Late October is the time we start to brainstorm for our contributions to the annual Thanksgiving potluck with my husband's family. We particularly enjoy bringing bright lively dishes with fresh tang, zesty crunch or straight up spiciness to balance out the traditional turkey, stuffing, potatoes and pies that we know will be there. Whatever else we bring, every year we also bring this fresh cranberry relish. It is standard of my mother's as well and is based on the Uncooked Cranberry Relish recipe in The Joy of Cooking (we have the First Scriber edition from 1995). We just reduce the sugar.
Raw Cranberry Relish
1 pound cranberries
1 orange (leave the peel on)
1-2 Cups sugar (the original recipe called for 2 Cups, we like less)
Grind the cranberries in a food processor. Remove the seeds from the orange, add it to the cranberries and grind them together. Stir in sugar. Cover and refrigerate. Ideally for 2 days, but one is fine and if you haven't planned that far ahead then serve it fresh. It will still be tasty.
October 31, 2012
October 27, 2012
Pear Carrot Cake
This is based on a recipe for Fat Free and Delicious Pear-Carrot Cake in Bakin' Without Eggs which calls for all purpose flour and less carrot and vanilla. Yes, I understand you may be skeptical that a vegan carrot cake can be moist and delicious with whole wheat flour. But it's true. This recipe was from something of an accident. I was up late baking Friday night in preparation for our annual pumpkin carving party on Saturday afternoon. After a couple of batches of cookies and cupcakes, I started to prepare a carrot cake and realized only after shredding the carrots and dicing the pears that I had only a small amount of all purpose flour left. So I used my last cup of all purpose and substituted whole wheat for the rest and hoped for the best. Boy was I pleasantly surprised when party guests on Saturday afternoon declared the cake delicious. I tried a slice myself, to verify that it wasn't just a case of over-politeness, and can confirm that this is a great cake.
Pear-Carrot Cake
1 1/2 Cups shredded carrot (I used the larger of the shred disks on my food processor)
3 large ripe pears cored and diced relatively small, but not tiny
1 Cup all purpose flour
2 Cups whole wheat pastry flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
3 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/2 Cups sugar
1 Cup water
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 Cup raisins
Preheat oven to 350 and spray a Bundt pan with oil. Use a large bowl. Add the carrots and pears first. Then the flours, leavening and spices. Then the sugar. Add the liquids and stir. Fold in raisins last. Bake at 350 for 40-50 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
Cool pan on a wire rack for several minutes then invert to turn cake out onto serving platter.
Notes: The recipe I was starting from gave a time of 35 to 40 minutes. That was not nearly long enough for me. Maybe my oven is getting wonky. But I suspect that 35 minutes wouldn't be long enough for any oven.
This kept well for me just letting it cool on the rack for awhile and then inverting it and placing the Bundt pan back over the cake and leaving it to sit that way until the following afternoon.
Pear-Carrot Cake
1 1/2 Cups shredded carrot (I used the larger of the shred disks on my food processor)
3 large ripe pears cored and diced relatively small, but not tiny
1 Cup all purpose flour
2 Cups whole wheat pastry flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
3 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/2 Cups sugar
1 Cup water
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 Cup raisins
Preheat oven to 350 and spray a Bundt pan with oil. Use a large bowl. Add the carrots and pears first. Then the flours, leavening and spices. Then the sugar. Add the liquids and stir. Fold in raisins last. Bake at 350 for 40-50 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
Cool pan on a wire rack for several minutes then invert to turn cake out onto serving platter.
Notes: The recipe I was starting from gave a time of 35 to 40 minutes. That was not nearly long enough for me. Maybe my oven is getting wonky. But I suspect that 35 minutes wouldn't be long enough for any oven.
This kept well for me just letting it cool on the rack for awhile and then inverting it and placing the Bundt pan back over the cake and leaving it to sit that way until the following afternoon.
September 20, 2012
Radish Top Soup
This recipe came to me as a way to use up radish tops. The technique and flavors work equally well with turnip tops, beet greens or other flavorful greens like water cress, but I especially like it as a way to use up radish tops and I am always pleasantly surprised by their fresh flavor. It is readily vegetarian, soy-free and gluten free, depending on what liquid you use for cooking the potatoes (water is fine).
Radish Top Soup
4-6 Tablespoons butter
1 cup chopped onions or leeks
8 cups loosely packed radish leaves (or as many as you have if you don't have that many)
2 cups diced potatoes
6 cups liquid (we use water, beef broth or veggie broth)
1/2 cup cream (optional)
Freshly ground pepper
In pan one: Saute the onions. Stir in the greens and cook covered over low heat until they are wilted (8 - 10 minutes).
In (larger) pan two: Cook potatoes in your liquid until soft. Add in the radish tops and cook for about 5 more minutes. Puree finely using a food processor or immersion blender. Add cream and pepper if desired.
Note: we almost never add the optional cream since we don't keep it around the house and I don't need the extra fat in my food. It's perfectly tasty without the cream.
Radish Top Soup
4-6 Tablespoons butter
1 cup chopped onions or leeks
8 cups loosely packed radish leaves (or as many as you have if you don't have that many)
2 cups diced potatoes
6 cups liquid (we use water, beef broth or veggie broth)
1/2 cup cream (optional)
Freshly ground pepper
In pan one: Saute the onions. Stir in the greens and cook covered over low heat until they are wilted (8 - 10 minutes).
In (larger) pan two: Cook potatoes in your liquid until soft. Add in the radish tops and cook for about 5 more minutes. Puree finely using a food processor or immersion blender. Add cream and pepper if desired.
Note: we almost never add the optional cream since we don't keep it around the house and I don't need the extra fat in my food. It's perfectly tasty without the cream.
Quick Daikon Salad
This fresh salad offers a gentle blend of sweet and tangy and is very easy to make with a food processor. A simple summer dish great for barbeques. It is also a nice counter point to heavier dishes at the Thanksgiving table.
Daikon Salad with Apple and Carrots
1 daikon
1 apple
1 large carrot or 2 small ones
1 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon rice vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar
Grate the daikon. Toss it in a colander with a teaspoon of salt. Let sit.
Grate the apple and carrot and put them in the salad bowl.
Dissolve the sugar in the vinegar.
Toss the sweetened vinegar over the apple and carrot.
Squeeze excess liquid from daikon, rinse and drain. Add to apple and carrot.
Cover and chill for at least 20 minutes and then serve.
Daikon Salad with Apple and Carrots
1 daikon
1 apple
1 large carrot or 2 small ones
1 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon rice vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar
Grate the daikon. Toss it in a colander with a teaspoon of salt. Let sit.
Grate the apple and carrot and put them in the salad bowl.
Dissolve the sugar in the vinegar.
Toss the sweetened vinegar over the apple and carrot.
Squeeze excess liquid from daikon, rinse and drain. Add to apple and carrot.
Cover and chill for at least 20 minutes and then serve.
Eggless Brownies from a Box
Baking without egg does not necessarily require baking from scratch.
These are my favorite two ways to make eggless brownies from a boxed brownie mix.
(1) Take a can of black beans. Drain and rinse the beans. Return the beans to the can and fill the can to the top with water. Puree the beans and water in a food processor until very smooth. Add the bean puree to the brownie mix and stir to combine well. Bake according to package directions. You may need to add just a couple of minutes if your oven is fussy like mine. This version is dense enough to stand up to some mix-ins like chocolate chips, orange zest, chopped cystallized ginger or nuts.
(2) Instead of bean puree use 1 Cup of sour cream and an extra teaspoon of baking powder. This makes a slightly more delicate brownie that doesn't stand up quite as well to mix-ins, but my spouse prefers the texture and flavor over the bean version. Maybe I am just a hog for chocolate, but I like them equally well.
These are my favorite two ways to make eggless brownies from a boxed brownie mix.
(1) Take a can of black beans. Drain and rinse the beans. Return the beans to the can and fill the can to the top with water. Puree the beans and water in a food processor until very smooth. Add the bean puree to the brownie mix and stir to combine well. Bake according to package directions. You may need to add just a couple of minutes if your oven is fussy like mine. This version is dense enough to stand up to some mix-ins like chocolate chips, orange zest, chopped cystallized ginger or nuts.
(2) Instead of bean puree use 1 Cup of sour cream and an extra teaspoon of baking powder. This makes a slightly more delicate brownie that doesn't stand up quite as well to mix-ins, but my spouse prefers the texture and flavor over the bean version. Maybe I am just a hog for chocolate, but I like them equally well.
Mocha Brownies
This recipe is based on the Espresso Fudge Brownies recipe in Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar. The brownies really are fudge-y. They can stand up to some mix ins like orange zest or chocolate chips or pieces of walnut. But they don't need it. They are good on their own.
Rich Mocha Brownies
3 ounces of semi sweet chocolate chips (or chop up a bar of baking chocolate)
5 Tablespoons butter
2/3 Cup sugar
1/3 C milk
1 Tablespoon corn starch
3 teaspoons espresso powder (use decaf if you want to share with children)
1 teaspoon vanilla
just over 3/4 Cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3 Tablespoons cocoa powder
Before you begin: Preheat your over. Line a baking pan with foil and spritz with oil.
