What's Cooking? Beating the Banana Blues

Wow, talk about neglecting the blog as of late! However, just because I have not posted, does not mean that cooking has not occurred. In fact, with the summer fruit windfall, pies and smoothies abound. While I enjoy reveling in this bounty, summer is quickly turning into a lesson of moderation and making use of what one has. And having recently taken inventory of my kitchen shelves, what's already in stock is not insignificant. In particular, the gluten-free flours are begging to be used.

In other news, the weather in DC apparently did not receive the memo on moderation. It has actually clocked in as the fourth wettest June on record! Those of us who grew up with rain and gloom feel right at home, but others are struggling with the daily dreariness of overcast skies. Not to dampen things further, but this unusually wet weather (and oddly chilly spring) have resulted in a late start to the summer fruit season and slightly lower yields than the norm in the Mid-Atlantic. At the same time, excessive rain interspersed with heat and sun within the district itself, has resulted in some uncontrollable community garden plots! 

Now there is no way to use one year of weather as proof of climate change or a new normal. However, what this spring and summer has emphasized for me, at least, is the need to factor in flexibility and the need to adapt into both grower and consumer mentality (don't want to be too set on a long blueberry season...). In the meantime, go ahead and drown your summer blues in these tasty, vegan and gluten-free, muffins!

Buckwheat Banana Blues

1 banana, very ripe, smashed (no, not drunk, just mashed into a pulp...)

1/2 cup buckwheat flour

1/3 cup chickpea flour

2 tbs tapioca starch or arrowroot

2 tbs agave nectar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbs grapeseed oil

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen

Optional Topping:

1/4 cup oats

1/4 cup chopped pecans

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tbs flaxseed, ground

1/4 cup nustevia fiber baking blend (could also use sugar or agave...) 

2 tbs grapeseed oil (+ a little almond milk if needed)

1. Mash banana, agave, oil, and vanilla together until well blended. Add in flour, salt, and baking powder and mix with fork just until together. 

2. Fold in blueberries. Pour into mini muffin cups, and top with oats if desired.

3. Bake at 350F for 10-15 minutes. Allow to cool and store in an air-tight container for 3-5 days...if they last. You can also freeze :)

And I'm back up on Wellness Weekend!

What's Cooking? Halloween Edition

Many of you have been hearing about or experiencing the storm making its way around the Northeastern Seaboard. To be honest, I'm mainly worried about losing power and all of my lovely vegetables spoiling. But one in particular will overcome this challenge and stand in the face of an imminent threat. That hardy crop is none other than the winter squash, the sugar pie pumpkin!

So as I was market yesterday, during the oh-so-dreary calm before the storm, all I could contemplate was how much I longed for a cozy chair, a warm cup of team, and a comforting baked good. Ok, that's not entirely true, but I was extremely excited to start using some of the abundant winter squashed. And being so close to Halloween, it just had to be a pumpkin.

Dark and Stormy Night Pumpkin Muffins (yield 12 muffins)

1 medium sugar pie pumpkin, roasted, scooped out and pureed

1 cup apple cider

1 cup sugar

1 tbs molasses

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1/3 cup olive oil

1 tbs cinnamon

1 tsp all-spice

1/2 tsp ginger

1 tsp salt

1 tbs baking powder

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1 cup rolled oats

1/2 cups pepitas/pumpkin seeds

1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional)

Coconut Cream Whip

2/3 cup coconut cream

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup arrowroot powder 

1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Mix pumpkin puree, cider, sugar, molasses, and oils until smooth. Add in spices.

2. Combine dry ingredients until just coming together. Spoon into muffin cups. Bake at 350F for about 30 minutes, until a knife comes out cleanly.

3. Meanwhile, place sugar and arrowroot in the blender and whiz until a powder. With a hand mixer (or powerfully with fork and arm), whip up coconut cream, sugar, and vanilla until fluffy. 

4. When muffins are done, let them COOL COMPLETELY! Coconut whip will melt otherwise. Then you can add some whip to the top, and enjoy!

Two more days of Vegan MoFo (and October 2012), yikes!

What's Cooking? What's up Doc?

