Lactose-Free Girl

Black Bean Brownies

2012-01-29T15:38:00.000-06:00

I don’t remember when I stumbled upon is brownie recipe, but I probably kept it both because they looked relatively healthy (or at least, healthier than typical brownies) and because they’re gluten-free (I love finding gluten-free pastry recipes, especially when they don’t require a lot of different flours). These brownies call for black beans instead of the wheat flour; the result was a very chocolate-y brownie, though they are more fudge-y than cake-y, somewhat like certain flourless chocolate cakes. However, I found them a bit flat – you know of my penchant for thick brownies – and I wonder whether it would be possible to double the recipe and just cook them a bit longer. I recommend that you eat them at room temperature, to make sure you can’t taste the beans (if you used quality cocoa, this won’t be a problem), and the Engineer loved the brownies with a scoop of lactose-free vanilla ice cream.

1 15-oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
3 eggs
3 Tbsp oil
4 Tbsp cocoa powder
1 pinch salt
1 tsp vanilla
¾ cup sugar
1 handful chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat the oven at 350 °F. Grease an 8-inch square baking dish.

Mix first seven ingredients together in a blender or food processor until puréed. Stir in the chocolate chips, if using, and pour into the baking dish. Bake for about 30 minutes.

Let cool completely before cutting.

Houmous

2012-01-28T11:53:00.000-06:00

Est-ce que ça se fait, partager une recette sans photo? J’ai cherché comme il faut, car j’étais persuadée d’en avoir, mais c’est peine perdue. Il n’y a pas de trace de cet houmous, même si je l’ai fait à deux reprises. (Soit dit en passant, j’ai toujours dit humus, mais apparemment que ce n’est pas français dans ce contexte.) Il s’agit d’une recette que j’ai trouvée sur un sac de farine de pois chiches de Bob’s Red Mill. La première fois que je l’ai faite, j’ai pensé : « Enfin! J’ai trouvé le secret de l’houmous du Jerusalem Grill! » C’est que je ferais un repas complet de leur houmous avec quelques pitas. La texture est différente de l’houmous fait avec des pois chiches passés au robot; elle est beaucoup plus lisse, plus comme une trempette que l’houmous que je fais habituellement. Je trouvais par contre que l’assaisonnement n’était pas tout à fait au point, j’aurais mis beaucoup plus de tahini. J’ai jouté du cumin, mais il manquait encore quelque chose (la sauce sriracha passait inaperçue, quand même, ce qui est bien). Fallait-il simplement davantage de tous les assaisonnements?

J’ai donc refait l’houmous en utilisant davantage des ingrédients par rapport à la farine de pois chiches, et en goûtant au fur et à mesure. C’est là que j’ai remarqué : tout était excellent jusqu’à ce que j’ajoute l’huile d’olive, et tout est devenu fade! J’ai donc ensuite rajouté de l’ail, du cumin et du tahini, et c’était parfait. Cependant, avec la farine de pois chiches, la consistance de l’houmous épaissit beaucoup dans les heures qui suivent sa préparation, et surtout au réfrigérateur, au point que ça en devient déplaisant, alors à moins d’en faire pour recevoir beaucoup de monde, je pense qu’il faut réduire la recette de moitié. Ce que je vous donne ci-dessous est donc la demi-recette, avec mes quantités d’assaisonnement, mais en tenant compte de l’huile d’olive. Je vous conseille de goûter en préparant le tout, pour ajuster selon vos goûts.

¼ tasse + 2 c. à soupe de farine de pois chiches
1 ¼ tasse d’eau
2 ou 3 gousses d’ail, émincées
2 c. à soupe de bouillon de poulet ou de légumes (allez-y fort sur la base de bouillon)
3 c. à soupe de tahini
jus d’un citron (¼ tasse)
un soupçon de sauce forte (comme de la sauce sriracha ou tabasco)
¾ c. à thé de cumin
sel et poivre, au goût
2 c. à soupe d’huile d’olive

Amener l’eau à ébullition et y ajouter la farine de pois chiches. Bien mélanger avec un fouet et faire cuire 1 minute, en mélangeant constamment. Réduire le feu au plus bas et laisser mijoter 5 minutes. Fermer le feu et laisser refroidir.

Dans un robot culinaire, mettre le mélange de pois chiches, l’ail, le bouillon de poulet, le tahini, le jus de citron et la sauce forte; mélanger jusqu’à l’obtention d’une consistance homogène. Ajouter le cumin, le sel et le poivre, puis actionner le robot et verser l’huile d’olive pendant que le moteur tourne. (Une fois que le mélange est homogène, vous devriez le goûter et décider s’il faut ajouter de l’ail, du jus de citron, du cumin ou du tahini.)

Mettre le mélange dans un bol, recouvrir d’une pellicule plastique et laisser reposer à la température de la pièce pendant une heure (le mélange va épaissir). Servir avec du pain pita, des craquelins ou des légumes.

Root Vegetable Tagine with Spice-Roasted Chickpeas

2012-01-23T15:29:00.000-06:00

When Bon Appétit published this recipe, my sister and I both emailed it to our mother for her new Emile Henry tagine, even though neither one of us had tried the recipe yet. I finally got around to it, but I changed it a little. I didn’t use celery, because the recipe only called for one stalk and I knew the rest of it would go to waste in my vegetable drawer. I also omitted the turnips, because neither the Engineer nor I like them; I added more sweet potatoes to compensate. And I didn’t use olives, because I don’t like them (if we had had any on hand, I would have topped the Engineer’s serving with them, but we didn’t).

You do have to start this dish early, because the spice-roasted chickpeas, roasted spices and preserved lemon take a bit of time, but after that, it’s really easy. It still felt pretty labor-intensive when I was cooking for dinner just an hour after lunch, so I hoped it would be good! I wasn’t too sure about the preserved lemons, because I like them candied in sugar, but I’d never had them preserved in salt before. In the end, since I chopped them in small pieces, they lent a nice bright taste to the dish without overpowering it. The really nice thing was the roasted chickpeas, though, because they gave the dish some crunch. By themselves, they would also make a great snack. I felt that the dish, though good, was missing a little depth, but in its defense, I did omit three ingredients! The recipe makes enough for 6 generous servings.

For the spice-roasted chickpeas
¾ tsp cumin seeds
¾ tsp coriander seeds
1 15-oz can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained, rinsed, well dried (I spread them out on a paper towel)
1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
pinch of cayenne pepper (I used Korean Pepper)
coarse kosher salt

Preheat oven to 400 °F. Toast cumin seeds and coriander seeds in small skillet over medium heat until beginning to brown, about 2 minutes. Cool. Transfer to spice mill; process until finely ground. Place chickpeas, olive oil, pinch of cayenne, and ground spices in medium bowl. Sprinkle with coarse salt; toss to coat evenly. Transfer to small rimmed baking sheet. Roast in oven until lightly browned and crunchy, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes. (Can be made 4 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature. Reheat in 400 °F oven until warm, about 5 minutes, before serving, if desired.)

For the tagine
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
½ tsp caraway seeds
½ tsp dried crushed red pepper (I used Korean pepper)
¼ tsp turmeric
4 ½ tsp coarse kosher salt, divided
1 lemon, thinly sliced
½ cup fresh lemon juice
3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 ½ cups chopped onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 ½ Tbsp tomato paste
1 ¼ cups ½-inch cubes peeled carrots
1 celery stalk, chopped
4 cups water
1 ¼ lbs red-skinned sweet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 lb turnips (about 2 medium), peeled, cut into ¾-inch wedges
¾ cup brine-cured green olives, pitted, coarsely chopped (as I said, optional)
¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes (about 1 oz; not oil-packed), thinly sliced
¼ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
1 tsp dried mint (I used 1 fresh leaf, sliced very thinly)
1 10-oz box plain couscous (about 1 ½ cups), cooked according to package directions
spice-roasted chickpeas

Toast coriander, cumin, and caraway seeds in small skillet over medium heat until beginning to brown, about 2 minutes. Cool. Transfer to spice mill; process until finely ground. Transfer to small bowl. Add red pepper, turmeric, and ½ tsp salt.

Mix lemon slices, lemon juice, and 4 tsp coarse salt in small skillet. Bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until lemon slices are almost tender, about 10 minutes. Cool preserved lemon. Drain and chop.

(Spice blend and preserved lemon can be made 1 week ahead. Store spice blend airtight at room temperature. Transfer preserved lemon to small bowl; cover and chill.)

Heat olive oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion; sprinkle with salt and sauté until beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Add toasted spice blend, garlic, and tomato paste; stir 1 minute. Add carrots and celery; stir 2 minutes. Add chopped preserved lemon, 4 cups water, sweet potatoes, turnips, olives, and sun-dried tomatoes. Simmer with lid ajar until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally, about 35 minutes. Stir in parsley, cilantro, and mint. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and let stand 10 minutes to allow flavors to blend.

Spoon couscous into large bowl, spreading out to edges and leaving well in center. Spoon vegetable tagine into well in center. Sprinkle spice-roasted chickpeas over and serve.

Montée de lait

2012-01-23T14:45:00.002-06:00

Je viens de terminer la lecture de L’Art de vivre selon Joe Beef, la version française de The Art of Living According to Joe Beef. Bien que j’aie beaucoup aimé le contenu du livre, je dois avouer que la traduction française, faite par Parfum d’encre (avec une équipe de deux adaptateurs, deux traducteurs et deux réviseures), laisse à désirer. Je ne peux pas parler d’erreurs de traduction dans le sens des mots, car je n’ai pas la version d’origine pour faire des comparaisons. Il y a des mots traduits pour un public européen, ce que je crois être une erreur, puisque toute l’action se passe dans une province francophone d’Amérique du Nord (donc le repas du matin est le déjeuner, pas le petit-déjeuner, et ainsi de suite). Il y a des fautes de frappe, des articles manquants, des virgules balancées un peu au hasard dans le texte (donc il y en a en trop et il en manque ailleurs), des parenthèses esseulées, des verbes et des adjectifs mal accordés avec leur sujet, des phrases mal tournées (« deux cuillères à soupe de poudre de café en poudre », ça a quelle consistance, d’après vous?) et surtout, des « nous » et des « on » qui font référence au même sujet et dans la même phrase en plus! C’est peut-être alors plus une question de révision que de traduction, mais toujours est-il que lorsqu’un texte « sent » la traduction, lorsque je ne peux pas lire plus de trois phrases sans « accrocher » sur quelque chose, il est évident que la qualité de la version traduite n’est pas à la hauteur. C’est dommage, pour un si beau livre écrit par des gens qui parlent français!

Bossa Nova Skirt

2012-01-20T18:47:00.000-06:00

This pattern, which I made right before the holidays, was free on Fabric.com; the site’s page helpfully lists recommended types of fabric and notions all in the same spot. It’s the same skirt pattern that I had used with my turquoise knit, but this time, I used a rayon challis weave, and it worked just fine. Rayon is a bit slippery to knit with, but this Prudent Baby tutorial gives some pointers. The gist of it is that it’s super important to prewash the fabric (duh), and that if you use a ballpoint needle, polyester thread and walking foot, you should be fine. In the comments, there’s also the helpful tip of laying out your fabric on top of a sheet before cutting it, to prevent it from slipping.

Rayon was much better suited for that skirt, because of the way it falls and drapes nicely. The pattern itself was really easy, though after having made it once before, I decided to lengthen it by a few inches when I traced it out onto my Swedish tracing paper. It’s basically just eight panels sewn together, with an elastic waist. I did use French seams, to make the inside pretty too, so perhaps I should have made all the panels 1” wider to compensate, but the skirt still fits. Because of the interlining fiasco with my last skirt, I only used one layer of fabric. The fabric is somewhat thin, but I think I’ll add a half-slip just in case.

Cost-wise, I’m pretty pleased with myself. I used 3 yards of fabric on sale at $3.49 a yard, paid $3.35 for the ballpoint needles (which I’ll use again, of course), $1.08 for the elastic, $1.75 for the thread, and the pattern was free, so the grand total comes to $14.90 (no taxes, free shipping, though I had ordered a $1.75 sample before committing to the fabric). I got more of the fabric, since I originally wanted to add an interlining and thought the sale price was really good, so I’ll make something else with the rest, but I don’t know what just yet. (And by the way, that mirror is one of the things I got at Hats Furniture Haus last month.)

Sans fanfare

2012-01-20T15:16:00.000-06:00

Sans fanfare, je partage avec vous quelques liens et photos éparpillées sur mon ordinateur depuis des semaines. Il s’agit de plats dont je n’ai pas parlé ici, pour diverses raisons. Comme parce que c’est tellement simple que je me sentirais gênée de donner une recette, mettons pour le yakisoba de Tea and Cookies.

Ou parce que j’ai déjà publié la recette, dans le cas des magrets de canard rôtis avec poires au miel.

Ou parce que je n’ai tout simplement pas aimé ça. Je pense surtout à la salade chaude de carottes et de hijiki; j’ai beau essayer, mais je n’aime pas les algues cuites!

Il y a eu aussi le gâteau aux oranges et à l’huile d’olive de Leite’s Culinaria, qui ne nous a pas impressionnés et ne vaut pas la peine d’être refait.

Par contre, cette semaine, j’ai fait une recette du tonnerre, alors quand je mettrai en ligne la purée de pommes de terre au safran, vous attacherez bien votre tuque!

Feux sur Montréal

2012-01-20T14:11:00.000-06:00

Je ne sais pas si vous êtes au courant, mais Montréal fait parler d’elle un peu partout ces temps-ci! Par les Américains Il y a une série de publicités disjonctées pour des festivals comme Montréal en lumière; je n’ai pu trouver aucune image en ligne, alors j’en reproduis une ci-dessous, trouvée dans l’épicurien Bon Appétit.

Ce même magazine avait publié un petit guide touristico-culinaire sur Montréal pour le temps des fêtes 2010; il mentionne toujours Joe Beef, parle du livre de cuisine, cite Frédéric Morin, et dans le numéro de janvier 2012, c’était au tour de Martin Picard et de la cabane à sucre du Pied de cochon.

Ce magazine culinaire n’est pas le seul à parler de Montréal; il y a aussi le magnifique A little relish, un magazine en ligne dont le deuxième numéro est consacré à Montréal. Et surtout, surtout, Anthony Bourdain qui passe 26 heures à Montréal dans le cadre de son émission The Layover (si vous avez une quarantaine de minutes et comprenez l’anglais, ça vaut la peine, c’est très bien fait!). Et une pub d’Adidas (qui ne parle pas de nourriture, celle-là, mais met en vedette le métro).

Enfin, le site de Tourisme Montréal est très bien conçu, et la version en anglais est superbe (rares sont les sites bilingues bien faits!). Il y a en plus un blogue et un vidéo présentant Montréal en deux minutes que je trouve génial. Tout ça pour dire que j’aime beaucoup ma ville!

Creamy Saffron Yogurt

2012-01-20T12:28:00.000-06:00

For dessert after the coconut chicken curry, I made some creamy saffron yogurt adapted from a recipe published in the same menu in Châtelaine. Mine is easier, but I find it’s better not to follow a set recipe for it (I did last time, and ended up with way too much of the spices). Basically, you need lactose-free yogurt; you can use plain yogurt and add a bit of sugar, or use vanilla or honey yogurt and leave it as is. You can strain it to thicken it if you want, but it’s not necessary. Throw in a pinch of ground saffron and a pinch of ground cardamom and mix well (adjust the spices from there, but remember that a little goes a long way). Top it off with some sliced mango and perhaps pomegranate seeds or raspberries, and you’ve got yourself a healthy dessert with Indian flavors. Bon appétit!

Coconut Chicken Curry

2012-01-20T12:23:00.001-06:00

This is my mother’s recipe for chicken curry, which she adapted slightly from Châtelaine by omitting the water (as do I) and by reducing the amount of spices. I’m reproducing it below with the original amounts, but feel free to adjust it to your taste. Sometimes, my mother throws a peeled and cubed sweet potato in there with the coconut milk, for extra color, which is a pretty good idea considering that the dish doesn’t have any vegetables otherwise apart from the onion. I served it with brown rice, but lentils and naan bread would be wonderful.

1 large onion, coarsely chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely minced
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
3 whole cloves
1 Tbsp finely grated fresh ginger
2 tsp ground cumin
1 to 2 tsp chili powder (I used 1 tsp of Korean pepper)
1 tsp salt
¾ tsp ground turmeric
½ tsp ground cardamom
½ tsp mustard powder
400 mL can unsweetened coconut milk
1 cup coarsely chopped fresh coriander
2 to 3 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

Heat oil in a large wide saucepan set over medium-low heat. Add whole cloves to pan and stir-fry until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add onion and garlic. Stir often until onion softens, about 5 minutes.

Increase heat to medium-high. Add chicken. Stir-fry until golden-tinged, from 4 to 5 minutes. Then stir in ginger, cumin, 1 tsp chili powder, salt, turmeric, cardamom, and mustard powder. Stir in coconut milk. Taste, and for more kick, stir in remaining teaspoon chili powder.

Cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer, stirring often, until chicken is cooked, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in coriander and 2 tsp lemon juice. Taste. Add remaining teaspoon lemon juice, if needed. Serve immediately.

Couscous Salad with Winter Squash and Cranberries

2012-01-19T14:44:00.000-06:00

This recipe, from The Kitchn, was really good. I like having a healthy vegetarian dish that’s easy to make and filling, and this hit the spot. The mix of spices was really good. I used butternut squash, which is my favorite, but you could use other types (like buttercup, to name just one). I used red wine vinegar instead of white wine vinegar (that’s what I have in the pantry), and I forgot about the orange zest. I also didn’t use nuts. If you can’t find lactose-free goat cheese, or if you want a vegan version of the dish, omit that, too.

1 medium butternut squash (or other hard winter squash), peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
¾ cup uncooked couscous
1 cup water
1 onion, diced
4-5 Tbsp white wine vinegar (I used red wine vinegar)
2 Tbsp olive oil
zest of one orange
½ tsp coriander
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cumin
1-3 tsp salt, to taste
1 can chickpeas, drained
½ cup dried cranberries
2 oz lactose-free goat cheese (if desired)
½ cup walnuts or pecans, coarsely chopped (if desired)

Preheat oven to 400 ° F. Toss squash with a bit of olive oil and spread on a baking sheet. Roast squash, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 30 minutes. Allow to cool before combining with other ingredients.

Heat water in sauce pan to boiling. Add couscous and stir. Remove pan from heat, cover with a lid, and let sit for about 10 minutes until the couscous has absorbed all the water. Fluff with a fork and set aside.

Sauté onion in a skillet over medium-high heat until translucent. Set aside and allow to cool.

In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, olive oil, zest, spices, and 1 tsp of salt.

In a large bowl, combine squash, couscous, onions, chickpeas, and cranberries. Pour on the vinegar-oil dressing and stir to combine. Taste to check seasoning and add salt if needed.

If including, crumble the goat cheese into chunks and gently fold into the salad. (Note: Make sure the salad is room temperature at this point or the goat cheese will melt.) Top each serving with a sprinkle of walnuts (if desired) and enjoy. This salad can be served at room temperature or cold.

Maple Corn Bread

2012-01-19T14:24:00.000-06:00

This recipe, from Real Simple, seemed like the perfect complement to the chili I was making. Chili and corn bread sounds like a very Southern pairing to me, but this corn bread had a little Canadian twist with the addition of maple syrup, both in the batter and on top. The result was a fluffy, moist corn bread with a sweet, crunchy glazed top. It was a big hit, especially with the Engineer, and might become my go-to cornbread from now on.

¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter or margarine, melted and cooled, divided; plus more for the pan
2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
2 cups cornmeal
2 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp kosher salt
2 cups lactose-free milk
4 large eggs
¾ cup pure maple syrup, divided

Heat oven to 425 ° F. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking pan.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add the milk, eggs, ½ cup of the maple syrup, and ½ cup of the butter; whisk together the wet ingredients, then incorporate the dry ingredients until just combined (do not overmix).

Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the remaining ¼ cup of butter and ¼ cup of maple syrup. After removing the corn bread from oven, brush with the butter mixture. Cool completely in the pan, then cut into pieces.

Chili with Chocolate

2012-01-19T14:18:00.001-06:00

I was dying to try one of those recipes that calls for unsweetened chocolate in a savory dish like a beef stew (not a mole, just chocolate in a sauce to bring out certain notes). I had been seeing this trick, if you can call it that, in several places and was really intrigued. I decided to try David Lebovitz’s Chili with Chocolate, since I also had some good heirloom pinto beans by Rancho Gordo to use. (I realize that officially, Texas chili doesn’t have beans, but that’s not how I was raised.) I made a few changes, such as the use of only 12 oz of beer (which is enough and easier to manage, as you don’t end up with a mostly full bottle to use when you don’t even like drinking beer) and modifying the spices to suit my taste. While I did buy a fresh chili pepper for this, seeded it and minced it, I chickened out and ended up serving it as an optional topping for the Engineer’s use. My verdict is as follows: this chili is good, but not great. While the chocolate is undetectable (as it should be), and while the browned meat was a good idea in theory, I actually prefer my mother’s chili (which uses ground beef). I promise I’ll get around to sharing that recipe eventually.

The first two steps of this recipe should be done the day before. It makes something like 8 servings, so I froze some of it. I served this chili with maple corn bread, which seemed a very Southern thing to do, and I really recommend it.

