Yummy Peanut Butter Cookies (Vegan!)

I have a major food crush on 101 Cookbooks and I am very much in love with Heidi's peanut butter cookies. I am bringing them to Choral Society tonight, assuming I don't eat them all. Yum yum yum!

Strawberry Sangria

Another post clearly written in the height of summer.


Strawberries are here! This lighter twist on traditional sangria - a fruited wine concoction from Spain - got rave reviews when I brought it to last year's Hiawatha Music Festival. It's a great way to use up very ripe strawberries, as they're juicier and sweeter. Try substituting pitted fresh cherries for some of the strawberries. Perfect for a warm summer night.

Strawberry Sangria

4-5 cups sliced strawberries, fresh or frozen

1 bottle dry white wine, such as chardonnay or pinot grigio

scant 1/4 cup raw agave nectar

juice of three oranges (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a pitcher and stir well to mix in the agave nectar and muddle the berries. Allow to chill 2 to 6 hours in a fridge or cooler before serving; adjust sweetener to taste. The berry pulp can be strained out before serving if desired. Use whole strawberries and zested orange peel to garnish.
 
Variation: Replace wine with lemonade for a non-alcoholic version; adjust sweetener to taste.

 

My friend, Esther, enjoying some strawberry

picking at a local strawberry farm in Skandia.

Basic Vinaigrette

Originally written in June 2009.

I got to do my first harvesting at the farm this week - what a treat! I couldn't help feeling a little nostalgic seeing these giant plants. I thought back to planting impossibly small lettuce seeds, gently prying beet seedlings from their flats, nestling chard into a bed of mulch, and weeding all those rows of peas. Finally, here they were, out of the ground, off the vine, ready to be cleaned, chopped, and devoured. But how to do justice to these delicious plants and the countless hours we had spent tending them? How to send them to their final resting place - our bellies - in tasty, well-deserved glory? Nothing elaborate, something simple and honest, like the veggies themselves. My mind went immediately to a vinaigrette.

The vinaigrette is the most basic formula for salad dressings - just a step up from oil and vinegar - and my favorite choice for summer salads. The simple acidity of vinegar and lemon juice, deepened by oil and tahini, then accented with fresh herbs makes this dressing amenable to just about any summer food. Try brushing some on toasted bread and topping with sprouts for a light bruschetta, or use it to marinate vegetable skewers before grilling them. I've even used this formula as a base for coleslaw. And feel free to change up the herbs depending on what you want to accent in a salad or a wine. Experiment with different oils, different vinegars, different mustards. The key is to make the dressing you think your greens deserve.

Basic Vinaigrette (makes 1 1/2 to 2 cups)

1/3 cup flavored vinegar (I often go for a mix of tarragon and apple cider)

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon prepared Dijon or stoneground mustard

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 tablespoon tahini

2-3 cloves garlic, crushed

3/4 cup of olive oil

neutral-flavored oil (such as peanut or sunflower), to taste

about 10 fresh basil leaves

Whisk together first seven ingredients in a glass or plastic bowl. While whisking, slowly drizzle in the olive oil. Drizzle in some of the neutral-flavored oil in the same manner if the dressing is too tangy or acidic. Slice the basil leaves into very fine strips and whisk into the dressing. You may want to give the vinaigrette a brief whirl in the blender if the strips of basil are too big and clump together. Adjust seasonings to taste. This dressing can be made ahead of time and kept in the fridge up to three days.

Disappearing Greens

I can never seem to get enough greens! There's so much to love about them: their beautiful, rich color, their high calcium and vitamin content, not to mention the yummy taste. This is my favorite way to prepare just about any type of greens; it's tasty, satisfying and good for you to boot. This recipe makes a lot, but don't worry about the leftovers, they won't stick around for long!

Disappearing Greens (Serves 6)

olive oil
2 large bunches of greens (chard, spinach, beet greens), leaves cut into 1-inch strips, stems finely chopped
1 large onion, thinly sliced
3-4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2-3 Tablespoons tamari/soy sauce
2-3 Tablespoons lemon/lime juice
salt and pepper to taste
4-6 cups cooked grains (I usually use quinoa or brown rice and set it to cook while I prepare everything else)

Heat 1-2 tablespoons of oil in a large, heavy-bottomed skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until it is translucent and starting to brown (about 10 minutes). Add garlic and continue cooking another five minutes. Add the greens and stems along with the tamari and lemon juice. Using a pair of tongs, turn the greens frequently (if you don't have a pair of tongs, just keep everything in the pan moving so that all the greens get exposed to the heat - tongs just make this easier). When the greens start to turn dark and shiny, which should take no more than a few minutes, remove the pan from the heat. This will ensure the greens don't get overcooked, as the residual heat from the pan and the grains will continue to cook them. Add the cooked grains and toss to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately.

