Eggplant and I are having real moment right now. I honestly think I have been eating one, in some way or another, just about every day for the last week or so. And no, I am not sick of them at all. But yes, I have been lazy about doing much other roasting or braising the old plant and just eating it straight into my mouth hole. But I guess sometimes my lazy ass wants more substance and also, it is nice to feed the mr something good too. I figured I should maybe do something a little more classy, more meal like, and might actually require a fork to eat it with. (I have a real tendency to eat with my hands, even the things that most people would probably say could not be eaten with hands. You should see me eat soup! Ha!) And so I prepared for us a feat of greatness (not really a feat, but great for sure). Eggplant roll ups.
These rolls are way more tasty and delicious then the effort it takes to make them. Really, they are super simple to make. Just a thick herby bean filling rolled up in eggplant and roasted in tomatoes. Sounds so good right? Well then taste even better. And then you can top that whole shebang with some fresh basil and everyone is all good to go.
So ok, I feed some to the mr for dinner because the goal was to fee us both with one dish, but I sure did eat more then half (like 3/4 of it) to myself. Without a fork.
There is no shame in my game.
Now to the eggplant rolls!
The stuff. An eggplant, an onion, some white beans, crushed tomatoes, a lemon, some thyme, oregano,and garlic powder, salt and pepper, oil, and basil. (I just pureed all my fresh basil into a paste so yeah).
First up, slice the eggplant lengthwise into 1/2 inch thick pieces.
Place the pieces on a baking sheet and sprinkle with a pinch of salt. It is ok if they overlap a little, we are just trying to soften them a bit. Stick into a hot oven.
Into a skillet it goes to cook up until soft and fragrant.
Eggplant, comes out of the oven all nice a pliable.
Now make the bean filling. Beans, onions, spices, juice of lemon, and a good crank of pepper and a pinch of salt go into food processor. Blend until smooth.
Gently grab an eggplant cut and cover one side with the bean mixture. Don%u2019t skimp our but don%u2019t add ore then you can roll up. And then roll it up.
Add a cup or so of sauce to a skillet or casserole dish, then place the rolls on in. Once all the rolls are in, cover with the remaining crushed tomato or marinara sauce.
Pop into hot oven to bake.
And then when the eggplant is tender and the sauce is all bubbly, pop it out.
Add some fresh basil (or basil puree) and grab that fork.
Nothing left for you to do beside eat it.
-C
serves 3-5
a medium to large eggplant
1 yellow onion
2 1/2 cups white beans (or one can)
a lemon
teaspoon each of thyme, garlic powder and oregano
3 cups crushed tomato or a simple marinara sauce
salt and pepper
splash of oil
fresh basil (optional)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Grab the eggplant and cut the very top off then cut slices lengthwise about 1/2 inch thick. You should get about 10-12 slices. Place the slices onto a baking sheet, overlapping a little if necessary, sprinkle with a pinch of salt, and place into oven. Cook for about 10 minutes or until the eggplant is just barely starting to soften and becomes pliable. Remove from oven and let cool a bit.
Meanwhile chop up the onion and place into a lightly oiled skillet. Cook for 5-8 minutes or until the onion starts to become translucent and fragrant. Once cooked, place into a food processor along with the beans (drained but keep the liquid),the spices, and the juice of the lemon. Pulse until smooth and if needed, add a few tablespoons of the bean liquid to loosen it up enough to blend. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
Now to make the rolls. Grab cooled off piece of eggplant, lay it flat, and cover with the bean mixture. Not too much or too little, probably a bit less then 1/4 cup. Then roll the eggplant up. Either grab a skillet or baking dish and add about 1 cup of the crushed tomato or marinara sauce to the bottom. Place rolls as they are being made into the dish. Once you have filled the dish with the rolls, cover with the remaining sauce.
Place the rolls into the oven and bake for 30ish minutes or until eggplant is nice and fork tender.
Once baked, remove from oven, left cool for a few minute and then serve. Top with fresh basil (or basil puree) if you want.
Eat with a fork.
Granola is a weakness of mine, well good granola is. I don%u2019t really call most stuff of the stuff you can buy at the store really granola, it is more like sugary candy crap that is marketed to be good for you when it really is not. That shit is gross and that%u2019s my truth.
Real granola, or the kind I make, is the basic bitch of granola. All it is is oats, a spice or two, salt, and a pureed up fruit (or veggies). Sometimes I will add a seed or nut at the end, or maybe even a little coconut or some other dried fruit. There is no added sweetener added, no added oils, just straight up oats and fruit.. And it%u2019s clumpy and crunchy, and all sorts of frantastic. It really is what every granola should strive to be.
The last batch I made was peach because, if you didn%u2019t know, it is peach season. Plus peach granola is delicious. That is fact. (unless you don%u2019t like peaches).
Now to the granola!
The stuff. Old fashion oats, a couple of ripe peaches, cinnamon, salt, and a little water.
Cut peaches in half, remove pits, and cut into chunks.
Place peach chunks into blender and blend until smooth.
Mix the cinnamon and salt with the oats.
Pour the peach puree into the oats.
Mix until evenly incorporated and a little clumpy. If the oats are all moist but not creating any clumps, add a few tablespoons water until there is some clumping going on.
Dump mixture onto a baking sheet, You can line it, but I don%u2019t bother.
Pop into preheated oven to bake for about 25 minutes then remove from oven and toss around. Stick it back into oven for 25 more minutes or so. After 45-50 minutes of being in the oven, turn oven off and just let granola cool in oven. It%u2019s key to crispy granola.
Cooled off and all crispy and clumpy. Granola at it%u2019s finest.
Into a jar to save some for later to eat however you want.
Me, I like handfuls straight into my mouth, chased by a little oat milk. Hehe!
-C
makes 2 1/2 cups
2 peaches
2 1/2 cups old fashion oats
a few tablespoons of water (if needed)
1-2 tablespoons cinnamon
pinch of salt
Preheat oven to 375
Cut peaches in half, remove pits, and cut into a few chunks. Place chunks into a blender and blend until smooth.
Place oats into a big bowl and mix in the salt and cinnamon then dump in the peach puree. Mix until completely incorporated and a little clumpy. IF there are no clumps, add a few tablespoons water and mix. Dump mixture onto a baking sheet and evenly distribute. Place baking granola into oven to bake.
Bake for 25 minutes, remove the granola and toss around with a spatula, then place back into oven and bake for another 25-30 minutes. After being in the oven for a total of 45-50ish minutes, turn oven off but keep granola in oven to cool. This is key to a good crispy granola.
After cooling off in oven, remove and eat. Place what is not eaten in an airtight container. Eat within a week or so.
When your neighbor tells you to pick as many raspberries as you can, well you go pick as many raspberries as you can. Just a few houses down the street, she has a yard full of the heaviest fruited raspberry bushes that have seen. So I grabbed my biggest mixing bowl and went at it. So many raspberries, they were basically falling off into the bowl (and into my mouth). Fresh raspberries, there is not much better.
And she wants me to come back for anther round. We have good neighbors.
I had quite the raspberry loot. The mr and I ate some (maybe too many), froze some, and then I made danishes for no other reason then I wanted to. And that was a just decision because everyone loves a good danish.
And these were good, or sooo good, according to the mr. He ate half while the other half were demolished when I brought them to my moms for dessert which was the plan so it worked out. People and their danishes. It%u2019s a thing you know.(No, not really)
Now to the danishes!
The stuff. Fresh raspberries (You can use frozen or if you really want, raspberry jam) flour, sugar, salt, plant milk, oil, yeast, a lemon, powdered sugar, vanilla. and that is it.
Start with mixing the yeast with the oil, milk, and sugar in a large bowl. Add in the flour and slat ads mix mix mix until you can%u2019t mix no more.
Dump onto a floured surface aaaaaanf. Knead. 5-8 minutes until the dough is all soft and smooth and uniformly dough.
Place the dough into cleaned bowl and cover. Set somewhere warm to rise.
In the mean time, make raspberry jam. Place raspberries and sugar into a pot and cook down until mixture is thick and jam like. Once the mixture sticks to a spoon like warm jam, turn heat off and let cool.
Dump dough out and cut into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into ball then roll out into a dish about a 1/2 inch thick.
Place dough disks onto splat or parchment lined baking sheet then indent each dough disk with a spoon or your fingers. Dollop a good plop of raspberry jammy into said intents. Once they are all jammed, pop them into the oven to bake. 15-18 minute should do it.
Look at those. Get them out of the oven and on to a wire rack for cooling time.
Make glaze. Sugar, lemon zest, vanilla, and lemon juice Mix until combined and yeah, that it glaze.
Drizzle the glaze all over those lovelies.
And then you eat becucae that is why you made them.
Share with your people. Or just eat them all to yourself, you made them and they are yours.
-C
makes 12
4 cups of all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons yeast
1 cup room temperature plant based milk
1/2 cup neutral oil
1/3 cup white sugar
For raspberry jam
1/4 cup white sugar
2 cups fresh raspberry
For glaze
1 lemon
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
splash of vanilla
In a large bowl combine the yeast, sugar, oil and milk. Really mix well and let sit for a minute to just get yeast activated. Dump in flour and salt and mix with a wooden spoon or whisk until it becomes to hard to stir. Dump mixture onto a lightly floured surface and knead dough for about 5-8 minutes or until the dough is soft and smooth. Place dough in a clean bowl and cover and let rise for about an hour or so or until the dough doubles in size.
While dough is rising, make raspberry jam. Mix raspberries and sugar together into a pot and place on medium heat on stove. Let cook for a couple minutes and once the raspebrries start to break down, stir. Let mixture cook down for about 10 minutes, stirring often, until the mixture becomes thick and sticks to a spoon like warm jam should. Take off heat and let cool.
