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The advent of commercial nut milks is upon us. While you can purchase almond milk, I am here to entice you to make some from scratch. Almond milk is very refreshing and quite unlike the store bought kind. It's not thick and overly sweet. It also makes a great base for smoothies -a lower sugar option to fruit juices.
I love how plump and beautiful the almonds look after being rehydrated for 24 hours.
Homemade Almond Milk
The almond milk can be used in any smoothie recipes, as a replacement for milk or soy milk. If you like, add some vanilla flavor or almond extract.
1 cup raw non-pareil almonds
4 cups water, divided
1 large piece cheese cloth
Pinch of sea salt
Choose a large bowl and soak the almonds in half of the water overnight. They will plump up as they absorb the water. Soaking the nuts helps to soften them so that they puree more efficiently. The next day, drain the almonds and place in a blender. Add 2 cups of fresh water and a pinch of salt. Place lid on blender and liquify for a few minutes. You might have to do this in two batches.
Place cheese cloth in a strainer over a large container and then pour the almond mixture through. Once the "milk" has drained through, squeeze the cheese cloth together to get the remaining liquid out.
This "milk” will last up to 5 days in the refrigerator. If you want a big almond flavor, then add 1/4 tsp – 1 tsp. of almond extract.
You can use the remaining nuggets as a topping for salads or in cereal or grain dishes for added fiber. Or stay tuned for my grainless tabouleh recipe.
June 1st, 2011
Move over macaroni and cheese this is my new go to one pot pasta dinner. This recipe which appeared in the Wall Street Journal on March 26th is off da' hook! Another hit by one of our Flavorista favorties, Dorie Greenspan. What makes this recipe stand out is flavor and texture of the pasta. It cooks in a fraction of the time and differently from what you would usually do – treating it more like a risotto and less like pasta (without all the stirring).
There are many ways you could pump this up and add different flavors -diced proscuitto or Serrano ham, a medley of wild mushrooms, some blanched broccoli, grilled asapargus or baby spinach. Make it plain for the kids and add whatever you want for the adults.
The first night I made it I did not have any mascarpone so I substituted cream cheese. This dish is perfect for Better than Bouillon (a Flavorista fave and pantry staple – I am so happy they sell very large jars of it now in our Costco).
This product is not only better than bouillon, it's better than stock-in-a-box by a landslide. I used the chicken base but the vegetarian and mushroom bases are also delicious and would be well suited for a Meatless Monday. Tubetti is a must for this dish. The shape makes for the perfect texture.
The only other divergence from the original recipe I did was to cook it in my La Chamba and place it in a 250 degree oven with some fresh mozzarella balls sliced on top for 20 minutes before serving. My new go to comfort food!
"Risotto" Pasta a la Dorie Greenspan
2 Tbsp. butter
1 small onion, diced
3 3/4 cups chicken stock (3 tsp. of Better Than Bouillon dissolved in 3 3/4 boiled water)
1 1/3 cups tubetti
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan (pecorino and asiago would be excellent choices too)
3 1/2 Tbsp. mascarpone (or regular cream cheese)
Salt and Pepper to taste
Melt the butter in a large pot and saute the onions, stirring occasionally for a good 10 minutes. You can season with salt and pepper now or after the dish is done.
Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and add the pasta. Cook, stirring occasionally for 20 to 25 minutes. Pour in the cream and stir well. Allow to simmer for about 3 minutes. Stir in the parmesan and cream chesse and cook for another minute. Let the dish rest for about 3 minutes, adjust the seasoning then serve.
May 4th, 2011
This recipe was born out of neccesity. A pot of over-cooked beans would have turned to mush in a salad or soup, so a schmootz was the simple solution.
This was became a staple of my vegan detox as a spread on rice cakes, as a substitute for mayo and as a dip for blanched veggies. It was especially delicious spread onto thin potato slices.
You couuld certainly throw all of the ingredients and to a food processor and press puree but I strongly suggest that you take the extra step of cooking the shallots and garlic before pureeing. The extra flavor it adds to the dip is totally worth the minimal effort.
This spread is budget-friendly and can be made-ahead of time. It lasts about a week in the fridge. Do not be nervous about the small amount of hot sauce added to the recipe, this dip is not spicy, the hot sauce simply brings out the best in all of the other ingredients.
Rosemary and Sage White Bean Spread
1/4 cup olive oil
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 tsp. minced garlic
2 Tbsp. fresh rosemary leaves
1 Tbsp. thinly sliced fresh sage leaves
4 cups white beans, rinsed and drained (homemade or from a can)
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. kosher salt, more to taste
1 tsp. siracha chili sauce or red pepper sauce, more to taste
1 – 2 Tbsp. water
optional garnish: high quality extra-virgin olive oil
Add the olive oil, shallot and garlic to a small skillet over medium heat. Cook and stir until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Turn off heat. Stir in the rosemary and sage leaves.
Add all of the remaining ingredients, except for the water, to the bowl of a food processor and top with the olive oil mixture. Process until smooth. Add 1-2 Tbsp. of water and process until the mixture reaches the desired texture. Serve at room temperature or refrigerate until needed.
For extra flair and flavor, drizzle a very small amount of extra-virgin olive oil over the dip before serving.
April 4th, 2011
Cue the music…Baby, it's cold outside.
The calender is approaching April 1st but my my kiddos are still walking to school with hats and mittens (well not my middle schooler, she has braved the winter elements in her hoodie, assuring me that she was not cold as her teeth chattered).
It was 25°F this morning. UGH! I needed some sunny flavors to snap me out of my March funk. Pair some frozen mango chunks with some tasty canteloupe and boom boom pow, it tastes like July, despite what the thermometer says.
Mango Cantaloupe Cooler
1 cup OJ or Trader Joe's Orange Mango Juice
1/4 cantaloupe cut into small chunks
1 tsp. agave or 1 packet stevia (optional)
Add the above ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth.
Add 1 cup frozen mango chunks and blend until smooth.
This makes about 2 servings (I save one in the fridge for later in the day).
DELISH!
March 30th, 2011
Romesco sauce originates from Spain and is one of my favorite schmootzes. Usually it's enjoyed in the spring as a sauce for grilled spring onions. I've seen versions of it made with walnuts, almonds and pine nuts or a combination of all of them.
Since my other favorite schmootz is muhammara is made with walnuts; I like to use hazelnuts in this roasted red bell pepper spread.
Any leftovers are delicious on sandwiches.
Hazelnut Romesco
2 ancho chilies, re-hydrated in boiled water, stems removed and then pureed
(cascabel works well too)
1/4 cup EVVO, divided
1/2 cup hulled hazelnuts (almonds are also good)
1 large slice of day old bread, roughly chopped
4 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
1 1/2 cups roasted, peeled red bell peppers (about 2 large ones)
1 Tbsp. sherry vinegar
1 large tomato, peeled and seeded or 1 cup peeled chopped tomato from a can
(Muir Glen Fire Roasted would be a nice touch)
salt and pepper to taste
1 Tbsp. Spanish paprika
flat leaf parsley
Heat a Tbsp. of the olive oil in a large saute pan. Add the hulled hazelnuts and bread. Cook for about 3 to 4 minutes. Place the mixture into the work bowl of a food processor.
Return the skillet to the stove and add the remaining oil, chilies, garlic, bell peppers,sherry vinegar, tomatoes, salt and pepper. Cook for about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the paprika and then place this mixture in the food processor as well.
Pulse the mixture together for as long as you like. I like mine to be a little crunchy so I pulse it until it just begins to form into a puree. Taste for seasoning, add more salt and pepper, if necessary. Garnish with flat leaf parsley.
Serve along side, crostini or with grilled spring onions.
March 27th, 2011
During my vegan detox, one thing that I missed was ice cream. I come from a long line of ice cream lovers and knew that I would have to come up with a plan to fill the ice cream void.
Canned coconut milk is a luxurious ingredient, it adds an unmistakable richness to Thai and Indian currries and I am happy to report that coconut milk can be used very successfully as an "ice cream" base.
