Chocolate Chip Cookies

Quick, easy, standard chocolate chip cookies loaded with nuts. Replaced butter with Earth Balance to make them non-dairy and there's really no difference in taste or texture.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 cup Earth Balance butter spread
  
• less than 1/2 cup brown sugar
• less than 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sifted all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

PREPARATION:

Preheat oven to 375°.
Cream Earth Balance; add sugars and beat until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Sift together flour, salt, and soda; add to creamed mixture.

Stir until well blended. Stir in chocolate chips and walnuts. Drop the batter from a teaspoon, well apart, on a greased cookie sheet. Bake for about 10 minutes.

Recipe makes about 2 dozen chocolate chip cookies.

Apple Cranberry Crisp

I adapted this from a recipe I found online. I omitted a lot of the sugar the recipe originally called for in the fruit mixture. The fruit itself should be the main sweet element in my book. Butter was changed to Earth Balance spread to make it vegan.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups cranberries
• 3 cups sliced peeled apples
• 1/8 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1 cup quick cooking oats
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 5 tablespoons Earth Balance spread, room temperature

PREPARATION:

Combine cranberries, apples, granulated sugar, lemon juice, and salt; turn into a shallow, 1 1/2 quart baking dish sprayed with canola oil. Combine brown sugar, oats, and flour. Cut in Earth Balance spread. Spoon over cranberry-apple mixture.

Bake at 325° for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until topping is crispy and fruit is tender.

**Still too sweet. Next time omit granulated sugar entirely and reduce brown sugar by half. Served warm with vanilla frozen yogurt.

Roasted Parsnips and Carrots with Ginger

I had an extra peeled parsnip from the fritter recipe that I needed to use elsewhere, so I cut it into 1/2 inch thick rounds along with 3 carrots and put them in a roasting pan with 2 T grated fresh ginger and 2 T olive oil. Cover pan with foil and roast at 375 for an hour, or until carrots are soft when pierced through with a fork. It looks like it will make 2-3 servings, so I'll double it next time if I'm feeding company.

Parsnip Fritters with Red Pepper Mayonnaise

This is really just a variation on this experiment from last week. Back then I was calling them "cakes," but I think even though it may connote more oiliness, "fritter" has a nicer ring. I need to ask someone from the part of the country who would know what the difference between a cake and a fritter is, just to get my nomenclature straight. Meanwhile, I'll make it up.

Like this recipe. This variation was so smashing, that, at the risk of redundancy, I'm posting it all here in its comprehensive glory. The parsnips are kind of a pain to grate, but the sweetness they impart make it worth the skinned knuckles. And I bumped up the parsley since last time. Tonight's fritter redo was motivated in part due to a serious mayo craving I've had the last few days. Yep, though never an eater of mayo-laden salads and the like, the pregnant bit is demanding it on cheese sandwiches, on chicken (which I just started eating again this week after 17 years) and hard boiled eggs. The Whole Foods 365 brand of mayo is a lot better than that old Hellman's I polished off over the weekend, so I recommend it here.

for the fritters:

2 medium parsnips, peeled and grated
2 eggs, beaten
2 T olive oil
1 clove garlic, pressed
1 c breadcrumbs
1/4 c minced onion
1/8 t white pepper
1/8 t cayenne pepper
1/8 t garlic powder
1 t dried parsley flakes
1/4 t sea salt
1/2 c oil for frying

1. In a large bowl, combine parsnips, egg, and 2 T olive oil. Stir in breadcrumbs, minced onion, garlic and spices. Mix well.
2. Shape mixture into patties.
3. In a medium skillet, heat oil over medium high heat until hot. Fry patties in oil until golden brown on both sides.

for red pepper mayo:
3 t sambal olek
4 T mayonnaise

Mix together and serve with fritters.


Makes 8 cakes.

Squash Bisque

Quick and easy, tweaked from the Cascadian Farm squash box...

2 t olive oil
1/2 c onion, finely chopped
1/4 c celery, chopped
1 T ginger root, minced
2 c veg stock, I used No-Chicken Broth
1 10 oz. package of winter squash, defrosted
<1/4 t cayenne pepper
1/4 t nutmeg, freshly ground
1/2 c soy milk, Silk Unsweetened

Heat oil in a medium sauce pot. Saute vegetables and ginger over medium heat for 2 minutes. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Stir squash in thoroughly. Simmer for 20 minutes until soup has thickened and vegetables are tender. Add pepper, nutmeg and soy milk.

Serves 4

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

J's favorite. I tried a recipe from Cooks.com this time and they turned out pretty good. Adjusted to be dairy-free.

1 c. pumpkin
3/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. oil
1 egg
2 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. soy milk
1 c. chocolate chips
1 tsp. vanilla
Nuts (optional)

Dissolve baking soda in soy milk; set aside. In large bowl add pumpkin, sugar, oil, and egg; stir. Add flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and baking soda mixture. Mix well. Stir in chocolate chips and vanilla. Spoon onto cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees 15 minutes or until done.

Yielded 27 cookies.

Roasted Sweet Potato and Black Bean Tacos

This is a tried and true invention of mine. It's pretty quick to make too.

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
3 T olive oil
8 fresh corn tortillas, El Milagro is best
8 T Frontera tomatillo salsa

Preheat oven to 375 F. Toss cubed sweet potato in casserole dish with 2 T olive oil. Cover and roast for 25 minutes, or until soft and brown. In a saucepan over medium heat, saute garlic in remaining oil. Add black beans, stir, and turn down heat. Let simmer, stirring occasionally, until beans are warmed through, usually 10-15 minutes. I suggest mashing them minimally with a fork to give the potatoes something to hold on to. On a dry skillet or griddle, warm tortillas on each side for 1 minute.

For each taco, layer 2 tortillas (the second layer reinforces the first one which is likely to split), 2-3 T of black beans, 2 T roasted sweet potatoes and 2 T salsa.

Makes 4 tacos.

Zucchini Cakes

1 large zucchini, grated
2 eggs, beaten
2 T olive oil
1 clove garlic, pressed
1 c breadcrumbs
1/4 c minced onion
1/8 t white pepper
1/8 t cayenne pepper
1/8 t garlic powder
1/4 t dried parsley flakes
1/4 t sea salt
1/2 c oil for frying

1. In a large bowl, combine zucchini, egg, and 2 T olive oil. Stir in breadcrumbs, minced onion, garlic and spices. Mix well.
2. Shape mixture into patties.
3. In a medium skillet, heat oil over medium high heat until hot. Fry patties in oil until golden brown on both sides.

Makes 8 cakes.

*J added a nice kick by whipping up a topping of mayonnaise and sambal olek (a.k.a. rooster) red pepper sauce.

Pumpkin Bread

1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon of salt
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup canola oil
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1 Preheat oven to 350°F. Sift together the flour, salt, sugar, and baking soda.

2 Mix the pumpkin, oil, eggs, 1/4 cup of water, and spices together, then combine with the dry ingredients, but do not mix too thoroughly. Stir in the nuts.

3 Pour into a 9x5x3 inch loaf pan that's been well-spritzed with cooking spray. Bake 60 minutes until a thin skewer poked in the very center of the loaf comes out clean.

