Gluten Free Brownies with Walnuts

So, again, I've been meaning to get into more gluten-free baking, but some commonly-used ingredients are expensive and/or hard to find.  I was surprised to see at my local Jon's recently these particular nondescript shakers (I've gotten everything from za'atar to flaxseeds in these shakers).

 Now, I know that serious gluten-free baking would need to use more reassuringly gluten-free ingredients (like Bob's Red Mill or something).  But let's be honest, the ghost of glutinous baking projects past is probably haunting every corner of my kitchen; it'll never be totally pure.

I'd also like to point out the prices of these items, AND the fact that I also purchased "Awesome Bleach" that day.

Anyway, weeks passed and nothing happened to my weird little cannisters.  I also had a pound of dates still sitting in my fridge from when I made the crust for the frozen raspberry cashew cake last month.  And then a recipe comes along that calls for exactly what you have!  Well, except for the cherries in Chocolate Chip Cherry Brownies.

In replacing the 1 cup of cherries, I thought about maintaining the same approximate amount of sweetness, pectin, and just plain bulk.  I ended up using 1/4 c additional dates and 3/4 c walnuts.  Sadly, I didn't have quite enough chocolate chips, so I ended up just melting the entire 1 3/4 c that I had, rather than melting 1 1/2 c and folding in an additional 3/4 c later.  I also used soymilk instead of almond milk, and I chopped and soaked the dates in the milk before processing to give them a head start.

I love the idea of using a date-and-milk puree as a base!  The pectin in the dates makes the liquid so thick.

The batter tasted pretty great; it was incredibly sticky and fudgy.

And indeed, the finished product, straight out of the oven, was also fudgy and delicious.  The next day, though, the texture was a little bit dry and mealy.  I'm going to try reheating them, but I think these are best eaten right after baking--which has nothing to do with their lack of gluten--what brownie doesn't taste best when it's still warm from the oven?

Gluten Free Brownies with Walnuts

(adapted from manifest vegan)

Ingredients

about 16 dates

1/2 c nondairy milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 1/4 c non-dairy chocolate chips, divided

1 c superfine brown rice flour

1/3 c potato starch

1 tsp salt

3/4 c walnuts, toasted

Instructions

1. Soak the dates, coarsely chopped, in the nondairy milk.  Preheat oven to 350*.  Oil a an 8 x 8 inch baking pan.
2. Combine pitted dates and non-dairy milk, and vanilla into food processor and puree until very smooth.
3. Over double boiler, melt 1 1/2 c chocolate chips. Pour the melted chocolate into the date mixture and blend again until super smooth. 
4. In large mixing bowl combine  brown rice flour and potato starch and salt
and mix until well combined. Fold in remaining chocolate chips and toasted walnuts.
5. Transfer to pan.  Bake for 20-25 minutes, then allow to cool before cutting into squares and serving.

Channa Masala (again!)

This version of chan(n)a masala comes from Renae at ieatfood.  I tried it because it's rather different than either of the versions I make: this one I've posted, or the longer version in The Asian Vegan Kitchen from which it's adapted.  This recipe, unlike the others, uses mustard seed, fenugreek seed, and amchoor, all of which give it a more pungent flavor profile.  While I think I prefer the spicy and toasty flavors of the other versions, it's fun to see how changing a few spices makes such a huge difference.

In making Renae's recipe, I used all canned tomatoes instead of a mixture of tomatoes and tomato paste and fresh ginger instead of dried.  I omitted paprika and asafoetida, and I switched around the order of some of the ingredients.

Channa Masala

(from i eat food)

Ingredients

3/4 tsp mustard seeds

*

1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 small onion, chopped

*

4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

1 TB chopped fresh ginger

*

1 tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp (or to taste) cayenne pepper

2 14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes

1 TB amchoor (dried mango powder; can substitute lemon juice, which you would add at the end of the cooking time)

1 tsp garam masala

1 tsp (or to taste) salt

*

4 c cooked chickpeas

*

1/2 c frozen peas, optional (I like to have at least a bit of green in everything I make)

Instructions

1. Heat oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat.  Add mustard seeds and cover until they begin to splutter.  Don't let them burn!
2. Add fenugreek, cumin, and onion, and saute 5-10 minutes, until onion is slightly browned.
3. Add garlic and ginger and cook several minutes longer.
4. Add remaining ingredients except chickpeas and, um, pea peas.  Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes or so. 
5. Add chickpeas and simmer 30 minutes or so, adding water if the sauce gets too dry.
6. Add peas just before serving.  Serves about 8.