You could certainly make a straight coconut sorbet but my detox required no sugar so I opted for a version that used ripe bananas as a sweetener and almond butter for added texture and flavor. A little touch of vanilla extract and a small amount of agave pulled the recipe together.
Adjust the recipe to suit your preferences, add a bit more agave, almond butter or a touch of almond extract. Top your dish with some toasted almonds, shredded coconut or chocolate shavings.
This "ice cream" is certainly a healthier option to traditional ice cream which is loaded with butter fat and sugar. And here’s the good news: It is wholly satisfying (see pic below, if you don’t believe me).
I make homemade ice cream in my Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker. It worked especially well with this vegan version because as it froze the ice cream it incorporated air, in effect lightening the finished product.
Banana Almond Vegan Ice Cream
1 (13.5) oz. can coconut milk (full fat is better than light in this recipe)
2 ripe bananas, sliced
2 – 4 Tbsp. almond butter (to taste)
1- 2 Tbsp. agave (to taste)
2 tsp. vanilla extract
pinch kosher salt
Add all of the ingredients to a blender or food processor and process until smooth. Refrigerate the mixture overnight.
Give the mixture a good stir until it is smooth and pour it into an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer instructions.
Serve immediately or transfer ice cream to a freezer-safe container and freeze until it’s time for dessert. When serving this ice cream straight from the freezer, allow it to warm up for 10 minutes so that it softens up a bit making it easier to serve and eat.
FMI on Meatless Monday, click here.
March 14th, 2011
First let me just say that I absolutely love Molly O’Neill’s new book One Big Table. In her words, "I was on a mission to dispel the rumor that Americans don’t cook." After 10 years of zipping around the country, she compiled all these incredible recipes and anecdotes from and from die-hard cooking Americans.
If you need to purchase a cookbook this year, let this be the one as you will given a host of incredibly unique and interesting recipes from people who love to cook and love their heritage.
"A portrait of American Cooking" says it all but what you won’t find in here are recipes from celebrity chefs. There are a few but mostly there are ingenious recipes from people all over the country. Some recipes and techniques are handed down from years ago and others a wonderful marriage of two cultures coming together to create their own heritage.
How Molly achieved this is a wonder. Here are some of the recipes I will serving at our big table here in Boulder:
John Newman’s Abelskivers (Tooele, Utah)
Bill McIntyre’s Marinated Feta (Corydon, Indiana)
Roopa Unnikrishnan’s Cucumerb Pudina Sandwiches (New York, New York)
Grandmother Ojeda’s Toasted Pasilla Chile & Sunflower Seed Salsa (San Diego, CA)
Veronique Nguyen’s Cold & Frothy Fresh Pea Soup (Vail, Colorado)
Gina Caldrone Tsonga’s Fennel Slaw with Orange, Cumin and Chilies (Scottsdale, AZ)
Paulo’s Monkfish Moqueca (Martha’s Vineyard, MA)
Tia Rosa and Ruth Eichneer’s Sweet-n-Sour Carrots (Middlebury, VT)
Big Mama’s Whipping Cream Pound Cake (Clarke County, Alabama)
Gaynelle Tillet’s Fig Cake (Ocracoke, North Carolina)
That’s just to name a few. I’ll be sure to post the results -but it might take some time. Did I mention it’s a BIG book? Her blog is fabulously written so I advise you to check it out.
March 10th, 2011
You may say, why bother to eat cauliflower, but really it can be very good. With winter in full swing, fresh produce will continue to become repetitive and very cruciferous so I would like to offer up some creative things to do with cauliflower to get you through the somewhat bleak winter months.
BTW – Look at all the caratenoids in the above photo of the yellow cauliflower! You could make this dish really fabulous by mixing some white with yellow cauliflower.
Guy Fieri featured a puree of cauliflower in milk combined with roasted cauliflower served his with a butterflied chicken cooked under 4 bricks. Yum.
