Fig and Walnut Waffles

Football season is here and that means that I can count on seeing a few of my friends when they come up for certain games. This past weekend, an old friend from middle school came up to photograph the game (he's a professional photographer). We went out to eat for the most part, just out of practicality while we were driving all over the earth to take advantage of the beautiful scenery, but I wanted to create something yummy for breakfast before he hit the road.

As I was looking for something special to make for breakfast, I came across the vegan version of this recipe at post punk kitchen and knew I had to try it. I was not disappointed at all and am glad I un-veganized it, because I have somehow acquired an incredibly large amount of eggs over the course of the past few weeks.



Fig and Walnut Waffles
Adapted from Post Punk Kitchen

2 cups milk

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (all purpose works, too)

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon salt

2 eggs, beaten

3 tablespoons olive oil

3 tablespoons pure maple syrup

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup dried black mission figs, stem nub removed, thinly sliced

1 cup walnuts, roughly chopped

Measure milk out and add the apple cider vinegar, set aside to let curdle.

In the meantime, combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in a large mixing bowl.

Add eggs, olive oil, maple syrup and vanilla to milk mixture. Mix into the dry ingredients with a wooden spoon until mostly combined then fold in the figs and walnuts until all ingredients are moistened. If it looks to thick, add a tablespoon or so of water.

Preheat waffle iron and let the batter rest. Cook according to waffle iron directions, spraying the waffle iron liberally with oil or cooking spray between each waffle is made. Garnish with extra walnuts and fig halves.

Gluten-Free Dinner for a Crowd II

If any of you have gluten-free friends and don't know what to serve them for dinner, I've got you covered. This menu has vegetables, protein, and fun dessert that is perfect for fall. If you want another side, I highly suggest mashed potatoes to mix the chicken into. These dishes will serve roughly 20 people. Also, vanilla ice cream is great with the apple crisp, but I had to keep my meal under $50, so that's the  primary reason why there are no mashed potatoes or ice cream.

If you want to make this for a "normal" gathering, say 4-6 people and not 20, halve the roasted vegetables recipe and quarter the chicken recipe. As for the apple crisp, an 8x4 pan will require 4 apples, 6 tablespoons of margarine and brown sugar, 1/4 cup flour of choice, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, and 1/2 cup of oats.

Roasted Vegetables
 ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil

12 medium carrots 1 ½-inch thick circles 

1 ½ cups brussel sprouts (about ½ pound), halved 

6-8 cups red bliss potatoes (about 2 pounds), cut into bite-size cubes

6 medium parsnips (about 2 pounds), cut into 1 ½-inch thick slices 

1 cup sweet potatoes (about 1 pound), cut into 1 ½-inch thick slices 

1 1/2 lbs of green beans, snapped/cut

3-4 tablespoons herbs de provence

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. 

Grease 2 large baking sheets. Place vegetables in a bowl and add the oil, herbs, salt and pepper. Toss well, evenly coating all the vegetables with the seasonings and oil. Add more oil if the vegetables seem dry 

Spread the vegetables evenly on the large baking sheet. Place on middle rack in oven and bake for 35 to 45 minutes. 

Mom's Rosemary Chicken
2 (40oz) bags of chicken tenders (not breaded, just plain, frozen, raw)
4 large onions, cut into eights
Enough apple juice to cover the chicken or so (1/2 a bottle?)
4 tablespoons of dried rosemary

Divide chicken evenly among two medium crockpots, or place into one extra large crockpot.
Pour apple juice in just enough to leave only a centimeter of chicken showing in each crockpot.
Place onion slices on/around chicken and sprinkle the rosemary on top in each crockpot.
Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Mom's (Gluten-Free) Apple Crisp
*you can make this regular, non-GF crisp by swapping out GF flour for all purpose flour and the GF oats for regular oats

14 medium apples. I suggest a mixture of gala, golden delicious, and/or granny smith.

3 sticks+3/4 stick margarine, room temperature

2 cups brown sugar

1¼ cup all purpose gluten free flour, or any

2 tablespoons cinnamon

2 teaspoons nutmeg*optional

2 1/2 cups gluten free oats (old fashioned, plain)

Peel and core apples, slice into eighths or however small you like. Divide evenly among two lightly greased 9x13 metal plans.

Mix remaining ingredients together so they are crumbly. Sprinkle on top of apples.

Bake at 350F for about 40 minutes.

