Sugar + Butter + Eggs

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

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)

Red Lentil-Chickpea Burgers + Peanut Sauce

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.

Baked Thai Tempeh Triangles

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

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.