Beet Coconut Soup

Beets are like the perfect vegetable from outer space, and mixing them with coconut milk only further brightened up their crazy color.

Devon and I made this soup going off a recipe from the ppk, but we used regular ol' beets (not golden ones), omitted the sweetener, added a TON of lime juice, and made a half batch.  Warm or chilled, it's pretty nice.  

Beet-Coconut-Ginger Soup

(from the ppk)

Ingredients

2 lbs beets (about 6-8 beets?), trimmed and scrubbed

1 15 oz can lite coconut milk

3 TB fresh lime juice (more to taste)

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 TB fresh minced ginger

1 1/2 to 2 c vegetable broth

*

thinly sliced scallions and/or chopped cilantro--you could probably pull off mint, too

Instructions

1. The hardest part of this recipe is roasting the beets, and that’s not even hard, it just takes a while. Look for beets that are somewhere between the size of a golfball and a tennis ball, so that they roast quickly and evenly.
2. Preheat oven to 350 F. Wrap the scrubbed beets individually in tin foil. Place on a baking sheet and bake for about an hour, turning once about halfway through. Beets are ready when very easily pierced with a steak knife.
3. Let them cool (still in the tinfoil) for about an hour.  They’ll keep softening as they cool, and that is good! Place in the fridge to cool completely.
4. Once cool, unwrap the beets, slide off the peel, and place in a blender or food processor. Add the coconut milk, lime juice and salt and puree until relatively smooth.
5. Preheat a small pan over medium-low heat, and saute the ginger and garlic for no more than a minute, being careful not to burn. Add 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth to deglaze the pan, and turn off the heat.
6. Transfer the garlic/ginger/veg broth mixture to the food processor, and puree until very smooth and velvetty. Taste for salt and seasonings, and add a tiny bit of agave or maple syrup if you’d like it a tad sweeter.
7. Place in the fridge (while still in the blender) and chill for at least an hour. It should be cold all the way through. If it’s too thick, add up to another 1/2 cup vegetable broth and blend again.
8. Serve topped with scallions and/or cilantro.  Serves 8.

*

I also recently tried to make this peach jam I saw on akshayapaatram.  Crystallized ginger?!  Lemon zest?!  Why, yes!  But the nectarines I tried to use just weren't up to the task; no amount of sugar or spices was going to fix them.

Zucchini Baba Ganoush

Inspired by Hannah's recipe at Bittersweet, this version of baba ganoush uses summer squash instead of eggplant, and it's amazing how much like the original it tastes!  For me, it's the smoked flavor that really gives baba ganoush its character, but since the skin on squash is so different than on an eggplant, I wasn't sure you could set it on fire and then just peel the skin off.  Using 1/8 tsp of liquid smoke, however, worked perfectly (but use too much, and things just taste weird).  For ultimate smokiness, I also toasted the cumin I used whole before grinding it and adding it to the mix.  I also used more cumin and more lemon juice than Hannah--basically, I did whatever I'd do to make the eggplant version (and I've just realized that I have never actually posted a basic recipe with amounts on this blog; this one with mint leaves everything to taste).  Finally, I skipped the salt and pepper (besides a little salt in the roasting process), relying instead on harissa for all kinds of flavor (like in this hummus).

I also made a few little changes in method:  Instead of zucchini I used those cute little Mexican squashes, which are about half the price of zucchini in my neighborhood.  I peeled the garlic before roasting it, and have since realized that peeling the squash as well would have resulted in a more even and more eggplant-like appearance.  I didn't bother to line the pan with foil, and I had to turn on the broiler at the end to get the veggies that beautiful golden color.

In the end, this was a super-creamy, interesting, and delicious spread.  Since I have some reservations about eggplants--and since these little squashes are SO cheap right now--I'll definitely be making this again.

Zucchini Baba Ganoush

(adapted from bittersweet)
 

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds zucchini or other summer squash (2 large, 3 medium, 4 small?), peeled if you want

6-8 cloves garlic, peeled

1 TB olive oil

pinch salt

3 TB tahini

juice of 1 large lemon

1/4-1/2 tsp whole cumin, toasted and ground

1/8 tsp liquid smoke

large dollop harissa (or black pepper, or cayenne), to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400* and oil a large baking sheet.  Slice the zucchini into 1/4-in thick slices and toss them in oil with a pinch of salt.  Spread them out on the baking sheet, and place the whole cloves of garlic grouped in the center of the sheet so that they don’t burn. Roast for 30 minutes (flipping once), then broil a few minutes, until the zucchini are nicely browned. Let cool.
2. Once the vegetables have come to room temperature, puree the roasted zucchini and the garlic in a blender or food processor. Add in the tahini, lemon juice, cumin, and liquid smoke.  Adjust seasonings to taste, then serve, garnished with a big dollop of harissa.  It will be better if it sits in the fridge for at least a few hours first.