I think I have a weakness for carrots. Maybe it is the vain hope that my eyesight will drastically improve. Or perhaps, carrots are just so fantastically versatile that it is hard not to love them. I've made everything from raw truffles to souffle, roasted to sauteed. But I don't seem to have a recipe for good ol' carrot cake, or something of that ilk, up on the blog! And believe me, carrot-based baked goods are often my go-to for office treats or potluck contributions.

So let's begin the day right with a good dose of beta carotene (and some other things equally important to overall well-being!)

A-Carrot-A-Day Muffin (yield baker's dozen large)
3 medium carrots, grated
1 medium green apple, grated
1/3 cup apple cider
1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
2 tbs - 1/4 canola oil
2/3 cup sugar (turbinado is nice...)

1 tbs cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp all-spice
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 cup whole wheat or barley flour

1/3 cup shredded coconut
1/3 cup rolled oats
1/3 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup chopped pecans

1. Whisk together cider, oils, and sugar. Toss in grated apple and carrot, mixing thoroughly.
2. Sift in flour, spices, baking powder, and salt. Combine.
3. Gently fold in coconut, oats, raisins, and pecans just until all mixed.
4. Spoon batter into muffin tins and bake at 350F for 35-45 minutes, until a knife inserted comes out clean.

This is up on Slightly Indulgent Tuesday.

Fifty Second Fridays: Beet That!

Beets seem to worm their way onto my blog quite regularly. And for good reason! It is a hardy winter root vegetable that is both nutritious and delicious, not to mention very versatile. You can roast or boil a beet, and even eat it raw. One of my favorite things to do with the root is incorporate it into baked goods.


Now for a bit of a chemistry (and history) lesson, which I failed to supply in this beet muffin post (I know, I am so original). Because of its deep purple hue, red beets have traditionally served as a dye. Apparently, the use of beets in red velvet cake is a tall tale, but the sweet vegetable has nevertheless found its way into cakes. Yet something funny happens when you bake a beet cake; instead of retaining the bright magenta tint of the batter, the completed cake tends to be a ruddy brownish orange. The acidic beet juice reacts with the basic chemical leavening agent (baking soda or powder), causing the bright red to transform to a less impressive shade. Not to worry, because you can still have a pretty dazzling and colorful spectacle with beets in your baked goods.

Beautiful Beet Muffins
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup Grand Marnier (or orange juice)

1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup sugar
Juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup apple sauce
1 large beet, grated (almost two cups)
1 large carrot, grated

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup white flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp all-spice
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

1. Soak raisins in water and liqueur/orange juice for at least thirty minutes. Continue mixing ingredients while marinating.
2. Whisk together oil, vanilla, sugar, lemon juice, and apple sauce. Add grated vegetable.
3. Combine all dry ingredients, folding into the wet. Throw in the raisin, liquid, and perhaps some walnuts. Adjust spices to taste.
4. Fill muffin tins (about a dozen) and bake for 20-25 minutes at 375F. A knife or toothpick should come out clean. Allow to cool.

Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays has some spectacular goodies this week! Check them out.

Boozing the Baked Goods

So this is perhaps a bit misleading, as all the alcohol is most definitely cooked off. But for Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays I made some muffins with beets and brandy! Will keep this short, but let's just say that the beautiful pink color on the outside did not maintain throughout the interior. Any words of wisdom on avoiding the chemical reaction between beet and baking soda that cause the loss of color?

Beet and Brandy Muffin - 6 large muffins (vg)

2 large red beets

2/3 cups brandy (I would use one of the sweeter varieties...)

2/3 cups sugar

1/3 cup oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/3 cup water (optional)

1 cup white whole wheat flour

2/3 cup barley flour

1/4 cup tapioca starch

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1. Puree raw beets, sugar, brandy, oil, and vanilla until smooth.

2. Sift together dry ingredients into a mixing bowl. Add your beet mixture. Combine until everything is just incorporated (add water...or more brandy?... if really thick).

3. Fill muffin cups. Bake at 350F for 20-30 minutes until set.

4. Allow to cool completely. Would be lovely with some strawberry jam!

It's the Great Pumpkin Holiday!

Oh, Good Grief! What a day...

While the other great pumpkin holiday is still close to a month away (yes, Thanksgiving, that's you), All-Hallows Eve is tomorrow. I did a bit of digging on this holiday, seeing as I only know it from a superficial, trick-or-treat standpoint. Generally considered to have evolved from the Celtic end-of-summer festival, Samhain. It was both a period during which the realm of spirits opened to the world of the living, and a day in which to take stock of food supplies for the winter. Very practical.

At present, lit-up goolish grins stare out from the orange globes that decorate household stoops. While traditional Irish jack-o-lanterns were made out of very large turnips, North Americans adapted a harvest tradition of carving pumpkins to suit this imported holiday. Upon closer scrutiny, Halloween is really a harvest festival just like Thanksgiving. We celebrate autumn crops of winter squash, corn, and apples. Even the custom of dressing up finds its roots in the harvest, with masks operating to ward off demons that brought droughts and destruction to crops.

Let me transition from that little bit of food-for-thought to something tasty to complement the weekend's festivities. While you can make pumpkin butter, pumpkin pie, pumpkin soup, and pumpkin curry, I find it hard to pass up a good old-fashioned pumpkin muffin. Here's my latest creation to sink your teeth into.

Pumpkin Hazelnut Muffins

1/2 cup almond milk

1/3 cup oil

1 tbs cider vinegar

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup fresh cooked pumpkin

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 tbs baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts (raw or toasted)

1. Whisk together milk, oil, and vinegar. Let sit for a few, and then whisk in your sugar and vanilla until the mixture starts to emuslify.

2. Mix in pumpkin. Follow this with the whole gamut of dry ingredients. Finish the batter off with the addition of hazelnuts.

3. Portion off into a dozen standard muffin cups, six giant ones, or a couple dozen mini ones.

4. Bake anywhere from 15-35 minutes (depending on size) in a 350F oven.

5. Best enjoyed warm...perhaps with a dollop of nice dairy-free vanilla ice cream...

Boo!

A Hodge-Podge of Foodie Fodder

Remember when I used to post an entry several times a week, with photographs and commentary? Well, that was before I moved to DC and searching for housing and a job turned my life upside down! But just because I'm not posting obsessively, does not signify the absence of food issues from my life. In fact, a few recent articles struck an internal chord.

First off, the case for organics. There has been some serious debate over the extent of health and environmental benefits of organic produce. Sure, using no synthetic chemicals has its upsides, and the state of the soil largely dictates the quality of the produce. But there are organic pesticide and herbicide alternatives that have consequences for the environment, and the supposed nutritional leg-up of organics is questionable.

A recent study at Washington State University, a well-respected institution in the agricultural realm, supports the points favoring organic superiority. While the study only tackled strawberries, it did so in a comprehensive manner, considering nutritional quality, health of the fruit, flavor, and even genetic diversity (as an insurance measure against climate change). And, seeing as California's use of a known carcinogen in strawberry production was such a hot topic a couple of months back, these results actually have direct and immediate application.

Switching gears to more of a social issue...Being on a pretty tight budget this past month has put a crimp on my organic acquisitions (though, all of my produce is farmers market sourced), but the latest developments in the grocery world may alter my other purchases. Trader Joe's (along with Whole Foods) is my shop for nuts, chocolate chips, peanut butter, and other random things I eat. Exposure of farm-worker's rights transgressions, from poor working conditions to allegations of slavery, has left TJ's shoppers with a sour taste. And while I would not dream of purchasing the tomatoes that seem to be at the center of the dispute, the failure of TJ's in the social responsibility realm could very well be a deal-breaker. I'd be interested to find out what factors enter into your choice of grocery stores, and whether something like this would severely impact your shopping!

Well, if all this ethical musing is getting you down, take comfort in the end-of-season peaches. In my attempt to attract people to my hall-way at work, I have started baking random treats. However, my transient and unsettled state in life (oh, the elusive affordable DC housing...) has left my baking in a state of disrepair. Never fear! My attempt at some interesting cookie-like pastry yielded this week's:

Just Peachy Muffin Drops - when life gets you down, peaches are there to make things better!

1/3 cup oil (maybe a little less)

1/2 cup peach sauce - like applesauce + a little sugar (use homemade...and not TJ's)

1/3 cup golden raisins or dried cranberries

2/3 cup turbinado sugar

1 1/3 cup flour

1/2 cup fine-ground cornmeal

1 tsp salt

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp ground cardamom

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1. Combine oil, sugar, and peach sauce with a whisk until well-mixed.

