Inspired by a grey and rainy day, general wintry malaise, and Nigel Slater's adventures with alternative grains, this is my kind of comfort food - a quick(ish) Monday evening dinner.
1 cup pearl barley
1/2 cup green lentils
olive oil
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3/4 tsp cumin seed
3/4 tsp mustard seed
1/2 tsp chili flakes
2 plum tomatoes, chopped
~10 mixed mushrooms, sliced
1 tbsp tomato puree
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp plain flour
2 cups vegetable stock
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp soy sauce
toasted sunflower seeds and chopped parsley to garnish
Put 1 cup barley and 2 cups water and a little salt in a small saucepan and boil for 15 min, adding the lentils after 5 min. Drain when ready (should be about half cooked), leaving a little of the cooking water in the pan with them, and leave in pan with lid on til needed.
Heat olive oil in a saute pan and then add the onion,cumin seed, mustard seed and chili flakes. Fry for about 10 min til slightly browned. Add chopped garlic and fry another 2 min. Add the mushrooms and tomato and fry for about 5 min. Addthe tomato puree and stir / cook 2 min. Add the flour and stir in. Add the stock, soy sauce, vinegar, thyme, lentils and pearl barley, taste and season with salt and pepper and more chili flakes if wanted and simmer covered for about 15 min / until the liquid has pretty much all been absorbed. Serve as a risotto, with toasted sunflower seeds and chopped fresh parsley scattered on top / on the side to taste.
Turned out really tasty. Very open to variations / using stuff up too - different grain, different pulse, different vegetables added...
Monday, February 28, 2011
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Kohlrabi
We bought a kohlrabi from the Chinese supermarket the other day. I have never made anything out of one before, although Seb being German was blase about it... They are cool, weird-looking things. Was expecting it to be a bit like cabbage crossed with turnip, and it kinda was - more like the inside of broccoli stalk - could have guessed that. Was great just sliced and snacked - crispy and juicy and almost sweet. A quick internet search suggested that eating raw was the way to go...
Kohlrabi salad
1 kohlrabi, peeled
1 medium carrot, peeled
half an apple, cored
1 spring onion, finely chopped
1 tsp sesame oil
1 1/2 tbsp sweet chili sauce
2 tbsp rice vinegar
salt and pepper
poppyseeds
Cut kohlrabi, carrot and apple into matchsticks. Salt and sit for 10-30 min and then squeeze out moisture. Add remaining ingredients, toss and serve.
Quick potato salad
~6 red skinned potatoes
~3 sundried tomatoes
~2 tbsp sundried tomato oil
~1/2 tbsp lemon juice
~1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp runny honey
1 tsp wholegrain mustard
salt+pepper
Cook potatoes ~20min in boiling salted water. Chop sundried tomatoes. Mix with all other ingredients except potatoes to make dressing in small bowl. Drain potatoes and refresh with cold water, then put warm potatoes in a medium bowl, add dressing, mix and serve warm or cold as desired.
Kohlrabi salad
1 kohlrabi, peeled
1 medium carrot, peeled
half an apple, cored
1 spring onion, finely chopped
1 tsp sesame oil
1 1/2 tbsp sweet chili sauce
2 tbsp rice vinegar
salt and pepper
poppyseeds
Cut kohlrabi, carrot and apple into matchsticks. Salt and sit for 10-30 min and then squeeze out moisture. Add remaining ingredients, toss and serve.
Quick potato salad
~6 red skinned potatoes
~3 sundried tomatoes
~2 tbsp sundried tomato oil
~1/2 tbsp lemon juice
~1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp runny honey
1 tsp wholegrain mustard
salt+pepper
Cook potatoes ~20min in boiling salted water. Chop sundried tomatoes. Mix with all other ingredients except potatoes to make dressing in small bowl. Drain potatoes and refresh with cold water, then put warm potatoes in a medium bowl, add dressing, mix and serve warm or cold as desired.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Things with coconut milk
Had most of a tin of coconut milk left from Seb's birthday cake - somehow ended up making many things from it...
Coconut rice
1/4 large red onion, sliced
4 cardamom pods, crushed slightly
cup basmati rice
tsp veg oil
cup of coconut milk
cup of water
Heat oil in a saucepan and then fry the onion til soft. Add rice and cardamom and stir / fry a couple min. Add coconut milk and water and bring to boil. Cook ~ 10min til rice is done, then leave with lid on for 10 more min. Fluff with a fork before serving.
-pretty good.
