Rosemary-Cherry Cindy Flatirons

A while ago, I promised my long-time and wonderfully supportive reader Cindy Cupcake a healthy cookie recipe named after her. I have been experimenting for a while, trying to find something that's as unique and lovely as she is. This is what I've come up with: wide, flat, moist cookies with subtle flavors of rosemary and cardamom offering a rich, flavorful tapestry to your tongue even after the cookie is gone, and cherries that are warm bursts of honeyed sweetness in an otherwise gentle setting. Each of these is a filling, protein-rich, and densely flavorful. One is enough for a serving (but you'll want more). I hope that you all enjoy these as much as I have.

Rosemary-Cherry Cindy Flatirons

6 tbsp vegan margarine
3/4 cup soft dark brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated white sugar
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp flaxseed meal
3 tbsp water
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract
1/4 tsp cardamom
2 cups whole wheat flour
6 oz rosemary needles, minced fine (bundle the leaves together and snip them into bits with scissors)
8 oz dried cherries

Preheat oven to 350 F. Prepare two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Cream the margarine, sugars, honey, vanilla and almond extracts, salt, and cardamom together until smooth.
Add the vinegar, flaxseed, baking powder, baking soda, and water. Mix until all are smoothly combined. Add the minced rosemary needles. Mix on low.
Sift the flour in. Continue to mix until consistent.
Fold in the dried cherries.

Drop heaping tablespoons of the batter onto the cookie sheets. Bake for 15-18 minutes. Allow to cool for about five minutes, then move to a cooling rack. Enjoy warm!

Thank you, Cindy, for reading!

1940's Snickerdoodles

Here's a little recipe I rescued from 1941 in honor of the current show I'm doing - Noel Coward's Peace In Our Time. It's not exactly my usual offering - not remotely vegan or low calorie, to be sure - nor is it my own invention (as I wasn't alive in 1940), but it is delicious and makes a great offering to potlucks and friends. To be enjoyed in moderation, with a cup of Earl Grey or Irish Breakfast (for dipping and sipping). The italics are my notations.

1940's Snickerdoodles
(makes ~50)

1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup baker's sugar
2 eggs
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp cream of tartar
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
pinch salt
a sprinkle of ginger (1 tsp)
a scrape of nutmeg (take a whole nutmeg, then scritch off about a tsp of it with a small grater or zester)
additional sugar and cinnamon to taste (~tbsp each, for the outside of the cookies)

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

Melt the butter in a saucepan (or microwave). Cream together butter, eggs, and sugar until you have a smooth texture.

(In a separate bowl) Sift the dry ingredients together and stir into the sugar mixture (making sure each addition of the flour mixture is combined before adding the next). Chill the dough for two hours.

Roll chilled dough into balls the size of uncracked walnuts. (Sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on a flat surface.) Roll each in the cinnamon sugar (covering the outside). Place three fingers apart on a (parchment paper covered) cookie sheet. Bake for twelve minutes.


So there you go. I don't generally go in for so much butter - or any at all (I actually choked a little bit as I added it), but I will say that these are excellent dipping cookies. They cool to a hard, crispy cookie that softens in tea instantly. As with all things good and bad, use discretion when enjoying these. I've been making them to sell at the concessions booth for my play, which is a good way to keep them away from myself. When my schedule loosens up a bit, I will play with making a more guilt-free version of these.

Go on, have a peace! Enjoy!

Bento 6: Tri-Color Bento

Today's bento was a tasty treat. Eat each part separate or mix them all together. It tastes great either way. Good hot or cold. Which is good, because you'll end up with leftover soboro for days (I am already eagerly anticipating this...).

Turkey and Beef Soboro
(makes too many servings to count)

1 lb ground lean turkey meat
1 lb ground lean beef
1-2 tbsp sesame oil, divided
1/2 cup green onions, chopped, green and white (~2 stalks)
1 clove garlic
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp mirin
3 tbsp soy sauce
4 tbsp thai fish sauce

Heat 1 tbsp sesame oil in pan and stir fry green onions. Add meat; brown. Add sugar; caramelize. Add mirin; evaporate. Add soy and fish sauce; simmer. Taste for seasoning.

Now you can end there, and just enjoy it. It's very tasty at this stage. Or you can go a step further if you have a meat grinder (I used my attachment to my mixer):

Pour contents through a strainer, saving the juices in a large bowl. Then put all the meat/garlic/green onions through the meat grinder until it comes out in teeny tiny mushed up bits. Collect these bits in the bowl with the juice, stir well to coat, and refrigerate.


Carrot Brown Rice
1 cup brown rice
1/2 cup carrot juice
water

Using a rice cooker, put 1 cup brown rice in with 1/2 cup carrot juice and then fill to the 1 cup line inside the bowl. Cook like normal brown rice. It will come out orange and mildly flavored. So good!


Asian Pickles
(This recipe was donated by Abby Palanker, who made these delicious pickles and kindly agreed to give me the recipe when I begged.)

2 boxes persian cucumbers (TJ's)
1 tbsp salt
4 garlic cloves minced
1 tsp crushed red pepper
3 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp sugar

[Note: I made a half of this recipe and it's still a lot. I replace the sugar with brown sugar, halved the salt, and left out the crushed red pepper. Very tasty both ways.]

Slice cucumber 1/4 inch thick. Mix with rest of the ingredients.
Leave on counter for several hours, stirring now and then. Refrigerate.


And that is it. All together, it was so good! Yum yum yum. Nom nom nom.
Go on! Have a peace!

Banana-Walnut Muffins

So there I was, looking at a pair of wilting bananas and I thought - banana bread? No. Too big and heavy. I know! I'll make muffins!

Banana-Walnut Muffins
(12 servings)

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
2 overripe bananas
1/8 cup Splenda-sugar baking blend
3 tbsp egg whites
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
~1/4 cup walnut "baking bits" *you can get these in bags at Trader Joe's

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a muffin tin with paper liners.

Mash the bananas in a bowl until they're really mushy. Add sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract. Stir well with a spatula. Add the applesauce. Stir again. Add the baking powder and baking soda and salt; then slowly add in the flour.  Stir until well combined (don't forget to scoop up the bottom and the sides).

Next, scoop the batter into the prepared muffin cups and put in your preheated oven for 20 minutes.

Ta da! All done! And in no time at all. You can replace the walnuts with raisins or some other nut or fruit as you prefer. Carob chips would probably be awesome too. :) Enjoy.

Australia Day

Australia Day is the official national day of Australia. This holiday, celebrated annually on January 26th, commemorates the arrival of the First Fleet at Sydney Cove in 1788, the hoisting of the British flag there, and the proclamation of British sovereignty over the eastern seaboard of Australia (thanks wikipedia).


I do not know much about Australia besides the following facts: it has some of the deadliest creatures on earth, it's the home of the best shiraz in the world (thanks to all that great volcanic soil), they have kangaroos, and my longtime net pal Yuhan lives there.


So, in honor of this national holiday, I asked Yuhan (who happens to be a kitchen guru in his own right) to jot down one of his favorite recipes for me to share with you all today. Here it is: 


[translations available in brackets]

Strawberry Cheesecake

Ingredients:

500g Cream Cheese

300 ml Cream

3 Eggs

250g Plain Biscuits

125g Butter, melted

Sponge Finger Biscuits

1 Punnet Strawberries [approximately 1 pint]

Dash of Sherry (or other fortified wine)

1/4 cup water

1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice

90g Icing Sugar

4 Tsp Sugar

Optional:

Ginger Snap Biscuits

Pecans

Lots of other berries

First make a Strawberry Syrup:

Halve/Quarter some of the larger strawberries (you will use them for presentation later). Place them in a saucepan. Add Sugar, Water and Sherry. Boil for a few minutes, leave it to cool.

Crumb Biscuits for the cheesecake base (digestive biscuits are great for this).

OPTION: crush some ginger snaps and pecans and add them to the mix.

Mix the biscuit crumbs with melted mutter. Press the mixture into the base of a medium spring base tin - put it into the fridge to harden.

Whisk cream cheese, cream, lemon juice, eggs and icing sugar until smooth.

Take the strawberries out of the syrup and place them on the cake base. 

OPTION: add extra berries at this stage - blueberries work well here.

Pour half of the cheese mixture into the pan.

Dip sponge finger biscuits into the syrup and place them on top of the cake mix (they should rest on top of the cooked strawberries). 

Mix the remaining syrup with the cheese mixture for colour and pour over the sponge biscuits.

Bake the cake @ 210 degrees Celsius [410 F] for 10 minutes, and then @160 degrees Celsius [320 F] for 45 minutes.

Note: The sponge finger biscuits are not essential, but give the cake another layer of texture and support the cake structure itself. It is possible to use other biscuits (like ginger snaps), but sponge fingers will hold their shape better due to their thickness. If using a different biscuit (or not using the sponge layer at all) the cake may still be custard-like in the centre after baking. In this case, place it in the fridge to set before serving.

Serving suggestions: dust with icing sugar and garnish cake slices with fresh mint.

Whole Wheat Apple Muffins

Cold + family + a season full of wanting to provide for those you love = lots of food. We all know this, we luxuriate in the the holiday season as an excuse to toss our diets out the window and enjoy all the splendors we usually deny our taste buds. Which is great, in small doses. But being surrounded by piles of delectable, high sugar/fat/cholesterol treats can also be very dangerous. I like to try to make sure that everything I offer to my friends and family on these festive occasions is something that I won't feel guilty about giving to them. If it's not something I would eat, I don't think I should be offering it to someone I care about. Here is a delicious recipe for muffins that are utterly sin-free for this celebratory season. They are vegan, fat-free, and have just enough cinnamon to let your taste buds snuggle together with holiday feeling on your tongue.

