Sunday, April 10, 2011

Plum Torte

Cut about 16 small plums in half and remove pits

Pre-heat oven to 350°

Heat plenty of water in bottom part of double boiler. In top part, melt 1 stick butter, turn off heat, gradually add ½ cup sugar, 1 cup flour and 2 beaten eggs. Mix well. Add 1 tbsp baking powder, 1 tsp vanilla and ½ tsp salt

Lightly grease square baking dish (9x10) and slowly pour in mixture. Place fruit  on top of dough, flesh side up and very close together. Push down a bit

Sprinkle plums with lemon juice, cinnamon, and ½ cup sugar (or to taste)

Bake 45 minutes or more, possibly an hour. Once it begins to brown a little and looks cooked,  test center with dry toothpick every five minutes.

From Jada Berg’s grandmother

Potage à la citrouille

1 c. à table de beurre
1 poireau ou 1 oignon haché
10 tasses de citrouille en cubes
 ———————————
3 pommes de terre coupées en cubes
4½ tasses de bouillon de légumes
Sel et Poivre
———————————
1½ tasse de lait (ou kéfir)
Muscade


Faire fondre le beurre dans une casserole puis y faire sauter le poireau et la citrouille*. Ajouter les pommes de terre, le bouillon, le sel et le poive. Couvrir et laisser mijoter 40 minutes. Réduire en purée homogène au robot culinaire ou au mélageur.

Remettre dans la casserole, porter à ebullition puis ajouter le lait. Ne pas faire bouillir. Ajouter de la muscade pour parfumer.


*Laver les graines de citrouille à l’eau froide et bien les éponger. Déposer ensuite sur une plaque à biscuit et saupoudrer de sel. Mettre au four à 250° pendant environ 20 minutes, jusqu’à ce qu’elles deviennent sèche et croquantes.

Salade de riz et de pois chiches

4 c. à thé d’huile
4 c. à thé de vinaigre de vin ou de cidre de pommes ou de jus de citron
¾ c. à thé de sel
½c.à thé de basilic
½c.à thé de thym
2 tasses de riz brun cuit, refroidi
2 tasses de pois chiches cuits
½ tasse d’onion émincé ou d’échalotte
——————————————
2 poivrons verts coupés en lamelles
2 tomates moyennes coupées en morceaux

Dans un grand saladier, mélanger l’huile, le vinaigre, le sel et les fines herbes. Ajouter le riz, les pois chiches et l’onion émincé.

Mélanger légèrement et laisser mariner au réfrigérateur au moins 1 heure ou une nuit si désirée.

Au moment de servir, ajouter les tomates et les poivrons. Bien mélanger. Donne 4 portions généreuses. Très rafraîchissant!

Salade de choux

Chou vert finement râpé
Carottes finement râpées
Aneth frais haché
Miel
Mayonnaise
Jus de citron
Sel et poivre 

 
Mélanger le chou, les carottes et l’aneth dans un grand bol. Ajouter le miel, la mayonnaise et le jus de citron. Bien mélanger. Assaisonner. Réfrigérer plusieurs heures, de préférence, avant de servir.

Saturday, April 9, 2011

Gâteau au Caroube

¾ tasse de sucre brut
⅓ tasse d’huile
1 oeuf
1 tasse de lait
—————————————-
1¼ tasse de farine
¼ tasse de poudre de caroube
½ c. à thé de poudre à pâte
1 c. à thé de soda à pâte
¼ c. à thé de sel


Battre ensemble le sucre, l’huile et l’oeuf. Ajouter le lait. Tamiser ensemble les ing. secs. Mélanger le tout et verser dans un moule de 8”x 8” huilé. Cuire à 350°F environ 35 min.

Grated Rutabaga and Apple Salad

Great winter salad!

1 cup peeled and grated raw rutabaga
1 cup peeled and grated tart green apples (or any tart apples)
½ cup chopped fresh parsley
juice of 1 large lemon
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper (pink pepper is very pretty if you have it) to taste

Combine everything, toss, cover, and chill.

Serves 4 to 6

From:

Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant: Ethnic and Regional Recipes from the Cooks at the Legendary Restaurant (Cookery)

Friday, April 8, 2011

Mung Beans in Coconut Milk

1 ½ cups dried mung beans
1-1½ cups finely chopped onions
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons finely minced peeled fresh ginger root
1-2 tiny fresh or dried chiles, minced or ¼ tsp chili flakes
5-6 garlic cloves, minced
14-ounce can coconut milk (2 cups)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
3 cups finely chopped fresh greens (beet tops, chard, mustard greens, spinach, or any other strong-tasting green)

Soak the beans in plenty of water for several hours, drain, then cook them in fresh water until soft, about 1 hour. Drain.

When the mung beans are almost done, sauté the onions in the oil with the salt. When the onions are translucent, add ginger, chiles, and garlic and simmer on low heat several minutes. Add the coconut milk and simmer for 5 minutes.

Add the soy sauce and the greens and stir until just wilt. Remove the pot from the heat at once. Taste for saltiness and add more soy sauce, if needed.

Serves 6


From:


Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant: Ethnic and Regional Recipes from the Cooks at the Legendary Restaurant (Cookery)

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Menu from our last Insight Meditation retreat...


Friday Dinner

Miso Soup (Fresh bread, rice crackers, wild leek pesto)
Plain White Basmati Rice (seaweed Gomasio)
Beet greens stir-fry
Tamari almonds, roasted sunflowers and pumpkin seeds
Chaga mushroom tea


Saturday Lunch

Winter Squash Soup
Herbs Omelet with tomato sauce
Plain rainbow quinoa
Steam kale
Greens with balsamic dressing, sharp cheddar, nuts
Bee Balm Tea


Saturday Tea

Spicy sauce
Plain brown rice
Nori Rolls, dipping sauce, wasabi, pickle ginger
Green Salad and Miso Dressing
Mint and rose tea

Sunday Lunch

Leftover soups and rice, garlic bread
Quinoa tabbouleh
Leftover salads, carrot salad, greens, ...
Goat cheese, pesto, vegetable pâté, bread, crackers, ...
Chaga mushroom tea

Apple and Black Currant (or other small fruits) Brown Betty

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature, for dish
6 large apples, peeled, cored, and sliced ¼ inch thick (3 pounds prepped)
1 cup (5 ounces) black currants stemmed
½ cup apple juice or apple cider
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
2 cups (5 ounces) crushed graham crackers or bread crumbs
½ cup (4 ounces) unsalted butter, melted
½ cup (3 ½ ounces) granulated sugar


Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-inch square baking dish.

Combine the apples and black currants in a bowl. Stir the apple juice, lemon zest and juice, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg together in liquid measuring cup, then stir into the fruit.

Stir the bread crumbs, melted butter, and sugar together, then sprinkle one-third of the crumbs over the bottom of the prepared pan. Spread half the fruit over the crumbs in an even layer, top with another third of the crumbs, then top with the remaining fruit. Sprinkle the remaining crumbs over the fruit.

Cover with foil and bake in the lower third of the oven for 30 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for an additional 25 to 35 minutes, or until the topping is toasted and the filling is bubbling all over. Serve warm, preferably topped with a scoop of Vanilla Ice Cream.

Baking time: 55 to 65 minutes/ Serves 8 to 12

From:

Rustic Fruit Desserts: Crumbles, Buckles, Cobblers, Pandowdies, and More

Zucchini Frittata

1½ lb (750 g) small zucchini (courgettes), trimmed and cut crosswise into very thin slices
Salt
10 eggs
¼ cup (1 oz/30 g) grated parmesan cheese
Freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
Tomato sauce

Evenly spread one-third of the zucchini slices in a colander set over a bowl. Sprinkle with salt. Spread half of the remaining slices over the first layer of zucchini, salt them, then spread and salt the remainder. Set aside to drain for 30 minutes. Then, pick up the zucchini in small handfuls and squeeze out the juices. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).

In a bowl, using a fork beat the eggs until lightly frothy. Add the zucchini and half of the Parmesan and stir gently to combine; season to taste with pepper.

In a 10-inch (25-cm) ovenproof, nonstick frying pan over medium heat, melt the butter with the olive oil. Add the egg mixture, spread it evenly. Sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan. Place in the oven and bake until set but slightly moist, about 20 minutes.

Serve the frittata directly from the pan, or loosen the edges with a knife tip and slide it out or invert onto a warmed platter. Cut into wedges and top with the tomato sauce. Best served at once.

Serves 4-6

From:

Vegetarian (Best of Williams-Sonoma Kitchen Library)

Tomato Sauce

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic cut in half
6 plums tomatoes, halved lengthwise
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon dried mint


Warm the oil in a small sauté pan over medium heat. Add garlic, tomatoes, oregano, and mint. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Uncover and break up tomatoes with a wooden spoon. Stir to mix well. Re-cover and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, force the tomato mixture through a sieve set over a small bowl. If serving hot, reheat gently.

Makes about 1 cup (8 fl oz/250 ml)

From:

Vegetarian (Best of Williams-Sonoma Kitchen Library)

Tamari Roasted Nuts

2 cups raw nuts (cashews, almonds, pecans, walnuts, or hazelnuts)
3 tablespoons tamari soy sauce


Preheat the oven to 350°.

Spread the nuts on baking sheet and bake for 5 minutes. Drizzle the soy sauce on the nuts and stir them well. Return the baking sheet to the oven for 5 minutes. Then turn off the oven. Stir the nuts again and leave them in the oven for a final 5 minutes.

The nuts will become dry and crisp. The baking sheet will look like a disaster, but fear not, because the soy sauce easily rinses off.

Allow nuts to cool. Store them in a covered container to retain their crispness.

Makes two cups

From:

Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant: Ethnic and Regional Recipes from the Cooks at the Legendary Restaurant (Cookery)

Carrot Salad

Carrots, grated
Lemon juice, fresh
Olive oil
Parsley, fresh, finely chopped
Salt and black pepper
Garlic, pressed


Variations:

Add one or two of the following seasonings:

Coriander seed, ground
Mint, fresh, chopped or dried
Chives or scallions, fresh, chopped


For an Asian salad, substitute rice vinegar for the lemon juice and dark sesame oil for the olive oil and add ginger root, fresh, grated.

From:

Moosewood Restaurant Cooks for a Crowd: Recipes with a Vegetarian Emphasis for 24 or More

Corn and Edamame-Sesame Salad

Dressing:
              

2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon rice vinegar 
2 teaspoons tamari or soy sauce
        

Salad:
                    

2 cups frozen, shelled edamame
1 cup fresh corn (1 or 2 ears, depending on the size) or partially thawed frozen corn
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
Generous pinch of salt

Bring a big pot of water to a boil. Meanwhile, whisk all the dressing ingredients in a  medium-sized mixing bowl.

Boil the edamame for 3 minutes. Add the corn and boil for another 2 minutes. Drain into a colander and run under cold water until cool enough to touch. Add the edamame and corn to the dressing and toss to combine. Add the sesame seeds and toss again. Salt to taste .Cover and chill for at least 15 minutes.

Serves 4 to 6

From:
Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook

Monday, April 4, 2011

Butternut squash and pumpkin seed rice paper rolls

Rolls:
1 pound butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into ¼-inch cubes
2-3 tsp olive oil
12 (8-inch) round rice paper wrappers
4 ounces vermicelli rice noodles or rice sticks
1 cup (or more) fresh cilantro, torn in bite-size pieces (Thai basil makes a nice variation)
⅓ cup roasted, salted pumpkin seeds, chopped coarsely

Dipping sauce, mix together:
2 Tbsp soy sauce
3 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 Tbsp Asian hot chile oil (or more)
2 tsp toasted sesame oil
2 Tbsp sugar

Preheat oven to 400°F. Place the butternut cubes on a baking sheet and rub them all over with the oil; drizzle on another tsp if you need to. Arrange  the cubes in a single layer and roast for 15 min. Remove from oven, toss, and cook for 10 more minutes until tender and slightly caramelized. Set aside to cool.
 
While the squash is cooking, prepare noodles. Boil a large pot of water, turn off the heat, add noodles, and cook for 10 minutes stirring occasionally. Drain in colander and run cold water over them. Set aside.
 
To assemble, fill a large plate or bowl with very warm water. Place two rice paper wrappers in the water at a time, completely submerged and let sit for about a minute, until they have softened.
 
Handle each wrapper gently as you place it on your work surface. Place about 1/4 cup of rice noodles in the lower third of the wrapper, leaving about 1½ inches of margin from the far edges on either side (you’ll be folding those in). Place a layer of butternut squash above the noodles. Sprinkle with the cilantro and pumpkin seeds. If  some of the seeds get stuck to your fingers, just dip them in the water. To roll, snugly fold the left and right sides of the wrapper over the filling. Lift the bottom of the wrapper over the filling and tuck it underneath the filling, then roll firmly but gently. Place the rolls seam side down on a plate and cut in half when ready to serve.

Makes 12 rolls

From:
Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook