a distinctive but not unpleasant dandelion flavour, and a lovely sunny colour, to these muffins. Makes 18-20 large ones.

*I grease my pans these days with the soy-lecithin-and-oil mixture favoured in the Laurel's Bread Book. Take 1/2 cup of soy lecithin and blend with 1 cup of vegetable oil. Process several minutes until well emulsified and fairly smooth. Store in fridge. A little goes a long way with this stuff, and it works really really well for all kinds of quick and yeasted breads.

my recipe

Honey Butter
1 lb softened butter
3/4 cup honey
cinnamon (however much you like!)
whip together

we form ours into like a jellyroll and roll it up in wax or parchment paper. it freezes well for up to 3-4 months depending on your freezer and how well you wrap it

from the kitchen witch cookbook

Marigold and Dandelion Eggs

4 whole dandelion buds
1/4 cup cream or milk
2 tablespoons butter
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 marigold blossoms chopped
1/8 teaspoon pepper
4 eggs
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

Pick the dandelion buds when they are just about to open. Melt butter in a frying pan over low heat. Sauté the dandelions until they open wide. Beat the marigold, eggs, cream, salt, pepper, and nutmeg in a small bowl. Pour over the dandelions, which will poke through. Cover; cook over low heat until the egg is set and dry on top. Fold in half.

Leeks In Mustard Sauce
3 medium leeks, thinly sliced
1/2 cup shredded carrot
1 (8oz) can water chestnuts, drained and sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/4 cup prepared mustard
2 teaspoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon tarragon

Saute the leeks, carrots, water chestnuts, and garlic in the oil until tender. Mix the oil, soy sauce, mustard, sugar, and tarragon in a small bowl. Pour over the vegetables; mix well. Yield: 4 servings

Solstice Carrots
5 cups diced carrot
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
sour cream
2 cups baby carrots

Cook the diced carrot until tender; drain. Place in a belnder or food processor. Add teh cream, butter, garlic, and salt. Puree until smooth. In teh center of a serving platter, for the carrots into a mound. Place a little sour cream in the center. Arrange baby carrots around it to form the solar disk. Yield: 8 servings

Sundrops
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon Worchestershire sauce
2 teaspoons dried sage
1 lb. hulled raw sunflower seeds
Garlic salt

Preheat the oven to 300degrees. Combine butter, Worchestershire sauce, and sage in a medium pan over low heat. WHen butter is melted, add the sunflower seeds. Stir until the seeds are evenly coated. Spread on a greased cookie sheet. Sprinkle with garlic salt. Bake until lightly browned, 10-15 min. Stir occassionaly. Yield: 4 servings

Solstice Stew
2 lb meat, cubed (any kind - tofu works too)
2 tablespoons oil
1 cup dried red beans
1 (8oz) can yellow beans
1 tablespoon tabasco sauce
1 large sweet red pepper, chopped
2 small hot peppers, chopped
3 large tomatoes, diced
1 medium yellow squash, peeled and diced
3 carrots, sliced
8 oz pearl onions, peeled
1 cup tomato sauce
4 cups water
3 freshly grated peppercorns
4 bouillion cubes
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons dried oregano

In a large pot/cauldron, brown the meat/tofu in the oil. Add the rest of the ingredients. COver. Simmer for 4 hours. Stir regularly Yield: 8 servings

from cooking with draca
Cooking with Draca Hleo

Soft Mead

Non-alcoholic version

4 cups spring water
1 cup honey
1 lemon, sliced
1 orange,sliced
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Bring the water, honey, nutmeg, ginger and cinnamon to a boil in a medium sized saucepan. Stir until honey is dissolved; the heaviness at the bottom should disappear. Use a wooden spoon to skim off the film that rises to the top until the surface is clear. Add lemon and orange slices, squeezing as they are placed in the water. Cool completely; strain. Pour into a bottle. Store in refrigerator.

Yield about 4 cups