I like holiday time. I do. It incorporates many of my favorite things including social gatherings, gifts, unabashed positivity (also known more scientifically as "holiday cheer"), snow, and overeating. My favorite holiday dish has been, and will always be, stuffing. Since I can no longer eat the stuff that makes stuffing, my holiday cravings are out of control. Lately I've been experimenting with a lot of raw food in my diet, mostly really fantastic recipes from Gena at choosingraw.com. I've played around with a few of her recipes and adapted to the dish described below, which is super rich and fattening and everything I want from a holiday stuffing!
2 cups shiitake mushrooms, coarsely chopped if large
2 Tbsp tamari or equiv.
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup walnuts
1 cup almonds
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp rosemary
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sage
1 tsp lemon juice
3 Tbsp olive oil
3 carrots, shredded
2 stalks celery, roughly chopped
1/4 cup sundried tomatoes
1/4 cup parsley
1/4 cup currants (or raisins, or even dried cranberries)
First, marinate the mushrooms in the oil and tamari overnight or whilst at work, assuming you work a 8-10 hour day..
In a food processor, preferably a large one, process the nuts and spices until uniformly fine. Then pulse in lemon, oil, veggies, and your marinated mushrooms (drain excess marinade) until combined, but the veggies should be identifiable still, not mush. It works nicely to swap out the S blade for the shredder attachment and do the carrots, then switch back to the S blade, just saying..
If you happen to have the pleasure of living with a dehydrator (as I do now), the recipe benefits from 8 hours at 115 or so, but its not a necessity. It just can be nice to have it a bit crispy and served warmish.
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Banh Mi
Ok - this is really good, like REALLY good. Its the combo of a couple different recipes from here and there and it needs to be written down immediately so I never forget! A banh mi is made up of three basic parts - Asian flavored meat, pickled vegetables, and spicy sauce. Warning - make the pickled veggies at least an hour ahead of time.
Picked vegetables:
1/2 daikon radish, julienned (little sticks)
3 carrots, julienned
1/2 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp fennel seeds
1/2 tsp black pepper
Spicy Sauce:
4 Tbsp almond butter
3 Tbsp pickling liquid from above
1 Tbsp Sriracha
1/8 tsp salt
Meaty Stuff:
1-2 tsp peanut oil
1 tsp lemongrass, very finely minced
1-2 cups oyster mushrooms (or shittakes, or chanterelle, or other fungus of your choice)
1 Tbsp tamari or soy sauce
Other stuff:
Fresh cilantro
1 jalepeno, very finely sliced
Baguette, or sandwich-type device
Combine the vinegar, sugar, salt, fennel seeds, and pepper in saucepan and bring to a boil. Once boiling add the daikon and carrots and cook for one minute. Remove from heat and let cool. Put veggies and liquid in a bowl and chill for a least an hour. Once the veggies have sat a while steal some of the liquid to make the sauce. Nothing complicated about the sauce, just combine and stir.
For the meaty stuff heat the oil and saute the lemongrass for a minute or two. Add the mushrooms, which you should rip apart or wildly chop, ya know, in a fashion that would resemble pulled pork or ripped apart pieces of chicken. Cook for 10 or so minutes and add the tamari late, stir in and let cook for another minute or two.
On a fresh baguette, piece of stale white bread, ciabatta, on top of a pizza, or over lettuce, whatever you chose -- compile the ingredient. Meaty stuff, spicy sauce, and pickled vegetables. Garnish with sliced jalepenos and cilantro and devour.
Picked vegetables:
1/2 daikon radish, julienned (little sticks)
3 carrots, julienned
1/2 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp fennel seeds
1/2 tsp black pepper
Spicy Sauce:
4 Tbsp almond butter
3 Tbsp pickling liquid from above
1 Tbsp Sriracha
1/8 tsp salt
Meaty Stuff:
1-2 tsp peanut oil
1 tsp lemongrass, very finely minced
1-2 cups oyster mushrooms (or shittakes, or chanterelle, or other fungus of your choice)
1 Tbsp tamari or soy sauce
Other stuff:
Fresh cilantro
1 jalepeno, very finely sliced
Baguette, or sandwich-type device
Combine the vinegar, sugar, salt, fennel seeds, and pepper in saucepan and bring to a boil. Once boiling add the daikon and carrots and cook for one minute. Remove from heat and let cool. Put veggies and liquid in a bowl and chill for a least an hour. Once the veggies have sat a while steal some of the liquid to make the sauce. Nothing complicated about the sauce, just combine and stir.
For the meaty stuff heat the oil and saute the lemongrass for a minute or two. Add the mushrooms, which you should rip apart or wildly chop, ya know, in a fashion that would resemble pulled pork or ripped apart pieces of chicken. Cook for 10 or so minutes and add the tamari late, stir in and let cook for another minute or two.
On a fresh baguette, piece of stale white bread, ciabatta, on top of a pizza, or over lettuce, whatever you chose -- compile the ingredient. Meaty stuff, spicy sauce, and pickled vegetables. Garnish with sliced jalepenos and cilantro and devour.
Tom Kha Taohu Soup
For Tom Yum Soup, replace the coconut milk with more vegetable broth. Traditional Tom Kha is made is with more coconut milk and definitely full fat milk, but that's a bit too rich for my tastes. Adjust as you see fit.
4 cups vegetable broth
2 cups light coconut milk
4 stalks lemongrass (dried or fresh works)
4-6 kaffir lime leaves
1 thumb fresh ginger, grated
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 roasted green chiles (thai chilies would be more appropriate here, but I can never find them)
2 tsp Sriracha
2 Tbsp tamari or soy sauce
juice of one large lime
1 tsp sugar
2-3 cups shittakes, sliced (or any mushroom will do)
1 large tomato, diced
1/2 lb firm tofu, cubed in 1/2" or less sized pieces
fresh cilantro
Combine the broth, coconut milk, lemongrass and lime leaves in a largish pot. Bring to a boil, then let simmer for 10 minutes or so. Fish out the lemongrass stalks and lime leaves with a slotted spoon, which will now be your soup stirring spoon.
Add the ginger, garlic, chiles, sriracha, tamari, lime, and sugar and let simmer for another 5 minutes or so. Then add the mushrooms and let cook for 10 minutes. Finally, add the tomato and tofu and grab yourself some bowls! The tomatoes and tofu only need to cook for a minute or two.
Garnish with cilantro and thoroughly enjoy.
4 cups vegetable broth
2 cups light coconut milk
4 stalks lemongrass (dried or fresh works)
4-6 kaffir lime leaves
1 thumb fresh ginger, grated
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 roasted green chiles (thai chilies would be more appropriate here, but I can never find them)
2 tsp Sriracha
2 Tbsp tamari or soy sauce
juice of one large lime
1 tsp sugar
2-3 cups shittakes, sliced (or any mushroom will do)
1 large tomato, diced
1/2 lb firm tofu, cubed in 1/2" or less sized pieces
fresh cilantro
Combine the broth, coconut milk, lemongrass and lime leaves in a largish pot. Bring to a boil, then let simmer for 10 minutes or so. Fish out the lemongrass stalks and lime leaves with a slotted spoon, which will now be your soup stirring spoon.
Add the ginger, garlic, chiles, sriracha, tamari, lime, and sugar and let simmer for another 5 minutes or so. Then add the mushrooms and let cook for 10 minutes. Finally, add the tomato and tofu and grab yourself some bowls! The tomatoes and tofu only need to cook for a minute or two.
Garnish with cilantro and thoroughly enjoy.
Monday, June 18, 2012
Operation Jackfruit
So as most of you reading my blog probably know, my sister just recently left for Peace Corps service in Uganda. So far, she says her diet mostly consists of goat, pork, millet, what sounds likes polenta, and plantains steamed in banana leaves (that's what she said.. but I'm thinking its probably plantain leaves). I'd heard of the African jackfruit that's commonly used as a meat substitute and told her to look out for it when she went. She replied that jackfruit was now her absolute favorite and tasked me with sending her a recipe. This is a story of my struggles.
A little research on the internet led me to discover that mostly jackfruit is sold canned in brine or syrup. Certain she'd have little access to canned goods, I went on a search to find the elusive fresh jackfruit. Jackfruit is mainly found in Southeast Asia, but is widely available in parts of East Africa as well. Denver isn't exactly the most ethnically diverse city in the world, but we have a large enough Vietnamese population to sustain possibly 75 - 100 pho restaurants, so it wasn't as hard to find as the internet made it seem.
A young jackfruit can weigh up to 80 pounds I hear. This sentence on Wikipedia didn't quite register. I chose the smallest fruit available at the market, which turned out to weigh about 20 pounds. At $1.49 a pound for an exotic fruit that flew half way across the planet, I thought it was a steal - but actually that's the most expensive single piece of fruit I've ever purchased.
I've since read that the best course of action is to coat your knife in coconut oil before cutting. A jackfruit is full of this white latex like substance that I'm pretty confident led to the invention of adhesive. I can't figure out where the goo of death comes from but I think mostly from the core. Its nearly impossible to avoid, so I recommend wearing gloves and extracting the core as soon as possible. Once open there are several parts to the fruit.
First there are very large seeds. Each seed is surrounded by the fruit part, which if ripe is slightly yellow. The fruit pods are are surrounded by tentacle like fibers. The tentacles are the meat substitute portion - it's not tasty raw. The orange/yellow fruit part tastes like a partially dehydrated mango. I've found it tasty on salads, salsas, in chia seed puddings, anywhere you'd like to see a mango, etc.. As you can imagine, a 20 pound fruit yields a lot of this stuff, so get creative. The seeds are in two shells. The first pops off when you take it out of the fruit, the second comes off if you boil it. I guess a lightly salted jackfruit seed is some sort of delicacy, but its pretty starchy. I ended up putty it in a curry. A very starchy curry. If you have a burning desire not to waste food like I do, I recommend cutting them thinly and using it sparingly on a salad -- or feeding it to chickens (which is what I will do in the future).
Breaking apart the pieces is tedious. I recommend separating the three parts into separate bowls. The fruits just pop out and you can extract the seed from the fruit pod. Once all the fruit pods are out, you are just left with the stringy flesh part. I'd cut this out with scissors. Be careful with the remains! We usually feed leftovers to the chickens, but I couldn't bring myself to offer them this sticky mess for fear their crops would get stuck closed or something!!
Once you have the tentacles isolated, you are home free. Simply slathering them in barbeque sauce and sauteing for 20 minutes will do the trick. But try this - adapting theppk.com's Snobby Joe recipe (which I make SO frequently) and subbing the lentils for the jackfruit tentacles. Recipe is as follows:
3-4 cups jackfruit tentacles
1 Tbsp oil (I like coconut)
1 onion, diced
1 bell pepper, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb tomatoes (two big ones)
3 Tbsp chili powder
2 tsp oregano1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp yellow mustard
2 Tbsp maple syrup
Saute the onions and peppers in oil first, then add the rest except maple syrup. The jackfruit will start rigid and tough and slowly break down into a noodle like substance. Add the maple syrup about 5 minutes before you think you are ready. Serve open face on bread, if you'd like. As difficult and unpleasant and breaking apart the fruit was, the results were pretty spectacular. I recommend buying the young jackfruit in brine in a can though.
A little research on the internet led me to discover that mostly jackfruit is sold canned in brine or syrup. Certain she'd have little access to canned goods, I went on a search to find the elusive fresh jackfruit. Jackfruit is mainly found in Southeast Asia, but is widely available in parts of East Africa as well. Denver isn't exactly the most ethnically diverse city in the world, but we have a large enough Vietnamese population to sustain possibly 75 - 100 pho restaurants, so it wasn't as hard to find as the internet made it seem.
A young jackfruit can weigh up to 80 pounds I hear. This sentence on Wikipedia didn't quite register. I chose the smallest fruit available at the market, which turned out to weigh about 20 pounds. At $1.49 a pound for an exotic fruit that flew half way across the planet, I thought it was a steal - but actually that's the most expensive single piece of fruit I've ever purchased.
At this point I'm still all smiles. Despite the rash forming on my forearm, this still appeared to be a fun experiment. Note at this point the fruit is still closed. This leads me to my biggest mistake. Putting my fantastic Shun boning knife into that evil creature.
First there are very large seeds. Each seed is surrounded by the fruit part, which if ripe is slightly yellow. The fruit pods are are surrounded by tentacle like fibers. The tentacles are the meat substitute portion - it's not tasty raw. The orange/yellow fruit part tastes like a partially dehydrated mango. I've found it tasty on salads, salsas, in chia seed puddings, anywhere you'd like to see a mango, etc.. As you can imagine, a 20 pound fruit yields a lot of this stuff, so get creative. The seeds are in two shells. The first pops off when you take it out of the fruit, the second comes off if you boil it. I guess a lightly salted jackfruit seed is some sort of delicacy, but its pretty starchy. I ended up putty it in a curry. A very starchy curry. If you have a burning desire not to waste food like I do, I recommend cutting them thinly and using it sparingly on a salad -- or feeding it to chickens (which is what I will do in the future).
Breaking apart the pieces is tedious. I recommend separating the three parts into separate bowls. The fruits just pop out and you can extract the seed from the fruit pod. Once all the fruit pods are out, you are just left with the stringy flesh part. I'd cut this out with scissors. Be careful with the remains! We usually feed leftovers to the chickens, but I couldn't bring myself to offer them this sticky mess for fear their crops would get stuck closed or something!!
3-4 cups jackfruit tentacles
1 Tbsp oil (I like coconut)
1 onion, diced
1 bell pepper, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb tomatoes (two big ones)
3 Tbsp chili powder
2 tsp oregano1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp yellow mustard
2 Tbsp maple syrup
Saute the onions and peppers in oil first, then add the rest except maple syrup. The jackfruit will start rigid and tough and slowly break down into a noodle like substance. Add the maple syrup about 5 minutes before you think you are ready. Serve open face on bread, if you'd like. As difficult and unpleasant and breaking apart the fruit was, the results were pretty spectacular. I recommend buying the young jackfruit in brine in a can though.
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Tzatziki Sauce
This fantastic concoction I would say rivals it's traditional yogurt based counterpart and is entirely simple to make.
In a blender or food processor, combine the following:
1 box silken tofu (the shelf stable variety - which is in itself fascinating)
1 lemon, juiced
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 small clove garlic
2 tsp dill (fresh or dried)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp paprika
Blend until well mixed. At this point the sauce is already great, but if you want to take it up a notch, add a cucumber that has been peeled and finely chopped. I find it best to only use the meaty part of the cuke and not the watery seed part, but you can't really mess this up. Enjoy. I think it's really ideal for dipping dolmas in, which I may at some point post a recipe for - I'm still in the testing phases, but my grape vines are kind of running low on leaves at this point.
In a blender or food processor, combine the following:
1 box silken tofu (the shelf stable variety - which is in itself fascinating)
1 lemon, juiced
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 small clove garlic
2 tsp dill (fresh or dried)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp paprika
Blend until well mixed. At this point the sauce is already great, but if you want to take it up a notch, add a cucumber that has been peeled and finely chopped. I find it best to only use the meaty part of the cuke and not the watery seed part, but you can't really mess this up. Enjoy. I think it's really ideal for dipping dolmas in, which I may at some point post a recipe for - I'm still in the testing phases, but my grape vines are kind of running low on leaves at this point.
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Pumpkin Pancakes
Its May now and our freezer is still overloaded with last seasons' winter squash. Since the thought of another squash soup makes me quasi-nauseous, some new recipes have come into the mix while trying to free up our freezer for this seasons veggies!
1 tbsp ground flaxseed
3 tbsp water
1 c buckwheat flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp xanthum gum
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp cardamom
1/2 tsp allspice
1/2 c cooked pumpkin puree
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 c almond milk
First combine the flaxseed and water in a small bowl and microwave in 30 second increments stirring between until the mixture has the consistency of an egg.
In a large bowl combine flour, salt, baking powder, gum and spices. Mix well then add the flaxseed mixture, maple syrup, milk and pumpkin. You can substitute any other squash for pumpkin, but some squashes (hubbard, Cinderella, or turban, for example) have a more mild flavor and seem to have a higher water content. In this case, be sure to drain the squash meat well and add more like 3/4 cup.
Drop about 1/4 cup of pancake mix onto a preheated griddle or skillet. You'll get 6-10 pancakes out of the recipe.
Carrot Cupcakes
A no-nonsense cupcake recipe:
2 cup brown rice flour
2/3 cup potato starch
1/3 cup tapioca flour
1 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 tsp cardamom
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp orange zest
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
3 eggs (or flaxseed substitute)
1/2 cup almond milk
1 cup coconut oil
1 cup pecans, chopped
1 lb carrots, finely grated
Huge bowl. 20 mins at 350F.
Simple as that. Best enjoyed with some sort of fat and sugar topping.
2 cup brown rice flour
2/3 cup potato starch
1/3 cup tapioca flour
1 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 tsp cardamom
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp orange zest
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
3 eggs (or flaxseed substitute)
1/2 cup almond milk
1 cup coconut oil
1 cup pecans, chopped
1 lb carrots, finely grated
Huge bowl. 20 mins at 350F.
Simple as that. Best enjoyed with some sort of fat and sugar topping.
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Not Mac and Cheese
First - this dish is really delicious. The only place that falls apart is when you go into it expecting it to taste like a box of Annie's. So as a disclaimer, this is not macaroni and cheese. It's not flour macaroni and it doesn't have any dairy products - so think again before referring to this recipe as a "Vegan Mac and Cheese". It's not. Okay... FYI this makes about 8 servings, feel free to cut it in half.
Sauce:
1 1/4 c "raw" cashews (pre-soak these for an hour or two)
1/2 c nutritional yeast
2 c almond milk (or coconut milk)
1/4 c white miso
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp yellow mustard
1 tsp tumeric
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp paprika
2 cloves garlic
Pasta!.... 2 lb pasta.
So my personal gluten-free opinion is that Tinkyada PastaJoy Spirals are the absolute best widely available brown rice pasta on the market. However, better pasta do exist. If you are Denver-ite, Pappardelle's Pasta makes a couple mean gluten-free options, as does Cappellos (which does exclusively GF) - both are available at the Denver Urban Homesteading [year round!] farmer's market on 2nd and Sante Fe.
Anyway. Start your pot of water for pasta.
Drain your soaking cashews and put in at least a 7 cup food processor. I'm usually all for less energy intensive chopping tools, but you really need a powerful food processor or blender for this recipe. Process the cashews for a full minute or until they don't appear to be getting much smaller (but not turning to butter). Then add the remaining ingredient and blend on your highest setting for a couple minutes. The texture should resemble something creamy. Like so.
Your pasta should be about ready to go in. After your pasta is cooked and drained combine the sauce and pasta in the warm pot for a little while. Serve as is or with tasty cooked vegetables mixed in (I like onions and mushrooms and kale).
Sauce:
1 1/4 c "raw" cashews (pre-soak these for an hour or two)
1/2 c nutritional yeast
2 c almond milk (or coconut milk)
1/4 c white miso
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp yellow mustard
1 tsp tumeric
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp paprika
2 cloves garlic
Pasta!.... 2 lb pasta.
So my personal gluten-free opinion is that Tinkyada PastaJoy Spirals are the absolute best widely available brown rice pasta on the market. However, better pasta do exist. If you are Denver-ite, Pappardelle's Pasta makes a couple mean gluten-free options, as does Cappellos (which does exclusively GF) - both are available at the Denver Urban Homesteading [year round!] farmer's market on 2nd and Sante Fe.
Anyway. Start your pot of water for pasta.
Drain your soaking cashews and put in at least a 7 cup food processor. I'm usually all for less energy intensive chopping tools, but you really need a powerful food processor or blender for this recipe. Process the cashews for a full minute or until they don't appear to be getting much smaller (but not turning to butter). Then add the remaining ingredient and blend on your highest setting for a couple minutes. The texture should resemble something creamy. Like so.
Your pasta should be about ready to go in. After your pasta is cooked and drained combine the sauce and pasta in the warm pot for a little while. Serve as is or with tasty cooked vegetables mixed in (I like onions and mushrooms and kale).
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
JT's Enchiladas
Sauce:
1 quart of canned tomatoes (or about 2 lbs if you don't happen to can your own tomatoes)
1 red onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
7-8 roasted green chiles (or less if you aren't so into hot)
1 tbsp cumin
2 tsp chile powder
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cayenne
Innards:
2 sweet potatoes, cubed into about 1/2 pieces (so they fit in a tortilla)
1 medium onion
1 jalepeno, diced (or green chile)
2 cups cooked black beans (or 1 can)
1 tsp cumin
Juice of one lime
1/4 c cilantro, chopped
1 tsp chile powder
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cayenne
Other:
1/2 c cheddar cheese, shredded (optional)
20 corn tortillas
Note: it's common knowledge that corn tortillas kind of suck - they are hard to work with, can't function as a carrying vessel, and frankly taste like rubber. But I have great news!! This is only true of store bought aging corn tortillas. If you frequently eat corn tortillas I have to tell you purchasing a cast iron tortilla press will probably be the best 15ish dollars you've ever spent (on kitchen appliances). Masa, water, and a little bit of patience and you'll have fresh, delicious, pliable tortillas in no time. It's so easy and SO worth it. Anyway...
First start the innards, in a large pan cook the sweet potatoes and onions together until tender, which can take 20 plus minutes. Then add remaining ingredients and keep on low heat until you are ready to assemble.
In a pot, Sauté the onions for 5 or so minutes then add all the remaining sauce ingredients and let boil down for about 20 mins. Blend, preferably using an immersion blender cause they are awesome.
Preheat your oven to 300 or so. Do your best to stuff about 1/4 c of innards into each tortilla (without getting frustrated - who cares if they fall apart) and fill a glass baking dish or two. You'll want them tightly packed. Cover with sauce (and cheese if you choose) and stick in the over for 10 or so minutes. Alternatively you can freeze a dish of after cheesing to toss in the oven at a later time.
Serve with cilantro, salsa, cholula.. Whatever you please!
1 quart of canned tomatoes (or about 2 lbs if you don't happen to can your own tomatoes)
1 red onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
7-8 roasted green chiles (or less if you aren't so into hot)
1 tbsp cumin
2 tsp chile powder
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cayenne
Innards:
2 sweet potatoes, cubed into about 1/2 pieces (so they fit in a tortilla)
1 medium onion
1 jalepeno, diced (or green chile)
2 cups cooked black beans (or 1 can)
1 tsp cumin
Juice of one lime
1/4 c cilantro, chopped
1 tsp chile powder
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cayenne
Other:
1/2 c cheddar cheese, shredded (optional)
20 corn tortillas
Note: it's common knowledge that corn tortillas kind of suck - they are hard to work with, can't function as a carrying vessel, and frankly taste like rubber. But I have great news!! This is only true of store bought aging corn tortillas. If you frequently eat corn tortillas I have to tell you purchasing a cast iron tortilla press will probably be the best 15ish dollars you've ever spent (on kitchen appliances). Masa, water, and a little bit of patience and you'll have fresh, delicious, pliable tortillas in no time. It's so easy and SO worth it. Anyway...
First start the innards, in a large pan cook the sweet potatoes and onions together until tender, which can take 20 plus minutes. Then add remaining ingredients and keep on low heat until you are ready to assemble.
In a pot, Sauté the onions for 5 or so minutes then add all the remaining sauce ingredients and let boil down for about 20 mins. Blend, preferably using an immersion blender cause they are awesome.
Preheat your oven to 300 or so. Do your best to stuff about 1/4 c of innards into each tortilla (without getting frustrated - who cares if they fall apart) and fill a glass baking dish or two. You'll want them tightly packed. Cover with sauce (and cheese if you choose) and stick in the over for 10 or so minutes. Alternatively you can freeze a dish of after cheesing to toss in the oven at a later time.
Serve with cilantro, salsa, cholula.. Whatever you please!
Thursday, March 15, 2012
IsaChandra's Chana Masala
Note: This recipe is entirely stolen from Post Punk Kitchen. I know this probably goes against whatever unwritten recipe blog code of conduct there is, but this is a recipe that is so amazing it's worth repeating many many times. It is so easy to make and so flavorful it's possible you could want to eat nothing else.
Spice blend:
1.5 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground tumeric
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds, chopped (better yet, ground, if you are lucky enough to find it, otherwise try putting it in a bag and smashing with a rolling pin)
1/2 teaspoon cardomom
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
For everything else:
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 jalapenos, deseeded and chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 heaping tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
3 lbs tomatoes, diced
3 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas (this is about 1.5 cups dried for me, equivalent to 2 cans)
1 teaspoon maple syrup (or honey)
1 teaspoon tamarind concentrate (or 1 lime)
First sauté the onion in the coconut oil for about 10 minutes. Add the jalapeno, garlic and ginger, and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the cilantro and saute until wilted. Add the spice blend and toss to coat the onions, letting the spices toast a bit (about a minute or so).
Add the tomatoes and mix well. Then chickpeas and syrup/honey/sugar source of your liking. Let cook on low heat for 20 minutes.. Or however long you can wait!! Add lime juice or tamarind concentrate. Serve with rice (and more cilantro)!
Spice blend:
1.5 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground tumeric
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds, chopped (better yet, ground, if you are lucky enough to find it, otherwise try putting it in a bag and smashing with a rolling pin)
1/2 teaspoon cardomom
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
For everything else:
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 jalapenos, deseeded and chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 heaping tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
3 lbs tomatoes, diced
3 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas (this is about 1.5 cups dried for me, equivalent to 2 cans)
1 teaspoon maple syrup (or honey)
1 teaspoon tamarind concentrate (or 1 lime)
First sauté the onion in the coconut oil for about 10 minutes. Add the jalapeno, garlic and ginger, and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the cilantro and saute until wilted. Add the spice blend and toss to coat the onions, letting the spices toast a bit (about a minute or so).
Add the tomatoes and mix well. Then chickpeas and syrup/honey/sugar source of your liking. Let cook on low heat for 20 minutes.. Or however long you can wait!! Add lime juice or tamarind concentrate. Serve with rice (and more cilantro)!
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Coconut Macaroon Snacks
I tried to recreate these amazing but outrageously expensive pre packaged treats. Huge success!
3 c coconut flakes
1 c raw almonds
1/2 c "raw"cashews
1/2 c maple syrup or honey
1/4 c coconut oil
1/2 of a banana
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
In a food processor (or a slap chopping device if you're really ambitious) obliterate the nuts, then add in coconut flakes and process until big flakes are essential gone. Put this aside in a large bowl. Blend the remaining ingredients to a mush. The coconut oil is easier to work with if you warm it to a semi-liquid.
Combine mush and obliterated pieces. Form one inch balls and refridgerate for an hour or so (this solidifies the coconut oil so the macaroons don't fall apart on their way to your mouth).
Enjoy! But not all at once.. I think two of these is 100% of your recommended daily saturated fat - I mean come on, it's coconut!
Note that you can substitute the cashews for more almonds and this recipe will be truly raw. The processing of "raw" cashews actually involves heating them, so raw cashews don't actually exist (well they do but they aren't sold in stores since they are poisonous).
3 c coconut flakes
1 c raw almonds
1/2 c "raw"cashews
1/2 c maple syrup or honey
1/4 c coconut oil
1/2 of a banana
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
In a food processor (or a slap chopping device if you're really ambitious) obliterate the nuts, then add in coconut flakes and process until big flakes are essential gone. Put this aside in a large bowl. Blend the remaining ingredients to a mush. The coconut oil is easier to work with if you warm it to a semi-liquid.
Combine mush and obliterated pieces. Form one inch balls and refridgerate for an hour or so (this solidifies the coconut oil so the macaroons don't fall apart on their way to your mouth).
Enjoy! But not all at once.. I think two of these is 100% of your recommended daily saturated fat - I mean come on, it's coconut!
Note that you can substitute the cashews for more almonds and this recipe will be truly raw. The processing of "raw" cashews actually involves heating them, so raw cashews don't actually exist (well they do but they aren't sold in stores since they are poisonous).
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