Kathleen's Vegetarian Kitchen

What is this gadget?

2008-11-03T19:43:00.004-05:00

On Saturday, after my pasta class was over, I went to see DH in his class, The Art of Artisan Bread, Part 2, at Johnson and Wales. I noticed the above apparatus on one of the benches and picked it up. DH asked me if I had any idea what it was. I was completely puzzled. He gave me a clue: it can only be purchased in Mexico. I still didn't know. He told me to think of pan dulce (pastries). Then I realized it is a press for making the distinctive designs on conchas, a very common pastry made in Mexico.

His class made conchas! What a splendid surprise! DH had been talking to the Chef about Mexican pastries, and it turns out that the Chef worked in a bakery in Mexico for a while. So, the Chef gave the students the option of using some of the batch of brioche dough they had made to form some conchas, using the presses he had purchased in Mexico. Everyone in the class decided to try making conchas.

They were quite a hit with the class! One student jumped at the chance to get some cafe con leche (coffee with milk) to drink with his concha. Great idea! Conchas are also excellent with hot chocolate.

The topping is a mixture of flour, sugar and fat. It is definitely decadent. Often the sugar is colored bright yellow or bright pink. The topping is also sometimes flavored with chocolate.

The crispy, crumbly topping crunches a bit in your mouth but soon melts. And the pastry itself, when made well, is moist and soft. The topping adds the sweetness, and the bread is buttery.

Chef's Choice Pasta Class, part 2

2008-11-02T13:29:00.008-05:00

Here are more photos from the Chef's Choice Pastabilities class at Johnson & Wales this weekend. When I enrolled in the class, I wasn't sure if it would be vegetarian friendly but took a chance. It didn't turn out to be a problem at all. In fact, there were others in the class who also did not want meat in their sauces, so we teamed up to make our own pomodoro sauce and vegetarian lasagna. We received so many compliments on them! Above you can see a plate of the food we made in class, which we ate for lunch. There is a vegetable salad with house-made balsamic vinaigrette, wild mushroom filled ravioli and vegetarian lasagna. The next time I make the mushroom filled ravioli I will put a simple butter sauce on them so that I can taste the mushroom flavor better. We used such excellent mushrooms in the class, and I was disappointed that I didn't get to fully experience their flavors. Below are some of the gorgeous mushrooms we used.

Here is a plate of tomato flavored pasta topped with Salsa di Creme E Formaggio, Parmesan Cheese Cream Sauce. Different groups assembled different combinations of the ingredients, so it was possible to try different variations.

Here are the pots of sauces simmering in a water bath. Our vegetarian Sugo di Pomodoro is the one of the far right, it is darker red than the Bolognese Ragu sauces that the other groups made. One of the groups also made a pesto.

For our vegetarian lasagna, we alternated layers of tomato flavored pasta and regular semolina pasta. The dollops are cream cheese.

Chef's Choice Pasta Class, part 1

2008-11-02T13:12:00.005-05:00

At Johnson and Wales in Charlotte NC, as a part of their Chef's Choice series, I took the Pastabilities class this weekend. Previously I have taken bread baking classes there. We learned to make pasta dough (including flavored pasta), how to roll it out using a hand-cranked pasta rolling machine, and how to shape a few different stuffed pastas. We also learned how to make a few sauces, which I will write about in part 2.

Above, the instructor has rolled out the dough to a long length and is about to pass it through the machine another time.

Here the instructor is passing the dough through a fettuccine attachment. In the foreground you can see the ravioli moulds and a few ravioli.

Below are some fettuccine, ravioli and tortellini awaiting being boiled.

Pan de Muerto in Charlotte, NC

2008-11-01T06:32:00.003-05:00

In Charlotte, we visited Panaderia Odalys, a Mexican bakery there, because we had read that they were selling Pan de Muerto. And indeed they were! Pan de muerto means bread of the dead. In Mexico it is made to celebrate Dia de los Muertos, Day of the Dead (known in the US as All Saints Day). The bread above is supposed to look like it has bones on top. The bread is similar to brioche in texture, with either an orange or an anise flavor and it is commonly covered with sugar, but not always. However Panaderia Odalys also offered pan de muerto in an alternative shape that we had never seen before, shown below.

Rather morbid looking, isn't it? Either style was 85 cents each.

On a lighter note, we were quite pleased to find some fall colors in Charlotte this trip. Last year we were here the same time of year, but didn't see nearly as vibrant of colors as we saw this year. The colors weren't everywhere, but there was enough to make us feel like we had experienced a bit of autumn.

Mexican Food in Charlotte, NC

2008-10-31T20:54:00.005-05:00

We are in Charlotte, North Carolina for the weekend to take more culinary classes at Johnson & Wales. For an early dinner today, we were extremely delighted that we stumbled upon Taqueria Guadalajara. We had never heard of it, but just had a gut feeling passing it that we needed to stop. We are glad we did!

This is the food we wish we were served at more Mexican restaurants in the United States. This is the real deal. I enjoy Tex Mex food once in a while. But usually when I want Mexican food, this is what I want. It is so simple, yet it is fresh and made with care. A bonus was that nothing came from a can, everything was made from scratch.

Look at all the salsas and condiments were were provided with, in the above photo. We were automatically served four of them with a basket of chips: the tomatillo salsa (green), the salsa made from chiles (dark red), the pico de gallo (the minced veggies) and a tomato sauce. We were also automatically given the bowl of lime wedges. Lime wedges!! I know I am in Mexico when I don't have to ask for lime. I asked for the chopped onion and the chopped cilantro. And the guacamole was a side dish we ordered.

Above is another side dish we ordered. It is such a typical dish in Mexico, and we rarely have seen it served in the US. Cebollinas. Roasted green onions.

Look, tacos with no cheese! Blessed delicious tacos! Most tacos in Mexico don't have cheese. I wanted mine with pinto beans, a slice of avocado, minced onion, minced cilantro, and some freshly made salsa on a corn tortilla. Was this exact taco on the menu? No! All I had to do was ask for what I wanted. No eyebrows were raised. This is a very normal thing to do, at least for me!

These are bean enchiladas rojas. The are topped with Cotija cheese and some cream. DH ended up pushing aside the cream, since he wasn't expecting it. But they were very good, the enchilada sauce was excellent.

Apple Snack

2008-10-31T07:21:00.000-05:00

I babysit a kinder gardener last week and he asked me to make this specific snack for him. I had never had this before, but I followed his very clear instructions. I am sure there must some cute name for this snack, like Ants on a Rock or something. But he didn't call it anything special. Anyway it was a delicious snack and I have since made it for myself at home!

It needs no recipe. Just slice and apple, spread on some peanut butter or other nut butter, and then press chocolate chips into the nut butter. They stay in place nicely! You could use raisins or other dried fruit instead of the chocolate chips. Or you could dip them into chopped nuts. Really, there are lots of possibilities. It's less sweet than caramel apples, which I really appreciate. Happy Halloween!

Pumpkin Muffins

2008-10-18T18:23:00.000-05:00

Hello! I know I have not been posting many recipes lately! I truly have been cooking, I just keep forgetting to blog! I have posted a recipe for Pumpkin Cranberry Muffins in the past, but here is another recipe. I like having choices! Pumpkin muffins are so delicious! They really help me feel like it is autumn, despite living in Florida and not having the spectacular seasonal colors like I used to experience when I lived in Michigan.

I like this recipe because it suggests topping the muffins with pepitas, pumpkin seeds. I think it makes them look very cute. Plus it makes it more obvious they are pumpkin muffins as opposed to carrot, etc.

The recipe was published in the Washington Post blog a few years ago and can be found at this link. But I will post the recipe showing my alterations. I tend to like my baked goods to be less sweet than traditional recipes. I found that honey worked beautifully with this recipe, complimenting the natural sweetness of pumpkin very nicely. They turned out splendidly moist.

Pumpkin Muffins, double batch (made about 16 small, would make at least 8 large)

2 cups all purpose flour (I didn't have white flour, so I used a mixture of whole wheat and oat flour)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
optional up to 1 teaspoon nutmeg
optional dash of ground cloves
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup honey, plus a tablespoon or two if you want it sweeter
2 eggs
2/3 cup plain yogurt (i used Greek style, but any would work)
1 to 2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree (I used homemade, but you could use canned)
optional: up to one cup raisins or walnuts or combo of other chopped nuts or dried fruit (I used about 1/2 cup chopped dried apricots)
optional garnish: raw pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease muffin tins including the tops. Optionally line with paper muffin cups.

1. Stir together the dry ingredients into one mixing bowl (the flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices, salt).
2. In a separate bowl whisk the eggs and add the oil, honey, yogurt, vanilla and pumpkin puree. Stir until combined. Fold in the dry fruit or nuts.
3. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, stirring and folding gently. Mix until just blended.
4. Spoon the batter into the muffin cups, filling to the top. Garnish each with some pepitas, if desired.
5. Bake for about 25 minutes, testing the center with a toothpick. Cool for 5 to 10 minutes in the pan. Then remove them from the pan to finish cooling on cooling racks.

Queso Fundido

2008-09-20T10:38:00.001-05:00

This is so easy. Is it even a recipe? It's a very typical snack served at parties in Mexico. Queso Fundido is melted cheese. It is eaten with soft, warm tortillas. Use the tortillas or a fork to scoop the cheese.

To be authentic, melt the cheese in a terracotta dish called a cazuela, shown in picture. We melted slices of Fontina cheese, but any cheese that melts well can be used, such as Mozzarella, Chihuahua, Manchego, etc. If plain cheese seems too boring, other ingredients can be added too. In the photo, we added strips of roasted poblano pepper. Other vegetarian versions could include sauteed mushrooms and onions with oregano, for instance.

Just melt it in a hot oven until the cheese gets bubbly and golden on top. It takes just a few minutes if the oven is really hot, around 400F.

Spanish Fideos

2008-08-29T07:36:00.004-05:00

Yet again I am drawing on my memories of my visit to Barcelona. We ate fideos there that were similar to the way I made them at home this week. I hadn't made them in a long time, so I can't remember exactly how they were in Barcelona. But I think I did remember some of the key ingredients for making this vegetarian fideo dish. So I must confess that this recipe is in no way authentic. But it certainly turned out delicious! The ingredient that makes these fideos Spanish is pimenton dulce, mild Spanish paprika. I have seen it sold at the chain store World Market in the US.

Fideos are vermicelli pasta, otherwise known as angel hair. It comes in nests or in small pieces (like the version I used) or in long noodles that are a very thin version of spaghetti. They are fried first until they become golden and then liquid is added so they can finish cooking.

I added crushed Fire Roasted tomatoes and a bit of water. It's a very thick sauce, so I added a little water at at time as needed for the pasta to finish cooking.

The end result is referred to as a sopa seca or a dry soup. Instead of ending with a dry soup, it's also possible to add some vegetable broth to the same recipe to end up with a liquid soup.

Spanish Fideos

1 small package of fideos, vermicelli pasta, angel hair nests or angel hair pasta (I used 7 ounces)
approximately 2 tablespoons oil or as needed
1/2 onion, chopped (I used red onion)
3 or 4 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 teaspoons of pimenton dulce
salt and pepper
1 large can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes (I prefer fire roasted)*
1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
about 1/2 to 1 cup water (or as needed - adding a bit at a time as the sauce gets too thick)
optionally add 1 to 2 cups of vegetable broth for a liquid soup instead of a dry soup
extra virgin olive oil
shredded cheese

Heat the oil a large skillet. Add the onion and crushed garlic cloves. (I don't even bother peeling the garlic, the skins fall off by themselves when they fry, and then the peels can be easily picked out). Season with salt and pepper. When soft, either remove of the onions and set them aside or leave them in the pan, depending on how big your pan is. You want there to be plenty of surface area to fry the pasta.

Add the pasta to the hot pan with a bit more oil, if needed. Fry the pasta, stirring constantly so that it doesn't burn. First it will turn a lighter white shade, then it will turn golden brown. When most of the pasta is golden brown, add the pimenton dulce, the onions (if they had been set aside), the can of crushed tomatoes and some olive oil. When the sauce is hot and simmering, lower the heat to simmer. Stir occasionally to prevent burning and sticking. Add water a bit at a time as the pasta absorbs the liquid to end up with a sopa seca.

For a liquid soup, add vegetable broth. Simmer uncovered until the pasta is the desired tenderness.

Season with more salt and pepper as needed and possibly more pimenton dulce, depending on desired spice level. When the pasta is the desired tenderness, you can remove the garlic cloves and chop into smaller pieces or leave them as they are, depending on your preference.

If desired, add a bit more extra virgin olive oil at the end and garnish with some shredded cheese.

*Note: you don't have to use canned tomatoes. You can add one or two chopped fresh tomatoes or chopped roasted fresh tomatoes and then add water or broth as needed for the pasta to have enough liquid to absorb.

Vegetarian Fiction

2008-08-25T07:37:00.002-05:00

I have had this book since 1998, and I don't know how many times I have read it. It's actually a Young Adults book. During Tropical Storm Fay, we lost power several times, never knowing for how long each outage would last. So, I found myself in front of our bookcase looking for entertainment. This is the book that called to me.

It's Sunshine Rider: The First Vegetarian Western by Ric Lynden Hardman. I suppose I should warn my vegetarian readers that it takes some time before the hero, Wylie Jackson, becomes a vegetarian, and even after his change of heart there are still some pretty graphic meat references. For example, at the very beginning of the book, there is a recipe for Porterhouse Steaks that starts with a LIVE cow.... Each chapter begins with a recipe, including a few vegetarian recipes. The humor in the book extends to some of its recipes. For instance, here is part of the recipe for Masoor Dal:

"Into this smoking cauldron pitch the peas; there will be a sound like a cow backfiring. This is to be expected."

The recipe ends: "It's a dandy surprise."

I love it! So if you can handle the occasional graphic meat reference, it's an amazing and fun journey of a young man becoming an adult in the Wild West.

Romesco Sauce

2008-08-23T15:49:00.005-05:00

Salsa Romesco is an incredibly flavorful sauce that comes from Catalonia in Spain. I had it for the first time when we were in Barcelona, and I have not been able to forget it. Now when I eat at Spanish restaurants, I just have to order something that comes with this sauce. Then this week, I realized that it probably isn't hard to make, so why don't I make it at home?!

So, I made it for some friends who came over to play music with DH, and everyone loved it so much, I made it again, so that I could remember to photograph it. I am finding it is great on so many things: various vegetables, especially green beans and mushrooms, potatoes, bread, cheese and even hard-boiled eggs.

I looked at many recipes on the Internet, and then combined them to form this recipe using ingredients that I can find easily in Florida. I am sure I will experiment more with it. But, this is a great start.

Salsa Romesco

1 28oz can of Organic Fire Roasted Crushed Tomatoes
1 small head of garlic, roasted then peeled*
1 chile ancho (stem and seeds removed), soaked in piping hot water for at least 10 minutes to soften
1/4 cup hazelnuts, peeled**
1/4 cup almonds, peeled**
1 large slice of rustic bread, toasted and crushed into large crumbs
salt and pepper
olive oil (approximately 1/2 cup)
optional: a dash of wine vinegar

Toast the nuts in a tablespoon of olive oil in a medium hot frying pan until they are golden and fragrant, stirring often to prevent burning. Remove and set aside. In the same hot pan, add a bit more oil if needed and fry the bread crumbs with the roasted garlic for a couple of minutes, until golden and fragrant.

Place the nuts in a food processor or blender and pulse until they are coarsely chopped. Do not blend to the point where they become a paste. Add the fried bread, the softened chile ancho (cut coarsely into pieces), the garlic, and the tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Turn on the blender or food processor, slowly pouring the olive oil through the opening in the lid while it is blending. Taste and adjust seasoning. Add a dash of wine vinegar for extra tang, if desired.

This sauce gets even more flavorful after a day in the refrigerator.

*To see how to roast a whole head of garlic, check out this post on my friend Madelyn's blog, Karma-Free Cooking. Or to roast it on top of the stove, break the head into cloves. Then place the unpeeled cloves of garlic on a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat and turn them every couple of minutes until the peels get black and the garlic gets very soft.

**To see how to peel almonds and hazelnuts, check out this post on my friend Madelyn's blog, Karma-Free Cooking.

Vegetarian Tostadas

2008-08-17T16:15:00.001-05:00

Last month we had a party at our house, where among the many dishes and snacks I served were tostadas. I was pretty surprised at how many of my guests had never before had a tostada. Usually I anticipate many questions when I serve things like tamales, but I never expected confusion over this. I thought tostadas were very common.

They are a very easy party snack. They can be assembled quickly using a variety of toppings. Above I topped them with refried pinto beans, chopped avocado, Salsa Xni Pec, cilantro and cheese (queso fresco).

Above I topped the tostada with refried black beans, tomatillo salsa, cilantro and shredded cheese (queso Chihuahua).

Tostadas can be made at home by either frying corn tortillas in oil or by baking them on an ungreased cookie sheet for a couple of minutes in the oven, until they become stiff. Incidentally, that is how freshly made tortilla chips are made at restaurants, by frying corn tortillas in oil. The only difference is that they cut the tortillas into triangles first. Anyway, for an easy option, the tostadas can also be purchased, as seen below:

Below is another easy thing to do with tostadas. Simply top them with shredded cheese and then melt the cheese either briefly in the oven or in the microwave for about 10 seconds. Where I grew up in Michigan, we called this snack Chips and Cheese. You can do the same thing using tortilla chips instead of tostadas. Pictured below, I also topped it with a bit of picante sauce.

Another variations is to top the tostadas or tortilla chips with beans or other toppings and cheese and then baking them for a few minutes in the oven to melt the cheese. I have heard people refer to that as Nachos or Mexican Pizza. I have found that throughout the US, people call variations of these snacks by all sorts of different names.

Salsa Xni Pec and Ceviche de San Felipe

2008-08-12T07:07:00.003-05:00

Xni Pec is the Yucatecan version of the salsa known as Pico de Gallo that is prepared throughout Mexico. The recipe I am providing has an alternate ceviche variation that hails from the San Felipe area of Yucatan, an area on the Gulf Coast where fishing is the main industry. To make vegetarian ceviche, try adding some chopped zucchini or cucumber or experiment with other vegetables - just be sure to let it marinate before serving.

Xni Pec

2 large tomatoes, chopped (I used orange tomatoes, any tomatoes work)
at least 2 tablespoons or up to a quarter of a minced onion* (I used red onion for the color)
a handful of fresh, chopped cilantro
the juice of one lime
1/2 of an habanero chile, diced OR 1 serrano chile diced (habanero is more authentic to Yucatan - but be careful, habanero is extremely hot!)
salt and pepper to taste

Stir the ingredients and serve. Use as a dip with tortilla chips or as a salsa for tacos or other dishes.

*Note: this is not required, but I usually blanch the minced onion briefly in piping hot water before adding it. This ensures that the onion flavor doesn't dominate.

Ceviche de San Felipe

Add 2 or 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil to the above recipe
Add extra onion, if desired, and extra vegetables (such as chopped zucchini or cucumber) for vegetarian ceviche, if desired. Let marinate before serving.

This also makes a nice side salad if you cut the vegetables into large pieces. I have seen on other blogs using sliced hearts of palm or mushrooms and other vegetables in vegetarian ceviche. It is worth experimenting.

Roasted Poblano Polenta

2008-08-09T12:42:00.001-05:00

I wish I had remembered to photograph this dish right after I finished cooking it. This polenta was very creamy the first day and would have made a mouth-watering photo. But after the leftovers were put in the refrigerator, the polenta changed in consistency to become firmer, as shown in the photo. The leftovers may not have been quite as photogenic, but they were still delicious! This dish was a hit. The flavor of corn goes so well with poblano peppers, garlic and cheese. When you use quick-cooking polenta, this dish is finished in a flash and is so easy.

Roasted Poblano Polenta

1 cup of quick-cooking polenta
3 cups* of liquid (water or a combination of water and vegetable stock)
pinch of salt
1 poblano pepper, roasted, then seeded and cut into strips
2 or 3 cloves of garlic, roasted, then peeled and chopped
a handful of shredded cheese (I used cheddar) or more if you prefer it cheesier

Heat the liquid in a saucepan over high heat. When the water is just coming to a boil, lower the heat and pour in the polenta in slow stream, stirring constantly. Continue stirring and add a bit of salt, the poblano pepper and garlic. Stir constantly until most of the water is absorbed. Add the cheese and stir. Continue stirring and simmering until it is the consistency you desire, either creamy or firm. My polenta was done after 2 minutes total of stirring.

TIP: roast the pepper and the garlic cloves on a hot ungreased cast iron griddle on your stove top over medium-high heat, turning every couple of minutes until all sides are soft. It really doesn't take long at all, especially for the garlic. Set aside to cool so you don't burn yourself when you peel and cut them.

*Verify the amount of liquid that your package of quick cooking polenta suggests for one cup of dry polenta.

Spicy Greens

2008-08-08T12:11:00.001-05:00

We love greens at our house. I didn't grow up eating them at all. Greens can be very strong and bitter tasting, so it seems they have a bad reputation. But, if they are prepared nicely, the bitterness subsides. Some of my favorite things to add to greens are: olive oil, lots of garlic, vinegar, and anything spicy.

Above is how I can often find greens sold at my local farmer's market. I can find people slicing them into strips right in their stalls, so I know they are very freshly chopped. I find it to be a real time saver, as bunches of greens otherwise come in huge bundles which can be hard to deal with. Just be sure to eat the chopped greens soon after buying them. Also, be sure to wash greens very thoroughly before preparing them. Place them in a sink full of water and swish them around at least three separate times, rinsing well.

Spicy Greens

Sliced, washed greens (I used collard greens)
2 tablespoons olive oil
sliced garlic (can you have too much garlic? I use at least 3 cloves, usually more)
salt and pepper
your favorite picante sauce, to taste OR red pepper flakes and a generous dash of your favorite vinegar

Boil a large pot of water. Add the washed greens and boil for about 5 minutes. You will see the color change a bit, becoming darker green. Rinse and spin in a salad spinner to remove excess water. Or once cool to touch, squeeze out the excess water using your hands.

Heat the oil in the large pot. Add the garlic and a dash of your picante sauce (or some red pepper flakes) and then the greens. Sautee for several minutes, letting the flavors blend and the greens soften to the texture you desire. Some people like them on the crisp side while others like them practically soggy.

Serve with a dash of vinegar or more of your favorite picante sauce, to the spice level desired.

Cinnamon Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

2008-07-21T18:58:00.001-05:00

It has been a very hot summer in Florida. And since we hadn't made any ice cream since the beginning of May, it was time! We made Cinnamon Vanilla Bean Ice Cream based on this recipe posted on Allrecipes. My version of the recipe is below.

We were inspired to make cinnamon ice cream because we enjoyed some in New York last month at a restaurant called Papatzul.

We couldn't resist going into this restaurant, since it is named after a very traditional Yucatecan Mayan dish. It didn't end up being a Yucatecan restaurant, but it we enjoyed it nonetheless.

Cinnamon Vanilla Bean Ice Cream, inspired by the recipe on Allrecipes

1/2 cup to 1 cup sugar or maple sugar (depending on sweetness preference)
1 1/2 cups half and half (or one cup of heavy cream and 1/2 cup of milk)
1/2 of vanilla bean
2 cinnamon sticks (3 inches long each)
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
optionally up to 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (the cinnamon sticks themselves might give enough of the cinnamon flavor, but I love cinnamon, so I also added a generous dash of the ground cinnamon to reinforce the flavor)

Place the half and half and the sugar in a saucepan with the cinnamon sticks. Cut 1/2 of a vanilla bean in half the long way to access the seeds inside. Scrape the seeds into the pan. Then place the bean pod to the pan as well. Heat over medium-low heat. When it begins to simmer, remove from heat.

In a metal bowl, whisk the eggs. While still whisking, add half of the warm mixture and continue to whisk to temper the eggs. The rapid whisking will help prevent the eggs from scrambling. Pour the egg mixture into the saucepan and return the heat to medium low. [Correction: I omitted this step when I first posted this recipe]: Add the final cup of the heavy cream. Stirring constantly, simmer until the mixture starts to thicken a bit. It should get to the point where it will coat the back of a metal spoon. Remove from heat and remove the cinnamon sticks and vanilla bean pod. Stir in the vanilla and ground cinnamon, if desired.

Set aside to cool. Then place in the refrigerator for a minimum of one hour, until thoroughly chilled, but overnight is even better. Pour into ice cream maker and churn according the directions of your machine. Mine churned for 25 minutes at high speed. Scoop the ice cream from the ice cream maker and place in a freezer safe bowl. Freeze thoroughly and then serve, if it is possible to wait that long!!

More New York

2008-06-25T07:54:00.003-05:00

I love this photograph. It captures the spirit of this intersection. The red awnings are over the windows of Balthazar restaurant at the corner of Spring and Crosby.

If atmosphere is what you are looking for in a restaurant, then Balthazar Restaurant fits the bill. That is actually the only reason we went. I was looking at restaurant reviews for another restaurant, and this restaurant was mentioned. So that lead me to their website, and we decided to go just based on the photo of the interior. We went for breakfast, as usually breakfast menus are vegetarian friendly. This proved to be the case.

Our table was well situated. We were in view of the rustic artisan breads. DH couldn't keep his eyes off the bread station activity. Bread is his latest passion, and New York does not disappoint.

Here I am enjoying my morning coffee. There were tourists, business people, and even celebrities there. We noticed Carmindy (of What Not To Wear) as we were leaving. I guess if we hadn't been so focused on the bread we might have noticed her earlier. Honestly, we aren't usually star spotters. We are especially clueless about all things Hollywood. And we don't watch nearly as much TV as it sounds like! We also saw a comedian strolling with his family near Union Square Market. But neither of us knows his name.

Speaking of Union Square Market, that is another place we can't resist visiting while in New York. I can't stop thinking about this scene I saw there:

I don't know if you can read the words on the closest blue cooler. Soup Meat, 75 cents a pound. Now, I haven't bought meat in about a dozen years, so I don't have any clue what the going rate is for ordinary meat, let alone soup meat. Soup Meat?? Now, the pheasant eggs I am totally understanding. I would actually buy some of those, although maybe not a dozen at $6. I LOVE farm fresh eggs.

And of course, we couldn't miss the breads for sale at Union Square Market. I love it: "We don't have scones on Sat any more. Don't ask why!!!" And there is even a smiley face underneath, so it doesn't sound rude!

Angelica Kitchen

2008-06-24T10:08:00.000-05:00

We ate twice at Angelica Kitchen this trip to New York. It specializes in organic, vegan cuisine. We ate the Daily Specials both visits. I wish I had written down the names and descriptions of them, as they were clever. Above is a salad which highlights purslane and is garnished with toasted sea vegetable. There is also roasted cauliflower, marinated tofu, red rice, green beans and a creamy cashew sauce. It was outstanding!

Above is a Moroccan-inspired dish that was cooked in a tagine. It was a stew with chickpeas, tomatoes, and other vegetables and spices. There was an apricot chutney, steamed broccoli, and a cucumber mint salad accompanying the stew. The grain was a mixture of teff and quinoa. It was excellent!

For dessert, we couldn't resist sharing a Strawberry Kanten Parfait. It had a nice oatmeal crumb topping. There were layers of strawberry and cashew cream and it was sweetened very moderately, which I really appreciated. We learned how to make a similar dish at the Conscious Gourmet cooking class I took last year. For the recipe, visit my friend Madelyn's blog, Karma-Free Cooking.

Here is the exterior of Angelica Kitchen. It is located on E 12th Street between First and Second Avenues. I found that the food there really helped balance me. When traveling, I find that I eat so many things I normally don't eat, and then I start to react to the food. I had a very negative reaction after eating too much sugar one day, which I am not used to eating at all anymore. So, Angelica Kitchen was a welcomed haven. Maybe for most people, the food there is what they normally wouldn't eat, but for me, it was comforting and familiar.

Chelsea Market

2008-06-23T17:04:00.003-05:00

Hello everyone! Sorry there was such a long gap since my last post. We have been away quite a lot the last month or so. As a matter of fact, just yesterday we returned from a trip to New York. We celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary there. I will share a few of our favorite food highlights of this visit.

Chelsea Market. Wow, this place is wonderful! The first photo is a scene in the interior. Directly above is the exterior of the building. Inside there are many bakeries, restaurants, coffee, groceries and cooking and food-related stores. Almost everything I purchased during my visit to New York, I bought here. We even made a quick last-minute stop here on our way to the airport to load up on travel food and bread.

Speaking of which, Amy's Bread is one of the bakeries at Chelsea Market. There are other locations of Amy's as well. Amy's is a fantastic bakery. We loved everything we tried there. If this says anything, our freezer is now filled with several varieties of their bread. DH is going to have fun trying to make similar breads at home. We especially loved their Semolina with Golden Raisin and Fennel. We did a little star spotting there as well. Bob Tuschman stopped in while we were eating breakfast there Thursday. No that's not him in the photo! If you know who he is, you'll know that's definitely not him!! The Food Network films some of its shows here, so it makes sense why we spotted him.

A great feature at the Chelsea Market is that there are large windows where you can watch the process of bread baking.

Above are stacks of bannetons, which are baskets used for shaping loaves of bread. That is an absolute fortune's worth of baskets! Bannetons of this quality generally retail for about $40 each. That's how much they were charging for them at the Bowery Kitchen Supply located within the Market.

Caramelized Onion and Fennel

2008-05-06T19:31:00.000-05:00

If you have never tried fennel before, I highly recommend this as a recipe to start with. The results are very rich and sweet! Fennel tastes like anise.

This is wonderful on top of polenta. To lower the fat and calories of the recipe I shared for Polenta with Gorgonzola and Almonds, you could omit the Gorgonzola and top it with this instead. It will give the dish a surprisingly similar flavor and you won't miss the Gorgonzola. It is also wonderful on pizza with Parmesan cheese... Really it would be great with many dishes.

Caramelized Onion and Fennel

1 large yellow onion, sliced
1 or 2 bulbs of fennel, trimmed and sliced in similar sized pieces as the onion
2 or 3 tablespoons olive oil or a combo of butter and oil
salt and pepper

Heat oil/butter in a large heavy-bottomed saute pan over medium heat. Add the onion and fennel slices. Stir occasionally. When the onions and fennel start making a lot of noise and the oil is diminishing, add some salt. Lower heat if needed, it will depend on your pan. Continue simmering the onions and fennel, stirring occasionally, for about 45 minutes, until very golden. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.

Flavored Water

2008-05-06T19:02:00.001-05:00

So very simple. Pour water in a glass pitcher along with a few slices of fruit or cucumber. Voila! The water has flavor! It's remarkably delicious. Experiment to find your favorite.

Birthday Meal

2008-05-05T09:03:00.002-05:00

This is what I got for my birthday: a pasta maker attachment for my Kitchen Aid stand mixer! Looking at the photo, it sure looks like the color of my mixer is pasta dough yellow... In any event, the way we celebrated my birthday was to spend the entire day cooking everything that we could from scratch.

I went to the farmer's market on Friday and bought what was the most fresh looking. I knew I was going to make some sort of pasta to try out my new attachment, but I didn't decide to make lasagna until about mid-day Saturday. The produce I had on hand worked out well for it. The menu evolved as the day progressed. The lasagna noodles are the first pasta I have made from scratch. It took a few tries to get used to how to use the attachment, but once I got the hang of it, it was pretty easy!

Semolina Egg Pasta ingredients:

4 large eggs, 2 tablespoons water, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 3 1/3 cups semolina pasta flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt.

I used some Florida tomatoes to make the marinara sauce for the lasagna. I started by boiling them to soften the skin. Then I peeled them and the simmered them with low heat for many hours with olive oil, onions, bay leaves, etc.

I made homemade ricotta cheese which I mixed with fresh (but blanched) spinach, parsley, an egg, and salt and pepper.

I also made a white sauce (a bechamel with Fontina and Parmesan cheeses melted into it), and I roasted some red peppers, portobello mushrooms, and zucchini with olive oil and Italian herbs.

All of these went into the layers of the lasagna. Above I am assembling the lasagna. Yes, I used my hands to spread the ricotta layer. I like getting my hands dirty!

Here is a slice of the lasagna. It is the best we have ever had! Yes, I am biased! I must not forget to mention that we also ate homemade bread (sampling all day long, as the different kinds of loaves were coming out of the oven).

For dessert we made Crespella Cream Pie, topped with homemade Chocolate Sauce and filled with homemade Vanilla Pastry Cream and slices of bananas and strawberries. To top it off, we also made homemade Strawberry Ice Cream. Everything was outstanding!

I was able to get Florida strawberries at the farmer's market, something I hadn't seen in many weeks, at least a month. I couldn't resist buying an entire flat of them, as they were only $6. There were 12 pints, about 24 cups, of strawberries in my flat. I would say that 25 cents per cup of berries is pretty cheap!! There was a line of people eagerly waiting to buy them, so I was lucky I was able to get a flat before they were all gone. That's the way the farmer's market is here. A random truck of freshly picked produce arrives, and sometimes it will all gone within an hour. If you don't happen to be there during that hour, you miss out!

Anyway, it was a fabulous way to spend the day. We ate very very well!

Birthday Breads

2008-05-04T13:28:00.002-05:00

DH made many loaves of bread in celebration of my birthday Saturday. Here are a few photos. If only you could taste them! Above and below are Pane Siciliano, an Italian bread. It contains some semolina flour, which gives it a sweet flavor. It is soft but also has a crispiness. Really this bread tastes like no other bread I have ever had. I will be requesting it again!

Below are some Pain a l'Ancienne, a French bread. DH formed the dough into long breadsticks. They are crunchy on the outside and light and airy with lots of holes in the inside. They have a surprisingly complex flavor (that's a good thing!!)

Below is the only thing I did to contribute to making the bread. I braided the dough of the Whole Wheat Brioche with Chocolate Chips. Mmm. Can't wait to use it for French Toast in a few days.

DH also made a double batch of Whole Wheat Pizza Crust, which we froze into ten balls, to use for ten future individual pizzas. What a privilege to have such a talented baker as a husband! The recipes all came from Peter Reinhart bread baking books.

Creamy Nutty Oatmeal

2008-04-30T08:35:00.001-05:00

When I haven't been to the market in a while, and we are out of fresh fruit, this is what I will typically make for breakfast. It is welcomed and enjoyed though, so nobody is the wiser that it is a fallback pantry meal.

Creamy Nutty Oatmeal
serves 2

1 cup thick rolled oats (not quick)
2 cups milk or soymilk (or 1 cup water and 1 cup milk)
1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)
2 tablespoons nut butter (peanut, almond, cashew, or your favorite)
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 dried apricots, diced or an appropriate amount for 2 servings of other dried fruit
to garnish: freshly grated nutmeg and slices of fresh bananas or strawberries or other fruit (optional)

In a saucepan, bring milk with salt to a boil. Add the nut butter and stir to dissolve. Then add the maple syrup, oats and dried fuit. Simmer, stirring occassionally for about 10 to 20 minutes, until the oats are tender and it is the consistency desired. Serve with freshly grated nutmeg and optionally with slices of fresh fruit.

Peanut Butter Oat Bars

2008-04-28T17:51:00.001-05:00

When I saw these bars on Tastespotting, I knew I would try them. Can't beat the combination of oats and peanut butter, unless you do what I did and add some chocolate! It wasn't a part of the recipe, but I highly recommend it. I added a 1/2 cup of mini chocolate chips.

Also, I made them whole grain by using spelt and barley flour in place of all-purpose, and I sweetened them with less than a cup of maple sugar. They still turned out lovely and were terrific with coffee. Many thanks to Maria, of the Goddess's Kitchen for posting this Peanut Butter Oat Bar recipe.

Chestnut Pancakes (Gluten Free)

2008-04-27T08:24:00.004-05:00

DH and I were in Orlando for the day recently and on our way out of the city, we stopped at a natural foods store, Chamberlain's. There we found a few items we have a hard time finding in other places in Florida, such as blue corn meal, maple sugar and other things. DH also put in our cart this bag of chestnut flour:

We have never used it before but have heard that it is delicious. So we decided to try it, even though it is quite pricey. We found online this recipe for gluten-free chestnut pancakes published by the manufacturer of the flour. It only uses a 1/3 cup of the chestnut flour, so if we keep using recipes like this, our small bag of flour should last a little while. We hope so, as we are loving it! The flour itself even smells wonderful! It adds a deep, sweet and nutty flavor. The pancakes are not as light and fluffy as more traditional pancakes, but they are packed with flavor and are very satisfying.

We topped this batch of chestnut pancakes with some caramelized bananas. We have found they are also good with apples or a bit of maple syrup.

Polenta with Gorgonzola and Almonds

2008-04-23T09:44:00.002-05:00

Oh my, this is the most luscious polenta we have eaten in a while. We could have eaten the whole pot if not careful. It is so creamy and sweet, with a nice crunch from the almonds. Really it so richly flavored that we would even happily eat it as a dessert. We ate the polenta along with tofu baked in a honey-Dijon sauce and some green beans sauteed with garlic and extra virgin olive oil.

The recipe is very easy and quite quick, taking only minutes to prepare. The trick is that the recipe calls for quick cooking polenta, so instead of stirring the pot of polenta for a long time, it only takes 5 minutes of stirring. However, the polenta that I purchased was super quick cooking polenta, and only needed one minute of stirring. A gourmet meal in one minute!

The brand I used was de la Estancia Organic Polenta. It is not an instant product even though it only needs a minute to cook. The package says that it is not pre-cooked nor processed, and that the reason it is naturally quick-cooking is because it has a low starch content and a super fine grind. Since I used this polenta, I did need to alter the amount of liquid ingredients in the recipe. The recipe calls for 5 cups total of liquids, but I reduced that to 3 cups total per the package recommendation. I would read the package directions to be sure of the cooking time and liquid amounts required for the particular brand.

Polenta with Gorgonzola and Almonds
Gourmet Magazine April 2008

3 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 cups milk
salt (around 1 1/2 teaspoons total, divided)
1 cup quick-cooking polenta
1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 ounces Gorgonzola dolce
1/3 cup unsalted roasted almonds, chopped or sliced
freshly ground black pepper

1. Bring water, milk and 3/4 teaspoon salt to a boil in a large heavy bottomed sauce pan. Sprinkle in the polenta and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, 5 minutes (or per package directions).
2. Remove from heat and whisk in Parmesan and butter. Serve sprinkled with Gorgonzola, almonds and freshly ground black pepper.

Tempeh Milanese with Creamy Caper and Lemon Sauce

2008-04-21T14:50:00.006-05:00

I found a new way to use the recipe for the Cornmeal-Crusted Tempeh that I posted previously. It actually works great as a vegetarian substitute for Giada de Laurentiis' recipe on the Food Network website for Pork Milanese with Creamy Caper and Lemon Sauce. I combined the ideas of the two recipes.

In Giada's recipe, she dips the cutlets into flour, eggs, and then breadcrumbs before frying. Instead of doing that, I dipped my cooked/marinated tempeh into buttermilk and then the cornmeal mixture from the tempeh recipe I posted from the Candle Cafe Cookbook. The coating stuck very well to the tempeh and became crispy once fried. I have no idea why I dipped them into buttermilk before the cornmeal mixture, it's not a part of either recipe, but it worked out nicely. It is optional.

The tempeh was delicious dipped into the Creamy Caper and Lemon Sauce. I was supposed to add parsely to the sauce, but I didn't have any.

We ate the tempeh with roasted cauliflower, sweet potatoes and red onions along with some garlicky kale. The bowl of Creamy Caper and Lemon Sauce is not visible in the above photo, but we found that everything tasted great dipped into it, not just the tempeh.

I suppose this can be the featured Meal of the Week #5. Here is the summary of the meal:

Protein: Tempeh (the main source) plus whole grains and dairy
Dairy: Mascarpone cheese and milks
Whole grain: Cornmeal, Barley Flour and Potatoes
Fruits/Vegetables: Kale, Cauliflower, Onion, Sweet Potatoes
Fats/Sugars: Olive oil on all of the vegetables, grapeseed oil for frying tempeh, whole milk/cheese, a bit of maple syrup in the tempeh marinade

Agave Nectar or Miel de Maguey

2008-04-15T09:46:00.004-05:00

When we were in Mexico in February, we picked up this jar of Miel de Maguey, which is agave nectar. We really wish we had bought more, as it is superb! It is so delicious, with a much deeper and more fruity agave flavor than any we have bought in the US, and I have tried every one I have seen. This jar we are savoring and are using it on dishes where we will be able to taste and appreciate the special flavor.

It was interesting to note while we were there that many Mexicans use agave nectar as a medicinal supplement rather than as a sweetener. When we were talking about how popular agave nectar is here in the States as sugar substitute, it was interesting to find out that in some parts of Mexico it is more commonly just eaten by the spoonful like a dose of medicine. So, I had to explain how to use it as a sweetener. That was a little surprising to me, since besides honey, agave is a sweetener native to Mexico. The nectar from the agave plant has been extracted and used for food since pre-Columbian times. Sugar cane was brought to Mexico in more recent history. Perhaps it was because I was talking to people in Yucatan, and agave is not a crop grown there. In Yucatan, bee honey is a big industry and has always been used there as a sweetener.

For those who are curious, here is a translation of the health claims written on this jar of agave nectar: "rich in fiber, dietetic oligosaccharide, aids digestion and promotes the development of intestinal flora. Natural source of protein, calcium, potassium, vitamin C and antioxidants. More than a sweetener." Now in contrast, here are the health claims written on a some of the bottles of agave nectar that I have found in the US which are marketed to Americans: "a new natural sweetener... low glycemic index that is beneficial for many... diabetic friendly..."

I personally ignore health claims written on food products. I don't trust them. And there is good reason to be skeptical. Agave nectar sold in the US is not without controversy, as apparently some brands that say they're 100 percent pure, really aren't, the glycemic index differs greatly between brands, etc.

I use agave nectar because I like how it tastes, how it dissolves so easily into liquids and because it works well in many of my recipes. I use it sparingly when I do use it.

Crespella Part Deux

2008-04-14T08:55:00.002-05:00

A few days ago I posted the recipe for Oven Crespella with Chocolate Sauce from Gourmet Magazine. Well, DH and I have been talking a lot about it over the last week, and we collaborated a new way to use the recipe. So, yesterday DH made this new version of Crespella as a celebratory cake to mark our one year anniversary of healthy eating. OK, so maybe eating a cake is not exactly most logical way to celebrate healthy eating. But, this cake has no refined ingredients, barely any sweetener, etc because of the modifications we made. Yes it is still high in calories and fat, but we are sharing it with friends, and we are not feeling guilty eating it.

We call the cake Crespella Cream Pie. To assemble, make two crespellas and some of Dorie Greenspan's Vanilla Pastry Cream and your favorite recipe for chocolate sauce, frosting or ganache. A note on the pastry cream recipe: I personally don't feel it needs so much sweetener. The whole milk and vanilla bean already give it a rich flavor, so I usually just use two tablespoons of maple sugar or agave nectar to sweeten it.

To assemble:

Place one of the crespellas on a cake plate.
Spread the pastry cream on top.
Arrange slices of banana over the pastry cream.
Spread some of the chocolate sauce onto the bottom of the other crespella and lay it on top of the bananas. That will help glue the bananas in place once it sets in the refrigerator.
Then either frost the cake with the rest of the chocolate sauce immediately or after the cake has set in the refrigerator. In Florida where I live, it is sometimes so humid that refrigerating first helps the cake keep its shape while frosting. Then store the cake in the refrigerator.

Either serve cold or at room temperature.

Meal of the Week #4

2008-04-12T17:08:00.003-05:00

A crew of painters we met through friends has been painting the exterior of our house this week. They have actually done other work on our house in the past, so we've come to know them pretty well by now. I have been getting great practice with my Spanish, and I really cannot believe how much easier it comes to me these days. Anyway, DH and I decided to offer them a buffet style lunch, as they are finishing everything today. (They did work on our kitchen when it was being remodeled too, so the gesture was also in recognition and appreciation of how much we have been enjoying our kitchen). So, this is the Meal of the Week.

In approximately the order shown in the photo, from top to bottom:

Roasted vegetables, salsa de chiltomate, refried black beans, chopped hard boiled eggs.
Whole wheat empanadas filled with varying combinations of cheese, veggies and beans.
Wedges of limes, pickled red onions, avocado and tomato salad
Corn tortillas (under the cloth) and cantaloupe.

We also put out (after the photo was taken) some Mexican crema and some crumbled Mexican queso fresco. Also not shown was a pitcher of homemade Jamaica, which is iced tea made from the dried leaves of the hibiscus flower. Jamaica is a very common thing to drink in Mexico.

Every one of our guests commented about how healthy the meal was. Everyone ate everything on their plates, even after second and third helpings. From the smiles, easy going laughter and camaraderie at the table, we could tell they were all very happy. And then they all got straight back to work. So, it was a success.

Summary of Meal

Protein: Black beans, eggs, whole grains, cheeses
Dairy: Cheese, cream
Whole grains: Whole wheat and spelt empanadas, corn tortillas
Fruits/Vegetables: Cantaloupe, Limes, Avocado, Tomatoes, Onions, Asparagus, Zucchini, Summer Squash, Peppers
Fats/Sugars: Sweetener for Jamaica, cheeses, olive oil in roasted veggies

Oven Crespella with Chocolate Sauce

2008-04-11T15:36:00.005-05:00

I guess it has been a while since I posted! Not to worry! I am returning with this tasty treat which was featured in the new issue of Gourmet (April 2008). DH made it, as he couldn't keep his eyes off the photo in the magazine. But, I think DH's turned out even nicer. He added his own touches. The original recipe calls for Nutella. Don't get me wrong. Nutella is awesome. It's just not something we keep in the house, especially since we did away with sugar. So, DH made his own chocolate sauce. Plus, he decided to soften some dried figs in some honey-butter for an extra special touch.

We had never had a crespella before, so we don't know how it is supposed to turn out. But we were intrigued to try it because, from the recipe, it seems basically to be a baked pancake. And, as you know, we Love pancakes. It was pretty simple. DH made the batter, poured it in a pan, and then after it baked, he flipped it out of the pan and onto a serving plate. The recipe didn't say to present it like that, but we think it turned out lovely.

The recipe didn't say to do this either, but look how pretty it turned out. DH spread his chocolate sauce and figs on the top, as if it were a cake. [Added April 14, 2008, see this posting for yet another version of Crespella: Crespella Cream Pie].

So, in the end, was it still a crespella? We say, who cares, it was incredibly delicious! The edges were crispy but inside it was soft with an almost custard-like layer. And it even tasted great cold after being stored in the refrigerator.

Oven Crespella with Nutella Sauce
adapted from Gourmet Magazine, April 2008

serves 4 to 6, active time 15 mins, 40 mins start to finish

3/4 cup flour (or a mixture of whole grain flours)
2 large eggs
1/4 cup granulated sugar (DH used a small amount of agave nectar as substitute)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups plus 3 tablespoons whole milk, divided
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup Nutella, chocolate hazelnut spread (or chocolate sauce)
optional garnishes: confectioners sugar

accompaniment: chopped berries (figs or bananas are great with it too)

1. Heat an oven-proof skillet in the oven as it is preheating to 450 degrees.
2. Whisk to combine the flour, eggs, sweetener, vanilla, salt and 1 1/2 cups of the milk. Take skillet out of oven (careful it is hot). Place the butter in the skillet and return it to the oven. Leave it there for about a minute, so the butter gets golden. Remove the skillet from the oven.
3. Pour the batter into the skillet and then bake until puffed, set, and golden, about 20 to 25 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, in a bowl, whisk the Nutella with the remaining milk until smooth. Thin with more milk if necessary. (Or make your favorite recipe for chocolate sauce).
5. Cool pancake in skillet on a rack for 5 minutes. (It will sink). Dust with confectioners sugar (if desired) and drizzle with the sauce. Serve with berries or fruit of choice.

Meal of the Week #3

2008-03-27T08:56:00.004-05:00

Last week I shared breakfast for my meal of the week, so this week I am presenting a dinner. We actually ate this dinner last week, but I am feeling motivated to show this taco meal after last evening's episode of Top Chef. On the show the guest judge, Chef Rick Bayless, challenged everyone to make upscale tacos. Several of the contestants were not happy about it, one whined loudly saying that Mexican food is not gourmet. I'm not claiming that my tacos are upscale or gourmet, I'm just saying that tacos can be made with anything, so to me the challenge was really not a stretch.

We have been on an habanero kick since returning from Yucatan. Asparagus is not ordinarily eaten with habanero. In fact, my Mexican mother-in-law had the first asparagus of her life only a few weeks ago. But, that didn't stop us from pairing the two. A lot of the tacos that DH and I eat are not what the typical American or even a typical Yucatecan would eat as a taco. Tacos work very well with fusions of many different cuisines.

I roasted asparagus with white onion, garlic cloves and shitake mushrooms that had been lightly coated with olive oil and very simply seasoned with salt and pepper. In the same roasting pan, I added two slices of tofu that I liberally coated with some homemade salsa de chile ancho. It didn't take long to roast in a hot oven of about 400 degrees F. I stirred the vegetables and flipped the tofu after about 5 to 10 minutes, then they cooked only a short time more.

We made homemade corn tortillas and then served the roasted tofu and veggies with refried black beans, lime wedges and two different habanero salsas. We sprinkled everything with lime juice and each taco we made had a different combination of the ingredients.

Summary of Meal:

protein: black beans, tofu, and corn tortillas
whole grain: corn tortillas
dairy: none
fruits/vegetables: onion, mushroom, asparagus, chiles, limes
fats/sugars: minor use of olive oil

Tomatoes with Dijon Vinaigrette

2008-03-25T09:08:00.001-05:00

I have to admit it. The only reason I am posting this recipe is because I want to share these photos I took of this tomato salad. The lighting was hitting the bowl so nicely, and I ended up taking scores of photos; so many that it was hard to chose which were my favorites!

So here are a few of the photos.

Orange is my favorite color, and I really love how many shades of orange I was able to capture and how nicely the orange contrasts with its complimentary color, blue.

So, here is my simple tomato salad.

Tomatoes with Dijon Vinaigrette
salad dressing recipe given to me by my French host sister, Patricia

glob of spicy mustard (Dijon or French Red Hot Pepper Moustarde au Piment d'Espelette)
1 big spoon of vinegar or lemon juice (any vinegar, but red wine or balsamic are very nice)
2 big spoons of extra virgin olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
fresh chopped herbs, if desired

Stir together the mustard and vinegar or juice. Then whisk while slowly pouring in the oil to emulsify. Stir in fresh herbs, if desired. Salt and pepper to taste. Let the dressing rest for up to an hour before dressing your salad. After dressing the salad, serve immediately.

If too strong, add more oil. If too weak, add more vinegar.

Note: this dressing is great on many vegetables: shredded carrot salad, corn and pepper salad, tomatoes, lettuce, etc.

Spinach Catalan

2008-03-24T15:33:00.001-05:00

I have been thinking about our trip to Barcelona that we took a few years ago, probably because of a book I have been reading set in the Mediterranean. So, here is a dish from the Catalan region of Spain. It's very simple and sweet, chewy but also crunchy. Other greens would also work in place of the spinach, like chard or even kale. For kale, I would recommend steaming it first for several minutes to soften it, instead of blanching it, before sauteing.

Spinach Catalan
adapted from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison

fresh spinach or chard, stems trimmed or removed, leaves blanched,* then gently squeezed or spun to remove excess moisture
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 or 2 large garlic cloves, sliced in large slices
1/3 cup dark or golden raisins or currants
1/3 cup pine nuts
sea salt and freshly ground pepper

1. Coarsely chop the blanched greens, if desired.
2. Warm the oil with the garlic in a wide skillet over medium heat. When the garlic is golden, remove it.
3. Add the raisins and pine nuts to the oil and saute until the raisins are plump and the nuts are golden.
4. Add the greens and the cooked garlic (optional) and gently saute until they are heated through. Salt and pepper to taste.

*For Blanching: Plunge the greens into boiling water. They should be in the boiling water for less than one minute. Then they are removed from the boiling water and are placed in a colander to drain.

Whole Grain Bread Bonanza

2008-03-24T10:12:00.007-05:00

DH had a chance this weekend to have a bread baking bonanza! Our house smelled like a bakery, the aromas even carried outside. He made four recipes. Anadama Bread, Whole Wheat Brioche (with chunks of dark chocolate) and Whole Wheat Cinnamon Raisin Bread from Peter Reinhart's new book, Whole Grain Breads. He also made a batch of ciabatta using a recipe we learned at our class at Johnson & Wales. DH added roasted zucchini and sun-dried tomatoes to the ciabatta. I forgot to photograph the Anadama. It was the first loaf he made, and we ate it all weekend. Luckily, I did put some slices in the freezer to enjoy later.

DH used kefir for the soaker in the above Whole Wheat Cinnamon Raisin with Walnuts. He found that the 56 grams of flour called for in the final dough recipe was not enough. The bread is so soft and moist with a very deep flavor. Most of the raisins fell apart during the intense kneading required for the dough, so each bite carries the sweetness of the raisins. The walnuts and cinnamon really shine without overpowering the complexity of the slowly fermented whole wheat dough. DH could have formed the bread into visible cinnamon swirl, but decided against it. It turned out nicely, as each bite has an even balance of all of the flavors.

Above and below are close-ups of the Whole Wheat Brioche. It has a rich buttery flavor and consistency. He cut into chunks a small bar of high-end 85% dark chocolate and added it to the dough. What a decadent treat that was! That is how I ate chocolate when I was in France: a little bite of dark chocolate with a big bite of bread.

It's amazing how sweet, soft and flavorful even brioche can be using no white flour or sugar. DH used agave nectar in place of the sugar in these recipes. I can see why loaves of high quality breads cost so much money here in the States. If we were to sell the brioche, for example, we would have to charge a steep price just to break even for the cost of the ingredients, not to mention the time and energy required. But that is why it is art. I am happy and so very lucky that DH has developed such a passion for bread baking.

Above are some slices of the ciabatta which were eaten with some marinated orange tomatoes and slices of cheese. Simplicity can be divine.

Balanced Breakfasts Food Event

2008-03-20T10:04:00.003-05:00

This month there is a food event for Weekend Breakfast Blogging that calls for Balanced Breakfast Meals. To be considered balanced, the guidelines encourage us to use more than one of these four food groups: fruits/vegetables, grains/cereals, dairy, vegetarian proteins.

I am providing four hearty protein-packed vegetarian breakfasts that include all four of the food groups. They are all very easy to make using leftovers, so why wait for the weekend to make these wholesome morning meals?

Number One: Scrambled Eggs with Spinach, Roasted Red Pepper, Mozzarella and Wholegrain Bread

Protein: Eggs, Whole grains in the bread, Cheese
Grains: Whole grain bread
Dairy: Cheese, Butter (on bread)
Fruits/Vegetables: Red Bell Pepper, Spinach

Number Two: Veggie Melt: Wholegrain Toast topped with Tomatoes, Spinach and Cheese

Protein: Cheese, Whole grains in bread
Grains: Whole Grain Bread
Dairy: Cheese
Fruits/Vegetables: Tomatoes, Spinach

Number Three: Enfrijolada topped with Fried Eggs, Onion, Cilantro, and Queso Fresco

To make enfrijoladas: Warm corn tortillas. Warm some refried black beans or pinto beans and thin them out with a bit of water. Dip the tortillas into the beans to coat them completely. Then fold them or roll them. Top them or fill them as shown or with whatever you have on hand. Some suggestions are salsa, chopped tomatoes, cream, jalapeno or serrano chile strips...

Protein: Black beans, eggs, corn in tortillas, cheese
Grains: Corn tortillas
Dairy: Cheese (queso fresco)
Fruits/Vegetables: Onion, Cilantro, Lime juice generously coating everything

Number Four: Moyete with Fried Egg and Grape Tomatoes

Note: Moyetes are slices of bread with refried beans and cheese and sometimes other toppings that are baked in the oven until the cheese melts and the beans warm. Sometimes they also have a tomato sauce or hot chiles, etc.

Protein: Black beans, egg, cheese
Grains: Whole grain bread
Dairy: Cheese
Fruits/Vegetables: Tomatoes, Serrano chiles

Strawberry Oatmeal Squares

2008-03-17T17:06:00.005-05:00

Mike of Mike's Table is hosting the Strawberry Seduction food challenge. As a fellow Floridian, I can identify with his story of finding himself with six pounds of ripe Florida strawberries. I myself have not been able to resist buying whole flats of our lesser known winter/early spring fruit. So we have been happily eating strawberries practically every day since around Christmas. Usually we eat them with breakfast, sliced on top of oatmeal or pancakes or stirred into Kefir or yogurt. But we have also had them with many desserts, from tarts to tapioca pudding.

The recipe I share now is for Strawberry Oatmeal Squares, which makes a 9x13 sized yummy dessert or decadent breakfast. The added benefit is that it calls for a separate recipe of Strawberry Sauce. If you have a surplus of strawberries on hand, I recommend making a larger batch of the sauce to have plenty of leftovers to freeze. The leftover Strawberry Sauce can be used as a topping for waffles, pancakes, yogurt, ice cream, etc.

Strawberry Sauce

1 quart of strawberries
1 tablespoon arrowroot or cornstarch
1 tablespoon lemon or lime juice
agave nectar or sweetener to taste (amount needed will depend on how sweet the berries are and how sweet you want the sauce)

1. Wash and core the berries. Blend in a blender or food processor half of the berries. Set aside. Slice the other half of the berries into big chunks. Set aside.

2. Place 1/4 cup of the puree in a small bowl and stir the arrowroot or cornstarch into it. Place the rest of the pureed strawberries in a saucepan and turn on the heat. Add the cornstarch mixture and stir. Once everything is well combined with no lumps, stir in the sliced strawberries. Sweeten to taste, a tablespoon at a time.

3. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Lower heat a bit, continue stirring, and it should thicken a bit within a minute. Remove from heat. Add the lemon juice and stir. Set aside to cool. What is left of the sauce after making the Oatmeal Squares can be used as a breakfast or ice cream topping.

Strawberry Oatmeal Squares

Strawberry Sauce (see above recipe)
10 tablespoons butter, cut into small cubes
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 cup agave nectar or honey (if you prefer to use granulated sugar, you probably will want to increase amount; the original recipe calls for 1 cup of brown sugar, which I think is way too sweet)

2 cups oats or quick oats
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup other flour (all purpose or spelt or barley, etc)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Grease a 9x13 pan. Preheat oven to 375 F. Beat the butter until fluffy. Add the sweetener, beat well. Add the vanilla. Beat well.

2. In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients (oats, flours, baking soda, salt). Add to the butter mixture, stirring until it resembles a coarse meal. It will be dry, but if it seems way too dry with a lot of the flour left with nothing to hold to, add a tablespoon of warm water.

3. Press half of the oatmeal mixture into the pan. Set the other half of the mixture aside. Bake for about 8 minutes, or until the crust looks puffed.

4. Spread some strawberry sauce evenly over the baked crust. You don't need to use all of the sauce, only what is needed to cover the crust. If you have a lot of fresh strawberries on hand, you could optionally also place some fresh sliced strawberries on top (as pictured above). Then cover the strawberries with the rest of the oatmeal mixture, gently pressing it in place.

5. Bake again, this time for about 15 to 17 minutes, until golden. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack. Cut into squares.

Apple and Spelt Berry Salad

2008-03-17T15:57:00.000-05:00

Happy St Patrick's Day! Not that there is anything very Irish about this salad. But, as shown above, it does happen to have a few green ingredients.

Maybe spelt berries are not the most common salad ingredient, but I would like to change that. They are chewy, nutty in flavor, and are a nutritious whole grain. Spelt has been around at least 9 thousand years and is an ancient relative of wheat. Speaking of wheat, you could also use wheat berries or kamut berries or the such for this recipe. Also, if I can't convince you to try spelt berries, but the rest of the salad looks interesting, you could add about a 1/2 cup of chopped nuts as a substitute.

Apple and Spelt Berry Salad
inspired by the deli at Native Sun Natural Foods in Jacksonville, FL

1 cup cooked spelt berries (cooking instructions below)
2 or 3 Granny Smith or green apples, cored and sliced
2 stalks of celery, sliced
1/4 to 1/2 cup dried cherries or cranberries or raisins
1/3 cup plain yogurt or mayonnaise
2 tablespoons cream cheese, ricotta or small curd cottage cheese (to thicken it a bit)
2 tablespoons fresh lime or lemon juice
2 tablespoons honey or agave nectar
1/2 to 1 teaspoon apple pie spice, to taste (apple pie spice is a mixture of cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice)

1. To cook the spelt berries: boil 1 1/2 cups water, then add 1/2 cup uncooked spelt berries. Cover and reduce heat. Simmer for about an hour and a half, until tender. Drain any remaining liquid and cool before adding to the salad. (A tip: make a larger batch and put some in the freezer for a future salad).

2. Make the dressing by whisking together or blending until smooth the yogurt or mayo, the cream cheese, lime juice, and honey. Add some apple pie spice. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

3. In a large bowl toss the sliced apples, celery, spelt berries and dried cherries with the dressing until everything is coated. Serve immediately or chill first in the refrigerator and then serve.

Papatzules

2008-03-14T08:40:00.005-05:00

Papatzul or Papadzul (I have seen both spellings) is a traditional Mayan dish that has been eaten in the Yucatan since before the arrival of the Europeans. The word itself means "food of the lords." They are commonly referred to is Yucatecan Enchiladas. Basically they are corn tortillas that have been dipped into a salsa de pepita (a sauce made from pumpkin seeds), that are then wrapped around chopped hardboiled eggs. Then they are placed on a plate and are topped with more of the salsa de pepita plus some chiltomate (a salsa made from tomatoes and chiles).

The photo above is an order of papatzules from a restaurant we visited in Merida. The manner the restaurant presented the dish is a bit different from what I have normally seen. Rather than having chopped hard boiled eggs on top of the dish as shown, usually the eggs are only inside the tortillas. Sometimes in addition to being topped with the two sauces, they are also lightly garnished with ground pumpkin seeds. I also have seen people garnish them with chopped cilantro, but I don't find it to be authentic, as there is no cilantro in the dish traditionally. Another thing that they are sometimes garnished with is green pumpkin seed oil, squeezed from toasted pepitas.

Chiltomate

3 or 4 ripe tomatoes
2 cups of water or broth
1 or 2 fresh sprigs of epazote or 1 tablespoon dried epazote leaves
1 habanero chile, stem and seeds removed
1 small onion, chopped
2 tablespoons oil, separated
salt

Bring the first four ingredients plus some salt to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Take the tomatoes and habanero out of the broth and set aside. Remove the skin from the tomatoes and discard the skin. Reserve the broth (it will be needed for making the salsa de pepita).

Meanwhile, heat one tablespoon of the oil in a small skillet and saute the onion until soft. Set aside.

Place the cooked tomatoes and sauteed onion in a blender. Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a saucepan. Add the pureed tomato mixture and simmer for five minutes, stirring occasionally. Add more salt to taste.

Salsa de Pepita

1 cup of pepitas (green pumpkin seeds), toasted until they puff and turn lightly golden
approximately 2 cups of broth flavored with epazote (or broth reserved from above chiltomate recipe)
salt

1. Strain the broth reserved from chiltomate recipe.

2. Finely grind the toasted pepitas, using either using a nut grinder or a blender or food processor. Place them in a bowl. Add bit by bit the strained broth, until you have a paste. Place in the blender or food procoessor. Blend or pulse, slowly adding more of the broth, bit by bit, until you get a saucy consistency to your liking. Salt to taste. (You don't necessarily need to use all of the broth).

Papadzules or Papatzules

6 eggs, hard boiled, peeled and chopped
up to 12 corn tortillas, heated until they are soft and pliable
salsa de pepita, warm or at least room temperature (see above)
chiltomate, warm (see above)

Assembly instructions: place the salsa de pepita in a wide, shallow bowl. Dip a warm tortilla in the bowl to coat it with the sauce. Place it on a plate. Put some of the egg down the center of the tortilla, then fold over two opposing edges of the tortilla on top of the egg. Place this bundle on another plate, seam side down. Repeat until you have formed as many as you would like for a serving.

Ladle more of the salsa de pepita over the top of the papatzules. Then ladle on some chiltomate. Serve.

Additional note: instead of using a blender, you could use the more traditional and rustic molcajete (mortar and pestle). See above photo.

Merida en Domingo (Merida on Sundays)

2008-03-12T13:14:00.001-05:00

I realized I didn't really share any photos that show a glimpse of what Merida, Yucatan looks like. So here are some photos I took during Merida en Domingo (Merida on Sundays) which is a celebration every weekend. Above is a street vendor selling ice cream in one of squares that participates in the party, Parque Santa Lucia. Nearby was a band playing music to which quite a large group of couples were dancing. In this same park, as well in as in the zocalo (the main big park), there are booths stationed where people sell handicrafts. It was funny, but many streets are closed to cars for this celebration, but nearly everyone still walks on the narrow sidewalks.

Above are booths of handicrafts in the zocalo.

Another thing that happens on Sundays is that on the Pasejo Montejo, which is the grandest boulevard in Merida, the south-bound lane is closed to cars as an invitation to bicyclists and pedestrians. Unlike the streets downtown, people were actually taking advantage of the fact this street was closed for their benefit. Our hotel was on this street,and it was fun watching everyone enjoying themselves. There was a constant stream of people taking advantage of it. There were walkers, bicyclists, runners, even kids on tricycles and Big Wheels. This street closure for pedestrians has been a more recent addition to Merida en Domingo festivities, starting about six years ago. Pictured below.

On Sunday evenings downtown you will find musicians, called Trios, that you can pay to serenade your sweetheart. A Trio in Yucatan will be comprised of three musicians, each more than likely playing their choice of one of these instruments: guitar, requinto, maracas, or bass. They will play for you on the spot or you can hire them to surprise your sweetheart at her window in the middle of the night.

Below you can glimpse some of the variety of architecture and a long standing fixture in Merida, the horse-drawn carriages. They are a tourist attraction, not a standard mode of transportation.

Meal of the Week #1

2008-03-11T07:27:00.004-05:00

This is a feature for my blog that I am thinking of attempting for this coming year. I feel like most food blogs post recipes, and that is wonderful, as it is a huge resource even for me, for finding new things to make to eat. But, I think it is also interesting to see what a whole vegetarian meal looks like, in addition to recipes for individual dishes.

Anyway, here is how this meal came together. The above soup is the first thing I made upon returning from our trip to Mexico. I hadn't been to the market yet, so I just did what I sometimes do when I don't have much in the house, I threw together a soup using what I had on hand. We had the soup for lunch with some slices of toasted homemade bread that I found in the freezer. Then the leftovers of the soup became a side dish for the next night's meal, alongside baked barbecue tempeh, brown basmati rice and sauteed greens.

This isn't a recipe, but here is what was in the soup: vegetable broth, olive oil, spring onion (which was also the garnish), garlic, carrots, 1 small potato, 1 very small butternut squash, zipper peas (see below), green peas, datil pepper sauce (see below), dried epazote, a bay leaf or two, and salt and pepper. (If I remember correctly).

I recently bought these zipper peas and hot sauce at a small country store outside of St Augustine. Both are delicious!

Summary of the dinner:

Protein: Tempeh, Brown Rice, Potato, 2 kinds of Peas
Whole Grain: Brown Rice, Potato
Vegetable/Fruit: Swiss Chard, Carrot, Onion, Squash, Potato, Peas
Dairy: None
Fats/Sugars: Olive Oil

My notes: you can see I was very hungry for a wider variety of proteins after returning from my trip where eggs, black beans and corn had been my only protein sources. I wished I had even more vegetables in the soup, as I was also desperate for vegetables. I made up for it in later meals that week.

You Make My Day Award

2008-03-10T12:30:00.007-05:00

As I had reported a few days ago, Lynn of the blog Colorjoy awarded me a You Make My Day Award for blogland happiness. Lynn is the most committed blogger I know, and her blog is so interesting with such a nice variety of subjects. If you aren't into knitting, you will find music or food or art or other topics of interest. So it is an honor to be in her list. So, now I will follow-up and provide a list of a few of the blogs (besides Lynn's of course) that I have found inspirational. Not all of these are vegetarian, and a few are art-related:

First, I would like to salute Karma-Free Cooking. Madelyn and I met at a culinary class in Southern Florida almost a year ago. Now that she has a blog too, I have stayed even more connected to her despite our geographic distance. That is priceless! Madelyn's passion for cooking and healthy vegetarian eating is contagious, and that's a good thing!

Before I started my own blog, I really hadn't visited many food blogs. Maybe that is strange, but that's how it is! I'm really quite new to the world of blogs in general. But Kitchen Space is one of the food blogs I have followed the longest. Ana truly is happy and friendly, as her profile states!

The Great Big Vegetable Challenge is fantastic. I do not have any children, but having 18 nieces and nephews, I am quite impressed by this woman's tenacity at serving her children such a wide array of vegetables. It is truly jaw dropping. I think I was a one of the very rare children that actually always loved vegetables. True story: when I was a child I would pass up dessert, especially if it was pie, to eat all of the leftover veggies...

As a big fan of breakfast, Simply Breakfast is a blog I really appreciate. The photography is illuminating. I think of it more as an art journal.

This blog is in Spanish, Verduras Para Todos. Many people contribute recipes to the blog, so there is a little of everything, but it is all vegetarian. Reading recipes in Spanish comes second nature to me, as my Mexican mother-in-law has been giving me scores of recipes over the last 15 years. Actually, it was by reading recipes that I first started learning Spanish...

Here is another blog with breathtaking photography, Lucy's Kitchen Notebook. Her blog focuses on the Lyon area of France where she has moved from the US with her French husband. I have a soft spot for France in general, having been an exchange student there more than once...

This one art-related, and it is one of my favorite blogs, On My Desk. It's a wondrous peek into creative spaces.

Maybe this shouldn't count, as it's not a blog technically, but it is similar in concept to the above blog, and I truly love it: http://www.flickr.com/groups/artstudio/pool/. It's one of my favorite things on the Internet right now. I can't even begin to add the number of hours I have spent there... And since I otherwise wouldn't have an opportunity to shout about how wonderful this site is, here was my chance!

This also is probably not technically a blog, but it at least features glimpses of blogs. I go here just about every day, and that says a lot, as I am truly not a very loyal website follower. There are few websites (are there any except email?) that I visit on a daily basis. I wander back now and then to some sites, but usually not daily. However, I somehow find myself here more days than not: Tastespotting. There are some truly beautiful and also some truly frightening things highlighted there. You never know what you'll see.

And, now, for my tenth, I'll go back to listing a real blog. This one is another art-related, and it is also in Spanish. I do not know exactly why, but Ximena Pan enchants me! I even love her name. The attention to detail to each of her collages is amazing. She actually recreates the items in her scenes, makes little dresses out of fabric, etc. Just look, I can't explain it justly. She is the mother of Ximena Maier, who writes the wonderful food blog Lobstersquad (gotta love it: a food blog with drawings!).

Anyway, it was fun putting together this glimpse of where you can often find me out in cyberspace.

Chocolate Spongecake

2008-03-10T10:30:00.003-05:00

To celebrate the one year mark of this blog, which is officially today, I present this birthday cake. The recipe is Chocolate Sponge Cake from The New Vegetarian Epicure by Anna Thomas. This cake has so many layers of flavor, it's very tasty! I think a better name for it is Mexican Chocolate Sponge Cake, but probably that is because my cake turned out more Mexican flavored than the original recipe. This is because I used tequila and agave nectar as substitutions for the cognac and sweetener. Normally I try to follow baking recipes as written, but I took LOTS of liberties here, and everything turned out fine.

The reason this recipe sparked my interest in the first place was because it calls for egg whites, and we had egg whites leftover from a Whole Wheat Challah that had called for yolks, which DH made on the same day. (Photo of the Whole Wheat Challah is at the end of this post: it was incredible!)

Chocolate Spongecake
adapted from The New Vegetarian Epicure by Anna Thomas

2 Tbs minced dried apricots plus 1/4 cup raisins, chopped OR reduce amount of sugar/sweetener and use up to 1/2 cup total of minced dried fruits of choice (I used a combo of dried apricots, dried cherries and raisins)
2 Tbs cognac or Tequila (I used Agavero Licor de Tequila)
2 Tbs water
1/2 tsp almond extract OR vanilla extract (I used vanilla)
1 cup flour
2/3 cup Dutch process cocoa
2 tsp espresso powder
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
pinch of cream of tartar
1 cup plain yogurt (I didn't have any on hand, so I substituted one cup milk with a squirt of fresh lemon juice)
1 1/3 cups packed light brown sugar (In my opinion, this recipe has so much flavor, it doesn't need so much sugar. Just increase the amount of dried fruit, like I did, and then add two generous squeezes of agave nectar and just a bit of granulated sugar: I used no more than 1/3 cup total of sweeteners, omitting a whole cup of the sugar, and didn't miss it at all!)
6 large egg whites, at room temperature
confectioner sugar to decorate after it is has cooked (I omitted this and sprinkled on cinnamon instead)

1. Prepare a nine-inch spring form cake pan (grease it with oil or butter and then dust with flour). Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Combine the minced fruits with the alcohol, water and extract in a small skillet and warm over low heat until the liquid begins to steam. Stir, then set aside to macerate while you prepare the batter.
3. Sift together the dry ingredients, except the sugar. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the yogurt with the sweetener or sugar until smooth. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until they hold firm, glossy peaks.
4. Stir the macerated fruits and their liquid into the yogurt mixture. Then stir in the dry ingredients. You will have a stiff batter. Mix in about a third of the egg white and stir until it is very thoroughly blended and the batter has loosened. Then gently fold in the remaining whites.
5. Pile the batter carefully into the prepared pan and bake at 350F for about 35 minutes. Test by inserting a toothpick or thin knife near the center; the cake will be done when the toothpick comes out clean.
6. Cool cake in its pan for 10 to 15 minutes, then carefully remove it and let it cool completely on a rack. Dust with confectioner sugar or cinnamon. Serve by itself or with berries or a berry sauce or whipped cream.

(My note: after 35 minutes of baking, I did the test and the toothpick did not come out clean, so I baked an additional 3 minutes and retested, still not clean. But the cake was starting to look dry, especially at the edges. So I tested it by patting the top of the cake with my hand and it felt firm and nicely set, so I stopped cooking it. I was glad I did, as I think it would have dried out too much if I had cooked it longer. I think that it cooked differently because I used some agave nectar: When using agave in baked goods, you are supposed to reduce the amount of other liquid ingredients and sometimes it helps to bake at a lower setting, but I neglected to do both of those. But, the cake was perfectly cooked after it had cooled, so everything worked out great!)

Above, Whole Wheat Challah, using the recipe in Peter Reinhart's Whole Grain Breads.

News about My Blog

2008-03-08T08:58:00.001-05:00

First of all, I should acknowledge the new look for my blog. It is to commemorate a big milestone, the one year anniversary of my blog! I chose this particular photo because not only is orange my favorite color, but also because oranges are in season where I live (Florida). I will probably be playing around more with the look in the upcoming months.

I am really surprised that this blog has been around for a year already, and that I am enjoying it as much as I do. It started out only as a temporary experiment. I am really happy to be able to share and connect with others that I would otherwise not. I have some ideas for the direction I want to take this blog in the upcoming year, but will share more about that later.

Next, I want to share my honor that Lynn of Colorjoy has awarded me the You Make My Day Award! Thank you so much, Lynn! You are bringing lots of new people to my blog, and I love that! And, incidentally, you also make my day!! Yours is the first blog I ever read or followed.

Last but not least, today my kitchen is being highlighted in the Perfect Pantry's Other People's Pantries series. Check it out! Thanks so much to Lydia for coordinating such an interesting effort!

Easy Dates

2008-03-07T16:59:00.003-05:00

Sorry for the terrible pun in the title! These dates came from the Mexican state of Sonora and were a gift from DH's brother. He brought them to the family reunion in Merida. They are pitted dates stuffed with toasted pecans. But my goodness they are so scrumptious! I really appreciate this treat for its beautiful simplicity.

Some typical produce in Yucatan

2008-03-06T06:05:00.006-05:00

These are a few of the simple things I really savor when I am in the Yucatan, because I cannot find them in easily the States. Above are limes, which are called limones in the Yucatan. Limes are very easy to find in Florida where I live. However, the limones in Yucatan taste so different! I cannot explain it. Lime slices are served with most meals there, something I love, as a splash of lime compliments everything.

Above are a few common types of peppers used in the Yucatan. On the far left are chile xcatic in the middle are chile dulce (these taste similar to the green bell peppers found in the US). On the right is chile habanero. Habaneros are available in Florida too, however, they taste different here and are normally found orange in color here rather than green.

Above is a typical salsa made of habanero chile. This salsa or others or even just diced habaneros are typical garnishes for most dishes in the Yucatan. If the waiter doesn't automatically provide some form of habanero on the side, just ask for some. I absolutely love it in any form. My mother in law (mi suegra) gave me a recipe for salsa de chile habanero and told me I can post in on my blog, so stay tuned. First I have to find some decent habaneros!

Above on the left are naranja agria, bitter oranges. This is used in a lot of marinades and salsas and pickled vegetables in the Yucatan. Above on the right are a type of squash that is grown there. It has a very thin edible skin and is normally boiled in soups or stews. However at an ocean front restaurant, I ordered an ensalada verde (green salad) and what I was served was a plate of slices of boiled squash and chayote (another type of squash which looks like a bright light green pear) with slices of cucumber and tomatoes, and a garnish of lime slices. I was very happy.

Italians have oregano and the French have Herbes de Provence. In the Yucatan it is epazote that gives its dishes its special flavor. Black beans are almost always cooked with epazote.

Above is the plant I avoid when I am in the Yucatan. Chaya. It is a leafy green native to the area that people have been eating for ages. However, it is poisonous. I would not recommend eating chaya in raw form at all. And I also urge caution when trying it cooked. It makes me extremely ill. My mother in law, who has lived her entire life in the Yucatan, also will not eat it, if that says anything! Instead of using chaya in Yucatecan dishes, it can be substituted with kale, spinach or Swiss chard.

Breakfast in the Yucatan

2008-03-05T11:26:00.003-05:00

I just returned from an impromptu family reunion in Merida, Yucatan, Mexico. Normally when DH and I are in the Yucatan visiting family, we stay at his parents' home. So, we usually don't eat many meals in restaurants and our vegetarian diet is accommodated in the family kitchen. But this trip, since everyone met in the capitol city, Merida, every meal was eaten in restaurants.

The hotel we stayed in included a hot buffet breakfast. Most of the items contained meat, but at the end of the buffet there was a woman who made eggs to order. So we took advantage of that. A Yucatecan egg dish, Huevos Motulenos, is easily converted into vegetarian, pictured above. Just ask for them without ham. The dish contains a crispy corn tortilla topped with refried black beans, fried eggs, tomato sauce, cheese (in this case both Manchego and Queso Fresco) and peas. Also served with this dish were fried plantains.

Some of the days there were available handmade corn tortillas. The freshly handmade tortillas are kept warm and steamy in a hollowed out gourd; the gourd is pictured above, covered with a folded pink cloth. We didn't ask if they contained lard, because frankly, we preferred not to know and were determined to eat them anyway. The perfect thing to eat with the tortillas were refried black beans. In the Yucatan, black beans are amazingly delicious and are a regional specialty. They often contain lard, but not always. Just as with the tortillas, we didn't ask if the beans in the buffet contained lard. They probably did. But we decided that being together with DH's entire family for the first time ever was more important to us than following a strict vegetarian diet. We met two nieces and a nephew for the first time and were able to get the first complete family portrait ever taken!

Above is a stack of freshly made corn tortillas.

Another thing we took advantage of during breakfast is the wonderful fruit grown in the Yucatan. For instance, papaya is available there year round, and it is more sweet and juicy than any I've had in the States.

Pancakes!

2008-02-13T10:45:00.001-05:00

Pancakes are my absolute favorite thing to eat for breakfast. I make them all the time. And this week I made two new variations. Above, I made blueberry pecan pancakes, a pretty standard fare for us. But the new part is that I used some of my leftover whey from cheesemaking in the batter as a substitute for buttermilk. It worked great! I have stored some of the whey in the freezer so I can try using it more in baked goods. Oh, also in the above photo, I want to point out my most recent kitchen acquisition, a crepe pan, that we were able to snag on super duper clearance. It's a fantastic pan, and yes, I have made crepes with it already; crepes that turned out better than any I have made before... but this is a posting about pancakes. So I will refocus.

I topped the blueberry pancakes with some cinnamon-spiced apples sauteed in butter and maple syrup. Nice! I cannot share my recipe for pancakes, as DH highly objects. Pancakes are serious business at my house!!! So I will refer you to this recipe that Ana posted, as it is quite similar.

Above is a photo of the whey I have poured from the curds. The whey is in the square plastic bowl in the sink, and it is yellowish in color. This is to clarify that I am talking about fresh whey, not the powdered whey that can be purchased.

And above is the other new pancake variation I tried this week, to celebrate my batch of freshly made ricotta cheese: Lemon Ricotta Panckaes! They are super! They have a very fluffy consistency, and because they have FIVE, yes five eggs, they are almost a mix of omelette and pancake, pretty cool! For splendid photos of how glorious these pancakes can look, see Aimee's photos and recipe here.

Homemade Ricotta

2008-02-12T09:44:00.000-05:00

I am really getting into cheese making! Yesterday I tried making ricotta, mmmmm! Even my kitty Frida couldn't resist, seen above. I used the freshly made cheese to make this dish I saw highlighted on Tastespotting last week and just had to try: Three Cheese Polenta Pie. Best of all, with the recipe I was also able to use some of my homemade mozzarella too. Absolutely scrumptious! I served it with zucchini that I stewed in tomatoes and herbs, and it paired very nicely.

So here are a few photos of the ricotta-making process. Above I have heated the milk w/the salt, etc to the proper temperature and let it curdle. Then I ladeled the curds into a cheesecloth-lined strainer.

Above I have tied the cheesecloth around the curds and let it hang from my kitchen sink faucet so the rest of the whey could drain from curds, for about a half hour.

And here I have unwrapped the cheesecloth and have my ricotta! I have been using the book Home Cheese Making: Recipes for 75 Homemade Cheeses by Ricki Carroll. It is possible to make ricotta using the whey leftover from making mozzarella, if you use the whey within 3 three hours of making the mozarrella. Otherwise, ricotta can be made using this recipe or others, such as this very simple recipe.

Homemade Pizza with Fresh Mozzarella

2008-02-11T13:09:00.001-05:00

This is how we ate the freshly made mozzarella from the previous post, on homemade pizzas. DH made the whole wheat crust using a recipe from Peter Reinhart's latest book, Whole Grain Breads. We made the sauce by simmering a small can of crushed tomatoes with olive oil, lots of garlic, and herbs from my window garden. And we also topped the pizza with roasted red peppers and sundried tomatoes sauteed in olive oil. Simply divine!

Mini Pumpkin-Sage Balls

2008-02-10T10:27:00.000-05:00

As a subscriber to Vegetarian Times Magazine, I was invited to vote for my favorite recipes submitted by culinary students for the Chef's Challenge 2008, the results of which appear in the March 2008 issue, now available. The recipe that won for the appetizer category was the Mini Pumpkin-Sage Balls, submitted by Mian Catalano of the ICE, New York. I have found that this recipe not only makes a great party appetizer, but it also can be used as part of the entree if made into either patties or larger balls. Also, I have found that these work nicely with a cream-based dip as an alternative to the recipe's recommendation of green pepper Tabasco sauce.

Pictured above is a pumpkin and a squash that I have roasted in a pan coated with a bit of oil for close to an hour at 400 degrees F. Then I scooped out the tender flesh into my food processor and processed until smooth. I used the resulting puree to make a double batch of the above Pumpkin-Sage Balls and also some Pumpkin Cranberry Muffins. I still have some puree leftover, which I have placed in my freezer to use for a future dish.

Pumpkin Cranberry Muffins

2008-02-09T11:31:00.000-05:00

I roasted some pumpkin and squash the other day to use in another dish, and had some left over. So, I looked through my cookbooks for a recipe to make use my leftovers, and I chose this recipe for Pumpkin Cranberry Muffins. They are deliciously moist, fluffy and full of flavor!

Spiced Pumpkin Cranberry Muffins (Vegan), adapted from More Great Good Dairy-Free Desserts Naturally by Fran Costigan
makes 12 to 13 muffins

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup unbleached white flour (or a mixture of whole grain flours)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2/3 cup soy milk
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon pumpkin puree
1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
the zest from one tangerine or from 1/2 of an orange OR 1/4 teaspoon orange extract
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup dried cranberries (or mix of other dried fruit, like cherries or apricots, etc)

1. Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F. Oil the top and insides of a 12 cup muffin pan (or equivalent). The cups can be lined w/paper liners, but still grease the top of the pan.
2. Sift the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl. Add the dried cranberries and gently coat the dried cranberries with the dry ingredients, using two forks to toss them around like tossing a salad.
3. In a small bowl, add the lemon juice to the soy milk and let sit for 2 to 3 minutes to clabber (clabbering results in a buttermilk substitute).
4. In a medium mixing bowl, mix together the pumpkin puree, oil, maple syrup, vanilla and the zest or orange extract. Add the clabbered soy milk and whisk until well blended. Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients and stir until just smooth, don't overmix. (Note: if you used only whole grain flours, the batter might be too dry, as whole grains will sometimes soak in more of the liquid. If that is the case, add a few tablespoons of extra soy milk so that all of the dry ingredients will become saturated).
5. Fill the muffin cups 3/4 full. Any batter than doesn't fit into the muffin tin can be baked in an oiled ramekin or custard cup if needed. Bake for 12 to 13 minutes or until well risen and golden and passes the toothpick test. (My pumpkin puree was very cold when it was added to my batter, and I think it was because of that mine took around 18 to 20 minutes to cook, rather than 13.)
6. Place the pan of muffins on a wire rack to cool for ten minutes. Slide a thin knife around the sides of each muffin and then and lift each out of the pan to cool on the rack completely.

The tart that turned into a crumb cake

2008-02-07T14:38:00.001-05:00

Once upon a time, let's say yesterday, Kathleen tried to make a strawberry tart. It is still strawberry season in Florida, after all. Long story short, the tart crust was accidentally dropped and broke into tiny pieces. All was not lost, most of the crumbs fell on the counter, rather than the floor. So, she put the crumbs in a cake pan and made a makesift crumb cake.

Here is the tart crust, intact, pre-fall.

And here are the crumbs in a cake pan, with vanilla custard and lots of strawberries on top. Not a bad result!

For the Vanilla Custard, I followed a recipe provided by Smitten Kitchen, who shared this Pastry Cream recipe by Dorie Greenspan. For the tart crust, see below:

Almond Tart Crust, adapted from Quick Vegetarian Pleasures, by Jeanne Lemlin

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 large egg yolk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons maple sugar (or other sugar)
2/3 cup almonds, finely ground after measuring
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup other flour (all purpose, oat flour, barley flour or other)

1. Grease a 9 or 10 inch tart pan with removable bottom or a pie pan.

2. In a large bowl, beat the egg yolk with the butter, sugar and vanilla until smooth and creamy. Add the ground almonds and flours and combine until just mixed. It will be crumbly, don't overmix. Gather into a ball, then press it into the bottom and sides of a tart pan or pie pan. Prick crust with fork all over. Chill for an hour in the refigerator, or cover and freeze for up to 2 weeks.

3. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Remove crust from refrigerator and cover with foil, then place pie weights or dried beans on top. Bake for 12 minutes. Remove foil and weights/beans. Bake for an additonal 10 minutes or until golden.. Cool completely on a wire rack. Remove outer rim from tart pan before filling, if desired.

Best used as a crust for a filling that doesn't need to be baked. And, if your crust crumbles before you fill it, you can always use the crumbs like I did!

Sweet Red Pepper Puree

2008-01-31T09:46:00.000-05:00

Here is the Sweet Red Pepper Puree that I used as a garnish for the Squash and Pear Timbales and that I used as a dressing for a salad.

Sweet Red Pepper Puree, adapted from The New Vegetarian Epicure

1 or 2 cups chopped sweet onions
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt
2 cups roasted and peeled sweet red or orange peppers
3 tablespoons cider vinegar or to taste
3 tablespoons brown sugar or 2 tablespoons agave nectar or honey or to taste

In a heavy bottomed skillet, cook the onions in the olive oil over low heat until light-golden and soft. Salt lightly.

Meanwhile, roast the peppers either in the oven or on a grill or on the stove top on a griddle or gas flame. Once completely soft, set them aside, covered with a towel for 3 or 4 minutes, to let them sit in their steam to make them easier to peel.

Peel the peppers and add them and the cooked onions to a blender or food processor, along with the sweetener and vinegar and process until smooth. Add salt or more sweetener or more vinegar to taste, if needed.

Warm gently before serving as a garnish to warm dishes. Otherwise it is also good cold on a salad.

Timbales of Squash and Pears

2008-01-31T09:10:00.000-05:00

I have been making a lot of squash soup and roasted squash this fall and winter and I wanted a slightly different presentation for a change. So, I decided to try this timbales recipe from the New Vegetarian Epicure by Anna Thomas. I think this would be a great dish for a vegetarian Thanksgiving or Christmas feast; I wish I had noticed it earlier. Although, I found it tricky to unmold them and none of them came out in one piece. Maybe if I used real ramekins (as the dishes I used were too large) and had used finer bread crumbs that would have helped.

The Sweet Red Pepper Puree that she recommends for garnishing it is also great as a dressing for salads, as I did for my Fresh Green Garbanzo Salad. I also discoverd that the puree works well to cover up the flaws in the timbales if they don't unmold in one piece!

Timbales of Squash and Pears, adapted from The New Vegetarian Epicure

1 lb of peeled, cubed squash: Butternut, Tahitian, Kabocha, Hubbard or Acorn
1 lb of peeled, cubed yams or sweet potatoes
1 cup water
1/2 tsp salt
1 or 2 onions
2 1/2 Tablespoons butter
3 medium pears (firm but ripe)
1/2 cup good white wine
1/2 cup heavy cream or whole milk
5 eggs
white pepper to taste
butter and fine bread crumbs for the ramekins

1. Either braise or roast the squash and yams.
To Roast: Coat the cubes of squash and yams lightly with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and roast in a pan in a 425 degree oven until tender, at least 30 minutes, stirring occassionally. (Omit the 1 cup water).
To Braise: Place the cubes of squash and yams in a heavy-bottomed pan with the water and salt. Cover and simmer on low until the vegetables are completely tender.

2. While the squash and yams are cooking, peel and chop the onions. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a skillet and cook the onions slowly, stirring often, until they are caramalized, uniformly golden brown.

3. Meanwhile, peel, core, and dice the pears into 1/4 inch or 1/2 inch cubes. When the onions are soft and brown, remove them from the pan and set aside. Add a bit more butter to the skillet and saute the pears for a few moments. Add the wine, cover tightly and simmer the pears on very low for about 15 to 20 minutes, until poached and tender. Turn on oven to preheat to 325 degrees F.

4. Place the cooked squash, yams, and onions in a blender or food processor with the cream or milk and puree until smooth. Lightly beat the eggs and whisk them into the vegetable puree. Season with salt and white pepper. Then stir in poached pears. (I didn't stir them in, I just placed them on top, as you see in the photo below: this was to illustrate better that there were pears in the dish, otherwise it wouldn't have been obvious).

5. Prepare 8 ramekins or timbale molds or custard cups or the such by buttering them inside thoroughly and then coating them with fine bread crumbs. Divide the squash and pear mixture evenly among the ramekins, filling them a little short of the top. Place the ramekins in a baking pan deep enough to hold water at least halfway up the depth of the molds. Bake that way (with water surrounding the ramekin dishes) in a preheated 325 degree F oven for about 50 minutes.

6. Unmold by sliding a thin knife around the edges of the ramekins and tipping each one onto serving plate. Surround each timbale with a small ribbon of Sweet Red Pepper Puree and serve warm.

Fresh Beans

2008-01-30T08:16:00.000-05:00

At the farmer's market over the weekend, we saw a huge box of these beans. We asked the woman at the stall what kind of bean they were, and she just shrugged. So, we broke open one of the pods and knew immediately what they were:

Now you know too, right? They are garbanzo beans, also known as chick peas. We never know what we'll find at the farmer's market.

Here I have shucked most of the peas from their pods. I left some of the peas in their pods to eat like edamame. Then I boiled them in a big pot of salted water. Actually, I have heard that some people eat them raw, but I'm not into that.

The garbanzos plumped up a bit and turned a uniform shade of pale green after cooking. I put them into a salad with red onions, garlic, fresh mint, and some roasted red pepper dressing. I'll share the recipe for the dressing in an upcoming post.

Added January 31: here is the recipe for the dressing.

Peeking at My Pantry

2008-01-29T12:55:00.001-05:00

Lydia, of the Perfect Pantry blog, has set forth an invitation for people to share photos of our pantries. So, here is a glimpse at my various pantry areas, not including my refrigerator. Above shows where most of my spices are located, to the right of my stove on a three-tier rack and in a drawer.

To the left of my stove, in a cupboard, I store most of my vinegars, oils, etc.

And here is my actual pantry, with roll out drawers where most of my dry goods are stored. The top shelf has a lot of my Mexican ingredients: dry hot peppers, herbs/spices, corn husks, etc. Below that are some of my grains and at least a dozen varieties of beans/legumes. The drawer below that contains canned goods, dried fruit, jams, and a big orange bowl packed with sea vegetables. The drawer below that, not pictured, contains teas and baking items like baking powder, cocoa powder, etc. I store all of my nuts and flours and some of my grains in the freezer or refrigerator, and I have at least a dozen varieties of each.

Here is the shelf in the corner where I keep potted herbs. On the counter I present the items I purchased this week at my local farmer's market. It's Florida, so we always have lots of fresh produce available, even in the winter. After taking the photo, I placed some of these items in pretty bowls, which are now on display on my counters, while others have been stored in my refrigerator.

Added March 9: This is unconventional, but I am adding two additional photos of my pantry. Above is my pantry drawer with my teas and baking products. One the thing I like about this drawer is that the boxes of tea are easy to read and see. So I can see at a quick glance what I have. But the best feature is the wire basket. I hold all of my most-used baking products in it:

When I am doing baking, I simply remove from my pantry the wire basket that holds my most-used baking products. Everything is at my fingertips on my counter and clean-up is easy. It's a fantastic system, if I do say so myself!

Sweet Buckwheat Crepes

2008-01-28T09:56:00.001-05:00

Since I had plenty of leftover buckwheat crepes, I just had to make a few sweet ones for a special treat. I have been thinking of banana-filled crepes since reading Ana's crepe entry last week in her blog Kitchen Space. I forgot to add extra sweetener to the batter for the sweet crepes, but they still tasted great with the sweet filling.

I made my banana filling by heating some butter in a small skillet. Then I added sliced banana, a bit of cinnamon and a drop of agave nectar and sauteed. Then I added a splash of port and let the alcohol simmer away. Then I grated some nutmeg over the top. Delicious!

DH made the chocolate topping by melting in a double boiler, a chunk of unsweetened chocolate with some agave nectar and a pat of butter. Note, when I reheated the leftover chocolate, I added some warm milk.

Savory Buckwheat Crepes

2008-01-28T09:20:00.001-05:00

The first recipe I tried from The New Vegetarian Epicure by Anna Thomas was the buckwheat crepes. It's a great cookbook, and this recipe is delicious and versatile. There is a warning in the recipe that these crepes are extra fragile and tricky to work with, and that is quite true. But the flavor is worth some extra trouble. DH had bought some organic beer from Orlando Brewing when we were visiting Central Florida recently. So, we thought of this recipe, as beer is one of the key ingredients. The crepe batter smells quite strongly of beer, but since I don't drink, I am glad that they don't taste like beer once the crepes are cooked. The buckwheat flavor shines.

Buckwheat Crepes, adapted from the New Vegetarian Epicure

note: make the batter at least two hours before cooking the crepes

1 1/3 cups milk
2 eggs
2 egg whites
1/2 cup beer
1 1/3 cups water
2 tablespoons oil, plus more for the pan
2 tablespoons sugar or agave nectar (optionally add more for sweeter dessert crepes)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups buckwheat flour

Combine the milk, eggs, beer and oil in a blender and process for a few seconds. Add the sugar or sweetener, salt and buckwheat flour and blend again until smooth. Stop and scrape the sides and process until all is smooth and uniform. Pour the batter into a bowl. Cover and refrigerate at least two hours or overnight.

When ready to cook the crepes, uncover the batter and stir. It should have the consistency of heavy cream. If the batter became too thick, thin it with a few spoons of water. Heat a nine inch skillet or a crepe pan. Brush with oil or butter or rub with an oiled paper towel. Ladle 1/4 cup of batter onto the hot pan and immediately tilt and swirl the pan to spread the batter thinly and evenly. I found it helped to use a long, narrow spatula to help spread out the batter. Cook the crepe on medium for about 45 seconds or until the edges are beginning to brown. Loosen the edges gently with an oiled spatula or butter knife, then turn over the crepe to cook the other side for an additional 20 to 30 seconds.

This process takes practice and a few tries before the pan gets to be the right temperature, and you find the right amount of oil, etc. But there is plenty of batter, so don't worry if some crepes don't turn out. The crumbs are great, just save them and sprinkle them over some fruit for breakfast.

Stack the finished crepes on a plate on and keep them covered with a damp towel so they don't dry out.

For these crepes, I made a filling with some purple potatoes, spinach, onion, garlic and fresh thyme. I think the purple potatoes went beautifully with the buckwheat crepes, as they have a slightly blueish tint to them. I also added to them a mixture of grated cheeses: Irish cheddar, Asiago and Fontina.

To assemble, I spread some filling in the middle of each crepe and then wrapped the crepe around the filling like an enchilada or burrito. I placed the filled crepes on a sheet pan lined with a Silpat and kept them loosely covered with foil. When the pan was filled, I placed it in a preheated 350 degree F oven and cooked them, still loosely covered, for about 10 or 15 minutes, until the cheese was melted.

Note: looks like I was on the same wavelength as fellow-blogger and friend Madelyn when it came to making potatoes this weekend. See her blog entry about 2008, Year of the Potato.

Polynesian Salad

2008-01-24T15:44:00.001-05:00

DH and I were just in Orlando for a few days. So, we ate more meals in restaurants than we had in quite some time. We were happy to find some new (to us) vegetarian and vegan-friendly restaurants there. One thing that we noticed though, is that even though many restaurants have vegetarian options, the options often lacked balance. The most common item missing was a protein. Penne pasta topped with pesto and grilled vegetables is not a complete meal; nor is a shepherd's pie that contains only potatoes and vegetables, etc. We found ourselves constantly scanning the menus for (and not finding) a complete vegetarian source of protein.

So we were very happy to find the Dandelion Communitea Cafe, where every meal offered was vegetarian (or could be served vegan) and was nutritious. Not only that, but they also promote OurLando Locally Made, a local business movement that is gaining momentum. See their website for information about the Orlando area food culture.

I am highlighting here two of the items DH and I shared there. At the top is the Polynesian Banana Fantasy Salad. Not only was the salad packed with delicious fruits and vegetables, but it also had several protein sources: walnuts, soy-based dressing, and hummus with whole grain crackers. It was so memorable, I made a salad at home inspired by it. See bottom. Directly above is a photo of Henry's Hearty Chili, which was delicious and packed with vegetables, tofu and kidney beans and optionally topped with cheese.

Polynesian Salad, inspired by Dandelion Communitea Cafe

lettuce
cucumber, seeded, peeled and chopped
carrot, shredded
celery, sliced
walnuts, roughly chopped
fresh grapes OR raisins OR other dried fruit
slices of banana
unsweetened dry shredded coconut (sprinkled on top as garnish)

Arrange the salad ingredients in bowl or on a plate. Serve with Curry Yogurt Dressing, see below:

Curry Yogurt Dressing, enough for at least four servings of salad

1 7oz container plain unsweetened yogurt (I like using Greek style)
the juice from one small lemon or from half of a large lemon
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon cumin
1 to 2 tablespoons agave nectar or honey (to taste)
optional: 1 teaspoon mustard to give it a stronger yellow color
optional: milk or soy milk to thin to consistency desired, if needed

Stir together the ingredients. Pour on top of salad or serve on the side for dipping.

Barbecued Tofu or Tempeh

2008-01-24T11:22:00.000-05:00

As a vegetarian, there are plenty of products marketed to me as substitutes for barbecues. There are frozen soy barbecue "ribs", refrigerated packages of barbecue tofu, and bottles of vegetarian BBQ sauces, etc. But I don't buy any of them. A simple barbecue sauce is very easy to make, and that way I can control the ingredients.

Above my sauce is pictured with firm grilled tofu and below I used it when baking tempeh. You will notice that when using tofu, the sauce isn't absorbed very much. Whereas, tempeh absorbs all of the sauce as it cooks. If you want your tempeh to be saucier, either make a larger batch of the sauce, or add some water to the sauce.

Easy Vegetarian Barbecue Tofu or Tempeh

1 package of tofu or tempeh, cut into thin slices if needed (see photos for guidance)

1 tablespoon agave nectar
1 teaspoon (or more for spicier) chipotle habanero pepper sauce OR your favorite spicy sauce OR chili powder OR a dash of cayenne pepper
3 tablespoons walnut oil or other oil
1 tablespoon Shoyu or Tamari or soy sauce
2 tablespoons vinegar: brown rice or apple cider vinegar or other vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
optional ingredients: a tablespoon of your favorite mustard; 1 teaspoon of cumin, oregano or your favorite spice; and/or a bit of minced ginger and minced onion; water to thin the sauce if using tempeh and want it saucier

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In the pan you will be baking the tempeh or tofu, stir together the barbecue sauce ingredients (no extra dirty dishes!).
3. Coat both sides of the tempeh or tofu with the sauce. Lay the slices of tofu or tempeh in a single layer in the baking pan and bake for 20 to 30 minutes, turning/flipping over at least once in the middle of baking.

NOTE: the tempeh I used is Artie's Tempeh, made in Gainesville, FL and the package comes with four servings.

Some more thoughts on my weight loss

2008-01-16T17:22:00.001-05:00

In my previous entry, I highlighted the things I eat since I changed my diet. But, I didn't talk about what steps I took that I think contributed most to my weight loss. So maybe it is helpful to share some of the changes I have made that have resulted in better eating habits.

Essentially, the biggest change I made was committing to cooking my own food. Like a lot of people, I used to think of cooking and meal planning as a dreaded chore. As a result, I cooked as infrequently as I could get away with. At most I would cook two or three dinners a week, eating the leftovers for the rest of the dinners. If there were no leftovers to eat, and I didn't feel like cooking, we would eat cereal, even popcorn for dinner!!! For lunch, I never had a plan for what I was going to eat, so I would eat something inappropriate, and then would end up grazing all afternoon because I didn't feel full. So, now here is what I do:

I cook breakfast from scratch every morning. I can't remember the last time I bought a pre-made cereal or instant breakfast product. I used to eat huge bowls of cereal for breakfast, and sometimes for snacks, and as I mentioned, sometimes for dinner... If this seems like a lot of work, I have found a few shortcuts that help. If I make pancakes or waffles and don't have time to cook the whole batch, I cook only what is needed for that meal, and then I place the rest of the batter in the refrigerator. Then the next day, all I need to do is heat my griddle and the batter is ready to cook. Or if I do have time to cook the whole batch the first day, I do. Then the next morning, to reheat the waffles or pancakes, I just place them briefly in the toaster for an instant breakfast. Or another thing I do for breakfast, if I have a small amount vegetable leftovers that isn't enough for lunch, I will add them to some scrambled eggs, etc.

I eat a balanced lunch. The best part of it is that I normally have to make no effort at all to eat a healthy lunch now, because most days, I eat the leftovers from the previous night's dinner. If for some reason I find I am hungry after lunch, instead of snacking on sugary junk food, I think about my lunch to see what was missing or lacking in it: maybe I need to eat some nuts to get a bit more protein and fat to feel more full or maybe I need some carrots or fruit.

Now I cook a fresh dinner every night. This is the major change for me. But the best thing that came from it is that I now find cooking to be entertainment. Often DH will arrive home from work while I am still cooking dinner, and he will help. It is actually fun to cook together. On weekends for entertainment, sometimes we will think of a complicated dish and will spend hours cooking it. Sometimes it will mean going to the farmer's market first to get the fresh produce we will need for the meal, etc. And every week DH makes homemade bread, etc. We know that anything we prepare at home is going to have more value (price value, nutrition value and intrinsic value) than any meal we would get at a restaurant. We rarely eat out, and when we do, it is because we are out of town.

The other thing that helped me lose weight, besides eating balanced meals, is that I broke my addiction to refined sugar. It is out of my life, and I don't miss it at all. I still eat sweet things, but I sweeten them as little as possible, with natural sweeteners like agave nectar. And I make sure that my desserts aren't just empty calories; there must be something nutritious in it: whole grains, fruit, nuts, etc.

Another thing that has really helped me is changing what I drink. I don't drink anything that has calories or that is artificially calorie-free. I only drink water and herbal tea; my indulgence is a cup of espresso per day. I drink my coffee black or with whole milk, but I never sweeten it. Other than adding milk to my coffee, I don't drink it as a beverage. (I used to drink milk and soy milk as a beverage). Extremely rarely, only on special occasions, I will make spritzers made with ice and lemon or lime or other fruit and agave nectar.

Anyway, those are some of the highlights of my new habits. Mainly, I am now cooking more than I ever have in my life. I think using more of my time for cooking is a worthwhile endeavor. The extra effort it takes to cook my own food rewards me with vastly higher energy levels than I've had since my early twenties. In the past I would use my extra time doing sedentary things, while eating unhealthy food, resulting in continual weight gain. Now, I am spending less time on the computer or in front of a television, because I am now cooking and eating healthy, and my life is much more enriched.

Weight Goal Reached!

2008-01-14T15:45:00.000-05:00

I have great news! I hadn't weighed myself in a few weeks, but had been getting so many comments on how thin I am looking, and have noticed a difference in the fit of my clothes. So, I decided it must be time to check the scale again. To my surprise, not only have I reached my goal, but I lost a pound more than my goal! So my body mass index is now at a normal, healthy level. I feel better than I have in years. I have energy I didn't have a year ago, and now can wear clothing in a size I hadn't worn in years and years.

I am happier with the food I am eating now than I have ever been in my life. I don't feel deprived of anything, as I have not been on a diet, in the weight-loss definition of diet. What I did was change my way of eating; it is a permanent change. I am amazed because I lost a significant amount of weight (at least 45 pounds), while eating all of the foods I love.

I think a lot of times diet is defined in negative terms: in terms of what a person doesn't eat. This is especially true when you are a vegetarian. I am a vegetarian, so I DON'T eat meat. But it doesn't really stress all of the great things I DO eat.

So here is a summary of what I DO eat:

breads
whole grains
nuts and seeds
tofu and tempeh
legumes/beans
eggs
whole milk
cheese
yogurt
coconut milk
butter
vegetables
sea vegetables
herbs and spices
fruits
oils (mainly olive oil, walnut oil, grapeseed oil, coconut oil and flaxseed oil)
desserts that have nutrition and are sweetened with agave nectar, maple syrup, maple sugar or date sugar
coffee
tea
salt

Basically I eat food that is natural, whole, organic when feasible, grown locally when possible, and in season when possible. I choose the best possible food available to me within my budget, based on how I want to live.

Braided Brioche

2008-01-07T11:48:00.001-05:00

DH and I decided to observe the Mexican tradition of making a Rosca de Reyes on January 6. It was actually a great excuse to try making a braided bread. We used the recipe for Poor Man's Brioche in Peter Reinhart's Bread Baker's Apprentice, and formed the bread as if it were a Rosca. In hindsight, I suppose we should have adorned it with fruit. But honestly, the dough smelled so wonderful, we were too eager to bake and eat it!

It turned out quite lovely, if I do say so myself.

Considering we used the recipe with the least amount of butter, we weren't expecting the flavor or color to be strong. But, wow, the bread has an incredible yellow color and a rich buttery flavor nonetheless. The color is most likely thanks to the farm fresh eggs we get each week from the CSA farm.

I am continually amazed with bread, how such simple ingredients can taste so differently from one bread recipe to another.

Rosca de Reyes

2008-01-04T17:01:00.001-05:00

In Mexico the Day of the Three Kings or the Epiphany (January 6), is celebrated by gathering with friends and family and sharing a Rosca de Reyes. A Rosca de Reyes, or Three Kings Ring, is a rich bread that is shaped in a circle and is usually adorned on the top with nuts or fruits. But the real surprise is that there is a plastic baby doll hidden inside to symbolize Jesus. There are many versions of this tradition, but one way is that the person who finds the baby doll hidden inside their piece of the bread has the honor of hosting the next party on February 2, inviting everyone present at the January 6 party to attend.

I took these photos probably over ten years ago, when DH and I were celebrating the holidays with his family in Mexico. So, quality of the photos is not the best, as they have been scanned and cropped considerably. The top photo is the finished bread just before it is cut.

Here my mother-in-law is braiding the dough.

Above, the photo is overexposed. But if you magnify the photo, you can see in the foreground the plastic baby dolls found hidden in a piece of the bread. My mother-in-law hid several plastic dolls in the ring, to ensure that someone would get one, and somehow Pedro and I both got one.

Veronica's Lentil Loaf

2008-01-04T14:47:00.000-05:00

When I made lentils for Christmas lunch, I purposely made extra to use in a lentil loaf. I use a couple of different recipes when making the loaves. This time I used Veronica's Veggie Meatloaf with Checca Sauce recipe, posted here. I don't like using the word meatloaf in the title of a vegetarian recipe, so I prefer calling it Veronica's Lentil Loaf. One note I can add about the recipe is that I have had success substituting marinara sauce for the Checca Sauce. Also, Fontina cheese is delicious on top of it, instead of or combined with the mozzarella. And, I typically will turn up the heat of the oven to 450 degrees F for the last five to ten minutes of baking to give the cheese a golden crust.

Christmas Meals

2007-12-29T12:10:00.000-05:00

I was so absorbed cooking and being a host for Christmas, that I didn't take very many photos. Above is a photo of our Christmas lunch, but before the table was finished being set. My mom made the gorgeous quilt that is in the center. It's great that she thought to bring it with her, because it adds so much to the table.

From the top to the bottom there is wine, French lentils with a creamy mushroom sauce, coleslaw, whipped white beans with black truffle oil, quinoa pilaf, tomato and cucumber salad with dill dressing, babaganoush (eggplant), and greens with walnuts and nutmeg. Also on the table is a goblet of lemon-lime spritzer for me, since I don't drink alcohol. Another drink, not pictured, that we had following dinner was coquito, a traditional Puerto Rican drink featured on my friend Madelyn's blog. There was freshly baked bread being cut in the kitchen that hadn't made it to the table yet, as well as a pumpkin soup. Actually, the soup never made it to the table; we ended up eating it for lunch the following day with some of our savory ciabatta bread and a salad.

For Christmas Eve dinner we made individual pizzas with a selection of toppings on homemade 100% whole wheat crust.

Christmas Snacks

2007-12-29T10:40:00.000-05:00

Here are some photos of some of the snacks we made for the holidays. Above are homemade wholegrain crackers with a homemade cream cheese spread.

Above are almonds and pecans that I roasted with maple syrup, cinnamon and ground nutmeg and cloves.

Above are low-sugar roll-out cookies decorated with natural ingredients: shredded dry coconut, chopped pistachios, chopped dried cranberries and cherries, and maple sugar dyed with currant juice.

I forgot to get a photo of our chocolate fondue that was served with chunks of fresh fruit: bananas, pineapple, apples, strawberries, and pears.

Leek and Mushroom Quiche

2007-12-29T09:21:00.000-05:00

We had a very nice Christmas with family and friends. For Christmas breakfast, I made a quiche. I used the recipes provided by Smitten Kitchen at this link for Leek and Mushroom Quiche. I ended up using a 12 inch quiche pan instead of a 9 inch, so I had to guess how to alter the recipe so that the crust and filling would fill the pan. But it worked out fine, and the important thing is that it was delicious!

Chocolate Chip Banana Nut Cookies

2007-12-22T11:29:00.000-05:00

I am really looking forward to having family over for Christmas. I have been preparing menus and making preparations. But, I have gotten a late start at making Christmas cookies. Since I have lost around 40 pounds, I really do not want to fall back into old patterns of eating during the holidays. So I am making some less traditional recipes that use less sugar. Here is one that produces cookies with plenty of flavor and a nice texture, but only calls for a cup of chocolate chips (rather than a whole bag) and a 1/2 cup of sugar.

Chocolate Chip Banana Nut Cookies
makes around 3 dozen

1 1/2 cups flour (I used a mixture of whole wheat and all-purpose)
1/2 teaspoon soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar (I use maple sugar) or more if the bananas aren't super ripe and sweet
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup mashed very ripe bananas (about 2 bananas)
1 3/4 cups oats
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

1. Cream the butter with the sugar, add the egg and vanilla and beat until incorporated. Mix in the mashed banana.
2. In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, soda, salt, and cinnamon. Add to the butter mixture, bit by bit, until thoroughly combined. Stir in the oats, then the chocolate chips and nuts.
3. Place one tablespoon of dough per cookie on a cookie sheet. Flatten slightly. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, until golden. Cool for five minutes on the cookie sheet, then transfer the cookies to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Note: I find this dough forms great cookies if you put the raw dough in the refrigerator to chill it slightly before forming the cookies and baking. The cookies may need an additional minute or two of baking if the dough is quite cold.

Holiday Ciabatta Bread

2007-12-18T15:26:00.000-05:00

In the previous entry, I showed photos of the process of making both sweet and savory ciabatta breads. But, the previous entry focuses on the savory version. So, here are photos of the chocolate and fruit-filled ciabatta that we made on the same day. To see my photos of the Chef's Choice class at Johnson & Wales making this bread, click here.

We added chocolate chips and dried cranberries, figs, dates, raisins and pecans to this dough. We shaped it into thin loaves.

After they baked, we let them cool thoroughly and then we wrapped them in paper to give as gifts. This bread is great sliced, toasted and topped with butter, peanut butter, jam or cheese.

Making Vegetable-Filled Ciabatta Bread

2007-12-18T14:27:00.001-05:00

This ciabatta is great for making panini style sandwiches. Inside these loaves we have mixed in sauteed red pepper, sun-dried tomatoes and mushrooms. We learned how to make both sweet and savory ciabatta at the Chef's Choice Artisan Bread Class at Johnson & Wales. These photos show DH and I making it at home.

The day before making the bread we assembled the above biga for a large batch of dough. It contains bread flour, spelt and rye flours, salt and a tiny bit of active dry yeast. After sitting on the counter overnight, it had grown to the size shown above.

We added to the biga more flour, water, salt and a tiny bit more active dry yeast. The bulk of the rising power of the bread is coming from the biga. Then we divided the dough into two parts. The tubs above contain the two different kinds of ciabatta we made. In the top tub, the dough contains dried fruit and chocolate chips. In the bottom section of the tub, the dough contains the sauteed mushrooms, red pepper and sun-dried tomatoes. Below is a close-up of the savory ciabatta dough.

The doughs sat on the counter to continue to develop. Two different times, we stretched and folded the dough. Then we shaped the dough into the desired loaf styles. We placed the loaves onto floured parchment paper that we had placed on the top of upside-down sheet pans.

Then we placed heavily floured cloths over the top of the shaped loaves. We used brown rice flour for this purpose.

We let the loaves sit for their final proofing under the floured cloths until they were ready to bake. Then we removed the cloths and slid the loaves, parchment paper and all, into a hot oven to bake on a pizza stone.

Maple-Oatmeal Scones

2007-12-18T10:53:00.000-05:00

In the latest issue of Vegetarian Times (January/February 2008) there is a recipe on page 57 for Maple-Oatmeal Scones. What I like about the recipe is that it is mainly sweetened with maple syrup rather than white granulated sugar. These scones are especially good with a bit of maple butter spread on top before eating.

Maple-Oatmeal Scones, adapted from Vegetarian Times
makes 16 small or 8 larger

3/4 cup currants (I substituted with 1/2 cup chocolate chips, 1 teaspoon vanilla and the zest of one tangerine)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I used 1 cup spelt and 1/2 cup barley flour)
1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar (or use maple sugar to reinforce the maple flavor)
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup maple syrup

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Coat baking sheet with cooking spray, or line pan with parchment paper. If using currants, place them in a bowl, and cover them with boiling water. Set aside.
2. Whisk the flours together with the baking powder, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Add the butter pieces and rub the flour into the butter with fingers until the mixture resembles a course meal.
3. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the milk and maple syrup (and optional vanilla). Stir the milk mixture into the flour mixture bit by bit until the dough just comes together. Drain the currants and stir into the dough (or add chocolate chips and zest instead).
4. Transfer dough to a floured surface or the parchment paper and pat the dough to one inches thick. If you want round scones, first pat the dough into a rectangle and then use a biscuit cutter to cut out the scones.. Then place on a sprayed baking sheet. If want to have pie slice-shaped scones, pat the dough into a circle on the parchment paper-lined baking pan, then slice it into slices with a knife, without separating the pieces. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes, or until light brown on top.

Eggplant Lasagna

2007-12-15T16:42:00.000-05:00

In recent years, we have had Eggplant Lasagna for Christmas. Not everyone that we share Christmas with is vegetarian, so the lasagna has been a nice choice. Not only will it feed many people, but it is also something that non-vegetarians and vegetarians can eat happily together. I haven't decided yet what I will make this year though. So if anyone has any suggestions, please feel free to share.

Vegetarian Eggplant Lasagna

1 package whole grain lasagna noodles
1 eggplant, peeled and chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 small package fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 to 4 cloves garlic, minced
dash of wine (or up to 1/4 cup)
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning blend
1 28oz can organic crushed tomatoes
salt and pepper to taste
1 15 ounce container ricotta cheese or cottage cheese
1 egg, slightly beaten
parsley, chopped
1/2 cup Parmesan, grated
1 package of grated mozzarella or mixture of melting cheeses

optional additions: saute in step 2, along with the other veggies: grated carrots, red bell pepper, or chopped zucchini, etc.

1. Place the peeled and chopped eggplant in a colander, sprinkle with salt and set in sink to drain. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Boil lasagna noodles according to package directions, drain.

2. Meanwhile, chop the rest of the vegetables. Heat olive oil in a skillet and fry the onion until transparent. Add the eggplant, mushrooms and garlic and saute until tender. Add a dash of wine and stir. Add the crushed tomatoes and Italian seasoning and bring to a simmer, uncovered. Simmer at least 15 minutes to develop flavors. Salt and pepper to taste.

3. In a bowl, stir together the ricotta or cottage cheese, the egg, the chopped parsley and the grated Parmesan. Set aside.

4. Oil lightly a rectangular baking pan. Assemble the lasagna in alternating layers: tomato sauce, ricotta or cottage cheese mixture, shredded mozzarella, noodles, then more sauce, more cheeses, noodles, etc until all the pan is filled and ingredients are used. The top layer should be just tomato sauce and mozzarella.

5. Bake for at least 30, but up to 45 minutes, until bubbly and the cheese on top becomes golden and crusty. Remove from oven and let stand for about 15 minutes before cutting and serving.

Vegetarian Split Pea Soup

2007-12-14T09:08:00.000-05:00

I have been making soups and stews to eat along with our homemade bread. Pictured above is Split Pea Soup with a salad and some of our Pain de Campagne. The salad has lettuce, freshly grated Parmesan, walnuts and dried cherries with a raspberry vinaigrette.

I hope this isn't too confusing, but I am giving the soup recipe below with two different options for seasonings. One option is for a curried soup and the other is for an herbed soup. The curried version of the soup recipe is adapted from a recipe we learned at the Conscious Gourmet cooking class. The other seasonings are merged from several other vegetarian pea soup recipes I have.

Vegetarian Split Pea Soup

1 cup uncooked green split peas, sorted and rinsed
4 or 5 cups water
1 stalk kombu sea vegetable
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 leek, chopped OR 1 small onion and 1 small stalk celery, chopped
1 large carrot or 2 small, chopped

salt and pepper to taste
optional garnishes: chopped parsley, chopped scallions, lemon juice or umeboshi vinegar

Seasoning option A (for herbed soup: add at step 2)

1/2 teaspoon celery seed
1/2 teaspoon marjoram
1/2 teaspoon thyme

Seasoning option B (for curried soup: add at step 4)
(note: this is a lot of flavor, so adjust levels to your taste or you can also omit some of these ingredients)

1 tablespoon butter or oil
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:

1. Place 3 cups of the water, the split peas and stalk of kombu in a pot and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer until soft. Depending on the size and freshness of the peas, this could take up to 1 1/2 hours, but also could be a lot sooner. There may be some white cloudy residue that floats to the top near the beginning of cooking; if so, skim it off and discard.

2. Meanwhile chop the vegetables and then heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a saute pan. Add the onion or leek and saute until soft. Add the carrot and celery and if using the seasonings from Option A, add them. Continue to saute for a few minutes so the flavors start to develop. Set aside.

3. If the peas start to need more water, add it a cup at a time, to maintain the soupy consistency you desire. I like my split pea soup to be rather thick, but other people like a thinner soup. When the peas are mostly tender, add the sauteed vegetables and simmer for thirty more minutes or until the carrots are soft. The kombu will also become soft and will break into small pieces on its own. If any of the pieces of kombu are large by this time, either remove them or cut them into small pieces.

4. (Skip this step if you are using seasoning option A). For seasoning option B: Heat the tablespoon of butter or oil in a small saute pan. When hot, add the Option B spices and stir. The spices will foam slightly and will release their aromas. Set aside. Add the curried seasonings to the peas during the last 10 minutes of simmering.

5. If the soup is lumpier than you desire, you could blend part of it in the blender to make it smoother. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve. Garnish each bowl with a sprinkle of lemon juice or umeboshi vinegar and parsley or scallions, if desired.

Anadama Bread

2007-12-13T09:11:00.000-05:00

Since yesterday's post featured breads from Peter Reinhart's Bread Baker's Apprentice, today I am showing a photo of a loaf we made using a recipe from Reinhart's latest book, Whole Grain Breads: New Techniques, Extraordinary Flavor. This is Anadama Bread, and it contains only whole grains: a mixture of cornmeal and whole wheat. If we had more closely followed the recipe, we would have baked it in a loaf pan. But, instead we put it in a banneton for its final rise, and then just baked the dough directly on our pizza stone. I like how rustic it looks. We wouldn't have gotten that look if we had baked it in the loaf pan. Beauty aside, the important thing is that it tastes so good!

Note: if you zoom into the picture, you may notice a purple tinge to the bread. That is because we used blue cornmeal.

Update on Bread Baking

2007-12-12T08:50:00.001-05:00

DH and I took some bread baking classes at Johnson & Wales recently,and we have been really enjoying practicing what we learned. So here are a couple of photos of some breads we have made since the classes. Over the Thanksgiving weekend we made four or five different types, but I don't have any photos. I have no idea how that happened!

The loaves in the photos are all using recipes from Peter Reinhart's Bread Baker's Apprentice. The first photo features Pain de Campagne. The photo directly above is Pain a l'Ancienne.

Here is our current collection of wild yeasts that we are cultivating for our breads. They are stored in our refrigerator, but have to be fed from time to time to keep them going. Some are 100% rye, some 100% whole wheat and others are traditional sourdough. Some are thick with the consistency of dough while others are more thin and liquid. Different breads need different yeasts.

The breads we have made that we think have turned out the best were the ones that fermented slowly in our refrigerator. The next day, we take the dough out and put it on the counter and turn on the oven. In about an hour, the oven is super hot and the bread has woken up but it is still not quite room temperature. Just before putting it in the oven, we score it with a serrated knife. Once in the oven, the dough produces steam from going into the hot oven and gets a great crust.

Beluga Lentils with Oyster Mushrooms

2007-12-11T06:59:00.000-05:00

Above are oyster mushrooms, which I am now able to find occasionally at my neighborhood grocery store. They were on sale recently, and I couldn't resist pairing them with beluga lentils, seen below.

I suppose it is obvious why these lentils are called beluga; not because they are as big as whales, but because they resemble caviar. Thankfully they are not priced like caviar! The reason I have the lentils on the sheet pan is because that is how I sort through legumes before cooking them, to look for rocks and twigs and such.

The recipe is a combination of a couple of lentil recipes I use, one from the August 2004 Bon Appetit and the other from my sister. Don't worry if you can't find beluga lentils or oyster mushrooms though, because the recipe would be good with any type of lentil or mushroom.

Beluga Lentils with Oyster Mushrooms and Greens

1 cup beluga lentils, uncooked
1 cup low sodium vegetable broth OR add an extra cup of water to the two cups below
2 cups water
1 bay leaf OR part of one stalk of kombu sea vegetable (to keep with the theme)
1 tablespoon oil
1/2 of one onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
one small package of oyster mushrooms, sliced
a dash of wine (any kind you are drinking or cooking sherry)
a few cups of steamed greens (could substitute spinach)
up to 1/3 cup marscapone* OR a bit of cream
salt and pepper to taste

Steam the greens, set aside.
Meanwhile, place the water and broth in a pot and add the bay leaf or kombu and the lentils. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 15 or 20 minutes, or until tender. Discard the bay leaf. If you used kombu, it may have broken apart into pieces. If so, that is fine, it is edible. Set aside.
Heat oil in a saute pan and fry the onion until transparent. Add the mushrooms and garlic and saute until tender. Add a dash of wine and stir to deglaze the bottom of the pan. Stir in the marscapone or cream and a bit of the broth from the lentils to make a sauce. Simmer on low.
Drain the rest of the pan of lentils, discarding the rest of the broth. Then add the drained lentils to the mushroom mixture. Stir then simmer a few minutes to blend the flavors. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve.

*marscapone cheese is Italian cream cheese

Shown served over basmati rice.

Storing Greens

2007-12-10T19:16:00.000-05:00

This time of year, I have been getting a wide variety of greens in my weekly basket from my CSA farm. As soon as get my greens home, here is what I do to keep them in top shape until I get a chance to cook them. Since I usually get quite a large bunch, I have cut the top off a gallon milk container and I put a bit of water in the container. I place the stems of my greens into the container as if they were a bouquet. Then I cover the top of the greens with a tan plastic grocery bag and place it in the refrigerator. The greens will stay crisp and fresh for a long time. They can last weeks in this manner, depending on the type of greens. If I have a smaller bundle of herbs or greens, I will use a small empty jar to hold them instead of the large gallon jug.

Pasta with Creamy Sage Sauce and Vegetables

2007-12-10T08:16:00.000-05:00

I haven't been able to post as many entries lately as I would have liked. I cut my hand pretty badly, had to have stitches, and haven't been able to type. (It was a home improvement accident, not cooking related). But, here is a recipe I promised my parents I would post. I had the pleasure of having them over to dinner last week, and I served them this dish as a part of the meal. I forgot to take a photo of the actual food I prepared for them, but I found these two photos in my album that are essentially the same dish. The presentation in the above photo has penne pasta and some wilted spinach in addition to the usual ingredients of the recipe. Below I used tri-colored multi-grain elbow macaroni. So, as you can see, it is a versatile recipe.

Pasta with Butternut Squash and Mushrooms in a Creamy Sage Sauce

Your favorite pasta cooked al dente (I recommend multi-grain)
1 small butternut squash
1 small package fresh mushrooms, sliced (Porcini or Shitake or your favorite)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 onion, diced
2 to 4 cloves garlic, minced
fresh sage, chopped (approximately 10 leaves)
1/2 cup cream (or mixture of milk and cream for less fat) or amount needed for saucy consistency
1 tablespoon butter
salt and pepper to taste
grated Parmesan cheese to top

1. Peel the butternut squash, cut it in half, discard the seeds, and chop it into cubes. Coat the cubes lightly with olive oil. Place in baking pan and roast in a 400 degree oven for about 30 minutes, or until tender. Set aside.
2. Boil water and cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
3. In a saute pan, heat the olive oil. Add the onions and saute until caramelized.
4. Add the mushrooms and garlic and saute until the mushrooms are tender. Add a bit of salt, if needed, to draw out the juices of the mushrooms.
5. Add the sage and the cream and butter and bring to a simmer. On low heat, add the butternut squash and continue simmering until the sauce has a nice consistency and the flavors have developed. Salt and pepper to taste.
6. Toss the pasta with the creamy vegetables and serve with freshly grated cheese.

Note: if you want to add some fresh spinach, add it right after the mushrooms are tender. Saute it until wilted. Then add the cream, etc.

Lemon Curd Breakfast Topping

2007-11-28T09:59:00.000-05:00

As you know by now, I am a big fan of breakfast. So, here is a recipe for lemon curd, which is great on everything breakfast: crepes, scones, pancakes, French toast... Yes, it is a bit indulgent, but for a treat once in a while, why not?! Here is a great article about lemon curd on the Fine Cooking website. It has a link to a recipe they recommend, but here is my adaptation:

Lemon Curd
yields about 2 cups

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened (or just cut into small cubes if using a stand mixer)
2/3 cup of maple sugar (or sweeten to taste with crystal sugar of choice, up to one cup)
3 large eggs
2/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

1. With a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat the butter with the sugar until fluffy, about two minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating. Once well incorporated, add the lemon juice and mix to combine. Don't worry how it looks at this point.
2. In a heavy saucepan, heat the mixture at low heat, stirring until the mixture is smooth and then thickens, about 15 minutes. Don't allow the mixture to boil.
3. Remove from heat. Add the zest and transfer to a bowl. Place plastic wrap to touch the top of the curd so a skin doesn't form. Refrigerate. It will thicken a bit more in the refrigerator. After it is cooled, cover tightly and it will keep a week refrigerated or 2 months in the freezer (if you can resist it... )

Barley Risotto with Greens

2007-11-28T09:28:00.000-05:00

This dish is adapted from a recipe appearing on page 45 of the November/December Vegetarian Times. The published recipe is "Barley Risotto with Spinach and Tofu." In that issue there are several risotto recipes that do not call for Arborio rice, which is what is normally used for risotto. This recipe calls for quick-cooking barley, but I didn't have enough on hand to make the complete recipe, so I used a mixture of barley and rice. Also, since I had on hand some beautiful organic mixed greens from my CSA veggie basket, I substituted them for the spinach. So I steamed the greens separately before adding them to the dish. And I omitted the tofu.

I found that it took much much longer to cook than the recipe says, and that I needed much more hot broth/liquid than the recipe called for as well. But perhaps if I had used the stated amount of barley instead of a combination of rice and barley, it may have cooked more in line with the recipe. In any event, the flavors are delicious, so it is worth sharing.

Barley Risotto with Spinach and Tofu, adapted from Vegetarian Times
Serves 6

six cups of vegetable broth (or more, as needed)
2 cups quick-cooking barley
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
3 large shallots, chopped or one cup chopped red onion
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2/3 cup dry white wine or sherry cooking wine
1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes, chopped (and drained if oil packed)
12 oz fresh baby spinach or if substituting fresh greens: steam, squeeze out excess water, then chop
1 8 oz package baked garlic-herb tofu, cubed (optional)
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese (plus more for garnish, if desired)
3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives or 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage

1. Put the broth in a pot to boil, then keep simmering on the back burner.
2. In a medium-hot dry skillet, toast the barley, stirring often, about five minutes. Set aside.
3. In a heavy pot, heat one tablespoon of the oil and saute the shallots or onion for about 4 minutes, stirring often. Add the garlic and the toasted barley and stir about 2 minutes. Add the wine and simmer for about 3 minutes or until the liquid is almost all absorbed.
4. Add 1/2 cup of the hot broth and the sun-dried tomatoes and simmer about 4 more minutes or until liquid is mostly absorbed, stirring constantly. Add fresh spinach a few handfuls at a time and cook until wilted. Continue adding the hot broth about 1/2 cup at a time, stirring until mostly absorbed and then keep repeating: add broth, stirring until liquid is mostly absorbed, then adding more broth... If using steamed greens instead of fresh spinach, stir them in bit by bit.
5. When the barley is just about tender, add the cubes of tofu (if using) and chives or sage and heat through and let the flavors blend. Then, stir in the shredded cheese and remaining tablespoon of olive oil.

Karma-Free Cooking

2007-11-27T13:31:00.001-05:00

I just wanted to be sure to let everyone know that my friend Madelyn now has a vegetarian cooking blog, Karma-Free Cooking. I have previously posted on my blog several of her delicious recipes. She and I took a cooking class together in the Spring through Conscious Gourmet. Anyway, check out her blog!

Papa a la Huancaina

2007-11-27T10:23:00.001-05:00

I do hope all of the Peruvians will excuse me for taking liberties here with one of the Peru's national dishes. The way I present the dish in the photo above is not quite authentic.

As a part of our Thanksgiving festivities this year, DH and I went to a party at some friends' house where there were people from all over Latin America. Many people brought dishes to share, and the result was a very interesting feast, with a wide variety of authentic, native American dishes, none of which happened to be dishes that are traditionally eaten for Thanksgiving! There were many Peruvians at the party, so of course, there were Papa a la Huancaina. Papa means potato in Spanish.

Our friends kindly gave me some aji chiles, as I expressed interest in wanting to try to make the dish at home. I am sorry I didn't take a photo of the aji chiles, but they are bright, deep orange and look similar in shape and size to banana peppers but are very spicy. They can sometimes be found in bags in the freezer section of Latin American specialty grocery stores.

The recipe below was given to me years ago by a classmate in one of my Spanish classes, who got it from her Peruvian mother-in-law.

Papa a la Huancaina

2 tablespoons oil
2 aji chiles, seeds removed or 1 jalapeno, seeds removed (or more chiles depending on how spicy you like it)
2 cloves garlic
4 oz queso fresco or feta cheese
4 soda cracker squares for texture (I admit I omitted them but still liked the results)
1 cup milk or half-and-half or evaporated milk, or amount needed for sauce-like consistency
salt and pepper to taste

Blend in blender the first three ingredients to make a nice paste. Then add the cheese and crackers and pulse to combine. Keep blending and pour in the milk, bit by bit, until blended into a sauce of a nice consistency.

Hard boil eggs. Boil potatoes and sweet potatoes until tender. Slice the eggs and potatoes. Arrange the eggs and potatoes and some olives on a lettuce-lined platter. Pour the cheese sauce on top and serve.

Note: in the photo above, I roasted potatoes, onions and butternut squash instead of boiling potatoes and sweet potatoes. I also admit that I roasted the aji peppers and garlic before blending them into the sauce, with great results. And, I topped my dish with ground toasted pumpkin seeds, as my own personal touch.

Tamales Dzotobichay

2007-11-27T08:50:00.001-05:00

What does a vegetarian make for Thanksgiving? Well, at my house, our tradition is to imagine what the Pilgrims would have eaten at a feast if they had landed on the shores of Yucatan, being that is where DH is from. It's all part of living in a multi-cultural household. This year we made a very old Mayan dish called Dzotobichay, which means chaya tamales. Chaya is a dark leafy green vegetable similar to chard or collard greens and is native to the Yucatan. I have never found it in the States, and in any case, I find it rather harsh, being unaccustomed to it. So I substitute whatever greens I can find for the chaya in making these tamales: spinach, kale, collard greens, chard, etc.

For the first time, DH and I decided to try making the masa (tamale dough) from scratch, rather than using a dry instant masa flour mix like Masa Harina. This isn't going to be a recipe, but I am at least going to describe the process of making it. In the photo above, I am bringing a pot of hominy to a boil. The white cloudiness in the water is cal, slaked lime. The cal is essential to get the hominy to become soft enough to grind into the masa dough. In any event, I boiled the hominy for a short time and then set it aside to soak. After it soaked, I rinsed it well to remove all traces of cal and rubbed the hominy with towels to dry and to clean them.

We put the hominy in a grinder, pictured above, and ground it into masa. We decided to make the masa more indulgent than we normally do, being that it was Thanksgiving. So, we whipped pure butter, added the ground masa and beat it together, adding enough hot vegetable broth to make a moist dough. Salted as needed. Then we stirred some chopped, steamed greens into the dough.

These tamales are made using banana plant leaves, rather than corn husks. The banana leaves impart a flavor to the dough as it cooks. The dough is spread on the banana leaf and is topped with chopped boiled eggs, ground pepita (toasted pumpkin seeds) and salsa de jitomate. The banana leaf gets wrapped around the filling into a little bundle and the bundle is steamed for at least an hour to cook.

Here are some links that show more about the process of making fresh masa and making banana leaf tamales:

Vegetarian Banana Leaf Tamale Recipe

Masa Dough for Tamales and Tortillas

Turnips Au Gratin

2007-11-09T17:11:00.000-05:00

I got some turnips with my basket of vegetables this week from my organic CSA farm. I was going to put them into a soup, but at the last minute, I was inspired to make them into a cheesy casserole along with a sweet potato. I served it with Agave-Glazed Tempeh and my Mixed Greens and Walnuts.

Turnips Au Gratin

3 turnips, cubed
1 sweet potato, peeled and cubed
2 tablespoons of butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup flour
2 cups milk, warm
dash of picante sauce (optional)
salt and pepper
grated cheese
whole grain bread crumbs

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. Boil the turnips and sweet potato until tender, about 20 minutes. Save one to two cups of the water they boiled in. Drain the rest of the water. Set aside.

3. Melt the butter with the olive oil in an oven-proof pot. Add the flour and stir until smooth. Add milk and stir continuously until the sauce thickens.

4. Add the tender turnips and sweet potatoes and stir to combine. Add the reserved water from the turnips. Stir. Season with salt and pepper and optional dash of hot sauce.

5. Top with grated cheese and bread crumbs. Bake uncovered until the cheese melts and the bread is toasty, about 25 minutes.

Mushroom Sandwich on Ciabatta

2007-11-06T11:42:00.000-05:00

We are still enjoying the variety of breads from our recent bread classes. We made some shitake mushroom and some black olive ciabatta breads which are great for pressed or baked sandwiches. Below you can see the structure of the ciabatta bread with the pieces of mushroom or olive inside. We didn't put much of either in the dough. Next time we will put a bit more.

We could have cooked our sandwiches in a sandwich press. But this time, we baked them on a pizza stone in our oven at 350 degrees until the crust became crisp and the cheese melted. The filling is Swiss cheese with sauteed onions, garlic, herbs and mushrooms.

Mixed Greens with Walnuts

2007-11-06T08:22:00.000-05:00

This week, my vegetable basket that I received from my CSA farm was filled with a wonderful variety of greens. So, I made a saute using a mixture of them and walnuts. Cooked greens are not especially photogenic, but if I wax poetic enough about how tasty they were would you believe me? The greens we had this week were Tatsoi, Red Russian Kale, Wasabi Spicy Lettuce, Arugula and Turnip Greens. I used a bit of each. I adapted this recipe from one that appeared in the Natural Gourmet Cookbook.

Mixed Greens with Walnuts

Up to two pounds total of a variety of greens, washed well, coarse stems removed
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves of garlic, minced
sea salt to taste
1/2 cup walnut pieces
freshly grated nutmeg

1. Toast the walnuts in 350 degree F oven for about 10 minutes, stirring once, until fragrant.
2. Boil the washed greens a large pot of water for about 10 minutes, uncovered. Drain. Spin in a salad spinner to remove excess water. Chop roughly when cool enough to touch.
3. Heat the olive oil in a saute pan. Add the garlic and saute briefly to flavor the oil. Add the greens and saute for about 5 minutes. Season with salt and freshly grated nutmeg. Stir in the walnut pieces. Serve.

Variation for ginger lovers: I think a nice addition would be to add about 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh ginger root at the same time as the garlic.

Making Fruit-Filled Ciabatta

2007-11-04T10:41:00.000-05:00

One of the breads we made at The Art of Artisan Bread Class at Johnson & Wales was Cranberry Raisin Pecan Ciabatta. Here are some photos showing some of the steps in making it. Above is the very wet ciabatta dough, just as it has begun to hold together.

Here the fruit and nuts have been mixed into the dough. Notice how densely packed it is!

Here the dough is shaped and ready to go into the oven.

The bread is being loaded into the oven. We have been enjoying it with butter for breakfast for the last few days.

When the artisan breads come out of the oven the crusts have a beautiful crunchiness. Eventually though, the crusts will soften. We prefer to eat the bread when the crusts are crisp.

To revive and re-crisp the crusts of artisan breads:

preheat oven with a pizza stone inside to 350 degrees F. Place the bread on the pizza stone and bake for about 8 to 10 minutes. The inside of the bread will stay soft while the outside will crisp. Enjoy!

Artisan Bread Class at Johnson & Wales

2007-11-04T10:27:00.001-05:00

For the second weekend in a row, DH and I have attended a bread baking class offered through the Chef's Choice program at Johnson & Wales in Charlotte, NC. This class was The Art of Artisan Bread which lasted eight hours, over two days. It was taught by Chef Harry Peemoeller. Pictured above are a sampling of the fabulous breads we made during the class. At the top is Ciabatta with Cranberries Raisins and Pecans. Below that is Sourdough with Onions. Below that from left to right: Ciabatta with Shitake Mushrooms, Ciabatta with Black Olives, a Sourdough Boule and three Baguettes with three different shapes. At the bottom are Multi-Grain breads, one shaped in a boule, and the other in a loaf.

Above is a tray of freshly baked sourdough and fruit-filled ciabatta. The sourdough was made with 100% wild yeast. The focus of the class was on the slow fermentation method of baking bread. We prepared the doughs the first day and left them in the refrigerator overnight to develop. The dough was shaped and baked the second day.

Here are slices of fruit-filled ciabatta and multi-grain. Everything was so delicious! The classes we took were exceptional. We wish we had signed up for more!

Squash Macaroni and Cheese

2007-10-30T17:48:00.000-05:00

I consider this dish an adult, sophisticated version of the classic Mac-n-Cheese. I got the recipe from my friend Madelyn, and it is a winner! The orange-yellow color comes from squash. You can use any squash, but pumpkin or butternut squash work very well. It's creamy and satisfying while being packed with extra nutrition.

Squash Macaroni and Cheese

1 pound whole grain elbow macaroni: boiled until tender but still firm
2 pounds squash or 2 10-oz packages frozen pureed squash
1 1/2 to 2 cups milk
6 ounces of shredded cheese (a variety of favorite melting cheeses works nicely)
1/2 cup to 1 cup ricotta cheese
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard or mustard powder
dash of picante sauce (optional: my addition)
Parmesan or other cheese for topping

If using fresh squash:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Slice squash in half and place face down on a greased pan and bake about an hour, until the squash is tender. An alternative for faster cooking: peel, seed and cube squash and coat with oil and bake for 20 to 30 minutes until tender.
2. Puree the cooked and peeled squash with 1 1/2 cups of milk in blender or food processor. Add to a large saucepan and simmer on low until heated. If it is too thick, add more milk, a 1/2 cup at a time. Salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and stir in the ricotta cheese, starting with 1/2 a cup, and tasting to see if you want to add more. Stir in the mustard and optional picante sauce. Stir in some of the shredded cheeses, reserving enough for topping. Adjust oven temperature to 375 degrees F. Proceed to step 3 below.

If using frozen squash:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

2. Place the frozen squash and two cups of milk in a large saucepan and simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, breaking up the squash as it defrosts. Once the squash is defrosted and heated, blend either with an immersion blender or in a blender if the mixture isn't smooth enough. But, if it is smooth enough already, skip that step. Add the ricotta, mustard and picante sauce (if using) and stir in some of the cheese, reserving enough for topping.

3. Combine the squash sauce with the cooked pasta and place in a greased baking pan. Top with cheese. Bake for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted, and it is hot and bubbly. Turn up the heat or turn on the broiler to for a few minutes to crisp and brown lightly, if desired.

Note added November 2007: be sure to check out Madelyn's blog, Karma-Free Cooking.

Two sandwiches

2007-10-29T10:32:00.000-05:00

We are so enjoying sampling the nice variety of breads that we made at the bread baking class we took over the weekend. We find we can't decide which breads to have with our meals, as we want them all! So, for lunch, we decided to use two of the breads. We made peanut butter and banana sandwiches with the Spent Grain Loaf and cream cheese cucumber sandwiches with the Vollkornbrot. A nice thing about whole grain breads is that they stay fresh for a nice length of time. They actually taste better and better.

Here are some interesting notes about the breads:
The Spent Grain Bread is made using the grains left over from brewing beer. The Vollkornbrot is 100% rye. The dark color comes from cocoa powder and molasses.

Sopa de Elote (Mexican Corn Soup)

2007-10-29T07:21:00.000-05:00

Sopa de Elote is so comforting and delicious. And it is surprisingly easy and quick to make. Above is a version we were served at Fonda San Miguel, a restaurant in Austin, Texas. It is garnished with thin strips of fried corn tortillas. Below is a version I made at home using mostly white corn, but also some yellow corn, so the color is much lighter. I garnished mine with thin strips of Gruyere cheese.

Sopa de Elote (Mexican Corn Soup)

4 1/2 cups fresh raw corn kernels (husked from approximately 8 or 9 ears), divided
1/2 cup to 1 cup milk
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 tablespoons minced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 of a poblano chile, stem removed, seeded and chopped (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
strips of cheese or fried strips of corn tortillas for garnish (optional)

In a blender, blend 3 cups of the corn kernels with 1/2 cup of milk. Set aside.
In a pot, heat the oil and fry the onion and poblano chile until tender.
Add the blended corn mixture and the rest of the corn kernels. If the soup is too thick, add extra milk, a little at a time, until desired consistency is reached.
Heat at medium low until it simmers, then reduce heat to low. Stir occasionally. Simmer uncovered until well heated, and the corn is tender. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish as desired.

Making Country Miche Boules

2007-10-28T14:35:00.000-05:00

Here I am showing some of the steps involved in making the High Extraction Flour Country Miche Boules we baked in the Wheat to Eat class at Johnson & Wales. After making the dough and letting it rise for its first rise, the dough is formed into the boule (round loaf) shape and is placed in a highly floured banneton (a basket made of willow), where it rises a final time.

Above we have flipped four of the boules out of their bannetons onto a floured peel (wooden board). The reason for placing them on the peel is that it makes it easy to slide them into the oven. Before going into the oven, the tops of the loaves are scored. Note, due to the time limitations of the class, we couldn't wait for them to rise to their prime. They would have benefited from about fifteen more minutes of rising time. But they still turned out plenty beautifully.

Here we have placed several dozen loaves of bread into the oven. During the first five minutes, steam is produced by the special ovens. On the racks in front are loaves (shaped into batards) that are ready to enter the ovens. They are not waiting on peels, but rather on parchment lined sheet pans, an alternative. Chef Reinhart gave us tips on how to adapt the baking methods to home ovens.

The boules are shown baking in the oven above. They have risen slightly more in the oven, and the score marks have become quite expanded. I like how the flour from the bannetons leaves pretty white flour stripes on the top of the bread.

Chef's Choice Baking Class

2007-10-28T11:17:00.001-05:00

This weekend, DH and I attended a bread baking class at Johnson & Wales in Charlotte, NC. The class was called "From Wheat to Eat: Flavorful Whole Grain Breads" and was taught by Peter Reinhart, the author of several baking books. We loved the class and had a great time. Above Pedro is standing next to Chef Reinhart as he is signing our copies of some of his books.

Here I am standing near Chef Reinhart as he is explaining the process of creating a soaker and its role in whole grain bread baking.

Here we are rolling out dough for whole grain crackers.

This is the bounty of bread we brought home from the class. Clockwise from top left, Spent Grain Loaf, Vollkornbrot Loaf, High Extraction Flour Country Miche Boule, Whole Wheat Mash Batard, and in the bowl are Three Seed Crackers. I can't even come close to picking out my favorite. I love them all! And a bonus, not pictured, is that we were able to bring home some 100% whole wheat starter and some 100% rye starter.

Mustard Roasted Potatoes and Veggies

2007-10-24T18:50:00.000-05:00

Here's another dish for which to thank Madelyn. The original recipe is for Potatoes Poupon, but I think that this variation is really great, as there is no limitation to using Dijon Mustard. Madelyn says that other varieties of mustard, such as grain mustard, also work great. And my addition to the recipe is to add a variety of vegetables, rather than just using potatoes. In the photo above, I used red skinned potatoes, yellow zucchini and carrots.

Mustard Roasted Potatoes (and optional veggies)

3 tablespoons Dijon, grain or your favorite gourmet mustard
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 or 2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
2 pounds red skinned potatoes (about six medium) cut into chunks OR 2 pounds total of potatoes and veggies cut into same sized chunks
salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Mix together all of ingredients except the potatoes and veggies in a bowl. Add the chopped potatoes and veggies and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Lightly grease with olive oil a roasting pan. Add the coated veggies. See photo below.
4. Bake 35 to 40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender.

LynnH's Pumpkin-Vanilla Loaf (vegan)

2007-10-23T19:35:00.000-05:00

Now that it is fall and pumpkin season, I absolutely must recommend Lynn H's Pumpkin-Vanilla Loaf recipe. It is a vegan recipe with few ingredients, and yet it has so much flavor! Also, it's amazingly moist. The recipe calls for Kamut Brand flour which adds some of the flavor. However, I have also had success using a combination of whole grain flours, such as spelt and barley. Instead of using sugar, I have had success sweetening as follows: 1/2 cup (heaping) of maple sugar (not syrup) plus 3 tablespoons agave nectar. Bake at 335 instead of 350 if you use my sugar substitute.

Also note that the recipe is for two loaves, but my loaf pan is large, so I put all of the batter in my one pan and it turns out great. In my oven it look 50 minutes to bake the one large loaf.

Maple Vanilla Carrots

2007-10-23T18:45:00.000-05:00

Here is another recipe that my friend Madelyn recommended I try. It's very easy, but gives the carrots an unexpected and sophisticated flavor. The original recipe was featured in a magazine. I am presenting the recipe as Madelyn described it to me.

1 pound of carrots, sliced 1/4 inch thick on the diagonal, so they look pretty
1 vanilla bean
maple syrup
unsalted butter
salt and pepper to taste

1. Place the carrots in a deep skillet with a small bit of water, enough so the carrots will be able to steam.
2. Slice the vanilla bean in half and scrape the seeds into the carrot pan. Put the vanilla bean pod in the water as well. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Cover and simmer over medium heat until the carrots are cooked and most of the water has evaporated. Drain any excess water. Remove the vanilla bean pod. The tiny seeds will remain on the carrots.
4. Add a tablespoon of butter and a tablespoon of maple syrup to the carrots. Stir so the butter melts and the syrup coats everything. Madelyn suggests adding a bit of honey if more sweetness is desired.

Serve and enjoy! Note that I placed the split vanilla pod on top as a garnish, but it's for presentation only, not for consumption!

Kathleen's Vegetarian Kitchen

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