November Comes!

I love this month. It's the start of Scorpio season for us Children of November; It's the start of the true holiday season; It's home to possibly the single greatest day of eating in America. What's not to love?

I'm afraid until Thanksgiving is actually upon us there will likely be a continued dearth of recipes, reviews, and good things to blog about. Food here is still, well, uninteresting. Our valley cafe on tuesdays is good - today's dishes surrounded Italian, specifically perhaps Milanese, dishes. It was good, bringing fresh bitter-sweet slaw, stewed Chickpeas, and an interesting spaghetti torte, and a Chicken dish to The Foxes.

I miss Italian like mia mamma makes.

In the interim, enjoy these pics - long overdue - from the Goffstown (NH) Pumpkin Festival. I've been meaning to post them with this recipe for Pumpkin Softies - a recurring cookie of mine - since mid October! So sorry about that...

The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown! The biggest and greatest in fact!

Punkin Chunkin' on the river!

A great little cafe in town. Check it out if you're in area!

Mmmm... Tremendous amounts of Apple Crisp, Pumpkin Pie, Individually wrapped baked goods. Not to mention the dessert competition tasting table! My god, I love Fall...

And here's my most recent recipe for Pumpkin Spice-Softies:

Makes 2 Dozen

· ½ cup Butter, softened

· ½ cup sugar

o 1/3 cup extra reserved for rolling

· 1/4 cup honey and/or maple syrup

o Puree ¼ cup honey with ¼ cup dates, ¼ cup craisins, 1/3 cup boiling water and incorporate into wet ingredients

· 2/3 cup pumpkin puree

· 1/3 cup molasses, darker the better!

· 1 egg

· 2 ¼ cups whole wheat flour (or white, unbleached)

· ¼ cup oatmeal

· 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda

· 2 teaspoons cinnamon

· 2 teaspoons ginger

· 1 teaspoon ground cloves

· ½ teaspoon salt

· Chocolate Chips, Cinnamon, Brown Sugar, Ginger to taste for rolling

Combine Sugar, butter, honey, pumpkin, and egg in a large mixing bowl, combining well. The butter won’t fully incorporate but remain slightly chunky.

Combine extra sugar, extra spices (listed at bottom) and set aside chips for finishing the cookies.

Combine all dry ingredients left and slowly spoon into wet batter, mixing very thoroughly. An electric mixer makes this much easier.

Set aside for 20 minutes or so, or until sufficiently chilled so that the batter can be more or less rolled into walnut-sized balls by hand.

Roll in sugar-spice mixture and set about 1-2 inches apart on a greased cookie sheet or parchment paper. Press several chocolate chips into each ball and flatten slightly while on sheet. Bake for 8-12 minutes at 350° or until cookies are solid to the touch and crack slightly. They will darken due to the sugar caramelizing, not burning.

A Strong showing but they dodn't last but a few days...

The Sugar-spice coating makes the difference, don't skimp...

Enjoy. I know I do.

It's Been a Long Time...

Since I've posted much. Not for lack of tinned in the kitchen. Just last night I even made some whole wheat butterscotch blondies to ship home to the better half. They came out perfectly (I forgot to shoot a pic! Next time...). But life is busy at school. Luckily I'm getting more comfortable in my kitchen but I miss my home's nonetheless.
Anyways, here are a few pics of what ive been up to:
Some decent food from our cafe even! Real tofu once...

The Great Bakery at Rhinebeck, NY: Bread Alone

I loved my lentil patty but this Sweet Potato and Kale Soup was warm and satisfying - Vegan too!

Changing gears, Heres my hand at vegan cookies - mostly because I didn't have eggs. I adapted it from this Post Punk Kitchen recipe

Here are my Petite Apple Pies from the pies I picked a few weeks ago...

Finally, the "real" tofu I had in the midst of culinary depths...

When I get a chance, I'll post my Pumpkin (improved) cookie recipe from my weekend home at a Pumpkin festival in New Hampshire. Enjoy (in advance!)

Early pumpkins? Never...

I miss pumpkin pie, Apple crisp, and maple syrup atop buckwheat pancakes. Nostalgia? Maybe. The coming of fall, my favorite season? Definitely. Whatever the cause all I can think of between tests and college work is Apple picking, Halloween, and thanksgiving. So here's my attempt at impromptu pocket pies. They're not exactly the proper shape or consistency of good pre but they hit the spot as I explore the idea of a shared kitchen...

Mini pies of pumpkin
For the filing I used simple pumpkin puree, an egg, sugar, and cinnamon to taste. The crust was 1 cup flour to 1 tbsp flax meal, pinch of salt, and 1/3 cup sugar.
I learned you need butter in crust more than anything.
Oh well, consistency side my mini press tasted good!

Enjoy the fall yall

Fall Classic...

No, no sports here (as much as I love baseball above all other sports). Rather, I cite an event marking my leaf peeping season.

THE TRIP TO PARKER's MAPLE SYRUP BARN!

A small but well renown spot in New England, it's visit tells me fall is here to stay. Whether you enjoy gratuitous omlettes, thick home-baked toast, and baked beans (alas, they are not vegetarian...) or fluffy Pumpkin, buckwheat, blueberry, and seasonally inspired (Apple-Cinnamon this month) pancakes you'll find something to enjoy. Their trademark maple syrup contributes to both the savory and the sweet, so try it; maybe buy some at their tourist-trap country store.
I had a Pumpkin-Blueberry Buckwheat pancake combo with a mug of tea, and found much happiness, if only momentarily.

They're open year-round, so check them out if you're ever in the area (Mason New Hampshire). Visit their website and check on the monthly special before you go!
And stop at one of Hollis' farm markets on your way, they're always good!

A Series of Test Kitchen Fall Concoctions...

Of Which I will supply only thoughts, no recipes. They're not done, so why not experiment yourself ?
:)
Yes, the fall excites me, so naturally I try a lot of different pumpkin-apple-squash-spice combinations without really thinking anything out.

So first was a Sweet-Potato Terrine of mashed sweet potatoes combined with milk, a bit of butter, pie spice, garlic, and Herbs de Provence. Layered wit h blanched carrot and Zucchini slices and topped with an Apple Cider reduction, it was a bit too sweet despite a lack of any processed sugars or significant rich foods. I served it up with haddock baked atop cheesy (Parmesan mixed with nutritional yeast constitutes "Cheesy" as opposed to Gratin) penne and spinach. An old favorite of mine from Bertuccis early years...Moving on, I had the pleasure of devouring a dinner of Mashed Butternut Squash, Brussel Sprouts sauteed with apples, and an Amy's Veggie burger today. The first truly Fall-ish day thus far (didn't top 55) and warm comfort food sounded ideal.
I confess, I didn't make the squash but it was a simple peel-boil-and-mash scenario. Seasoned with nothing but cinnamon, pepper, and ginger it hit the spot. The Burger speaks for itself, so I conclude with the Brussel Sprouts, which really came out very well and will certainly see future experimentation.
Quartered and peeled, I simply browned the sprouts with some olive oil, garlic, and pepper. Reducing heat, I let the cabbage steam with a few dashes of lemon juice, about a quarter cup of water, and a few dashes of white-wine vinegar. Adding a few tablespoons of chopped walnuts, and a sprinkle of grated Parmesan. Mixing in some already sauteed cinnamon apples (diced, unpeeled, I cant stand the removal of skins from veggies, it's where the nutrients are!) I let the mess simmer and steam.
Other than being a bit undercooked, the sprouts came out well. A nice blend of flavors - like the classic Oktoberfest dishes I keep seeing sans sausage or other meats popular in the European cuisines of the period.
As I make progress with the recipes, I'll post them.
Until them, gute nacht.

Fall is Here!!! Be Glad.

It's that day - the first of fall. I'm most certainly happier today than I was on the first of summer. Yes I'm odd that way. My favorite days go Christmas, Thanksgiving, my Birthday, Fall, Halloween, New Years and so on.

In recognition of this marvelous day (despite unusually high temperatures this week) I made a casserole! Based on this and the Pumpkin-Black Bean variation, also from Fat-Free vegan Kitchen, I whipped this little dish up to savor the perfection of an oven in the cool September air.

A Red-Green Fall Casserole:

1 can Chickpeas, drained

4 large stalks of red Swiss Chard

1/2 bundle (use your best guess) Asparagus stalks

3-4 medium beets, peeled and sliced

1/3 package Silken Tofu

1/4 cup Nutritional Yeast

1/2 onion

minced garlic

olive oil

1/4 cup sliced White Button Mushrooms

1/4 cup vegetable stock, for sautéing

Garam Masala

Garlic Powder

Curry Powder

Pepper

Celery Seed

Cumin Powder

And Eureka! I've got it...

Add extra garlic, ample Thyme, and grated carrots(2 medium) to the mixture prior to baking

Top with 1/2 large grated Sweet Potato

Grated cheese, Cherry Tomatoes, and whole-herbs; for garnish and to taste

Sauté onions and garlic with olive oil. Once browned and aromatic, add in first the Mushrooms, followed by the Chard, asparagus, and beets; add the stock to whole mixture after several minutes. Add the rinsed and drained Chickpeas as well as the carrots and let cook after another few minutes, allowing this mixture to simmer as well.

Combine Yeast, some garlic powder, and the silken. Add spices to the vegetable mixture as desired.

As the vegetables become something to your liking, combine the silken to them and mix on low heat. Combined, pour this mixture into a covered casserole dish and top with the sweet potato; bake at 425 for half an hour. Uncover and broil for an additional 5-10 minutes.

Oh, and don't forget your garnishes before you bake the whole mess!

I served it over some brown rice and I, at least, found it interesting.

It certainly needs work, but not bad for the first of fall!

Zuppa! #1

It's been cold and rainy in New England this past week. Having a great new cold and being relatively sleep-deprived I've had a hankering for some hot soup. Well, I hadn't gotten than as of Thursday night and so I decided I'd make some for Friday.

This was adapted from a post on Vegan Dad and another from NPR's Kitchen Window series from last year. It came out well (although, I prefer low sodium and love cinnamon, whereas those who ate it with me felt otherwise on both points). Served with some hearty bread, maybe a bit of cheese it's a great fall soup. If you like, add come cooked brown rice, Barley, Farro... the list goes on...

1 cinnamon stick, whole

4 cups of Vegetable Stock

2 cups of water

1 can White beans, or whatever you may prefer

1 Sweet Potato, Sliced and quartered

2 small potatoes (I used a purple-skinned Russet and a fully purple potato - color good!)

1 1/2 cups Kale, chopped

1 Onion

8-10 button mushrooms, sliced into sixths

a few cloves garlic, diced

1 cup carrots, sliced and halved (1-inch pieces)

2 apples (I used fresh Macs) finely cubed

8 or so fresh Sage leaves

a sprig of fresh Rosemary

Olive Oil

Ground Nutmeg

Pepper

Bay Leaves (I never have any so I used old Bay seasoning - sodium free!)

Ginger (powder, sadly - I recommend about 1/2 of a walnut sized piece, grated)

Cardamom

Optional: cooked Farro, Rice, or other grain of your liking (and depending on volume desired....)

For starters, I think i give up on putting down spice measurements for the most part - they can be so personal (I'll stick with them in baking maybe...).

Begin by slicing the onion and caramelizing it with the garlic and olive oil. As it sits, browned, add the vegetable stock to a large pot and heat, adding the potatoes as they're prepared. As the stock begins to boil, empty the onions into another container and begin to sauté the chopped kale in any oil left from the onions (perhaps adding a splash extra).

Add the onions to the stock and add water towards the end of the Kale's cooking - it needn't be softened too much, merely to break down some of its Kaleness if that makes any sense... Chop the other vegetables as the kale cools in its pan, beginning with the apples.

Add first these chopped apples, then each subsequently prepared vegetable to the soup, adding water as needed. Add any spices to taste, and continue to top with water, stirring occasionally.

You may need to add more stock if too much water has been added - it shsould allow for a thick soup but not stew-like consistency.

Add the beans last - about half an hour prior to completion (if using canned as I did be sure to rinse first).

Add any grain about ten minutes later (cooked, remember) and let simmer, covered or un, depending on desired thickness. And don't forget to remove the cinnamon stick at about this point in cooking, before the final simmering takes place.

Enjoi!

Update: It's better leftover - the flavors have to "blend" as they say. THERE'S STILL HOPE!