kichidi stew and naan bread

I enjoy cooking tasty, healthy food for my family. It's fun to learn new recipes and techniques, and introduce my kids to a wide range of foods. However, sometimes it's a little tricky to find new recipes which we all enjoy.

We're mostly vegetarian, meaning we don't eat red meat or poultry at home, although we occasionally eat fish, and are more flexible when travelling. As well, I have a digestive intolerance to onions and garlic (try explaining that one in restaurants), so I often have to get creative with savoury dishes. This makes it even more satisfying to find a new recipe that we all like, and which I don't have to modify for our restrictions.

If you try out these recipes, I hope you and your family enjoy them as much as we did! Both these dishes take time and some preparation, so they're good for a winter weekend spent at home.

Kichidi Stew

You need to prepare the squash earlier in the day, or the day before. The stew itself takes about 45 minutes to cook, and serves 4-6.

1 medium butter-nut squash (or other orange-flesh winter squash), about 1 1/2 pounds or 700 g
2 tbsp ghee or butter
1/2 - 1 tsp garam masala
1/2 - 1 tsp ground cumin
1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
1/4 - 1/2 tsp chili flakes
8 cups (2 L) water
1/2 cup (125 ml) brown basmati rice
1/2 cup (125 ml) red lentils
salt, to taste
1 tbsp lime juice
2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro/coriander

1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Remove stem from squash, cut in half length-wise, and scoop out seeds. Place cut side down on a baking dish, and bake for 30-45 minutes. Squash should be soft and caramelised. Let squash cool, then scoop out cooked flesh and mash or press through a food-mill.
2. Melt the butter/ghee in a soup pot at medium heat. Add the spices (the amounts depend on how much seasoning you enjoy. You can always start with a little, and add more at the end), and simmer in the butter for about a minute, until they become fragrant. Add the water and increase the heat to medium high. Once the water is boiling, add the rice, cover with a lid, and reduce the heat to medium low. Simmer the rice for about 20-25 minutes, until tender.
3. Add the red lentils, and cook for another 5-10 minutes, until they are soft.
4. Stir in the cooked squash and season with salt to taste. Thin with hot water if it's too thick. Warm through if necessary.
5. Drizzle with lime juice and garnish with cilantro to serve.

Naan Bread

I have no idea how authentic this recipe is, but it worked for me, and was very good. The bread takes about 1.5 hours to make, but if you time it right, will be ready at the same time as you finish the stew.

1/4 cup milk, heated until luke-warm
2 tsp bread yeast
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1/4 cup plain yogurt (not skim)
1 egg
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups unbleached flour, plus a little more for dusting/rolling
2 tbsp butter, melted

1. Place the yeast in a small bowl, and add the milk a little at a time, stirring gently. Set aside for about 10 minutes.
2. Whisk together the oil, yogurt, egg, and salt in a large bowl. Add the milk and yeast mixture. Slowly add the flour until you get a soft dough. Kneed on a lightly floured surface for 5-10 minutes, until the dough feels smooth.
3. Place dough in a floured bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and let rise in a warm place for about an hour, or until doubled in size.
4. Preheat your oven to 450 F, or as hot as it will get. Remove the dough from the bowl, kneed gently to form a ball, then cut the ball into 4 equal pieces. Form each piece into a ball, and let rest for a couple minutes. Pull or roll each ball of dough into a circle about 7 inches across and 3/8" thick.
5. Place a couple baking sheets in the oven for a minute to heat up, then gently place the breads on the pans (I found I could get 2 per pan), and bake for 3-4 minutes - until brown on the bottom and puffed.
6. Remove from the oven, and turn on the broiler to high. While this is heating, brush the tops of the bread with the melted butter. Return the breads to the oven, just under the broiler, and toast until golden brown on top.

Enjoy warm naan bread with the stew above, or with your favourite curry!

