Yummy (Healthy) Cookies

Ok, so I know what you're thinking—can cookies really be both “yummy” and “healthy”?  Yes!!  I’ve finally found the intersection of yum and health, a veritable venn diagram of baking if you will.

A few weeks ago we had a girls night and I wanted to make something that everyone could eat so I was searching for a gluten free recipe.  Oftentimes gluten free baking requires all sorts of special flours and somewhat hard to find (and typically expensive) ingredients.  Because gluten is a binding agent, when you go gluten free, you have to use all sorts of other things to get the baked good to stay intact. Sometimes homemade cookies and cakes that are gfree can fall apart and don’t have the familiar consistency one thinks of when dreaming about a baked good. 

But I am here to tell you that I’ve found a recipe that bucks this trend!  Of course these tasty treats come from 101cookbooks.com, my go to source for all things healthy and tasty.  I added a few of my own touches to Heidi’s recipe.  If you’d like to spice things up as I did, go ahead and add some mashed up apples (I had some overripe little guys on hand and they were begging to be used).  Also, I added in some nutmeg.  The recipe calls for coconut oil with a possible substitution of olive oil but I used the olive oil and it came out splendidly, so don’t worry about going out to get the coconut if you don’t have that. Also, I made my own almond meal by throwing some almonds in a chopper, it’s super easy.  As Heidi notes, the consistency of the raw cookies will be quite different than you are used to, but no worries, this is to be expected.  Just keep an eye on them and go for the smell test (if they smell done, they probably are!).  Here is Heidi's recipe and my photos follow:

(Heidi's) Nikki's Healthy Cookies
You can use unsweetened carob, or grain sweetened chocolate chips, or do what I did and chop up 2/3 of a bar of Scharffen berger 70%. I sort-of shaved half the bar with a knife and then cut the rest into bigger chip-sized chunks. You can make your own almond meal by pulsing almonds in a food processor until it is the texture of sand - don't go too far or you'll end up with almond butter. And lastly, the coconut oil works beautifully here, just be sure to warm it a bit - enough that it is no longer solid, which makes it easier to incorporate into the bananas. If you have gluten allergies, seek out GF oats.

    3 large, ripe bananas, well mashed (about 1 1/2 cups)
    1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    1/4 cup coconut oil, barely warm - so it isn't solid (or alternately, olive oil)
    2 cups rolled oats
    2/3 cup almond meal
    1/3 cup coconut, finely shredded & unsweetened
    1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
    1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
    1 teaspoon baking powder
    6 - 7 ounces chocolate chips or dark chocolate bar chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, racks in the top third.

In a large bowl combine the bananas, vanilla extract, and coconut oil. Set aside. In another bowl whisk together the oats, almond meal, shredded coconut, cinnamon, salt, and baking powder. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until combined. Fold in the chocolate chunks/chips.The dough is a bit looser than a standard cookie dough, don't worry about it. Drop dollops of the dough, each about 2 teaspoons in size, an inch apart, onto a parchment (or Silpat) lined baking sheet. Bake for 12 - 14 minutes. I baked these as long as possible without burning the bottoms and they were perfect - just shy of 15 minutes seems to be about right in my oven.

Makes about 3 dozen bite-sized cookies.

I hope you enjoy these yummy and tasty treats--as the holidays approach it's nice to find sweets that don't pack too much of a fatty punch.  Mmmmm healthy and tasty, who knew?!

Cucumbers Need Love

As I said in my last post, I recently traveled to Chicago, but before I was there I spent some time camping on Long Island.  Due to those trips, I was away from my garden for a while.  Luckily, my garden partner Tiffany can usually pick up the slack when I'm away (and vice versa).  On Saturday I made my way over to our garden, knowing Tiffany had been there while I was away.  As it was about 95 degrees here in New York, I was hoping to make a quick trip and then head back home and sit in front of the fan.  No such luck!  But then again, can you ever make just a quick trip to the garden?  There is always something else you can do, if you make the time.

While I was in Chicago, I read an email in which Tiffany gave me a garden update--things looked good, however, she had had to leave before she could get to everything and, in her words, "the cucumbers need some love".  Boy was that the truth!  I've never grown these plants until now and I'm learning that they are a little tricky.  The last time I had seen our cucs, they were litke little toddlers, slowly sprouting up and starting to climb the supports we had put in place for them.  When I saw them on Saturday, they were like full blown teenagers--tall, gangly, and unruly!  The plants are strong-willed and independent, branching out for whatever they can wind their tendrils around, however, they are also fragile and impressionable.  Cucumbers need your guidance, no matter how much they think they know the best way to grow, they need your help. 

Here is an example for you--the cucumber vine started growing up the nearby grapevine, the grapevine is in the middle, you can see the light green, tightly wound cucumber tendrils toward the bottom:

So Saturday, with my water bottle by my side and my big floppy sunhat on my head, I spent a good two hours tending to my teenaged cucumbers.  I made a lattice out of string, a stick, and the nearby swing set so our plants can grow a little bit wider instead of just growing up up up.  Here you see the fruits of my labor

Before:

After:

Since we started our plot on the late side, we don't have any full grow cucs to enjoy quite yet.  My neighbors Nick and Michelle have a very large cucumber plant and told me to take any that were full size since they haven't been around.  I took a couple beautiful fruits and I decided to make my very very favorite cucumber treat, tzatziki sauce!!  This is a pretty standard recipe that you'll see everywhere, I just do it by sight and taste so if you need something more exact, you can easily find one in a cookbook or online.

3 medium cucumbers, peeled, sliced, cored and chopped
3 cups plain greek yogurt (or use whatever plain yogurt you have and strain it)
dill (fresh or dried, fresh is best)
big spoonful of chopped garlic
salt and pepper

 First, you need to prepare the cucumbers.  MAKE SURE TO SEED THEM!!! It's really easy, just run a spoon and scoop out the seeds.  This is a must-do because they make the sauce watery and kinda gross.  I've been lazy before and left them in and it really does make a difference.

Next, you can either put them in a food processor or chop them up.  Some people prefer the sauce with superfine cucumbers, but I like the chucks so I just do it by hand.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper and leave the chopped veggies in a strainer for about a half hour and from time to time press them down to get more of the water out.

Finally, mix the cucumbers, yogurt, garlic, and dill.  Add in a little more salt and pepper.  As for amounts, I'd say maybe two pinches of dried dill and about 4 pinches fresh....but just taste it and see.  Once you put it in the fridge for at least an hour, the flavors will be stronger so you can always taste and add more later on.

I hope you can make it with fresh cucumbers, it is a simple pleasure of summer to make recipes from fresh food.  Enjoy on grilled meats, fish, or veggies.  If you are anything like me, you will eat it on it's own with a spoon!!

From Sharon's Kitchen

Hello!!  Summer is in full swing here in the Bronx and boy is it hot hot hot!  I was lucky enough to be traveling for work during the heat wave last week.  I spent some time in Chicago and since I was staying at a hotel, I got to enjoy the luxury of air conditioning!  I'm back in New York and it is slightly cooler than last week, but not by much.  When I was in O'Hare airport catching up with my Mom, she was telling me about some pesto bread she had made that weekend.  We both decided it would be great to have the recipe on the blog, so here she is--my first guest blogger!  Straight from Sharon's kitchen:

A Taste of Summer

 

Nothing speaks "Summer"to me like the scent of basil.  Whether it's pinching a leaf as I weed my herb garden and enjoying its strong scent lingering on my hands, or chopping cups of basil leaves with garlic cloves and olive oil to make homemade pesto, basil "fumes" wafting through my kitchen means summer truly has arrived.

 

Each year  a few basil plants find a home in the garden, but last year I realized you can never have too much basil!  Pesto takes A LOT of basil; and if you want some leaves to dry as well at the end of the growing season, it's a good idea to plant at least a row.   I planted two rows this spring, and voila! I am happily overrun with basil.

 

What to do with all of this abundance?  I made pesto and froze it (after enjoying it on whole-grain crackers with thin slices of sharp cheddar).  Then I happened to rediscover a book on herbs my husband gave me for my 39th birthday (eeek - that was 20 years ago!), and found a recipe for pesto bread.

 

From start to finish, this baking project was a joy.  I love baking bread anyway, and combining the pleasure of kneading the yeasty dough with spreading the heady scented pesto, then shaping the loaves knowing there was a hidden surprise inside and smelling them as they baked was a lot of fun - just what summer is supposed to be!  And of course, slicing that first warm piece fresh from the oven - well, if you're a bread baker you know what I mean... Here's the recipe I followed for both pesto and bread.  Enjoy!  And I wish all of you a wonderful summer!

 

Pesto 

 

2 cups fresh basil leaves

1/2 cup parsley leaves

1/2 cup olive oil

2 garlic cloves

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

 

Puree the basil, parsley, oil, garlic and salt in a blender or processor.  Stir in the cheese.

