Thursday, March 24, 2011

chilly day chili!

yesterday was a weird weather day here in new york city.
so weird, in fact, that i'm writing about it on a food blog.
it snowed, rained, hailed with a lightning and thunder storm, and then snowed some more.
covering all the bases, i suppose. 

anyways, i want nothing more than to be cuddled up, warm, and full on days like these. 
so after a trip to the store to get ingredients for my NEW BREADMAKER (yes!! my mom is amazing and got one for me! it even has a gluten free setting on it!), i was on a mission to make some bread and chili. and then eat it!

vegan chili mac
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/2 of a medium sized onion, chopped
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 2 tablespoon oregano
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 3 stalks small celery stalk, chopped
  • 1 orange pepper, chopped
  • 4-5 sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
  • 2 dried chipotle peppers, chopped
  • 2 sunshine burgers (i used the "south west" burger)
  • 2 cans tomatoes (i used fire roasted with roasted garlic)
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 1/2 tablespoon black pepper
  • 1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 can roman beans, drained and rinsed 
  • 1 can corn, drained
  • 1 box of quinoa macaroni pasta
  • loose fresh spinach, to taste
in a large pot, i heated the oil on medium heat, and added the onion
then i added the bay leaves, cumin, oregano, and salt
once the onion looked cooked through, i added the celery and orange pepper
once the vegetables were cooked and tender, i added the sun-dried tomatoes and chipotle pepper,
then the sunshine burgers, and reduced the heat to low
once the burgers were thawed, i broke them into small pieces with a wooden spoon
stirred on low for about 5 minutes
then i added the tomatoes, chili powder, black pepper, kidney, garbanzo, and black beans, turning the heat up and bringing everything to a boil.
once boiling, i put the heat back to low, covered the pot, and simmered for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
in a separate pot, i brought some water to a boil, and cooked my quinoa pasta, for about 8 minutes, and then drained and set aside.
after my 45 minutes had passed, i added the corn to the chili pot, stirred and cooked for another 5 minutes
i took the pot off the heat and combined it with the macaroni
i served the chili with fresh spinach, and roasted garlic potato bread.
satisfying!
(more on the bread soon!)

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

muffins!

these came out great, and tasted like a dessert muffin that i could snack on anytime.

chocolate chip oatmeal muffins
  • 1 cup milk of choice, mixed with 1/2 of a lemons juice
  • 1 cup brown rice flour
  • 1/2 potato starch (not potato flour!)
  • 1/4 tapioca starch (also known as tapioca flour)
  • 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
  • 1 cup gluten free oats
  • 1/4 cup ground flax seeds
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup agave
  • 1/3 cup oil
  • 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
  • 1 heaped teaspoon egg replacer mixed with 2 tablespoons milk of choice
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/2 cup chocolate chips 

PREHEAT the oven to 350 degrees
lightly grease a muffin tray
in a small bowl, first combine the milk and the lemon juice. set aside for at least 5 minutes.
in a large mixing bowl, whisk in the flour, starches, xanthan gum, oats, flax seeds, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon, mix well
in small mixing bowl combine agave, oil, applesauce, egg replacer, vanilla, and finally the milk you set aside.
add the wet ingredients to the dry, mix well with wooden spoon
fold in the chocolate chips, making sure they are spread evenly throughout the batter
fill muffin cups 3/4 full
bake for 12-15 minutes, until tops look cooked and are stiff enough to resist your fingerprint, and edges aren't sticking to muffin tray

biscuits!!

the day i made this simple biscuit recipe, my roommates had just bought brand new cookie cutters that i could use before they glutified them. yay! not only were they tasty, but they were also cute!
these make a great quick snack with preserves, margarine, or with dinner

biscuits
  • 1 1/4 cup brown rice flour
  • 1/2 cup potato starch (NOT potato flour)
  • 1/4 cup tapioca starch (also known as tapioca flour)
  • 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
  • 4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • pinch of nutmeg
  • 3/4 plus 2 tablespoon milk of choice
  • 1/2 cup soy-free margarine
PREHEAT oven to 425 degrees
line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper
in medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, starch, xanthan gum, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg
add the 3/4 cup milk, and mix well with wooden spoon
mix in the margarine with your hands, until fully combined
add remaining milk, mix with spoon
roll the dough on a clean floured surface, and cut out any shape you like, until all the dough is used.
bake for 12-15 minutes, until slightly golden
let cool on baking sheets 5 minutes before removing to cool or eat

