Posts by admin:
- Brown Rice flour
- Chickpea flour
- Tapioca flour
- Xantham gum
- Guar gum
- Maple syrup
- Palm sugar
- Buckwheat flour
Mujaddara with Cucumber Tomato Mint Relish
August 3rd, 2010 |
| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
Can I get some Lebanese or Syrian food? This is probably one of my favorite cuisines but one I do not often try or remember to make. Last week I was craving lentils, perhaps because my body wanted either protein or iron, but in either case, I listened and quickly prepared a meal that was filling, delicious and all together nutritious.
Ryan cannot stand lentils or many types of beans because of texture and flavor. Are there foods you can’t stand because of texture? I made this new dish hoping that I could inspire him to like lentils ina new way, but alas, no luck for me. Good thing anyway since I made this for lunch and he could have himself a peanut butter an jelly sandwich.
Another great thing about this dish is that these are normal staples that can be available in your pantry. Did you know that there are more than 10 different types of lentils? Lentils have high levels of protein and are known for containing minerals, dietary fibers, folate and thiamine. The most important factor for many and important for vegans and vegetarians is the the magnificent source of iron that lentils contain. If you have an iron deficiency (anemia), then lentils are a WONDERFUL source of iron. My mother raised her iron levels eating kale and lentils stew!
Mujaddara is primarily eaten in Lebanon, Syria, Pakistan and many other Mediterranean regions. It is combined with sweet and savory spices and basmati rice. The end result almost looks like a rice and bean pilaf but with SO MUCH flavor. Total time to make this meal is 45 minutes and very much worth it!
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
Mujaddara with Cucumber Tomato Mint Relish
serves 3
1 cup French green lentils
2 1/2 + 2/3 cups water
1/2 cup basmati rice
1 cup onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 Tablespoons olive oil
Rinse lentils and place in a medium pot and cover with 2 1/2 cups water. Simmer for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, soak the basmati rice in water.
In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil on medium heat. Add onions and garlic and saute’ for 7-10 minutes. Drain the rice and add to the onion mixture. Add the spices and continue cooking for another 7 minutes.
Add rice and onion mixture to the lentils and add the 2/3 cup water and cover. Lower heat to medium low and cook for 20 minutes.
Mujaddara is ready to eat. Prepare relish while dish cooks.
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
Cucumber Tomato Mint Relish
makes 1 1/2 cups
1/2 tomato, diced
1/2 English Cucumber, diced in 1/2 inch pieces
2 Tablespoons mint, chopped
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon sumac
1/4 teaspoon salt
Toss the vegetables and mint together and add the olive oil, salt,sumac and lemon juice. Serve on top of the Mujaddara.
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Tiramisu with Homemade Ladyfingers
August 2nd, 2010 |
| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
I hope everyone had a great weekend. I started my morning with a great kickboxing session and then followed it up with a great new post-workout slushie.
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
Watermelon-Mint Granita
2 cups frozen watermelon
2 Tbsp agave nectar
2 Tbsp mint (I used pineapple mint)
1 1/4 cup water
Blend well and serves 2!
Somehow this helped me relax and remember that I did have a weekend. I do not personally remember it since it was very busy with cooking on Saturday and then hosting a dinner party for 8. This was the first time I was traveling with food from one location to another, and not a particularly close location either.
Ryan and I hosted a thank-you dinner to several folks who made us feel welcome since arriving to Michigan, whether it was giving us mutiple nights of rest in their home or for extreme generosity. When Ryan and I discussed what kind of menu for me to prepare, we settled on Italian. Noone can really go wrong with Italian, IF one is careful!
The whole meal was vegan except for the main entree. I am working on making a complete vegan meal for non-vegan folks in the future, but this time, little time was on my hands for planning well. I made Emeril Lagasse’s Chicken Parmesan with Smoked Mozzarella served with Oven-Roasted Tomato Sauce and Linguine.