Beetroot brinjal coconut curry
1 small red onion, roughly chopped
1 garlic clove
~1 red chili (taste)
1/3 lemongrass stalk
1 tsp cumin seed
1 tsp coriander seed
1/3 tsp fennel seed
1 tbsp veg oil
150g raw beetroot (1 large beetroot) peeled and cut into chunks
bits of aubergine equivalent to 2 baby aubergines, quartered
70ml veg stock
100ml coconut milk
salt and pepper
handful raw cashews
Liquidise onion, garlic, chili, lemongrass. Dry roast cumin, coriander and fennel to dark brown, then grind. Heat oil. Add onion paste and cook for a few min, then add ground spices. When combined add beetroot and aubergine. Fry for 2min high. Add stock and bring to the boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer til soft (~30min). Add coconut milk and simmer for 5 min. Dry roast cashews and use as garnish.
This was tasty. Bit faffy with paste and ground dry spices, and took awhile to cook. But several of my favourite things, and bright pink of course. Based on a recipe I copied from a book of Shireen's awhile ago - I don't remember the title.
Coconut veg curry
2 tbsp veg oil
1 1/2 tsp coriander seed
1 1/2 tsp cumin seed
2/3 tbsp cardamom seed
1 onion, sliced
1 large sweet potato, diced roughly
3cm chunk of ginger, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
300ml coconut milk
1 small red chili, finely chopped
juice of 1/2 lime and few shards of zest
~ 6 stalks of kale - greens separated from stalks and chopped separately
3/4 a large red pepper
about 1/4 a large aubergine
Dry-fry the spices til fragrant, then grind. Heat the oil and saute the onion for ~ 12 min til browned. Add sweet potato, ground spices, ginger, garlic, coconut, chili, lime zest. Cover and simmer ~12min. Add kale stems, aubergine, red pepper, simmer ~4min. Simmer til veg are semi cooked. Add kale leaves and simmer uncovered until kale is wilted and sauce is thick. Add lime juice (and fresh coriander if I'd had it), taste for seasoning. Sit for 10min before serving.
Suggested addition was: Put 50g sunflower seeds, 1/2 tsp fennel seed, 1 tsp caster sugar, pinch salt in nonstick pan and put on high heat. Stir for 3-4 min til sugar dissolves and coats seeds. Set aside to cool.
Overegged the chili and the cardamom slightly - next time use less. Otherwise a tasty veggie mess. Reckon you could use any combination of veggies - I based this on a more complicated recipe using okra, carrots, butternut squash and cauliflower instead of sweet potato, kale, red pepper and aubergine.
Coconut rice
1/4 large red onion, sliced
4 cardamom pods, crushed slightly
cup basmati rice
tsp veg oil
cup of coconut milk
cup of water
Heat oil in a saucepan and then fry the onion til soft. Add rice and cardamom and stir / fry a couple min. Add coconut milk and water and bring to boil. Cook ~ 10min til rice is done, then leave with lid on for 10 more min. Fluff with a fork before serving.
-pretty good.
Beetroot brinjal coconut curry
1 small red onion, roughly chopped
1 garlic clove
~1 red chili (taste)
1/3 lemongrass stalk
1 tsp cumin seed
1 tsp coriander seed
1/3 tsp fennel seed
1 tbsp veg oil
150g raw beetroot (1 large beetroot) peeled and cut into chunks
bits of aubergine equivalent to 2 baby aubergines, quartered
70ml veg stock
100ml coconut milk
salt and pepper
handful raw cashews
Liquidise onion, garlic, chili, lemongrass. Dry roast cumin, coriander and fennel to dark brown, then grind. Heat oil. Add onion paste and cook for a few min, then add ground spices. When combined add beetroot and aubergine. Fry for 2min high. Add stock and bring to the boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer til soft (~30min). Add coconut milk and simmer for 5 min. Dry roast cashews and use as garnish.
This was tasty. Bit faffy with paste and ground dry spices, and took awhile to cook. But several of my favourite things, and bright pink of course. Based on a recipe I copied from a book of Shireen's awhile ago - I don't remember the title.
Coconut veg curry
2 tbsp veg oil
1 1/2 tsp coriander seed
1 1/2 tsp cumin seed
2/3 tbsp cardamom seed
1 onion, sliced
1 large sweet potato, diced roughly
3cm chunk of ginger, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
300ml coconut milk
1 small red chili, finely chopped
juice of 1/2 lime and few shards of zest
~ 6 stalks of kale - greens separated from stalks and chopped separately
3/4 a large red pepper
about 1/4 a large aubergine
Dry-fry the spices til fragrant, then grind. Heat the oil and saute the onion for ~ 12 min til browned. Add sweet potato, ground spices, ginger, garlic, coconut, chili, lime zest. Cover and simmer ~12min. Add kale stems, aubergine, red pepper, simmer ~4min. Simmer til veg are semi cooked. Add kale leaves and simmer uncovered until kale is wilted and sauce is thick. Add lime juice (and fresh coriander if I'd had it), taste for seasoning. Sit for 10min before serving.
