Today was a rainy old day here in (usually) Sunny So-Cal, and I knew we had a busy evening ahead, as it was a "parent observation night" at the dance studio, so I decided I needed a quick, hot, hearty meal. I immediately thought of grilled cheese and tomato soup. The thing is, I just didn't want canned tomato soup. It would have been easy, but, when I picked it up and read the ingredients, I just thought to myself, "Hey, I coud do that ~ without high fructose corn syrup and with less salt."
Now, I knew the real (and probably healthiest and best) way to make tomato soup would be to start with fresh tomatoes, but I had a PTA meeting in the morning, then some business to be taken care of, then a kid was sent home sick, and then there was that dance class... At first, I thought I was going to have to resign myself to canned soup, but I really didn't want to eat it. Then, I checked the ingredients on a can of crushed tomatoes: tomatoes, tomato juice and citric acid. I decided I could live with that. I mean, I recognized all of those ingredients, so I figured it would be okay. I just kind of worked out the recipe as I went along, basing it on what we were used to. It really wasn't difficult at all. I made a big batch, but I am guessing it could easily be halved. Frankly, I am looking forward to leftovers. So, maybe it's not as "homemade" as it would be, if I had peeled and seeded all of those tomatoes, but I found it to be better tasting than that famous tomato soup, and I felt better about feeding it to my family. They, BTW, were impressed. Even the finicky one gobbled it up (with noodles).
Homemade(ish) Tomato Soup
2 TBS butter or margarine
1 large sweet onion, diced
2 large cans crushed tomatoes
1/2 tsp dried basil (or more, to taste)
water*
salt to taste
2 TBS flour
1-2 TBS sugar or honey
In a large saucepot, heat butter or margarine over low heat. Add diced onion and stir to coat. Sprinkle with a touch of salt. Cook, stirring often, over low heat, until onions are translucent. Add tomatoes + one can of water and stir well. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer. Add basil, sugar and a sprinkle of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, for approx. 20 minutes, or until onions are very soft. Turn off heat, and let cool for a few minutes. In a cup, mix the flour with approximately 2-3 TBS of water, adding the water a bit at a time and using a fork to beat until mixture is smooth. Whisk flour mixture into soup. Transfer to a blender and blend** in batches until smooth, transferring to a crockpot or another large saucepot as each batch is finished. Add water to achieve desired consistency. Taste, and adjust seasonings. If cooking on the stovetop, simmer for an additional 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. If using a crockpot, turn heat to low, cover and let cook at least 1 hour. Always taste and adjust seasonings before serving.
You can keep this on low in the crockpot for hours, which is one of the many reasons I love it. I can put it in the crockpot, rinse out the blender and the saucepot, take kids to dance class and come home to a nice, hot meal.
*If you like creamy tomato soup, you can use milk (or a milk substitute, I suppose) to replace some or all of the water in this recipe.
**If your family doesn't mind chunky tomato soup, you don't have to blend it, but, if you are trying to achieve a smooth soup that is similar in texture to the canned soup familiar to so many of us, blending is essential.
Granted, just tomato soup does not a meal make. Kaia added noodles to hers (whole wheat animal shaped noodles, to be precise), and washed it down with green juice. The rest of us enjoyed variations of grilled cheese with our soup. Hallie had grilled American and tomato on wheat, Justice had grilled cheddar and vegetarian bacon (also on wheat). I think Shane went with a fairly standard grilled cheese. I added soy turkey, veggie bacon, and a slice of tomato to mine (soy cheese for me, so, yeah, it was soy extravaganza, but I thoroughly enjoyed it).
I was thinking this soup would be great with homemade noodles, or with hot, freshly baked biscuits or a loaf of beer bread, too. I had enough left over to fill a good-sized jar, so we'll probably get to put at least one of those notions to the test in the next day or so.
Seriously, this recipe is so easy, it's worth a try. If you make the full recipe, you'll probably have some left to freeze, so you get a quick meal for the future, too. At the very least, it'll warm you up on a chilly day.
Monday, December 12, 2011
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Old Standards
You know those days when you might not really be all that busy, but you just can't seem to get much done? I have them all the time. I have things to do, they're right there waiting for me, but one thing comes up, and then another... Nothing earth-shattering. We're talking little things. Like someone stubs a toe, and then someone else can't find an important piece of paper, and someone needs laundry done, and the computer won't turn on... Today was also one of those days when Shane went straight from work to...work. So we were pretty much on our own today. Which is fine. Like I said, nothing earth-shattering. Then, I happened to glance up at the clock and see that it was almost 6pm, and I hadn't even started making dinner yet.
I'm sure we all do this. So, what's your ace-in-the-hole? We all have at least one, don't we? You know, that dinner you can throw together quickly, and you know everyone will eat and be happy (or at least not complain). I think I have a few. Whenever I make spaghetti sauce, pesto or cream sauce, I always freeze some in small portions for later use. I like to pour the pesto and cream sauce into ice cube trays. Once they are frozen, I pop them out and toss them in a freezer bag. Then, I just thaw and use whatever I need. Makes it easy to cook up a little pasta for just one kid for lunch, toss with the desired sauce and there you have it. I can even make pasta and toss individual servings with different sauces, to suit individual tastes. And all it takes is doubling the recipe for dinner one night and portioning the extras in to the freezer. Easy-peasy.
Naturally, last night, I didn't have any frozen sauce. My freezer is currently full of cheesecakes and cookie dough that we need to finish delivering to people around the neighbourhood (Kaia's school fundraiser ~ she did well. Hence, I have a freezer full of goodies).
So, I fell back on another of our sure bets for dinner: Tofu, rice, broccoli and baby corn.
Here's what you'll need to make it:
Dry rice of your choice
Water
Salt
Oil or butter/margarine
1 cake of tofu (not silken)
broccoli florets (in bag, pre-cut, or a good-sized bunch or two. Enough to feed your crew)
1 can baby corn
2-3 cloves garlic
Bragg's Liquid Aminos or soy sauce
Canola oil
Optional ingredients:
ginger
toasted sesame oil
seasoned rice vinegar
Chinese 5 Spice
toasted sesame seeds or cashews
additional veggies of your choice (use whatever your family likes)
It's so simple that I don't even consider this a recipe, but here's what I do:
Cook rice according to package directions. (I doubled the recipe, so, tonight, I can make some lentils to serve with the leftover rice, so I have a jump on dinner.)
While you are getting the rice ready (so, the water is coming to a boil, then it is cooking, then it is resting for a few minutes after you turn it off), prepare your tofu and veggies. Here's how I do that:
Drain, rinse and dry tofu (I always use extra firm). Heat a skillet (or wok) over low-medium heat for a few minutes, then add a little oil (I use canola). While oil is heating, dice tofu into about 1/2" pieces. Peel and dice one large garlic clove. When the oil in hot, add tofu and garlic. Stir to coat with oil. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 3 minutes, then sprinkle with a little Bragg's Liquid Aminos or soy sauce of your choice. Stir to coat. Continue to cook, stirring or tossing once in a while, until it is hot through and, if you like, a little crispy on the outside. (If you want it crispy, move it less often, use enough oil, and use a cake turner to flip it when necessary.) You can season it more, but we like it really simple.
While your tofu is cooking (between stirs), you can chop your broccoli, drain, rinse and (if necessary) chop you baby corn, and peel and dice 1-2 cloves of garlic. You can also chop up a little fresh ginger, if you like, and, really, any other veggies you want to throw in (carrots, snow peas, asparagus, peppers, scallions, cabbage and celery are all nice).
Remove the tofu to a bowl, and add a little water to the pan. Bring to a boil, and use your cake turner to loosen all of the little bits of tofu that might be stuck to your pan. Empty water and tofu, and heat pan as before. (If there are no little stuck bits, or, of you don't mind them mixing in with your veggies, just skip that step.) If desired, add a little more oil.
Add chopped broccoli, baby corn and garlic (and ginger and other veggies, if using. Sprinkle with a little Bragg's or soy sauce, and sprinkle with a touch of Chinese 5 Spice, if desired. Stir to coat, and cook, stirring, for about 3 minutes. Now, here's the part where you can make a decision for yourself. Honestly, we more steam than stir-fry our veggies. If you want them stor fried, just keep cooking and stirring until you reach desired doneness, but here's what I do:
Add about 3 TBS water, bring to a simmer, reduce heat, cover and cook until veggies reach desired doneness.
When everything is done, turn off heat and, if desired, add a drizzle of toasted sesame oil and/or a tiny drizzle of seasoned rice vinegar (if you are going to use the vinegar, go a little easy on the soy sauce or Bragg's, because they are all salty) and toss lightly. If desired, top with toasted sesame seeds or cashews (my favourite).
Honestly, I often stick with just the broccoli and baby corn, and skip that last step. I can always add the nuts or seeds on my plate, and, if I keep it simple, I am guaranteed that everyone at the table will clean her (or his, but he's really not picky) plate.
So, that's it. A healthy, home-cooked meal that cooks in the time it takes to make a pot of rice. How's that for quick and easy?
I'm sure we all do this. So, what's your ace-in-the-hole? We all have at least one, don't we? You know, that dinner you can throw together quickly, and you know everyone will eat and be happy (or at least not complain). I think I have a few. Whenever I make spaghetti sauce, pesto or cream sauce, I always freeze some in small portions for later use. I like to pour the pesto and cream sauce into ice cube trays. Once they are frozen, I pop them out and toss them in a freezer bag. Then, I just thaw and use whatever I need. Makes it easy to cook up a little pasta for just one kid for lunch, toss with the desired sauce and there you have it. I can even make pasta and toss individual servings with different sauces, to suit individual tastes. And all it takes is doubling the recipe for dinner one night and portioning the extras in to the freezer. Easy-peasy.
Naturally, last night, I didn't have any frozen sauce. My freezer is currently full of cheesecakes and cookie dough that we need to finish delivering to people around the neighbourhood (Kaia's school fundraiser ~ she did well. Hence, I have a freezer full of goodies).
So, I fell back on another of our sure bets for dinner: Tofu, rice, broccoli and baby corn.
Here's what you'll need to make it:
Dry rice of your choice
Water
Salt
Oil or butter/margarine
1 cake of tofu (not silken)
broccoli florets (in bag, pre-cut, or a good-sized bunch or two. Enough to feed your crew)
1 can baby corn
2-3 cloves garlic
Bragg's Liquid Aminos or soy sauce
Canola oil
Optional ingredients:
ginger
toasted sesame oil
seasoned rice vinegar
Chinese 5 Spice
toasted sesame seeds or cashews
additional veggies of your choice (use whatever your family likes)
It's so simple that I don't even consider this a recipe, but here's what I do:
Cook rice according to package directions. (I doubled the recipe, so, tonight, I can make some lentils to serve with the leftover rice, so I have a jump on dinner.)
