Pumpkin Muffins

Pregnancy and then breastfeeding has really cranked up my sweet tooth for the past 2 years, but now that Viv is wanting to eat everything off of my plate I've decided to bake without sugar so she doesn't get conditioned to have a big sweet tooth from an early age.
Since I've found a local supply of date syrup I'm experimenting with this and rice syrup and agave nectar as sugar replacements.

1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup sunflower oil
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 c date syrup
1/4 c brown rice syrup
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice

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

2 Mix the pumpkin, oil, eggs, date and rice syrups, and spices together, then combine with the dry ingredients, but do not mix too thoroughly.

3 Pour into muffin cups. Bake 20-25 minutes for small, silicone cups; 30 minutes for large muffins in muffin tin pan.

Makes 8 large muffins or a dozen small.

Verdict: Cut the allspice next time because the date syrup already lends it that smoky flavor. Try the agave in place of the rice syrup next time for more sweetness? They aren't decadently sweet, but moist and spicy and perfectly tasty.

UPDATE 10.2.09: I used 1 full cup of date syrup and no rice syrup; canned sweet potato instead of pumpkin; and omitted the allspice altogether. Much more dense and rich tasting as a result. J even thought they were chocolate muffins.

Carrot and Fava Bean Tagine

I'm certain I've prepared a meal or two since January. I'm shocked to find no posts here since then! Most likely they have been replays of old standards, as time to experiment in the kitchen continues to be minimal with the soon-to-be-one-year-old Vivi Bea in full-throttle toddle. I'm also now cooking with shortcuts: i.e. Trader Joe's presteamed beans, or precut broccoli florets; and cooking with the grocery store restrictions of our new, suburban locale. Future posts may feature rare foodie finds in this neck of the woods. All I can say is, we're cooking a lot at home because the restaurants down here leave much to be desired. And now for that tagine...

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 leek, sliced
1½ tablespoons minced fresh ginger
½ teaspoon ground cardamom
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
¾ pound carrots, peeled and cut into ½-inch coins
1 1 oz. package of Trader Joe's presteamed fava beans
1 cup No-Chicken broth
⅓ cup capers
1/3 c raisins

1. Heat a wide-bottom pan over medium heat. Add oil, then onions and ginger. Cook until onions begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Add cardamom, cinnamon, and cayenne. Stir and cook for about 30 seconds.

2. Add carrots, beans, and broth. Cover and simmer until carrots are almost tender, about 8 minutes. Add capers and raisins. Cover and simmer until carrots are fully tender, 8-10 minutes. If tagine is a bit dry, stir in a few extra tablespoons broth. Add salt to taste.

Some Recent Wines

2006 Pares Balta Penedes Calcari
Jeff loves the Helvetica label, but I recall it was a pretty snappy sweet Spanish white

2007 Rayun Syrah, Rapel, Chile
I'm not the biggest Srah fan, but this one was earthy and understated

2007 Domaine de la Madone Beaujolais
A little sassier than my absolute favorite Gamay (Roches Blanche), but still a good sipper

2006 Brooks Reisling, Willamette Valley, OR
Crisp, slightly sweet, it played nicely with a Crab Rangoon

Potato Korma Curry

I started out with best intentions, but as the preparations for the two curries started to become time-consuming, and my evenings are a narrow window of feeding 2 adults, an 8-month-old, giving baby a bath and then getting her down for the night, I backed out of a delightful andhra aloo recipe I found online once my potatoes were boiled and improvized a quick solution with a spice packet I found in the back of my cupboard.

3 large potatoes, unpeeled, whole
1/2 14 oz. can of diced tomatoes
1/3 large white onion, chopped
1/4 c water
1 packet of Sukhi's Korma Curry paste

Boil potatoes until they are done when poked in the center, about 30 minutes. Cool, peel and cut into cubes. Heat curry paste and water in a large pan on medium heat. Add onion and saute for a few minutes. Add potato and tomatoes (with some of their juice from the can). Heat for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

*Here's what's in the Korma curry paste: onions, canola oil, ginger, poppy seeds, vinegar, cashews, garlic, granulated onion, salt, coriander, tumeric, chickpea flour, lentil flour, sugar, cardamom, cayenne, black pepper, cloves, bay leaves, cinnamon sticks, citric acid, spices, lemon grass, shallots, kafir leaves, lemon oil.

It was tangy and had some heat! Unlike any curry I've made from scratch at home. Maybe because I don't usually have all of the ingredients (like kafir leaves or lemon grass on hand).

Golden Dal

from the yummy food blog Mental Masala. there squash and kale are added, but I was doing a separate potato & tomato korma curry so I just wanted the dal. it's hard to find Indian recipes for dal that don't assume you have a pressure cooker!