Preheat oven to 350
Once dough has doubled in size, dump onto it onto a floured surface and with a knife or dough scraper, cut into 12 equal sized pieces. Roll each piece into a ball then flatten out into a disk about 1/2 inch thick. Place dough disks on a parchment or splat mat lined baking sheets (you will need 2). With a spoon, lightly push a intent into the center of each disk then place a good plop or the cooled raspberry jam into the intent. Once all the dough has its berries, place the baking sheets into the oven to bake, for about 15-18 minutes, or until the danishes are a nice golden brown.
When they are done baking, remove from oven and place on wire rack to cool.
While cooling, make the glaze. Zest lemon and place in a bowl with the powdered sugar and vanilla. Add in half the juice of the lemon and stir until completely combined. If the mixture is too thick, add more juice, to thin, add a little more powdered sugar.
And once the danishes are cooled, drizzle on the glaze. And then thats it. You can eat them now.
Any left over why are there left overs?) should be stored in a airtight container for a few days at room temp or in the fridge . They also freeze well.
Zucchini. One of the best summertime veggies. If you have been around here (as in my blog) for long enough, you all know how I am a zucchini feen. Once they start growing, I take them all. From my garden, from your garden, even my sisters mother in laws extra, plus the million I get with my farm share. At any given time I could have upwards of fifty zucchini spilling out all over the counter and shoved into any crevice I can find in the fridge. But the excess never lasts long because I eat them all. Mostly to myself, and I feel great about it. (Ok, I do end up freezing some of it for winter, but I am still eating it all!)
And every year when the first zucchinis start to hit the ground, all the people are up in my squash asking for zucchini bread, like they can%u2019t possibly make it themselves or anything. But I don%u2019t mind what so ever because sharing is caring and I guess I care. Plus I like to bake so it works, you know?
When I was recently asked to bake a loaf of zucchini bread, I made the decision to go the muffin route instead because aren%u2019t muffins just individual little breads that take half the time to cook them a loaf? Yup, and that is very nice when you want to minimize any hot oven time because summer is hot enough as it is.
And because they are muffins, they acceptable for breakfast, even with all the chocolate chips.
Win!
Now to the muffins!
The stuff. A good sized zucchini, flour, baking soda and powder, salt, brown sugar, oil, cinnamon, raw sugar, apple cider vinegar, and some chocolate chips.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and powder, salt, cinnamon, and brown sugar until completely incorporated and there are no lumps of sugar.
Shred the zucchini. I used a smaller shredder so the pieced are very thin but a normal sized box grater shred works just as well
Add zucchini, oil, and vinegar to bowl and fold in until completely combined.
Then fold in chocolate chips. Duh.
Scoop batter into a greased muffin pan and sprinkle the tops with raw sugar. Pop into the hot oven to bake.
Pop out of tins to cool on a rack.
And eat. All to yourself or share, that is on you.
-C
makes 12 muffins
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup neutral flavored oil
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 medium zucchini (2 cups packed shredded zucchini)
2/3 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup raw sugar (to sprinkle the tops) optional
Preheat oven to 350.
Grab a large bowl and add in the flour, baking powder and soda, cinnamon, and salt. Whisk together then add in the brown sugar and whisk in, making sure there are no big clumps.
Shred zucchini uniti you have 2 hefty cups. If you have a fine shredder, use that, if not, a normal sized shred will do.
Place shredded zucchini into the bowl along with the oil and the vinegar. Start folding with a spatula until everything is incorporated. Resist the urge to aggressively mix, it takes a minute for the liquid from the zucchini to absorb into the flour. (Over mixing it will make the muffins tough) Once the batter is uniform, fold in chocolate chips.
Scoop batter into a well greased or lined muffin tin. Sprinkle the tops with raw sugar and pop the pan into the preheated oven. Bake for about 30 minutes or until fluffily and domed and a tester stuck in one comes out clean.
When baked, remove from oven and pop out if tin. Let cool on a wire rack but feel free to eat one warm.
Store uneaten muffins in airtight container at room temp for a 2-3 days but if it is really hot out, just stick them in the fridge. Also can be frozen.
I love me some onions, I mean I eat one everyday so I asked myself why the heck haven%u2019t I made onion rings before? Probably because when I usually think onion rings, I think greasy and fried and that is not really my jam. But early in the week the lightbulb went off in my brain. I have been making a lot of stuff with bean flours lately and thought that chickpea flour would make an excellent batter for onions. And low and behold, I was right. Very very right.
These onion rings are so f-ing amazing. Sure they might not be the most traditional of onion ring but they are for sure just as good. A spicy crispy crunchy outer layer with a soft and creamy onion inside. Baked, not fried, and just really delightful. Easy to throw together and yeah, you got onion rings. I have made them twice this week already. Probably going to make them again tonight because why the hell not? They are simply a vegetable covered in bean. I should be eating them every day and you probably should be eating them everyday too.
Now to the onion rings!
The stuff. Onions (I used valida but any sweet variety will work) chickpea flour, spices (garlic, ginger, cumin, chili powder, paprika, and a pick or red pepper flakes), warm water, oil, and salt and pepper.
Mix up the batter. All the spices get mix together with the chickpea flour. Add in the water and then mix unit completely combined and all batter like.
Dip the onions into the batter and place on a oiled baking sheet. Try not to overlap too much and use the insides of large rings to place the small ones!
Into the oven and out of the oven. Crispy, dark, and delicious!
Get those rings onto a plate while they are hot, grab some dipping sauce of choice (tahini for me) and eat.
Get into this.
-C
3/4 cup checkpea flour
1 teaspoon each cumin and chili powder
1/2 teaspoon each garlic, paprika and ground ginger
pinch of red pepper flakes
2 medium sized valida onions (or whatever onions you have)
3/4 cup warm water
1/2 teaspoon salt
cracked pepper
tablespoon or so of oil to oil baking sheet
Preheat oven to 425.
In a wide bottomed bowl mix together the chickpea flour. salt. and all the spices. Add in the warm water and mix until completely incorporated and smooth. You want the batter to coat the onions when dipped but not be overly thick. If you think it needs to thicken up a bit, add a tablespoon more chickpea flour. To thin it, just add a splash more water.
Grab onions and peel off papery skin then slice into 1/4-1/2 inch rounds. Take onion rings and dip them into the batter then place rings on a large oiled baking sheet. Try not to overlap to much and definitely place smaller rings inside bigger rings. Also use a second baking sheet if you need to.
Once rings are all battered, place in preheated oven and bake for 40 minutes, giving them a flip atfter about 25-30 minutes.
Once dark brown and crispy, remove from the oven. Place rings on a plate and eat. Dipping sauce recommendation is tahini but anything or nothing at all is also right.
It started a few nights ago when I was eating my after dinner dessert snack. A big bowl of fresh strawberries. But there was something missing. I wanted a little something else to add to my dessert so I opened the freezer to see if there was any frozen bananas. What caught my eye was the bag of peas. And it just seemed right so I poured some into a bowl, dumped hot water on them to thaw, and mixed them into the bowl with the strawberries. Now I got to tell you, it was one of the most satisfying delicious desserts I have had in a long time. Think about it. Peas are sweet and creamy and strawberries are sweet and tart. The combination might seem a little strange but haven%u2019t we learned by now that I am always right about flavors? HAHA. But really. It%u2019s one of my new favorite snacks.
Now how to share my newfound love of peas and strawberries? Well cake of course. I figured people are less hesitant to try new flavor combinations when in cake form because everyone wants cake. And I was right. Plus it is a real looker if I do say so myself. Bright green cake with bright red strawberry glaze. A spring time snack with the spring time feels. Everything about this cake is right on point with all the things. And it is super fast and easy to make to boot because it%u2019s all thrown together in a blender.
You really can%u2019t go wrong here friends. And if you happened to be needing a little something something to snack on with your mama this weekend, well I think you just found the perfect snack.
Now to the cake!
The stuff. Peas,strawberrie jam of perceives (I had just made it so it is still warm) Flour, sugar and powdered sugar, baking soda and powder, salt, oil, and vinegar.
Super easy here. Place peas into blender and blend until smooth. Add oil and sugar and blend until incorporated. Then add in all the dry. Before you blend, take a spoon or spatula and hand mix it a little. Add in a cup of water and vinegar then pulse until incorporated. Don%u2019t over blend it or else it will be tough.
Pour batter into a well greased pan and pop into a hot oven. Bake.
Afer about 25 minuts, check for doneness. When the fork or tester comes out clean, it is done!
Pop cake out and let cool on a wire rack.
And glaze. Warm up the jam in the microwave on on stove until loose then mix jam with powdered sugar.
When the cake has cooled, grab a fork and stab holes all over so when you pour glaze on it will kind of seep into said holes.
Pop cake back into pan (or don%u2019t if you dont want too) and pour glaze all over top.
A dusting of powdered sugar for looks and done and done. Cut into squares, pop a piece on a plate, and snack away.
-C
makes a 9×9 cake
2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup white sugar
1 1/3 cups sweet peas (fresh or frozen and thawed)
1 cup water
1/3 cup oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 cup powdered sugar
3 tablespoon strawberries jam or preserves
Preheat oven to 350
Place peas into blender ans blend until smooth. Add in oil and sugar and blend until incorporated. Next add in baking soda and powder and then flour on top. Grab a spoon or spatula and mix a little to give the batter a head start then add int he water and vinegar. Pulse in blender for a few seconds, scrap sides, then pulse again until it just become a cohesive batter. Don%u2019t oven blend it or that cake will be tough.
Pour batter into a well greased 9×9 baking tin and place into hot oven. Bake for about 25 minutes or until golden brown and a tester comes out clean. When it is done, pop out of oven and pop cake out of tin to cool on a wire rack.
Once cake is cooled, place back into baking pan. Mix together the powdered sugar and jam then either microwave it or heat on stove for 30ish seconds until warmed and pourable. Grab a fork and stab holes all over top of cake then pour glaze all over.