Pumpkin French Toast (for one)

Ok, so I am about to go to bed because I spent all day at work and then fought off sleep to go to the gym for a bit, but I really wanted to throw this up on the blog. It's not a true recipe, but it's a good base to leap off of if you are looking for something that really says "It's almost fall!"

Also, it's Sunday, which means I take special care to have something delicious for breakfast while reading the Sunday paper and looking at all the ads -I just had to share this with ya'll.

To have this edible piece of fall for your very own, all you need is to mix one beaten egg, a tablespoon of milk, a dash each of cinnamon and cloves and nutmeg, and a 1/3 cup of pumpkin puree.

Thoroughly soak two or three 1" slices of french bread (I used whole wheat) in the mixture, then place in a frying pan over medium heat for about 2-3 minutes on each side. Serve smothered with pecans and REAL maple syrup (none of that fake stuff!).

Also, the maple syrup is not optional, as I did not put any sugar in the egg mixture. If you want to skip the maple syrup though, be sure to add some sugar in the mixture.

Enjoy!

I love my veggies!

So all this crisp weather got me a little excited when I went to the farmers' market to pick up my oxtails. I came back with many fruits and veggies that I had not planned to buy: apples, peaches, peppers, eggplants, pumpkin, tomatoes, asparagus, just to name a few.

This will be a good week at my house. Definitely thinking to buy some chardonnay and glorify those peaches with a sabayon sauce. Perhaps some eggplant parmesan and apple crisp will also be in order? Only time will tell.

Oh, and if you are wondering what I am going to do with those oxtails, the answer is that they will sit in the freezer for a bit, until I really need some home-made comfort, and then I will "sprinkle" them over my vegetable beef soup. They work like magic in soup! Mmmmmm.

Yellow Dal

It's another chilly Friday filled with reading for school, but I don't mind because I started my day off with a free yoga class from the Lexington Healing Arts Academy. Now that I have read some scripture, focused my mind and body, and made some simple dal, I can sit down with my tea and read about American diplomacy/negotiating strategy.

If you are like me and have been neglecting the "third pillar" of physical fitness (cardiovascular/aerobic, muscular strength/endurance, and flexibility), yoga is a great way to relieve stress and work on flexibility at the same time. I also find that, when I include it as part of my morning routine, it helps me to be more in touch with my body throughout the day. What does being "in touch with my body" mean? When I use that phrase, I mean being able to hear and identify what my body is asking for, whether it be more or less of a specific type of food/nutrition or a kind of movement (running, dancing, strength training, or a walk at the arboretum).

Believe it or not, now that I have been trying to listen to what my body wants and have given myself permission to follow those requests for over a year, I actually find that I crave things like carrots much more than ice cream. I always thought that if I ate what I truly wanted, I would eat nothing but cookies and cake, but it has been the the opposite. Of course, I still love a good dessert and eat them at least once a day, but I find I am satisfied with smaller amounts and do not "crave" them in a frightening way like I used to.

Preparing the onions, garlic, and masala.

Cooking the yellow split peas.

Time to mix the onion mixture and yellow split peas together. It smells so good!

Simplest Yellow DalFrom Whole Foods

1 cup yellow split peas
3 cups water
½ teaspoon sea salt, more to taste
2 cups chopped yellow onion, divided
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 teaspoons garam masala
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Whole wheat naan, for serving (no longer gluten free if you serve with naan, btw)

Rinse peas and soak in water for 10 minutes. Drain, rinse and place in a medium saucepan with water, salt and ½ cup of the onion. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover, and simmer until the peas are tender, 45 to 50 minutes.

While the split peas are cooking, heat oil in a skillet and sauté the remaining onion with garlic and garam masala over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until they are golden, soft, and just beginning to brown, 10 to 15 minutes.

Add the onion mixture to the cooked peas, stirring to combine. Simmer 10 to 15 minutes to blend flavors. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

Serves 4 to 6.

My First Attempt at Stollen

Stollen, my favorite sweet bread, at least until I try something new again.

Although I definitely do not enjoy spending an entire day reading for class and having to drink coffee by the gallon (one can only read about political theory and history for so many hours before having to fight off sleep), I do enjoy having an entire day devoted to sitting on the couch, which is conveniently located just a few yards from my kitchen.

Such vast amounts of reading need to be punctuated by physical activity, and by "physical activity" I mean kneading dough, measuring ingredients, and pulling various pans and bowls out of my cabinets. This bread definitely kept me busy and provided some nice breaks during my reading. I started it at 7:30am and finished it at about 1pm. Also, since the dough makes 2 loaves, so I baked one and I froze the other just at the stage before baking so that I can have one later when I want something sweet and holiday-like, but do not have the 6 hours to make it.