1 cup toor dal
6 cups water
1 T. vegetable oil or ghee
3/4 t. turmeric
1 dried bay leaf
1 hot green chili
1 T. grated ginger

1 t. brown mustard seeds
2 t. cumin seeds
1 t. fenugreek seeds
2 dry red chilies
1 T. sugar or jaggery

Cooking the dal
Pick through the dal for stones, sticks and other unacceptable items. Rinse the dal thoroughly, drain, and put into a large pot. Add the 6 cups of water, 1 T. oil, bay leaf, green chili, ginger, and turmeric to the pot containing the dal. Bring to a boil (be careful that it doesn't boil over), then reduce the heat to medium-low, partially cover the pot and cook until the dal are tender (30-40 minutes). Add 1 t. salt or more to taste. Reduce heat to very low.

Heat some vegetable oil or ghee in a small skillet over medium heat. Have a pot lid handy in case the mustard seeds start to scatter and splatter. When it is hot, add the mustard seeds, cumin, fenugreek, and dried chili, cook for about 30 seconds, then add the sugar. Cook, stirring, for about 30 seconds, or until the sugar carmelizes. Pour the spiced oil over the dal and stir. Add the cooked squash and stir.

Gingersnaps

From Better Homes & Gardens New Cook Book -1989

2 1/4 C Flour
1 C packed brown sugar
3/4 C sunflower oil
1/4 C molasses
1 egg
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/4 C granulated sugar for tops of cookies before baking

Combine half the flour and all the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Gradually add in the rest of the flour. Roll in 1 inch balls and dip in sugar. Bake at 375 until tops are crackled.

Note: Dough is dry and kind of hard to work with, but cookies turn out delicious.

French Simmered Pumpkin and Lentils

2 T olive oil
1 large shallot, diced
1 14 0z. can diced tomatoes
1 c green lentils, rinsed
1 1/2 T dried tarragon
1 t dried rosemary
1 T dried thyme
1 t dried garlic
1 t dried basil
1 t white pepper
1 2-lb. pumpkin, peeled, seeded and cubed
1/4 c tomato puree or sauce
2 1/2 c water

Heat oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add shallot and saute 10 minutes, or until onion is translucent and golden. Add tomatoes, lentils, and spices, and cook 2 to 3 minutes more. Stir in pumpkin cubes, tomato puree or sauce, and 2 1/2 c water. Season with salt and pepper.
Reduce heat to medium-low and cook 40 minutes, or until pumpkin and lentils are tender, stirring occasionally and adding more water if needed. Season with salt and pepper.

Serves 8

Good served with baked potatoes. This is an improvization based on the Moroccan Pumpkin and Lentils recipe I tried a while back. J says he likes it even more this way with the French spices. I'd have used fresh spices if I had them, and some white wine in place of water. Next time...

2007 Clos Roche Blanche Gamay T ouraine

This is the wine we've been looking for. The wine of our dreams. Light, mineraly, bashful even. Santa, please bring me a case for Xmas!

Pear Pie

Ingredients
1 frozen pie crust, thawed (Whole Foods brand)
5 cups coarsely chopped peeled pears (about 5 medium, or 6 small)
¼ cup turbinado sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon lemon juice
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 t Earth Balance buttery spread

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Combine pear and the next 6 ingredients and toss well. Pour pear mixture into pie crust. Dot top of pie with Earth Balance and bake for 20 minutes on the lowest oven rack. Pie is done when fruit is tender and crust is golden brown.

Blueberry Pie

I made this in order to use up the 3/4 bag of organic Trader Joe's blueberries I had in the freezer, but I should double this amount next time because it didn't fill up the pie shell.

1 Whole Foods whole wheat frozen pie crust, thawed
5 c frozen blueberries, thawed under running warm water and drained
2 T fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/4 c flour
1/2 c sugar
1/4 t ground cinnamon
2 T Earth Balance vegan butter substitute, cut into small pieces

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly combine all ingredients except for fake butter in a mixing bowl. Pour mixture into pie shell. Dot the top with butter pieces. Bake for 30 minutes. Let cool before serving.

Almond Bread

Only slightly sweet, a little dry... kind of like a lighter version of a scone. Will be nice for breakfast. Could be muffins but I made 2 small loaves instead.

1 egg
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1/3 c. sugar
1/4 c. sunflower oil
1 c. soymilk
2 c. flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
3/4 c. almonds, chopped

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Beat egg, salt and sugar until light and fluffy. Add oil in a stream and continue beating. Beat in milk and almond extract. Add flour and baking powder to batter, stirring several times and add to batter, stirring until just mixed. Add nuts. Bake in greased loaf pans for 25-30 minutes.

Pasta with Butternut Squash and Sage

1 medium butternut squash
1 small sweet onion, peeled and diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
Olive oi
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup fresh sage leaves
1 pound farfalle pasta
3/4 cup pine nuts, toasted

Heat the oven to 375°. Cut the butternut squash in half and scoop out the strings and seeds the middle cavity. Flip the squash halves upside down and peel them. Cut the squash into 1-inch cubes. Drizzle with olive oil and roast in a roasting pan, covered, for about 40 minutes or until the squash is soft.

