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Whole Wheat-White Crescent Rolls
February 15th, 2010
I hope everyone had a great Valentine’s Day! Ryan and I celebrated our 3rd Valentine’s Day since we started dating and our 2nd since we have been married. I was very thankful that V-day was on a Sunday because it proved to be a VERY restful day. Here is a picture of the two of us 2 months ago. We did not get to take a picture on V-day. ;(
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
We had another busy weekend in Holland where Ryan was part of Showtime’s Sixth Annual Love Notes Concert. This is a group of 10 singers from our Holland Chorale where they feature songs with love themes like Cole Porter and such. It was a great success for both nights. You know what this meant though? It meant I did not get to cook this weekend! This tends to be a problem for me when we are out of town because we end up being guests of chorale members and they end up cooking for us. It is a nice treat, but I am going to be offering my cooking services soon since I like cooking for others! We will see how that works out.
This morning I had a GREAT workout with the SLIM in 6 video. It was 24 minutes long and it proved to be a terrific exercise regimen. I can’t wait to start again tomorrow, even though I have a cold! I am definitely trying to get rid of it. I have been drinking a deliciou concoction made of fresh ginger, cardamon, and lemon juice in hot water! I have had 3 glasses today and it has helped tremendously. I just wished I did not have the sniffles, though. Oh well it will eventually go away so till then I continue living.
After my work out I decided to hold out till noon to make a brunch. I was not even very hungry after my workout even though it is recommended to eat something within 30minutes after the workout. I could not! I was a bit shaky from the workout so I continued with my work day and then prepared my brunch.
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
I think I have gotten the hang of making tofu scrambles especially when I have been able to use one of my favorite tofu! Mori-Nu does not have the tofu soaking in tons of liquid but with just enough to keep it ready before use. My brunch was delicious and so filling. I added some sliced tomatoes on the side and made a quick guacamole with a few slices of Ezekiel bread. I felt like had the perfect combination especially after having a great morning workout!
Today I want to share a recipe I made a while back. I ran across a fellow blogger’s site and noticed a GREAT recipe that King Arthur Flour has for Crescent Rolls. It was my chance to work with a bread recipe and make it vegan and with a healthier kick. First of all, I would tell you to half the recipe because it made around 18 rolls so I had to freeze some. I prefer to have fresh bread so this was not ideal for me. Either way, this recipe was delicious and proved to be great for breakfast as well as for dinner!
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
Whole Wheat-White Crescent Rolls
adapted from King Arthur Flour
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
3 Tbsp vegan sugar
1 tsp. salt
3 Tbsp. Earth Balance buttery margarine, melted
1 cup soy milk
1 1/2 tsp Ener-G egg replacer
2 Tbsp water
2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
2 tbs. Earth Balance buttery margarine, softened (for filling and brushing)
Combine Ener-G egg replacer and water and mix well.
In a large mixing bowl, or in the bowl of an electric mixer, combine all of the ingredients, mixing to form a shaggy dough. Knead the dough, by hand (10 minutes) or by machine (5 minutes) until it is smooth. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, and allow it to rest for 1 hour. It will become quite puffy, though it may not double in bulk.
Gently deflate dough then transfer to a lightly floured surface and roll out into a large circle, about 12″ in diameter if you can. Generously brush the whole round with softened margarine. Cut the round into 12 wedges. Roll each wedge up tightly and place seam side down on a baking sheet.
Allow them to rise for about 1 hour. They won’t double in bulk, but will become somewhat puffy. Brush tops with margarine.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and bake the rolls in a preheated 400°F oven for 15 minutes, or until they are a light golden brown. Remove them from the oven, and allow them to cool on a rack until they are almost completely cool. Store in a tightly sealed container to keep them soft.
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Glass Dharma Review and Giveaway
February 15th, 2010|
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
Time for another giveaway my blogger friends! Who is ready for it?
Even though I was not able to cook this weekend I was able to enjoy some green smoothies with a new product from Glass Dharma.