Makes one loaf.

Spinach Lasagna

6 lasagna noodles
1 1/2 c shredded mozzarella cheese
1 25 oz. jar pasta sauce, 365 Classic Pasta Sauce
1 15 oz. container of ricotta cheese
1 c torn spinach leaves
1 egg
salt, pepper, oregano to taste

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Boil noodles for 7-10 minutes. Drain and set aside. Beat egg and mix with ricotta cheese and salt, pepper and oregano. Layer (3) noodles, spinach, ricotta mixture, 3/4 c mozzarella cheese and half of sauce. Top with rest of noodles, 3/4 c mozzarella cheese and remaining sauce. Cover baking dish with aluminum foil and bake for 1 hour.

Farmer's Market Quiche

1 fresh, vine ripe tomato, sliced
1/4 c fresh, chopped chives
1 frozen pie crust, whole wheat
1 3/4 c whole milk
4 eggs
3 oz. herbed goat cheese
sea salt
white pepper

Preheat oven to 425. Spread goat cheese over bottom of pie crust. Bake for 5-10 minutes, or until cheese has started to melt. Remove from oven. Add tomato to pie shell. Beat eggs and milk. (Make sure pie shell is on a baking sheet in case it spills on the way to the oven.) Pour mixture into pie crust. Top with chives and salt and pepper to taste. Bake for 15 minutes at 425. Reduce heat to 325 and continue baking for 30 minutes. Quiche is done when crust is lightly browned and knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Served with roasted brussels sprouts and roasted fingerling potatoes.

**

The farmer's market was glorious this morning. I had to play it safe with my still-uncooperative palate, so all I netted were some Honey Crisp apples, the fingerlings, some fresh herbs, tomatoes, and garlic. And flowers. My woozie belly was having none of the great bounty of greens or peppers on display. Even the last of the berries-- the farmer saw me looking at them longingly but I couldn't explain.. just, no. Just looking.

Creamy Artichoke Pasta

First post since pregnant. If the last few weeks are any indication, my sweet postings will be considerably fewer owing to my sugar aversion (blast, the cruel Fates!). Expect more in the salty/creamy/proteiny realm.

I found this online and I think it's exactly the thing a friend of mine made for me years ago that I suddenly got a taste for today and had to make. Dairyfest, bring it on.

INGREDIENTS

• 12 ounces uncooked spaghetti, whole wheat
  
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 (6 ounce) can marinated artichoke hearts
• 1 small onion
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 cup low-fat cottage cheese
• 1/2 cup low-fat sour cream
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add spaghetti and cook until al dente. Drain and keep warm.
2. While pasta is cooking, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Place olive oil, butter, and liquid from artichoke hearts in skillet. Cut artichoke hearts into bite-size pieces. When olive oil mixture is hot, add onion and garlic. Saute until soft and lightly browned. Stir in artichoke hearts and saute until heated through. Season with salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and oregano. Remove from heat and stir in cottage cheese and sour cream. Toss mixture with cooked pasta and top with Parmesan cheese.

Moroccan Vegetable Ragout

1 potato, cut into 1/2" cubes
1 carrot, sliced
1 med. yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced/pressed
1 small eggplant, sliced
1 zucchini, sliced
1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
vegetable stock, about 3/4 c
1 tsp minced fresh ginger
1/2 (heaping) tsp ground cumin
1/2 (heaping) tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 (heaping) tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cayenne
2-3 T olive oil
juice of 1/2 lemon

Heat oil in a deep pan over medium heat. Add the onion, potato, carrot and garlic. Saute until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in ginger, cumin, turmeric, salt, paprika and cayenne and cook, stirring for 30 seconds to bring out the flavors of the spices. Add can of tomatoes, veg stock and lemon juice. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 30 minutes, or until potatoes are cooked through.

Serve over couscous. Makes 4 servings.

Hasty pudding and Thai cinema

Making up for a lack of summer Sundays...

Morning at the Wicker Park farmer's market: beautiful shallots, beets, salad greens, haricot verts, baby carrots, tiny potatoes came home with us. Then to Sweet Thang for a slice of quiche- also home of the best croissant around. Then to Red Hen for a baguette. Then for a bike ride to Sunflower Market for a few other details.

Today is a long-awaited day in the kitchen after 3-4 weeks of freelance 24-7. To briefly detail the span of eating out done in that time, much of it not up to expectations... (making me all the more eager for home cooking):

-So-so fish dishes at Feast, but the $9 mini-plate of the most flavorless guacamole made us realize that this is one (we've found others) that appeal to diners for whom location is a greater priority than their palettes. So that one's off the list.
-Appalling dinner at Lucia consisted of frozen fish baked to a rubbery puckishness and frozen vegetables boiled and served without any further ado. Akin to the nursing home cafeteria I used to have to eat in for work.
-While I don't doubt that the brownies and other confections at Bleeding Heart are divine, the sandwiches disappointed. I was informed that they make their own seitan on the premises, and being vegan friendly, I figured if a decent soy cheese exists they must be putting on the Seitan Jalisco sandwich. Bad assumption. The gasoline-y taste was as present as ever, and it ruined all other judgment of the sandwich. The roasted beet and arugula sandwich was mostly bread, but if there had been more than one leaf of arugula on it and the bread were sliced half as thin, I may have not had to pull it apart and eat its other contents: 1 slice of tomato and 3 slices of golden beet, separately. A post-script for J: "soy cheese should be banned from this earth."
-Hot Chocolate, while it remains my favorite place for dessert, proved less spectacular in the dinner category. We had the day's special: a skin-on grilled whitefish fillet topped with an olive tapenade and roasted fennel, next to some clams and bits of potato. The elements didn't come together as anything more than the sum of their parts, which was OK, but not worth the price of admission.

In the recently confirmed awesome column:
El Cid II's fish tacos and everything at Mais in Humboldt Park.

Morning, after walking and food-related errands, consisted of my Mid-East and North African stint in the kitchen that yielded a refreshing cucumber-mint salad with orange blossom water, lemon and olive oil, a failed foul madamas, and a chickpea bulgur salad.

Late afternoon, a bottle of Pierre de la Grange Sur Lie Muscadet, a lemony hasty pudding and Tears of the Black Tiger.

Hasty Pudding

2 c milk
1/2 c semolina
zest of 2 lemons
2 t vanilla
1/2 c sugar

Heat milk in medium saucepan until boiling. Add semolina and whisk until thick, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and add sugar, vanilla and lemon zest. Pour into dish and let cool to room temp.

Something sweet to make when it's too hot to turn on the oven!

Then, J pulled a masterful Iron Chef improv with a vegetable and seitan ragout using today's baby shallots, tender haricot verts, wee carrots and itty bitty red potatoes. There was also fresh mint, thyme, parsley, white wine, garlic, veg stock, olive and butter in there. Pictures and more superlatives forthcoming.