1 lb dried red or variegated heirloom beans
2 lbs beef stewing meat, such as boneless short ribs or chuck roast, cut into 1-inch cubes (or smaller)
3 tsp salt, divided
1 bay leaf
2 to 4 dried chili peppers, or 1 fresh chili pepper, minced (adjust this to suit your taste, or omit it)
2 Tbsp cooking oil
2 medium onions, peeled and diced
4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2-3 tsp red chili powder (I only used 1)
1 tsp ancho chili powder (I used Korean pepper)
2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp paprika
12 oz beer (the original recipe calls for 2 cups)
2 15-oz cans of crushed or diced tomatoes
1 Tbsp brown sugar
2 oz unsweetened chocolate
3 Tbsp cider vinegar or lime juice

Rinse the beans and sort them to remove any debris. Put in a bowl and cover with cold water and let soak overnight.

Put the cubes of beef in a freezer bag with 1 ½ tsp of salt, massage gently, and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, drain the beans, put them in a saucepan, and cover with several inches of water. Add the bay leaf and bring to a full boil for 10 minutes. Lower the heat to a gentle simmer and cook until tender, one to three hours, adding more water if the water boils away. (One hour was enough for me.) Once done, remove the bay leaf.

In a large casserole or Dutch oven (at least 6 quarts), heat the oil. Working in batches so you don’t crowd the pan, brown the pieces of beef, resisting the urge to turn them until they are truly dark on each side. The browning adds a great deal of flavor. As the pieces brown, remove them to a separate plate and brown the remaining pieces. If necessary, add a bit more oil to the pan as you go.

If using dried chili peppers, snip them into a small bowl in very tiny pieces with scissors and pour just enough boiling water over them to cover. If using a fresh chili pepper, remove the stem and chop it finely. (You can either discard the seeds, which are hot, or use them.)

Once all the meat is browned, fry the onions in the pot until they are wilted, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic as well as the remaining 1 ½ tsp salt, chili powders, oregano, cumin, and paprika, and cook for another minute, stirring constantly to release the flavors of the spices.

Add the beans to the pot along with their liquid, as well as the chili peppers, beer, tomatoes (and their juices), brown sugar and chocolate.

Simmer the chili at the absolute lowest temperature possible (consider using a flame tamer), for at least 1 hour, or until the meat is tender. If necessary to cook much longer, you may need to add additional water if the chili becomes too thick. When done, stir in the vinegar or lime juice. Taste and adjust any seasonings, such as the chili powder and the salt.

Serve with your choice of lactose-free sour cream, sharp cheddar, green onions or cilantro.

Porc à l'orange du Sichuan

2012-01-17T15:03:00.001-06:00

Cette recette, ça fait longtemps que je veux la partager avec vous. Elle est tirée du magazine de la LCBO, À bon verre, bonne table et quelque peu adaptée à mes goûts. J’en ai aussi profité pour tester une recette de sauce hoisin, pour en faire une version sans gluten végétalienne (donc acceptable pour les gens ayant des allergies au poisson, entre autres). Pour faire la recette de porc sans gluten, utilisez de la sauce tamari sans blé au lieu de la sauce soya. J’adore le porc apprêté de cette façon et je le sers toujours avec mon riz au lait de coco. Quand l’Ingénieur et moi avons commencé à nous fréquenter, je lui ai fait cela pour son anniversaire, et il a tant aimé ça que les 4 portions ont disparu le soir-même. Bon appétit!

Pour le porc
1 lb (500 g) de filet de porc
1 blanc d'œuf
1 c. à soupe de fécule de maïs
1 c. à soupe d'eau
1 c. à soupe de sauce soya

Pour la sauce aigre-douce
1 c. à soupe de sauce hoisin
1 c. à thé de sauce au piment asiatique (au goût)
2 c. à soupe de sauce soya
3 c. à soupe de jus d'orange
¼ tasse de Triple Sec (facultatif)
1 c. à thé de cassonade (facultatif)

Pour la sauce aux poivrons
3 c. à soupe d'huile végétale
2 c. à soupe de zeste d'orange, coupé en julienne
1 c. à thé d'ail haché finement
1 c. à soupe de gingembre haché finement
1 poivron rouge, coupé en cubes
1 poivron orange, coupé en cubes
1 c. à thé de fécule de maïs
1 c. à soupe d'eau

Couper le porc en cubes de ½ po (1 cm). Placer dans un bol. Mélanger le blanc d'œuf, la fécule, l'eau et la sauce soya ensemble et ajouter au porc en remuant.

Mélanger les ingrédients de la sauce aigre-douce ensemble et réserver.

Chauffer 2 c. à soupe d'huile dans un wok à feu vif. Égoutter le porc et ajouter dans le wok. Faire sauter le porc jusqu'à ce qu'il soit juste rose à l'intérieur, environ 3 minutes. Retirer du wok et réserver. Essuyer le wok.

Pour la sauce aux poivrons, ajouter le reste de l'huile dans le wok. Faire sauter le zeste d'orange pendant 30 secondes, puis ajouter l'ail et le gingembre. Remuer ensemble. Ajouter les poivrons et faire sauter jusqu'à ce qu'ils soient dorés et ramollis, environ 2 minutes.

Remettre le porc dans le wok avec son jus, ajouter la sauce aigre-douce et porter à ébullition. Mélanger ensemble l'eau et la fécule et verser dans le wok en remuant. Porter à ébullition en remuant et cuire jusqu'à ce que la sauce épaississe. Servir immédiatement, avec du riz.

Braised French Onion Chicken

2012-01-17T14:23:00.000-06:00

This dish (created by Faith Durand of The Kitchn) is just like a French onion soup, but without the soup, and with chicken instead of bread. It’s a good winter meal, hearty and rich without being too heavy. I served it with mashed potatoes, though green beans and bread would work well, too (especially if you use the bread to soak up the sauce). I really liked it, and even the Engineer had no complaints (he normally dislikes French onion soup). It takes a while to make, so it’s a good weekend dish; it makes about 6 servings.

3 Tbsp unsalted butter or margarine
2 lbs onions (about 3 big onions), sliced into thin half-moons
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 garlic cloves, sliced
2 small sprigs thyme, leaves only
a 4-inch sprig rosemary
2 cups chicken broth, divided
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
3 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs
2 oz lactose-free Gruyère cheese, finely grated or shaved (about 1 cup)

Melt the butter in a deep 10-inch sauté pan over medium heat. When the butter has melted completely and foams up, add the onions. They will fill the pan to the top, at this point. Stir as you add the onions to coat them in the butter. Sprinkle lightly with salt and black pepper. Cook the onions for about 40 minutes over low or medium heat, stirring occasionally.

When the onions have developed an evenly light beige color throughout, add the garlic, thyme leaves, and whole rosemary sprig, and cook for a few minutes more, stirring frequently. Turn the heat up to high and cook for a further 5 minutes, stirring frequently. You want dark, slightly burnt spots to appear on the onions, and for them to develop a rich mahogany color. When the onions get quite dark, add 1 cup of the beef or chicken broth. Add it slowly, stirring and scraping the pan vigorously to scrape up any burnt or stuck-on bits. When the liquid has been added, bring it back up to a simmer and simmer lightly for 5 minutes, or until it is somewhat reduced.

Take the onions off the heat and pour them into a 3-quart oven-safe dish with a lid. (If you don't have a Dutch oven or another oven-safe dish with a lid, you can use a 9x13-inch baking dish. Just cover it tightly with a double layer of foil.)

Heat the oven to 325 °F.

While the onions are cooking, brown the chicken. Heat another 10-inch or cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Pat the chicken thighs dry and season lightly with kosher salt and black pepper. When the skillet is hot, add the thighs and brown for about 3 minutes on each side, 6 minutes total. When they've developed a golden-brown crust, remove from the pan and set on top of the caramelized onions in the baking dish.

Add the remaining 1 cup broth to the pan. Stir vigorously, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Whisk in the balsamic vinegar and Dijon mustard. Simmer for about 5 minutes or until reduced by half. Pour this sauce over the chicken and onions, and put the lid on the baking dish. The chicken and onions will look quite saucy; there will be plenty of liquid in the baking dish. (At this point you can refrigerate the dish for up to 48 hours. Let it sit at room temperature for at least 15 minutes before baking, or else add about 5 minutes to the bake time.)

Bake at 325 °F for 30 minutes. Remove the chicken from the oven and turn the heat up to broil. Take the lid off the baking dish, and sprinkle the cheese evenly over the top of the chicken. When the broiler has heated up, return the dish to the oven and broil for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and golden on top.

30-Minute Rolls

2012-01-17T11:45:00.003-06:00

I found this recipe on The Littlest Crafter: these rolls are not only super quick to make, they are also absolutely delicious! The Engineer had more than one, saying that they deserved an encore. I’ll be sure to keep this recipe on hand next time I want rolls! The quick rising time also came in very handy because the night I made them, I had actually forgotten about them until about an hour before dinner, and I still had plenty of time. I served them warm, with coconut red lentil soup.

1 cup + 2 Tbsp warm water
1/3 cup oil
2 Tbsp yeast (I believe I used active dry yeast)
¼ cup sugar
½ tsp salt
1 egg
3 ½ cups flour (I used white flour here)

Preheat the oven to 400 °F. Grease a 9”x13” pan and set aside.

In the bowl of your mixer, combine the water, oil, yeast and sugar and allow it to rest for 15 minutes.

Using the dough hook attachment, mix in the salt, egg and flour. Knead with the hook until well incorporated and the dough is soft and smooth (just a few minutes).

Form dough into 12 balls and place them in the greased pan. Allow to rest for 10 minutes.

Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Enjoy!

Coconut Red Lentil Soup

2012-01-17T11:43:00.000-06:00

This awesome soup from 101 Cookbooks was a hit in our household, and I’m sure to make it again. The seasoning was fantastic, though it should be said that I used chicken broth instead of water. I also used more peas than the original recipe called for (1 ½ cups each instead of 1 cup), and only 6 cups of broth – plus the coconut milk. The consistency seemed soupy to me, but the author says that you can make it thicker and spoon it over rice or farro. Note that it is a thick soup, and the addition of green onions and raisins actually works really well. You can easily make this vegetarian or vegan by using a fake chicken broth or vegetable broth if you don’t want water, and oil instead of butter. I served the soup with 30-minute rolls, which I also strongly recommend.

1 cup yellow split peas
1 cup red lentils
6 cups broth (or water), plus more to taste
1 medium carrot, cut into ½-inch dice
2 Tbsp fresh peeled and minced ginger
2 Tbsp curry powder
2 Tbsp butter, margarine or vegetable oil
8 green onions, thinly sliced
1/3 cup golden raisins
1/3 cup tomato paste
1 14-oz can coconut milk
2 tsp fine grain sea salt
one small handful cilantro, chopped

Give the split peas and lentils a good rinse - until they no longer put off murky water. Place them in an extra-large soup pot, cover with the broth, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and add the carrot and ¼ of the ginger. Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes, or until the split peas are soft.

In the meantime, in a small dry skillet or saucepan over low heat, toast the curry powder until it is quite fragrant. Be careful though, you don't want to burn the curry powder, just toast it. Set aside.

Place the butter in a pan over medium heat, add half of the green onions, the remaining ginger, and raisins. Sauté for two minutes stirring constantly, then add the tomato paste and sauté for another minute or two more.

Add the toasted curry powder to the tomato paste mixture, mix well, and then add this to the simmering soup along with the coconut milk and salt. Simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes or so. The texture should thicken up, but you can play around with the consistency if you like by adding more water, a bit at a time. Or simmer longer for a thicker consistency.

To serve, sprinkle each bowl generously with cilantro and the remaining green onions. (I topped mine with some lactose-free sour cream, and it was perfect.)

Gigi's Cupcakes

2012-01-15T16:47:00.000-06:00

Right before Christmas, the Engineer and I bought some cupcakes at Gigi’s Cupcakes to try them out; we had two that evening, and froze the other two for a week or so, to enjoy them after the holidays. The shop itself was nice, and I appreciate that they have some space with tables and chairs for people who want to linger a bit and eat on the spot. It can take a while to choose, too, as there are over 60 flavors in all – though “only” about a dozen each day. Take a look at their menu!

The cupcakes are beautiful and look very impressive because of their mile-high frosting, though that makes them a bit hard to eat. I must admit that I ate them on a plate with a fork, scraping most of the frosting away. The cakes themselves, though, were fabulous. The crumb was moist and flavorful, and I’d have them again any day!

The flavors we tried are vanilla (the one with the Christmas tree frosting), Scarlett’s Red Velvet (the one with the angel; it was good, though not very red at all), White Midnight Magic (delicious chocolate cake with chocolate chips on a cream cheese frosting) and Canadian Bacon (my favorite; it was a bacon-maple cupcake with maple frosting topped with crumbled bacon). They were all very good.

I’m not sure I’d go out of my way for those, probably because the frosting is a bit off-putting (especially for someone who’s lactose-intolerant), but then again, I’ve only really been out of my way for Montreal’s Cocoa Locale (or more accurately, I’ve deliberately made it my way on more than one occasion). That being said, I could easily be convinced to pull over if I’m driving by!

Chickpea Casserole

2012-01-15T16:13:00.000-06:00

I’ve mentioned that I like casseroles because they’re the ultimate meal-in-one. This one has the added bonus of being vegetarian, using chickpeas for protein, and is pretty light on the dairy. I did make it lactose-free, using Lactaid’s cottage cheese. I also used a red onion instead of the shallots. While the consistency was good, I found it a bit bland, and I would add some grated sharp cheddar to the chickpea mixture next time (added below). We had leftovers for days with this dish!

3 15-oz cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained, or 5 cups cooked chickpeas
1 cup cooked brown rice
4 large shallots, minced or grated
2 cloves garlic, minced
juice and zest of 1 lemon
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 large eggs, beaten
1 cup lactose-free cottage cheese (ideally the small curd variety of cottage cheese, but beggars can’t be choosers)
¾ cup plain lactose-free yogurt (ideally full-fat yogurt, and not Greek yogurt, which has too little moisture)
a big handful of grated sharp cheddar (optional)
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
½ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 stalks fresh rosemary (leaves only)
2/3 cup dried bread crumbs
olive oil

Preheat the oven to 375 °F and lightly grease a 9”x13” or other 3-quart baking dish with olive oil.

In a large bowl, mix the chickpeas with the rice, shallots, garlic, and lemon zest and juice. Season with salt and pepper.

Mix the beaten eggs in a medium bowl with the cottage cheese, yogurt, cheddar, and ½ cup of the Parmesan cheese. Finely mince the parsley and fresh rosemary leaves. Stir the cottage cheese mixture and herbs into the chickpea mixture.

Spread the mixture in the prepared baking dish and top with the remaining ½ cup Parmesan and the bread crumbs. (At this point the casserole can be covered and refrigerated for up to 24 hours.) Drizzle with olive oil. Bake for 45 minutes, or until bubbling and golden. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

The Engineer's cakes, with a recipe

2012-01-14T12:01:00.000-06:00

I was looking for something somewhat meaningful for my 700th post, and I decided that the Engineer’s cakes are it. I was waiting for the end of the cake recipes, but this cake chapter in Baking Illustrated is really long, and we’re still not done! (Plus, I’ve had these pictures on my hard drive forever, y’all.) It should be said that The Engineer is really taking this seriously, making sure all ingredients are at the right temperature and eschewing substitutions. In this case, the fact that he didn’t have any baking experience before starting this project actually worked in his favor, because he didn’t have any bad habits to break. I’ve got a lifetime of measuring dry ingredients in volume (and usually not even in dry measuring cups), just because that’s the way North American home cooks have always done it. But he’s doing it the proper way, and I have to admit that it really does make for better cakes. So I think I’ll make an effort to do things the proper way (weigh) too, when a recipe gives me weight measurements.

To recap, there was angel food cake, chiffon cake, pound cake, upside-down pineapple cake and apple cake.

There was carrot cake, crumb coffeecake (the one with pecans on top, which was great), sour cream coffeecake, chocolate sheet cake, yellow cupcakes with chocolate frosting, yellow layer cake, white layer cake, coconut layer cake, sponge cake and Boston cream pie.

Then there were three more kinds of chocolate cakes (chocolate layer cake, German chocolate cake and devil’s food cake). Plus a génoise layer cake with almond buttercream and raspberry filling before the holidays, a raspberry jelly roll for New Year’s Eve, and last weekend, a baked Alaska (with lactose-free ice cream, of course).

We’ve got a lot of lactose coming up with fruit trifle this weekend (there’s still no lactose-free cream in the States), and about a month and a half after that, four kinds of cheesecake (the irony is that the Engineer doesn’t even like cheesecake, and since I can’t really eat it, his coworkers will be well-fed).

I’ll share the devil’s food cake recipe here, because we changed it a little and absolutely loved the results. The original recipe calls for three 8-inch cake pans and a lot of buttercream frosting, but we used a 10-inch springform pan and served it plain – perfect. We even made it with lactose-free sour cream from Green Valley Organics, so I could eat it without getting sick!

4 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped
¼ cup Dutch-processed cocoa
1 ¼ cups boiling water
¾ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
¾ cup plain cake flour
1 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
1 cup unsalted butter or margarine, softened but still cool
1 ½ cups dark brown sugar
3 large eggs
½ cup sour cream (lactose-free, or use lactose-free plain Greek yogurt)
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350 °F. Grease a 10-inch springform pan; line the bottom with wax paper and grease again.

Combine the chocolate and cocoa in a medium bowl; pour the boiling water over and whisk until smooth.

Sift together the flours, baking soda and salt; set aside.

Beat the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer at medium-high speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Add the brown sugar and beat at high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula. With the mixer at medium-high speed, add the eggs one at a time, beating 30 seconds after each addition. Reduce the speed to medium; add the sour cream and vanilla and beat until combined, about 10 seconds. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl.

With the mixer at low speed, add about a third of the flour mixture, followed by about half of the chocolate mixture. Repeat, ending with the flour mixture; beat until just combined, about 1 second. Do not overbeat. Remove the bowl from the mixer; scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula and stir gently to thoroughly combine.

Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and smooth it out to the edges with a rubber spatula. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes (at least that’s what it took in our oven, as opposed to 20 minutes for the three 8-inch cakes). Cool on a wire rack before unmolding.

Batch of links

2012-01-14T11:15:00.000-06:00

More housekeeping, while I’m still not having any luck with tech-support from Blogger. I’m sure I’ll figure it out eventually, I’d just rather not pay someone to do it for me… Anyway, on with the links!

- Websites that help coordinate meals: These are intended when, for example, many people volunteer to bring meals to a new mother; you can take into consideration things like food restrictions and schedules. I imagine it working well for a potluck meal, too. I think it’s a nice idea, but is it really more helpful than a combination of Google Calendar and a Google Doc?

- How to decorate plates by stamping on a design, with ink made from confectioners’ sugar and food coloring: Absolutely brilliant! I’d love to do this if I’m ever feeling particularly Martha-Stewarty someday.

- Five things TV chefs do that are wrong: So true. My pet peeve is when they take a dish out of the oven without oven mitts and dig right in (this isn’t wrong so much as adapted for the magic of television, but still).

- An infographic on burger chain dominance: This is something that the Engineer and I noticed while on our first cross-country road trip south. While there are some McDonald’s restaurants here in Texas, there are many more competitors we’d never seen before in Quebec (Sonic, Whataburger, Jack in the Box, to name a few). They’re not any healthier, but it’s nice to have variety.

- The splendiferous array of culinary tools: I’d love this on a kitchen wall somewhere.

- Roots of the deli: A Saveur article about the Jewish roots of delicatessen food.

- Survival tips for the self-checkout lane: These are very informative, but I still prefer the manned lines, thank you.

Chapeaux boutonnés et mitaines

2012-01-10T10:56:00.000-06:00

Je ne pouvais pas en parler avant, pour ne pas gâcher la surprise, mais j’ai tricoté des cadeaux de Noël pour ma mère et pour ma sœur, avec de la laine qu’elles avaient choisi elles-mêmes il y a des années et qui se languissait depuis, entreposée dans une boîte. Pour ma sœur, avec une balle de Rowan Big Wool blanche, j’ai pu faire un chapeau; pour ma mère, avec trois balles de Rowan Big Wool multicolores, j’ai fait un chapeau, une paire de mitaines et un « snood » (tour de cou).

Pour les chapeaux et les mitaines, j’ai suivi le patron Plymouth 2119, acheté chez Jimmy Beans Wool. C’était ma première paire de mitaines, et je les ai beaucoup aimées car elles sont assez longues pour cacher les poignets (et on déteste toutes avoir froid aux poignets l’hiver!). Les chapeaux étaient amusants aussi, car l’ajout d’un bouton est à la fois stylé et pratique (pour ajuster la taille du tour de tête). Je ne peux plus aller chez mon fibulanomiste préféré et je n’ai pas trouvé de boutique équivalente ici, alors je suis devenu accro à Etsy pour la mercerie. J’y ai déniché entre autres un bouton en bois de lilas recouvert de cire d’abeille pour une des tuques!

Pour le snood, qui semble être la grosse mode dans les catalogues français ces temps-ci, j’ai pris un patron de Phildar (semblable à ceci. Ce n’est pas compliqué à faire, et on peut y passer tous nos restants de laine jusqu’aux derniers pouces! Ça me donne presque envie d’habiter dans un climat avec des hivers plus rigoureux…

Foulard en dentelle

2012-01-10T09:52:00.001-06:00

Bon, vous avez sûrement remarqué les changements ici. Je n’ai pas encore terminé, il me reste certaines choses à faire, mais le savoir technologique et le soutien technique me manquent! Quand même, ce n’est pas une raison pour arrêter de mettre en ligne des billets, alors allons-y pour un peu de tricot…

J’ai fait ce foulard avec de la laine Kidsilk Haze de Rowan (la même que pour mon châle). C’est une laine très fine, et il n’est pas toujours aisé de tricoter avec (il est notamment presque impossible de défaire son tricot pour le recommencer). C’est toutefois une laine idéale pour la dentelle, et j’aime qu’elle crée un voilé translucide d’un fil à l’autre. Il m’en a fallu deux bales pour ce foulard (à noter que le patron est modifiable et peut être fait plus étroit ou plus large, selon vos goûts). J’ai offert ce foulard à ma belle-cousine et j’espère qu’il lui plaira!