 

Pesto Bread (2 loaves)

 

1 and 1/2 packages active dry yeast

2 cups warm water (105 to 115 degrees)

1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon sugar

6 to 7 cups all-purpose flour

cornmeal for the baking sheet

 

 

 

Dissolve yeast in the warm water in a large bowl and add the salt and sugar.  Stir (I use a whisk).  Set aside for a few minutes until foamy.  Using a wooden spoon, beat in the flour one cup at a time (I found 6 cups to be plenty), until a smooth dough forms.  Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured board or counter and let it rest for a few minutes.  Knead until the dough is elastic.  Place in a lightly oiled bowl (I just scrape out the large bowl I already used and oil it), cover it with a towel and set in a warm place until doubled (about 1 and 1/2 hours).

 

Now turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board, punch it down (that's one of the fun parts!), and knead it again.  Divide the dough in half.  Pat out 2 rectangles, each about 10 by 12 inches, and spread a thin layer of PESTO over each, leaving about a 1-inch border all around.  Starting with the long side, slowly, roll each rectangle into a cylinder and shape into a loaf.  Let the loaves sit on the board to rise for another 5 minutes.

 

 

 

Sprinkle a baking sheet (I use a large pizza stone, which yields nice hollow loaves) with cornmeal and place the loaves on it.  Brush each loaf with cold water and place in a COLD oven.  Place a pan of boiling water (a cake pan will do) in the bottom of the oven and turn the oven to 400 degrees.  Bake the bread for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the loaves are browned and sound hollow when rapped on the bottom (my oven runs hot and the loaves were done in under 30 minutes, so be sure to check them before 35 minutes is up).  Place the bread on a rack to cool slightly, serve warm for the most intense flavor.  Try to have just one piece!

 

 

 

 

What do you think of my guest blogger?  I can't wait to try this recipe...I guess I better get to my garden soon and pick some basil!

 

Carrot Ginger Soup

Here I am!  It's been far too long since I've posted but I blame that on the absurdly warm weather New York has been having and my recent birthday festivities.  I've still been here, cooking and reading and crafting. 

The temperatures here have finally fallen back within the normal springtime range and it seems like a perfect time for a carrot soup.  Ok, I sort of made that up--I don't really go around figuring out the perfect time for carrot soup ( I think I've only had it once before).  The thing is, our latest CSA delivery has left us with oodles and oodles of carrots in our vegetable drawer.  I checked out a carrot bread, carrot cake, and carrot curry recipe but none of them required more than 4 or 5 carrots per recipe.  I needed to use a lot of carrots, not just a few.....I'm talking about pounds and pounds of carrots here!  Mollie Katzen to the rescue (as always!).  Although I wouldn't say this was my favorite recipe, it is very healthy and quite filling.  Interestingly, it comes out less of a soup and more of a velvety sauce, it sort of looks like a curry.  I ate it with rice and tempeh that I marinated and baked. My roommate ate it with corn tortillas.

• 2 lbs. carrots (I used about 6 cups of sliced carrots)
• 4 cups water (you'll need to add more later)
• 1 1/2 c. sliced onions
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 tablespoons of fresh ginger (peeled, chopped, and pureed)
• 1/4 tsp of: dried mint, cumin, cinnamon, and crushed fennel seed
• the juice of 1/2 a lemon
• 1 cup of cashews, lightly toasted 

1. Chop up all those carrots and put in a big pot with the water.  Bring to a boil, then simmer until tender (about 10-15 min).
2. Chop up the onions and throw them in with the carrots.  Add the garlic and ginger, simmer another 8 to 10 minutes.
3. Add the rest of the spices and the lemon, let simmer for another 5-7 minutes, meanwhile toast the cashews lightly.
4. Blend everything together in a blender or food processor--it might be necessary to do this in batches.
5. Serve with some sort of carb on the side.


My notes about this recipe: I think this is a good side dish.  We attempted to eat it as dinner and I think it was a little over powering.   But it was still yummy and filling and a nice way to us up all our carrots!!  Oh and it made me covet one of those immersion blenders.  That would be so much easier than using a blender, but there's always next time!!

Here are a few photos:

 For those of you who don't know tempeh, you should!  It is a soy product, sort of a cousin of tofu.  Now I know not every loves tofu, but tempeh is tofu's smarter, better looking cousin!  It's texture is much more palatable to those who don't like tofu--it's sort of the consistency of sausage.  Also, it comes in lots of varieties (this one is 5 grain) AND it doesn't have some of the negative qualities linked to other soy products.  Now I'm no scientist, but I've read a lot about how soy mimics estrogen in people's bodies and can make your body react negatively because it thinks that you are getting a surge of hormones.  Don't quote me on this (since I'm not an expert) but I've read that tempeh doesn't have those qualities....something about how it is produced differently than other soy products.   Like tofu, tempeh is highly amenable to marinades--mine was oil, soy sauce, cumin, garlic, salt, pepper, and a little sugar.  Bake it in the oven at 400 for 10-15 minutes and you're all set.

Enjoy!

Springtime Quinoa Salad

Saturday was the first official day of Spring!  Here in New York we've already had a healthy dose of sunshine and blue skies over the past week, but it is nice to make it official.  Alas, my daffodils have died, but I did notice some beautiful purple and yellow crocus popping up in the neighborhood.

Since I starting writing in the Fall, I've mostly been writing about cold weather recipes--hot foods that fill you up and stick to your bones.  Today I am pleased to present my first Springtime recipe (although it was technically winter when I made it).  The other day, I was doing a quick shopping at Whole Foods and I was trying to think up something delicious and fast.  As I thought over our pantry at home I came up with a few things I knew I had--quinoa, sliced almonds, dried cranberries.  Then, I remembered a quinoa salad that my roommate had made a while back.  To my cart I added red onion, scallions, and apples and I made my way home.

This salad is so refreshing!!  I just know you will love it.  Make it on a warm spring day as a main dish or even a side dish.  If you haven't cooked with quinoa yet, what are you waiting for?!  It's very versatile--you can use it as a substitute for rice or any other grain.  I even have a recipe for quinoa muffins that are very very good.  Quinoa is actually easier and faster to make than rice and many other grains and it is so good for you.

I didn't use measurements, so you're going to have to get creative and do some taste-testing along the way.

-chopped red onion (about 1/4 c.)
-3 scallions/green onions chopped
-dried cranberries
-walnuts
-quinoa (I used 1/2 c. dried which equals 1 c. cooked)
-olive oil
-lemon juice
-dijon mustard

1. Prepare the quinoa according to package directions (make sure to rinse it first!)
2. Mix quinoa with the first four ingredients.
3. Add in the other ingredients for the dressing--adjust to taste.  I probably did 2 parts olive oil, 1/2 part lemon juice, and 1 part dijon mustard.  Don't forget lots of salt and pepper.
4. Refridgerate for about a half hour.  Taste it again and adjust the seasonings.
Enjoy!

Cincinnati is more than chili, but the chili is pretty good.

"Life is partly what we make it and partly it is made by the friends we choose."

I had a fabulous time in Cincinnati.  Although the last leg consisted of canceled flights, plane de-icing, and taking a train instead of a plane at one point, I refuse to let the craziness of the journey home color the wonderful extended weekend I had.  What a joy to spend time with Carin, Chris, her parents, and their animals.  It was a nice mix of relaxing and sightseeing and of course, there was plenty of eating!!  Remember when I said I rarely eat meat? That went right out the window, especially since I had to try the famous Skyline chili.  Oh and of course trying it meant eating it on top of a mini-hot dog.  I can't remember the last time I had one of those, but laden with meaty chili and cheese, it tasted pretty good!  Here I am, eating a "Coney" (after coney island I believe).

 

I decided to make chili tonight not only to honor Cincinnati, but because while I was there, Carin gave me her friend Kate's fabulous recipe for vegetarian chili which Kate made while I was visiting St. Louis a few years back.  I've honestly had that chili in the back of my head since then.  There are just countless recipes for chili--I've made oodles of different versions over time but I've never truly loved a recipe.  I think this particular recipe will become my go to chili recipe because it is so unique.  Also, I made some cornbread that I've been wanting to try from 101 cookbooks called "Firecraker Cornbread" which I have eaten before but never made.

Both recipes are fairly straightforward.  Follow the above link to find Heidi Swanson's cornbread.  I followed it as is, except I didn't have buttermilk on hand (who ever does??!!) so I substituted plain yogurt.  You'll just fall in love with it--yes, Jiffy mix is super easy, but this bread isn't all that difficult and the taste is worth it!  

 

 

And here is Kate's recipe.....you need to play around with the spices a lot since it's not exact.  The spice amounts listed here are a starting point--play around with it and add more as you go and according to what your tastes are.  OH! and also there is a secret to the recipe--beer.  Today all I had in the fridge was Sam Adams Cherry Wheat (which actually tastes nice) but you can use whatever you like.

(Yes that is basil from my Mom's garden, bottled with love)

Kate's Great Chili:

  

3 celery stalks

1 green pepper, 1 red pepper   

2 medium onions

a bunch of garlic

First chop up everything and saute them in a little oil in the bottom of a big soup pot.  When they look like they're getting soft, add the following to the pot:

2 16 oz. cans of dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed 

2 16oz. cans of white (great northern) beans, drained and rinsed

2 32 oz. cans of chopped tomatoes

2 tsp cumin

3 tbsp. chili powder

dash cayenne pepper

2 tsp basil

2 tsp oregano

2 bay leaves

1/4 c cider vinegar

 

 Let this mixture simmer with the lid on for about an hour and a half, then add a can or bottle of beer, and simmer for half an hour more.  Throw in some whole cashews just before you serve it, as well as some cheddar cheese.

Enjoy!!

Go ahead, use real butter!

I've been thinking about butter lately.  Well it IS the holidays after all!  Ok so maybe not everyone immediately thinks holidays=butter.  But then again, not everyone loves to bake.  Oh and some people bake with butter substitutes.  Not me, I absolutely love butter.  And I'm not talking land o' lakes butter--I mean good, yummy butter.  I love to use Kate's Homemade Butter because it's made with fresh organic milk by a small family farm.  At Whole Foods it is one of the cheaper good butters.  I understand why people don't like to use butter in everything or eat it on everything; many of my family members have very high cholesterol and need to use butter substitutes.  That being said, I think maybe Americans have become too scared of butter.  I'm not a nutritionist, but if Julia Child (who loved butter and used it in absolutely everything!) lived up into her 90s, I think it can't be the bad guy many people think it is!

Adventures in Pumpkin Flan

Happy (belated) Thanksgiving everyone!!  I hope yours was as relaxing as mine.  I enjoyed some time in Connecticut.  It was nice to be out of the city.  I never thought the suburbs were quiet until I lived in big cities.  Now every time I am getting ready for bed in the room I grew up in, the quiet is so pervasive it is almost difficult to sleep. 

Over the holiday, I had the pleasure of introducing one of my roommates (who is originally from San Fransisco) to a Connecticut Thanksgiving with my family.  Since she is allergic to gluten, we decided to make a special gluten-free dessert to share.  Lo and behold, the December issue of Martha Stewart Living had a recipe for Pumpkin Flan.  The actual recipe comes from the book Mad Hungry by Lucinda Scala Quinn. 

 The result was a beautiful, spicy, sweet creation I think you will enjoy. 

 Now, don't let this seemingly fancy dessert fool you!!  Here is the recipe, it is actually quite simple and your guests will be more than impressed. 

1/2 c granulated sugar

3/4 c light-brown sugar

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup cooked pumpkin puree

1 1/2 c half-and-half or cream (I used low fat half-and-half)

5 large eggs, beaten

1 tsp vanilla extract

-Preheat oven to 350. 

(Ok now comes the only complicated part, more on this below)

-Put the granulated sugar in a pie plate, set on the center rack in the over, and bake until the sugar is caramelized 8-12 minutes.  Swirl to cover the bottom of the pie plate with the caramel.

-In a large bowl, whisk together the rest of the dry ingredients.  Then stir in the pumpkin.  In a medium bowl, whisk together the half-and-half, eggs, and vanilla.  Then blend the egg mixture into the pumpkin mixture.

-Set the pie plate with the caramel bottom in a large roasting pan then pour the custard over the caramel.  With care, pour enough hot water into the roasting pan to reach halfway up the side of the pie plate.

-Bake until custard is set, about 1 hour and 10 minutes then cool and set in the fridge to chill.  Once it has cooled off, run a knife around the outside edge of the flan and invert it onto a plate. Scoop out and serve with whipped cream.

 So, about that complicated part....carmelizing the sugar took much much longer than the 8-12 minutes from the recipe.  I'm not sure if the oven needed to be higher or if the recipe was wrong.  I also have to admit that I wasn't feeling well while we were making the recipe, so a lot of the work fell to my roommate.  She probably knows more about what happened with the sugar.  Anyhow, eventually it worked out but it was tricky so just note that when you try it.

I hope you enjoy this as much as we did!! 

Caramel Apples, Spooky Ghosts, and Candyland!!

I don't know about you, but I had a fantastic Halloween.  We had lots of friends here with great costumes (my sister even made the trek from CT to join in on the fun).  We also had so much fantastic food!!  My roommates and I were planning and prepping for the day for so long, it is hard for me to believe it is over.  In the lead up to the big day, I got quite nostalgic for the Halloweens of my past.  Although Christmas may have been the number one most highly-anticipated holiday of my childhood, Halloween came in at a close second.  This is for good reason--I have a Mom who helped me put together lovely, well-planned costumes.  She also made spooky treats and taught me silly Halloween songs.  I also have such fond memories of carving pumpkins with my Dad and then roasting the seeds in the oven.