Sprinkle some more powdered sugar on top for looks, but other then that, it%u2019s now time to eat.
Cake that is not eaten is best keep at room temperature for 2-3 days. Can be frozen too.
Why is it when I bring up anything that has to do with savory peanut butter, people get all wild and weird about it? There has been some misinformation that has seeped into peoples brains that told them that peanut butter cannot be savory, that it must be paired with something sweet and sugary.
Well I am here to tell you that that is bull shit and while peanut butter does go amazingly with all things sweet and or fruity, it is almost more fantastic with savory notes and veggies. Seriously, I eat peanut butter all the freaking time, and most of that time it is has garlic, vinegar, and some hot sauce mixed into it. To dip carrots and cabbage into of course.
This sandwich is basically that. Peanut butter mixed with a few spices and loaded with veggies. Sure ok, some of you might be a little skeptical, that is how you were raised. Peanut butter and jelly. Peanut butter and fluff. Peanut butter and banana. I get it, because that was me when I was a kid too. But then I grew up and my taste for great things grew up too, which lead me to this sandwich.
So trust me. It will probably be one of the best peanut butter sandwich situations that you will ever stick in your mouth. Plus what do you got to lose? It is a one sandwich, basically no time invested, easy as can be, adventure. One that will change your view of peanut butter and maybe even your life in all the good ways. For reals.
Now to the peanut butter and veggie sandwich!
The stuff. Peanut butter, soy, apple cider vinegar, garlic powder, black pepper, ginger, and red pepper flakes. Also bread and lots of sliced up or shredded veggies. I used red onion, shredded cabbage and carrot, cucumber, sliced fresh green beans, and spinach.
First you pile your veggies together and dump a little vinegar on to them. Also add a little pepper and toss a bit. I did it right on the cutting board. No need to dirty another bowl if you don%u2019t have to.
Now for the peanut butter spread. Mix the soy, rest of vinegar, the garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes all together with the peanut butter. Add a tiny splash of water to loosen it up if needed. Mix until completely incorporated. And then dip your finger and taste it. Add more soy or spices if you want.
And then you spread the peanut butter all over the bread.
Top with the veggies that have been sitting a good couple minutes in the vinegar.
Close up the sandwich, cut in half%u2026
Eat.
I know, I know. Life is pretty swell, especially with a peanut butter and veggie sandwich.
You%u2019re welcome.
-C
makes 1 sandwich
2 heaping tablespoons peanut butter
1/2 teaspoon each ground ginger and red chili flakes
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoon apple cider or red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon soy
splash of water
Veggies. You can use any or all of the following . Red onion, shredded cabbage, shedded carrot, sliced cucumber, green beans, spinach.
2 slices of some good ass bread
Start by placing all the veggies you are adding to the sandwich into a little pile and drizzle about a tablespoon of vinegar. Add ground black pepper and toss around a little. You can do this in a bowl, but just on a cutting board works too.
Next mix the peanut butter, tablespoon of vinegar, ginger, garlic, red chili flakes, and soy together until completely incorporated. Add a splash of water if needed to loosen a bit if it gets to thick to stir. Then taste. If you think it needs more heat, add more chili flakes, or more saltness, add a splash more soy.
And now spread the peanut butter all over the two slices of bread. Each side get equal amounts. Grab the veggies and pile them on, close sides together, and cut in half.
Eat. And yes, feel free to make another.
Do you have a shit ton of rice? I know of at least a few people that might have gone overboard with their rice stock so I think it might be safe to assume that many more did too. And that%u2019s cool, just as long as you eat it. No one like a food waster.
But are you bored with plan rice? Well I got you. Rice is so easy to jazz up. Add a little this, add a little that, and you%u2019ve got yourself a rice dish among the greats. Even better, toast the rice a little before cooking it and you end up with a even better, flavorful rice. That is fact.
Carrot ginger is a classic flavor combination and can pair with just about any other flavors so you don%u2019t have to think too hard about what else to serve with it. And really, you could just eat a big bowl of the rice. There is no need for anything else. It has it all. Grain, veggies, and seeds or nuts%u2026 All you need is a fork (or spoon if you are like that) and an open mouth and you are golden.
Now to the rice pilaf!
The stuff. Long grain brown rice, a couple carrots, some fresh ginger, garlic, an onion, soy sauce, olive oil, water, and pepper.
Grab onion and dice it up really small. Shredded or julienne the carrots.
Add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil to a pot. Add in the onions and start on medium heat and let them cook for a few minutes. Then add in the carrots and keep cooking for a few more minutes until they become slightly tender.
Mince the garlic and the ginger.
Add that freshly minced garlic and ginger to the pot and give it a good stir. Add in the rice now as well and cook for another few minutes , stirring it once or twice until you can smell the toasty-ness of the rice. Then add in the water and soy.
Bring the pot to a boil then turn heat down to the lowest simmer. Pop a top on the pot and let cook, undisturbed, for about 30ish minutes, or until all the liquid has absorbed into the rice.
Once rice is cooked, grab a fork and fluff then pop the lid back on and let it rest for 5-ish minutes. Trust, this makes the rice so just do it.
And then the rice is done, all fluffy and flavorful. Add some green something for a little pretty and yum. Also added a handful of toasted sunflower seeds because why the heck not.
-C
makes 3-4 servings
3/4 cup long grain brown jasmine rice
1 1/2 cups water
1 small onion
2 carrots (about 2 cups shredded)
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2-3 cloves garlic
2 tablespoon olive oil
pepper
1/2 cup toasted sunflower or any other seeds or nuts you have on hand (optional)
Start by dicing up the onion and shredding or julienning the carrot into small pieces. Place into medium pot along with olive oil and set on medium heat. Cook for a few minutes until the slightly tender.
Mince garlic and fresh ginger and add it to the pot with carrots and onions. Add in dried rice too and keep cooking on medium heat until the rice smells toasty. Add in the soy and the water. Bring pot to a boil then reduce to lowest simmer you got. Place a lid on top and cook for 30ish minutes or until the rice has absorbed all the liquid.
Once the rice has the liquid, remove the pot from the heat and fluff it with a fork. Place lid back on pot and let the rice rest for 5ish more minutes.
Then eat. I think adding a handful of some crunchy seeds or nut and maybe something green only adds to the rice so go for it if you have it around.
I am all about the quick meal. Sure I love me some kitchen time, but sometimes I just want good food good and fast. Chickpeas lightly saut%u00e9ed, tossed with fresh green peas, thin pieces of raw onion, and tahini sauce. Sounds easy and so simple right? Well it is, simply freaking fantastic.
I am also thinking ahead to those summertime cookouts or when people are flowing through the house in need of food. This is a definite dish to bring to a cookout of potluck dinner situation. You know, when we can do those things safely again. Until then, I make it and eat it to my face. Now you should too.
To the chickpea and peas!
The stuff. Chickpeas, peas, an onion, some tahini, soy sauce, red wine vinegar, and a little oil. Also need a splash of chickpea waster or regular water. And pepper, if you want it.
Tahini, soy, vinegar, and a little bit of chickpea water. Stir until smooth and creamy.
Cut up onion, nice and thin like.
Now saut%u00e9 chickpeas. Drain and rinse the beans and lightly coat a pan with oil. Toss chickpeas into pan on medium high heat and cook until they start to brown.
Once the chickpeas have somef dark color, toss in the peas and the onion. Mix it all tougher and turn heat off.
Dump it all into the bowl with the tahini sauce and mix it all together.
Add pepper, grab a fork, eat.
-C
Serves 1-4 people
2 1/2 cups (or one can) cooked chickpeas
2 cups fresh or frozen (and thawed) green peas
1 small onion
1/4 cup tahini
2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1-2 tablespoon soy sauce/tamari/liquid aminos
a couple teaspoons olive oil for pan
In a medium sized bowl mix together the tahini, lesser amount of soy, and vinegar. Stir until smooth, adding in a splash or chickpea or regular water to thin out until it is the consistency of heavy cream. Taste. If it needs more soy, add a little more in until it tastes right.
Grab the onion and slice it up, really thinly and into small pieces.
Place a large skiller on medium high heat on stove. Add in a couple teaspoons olive oil to coat. If the chickpeas are still in water, rinse and drain. Dump drained chickpeas into hot skillet and cook for about 5-7 minutes or until they start turn deep brown on some sides. Throw in the peas and the onions, turn heat off, and mix around. Let sit in hot pan for a minutes or two then dump it all into the bowl with the tahini sauce. Mix it all around, add some cracked pepper, then, eat.
One of my go to things to do when I am feeling feelings of stress and or anxiety (or angry , or happiness, or sad%u2026 all the emotions really) is to bake. I have a feeling that I am going to be baking quite a bit in the next few weeks. And due to the fact that when I went to go buy my usual 25 lb bag of flour the other day and all the flour, at multiple stores, was sold out, I think some of you might be planning on some baking soon too? I sure hope so because I am gonna be pissed if I find out that people are just hoarding all the flour and not using it. %ud83d%ude01
Anyway, soda bread. This bread is not like a soft and fluffy yeasted bread. It is thick and hearty and this one is full of orange zest and dried cranberries to give it just a little more flavor. Of course I was thinking of St Patricks Day next week when I made it because we all know that Irish soda bread is well, Irish, and St Patricks Day is an Irish celebration, but I was also thinking that the mr was coming home for lunch and my sourdough was only about an hour into it%u2019s 8 hour ferment and I had no back up bread for lunch food. So soda bread is what I made. Quick to throw together, bakes within an hour, and is every bit as fantastic as any yeasted bread. The mr was very much pleased to have a nice sturdy, fragrant, hunk of a this bread situation when he came home for lunch and I was a little less crazy stressed because of it. Plus, as usual when baking nice things, the house smelled so good! I think I sometime just bake things just for the smell that lingers for the day. I love it when my hair smells like bread. HA!
Now go grab that flour your hoarding and get at this bread!
The stuff. All purpose and white whole wheat flour, some oats, baking soda and powder, salt, soy milk, brown sugar, oil, dried cranberries, a bit of apple cider vinegar, and an orange.
First add vinegar into milk and stir it up.
Zest the orange into the bowl with the dry stuff, add in the sugar, and give it a good stir to fully combine it all.
Add in the cranberries. Make sure they are not all stuck together and stir them in.
And lastly, add in the milk and oil and stir until a dough forms.
The beauty of unbaked bread dough.
Turn the dough out onto a well floured baking sheet and knead it a few times. Then shape into a big ball and score the top with a big X. Then you just pop it into the oven to bake.
There she is. A big, beautiful loaf of bread. And guess what, you don%u2019t have to wait forever to cut into it. Just 15 minutes of so.
Now you got what you were waiting for. Warm fresh bread, maybe some buttery spread, and a plate (if you a civilized). You eat, you feel better.
Stay well folks!
-C
makes 1 loaf
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cups white whole wheat flour
1/2 cup old fashion oats
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups plant milk
1 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup neutral oil
a large orange for zest
1/2 cup dried cranberries
preheat oven to 375
Mix together the apple cider vinegar with the milk and set aside.
In a large bowl, mix together both flours, the oats, the brown sugar, the baking soda and powder, the zest of the orange, and the salt, until full incorporated. Then toss in the cranberries (make sure they are not all stuck together) and mix them in. Lastly, add in the oil and milk and vinegar mixture and stir until completely combined.
Turn out dough onto a well floured surface and knead a few times, adding more flour to keep your hands from sticking then place on a well floured and parchment lined baking sheet. Form dough into a ball and then score the top with a big X that is about a third of the way deep. Place into oven to bake for 50-55 minutes or until bread is a deep golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.
Once bread is baked, allow to cool for at least 15 minutes or so on a wire rack before cutting into it, but you can cut while still slightly warm.
And then eat
Store uneaten bread in an airtight bag at room temperature for up to 3 days, but it is actually better to eat it within the first 2 days. It does great when sliced and frozen and then tossed back to life.
I am pretty sure making pretzels was one of the best ideas that I had all week. Making them into the shape of hearts, that WAS the best idea I had all week. Take note. Making anything into the shape of a heart is always the best idea.
So why pretzels? Well why not. I make so much bread in this house that I felt like making a little something different. I was thinking bagels, but I didn’t really want to have dough in the fridge for a day and plus I wanted to do something then and there and have it be done. Like pretzels. From start to finish they takes less then 2 hours. And you get to twist the dough and boil it and it is just fun. Like I could totally see making pretzels with a few littles or maybe a friend or a %u201cfriend%u201d. A pretzel making date. Now that is a good idea. Oh me, I am so full of all those good ideas. HAHA!
These pretzels are of the soft variety. And to make them pretzels, and not just bread, the kneaded dough gets shaped and then boiled in a baking soda bath (not lye%u2026don%u2019t have any lying around). Then they are sprinkled in course salt and baked til a deep golden brown. They come out soft and chewy just like a good soft pretzel should be. Then they need to be eaten right away, slightly warm, because that is how you are suppose to eat them.
And so the pretzels were made. The mr came home right after I pulled these puppies out of the oven and went for a walk to get some fresh air. When I got home I found him salivating over a plate, waiting for his cue to eat. The cue was given (once I put the camera away) and eat one he did. And then another. And another. Because really, what the hell, I made him heart shaped pretzels. He loved them so much that I just let him eat as many as he wanted. He was happy, I was happy, there where hearts. No complaints. Even when I told him he was having pretzels for all meals until they were gone. He just smiled he pretzel filled mouth at that.
To the pretzels!
The stuff. Flour, salt, course salt, brown sugar, yeast, water, and some baking soda.
The yeast, brown sugar and warm water go into a big bowl to activate. Once it starts to bubble, dump in the flour and salt and mix until a shaggy dough forms.
Dump dough onto a floured surface and knead for about 5 minutes.
Kneaded all nice to soft and supple.
Place the kneaded dough into a clean bowl and cover. Let sit for about an hour or until it doubles in size.
Once doubled, dump dough onto a lightly floured counter and cut into 12 equal pieces.
Now to shape. Roll each piece into a long rope, 16-20 inches long if you can. Fold the ends together and twist then fold twisted ends down back into itself.
Pinch the end into a point and there you go. A heart! %u2665%ufe0f
And then do it to all the dough.
Water and baking soda bath boiling away.
Grab the hearts and place a few at a time, gently, into the water for about 45 seconds then pull them out with a slotted spatula.
Onto a baking sheet either lined with parchment or a splat mat.
And don%u2019t forget to sprinkle them all with course kosher salt.
Into the oven they go.
About 18-20 minutes later%u2026 PRETZELS
Get them onto a cooling rack to cool just enough.
And then you just eat them because what else are you suppose to do.
And yes, grab the mustard because duh.
makes 12 pretzels
For the dough
3 1/2 – 4 cups all pupse flour
2 teaspoons yeast
1 heavy tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups warm water
2 tablespoons course kosher salt (for topping)
For water bath
7 cups water
2 tablespoons baking soda
Start by placing yeast, brown sugar, and warm water into a big bowl and mix. Let sit for a few minutes to activate yeast. Once active, dump in the lesser amount of flour and salt. Mix until a shaggy dough forms. If the dough seems super wet, add in a little more flour. Dump dough onto a floured surface and knead until soft and elastic for about 5 minutes, adding in a little more flour as needed to keep it from getting too sticky. Once dough had been kneaded, place into a clean bowl, cover, and let sit in a warm place for about an hour or until the dough doubles in size.
Once dough has doubled, preheat oven to 450. Also get the water bath ready by placing the water into big pot and placing on heat.
Back to dough. Dump the dough onto a lighty floured surface and cut into 12 equal sized pieces. Then shape each piece by rolling the dough into a rope between 16 to 20 inches long then twisting the two ends together a few times. Fold the ends over to the middle of the dough and pinch the end into a heart. (check images above if that doesn%u2019t make sense) Once all the dough has been shaped, its time to boil. When the water is at a rolling boil, dump in the baking soda and mix around. Place 2-3 pretzels gently into the water at a time and boil for about 45 seconds. Remove from water with a splatted spoon or spatula and place on a parchment or lightly oiled baking sheet. Repeat until all dough is boiled. Make sure when you place the pretzels onto the baking sheet you give them room so they are not touching. If you need to, use 2 baking sheets. And now before the placing them into the oven, sprinkle them with the course salt.
Now into the hot oven they go, for about 18-20 minutes or until they turn a deep golden brown.
Once baked, pull from oven, place on a wire rack to cool a bit, then eat them. Dipped in mustard or any other dipping situation you find appropriate.
Left overs, should there be any, should be stored individually either wrapped or in a bag at room temp for a few days. OR better yet, just freeze them. And when you want to eat one, just warm it up again in the oven.
Mid week, I was doing a little pantry cleaning/ inventorying of what I had and needed when I came upon not one, not two, or even three. No, six. SIX, jars of jam. And there are 2 that are already opened in the fridge. I don%u2019t know why, but knowing that there was that much jam in the house made me a little uneasy. Six unopened jars is about 3 jars past my comfort zone. Sure there are so many things you can do with a jar of jam (jelly, preserves, and marmalade included) and now that I am thinking about it, is one of the reasons why I bought a few jars a while back. Then there was Christmas and I think we got at least two jars as gifts so it%u2019s not all my fault, but still, that is just too many jars of jam. Right there I needed to get rid of at least one jar. So muffins. Jam muffins, with poppyseed crust because it%u2019s pretty and nobody ever complains about poppy seeds, or at least they don%u2019t until after they eat them and have poppy seeds stuck in their teeth all day. But that is just our mouths way of saving a little for later, am I right? HA
Anyway, a quick and simple muffin recipe for all of you people out there that might have a jar or two too many of jam in the fridge or pantry%u00a0(I used apricot but any flavor(s) would work) and could use yourself a tasty little muffin situation. I mean who doesn%u2019t want a tasty muffin?
To the muffins.
The stuff. In the bowl is white and white whole wheat flour, baking powder and soda, and salt. Also have apricot jam, oil, almond milk, apple cider vinegar, and orange, and some poppy seeds.
Grab a zester and zest the orange into the bowl with all the dry stuff. Whisk to combine.
Jam, oil, milk, and vinegar. All on top of dry. Whisk that up until just combined. No over mixing. You will get tough (not in a good way) muffins.
Scoop into well greased muffins tins then cover the tops with poppy seeds.
And out of the oven, looking all pretty like.
Pop those muffins out of the tins and cool on a wire rack for a bit. And by all means, don%u2019t wait until they are completely cool.
Now eat you a warm muffin and if they are mini, grab a few. You can%u2019t just eat one mini muffin, that is just crazy.
-C
Make 12 normal size muffins or 24 mini muffins
1 cup all purpose flour
1 1/4 cups white whole wheat flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup plant milk
1/3 cup neutral oil
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
zest of an orange
1 heaping cup apricot jam or preserves (can sub in any flavor you like)
1/3 cup poppy seeds
Preheat oven to 350
In a large bowl whisk together the flours, salt, baking powder and soda, and the zest of the orange. Add in the oil, milk, jam, and vinegar and whisk until just incorporated. Scoop batter into well grease muffin pans (12 regular or 24 mini) then cover the tops with poppy seeds. Pop into hot oven and bake until risen and a tester comes out clean when one is poked. For mini muffins, check after 13 minutes, for normal muffins, after 16 minutes.
Once baked, remove from oven and pop out of pans when cool enough to handle. Place on a wire rack to cool completely or just start eating them warm.
Store left over muffins in an airtight container for 3-4 days at room temperature. They also freeze well.
