super easy thumbprint cookies

This is my new favorite cookie recipe.  It's so flipping easy and customizable.  Also makes a good basic shortbread that you can use for a lot of things (pie crust, etc).  Here goes:

For 1 1/2-2 dozen cookies, you'll need:

• 1 c vegan margarine (earth balance), softened (not melted)
• 1/2 c raw sugar
• 1/2 t vanilla
• 2 c flour
• some sort of filling*

The steps:

• Preheat your oven to 350
• Cream margarine, sugar, and vanilla until light
• Add flour 1/4 cup at a time.  Start by mixing with a spoon and then use your hands.  You may not need all 2 cups.  1 3/4 is sometimes enough.  Final texture should be like play-doh
• Roll dough into 1-1/2" balls and place onto a lightly greased cookie sheet
• Press into dough balls with your thumb to make room for your filling
• Spoon out filling (about 1/2T for each cookie)
• Bake 12-15 minutes.  Cookies will not turn golden brown unless they are burnt, so take them out when the outsides feel stiff
• Promptly, but carefully, remove from cookie sheet and let cool at least 5 minutes before eating

*For filling, you have many options.  Here are some good ones:

• jam (one with a strong flavor like strawberry rhubarb is very good here)
• apple butter
• a simple chocolate sauce (margarine, vanilla, cocoa, sugar, and a little flour)
• mashed bananas (a good use of ones that are too ripe)
• nuts & agave (or honey)
• dark chocolate pieces

These cookies will make me fat because they're too easy to make.

grilled candy striped beets

I got these delicious heirloom candy striped beets in my CSA this year.  A friend of mine who gets the same CSA suggested grilling them.  I don't have a grill but did this in my oven and using my cast iron skillet. Beets are a borderline vegetable for both my boyfriend and me.  These ended up sweet, earthy, and yummy.  I would recommend trying these if you don't think you like them.

For 2 large servings, you'll need:

• 3-4 small-medium beets
• 1/3C balsamic vinegar
• 1t rosemary
• 1 clove garlic, crushed & chopped
• 1/2t herbes de provence

The steps:

• Wash and peel beets.  Cut into discs, about a 1/4 inch thick.
• Combine marinade ingredients and add beet slices
• Marinate at least 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure even coverage
• When you're ready to cook, preheat your oven to 425*
• Place beets in a 9x13 baking pan.  Spread out so only one layer
• Cover the pan in foil and bake
• Bake for 15-20min, or until fork tender
• During the last few minutes of baking, preheat your cast iron skillet (one like this)
• Remove beets from the oven and cook them 2-4 minutes on each side in your skillet over med-high heat
• Serve with rice or other roasted veggies or tempeh (like this)

*If you would like to grill these, rather than cooking them in the oven, you can wrap the beets in foil and cook on the grill 15-20 min, until fork tender.  Then, remove from the foil and grill for a few minutes.

easy tempeh marinades

Tempeh is a recent love of mine.  Much more flavorful than tofu and a bit easier to digest.  Gets a really yummy grilled meat-ish flavor when you grill it or prepare in the cast iron.  Below are two similar but delicious marinades for your tempeh.

For two servings, you'll need:

MAPLE TEMPEH MARINADE

• 3T soy sauce or liquid aminos
• 3T real maple syrup
• 1t rice vinegar
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed & chopped*
• 1/2-1t cayenne pepper
• 1 package of tempeh

SWEET BERBERE TEMPEH MARINADE

• 3T lemon juice
• 3T amber agave (if vegan) or honey
• 1t salt
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed & chopped*
• 2t berbere
• 1 package of tempeh

*You can sub about 2T of minced garlic scapes for garlic cloves if you have them.  Will create a more onion-y, less garlic-y flavor.  Also a good way to use them if you get them in your CSA.

The steps:

• Slice your tempeh long ways (like a hot dog bun) to make thinner then slice into triangles
• Combine above marinade ingredients.  
• Place tempeh and marinate ingredients in a shallow rectangular tupperware and marinade for at least 30min.  Shake the tupperware occasionally to ensure even coverage
• When you're ready to eat, heat up your cast iron skillet for a few minutes on high.  My skillet has ridges so it simulates grilling (it looks like this and I love it! http://dsp.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/pDSP1-7328065dt.jpg).
• Once the skillet is hot, turn heat to medium and carefully place tempeh in the pan
• Cook 3-5 minutes on each side, or until golden brown
• Serve and poor any leftover marinade over top.
• Enjoy!

I like to eat this with roasted veggies.  Yum!

Redux

I'm bringing back the blog!  This past year has been a whirlwind (yeah, it's been more than a year since I posted!  Jeez!).  I moved to Philadelphia last August to start grad school and my boyfriend and I moved in together and life has been a rollercoaster, but in a really, really good way.  So, that's my justification for not posting at all.  So, are you ready?  I'm gonna add a lot of new recipes machine gun style over the next few days.  Here goes...

Vegan white cupcakes with Pistachio Cardamom frosting

Okay, I'll admit it - I'm a terrible blogger.  Jeez, it's been over a month since a post.  I super fail.  Well, since that last post, I've gone full-fledged vegan, so recipes will be a bit different.  I've had a lot of success and learned a lot by reading other vegan blogs, so maybe I can contribute in some small, barely-noticeable way.

I ran out of cupcake cups, so used measuring cups for a few.  This all stems from the fact that I've lost my muffin tin.

This cupcake recipe comes from a regular customer at the restaurant I work at who has provided us with a lot of vegan recipes.  I'm trying to work through all of the recent batch she gave us, serving as sort of a test kitchen before we serve them at work.  This will be the 3rd time I've made these cupcakes myself and we now serve them at work.  A good, simple recipe that can be modified with various frostings and flavorings.

For a dozen cupcakes, you'll need:

• 1 T apple cider vinegar
• 1 ½ C almond milk (my only modification from the original recipe [orig. soy]. I recommend using the sweetened vanilla flavor for these, but if you just have plain, add more vanilla and sprinkle cakes with sugar on top)
• 2 ⅛ c flour
• 2t baking powder
• 1/2t soda
• 1/2t salt
• 1 ⅛ c sugar
• 1/2c vegetable oil
• 1 ½t pure vanilla
• 1/2t coconut extract

The steps:

• Preheat oven to 350
• Combine almond milk & cider vinegar in a small bowl and set aside
• Combine all the dry ingredients.
• Add oil, extracts, & milk mixture and combine
• Dish into a muffin tin and bake for 15-20min

For the frosting, you'll need:

• 1/2C pistachio nuts, shelled
• 1/4C water
• 1/4-1/2C almond milk
• 1/2t vanilla
• 1t Cardamom
• a few cups of powdered sugar

The steps:

• In your food processor (YES! I got one! Finally!), blend nuts and water until it forms a green liquid with tiny pieces of nuts left. Dish this out into a large bowl.
• Add almond milk, vanilla, and cardamom
• Add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, fully incorporating it into the mixture until the frosting has reached desired consistency
• Frost your cupcakes when they cool.

Awesome, enjoy these. I am really really going to try to post more. I hibernated there for awhile when my heat was broken. That's my (lame) excuse.

Recipes to come (after cooking dinner for friends tomorrow): 

• black bean soup 
• carrot & jicama salad 
• guacamole

Chocolate Russian Tea Cookies

These are an easy but addictive cookie.  Really rich and chocolately and perfect with a glass of milk or hot cocoa (or a nice heavy sweet drink like a berry dessert wine or Port).  Bite sized and cute, they're good for parties.

You'll need (for several dozen small cookies):

• 1 1/4 cups butter, softened
• 2/3 cup white sugar
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups flour
• pinch salt
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• powdered sugar for garnish

The steps:

• Cream butter and sugar until fluffy
• Add dry ingredients and combine.  Will end up a pretty stiff dough.
• Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour
• Remove from fridge & preheat oven to 350
• Roll dough into small balls in your hand (about an inch in diameter) and place on a lightly greased baking sheet
• Bake for 20 minutes
• When cooled you can roll them in powdered sugar or (my favorite) place powdered sugar in a mesh screen and sprinkle it over top.  

Delish!

Ginger Cranberry Relish

I love this recipe for cranberry relish because it's unique and tart and goes well with everything.  Serve over turkey, sweet potatoes, rolls, cottage cheese, yogurt, sandwiches.  Soo yummy and much much fancier than what comes in a can (though, I must admit, that stuff is delicious).

For this simple recipe you'll need (for 6 servings):

• 1 standard bag of whole fresh cranberries
• 3/4-1 cup sugar
• 1-1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1-1 1/2 tablespoons fresh grated ginger
• water

The steps

• Grate your ginger.  If using a fresh piece of ginger (which I've recently learned is a rhizoid not a root, thank you, Alton Brown), peel with a paring knife and cut into small pieces with knife, cheese grater or food processor.  You can use jarred or tube ginger, but will need to use more.
• Measure out your other ingredients and set aside.
• Pour all your cranberries into a thick-bottomed pot with just enough water to cover them about halfway and turn stove to medium high heat.  Stir berries until skin begins to split.
• When the skin has split on the majority of the berries reduce heat to medium low and add sugar, vinegar, and ginger.  
• Stir constantly until all of the cranberries have popped and the sauce has thickened.  A lot of steam will come off and it may become bubbly.  Taste it (very carefully) to see if you need to adjust any ingredients for your taste.  
• Continue stirring for about 5-7 minutes until enough of the water has evaporated so that it is truly a relish but not a thick jello.

Transfer to another dish, place in the refrigerator to cool, and serve.  Freezes well too, but cool in the fridge first.  Yum!