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?

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!

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

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!