Peanut Butter Ramen

1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cloves garlic (or 1 t squeeze bottle garlic)
1 teaspoon ginger (I use the refrigerated squeeze bottle kind) 
1 healthy teaspoon green curry paste
4 cups vegetable broth (I use the Orrington Farms vegan no-chicken broth)
1 can lite coconut milk
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
2-3 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari (to taste)
2 tablespoons brown sugar
juice of 2 limes

2  "bricks" of ramen

any variation of the following:
a handful of mushrooms, sliced very thin
handfuls of fresh spinach
broccoli, barely steamed
shredded carrots
cubes of tofu (I use the Trader Joe's packaged teriyaki tofu)
seven-minute eggs

at the table:
sriracha
peanuts, scallions, cilantro, mint, whatever you like

1.  Heat a large, heavy pot; add oil, then garlic, ginger, and curry paste. Reduce heat to low and cook for 2-3 minutes.
2.  Add three cups of broth and the coconut milk. Stir, reduce heat to low, and simmer.
3.  In a medium bowl, whisk peanut butter, soy sauce, sugar, lime juice, and remaining cup of broth.
4.  Add the peanut butter mixture to the broth. Stir. Add a handful of sliced mushrooms at this point if you like.
5.  Simmer 5-15 minutes. Adjust seasoning, adding salt, sugar, or lime to taste.
6. Cook the ramen in a separate pan, undercooking slightly. (Maybe 90 seconds to two minutes in the boiling water.)
7. Scoop noddles into your bowl, add whatever veggies, tofu, whatever. Ladle broth over. Add egg, if using. Top with whatever you like. 

This makes enough for three nice bowls for dinner and enough leftover broth for someone to have a decent bowl tomorrow. However, they'll have to make fresh noodles and reassemble whatever veggies/tofu they like.

Instant Pot Risotto

I joined the Instant Pot cult in December and have been cooking up a storm ever since. I love it.

Made risotto tonight and was absolutely stunned by how good it was. I did some research online but ended up consulting three recipes passed on by friends to get the right proportions. The first try was really good with a few tweaks, reflected here. So good I was asked if I would ever go back to making it the "real" way. Honestly not sure.

2 Tbs olive oil
2 Tbs butter
1 shallot, thinly sliced
1/2 lb mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 1/2 c. arborio rice
1/3 c. white wine
3/4 tsp kosher salt
some black pepper (about four hearty turns of the grinder)
4 c. veggie stock (I heart Orrington Farms vegan broth in "chicken" flavor. Super neutral.)
1 c. frozen peas, thawed
parmesan or pecorino romano, about 1/4 c. at the end and more at the table

Using the "sauté" function, heat the olive oil and butter.
Sauté the mushrooms and shallots for about 2-3 minutes.
Add the rice and sauté for another minute or two.
Add the salt, pepper, and white wine and cook it down until you hear the rice sizzling a bit.
Add the stock all at once and put on the top. Make sure vent is CLOSED. Cancel the sauté function and set to "pressure cook" for 5 minutes. (It will take about 10 minutes to come up to pressure, then five minutes at high pressure.)
Let it release naturally for 10 minutes, then turn the vent to let it release all the way.
Open, stir vigorously for a couple turns, then stir in the peas and about 1/4 c. cheese.
Add a little more hot water water or broth if you like it soupier.
Serve with more cheese and black pepper at the table. 

Vegan option: Use additional olive oil in lieu of butter. Use some miso, nutritional yeast, or vegan parm for the umami in lieu of cheese. 

Granola, Plain and Simple

I don't want coconut or nuts or fruit bits in my granola. Even if I did, I'd add them later. 

Photo represents the one time I added a little quinoa to the mix.

Preheat oven to 300 or 325 depending on whether you like your granola a bit toasty.

Whisk well:
3 Tbs. brown sugar
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/3 c. brown rice syrup or honey or maple syrup (or any combination)
1/4 c. vegetable or olive oil (or combination)
1 tsp. vanilla
dash of cinnamon (optional)
1 egg white (optional)

Add and stir well:
3 c. old fashioned rolled oats (not quick, not steel cut)

Spread onto a parchment-lined pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes, checking often and stirring a bit halfway through. Remove when it's golden brown. Let cool. Break up chunks and store in an airtight container at room temperature. 

Chimichurri

Put this on veggie cubanos or Italian subs or empanadas. Your life will be bueno.

1 c. (packed) flat-leaf parsley, trimmed, washed, spun dry
1/4 c. (packed) cilantro trimmed, washed, spun dry
3 or 4 cloves garlic
2 t. dried oregano
1/2 t. kosher salt
1/4 t. red pepper flakes or more to taste
fresh ground pepper
1/3 c. olive oil
2 T. red wine vinegar

Blend all of the ingredients in a food processor.

Chickpea & Quinoa Stew

Kim made this for her triumphant return to Book Group after living in London for three years. It's adapted and converted from Deliciously Ella Every Day by Ella Woodward. 

Original recipe or
How I made it:

1 1/2 lbs butternut squash or sweet potato, peeled, trimmed and cubed in 1-inch cubes
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 t. ground turmeric (original recipe calls for 3 t. but I found that a bit much.)
1 t. ground coriander
1 t. chili powder
1 t. ground of fresh ginger
1/2 t. Aleppo pepper
1 14 oz can lite coconut milk
1 T. tomato paste
1 14 oz can chopped tomatoes
1 cup quinoa, rinsed well
1 1/4 c. boiling water
1 14 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 bag pre-washed spinach (7-8 oz., more if you like)
salt and pepper, to taste

1. Roast butternut squash on a sheet pan lined with parchment, drizzled with olive oil and salt, for approximately 30 minutes or until just tender.
2. In a large dutch oven, add garlic, turmeric, coriander, chili powder, Aleppo pepper, ginger, tomatoes, and tomato paste. Heat through and add butternut squash.
3. Add the rinsed quinoa and boiling water. Simmer on low for 15 minutes.
4. Add chickpeas. Simmer on low for 15 more minutes or until quinoa is fully cooked and plumped. 
5. Add spinach and simmer on low until wilted, about 5-10 minutes.
6. Season to taste. Serve with a dollop of sour cream or plain yogurt and naan. 

Vegan Babies aka Banana-Chocolate Brownie Bites

My continued search for vegan brownies for my vegan girl took a turn for the better this week when I hit on these delish brownies. This recipe is a mish-mash of several things I've tried or seen online.

Pulverize in a food processor or blender, until very, very smooth:
1 15-oz. can of black beans, rinsed and drained
3 Tbs. vegetable oil
1 Tbs. ground flax seed whisked with 2 T. water
4 Tbs. cocoa
1 ripe banana
1/2 c. sugar (I used Turbinado)
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. instant coffee granules (optional but adds nice flavor)

Scrape into a bowl and fold in:
1/2 cup flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

Add:
3/4 cup chocolate chips (mini preferred)

Scoop into mini muffin tins that are well greased.
Bake for 23 minutes at 350 degrees.
Cool for 10 minutes before turning out to cool completely.

Makes 24 minis.

Blueberry Cake with Lemon and Brown Sugar - no recipe, just photos

Ready for the oven with the brown sugar on top

Cooling

Grandma Pizza from ATK

I am completely, 100% addicted to the America's Test Kitchen Radio podcast and have tried several of the recipes in the last year as I've worked my way from the debut episode through the most recent season.

The "grandma pizza" recipe (and pan pizza concept in general) is practically life-chaging for a pizza stone devotee. The pickiest children may prefer that you puree the tomatoes a bit more, or put the cheese on top, instead of under, the cheese. I used Pomi crushed tomatoes. Here's the recipe. I promise to add a photo next time I make it.

Easiest Sticky Cinnamon Rolls Ever

Charlie gets the credit for discovering these which are from the book Teens Cook which, if you're looking for a good tween/teen cookbook, I definitely recommend. The best thing is that they are a no-rise dough so you can have them on the table in an hour. I have only modified the recipe slightly, with the addition of some salt to the dough and a reduction in the butter.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

The Dough
1 c. cottage cheese
3/4 c. sugar
2 eggs
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1/2 c. milk
1/2 t. salt
2 T. baking powder
4 1/4 c. all-purpose flour plus some for dusting

Put the cottage cheese in a food processor and blend until smooth. Add sugar, eggs, oil, milk, and salt and puree until smooth.
Put the mixture in a large bowl and stir in the baking powder. Add 3 1/2 cups of the flour and stir until it forms a dough. Using your hands, add the remaining dough a little at time until the dough is smooth and not too sticky. This is not so much kneading as a "smush and fold" technique. 
Spread some flour on a clean, flat surface and roll the dough into a large rectangle, about 16x20 inches.

The Filling

2 c. brown sugar

3 T. cinnamon

6 T. butter

1/4-1/2 c. honey

Combine the brown sugar and cinnamon in a bowl.