THE LOVELY CRAZY
August 11, 2020 by maximios • Blog
Eggplant and I are having real moment right now. I honestly think I have been eating one, in some way or another, just about every day for the last week or so. And no, I am not sick of them at all. But yes, I have been lazy about doing much other roasting or braising the old plant and just eating it straight into my mouth hole. But I guess sometimes my lazy ass wants more substance and also, it is nice to feed the mr something good too. I figured I should maybe do something a little more classy, more meal like, and might actually require a fork to eat it with. (I have a real tendency to eat with my hands, even the things that most people would probably say could not be eaten with hands. You should see me eat soup! Ha!) And so I prepared for us a feat of greatness (not really a feat, but great for sure). Eggplant roll ups.
These rolls are way more tasty and delicious then the effort it takes to make them. Really, they are super simple to make. Just a thick herby bean filling rolled up in eggplant and roasted in tomatoes. Sounds so good right? Well then taste even better. And then you can top that whole shebang with some fresh basil and everyone is all good to go.
So ok, I feed some to the mr for dinner because the goal was to fee us both with one dish, but I sure did eat more then half (like 3/4 of it) to myself. Without a fork.
There is no shame in my game.
Now to the eggplant rolls!
The stuff. An eggplant, an onion, some white beans, crushed tomatoes, a lemon, some thyme, oregano,and garlic powder, salt and pepper, oil, and basil. (I just pureed all my fresh basil into a paste so yeah).
First up, slice the eggplant lengthwise into 1/2 inch thick pieces.
Place the pieces on a baking sheet and sprinkle with a pinch of salt. It is ok if they overlap a little, we are just trying to soften them a bit. Stick into a hot oven.
Into a skillet it goes to cook up until soft and fragrant.
Eggplant, comes out of the oven all nice a pliable.
Now make the bean filling. Beans, onions, spices, juice of lemon, and a good crank of pepper and a pinch of salt go into food processor. Blend until smooth.
Gently grab an eggplant cut and cover one side with the bean mixture. Don%u2019t skimp our but don%u2019t add ore then you can roll up. And then roll it up.
Add a cup or so of sauce to a skillet or casserole dish, then place the rolls on in. Once all the rolls are in, cover with the remaining crushed tomato or marinara sauce.
Pop into hot oven to bake.
And then when the eggplant is tender and the sauce is all bubbly, pop it out.
Add some fresh basil (or basil puree) and grab that fork.
Nothing left for you to do beside eat it.
-C
serves 3-5
a medium to large eggplant
1 yellow onion
2 1/2 cups white beans (or one can)
a lemon
teaspoon each of thyme, garlic powder and oregano
3 cups crushed tomato or a simple marinara sauce
salt and pepper
splash of oil
fresh basil (optional)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Grab the eggplant and cut the very top off then cut slices lengthwise about 1/2 inch thick. You should get about 10-12 slices. Place the slices onto a baking sheet, overlapping a little if necessary, sprinkle with a pinch of salt, and place into oven. Cook for about 10 minutes or until the eggplant is just barely starting to soften and becomes pliable. Remove from oven and let cool a bit.
Meanwhile chop up the onion and place into a lightly oiled skillet. Cook for 5-8 minutes or until the onion starts to become translucent and fragrant. Once cooked, place into a food processor along with the beans (drained but keep the liquid),the spices, and the juice of the lemon. Pulse until smooth and if needed, add a few tablespoons of the bean liquid to loosen it up enough to blend. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
Now to make the rolls. Grab cooled off piece of eggplant, lay it flat, and cover with the bean mixture. Not too much or too little, probably a bit less then 1/4 cup. Then roll the eggplant up. Either grab a skillet or baking dish and add about 1 cup of the crushed tomato or marinara sauce to the bottom. Place rolls as they are being made into the dish. Once you have filled the dish with the rolls, cover with the remaining sauce.
Place the rolls into the oven and bake for 30ish minutes or until eggplant is nice and fork tender.
Once baked, remove from oven, left cool for a few minute and then serve. Top with fresh basil (or basil puree) if you want.
Eat with a fork.
Granola is a weakness of mine, well good granola is. I don%u2019t really call most stuff of the stuff you can buy at the store really granola, it is more like sugary candy crap that is marketed to be good for you when it really is not. That shit is gross and that%u2019s my truth.
Real granola, or the kind I make, is the basic bitch of granola. All it is is oats, a spice or two, salt, and a pureed up fruit (or veggies). Sometimes I will add a seed or nut at the end, or maybe even a little coconut or some other dried fruit. There is no added sweetener added, no added oils, just straight up oats and fruit.. And it%u2019s clumpy and crunchy, and all sorts of frantastic. It really is what every granola should strive to be.
The last batch I made was peach because, if you didn%u2019t know, it is peach season. Plus peach granola is delicious. That is fact. (unless you don%u2019t like peaches).
Now to the granola!
The stuff. Old fashion oats, a couple of ripe peaches, cinnamon, salt, and a little water.
Cut peaches in half, remove pits, and cut into chunks.
Place peach chunks into blender and blend until smooth.
Mix the cinnamon and salt with the oats.
Pour the peach puree into the oats.
Mix until evenly incorporated and a little clumpy. If the oats are all moist but not creating any clumps, add a few tablespoons water until there is some clumping going on.
Dump mixture onto a baking sheet, You can line it, but I don%u2019t bother.
Pop into preheated oven to bake for about 25 minutes then remove from oven and toss around. Stick it back into oven for 25 more minutes or so. After 45-50 minutes of being in the oven, turn oven off and just let granola cool in oven. It%u2019s key to crispy granola.
Cooled off and all crispy and clumpy. Granola at it%u2019s finest.
Into a jar to save some for later to eat however you want.
Me, I like handfuls straight into my mouth, chased by a little oat milk. Hehe!
-C
makes 2 1/2 cups
2 peaches
2 1/2 cups old fashion oats
a few tablespoons of water (if needed)
1-2 tablespoons cinnamon
pinch of salt
Preheat oven to 375
Cut peaches in half, remove pits, and cut into a few chunks. Place chunks into a blender and blend until smooth.
Place oats into a big bowl and mix in the salt and cinnamon then dump in the peach puree. Mix until completely incorporated and a little clumpy. IF there are no clumps, add a few tablespoons water and mix. Dump mixture onto a baking sheet and evenly distribute. Place baking granola into oven to bake.
Bake for 25 minutes, remove the granola and toss around with a spatula, then place back into oven and bake for another 25-30 minutes. After being in the oven for a total of 45-50ish minutes, turn oven off but keep granola in oven to cool. This is key to a good crispy granola.
After cooling off in oven, remove and eat. Place what is not eaten in an airtight container. Eat within a week or so.
When your neighbor tells you to pick as many raspberries as you can, well you go pick as many raspberries as you can. Just a few houses down the street, she has a yard full of the heaviest fruited raspberry bushes that have seen. So I grabbed my biggest mixing bowl and went at it. So many raspberries, they were basically falling off into the bowl (and into my mouth). Fresh raspberries, there is not much better.
And she wants me to come back for anther round. We have good neighbors.
I had quite the raspberry loot. The mr and I ate some (maybe too many), froze some, and then I made danishes for no other reason then I wanted to. And that was a just decision because everyone loves a good danish.
And these were good, or sooo good, according to the mr. He ate half while the other half were demolished when I brought them to my moms for dessert which was the plan so it worked out. People and their danishes. It%u2019s a thing you know.(No, not really)
Now to the danishes!
The stuff. Fresh raspberries (You can use frozen or if you really want, raspberry jam) flour, sugar, salt, plant milk, oil, yeast, a lemon, powdered sugar, vanilla. and that is it.
Start with mixing the yeast with the oil, milk, and sugar in a large bowl. Add in the flour and slat ads mix mix mix until you can%u2019t mix no more.
Dump onto a floured surface aaaaaanf. Knead. 5-8 minutes until the dough is all soft and smooth and uniformly dough.
Place the dough into cleaned bowl and cover. Set somewhere warm to rise.
In the mean time, make raspberry jam. Place raspberries and sugar into a pot and cook down until mixture is thick and jam like. Once the mixture sticks to a spoon like warm jam, turn heat off and let cool.
Dump dough out and cut into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into ball then roll out into a dish about a 1/2 inch thick.
Place dough disks onto splat or parchment lined baking sheet then indent each dough disk with a spoon or your fingers. Dollop a good plop of raspberry jammy into said intents. Once they are all jammed, pop them into the oven to bake. 15-18 minute should do it.
Look at those. Get them out of the oven and on to a wire rack for cooling time.
Make glaze. Sugar, lemon zest, vanilla, and lemon juice Mix until combined and yeah, that it glaze.
Drizzle the glaze all over those lovelies.
And then you eat becucae that is why you made them.
Share with your people. Or just eat them all to yourself, you made them and they are yours.
-C
makes 12
4 cups of all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons yeast
1 cup room temperature plant based milk
1/2 cup neutral oil
1/3 cup white sugar
For raspberry jam
1/4 cup white sugar
2 cups fresh raspberry
For glaze
1 lemon
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
splash of vanilla
In a large bowl combine the yeast, sugar, oil and milk. Really mix well and let sit for a minute to just get yeast activated. Dump in flour and salt and mix with a wooden spoon or whisk until it becomes to hard to stir. Dump mixture onto a lightly floured surface and knead dough for about 5-8 minutes or until the dough is soft and smooth. Place dough in a clean bowl and cover and let rise for about an hour or so or until the dough doubles in size.
While dough is rising, make raspberry jam. Mix raspberries and sugar together into a pot and place on medium heat on stove. Let cook for a couple minutes and once the raspebrries start to break down, stir. Let mixture cook down for about 10 minutes, stirring often, until the mixture becomes thick and sticks to a spoon like warm jam should. Take off heat and let cool.