Suggested addition was: Put 50g sunflower seeds, 1/2 tsp fennel seed, 1 tsp caster sugar, pinch salt in nonstick pan and put on high heat. Stir for 3-4 min til sugar dissolves and coats seeds. Set aside to cool.
Overegged the chili and the cardamom slightly - next time use less. Otherwise a tasty veggie mess. Reckon you could use any combination of veggies - I based this on a more complicated recipe using okra, carrots, butternut squash and cauliflower instead of sweet potato, kale, red pepper and aubergine.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Sebastian's Birthday: Pecan Caramel Cake
(uses two 6 inch cake pans)
Cake:
1 1/2 cups wholemeal flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup coconut oil
1 cup (less 2tbsp) fake milk
3 tbsp coffee
1 tbsp vanilla essence
2 tbsp cider vinegar
handful (~50g) toasted pecan pieces
Salted Maple Caramel (note, for caramel that worked see this recipe):
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup coffee
3/8 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup tinned coconut milk
1 tbsp fake butter1/4 cup tinned coconut milk
1/2 tbsp vanilla essence
1 tsp sea salthandful toasted pecan pieces; about 12 whole pecan halves
Oven to 375 degrees. Line two six-inch-diameter cake tins with with baking parchment. Whisk flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar in a large bowl.
Melt coconut oil. When just melted whisk in fake milk, maple syrup, coffee and vanilla extract.
Add wet to dry and whisk until well blended. Lastly whisk in cider vinegar and stir quickly.
Split cake batter between tins and bake until skewer comes out clean, about 25-30 minutes. Cool cake completely in pan on rack, about 1 hour. Let cool completely, then refrigerate.
To make caramel, in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the sugar, maple syrup and coffee to a boil, stirring well at first to dissolve the sugar. Turn down the heat to low and cook until the liquid is deep amber in color, about 15-20 minutes, swirling the pan occasionally to ensure even cooking (don't stir). Remove the pan from heat. Very carefully (the mixture will bubble), stir in the coconut milk, fake butter, vanilla and sea salt until smooth. Let cool until it is a thicker constency before using on cake (it gets thicker as it cools). Ideally chill for an hour or so before icing cake to make sure it is as thick as possible.
Layer the cake with half the caramel and all the pecan pieces in the middle. Put the rest of the caramel on top and decorate with the half pecans.
This was a big hit - he loved it! It combines loads of his favourite things - salt, pecans, coffee... It was quite sweet with the caramel (and there was quite a lot of caramel - more frosting would have been way too much), but the denseness of the cake and the nuts kinda balanced it out. The caramel was quite runny - good to wait until it is absolutely cold. Also I stirred the sugar a bit as it bubbled and it kinda thickened / crystallised - the caramel came out OK in the end (a wee bit lumpy) - think it's better not to stir. As it was just for us at home presentation wasn't such a big deal but the caramel was hard to make look good. It would have been great as a brownie with the caramel sauce on the side to pour. Not sure you could really taste the maple the way I did it - might have been just as good with just sugar. Also was perhaps a bit shy with the coffee - would consider using coffee instead of fake milk and maybe using more flour instead of cocoa another time to make a more coffee-y cake. I liked the wholewheat flour - a good way of giving texture (which I feel like vegan cakes really need) without adding extra stuff.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Tofu chocolate mousse
8 oz silken or soft tofu
5 oz dark chocolate
1-2 tbsp maple syrup
pinch cayenne
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla essence.
Melt chocolate in bowl over hot water. Put in blender with the other stuff and puree til smooth. Chill.
This is a variation on the chocolate pudding I made before. I liked the idea of making it thicker and more chocolatey. But you know, I think I might have preferred the pudding version. I tried making one like this the other day with cocoa instead of chocolate (I have a habit of eating any chocolate in the pantry before I manage to cook anything with it...), but I think the chocolate gives better taste and texture.
5 oz dark chocolate
1-2 tbsp maple syrup
pinch cayenne
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla essence.
Melt chocolate in bowl over hot water. Put in blender with the other stuff and puree til smooth. Chill.
This is a variation on the chocolate pudding I made before. I liked the idea of making it thicker and more chocolatey. But you know, I think I might have preferred the pudding version. I tried making one like this the other day with cocoa instead of chocolate (I have a habit of eating any chocolate in the pantry before I manage to cook anything with it...), but I think the chocolate gives better taste and texture.
Leek flowers and dry tofu
Our favourite Taiwanese / Szechuan restaurant serves wondrous leek flowers and dry tofu. We decided leek flowers were appropriate for Valentines Day, having bought them from an amazing Chinese supermarket in Chinatown.
bundle of leek flowers
packet (~100g?) dry tofu (original spicy flavour)
6 cloves garlic
sesame / canola oil
salt
Finely chop garlic. Chop tough stalks off leek flowers and chop remainder into manageable pieces (~10 cm long). Chop dry tofu into strips about 1cm by 1/2 cm by 5cm. Heat ~ 2 tbsp canola oil plus 1/2 tbsp sesame oil in a big saute pan. Add garlic and fry for a few min. Add dry tofu and fry a few min. Add leek flowers and fry til done (maybe with lid on for a bit). Add salt to taste while frying. Serve with rice.
bundle of leek flowers
packet (~100g?) dry tofu (original spicy flavour)
6 cloves garlic
sesame / canola oil
salt
Finely chop garlic. Chop tough stalks off leek flowers and chop remainder into manageable pieces (~10 cm long). Chop dry tofu into strips about 1cm by 1/2 cm by 5cm. Heat ~ 2 tbsp canola oil plus 1/2 tbsp sesame oil in a big saute pan. Add garlic and fry for a few min. Add dry tofu and fry a few min. Add leek flowers and fry til done (maybe with lid on for a bit). Add salt to taste while frying. Serve with rice.
Pune chickpeas
From my Covent Garden Soup Company cookbook. An old staple (good store cupboard fare - tin of tomatoes, chickpeas and ginger I usually have in the freezer, a bunch of dry spices and we almost always have garlic and onions...)
8oz / 225g dried chickpeas (ie about 2 tins worth cooked ones)
2 x 2.5cm pieces ginger
2 bay leaves
3 cloves
few black peppercorns
seeds of 5 cardamom pods, ground
1 red chili, seeded
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled
2 tbsp veg oil
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 tsp turmeric
1 cinnamon stick
6 tomatoes, roughly chopped (or 1 400g tin)
1/4 tsp tamarind paste
chopped coriander to serve
Soak chickpeas with ginger, bay leaves, cloves, peppercorns. Drain, rinse and boil ~ 1 hour. Drain, reserving 570ml cooking liquid and separately the ginger and bay leaves.
Put ground cardamom, bay leaves, ginger, chili, onion and garlic in liquidiser with 75ml / 3 fl oz water. Puree til smooth. Heat oil and cook cumin, turmeric and cinnamon for 30sec. Add paste and cook 10 min gently without burning. Add tomatoes and reserved cooking liquid. Cook til sauce is dark and thick. Finally add cooked chick peas, stir and cook for 1 min. Stir in tamarind paste and serve garnished with coriander.
I often adapt this as I have pre-cooked the chickpeas / don't have cooking liquid / don't have fresh chili / don't have fresh tomatoes. Then I grind the bay leaves with dried chili and cardamom, then blend this with the onion, garlic and ginger. I use veg stock or just water instead of cooking liquid and substitute tinned tomatoes for fresh - it comes out just as tasty.
8oz / 225g dried chickpeas (ie about 2 tins worth cooked ones)
2 x 2.5cm pieces ginger
2 bay leaves
3 cloves
few black peppercorns
seeds of 5 cardamom pods, ground
1 red chili, seeded
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled
2 tbsp veg oil
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 tsp turmeric
1 cinnamon stick
6 tomatoes, roughly chopped (or 1 400g tin)
1/4 tsp tamarind paste
chopped coriander to serve
Soak chickpeas with ginger, bay leaves, cloves, peppercorns. Drain, rinse and boil ~ 1 hour. Drain, reserving 570ml cooking liquid and separately the ginger and bay leaves.
Put ground cardamom, bay leaves, ginger, chili, onion and garlic in liquidiser with 75ml / 3 fl oz water. Puree til smooth. Heat oil and cook cumin, turmeric and cinnamon for 30sec. Add paste and cook 10 min gently without burning. Add tomatoes and reserved cooking liquid. Cook til sauce is dark and thick. Finally add cooked chick peas, stir and cook for 1 min. Stir in tamarind paste and serve garnished with coriander.
I often adapt this as I have pre-cooked the chickpeas / don't have cooking liquid / don't have fresh chili / don't have fresh tomatoes. Then I grind the bay leaves with dried chili and cardamom, then blend this with the onion, garlic and ginger. I use veg stock or just water instead of cooking liquid and substitute tinned tomatoes for fresh - it comes out just as tasty.
Ginger sweet potato cake / pink rose and cardamom valentines cakes
Ginger sweet potato cake
I saw this recipe for ginger hemp cake at the Guardian and fancied it: I am a sucker for ginger and vegetables in cakes. So I veganised it (and otherwise adapted it).
150g dark soft brown sugar
50g black treacle or molasses
3 tbsp ground flax seed beaten with 6 tbsp boiling water (3 med eggs)
125ml sunflower oil
125g chopped glacé ginger
175g grated sweet potato
150g plain flour
75g hemp flour (or wholewheat)
3 tsp ground ginger
3 tsp baking powder
For the icing:
200g full-fat cream cheese, cold
100g unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp ground cinnamon, plus extra
125g sifted icing sugar
About 50g of coconut oil, beaten with icing sugar and cinnamon and a touch of lemon juice to a good taste and consistency.
Line the base of two 18cm round layer cake tins with discs of nonstick baking paper, and heat the oven to 180C (160C fan-assisted)/350F/gas mark 4. Beat the sugar, treacle and flax until smooth and light, then beat in the oil and stir in the glacé ginger and sweet potato. Sift in the flours, ground ginger and baking powder, and fold through evenly.
Spoon the mixture into the tins and bake for 25-30 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tins. Make the icing. Layer and top the cake with icing, and sprinkle with more cinnamon to serve.
I made a half quantity and just put it in a loaf tin, and iced with a wee bit of leftover icing from the rose buns. Was lovely and dense and dark and spicy. Realised it's basically the same as the ginger root cake also by Dan Lepard that I made a few times a while back. The veganising was pretty successful.
Rose and cardamom valentines cakes
cake mix:
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup desiccated coconut
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cardamom
1 cup fake milk
1/3 cup veg oil
~ 2 tsp rose water
2 drops red food colouring
1 tsp white vinegar
icing:
1/2 cup coconut oil
2 cups icing sugar
2 tsp rose water
couple of drops of red food colouring
decoration:
jelly stars
powdered rose petals
icing sugar hearts
Mix the dry ingredients with a fork. Add the wet ingredients and mix til just combined (add vinegar last). Put into muffin cups and bake at 350F for 20-25 min.
When cool, ice and decorate with kitsch valentines decorations.
The rose was quite intense - I was afraid it wouldn't taste so kept adding more... But I think they were pretty good. Certainly looked very kitsch and valentines-y. Think vegan cupcakes work best with something to give them texture (in this case coconut). Could have done with beetroot juice as colour.
I saw this recipe for ginger hemp cake at the Guardian and fancied it: I am a sucker for ginger and vegetables in cakes. So I veganised it (and otherwise adapted it).
150g dark soft brown sugar
50g black treacle or molasses
3 tbsp ground flax seed beaten with 6 tbsp boiling water (3 med eggs)
125ml sunflower oil
125g chopped glacé ginger
175g grated sweet potato
150g plain flour
75g hemp flour (or wholewheat)
3 tsp ground ginger
3 tsp baking powder
For the icing:
200g full-fat cream cheese, cold
100g unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp ground cinnamon, plus extra
125g sifted icing sugar
About 50g of coconut oil, beaten with icing sugar and cinnamon and a touch of lemon juice to a good taste and consistency.
Line the base of two 18cm round layer cake tins with discs of nonstick baking paper, and heat the oven to 180C (160C fan-assisted)/350F/gas mark 4. Beat the sugar, treacle and flax until smooth and light, then beat in the oil and stir in the glacé ginger and sweet potato. Sift in the flours, ground ginger and baking powder, and fold through evenly.
Spoon the mixture into the tins and bake for 25-30 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tins. Make the icing. Layer and top the cake with icing, and sprinkle with more cinnamon to serve.
I made a half quantity and just put it in a loaf tin, and iced with a wee bit of leftover icing from the rose buns. Was lovely and dense and dark and spicy. Realised it's basically the same as the ginger root cake also by Dan Lepard that I made a few times a while back. The veganising was pretty successful.
Rose and cardamom valentines cakes
cake mix:
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup desiccated coconut
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cardamom
1 cup fake milk
1/3 cup veg oil
~ 2 tsp rose water
2 drops red food colouring
1 tsp white vinegar
icing:
1/2 cup coconut oil
2 cups icing sugar
2 tsp rose water
couple of drops of red food colouring
decoration:
jelly stars
powdered rose petals
icing sugar hearts
Mix the dry ingredients with a fork. Add the wet ingredients and mix til just combined (add vinegar last). Put into muffin cups and bake at 350F for 20-25 min.