Melt the butter.

Assembly & Baking

Melt the butter and brush over the entire surface of the dough. Brush the bottom and sides of a 9x13 baking pan. (If you wanted more of a classic sticky bun situation, you could sprinkle nuts in the pan at this point.)

Drizzle the honey over the buttered dough. Now I admit, I didn't measure out the honey at all. I just squeezed it right out of that little bear in sort of a loose grid pattern. Seemed like maybe 1/4 cup total but the recipe calls for 1/2 cup if you want to do it their way.

Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar evenly over the dough. Roll the dough, as tightly as you can, the long way.

Using a serrated bread knife, cut the roll into 1 inch slices. Arrange them into the pan, right up next to each other, and sprinkle with any remaining butter and cinnamon sugar.

Bake for 35-45 minutes or until done.

Remove from the pan and turn out onto a platter.

Eat while warm.

Birthday Dinner, Part Three: Molten Chocolate Cakes

So last but not least, Molten Chocolate Lava Cakes. Hate on them all you want, but seriously, who doesn't love a cake that basically makes its own hot fudge sauce? This recipe comes to me by way of Natalie Bortoli from Food and Wine. These were delicious, if a little over "greased and floured", and they really are super, super easy. Make them soon and make someone very happy. 

Pre-lava action.

http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/molten-chocolate-cakes-vongerichten  

Note: The recipe calls for 4 6-oz ramekins, but I think you can easily stretch to make 5 or 6. Just make sure to adjust the cooking time down.

11.11.11

My name is Charles and I will be your waiter this evening.

Apple-Cinnamon Muffins a la Hilton

My daughter went on her eighth grade trip to Washington, DC and came back talking about two things: Roland Fritter, coolest tour guide ever, and the apple cinnamon muffins at the Hilton somewhere in Maryland. Here is my attempt to replicate them based on a very minimal description. I used an old King Arthur Flour recipe as a guide with several tweaks.

INGREDIENTS

2 cups unbleached all-purpose or white whole wheat flour
1/2 cup oat flour or similar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup applesauce
1 cup of whatever else you'd like to add for texture (nuts, chopped or dried fruit or my favorite cheat -- crumbled granola or Nutrigrain-type cereal bars that my kids begged me to buy then instantly decided they no longer like.)
Optional: Coarse sugar or streusel (mix flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and butter with a fork until you get a "clumpy" texture) for sprinkling on top

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Line a 12-muffin muffin tin with papers.

2. Whisk together the flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.

3. Cream together the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl (I use my stand mixer) until light and fluffy and almost white in color. Scrape down the bowl to make sure all the butter is incorporated, then turn the mixer back on and add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla, cinnamon, applesauce, and sour cream, and mix until incorporated.

4. Add the dry ingredients, mixing on low speed just until the batter is smooth. Scrape those sides and bottom of the bowl once more, to be sure everything is evenly combined. Gently fold in the fruit and refrigerate for 15 minutes or up to an hour+ if you have the time. (I don't.)

5. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Scoop the batter by the 1/4-cupful into the prepared pan and sprinkle with sugar or other topping. Bake the muffins until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 22 to 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow the muffins to cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove them to finish cooling.

The Very Best Breakfast Bread Pudding

Makes: 6ish servings

Ingredients:

• 2-4 T brown sugar, depending on how decadent you’re feeling

• 2 T butter

• ½ a loaf of Cafe Selmarie’s apple-raisin bread, sliced, torn or diced into bite size pieces

• 4 eggs

• 1 ½ cup milk

• 4 oz cream cheese, sort of cubed, room temp

• 1 tsp vanilla

• 1/4 tsp salt

• cinnamon for sprinkling

Directions:

1. Put brown sugar and butter in the bottom of an 8×8 baking dish. I use an oval Pyrex that’s roughly that size.
2. Heat in the microwave 30 seconds to 1 minute or until the butter is melted and the sugar starts to dissolve. Stir the mixture together until all the sugar is mixed with the syrup and butter.
3. Put the diced or torn bread on top of the sugar mixture in the baking dish.
4. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs.
5. Whisk the cream cheese, milk, vanilla, and salt into the eggs.
6. Pour the cream mixture over the bread but do not stir!
7. Press the top of the bread mixture into the egg mixture to get every piece to soak in some of the cream mixture.
8. Sprinkle the top with cinnamon and a little more brown sugar if you like.
9. Cover the dish with foil. At this point, you can bake right away or let it sit, overnight, in the fridge.
10. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
11. Bake, covered for 30 minutes. Raise the temp to 400 degrees, remove the foil and bake another 10-15 minutes. Test with a knife to make sure that the pudding is set in the middle.
12. Serve warm with maple syrup.

Big Chewy Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

I found the base of this recipe on line. A woman named "PANTHERA" (I know.) modified a recipe from a woman named Beatrice, then I took suggestions from the comments, made those changes, and a couple more of my own. I'm not exactly sure whose recipe it is now. But, I assure you, it's a good one.

Preheat your oven to 350.

Mix, in a stand mixer until very light and fluffy:

3/4 c. butter, softened

1/4 c. Crisco

1 c. packed brown sugar

1/2 c. white sugar

Add, and mix until very pale:

2 eggs

2 t. vanilla

Add, and mix until barely mixed:

1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour

1/2 c. spelt or white wheat flour (or whole wheat or just more all-purpose flour)

1 t. baking soda

1 t. salt

Scrape down sides and mix in by hand:

3 c. oats (I used half quick cooking and half regular, rolled oats)

1 c. chocolate chips

1/2 c. mini chocolate chips

Chill dough for at least two hours, the longer the better. Six hours was very good.

Spoon rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets with ample room for spreading. Work quickly and get those cookies in the oven whiles the dough is still cold. Bake for 12-13 minutes. The cookies should be golden around the edge and nice and soft in the middle.  Yields about 40 cookies.

Warning: If you make these on a Sunday then go to Washington, D.C. Monday through Wednesday, you will be disappointed to find these nearly GONE when you return.

Yogurt Biscuits from Super Natural Every Day

When Mama makes biscuits, everyone's happy.

I made these yummy biscuits to go with this broccoli soup for dinner.  They're from Heidi Swanson's cookbook Super Natural Every Day. I like the book quite a bit, in fact, better than her last cookbook, Super Natural Cooking. She also has a nice blog called 101 Cookbooks. It's healthy, interesting stuff and despite the health bent, she seems very lovely and the site's not annoying at all. Anyway, the biscuits were fantastic and you should make some. They'd be a great breakfast with jam.

Makes 12 biscuits (She says 12, I say 16.)

1 ¼ cups spelt flour or whole wheat pastry flour (I used spelt)

1 ¼ cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading and rolling

1 ½ teaspoons fine-grain sea-salt (I used iodized)

1 tablespoon aluminum-free baking powder (I was delighted to find that my baking powder was, in fact, aluminum-free!)

½ cup unsalted butter, chilled and cut into cubes

1 ⅓ cup Greek-style plain yogurt (I used a combo of Greek and regular plain yogurt, about 50/50)

Preheat the oven to 450 with a rack in the middle of the oven. Place an ungreased baking sheet in the oven to preheat as well.

Combine the flours, salt, and baking powder in a food processor. Sprinkle the butter across the top of the dry ingredients and pulse about 20 times, or until the mixture resembles tiny pebbles. Add the yogurt and pulse a few times, or until the yogurt is just incorporated. Avoid overmixing, it’s fine if there are a few dry patches. Gather the dough into a ball and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead five times and press into an inch thick square. Cut in half and stack one on the other. Repeat two more times - flattening and stacking, then cutting. Add more all purpose flour to prevent sticking when needed. Press or roll out (I pressed) the dough into a 3/4 thick rectangle, but no thicker; if the dough is too tall, the biscuits will tilt and tip over while baking. Cut the dough into twelve equal biscuits.

Transfer the biscuits to the preheated baking sheet leaving 1/2 inch between each biscuit. Bake for 15-18 minutes, until the bottoms are deeply golden and the biscuits are cooked through. Serve with butter and jam.

Puff Daddy Baked Apple Pancakes

Make this for breakfast for someone you love. Everyone will be happy.

Puff Daddy

• 1/2 (1/4 cup) stick unsalted butter
• 2 large firm, tart apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
• 1/4 cup brown sugar (granulated is fine in a pinch)
• a couple of decent shakes ground cinnamon
• 4 large eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2/3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour (many recipes call for far less flour but I don't like it too eggy)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Confectioner’s sugar

Preheat oven to 425F. Melt butter over medium-high heat in an ovenproof 10-inch skillet. Add apples, granulated sugar, and cinnamon and saute, stirring occasionally, until the apples begin to brown and most of the juices have evaporated, 5 to 7 minutes. Turn off heat.

Combine eggs, milk, flour, and salt in a bowl and whisk until smooth. You can also whisk in some (2 T.) melted butter but that takes this to a new buttery level that is not actually necessary but, yes, delicious.

Spread the browned apples evenly across the bottom of the pan. Pour the batter over the apples. Place the skillet in the oven and bake until the pancake is golden and puffed, about 15-18 minutes. Be amazed.

Remove the pan from the oven and let the pancake rest in the pan for about 3 minutes. Squeeze a little lemon on it if you wish, sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar, cut into wedges, and serve with warm maple syrup.

Serves 2-4.

Stuffed Portabellas aka Leftover Magic

Okay, you have to believe me when I say that I am a better cook than a food photographer and therefore, these taste way better than this looks. looked before I removed the photo because it looked so very awful.

Stuffing for caps, mix together all ingredients:
2 cups of grain/carb (brown rice, orzo, cous cous, bulgur, leftover pilaf, what have you)
2 cups sauteed veggies (onion, garlic, fresh spinach, grated carrot, etc.)
1/2 t. basil
1/2 t. oregano
1/4 t. red pepper flakes
1 T. olive oil
salt and pepper liberally
Optional: 1/2 c. crumbled feta or 1/4 parmesan or romano (decrease salt if using romano) or whatever cheese you like

4 big portabella mushroom caps, stems removed, brushed clean with a damp paper towel

olive oil

balsamic vinegar

optional: bread crumbs

Generously, oil a Pyrex baking pan with olive oil. Lay the caps smooth side down in the oil. Splash the caps with some nice balsamic vinegar. Mound 1 cup of the stuffing on top of each cap, flattening the stuffing and pressing all over the cap. At this point, feel free to sprinkle on some bread crumbs or a bit more romano cheese for extra crispy topping.

Bake at 375 for about 25-30 minutes or until the top is nice and crispy and the mushroom is cooked through and releasing its juices.

Al Di La's Torta di Pere

I didn't make this recipe up, I've never eaten it at the restaurant and I didn't even blog about it first. But it is a true third-hand winner. And I've made it a half dozen times, without adjusting the recipe one smidge. Imagine a warm Toll House cookie filed with little soft pear pieces nestled inside. It's that good.


The point of origin: Al Di La
The recipe I use from: Smitten Kitchen

Blog-esque photo of the stuff you need.

Couldn't even wait to transfer off the pan before eating some.

Melty goodness.

Zucchini Pie for Zucchini Haters

When I was in fifth grade, my mother made me eat a bite of zucchini. Really-gross-stewed-to-death-like-the-Italians-like-it zucchini. "I don't like it." "Just one bite." "I really hate it." "You have to eat one bite." "I really hate it and I won't eat it." So after a bit of this back and forth, I took a bite but refused to chew it or swallow it. I sat at the table for a while until she needed to go downtown so into the car we went, me still with the zucchini in tow. Once on foot, we saw her banker heading towards us and my mom realized how embarrassing it would be to have an eleven year old with a mouth full of food, unable to say hello. "Okay, you can... Spit. It. Out," she said, under her breath. So I spit it in the gutter and never looked back. No zucchini. Ever. (BTW, that was very therapeutic. Stay with me for the actual recipe...)

And then, a couple of years ago, after 30 years of avoiding the stuff, I had dinner at the lovely home of Michael and Staci, and Staci made a fantastic quiche-like dish called zucchini pie and it was so delicious that I was loath to believe it was, in fact, zucchini. Since then, I've tried. Really I have. Grilled. Raw, shaved onto a salad with lemon and chives. In tempura batter. Not horrible.

But every summer, there it is. A friend has a bumper crop, or it shows up week after week in your farm box, or Nancy Essex shows up with a gift of a giant zucchini in a wine bag and it sits on the counter begging to be eaten. And I wanted to be able to really like it. Here's the best recipe for those times. Even a zucchini hater like me will eat two pieces. I've adapted it only a wee tiny bit from the original Real Simple recipe.

Zucchini pie that would have photographed better with a little green salad or a wedge of fruit.

3 cups zucchini, grated (and peeled and seeded, too, if you really hate the stuff)
1 onion, grated and sauteed
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup grated smoked gouda
3 eggs
1/4 cup olive oil (maybe could get away with less)
2 T. pecorino romano cheese
2 t. good pesto
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. kosher salt
lots of freshly ground pepper
hearty dash of cayenne


Mix all the ingredients in a bowl. Pour into a well greased ceramic pie pan. Bake for 45-50 minutes at 350 or until golden brown and a tester comes out clean. Cool 10-15 minutes before slicing.