Here it is again, the start of another month. That means it is also the end of another SOS Kitchen Challenge (and I’m not foolin’!).
In March, Kim and I featured none other than the delicious and nutritious adzuki bean. Our readers were inspired by both the sweet and savory possibilities, and delivered a multitude of delicious-looking recipes.
From truffles to tarts, soup to salad, and even vegetarian “bacon”, we had it all. And, oddly enough, Kim and I were on the same wavelength and created very similar bean dips, completely separate from each other. I guess great minds do think alike!
Be sure to check out all the great recipes in the Linky below, and prepare to get your bean on!
Anxious for the next SOS Kitchen Challenge? We are too! I’m really pleased with the next ingredient selected for the April SOS Kitchen Challenge. This month’s ingredient is fresh, seasonal, and perfectly suited for a wide variety of savory dishes. And if you can figure out how to use it in a sweet way, you deserve a medal of honor.
I suppose anyone who devotes one third of their blog’s name to “dessert” must really love the sweet stuff. (Uh, yeah). A quick glance at my blog’s recipe index will reveal that, ACD be damned, I’m not willing to give up my sweet treats.
You’ll also notice that stevia has been my savior ever since I began the anti candida diet. As I mentioned in yesterday’s SOS kickoff post, it’s up to 300 times sweeter than sugar and also boasts some pretty impressive health properties. For someone unwilling to consume sucralose, aspartame or other unnatural chemical alternatives, stevia is a perfect means to add sweetness without calories to food. Used in conjunction with other natural sweeteners, it can boost a recipe’s sweet quotient while lowering overall calories–and allow you to continue to enjoy perfectly decadent desserts.
Enter this coconut ice cream, the final recipe in my dinner party trifecta (along with the sushi pizza and tempeh bourguignon). I made it last week for a couple of friends who don’t have any dietary restrictions. I served it over a big slice of the Ultra Fudgy Brownies from Sweet Freedom. Both of them (along with the HH) gobbled it up, entirely unaware that they were eating something “healthy.” (Happily, I was able to enjoy a big serving of the ice cream, too, with fresh blueberries, since it’s ACD-friendly).
Because it contains ingredients that are actually good for you, I felt no compunction whatsoever about having some ice cream atop waffles for brunch a few days later. The HH was very appreciative, too.
As you can see, this recipe contains this month’s SOS ingredient, stevia, as well as last month’s (coconut oil). That’s because I had actually intended this as another coconut oil recipe, but, as often happens these days, got behind in my blogging. No matter; like so many other recipes in my life, it coincidentally contains stevia as well–which makes it a perfect anti-candida dessert.
“Mum, it’s also a perfect canine dessert, you know. How about we help clean up those plates once you’re done?”
[Coconut ice cream atop a wholegrain waffle from my upcoming ebook, Top of the Morning: ACD Recipes without Sugar, Gluten, Eggs or Dairy.]
This ice cream is extremely rich tasting, smooth and silky, with pronounced coconut flavor that isn’t overpowering. For a more subtle coconut contribution, swirl in some chocolate sauce, melted nut butter or sugar-free jam after the ice cream is ready to serve.
1/4 cup (60 ml) unsweetened plain or vanilla soy, almond, rice or coconut milk (for coconut milk, use the kind in a carton, not a can)
1 cup (150 g) raw natural cashews, soaked in room temperature water 6-12 hours and drained
1 ripe medium pear, cored and cut in chunks
1 pkg (12 oz or 350 g) firm or extra firm silken tofu (I used Mori Nu)
1/2 cup (45 g) dry shredded unsweetened coconut
2 Tbsp (60 ml) extra virgin coconut oil, preferably organic
1/3 cup (80 ml) coconut (palm) sugar
1/4 cup (60 ml) agave nectar or food grade vegetable glycerin
10-15 drops plain or vanilla stevia, to your taste (I used NuNaturals)
1 tsp (5 ml) pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) pure coconut extract, optional
1/8 tsp (.5 ml) fine sea salt
Place all ingredients in a high powered blender (such as a VitaMix) and blend until perfectly smooth. This may take a while (if using a VitaMix, you’ll need to push the ingredients down with the wand until everything comes together). If using a regular blender, start with the wet ingredients and then add the coconut and cashews last; blend in small batches if necessary.
Pour the mixture into silicone muffin cups or small plastic containers and freeze until solid. Remove from the cups or containers and store in plastic freezer bags until ready to use.
To make the ice cream: For each serving, remove one muffin cup (or equivalent sized piece) of frozen cream from the freezer and, using a large, sharp knife, cut it into 5 or 6 pieces. Place the pieces in the bowl of a food processor and process until it comes together in a ball (at first it will break apart and resemble breadcrumbs, but eventually it will come together). Stop the processor and spread out the mixture evenly in the bowl, then process again if necessary until it just begins to smooth out (avoid overprocessing or the mixture will be too soft). Scoop into bowls and serve. The full recipe makes 4-6 servings.
Before I even think about sharing this recipe (see, I’m learning: some things are more important than food!), I want to send out a heartfelt “thank you” to everyone who left comments on my previous post and even to those who read it and chose not to comment. This is why I love the food blogging community: there is an incredible wealth of knowledge, wisdom, good will and compassion here that I, quite honestly, have never encountered in such abundance in any other realm in my life. If the knowledge that our struggles–whether food-oriented or otherwise–are shared by others can help even one person, then we can feel as if we are doing something worthwhile with out time (or our blog). And now that my New Year’s whinge is complete, you can all relax–I promise not to whine (well, not too vociferously, anyway) again until 2012.
As lovers of spicy vittles, the HH and I are often drawn to foods from other cuisines than our own (after all, it’s not often you find high-octane poutine or fiery-hot Scottish bannock). In the part of town in which we live, there’s an abundance of Asian restaurants and we have, indeed, frequented most of them. But despite the multicultural norm in Toronto, there’s a paucity of Latin American food in my neighborhood.
As it turns out, my closest connection to Mexico currently is my crush on Cesar Millan (and really, who doesn’t have a crush on that whispering canine tamer?). Previously, I had to rely on Hernando’s Hideaway, a fairly cheesy haunt that served the HH and me canned refried beans, stale tacos and lots of beer when we went there at the outset of our relationship. Not the best reflections of authentic dishes, to be sure.
But I’ve been searching for great Mexican fare ever since I was invited to a colleague’s home for dinner almost 20 years ago. She was my office mate at the time and I was in awe of her. Brilliant, beautiful and gregarious, Ms. Mate had written her PhD in Italian literature, possessed a singing voice like Carrie Underwood’s, bore a striking resemblance to Tricia Helfer and–this one irked me the most–had lived all over the world before settling in Toronto, Canada in her early 30s. (Shortly after we met, Ms. Mate was bitten by the peripatetic bug again and along with her then-hubby and their infant, moved to Vancouver to be near the ocean. Last I heard, she was performing in the country music circuit in between her gigs as a celebrated life coach). Intimidated, much?
One of the places Ms. Mate had resided before relocating in Canada was Oaxaca, and she’d mastered the cuisine (or should that be cocina?) while over there. Our dinner that night involved a variety of authentic dishes, all of which, if I remember correctly, were hot enough to sear the epidermis on your lips (a cheap way to achieve that “plumped-up” look for which so many starlets dish out megabucks, come to think of it).
At that time, the early 90s, Madonna’s influence was still at its apex; in other words, “lingerie-as-clothing” was the hottest trend for women. Ms. Mate greeted us at the door wearing a strapless black lace corset with heart-shaped cups that laced up the back. No shirt. No jacket. (She did sport a pair of slinky silk slacks, however). I know the attire was supposed to be sexy, but for me it was eerily reminiscent of my mother’s old Mah-Jong pal, Ms. Gabor, who regularly removed her shirt at Maj games in our kitchen).
Ms. Mate’s most astonishing party trick, still just as sharp in my memory today as it was that evening, was when she lifted a fresh whole jalapeno from its bowl, held it aloft by the stem, and then all in one go eased it into her mouth (how Madonna-like of her!), chewing contemplatively as each of the guest’s eyes began to water merely from the thought of how spicy it must have been. But to Ms. Mate, who’d long before become innured to such heat in Oaxaca, it was no more unusual than munching on a pretzel.
Needless to say, we were served mole that evening (with chicken in it, if I recall correctly) and while we all loved the complex flavors and nuanced seasonings, it was probably far too spicy for my palate at the time.
I got the idea to try out my own mole after reading a post by Saveur who made an interesting squash and cranberry bean (also known as borlotti beans) version. But we had a brick of tofu in the house that was nearing its “best before” date, and I thought I’d use that instead (though this recipe would be equally delicious with beans, I am sure). Besides, after a flat-out rejection of the stuff, the HH has deigned to consume tofu on occasion once more, and I wanted to strike while the (cast) iron was hot.
This recipe is adapted from–of all places–one by Paula Deen, primarily because she included the word ”quick” in the title. In the end, I went for a more conventional approach and did simmer the sauce for an hour, allowing it to thicken considerably (as true mole should) and for the tofu to absorb as much of the flavors as possible. I love the bitter undertones from the chocolate and the rich, smoky sauce spiked with cumin, chili and cinnamon, which is a perfect foil for the bland rice beneath.
This dish isn’t quite as white-hot as the one made by Ms. Mate, which likely renders it less authentic, yet more of a crowd-pleaser, than hers. Then again, if you’re willing to perform the pepper trick in front of your friends, you can probably get away with as much–or as little–spice as you please.
It’s been a while since I’ve done a roundup of DDD recipes that readers have made, and I wanted to post this before January gets away with us! I love when readers make my recipes and tell me about it. If you’ve tried a DDD recipe in your own kitchen and I miss it here, please let me know about it in the comments and I’d be happy to add it next time. (Oh, and I’m still working on my new Blogroll update. . . if you missed it the first time, you can still leave your info on this post).
An easy version of the Mexican classic. While it takes time to simmer, this dish doesn’t require babysitting while it bubbles–just stir every once in a while and you can go about doing other things while the flavors intensify.
1 block (12 oz or 350 g) extra firm tofu (not the silken style)
2 Tbsp (30 ml) extra virgin olive oil, preferably organic
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 Tbsp (30 ml) chili powder
1 tsp (5 ml) ground cumin
1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp (1 ml) ground allspice
1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) chili flakes
1 large can (19 oz or 560 ml) diced tomatoes
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 small jalapeno pepper, minced
1-1/4 cups (300 ml) vegetable broth or stock
2 ounces (60 g) unsweetened chocolate, chopped
10-15 drops plain stevia liquid, optional
cooked brown basmati rice, for serving
3 Tbsp (45 ml) natural smooth almond butter
Cut the tofu into small cubes 1/2-1 inch (1.5-2.5 cm) big. Heat 1 Tbsp (15 ml) of the olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat; add the tofu and cook until the cubes are browned on most sides. Remove tofu to a bowl.
Add the remaining 1 Tbsp oil to the pan along with the onion; sauté until the onion is translucent, 5-7 minutes. Add garlic and spices and continue to cook for a couple more minutes. Add the tomatoes, red pepper, jalapeno pepper, broth, chocolate and stevia. Stir to combine. When the sauce begins to bubble, lower heat, cover, and simmer for ten minutes.
Pour the mixture into a heatproof blender or food processor (in batches if necessary) and purée until smooth. Return to the pot along with the tofu cubes and bring to a simmer over medium heat; lower heat, cover and continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thick, up to an hour. Gently stir in the almond butter and continue to cook until heated through, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently to avoid scorching. Serve over rice. This is great accompanied by a green salad. Makes 4-6 servings. May be frozen.
* If you’re willing to forgo the chocolate–you can use carob instead–then this recipe is suitable for Phase 1.
With all of my 175 students’ assignments, exams and final marks finally submitted–I am now officially on holidays until 2011–whoo hoo! That makes me one very celebratory gal. Par-tay, I say!
And how about having everything all ready to start cooking my big holiday meal?
Um, no. (Insert sheepish expression here).
“Mum, did you say, ‘sheep?’ I’m half border collie, you know. And just being off-leash at the trail is enough of a party for me!”
In an ideal world, I would not only know exactly which dishes I’m cooking, but would have prepared an entire rehearsal Christmas dinner already, expressly for the purpose of photographing and writing about it for this blog (excuse me while I guffaw).
For the past two years, the HH and I have shared an Indian feast at Christmastime with the CFO, who’s made the trek from Montreal. The CFO isn’t able to join us this year, and I have a feeling that the multi-course Indian buffet will also make itself scarce, at least for this year.
I do have a couple of great ideas for potential dishes I’ve been wanting to try (and about which I’ll post, post-holidays.) But what with the HH’s accident; frenzied shopping for a new car; a fire at the campus where I teach resulting in only TWO days to mark all my students’ exams and submit them; a last-minute invitation to appear on a local daytime TV show (which happened this very morning)–I haven’t yet decided exactly what we’ll be eating at the festive table. Throw in a couple of doctor’s appointments, a visit to the vet, a haircut and typical holiday-time social activities, and there has been precious little time to cook.
If you’re like me and still thinking about what to prepare, I thought I’d share this list of some of my favorite holiday-worthy recipes (many of these are not yet listed in the Recipe Index–updating it is one of my new year’s projects!).
All are ACD-friendly recipes (ie, gluten free, sugar free, dairy free, egg free, low glycemic) unless otherwise specified.
And to everyone who’s celebrating this time of year: have a wonderful holiday season!
We couldn’t be more pleased with the incredible array of entries we received for this month’s SOS Kitchen Challenge on sesame seeds! As always, your creativity and versatility in the kitchen are awe-inspiring.
Thanks to everyone for participating this month. For the first time, we also offered prizes–and you definitely rose to the challenge!
The ten winners of the bags of sesame seeds are:
Saveur from The Taste Space
Megan from Maid in Alaska
Valerie from City Life Eats
Deanna from The Mommy Bowl
Noelle from Singer in the Kitchen
Andrea from Andrea’s Easy Vegan Cooking
Megha from Live to Eat
Bellwookie from B & the Boy
A-K from Swell Vegan, and
Claire from Chez Cayenne
And the winner of the $50 iHerb shopping spree is:
K from Tale of Two Vegans!
Congrats to all the winners!
TO CLAIM YOUR PRIZES, YOU MUST DO THE FOLLOWING:
Email us BEFORE this Friday, NOVEMBER 5, 2010, at soskitchenchallenge@gmail.com with your full (real) name and email address. REMEMBER, you must sign up for an account at iHerb to be eligible for the prize!
If we don’t hear from you by then, we will select new winner(s) until all prizes are awarded.
Please let us know if you’ve enjoyed the SOS Challenge with this new sponsored twist–it’s something we’re considering for future SOS Challenges, too.
We can’t wait to see what you all cook up for next month! We’re both crazy about this next ingredient, and we’re pretty sure that most of you will be, too. :) The reveal post is coming up in just a couple of days!
And here’s a bonus recipe from Tamara Ellis, for a delicious-sounding Turkish Sesame-Lentil Pate. Thanks, Tamara!
TURKISH SESAME LENTIL PATE
This is an allergy free version of a traditional Turkish delicacy called “Mercimek Koftesi”
1 cup red lentils
1 cup quinoa
1/2 cup raw sesame seeds (reserve a few for garnish)
1/4 cup currants
1 large red onion, finely minced
1/4 cup sesame oil
1/4 cup olive oil
1 TBLS cumin
2 TBLS ground corriander
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup chopped parsley (reserve a bit for garnish)
Cook the red lentils in 2 1/2 cups of salted water on low heat. When most of the water has evaporated, add the quinoa and raw sesame seeds. Continue to stir until the quinoa is cooked and the water has evaporated. Add the currants and stir once more. Cover with a lid and set this pot aside.