When cool, ice and decorate with kitsch valentines decorations.
The rose was quite intense - I was afraid it wouldn't taste so kept adding more... But I think they were pretty good. Certainly looked very kitsch and valentines-y. Think vegan cupcakes work best with something to give them texture (in this case coconut). Could have done with beetroot juice as colour.
Muffins: Gluten-free raspberry cornmeal / apple and raisin
Based on recipes from How it All Vegan! vegan cookbook by Tanya Barnard and Sarah Kramer. I bought the book as all the baking I tried from it was really successful, and these were no exceptions. I made these to take to garden brunch. Muffins were the plan as they are easily portable and I needed to bike to JP with them. As Hannah eats gluten-free I wanted to do some gluten-free but didn't have much g-f ingredients so just did a few g-f ones and some other ones too...
Raspberry cornmeal gluten-free vegan muffins
1 1/2 cups cornmeal
1 1/2 cups flour (used sweet rice flour to make GF)
dash of salt
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup oil
3/4 cup fake milk (used soy)
3/4 cup orange or apple juice (used orange)
1 tsp vinegar
1 cup raspberries (used black raspberries frozen from orchard days in Summer)
Oven to 400F. Stir dry ingredients together. Add wet ingredients and berries. Mix til 'just mixed'. Spoon into lightly oiled or lined muffin tins and bake for 35-45 min. Test with a knife for readiness.
These were super simple and amazingly good! The sweet rice flour had the amazing effect of making a GF baked product that stuck together really well (it was the stuff we bought for mochi) - the texture was a little odd but I thought they were wonderful.
Sugar-free applesauce muffins
I realised having settled on this recipe that they had no sugar (and hardly any fat) in them, how odd...
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup fake milk
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp oil
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 cup applesauce
3/4 cup raisins
Oven to 375F. Sift dry ingredients together. Add rest. Mix til 'just mixed'. Put into lightly oiled / lined muffin tins and bake 15-20min. Test with knife.
These were good too. Good texture etc. Could maybe have done with a little more sweetness, and they didn't keep very well though.
What an exercise in -free baking!
Raspberry cornmeal gluten-free vegan muffins
1 1/2 cups cornmeal
1 1/2 cups flour (used sweet rice flour to make GF)
dash of salt
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup oil
3/4 cup fake milk (used soy)
3/4 cup orange or apple juice (used orange)
1 tsp vinegar
1 cup raspberries (used black raspberries frozen from orchard days in Summer)
Oven to 400F. Stir dry ingredients together. Add wet ingredients and berries. Mix til 'just mixed'. Spoon into lightly oiled or lined muffin tins and bake for 35-45 min. Test with a knife for readiness.
These were super simple and amazingly good! The sweet rice flour had the amazing effect of making a GF baked product that stuck together really well (it was the stuff we bought for mochi) - the texture was a little odd but I thought they were wonderful.
Sugar-free applesauce muffins
I realised having settled on this recipe that they had no sugar (and hardly any fat) in them, how odd...
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup fake milk
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp oil
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 cup applesauce
3/4 cup raisins
Oven to 375F. Sift dry ingredients together. Add rest. Mix til 'just mixed'. Put into lightly oiled / lined muffin tins and bake 15-20min. Test with knife.
These were good too. Good texture etc. Could maybe have done with a little more sweetness, and they didn't keep very well though.
What an exercise in -free baking!
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Pomegranate and Brussels Sprouts
Another brussels sprout recipe, this time with pomegranate by Yotam Ottolenghi on the Guardian website.
Serves four to six.
600g brussels sprouts
120ml olive oil
300g baby shallots, peeled (or spring onions, white part only) (used spring onions, and not as much - perhaps 150-200g)
2 tbsp maple syrup
Grated zest of 2 lemons (used 1)
2 tsp pomegranate molasses
Seeds of 2 small pomegranates (about 8 tbsp in total) (used 1 large one)
20g purple basil, leaves only, shredded (didn't have, so left it out)
Salt and black pepper
Trim off the ends of the sprouts and cut them in two lengthways.
Heat up a large wok or nonstick pan, and add two tablespoons of oil. Fry half the sprouts on high heat for about four minutes, until nicely golden brown all over but still quite crunchy. Transfer to a mixing bowl and keep somewhere warm. Add more oil to the pan and repeat with the remaining sprouts.
Add two tablespoons of oil to the pan and fry the shallots as you did the sprouts, for four to six minutes. Add to the sprout bowl. Add the maple syrup, lemon zest, molasses and remaining oil to the still warm vegetables. Add half the pomegranate seeds and half the basil, season generously and toss to mix.
