Chocolate cupcakes!

These chocolate cupcakes come from a cookbook that I've wanted for a long time, but couldn't bring myself to shell out $25 for: BabyCakes! (Yup, they're gluten-free, sugar-free, and vegan.) Since I had to return a gift to Anthropologie and couldn't find anything else in the store to exchange for it, I decided this was a good time to buy.

To be honest, I was actually pretty skeptical about how these cupcakes would turn out...now I'm a believer! They're delicious. If you're willing to buy a lot of non-traditional baking stuff (totally worth it!), I highly recommend them. (Oh, and because I'm waiting for the frosting to chill, I don't have a pic--they're the ones on the cover.)

Cupcakes:
1 and 3/4 c. garbanzo-fava bean flour
1/2 c. potato starch
1 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 c. arrowroot
1 T. plus 1.5 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. xanthan gum (fun to buy!)
2 t. salt
1 c. coconut oil
1 and 1/3 c. agave nectar
3/4 c. applesauce (unsweetened)
3 T. pure vanilla extract
1 c. hot water or hot coffee (I used coffee)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees and line muffin tins.
Whisk together all the dry ingredients and then add the oil, agave, etc. (the liquids), stirring until the batter is smooth. Pour approx. 1/3 c. batter into each cup, and bake on center rack for 22 minutes. After 15 minutes, rotate the tins 180 degrees. Let the cupcakes stand in tins for 20 minutes, then cool on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container in the 'fridge for up to 3 days.

Frosting:
1.5 c. unsweetened soy milk
1/2 c. dry soy milk powder
1/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder (for more milk chocolate-y frosting, replace 2 T. of the cocoa powder with soy milk powder)
1 T. coconut flour
1/4 c. agave nectar
1 T. pure vanilla extract
1 c. coconut oil
2 T. fresh lemon juice

In a blender or food processor, combine everything (except oil and lemon juice) and blend for 2 minutes. Slowly add lemon juice and oil (alternating) until fully incorporated. Refrigerate for 6 hours. Frost!

"Christmas Goose" and Red Cabbage

I was paging through the Schumacher cookbook a few weeks ago, and came upon this recipe for Christmas Goose. Schumacher's was a restaurant in New Prague, MN near my grandparent's farm that made lots of German and Czech foods - a combination of both my maternal grandparents.

Not having yet made a plan for the day, goose roasting and eating with loved ones seemed as good a project as any. Plus I saw that geese were on sale at the Seward (turns out they are pretty pricey). I later learned that my grandfather loved goose, but that my grandma wouldn't let him cook it in the house - only outside (probably on the outdoor stove he used for making maple syrup). The goose turned out delicious. They are much fattier than other fowl (I have plans to render the fat at some point), and also dry out more easily - hence the large amount of water in the recipe. *I also made the Red Cabbage recipe from the cookbook, which was amazing.


1 Goose, 6-7 pounds
1 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
1 T. caraway seeds
1 large peeled onion
1 quart water
*My Goose was over 9 pounds, which meant longer cooking. I also used almost twice as much of the salt/pepper/caraway.

Remove all internals from the goose cavity (see photo). Save the liver, heart, gizzard, and neck (I used this to make gravy.) Remove wings at elbow joint (this required some bone snapping and the use of a knife). Wash goose thoroughly making sure cavity is clean. Season inside and outside with salt, pepper, and caraway seeds. Stuff cavity with whole, peeled onion. Place in roaster on top of wings and neck bone with one quart of water, breast side up. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 3 1/2 hours (this one cooked over 4 1/2 hours). Goose is done with this handy tip: pull legs in opposite directions, if they spring back the goose is not done. Please note in the top left photo that the leg was definitely sprawled when removed from oven...no spring action was occurring!

When the goose is tender and ready, drain off water and fat. Return to oven, uncovered for 10 minutes to dry and crisp skin (mine was already dry and crisp, so I skipped that step). They recommend a cranberry-orange sauce, but my dinner party determined that the trifecta of goose, potato, and gravy was a stellar combo. yum.

Super fast couscous bowl

Like Megan, I've been eating a lot of heavy stuff lately (cheesy dough in particular!), so this dish--inspired by a blog post I read about sun-dried tomatoes--is a welcome change. I've been using couscous from a box (Near East's Roasted Garlic & Olive Oil) but it's also really easy to make couscous from scratch.

Because this is something I just throw together, there are no precise measurements:

1) Prepare couscous.
2) In a frying pan, saute garlic and red pepper flakes (to taste) in approx. 2 tablespoons olive oil (I use the olive oil from the sun-dried tomato jar). Add a handful of almonds, stirring frequently so they don't burn. Add chopped sun-dried tomatoes (as many as you'd like) and then a fistful of arugula, cooking until it wilts. Squeeze some lemon juice on everything. Add salt and pepper to taste.
3) Put couscous in a bowl, top with arugula mixture, and add feta or goat cheese. Super easy!

Turkey noodle soup with homemade egg noodles

After purging most of the cream puffs, fudge, cookies, chex mix and other super healthy leftover x-mas food, we were left with a Ziplock bag of turkey. E was craving soup, and I was about to buy a bag of frozen egg noodles to make mom's turkey noodle. Luckily, I had the following sudden insight: hey, wait a minute, those suckers can't be that hard to make. Less than 30 minutes later, we had a very tasty pot of turkey noodle soup and not a drop on our new aprons.

Egg noodles:
Mix 2 C flour, a pinch of salt, 2 eggs (beaten), 1/2 C milk, and a tablespoon of butter for about 5 min. Let sit for 10. roll and cut into desired shapes. Toss them into hot soup and boil for a few minutes.

Wild Rice Salad

Lately wild rice and I are having a torrential love affair...I already had wild rice with milk and maple syrup for breakfast. Which can be beat only by wild rice porridge (grind the rice in a coffee grinder and cook it 1:4 parts water) - also with milk and maple syrup. So here we are: a family recipe that my mom and her sisters make a lot. Winter salad is singing to me tonight - particularly since I've been eating lots of cheese, meat, and cream.

Incidentally, since I am bringing you along on the wild rice affair, here is a great article by Winona LaDuke about ricing in Minnesota and the industrialization of "wild" rice (3 pages...it just looks longer). Support the White Earth Land Recovery Project - their rice is at the co-op.

This is not the most precise recipe. I'll put in my estimated amounts, but it is very flexible.
2+ cups wild rice
2-3 carrots, diced small
2-3 celery stalks, diced small
1/2 c+ mixed raw, unsalted nuts (cashews, almonds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, etc)
1 c. dried fruit (craisins, raisins, currents, diced apricots...)
2 scallions, chopped
1/2 c. frozen peas (maybe more)
handfuls of chopped parsley
juice of 1-2 lemons
salt
olive oil drizzle

Cook the rice according to the instructions, then mix all ingredients together.

couscous!