Heat salted pasta water to boiling and cook the farfalle until al dente. Drain and set aside. As the squash finishes roasting, heat about two tablespoons of olive oil in a large high-sided sauté pan. The oil is ready when it pops and sputters. Saute onion and garlic until translucent. Drop the sage leaves and fry for about a minute, or until they begin to just shrivel up.

Remove with a slotted spoon and salt lightly. Crush with the back of a spoon.

Add pasta to the pan, along with the roasted squash mixture. Crumble in the sage. Cook, stirring frequently, for five minutes or until the pasta is heated through and getting crispy on some of the edges. Add the pine nuts and cook for another minute.

Serves 4

*I forgot the pine nuts when I made this and it was still fabuous. Original recipe called for roating sqaush with onion, sage and garlic on a baking sheet in the oven but this gassed us all and we had to aerate the house and eat around browned up the garlic and the sage into toasty bits. So I simplified the existing recipe to prevent this happening the enxt time I make this.

Creamy Curried Cauliflower Soup

I took the curried cauliflower recipe from this old post and buzzed it through the blender with about 3 cups of vegetable broth and 1 cup of goat's milk. It made a thick, hearty soup that is nicely spiced.

Pumpkin Pie

This uses coconut milk so it's dairy-free. I used an extra 1/4 to 1/3 c of pumpkin that I had leftover, so it's more spicy and pumpkin-y than it is sweet and creamy rich. But in a good way.

1 frozen pie shell (I like Whole Food's whole wheat brand), thawed
3 large eggs, stirred
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup white sugar
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
16 ounces canned pumpkin
1 cup coconut milk

Mix the filling ingredients together. Pour the mixture into the thawed frozen pie shell. Bake for 50-55 minutes at 350 degrees.

*I went a little heavy on the spices and a little light on the sugar, both of which I would play with next time I'm making this. I might also bump up the coconut milk to 1 1/2 cups so it's a little creamier. J said the pie would be perfect as is with some sweet whipped cream on top. At least it didn't feel super decadent when I finished off the last huge slice at 2 a.m. this morning!

Date Syrup

What I rhapsodized over in a recent post I have found online. The gods be praised.

Check out this bit o' history:

"The date palm has flourished in Israel since the Neolithic period near the site of Jericho. It was grown for its leaves (lulav for Sukkot) and general thatching, wood, it was a symbol of immortality or fertility; it had sweet fruit fresh or could be dried, made into date honey or syrup, date liqueur, even the palm leaves could be woven for many items, fibers for ropes and such, woven baskets and brooms, sandals and fans. Apiculture or bee-hive raising was never a major industry of the Jews, and thus it had to be date honey.

Agam Hagalil’s Silan Date Honey is not actually a honey, rather a date syrup that can substituted in its place, this sweet elixir from Israel could put a lot of bees out of business! Use it as a flavorful sweetener in tea or in baking."

Irv and Shelly's Fresh Picks

Last Wednesday I received my first box of produce from Irv and Shelly's Fresh Picks. They deliver fresh, locally-grown organic produce right to your door. And what a bounty- even without the green onions and sweet potatoes they erroneously left out of my order. A gigantic, beautiful head of cauliflower, 2 fuji apples, a bunch of beets, a big head of tat soi greens, garlic chives, a pie pumpkin, a red cabbage and a gigantic portabello mushroom.

I love the cooking challenges presented by the randomness of the week's picks. Here's what's happened to the bounty so far:
I roasted the beets straightaway and had a yummy beet and goat cheese salad with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
I sauteed the beet greens in a little olive oil and water, but we haven't eaten them yet.
I made a few awesome salads out of the tat soi greens- which I'd never had before. Kind of hearty, peppery in flavor. Went nicely with avocado, beets, cherry tomatoes and goat cheese in a vinagrette. Still have a lot of these green guys to eat though.. Perhaps I'll try cooking with them..
Made the Moroccan Pumpkin and Lentils recipe with the pie pumpkin.
Snipped some of the garlic chives over poached cod, but still have a lot of them left...
Ate the apples.

That leaves the cauliflower (perhaps an Indian curry with it and some peas later in the week); the cabbage (a slaw? another soup? I don't know); and the giant mushroom (risotto!) left to deal with. Also a friend gave me 4 giant stalks of brussels sprouts from his garden, so I've got to roast those up today! He suggested braising and freezing the extras.
How I love the fall harvest!

*Update: Cauliflower became creamy curried cauliflower soup; Giant mushroom was sauteed with garlic, olive oil, basil, sliced zucchini and some cherry tomatoes for a pasta topping (but I ate half of it right out of the pan for lunch, sans pasta!); garlic chives went a little limp in the veggie drawer before they got all used up; red cabbage may become a Japanese sesame type of slaw...

Zucchini Soup with Cinnamon, Cumin and Goat's Milk

Original recipe calls for buttermilk, but I substituted goat's milk here and it's still very yummy. The fennel seed is a pivotal flavor here.