Preheat oven to 350
Once dough has doubled in size, dump onto it onto a floured surface and with a knife or dough scraper, cut into 12 equal sized pieces. Roll each piece into a ball then flatten out into a disk about 1/2 inch thick. Place dough disks on a parchment or splat mat lined baking sheets (you will need 2). With a spoon, lightly push a intent into the center of each disk then place a good plop or the cooled raspberry jam into the intent. Once all the dough has its berries, place the baking sheets into the oven to bake, for about 15-18 minutes, or until the danishes are a nice golden brown.
When they are done baking, remove from oven and place on wire rack to cool.
While cooling, make the glaze. Zest lemon and place in a bowl with the powdered sugar and vanilla. Add in half the juice of the lemon and stir until completely combined. If the mixture is too thick, add more juice, to thin, add a little more powdered sugar.
And once the danishes are cooled, drizzle on the glaze. And then thats it. You can eat them now.
Any left over why are there left overs?) should be stored in a airtight container for a few days at room temp or in the fridge . They also freeze well.
Zucchini. One of the best summertime veggies. If you have been around here (as in my blog) for long enough, you all know how I am a zucchini feen. Once they start growing, I take them all. From my garden, from your garden, even my sisters mother in laws extra, plus the million I get with my farm share. At any given time I could have upwards of fifty zucchini spilling out all over the counter and shoved into any crevice I can find in the fridge. But the excess never lasts long because I eat them all. Mostly to myself, and I feel great about it. (Ok, I do end up freezing some of it for winter, but I am still eating it all!)
And every year when the first zucchinis start to hit the ground, all the people are up in my squash asking for zucchini bread, like they can%u2019t possibly make it themselves or anything. But I don%u2019t mind what so ever because sharing is caring and I guess I care. Plus I like to bake so it works, you know?
When I was recently asked to bake a loaf of zucchini bread, I made the decision to go the muffin route instead because aren%u2019t muffins just individual little breads that take half the time to cook them a loaf? Yup, and that is very nice when you want to minimize any hot oven time because summer is hot enough as it is.
And because they are muffins, they acceptable for breakfast, even with all the chocolate chips.
Win!
Now to the muffins!
The stuff. A good sized zucchini, flour, baking soda and powder, salt, brown sugar, oil, cinnamon, raw sugar, apple cider vinegar, and some chocolate chips.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and powder, salt, cinnamon, and brown sugar until completely incorporated and there are no lumps of sugar.
Shred the zucchini. I used a smaller shredder so the pieced are very thin but a normal sized box grater shred works just as well
Add zucchini, oil, and vinegar to bowl and fold in until completely combined.
Then fold in chocolate chips. Duh.
Scoop batter into a greased muffin pan and sprinkle the tops with raw sugar. Pop into the hot oven to bake.
Pop out of tins to cool on a rack.
And eat. All to yourself or share, that is on you.
-C
makes 12 muffins
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup neutral flavored oil
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 medium zucchini (2 cups packed shredded zucchini)
2/3 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup raw sugar (to sprinkle the tops) optional
Preheat oven to 350.
Grab a large bowl and add in the flour, baking powder and soda, cinnamon, and salt. Whisk together then add in the brown sugar and whisk in, making sure there are no big clumps.
Shred zucchini uniti you have 2 hefty cups. If you have a fine shredder, use that, if not, a normal sized shred will do.
Place shredded zucchini into the bowl along with the oil and the vinegar. Start folding with a spatula until everything is incorporated. Resist the urge to aggressively mix, it takes a minute for the liquid from the zucchini to absorb into the flour. (Over mixing it will make the muffins tough) Once the batter is uniform, fold in chocolate chips.
Scoop batter into a well greased or lined muffin tin. Sprinkle the tops with raw sugar and pop the pan into the preheated oven. Bake for about 30 minutes or until fluffily and domed and a tester stuck in one comes out clean.
When baked, remove from oven and pop out if tin. Let cool on a wire rack but feel free to eat one warm.
Store uneaten muffins in airtight container at room temp for a 2-3 days but if it is really hot out, just stick them in the fridge. Also can be frozen.
I love me some onions, I mean I eat one everyday so I asked myself why the heck haven%u2019t I made onion rings before? Probably because when I usually think onion rings, I think greasy and fried and that is not really my jam. But early in the week the lightbulb went off in my brain. I have been making a lot of stuff with bean flours lately and thought that chickpea flour would make an excellent batter for onions. And low and behold, I was right. Very very right.
These onion rings are so f-ing amazing. Sure they might not be the most traditional of onion ring but they are for sure just as good. A spicy crispy crunchy outer layer with a soft and creamy onion inside. Baked, not fried, and just really delightful. Easy to throw together and yeah, you got onion rings. I have made them twice this week already. Probably going to make them again tonight because why the hell not? They are simply a vegetable covered in bean. I should be eating them every day and you probably should be eating them everyday too.
Now to the onion rings!
The stuff. Onions (I used valida but any sweet variety will work) chickpea flour, spices (garlic, ginger, cumin, chili powder, paprika, and a pick or red pepper flakes), warm water, oil, and salt and pepper.
Mix up the batter. All the spices get mix together with the chickpea flour. Add in the water and then mix unit completely combined and all batter like.
Dip the onions into the batter and place on a oiled baking sheet. Try not to overlap too much and use the insides of large rings to place the small ones!
Into the oven and out of the oven. Crispy, dark, and delicious!
Get those rings onto a plate while they are hot, grab some dipping sauce of choice (tahini for me) and eat.
Get into this.
-C
3/4 cup checkpea flour
1 teaspoon each cumin and chili powder
1/2 teaspoon each garlic, paprika and ground ginger
pinch of red pepper flakes
2 medium sized valida onions (or whatever onions you have)
3/4 cup warm water
1/2 teaspoon salt
cracked pepper
tablespoon or so of oil to oil baking sheet
Preheat oven to 425.
In a wide bottomed bowl mix together the chickpea flour. salt. and all the spices. Add in the warm water and mix until completely incorporated and smooth. You want the batter to coat the onions when dipped but not be overly thick. If you think it needs to thicken up a bit, add a tablespoon more chickpea flour. To thin it, just add a splash more water.
Grab onions and peel off papery skin then slice into 1/4-1/2 inch rounds. Take onion rings and dip them into the batter then place rings on a large oiled baking sheet. Try not to overlap to much and definitely place smaller rings inside bigger rings. Also use a second baking sheet if you need to.
Once rings are all battered, place in preheated oven and bake for 40 minutes, giving them a flip atfter about 25-30 minutes.
Once dark brown and crispy, remove from the oven. Place rings on a plate and eat. Dipping sauce recommendation is tahini but anything or nothing at all is also right.
It started a few nights ago when I was eating my after dinner dessert snack. A big bowl of fresh strawberries. But there was something missing. I wanted a little something else to add to my dessert so I opened the freezer to see if there was any frozen bananas. What caught my eye was the bag of peas. And it just seemed right so I poured some into a bowl, dumped hot water on them to thaw, and mixed them into the bowl with the strawberries. Now I got to tell you, it was one of the most satisfying delicious desserts I have had in a long time. Think about it. Peas are sweet and creamy and strawberries are sweet and tart. The combination might seem a little strange but haven%u2019t we learned by now that I am always right about flavors? HAHA. But really. It%u2019s one of my new favorite snacks.
Now how to share my newfound love of peas and strawberries? Well cake of course. I figured people are less hesitant to try new flavor combinations when in cake form because everyone wants cake. And I was right. Plus it is a real looker if I do say so myself. Bright green cake with bright red strawberry glaze. A spring time snack with the spring time feels. Everything about this cake is right on point with all the things. And it is super fast and easy to make to boot because it%u2019s all thrown together in a blender.
You really can%u2019t go wrong here friends. And if you happened to be needing a little something something to snack on with your mama this weekend, well I think you just found the perfect snack.
Now to the cake!
The stuff. Peas,strawberrie jam of perceives (I had just made it so it is still warm) Flour, sugar and powdered sugar, baking soda and powder, salt, oil, and vinegar.
Super easy here. Place peas into blender and blend until smooth. Add oil and sugar and blend until incorporated. Then add in all the dry. Before you blend, take a spoon or spatula and hand mix it a little. Add in a cup of water and vinegar then pulse until incorporated. Don%u2019t over blend it or else it will be tough.
Pour batter into a well greased pan and pop into a hot oven. Bake.
Afer about 25 minuts, check for doneness. When the fork or tester comes out clean, it is done!
Pop cake out and let cool on a wire rack.
And glaze. Warm up the jam in the microwave on on stove until loose then mix jam with powdered sugar.
When the cake has cooled, grab a fork and stab holes all over so when you pour glaze on it will kind of seep into said holes.
Pop cake back into pan (or don%u2019t if you dont want too) and pour glaze all over top.
A dusting of powdered sugar for looks and done and done. Cut into squares, pop a piece on a plate, and snack away.
-C
makes a 9×9 cake
2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup white sugar
1 1/3 cups sweet peas (fresh or frozen and thawed)
1 cup water
1/3 cup oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 cup powdered sugar
3 tablespoon strawberries jam or preserves
Preheat oven to 350
Place peas into blender ans blend until smooth. Add in oil and sugar and blend until incorporated. Next add in baking soda and powder and then flour on top. Grab a spoon or spatula and mix a little to give the batter a head start then add int he water and vinegar. Pulse in blender for a few seconds, scrap sides, then pulse again until it just become a cohesive batter. Don%u2019t oven blend it or that cake will be tough.
Pour batter into a well greased 9×9 baking tin and place into hot oven. Bake for about 25 minutes or until golden brown and a tester comes out clean. When it is done, pop out of oven and pop cake out of tin to cool on a wire rack.
Once cake is cooled, place back into baking pan. Mix together the powdered sugar and jam then either microwave it or heat on stove for 30ish seconds until warmed and pourable. Grab a fork and stab holes all over top of cake then pour glaze all over.
Sprinkle some more powdered sugar on top for looks, but other then that, it%u2019s now time to eat.
Cake that is not eaten is best keep at room temperature for 2-3 days. Can be frozen too.
Why is it when I bring up anything that has to do with savory peanut butter, people get all wild and weird about it? There has been some misinformation that has seeped into peoples brains that told them that peanut butter cannot be savory, that it must be paired with something sweet and sugary.
Well I am here to tell you that that is bull shit and while peanut butter does go amazingly with all things sweet and or fruity, it is almost more fantastic with savory notes and veggies. Seriously, I eat peanut butter all the freaking time, and most of that time it is has garlic, vinegar, and some hot sauce mixed into it. To dip carrots and cabbage into of course.
This sandwich is basically that. Peanut butter mixed with a few spices and loaded with veggies. Sure ok, some of you might be a little skeptical, that is how you were raised. Peanut butter and jelly. Peanut butter and fluff. Peanut butter and banana. I get it, because that was me when I was a kid too. But then I grew up and my taste for great things grew up too, which lead me to this sandwich.
So trust me. It will probably be one of the best peanut butter sandwich situations that you will ever stick in your mouth. Plus what do you got to lose? It is a one sandwich, basically no time invested, easy as can be, adventure. One that will change your view of peanut butter and maybe even your life in all the good ways. For reals.
Now to the peanut butter and veggie sandwich!
The stuff. Peanut butter, soy, apple cider vinegar, garlic powder, black pepper, ginger, and red pepper flakes. Also bread and lots of sliced up or shredded veggies. I used red onion, shredded cabbage and carrot, cucumber, sliced fresh green beans, and spinach.
First you pile your veggies together and dump a little vinegar on to them. Also add a little pepper and toss a bit. I did it right on the cutting board. No need to dirty another bowl if you don%u2019t have to.
Now for the peanut butter spread. Mix the soy, rest of vinegar, the garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes all together with the peanut butter. Add a tiny splash of water to loosen it up if needed. Mix until completely incorporated. And then dip your finger and taste it. Add more soy or spices if you want.
And then you spread the peanut butter all over the bread.
Top with the veggies that have been sitting a good couple minutes in the vinegar.
Close up the sandwich, cut in half%u2026
Eat.
I know, I know. Life is pretty swell, especially with a peanut butter and veggie sandwich.
You%u2019re welcome.
-C
makes 1 sandwich
2 heaping tablespoons peanut butter
1/2 teaspoon each ground ginger and red chili flakes
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoon apple cider or red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon soy
splash of water
Veggies. You can use any or all of the following . Red onion, shredded cabbage, shedded carrot, sliced cucumber, green beans, spinach.
2 slices of some good ass bread
Start by placing all the veggies you are adding to the sandwich into a little pile and drizzle about a tablespoon of vinegar. Add ground black pepper and toss around a little. You can do this in a bowl, but just on a cutting board works too.
Next mix the peanut butter, tablespoon of vinegar, ginger, garlic, red chili flakes, and soy together until completely incorporated. Add a splash of water if needed to loosen a bit if it gets to thick to stir. Then taste. If you think it needs more heat, add more chili flakes, or more saltness, add a splash more soy.
And now spread the peanut butter all over the two slices of bread. Each side get equal amounts. Grab the veggies and pile them on, close sides together, and cut in half.
Eat. And yes, feel free to make another.
Do you have a shit ton of rice? I know of at least a few people that might have gone overboard with their rice stock so I think it might be safe to assume that many more did too. And that%u2019s cool, just as long as you eat it. No one like a food waster.
But are you bored with plan rice? Well I got you. Rice is so easy to jazz up. Add a little this, add a little that, and you%u2019ve got yourself a rice dish among the greats. Even better, toast the rice a little before cooking it and you end up with a even better, flavorful rice. That is fact.
Carrot ginger is a classic flavor combination and can pair with just about any other flavors so you don%u2019t have to think too hard about what else to serve with it. And really, you could just eat a big bowl of the rice. There is no need for anything else. It has it all. Grain, veggies, and seeds or nuts%u2026 All you need is a fork (or spoon if you are like that) and an open mouth and you are golden.
Now to the rice pilaf!
The stuff. Long grain brown rice, a couple carrots, some fresh ginger, garlic, an onion, soy sauce, olive oil, water, and pepper.
Grab onion and dice it up really small. Shredded or julienne the carrots.
Add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil to a pot. Add in the onions and start on medium heat and let them cook for a few minutes. Then add in the carrots and keep cooking for a few more minutes until they become slightly tender.
Mince the garlic and the ginger.
Add that freshly minced garlic and ginger to the pot and give it a good stir. Add in the rice now as well and cook for another few minutes , stirring it once or twice until you can smell the toasty-ness of the rice. Then add in the water and soy.
Bring the pot to a boil then turn heat down to the lowest simmer. Pop a top on the pot and let cook, undisturbed, for about 30ish minutes, or until all the liquid has absorbed into the rice.
Once rice is cooked, grab a fork and fluff then pop the lid back on and let it rest for 5-ish minutes. Trust, this makes the rice so just do it.
And then the rice is done, all fluffy and flavorful. Add some green something for a little pretty and yum. Also added a handful of toasted sunflower seeds because why the heck not.
-C
makes 3-4 servings
3/4 cup long grain brown jasmine rice
1 1/2 cups water
1 small onion
2 carrots (about 2 cups shredded)
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2-3 cloves garlic
2 tablespoon olive oil
pepper
1/2 cup toasted sunflower or any other seeds or nuts you have on hand (optional)
Start by dicing up the onion and shredding or julienning the carrot into small pieces. Place into medium pot along with olive oil and set on medium heat. Cook for a few minutes until the slightly tender.
Mince garlic and fresh ginger and add it to the pot with carrots and onions. Add in dried rice too and keep cooking on medium heat until the rice smells toasty. Add in the soy and the water. Bring pot to a boil then reduce to lowest simmer you got. Place a lid on top and cook for 30ish minutes or until the rice has absorbed all the liquid.
Once the rice has the liquid, remove the pot from the heat and fluff it with a fork. Place lid back on pot and let the rice rest for 5ish more minutes.
Then eat. I think adding a handful of some crunchy seeds or nut and maybe something green only adds to the rice so go for it if you have it around.
I am all about the quick meal. Sure I love me some kitchen time, but sometimes I just want good food good and fast. Chickpeas lightly saut%u00e9ed, tossed with fresh green peas, thin pieces of raw onion, and tahini sauce. Sounds easy and so simple right? Well it is, simply freaking fantastic.
I am also thinking ahead to those summertime cookouts or when people are flowing through the house in need of food. This is a definite dish to bring to a cookout of potluck dinner situation. You know, when we can do those things safely again. Until then, I make it and eat it to my face. Now you should too.
To the chickpea and peas!
The stuff. Chickpeas, peas, an onion, some tahini, soy sauce, red wine vinegar, and a little oil. Also need a splash of chickpea waster or regular water. And pepper, if you want it.
Tahini, soy, vinegar, and a little bit of chickpea water. Stir until smooth and creamy.
Cut up onion, nice and thin like.
Now saut%u00e9 chickpeas. Drain and rinse the beans and lightly coat a pan with oil. Toss chickpeas into pan on medium high heat and cook until they start to brown.
Once the chickpeas have somef dark color, toss in the peas and the onion. Mix it all tougher and turn heat off.
Dump it all into the bowl with the tahini sauce and mix it all together.
Add pepper, grab a fork, eat.
-C
Serves 1-4 people
2 1/2 cups (or one can) cooked chickpeas
2 cups fresh or frozen (and thawed) green peas
1 small onion
1/4 cup tahini
2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1-2 tablespoon soy sauce/tamari/liquid aminos
a couple teaspoons olive oil for pan
In a medium sized bowl mix together the tahini, lesser amount of soy, and vinegar. Stir until smooth, adding in a splash or chickpea or regular water to thin out until it is the consistency of heavy cream. Taste. If it needs more soy, add a little more in until it tastes right.
Grab the onion and slice it up, really thinly and into small pieces.
Place a large skiller on medium high heat on stove. Add in a couple teaspoons olive oil to coat. If the chickpeas are still in water, rinse and drain. Dump drained chickpeas into hot skillet and cook for about 5-7 minutes or until they start turn deep brown on some sides. Throw in the peas and the onions, turn heat off, and mix around. Let sit in hot pan for a minutes or two then dump it all into the bowl with the tahini sauce. Mix it all around, add some cracked pepper, then, eat.
One of my go to things to do when I am feeling feelings of stress and or anxiety (or angry , or happiness, or sad%u2026 all the emotions really) is to bake. I have a feeling that I am going to be baking quite a bit in the next few weeks. And due to the fact that when I went to go buy my usual 25 lb bag of flour the other day and all the flour, at multiple stores, was sold out, I think some of you might be planning on some baking soon too? I sure hope so because I am gonna be pissed if I find out that people are just hoarding all the flour and not using it. %ud83d%ude01
Anyway, soda bread. This bread is not like a soft and fluffy yeasted bread. It is thick and hearty and this one is full of orange zest and dried cranberries to give it just a little more flavor. Of course I was thinking of St Patricks Day next week when I made it because we all know that Irish soda bread is well, Irish, and St Patricks Day is an Irish celebration, but I was also thinking that the mr was coming home for lunch and my sourdough was only about an hour into it%u2019s 8 hour ferment and I had no back up bread for lunch food. So soda bread is what I made. Quick to throw together, bakes within an hour, and is every bit as fantastic as any yeasted bread. The mr was very much pleased to have a nice sturdy, fragrant, hunk of a this bread situation when he came home for lunch and I was a little less crazy stressed because of it. Plus, as usual when baking nice things, the house smelled so good! I think I sometime just bake things just for the smell that lingers for the day. I love it when my hair smells like bread. HA!