Bear with me...

2012-01-01T18:47:00.002-06:00

... while I make a few changes around here.

Bonne année, grand nez!

2012-01-01T11:44:00.000-06:00

Bonne année tout le monde! L’Ingénieur et moi sommes revenus d’un court séjour au Canada, durant lequel nous avons pu voir nos familles respectives, avoir une petite dose de froid et de neige ainsi que faire quelques courses. J’ai un nouvel ordinateur portatif, car le mien est sur le bord de lâcher; je l’ai acheté au Canada car il me faut un clavier canadien français pour mon travail (j’ai une carte verte!). Je n’ai pas pu trouver le modèle que je voulais, un Lenovo V570, mais je me suis rabattue sur un HP qui était presque le même prix. J’ai aussi acheté des vêtements chez Reitmans. Ma belle-mère ne comprend jamais pourquoi j’achète quoi que ce soit au Canada, parce qu’elle pense que tout est moins cher aux États-Unis, mais je ne suis pas d’accord. Par exemple, je n’ai jamais trouvé de pantalons à taille élastique comme ceux que j’aime ailleurs que chez Reitmans, alors je ne vois pas pourquoi je devrais m’en priver quand je suis à Montréal. De plus, il y avait de grosses ventes, alors même en achetant un article au plein prix (36,00 $), sur les trois autres articles, j’ai économisé 73,63 $ en tout, pour une facture totale de 74,37 $ avant taxes! Bon, il ne restait plus des robes de Marie Saint-Pierre à ma taille, mais tant pis.

J’ai découvert un nouveau restaurant que j’ai trouvé génial, Yakimono. Il s’agit d’un restaurant de sushi cachères, donc sans fruits de mer (goberge au lieu de crabe, etc.). Les sushis étaient de qualité, et puisque je n’ai jamais été folle des fruits de mer (en rouleau ou pas), ça a fait mon affaire. Il y a aussi une bonne sélection de rouleaux sans poisson cru. Je recommande les rouleaux « onion blast » (thon, avocat et oignons frits croustillants), « spécial du chef » (thon, saumon et avocat, frit dans le tempura), « dream » (thon, miel, masago, concombre, mangue et tempura) ainsi que « veggie papillon » (patate douce frite, avocat et concombre, le tout recouvert de patate douce et de sauce douce et épicée). Cependant, ce que j’ai le plus aimé, c’est que le restaurant ne sert aucun produit laitier – d’autant plus génial rendu à la carte des desserts! Ce n’est pas écrit dans le menu, mais vous pouvez donc commander des desserts contenant dans la description de la crème glacée, du fromage à la crème, etc., sans aucune crainte! J’ai pris la crème brûlée, car il ne restait plus de gâteau au fromage, mais la prochaine fois, j’aimerais aussi essayer les cigares au chocolat. En tout cas, j’y retournerai sûrement!

Enfin, j’ai eu la chance d’aller voir Les Aventures de Tintin doublé en français. C’était la première fois depuis mon adolescence que je voulais voir un film doublé, mais là, Tine-Tine et Snowy, je n’étais pas capable. Il fallait que ce soit en français, comme j’ai connu les personnages, sans accents britanniques ni écossais. Je n’ai pas été déçue, c’était absolument génial! Par contre, l’Ingénieur n’ayant jamais lu un album de Tintin (car les traductions anglaises ne se sont pas rendues loin en Amérique du Nord avant maintenant), il n’a pas été emballé du tout. Mais moi, j’ai grandi avec Tintin et j’ai été absolument enchantée. À voir!

Pine Nut Cake

2011-12-22T12:16:00.000-06:00

I’m going to take a little break over the holidays, but I figured I’d leave you with a pine nut cake recipe. It’s not too sweet and is very versatile, so it’s perfect for breakfast, brunch or tea, or just as a snack (or a dessert, of course). Even though I’d never made it before, it tasted very familiar. The top was golden and crispy, while the crumb was fluffy and moist. I loved it, and the Engineer had seconds (though he would prefer it if the pine nuts were ground). It’s from I made that; I halved the recipe to get one loaf, which is what I wrote below. Bon appétit!

1 cup pine nuts
½ cup + 2 Tbsp sugar
½ lb (2 sticks) margarine (or butter at room temperature)
zest and juice of 1 lemon
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
¾ tsp salt
2 whole eggs
¼ cup + 2 Tbsp lactose-free yogurt (I used lactose-free cottage cheese, and you can round up to ½ cup)
2 large egg whites
¼ cup sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 °F.

Toast the pine nuts over very low heat in a dry sauté pan until they have just begun to take on a golden color. Remove from the stove and reserve.

Meanwhile, cream the sugar, margarine and lemon zest together in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Be sure to scrape down the sides as you go to make sure everything mixes evenly.

When the mixture is quite smooth, add the flour and baking powder. Mix until the dry ingredients are just incorporated and then begin adding the whole eggs, one by one, waiting until each egg is thoroughly mixed in before adding the next. Turn the mixer up to high for about 5 seconds to combine everything thoroughly, then scrape down the sides and the bottom with a spatula and mix in any bits that have failed to incorporate.

Add the yogurt and mix in with the paddle attachment until it’s thoroughly incorporated. As you continue mixing, add the lemon juice and incorporate. Scrape down the sides and bottom and mix well with a spatula. Then transfer the mixture to a large bowl.

In a clean bowl, with the whisk attachment, whisk the eggs whites to soft peaks, adding the sugar a little at a time. Fold a third of the egg whites into the batter using a rubber spatula to combine well. Add the rest of the meringue and fold in well until the mixture is combined. Fold in the pine nuts, reserving about 1 ½ Tbsp for the top of the cake.

Brush a 9”×5” loaf pan with melted margarine or butter and line the bottom and sides with paper (the recipe didn’t say this, but that’s what the images showed, and in hindsight, it IS what you should do). Fill the loaf pan with the batter. Smooth and flatten the top with the spatula and sprinkle with the reserved pine nuts.

Bake the loaf on the middle rack until you can put a knife into it and bring it out clean, about 45 minutes. Remove the cake from the oven and let cool in the pan for about 30 minutes, then turn it out onto a cake rack to cool completely.

Décorations chouettes

2011-12-17T17:09:00.001-06:00

Bon, je ne sais pas si vous avez remarqué la même chose que moi, mais il y a des chouettes et des hiboux partout ces temps-ci. J’ai d’abord vu un t-shirt avec un hibou (que je me promets de reproduire à la maison en imprimant le dessin sur du papier transfert; non mais regardez comme c’est mignon!).

Juste pour vous montrer qu’il y en a partout, voici ce que j’ai vu ce mois-ci seulement : toutes sortes de sacs cadeaux chez World Market, des tasses, un coussin, des figurines (de chez West Elm, mais Via Catalog Living), des décorations de Noël en plastique doré, et une dizaine de coussins faits maison chez Pioneer Woman (dont je mets deux photos ci-dessous).

Toujours est-il que quand j’ai vu ces décorations de Noël en forme de chouettes faites en tissu et décorées de fils et de boutons chez Crate & Barrel, j’ai failli craquer et les acheter. Mais heureusement, je me suis rappelée un tutoriel que j’avais vu il n’y a pas trop longtemps pour faire de petits hiboux avec de vieux bas (photo ci-dessous). J’ai donc décidé de me lancer dans la production de hiboux en recyclant de vieux bas (propres, mais troués) en décorations de Noël; il s’agit encore une fois de transformation de vêtements!

C’est tout simple à faire, même pas besoin de machine à coudre! Pour chaque paire de chouettes (ou de hiboux, si vous faites de petites « cornes »), il vous faut : une vieille paire de bas, du feutre beige, du feutre orange, du fil, deux boutons, du rembourrage (genre Cluster Stuff), du ruban pour les accrocher et des retailles de tissu en couleurs coordonnées pour les ailes. J’en ai fait quatre paires en tout, avec deux carrés de feutre à 0,25 $ chacun (donc 0,50 $ en tout et pour tout, et j’ai huit belles décorations de Noël). J’ai pigé tout le reste dans mes retailles. J’ai commencé avec les chouettes dans les tons de rouge et de vert, puis ensuite j’ai fait celles en mauve, parce que j’avais ce qu’il me fallait.

En fin de compte, j’avoue avoir une petite préférence pour la chouette rouge avec les yeux différents (c’est une paire de boutons provenant du même morceau, mais ils ont différentes tailles). Je trouve que ça lui donne un peu de personnalité. En tout cas, j’ai vraiment aimé ce projet!

Roasted Red Onions with Pomegranate Gremolata

2011-12-17T16:41:00.000-06:00

I halved this recipe, since there were only two of us and the original (reprinted below) serves 8 people as a side dish. I did change it a bit by deciding to make the onions “bloom” on a whim. (Well, here’s how it happened: The Engineer and I were re-watching a trilogy starring, among others, Orlando Bloom. And now when I hear his name, I can’t help but think of this skit by Robot Chicken, hence the Orlando Blooming Onions. That’s how my mind works sometimes.) It doesn’t really matter how you serve the onion, as long as it’s in big pieces. They’re quick to prepare, though they stay in the oven a while; this gives you times to make the gremolata. I got this recipe from Not Without Salt, though I had seen it in Bon Appétit as well. I’d definitely make it again, perhaps for guests. Here, I served it with rice and chicken cooked in apple-basil jelly.

While I’m at it, I’d also like to share my method for seeding a pomegranate. I mean, obviously the easiest way is to buy the arils straight from Pom. Barring that, though, there is an easy way to do it. I’ve seen people have a lot of trouble, just because they’re using the wrong method and cutting into the fruit willy-nilly. Here’s a video on how to do it properly; you don’t even need to do it underwater. (If you do get a stain on your clothes, the best way to remove it is to pour boiling water over it – tried and true.) What to do with leftover arils? I suggest sprinkling some over yogurt, granola or crêpes for breakfast, or throwing them into a salad (green or grain). They also look fantastic in a pitcher of water with a few citrus twists. Arils keep well in the fridge.

For the onions
5 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
¼ cup pomegranate molasses
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp minced fresh rosemary
2 tsp coarse kosher salt
½ tsp black pepper
5 medium red onions, peeled, each cut into 8 wedges through core, with some core still attached to each piece

For the gremolata
2/3 cup fresh pomegranate seeds
1 Tbsp chopped fresh Italian parsley
2 tsp finely grated orange peel

For the onions
Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 425 °F. Line large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk first 6 ingredients in large bowl. Add onions; toss gently. Arrange onions close together, 1 cut side down, on baking sheet; spoon juices from bowl over. Roast 20 minutes. Using a small spatula, carefully turn onions over. Continue to roast onions until tender and thickly coated with glaze, watching to prevent overbrowning, 20 to 25 minutes longer. Remove from oven.

For the gremolata
Mix pomegranate seeds, parsley, and orange peel in small bowl.
Arrange warm or room-temperature onions on platter. Sprinkle gremolata over and serve.

Ginger Chai Granola

2011-12-17T15:39:00.000-06:00

I made this granola for breakfast recently; I liked the warm flavours that reminded me of the holidays, including the candied ginger. That being said, the Engineer didn’t think ginger was an appropriate taste for his breakfast. I’m changing the cooking times a bit here, because I almost burned mine by following the recipe, even though I took it out of the oven early.

2 ½ cups organic rolled oats (certified gluten-free if necessary)
1/3 cup sesame seeds
½ cup raw hulled sunflower seeds
½ cup almonds
1 tsp ginger powder
1 tsp cardamom powder
1 tsp cinnamon powder
½ tsp salt
½ cup apple sauce
¼ cup honey
¼ cup brown rice syrup
1 Tbsp canola oil
½ cup candied ginger, chopped

Mix all the dry ingredients together in a big bowl so everything is evenly distributed. Add the sweeteners and oil, and mix well. (Keep aside the candied ginger to add after baking.) Pour onto a large rimmed baking sheet in an even layer.

Bake in the middle of the oven at 300 °F for 30-45 minutes. How long you need to bake your granola depends on your oven, type of baking sheet, and how toasted you want it to be. Every 20 minutes or so, and more often towards the end, take the baking sheet out of the oven and give the granola a good stir. At the end of the baking time check it often, it only takes a few minutes for it to burn. (The caramelized effect of slightly burnt granola is actually quite tasty as a snack right out of the jar, but is not good with milk.)

When the granola is done take it out of the oven and let it cool in the pan. Once completely cool mix in the chopped candied ginger. Store in a tight jar, zippy, or other container, preferably in the fridge so the nuts stay fresh. However, in my experience there is no need to worry about freshness, it’s usually gone in a few days.

Batch of links

2011-12-16T20:00:00.002-06:00

Here’s a batch of links for Friday. Again, these are just things I find interesting, not necessarily recommendations and certainly not endorsements.

- A bathmat made of live moss; it gets watered when you step out of the shower!

- Christian Jackson’s hyper-minimalistic posters of fairy tales: I particularly like the Little Red Riding Hood poster. I’m sure fans of Once Upon a Time will like these too!

- Spent: A simulation game that puts you in the shoes of a single mother earning close to minimum wage, just to see if you would last the month. It’s full of real-world situations as well as statistics and is meant to educate the general population regarding the challenges faced by those living with less. Eye-opening.

- Sepia Town: Find historical photos (and occasional audio and films) of your town. This website matches the photos with locations on Google Maps. Hours of fun!

- Does a strong, kick-butt, non-scantily clad female superhero exist?: Yes, and here are some examples. The Engineer and I remarked recently that when considering solo female superheroes (as opposed to those who are part of teams), DC seems to have a better track record than Marvel.

- Trent Reznor’s thoughts on ticket scalpers: A very well-articulated and educational read.

- Latin tattoos: This is full of awesome. Once you’re done reading that, try Hanzi Smatter for laughs. Just because your tattoo is in another language doesn’t mean it’s not asinine.

- The Backfire effect: It turns out that when your deepest convictions are challenged by contradictory evidence, your beliefs actually get stronger instead of changing to incorporate the new information.

- The secrets inside your dog’s mind: A fascinating article on how dogs evolved to have skills allowing them to fit in with humans. (That being said, I still think our Darwin doesn’t understand pointing.)

- A great gift to welcome new neighbours.

Green Valley Organics

2011-12-16T17:37:00.000-06:00

I’ve found a product that made me so happy I could have cried on the spot: lactose-free sour cream! It’s by a really great Californian company called Green Valley Organics, which makes lactose-free dairy products like yogurt and kefir as well as the sour cream. (I prefer their yogurt to the Lactaid yogurt, both in taste and in flavour choices, though I’m thrilled to actually have a choice in brands. Lactaid mostly sells vanilla and strawberry yogurt, but Green Valley Organics has flavours like honey and blueberry, as well as rich plain yogurt.) You see, while there are lactose-free substitutes like tofu sour cream, the tangy taste is never the same as that of a dairy product. This sour cream, though, has it all – except the lactose. It’s even certified kosher and gluten-free. Not only is it delicious, but I also feel good about Green Valley Organics’ ethics. The cows are raised in a way that is Certified Humane®, are grass-fed and, as the company name suggests, their milk is organic. The processing plants are even solar-powered – how’s that for awesome! I really want to support this company by continuing to buy its products; unfortunately, I’ve only seen the sour cream at Whole Foods, but the yogurt is available at my local HEB. I’ll email the HEB to ask that they carry the sour cream as well, and I hope you do the same with your local stores to taste the Green Valley Organics lactose-free sour cream.

(Note that I am in no way affiliated with this company, simply thrilled both by its product and its practises.)

Emergency kit

2011-12-16T17:11:00.000-06:00

The Engineer and I have decided to get an emergency kit in order, with enough food and water to survive for at least a few days if there were to be some kind of emergency, along with useful items like a first aid kit, a flashlight and batteries, a small amount of cash and copies of important documents. The kit is in a big container that could be taken with us in the event of an evacuation, or we could stay at home and survive comfortably without using electricity. We also have a short list of things to take with us if we had to evacuate (things like toiletries, medications, a blanket, tax documents, etc.), just to make sure that we wouldn’t panic and grab useless things or forget important ones.

We also have an inventory of the contents, and I’ve set up automatic reminders a month or two before expiration dates of food items, so we can remember to use them (or donate them), then replace them. We tried to stick mostly to the kind of food that we eat on a regular basis (tuna, beans, chickpeas, crackers and peanut butter, fruit juice, shelf-stable soy milk and cereal, dried fruit, chocolate, etc.).

If you haven’t put together your own kit, let me suggest a few links to help you get started. First, here’s a great summary on BlogHer, inspired by the recent Japanese earthquake and tsunami; be sure to watch the video! Of course, you can always buy one ready-made from an organization like the Red Cross.

The Canadian government also has its set of guidelines and tips here, which stresses the importance of having a family plan in place well before an emergency strikes, in case you need to meet up with family members but are unable to reach them by phone.

Finally, here’s a post on The Kitchn about what to cook with the food in your emergency kit before it goes bad, and what kind of food to store in the first place. Obviously, I disagree with posters who have dozens of meals stored in their freezer in case of an emergency – what if the power goes out for three days? All that food won’t keep! We’ve stuck to shelf-stable food that is lactose-free and can be eaten at room temperature. We also stuck to small containers that won’t create leftovers requiring refrigeration. And don’t forget a manual can opener along with disposable utensils!

Roasted Squash and Arugula Salad with Pecans, Bacon, and Goat Cheese

2011-12-14T19:22:00.000-06:00

I figured I’d get in one last squash recipe before the holidays. This salad, found on The Kitchn, is made up of various things I all love. When I roasted the pecans, they were so addictive and delicious still warm that I almost ate all of them on the spot and pretended that the salad was nut-free. But I couldn’t deprive the Engineer of those pecans, so I restrained myself. The bacon doesn’t stay crisp overnight, so if you’re going to be eating your 4 servings on different nights, consider cooking the bacon in two batches (and assembling the salad only before serving it). With the amount of bacon and bacon grease in this salad, it is by no means healthy, but while it may not be good-for-you, it is oh-so-good!

½ cup pecans
neutral oil such as canola
flaky sea salt such as Maldon
a 2-lb butternut squash
½ lb of applewood smoked bacon
½ cup slivered shallots
3 Tbsp sherry vinegar
7-oz bag arugula
several sprigs fresh thyme
8-oz package goat's cheese (ideally lactose-free)

Preheat oven to 375 °F. Toss the pecans with a little canola oil and sea salt, and roast until fragrant, about 7 to 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, peel and seed the squash and cut into ½ -inch cubes. Toss with a little canola oil on two baking sheets (do not crowd) and sprinkle with more of the sea salt.

When the pecans are done, remove from the oven, raise the temperature to 425 °F and roast the squash until it's soft and the edges are deep brown.

While the squash roasts, cut the bacon into 1-inch pieces and fry it up in a large skillet. You may need to do this in two batches, pouring off the fat (be sure to save it!) in between. Drain the bacon on paper towels or on a brown paper bag.

Keep the pan hot and make sure there are about 6 Tbsp of bacon fat in the pan. Add the shallots and sauté over medium heat until they soften. Turn off the heat and add the vinegar. Swirl to combine. Add a few turns of the pepper mill's worth of fresh black pepper.

The salad can be served now, with the ingredients still warm, or at room temperature. To assemble: In a large bowl, toss the dressing with the squash and bacon. Add several large handfuls of the arugula. Strip about three or four sprigs of thyme leaves into the bowl and add the pecans (which should be broken into pieces if they're not already.) Toss gently. Dot with the goat cheese (you may not need all of it) and serve.

Sewing with knits - An adventure

2011-12-14T18:46:00.000-06:00

I know I’ve said that sewing with knits is hard and that I didn’t want to open that can of worms any time soon. But then I read this fantastic tutorial on Prudent Baby, which explained how to deal with knits. Yes, they stretch, but you can use a walking foot to help minimize the problem! This made a world of difference to me, and also helps in quilting projects, as it moves the fabric along from the top (while the machine’s feeder dogs move it along from the bottom). A serger would help for hems, as would twin needles, but as far as I know, I can’t do that on my machine (and I don’t have a serger). I also don’t have the option to do a stretch stitch (nor do I have a good basting stitch, really, but that’s another issue entirely), so I used a zigzag stitch. I did, however, buy ballpoint needles, which help because they can sew knits without tearing through the fibers.

I installed the walking foot and ballpoint needle and decided to practise a bit by upcycling some old knit t-shirts into trivets. I made two 9-inch squares ones, for each of which I used a piece of 9-inch square Insul-Bright (which acts as heat-proof padding), a 10-inch square of scrap fabric (I used a woven one), three 4”x10” strips of knit t-shirts in coordinating colors, and bias tape (made from the woven scrap fabric). All of this assumes ½” seams. Of course, keep in mind that if you want to actually use your trivets, your fabric has to be heat-resistant (everything I used was 100% cotton, so I’m fine, though linen would work too). I started by sewing the strips of knit fabric together on the long side, then I put them right-side-together with the woven backing and sewed along three sides. I flipped the pouch so that the right side was out, inserted the Insul-Bright, folded the edges in and sewed the last seam. Then I added the bias tape on the perimeter, though it’s optional. You could also use it to make a loop on one corner of the trivet. A walking foot was really a godsend for this project!

That had gone well, so I took the plunge. I bought some knit fabric and polyester thread (which has more stretch than cotton thread and therefore more appropriate than the latter for sewing with knits) and practised. It took me a while to adjust the tension properly, but I finally got it right and was able to sew seams that lay flat. So I used this free pattern to make a skirt. I started by adding an interlining of the same fabric, since I had read that it was recommended for skirts. I ended up with fabric that was too heavy: when the skirt was upright (as opposed to laying flat on the table), gravity pulled the 8 panels of fabric down and made them droop at the seams. I had enough fabric to make a 6-panel skirt without an interlining, so I did that, all the while thinking that I would have to make an additional lining or wear the skirt with a half-slip, but the same thing happened again! I think perhaps the knit fabric really wasn’t meant for this pattern (regardless of the fiber content).

I didn’t want to throw all of it away, so I recycled the interlined skirt into two pleated scarves seen on Make It And Love It. It was an easy project, was good to practise sewing with knit fabric, and gave me something I can use out of this whole thing; the scarves were still cheaper than the store-bought equivalent. I since bought fabric that was better suited for the skirt, using the recommendations directly on the pattern’s website, so I’ll report back on that! I haven’t figured out what to do with the fabric from the 6-panel skirt, so it’s going in my stash for now.

Transformation de vêtements: Robe

2011-12-14T17:47:00.000-06:00

Voici mon plus récent projet de transformation de vêtement. J’avais une camisole licou verte, dont j’aimais la couleur et le style, mais je trouvais qu’elle était trop courte. J’ai décidé de la transformer en robe en utilisant mon premier patron pour la jupe. J’ai donc apporté ma camisole au magasin pour trouver un tissu qui s’agencerait avec elle, et je suis tombée sur le bon! J’ai acheté ce qu’il me fallait, ainsi qu’une bobine de fil, et je me suis mise au travail.

J’ai donc fait la jupe à partir du patron de la robe, en laissant tomber carrément la fermeture éclair, et j’y ai cousu la camisole. Puisque celle-ci s’étire, je n’ai aucun problème à enfiler ma nouvelle robe! J’ai essayé de faire une ceinture avec le même tissu, mais en fin de compte, elle ne me sied pas (je crois qu’il faudrait soit une ceinture faite avec du tissu de tricot, soit une large ceinture en simili-cuir). Le projet a été relativement rapide, et pas très cher : 4,5 verges de tissu à 4,90 $ la verge, plus le fil, donc environ 24 $ en tout. Je n’avais pas besoin d’autant de tissu, mais j’en avais prévu pour la ceinture (qui, finalement, ne servira pas). Il me reste assez de tissu pour me faire autre chose, sûrement une camisole; j’ai un patron à l’œil, mais je vais attendre à après Noël pour me mettre au travail. Sinon, j’ai une belle robe d’été à mettre!

Drew's American Grill

2011-12-11T10:56:00.001-06:00

The Engineer and I had dinner at Drew’s American Grill last night and were both extremely pleased. We’d had out eye on this restaurant for a few months, having noticed it open after our arrival. It’s a relatively modern place, somewhat upscale, though casual attire is fine. It’s divided into a few sections, with some more casual than others (think greasy-spoon menu with bar-side seats for a late-night craving versus a place to celebrate your anniversary, with family dining in between); we were in the quieter central section which was somewhat like a glasshouse, with windows into the rest of the restaurant and a beautiful mobile hanging from the ceiling. The food seems more “New York” than “Texas”, but with so many places that cater to local cuisine around here, that’s not a bad thing. Service is prompt and attentive (let’s just say your water glass won’t ever be empty).

The dinner menu fits on one legal-sized sheet, which I’ve come to like if only because it makes decisions easier! There are pizzas, salads and sandwiches, but also some specialty main courses (which I refuse to call “entrées” because I know what that word actually means). We started with the slider trio as an appetizer: a pulled chicken with pesto on brioche bun, braised short rib with garlic aioli on onion bun, and lamb with mint and feta on pita bun, all three of which were delicious. The Engineer then had the Sunny Side Up pizza, which had bacon, gruyere, mozzarella, arugula and eggs; he really liked it, and was particularly fond of the dough. I loved the bite I had, though, the arugula was too cooked for my taste (but I don’t like wilted lettuce, and when I have arugula on my pizza, I put it on at the last minute). As for me, I was in heaven with the chicken breast stuffed with goat cheese, apricots, dates, and almonds and served with creamy polenta and green beans. It was fabulous! And worth the Lactaid. I’m told that the chefs can tweak the menu to satisfy those with food restrictions (like vegans or people who are gluten-intolerant), though I didn’t ask for myself. We were too full for dessert after that, though I was pleased to see that there were several lactose-free options, like the zeppole and the sorbet trio. (The flavours are up to the chef, but they are from a nearby gelateria and look much more interesting than what you’d get at a grocery store. Plus, Drew’s molten chocolate cake isn’t served with plain vanilla ice cream, but with Mexican vanilla gelato!) However, we were absolutely delighted that the bill came with free cotton candy! There’s always room for a sweet blue cloud after a full meal.

A monthly outing roundup

2011-12-10T17:22:00.001-06:00

I mentioned a few months ago that since we got back from our summer in Montreal, the Engineer and I now try to do or visit something in or around San Antonio once a month. I figured I’d give you a roundup of what we’ve done so far.

In August, we went to the farmers’ market at the old Pearl Brewery. I love going to the brewery, as the stores there are all interesting, the restaurants are great and it’s a beautiful place (especially if you take a stroll down the path by the river and go see F.I.S.H. under the bridge). Unfortunately, we got there late in the day and some vendors were already packing up. We did get to extensively check out Melissa Guerra, though, a nice shop which sells kitchenware, with an emphasis on local cuisine and tools. We were disappointed that they did not have a few basics that we were looking for (like a 1-cup Pyrex measuring cup and a 9-inch springform pan, both of which we had to replace in our kitchen), but they did have a lot of other nice stuff.

In September, we visited the McNay Museum, which I talked about here; I definitely recommend it to visitors. In October, in an effort to get inexpensive one-of-a-kind furniture to help decorate our house, we went to Bussey’s Flea Market (the one with a giant armadillo in the parking lot). That was a bust, though, as there was very little furniture there, and we came back empty-handed. We’ve since had more luck at Hats Furniture Haus; you’ll see the results here eventually.

In November, we decided to visit one of the many caves in the area; we settled on the Cave Without a Name (a young boy won the contest to name the cave, after declaring that it was too beautiful to have a name). We both really enjoyed the visit. The cave had some beautiful, colourful rock formations, and it was a comfortable 66 degrees down there (the temperature remains steady year-round, as does the almost 100% humidity). We’ll consider seeing Cascade Caverns and Natural Bridge Caverns on future outings.

Finally, this month, we went to Gruene (pronounced “green”) on the weekend of their Christmas Market. The town itself is historic; it was originally settled by Germans who built a cotton mill there. It is also home to Gruene Hall, believed to be the oldest dance hall in Texas (today still fully in use as a bar, venue and occasional movie set). I loved walking through the town itself, and had a lot of fun walking through the stores, the antique mall and the market set up for the occasion. We bought some art and a Christmas decoration, as well as some food items that you’ll be hearing about quite soon.

We’ve got the gist of our outing planned for February already, but January is still up in the air – we’ll see what we come up with!

Carrot and Rolled Grain Galettes

2011-12-10T17:16:00.001-06:00

These were originally carrot and rolled barley galettes, found on Chocolate and Zucchini, but I couldn’t find rolled barley at my grocery store (all they have is medium barley, stashed in the soup aisle instead of with the other grains). I used rolled oats instead, and the result was quite good. You could use something other than carrots, too, like sweet potato or zucchini, but keep in mind that it doesn’t get cooked much in the galette, so you might have to cook it beforehand. I also messed with the proportions a bit, so I ended up using an egg to help the galettes hold their shape in the end; however, the four I had cooked without egg were still really good, and vegan to boot. The Engineer thought it was a riff on latkes, but I found them a bit heartier. With a salad, it would be a good lunch, but I used them here as a side to some marinated pork. This recipe makes about 8 galettes.

200 g (7 oz) grated carrots, from 2 medium carrots
200 g (7 oz, about 2 cups) rolled barley or other rolled grain
1 small shallot, grated or finely chopped
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cumin
1 Tbsp sesame seeds
3 ½ Tbsp ground flax seeds (from 2 Tbsp whole flax seeds; this works as a binder to help the galettes hold their shape)
3 Tbsp nutritional yeast (or a grated hard cheese like parmesan)
1 cup water
olive or canola oil
fresh cilantro and/or hot sauce, as a garnish

Combine all ingredients from carrots to nutritional yeast in a medium mixing bowl. Add water and stir well. Cover and let stand for at least 1 hour or until the next day (refrigerate if you let it stand for more than 1 hour). The mixture will gradually become more cohesive; the longer it rests, the easier it will be to shape.

Pour a bit of oil in a skillet and place over medium heat. Divide the mixture into 8 equal portions (of about 85 g/3 oz each). Wet your hands lightly, scoop out a portion and shape it into a patty between the palms of your hands. You can make the patties thicker or thinner depending on your preference. Repeat with as many portions as you want to cook. Transfer the patties to the hot skillet and cook for 3 minutes on each side, or until golden.

Serve immediately, with a sprig of cilantro and a dash of hot sauce. The raw mixture will keep for about 2 days in the fridge, tightly covered. (I made all the patties the first night and just reheated them later, though, and they were none the worse for wear.)

15-Minute Creamy Avocado Pasta

2011-12-10T16:39:00.001-06:00

This is so good, you can’t imagine it. We just had contented, blissful looks on our faces as we were eating this... It’s an unusual use for an avocado, at least for me, but it works wonderfully to make a thick and creamy sauce. Throw in the garlic and lemon, and you’re in heaven! I used tubetti because that’s what I had in the pantry, but long pasta would be great, too. The downside is that this doesn’t keep well, because of the avocado, so don’t count on any leftovers. The following makes 2 servings.

2 servings (6 oz) of your choice of pasta
2 or 3 small garlic cloves, to taste (I used 2 and it was quite garlicky, but if you are not a big fan of garlic, use only 1 clove)
½ lemon, zested and juiced
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 medium sized ripe avocado, pitted, peeled and sliced
¼ cup fresh basil (I used some from the mammoth basil bush in our garden)
½ tsp kosher salt, or to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Bring several cups of water to a boil in a medium sized pot. Add in your pasta, reduce heat to medium, and cook until al dente, about 8-10 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the sauce by placing the garlic cloves, lemon juice, and olive oil into a food processor. Process until smooth. Now add in the pitted avocado, basil, and salt. Process until smooth and creamy.

When pasta is done cooking, drain and rinse in a strainer and place pasta into a large bowl. Pour on sauce and toss until fully combined. Garnish with lemon zest and black pepper. Serve immediately.

Seared Asian Steak and Mushrooms on Mixed Greens with Ginger Dressing

2011-12-10T15:51:00.001-06:00

As you know, I try to follow recipes as written the first time I try them, especially when it comes to meat, because I don’t know as much as I’d like to about beef cuts and steak cooking and the like. So when I made this recipe from Bon Appétit, I did as the recipe said and used rib-eye steaks. In retrospect, I don’t think it’s the right cut. Some people might like them, but I feel they contain too much fat and other miscellaneous bits for my taste. While I do think beef steak are a good idea, I recommend that you use whatever kind you want. On the whole, though, this recipe is a keeper; the mushrooms came out perfectly, and the dressing was bright and tasty. It’s also a pretty easy recipe! It serves 4 people as written.

2 Tbsp soy sauce (or wheat-free tamari sauce)
2 Tbsp seasoned rice vinegar
4 ½ tsp vegetable oil, divided
1 Tbsp minced peeled fresh ginger
½ tsp Asian chili-garlic sauce (or equivalent; I think I used some sriracha and garlic salt)
1/8 tsp plus 2 tsp sesame oil, divided
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 12-oz steaks (don’t feel limited to rib-eye)
2 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds
8 oz crimini (baby bella) mushrooms, quartered
8 cups mixed greens

Mix soy sauce, rice vinegar, 1 ½ tsp vegetable oil, minced ginger, chili-garlic sauce, and 1/8 tsp sesame oil in small bowl. Add cilantro and stir to blend. Set dressing aside.

Rub ¼ tsp sesame oil over each side of each rib-eye steak. Sprinkle steaks with salt, pepper, and toasted sesame seeds; press firmly to adhere.

Heat 2 tsp vegetable oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms; sauté until browned, about 8 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer sautéed mushrooms to plate.

Add 1 tsp vegetable oil and 1 tsp sesame oil to skillet; heat over medium-high heat. Add steaks; cook to desired doneness, 3 to 4 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer steaks to cutting board and let rest a bit. Slice steaks. Toss mixed greens with dressing in large bowl; divide greens among plates. Top with steak slices and mushrooms and serve.

Strawberry Basil Sorbet

2011-12-06T19:05:00.001-06:00

I’d been meaning to make this for a while, because strawberry and basil are two flavours that complement each other very well. I also love herbal simple syrups in sorbets, as I find the refreshing taste both delicate and adding in depth. I remember making a green apple and mint sorbet that I really liked, as well as a blueberry verbena, and last summer, my friends Rob and Jen served me this wonderful watermelon and mint sorbet that reminded me I should make desserts like that more often. I used my rosewater strawberry sorbet recipe as a base to come up with this one, which I loved as well. I used a liberal amount of basil, as the basil bush in the backyard isn’t showing any signs of slowing down! Have fun experimenting with your own flavours!

1 ¼ cups sugar
1 ¼ cups water
a few big handfuls of fresh basil leaves
2 lbs strawberries, washed and hulled
a splash of lemon juice

Put the sugar and the water in a saucepan and heat, stirring, until the sugar is completely dissolved. Take off the heat, throw in the basil, cover and let the simple syrup come to room temperature. Discard basil leaves.

Put the strawberries and lemon juice in the food processor and process until smooth. (You may strain the mixture to remove seeds if you wish.) Add the simple syrup and process again. Freeze according to your ice cream maker’s directions.

Poulet à la gelée d'abricots

2011-12-06T17:22:00.001-06:00

Je sais ce que vous allez me dire en voyant cette photo. « Mais Amélie, tu viens juste de parler de cette recette, dans ton billet l’autre jour. » Mais je vous jure que c’est une recette différente! Celle l’autre jour, c’était du poulet cuit avec des haricots blancs et des tomates. Le poulet d’aujourd’hui est adapté d’une recette de Coup de Pouce, et j’ai décidé de le servir avec du quinoa où j’ai mélangé des haricots blancs, des tomates et du parmesan, parce que ce sont des goûts qui vont bien ensemble et que l’Ingénieur et moi aimons tous les deux. Là, en plus, il y avait des céréales entières et un peu d’umami avec le parmesan, que vouloir de plus?

Les changements que j’ai apportés à la recette sont les suivants : enlever la peau du poulet (car toute la saveur y était concentrée, ce qui était d’autant plus dommage que nous ne mangeons pas la peau) ainsi que modifier le temps et la température de cuisson (au lieu de 30 minutes à 350 °F, ce qui n’était nettement pas assez, j’ai calqué ça sur l’autre recette de poulet). Et puis aussi, j’ai utilisé du thym frais au lieu de l’estragon, car c’est ça que j’ai dans le jardin.

2 c. à soupe de gelée d’abricots
1 c. à soupe de moutarde de Dijon
½ c. à thé de jus de citron
1 c. à thé d’estragon ou de thym frais haché
4 à 8 hauts-de-cuisses de poulet, sans la peau
sel et poivre, au goût

Préchauffer le four à 425 °F.

Dans un petit bol, incorporer ensemble la gelée, la moutarde, le jus de citron, l’estragon, le sel et le poivre.

Déposer les hauts-de-cuises de poulet dans un plat beurré allant au four et assaisonner. Badigeonner les pièces de poulet du mélange et cuire au four environ 35 minutes ou jusqu’à ce que les jus de cuisson soient clairs. Continuer de badigeonner les pièces tout au long de la cuisson.

Servir (par exemple avec du quinoa et une salade verte).

Freestyle Ham and Egg Crêpes

2011-12-06T16:50:00.001-06:00

The Engineer loves dishes with baked eggs, so I knew this one would be a hit. However, as always, my crêpes turned out a little too thick and therefore didn’t spread enough. There’s still good, just smaller and thicker than they were meant to be. The original recipe, however, called for cracking an egg in the middle of a 12-inch crêpe, folding the sides over in a square shape, then baking it. My crêpes were closer to 9 inches, though, so I knew the egg might run off, and the sides would never stay folded closed. I remedied the situation with ramekins, by putting a crêpe in each before filling it. It was a great solution, since there was no mess, and they unmolded very easily once they had been out of the oven for a bit.

I did have a little trouble with the baking time: I started by following the recipe and baked the cups at 350 °F for 12 minutes, but even the whites were still runny and totally liquid (the cups were shaped differently than the squares from the original recipe, though). I followed that with 10 minutes at 400 °F, at which point the crêpes started to burn, but the eggs were still jiggly, so I ended with 5 minutes at 350 °F. Next time, though, I would try 12 to 14 minutes at 400 °F. Keep that in mind if you make a cup version, but use the original recipe’s instructions for the square version.

The crêpe recipe itself is definitely a keeper, as they were delicious! I used canola oil instead of butter in the recipe, but the rest was unchanged. We had some of the baked ham and egg crêpes for dinner, and ate the rest of the crêpes with breakfast on following mornings. That being said, it would be a good dish for brunch, too, perhaps with bacon instead of ham (or turkey bacon, for the more health-conscious and those who aren’t crazy about ham). Keep in mind that the proportions below make a little over 4 servings (if you serve 2 crêpes per person); I made the full recipe of crêpes, but used only 4 to make my ramekins, so 4 slices of ham and 4 eggs (apart from those in the batter) were enough.

1 cup flour
1 Tbsp sugar
¼ tsp salt
1 ½ cups lactose-free milk
4 large eggs
3 Tbsp melted butter (I used canola oil)
9 thin slices ham
9 eggs
chopped fresh parsley

Combine flour, sugar, salt, milk, four eggs and the melted butter in a blender and blend on high for 30 seconds. (I did this by hand, though I’m sure a food processor would work, too.) Let rest for 15 minutes. (I poured the batter through a sieve at this point.)

Heat a 12-inch non-stick skillet over medium heat and lightly coat with butter. Add 1/3 cup batter and swirl to completely cover skillet. Cook until underside of crêpe is very lightly starting to brown, about 2 minutes.

Loosen edge of crêpe with spatula and then either using large spatula or your fingers, lift it up and flip it over. Cook another minutes and then slide out of skillet onto wax paper. Repeat until all crêpes are done. You should have about 9 12-inch crêpes when you are done.

Preheat oven to 350 °F. Place crêpes on a rimmed baking sheet (you can fit 3-4 per sheet). Place ham slice in center of crêpe and carefully crack egg onto ham. Fold edges of crêpe toward center, using the egg white as a kind of glue. Season with salt and pepper and bake until egg white is set, about 10-12 minutes. (If your crêpes are in ramekins, like mine, consider setting your oven to 400 °F and baking the crêpes about 12-14 minutes.) Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve at once.

Peanut Butter Pecan Oatmeal Cookies

2011-12-05T12:52:00.001-06:00

I got this recipe from Bon Appétit, and I really liked it because the addition of pecans to peanut butter cookies gives them more depth than by relying only on the peanut butter. The downside, though, is that they aren’t very filling at all, so you might be tempted to keep eating them since you’re still hungry. Keep that in mind if you make them!

1/3 cup smooth peanut butter
1/3 cup pecans, toasted, cooled
¾ cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp kosher salt
½ cup sugar
½ cup (packed) light brown sugar
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature (or cold margarine)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg
½ cup old-fashioned oats
¼ cup quick-cooking oats

Combine peanut butter and pecans in a food processor and purée until almost smooth.

Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl.

Using an electric mixer, beat both sugars and butter in a large bowl until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add peanut butter mixture and vanilla; beat to blend well. Beat in egg. Add dry ingredients and mix until well combined. Add both oats. Continue to blend at high speed for 1 minute. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

Arrange racks in upper and lower thirds of oven; preheat to 375 °F. Line 2 baking sheets with foil. Scoop rounded balls of dough (2 tsp each) onto cookie sheets, spacing 1 inch apart. Bake until light golden, 10–12 minutes (rotate baking sheets, top to bottom and 180 degrees, halfway through baking).

Linguine with Lemon, Garlic and Thyme

2011-12-05T11:48:00.001-06:00

This pasta recipe is from my friend Jen, who published it on The Littlest Crafter. It was created by Nigella Lawson, but I changed it slightly by using less oil and more parmesan; that’s the version I’m giving below. Also, since there’s nothing but the heat of the pasta to cook the mushrooms, I’ll cut them quite small the next time I make it. All in all, though, this is a really great pasta dish that’s very easy to make!

8 oz (4 cups) finely sliced/chopped mushrooms (such as chestnut or cremini)
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp kosher salt or Maldon sea salt (or 1 ½ tsp table salt)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 lemon, zested and juiced
4 sprigs fresh thyme, stripped to give 1 tsp leaves
1 lb linguine
1 bunch fresh parsley, leaves chopped, to give ½ cup
1 generous handful of freshly grated parmesan (or to taste)
freshly ground black pepper

Put the mushrooms in a large bowl with the oil, salt, garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice and gorgeously scented thyme leaves.

Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the box and drain loosely, retaining some water (I used about ¼ cup of pasta water). Quickly put the pasta into the bowl with the mushroom mixture and toss together well. Add the parsley, cheese and pepper before tossing again. Serve immediately, with some extra grated parmesan on top.