2 1/2 c veg broth (Imagine No-Chicken broth)
1 lb. zucchini, cut into chunks
1 T olive oil
1 small onion, chopped (1 c)
1/2 t minced serrano chile, or to taste
1/2 t whole fennel seed
1/2 t ground cinnamon
1 1/2 c goat's milk
Chopped cilantro or mint, for garnish
Kime wedges, for garnish

Bring broth to a boil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add zucchini, reduce heat to low, and simmer, covered, for 4 to 5 minutes, or until zucchini is barely tender and bright green. Cool.
Meanwhile, heat olive oil in skillet over medium heat. Add onion, serrano, fennel seed, cinnamon, and cumin, and saute for 7 to 10 minutes, or until onion is soft. Cool.
Place zucchini and onion miztures into blender and pulse until well chopped but textured. Transfer to bowl, stir in milk and season with salt and pepper. Chill at least 2 hours. Serve garnished with sprinkling of cilantro and lime wedges.

Serves 4

Moroccan Pumpkin and Lentils

2 T olive oil
1 large onion, diced (about 1 1/2 c)
1 jalapeno chile, seeded and sliced
1 14 0z. can diced tomatoes
1 c green lentils, rinsed
1 T paprika
1/ t cayenne pepper
1 t cumin
1 2-lb. pumpkin, peeled, seeded and cubed
1/ c tomato puree
1/4 c chopped cilantro, for garnish

Heat oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and jalapeno and saute 10 minutes, or until onion is translucent and golden. Add tomatoes, lentils, and spices, and cook 2 to 3 minutes more. Stir in pumpkin cubes, tomato puree, and 2 1/2 c water. Season with salt and pepper.
Reduce heat to medium-low and cook 40 minutes, or until pumpkin and lentils are tender, stirring occasionally and adding more water if needed. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with cilantro and serve hot.
Serves 8

*Good over quinoa!

Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Coconut Milk and Ginger

There isn't more to it than the title implies. I roasted 5 sweet potatoes in the oven for an hour at 400. Then masked them up with 1/2 can of coconut milk (full fat, not light... rrrrow) and a tablespoon of minced ginger. And whoa. I've been eating it in the evenings when I get a sweet craving because it's quite dessert-y. I guess for official dessert I could add eggs and make it a custard next time. But this is a good T-giving/X-mas variation next time we're bringing a dish. Makes 5-6 servings.

Creamy Pea Soup

This soup is made with goat's milk as an experiment and I think the tang of the goat's milk compliments the other flavors nicely. Regular milk or soy milk could certainly be used instead. It's a fast and easy soup.

1/2 package frozen peas
1/2 onion, diced
1 box Imagine No-Chicken broth
1 t white pepper
1 t dr1ed thyme
1/2 t salt, optional
1/2 c goat milk

Combine all ingredients except milk in a deep saucepan. Bring to a boil on medium heat. Let it all cook together for 15 minutes. Then transfer to a blender and process until smooth. Add goat's milk and process until jst incorporated.
Serves 4.

Pecan Pie

I've always loved pecan pie even though it's usually too sweet for my liking. I'd never made it before but J suggested it tonight and I used what I had in the pantry. I've never bought or cooked with corn syrup, and as a rule I avoid eating it. But I think in this case the rice syrup and the date syrup don't just make this pie more healthy, but the give it more of a depth of flavor too. The date syrup I inherited from someone I used to work with and I had never tasted or cooked with it before today. Wow. I love the stuff. I hope it's not too hard to find because I'm going to make it a pantry staple from now on.

1 Whole Foods brand whole wheat frozen pie crust, thawed
1 c chopped pecans
3 T Earth Balance butter substitute, melted
3/4 c date syrup
3/4 c brown rice syrup
3 eggs
1/2 t cinnamon
1/4 t nutmeg
1/8 t salt
1 T flour

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Beat the eggs in a mixing bowl. Add date syrup, rice syrup, spices, Earth Balance and salt, and mix well. Stir in pecans and flour. Place mixture into an unbaked 9-inch pie shell. Bake for 40 minutes or until firm in the center. Cool.

**Added later: WOW. Date syrup. My new best pantry friend. So good over oatmeal and roasted squash. Please let me find you at a Middle Eastern grocery somewhere. Whole Foods does not carry you.

Quick Gumbo

This can easily be vegetarian without the sausage, or by using Boca sausage. In this case I used andouille-flavored chicken sausage.

2 T olive oil
3 cloves garlic, pressed
3/4 onion, chopped
1 package of frozen red, yellow and green pepper strips (365 brand)
1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 15 oz. can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 T cajun spice
4 spicy veg or chicken sausage links, cut into 1" pieces
3/4 c rice (white or quick-cooking brown)
8 oz. frozen cut okra

Heat oil in large, deep pan over medium heat. Add garlic and onion and saute until fragrant. Add pepper strips and stir. Cook 4 minutes.
Add tomatoes, beans, Cajun spice, and sausage. Bring to a boil, and stir in rice. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer 15 minutes. Add okra and simmer 10 minutes more, or until rice is cooked, but not sticky.

Coq Au Vin

Having very few experiences cooking meat, and even fewer using the slow-cooker, I found this recipe to be an easy success. Good with a baguette and butter, or without to keep it gluten and dairy free.

2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs (if frozen, be sure they are thawed)
1 t salt
1/2 t pepper
3 T olive oil
1 12 oz. box white or baby bella mushrooms, quartered
3 carrots, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, pressed
1/2 c broth (veg or chicken)
1 1/2 c dry red wine
2 fresh thyme sprigs

Rinse chicken and arrange on a sheet of wax paper or a plate. Season both sides with salt and pepper.
Heat 2 T olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chicken, smooth side down, and cook 3 minutes per side, or until lightly browned. Remove chicken and set aside. Heat remaining 1 T olive oil in same skillet; saute mushrooms 3 to 5 minutes, or until edges begin to brown. Add carrots, onion, and garlic, and season with salt; cook 10 to 12 minutes or until vegetables begin to soften. transfer vegetables and broth to slow cooker. Arrange chicken on top. Add wine and thyme sprigs.
Cover slow cooker and cook on med-low for 6 to 7 hours.

*J liked this dish a lot but I thought it was a little too "dark tasting"

Granola

This proved to be a good way of clearing out my pantry of misc. nuts and seeds so that I can go restock with a fresher supply when it comes to baking and sprinkling on salads and hot cereal. Next time I make this though I've got to get the stuff off of the baking sheet before it cools and turns into concrete. It's a terrible mess scraping it all off of there. Maybe transferring the hot mixture into a bowl or spreading it out onto wax paper will work better.

2 c rolled oats
1 c mixed seeds (flax, sunflower, pumpkin, sesame)
1 c mixed chopped nuts (walnuts, almonds, pecans, hazelnuts, pistachios)
1/2 t salt
1/2 honey
1/3 c sunflower oil
1 T vanilla extract
1 c assorted dried fruit (dried cranberries, raisins, dried blueberries, goji berries)

Prehear oven to 350 F. Combine oats, seeds, nuts, and salt in a bowl. Whisk together honey, oil, and vanilla and stir into dry ingredients. Spread granola on baking sheet coated with nonstick cooking spray.
Bake 15 to 18 minutes, or until golden brown, stirring once or twice during baking. Cool until dry and crunchy.
Break granola into bite-size pieces and stir in dried fruit. Store in airtight container.

Azuki Bean, Sweet Potato and Quinoa Stew

1 can Eden Aduki beans, drained and rinsed

1 large sweet potato, cut into 1" cubes

3/4 c quinoa

2 c vegetable broth (Imagine No-Chicken broth)

1 medium onion, diced

1-2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

1 T cumin

1 T tumeric

1/2 T ginger powder

1/2 T cinnamon

2-3 T olive oil

Warm olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add spices and stir until spices release their fragrance (about a minute or two). Then add onion and garlic and stir until translucent. Add vegetable broth to prevent spices from scorching. Add sweet potato and azuki beans. Stir, cover, and let simmer for 20-30 minutes, or until sweet potatoes are tender and cooked through. Stir in quinoa and let cook for 10 minutes or until quinoa is done (the little tails emerge from the quinoa seeds and they resemble commas). Stew should be quite soupy when quinoa is added and then the quinoa absorbs the rest of the liquid. More broth may need to be added as quinoa cooks.

Makes 6 servings

*This is really good served with collard greens sauteed in a little garlic and olive oil

Blueberry Muffins 2.0

3 cups of all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 c sunflower oil
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cup plain yogurt

1 1/2 cups blueberries
1 Tbsp flour (if using defrosted frozen berries)

Preheat oven to 375°F. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, mix oil and sugar together. Add eggs one at a time, beating until incorporated after each one.

Beat in one half of the dry ingredients until just incorporated. Beat in one third of the yogurt. Beat in half of the remaining dry ingredients. Beat in a second third of the yogurt. Beat in the remaining dry ingredients and then the remaining yogurt. Again be careful to beat until just incorporated. Do not over beat. Fold in the berries. If you are using frozen berries, defrost them first, drain the excess liquid, and then coat them in a light dusting of flour.

Use a standard 12-muffin muffin pan. Coat each muffin cup lightly with canola oil spray. Distribute the muffin dough equally among the cups. Bake until muffins are golden brown, about 25 minutes. Test for doneness. Set on wire rack to cool for 5 minutes. Remove muffins from the tin and serve slightly warm.

Makes 11 huge muffins

St. Vincent 2006 Muscadet.

And the wine that was enjoyed with the lentil ragout...

St. Vincent 2006 Muscadet.

I've been on a Muscadet kick lately. This one is the boggiest yet. That's a compliment. I like the peaty, stoney flavor of this grape and this bottle shows that off nicely.

Lentil and Green Bean Ragout with Red Chard

Improvised this one last week and J quickly awarded it "top 5 favorite meals" status. It's up there for me too. I made it again last night with fresh thyme instead of dried and with a Muscadet instead of Vourvay wine. Measurements are approximate as well.

1-2 T butter
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1-2 shallots, minced
1 1/2 c fresh green beans, trimmed
2 c Melissa's ready-to-eat lentils (this is a great shortcut that makes this a quick meal)
2 15 oz. cans of diced tomatoes, undrained
1/3 c dry white wine
1 1/2 T dried tarragon
1 1/2 T dried or fresh thyme
1/2 T salt
1/2 T white pepper

Melt butter in a deep pan over medium heat. When it starts to foam add shallots and garlic. Stir until fragrant and translucent. Add lentils and tomatoes with juice from the can. Add all other ingredients except for green beans, cover and let simmer for 5-10 minutes. Then add green beans and continue simmering for 15 minutes or until green beans are soft and flavors have come together.

Serve with chilled white wine, fresh crusty French bread and butter and sauteed red chard. Makes 6-8 servings.

****tone the spices down! Did I mistype when I made a big "t" for "tablespoon?"


Sauteed Red Chard (serves 2)

1 bunch of organic red chard
1-2 T olive oil
1-2 t water
1 T balsamic vinegar

Heat oil in a pan. Trim center rid out of chard leaves and cut remaining chard into large pieces. Add chard to pan with water and cover. Watch closely, stir once or twice. Chard is done when it is wilted but bright in color. Finish by tossing with vinegar.

Clos de la Fine 2007

Domaine des Herbauges
Muscadet Cotes de Grandlieu Sur Lie

A good drinker on its own, didn't do anything special with a roast chicken and salad, but then drunk with some sugar cookies from our favorite place (no average sugar cookie) it was sublime. Something about Muscadet and butter... what is it?

Chateau Haut Nadeau Bordeaux 2005

Very fragrant right out of the bottle. Rich, deep flavor with notes of cherry and more tannins than I've entertained in a while.

Francois Pinon Vouvray 206 Cuvee Tradition

I'm not sure how many more wines like this I'll be able to consume without abducting myself for the Loire Valley to lick some yummy, mineral-y, wet rocks and down many many bottles of reds and whites. But oh, the whites.

Had this by itself and with a light stirfry meal. Would like to try again with something spicy since it really hangs on the palate. I can't recall but we had a Gerz recently with an Indian curry that had fabulous cleansing powers as well.

Chocolate White Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 1/2 c flour

1/4 t salt

1 t baking soda

1/3 c unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 c brown sugar

1/4 c sugar

1/2 c oil

2 eggs

1/2 t vanilla

1/2 c sweetened coconut (shredded or flaked)

1 c coarsely chopped nuts (I used almonds)

1/2 10 oz. package white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375. In a medium mixing bowl, mix together flour, salt, baking soda and cocoa powder. In a separate bowl, beat sugars, oil and eggs until smooth. Beat in vanilla and coconut. Gradually add dry ingredients and mix together until thoroughly blended. Stir in nuts and chocolate chips. Spray baking sheets with cooking oil spray. Drop dough by heaping tablespoonfuls onto the greased sheets. Bake for 10 minutes.

Applesauce Spice Cake

From Nov. 2006 issue of Real Simple. This cake came together in a snap. Dumping all of the ingredients into a saucepan of melted butter makes it a fast one. Original recipe calls for 1 c of raisins, but I left them out this time.

2 c flour

2 t baking soda

1/2 t salt

1 stick unsalted butter

1 c sugar

1 2/3 c applesauce

2 t ground cinnamon

1 t ground ginger

pinch ground nutmeg

1 t vanilla extract

2 large eggs

Heat oven to 350. Butter and flour (or spray with canola spray) a 9-inch springform or round cake pan. (I used the bundt attachment in my springform.) In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. In a large saucepan, over medium heat, melt the butter. Remove from heat and stir in the sugar, applesauce, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, vanilla, and eggs. Add the flour mixture and stir just until combined. Pour into prepared pan. Bake cake until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes*. Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes. Using a knife, loosen the cake from the pan. Invert it onto a serving plate. Sprinkle cake with confectioner's sugar, slice into wedges, and serve with ice cream.

*Actual cook time for me was 55 minutes.

Roasted Beets with Sour Cream and Dill

I tried to replicate the yummy beet side dish we had at the bistro last week, and while this didn't taste like it (maybe I erred on the side of simplicity.. is there an obvious spice missing?), this turned out yummy in its own right. 

10 small beets, ends trimmed

olive oil

2/3 c sour cream

4-5 T chopped fresh dill

Mix together sour cream and dill. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 375. Put beets in covered casserole dish with a drizzling of olive oil. Roast in oven for about 1 hour. Let cool. I'm sure there's a better way, but what I do is rub the skins off once beets are cool enough to handle. Cut skinned beets into slices. Top with sour cream mixture. Can be served warm or cool. Makes about 6 servings.

Pineapple-Jicama Salsa

I made this once before and served it over grilled turbot. I'm not sure what recipe it was derived from, but there was so much leftover after the fish was gone I was content to eat it straight and call it a salad. This one ended up with more heat from only 1/2 a serrano than I expected, but I still found it to be nosh-able by itself. J whipped up some chicken & black bean tacos with it this afternoon. 

1 whole pineapple, peeled and diced

1 whole jicama (small), peeled and diced

1/2 serrano pepper (or less)

juice of 1 1/2 limes

1/4 chopped fresh cilantro

1/2 red onion, diced

Combine all ingredients in a bowl.

Sardines

Have I said enough good things about sardines? This has been another pregnancy mainstay. They're more flavorful than canned tuna, do not poison fetus and I with mercury, and are high in Omega 3's for brain-developing goodness. Not too shabby in the protein and iron departments either. My preferred kind is the wild caught skinless & boneless sardines packed in water. 

I had been throwing a can together with a little mayo and some capers and calling it a day.. maybe spreading it on some whole grain bread with some fresh slices of tomato if I was feeling particularly fancy. But today I added a few elements from the salmon sandwiches of last week's shower: chopped green onion and horseradish... upping the zazz quotient considerably. 

The Last Supper?

Two weeks from D-Day and good friend V suggested we make a date at the restaurant where she works. As the lack of action on this blog for the past few months might indicate, I've been cooking little and eating like a toddler: i.e. plain chicken and slices of avocado will go down as favorite pregnancy dinner of all time. The "flavors together" concept most dear to the fundamental nature of cooking has been on the outs with me this entire trimester, with a few notable exceptions. This meal, for one.

J and I ordered a full dinner from the menu only to be surprised by additional plates of things V felt we should try. This made for quite a feast- and plenty of leftovers.

We got to Bistro C at 6 and were seated in a romantic window seat in the front of the restaurant where we could watch the rain coming down in their outdoor gardens and the people rushing by on Lincoln Ave. Within the hour the restaurant filled up around us, but our location still felt very private and intimate (and I'm quite sensitive to feeling crowded in lately!). Our initial server came over and explained the specials, but then V saw us and took over. We didn't expect such treatment, but soon she had a glass of champagne in each of our hands as a proper start to what would be an epic 3-hour meal that consisted of:

A carmelized onion strudel appetizer

A salad consisting of a soft-boiled egg atop a creamy mash of celery root beside some poached asparagus

A shaved fennel salad with pea shoots

(J, reserving his red meat trists for such nights out:) Boeuf Bourguignon

(Me, the constant chicken-eater:) Roasted chicken with wild mushroom ragout and onions frites

Brussels sprouts with brown butter

Roasted beets with dill cream

Buttery mashed potatoes

With this I enjoyed a nice glass of Clos Chanteduc Cotes-du-Rhone, 2006 and J had the Malbec (Chateau Lagrezette, Zette, Cahors 2003).

J found a little room to help me with dessert, the lemon tart with Chantilly cream, and V brought out a scoop of Bistro C's homemade mango sorbet for good measure.

This meal will go down in infamy. What a celebration of our soon-to-be next adventure. 

April Showers

Today was my baby shower and while friends generously offered their hosting services, I felt adamant about making the food myself. (Acupuncturist K laughed at hearing this, saying that last year family members had to twist her arm not to cater her own wedding.) 

With mimosas and tea sandwiches as the rubric, I commenced with making several varieties of teeny sandwiches, improvising a bit, keeping the mayo to a minimum.. so these recipes are approximations.

Also served: a fresh fruit salad of kiwi, blackberries, blueberries, honeydew, cantaloupe, and pineapple; a cheese board of smoked gouda, herbed chevre, and brie with water crackers; vegetable crudites; white bean hummus; nuts; a yummy spicy tuna salad on crackers brought by V; ginger biscotti made by my mom; an artful and delicious yellow buttercream cake with a branch of acorns sketched on it in dark chocolate brought by Jenny; and the incredibly large, heavy, dense, rich Chocolate Genache Cake I ordered from Bleeding Heart Bakery. (Any disparaging remarks I've made in the past about BH's homemade seitan are expunged from the record with the excellent service I received when ordering this cake, and the cake itself left no dark chocolate diehard unwowed.)

As for those teeny sandwiches...

Curried Chicken Salad

8 cooked chicken breasts (Trader Joe's sells a bag of frozen chicken breasts that are hormone free and cook up quick and easy... this has been my cooking mainstay for the last few months. I cooked up about 8 of these in a little olive oil, let them cool and then chopped them up for the chicken salad)

3/4 c finely chopped walnuts

4 celery stalks, finely chopped

salt, to taste (approx. 2 t)

mayonnaise, enough to moisten (approx. 1/2 c)

curry powder, to taste (approx. 1 T)

loaf of fresh country white bread

With a rolling pin I flattened the pieces of bread. I'm not sure why I did this. Maybe to make them denser like the little cocktail bread slices I had seen in the store (which, by the way, are full of corn syrup and weirdness). Mixed up all ingredients and spread on these flattened pieces of bread, making half a dozen or so proper-sized sandwiches. Then I cut these into two-bite pieces, so I got about 2 dozen little sandwiches out of them. 

Smoked Salmon Sandwiches

4 T minced green onion

4 T minced fresh dill

4 T capers

3 t prepared horseradish

approx. 1/2 c mayonnaise

pepper to taste

8 oz. smoked salmon

6 oz. cream cheese

1/2 loaf pumpernickel bread

Mix together green onion, dill, capers, horseradish, mayo and pepper. Roll out slices of bread (again, for same reasons stated above.. not necessary). Spread mixture onto one slice of bread. On other slice of bread spread cream cheese and cover with salmon slices. Put them together, cut into quarters or more, and repeat. Again, I think I got about 2 dozen sandwiches out of this. The horseradish gives the spread a great kick.

Other sandwiches I made, which don't really warrant detailed recipes here: Egg salad with fresh dill, and cucumber sandwiches with cream cheese and green onion.

Roasted Acorn Squash stuffed with Curried Quinoa and Chickpeas

This was not a very methodical preparation since I roasted the squash, and while it was roasted I decided to do the rest. So in the future I'm sure some of these steps can be combined.

Split an acorn squash in half, scoop out seeds and strings, put face down in 1/4 inch of water in a roasting pan. Cover pan and bake for 1 hour in a 400 degree oven.

In a saucepan, boil 2 1/2 c of water. Add 1 1/2 c quinoa. Lower heat and stir occasionally until most of water is absorbed and quinoa looks like little commas. In another pan, I heated a tablespoon or two of olive oil and sauteed two pressed garlic cloves. I would have done some onion too, but we were out. Add to that a 19 ox. can of chickpeas and 2 t curry power. Stir. Add a tablespoon or two of water to give mixture a little "sauce" and to prevent spices from scorching. Cook on medium heat for 5 minutes or so. Chickpeas should taste thoroughly curried. To this I added 1/2 c of sliced almonds and the quinoa. The quinoa still had some water in it, so at first the mixture looked a little loose, but soon the water cooked out and it all came together quite nicely. I would have added some chopped parsley for color and flavor if we had it. Next time!

Had this with lacinato kale sauteed in olive oil and garlic.

Blueberry Muffins

How To Cook Everything single-handedly gave us our crash course in fish cookery a few years ago when we first started to decommission our vegetarian status. And we love the weekly Minimalist feature the author does in the NY Times. But this muffin recipe requires some tweaking.

While attractive as all get-out, and look, they're smooching, I goofed and used baking soda instead of baking powder. I wondered why one would want the b soda flavor so present, muscling out the yummy fresh blueberries I felt lucky to bag this time of year. My mistake! And though I low-balled the 1/2 c of sugar, I was wanting for more sweetness, and moisture, in the final analysis. (But maybe those two things too were the result of my soda/powder mixup.)

3 T canola oil
2 c all-purpose flour
1/2 c sugar, or to taste
1/2 t salt
3 t baking powder
1 egg
1 c milk
1 c fresh blueberries
1/2 t fresh lemon zest

Preheat oven to 400. Grease muffin pan.
Mix together dry ingredients in a bowl. Beat together the egg, milk, and oil. Mae a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour the wet ingredients into it. Using a large wooden spoon or rubber spatula, combine the ingredients swiftly, stirring and folding rather than beating, and stopping as soon as all the dry ingredients are moistened.
Spoon the batter into the muffin tins. I got 7 huge muffins out this. Bake 20-30 minutes.

Essenza di Malvasia ICT 2006

Since my wine habit has been limited to sips and drams these last few months, pregnancy supernose was delighted to encounter this one, the sips of which were worth the 6th toe.

A nice dry white, full, with crisp acidity, good structure, and very fruity.

More information, en Deutch!

Producers: Vinosia, Campania
Jahrgang/Vintage: 2006
Rebsorte(n): 100% Malvasia Grape (s)
Alkoholgehalt/Alcohol content: 13%

Genuss/Enjoyment:
Empfohlene Lagerzeit/Recommended storage time: 2007 - 2009
Höhepunkt/Peak: 2008
Empfohlene Trinktemperatur/Recommended temperature: 8-10 ° C.

A few more months and I'll be revisiting this bottle with gusto.

The Chicken Sandwich, deconstructed, plus brussels sprouts

Thankfully vegetables are making a comeback as far as my preg palate is concerned, but I crack myself up to think that this meal is a prime example of my new eating style. I've had a hard time eating out lately because of a problematic situation with "flavors together." Even if they're flavors I like. I have to taste everything separately. Or so says month 6 of pregnancy. So here: rotisserie chicken breast, sliced avocado, sliced cheddar cheese and b sprouts. Period.

Apparently from now on, I'm eating like a child. Also good: melted chocolate smeared on a banana topped with chopped walnuts. Mmm.

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.