Variations/Additions:

Kale can be used in place of the other greens listed, but it will take longer to get to the "dark and shiny" stage where it is tender enough to eat.

Add grated beets or carrots, toasted nuts or seeds with the greens for extra crunch, flavor and color.

For a greens breakfast scramble, replace the grains with crumbled tofu or beaten eggs. Add them to the pan with the onions at the same time as the garlic (for the tofu) or right before the greens (for the eggs). Serve with whole-grain toast.

Vegan Collard Greens

One of my favorite parts of early summer is the abundance of fresh, tasty greens that start appearing - they just don't taste the same when you buy them in the winter! So many recipes for collards call for adding some sort of pork product to the greens while they're cooking. But you can get amazing flavor out of these tough greens using completely vegan means too! If you've got the freezer space, make up a batch of these collards and stash them away for late fall or winter when the snow is getting you down, and you'll be rewarded with a tangy, spicy taste of summer on some frosty night.

Ingredients:

1 lb collards (half and half collards and kale works too)
1 onion, chopped
1/2 cup prepared salsa (if you don't have salsa on hand, use a can of diced tomatoes and increase the onion and garlic by about half)
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1 teaspoon salt, to taste
hot sauce (I prefer Huy Fong Sriracha, the red stuff with the rooster on the bottle, but use your favorite)
lemon juice

Directions:

1. Wash the greens and remove their tough stems; chop the stems finely - this will help them cook quicker. Cut the leaves in half length-wise and then cut into half-inch strips.

2. Put everything except the hot sauce into a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the greens are shrunk down and tender to the bite. This will take about half an hour, but collards will withstand much longer cooking times, so don't be afraid to just let them simmer away!

Serve with the liquid over brown rice, quinoa, or lentils. Add hot sauce and lemon juice to taste.

Rhubarb Syrup and Rhubarb "Butter"

Note: This is the start of a series of posts cataloging recipes that appeared in Dancing Crane Farm's newsletter for the 2009 growing season. I started writing recipes for the newsletter in late May, so most featured produce that was in season at the time, but obviously is not in season at the time of writing this post (like this recipe for rhubarb). No worries, spring will come again, just squirrel them away for the time being, or let them be a reminder of warmth and sunshine.

Early summer means rhubarb and it seems just about everyone in the U.P. knows someone who has more rhubarb than they know what to do with. I found this recipe for Rhubarb Syrup online, tweaked it a little, and after making a batch decided to turn the leftover goop into a tasty spread. The original recipe called for 4 cups of rhubarb, but for more of that distinctive rhubarb taste I'd use an extra cup. The syrup is great mixed with club soda or sparkling wine for a sweet rhubarb fizz, with lemon juice and water for rhubarb lemonade, or boil it a little longer to make syrup for pancakes. The rhubarb butter is great on toast, muffins, or oatmeal, and keeps well in the fridge. 

Rhubarb Syrup and Rhubarb "Butter"

 4-5 cups rhubarb, medium dice

1 cup water

1 cup sugar

1-2 teaspoons peeled and finely minced ginger

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower heat to a simmer and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally until the rhubarb has broken down and mixture begins to thicken, about 20 minutes.

For the syrup: Remove from heat and pour into a fine mesh sieve or colander lined with cheesecloth placed over a bowl. Allow the liquid to drain out and give the cheesecloth a good squeeze to get as much liquid as possible from the mixture. You should end up with about 1 1/2 cups of bright pink syrup. This can now be reduced further if you want to use it for pancakes. The syrup will keep about a week in a sealed jar in the fridge.

For the "butter": Scrape remaining rhubarb goop into a food processor or blender. Add 1 teaspoon of lemon juice, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and 1/4 teaspoon of ground cloves. Process until everything is smooth and thick. Taste and adjust the spices and lemon juice to taste. This mixture will keep in a sealed jar in the fridge for about a week.