While you are getting the rice ready (so, the water is coming to a boil, then it is cooking, then it is resting for a few minutes after you turn it off), prepare your tofu and veggies. Here's how I do that:
Drain, rinse and dry tofu (I always use extra firm). Heat a skillet (or wok) over low-medium heat for a few minutes, then add a little oil (I use canola). While oil is heating, dice tofu into about 1/2" pieces. Peel and dice one large garlic clove. When the oil in hot, add tofu and garlic. Stir to coat with oil. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 3 minutes, then sprinkle with a little Bragg's Liquid Aminos or soy sauce of your choice. Stir to coat. Continue to cook, stirring or tossing once in a while, until it is hot through and, if you like, a little crispy on the outside. (If you want it crispy, move it less often, use enough oil, and use a cake turner to flip it when necessary.) You can season it more, but we like it really simple.
While your tofu is cooking (between stirs), you can chop your broccoli, drain, rinse and (if necessary) chop you baby corn, and peel and dice 1-2 cloves of garlic. You can also chop up a little fresh ginger, if you like, and, really, any other veggies you want to throw in (carrots, snow peas, asparagus, peppers, scallions, cabbage and celery are all nice).
Remove the tofu to a bowl, and add a little water to the pan. Bring to a boil, and use your cake turner to loosen all of the little bits of tofu that might be stuck to your pan. Empty water and tofu, and heat pan as before. (If there are no little stuck bits, or, of you don't mind them mixing in with your veggies, just skip that step.) If desired, add a little more oil.
Add chopped broccoli, baby corn and garlic (and ginger and other veggies, if using. Sprinkle with a little Bragg's or soy sauce, and sprinkle with a touch of Chinese 5 Spice, if desired. Stir to coat, and cook, stirring, for about 3 minutes. Now, here's the part where you can make a decision for yourself. Honestly, we more steam than stir-fry our veggies. If you want them stor fried, just keep cooking and stirring until you reach desired doneness, but here's what I do:
Add about 3 TBS water, bring to a simmer, reduce heat, cover and cook until veggies reach desired doneness.
When everything is done, turn off heat and, if desired, add a drizzle of toasted sesame oil and/or a tiny drizzle of seasoned rice vinegar (if you are going to use the vinegar, go a little easy on the soy sauce or Bragg's, because they are all salty) and toss lightly. If desired, top with toasted sesame seeds or cashews (my favourite).
Honestly, I often stick with just the broccoli and baby corn, and skip that last step. I can always add the nuts or seeds on my plate, and, if I keep it simple, I am guaranteed that everyone at the table will clean her (or his, but he's really not picky) plate.
So, that's it. A healthy, home-cooked meal that cooks in the time it takes to make a pot of rice. How's that for quick and easy?
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Cure What Ails You
This one's been a long time coming. Yes, it's another soup. Or...well, it's the base for many other soups, I suppose. And this one, after much delay, I dedicate to another cousin: Maryfrances. Sorry it's been such a long time coming. We were busy trying to get everyone over that latest bug. You know how it goes.
Now, I have to apologize to all of my readers (what are there, like, six of you?) because this really isn't much of a recipe. I mean, I don't really measure stuff. But, I can tell you what I did, sort of roughly, and you can figure it out, I'm sure. With the herbs and spices, I always recommend starting small and increasing quantities as you see fit after tasting. You know, it's my mantra: Taste, and adjust seasonings. Don't I almost always say that? Well, that's because it's almost always true.
I want to preface this recipe, also, with a disclaimer. I am not a doctor. If you need medical attention, please, please get it. I do say my soup will "cure what ails you," but, sometimes, soup alone is not gonna cut it. Years ago, I started reading up on herbal and nutritional treatments for cold/cough/flu/asthma, etc. symptoms, because we tend to have a lot of them, and I like to avoid too much heavy-duty medication, when I can. My goal was to find ways to help our bodies naturally, whether we used those methods in conjunction with prescription meds or instead of them. For us, it's a craps shoot ~ sometimes, just a good pot of soup and lots of rest are all we need. Other times, we call in the big guns. Like I said, I'm not a doctor, but, like most moms, I do what I can. What it comes down to is this: I can't promise this will make you better, but it probably won't make you worse.
So, here goes ~ a good old-fashioned cold cure:
In a large soup pot, heat several tablespoons of oil over low heat. (I use extra virgin olive oil, because I like the flavour.)
Add* (chopping all vegetables roughly:
2 very large onions
an entire head of garlic, peeled
4-8 stalks of celery, leaves and all
4-6 carrots (or more)
a good bit of parsley (maybe 2-3 TBS?)
about 2 tsps. rubbed sage
1/2 -1 tsp. rosemary
1/2 -1tsp. thyme
1-2 TBS apple cider vinegar
1-2 TBS honey
1-2 TBS Bragg's Liquid Aminos (or soy sauce, but I like Bragg's)
a good sprinkling of salt and black pepper
Cook, stirring occasionally for maybe 10-20 minutes, until the vegetables start to soften. At about this time, people in your home should start asking you for kleenex, because their sinuses should be draining. This is a very good sign. That's just what we want.
Now, add any or all of the following:
Basil
Cumin Seed
Ginger
Turmeric
Cinnamon
Cayenne (can make it spicy ~ you can wait and add to individual dishes later, if you prefer)
Black Pepper (yeah, I know you already added some)
Stir well, and continue cooking 5-10 minutes. Pass out more kleenex.
Now, add:
two 14 or 15 oz. cans of diced tomatoes, with their liquid
Water. Lots and lots of water. Like, as much as you can reasonably fit in your pot, while still leaving room to boil.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, uncovered for...pretty much...ever. Forever. Roughly.
The idea is to keep this cooking all day, so all that good onion/garlic/herb infused steam fills up your home and empties out your sinuses (gross, but true ~ and such a relief, too). Just keep adding water as it cooks off, check the flavour once in a while and adjust seasonings as necessary. I find that, as this is cooking, my body tells me what it needs. Like, sometimes, I can actually think, "Wow, that cumin really seems to be breaking up all the gunk in my lungs ~ better add more of that," or "I think just a few more cloves a garlic will do the trick."
Yes, you can sneak a little mug of the broth (strain it and dump the veggies back in the pot to keep cooking) while it is cooking. I recommend, if you have a lot of junk in your chest, rather than just in your head, adding cayenne and turmeric to that mug.
At the very least, you want to cook this until the veggies almost dissolve. Seriously. A lot of your onions will seem to just kind of disappear over time, as will garlic, celery...carrots hang on a bit, but you get the idea. You can go in every now and then with a potato masher to move things along. Just keep adding water to keep it brothy. We're making broth here, by the way. Did I mention that we're making broth? So, yeah ~ important to keep it brothy :)
This is a great thing to put on the stove when you wake up int he morning and think to yourself, "Crap. I'm sick, and I am not going anywhere today." You don't want to put this in your crockpot and go to work. I mean, you could, if you have a really big crockpot...but then you'll miss all the benefits of that wonderful steamy goodness in your home. And, trust me, you do not want to miss out on that.
When you finally decide it has cooked long enough (for me, this is usually because it is bedtime, I completely forgot I still had a giant pot of broth on my stove and I have to take care of it before I go to bed, damnit!), turn it off, and let it cool for a while. Place a very large bowl in your sink, and strain your broth into the bowl. You might have to do this a bit at a time. When it is all strained, portion it in to reasonably-sized jars, containers, freezer bags, etc. It does store well in the freezer, which is why you make a lot all at once. Unless you have a battalion to feed. in that case, don't freeze any.
Now, when you want to make soup, use your homemade broth. Use it just like you would use any broth. Still season your soup the way you normally would. So, if it calls for onions and garlic, use them ~ that way, you get even more good stuff. You can also use your broth as cooking liquid for rice, quinoa or similar foods, and, of course, you can just heat it and drink it as is. The great thing is, you can adjust seasonings as you cook with it, too. For instance, if I want more of a curry flavour, I will add curry powder, turmeric, ginger, coriander, etc. If I want something like minestrone, it gets garlic, oregano, basil... It's pretty versatile stuff, I find.
When I made this recently, I used it the next day to make soup for Justice, who has been fighting yet another nasty sinus infection. I heated the broth and added diced potatoes, lima beans and some tiny pasta bows. I think I might have added more garlic, too. She loved it. Hallie and I like cabbage in our soup, so I made some for us with all of those ingredients and some chopped cabbage. It was divine.
Hope this helps you all get through the inevitable days of sniffles and snuffles (and wheezes and sneezes and coughs and other yucky stuff) a bit more comfortably.
Oh, and if you are aware of any other natural treatments for cold/flu/respiratory symptoms, please share them in the comments. Thanx!
Now, I have to apologize to all of my readers (what are there, like, six of you?) because this really isn't much of a recipe. I mean, I don't really measure stuff. But, I can tell you what I did, sort of roughly, and you can figure it out, I'm sure. With the herbs and spices, I always recommend starting small and increasing quantities as you see fit after tasting. You know, it's my mantra: Taste, and adjust seasonings. Don't I almost always say that? Well, that's because it's almost always true.
I want to preface this recipe, also, with a disclaimer. I am not a doctor. If you need medical attention, please, please get it. I do say my soup will "cure what ails you," but, sometimes, soup alone is not gonna cut it. Years ago, I started reading up on herbal and nutritional treatments for cold/cough/flu/asthma, etc. symptoms, because we tend to have a lot of them, and I like to avoid too much heavy-duty medication, when I can. My goal was to find ways to help our bodies naturally, whether we used those methods in conjunction with prescription meds or instead of them. For us, it's a craps shoot ~ sometimes, just a good pot of soup and lots of rest are all we need. Other times, we call in the big guns. Like I said, I'm not a doctor, but, like most moms, I do what I can. What it comes down to is this: I can't promise this will make you better, but it probably won't make you worse.
So, here goes ~ a good old-fashioned cold cure:
In a large soup pot, heat several tablespoons of oil over low heat. (I use extra virgin olive oil, because I like the flavour.)
Add* (chopping all vegetables roughly:
2 very large onions
an entire head of garlic, peeled
4-8 stalks of celery, leaves and all
4-6 carrots (or more)
a good bit of parsley (maybe 2-3 TBS?)
about 2 tsps. rubbed sage
1/2 -1 tsp. rosemary
1/2 -1tsp. thyme
1-2 TBS apple cider vinegar
1-2 TBS honey
1-2 TBS Bragg's Liquid Aminos (or soy sauce, but I like Bragg's)
a good sprinkling of salt and black pepper
Cook, stirring occasionally for maybe 10-20 minutes, until the vegetables start to soften. At about this time, people in your home should start asking you for kleenex, because their sinuses should be draining. This is a very good sign. That's just what we want.
Now, add any or all of the following:
Basil
Cumin Seed
Ginger
Turmeric
Cinnamon
Cayenne (can make it spicy ~ you can wait and add to individual dishes later, if you prefer)
Black Pepper (yeah, I know you already added some)
Stir well, and continue cooking 5-10 minutes. Pass out more kleenex.
Now, add:
two 14 or 15 oz. cans of diced tomatoes, with their liquid
Water. Lots and lots of water. Like, as much as you can reasonably fit in your pot, while still leaving room to boil.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, uncovered for...pretty much...ever. Forever. Roughly.
The idea is to keep this cooking all day, so all that good onion/garlic/herb infused steam fills up your home and empties out your sinuses (gross, but true ~ and such a relief, too). Just keep adding water as it cooks off, check the flavour once in a while and adjust seasonings as necessary. I find that, as this is cooking, my body tells me what it needs. Like, sometimes, I can actually think, "Wow, that cumin really seems to be breaking up all the gunk in my lungs ~ better add more of that," or "I think just a few more cloves a garlic will do the trick."
Yes, you can sneak a little mug of the broth (strain it and dump the veggies back in the pot to keep cooking) while it is cooking. I recommend, if you have a lot of junk in your chest, rather than just in your head, adding cayenne and turmeric to that mug.
At the very least, you want to cook this until the veggies almost dissolve. Seriously. A lot of your onions will seem to just kind of disappear over time, as will garlic, celery...carrots hang on a bit, but you get the idea. You can go in every now and then with a potato masher to move things along. Just keep adding water to keep it brothy. We're making broth here, by the way. Did I mention that we're making broth? So, yeah ~ important to keep it brothy :)
This is a great thing to put on the stove when you wake up int he morning and think to yourself, "Crap. I'm sick, and I am not going anywhere today." You don't want to put this in your crockpot and go to work. I mean, you could, if you have a really big crockpot...but then you'll miss all the benefits of that wonderful steamy goodness in your home. And, trust me, you do not want to miss out on that.
When you finally decide it has cooked long enough (for me, this is usually because it is bedtime, I completely forgot I still had a giant pot of broth on my stove and I have to take care of it before I go to bed, damnit!), turn it off, and let it cool for a while. Place a very large bowl in your sink, and strain your broth into the bowl. You might have to do this a bit at a time. When it is all strained, portion it in to reasonably-sized jars, containers, freezer bags, etc. It does store well in the freezer, which is why you make a lot all at once. Unless you have a battalion to feed. in that case, don't freeze any.
Now, when you want to make soup, use your homemade broth. Use it just like you would use any broth. Still season your soup the way you normally would. So, if it calls for onions and garlic, use them ~ that way, you get even more good stuff. You can also use your broth as cooking liquid for rice, quinoa or similar foods, and, of course, you can just heat it and drink it as is. The great thing is, you can adjust seasonings as you cook with it, too. For instance, if I want more of a curry flavour, I will add curry powder, turmeric, ginger, coriander, etc. If I want something like minestrone, it gets garlic, oregano, basil... It's pretty versatile stuff, I find.
When I made this recently, I used it the next day to make soup for Justice, who has been fighting yet another nasty sinus infection. I heated the broth and added diced potatoes, lima beans and some tiny pasta bows. I think I might have added more garlic, too. She loved it. Hallie and I like cabbage in our soup, so I made some for us with all of those ingredients and some chopped cabbage. It was divine.
Hope this helps you all get through the inevitable days of sniffles and snuffles (and wheezes and sneezes and coughs and other yucky stuff) a bit more comfortably.
Oh, and if you are aware of any other natural treatments for cold/flu/respiratory symptoms, please share them in the comments. Thanx!
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Simon & Garfunkel Soup
No, we don't eat people. We do listen to music, however, and so...well, just read the recipe, and all will be revealed :)
Today, I am dedicating my post to my husband and daughter, who are fighting colds here in (Not So) Sunny So-cal, and my cousin Alice, who is in the same boat 3,000 miles away. Alice, if the commute wasn't so completely unreasonable, I would have brought you soup, instead of just posting a recipe. Hope it helps.
The Soup (AKA: "Simon and Garfunkel Soup"):
This is the very best thing to make and eat when you have a head cold, respiratory infection, flu, etc. Lots of beneficial ingredients, nice steam filling up your home, comforting noodles. Trust me, this is just what you need. This, and a cozy blankie...and a big box of Kleenex...and maybe some footie pajamas...and some good, old t.v.
2 TBS olive oil
1 medium to large onion, diced
3-4 stalks celery, sliced
6-8 cloves garlic, minced
3 carrots, sliced
2 TBS dried parsley
1 tsp. rubbed sage
1/4-1/2 tsp. rosemary
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1 TBS soy sauce
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
1 TBS chicken-flavour bouillon (I use a vegetarian variety)
1 cup fresh green beans, cleaned, trimmed and cut into 1/2" pieces
1 cup fresh peas
kernels cut from one large ear of corn
1 large or two small zucchini, halved lengthwise, then sliced
1/2 of a small head of cabbage, chopped
2 potatoes, peeled and diced
8-10 cups cold water
salt & pepper to taste
noodles*
In a large soup pot, heat oil over medium-low heat. Add onion, celery, garlic, carrots, parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme (this is why I call it the "Simon and Garfunkel Soup"). Sprinkle with a dash or two of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion starts to turn translucent. Add soy sauce, vinegar and bouillon, and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for another 5 minutes or so, to combine the flavors. Add green beans, peas, corn, zucchini, cabbage. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes. The zucchini and cabbage will start to look a little bit cooked. You don't really want things to brown, just for the flavors to meld, so keep the heat low and stir often during this time. Add the water and bring to a boil.
Now, you can really cook it for as long as you want at this point. If you need it in a hurry, throw in the potatoes as soon as it boils, and, about 5-10 minutes later, toss in the noodles and keep it boiling, stirring often, until potatoes and noodles are done. If you want to let the broth cook a little longer reduce to a simmer for pretty much as long as you want. When you are ready to add potatoes and noodles, bring it up to a boil and proceed as previously directed. If you cooked the broth all day, you might need to add a little water before bringing it up to a boil again. Taste, adjust seasonings and serve with a big piece of good bread (I made beer bread, which is super quick and easy, and yummy).
Now, since you are probably making this soup because you have a cold, flu, respiratory infection, etc., you might want to try adding some of the following optional ingredients:
cayenne -- good for nasal congestion
turmeric -- good for cough, chest congestion
curry powder -- contains turmeric and other ingredients that can be helpful
more apple cider vinegar -- it's just good for you
I usually add the extras to my bowl, because not everyone enjoys the flavour they add, and some of them are pretty spicy. If you know of other ingredients that can be beneficial, throw them in (and tell me about them, so I can give them a whirl). Also know that, once you get the onions, celery, carrots, garlic, herbs, soy sauce, vinegar, bouillon and oil going, you can add whatever vegetables you have on hand. It doesn't have to be green beans, peas, zucchini, corn (I would keep the cabbage and potatoes, but that's just me). Add squash if you have it, or lima beans. Use a bag of frozen mixed veggies. It really doesn't matter much what you throw in at that point. This is just the way I made it this time.
* Any noodles will work in this soup, but I especially like to use homemade noodles. They are pretty simple, but require a bit of elbow grease. Kids like to help with this, sometimes, so they can take care of the noodles while you do everything else.
Homemade Noodles:
In a large mixing bowl, combine 3 cups of flour and about 1/2 tsp. salt. Make a well in the center. Crack 4 large, fresh eggs into the well in the center of your flour mixture. Mix with gentle lifting motions with your fingers, until it forms a stiff dough (you might not need to incorporate all of the flour). Turn the dough onto a floured board and knead until it is smooth. The dough will be very stiff. That's normal. DO NOT over-knead it, or it will be tough. If it is crumbly and will just not hold together, try getting your hands just a little bit wet and knead in that little bit of water. Work in more flour as needed. Now, you get to roll it out. This is where you're gonna get your work-out today. Flour your work surface (we use our dining table), and your rolling pin. Now, roll. Roll, roll, roll. Keep rolling. Roll in one direction, then in another. you want to roll it out pretty thin. Not see-through, but…hmm…maybe about like a piece of poster board? That's what I told Kaia, and she got it perfect. You might want to turn over the dough every now and then, and you might need to sprinkle a little more flour under in when you do. When it is thin enough, cut your noodles. Big squares are the traditional shape for something like pot pie (bot boi), but we decided to go with long strips for our soup. (Kaia made herself a serving of random, unusual shapes to eat with tomato soup, since she is not a fan of vegetable soup.) It's best to let these dry for at least 10 minutes or so before you put them in the soup. If you are not putting them in soup, you can boil them in salted water. Cooking time will depend on how thick your noodles are. Just check for doneness every now and then.
EDIT: I should mention that I did NOT use the full recipe of noodles in this soup. I used not quite half. Another handful was cooked separately for Kaia, and I let the rest dry a little longer after they had been cut, then stored them in a container in the fridge. Today, I am cooking them up and serving them as an optional addition or side to (or, for the less adventurous, instead of) chili.
I also made some beer bread to go with this. It is super simple, especially if have self-rising flour (I never do). I'll include the recipe here:
Ingredients
* 3 cups self rising flour
* 3 tablespoons sugar
* 12 ounces warm beer
* 2-3 tablespoons melted butter (I use margarine)
Directions
1.Make sure beer is room temperature.
2.Mix flour and sugar.
3.Add beer and stir just until blended.
4.Pour into well greased loaf pan.
5.Bake at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes.
6.Brush with melted butter.
If you don't have self-rising flour, you can make it like this:
1 c. all-purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
Today, I am dedicating my post to my husband and daughter, who are fighting colds here in (Not So) Sunny So-cal, and my cousin Alice, who is in the same boat 3,000 miles away. Alice, if the commute wasn't so completely unreasonable, I would have brought you soup, instead of just posting a recipe. Hope it helps.
