Those farmer's market cabbages are cheap and this is an easy chop-and-dump recipe that will keep for many days in the fridge. All measurements are approximate.
Dry ingredients:
Green and/or red cabbage
3 carrots
Red onion
Carefully cut chunks off green and/or red cabbage about the size of two fists, immerse in water, and rinse well. Farmer’s market cabbages may pick up some sand. Chop cabbages into bite-sized, 1/8 inch strips. Put into large bowl.
I always cut more than I need and save several handfuls out of the bowl, to make sure the ratio of wet-to-dry ingredients is correct. Cole slaw swimming in sauce is gross. You want to be able to taste the cabbage. Extra prepared cabbage can be thrown into soups or stir fries.
Finely shred three carrots. You can scrub them clean with a potato brush, or just remove a strip of the outer layer with a potato peeler. I use a potato peeler to shred the carrots and discard the cores. Put into the large bowl.
Mince a handful of red onion and combine all in the bowl.
Wet ingredients:
In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the following.
1/2 cup light canola mayonnaise
1/4 cup quality Greek yogurt
2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp. honey (or agave)
2 tsp. celery seed (Don’t leave this out — it’s amazing how a little celery seed adds to this dish.)
1/2 tsp. salt
pepper
Fold the combined wet ingredients into the dry a bit at a time, to the wetness you prefer.
Refrigerate for a couple of hours to combine the flavors.
Saturday, October 11, 2014
Saturday, October 4, 2014
Preparing Pumpkins, Pumpkin Mushroom Soup
October is the time of year to freeze pumpkin purée in bags to use throughout the winter. One great staple here is Pumpkin Mushroom Soup.
Bake Pumpkin for Purée
The farmer’s market is full of pumpkins throughout October, but don’t wait for after Halloween to buy them at a discount, because they disappear! Maybe those left are sold immediately to food manufacturers. A local farmer told me they’re ground up for mulch. Another told me he likes blowing them up with a shotgun -- sounds fun!
You can cook with jack-o-lantern pumpkins -- I did for years -- but the smaller, pie pumpkins are way easier to work with. Cutting up a large pumpkin is difficult and can be dangerous. Cutting and cleaning out a pumpkin that is already baked is considerably easier.
1, Carefully poke holes in pumpkin for air to escape.
2. Bake at 375° until softened. A 5 lb. pie pumpkin will take about an hour.
3. Remove and cool.
4. Slice across the middle, clean out goop, and scoop out flesh.
If someone in the house enjoys the healthy goodness of roasted pumpkin seeds (I can’t stand the things myself), put the goop in a large bowl, fill with water (the seeds will float), and separate the seeds in a single layer onto a baking sheet. Toss them with some salt and roast in a 300 degree oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until golden brown. Stir occasionally.
This purée is delicious as-is. Add a little butter and/or nutmeg and/or cinnamon, if you think it needs it. You can also make a delicious soup.
Pumpkin Mushroom Soup
1/2 pound fresh mushroom, sliced
1/2 cup onion, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon curry powder
3 cups chicken stock
Approx. 16 ounce pumpkin purée (the amount sold in a large can)
1 tablespoon honey
dash of nutmeg
salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup heavy cream (optional)
Sauté mushrooms and onions in butter. Add flour and curry powder and stir until bubbly. Gradually add the stock; stir until mixed. Bring to a simmer. Reduce heat, add pumpkin, honey, and other seasonings. Stir while cooking, approximately 15 minutes.
Add cream and heat through without boiling. We’ve been skipping the cream for health reasons and it’s just as delicious.
Bake Pumpkin for Purée
The farmer’s market is full of pumpkins throughout October, but don’t wait for after Halloween to buy them at a discount, because they disappear! Maybe those left are sold immediately to food manufacturers. A local farmer told me they’re ground up for mulch. Another told me he likes blowing them up with a shotgun -- sounds fun!
You can cook with jack-o-lantern pumpkins -- I did for years -- but the smaller, pie pumpkins are way easier to work with. Cutting up a large pumpkin is difficult and can be dangerous. Cutting and cleaning out a pumpkin that is already baked is considerably easier.
1, Carefully poke holes in pumpkin for air to escape.
2. Bake at 375° until softened. A 5 lb. pie pumpkin will take about an hour.
3. Remove and cool.
4. Slice across the middle, clean out goop, and scoop out flesh.
If someone in the house enjoys the healthy goodness of roasted pumpkin seeds (I can’t stand the things myself), put the goop in a large bowl, fill with water (the seeds will float), and separate the seeds in a single layer onto a baking sheet. Toss them with some salt and roast in a 300 degree oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until golden brown. Stir occasionally.
This purée is delicious as-is. Add a little butter and/or nutmeg and/or cinnamon, if you think it needs it. You can also make a delicious soup.
Pumpkin Mushroom Soup
1/2 pound fresh mushroom, sliced
1/2 cup onion, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon curry powder
3 cups chicken stock
Approx. 16 ounce pumpkin purée (the amount sold in a large can)
1 tablespoon honey
dash of nutmeg
salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup heavy cream (optional)
Sauté mushrooms and onions in butter. Add flour and curry powder and stir until bubbly. Gradually add the stock; stir until mixed. Bring to a simmer. Reduce heat, add pumpkin, honey, and other seasonings. Stir while cooking, approximately 15 minutes.
Add cream and heat through without boiling. We’ve been skipping the cream for health reasons and it’s just as delicious.
Thursday, July 10, 2014
Hippie Bread
This bread recipe is presented as a ritual in the Tassajara Bread Book, 1970, from Shambhala Publications (Copyright by the Chief Priest, Zen Center, San Francisco). Simplified to be reasonable (They go through every knead) it is the best wheat bread recipe I’ve ever used — soft and light, not heavy and grainy like so many wheat breads. Be warned, this bread recipe takes ALL AFTERNOON. But it makes four (or more) loaves.
6 cups “baby bottle” lukewarm water
3 tablespoons yeast
1/2 cup honey (or maple syrup, or agave)
2 cups dry milk
In the largest bowl you own, put the water, and sprinkle in the yeast and stir lightly to dissolve. Add the rest of the ingredients, stirring each lightly. Let rise 20 minutes.
Add
6 cups whole wheat flour
a cup at a time, stirring as you go. When all is in, beat 100 times, adding air. Stir in 2 more cups whole wheat flower as best you can — switch arms, it’s tough!
Cover bowl with a plate and set in a warmish place. Let rise for 1 hour.
Pour and sprinkle in
2 1/2 tablespoons salt
1/2 cup canola oil
Do not stir, FOLD the ingredients in, avoiding cutting and tearing.
Fold in, a cup at a time,
4 cups whole wheat flour
Turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead (pushing and folding) for about 10 minutes. Oil your large bowl lightly, drop the dough in, cover, set in a warm place and let it rise for 1 hour.
Punch the dough down about 25 times (probablly the most satisfying part of making bread, other than eating it). Cover, set in a warm place and let rise for 1 hour.
Take out onto a floured surface, shape into four loaves and put in four medium bread pans that have been lightly oiled. I use my Pyrex meatloaf pans. Cover with towels and let rise 20 minutes.
Carefully, so they don’t deflate, cut slits into the tops of the risen loaves with a sharp knife (I do three at a diagonal). Brush surface with an egg white beaten in 1/4 cup of water. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 1 hour. Finished loaves will resound with a deep, hollow thump when tapped with your finger.
Let cool an hour before cutting. I freeze three in sealed plastic bags and leave one to eat — those can be frozen without cutting, making it easier to cut later.
Below, loaves plain, with nuts (great!), with raisins (needed cinnamon), and twisted into a rope shape made with daughter Maleah.
6 cups “baby bottle” lukewarm water
3 tablespoons yeast
1/2 cup honey (or maple syrup, or agave)
2 cups dry milk
In the largest bowl you own, put the water, and sprinkle in the yeast and stir lightly to dissolve. Add the rest of the ingredients, stirring each lightly. Let rise 20 minutes.
Add
6 cups whole wheat flour
a cup at a time, stirring as you go. When all is in, beat 100 times, adding air. Stir in 2 more cups whole wheat flower as best you can — switch arms, it’s tough!
Cover bowl with a plate and set in a warmish place. Let rise for 1 hour.
Pour and sprinkle in
2 1/2 tablespoons salt
1/2 cup canola oil
Do not stir, FOLD the ingredients in, avoiding cutting and tearing.
Fold in, a cup at a time,
4 cups whole wheat flour
Turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead (pushing and folding) for about 10 minutes. Oil your large bowl lightly, drop the dough in, cover, set in a warm place and let it rise for 1 hour.
Punch the dough down about 25 times (probablly the most satisfying part of making bread, other than eating it). Cover, set in a warm place and let rise for 1 hour.
Take out onto a floured surface, shape into four loaves and put in four medium bread pans that have been lightly oiled. I use my Pyrex meatloaf pans. Cover with towels and let rise 20 minutes.
Carefully, so they don’t deflate, cut slits into the tops of the risen loaves with a sharp knife (I do three at a diagonal). Brush surface with an egg white beaten in 1/4 cup of water. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 1 hour. Finished loaves will resound with a deep, hollow thump when tapped with your finger.
Let cool an hour before cutting. I freeze three in sealed plastic bags and leave one to eat — those can be frozen without cutting, making it easier to cut later.
Below, loaves plain, with nuts (great!), with raisins (needed cinnamon), and twisted into a rope shape made with daughter Maleah.
Monday, June 2, 2014
Homemade Granola
Whisk together:
1/3 Cup light brown sugar
1/3 Cup maple syrup
1/2 Cup vegetable oil
4 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt
Stir in:
5 Cups old fashioned oats
2 Cups chopped almonds
until all the oats are coated with the liquid mixture
Spread parchment paper on a sheet pan. Dump the mixture on, and compact it evenly with a potato masher.
Bake at 325° for 40 to 45 minutes.
Cool 1 hour. Break apart into large chunks.
Add:
2 Cups raisins
This will keep for 2 weeks in fridge. You can eat it with milk like cereal, combine it with cereal, or just snack on it as is.
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