In a non-stick skillet, saute the minced onion in the sesame and olive oils. Add the cumin, corriander, vinegar and salt. When the onions are wilted, add the lentil-sesame-quinoa-currant mixture. Stir to incorporate. Cook over low heat until the mixture becomes doughy and starts to pull away from the edges of the pan. This takes about 10-15 minutes. When done, add most of the chopped parsley, reserving a small amount for garnish. Cover with a lid and set aside for half an hour.
The finished product should be in the shape of a cigar. Here’s an easy way to create this shape: lay a large piece of plastic wrap or waxed paper on your counter. (I think plastic wrap works better.) Spoon a “log” shape down the length of the plastic wrap. Lift both top and bottom edges (on either side of the “dough”) and shape into a log. Merely pulling on the two sides alternately will form a solid log. Cut the log into sections that are 3-4″ long and arrange on a plate. Alternately, you can just form patties by spooning the dough into the desired shape.
Once plated, drizzle with olive oil and vinegar. Top with the reserved sesame seeds and parsley. Serve at room temperature.
[Sometimes, you just want to eat something now. I've decided to offer a mini-post every once in a while, for a dish that comes together incredibly quickly or else is so easy to make that no recipe is required. Here's today's "Flash in the Pan." (For other FitP recipes, see "Categories" at right).]
So, are you all geared up for Halloween this year? I’m dizzy just thinking of all the Lady Gagas, Shreks, The Situations, Michael Jacksons, Alices in Wonderland, Mutant Ninja Turtles, Katy Perrys, Madonnas, Neytiris, Iron Men or SuperMarios (plus the usual array of vampires, zombies, mummies, witches, ghosts and skeletons).
Sadly, we in the DDD household have put Halloween on hiatus for the time being. No, it’s not because we don’t have children ourselves (even though we don’t). Nope, it’s also not because we’re wizened old spoil-sports who dismiss frivolous celebrations (even though the HH is, just a little bit). And it’s not because we don’t enjoy candy and treats (as if I needed to tell you that).
No, the reason we’ve shelved Halloween for now is because. . . The Girls won’t let us give out candy.
Seriously.
Elsie may have a sweet, docile face like this:
. . . and Chaser may have a clownish, entertaining demeanor like this:
. . . but put those two together, and the sum of the parts when faced with ever-chiming doorbells and chattering children and freakish costumes is one charging, hair-raising, snarling, tails-as-straight-as-flagpoles, child-terrorizing duo.
After trying as we might to control the hellacious reaction* every time the doorbell rang, we opted to simply set a bowl of candy on the porch with a note: “Help Yourself.” (Um, big mistake: our candies were gone in 8 minutes. So now we know to write, ”Help Yourself to ONE TREAT EACH.”) It’s not the same, of course, but at least there’s peace within the home, and the HH and I can hover in darkness at the upstairs window like VC Andrews’ flowers in the attic and silently observe the parade of costumes pass by on the street.
Heartbreaking, I know. But now, on to the food!
As I’ve mentioned before, breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. In addition, I love scrambles for breakfast. In particular, I love tofu scrambles. I’m also always on the quest for any new tofu-based recipes in general. Also, really quick and easy recipes. So when I find a recipe that is tofu and scramble and something new and quick and easy, well, you just know I’ll just be elated. (Okay, maybe it doesn’t quite measure up to a trip to New York last week and meeting Lindsay, Gena and Patrick Stewart all within 36 hours, but it did make me crook my elbow, pump my fist toward my waist and yell, “Yesssssss!”).
So here’s my super easy tofu scramble recipe. Basically, it’s a variation on the Mex-Ital Scramble I wrote about waaaay back when exactly 86 people were reading my blog, so I figure it’s new to most of you.
And did I mention that it’s super easy and super quick?
Like most tofu recipes, I found that the flavor of this one intensified after lingering overnight in the fridge. The contrast of the creamy sauce and firm, chewy kale with softly baked pumpkin was extremely pleasing to the palate. I sprinkled the whole thing with sesame-seaweed seasoning that I received from iHerb in honor of this month’s SOS Challenge and it worked well to add a hint of salt and spice. If you don’t have something similar, you can mix up your own gomashio (a sesame-salt sprinkle that’s wonderful on almost anything; recipe here).
Don’t worry about the pungency of the garlic in the dressing; once you heat it through, the garlic mellows out and sweetens substantially, leaving a mild, creamy, perfectly balanced flavor.
This is my final contribution to the SOS Challenge this month. Stay tuned for a roundup first thing next month, and the reveal for our next yummy ingredient!
Oh, and hope you all have a wonderful Halloween weekend!
* that would be both a) the dogs’ frenzied furor; and b) the kids’ terrified shrieks as they hightail it down the stairs and back to the sidewalk.
DDD In Your Kitchen
As always,I love it when readers try my recipes and let me know that they did. I thought I’d share links to other people who made recipes from the blog and posted about it during the past few weeks.
Here’s a list of recent culinary creations based on DDD recipes. If I missed yours, let me know and I’d be happy to add it to the list!
1 block (12-16 ounces or about 400 g) firm or extra firm tofu, patted dry
1 Tbsp (15 ml) coconut oil, preferably organic
1/4-1/2 cup (60-120 ml) vegetable broth or stock, as needed
5 leaves kale, midrib removed, coarsely chopped
2 cups cooked pumpkin, cut into 1″ (2.5 cm) cubes
1-1/2 to 2 cups creamy salad dressing (I used Caesar from Clean Food)
sprinkle of sesame seasoning (I used Eden Shake, or use gomashio)
Crumble the tofu into bite-sized pieces, or cut into small cubes. Heat the oil in a large nonstick frypan over medium-high heat and add the tofu. Brown on all sides until lightly golden.
Add the broth and kale and cook for another minute or two, until the kale begins to wilt a bit. Add the pumpkin and dressing and gently stir to coat everything. Lower heat to simmer, cover, and allow to heat through, stirring once or twice, about 10 minutes. Serve, garnished with sesame seasoning. Makes 4-6 servings. May be frozen.
“I know I’m sure looking forward to some play time this weekend. . . ball, anyone?”
Happy Canadian Thanksgiving! (And Happy Weekend to everyone else!)
Even if you’re not in Canada, you can still join in the festive spirit this weekend! We’re going to have enviable weather (21C/70F and sunny on Sunday) and I’m determined to set the work aside for at least an afternoon and spend it with the HH and the Girls. (“Yes, Mum, some time at the trail would be much appreciated.”)
The HH and I will be spending the holiday here at home rather than in Montrreal with my family, so it will be a fairly low key affair. I do have something special planned for our dinner, though, which I will share after the weekend (and once I know the recipe works!).
[Before I launch into today's post, I wanted to thank everyone for their kind wishes for poor, accident-prone Elsie! Our Number One* Girl is doing much better, thanks--still limping a little, but infinitely less than that first scary evening. While her gait has improved, her mood hasn't quite, as she has to stay behind with boring Mum every morning while Dad and Chaser go romp in the park. But one more week, and she'll be on the walking trail again, too. ]
Remember when you were a kid and you yearned to have the same toys (or clothes, or packed lunches) that all of your friends had? And in an effort to teach you deferred gratification, your parents would respond to your imploring by saying, “And if Susie’s parents let her jump off the Golden Gate Bridge, would you want to, too?” In our house, it was different. If one of my sisters or I requested something that all of our friends already had, my parents’ perfunctory response was, “NO.” (My Dad’s idea of deferred gratification was “deferred until you can afford to pay for it yourself.” Hmm. May explain why I started babysitting at the ripe old age of eleven).
Since I could never cajole my parents into getting me what I wanted anyway, I developed a determination to stand apart from my friends and covet less popular items. I couldn’t very well not like The Monkees, of course (you couldn’t be a kid in the 60s and not like them), so I worshipped Mickey instead of Davy (totally radical, I know). Like all my friends, I bought (with my babysitting money) the sought-after designer jeans–you know the ones, that proclaimed their exclusivity loudly and clearly with a playing-card sized label just above the fanny cheek–and then I boldly cut off the label (can you imagine? I was so rebellious that way.).
In university, I inevitably fell for the slightly oddball character, someone who, let’s imagine, had been born to a French hooker in Sudbury, had been orphaned at age 12, had raised their younger sister on their own, had worked as a miner and was now studying to be a customs officer. Oh, wait. That actually was my first boyfriend. Later on, I fell for the boyish charms and rapier wit of Rocker Guy (he of the black leather pants). And let’s not forget the HH, the human synthesis of artist genius and science geek, man of few words (and most of those requiring a dictionary to understand), reluctant dog dad turned canine caretaker extraordinaire, and simultaneously the smartest, funniest, and most eccentric human being I’ve ever met.
The food-blog world has its own trends, too. For a while there, kalechipswere (or maybe still are!) all the rage. There was a time when I felt as if faux tuna salad was on almost every blog I read. Or how about the now-ubiquitous cake pops? And where would we be, tell me, without pumpkin and/or almond butter-laced oatmeal? (One of my favorite trends, though not about food per se, was the “blog meme.” When I was tagged for the ”25 Random Things About Me” meme, I got carried away and wrote 101 things. As I mentioned at the time, I guess that will take care of the meme for a while!).
Well, when I saw Mihl’s recipe for Yeasted Zucchini Pie with Herbed Pepita Cream Cheese Filling, my ten year-old self was resurrected and I immediately thought, “I want that, too! Yum!!” Clearly, with its hunter green shellac and creamy alabaster interior, zucchini is the hipster veg on the culinary scene for August, 2010. And the ingenious mix of ingredients in Mihl’s distinctive filling fulfilled my inner desire for creative departure from the norm.
Since the crust was yeast-based, I knew immediately that I couldn’t make it as originally presented. However, I had seen a quiche a while back with a shredded potato crust and thought that would pair brilliantly with the herby filling. After preparing the crust, I discovered that I was out of firm tofu, so used MoriNu as the stand-in (just to be different, I suppose). It worked beautifully, resulting in a slightly creamy, slightly grainy filling with a subtly sour undertone, like ricotta or cottage cheese. The inclusion of basil worked beautifully with the ground pepitas. And while I loved the trendy design formed by the zucchini slices atop the pie, I think that next time, I’ll simply chop the zucchini and fold it into the cheesy mixture before baking, both for convenience and for a more varied texture.
The finished pie reminded me of savory cottage cheese pies my mother used to make–rustic, hearty, and reminscent of late afternoons in the country. Paired with a simple Caesar salad, it made a pleasing meal as the HH and I sat at the kitchen table bathed in incandescent glow of late summer, shimmering interstices of sunlight peeking through the shutters.
“Well, it’s a bit unusual, but it’s good,” the HH remarked. Takes one to know one, I thought–and just kept on eating.
* in the sense of, “the one that preceded Number Two (Number Two being Chaser) and not in the sense of, “the one we like the best.” Of course I could never favor one of my Girls over the other–duh!
And Also:
There are a few more happenings here on DDD that I’m excited about and wanted to share before I sign off!
First of all, you can still contribute to this month’s SOS Kitchen Challenge, until August 31st! If you’ve got a minty recipe that you’ve made recently or one you’re working on, please consider adding it to the SOS page for August!
I’m also gearing up for some really cool Back-to-School Giveaways on the blog over the next few weeks. I’ll be talking about some products that I’ve tried and really enjoyed, along with the usual recipes and chance to win some great goodies for yourselves. Whoo hoo!
Speaking of giveaways, if you didn’t win a free copy of my latest ebook, Desserts without Compromise, you can still buy it at a great discountuntil the end of the month. Choose either ebook on its own, or pair them together and save even more! For full details or to purchase, check here.
And finally, I’m always tickled when I see that someone else in blogland has tried one of my recipes. So I thought I’d share some of them here with you! And if you’ve made a DDD recipe in the last little while and I’ve missed you here, please email (at dietdessertdogs AT gmail DOT com) to let me know so I can add your link to the roundup next time!
I’m sending this recipe off to Amy of Simply Sugar and Gluten Free for this week’s Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays–it’s the One Year Anniversary edition, too! (Congrats, Amy!). Go check out the other great entries in the event! Oh, and don’t forget to hop back to Amy’s blog on September 1st–I’ll be guest posting that day!
Zucchini Pie with Potato Crust (ACD Stage 2 and beyond)
2 pounds (900 g) russet potatoes, cut into large chunks
2 Tbsp (30 ml) finely ground flax meal
2 Tbsp (30 ml) chickpea flour
1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) fine sea salt
1/4 cup (60 ml) vegetable broth or stock
Filling:
1/2 cup (60 g) pumpkin seeds, lightly toasted
2 cloves garlic
3 green onions, cut in chunks
1/3 cup (15 g) lightly packed chopped fresh basil
1 package (12 oz or 375 g) extra firm silken tofu (such as MoriNu)
6 Tbsp (90 ml) vegetable broth or stock
1 Tbsp (15 ml) apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) fine sea salt
1 tsp (5 ml) granulated onion or onion powder
1/4-1/2 tsp (1-2.5 ml) smoked paprika, to your taste
2 tsp (10 ml) light miso
2 tsp (10 ml) dijon mustard
1/8 tsp (.5 ml) nutmeg
1 Tbsp (15 ml) chickpea or soy flour
pepper, to taste
2 medium zucchini, washed, trimmed and sliced
olive oil, if desired
Preheat oven to 375F (190C). Line a 10 inch (25.5 cm) tart pan with parchment and spray sides, or spray with nonstick spray.
Prepare the crust: place potato chunks in boiling water and boil just until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water. Allow to cool completely, then grate the potatoes and place in a large bowl.
To the bowl, add the flax, chickpea flour,salt and broth and mix well with your hands. Using the back of a rubber spatula or a 1/3 cup (80 ml) measuring cup, press the potato mixture evenly into the bottom and up sides of prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, until the top is dry. Remove from oven and reduce heat to 350F (180C).
Meanwhile, make the filling: In the bowl of a food processor, blend the pumpkin seeds, garlic, green onion and basil until you have a paste. Add remaining filling ingredients except for zucchini and olive oil and process again until smooth. If desired, roughly chop the zucchini and fold into the filling at this point. Pour over the crust and smooth the top.
If using zucchini slices, arrange them over the filling in a decorative fashion. If desired, brush with olive oil.
Bake in preheated 350F (180C) oven 50-60 minutes, rotating the pie about halfway through, until the crust is browned and the zucchini has begun to brown. Allow to rest 5-10 minutes before serving. Makes 8 servings. May be frozen.
This month’s SOS (Sweet or Savory) Kitchen Challenge asked readers to whip up dishes with spinach, and wow, did you ever take on this challenge with gusto! We received a dozen fantastic, creative recipes to try that all highlight the super-healthy leafy green. And yes, a few desserts are included as well!
Thanks to everyone who entered the challenge this month. As always, if you’ve submitted a recipe and I forgot to include it here, please let me know asap so I can add it to the list.
Here’s what’s on the menu with spinach:
THE SAVORY CONTRIBUTIONS:
Our very first entry was from Janet at Taste Space (Toronto) –a colorful and delicious Quinoa and Butternut Squash Spinach Salad with Cranberry and Pear. Well, I think the title tells you everything you need to know–doesn’t that just sound delectable? This savory salad is also a bit sweet with the pear and cranberries. Suitable for gluten free, vegan, sugar free, egg free and dairy free diets.
Jacqueline of Tinned Tomatoes (Dundee, Scotland) offers up a great recipe for Spicy Spinach and Potato Curry adapted from a recipe she found in one huge tome of a cookbook. Her pics look great (and check out the gratuitious cuteness of her new baby, Cooper!) This recipe is suitable for gluten free, soy-free, vegan, and ACD diets (contains coconut milk).
Kiersten from Full of Beans (Charlotte, NC )’s vegan Coconut Curried Chickpeas and Spinach looks like the perfect quick weekday dinner. I love a good curry, and with chickpeas AND spinach, you can’t go wrong with this one! Vegan, soy-free, gluten free, ACD-friendly and otherwise nut-free.
A double savory whammy comes to us from Lisa of Vegan Cookbook Critic (Toronto). First up, Lisa created a quick and easy savory Avocado-Spinach Spread–just look at the deep emerald color of that dip!
She also “uncooked” some gorgeously green Spinach-Hemp Flatbreads on which to spread it. Unlike many other dehydrated flatbreads, these remain soft, perfect for sandwiches. These both are vegan, dairy free, gluten free, raw, and sugar free.
Mom at the Gluten-Free Edge (Georgetown, Texas) decided that her Spinach Mushroom Pie should undergo a vegan revamp for this month’s entry! This is her remake of a long-time favorite recipe, and it worked out beautifully. The recipe is gluten free and vegan.
Chaya from The Comfy Cook is back this month with a fabulous Oriental Rice Pizza. This savory dish is filled with veggies and is a snap to make with its rice-based crust. It’s gluten free, sugar free and dairy free.
Johanna of Green Gourmet Giraffe (Melbourne, Australia) offers a cheezy spinach-based soup this month with her Pumpkin, Bean and Spinach Soup. While the recipe itself looks delicious, half the fun of the recipe is Johanna’s recounting of the experimentation that led her to it. And doesn’t the concept of tofu croutons just sound fabulous?
Valerie of City Life Eats (Washington, DC) has created a Lemony Spinach Pepita Pesto. With a unique combination of ingredients, this pesto would be delicious on more than just pasta. It’s gluten free, vegan, nut free, sugar free and ACD-friendly.
Aubree Cherie, who blogs at Living Free (Kennett Square, PA), decided to move out of her usual spinach zone with these Almond Spinach Biscuits. A great savory biscuit with a hint of sweet (dried cranberries), these treats were gobbled up by her significant other in no time. Definitely a fun (and delicious) recipe. Gluten free, sugar free, vegan and ACD-friendly.
My event partner, Kim at Affairs of Living, cooked up a fabulous Creamy Spinach and Celeriac Soup for those days when you crave something rich and healthy at the same time. The recipe is vegan, gluten free, sugar free, ACD friendly, soy free and nut free.
My savory contribution this month is a Classic Tofu Quiche recipe that I’ve had for years but never thought to post. The millet crust helps to make it quick, easy, and delicious! It’s gluten free, sugar free and vegan.
THE SWEET CONTRIBUTIONS (Yes, even spinach has a sweet side!):
Rachel from My Munchable Musings (WA) treated us to two sweet recipes this month! First up are these Spring Picnic Cupcakes, her take on the classic Strawberry and Spinach Salad–in a sweet mini confection! She’s also included a great bit of additional history and nutritional information about spinach here. These are wheat free, sugar free and vegan.
Rachel also created these adorable Green Thumb Print Cookies, that are gluten free! I love how the strawberry sits perfectly in the thumb print–seriously yummy looking. These are gluten free, sugar free and vegan.
Kim’s second contribution this month is her Invisible Spinach Smoothie. While you may have enjoyed smoothies with spinach before, this quick and easy recipe contains another veggie that you might not expect. Vegan, ACD-friendly, gluten free.
Finally, my sweet contribution is this Green Monster Muffin. Based on the concept of green smoothies, these muffins offer up spinach in a slightly sweet, hearty breakfast baked good. I’ve used chopped apples, but you could add in raisins or even chocolate chips to the mix if you like. Vegan, sugar free, gluten free.
Thanks again to everyone who played along this month. Enjoy these recipes until next month, when Kim–our hostess for June’s Challenge–will announce the new SOS ingredient.
Have you ever seen the movie Big Night? An early effort from the incomparable Stanley Tucci, the film is notable for its fixation on food and cooking as well as a rare thespian turn from Mr J-Lo himself, Marc Anthony. Set in 1950s suburban America, the plot chronicles two Italian immigrant brothers who are determined to serve up genuine Italian food when all the that the madding crowds seem to want is McMeatballs with a side of cheezy entertainment. Customers keep requesting spaghetti, pizza or lasagna and are repulsed by the authentic risotto (which wasn’t yet familiar in North America).
In those days, “exotic” restaurants that purportedly served ethnic cuisines but really supplied little more than gussied up TV dinners were typical. One of these, the China Inn in Montreal, was a favorite destination when my sisters and I were kids and my mother felt like treating us to something special. We’d ride across town on the Number 17 bus, enduring 45 minutes of bumpy roads, swinging around extra-wide turns and the distinct aroma that develops when too many humans are packed into too small a space with half of them reaching overhead to hold onto bus railings–just to partake of their “all-you-can-eat” lunch buffet.
The table at the restaurant was fairly heaving with platters, all the Chinese equivalent of Chef Boy R Dee: greasy, slightly damp egg rolls filled with MSG-dusted cabbage and onion; sweet and sour chicken balls, their sauce the shade of cinnamon hearts and punctuated with nuggets of canned pineapple; chop suey, a gelatinous mix of wilted gray vegetables topped with equally ennervated bean sprouts; spare ribs, those tiny, lardlike cubes of bone and the occasional sliver of meat, slow cooked and bathed in a sickly sweet, molasses and soy sauce concoction; chicken fried rice with its frozen carrot dice and pellet-like peas; and–on the rare occasion that we were really lucky–egg foo yung.
China Inn’s egg foo yung was probably the closest thing to “real” food they served (which is also likely why it appeared on the menu so rarely). A flat, slightly charred omelet with chopped vegetables mixed into the egg, the dish was always accompanied by a thick, spicy sauce that was my favorite part. I mean, you could get egg anywhere, but top that egg with a spicy sauce–well, that was authentic Chinese food, right?
Once I grew older and expanded my culinary repertoire somewhat, I was appalled by the shoddy offerings on that buffet table (not to mention the heave-inducing thought of those “spare” ribs.). It occurred to me that China Inn’s food was about as far from Chinese as Pizza Pockets are from pizza. I wish I could tell you I never ate at that buffet (or the one at Mandarin) again, but alas, it was many years before I shunned such alimentary travesties for good.
After I began to follow a whole foods, healthy diet, I discovered a huge range of Asian cooking, including Thai, Malaysian, Japanese and, yes, Chinese. I ventured to create my own rice paper rolls, rice vermicelli, healthier “fried” rice, sushi, varied and sundry stir-fries–but never egg foo yung.
Until now, that is.
My version of the eggy dish (as so many vegan omelets are) is tofu-based. Unlike your standard tofu omelet, however, this egg faux yung is smaller, spicier, and slightly thicker in the middle (sort of like me compared to Ellen, I suppose). In fact, I preferred these mini omelets on the second day, once they’d rested in the fridge overnight and the insides had dried out a wee bit (you may find them a tad too moist when they’re very fresh). In any case, the flavor is superb: a combination of ginger, sesame, and green onion that is quintessentially Asian. I also felt compelled to reproduce the thick and gelatenous sauce to spoon over top as well–it just wouldn’t be my buffet favorite without it.
Whether you eat these with a side of chop suey, fried rice, or all on their own, one thing is for sure: the delight you’ll experience when you take a bite will be one hundred percent authentic.
[Oh, and The EL-LENd Me A Hand campaign is still on! Help bring some healthy, vegan, sugar-free desserts to The Ellen Show (and I suppose they'll need someone to serve them--I guess I'll have to go, too). ]
While egg faux yung is traditionally eaten for dinner, I’ve enjoyed these at breakfast as well–they’re a protein-packed way to start the day (because, hey, these aren’t traditional).
Omelets:
1 package (12 ounces or 350-375 g) firm tofu, drained and rinsed
1 Tbsp (15 ml) organic cornstarch, arrowroot, or tapioca starch
Optional Garnish:
1 large clove garlic, sliced
1 tsp (5 ml) coconut oil
additional sliced green onion
To make the egg faux yung: Crumble the tofu into the bowl of a food processor. Add the chickpea flour, turmeric, paprika, tamari, sesame oil, ginger, chia, baking powder and stock. Process until smooth.
Turn the mixture into a medium-sized bowl and add the carrot, broccoli, red pepper and green onion; stir to mix. The mixture should be fairly thick and not too moist, like a cookie dough, but still spreadable.
Heat a large frypan over medium heat; spray with nonstick spray. Using a large ice cream scoop or tablespoon, scoop the mixture and spread it on the frypan to create pancake-sized mini omelets; spread the mixture so that the egg faux yung are about 1/2 inch (1 cm) thick. Cook without disturbing until the tops are beginning to dry out and the edges begin to brown (this could take a full 10 minutes). Gently flip the omelets and cook for 5-8 minutes on the other side, until both sides are deeply browned. (Timing will depend on the heat of your particular stove and the thickness of your frypan; but be sure these are not undercooked!). Keep omelets warm in the oven until all the mixture is used up.
Make the sauce: In a small, heavy-bottomed pot, combine the broth, tamari, hot sauce and sesame oil. Scoop out about 2 Tbsp (30 ml) of this mixture into a small bowl and add the cornstarch, whisking to eliminate any lumps. Set aside. Bring the liquid in the pot to a boil over medium heat. Slowly stir in the broth-cornstarch mixture and return to boil; lower heat and simmer for about 10 more seconds, until thickened.
For the optional garnish: melt the coconut oil in the frypan over medium heat and stir in the sliced garlic. Continue to stir constantly until the garlic is browned, 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat.
To serve, stack 2-4 egg faux yung on a plate and spoon some sauce over top. Sprinkle with garlic and green onion slices. Makes 4-6 servings. Omelets may be frozen; sauce will keep, up to 3 days, covered in the refrigerator.
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