herbed and spiced hummus

Everyone loves a good hummus. It's unbelievably easy to make and you can't really go wrong with it. It's really just variations on a type of bean and adding accoutrements to it. For this I added chickpeas, olive oil, tahini, lemon juice, spices, herbs, salt. Not too complicated. I used a random mixture of Indian and Mexican spices. Dashes of ginger, cayenne, cumin, paprika, turmeric, fennel, cardamon and star anise. 

Makes about 3 cups. 

Ingredients: 

1 can (15 oz) chickpeas, reserve liquid

1/4 cup tahini

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

3 garlic cloves, crushed

1/4 teaspoon ground star anise

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon cardamon, crushed

1/2 teaspoon cayenne

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon fennel

1/4 teaspoon turmeric

salt and pepper

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped (optional)

2 scallions, thinly sliced (optional)

In a food processor, combine beans and about 1/4 cup of reserved liquid from can. Add garlic, tahini, two tablespoons olive oil, lemon juice and all of the spices, plus salt and pepper. Add more reserved liquid until desired consistency is reached. Feel free to add less or more of spices. This is just my personal taste. I like my hummus super flavorful and a bit spicy. Top with two more tablespoons of olive oil, cilantro leaves and scallions, if you so desire. 

tequila lime cupcakes

I know cupcakes are the super trendy-epitome of hipsterdom/gentrification dessert items, but really, aren't they just adorable! There's a reason cupcakes have taken over the world! I adapted this recipe from the cookbook 'Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World.' Hence, my joke. But, seriously. Well, as serious as you can be when you are writing about cupcakes that have tequila and vast amounts of sugar in them. I served them at a party recently and they're definitely a palate divider. Some people couldn't handle the lime explosion in their mouth. I, for one, love bold citrus flavors. But I can understand that it's not for everyone. You can decrease the freshly squeezed lime juice for more soymilk or almond milk, if you prefer. Or even use lemon juice. I feel that with vegan cupcakes, sometimes they come out a little dry and dense and the lime juice really helps with that. I suppose using agave could also give it a lighter taste and texture as well. 

Makes 24 cupcakes

Recipe for cupcakes: 

1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice

3 teaspoons finely grated lime zest

2 cups almond, rice or soy milk

1/2 cup canola oil or melted coconut oil

1/4 cup tequila 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

2 2/3 cups all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

(icing recipe to follow)

(large crystal decorating sugar, for decorating edges of cupcakes, about a cup)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin pan with cupcake liners. 

In a large bowl, beat together the lime juice, zest, soy milk, canola/coconut oil, tequila, vanilla, and sugar. Sift in flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix until batter is smooth. Fill liners three quarters of the way full and bake 20 to 22 minutes until a toothpick or knife inserted through the center comes out clean. Transfer cupcakes to a cooling rack and let cool completely before frosting. Allowing cupcakes to set for an hour or two helps the flavor develop more fully. 

Icing recipe: 

1/2 cup shortening (butter or margarine would also work) I used Spectrum shortening, softened

2 tablespoons almond, rice or soy milk 

6 tablespoons lime juice

2 tablespoons tequila

drop of green food coloring, if you so desire

4 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted 

generous pinch of sea salt

Blend shortening with a hand held or kitchen aid mixer until soft and fluffy. Add soy milk, lime juice, tequila and food coloring. Sift in two cups confectioners sugar and blend with mixer til creamy and well incorporated. Add more confectioners sugar if it seems too runny. It should be a bit stiff (as in, you can make peaks with it) and have a smooth spreadable consistency. Refrigerate until ready to use. 

To assemble: 

Spread icing on cupcakes with a knife, all around edges. Roll just the outer edges of cupcake in sugar crystals, ala margarita style. Tada! You have a booze-filled party time cupcake! 

