Alison Roman's Decidedly Not-Sweet Granola

Cook and food writer Alison Roman has come out with a new cookbook I just can't put down.  It's called Dining In, and it's chocked full of recognizable ingredients combined in some subtly surprising ways.  Recipes are meant to be low-effort (usually) but put-together enough for guests.  Though she lives in NYC these days, Roman's SoCal roots show in her love of fresh produce and the gorgeously sun-drenched photos remind me of summer, or every day I have ever spent in L.A.

As a savory breakfast fan, I got super excited about her recipe for "Decidedly Not-Sweet Granola" in the grains chapter.  She suggests several uses for this: breakfast with yogurt and cucumber, as croutons over salad, and as a snack.  I haven't gotten past the breakfast trick, which has kept me full and satisfied all morning today, and I can't imagine getting sick of it anytime soon.  Plain yogurt + diced cucumbers + this savory granola is her recipe; I added a squirt of lemon over the whole thing, as well.

I also made some adjustments based on what I had in the kitchen, as she encourages.  So, here's the actual recipe:

https://www.tastecooking.com/recipes/decidedly-not-sweet-granola/

I had no nigella seeds and didn't want more sesame seeds, as she suggests, so I threw in a scant 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut.  I also skipped the egg whites, because what am I going to do with three egg yolks?  The result is a finer granola that doesn't clump together, but that's fine by me. Finally, I just used plain old crushed red pepper flakes in place of aleppo. I mean, I got them at the tortilleria down the street, so I don't know if they're aleppo or not. Come to think of it, they look similar.

If you're in the market for a new cookbook that is also a feast for the eyes, get Dining In.  It's lovely in every way.  And make this savory granola for something, even if you're hooked on Pop Tarts for breakfast.  I promise you'll happily find a use for it.

Recipe review: Thug Kitchen's Pasta Piselli

This recipe sounded  little weird, so of course I had to try it.  The result is, as promised, very fast and easy when you're starving and considering take-out. It's nothing you're going to make for guests when you have time (unless you're a lazy friend), but the flavor is a little earthy, a little bitter in a nice way.  If you wanted to be even lazier, you could replace the shallot with 1 teaspoon of dried onion and toss it in with the peas. I added the crushed red pepper, too, because that's how I roll.

Thug Kitchen's Pasta Piselli

Serves 4

1 pound short pasta shape, like elbows or shells
3 1/2 cups frozen peas
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 shallot, diced
pinch salt
3 cups chopped spinach or kale
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
dash crushed red pepper to taste

Cook pasta according to package directions.  In the last minute, add the peas.  Drain all but 1/4 cup of the pasta water and set aside.

Heat the olive oil and cook the shallot with salt until tender. Toss in the spinach or kale and cook until wilted. Add pasta and all other ingredients and stir to coat thoroughly.

I made Thug Kitchen's Tahini Fudge, and it is insane

The Thug Kitchen...collective? family? corporation (ooooo, fightin' words)?...now has several cookbooks out, and I just finally got my hands on 101 (fast recipes). It has several comforting, easy and fast dishes to whip up they are perfectly pleasant, but the one recipe I couldn't stop thinking about was this crazy-sounding tahini fudge.  I mean, I like tahini, and I don't totally like fudge, so maybe I should try it?

It is weird as hell--salty and bitter as well as sweet--but I love it.  It's so complex, and it almost has a burnt sugar taste to it for a split second of each bite. You can read a reprint of the original recipe here, but I made a couple of alterations based on what I had lying around the house. 

Thug Kitchen's Tahini Fudge

1 cup canned coconut milk
1 cup tahini
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup coconut oil
2 tablespoons fig jam
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 roasted pepitas

Grease an 8-inch square baking dish.

Place all but the pepitas in the blender and process until smooth. Pour into the baking dish, sprinkle with the pepitas, and freeze for at least 1 hour before cutting and serving. (The original recipe says just to refrigerate, but I couldn't get it to set that way.)

Trying the Trends: Peanut Butter Powder

This stuff made a big splash a while back, but I was too cheap to buy it until I saw a marked-down jar at Ross.  Hey, you can't say I'm not honest with you. Why did I get it? a) I fucking love peanut butter b) I am ambivalent about smoothies with spinach in them and c) I FUCKING LOVE PEANUT BUTTER!!!!! Let's get to work.


Quick PB-banana smoothie for one
Place in your blender or Vitamix, in this order:
1 banana, broken up a bit
1 tablespoon PB powder
2 tablespoons yogurt, any flave (if unsweetened, throw in a teaspoon or so of honey, too)
handful spinach leaves
1/4 cup almond milk
dash cinnamon
3-4 ice cubes
This was not only totally delicious, but it kept me full until lunch time, all by itself.  If you want something heartier, you could throw in a couple tablespoons of rolled oats, too.