Summer Sweet Corn Soup w/Basil Oil

There's something comforting about the fact that even in Southern California in 2011, when you can really get anything at any time of the year, the end of summer inevitably brings with it a slew of seasonal tastes and recipes.  It's all the more comforting given that they're the same here as they are in the Midwest where I grew up.  August comes, and suddenly tomatoes, basil, squash, sweet corn, and beets are everywhere.  These simple foods taste of weeks and weeks of sunlight and humidity; they come at the most fertile moment of the year... and yet for that very same reason, they're always tinged with a bittersweet belatedness.  This was especially true last August; behind all those tomato squash basil dishes is the fact that two of the most important people in my LA life were moving to the Bay Area and my little brother was moving to Egypt.

August is not the cruellest month, but it is a strange month.

This soup, which takes advantage of fresh sweet corn and basil, can be served hot or cold, depending on what form August is taking where you are.  It paired nicely with the 11-Spice Lentil Salad with Capers and Dates and some salad greens (at left).  I reduced the amount of carrot and increased that of corn; I also fully pureed the soup to make it prettier.  I did, for the first time in my life, feel that there was too much thyme--start low, and remember you can always add more to taste later.  I was going to call this post "Too much thyme on my hands," but I couldn't figure out how to make it work with the fall/belatedness stuff.

The basil oil recipe that follows is great!  I used it not only on this soup, but also as a salad dressing and on this week's ravioli.  I think it would also be pretty incredible on some really fresh tomatoes.

Summer Sweet Corn Soup w/Basil Oil Drizzle

(from an opera singer in the kitchen)

Ingredients

4 sweet corn ears, husked

2 TB olive oil

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 celery stalks, finely diced

2 carrots, peeled and finely diced

1 c yellow onions, finely diced

3 c vegetable stock

2 bay leaves

fresh thyme leaves (if substituting dried thyme, don't overdo it!--maybe 1/2 tsp?)

salt and pepper

1 recipe fresh basil oil (below)

Instructions

1. Cut the corn from the cobs and discard the cobs. Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the corn, garlic, celery, carrots, and onions and cook until slightly caramelized, 4-5 minutes.
2. Add the broth, bay leaves, and thyme. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 12-15 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
3. Remove the bay leaves and discard. Using an immersion blender, puree 2/3 of the soup. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. Serve hot or cold with a drizzle of basil oil.  Serves about 6.

*

Basil Oil Drizzle

(from an opera singer in the kitchen)

Ingredients

1/3 c olive oil

3 TB fresh basil, chopped

Instructions

In a small saucepan add the ingredients and cook over low heat for 5 minutes.  Strain basil and drizzle 1-2 teaspoons of oil over each bowl of soup.

Ravioli Adventure

As I was in the middle of this, I texted a friend, "Fuck this shit.  I'm calling Chef Boyardee."  But then... the feeling of accomplishment and the deliciousness that followed were actually pretty great.

And anyway, this is a dish of components.  You can make the filling and the sauce well in advance; hell. you can even freeze and thaw them multiple times, as I did with this ground cauliflower-walnut meat.  The timing actually worked out really well: first, I made the filling; then, while the filling was cooling, I made the pasta dough; while the dough was sitting, I started the sauce; while the sauce was simmering, I started rolling out the pasta, then cutting it into shapes and making the raviolis; while one bunch of raviolis were simmering on the stove, I was putting together the next bunch.

So the sauce was pretty basic: olive oil, onion, garlic, salt, canned tomatoes with chilies, basil, marjoram, oregano, rosemary, cayenne, sugar.  What follows is 1) the filling and 2) the pasta dough/method.

For the filling, I started with the savory ground cauliflower-walnut slop that I posted about months ago.  This turned out amazing inside of the ravioli, because the walnuts maintained their crunch, giving the filling more texture than most versions (vegan or otherwise) would.  However, I think you could easily also do this with plain ol' TVP or crumbled tempeh.  In any case, it's not pretty, but a) it's going inside of a ravioli, so who cares? and b) ground beef is a whole lot nastier.