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
I received 3 different straws that can be used for any drink, like Boba tea (Tea with tapioca balls), smoothies, or even cocktails!
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
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I do not know about you, but when it comes to using straws I use them everywhere and for every drink! After reading the amount of waste I contribute by using plastic straws I decided that glass straws are the way to go.
David Leonhardt, a glassblower and the founder of Glass Dharma, the original hand-made glass drinking straw, created his own line of drinking straws to “contribute one solution to the misuse of plastics in our society.”
I was inspired by this company because I saw how important it is to protect the environment even if it seems so small, it makes a HUGE difference! Here are another few reasons!
* Glass straws don’t leach toxins into your food as you drink.
* Each time you use your glass straw equals one less plastic straw ending up in your landfill.
* One glass straw replaces thousands of plastic straws. (How many times will you use a straw the rest of your life?)
* Using your glass drinking straw adds a feeling of beauty to your day.
This website even includes great traveling cases and a dandy brush to clean your straw. I am so excited for this product. It needs to be known by all especially by all you MONSTER smoothie drinkers!
I want to give you a chance to have one for YOUR monster smoothies! Glass Dharma was kind enough to offer a $25.00 coupon code to use on the Glass Dharma website!
HOW TO ENTER:
There are a few ways you can enter, leave separate comments for each entry.
Mandatory:
Become a Confirmed Email Subscriber to Opera Singer in the Kitchen
– After subscribing you will receive an email – check your junk mail – you must confirm your subscription in this email to win!
– Already a confirmed Subscriber. Leave a comment letting me know you’re subscriber and would like to enter.
Additional Entries
1. Go to www.glassdharma.com – tell Opera Singer what you’d buy with your gift certificate.
2. Follow @singerinkitchen and @glassdharma on twitter. Leave your twitter name in a separate comment.
4. Become a Fan of Opera Singer in the Kitchen on Facebook, already a fan – post this giveaway as an update, leave your FB Name or Name with a copy of your update in a separate comment.
5. Tweet this giveaway. Copy and paste – “@singerinkitchen ‘s Glass Straw Review & Giveaway $25 Gift Certificate –http://goo.gl/fb/aiLY”. Then come back and leave the direct link to your tweet (go to your twitter account, click on the words when your tweet was sent (ie. 5 seconds ago) and copy and paste that link in comments.
6. Write a post on your blog linking to Opera Singer in the Kitchen and to The Glass Dharma website – Good for two entries. Leave this comment twice so you get both entries!
This giveaway will run through midnight on February 24, 2010 EST. Winner will be chosen using Random.org from all valid entries and notified via email. Winner will have 48 hours to contact me before another winner is chosen.
Giveaway is open to residents of the U.S. and Canada.
Visit Iowa Girl Eats to have a chance to win $50 at iHerb.com!
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Chocolate Peanut Butter-filled Chewies
February 13th, 2010|
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
This week has sure gone by quickly and has been a productive week. After a busy LAST week, it was nice to be a little more relaxed even though we are in Holland this weekend again. After our huge snow fall on Tuesday night, the snow has been slowly melting. It has been easier though to work from home and to make yummy lunches this week without being hurried for time.
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
After a nice shoveling session on Wednesday, preparing lunch was very much needed. I was able to use hemp seeds for the first time for a yummy pita wrap with hummus, cherry tomatoes, spinach and grilled zucchini. It was definitely a delicious lunch after shoveling for an hour! I was glad that the neighbors were able to finish shoveling the rest of the driveway since it ended up being way too much for me! Thankfully I was not too sore the next day but I was glad to have a break.
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
I finally got to bake this week. I try not to have too many sweets in the house, but I have been wanting to try a new vegan cookie recipe that I decided to have something prepared after Ryan returned from rehearsal. He was intrigued by the smell of baking when he arrived home but I would not share what I was doing because I tend to keep things as a surprise.
I later took some of the baked goods to the choral library to have some of the graduate students taste test them and everyone seemed to like them. They were surprised at how good vegan cookies tasted. The cookie itself is a corss between a brownie and a cookie, a bit chewy and a but crunchy. The center is filled with a mixture of peanut butter, agave, and powdered sugar. Make it for your Valentine this weekend and enjoy over a hot cup of coffee!
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter-filled Chewies
makes 2 dozen
Cookie
1-1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup Earth Balance (1 stick or 8 Tbsp)
1/4 cup Tropical Traditions coconut peanut butter, softened (Regular peanut butter can be used too)
1/2 cup vegan sugar
1/2 cup Agave nectar
1 1/2 tsp Ener-G egg replacer
2 Tbsp water
1 tablespoon almond milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
Filling
1/2 cup Tropical Traditions coconut peanut butter
1/2 cup sifted organic powdered sugar
2 Tbsp agave nectar
Preheat oven to 350 degree Fahrenheit.
For cookie mix:
In a medium mixing bowl stir together flour, cocoa powder, and baking soda; set aside.
In a large mixing bowl beat together Earth Balance, vegan sugar, agave, and the 1/4 cup peanut butter with an electric mixer until combined.
Add egg, milk, and vanilla; beat well. Beat in as much of the dry ingredients as you can with mixer.
Stir in remaining dry ingredients by hand with a wooden spoon. Form chocolate dough into 24 balls and set aside.
Filling :
In a medium mixing bowl combine powdered sugar, peanut butter and agave nectar until smooth. Shape mixture into 24 balls. [These will be smaller since they will be filling the cookie dough.]
Take 1 Tbsp of cookie dough and place one peanut butter ball in the center. Slowly roll the cookie dough around the filling between your hands until it covers the filling. Repeat with the rest of dough.
Place coookie balls 1 inch apart on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
Bake cookies for 12 to 15 minutes.
Let cookies stand for 1 minute and then transfer cookies to wire racks and cool.
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Thick Chicken Tortilla Soup / Vegan Sausage Tortilla Soup
February 11th, 2010My first announcement for the evening is the winner of the Rachel Ray 2-piece Baker Set. Random.org chose Emma. Please email me! Thanks everyone who participated!
So Ryan NEVER asks me to make soup for him but on this occasion I receive an email during the day asking me if I had my Chicken Tortilla soup recipe on hand to share with others. I gladly obliged, but then I knew there was more to his inquiry. Five emails later it was settled that I was making the soup for dinner. No problem because I was still not set on dinner plans. I like making my husband happy and he usually does not have requests (even though I am open to them), so I was really glad to work on the soup.
Since I did not have all the ingredients Ryan stopped by the store quickly and we timed it so that I could start dinner as soon as he got home since he had a rehearsal to attend. On top of this I also had to create a similar soup for this vegan. Since I created the Chicken Tortilla soup before I was vegan, I had to quickly modify. I looked in my fridge and decided to sub the meat for vegan sausage.
I recently came across a vegan company called Match foods, where they offer meat alternatives, but I had not found a place where they offered the product except for the Whole Foods in Ann Arbor. Two weeks ago I found a little Co-op near my house that had several Match meats to choose from, so I chose to try the sausage.
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
All of the ingredients are natural and it was VERY flavorful in my tortilla soup. Of course, this company several different flavors but this Smoked Apple Sage sausage did not disappoint at all.
Here are some of the listed ingredients: Water, Textured vegetable protein (soy protein concentrate, caramel color), Soy protein concentrate, Canola oil, Wheat gluten, Natural flavors, Modified vegetable gum, Isolated soy protein, Dextrose, Caramel color, Carrageenan, Locust bean gum, Beet powder. Match is a soy product with no animal ingredients. Match contains Soy and Wheat. (From Match website)
So on I went and prepared 2 different pots of tortilla soup, one with chicken and one with vegan sausage, and surprisingly enough we were eating within 30 to 45 minutes. Ryan thought that the preparation and cooking was quick and I agreed and asked if the soup lacked any flavor. He agreed that the flavor was perfect just as he remembered back when I made it before. He asked to taste mine since I had also added some spinach with the vegan sausage. He was fascinated by the sausage concept and agreed it was good. Both recipes posted here can be doubled since I halved the recipe last night. The results were a success. Perfect for a snowy evening!
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
Since Ryan does not like terribly spicy foods this recipe has the perfect amount of spice. If you do not have Tony’s substitute with 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp black pepper, 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper. Corn tortillas are a must in this recipe. White tortillas will make this soup gloopy and a change the consistency of the original recipe.
Thick Chicken Tortilla Soup
serves 4
2 boneless uncooked chicken breasts,diced
4 cups chicken broth
2 Tbsp olive oil
1-16 ounce petite diced tomatoes
1-16 ounce tomato sauce
1 cup corn kernels
1 carrot, diced
1/2 yellow or white onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 poblano pepper, seeded and diced
1 1/2 tsp cajun seasoning (See note above recipe)1/2 tsp black pepper
2 tsp Taco seasoning
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp Italian seasonings
1 tsp cumin
6 corn tortillas, cut in 8 (See note above recipe)
For a quick dinner, heat oil in medium soup pot and cook diced raw chicken. [If you like shredded chicken, you can boil chicken, cool and shred and then add to soup saving the broth on the side for the soup.]
Add onions, pepper, carrots, and garlic and continue cooking for 10 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients except tortillas and boil for 15 minutes. Add tortillas and boil for 10 to 15 more minutes until the tortillas break up and the soup has thickened.
Serve with sour cream, shredded cheese, and corn tortilla chips to crush in soup. Avocado slices are optional and ideally for a soup that is vegetarian.
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
Vegan Sausage Tortilla Soup
serves 4
1 vegan Match sausage link, sliced (also comes in Chipotle flavor)
3 cups water
1/2 vegan bouillon cube
2 Tbsp olive oil
1-16 ounce can petite diced tomatoes
1-16 ounce can tomato sauce
1 cup frozen corn kernels
1 carrot, diced
1 cup spinach leaves, chopped
1/2 yellow or white onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 poblano pepper, seeded and diced
1 1/2 tsp Tony’s Cajun seasoning
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 tsp Taco seasoning
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp Italian seasonings
1 tsp cumin
6 corn tortillas, cut in 8
Heat olive oil in medium soup pot and sauté onions, garlic, carrots, pepper for 5 minutes. Add sliced sausage and cook for another 5 minutes.
Add the rest of the ingredients except tortillas and spinach and boil for 15 minutes. Add tortillas and boil for 10 to 15 more minutes until the tortillas break up and the soup has thickened. The spinach is the last thing to be added.
Serve with Tofutti sour cream and avocado slices. Crushed corn chips are optional.
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Thai cuisine: Baked Tofu / Avocado Spring Rolls with Thai Peanut Sauce
February 10th, 2010
Yesterday it started snowing its predicted 14 inches of snow. Even so, I decided that I needed to run errands before I could hardly get out of the driveway. This is what it looks like today.
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
The snow trucks have not made it out today but people are shoveling their driveways and cleaning their cars to head out to work. Life goes on up in the north. If I were back in Texas, all schools would be closed and jobs probably held off for a bit.
Even so, I decided that I would not make something warm for dinner but something focused on spring. How about that? Ryan was happy when he found that I had planned on making something Asian, since he was tired of Tex-Mex. He had eaten way to much at the Super Bowl party and decided it was time to take a break from Tex-Mex food, even though he would ave been happy with my making Chicken Tortilla Soup.
Going back to being ispired by the up and coming Spring, I decided I would try my hand at fresh spring rolls. I knew I felt comfortable with making sushi all the time, but I decided it was time to learn how to work with rice paper. The preparation is almost the same with sushi rolls when it comes to making spring rolls.
You have to choose your fillings and then shred, julienne, chop, slice and have it nicely laid out on a board in order to make the assembly process easier. The exception comes when using the rice paper. You have to soak each sheet one at a time and wait for the paper to absorb the warm water. Then you add the fillings and roll. My process would have been a lot more labor intensive if I had not had this dandy tool I found about a month ago.
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
It juliennes your choice vegetables in such a quick time. I mentioned a while back that the mandoline I received for Christmas did not work, especially when it came to julienning vegetables, so when I found this tool at the store for 3 bucks, I decided I must give it a try! No regrets. I julienned beets, cucumbers, and carrots like never before. The gadget is a julienne peeler made by OXO, ironic enough since the faulty mandoline was OXO. Here is what my bamboo board contained for the spring rolls:
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
I knew that Thai Spring rolls had cilantro and basil, but since I did not have cilantro, I decided to just stick with basil. Since these rolls were going to be our supper, I wanted a protein in the rolls and something hearty to make it filling. I found a baked tofu at my local health food store that looked very delicious, so I sliced that up along with some delicious avocado.
After I finished assemblying the rolls, I prepared a spicy peanut sauce that I knew Ryan would like. Does anyone else’s husband like peanut butter sandwiches as mine does? Ryan likes anything that has crushed peanuts or a peanut sauce. He told me that the dipping sauce for the rolls was a KEEPER. Well, that is always good to know. I am glad I had all the ingredients in hand, especially tamarind concentrate. I am just happy that we have many Asian markets in our area, because I have been able to make the dishes we both like.
After the sauce was prepared, I decided to make a miso soup to accompany the meal, even though miso soup is NOT Thai. If I had more time, I would have made a Coconut-Curry Soup, but I will have to make that the next time.
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You know what goes really well with spring rolls? Delicious tea.
I recently received a few samples from Mighty Tea that have been so delicious.
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
I try saving the bag and steeping it 3 times because the flavor is so intoxicating that it beckons to be infused one more time. I decided to have the White Orchard tea with dinner with is a mixture of white tea and green tea leaves with hints of melon and peach flavors. It was SO perfect with dinner that I decided that it was my NEW favorite tea along with the Green Tea Tropical flavor.
Enjoy making these rolls as much as I did!
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
Baked Tofu / Avocado Spring Rolls
makes 8 rolls
2 carrots, julienned
1 cucumber, julienned
1 beet, uncooked and julienned
8-16 basil leaves
1 avocado, sliced
3/4 cup baked tofu, sliced
1 cup spinach leaves
8 green onion stalks
8 round spring roll wrappers
1 1/2 cups vermicelli (mung bean noodles)
Soak vermicelli noodles under warm water for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, drain noodles and toss with rice wine vinegar.
Prepare all the vegetables and lay out on a chopping board.
Add some warm water to a pie plate and soak one wrapper at a time. Place one wrapper in the water for a few seconds and place on another cutting board and wait for another few seconds for the water to absorb in the wrapper. once it becomes more pliable, start adding the filling.
Each roll should start with the basil leaves, 1/8 cup vermicelli noodles, 3 slices of tofu, 2 slices of avocado, 3 to 4 spinach leaves, a few carrots and beets.
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
Take one side of the wrapper and wrap over filling semi-tightly and roll slowly and wrapping the sides as you roll the center of the roll. The roll will seal automatically.
Place rolls on a plate not touching to each other, to prevent from tearing or sticking. Prepare sauce.
Thai Peanut Sauce
makes 1 cup
2 Tbsp Thai Kitchen’s Spicy Thai Chili
1 tsp tamari or soy sauce
2 Tbsp tamarind concentrate
1 Tbsp Hoisin sauce
3 Tbsp water
1 Tbsp Nakano rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup MaraNatha Organic peanut butter
Place ingredients in a food processor or using an immersion blender, blend the ingredients until smooth.
SO delicious!