So I took a brief hiatus from the blog (but not entirely from cooking) in order to finish up a semester of student teaching. Charming as those kiddos were, they really cut into my time for culinary adventures. Alas, it's been all about easy around here, and couscous has been a welcome addition to the regular rotation. It's quick, it's easy, it's cheap, and it's tasty, right?
Here are two recipes from my straight aunt Martha. While you might not use them to dazzle your dinner guests, it's possible you'll find that you happen to have all (or at least most) of the ingredients on a cold winter night, thus preventing a last-minute run to the grocery store.

#1 Couscous with chicken and orange
1 cup couscous
1 cup shredded rotisserie chicken
1/3 cup pistachios, toasted and coarsely chopped
1 navel orange, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons red-wine vinegar
coarse salt and ground pepper

In a medium bowl, pour 1 cup boiling water over couscous. Cover and let sit until tender, 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork. In another medium bowl, combine chicken, pistachios, orange, mint, oil and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. Toss couscous with chicken mixture.

I'm quite sure we had neither mint nor pistachios, but it hit the spot anyway.

#2 Couscous with spinach and onions
1 medium onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups chicken broth
some spinach, chopped
1 cup couscous
2 tablespoons lemon juice
salt, pepper, whatev.

In a saucepan, cook and stir onion and garlic in hot oil until tender. Add the broth and spinach. Bring mixture to a boil and stir occasionally. Add in couscous; stir to combine. Cover, remove pan from heat, and let stand 5 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Add remaining ingredients; stir to combine.

russian tea cakes.

this recipe is from smitten kitchen. they're absolutely delicious. nutty and buttery and especially good with coffee.

russian tea cakes:

1 cup butter, room temperature

2 cups powdered sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups flour

1 cup pecans, hazelnuts, or other nuts, toasted and finely ground (i used pecans)

1/8 tsp cinnamon

using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until light and fluffy. add 1/2 cup powdered sugar and vanilla; beat until well blended. beat in flour, then nuts. divide dough in half; form each half into a ball. wrap separately in plastic and chill until cold, about 30 minutes.

preheat oven to 350. whisk remaining 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar and cinnamon in pie dish to blend, set aside.

roll chilled dough by 2 teaspoonfuls between palms into balls. arrange on baking sheet, spacing 1/2 inch apart. bake until golden brown on bottom and just pale golden on top, about 18 minutes. cool cookies 5 minutes on backing sheet. gently toss warm cookies in cinnamon sugar to coat completely. transfer to rack and cool completely.

coconut lime bars

the photo is a key lime pie that i made for the big post-thanksgiving pie potluck. it was ok. but the lime bars i made with the leftover limes were way better. so you get that recipe with the pie photo-since i forgot to take one of the bars.
crust:
3/4 c plus 2 tbs all purpose flour
3/4 stick (6 tbs) butter--cold, cut into bits
1/3 c toasted coconut flakes, cooled
1/4 c powdered sugar
1/4 tsp salt


custard:
4 lg eggs
1 c sugar (i used slightly less)
1/3 c all purpose flour
1/2 c plus 2 tbs fresh lime juice (about 5 limes)
1 tbs freshly grated lime zest
1/3 c toasted coconut flakes, cooled

make crust:
preheat oven to 325. butter and flour 8x8 baking dish-knocking out excess flour.
in a bowl, blend with fingers flour, butter, coconut, powdered sugar and salt until the mixture resembles course meal. pat mixture into pan and bake in middle of oven 25 to 30 min or until golden brown. (i had to bake mine several minutes longer for it to begin to brown).

make custard:
in a bowl whisk together eggs and sugar until well combined. stir in flour, lime juice and zest.
pour mixture over crust and bake in middle of oven 20 minutes. top custard with coconut and bake 5 to 10 minutes more or until just set. cool in pan on rack and chill at least one hour.

village style potatoes and carrots

This recipe is from Ixchel and making it always reminds me of cooking on 10th Ave. It's easy and hearty and absolutely delicious.

Village Style Potatoes and Carrots

3-4 carrots, peeled and diced

4-5 potatoes, peeled and diced

1 cup frozen peas

1 Tbsp fresh ginger

2 cloves garlic

2 tomatoes, finely minced or grated

1 1/2 tsp garam masala

1/4 tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp cayenne

1 1/2 tsp salt

saute onion, garlic, and ginger in oil until just beginning to brown at the edges. put in the spices, salt, and tomatoes and stir fry on medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes, the tomatoes will break down and the sauce will thicken. add the potatoes and carros, stir, add about 1/2 cup of water and cover the pan. let cook on low, covered, until vegetables are tender. add peas and cook until heated through. serve over rice with plenty of the Super Fantastic Yogurt Sauce.

Super Fantastic Yogurt Sauce

1 1/2 cup plain full fat yogurt

1 clove garlic, very finely minced

pinch paprika

1/2-1 tsp salt

Ginger-miso soup with noodles

I really like soup, and I really like Jeanne Lemlin's cookbook (see gingerbread post below), but I've never been a big fan of miso soup, despite its amazing nutritional qualities. (I guess I don't like plenty of nutritious foods, like eggs. But anyway.) Enter JL's ginger-miso soup: this is a delicious soup! The key, I think, is to use sweet white miso, which has a milder flavor than some other types of miso.

From Vegetarian Classics:
8 oz. udon or linguine (I use udon, but want to experiment next time with soba)
1/4 c. tamari
1/2 c. roughly sliced gingerroot (with skin on)
4 oz. firm tofu, cut into 1/2-in. cubes
2 scallions, thinly sliced (I use more)
1/4 c. white (sweet) miso
1 T. sesame oil

1. Boil water for the udon and cook until tender but not mushy--approx. 6 minutes. Drain in a colander, rinse under cold running water, drain again, and then set aside.
2. In the same pot (make sure it's fairly large), bring 6 cups of water plus the tamari and ginger to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the ginger with a slotted spoon and compost.
3. Stir in the tofu and half the scallions. Lower the heat to very low. NOTE: I'm not a fan of raw tofu, so I fry mine up in some sesame oil and tamari until they are crisp little cubes, and then I add to the soup. But if you like raw tofu, all the better since it saves a step.
4. Place the miso in a small bowl. Remove about 1/2 c. broth and stir it into the miso to dilute it and prevent lumping. Pour the mixture into the broth. Stir in the sesame oil and udon. Let the udon heat through, but do NOT let the soup boil after the miso is added. (To do so would destroy some of its aforementioned nutritive value!)
5. Garnish with remaining scallions and serve!

Upside-Down Pear Gingerbread Cake!

I have a bunch of recipes backed up since I've been super lazy about cooking recently (and these are all from three or so weeks ago). Anyway, I made this cake when my mom was visiting in October. I wanted something special and autumnal, and this seemed fairly easy, which is important to me because I am not all that into baking. And it was delicious! Oh, and it's from this great cookbook by Jeanne Lemlin called Vegetarian Classics: 300 Essential and Easy Recipes for Every Meal. (Full title! Sometimes when I'm writing papers, I make sure to list the entire title to eat up space. Oh dear.)

Anyway, here it is!

Topping:
4 T. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 c. firmly packed light or dark brown sugar
2 ripe but firm pears (Bosc or Anjou)

Cake:
1 c. unbleached flour
1 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
2 t. cinnamon
1 t. ground ginger
1/2 t. ground cloves
1 egg
1/2 c. firmly packed light or dark brown sugar
1/3 c. unsulfured molasses
1/2 c. sour milk (combine 1/2 c. milk with 1 T. vinegar and let sit for 5 minutes)
4 T. melted butter

To serve: whipped cream, spiked with rum! (This is especially good.)

1. Preheat over to 350 degrees and butter the sides of a 9-in. round cake pan (not a springform pan, apparently).
2. To make the topping, melt the butter in a small saucepan, add the brown sugar and stir together until blended. Scrape into cake pan and spread evenly.
3. Peel and slice each pear into quarters and get rid of the cores. Slice each quarter into 3 slices and then arrange 'em evenly around the pan (there should be 24).
4. To make cake: in a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. In a separate bowl, beat together the egg, brown sugar, molasses, sour milk, and melted butter. Add to flour mixture and stir until well-blended. (I tried not to overmix because I have heard that does something weird to cake batter.)
5. Pour the batter over the pears. Bake 30 minutes, or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cook for 10 minutes or so and then invert on a plate (this is the fun part!). Serve with the whipped cream!

Baked Chiles Rellenos and Mesa Red Sauce

Can you handle yet another Rebar recipe? This one is amazing, though a little high maintenance with roasting the peppers...but so worth it. I had a bunch of poblano and banana peppers that I picked pre-frost last week, and have been wanting to make chilis rellenos for awhile. Maybe the fried version next! Rebar suggest serving these "in a pool of" mesa red sauce - which is a great sauce for all kinds of things. That recipe follows.

1 1/3 c. masa harina
1/2 c. hot water
6-8 chiles (Anaheim, Poblano, or Pasilla)
2 t. veggies oil
1 med. yam, peeled and diced
1 c. corn, fresh or frozen
2 jalepenos, seeded and diced
2 T. butter, softened
2 T. vegetable shortening (i used lard from the seward. yum.)
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. baking powder
1/4 c. warm water
1 c. grated jack cheese
2 t. ancho chili powder
1/2 recipe mesa red sauce

1. Combine masa harina and water in a mixing bowl and mix at medium speed for 5 min. (i did this by hand and all was well.) Cover and let dough rest for one hour.
2. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Place whole peppers on parchment lined baking sheet. Cut a slit along the length of each pepper and roast for 15-20 minutes until the skins blister. put in plastic bag or in bowl covered with plastic wrap for 10 minutes. Peel away skin (gently!) and try to keep chili as intact as possible. *For the record, I found this difficult. Rinse out the seeds and set aside to dry.
3. Reduce oven to 350 degrees. Heat ooil in skillet and saute yams for 5 min. Add corn and jalepenos, season with a pinch of salt, and saute for until veggies are tender. Transfer to a bowl and set aside to cool.
4. Return to masa dough and mix in butter and shortening - one spoonful at at time until well blended. In a separate small bowl, combine salt, baking powder, warm water and stir to dissolve. Mix in masa dough until well combined, then stir in veggies, cheese, and chili powder. Fill each chili until plump. Place chilis on a lined baking sheet and bake 20 minutes until the filling is golden brown and heated through. To serve, heat the masa sauce, spoon 1/4 c. on each plate/bowl and place a chili relleno on top. Garnish with cilantro, scallions, or chives.
*I had extra masa dough left and made masa cakes...they were still good.

Masa Red Sauce - yields 4 cups
2 T. vegetable oil
1/2 yellow onion, diced
6 garlic cloves, minced
4 T. masa harina
4 T. chili powder
1/2 t. cumin
1/4 t. cayenne
1 t. salt
1/2 t. cracked pepper
1 T. minced oregano
4 c. veggie stock (or water), heated
2 T. tomato paste
1 t. brown sugar

Heat veg. oil in a pan over medium-high heat and saute onions until translucent. Add garlic and cook 3 minutes. Sprinkle in masa harina, stir constantly as it cooks and turns golden. Add spices and oregano and stir 2 more minutes. Slowly whisk in warm stock and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and whisk in the tomato paste and sugar. Simmer partially covered for 30 minutes, stirring regularly. Season to taste.
*This sauce is also good for enchiladas, huevos, eggs, etc.

Maple Pumpkin Pie with Candied Ginger

Eren and I first made this pie 8 years ago. Every time the weather turns cold we remember this recipe, and yearn for the fall that we lived in the same town and baked pie after pie. I think it is everything pumpkin pie should be: not too sweet, perfect custard texture, creamy, and very pumpkin-y. The maple adds this really nice richness without being too sugary, and the ginger is amazing. And we got to make it this weekend! Pie recipe is here at Epicurian: Ginger Maple Pumpkin Pie. The "pumpkin" we used was actually a kabocha squash that was a super rich dark orange color.

The crust we used was another Baking Illustrated recipe. Baking Illustrated is like the science version of cooking - they test every recipe (ever seen America's Test Kitchen? this is them) with different ingredients to come up with the fail-proof perfect one. According to science. Kind of fascinating.

Pie Dough for Prebaked Pie Shell (1 single 9" pie)
1 1/4 c. unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
1/2 t. salt
1 T. sugar
3 T. vegetable shortening, chilled
4 T. unsalted butter, cold, cut into 1/4" pieces
4-5 T. ice water

Process flour, salt and sugar in food processor until combined. Add shortening and process 10 sec until texture is like sand. Scatter butter over flour mix and pulse to a course mixture (10 - 1 second pulses). Turn the mixture into a medium sized bowl. Sprinkle 4 T. ice water over mixture and use a folding motion to mix. Press down on dough until it sticks together, adding 1 more T. of water if dough is not coming together. Flatten dough to 4" disk, wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least an hour or up to 2 days. *I have made this crust without a food processor: grate butter into flour mixture with a cheese grater and cut it in using one of those cutter-inner tools.

Remove dough from fridge (if in longer than one hour, let stand at room temp until malleable). Roll the dough on a lightly floured work surface, or between two sheets of parchment to a 12" circle. Transfer to a 9" pie plate. Trim the edges to 1/2 beyond the pan and fold it under itself. Refrigerate until firm (40 mintues) and then freeze 20 minutes. (*Note, I don't have a 9" pie pan so I used a bigger tart pan - no prob. Also, I skipped the refrigerator/freezing step and all was fine.) Preheat oven to 375. Press foil to chilled crust (make sure to cover edge) and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake 25-30 minutes and carefully remove weights. Continue baking 5-6 minutes for a partially baked crust, or until golden brown for a fully baked crust (12 minutes more).

Using a partially baked crust, we filled it with the custard and baked it according to the pie recipe. Because of my odd pan, the edge was a little too low, so it could not hold as much of the custard. Alas. Still delicious.

Pizza: Sauerkraut, Apple, Cranberry and Pesto Tomato

This weekend brought Eren and Naomi to town for anniversary and birthday celebrating, Barebones, and some seasonal feasting. Pizza was selected for Saturday dinner. I got the crust recipe from Baking Illustrated (my go to for always perfect baking) and we tried a couple of different toppings. Topping one involved some recently finished sauerkraut and an amazing Sauerkraut/Apple/Cranberry recipe from a canning class KP and I took earlier this month. Topping two included leftover Cilantro Pesto and roasted tomatoes. Yum. Perfect early dinner pre-Barebones and to celebrate the years of love among us.

Pizza Dough (makes enough for three pizzas) *hand kneading version
1/2 c water
1 envelope instant yeast
1 1/4 c. water at room temp
2 T extra virgin olive oil (just realized I forgot that part!!)
4 c bread flour (Up to half can be wheat - I went 1 c wheat/3 c white)
1 1/2 t. salt

Sprinkle yeast on warm water and let stand until the yeast dissolves and swells (about 5 minutes). Add remaining room temp. water and oil and stir to combine. In separate, deep bowl, combine half the flour and salt. Add the liquid ingredients and use a wooden spoon to combine. Add the remaining flour and stir until a "cohesive mass" forms. Turn out to a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic (7-8 minutes), using as little dusting flour as possible. Form the dough into a ball, put it in a deep oiled bowl, cover with a damp towel and let rise until doubled in size: 1 1/2-2 hours. (Note the wheat flour will slow rising time a bit.) When risen, press dough to deflate, divide into three balls, and stretch/pull with hands to form crust.
*Baking Illustrated recommends a pizza stone for perfect pizza. Sprinkled semolina/corn meal or parchment paper allows you to transfer the uncooked crust to the pizza stone that you want to have pre-heating in the oven. Cook pizza hot - 500 degrees, and remove when crust is turning brown and toppings are sizzling (6-12 minutes).

Pizza One: Sauerkraut with Apples and Cranberries and Squash
*Makes 3 pints (which you then would can, 1/2 the recipe for a more manageable amount to consume before it goes bad!)
1/2 c. apple cider vinegar
1/2 c. light brown sugar
3 large sweet apples - peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
1/2 large onion, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
1/2 c. dried cranberries or cherries
1 t. caraway seed
1 t. fennel seed
1 bay leaf
4 c. fermented sauerkraut and juice

Combine apple cider and brown sugar in a heavy saucepan and bring to a boil to dissolve sugar. Add onion, apple, cranberries and spices and simmer gentely until apple is tender. Stir in sauerkraut and juice. *If canning, heat mix to 180 degrees, fill scalded jars leaving 1/2" headspace and process for 25 minutes.
We put this mix on the pizza with some baked squash and cheese. Yum. Toss a little salt on too for some improved flavor.

Pizza Two: Spicy Pesto Tomato
Cilantro Pesto: food process 1/2-1 bunch cilantro with nuts (almonds or walnuts), salt and pepper, parm cheese, and olive oil. Sorry I don't have better amounts, I don't think you can go wrong though!
Roasted tomatoes
2ish T. Red Onion, chopped
2ish T. Jalepeno, minced
Cheese!

chili! part two.

Allison's last post made me crave Chili and, one day, after I go to the store and get the ingredients for it, I'm really looking forward to trying it.

...but since I didn't want to leave the house, I improvised this recipe from what I had on hand. Really easy and delicious.

chili:

any type of beans (i used a mixture of pinto, kidney, black eyed peas, and adzuki beans)

roasted tomatoes (from the garden last year, roasted and then frozen)

vegetable stock

pureed chipotle peppers in adobo sauce

onion

salt+pepper to taste

i used dried beans, cook until tender then drain. add to sauteed onions and add rest of ingredients. simmer. even better the next day.

cornbread:

2 Tbsp butter

1 1/4 cup yogurt (or buttermilk)

1-1/2 cups medium-grind cornmeal

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1-1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp sea salt

1 egg

1 cup grated cheddar cheese

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

Use a square 8x8" baking pan and heat the butter directly in the pan until hot for about 2 minutes and then turn off the heat.

Mix the egg into the yogurt. In a separate bowl, place all the dry ingredients and mix well. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until just combined, if the mixture seems too dry, add in a few tablespoons of milk. Pour directly into the pan with the butter in the bottom. Smooth out the batter if necessary and place into the oven.

Bake for about 30 minutes and the top is lightly browned, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the sides of the bread shrink back from the skillet. Serve hot or warm.

Chili!

Although I wouldn't really consider myself a chili fan, I was really craving some the other day, so turned to Heidi Swanson (of course!). This recipe is a beast! It's actually quite easy, but she isn't kidding when she says to use your largest pot--it makes so.much.food. Which is great. Anyway, I'm excited about adding this to my rotation. Enjoy!

Plum-Apple Top Crust Pie

This recipe is another Smitten Kitchen one - the top crust just looked so delicious I couldn't not make it. And there were some gorgeous plums at the co-op this week...I can't remember the kind, but they are this beautiful dark red color. The crust is a little easier than the standard - you cream the butter and sugar and use an egg rather than water. Also, because it puffs up a bit and you dish it up like cobbler, it doesn't seem so fragile. Just roll it out and plop it on. The grated lemon/orange rind is amazing in the crust...and I ate it with ice cream rather than whipped cream. YUM. I want pie every night.
Apples, squash, and pumpkins are abundant. Pie season is upon us.