Meaty Ravioli Filling

Ingredients

olive oil

1/2 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1-1.5 c something meaty (I used savory ground cauliflower-walnut slop but you could also use plain TVP or crumbled tempeh)

1/2 c red wine

2 TB tomato paste

allspice, to taste

oregano, to taste

cayenne, to taste

nutritional yeast, to taste

salt, to taste

Instructions

1. In a medium saucepan over medium high heat, heat olive oil.  Saute onions 5-10 min, then add garlic and a pinch of salt.  Saute a few more minutes, then add "meat."  Saute a few more minutes until browned.
2. Deglaze pan with the wine.  Then also add tomato paste and remaining ingredients.  Reduce heat and cook 5-10 more minutes--at least long enough for the alcohol smell to subside.

*

And now for the pasta!  I had to look around a bit for a recipe that used neither eggs nor semolina flour, but what I found worked like a dream (though I had to add a LOT more flour to balance out the water that the recipe called for).  Moreover, the chickpea flour in it adds fiber and protein.  I'm not exactly sure what the chickpea flour does for the consistency of the pasta, but this recipe seemed just right, despite the fact that I'd read that skipping the semolina flour would make your pasta mushier.

I've mapped out the timing for this process up above; the main thing is to give yourself more time than you think you need.

Homemade Ravioli

(adapted from vegan-food.net)

Instructions

1 2/3 c unbleached white flour (plus a lot more for kneading/flouring)

1/2 c chickpea flour

1/2 tsp salt

2/3 c water

*

1 batch ravioli filling (see above)

Instructions

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, chickpea flour, and salt.  Mix with a fork, then drizzle in water and mix well. 
2. Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface and knead 5-10 minutes until dough is firm and dry.  Place dough in a sealed ziploc bag for 10 minutes.
3. Open bag and cut dough into 8 separate pieces.  Leave the pieces you aren't using in the bag.
4. Roll out each piece on floured surface until quite thin.  Leave on a drying rack or hanging on a chair back to dry out for 5-10 min.
5. Start boiling a shallow pot of slightly salted water.
6. Return to each rolled out piece and, using a floured cookie cutter, cut the dough into pieces.  Then, scoop a heaping teaspoon onto every other piece (adjust this depending on the size of your cutout).
7. Slightly wet the edges of every other piece of dough, then assemble the ravioli, sealing the edges with the tines of a fork.
8. Put the completed ravioli into the boiling water (make sure it isn't boiling so hard that the ravioli are going to fall apart), only a few at a time.  Cook for 3-4 minutes and then remove.  Serve hot with sauce, or refridgerate or freeze for later.  Makes about 30 3x3-in raviolis.

11-Spice Lentil Salad with Capers and Dates

When Janet described this as "The Best Lentil Salad, Ever. For Sure. Make. This. Now.", I sort of had to take her seriously.  And the lineup of flavors sounded really cool: 

This recipe not only uses a combo of cumin/coriander/turmeric with cardamom/cinnamon/cloves/nutmeg; it does a similar curve ball with the pairing of dried fruit (I used dates) and capers/vinegar.  It's basically a party in your mouth.

I didn't change much, but I did use plain ol' brown lentils instead of du Puy--they don't retain their form quite as well as those fancy French ones, but as long as you are careful to watch for overcooking, they worked just fine.  I also skipped the Aleppo pepper and used cayenne.

11-Spice Lentil Salad with Capers and Dates

from taste space)

Ingredients

2.25 c (1 lb) French du Puy or brown lentils

1 medium red onion, finely diced and soaked in water for at least 5 minutes

1 c dried currants (or other dried fruit--I used chopped dates)

1/3 c capers, chopped if large

1/3 c extra virgin olive oil

1/4 c apple cider vinegar

1 TB maple syrup

1 TB strong mustard

2 tsp salt

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp ground coriander

1/2 tsp ground cardamom

1/2 tsp cayenne (or less)

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

Instructions

1. Rinse lentils well and drain. Place in a pot and cover with a 3-4 inches of water, bring to a boil, reduce to simmer. Check lentils for doneness after 15 minutes, but they should take about 20-25 minutes in total. You will know they are cooked if they still retain a slight tooth – al dente! Overcooking the lentils is the death of this dish. Be careful!
2. While the lentils are simmering, make the dressing by placing all ingredients in a jar with a tight fitting lid and shake vigorously to combine.
3. Finely dice red onion – the salad is best if all the ingredients are about the same size. If using raisins, chop them roughly to make them a bit smaller, and do the same with the capers if they are large.
4. When the lentils are cooked, remove from heat, drain and place under cold running water to stop the cooking process. Once cooled slightly but still a little warm, place lentils in a large serving bowl and toss with dressing. Add drained onion, capers, and currants. Chill until serving, marinading at least overnight for the flavours to meld.
Serves 8.