Emerald City Salad

2011-12-04T17:58:00.001-06:00

I found this recipe on Tea and Cookies, a blog I really like. This salad is full of healthy stuff, but has enough variety to be interesting and hearty. While I believe in sticking to a recipe the first time I make it, I had to improvise a little here, as I couldn’t find fennel. I ended up using half a sweet onion, soaked in water, instead; it still had more bite than it should have, but all things considered, I’m glad I didn’t let the lack of fennel stop me. I also threw some spiced pumpkin seeds on top of the salad at the last minute, because I had some already made, and they worked really well with this salad. I’ll be adding this to the repertoire of kale salads I like!

4 cups mixed greens (mix of dino kale, curly kale, chard), coarsely chopped; don’t make this from one type of green, the mixture is important
3 green onions, sliced thin
¾ cup red pepper, diced
1 Tbsp parsley, chopped
1 cup fennel bulb, sliced thin (or, at worse, a sweet onion soaked in water overnight and sliced thin)
1 cup wild rice
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp lemon juice
½ tsp salt

Cook the rice according to directions. Set aside to cool.

Prep the greens and other vegetables. Toss is a large bowl, adding the wild rice when it is cool. Drizzle with olive oil and mix. Add the lemon juice and salt and mix again. Serve chilled.

5-Minute Chocolate Mug Cake

2011-12-04T12:35:00.001-06:00

I got this recipe from an unlikely place: New Dress a Day (which I had mentioned before). You can make this cake in a mug by baking it for 5 minutes in the microwave, and you probably have all the ingredients in your pantry already. I like the fact that it makes just one serving (or two small servings in our case, since we split it) for those nights when you just want a little something sweet to end a meal, but you didn’t have time to plan anything. That being said, the consistency of the cake is a little spongy (in a “squeaky” sense), so it’s not the best thing ever. Which is just great, because if it were, it’s so easy to make that you’d probably be having it too often. (If you have an hour instead of a few minutes, consider chocolate mink cakes, which I suddenly remembered existed.)

4 Tbsp flour
4 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp cocoa
1 egg
3 Tbsp lactose-free milk
3 Tbsp canola oil
3 Tbsp chocolate chips (optional, but why would you omit them?)
a small splash of vanilla extract
1 large coffee mug (microwave-safe)

Add dry ingredients to mug, and mix well. Add the egg and mix thoroughly before pouring in the milk and oil in. Keep mixing. Add the chocolate chips next (if using) and vanilla extract, and mix again…

Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts. The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don’t be alarmed! (This didn’t happen to me, though.) Allow it to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate. Split it if desired.

No-Knead Bread

2011-12-03T20:17:00.001-06:00

I probably should have tried this bread before I got over my issues with kneading! I finally got around to making it based on the version of the recipe published on The Kitchn. Be warned that it’s not fast to make, as it requires time to rise (overnight in the original recipe, 6 to 8 hours in this version). It didn’t rise as much as I thought it would, and next time, I would use bread flour instead of white whole wheat flour. That being said, it was good bread!

I served it with a squash-corn-lemongrass soup topped with spiced pumpkin seeds, which I liked, but the Engineer said there was something about the mix of flavours that was offensive to him. He likes them all individually, though. I personally thought it was a bit bland, which I fixed with my “chickn” broth powder made from nutritional yeast (of course, I’d write “broth” instead of “water” in that recipe, myself). Given the Engineer’s reaction to the soup, I won’t be making it again, but the spiced pumpkin seeds are keepers, as is the no-knead bread, obviously!

I recommend reading 20 tips, tricks and ideas for no-knead bread, which rounds up different versions of the recipe, as well as flavour variations and recommendations for making it into a sandwich loaf or a baguette instead. Here’s the recipe!

3 cups white flour or bread flour
¾ tsp yeast (ideally instant yeast, though active would work too, apparently)
1 ¼ tsp salt
1 ½ cups slightly warm water

Put the flour in a bowl. Add the yeast and salt and stir thoroughly. Measure out 1 ½ cups of barely warm (tepid) water, pour into the bowl and stir thoroughly. The dough will look rough and shaggy.

Spray the top of the dough with cooking spray, or lightly oil the top of the dough with olive oil. Spread a thin layer over top with a paper towel, then turn the dough in the bowl so the whole ball of dough is coated with the oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Throw a towel over top of the bowl and set it in a warm corner. Leave it alone for 6 to 8 hours.

After at least 6 hours have passed, the dough will have risen and will look rather bubbly and stretched out. Lightly oil the countertop and turn the dough out onto it, folding it over on itself at least once. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it sit for another hour.

About 20 minutes before the hour is up, turn on the oven to 450 °F. Place an oven-safe Dutch oven or pot in the oven. When the rise time is up, the dough will have risen and nearly doubled in size. Quickly shape the dough into a round ball and drop it into the pot. Even if you can't get it into a good ball, that's OK. Just try to roughly shape it. I recommend using parchment paper in the bottom of the Dutch oven to facilitate cleaning up; it’s even easier to transfer the dough into the hot pot directly on the paper. (If you’re afraid of burning yourself, try placing the dough to rise in a cold oven which you later turn on for the baking, as suggested in this version.) Slash or cut the top of the dough with kitchen shears or a sharp knife. Place the lid on the pot and put it in the oven. Bake for 30 minutes.

Remove the lid from the pot and bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes. You can be extra-sure that the bread is done when an instant-read thermometer inserted in the top or side reads 210 °F. Remove the bread from the oven. If you wish to keep it warm for serving, you can wrap it in a clean kitchen towel. Slice and serve!

Chicken with White Beans and Tomatoes

2011-12-03T11:22:00.001-06:00

This recipe, from Real Simple, was particularly great because it is a super easy one-pot meal. I love one-pot meals because it frees me from having to not only come up with, but also make, a nutritious side dish. In this case, the Engineer and I have both become quite fond of cannellini beans; they happen to go quite well with tomatoes and garlic, so this was a hit. I used herbs from my garden, too, so it was particularly satisfying!

2 15.5-oz cans cannellini beans, rinsed
1 pint grape tomatoes
4 sprigs fresh thyme
4 sprigs fresh oregano, plus leaves for garnish
2 garlic cloves, smashed
¼ tsp crushed red pepper (I used Korean pepper)
2 Tbsp olive oil
½ cup dry white wine (entirely optional, I didn’t use it)
kosher salt and black pepper
8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 3 lbs total)

Heat oven to 425 °F. In a 9-by-13-inch (or some other large) baking dish, toss the beans and tomatoes with the thyme and oregano sprigs, garlic, red pepper, 1 Tbsp of the oil, white wine (if using), ½ tsp salt, and ¼ tsp black pepper.

Pat the chicken dry and place on top of the bean mixture, skin-side up. Rub with the remaining 1 Tbsp of oil; season with ½ tsp salt and ¼ sp black pepper.

Roast until the chicken is golden and cooked through, 35 to 45 minutes. Sprinkle with the oregano leaves.

Lactose-free macaroni and cheese, finally

2011-11-27T15:02:00.001-06:00

As some of you might know, I had been looking for a good Kraft-style mac&cheese recipe that I could eat. I found a pretty good store-bought substitute, but I wanted to make one. And it was trial and error all the way.

I started with this recipe from Taste of Home. While it wasn’t bad by any means, I felt that it wasn’t anything close to the taste that I was looking for. The texture was also quite oily, and I found the sauce more grainy than creamy.

Then I tried a lactose-free but dairy recipe from The Kitchn. I ended up making it on the stovetop, since cooking pasta in the microwave as the recipe suggested quickly turned to disaster. I used less salt, and I used orange Tilamook extra sharp cheddar, which I can digest without a problem. I ended up using more cheese than the recipe called for, though, because the sauce wasn’t creamy enough and I felt that it needed some sort of binder. Unfortunately, I didn’t quite achieve the consistency I was looking for, and the taste of the sharp cheddar overpowered the dish. That being said, it was good, and I felt I was getting closer to the right dish with that recipe.

It was on The Kind Life that I finally found THE recipe. The color is relatively close to the orange I wanted, thanks to some tomato paste, and the sauce is quite creamy, even though it’s vegan. It doesn’t taste exactly like cheese, but it’s really good! The secret ingredient, I think, is nutritional yeast, which can taste a bit like cheese with the right seasonings. The recipe below makes 4-6 servings and freezes well.

1 lb elbow macaroni
¼ cup vegan margarine
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups soy, almond, or rice milk
½ cup nutritional yeast
2 Tbsp tomato paste
2 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp agave syrup

Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Add macaroni and cook according to package directions. Drain and return to pot.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, make a roux by whisking the margarine and flour over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes. Add non-dairy milk, yeast, tomato paste, salt, and garlic powder to the saucepan and bring to a boil, whisking frequently. Reduce heat to low and let simmer until the sauce thickens. Adjust seasoning to taste and stir in lemon juice and agave.

Toss the cooked noodles with the sauce and serve immediately.

Poudre pour bouillon de simili-poulet

2011-11-27T14:56:00.001-06:00

J’ai récemment fait une poudre de bouillon végétalienne avec un produit que je voulais essayer, la levure nutritionnelle. Cette levure (nutritional yeast en anglais) est inactive et a la particularité de prendre un goût de volaille ou de fromage, selon les épices que vous choisissez d’y mélanger. C’est donc un assaisonnement pratique quand on est végétalien, entre autres! De plus, il ne contient pas de gluten, contient peu de sodium et est considéré comme un aliment santé, avec une forte teneur en fibres et en protéines. Pour en savoir plus, je vous recommande cet excellent billet d’Estomac sur deux pattes (qui est d’ailleurs le plus populaire du blogue).

J’ai acheté de la levure alimentaire de marque Red Star en gros flocons. Normalement, tout bon magasin d’aliments naturels en a en stock, et c’est vendu en pot. Par contre, nous avons acheté la nôtre en vrac, ce qui veut dire qu’il y a eu risque de contamination croisée (gluten, noix, arachides, etc.), donc nous en tiendrons compte en cuisinant pour des gens qui ont des restrictions alimentaires.

J’ai décidé d’utiliser une partie de ma levure alimentaire pour faire de la poudre pour bouillon à goût de poulet, après avoir terminé ma base de bouillon de poulet du commerce, en suivant à peu près la recette donnée par Lucie sur Estomac sur deux pattes. J’ai dû changer les fines herbes, car je n’avais ni persil séché, ni marjolaine, ni aneth (dont je ne raffole pas). J’ai quand même utilisé ¼ c. à thé d’origan, que je rajoute plus bas. J’ai aussi utilisé des flocons d’oignons déshydratés au lieu de la poudre d’oignons, ça passe au robot de toute façon. On peut toujours diminuer la quantité de sel un peu. Et j’ai trouvé cela très bon! C’est pratique d’en avoir un contenant sous la main dans le garde-manger, je trouve, et ça facilite la vie quand on veut rendre certaines recettes végétariennes.

1½ tasse de flocons de levure alimentaire Red Star
3 c. à soupe de sel
1 c. à soupe de poudre d’oignon
1 c. à soupe de paprika
2 c. à thé de poudre d’ail
1 c. à thé de flocons de persil séché
½ c. à thé de curcuma
¼ c. à thé de thym séché
¼ c. à thé de marjolaine séchée
¼ c. à thé de feuilles d’aneth séchées (ou d’origan séché)
¼ c. à thé de poivre

Combiner tous les ingrédients. Idéalement, passer au mélangeur ou au robot culinaire pour réduire en poudre fine uniforme. Se conserve assez longtemps à la température de la pièce, dans un contenant hermétique. Donne environ 2 tasses de mélange si non réduit en poudre ou environ 1¼ tasse si réduit en poudre.

Pour faire le bouillon : pour chaque tasse d’eau, ajouter 2 c. à thé de mélange non moulu (ou 1½ c. à thé si réduit en poudre), ou plus ou moins au goût. Le mélange peut aussi être utilisé comme assaisonnement en poudre.

Pour ceux et celles qui préfèrent la base de bouillon en pâte (à garder au frigo), vous pouvez en faire vous-mêmes avec des légumes. Je recommande d’essayer la recette publiée sur 101 Cookbooks, qui est également végétalienne et sans gluten. Ça se garde moins longtemps, par contre, et je trouve que la version avec la levure alimentaire est plus simple à faire!

Cilantro-Scallion Bread

2011-11-27T14:25:00.001-06:00

It’s time like these I’m grateful to have a grocery store with a bulk section. This Bon Appétit recipe calls for ½ cup of white sesame seeds; if I were still stuck buying them in little glass jars, I could easily have spent $10 on them. But in the bulk section, ½ cup came out to a grand total of $0.38! If you don’t have stores that offer sesame seeds in the bulk section, you should know that Bob’s Red Mill makes them at comparable prices (I found some at about $6.50/lb online; as sesame seeds can go rancid, though, consider freezing the extra if you have a lot).

This bread was pretty easy to make, and while it was delicious warm, I found that it dried out pretty quickly. I served them with a creamy vegan onion soup.

2 tsp active dry yeast
½ cup warm water (105 °F to 115 °F)
2 tsp Kosher salt, divided
2 tsp sugar, divided
1 ¾ cups plus 3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
4 Tbsp unsalted butter or margarine, chilled, cubed
1 large egg plus 1 yolk
1 ¼ cups coarsely chopped scallions
½ cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
½ cup white sesame seeds
1 Tbsp black sesame seeds
3 Tbsp olive oil, plus more for bowl and brushing

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Pour water into a small bowl. Sprinkle yeast, 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp sugar over; let stand until mixture bubbles, about 10 minutes.

Place flour, butter, remaining 1 tsp salt and remaining 1 tsp sugar in bowl of a stand mixer with dough hook attached. Rub in butter with fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. Beat in egg, yolk, and yeast mixture, scraping down sides.

Knead on medium speed until dough is soft and smooth, about 5 minutes. Form dough into a ball; transfer to a large, lightly oiled bowl. Cover and let rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Meanwhile, combine scallions and cilantro in a food processor and pulse to finely chop. Transfer mixture to a medium bowl; stir in all sesame seeds and 3 Tbsp olive oil and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 °F. Roll dough into a 18”x9" rectangle. Spoon scallion mixture evenly onto center and spread mixture to corners of dough. Working from one short edge, roll dough rectangle into a cylinder. Cut cylinder into ¾” dough swirls. Transfer dough swirls to prepared baking sheet; brush with oil. Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes.

Vegan-ish Chocolate Pie

2011-11-27T13:57:00.001-06:00

I finally caved and bought light agave nectar. I have a few bookmarked recipes that call for it, and I am unsure of how to substitute (various sources give me various equivalences for the same ingredients, so that if I decided to use maple syrup instead, for example, the correct ratio is anywhere between 1:1 and 2:1, depending on who you ask). It tastes a bit like a light version of molasses. For this pie in particular, I think you could use maple syrup instead and taste as you go; fine sugar or honey would work, too. I used 5 Tbsp of the agave nectar here.

I couldn’t find the right kind of tofu (I had the Chinese stuff sold in the produce section, not the room-temperature aseptic Japanese tofu), and this affected the final texture. For one thing, using cold tofu made the melted chocolate seize up a bit, and the texture was on the granular end of the smooth spectrum. The Engineer said he could taste the deception. (Actually, he asked me what the trick was, which made me sad because I thought he assumed that my pies are tricked somehow. He said that was not the case, but he could taste there was something healthy about it! It was good, but he’s right, not quite creamy enough. I’ll look for the right kind of tofu before I try this again, or at the very least let it come to room temperature.)

This pie, found on Flickr, is vegan-ish in the sense that it’s incredibly easy to make it vegan – or gluten-free, for that matter. I used a store-bought granola crust which was not vegan, but feel free to buy or make something to suit both your taste and dietary restrictions. You also need to keep an eye on the ingredients in the chocolate you use, of course. I recommend quality chocolate bars (I used some 60% cocoa Ghiradelli) instead of chips, since the latter are made to resist melting. You can of course adjust the ingredients to taste, but this pie is so easy a monkey could do it.

1 pie crust (ideally a cookie crumb crust rather than a pastry crust)
12 oz of quality semi-sweet chocolate (don’t skimp on this, it’s the main taste of the pie; after all, you don’t want to taste the tofu)
3 to 5 Tbsp of agave nectar, maple syrup or honey (to taste)
20 to 24 oz (just under 2 packages; I used 21 oz) of "silken", firm tofu (that is, you want the Japanese stuff typically sold at room temperature in aseptic packages, not the Chinese stuff you find chilled in the produce section)

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler. Once melted, blend the chocolate, agave nectar, and tofu in a food processor. Do this quickly before the chocolate begins to resolidify, which will make blending difficult. Pour into the crust and chill for 2 to 3 hours. Top with a dollop of lactose-free whipped cream when serving, if you wish; you can also add a sprinkle of cinnamon if you are so inclined. Or, you know what I suddenly think would be great? Marshmallow fluff!

Centerpieces (of the Beast)

2011-11-27T13:14:00.001-06:00

This is post # 666 – the number of the Beast. Had I thought of this in advance, I would have prepared a recipe like devil’s food cake or deviled eggs. But the Engineer doesn’t get to his devil’s food cake for another few weeks, and while I have two recipes bookmarked for deviled eggs, I haven’t gotten around to making either one of them (they always seem like so much effort for so little reward). So instead, I’ll make this post short and use the lentils of the Beast as a theme. You see, even though I can’t prove that they made me sick, I was afraid of using the rest of them in any recipe. I also had some yellow split peas that had been sitting in the pantry for... much longer than I care to admit. It turns out that dried lentils, beans and peas do go bad eventually, even though you can’t tell by looking at them, so I decided that both stashes were unsuitable for consumption. I therefore used them in these nifty centerpieces! For all I know, I might even have 666 lentils in there, too. I just used some wide vases, poured my lentils and peas into them, and added a tealight. Depending on the size of your vases, you can add more tealights, and you can use different materials as filling (even sand or pebbles). I like that these are also fall-coloured, so it was nice to have them on the table this past month!

Couscous au dindon et au cari

2011-11-26T17:39:00.001-06:00

Toujours dans la catégorie « recettes que Coup de Pouce n’a pas mises en ligne » adaptées, voici un couscous au dindon et au cari. Je n’avais pas de chutney à la mangue, alors j’ai improvisé en ajoutant un peu de vinaigre de cidre è de la confiture de mangue. Il s’agit d’une recette toute simple et très rapide, parfaite pour utiliser un restant de dinde (ou, tsé, utilisez du poulet). Ça fait aussi un très bon lunch pour le lendemain!

1 c. à soupe d’huile d’olive
½ oignon haché
2 c. à thé de cari
1 ½ tasse de bouillon de dindon ou de poulet réduit en sel
1 ½ tasse de couscous
2 tasses de dindon cuit, coupé en dés (ou de poulet)
2/3 tasses de petits pois surgelés
1 poivron rouge haché
¼ tasse mayonnaise légère
¼ tasse de chutney à la mangue (ou équivalent; voir plus haut)

Dans une grande casserole, chauffer l’huile à feu moyen. Ajouter l’oignon et cuire, en brassant, pendant environ 2 minutes ou jusqu’à ce qu’il ait légèrement ramolli. Ajouter le cari et poursuivre la cuisson pendant une minute. Ajouter le bouillon et le couscous et porter à ébullition. Ajouter le dindon, les petits pois, le poivron, la mayonnaise et le chutney et mélanger délicatement. Couvrir et laisser reposer pendant 5 minutes ou jusqu’à ce que le liquide ait été absorbé. Au moment de servir, défaire les grains de couscous à la fourchette.

Lasagne à la courge musquée

2011-11-26T17:13:00.001-06:00

Cette délicieuse recette de lasagne végétarienne est vraiment parfaite pour ce temps-ci de l’année. Je l’ai trouvée dans le Coup de Pouce de novembre 2010, mais elle n’est pas sur leur site. C’était la première fois que je faisais une lasagne, et j’ai trouvé que c’était long à faire, mais le rendement est bon (car ça donne quand même 6 à 8 portions). Pour la faire sans lactose, j’ai utilisé de la crème de soya au lieu de la crème normale et du fromage suisse au lieu du mozzarella, avec du lait sans lactose, bien sûr. Et c’est tellement bon, de la courge musquée! La prochaine fois, je vais peut-être finir en passant la lasagne sous le gril, question que le dessus soit un peu doré.

1 courge musquée (3 lb) pelée, épépinée et coupée en tranches de ¼ à ½ pouce d’épaisseur
3 c. à soupe d’huile d’olive
1 c. à thé de sel
¼ tasse de beurre ou de margarine
6 gousses d’ail hachées finement
¼ tasse de farine
4 tasses de lait sans lactose
1 c. à soupe de romarin frais (ou 1 c. à thé de romarin séché)
9 lasagnes cuites
1 1/3 tasse de parmesan râpé finement
1 tasse de crème de soya
1 tasse de fromage suisse sans lactose

Préchauffer le four à 425 °F. Dans un grand plat allant au four et légèrement huilé, mettre les tranches de courge. Ajouter l’huile et la moitié du sel et mélanger pour bien enrober. Étendre uniformément les tranches de courge dans le plat. Cuire à découvert de 25 à 30 minutes ou jusqu’à ce que la courge soit tendre (remuer une fois). Réserver et baisser le four à 375 °F.

Dans une grande casserole, faire fondre le beurre à feu moyen. Ajouter l’ail et cuire, en brassant, pendant 1 minute. Ajouter la farine et le reste du sel et mélanger. Incorporer petit à petit le lait en brassant. Cuire, en brassant, jusqu’à ce que la sauce soit bouillonnante et ait épaissi. Ajouter le romarin et mélanger.

Dans un plat rectangulaire allant au four, d’une capacité de 3 litres / 12 tasses (le mien faisait 8"x13" et c’était juste, mais ça allait), étendre environ 1 tasse de la sauce. Couvrir du tiers des tranches de courge réservées, de 3 lasagnes, du tiers du reste de la sauce et de 1/3 tasse de parmesan. Faire deux autres étages de la même manière. Verser uniformément la crème de soya sur la lasagne. Parsemer du fromage suisse et du reste du parmesan.

Couvrir la lasagne de papier d’aluminium et cuire au four pendant 40 minutes. Retirer le papier d’aluminium et poursuivre la cuisson pendant 10 minutes ou jusqu’à ce que le pourtour soit bouillonnant et que le dessus soit légèrement doré. Laisser reposer pendant 10 minutes avant de servir.

Grilled Sausage and Fig Pizza with Goat Cheese

2011-11-26T16:38:00.001-06:00

I made some sausage and fig pizzas with goat cheese that were closely based on these from Bon Appétit. We used store-bought pizza dough, because I was too tired to make some, and we baked it in the oven instead of using the grill, but feel free to go either way. We had smoked beef sausages, but Italian would be a good choice here as well. The mixture of all the different tastes was divine, and the Engineer ended up praising it (after initially poo-pooing the recipe for being too fancy). I used the leftover dressing with a simple arugula salad the next day.

For the pomegranate-cumin dressing (which you can scale down to make a total of 5 Tbsp)
7 ½ Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
4 ½ Tbsp white balsamic vinegar (I used regular)
3 Tbsp sliced fresh mint leaves
1 ½ Tbsp pomegranate molasses
1Tbsp ground cumin
6 Tbsp minced shallots
(If you can't find pomegranate molasses at the supermarket or a Middle Eastern store, make your own by boiling 1 cup pomegranate juice until reduced to 3 tablespoons syrup, about 15 minutes.)
Whisk first 5 ingredients in bowl. Mix in shallots; season with salt and pepper.

For the pizza
1 lb purchased fresh pizza dough
5 Tbsp pomegranate-cumin dressing, divided
1 cup coarsely grated Fontina cheese
2 grilled sausages, sliced about 1/3 inch thick
6 fresh figs, quartered
2 thin red onion slices, rings separated
1 package crumbled soft fresh goat cheese
fresh arugula

Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Halve dough; roll to 10-inch rounds. Brush tops with some of dressing. Grill pizzas, seasoned side down, until golden on bottom, about 4 minutes. Turn pizzas over. Top with Fontina, sausages, figs, and onions. Drizzle with more dressing. Cover; grill until Fontina melts and pizza is cooked through, about 4 minutes. Top with goat cheese. Grill until goat cheese softens, about 1 minute. Top with arugula and serve.

Heavenly Hots

2011-11-26T16:11:00.001-06:00

I’ve just realized that I’m about a month late in posting recipes here. I wish I had a really good excuse, but I don’t, so I’ll just try to do some catching up. I’m sure you’ll forgive me, though, once you taste these heavenly hots, the lightest, littlest and most delicious pancake to grace my plate in quite a while. They were the best thing ever, really, and didn’t even need syrup. They are made with very little flour, with a very high ratio of eggs-to-batter, and what makes them special is the sour cream they contain. I didn’t actually get the chance to try the recipe with tofu sour cream or strained lactose-free yogurt, because I ended up making them when the Engineer had left about 1 cup of regular sour cream in the fridge after making his weekly recipe (it’s cakes, now). I took some Lactaid for this, but I think they would work with tofu sour cream and a splash of lemon juice to compensate for the acidity. I made a half batch, so about 16 pancakes, and that served both of us for breakfast without any leftovers. However, be warned that these are so good, and so light, that had I made the full recipe, it still would have served both of us without any leftovers!

¼ cup all-purpose flour
3 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp sal1/4 tsp baking soda
2 cups sour cream (or equivalent)
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
½ tsp vanilla
3 Tbsp unsalted butter, margarine or oil

Combine flour, sugar, cornstarch, baking powder, salt and baking soda in a medium bowl.

Whisk sour cream, eggs and vanilla in a large bowl until smooth. Gently fold flour mixture into sour cream mixture until incorporated.

Heat 2 tsp butter in a large non-stick skillet over medium-low heat until butter begins to sizzle. Place five 1Tbsp-scoops of batter in pan, cover, and cook until tops appear dry and bottoms are golden brown, 1 ½ to 2 minutes. Gently flip pancakes and cook, uncovered, until golden brown, about 30 seconds. Keep warm in a 200 °F oven while repeating with remaining batter, using butter as needed. Serve plain, or with your choice of fruit, confectioners’ sugar or syrup.

Honey Pie

2011-11-18T17:20:00.001-06:00

I found this recipe in the Spring 2011 issue of Where Women Cook. I ended up combining it with a gluten-free pie crust recipe from Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef, just so I could try my hand at it; of course, you could use your favourite pie crust recipe here. If you try it, though, I strongly recommend weighing the ingredients. I had to make a few changes (vegetable shortening instead of leaf lard; and extra potato starch to compensate for the 1.15 oz of rice flour I was missing), but I think it came out quite well. The pie itself came out much darker than on the picture in the magazine, so I question the temperature and baking time required (and I also had a lot of foam at the surface of the egg mixture after all the whisking, before I baked it). I’m printing it here as in the recipe, but be warned that you might need to adjust it. Despite that, the pie was very good, light, and not too sweet. The Engineer even had seconds!

Gluten-free pie crust
1 ¼ cup (5 oz) almond flour
2/3 cup (2 oz) gluten-free oat flour
2/3 cup (2 oz) tapioca flour
½ cup (2 oz) teff flour
½ cup (3 oz) potato starch
¼ cup (2 oz) sweet rice flour
2 tsp xanthan gum
¼ tsp guar gum
½ tsp kosher salt
5 Tbsp butter, cold (or non-dairy butter sticks, as I did, ideally from the freezer)
4 Tbsp leaf lard, cold (see note below)
1 large egg
6 to 8 Tbsp ice-cold water

In a large bowl, using a whisk, mix the almond flour, oat flour, tapioca flour, teff flour, and potato starch. Add the xanthan and guar gums and the salt. Mix well.

Add small pieces of the ice-cold butter to the flour mixture, not much bigger than a pea. (Or, if you’d like, freeze your butter beforehand, then grate the frozen butter into the flours. Move quickly.) Afterward, add the leaf lard in small portions, of equal size.

Use your hands to scoop up the flours and mix in the fats. Go slowly. Rub your hands together. Feel the fats work into the flours with your fingers. The flours will look sandy when you are done.

Combine the egg with 3 tablespoons of the water and whisk them together.

I used the food processor for this next step, but you could do it by hand, too. Put the dough in the food processor and turn it on. As the dough is running around and around, drizzle in the eggy water. Stop to feel the dough. When the dough feels coherent, you are done. If it still feels dry and not quite there, then drizzle in a bit more water. If you go too far, and the dough begins to feel sticky or wet, sprinkle in a bit of potato starch to dry it out.

Wrap the pie dough in plastic wrap (or in a bowl) and let it rest in the refrigerator for 15 minutes or so. Take it out and roll out the dough between two pieces of parchment paper. Roll it out as thin as you can. Carefully, lift the top piece of parchment paper and turn the dough upside down on the top of a pie plate. Rearrange until it is flat. (This is where the parchment paper is extremely handy: since there is no gluten in this dough, it will NOT hold together in one piece if you try to pick it up from the counter and transfer it to your plate. You need the help of the parchment paper to move the whole thing. If it breaks apart, don’t worry; just piece it back together in the plate by pressing it with your fingertips. Again, there’s no gluten, so you can’t overwork it.) Crimp the edges.

For the honey pie
1 cup lactose-free whole milk
4 large eggs, at room temperature
½ honey
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 pinch of salt
a 9-inch pie crust (recipe of your choice, or store-bought)
fresh nutmeg

Preheat the oven to 400 °F (see note above).

Warm the milk in a small pan over medium heat. Watch carefully, and remove from the heat just before bubbles begin forming on the surface of the milk. Set aside.

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, honey, vanilla, and salt. Slowly add in warmed milk, whisking it in a bit at a time before adding more. Once all the milk is added to the egg mixture, whisk thoroughly to ensure all ingredients are fully incorporated.

Pour mixture into piecrust. Grate nutmeg liberally over the surface of the egg mixture. Place the pie on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes.

Remove from the oven. Allow to cool at least 1 hour before serving.

White Bean Salad

2011-11-18T16:27:00.001-06:00

I found the recipe for this white bean salad in the October issue of Real Simple. I thought it was wonderful, though I’ll add directions to soak the red onion next time, as I found it a bit strong. It can be used as a side or, with the optional addition of a hard-boiled egg, as a light meal. In the latter case, it makes about 4 servings.

2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp Dijon mustard
kosher salt and black pepper
3 15.5-oz cans cannellini beans, rinsed
1 bell pepper, chopped
½ small red onion, thinly sliced and soaked in water overnight, then drained
2 tsp fresh thyme leaves

In a large bowl, whisk together the vinegar, oil, mustard, ¾ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon black pepper. Stir in the beans, bell pepper, onion, and thyme. Serve cold or at room temperature.

Strawberry Cardamom Cupcakes

2011-11-17T16:41:00.001-06:00

I just love cupcakes. If a cupcake doesn’t make you smile, there might be something wrong with you. Of course, there is such a thing as too many cupcakes; this is where it comes in handy if you can bring cupcakes to work and share them! I’m still a domestic engineer at the moment, but the actual Engineer brought almost four dozen cupcakes to work over three days, so I was happy to try out a recipe to contribute. I made these strawberry cardamom cupcakes from Chow, which were a big hit. I found them awesome myself. The recipe below is for 2 dozen (though I ended up with 22, not 24), and you might have a bit of strawberry sauce left over. Instead of a cream cheese frosting, I tried a vegan alternative found on Must Follow Recipes, and this is actually going to be my go-to “cream cheese” frosting from now on. I threw in a little strawberry sauce for this recipe to make it pretty, but it was darn near perfect as it was!

For the strawberry sauce
¾ lb strawberries, washed, hulled and cut into large dice
½ cup granulated sugar
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

Place strawberries and sugar in a medium, nonreactive saucepan and stir until strawberries are coated in sugar. Mash with a potato masher until about half of the strawberries are completely smashed but some medium-sized chunks remain.

Place the pan over high heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until bubbles form along the pan’s edge, about 5 minutes. Skim any foam from the surface of the sauce with a spoon and discard. Add lemon zest and juice, stir to combine, and bring to a full boil, cooking until foam coats the surface, about 2 minutes.

Remove from heat and skim and discard the foam. Let the sauce cool to room temperature. Use ¾ cup for the cupcakes, and perhaps up to a few tablespoons for the frosting; if any remains, transfer to a container with a tight-fitting lid and refrigerate for up to 3 weeks. It’s very good with pound cake, waffles or vanilla Tofutti (or vegan peanut butter ice cream).

For the cupcakes (about 2 dozen)
2 cups cake flour
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp ground cardamom
½ tsp fine salt
12 Tbsp (1 ½ sticks) margarine, or unsalted butter at room temperature
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
2 large egg whites, at room temperature
2 large eggs, at room temperature
¾ cup lactose-free whole milk, at room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract
¾ cup strawberry sauce (see above)

Heat the oven to 350 °F and arrange a rack in the middle. Line 2 (12-well) muffin pans with paper cupcake liners; set aside.

Place the flour, baking powder, cardamom, and salt in a medium bowl and whisk to aerate and break up any lumps; set aside.

Place the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat on medium-high speed until light in color, about 3 minutes. Add the sugar and continue beating until the mixture is light in color and airy, about 3 minutes.

Stop the mixer and scrape down the paddle and the sides of the bowl. On medium speed, add the egg whites 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Next add the eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

On low speed, slowly add the milk and vanilla and mix until combined (the mixture will look curdled). Add the reserved flour mixture and mix until just combined, about 15 seconds.

Fill each muffin well about three-quarters full. Using a spoon, create a small indentation in the batter by slightly spreading it from the middle out toward the edges. Measure 1 heaping teaspoon of the strawberry sauce and place the back of the teaspoon inside the indentation. Rotate the spoon, letting the sauce slide into the indentation. Repeat in each well.

Bake the cupcakes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 18 to 20 minutes. Set the pans on wire racks and let cool for 5 minutes. Remove the cupcakes from the pans and let cool completely on the wire racks before frosting.

For the frosting
½ cup Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese, softened
½ cup dairy-free margarine, softened
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 ½ to 4 cups confectioners’ sugar (the 1 lb package, basically)
a few tablespoons of strawberry sauce (optional; see above) OR a splash of lemon juice

Cream margarine, cream cheese, and vanilla extract together in a large bowl. Slowly mix the confectioners’ sugar into the creamed mixture until the desired consistency/taste and until smooth. Add a few tablespoons of strawberry sauce for color, if desired. You could go with a splash of lemon juice instead, which should help inch you closer to the tart flavor of real cream cheese. Enjoy!

Juicing

2011-11-17T11:52:00.001-06:00

I had mentioned already that I was going to get a juicer, and now it’s done. Before giving you a recipe, let me walk you through my decision process regarding the model I chose, and I’ll tell you what I think now that I have it.

I weighed the pros and cons of centrifugal juicers vs. masticating juicers. Centrifugal juicers first grate the fruit (or vegetable) into a pulp, then use centrifugal force to extract the juice from the pulp. It tends to be faster than a masticating juicer, but doesn’t extract as much juice – and doesn’t do well at all with leafy or grassy vegetables. The juice is also more aerated, which means that it has to be consumed immediately, otherwise it oxidizes and loses its nutritional benefits (plus, the heat destroys some beneficial enzymes in the juice). But centrifugal juicers are also more affordable than masticating ones, which was really the central issue for me.

On The Kitchn, I had read two reviews, for the Breville Juice Fountain Compact, a centrifugal juicer, and the Hurom Slow Juicer, a masticating juicer, along with comments from users (with these brands or others) regarding what they like and dislike about their juicers. I knew that my juicer should have a small footprint, it shouldn’t leave too much moisture in the pulp, and it had to be relatively easy to clean.

While the Hurom Slow Juicer looked like it had it all, it was a big initial investment (about $360). The Hamilton Beach Big Mouth Pro Juice Extractor, though, gives you more bang for your buck ($80), and seems like a good choice for beginners. It was recommended by Bon Appétit and was a Consumer Reports Best Buy. Reviewers call it a workhorse. Since this is my first juicer and I’m not quite sure how much of a commitment I’ll make to it in the long run, and I won’t use it every day even in the short run, I decided to go with the inexpensive version. If I decide that I really like juicing and that I want to keep doing it, I might upgrade to the Hurom eventually, but I feel like the Hamilton Beach Big Mouth Pro Juice Extractor is a good fit for me at this point.

I’ve had it for several months already, and I use it a few times a month. I find that it’s great to make fresh juice you couldn’t get in a grocery store, and also to use up extra fruit you have on hand (apples, plums and cherries? don’t mind if I do!). The model I have doesn’t separate the foam from the juice, and I do have to stir the juice if I leave it unattended too long to get it homogenized again, but those are minor annoyances. It really isn’t hard to clean (though I use a different brush than the one it comes with, mainly because it was white and stained easily). It’s sometimes a little hard to dose quantities if I want to end up with a single serving, but I’m getting the hang of it.

The juice I get with the juicer seems to me more filling than store-bought juice, though not as filling as a smoothie (since I’m not using the pulp with the juicer). I like making some for breakfast and drinking it alongside a bowl of granola or a slice of banana bread. I don’t end up with too much pulp, though if I did, there are always ways to use it in the kitchen! I won’t give too many juice recipes here, because I’m well aware that most people don’t have juicers. There is one that I wanted to share, though, as it’s the first one I made and it was surprisingly good. I found it on The Kind Life. I was afraid it wouldn’t be sweet enough at first, because it only calls for an apple to sweeten it (and I’m not a fan of savoury juices). It was perfect, however, and I’ve made it several times since. All ingredients keep well in the fridge, too, so it’s easy to stock up so you can make this blend whenever you feel like it. The recipe below makes about one serving, though obviously you can alter it to suit your taste.

Carrot-Apple-Lemon-Ginger Cocktail
4 or 5 large carrots
1 large apple (such as Fuji)
½ lemon (peelded, for my juicer)
a 1-inch piece of ginger

Go ahead and juice. Enjoy!

Vegan Peanut Butter Ice Cream

2011-11-17T10:54:00.001-06:00

This recipe is from The Vegan Scoop, which is full of awesome recipes for frozen desserts (I’ve barely scratched the surface). I really liked this ice cream, though after a few bites, I found it a bit one-dimensional. Maybe I’ll try mixing it with another flavour (the book suggests jelly, banana, brownies, flaxseed and even cucumber as possibilities!). I actually did serve it with a homemade strawberry sauce once, but the little angel on my right shoulder made me resist topping it with melted Nutella.

2 cups soymilk
¾ cup peanut butter
½ cup brown sugar
1 Tbsp vanilla extract

In a medium-size saucepan, combine soymilk, peanut butter, and brown sugar. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat. Add vanilla extract.

Refrigerate until mixture is chilled, approximately 2 to 3 hours. Freeze according to your ice cream maker’s instructions.

Double Coconut Chicken

2011-11-17T10:20:00.001-06:00

A while back, I had seen a tip on The Kitchn for cooking moist chicken breasts every time: you pan-cook them on one side so that they’re golden (not browned or seared), then you cover the pan, turn the heat to low and walk away for 10 minutes, at which point you turn off the heat and leave the chicken to rest another 10 minutes. I had bookmarked it for reference, but never really got around to using it. But then I saw this recipe on Not Martha for double coconut chicken breasts cooked using that method, and I just had to make them. They’re relatively easy to make, and with a side of rice, the meal prep is perfectly timed. I used red rice for a little color, and I really liked it, but any type of rice will do. I cut my chicken breasts into strips, for more even cooking and also for better portion control. The saffron gives the most beautiful color to the sauce, the coconut adds crunch, and the resulting dish is oh so pretty! The flavours of saffron and coconut also complement each other well and made this dish finger-licking good, eliciting oohs and aahs from the Engineer and me. I’ll definitely be making this one again!

1 can of coconut milk (or 1 cup, but then you’d be stuck with leftovers)
a few strands of saffron (or ½ tsp ground turmeric is acceptable)
about 1 ½ cups dried unsweetened coconut (I used fine macaroon coconut; otherwise, whirl it in the food processor a bit)
2 (or 4) boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cut into strips if you want)
1 Tbsp minced shallot
minced parsley for garnish (optional)
vegetable oil, salt and pepper

If you’re serving this with rice, start cooking it now. The chicken takes 20 minutes.

Warm the coconut milk and stir in the saffron. Turn off the heat and let it cool. After a while the sauce turns a pretty yellow color.

Put the coconut on a plate, ready for dredging.

Heat oil (or a combination of oil and butter, if you want) in a skillet over medium heat. Dredge the chicken breasts in the coconut and place in the skillet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Just let them get golden brown on both sides and then quickly cover the pan with a heavy lid and turn the heat to low. Let cook on low for 10 minutes.

While you’re waiting, right now is a good time to prepare a salad if you want some veggies with the meal.

After 10 minutes, turn off the heat under the chicken while keeping the lid on. Let the chicken sit for another 10 minutes. (If you’re cooking very thick chicken breasts you might consider checking for doneness, if they are still pink inside keep the pan over low heat for the next 10 minutes instead. But that’s why I cut ours into smaller strips.)

Meanwhile, heat some oil in a small pan and cook the minced shallot over medium heat, 3 or 4 minutes, stirring occasionally until it softens. Add the coconut milk mixture, turn the heat up and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and stir frequently until the sauce has thickened up a bit. Add a pinch of salt.

At this point your chicken breasts, sauce and rice will hopefully be ready all at the same time. Flood the plate with the pretty sauce, garnish with parsley. And you’re done. Bon appétit!

Petits gâteaux forêt noire

2011-11-14T17:15:00.001-06:00

J’ai reçu par la poste des recettes (non sollicitées), dont une recette de petits gâteaux au chocolat et la cerise du magazine Eating Well. Je n’ai aucune envie de m’abonner, mais j’ai décidé d’adapter cette recette en la faisant sans lactose, avec un glaçage de crème au beurre végétalien trouvé sur Chowhound au lieu du glaçage au fromage à la crème. Ça a été un franc succès! Les cerises gardent le gâteau moelleux, et le glaçage était vraiment bien! L’Ingénieur et moi avons beaucoup aimé cette recette (qui donne 12 petits gâteaux). Et ils sont relativement santé en plus, avec des fruits et 3 g de fibres par gâteau!

Pour les petits gâteaux
¾ tasse de farine à pâtisserie de blé entier
¾ tasse de farine à gâteau
½ tasse de cacao
1 ½ c. à thé de poudre à pâte
½ c. à thé de bicarbonate de soude
½ c. à thé de sel
¾ tasse de sucre
¼ tasse d’huile de canola
1 gros œuf
1 c. à thé de vanille
½ tasse de lait sans lactose additionné d’un soupçon de vinaigre
1 ½ tasse de cerises dénoyautées coupées en morceaux (fraîches ou surgelées)
12 cerises fraîches avec la queue, pour garnir (facultatif)

Pour le glaçage
½ tasse de shortening non hydrogéné (comme Earth Balance)
½ tasse de margarine non hydrogénée
3 ½ tasses de sucre à glacer, tamisé
1 ½ c. à thé de vanille
¼ de lait de soya ou de crème de soya nature

Pour les petits gâteaux
Préchauffer le four à 350 °F. Mettre 12 moules en papier dans un moule à muffins.

Mélanger la farine de blé entier, la farine à gâteau, le cacao, la poudre è pâte, le bicarbonate de soude et le sel dans un bol.

Dans le bol d’un batteur sur socle (ou dans un grand bol avec un mélangeur électrique), battre le sucre et l’huile à vitesse moyenne jusqu’à homogénéité. Ajouter l’œuf et la vanille; mélanger de nouveau. Avec le batteur à vitesse réduite, ajouter le mélange d’ingrédients secs et le lait en alternant, en commençant et en finissant avec les ingrédients secs et en raclant les parois du bol au besoin, jusqu’à ce que le tout soit homogène. Ajouter les cerises et incorporer délicatement. Mettre la pâte dans les moules.

Faire cuire au four jusqu’à ce qu’un cure-dents inséré au centre en ressorte propre, entre 22 et 26 minutes environ. Transférer sur une grille et laisser refroidir complètement.

Pour le glaçage
Battre le shortening et la margarine ensemble jusqu’à ce qu’ils soient homogènes et légers. Ajouter le sucre graduellement et battre pendant 3 minutes.

Ajouter la vanille et le lait de soya et battre encore 5 minutes, pour obtenir une texture crémeuse et légère.

Angel Biscuits

2011-11-14T16:28:00.001-06:00

I found this recipe on Please Pass the Pie and I liked the recipe because it didn’t have any cream or butter (except 1 Tbsp, therefore easy to substitute), and so it was very easy to make it lactose-free. I used white whole wheat flour, though, but feel free to use unbleached white flour. I ended up with 15 biscuits, because I didn’t feel like rekneading the scraps (it would have made too many biscuits, anyway). These were absolutely delicious when they were warm from the oven! I served them with some carrot soup with Moroccan spices.

2 ¼ tsp active dry yeast
½ cup warm water (105 °F to 115 °F)
5 cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
½ cup vegetable shortening (such as Earth Balance)
2 cups lactose-free milk with a splash of vinegar/lemon juice (or buttermilk)
1 Tbsp melted butter or margarine

Dissolve yeast in warm water in a small bowl; let stand 5 minutes.

Combine the dry ingredients (flour through salt) in a large bowl. Cut in shortening with a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add yeast mixture and buttermilk; stir just until moist. Cover and chill 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 450 °F. Turn dough out onto a heavily floured surface; knead lightly 5 times. Roll dough to a ½-inch thickness; cut with a 3-inch biscuit cutter (I used a glass). Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush melted margarine over biscuit tops. Bake for 12 minutes or until golden.

Food and movies

2011-11-11T14:52:00.000-06:00

I love movies, I love food, and I love movies about food. There’s a post on the Kitchn today asking readers what their favourite food-themed movies are. I’m reading the titles and taking notes of movies I need to see! Personally, I’d have to mention (again) Mostly Martha, Chocolat, The Waitress, The Help, Ratatouille, Julie and Julia... While I did see Babette’s Feast, Vatel and Like Water for Chocolate, I don’t have such fond memories of them. But speaking of The Help, did you know that almost all the food shown in the movie was cooked by “real people”, not food stylists? That was a wonderful movie, by the way, which I definitely recommend.

I also like menus based on movies. For example, the Alamo Drafthouse, my favourite movie theatre chain, does a Valentine’s Day-themed menu each year and pairs it with movies. Last year, they had roast game hen with chocolate sauce for Chocolat, an eel dish for The Princess Bride, and crab dumplings for Eat Drink Man Woman. I often see similar menus online each year around Oscar time as well.

There are also recipes from (or inspired by) movies, like pasta cacio e pepe from Eat, Pray, Love, veal chops with rose petal sauce from Like Water for Chocolate, cailles en sarcophage from Babette’s Feast, and the ratatouille from Ratatouille. I haven’t made any of these yet, but I’ve bookmarked the roast game hen with chocolate sauce as well as the ratatouille!

Batch of links - Food

2011-11-11T14:33:00.001-06:00

Here today’s instalment of links, once again food-related. I got really discouraged when I realized that Google Chrome had not only rearranged all my links alphabetically, but also separating all upper-case and lower-case letters, so that when I thought I was making good progress, I suddenly realized I wasn’t even halfway done. But this time, I really am making good progress!

- An entire year of meals, mapped more than 40 ways: If you like infographics, you’re going to LOVE this. That links to the article, but the slideshow is here.

- A great article on the comeback of soda fountains: I wish I could go to a place like that. Again, for those of you who like infographics, here’s a great taxonomy of sodas as a flow chart (also part of a more complete menu).

- New labels could help shoppers avoid unhealthy foods: Another example where rethinking the presentation of nutritional labels with infographics could help make ingredient lists much clearer for the health-conscious consumer. I love the new presentations! I wonder if/when/where they’ll be implemented.

- Last mention of the word “infographic” for today with this playful redesign of a receipt: I’d love to get fun receipts like those for small purchases!

- Do you have any secret recipes?: A nice blog post on The Kitchn where readers answer the question. I don’t know if it’s strictly generational or not, but the Internet sure seems to have facilitated sharing recipes, and I think most people around my age like sharing them. After all, it’s a cookie, not the country’s nuclear codes! I share all my recipes, obviously; I think that food and recipes are meant to be shared (unless you create a recipe from scratch and make your living with it, of course). That being said, even with a given set of instructions, people might end up with different results. I’ve often shared my Neiman-Marcus cookie recipe with friends, but when they make it, the cookies always come out differently than mine do.

- Cookie cutters that don’t leave you with scraps of dough: This clever holiday design was successfully funded, and there are more designs, too! I really love this idea.

- Google Correlate: A Food Data Nerd’s Heaven: I love what The Huffington Post found using this feature.

- Did you know that debris from your garbage disposal can make it into your dishwasher during a cycle? Luckily, we’ve never experienced this, probably because we hardly ever use the dishwasher in the first place. But here’s a simple prevention tip just in case. (FYI, while I could totally live without a dishwasher, the garbage disposal has now become absolutely essential to my well-being.)

- Kinfolk – A Guide for Small Gatherings: Doesn’t this look like a beautiful specialty magazine?

- Watch out for those modern glass dishes: Those made with soda lime glass are more likely to shatter than the old ones (or modern European ones), made with borosilicate.

- And finally, a guide to help you safely freeze food.

Pumpkin Brownies

2011-11-10T11:11:00.000-06:00

In order to use up a big can of pumpkin purée, after making waffles and pasta, I made pumpkin brownies. I reduced the amount of cinnamon to ½ tsp and omitted the walnuts entirely, so I’m giving you my version here. The brownies were so good that we really had to use all our willpower not to eat the whole pan in one sitting (like Garfield does with his lasagna). In fact, I froze the last of the pumpkin purée so that I could make them again! The pumpkin and spices give these brownies a definite fall feel, and the purée keeps them moist and good for days. The recipe is from Blogchef.net, found via The Kitchn.

¾ cup all purpose flour
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
¾ cup unsalted margarine or butter, melted
1 ½ cups white sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 eggs
¼ cup cocoa powder
½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
½ cup pumpkin purée
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp ground cloves
½ tsp nutmeg

Pre-heat the oven to 350 °F and line an 8-inch square baking dish with aluminum foil. Lightly grease the foil.

In a bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl mix together melted butter, sugar, and vanilla. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Add in the flour mixture, a little at a time, and stir until the batter is evenly moistened. Divide the batter in half evenly into 2 separate bowls.

In one of the bowls blend in the cocoa powder and chocolate chips. In the second bowl of batter, stir in pumpkin purée, walnuts, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg.

Spread half of the chocolate batter mixture into the bottom of the baking dish. Pour halfof the pumpkin batter mixture over that. Repeat the layers, ending with a pumpkin layer. Drag a kitchen knife or spatula through the layers in a swirling motion, creating a marble appearance.

Bake in the oven at 350 °F for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool and cut into squares.

Pumpkin Sage Orzo

2011-11-10T10:32:00.000-06:00

Here’s a great savoury recipe I made with ½ cup of pumpkin purée. I loved the recipe and will definitely be making it again, but I’ll go easy on the sage, as it can quickly overpower the dish if you use too much. The recipe makes a total of 2 or 3 servings. I got it from AM New York, the same place I got the pumpkin spice waffle recipe.

2 Tbsp unsalted butter or margarine, divided
½ medium onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup orzo
½ cup pumpkin purée
¼ tsp fresh sage leaves, chopped
2 ½ cups chicken or vegetable stock
¼ cup soy creamer
½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
kosher salt & cracked black pepper, to taste

Heat 1 Tbsp butter in a large skillet over medium-heat. Add onion and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, for 4 minutes until onion is tender. Stir in orzo; cook, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes. Stir in pumpkin purée and chopped sage.

Add chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Cook for 7-8 minutes until liquid is almost absorbed and orzo is tender. Turn heat off.

Finish with the creamer and Parmesan cheese. Season to taste and serve immediately.

Pumpkin Spice Waffles

2011-11-08T14:37:00.001-06:00

It’s been a while since I posted a breakfast recipe. It’s not that I hadn’t made anything lately, though. There was a banana date bread that was okay, but not better than any other banana bread I’ve shared before. I also tried two new pancakes recipes: one called for separating an egg, but not whisking the white separately (this was not a flaw, but a feature of the recipe); the other called for a whopping 4 Tbsp of baking powder, to make supposedly the fluffier pancakes ever. The former was nothing special, but the latter was a complete flop.

Then I started to go through the pantry to edit its contents, and decided to use up a big can of pumpkin purée. So I pulled up this link to get some inspiration, and settled on these pumpkin spice waffles, though I didn’t bother with the maple pecan syrup. They were delicious both with plain maple syrup and with ginger syrup. And these waffles, ladies and gentlemen, are worth sharing.

2 ½ cups flour
4 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
½ tsp ground ginger
½ tsp salt
1 cup pumpkin purée
2 cups lactose-free whole milk
4 large eggs
¼ cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat waffle iron (I used setting 3 out of 6). Combine the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground ginger and salt) in a mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, combine wet ingredients (pumpkin purée, milk, eggs, sugar, and vanilla). Whisk in flour mixture and blend until smooth.

Grease the waffle iron and cook the batter in the waffle iron as recommended in the manufacturer's instructions. (I like using a relatively natural spray for this, and I greased the waffle iron after every other waffle.) Repeat with remaining batter. (I got 10 waffles, using about ¼ cup of batter at a time, so I froze some of them for future breakfasts.)

Tagliatelle with Prosciutto and Orange

2011-11-08T13:52:00.000-06:00

I’m very sorry I don’t have a better picture, because this recipe from Bon Appétit was excellent. It looks like an odd choice of ingredients (orange in pasta? really?), but it works beautifully. I also love those recipes that call for a very simple sauce made in part with the pasta water, because it gives the whole thing a nice, creamy consistency that is heavenly when served immediately. (It certainly doesn’t reheat as well, though, so I haven’t found a way around that yet. When there’s no sauce, you can just heat the pasta in boiling water and get the same consistency as the previous night.) I heartily recommend this dish.

kosher salt
12 oz egg tagliatelle or fettuccine (preferably fresh)
2 Tbsp unsalted butter or margarine
2 oz thinly sliced prosciutto, torn into 1" pieces
zest and juice of 1 orange
½ cup soy creamer (instead of heavy whipping cream)
freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup finely grated Parmesan

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Season with salt; add pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until 1 minute before al dente, about 2 minutes for fresh pasta, longer for dried. Drain, reserving ¼ cup pasta water.

Meanwhile, melt butter in a large heavy non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add prosciutto; sauté until browned, about 3 minutes.

Add reserved pasta water, orange juice, half of zest, and creamer; bring to a boil. Add pasta; cook, stirring, until sauce coats pasta and pasta is al dente, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in cheese and divide among warm bowls. Sprinkle remaining orange zest over pasta.

Parmesan-Roasted Acorn Squash

2011-10-31T14:47:00.000-05:00

This super easy recipe is from Real Simple. It was a great side dish (though it can be made into a light lunch). You can choose to peel the squash or not: while it is quite good either way, I found that I preferred it peeled, while the Engineer actually enjoyed the peel. I used an acorn squash, but I’m sure this recipe would be good with other types of squash too (though in that case, it probably is better to peel them). This recipe made the Engineer say that even though he was apprehensive whenever I serve squash, he realized that he always ends up liking it! This recipe makes about 4 servings (I used it as a side to roast duck with Simon Turcotte’s cranberry and Sichuan pepper jam).

1 2-lb acorn or delicata squash—halved, seeded, and sliced ¾ inch thick
2 Tbsp olive oil
8 sprigs fresh thyme
kosher salt and black pepper
¼ cup grated Parmesan (1 oz)

Preheat oven to 400 °F. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss the squash with the oil, thyme, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Sprinkle with the Parmesan.

Roast the squash until golden brown and tender, 25 to 30 minutes.

Poulet au gingembre et au citron

2011-10-31T12:40:00.003-05:00

Voici une recette rapide prise dans un numéro de Coup de Pouce. J’ai bien aimé ce plat, mais il faut dire en partant que j’aime le gingembre et le citron, et en ajoutant du miel en plus, c’était difficile de rater son coup! J’ai servi ce plat un soir avec une petite salade de quinoa (raisins secs, amandes et oignons verts), puis avec des petits pois au citron et au parmesan le deuxième soir. Selon votre appétit et la grosseur de vos hauts de cuisses de poulet, cette recette fait entre 4 et 8 portions.

jus et zeste râpé de 1 citron
1 c. à soupe de gingembre frais, râpé
½ c. à thé de sel
2 c. à soupe de miel
1 c. à soupe de sauce soja réduite en sel (ou de sauce tamari sans blé si vous évitez le gluten)
2 c. à soupe d’eau
8 hauts de cuisses de poulet non désossés, avec la peau
2 c. à thé d’huile végétale
oignons verts en tranches (facultatif)
quartiers de citron (facultatif)

Dans un bol, mélanger le zeste de citron, le gingembre et le sel. Dans un autre bol, mélanger le jus de citron, le miel, la sauce soja et l’eau. Réserver. Avec les doigts, soulever délicatement la peau du poulet et insérer le mélange de zeste de citron entre la chair et la peau.

Dans un grand poêlon, chauffer l’huile à feu moyen-vif. Ajouter les hauts de cuisses, la peau dessous, et cuire pendant 7 minutes ou jusqu’à ce qu’ils soient bien dorés. Retourner le poulet et ajouter le mélange de jus de citron réservé. Réduire le feu, couvrir et poursuivre la cuisson de 14 à 18 minutes ou jusqu’à ce que le poulet ait perdu sa teinte rosée à l’intérieur.

Au moment de servir, répartir le poulet dans quatre assiettes. Dégraisser le jus de cuisson, si désiré, et en arroser le poulet. Garnir d’oignons verts et de quartiers de citron, si désiré.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Hummus

2011-10-29T15:00:00.000-05:00

This sounds surprising, but I promise you, it’s delicious. The flavours actually complement each other very well because the chickpeas, peanut butter and maple syrup all have the same earthiness. It feels really decadent, like you’re eating cookie dough, but it’s really healthy fats and a natural sweetener (which contains vitamins and minerals, if you’re keeping track). Plus, you probably have all the ingredients on hand already. The recipe is from The Wannbe Chef .

2 cups chickpeas (I used one can)
¼ cup natural peanut butter
¼ cup + 2 Tbsp maple syrup
½ Tbsp vanilla extract
¼ cup chocolate chips

Drain, measure, wash, and peel your chickpeas. Peeling them isn’t absolutely necessary but it makes for the creamiest hummus and really is worth the effort. (I would agree that it makes a difference, but I didn’t put in the effort, and the hummus was still great despite the stray peels.)

In a food processor, add the first 4 ingredients and process until the hummus is smooth and emulsified (the one thing no one wants for dessert is chunky chickpea pieces in their dessert). Remove the blade and fold in the chocolate chips. Move into a deep serving bowl and serve with graham crackers, ideally at room temperature (it gets stiffer after it’s been in the fridge).

Batch of links - Food

2011-10-29T14:22:00.001-05:00

This time, I’ve got some food-related topics to share. Thank you for your patience during my housekeeping!

- The 10 foods most closely correlated with weight gain and weight loss: Unfortunately, the Harvard study does not examine the causal effect. For example, does eating potato chips automatically mean you’ll gain more weight than by eating the same number of calories in another food, or does it mean that people who eat potato chips often eat them while watching television (mindlessly), which then might also mean they are less likely to exercise or eat right the rest of the time? It’s probably a combination of factors, obviously, but still good to know.

- A pre-smoke alarm: Does your smoke detector ever go off when you’re cooking, even though you’re nowhere near setting a fire? We fortunately don’t have this problem now that we’re in a house instead of an apartment, but this used to be an issue. (Before I met the Engineer, I lived in a studio apartment for three years, and I disabled the smoke alarm because it would go off if I made light toast.) Too bad the company doesn’t seem to be making it anymore…

- Saving bees by buying free-range beef: We all know that the North American bee population is in trouble, which affects pollinated crops – ergo, our diet. But research has shown that “precisely because rangelands have been used for ranching—livestock grazing—ranchers have kept the land conserved and stewarded it in ways that result in habitat that sustains wild bee species and other wildlife.” Score one (more) for free range farming!

- Asian honey, banned in Europe, is flooding US grocery shelves: Asian honey can contain illegal antibiotics and heavy metals, and some sweet liquids are even being labelled as honey when they are in fact a mixture of water and other sweeteners. As a result, the European Union has banned its import, but the FDA is sadly lagging behind. Another reason to buy local (make sure the honey was made locally, not just packaged locally).

- On a related note, there’s arsenic in apple juice: Levels are much higher than the acceptable legal limit in water. The FDA says it’s not really a big deal, because we don’t drink as much apple juice as we do water. Some experts, however, warn that children might be drinking more apple juice than water, and their bodies are developing, so it could be a big deal. Personally, I think it couldn’t hurt to err on the side of caution here and have stricter regulations.

- Being a judge for the James Beard Cookbook Awards: An interesting read. Maybe someday I’ll get around to self-publishing something awesome and submit it.

- Cereal marshmallows in bulk : You know how, when you were a kid and eating Lucky Charms, you sometimes wished you could have just a bowl full of marshmallows without the cereal getting in the way? Well, now you can!

- The Happy Cow: Find vegetarian restaurants and health food stores all over the world, for your next vacation.

- 6 gluten-free ways to enjoy pasta sauce: Besides gluten-free pasta, that is.

- 14 home hacks for your dishwasher: Did you know you can use it to clean vegetables and even cook lasagna?

- Why there will never be another cupcake: An article by Baked’s Matt Lewis, so very well said.

- Food by state: The food for which each state is known. Is it any wonder it’s so hard to eat healthy when we drive to Canada and back?

Easy Almond Cake

2011-10-29T14:08:00.000-05:00

This recipe is from Nigella Lawson’s How To Be A Domestic Goddess. It’s the first recipe I made from that book, and I it’s one of my favourite cake recipes. It’s somewhat unusual in that the batter is made in a food processor, but that just makes it easier. The cake is dense, moist and keeps well. It’s also quite adaptable: Nigella suggests serving it with raspberries, apples or rhubarb, or using orange zest in place of the vanilla. It looks beautiful when dusted with powdered sugar, too. I adapted the quantities slightly to make this a North American version of the recipe and to include the type of marzipan that is most often found here (i.e., Odense in a vacuum-sealed tube). For the oven temperature, I chose 350 °F (instead of the exact conversion 338 °F), but I could have gone to 325 °F and baked the cake a tad longer, too. I decide to serve the cake with my leftover raspberry coulis, but it’s great on its own, too.

1 cup butter or margarine
198 g (one package) of marzipan, at room temperature
¾ cup fine sugar (if yours is coarser, give it a whirl by itself in the food processor first)
¼ tsp almond extract
¼ tsp vanilla
6 large eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350 °F. Grease a 9-inch springform tube pan or patterned ring mould (I always use my Bundt pan for this).

Chop the butter and marzipan to make them easier to break down, and put them in the bowl of the food processor, fitted with the double-bladed knife, with the sugar. Process until combined and pretty well smooth. Add almond extract and vanilla, process again, then break the eggs one at a time through the funnel, processing again each time.

In a small bowl, mix the flour, baking powder and salt. Tip the flour mixture down the funnel, processing yet again, and then pour the mixture into the prepared tin.

Bake for about 40-45 minutes, but check from 35. When the cake looks golden and cooked and a cake-tester comes out cleanish, remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin before turning out. (If ever the top of the cake sticks a bit to the mould, dust it with powdered sugar and it will hardly show).

Coulis de framboises

2011-10-29T13:59:00.000-05:00

J’ai fait récemment un coulis de framboises pour accompagner le gâteau à la main de Bouddha que je sortais du congélateur (et il était toujours aussi bon!). La recette était dans ma pile de papier depuis des années, mais j’hésitais à la faire, puisque l’Ingénieur n’aime pas les framboises, mais là, c’était un complément facultatif à nos desserts, alors j’a i plongé. J’ai utilisé 1 1/2 lb de framboises surgelées, donc un peu plus que la quantité recommandée par la recette, mais j’ai mis un peu plus de sucre pour compenser. Le meilleur, c’était l’addition de thym frais de mon jardin. C’était absolument excellent!