Lol

http://9gag.com/gag/6295/

Sauna Cake (aka Beet Cake)

The inspiration for this recipe came the day I brought my friend Emily to volunteer at the farm. It was a Thursday, so we were picking for market and while harvesting some beautiful beets, Emily wondered aloud if beets could somehow be incorporated into a cake. We seized upon the idea of substituting them for carrots in a carrot cake, and so the beet cake was born. I gave it the name Sauna Cake when we brought it to a friend's house and devoured it post-sauna. Of course you can always make this with carrots, but for me there's something very charming about a fuchsia-colored cake with pink icing. The original Sauna Cake had eggs, but this one is vegan and arguably superior :)

Sauna Cake

2 1/2 very ripe bananas, mashed well
1/2 cup oil (a little more if the batter is too stiff)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 Tablespoons molasses
3 teaspoons baking powder
4 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 cup soy/almond/rice milk
2 teaspoons salt
2 cups shredded beets (the finer you shred them, the better they blend into the cake)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
1/2 cup raisins (optional)
3 cups flour

Preheat oven to 325 degrees and make sure oven rack is in the center. Grease two 9-inch round cake pans. Squeeze excess juice from the shredded beets and set aside for the frosting. Combine all ingredients until smooth and divide evenly between the two cake pans. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until the cakes start to pull away from the sides and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool cakes in the pan 45 minutes to an hour, then gently remove from pan and cool completely on wire racks. Frost with (vegan) cream cheese frosting (recipe follows).

(Vegan) Cream Cheese Frosting

8 oz. vegan cream cheese
1/2 cup vegan sour cream
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Reserved juice from the beets in the cake (optional)
3/4-1 cup powdered sugar (more or less to taste)

Combine all ingredients in a non-metal bowl with a hand mixer and chill until firm. Frosts two 9-inch layers.

Purple batter! The non-vegan version turns brown in the oven, but the vegan one stays this lovely magenta/fuchsia color.

 The finished product. So dense, so delicious, so...pink. Good for breast cancer awareness month, no? :)

Food Therapy: Ethiopian Lentil Bowl

Last night I decided it had been a lousy week (yes, I know it was only Tuesday, that's how lousy a week it was) and I was in need of some food therapy. I'd been jonesin' to make this soup at the farm that day, but since there was much craziness and we were pressed for time, we heated up whatever leftovers we could find and made do with that. So no experimental lentil soup at the farm, hence the need to make it at home. This recipe comes from the Simply in Season cookbook. There are no words to describe how amazing this book is, not just for recipes but even for reading. I would almost recommend buying two: one for the kitchen, and one to stash in the bathroom for a little light reading. Seriously.

As usual, I couldn't leave well enough alone and had to modify things as I went. I also didn't have some of the things the recipe calls for (when they start making tomato paste in squeezy tubes, I'll start buying it) so I did my usual supplement/subtract to get where I wanted. I'm pleased with the results and plan to make it again soon, to store some in the freezer for those sniffley days (like, oh, the last three weeks or so).


Ethiopian Lentil Bowl (with modifications)

2 cups dried red lentils (sorted and rinsed)
 - Cover these with water and let them soak while you prep everything else.

2 large onions, finely chopped (or not, up to you)
2 heads of garlic, peeled and mashed* (the original calls for only one, but I did 1 1/2 and thought it could stand even more)
 - Saute these in 3 Tablespoons of oil until they're golden and have that delightful browned smell

3 Tablespoons tomato paste OR 28 oz can diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon (at least) paprika
1 teaspoon (at least) chili powder/cayenne
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon (at least) ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon (at least) black pepper
3 Cups water (you might need more)

Mix tomato paste/diced tomatoes and the spices and add to the onions and garlic with half the water. Stir well and let come to a boil. When it's boiling, add the drained lentils and the remaining 1 1/2 cups water. Lower the heat to medium and cook until the lentils start falling apart and the contents of the pot thicken (about 30 minutes). Stir occasionally to prevent the lentils from burning to the bottom. When the mixture reaches the desired consistency, turn off the heat and add 1/4-1/3 cup lemon or lime juice. Top with minced cilantro or parsley (optional). Devour while hot to heal the body and soul.

*Mashed, in my understanding, does not mean the same as crushed. You still want big chunks of garlic, and by smashing the cloves you help release their flavour when sauteing them with the onions. I like to use the flat part of a big kitchen knife, but nothing in the book says you can't just bang away with your hands :) Feel free to cut the bigger chunks into smaller pieces if you like, but for me one of the yummiest things about this dish was the occasional huge bite of garlic. Instant bliss.

Another Fog Blog (better late than never)

This fog is actually from almost a week ago, Friday 25th September. The next day was the last we saw of the nice weather before it pretty much became a hurricane for 24 hours (50 mph gusting winds, power outages around town and out in Skandia, full-on freezing on Tuesday night). So this might be the last of the transitional fog we see for awhile.