Roasted Root Veggies with Garlic-Lime Sauce, and Double Quinoa Cornbread

Megan's latest entry inspired me to (finally) add these two dishes that I've been meaning to post for a few weeks. Both are from Vegan Soul Kitchen (yay, Bryant Terry!)--I think this might be my favorite cookbook. Yum!

OK, roasted root veggies:
Pick a bunch of your favorites and cut 'em up. (I use approx. 1/2 pound each of carrots, parsnips, turnips, sweet potatoes, two kinds of yams, and sometimes celery root or rutabaga.) Toss them with olive oil and sea salt, and roast in a preheated 450 degree oven for one hour, stirring every 15 minutes for even cooking.

Garlic-lime dipping sauce:
Roast garlic per Megan's instructions and then enjoy squeezing it out of the peel. (This is so incredibly gratifying to me.) Add 1/4 cup olive oil, 1 T. minced cilantro, 1/4 c. freshly squeezed lime juice, 1/4 c. water, and 1/4 t. coarse ground sea salt. Combine in a blender and add to the veggies. Done!

Quinoa-quinoa cornbread:
5 T. corn oil
1/4 c. quinoa
3/4 c. cornmeal
1/2 c. quinoa flour (kind of pricey but worth it!)
1/2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
1 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1 c. unflavored rice milk
2 T. apple cider vinegar
1/4 c. agave nectar

Preheat oven to 425 degrees and grease an 8-inch square bread pan. Toast the quinoa over medium heat until the grains start to pop (about 3 minutes); transfer to a large bowl. Add the rest of the dry stuff and whisk to combine. In another bowl, whisk together the liquids and the 5 T. of corn oil. Transfer the bread pan to the oven to preheat until sizzling (about 5 minutes). While the pan is heating up, combine the wet mixture with the dry with a large spoon, and quickly mix just until the dry ingredients are moist. (BT's warning: Do NOT overmix!) Remove the pan from the oven and add the batter. Bake until set in the middle, approx. 15-18 minutes.

Squash Tart and Roasted Veggies

Sunday, a delectable day to sleep in and clean and cook, was perfect to do something with the bits of random veggies from the garden (4 tomatoes, 2 eggplants, 2 squash). I also wanted to try this Squash tart, which involved roasting squash and garlic. So - I roasted it all, and now have these amazing delicious veggies for a sandwich, polenta toppings, or stir-fry, or I don't know what. I just cut the veggies up, olive oiled and salted them, and cooked them in an oven at 350 until they were done. My favorite was actually the squash, which I roasted in pieces for the tart. Also the garlic- omg! You just cut off the top of a garlic clove, drizzle it with olive oil and salt, wrap in foil and bake at 400 for 45 minutes or so. It smells amazing, and then you just squeeze out this amazing garlic puree.

Squash Tart (modified from ReBar - again!) *This is another rich dish...ah the cold weather. The roasted garlic is amazing in there - but again is so rich. I made some kale to eat with it, which helped cleanse the pallet a little!
1 pre-baked whole wheat tart shell (make sure to make the sides high on the crust, mine almost over-flowed)
1 small squash
1 T butter
2 shallots, minced
1/2 t salt
3 eggs
1 c heavy cream
1/2 c. light cream
2 garlic bulbs - roasted and mashed
1 1/2 T minced sage
1/4 t cracked pepper
1 1/4 c. grated smoked cheddar

1. Peel and seed the squash and cut it into 1/8" slices until you have just over 2 cups or so. Toss the squash with enough olive oil to coat and a pinch of salt. Spread the squash on parchment or foil and roast at 375 until tender - 15 minutes or so (if you roast longer you get crispier, more chip like pieces)
2. Heat butter in small pan and saute the shallots (I subbed onion) until golden. Set aside.
3. Lightly whisk the eggs in a small bowl. Add the cream, mashed garlic, pepper, and salt; whisk to combine.
4. To assemble tart: sprinkle cheese over crust, then shallots and sage. Arrange the squash slices in a single layer and pour the custard over the top. Bake for 20-30 minutes (until custard sets and top is lightly browned). Cool thoroughly.

pierogis

these are based on the roasted yam pierogi recipe in the rebar cookbook, i made some minor changes and improvised on a second filling. we ate them with pickled beets, horseradish and sour cream and they were amazing.

filling #1 (roasted yam+gouda):

2lbs yams

2 tbsp butter

3 leeks, mostly whites, chopped

1 tsp salt

1/2lb smoked gouda, grated

1/2 tsp black pepper

-preheat oven to 400. scrub yams and poke with a fork. place on an oiled baking pan, add 1 cup of water to the pan and roast in the oven until very soft and puffy. cool, then peel or mash until smooth.

-while yams are roasting, saute leeks and salt in butter until lightly golden.

-combine leeks, mashed yams, grated cheese and chives. season with salt and pepper. refrigerate until ready to use. can be made ahead of time.

filling #2 (potato+swiss):

2lbs potatoes

1/2 tsp salt

1/2lb swiss cheese, grated

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/4 cup minced chives

-boil potatoes until soft, then mash. combine all ingredients. refrigerate until ready to use. can be made ahead of time.

dough:

4 cups flour

3/4 tsp salt

4 egg yolks

1 cup boiling water

2 tbsp vegetable oil

-mix the flour and salt in a large bowl. add remaining ingredients and mix until a smooth dough forms. cover and let rest at room temperature for 30 min.

-divide into quarters and roll out until about 1/8" thick or less. use a glass with a 3" diameter to cut dough into rounds. fill with a good teaspoonful of filling and press edges firmly to seal.

-boil pierogis until they begin to rise to the surface of the water, about 5 minutes. remove with a slotted spoon, drain, and toss with melted butter.

-this recipe makes lots and lots of pierogis, our freezer is filled with pierogis so i can look forward to a winter full of pierogis which makes it worth all the hand rolling and filling and folding that this recipe entails. to freeze, line uncooked pierogi on parchment paper on a baking sheet and freeze until solid. then store in an airtight container.

butternut and spinach risotto

risotto is my go-to dish for fall--when i'm having friends over and know i can finish the bottle of wine i have to open to make it. the recipe is adapted from a cookbook composed entirely of risotto recipes--which i love. i decided to do butternut and spinach cause that's what came in the CSA box this week. next time, i'll steam the squash for a few minutes ahead of time. i had to keep cooking it longer than i should have because the squash was underdone at first, making the rice a little mushier than i would have liked. but tasty, nonetheless.

heat 4 c veg broth on low

saute, in a hunk of butter and some olive oil:
onion finely diced
garlic finely diced-about 2 cloves or so

add 1 1/2 c arborio rice and saute for a couple of minutes. add 1/2 c white wine and stir till liquid cooks off. add a ladle of broth and 2 c squash cut into small cubes. continue to add broth a ladle at a time, letting the liquid cook off before adding more. continuous stirring is also required.

add a few cups of torn spinach when you have about a ladle of broth left. keep stirring, add the last of the broth.

add 1 or so cups of parmesan, salt and pepper to taste and let it rest a couple minutes before serving. serve with more parmesan.

Hell's Kitchen Spicy Black Beans

I'm finally getting back to cooking after a two-week adjustment period to being back in school. I still don't have my schedule down and have been eating a lot of Punch and PB&J. (Although let's be honest: I ate Punch 3 times a week in the summer.) But I digress.

Whenever a visitor is in town, we usually end up at Hell's Kitchen, which is generally pretty delicious but sometimes a bit too buttery/egg-y/creamy for me. (Your jam, Megan!) Anyway, I love their black beans and so borrowed the Hell's Kitchen cookbook from Steve's sister to make up a batch. My favorite food blogger, Heidi Swanson, once wrote that she typically makes a pot of beans every Sunday to eat throughout the week. Pretty sure I'm going to be doing the same thing with these black beans...so. delicious. Good job, Hell's Kitchen!

Spicy Black Beans
Note: I halved the recipe, and in so doing, went out on a limb and experimented with quantities of ingredients! (I never deter from exact measures usually, but was feeling adventurous.) Also, I replaced the butter and chicken broth (noted in recipe); as I was doing this, it reminded me of a time at the Chicago Diner when a friend asked for "real" cheese, to which the waiter replied (huffily), "Everything we serve here is real." Not so for buttery sticks and no chicken base--fake fake fake! But I'm okay with that in this case. Again with the digression.

1 pound dried black beans (2 cups)
6 cups rich chicken broth or water (I used Better Than Bouillon's "No Chicken" base.)
3/4 c. (1.5 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into pieces (I used 1 teaspoon of "Buttery Sticks" vegan butter. I actually think the butter could be omitted entirely.)
3/4 c. minced white onion (I used a bit more)
4 tablespoons Honey-Chipotle BBQ Sauce (recipe below)
2 T. dark chili powder
2 T. ground cumin
3 large cloves garlic, minced
2 t. crushed red pepper flakes
2 t. sea salt

Soak the beans for 4 hours or overnight. Place soaked beans into a large pot and add the broth/water, making sure the beans are covered by at least two inches. Add everything except the salt. (I didn't read the recipe carefully enough and salted the hell out of 'em in the beginning. The result = SALTY beans. Too salty. Salt afterward!) Heat to a boil over medium heat (STIR so the beans don't get stuck to the bottom of the pan), and then simmer uncovered (stirring a lot) for 1 to 1.5 hours, checking frequently to see if they need additional water. Beans should be firm but chewable.

Honey-Chipotle BBQ Sauce
(Note: I did this to taste with the measurements--it seems flexible enough. Also, I didn't have Rose's lime juice, so just used a lemon. Totally fine.)
2 T. peanut oil
1/3 c. honey
1 (7-ounce) can chipotle peppers, with adobo sauce
3 T. balsamic vinegar
1/3 c. Rose's lime juice (any citrus/acid is probably fine)
1/4 c. coarsely chopped cilantro
3 T. coarse-ground mustard (I used straight-up Dijon)
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1 T. black pepper
1 T. ground cumin
1 T. sea salt

Put everything into a food processor or blender and combine. (I actually shook everything together in a jar, but that only worked because I'd processed the chipotle peppers a few days before.)

Put sauce in a container with a tight-fitting lid and refrigerate.

Potato leek soup

When I got my first apartment in college (and hence my first kitchen) I was totally lost, subsisting largely on cereal, rice and chili from a box. After listening to me gripe enough about my severe lack of good, home-cooked food, my grandma nudged me in the direction of my first potato soup ("Really, honey, it's very easy"). I'll never forget how lovingly she walked me step-by-step through what must have seemed so elementary to her (chicken broth, oil, onions, potatoes).



Fast forward 10 (?!) years and potato soup is still a regular fixture in my fall/winter kitchen. And since it's finally been feeling consistently fall-like I decided to give in and make my first pot of potato leek soup this season. Based loosely on Mark Bittman's and Irene Oster's (that's my grandma) recipes.

Some leeks (2-4), cleaned and thinly chopped
Some potatoes (4-6), diced, skins on when possible
Some salt and pepper
Some butter
Some stock
Some cream, if you want
Some garlic, if you want

In a frying pan, brown the leeks and garlic until they're good and flavorful. If you're feeling ambitious, brown the potatoes a bit too. Deglaze the pan and put everything into a soup kettle. Add enough stock to just cover the leeks and potatoes. Salt and pepper as much as you like and boil until the potatoes are tender. I like the soup better blended, and an immersion blender (about $10 on Craigslist) does the trick nicely. Stir in a bit of cream just before serving if you like a richer soup.

Ok, this is the most important part: MAKE EXTRA. The flavors in this soup improve markedly as it sits in your fridge and waits for the inevitable leftover night.

Kale Souffle

I have a lot of kale in the garden right now and am embarking on some new kale recipes. I just learned that kale has lots of calcium, and vitamins A, B, and C. Also it is highest in protein of all the cultivated vegetables. Who knew?! This recipe comes from "From Asparagus to Zucchini" - a cookbook/guide to cooking seasonal produce put out by a bunch of CSAs from the Madison area. I find that the cookbook is a good resource, but the recipes tend to be decidedly Midwestern: lots of pasta, potatoes, and eggs to go with the produce item of choice.

Somehow while paging through I settled on this Kale Souffle. I say somehow because I neglected to read the full recipe before I started...midway through, while realizing my eggs were not at room temp, I started remembering episodes of Julia Child and warnings of fallen souffles. I also found myself whisking egg whites by hand - thank goodness my pal Steve came over kind of last minute or I would still be whisking.

Softened butter to grease baking dish
2T freshly grated Parmesan
4T butter
4T flour
1 2/3c milk, warmed
salt and pepper
pinch cayenne
5 egg yolks
1c cooked and finely chopped kale, at room temp
1c grated gruyere
2T chopped fresh dill (or 2t dried dill)
7 egg whites, at room temp

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Butter bottom and sides of an 8-cup souffle dish or deep, round baking dish; sprinke buttered areas with parmesan.
2. Melt butter in saucepan; stir in flour and cook over low heat several minutes, stirring often. Whisk in milk until thickened; season with salt, pepper, and cayenne. Cool 10-15 minutes. Beat in egg yolks one at a time. Stir in kale, gruyere, and dill.
3. Beat egg whites and pinch of salt in a clean bowl until firm peaks form. Fold a quarter of the whipped egg whites into kale mixture, then gently fold in the rest (don't overmix). Gently spread mixture into prepared pan. Place in oven, reduce heat to 375 degrees and bake until high, golden, and barely set in the center, 35-40 minutes. Serve immediately. Serves 6.

chocolate cake.

i made this cake for mary's birthday. i'm not usually a huge chocolate cake person but i love this cake. it's from "the sweeter side of amy's bread" which is very serious about baking and weighing all the ingredients and making sure everything is precise. but i don't weigh anything and so far it's all turned out alright.

CAKE:

7/8 cup unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped

1/2 c.+1 tbsp. sour cream

5 tbsp. cocoa powder

2 3/8 tsp. baking soda

1 1/2 c. boiling water

2 c. flour

5/8 tsp salt

4 eggs

2 1/2 tsp vanilla

3/4 cup butter

1 3/4 cups dark brown sugar

-preheat oven to 350.

-butter and flour 2 9" cake pans

-melt the chocolate and set it aside to cool

-whisk together sour cream, cocoa, and baking soda until it is a smooth paste. very gradually add the boiling water until it is fully incorporated.

-in a separate bowl, combine flour and salt.

-in yet another bowl, whisk together the eggs and the vanilla.

-using an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. add melted chocolate and mix well.

-add eggs

-add flour mixture in 3 parts, alternating with the liquid mixture and mix well.

-divide batter equally into two pans

-cook for 35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

FROSTING:

3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 3/8 cups powdered sugar

3/4 cup cocoa powder

2 cups unsalted butter

1 tsp vanilla

1/8 tsp salt

-melt chocolate chips in double boiler and set aside to cool

-mix together powdered sugar and cocoa powder.

-cream butter until it's very light but not too soft.

-add sugar/cocoa powder mixture and mix well.

-add melted chocolate, vanilla, and salt and mix until incorporated.

-then stack the cakes up and slather on as much frosting as you can. keep at room temperature so the frosting doesn't get hard.

Sweet Corn Pancakes

Last weekend I was feeling a tad daunted by the prospect of spending 6 hours at a TYSN retreat, so decided to have a leisurely morning of food and coffee to feel a bit more balanced and inspired. I made corn pancakes from a Smitten Kitchen recipe (that blog is getting some good play here lately!), buttery cooked apples (sliced apples cooked slowly with a bit of brown sugar in the cast iron skillet so they carmelized), and coffee. Yum. I tried these with a combo of corn flour and rice flour to make them wheat free - thumbs up!

Salsa! Canned Tomatoes!

This weekend I finally canned some things...thanks to KP and 25lbs of tomatoes. Both of us are fairly novice at the canning business, but KP has some family history. Which sort of says something - having seen it done and maybe not being so worried about botulism (like others of us were). Except grandma's technique to not boil the jars a second time seemed a little too risky, even to KP. Canning is scientific, and though we debated following the salsa recipe allotment of 2 cups (!) lemon juice or just putting lemon in each jar, we ultimately followed the recipe. The lemon juice functions as the additional acid needed to prevent botulism, and apparently tomatoes hover below the right amount of acidity - especially with onions and peppers. Interestingly, you need to use bottled lemon juice - I am still not clear why. I think in the future I might try to find citric acid though (way more concentrated), because 2 c. of lemon juice adds a lot of liquid.

There are lots of salsa and tomato canning recipes online. KP found this salsa recipe that is a good amount of kick. The orange and red heirlooms also made for stunning jars.

Canning was definitely an all day project- especially with the pots we had which held only 4 jars at a time. Phase two for canning includes getting another pot...maybe the actual canning kind?! FYI: 25lbs of tomatoes = 9 pints of salsa and 7 quarts of tomatoes, approximately.

more fun with eggplant!

What's that? The last eggplant dish I posted sucked, and you're still swimming in eggplant?
Try this- it's really tasty.
http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/01/rigatoni-with-eggplant-puree/

Ratatouille

We received an abundance of eggplant in last week's CSA, so I decided to try ratatouille. Despite the recent cold weather, I've been trying to drag out the summer menus as long as possible (because, let's face it, who still gets excited for squash in February?). This combo of summer veggies + roasted veggies seemed to be a great compromise in the summer-to-fall slide.
I used the recipe from this month's co-op advantage flyer (linked in the title), but the red wine overwhelmed and the veggies got a bit, err, smooshy.
If anyone has a better ratatouille recipe, please post. I think next time I'd try this one from the Smitten Kitchen:
http://smittenkitchen.com/2007/07/rat-a-too-ee-for-you-ee/

Tortilla soup

I am feeling un-inspired on the cooking front (who knew I would be ready for fall weather by now?!) so I went back to the ReBar cookbook. I am not quite yet ready for creamy food or I would try the delicious looking corn chowder. I'm a firm believer in cream soups...I just am waiting not so patiently for fall when I will use cream, cheese, and any other rich creamy substance in great abundance. This one is a little lighter - and I wish I had seen Gaybie's note to boil the corn cobs in the broth BEFORE I composted them. Alas. My sister and I tag-teamed this soup with some corn bread muffins that we put a bunch of basil in. Which was great, btw.

As I type this the wind blowing in from the windows is getting cooler and cooler. We must be on the brink of fall! Which means pies, greens, and squash. And it means I need to harvest and freeze before it's too late!

Serves 8 (or 4 if you have a good appetite!)
8 cups vegetable stock
2 T vegetable oil
2 yellow onions, finely diced
1 T salt
10 garlic cloves, minced
2 T. minced oregano
4 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced
3 cups corn kernels (fresh or frozen)
2 large red peppers, seeded and finely diced
1/2 t. liquid smoke (I omitted this)
2 tsp chipotle puree (chipotle peppers in adobe sauce blended up)
4 corn tortillas
2 avocados, diced
1/2 bunch cilantro, stemmed
asiago cheese, shaved with a potato peeler
1 lime, cut into wedges (i forgot this part!)

1. Heat the stock and keep it warm on the back burner while preparing the soup. In a heavy-bottomed soup pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and 1 t. salt and saute until translucent. Stir in garlic, oregano, half the jalapenos, and another t. salt: saute 5 minutes.
2. Pour the hot stock into the pot and bring to a gentle boil. Simmer 20 minutes. In the final 5 minutes, stir in the corn, peppers, liquid smoke, chipotle, and remaining jalapenos and salt. Simmer until corn is tender. Meanwhile prepare garnishes.
3. To prepare tortilla strips: slice each tortilla into long strips 1/4" thick. Toss with a light coating of oil and pinch of salt. Spread on a baking sheet and cook for 5 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove and let cool until ready to serve.
4. To serve, ladle broth into bowls and divide the avocado, cilantro leaves, tortilla strips, and asiago shavings among the servings. Serve immediately with a bowl of lime wedges on the side.

Veggie enchiladas

My friend Linda made these enchiladas for a dinner party a few weeks ago, and I haven't been able to stop thinking about them! Based on a Moosewood recipe, the enchiladas are filled with eggplant, cheese, peppers...and almonds, which make for a delicious crunch. Linda is a really good cook, and I worried that these might be hard to replicate, but hip hip, they turned out well. Alas, I forgot to take a photo.

Anyway, here's Linda's version:

"1 eggplant (I used more because I LOVE eggplant)
Onion- as much as you like
Green pepper- or red pepper. Or none at all if people don’t like them
Saute these 3 veggies in oil until cooked. If you want the green peppers to stay a little crunchy put them in later. (I did this 'cause I like crunchier peppers.)

Add to the veggies:
Small can of diced green chilies – mild or hot depending on your taste buds or perhaps one can of each. (Linda's preference.)
Chopped almonds or some nut to add a nice crunch.
Canned beans – I prefer black beans and sometimes I use the cans with spices and sometimes without. If they don’t have spices I usually rinse the beans.
Once the veggie mixture is cooked, I portion them out on a cookie sheet so I know how many enchiladas I’ll have. Otherwise I end up without enough tortillas or not enough veggies, etc. for small tortillas an ice cream scoop is about the right size. You’ll have to experiment. You need to add cheese and roll up the tortilla.

Monterey Jack cheese - grated
Fresh cilantro
Corn tortillas
Canned enchilada sauce. I use two cans of enchilada sauce, one hot and one mild. For a large batch you may need 3 cans. If you only use mild you should be sure to spice the veggie mixture or the sauce.

Heat the enchilada sauce in a frying pan large enough to dunk the tortillas in. (if you think you will be short enough sauce add small amounts of water.)
Dip the tortilla in the enchilada sauce, in order to cover them in sauce and to make rolling
them easier. Be careful not to leave the tortillas in the warm sauce to long or they break apart.
Remove the tortilla from the frying pan, place in your baking pan, sprinkle grated cheese onto the tortilla, then add fresh cilantro, then a spoonful of the veggies and roll up the tortilla. Place the seam of the enchilada on the bottom of the pan. If the seam is at the top they will break open during their final baking.

When the pan is full sprinkle remaining cheese on top of the pan and dribble any remaining sauce. You want to try and have some sauce left for this step. Bake covered with tin foil until thoroughly heated through. Take the tinfoil off the pan for the last 5 -10 minutes to crisp them up a little. They will dry out terribly if you don’t first leave the tin foil on the pan.

Before baking everything is basically cooked so they can be stored or frozen at this time. If you have more veggie mix than tortillas you can also freeze just the veggie mix.
Have fun making your own additions."

Thank you, Linda!

Banana cream pie

My sweetie's birthday was on Sunday, so I made her this pie to celebrate. I found the recipe after googling "best banana cream pie" (yeah, I know, I'm sooo creative). This one looked complicated, and in things unfamiliar (like cream pies) I tend to think that complicated = tasty. Complete with homemade crust, vanilla pudding and candied whiskey walnuts, it turned out delicious. Happy 33rd, E.

Summer Corn Chowder

the photo doesn't do it justice (it's hard to photograph soup well), so you'll have to trust me when i say this is one yummy soup. the trick is finding a summer day that's not too hot for soup making. i make this when the csa box is full of corn, tomatoes, potatoes and basil.





2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp butter
1 lg onion, diced
3 tbsp flour
5 c vegetable broth
2-4 russet potatoes (or other kind)
4 c corn kernels (however many ears you have)
1 bell pepper, diced (any color)
1 c half and half
2 plum tomatoes (or any other kind)
1 small handful basil leaves thinly slivered
salt and pepper to taste

i also add green beans, carrots, broccoli or any other veggies i have on hand that sound good. you may need to adjust broth relative to the amount of veggies.

heat butter and oil. cook onion about 10 min. sprinkle flour over onion, cook, stirring 3-5 minutes. add broth and potatoes. bring to boil. reduce heat to medium and simmer till potatoes are tender. add extra veggies along the way. add corn, bell pepper, salt, pepper, half and half. cook over low for about 8 minutes, stir occasionally. serve in bowls, topping with tomato and basil.

Mock Duck Banh Mi Sandwich

I used to get mock duck sandwiches from Jasmine Deli pretty frequently - but now that I never pass by Nicollet Ave, I rarely get over there. These recipes are a culmination of several internet searches and they make for a tasty final product. I made them for a large gathering and they were a huge success: just put out all the toppings and people can assemble their own sandwich. The mock pulled pork is totally delish, and it keeps in the fridge for easy leftovers too.

Banh Mi sandwiches traditionally are some combination of pork, pickled vegetables (carrots and daikon), cucumbers, cilantro, mayo/vegannaise, and jalapeno on a baguette. The pickled veggies are the only thing that take any significant prep time - they need to pickle in the fridge for 3-5 days. Pickled Carrot/Daikon radish recipe is here. The "Mock Pulled Pork" is pretty easy to make and very delicious. I added the full amount of chipotle in adobe sauce along with the jalapeno, and it was plenty spicy.

To assemble sandwich, slice baguette and fill with:
pickled carrots and daikon
sliced or julienned cucumbers
chopped cilantro
thinly sliced jalapeno
mayo/vegannaise
mock pulled pork

biscuits.

these are a favorite of mine. especially good with butter and honey or as an egg+cheese biscuit. the recipe is from "how to cook everything."

2 cups flour

1 tsp salt

3 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

5 tbsp cold butter

7/8 cup plain yogurt or buttermilk

-preheat oven to 450.

-mix dry ingredients together.

-grate butter into dry ingredients, combine with your fingertips until it's incorporated.

-stir in yogurt or buttermilk (both are equally good).

-roll out until about 3/4" thick and cut into rounds

-bake 7-9 minutes.

these are super easy and they impress out-of-town guests that you're trying to convince to move to mpls, especially when cut into hearts.

bruschetta for breakfast

i had this for breakfast this morning and it was delicious. i have so many gorgeous tomatoes from my mom's garden that i try to incorporate them into every meal. so, here's what i did:

toast bread, rub fresh garlic onto toast.

add sliced tomatoes, fried egg, chopped basil and drizzle with balsamic vinegar.

so easy and so good. especially with cold press coffee, if you're into that.