My Kitchen My Garden My Craft Closet

Quinoa Spinach Bake

Sun, 6 May 2012 09:47:57 -0700

Quinoa is actually not a grain but a seed, like amaranth and buckwheat. It’s called a pseudocereal rather than a true cereal because it’s not a member of the grass family. It’s closely related to beets, spinach and tumbleweeds. It’s extremely popular right now because it’s such a powerhouse of nutrition. Quinoa is a complete protein, which means it contains all eight essential amino acids, usually found only in animal products. It’s also high in protein, 18%, compared to brown rice which has only 5% protein. It’s high in fiber, phosphorus, magnesium, and iron and it’s gluten free and cooks in less than 15 minutes. What’s not to like? Quinoa should be a part of your diet, especially if you’re trying to cut down on animal products. Most mornings, I cook quinoa flakes as a hot cereal for breakfast and top it with raisins, banana and cinnamon.

Always looking for new ways to cook quinoa, I found this recipe for Quinoa Spinach Bake on Martha Stewart’s website. It sounded tasty so I decided to give it a try, plus I just so happened to have most of the ingredients on hand. Martha, or whomever really came up with this recipe for Martha, has you blanch the spinach first. I’m not really sure about the reason for this, but I went with the instructions as written.

Blanch the leaves in boiling water for about 5-10 seconds, When they turn bright green, immediately scoop them out of the boiling water and put them in an ice water bath, this stops the cooking process.

Next, you squeeze out all of the excess water and chop the spinach.

I baked this dish in individual little single serve baking dishes but you can make it in one baking dish. Prep the baking dishes by rubbing or spraying them with some oil and sprinkling some whole grain bread crumbs in the bottom.

The original recipe called for a cup of cottage cheese and a couple of eggs. I used 1/2 cup of crumbled tofu and 1/2 cup non dairy sour cream to replace the cottage cheese and I replaced the eggs with a combination of Bob’s Red Mill egg replacer, water and organic corn starch. That seemed to do the trick.

The original recipe also calls for fresh rosemary and thyme, neither or which I had on hand so I added a couple of teaspoons of Spike seasoning blend. If the basil I’m growing in my garden was big enough to pick, I would have used a couple of tablespoons of chopped fresh basil. You can use what ever fresh herbs or seasoning blends you have on hand and customize it to your taste.

You mix together the herbs, cooked quinoa, spinach, egg and cottage cheese substitutes, onion, and garlic in a bowl and spread it out in your prepared baking dish or dishes. I baked the little ones for 45 minutes but if you use an 8x8 glass or ceramic baking dish you will need to cook it for at least an hour or until the edges are brown.

I thought this dish was tasty but it lacked any real flavor pop. Next time I’m going to add the fresh basil and some chopped up sun-dried tomatoes that were packed in olive oil. I’m writing the recipe with these ingredients included.

Quinoa Spinach Bake
Adapted from a recipe by Martha Stewart
Makes 4 servings - Use organic ingredients whenever possible

Olive oil or spray oil
bread crumbs for baking dish
1 lb spinach leaves, picked and washed
1 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion, peeled and diced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2 cups cooked quinoa (about 1 cup uncooked quinoa)
1/2 cup mashed extra firm tofu
1/2 cup non dairy sour cream (Tofutti brand)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil or 2 teaspoons dried herbs
1/4 cup finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes that were packed in oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons Bob’s Red Mill egg replacer
6 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons organic cornstarch

Preheat your oven to 350°
Spray or wipe one 8x8 glass or ceramic baking dish or 4 individual baking dishes with oil.
Cover the bottom of the baking dish with bread crumbs.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
Fill a large bowl with cold water and ice cubes and set aside.
Put the spinach in the boiling water and blanch until bright green, about 10 seconds.
Transfer the spinach to the ice water with a slotted spoon.
When the spinach is cold, remove it from the ice bath and squeeze out all the water.
Chop the spinach and set aside in a bowl.
Heat the oil in a saute pan
Add the onion and garlic and saute for about 8 minutes.
Add the sauteed onion and garlic to the spinach.
Add the quinoa, tofu, sour cream, tomatoes, basil and salt to the bowl and stir.
In a small bowl, whisk together the water, egg replacer and the cornstarch.
Add this mixture to the others and stir until combined.
Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish (or dishes) and place in your oven.
Baked about 60 minutes or until the edges are brown (45 minutes if you’re using individual dishes)

My Other Quinoa Dishes:

Mexican Quinoa Stuffed Squash Greek Quinoa Salad Orange Pistachio Quinoa Salad

Cauliflower Tagine

Sat, 28 Apr 2012 16:01:57 -0700

We’re harvesting the biggest cauliflowers we’ve ever grown. Big white, perfectly formed cauliflowers. My usual fallback recipe is my creamy cauliflower and carrot soup, but with the warm weather and the beauty of this vegetable, I didn’t want to puree the thing beyond recognition. So, I turned to the internet to find a new cauliflower recipe and actually found two that sounded tasty. The first one was a roasted cauliflower dish that required ingredients I didn’t have on hand so I turned to the second one, Cauliflower Tagine. This North African spiced dish is a wonderful combination of cumin, ginger, bay and cinnamon with a little lemon and cilantro mixed in. It will probably become a new “go to” recipe for cauliflower.

Here is the aforementioned cauliflower, just picked from our garden.

I cooked the cauliflower with some onion, garlic, carrots, zucchini, chickpeas and raisins in a broth made of diced tomatoes and No-Chicken Broth. This combination of vegetables and spices is wonderful, give this one a try, it’s an adventure in a bowl. Traditionally this type of dish is served on couscous but I poured it over some cooked quinoa I had in my fridge. The grain and bean combination makes a complete protein.

Cauliflower Tagine
Adapted from a recipe in Redbook by Frank P. Melodia
Makes 4 main course servings - Use organic ingredients whenever possible

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground ginger
2 slices lemon
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 3/4 cups No-Chicken Broth or vegetable broth
2 (14 oz) cans fire roasted diced tomatoes, undrained
1 medium cauliflower
3 carrots
1 (15 oz) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained
1/2 cup raisins
1 stick cinnamon
2 medium zucchini
1/4 cup slivered almonds
1/4 cup cilantro leaves

Heat the oil in a large dutch oven over medium heat.
Halve the onion and slice it into strips.
Add the onion to the oil and saute for 6 minutes or until soft and translucent.
Mince the garlic and add it to the onions along with the cumin, ginger, lemon, bay, salt and pepper.
Stir everything for a minute or two and pour in the broth and tomatoes.
Break the cauliflower up into 3 inch long florets
Peel and cut the carrots into 3 inch lengths.
Add the cauliflower, carrots, chickpeas, raisins and cinnamon stick to the broth mixture.
Bring the whole thing to a boil, stirring a few times.
Reduce the heat to low and cover the pot and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Cut the zucchini into 1 inch round pieces and add it to the pot.
Continue to simmer, covered, for another 10 minutes.
Serve over couscous or quinoa and garnish with sliced almonds and fresh cilantro.

My Other Cauliflower Dish:

Cauliflower and Carrot Soup

Black Bean and (vegan) Chorizo Soup

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 18:22:55 -0700

We could eat Mexican food every night of the week. We love it that much. When a friend of mine, who lives in Mexico, linked this recipe on her Facebook page, I knew I needed to give it a try. I wasn’t disappointed! The original recipe can be found on the website, What’s Cooking, Mexico?

This soup is balanced perfectly, much better than my other black bean soup recipe. It’s just spicy enough to warm you up on a rainy night but not so hot that it masks the flavor of everything else. I topped it with some non dairy sour cream, avocado and cilantro, and we both had seconds.

The original recipe calls for real chorizo, which is a spicy sausage made from the salivary glands, lymph nodes and fat of an animal. I used Soyriso by El Burrito, which is is a meatless chorizo made from soybeans, so it doesn’t contain any animal parts, cholesterol or nitrites. Unlike real chorizo, it’s not raw either so it cooks up very quickly. This is the ingredient that sets this black bean soup apart from all the others that I’ve tired.

The recipe also calls for epazote, an herb traditionally used in Mexico when cooking beans because it tends to counter their gassy nature. I couldn’t find any at the store so I substituted with some fresh cilantro. It’s not at all the same flavor but it worked. I’ve ordered some seed so I can grow epazote this summer.

Unlike many soups, this one is quick to make so it’s perfect for a mid week meal when you may not have a lot of prep time to get dinner on the table. I cooked the beans in a pressure cooker so it only took about 15 minutes but you could use canned beans and it would take even less time.

Black Bean and (vegan) Chorizo Soup
Makes 4 main course servings - Use organic ingredients whenever possible

2 teaspoons sunflower or safflower oil
1 small onion
2 cloves garlic
6 oz El Burrito Soyrizo (half a package)
4 cups cooked black beans (or two 15 oz cans)
3 cups broth that the beans cooked in (or use vegetable broth)
1 teaspoon chopped fresh epazote (or 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves)
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt
For garnish:
non dairy sour cream
avocado
cilantro

Warm the oil in a large soup pot over a medium low heat.
Chop the onion into very small pieces and mince the garlic.
Cook the onion and garlic in the oil until they are soft, stirring often, for about five minutes.
Remove the casing from the chorizo.
Add it to the onions and garlic breaking it up with a spoon and stirring, cook for five minutes.
Add the black beans and the broth to the pot and stir.
Bring this to a boil and reduce the heat to low.
Add the epazote or cilantro, cumin, oregano and and salt, give it a stir.
Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
Serve it garnished with sour cream, avocado and cilantro.

Other Mexican Dinner Ideas:

Enfrijoladas Lentils with Fruit Toasted Tempeh Tacos

Almond Tart

Sat, 7 Apr 2012 11:16:27 -0700

Almond tarts are also called Bakewell Tarts in England. They’re a variation of the Bakewell Pudding which was first made by accident in 1820. The cook at the White Horse Inn in Bakewell misunderstood the landlady’s instructions and a new dessert was born. There are Italian and Swedish versions of the almond tart but I haven’t been able to determine if the British version came first.

Some time ago, I bookmarked a recipe from Williams-Sonoma for a raspberry almond tart that I thought looked delicious. Of course, I couldn’t used the recipe as it was written because it contained eggs, milk and butter, none of which I can eat. Milk and butter are easy for me to substitute. For my crust I use a combination of Earth Balance butter substitute and Spectrum butter flavored palm shortening. I find that this combination produces a flakier texture.

This recipe requires that you pre-bake the crust so you’re going to want to invest in some pie weights or you can use some dry beans. Pie weights keep the dough from bubbling up as it bakes.

After you bake the crust and let it cool, you want to fill the bottom of the crust with a jar of jam. I made this tart twice, once with apricot preserves and this time with raspberry. Both were delicious. Just make sure you spend a little extra and buy a good quality preserve and not a spread. I went for price and didn’t notice that I had bought a spread. You want one that is chunky and not strained. I would imagine that you could also blend up some fresh fruit and spread that on the bottom of the crust.

You might have noticed that the crust shrunk away from the tart pan. I learned a trick that I will try next time, which is to let the dough rest for 5 minutes after you’ve rolled it out but before you put it in the pan.
I did include this step in the recipe below.

The next step is to make the frangipane filling. This is traditionally made from whipping up butter, eggs almond paste, sugar and flour. I replaced the butter with Earth Balance and the eggs with some almond milk and organic corn starch. I’ve tried to make the filling gluten free by using almond flour instead of wheat flour but it comes out too wet. Next, spread the filling on top of the fruit and sprinkle the top with sliced almonds.

You need to bake the tart for about 40 - 45 minutes. The center of the tart won’t be firm to the touch like you think it should be, but it will firm up as it cools off. I’m sure the texture is more cake like with the eggs but I thought this was delicious. Mr RK ate most of it and there wasn’t even any chocolate involved.

I’ve also made this tart in a rectangular pan and cut it into bars.

Almond Tart
Adapted Williams-Sonoma Italian Almond Tart
Makes one 9 1/2” tart, serves 8- Use organic ingredients whenever possible

For the Crust:
6 tablespoons Earth Balance Butter Substitute
2 tablespoons Spectrum Butter Flavored Palm Shortening
1 1/4 cups unbleached white flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
3-4 tablespoons ice water

Cut the Earth Balance into tablespoon sized pieces and measure out the palm shortening on a plate.
Put the fats into your freezer for 30 minutes.
Put the flour, sugar and salt into a food processor (or use a bowl and pastry cutter), pulse to combine.
Drop the fat, one tablespoon at a time, into the food processor and pulse until they’re pea sized.
Adding one tablespoon of water at a time, continue to pulse until the dough comes together.
Gently shape the dough into a round disk and put it on a lightly floured surface.
Roll the dough out to be an inch or two larger than your tart pan.
Let it rest 5 minutes.
Put the dough into your tart pan (it helps to roll it over your rolling pin to lift it) and press it into the form.
You can let the top of the dough extend slightly above the rim of the pan, it will shrink back as it bakes.
Refrigerate the tart dough for 30 minutes.
Position an oven shelf to the lower third of your oven and then preheat your oven to 375°
Line the pastry shell with parchment paper and fill with pie weights.
Bake the shell for 20 minutes and check the dough to see if it’s still wet.
Continue to cook for 5-10 minutes more if necessary or until the crust is pale gold.
Remove from oven and remove the parchment and weights and allow it to cool on a rack.
Position a oven rack to the middle of the oven and turn the temperature down to 350°