I also stirred some into plain, Greek yogurt (1 tablespoon powder in 1 cup yogurt) and added granola, nuts, and berries one morning for breakfast. Also delish, though a bit pasty and not very sweet.


I added it to some breakfast muffins to pump up the protein content, thereby helping me last until lunch when I'm eating breakfast on the road:

Peanut Butter-Pumpkin Muffins

Makes 12 muffins

1/2 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
15 oz. canned solid-pack pumpkin
1/3 cup plain yogurt
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon powdered ginger
1 cup brownsugar
2 tablespoons peanut butter powder

2 tablespoons flax seeds
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

1/4 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 12-cup muffin tin.
Combine all wet ingredients in a mixing bowl: yogurt, eggs, pumpkin, and sugar. Add all remaining ingredients and combine thoroughly. Pour into muffin cups and bake 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of a muffin comes out clean.

Finally, some brownies, adapted from skinnytaste.com:

2 eggs
1 cup PB2
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp water
1/2 cup honey
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup milk chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Spray a nonstick 9 x 9 inch baking pan with cooking spray.
Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl, making sure there are no clumps. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking pan and bake about 30 minutes. Set aside to cool, then cut into 12 bars.

I guess the bonus of using the powder for baking instead of the real thing is the lack of fat? The brownie recipe calls for enough PB2 that you might not want to use up that much of the jar on an unnecessary dessert item (then again, maybe it makes you feel less terrible about eating said dessert.  I never do, so I can't relate). But the bottom line for me is that this stuff is delish and I will buy it again when it's on sale.  Because I am very cheap.

Recipe review: Smoky Pasta with Corn and Tomatoes

I tried this recipe, found in a Vegetarian Times issue this summer while waiting out a delayed flight (thanks, United) mainly because I had half a jar of chipotle peppers sitting in the fridge at home.  Also, it sounded wacky, and I love goat cheese. I discovered a new favorite dish, slightly modified from the original, below.

Smoky Pasta with Corn and Tomatoes

Serves 4

12 oz. rotini or other pasta shape
2-3 chiles from 4-oz. can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (keep some of the sauce in there, too)
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 oz. goat cheese, plus more for crumbling on top if desired
⅓ cup chopped cilantro
2 cups halved cherry tomatoes
2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels

Cook pasta according to package directions.

Meanwhile, finely chop chipotle chiles (remove seeds for less heat). Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add chile and garlic, and sauté 1 minute, or until fragrant. Stir in goat cheese and 1/4 cup water, and cook 2 to 3 minutes, or until smooth sauce forms, stirring constantly. Add more water by tablespoons if the sauce is too thick. Simmer 2 minutes more, then remove from heat and add cilantro.

Drain pasta, and return to pot. Add tomatoes, corn and cheese sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and toss in extra goat cheese crumbles, if desired.

Trying the Trends: Sweet Potato Toast

I am not on any special diet and I love carbs, so I'm not afraid of toast, either.  But I do know that sweet potatoes are good for you, and they're reasonably tasty, but I run out of ideas for them. So, when I saw this recipe on Pinterest, I thought it was worth a try with the sad, lonely sweet potato I have had in my cupboard for over a month (don't judge). Bonus: it involves cooking a food without heating up the entire kitchen by turning on the oven.

I simply cut the potato into slices by cutting off the pointy ends and cutting lengthwise. Any scraps you have from the ends all around can be steamed and frozen or cooked into any number of veggie dishes. I didn't peel mine.

Then you pop slices into the toaster just like it's bread, although it's going to take longer to cook.  My "toast" was firm-tender after two cycles on "8".  I buttered mine and sprinkled cinnamon and brown sugar on top.  It was OK.  I was reasonably full when I added a small dish of yogurt on the side. I'm not going to do it again, because I love bagels too much.  There they are at the bottom.

Black Pepper Tofu and other Genius Recipes

The good folks at Food52 have come out with an in-print book, Genius Recipes: 100 Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook. It's actually a compendium of other famous chefs' recipes throughout the ages (including Julia Child's lovely grated zucchini casserole and Marcella Hazan's weirdly boring tomato sauce with onions and butter). Notes from the editors at Food52 explain how and why the recipe works and include "kitchen hacks" like "you can cut the amount of butter if you want."  So really, they've done a great job of rounding up some excellent recipes and putting them in one place for us to use.  It's debatably ironic for a well-established food blog to be in the printed cookbook business at this point in the 21st Century, but I still enjoy the tactile sensation of flipping through it, at any rate. And the photos are very nice.