Now go grab that flour your hoarding and get at this bread!
The stuff. All purpose and white whole wheat flour, some oats, baking soda and powder, salt, soy milk, brown sugar, oil, dried cranberries, a bit of apple cider vinegar, and an orange.
First add vinegar into milk and stir it up.
Zest the orange into the bowl with the dry stuff, add in the sugar, and give it a good stir to fully combine it all.
Add in the cranberries. Make sure they are not all stuck together and stir them in.
And lastly, add in the milk and oil and stir until a dough forms.
The beauty of unbaked bread dough.
Turn the dough out onto a well floured baking sheet and knead it a few times. Then shape into a big ball and score the top with a big X. Then you just pop it into the oven to bake.
There she is. A big, beautiful loaf of bread. And guess what, you don%u2019t have to wait forever to cut into it. Just 15 minutes of so.
Now you got what you were waiting for. Warm fresh bread, maybe some buttery spread, and a plate (if you a civilized). You eat, you feel better.
Stay well folks!
-C
makes 1 loaf
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cups white whole wheat flour
1/2 cup old fashion oats
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups plant milk
1 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup neutral oil
a large orange for zest
1/2 cup dried cranberries
preheat oven to 375
Mix together the apple cider vinegar with the milk and set aside.
In a large bowl, mix together both flours, the oats, the brown sugar, the baking soda and powder, the zest of the orange, and the salt, until full incorporated. Then toss in the cranberries (make sure they are not all stuck together) and mix them in. Lastly, add in the oil and milk and vinegar mixture and stir until completely combined.
Turn out dough onto a well floured surface and knead a few times, adding more flour to keep your hands from sticking then place on a well floured and parchment lined baking sheet. Form dough into a ball and then score the top with a big X that is about a third of the way deep. Place into oven to bake for 50-55 minutes or until bread is a deep golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.
Once bread is baked, allow to cool for at least 15 minutes or so on a wire rack before cutting into it, but you can cut while still slightly warm.
And then eat
Store uneaten bread in an airtight bag at room temperature for up to 3 days, but it is actually better to eat it within the first 2 days. It does great when sliced and frozen and then tossed back to life.
I am pretty sure making pretzels was one of the best ideas that I had all week. Making them into the shape of hearts, that WAS the best idea I had all week. Take note. Making anything into the shape of a heart is always the best idea.
So why pretzels? Well why not. I make so much bread in this house that I felt like making a little something different. I was thinking bagels, but I didn’t really want to have dough in the fridge for a day and plus I wanted to do something then and there and have it be done. Like pretzels. From start to finish they takes less then 2 hours. And you get to twist the dough and boil it and it is just fun. Like I could totally see making pretzels with a few littles or maybe a friend or a %u201cfriend%u201d. A pretzel making date. Now that is a good idea. Oh me, I am so full of all those good ideas. HAHA!
These pretzels are of the soft variety. And to make them pretzels, and not just bread, the kneaded dough gets shaped and then boiled in a baking soda bath (not lye%u2026don%u2019t have any lying around). Then they are sprinkled in course salt and baked til a deep golden brown. They come out soft and chewy just like a good soft pretzel should be. Then they need to be eaten right away, slightly warm, because that is how you are suppose to eat them.
And so the pretzels were made. The mr came home right after I pulled these puppies out of the oven and went for a walk to get some fresh air. When I got home I found him salivating over a plate, waiting for his cue to eat. The cue was given (once I put the camera away) and eat one he did. And then another. And another. Because really, what the hell, I made him heart shaped pretzels. He loved them so much that I just let him eat as many as he wanted. He was happy, I was happy, there where hearts. No complaints. Even when I told him he was having pretzels for all meals until they were gone. He just smiled he pretzel filled mouth at that.
To the pretzels!
The stuff. Flour, salt, course salt, brown sugar, yeast, water, and some baking soda.
The yeast, brown sugar and warm water go into a big bowl to activate. Once it starts to bubble, dump in the flour and salt and mix until a shaggy dough forms.
Dump dough onto a floured surface and knead for about 5 minutes.
Kneaded all nice to soft and supple.
Place the kneaded dough into a clean bowl and cover. Let sit for about an hour or until it doubles in size.
Once doubled, dump dough onto a lightly floured counter and cut into 12 equal pieces.
Now to shape. Roll each piece into a long rope, 16-20 inches long if you can. Fold the ends together and twist then fold twisted ends down back into itself.
Pinch the end into a point and there you go. A heart! %u2665%ufe0f
And then do it to all the dough.
Water and baking soda bath boiling away.
Grab the hearts and place a few at a time, gently, into the water for about 45 seconds then pull them out with a slotted spatula.
Onto a baking sheet either lined with parchment or a splat mat.
And don%u2019t forget to sprinkle them all with course kosher salt.
Into the oven they go.
About 18-20 minutes later%u2026 PRETZELS
Get them onto a cooling rack to cool just enough.
And then you just eat them because what else are you suppose to do.
And yes, grab the mustard because duh.
makes 12 pretzels
For the dough
3 1/2 – 4 cups all pupse flour
2 teaspoons yeast
1 heavy tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups warm water
2 tablespoons course kosher salt (for topping)
For water bath
7 cups water
2 tablespoons baking soda
Start by placing yeast, brown sugar, and warm water into a big bowl and mix. Let sit for a few minutes to activate yeast. Once active, dump in the lesser amount of flour and salt. Mix until a shaggy dough forms. If the dough seems super wet, add in a little more flour. Dump dough onto a floured surface and knead until soft and elastic for about 5 minutes, adding in a little more flour as needed to keep it from getting too sticky. Once dough had been kneaded, place into a clean bowl, cover, and let sit in a warm place for about an hour or until the dough doubles in size.
Once dough has doubled, preheat oven to 450. Also get the water bath ready by placing the water into big pot and placing on heat.
Back to dough. Dump the dough onto a lighty floured surface and cut into 12 equal sized pieces. Then shape each piece by rolling the dough into a rope between 16 to 20 inches long then twisting the two ends together a few times. Fold the ends over to the middle of the dough and pinch the end into a heart. (check images above if that doesn%u2019t make sense) Once all the dough has been shaped, its time to boil. When the water is at a rolling boil, dump in the baking soda and mix around. Place 2-3 pretzels gently into the water at a time and boil for about 45 seconds. Remove from water with a splatted spoon or spatula and place on a parchment or lightly oiled baking sheet. Repeat until all dough is boiled. Make sure when you place the pretzels onto the baking sheet you give them room so they are not touching. If you need to, use 2 baking sheets. And now before the placing them into the oven, sprinkle them with the course salt.
Now into the hot oven they go, for about 18-20 minutes or until they turn a deep golden brown.
Once baked, pull from oven, place on a wire rack to cool a bit, then eat them. Dipped in mustard or any other dipping situation you find appropriate.
Left overs, should there be any, should be stored individually either wrapped or in a bag at room temp for a few days. OR better yet, just freeze them. And when you want to eat one, just warm it up again in the oven.
Mid week, I was doing a little pantry cleaning/ inventorying of what I had and needed when I came upon not one, not two, or even three. No, six. SIX, jars of jam. And there are 2 that are already opened in the fridge. I don%u2019t know why, but knowing that there was that much jam in the house made me a little uneasy. Six unopened jars is about 3 jars past my comfort zone. Sure there are so many things you can do with a jar of jam (jelly, preserves, and marmalade included) and now that I am thinking about it, is one of the reasons why I bought a few jars a while back. Then there was Christmas and I think we got at least two jars as gifts so it%u2019s not all my fault, but still, that is just too many jars of jam. Right there I needed to get rid of at least one jar. So muffins. Jam muffins, with poppyseed crust because it%u2019s pretty and nobody ever complains about poppy seeds, or at least they don%u2019t until after they eat them and have poppy seeds stuck in their teeth all day. But that is just our mouths way of saving a little for later, am I right? HA
Anyway, a quick and simple muffin recipe for all of you people out there that might have a jar or two too many of jam in the fridge or pantry%u00a0(I used apricot but any flavor(s) would work) and could use yourself a tasty little muffin situation. I mean who doesn%u2019t want a tasty muffin?
To the muffins.
The stuff. In the bowl is white and white whole wheat flour, baking powder and soda, and salt. Also have apricot jam, oil, almond milk, apple cider vinegar, and orange, and some poppy seeds.
Grab a zester and zest the orange into the bowl with all the dry stuff. Whisk to combine.
Jam, oil, milk, and vinegar. All on top of dry. Whisk that up until just combined. No over mixing. You will get tough (not in a good way) muffins.
Scoop into well greased muffins tins then cover the tops with poppy seeds.
And out of the oven, looking all pretty like.
Pop those muffins out of the tins and cool on a wire rack for a bit. And by all means, don%u2019t wait until they are completely cool.
Now eat you a warm muffin and if they are mini, grab a few. You can%u2019t just eat one mini muffin, that is just crazy.
-C
Make 12 normal size muffins or 24 mini muffins
1 cup all purpose flour
1 1/4 cups white whole wheat flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup plant milk
1/3 cup neutral oil
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
zest of an orange
1 heaping cup apricot jam or preserves (can sub in any flavor you like)
1/3 cup poppy seeds
Preheat oven to 350
In a large bowl whisk together the flours, salt, baking powder and soda, and the zest of the orange. Add in the oil, milk, jam, and vinegar and whisk until just incorporated. Scoop batter into well grease muffin pans (12 regular or 24 mini) then cover the tops with poppy seeds. Pop into hot oven and bake until risen and a tester comes out clean when one is poked. For mini muffins, check after 13 minutes, for normal muffins, after 16 minutes.
Once baked, remove from oven and pop out of pans when cool enough to handle. Place on a wire rack to cool completely or just start eating them warm.
Store left over muffins in an airtight container for 3-4 days at room temperature. They also freeze well.