Homemade Adult Tomato Ketchup

Since we don’t have any children in the house ketchup is a not a staple item in my pantry. Sometimes I will see a recipe that I want to make that calls for ketchup and I ignore it since I don’t want to buy a bottle for a few tablespoons. I decided to make my own today. This is combination of a few recipes tweaked to suit what my family likes. I knew the ketchup had to be sweetened with agave since I am trying to avoid sugar.

If you just read the part about sugar and wondered if this is related to cancer, in fact it is. Not long ago I read that a Nobel Prize for Medicine had been given to a German biologist Otto Heinrich Warburg in 1931 for his discovery that the metabolism of malignant tumors was largely dependent on glucose consumption. Glucose is the form digested sugar takes in the body. All high glycemic foods become glucose in the body. I try to remind myself of this when I am offered white bread or rice, and anything loaded with sugar. I don’t like these foods enough to increase my risk of cancer.

This is a more adult version of ketchup, not so cloyingly sweet and with more spice than store bought brands.

Homemade Ketchup
makes about 1 1/3 cups

Ingredients:

15 ounce can of organic tomato sauce
¼ cup of apple cider vinegar
¼ cup of agave
1 teaspoon black pepper corns, ground
1 pinch, allspice berries, ground
1 pinch cloves, ground
2 tablespoons of granulated garlic
2 tablespoons of granulated onion
1 teaspoon of cinnamon

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a heavy bottomed pan and simmer until it is reduced by a third. Refrigerate or freeze until you are ready to use it.

Comments:

I love the interesting spicy flavor of this ketchup. The allspice and cloves are particularly vibrant in this ketchup. I wouldn’t recommend that try this out on your children; I don’t think it tastes a bit like Heinz. Next time I may add a canned chipotle to this and make chipotle ketchup.

Vegetable Stock

If you have never made your own vegetable stock you won’t believe how easy and economical it is. I haven’t bought stock in years. Every time I cook I put the vegetable trimmings from carrots, celery, onions, leeks, shallots and parsley stems into a gallon Ziploc freezer bag and stash the bag in the freezer. When the bag is full I make a pot of vegetable stock. There is couple of ways to make the base vegetable stock. You can start with uncooked vegetables as I do below, or you can roast your vegetable trim before you simmer it. The roasted vegetable stock has a bigger flavor that I like to use when the weather is cool. In the summer I tend to make the lighter unroasted version of the stock.

If you want roasted vegetable stock put the vegetable trim in a long flat pan and give it a little drizzle of olive oil. Roast the veg in a 400 degree over until it has browned a little (about 30 minutes). Move the roasted veg to a stockpot. Use the water to clean the brown bits from the roasting pan and add that water to the stockpot and proceed with the directions below.

Vegetable Stock

makes about 2 1/2 quarts

Ingredients:

1 gallon of vegetable trim from onions, carrots, celery and parsley stems
6 quarts of cold filtered water
3 tablespoons of tomato paste
3 garlic cloves
3 bay leaves
1 tablespoon of thyme
12 black peppercorns

Directions:

Bring vegetable trim and water to a boil and reduce the heat to simmer. Cook for thirty minutes to get the flavor from the vegetables into the water. Be careful not to cook it too long or the stock can become bitter. Drain the veg from the stock through a sieve lined with two layers of cheesecloth or a couple layers of paper towels. The liquid will have reduced to about 5 quarts now. Return the liquid to a clean pot (noting the level) and add the tomato paste, garlic, bay, thyme and peppercorns to the pot and simmer for an hour. You want to simmer the liquid until it has reduced by half. Drain the stock through a sieve lined with a couple layers of cheesecloth or paper towels. The stock is now ready to become other varieties of vegetable based sauces. I keep this in the freezer in 1 cup containers until I need it.

Comments:

Before you strain the stock the last time it will taste a little bitter from the sediment and herbs. I sometimes strain my stock twice at the end if the first straining pulls out a lot of impurities. I use this vegetable base for almost everything that I do in the kitchen. The only exception is for sauces that need to be light colored, since this base is so dark. For light color sauces I will make this same stock without the tomato paste. I will be posting more sauce variations using this base over the coming months.

Cabbage and Mushroom Pasta

We have all read that cruciferous vegetables are good for us. But I was very surprised to read that a 20% increase in the consumption of raw and/or lightly cooked cruciferous vegetables has been correlated to a 40% drop in cancer. I don’t know about you, but that is enough to get me to serve more cruciferous veggies. Specifically I will be cooking and serving more of the following cruciferous veggies:

- arugula
- bok choy
- broccoli
- broccoli rabe
- brocollina
- brussels sprouts
- cabbage
- cauliflower
- collards
- horseradish
- kale
- kohlrabi
- mustard greens
- radish
- red cabbage
- rutabaga
- turnips
- turnip greens
- watercress

I am so glad that we like many of these vegetables and that I bought arugula at the farmers’ market yesterday. I am going to be looking for more ways to use cruciferous vegetables in my recipes from now on.

Here is a recipe for a cabbage and mushroom pasta to get you started eating more cruciferous vegetables.




Cabbage and mushroom pasta
makes 6 servings

Ingredients:

1 pound crimini mushroom, quartered
1 yellow onion, sliced in ¼ inch rings
Water to sauté
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons flour
1 large cloves garlic, grated or minced
1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
1/2 teaspoon dried mustard powder
2 cups mushroom stock without added salt
13.25 ounces of whole wheat pasta, cooked to al dente, according to package directions
1/2 head cabbage, shredded
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Sauté mushrooms and onion in a couple tablespoons of water until onions and mushrooms are soft and water in pan has almost evaporated. Add olive oil and flour to the pan and cook a few minutes to lightly brown the flour. Add remaining ingredients to the pan except the cabbage. Cook to thicken the sauce and to allow flavors to marry.

Meanwhile bring a pot of water to the boil. Add a tablespoon of kosher salt to the water when it reaches a boil and add the pasta. Stir the pasta when it enters the pot to keep it form sticking. Cook the pasta to the al dente stage.

When you add the pasta to the water, put the cabbage into mushroom sauce and add a little salt and stir the cabbage into the sauce. Cook over low to medium low heat until the cabbage wilts slightly. Add the cooked pasta to the sauce and stir to combine.

Comments:

This pasta has much more flavor than you would expect from a vegan dish. The mushroom flavor is present in every bite. The caraway seed is also a nice background flavor that you can not miss. I like the slightly crunchy texture of the lightly cooked cabbage against the pasta. I made this dish for my 80 year old omnivore parents over the weekend and my father made the following observations: "that is pretty good for something that is disgustingly healthy." While this may not sound like a compliment, from someone that knows his style this actually was high praise. He even told me he would willingly eat it again, but went on to say it would be better with meat. Oh well, I will be happy with this small victory. At least he is willing to eat it again.

Sicilian Pasta with Fennel, Raisin and Pine Nuts

This recipe is the vegetarian version of Pasta con Sarde. If you have fish eaters in the house it is easy to adapt this recipe so that it works for everyone. For the fish version add a couple of anchovy fillets and a sardine fillet for each portion. The fish should be added at the end of cooking just before incorporating the pasta. I find it easy to take the vegetarian portion out of the pan before adding the fish. This dish also reheats well and makes a nice lunch to take to work.

Fennel has a lovely sweet and slighlty licorice flavor. It pairs beautifully with golden raisins and caramelized onions. Beyond its taste, fennel is also full of phytonutrients particularly quercitin and anethole. The flavonoid anethole has been shown to reduce inflammation and help prevent cancer in animals. Fennel is also an excellent source of vitamin C, folate and potassium.

This whole wheat pasta is full of antioxidants and phytonutrients that are healthy as well as delicious. All we need for dinner is a bowl of this pasta and a salad and we are happy and satisfied.

Sicilian Pasta with Fennel, Raisin and Pine Nut
Makes 6 servings

Ingredients:

6 quarts of water
13.5 ounces of whole wheat pasta
1 tablespoon of kosher salt
1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
2 medium red onion, thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 fennel bulbs, thinly sliced
¼ teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes,
½ teaspoon of fennel seeds
top of the fennel bulb (sliced and wrapped in cheesecloth)
2 cups of white wine, vegetable stock or water
pinch of saffron threads (about an 1/8 of a teaspoon)
¼ cup of golden raisins
1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, cut in half
¼ cup of pine nuts
¼ cup of whole wheat panko bread crumbs
1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
1 clove of finely minced garlic
¼ cup of fresh parsley, minced (optional)
2 tablespoons of capers or minced olives (optional)

Directions:

Bring 6 quarts of water to a boil with fennel top bag in water. Remove bag of fennel tops and salt the pasta cooking water. Put the pasta in the water and stir vigorously for at least 15 seconds so the pasta will not clump together and stick. Cook the pasta for two minutes less than the package indicates. The pasta will be cooked in the sauce for two minutes to finish the cooking. This will help the pasta to absorb some of the sauce and give it more flavor.

Sauté the onion in one tablespoon of olive oil until it is caramelized. Add the garlic, sliced fennel, fennel seed and crushed red pepper to the caramelized onions. When the fennel has softened add the white wine, saffron, raisins, and tomatoes. If using the capers or olives they should be added at this point in the recipe. If the pan starts to get dry add a few ladles of the pasta cooking water to the pan. Adding water may be necessary when you add the pasta to the saucepan.

In a separate pan toast the pine nuts, olive oil, whole wheat bread crumbs, and minced garlic. Once the breadcrumb mixture has cooled a little you can add the optional fresh parsley that has been finely minced if you think the dish needs more color.

To serve plate the pasta and top with the bread crumb, pine nut, garlic and parsley mixture.

Comments:

This sauce has a nice gentle heat in the background. The pasta will have a bit of a agro dolce from the sweet of the fennel and onion, and the heat of the crushed red pepper flakes. If you like spicy food it should be safe to double the red pepper flakes. Don't expect this pasta to be "saucy". This pasta is sauced in the Italian style where the pasta is the star and the sauce is the condiment. If you like a lot of sauce on your pasta I would add a 14 ounce can of diced tomatoes to this recipe.

Stove-top Roasted Garlic and Garlic Oil

The regular consumption of garlic has been shown to reduce blood pressure, trigylcerides and cholesterol. Some studies have suggested that garlic can reverse the build up of arterial plaque. It has also been theorized to keep arteries more flexible thereby reducing the risk of heart attack and stroke. Garlic is one of those “superfoods” that seems to help everything. I try to add it to our meals whenever I can.

Roasted garlic adds a nice mellow garlic flavor to dishes. It is fabulous in mashed potatoes, gravies, and all sauces. I tend to use it when I make dressings and when I make seitan both in the dough and in the cooking liquid. Once you are accustomed to having it on hand you will find yourself reaching for it many times during the week.

Stove-top Roasted Garlic and Garlic Oil

Ingredients:

2 heads of garlic, cloves and skins removed
olive oil and/or canola oil to cover garlic cloves

Directions:

Remove the garlic cloves from the head of garlic and take off the skin. Place the garlic in a heavy bottomed saucepan and cover with olive oil or canola oil to cover. Over medium low heat cook the garlic until it is lightly browned. This will take approximately 15 – 20 minutes. The roasted garlic can be used exactly like the baked version.

I tried this technique about a week ago because I needed roasted garlic for a recipe and with 90 plus degree heat I wasn’t about to turn on the over for an hour.

The other benefit of “roasting” the garlic on the stovetop is that you have flavored garlic oil that you can also use for salad dressings. Expect to see those recipes coming soon.

Store the unused garlic and oil in a sealed jar in the refrigerator.

Comments:

This method is much quicker and easier than roasting garlic in the oven. It does use more oil, but that isn’t wasted since it will add good flavor to salad dressings and other dishes.

Baltimore Farmers' Market – May 10, 2009

The farmers' market in downtown Baltimore is open again. I look forward to buying and cooking with local organic produce each spring. I have read many articles that indicate that fresh local produce has much more nutrition than conventionally grown produce that travels many miles to our local stores.

Our CSA subscription at Calvert Farm begins next week. If you haven’t tried a CSA you should look for one near you. This is the third year we have belonged to a CSA and I have thoroughly enjoyed it. If you are unfamilar with CSA's I will try to explain how they work. We have belonged to two different CSA's. What they had in common was that you paid for your food at the beginning of the season and then received your percentage of the crop each week. The first CSA we belonged to distributed the same produce to every member each week. You would go to the farm and weigh out the produce according to the posted amount. The nice part of this methodology is that you were introduced to varieties of produce that may have been different than what you would normally purchase. Our current CSA delivers to locals stores and farmers' markets and you get a specific number of shares each week. From your shares you pick what you want. We choose our current CSA because it was more convenient and we were buying from them everyweek anyway, so it minimized our total number of shopping miles and time.

Our current CSA is organic and always has a fantastic variety of produce. Every week is fascinating to see what Pam at Calvert Farm brings to the market. This week the farm had a number of beautiful potted herbs as well as wheat grass. We bought baby spinach and arugula as well as a nice bay plant. Expect to see recipes using fresh spinach and arugula in the next couple of days. I have included a couple of photos of the vegetables. The color on the plants, veggies and flowers this week was fantastic.



This is a photo of the local organic rhubarb that was available this week. Aren't the colors beautiful?




I couldn't resist taking a photo of the purple and green of the spring onions.

Gazpacho with Avocado

Everything in this soup is good for you. It is full of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals as well as being anti-inflammatory. I am not going to detail the health benefits of every ingredient this time since it will take up too much space and I want to post the recipe tonight. I will cover the benefits of a few of the ingredients that I have not discussed previously.

Avocado is high in monounsaturated fat, like olives, and has been shown to reduce total cholesterol if eaten regularly. The specific monounsaturated fat that avocados contain (oleic acid) was recently been shown to reduce the risk of breast cancer. Avocados are also a good source of potassium that helps to reduce blood pressure. It also appears that eating as little as 2 ounces of avocado with your vegetables increases the bodies absorption of the carotenoids that vegetables contain.

Tomatoes are rich in lycopene (a carotenoid) that has been widely studied for its cancer preventing properties. It has been theorized that lycopene reduces most types of cancer. According to studies, the body is better able to absorb the lycopene when the tomatoes are cooked (as is the case for canned tomatoes) and are consumed with fat.

This soup is cool and refreshing as well as very good for you. I make this soup often when the weather turns warm. I think of it as a liquid salad.

Gazpacho with Avocado
makes 2 dinner sized servings or 4 - 6 appetizer servings

Ingredients:

28 ounce cans of diced tomatoes
1 english cucumber
½ red onion
2 cloves of raw garlic
1 raw red bell pepper
1 ripe avocado
1 roasted red pepper
1 tablespoon of sherry vinegar
½ teaspoon of harissa
1 teaspoon of smoked paprika
½ teaspoon of kosher salt
½ teaspoon of dried oregano
Extra virgin olive oil for garnish
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Combine canned tomatoes, 1/2 of the cucumber, red onion, garlic, roasted red pepper, avocado, vinegar, harissa, paprika, salt and oregano in a blender. Process to thoroughly combine and continue until the mixture is completely smooth. Finely dice the remaining English cucumber and raw red bell pepper. Refrigerate the soup and diced vegetables separately to thoroughly chill. To serve, pour the cold soup into a cold bowl and top with the finely diced vegetables. If you wish you can drizzle the top of the soup with a little extra virgin olive oil and a grind of fresh black pepper. It is also good topped with tofu sour cream and/or a little fresh parsley or cilantro.

Nutritional Information (assumes 2 servings):

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 323.09
Calories From Fat (42%) - 136.28

Total Fat - 16.28g
Saturated Fat - 3.1g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 528.87mg
Potassium - 1935.89mg
Total Carbohydrates - 43.89g
Fiber - 14.82g
Sugar - 23.15g
Protein - 9.14g

Comments:

We like our gazpacho to be light and cooling since we normally eat this when it is hot and humid. This gazpacho has the lightest touch of heat in the background from the harissa, raw garlic and onion.