Two of my favorite recipes are pretty modern in origin, including one from fellow blogger Smitten Kitchen.  I have included my own substitutions (or "hacks", if we must). Buy the book if you want, or just subscribe to Food52's excellent blog. You really will learn new things.

Yotam Ottolenghi's delicious Black Pepper Tofu recipe

with these substitutions:

• just use 9 tablespoons of soy sauce, and add one more tablespoon of sugar
• I used four small serrano peppers because it's what I had
• I could not for the life of me crush my black pepper by hand--it just kept jumping out of the bowl. So I used a pepper grinder and did more like 3 tablespoons (to make up for the heat of the serranos)
• I used 6 green onions and about 2 cups of steamed broccoli

Another great recipe included is Debra Perlman's (Smitten Kitchen) Mushroom Bourguignon. I actually used a mix of white and shitake mushrooms, because it's what I had, and I definitely had to add some water to keep the gravy from being too pasty in the end.  I also added salt, because I apparently like it more than she does.  But it's a totally solid foundation for a recipe. 

Vegan cooking with the Shannons (+ recipe)

Dan and Annie Shannon must be the cutest damn couple.  They have kids and they're fun-loving, frugal vegans!  Nah, I shouldn't make fun--I wanted to like their book, Mastering the Art of Vegan Cooking. They want to use (mostly) common ingredients, they want to be cheap (they even break down the cost per serving of making each dish), and they're open about ways to use leftovers.  What's not to like?  But many of the recipes are just bland, some measurements don't work (the lemon-tahini sauce turned out to be a gloppy mess of tahini with some things stuck in it), and they rely too heavily, IMHO, on meat replacements, which are ironically expensive, and totally unnecessary if you can just get past the mindset of needing a serving of meat on each plate. (Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall offers a great restructuring of the common meal, for instance.)

But here's a version of a recipe I really liked (though I doubled the amount of pepper to give it some kick). This works great with some steamed veggies and cooked rice (you can actually use the leftover marinade, whisk in a little corn starch and chili-garlic sauce, and cook it up as a sauce for the veggies), but it's also a great snack by itself for cocktail hour with friends. The authors also suggest tucking the tofu into a sandwich, and if I did that, I think I'd make a bright little vinegary cole slaw to throw on top. 

Black Tea and Pepper Tofu

Adapted from Shannon, Mastering the Art of Vegan Cooking

Serves 4

2 cups strong brewed black tea, room temperature (I like Russian Caravan for its smokiness)

2 tablespoons crushed black peppercorns, plus more to sprinkle on top

2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

Juice of 1 lemon

1 teaspoon soy sauce

1 16-oz. package extra-firm tofu, drained and cut into squares or strips

¼ cup neutral oil (grapeseed, canola,…)

Lemon wedges, for serving

In a shallow dish, whisk together the tea, pepper, lemon zest, lemon juice, and soy sauce.

Pat tofu dry and place in the marinade (above). Leave for 10 minutes, then flip and marinade for another 5 minutes.

Heat the oil over medium heat. Working in batches, fry the tofu on both sides to golden. Drain pieces on a paper towel-lined plate.

Serve hot, seasoned with more pepper if desired and lemon wedges for squeezing over the top. 

I tried Mark Bittman's Paella Master Recipe. It was OK.

Bittman's paella from NYT

I referenced Mark Bittman's latest cookbook, Kitchen Matrix, less than a month ago in this blog, and I still say it's a great book. It is written as a set of master recipes and basic techniques with ingredient options to cater to your tastes.  I have long admired Bittman's pedagogical approach to food writing, whether it's in the New York Times, his classic handbooks, How To Cook Everything and How To Cook Everything Vegetarian, or delivered charmingly on his various PBS shows. He is practical, flexible, and incredibly clear in his directions, and his recipes always turn out as promised (for me). So when I saw that Matrix contained a paella recipe, I jumped on it.  I remembered having it on various occasions during sea-faring vacations and loving it, but I have always been too intimidated to try to make it at home.  Partially because I live in a very landlocked place, and partly because I (therefore) have no experience cooking a good many of the creepy-crawlies that go into the dish, I never thought I should try it, until I saw Bittman's inviting instructions taking up no more than a page. So I got a packet of mixed frozen seafood and got to work.  

If you don't have access to Kitchen Matrix, you can also read his Paella Master Recipe on the New York Times site here. Basically, as he explains it, paella is rice and things, but what truly makes it paella is the lack of stirring, so that a crunchy, browned layer forms at the bottom of the pan. I followed his recipe, with this exception: instead of saffron, I used about half a packet of Goya sazon to season the rice.  I stand by that decision, as I really like the flavor, and it's way cheap, while saffron is far to precious for my taste. I also used water instead of stock, with a splash of red wine.

My flavoring agents were as follows: that mixed seafood packet, which contained mussels, shrimp, squid, and clams; a drained can of tomatoes, chopped Kalamata olives, half a zucchini, and some frozen peas; a chopped vegetarian sausage (why, you ask, when I'm already eating seafood? CANCER, that's why!), and of course the bell pepper and onion.  I also threw in  two minced cloves of garlic, because it's garlic.

As for the crunchy bottom, mine got a little closer to the black side of the spectrum, after having to add more water a couple of times until the rice was tender enough.  I probably should have lowered the heat more, and sooner; the rest of it I blame on the higher elevation (approx. 4700 feet above sea level), which can make cooking rice a little tricky. But again, a lower temp would have done the trick, so that one's on me. 

The result was...OK.  The shrimp were very rubbery and overcooked, but the rest of the seafood was a good consistency.  Everything else worked the way it should have.  It was a bit bland, and I found that generous squeezes of fresh lemon and hot sauce (Tapatio has a great chili flavor) helped, but I think that the nature of paella is actually to be quite bland.  So, in my cobwebbed memories of this dish, I think it was an accurate rendering, but I also discovered that, once the novelty wears off, it's kind of a boring meal. If you think you would like a very mild, tomatoey rice dish with bits of seafood and vegetables in it, this is a very user-friendly recipe to try.  If you want something truly exotic and/or brightly flavored, I would recommend Bittman's take on Asian dishes in the book, which are much more interesting and equally accessible to the home cook. 

My paella from Greeley, CO

corn + peanuts = delicious

I have long been a fan of food writer/photographer Heidi Swanson, and I even reviewed her cookbook, Super Natural Everyday, here on this blog a while back.  Her latest in-print creation is Near And Far, and it is a glorious, if slightly strange, melding of travel diary and recipe collection. What's strange about it, from my perspective, are the recipes, which basically amount to warm and cold salads, dips, and soups.  Many of them are great, but need to have rice or pasta added to round out a meal.  Case in point, her Vaghareli Makai, which is basically Indian stir-fried corn and peanuts.  It's so delicious and simple it's ridiculous!  But you need to put some rice underneath it for lunch or dinner.  I also added steamed green beans, because I had them and thought it would be tasty.  It was.

So, here's my version:

Vaghareli Makai

Serves 4

1 medium serrano chile, stemmed, seeded (if desired), and sliced
2 medium garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
One 1-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
¾ teaspoon sea or kosher salt
1 tablespoon peanut oil (or other neutral oil)
1 ½ teaspoons yellow or brown mustard seeds
3 cups corn (frozen fine; rinse under warm water and drain)

1 cup steamed green beans
½ cup roasted peanuts
1 cup chopped cilantro

2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

3 cups cooked jasmine or brown rice, for serving
lemon or lime wedges, for serving

With a mini food processor, grind the chile, garlic, ginger, turmeric, and salt to a paste.

Heat the oil in a wide skillet. Add the mustard seeds and cook, stirring until they pop, which will take a minute or two. Stir in the corn kernels and cook a few minutes, stirring frequently, until they just start to feel tender, which will take a couple of minutes.

Stir in the peanuts, green beans, half of the cilantro and the chile paste. Cook for another minute then taste. If desired, for additional heat, add more of the chile paste and perhaps a bit of salt.

Serve the spiced corn over rice, topped with the remaining cilantro and sesame seeds  Serve with lime or lemon wedges--don't skip this step!

Recipe review: making General Tso's Chickpeas

I came across this recipe on good ol' Pinterest, of all the places, and I thought it sounded genius.  We like General Tso's sauce in this household, but pouring it over a vat of fried chicken and the requisite three pieces of broccoli does tend to turn it into a gut bomb, in my humble opinion. I was most interested in the sauce, because I figured if I liked it, I could just add it to my rotation of veggie stir-fry sauces (which is all this recipe basically is, anyway).

It is a tasty sauce, though if you compare my version, below, to the original, you'll see I made mine a whole lot spicier and a bit less sweet.  For a milder version, you might want to try following the directions like a good kid at Yep, It's Vegan and test that one first.

General Tso's Chickpeas (based on Yep, It's Vegan's recipe)

Serves 4


For marinating the chickpeas:
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon mirin (I used sweet vermouth)
1 and 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas (equal to 1 15-oz. can), rinsed and drained

For the sauce:
1/4 cup + 2  tablespoon water

1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon ketchup
1/2 tablespoon peanut butter
1  tablespoon soy sauce
1  tablespoon rice vinegar
1  tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons sriracha or other chili sauce
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon prepared mustard
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon. freshly ground black pepper 

For the General Tso's chickpeas stir-fry:
1  tablespoon neutral oil (I used canola)

1/4 of a large onion, thinly sliced
1 large broccoli crown, cut into florets

4 oz. mushrooms, thickly sliced
1 carrot, cut into thin slices on the bias
1 tablespoon minced ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
General Tso's sauce (above)
marinated chickpeas (above)
green onions and sesame seeds for serving
1 cup cooked rice, for serving


Stir together the soy sauce and mirin in a bowl and add the chickpeas. Let sit for at least 10 minutes.

Whisk together all of the sauce ingredients and set aside.

Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat. When the oil is hot, add the onion, stirring continuously. Continuing to stir, add the broccoli, carrots, mushrooms, ginger, and garlic.

Stir in the General Tso's sauce. Drain the chickpeas and stir them in too. Cook for 1-2 more minutes, continuing to stir frequently, or until the mixture is hot throughout and the sauce has coated the chickpeas and vegetables. Add more soy sauce or chili sauce to taste.

Serve over rice and garnish as desired with green onions and sesame seeds.

A month of brunches: week 1

What's more luxurious than forcing yourself to shove aside all your weekend work, pour yourself a beermosa, and pig out on fatty, salty fried things as a treat just for getting out of bed in the morning?  That's right, nothing.  And when it's warm enough outside to sit on the patio listening to the neighbor kids fight while you munch your potatoes, that's even better (at least, it is if you live in the Rocky Mountains or the Midwest, where patio time is very limited each year). This month, I am celebrating my laziness, my desire to eat nonstop, and this beautiful spring weather with Saturday brunches, and I'm inviting you to join me.

Week 1: Testing Thug Kitchen's Baked Okra and Potato Hash


Here's the original recipe on Google Books. I didn't change too much here, but I did swap out the paprika in the original recipe for 1/2 teaspoon of Old Bay and 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika for dusting the potatoes. I also served it with additional lemon wedges on the side, because I still wanted more sour.

The roasting directions, including times given and ratios of veggies to oil, worked perfectly for me. Hey look, there they are up above. I also used frozen okra, which I thawed first and then chopped as per recipe directions.  It doesn't clearly state this, but the recipe reads like you're supposed to be using fresh okra. However, I live in Colorado, so forget that.  The frozen worked just fine.


I also added a fried egg on top, because otherwise this would just be a side to nothing.  I thought it was delicious.  Serve with various hot sauces, coffee, beer, and orange juice.  Liberally.

Wash away your sins with Heidi Swanson

Faithful readers of this blog know that I have a bit of a food crush on Heidi Swanson, author of Super Natural Everyday, among others, and curator of fabulous recipes and food photography at 101 Cookbooks.   Her food often falls into what we affectionately call "California hippie food" around here.  She utilizes lots of whole grains, various exotic beans and spices, and avocado makes regular appearances in her recipes.  I find myself referring to her when the weather turns warm and I feel inspired to be healthier (pity that doesn't happen all the time), and especially when the grumbling in my belly is partly from hunger and partly from the dehydration that comes with drinking too much gin the night before.  I don't have the willpower--or the desire--to starve myself on a "cleanse", so this is it for me: cutting out the meat and grease and just eating pure, unprocessed foods that are delicious and fill me up.  Here's one of my current favorites from her blog, and if you keep some cooked grains and beans in the freezer for these times, it's a cinch to make on a groggy Saturday morning.  I have made some substantial modifications, so if you want to compare this to the original, go here.

Heidi Swanson's Mung Yoga Bowl Recipe 2.0

Serves 4-6

For the sauce:
1 cup Greek yogurt
1/2 tablespoon minced ginger
1/2 small serrano chile, seeded
1/2 cup cilantro, plus more for serving
1/4 cup green onions
1/2 cup spinach

1 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt

5-6 cups cooked mung (or other) beans (black beans or lentils work very well, too)
1 cup cooked grains (quinoa, farro, barley, or brown rice are my favorites)
1/3 cup toasted almonds and/or pepitas
3 tablespoons warmed olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika
lots of freshly squeezed lime juice


In a medium frying pan, warm 1 teaspoon of oil. Add the serrano, spinach, 1/2 cup cilantro, and green onion and cook, stirring constantly, until spinach is completely wilted, about 3 minutes. Place this mixture along with the ginger, yogurt, ans salt, in a blender.Blend until smooth, taste and adjust, if needed.

Just before serving, combine the beans and grains in a large bowl, and sprinkle with the nuts. Dollop generously with the yogurt sauce, and then whisk together the olive oil and paprika. Drizzle this across the bowl. Finish with a good amount of lime juice, and more salt, if needed.

How do I love thee? Let me blah blah blah...

Heidi Swanson of 101 Cookbooks fame

I love sharing brilliant blog posts from all over in the hopes that you will be as inspired as I am by some of the creative, intelligent ideas in food floating around out there.  Some blogs have become staple references for me because their writers just seem to hit the bullseye repeatedly. Today, I'd like to give a shout-out to one of the blogs I've been reading for years, 101 Cookbooks. Food photographer and excellent cook Heidi Swanson blogs from San Francisco about healthy vegetarian meals, often creatively adapted from others' recipes, accompanied by her ethereal, absolutely beautiful photos. I think of her as the Sophia Coppola of food blogs.  She's one of the first places I go when I come home from the store (or inside from the garden) with a piece of produce and no plan for preparing it.  Witness my two latest quandaries, the lacinato kale I brought home and then decided I could not stand one more raw kale salad with pecans and raisins, and the head of cauliflower I always have to dress up in order to get it eaten in my house:

KALE

Kale Rice Bowl It's like a beautiful ramen bowl but with rice, and Middle Eastern sauce and seasonings! This is what Swanson does best, I think: mixes and matches different international traditions with ease.  And you can prepare most of the ingredients ahead of time and just build the thing when you come home starving and read to give in to to the Doritos in the pantry. Note to self: stop buying Doritos.

Kale Market Salad OK, it's a salad again, but this dressing is a real keeper for any kind of salad, and the addition of the farro makes this a worthy meal instead of merely another mouthful of raw, scratchy greens.

CAULIFLOWER

Spicy Cauliflower with Sesame This works well as a side dish, but it's also delicious tossed some some slippery, still-hot udon and an extra splash of rice vinegar for a lovely lunch.

Black Pepper Cauliflower Salad  I could mention here that I am now too old to digest raw cauliflower.  Go ahead and make a horrified face, you Millennials, you'll get there someday, too.  This recipe is the best of both worlds: a vibrantly flavored salad, cooked enough that I am not doubled over in pain all night.  And with that bit of too much information, I bid you adieu for the weekend...

The anti-arsenic Clif Bar

During certain times of the year (like now, which is why you are getting other people's recipes today--shut up if you don't like it), I barely have time to sleep or use the toilet, let alone eat a nutritious, well-balanced meal. My choices while driving between rehearsals and concerts are generally tan-colored fast food or energy bars (strangely, they are also tan-colored).  I have long chosen energy bars thinking that they were good for me, but lo and behold, they're filled with arsenic.  Awesome.  So now I have to make my own, damnit, and I'm not happy about it.  Luckily, these homemade options are delicious, easy to make (and to find ingredients for), refrigerate and freeze well, and are non-carcinogenic.  I've posted one of these before, but here are my top picks for reasonably healthy, filling snacks on the run:

Pumpkin Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars (Vegan, Gluten-Free)

from Averie Cooks 

1/2 cup peanut butter
1 cup pumpkin puree
2 cup oats (whole rolled, not quick cook; use certified gluten-free if necessary)
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice (reduce/increase to taste)
1 teaspoon cinnamon (reduce/increase to taste)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Optional: Add raisins, nuts, chocolate/white/peanut butter chips to the mixture.

Combine all ingredients into a mixing bowl and stir by hand.  Spread batter (it will be pretty moist) into a foil-lined and spayed 8 x 8 or 9 x 9 pan.  Bake at 350F for 22-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  The bars may still look underdone, but that’s ok because they will continue to set up as they cool.  Allow to cool very well before slicing.  Store extras on the countertop, refrigerator, or in the freezer for long term storage.

Peanut Butter Banana Oat Breakfast Cookies with Carob / Chocolate Chips

from Watching What I Eat

2 ripe bananas, mashed until smooth & creamy
1/3 cup peanut butter ~ creamy or chunky 
2/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 scoop vanilla protein powder ** (can be made without, cookie will just be lower in protein)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups quick oatmeal  ~ uncooked  (or use old fashioned oats for more oatmeal texture)
1/4 cup chopped nuts (peanut, walnut, or your favorite)
1/4 cup carob or chocolate chips (**optional)

Preheat heat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, mix mashed banana & peanut butter until completely combined then add in the applesauce, vanilla protein powder & the extract~ mix again until all are completely combined.

Add in the oatmeal & nuts to the banana mixture & combine.  (** add the optional carob / chocolate chips at this time if you want them mixed throughout)

Let dough rest for 10 minutes.

Drop cookie dough, by spoonfuls, onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet & flatten cookies into circles. (** if you just want the carob / chocolate chips on the top of the cookies, add now)

Bake cookies approx. 20-30 minutes (some like their cookies less cooked, some cooked more - try it both ways to find which works best for your tastes) or until golden brown & done.  Remove from oven & let rest on cookie sheet for 5 minutes, then move to cooling rack.  (if you want the traditional fork tong marks on the cookies, use a pizza cutter or sharp knife to score the tops of the cookies while they're still warm)

No-Bake Energy Bites 

from Gimme Some Oven

Makes about 20-25 balls

(PS--These are amazing right out of the freezer.)

1 cup (dry) oatmeal (I used old-fashioned oats)
2/3 cup toasted coconut flakes
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup ground flaxseed or wheat germ
1/2 cup chocolate chips or cacao nibs (optional)
1/3 cup honey or maple syrup
1 Tbsp. chia seeds (optional)
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Stir all ingredients together in a medium bowl until thoroughly mixed. Cover and let chill in the refrigerator for half an hour.

Once chilled, roll into balls of whatever size you would like. (Mine were about 1" in diameter.) Store in an airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to 1 week.

Heidi Swanson's Oatcakes from Super Natural Every Day. 

Makes 12

3 cups rolled oat
2 cups spelt or whole wheat flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
 2 teaspoons salt
¼ cup flax seeds
¾ cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup peanut or coconut oil
1/3 cup unsalted butter
¾ cup maple syrup
½ cup natural cane sugar (we use brown sugar in my house)
2 large eggs, lightly beaten

Preheat the oven to 325°F with a rack in the top third of the oven.  Butter a standard 12-cup muffin pan.

Combine the oats, flour, baking powder, salt, flax seeds, and walnuts in a large mixing bowl.  In a medium saucepan over low heat, combine the oil, butter, maple syrup, and sugar and slowly melt together.  Stir just until the butter melts and the sugar has dissolved, but don’t let the mixture get too hot.  You don’t want to cook the eggs on contact in the next step.

Pour the oil mixture over the oat mixture.  Stir a bit with a fork, add the eggs, and stir again until everything comes together into a wet dough.  Spoon the dough into the muffin cups, nearly filling them. 

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the edges of each oat cake are deeply golden.  Remove the pan from the oven and let cool for a couple of minutes.  Then, run a knife around the edges of the cakes and tip them out onto a cooling rack.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

Recipe review: Yvette van Boven's Spicy Labneh

I love Yvette van Boven's latest cookbook, Homemade Summer.  The recipes are clever and inviting, the photography and typesetting, a mix of "handwritten" and typed fonts, is whimsical without being sickening, and van Boven's writing style is carefree and empowering in the kitchen.  An example: "you could add some sugar here, though I never do."  Another example: "you could add a splash of vodka, but then it won't be virgin.  Oh well."  Here's my adaptation of her super-fast, super-tasty yogurt-based dip which is heaven on the patio with drinks and unexpected friends.

Spicy Labneh

Adapted from Homemade Summer

1 garlic clove, minced and smeared into a paste
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 cup plain yogurt
generous handful chopped fresh herbs (mint, basil, parsley, dill, cilantro...)
extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon sesame seeds
pinch crushed red pepper flakes

In a dry, hot pan, toast the cumin and sesame seeds until fragrant, about 2 minutes (stir constantly).  Combine garlic, salt, and yogurt in a small serving dish.  Sprinkle paprika, toasted seeds, and red pepper flakes on top, drizzle with a little olive oil, and then sprinkle with fresh herbs.  Serve with toasts or a baguette.

Recipe review: Mushroom "risoniotto"

If you haven't yet explored River Cottage Veg by the terribly clever Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, you really should.  Junkies of all things Gordon Ramsay will recognize him as the agricultural consultant on The F Word (by far Ramsay's best show, in my opinion)--he was the guy bringing over lambs, hogs, and other temporary family pets destined to be slaughtered and served in the kitchen at the end of each season.  Never mind the therapy those Ramsay kids will need in their adult lives, Fearnley-Whittingstall is admirably insistent on sustainability and staying as close to the farm with our food as possible.  River Cottage Veg is the latest in his series of cookbooks detailing what he serves on his urban-ish farm, River Cottage.  The entire book is vegetarian, and it uses practical, common ingredients in some creative (but not crazy) combinations.  A great example is his comforting risotto-like dish made from mushrooms and orzo pasta.  I made a several alterations here, which I think would be Hugh's style as well.  This is an easy, tasty dish to serve on the side of something more substantial or as a main course with salad, and it's open to substitutions as your pantry and refrigerator demand.

Mushroom "risoniotto"

adapted from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's River Cottage Veg

Serves 2 as a meal, 4 as a side

2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
1 pound mixed mushrooms, cleaned and chopped
8 oz. whole wheat orzo
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup dry white wine
3 tablespoons plain yogurt (the original calls for heavy cream, which would be less tangy)
salt and black pepper
generous handful fresh parsley, chopped

Bring a medium saucepan of well-salted water to boil and cook orzo according to package directions.

In a large skillet, heat the butter over medium heat.  Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until very soft, about 8 minutes.  Add the mushrooms and some salt and cook until their liquid has released and evaporated and there is a little browning in the pan.  Add the balsamic, garlic, and thyme and cook, stirring, for about 2 minutes, until there is almost no liquid left.  Add the white wine and do the same.  Lower the heat to a low simmer and stir in the yogurt and parsley.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Drain the cooked orzo and stir into the mushroom mixture.  Serve hot or at room temperature.

(This photo is from Hugh's fancy-schmancy book.)

Recipe review: no-cook steel cut oats

When we make steel-cut oats at our house, it is a monumental project--minimum of an hour from start to finish.  And I never want to cook (or wait) that long for my breakfast.  I was skeptical of this recipe published in Vegetarian Times a while back which claimed that steel cut oats could soak overnight and would be deemed edible by morning.  They are chewier and firmer this way compared to cooking them, but the texture has grown on me, and the simplified procedure won me over immediately.

I haven't modified this except for flavoring; you could experiment even further.  I do like heating some up in a bowl with a little extra milk just to finish softening the oats, and I always top it with some kind of fruit, nuts, and usually yogurt.

PS--If you skip the chia seeds, the oatmeal will be a little closer to crunchy in the morning.  They also provide a complete protein, so it's really worth springing for them.

Vegetarian Times' Overnight Chai Steel-Cut Oats

Makes 2 servings

• 1 cup steel-cut oats
• 1 cup vanilla almond or soy milk (or plain milk and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla)
• 2 tablespoons chia seeds
• ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
• ¼ teaspoon  ground ginger 
• ¼ teaspoon  ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 pinch nutmeg
• 1 pinch black pepper
• 1-2 teaspoons honey
• 1 Tbs. shredded coconut (optional)

Place all ingredients in a Tupperware-ish container or a jar with a lid.  Stir to coat thoroughly.  In the morning, heat half in the microwave with about 2 tablespoons of milk and top with fruit, nuts, etc.  Keeps 4-5 days in the refrigerator.  

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Recipe review: vinegar carrots with sesame seeds

This is another easy, quick side dish from Louisa Shafia's The New Persian Kitchen; it works with any kind of grilled meat or vegetables, quiche, or alongside a rice pilaf for lunch.  I simplified the preparation of the carrots, which are peeled into long, thin ribbons in the original, because I think they're awkward to eat.  But if you want to get fancy, you could do that instead.

Vinegar Carrots with Sesame Seeds

Serves 4

1/2 cup sesame seeds
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons white vinegar
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
salt to taste
1 1/2 pounds carrots, peeled or cleaned and sliced into thin discs
1 cup tightly packed fresh cilantro

In a small bowl, whisk together garlic, vinegars. honey, sesame oil, red pepper flakes, sesame seeds, and about 1 teaspoon salt.  Pour the dressing over the carrots, and the cilantro, and toss to coat.  Season with more salt if necessary and serve.

(This is a photo of the original recipe from The New Persian Kitchen.)

Recipe review: chicken kebabs in yogurt marinade

This is another fantastic recipe from Louisa Shafia's The New Persian Kitchen, though I have made a couple of simplifications in the version I have included below.  This marinade yielded the most tender, tangy chicken I've ever had done on the grill, while still managing to achieve a great char.  I added some hunks of onion and zucchini to these kebabs, though the original recipe calls for cherry tomatoes, instead.

Served with the Tomato and Cucumber Salad I reviewed last week from this book and my Greek Lemon Rice with Lentils, this made for a great afternoon barbecue last weekend.

Chicken Kebabs in Yogurt Marinade: Joojeh Kebab
Modified from Louisa Shafia's The New Persian Kitchen

Serves 4

5 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 cup plain yogurt
1 scant teaspoon ground turmeric
salt and black pepper to taste
1+ pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 small zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch rounds
1/2 while onion, cut into large wedges
olive oil for drizzling

In a large, freezer-weight zip-top bag, combine the garlic, lemon juice, yogurt, and turmeric until smooth (just squeeze the bag until it's mixed together).  Season the cut chicken with salt and pepper and add to the bag, massaging to combine.  Refrigerate overnight.

When ready to grill, place pieces of onion, chicken, and zucchini on skewers, allowing extra marinade to drip off chicken before placing on the grill.  Drizzle generously on both sides with olive oil and cook over hot coals until charred.  This took me 20 minutes, turning twice while cooking