Lemon Tahini Cookies

A quick experiment, based on a RR base I found online:

zest of 2 lemons
juice of 1 lemon
1 stick of butter, chilled (I used 1/3 tub of whipped butter)
1 1/2 c flour
1 c sugar
2 T tahini
1 egg
1/4 t salt
1/4 t baking soda

Preheat oven to 350. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper, set aside. Using an electric mixer, combine the butter, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice until fluffy. Add egg and tahini and beat until incorporated. Add flour, baking soda and salt. Mix until a uniform dough begins to form.

Scoop and slightly flatten 1-inch balls of dough onto cookie sheets. Bake for 15-20 minutes. I got 1 dozen medium-sized cookies out of this. The tahini wasn't really identifiable as a flavor, but I think it added a nice undertone to the bright citrus. I'll probably play around with this recipe some more. Also, I imagine if I wasn't in such a hurry and refrigerated the dough for a while before baking, they'd have been a little flakier. As it is though, they had a pretty good crumb.

Commencement

Celebrating J's hooding this weekend began with tapas (some highlights: tortilla, vieriras con salsa azafran (grilled sea scallops, spinach and saffron sauce), salman a la parrilla (grilled salmon, asparagus, tomato, basil and alioli) and ended with friends, a bottle of Villa Sandi Prosecco and a lemon mousse cake from Rolf's Patisserie. The latter was a particularly sublime combination.

Green Peas and Tofu Curry with Indian Rice

Green Peas and Tofu Curry
This is almost Matar Paneer, but I'm not a big fan of paneer cheese. Cubed tofu makes a nice substitute and picks up the color and flavor of the curry well. This could have vegan had I used canola oil instead of ghee, and soymilk instead of regular yogurt. Even so, it was a light curry, not very saucy and rich. And, even though the tomatoes were from a can, their acidity contributed an essential flavor foil to the creaminess.

8 oz. extra firm tofu, cubed
1 1/2 c fresh green peas
1/2 c yogurt (I used Wallaby nonfat plain)
1/2 c tomatoes, chopped
1/2 c onion, diced
2 tiny chili peppers
2 T cilantro, chopped
2-3 T ghee
Spice:
1 teaspoon ginger paste
1 teaspoon garlic paste
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon garam masala powder
salt to taste

Preparation

Heat 1 T ghee in a pan over medium heat. Fry tofu in ghee until it's a golden light color. Remove tofu from pan. Heat remaining 1-2 T's ghee. Add the onions and fry until light golden brown. Add all spices, chili pepper and salt. Stir few seconds. Add tomatoes. Stir again for few minutes, take care that spices do not scorch. Add yogurt, peas and tofu. Stir gently. Cover and reduce heat. Allow to simmer for 20 minutes or until peas begin to break apart. Garnish with cilantro and serve with rice or Indian bread.

Indian Rice
Into the rice cooker, add:
2 c basmati rice, rinsed
4 c water
1 cinnamon stick
4 whole cloves
1 t cumin seeds
1/2 t ground turmeric
3 cardamom pods, bruised
pinch of sea salt

It all cooks together in the normal cycle and the steam smells amazing. The finished rice is flavorful, bright yellow, and a delicious complement to the Green Peas and Tofu Curry.

Rejuvenated by fiddleheads and ice cream cones

With one too many meals consumed hurriedly in front of a computer for the last two weeks, this weekend we issued a corrective.

Friday night to Lula, my favorite restaurant in all the land, where we dined on an appetizer of pan seared sea scallops with fiddlehead ferns, pinenuts, sorrel and mandarin; (my entree) stinging nettle, farro, green and white asparagus, young garlic, hazelnuts, and poached farm egg 'noisette'; (J's) lake superior whitefish with morel mushrooms, dandelion greens, walnuts and applewood bacon. I had a taste of the whitefish which I usually love but all I tasted was bacon, which I haven't eaten in years and now I realize I have not missed at all. Dessert was a jasmine rice pudding with mandarine champagne broth and lavender, a nice sweet finish to a meal that was wholly satisfying. We had a white wine with this meal that was good, but not memorable.

Saturday morning I woke up at 6 and bicycled to the Green City Market in Lincoln Park. The weather was pristine and I walked about as the vendors arrived and set up, beating the post-8 a.m. crowd and finding a lot of opportunity to talk with the growers. Fresh strawberries and rhubarb were in abundance and I tried to imagine some time this week to bake with them, but 4 deadlines in the next 7 days say nein. I still brought a few stalks of rhubarb for J, since he recalls it growing in abundance in his yard growing up and ate it raw with a little sugar. But, I wonder, isn't this a plant with a toxicity caveat? Without having much of a cooking plan, I did pack a bag full of things that could be quickly stir-fried in the next few evenings: purple asparagus (growers were saying this could be asparagus's last week), wild watercress, some greens called Spignorello which I'd never heard of before, fresh mint, flat-leaf parsley, blush-red turnips. was also tempted by the armloads of young garlic and spring onions and their three foot long tender greens, but they looked like they might be around next time, and the nano-greens (arugula sprouts, sunflower sprouts, etc.). A fresh baguette, a jar of apple butter, a bouquet of peonies and a tomato, cheese and herb crepe made and eaten on the spot rounded out my morning's entertainment.

Bicycling home wasn't too difficult, but getting back baskets is clearly in order if my grocery shopping is to exceed one shoulderbag-full.

A last minute dinner with an old friend inspired me to attempt a re-creation of Lula's stinging nettle and farro with watercress and wild rice instead. For young garlic, old garlic; for hazelnuts, pinenuts; for green asparagus, purple asparagus, etc. It came together in a similar presentation, but ultimately the garlic broth that tied it all together was lacking a little punch, or salt, or maybe it was miso it needed. In any case, we all felt quite energized afterwards we took a long(ish) walk to Margie's (the wait at 10 pm. to eat dessert at Hot Chocolate was 2 hours! That's a Brooklyn wait, so screw that) for an ice-cream cone to go (crowds were waiting outside for one of the few booths to open up, definitely a place to return to for the full-on banana split in the clam-shell bowl. The atmosphere made me mourn something I hadn't realized had been so completely lost from my youth when those old joints from the 1920's were still in service and hardly exceptional.)

One more note on a redemptive 24 hours of food and relaxation: two excellent wine recommendations from the outpost down the street where the owner is incrementally enlarging my wine education and has never steered us wrong in the dozen bottles we've drunk in the short time his store has been open. La Cappuccina 2005 Soave proved to be a refreshing glass by itself, and paired well with the white bean pate that preceded last night's dinner and with the garlic-infused and bitter-astringent greens and nuttiness of my watercress and wild rice experiment. Later, the perfectly proportioned red J picked out was an easy drinker, excelling in all the characters he and I like in a red: not too full-bodied, but dry with a bit of earthiness and spice. That one's the Abad Dom Bueno Roble.

Quinoa Salad with Pistachios

As I was saying, my acupuncturist is also big into nutrition and she and I often talk about our vegful kitchen experiments. Since Traditional Chinese Medicine views food as a living medicine that is part and parcel of one's qi harmony, or disharmony as often has it, much of what we in the West know of as healthful eating is reiterated: for most people's dispositions, TCM suggests avoiding processed foods, choosing fresh, whole foods, limiting the sugar, dairy, wheat gluten and alcohol. There are some folksy notions about certain kinds of meat nourishing one's particular qi deficiencies, otherwise it's quite vegetarian friendly, and my practitioners have always been flexible and respectful of my refusal to eat chicken liver, in spite of some good it's supposed to be for one persnickety meridian.

