Lacking cooking creativity, I've been looking at other people's blogs for inspiration. I finally looked through Smitten Kitchen's recipe list - yum! Gorgeous pics, a wide range, lots of veggie recipes. I was drooling over her apple pancake recipe, so I adapted it tonight.
Apple Pancakes
Ingredients
3 medium tart apples, peeled, cored and grated
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 TBSP baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
2 cups soymilk (or milk of your choice)
1 TBSP vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla
Clean and grate apples and set aside. In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Add the soymilk, oil, and vanilla and stir until just mixed (a few lumps are always okay in pancakes). Fold in the grated apples.
Heat a large frying pan with enough oil to coat over medium heat. Spoon in about 1/2 cup of batter, spreading it out slightly (the apples keep the batter from spreading out very well itself and they'll be gooey in the middle). Cook until golden brown on the underside, flip, and cook 2 or 3 minutes more.
Serve with maple syrup, breakfast potatoes, veggie sausage, etc.
I'm not actually sure how many pancakes this makes - at least a dozen large ones! I only fried up two 6-inch pancakes for dinner tonight and hardly made a dent in the batter. I'll try to keep count as I use it tomorrow and let you know!
On to soup! Some time last year, I spent a good part of my lunch hour flipping through the worst magazine ever. There was not a single interesting article in the whole thing. Some how, I made it to the last page where there was a recipe - turns out it was delicious. Best tomato soup I have had in a long time. The recipe served the soup with what were essentially chickpea croutons, but I don't think they were worth the effort. Delicious with hearty bread or sandwiches.
Tomato-Coconut Soup
2 TBSP canola oil
1 large onion, diced
2 tsp garam masala
1 1/2 tsp freshly grated ginger
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 28oz can fire-roasted diced tomatoes - undrained
3 cups vegetable stock
1 13.5oz can coconut milk
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and saute for 4-5 minutes, until translucent. Add garam masala, ginger, and garlic, cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add tomatoes (with juices) and stock. Bring to a boil, turn the heat down to low, and simmer (covered) for 25 minutes.
Puree the soup either with an immersion blender or in a regular blender (it'll be two batches). Put back on the stove on medium-high heat, stir in the coconut milk, and heat through. Serve!
Makes 4 - 6 servings
Enjoy! I've had a few requests, but have to cook those meals and actually write things down before I can deliver. If you have any requests, let me know, I'll see what I can do!
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Monday, August 17, 2009
Fennel and Leek Latkes
Apologies all around for the extreme lack of blogging. It's been a crazy summer. I was hoping to be more productive, more creative, and cook much more having some time off this summer. Instead, I ended up working more than ever. I love my job, but 8 to 10 hour days tutoring a boy with Autism leaves me drained of all emotional, creative, and intellectual energy. The only thing that has inspired me to cook new things is the farmers' market. $7 for a grocery bag full of veggies at closing time leaves you wondering what to do with kohlrabi, blue potatoes, and leeks. The kohlrabi lead to this recipe, which was pretty good, but could use some adapting. Flaxseed wasn't a very effective egg replacer and the veggies stayed a little too crunchy. Perhaps I'll work on it. Leeks and blue potatoes lead to this recipe tonight, which I very successfully altered. Here are the results. You can choose whether to pan fry or bake these - if you're baking, start the recipe by preheating your oven to 400˚F.
Fennel and Leek Latkes
Makes about 12 3-4" pancakes
Prep time; 40 - 60 minutes (depending on frying vs. baking)
4 large potatoes (I used two blue and two russet)
2 medium leeks, thoroughly cleaned
1 small fennel bulb
3 or 4 cloves of garlic
2 tbsp dried basil (or 10-12 fresh leaves, diced)
3 tbsp dried parsley (or a small handful fresh, diced)
1 tsp kosher salt
several grinds of fresh pepper
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
oil for cooking
In a food processor, mince the leeks, fennel, and garlic. If you don't have a food processor, just chop finely (and look into getting one). Sauté this mixture over medium heat with tablespoon or two of oil. While this is cooking, grate the potatoes (again, preferably in your food processor). When your leek/fennel mixture starts to soften, add the herbs, salt, and pepper. Cook until soft. Transfer to a large mixing bowl, combine with potatoes, nutritional yeast, and flour.
Heat a pan with a couple tablespoons of oil for frying or grease a baking pan for baking. Taking a small handful of this mixture, form a tight ball and flatten it to 1/2" thick. Fry until crispy or bake 20 minutes on each side.
The original recipe suggests serving with hummus, apple sauce or sour cream. I ate them alone, but think they would be a marvelous side. What will you eat them with?
Fennel and Leek Latkes
Makes about 12 3-4" pancakes
Prep time; 40 - 60 minutes (depending on frying vs. baking)
4 large potatoes (I used two blue and two russet)
2 medium leeks, thoroughly cleaned
1 small fennel bulb
3 or 4 cloves of garlic
2 tbsp dried basil (or 10-12 fresh leaves, diced)
3 tbsp dried parsley (or a small handful fresh, diced)
1 tsp kosher salt
several grinds of fresh pepper
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
oil for cooking
In a food processor, mince the leeks, fennel, and garlic. If you don't have a food processor, just chop finely (and look into getting one). Sauté this mixture over medium heat with tablespoon or two of oil. While this is cooking, grate the potatoes (again, preferably in your food processor). When your leek/fennel mixture starts to soften, add the herbs, salt, and pepper. Cook until soft. Transfer to a large mixing bowl, combine with potatoes, nutritional yeast, and flour.
Heat a pan with a couple tablespoons of oil for frying or grease a baking pan for baking. Taking a small handful of this mixture, form a tight ball and flatten it to 1/2" thick. Fry until crispy or bake 20 minutes on each side.
The original recipe suggests serving with hummus, apple sauce or sour cream. I ate them alone, but think they would be a marvelous side. What will you eat them with?
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
COOKIES
My favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe which I have been promising for a while. Really, I don't make any other cookies any more. Nothing is as good as chocolate chip.
1 cup non-dairy margarine, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup turbinado (or white) sugar
1/4 cup soy milk
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/4 cup flour (I use half and half unbleached all-purpose and whole wheat)
1/2 tsp salt
1 heaped tsp baking soda
3 tbsp ground flax seed (optional)
12 oz chocolate chips
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)
Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees (375 for high altitude). In a mixer (or with a wooden spoon, if you have the muscles), cream the margarine and sugars. Add the soy milk and vanilla and mix for a minute. In a separate bowl, mix (or sift, if you feel the need) the flour, salt, baking soda, and flax seed together. Add to the wet ingredients in two or three stages, mixing until you have a nice, uniform dough. Add the chocolate chips and nuts, mix until it just holds together.
Drop by the (tea)spoonful onto a baking sheet, bake for about 10 minutes (8 min, high altitude).
Now that I'm thinking about baked goods, I should share my family's poverty cake recipe. A vegan-by-default cake from the Great Depression, there are a lot of similar recipes around. It's the easiest cake ever and highly delicious. I make it for potlucks and in cupcake form all the time and am constantly being asked for the recipe. The only down side is that it goes stale quickly, so you'd better eat it all the day you make it.
Poverty Cake
1 2/3 cup flour (again, I do half and half)
1 cup brown or turbinado sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp white vinegar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup chocolate chips
Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees (375 for high altitude). Mix together all dry ingredients in an 8"x8" ungreased baking pan. Make three dents in your mixture, pouring oil in one, water in another, vinegar and vanilla in the third. Mix until just together (a few lumps are okay). Sprinkle the top with chocolate chips. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes.
1 cup non-dairy margarine, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup turbinado (or white) sugar
1/4 cup soy milk
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/4 cup flour (I use half and half unbleached all-purpose and whole wheat)
1/2 tsp salt
1 heaped tsp baking soda
3 tbsp ground flax seed (optional)
12 oz chocolate chips
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)
Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees (375 for high altitude). In a mixer (or with a wooden spoon, if you have the muscles), cream the margarine and sugars. Add the soy milk and vanilla and mix for a minute. In a separate bowl, mix (or sift, if you feel the need) the flour, salt, baking soda, and flax seed together. Add to the wet ingredients in two or three stages, mixing until you have a nice, uniform dough. Add the chocolate chips and nuts, mix until it just holds together.
Drop by the (tea)spoonful onto a baking sheet, bake for about 10 minutes (8 min, high altitude).
Now that I'm thinking about baked goods, I should share my family's poverty cake recipe. A vegan-by-default cake from the Great Depression, there are a lot of similar recipes around. It's the easiest cake ever and highly delicious. I make it for potlucks and in cupcake form all the time and am constantly being asked for the recipe. The only down side is that it goes stale quickly, so you'd better eat it all the day you make it.
Poverty Cake
1 2/3 cup flour (again, I do half and half)
1 cup brown or turbinado sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp white vinegar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup chocolate chips
Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees (375 for high altitude). Mix together all dry ingredients in an 8"x8" ungreased baking pan. Make three dents in your mixture, pouring oil in one, water in another, vinegar and vanilla in the third. Mix until just together (a few lumps are okay). Sprinkle the top with chocolate chips. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes.
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