For many of us, when we think about celebration food, cake comes to mind. Here are six yummy cake recipes to help get your holiday celebrations going, including Celebration Cake and Ambrosia Cake. Enjoy!
CELEBRATION CAKE
This comes from Sam Sifton in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Sam wrote, “This cake, which was developed by the British-Israeli chef Yotam Ottolenghi, may not look perfect. You may end up with cracked layers, roughly cut edges and a white-chocolate ganache spread willy-nilly. I think it’s best if it is superrustic,’ Ottolenghi said. But it will be elegant anyway, the astonishingly good result of care and time spent in the kitchen for loved ones, and the flavors are terrific.”
Yield: Serves 10-20; Time: 24 hours, plus freezing
This was featured in “Revel in the Bounty of Spring, With a Feast From Yotam Ottolenghi” and can be viewed online here.
Ingredients
For the Layer Cakes:
15 1/2 ounces dark baking chocolate (70 percent cocoa), chopped
9 ounces egg yolks (the yolks from 14 or 15 large eggs)
15 1/2 ounces superfine sugar
14 ounces egg whites (the whites from about 10 large eggs)
1 tablespoon brandy
For the Ganache:
10 1/2 ounces white chocolate, chopped
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
To Finish:
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
7 ounces blueberries, with 8 or so set aside for garnish
7 ounces blackberries, with 12 or so set aside for garnish
7 ounces strawberries, trimmed and thinly sliced, lengthwise
7 ounces raspberries, with 8 or so set aside for garnish
Powdered sugar, to dust (optional)
Preparation
To make the layers for the cake, heat oven to 350. Grease and line three 10-by-14-inch jellyroll pans with parchment paper. (If you only have one, you can make the layers separately.)
Put a medium-size pot with a few inches of water in it over medium heat, and bring it to a simmer. Place a large, heatproof bowl on top of the pot, making sure that the base of the bowl is not touching the water. Put the chocolate in the bowl, and melt it over the simmering water, stirring occasionally. Remove the bowl from the heat, and set aside to cool slightly.
Put the egg yolks and sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer with a whisk attachment. Mix for about 3 minutes, until thick and pale, and then gently fold the mixture into the melted chocolate. Stir until almost combined, and set aside.
Put the egg whites in the clean bowl of an electric mixer with a clean whisk attachment. Beat at high speed until soft peaks form, and then gently fold them into the chocolate, followed by the brandy.
Divide the chocolate mixture between the 3 jellyroll pans (or pour a third of the mix into one, if you’re baking in 3 batches). Use a spatula to even out the tops or top, and place in the oven. Cook for approximately 15 minutes, until firm to touch and a skewer inserted in comes out clean. Set aside to cool.
Once the cakes have cooled, place a sheet of parchment on a sheet pan, and set it over one of the finished spongecakes, then flip the whole thing over, so the sheet pan is now sitting under the cake. Remove the jellyroll pan and the used paper. Repeat with the remaining cakes, placing each on a clean sheet of parchment paper and stacking them. Wrap them well with plastic wrap and place in the freezer for at least 24 hours.
To make the ganache, place white chocolate in a large bowl and set aside. Add the cream to a medium saucepan with a heavy base and place it on medium-low heat. Cook until just starting to simmer, and then pour it over the chocolate. Allow to sit for 3 minutes or so, until the chocolate has softened, and then gently stir until the chocolate is melted and fully combined with the cream. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight (or for up to 3 days).
To assemble the cake, put the ganache into the bowl of an electric mixer with a whisk attachment. Add the cream, and whip on medium-high until the mixture has achieved the consistency of soft whipped cream. (Keep a close eye on it so as not to overwhip.)
Mix the berries you are not holding back for garnish in a large bowl, and set aside.
Remove one sponge layer from the freezer at a time, and place on a serving platter or cutting board. Do not remove them all at once; they need to be frozen. Trim about 1/2 inch off all the edges to make a clean rectangle, then spread roughly 1/3 of the ganache mixture across the top of the cake. Scatter 1/2 of the berries on top of the ganache mixture, making sure they are evenly spread right to the edges of the cake. Trim the second sponge layer, place it on top of the first and cover it with another 1/3 of the ganache mixture and the remainder of the fruit. Remove the final layer of cake from the freezer, trim it and place it on top of the second, then spread the remaining ganache across the top of the cake, smoothing it with a palette knife. Place the fruit reserved as garnish in each corner of the cake, and dust the whole thing lightly with powdered sugar, if you like. If you’re not serving the cake right away, store in the refrigerator for a few hours, bringing it out 30 minutes before serving.
PUMPKIN SPICE GHOST CAKE
This is from Very Best Baking by Nestle, and begins, “Surprise your trick-or treaters with this hauntingly-good pumpkin spice cake with a rich cream cheese frosting.”
Prep Time: 25 minutes; Cooking Time: 35 minutes; Skill level: Intermediate; Makes 12 servings
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
Cake:
1 pkg. (18 oz.) spice or carrot cake mix
1 cup LIBBY'S® 100% Pure Pumpkin
3 large eggs
1/3 cup water
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Cream Cheese Frosting:
2 pkgs. (3 oz. each) cream cheeese, softened
2 tablespoons margarine or butter, softened
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 cups powdered sugar
*Black string licorice, NESTLÉ RAISINETS Milk Chocolate-Covered Raisins and Halloween candy corn (optional)
Instructions
For Cake:
Preheat oven to 350º F. Grease and flour two 8- or 9-inch-round cake pans.
Combine cake mix, pumpkin, eggs, water, vegetable oil and pumpkin pie spice in large mixer bowl until moistened. Beat for 2 minutes or until thoroughly mixed. Pour batter into prepared pans.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. Frost with Cream Cheese Frosting.
For Cream Cheese Frosting:
Beat cream cheese, margarine and vanilla extract in small mixer bowl until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in sugar. Spread between layers and on top and side of cake.
To Garnish:
Form licorice strings into ghost shapes; press into side of frosted cake. Use Raisinets for eyes. Arrange candy corn between ghosts on side and around top edge of frosted cake.
CHERRY-MALLOW CAKE
This recipe is from the infamous long-since-forgotten-emailing-list and begins, “This cake is a snap to make because you use a mix. As the marshmallows melt, they rise to the top and make a glaze.”
Prep. time: 15 minutes; Cooking time: 45 to 50 minutes; Serves: 15
Ingredients
4 cups miniature marshmallows, (about 3/4 of a 10-1/2 ounce package; you can use vegetarian marshmallows, which I highly recommend)
1 package (18-1/4 ounces) yellow cake mix
1 can (21 ounces) cherry pie filling
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 13x9x2-inch baking pan with vegetable cooking spray. Lay the marshmallows evenly over the bottom of the pan.
Prepare the cake mix according to the package directions. Pour the batter over the marshmallows. Spoon the cherry filling evenly over the cake batter.
Remove pan from oven and cool on wire racks.
After the cake is cool, cut into squares.
AMBROSIA CAKE
This comes from Melissa Clark in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Melissa wrote, “If you love the combination of oranges, coconut and marshmallows found in a traditional ambrosia — the salad or dessert that often also contains pineapple, bananas, cherries and some kind of creamy dressing such as whipped cream or sour cream — you’ll adore this cake. The coconut is baked into the cake layers and used as a sweet, shaggy garnish, while the oranges (in this case, diminutive, seedless clementines) are juiced into curd and sliced fresh for the filling. Then, as a final, fluffy touch, a homemade marshmallow frosting tops it off. It may be a lot of work, but it’s an impressive result. And you can make the curd and cake a few days ahead. Just be sure to make the frosting and assemble everything within 8 hours of serving. Otherwise the fruit starts to break down and the icing may crystallize.”
Yield: 12 servings; Time: 3 hours
This was originally featured in “An Ambrosial Cake, and That’s Just the Filling” and can be viewed online here.
Ingredients
For the Cake:
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk
1 tablespoon coconut rum or dark rum (or use 1 teaspoon coconut extract)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), softened
1/4 cup virgin coconut oil, melted and cooled (or use more butter)
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature, whites and yolks separated
1 1/4 teaspoons finely grated clementine zest (from about 2 clementines)
For the Filling:
1/3 cup fresh clementine juice (from about 4 clementines), plus 2 1/2 teaspoons finely grated clementine zest
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
4 large eggs
4 large egg yolks (reserve whites for frosting)
7 tablespoons sugar
Pinch kosher salt
12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), cubed
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Frosting:
4 large egg whites
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
Pinch kosher salt
For Decorating and Assembling:
8 to 10 seedless clementines
1 1/2 to 3 cups shredded sweetened or unsweetened coconut, to taste
Strawberries, sliced (optional)
Preparation
Bake the cake: Heat oven to 350 degrees and place a rack in the middle. Butter two 9-inch cake pans and line with parchment paper on the bottom.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together milk, coconut milk, rum and vanilla.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter, coconut oil and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in egg yolks, one at a time, then beat in zest. Beat in half the flour mixture, followed by half the milk mixture. Repeat, beating just until combined and scraping down bowl as necessary.
In a separate bowl, use an electric beater to whisk egg whites just until stiff peaks form. Fold into cake batter.
Divide batter between pans. Bake until lightly golden and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Transfer pans to a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes, then unmold cakes and cool completely on rack. (Cakes can be made up to 2 days ahead; once cool, wrap in plastic and refrigerate.)
Meanwhile, make the filling: Bring clementine juice and lemon juice to a boil over medium heat in a medium saucepan. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, yolks, sugar and salt. Whisking constantly, slowly pour hot juice into eggs, then return mixture to saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat; whisk in butter and vanilla. Push through a strainer set over a medium bowl, and stir in clementine zest. Cover with plastic wrap directly on surface of curd and refrigerate until cold. (Curd can be made up to 5 days ahead.) Or to speed up cooling, set bowl of curd in a larger bowl filled with ice water and stir curd until very cold, 7 to 10 minutes. Cover and refrigerate until needed.
Prepare clementines for decorating the cake: Cut the top and bottom off a clementine and set it cut-side down on a cutting board. Use a sharp knife to cut away peel and pith, following the curve of the fruit from top to bottom. Working over a bowl to catch the juices, carefully cut out each segment from the membrane; it should fall into the bowl as you cut. Lay segments out on paper towels to dry slightly while you cut remaining fruit.
Use a large knife to trim tops of cakes to level them, and cut both cakes in half horizontally to make layers.
Place a cake layer on a serving dish and spread a third of the curd over it, leaving a 1-inch border around the edge. Layer a third of the clementine segments on top of curd, spacing them evenly so cake will be balanced. Top with another layer, spread another third of curd over it, and layer with 1/2 cup shredded coconut. Top with cake layer, repeat curd and clementines, saving some clementines for top of cake. Place the remaining cake layer on top, and chill while making frosting.
Make the frosting: Bring a medium pot with 1 inch of water to boil. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine egg whites, sugar, cream of tartar and salt. Set bowl over simmering water and whisk constantly until eggs reach 160 degrees, or the sugar has melted. Remove from heat, and beat on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes.
Immediately spread frosting on cake and press coconut shreds into tops and sides. Top with clementine wedges and strawberries if using; serve within an hour or two. (Or, keep refrigerated for up to 8 hours and wait until just before serving to top with fresh fruit.)
EASY PUMPKIN PUDDING CAKE
This is from Ashley, a high school teacher turned blogger, on her wonderful site, The Recipe Rebel. This recipe begins, “This Easy Pumpkin Pudding Cake takes just 10 minutes prep and makes it’s own caramel pudding sauce as it bakes! Perfect hot from the oven with a scoop of ice cream.”
Prep Time: 10 minutes; Cook Time: 35 minutes; Makes 6 servings.
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups flour (I use whole wheat!)
3/4 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
pinch of nutmeg
pinch of cloves
3/4 cup pure pumpkin puree (not pie filling!)
1/3 cup milk (I use 1%)
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
Sauce
1 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
2 teaspoons corn starch
1 1/4 cup hot or boiling water
2 tablespoons butter
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease a 9" pie plate or baking dish.
In a large bowl, stir together the flour, 3/4 cup brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg and cloves with a spoon.
Add in pumpkin, milk, oil and vanilla and stir until a thick batter forms. Spread into prepared pie plate.
In a small bowl, stir together 1 cup brown sugar and corn starch until there are no clumps. Sprinkle over cake batter.
Add butter to hot water and stir until melted. Pour over brown sugar mixture in pan.
Bake for 35-40 minutes until top is completely set (keep in mind that there is a thick layer of caramel sauce in the bottom, so it may jiggle). Let sit for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator and reheat perfectly!
WORLD’S BEST CHOCOLATE CAKE
This is from Yotam Ottolenghi in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. The recipe begins, “The recipe for this cake, adapted from "Sweet" by Yotam Ottolenghi and Helen Goh, first appeared in an article written about Ms. Goh when she ran her cafe, the Mortar & Pestle, in Melbourne, Australia. Rather intimidatingly for her, the headline for the article was "World’s Best Chocolate Cake." It could actually be called lots of things: “world’s easiest cake,” possibly, requiring nothing more than one large bowl to make it all in. Or “most versatile cake,” given that it can be served without icing and just a light dusting of cocoa powder, or dressed up to the nines, as it is here, with a thin layer of chocolate ganache and served with espresso cinnamon mascarpone cream. In the Ottolenghi shops in London, it is smaller and goes by the name Take-Home Chocolate Cake, designed to be shared by four people after a meal. This larger version is no less delicious, and keeps well for four to five days. As with any baking project, you should weigh your ingredients in grams for the best results.”
Yield: 12 servings; Time: 1 1/2 hours, plus cooling.
This was featured in “Yotam Ottolenghi on Creating Recipes for His Cookbook ‘Sweet’” and can be viewed online here.
Ingredients
For the Cake:
1 cup plus 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter (2 sticks plus 1 1/2 tablespoons), at room temperature and cut into 3/4-inch cubes, plus extra for greasing the pan
7 ounces dark chocolate (70 percent cocoa solids), chopped into 3/4-inch pieces
1 1/2 teaspoons instant coffee granules, dissolved in 1 1/2 cups boiling water
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons self-rising flour (see note)
1/3 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder, plus 1 1/2 teaspoons, for dusting
1/4 teaspoon salt
For the Chocolate Ganache (Optional):
7 ounces dark chocolate (70 percent cocoa solids), broken or chopped roughly into 3/4-inch pieces
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature
For the Espresso Cinnamon Mascarpone Cream (Optional):
1 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon heavy cream
3/4 cup mascarpone
Scraped seeds of 1/2 vanilla pod
2 1/2 teaspoons finely ground espresso
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 1/2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
Preparation
Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit/170 degrees Celsius. Grease a 9-inch/23-centimeter round springform pan with butter and line with parchment paper, then set aside.
Make the cake: Place butter, chocolate and hot coffee in a large heatproof bowl and mix well until everything is melted, combined and smooth. Whisk in sugar by hand until dissolved. Add eggs and vanilla extract and whisk again until thoroughly combined and smooth. Sift flour, cocoa powder and salt together into a bowl and then whisk this into the melted chocolate mixture. The batter here is liquid, but don’t think you have missed something; this is how it should be.
Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for 1 hour, or until the cake is cooked and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few dry crumbs attached. The top will form a crust and crack a little, but don’t worry, this is expected. Leave the cake to cool for 20 minutes before removing from the pan, then set aside until completely cool.
Make the chocolate ganache, if desired: Place chocolate pieces in a food processor, process until fine and set aside. Combine cream and corn syrup in a small pan and place over medium-high heat. As soon as bubbles begin to appear (just before it comes to a boil), remove from the heat. Get the food processor running again, with the chocolate still inside, and pour in the hot cream in a steady stream. Process for 10 seconds, then add butter. Continue to process until mixture is shiny and smooth. (You can also make the ganache by hand; just make sure the chocolate is chopped fairly finely before adding the cream mixture. Stir with a wooden spoon until almost melted, then add the butter. Stir again until the ganache is smooth.)
Use a rubber spatula to scrape the ganache into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap, with the plastic actually touching the top of the ganache. Set aside until it has set to the consistency you want. If you want a thin layer to spread over the cake, it can be poured over while liquid so that you get an even, light and shiny coating. For a thicker ganache with a spreading consistency, leave it for about 2 hours at room temperature. (The ganache can be stored at room temperature, providing it’s not too warm, for 3 days or kept in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. It can also be frozen, although it will lose a bit of its shine when defrosted.)
Make the espresso cinnamon mascarpone cream, if desired: Place all the ingredients in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat for 1 to 2 minutes, until soft peaks form.
Peel the parchment from the cake and discard. Transfer to a serving platter and spread the ganache, if using, on top of the cake. Slice into wedges, divide the cake among plates and, if using, spoon the mascarpone cream alongside. With or without icing, the cake will keep well for 4 to 5 days in an airtight container.
Saturday, December 2, 2017
Friday, December 1, 2017
Friday Recipes
It's finally Friday, end of the work week for many of us. Here are six recipes to help you through the weekend, including 1-Bowl Chocolate Zucchini Bread and Easy Pumpkin Pudding Cake. Enjoy!
LOW-FAT VEGAN EGGPLANT LASAGNA
This comes from Jolinda Hackett, About.com's Vegetarian food expert. She writes, "A wonderful vegetarian lasagna recipe full of healthy spinach and eggplant. This vegetarian and vegan lasagna recipe uses no cheese, making it both vegan and dairy-free, as well as much lower in fat than a traditional lasagna." Serves 6.
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 medium eggplant, diced
2 10 ounce packages frozen chopped spinach, defrosted
1 64 ounce jar pre-made tomato sauce
1 pound lasagna noodles
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Heat the olive oil in a medium frying pan over medium heat. Sautee the garlic for two minutes, then add the eggplant and stir. Cover the frying pan and cook until the eggplant is just tender, about 5 to 7 minutes.
Cover the bottom of a 9x12 inch baking pan with 2 cups of the tomato sauce, then cover the tomato sauce with 4 or 5 uncooked noodles. Cover this with a thin layer of sauce, then add the cooked eggplant and another thin layer of sauce. Add another layer of noodles followed by a thing layer of sauce, then the spinach and another thin layer of sauce. Add the remaining noodles and sauce.
Cover tightly with foil and bake for 45-50 minutes. Noodles are cooked when they can be pierced with a fork.
Makes six servings of eggplant and spinach lasagna. Reprinted with permission from The Compassionate Cook Cookbook.
Nutritional information, per serving: Calories: 347, Calories from Fat: 41; % Daily Value: Total Fat: 4.6g, 7%, Total Carbohydrates: 65.8g, 22%, Dietary Fiber: 9.2g, 37%, Protein: 16.3g, Vitamin A 199%, Vitamin C 83%, Calcium 14%, Iron 32%
APPLE & CRANBERRY CRISP
Not sure where this recipe is from...maybe that infamous long-since-forgotten-emailing-list?
Filling:
12 apples
1/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons flour
1/4 cup dried cranberries
Juice of one lemon
Topping:
1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup oats
1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup slivered almonds
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Filling: Peel and core apples. Cut into bite-size chunks. Combine with all other filling ingredients. Spoon into generously buttered ramekins.
Topping: Combine all ingredients. Using fingers, crumble butter until mixture resembles peas. Spoon generous 2 tablespoons on top of each apple-filled ramekin.
Place ramekins on baking sheet. bake for 35-45 minutes, until browned on top.
Makes 10 generous servings.
APPLE GINGER CRISP
This comes from GE Appliances. Makes 6 - 8 servings in 10 minutes.
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
8 tablespoons butter, divided
1 1/2 tablespoons grated ginger
3/4 cup unbleached flour
1 1/4 cup granola, preferably maple-pecan
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
7 Fuji apples, cored, skinned and wedge-cut into 1/16-inch cubes
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup apple cider
2 teaspoons lemon juice
Directions
Preheat oven 375 degrees F.
In a 12-inch, oven-safe skillet (cast iron works well), melt 6 tablespoons of the butter and add 1/2 tablespoon grated ginger to it. When the ginger releases its aroma, turn off the heat.
For the topping, combine flour, granola (maple-pecan preferably), brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl. Add the butter and ginger; mix well and set topping aside.
In large bowl, toss apples together with sugar, and 1/2 tablespoon grated ginger. Set aside.
In the same pan used for the butter and ginger, reduce cider over high heat to 1/2 cup. Mix in lemon juice. Pour mixture into a separate container and set aside.
Return pan to low heat, melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Add remaining grated ginger. Mix together thoroughly and let ginger release its aroma. Turn up heat to high and add apple mixture. Cook, stirring frequently, until the apples are translucent and soft. About ten minutes.
Remove from heat and add cider and lemon mixture, toss well. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the apples. Put the skillet into the oven for 45 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Allow to cool slightly before serving.
EASY PUMPKIN PUDDING CAKE
This is from Ashley, a high school teacher turned blogger, on her wonderful site, The Recipe Rebel. This recipe begins, “This Easy Pumpkin Pudding Cake takes just 10 minutes prep and makes it’s own caramel pudding sauce as it bakes! Perfect hot from the oven with a scoop of ice cream.”
Prep Time: 10 minutes; Cook Time: 35 minutes; Makes 6 servings.
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups flour (I use whole wheat!)
3/4 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
pinch of nutmeg
pinch of cloves
3/4 cup pure pumpkin puree (not pie filling!)
1/3 cup milk (I use 1%)
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
Sauce
1 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
2 teaspoons corn starch
1 1/4 cup hot or boiling water
2 tablespoons butter
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease a 9" pie plate or baking dish.
In a large bowl, stir together the flour, 3/4 cup brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg and cloves with a spoon.
Add in pumpkin, milk, oil and vanilla and stir until a thick batter forms. Spread into prepared pie plate.
In a small bowl, stir together 1 cup brown sugar and corn starch until there are no clumps. Sprinkle over cake batter.
Add butter to hot water and stir until melted. Pour over brown sugar mixture in pan.
Bake for 35-40 minutes until top is completely set (keep in mind that there is a thick layer of caramel sauce in the bottom, so it may jiggle). Let sit for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator and reheat perfectly!
VEGAN STIR-FRIED GARLIC TOFU AND EGGPLANT
This was in an email from TheKitchn. I absolutely love TheKitchn, as well as its sibling site, Apartment Therapy. If you haven’t checked out either site, I highly recommend them. (Go ahead, I’ll wait…tap, tap, tap.)
Anyway, Christine Gallary, Food Editor-at-Large at TheKitchn wrote, “Eggplant can be a polarizing vegetable. There are those who don't care for it, but I'm in the other camp. I love eggplant in any form, whether roasted, grilled, or even puréed into baba ganoush. But my absolute favorite? When eggplant is stir-fried with lots of garlic and coated with a glossy, savory sauce that I can spoon over a big bowl of steamed rice. I'm not vegan, but this recipe can lean that way if you can get your hands on vegetarian oyster sauce.
“There are a number of ways to make crispy tofu, but the method I turn to uses a nonstick pan, which ensures that the tofu browns nicely, but doesn't stick to the pan. Once the tofu browns, the pan is free to stir-fry the eggplant with garlic until it's nicely seared on the outside, but creamy on the inside. I love using Japanese or Chinese eggplants here since they're smaller and less bitter than their larger Italian counterparts.
“The sauce that holds everything together is a mixture of oyster sauce (vegetarian if you want to keep the dish vegan), soy sauce (or tamari), cornstarch, rice vinegar, and a pinch of red pepper flakes.
“The finishing touch is a big handful of basil leaves. Sweet and slightly spicy Thai basil is the perfect choice here, although regular Italian basil will work beautifully too. I like this stir-fry heaped over steamed white or brown rice, but rice noodles would also work great.”
To view this online, click here. Serves 4.
For the sauce:
1/3 cup water
2 tablespoons regular or vegetarian oyster sauce
2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine or dry sherry
1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
For the stir-fry:
1 (14- to-16-ounce) package firm tofu, drained and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
Salt
1 pound eggplant, preferably Asian, cut into 3/4-inch dice
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup packed fresh Thai or Italian basil leaves
Steamed rice, for serving
For the sauce: Whisk all the ingredients together in a small bowl, making sure the cornstarch is dissolved.
For the stir-fry: Line a large plate with two layers of paper towels. Place the tofu in a single layer on the paper towels to drain.
Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a 14-inch flat-bottomed wok or large nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the tofu, spread into a single layer, and season generously with salt. Cook, flipping rarely, until golden-brown on at least 2 sides (be careful, it will splatter), about 10 minutes total. Remove to a clean plate.
Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil to the pan and add the eggplant. Season with salt and stir-fry until charred in spots, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Add the reserved tofu and stir to combine. Whisk the reserved sauce to recombine and dissolve the cornstarch, and add it to the pan. Reduce the heat to medium and stir-fry until the sauce has thickened and coats the tofu and eggplant, about 1 minute more. Remove the pan from the heat, add the basil leaves, and toss to combine. Serve immediately with steamed rice.
Recipe Notes
Gluten-free: To make this dish gluten-free, look for oyster sauce labeled gluten-free and use tamari rather than soy sauce.
Vegetarian oyster sauce: Regular oyster sauce is usually made from oysters, but vegetarian oyster sauce, which is made from mushrooms, is a vegetarian and vegan alternative.
1-BOWL CHOCOLATE ZUCCHINI BREAD
This is from the Minimalist Baker, and begins, “Fluffy, tender, insanely delicious Chocolate Zucchini Bread! Made in just 1 bowl, naturally sweetened, SO delicious!”
Prep time: 15 mins; Cook time: 1 hour; Total time: 1 hour 15 mins
To view this online, click here.
Cuisine: Vegan, Gluten-Free
Serves: 10
Ingredients
2 flax eggs (2 Tbsp flaxseed meal + 5 Tbsp water)
1/4 cup applesauce
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup coconut sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup melted coconut oil (or sub another neutral oil)
1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 cup grated zucchini (squeezed dry and lightly packed in measuring cup)
3/4 cup gluten-free flour blend
1/3 cup gluten-free oat flour (finely ground rolled oats)
1/3 cup almond flour (or almond meal, though I haven't tested it this way)
1/3 cup dairy-free semisweet chocolate chips + more for topping (I like Enjoy Life brand)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 C) and line a standard 9x5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper.
In a large mixing bowl, prepare flax eggs and let rest for 5 minutes. Then add applesauce, maple syrup, coconut sugar, baking soda, baking powder, sea salt, and cocoa powder, and whisk again.
Next add the melted coconut oil and almond milk and whisk to combine. Add grated zucchini (that's been squeezed of excess moisture) and stir to combine.
Add gluten-free flour, oat flour, and almond flour and whisk until just combined. If the batter appears too thick, add a touch more almond milk. But it should be thick and scoopable.
Lastly, stir in chocolate chips. Then transfer batter to the loaf pan and top with a few more chocolate chips (optional).
Bake 45 minutes - 1 hour or until a toothpick comes out clean and the edges feel semi-firm to the touch.
Let cool for 5 minutes in the pan. Then carefully lift onto a cooling rack using the parchment paper. Texture is best when cooled completely. Will keep covered at room temperature for 3-4 days or in the freezer up to 1 month.
Notes
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate for 1 of 10 slices.
*Recipe adapted from my Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffins.
Nutrition Information: Serving size: 1 slice (of 10): Calories: 216; Fat: 10.8 g; Saturated fat: 7.1 g; Carbohydrates: 31.1 g; Sugar: 15 g; Sodium: 58 mg; Fiber: 4.1 g; Protein: 3.4 g
LOW-FAT VEGAN EGGPLANT LASAGNA
This comes from Jolinda Hackett, About.com's Vegetarian food expert. She writes, "A wonderful vegetarian lasagna recipe full of healthy spinach and eggplant. This vegetarian and vegan lasagna recipe uses no cheese, making it both vegan and dairy-free, as well as much lower in fat than a traditional lasagna." Serves 6.
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 medium eggplant, diced
2 10 ounce packages frozen chopped spinach, defrosted
1 64 ounce jar pre-made tomato sauce
1 pound lasagna noodles
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Heat the olive oil in a medium frying pan over medium heat. Sautee the garlic for two minutes, then add the eggplant and stir. Cover the frying pan and cook until the eggplant is just tender, about 5 to 7 minutes.
Cover the bottom of a 9x12 inch baking pan with 2 cups of the tomato sauce, then cover the tomato sauce with 4 or 5 uncooked noodles. Cover this with a thin layer of sauce, then add the cooked eggplant and another thin layer of sauce. Add another layer of noodles followed by a thing layer of sauce, then the spinach and another thin layer of sauce. Add the remaining noodles and sauce.
Cover tightly with foil and bake for 45-50 minutes. Noodles are cooked when they can be pierced with a fork.
Makes six servings of eggplant and spinach lasagna. Reprinted with permission from The Compassionate Cook Cookbook.
Nutritional information, per serving: Calories: 347, Calories from Fat: 41; % Daily Value: Total Fat: 4.6g, 7%, Total Carbohydrates: 65.8g, 22%, Dietary Fiber: 9.2g, 37%, Protein: 16.3g, Vitamin A 199%, Vitamin C 83%, Calcium 14%, Iron 32%
APPLE & CRANBERRY CRISP
Not sure where this recipe is from...maybe that infamous long-since-forgotten-emailing-list?
Filling:
12 apples
1/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons flour
1/4 cup dried cranberries
Juice of one lemon
Topping:
1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup oats
1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup slivered almonds
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Filling: Peel and core apples. Cut into bite-size chunks. Combine with all other filling ingredients. Spoon into generously buttered ramekins.
Topping: Combine all ingredients. Using fingers, crumble butter until mixture resembles peas. Spoon generous 2 tablespoons on top of each apple-filled ramekin.
Place ramekins on baking sheet. bake for 35-45 minutes, until browned on top.
Makes 10 generous servings.
APPLE GINGER CRISP
This comes from GE Appliances. Makes 6 - 8 servings in 10 minutes.
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
8 tablespoons butter, divided
1 1/2 tablespoons grated ginger
3/4 cup unbleached flour
1 1/4 cup granola, preferably maple-pecan
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
7 Fuji apples, cored, skinned and wedge-cut into 1/16-inch cubes
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup apple cider
2 teaspoons lemon juice
Directions
Preheat oven 375 degrees F.
In a 12-inch, oven-safe skillet (cast iron works well), melt 6 tablespoons of the butter and add 1/2 tablespoon grated ginger to it. When the ginger releases its aroma, turn off the heat.
For the topping, combine flour, granola (maple-pecan preferably), brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl. Add the butter and ginger; mix well and set topping aside.
In large bowl, toss apples together with sugar, and 1/2 tablespoon grated ginger. Set aside.
In the same pan used for the butter and ginger, reduce cider over high heat to 1/2 cup. Mix in lemon juice. Pour mixture into a separate container and set aside.
Return pan to low heat, melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Add remaining grated ginger. Mix together thoroughly and let ginger release its aroma. Turn up heat to high and add apple mixture. Cook, stirring frequently, until the apples are translucent and soft. About ten minutes.
Remove from heat and add cider and lemon mixture, toss well. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the apples. Put the skillet into the oven for 45 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Allow to cool slightly before serving.
EASY PUMPKIN PUDDING CAKE
This is from Ashley, a high school teacher turned blogger, on her wonderful site, The Recipe Rebel. This recipe begins, “This Easy Pumpkin Pudding Cake takes just 10 minutes prep and makes it’s own caramel pudding sauce as it bakes! Perfect hot from the oven with a scoop of ice cream.”
Prep Time: 10 minutes; Cook Time: 35 minutes; Makes 6 servings.
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups flour (I use whole wheat!)
3/4 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
pinch of nutmeg
pinch of cloves
3/4 cup pure pumpkin puree (not pie filling!)
1/3 cup milk (I use 1%)
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
Sauce
1 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
2 teaspoons corn starch
1 1/4 cup hot or boiling water
2 tablespoons butter
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease a 9" pie plate or baking dish.
In a large bowl, stir together the flour, 3/4 cup brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg and cloves with a spoon.
Add in pumpkin, milk, oil and vanilla and stir until a thick batter forms. Spread into prepared pie plate.
In a small bowl, stir together 1 cup brown sugar and corn starch until there are no clumps. Sprinkle over cake batter.
Add butter to hot water and stir until melted. Pour over brown sugar mixture in pan.
Bake for 35-40 minutes until top is completely set (keep in mind that there is a thick layer of caramel sauce in the bottom, so it may jiggle). Let sit for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator and reheat perfectly!
VEGAN STIR-FRIED GARLIC TOFU AND EGGPLANT
This was in an email from TheKitchn. I absolutely love TheKitchn, as well as its sibling site, Apartment Therapy. If you haven’t checked out either site, I highly recommend them. (Go ahead, I’ll wait…tap, tap, tap.)
Anyway, Christine Gallary, Food Editor-at-Large at TheKitchn wrote, “Eggplant can be a polarizing vegetable. There are those who don't care for it, but I'm in the other camp. I love eggplant in any form, whether roasted, grilled, or even puréed into baba ganoush. But my absolute favorite? When eggplant is stir-fried with lots of garlic and coated with a glossy, savory sauce that I can spoon over a big bowl of steamed rice. I'm not vegan, but this recipe can lean that way if you can get your hands on vegetarian oyster sauce.
“There are a number of ways to make crispy tofu, but the method I turn to uses a nonstick pan, which ensures that the tofu browns nicely, but doesn't stick to the pan. Once the tofu browns, the pan is free to stir-fry the eggplant with garlic until it's nicely seared on the outside, but creamy on the inside. I love using Japanese or Chinese eggplants here since they're smaller and less bitter than their larger Italian counterparts.
“The sauce that holds everything together is a mixture of oyster sauce (vegetarian if you want to keep the dish vegan), soy sauce (or tamari), cornstarch, rice vinegar, and a pinch of red pepper flakes.
“The finishing touch is a big handful of basil leaves. Sweet and slightly spicy Thai basil is the perfect choice here, although regular Italian basil will work beautifully too. I like this stir-fry heaped over steamed white or brown rice, but rice noodles would also work great.”
To view this online, click here. Serves 4.
For the sauce:
1/3 cup water
2 tablespoons regular or vegetarian oyster sauce
2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine or dry sherry
1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
For the stir-fry:
1 (14- to-16-ounce) package firm tofu, drained and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
Salt
1 pound eggplant, preferably Asian, cut into 3/4-inch dice
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup packed fresh Thai or Italian basil leaves
Steamed rice, for serving
For the sauce: Whisk all the ingredients together in a small bowl, making sure the cornstarch is dissolved.
For the stir-fry: Line a large plate with two layers of paper towels. Place the tofu in a single layer on the paper towels to drain.
Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a 14-inch flat-bottomed wok or large nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the tofu, spread into a single layer, and season generously with salt. Cook, flipping rarely, until golden-brown on at least 2 sides (be careful, it will splatter), about 10 minutes total. Remove to a clean plate.
Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil to the pan and add the eggplant. Season with salt and stir-fry until charred in spots, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Add the reserved tofu and stir to combine. Whisk the reserved sauce to recombine and dissolve the cornstarch, and add it to the pan. Reduce the heat to medium and stir-fry until the sauce has thickened and coats the tofu and eggplant, about 1 minute more. Remove the pan from the heat, add the basil leaves, and toss to combine. Serve immediately with steamed rice.
Recipe Notes
Gluten-free: To make this dish gluten-free, look for oyster sauce labeled gluten-free and use tamari rather than soy sauce.
Vegetarian oyster sauce: Regular oyster sauce is usually made from oysters, but vegetarian oyster sauce, which is made from mushrooms, is a vegetarian and vegan alternative.
1-BOWL CHOCOLATE ZUCCHINI BREAD
This is from the Minimalist Baker, and begins, “Fluffy, tender, insanely delicious Chocolate Zucchini Bread! Made in just 1 bowl, naturally sweetened, SO delicious!”
Prep time: 15 mins; Cook time: 1 hour; Total time: 1 hour 15 mins
To view this online, click here.
Cuisine: Vegan, Gluten-Free
Serves: 10
Ingredients
2 flax eggs (2 Tbsp flaxseed meal + 5 Tbsp water)
1/4 cup applesauce
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup coconut sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup melted coconut oil (or sub another neutral oil)
1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 cup grated zucchini (squeezed dry and lightly packed in measuring cup)
3/4 cup gluten-free flour blend
1/3 cup gluten-free oat flour (finely ground rolled oats)
1/3 cup almond flour (or almond meal, though I haven't tested it this way)
1/3 cup dairy-free semisweet chocolate chips + more for topping (I like Enjoy Life brand)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 C) and line a standard 9x5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper.
In a large mixing bowl, prepare flax eggs and let rest for 5 minutes. Then add applesauce, maple syrup, coconut sugar, baking soda, baking powder, sea salt, and cocoa powder, and whisk again.
Next add the melted coconut oil and almond milk and whisk to combine. Add grated zucchini (that's been squeezed of excess moisture) and stir to combine.
Add gluten-free flour, oat flour, and almond flour and whisk until just combined. If the batter appears too thick, add a touch more almond milk. But it should be thick and scoopable.
Lastly, stir in chocolate chips. Then transfer batter to the loaf pan and top with a few more chocolate chips (optional).
Bake 45 minutes - 1 hour or until a toothpick comes out clean and the edges feel semi-firm to the touch.
Let cool for 5 minutes in the pan. Then carefully lift onto a cooling rack using the parchment paper. Texture is best when cooled completely. Will keep covered at room temperature for 3-4 days or in the freezer up to 1 month.
Notes
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate for 1 of 10 slices.
*Recipe adapted from my Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffins.
Nutrition Information: Serving size: 1 slice (of 10): Calories: 216; Fat: 10.8 g; Saturated fat: 7.1 g; Carbohydrates: 31.1 g; Sugar: 15 g; Sodium: 58 mg; Fiber: 4.1 g; Protein: 3.4 g
Thursday, November 30, 2017
Thursday Recipes - Long-Since-Forgotten Emailing List Food
I was on several foodie and recipe emailing lists for a number of years and discovered many wonderful recipes while on them. Unfortunately, some of the lists closed, others slowed down, and the rest...It got so that if I didn't check certain email accounts in a timely way, I'd end up overwhelmed. Now I'm not on any of them, though there are times I really miss them.
Here are a few recipes found from a few of those long-since-forgotten emailing lists, including Fettuccine Alfredo and Tiramisu. Enjoy!
FRESH APPLE CAKE WITH CARAMEL SAUCE
Whoever posted this wrote, "I've had this recipe for years and make it often since Michigan has an abundance of apples. The caramel sauce is a special touch, especially when serving guests."
Servings: 9; Time: Prep: 15 min. Bake: 30 min.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cups chopped peeled baking apples
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Caramel Sauce:
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup cream or evaporated milk
1/4 cup butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg, beaten
Directions:
In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in the egg. Combine flour, baking soda, nutmeg and cinnamon; add to creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in apples and walnuts. Turn into a greased 8-in. square baking pan. Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until cake tests done.
Meanwhile, for caramel sauce, blend brown sugar and cornstarch in a saucepan. Add remaining ingredients; cook and stir until thickened, about 3 minutes. Serve cake warm or cold with warm caramel sauce.
Nutrition Facts: One serving: (1 piece); Calories: 436; Fat: 21 g; Saturated Fat: 11 g; Cholesterol: 91 mg; Sodium: 335 mg; Carbohydrate: 60 g; Fiber: 1 g; Protein: 5 g
PUMPKIN APPLE BUTTER
A great butter for spreading on your toast, muffins, bagels, crackers, you name it! You'll find this pumpkin apple butter recipe is easy to make. And, it is so tasty, that it will quickly disappear.
Makes: 3 cups
Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups Solid Pack Pumpkin
1 cup Apple Juice
1 cup(about 1 medium) Peeled and grated Apple
1/2 Cup Packed Brown Sugar
3/4 Teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice
Directions:
Combine pumpkin, apple juice, apple, sugar and pumpkin pie spice in medium saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; simmer for 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. Pour into container. Cover,chill. May be stored in refrigerator for up to two months.
TIRAMISU
The email added, "A tiramisu made with sponge cake and sweetened cream cheese or mascarpone filling."
Ingredients:
1 sponge cake (10-12 inch), about 3" tall
1/3 cup strong black coffee
5 tablespoons rum or brandy, good quality
1 1/2 pounds cream cheese or mascarpone cheese, room temperature
1 to 1/2 cups superfine or powdered sugar
sifted unsweetened cocoa powder
Directions:
Cut across middle of sponge cake, making two even layers, each about 1 1/2 inches high. Combine coffee and brandy. Sprinkle enough of mixture over bottom half of cake to flavor strongly. Don't moisten cake too much. Beat room-temperature cream cheese and 1 cup sugar until sugar is completely dissolved and the cream cheese mixture is light and fluffy. Test for sweetness and add more sugar if necessary. Spread cut surface of bottom layer with half of the cheese mixture. Replace second layer and top this with remaining cheese mixture. Sprinkle top liberally with sifted cocoa. Refrigerate cake for at least 2 hours before cutting and serving.
FETTUCCINE ALFREDO
"This fettuccine recipe is purported to be similar to a famous Italian restaurant's fettuccine dish," according to the email sender.
Ingredients:
8 ounces fettuccine
8 ounces cream cheese, cut in small pieces
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 stick (8 tablespoons) butter
1/2 cup milk
Preparation:
Cook fettuccine in boiling salted water following package directions. In a large saucepan over medium-low heat, combine cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, butter, and milk, stirring constantly until smooth and hot. do not boil. Toss the hot cooked pasta lightly with sauce, coating well.
Serves 4.
PASTA ROMA SOUP
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Whoever submitted this to the list it was on wrote that it "Mimics Olive Garden's soup." To make this a vegetarian verson, I've added soy "bacon" in place of the bacon and vegetable broth in place of the chicken broth.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup uncooked miniature pasta bow ties
2 cans (approx. 15 ounces each) garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
6 slices soy bacon, cooked, drained, chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
3/4 cup chopped onions
1 cup chopped celery
1 small clove garlic, minced
1 cup julienne-cut carrots
1 can (14.5 ounces) tomatoes, diced
4 cups vegetable broth
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground rosemary
2 tablespoons fresh minced parsley
Preparation:
Cook bow tie pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside. Add garbanzo beans to food processor and pulse until beans are well mashed. Scrape down sides of work bowl occasionally. Set aside. Heat oil in a Dutch oven or stockpot. Add carrots, onions, celery and garlic and sauté for 5 minutes on medium heat. Add remaining ingredients except pasta and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook stirring occasionally for 20 minutes. Keep warm. Add pasta to finished soup, heat through, and serve immediately.
Serves 4.
DUMP CAKE
Ingredients:
1 (21 oz) can cherry pie filling
1 (15 oz) can crushed pineapple
1 (18 oz) pkg. yellow cake mix
8 oz. chopped walnuts
1/2 C. butter (melted)
Preparation:
In a 9x13 pan mix cherry pie filling and pineapple. Sprinkle dry cake mix over pineapple and cherry mixture, stir until just combined. Then sprinkle walnuts over top. Drizzle top with melted butter. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown.
Here are a few recipes found from a few of those long-since-forgotten emailing lists, including Fettuccine Alfredo and Tiramisu. Enjoy!
FRESH APPLE CAKE WITH CARAMEL SAUCE
Whoever posted this wrote, "I've had this recipe for years and make it often since Michigan has an abundance of apples. The caramel sauce is a special touch, especially when serving guests."
Servings: 9; Time: Prep: 15 min. Bake: 30 min.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cups chopped peeled baking apples
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Caramel Sauce:
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup cream or evaporated milk
1/4 cup butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg, beaten
Directions:
In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in the egg. Combine flour, baking soda, nutmeg and cinnamon; add to creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in apples and walnuts. Turn into a greased 8-in. square baking pan. Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until cake tests done.
Meanwhile, for caramel sauce, blend brown sugar and cornstarch in a saucepan. Add remaining ingredients; cook and stir until thickened, about 3 minutes. Serve cake warm or cold with warm caramel sauce.
Nutrition Facts: One serving: (1 piece); Calories: 436; Fat: 21 g; Saturated Fat: 11 g; Cholesterol: 91 mg; Sodium: 335 mg; Carbohydrate: 60 g; Fiber: 1 g; Protein: 5 g
PUMPKIN APPLE BUTTER
A great butter for spreading on your toast, muffins, bagels, crackers, you name it! You'll find this pumpkin apple butter recipe is easy to make. And, it is so tasty, that it will quickly disappear.
Makes: 3 cups
Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups Solid Pack Pumpkin
1 cup Apple Juice
1 cup(about 1 medium) Peeled and grated Apple
1/2 Cup Packed Brown Sugar
3/4 Teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice
Directions:
Combine pumpkin, apple juice, apple, sugar and pumpkin pie spice in medium saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; simmer for 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. Pour into container. Cover,chill. May be stored in refrigerator for up to two months.
TIRAMISU
The email added, "A tiramisu made with sponge cake and sweetened cream cheese or mascarpone filling."
Ingredients:
1 sponge cake (10-12 inch), about 3" tall
1/3 cup strong black coffee
5 tablespoons rum or brandy, good quality
1 1/2 pounds cream cheese or mascarpone cheese, room temperature
1 to 1/2 cups superfine or powdered sugar
sifted unsweetened cocoa powder
Directions:
Cut across middle of sponge cake, making two even layers, each about 1 1/2 inches high. Combine coffee and brandy. Sprinkle enough of mixture over bottom half of cake to flavor strongly. Don't moisten cake too much. Beat room-temperature cream cheese and 1 cup sugar until sugar is completely dissolved and the cream cheese mixture is light and fluffy. Test for sweetness and add more sugar if necessary. Spread cut surface of bottom layer with half of the cheese mixture. Replace second layer and top this with remaining cheese mixture. Sprinkle top liberally with sifted cocoa. Refrigerate cake for at least 2 hours before cutting and serving.
FETTUCCINE ALFREDO
"This fettuccine recipe is purported to be similar to a famous Italian restaurant's fettuccine dish," according to the email sender.
Ingredients:
8 ounces fettuccine
8 ounces cream cheese, cut in small pieces
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 stick (8 tablespoons) butter
1/2 cup milk
Preparation:
Cook fettuccine in boiling salted water following package directions. In a large saucepan over medium-low heat, combine cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, butter, and milk, stirring constantly until smooth and hot. do not boil. Toss the hot cooked pasta lightly with sauce, coating well.
Serves 4.
PASTA ROMA SOUP
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Whoever submitted this to the list it was on wrote that it "Mimics Olive Garden's soup." To make this a vegetarian verson, I've added soy "bacon" in place of the bacon and vegetable broth in place of the chicken broth.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup uncooked miniature pasta bow ties
2 cans (approx. 15 ounces each) garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
6 slices soy bacon, cooked, drained, chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
3/4 cup chopped onions
1 cup chopped celery
1 small clove garlic, minced
1 cup julienne-cut carrots
1 can (14.5 ounces) tomatoes, diced
4 cups vegetable broth
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground rosemary
2 tablespoons fresh minced parsley
Preparation:
Cook bow tie pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside. Add garbanzo beans to food processor and pulse until beans are well mashed. Scrape down sides of work bowl occasionally. Set aside. Heat oil in a Dutch oven or stockpot. Add carrots, onions, celery and garlic and sauté for 5 minutes on medium heat. Add remaining ingredients except pasta and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook stirring occasionally for 20 minutes. Keep warm. Add pasta to finished soup, heat through, and serve immediately.
Serves 4.
DUMP CAKE
Ingredients:
1 (21 oz) can cherry pie filling
1 (15 oz) can crushed pineapple
1 (18 oz) pkg. yellow cake mix
8 oz. chopped walnuts
1/2 C. butter (melted)
Preparation:
In a 9x13 pan mix cherry pie filling and pineapple. Sprinkle dry cake mix over pineapple and cherry mixture, stir until just combined. Then sprinkle walnuts over top. Drizzle top with melted butter. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown.
Wednesday, November 29, 2017
Wednesday Recipes
Tomorrow is the last day of November...where has the year gone? It's amazing how fast time flies. Siiiigh...
Here are today's six recipes to help you through the middle of the week, including Bow Ties with Fennel, Green Beans & Baby Limas and Apple Cider Floats. Enjoy!
CHEESECAKE-STUFFED PUMPKIN BREAD
This is from The Food Network, and begins, “Everyone's favorite fall quick bread hides a decadent surprise inside -- a rich swirl of cheesecake.”
Total: 3 hr 45 min; Active: 25 min; Yield: 1 loaf; Level: Easy
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
Cheesecake Swirl:
One 8-ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup sour cream
1 large egg
Pumpkin Bread:
Nonstick cooking spray
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the pan (see Cook's Note)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 large egg
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting
Directions
For the cheesecake swirl: Position an oven rack in the bottom third of the oven and preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Combine the cream cheese, granulated sugar, sour cream and egg in a large bowl and beat with a mixer until well combined; set aside.
For the pumpkin bread: Generously spray a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with nonstick spray and dust with flour. Whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl and set aside. Whisk together the granulated sugar and pumpkin puree in a large bowl, then whisk in the oil, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla and egg. Whisk in the flour mixture until just combined.
Reserve 1 cup of the pumpkin batter. Spread the remaining batter in the bottom of the prepared loaf pan. Spoon the cream cheese mixture over the pumpkin batter, then put the reserved cup pumpkin batter in a line down the center of the pan. Insert the tip of a paring knife into the batter and drag it through and up to swirl 5 to 6 times.
Bake until the top is cracked and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 20 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes, then carefully invert onto a platter or cake stand and flip upright. Let cool completely, at least 1 1/2 hours. Dust with confectioners' sugar and serve.
Cook's Note
When measuring flour, we spoon it into a dry measuring cup and level off the excess. (Scooping directly from the bag compacts the flour, resulting in dry baked goods.)
BOW TIMES WITH FENNEL, GREEN BEANS AND BABY LIMAS
This one is from the April 2000 issue of Vegetarian Times, and starts out, “Most of us prefer our green beans briefly cooked just until they're crisp-tender and bright green. Slightly longer cooking may dim the color, but it brings out the beans' inherent sweetness. Braising them with lima beans, tomatoes and fennel creates a delightful sauce for pasta.” Serves 4 to 6.
To view this online, click here.
1 Tbs. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 medium bulb fennel, chopped (1 cup)
4 medium cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbs. fennel seeds, lightly crushed
3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
1 cup frozen baby lima beans
6 oz. green beans, trimmed and halved (1 1/2 cups)
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 cup canned crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup kalamata olives, rinsed, halved and pitted
1⁄3 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
12 oz. dried bow-tie pasta (farfalle)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (2 oz.; optional)
Bring large pot of lightly salted water to a boil.
Meanwhile, in large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and fennel and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and fennel seeds and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Stir in broth and lima beans and bring to a simmer.
Stir in green beans and salt, reduce heat to medium and simmer until all beans are tender, 15 to 20 minutes.
Add tomatoes and olives and simmer, stirring occasionally, until flavors have blended, about 5 minutes. Stir in parsley and pepper.
Shortly before sauce is ready, add bow ties to boiling water; stir to prevent sticking. Cook, stirring often, until just tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain well and place in large warm serving bowl. Add bean mixture and toss to coat. Serve sprinkled with Parmesan if desired.
nutritional information Per Serving: Calories: 338; Protein: 12 g; Total Fat: 6 g; Saturated Fat: 1 g; Carbohydrates: 50 g; Sodium: 726 mg; Fiber: 9 g; Vegan
APRICOT AND NUT COOKIES WITH AMARETTO ICING
This is from Giada De Laurentiis of The Food Network’s Everyday Italian.
Total: 2 hr 49 min; Prep: 4 min; Inactive: 2 hr 30 min; Cook: 15 min; Yield: 2 to 2 1/2 dozen cookies; Level: Easy
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
Cookies:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 large egg
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup dried apricots, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted
2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
Icing:
1 3/4 cups confectioners' sugar
5 to 7 tablespoons almond flavored liqueur (recommended: Amaretto)
Directions
For the Cookies: In a large bowl, beat the butter, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the egg. Stir in the flour until just blended. Mix in the apricots, almonds, and pine nuts.
Transfer the dough to a sheet of plastic wrap and shape into a log, about 12-inches long and 1 1/2-inches in diameter. Wrap the dough in the plastic and refrigerate for 2 hours.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 heavy baking sheets with parchment paper.
Cut the dough log crosswise into 1/4 to 1/2 inch-thick slices. Transfer the cookies to the prepared baking sheets, spacing evenly apart. Bake until the cookies are golden around the edges, about 15 minutes. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely before icing.
For the Icing: Place the confectioners' sugar in a medium mixing bowl. Gradually whisk in the almond flavored liqueur, until the mixture is of drizzling consistency.
Place the wire rack over a baking sheet. Using a spoon or fork, drizzle the cookies with the icing, allowing any excess icing to drip onto the baking sheet. Allow the icing to set before serving, about 30 minutes.
GLAZED CARROTS WITH ORANGE AND GINGER
This comes from Mark Bittman at The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Mark wrote, “When carrots are cooked, it’s often a sad affair. They are boiled to death and presented almost as an apology. Yet when they’re treated with the respect they deserve, even ordinary supermarket carrots can be among the most reliable and enjoyable of vegetables, especially from fall through spring. This braise-and-glaze technique can be varied at will and can also be used with other roots, like beets, turnips and radishes. Once you have the hang of the technique, changing the flavorings is a snap. Try substituting a mixture of half balsamic vinegar, half water or soy sauce similarly diluted for the orange juice, adding a few cloves of peeled garlic with the carrots. Or add a half cup or so of chopped onions, shallots, scallions or leeks, or of chopped pitted dates or raisins, dried currants or even dried tomatoes.”
Yield: 4 servings; Time: 30 minutes
This was featured in “Versatile Carrots, Repectfully Braised” and can be viewed online here.
Ingredients
1 pound carrots, trimmed and peeled if necessary, cut into 1/4-inch coins or sticks
2 tablespoons butter or extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon minced or grated peeled fresh ginger
1/3 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Chopped fresh parsley, dill, mint, basil or chervil leaves for garnish (optional)
Preparation
Combine all ingredients except lemon juice and garnish in a saucepan no more than 6 inches across. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring to coat, then adjust heat so mixture simmers. Cover.
Cook, more or less undisturbed, until carrots are tender and liquid is almost gone, 10 to 20 minutes. Uncover and boil off remaining liquid, then add lemon juice. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve hot or within an hour or two, garnished with herbs, if you like.
APPLE CIDER FLOATS
This is from Lauren Miyashiro on Delish. The recipe begins, “You'll want to float away with these apple cider floats!”
Total Time: 10 minutes; Prep Time: 10 minutes; Level: Easy; Servings: 2
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
1/2 c. caramel sauce
1/2 c. cinnamon-sugar
2 c. apple cider, warmed
Vanilla ice cream, for serving
cinnamon sticks
Whipped cream, for serving
Apple slices
Directions
Pour caramel in a small dish. Dip the top of each mug in the caramel to rim the cup. Then dip the caramel rim in cinnamon-sugar.
Ladle apple cider into each mug then add a scoop of ice cream to each. Top with whipped cream and garnish with apple slices and cinnamon stick.
Drizzle more caramel over the whipped cream and serve immediately.
PUMPKIN SOUP
Prep Time: 10 minutes; Cooking Time: 20 minutes; Serves 6
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons chopped onion
2 tablespoons flour
6 cups veggie broth
one 15-ounce can unsweetened pumpkin puree
one 8-ounce jar applesauce
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup heavy cream
freshly ground pepper, to taste
croutons, optional
Heat the butter in a large saucepan and saute the onions over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes until softened. Sprinkle the flour over the onions and stir until mixed. Add the chicken broth and pumpkin and stir until smooth.
Add the remaining ingredients except the cream, pepper, and croutons. Stir well, cover and simmer gently for about 20 minutes until hot and the flavors have blended.
Stir in the cream and heat until hot. Garnish with freshly ground pepper and serve immediately with crisp croutons, if desired.
Here are today's six recipes to help you through the middle of the week, including Bow Ties with Fennel, Green Beans & Baby Limas and Apple Cider Floats. Enjoy!
CHEESECAKE-STUFFED PUMPKIN BREAD
This is from The Food Network, and begins, “Everyone's favorite fall quick bread hides a decadent surprise inside -- a rich swirl of cheesecake.”
Total: 3 hr 45 min; Active: 25 min; Yield: 1 loaf; Level: Easy
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
Cheesecake Swirl:
One 8-ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup sour cream
1 large egg
Pumpkin Bread:
Nonstick cooking spray
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the pan (see Cook's Note)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 large egg
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting
Directions
For the cheesecake swirl: Position an oven rack in the bottom third of the oven and preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Combine the cream cheese, granulated sugar, sour cream and egg in a large bowl and beat with a mixer until well combined; set aside.
For the pumpkin bread: Generously spray a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with nonstick spray and dust with flour. Whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl and set aside. Whisk together the granulated sugar and pumpkin puree in a large bowl, then whisk in the oil, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla and egg. Whisk in the flour mixture until just combined.
Reserve 1 cup of the pumpkin batter. Spread the remaining batter in the bottom of the prepared loaf pan. Spoon the cream cheese mixture over the pumpkin batter, then put the reserved cup pumpkin batter in a line down the center of the pan. Insert the tip of a paring knife into the batter and drag it through and up to swirl 5 to 6 times.
Bake until the top is cracked and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 20 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes, then carefully invert onto a platter or cake stand and flip upright. Let cool completely, at least 1 1/2 hours. Dust with confectioners' sugar and serve.
Cook's Note
When measuring flour, we spoon it into a dry measuring cup and level off the excess. (Scooping directly from the bag compacts the flour, resulting in dry baked goods.)
BOW TIMES WITH FENNEL, GREEN BEANS AND BABY LIMAS
This one is from the April 2000 issue of Vegetarian Times, and starts out, “Most of us prefer our green beans briefly cooked just until they're crisp-tender and bright green. Slightly longer cooking may dim the color, but it brings out the beans' inherent sweetness. Braising them with lima beans, tomatoes and fennel creates a delightful sauce for pasta.” Serves 4 to 6.
To view this online, click here.
1 Tbs. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 medium bulb fennel, chopped (1 cup)
4 medium cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbs. fennel seeds, lightly crushed
3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
1 cup frozen baby lima beans
6 oz. green beans, trimmed and halved (1 1/2 cups)
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 cup canned crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup kalamata olives, rinsed, halved and pitted
1⁄3 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
12 oz. dried bow-tie pasta (farfalle)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (2 oz.; optional)
Bring large pot of lightly salted water to a boil.
Meanwhile, in large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and fennel and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and fennel seeds and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Stir in broth and lima beans and bring to a simmer.
Stir in green beans and salt, reduce heat to medium and simmer until all beans are tender, 15 to 20 minutes.
Add tomatoes and olives and simmer, stirring occasionally, until flavors have blended, about 5 minutes. Stir in parsley and pepper.
Shortly before sauce is ready, add bow ties to boiling water; stir to prevent sticking. Cook, stirring often, until just tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain well and place in large warm serving bowl. Add bean mixture and toss to coat. Serve sprinkled with Parmesan if desired.
nutritional information Per Serving: Calories: 338; Protein: 12 g; Total Fat: 6 g; Saturated Fat: 1 g; Carbohydrates: 50 g; Sodium: 726 mg; Fiber: 9 g; Vegan
APRICOT AND NUT COOKIES WITH AMARETTO ICING
This is from Giada De Laurentiis of The Food Network’s Everyday Italian.
Total: 2 hr 49 min; Prep: 4 min; Inactive: 2 hr 30 min; Cook: 15 min; Yield: 2 to 2 1/2 dozen cookies; Level: Easy
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
Cookies:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 large egg
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup dried apricots, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted
2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
Icing:
1 3/4 cups confectioners' sugar
5 to 7 tablespoons almond flavored liqueur (recommended: Amaretto)
Directions
For the Cookies: In a large bowl, beat the butter, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the egg. Stir in the flour until just blended. Mix in the apricots, almonds, and pine nuts.
Transfer the dough to a sheet of plastic wrap and shape into a log, about 12-inches long and 1 1/2-inches in diameter. Wrap the dough in the plastic and refrigerate for 2 hours.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 heavy baking sheets with parchment paper.
Cut the dough log crosswise into 1/4 to 1/2 inch-thick slices. Transfer the cookies to the prepared baking sheets, spacing evenly apart. Bake until the cookies are golden around the edges, about 15 minutes. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely before icing.
For the Icing: Place the confectioners' sugar in a medium mixing bowl. Gradually whisk in the almond flavored liqueur, until the mixture is of drizzling consistency.
Place the wire rack over a baking sheet. Using a spoon or fork, drizzle the cookies with the icing, allowing any excess icing to drip onto the baking sheet. Allow the icing to set before serving, about 30 minutes.
GLAZED CARROTS WITH ORANGE AND GINGER
This comes from Mark Bittman at The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Mark wrote, “When carrots are cooked, it’s often a sad affair. They are boiled to death and presented almost as an apology. Yet when they’re treated with the respect they deserve, even ordinary supermarket carrots can be among the most reliable and enjoyable of vegetables, especially from fall through spring. This braise-and-glaze technique can be varied at will and can also be used with other roots, like beets, turnips and radishes. Once you have the hang of the technique, changing the flavorings is a snap. Try substituting a mixture of half balsamic vinegar, half water or soy sauce similarly diluted for the orange juice, adding a few cloves of peeled garlic with the carrots. Or add a half cup or so of chopped onions, shallots, scallions or leeks, or of chopped pitted dates or raisins, dried currants or even dried tomatoes.”
Yield: 4 servings; Time: 30 minutes
This was featured in “Versatile Carrots, Repectfully Braised” and can be viewed online here.
Ingredients
1 pound carrots, trimmed and peeled if necessary, cut into 1/4-inch coins or sticks
2 tablespoons butter or extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon minced or grated peeled fresh ginger
1/3 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Chopped fresh parsley, dill, mint, basil or chervil leaves for garnish (optional)
Preparation
Combine all ingredients except lemon juice and garnish in a saucepan no more than 6 inches across. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring to coat, then adjust heat so mixture simmers. Cover.
Cook, more or less undisturbed, until carrots are tender and liquid is almost gone, 10 to 20 minutes. Uncover and boil off remaining liquid, then add lemon juice. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve hot or within an hour or two, garnished with herbs, if you like.
APPLE CIDER FLOATS
This is from Lauren Miyashiro on Delish. The recipe begins, “You'll want to float away with these apple cider floats!”
Total Time: 10 minutes; Prep Time: 10 minutes; Level: Easy; Servings: 2
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
1/2 c. caramel sauce
1/2 c. cinnamon-sugar
2 c. apple cider, warmed
Vanilla ice cream, for serving
cinnamon sticks
Whipped cream, for serving
Apple slices
Directions
Pour caramel in a small dish. Dip the top of each mug in the caramel to rim the cup. Then dip the caramel rim in cinnamon-sugar.
Ladle apple cider into each mug then add a scoop of ice cream to each. Top with whipped cream and garnish with apple slices and cinnamon stick.
Drizzle more caramel over the whipped cream and serve immediately.
PUMPKIN SOUP
Prep Time: 10 minutes; Cooking Time: 20 minutes; Serves 6
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons chopped onion
2 tablespoons flour
6 cups veggie broth
one 15-ounce can unsweetened pumpkin puree
one 8-ounce jar applesauce
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup heavy cream
freshly ground pepper, to taste
croutons, optional
Heat the butter in a large saucepan and saute the onions over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes until softened. Sprinkle the flour over the onions and stir until mixed. Add the chicken broth and pumpkin and stir until smooth.
Add the remaining ingredients except the cream, pepper, and croutons. Stir well, cover and simmer gently for about 20 minutes until hot and the flavors have blended.
Stir in the cream and heat until hot. Garnish with freshly ground pepper and serve immediately with crisp croutons, if desired.
Tuesday, November 28, 2017
Double-Post Tuesday
Besides being Taco Tuesday, it's also Double-Post Tuesday.
I love autumn for many reasons, one of which is the wonderful food. Whether you call it fall or autumn, pumpkins and different kinds of squash seem to be on everyone's plates.
Most of the following recipes were from different emailing lists, most of which have since disappeared. I'm not sure exactly who came up with these recipes, although I'm sure that the Vegan Pumpkin Risoto came from a vegetarian list, possibly Vegetarian Times.
Either way, check these out these six recipes, including Pumpkin Mousse and Vegan Pumpkin Risotto. Enjoy!
AUTUMN SQUASH CASSEROLE
Ingredients
1 stick of butter, melted
1 onion, chopped
5 lbs butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 1/2 cups orange juice
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 tsp cinnamon
Directions
Place the butter, onion, squash and orange juice in the slow cooker. Cook on Low for 6 to 10 hours or on High for 3 to 4 hours. Add the cinnamon and maple syrup. Using a potato masher, mash the ingredients. Mix until smooth and serve warm.
BUTTERNUT SQUASH, APPLE, ONION AU GRATIN
Cooking spray
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 pinch cinnamon
1 butternut squash - peeled, seeded and sliced
4 apples - peeled, cored and sliced
1/2 sweet onion, thinly sliced
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
3 slices soy bacon, cooked and crumbled
Preheat oven to 350. Spray 9- x 11-inch glass baking pan with cooking spray.
Place flour, salt, and cinnamon into a large plastic bag. Add squash, apples, and onions; shake until lightly dusted.
In glass dish, layer 1/2 of squash, apples, and sweet onion. Pour 1/2 cup chicken stock over the top, then sprinkle 1/2 of cheese. Layer with remaining squash, apple, and onions. Pour remaining chicken stock over the top, and cover with foil. Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes.
Take out and sprinkle with bacon crumbles and remaining cheese. Return, uncovered, to oven; bake for another 5 minutes. Let sit for 5 minutes before serving.
PUMPKIN SMOOTHIE
Prep: 4 min; Yields: 6 servings
Ingredients
1 can (15 oz.) LIBBY'S® 100% Pure Pumpkin, chilled
1 can (12 fl. oz.) NESTLÉ® CARNATION® Evaporated Lowfat 2% Milk, chilled
1 1/2 cups orange juice
1 small sliced banana
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
2 dozen ice cubes (optional)
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (optional)
Directions
PLACE pumpkin, evaporated milk, orange juice, banana and sugar in blender; cover. Blend until smooth. Pour over ice. Sprinkle with cinnamon, if desired.
nutrition facts: Amount Per Serving 6 servings: Serving Size 1/6 of recipe: Calories 150, Total Fat 1.5g, Dietary Fiber 3g
PUMPKIN MOUSSE
Inspired by Martinique’s tropical cuisine, mildly spicy whipped pumpkin can stand alone as a dessert or accompany seafood as an exotic side dish.
Prep Time: 1 hours, 10 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Ingredients:
1 15-oz can pumpkin puree
1 cup plus 2 cups chilled heavy cream
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 ounces white chocolate, shaved
Preparation:
In a medium saucepan, stir together the pumpkin, 1 cup heavy cream, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Chill for at least 1 hour before preparing the mousse.
Whip the remaining 2 cups chilled cream into peaks. Gently stir 1/2 cup of the chilled pumpkin mixture into the whipped cream. Once the 1/2 cup of pumpkin is almost fully incorporated into the cream, fold in the remaining pumpkin. Serve chilled with white chocolate shavings as a garnish.
Makes 8 servings.
VEGAN PUMPKIN RISOTTO
This recipe begins, "A vegetarian and vegan twist on classic Italian risotto - pumpkin! Why not? Pumpkin adds a sweet and unique flavor perfect for fall, as a vegetarian Thanksgiving7 entree, or anytime. This Italian risotto recipe is both vegetarian and vegan."
Ingredients:
1 onion. diced
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cups arborio (risotto) rice
1 cup white wine
4 cups vegetable broth
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 tsp fresh ginger, grated or minced
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tbsp chopped fresh basil
1 tbsp margarine
salt and pepper to taste
Preparation:
Sautee the onion in olive oil over medium heat for three to five minutes, or until soft. Add the rice. Allow to cook, stirring, for a minute or two. Slowly add the wine. Start to add the vegetable broth, 1/2 cup at a time. Allow the moisture to cook off before adding the next 1/2 cup. Stir frequently.
Add remaining ingredients, stirring well, and cook for just a few minutes, until heated through.
BUTTERNUT SQUASH RISOTTO
This comes from GE Appliances, and begins, “Don't let risotto intimidate you! With a little bit of time and patience you can enjoy this delicious dish. The creamy risotto is combined with sweet butternut squash, fragrant sage and rosemary for a perfect dish to usher in the cool days of fall.”
Makes 6 servings in 40 minutes.
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
3 cups butternut squash, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
3 tablespoons butter, divided
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 shallots, minced (about 1/2 cup)
1-1/2 cups Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine (see my note)
7-1/2 cups vegetable stock, heated (see my note)
5-6 fresh sage leaves, chopped
1 sprig fresh rosemary, chopped
1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
Directions
Heat olive oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large sauti pan. Add squash. Sauti for about 5 minutes, then cover; cook on medium heat until almost tender, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Add shallots; cook and stir for 5 minutes until the shallots begin to soften, then stir in the rice. Continue cooking until the rice is glossy and begins to turn translucent on the edges, about 5 minutes. Mix in sage and rosemary. Cook for an additional minute.
Pour in the white wine; cook, stir until it is absorbed. Add a large ladleful of the hot chicken stock (about 1/2 cup) reduce heat to medium. Cook until most of the liquid has been absorbed by the rice, stirring occasionally. Continue adding the chicken stock to the rice 1/2 a cup at a time until the rice is creamy but is still slightly firm when tasted, approximately 25-30 minutes.
Finish by stirring in the Parmesan cheese, remaining tablespoon of butter, and seasoning to taste with salt and pepper.
CHEF'S NOTES:
You can cut up your own squash or use pre-cubed butternut squash from your favorite grocery store. Just make sure the squash is cut into 1/2" cubes so it gets tender enough in the risotto.
My note: If, like me, you don’t have alcohol around your house, feel free to use either non-alcohol white wine or just plain water.
Also, the recipe also called for chicken stock. I substituted that for vegetable stock.
I love autumn for many reasons, one of which is the wonderful food. Whether you call it fall or autumn, pumpkins and different kinds of squash seem to be on everyone's plates.
Most of the following recipes were from different emailing lists, most of which have since disappeared. I'm not sure exactly who came up with these recipes, although I'm sure that the Vegan Pumpkin Risoto came from a vegetarian list, possibly Vegetarian Times.
Either way, check these out these six recipes, including Pumpkin Mousse and Vegan Pumpkin Risotto. Enjoy!
AUTUMN SQUASH CASSEROLE
Ingredients
1 stick of butter, melted
1 onion, chopped
5 lbs butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 1/2 cups orange juice
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 tsp cinnamon
Directions
Place the butter, onion, squash and orange juice in the slow cooker. Cook on Low for 6 to 10 hours or on High for 3 to 4 hours. Add the cinnamon and maple syrup. Using a potato masher, mash the ingredients. Mix until smooth and serve warm.
BUTTERNUT SQUASH, APPLE, ONION AU GRATIN
Cooking spray
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 pinch cinnamon
1 butternut squash - peeled, seeded and sliced
4 apples - peeled, cored and sliced
1/2 sweet onion, thinly sliced
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
3 slices soy bacon, cooked and crumbled
Preheat oven to 350. Spray 9- x 11-inch glass baking pan with cooking spray.
Place flour, salt, and cinnamon into a large plastic bag. Add squash, apples, and onions; shake until lightly dusted.
In glass dish, layer 1/2 of squash, apples, and sweet onion. Pour 1/2 cup chicken stock over the top, then sprinkle 1/2 of cheese. Layer with remaining squash, apple, and onions. Pour remaining chicken stock over the top, and cover with foil. Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes.
Take out and sprinkle with bacon crumbles and remaining cheese. Return, uncovered, to oven; bake for another 5 minutes. Let sit for 5 minutes before serving.
PUMPKIN SMOOTHIE
Prep: 4 min; Yields: 6 servings
Ingredients
1 can (15 oz.) LIBBY'S® 100% Pure Pumpkin, chilled
1 can (12 fl. oz.) NESTLÉ® CARNATION® Evaporated Lowfat 2% Milk, chilled
1 1/2 cups orange juice
1 small sliced banana
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
2 dozen ice cubes (optional)
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (optional)
Directions
PLACE pumpkin, evaporated milk, orange juice, banana and sugar in blender; cover. Blend until smooth. Pour over ice. Sprinkle with cinnamon, if desired.
nutrition facts: Amount Per Serving 6 servings: Serving Size 1/6 of recipe: Calories 150, Total Fat 1.5g, Dietary Fiber 3g
PUMPKIN MOUSSE
Inspired by Martinique’s tropical cuisine, mildly spicy whipped pumpkin can stand alone as a dessert or accompany seafood as an exotic side dish.
Prep Time: 1 hours, 10 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Ingredients:
1 15-oz can pumpkin puree
1 cup plus 2 cups chilled heavy cream
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 ounces white chocolate, shaved
Preparation:
In a medium saucepan, stir together the pumpkin, 1 cup heavy cream, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Chill for at least 1 hour before preparing the mousse.
Whip the remaining 2 cups chilled cream into peaks. Gently stir 1/2 cup of the chilled pumpkin mixture into the whipped cream. Once the 1/2 cup of pumpkin is almost fully incorporated into the cream, fold in the remaining pumpkin. Serve chilled with white chocolate shavings as a garnish.
Makes 8 servings.
VEGAN PUMPKIN RISOTTO
This recipe begins, "A vegetarian and vegan twist on classic Italian risotto - pumpkin! Why not? Pumpkin adds a sweet and unique flavor perfect for fall, as a vegetarian Thanksgiving7 entree, or anytime. This Italian risotto recipe is both vegetarian and vegan."
Ingredients:
1 onion. diced
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cups arborio (risotto) rice
1 cup white wine
4 cups vegetable broth
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 tsp fresh ginger, grated or minced
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tbsp chopped fresh basil
1 tbsp margarine
salt and pepper to taste
Preparation:
Sautee the onion in olive oil over medium heat for three to five minutes, or until soft. Add the rice. Allow to cook, stirring, for a minute or two. Slowly add the wine. Start to add the vegetable broth, 1/2 cup at a time. Allow the moisture to cook off before adding the next 1/2 cup. Stir frequently.
Add remaining ingredients, stirring well, and cook for just a few minutes, until heated through.
BUTTERNUT SQUASH RISOTTO
This comes from GE Appliances, and begins, “Don't let risotto intimidate you! With a little bit of time and patience you can enjoy this delicious dish. The creamy risotto is combined with sweet butternut squash, fragrant sage and rosemary for a perfect dish to usher in the cool days of fall.”
Makes 6 servings in 40 minutes.
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
3 cups butternut squash, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
3 tablespoons butter, divided
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 shallots, minced (about 1/2 cup)
1-1/2 cups Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine (see my note)
7-1/2 cups vegetable stock, heated (see my note)
5-6 fresh sage leaves, chopped
1 sprig fresh rosemary, chopped
1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
Directions
Heat olive oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large sauti pan. Add squash. Sauti for about 5 minutes, then cover; cook on medium heat until almost tender, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Add shallots; cook and stir for 5 minutes until the shallots begin to soften, then stir in the rice. Continue cooking until the rice is glossy and begins to turn translucent on the edges, about 5 minutes. Mix in sage and rosemary. Cook for an additional minute.
Pour in the white wine; cook, stir until it is absorbed. Add a large ladleful of the hot chicken stock (about 1/2 cup) reduce heat to medium. Cook until most of the liquid has been absorbed by the rice, stirring occasionally. Continue adding the chicken stock to the rice 1/2 a cup at a time until the rice is creamy but is still slightly firm when tasted, approximately 25-30 minutes.
Finish by stirring in the Parmesan cheese, remaining tablespoon of butter, and seasoning to taste with salt and pepper.
CHEF'S NOTES:
You can cut up your own squash or use pre-cubed butternut squash from your favorite grocery store. Just make sure the squash is cut into 1/2" cubes so it gets tender enough in the risotto.
My note: If, like me, you don’t have alcohol around your house, feel free to use either non-alcohol white wine or just plain water.
Also, the recipe also called for chicken stock. I substituted that for vegetable stock.
Taco Tuesday!
Yay! Another round of Taco Tuesday recipes! Today's six recipes come from a variety of sources including Love & Lemons and The New York Times cooking e-newsletter and include Jamaican Curried Tempeh Tacos and Crunchy Black Bean Tacos. Enjoy!
VEGGIE TACOS WITH AVOCADO TOMATILLO SALSA
This is from Jeanine & Jack at Love & Lemons. The recipe starts off, “I know – another taco recipe already? Well, I like tacos. I’m sure you do too because you are here after all.”
Prep time: 10 mins; Cook time: 30 mins; Total time: 40 mins; Serves: serves 2-3
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
1 small Japanese eggplant, chopped into 1-inch pieces
1 cup chopped summer squash (yellow, pattypan, or zucchini)
1 red bell pepper, deseeded and sliced into 1-inch pieces
1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced
drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil
6 corn or flour tortillas
1 cup cooked black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 avocado, diced
handful of cilantro
1 serrano pepper, sliced (optional)
crumbled cotija cheese (optional)
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Avocado Tomatillo Sauce:
1/3 cup store-bought or homemade tomatillo salsa
1/4 cup pepitas
1/2 avocado
handful of spinach
2 tbsp olive oil
squeezes of lime, to taste
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400° F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the chopped eggplant, squash, red pepper and tomatoes onto the baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and pinches of salt and pepper and roast until golden brown around the edges 25-30 minutes.
Meanwhile, make your sauce. In a food processor, blend together the tomatillo salsa, pepitas, avocado, spinach, olive oil, lime juice and pinches of salt and pepper, to taste. Chill until ready to use.
Assemble the tacos with the black beans, roasted vegetables, diced avocado, cilantro, serrano, cotija (if using), and a generous scoop of the avocado tomatillo sauce. Serve with extra sauce on the side.
Store extra sauce in the fridge for 2 to 3 days.
Notes
Vegan: skip the cotija cheese
Gluten free: use corn tortillas
TACOS WITH SPICY TOFU, TOMATOES AND CHARD
This is from Martha Rose Schulman in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Martha wrote, “In these tacos, tofu stands in for meat in a vegan picadillo, cooked in a modified salsa ranchera. I’ve never been one for meat “substitutes,” and I normally don’t advocate using tofu in anything other than Asian dishes. But I find this pretty irresistible, a sort of vegan picadillo. You can make it spicier by adding more chiles, milder by using less. The tofu is cooked in a modified salsa ranchera; being tofu, it absorbs the sweet and spicy flavors of the tomatoes and chiles. I used firm tofu and mashed it with the back of my spoon. Silken tofu is also a good choice, though then you will have something more akin to Mexican scrambled eggs.”
Yield: 8 tacos, 4 servings; Time: About 45 minutes
This was featured in “Vegetarian Taco Night” and can be viewed online here.
Ingredients
1 pound tomatoes
1/2 pound Swiss chard, stemmed, leaves washed in 2 changes of water
Salt to taste
1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
1 small or 1/2 medium red onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon lightly toasted cumin seeds, ground
1 teaspoon mild chili powder
1 to 2 serrano or jalapeño chiles (to taste), seeded if desired and minced
1 14-ounce box firm tofu, drained and cut into medium-size cubes
1/4 cup chopped cilantro (more to taste)
8 warm corn tortillas
Salsa fresca (optional)
Preparation
Preheat broiler with rack set about 4 inches from the heat. Cover a baking sheet with foil. Place tomatoes on foil and broil for 6 minutes, until blackened in spots or all over. Using tongs, flip over and broil for another 4 to 6 minutes. The tomatoes should be charred and cooked through. Remove from oven and tip, with juices, into a bowl. Allow to cool until you can handle them, then core and discard skins. Purée, along with juices in the bowl, in a blender or a food processor.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil while you stem and wash the chard. When water comes to a boil, add salt to taste and chard. Blanch for 1 minute and transfer to a bowl of cold water. Drain and take up chard by the handful to squeeze out excess water. Cut in 1/4-inch wide strips and set aside.
Heat oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat and add onion. Cook, stirring, until tender and beginning to color, 5 to 8 minutes. Add a generous pinch of salt, the garlic, cumin and chili powder and cook, stirring, until garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add puréed tomatoes, which should sizzle as soon as they hit the pan. Cook, stirring often, until purée thickens and leaves a canal when you run your spoon down the middle, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt.
Add minced chiles and tofu, and mash tofu into the tomatoes using the back of your spoon. Add Swiss chard and salt to taste, and continue to cook for another 5 minutes, stirring and mashing tofu. Stir in cilantro. Taste and adjust seasonings.
Heat tortillas and top with tofu mix. Serve with salsa on the side if desired.
Tip
Advance preparation: The cooked tofu keeps well for a couple of days.
BLACK BEAN TACOS WITH ROASTED PEPPERS AND ONIONS
This came from Vegetarian Times, and begins, “For a fast meal that’s a surefire crowd-pleaser, these tacos fit the bill.” Yield: Serves 8.
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients:
Roasted Peppers and Onions
3 red bell peppers, thinly sliced (3 cups)
1 large onion, thinly sliced (1 1/2 cups)
1 Tbs. olive oil
Tacos
2 Tbs. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped (1 cup)
6 cloves garlic, minced (2 Tbs.)
2 15-oz. cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 15-oz. can diced organic fire-roasted tomatoes
1 Tbs. chili powder
1 Tbs. ground cumin
1/8 tsp. hot sauce, or more to taste
16 organic corn taco shells, warmed
Toppings
3 cups shredded lettuce
1 16-oz. container prepared salsa
2 large tomatoes, diced (2 cups)
2 avocados, diced (2 cups)
1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
1 cup low-fat sour cream
Instructions:
To make Roasted Peppers and Onions: Preheat oven to 450°F. Toss peppers and onion with oil on large baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper. Roast 15 minutes, stir, and roast 15 minutes more, or until vegetables are tender and peppers are beginning to blacken. Transfer to small bowl.
Meanwhile, to make Tacos: Heat oil in large pot over medium heat. Add onion, and sauté 5 to 7 minutes, or until soft. Add garlic, and cook 1 minute more, or until fragrant. Stir in beans, tomatoes, chili powder, cumin, hot sauce, and 1 cup water. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 15 minutes, or until most of liquid has evaporated, stirring occasionally. Mash beans until filling is thickened, but chunky, and most beans remain intact. Adjust seasonings, if necessary. Transfer to serving bowl. Pass taco shells, filling, Roasted Peppers and Onions, and Toppings around the table.
Nutrition Information: Calories: 482; Protein: 16 g; Total Fat: 22 g; Saturated Fat: 5 g; Carbohydrates: 57 g; Cholesterol: 17 mg; Sodium: 665 mg; Fiber: 12 g; Sugar: 14 g
JAMAICAN CURRIED TEMPEH TACOS
This comes from Vegetarian Times, and begins, “The yellow curry filling, mustard greens, and red pepper strips lend these spicy tacos the colors of the tropics.” Yield: Serves 4.
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients:
1 Tbs. peanut oil
1 small sweet onion, such as Vidalia or Walla Walla, diced (1 cup)
1 8-oz. pkg. tempeh, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 cup unsweetened pineapple juice
2 Tbs. chopped cilantro
2 1/2 tsp. curry powder
1 1/2 tsp. grated fresh ginger
1 Tbs. lime juice
1 tsp. grated lime zest
4 6-inch corn or flour tortillas, warmed
1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/2 cup curly mustard greens, finely chopped
2 Tbs. chopped peanuts, optional
Instructions:
Heat oil in nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, and cook 3 to 5 minutes, or until onion is softened. Stir in tempeh, pineapple juice, cilantro, curry powder, and ginger. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook 5 minutes, or until pineapple juice evaporates and tempeh starts to brown, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, stir in lime juice and zest, and season with salt and pepper.
Fill tortillas with tempeh mixture. Add red bell pepper and mustard greens. Top with peanuts, if desired.
Nutrition Information: Calories: 220; Protein: 14 g; Total Fat: 7.5 g; Saturated Fat: 1.5 g; Carbohydrates: 26 g; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Sodium: 313 mg; Fiber: 7 g; Sugar: 6 g
CRUNCHY BLACK BEAN TACOS
This comes from The Kitchn’s e-newsletter. If you haven’t signed up for The Kitchn’s e-newsletter yet, I highly recommend that, as well as its sibling site, Apartment Therapy.
This recipe serves 3 to 4, or makes 8 tacos; Prep Time: 10 minutes; Total Time: 30 minutes and can be found online by clicking here.
2 cups cooked black beans
1/2 cup minced red onion
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
Pinch of salt
4 to 6 ounces (1 heaping cup) grated Pepper Jack cheese
2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
8 corn tortillas
Toppings
Avocado
Hot sauce
Salsa
Sour cream
In a medium bowl, add beans along with red onion, cilantro, cumin, and paprika. Add a pinch of salt and lightly mash all the ingredients together. Grate the cheese and have it ready as well.
In a large, nonstick or cast-iron skillet, add the 2 tablespoons oil and heat over medium-high heat. Add one corn tortilla at a time and let each get hot in the oil for a few seconds. Then add about 1/4 cup of the bean filling to one half of the tortilla. Top with a sprinkle of grated cheese. Try not to overfill the tacos, or you might have issues flipping them without losing filling.
Using a spatula, carefully fold the other half of the tortilla over to form a shell. Press down lightly on the tortilla so it holds its shape. If some cheese spills out, don’t worry — it will get crispy and delicious.
As the first taco cooks, move it to the side and begin a second one. Depending on the size of your pan, you can cook two or three tacos at once. A griddle will hold even more.
Cook each taco until they are nicely browned and crispy, about 3 minutes per side. When flipping the taco to cook on the other side, use a spatula and flip the taco toward the fold so the filling doesn’t fall out. If your pan is very dry between batches, add another drizzle of oil.
Place the cooked tacos in a warm oven while you finish the rest. If the tacos are very greasy, blot them with a paper towel before moving them to the oven.
Serve tacos with toppings like hot sauce, salsa, avocados, and sour cream.
Recipe Notes:
Corn tortillas are resilient to heat. Don’t worry about burning them; they are very sturdy. Just be sure to cook tortillas on each side long enough to get them really crispy.
10-MINUTE BLACK BEAN TACOS
This was in an email from TheKitchn. I absolutely love TheKitchn, as well as its sibling site, Apartment Therapy. If you haven’t checked out either site, I highly recommend them. (Go ahead, I’ll wait…tap, tap, tap.)
Anyway, Sheela Prakash, Assistant Food Editor at TheKitchn, wrote, “When you come home extra late after a crazy day at the office, it may seem like your only options for dinner are takeout, those questionable leftovers in the fridge, or scrambled eggs and toast. You're starving and cranky and you need dinner fast, after all. Luckily there's a fourth option: these 10-minute tacos.
“Yes, making tacos in 10 minutes is absolutely possible. In less time than it will take you to wait for delivery (it feels like it takes forever when you're hungry), these hearty vegetarian tacos can be on your plate.”
To view these yummy tacos online, click here. Serves 4.
For the tacos:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 large onion, diced
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup water
8 corn tortillas
For serving:
1 bag cabbage slaw or shredded cabbage
1 medium avocado, sliced
Salsa
Lime wedges
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in the chili powder, cumin, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Add the beans and water.
Cover the pan and reduce the heat to maintain a simmer. Cook for 5 minutes, then uncover and use the back of a fork to partially mash the beans, leaving about half whole. If there's any remaining water in the pan, simmer the mixture uncovered until evaporated, about 30 seconds. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
Meanwhile, heat the tortillas. Stack them on a microwave-safe plate and cover with a damp paper towel. Microwave in 30-second bursts until warm.
Fill the tortillas with the black bean mixture and top with slaw or cabbage, avocado, and salsa. Serve with lime wedges.
Recipe Notes
Storage: Leftover taco filling can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
VEGGIE TACOS WITH AVOCADO TOMATILLO SALSA
This is from Jeanine & Jack at Love & Lemons. The recipe starts off, “I know – another taco recipe already? Well, I like tacos. I’m sure you do too because you are here after all.”
Prep time: 10 mins; Cook time: 30 mins; Total time: 40 mins; Serves: serves 2-3
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
1 small Japanese eggplant, chopped into 1-inch pieces
1 cup chopped summer squash (yellow, pattypan, or zucchini)
1 red bell pepper, deseeded and sliced into 1-inch pieces
1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced
drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil
6 corn or flour tortillas
1 cup cooked black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 avocado, diced
handful of cilantro
1 serrano pepper, sliced (optional)
crumbled cotija cheese (optional)
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Avocado Tomatillo Sauce:
1/3 cup store-bought or homemade tomatillo salsa
1/4 cup pepitas
1/2 avocado
handful of spinach
2 tbsp olive oil
squeezes of lime, to taste
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400° F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the chopped eggplant, squash, red pepper and tomatoes onto the baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and pinches of salt and pepper and roast until golden brown around the edges 25-30 minutes.
Meanwhile, make your sauce. In a food processor, blend together the tomatillo salsa, pepitas, avocado, spinach, olive oil, lime juice and pinches of salt and pepper, to taste. Chill until ready to use.
Assemble the tacos with the black beans, roasted vegetables, diced avocado, cilantro, serrano, cotija (if using), and a generous scoop of the avocado tomatillo sauce. Serve with extra sauce on the side.
Store extra sauce in the fridge for 2 to 3 days.
Notes
Vegan: skip the cotija cheese
Gluten free: use corn tortillas
TACOS WITH SPICY TOFU, TOMATOES AND CHARD
This is from Martha Rose Schulman in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Martha wrote, “In these tacos, tofu stands in for meat in a vegan picadillo, cooked in a modified salsa ranchera. I’ve never been one for meat “substitutes,” and I normally don’t advocate using tofu in anything other than Asian dishes. But I find this pretty irresistible, a sort of vegan picadillo. You can make it spicier by adding more chiles, milder by using less. The tofu is cooked in a modified salsa ranchera; being tofu, it absorbs the sweet and spicy flavors of the tomatoes and chiles. I used firm tofu and mashed it with the back of my spoon. Silken tofu is also a good choice, though then you will have something more akin to Mexican scrambled eggs.”
Yield: 8 tacos, 4 servings; Time: About 45 minutes
This was featured in “Vegetarian Taco Night” and can be viewed online here.
Ingredients
1 pound tomatoes
1/2 pound Swiss chard, stemmed, leaves washed in 2 changes of water
Salt to taste
1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
1 small or 1/2 medium red onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon lightly toasted cumin seeds, ground
1 teaspoon mild chili powder
1 to 2 serrano or jalapeño chiles (to taste), seeded if desired and minced
1 14-ounce box firm tofu, drained and cut into medium-size cubes
1/4 cup chopped cilantro (more to taste)
8 warm corn tortillas
Salsa fresca (optional)
Preparation
Preheat broiler with rack set about 4 inches from the heat. Cover a baking sheet with foil. Place tomatoes on foil and broil for 6 minutes, until blackened in spots or all over. Using tongs, flip over and broil for another 4 to 6 minutes. The tomatoes should be charred and cooked through. Remove from oven and tip, with juices, into a bowl. Allow to cool until you can handle them, then core and discard skins. Purée, along with juices in the bowl, in a blender or a food processor.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil while you stem and wash the chard. When water comes to a boil, add salt to taste and chard. Blanch for 1 minute and transfer to a bowl of cold water. Drain and take up chard by the handful to squeeze out excess water. Cut in 1/4-inch wide strips and set aside.
Heat oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat and add onion. Cook, stirring, until tender and beginning to color, 5 to 8 minutes. Add a generous pinch of salt, the garlic, cumin and chili powder and cook, stirring, until garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add puréed tomatoes, which should sizzle as soon as they hit the pan. Cook, stirring often, until purée thickens and leaves a canal when you run your spoon down the middle, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt.
Add minced chiles and tofu, and mash tofu into the tomatoes using the back of your spoon. Add Swiss chard and salt to taste, and continue to cook for another 5 minutes, stirring and mashing tofu. Stir in cilantro. Taste and adjust seasonings.
Heat tortillas and top with tofu mix. Serve with salsa on the side if desired.
Tip
Advance preparation: The cooked tofu keeps well for a couple of days.
BLACK BEAN TACOS WITH ROASTED PEPPERS AND ONIONS
This came from Vegetarian Times, and begins, “For a fast meal that’s a surefire crowd-pleaser, these tacos fit the bill.” Yield: Serves 8.
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients:
Roasted Peppers and Onions
3 red bell peppers, thinly sliced (3 cups)
1 large onion, thinly sliced (1 1/2 cups)
1 Tbs. olive oil
Tacos
2 Tbs. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped (1 cup)
6 cloves garlic, minced (2 Tbs.)
2 15-oz. cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 15-oz. can diced organic fire-roasted tomatoes
1 Tbs. chili powder
1 Tbs. ground cumin
1/8 tsp. hot sauce, or more to taste
16 organic corn taco shells, warmed
Toppings
3 cups shredded lettuce
1 16-oz. container prepared salsa
2 large tomatoes, diced (2 cups)
2 avocados, diced (2 cups)
1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
1 cup low-fat sour cream
Instructions:
To make Roasted Peppers and Onions: Preheat oven to 450°F. Toss peppers and onion with oil on large baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper. Roast 15 minutes, stir, and roast 15 minutes more, or until vegetables are tender and peppers are beginning to blacken. Transfer to small bowl.
Meanwhile, to make Tacos: Heat oil in large pot over medium heat. Add onion, and sauté 5 to 7 minutes, or until soft. Add garlic, and cook 1 minute more, or until fragrant. Stir in beans, tomatoes, chili powder, cumin, hot sauce, and 1 cup water. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 15 minutes, or until most of liquid has evaporated, stirring occasionally. Mash beans until filling is thickened, but chunky, and most beans remain intact. Adjust seasonings, if necessary. Transfer to serving bowl. Pass taco shells, filling, Roasted Peppers and Onions, and Toppings around the table.
Nutrition Information: Calories: 482; Protein: 16 g; Total Fat: 22 g; Saturated Fat: 5 g; Carbohydrates: 57 g; Cholesterol: 17 mg; Sodium: 665 mg; Fiber: 12 g; Sugar: 14 g
JAMAICAN CURRIED TEMPEH TACOS
This comes from Vegetarian Times, and begins, “The yellow curry filling, mustard greens, and red pepper strips lend these spicy tacos the colors of the tropics.” Yield: Serves 4.
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients:
1 Tbs. peanut oil
1 small sweet onion, such as Vidalia or Walla Walla, diced (1 cup)
1 8-oz. pkg. tempeh, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 cup unsweetened pineapple juice
2 Tbs. chopped cilantro
2 1/2 tsp. curry powder
1 1/2 tsp. grated fresh ginger
1 Tbs. lime juice
1 tsp. grated lime zest
4 6-inch corn or flour tortillas, warmed
1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/2 cup curly mustard greens, finely chopped
2 Tbs. chopped peanuts, optional
Instructions:
Heat oil in nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, and cook 3 to 5 minutes, or until onion is softened. Stir in tempeh, pineapple juice, cilantro, curry powder, and ginger. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook 5 minutes, or until pineapple juice evaporates and tempeh starts to brown, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, stir in lime juice and zest, and season with salt and pepper.
Fill tortillas with tempeh mixture. Add red bell pepper and mustard greens. Top with peanuts, if desired.
Nutrition Information: Calories: 220; Protein: 14 g; Total Fat: 7.5 g; Saturated Fat: 1.5 g; Carbohydrates: 26 g; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Sodium: 313 mg; Fiber: 7 g; Sugar: 6 g
CRUNCHY BLACK BEAN TACOS
This comes from The Kitchn’s e-newsletter. If you haven’t signed up for The Kitchn’s e-newsletter yet, I highly recommend that, as well as its sibling site, Apartment Therapy.
This recipe serves 3 to 4, or makes 8 tacos; Prep Time: 10 minutes; Total Time: 30 minutes and can be found online by clicking here.
2 cups cooked black beans
1/2 cup minced red onion
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
Pinch of salt
4 to 6 ounces (1 heaping cup) grated Pepper Jack cheese
2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
8 corn tortillas
Toppings
Avocado
Hot sauce
Salsa
Sour cream
In a medium bowl, add beans along with red onion, cilantro, cumin, and paprika. Add a pinch of salt and lightly mash all the ingredients together. Grate the cheese and have it ready as well.
In a large, nonstick or cast-iron skillet, add the 2 tablespoons oil and heat over medium-high heat. Add one corn tortilla at a time and let each get hot in the oil for a few seconds. Then add about 1/4 cup of the bean filling to one half of the tortilla. Top with a sprinkle of grated cheese. Try not to overfill the tacos, or you might have issues flipping them without losing filling.
Using a spatula, carefully fold the other half of the tortilla over to form a shell. Press down lightly on the tortilla so it holds its shape. If some cheese spills out, don’t worry — it will get crispy and delicious.
As the first taco cooks, move it to the side and begin a second one. Depending on the size of your pan, you can cook two or three tacos at once. A griddle will hold even more.
Cook each taco until they are nicely browned and crispy, about 3 minutes per side. When flipping the taco to cook on the other side, use a spatula and flip the taco toward the fold so the filling doesn’t fall out. If your pan is very dry between batches, add another drizzle of oil.
Place the cooked tacos in a warm oven while you finish the rest. If the tacos are very greasy, blot them with a paper towel before moving them to the oven.
Serve tacos with toppings like hot sauce, salsa, avocados, and sour cream.
Recipe Notes:
Corn tortillas are resilient to heat. Don’t worry about burning them; they are very sturdy. Just be sure to cook tortillas on each side long enough to get them really crispy.
10-MINUTE BLACK BEAN TACOS
This was in an email from TheKitchn. I absolutely love TheKitchn, as well as its sibling site, Apartment Therapy. If you haven’t checked out either site, I highly recommend them. (Go ahead, I’ll wait…tap, tap, tap.)
Anyway, Sheela Prakash, Assistant Food Editor at TheKitchn, wrote, “When you come home extra late after a crazy day at the office, it may seem like your only options for dinner are takeout, those questionable leftovers in the fridge, or scrambled eggs and toast. You're starving and cranky and you need dinner fast, after all. Luckily there's a fourth option: these 10-minute tacos.
“Yes, making tacos in 10 minutes is absolutely possible. In less time than it will take you to wait for delivery (it feels like it takes forever when you're hungry), these hearty vegetarian tacos can be on your plate.”
To view these yummy tacos online, click here. Serves 4.
For the tacos:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 large onion, diced
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup water
8 corn tortillas
For serving:
1 bag cabbage slaw or shredded cabbage
1 medium avocado, sliced
Salsa
Lime wedges
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in the chili powder, cumin, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Add the beans and water.
Cover the pan and reduce the heat to maintain a simmer. Cook for 5 minutes, then uncover and use the back of a fork to partially mash the beans, leaving about half whole. If there's any remaining water in the pan, simmer the mixture uncovered until evaporated, about 30 seconds. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
Meanwhile, heat the tortillas. Stack them on a microwave-safe plate and cover with a damp paper towel. Microwave in 30-second bursts until warm.
Fill the tortillas with the black bean mixture and top with slaw or cabbage, avocado, and salsa. Serve with lime wedges.
Recipe Notes
Storage: Leftover taco filling can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Monday, November 27, 2017
Monday Recipes
Here are today's six yummy recipes to get your week started off just right, including Vegan Feijoada and the World’s Best Chocolate Cake. Enjoy!
FAVORITE PUMPKIN GRANOLA
This is from Lindsay on her food blog, Pinch of Yum. I absolutely love Pinch of Yum, and highly recommend it. Go ahead and check it out, and sign up for her emails. Go ahead, I’ll wait.
This recipe can be found online by clicking http://pinchofyum.com/pumpkin-granola/>here.
author: lindsay prep time: 10 mins cook time: 30 mins total time: 40 minutes yield: 9 cups (about 18 half-cup servings)
This recipe begins, “Pumpkin Granola that is both salty and sweet! Made with REAL PUMPKIN along with oats, coconut, almonds, pistachios, maple syrup, cinnamon, and olive oil. My favorite fall granola! ♡ Adapted from the Last Granola Recipe by my friend The Faux Martha.”
Ingredients
6 cups rolled oats
1 heaping cup sliced almonds
1 heaping cup pistachios (or other nuts)
1 heaping cup unsweetened flaked coconut
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 cup olive oil
1 cup maple syrup
2-3 teaspoons salt (see notes)
1-2 teaspoons cinnamon
Instructions
Prep the Pumpkin Granola: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix the dry ingredients together (oats, almonds, pistachios, coconut). Whisk the wet ingredients and spices together (pumpkin, olive oil, maple syrup, salt, cinnamon). Pour wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and stir to combine.
Bake the Pumpkin Granola: Spread the granola into a large nonstick jelly roll pan or cake pan – I do this on two separate pans or in two batches. Bake for 15 minutes; stir; bake for another 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest – it should start to crisp up.
Eat and love: Store in a plastic zip-top bag for a week or so. Serve with granola, fruit, or just with good ol’ milk.
Notes
Salt: Yup. 2-3 teaspoons salt is not a typo. This recipe, as written, is meant to be salty! I love it that way. I make mine with 2 1/2 or 3 teaspoons salt, and it gives it an awesome salty-sweet bite, but if you’re not into the salty-sweet thing, you can definitely reduce that amount. Either way, be aware that the unbaked granola “batter” will taste very salty, and fear not – that saltiness mellows out beautifully after you bake it.
Bake times: There is a fine line between perfectly toasted / caramelized and straight up burned pumpkin granola. I found that the 30 to 40 minute mark was my cut-off in our smaller studio oven, whereas in my larger oven at home I got away with about 45 minutes. I had several batches that I popped back in the oven for an extra five minutes and they went from browned to burned really quickly, so beware. That being said, even if you get a little extra browning (not burning, just browning) around the edges, I think that actually tastes really nice once mixed with the rest of the granola. Was that overall just super helpful?
Pro Tip: Sprinking raw or brown sugar and a tiny bit of extra salt over the top of the granola as it cools is never a bad idea.
Other add-ins that work well: pecans, walnuts, chia seeds. But be advised that the pecans and walnuts both burn pretty easily so I would suggest adding them towards the end of the baking time. The pistachios seem to be able to handle the heat a bit more, so I found that it worked just fine to add them with all the other ingredients.
WORLD’S BEST CHOCOLATE CAKE
This is from Yotam Ottolenghi in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. The recipe begins, “The recipe for this cake, adapted from "Sweet" by Yotam Ottolenghi and Helen Goh, first appeared in an article written about Ms. Goh when she ran her cafe, the Mortar & Pestle, in Melbourne, Australia. Rather intimidatingly for her, the headline for the article was "World’s Best Chocolate Cake." It could actually be called lots of things: “world’s easiest cake,” possibly, requiring nothing more than one large bowl to make it all in. Or “most versatile cake,” given that it can be served without icing and just a light dusting of cocoa powder, or dressed up to the nines, as it is here, with a thin layer of chocolate ganache and served with espresso cinnamon mascarpone cream. In the Ottolenghi shops in London, it is smaller and goes by the name Take-Home Chocolate Cake, designed to be shared by four people after a meal. This larger version is no less delicious, and keeps well for four to five days. As with any baking project, you should weigh your ingredients in grams for the best results.”
Yield: 12 servings; Time: 1 1/2 hours, plus cooling.
This was featured in “Yotam Ottolenghi on Creating Recipes for His Cookbook ‘Sweet’” and can be viewed online here.
Ingredients
For the Cake:
1 cup plus 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter (2 sticks plus 1 1/2 tablespoons), at room temperature and cut into 3/4-inch cubes, plus extra for greasing the pan
7 ounces dark chocolate (70 percent cocoa solids), chopped into 3/4-inch pieces
1 1/2 teaspoons instant coffee granules, dissolved in 1 1/2 cups boiling water
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons self-rising flour (see note)
1/3 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder, plus 1 1/2 teaspoons, for dusting
1/4 teaspoon salt
For the Chocolate Ganache (Optional):
7 ounces dark chocolate (70 percent cocoa solids), broken or chopped roughly into 3/4-inch pieces
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature
For the Espresso Cinnamon Mascarpone Cream (Optional):
1 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon heavy cream
3/4 cup mascarpone
Scraped seeds of 1/2 vanilla pod
2 1/2 teaspoons finely ground espresso
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 1/2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
Preparation
Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit/170 degrees Celsius. Grease a 9-inch/23-centimeter round springform pan with butter and line with parchment paper, then set aside.
Make the cake: Place butter, chocolate and hot coffee in a large heatproof bowl and mix well until everything is melted, combined and smooth. Whisk in sugar by hand until dissolved. Add eggs and vanilla extract and whisk again until thoroughly combined and smooth. Sift flour, cocoa powder and salt together into a bowl and then whisk this into the melted chocolate mixture. The batter here is liquid, but don’t think you have missed something; this is how it should be.
Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for 1 hour, or until the cake is cooked and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few dry crumbs attached. The top will form a crust and crack a little, but don’t worry, this is expected. Leave the cake to cool for 20 minutes before removing from the pan, then set aside until completely cool.
Make the chocolate ganache, if desired: Place chocolate pieces in a food processor, process until fine and set aside. Combine cream and corn syrup in a small pan and place over medium-high heat. As soon as bubbles begin to appear (just before it comes to a boil), remove from the heat. Get the food processor running again, with the chocolate still inside, and pour in the hot cream in a steady stream. Process for 10 seconds, then add butter. Continue to process until mixture is shiny and smooth. (You can also make the ganache by hand; just make sure the chocolate is chopped fairly finely before adding the cream mixture. Stir with a wooden spoon until almost melted, then add the butter. Stir again until the ganache is smooth.)
Use a rubber spatula to scrape the ganache into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap, with the plastic actually touching the top of the ganache. Set aside until it has set to the consistency you want. If you want a thin layer to spread over the cake, it can be poured over while liquid so that you get an even, light and shiny coating. For a thicker ganache with a spreading consistency, leave it for about 2 hours at room temperature. (The ganache can be stored at room temperature, providing it’s not too warm, for 3 days or kept in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. It can also be frozen, although it will lose a bit of its shine when defrosted.)
Make the espresso cinnamon mascarpone cream, if desired: Place all the ingredients in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat for 1 to 2 minutes, until soft peaks form.
Peel the parchment from the cake and discard. Transfer to a serving platter and spread the ganache, if using, on top of the cake. Slice into wedges, divide the cake among plates and, if using, spoon the mascarpone cream alongside. With or without icing, the cake will keep well for 4 to 5 days in an airtight container.
LOW CALORIE SPINACH LASAGNA
This is from Kimberly Eggleston, a nutritionist on The Spruce. Kimberly wrote, “You wouldn't think that lasagna could be a lean and delicious dish until you have tried this low-calorie spinach lasagna recipe. You can see from the ingredient list that it doesn't even take a whole lot of ingredients to make up this yummy dish. And the ingredients that are included are relatively lean. Instead of fatty sausage and beef, the bulk of this lasagna filling is part skim mozzarella, low-fat cottage cheese, and spinach which give the lasagna nice texture and color. There aren't too many calories coming from those ingredients!
“Another great thing about his spinach lasagna is that this lasagna recipe is so easy to throw together about an hour and fifteen minutes before dinner. Yes, that's only a little over one hour before dinner, and the majority or that time is the lasagna cooking, which frees you up to do other things.
“And there is no need to precook the noodles. You will add water to the dish once you have layered the lasagna together, using uncooked dry noodles. Then the water will cook the noodles during baking time resulting in perfectly al dente noodles when it is finished. One less pot to wash when it is all finished is certainly worth it.”
Total Time: 70 mins; Prep: 10 mins; Cook: 60 mins; Yield: 8 Servings; Per Serving Calories: 304
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
1 16 oz. carton low-fat cottage cheese
1 10 oz. package frozen spinach, thawed and rinsed
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (6 oz.), divided
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese (2 oz.)
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp salt
9 lasagna noodles, uncooked
2 cups jarred marinara sauce
1 cup water
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
To begin with, prepare the cheese and spinach filling for the lasagna.
In a large bowl, combine the cottage cheese, parmesan cheese, spinach, 3/4 cup of the shredded mozzarella, pepper, oregano, and salt. Use large spoon to gently stir together the mixture until it is well combined.
Next, spray a 9x13-inch pan with cooking spray.
Place 3 of the uncooked noodles in the bottom of the pan. Top with half of the cottage cheese mixture, and use a large spoon or a spatula to gently spread the cheese mixture over the noodles, trying to cover all the noodles.
Next, over the cheese and spinach mixture, spread 2/3 cup of the marinara sauce, and then top the layer of marinara sauce with 1/4 cup of the shredded mozzarella. Repeat the layers two more times. End with the last three noddles, topped with 2/3 cup of sauce and 1/4 cup of mozzarella cheese.
Now that the lasagna is assembled, pour 1 cup of water around the edges of the pan gently and slowly, allowing the water to fill in the gaps slowly so that it does not overflow. Cover the pan tightly with tin foil.
Place the covered lasagna in the preheated oven, and bake for 1 hour. Once the lasagna is done cooking, remove it from the oven, and loosely uncover the dish while the lasagna cools. Let the lasagna stand for 10 minutes before serving in order to allow the lasagna to become far easier to cut.
CAULIFLOWER MAC AND CHEESE
This is from Sheela Prakash on TheKitchn. Sheela wrote, “What if I told you that you could have a rich and creamy bowl of mac and cheese while also packing in over a pound of cauliflower? Sounds like a trick, right? No so fast! This recipe does just that, thanks to a base of cheesy cauliflower sauce.”
Serves 8
To view this online, click here.
For the cauliflower cheese sauce:
2 cloves garlic, crushed
3 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
2 medium heads cauliflower, cut into florets
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 cup grated Gruyère cheese
1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
For the macaroni and cheese:
1 pound dry cavatappi pasta or medium pasta shells
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 cup fresh or panko breadcrumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Arrange a rack in the top third of the oven and heat to 400°F. Coat a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray or butter.
Make the cauliflower cheese sauce: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, thyme, and bay leaves and boil for 5 minutes to infuse water.
Add the cauliflower and cook until very fork tender, 7 to 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cauliflower to a rimmed baking sheet or medium bowl out of the water, leaving the herbs and garlic behind in the pot (do not drain the pot).
Place 1/2 of the cauliflower in a blender or food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Scoop out 3/4 cup of the cooking liquid and add it to the blender along with 1 1/2 tablespoons of oil. Blend until very smooth, about 1 1/2 minutes. Transfer the purée to a large bowl. Repeat with the remaining cauliflower, 3/4 cup of cooking liquid, and remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons of oil; transfer to the same bowl.
Add the cheddar, Gruyère, mustard, salt, and pepper into the purée and whisk to combine. Taste and season with more salt and pepper as needed; set aside.
For the macaroni and cheese: Bring the pot of infused water back to a boil. Add the pasta and cook per package instructions until just al dente. Meanwhile, combine the melted butter and breadcrumbs in a small bowl; set aside.
Drain the pasta, discard the herbs and garlic cloves, and add the pasta to the bowl of cauliflower sauce. Stir gently until the pasta is entirely coated.
Transfer the mixture to the baking dish and spread into an even layer. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs evenly over the top, followed by the grated Parmesan.
Transfer the dish to the oven and bake until the sauce is bubbling and the top is golden-brown, 15 to 20 minutes. If the pasta becomes bubbly before the top is golden, you can run the dish under the broiler for a minute or two to crisp the topping.
Recipe Notes
Storage: Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Make ahead: After transferring the pasta and cauliflower sauce mixture to the baking dish, it can be covered and refrigerated for up to 1 day. Return to room temperature, sprinkle the buttered breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese on top, and proceed with baking.
Freezing: After transferring the pasta and cauliflower sauce mixture to the baking dish, it can be also be covered tightly with aluminum foil and frozen for up to 2 months. Bake, frozen and covered, at 350°F, for 1 hour. Uncover, sprinkle with the buttered breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese, and bake until the topping is golden-brown, 15 to 20 minutes more.
VEGAN FEIJOADA
This is from Vegetarian Times, and begins, “Feijoada (fay-zhwah-duh), the national dish of Brazil, is traditionally made with slow-cooked black beans and lots of meat. Here, canned beans cut down on the cooking time while tempeh strips give the dish hearty flavor. Serve with steamed rice and orange slices.”
Makes 8 servings.
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
4 1/2 tsp. olive oil, divided
1 6-oz. pkg. smoky tempeh strips, such as Lightlife Fakin' Bacon
1 medium red onion, chopped (about 1 1/4 cups)
1 rib celery, chopped (about 1/3 cup)
1 tsp. dried thyme
4 15-oz. cans black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
4 cloves garlic, minced (about 4 tsp.)
1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce, minced
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
Preparation
Heat 2 tsp. oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add tempeh strips, and sauté 2 minutes on each side.
Heat remaining 2 1/2 tsp. oil in saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, celery and thyme, and sauté 6 minutes, or until onion is golden. Stir in black beans, tempeh, broth, garlic and chipotle chile. Bring to a simmer, and reduce heat to low. Cover, and cook 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, and stir in parsley. Season with salt and pepper.
To reheat, place feijoada in skillet over medium-low heat. Cover, and heat, stirring occasionally, 15 to 20 minutes, or until heated through.
Nutrition Information: Calories: 234; Carbohydrate Content: 38 g; Fat Content: 4.5 g; Fiber Content: 9 g; Protein Content: 13 g; Saturated Fat Content: 0.5 g; Sodium Content: 423 mg; Sugar Content: 8 g
UPDATED IRISH STEW
This is from Vegetarian Times, and begins, “This stew tastes even better as leftovers, once the flavors have had a chance to develop. Serve it over mashed potatoes for a deliciously comforting meal. Traditional Irish stout is not vegan, but to find a beer that is, log on to veganconnection.com.”
Makes 2 servings.
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
1 Tbs. olive oil
10 small frozen pearl onions, thawed
1 medium carrot, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (2/3 cup)
1 Tbs. flour
4 oz. seitan, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 slices smoky tempeh bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 clove garlic, minced (1 tsp.)
1 tsp. fresh thyme, chopped
1 cup stout beer
1 14-oz. can low-sodium vegetable broth
6 oz. butternut squash, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (1 cup)
1/3 cup frozen shelled edamame
Preparation
Heat oil in saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onions and carrot, and cook 5 minutes. Stir in flour, and cook 2 minutes more. Add seitan, tempeh bacon, garlic, and thyme, and cook 2 minutes.
Pour in beer, and bring mixture to a boil. Cook 3 minutes, stirring and scraping any bits that may be stuck to bottom. Add vegetable broth and butternut squash, and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low, and cook 20 minutes. Add edamame and cook 10 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper, and serve.
Nutrition Information: Calories: 308; Carbohydrate Content: 36 g; Fat Content: 8.5 g; Fiber Content: 6 g; Protein Content: 23 g; Saturated Fat Content: 1 g; Sodium Content: 384 mg; Sugar Content: 7 g
VEGAN STIR-FRIED GARLIC TOFU AND EGGPLANT
This was in an email from TheKitchn. I absolutely love TheKitchn, as well as its sibling site, Apartment Therapy. If you haven’t checked out either site, I highly recommend them. (Go ahead, I’ll wait…tap, tap, tap.)
Anyway, Christine Gallary, Food Editor-at-Large at TheKitchn wrote, “Eggplant can be a polarizing vegetable. There are those who don't care for it, but I'm in the other camp. I love eggplant in any form, whether roasted, grilled, or even puréed into baba ganoush. But my absolute favorite? When eggplant is stir-fried with lots of garlic and coated with a glossy, savory sauce that I can spoon over a big bowl of steamed rice. I'm not vegan, but this recipe can lean that way if you can get your hands on vegetarian oyster sauce.
“There are a number of ways to make crispy tofu, but the method I turn to uses a nonstick pan, which ensures that the tofu browns nicely, but doesn't stick to the pan. Once the tofu browns, the pan is free to stir-fry the eggplant with garlic until it's nicely seared on the outside, but creamy on the inside. I love using Japanese or Chinese eggplants here since they're smaller and less bitter than their larger Italian counterparts.
“The sauce that holds everything together is a mixture of oyster sauce (vegetarian if you want to keep the dish vegan), soy sauce (or tamari), cornstarch, rice vinegar, and a pinch of red pepper flakes.
“The finishing touch is a big handful of basil leaves. Sweet and slightly spicy Thai basil is the perfect choice here, although regular Italian basil will work beautifully too. I like this stir-fry heaped over steamed white or brown rice, but rice noodles would also work great.”
To view this online, click here. Serves 4.
For the sauce:
1/3 cup water
2 tablespoons regular or vegetarian oyster sauce
2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine or dry sherry
1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
For the stir-fry:
1 (14- to-16-ounce) package firm tofu, drained and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
Salt
1 pound eggplant, preferably Asian, cut into 3/4-inch dice
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup packed fresh Thai or Italian basil leaves
Steamed rice, for serving
For the sauce: Whisk all the ingredients together in a small bowl, making sure the cornstarch is dissolved.
For the stir-fry: Line a large plate with two layers of paper towels. Place the tofu in a single layer on the paper towels to drain.
Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a 14-inch flat-bottomed wok or large nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the tofu, spread into a single layer, and season generously with salt. Cook, flipping rarely, until golden-brown on at least 2 sides (be careful, it will splatter), about 10 minutes total. Remove to a clean plate.
Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil to the pan and add the eggplant. Season with salt and stir-fry until charred in spots, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Add the reserved tofu and stir to combine. Whisk the reserved sauce to recombine and dissolve the cornstarch, and add it to the pan. Reduce the heat to medium and stir-fry until the sauce has thickened and coats the tofu and eggplant, about 1 minute more. Remove the pan from the heat, add the basil leaves, and toss to combine. Serve immediately with steamed rice.
Recipe Notes
Gluten-free: To make this dish gluten-free, look for oyster sauce labeled gluten-free and use tamari rather than soy sauce.
Vegetarian oyster sauce: Regular oyster sauce is usually made from oysters, but vegetarian oyster sauce, which is made from mushrooms, is a vegetarian and vegan alternative.
FAVORITE PUMPKIN GRANOLA
This is from Lindsay on her food blog, Pinch of Yum. I absolutely love Pinch of Yum, and highly recommend it. Go ahead and check it out, and sign up for her emails. Go ahead, I’ll wait.
This recipe can be found online by clicking http://pinchofyum.com/pumpkin-granola/>here.
author: lindsay prep time: 10 mins cook time: 30 mins total time: 40 minutes yield: 9 cups (about 18 half-cup servings)
This recipe begins, “Pumpkin Granola that is both salty and sweet! Made with REAL PUMPKIN along with oats, coconut, almonds, pistachios, maple syrup, cinnamon, and olive oil. My favorite fall granola! ♡ Adapted from the Last Granola Recipe by my friend The Faux Martha.”
Ingredients
6 cups rolled oats
1 heaping cup sliced almonds
1 heaping cup pistachios (or other nuts)
1 heaping cup unsweetened flaked coconut
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 cup olive oil
1 cup maple syrup
2-3 teaspoons salt (see notes)
1-2 teaspoons cinnamon
Instructions
Prep the Pumpkin Granola: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix the dry ingredients together (oats, almonds, pistachios, coconut). Whisk the wet ingredients and spices together (pumpkin, olive oil, maple syrup, salt, cinnamon). Pour wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and stir to combine.
Bake the Pumpkin Granola: Spread the granola into a large nonstick jelly roll pan or cake pan – I do this on two separate pans or in two batches. Bake for 15 minutes; stir; bake for another 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest – it should start to crisp up.
Eat and love: Store in a plastic zip-top bag for a week or so. Serve with granola, fruit, or just with good ol’ milk.
Notes
Salt: Yup. 2-3 teaspoons salt is not a typo. This recipe, as written, is meant to be salty! I love it that way. I make mine with 2 1/2 or 3 teaspoons salt, and it gives it an awesome salty-sweet bite, but if you’re not into the salty-sweet thing, you can definitely reduce that amount. Either way, be aware that the unbaked granola “batter” will taste very salty, and fear not – that saltiness mellows out beautifully after you bake it.
Bake times: There is a fine line between perfectly toasted / caramelized and straight up burned pumpkin granola. I found that the 30 to 40 minute mark was my cut-off in our smaller studio oven, whereas in my larger oven at home I got away with about 45 minutes. I had several batches that I popped back in the oven for an extra five minutes and they went from browned to burned really quickly, so beware. That being said, even if you get a little extra browning (not burning, just browning) around the edges, I think that actually tastes really nice once mixed with the rest of the granola. Was that overall just super helpful?
Pro Tip: Sprinking raw or brown sugar and a tiny bit of extra salt over the top of the granola as it cools is never a bad idea.
Other add-ins that work well: pecans, walnuts, chia seeds. But be advised that the pecans and walnuts both burn pretty easily so I would suggest adding them towards the end of the baking time. The pistachios seem to be able to handle the heat a bit more, so I found that it worked just fine to add them with all the other ingredients.
WORLD’S BEST CHOCOLATE CAKE
This is from Yotam Ottolenghi in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. The recipe begins, “The recipe for this cake, adapted from "Sweet" by Yotam Ottolenghi and Helen Goh, first appeared in an article written about Ms. Goh when she ran her cafe, the Mortar & Pestle, in Melbourne, Australia. Rather intimidatingly for her, the headline for the article was "World’s Best Chocolate Cake." It could actually be called lots of things: “world’s easiest cake,” possibly, requiring nothing more than one large bowl to make it all in. Or “most versatile cake,” given that it can be served without icing and just a light dusting of cocoa powder, or dressed up to the nines, as it is here, with a thin layer of chocolate ganache and served with espresso cinnamon mascarpone cream. In the Ottolenghi shops in London, it is smaller and goes by the name Take-Home Chocolate Cake, designed to be shared by four people after a meal. This larger version is no less delicious, and keeps well for four to five days. As with any baking project, you should weigh your ingredients in grams for the best results.”
Yield: 12 servings; Time: 1 1/2 hours, plus cooling.
This was featured in “Yotam Ottolenghi on Creating Recipes for His Cookbook ‘Sweet’” and can be viewed online here.
Ingredients
For the Cake:
1 cup plus 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter (2 sticks plus 1 1/2 tablespoons), at room temperature and cut into 3/4-inch cubes, plus extra for greasing the pan
7 ounces dark chocolate (70 percent cocoa solids), chopped into 3/4-inch pieces
1 1/2 teaspoons instant coffee granules, dissolved in 1 1/2 cups boiling water
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons self-rising flour (see note)
1/3 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder, plus 1 1/2 teaspoons, for dusting
1/4 teaspoon salt
For the Chocolate Ganache (Optional):
7 ounces dark chocolate (70 percent cocoa solids), broken or chopped roughly into 3/4-inch pieces
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature
For the Espresso Cinnamon Mascarpone Cream (Optional):
1 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon heavy cream
3/4 cup mascarpone
Scraped seeds of 1/2 vanilla pod
2 1/2 teaspoons finely ground espresso
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 1/2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
Preparation
Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit/170 degrees Celsius. Grease a 9-inch/23-centimeter round springform pan with butter and line with parchment paper, then set aside.
Make the cake: Place butter, chocolate and hot coffee in a large heatproof bowl and mix well until everything is melted, combined and smooth. Whisk in sugar by hand until dissolved. Add eggs and vanilla extract and whisk again until thoroughly combined and smooth. Sift flour, cocoa powder and salt together into a bowl and then whisk this into the melted chocolate mixture. The batter here is liquid, but don’t think you have missed something; this is how it should be.
Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for 1 hour, or until the cake is cooked and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few dry crumbs attached. The top will form a crust and crack a little, but don’t worry, this is expected. Leave the cake to cool for 20 minutes before removing from the pan, then set aside until completely cool.
Make the chocolate ganache, if desired: Place chocolate pieces in a food processor, process until fine and set aside. Combine cream and corn syrup in a small pan and place over medium-high heat. As soon as bubbles begin to appear (just before it comes to a boil), remove from the heat. Get the food processor running again, with the chocolate still inside, and pour in the hot cream in a steady stream. Process for 10 seconds, then add butter. Continue to process until mixture is shiny and smooth. (You can also make the ganache by hand; just make sure the chocolate is chopped fairly finely before adding the cream mixture. Stir with a wooden spoon until almost melted, then add the butter. Stir again until the ganache is smooth.)
Use a rubber spatula to scrape the ganache into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap, with the plastic actually touching the top of the ganache. Set aside until it has set to the consistency you want. If you want a thin layer to spread over the cake, it can be poured over while liquid so that you get an even, light and shiny coating. For a thicker ganache with a spreading consistency, leave it for about 2 hours at room temperature. (The ganache can be stored at room temperature, providing it’s not too warm, for 3 days or kept in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. It can also be frozen, although it will lose a bit of its shine when defrosted.)
Make the espresso cinnamon mascarpone cream, if desired: Place all the ingredients in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat for 1 to 2 minutes, until soft peaks form.
Peel the parchment from the cake and discard. Transfer to a serving platter and spread the ganache, if using, on top of the cake. Slice into wedges, divide the cake among plates and, if using, spoon the mascarpone cream alongside. With or without icing, the cake will keep well for 4 to 5 days in an airtight container.
LOW CALORIE SPINACH LASAGNA
This is from Kimberly Eggleston, a nutritionist on The Spruce. Kimberly wrote, “You wouldn't think that lasagna could be a lean and delicious dish until you have tried this low-calorie spinach lasagna recipe. You can see from the ingredient list that it doesn't even take a whole lot of ingredients to make up this yummy dish. And the ingredients that are included are relatively lean. Instead of fatty sausage and beef, the bulk of this lasagna filling is part skim mozzarella, low-fat cottage cheese, and spinach which give the lasagna nice texture and color. There aren't too many calories coming from those ingredients!
“Another great thing about his spinach lasagna is that this lasagna recipe is so easy to throw together about an hour and fifteen minutes before dinner. Yes, that's only a little over one hour before dinner, and the majority or that time is the lasagna cooking, which frees you up to do other things.
“And there is no need to precook the noodles. You will add water to the dish once you have layered the lasagna together, using uncooked dry noodles. Then the water will cook the noodles during baking time resulting in perfectly al dente noodles when it is finished. One less pot to wash when it is all finished is certainly worth it.”
Total Time: 70 mins; Prep: 10 mins; Cook: 60 mins; Yield: 8 Servings; Per Serving Calories: 304
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
1 16 oz. carton low-fat cottage cheese
1 10 oz. package frozen spinach, thawed and rinsed
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (6 oz.), divided
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese (2 oz.)
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp salt
9 lasagna noodles, uncooked
2 cups jarred marinara sauce
1 cup water
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
To begin with, prepare the cheese and spinach filling for the lasagna.
In a large bowl, combine the cottage cheese, parmesan cheese, spinach, 3/4 cup of the shredded mozzarella, pepper, oregano, and salt. Use large spoon to gently stir together the mixture until it is well combined.
Next, spray a 9x13-inch pan with cooking spray.
Place 3 of the uncooked noodles in the bottom of the pan. Top with half of the cottage cheese mixture, and use a large spoon or a spatula to gently spread the cheese mixture over the noodles, trying to cover all the noodles.
Next, over the cheese and spinach mixture, spread 2/3 cup of the marinara sauce, and then top the layer of marinara sauce with 1/4 cup of the shredded mozzarella. Repeat the layers two more times. End with the last three noddles, topped with 2/3 cup of sauce and 1/4 cup of mozzarella cheese.
Now that the lasagna is assembled, pour 1 cup of water around the edges of the pan gently and slowly, allowing the water to fill in the gaps slowly so that it does not overflow. Cover the pan tightly with tin foil.
Place the covered lasagna in the preheated oven, and bake for 1 hour. Once the lasagna is done cooking, remove it from the oven, and loosely uncover the dish while the lasagna cools. Let the lasagna stand for 10 minutes before serving in order to allow the lasagna to become far easier to cut.
CAULIFLOWER MAC AND CHEESE
This is from Sheela Prakash on TheKitchn. Sheela wrote, “What if I told you that you could have a rich and creamy bowl of mac and cheese while also packing in over a pound of cauliflower? Sounds like a trick, right? No so fast! This recipe does just that, thanks to a base of cheesy cauliflower sauce.”
Serves 8
To view this online, click here.
For the cauliflower cheese sauce:
2 cloves garlic, crushed
3 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
2 medium heads cauliflower, cut into florets
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 cup grated Gruyère cheese
1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
For the macaroni and cheese:
1 pound dry cavatappi pasta or medium pasta shells
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 cup fresh or panko breadcrumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Arrange a rack in the top third of the oven and heat to 400°F. Coat a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray or butter.
Make the cauliflower cheese sauce: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, thyme, and bay leaves and boil for 5 minutes to infuse water.
Add the cauliflower and cook until very fork tender, 7 to 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cauliflower to a rimmed baking sheet or medium bowl out of the water, leaving the herbs and garlic behind in the pot (do not drain the pot).
Place 1/2 of the cauliflower in a blender or food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Scoop out 3/4 cup of the cooking liquid and add it to the blender along with 1 1/2 tablespoons of oil. Blend until very smooth, about 1 1/2 minutes. Transfer the purée to a large bowl. Repeat with the remaining cauliflower, 3/4 cup of cooking liquid, and remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons of oil; transfer to the same bowl.
Add the cheddar, Gruyère, mustard, salt, and pepper into the purée and whisk to combine. Taste and season with more salt and pepper as needed; set aside.
For the macaroni and cheese: Bring the pot of infused water back to a boil. Add the pasta and cook per package instructions until just al dente. Meanwhile, combine the melted butter and breadcrumbs in a small bowl; set aside.
Drain the pasta, discard the herbs and garlic cloves, and add the pasta to the bowl of cauliflower sauce. Stir gently until the pasta is entirely coated.
Transfer the mixture to the baking dish and spread into an even layer. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs evenly over the top, followed by the grated Parmesan.
Transfer the dish to the oven and bake until the sauce is bubbling and the top is golden-brown, 15 to 20 minutes. If the pasta becomes bubbly before the top is golden, you can run the dish under the broiler for a minute or two to crisp the topping.
Recipe Notes
Storage: Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Make ahead: After transferring the pasta and cauliflower sauce mixture to the baking dish, it can be covered and refrigerated for up to 1 day. Return to room temperature, sprinkle the buttered breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese on top, and proceed with baking.
Freezing: After transferring the pasta and cauliflower sauce mixture to the baking dish, it can be also be covered tightly with aluminum foil and frozen for up to 2 months. Bake, frozen and covered, at 350°F, for 1 hour. Uncover, sprinkle with the buttered breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese, and bake until the topping is golden-brown, 15 to 20 minutes more.
VEGAN FEIJOADA
This is from Vegetarian Times, and begins, “Feijoada (fay-zhwah-duh), the national dish of Brazil, is traditionally made with slow-cooked black beans and lots of meat. Here, canned beans cut down on the cooking time while tempeh strips give the dish hearty flavor. Serve with steamed rice and orange slices.”
Makes 8 servings.
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
4 1/2 tsp. olive oil, divided
1 6-oz. pkg. smoky tempeh strips, such as Lightlife Fakin' Bacon
1 medium red onion, chopped (about 1 1/4 cups)
1 rib celery, chopped (about 1/3 cup)
1 tsp. dried thyme
4 15-oz. cans black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
4 cloves garlic, minced (about 4 tsp.)
1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce, minced
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
Preparation
Heat 2 tsp. oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add tempeh strips, and sauté 2 minutes on each side.
Heat remaining 2 1/2 tsp. oil in saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, celery and thyme, and sauté 6 minutes, or until onion is golden. Stir in black beans, tempeh, broth, garlic and chipotle chile. Bring to a simmer, and reduce heat to low. Cover, and cook 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, and stir in parsley. Season with salt and pepper.
To reheat, place feijoada in skillet over medium-low heat. Cover, and heat, stirring occasionally, 15 to 20 minutes, or until heated through.
Nutrition Information: Calories: 234; Carbohydrate Content: 38 g; Fat Content: 4.5 g; Fiber Content: 9 g; Protein Content: 13 g; Saturated Fat Content: 0.5 g; Sodium Content: 423 mg; Sugar Content: 8 g
UPDATED IRISH STEW
This is from Vegetarian Times, and begins, “This stew tastes even better as leftovers, once the flavors have had a chance to develop. Serve it over mashed potatoes for a deliciously comforting meal. Traditional Irish stout is not vegan, but to find a beer that is, log on to veganconnection.com.”
Makes 2 servings.
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
1 Tbs. olive oil
10 small frozen pearl onions, thawed
1 medium carrot, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (2/3 cup)
1 Tbs. flour
4 oz. seitan, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 slices smoky tempeh bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 clove garlic, minced (1 tsp.)
1 tsp. fresh thyme, chopped
1 cup stout beer
1 14-oz. can low-sodium vegetable broth
6 oz. butternut squash, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (1 cup)
1/3 cup frozen shelled edamame
Preparation
Heat oil in saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onions and carrot, and cook 5 minutes. Stir in flour, and cook 2 minutes more. Add seitan, tempeh bacon, garlic, and thyme, and cook 2 minutes.
Pour in beer, and bring mixture to a boil. Cook 3 minutes, stirring and scraping any bits that may be stuck to bottom. Add vegetable broth and butternut squash, and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low, and cook 20 minutes. Add edamame and cook 10 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper, and serve.
Nutrition Information: Calories: 308; Carbohydrate Content: 36 g; Fat Content: 8.5 g; Fiber Content: 6 g; Protein Content: 23 g; Saturated Fat Content: 1 g; Sodium Content: 384 mg; Sugar Content: 7 g
VEGAN STIR-FRIED GARLIC TOFU AND EGGPLANT
This was in an email from TheKitchn. I absolutely love TheKitchn, as well as its sibling site, Apartment Therapy. If you haven’t checked out either site, I highly recommend them. (Go ahead, I’ll wait…tap, tap, tap.)
Anyway, Christine Gallary, Food Editor-at-Large at TheKitchn wrote, “Eggplant can be a polarizing vegetable. There are those who don't care for it, but I'm in the other camp. I love eggplant in any form, whether roasted, grilled, or even puréed into baba ganoush. But my absolute favorite? When eggplant is stir-fried with lots of garlic and coated with a glossy, savory sauce that I can spoon over a big bowl of steamed rice. I'm not vegan, but this recipe can lean that way if you can get your hands on vegetarian oyster sauce.
“There are a number of ways to make crispy tofu, but the method I turn to uses a nonstick pan, which ensures that the tofu browns nicely, but doesn't stick to the pan. Once the tofu browns, the pan is free to stir-fry the eggplant with garlic until it's nicely seared on the outside, but creamy on the inside. I love using Japanese or Chinese eggplants here since they're smaller and less bitter than their larger Italian counterparts.
“The sauce that holds everything together is a mixture of oyster sauce (vegetarian if you want to keep the dish vegan), soy sauce (or tamari), cornstarch, rice vinegar, and a pinch of red pepper flakes.
“The finishing touch is a big handful of basil leaves. Sweet and slightly spicy Thai basil is the perfect choice here, although regular Italian basil will work beautifully too. I like this stir-fry heaped over steamed white or brown rice, but rice noodles would also work great.”
To view this online, click here. Serves 4.
For the sauce:
1/3 cup water
2 tablespoons regular or vegetarian oyster sauce
2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine or dry sherry
1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
For the stir-fry:
1 (14- to-16-ounce) package firm tofu, drained and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
Salt
1 pound eggplant, preferably Asian, cut into 3/4-inch dice
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup packed fresh Thai or Italian basil leaves
Steamed rice, for serving
For the sauce: Whisk all the ingredients together in a small bowl, making sure the cornstarch is dissolved.
For the stir-fry: Line a large plate with two layers of paper towels. Place the tofu in a single layer on the paper towels to drain.
Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a 14-inch flat-bottomed wok or large nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the tofu, spread into a single layer, and season generously with salt. Cook, flipping rarely, until golden-brown on at least 2 sides (be careful, it will splatter), about 10 minutes total. Remove to a clean plate.
Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil to the pan and add the eggplant. Season with salt and stir-fry until charred in spots, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Add the reserved tofu and stir to combine. Whisk the reserved sauce to recombine and dissolve the cornstarch, and add it to the pan. Reduce the heat to medium and stir-fry until the sauce has thickened and coats the tofu and eggplant, about 1 minute more. Remove the pan from the heat, add the basil leaves, and toss to combine. Serve immediately with steamed rice.
Recipe Notes
Gluten-free: To make this dish gluten-free, look for oyster sauce labeled gluten-free and use tamari rather than soy sauce.
Vegetarian oyster sauce: Regular oyster sauce is usually made from oysters, but vegetarian oyster sauce, which is made from mushrooms, is a vegetarian and vegan alternative.
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