2. Slowly incorporate dry ingredients, but don't over-develop the gluten.

3. Add the raisins. Drop spoonfulls on a greased baking sheet or into muffin tins.

4. Bake on 350F for 20-30 minutes until golden. Let cool...if you can, but serve relatively warm with soycream or cold with tea.

Perhaps not the most outstanding creation I have developed, these cookies-turned-muffin tops are pretty sweet and go really well with morning tea! Likened to a light scone, they are best made with peach sauce from those fruit smashed on your bike ride home (can personally vouch for the improved taste from the marred fruit).

I apologize for the lack of photographs, but promise to deliver on this week's produce of the week (TBD). Cheers!

Produce of the Week: Bietola

I bet that one got your attention! On the farm in Italy, I could easily walk out back and grab a few large leaves of bietola for a stir-fry, soup, or salad. While ours were merely green-leafed, whitish stalks, the varieties come in a spectrum of colors. The “Bright Lights” I brought home last week sure lived up to their rainbow reputation.According to a 40-year-old Italian-English dictionary, bietola translated as beetroot.

While the same species as your basic beet – Beta vulgaris – bietola is the variety bred for leaves rather than roots – chard. Recognized during Greek civilization in the Mediterranean Basin, chard didn’t migrate to North America until the 19^th century. As many vegetables, it was traditionally applied to medicinal uses, particularly in the beetroot form. Containing plenty of vitamins A and C, it is no surprise that this leafy green provides a nice health boost!

A week ago, one of the many time-sensitive duties on the farm was transplanting young rainbow chard plants. If you have never gotten your hands dirty, tenderly moving a plant to newly tilled soil, then you are missing out. It is altogether gratifying seeing the row progress from bare soil to rows of tiny leaves to the bouquets into which chard transforms.

Well, after traveling home with a hefty bunch of these multi-colored stems, I had my work cut out for me coming up with creative uses for my bounty. As you will see below, there are endless possibilities for your chard:

Bright Lights Chard Quiche

Crust

½ cup cornmeal

¼ cup white whole wheat flour

1 tbs olive oil

2-3 tbs water

Filling

8 oz tofu

2 tbs nutritional yeast

1 tsp garlic powder

4 large chard leaves

salt to taste

1 tbs garlic scapes

1. Combine crust ingredients until the sand-textured mixture sticks together. Press into two 4” tart pans.

2. Heat some olive oil or spray a skillet. Sautee chopped garlic scapes. Add chard and cook until soft.

3. In a food processor, blend tofu until relatively smooth. Add garlic powder, nutritional yeast, salt, and sautee until chard in roughly chopped.

4. Pour filling into crusts. Bake at 350F until starting to brown and setting on top. Usually 30-45 minutes. Allow to cool!

For a beautiful non-vegan but gluten-free tart recipe, check this one out.

Chard gnocchi made an appearance on my plate tonight – essentially mix mashed potatoes, chard, salt, nutritional yeast, and flour (besan + AP would be good) until a not-so-sticky dough forms. Make little logs, mark with a fork, and then place in boiling water until they float. Drain and then pan fry in olive oil and salt or a nice marinara!

You could always go the sweet route...

Upside-Down Lemon Chard Muffins

½ cup olive oil

2/3 cup almond milk

1/3 cup applesauce

1 lemon, juiced and zested

¾ cup brown or turbinado sugar

1 tsp lemon extract

1 cup whole wheat flour

2/3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

pinch of salt

3 cups chard stems, chopped

½ - ¾ cups sugar

1. Combine chard and sugar in a skillet over medium heat. Cook until stems are tender and sugar bubbly.

2. Mix wet ingredients in a bowl with a whisk. Incorporate dry ingredients until they just come together.

3. Oil muffin tins. Place chard in the bottom of each cup. You could also add some to the batter (or even add some finely chopped chard leaves). Pour batter over chard. Bake at 350F for 25-30 minutes, until a knife comes out cleanly. Allow to cool before un-molding.

There are, of course, more ways to use up chard. 101 Cookbooks has a lovely garlicky recipe. Parmesan is so unnecessary in this tasty chard risotto on the NY Times. A hearty lentil and chard stew is most fitting to the current weather. And these is always the ornamental path…

Yes, the Swiss enjoy the aesthetic properties of chard gracing their cities' gardens!