P.S. The give-away contests from last week are still open until November 15, so don't forget to comment if you'd like a chance to win! Patterns, kit, magazine, toys.

recipe - autumn squash stew

As soon as the weather gets cooler, all my husband wants to eat is soup! Although he's not picky, I like some variety to our suppers, so I have a pretty good collection of recipes that I can pull out as the season changes. This stew is very easy, tasty, and filling, making it one of our favourites. It's also a nice change from the more common spicy or curry squash soups.

Autumn Squash Stew

Makes about 4 adult servings
Prep and cooking time: approx. 45 minutes

Ingredients
2 lbs squash
2 medium yellow potatoes
2 medium tomatoes
2 tbsp olive oil
4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
2 bay leaves
4 fresh sage leaves (or 1 tsp dried sage)
1/4 cup dry white wine (if you want to be fancy)
chili flakes, salt, pepper (to taste)

A note about selecting squash: most grocery stores now carry a variety of squashes, and farmer's markets will have even more. I like this stew best with 2 kinds of squash in it, so it has more depth of flavour. Usually I'll pair a paler, milder tasting squash (such as acorn or delicata) with a darker, stronger squash (such as butternut or sugar pumpkin). Whichever you like, make sure you pick ones with thinner skins that can be peeled.

1. Peel the squash and potatoes, and dice them into bite-sized pieces.
2. Place your soup pot on a medium-heat burner and add the olive oil. Once the oil is warm, add the squash and potatoes. Sauté for about 5 minutes, or until the potatoes just start to turn golden (they may stick a bit to the bottom of the pan, but don't worry, they'll come off later).
3. While the squash and potatoes are cooking, dice the tomatoes. Add them to the pot and sauté for 1 minute.
4. Add the broth and herbs (and wine) to the pot. Also add the chili flakes, if you're using them. Once the soup is simmering, turn the heat to medium-low and cover. Cook for about 15 minutes, until the squash and potatoes are soft.
5. Remove the bay and sage leaves. Transfer about 2 cups of soup to a blender or food processor, and blend until very smooth. Add this back to the pot. Taste the stew, and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper if needed.

This is a nice lunch on it's own, or make it a complete supper with some sour-dough bread and your favourite cheese.

P.S. I have some knitting news to share with you soon, so check back in a few days!
p.p.s. one of these days I might learn how to take pretty pictures of soup. Until then, don't worry about how it looks, it tastes delicious!

pumpkin chili

This recipe is based on a stew I threw together out of things I had at hand, but it turned out so well, I thought I ought to share it. I even made a second batch, to test the proportions and seasoning. The chili is thick, lightly spiced, and slightly sweet, and both my boys enjoy it (although that might be because I let them eat it with tortilla chips). The long version takes a bit of planning ahead, because you have to soak the beans over-night. However, both versions turn out equally well, making a tasty, inexpensive meal for cold and busy days.

Pumpkin Chili

(makes four large servings - I have a small slow cooker, but this could easily be doubled for a large cooker)

Ingredients

1 cup dried red kidney beans for slow version

1 ½ cups cooked red kidney beans for fast version

1 small (~1 lb) pumpkin/squash (buttercup or delicata work well)

1 large red pepper

1 medium carrot

1 stalk celery

1 small yellow onion

1 clove garlic

1 tbsp paprika

1 ½ tsp dried oregano

1 tsp ground coriander

½ tsp ground cumin

1 bay leaf

salt, pepper, chilli flakes to taste (only you know how spicy you like it)

2 tbsp olive oil

2-3 cups boiling water

sour cream and unsalted tortilla chips to serve

Note: I use a food processor to chop everything because it’s so much faster, and I like the fine texture of the finished chili. However, if you have a bit more time, you can dice everything by hand.

Slow version (7-8 hours cooking time)

Soak the beans overnight in 4 cups of water.

In the morning: Cut the squash in half and remove the seeds. Peel the squash, then cut into 1” chunks. Chop in a food processor until finely diced. You should have 2-2 ½ cups of diced pumpkin. Place in slow cooker.

Cut the red pepper into 2” pieces, then chop in the food processor until finely diced. Place in slow cooker.

Peel the carrot, and cut into 1” chunks. Cut the celery stalk into 1” lengths. Peel the onion, then cut into eighths. Peel the garlic clove. Place all of these in the food processor and chop until finely diced. Place in slow cooker.

Drain the beans, and add to the slow cooker. Add all the spices and oil (you can adjust the salt at the end, so don’t add too much). Stir, then add the water until everything is just covered.

Put the slow cooker on it’s low setting, and cook for 6-7 hours. For a thicker chili, you can turn up the cooker to high for the last hour, tilting the lid to allow steam to escape.

Serve with a spoon of sour-cream, and use the tortilla chips to scoop it up, or sprinkle with the broken bits from the bottom of the bag.

Fast version (4-5 hours cooking time)

About 5 hours before your meal: Cut the squash in half and remove the seeds. Peel the squash, then cut into 1” chunks. Chop in a food processor until finely diced. You should have 2-2 ½ cups of diced pumpkin. Place in a large frying pan with the oil.

Cut the red pepper into 2” pieces, then chop in the food processor until finely diced. Place in the frying pan.

Peel the carrot, and cut into 1” chunks. Cut the celery stalk into 1” lengths. Peel the onion, then cut into eighths. Peel the garlic clove. Place all of these in the food processor and chop until finely diced. Place in the frying pan.

Saute all the vegetables on medium heat for 10 minutes, adding the spices for the last minute.

Drain the beans, and put everything into the slow cooker. Stir, then add the water until everything is just covered.

Put the slow cooker on it’s high setting, and cook for 3-4 hours. For a thicker chili, during the next hour you can tilt the lid to allow steam to escape.

Serve with a spoon of sour-cream, and use the tortilla chips to scoop it up, or sprinkle with the broken bits from the bottom of the bag.

multigrain granola

One of my favourite breakfasts, especially in the summer, is granola with plain yogurt and fresh fruit. However, one of the main ingredients of prepared granola is rolled oats, and sadly, oat bran and I do not get along (large-flake oats are the worst, but I can eat a small amount of quick-oats). Luckily, a local natural food store has a wide variety of rolled grains available, so I've been making my own granola for a few years now. What follows is a very general idea of what goes into my granola - every batch is different, depending on what's in my cupboard. But if you find that sort of baking fun, you should be able to make a tasty batch from my directions.

Multigrain Granola

2 cups quick-cooking rolled oats
2 cups rolled grains (I use a mix of wheat, kamut, rye, barley, or quinoa)
2 cups puffed grains (I use rice, millet, or wheat, depending on what I can find)
1 cup raw seeds or chopped nuts (sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, peanuts, walnuts, whatever you like)

1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup honey or maple syrup
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 250 F. Place oven racks at 1/3 and 2/3 of oven height. Line 2 large cooking sheets with parchment paper.
Mix the grains and seeds/nuts in a large bowl. Place the last 4 ingredients in a small pot, and warm until just bubbling. Pour over the grains, and mix to thoroughly coat everything. Divide the granola between the 2 sheets. Spread into an even layer, and place one sheet on each oven rack, but not overlapping too much (you want good airflow in the oven).
Bake the granola for about an hour, switching the sheets after 30 min. Once the granola feels dry to the touch, increase the oven temperature to 325 F, and toast the granola for another 15 min, or until golden brown (watch it carefully, because it can brown quickly).
Cool the granola on the baking sheets, then store in an airtight container. It should stay fresh for a few weeks, as long as it stays dry.

fruit popsicles

We had a glorious first day of Summer here, much appreciated after a rather cool and rainy Spring. What follows isn't exactly a recipe, but an idea to get you inspired for tasty and healthy Summer treats.