Puisque cette recette donne quand même une bonne quantité de coulis, j’en ai aussi mangé sur du yogourt Chobani, plus précisément un yogourt grec parfumé à la banane et au miel très peu sucré. Il y en a aussi une sorte aux petits fruits, et j’ai découvert que je peux en manger sans problème. Je crois que Chobani fait son yogourt de façon plus artisanale que certaines autres marques, donc plus avec des bonnes bactéries qu’avec de la gélatine, ce qui fait baisser la quantité de lactose.

J’en ai aussi mis sur une mousse au chocolat (délicieux!), et sur des crêpes pour déjeuner, avec et sans pêches. Et sur un gâteau aux amandes la semaine suivante. J’aurais pu aussi congeler le coulis, je crois, puisque les framboises décongelées ont été cuites. Franchement, je recommande!

600 g (environ 1 1/3 lb) de framboises fraîches ou surgelées
¾ tasse de sucre (ou jusqu’à 1 tasse si vous avez 1 ½ lb de framboises)
½ c. à thé de thym frais, haché
2 c. à soupe de jus de citron

À l’aide d’un robot, réduire les framboises en purée. Réchauffer la purée sur un feu moyen, ajouter le sucre et le thym. Mélanger jusqu’à ce que le sucre soit dissous complètement. Ajouter le jus de citron. Filtrer à travers un tamis et réserver au frais.

Transformation de vêtements: Sous-verres

2011-10-29T12:33:00.000-05:00

Et une autre transformation! Dans ma pile de vêtements-que-je-ne-mets-plus-mais-que-je-garde-pour-transformer, il y a surtout des chandails. En tricot. C’est dur de coudre du tricot, et la superficie d’un chandail limite le nombre d’applications qu’on peut en tirer en le recyclant. Voilà pourquoi j’ai beaucoup aimé ces sous-verres sur Martha Stewart! Pour chaque sous-verre, il faut un rectangle de tissu d’environ 5 pouces par 10 pouces (si on compte des coutures d’un demi-pouce), du fil et un carré de nappe ouatée (2,99 $ la verge) de 4 pouces. Si vous coupez droit, vous pouvez faire une vingtaine de sous-verres dans une demi-verge de nappe ouatée, donc c’est très économique!

J’ai décidé de faire deux ensembles de sous-verres, un bleu et un vert. J’ai pris trois vieux t-shirts pour chaque ensemble, je les ai repassés et j’en ai tiré trois sous-verres chacun (mais il me restait encore des retailles, j’aurais pu en faire plus). J’ai trouvé que la méthode courtepointe, avec des coutures en genre de spirale à angles droits sur chaque sous-verre, donnait une meilleure apparence au tissu de tricot que j’utilisais. C’était très simple à faire, et j’aime beaucoup avoir un produit fini que je peux utiliser au quotidien. On peut bien sûr utiliser des retailles de tissu tissé (et non tricoté), parce qu’il n’en faut vraiment pas beaucoup pour ce projet, d’autant plus que le nombre final de sous-verres est à déterminer comme vous voulez. Et pour le fil, vous pouvez choisir une couleur qui se marie à votre tissu ou, au contraire, une couleur contrastante. J’ai tellement aimé ça que je recommencerais demain matin, si ce n’était du fait que je pense que je suis greyée en sous-verres pour l’instant (le but étant quand même de me débarrasser d’un surplus de vêtements en les recyclant, pas de créer un surplus de sous-verres). Mais ça pourrait faire un beau cadeau, un ensemble de sous-verres!

Transformation de vêtements: Coussin

2011-10-29T12:00:00.000-05:00

Maintenant que je couds, j’ai transformé quelques vêtements que je ne mettais plus, et j’ai pensé faire suite à mon dernier billet du genre. Tout d’abord, j’avais un chandail en chenille bourgogne dont j’adorais surtout la texture et la couleur. J’ai décidé d’en faire un coussin, puisque le bourgogne ne détonnait pas dans mon salon.

J’ai décidé de me baser sur le principe d’une enveloppe, puisque c’est plus simple que poser des boutons ou une fermeture éclair (c’est important pour moi de pouvoir laver la housse de mes coussins au besoin, d’où l’ouverture). J’ai donc mesuré la taille de mon chandail pour connaître la grandeur de mon enveloppe. J’ai ensuite fait un coussin de ces dimensions, avec du coton blanc et de la bourrure (les deux sont très peu chers). J’ai ensuite découpé mon chandail puis cousu mon coussin. Leçon à retenir : coudre de la chenille, c’est pas facile. Mais j’aime bien le résultat!

Bacon and Leek Risotto with Poached Eggs

2011-10-29T11:06:00.001-05:00

This recipe is from the April 2011 issue of Bon Appétit. The Engineer and I both really liked it. It’s not very labour-intensive, as far as risottos go (count on 1 hour), and the bacon and eggs give it that extra oomph other recipes don’t have. As you know, I never bother making my own chicken broth, but I do like having some Better Than Bouillon base on hand; it takes up hardly any room in the fridge, keeps for a very long time and has a rich flavour. Bonus, it’s gluten-free (at least, the low-sodium chicken base I have is). We got 4 servings out of this meal.

4 large eggs
5 cups low-salt chicken broth
1 Tbsp olive oil
6 slices thick-cut bacon, cut crosswise into ½-inch pieces
2 cups thinly sliced leeks (white and pale green parts only; about 2 large)
1 ½ cups Arborio rice or medium-grain white rice (about 10 oz)
¾ cup dry white wine
3 Tbsp finely chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp finely grated Parmesan cheese
fresh Italian parsley leaves (for garnish)
additional finely grated Parmesan cheese (for garnish)

Bring broth to simmer in medium saucepan; cover to keep warm.

Heat oil in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add bacon and cook until crisp, stirring occasionally. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towels to drain. Add leeks to drippings in pan; cook until soft but not brown, stirring often, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer 2 generous tablespoonfuls leeks to small bowl; reserve for garnish. Add rice to pan; stir 1 to 2 minutes. Add wine; stir until absorbed, about 2 minutes. Add ½ cup warm broth to saucepan; stir until broth is absorbed. Repeat adding broth and stirring until rice is tender but still firm to bite and sauce is creamy, stirring almost constantly, about 23 minutes total. Add bacon, chopped parsley, butter, and 2 tablespoons cheese. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Meanwhile, poach the eggs in a pot of water that is just simmering over medium heat. Cook until whites are cooked through, but yolks are still runny, about 4-5 minutes.

Divide risotto among 4 bowls or plates. Top risotto in each bowl with poached egg. Sprinkle egg with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with parsley leaves, additional cheese, and reserved leeks.

Louise sans gluten

2011-10-27T12:21:00.000-05:00

Je voulais en parler plus tôt, mais je ne l’ai pas fait : après l’épicerie végétalienne à Montréal, il y a maintenant un épicerie sans gluten : Louise sans gluten (Louise’s Gluten-Free Table). C’est aussi un bistro avec des produits cuisinés sur place, et on y offre à la fois des cours de cuisine et une formation pour restaurateurs. C’est à Dorval, donc pas nécessairement accessible facilement pour tout le monde, mais quand même, c’est là! Mis à part dans les épiceries fines et certains IGA (comme celui du mail Cavendish), par contre, ça peut être difficile de trouver des ingrédients et des produits sans gluten. Je suis bien contente que Montréal aie maintenant une nouvelle option spécialisée!

Fettucinis dans une sauce à la roquette, aux pignons et à la pancetta

2011-10-22T10:01:00.000-05:00

Cette recette est tirée du numéro de À Bon Verre, Bonne Table du début de l’été 2011. J’ai fait quelques modifications, notamment en remplaçant la pancetta par du bacon, et la crème 35 % par de la crème de soya. De plus, je n’ai pas trouvé de roquette à l’épicerie, seulement un mélange de mini roquette, mini épinards et fines herbes; c’est donc ce que j’ai utilisé, en laissant de côté le persil puisque j’avais déjà des fines herbes. J’ai aussi utilisé des tomates anciennes, pour faire joli. Et c’était super bon! La sauce enrobait chaque pâte, c’était vraiment réussi. L’Ingénieur a aussi beaucoup aimé, il a dit que c’était digne d’un (bon) restaurant.

125 g (4 oz) de pancetta en tranches minces (ou du bacon)
3 ou 4 tomates italiennes mûres, épépinées et coupées en dés
4 tasses de jeunes feuilles de roquette légèrement tassées
1 tasse de feuilles de persil légèrement tassées
2 c. à soupe d’huile d’olive
½ c. à thé de sel
½ c. à thé de poivre noir du moulin
½ tasse de bouillon de poulet ou de légumes
½ tasse de crème de soya
2 gousses d’ail, hachées menu
500 g (1 lb) de fettuccinis
1 tasse de parmesan frais, râpé
½ tasse de pignons grillés

Hacher grossièrement la pancetta. La faire rissoler dans une poêle antiadhésive de grosseur moyenne sur feu mi-doux à modéré pendant10 minutes ou le temps qu’elle devienne dorée et croustillante. L’égoutter sur du papier absorbant et la mettre de côté.

Juste avant le service, mettre la roquette et le persil dans le bol d’un mélangeur avec l’huile d’olive, le sel et le poivre. Mélanger le bouillon, la crème et l’ail et chauffer le tout au four à micro-ondes, à intensité élevée, de 40 à 60 secondes, pour que la préparation soit très chaude, sans toutefois être bouillante. La verser sur les verdures et les assaisonnements dans le bol du mélangeur, et actionner celui-ci en l’arrêtant de temps à autre pour en racler les parois. La sauce sera plutôt fluide.

Entre-temps, porter à ébullition une grande marmite à moitié remplie d’eau légèrement salée. Cuire les pâtes en suivant les directives sur l’emballage jusqu’à ce qu’elles soient al dente. Égoutter les pâtes puis les remettre dans la marmite chaude.

Ajouter la sauce et remuer pour bien enrober les pâtes. Ajouter maintenant les tomates, la moitié du fromage et les pignons. Remuer et servir dans des assiettes de service réchauffées. Parsemer de pancetta et passer à table le reste du parmesan.

Spicy Tuna Bowl

2011-10-21T13:46:00.000-05:00

Those of you who are sushi lovers are going to love this recipe. It’s not actually sushi, more like a rice bowl with raw fish (like the salmon-tuna bowl they serve at Kazu in Montreal). The most important thing here is to get sushi-grade tuna – we got ours frozen at Central Market, but if there are no stores that sell it in your area, you can order it online as well. Raw tuna really is a beautiful thing; I even think it might be one of my favourite colors. I didn’t make it too spicy, but the Engineer added sriracha sauce to his share. We both loved this meal; it’s more expensive than chicken, sure, but much less expensive than a sushi dinner! This makes 2 generous servings.

For the spicy tuna
1 slab of raw sushi-grade tuna OR 1 package (about 1 cup) of preground raw tuna belly
2 scallions, finely chopped
2 Tbsp mayonnaise
chili oil or sriracha sauce to taste - add ¼ tsp at a time until you reach your desired heat level

Dice the tuna in small pieces and then chop it as finely as you can. Place it in a bowl and mix in the scallions, mayonnaise, chili oil or sriracha, and mix well.

For the bowls
2 cups cooked rice of your choice - sushi rice or brown rice is fine
2 Tbsp rice vinegar
Toppings of your choice (see below)
Soy sauce (optional)

Cook the rice and mix in the rice vinegar. Place rice in a deep, wide bowl. Add the spicy tuna on top of the rice and then add your choice of toppings. Add soy sauce if you desire.

Suggested toppings
julienned raw carrots
julienned cucumber
fresh sprouts, such as daikon sprouts
pickled ginger
shiso leaves
umeboshi (pickled plum)
thinly sliced avocado
thin strips of nori seaweed sheets
roasted sesame seeds
mushrooms such as enoki or shiitake

Beet Pizza Dough

2011-10-21T11:44:00.000-05:00

I saw this idea to add beet purée into pizza dough a while ago. I got around to trying it recently, and it worked out really well. I think I overworked the dough in the initial stage, as it came out of the stand mixer feeling looking like Play-Doh, so I let it rise longer and that seems to have fixed the problem. Once it was baked, the consistency was quite nice, and you really couldn’t taste the beet! I used store-bought tomato sauce, lactose-free Swiss cheese and basil from the garden, but feel free to use whatever topping you prefer. The Engineer liked the dough, but not the Swiss cheese – I’m somewhat limited regarding toppings for the moment, until I start making my own cheese (and the day isn’t that far off, I think). I’ll give more detailed instructions than the original recipe, only because I like having all my instructions in one place instead of having to flip back and forth between several recipes to get the whole thing.

3/4 cup cooked and chopped beets, lightly packed in a liquid measuring cup (1 or 2 beets; see below)
enough almost warm water to make 1 cup when mixed with cooked beets, plus 1 Tbsp
2 ¼ tsp active dry yeast
1 tsp honey
3 cups all-purpose flour (or bread flour)
1 tsp kosher salt
2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for the bowl

Scrub beets under warm water to clean. Put them in tin foil with a bit of olive oil and bake in a 400 °F oven for about 1 hour, until tender. Let cool, then peel. Chop the beets and measure out ¾ cup of it. (I puréed and froze the rest.) Top with enough water to make 1 cup, then add 1 more Tbsp, and purée until smooth. An immersion blender is a godsend here, but a food processor works well too. Or a potato masher if you have nothing else.

Put all the ingredients into a stand mixer bowl. Mix with the dough hook until well kneaded.

Remove from the bowl and knead by hand for 2 minutes on an unfloured surface, then pat into a ball. I skipped this, because my dough looked a bit overworked already. (Obviously, if you have a counter that stains, find another place. I recommend kneading on a baking sheet, for example. I’m lucky enough to finally have good countertops.)

Lightly oil a large bowl with olive oil and add the dough, flipping once to coat. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm spot until doubled. I always do this in the microwave, with the door ajar – the heat from the light bulb is perfect, and there are no drafts.

Preheat the oven at 425 °F. Roll out the dough on a floured surface (again, something that does not stain), do the final stretches by hand by gently pulling the ends with your fingers. If you have a baking stone, put your dough on a piece of parchment paper lightly dusted with cornmeal. Otherwise, place it on a lightly oiled pizza pan dusted with cornmeal. Top as you wish and bake for 15-17 minutes.

Pesto Orecchiette with Chicken Sausage

2011-10-21T10:24:00.000-05:00

Over the summer, the basil took over the herb patch. Our drip irrigation system stopped working, but the basil didn’t seem to notice. It had taken gargantuan proportions and I even had to stake it to keep it under control. I did, however, hack off many branches in an effort to drastically cut it back (the picture here was taken after the drastic cutbacks). I’m not one to waste food, though, so I made a few batches of pesto that I froze. I started with my standard recipe (liberal amounts of fresh basil, grated parmesan, roasted pine nuts and extra virgin olive oil thrown in a food processor), then I tried Jamie Oliver’s recipe (his quantities aren’t any more precise than mine, but he does add salt and garlic on top of my ingredients). If you can’t have nuts but still want some crunch in your pesto, try toasted breadcrumbs or roasted soy beans. The parmesan isn’t absolutely necessary, and you can totally make vegan pesto, but since it tastes wonderful and doesn’t have lactose, I like to use it.

I ended up using some of the pesto to make this dish I found in last May’s Real Simple, omitting the parmesan (since I already had a lot of it in the pesto). I really loved this recipe, and so did the Engineer! When he had his first bite, he exclaimed “Oh, yeah!”, and later said it was “a triumph of masking green beans and peas”. He also says not to compromise on the shape of the pasta; orecchiette really are fantastic here. The recipe makes 4 servings.

12 oz orecchiette
½ lb green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup frozen peas
1 Tbsp olive oil
8 oz fully cooked Italian-style chicken sausage links, thinly sliced
1/3 cup pesto
½ cup grated parmesan (2 oz)

Cook the pasta according to the package directions, adding the green beans and peas during the last 3 minutes of cooking. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water; drain the pasta and vegetables and return them to the pot.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage pieces and cook, turning occasionally, until browned, 6 to 8 minutes.

Add the sausage, pesto, parmesan, and ½ cup of the reserved cooking water to the pasta and vegetables and toss to combine (add more cooking water if the pasta seems dry).

Roasted Apples with Red Onions and Thyme

2011-10-20T17:55:00.000-05:00

This easy side dish was inspired by a blurb in the October 2010 issue of Bon Appétit. It was really good, and a nice change from roasted potatoes. Which, come to think of it, I don’t make nearly as often as I used to. I served the apples and onions with our favourite turkey meatballs with golden raisins and pine nuts.

Toss apple and onion wedges with olive oil, salt, pepper and fresh thyme sprigs (I used some from my garden). Roast at 400 °F, tossing once, until tender, 35 to 40 minutes. That’s it! Enjoy!

Huevos motuleños

2011-10-20T17:46:00.000-05:00

As a follow-up to the baked egg cups the Engineer liked so much, and to help use up the leftover salsa, I decided to make huevos motuleños using a recipe posted on The Kitchn. I decided to poach the eggs, which I can do with a clear conscience with eggs that are pasteurized in the shell. This dish was very fast to make and customizable, as were the baked egg cups. I think I like this one a bit more, although it’s a bit harder to eat. Also, to tell the truth, I don’t really like the vinegary taste of store-bought salsa, so I think some homemade pico de gallo would greatly enhance this dish. This makes 4 small servings or 2 big ones (we kept the same quantities, but used 2 eggs and 2 big tortillas instead of 4 of each).

1 ½ Tbsp olive oil
½ medium onion, minced
½ small bell pepper
4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed though garlic press (the microplane is great here)
½ Tbsp dried oregano
½ tsp ground cumin
1 can black beans (undrained)
squeeze of lime juice
salt and ground black pepper, to taste
4 small corn tortillas
4 eggs
grated lactose-free cheddar cheese (or your cheese of choice)
tasty salsa
1-2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish

In a large skillet or sauté pan, heat olive oil. Add minced onion, bell pepper, garlic and oregano, sauté until soft, 3-7 min. Add cumin and cook until fragrant, about another minute.

Add beans and some (about half) of their liquid to the cooked veggies. While beans are cooking, mash them up with a potato masher or fork, until everything is fairly smooth. Cook until beans are warm and thick but still moist, about 6 minutes. Add lime juice and cilantro, stir and remove from heat. Set aside.

Warm tortillas. You have some choice here about how crispy/soft you want it. (Soft is easier to eat with a fork, crispy is good for eating more like a tostada.) You can heat the tortillas on a cast iron or in the microwave.

Cook your eggs! Poached, over easy or sunny side up are good options.

While eggs are cooking, spread some beans on each tortilla (a layer of about ½ inch works well). When eggs are done, put one egg on each tortilla. Sprinkle with grated cheese (lightly), salsa (heavily) and chopped cilantro (garnish). Enjoy!

Ocean Spray sparkling juices and more

2011-10-20T16:05:00.000-05:00

I haven’t talked about natural sodas in a while. I tried Waialua Soda Works in vanilla cream, and I really liked it. The flavours are original and mostly tropical. But obviously, they’re not “healthy”.

My new favourite are sparkling juices. I still call them sodas, because they do contain sparking water, but they’re often sweetened only with fruit. I had talked about Izze before, which I love – especially the blackberry and the pomegranate soda. My recent discovery, though, are the Ocean Spray sparkling juices. I didn’t try their diet versions, since I avoid artificial sweeteners, but I did try the cranberry as well as the pomegranate blueberry; the latter is my favourite. I found it somewhat by accident, as my grocery store was having a promotion for it. It’s in the fruit juice aisle, not in the soda aisle – after all, it does have a full serving of fruits per glass! It’s a great alternative to sweetened sodas.

I also tried Mash sodas in lemon peel/ginger root and in ripe mango/blood orange, both of which I found at Central Market. They tasted great, but even though sparkling water is the first ingredient, they were flat (there was the tiniest hint of sparkle, but I don’t think I would have detected it if I hadn’t been looking for it). The expiry date wasn’t until next year, though, so I’m wondering whether this is what they are meant to taste like. In which case, they’re good, but they’re not sodas.

Real Simple recently reviewed fruit sodas (see here. They mention San Pellegrino Aranciata, which is good, as is their lemonade. There’s also Italian sodas, which I love, and Izze. The other one of their picks that I’ve tried is the Blue Sky soda. While I like the taste of it (I tried both the black cherry and the lemon lime), the flaw is that it goes flat very quickly. I never drink the whole can in one sitting, so by the time I get back to it, it’s noticeably less sparkling; it seems that other sodas I have don’t go flat quite so quickly.

Tuna and White Bean Salad

2011-10-20T15:31:00.000-05:00

I came across this recipe when I was writing that post about brown-bagging lunches. I changed the quantities a bit and used 2 Tbsp olive oil per 1 Tbsp vinegar, which works better for me (I think the salad would have been too oily otherwise). This makes 2 Tbsp olive oil total instead of the 4 Tbsp called for in the original recipe; the directions below give you either option. I loved the salad as is, but the Engineer is used to having mayonnaise with his tuna and would have preferred adding that to the dressing. It wouldn’t be as healthy, but you could do that if you want. This makes a generous 4 servings. I served the salad with Sephardic challah.

2 cans (15 oz each) white beans, such as Cannellini, Navy, or Great Northern, drained and rinsed
1 large 12-oz can (or 2 small 6-oz cans) of water-packed solid albacore tuna, drained
2 fresh tomatoes, diced
½ red onion, diced
¼ cup of fresh basil leaves, cut in ribbons
2 to 4 Tbsp cup extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Toss the beans, tuna, tomatoes, onions, and basil together in a large mixing bowl.

In a separate small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper. Pour over salad and toss gently to coat.

Serve over a bed of lettuce or with a crusty Italian bread on the side.