So she recently self-published a cookbook- for her women clients in particular.. those of us overly yin and in need of foods to fire up some yang to keep the energy moving productively.
This one sounded good, and even though I was out of the parsley it calls for, the combination of mint and cilantro is a revelation.. one I'll be playing with much more in the future.

Apparently the green onion, pistachios and quinoa boost yang while the cilantro and mint are harmonizing influences (I think by harmonizing it is meant spleen and liver qi... one of them is always lagging behind the other it seems).

1 1/2 c water
2/3 c uncooked quinoa
1/2 t sea salt
1/3 c goji unsweetened goji berries, quartered
1/3 c golden raisins
1/3 c shelled, dry roasted pistachios
1/4 thinly sliced green onions
1/4 c fresh chopped cilantro
2 T fresh chopped mint
1/4 t black pepper

(Vinaigrette)
1/2 t grated lime rind
3 T fresh lime juice
2 T mirin
1 T olive oil
1/4 t sea salt
1/4 t ground cumin
1/4 t ground coriander
1/4 t paprika

Combine water, quinoa and salt in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Reserve 3 tablespoons of the remaining liquid and drain off the rest. Combine quinoa and next 7 ingredients in a large bowl and set aside.

To prepare the vinaigrette, combine reserved 3 T cooking liquid, lime rind, and remaining ingredients in a bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Pour vinaigrette over quinoa mixture, and toss well to coat.

Spiced Watercress

I would have used a shallot in this if I had one. The only member of the onion family not shriveled beyond recognition in my veg drawer this week (too busy to cook... makes me a bad mood) were a few chives.

This is also adapted from a recipe in my acupuncturist's cookbook (which is comprised, in turn, of recipes she adapted from sources online, so the circle of life, sans Sir Elton).

2 T olive oil
1/2 t sea salt
2 heaping T's of garlic paste (this jar of Swad garlic paste I got from the Indian grocery is magical.. it featured into a Mother's Day salad dressing with ease too. Oh, I mean to record for posterity the contents of that salad: microgreens, dried cherries, avocado, sunflower seeds, and a homemade dressing of garlic, dijon mustard, sherry vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper.)
2 t ground cumin
1/2 t ground coriander
1/2 t cinnamon
1/4 t nutmeg
1 pound watercress, washed and trimmed
1 T diced chives

Heat oil in a skillet on medium heat. When the oil is hot add garlic and spices. Stir for a minute until fragrant and coming together as a paste. Deglaze pan with a few tablespoons of water. Add greens and toss to stir fry for a few minutes, until greens are tender, wilt slightly and turn bright green.

Veganfitti

It's no Banksy, but I have a soft spot for this tagger that's recently been quite ambitious in my neighborhood. J and I report in to one another with new sightings daily. The best so far is "vegan" across a closed down rib shack restaurant on Ashland Ave.

Lemon Poppyseed Muffins

In preparation for the brunch of the Mothers I am hosting tomorrow, the Lemon Poppyseed experiment.

3 c all-purpose white flour
1 t salt
1 t baking soda
1/2 t baking powder
1 c poppy seeds
3 eggs
1/2 c canola oil
1/2 c unsweetened applesauce
3/4 c sugar
2 c lowfat, plain, unsweetened kefir
juice of 2 lemons
zest of 1 lemon

Sift together the flour, salt, soda and baking powder; stir in seeds. Beat the eggs in a large bowl. Add the oil, applesauce and sugar; cream well. Add the kefir, lemon zest and lemon juice. Spoon into 12 greased muffin cups and 1 mini loaf pan. Bake in a 325 degree oven for 1 hour.

Sekihan 2.0

So my abundance of azuki beans and rice made high-octane lunches for a week and formed the basis of a daily improvisation of toppings. Here is one of the more tweaked additions:

Exotic mushrooms sauteed in mirin and sesame oil, sauteed spinach and sesame seeds, hard-boiled egg.

Carrot Cake

I decided to make a cake for someone in our office who is going back to India, and was thrilled for the opportunity to understand her dietary restrictions a little better. Each day is a tribute to a different god, so one day meat is OK, another day is vegetarian, another day omits all meat and eggs, etc. So Monday meant she would do dairy but no eggs. Viola, a vegan cake with a very dairy frosting. Turns out she had never had carrot cake before and appreciated the sweet and the salty (cream cheese in the frosting) flavors she thought uncharacteristic of American sweets.

This cake was my first: carrot cake, layer cake, and baking with egg replacement (used arrowroot in its place). I made two batches actually. One batch of the same recipe with eggs and in cupcake form (for us)-- this batch also used Earth Balance vegan butter instead of butter in the frosting. The cake had a nice density that disguised the lack of poof afforded by the eggs. The arrowroot just added some thickening power. They were both good-- and the entire office requested the recipe for the cake, but I have a slight preference for the cupcakes J and I devoured to a Bogart and Bacall movie.

Recipe posting shortly.

Sekihan 1.0

3 cups leftover brown rice and wild rice mix
2/3 c dry azuki beans
1/4 c black sesame seeds
1 carrot, thinly and diagonally sliced
2 scallions, diced
2 T sesame oil
2 T tamari

Should have soaked first, but I figured, why soak when you can boil? Boiling took longer than probably necessary- 2 hours, but left behind a beautiful red liquid after I spooned the cooked beans out and then I boiled the carrots in the liquid.

In a separate pan, toast sesame seeds.

Heat sesame oil in a wok. Add rice. Stir and cook for 1 minute, then add 1 c carrot/bean water. Add carrots, sesame seeds, and beans and heat through, stirring often, about 15 minutes.

Serve with fresh scallions.

*I had hoped to add some soaked hijiki until I read all over the place online about its arsenic profile.

Date Bundt

My first bundt! Craving sugar and trying to keep it healthy, I devised a use for a container of old dates in the back of the fridge...

1/3 c canola oil
1 c brown rice syrup
1 c unsweetened applesauce
3 T molasses
1 t vanilla
1 egg
1 c white flour
1 c whole wheat flour with wheat bran
2 t cinnamon
1 t nutmeg
1 t salt
1 t baking soda
1 c chopped dates

Whir rice syrup and oil together; beat in molasses, vanilla, applesauce, and egg.

Sift together the flours, spices, salt, and soda. Add to creamed mixture; beat well. Fold in dates. Pour batter into a greased bundt pan.

Bake at 350° for 45 minutes to an hour.

VERDICT: It tastes like a very sensible, Germanic breakfast cake. Not rich and decadent, but the rice syrup holds its own in giving it a good measure of sweetness.

Sekihan and Chile Relleno

Yesterday was the warmest day this year, which means one finds every excuse to be outdoors. Eating along the way, we passed many old standbys to try a few new restaurants that have been on our list.

Breakfast at Dodo is my new favorite meal. An affectionate pet name for the owner's Japanese grandmother, Dodo's menu masters and innovates on breakfast classics (tiramisu French toast, for one), etc. while offering a few dishes informed by Japanese cuisine. Eating from the weekend's seasonal specials, J had an asparagus and mushroom ragout omelet with fontina cheese and a watercress aoli with roasted potatoes on the side. And though I was tempted by the pillowy, syrupy toasts and cakes being set down on nearby tables, I was excited for the opportunity to try some Japanese home cooking (which, I realize, is hard to come by when S isn't in town.. sushi is only half the story...).

So I got their version of sekihan, a traditional celebratory dish in Japan consisting of azuki beans and rice. Dodo's sekihan was a hearty skillet saute of brown rice, azuki beans, mixed vegetables including brussels sprouts, cauliflower and bean sprouts, seitan, roasted red potatoes and sesame seeds. The bitterness of the greens complimented the nuttiness of the beans and rice nicely, and while I tasted a bit of soy sauce, it was very subtle and not all that salty. Something turned the plate yellow too- turmeric? This was so substantial, I made 3 meals out of the portion they served me.. each one fueling me through the day.

This is also an exemplary qi meal- containing all the foods my acupuncturist tells me to eat more of: azuki, brown rice, greens and sesame. Good for yang building, apparently.

Yang's heyday got the kibosh with dinner- a deliciouso bunch of tequila and cheesey goodness at Las Palmas. We started with their cucumber margaritas, one of which was shockingly easy to dispense with over chips and salsa before out food even arrived. The salsa, by the way, is stellar... smoky and peppery with a good kick. Realizing how easy it would be to polish off another of the not-too-sweet or tequila-tasting cucumber yummies, we opted to share the special sommelier flight of 3 tequilas. I don't remember the brand, but none were as smooth, in my opinion, as a good Petron. Not that we left a drop to be debated... I even took a bite out of the chaser cup.. a sculpted cucumber vessel containing spiced tomato juice.

J got salmon somethingorother with a plantain chip planted in the center of it.

I got the vegetarian churrito, which was supposed to 3 things, but they were out of a bunch of them, so they brought me some other stuff. One of them was like lasagna but with potato or chayote thinly sliced where one would expect noodles to be. The other components were hard to discern, something that looked like a ranchero sauce but didn't have much flavor, or maybe the starchy layer absorbed all the flavor. I think there was a melty cheese layer, but only because the slab of lasagna leaked a pool of oil onto the plate as it sat there. The salad in the middle was awesome. Simply greens and crumbled fresco cheese and a creamy lime vinaigrette. The chile relleno, which I wouldn't have chosen otherwise, was not the paragon of savory cheese I recalled.

This said, J's thing was excellent, and the salsa, margaritas and service were so good, I'm looking forward to going back and trying other things on the menu.

POST POST:: Went back and everything was fabulous. The cucumber margaritas are fully confirmed as favorite new summer drink ever. We shared a jicama salad that was a palette of bright fresh flavors and crunch. And I had tacos de pescado that were, next to the ones we make at home with turbot on the grill and mango, A-list. Jeff's fish thing, red snapper Veracruz, was sultry gooood. We went early and were seated in the almost-outside, sunny atrium. It was clearly family hour... all else was parents and fidgety 2 year olds. Later, as we were leaving the datey couples started to arrive, and exiting through the restaurant we realized we had been missing a stunning guitar trio doing traditional tunes with a female vocalist who could really belt it out. We hung out inside for a while enjoying them before shoving off.

Adobo

Hungry after a 20 minute wait at the post office, we walked over to a favorite non-Taqueria Mexican place. Adobo gives it to you fresh and with a flair, with flavor combinations like huitlacoche with goat cheese, or seared tuna and rose petal sauce (ala Like Water for Choc). Last night, we were seated in an intimate corner with a vantage point of the cavernous bustling dining room, which became increasingly boisterous with parties of 8 pouring in the closer to 9 p.m. Service has always been exceptional and food quality and creativity has the aura of Frida Khalo's table.

The tableside guac and chips is always a good start, and while I watch the preparation intently, it's still a dash of salt tastier than mine at home. Maybe I can't join the guac majors without the lava mortar and pestle.
J ordered a nice Tempranillo which I stole a few sips of when I realized how well it complimented my meal-- Camarones: 9 grilled shrimp in a pipian (a classic Mayan sauce made from pumpkin seeds) rojo sauce with zucchini sofrito and a light fluffy, deconstructed corn tamale.
J had Veracruz style red snapper with plantains and cilantro rice.
An oven-baked apple casserole (apples in a warm cinnamon-sweet sauce with pecans) topped with shortbread-like crumble topping and a scoop of flan ice cream (which I think was really more like dulce de leche).
Ouch. It was hurry-home-and-get-in-stretchy-pants good.

I am intrigued with pipian sauce: waiter described it as a sauce made with ground sesame and pumpkin seeds.. nutty richness layers powerfully with the smoky chile.. a mild-medium heat, lots of flavor. Paired very well with an earthy tempranillo.

Greek Picnic Pie, Dilly Rice and Roasted Asparagus

Dilly Rice with Spinach

Made rice (2 cups dry, but I planned to have leftovers/extra.. what was needed for this recipe was about 1/2 c dry) (a combination of brown rice and wild rice) in rice cooker. Sauteed 1/2 a diced onion although next time I think I'll make it a whole onion). When rice was done cooking and still warm, I tossed it with 3 T chopped fresh dill and 2 cups of chopped fresh spinach and the sauteed onion. The heat from the rice wilted the spinach nicely and the rest of the flavors came together by sitting together for 5-10 minutes. I also added 3 T olive oil, juice of 1/2 lemon and salt and pepper to taste. Made a yummy, warm rice salad. Packs well in a lunch with a little extra vinaigrette as a cold rice salad too.

*

Greek Picnic Pie (adapted from The Complete Book of Greek Cooking) (can also make this with eggplant instead of zucchini)

2 medium zucchini
1 cup cooked rice (I used a mixture of brown rice and wild rice for a substantial, nutty flavor)
1 frozen pie crust (I used a whole wheat, all natural, no lard havin' bugger)
1 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
5 oz. fresh spinach
3-4 T fresh basil
4 eggs
3 oz. feta cheese (I used a variety that was already trumped up with herbs)
2 T olive oil
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350. Roast slices of zucchini on oiled (1 T olive oil) cookie sheets for about 15 minutes on each side, or until brown. Saute garlic and onion in 1 T olive oil. Finely chop fresh spinach and basil. Combine in a bowl with garlic, onion, feta cheese, eggs (beaten), salt and pepper. (The orig recipe called for milk and yogurt, but I forgot to add them and it still turned out good, though more vegetal than creamy.)

Line the bottom of the frozen pie crust with about a cup of cooked rice. Then form another layer with the spinach and egg mixture. This should fill the pie crust to the brim. Top with a layer of roasted zucchini and bake for 30-40 minutes.

*

The other thing is just roasted asparagus... only not just. It's their time, after all. Roasted asparagus was the catalyst, actually, of my kitchen esprit that has gotten a little out of control since last summer. Just oil em up, throw a lemon's worth of juice over them and flip them around occasionally in a 400 degree oven. They take between 25 and 30 minutes.

Potato Dosa

Tonight I made a way-too-spicy sambar soup, dosas from a container of pre-made fresh batter bought at Patel's over the weekend, and a spicy ginger potato filling for the dosas. P ended up dropping by and I do believe it was him who, 10 years ago, fed me my first home-cooked curry. Also one of the first in a string of "let me cook for you" friends.

The dosa mix- a thin batter of lentils, rice and salt- can be further thinned with water and easily cooks up into thin, crispy crepes ready to be stuffed with goodies. Goodies in this case was Chili-Mashed Potatoes with Ginger, adapted from the Vege Table book I've been cooking from all week. This was excellent topped with the Coconut Chutney I made on Saturday, and with some store-bought mango chutney.

2 1/2 lbs. baking potatoes
1/2-2 jalapeno chilis
1 1/2 c yogurt
salt and freshly ground pepper
1 1/2 T of ginger paste
2 T cilantro for garnishing

Peel potatoes and cut into 1-inch pieces. Cook in a large pot of boiling water until tender, about 25 minutes. Drain, and using a potato masher, mash them coarsely. Add the chilies, ginger paste and yogurt and continue to mash until mixture is smooth.

*
I've got to either dump or doctor up the sambar. I'm not sure what went wrong with it, but all notion of HOT overwhelms any of the other flavors.

Curry two times

These are two more of the dishes I made on Saturday, shown as reheated office lunch-- but yum, do they hold up well as leftovers!

Again, from The Vegetarian Table: India cookbook. This series has been indispensable. The Veg Table France and North Africa have also gotten a thorough workout (with the splattered and encrusted pages to show for it).

*
Curried Cauliflower

1 large cauliflower (2 lbs., trimmed into small florets)
1 T coriander seeds
1 t cumin seeds
1/2 t fennel seeds
2-3 T ghee or oil (I used olive oil)
1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely julienned
1/4 t cayenne powder
1/2 t turmeric
1/2 T sugar (Sugar in the raw)
salt and freshly ground pepper
3 T chopped cilantro

In a mortar, pound the cumin, coriander, and fennel until crushed (I gave them a whirl in the Vita-Mixer instead). Heat all but 1 t oil in large pan or wok over medium heat. Stir in ginger and fry for about 20 seconds, then add the crushed spices, cayenne, turmeric, sugar and a sprinkle of water. Within seconds, add the cauliflower and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes. (I added about 1/4 c water to keep cauliflower from scorching. All of the water evaporated off and/or kept the cauliflower from drying out.) Reduce heat to low, cover and cook to the desired tenderness, shaking the pan occasionally; 15 to 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, drizzle with remaining oil, and garnish with cilantro.


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(a new favorite thing)

Curried Eggplant and Spinach

3 medium eggplants (1 1/2 pounds)
3 yellow bell peppers (I used red)
1/4 c chickpea flour
1 t turmeric
2 T Garam Masala
1 1/2 t salt
2 or 3 T ghee or evoo (I used evoo)
1/2 c water
cooking oil spray
1 1/2 T brown mustard seeds
2 T grated fresh ginger
1-3 hot green chilies, minced
1/2 t cardamom seeds, crushed
1 T sugar (Sugar in the Raw)
2 lbs. plum tomatoes, seeded and coarsely chopped
1 1/2 lbs. spinach, trimmed and chopped (I used one whole package of ready to eat organic baby spinach leaves)

Preheat oven to 400. Peel and cut eggplants into 1/2 inch cubes. Quarter, seed, devein, and cut the peppers into 1-inch pieces. Combine the eggplant, peppers, chickpea flour, turmeric, 1 T garam masala, salt and half of the oil in a bowl. Pour in the water and toss to mix. (Next time: spray baking sheets thoroughly with canola oil spray before spreading mixture out on them. Spread the vegetables in a single later on two baking sheets and roast the vegetables until they are browned and tender; 20 to 25 minutes. Set aside.

Heat the remaining oil in a large, nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the mustard seeds and fry until the seeds pop. Add the ginger, chilies, cardamom, sugar, and tomatoes and stir-fry until tomatoes are somewhat pulpy; 4 or 5 minutes. Add the spinach, cover and cook until the spinach is bright green and softened. Stir in the eggplant, season with salt and simmer together for 15-20 minutes.

Lemon Sesame Bread

Looking for a bready breakfast and a way to use up the big tub of yogurt in the fridge. This may make it onto the Mother's Day brunch menu. Original recipe is here.

My version makes one loaf and uses plain yogurt with fresh lemon juice and zest instead of lemon-flavored yogurt.

1 1/2 c all-purpose flour
1/2 t salt
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 t baking powder
1/2 c sesame seeds (could also use poppyseeds)
1 egg
1/2 c canola oil
1/2 c sugar
1 c yogurt
juice and zest of 1/2 lemon

Sift together the flour, salt, soda and baking powder; stir in seeds. Beat the eggs in a large bowl. Add the oil and sugar; cream well. Add the yogurt and lemon juice and zest. Spoon into a greased loaf pan. Bake in a 325 degree oven for 1 hour.

The next time I may bump up the lemon zest and juice to a whole lemon. I used low-fat yogurt and the bread still came out moist and rich.

J's Indian Benedict

While it was all by the book, the feast for 6 involved 4 dishes I'd never made before with everything needing to be prepared or finished within 15 minutes to serving, so the kitchen was a little chaotic as our guests arrived, and I wasn't able to sit much with the appetizers and soup course, but once everything else came together it was a banquet I could enjoy (with another bottle of the St. Michelle Reisling). Things got too busy for a photo op-- as it is, I'm called the "food paparazzi." But as the leftovers get eaten, I'll post the feast redux.

In the meantime, J invented "Indian Benedict" (pictured above with coconut chutney) this morning.

One of the curries from last night was the egg curry posted on this yummy blog.

So one egg poached in this curry sauce assembled atop sauteed fresh spinach over a whole wheat English muffin.

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Coconut Chutney
from Yamuna Devi's The Vegetarian Table: India

1 c grated fresh or dried coconut (I used dry)
2 cups yogurt
2 t unrefined corn oil (I used olive oil instead)
1 t brown mustard seeds
1 large jalapeno chili, seeded and slivered (I used 2 or 3 of the tiny Thai hot chilis I keep in the freezer)
1 t split urad dal
1/4 t yellow asafetida
15 fresh curry leaves

Whisk coconut and yogurt together in a bowl. Fry the oil, mustard seeds, chilis and dal in a small pan until the dal turns brown and the mustard seeds crackle and pop. Add the asafetida and curry leaves and let them sizzle for about 10 seconds. Pour the seasoning into the yogurt and stir to mix.

Chateau Ste. Michelle

The 2005 vintage of Riesling from this winemaker was a bargain and drunk mostly on its own (and with Boca hot dogs!), but another bottle is definitely in order as I gear up to try some new Indian curry recipes this weekend. Dry, not too sweet, and well-balanced.

Also, a new wine shop is slated to open a block away from our place! That, I'm expecting, will further my education greatly.

By-Ear Kheer

Saw The Namesake today which a. made me a twinge sorry for passing up a chance to go to Russia this summer but to resolve instead to read all heretofore unattended to Russian literature presently on my shelf, b. resolve to go to India someday, c. in the immediate term cook something with cardamom in it.

Leftover rice in the fridge, and brown rice syrup and rose water in the pantry yet to be experimented with, I undertake a kheer, though without any official reference to what constitutes one. Only after to I peek at the internet to discover many fantastic variations, with sweet potato, bread, carrots, vermicelli, cashews, you name it.

C, who sat next to me at the movie and has a hissy whenever I eat anything curry in her presence, squirmed as the character Ashima, newly arrived in the States, topped a bowl of Rice Krispies with red chili powder and peanuts, but I thought it was a luminous moment of food as character development.

2 cups of leftover rice (I used white sushi rice because that was lingering around from last week's stirfry)
2 cups soymilk (or "spymilk" for the keyboarding-challenged)
dash salt
dash freshly ground nutmeg
fresh ground cardamom, 1 pod
2-3 T brown rice syrup
1 T rosewater
4-5 strands saffron

Added all of these things as I thought of them, while the rice and soymilk base was stirred pretty constantly over a low flame with a wooden spoon. I expected the saffron to turn the whole works more of a vibrant hue than it did, perhaps more was needed. I thought that the rice syrup added a good level of sweetness, though when I've had this dessert in Indian restaurants it is significantly sweeter (and more rich with coconut milk or full fat real milk). Also, the consistency of mine was more sticky rice than porridge out of preference. The soup-inclined would be advised to add more milk.

Toasted almond slivers finished off each serving, or, my serving anyway. Made 4-6 servings.

**Apparently the thing to do with the saffron, besides tripling the amount, is to crush the strands in a tablespoon of warm milk. Next time.

Caprese

Self explanatory. Cheese, tomato, basil, repeat. Top with evoo and balsamic.

And while I was not working with heirloom tomatoes or fresh baby mozz, the ingredients were fresh and several cuts above those employed in something going by this name at a local restaurant recently. Their *unlucky* (hint) rendition was astonishingly accomplished in delivering zero flavor from any of its inherently flavorful components. The olive oil could have been Crisco for all I knew, and the tomatoes had a pallor like they were grown in the Arctic circle. All in all, it was one of the more unpleasant dining experiences we've had in some time. Poor service, fresh baked bread on the table that was from a bland mix, J's shrimp linguini also suspiciously overly fishy.

And so the simple Caprese has been redeemed.

The Chicago dog, taken for a walk through the garden

Notice the resemblance? J is the master of the Chicago dog, though we opt out of the neon relish and swap the cow for something Boca (brats or Italians work well). Of course, ketchup is a no-never.

Years ago, three or four weeks into a backpacking trip through Europe I got really homesick when we stopped in a chips shop in London and saw this familiar poster. Somehow trying to explain to others that a tug-boat squirting mustard on a mile-long wiener made me misty-eyed only draws perplexing stares.

Broccoli-Tofu-Shittake Stir-fry

Changed it up a bit, but this recipe did provide a good technique for the tofu. Sauce was pretty mild since I omitted the hot pepper, but still quite flavorful. Having sherry in the pantry is always a surprise blessing.

Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home: Fast and Easy Recipes for Any Day

Adapted from: Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home

Serving Size: 4

Sauce:

• 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
• 2/3 cup homemade vegetable stock
  
• 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 3 tablespoons tamari
  
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch

Stir-fry:

• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 1 garlic clove -- pressed
• 18 ounces tofu -- cut into 1" cubes
• 3 cups broccoli florets
• 1/3 cup dry sherry
• 1 bunch chives-- cut into 1" pieces
• 1 1/2 c sliced shittake mushrooms
  

Combine the sauce ingredients in a small bowl.
Before beginning to stir-fry, prepare the vegetables and have all the ingredients at hand.
In a wok or large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil on medium-high heat.

Add the garlic and stir-fry for just 30 seconds before adding the tofu.
Continue to stir-fry for 3 or 4 minutes, until the tofu is lightly browned.
Remove the tofu and set aside.
Add the other tablespoon of oil to the wok, heat for a few seconds, and them add the broccoli.
Stir-fry for a minute and pour in the sherry.
Stir-fry for 3 minutes.
If the broccoli begins to scorch, add a tablespoon of water.
Add the chives and mushrooms, continue to stir-fry for a minute, and them the tofu and the sauce.
Stir carefully and bring to a simmer.
Simmer for 3 or 4 minutes, until the sauce thickens.

Served over rice with toasted sesame seeds.

Park Grille, spring menu

Tonight's meal at our favorite restaurant:
I was ecstatic to see that the menu changed for spring, one of the only hopeful signs of a warmer season ahead with this week's freakish dose of snow and freezing rain. (Funny, even the view was season-ambiguous. The area outside looked very much in transition from ice rink to beer garden, but uncertain about the beer garden.)
Eaten:
Chicago ciopinno- J got, not wild about. Prawns had a little too much facial expression and there was an underpinning of fennel that wasn't sitting right.
Garlic and potato soup- me. Also a little funny, "dark tasting," but don't know why. My don't-ask-don't-tell policy about stocks may be to blame.
White asparagus salad with watercress, toasted wafer of cheese and a poached egg in a lemon vinaigrette.: awesome. Their salads have always done right by me, and this one put me on to lemon and eggs as a savory combination which I hadn't considered before. The California Riesling I had with it was OK, but there's something too in-your-face about California wines to me lately.. the winery was Boon Docks, Boon Doggle, somethingorother. Had a muscat by them with dessert which was beefier than I expected too.
So dessertS (yes, there were two of them) were a chocolate stout cake with espresso ice cream with a sprinkle of oats to evoke the stout... formidable to be sure. But the other, the strawberry Napoleon, was hands down the best sweet thing we'd ever eaten there: roasted strawberries layered with a goat-cheese-like creme fraiche and crispy thin phyllo rounds drizzled with balsamic vinegar.
It's unusual that anything on the menu leave us cold, as the soups did, but it'll always be a favorite haunt with the seasonally changing menu, excellent service and dessert into the stratosphere.

A Coupla Two Tree Berry Cobblers

No one warned us what a stinker the movie Bobby was, and about the only enjoyable moment I derived from watching it last night was Lawrence Fishburne's cobbler. With a pint of blueberries and a few strawberries looking wan in the fridge, cobbler ensued.

In the attempt to keep things light and vegan I mixed up one from the chooseveg website. But since I had 2 small pans instead of one 9 x 9 I made two, and since my whole wheat flour was in an unmarked jar and could have been oat flour, I improvised a second cobbler out of white flour. Good thing too, the first one turned out positively leaden. The second was pretty good, though butter would certainly liven things up.

Preheat oven to 375.

2 c fresh blueberries and frozen blackberries

Toss in baking dish with 1/4 ea. flour and sugar (sugar in the raw).

Batter:
1 c all-purpose flour
1 t baking powder
1/8 t salt
1 T honey (could substitute with more sugar)
1/2 c soymilk

Mix batter ingredients and spoon over berry mixture. Bake for 35 minutes or until cobbler crust is golden brown.

My First Baba Ganoush

turned out pretty good. It was kind of a guided experiment. I started by referring to recipe but improvised a little.

8 baby eggplants
1 clove garlic
2 T tahini
juice of 3 lemons
2 T olive oil
dash of salt

First I roasted the eggplants in the oven at 400 degrees for 35 minutes, pricking them with a knife before putting them in whole on a baking sheet. After about 35 minutes, their skins were wrinkled and the eggplant was starting to get fragrant. They were then removed from the oven and allowed to cool.

After they were cool, I peeled them and squeezed them between some paper towels to get rid of some of the excess water. Then into a blender with the rest of the ingredients and that was it. It yielded a little less than 2 cups.

White Bean Pesto

Some still-hot-from-the-bakery whole wheat pita bread came my way at Stanley's Market yesterday, so I'm reinvigorating my vegetarian sandwich repertoire this week.

This spread makes a terrific base for a sandwich of baby lettuces and red bell pepper. Sprouts, onion, tomato and cucumber will probably get worked in there later this week. It would also be a good dip with crackers or toasted bread, or straight up vegetable crudites, for a party. Tossed with pasta? Probably.

1 c packed, fresh basil leaves
1 8 oz. can of cannellini beans
1/4 c olive oil
1/2 t sea salt
fresh cracked black pepper, to taste
1 T minced garlic (I used the ready to go refrigerated minced garlic in this and hummus because the raw garlic seems overpowering to the other flavors)

Blend all ingredients in a blender.

I think I'll get 6 sandwich dollops out of this, but I'd easily double the recipe if I were wanting 2 cups on hand for appetizers and guests.

Brown Rice Pudding (kind of)

A quick, easy and light dessert using leftover brown rice.

3/4 c brown rice (already cooked)
1/3 c soy milk, Silk Unsweetened
1 t honey (buckwheat honey, dark and high in antioxidants)
1 T sliced almonds
1 T raisins

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan and simmer covered and over a low heat for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Serves 1.

This took care of a late night sweet tooth as I move away from my sugar binge of the last 4 months!

Broccoli Soup

I'm counting points again to make up for the last few months spent baking instead of jogging. WW'ers should know that this one is zero points and lots of flavor. I almost creamied it up with some soy milk, but this simple, light version made a nice, comforting snack at the end of a long day.

Boil for 20-25 minutes at medium heat:
4 cups (1 box) of Imagine No-Chicken broth
1 10 oz. package of frozen broccoli
1/4 c diced onion
1 T minced garlic
1 t white pepper
2-3 t dried thyme

Then whiz through blender until smooth.

Dong Gu Tofu

Here's a favorite. Whipped the sauce together last night to accompany brown rice, tofu and a bag of Trader Joe's frozen veggies, but the original recipe with mushrooms and scallions is delish. Especially with the variety pack of mushrooms so you get some of the oyster and shittakes in there for a deeper flavor. I think I added fresh broccoli to the mix once before too, which was also complimentary.
Recipe came from what's for eats website.

Dong Gu Dofu

(Chinese tofu with mushrooms)

Yield: 4-6 servings

INGREDIENTS	PREP	AMOUNT
Water or stock		1/2 cup
Soy sauce		1/4 cup
Hoisin sauce		2 Tbsp
Hot bean paste (chile paste)		2-3 tsp
Sugar		2 tsp
Rice wine		2 Tbsp
Salt		to taste
Cornstarch		1 Tbsp
Oil		2-3 Tbsp
Scallions	sliced into 1/4" pieces on the diagonal	3-4 each
Mushrooms, fresh	quartered	1 cup
Mushrooms, shiitake, dried	soaked in hot water, destemmed, cut in strips	4-6 each
Tofu, firm	cubed	2 lbs

METHOD

Basic Steps: Mix → Stir fry → Simmer

1. Mix together the first set of ingredients to make your sauce. Adjust seasoning to your taste.
2. Heat the oil over high flame in a wok or large pot. Add the scallions and stir fry till just heated through. Add the mushrooms and continue to stir fry 2-3 more minutes.
3. Reduce heat to low, give the sauces a good stir and add to the mushrooms and scallions. Stir in well and bring to a simmer to thicken. Fold in the tofu gently and let simmer till heated through. Add a little stock or water if the sauce becomes too thick. Serve with rice.

*I use low-sodium tamari instead of soy sauce and cut the sugar back to a pinch. I usually omit the extra salt too. Red chili paste is, in this house, always sambal oelek, a.k.a. The Rooster.

People and Hot Chocolate

Recently relocating to within 100 paces of People (give or take 100 more), it wouldn't be long until we timed ourselves slightly before their 8 p.m. dinner crowd and settled into their atmosphere of enveloping wood long tables and hospitality. Pics above are from their website, as I was sans camera this evening- but all tastebuds. We started with 2 glasses of Seis Rioja, which was a little more assertive than I usually expect of a Rioja, but tasty and bright, a good match for the cuisine that followed.
The cold tapas arrived first: a not-to-be-underestimated bowl of olives- my tapas standby; the Tortilla Espanola, pictured above on the left; and the Citrus and Vodka Cured Salmon, some tare tare slices of salmon set ablaze by a lusciously tangy sauce drizzled about. It was one of those dishes that allows each bite to be a rumination on the layers of flavor.
The Pepinos (right)- goat-cheese stuffed sweet peppers with crostini- which I thought were being referred to as Pimientos on the menu last evening, were another case in point. They arrived nicely timed after our cold tapas were partially dispensed with, along with the Hongos Jerez, sautéed mushrooms with herbs.
The food invited us to linger over its flavors, but the growing cacophony of activity at the bar which amorphously spills over into the dining area, was more Bucktown than Barcelona, and 6 Gypsy Kings songs later we finally got a check and made tracks elsewhere for dessert.

Dessert we found elevated to the sublime at Hot Chocolate, which apparently also serves savory fare- surprise to me. We sidled up to the bar for dessert wine and "something sweet." The dessert menu was divided into a few categories that first required us to narrow down which sector of the tooth was feeling most vocal this particular evening. The chocolate choices were almost overwhelming. Our standby, creme brulee, seemed parochial beside the fruity, get-em-while-can, seasonal delights. And so we alighted on "Apples." Let me just take a moment to voice my love for the nude signifier aspect of the menu. No need to gild the lily. It belies an awareness that the food will speak for itself. Made of fresh, seasonal, as local as possible in the corn-belt ingredients, and artfully conceived, the dessert roster could be untitled for all I care. What arrived as "Apples" was an apple spice cake layered with pecan ice cream, topped with a creme anglaise and the tableside finish of a warm, cider sauce. That first bite, when the tart apple cider meets the creamy ice cream, and the heat of the sauce hasn't yet melted the ice cream, but allow both to be distinctly tasted at once in all their opposing qualities... was heaven. My first thoughts after the moment of silence/awe were of all the special people in my life I wanted to bring here and to taste this exact taste, to share this bit of earthly pleasure.