The Soup (AKA: "Simon and Garfunkel Soup"):
This is the very best thing to make and eat when you have a head cold, respiratory infection, flu, etc. Lots of beneficial ingredients, nice steam filling up your home, comforting noodles. Trust me, this is just what you need. This, and a cozy blankie...and a big box of Kleenex...and maybe some footie pajamas...and some good, old t.v.
2 TBS olive oil
1 medium to large onion, diced
3-4 stalks celery, sliced
6-8 cloves garlic, minced
3 carrots, sliced
2 TBS dried parsley
1 tsp. rubbed sage
1/4-1/2 tsp. rosemary
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1 TBS soy sauce
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
1 TBS chicken-flavour bouillon (I use a vegetarian variety)
1 cup fresh green beans, cleaned, trimmed and cut into 1/2" pieces
1 cup fresh peas
kernels cut from one large ear of corn
1 large or two small zucchini, halved lengthwise, then sliced
1/2 of a small head of cabbage, chopped
2 potatoes, peeled and diced
8-10 cups cold water
salt & pepper to taste
noodles*
In a large soup pot, heat oil over medium-low heat. Add onion, celery, garlic, carrots, parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme (this is why I call it the "Simon and Garfunkel Soup"). Sprinkle with a dash or two of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion starts to turn translucent. Add soy sauce, vinegar and bouillon, and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for another 5 minutes or so, to combine the flavors. Add green beans, peas, corn, zucchini, cabbage. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes. The zucchini and cabbage will start to look a little bit cooked. You don't really want things to brown, just for the flavors to meld, so keep the heat low and stir often during this time. Add the water and bring to a boil.
Now, you can really cook it for as long as you want at this point. If you need it in a hurry, throw in the potatoes as soon as it boils, and, about 5-10 minutes later, toss in the noodles and keep it boiling, stirring often, until potatoes and noodles are done. If you want to let the broth cook a little longer reduce to a simmer for pretty much as long as you want. When you are ready to add potatoes and noodles, bring it up to a boil and proceed as previously directed. If you cooked the broth all day, you might need to add a little water before bringing it up to a boil again. Taste, adjust seasonings and serve with a big piece of good bread (I made beer bread, which is super quick and easy, and yummy).
Now, since you are probably making this soup because you have a cold, flu, respiratory infection, etc., you might want to try adding some of the following optional ingredients:
cayenne -- good for nasal congestion
turmeric -- good for cough, chest congestion
curry powder -- contains turmeric and other ingredients that can be helpful
more apple cider vinegar -- it's just good for you
I usually add the extras to my bowl, because not everyone enjoys the flavour they add, and some of them are pretty spicy. If you know of other ingredients that can be beneficial, throw them in (and tell me about them, so I can give them a whirl). Also know that, once you get the onions, celery, carrots, garlic, herbs, soy sauce, vinegar, bouillon and oil going, you can add whatever vegetables you have on hand. It doesn't have to be green beans, peas, zucchini, corn (I would keep the cabbage and potatoes, but that's just me). Add squash if you have it, or lima beans. Use a bag of frozen mixed veggies. It really doesn't matter much what you throw in at that point. This is just the way I made it this time.
* Any noodles will work in this soup, but I especially like to use homemade noodles. They are pretty simple, but require a bit of elbow grease. Kids like to help with this, sometimes, so they can take care of the noodles while you do everything else.
Homemade Noodles:
In a large mixing bowl, combine 3 cups of flour and about 1/2 tsp. salt. Make a well in the center. Crack 4 large, fresh eggs into the well in the center of your flour mixture. Mix with gentle lifting motions with your fingers, until it forms a stiff dough (you might not need to incorporate all of the flour). Turn the dough onto a floured board and knead until it is smooth. The dough will be very stiff. That's normal. DO NOT over-knead it, or it will be tough. If it is crumbly and will just not hold together, try getting your hands just a little bit wet and knead in that little bit of water. Work in more flour as needed. Now, you get to roll it out. This is where you're gonna get your work-out today. Flour your work surface (we use our dining table), and your rolling pin. Now, roll. Roll, roll, roll. Keep rolling. Roll in one direction, then in another. you want to roll it out pretty thin. Not see-through, but…hmm…maybe about like a piece of poster board? That's what I told Kaia, and she got it perfect. You might want to turn over the dough every now and then, and you might need to sprinkle a little more flour under in when you do. When it is thin enough, cut your noodles. Big squares are the traditional shape for something like pot pie (bot boi), but we decided to go with long strips for our soup. (Kaia made herself a serving of random, unusual shapes to eat with tomato soup, since she is not a fan of vegetable soup.) It's best to let these dry for at least 10 minutes or so before you put them in the soup. If you are not putting them in soup, you can boil them in salted water. Cooking time will depend on how thick your noodles are. Just check for doneness every now and then.
EDIT: I should mention that I did NOT use the full recipe of noodles in this soup. I used not quite half. Another handful was cooked separately for Kaia, and I let the rest dry a little longer after they had been cut, then stored them in a container in the fridge. Today, I am cooking them up and serving them as an optional addition or side to (or, for the less adventurous, instead of) chili.
I also made some beer bread to go with this. It is super simple, especially if have self-rising flour (I never do). I'll include the recipe here:
Ingredients
* 3 cups self rising flour
* 3 tablespoons sugar
* 12 ounces warm beer
* 2-3 tablespoons melted butter (I use margarine)
Directions
1.Make sure beer is room temperature.
2.Mix flour and sugar.
3.Add beer and stir just until blended.
4.Pour into well greased loaf pan.
5.Bake at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes.
6.Brush with melted butter.
If you don't have self-rising flour, you can make it like this:
1 c. all-purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Chocolate Peanut Butter & Jelly Cake
On Thursday, daughter #1 turned 14.
Fourteen!
WOW!
Why is it that 14 seems like a bigger deal to me than 13 did? I mean, at 13, she entered the teen years, but 14 is the one that seems like it seals the deal. Now, she's REALLY a teenager. So far, she's a great teenager, so I am not sorry she's there. It's just...it's hard to wrap my head around it. How could I have a teenaged daughter?!?! When did she stop crying out excitedly: "Tum on ~ let's det doin'!" as we headed out for a day of grand adventure at, say, the grocery store and laundromat?
But, this blog is about food, not my melancholy mama moments. In our family, we observe a couple of birthday traditions. The birthday person must wear the "celebration necklace" at the birthday celebration, and, no matter when the party (if there is one) takes place, on the actual birthday, the birthday girl (or boy) gets to choose what we have for dinner. It can be something we make at home or have delivered, or we can all go to the restaurant of choice. This year, Justice chose "The Counter," one of our favourite burger joints. If you haven't ever been, give it a try. They have a veggie patty that is made of all kinds of good stuff, and is very substantial and filling (I get mine on a bed of organic mixed greens, because it would be too much for me on a bun), and you can add whatever toppings and sauce you prefer. Justice chose to have hers on an English muffin, with pesto, olives, grilled pineapple, chives and a fried egg. It was HUGE! She loved it. We also got an order of regular and sweet potato fries and some fried dill pickle slices for the table.
So, that took care of dinner, but what about dessert? I mean, it was a birthday, after all.
Birthday cakes can be challenging for us. Justice and I can't have milk, so I have to make our cakes and other treats without it. Luckily, I have this great, old-timey chocolate cake recipe. It's called "Joan's Grandmother's Cake," and I found it in the back of a freebie magazine at an animal rights convention when I was 18. You know, back when dinosaurs roamed the earth. It uses vinegar and baking soda for leavening, and I like to tell myself it is an old pioneer recipe. It has that feel about it. But I am really just making that up. In truth, I have know idea who Joan and her grandmother were, but I sure do like their cake. It has a lovely, moist, delicate texture, and is just chocolatey enough.
The thing is, it's kind of my default cake for Justice. It's quick, easy, dairy-free, chocolate...so, it's kind of a no-brainer. I wanted to do something to make it a little extra-special for her birthday. Something new. Unique. Well, being a girl after my own (and her Nana's) heart, Justice LOVES peanut butter and jelly. In fact, I hear she took it for lunch so much during middle school, that a nickname developed from it. I'll let her decide whether or not to share it :)
Anyway, I decided to make a peanut butter frosting and an optional raspberry sauce on the side to create something reminiscent of peanut butter and jelly. I had already made the cake by the time this occurred to me, but it has since occurred to me that it would be even more like peanut butter and jelly if you used a vanilla cake recipe. However, I am strongly of the opinion that chocolate hardly ever makes anything worse. From a nutritional standpoint, peanut butter, raspberries and dark chocolate are all pretty good for you, so you can even make an argument in favour of this cake's health benefits. (Trust me, I can make an argument in favour of the health benefits of almost anything, if I put my mind to it.)
The cake received rave reviews. Even Hallie and I liked it, and we don't like cake. In fact, she doesn't like peanut butter, either, but she said the cake was "pretty good." Shane, who thinks raspberries and chocolate is the best food combination ever, was duly impressed, and the birthday girl liked it, so that was all that really mattered.
Okay, so, here are the recipes, so you can make one of your own:
Joan's Grandmother's Cake Recipe
1.5 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
5 tablespoons of oil or melted margarine
1 cup cold water
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Preheat the oven to 350°. Using a fork, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa and baking soda in a 9" square baking pan. Stir in the vanilla, vinegar and oil or margarine. Pour the water over the mixture and stir well. Add the chocolate chips over the top of the batter then bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until knife comes out clean. 8 servings*
* Usually, I follow the directions exactly as above. One of the reasons I love this cake is because it requires you to dirty only one dish (the pan you bake it in) and a few measuring spoons/cups. Quick and easy prep and clean up. Well, this time, I wanted to make a layer cake, so I mixed up the batter in a bowl, divided it in to two round cake pans, sprinkled with dark chocolate bits and baked for just 20 minutes. It was perfect for our birthday girl's cake.
Next, the frosting and raspberry sauce:
peanut butter frosting:
1/2 c creamy peanut butter
2-3 TBS butter flavour shortening
1 tsp vanilla extract
dash salt
2-3 TBS almond milk
1 cup powdered sugar (approx)
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, with electric hand mixer set on low-medium, cream together peanut butter, salt, shortening and vanilla extract. Add milk and beat on low until combined. Add sugar a bit at a time, beating between additions, just until desired consistency is reached. Allow cake to cool completely before frosting.
raspberry sauce:
1 large container of raspberries
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
sugar as necessary
dash salt
water as needed
Rinse raspberries and place in a medium saucepot with just whatever water happens to cling to them. Add vanilla, salt and a little sugar. I know "a little" is not a precise measurement, but the amount you require will vary depending on how sweet your raspberries are. I would start with a couple of tablespoons and go from there. You do want a little sugar to help thicken up the mixture. The salt sounds weird, but, trust me, it brings out the flavour of the berries. Without it, your sauce will be a little flat. Now, the idea is to heat this mixture over low to medium heat until it begins to bubble. Reduce the heat to low, and allow it to simmer until the berres have completely broken down and sugar has dissolved. Do not ~ repeat: DO NOT ~ just scoop up a spoonful of this and taste it. You will severely burn your mouth. Boiling sugar is super hot! However, you do need to taste it and adjust seasonings, check the texture and decide whether or not to add more sugar. So, dip in a spoon, let it cool for a moment, and THEN taste it. Add more vanilla, sugar, and/or salt as necessary. If you add more sugar, you will need to keep cooking until all of the sugar has dissolved. When checking the texture, keep in mind that it will thicken a bit as it cools. If it is too thick, add a little water, but, really, just a little. Once you have achieved the taste/texture you desire, let it cool, then place a fine mesh strainer over a bowl and push the raspberry sauce through the strainer to remove the seeds (seeds will stay in the strainer, sauce will end up in the bowl below).
Now, to assemble your cake:
First, allow your cake to cool completely before attempting to remove it from the pan. You might need to loosen the cake around the edges with a knife. Turn one layer on to a plate and frost the top only with about 1/2 of your peanut butter frosting. Top with the second layer, and frost the top with the other half of your frosting. For a pretty presentation, grate a bit of dark chocolate and scatter it over the top of the cake (you could also use chocolate chips, or even tiny peanut butter cups). Place the raspberry sauce in a small pitcher (like a creamer, perhaps). When cake is served, drizzle a little sauce on the edge of each plate, for an elegant presentation. Peanut butter and jelly just got sophisticated. How appropriate for a 14-year-old's birthday dessert :)
Blow out the candles!
Monday, October 24, 2011
(Quite Possibly the World's Best) Kale Salad
Kale Salad.
Really?
That's what we're excited about here?
Kale Salad?
It sounds kind of yucky, huh? I have to admit, I do love me some kale, but it's usually cooked until very soft and seasoned and...you know, not yucky. The idea of raw kale doesn't really appeal to me, so I have absolutely no idea what made me pick up that bag of "Organic Kale Salad" at the grocery store, but I did. I suppose it was the colours. The mixture of the rich deep green of the kale with the bright orange carrot shreds and strands of purple cabbage was just so pretty. I thought I would cook it. I mean, who eats raw kale? It's tough and bitter, right?
Wrong!
The truth is, nobody every told me what to do with raw kale before, and THIS is it.
The package included a recipe and, after reading over it a few times, I thought, "What the heck ~ I'll give it a whirl. If it sucks, it'll be all seasoned, and I can just go ahead and cook it up. How bad could it be?"
Of course, I didn't think this until after I had gotten home from the aforementioned grocery store (to which, BTW, I mistakenly referred as "Evil Foods" due to my phone's autocorrect feature while texting my husband ~ haha). So, naturally, I didn't have all of the ingredients. In fact, I didn't have MOST of the ingredients. So, I decided to sort of wing it. It looked like it came down to oil, rice vinegar, sugar, salt, and some other stuff. I didn't have plain rice vinegar, so I used seasoned rice vinegar and left out the salt and sugar, but you can play that by ear. Here's what I did:
About 1 lb kale, cleaned, trimmed and chopped
1/2 - 1 cup shredded carrots (I'm guessing ~ mine was part of a mix)
1/2 - 1 cup purple cabbage, sliced into thin ribbons
1/2 c. olive oil
1/2 c. seasoned rice vinegar*
2 TBS toasted sesame oil
black pepper to taste
maybe a little sugar and/or salt
1 can garbanzos, rinsed and drained
1/4 - 1/2 c. walnuts, chopped or roughly broken
1/4 - 1/2 c. dried cherries
chopped prepared beets and sliced avocado for garnish
In a very large bowl, combine kale, carrots and cabbage. Add olive oil, vinegar, sesame oil and pepper to taste. Toss well. Taste, adjust seasonings as necessary. You might like it a little sweeter, or more salty. If you do, add a little sugar and/or salt. Add garbanzos, walnuts and cherries and toss gently. Allow salad to sit for at least 30 minutes before serving. The dressing softens and mellows the kale, and helps all of the flavours blend over time. (In fact, I think it will be even better tomorrow.)
To serve, place a generous portion of salad on a plate. if desired, top with a few beets and arrange avocado slices to make it look extra pretty :)
* Seasoned rice vinegar is a mild vinegar that is seasoned with sugar and salt, so, if you don't have any on hand, you could use any mild-flavoured vinegar and add salt and sugar to taste. I like to keep seasoned rice vinegar around, because it sure makes a great dressing, with very little effort. I make coleslaw by adding seasoned rice vinegar to mayonaise, mixing in a little Old Bay Seasoning and tossing with shredded cabbage. Oh, look! Two recipes for the price of one!
**I think a little cooked quinoa and/or some chopped hardboiled eggs would be a nice addition to this salad, but it is great as is.
And look ~ I even remembered to take a picture this time!
Really?
That's what we're excited about here?
Kale Salad?
It sounds kind of yucky, huh? I have to admit, I do love me some kale, but it's usually cooked until very soft and seasoned and...you know, not yucky. The idea of raw kale doesn't really appeal to me, so I have absolutely no idea what made me pick up that bag of "Organic Kale Salad" at the grocery store, but I did. I suppose it was the colours. The mixture of the rich deep green of the kale with the bright orange carrot shreds and strands of purple cabbage was just so pretty. I thought I would cook it. I mean, who eats raw kale? It's tough and bitter, right?
Wrong!
The truth is, nobody every told me what to do with raw kale before, and THIS is it.
The package included a recipe and, after reading over it a few times, I thought, "What the heck ~ I'll give it a whirl. If it sucks, it'll be all seasoned, and I can just go ahead and cook it up. How bad could it be?"
Of course, I didn't think this until after I had gotten home from the aforementioned grocery store (to which, BTW, I mistakenly referred as "Evil Foods" due to my phone's autocorrect feature while texting my husband ~ haha). So, naturally, I didn't have all of the ingredients. In fact, I didn't have MOST of the ingredients. So, I decided to sort of wing it. It looked like it came down to oil, rice vinegar, sugar, salt, and some other stuff. I didn't have plain rice vinegar, so I used seasoned rice vinegar and left out the salt and sugar, but you can play that by ear. Here's what I did:
About 1 lb kale, cleaned, trimmed and chopped
1/2 - 1 cup shredded carrots (I'm guessing ~ mine was part of a mix)
1/2 - 1 cup purple cabbage, sliced into thin ribbons
1/2 c. olive oil
1/2 c. seasoned rice vinegar*
2 TBS toasted sesame oil
black pepper to taste
maybe a little sugar and/or salt
1 can garbanzos, rinsed and drained
1/4 - 1/2 c. walnuts, chopped or roughly broken
1/4 - 1/2 c. dried cherries
chopped prepared beets and sliced avocado for garnish
In a very large bowl, combine kale, carrots and cabbage. Add olive oil, vinegar, sesame oil and pepper to taste. Toss well. Taste, adjust seasonings as necessary. You might like it a little sweeter, or more salty. If you do, add a little sugar and/or salt. Add garbanzos, walnuts and cherries and toss gently. Allow salad to sit for at least 30 minutes before serving. The dressing softens and mellows the kale, and helps all of the flavours blend over time. (In fact, I think it will be even better tomorrow.)
To serve, place a generous portion of salad on a plate. if desired, top with a few beets and arrange avocado slices to make it look extra pretty :)
* Seasoned rice vinegar is a mild vinegar that is seasoned with sugar and salt, so, if you don't have any on hand, you could use any mild-flavoured vinegar and add salt and sugar to taste. I like to keep seasoned rice vinegar around, because it sure makes a great dressing, with very little effort. I make coleslaw by adding seasoned rice vinegar to mayonaise, mixing in a little Old Bay Seasoning and tossing with shredded cabbage. Oh, look! Two recipes for the price of one!
**I think a little cooked quinoa and/or some chopped hardboiled eggs would be a nice addition to this salad, but it is great as is.
And look ~ I even remembered to take a picture this time!
Monday, October 17, 2011
The Best of Both Worlds
Last night, I was confronted with a dilemma. I wanted meatballs. I REALLY, REALLY wanted spaghetti and meatballs. Well, vegetarian meatballs because, in the words of my daughter, "meat is gross." Anyway, I wanted them. But, I had these six smallish zucchini, see...and I had been saying I was going to make the always yummy zucchini/pepper/Italian sausage stuff, and I thought I could have some linguine on the side, which all sounded super yummy...except that I wanted those damned meatballs. So, I decided to make a sort of hybrid of the two: Zucchini & Meatballs over linguine. Holy moly! why had the food gods not revealed this delicacy to me yet? This was, quite possibly, the best idea I ever had...in the kitchen...while cooking...as pertains to, say, dinner.
Here's how I did it:
You will need:
2 TBS olive oil
I large green pepper, roughly chopped
3 small zucchini cut in thick rounds
3 small zucchini cut in half lengthwise, then thickly sliced
1 small onion, roughly chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. each oregano and thyme
salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste
1 1/2 cans Trader Joe's Marinara Sauce (or your favourite, or homemade)
1 scant tsp. sugar
...and for the meatballs:
1 package Gimme Lean, Ground Beef Style
1/2 package Gimme Lean, Sausage Style
2 eggs
1/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes (or parmesan cheese)
1/4 cup + 2 TBS Italian style Breadcrumbs
2 TBS dried parsley flakes
2 TBS lemon juice.
a good sprinkle of salt & pepper
...and finally:
a big pot of boiling water
1 lb linguine
In a large saucepot, heat your olive oil. Add zucchini, pepper, onion, garlic, salt, pepper, oregano and thyme, and cook over medium low heat, stirring occasionally, while you mix up the meatballs.
In a large mixing bowl, mix all ingredients until thoroughly combined. But here's the trick ~ DO NOT OVERMIX, OR YOUR MEATBALLS WILL BE TOUGH AND YUCKY. Best way to mix is with your hands (yeah, it's messy), and work gently, with as few strokes as possible to combine all ingredients.
Now, go back to your saucepot (you should have stirred it a few times by now. Add the marinara sauce and sugar. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer,
With wet hands, quickly but gently form your meatballs. Make them a bit smaller than you really want them to be, as they have a tendency to swell as they cook. Using a spoon, just gently nudge them down under the surface of the sauce and/or, move them aside so you can fit the rest of the meatballs into the pot. Cover, and cook over low heat for about 30 minutes.
Now, bring your large pot of salted water to a boil. Add linguine and cook according to package directions. Drain and toss with a touch of olive oil and/or sauce to prevent sticking.
The meatballs should take 40-60mins to fully cook, so, by the time you bring the water to a boil, cook and drain your pasta, they should be just about done. You'll just have to cut one open and taste it to be sure :)
To serve, place a portion of pasta on your dish and top with zuccchini/meatball/sauce mixture. If desired, sprinkle with nutritional yeast or grated cheese, and, if you like it spicy, a few crushed red pepper flakes. Be sure to serve with some good bread to sop up the extra sauce.
This dish reheats well, just in case you don't have access to a hungry army on the night you prepare it. makes a great meatball sandwich reheated, spooned onto a crusty roll, topped with cheese (regular or dairy-free) and placed under the broiler for a moment. Yum-yum!!!
Here's how I did it:
You will need:
2 TBS olive oil
I large green pepper, roughly chopped
3 small zucchini cut in thick rounds
3 small zucchini cut in half lengthwise, then thickly sliced
1 small onion, roughly chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. each oregano and thyme
salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste
1 1/2 cans Trader Joe's Marinara Sauce (or your favourite, or homemade)
1 scant tsp. sugar
...and for the meatballs:
1 package Gimme Lean, Ground Beef Style
1/2 package Gimme Lean, Sausage Style
2 eggs
1/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes (or parmesan cheese)
1/4 cup + 2 TBS Italian style Breadcrumbs
2 TBS dried parsley flakes
2 TBS lemon juice.
a good sprinkle of salt & pepper
...and finally:
a big pot of boiling water
1 lb linguine
In a large saucepot, heat your olive oil. Add zucchini, pepper, onion, garlic, salt, pepper, oregano and thyme, and cook over medium low heat, stirring occasionally, while you mix up the meatballs.
In a large mixing bowl, mix all ingredients until thoroughly combined. But here's the trick ~ DO NOT OVERMIX, OR YOUR MEATBALLS WILL BE TOUGH AND YUCKY. Best way to mix is with your hands (yeah, it's messy), and work gently, with as few strokes as possible to combine all ingredients.
Now, go back to your saucepot (you should have stirred it a few times by now. Add the marinara sauce and sugar. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer,
With wet hands, quickly but gently form your meatballs. Make them a bit smaller than you really want them to be, as they have a tendency to swell as they cook. Using a spoon, just gently nudge them down under the surface of the sauce and/or, move them aside so you can fit the rest of the meatballs into the pot. Cover, and cook over low heat for about 30 minutes.
Now, bring your large pot of salted water to a boil. Add linguine and cook according to package directions. Drain and toss with a touch of olive oil and/or sauce to prevent sticking.
The meatballs should take 40-60mins to fully cook, so, by the time you bring the water to a boil, cook and drain your pasta, they should be just about done. You'll just have to cut one open and taste it to be sure :)
To serve, place a portion of pasta on your dish and top with zuccchini/meatball/sauce mixture. If desired, sprinkle with nutritional yeast or grated cheese, and, if you like it spicy, a few crushed red pepper flakes. Be sure to serve with some good bread to sop up the extra sauce.
This dish reheats well, just in case you don't have access to a hungry army on the night you prepare it. makes a great meatball sandwich reheated, spooned onto a crusty roll, topped with cheese (regular or dairy-free) and placed under the broiler for a moment. Yum-yum!!!
Friday, September 23, 2011
Avast, Me Hearties! Thar Be Stew!!
Sadly, we forgot to talk like pirates on Talk Like a Pirate Day (September 19th), but tonight, thanx to my cousin Tim, the Rosses ate like pirates.
You see, a few days ago, Tim shared a recipe for "Pirate Stew" with me and few others. It sounded so, so yummy. Now, the very first ingredient was ground beef, so, clearly, some adaptations would have to be made, but you know this boot-wearing, rough-talking pirate would never let a little detail like that stand between her and delicious piratey goodness :)
I intended to make it on Monday, I think. Then, I thought, "Okay, maybe Tuesday..." Did I mention the two parent meetings this week at my daughter's middle school? Yeah, well. There were those. And there was a dance class, which now takes place right at dinner time (convenient! Not.) Well, we ordered pizza one night, ate leftovers another, threw together a quick stir fry yet another. So, tonight, I was ready to actually cook something. Pirate Stew it is! ...sorta.
See, I didn't have a can of tomato sauce, or a can of potatoes, or a can of pinto beans. And I don't use worcestershire sauce, because the good kind is not vegetarian, and the vegetarian kind is not good. Yeah, I know, that's a matter of opinion. This is my blog, so you get my opinion. If you like worcestershire sauce, you go right ahead and use it. I also thought it would be a good idea to add a few carrots, and I was in a big hurry, so I didn't use a crockpot. Oh, and we like brown rice better than white. I also left out the spicy stuff, and Shane and I just added hot sauce. So.,. first, I will post a link to the original recipe (Thanx, Tim!):
http://www.ehow.com/how_2309291_make-pirate-stew.html?
You know what? Apparently, I don't know how to post a link. I amend my previous statement: I have posted an address that, should you paste it into your browser, ought to take you to the original recipe. Try it. I'll wait here.
*dum dee-dum dee-dum dee-dum dee-dum*
Oh. Are you back? Awesome. Hopefully it worked and you read it. Sounds super yummy, huh?
Now, I will tell you what I did:
In a soup pot, heat 1 TBS olive oil
Add one small onion, diced. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook, stirring for a couple of minutes, until onion is translucent.
Add one package veggie burger crumbles and 1 tsp. Better Than Bouillion Vegetarian No Beef Base
Brown the veggie burger/onion mixture, stirring occasionally, while you prepare the following:
2-3 stalks of celery, diced
2-3 carrots, peeled and diced
4 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
Add the diced veggies to the pot and cook, stirring for about 10 minutes.
Stir in 1/4 cup dry brown rice, rinsed
Add 1 1/2 cups of your favourite spaghetti sauce, 1 1/2 cups water and the liquid from one can of black beans (reserve beans to be added later) and 1/4 tsp. chili powder.
Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 30-35 minutes.
Check potatoes and rice for doneness. Add more liquid, if necessary and continue to cook until potatoes and rice are done.
Stir in black beans and cook just long enough to heat through. Turn off heat, taste and adjust seasonings.
We LOVED this. Shane requested that I add it to our list of "Dinners We Really Like." I will. I thought about adding peas and green beans, and I think that would have been good, too.
I would have photographed it, but we were too busy scarfing it up. Next time, I might add more veggies, and I will definitely make cornbread or biscuits to go with it (Shane is lobbying for cornbread, and i think I'm with him). Oh, BTW, I added a little hot sauce to mine, and I think it was perfect. For the record, I served this with roasted cauliflower and garlic, for which I will post a recipe at a later date. It was also positively delicious.
So that's it. Until next time ~ ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRGH!
You see, a few days ago, Tim shared a recipe for "Pirate Stew" with me and few others. It sounded so, so yummy. Now, the very first ingredient was ground beef, so, clearly, some adaptations would have to be made, but you know this boot-wearing, rough-talking pirate would never let a little detail like that stand between her and delicious piratey goodness :)
I intended to make it on Monday, I think. Then, I thought, "Okay, maybe Tuesday..." Did I mention the two parent meetings this week at my daughter's middle school? Yeah, well. There were those. And there was a dance class, which now takes place right at dinner time (convenient! Not.) Well, we ordered pizza one night, ate leftovers another, threw together a quick stir fry yet another. So, tonight, I was ready to actually cook something. Pirate Stew it is! ...sorta.
See, I didn't have a can of tomato sauce, or a can of potatoes, or a can of pinto beans. And I don't use worcestershire sauce, because the good kind is not vegetarian, and the vegetarian kind is not good. Yeah, I know, that's a matter of opinion. This is my blog, so you get my opinion. If you like worcestershire sauce, you go right ahead and use it. I also thought it would be a good idea to add a few carrots, and I was in a big hurry, so I didn't use a crockpot. Oh, and we like brown rice better than white. I also left out the spicy stuff, and Shane and I just added hot sauce. So.,. first, I will post a link to the original recipe (Thanx, Tim!):
http://www.ehow.com/how_2309291_make-pirate-stew.html?
You know what? Apparently, I don't know how to post a link. I amend my previous statement: I have posted an address that, should you paste it into your browser, ought to take you to the original recipe. Try it. I'll wait here.
*dum dee-dum dee-dum dee-dum dee-dum*
Oh. Are you back? Awesome. Hopefully it worked and you read it. Sounds super yummy, huh?
Now, I will tell you what I did:
In a soup pot, heat 1 TBS olive oil
Add one small onion, diced. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook, stirring for a couple of minutes, until onion is translucent.
Add one package veggie burger crumbles and 1 tsp. Better Than Bouillion Vegetarian No Beef Base
Brown the veggie burger/onion mixture, stirring occasionally, while you prepare the following:
2-3 stalks of celery, diced
2-3 carrots, peeled and diced
4 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
Add the diced veggies to the pot and cook, stirring for about 10 minutes.
Stir in 1/4 cup dry brown rice, rinsed
Add 1 1/2 cups of your favourite spaghetti sauce, 1 1/2 cups water and the liquid from one can of black beans (reserve beans to be added later) and 1/4 tsp. chili powder.
Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 30-35 minutes.
Check potatoes and rice for doneness. Add more liquid, if necessary and continue to cook until potatoes and rice are done.
Stir in black beans and cook just long enough to heat through. Turn off heat, taste and adjust seasonings.
We LOVED this. Shane requested that I add it to our list of "Dinners We Really Like." I will. I thought about adding peas and green beans, and I think that would have been good, too.
I would have photographed it, but we were too busy scarfing it up. Next time, I might add more veggies, and I will definitely make cornbread or biscuits to go with it (Shane is lobbying for cornbread, and i think I'm with him). Oh, BTW, I added a little hot sauce to mine, and I think it was perfect. For the record, I served this with roasted cauliflower and garlic, for which I will post a recipe at a later date. It was also positively delicious.
So that's it. Until next time ~ ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRGH!
Friday, September 16, 2011
Lunch? It's in the bag!
Another school year is off to a roaring start here in Sunny So-Cal, and, for us, that means another year of "What shall we pack for lunch?" Sure, my kids could buy lunch, because I believe most schools in the area stipulate now that they do, in fact, offer vegetarian choices. Unfortunately, their vegetarian choice is cheese pizza ~ that's really the only one I have ever seen offered ~ AND there is no guarantee that there will be any left by the time my children get through the line, and they might be stuck with the other option of the day, which will not be vegetarian. Besides which, my kids aren't big fans of cafeteria food. So, we pack our lunches.
Now, my kids are not big sandwich-eaters, either. Well...hmmm...let me take that back. Two of my kids LOVE sandwiches, assuming they make them at home and eat them immediately. Last night, for instance, was Sandwich Night. I have decided, this year, to have a Sandwich Night for dinner once a week. More about that in another entry. Kid # 3 likes things that other people put on sandwiches, as long as they never touch each other, so she'll eat, say, some peanut butter, a slice or two of bread and a banana, but the idea of a peanut butter banana sandwich totally shocks and appalls her. What it comes down to this: we don't often pack the traditional sandwich in a bag for our kids' school lunches. There are some exceptions, and I'll let you know about them in another entry, also. Suddenly, I have so much food to blog about. Where to begin...? Well, I decided that, today, I will write about today's lunches. That seems elementary enough, does it not, My Dear Watson?
As I mentioned, last night was Sandwich Night. Naturally, we had a lot of leftover sandwich fixins, and three lunchboxes to pack...and three kids who aren't big sandwich-eaters. Convenient, non? We decided to make one of our favourite lunches ~ or should that read SOME of our favourite lunches, since there were actually three of them? ~ our own, homemade version of the ever-popular Lunchables. Now, Lunchables are super convenient, and kids seem to like them. In fact, I even used to be able to find a vegetarian version years ago, and I am sure I could find it again, if I felt like searching for it. The thing is, they don;t always contain EXACTLY what each kid likes. We have special dietary needs to consider, even beyond the vegetarian aspect ~ one daughter has a milk allergy, another is allergic to strawberries, we have one with some serious food aversions, etc. ~ so, for us, it works best to make our own, using ingredients each child likes.
This year, I lucked out and found some super-cute and convenient divided containers that fit perfectly in to the cute new lunch bags. You can also use a variety of small containers and pack things separately, but I have to say, they look extra fun and appetizing packed up together, just like a real Lunchable. If you have a divided container, like ours, you might want to pick up some little paper cups or smaller containers that will fit inside, to separate the ingredients and make it look (and taste) more appetizing. Check out bento boxes online. There are a lot of interesting varieties of containers, and the possibilities of what to pack inside them are endless. Visual appeal really does matter. I have found children, like most people, are far more likely to eat food if it looks good. Not surprising, if you think about it, since children are actually just fun-sized humans, and I know I don't relish eating yucky stuff.
So, once you have your containers, you just need to choose which ingredients to include. In future entries, I will revisit this idea and share other school lunches packed in the same way, so you can get an idea of how fun, interesting and varied these lunches can be. This time, I will just show you what the girls took for lunch today:
First, Justice's "Lunchable"-style lunch, which contains vegetarian "ham," soy cheese, red grapes and 12-grain crackers.
Next, Kaia's, which contains soy turkey, American cheese, 12-grain crackers (she loves those, too) and yogurt-covered raisins.
And, finally, Hallie's. In one side of her neat little box, she has a mixture of diced tomato, garlic, basil, ground black pepper and a tiny bit of red wine vinegar & olive oil. In the other side, she has two slices of fresh mozzarella. We also packed red grapes in a small round container and sliced bread in a waxed paper bag.
The girls also have snack breaks during the day, so, today their bags included a Z-bar for Justice and one for Kaia, and a fruit gel for Hallie ~ and, of course, the all-important canteen full of water.
So, that's today's lunch. Stay tuned for more exciting, foody, vegetarian news from the place we like to call "Little House in the Big Yard."
Sunday, September 11, 2011
(Vegetarian) Hamburger Pie
Hamburger Pie.
It's a recipe my mom used to make when I was growing up. It was always one of my favourites, and my dad's, too. I remember Mom once telling me that she'd never met a man who didn't love it. So, once, many years ago, I decided to make it for Shane (substituting veggie burger crumbles for the usual ground beef, of course). As far as I can tell, my mother was right (as usual...funny how we never figure that out until we're grown, isn't it?). Shane loved it. Luckily, so do the kids (well, two of them. The little one eats the potatoes, veggie burger, green beans and corn all separately, so it works out okay ~ I just leave a little bit of each ingredient aside for her). For me, it is the ultimate comfort food. There's the burger, the potatoes, green beans, corn, tomato soup...mmm-mmmm! It's quick and easy to make, doesn't dirty a lot of pans, makes everyone happy...What's not to love?
So, here ya go. This is a simple one.
Start by making some mashed potatoes. That is, unless you already have mashed potatoes left over, in which case, you'd might as well use those. You can make homemade mashed potatoes or instant, whichever you prefer. Make them the way you usually do, because that's the way you like them, right? My family won't eat instant potatoes. I tried once. They all looked at me like I was crazy. Funny. I remember loving instant mashed potatoes as a kid.
Next, in a large cast iron skillet (or stovetop to oven casserole...or a skillet, then later transfer to a baking dish...but we have always used the cast iron skillet, just like Mom does), heat a little olive oil. Get the skillet good and hot over medium-low heat first, then put in your oil ~ just enough to coat the bottom of the pan a little. Let it heat for a few moments. Add one package of veggie burger crumbles, your choice. Sprinkle in a few dashes of ground black pepper and a little onion powder. Brown the burger, then add one can of cut green beans, drained, and one can of corn, drained. Stir in one can condensed tomato soup, and cook until it is hot through.
Turn off heat. Spread mashed potatoes evenly over the top, then pop in the oven at about 400℉ until hot and bubbly around the edges and slightly golden on top. Remove from oven and let stand for about 10 minutes before serving.
That's it. Perfect.
Note: If desired, you can sprinkle a little grated parmesan over the top before you bake it, but we don't do that, since we have dairy allergies here.
Also, I have to admit, tonight, I did not have canned corn, so I just threw in some frozen mixed vegetables. It was STILL perfect. I'm pretty sure this stuff is almost impossible to wreck.
Enjoy!
EDIT: Mom said this recipe originally came to her from her sister, my aunt, Eleanor (Gambino) Larsen. Thanx for the info., Mom ~ and big thanx to Aunt Eleanor for the recipe. We sure do love it.
It's a recipe my mom used to make when I was growing up. It was always one of my favourites, and my dad's, too. I remember Mom once telling me that she'd never met a man who didn't love it. So, once, many years ago, I decided to make it for Shane (substituting veggie burger crumbles for the usual ground beef, of course). As far as I can tell, my mother was right (as usual...funny how we never figure that out until we're grown, isn't it?). Shane loved it. Luckily, so do the kids (well, two of them. The little one eats the potatoes, veggie burger, green beans and corn all separately, so it works out okay ~ I just leave a little bit of each ingredient aside for her). For me, it is the ultimate comfort food. There's the burger, the potatoes, green beans, corn, tomato soup...mmm-mmmm! It's quick and easy to make, doesn't dirty a lot of pans, makes everyone happy...What's not to love?
So, here ya go. This is a simple one.
Start by making some mashed potatoes. That is, unless you already have mashed potatoes left over, in which case, you'd might as well use those. You can make homemade mashed potatoes or instant, whichever you prefer. Make them the way you usually do, because that's the way you like them, right? My family won't eat instant potatoes. I tried once. They all looked at me like I was crazy. Funny. I remember loving instant mashed potatoes as a kid.
Next, in a large cast iron skillet (or stovetop to oven casserole...or a skillet, then later transfer to a baking dish...but we have always used the cast iron skillet, just like Mom does), heat a little olive oil. Get the skillet good and hot over medium-low heat first, then put in your oil ~ just enough to coat the bottom of the pan a little. Let it heat for a few moments. Add one package of veggie burger crumbles, your choice. Sprinkle in a few dashes of ground black pepper and a little onion powder. Brown the burger, then add one can of cut green beans, drained, and one can of corn, drained. Stir in one can condensed tomato soup, and cook until it is hot through.
Turn off heat. Spread mashed potatoes evenly over the top, then pop in the oven at about 400℉ until hot and bubbly around the edges and slightly golden on top. Remove from oven and let stand for about 10 minutes before serving.
That's it. Perfect.
Note: If desired, you can sprinkle a little grated parmesan over the top before you bake it, but we don't do that, since we have dairy allergies here.
Also, I have to admit, tonight, I did not have canned corn, so I just threw in some frozen mixed vegetables. It was STILL perfect. I'm pretty sure this stuff is almost impossible to wreck.
Enjoy!
EDIT: Mom said this recipe originally came to her from her sister, my aunt, Eleanor (Gambino) Larsen. Thanx for the info., Mom ~ and big thanx to Aunt Eleanor for the recipe. We sure do love it.
Friday, July 29, 2011
I've Got a Lovely Bunch of Coconut Cupcakes
Well, now I have three. I HAD a lovely bunch of coconut cupcakes last night, before a bunch of people ate them. Now, I have three. And they are lovely. You'll have to trust me this time, because I didn't bother to snap a picture, but they turned out very cute, indeed.
I have to say, these cupcakes did not come off without a hitch. You see, since watching a late-night cooking show early last week, I have been craving coconut cupcakes. It just never seemed to be the right time to make them, until yesterday.
The night before last, I couldn't sleep ~ not a wink! So, around 5:00 a.m., I gave up, got out of bed and tiptoed out to the kitchen to (finally!) make coconut cupcakes. I decided to adapt the great vegan vanilla cupcake recipe I had discovered online a couple of months ago. How hard could it be?
Hard. I used coconut milk beverage, which I had used when making the vanilla cupcakes, and added coconut flavouring instead of the 1/4 tsp. almond or vanilla extract (in addition to the usual vanilla extract) recommended in the original recipe. I don't think either of those things was the problem. I also opted to use margarine instead of oil (which I had always used before in the recipe). Now, this was presented in the original recipe as an option, so that might not have been the problem, either. Honestly, I think the problem was loud, rumbly, low-flying aircraft. There seemed to be an abundance of loud, rumbly, low-flying aircraft at that particular time. At any rate, my sad little cupcakes fell. I let them cool, thinking maybe they weren't as bad as they looked. Upon tasting, we determined they were, indeed that bad.