Flavorista Tracey, my sister-in-law whose photos have often graced this blog, was here recently so I made my favorite – cauliflower couscous and tossed it with a vegan pesto made from spinach, cilantro and ginger. The textures were fantastic. I highly recommend it. This would pair perfectly with roasted vegetables for a Meatless Monday. I served in with grilled ono and ladolemono.
Almond, Ginger & Coriander Pesto with Cauliflower Couscous
Pesto
4 cloves garlic
2 Tbsp. freshly grated ginger
2 bunches cilantro, leaves picked off
1 1/2 cups spinach (I used the baby spinach which is already pre-washed. It’s far more tender. Do not use frozen)
1/4 cup sesame oil
1/4 cup peanut oil
1 cup almonds
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
Place all the ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and pulse together. Don’t just run the food processor. The beauty of this pesto is the texture.
Click here for the procedure to make the couscous. Omit the scallions and peppers.
Once the couscous is tender, place the pesto in the pan with heat off and stir all the pesto and cauliflower together. Place on a platter and top with roasted vegetables (like yellow squash, red bell peppers and zucchini), pan-fried tempeh slices or the fish and sauce
March 7th, 2011
It is quite freezing outside today, we still have ample snow abounding and according to the news "More snow is on the way." YIKES!
Vincenzo and I put together this carrot top garden a few weeks back and it has been fun to watch. It is a gentle reminder that the crocuses will be presenting themselves soon, as soon as the foot of snow that is currently covering my garden melts.
And oy vey, it is going to be a muddy spring.
The carrot top garden is easy to make, simply buy some carrots with the tops still intact. I found mine at Hannaford.
Trim the greens to about 1/2-inch and trim the carrots to 3/4-inch. Line a shallow dish or bowl with some type of gravel (we used some sea glass; this satisfied a summer craving as well). Add enough water to the dish to keep the gravel wet. Place the dish in a sunny window, water as necessary and watch your carrots grow!
Spring will be here soon enough? Right?
One Very proud, hydroponic gardener!
March 3rd, 2011
Traditionally made with pork and chicken, posole made with the right ingredients can also be delicious vegetarian. In Mexico, this dish is consumed like menudo, to help quell the effects of a hangover. I just love the buttery, crunchy texture of hominy.
Two "secret" ingredients for me were my vegetable stock (see the post on Soup Swap for the recipe)and the new (but hard to find) fire roasted tomato with chipotles from Muir Glenn. I’ve been a huge fan of the fire roasted with green chilies for a while, and those are in this recipe too. The fire roasting flavor of the tomatoes helps to add the needed depth to this hearty "stoup". A few classic Mexican cooking techniques are also essential.
I
Vegetarian Posole
¼ cup olive oil
2 Ancho chilies, top stem removed
2 large onions, diced
2 cloves garlic, smashed and chopped finely
2 Tbsp. whole coriander seed, crushed
1 Tbsp. whole cumin seed crushed
4 cans Muir Glen Fire Roasted Tomatoes with Green Chilies
Or 2 of Fire Roasted Tomatoes with Chipotle Chilies and 2 with Green Chilies, your choice
4 cans of hominy (2 yellow and 2 white), rinsed and drained
4 Quarts homemade vegetable stock (I added an ancho chilie and guillio chilie to this batch), hot
Procedure:
Heat a large heavy bottomed pan on the medium heat. Add the olive oil, the whole ancho chilies, onions and garlic. Add the ground spices and stir until they are fragrant. Allow to cook for 10 minutes. Now add the hominy and stir well. Add the tomatoes of your choice.
Remove the ancho chili and place in a blender with some of the hot stock, just enough to cover. You can add the garlic to this as well. Puree until smooth. Add the hot vegetable stock to the posole and then stir in the chili puree.
Allow to cook for 30 minutes over low heat stir every so often. You may now season with salt and pepper to your heart’s content. If you want to make it thicker and have a more potent masa punch, place whole corn tortilla in with the posole and let it soften for 5 minutes. Now remove it with some of the broth and puree it with your immersion blender as you did for the chilies. Add back into the posole and stir well.
Serve garnished with freshly chopped avocados, cilantro, fresh lime and slices of radish.
February 28th, 2011
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