Whole Wheat Apple Muffins

Ingredients:
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 tbsp sugar* (You can also use Splenda baking sugar or another sugar substitute. Just follow the instructions on the package. I've made this recipe with three different white sugar substitutes and it always turns out yummy.)
3 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt, or less to taste
1 tsp cinnamon, or more to taste (I like more, but use your personal discretion)
1.25 cups water
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce (I like the chunky kind, but again, its up to you)
1 large apple or 2 small apples*, chopped** (*I adore granny smith apples in general, but especially for this muffin recipe. The tartness really jives very nicely with the cinnamon. If you like things sweeter, use red apples.) (**Again, personal discretion time. The apples are going to get nice and soft when baked. I like to chop them rather fine, but you can leave them in bigger chunks if you want to.)

Directions:
Set oven to 425F.

Combine flour, salt, baking powder, sugar (or substitute), and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl. Add in chopped apples and mix to coat the apples thoroughly. Combine water and applesauce and stir them together before adding to the dry ingredients bowl. Fold together until thoroughly combined. The batter will be sort of thick and goopy when it's good and ready.

Spray muffin tray with something so the muffins don't stick (I use Baker's Joy, but you can use Pam, Pam with Butter Flavoring, vegetable oil spray...whatever you want.) Bake for about 20 minutes, or until lightly browned. Let cool and enjoy.

Makes 12 delectable muffins for breakfasting or snacking.

Options:
If you want them to be a little more "cupcakey," you can sprinkle a little cinnamon sugar or brown sugar on them when they first come out of the oven. The sugar will melt a bit and give them an extra sweetness and a little crunch.
I've also mashed up walnuts and tossed them on to the tops of the batter before baking, which turned out delectable as well.

Enjoy!

Broccoli Salad

Here’s a delicious recipe for broccoli salad that appears every year at family gatherings. It’s good for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and is a nice chilled addition to predominantly warm meals. If you're veggie, simply leave out the bacon or use a bacon substitute. Either works.

Broccoli Salad 

Ingredients:
3 cups fresh broccoli, broken into small pieces
1/2 cup red onion, chopped
1 cup sunflower seeds
8 slices cooked turkey bacon
1 cup raisins
1 cup fat free mayo (or miracle whip light)
1/2 cup sugar (or splenda baking sugar)
2 tbsp white vinegar

Directions:
Mix together and allow to set in refrigerator about 1 hour for better flavor. Serve chilled.

See how easy that was? Enjoy.

Zucchini Bread

Thanksgiving is a time for giving thanks for all the love in your life by feeding the people you love with delicious food. This year, I brought a zucchini bread of my own machinations to make up for a rather embarrassing incident with a rice crispy treat attempt. Don’t ask. 

Healthy Zucchini Bread

Ingredients:
6 egg whites
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1/4 cup Splenda baking sugar* (You can use 1/2 cup sugar if you want, but this tastes just as good.)
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
3 tsp ground cinnamon
2 cups shredded zucchini (~3 zucchini, depending on size)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup raisins (thompsons seedless are great, or the big goldens)
1/4 cup dried cranberries (optional)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350F. Lightly coat two 9x5 loaf pans with cooking spray (Baker’s Joy is what I use). 

In a large bowl, add the egg whites, oil, applesauce, sugar sub, and vanilla.  Using an electric mixer, beat the mixture on low speed until thick and foamy.

In a small bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon. 

For the zucchini, I used the thick holed end of a wide cheese grater. When you get down to the end, use a corn cob sticker or a fork to hold the zucchini to avoid chopping your fingers along with the mix. This is not a meaty bread.

Slowly add the flour mixture to the egg white mixture and turn the electric mixer onto medium speed until all is well blended. Turn off the mixer. The rest is by hand.

Fold in the shredded zucchini, then the walnuts, then the raisins and cranberries. Stir with a spoon or spatula until well combined.

The batter should be thick and not runny. If you need to thicken it, add whole wheat flour 1 tbsp at a time until satisfied.

Pour half of the batter into each prepared loaf pan. Bake until a toothpick stuck into the center of each loaf comes out clean, about 50 minutes.

Let the bread cool in the pans on a wire rack. I used those predone loaf pans from the store this round because I was travelling with the bread and I wanted something with a cover. The ones at Ralphs come in three packs and are very handy. Just let the bread cool in those, stick the plastic top on, and you’re done.

If you’re using a normal loaf pan, let the bread cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn the loaves out of the pans onto the rack to let them cool completely.

Each loaf should make 9 1-inch slices. Delicious.