At first, I wasn't really feeling like washing up all of the dishes and starting over, but, as the day wore on, I decided I really wanted those coconut cupcakes. After all, I had been craving them for more than a week. So, I went online and found what sounded like a good recipe. I figured, if it flopped again, I'd give up...for the day, anyway.
Now, I think the only thing I did differently than the original recipe was to add coconut flavour (Frontier Natural Products Co-op Coconut Flavor, to be precise). Here's what I did, along with a link to the original recipe:
Vegan Coconut Cupcakes
Ingredients (use vegan versions):
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup coconut milk (actual coconut milk, not coconut milk beverage)
1/3 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon coconut flavouring
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Fill cupcake pan with liners. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, coconut, baking soda, and salt. Add in the rest of the ingredients, adding the vinegar last. Stir until well combined.
2. Pour into cupcake liners and bake 30 minutes or until centers come out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
3. Frost with your favorite vegan buttercream frosting. Decorate with freshly toasted coconut.
Here's the link: http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=22157.0
I made a vegan coconut buttercream frosting, like this:
1/2 cup Spectrum Organic Butter Flavor Shortening
3 TBS coconut milk (regular, not "light")
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. coconut flavouring
2 dashes salt
2 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar
1/4 cup shredded coconut
In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer, cream shortening, coconut milk, vanilla, coconut flavouring, and salt until smooth and well-combined. Add sugar, a little at a time, mixing well after each addition, until desired consistency is reached. Gently stir in coconut or, if preferred, sprinkle shredded coconut on top of cupcakes after they are frosted, instead of mixing it in.
I mixed in the coconut and put colorful sprinkles on top, but I thought they would be nice topped with finely shredded dark chocolate, or even finely chopped dried pineapple, too.
Notes:
In both recipes, I used unsweetened shredded coconut, which is hard to find. I got mine at Whole Foods Market. If you can only find sweetened coconut, go ahead and use it. If you are concerned about your cupcakes being too sweet, you can reduce the sugar a bit, but I don't think it will be a problem, as one of the things we really enjoyed about these cakes was that they were not overly sweet.
I am sure you could substitute your favourite vegan margarine or even plain shortening for the butter flavor shortening, but I really like the flavour it gives the frosting. Just play around with it until you find what works for you.
These cupcakes are even better the next day. They just seem moister and more coconut-y. I highly recommend making them a day before you plan to eat them, and storing in an airtight container overnight. Enjoy!
I have to say, these cupcakes did not come off without a hitch. You see, since watching a late-night cooking show early last week, I have been craving coconut cupcakes. It just never seemed to be the right time to make them, until yesterday.
The night before last, I couldn't sleep ~ not a wink! So, around 5:00 a.m., I gave up, got out of bed and tiptoed out to the kitchen to (finally!) make coconut cupcakes. I decided to adapt the great vegan vanilla cupcake recipe I had discovered online a couple of months ago. How hard could it be?
Hard. I used coconut milk beverage, which I had used when making the vanilla cupcakes, and added coconut flavouring instead of the 1/4 tsp. almond or vanilla extract (in addition to the usual vanilla extract) recommended in the original recipe. I don't think either of those things was the problem. I also opted to use margarine instead of oil (which I had always used before in the recipe). Now, this was presented in the original recipe as an option, so that might not have been the problem, either. Honestly, I think the problem was loud, rumbly, low-flying aircraft. There seemed to be an abundance of loud, rumbly, low-flying aircraft at that particular time. At any rate, my sad little cupcakes fell. I let them cool, thinking maybe they weren't as bad as they looked. Upon tasting, we determined they were, indeed that bad.
At first, I wasn't really feeling like washing up all of the dishes and starting over, but, as the day wore on, I decided I really wanted those coconut cupcakes. After all, I had been craving them for more than a week. So, I went online and found what sounded like a good recipe. I figured, if it flopped again, I'd give up...for the day, anyway.
Now, I think the only thing I did differently than the original recipe was to add coconut flavour (Frontier Natural Products Co-op Coconut Flavor, to be precise). Here's what I did, along with a link to the original recipe:
Vegan Coconut Cupcakes
Ingredients (use vegan versions):
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup coconut milk (actual coconut milk, not coconut milk beverage)
1/3 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon coconut flavouring
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Fill cupcake pan with liners. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, coconut, baking soda, and salt. Add in the rest of the ingredients, adding the vinegar last. Stir until well combined.
2. Pour into cupcake liners and bake 30 minutes or until centers come out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
3. Frost with your favorite vegan buttercream frosting. Decorate with freshly toasted coconut.
Here's the link: http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=22157.0
I made a vegan coconut buttercream frosting, like this:
1/2 cup Spectrum Organic Butter Flavor Shortening
3 TBS coconut milk (regular, not "light")
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. coconut flavouring
2 dashes salt
2 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar
1/4 cup shredded coconut
In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer, cream shortening, coconut milk, vanilla, coconut flavouring, and salt until smooth and well-combined. Add sugar, a little at a time, mixing well after each addition, until desired consistency is reached. Gently stir in coconut or, if preferred, sprinkle shredded coconut on top of cupcakes after they are frosted, instead of mixing it in.
I mixed in the coconut and put colorful sprinkles on top, but I thought they would be nice topped with finely shredded dark chocolate, or even finely chopped dried pineapple, too.
Notes:
In both recipes, I used unsweetened shredded coconut, which is hard to find. I got mine at Whole Foods Market. If you can only find sweetened coconut, go ahead and use it. If you are concerned about your cupcakes being too sweet, you can reduce the sugar a bit, but I don't think it will be a problem, as one of the things we really enjoyed about these cakes was that they were not overly sweet.
I am sure you could substitute your favourite vegan margarine or even plain shortening for the butter flavor shortening, but I really like the flavour it gives the frosting. Just play around with it until you find what works for you.
These cupcakes are even better the next day. They just seem moister and more coconut-y. I highly recommend making them a day before you plan to eat them, and storing in an airtight container overnight. Enjoy!
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Simple Soup for a Busy Day
Long time, no post.
Sorry. With one kid in 5th grade (looking for a good Middle School), one in 8th (looking at High Schools) and one in 2nd (just being a 2nd-grader, but, really, that's enough), two of whom are musicians and the third a ballerina...well, the joint is jumping here in Sunny So-Cal. (Yeah, it is sunny, even in the Winter.)
Top that all off we a recent trip to Montana for the holidays, then a bout with some miserable intestinal malady, and follow it all up with a sinus infection for daughter #1, and you'll have a rough idea of how our last couple of months have been.
So, a couple of nights ago, I happened to look up and think to myself (as I often do), "Oh, that's right ~ dinner! I have to cook that."
It was late, I was tired. Nobody felt like eating anything heavy. But I did have a package of Trader Joe's Thai Vegetable Gyoza (pot stickers) in the freezer.
Here's what I did:
Bring to boil:
2 qts. water
1 TBS (or more, to taste) vegetarian boullion of your choice
3 nice, thick slices from a large onion
1 rib of celery, sliced
Season to taste with soy sauce, a dash or two of seasoned rice wine vinegar and a pinch of Chinese Five Spice seasoning.
Add 2-3 cups frozen mixed vegetables (I used an organic frozen vegetable mix that I had on hand)
Bring back up to a boil. Reduce to simmer and cook for about 10 minutes. Add the frozen pot stickers and simmer just until they are hot through.
Tada!
Soup.
I found it was fairly important to eat this right away, before the pot stickers could get mushy. Otherwise, I highly recommend fishing out the pot stickers and setting them on a plate, instead of leaving them in the broth. I suppose you could cook them separately, and then just spoon the soup over them in your bowl, but my method was quick and easy, and dirtied only one pan.
We'd had a fairly protein-heavy day, so I didn't think it was necessary to add anything else this time. However, I think some cubed tofu or a handful or two of edamame would be nice. Also, I am sure the addition of other, more interesting vegetables (and fresh, rather than frozen, too) would be make it even better, but I was going for quick and simple.
My apologies for the lack of pictures this time. If you want, one of you can make it and take a picture. Then you can show us all how lovely it was :)
Sorry. With one kid in 5th grade (looking for a good Middle School), one in 8th (looking at High Schools) and one in 2nd (just being a 2nd-grader, but, really, that's enough), two of whom are musicians and the third a ballerina...well, the joint is jumping here in Sunny So-Cal. (Yeah, it is sunny, even in the Winter.)
Top that all off we a recent trip to Montana for the holidays, then a bout with some miserable intestinal malady, and follow it all up with a sinus infection for daughter #1, and you'll have a rough idea of how our last couple of months have been.
So, a couple of nights ago, I happened to look up and think to myself (as I often do), "Oh, that's right ~ dinner! I have to cook that."
It was late, I was tired. Nobody felt like eating anything heavy. But I did have a package of Trader Joe's Thai Vegetable Gyoza (pot stickers) in the freezer.
Here's what I did:
Bring to boil:
2 qts. water
1 TBS (or more, to taste) vegetarian boullion of your choice
3 nice, thick slices from a large onion
1 rib of celery, sliced
Season to taste with soy sauce, a dash or two of seasoned rice wine vinegar and a pinch of Chinese Five Spice seasoning.
Add 2-3 cups frozen mixed vegetables (I used an organic frozen vegetable mix that I had on hand)
Bring back up to a boil. Reduce to simmer and cook for about 10 minutes. Add the frozen pot stickers and simmer just until they are hot through.
Tada!
Soup.
I found it was fairly important to eat this right away, before the pot stickers could get mushy. Otherwise, I highly recommend fishing out the pot stickers and setting them on a plate, instead of leaving them in the broth. I suppose you could cook them separately, and then just spoon the soup over them in your bowl, but my method was quick and easy, and dirtied only one pan.
We'd had a fairly protein-heavy day, so I didn't think it was necessary to add anything else this time. However, I think some cubed tofu or a handful or two of edamame would be nice. Also, I am sure the addition of other, more interesting vegetables (and fresh, rather than frozen, too) would be make it even better, but I was going for quick and simple.
My apologies for the lack of pictures this time. If you want, one of you can make it and take a picture. Then you can show us all how lovely it was :)
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