Millet and Raw Asparagus Salad

We eat a lot of salads in our house. I am always looking for new ways to add vegetables to our diet. Asparagus is something that we eat a lot in the spring. Typically we eat our asparagus lightly cooked. Today I wanted to try something with raw asparagus that became the starting point for this salad. As usual I wanted the salad to be filled with healthful ingredients. I have outlined the benefits of the major salad ingredients below.

Millet is a whole grain that is a good source of vitamin K and magnesium. Vitamin K is necessary for normal blood clotting. Magnesium has been shown to lower high blood pressure and to reduce the severity of asthma and the frequency of migraine headaches.

Asparagus is high in folate, which is essential for cardiovascular health. Asparagus also contains inulin, which the human body cannot digest but the good bacterium in our digestive tracts does. When the good bacteria in our digest system thrives there is less room for the bad bacteria.

The raw red onion is high in chromium that helps the body to respond appropriately to insulin. Regular consumption of onion has been shown to reduce blood pressure and cholesterol. The antioxidant quercitin that is found in raw red onion has been shown to halt the growth of tumors in animals. A number of studies have also shown that those populations that consume the most onions also exhibit a lower incidence of all types of cancer.

This salad incorporates a number of healthful ingredients and tastes great too. This middle eastern inspired salad may become a regular on your spring table.

Millet and Raw Asparagus Salad
makes 6 dinner servings

Ingredients:

1 cup of millet
2 ½ cups of water
¼ teaspoon of salt
½ red onion, diced finely (approximately ¼ inch)
12 ounces fresh asparagus, but into 1/8 inch rounds
zest and juice of two lemons
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon of harissa
1 teaspoon of sumac

Optional Ingredients:

¼ cup olives, diced
¼ cup fresh parsley, minced

Directions:

Combine millet, water and salt and bring to a boil. Cover the pot, reduce to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes. Then turn off heat and allow millet to stand undisturbed for 10 minutes.

Combine lemon juice, lemon zest, olive oil, Harissa, and sumac and stir to combine. Add diced onion and asparagus to the dressing and toss to coat. Add cooked millet to dressed vegetables and toss to coat. If you choose you can add diced olive and parsley at this point in the recipe. Stir salad to evenly distribute these into the mix. Store salad in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to allow flavors to combine. Serve cold over field greens or mesclun mix. If desired garnish with chopped olives and minced parsley.

Comments:

This salad is lemony and fresh. It has a hint of heat in the background. If you like heat you can safely double the amount of harissa in the recipe. If you don’t eat raw asparagus you should give this salad a try. I love the slightly crunchy texture of the asparagus and raw onion that is contrasted to the softness of the cooked millet. The cold salad is a nice counterpoint to the heat from the harissa in the background. Next time I may add chopped walnuts to this salad for a little additional texture.

Dukkah

Dukkah is an Egyptian ground seed and nut mix that is flavored with spices. They use it with olive oil on bread. I have also read that it can be used on salads or with vegetables. I love the idea of having another “little something” that I can add to food. I am a bit of geek when it comes to sauces, salsas, chutneys and flavored salts. Dukkah seemed like something that would fit right in at our house.

As my husband and I age we both have come to appreciate Middle Eastern food of all sorts. I think it is the spices that have appealed to us the most. Our friend from Cairo has mentioned dukkah a few times so I decide to find a recipe and give it a try. There are so many different recipes that it was a challenge to know what was traditional and what had been Americanized. All the recipes included sesame seeds, cumin, coriander, black pepper and salt so that is where I started. Then there seemed to be two schools, one that added hazelnuts and one that added dry roasted and crushed chickpeas. I found hazelnuts to be more appealing.

Sesame seeds are a good source of many vitamins and minerals, namely: manganese and copper, calcium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus, vitamin B1, and zinc. The little seeds also contain lignans that are said to reduce cholesterol and blood pressure.



Dukkah
makes about 1 cup

Ingredients:

1/3 cup hazelnuts, skinned
2/3 cup sesame seeds
2½ teaspoon coriander seeds
4 teaspoons cumin seeds
½ teaspoon black peppercorns
1 teaspoon salt

Directions:

In a dry skilled toast the hazelnuts until you can smell the nut aroma. Move the hazelnuts to the food processor and pulse until they are a little larger than the sesame seeds.

Put sesame seeds into the skillet and over medium heat toast until lightly golden, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and add seeds to the hazelnuts in the food processor.

In the same pan, toast coriander, cumin and black pepper until they begin to color and become fragrant, about 2 minutes. Move the toasted seeds to your spice grinder and processor until they are all broken, about 15 seconds. Move the seeds to the food processor.

Add all the above ingredients to a food processor (or mortar if you are going to hand grind) and let cool completely. When the mixture has cooled, add the salt and pulse (or grind in mortar) until the mixture is coarse.

Store in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator so the nut and seed oils do not spoil. Bring to room temperature before serving. Serve with olive oil and bread.

Other possible uses for dukkah:
- Drizzle a little extra virgin olive oil over vegan feta and sprinkle with dukkah
- Roast new potatoes and toss with dukkah when you remove them from the oven
- Toss dukkah into a potato salad that was made with a lemon vinaigrette
- Use as a rub on seitan or tofu
- Toss hot whole wheat spaghetti with extra virgin olive oil and garlic and finish with dukkah and fresh minced parsley.

Comments:

Dukkah has much more flavor than I expected. It also has a nice crunchy texture and more of a saltiness than I anticipated. I imagine using this in place of finishing salt which would result in an overall reduction of sodium ....... which would be a good thing. Dukkah will be a regular item in our house from now on.

Green Tea with Yerba Mate, Pomegranate Juice and Goji Berries

My Italian sensibilities are convinced that espresso is the nectar of the gods. However, my practical side knows that starting the day with a healthy drink packed with antioxidants is a more reasonable approach to begin each day. At home we start our day with this healthy fruit flavored tea. Only after I have the tea will I make myself a nice espresso or machiatto.

Studies have shown that consuming four cups of green tea per day is associated with a reduction in all types of cancer. I can think of no better reason than to include green tea in my morning beverage. Be certain to consume the tea within 2 hours of brewing to get the maximum benefit.

Yerba Mate is something fairly new at our house. We discovered it at the health food store about two years ago. Our initial reaction to a cup of plain yerba was that is tasted like we were drinking “freshly mowed lawn” as my husband so eloquently put it. We quickly decided the yerba needed to be consumed with other flavors if we were going to enjoy it. Yerba is reported to be both high in antioxidants and to be anti-inflammatory. It seems to have a mild stimulant effect that makes it a nice coffee replacement. You can find yerba both roasted and unroasted. We buy the unroasted yerba under the assumption that the less any product is processed the healthier it must be.

Goji berries are also known as wolfberries and have been eaten in China for many hundred years. Research indicates that the antioxidants in Goji berries help prevent cancer and heart disease. That was all I needed to read to give these little dried berries a try. When you buy the berries make certain to read the ingredient labels. Many manufactures add sugar to the berries. We buy our unsweetened dried berries from Amazon. There is a suspected drug herb interaction between goji berries and blood thinners. If you are on a blood thinner please check with your doctor before consuming goji berries.

Pomegranate juice is also high in antioxidants. Consuming 8 ounces of pomegranate juice per day has been associated with an overall reduction in the incidence in cancer. Preliminary research indicates that pomegranate juice is also associated with a reduction in cholesterol.

The beverage as we drink it is a little tart and not too sweet. If you still have sugar in your diet you may find that you need to add a little agave to the tea. I consider this my morning dose of antioxidants and look forward to it each morning.

Green Tea with Yerba Mate, Pomegranate Juice and Goji Berries
Makes one large mug of tea

Ingredients:

2 green tea bags
1 bag of yerba mate (unroasted)
1 tablespoon of dried goji berries (unsweetened)
12 ounces of water (185 degrees)
3-4 ounces of pomegranate juice

Directions:

Steep the green tea and goji berries in the boiling water for 5 minutes. Add the yerba mate and steep the entire mixture another 5 minutes. Add the pomegranate juice to the tea and enjoy.

Warm Mixed Olives with Lemon and Harissa

At the moment I am wondering how I am going to convince you (and myself) that olives are healthy. I adore them, but they are high in sodium and fat.

Olives are full of healthy monounsaturated fat. This fat help to protect your arteries by lowering LDL(bad) cholesterol without lowering the HDL (good) cholesterol. Olives are also reported to have high levels of antioxidants. While doing my homework on olives I also learned they are high in vitamin E and iron. Not bad for a food I once I thought was of questionable health benefit. I think we should be careful not to eat too many olives or our sodium levels will be too high. I believe that olives in moderation are healthy. Most foods science has shown that whole foods are healthier than the processed foods. I believe that sometime in the future science will show that olives are healthier than olive oil. To date I haven't seen this theory written anywhere, but I expect to see it eventually and then we can feel virtuous for eating our olives.

The garlic that is included in this recipe is exceptionally good for you. Garlic is also one of the first medicinal foods. Its antibacterial properties were first observed in 1858. Further, during World War I it was used to prevent infections. The Russians used so much medicinal garlic that it became know as “Russian Penicillin.” The allicin that developes when the garlic is sliced or crushed takes 10 minutes to develop. For this reason it is important to cut or crush your garlic 10 minutes before you plan to put it in a hot dish or pan. The heat doesn’t destroy allicin that has developed but will stop it from developing. Garlic has been shown to reduce the carcinogenic effect of nitrosamines (the compounds that form when you eat nitrates or nitrites). Consumption of garlic is also shown to be higher in people that do not have cancer. It is theorized that garlic promotes apoptosis (cell death) of cancer and that is why it has been linked to a lack of the disease in many populations.

While this dish is not the healthiest recipe I make, it tastes fantastic and contains healthful ingredients and can be part of a overall healthy diet.

Warm Mixed Olives with Lemon and Harissa
makes two cups

Ingredients:

2 cups of mixed olives (no pits)
3 cups of water to quickly warm the olives
1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
½ teaspoon cumin seed, toasted
½ teaspoon fennel seed, toasted
zest and juice of ½ a lemon
¼ teaspoon of Harissa

Directions:

Bring water to a boil. Add olives to water and turn off the heat. Allow olives to sit in the water for 5 minutes then drain. This quick soak will remove some of the salt from the olives.

Meanwhile toast the cumin and fennel seed.

Put the olive oil and garlic in a pan and warm over low heat until you smell the garlic, then add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Cook for a minute or two to warm the olives and turn off the heat.

Serve these olives warm or room temperature.

Comments:

These olives are different from what you are used to eating. They have a distinct lemon flavor that I love. The garlic and Harissa are noticeable, but they do not overpower. You could increase either the garlic or the Harissa by ½ and still have a nice marinated olive that isn’t too assertive. I may add a little preserved lemon next time in place of the fresh lemon zest and see what that does to the flavor of the olives.

Update:

I shared the olives with friends last night and they were quite popular. Our Egyptian friend thought the recipe was good enough to bottle and sell. My husband, who isn't a fan of olives, thought these were good "for olives". I would say this recipe was more successful than I expected.

As I was typing this update I realized this could also make a fantastic tapenade. I may have to try that soon on a nice roasted veggie sandwich.

Green Tea Ginger Lemonade Sweetened with Agave

There are so many reasons to drink this tea that I am not certain where to start. Every ingredient in this tea, except the agave is good for your health. I will list each individually and their health benefits

Green tea is reportedly good for almost everything that may ail you. Green tea is an anticoagulant, antibiotic, antiviral, anti-ulcer agent and cavity fighter to name a few. It has been linked to a reduction in the incidence to cancer. There have been studies that seem to indicate that it boosts your metabolism. According to the author of Anticancer you need to steep the tea for 10 minutes and drink it within 2 hours of brewing to reap the maximum benefits from the tea.

Lemons are another food that contains anti-inflammatory flavonoids. They are reported to stimulate the detoxification of carcinogens by the liver. The d-limonene in the zest is also said to help protect your skin from cancer.

Ginger is also anti-inflammatory and has powerful antioxidants. The author of Anticancer wrote that ginger helps to reduce the creation of new blood vessels, which keeps cancer from rapidly spreading. Ginger has also been reported to help relieve migraines.

I feel so virtuous when I make a pot of this tea. Make certain you only make as much as you can drink in two hours so that you get all the benefits from the green tea.



Green Tea Ginger Lemonade Sweetened with Agave

Ingredients:

3 bags of green tea
16 ounces of water
1 tablespoon of agave (more if you have a sweet tooth)
one lemon (juice and zest cut off in large strips that can be strained away)
¼ inch piece of ginger cut into very thin coins

Directions:

Add green tea bags, lemon zest, and ginger to 8 ounces of hot water and steep for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes strain tea and add agave and stir so that it is distributed throughout the tea. I cool the tea as quickly as possible by putting the container in a larger vessel filled with ice water. When the tea has cooled to room temperature add lemon juice and ice. I prefer my beverages to be lightly sweet, but you may like more agave.

Strawberries stuffed with "cheese"

Assuming you made the almond cheese you may have a little leftover. Even after taking most of the last batch of cheese to cooking class on Wednesday I still had a little in the refrigerator staring at me every time I opened the door. Fortunately the cheese was next to the package of strawberries so it was natural to combine them.

I have always loved anything with cheese on it or in it and this almond cheese is no exception. The light flavor of the cheese works beautifully anywhere you would use ricotta or cream cheese.

I added the walnut to have a little texture in the cheese, and to increase my overall consumption of walnuts. Since reading the findings that were presented at the American Association of Cancer Research annual meeting, I have been trying to increase our intake of walnuts.

Strawberries contain ellagic acid which has been shown to slow tumor growth significanly in mice. Ellagic acid has been shown to block the transformation of environmental carcinogens into toxic substances. It is important to buy organic strawberries whenever possible since they tend to a highly sprayed crop.

This recipe was very quick and came together in under 5 minutes. It took me longer to clean up after myself than it did to make the stuffed berries.

Strawberries stuffed with sweetened almond cheese and walnuts
makes 8 large stuffed strawberries

Ingredients:

¼ cup of almond based feta cheese
2 teaspoons of agave nectar
12 walnuts halves
8 strawberries
4 walnuts halves cut into 8 pieces for garnish

Directions:

Add almond cheese, walnuts and agave to the food processor and pulse to combine. You still want a little walnut texture to remain.

Cut the bottom off the strawberries so that they will stand up on a plate. Remove the top of the strawberries and using a paring knife cut a pocket into the inside of the berries.

Stuff the sweetened almond cheese into the strawberries. Garnish with a small piece of walnut. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

These make nice light dessert that would be perfect for mother’s day. These stuffed berries also a nice appetizer.

Variations:

1) You could add a balsamic drizzle and freshly ground black pepper for garnish.
2) If you add finely chopped dark chocolate and candied orange zest these would be more like cannoli stuffed strawberries.

Comments:

You may need to add more agave if your berries aren’t sweet, or you have a sweet tooth. I always eat a few berries first to see how sweet they are before I decide how much agave is required. I think these make a nice light dessert that doesn’t leave you wishing you hadn’t eaten it an hour later. Enjoy!

Homemade Harissa

Harissa is a hot chili paste used in North African cooking. The level of heat depends on the dried chilies you use, and whether you leave the seeds in the chilies or not. We like a lot of heat at our house so we use hot chilies and leave in the seeds. If you are less tolerant of heat can always use less of the Harissa, or blend in other mild or sweet peppers to reduce the heat.

The capsaicin in the chili pepper is said to increase the bodies blood clot dissolving system, open up sinuses, and break up mucus in the lungs. Chili peppers are also antibacterial, and high in antioxidants. It has been reported that consuming chili speeds up the bodies metabolism. I eat harissa because I like the taste and the heat. It is nice to know that it is good for me too.

Homemade Harissa
makes about a cup

Ingredients:

1 ounce of dried chili peppers
6 cloves of garlic
½ teaspoon kosher salt
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon coriander, toasted and freshly ground
1 teaspoon cumin, toasted and freshly ground
1 teaspoon fennel seed, toasted and freshly ground
additional olive oil to cover Harissa in the jar

Directions:

Place chili peppers in pan and cover with cold water. Bring water to a boil and simmer for 2 minutes. Turn off heat and put the lid on the pan. Allow the peppers to steep in the hot water for one hour. Drain the water from the peppers and put the peppers in a food processor along with the other ingredients. Process the mixture in a food processor until it is smooth and thoroughly combined. Move the harissa to a glass jar with a lid. Cover the harissa with a little olive oil so that it is not exposed to the air. If the mixture remains covered with a little oil it will last for months in the refrigerator.

Comments:

I use the harissa for many things. This is another “foundation recipe” at our house. Harissa it good tossed with cooked spaghetti or couscous. Harissa is also good in a marinate for tofu or seitan. I like to add a spoon or two into vegan mayonnaise for a nice spicy sandwich spread or veggie dip. I haven't tried it yet, but I can imagine a little Harissa mixed into the olive oil that is drizzled over the almond feta. Harissa has many uses and I will be adding many recipes for using the harissa in the future.

Ramps and a Walnut Sauce for Pasta

What are ramps? Ramps are a type of broad leaf wild leek that grows in Appalachia, and probably elsewhere. They have a very strong onion flavor and should be used judiciously. Ramps are beloved by chefs and foodies in our area. They hold festivals to celebrate the ramp in many cities within an hour of where we live. Ramps are one of the first signs of spring in the mid-Atlantic area and they are at Whole Foods now. Since we have ramps, I thought they would be great in a spring pasta dish and decided to create a quick and easy pasta dish that had a creamy comfort sauce.

All nuts can be used to make a nice creamy sauce. I choose walnuts because of the recent news that came out of the annual meeting of the American Association of Cancer Research that suggests eating 2 ounces of walnuts per day may help ward off breast cancer. Prior studies have also suggested that eating walnuts may help undo the damage unhealthy fats do to our arteries. With these health benefits you can feel better about feeding this “cream” sauce to your family.

Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Asparagus and Ramps in Walnut Sauce
Makes 2 dinner servings



Ingredients:

½ cup of walnuts
1 cup of water/pinot grigio or vegetable broth
½ teaspoon of kosher salt
¼ teaspoon of garlic powder
1 tablespoon of cornstarch
¼ pound of ramps, finely sliced
10 – 12 ounces of fresh asparagus, cut into 1 inch segments
8 ounces of whole wheat spaghetti
1 tablespoon of fresh parsley, minced
1 tablespoon of walnuts, finely chopped

Directions:

Cook the spaghetti in plenty of salted water for 2 minutes less than the package directions.

While the water is coming to a boil put the walnuts, water, salt, garlic powder and cornstarch in a blender and process until the sauce is completely smooth. Pour the sauce into a large skillet (big enough to handle the pasta and sauce) and heat over medium heat while whisking until the sauce begins to thicken. Turn off the heat and prep the ramps and asparagus.

When the water comes to the boil and pasta has begun to cook turn the heat back to medium on the saucepan. Add a few tablespoons of water to the sauce and continue to whisk until the consistency is how you like it. Add the veggies to the sauce when the pasta is five minutes from being removed from the heat. Add the almost cooked pasta to the sauce and veggies and toss to coat. Add more pasta water as is necessary to form a nice sauce. Cook the pasta and veggies for two minutes to finish the cooking of the pasta during which time it will absorb some of the sauce.

Garnish the pasta dish with freshly minced parsley and chopped walnuts and serve.

Comments:

This is a very mild sauce with a subtle garlic flavor. I wanted the sauce to be mild so the light flavor of the asparagus would not be overwhelmed by both the sauce and the little bites of ramp. I wouldn't add any more ramp due to their strong flavor. There were just enough of the ramp to taste them, without them taking over the dish. Next time I may add some fresh morels or fiddleheads to this dish.

Homemade Truffle Salt

Have you looked at the price of truffle salt lately? I can’t believe how much they charge for the stuff. I started to wonder if you could make it yourself. After all, I make my own cumin salt, fennel salt, porcini salt and vanilla salt why should truffle salt be any different.

I received fresh truffles from Earthy Delights for a present this past Christmas. When you shave fresh truffles you always end up with little ends that are too small to shave that you don’t want to throw away. I took my finest microplane grater and grated the ends of the truffles and mixed it with fine sea salt. I have kept this homemade truffle salt in the refrigerator for the last four months and it has stored beautifully. The aroma of truffle has become deeper as the salt was stored. It takes very little finishing salt to create a nice heady aroma of truffle to a finished dish.

I happen to love anything related to mushrooms and particularly truffles. I use truffle salt to finish any mushroom dish where I would use truffle oil. Sometimes I use both truffle salt and truffle oil. I use both truffle salt and oil when the flavor of the dish is predominantly that of mushroom.

I will post other salt recipes in the future. For now, enjoy the truffle salt.

Carrot Cake Bran Muffins

In keeping with my prior post regarding breakfast I thought I should post a breakfast recipe. These muffins are moist and surprisingly tender given the amount of bran they contain. The secret to making these muffins moist is to soak the bran for at least 30 minutes. I frequently combine the bran and soymilk in a covered container and put it in the refrigerator overnight and make the muffins the next day.

If you are looking for a healthy whole grain muffin this one has a lot of flavor, and is much better for you than most muffin recipes you will find. Don't be put off my the amount of bran in the recipe. The muffin will not be hard or dry if you soak the bran as the recipe indicates.

Carrot, Raisin and Walnut Bran Muffins

Makes 12 large muffins

Wet Ingredients:
2 ¼ cups of millers bran
2 cups of vanilla soymilk
1 T of egg replacer mixed with 4 tablespoons of water (or 2 eggs)
1/3 cup of canola oil
1/3 cup of applesauce (no sugar added)

Dry Ingredients:
2 cups of whole wheat pastry flour
2/3 cup of light brown sugar
1 tablespoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of baking soda
½ teaspoon of kosher salt
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 large carrot shredded
¾ cup of raisins
½ cup of chopped walnuts

Optional Ingredient:
½ cup of drained canned crushed pineapple, no sugar added (required if carrot cake like muffins are the desired outcome)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare muffin pans (makes 12 large muffins). If using metal pans they will need to be greased and floured. If using silicone pans place on half sheet pan, there is no need to grease or flour. Set pans aside for later.

Mix bran with soymilk and stir to thoroughly combine. Add remaining wet ingredients and stir again to combine. It is important to thoroughly soak the bran before making the muffins. The soaking seems to be what keeps the muffin from being gritty or dry. I have soaked the bran overnight which works great if you are the organized type.

In a separate bowl combine the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon). Stir to thoroughly distribute the ingredients and break up any lumps of brown sugar. Add the carrot, raisins and walnuts and toss to coat the ingredients in the flour. If using the optional pineapple add it here. The pineapple makes the muffins sweeter and more like carrot cake. The muffins are good either with or without the pineapple.

Mix the dry and wet ingredients until the dry ingredients have been thoroughly combined. If you keep your flour in the freezer you may need to add as much as ½ cup of water the bowl the ingredient completely combined. This will not change the final texture. Do not mixture too long or your muffins will be tough.

Place mixture evenly in the 12 prepared muffin cups. Bake for 20 – 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the interior cupcakes comes out clean. I typically check the muffins at 20 minutes, and put the pan back into the oven (in the opposite direction), for an additional 7 minutes.

When the muffins are done, cool them in the pan for 5 to 10 minutes before removing to a rack to thoroughly cool.

If you try to remove them too soon they will stick to the pan (at least that is what happens in silicon). Store in a closed container in the refrigerator. These muffins will last a week in the refrigerator or a month in the freezer if individually wrapped and sealed in a freezer bag.

Comments:

I have been using this recipe for two years. I make these muffins for my family, and for my parents (who are not concerned with healthy food). Everyone has enjoyed the muffins, and requests them with great regularity (pun intended). If you are looking for a high fiber muffin without egg and milk this one is very good.

What makes a good vegan breakfast?

I had received a lot of great input and ideas from people regarding what they would like to see on the blog. One of the more interesting questions I have received is ‘what does a vegan eat for breakfast?’ If you have eaten this way for more than six months this is an easy question. However, I remember back to when we first made the change how difficult it was for me to think of something to have for breakfast.

Breakfast in America is usually a meat and meat by-product fest. This becomes even more obvious if you need to travel for work. Most hotels have omelets, bacon and eggs, pancakes, toast with butter, and muffins. Not much in that list for a vegan to eat. However there are many options of items a vegan can eat for breakfast. I have complied a list of the items we like to have at home for breakfast:

- Whole wheat wrap with peanut butter, sliced apple and raisins
- Fresh fruit salad with a little agave and fresh mint
- Oatmeal topped with dried fruit and nuts made with soy milk
- Smoothie made with frozen fruit and soymilk
- Dinner leftovers (a very popular item)
- Whole grain toast with earth balance and fig jam
- Silken tofu and veggie frittata
- Vegan waffles with warm fruit topping
- Whole grain bagel with tofu cream cheese, lettuce, tomato and red onion
- Whole grain wrap with fat free hummus, greens and sesame or sunflower seeds
- Carrot cake bran muffin

If you keep a few items on hand at all times you can always make a quick meal and run out the door. We use a lot of whole grain wraps in our house. Salad greens are another item that we always have on hand. Soymilk, frozen fruit and hummus are also refrigerator staples.

If you like to cook taking a favorite family recipe for waffles, pancakes or muffins and making the recipe vegan is very easy. I replace the dairy milk with soymilk and the eggs with the powdered egg replacers they sell at the store.

Whole Wheat Flat Bread with Nigella Seeds

One of the studies that were discussed at the 2009 Annual Meeting of American Association of Cancer Research was that thymoquinone in nigella seeds reduces the release of inflammatory mediators in pancreatic cancer cells. Since I believe that inflammation is the root of most western disease I will incorporate anything that I can into our diet that may help to reduce inflammation.

The obvious question is how to incorporate more nigella seeds into our diet? In the past I have only used nigella seeds when I make Indian dishes. I love their slight onion flavor, crunchy texture and black color and decided to add some to my whole wheat flat bread. My plan is to use the flat bread to hold the almond based feta cheese I made yesterday.

This is my 100% whole wheat bread recipe. The basic dough (without nigella seeds) is a very versatile dough that I use for pizza, focaccia, and flat bread. I have only included the directions for flat bread in this post. I will include pizza and focaccia directions in the future.

Whole Wheat Flat Bread with Nigella Seeds

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups warm water (105 - 110 degrees)
2 1/4 teaspoons active yeast
1/2 teaspoon agave or sugar
4 cups of whole wheat flour or 2 cups of whole wheat flour and 2 cups of sprouted whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon of salt
2 teaspoons nigella seed

Directions:

Combine water, yeast and sweetener and allow to stand until yeast has bloomed (a foam has formed on the top of the water). This means the yeast is alive.

Add remaining ingredients and stir and knead to thoroughly combine. Add the optional dried herbs before you begin to knead, if using. If you keep your flour in the freezer you may need to add a little additional water to moisten all the dry ingredients. If using the optional olives or tomatoes mix those in at the end of the kneading process and mix evenly into the dough.

Move the dough to a greased bowl. Lightly grease the top of the dough. Cover the dough with a damp towel or plastic film and move to a draft free place to double in size. I find the microwave to be a great place to store the dough while it rises, which normally takes between 1 and 1 and 1/2 hours.

Once the dough has doubled in size it needs to be punched down.

For flat bread: preheat your oven, and pizza stone, to 500 degrees for 30 minutes. Next, divide the dough into sixteen even portions and form each segment into a ball. Cover the balls with plastic film and allow to rest at room temperature for at least five minutes. Once the dough has rested roll the dough into a circle until the crust is approximately an 1/8 inch thickness. The dough will rise and become thicker as it cooks. When the oven is thoroughly preheated move the crust, without the toppings, to the pizza stone and cook for at approximately 4 minutes. You want the dough to be cooked through, brown on the bottom, but not turning brown on the top.

Update:

A few people has asked where I get my nigella seeds. I order my unusual spices from an on-line company by the name of Zamouri Spices. They have a great website with many products. I have been very please with the freshness and quality of their products. If you aren't familiar with them you should check out their site.

Marinated Hijiki Salad

I imagine the first question you are asking yourself is what is hijiki and why should I eat it. Hijiki is a sea vegetable that is full of vitamins and minerals but has a fairly strong taste. Hijiki is sold dried in small bags in the Asian section of most large supermarkets. Sea Vegetables of all types contain high levels of iodine, vitamin K and B vitamins. They are also reported to be a good source of lignans, which is a plant compound that is thought to have cancer-protective properties. Lignans have been shown in laboratory test to inhibit angiogenesis (the proliferation of new blood vessels that promotes rapid growth of cancer cells). Lignans have also been credited with inhibiting estrogen synthesis, which assists in the reduction of risk of hormonal based cancers (breast and prostate). With these benefits, why wouldn’t you want to give hijiki a try?

When I am serving it to someone that is new to sea vegetables I soak it overnight in the refrigerator to remove a lot of its flavor. As your palate becomes more accustomed to the flavor a quick 30 minute soak is more than enough for this sea vegetable. The soaking liquid can be saved in the freezer for the next time you are making soup; it is full of minerals and would be a shame to throw away. If you don’t like the flavor the soaking liquid it is great for your plants.

This is my version of a Mediterranean sea vegetable salad. The same salad can be made with arame (a more mild sea vegetable that is also sold dried).

Ingredients:
1 40 g bag of dried Hijiki
Water to cover the Hijiki by a volume of 5
2 tablespoons of sherry vinegar
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, grated
salt and pepper to taste
½ a red onion, sliced thin
1 cup of grape tomatoes, sliced in half

Directions:

Place the hijiki in a colander and rinse thoroughly before moving it to a large vessel with a lid. Soak the hijiki overnight in enough liquid to cover the sea vegetable by at least 5 times. The hijiki will expand by 4 times while it soaks. If you are new to hijiki soak it overnight to remove much of the strong flavor, otherwise a thirty minute soak is sufficient.

Drain and rinse the hijiki thoroughly.

Make the dressing for the salad. Combine the vinegar, oil, garlic and salt and pepper to taste. Toss the hijiki with the dressing. Add the sliced onions and tomatoes and store in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours to allow the hijiki to absorb the dressing. After 4 hours taste the salad and add more dressing if you think the hijiki taste is too prominent.

I eat this salad cold sometime alone, or sometimes over greens or with julienned greens tossed into the salad. I also have been known to add a little bit of this to a wrap sandwich in place of the lettuce. Even though it has salad in the name this is not meant to be eaten in large quantity. I eat a tablespoon of hijiki salad once of twice a day when I have it in the refrigerator. Prepared as a marinated salad hijiki will last for a week in the refrigerator.

Comments:

This salad is an acquired taste. However sea vegetables are so healthy for everyone that they are a taste that is healthy to acquire. Initially you will find yourself wanting to add more dressing to overpower the sea flavor. After eating sea vegetable a few times the flavor of the vegetables becomes much more palatable.

Almond based Feta Cheese

Being the cheese lover that I am, when the April 2009 issue of the Vegetarian Times arrived I knew I had to make the nut cheeses. I started with the Almond Feta since Feta is a personal favorite, and I wanted to compare it to Bryanna Clark Grogan’s tofu feta with agar.

The almond feta has a crumbly texture that is very close to dairy feta. The Vegetarian Times original recipe had a little too much garlic flavor and needed a little more lemon (but I think that about everything). I also found the cheese to need a little more salt to get closer to the brined dairy original.

The directions on the original Vegetarian Times recipe were a little too lengthy. I made the recipe a couple of times and was able to simplify the instructions without harming the texture of the end product.

Almond based Feta Cheese modified from Vegetarian Times



Ingredients:

1 cup of blanched almonds
3 cups of filtered water
Juice and zest of one lemon (approximately ¼ cup of juice)
3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1/2 clove of raw garlic (if small clove use it all)
1 ¼ - 1 ½ teaspoons of kosher salt
¼ cup of filtered water, or more if necessary

Garnish Ingredients:

2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
½ tablespoon of fresh thyme leaves
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

In a jar with a lid, cover the blanched almonds with the three cups of filtered water and move to the refrigerator for 24 to 48 hours hours. Then drain the nuts rinse them thoroughly and drain again. The longer soak seems to make the nuts process more completely.

Move the drained nuts and the remaining ingredients to a food processor and puree until the mixture is very smooth but has a very slightly crumbly texture. This took 8 minutes during which time I periodically stopped the processor and scraped the side of the container and restarted the machine. If after 10 minutes the consistency is not smooth you can add up to another ¼ cup of water to help the mixture to process.

If you used the extra water to process the nuts, then take the nut mixture and move it to a strainer lined with three layers of cheesecloth. Pull the cheesecloth into a ball and twist the ends and secure it closed with a rubber band. If you used only the ¼ cup of water to process the mixture there is no need to use the cheesecloth since no water will come out. You can leave this in the refrigerator in the covered bowl for a day or two before you are planning to serve it.

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees when you are ready to proceed.

Line a baking sheet with silpat or parchment paper. Take the nut cheese and remove it from the cheesecloth. Put the cheese onto the baking sheet and form it into a flat disk that is about ¾ of an inch thick. Bake the cheese until it begins to become slightly firm on the top. I baked mine for an hour and it was firm and slightly cracked on the top.

Alternately you can move the cheese mixture to small ramekins and fill them almost to the top, about an inch and a half. This mixture will fill 4 ramekins. Bake these at 200 degrees for about an hour and a half. Until the top is slightly firm.

Remove the cheese from the oven and allow it to cool to about room temperature before you move it to a serving platter if you made the freeform version. If you have a wide spatula and have cooked it long enough it will move in one piece. Be careful it is delicate. The cheese in the ramekins should be cooled in their container and then refrigerated.

To serve:

Drizzle the nut cheese with the extra virgin olive oil and salt, freshly cracked pepper and thyme leaves. Serve with crusty bread, crackers or crudités.

Comments:

The cheese is a very good approximation of dairy feta. I would happily eat this cheese instead of the dairy original. My only complaint is the calorie count of the cheese. I think I am going to work on a blend of the Tofu Feta on Bryanna Clark Grogan’s site and this one to reduce the fat and calorie count per serving.

We had this cheese on a crusty bread with a nice Brunello and the pairing was quite nice. I would suggest you try this with a big red wine.

Update:

I took this to cooking class on Wednesday. My friend Reiko (not a vegan) liked this so much she is making a batch to take to a gathering next week. In my opinion, vegan food gets no higher compliment than when an omnivore likes it enough to seek it out. I love it when healthy food is well received!

Lentil and Artichoke Stew with Fire Roasted Tomatoes

Sometimes the weather is cool and rainy and only a hot bowl of soup or stew will hit the spot. Today is one of those days in the mid-Atlantic region. We have had days of rain and today is dreary and gray and in the 50’s.

I make many different lentil soups. Lentils are great because they are fast and don’t require the soaking that most beans need. Fortunately I had all these ingredients in the pantry and had this stew ready in a little under an hour with most the work happening while I was out of the kitchen.

The cool tofu sour cream on the top of the stew is the finishing touch for me. I like the temperature variation next to the warm stew. You can use any grain as the base for this stew. The grain isn’t necessary, but it adds a textural counterpoint to the softness of the stew that I find pleasing.



Ingredients:

1/4 cup vegetable broth or water
1 onion, finely chopped
2 grated carrots
3 ribs of celery finely diced
2 large garlic cloves, pressed or minced
2 teaspoons ground cumin (toast before grinding)
2 teaspoons ground coriander (toast before grinding)
1 cup dry (uncooked) red lentils (3 cups cooked)
1 bay leaf
3 cups water
juice and zest of 1 lime but you can use lemon
¼ cup of white wine (preferably pinot grigio)
1 24-ounce can crushed tomatoes (preferably fire-roasted), undrained
3 cups artichoke hearts, quartered (2 9-ounce frozen packages)
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)
¼ teaspoon salt, or to taste
¼ teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
¼ - ½ cup of fresh minced cilantro

garnish: tofu sour cream
base: cooked millet/bulgur or quinoa

Directions:

Heat broth in a large saucepan. Add onion, celery and carrot and sauté on medium heat for about 5 minutes, until golden. Add garlic, cumin, and coriander and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add dried lentils, bay leaf, and water to pan and bring to a boil. Lower heat and add tomatoes and their liquid, and crushed red pepper (if using). Simmer for about 20 minutes, until the lentils are tender. Add lime juice and zest, white wine and artichokes. Remove and discard the bay leaf. Add salt and black pepper and minced cilantro, or to taste. Serve on top of cooked whole grain of choice, garnish with tofu sour cream and cilantro.

Comments:
The flavor was very nice, but could use a little more punch. Next time I will increase the crushed red pepper to ½ teaspoon. The millet added a nice contrast of texture under the lentil and artichoke stew. I liked the temperature contrast of the cool tofu sour cream on the top. I think I will save a little minced cilantro for the top of the dish the next time. Overall this was a good start, but there may be a little tweaking of this in the future.

Tofu Sour Cream

When we used animal products in our home there was a lot of greek yogurt and sour cream that made its way to our dinner plates. Giving up dairy products was much more difficult for us than going without meat. I used to buy the prepared vegan sour cream substitutes but the laundry list of chemicals, stabilizers, preservatives and other unknown unnatural substances began to worry me. I tried many variations of sour cream before I settled on this version. The taste is reasonably mild, with a mouth feel that is similar to the dairy version of sour cream. If you want to reduce the calories you can cut half the canola oil from the recipe. It will still be good with less oil, but the texture will be a little off. My version contains a decided lemony flavor. I love all things lemon and it finds it way into many of my recipes. If you aren't a lemon lover half each lemon component to start.

Tofu Sour Cream
makes approximately 2 cups



Ingredients:

12.3-ounce package of Mori Nu lite silken tofu (firm)
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 to 3 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon agave
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
finely grated zest of ½ to 1 lemon

Directions:

Place all ingredients in a food processor or blender. Process several minutes, until very creamy and smooth. This will firm up a little when it chills. It is important to use the firm silken tofu to get the correct consistency. Begin with the smaller amount of lemon juice and taste the sauce to see if you would like more acid. The lemon zest also adds a lot of flavor to the sauce. I frequently use all the zest from the lemon, but I love the flavor. If you are trying to replicate sour cream more closely you should start with less lemon zest and adjust the amount to your taste. Refrigerate sour cream until it is ready to be used.

Serve this sour cream over Mexican dishes or on baked potatoes. This makes a great topping on soup. I use it frequently as a component for salad dressings. This recipe is one of my foundation recipes that I use in many other recipes. We make a batch of this healthy sour cream 2 or 3 times each month.

Nutritional Information (for entire recipe):

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 387.35
Calories From Fat (70%) - 272.91

Total Fat - 30.81g
Saturated Fat - 2.53g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 1238.16mg
Potassium - 253.28mg
Total Carbohydrates - 6.42g
Fiber - 0.82g
Sugar - 2.16g
Protein - 22.09g

Nutritional Information for 1 tablespoon vs. dairy sour cream:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 13.83 vs. 31.2
Calories From Fat (70%) - 9.74 vs. 26.83
Total Fat - 1.1g vs. 3.06g
Saturated Fat - 0.09g vs. 1.9g
Cholesterol - 0mg vs. 6.42mg
Sodium - 44.22mg vs. 7.73mg
Potassium - 9.05mg vs. 21 mg
Total Carbohydrates - 0.23g vs. 0.62mg
Fiber - 0.03g vs. 0g
Sugar - 0.08g vs. 0.02g
Protein - 0.79g vs. 0.46g

Comment:

I was a little surprised to see that dairy sour cream has almost 2 grams of saturated fat in one tablespoon. That is disturbing when you realize that most servings are more than one tablespoon and you are supposed to have 10 grams of saturated fat total all day. If you are eating other dairy and meat it is very easy to exceed the 10 grams.

Pan Seared Seitan with Salsa Verde and a Mesclun Salad

Dinner tonight was a typical Monday night quick and easy affair. I wanted something that I could whip together mostly ahead of time and have ready in well under thirty minutes. So, what was for dinner tonight? Pan Seared Seitan with a Salsa Verde and a Mesclun and Grape Tomato Salad with a Sherry Vinaigrette. If you keep a seitan roast or two in the freezer you can always make a fast dinner. For this one I used a 6 ounce roast that I sliced on the bias into ¼ inch slices. I dredged the seitan slices in whole wheat flour seasoned with salt and pepper. Then I sautéed the seitan in a little extra virgin olive oil and held it in a 200 degree oven until my husband was on his way home from work.

I made a quick salsa verde to top the seitan. This sauce can be held in the refrigerator in a covered dish for a couple of days. The recipe for this sauce is later in the post. The acid in the sauce cuts through the fat in the pan seared seitan and is a nice counterpoint to the protein.

A simple mesclun and grape tomato salad rounded out the meal. I made a very simple vinaigrette of equal parts sherry vinegar and extra virgin olive oil seasoned with salt and pepper. I also made the salad dressing ahead of time and tossed the greens and tomatoes with the dressing a few minutes before dinner.

Salsa Verde

Ingredients:

Zest and juice of one lemon
1 tablespoon of brined capers
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
12 stalks of fresh parsley, finely minced (approximately ½ cup)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Combine ingredients lemon through parsley. Stir to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste.

To serve:

Use this sauce to top pan fried tofu or seitan. The acid in the sauce is a nice counterpoint to fried food. The sauce is also good stirred into brown rice.

Whiskey and Maple Candied Almonds with Cardamom

The candied nuts from the prior recipe resulted in a request to change the recipe. Since I love a challenge, I jumped at the chance to try something different. My friend Reiko wanted a way to use up some almonds, and wanted to incorporate maple syrup in the recipe. Since this sounded like a great idea to me I decided to give it a try. The day I made the recipe was a rainy humid day in Baltimore which is not conducive to candy making. I had no idea how the recipe would turn out, but that would never stop me. The recipe below is the result of my kitchen experiment:

Whiskey and Maple Candied Almonds with Cardamom

Ingredients:

1 pound almonds
1 tablespoon of salt

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup whiskey
½ cup maple syrup

1 tablespoon of almond extract
½ teaspoon of ground cardamom

Directions:

In a medium bowl, soak nuts in enough water to cover; stir in salt. Allow nuts to stand for 15 minutes then drain completely.

Bring enough water to cover nuts to a boil; drop in nuts and reduce heat. Simmer for 10-15 minutes or until skins are loose. Drain nuts and rinse under cold water until you can handle them. Pinch the nut between your fingers to loosen the skin. Remove the skins from all the nuts. You have just blanched your own almonds.

Combine sugar, whiskey, maple syrup and the extract in a medium saucepan, stirring well to dissolve sugar. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and add nuts. Simmer on low heat for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to stand for 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

After 15 minutes, drain the excess syrup from nuts if there is any. Line a baking sheet with oiled parchment paper or a silicone baking sheet. Spread nuts evenly on baking sheet and sprinkle with cardamom. Bake in preheated oven until nuts are dry and crisp and the sugar has caramelized, this will take about 15 minutes. Check the nuts every 5 minutes since maple syrup will burn quickly. When the sugar has dried remove the nuts from the oven and allow them to cool on the baking sheet.

Thoroughly cooled nuts can be stored in a jar in the refrigerator for several weeks.

Comments regarding the test:

The texture of these nuts was completely different from the first version. These nuts had a pebbly texture that wasn’t the slightest bit glassy like most sugar coatings. This coating was closer in texture to the interior of a Butterfinger candy bar. Surprisingly these nuts were a hit at cooking class disappearing in less than 30 minutes.

According to Harold McGee’s book “On Food and Cooking” there appear to be a few changes to this recipe that caused the change in texture. The elimination of the corn syrup makes it easier for sugar crystals to form. It may have been that the syrup reached a higher temperature than the first batch. There is still the issue of humidity and the impact it had on the process. I don’t actually know why the texture is so different from the first batch. I plan to make the nuts again under more controlled conditions to see if I can replicate the texture since it was so popular with my testers.

Whiskey and Vanilla Glazed Walnuts and Pecans

We were out to eat one night had a lovely salad with roasted strawberries and maple glazed walnuts. Since both my husband and I enjoyed it I came home and looked for a similar recipe in my files. The recipe I found had only walnuts and was glazed with sugar. I decide to play around with the recipe and see if I could make a glazed nut that would have more flavor. The resulting recipe for whiskey and vanilla glazed walnuts and pecans is my first attempt at that recipe.

Whiskey and Vanilla Glazed Walnuts and Pecans

Ingredients:

1 pound shelled nuts (1/2 walnut, ½ pecan)
1 tablespoon of kosher salt

1 cup brown sugar

4 tablespoons whiskey

3/4 cup water

1/2 cup Karo light corn syrup

1 tablespoon of vanilla extract

Optional Ingredients:

Smoked Salt
Vanilla Sugar
Cinnamon Sugar

Directions:

In a medium bowl, soak walnuts and pecans in enough water to cover; stir in salt. Allow nuts to soak for at least 15 minutes. Rinse nuts and drain completely.

Bring enough water to cover nuts to a boil; drop in nuts and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 10-15 minutes or until nuts appear to be more pale in color. Remove nuts from the heat and rinse again and drain thoroughly.

Combine sugar, whiskey, water, Karo syrup and the vanilla in a medium saucepan, stirring well to dissolve sugar. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and add nuts. Simmer on low heat for a half hour. Remove the nuts from heat and allow to stand for 15 minutes during which time some of the remaining sugar syrup will be absorbed into the nuts.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

After 15 minutes, drain remaining syrup from walnuts. Line a baking sheet with oiled parchment paper or a silicone baking sheet. Spread nuts evenly on the baking sheet and bake in preheated oven until the nuts are dry and crisp and the sugar has caramelized, this will take about 20 minutes. When the sugar has caramelized, remove the baking sheet from the oven and allow nuts to cool completely before moving them to a storage container.

Cinnamon sugar or vanilla sugar may be sprinkled over the walnuts halfway through the baking period, if desired. Smoked salt can be used in place of the sugar to take the nuts in a savory and sweet direction.

The cooled nuts may be stored in a jar in the refrigerator for several weeks if they aren't eaten long before then.

Nutritional Information (for the entire recipe):

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 4545.42
Calories From Fat (57%) - 2607.12

Total Fat - 311.47g
Saturated Fat - 27.91g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 178.35mg
Potassium - 2245.95mg
Total Carbohydrates - 410.95g
Fiber - 36.97g
Sugar - 275.71g
Protein - 55.61g

Comments from the testers:

I tend to share new recipes with people as soon as I try them out. Everyone seemed to enjoy these and they never made it to a salad and were instead eaten alone as a snack. The whiskey flavor was not very prominent in the end product. Next time I will eliminate the water and replace it completely with whiskey. A request was made to replace the Karo syrup with maple syrup and to use almonds and see what happens. That became the next test. Results of that test will follow in a future post.