recipes that grow on trees

Susannah, My First Born Is Yours

2010-03-24T16:47:00.000-07:00

Yup, these muffins are that good.

Sift* 2 C flours (Susannah sometimes does a 1/2 C of almond meal, but I kept it simple with AP)
1 t b. soda
1/2 t salt

Set aside. In a bigger bowl,

Cream 1/2 C butter
1 C sugar

Add 2 eggs
2 mashed bananas**

In a third bowl combine 1/3 C milk with 1 t lemon juice (or use 1/3 C sour cream instead)

Alternate between the milk/sour cream and the dry ingredients to mix into the creamed ingredients until just combined. Do NOT overmix. Seriously. You'll break my heart. Don't do it.

Divide batter evenly into a greased muffin tin, bake at 350 for about 30 minutes (check with toothpick)--turn at 12 minutes, check at 20 minutes--I don't trust ovens!

* I never sift. I know, that's bad. On days when I'm feeling particularly guilty about it I stir the flour around with a fork, like I'm beating eggs. Whatever gets you through the day, right?

**As mentioned in the main post, I heat the bananas in the oven on low until they are warmed through. Best to use the most overripe bananas you can find--start getting in the habit of putting browned ones in your freezer. Really, this recipe is worth it.

Tomato Tortilla Soup

2010-03-24T15:51:00.001-07:00

from Moosewood's Simple Suppers:

3 C diced onions
2 t olive oil
2 t ground cumin
1 t dried oregano
1 quart vegetable broth
1 28-oz can of diced tomatoes
2 t minced canned chipotles in adobo sauce
1.5 C crumbled corn tortilla chips

In a soup pot, cook onions over medium heat for 5 minutes (til soft). Add cumin and oregano, stir for a minute. Add broth, tomatoes, and chipotles then cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

Here they tell you to pulverize chips in the blender, and blend a portion of the soup. Meh, skip all that. Just crush the tortilla chips by hand into the soup pot. Or, for a finer crush, put them on a plate and crush with the bottom of a measuring cup.

About 6 servings, 30 minutes

Kale Soup Numero Uno

2008-12-18T17:53:00.000-08:00

1/2 C olive oil
3 large onions, finely diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 bay leaves
10 C veggie stock
1 (16 oz) can diced tomatoes, or 2 C fresh, chopped tomatoes
1 (15 oz) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed, or 1.5 C freshly cooked beans
1 pound kale, leaves torn from stems and finely chopped (about 10 C of leaves)
3 medium red-skinned potatoes, unpeeled and cut into a 1/2-inch dice
2 t sweet paprika
Dash cayenne pepper
1 t salt
Liberal seasoning with freshly ground pepper

Heat the oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Stir in the onions and garlic, saute until onions are golden, about 10 minutes. Raise the heat to high, stir in all remaining ingredients, and bring souup to a boil. Lower the heat to achieve a lively simmer and cook about 30 minutes, or until potatoes are tender and the soup has thickened. Discard the bay leaves. Remove about 2 cups of soup and puree in a blender or food processor. Return it to the soup and stir to blend. This soup's flavor will intensity with time, so don't hesitate to make it a few days in advance.

Italian Paysanne Soup

2008-12-18T10:08:00.001-08:00

1/4 C white wine
1 C finely chopped onions
1 C finely diced celery or celeriac (or 3 T cutting celery, chopped)
1 C finely diced carrots
1.5 C peeled and diced potatoes
1.5 C peeled and diced parsnips (i substituted kohlrabi)
8 C veggie stock
1/2 t thyme
2 t garlic, crushed (i'd buff this waaay up)
2 C shopped kale
1 T soy sauce
1-2 C grain (i used quinoa)--optional

Combine wine through carrots, cook over medium heat for about 25 minutes. Stir in potatoes through garlic and the soy sauce, bring to a simmer, cover and cook on low for about 15 minutes (until potatoes are not quite tender). Add greens, cook 10-15 minutes longer. Unsure about the amount of liquid, I threw in some leftover quinoa we had in the fridge, but it didn't magically turn this into a stew, it's a soup.

Back to main blog post

Groundnut Stew

2008-12-16T15:05:00.001-08:00

Olive oil
1 medium onion, choped
1-2 t salt
1/2 t black peper
red pepper to taste
2-3 tomatoes cut up
2-3 T tomato puree
1/2 C smooth peanut butter
1/2 to 1 C water (or stock), more if needed
1 bay leaf

In oil, add onions, fry until slightly brown. Add salt and pepper. Add tomatoes, tomato puree, and some water, the red pepper, and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer. Then add peanut butter and more water, stirring water in slowly to achieve a creamy consistency. Simmer for about 10 minutes. Add additional spices or water as necessary.

Emma's Squash Soup(s)

2008-12-15T15:08:00.001-08:00

Cut open 5-6 small squash (one full cookie sheet's worth--the photos are from a double batch) and bake in the oven, halves down in a bit of water on a cookie sheet until you can easily poke through skin with a fork (35 minutes?). Wash, chop and boil about 8 potatoes. If they're thick-skinned, consider peeling (though Emma would frown at that choice). Saute 1-2 leeks in a healthy pour of olive oil. After a minute or two add 4-5 cloves of garlic. Throw in a carrot or two or three, cut into slices. Add spices: probably a bay leaf or two, maybe some thyme, sage if you're feeling crazy, cutting celery, parsley. Salt and pepper. Add water (start with 6 cups, add as needed), bring to a simmer. Or I guess you could pour the potato water right into the pot. Either way. Add potatoes. When squash is ready, scoop out flesh and add to pot. Blend the entire batch, return to pot, and simmer again to warm and reduce if necessary.

I know it's unhelpful that the spices don't have amounts next to them, but really, this soup is all about letting the leek and squash flavors do most of the work. Throw in any fresh herbs you have around, and if that's nothing than try salt and pepper first and go from there.

Honey Time

2008-12-13T07:33:00.000-08:00

The bustle of the honey house

A de-capping machine. You drop the frame in and it slices the wax (mostly) off of both sides.

Joy finishing the decapping, Emma working the machine.

Shawn and April decapping

back to the main Honey Post

The Pletzel

2008-11-11T14:01:00.000-08:00

The origin al recipe I found at Artisan Bread in Five Minutes A Day. It called for a challah or brioche dough. I ended up going brioche, but I can't seem to find the recipe I used for that--I'm sure brioche doughs are all pretty similar.

Two problems I had with this bread. The first, which you can kinda see in the picture, is that the outside got way more well-done than the middle. Partially my fault, i think i added extra onions, making that layer too thick. It did solidify enough as it cooled. The second was flavor--it wasn't oniony enough for me. For the second pan I roasted the onions a bit longer and added balsamic vinegar to them to reduce a bit. I wonder if they'd have more flavor if you roasted the onions in balsamic, salt and pepper in the oven first, instead of sauteing. Maybe I'm just spoiled--my old work did an onion bread that was uber-yummy.

Currant Jam

2008-10-25T15:41:00.001-07:00

You want to strip the berries off their bracts into a colander to rinse them, then heat and simmer in a bit of water for about 10 minutes. Run them through a foley mill (or cheesecloth) to remove the skins. By our calculations, 4.5 quarts of berries + 1.5 C water = about 7.5 C currant juice.

Honey Recipe

6.5 C currant juice
3.25 t dry low-methoxyl pectin
3/4 C honey
9 t lemon juice
6.5 t calcium water (comes in a Pomona's pectin packet)

Mix pectin into honey, stirring well. Add lemon juice to berry juice in pot, bring to a boil (be careful not to scorch the bottom --stir, stir, stir). Add honey/pectin mixture, then return to a boil and boil for a timed 2 minutes, then add calcium water, stir that in, and remove the pot from heat. Can away! If I were a better person I'd have estimates for how many jars this makes. Um, sorry?

Sugar Recipe
4 C currant juice
1-2 C sugar (i'd recommend the high side, to counter the tartness)
2 t pectin
2 t calcium water

Process the same way.

Lazy Sunday Lentils, rambling version

2008-10-25T13:48:00.000-07:00

I'm surprised this isn't already up somewhere, it's one of my standards. God, maybe it is and I'm just getting worse at using the internet.

1 # bag of green lentils
1 onion (yellow, usually)
3-4 cloves garlic
a bit of olive oil
cumin
paprika
salt and pepper
turmeric?
3-4 carrots, cut into coins and coin halves
3 celery stalks or a small handful of cutting celery, leaves and stem, diced
1 28oz can of diced tomatoes or equivalent amount (2-3 handfuls) of fresh tomatoes
4 C water (?)

Dice onion and garlic, saute in olive oil in a soup pot. Add spices in ratio of 2 cumin:1 paprika, salt and pepper to taste (lots of pepper...add a little salt now, but save some for the end), and the equivalent of 1/2 turmeric if you feel like it. Maybe start with 2 tsp cumin, etc. Stir well, then add the diced carrots and celery, continue cooking on low (you can cover it if you're worried about the garlic scorching). When the carrots are starting to get tender, pour in lentils. Stir lentils around for a bit--i dunno, 30 seconds? i learned this from my old roommie Visnja. She says it brings out the nutty flavor in the lentils--then add water. How much? Well, I put 4 cups, but you want enough to cook the lentils in. It may be closer to 8 cups--i usually add some water, and add more as the lentils puff up. You can always add more later, but you can also always simmer it to the desired consistency later as well if you add too much early on. Your call. Ramble over. So, you threw in the water, now bring to a boil, then back to a simmer until lentils are cooked. Add tomatoes, let heat through. Now check your spice levels and adjust. I used to add the tomatoes with the water, before the lentils were cooked, but somebody told me that tomatoes get more acidic as they cook, so I started holding them back a bit. I wonder if that's even true. Anyway, the stew is better the second day.

(The next time I make this I'll pin down the water and spice deal and update these directions to sound less crazy).

Grafting and Blossoms

2008-10-08T10:48:00.001-07:00

Joy making a diagonal cut in the scion wood (the dormant wood from the existing tree that you want to replicate).

Scion wood bundles

The rootstock end has already been cut

And here they are--don't they look fragile? We taped tightly over the grafts to help press the layers together. The green goo on the end helps prevent moisture loss.

Miraculous! Green growth above the graft.

Pear tree at the end in full bloom, ahead of the young apple trees

Bob calls this the "red balloon" stage, when the buds are full and round. I think these pictured may be just shy of red balloon

A row of blossoming apple trees. The buds are set in the previous summer, so your apple is actually over a year in the making. Amazing, right?

The sepal-like green bit behind the blossom is the calyx. And the slight swelling between calyx and stem? Your future apple. The calyx remains through the process- it's that little bit of stuff in the bottom cleft of the apple.

I think this is a pear blossom.

Brandon's Spinach Quinoa Egg Bake

2008-06-08T16:50:00.000-07:00

Ingredients (serves 6):
2 cups red quinoa
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 packs of frozen cut spinach
1 cup of chopped yellow squash
1 Tbsp salt
6 eggs

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and thaw your veggies (if necessary--if not, i'd quickly steam them both). Cook quinoa until fluffy. Combine warm quinoa with thawed/cooked spinach and squash. Stir in salt and parmesan cheese. Beat the eggs in a separate bowl until well mixed and pour over quinoa spinach mix. Spoon into a 9 x 12 glass baking dish and bake-- covered for 30 minutes and uncovered for the final 15. Serve warm with soy sauce to taste.

Stop Beeting Around The Bush

2008-05-21T20:06:00.000-07:00

Beet Risotto (serves 3-6)

1 C short-grain rice
1 quart broth
1 onion chopped as finely as you care to
1-4 cloves garlic
2-4 T olive oil
2-8 T butter
1/3 C dry red wine (optional)
1-2 C boiled or roasted beets cut into chunks
grated parmesan (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

In a large saucepan/pot, fry onions and garlic in butter and oil on med/low heat until soft. While doing this, bring broth to a VERY low simmer. When onions are soft turn up the heat and add rice. Stir quickly to prevent scorching for about a minute until rice grains become translucent. Then add the wine if you have it. Continue stirring to prevent scorching. When wine is absorbed/cooked off add 1-2 cups of broth. Continue stirring. When broth is absorbed add a cup or two more and stir until absorbed. Continue until rice is done or broth is used up. This part of the process is the most laborious bu if it takes more than a half an hour you could probably stand to cook it at a higher heat. If you run short of broth you can finish with water. Taste periodically to gauge doneness and to season. When rice is soft stir in the chunks of beet. Reduce heat. Watch your food turn a lovely magenta color. Let it simmer 10-15 minutes before serving. Now would also be the time to add your grated parm.

Thanks to Kristin C for initially rocking my world with this fabulous magenta food.

--Emma

Peas, Please

2008-04-07T19:50:00.001-07:00

For smaller batches a colander would be just fine, but we've been soaking our tray's worth in custom-made colander-buckets placed in a solid bucket. Until they start to sprout we rinse them once a day to keep them moist. When they do sprout, pour them into a soil tray (I've also heard of people doing this special sprouting mats, as well--less mess?), and then just water them (rinse them) once a day until they're about 7 inches high.

Shawn's Tortilla Soup

2008-03-15T11:19:00.000-07:00

For a batch fit for 4-6:

1 C onions, chopped
4 large garlic cloves, minced
3 T veggie oil
1-2 minced chiles (meh, to taste)
1 t ground cumin
1/2 t dried oregano
3 C of equivalent of veggie stock
3.5 C chopped fresh tomatoes (don't give me that look, you've bought winter tomatoes)
1/3 C fresh lime juice (I'm not sure if Shawn went bottled or fresh)
1 C corn
salt to taste

Saute onions and garlic, add chiles, cumin, oregano, then add tomatoes and sprinkle with salt. Cover and cook until the tomatoes begin to release their juices, stirring occasionally (will take longer with "winter tomatoes"). Add stock and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes, add the lime juice and salt to taste.

Serve topped with grated monterey jack cheese and crumbled tortilla chips (get the thicker kind), garnish with cilantro if you have it.

Cream of Radish Green and Beet Green Soup

2008-02-09T21:41:00.001-08:00

No premade stock necessary! A heavy vegetable stock will drown out the flavor of the greens, so it's easier just to make a light stock from scratch as you prepare the greens.

I used:
1 onion
1 large potato
1 clove garlic
2 stalks celery
1 1/2 cups water
greens of 2 bunches radishes
greens of 2 beets
1/2 head romanesco broccoli
1 cup milk (buttermilk?)
a lot of salt

I simmered the onion, potato, garlic, and celery in the water for 20 minutes before adding radish and beet greens and the basil, which I then simmered for another fifteen minutes.

I pureed the whole mess, along with the milk. Then I added in some romanesco broccoli that I happened to have on hand, which I'd steamed separately. Then tried to 'reheat' the soup, even though it had only been off the stove for a minute or two. Lesson learned: don't try to reheat thick liquids that are already plenty hot! The soup started to boil, and the whole pot thumped around the stove spewing enormous scalding green bubbles onto my arms.

Oh, I added a good amount of salt, it needed it.

Overall, the soup did not quite have the bite I'd hoped for from the radish greens, but it did have an obscure, aromatic flavor. There aren't enough creamy soups out there, either, and I enjoyed it just for that aspect. Maybe with less potato, or without the blander beet greens, the radish flavor would have come through more. Even the actual radish slices seemed tamped down by the soup.

I was working loosely off a Moosewood recipe ("Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites," 82) which called for buttermilk. That probably would have given the soup the acidic kick it needed. Plus, it would have added a fermented element to the soup, which, as we know from the foodifesto, is a totally positive addition.

That bread in the photo is from a multi-grain loaf from the Truckee Sourdough Company, the best small bread bakery in all of the Sierra foothills, as far as I know. Moosewood reminds you to serve your soups with crusty bread and to preheat the bowls in the oven. I didn't follow this last direction because I was eating out of the neat wooden bowl Rose brought me from Kauai. But it does sound nice.

Tempeh Tempeh Tempeh

2008-01-30T22:03:00.000-08:00

Before making tempeh, you'll need to have obtained the starter, spores of the Rhyzopus oligosporus mold. One source is G.E.M. cultures. I've heard that the starter will last 6 months, but I think you can stretch that if you keep it in the fridge and increase the amount you use as it ages.

Here's the KVG recipe:

2.5 C whole dry soybeans, washed and drained
1-1.5 T rice vinegar
water
1 t tempeh starter or 2 oz fresh minced tempeh

that makes one big ziploc bag. We make five times the recipe in a go, so all measurements below will be for 12.5 cups of soybeans. The process, from soaking to finish, takes about 36-48 hours.

1) So, start with soybeans. Cover them with water (7.5 C?) in a big pot and bring them to a boil before letting them soak overnight, covered (8-16 hours for pre-fermentation). Drain them and let the fun begin. Once drained, you'll need to dehull/split your soybeans in an amusing and efficient manner. If you're making a small batch, using a rolling pin or small cutting board to press down on them work, but for larger amounts, might I suggest strapping wooden boards to your feet and stepping on them? These experts use a grain mill. It's important to split the beans because the culture can't penetrate the hull, and you'll be stuck with unfermented soybeans in your tempeh.

2) You now have a mix of cracked soybeans and hulls. To separate out the hulls, fill your bowl or pot of bean/hull mix with water and sloosh it around a bit,. The hulls will float to the top--the trick is to pour them off before they settle. If you can establish a good rhythm, it should take about 5 fill and pour cycles to get most of the hulls away (no need to be too too anal).

I like to think of the hulls as soybean ghosts

3) After the last hull pour-off, cover the beans (about 10 cups of water) and add 1.5 T vinegar (i have a note that says if it's a smaller pot, add 7.5 cups water and only 1 T vinegar). Bring to an active boil and cook, uncovered, for 30-45 minutes (do not pressure cook). The vinegar lowers the pH, which inhibits less desirable molds from jumping in

.

4) Drain the beans then pour onto baking sheets lined with towels to dry. Let stand 20-30 minutes, stir around a bit every once in a while, until they are about body temperature and fairly dry. Transfer them to a large bowl, add the tempeh starter, and stir/mix for 2 minutes (well-mixed is the goal).

5) Now we need some ziploc bags with holes in them. Take your gallon ziploc bags and poke holes in them using, i dunno, a far sewing needle, pushpin, corn cob holders?, in a grid pattern, about 1/2 to 3/4 inches apart. My notes say that you can get about 6 cups in each gallon bag.

6) Incubate. This the the tricky bit. The goal is to keep the fridge at 86-88 degress for 22-28 hours. The instructions we were using, from The Book of Tempeh, recommend putting a lightbulb with a dimmer in a foam cooler, with a rack at the bottom for air circulation. We just put a light bulb in the oven, put a bandana above it so it didn't overheat the bag nearest to it, and left the oven door slightly ajar (rolled up dishcloth to keep it from shutting all the way). It'll be a bit tricky the first time, but then you'll know what it takes to get your oven hot enough. The key is to keep checking it, because once the fermentation takes off, the tempeh will start producing it's own heat.

You'll know it's done when it's got the white mold all around it--the soybeans should look held together, not loose. If it starts turning gray or has black spots it's gone a bit far (you can always cut that chunk off). If it smells ammonia-y, it's iffy. It if smells bad, something went wrong. But hopefully not! You're rewarded with beautiful tempeh that will keep 4-5 days in the fridge, indefinitely in the freezer (don't stack the tempeh bags in the freezer, though, or at least not until they are already frozen, because the live mold will keep fermenting and cause them to overheat)

Lovely tempeh, sauteed with a solid splash of tamari

A later innovation: cloth straps for stability and comfort (and, er, looks?)

Was that too long-winded? It's just:

whole soybeans--> bring to a boil-->soak-->drain and dehull-->second boil (w/vinegar)--> drain and cool--> inoculate-->pack-->incubate-->ta da!

Other instructions/directions/tips can be found at: Mother Earth News, Peter's way, Too Many Chefs, and Bunnyfoot's blog.

Kombucha Instructo

2008-01-22T15:02:00.000-08:00

As given to me:

In 1 gallon of water, steep 6-8 black tea bags for 20 minutes. Stir in to dissolve 1-2 cups of sugar. Cool to room temperature in an iced tea dispenser. Add the culture and starter liquid, and cover with a rubberband and piece of fabric over the top opening (it needs air--don't seal it with the lid).

Let sit 2-3 weeks at 65-90 degrees, out of direct sunlight. When it's good and done, remove the culture with 8-12 oz of liquid (this will be used to start your next batch). At this point you may have a baby as well as the mother, you can peel them apart to start multiple batches, or dispose of one of them (compost!)

You can add juice to the kombucha at this point, which will add flavor and carbonation, but never add juice to the culture (i wonder if Sandorkraut would agree with that last point...) If you pour kombucha into bottles, do not tighten the lid too much. Leaving it out an extra day with an added bit of juice makes it fizzier.

Clean brewing container every so often, not necessary to do it each time. Use mild soap, rinse well!!

It's Chili in here

2008-01-22T13:47:00.000-08:00

The uber-quick, yum chili:

2 T veggie oil
1 large onion, chopped or diced
1 med. green bell pepper (or more-seasonally appropriate green veggie)
2 med. carrots, chopped
1 C water
1 T chili powder (not cayenne--the stuff sold as "chili powder"--i only recently learned the difference)
1 t ground cumin
3/4 t salt
2 cans (the 15oz's) red kidney beans, drained and washed
1 big can (28 oz) diced tomatoes
opt = 1 pasilla chili, seeded and chopped (or 3/4 C worth)

Heat oil, saute onion, pepper, carrots (and opt. chili) for 3-5 minutes. Then stir in remaining ingredients, heat to boiling, then reduce to a simmer for 10-15 minutes til veggies are done (or until desired consistency), stirring occasionally.

We've been mixing in some macaroni noodles for fun.

Shitake Masterpieces

2008-01-18T20:37:00.001-08:00

Falafel, Joy of Cooking style

2007-11-14T08:29:00.000-08:00

The recipe that made me believe in this book. For 4 servings

1.25 c dried chickpeas--rinse and soak the night before or that morning*

Food process/blend the chickpeas, then add:

1/2 c chopped onions
1/4 c packed fresh parsley leaves
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 t ground cumin
1.5 t salt
1/2 t ground coriander
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 t ground red pepper

Coarsely puree the mix. Put in bowl and stir in 2 T of all-purpose flour. Form patties (thin if you're frying!). Let stand 15 minutes, then fry (or bake, i s'pose, haven't tried that way)

*Lorna Sass has this tip: you know when a bean has been soaked long enough when you slice it open and it's uniform in color (try doing one after only 2 hours or so and you'll see, you can tell how far the water's gotten). Neat!

Whole Wheat Pita Bread

2007-11-13T18:09:00.000-08:00

From The Joy of Cooking

Mix:

3 C whole wheat pastry flour (you can also use AP or a white bread flour)
1.5 T sugar
1.5 t salt
4 t active dry yeast

Then add:

2 T melted butter or margarine
1 1/4 c room-temp water

Mix by hand for 1 minutes, then knead for 10 minutes. Add flour and/or water as needed--the dough should be a bit tacky, but not sticky (whole wheat flour usually needs a bit more water than is listed.) Place in oiled bowl, turn over, and allow to rise until doubled (60-90 minutes). Punch dough down, divide into 8 pieces, roll those into balls, then cover and let rest for 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 450. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pitas to 6-7 inches diameter and 1/8" thick. Bake on upside-down cookie sheet until dough puffs into a balloon, about 3 minutes, then wait 30 seconds and remove bread to cool on a rack. If you leave the bread in too long, the pitas won't deflate into flat disks, so beware.

Pear-Ginger Chutney

2007-11-12T18:38:00.000-08:00

Unfortunately, the source of this recipe has been lost in the sands of time and the internet. Thank you, anonymous chutney maker!

5 cups chopped pears (peeling's optional, in my book)
1/2 cup chopped ginger
1.5 cup cider or red wine vinegar
1/2 t salt
1/2 t cinnamon
1/2 t ground allspice
1/2 t ground cloves

the original recipe also included 2 cups sugar (!) and 1/2 c raisins, but i've never put those in...

Boil everything, then simmer uncovered for 45-90 minutes.

Apple Chutney

2007-11-12T18:29:00.001-08:00

another recipe from Moosewood (more or less)

1.5 pounds cooking apples
1 medium clove garlic, minced (optional, in my mind)
1 T chopped ginger root
1/2 cup orange juice (or pear juice, whatever you have around)
1 t cinnamon
1 t ground cloves
1 t salt
1 c honey (i used way less--maybe 1/4 cup? honey to taste, i guess)
1 c cider vinegar*
cayenne to taste (i didn't use any)

*i had used red wine vinegar the first time and worried that the cider vinegar would be too strong, but it worked nicely. so, either one.

Coarsely chop the apples (unpeeled works just fine). Combine everything in a pot, bring to a boil then simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 45 minutes to an hour.

The Fall Collection

2007-11-12T17:26:00.000-08:00

I Heard It ThroughThe Grapevine

2007-11-11T11:01:00.000-08:00

Grapes, glorious grapes!

The Vine hard at work

After the harvest

Yea, we stacked the jars and did a photoshoot with the Jesus rays coming through the kitchen window. That's what happens when you can for too long...

John's Peanut Sauce

2007-11-10T14:12:00.000-08:00

At first I was nervous about giving away this perfect recipe. But after returning home from Oregon I quickly learned that the perfection lies not only in the quantity, but also the quality of the ingredients (and chef). I couldn't recreate the magic! But, maybe you can:

1 quart H2O
2.5 cups (appx) PB
7 T tamari
2 T red wine vinegar
8-10 cloves garlic (in a press or finely minced)
1 inch? a packed 1/8 cup freshly grated ginger

Heat the water, add PB, stir to completely dissolve. The sauce will thicken as it cools, so depending on the desired consistency, you may want to add more or less PB. Add rest of ingredients, stir well, taste. Salty enough? gingery enough? Adjust to taste.

MMMmillet bars

2007-11-07T14:27:00.000-08:00

I'm long overdue to post this recipe!

2 c sucanot
2 c earth balance

1/4 c ground flax
1 T vanilla
1/2 c vanilla soymilk
1/4 cup water
2 Tablespoon Energ G egg replacer - whisk with water

5 c oats

4 c wheat flour
1 T cinnamon
2 t baking soda
2 t baking powder
1.5 t salt
1 c millet

1 1/2 c walnuts

Barely mix sucanot and earth balance. Add EnergG + water, flax, vanilla, and soymilk. Add oats.

Combine rest of dry (except walnuts) and add to wet ingredients. Stir/mix to barely incorporate. Mix walnuts in (by hand if you've been blending up to this point).

Bake at 350 just until top is browned! Keep em soft!

The Wheel Turns...

2007-11-06T19:06:00.000-08:00

The garden in early July

Corn just getting started--lettuce going to seed

The obligatory close up of a sunflower

Beans just getting started and later flowering

Frost finds the squash plants

General carnage

The corn loses some height

The lone broccoli stands it's ground

With two rows of fall greens to keep it company

Tomato Chutney

2007-11-06T11:50:00.000-08:00

Ammini's Thakkali (Tomato) Chutney from Indian Food Rocks (here's the link)

6-8 ripe tomatoes (i used 8 romas)
1/2 t turmeric
2 T veggie oil
1/2 t mustard seed
3 t cumin powder
2 t fenugreek powder (i just used the seeds)
4 t chili power (i wimped out and went with 2-3)
1/2 t asafoetida/hing powder
12-15 curry leaves (i didn't have these)
salt

(and there's a scribbled note-"maybe coriander")

Boil some water. Make a shallow "X" at the stem end of the tomatoes with a knife. Put them in the boiling water for 30 seconds, then into cold water (i had a bowl waiting in the sink and just forked them out of the water). Peel skin and deseed, then chop coarsely and cook in 2 T of water with turmeric and salt. Heat oil in a pan, add spices and cook for a minutes, stirring, then pour over tomatoes, mix in. Simmer uncovered. The tomatoes will probably just fall apart, but if you don't like the consistency you're getting, use a masher. For how long? Well, til you get a consistency you like. I probably had them on heat for 45 minutes? an hour? stirring occasionally. Can probably be done in less if you mash the tomatoes up. If you're worried about the tomatoes sticking to the pot, cook covered until they've released some juice.

Corn-Cilantro Pancakes (a sketch)

2007-11-05T17:26:00.000-08:00

I thought this was a Madhur Jaffrey recipe, but i haven't had luck in re-locating it. Here's what i have scribbled down:

1/2 c cornmeal
1 and 1/3 c chickpea or all-purpose flour
1 T coriander seeds (or ground, i mean, really)
1 t garam masala
1 t salt
3 c corn kernels
1 c water, or as needed
1 T baking powder (we tried without it once, wasn't as good)
3 T chopped cilantro
2 t oil and some for frying
(opt: 2 or 3 jalepeno chilies, coarsely chopped)

and i know we used some fresh corn as well, maybe i skipped that line? my guess is somewhere around 2 cups, but i guess you'll have to eyeball it.

Combine cornmeal, chickpea flour, the spices, and 1.5 c of corn kernels in food processor*. Add 1 c water and process into a batter (10-15 seconds). Transfer and set aside for at least 15 minutes. Preheat a pan until drops of water dance. Stir in remaining ingredients, fry (4-5 minutes for both sides).

In my mind it makes more sense to let it sit if you've added the baking powder, so i'm beginning to doubt my notes (they also said "preheat oven to 300" before preheating the pan). eeeps. Well, I'll make these soon and correct the recipe. *If you lack a food processor (as i currently do), i'd suggest buying cornflour (something ground more finely than cornmeal) to substitute, and using ground coriander, and then just mixing by hand or with a beater.

Sassy Zucchini Bread

2007-11-05T13:47:00.001-08:00

from Lorna Sass's Complete Vegetarian Kitchen (which is actually a vegan cookbook)

1.5 c tightly packed, coarsely grated zucchini
3 T flax seeds
1/2 c water
1.5 c whole wheat pastry flour
1 c barley flour (i think we used all ww pastry)
1 T baking soda
1.5-2 t cinnamon
3/4-1 t ground ginger
1/4 t ground cloves
scant 1/2 t sea salt
1/2 c raisins
1/2 c apple juice
1/3 c maple syrup
1/3 c canola or safflower oil (we used raw sesame oil, cuz that's what we had)
1 t vanilla (always double the vanilla, i say, but it's good with only 1 t, too)

Grate zucchini, put in colander to drain. In a blender, grind flax seeds. Add the water. Process until a gummy mixture is achieved (30 seconds abouts). Set aside. [Note, if this step is done in a food processor, grind the flax seeds in a spice or coffee grinder first, for 60-90 seconds] Mix flax liquid and zucchini--grab small amounts of zucchini in a fist to squeeze out extra moisture as you go. Mix the wet into the dry ingredients, just until flour is absorved--overmixing is sin #1.

Bake 18-22 minutes at 375 degrees. The original recipe is for muffins, so depending on pan size it may take longer--after 15 minutes i'd keep doing the poke-with-a-toothpick test regularly, since you want to take it out as soon as the toothpick comes out clean so it won't be dry.

Zucchini Pizza Crust

2007-11-05T13:12:00.000-08:00

from Moosewood.

3.5 c coarsely-grated zucchini
3 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup flour
1/2 cup grated parm
1/2 cup grated mozzerella (we used vegan cheese)
1 T fresh basil, minced or 1/2 t dried
salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 350. Grate zukes, salt lightly, let sit, then strain out excess moisture. Combine all the crust ingredients, spread onto oiled 9 x 13 pan. Bake 20-25 minutes (until the surface is dry and firm). Then brush the top with oil and broil it, under moderate heat (what does that mean?) for 5 minutes.
Top with tomato sauce and all the fixings, then heat in the 350 oven for 25 minutes. I think if you bake the crust a bit longer, you can get away with just adding heated tomato sauce and cooked fixings without further baking. If you want it to resemble a pizza omelette, spread thinly on a baking tray and reduce the first bake time, don't broil it, and skip the final bake time. Serve pieces folded in two.

Honey, honey (do do do do doo do)

2007-10-25T13:20:00.000-07:00

The first step is cutting away the wax capping over the honey. This honey is much lighter than the one on the main page--maybe from a different hive? maybe those bees preferred certain plants? or it was created earlier or later in the season when only certain flowers were available? i have no idea.

Lore de-capping and collecting wax

The extractor. Four uncapped frames sit in, then you spin a bunch, flip them over, and spin some more. Centripedal/Centrifugal force does most of the work.

Benski spinning some honey

I could have sat there and watched this for hours.

Just be glad I didn't post all the extreme close-up, eye-strain-inducing photos that I took...

Bees! I think these were the Italians. Photo courtesy of John (and the following ones as well)

Removing frames from the hive

Gently (gently!!) trying to remove bees from frame

Placing the bee-less frame in an empty box. The goal was to minimize the number of bees that would get into the garage/extraction room, where they could get trapped.

An empty jar shows off one of Kyli's brilliant "Bee Barf" brand labels.

Tofu Cheesecake with Blueberry Glaze

2007-07-28T19:09:00.000-07:00

The Base (from The New Farm Vegetarian Cookbook):

Filling:
3 cups tofu
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup oil (we may have used slightly less)
1 cup sugar (i'd use a little more)
1 tsp vanilla (go crazy, make it 2)
a pinch of salt

Blend/Food Process. The book says you can add a little water at the end if you need to for creaminess, but it seemed good to us, so we didn't.

Crust:

1.5 cups graham crackers, crushed
1/4 cup melted margarine (or soy margarine)
1 T sugar (optional)

Mix crumbs, sugar, and oil, and press into the bottom and sides of a 9" pie plate.

Pour the filling into the crust. Add the glaze. Bake at 325 degrees for 50 minutes (until middle is set--although i don't think we tested it).

The Blueberry Glaze: (an inspired combo to recipes from both The Voluptuous Vegan and The Yoga Kitchen)

1 cup fresh blueberries
almost 1 cup unsweetened apple juice (we had some pear juice, so we used that, but i think cider would work great)
1 T maple syrup (hmm, i think we used a bit more, or maybe brown sugar, up to 1/4 cup of sweetener would be my guess)
a pinch of salt
1 T arrowroot, dissolved in 2 T of juice (i think you can substitute cornstarch?)

Heat blueberries, sweetener, the juice, and salt on medium heat until the mixture is blue and some of the blueberries have burst, probably about when the liquid starts to boil. Add the arrowroot/juice bit to the pot, then stir until the mixture just starts to bubble. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla. We waited a few minutes for it to cool before pouring it over the tofu filling, but it was still pretty hot, so i wonder if that step did anything.

Pasta Fresca

2007-07-09T21:48:00.000-07:00

First, choose and cook your pasta. We went with penne, because, hey, that's how N&Co does it (penne's also my favorite pasta). Since we were making pasta for 5 people, we ended up using a bag and a third (what size bag you ask? um...) of penne, and eyeballing the increase in other ingredients like onions and tomatoes. But we kept the sauce the same, and that's the true key to this dish.

In a very hot pan, saute

2 t olive oil
2 1/2 C pre-cooked pasta
1/4 C cubed roma tomatoes
1 T diced red onion
2 shakes of salt + cracked pepper

Sear noodles, stir a bit, should get "steaming hot". We actually didn't wait to sear the noodles, we just waited until the onions looked ready, and then poured in the sauce. Or maybe that's a lie, did we pout in the sauce first cuz we thought it would need to reduce more? Er, either way, it worked...

Once everything is good and hot, add

1 oz fresh baby spinach (who measures ounces in their kitchen? yeesh...)
1 oz fresca sauce

Toss to combine, and when the noodles look good and coated, take off heat. Shred some parmesan cheese on it so it gets nice and melted.

Fresca sauce

I think we used this entire batch for our amount of pasta, it didn't seem like 15 servings or whatever the website said. If you're cooking for 2, maybe pour a third of it in with the pasta and see how that looks.

1/4 C fresh garlic, minced
2 t salt
1/4 C balsamic vinegar
1/4 C sweet white wine
1 C extra virgin olive oil

Sorry for the imprecise recommendations on the sauce. I'm sure that we'll make this again soon, and then we'll be sure to take better notes.

Seaweed!

2007-07-09T15:23:00.001-07:00

The coast of Maine

Shep Erhart of Maine Coast Sea Vegetables

Dulse looking ethereal

'Fry's done.

Sugar + Butter + Eggs

2007-06-13T17:32:00.001-07:00

Yay!

The Spread.

My absolute favorite-- raspberry frangipane.

I think flowers and desserts have a lot in common--they both should be an everyday occurence in one's life, but even if they were they'd somehow remain special.

(I didn't even try this dessert, but my pictures of it came out the best)

Yes, the Viking mixer is edible. Don't ask, just marvel.

Corn Muffin Canvas

2007-06-08T19:14:00.000-07:00

1 C cornmeal
1/2 C flour
2 t baking powder
2 T sugar (i'd replace with 2 or 3 T of honey)
2 T oil
1/2 t salt
1 C water
1 egg (originally recipe was for 1 banana, but since i had an egg and no banana...)
1 T vanilla**

Mix dry ingredients together, add wet, stir in but don't overmix. Bake in muffin pan for 10-15 minutes at 450. Mine took closer to 15, but I'm currently at a high altitude--does that make sense? That it would take longer?

**The vanilla is a guess. I probably added a whole tablespoon or more to only 1/2 of the batch, but I'm using homemade vanilla extract, which I hear is much weaker, so 1 T of commercial stuff for the whole batch should be enough to give it that hint of flavor.

A feast for the eyes (if i do say so myself)

2007-05-30T09:53:00.000-07:00

Red Lentil-Chickpea Burgers + Peanut Sauce

2007-05-30T09:33:00.000-07:00

From the Healthy Hedonist.

3/4 up red lentils, rinsed
1 3/4 cups water
salt
15 oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
olive oil
1/2 cup minced shallots
3/4 lb carrots, cut into a small dice (1 cup worth)
1 t ground cumin ***
1 t ground coriander
1 cup peas, fresh or frozen
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 t fresh lemon juice
cayenne pepper to taste***
1/4 cup bread crumbs

Cook lentils in water (we had to add a ton more water than 2 cups!)--bring to a boil, then simmer. Add a teaspoon of salt, stir occasionally, until lentils are tender and lose their individual shape (20-40 minutes). Add water as needed, but the goal is to cook them as dry as they can go without sticking to your pot. Stir cooked lentils to break them up, then add and stir in the chickpeas.
Now saute shallots, carrots, and 1/4 t salt until tender, a few minutes, then add the spices.***add more than she states, these burgers are quite bland.*** add peas. a few more minues, then add this mix to the lentil/pea mash, along with the parsley, lemon, and cayenne (***). stir in bread crumbs, salt to taste (you will need to!). Let the mixture sit until it's cool enough to handle.
With your hands, make tight patties. She says six, but we got around 10 out of this sized batch. Put them on a plate, cover, and throw in the fridge for 30 minutes. (we did the freezer for less time, but ours didn't stay together than well, i mean, they did, but they were fragile, so maybe don't skimp on the cooling).
Now saute the burgers! You're not deep frying, so just coat the pan with oil and leave 'em on each side until they are golden brown. she says two minutes, i'd say five, just depends on your heat level.

"Spicy Peanut Sauce"

yea, it's a peanut sauce, not sure if i'd call it spicy. it was nice with the tomatoes and kale we had, though. almost a mustard.

1/3 C smooth peanut butter
1 t curry powder
1/2 t salt
1 T maple syrup
1 T chopped fresh ginger
1/3 cup water
1 T fresh lemon juice
1/4 t cayenne pepper
1 T thinly sliced scallions or chives

combine all but scallions, mix by hand (or blend, i s'pose) until smooth. add scallions.

Yes, this is what i do at 6 am.

2007-05-26T05:27:00.001-07:00

Baked Thai Tempeh Triangles

2007-05-26T04:57:00.000-07:00

from The Healthy Hedonist.

1 lb of tempeh (2 8 oz packages)
1/4 cup apple juice or cider
1/2 cup water
2 T maple syrup
1/4 cup shoyu (we used tamari)
2 T fresh lemon juice (meh, abouts 1/2 a lemon)
1/4 cup canola oil
1 T red Thai curry paste
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilanto (whoops, we didn't have this)
3 garlic cloves (we minced 'em)

Preheat oven to 350. Cut the tempeh into 12 triangles (each pack into 12, so 24 triangles). Give it a quick steam (it will help it absorb the marinade), maybe 5 mins or so. While that's going, hit up the marinade: whisk the juice, water, syrup, shoyu, lemon juice, and oil in a medium bowl. Stir in the curry paste, cilantro, and garlic cloves. Lay out the tempeh in a single layer in some sort of baking dish, pour the marinade over it. Bake, turning once halfway through, until golden brown and it seems like it's taken in most of the marinade. Probably 40-45 minutes.

She recommends a 9 x 11 pan, but i think we fit it tightly into an 8 x8, which upped the marinade level. A good thing, since the second side soaks up less, so the more you can get in the first go...If anyone tries it with the tempeh completely covered (maybe doubling the marinade amount?) lemme know.

Verdict: very yummy, and i like the texture of tempeh! Would (and will) definitely make this recipe again.

Jess Special

2007-05-13T14:48:00.000-07:00

I feel pretty bad about this recipe, since i use a bunch o' canned stuff. But whatevs, here it is:

1 large (28 oz?) can of diced tomatoes
1 small (16 oz?) can of kidney beans or black beans (both if you're feeling crazy)
1 small can of corn, if you happen to have one
1 onion, diced
some garlic cloves, minced
two carrots, sliced or creatively cubed
a handful of kale
cumin
black pepper
paprika
cayenne
salt

(note: if serving over b. rice, start it now, since the rest is pretty quick)

heat oil in a medium pot, saute onion, add garlic. dump on spices as you like 'em. i usually do 3 parts cumin to 2 paprika, 1 cayenne, with the black pepper around 1.5? stir those in, then add your carrots, let them soften a bit. Then drain and rinse your beans and corn. add in all the canned stuff. simmer this for a bit, until it's warmed through and the carrots are at the desired crunchiness, throw in the kale for a few minutes at the end, and voila! i usually just dump the brown rice into the pot at the end, or most of it, and let it heat and soak up the flavor a bit before serving. but who am i kidding--serving? guess i just meant eating.

Asparagus, Leek, and Barley Risotto

2007-05-13T14:31:00.000-07:00

1 T olive oil
2 cups thinly slices leeks, both white and green parts (takes about 2 medium leeks)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup thinly sliced scalions, white and green parts
salt
1 cup barley, hulled or semi-pearled, washed
1/2 cup dry white wine
3.5 cups veggie stock
1/2 pound of asparagus
1 cup green peas (we used frozen)
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 T butter, optional (we used about half)
1 t fresh lemon juice
freshly ground black pepper
fresh parsley

Preheat to 350. heat oil in a medium/big oven-proof pot. add leeks, scallions, and a sprinkling of salt, saute until soft, maybe 5 minutes. Add barley, stir to combine. Add the wine and simmer uncovered until the wine has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Then add the stock and 1/4 t salt, bring to a boil. cover the pot (lid or aluminum foil), and stick it in the oven. Bake for about an hour, until the barley is tender and liquid is absorbed. While that's cooking, cut up your asparagus (remove the hard ends) into 1-inch pieces and steam it with the peas. We have a bootleg steaming set-up where you are basically boiling it with very little water, but hey, that worked, and we just added the little bit of liquid that was left to capture all those escaping nutrients.
After you're satisfied with the tenderness of your barley, transfer the pot to the stovetop and simmer it over low heat to a) get rid of remaining liquid and b) give that barley a little extra heat so it moves towards translucence. yay! now stir in the parm, some butter, lemon juice, the veggies, and a sprinkling of black pepper. salt to taste.

Brooklyn Pad Thai

2007-04-20T12:15:00.000-07:00

From Vegan With A Vengeance

need:

1 lb rice noodles (we think slightly less)
peanut oil
1 lb tofu, drained and pressed, cut small
1 medium red onion, cut in half and sliced thinly
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 T finely minced lemongrass (we didn't have this)
2 C bean sprouts
8 scallion, sliced into 1-inch lengths
2 small dried red chiles, crumbled
1/2 chopped roasted peanuts
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
lime wedges for their beauty. oh yea, and flavor.

for the sauce:

6 T tamari
6 T sugar (we used brown)
2 T tomato paste
2 T hot sauce/asian hot chile sauce
1/4 C rice wine vinegar (we used rice vinegar with a splash of rice wine--to hedge our bets)
3 T tamarind concentrate (we made this from tamarind paste. just mush it up in a little bit of water, making sure to remove the seeds and skins) or lime juice

prepare noodles according to package. then mix together all ingredients for the sauce. i guess you could heat the sauce slightly, to get rid of the tomato paste chunks, i just took my time pressing them out with the back of my spoon, so colin did most of the work.

preheat that good ol' large skillet or wok, med-high to high heat. add peanut oil and fry the tofu until crispy. remove from pan and set aside. The book says this will take 5 minutes. Admittedly, i'm a bad tofu-presser, but i usually fry tofu for more like 15, even 20 minutes. so maybe start one side and then go do the sauce, then they'll be ready to flip? something like that? also, a splash of soy sauce at the very end of the frying will a) give the tofu a nice brown color and b) create a satisfying sizzle.

Now for the fun part. Clean the pan, etc, etc, preheat, add oil, and add half the red onion. The recipe is put together in two parts--so we'll use half of everything, then repeat. stir fry for 30 seconds. add half the garlic and half the lemongrass, stir-fry for another 30 seconds (really, these numbers are in the book!). Add half the sauce, and when it starts to bubble (almost immediately), add half the cooked noodles. cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly (tongs work well here), then add half the tofu, bean sprouts, scallions, chiles, and peanuts. stir for another 30 seconds, then transfer to plates, add cilantro and lime wedge. Then repeat with the remaining ingredients.

It says to serve 4, but seems more like 5 or 6, depending on what side dishes you're rocking.

Banana Compote

2007-04-17T18:20:00.000-07:00

I think that the term "compote" is misused in this case, but it sounded better than "mush". Here's what we did:

For a small bowl's worth, use two bananas. Better if they are on the riper side, but not too brown.

Cut up bananas, put in small pot. Add about a half cup of water, and crank the heat. You want it to get to a simmer, stirring as needed. Add water as needed if it looks too thick or starts sticking or burning. A splash of vanilla (2 T? 3?) and a few shakes of cinnamon can do it some good, although vanilla alone is great, too. Stir it up, mash the bananas a bit more, and take off heat when it reaches the desired thickness.

An easy pancake topping, for those times when you don't want to mess with fruit in the batter or nobody can agree on one fruit.

Samosa Recipe

2007-04-11T15:40:00.000-07:00

from Mollie Katzen's Moosewood Cookbook:

The Dough:

2.5 cups flour (we did all-purpose)
1/2 t salt
1 cup yogurt
extra flour, yog as needed (we added ~3T extra of yogs, since our dough was flaky after kneading)

1) Put flour and salt in a bowl, mix.
2) Add yogurt, mix in with a spoon or fingers, then use your hands to knead dough for about 5 minutes. Add flour if it's sticking to you or the bowl. In the end it'll be soft, but firm, and will hold together (you can pick it up by a corner and it won't fall apart).
3) Cover and refridgerate until you need it.

The Filling:

2 large potatoes
1 pat butter or some oil for frying
1 cup minced onion
2 medium cloves of garlic, minced
1 T freshly grated ginger
1 t mustard seeds
1 t coriander
3/4 t salt
1.5 cups uncooked green peas (we bought frozen and thawed in the fridge)
2 T lemon juice
cayenne, to taste (mmm, three dashes worked for me).

1) Peel potatoes, chop into small bits so they'll boil quickly. Boil until very soft, drain, and mash in a good sized bowl.
2) Fry onion, garlic, ginger, mustard seeds, coriander, and salt. Oops, i mean "saute". Medium heat, about 8 minutes, until onions are soft. oh yea, throw some cayenne in here if you're going to.
3) Add fried goodness to the potatoes, along with the other ingredients (peas and lemon juice), mix well (but Moosewood sez try not to smash the peas).
4) Let cool for ~ 15 minutes.

Assembly: (see here for photos)

1) Preheat oven to 425. Oil a cookie sheet

2) Along with your filling and dough, grab a fork and a small bowl of water. You're set.

3) Roll small balls of dough in your palms. Smaller than a ping pong, probably, but it depends on your duogh consistency. The goal is ~5 inch circles when rolled out with a rolling pin or empty bottle.

4) Place 1.5 T of filling in center of dough circle. Brush water along the outer edge of the dough circle, then pinch opposite inner sides together (wet to wet), to make a filled semi-circle shape. Lay on its side, use the fork to reinforce the seal.

5) Put the samosas on the baking sheet, brush oil on the side facing up (we just poured oil onto a small plate, and pressed both sides of each samosa down into it before placing on the cookie sheet). Bake for 15 minutes at 425, then flip the samosas over, turn the oven down to 375, and bake for 10 minutes more. ** Don't overbake! The samosas will get crispier as they cool, so don't worry if they look a bit soft when the 25 minutes are up. We kept them in 5-8 minutes longer and the edges especially were too hard.

6) MMMM. They won't last long! I'd even make the filling alone as a potato side dish to another meal, i thought it was great.

Step by Step Samosa Assembly

2007-04-11T15:00:00.000-07:00

Okay, we're not that mean. If you just want the recipe minus the pictures, head back to the main blog and click on "samosas" (vs. "here"). Or, i guess, if you want the recipe up to the assembly point. We're not picture crazy enough to assume you wanted close-ups of simmering apples.

Otay. Start with your filling and dough. You'll also need a fork and a small bowl of water handy.

1) Grab a small hunk of dough, and roll into a 5-inch circle.

2) Place about 1.5 T of filling into the center of your dough circle. It may not look like a lot, but wait until you do a few before you start adding more--each time i tried to eyeball it i ended up with a broken samosa skin.

3) Wet the outer edge of your dough circle with water. This'll help it stick closed. Then fold the edges together, to make a filled semi-circle. If you made bigger dough circles, you could experiment with pinching all the ends together like a stork's bundle. I've seen it like that in restaurants.

4) To create a fancy seal for your pockets of flavorful-goodness, press the fork around the newly-created lip of the samosa. Don't be afraid to press hard, some of our indents came undone.

5) Place samosas on an oiled cookie sheet. Brush oil on the side facing up (or, just put oil on a plate, and dunk each side a little before putting them on the sheet. Bake at 425 for 15 minutes, then turn oven down to 375, flip the samosas, and bake for 10 more minutes.

**As per the granola class, things coated with oil will get crispier as they cool! When the samosas seemed to have too much give to them, we left them in for almost 10 extra minutes, and by the time we ate them, they were a bit (okay, a lot) on the crunchy side). So the lesson is, trust Moosewood, trust Rose, and don't overcrisp your sams.

6) Serve warm!

Yay! This really didn't take too long to put together, but it is nice to have some reading nearby while you're waiting for the potatoes to boil, or samosas to bake, etc.

Moosewood's Falafel

2007-04-11T14:20:00.000-07:00

two 15oz cans chickpeas (or 4 cups if you wanna soak em and cook em yourself)
4 medium cloves garlic, minced
2 t cumin
1 t tumeric
1 t salt
1/2 cup minced onion
1/4 cup packed minced parsley
1/4 cup water
1 T lemon juice
few dashes cayenne pepper
1/3 cup flour
oil for frying

1) rinse and drain chickpeas
2) combine all ingredients except flour in food processor/good blender/big bowl to blend/mix by hand until it's a homogenous paste.
3) add flour and stir to combine well.
4) heat a pan, add some oil and wait for it to get hot. then add falafel balls--maybe tablespoons, maybe whatever size you can ball up in the crook of your palm. flatten then out a bit, so it resembles a thick pancake. saute on each side about 10 minutes, until crisp and browned. add oil as needed to coat bottom of pan.

if they seem oily to you when you're done, pat down with or just let sit on some paper towels.

Curried Split Pea Soup

2007-03-31T18:05:00.000-07:00

1 medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic (more more more!), minced
2 T fresh ginger, minced
2 t curry powder
1 t ground cumin
1/4 t ground coriander
1/4 t ground cardamom (we were out at the time)
generous pinch o' cinnamon
2 t salt
8 c water
1 lb dried split peas
1 carrot

saute onions for a bit. throw in garlic, spices, ginger, and salt. saute a bit more. add water, stir well. add peas, cover, bring to a boil. simmer til peas are tender, prob. an hour.

Tridoshic Vegetable Curry

2007-03-31T17:56:00.000-07:00

1 c green peas (we used frozen)
1 c carrots, diced
1 c potatoes, diced
2 c string beans or asparagus (we didn't have either)
2 t cumin seeds
2 t black mustard seeds
1 t sea salt
1.5 c water
2 t tumeric
1 t coriander
1/2 c yogurt

throw seeds into heated oil, wait for mustard seeds to pop. then add tumeric, stir, add veggies and water (if using frozen peas, add them when the other veggies are almost cooked). cook til veggies are tender, 15-20 min, then add yogurt, rest of ingredients, stir well, simmer for another 15-20.

this curry is very mild--if you like it with some more kick, you'll need to spice it up a bit more.

Wheat-free Multigrain Pancakes

2007-03-31T17:51:00.000-07:00

3/4 c spelt flour (or ww flour, if you're not concerned about wheat-free)
1/4 c oat flour
1/4 c brown rice flour
1/4 c cornmeal
1 T baking powder
1 T sucanat
1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1.5 c milk/soymilk/water if you're desparate
2 eggs, beaten

mix all dry ingredients. mix all wet. pour wet into dry. don't overmix. let sit for 3-5 mins, to let the soda do it's thang.