Birthday Breakfast Doughnuts

Posted on July 26, 2014 by ds331

For Neefu’s birthday, I decided to make something a little special–birthday doughnuts. I didn’t really have much time, and not that much by way of ingredients, but I wanted her to wake up to something special, since she’s been helping K so much. 

I also wanted it to be tasty, and yet at least semi-healthy, so I  made some substitutions: some whole wheat flour, agave syrup instead of sugar (I’m still not sold on fake sugar, though I’ve been trying–that aftertaste, yuck.  though maybe one day I’ll get there).

base recipe: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Baked-Cake-Doughnuts-51157010

◊ modifications: agave syrup, changing the balance of wheat and AP flour, and adding in some almond flour too. oh and cocoa powder!

◊ special tools: a doughnut pan

happy birthday neefu!

♠ Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 c almond flour
  • 1/4 c cocoa powder
  • 1.5 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 C agave syrup or a wee bit less (I eyeballed it–probably 3  squirts.  A side note, agave has more moisture, so it balances out the addition of cocoa powder)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 t cinnamon
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil/melted butter/melted fat of your choice
  • 1/4 cup  milk
  • 1/4 cup plain yogurt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 egg

♥ The method

  1. Preheat the oven to 350•
  2. Beat the egg and the olive oil together
  3. Add the milk and yogurt, agave, and vanilla and stir briskly with a fork
  4. Mix in the flours and baking powder
  5. Mix in the cocoa powder, and salt, cinnamon
  6. Pour the mixture into the doughnut pan. fill each well half full.
  7. bake for roughly 6-10 minutes.
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4th of July Fruit Tartlets

Posted on July 5, 2014 by ds331

We’ve had these 3 boxes of mini filo tart shells in our freezer since April (I bought them to make something for K’s bday but he wanted to use another shell for what I made, so these just sat around). Yesterday was the perfect day to use them up–fruit was on sale. (yay, emptying freezer!)

ingredients

  • blueberries
  • cherries
  • almond paste
  • 3 T butter
  • a splash of milk or coconut milk (what I used)
  • 2 T powdered sugar
  • filo tart shells (I used mini shells)
  • 1 t vanilla
  • a mini star shaped cutter (if you wish) and a cherry pitter (really not essential)

The original method

I’m posting two versions–the method I actually used, and one I think might be easier. Why? I cooked the fruit with a bit of almond paste (no cream) first, and thought it was a little bland, so I made an almond cream, pulled the fruit out, piped it in, and replaced the fruit. This method tasted amazing, but was a bit tedious, and the fruit wasn’t bright (as it was when it was raw).

  1. Arrange filo tart shells on a baking pan lined with parchment
  2. Make an almond pastry cream by combining a nub of almond paste (3 inches?), butter, vanilla, and powdered sugar. Add milk/coconut milk to thin out a little bit. fill into a pastry bag
  3. Add a small nub of almond paste to each tart shell–you just want a thin bit to taste.
  4. pit cherries. slice cherries into small bits.
  5. add 3 blueberries and cherries on top.
  6. Bake at 350 for 5-7 minutes (read filo package for exact time)
  7. cool for 10 mins
  8. remove fruit. pipe in pastry cream and replace fruit
  9. I cut out mini stars from almond paste and placed one in each tart. So you have the flag in a tart shell: red=cherries, white=shell and almond paste star, blue=blueberries,

option 2: with almond cream and fresh fruit, or…fruit cooked separately

  1. bake tart shells as directed
  2. let cool
  3. add nub of almond paste to each shell
  4. make almond pastry cream. pipe in pastry cream
  5. either cook fruit on stove for a few mins (you don’t want jam or compote) or top with raw fruit (still will be really tasty)
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Chik’n & Jungle Garden Veggie Saltimbocca

Posted on July 5, 2014 by ds331

Our garden is going gangbusters. When I went the other day, the tomato plants were out of control, as was the basil and parsley. And there were 4 beautiful long eggplants. So I needed to make something with this stuff. Here’s what I came up with:

Ingredients

  • 2 Japanese eggplants, peeled
  • 4 Gardein chik’n scallopini cutlets
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 cup-1/2 cup almond meal
  • 2 T flax
  • 1/2 sweet onion
  • 1 portabella mushroom
  • 1 T honey mustard
  • 1 T balsamic vinegar
  • 2 T lime/lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup white wine
  • 1 T capers
  • 1 t chili sauce ( I used one we picked up in Barbados)
  • 1 T parsley and basil chopped
  • ground black pepper and salt
  • paprika
  • 1 T olive oil and 1 T butter melted
  • sprinkle of shredded cheddar cheese

Eggplant saltimboca

The Method

  1. Beat the egg. add some of the salt, pepper, and parsley mixture
  2. Put the almond flour & flax on a plate. Add a little salt/pepper/paprika to the plate.
  3. Dredge each cutlet into egg and bread with almond flour/flax
  4. add 1 T olive oil and 1 T butter to a pan. melt/bring to a sizzle. Add cutlets and heat until golden on each side
  5. In a bowl, mix wine, honey mustard, capers, balsamic vinegar, and lime juice. Add to the pan with the cutlets. Heat on low or simmer. Add capers and a sprinkle of cheese at the end.
  6. Separately, peel the eggplants and chop the onion into strips
  7. Saute the onion. Add eggplant and mushroom. Add the rest of the basil & parsley mixture.  Add the chili sauce. cook until veggies are soft.
  8. Serve 1/4 cup of the veggie mixture on a plate. Add cutlet on top. Garnish with capers and herbs.

 

 

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4th of July Fried Chik’n (veggie)

Posted on July 5, 2014 by ds331

One food kept coming up as I browsed for menu items for our Fourth of July picnic on Friday: Fried Chicken. So, how was I going to make it vegetarian? And would it be good? I made up a recipe…based on some things I’ve done before…and my imagination. Well…the verdict is that it *was* good.

Here’s what we ended up having:

  • Fried Chik’n (Vegetarian Gardein Chikn)
  • Corn on the Cob with Parmesan, Lime & Chili
  • Sweet Potato Salad
  • Fruit Tartlets

So here’s how to make veggie fried chikn. It’s shallow fried. This is one of the first times I’ve fried something in a long time.

Ingredients

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  • 6 Gardein Chik’n Scallopini cutlets, cut in half
  • 1/2 cup almond meal
  • 2 T flax meal
  • 1 T coconut shreds
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup barbeque sauce of your choice (we used “Global Warming” by Rocklands, a DC-based company making a tamarind chipotle sauce).
  • 6 Parmesan crisps, crushed up (you could substitute corn flakes, crackers, anything crispy)
  • canola or other oil
  • 1 T parsley chopped
  • salt and pepper to taste

The Method

  1. Cut cutlets in half. dry off with a paper towel
  2. Crack an egg and beat it. add chopped parsley to it. add a little salt and pepper to the mix
  3. Crush up the Parmesan crisps–you want to be able to coat the cutlets with them but you want them to have some texture–not be a fine powder. I pounded them with a mortar & pestle. Place them on a flat plate
  4. Mix up almond flour, coconut flakes, and flax on a flat plate
  5. Pour bbq sauce onto a 3rd plate
  6. Lay out a another plate for the finished cutlets
  7. Dip a cutlet in egg mixture.  Dredge it through the almond/flax/coconut mixture. Dip it in bbq sauce, and then lastly in the Parmesan crisps. Set aside
  8. When you have several prepared, heat a shallow layer of oil, perhaps 1-2 inches deep in a skillet. Heat the oil until it sizzles.
  9. Carefully put the cutlets into the oil. They may spatter so put them in gently and immediately cover
  10. Cook about 1-2 minutes on each side. I found that they got a little dark after even a minute and a half.
  11. Lay out on paper towels.
  12. When they have cooled a bit, brush on a little more barbeque sauce
  13. We ended up serving these room temp, but served hot, or reheated in an oven would be even better.
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Souffle (with caramelized onions, chard, and asparagus)

Posted on May 17, 2014 by ds331

Ok it’s been a LONG time since I’ve posted a recipe…It’s been a busy few months and these have been stacking up. In particular, this one is long overdue. It’s got a fair amount of cheese and eggs in it, so I wouldn’t call this an “everyday” dish. But on occasion it’s ok.

The base recipe: I modified this recipe, which is easier than most souffle recipes in that it uses xantham gum as a secret ingredient to keep the whites stiff longer. I modified it because it simply didn’t seem to have enough flavor. And I generally don’t have whole milk laying around. I also found you can use less butter.

My take:

♣ Special equipment:

  • A balloon whisk, electric beater, or stand mixer. (I’ve used both the whisk and mixer…last night the balloon whisk took about 3-4 mins. muscle building, right?)
  • ramekins, a souffle dish, or just a tall-ish pyrex baking dish. I use a deep casserole pan. so it doesn’t present as pretty, but it does the trick and it still tastes really good.

♥  Ingredients

  • 1 Cup of grated cheese (I used a mix of cheddar and fresh parmesan that my cousin brought for me from Italy. I’ve also used Gruyere and cheddar mixed before)
  • 2 T powdered parmesan for the dish (note: I didn’t use it last night and it came out just fine)
  • 4 eggs, separated
  • 1 Cup cold milk
  • 2 T flour
  • 1-2 T butter (i used 1 last night and again it tasted just fine). more to rub on dish
  • 1 T honey or dijon mustard
  • 2 T garlic paste (or chopped garlic)
  • 1 /4 t xantham gum (this is to keep the egg whites stiff)

Additions–Possible add ins:

  • swiss chard, chopped into small strips
  • caramelized onion strips
  • asparagus (i chopped them into small pieces and then cooked them on a skillet first)
  • portabella mushroom strips

♦ The Method

  1. This is a recipe where I’d recommend prepping everything first. It helps
  2. Grate the cheese
  3. cook your mix-ins
  4. separate your eggs carefully into two clean bowls (i’ve found that your hands do this really well)
  5. Add the garlic paste and mustard into your egg yolks. mix well. salt and pepper to taste
  6. Turn your oven on to 400 degrees
  7. Prepare your dish: Butter all sides of your dish–look at it carefully–you want to see the butter. it helps the souffle to rise. Sprinkle in the parmesan cheese and shake it around. you will see where you haven’t buttered because the cheese won’t stick. Shake out the excess. re-butter parts that need it.
  8. Get your bechamel started: 
  9. Melt the butter in a large saucepan
  10. add the milk and heat on medium heat
  11. add the cheese and stir until melted
  12. slowly whisk in the flour
  13. add in the egg yolks only. Mix well, and stir until everything is well incorporated. Set aside for now. You want it to cool.
  14. Get your egg whites whipped:
  15. If you’re doing it by hand, whip fast. the balloon whisk does wonders compared to a regular one. If you’re doing it by electric beater or stand mixer, start on low and quickly move up to the highest setting. whip to medium-stiff peaks (you want them to form a peak that stands up when you lift the whisk out). Add your xantham gum and whisk a second or two longer.
  16. In your prepared pan, pour in the bechamel. Slowly add in a little of the egg white mixture and fold in. carefully fold in the rest. Don’t beat in or stir too fast or your whites will lose the air you just put into them.
  17. bake: Bake at 400 for about 18-20 mins. the souffle will rise, the top will be a bit golden, and the center will be set (don’t test it with a knife). Don’t open your oven in the middle…just wait for it. pull out and serve immediately.

I serve this with a salad. or last night with marinated mushrooms, asparagus, and artichoke.

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Last night’s dinner

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Upcoming post preview in pictures

Posted on March 11, 2014 by ds331

Salad, sweet potato bites and butternut squash puffs

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2) soufflé

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3) lentil “caviar” on buckwheat scallion blinis with coconut tofu and coconut jerk sauce

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Superbowl Sunday Series

Posted on February 3, 2014 by ds331

Unlike last year, this year’s superbowl foods edition (my first of 2014…whoops, January was a wee bit busy), isn’t actually superbowly/footbally food. As my husband said in his cute & adoring facebook page, “While I was at a bar watching the game, my  wife made 6 dishes…” (to be clear, he actually called me his sorceress wife…). Here are the fruits of that labor:

https://scontent-b-lga.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/t1/p480x480/1507911_10153721973210214_1237157827_n.jpg

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4 lentil daal with star anise: A crock pot recipe

Posted on February 3, 2014 by ds331

Garam masala with star anise is my new thing, and this ended up being a key flavoring in this daal. Why, not sure–it just adds a different and I think interesting flavor. And since I make garam masala every few weeks, it gives me a chance to experiment with proportions and ingredients.

  • 1/4 cup french lentils
  • 1/4 cup baluga lentils (black lentils that supposedly look like caviar)
  • 1/4 cup adzuki beans
  • 1/4 cup split peas
  • 2 cups water
  • 1/2 box Pomi strained tomatoes (use whatever you want, this is what I often have handy)
  • 1/2 onion
  • 1 t turmeric
  • 1 t cumin seeds
  • 1 t coriander seeds
  • 1 t asofoedita powder (hing in hindi)
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1 T ginger paste
  • 1 T garlic paste
  • 1-2 t cayenne pepper (ie: Indian chilli powder)
  • 2 t garam masala
  • salt to taste
  1. If you don’t have garam masala, here’s a step-by-step recipe. I don’t use the bay leaves or ginger. And I added star anise.
  2. Throw all of these ingredients into the crock pot. I don’t even bother pre-cooking the onions anymore. Cook on high for an hour or hour and a half lower to low to finish cooking. You might need to add water part way through if you want it thinner. Enjoy! I just let this go for several hours while I was cooking so I’m not entirely positive how long it took to fully cook…

 

  • bottom left….

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Spinach cheese bites

Posted on February 3, 2014 by ds331

I grew up with a version of this recipe. It works with kale & chard too. I just happened to have spinach

  • 1 bunch of fresh spinach
  • 1/2 bunch scallions
  • 1/2 yellow or sweet onion
  • bell pepper optional
  • 1 pita or 1 piece of bread of any kind
  • 1 egg
  • 1 t garlic paste
  • 1-2 oz pepper jack cheese shredded (you can use Parmesan or cheddar too. Pepper jack adds a little kick)
  • chilli pepper flakes
  • salt & pepper to taste
  1. Preheat oven to 350
  2. Sautee onion and green onion until soft. Add spinach and pepper if using.
  3. Saute until spinach is wilted.
  4. Transfer to a mixing bowl.
  5. Chop up bread into small pieces
  6. Mix up with spinach mixture.
  7. Add egg, cheese, chilli, salt & pepper.
  8. The mixture should form into balls. If it releases water, drain out the water.
  9. bake at 350 until balls hold together, are slightly golden, and the cheese is melted.

 

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Split Pea Falafel v2

Posted on February 3, 2014 by ds331

I originally started this thinking I’d add sweet potato or acorn squash to the mixture, but they didn’t cook fast enough so I left them out, but I leave you with that idea.

  • 1 cup split peas
  • 1/2 onion
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1 bunch scallions
  • 1 t chilli flakes
  • 1 T tahini
  • 1 t cumin
  • a handful of fresh cilantro
  • 1 t coriander seeds
  • a handful of fresh parsley if you have it
  • salt & pepper to taste

Method:

  1. Soak split peas for about an hour
  2. In a food processor, add split peas, a little of the water, and all of the other ingredients.
  3. Process until smooth.  Note, the batter I’ve been using is a little watery–it is not thick enough to form a ball. If you want that consistency, leave out the water–it’ll just be harder to process.
  4. preheat oven to 350.
  5. Use a ice cream scoop to drop rounds of the dough onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment
  6. bake for about 10 mins and then flip and bake another 10 mins. You want it to be golden on each side and firm.

Serve in a pita with tahini, fresh tomatoes & other optional toppings (I like shredded carrot, cucumber, and cilantro too)

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Cauliflower pizza tarts

Posted on February 3, 2014 by ds331

I found a recipe for a pizza crust using cauliflower a few months ago and have been experimenting with it ever since. This is also part of my “hidden veggie” series.  Here’s the latest recipe:

  • 1 cauliflower
  • 1 sweet onion
  • 1/2 box of strained tomatoes (you could just use ragu, but why?)
  • 1/2 bell pepper or portabella mushroom
  • a drizzle of balsamic vinegar
  • a drizzle of olive oil
  • salt & pepper to taste
  • 2 teaspoons sugar
  • basil to taste
  • 3 oz mozzarella or cheddar cheese

The metnod

  1. Break off the florets from the cauliflower stem. Place on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 until soft.
  2. While that’s cooking, saute onions in a little olive oil until caramelized. Add mushrooms or bell peppers if using
  3. Start sauce: Add strained tomato, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, some shredded basil, 1-2 teaspoons of sugar and 1-2 teaspoons of salt
  4. Throw the cauliflower  into a food processor and process until it forms a dough. You might chose to drain the cauliflower in a strainer or cheese cloth for about a half hour.
  5. Add basil and 1/4 of the onion to the cauliflower. Add 1/2 the cheese to the mixture. Salt & pepper to taste. You could add chili flakes too.
  6. form cauliflower mixture into balls and flatten onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
  7. Bake at 350 until the cauliflower tarts are firm.
  8. Add tomato sauce, caramelized onions, and cheese. Bake again until cheese is melted.

I recommend draining as much of the water out as possible to keep it moist.

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Squash noodles with tofu peanut sauce and veggies

Posted on November 8, 2013 by ds331

Who needs pasta when you have a squash?

  • Cucurbita moschata 'Butternut'. Original descr...1/2 butternut squash
  • 1/4 c peanut butter
  • 1 T sesame seeds
  • 1/2 block silken tofu
  • 1 T soy sauce
  • 1 T ginger
  • 1 T rice wine vinegar
  • peanuts to taste
  • 2-3 scallions, diced
  • 1 onion
  • bell pepper
  • 1/2  Portabella mushrooms
  • salt to taste
  1. Preheat oven to 350.
  2. With a peeler, peel squash into ribbons (throw away the outer peel ones).
  3. Lay on a baking sheet and roast for 10 mins or until soft.
  4. Meanwhile, in a food processor, combine tofu, salt, peanut butter, rice wine vinegar, soy, ginger, garlic, 1/2 of the onion and scallions. Puree until smooth
  5. Sautee onions in a pan. Add bell pepper and mushrooms and cook until soft.
  6. In a bowl, combine squash ribbons, peanut sauce, and veggies. toss with a few chopped peanuts or sesame seeds.
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Pumpkin 4: Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Posted on November 8, 2013 by ds331

The last. really.

This one is a riff off of this recipe from food network.com

As always, it’s slightly modified…

ingredients

  • 1 C almond flour
  • 1/2 c whole wheat flour
  • 1/2 c whole wheat pastry flour
  • 1 c pumpkin puree
  • 1/2 c brown sugar
  • 1/2 c regular sugar
  • 1/4 c agave syrup
  • 1.5 sticks of butter
  • 1/2 c mini chocolate chips
  • 1/2 c white chocolate chips
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
    1. Preheat oven to 350. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment and spray with cooking spray.
    2. Mix butter (softened) and sugar together until creamy.
    3. Add pumpkin puree and spices
    4. Combine flours and baking soda and slowly add to the wet mixture
    5. Add chocolate chips.
    6. refrigerate for 20-30 mins
    7. Bake at 350 for 15-20 mins or until golden. will be a little soft (trying to figure out how to make firmer next time)

 

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Pumpkin 3: Pumpkin salad

Posted on November 8, 2013 by ds331

Yup, still using the pumpkin up. This one has a few steps–all easy.

Pumpkin patch

dressing

  • 1/2 block tofu (silken or firm–you’ll be blending it)
  • 1 bunch scallions
  • 1 c arugula (adds a spicy flavor)
  • 1 t soy
  • 1 t garlic
  • 1 t ginger
  • 1 t olive oil
  • 1 t balsamic vinegar
  • 1 squeeze of honey mustard

Blend all of that together in a food processor.

salad

  • 2 cups arugula (or any other greens)
  • 1/4 of a pumpkin roasted and sliced into pieces
  • 1/4 of a red onion
  • scallions diced
  • cherry or grape tomatoes
  • grated carrot
  • walnuts or better yet pepitas or pumpkin seeds.

Put it all into a bowl and mix up with the dressing.

 

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Pumpkin 2: Pumpkin Coconut soup

Posted on November 8, 2013 by ds331

Aah yes, more things to do with pumpkin, right? This one came from a local farm.

Pumpkin has 2 faces (this is the other side)

This is a quick one, once you have a pumpkin or a butternut squash or any other squash baked and ready to go (wrap in foil, toss in the oven at 450 for about 40 mins).

  • 1/4 pumpkin, or 1 butter nut squash or 1 can pumpkin puree
  • 1 can coconut milk
  • 1/2 onion
  • 1 t ginger
  • 1 t garlic
  • salt to taste
  • red chilli flakes
  • immersion blender
  1. This is a simple one.
  2. Chop up the onion, and sautee until golden.
  3. add pumpkin, coconut milk, ginger, and garlic. simmer for 15-20 mins.
  4. Add salt and chilli
  5. Puree with immersion blender–it shouldn’t need much.
  6. top with a few scallions

 

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Pumpkin #1: Pumpkin split pea falafels

Posted on November 8, 2013 by ds331

What do you do with a pumpkin once halloween is over? Cook it duh, right? Well this bad boy yielded 3 recipes.

Tonight’s brainchild was pumpkin falafel.

  • 1 c split peas, soaked overnight
  • 1 c pumpkin (pre baked in the oven until soft)
  • 1 T cilantro
  • 1 t tahini
  • 1 t garlic
  • 1 t ginger
  • 1 t zatar
  • 1/2 onion
  • 1/2 bunch scallions
  1. Puree split peas with cilantron, tahini, onion, scallion garlic, ginger & zatar in a food processor. Add pumpkin puree pieces to the bowl and pulse.
  2. Preheat oven to 350
  3. Line a baking pan with parchment. spray with cooking spray.
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Apple cake with marscapone frosting

Posted on November 7, 2013 by ds331

I baked a cute little cake for an officemate’s babyshower last week. I had just gone apple picking with my girl scout troop and had 10 apples in the house, so naturally, it had to be an apple cake. It also was an experiment with whole wheat pastry flour. It worked out well–the cake was appley and moist. but not too sweet. the guest of honor said “how did you know I don’t like too-sweet frosting heavy cakes?!”

I started with a recipe I saw for another apple cake and futzed with it.

  • 1/2 c whole wheat flour
  • 1/2 c whole wheat pastry flour
  • 1 c almond flour
  • 4 apples
  • 1 t baking soda
  • 1 t baking powder
  • 3/4 c yogurt
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 stick butter
  • 1 T cinnamon
  • 1 t nutmeg
  • 1/2 t ginger
  • 1 t all spice
  • 1/4 c agave syrup
  • 1/2 c brown sugar
  1. preheat oven to 350
  2. whip butter, eggs, agave, and sugar together. beat well
  3. mix flours and baking soda together
  4. add slowly to the egg/sugar mixture.
  5. Add in yogurt and spices
  6. grate apples (i used my food processor to make it a quick chore) and add to the batter
  7. grease and add parchment paper to 2 9″ round pans.
  8. bake for 40 mins or until

For frosting:

  • 2 tubs marscapone cheese
  • 1 t vanilla
  • 1/2 c sugar
  • beat all of it together and frost when cakes are completely cool. trust me. wait. I refrigerated overnight and did it the next morning.
  • the hat and details are almond paste.

 

 

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Curried Brussels Sprouts

Posted on November 7, 2013 by ds331

In my ongoing quest to figure out new things to do with brussels sprouts, I ran with a random idea: semi-indianize them. It means curry powder, cashews, ginger, and turmeric, but not the whole South Indian tempering mustard seed route.

  • 1 bag of brussels sprouts, rinsed & halved
  • 1 T turmeric
  • 1 T curry powder
  • 1 handful cashews
  • 1/2 T olive oil
  • 1 t salt
  • 1/2 onion
  • 1/2 t chili powder
  • 1 t ginger
  1. Preheat oven to 450
  2. Put the olive oil and spices into a gallon sized ziploc or a large bowl.
  3. Add in the brussels sprouts and mix well–until it is entirely coated
  4. Line a baking pan with parchment and lay the brussels sprouts in a single row down on the parchment.
  5. Bake until browned and a little crispy. (you want the brussels fully cooked)
  6. Chop onion into fine strips. (I used a vidalia). Sautee in a skillet until golden brown
  7. Make a well in the middle and add a drizzle of oil or butter. roast the cashews in that oil
  8. Add the brussels sprouts to the onion-cashew mixture and stir well.
  9. Enjoy!

 

 

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“Angry” veg chi’kn and “Angry” Brussels Sprouts

Posted on October 8, 2013 by ds331

This is a two-fer. One marinade, two dishes. Why is it Angry? I don’t know, ask Food & Wine Magazine, where I got the recipe. Its roots are in  a Korean recipe. I didn’t have the Korean chili paste or chili powder so I improvised.

  • 2 T (1/4 c) sriracha (45 g)
  • 2 T soy sauce
  • 2 T rice wine vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons ginger paste
  • 2 T agave nectar or molasses
  • scallions
  • 1 t chilli powder
  • gardein chikn (soy protein) (I used the crispy orange chik’n without the orange sauce)
  • OR 1 bag of brussels sprouts
  • 1 T olive oil

Method for “chikn”

  1. Mix all ingredients together to form marinade in a bowl
  2. Pour into a ziploc bag
  3. add the Gardein and marinade for 1 hour or more (overnight would prob be awesome)
  4. When it has marinaded, preheat oven to 450.
  5. Take pieces out and lay on a baking sheet covered with foil. Reserve the marinade
  6. Bake “chikn” until golden (don’t do what I did the first time, which was overcook.. it becomes tough)
  7. Spoon some of the marinade overtop. top with chopped scallions
  8. if it’s too spicy, serve with yogurt sauce

Brussels Sprouts

  1. Wash and dry brussels sprouts
  2. halve them
  3. rub with 1 T olive oil
  4. Bake at 450 until golden and crispy (20 mins or so)
  5. toss in a few spoons of marinade. (enough to coat but not too much or it will be soggy). let sit for a while or overnight.
  6. reheat and enjoy.

 

 

Posted in main dish, Recipes, vegetarian | 2 Comments

Cauliflower “Mac” & Cheese

Posted on October 8, 2013 by ds331

Ok so I blog in fits & starts….I’m back! 🙂 This month I’ve been experimenting and have come up with some new, pretty tasty options….the first…cauliflower “Mac” & cheese.

It’s “mac” because there’s no macaroni. I started the recipe without the bread crumbs and the egg…but it was a little soupy and needed some body…so I made the addition. and it worked.

Equipment

  • a large pot
  • a sauce pan
  • muffin tins (or a baking dish)

Ingredients

  • 1 cauliflower
  • 6 oz reduced fat cheddar cheese (I used dubliner sharp cheddar)
  • 1/4 c skim milk
  • 1/2 jalapeno chilli
  • 1/2 c panko breadcrumbs
  • 1 egg
  • dash mustard
  • salt & pepper to taste

    Cauli mac muffin

The method

  1. Break off the cauliflowerflorets from the stem. chop up the stem.
  2. Bring a pot of water to a boil and toss the florets & stems in.
  3. Boil until soft (you don’t want them mushy…you want them to still hold their shape). mine took about 10 mins. You could steam too.
  4. Drain the cauliflower. Now preheat your oven to 350
  5. Shred the cheese and place it into the pot.
  6. Add the skim milk and mustard. Stir constantly until the cheese melts and it comes together as a cheese sauce.
  7. Mix in the cauliflower.
  8. Beat the egg and add to the mixture.
  9. Stir in the panko breadcrumbs and jalapeno. Salt & pepper to taste.
  10. Line a muffin pan with muffun cups (or just a baking dish). I made mine into individual portions using the muffin cups.
  11. Divide up the mixture (mine yielded 6 portions). Bake for approx 20 mins or longer if you want it crispy. Mine just thickened up and got a little more texture.

For those of you curious about the nutrition information:

Posted in low carb, main dish, Recipes, vegetarian | 1 Comment