What's Sweeter than Pumpkin Pie?

Sweet potato pie, of course! J But wait, who wants a dessert made form potatoes? Everyone! Allow me, please, to provide evidence with the following reasons:

1. During the fall season, pumpkin recipes seem to pop up on every other page of cooking magazines. There’s no doubt about it---pumpkin is delicious. But, quite frankly, it doesn’t stand alone very well. Only after all the traditional spices of the season have been added does this familiar fruit come to life. And that’s another thing. Is pumpkin a fruit or a vegetable? Does anyone even know...? Many people don’t like produce in the first place---why make things more confusing for them? J

2. Sweet potatoes, on the other hand (obviously vegetables), shine like stars with their undeniable, well---to put it in the most obvious terms---sweetness. And when the fall flavors of cinnamon, ginger, and cloves are added, this shinning blinds you with its intense explosion of flavor! Well, maybe that’s a BIT of an exaggeration…but YOU can be the judge of that!

Use the extra coconut whipped cream to as a dip for freshly cut pineapple, bananas, oranges, or any other fruit you like. J

Sweet Potato Pie
1¼ hours 10 min prep

 2 medium-sized sweet potatoes, cooked, peeled, and cooled

(or one 16-ounce can sweet potato puree)

3/4 cup raw sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ginger

1/4 teaspoon cloves

1 12-ounce package soft tofu

1 9-inch pie crust (recipe below)

Coconut Whipped Cream (recipe below)

Blend sweet potato and sugar in a food processor.

Add salt, spices, tofu, and blend well.

Pour sweet potato mixture into pie crust and bake at 425 for 15 minutes, then at 350 for 40 minutes.

Cool for at least an hour before serving.

Slice into 8 pieces and serve with a dollop of coconut whipped cream.  

Oat-Nut Pie Crust

Makes one 9-inch pie crust

1/2 cup whole almonds

1/2 cup whole walnuts

1 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

Pinch of sea salt

3 Tbsp canola oil

3 Tbsp maple syrup

1 Tsp vanilla extract 

Preheat the oven to 350 F / 180 C.

Bake the almonds and walnuts on separate baking sheets until they are fragrant and toasted: about 8 minutes for pecans or walnuts, 10 minutes for almonds. Remove from oven and set aside to cool. Raise the oven temperature to 375 F / 190 C.

Grind the oats in a food processor until they become coarse meal. Empty oats into a large mixing bowl.

Grind the almonds and walnuts into a coarse meal and add to the oats, along with the flour and salt.

In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, maple syrup, and vanilla. Add to the oat-nut mixture and mix well. 

With cold, wet hands, press the crust mixture into a well-oiled tart or pie pan. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown.

Coconut Whipped Cream

Makes about 1½ cups

1 1/2 cups (two 13.5 oz cans) full fat coconut milk

1/3 cup powdered sugar or to taste

4 Tbsp coconut flour or tapioca flour (add 1 Tbsp at a time)

1 Tbsp vanilla extract

Open the cans of coconut milk and transfer to a glass or metal bowl using a rubber spatula.

Cover with a lid, plate, or plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours, or overnight.

Beat the thick coconut cream in the chilled bowl with a hand mixer, or in a chilled kitchen-aid mixer bowl with the whisk attachment, until thick and fluffy.

Gradually beat in the powdered sugar and coconut or tapioca flour, 1 or 2 Tbsp at a time, testing for flavor and consistency.

For flavored whipped cream, add some cinnamon, instant coffee, or cocoa powder (you may want to increase the sugar a bit); or replace the vanilla with almond or coconut extract or a liqueur.

Using a rubber spatula, transfer the coconut cream to bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or until thick.

Chocolate Cupcakes: Going Back to the Ground

Recently, I had a request made for a chocolate cupcake recipe. Yes, you heard correctly: chocolate cupcakes.

“But how can you make healthy chocolate cupcakes?” you may be thinking. Seeing the word “healthy” and “cupcake” in the same sentence is usually unheard of.

And the truth is: You cannot really make a completely healthy chocolate cupcake if you want it to taste like a traditional cupcake.

So we're not going to.

But we are going to make cupcakes that are healtheir than normal. And they are quite delicious, if I don't say so myself.

Don’t believe me? Ask the dishes! They can sing! They can dance! After all, this is France! And a dinner here is NEVER second best! (Please excuse the Beauty and the Beast reference, I couldn’t resist. J)

What I’m trying to say is:

You’ll never know what you’re missing until you try this recipe for intensely rich, yet light and delicate cupcakes!

One of my good friends has plans to start a cupcake business, and she gave me expert advice on how to make the perfect chocoalte cupcake. I want to take this opportunity to thank you for all your help, Crystal!  

I served these cupcakes at a party over the summer and they all vanished! (Hardly anyone knew of their healthiness, of course, but that’s between us. J On top of that, most of the guests were in their late teens or early twenties, so that says something about the taste…I think. J)

Okay, so enough of my blabbering! You have to go get baking now!

Chocolate Cupcakes

¾ cup coconut milk

1 tsp lemon or lime juice

¼ cup brewed espresso, cooled

3/4 cup turbinado or organic sugar

1/3 cup canola oil

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup cocoa powder

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

½ cup melted and slightly cooled semi-sweet chocolate chips

Pinch of salt

In a kitchen-aid mixer with the paddle attachment, mix the coconut milk and lemon or lime juice, espresso, sugar, oil, and vanilla extract and beat together until it turns frothy.

In another bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cocoa powder and salt.

Add the cocoa-flour mixture to the wet ingredients in two batches, mixing well until the mixture is fairly smooth.

Add the melted chocolate and mix well.

Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners. Pour the batter into each liner, about 3/4 full.

Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean.

Cool on a rack for about 10 minutes. Then unmold the muffins and place them on the rack until thoroughly cooled.

 

Ganache Frosting

8 ounces semisweet chocolate chips 

3/4 cup coconut milk

2 tablespoons earth balance vegan butter

1 tablespoon kahlua

Heat coconut milk until it starts to simmer. 

Pour onto chocolate and let sit for a minute. 

Whisk until the mixture is glossy. 

Then whisk in kahlua and earth balance.
 

Refrigerate until firm. 

Then scoop into piping bag and pipe onto cooled cupcakes.

A Rich and Earthy Soup: In Preparation for Winter

Well, it looks like it’s getting to be that time of year again...

TIME TO BREAK OUT THE SOUP RECIPES!

Tired of using the same chicken-noodle soup recipe every year?

Try this roasted winter vegetable soup, adapted from the Barefoot Contessa Family Style cookbook by Ina Garten, as seen on the Food Network.

The soup gets it’s richness from a drizzle of olive oil, but maintains a bright, fresh, earthiness from the roasted root vegetables and the addition of parsley.

It also makes use of one of my favorite vegetables; what I like to call the “white carrot.” The parsnip, which comes in season in the fall, usually gets much less credit than it deserves. Not so in this soup recipe, however, where the addition of the white carrot adds an unmistakable flavor and texture.

This recipe comes together very easily; the hardest part is prepping all the vegetables. If you don’t have a very sharp vegetable peeler, use a sharp serrated knife to cut the butternut squash. Cut the ends off first so that the squash can stand up as you remove the skin. After removing the skin, cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds.  

One thing that I LOVE about this recipe is that it freezes well. You can make a double batch and freeze half of it in 1 cup portions to whip out on those busy weeknights or on sick days. 

If you’re in a rush, recruit a family member or friend to help you peel the veggies as you cut them.

Roasted Winter Vegetable Soup

1 pound carrots, peeled

1 pound parsnips, peeled

1 large sweet potato, peeled

1 small butternut squash (about 2 pounds), peeled and seeded

3 tablespoons good olive oil

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

8 cups water

4 cups vegetable stock

2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Cut the carrots, parsnips, sweet potato, and butternut squash into medium-sized cubes. All the vegetables will shrink while baking, so don't cut them too small.

Place all the cut vegetables in a single layer on 2 sheet pans. Drizzle them with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Toss well. Bake for 45 minutes, or until all the vegetables are tender, turning once with a metal spatula.

In a large saucepan, heat the 4 cups of vegetable stock. In 2 batches, coarsely puree the roasted vegetables and 2 cups of water in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade.

Pour the soup back into the pot and season, to taste. Thin with the remaining 4 cups of water and reheat.

To serve, ladle into shallow bowls, drizzle olive oil over the top, and garnish with parsley.

Chocolate and Honey---Makes You Want to Smack Somebody!

After dinner today, I was in the mood for dessert (as I often am). But not just ANY dessert…a dessert that, in the words of a dear friend, “MAKES YOU WANT TO SMACK SOMEBODY!” (Not literally of course. It’s just so delicious that it moves you to action! Such as the action of publishing it on a blog…J)

As you’ve probably already figured out, this combination is chocolate and honey.

And what goes better with chocolate than peanut butter? J And who doesn’t love a peanut butter and honey sandwich? So, “why not put the three ingredients together for a sweet surprise of flavor?” I thought to myself.

My mom goes crazy for chocolate covered honey comb. I always thought the combination was a little strange, but today, out of necessity for a new dessert, I thought I’d give it a try. The only difference is that I used dark chocolate, and since this dessert is not from a package, I know exactly what I’m putting into my mouth. No strange ingredients that I can’t pronounce. J

So…GO TRY IT FOR YOURSELF!

Get a spoon of peanut butter, drizzle some honey over it, and dip in that rich piece of dark chocolate over and over.

Escape into that bliss that you see in the commercials for Godiva chocolate...

Pomegranates---They're In Season! Should I Be Excited?

How many times have you found yourself in the following situation?

You walk through the grocery store somewhere between October-December and then, staring you straight in the face, THERE THEY ARE! Those BEAUTIFUL pomegranates! Just waiting for someone to come along, have a burst of culinary inspiration, and place them in the shopping cart!

“No, not me,” you say to yourself. “They are beautiful, and I’m sure they’re delicious, but what would I use them for? Pomegranates are just one of those non-essential, fancy ingredients that I don’t need. Besides, I don’t even know how to eat one.”

But wait!

“I think I saw a post on someone’s blog about how to eat pomegranates!” you remember as you pull out your i-phone (or rush home to use the computer).

So, how does one go about serving a pomegranate? It’s easy! Just follow these 5 simple steps:

·         Cut the pomegranate in half. (Wear clothes that you don’t care about. Pomegranate stains! Believe me; I learned this one the hard way…shhhhh! ;)

·         Peel back the skin and empty the seeds and the white pulpy stuff into a bowl.

·         Fill the bowl about half way with water.

·         Separate the seeds from the white pulp. The pulp will rise to the top of the bowl and the seeds will fall to the bottom.

·         Skim the pulp off the top of the bowl, drain the water, and serve the seeds!

Now that we know how to make a pomegranate edible, what shall we use it for? Here are some delicious ideas:

-          Mix a refreshing Bellini

(a fruity non-alcoholic drink made with sparkling water)

-          Toss into salads

-          Sprinkle over fruit cocktails

-          Enjoy as an accompaniment to rich, dark chocolate

(as you can see in the picture…which I promptly gobbled up after taking!)

A Classic Children's Recipe Redone---Nature's Way

Growing up, who didn’t love Rice-Krispie Squares? Parents and children of all ages will have fun re-creating this classic recipe, adapted from the Vegetarian Times cookbook.

These bars are perfect for breakfast, school lunches, and after-school snacks. They also work well as a pre- or post-workout boost, and make for beautiful gifts when wrapped up individually and presented in a cookie tin or gift bag.

Feel free to use whatever dried fruit you like in place of the raisins and cranberries. Easily change this recipe into a dessert by omitting the dried fruit and stirring in ½ cup of semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips and ½ cup of chopped walnuts. Add the chocolate while the honey-almond butter mixture is still warm, and the chocolate will melt and turn the squares dark! (Psssttt! I just made it this way a few minutes ago...and it is DELICIOUS!)     

Nature’s Rice-Krispie Squares

7 cups whole-grain or rice puffed cereal

¾ cup dried cranberries

¾ cup raisins

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

¾ cup honey

¾ cup almond butter

2 tablespoons earth balance vegan butter

Stir together cereal, dried fruit, and cinnamon in a large bowl.

Put honey, almond butter, and earth balance butter in a large, microwave-safe bowl. Microwave 1½ minutes, or until hot and the butter melts. Stir well; then pour over cereal mixture. Stir to coat.

Dampen hands with cold water. Press cereal mixture firmly into a 9 by 9-inch baking pan (or two smaller pans), re-wetting hands if necessary to keep mixture from sticking. Freeze 30 minutes.

Cut into 12-18 bars (depending on how large you would like them), and store in the refrigerator up to 5 days.   

*I don’t know who figured out that they last this long in the fridge. Every time I made this recipe, the whole batch is gone by the next day. J