Serve warm or at room temperature, with the remaining pomegranate seeds and basil sprinkled on top.
This was really good - exploring two of my current favourite winter ingredients (brussels sprouts and pomegranate syrup) - the sweetness of maple syrup and pomegranate seeds with sour notes from pomegranate syrup and lemon really complements the sprouts and scallions. I guess I should try it with basil one day (not a very wintry ingredient mind you).
Note - both brussels sprouts and pomegranate are super fiddly to prepare, so this is definitely a recipe for cosy wintry afternoons with nothing much else going on - trying to make it quickly would be tough.
Serves four to six.600g brussels sprouts
120ml olive oil
300g baby shallots, peeled (or spring onions, white part only) (used spring onions, and not as much - perhaps 150-200g)
2 tbsp maple syrup
Grated zest of 2 lemons (used 1)
2 tsp pomegranate molasses
Seeds of 2 small pomegranates (about 8 tbsp in total) (used 1 large one)
20g purple basil, leaves only, shredded (didn't have, so left it out)
Salt and black pepper
Trim off the ends of the sprouts and cut them in two lengthways.
Heat up a large wok or nonstick pan, and add two tablespoons of oil. Fry half the sprouts on high heat for about four minutes, until nicely golden brown all over but still quite crunchy. Transfer to a mixing bowl and keep somewhere warm. Add more oil to the pan and repeat with the remaining sprouts.
Add two tablespoons of oil to the pan and fry the shallots as you did the sprouts, for four to six minutes. Add to the sprout bowl. Add the maple syrup, lemon zest, molasses and remaining oil to the still warm vegetables. Add half the pomegranate seeds and half the basil, season generously and toss to mix.
Serve warm or at room temperature, with the remaining pomegranate seeds and basil sprinkled on top.
This was really good - exploring two of my current favourite winter ingredients (brussels sprouts and pomegranate syrup) - the sweetness of maple syrup and pomegranate seeds with sour notes from pomegranate syrup and lemon really complements the sprouts and scallions. I guess I should try it with basil one day (not a very wintry ingredient mind you).
Note - both brussels sprouts and pomegranate are super fiddly to prepare, so this is definitely a recipe for cosy wintry afternoons with nothing much else going on - trying to make it quickly would be tough.
Raw Brussels Sprouts Salad
Basically this
(hugh fearnley-whittingstall @ Guardian)
50g hazelnuts, preferably skin on (used skin-off and skipped toasting step)
150g brussels sprouts, trimmed, discoloured outer leaves removed
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of ½ lemon
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves (didn't have thyme so substituted parsley)
Good pinch of chilli flakes
1-2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
80g young, fresh goat's cheese (substituted firm tofu)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Heat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Scatter the hazelnuts on a baking sheet and roast in the oven until fragrant and browned – about nine to 11 minutes. Remove from the oven, wrap in a clean tea towel and leave for a minute. Rub vigorously in the tea towel – this will remove the browned skins.
Cut the prepared brussels sprouts from top to root into slices about the thickness of a 50p piece. Put these into a bowl and toss with the lemon zest and juice, thyme leaves, chilli flakes, and a tablespoon of oil, and season with salt and pepper. Taste and add more olive oil, lemon juice and/or chilli flakes as desired.
Arrange on a plate, scatter the hazelnuts over and around and crumble on the goat's cheese. Trickle over a little more olive oil and serve immediately.
Was nice and simple. Very crunchy and quite tasty. Liked the idea of trying something with raw sprouts, but I think I like them best pan-fried or roasted.
(hugh fearnley-whittingstall @ Guardian)
50g hazelnuts, preferably skin on (used skin-off and skipped toasting step)
150g brussels sprouts, trimmed, discoloured outer leaves removed
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of ½ lemon
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves (didn't have thyme so substituted parsley)
Good pinch of chilli flakes
1-2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
80g young, fresh goat's cheese (substituted firm tofu)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Heat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Scatter the hazelnuts on a baking sheet and roast in the oven until fragrant and browned – about nine to 11 minutes. Remove from the oven, wrap in a clean tea towel and leave for a minute. Rub vigorously in the tea towel – this will remove the browned skins.
Cut the prepared brussels sprouts from top to root into slices about the thickness of a 50p piece. Put these into a bowl and toss with the lemon zest and juice, thyme leaves, chilli flakes, and a tablespoon of oil, and season with salt and pepper. Taste and add more olive oil, lemon juice and/or chilli flakes as desired.
Arrange on a plate, scatter the hazelnuts over and around and crumble on the goat's cheese. Trickle over a little more olive oil and serve immediately.