Watermelon Popsicles

You will need some watermelon, a blender or food-processor, and some popsicle moulds. This is especially good to do with over-ripe watermelon that isn't as nice to eat as is.
Slice the watermelon, cut off the white and rind, then cut the watermelon into 1" pieces. Remove any seeds. Put the melon into your blender or food-processor and blend until very smooth. Pour into the moulds, and freeze. Easy as that! Any leftover blended watermelon is nice to drink.

Some other things that make tasty popsicles are unsweetened applesauce mixed half-and-half with unsweetened fruit juices (the applesauce keeps the popsicles from getting too hard for kids to eat easily). You can also freeze most fruit smoothies (although smoothies with yogurt may give you a different texture). You can try blending other soft fruits: first remove skins from fruits like peaches, and you may need to add a little sweetener to tart fruits. As a kid, I loved raspberry popsicles, made from just mashed raspberries with a bit of sugar (and these days you have so many options for alternative natural sweeteners).

I hope you have fun plans for the Summer to come!

play-dough

My weekly images post was interrupted by 10 hours without power last night. We made do with some candles and a cozy fire, and didn't mind the storm too much. Besides, last week ended up being a bit short on photos. I just have one, plus a recipe for you. Have fun!

I expect this is an old recipe, but I've altered it slightly to make small batches, so I could make lots of colours. This makes a 1 cup batch. If you want to make scented dough, try essential oils like vanilla, lavender, or mint. The glitter is just for fun!

2/3 cup warm water
food colouring
1/4 cup salt
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp veg. oil
2-3 drops essential oil (optional)
1/2 tsp glitter (optional)

1. Put the water in a small pot, then add your food colouring. If you have liquid colouring, you will need at least 8 drops, depending on how vibrant you want the colour. With the gel food colouring you need less. I used about 1/8 to 1/4 tsp of gel colouring for mine.
2. Then add the rest of the ingredients in order, except glitter. Whisk until the mixture is smooth. Place on medium heat, and stir constantly with a spoon. The dough will start to congeal almost immediately. Continue stirring until the dough forms a ball and comes away from the sides of the pot.
3. Dump the dough out onto the counter, and let it cool for 5-10 minutes. Then knead until smooth - at this point you can add the glitter. Just pat the dough into a flat circle, sprinkle the glitter on top, then knead it into the dough.
4. Store the dough in an air-tight container. In the fridge it will keep for months.
5. Next, make more colours! I made 4 batches in under an hour, so it's easy to make lots in one nap-time.

recipe: tasty spiced muffins

Things have become very quiet around here, as we wait these last few weeks for our second baby. There's plenty of baby knitting going on, but not much to share in the way of toys. However, as I was mixing up a batch of muffins yesterday, I realized it's been ages since I shared a recipe with you.

This is a modified version of a muffin recipe from a Company's Coming book. I make them a little differently every time, but they're always tasty, and make a perfect snack for kids. If you check labels when selecting ingredients, you can make sure they're nut-free (always a requirement for daycare and school snacks). I've added a list of variations at the end, so you can use whatever you have on hand or like best.

Tasty Spiced Muffins

1 batch makes 12 regular, or 24-30 mini muffins

1 cup finely grated carrot
2 eggs
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole-wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cardamom

Preheat the oven to 400 F and line or oil your muffin tins.
In a medium bowl, mix the first set of ingredients in the order listed. Set aside.
In a second larger bowl, mix the second set of ingredients. Pour in the wet ingredients from the first bowl, and mix with a wooden spoon until just combined (if you over-mix, they will be tough and full of holes).
Divide the batter into the muffin cups. Bake for 15-20 minutes*, until golden brown on top and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.

Variations

Pumpkin: replace the 1 cup of grated carrot with 1 cup of cooked and pureed squash/pumpkin
Applesauce: replace the 1 cup of grated carrot with 1 cup of unsweetened applesauce
Fresh Apple: replace the 1 cup of grated carrot with 1 cup of grated apple (cored and peeled)
Zucchini: replace the 1 cup of grated carrot with 1 cup of grated zucchini

*Depending on the variation you choose, the batter will be a bit wetter or drier; but I find they all work just fine, simply requiring slightly different baking times.

And if you're in the mood for something sweeter, check out the spiced cupcake recipe on my friend's blog.  She even has pretty photos to go with hers.

golden harvest chili

I've had quite the bounty of tomatoes from my garden the last week or so. I planted 5 varieties of heritage tomatoes: 2 kinds of sauce tomatoes, a pink, a white, and a yellow (I can't see the tags under the jungle of plants to give you the exact names). The sauce and pink tomatoes I'm saving for preserves, but I wanted some fun ways to use the white and yellow ones, besides just eating them (they are nice for that too). The varieties I have are quite sweet and mild, and I thought they might go nicely with some sweet corn I picked up at the local market. The resulting chili I concocted was so tasty, I just had to share my recipe with you.

Golden Harvest Chili

1/2 lb ground beef or chicken (optional)
1 small yellow onion*
4 med to large white, yellow, or orange tomatoes
1 yellow bell pepper
1 can romano beans (drained and rinsed)
2 cobs of corn (about 1-1.5 cups)
1 tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp dry oregano (or 1 tbsp fresh)
hot chili seasoning of your choice (I used 1/4 tsp hot Hungarian paprika)
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
salt to taste
Sour cream to serve.

Chop onion, tomatoes, and pepper into small pieces. Cut corn from cobs.

Brown ground meat in large pan. Add onion and cook until translucent (if not using meat, cook onion in 1 tbsp oil). Add spices and stir until fragrant (~1 min). Add tomatoes, beans, and yellow pepper. Simmer for 20 min. Add corn and simmer another 5 min. Season to taste with salt, and add more chili if it's not hot enough.

Serve over wild or brown rice with a spoon of sour cream, or with corn bread.

*I made mine without the onion, since I'm allergic, but I'm sure it will be awesome with onion too.

summer salad

I haven't shared a recipe in ages, so here's one for a salad we've been eating a lot of lately. The measurements aren't exact, since I never really measure anything. So feel free to mess around with the amounts or ingredients, depending on your tastes and what you have at home.

By the way, quinoa is a South American plant with edible seeds. It's very high in protein and has an interesting flavour. You should be able to find it in the natural foods section of a largish grocery store.

sorry for the crappy photo, my dining room is a bit dim

Summer Quinoa Salad

2 cups uncooked quinoa
1 can of cooked beans, drained and rinsed (I used navy and black beans)
1 sweet red pepper, chopped
1 sweet yellow pepper, chopped
1 English cucumber, chopped
1 cup chopped celery
1.5 cups frozen peas
1/3 cup chopped cilantro (i.e. the leafy part of coriander)

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 tbsp cider vinegar
3 tbsp lime juice
finely chopped green chili, or hot sauce to taste (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

Cook quinoa according to package directions. Or bring 5 cups of salted water to a boil in a large pot. Add quinoa, reduce heat and simmer until most of the water has been absorbed (~10 min). Remove from heat, cover pot, and let sit another 10 min until all water has been absorbed.

Place the beans, veggies, and dressing ingredients in a bowl. This makes a lot of salad, enough for at least 8 people, so you need a big bowl. Add the cooked quinoa. If it's still warm, it will thaw the peas for you. If it's cold already, rinse the peas with some warm water to thaw them first. Stir to mix well, and taste for seasoning.

Refrigerate for a few hours before serving (or just eat it warm if you're impatient and hungry).

gingerbread cupcakes

Yesterday was my baby shower, and I had a few friends over. Instead of playing embarrassing games, we baked cupcakes. However, the mothers there did tell stories about their pregnancies, frightening at least one person into swearing she didn't want children (and we didn't even get into the really unpleasant parts!) I made mini gingerbread cupcakes with lemon glaze, and promised to share the recipe, since they turned out so well. Hopefully this makes up for the emotional scarring of my friend :)



Gingerbread Cupcakes

Makes 4 dozen mini cupcakes, 1 dozen regular size cupcakes, or a 9" square cake.

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground allspice 1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Mix together well in one bowl.

1 cup hot water
3/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup honey

In a second bowl, add hot water to molasses and honey, and stir until they are dissolved.

1/2 cup butter
1 large egg
1/2 cup white sugar

Cream butter in a third large bowl. Add sugar and mix well. Add egg and mix until smooth.

Add half of dry ingredients to butter mixture, and mix well, then add half of liquid ingredients and mix until smooth. Repeat with rest of dry and wet ingredients.

Prepare pans with paper liners, or grease and flour cake pan. Pour batter into pans. Bake at 350 F: 10-12 minutes for mini cupcakes, 15 minutes for regular cupcakes, or 1 hour for cake. Place on cooling rack until cool.

Lemon Glaze

1 1/2 cups icing sugar
6-8 tsp lemon juice

In a small bowl, stir lemon juice into icing sugar one tsp at a time until you have a thick but spreadable glaze (you may not need all the lemon juice). Spread over top of cool cupcakes - glaze will smooth out after spreading, and be sure to add any decorations right away as the glaze surface will dry after a few minutes.

cranberry chutney

I promised to post this recipe a while ago, and had been waiting to get a photo to go with it. But you know, it just looks like a jar of dark-red stuff, which wouldn't really be helpful! This was delicious with the turkey and the wild boar we had at two different Thanksgiving suppers. I think it would be good with any poultry or game meat, and possibly even salmon. Regular cranberry sauce is good, but this is much more flavourful, with a tangy and spicy edge.

If you have not done any preserving before, please read up on the right techniques. I've only given basic directions below, and I would hate for your preserves to go bad because you weren't sure what some of the directions meant. However, if you're really worried about the processing, you can just freeze it.

Cranberry Chutney

Makes about 6 half-pint (250 ml) jars

1 package fresh cranberries (12 oz or 340 g)
1 cup drained crushed pineapple (250 ml)
2 tbsp grated fresh ginger (30 ml)
zest of 1 orange (about 1 tsp or 5 ml)
juice of 1 orange (about 1/4 cup or 60 ml)
1 cup red wine vinegar (250 ml)
1 1/2 cups white sugar (375 ml)
1 cup raisins (250 ml)
juice from pineapple, plus enough water to make 1 cup (250 ml)
1 tsp ground cinnamon (5 ml)
1 tsp ground cloves (5 ml)

In a large pot, combine the cranberries, pineapple, ginger, orange zest and juice, and vinegar. Bring to a boil, then turn down temperature and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients, and simmer for another 15 minutes or until the chutney is thickened.

Wash and sterilize the jars while the chutney is cooking.

Ladle the chutney into the hot jars, leaving 1/2 inch (1.5 cm) headspace. Clean jar top before screwing on lids.

Place jars in canner, cover with water, and process for 10 minutes.

blueberry muffins

It's been ages since I shared a recipe with you, so here is my favourite recipe for blueberry muffins. In it's original version, it came from a Company's Coming book, not necessarily the first place you'd think to look for a great recipe, but there are a few hiding in them. Butter tastes better of course, but the oil works fine too. Freezing the berries first will help them hold together when mixing the batter.

Blueberry Muffins

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

1/4 cup soft butter or vegetable oil
1/3 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla

1 cup blueberries (or other seasonal berries)

In a large bowl, combine the flours, b.p. and salt. Make a well in the centre.

In another bowl, mix the butter/oil and sugar. Beat in egg. Mix in milk and vanilla.

Prep your muffin tins (this makes 1 doz. medium muffins) by greasing or using paper liners. Set the oven to 400 F (200 C).

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, and add the berries. Stir gently until the batter is evenly moist. Spoon into the tins, about 3/4 full per muffin cup. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown.

Muffins are always best hot from the oven, but these will keep well if you freeze them as soon as they're cool. Then you just warm them up, or stick them in your lunch bag and they'll be thawed by lunch time!

yummy things

I made the yummiest salad dressing tonight, and want to share the recipe before I forget how I made it. You could use this on any green salad, especially spinach.

Buckwheat honey and mustard dressing

2 tbsp buckwheat honey
3 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp cider vinegar
1 tsp whole-grain mustard
1 tsp Dijon mustard
6 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Place all ingredients in a small bowl or jar. Whisk together well, or put lid on jar and shake well. Make sure honey is dissolved. This should be enough for 4 servings of salad.

I used the buckwheat honey because that's all we had, but it was so much tastier than just regular honey-mustard dressing! These are all ingredients I usually have around the house, and I'm not sure how substitutions would taste, but I hope you try this.

We also tried some jerusalem artichokes we picked up from the organic farm booth at the farmer's market. I peeled and boiled them, then after draining, mixed in some butter, tarragon, salt and pepper. They have a very unique but nice flavour. We'll have to get some again.

soup of the week

This took a little longer to get posted than I planned, but anyway, here it is. This is loosely based on a recipe from "Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant." I don't think I ever make a recipe exactly as written, but my food mostly turns out tasty anyway. This is a great cookbook, by the way. All vegetarian, with some fish dishes, and each chapter is from a different country or ethnic region. I have a tiny problem with some of their ingredient choices (does cabbage actually grow in southern Africa?) but I know enough to substitute what I like.

Hungarian Bean Soup

1 cup dry beans (navy or kidney)
or 1 can beans

1 leek, finely chopped
2 carrots, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 tbsp olive oil
salt to taste (~1/4 tsp)
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
2 tsp sweet Hungarian paprika
2-3 cups vegetable stock

1/4 cup sour cream
2 tsp cider vinegar
chopped fresh parsley for garnish

Soak dry beans overnight, then cook until tender. Drain and rinse beans, but reserve 1-2 cups of the cooking liquid.

In a separate saucepan on medium heat, saute leeks and carrots in 1-2 tbsp of oil. When leeks start to brown, add garlic and spices and saute for about 30 sec to 1 min (warming the spices brings out more flavour). Add vegetable stock, bean cooking liquid, and beans (or add can of beans, liquid and all). You want a total of about 4 cups liquid, so add more veg stock if necessary. Bring to a boil, then simmer for about 15 minutes.

Take soup off heat, and stir in sour cream and vinegar. Check seasoning, and adjust if necessary (if you like spicy, you can add some chili flakes or sauce). Ladle into bowls and garnish with parsley (if you're feeling fancy). Makes about 4 servings.


It's really quite simple, and if you can't be bothered with dry beans, I think the canned ones should be fine - you'll just need more veg stock. I added some cauliflower I had in the fridge, and you could add other vegetables if you want, although I recommend keeping it fairly simple. The flavour of the broth isn't strong, but it's very tasty. Have this with some dark rye bread, fresh from the bakery or oven.

oatmeal cake

I'm glad you like the idea of the weekly soup. Photos of the soups would be nice too, so you can see what they're like, although most soups don't look like much. The mushroom and barley soup is just dark brown with bits floating in it, so not very aesthetic :)

In a fit of restlessness last night, I made a cake from a recipe I found in the Joy of Cooking. I'd been teasing my husband by reading bits of cake recipes out-loud, and this is the one we decided to try first (my husband is a big fan of oatmeal). This turned out more photogenic than the soup, so I thought I would share the recipe. The cake is dense and moist, and tastes a lot like oatmeal cookies. When I make it again I might add some raisins and walnuts. I cut down on the sugar a little, but otherwise this is right from the book.


Ingredients
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1 1/2 cups boiling water
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour a 9 x 13" baking pan.
Place rolled oats in a small bowl and add water. Let stand until water is absorbed (about 10 min). Meanwhile, mix together dry ingredients in a separate bowl.
In a medium bowl, at high speed beat butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, then add vanilla.
On slow speed, beat in oat mixture, then dry ingredients until blended.
Scrape batter into pan and spread evenly. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Let cool briefly on rack.

This is delicious on it's own while still hot, or have it with ice cream or vanilla yogurt. Once it cools, you can ice it with your preferred icing. I've put on some store-bought icing with nutmeg added, but I bet cream cheese icing would taste good with this cake too.

I've also been working on a little surprise for you guys, which I'll write more about this weekend.

espresso cupcakes

This recipe originally came from Nigella Lawson's How to be a Domestic Goddess. I've changed the recipe a little, and used a different icing, but they are still delicious. Because this came from a British recipe book, most things are measured in grams, but you can find the conversions here. I used good-quality chocolate bars, not baking chocolate, although you could probably use semi-sweet baking chocolate. This will make 12 medium cupcakes, or about 20 mini ones.

Espresso Cupcakes

Ingredients
125g softened unsalted butter
125g dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
125g all-purpose flour
1 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
75g dark chocolate with ground coffee beans, melted (or plain dark chocolate plus 1 tbsp instant espresso powder or finely ground espresso beans)
2-3 tbsp milk

Preheat oven to 200 C (400 F). Line cupcake tins with paper liners, or butter and flour them.
Blend butter and sugar well, then add eggs and blend until smooth. Add flour, cocoa, baking powder (and espresso powder or ground coffee, if using). Stir in dry ingredients a bit, then blend until smooth. Add chocolate and 2 tbsp milk, blending well. Add 1 more tbsp milk if batter seems too thick.
Fill tins about half to 2/3 full. Bake for 12-15 min - toothpick inserted in middle should come out clean.

Chocolate Icing

Ingredients
100g dark chocolate
100ml whipping cream

Put cream in a small saucepan, heat until almost boiling (but don't boil). Add chocolate in small pieces, stirring until it's all melted. Remove from heat and whisk until smooth. Let cool until thick enough to spread.










Thanks to Amanda and Allison for taking photos of our fun, and listening as I talked way too much about knitting. Taylor was a hoot, as usual, and it's been too long since we all hung out together. I hope Sara gets better soon, and enjoys her cupcakes. Also, thanks to Minou for keeping me warm during my sleep-over. She may be a little crazy, and eat yarn, but she's a cute kitty.

ginger cookies

I have an old family recipe for ginger cookies that I love, and which everyone else seems to love too. I suppose some people might keep such things a secret, but I believe that good things are better when they are shared. So here is the recipe for all my friends to enjoy. 

Ginger Cookies 

3/4 cup butter 

1 cup white sugar 

1 large egg 

1/4 cup molasses (I prefer black-strap, because it makes them darker and complements the ginger nicely) 

2 cups all-purpose flour 

2 tsp baking soda 

1/4 tsp salt 

1 tsp cinnamon 

1 tsp ground cloves 

2 tsp ground ginger (3 tsp if you like extra ginger flavour) 

water 

extra white sugar 

Cream butter and sugar in one bowl. Beat in egg and molasses. Combine dry ingredients in another bowl, then blend gradually into wet ingredients. If dough is very soft, cover and place in fridge for 10 minutes or so. Shape into 1" balls, dip in water, then into extra white sugar (water helps the sugar stick). 

Place 2" apart on greased baking sheet. Bake in 350 F oven for 8-10 minutes. Cool for about 5 minutes (because they are too soft to remove from the pan) then place on cooling racks to finish cooling. 

This makes about 6 dozen cookies, less if you make them bigger. These keep for about a week, so don't feel bad about eating them all up quickly!