Overall, grad school and working is a bit hard to juggle (especially when you throw in my 5-day-a-week exercise regimen), but cooking and baking is here to stay... for now.

The beautiful layers of sugar on top remind me of undisturbed snowfall on a winter morning. No wonder this is a great holiday treat.

Stollen
Adapted from David Lebovitz

You can certainly swap out any dried fruits you want although I’d keep the tang of the dried cherries or cranberries in there, if you can find them; the little nuggets will brighten up your winter just a bit.

⅔ cup dark raisins

⅔ cup golden raisins

½ cup dried cranberries or cherries

⅓ cup dark rum

1 cup slivered or sliced almonds, lightly toasted

¼ cup water

2 ½ (one envelope) teaspoons active dry yeast

½ cup milk (whole or low-fat), at room temperature

3 ½ cups all-purpose flour

½ cup whole wheat flour (or use similar amount all-purpose flour)

½ cup, plus 3 tablespoons sugar

1 ½ teaspoons ground dried ginger

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground cardamom

1 teaspoon freshly-grated nutmeg

1 teaspoon grated lemon or orange zest

¾ teaspoon vanilla bean paste or extract, or 1/2 teaspoon of powdered vanilla

1 cup, plus ¾ cup unsalted butter, melted

1 tablespoon honey

1 large egg yolk

½ cup chopped candied ginger *optional. I feel this would be so good in it, but I did not have any, so I omitted it and the bread was still divine

½ cup diced candied citrus peel (I made my own as per the directions here)

½ cup powdered sugar, or more, if necessary

1. Mix both kinds of raisins with the cranberries or cherries with the dark rum or orange juice, then cover. In another bowl, mix the almonds with the water, and cover. Let both sit at least an hour, or overnight.

2. Pour the milk in a medium bowl and sprinkle the yeast over it. Stir briefly, then stir in 1 cup of the flour until smooth to make a starter. Cover, and let rest one hour.

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, with the paddle attachment, or by hand, stir together the remaining 2 ½ cups flour, the rye flour, 3 tablespoons sugar, ½ teaspoon of the dried ginger, salt, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, citrus zest, and vanilla. Pour in the 1 cup of the melted butter, honey, and the egg yolk, and mix on medium speed until the mixture is moistened uniformly.

4. While mixing, add the yeasted starter, one-third at a time, mixing until thoroughly incorporated. Once added, continue to beat for about four minutes until almost smooth: it should resemble cookie dough. Add the dried fruits (and any liquid), candied ginger, citrus peel, and almonds, and beat until they’re well-distributed

5. Turn the dough out onto a lightly-floured surface and knead a few times, then place back in the mixer bowl, cover, and let rest in a warm place for one hour.

6. Remove the dough from the bowl, knead the dough again, then return it to the bowl. Let rest for another hour.

7. Divide the dough into four pieces and shape each one into a oval, and place them evenly-spaced apart on a baking sheet (I used my stoneware one).

8. Cover the loaves with a clean tea towel and let rest in a warm place for one hour.

9. Preheat the oven to 350F. Remove the tea towel and bake the loaves for 45 minutes, or until they’re deep golden brown.

10. While they loaves are baking, mix together the remaining ½ cup sugar and 1 teaspoon dried ginger. When the breads come out of the oven, generously brush the remaining ¾ cup melted butter over the hot loaves, letting the butter saturate the breads, repeating until all the butter is absorbed.

(Feel free to lift the loaves to saturate the bottoms. Just make sure you don’t break the loaves.)

11. Rub the gingered sugar mixture over the top and side of each loaf then let rest on the baking sheet until room temperature.

12. Sift the powdered sugar over, under, and around the breads, rubbing it in with your hands. They wrap the loaves on the baking sheet in a large plastic bag and let them sit for two days. After two days, the loaves are ready to eat, or can be wrapped as gifts. You may wish to sift additional powdered sugar over the top in case they need another dusting.

Storage: Stollen can be stored for at least a week, if well-wrapped, at room temperature. Or frozen for at least one month.

Cream Scones with Lemons and Blackberries

Despite school requiring a ton of reading (18 hours last week) and working 16 hours, in addition to trying to keep up a social life and make it to the gym 5 times a week, baking and cooking has definitely not been cut out of my life. I actually feel more compelled to do some experimenting in the kitchen now than when I was less busy. I suppose it's a good way for me to express myself creatively and relax.

Of course, experimenting usually means trying new recipes. I must admit, I have tried some major fails lately. One being the Melon Fool from the Mayo Clinic. If I had followed my gut instincts that said, "that is waaaay too much melon" and "if you boil 1/4 cup water and 2 T sugar for 5 minutes, it will caramelize, not turn into a syrup," the recipe might have turned out well, but alas, I followed the recipe. Now I have caramelized lemon sugar stuff and a lemon smoothie. Definitely not a melon fool. Anyway, I will now stop complaining about badly written recipes and give you the recipe for the delicious scones that my friends and I made the other day/

Blackberry and Lemon Cream Scones
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen, who adapted from America's Test Kitchen Cookbook

2 cups (10 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour, preferably a low-protein brand such as Gold Medal or Pillsbury
1 tablespoon baking powder
3 tablespoons sugar
Zest of 1 lemon
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons chilled, unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1/2 cup frozen blackberries, chopped into halves or so
Juice of 1 lemon
1 cup heavy cream

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425°F.

2. Place flour, baking powder, sugar, zest and salt in large bowl or work bowl of food processor fitted with steel blade. Whisk together or pulse six times.

3. If making by hand, use two knives, a pastry blender or your fingertips and quickly cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal, with a few slightly larger butter lumps. Stir in blackberries and lemon juice. If using food processor, remove cover and distribute butter evenly over dry ingredients. Cover and pulse 12 times, each pulse lasting 1 second. Add currants and pulse one more time. Transfer dough to large bowl.

4. Stir in heavy cream with a rubber spatula or fork until dough begins to form, about 30 seconds.

5. Form dough into roughly 16 balls, about 3 tablespoons each (or into whatever shape your heart desires)

6. Place balls on ungreased baking sheet and bake until scone tops are light brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool on wire rack for at least 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Roasted Red Pepper Bisque

• Rainy, slightly chilly days just say "it's time for fall foods!" and I definitely listen to those voices when they tell me to make such things as pumpkin mousse with candied pecans (someday I will put that recipe up) and roasted red pepper soup.
• It was the perfect day for such fall treats because I was having a Reading Party. What is a Reading Party? Well, it's when someone like me needs accountability and motivation to read 400 pages about the Cold War, so I invite friends over to sit with me and read while I read. It's really fantastic.
• One of my friends brought over some red peppers that were begging to be used and also mentioned he likes cream scones, so after the soup was done, we put together some scones real quick. Mousse, soup, scones, yay.
• Honestly, the food was the best 3 hour break in a 12 hour day of reading that I could have asked for. It was delicious and I got to be in the kitchen with friends! Perfection =).
• 
  
• Roasted Red Pepper Bisque
  Adapted from Cooking Light
• 1 1/2 pounds red bell peppers (3 large), roasted and peeled
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 2 cups chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped carrot
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon thyme
• Dash of ground red pepper
• Pepper to taste
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 3/4 cup cooked long-grain rice
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 cup cream or milk
• 1/3 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro

• Chop bell peppers; set aside. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and carrot; sauté 8 minutes or until vegetables are lightly browned. Stir in bell peppers, tomato paste, and next 5 ingredients (tomato paste through garlic); cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in rice, water, and broth, scraping skillet to loosen browned bits. Bring to a boil; partially cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes.
• Place broth mixture in a food processor or blender (you may have to do this in batches); process until smooth. Return puree to pan, and stir in 1/2 cup. Cook over medium heat until thoroughly heated (do not boil). Ladle bisque into bowls; top with cilantro.

Herbs de Provence Pork Roast

So guess what was on sale at the grocery and what spice mix I have been just dying to use? Yup, pork roast and herbs de provence! This roast is simple and so moist. For an awesome lunch, I put a bag of frozen vegetables and potatoes in the microwave and paired it with the leftovers. Yum.

Herbs de Provence Pork Roast
From Sandra Lee on Food Network

• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon crushed garlic
• 2 ½ pounds pork loin roast, rinsed and patted dry
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

In a small bowl, stir together herbs de Provence, onion powder, light brown sugar, olive oil, lemon juice and garlic. Place the pork roast in a shallow roasting pan or baking dish. Season with salt and pepper and then rub with the herb mixture.

Place roast in oven and reduce heat to 350 degrees F. Roast for 30 minutes per pound, or until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer. (Roast will continue to cook up to 170 degrees F out of the oven.) Remove from oven, cover with foil and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing.