Kitchen Dancer

Pumpkin Whoopee Pies

2011-09-26T07:07:00.001-07:00

Here is the much requested recipe for Pumpkin Whoopee Pies. These were amazing! Cook's Illustrated has the best recipes ever!

Pumpkin Whoopee Pies

Makes 18 (This made more like 30 for me)
Ingredients

Cookies

* 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree
* 2 large eggs
* 3/4cup vegetable oil
* 2cups granulated sugar
* 2teaspoons vanilla extract
* 2teaspoons ground cinnamon
* 1/2teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
* 4cups all-purpose flour
* 4teaspoons baking powder
* 2teaspoons baking soda
* 1teaspoon table salt

Filling

* 8tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), softened but still cool
* 4ounces cream cheese (1/2 package), at room temperature
* 3/4cup Marshmallow Fluff (3 1/2 ounces)
* 1/4teaspoon table salt
* 1teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1 1/4cups confectioners' sugar , sifted

Instructions

1. For the cookies: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 large (18 by 12-inch) baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. Mix pumpkin, eggs, oil, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg together in large bowl until blended. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in medium bowl. Stir dry ingredients into wet ingredients until well incorporated.

3. Using small ice cream scoop (#30 is the perfect size) or tablespoon measure, drop 2 tablespoons of dough on prepared baking sheet. Spread the dough into 2-inch rounds about 1/2 inch thick and spaced 2 inches apart. Bake 10 to 14 minutes until lightly browned, rotating the baking sheets halfway through baking. Cool on cooling racks, still on parchment. Cool baking sheets (I run cold water over them until they are cool), line with fresh parchment paper, and repeat with remaining dough.

4. For the filling: Beat all ingredients except the confectioners' sugar together on medium/high speed with your mixer. Scrape down bowl. Reduce speed to low and gradually add confectioners’ sugar. Beat until smooth, about 1 minute.

5. Spread 2 tablespoons filling on center of flat side of one cookie. Place flat side of second cookie on filling and press cookies together to bring filling to edges. Repeat with remaining cookies and filling. (Cookies can be refrigerated in airtight container for up to 4 days).

Meal Plan for the Week of 9-Apr-2011

2011-04-09T19:24:00.000-07:00

Here is my meal plan for the week!

Sunday: Pad Thai
Monday: Pasta with Creamy Tomato Sauce
Tuesday: New Potatoes and Spinach in a Garlic-Red Chile Sauce
Wednesday: Broccoli Cashew Teriyaki Seitan Stir Fry
Thursday: Crispy Black Bean Tacos with Feta and Cabbage Slaw
Friday: Pizza
Saturday: burgers and fries

Black Bean and Bell Pepper Chili with Cornbread

2011-01-23T17:03:00.000-08:00

Tonight, we had a classic meal: chili with cornbread. This recipe is actually my favorite vegetarian chili recipe that I've tried. The chipotle powder adds a really smoky flavor. The cornbread was amazing too.

Yummy cornbread!

Black Bean and Bell Pepper Chili

1 1/2 cups dried black beans sorted and rinsed (or 2 cans black beans, do not drain!)
3 cups water (if using dried black beans) or 1 cup water (if using canned black beans)
1-4 tbsp olive oil
1 large red onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, finely diced
1 green bell pepper, finely diced
1 yellow bell pepper, finely diced (it is ok to use any combination of 3 bell peppers)
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tsp ground cumin
2 bay leaves
2 tsp chipotle powder
2 2-inch cinnamon sticks
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
Kernels from 2 ears of corn (or frozen corn to taste)
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh oregano or 1 1/2 tsp dry oregano
1 tsp cider vinegar
1 tsp pure maple syrup
coarse sea salt

If using dried beans, combine the beans with the water and 1 tbsp olive oil in a pressure cooker and cook at full pressure for 30 minutes.
If using chicken, cut up and saute the chicken until thoroughly cooked, but not dry.
In a heavy pot, over medium heat add 1-3 tbsp of olive oil.
When the oil is warm, add the onions and saute for 8-10 minutes until lightly browned.
Add the bell peppers, garlic, cumin, bay leaves, chipotle powder, and cinnamon sticks. Saute for 10 more minutes. Reduce the heat and stir occasionally to prevent sticking until the vegetables soften.
Add the beans to the pan with their cooking liquid (or 1 cup of water, if using canned beans).
Process the diced tomatoes in a food processor or pass them through the medium holes of a food mill and add to the pan.
Raise the heat and bring to a boil.
Lower the heat and stir in the corn kernels, oregano, vinegar, and maple syrup.
Simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes.
Add salt to taste (usually 1-2 tsp) and continue to cook for 5 to 10 minutes. Remove the bay leaves and cinnamon sticks before eating.

Cornbread

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp table salt
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar (1 3/4 ounces)
3/4 cup frozen corn (3 1/2 ounces), thawed
1 cup buttermilk
2 large eggs
8 tbsp unsalted butter (1 stick), melted and cooled slightly

Instructions

Adjust oven rack to middle position.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Spray a 9 x 5 inch baking dish with cooking spray (or an 8 x 8 square pan).
Whisk flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl until combined. Set aside.
In a food processor or blender, mix the brown sugar, thawed corn kernels, buttermilk, and eggs for about 5 seconds.
Add the wet ingredients (including the butter) to the dry and gently fold the mixture until barely combined.
Pour the batter into a prepared baking dish.
Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 25 to 35 minutes. Cool on a wire rack 10 minutes.
Cut and serve.

Thai Curry with Sweet Potatoes and Tofu

2011-01-23T16:51:00.000-08:00

This recipe was incredible. Really really incredible. Especially considering how easy it was and how few ingredients it took. For curries, I'm used to a giant list of spices, but in this case, it just called for some red curry paste (I used Thai Kitchen brand). I wasn't sure how I'd like sweet potatoes in a curry, but it was absolutely divine. So much so that I'm going to try a different stir fry with sweet potatoes again this week.

Thai Curry with Sweet Potatoes and Tofu
Adapted from Cook's Illustrated

Ingredients

14 oz extra-firm tofu, pressed, drained, and cut into 3/4 inch cubes
1 tbsp canola oil
1 1/2 tablespoons red curry paste
1 (14-ounce) can light coconut milk
2 tbsp fish sauce
4 tsp light brown sugar
1/4 cup water
2 medium sweet potatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds), peeled and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
1 medium red bell pepper and cut into 1/4-inch strips
1/2 lb snow peas, strings removed
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil leaves
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
Salt

Instructions

Prepare tofu:

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering.
Add the tofu in a single layer and cook until golden brown on one side, about 2 minutes.
Gently flip the tofu and cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes.
Transfer to a plate lined with a paper towel and set aside.

Prepare the curry

Add the remaining tablespoon oil to the skillet and return to medium heat until shimmering.
Add the curry paste and cook, stirring constantly, until very fragrant, about 1 minute.
Whisk in the coconut milk, fish sauce, light brown sugar, and water.
Add the sweet potatoes and tofu.
Bring to a simmer.
Turn heat to low, cover, and cook until the potatoes are tender, 15 to 20 minutes.
Add the red bell pepper and snow peas, increase the heat to medium-low, cover, and cook until the peas are crisp-tender, about 4 minutes.
Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the basil and lime juice.
Season with salt to taste.
Serve immediately.

Crepes with Ricotta and Spinach Filling

2011-01-23T16:31:00.001-08:00

I am a creature of habit. This means that my weekly menus usually consist of a couple of stir fries, some pastas, and some Indian food. I don't tend to vary much outside of this pattern. So this week, I deliberately tried at least one thing that was not my usual fare.

The answer: savory crepes! I had tried these in Paris, but wasn't terribly thrilled. But these were delicious. It really was a lot like making spinach lasagna but stuffing it all in a crepe instead of layering it between noodles.

Crepes with Ricotta and Spinach Filling
Adapted from Cook's Illustrated

Ingredients

Crepes
2 large eggs
1 cup milk
6 tbsp water
1 cup bleached all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp table salt
3 tbsp unsalted butter melted

Filling
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, small dice
2 cloves garlic pressed through a garlic press
1 package frozen chopped spinach (10 ounces), thawed and pressed dry (I use paper towels to press out the liquid)
10 oz whole-milk ricotta (1 1/4 cups)
4 oz Gruyère cheese, grated (2 cups)
Pinch ground nutmeg
If desired, several slices baked ham (preferably in 6- to 7-inch rounds) (I actually used Canadian bacon, which I had sitting in my freezer)

Instructions

Adjust oven rack to the top middle position.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Grease a 13 by 9 inch pan.

Filling:

Heat oil in medium skillet over medium-high heat.
Sauté onion and garlic until softened, 2 to 3 minutes.
Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl.
Add spinach, ricotta, 1.5 cups Gruyère, nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste.
Set aside.

Crepes:

Mix all ingredients (except extra melted butter) in food processor or blender, 3 to 4 seconds.
Cover and chill for at least an hour.
Remove from refrigerator and stir gently.
Heat a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Brush the pan with butter.
Pour 1/8 cup (or larger, if desired) onto the skillet. Gently rotate the pan to form the crepe. If you have trouble with this, there are many videos on YouTube to illustrate the technique.
Cook until the batter looks pretty dry.
Gently lift the crepe with your fingers or a spatula. Cook about 30 seconds longer.

Assemble:

One at a time, lay out one crepe.
If using ham, place one ham slice on the crepe.
Spoon 3 tbsp filling into the crepe.
Gentle roll the crepe over the filling.
Place the assembled crepe into the baking pan.
Top with remaining Gruyère cheese.
Cover the pan with foil.
Bake until heated through, about 15 minutes.
Serve immediately.

Meal Plan for the Week of 23-Jan-2011

2011-01-23T16:26:00.000-08:00

Sunday: Chili with Cornbread
Monday: Chicken Stir-fry with Yams, Red Cabbage, and Hoisin
Tuesday: Tortilla Casserole
Wednesday: Spicy Potatoes and Spinach with Blackened Chiles and Coconut Milk (Ulli Ishto)
Thursday: Pad Thai
Friday: Pizza
Saturday: Lazy day: leftovers/spaghetti with sauce/burgers with fries

French Macarons!

2011-01-17T13:59:00.001-08:00

Here are the results of my first try making French Macarons!

The recipe is found here. It took me a few tries to get the macaron shells to pipe out in the right shape/size, but even the funny-looking ones taste delicious.

Sunday Night Feast: Stir-Fried Seitan (or Chicken) with Bok Choy and Crispy Noodle Cake/Spring Rolls

2011-01-17T08:21:00.000-08:00

I wanted to have kind of a special dinner that would be similar to going out to a Chinese restaurant complete with one of my favorite foods in the world: fresh spring rolls.

Spring rolls are really a pretty straight forward food to make, if you can find spring roll wrappers. I also found a recipe for peanut dipping sauce. The sauce was...ok. Not my favorite. It is going to take some experimentation to find the right sauce.

To make spring rolls, you first have to decide what you want in the spring rolls. We made pretty straightforward spring rolls.

Spring Rolls

Ingredients:
spring roll wrappers (we were able to find these at Cub and at Whole Foods)
1/2 cucumber, peeled with seeds removed and cut into matchsticks
1 carrot, peeled and cut into matchsticks
rice vermicelli/rice sticks, prepared
unsalted dry roasted peanuts, chopped
mint leaves
cilantro leaves

You may also want to add meat, tofu, or mock duck. I've had spring rolls with pork and shrimp, the options are pretty limitless.

Soften the spring roll wrapper in lukewarm water, this takes very little time, maybe 10 seconds.
Spread the spring roll wrapper on a plate. If you have problems with the spring roll wrapper sticking, you may want to use a lettuce leaf to cushion the spring roll wrapper.
Spread about 5-6 mint leaves on the spring roll wrapper.
Spread about 5-6 cilantro leaves.
About 1/3 of the way from the bottom of the spring roll wrapper, lay down the carrot matchsticks, cucumber matchsticks and a small handful of the rice vermicelli.
Sprinkle peanuts on top of the filling.
Wrap spring rolls. Fold over the sides first, then wrap the bottom of the spring roll wrapper over the filling and the folded over sides and roll the spring roll up.

To add more flavor, you may want to consider tossing the ingredients with a tbsp or so of fish sauce and lime juice with about 1/2 tsp sugar. Serve with a peanut-based dipping sauce. I'm not posting my recipe because I didn't like it that much. If you find any other recipes you like, please share!

For the main course, I found a recipe on Cook's Illustrated for Stir-Fried Chicken with Bok Choy and Crispy Noodle Cake. I had to vegetarian-ify it for Garison's sake. Fortunately, the substitutions were pretty simple. I used seitan cut into strips to replace the chicken and vegetarian oyster sauce (based on mushrooms). Another substitution I had to make was to replace Chinese egg noodles with standard vermicelli. I would not make this substitution if not absolutely necessary. If you must, cook the noodles past al dente, so they are nice and soft.

The recipe turned out exactly like the kind of food you'd find in a Chinese restaurant. The consensus was we don't really need to go out for Chinese food anymore.

Stir-Fried Seitan with Bok Choy and Crispy Noodle Cake

Ingredients

Noodle Cake
9 ounces Chinese egg noodles (fresh) or vermicelli
1 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons vegetable oil

Stir-Fry Sauce
1/4 cup broth (I used vegetable broth)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon dry sherry
1 tablespoon oyster sauce or vegetarian substitute
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Seitan
1 package seitan (regular or chicken-style) cut into small pieces or strips (if not a vegetarian, go ahead and use about 1 lb of chicken, cut into small strips)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon dry sherry
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon unbleached all-purpose flour

Vegetables
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 medium clove garlic , minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 1 teaspoon)
8 teaspoons peanut oil or vegetable oil
1 head bok choy, stalks sliced into 1/2-inch slices, and greens cut into small pieces
1 small red bell pepper , cut into 1/4-inch strips

Instructions

Prepare ingredients:

Prepare the noodles according to the package directions. When done, drain thoroughly.

While the noodles cook:

Whisk together the sauce ingredients; set aside.
Toss the seitan with the soy sauce and sherry; set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the sesame oil, cornstarch, and flour; set aside.
In a small bowl, mix together the ginger, garlic, and 1 teaspoon peanut oil.
Chop the vegetables if you have not done so already.

Once the ingredients have been prepared, make the noodle cake:

Heat 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering.
Spread the noodles evenly across the bottom of the skillet and press with a spatula to flatten into a cake. Cook until crisp and golden brown, 5 to 8 minutes.
Flip the noodle cake over carefully.
Cook until golden brown on the second side, about 5 to 8 minutes.
Move the noodle cake onto a plate or cutting board and let sit for at least 5 minutes before slicing into wedges and serving.

Prepare the seitan:

Stir the marinated seitan into the sesame oil-cornstarch mixture until coated.
Heat 2 teaspoons peanut oil in the skillet over high heat until smoking.
Add the seitan to the skillet in a flat, even layer. Cook, without stirring, until golden brown on the first side, about 1 minute.
Turn the seitan and cook until lightly browned on the second side; about 30 seconds.
Transfer the seitan to a bowl. Cover to keep warm.

Stir-fry the vegetables and assemble the stir fry:

Add the remaining tablespoon peanut oil to the skillet and return to high heat until just smoking.
Add the bok choy stalks and red bell pepper and cook until lightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes.
Push the vegetables to the sides of the skillet to clear the center.
Add the garlic-ginger mixture to the clearing and cook, mashing the mixture with a spoon, until fragrant, 15 to 20 seconds.
Stir the garlic and ginger into the vegetables and continue to cook about 30 seconds longer.
Stir in the bok choy greens and cook until beginning to wilt, about 30 seconds.
Add the cooked seitan.
Whisk the sauce to recombine, then add to the skillet and cook, tossing constantly, until the sauce is thickened, about 30 seconds.

Serve!

Cut the noodle cake into wedges.
Spoon the stir fry on top of the noodle cake and serve.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bounty!

2011-01-16T12:00:00.001-08:00

Today, I am baking for a teambuilding party at work. I thought, why not chocolate chip cookies. They smell/taste so good, not sure how they'll make it to work, though.

I use the standard Ghirardelli chocolate chip cookie recipe found here. I did some reading on chocolate chip cookies and one article said to leave the dough in the refrigerator overnight for a richer flavor. I have to say, the flavor definitely was more rich than usual. More toffee flavored.

Also, always use real butter!

Sweet Corn Pancakes

2011-01-16T11:53:00.000-08:00

This is week 2 of corn pancakes! This week's recipe comes from the Smitten Kitchen. You can find the recipe here.

These pancakes were light and fluffy. Much less cornmeal-focused than the Lemon-Cornmeal Pancakes. Cooking the corn until browned also gave it a very strong corn flavor. I highly recommend them!

Lemon-Cornmeal Pancakes

2011-01-15T08:51:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite weekend routines is making a nice breakfast on Sunday mornings. I wonder where I got that, dad. :) I like experimenting with different breakfast foods. Corn pancakes are a little grittier than regular pancakes, but the result is delicious. It's sort of like eating spongier cornbread.

Lemon-Cornmeal Pancakes
Adapted from Cook's Illustrated

Makes about sixteen 4-inch pancakes

Ingredients
1 tbsp lemon juice from 1 lemon
2 cups milk (any type)
2 tsp grated lemon zest
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour (5 ounces)
1 1/2 cups yellow cornmeal (preferably stoneground)
2 tbsp granulated sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp table salt
1 large egg
3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
2 tsp vegetable oil
1 cup fresh or frozen corn, or berries, rinsed and dried

Whisk lemon juice, milk, and zest in a medium bowl or large measuring cup. Set aside for about 5 minutes.
Whisk flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl.
Whisk the egg and melted butter into the milk mixture.
Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, whisking gently until just combined (a few lumps should remain). Do not over mix.
Heat a nonstick skillet or griddle over medium heat. Lightly grease the skillet or griddle with oil.
Form pancakes on the skillet or griddle using 1/4 cup batter. Sprinkle corn or berries over each pancake.
Cook pancakes until bubbles begin to appear. Flip pancakes and cook until golden brown on second side, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes longer. Serve immediately.

Meal Plan for the Week of 16-Jan-2011

2011-01-15T08:47:00.000-08:00

Meal Plan:
Sunday: Breakfast: Sweet Corn Pancakes, Dinner: Stir-Fried Mock Duck (or Chicken) with Bok Choy and Crispy Noodle Cake/Spring Rolls
Monday: Savory crepes with cheese/spinach filling
Tuesday: Peanut sauce with noodles and green beans
Wednesday: Skillet Thai Curry with Sweet Potatoes and Tofu
Thursday: Work outing
Friday: Pizza
Saturday: Pasta and Tomato Sauce with Vodka and Cream

Jenny's Weekly Pizza Routine (with recipe for Neo-Neopolitan Pizza Dough)

2011-01-15T07:59:00.000-08:00

If you've been paying attention to my weekly menus, you'll notice that at least once a week, we make pizza. That's because pizza is the best food in the world! Today I thought I'd share my weekly pizza routine.

I posted my old pizza crust recipe once before here, but this new pizza crust is much more like a pizza crust you'll find at a fancy pizza restaurant (it reminds me of the pizza crust from Punch Pizza in Highland Park, St. Paul (best pizza place in the Twin Cities, in my opinion). This pizza crust comes from Artisan Breads Every Day by Peter Reinhart. This is another cookbook I can't recommend enough. Go buy it people!

The main disadvantage to this crust is that it does require being refrigerated overnight. It is actually very easy to do, just takes some advance thought. Because of this, every other weekend, I make pizza crusts and freeze them. The night before I want to make pizza, I take out as many crusts as I want and throw them in the refrigerator to defrost.

Lately we have been preferring personal pizzas, so I divide this recipe into five individual servings. This way I can eat meat on my pizza if I want (mmm, Canadian bacon) and Maddie gets to top her own pizza (she loads it up with vegetables, making her mama proud). You can divide up the dough however you'd like. For a large pizzas, divide the dough in half.

I strongly recommend using a kitchen scale to weigh the flour and water. A precise flour/water ratio always results in excellent pizza.

Neo-Neopolitan Pizza Dough

5 1/3 cups (24 oz/680 grams) unbleached bread flour
2 tsp salt, or 1 tbsp coarse kosher salt
1 tsp instant yeast
2 tbsp sugar
2 cups plus 2 tbsp (17 oz/482 grams) water, at room temperature
2 tbsp olive oil

Combine all of the ingredients in a mixer with a bread hook. Mix the dough at the lowest speed for one minute. You may also mix by hand using a large wooden spoon for one minute.
Let the dough rest for 5 minutes.
Mix the dough again for 2-3 minutes.
Spread about 1 tsp of olive oil on a work surface and on your hands.
Stretch and fold the dough once. (Click here for a video where Peter Reinhart demonstrates how to stretch and fold the dough.)
Divide the dough and form it into a ball.
If freezing, place each ball of dough into an oiled freezer bag. One day before using, take the dough out of the freezer and let it defrost in the refrigerator.
If using the next day, place the dough into an oiled bowl and let rise in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours or up to 4 days.
On baking day, remove the dough about 90 minutes before you plan to bake it.
On an oiled surface, with oiled hands, form the dough into tight balls. Set it on the counter covered loosely with plastic wrap.
At least half an hour before baking, preheat the oven with a baking stone at the highest temperature allowed by your oven.
Prepare your toppings.
After at least 60 minutes, form the dough into a disk and stretch the dough gently with your hands. This takes a little bit of practice. Slide the dough onto the backs of your hands, lift it, and rotate it, using your thumbs to stretch it. If you mess up, no big deal, just form it into a ball again, let it rest for a few minutes, and try again.
Place the dough on a floured pizza peel, top it, and slide it onto your pizza stone.
Bake for 6-8 minutes, scoop it out with your peel, and enjoy!

If you don't have a pizza stone/peel, get one if you'll be doing this regularly. We also found that putting the pizza on a pan works ok, though it will take longer to cook. Just cook until the crust looks golden brown.

Spicy Potatoes and Spinach with Blackened Chiles and Coconut Milk (Ulli Ishto)

2011-01-15T07:34:00.000-08:00

It is amazing to me how delicious vegetables are if you prepare them well. I remember the first Indian restaurant I ever went to. I was a vegetarian at the time and the only thing on the menu that sounded relatively inoffensive was a dish called channa saag. The menu said it was made of spinach and chickpeas. I thought, well, I'll choke it down and at least get some greens out of it. I couldn't believe it when I took the first bite. Spicy, creamy, and delicious. To this day, the various spinach dishes at every Indian restaurant are my first choice and among my favorite foods.

Of course, this means when I get cookbooks full of Indian recipes (such as my favorite, 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer, which is the source of this recipe), I make an effort to cook every spinach-based dish I can find. This recipe is an excellent addition to my list of delicious spinach dishes. Some of the spices were a little hard to find, but I was finally able to find Nigella (also known as Charnushka or black caraway) at Penzey's in St. Paul.

First, mix the the panch phoron:

Panch Phoron (Indian Five-Spice Blend)
1 tsp fennel seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
1/2 tsp nigella
1/2 tsp black or yellow mustard seeds

Combine in a small bowl and mix 'em up. I usually put them in a covered bowl and shake it to mix. Makes 1 tbsp.

Spicy Potatoes and Spinach with Blackened Chiles and Coconut Milk (Ulli Ishto)

Ingredients:

2 tbsp canola oil
1 tbsp Panch Phoron
3 dried red chiles (Thai or cayenne), stems removed
1 lb potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-1 inch cubes
1 1/2 tsp coarse kosher salt
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 cup unsweetenened coconut milk
8-10 oz fresh spinach leaves, chopped coarsely in a food processor

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until the oil is hot and shimmering slightly.
Sprinkle in the panch phoron and let sizzle 10-15 seconds.
Add the chiles and stir fry until the chiles darken, about 10-15 seconds.
Add the potatoes. Stir to coat the potatoes in spice, cover, reduce heat to medium, and cook, stirring occasionally, for five minutes.
Stir in the salt and turmeric.
Stir in the coconut milk. Heat to a boil.
Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer until the potatoes are tender (12-15 minutes).
Stir in the spinach. Cover the skillet and simmer until the spinach has wilted and the flavors have melded, about 2 minutes.
Serve with naan or rice!

Pad Thai

2011-01-09T17:01:00.000-08:00

This recipe is adapted from a recipe from Cook's Illustrated. (I am feeling kind of predictable with my recipe sources.) I substituted tofu for shrimp, though you could probably substitute any protein. The first time I made this, I used too much tamarind. The paste I used had no seeds or pulp in it, so it was too strong. I weakened it this time with better results.

Pad Thai

Ingredients
2 tbsp tamarind paste
3/4 cup hot water (boiling)
3 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp rice vinegar
3 tbsp granulated sugar
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper or to taste
4 tablespoons peanut oil or vegetable oil
8 oz dried rice stick noodles, about 1/8 inch wide (the width of linguine) (I used pad thai noodles)
2 large eggs
1/4 tsp table salt
1 package firm or extra firm tofu, drained, pressed to release extra liquid, and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed through garlic press
1 medium shallot, minced
6 tbsp chopped unsalted roasted peanuts
3 cups bean sprouts (6 ounces)
5 medium scallions, green parts only, sliced thin
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves chopped (optional)

Instructions

Soak tamarind paste in 3/4 cup boiling water for about 10 minutes, then push it through a mesh strainer to remove the seeds and fibers and extract as much pulp as possible.
Stir fish sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, cayenne, and 2 tablespoons oil into tamarind liquid and set aside.
Cover rice sticks with hot tap water in large bowl. Soak until softened, pliable, and limp but not fully tender, about 20 minutes. Drain noodles and set aside.
Beat eggs and 1/8 teaspoon salt in small bowl; set aside.
Put tofu in a bowl and add 2 tbsp of the fish sauce mixture to the tofu. Toss gently until the tofu has absorbed the liquid. (I put it in a covered bowl and turned it over a few times.)
Heat 1 tbsp oil in 12-inch skillet (preferably nonstick) over high heat until just beginning to smoke.
Add tofu sprinkle with remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt. Cook for 2 minutes on one side and flip over to cook on the other side. Place tofu on a plate with a paper towel to drain and set aside.
Off heat, add remaining tbsp oil to skillet. Add garlic and shallot, set skillet over medium heat and cook, stirring constantly, until light golden brown, about 1 1/2 minutes
Add eggs to skillet and stir vigorously with wooden spoon until scrambled and barely moist, about 20 seconds.
Add noodles to the eggs; toss to combine.
Pour the fish sauce mixture over noodles, increase heat to high, and cook, tossing constantly, until noodles are evenly coated.
Add 1/4 cup peanuts, bean sprouts, all but 1/4 cup scallions, and tofu to the noodles.
Continue to cook, tossing constantly, until the noodles are tender, about 2 1/2 minutes.
Serve sprinkled with remaining scallions, 2 tbsp peanuts, and cilantro.

Meal Plan for the Week of 9-Jan-2011

2011-01-09T16:52:00.000-08:00

Only one new recipe this week with some repeats already from last week. I have a new recipe for pizza dough that I will post. I also made some homemade burger buns for dinner on Saturday that turned out beautifully and are now in the freezer waiting.

I love homemade bread!

Sunday: Pad Thai
Monday: Spicy Potatoes and Spinach with Blackened Chiles and Coconut Milk (660 Curries)
Tuesday: tomato soup with grilled cheese
Wednesday: Green Beans with Tomato
Thursday: Stir-Fried Broccoli and Red Peppers with Peanut Sauce
Friday: Pizza
Saturday: Burgers/Fries

Stir-Fried Broccoli and Red Peppers with Peanut Sauce

2011-01-09T13:49:00.000-08:00

I have mixed feelings about this recipe. It was nice. Had kind of a mellow flavor that grows on you. With peanut sauce, I usually expect something thicker and more peanut-y, but with this, the focus is on the coconut milk. The peanut flavor is very subtle. The flavor in general is pretty subtle. G loved it. In fact, he requested I make it again this week. Very easy too. Easy enough to be labeled as a weeknight mainstay. This recipe probably won't blow you away, but it is satisfying. I recommend serving it in a bowl with rice to soak up the sauce. If you want to make it more substantial add a protein like chicken or tofu.

Stir-Fried Broccoli and Red Peppers with Peanut Sauce

Ingredients

Sauce:
3 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp lime juice
1 teaspoon grated zest
1 tbsp light brown sugar
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
3/4 cup coconut milk
1/4 cup water
3 tbsp smooth peanut butter

Stir Fry:
1 tbsp peanut oil plus 1 more teaspoon
1 large red bell pepper, cut lengthwise into 1/2-inch strips
9 oz broccoli , cut into even 1-inch florets (about 4 cups) (I used a package of frozen broccoli)
2 medium cloves garlic, minced or pressed through garlic press
1/4 inch piece fresh ginger , peeled and minced (about 1 teaspoon)

Instructions

Mix fish sauce, lime juice and zest, sugar, and red pepper in small bowl until sugar is dissolved.
Add coconut milk, water, and peanut butter, whisk until smooth. Set aside.
Heat 1 tbsp oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over high heat until shimmering, 2 to 3 minutes.
If using fresh broccoli, add red pepper and broccoli. Stir fry until just tender, about 2 minutes.
If using frozen broccoli, add the broccoli to the skillet, cover, and heat until most, but not all, of the ice is gone (about two-three minutes). Remove cover, add red pepper, stir fry two minutes.
Clear the center of pan. Add remaining teaspoon oil, garlic, and ginger and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds
Stir the garlic and ginger into vegetables.
Reduce heat to medium-low and stir in sauce. Simmer to heat through and blend flavors, about 1 minute. Serve immediately.

Creamless Creamy Tomato Soup

2011-01-04T16:44:00.000-08:00

I love this recipe. Love it. Adore it. Would make it every day if I could. Tonight, I made it with grilled cheese sandwiches made with fresh, homemade sandwich bread. Life is good. Best of all, it even results in happy kiddo.

Yay! Happy kiddo!

It's even fast enough to be a weeknight mainstay (about half an hour of prep and cooking total).

Creamless Creamy Tomato Soup

Ingredients

4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil , plus more for drizzling
1 medium onion, chopped
3 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through garlic press
Pinch hot red pepper flakes
1 bay leaf
2 (28-ounce) cans whole tomatoes packed in juice or diced tomatoes
1 tbsp brown sugar
3 large slices sandwich bread, crusts removed, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
2 tbsp brandy (optional)

Instructions

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onion, garlic, red pepper flakes, and bay leaf. Cook, stirring frequently, until onion is translucent, 3 to 5 minutes.
Stir in tomatoes and their juice. If using whole tomatoes, mash with a potato masher until no pieces bigger than 2 inches remain.
Stir in sugar and bread; bring soup to boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until bread starts to break down, about 5 minutes.
Remove and discard bay leaf.
If using a blender, transfer half of soup to blender. Add 1 tbsp oil and process until soup is smooth and creamy, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to large bowl. Repeat with the other half of the soup and 1 tbsp oil.
Rinse out Dutch oven and return soup to pot. Stir in broth and brandy (if using). Return soup to boil and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Serve soup in individual bowls. Sprinkle each portion with pepper and drizzle with olive oil.

One-Pot Potatoes

2011-01-03T18:02:00.000-08:00

This is yet another very tasty recipe from Raghavan Iyer's 660 Curries. I don't think we have disliked any of the recipes we've used from that cookbook. It is one of the best cookbook investments I've ever made. My only issue with this recipe is that it isn't really a one pot recipe.

One-Pot? Really?

OK, to be fair, one of the pots is for the rice...

It's not an ideal weeknight recipe. Altogether it took me almost an hour to get everything chopped and cooked. Still, a hearty, satisfying meal on the table in an hour isn't so bad.

One-Pot Potatoes
(in a Red Lentil Sauce with Lime Juice)

Ingredients:

1 cup red lentils (masoor dal)
1-2 tbsp canola oil
2 tsp cumin seeds
1 small red onion, diced
1 tbsp chopped ginger or ginger paste
2-3 green Thai, cayenne, or serrano chiles, stems removed, chopped finely with seeds
1 lb potatoes peeled and cut into 1/2 in cubes (I used red bliss potatoes, but yukon gold or russet would work well)
2 tsp coarse kosher salt or sea salt
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro (leaves and tender stems)
Juice of 1 medium lime

If serving with rice, start cooking the rice just after you've started simmering the lentils.

1. Rinse the lentils until the water used to rinse the lentils is clear.
2. In a medium sized sauce pan, bring the lentils and 2 cups water to a boil. Simmer the lentils for 10-12 minutes and remove from heat.
3. While the lentils are simmering, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
4. Add the cumin seeds and cook until they sizzle and turn reddish brown (10-15 seconds).
5. Add the onion, ginger, and chiles. Stir-fry until the onion is caramel-brown (8-10 minutes).
6. Add the potatoes, salt, ground cumin, coriander, turmeric, and cilantro to the onion mixture. Stir-fry 1-2 minutes.
7. Add 1/2 cup water, stir, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and cook until the potatoes are tender (8-10 minutes).
8. If you have an immersion blender, blend the cooked lentils in the sauce pan. If not, blend the lentils in a blender or food processor until creamy (this may require more than one batch).
9. Stir the lentils into the potato mixture.
10. Add the lime juice and serve.

Pasta with Creamy Tomato Sauce

2011-01-02T15:43:00.000-08:00

This recipe was adapted from Cook's Illustrated. I was unable to use a couple of the ingredients this recipe called for. G was against adding prosciutto to start, but I thought that it wouldn't be a major loss to the recipe so I went ahead. But then the fresh basil I bought only two days ago was already starting to mold! I went ahead anyway and the resulting dish was actually quite good regardless. If you make it with prosciutto and fresh basil, let me know how it turned out.

Ingredients
3 tbsp unsalted butter (I only used 1.5 tbsp)
1 oz prosciutto, minced (about 2 tablespoons) (I omitted this)
1 small onion , diced fine (about 3/4 cup) (I used one medium onion which resulted in a little more than a cup, this was fine)
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
Table salt
3 medium/large garlic cloves, minced or pressed through garlic press
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 oz oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, rinsed, patted dry, and chopped coarse (about 3 tablespoons)
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp dry white wine
2 cups plus 2 tbsp crushed tomatoes or crushed tomatoes with basil (from one 28-ounce can)
1 pound penne or other shaped pasta
1/2 cup heavy cream
Ground black pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves (substituted about a tsp of dried basil)
Parmesan cheese, for serving

Instructions

Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. Add prosciutto (if using), onion, bay leaf, pepper flakes, and 1/4 teaspoon salt.
Cook, stirring occasionally 8-12 minutes, until onion is soft and beginning to turn light brown.
Increase heat to medium-high, add garlic, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Stir in tomato paste and sun-dried tomatoes and cook, stirring constantly, until slightly darkened, 1 to 2 minutes.
Add 1/4 cup wine and cook, stirring frequently, until liquid has evaporated, 1 to 2 minutes.
Add 2 cups crushed tomatoes and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to low, partially cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce is thickened (spoon should leave trail when dragged through sauce), 25 to 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts water to boil. Add pasta and 1 tablespoon salt and cook until al dente.
Reserve 1/2 cup cooking water, drain pasta, and transfer back to cooking pot.
Remove bay leaf from sauce and discard.
Stir cream, remaining 2 tablespoons crushed tomatoes, and remaining 2 tablespoons wine into sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Add sauce to cooked pasta, adjust consistency with reserved pasta cooking water, if necessary.
Stir in basil (if using) and serve immediately.
Sprinkle Parmesan on top of pasta.

Meal Plan for the Week of 2-Jan-2011

2011-01-02T10:41:00.000-08:00

Sunday: Pasta with Creamy Tomato Sauce (Cook's Illustrated)
Monday: One-Pot Potatoes (660 Curries, Raghavan Iyer)
Tuesday: Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese (Cook's Illustrated)
Wednesday: Stir-Fried Broccoli and Red Peppers with Peanut Sauce (Cook's Illustrated)
Thursday: Burgers and Fries (Veggie Burgers and Alexia Fries)
Friday: Pizza (Pizza Crust from Artisan Breads Every Day by Peter Reinhart)
Saturday: Black Bean Burritoes with Poblano Chiles and Corn (Adapted from Chicken Burritoes with Poblano Chiles and Corn from Bon Appetit)

Christmas Cooking!

2010-12-28T06:53:00.000-08:00

Holidays are always a little frustrating for me. They are the biggest feast days of the year, but I am almost always traveling and unable to contribute to the meal. This Christmas, though, I was determined to make an entree so my vegetarian husband would have more to eat besides mashed potatoes. I found a recipe for Spring Pot Pie from Cook's Illustrated. I used the basic recipe, but changed the vegetables slightly to make it more winter appropriate.

Vegetable Pot Pie

6 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 medium leeks , white and light green parts only, halved lengthwise, sliced 1/4 inch thick, and rinsed well
2 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
Salt
1.5 pounds yukon gold potatoes , scrubbed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3 medium garlic cloves , minced or pressed through a garlic press
1.5 cup frozen peas
7 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
2 ounces Parmesan cheese (about 1 cup)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice , plus 1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
4 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon leaves
Ground black pepper
Instructions

Make biscuit topping (see instructions below). Refrigerate until ready to use.

Prepare Vegetables

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 400 degrees.
In a dutch oven over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter.
Add the leeks, carrot, and ¾ teaspoon salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until the leeks have softened but are still bright green, about 7 minutes.
Add the potatoes, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes begin to soften around the edges, about 10 minutes.
Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Transfer to a 9 by 13-inch baking dish (or a shallow casserole dish of similar size) or six 12-ounce ovenproof dishes. Sprinkle the peas evenly over the top and set aside.

Prepare the sauce

Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat.
Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for about 1 minute.
Gradually whisk in 4 cups of vegetable broth, bring to a simmer, and cook until the sauce thickens, about 1 minute.
Remove from the heat and whisk in the Parmesan. Stir in the lemon juice, zest, and tarragon and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Assemble the Pot Pie

Pour the sauce over the filling and stir with a wooden spoon to distribute evenly.
Arrange the biscuits on top and bake until the biscuits are golden brown and the filling is bubbly, about 30 minutes for a large pie and about 25 minutes for smaller pies.
Allow to cool for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Biscuit Topping

2 cups minus 2 tbsp (9 ounces) all-purpose flour , plus more for dusting the work surface
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 1/4-inch cubes
3/4 cup cold buttermilk , plus 1 to 2 tablespoons if needed

If using a food processor, pulse the flours, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt. Add the butter pieces, pulse until the mixture contains only a few pea-sized butter lumps. If not using a food processor, you may use a whisk to break up the butter.
In a medium bowl, add the buttermilk and stir until the dough gathers into moist clumps.
On a floured work surface, form into a ball and roll the dough out to 1/2 inch thick.
Using a 2 1/2- to 3-inch biscuit cutter, stamp out 8 to 12 rounds of dough.
Space the biscuits evenly over the filling in the baking dish. If making individual pies, cut the dough slightly smaller than the circumference of each dish.

Garlicky Green Lentils

2010-12-20T16:46:00.000-08:00

This is one of my favorite dishes. And, even better, it is a type of dish I like to call a weeknight mainstay. This means it has few enough ingredients and takes less than 40 minutes of preparation to make on a regular weeknight, including those weeknights where I'm feeling less than ambitious. Thank you Raghavan Iyer! His book, 660 Curries is one of my most-used and adored cookbooks.

It is a little spicy, but surprisingly not bad given the Serrano chile content (I am pretty weak when it comes to spices). One word of caution, don't overcook the lentils! If you cook them too long, they become really starchy and kind of stiff.

Garlicky Green Lentils

Ingredients:

1 cup skinned split green lentils (moong dal) picked over for stones
1/4 tsp turmeric
2 tbs ghee or canola oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 tsp asafetida (I bought this from my local Indian grocery store, but you can also have it mailed to you from amazon.com and other online grocery stores)
6 large garlic cloves, finely chopped (I pressed the garlic in my garlic press)
2-3 freen green Thai, cayenne, or serrano chiles, stems removed, thinly sliced crosswise (do not remove the seeds)
1 1/2 tsp rock salt, pounded (I used one teaspoon of coarse kosher salt)

1. Rinse the lentils until the water runs clear.
2. Add the lentils to a medium-sized saucepan. Add three cups of water. Turn burner to medium heat.
3. Bring to a boil, uncovered. Skim off any foam that forms on the surface.
4. Stir in the turmeric.
5. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pan, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are tender, 18-20 mins.
6. In a small skillet over medium-high heat, heat the ghee.
7. Add the cumin seeds and cook until they turn reddish-brown (5-10 seconds).
8. Add the asafetida, garlic, and chiles.
9. Stir-fry until the garlic turns light brown, 1-2 minutes.
10. Set the skillet aside until the lentils are done.
11. Add the garlic mixture to the lentils. Cover the pan and simmer about 5 minutes.
12. Stir in the salt and serve.

This Blog's Mission

2010-12-19T18:43:00.000-08:00

I have been doing a lot of thinking about food lately. Because it's been almost a year since I last updated this blog, I decided to spend some time thinking about the reason for it.

For those of you who haven't known me for very long, it is a little bit of a shock to learn that 3 years ago, I lost 45 pounds. Well, actually, I lost 65 pounds, but I gained 20 back after a huge setback in the form of septic shock as a result of pneumonia, but I will not go into that.

Before:

Now(ish):

Note: I think my hair is also much much better now.

The last three years, I have stayed about the same weight (interestingly, my high school weight), fluctuating about 5 pounds here and there. Rather than lose the 20 or so more pounds I should probably lose, I learned the exact amount of food I could eat and stay the same weight and I pushed those boundaries as much as possible.

Why? Well, I love food.

I love fresh bread with real butter. I love pizza with lots of cheese. I love pastas with cream sauce. I love decadent desserts.

The point of this blog is to document my recipes and how I manage food. What I haven't gone into much is how, while many of the dishes on this blog are not optimal for your health (hello, Pecan Rum French Toast), I am fastidious about portion control and making sure of three things:

I enjoy and savor every bite of the food I eat.
I eat enough to ensure I never go hungry.
I eat just the right size portions to never go hungry but also to not overindulge.

I don't believe in fake food for weight loss. I believe in eating satisfying food that tastes really really good that is made out of real ingredients. This blog is my way of sharing recipes for others who are also interested in food that you don't (usually) have to feel too bad about eating.

I'm also interested in saving money and meal planning and making fast meals for week nights after a long day at work. Not all of these recipes are the most frugal, but I've found that just planning meals and making sure I use up ingredients ensures that every week I have reduced our food costs by more than $100 a week and that I have an empty refrigerator with very little to throw out. Most of these meals make delicious leftovers that I freeze and use for lunches.

If you have any tips or recipes you'd like to share, please let me know. I love talking about these topics.

Easy Vegetarian Bean Chili

2010-12-19T15:35:00.001-08:00

I love chili, especially in the winter. It is one of those dishes you can throw together and it almost always turns out delicious. Tonight, I adapted a new chili recipe that I found in Cook's Illustrated. The chili turned out to have a bright, fresh flavor. G said it was almost like salsa chili. He loved it, of course (for him, almost any tomato-based food is going to be a favorite). I thought it was a little sweet, so you may want to consider reducing the sugar. Here is the adapted recipe.

Easy Vegetarian Bean Chili

Ingredients
2 (28-ounce) cans diced tomatoes
3 (15-ounce) cans beans, rinsed
2 - 3 teaspoons chipotle sauce
4 teaspoons sugar
Salt and ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 onions, minced
3 tablespoons chili powder, or to taste (G thought it was a little too spicy.)
2 teaspoons ground cumin
6 garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press
2 cups frozen corn
4 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
Instructions

Pulse tomatoes and their juice in food processor about 5 times or until desired texture.
Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion, saute until almost softened, about 4 minutes.
Add chili powder, cumin, and ¼ teaspoon salt or 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt and saute about a minute more.
Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Add tomatoes, beans, chipotle sauce, sugar, and 1 teaspoon salt to the onion mixture. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium. Simmer about 15 minutes.
Stir in corn and cilantro and return to brief simmer. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.

Challah!

2010-12-19T06:30:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I made challah for the first time. It turned out to be this gorgeous, soft, sweet bread.

I can't recommend Peter Reinhart's Artisan Breads Every Day enough. Every single recipe I've tried has turned out extraordinary. I use his his Neopolitan pizza crust almost every other week.

This challah turned into French Toast this morning. The recipe I used was Pecan Rum French Toast from Cook's Illustrated. It was so good that Garison took one bite and said, "oh my wow." I can't really imagine a better-tasting breakfast. I read a book on French cooking yesterday and they said that the French do not eat French toast for breakfast, that it's dessert. I think that makes a lot of sense. This was almost like a coffee cake in flavor.

Pecan Rum French Toast

Adapted from Cook's Illustrated.

Ingredients:

1/2 cups pecans
4 tablespoons light brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
8 large slices cinnamon-raisin bread (Any bread will work, really. I used challah. Bread should be dried out, either cooked at 300 degrees for about 16 minutes or left out overnight.)
1 1/2 cups whole milk, warmed (I used 2% milk)
3 large egg yolks
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus 2 tablespoons for cooking
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons dark rum
Maple syrup

Instructions
1. Process 1/2 cup pecans, 1 tablespoon light brown sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon in food processor until coarsely ground.

2. Whisk milk, yolks, sugar, cinnamon, 2 tablespoons melted butter, salt, vanilla, and rum in large bowl until well blended. Transfer to a 13- by 9-inch baking pan.

3. Soak bread in milk mixture until saturated but not falling apart, about 20 seconds per side. Use a firm, slotted spatula to pick up the bread slices and allow excess milk to drip. Place soaked bread on another baking sheet or plate. Sprinkle each slice of soaked bread with 1 tablespoon nut mixture.

4. Heat ½ tablespoon butter in 12-inch skillet over medium-low heat. When foaming subsides, transfer 2 slices soaked bread to skillet, nut mixture side down. Cook until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip and continue to cook until second side is golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes longer.

Meal Plan for the Week of 19-Dec-2010

2010-12-19T06:28:00.000-08:00

Sunday: Breakfast: Pecan Rum French Toast, Dinner: Easy Vegetarian Bean Chili (Cook's Illustrated)
Monday: Garlicky Green Lentils (660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer)
Tuesday: Pasta with Creamy Tomato Sauce (Cook's Illustrated)
Wednesday: One-Pot Potatoes (660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer)
Thursday: Out of Town
Friday: Out of Town
Saturday: Out of Town

Pot Luck: Easy Vegetarian Bean Chili (Cook's Illustrated)
Christmas Dinner: Vegetable Pot Pie

Recipe Organization

2010-12-19T06:09:00.000-08:00

Since my last post, I've learned a lot about recipe organization and meal planning, so I am going to start sharing some of my tips. If you have any tips, please chime in!

My first tip is going to sound a bit like an ad, I guess. This year, I downloaded a tool called Evernote and it made everything so much easier. To preface this, I have a mac and an iPhone, so other tools may work better depending on the type of computer/phone you have. For example, for recipe organization, OneNote from Microsoft will work just as well.

Evernote is really just a tool that allows you to organize notes. One of the key features it gives you is that it puts a button on your browser that allows you to easily export webpages to a notebook. I use this for clipping recipes off of the internet. I now have a giant notebook full of recipes I've found online that is searchable and taggable. If I want a recipe to use up some of that cilantro that is starting to wilt in my refrigerator, I can type in cilantro and get a full list of recipes.

Evernote stores everything in "the cloud" so if I want to view a note from another tool, I just need to sync and it uploads all of my most current notes. This is very handy for grocery lists. I create my grocery list in Evernote and open my phone and sync it and there is my list. With an app called Egretlist, it turns my grocery list into a note that allows me to just tap each item as I shop to mark it as complete.

It's exciting how technology makes things like meal planning, shopping, and recipe organization so much easier.

Meal Plan for the Week of 17-Jan-10

2010-01-16T15:45:00.000-08:00

Sunday: Green Thai Curry (Vegan w/a Vengeance pg 172)

Monday: Homemade Gnocchi (http://www.italymag.co.uk/italy/food-drink/recipe-competition/gluten-free-gnocchi#comment-1185) and Poor Man's Pesto

Tuesday: Brooklyn Pad Thai (Vegan w/a Vengeance pg 180)

Wednesday: Spicy Fennel Pasta (Veganomicon)

Thursday: Spicy Potatoes and Spinach (660 Curries pg 579)

Friday: Pizza!

Saturday: Gingered Red Lentils (660 Curries pg 398)

Jumbalaya

2010-01-02T15:46:00.000-08:00

I used the Jumble-aya recipe from Eat, Drink, and Be Vegan cookbook by Dreena Burton. Yum! It's incredibly full of flavor, filling, and not too difficult to cook. I made a huge pot and the results were enough for dinner and for six meals to freeze for lunch this week.

I also made some sauteed collard greens. I cannot believe how delicious greens are when just sauteed with a little bit of oil (or Earth Balance), garlic, and some coarse salt. Often people choke down the vegetables for their nutritionally value with no enjoyment, but these were to be savored.

Quick Tomato Basil Cream Pasta

2009-12-30T16:55:00.000-08:00

Tonight's dinner comes from Vegan Yum Yum. The recipe is located here. Perfect weeknight fare: fast, easy, and kid friendly (she ate a whole plate!). G even gave it 4 of 5 stars. The only drawback was that there were no leftovers.

Today's Cooking

2009-12-30T15:50:00.000-08:00

Today I worked on some more bread recipes from Artisan Breads Every Day by Peter Reinhart. I currently have bagels and some more french bread rising in my refrigerator. I think I may try some whole grain breads later this week. So delicious!

For lunch today, we had leftover Gnocchi w/ Roasted Red Kuri Squash from Eat, Drink, and Be Vegan by Dreena Burton. The recipe calls for packaged gnocchi, but because I'm a glutton for punishment, I made my own gnocchi. I always sort of make lazy gnocchi. I make the dough as recommended, but then I just roll the gnocchi into a long line and cut off little gnocchi balls. I don't bother shapping them with a fork, I just kind of let them dry as blobs for a little while and then cook them. They, honestly, aren't much different this way than with the fancy fork decorations. And gnocchi takes time and this cuts down on some of the time.

This is a delicious recipe, probably more time intensive than you would need on a normal weeknight. Maddie ate the gnocchi, but would not touch the sauce.

Homemade Gnocchi (From Vegan with a Vengeance by Isa Chandra Moskowitz)

2 pounds potatoes, scrubbed

1/2 tsp salt

2 tbs[ olive oil

1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cup all purpose flour

Bake the potatoes at 450 degrees for 45 mins or until cooked through.
Cool the potatoes. I usually stick them in the refrigerator or freezer until they are easy to handle.
Start boiling a large pot of water.
Cut the potatoes in half and scoop the potato from the peel into a bowl.
Add the olive oil.
Mash the potatoes until smooth-ish.
Add the flour a little at a time.
When the dough is feeling knead-able, move it to a counter and knead it, continuing to add the flour. Keep adding flour until it isn't sticky, but it isn't overly dry.
Divide the dough into smaller portions.
Roll the dough into a rope about 3/4 inch thick.
Cut the dough rope into small pieces.
Separate the pieces on a floured surface (I just used a cookie sheet). Let them sit on the counter for > 10 minutes.
Drop the gnocchi into the water and let boil until they float.
If you are making the gnocchi with a sauce, remove them from the water with a slotted spoon and put them into the sauce. I have also put them in a bowl and doused them with olive oil to keep them from clumping together.

Roasted Red Kuri Squash Sauce (From Eat, Drink, and Be Vegan by Dreena Burton)

3 lbs red kuri squash (I used butternut)

1 bulb of garlic

1 tsp salt

freshly ground black pepper (to taste)

3/4 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp rosemary

1 1/4- 1 1/2 cup plain soy milk

2 tbsp olive oil

2 1/2-3 1/2 tbsp lemon juice

1-2 tbsp vegan margarine

1/3 cup toasted walnuts

handful of chopped fresh basil

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Place the squash on a baking sheet.
Wrap the bulb of garlic in some aluminum foil and place on the baking sheet.
Roast the squash and the garlic for an hour.
When the squash and garlic are done, cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds.
Scoop out the rest of the squash into a food processor.
Squeeze the roasted garlic from the peel into the food processor.
Add the rest of the ingredients up to, but not including the vegan margarine.
Process the ingredients together until smooth.
Move the sauce ingredients to a saucepan on medium to heat the sauce.
Add the vegan margarine and mix to combine.
Add the chopped basil to the sauce when it is almost ready to be served.
Add the gnocchi to the sauce.
Sprinkle with toasted walnuts.

Baking Bread

2009-12-27T08:45:00.001-08:00

I have been baking a lot of bread lately. It all started when I was fantasizing about a picnic with no food except some french bread, butter, and a sweet white wine with a friend. I decided that I should learn to bake french bread! I started out with this recipe. We actually baked it at a party and ate it around the table as soon as it had cooled sufficiently with lots and lots of butter. Bread parties are now going to be a tradition! Who needs sweets and chips when you have fresh bread? The recipe turned out nicely, but I wanted to experiment some more.

So I bought a book: Artisan Breads Every Day by Peter Reinhart.

The first recipe I tried, of course, was the french bread. The first difference is that the dough is less tacky, easier to handle. I made a larger loaf too. G loved this bread. He said it was perfect, except the color looked too dark. Otherwise, it tasted perfect and the shape was really good. In spite of the dark color, it didn't taste burned at all. I think my oven may have been a little too hot. It also cooked in much less time than the recipe indicated. I was glad I checked on it, otherwise, I would've had badly burned bread.

New cookbooks pretty much make my day. So does fresh bread.

Weekly Menu for the Week of 27-Dec-09

2009-12-27T08:34:00.000-08:00

Sunday: Gnocchi w/ roasted red kuri squash (Eat, Drink, and Be Vegan)

Monday: Out of Town

Tuesday: Super Quick Tomato Basil Cream Pasta (http://veganyumyum.com/2008/08/super-quick-tomato-basil-cream-pasta/)

Wednesday: Jumble-aya (Eat, Drink, and Be Vegan pg 123)

Thursday: kung pao tofu (Authentic Chinese Cuisine pg. 135)

Friday: Pizza!

Saturday: veggie burgers and homemade french fries

Teriyaki Sauce

2009-12-26T16:51:00.000-08:00

This is the teriyaki sauce recipe from Eat, Drink, and Be Vegan by the amazing Dreena Burton. I am posting this because it was requested by my sister-in-law and my mother!

1/2 cup tamari soy sauce

1/4 cup water

3 1/2 tbsp agave nectar (or other syrup [maple syrup, corn syrup, simple syrup, honey])

1-1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice (preferably freshly squeezed)

1 tbsp toasted sesame oil

1 tsp blackstrap molasses

5-6 cloves garlic, minced

2-2 1/2 tsp freshly grated ginger

1 tbsp arrowroot powder (or corn starch)

Whisk ingredients together and add to stir fry. Let it simmer until it thickens.

Chana Masala (660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer)

2009-10-19T16:06:00.000-07:00

Taste: 5 (Pretty much tasted exactly like our favorite Indian restaurants)
Ease of Preparation: 4 (minimal chopping, just lots of simmering)
Nutritional Value: 3 (lots of protein, 5 ww points before )
Maddie Friendliness: 2 (she is sick and didn't eat, but I'd guess she would only eat the rice)
Cost of Ingredients: 3-4 (Extra cheap if you make chickpeas in a slow cooker while at work. Some of the spices might add up, though. You can buy mango powder online if there is no Indian foods store in your neighborhood. Worth it for all the delicious Indian food it helps you make!)
Overall: 3.6

Gar loved this one and I did too. We served it with some whole wheat naan we found at whole foods. It also made plenty for lunches for tomorrow!

Chana Masala

6-8 servings

2 tbsp ghee

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp ground cumin

2 tbsp ginger paste

1 tbsp garlic paste

2 tbsp tomato paste

1 tbsp ground coriander

1 tbsp mango powder

1 tsp cayenne (I reduced to 1/4 tsp)

1/2 tsp ground turmeric

4 cups cooked chickpeas

4 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

1 1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 cup finely chopped red onion

1. Heat the ghee in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.

2. Add the whole cumin seeds and cook until they turn reddish brown and smell nutty (5-10 seconds).

3. Lower the heat to medium.

4. Add the ginger and garlic pastes (standing back to avoid splatter). Stir-fry until the pastes turn light brown (about 2 minutes). I added the red onions at this point. I don't like the sharp taste of red onions, so I prefer them cooked rather than raw as he instructs.

5. Stir in 1 cup of water, tomato paste, coriander, mango powder, cayenne, turmeric, and ground cumin.

6. Cover about halfway and let simmer until the mixture forms a thick reddish-brown sauce (5-10 minutes).

7. Pour in 2 cups of water, the chickpeas, 2 tbsp of the cilantro, and the salt.

8. Raise the heat to medium-high. Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens (15-18 minutes).

9. Sprinkle the remaining cilantro and the onion over the chickpeas and serve over rice or with naan.

Nearly Raw Tahini Noodles

2009-10-05T16:07:00.000-07:00

This recipe really felt sort of heaven sent. I am in a very tough position at work this week food-wise. I am in training that goes from 8-5 with an hour for lunch. However, every single day I am in training, I have a meeting over lunch. Usually for lunch, I rely on leftovers that I heat in the microwave. But this is a dish that is supposed to be cold! And there is a perfect amount left for my meeting lunches! Pretty tasty too!

The recipe can be found at veganyumyum.com.

Taste: 4
Ease of Preparation: 4 (shredded cabbage and carrots in my food processor...really does not get much easier)
Nutritional Value: 4 (cruciferous yumminess!)
Maddie Friendliness: 2 (she only ate the noodles)
Cost of Ingredients: 4
Overall: 3.7

Weekly Menu for the Week of 5-Oct-09

2009-10-05T16:03:00.000-07:00

This week I am trying out a new blog called Vegan Yum Yum. The recipes look promising and the photographs are lovely. I am very excited about this!

Monday: Nearly Raw Tahini Noodles
Tuesday: Ligurian Pesto Pasta (using fresh green beans from my in-laws...thanks Kat!)
Wednesday: Sweet Chili Lime Tofu with Wok Steamed Collards and Quinoa
Thursday: Soy-Mirin Tofu Over Rice with Broccoli and Peanut Sauce
Friday: leave town for the weekend

Green Beans with Tomato (Lilva Nu Shaak)

2009-09-23T15:43:00.000-07:00

Lately I have been stocking up my pantry for Indian food. This is mostly due to the acquisition of 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer. Also because Indian food is my favorite food in the universe. This recipe calls for asafetida (or hing). We found it pretty quickly in our local Indian store. You can also order spices like these on the internet. I made a special order with several spices in recipes I wanted to try like mango powder, jaggery, asafetida, and a few others to make it worth the shipping.

Today's recipe was Green Beans with Tomato (Lilva Nu Shaak) from 660 Curries.

Taste: 4.5 (The flavor of the spice was just right. It tasted like Indian food, not some hacked together Indian-like food with loads of curry powder.)
Ease of Preparation: 4 (My only issue with this dish is green beans are kind of putsy to trim and cut into 1/2 inch pieces)
Nutritional Value: 4 (green beans and tomatoes!)
Maddie Friendliness: 2 (she only ate the rice)
Cost of Ingredients: 4
Overall: 3.7

And now for the recipe!

2 tbsp canola oil
1 tsp yellow or black mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp ground coriander
1 1/2 tsp sea salt or coarse kosher salt
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp cayenne pepper (I halved this [1/2 tsp] and it was still really spicy)
1 tsp white sugar, packed brown sugar, or jaggery
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp asafetida
1 pound green beans, trimmed and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 medium tomato, coared and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro for garnish

If serving with rice, start the rice.
Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat.
Add the mustard seeds and cover the pan. They will pop like popcorn. Wait until the mustard seeds have stopped popping.
Add the cumin seeds. They will instantly turn reddish-brown.
Take the saucepan off of the heat.
Add the rest of the spices.
Add the beans. Stir to coat the beans with the spices.
Pour in one cup of water and add the tomato.
Cover the pan and reduce the heat to medium-low.
Simmer for 10-12 minutes.
Spoon over the rice and garnish with cilantro.

Lemony Cashew-Basil Pesto on Pasta

2009-09-22T16:23:00.000-07:00

Tonight's recipe was Lemony Cashew-Basil Pesto on Pasta from Eat, Drink, and Be Vegan by Dreena Burton.

Taste: 4 (Can't go too wrong with pesto!)
Ease of Preparation: 5 (seriously, I didn't even have to chop anything)
Nutritional Value: 3 (no vegetable content, but use a whole grain pasta and it's not terrible)
Maddie Friendliness: 2 (she only ate the pasta)
Cost of Ingredients: 3
Overall: 3.4

This was a good pesto recipe. It's much lower in oil than my favorite recipe from Mediterranean Vegan Kitchen by Donna Klein, which means it's definitely a better choice if you're trying to watch your calories.

And now for the recipe!

1 large clove garlic
3-3 1/2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
3/4 tsp dry mustard
3/4 tsp sea salt
ground black pepper to taste
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp water
1 cup + 1-2 tbsp raw cashews
2 1/2-2 3/4 cup fresh basil leaves and tender stems
1/2-1 pound pasta (I used brown rice pasta tonight)

Prepare the pasta according to the package directions. Reserve 1 cup of the water used to boil the pasta.
Place the garlic, lemon juice, mustard, salt, pepper, olive, and water in a food processor and blend until smooth.
Add the cashews and basil leaves and blend until smooth.
Add the pesto to the cooked noodles and toss to combine, adding the reserved water to loosen up the mixture if it's dry.
Serve immediately. The pesto loses its color quickly.

I served this with salad.

2009-09-21T15:57:00.000-07:00

Tonight we had New Potatoes and Spinach from the cookbook 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer. This is the 3rd time I've made this recipe because, honestly, I just can't recommend it enough. Full of flavor, packed with spinach, and just all-around a great recipe. If you haven't yet, try it! Even better check out the cookbook, because it's like opening a great curry treasure chest.

Tomorrow is a new recipe!

Spicoli Burgers and Potato Squashers!

2009-09-20T17:55:00.000-07:00

Tonight we had spicoli burgers and potato squashers. I have made the spicoli burgers before and posted about it here. After trying this and a few other recipes from Eat, Drink, and Be Vegan by Dreena Burton, I went ahead and bought the cookbook. To accompany the spicoli burgers, I made the potato squashers. They are really tasty and very simple too. Garison saw them and said, "How am I supposed to eat these?" I said, "Um, with a fork?" He said, aghast, "You mean I have to eat the skins?" I'm happy to say, though that he ate them and he liked them in spite of his initial revulsion about eating the skins.

I have missed cooking! It feels so good to nourish your family and yourself by taking the time to make healthy food. I think I have been a little too ambitious, though. Scheduling weeks jam-packed with recipes that take 1.5 hours or more to make. I am going to try to limit the big plans for one or two nights a week and spend most of my time focusing on fast and easy stuff for work nights so I don't become so overwhelmed. If anyone has favorite recipes that are fast and easy or recommendations for cookbooks I'd love to hear them!

Menu for the Week of 20-Sep-09

2009-09-20T06:54:00.000-07:00

I've taken a few weeks off from blogging, mostly for health reasons. Sadly, all the take out has been catching up to me, so now that I'm feeling better, it's time to get back on track! Here is this week's meal plan!

Sunday: Spicoli Burgers, potato squashers (Eat, Drink, and Be Vegan)
Monday: New Potatoes and Spinach (660 Curries pg 580)
Tuesday: Lemony Cashew Basil Pesto on Pasta (Eat, Drink, and Be Vegan pg 131)
Wednesday: Green Beans with Tomato (660 Curries pg 511)
Thursday: Penne Vodka (Veganomicon pg 193) sauteed greens
Friday: pizza

Grocery List:
potatoes for squashers
rice flour
hemp seeds
rice pasta (2)
28 oz crushed tomatoes
slivered almonds
basil (large bunch)
raw cashews
lettuce
Green Beans
Tomato (2)
black or yellow mustard seeds
greens (kale or chard)
cheese for pizza
spinach 8 oz
1 pound new potatoes
cilantro

Potato and Kale Enchiladas with Roasted Chile Sauce

2009-08-24T18:46:00.000-07:00

Last Tuesday, I made Potato and Kale Enchiladas with Roasted Chile Sauce from the Veganomicon by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero.

Taste: 4.5 (yum yum yum!)
Ease of Preparation: 3 (very putsy recipe)
Nutritional Value: 4 (kale woohoo!)
Maddie Friendliness: 2 (she ate one of the leftover corn tortillas)
Cost of Ingredients: 3
Overall: 3.3

This recipe turned out really well, but took forever to make. So many steps! I think if I did it again, I could make it faster, but a lot of it was just how the recipe was written. It wasn't really clear what should be cooking and when.

Potato and Kale Enchiladas with Roasted Chile Sauce Recipe

Enchilada Chile Sauce:
3 large green chiles (I used Anaheim)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion diced
2-3 tsp chile powder
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp marjoram
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes (I didn't have diced tomatoes so I just pulsed whole tomatoes in a food processor)
1 tsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt

Potato and Kale Filling:
1 pound waxy potatoes, peeled and diced (prepare these first)
1/2 pound kale, washed, stemmed, and chopped fincely
3 tbsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 cup vegetable broth or water
3 tbsp lime juice (I used the juice of two small limes)
1/4 cup toasted pumpkin seeds (I used pine nuts because I had them around), chopped coarsely
1 1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
12-14 corn tortillas (I used 12)

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Prepare a shallow casserole dish.
Roast the chiles in the oven (cook at 425 for 20 mins).
Boil a pot of water.
Boil the potatoes for 20 mins.
Prepare the rest of the vegetables.
Saute the onions in oil for 4-7 minutes, until softened.
Put the onions and the rest of the sauce ingredients in a food processor or blender.
Remove the peppers from the oven. Reduce oven temp to 375.
Peel the roasted peppers and add to the ingredients in the food processor or blender.
Puree until smooth.
Drain and set aside the potatoes.
Cook the olive oil and garlic in a large saucepot/saucepan over emdium-low heat, stirring occasionally until the garlic is slightly browned.
Add the kale, sprinkle with a little salt, and stir to coat with oil and garlic.
Raise the heat to medium.
Cover the kale and steam for 4-6 minutes.
Remove the lid and mix in the potatoes, vegetable stock, lime juice, pumpkin seeds, and salt.
Cook another 3-4 minutes, until the stock is absorbed.

Assemble the enchiladas:

Fill a small pie plate with 3/4 cup sauce.
Prepare the assembly line with the pie plate, the enchiladas. the potato/kale mix, the tortillas, and a heated griddle or greased pan.
Ladle some enchilada sauce onto the bottom of the casserole pan.
Take a corn tortilla and place it on the heated griddle for about 15 seconds per side until it's soft.
Soak the tortilla in the enchilada sauce in the pie plate.
Place the tortilla in the casserole pan.
Add the potato/kale mixture and roll it up.
Repeat steps 4-7 until all the tortillas have been used.
Pour about a cup of sauce over the top. Reserve the leftovers to top the enchiladas when served.
Cover the casserole dish with aluminum foil.
Bake 25 minutes.
Remove the foil and bake for 10-15 more minutes until the edges of the tortillas look a little browned.

Black Bean Burgers from The Veganomicon

2009-08-17T16:01:00.000-07:00

Taste: 3.5 (Good, solid, bean burgers...not terribly interesting by themselves but better than Boca!)
Ease of Preparation: 4 (very very easy)
Nutritional Value: 3 (black beans are good protein, but I rank higher for more varied nutrition)
Maddie Friendliness: 4 (she actually ate a burger!!!)
Cost of Ingredients: 4
Overall: 3.7

Overall, a good solid bean burger, though I definitely I like the spicoli burgers more.

Black Bean Burgers

2 cups cooked or 1 15 oz can black beans drained and rinsed (I used the can of black beans)
1/2 cup vital wheat gluten
1/2 cup whole wheat bread crumbs (I used panko bread crumbs)
1 tsp chile powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/4 cup water
1 tbsp tomato paste (or ketchup)
1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
2 cloves garlic minced
1/2 small onion (grated using the large holes on a box grater, or in a food processor)
olive oil

Mash the beans with a fork.
Add everything except the olive oil.
Mix well with your hands until the mixture comes together.
Form into six patties (I made them about 3/4 inch thick).
Fry in a small amount of olive oil for five minutes on each side.
Serve!

Weekly Menu for the Week of 16-Aug-09

2009-08-17T15:56:00.000-07:00

Sunday: Black Bean Burgers (veganomicon pg 98), corn
Monday: New Potatoes and Spinach (660 Curries pg 580)
Tuesday: potato and kale enchiladas with roasted chile sauce (Veganomicon pg 162)
Wednesday: Braised Seitan with Brussels, Kale, and Sun-Dried Tomatoes (Veganomicon pg 182)
Thursday: Spicy Tempeh and Broccoli Rabe with Rotelle
Friday: pizza

I got a new cookbook called The Veganomicon by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero! So this is the week to try some of it.

Spaghettini with Green Sauce

2009-08-05T19:20:00.000-07:00

Tonight we made a very simple pasta dish. It's literally one of those chop, saute, and serve kind of dishes. Took me less than 15 minutes to make, total.

Taste: 3 (It was good, nothing spectacular)
Ease of Preparation: 5 (Really, unless it's pre-canned, it doesn't get much easier)
Weight Friendliness: 5 (5 Weight Watchers points per serving if you assume 6 servings)
Maddie Friendliness: 3 (She ate the noodles, though she tried very hard to pick off the parsley)
Cost of Ingredients: 4
Overall: 4

Recipe from The Mediterranean Vegan Kitchen by Donna Klein

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil (I used only 1/8 of a cup)
8 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 cups packed, fresh, flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
1/4 cup vegetable broth, preferably homemade (I used veggie bouillon and some water)
Salt, preferably the coarse variety, and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
12 oz spaghettini or other thin pasta (we used cappellini)

Cook the pasta in boiling, salted water until al dente. Drain the pasta and transfer to a warm serving bowl.
While the pasta is boiling, in a medium, nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium-low heat.
Add the garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until lightly browned (about 4-5 minutes)
Add the parsley and broth and stir until just combined.
Immediately remove from the heat and season with coarse salt and pepper.
Add the parsley mixture to the pasta and toss to combine.

I served this with a mixed green salad with an easy homemade vinaigrette.

Paradise Casserole

2009-08-05T18:56:00.000-07:00

I made the Paradise Casserole from The Candle Cafe Cookbook last night. It one of the most filling things I've ever made. The recipe says 6-8 servings, but I cut it into 12 pieces and G and I could only eat one. I had one piece for lunch today and I was almost too full halfway through the afternoon to eat the gorgeous grapes I'd brought.

Breakdown:
Taste: 3.5
Ease of Preparation: 2 (not hard I guess, but it's at least two hours until on the table)
Weight Friendliness: 5 (only 4 points a slice)
Maddie Friendliness: 3 (She ate the millet and poked at the sweet potato)
Cost of Ingredients: 3
Overall: 3.3

Recipe adapted from The Candle Cafe Cookbook by Joy Pierson, Bart Potenza, and Barbara Scott-Goodman

4 Sweet Potatoes
1 tbsp sweet white miso
1 tsp umeboshi vinegar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup black beans soaked overnight with a 1-inch piece of kombu, drained (full disclosure, I totally forgot to soak the beans so I ended up using two cans of beans and skipped to step 8)
2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 cup finely chopped white onion
1 tsp cumin
pinch of crushed red pepper
pinch of sea salt
1 1/2 cups millet
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. (Do this first.)
Bake the sweet potatoes for 1 hour or until easily pierced with a fork. (While the sweet potatoes are cooking, start the beans [step 7] and then start the millet [step 11].)
Cool the potatoes until they are cool to the touch.
Remove the peels. (This is easy, the skins literally just come right off)
Place the sweet potatoes in a large mixing bowl and mash them with a potato masher until smooth.
Combine the miso, vinegar, and cinnamon with the potatoes.
Put the beans in a large stockpot and add cover with water by two inches.
Over high heat, add the garlic, onion, cumin, crushed red pepper, and salt and bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer the beans for 45-60 minutes, or until tender.
Drain the beans and set aside.
Put the millet and 4 cups of salted water in a large pot and bring to a boil.
Cover and simmer over low heat for 45 minutes, or until the water is absorbed. Set aside.
Lighly oil a large baking pan or casserole (I used a regular 13 by 9 cake pan).
Spread the millet over the bottom of the pan.
Spread the black beans in an even layer over the millet.
Top with the sweet potato mixture.
Bake the casserole for 45 minutes.

Penne with Sweet Pepper and Tomato Sauce

2009-08-03T16:34:00.000-07:00

This was a nice pasta dish. The cooking time was long, but the prep time wasn't terrible. Lots of sitting down and playing with Maddie for 15 mins. The sauce turned out this lovely shade of orange. With the flecks of basil it was a very pretty dish. Garison described the flavor as creamy.

Taste: 4
Ease of Preparation: 3
Weight Friendliness: 4 (6 Weight Watchers points if you assume 6 servings per recipe)
Maddie Friendliness: 3 (She ate a little of it)
Cost of Ingredients: 4
Overall: 3.6

Recipe from The Mediterannean Vegan Kitchen by Donna Klein

2 1/2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil (I used 1 tbsp)
1 medium onion, finely chopped (I used 2 very small onions)
2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 pound ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped (for information on peeling and seeding tomatoes, see these instructions at The Veggie Table)
1 large red bell pepper
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh basil
2 to 3 tbsp vegetable broth or water (I used water)
1 pound penne or other short tubular pasta

*Note: The sauce for this recipe takes a long time to cook, so don't start boiling the pasta until you are simmering the tomatoes and peppers. Cook the pasta following the package directions until al dente around halfway through the simmer time for the tomatoes and peppers.

In a large nonstick skillet with a lid, heat the oil over medium-high heat.
Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until very tender (about 15 minutes).
Add the garlic and raise the heat to medium.
Cook, stirring constantly, until the onion begins to caramelize (about 5 minutes). [I didn't so much stir constantly as occasionally and it was fine.]
Add the tomatoes, bell pepper, red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper.
Raise the heat to medium high and bring the mixture to a boil
Reduce the heat to medium-low.
Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the bell pepper is very soft (about 15-20 minutes).
Pour the mixture into a food processor or blender and blend until smooth.
Return the mixture to the skillet.
Stir in the basil.
Reheat over low heat, stirring occasionally, adding the broth or water as needed.
Toss the sauce with the pasta. Sprinkle with coarse salt. Serve at once.

Cellophane Noodle Salad

2009-08-02T16:12:00.001-07:00

Garison and I love to go out for Asian food of all kinds. One of our favorite dishes is always the noodle salads. This recipe is a little different from what we usually get at our favorite Vietnamese restaurant. Mostly because it's cabbage-based and not lettuce-based.

Taste: 4
Ease of Preparation: 4
Weight Friendliness: 4 (8 Weight Watchers points)
Maddie Friendliness: 3 (She ate the rice noodles and the mock duck)
Cost of Ingredients: 4
Overall: 3.8

This is actually a recipe I've tried several different versions of. This is closest I've gotten to the taste of the restaurant without fish sauce.

The recipe follows (adapted from Quick-Fix Vegetarian by Robin Robertson)

Salad:
4 oz cellophane noodles
1 8 oz package shredded cabbage (I used about 3/4 of a regular green cabbage, shredded)
1 cup bean sprouts
1 English cucumber, seeded and thinly sliced (I used a plain old ordinary cucumber)
3 scallions, sliced (omitted and replaced with one small onion, sliced and caramelized to closer replicate our restaurant's version)
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro (I goofed here, I had cilantro from last week that I was going to use without realizing it had already started to liquefy in my refrigerator. I had a tube of cilantro paste in my refrigerator, which I mixed in with the dressing)

I also heated up a package of stir-fry seitan strips with the carmelized onions to give it a little more staying power.

Dressing:
3 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp fresh lime juice (or the juice of one lime)
1 tbsp tamari
2 tsp brown sugar (I used heaping teaspoons because I love how sweet the salad at our local restaurant is with the fish sauce)
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp chili paste (I combined the garlic and chili paste and used a garlic chili paste I had in my refrigerator)
2 tbsp water

Garnish:
1/2 cup roasted peanuts, chopped

The directions are easy: Mix the salad ingredients together. Mix the dressing ingredients together. Toss to combine and top with peanuts.

Menu for the Week of 2-Aug-09

2009-08-02T16:10:00.000-07:00

Sunday: cellophane noodle salad with mock duck (Quick-Fix Vegetarian pg 71)
Monday: Penne with Sweet Pepper and Tomato Sauce (Mediterranean Vegan Kitchen pg 116)
Tuesday: Paradise Casserole (The Candle Cafe Cookbook pg 110)
Wednesday: Spaghettini with Walnut-Garlic Sauce (Mediterranean Vegan Kitchen pg 120)
Thursday: Quick Farmer's Paella (Mediterranean Vegan Kitchen)
Friday: pizza with mozzarella and fresh basil

Ginger-Miso Stir-Fry

2009-07-29T16:11:00.000-07:00

What an amazing week for food. Every recipe I've prepared this week has turned out to be excellent. This dish was again, amazing. Lots of preparation, again, in the form of vegetable chopping, but I kind of enjoy that. The sauce is a little sweet and mellow. Full of flavor! Every single recipe from The Candle Cafe Cookbook by Joy Pierson, Bart Potenza, and Barbara Scott-Goodman has been outstanding. I don't often say that about a cookbook. That said, here is the breakdown.

Taste: 5
Ease of Preparation: 3
Weight Friendliness: 3 (7 Weight Watchers points without rice, 10 with brown rice udon noodles)
Maddie Friendliness: 3 (She ate the udon)
Cost of Ingredients: 3
Overall: 3.4

Recipe: From 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ginger-Miso Stir-Fry

Ginger-Miso Sauce
1 tbsp minced garlic
1/4 cup minced ginger
1/2 cup mellow white miso
1/4 cup agave nectar
1/4 cup shoyu or tamari soy sauce (I used tamari)
2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
pinch of crushed red pepper flakes

Stir-Fry
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tsp minced garlic
1 1/2 tsp minced fresh ginger
1/2 cup seeded, deveined, and sliced red bell pepper
1/2 cup seeded and sliced yellow bell pepper (I used green pepper because it's cheaper for both of the peppers)
3/4 cup sliced onion
1/2 cup sliced blanched bok choy (I used both the stems and the leaves)
1/2 cup blanched string beans, chopped
1 1/2 cups blanched broccoli, chopped
1 cup chopped shredded cabbage
1/2 cup stemmed and sliced shiitake mushrooms (I omitted these)
1 cup rinsed, drained, and cubed extra-firm tofu (I fried these until they were golden brown on all sides before mixing it in with the veggies)
1/4 cup thinly sliced water chestnuts (I forgot these)
1/4 cup sesame seeds

1. To make the ginger-miso sauce, place all of the ingredients with 1 cup of water in a blender and blend until smooth. The sauce will keep in the refrigerator for up to a week.

2. In a large saute pan or wok, heat the olive oil over high ehat. Add the garlic and ginger and saute for about 2 minutes.

3. Add the vegetables and tofu and toss to combine. Continue to saute and toss the vegetables and tofu together until they reach the desired doneness, about 5 to 10 minutes, depending on your taste.

4. Add the ginger-miso sauce and water chestnuts and stir-fry for an additional 3 minutes. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve at once.

Ligurian Pesto Pasta (Linguine with Pesto, Potatoes, and Green Beans)

2009-07-28T15:58:00.000-07:00

Tonight, I had planned to make Ligurian Pesto Pasta. While I was reading the directions I thought I'd prefer to make Poor Man's Pesto from Donna Klein's excellent Mediterranean Vegan Kitchen (because the recipe on the website calls for parmesan and I am trying to avoid dairy). I opened the cookbook and the page I opened it to happened to have the same recipe. So I made that one instead. The recipes are very similar, so if you make the recipe on the website, you will have very similar results.

Taste: 4.5
Ease of Preparation: 4
Weight Friendliness: 4 (7 ww points when you make it with whole wheat linguine)
Maddie Friendliness: 4 (she ate the pasta heartily)
Cost of Ingredients: 4
Overall: 4.1

This was delicious. Full of flavor! It was incredibly easy too. It literally took 20 minutes total with prep including cleaning/preparing the potatoes, green beans, and fresh basil. Also not a lot of dishes created in the process, which Garison appreciated. This is going to be a household staple.

Spicy Soba Noodle Stir-Fry

2009-07-27T16:35:00.000-07:00

Tonight's recipe was Spicy Soba Noodle Stir-Fry from The Candle Cafe Cookbook by Joy Pierson, Bart Potenza, and Barbara Scott-Goodman. So far every recipe from this book I've tried has been excellent and this was no exception.

Taste: 5
Ease of Preparation: 3
Weight Friendliness: 2 (7 ww points without rice)
Maddie Friendliness: 2 (she ate the rice)
Cost of Ingredients: 3 (lots of veggies to stir fry)
Overall: 3

OMG YUM! This is easily the tastiest recipe I've prepared. G and I both gave it fives. This is the type of recipe that when you eat it, you eat it slowly to savor every mouthful (especially the mouthfuls with broccoli). This tasted exactly like the peanut sauce I get at my local Thai place except with more veggies, and that is a good thing.

The treasure here is the sauce. You can pretty much ignore all of the other instructions and just make the sauce, make a stir-fry and you'll be golden. That would probably be easier too. The instructions the author gives for how to make a stir fry were a little putzy (for example, you had to blanch several of the vegetables before stir-frying them. I've stir fried bok choy many times and the result here was not appreciably different. A few other shortcuts I'll try another time include using frozen broccoli/string beans. I've had lots of good luck with both of those vegetables in frozen form in stir fries, unlike other vegetables like onions. I also prefer to make this with udon noodles or rice. Soba noodles are always just a little too pasty for my taste.

So delicious! And so much leftover. One recipe makes 8 servings, easily. More if you add more vegetables. There is plenty of sauce here to go around, so you could also cut down on the sauce for a little more of a weight-friendly option. I'm now looking forward to miso stir fry in a couple of days!

Recipe from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Spicy Soba Noodle Stir-Fry

Peanut Sauce:
1 1/2 cups smooth peanut butter
1/2 cup brown rice vinegar
1 small red onion
2 tablespoons cilantro
2 tbsp ginger
1 garlic clove
1 tablespoon red chili flakes
1 tablespoon ketchup
1/2 cup shoyu or tamari soy sauce
1 tbsp hot sauce
1/4 cup agave nectar
1 tbsp sesame oil

Soba Noodles and Tempeh:
1 8 oz package tempeh, cubed
pinch of sea salt
1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound soba noodles or thin pasta (I completely forgot this was a stir fry with soba noodles and started rice before I even opened the cookbook. So I served this with rice instead...kinda negates the whole soba noodle stir-fry title, though.)

Stir-Fry
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 tsp minced garlic
2 tsp minced fresh ginger
3/4 cup chopped onion
1 cup shredded green cabbage (I didn't have cabbage, so I omitted this and added some extra bok choy and string beans)
1/2 cup trimmed and blanched string beans
1 1/2 cups cut and blanched broccoli florets
1 red bell pepper (I just used another green pepper due to cost)
1 green bell pepper
1/2 cup sliced blanched bok choy
1/4 cup sliced shiitake mushrooms (I omitted this since I hate mushrooms :P)
1 tbsp shoyu or tamari soy sauce
2 1/2 tsp toasted sesame oil

1. to prepare the peanut sauce, place all of the ingredients with 2 cups of water in a blender and blend until smooth.

2. Place the tempeh cubes in a nonreactive bowl (I used pyrex) and cover with the peanut sauce. Refrigerate for at least a half hour or up to overnight. Drain and set aside (I just spooned the pieces of tempeh out with a slotted spoon).

3. To prepare the soba noodles, bring a large soup pot of water to a boil and add the salt and olive oil. Add the soba noodles and cook until just tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.

4. To prepare the stir-fry, heat the olive oil in a large saute pan or wok over high heat. Add tempeh and saute for 3 to 5 minutes (the peanuty tempeh was pretty gloppy and sticky in the pan). Add the garlic, ginger, onion, cabbage, string beans, and broccoli and stir-fry for 5 minutes, then add the peppers, bok choy, and mushrooms, and saute for about 2 minutes. Add the peanut sauce (I reused the peanut sauce from the marinade too) and continue to saute, tossing the vegetables, tempeh cubes, and sauce together until done, about 5 to 10 minutes, depending on your taste.

5. Add the shoyu or tamari soy sauce and sesame oil and stir-fry for an additional 3 minutes. Serve the vegetables over the soba noodles (or rice!).

Chana Saag

2009-07-26T15:47:00.000-07:00

Taste: 4
Ease of Preparation: 4
Weight Friendliness: 4 (8 ww points with rice)
Maddie Friendliness: 4 (she was spooning up the spinach by itself!)
Cost of Ingredients: 3 (spices are expensive, but they last awhile)
Overall: 3.8

Overall, this was our most well-reviewed recipe yet! It was also the closest we've come to replicating the chana saag at our local Indian restaurant. It was tasty and also the easiest recipe I've tried to date (I've attempted 4 other versions and, while some tasted equally good, this one destroys the competition on easiness.)

Lemon-Poppy Seed Muffins

2009-07-26T06:52:00.000-07:00

This morning I tried making Lemon-Poppy Seed Muffins from The Candle Cafe Cookbook. This is another cookbook that I've owned for a few years, but haven't worked with very often. I'm trying a few recipes from it this week.

This morning we are visiting friends so I thought, what better treat to bring friends than muffins! The recipe makes 12 small muffins and have some whole wheat flour, though I'd guess the amount of sugar removes any possible health benefits from them. :-P

I was very crestfallen to see the muffin tops cave in as soon as I opened the oven to test them. Next time I will know that they take longer than the minimum amount of time to cook, though my oven is usually the type that will burn all your food in a matter of minutes.

But they tasted delicious! A little crumbly from the wheat flour, but overall, very tasty and surprisingly satisfying. Maddie was hunting for them in the kitchen after she shared one with her daddy, so I think she gives them a thumbs up too. I plan to enjoy them after dinner for dessert this week with a nice cuppa tea. Hopefully my friends like them too.

Recipe from The Candle Cafe Cookbook by Joy Pierson, Bart Potenza, and Barbara Scott-Goodman

Lemon-Poppy Seed Muffins

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup unbleached flour
1/4 cup unrefined sugar
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp sea salt (fine-grained)
1/2 cup vegan margarine
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup soy milk
1/4 cup lemon juice (or the juice of one lemon)
1/4 poppy seeds
2 tsp grated lemon zest (or the zest of one lemon)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a muffin tin or line tins with cupcake papers.

2. Sift the flours, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a large mixing bowl and whisk to mix. In a separate bowl, whisk together the margarine, maple syrup, soy milk, and lemon juice until foamy. Pour the wet ingredients into the flour mixture and mix until the batter is smooth. Fold in the poppy seeds and lemon zest.

3. Pour the batter into the muffin tins, dividing evenly. Bake on a center rack of the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Menu for the Week of 26-Jul-09

2009-07-26T06:49:00.000-07:00

Sunday: Chana Saag (660 Curries pg 334)
Monday: Spicy Soba Noodle Stir-Fry (The Candle Cafe Cookbook pg 124)
Tuesday: Ligurian Pesto Pasta
Wednesday: Ginger-Miso Stir Fry (The Candle Cafe Cookbook pg 123)
Thursday: Chana Masala (660 Curries pg 333)
Friday: Out of town

Radiatore with Chickpeas, Baby Spinach, and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

2009-07-22T15:23:00.000-07:00

After all that curry, it was actually an excellent change of pace to try a good, hearty, pasta dish. And an easy one too!

Basically, you boil pasta, wilt some spinach, saute a few cloves of garlic, mix with a can of drained diced tomatoes and 1/3 of a cup of chopped sun-dried tomatoes, toss all together, add salt and pepper, and you're done! (OK, so that turned into a bit of a run-on sentence, but it was easy, I swear!)

So here is the breakdown:

Taste: 4
Ease of Preparation: 4
Weight Friendliness: 3 (11 weight watchers points, but the serving size in the cookbook seemed pretty excessive, easily cut down)
Maddie Friendliness: 4 (she said nummy and ate about half!)
Cost of Ingredients: 3
Overall: 3.6

Recipe adapted from Quick-Fix Vegetarian by Robin Robertson:

1 10 oz package baby spinach
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes, drained
1/3 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
1 16 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound radiatore or other small pasta (I used penne)

Prepare the pasta according to package instructions.
In a saute pan, heat up a small amount of water until it begins to steam. Steam the spinach until it is wilted. Set aside.
Using the same pan, heat the oil over medium heat.
Add the garlic and cook about 30 seconds.
Stir in the sun-dried tomatoes, diced tomatoes, spinach, and chickpeas.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Simmer until cooked through, about 5-7 minutes.
Toss the pasta with the sauce.

Spinach-Smothered Whole Green Lentils (Palak Moong)

2009-07-21T16:11:00.000-07:00

Yet another recipe from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer tonight. It took a long time to cook, so if you are planning to make it, you should plan for at least an hour of simmering and more simmering. It was a really nice every day sort of meal. Nothing spectacular, just a really nice, tasty, lentil dish with a nice serving of greens to make it extra nutritious.

Taste: 3.5 (G gave it a 3.5)
Ease of Preparation: 3
Weight Friendliness: 3 (5 weight watchers points without the rice)
Maddie Friendliness: 2 (I feel like a broken record, but she ate the rice)
Cost of Ingredients: 3
Overall: 2.9

Man, that Maddie score drags good dishes down. :(

Stir-Fried Bok Choy with Roasted Peanuts

2009-07-20T15:47:00.000-07:00

Tonight I made Stir-Fried Bok Choy with Roasted Peanuts from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison. It's a very simple stir fry. The only things I had to chop were the bok choy and the garlic, so no problem. Well, it turned into a little problem when the heated oil splattered EVERYWHERE when I put in the ginger. Huge mess, lol, but all my fault.

Taste: 3.5 (G gave it a 3.5 as well)
Ease of Preparation: 4
Weight Friendliness: 4 (8 weight watchers points with the rice)
Maddie Friendliness: 2 (once again, she ate the rice)
Cost of Ingredients: 4 (bok choy and peanuts from Cub for around $2 to feed a family of 3)
Overall: 3.5

There is another bok choy stir fry recipe that I like much better than this one from Cook's Illustrated (located here if you are a member). The flavor is much more full than the flavor from this one. I liked the peanuts and the spice in this one, but I just felt it lacked depth. I am contemplated making a hybrid of the two recipes to make one amazing dish. When I do that, I'll post the recipe. ;)

Cauliflower, Spinach, and Potato Stir-Fry with Coconut Milk

2009-07-19T16:09:00.000-07:00

I have had Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison on my bookshelf for, wow, probably close to 10 years. It is one of the first vegetarian cookbooks I bought after making the big decision to become a vegetarian back in 2000. Sadly, even though I've owned it for so long, I have never cooked more than just the pizza crust.

So this week, after seeing it referred to in several places as one of the best cookbooks for beginning vegetarians, I decided to try some more recipes from it.

The first one I tried was Cauliflower, Spinach, and Potato Stir-Fry with Coconut Milk (pg 265). Here is the breakdown:

Taste: 3 (G gave it a 4)
Ease of Preparation: 4
Weight Friendliness: 2 (8 weight watchers points without counting the rice...eeek)
Maddie Friendliness: 2 (she ate the rice and some of the potato)
Cost of Ingredients: 3
Overall: 2.8

This is what it looked like while it was cooking:

And what it looked like on my plate with garnish:

Overall, it was alright. It was good and tasty. It did not make me want to immediately add it to my list for regular meals, but I might make it again if I happen to have some of the ingredients around. I'm really not sure it's worth the calorie load, though (ye gods!).

ETA: I learned a very valuable lesson as a result of this dish. I need to take the fat out of my diet or my lack of a gall bladder will kill me. I will not be making this again, not because of the quality of the dish, but because my body cannot handle it.

Menu for the Week of 19-Jul-09

2009-07-19T16:06:00.000-07:00

Sunday: Cauliflower, Spinach, and Potato Stir-Fry with Coconut Milk (Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone pg 265)
Monday: Stir-Fried Bok Choy with Roasted Peanuts (Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone pg 264)
Tuesday: Spinach-Smothered Whole Green Lentils (Palak Moong) (660 Curries, Raghavan Iyer)
Wednesday: Penne with chickpeas, baby spinach, and sun-dried tomatoes
Thursday: Gingered Red Lentils (660 Curries, pg 398)
Friday: Mashed Potato Pizza

Udon Noodles with Sesame-Crusted Tofu

2009-07-15T16:01:00.000-07:00

I forgot that I had to eat out last night with my book club, so my menu this week is off by one night. I'm going to cancel the edamame pesto and move Tuesday and Wednesday back a day.

This means tonight we had Udon Noodles with Sesame-Crusted Tofu from Vegan Dad.

Taste: 3.5 (G gave it a 4.5)
Ease of Preparation: 4
Weight Friendliness: 3 (10 weight watchers points a serving)
Maddie Friendliness: 3 (she actually loved the tofu)
Cost of Ingredients: 4
Overall: 3.5

This was a nice dish. I think the sauce was a little underwhelming, but that could easily be spiced up.

Chocolate Mug Cake

2009-07-13T17:02:00.000-07:00

OK, I have seen this recipe on food blogs everywhere lately. I have tried a few variations and made some minor tweaks to try to perfect it, so here is my version. This is really good. Too good. Especially considering how ridiculously easy it is to throw together.

4 tbsp flour
4 tbsp sugar
2 heaping tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1/8 tsp baking soda
3 tbsp milk or soy milk
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 egg or egg substitute
drop of vanilla
Whatever mix-ins you want, chocolate chips, walnuts (my favorites)

Mix together the dry ingredients. In another container mix together the wet ingredients. Combine the wet ingredients and the dry ingredients. Split between two coffee mugs. Microwave for 2 minutes and 30 seconds. Serve with a spoon.

I have covered this in a quick chocolate buttercream (1/2 tbsp room temp butter, 1/3 cup powdered sugar, enough milk to get it to a good consistency) and also with whipped cream. It's seriously like a normal chocolate cake.

Spinach with Penne and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

2009-07-13T16:53:00.000-07:00

OK, so this recipe is really called Rapini with Orzo and Sun-Dried Tomatoes. But the first part of the recipe says, "This recipe is pretty and delicious as is, but it's also extremely versatile." So I tested the versatility by making some substitutions to accommodate what I had laying around the house.

Spinach from last night's spinach dish? Check. Penne I've had sitting in my cupboard for a few months? Check.

Taste: 4 (G gave it a 4.5)
Ease of Preparation: 4
Weight Friendliness: 4 (6 points for one serving)
Maddie Friendliness: 2 (She just doesn't do well with spicy things)
Cost of Ingredients: 4
Overall: 3.6

It was really easy to make, basically chop stuff, boil some pasta, toss it all together. Tasty too, G only gave it a 4.5 because he feels compelled to be a little more judicious with the 5s.

Recipe adapted from Quick-Fix Vegetarian by Robin Robertson

1 bunch rapini coarsely chopped (Also called broccoli rabe. I used spinach instead.)
1 1/2 cups orzo (I used penne pasta instead)
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup chopped oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts

Boil the rapini (or spinach) in salted water for about 3 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove the rapini (or spinach) from the water and set aside.
Return the water to a boil. Add the orzo (or penne). Cook until it is al dente (about 8 minutes). Drain and set aside
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant (about 30 seconds).
Add the red pepper flakes, sun-dried tomatoes, and reserved rapini (or spinach).
Cook until the rapini (or spinach) is tender, about 5 minutes.
Stir in the orzo (or penne) and season with salt and pepper.
Serve sprinkled with pine nut

New Potatoes and Spinach in a Garlic-Red Chile Sauce

2009-07-12T16:17:00.000-07:00

Tonight I cooked New Potatoes and Spinach from the cookbook 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer. Palak Aloo is one of my all time favorite Indian dishes, so I decided to try one of the several potato/spinach dishes in this cookbook first. It is not like the Palak Aloo that they serve in restaurants. It's loaded with Cilantro! The consensus was that we loved it! Garison gave it 4.5 stars on his 5-star scale. It was also really easy to prepare with the help of my trusty food processor.

Taste: 4.5
Ease of Preparation: 4
Weight Friendliness: 4 (3 points for one serving of the spinach (without rice). Filling too!
Maddie Friendliness: 3 (well, she ate the rice)
Cost of Ingredients: 4
Overall: 3.9

Yay! Easy and delicious. Can't get much better. :)

Recipe (from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer)

New Potatoes and Spinach in a Garlic-Red Chile Sauce (Lasoon Batata Palak)

2 tbsp canola oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
6 medium-size cloves garlic, finely chopped
6 dried red Thai or cayenne chiles, stems removed coarsely chopped (do not remove the seeds) (I used half of the recommended chiles because Maddie hates spicy food)
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 pound baby new potatoes, scrubbed and sliced in half (I used fingerling potatoes)
1 large tomato, cored and cut into 1 inch pieces
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems
1 tbsp crumbed jaggery or firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp coarse kosher or sea salt
8 oz fresh spinach leaves, well rinsed and coarsely chopped

1. Heat the oil in a medium-size saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the cumin seeds and cok until they turn reddish brown and smell nutty, 5 to 10 seconds. Immediately throw in the garlic and chiles. Stir-fry until the garlic turns honey-brown and the chiles blacken, about 1 minute.

2. Sprinkle in the turmeric, and carefully pour in 1 cup water. Stir to deglaze the pan, releasing any brown bits of garlic. Add the potatoes, tomato, cilantro, jaggery, and salt. Stir once or twice, and heat to a boil. Then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pan and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are fall-apart tender, 20 to 25 minutes.

3. Add the spinach, a couple of handfuls at a time, stirring until wilted (about 1 minute per batch). Then serve.

2009-07-11T19:14:00.001-07:00

I want this apron (or another super cute apron) soooo badly!!! I hate ending up with messy clothes after dinner almost every night. :(

Weekly Menu for the Week of 12-Jul-09

2009-07-11T16:41:00.000-07:00

Mostly took last week off from cooking. Made a couple of interesting things through improvising, but since I wasn't feeling well, I mostly used up leftovers and pasta sauces in my cupboards. Last night I tried my hand at roasted vegetable pizza. It turned out ok. Good solid pizza, but nothing terribly exciting. Tonight I had pizza with caramelized pears, toasted hazelnuts, and Gorgonzola cheese. That was completely amazing! Wish I had cooked it. ;)

I'm trying almost entirely new recipes this week, though. I bought 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer and am trying a couple of recipes from there. I'm also trying some new recipes from Quick-fix Vegetarian by Robin Robertson. I got that one for Christmas and haven't really tried anything from it yet.

Sunday: New Potatoes and Spinach (660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer pg 580)
Monday: Pasta with spinach and sun-dried tomatoes (Quick-fix Vegetarian by Robin Robertson pg 98)
Tuesday: Udon Noodles with Sesame Crusted Tofu (Vegan Dad)
Wednesday: Gingered Red Lentils (660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer, pg 398)
Thursday: pasta with edamame pesto (Quick-fix Vegetarian by Robin Robertson pg 130)
Friday: Pizza with sun-dried tomato pesto

Vegan Mint Chocolate Cupcakes and Roasted Potato Salad

2009-07-06T20:29:00.000-07:00

I made these cupcakes a few weeks ago and they were delicious! They even looked pretty. My sister asked me to post the recipe, so here is the link. Thank you to Rae at bunnyfoot.

I also made a potato salad this weekend. It was the simplest recipe in the world.

Roasted Potato Salad

5 cups of potatoes in about 1 inch cubes
1 onion cut in large pieces
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
freshly grated pepper to taste
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar or to taste
3 tbsp parsley (optional)

Preheat oven at 425 degrees.
Mix together the potatoes, onion, and olive oil, freshly grated pepper and salt.Toss until the potatoes and onion are well coated with oil.
Place on a cookie sheet in one layer.
Cook for 30 minutes.
Reduce the temperature of the oven to 350 degrees.
Remove from the oven and turn the potatoes over.
Cook 20 more minutes or until the potatoes have browned.
Remove from the oven and stir in the balsamic vinegar and parsley.
Serve either warm or cold.

A Week on the Cheap

2009-07-06T19:00:00.001-07:00

This week, I'm going to try to get by without grocery shopping. This presents a pretty big challenge for me.

I have never been good at improvising with what I have. I did some cataloging of what I have in my cupboards. Remember how when I made tacos last week I said I couldn't wait to try the potato tacos? Well, I had blue corn tortillas, potatoes, and some taco seasoning.

I followed the recipe here, with the following modifications:

I chopped up an onion (inspired by a roasted potato salad I made over the weekend) and added it to the roast pan.
After I did that I threw in a green pepper and some garlic too.
I didn't have black beans, so I threw some chickpeas in with the potatoes for roasting too (hey, worked the last time).

Conclusion? Pretty much any vegetables coated in taco seasoning and roasted are awesome and taste delicious in tacos. Seriously, I'd eat the filling by itself.

Tomorrow I'm going to make some dal with some of the gallons of lentils I seem to have in my cupboard. I'm going to try the recipe here.

I did some cooking over the weekend and had some recipe requests. I'll be posting more or links to more shortly!

Crunchy Blue Corn Chickpea Tacos

2009-06-30T15:51:00.000-07:00

Recipe can be found at Veggie Terrain.

Taste: 4.5 (Garison gave these a 5)
Ease of Preparation: 4
Weight Friendliness: 3 (6 weight watchers points per taco when you consider all of the toppings I used)
Maddie Friendliness: 3 (well, she ate the blue corn tortilla...)
Cost of Ingredients: 4
Overall: 3.7

My husband loved this one. In his words "Anything that involves blue corn tortillas and avocado is pretty much going be my favorite food."

The chickpeas were nice and spicy and added a lot of flavor to the tacos. I am now anxious to try Veggie Terrain's potato taco recipe. I need to use up the rest of those blue corn tortillas, after all. ;)

Pizza Crust

2009-06-30T10:41:00.000-07:00

My sister-in-law asked me for my pizza crust recipe, so here it is! This recipe is basically Deborah Madison's pizza recipe from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone.

Ingredients

1 package dry yeast (or 2 teaspoons)
1 1/2 cups warm water
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons salt

Instructions

Dissolve the yeast in warm water in a large bowl; let stand 10 minutes or until frothy. Add the wheat flour and the all-purpose flour. If you have a mixer, let it mix on the bread hook until the dough has formed a neat ball around the bread hook.

If you do not have a mixer, stir the flours into the water until the dough is well-mixed and slightly tacky. Turn dough onto a floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic (about 10 minutes).

Place the dough in a large bowl coated with olive oil, turning to coat top. Cover with a damp, clean towel and let it rise 45 minutes or until doubled in size.

Punch the dough down and then cover and let it rest for 10 minutes.

Divide the dough in half. Roll each dough half into a 12-inch circle on a floured surface. If you do not intend to use both crusts, freeze one in a freezer bag.

White and Brown Rice

2009-06-30T07:40:00.001-07:00

I completely adore America's Test Kitchen and Cook's Illustrated. I love how they test recipes over and over again to find the, sometimes unexpected, best way to prepare things. I've gotten several old standby recipes from their website. Another thing that I love about them is the recipes they have for staples that show the best way to cook staples we sometimes take for granted.

A great example of this is rice. I have always struggled with rice, having so many problems with it sticking to the bottom or coming out a gluey, awful mess.

The recipes from Cook's Illustrated saved my rice-dependent dishes. So, because my mother requested this, here are the recipes I use for white and brown rice.

White Rice

Ingredients

2 teaspoons unsalted butter , vegetable or olive oil
1 cup long grain white rice (not converted)
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 teaspoon table salt

Instructions

Heat oil in medium saucepan over medium heat. Add rice; cook, stirring constantly, for 1 to 3 minutes, depending on desired amount of nutty flavor. Add water and salt; bring to boil, swirling pot to blend ingredients.

Reduce heat to low, cover with tight lid lined with a towel, and cook until liquid is absorbed, about 15 minute

Turn off heat; let rice stand on burner, still covered, to finish cooking, about 15 minutes longer. Fluff with fork and serve.

Brown Rice

Ingredients

6 cups water
1 cup brown rice
2 teaspoons olive oil or butter
1 teaspoon table salt

Instructions

Bring water to boil in a large pot. Stir in rice, oil or butter, and salt. Simmer briskly, uncovered, until rice is almost tender, about 30 minutes.

Drain rice into a steamer basket that fits inside the pot. Fill pot with about 1 inch water and return to heat. Place basket of rice in pot; cover and steam until tender, 5 to 10 minutes. Scoop rice into a bowl and fluff gently with a fork.

Cuban Black Beans + Rice Review

2009-06-29T15:51:00.000-07:00

Recipe can be found at Veggie Terrain.

Taste: 4
Ease of Preparation: 4
Weight Friendliness: 5 (3 weight watchers points for a huge and beautiful pile of black beans)
Maddie Friendliness: 3 (She ate the rice so that's...something)
Cost of Ingredients: 4
Overall: 4

I really liked this one! Easy, flavorful, nutritious...can't get much better. This one is definitely going into the old standby list.

I served this with steamed green beans with olive oil and rock salt. If anyone has easy ways to prepare green beans, please share! Maddie ate the green beans well, so I get good mom points for that, at least, lol.

For more on my ratings system see Recipe Ratings: A Guide.

Recipe Ratings: A Guide

2009-06-28T20:24:00.000-07:00

I have a slightly complicated system for rating recipes. I rate each recipe by five topics on a scale from 1-5:

Taste
Ease of Preparation
Weight Friendliness
Maddie Friendliness
Cost of Ingredients

Taste: The score for the dish's deliciousness. My husband and I both rate the dishes for taste, so this is kind of a cumulative score. I am kind of picky, having given only two or three dishes a 5 in my entire lifetime. Those dishes, though, are the ultimate as judged by my taste buds.

Ease of Preparation: Work nights, I tend to prefer easier recipes. This rating allows me to sort through easier recipes on nights when I just won't have a lot of time.

Weight Friendliness: I am someone who has struggled with my weight since I was a teenager. I consider myself someone with an eating disorder. This rating allows me to search for recipes that are better for me. These tend to be my every day meals. I do like to have not so good recipes once or twice a week, though. ;) I will also list weight watchers points.

Maddie Friendliness: Maddie is my daughter. This rating is based on how she responded to the meal. She is a toddler and kind of picky, so this is also a crucial score for whether a meal becomes a regular meal at my house.

Cost of Ingredients: I have a budget for this house, so this score helps me to choose recipes that will not make me cry at the checkout counter.

How do I use these ratings? Well, I actually have a spreadsheet with all of the dishes I've prepared and their ratings that I can sort through if I'm looking for an old standby to prepare. The spreadsheet also helps me because I list main ingredients so if I'm looking for a way to use up stuff hanging out in my refrigerator, it provides an easy way to do that.

Spicoli Burgers Review

2009-06-28T16:31:00.000-07:00

I have been looking for a veggie burger recipe that is pretty easy to make and does not contain mushrooms (blech) for awhile. I stumbled across the veggie terrain blog while searching for a recipe for Cuban Rice and Beans. I started reading other posts and came across the recipe for Spicoli Burgers. I had to try it! It was great! I will definitely be using it again!

The recipe can be found at veggie terrain.

Here are my rankings for the recipe on a 1-5 scale.

Taste: 4
Ease of Preparation: 4
Weight Friendliness: 4 (3 weight watchers points per burger and very filling)
Maddie Friendliness: 2 (she didn't eat any of it, though she may have gotten distracted by the sweet potato fries)
Cost of Ingredients: 3
Overall: 3.4

With the burgers, I served Alexia Spicy Sweet Potato Fries.

Maddie ate these so quickly that my husband and I made donations to her from our own plates. She loved them! Though this did end quickly when I think she realized that they were spicy. She started to cry and stick out her tongue. We tried to offer her water, but she would not take it! They are pretty good for pre-packaged sweet potato fries. The spice tastes sort of like barbecue sauce. They don't taste that spicy initially, just kind of sweet, but there is definitely a little bit of an afterburn.

For more on my ratings system see Recipe Ratings: A Guide.

Menu for the Week of 28-Jun-09

2009-06-28T13:26:00.000-07:00

Here are the planned meals for this week. I am going to take it a little easy since the last couple of weeks have been so stressful. I am trying three new recipes, though, all of them seem pretty basic. Thank you to jd from Veggie Terrain for the recipes. The post about smoothies got me thinking too. I made a smoothie this morning with fresh fruit and Maddie LOVED it. This could be an easy and delicious way to get her to eat some more fruit/vegetables.

Sunday: Spicoli Burgers with sweet potato fries
Monday: Cuban Black Beans and Rice
Tuesday: Crunchy Blue Corn Chickpea Tacos with corn on the cob
Wednesday: Gnocchi with Poor Man's Pesto (from The Mediteranean Vegan Kitchen by Donna Klein)
Thursday: Sichuan Broccoli w/ Tofu (from Cook's Illustrated)
Friday: Pizza (from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison)

A few words about the older recipes I included this week.

Poor Man's Pesto from The Mediteranean Vegan Kitchen is one of my favorite old standbys. It is easily prepared in under 5 minutes with just my trusty food processor. The flavor is intense but G and I love it. Maddie is starting to come around too, though it takes her a long time to learn to like strong flavors.

Sichuan Broccoli is also one of my favorite easy stand-bys. It is very easy to prepare (I use frozen broccoli to cut down on cooking time). It is a nice, spicy stir-fry.

Pizza is something we consider our Friday night tradition. The crust recipe from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone is outstanding. It cooks up nice and crisp on our pizza stone. If you like making pizza, I highly recommend buying a really nice pizza stone. The $10 pizza stones from Target are not the same as a good, heavy stone. Our pizza stone will cook up a beautiful pizza in 7 mins. It's also fun for kids because you can have them help you put the toppings on. One night we even had a pizza night at my brother's house where we cooked four very different pizzas customized for everyone. Everyone present was happy. :)