For starters, the guests enjoyed a tray of fresh veggies and sesame crackers to dip in the Wild Mushroom Pate’ which I tweaked from the previous blog post. EVERYBODY raved and I had several ask for the recipe.
After the appetizer, I served a green romaine salad with carrot shavings and radishes mixed with an Italian Balsamic Vinagrette.
The main meal came along, plated with the chicken parmesan and the linguine mixed with the oven-roasted tomato sauce. If it is one thing you try from this recipe, it is the tomato sauce. It is VEGAN and it is OUT OF THIS WORLD! People were moaning left and right because the flavors were fantastic. Now, how did I know how this would taste? Ryan prepared this meal for me during our 1st year of marriage and of course when I was NOT a vegan. When I plated my dish, I cut up some Field Roast sausage, which is of course vegan, and added it to the linguine and the sauce. I was JUST a happy camper as everyone else there.
After some nice conversation, I brewed up some Fair Trade coffee and plated the vegan tiramisu. I am SO glad I decided to make a vegan dessert. There is nothing like making a non-vegan dessert and NOT getting to taste it. It is crummy actually. Veganizing the tiramisu was Ryan’s idea. I love that he thinks about me and gives me the challenge, except I did not quite take the challenge.
I searched for vegan tiramisu recipes that had already been created around the web, including Whole Foods recipe and finally decided to try Veggywood‘s Tiramisu recipe. Even though her recipe was inspired by other recipes she gave her own touch. Since traditional ladyfingers also contain eggs, I also made homemade ladyfingers, which is also included in this recipe.
Even though I have made non-vegan tiramisu several times before, I knew what the flavors were. Here is a non-vegan tiramisu I makde several years back:
The key flavors are espresso, chocolate and creamy and fluffy goodness. I started by brewing 2 cups of my own espresso using my favorite company:
After it brewed and cooled, I added some Marsala wine to bring out a little more bitterness with a hint of sweetness.
Next I tackled the ladyfingers. Easy recipe and easy to handle. I placed the dough on a cookie sheet and baked. I then let it cool slightly and but the cake into fingers so that I could then place in the oven to bake for another 15 minutes.
While those baked I made the subsitution for the mascarpone cheese. I made a few modifications since I did not have one of the ingredients, but I knew that it would work fine. I added almond extract to the cream to give a nice almondy flavor that would combine well with the ladyfingers. Next time, I will add almond extract to the ladyfingers too.
This dessert tastes great the day after because it allows the flavors to combine and the ladyfingers and cream to become in the dessert. This recipe made enough for one 9×9 square pan and 2 parfait glasses for the taste testers here! I would definitely want to tweak the marscapone subsitution but it was a nice dessert and perfect for a dinner party.
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
Tiramisu with Homemade Ladyfingers
serves 9 + 2 parfait glasses
Lady Fingers:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup vegan sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon arrowrootpowder
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/3 cup canola oil
1 cup water
Baking spray
1 medium cookie sheet (9×13) lined with parchment paper.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Sift together the dry ingredients, and stir just to combine.
Add the oil, vanilla, and water. Stir until most of the lumps are gone.
Add mixture to the cookie sheet and spread evenly over the pan. Bake for 25 minutes and remove from oven. Cool for 5 minutes and transfer parchment paper with the baked cake to a cutting board. Cut the rectangular cake lengthwise in three and then cut widthwise into finger size cookies, as shown above.
Place on cookie sheet and bake for another 15 minutes until slightly golden. Remove from oven and cool completely.
Filling:
1 1/2 cups Tofutti sour cream
1 1/2 cups Tofutti cream cheese
1 1/4 cups Soyatoo SoyWhip
1 teaspoon flour
1 teaspoon arrowroot powder
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
2 teaspoons almond extract
1 1/2 cups organic powdered sugar, sifted
Make the cream first and stick it in the fridge to set while you’re making the cookies.
Beat the sour cream, cream cheese, and soy whip to combine using a handheld or standing mixer.
Add in the flour, arrowroot powder, and extracts. Beat to combine.
Sift the powdered sugar into the mixture. Beat until thickened for about a minute. It’s going to come out like a heavy cream, but not as thick as whipped cream. If it looks too thin, don’t worry because an hour or so in the fridge will thicken it up, as will leaving the whole dessert in the fridge overnight.
Assembly:
2 cups espresso coffee (cooled)
2 tablespoons Marsala wine cocoa powder
Green & Black Cocoa powder
Dark chocolate bar for shavings
One 9×9″ glass pan
2 tumblers for parfaits
Pour the cooled espresso into a shallow bowl or pan, and stir in the marsala wine if you are using it.
Line up the cookies, espresso, cream and glass tumblers and 9×9 glass pan.
Dip each lady finger into the espresso mix for a few seconds on both sides until saturated.
Line the cookies along the bottom of a glass dish, pressed together.
Set aside a 1 cup of the cream for the parfaits. Divide the cream and pour over the ladyfingers. Sift some cocoa powder and microplane some dark chocolate over the cream and being the ladyfingers process again finishing with the remaining cream and more sifted cocoa and chocolate shavings.
Repeat the same process for the parfait glasses but making several layers between the glasses. If you make this in the morning, it can be refrigerated and consumed in the evening, otherwise, refrigerate overnight and consume the next day!
It is MANDATORY to have a cup of coffee with this dessert for a full experience! ENJOY!
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
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Maple Almond Chocolate Chip Cookies
July 30th, 2010
I have not posted a dessert recently but I thought I would go with something that was healthy but that did not lack in flavor or taste.
When I saw this recipe on one my favorite blogs, I knew it was time for me to make another gluten-free cookie. When Ryan asks me like he is feeling like a cookie, I tell him I am making something new and not his regular recipe. I was not in the mood to do any butter or egg substitutions so I decided to go with this NEW recipe.
I knew that my pantry had all the necessary ingredients to make this cookie recipe happen so I was excited. If you are interested in dairy-free and gluten-free baking it is important to have the essentials in your pantry. Here are some of the items I have:
Maybe you look at the list and wonder what delicious and moist baked good can come out of this, but it is amazing the recipes that are being created among those who CANNOT tolerate wheat.
Amy at Simply Sugar and Gluten-Free has GREAT recipes and has her own book deal coming soon.
Alta at Tasty Eats At Home has lovely gluten-free every day meals.
And then there is Alisa at One Frugal Foodie who I recently discovered. She founded informational site Go Dairy Free in 2004, wrote the limited edition guide Dairy Free Made Easy in 2006.
She has wonderful recipes for any person who is gluten-free, vegan, or for specific allergies.
This is how I came to find this great recipe for these chocolate chip cookies. I had a craving but I did not want something ladened with fats or sugars, so I decided to make this QUICK cookie recipe that had me eating one within 45 minutes. How about that? The original recipe is found in The Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook.
The recipe was slightly adapted since I found out I ran out of cashews and maple syrup but I easily susbtituted and the cookies came out great! Enjoy with a glass of almond milk tonight!
Maple Almond Chocolate Chip Cookies
makes 18-20
1/2 Cup Raw Almonds (substituted for cashews)
1 Cup Brown Rice Flour
1/4 Cup Tapioca Starch or Flour
1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
1 Teaspoon Xanthan Gum
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
1/3 Cup Coconut Oil, softened
2 Tablespoons Maple Syrup
4 Tablespoons Palm Sugar, Evaporated Cane Juice (Sucanat) or Brown Sugar (I used the Palm Sugar from Navitas Naturals)
2 Teaspoons Warm Water
1/4 Cup grain-sweetened Chocolate Chips
Preheat your oven to 350ºF.
Place the nuts in your spice grinder (or food processor) and pulse until you get a powdery /coarse flour-like consistency. It is okay if a few little almonds bits remain, but if you go too far with the grinding, the almonds will turn into a nut butter.
In a mediume bowl, combine the almond flour, brown rice flour, tapioca, baking powder, xanthan gum, and salt. Briefly set aside.
In a mixing bowl, blend the oil, maple syrup, sugar, and water. Blend in the flour mixture until you get a nice dough. Stir in the chocolate chips.
The dough may seem a bit sticky / greasy, but I still found it fairly easy to loosely shape into balls and place on the cookie sheet (I line mine with a silicone baking mat). If the dough is just too much to handle, pop it in the fridge for about 10-15 minutes, it will firm up quickly. Flatten the dough balls a bit – these cookies don’t spread much as they cook, so what you see is what you get.
Bake the cookies for 12 minutes. Remove them to a wire rack to cool for at least 15 minutes. If your husband’s greedy hands try to pop them off the baking sheet while hot, they will be crumbly, but they do firm up quite a bit as they cool.
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Coconut Bacon -{A vegan’s dream come true}
July 29th, 2010 |
| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
How has this week come to Thursday already?? I mean I will take it but it has flown by! Ryan had a production in Ann Arbor with the Blue Lake singers so that meant a little trip out to this nice town to see my husband in action and to enjoy some vegan goodies!
Before the performance, we went to Seva, one of my new favorite vegan restaurants in Ann Arbor. When Ryan asks me where I want to go, I just tell him this place because there isn’t a single vegan restaurant where we live. He is nice about letting his wife choose. Idecided I wanted breakfast even though when I got the dish I thought it could be an anytime dish. Rancheros are usually made with a fried egg with a crispy tortilla, but this came with a crispy corn tortilla with a layer of black beans, then chargrilled tempeh with salsa topped with soy cheese and a side of salad. SO GOOD!
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
I accompanied this with a green juice with carrots, cucumbers, parlsey and ginger.
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
My meal was very complete! If you ever drive through Ann Arbor go check this place out. It is always crowded with folks.
After dinner, Ryan changed and I sat in the beautiful hall where the choir and orchestra performed Mendelssohn’s Elijah for 2.5 hours.
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
Onto some goodies I came across this week. You have heard me talk about coconut water and how full of electrolytes and minerals that this fruit contains. I have been craving it like no other and have been drinking it before a workout or even after my workouts. But what to do with all this coconut meat I have left?
I had been noticing talk about coconut bacon around the blogosphere and wondered how NEW this concept was. I looked around different sites and even googled the idea of substituting the heart-clogging version. Can you believe that the ROYAL BACON SOCIETY has a recipe for the coconut version??? Wonders never cease. Here is the recipe:
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
Coconut Bacon
makes 1 to 1 1/2 cups
slightly adapted from the original
3 large handfuls of bulk coconut meat
1 tablespoon liquid smoke (I left this out)
2 tablespoons soy sauce/ tamari
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 tsp garlic powder
Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a medium cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Mix the ingredients in a medium bowl except the coconut.
Start by removing the coconut meat from the shell and peeled the unwanted portions and start slicing the coconut meat in think slices. I was thinking that a microplane would work but that just shaved the meat. I just sliced it with a sharp knife.
As you slice, place coconut in the marinade. Once you finish slicing the meat, marinate the coconut for 15 minutes.
Spread the coconut meat on the baking sheet and place in oven.
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
Bake for 20-30 minutes or until it starts getting crispy. It will continue getting crispier when it gets to room temperature.
I have used this for my green salads and is delicious! Now I have to make a BLT sandwich! I think this tastes better at room temperature. YUM!
This salad has grilled tofu on top and coconut too!
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
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CSN $50 giftcard winner!
July 29th, 2010
We have a winner ya’ll! Thanks to everyone who entered this fun giveaway! I look forward to hosting another one soon, so stay tuned!
I am excited to let you know that Rachel Crisman of The Dalai Mama has won this $50 CSN giftcard. Thanks so much for visiting and entering the giveaway. Please send me an email with your email address so that CSN can send you the promo code.
Thanks again everyone!