For the Filling:
1/2 cup apricot or raspberry preserves
1 stick (8 tablespoons) Earth Balance Butter Substitute at room temperature
1 7 oz package almond paste
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup almond milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons organic corn starch
1/3 cup unbleached white flour
1/3 cup sliced almonds

In a stand mixer on medium speed, (or a bowl with a hand mixer) beat the butter until smooth.
Add the almond paste one tablespoon or so at a time beating until smooth.
Continue to beat as your slowly pour in the sugar.
Mix the vanilla into the almond milk and slowly pour into batter, beat until smooth
Turn off the mixer.
Combine the flour and corn starch.
Stir them into the batter.
Spread the preserves evenly over the bottom of the baked pastry shell.
Spread the almond batter over the preserves.
Sprinkle the sliced almonds evenly over the top of the batter.
Bake for 40 minutes.
Remove from over and let cool on a rack and let cool completely before serving.

Other Easter Treat Ideas:

Butterscotch Bunny Tarts Carrot Cake Bars

Daring Bakers’ Challenge: Dutch Crunch Rolls

Tue, 27 Mar 2012 12:19:07 -0700

Sara and Erica of Baking JDs were our March 2012 Daring Baker Hostesses! Sara and Erica challenged us to make Dutch Crunch bread, a delicious sandwich bread with a unique, crunchy topping. Sara and Erica also challenged us to create a one of a kind sandwich with our bread!

Having grown up in the San Francisco Bay Area, I never realized that Dutch Crunch bread was a local phenomenon. The recipe originates in the Netherlands, where it’s called “Tiger” Bread, but no one is quite sure how or when it came to the Bay Area.

Dutch Crunch bread or rolls are usually made with white flour, so I don’t usually buy them. We’re big sprouted whole grain bread fans so I tweaked the recipe a little by adding some white whole wheat flour. White whole wheat flour is a King Arthur product that has all the fiber and nutrition of whole wheat flour but is lighter in flavor and color. I felt it was a good substitution because it’s got the nutrition of whole grain flour but it wouldn’t change the style of the rolls too much. I also added some nine grain cereal. I buy this product in the bulk department of my store but I think you can get a similar product from Bob’s Red Mill in a package.

You can see all the little cereal grains in the finished dough. They add even more nutrition to the bread, but I was surprised that they didn’t add that much to the texture to the finished rolls. For those of you that prefer smooth textured breads, it’s a win win.

After the dough has risen for an hour you divide it into six pieces. and make the Dutch Crunch topping.

This signature topping is made with yeast, rice flour, water, and a little sugar, oil and salt. I never would have guessed that there was yeast in the topping, but it never occurred to me how that “crunch” was made.

The consistency should be thick enough so that when you spread it on top of the rolls, it doesn’t roll off.

You bake the rolls for 30 minutes and they develop that signature crunchy top.

They make great sandwich rolls. We also used them as veggie burger buns and then I made a batch of my Mock Egg Salad....my favorite sandwich.

Dutch Crunch Rolls
Adapted from a recipe by Rose Levy Beranbaum’s the Bread Bible
Makes 6 rolls- Use organic ingredients whenever possible

For the Bread:
1 packet active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water (105° -110°F)
1 cup warm rice milk (105° -110°F)
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons sunflower or safflower oil (plus additional for oiling the bowl)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 cups unbleached white flour
1 1/4 (or more) cups white whole wheat flour
1/4 cup 7 or 9 grain cereal

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the yeast, water, milk and sugar.
Stir to dissolve the the yeast and let sit for 5 minutes (the mixture should start to foam and smell yeasty)
Add the 9 grain cereal, oil, salt and the unbleached white flour.
Using the dough hook attachment, mix at medium speed until the dough comes together.
Add the white whole wheat flour 1/4 cup at a time until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 4 minutes until it’s smooth and elastic.
Wash and dry your bowl and oil it lightly.
Place the dough in the greased bowl and cover with a towel and let rise in a warm place for an hour.
(the dough should double in size)
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide it into 6 equal pieces.
Shape each piece into a ball and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. (try not to handle too much)
Cover the dough with a towel and let it rest while you make the topping.
Preheat your oven to 380°.

For the topping:
1 packet active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water (105° -110°F)
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon sunflower or safflower oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup brown rice flour (or you can use white rice flour but not glutinous or sweet rice flour)

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and beat with a whisk to combine.
The consistency should be stiff like icing but spreadable. Add more water or rice flour if necessary.
Let the topping stand for 15 minutes
Coat the top of each roll with a thick layer of topping. ( I used a pastry brush to do this)
You shouldn’t have any topping left over.
Put the rolls into the oven and bake for 30 minutes.
Allow them to cool completely on a wire rack before eating.