Was nice and simple. Very crunchy and quite tasty. Liked the idea of trying something with raw sprouts, but I think I like them best pan-fried or roasted.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Seb birthday cake ideas
He demands nuts (specifically pecans) and maybe coffee.
I am thinking maybe this one:
maple pecan turtle cake
(it looks amazing, I am interested in trying a salted caramel (and seb loves salt so I think it would be a hit), and was also thinking maple syrup would be a good combination with pecans...)
Also looking at this recipe for pecan pie:
pecan pie
(like the sound of the crust)
Got looking at that blog... Also keen on trying something like this - love the sound of the guinness and avocado mix - have enjoyed stout cakes before, and wanted to try an avocado cake. That blog is beautiful.
Finally, I bought some green tea powder at the weekend, so am keen to try and make some kind of green tea cakes (probably kitschy cupcakes or fairy cakes).
And I want to buy some agar agar or pectin and experiment with jellies. That's probably enough to be getting on with...
I am thinking maybe this one:
maple pecan turtle cake
(it looks amazing, I am interested in trying a salted caramel (and seb loves salt so I think it would be a hit), and was also thinking maple syrup would be a good combination with pecans...)
Also looking at this recipe for pecan pie:
pecan pie
(like the sound of the crust)
Got looking at that blog... Also keen on trying something like this - love the sound of the guinness and avocado mix - have enjoyed stout cakes before, and wanted to try an avocado cake. That blog is beautiful.
Finally, I bought some green tea powder at the weekend, so am keen to try and make some kind of green tea cakes (probably kitschy cupcakes or fairy cakes).
And I want to buy some agar agar or pectin and experiment with jellies. That's probably enough to be getting on with...
Caper raisin pasta
S loves pasta, I am not so excited about it. I saw this recipe and thought of him - he also loves salty olives and capers, parsley, and fennel. And we had all those things in the fridge...
Basically this.
6 stalks celery (ie, around 180g) (or fennel, or red onion which would need more cooking)
90ml olive oil
30g pine nuts, roughly broken (used sunflower seeds instead)
40g capers, plus 2 tbsp of their brine
10 large green olives (40g), pitted and cut into 1cm dice
1 good pinch saffron, mixed with 1 tbsp hot water
1½ tsp white-wine vinegar
100g raisins, soaked in water
250g conchiglie pasta (shells)
30g chopped parsley
Grated zest of 1 lemon
1 garlic clove, crushed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Grated parmesan (or pecorino for vegetarian alternative), optional
Trim any leaves from the celery (save them for later) and cut the stalks into 1cm dice. Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan and add the diced celery and pine nuts. Over high heat, fry, stirring all the while, for a minute or two until the nuts begin to brown (take care as they can easily burn). Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the capers and their brine, the olives, saffron and its water, the vinegar and the drained raisins. Set aside.
Cook the pasta until al dente, drain into a colander and shake well. Tip the pasta into the pan, place over medium high heat and, stirring gently, quickly heat through. Once hot, stir in the parsley, lemon zest, garlic and lots of black pepper. Taste and add salt if needed.
Transfer to serving plates or bowls, scatter the reserved celery leaves on top and finish with a little cheese, if you like.
It was good - caponata crossed with S's perversion pasta.
Basically this.
6 stalks celery (ie, around 180g) (or fennel, or red onion which would need more cooking)
90ml olive oil
30g pine nuts, roughly broken (used sunflower seeds instead)
40g capers, plus 2 tbsp of their brine
10 large green olives (40g), pitted and cut into 1cm dice
1 good pinch saffron, mixed with 1 tbsp hot water
1½ tsp white-wine vinegar
100g raisins, soaked in water
250g conchiglie pasta (shells)
30g chopped parsley
Grated zest of 1 lemon
1 garlic clove, crushed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Grated parmesan (or pecorino for vegetarian alternative), optional
Trim any leaves from the celery (save them for later) and cut the stalks into 1cm dice. Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan and add the diced celery and pine nuts. Over high heat, fry, stirring all the while, for a minute or two until the nuts begin to brown (take care as they can easily burn). Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the capers and their brine, the olives, saffron and its water, the vinegar and the drained raisins. Set aside.
Cook the pasta until al dente, drain into a colander and shake well. Tip the pasta into the pan, place over medium high heat and, stirring gently, quickly heat through. Once hot, stir in the parsley, lemon zest, garlic and lots of black pepper. Taste and add salt if needed.
Transfer to serving plates or bowls, scatter the reserved celery leaves on top and finish with a little cheese, if you like.
It was good - caponata crossed with S's perversion pasta.
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