Roasted and Stuffed Poblano Peppers with Pumpkin Seed Tapenade

I made these on a whim when I saw these sweet poblano peppers at the store. I roasted them on an open flame on the stovetop until charred a bit black. And then stuffed them with rice and adzuki beans and spiced with paprika, cayenne and red pepper flakes for color and extra kick. And topped off with chopped cilantro and the pumpkin seed tapenade, which is basically just grinding pumpkin seeds (also known as pepitos) in a cuisinart or blender with olive oil, salt, pepper and a bit of spiced paprika.

chocolate chip skillet cookie

Greetings! It's been awhile since I've updated this food blog. Been spending my days eating out more than eating in and baking my days away at work. That lends itself to not cooking/baking at home as much as I should. Well, hopefully this recipe will kick start my blogging self. It's a chocolate chip cookie baked in a cast iron skillet, an adapted recipe from 101Cookbooks.com blog. I used whole wheat pastry flour instead of just plain whole wheat flour, giving the cookie a lighter texture. I ended up adding a bit of soymilk because the batter was a little dry, and chopping up thin wafers of chocolate as well as adding dark chocolate chips. 

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie

3 cups whole wheat pastry flour

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

2 sticks of cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces (bit more for buttering the skillet)

1 cup dark brown sugar

1 cup white sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1/4 cup soymilk (more if batter seems dry) 

8 ounces pure bittersweet dark chocolate (roughly chopped into 1/4 inch pieces) 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 

Butter a 10 inch skillet that's at least 2 inches deep, otherwise serious batter overflow will occur. 

Sift dry ingredients in large bowl. 

In another bowl add butter and sugars. Blend with hand mixer, or if you're fancy, a KitchenAid. Scrape sides of bowl. Add eggs one at a time. Mix. Add vanilla and soymilk. Add flour mixture to bowl and mix until well combined. Add chocolate chips and gently incorporate until a thick batter consistency is achieved. 

Scrape batter into skillet and press down with fingertips until it's an even layer of cookie dough. Add any leftover chocolate bits on top. 

Bake for 35-45 minutes or until dough is a deep golden brown and the center has set. 

Remove from oven and let sit for at least 10 minutes before cutting into pie-type slices, or any type slices really. 

apple cider cinnamon donuts!

Donuts! These apple cider cinnamon donuts are WAY better than the bland farmer's market fare. The key is to reduce the apple cider to a rich concentrated sweet sauce. This adds a much more pronounced apple taste. And of course dousing them in cinnamon sugar glaze couldn't hurt either. 

Donut Recipe: 

1 cup apple cider

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup margarine

2 eggs

1/2 cup buttermilk (or add 1 teaspoon of vinegar to soymilk and let sit for 10 min) 

3 1/2 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

oil for frying 

Glaze recipe: 

2 cups confectioners sugar

1/4 cup apple cider

1 teaspoon of sugar

Instructions: 

Reduce apple cider first. Boil one cup of apple cider in  a small saucepan until it is reduced to 1/4 cup (about 8 to 10 minutes.) Set aside to cool. 

Prepare glaze. Add the cider and cinnamon to sugar and mix well, until it resembles a thick glaze. 

Cream the sugar with the margarine. Add eggs, mix well. Add buttermilk and reduced apple cider. Mix. 

Mix dry ingredients in separate bowl. Sift together flour, baking soda and powder, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg. 

Add dry to wet ingredients and mix just enough to combine. Dough should be sticky, not dry. 

Transfer dough to lightly floured surface and pat to 1/2 inch thickness. Form into donut shapes or donut holes. 

Prepare fryer. I added a standard vegetable oil to the deep fryer. Heat oil to 375 degrees. 

Add about two to four donuts at one time, depending on size of donuts and size of fryer. Turn once. Donuts only take about a minute to fry. 

Place on paper towels to absorb excess oil. Cool for a couple minutes, then dip in glaze or slather glaze on top. Enjoy!! 

boerenkool stamppot

Boerenkool. This translates from the Dutch to "farmer's cabbage." And stamppot means "mash pot." Pretty obvious what this dish is. A staple winter recipe in Holland. It's a simple blend of mashed potatoes and kale, with an option of some sort of smoked sausage. My vegetarian version has veggie bacon (Morningstar brand) . Usually I'm not a big fan of the fake meats, but this one is pretty good when you bake it in the oven till it gets super crispy and bacon-like. And mixed in with this warming potato hash, it adds a lovely salty crispy bite. 

There really isn't a recipe for boerenkool. You kinda just make it up as you go along. A couple pounds of potatoes, boiled til mash-worthy, a large bunch of kale, chopped finely (which you can either saute lightly with olive oil or add raw to the mashed potatoes), and a good amount of olive oil or butter to bring the hash together. Optional bacon or bacon-like product added at the end. 

orange glazed tempeh with onions and yellow peppers

Tempeh can be really bland. It's just fermented soybeans, after all. But it can be so amazingly good if you marinate it in orange juice, agave nectar, ginger and garlic. Chop up some chives, red onion and yellow peppers and throw it in a tortilla, and you got yourself an awesome burrito! 

1 cup orange juice

1 tablespoon minced ginger

2 teaspoons agave nectar

1/2 teaspoon coriander

2 cloves of garlic, minced

one 12 oz package of tempeh

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 lime

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Mix orange juice, ginger, agave, coriander and garlic in a small bow. Set aside. 

Cut tempeh into small bite-sized pieces. 

Heat olive oil in a medium sized pan and add tempeh when hot. Cook for five minutes on each side or until brown. Pour orange juice mixture in pan and simmer for about 10 minutes or until sauce is thick. 

Serve tempeh drizzled with remaining sauce. Squeeze lime and add chopped cilantro. 

sunday brunch

Sunday brunch time. Breakfast burrito with eggs, thyme* and paprika. Sauteed potatoes with a sprinklin of cumin seed gouda cheese and parsley. 

*parsley, thyme and potatoes courtesy of my dear friend Ellen. 

sesame balsamic bok choy with brown rice pasta

This took about 10 minutes to make. Bok choy is a mellow, simple and accessible green. I just diced them (stems and all) and sauteed with garlic and deglazed with some balsamic vinegar. Deglazing is just a culinary term that simply means adding a liquid (most often a vinegar or wine) to loosen and dissolve the caramelized bits at the bottom of the pan that form during cooking. It really brightens up the dish and gives it a lovely sweet flavor. I used a brown rice pasta that also adds a nice nuttiness and bite. 

2 heads of bok choy

2 tablespoons chopped garlic

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

8 to 10 oz brown rice pasta

salt and pepper

sesame seeds

chives

Fill a pot with water. Add salt and heat until boiling. Add pasta and cook for 7 to 10 minutes. While pasta is cooking, chop bok choy into bite sized chunks and add to a heated pan with garlic and olive oil. Saute for a couple minutes and deglaze with balsamic vinegar. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and chopped chives, add to the drained pasta and serve. 

pumpkin chocolate chip cookies

Some seasonal autumn goodness. I didn't have any white sugar, so I used a combination of sorghum syrup, barley malt and brown rice syrup. All of these sweeteners are super high in minerals and don't give you such a sugar rush like regular ole cane sugar does. Of course, the chocolate chips in here definitely have sugar, but really, sometimes we just need a little extra chocolatey sugar high. 

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 3/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour

1/2 cups rolled oats

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1 cup mixed sorghum syrup, brown rice syrup, barley malt

2/3 cup canola oil

1/2 cup canned pumpkin 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon ground flaxseeds

1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease two cookie sheets. 

Mix together the flour, oats, baking soda, salt and spices. In a separate bowl, mix together the syrups, oil, pumpkin, vanilla and flaxseeds until well combined. Add the wet to the dry, slowly. Fold in the chocolate chips. Drop by tablespoons onto prepared cookie sheets. Bake for about 15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for a couple minutes on a wire rack. Then eat it!