Fifty Second Friday: Ginger Plum Pie

There has been a serious shortage of pie in my life. And with next week being my "Live Below the Line" week, I thought I need to get in my baking fix before the (albeit brief) drought. It just so happens that I had a bag of frozen Italian plums from the fall that were dying to make their escape before the summer fruit infiltration (oooh, peaches...). But I have to admit, that sometimes I'm at a bit of a loss when it comes to baking with plums. In fact, you may only find a couple of recipes on the blog. I guess it's time for another, then. Here we go, gluten-free and potentially refined-sugar free!

Ginger Plum Pie

1/3-1/2 cup canola oil

2 tbs almond milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/3 cup turbinado sugar

1/2 tsp salt

2/3 cup corn meal

1/3 cup millet flour

1/3 cup tapioca starch

1/4 cup almond meal

2 cups sliced plums

1 cup slice peaches

1/4 cup tapioca starch

1/3 cup turbinado sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ground ginger

1. Mix oil, milk, vanilla, salt, and sugar (start with 1/3 cup oil). Add in flour and combine until it clumps like wet sand (adjust liquid or dry ingredients to achieve this). Press into a greased pie tin.

2. Preheat oven to 350F. Place pie plate in oven. 

3. Toss (defrosted) plums, peaches, sugar, tapioca, and spices together until evenly coated. When oven has preheated, remove pie pan. Fill crust with fruit and replace in oven. Bake for 35-45 minutes, until fruit begins to bubble and the crust edges are just starting to brown. 

4. Remove, cool, enjoy! Maybe try with some nice vanilla almond milk (or coconut milk) ice cream...

Check out more healthier treats on Wellness Weekends!

What's Cooking? A Ginger Plum Fairy...

Another month come and gone. Another Daring Bakers Challenge come and gone. And while quick breads are not quite a challenge in and of themselves, it always fun to think up new and exciting combinations. The couple days of light snow, and scattered days of cold temperatures, have been the extent of our winter here in DC. However, that does not mean I am avoiding wintery treats.

Enter the gingerbread! With a good dose of spice (ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg) and some hearty black-strap molasses, this bread is the perfect comfort for a February day. To enhance it a bit, I added a few of the frozen plums stashed away during the fall. And even though it was actually in the 70's and sunny, more like a perfect spring day, my co-workers still ate it right up (so no photo)!

The Daring Bakers’ February 2012 host was – Lis! Lisa stepped in last minute and challenged us to create a quick bread we could call our own. She supplied us with a base recipe and shared some recipes she loves from various websites and encouraged us to build upon them and create new flavor profiles.

Ginger Plum Quick Bread
1 cup vegan sugar
1/4 cup black strap molasses
1/3 cup oil
1/2 cup almond milk
1 tbs cider vinegar
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp ginger
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking powder
1 cup diced plum (I used frozen)

1. Whisk together sugar, molasses, oil, milk, and vanilla.
2. Gently fold in the flours, spices, and leavening agents until just combined.
3. Splash in the vinegar and toss in the plums, mixing with a spoon.
4. Baking in a loaf pan in a 350F oven for 35-45 minutes, until a knife comes out clean.

Cookbook Mondays: Happy Blogiversary!

It was just two short years ago that this little blog came into being (well, actually was resurrected from an earlier start). As the beginning of the second week of Vegan MoFo, I think that this is excellent timing! I had just returned from nearly three months traipsing around Europe, soaking up the cultures, getting my farmin' on, and generally enjoying good food and interesting places. My blog was a venue through which to voice some of my own struggles on issues regarding food and sustainability. In fact, the second post attempts to explain the link between veganism and environment, and how that is not a one-size-fits-all approach. And since then, My Munchable Musings has gone through its own set of growing pains, taking on issues beyond the local farmers market and oven.

Well, here on my blog's second birthday, I stand before you, once again dwelling on the oven and the market. Somehow, after closing down the stand at the Sunday market, I managed to acquire a large quantity of Italian plums. Perhaps I look like I'm in need of all the market produce I can carry, because this happens not too infrequently. So, seeing how a day of celebration was only mere hours away, I sat down with my cookbooks to determine what to make with this early fall bounty. That is when I came across a recipe for strawberry-rhubarb galettes in The Millennium Cookbook. This book hails from the vegetarian restaurant based in San Francisco, and offers up creative and delicious dishes. While I did not quite adhere to the strawberry-rhubarb filling, this galette is no exception.

Ginger Plum Galette (adapted from the Millennium Cookbook)
 Pastry Dough
3 cups white whole wheat flour
1/2 cup almond flour
1/4 cup unrefined sugar
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup soy milk

1. Combine all dry ingredients. Add oil, working through flour until thoroughly mixed. Add soy milk a little at a time until the dough comes together in a ball.
2. Roll out dough  to about 1/4 inch thickness. Cut out circles of 5in in diameter. Gather scraps, form ball, and repeat until most of dough is gone.

Filling
2 cups ripe Italian plums, pitted and quartered
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 cup tapioca starch

3. Mix together all ingredients.
4. Place dough circle on baking sheet. Scoop 1/4 cup into each circle. Fold edges in and press corners together.
5. Bake at 350F for 35 minutes, or until starting to brown and filling bubbling.


Serve warm with non-dairy ice cream, and reflect on the year past!