So, with that reminiscing aside, let me get back to the point of my post here.  On Halloween I made some treats that were not only fun to make but very fun to eat!!  My roommates and I also got very crafty with our costumes so I wanted to share some photos.  Of course a party is not complete without some goodies made from my favorite online recipe journal, 101 Cookbooks.  That links to Heidi's collection of Halloween recipes.  I tried the caramel apples and the spooky ghost meringues.  Both were a bit on the long side to make, but totally worth it!! 

Here are some photos of the apples.  I decided to use sliced apples instead of whole apples and they came out nicely.  The experience of making homemade caramel was so wonderful and fun (but can be dangerous since the caramel gets hot hot!).  The only problem was that my kitchen window was open and three bees flew in!!  They must have smelled the sweetness of the caramel and decided it was worth a chance.  This put the process on hold for a bit; moral of the story is--close the window when making sweet treats!

Now for the ghosts.  This was my first time making meringues and it was very fun!  The only issue was that the coolest setting on my oven is 260 and the temperature for meringues is around 200.  I managed to make it work and they ended up very cute.  In addition to what I made, my roommates made vegetable pate, spring rolls, and roasted potatoes and celery root.  Our friends brought lots of other yummy things--it was quite a feast!

Now for the costumes!!  We decided to be characters from Candyland--one of my favorite childhood board games.  I was Queen Frostine and my roommates were Princess Lolly and Lord Licorice.  For my costume I bought a dress and added fabric and tulle.

Happy Halloween, make sure to make some fun and spooky treats for next year's celebration.

My Mother's Relaxed Applesauce

Happy Halloween!  Today I am getting ready for my Halloween party.  I just finished up my costume and am about to embark on an afternoon of treat-making, but I wanted to write about something non-Halloween related.  It will be more fun to write about all my Halloween festivities once they have happened, so today is all about applesauce.

I just love the abundance of apples during this time of the year.  I seem to be getting them from all kinds of sources--the farmers market, my CSA, friends who have gone apple picking.  Of course they are wonderful for eating and baking but here is another idea--make sauce!!  About a month ago, my mom started telling me about the applesauce she was making.  In the front yard of the house in Connecticut, there is a small apple tree.  Years back, hurricane Bob pulled down our old, huge, beautiful apple tree; the tree had a wooden swing and played many featured roles in me and my sister's play.  Later, my parents planted this new baby tree and finally it has begun to bear fruit.  Recently, some of the fallen fruit was attracting yellow jackets (who are starting to realize they don't have too long left before winter).  This can dangerous when my dad mows the lawn--if you mow over an apple by mistake it's not such a problem, but it is a big deal if that fruit has bees in it!!  So after picking up all the fruit in the grass, my parents found themselves with a plethora of apples and started making applesauce. 

The other day, I too found myself with loads of apples on hand.  Although I would have loved to make a pie or crisp, I am now a working girl and I wanted a quicker and less hands-on recipe for an apple something.  I emailed my mom about it, and here is her response:

Here’s how I do the applesauce – skin them, unless they are organic and then you can leave the skins on to make pink applesauce – chop them (doesn’t need to be perfect) – make sure the core is gone.  Throw them in a big pot – if the pot is a big soup pot or stock pot size and you fill it at least ½ way or more with apples, just add ½ cup to 1 cup of water – put it on medium heat until it gets warm and bubbles a little, then turn it down to pretty low.  You try never to boil them because it will burn.  Just keep it simmering about ½ hour, uncovered, then stir.  If it looks too thick, add more water.  Too thin, add more apples!

As you can see it’s a pretty relaxed method.  When it is done, throw it all in the blender, especially if you left the skins on and make sure there’s no skin bits – when it looks like applesauce, add a little cinnamon and you’re done.  We are eating it these days on top of oatmeal and it’s yummy.

It is a very relaxed method!!  So much so that I dubbed it "Relaxed Applesauce".  The bonus about it is that you can add in other things you have on hand--I had tons of pears from my CSA so I threw a few in just to sweeten it up.  I also decided I wanted extra cinnimon and a chunkier texture--instead of using the blender, I used a potato masher.  The loveliest part of this super simple recipe (aside from how good it tastes) is the amazing smell that wafts from the kitchen through the apartment.  Everyone who stops by will wonder what you have been cooking and they will be very impressed when you tell them.  Enjoy!! 

Norwood Food Co-op and Flexible Veggie Veggie Soup

The other day I was volunteering for my CSA (community supported agriculture) during pick-up time.  Being jobless these couple of months has afforded me the delightful opportunity to help almost every week in some way.  I have really enjoyed meeting new people and chatting about the beautiful produce.  I love being part of the CSA, not only because it supports the work of Norwich Meadows Farm and neighboring farms, but also because it forces me and my roommates to be creative with our cooking.  So as I sat there at pick-up, I started dreaming up what to make for dinner.  This is a favorite pastime of mine, especially when I have a full fridge!!  There were so many possibilities that afternoon, but since the weather was cool I decided I had to make soup.  When the weather gets cool, I slowly begin to rekindle the love I have for soup-making that always fizzles when the summer approaches.  I spent many evenings during my JVC experience making soup for community members and so the act is forever associated the kitchens I have known and loved from my past: 10 Romasco Lane in Portalnd and 7 Patten Street in Jamaica Plain.  From those experiences, I can assure you that homemade soup is not only good for your body and soul, but all that chopping is a definite cure for whatever ails you!

When I got home, I poured over some of my favorite cookbooks and finally settled on a vegetable soup from Mollie Katzen's Enchanted Broccoli Forest.  I love that her recipes are often flexible--you can substitute one thing for another if you like or even add in lots of extras.  Here is the biggest difference between cooking and baking; one is scientific (baking) and the other is a fluid art (cooking).  When I first started cooking, I thought I had to follow the recipe line by line.  Yet with practice I discovered what is most beautiful about cooking--almost nothing is written in stone, be creative!

Ok so getting back to the soup.  I began to chop and chop lots of veggies from the CSA and the farmer's market I had been to in the morning--carrots, pac choi, green beans, potatoes, tomatoes, onions, etc.  Everything was going smoothly as I dug into Mollie's recipe.  Then a big oops!  Her basic vegetable soup is a tomato based soup (as in, you need tomato juice and paste for it).  I hadn't read far enough along to see this important point.  Because I didn't have those ingredients, I made the base of the soup into veggie bullion since I had loads of bullion cubes on hand.  And in the end, I took one Mollie's suggestions for an add on:  I dropped a few eggs in for an egg drop soup feel.  The result was lovely and I have been enjoying it for a few days.  Below is what I am calling Flexible Veggie Veggie Soup, an adaptation of Mollie's Vegetable Soup recipe:

 -2 medium potatoes, scrubbed and diced--leave skin on
-1 medium-large onion, chopped
-2 stalks of celery
-1 large carrot, diced
-1 big handful of green beans, chopped
-6 cups water
-2 or 3 cubes of veggie bullion
-spices you like--I added rosemary and thyme and bay leaves
-3 ripe roma tomatoes (or any kind of tomatoes you find)
-6 garlic cloves, minced
-1/2 head of pac choic, chopped
-any kind of pepper laying around in the fridge, diced
-3 eggs, beaten

Note: Feel free to add any veggies you get from your CSA or those you have lying around!  As Mollie writes, you ought to add harder veggies first (potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, etc) and any softer veggies later (greens, peppers, zucchini, etc).  Leftover beans or grains or pasta would also be delicious--add these just before you eat the soup.

• Put potatoes, onion, celery, carrot, green beans, and water in a big soup pot.  Cover and bring to a boil.  Add in the bullion and spices.  Lower the heat, stir, and simmer covered for about 20 minutes.
• Add in the remaining veggies and the garlic and let simmer for about 10 more minutes.  Check the seasonings and adjust as needed--at this point if you need an extra veggie bullion cube or salt, pepper, or other spices, add them in!!
• When everything tastes delicious and the vegetables soft enough, slowly drizzle in the beaten eggs while stirring.  

I love the way just a few little eggs bring new life to a long-time favorite soup and I hope you do too.  Enjoy!!

A Recipe for Challah: Commitment, Patience, and Faith

Monday was Yom Kippur.  I don't know much about Judaism, but from friends who are Jewish I do know that the holiday is the holiest day of the year for Jews.  It means fasting from sundown of the night before to sundown the day of the holiday.  But it is more than just fasting--it is a day of atonement, of prayer and meditation about your sins against God.  I take that to mean you think about those places in your life where you feel far from God.  I like the idea of setting aside a day to be intentional about that.  And while I did not fast, I did help prepare the meal that my roommates and I shared with neighbors in order to break the fast.  My contribution was the challah bread.  I love challah!  It is a relatively easy bread to make and it looks oh so beautiful when it comes out of the oven.  It is slightly sweet and egg-y tasting.  Whenever I make bread, I get a lot of compliments because I think it seems like a very daunting task to create homemade bread.  I think many people would love to make bread from scratch but are a bit intimidated. Or perhaps people do not have quite as much free time as I do! 

If you have never made bread, you should try it.  I love everything about it.  I love getting covered in flour, I love the physicality of the process--all that kneading, and I love way the smell of flour and yeast permeate the entire kitchen and apartment.  Really I think there are just three main requirements to making bread: commitment, patience, and faith.  The rest is just following directions!

Commitment is very important since making bread can require that you allow the dough to rest and rise two or more times.  You see, making bread is really more of an event, or a process, than regular cooking or baking.  And it must be intentional and planned--I don't usually make bread on a whim--because of the time it takes.  All along you must be patient, you simply cannot rush the rising or any other step along the way.  You must follow all the directions and wait (and wait and wait in some cases) for that dough to rise.  Most importantly though, making bread is an act of faith.  No one taught me to make bread.  I just saw lovely recipes and decided to jump head first into those accompanied by beautiful glossy photos of perfect loaves.  I simply had faith that somehow it would all work out.  Lo and behold, it usually does.  Of course there have been failures--of course there were times I killed the yeast and the dough didn't rise.  But more often than not, I have success.  It isn't always a perfect looking or tasting result, but I guess that's life! 

The recipe I used came from the Enchanted Broccoli Forest by Mollie Katzen (of the Moosewood Cookbook, I have 3 of her books, I love them!!).  I altered it slightly because I ran out of white flour, but I think I will keep the substitutions in the future because it turned out lovely.  Here are some pictures of the process and product and the recipe is below:

 

 

2 1/2 c warm/room temp water

1 package active dry yeast

1/2 c honey

4 tbsp canola oil

3 eggs (1 of those is for the crust)

1 tbsp salt

6 c unbleached white flour

2-3 c wheat flour

• Place the water in a very large bowl (you want the water to be warm but NOT hot, you want it to feel comfortable on your skin, if it is too hot it will kill the yeast).  Sprinkle in the yeast and then use a whisk to mix in the honey, oil, 2 eggs, and salt.
• Start adding flour one cup at a time.  I started with the white flour.  At first you can just whisk it in and eventually, around the 3rd cup, you need to start using a wooden spoon.  Keep stirring!!  As you start adding in the wheat flour, you will need to start using your hands to stir.  If after adding 2 cups of wheat flour the dough is extremely sticky you should add another cup of wheat flour....but I think it is better to err on the side of less than more flour since you will add in more as you knead the dough later on.
• Cover the dough to let it rest.  I cover it with an oiled piece of plastic wrap and then put a dish towel on top.  Let it rest in a warm area.....since our stove top is somehow always a little warm, I put it in between the burners (make sure the burners are off though if you do that!!).  Come back in about 1 1/2 hours or when the dough is doubled in bulk.  (Hint:  if the dough is not doubled after this time, wait a while longer, remember the patience part!!  But the dough should at least look like it is starting to bulk up after around an hour and a half.  Have patience and come back every half hour until it looks like it is doubled in size.  If you are still having issues, you may have killed the yeast.....it could be time to start over, remember to use just warm not hot water in step one.)
• Punch down the risen dough and take it out onto a well floured surface.  Flour your hands very well and divide the dough into 2 then knead each half for 5 minutes....if the dough gets very sticky add a little to your hands and the dough.  Divide each half into thirds as you see in my picture above and roll out into a long snake-like log.  Aim for about 1 1/2 inches in diameter and then line them up next to each other and begin to braid!  Just keep crossing the outer pieces over the middle--just like braiding hair.
• Oil 2 baking sheets and place a finished braid on each.  Cover with some oiled plastic wrap and/or a dish towl and let it rest and rise for another hour until they bulk up again.  Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375.
• Beat the remaining egg in a dish and brush it over each braid once they are risen.  Bake for about 40 minutes (enjoy the wonderful smells!!).  You will know the bread is done when it sounds hollow if you tap the sides and bottom.  Take the loaves off the trays right away and put onto a cooling rack for at least 30 minutes.  Enjoy!

Last time I wrote about the cheese straws I was planning on making.  They were so fun to make and people really liked them!  I took some pictures that are below to show the process of that, I highly recommend them.  Next post, I'll share a craft or a book (or at least a recipe that is gluten free)!