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

mom's delicious almond chocolate chip oatmeal cookies

my mom gave me this awesome recipe. chocolate chip cookies made with almond meal and agave. yum!

if you're like me and like big cookies, i recommend at least doubling the recipe

almond chocolate chip oatmeal cookies
(makes 6 large cookies)
  •  1 cup almond flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons coconut oil
  • 2 tablespoons agave
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/4 cup chocolate chips 
  • 1/4 cup gluten free oats
PREHEAT oven to 350 degrees
in medium mixing bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, and salt
in small bowl combine oil, agave, and vanilla
add wet to dry
stir in chocolate chips and oats
drop onto parchment lined baking sheet
bake 5-7 minutes
let cool on baking sheet 5 minutes, then cool on rack

Saturday, March 5, 2011

dumpling revelation

 i've been thinking about making dumplings all week long. 
i haven't actually had a dumpling in a really long time, i don't even really remember what they taste like, and this being the first time making my own dumplings, i wasn't expecting much. turns out, for me, there was more heart in the hype than in the act. i think i've really just been craving the idea of dumplings.

 once i finally got around to making them, the romance was lost. the ratio of vegetable to dough just didn't seem worth it. consuming almost a cup of flour and only 5 teaspoons of blended vegetables per serving didn't sit well with me. i like my vegetables. and protein. and i discovered, when i'm eating dinner, i want more of those than flour.

still, this recipe was fun to experiment with, and using my new bamboo steamer and dumpling press was a good time. maybe if your attachment to dumplings is stronger than mine, you will appreciate this more than i do. 


dumplings
 (makes at least 12)
           filling
  • 2 teaspoons sesame oil
  • 2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 1 carrot, halved and sliced
  • 5-6 baby bella mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 can small red beans, rinsed and drained
  • 2 heaping cups of kale, broken into small pieces 
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 2 teaspoons liquid coconut aminos
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • salt and pepper, to taste
in medium pan, heat oil, garlic, ginger, and onion on medium-low heat, stirring often to prevent burning, for about five minutes
add carrot, stir for 3 minutes
add mushroom, stir another 3 minutes
add beans and let everything sit for about three minutes
stir everything again, add kale and water, and cover
after about 3 minutes, add coconut aminos, and chili power
cover and cook for a few more minutes, until carrots and kale are cooked.
drain for a few minutes, to remove as much moisture as possible
add to a food processor and blend ingredients to small chopped size
(the last step is pretty important, if you want to taste and get all the ingredients into one dumpling.)
 
        dumpling dough
  • 1 cup white rice flour
  • 1 cup tapioca starch (also known as tapioca flour)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons xanthan gum
  • 2 tablespoons oil
  • 10-12 tablespoons cold water
in medium mixing bowl, combine flours and xanthan gum, whisk to combine
add oil and water, and blend with your hands
roll out onto floured board, let sit a few minutes with a towel over it
 
taking one small ball of dough at a time, flatten out in your hand, and add about a teaspoon of the vegetables. i used a dumpling press, which worked well and made the dumplings come out pretty darn cute, but you can fold the dough by hand and use a spoon to seal and crimp the ends.

add the dumplings to your bamboo steamer, and steam for 5-10 minutes, until dough is more translucent, and cooked.

then add your steamed dumplings to a frying pan with a little sesame oil and fry each side to brown slightly. 
while doing that, i also threw some broccoli into the bamboo steamer and served my dumplings with that.

(for the sauce, i didn't really measure anything out, but i combined some garlic chili sauce, cashew butter, rice vinegar, fresh grated ginger, sesame oil, coconut aminos and let sit in the fridge for a few minutes.)