Microwave the chocolate and butter in a large bowl at low power for 2 minutes or until you can stir the chocolate into the butter. Stir until smooth. Add sugar. Stir again.
Use a large measuring cup to whisk together the milk, cornstarch, espresso powder and vanilla. It will get a little foamy. Stir that liquid into the chocolate and combine well.
Sift in the rest of the dry ingredients. Pouring them in through a fine seive and tapping the dry ingredients through works well. Mix until it's all moist and a few small lumps are OK.
Scrape the batter into the pan and smooth it as much as you can. It will be thick.
Bake 22 - 24 minutes. You don't need it to be crumbless, just not gooey any more.
Cool on a wire rack. You can break into it after 30 minutes, but it is better if you wait.
August 20, 2012
Pumpkin Muffins
This recipe was inspired by the recipe for Kathleen's Pumpkin Bread in Bakin' Without Eggs. Decreasing the sugar and substituting whole wheat for part of the flour improves the nutrition profile. Making muffins is faster than a loaf of bread and results in food that's more portable for sending as my son's afternoon snack to Preschool.
Pumpkin Muffins
1 Cup whole wheat flour
1 1/4 Cups all purpose flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 generous teaspoon pie spice (or cinnamon plus a dash of nutmeg and ground ginger)
1/2 Cup milk
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
1 Tablespoon greek yogurt
1/4 Cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 Cup sugar
1 can pumpkin puree
handful dried tart cherries (chopping them up is optional)
Preheat oven to 375 and oil tin for 12 muffins.
In a large bowl, whisk together the milk and vinegar. Whisk in the yogurt.
Whisk in the oil, sugar and vanilla. Add the pumpkin and combine well.
In a separate bowl combine the flours, baking powder and spices.
Stir the dry ingredients into the wet. Begin to combine.
When it's almost evenly mixed, add the dried cherries and stir to incorporate.
The dough should be pretty thick. If it's too thick to stir in the cherries then you can add a small splash of milk or water.
Spoon into muffin tins.
Bake 20-25 minutes.
Cool 10 minutes in pan. Then the muffins to cool completely on a a wire rack.
Variations:
This tastes just fine with raisins or craisins if you don't have dried cherries on hand. Or for less sweet you can omit the fruit altogether.
This dough is sturdy enough to also hold up to a cup of chopped walnuts to make it heartier.
Alternatively, for some crunch without the fat of added nuts, you can substitute 1/4 raw millet to replace part of the all-purpose flour. My son especially loves this variation.
For liquid, you can mix it up a little depending on what you have in your fridge. If you have buttermilk, you can use that in lieu of the milk, cider and yogurt (I just don't always have buttermilk). Or you can sourcream in lieu of the milk and yogurt. It works with various of those combinations. What you want is a slightly thick, slightly tangy liquid with a little acidity.
Pumpkin Muffins
1 Cup whole wheat flour
1 1/4 Cups all purpose flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 generous teaspoon pie spice (or cinnamon plus a dash of nutmeg and ground ginger)
1/2 Cup milk
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
1 Tablespoon greek yogurt
1/4 Cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 Cup sugar
1 can pumpkin puree
handful dried tart cherries (chopping them up is optional)
Preheat oven to 375 and oil tin for 12 muffins.
In a large bowl, whisk together the milk and vinegar. Whisk in the yogurt.
Whisk in the oil, sugar and vanilla. Add the pumpkin and combine well.
In a separate bowl combine the flours, baking powder and spices.
Stir the dry ingredients into the wet. Begin to combine.
When it's almost evenly mixed, add the dried cherries and stir to incorporate.
The dough should be pretty thick. If it's too thick to stir in the cherries then you can add a small splash of milk or water.
Spoon into muffin tins.
Bake 20-25 minutes.
Cool 10 minutes in pan. Then the muffins to cool completely on a a wire rack.
Variations:
This tastes just fine with raisins or craisins if you don't have dried cherries on hand. Or for less sweet you can omit the fruit altogether.
This dough is sturdy enough to also hold up to a cup of chopped walnuts to make it heartier.
Alternatively, for some crunch without the fat of added nuts, you can substitute 1/4 raw millet to replace part of the all-purpose flour. My son especially loves this variation.
For liquid, you can mix it up a little depending on what you have in your fridge. If you have buttermilk, you can use that in lieu of the milk, cider and yogurt (I just don't always have buttermilk). Or you can sourcream in lieu of the milk and yogurt. It works with various of those combinations. What you want is a slightly thick, slightly tangy liquid with a little acidity.
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