Thursday, December 21, 2006

Carrot Coffeecake with Poppyseed Streusel

Carrot Coffeecake with Poppyseed Streusel
from Vegetarian Planet

3 large carrots (about 3/4 pounds), peeled and chopped
2 cups plus 3 tablespoons unbleached white flour
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom (optional)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
4 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
2/3 cup canola or corn oil
2 tablespoons poppy seeds
1/4 cup sour cream [I used the fat free kind]

Streusel:
1/2 cup poppy seeds
2 tablespoons butter, softened, plus a bit for greasing the pan
1 1/3 cup walnutes
1/2 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
3 tablespoons unbleached white flour

1) Preheat the over to 350. Grease a tube or Bundt pan.
2) In a food processor, grind the carrots for 1 to 2 minutes, almost to a puree. Transfer them into a small bowl, and set it aside.
3) Grind the streusel ingredients in the food processor for 1 minute.
4) In a large bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom (if you like), baking powder and soda, and salt. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, oil, ground carrots, poppy seeds, and sour cream. Add the liquid mixture to the dry, stirring with a wooden spoon. Transfer half the batter to the cake pan. Sprinkle half of the streusel onto the batter, then pour the remaining half of the batter over the streusel. Top with the remaining streusel.
5) Bake the cake for 1 hour or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool in its pan for 30 minutes before inverting it onto a serving dish. Serve at room temperature.

Mushroom Tortellini Soup

I have made a lot of stuff this weekend, but none of it has been particularly time consuming. All of it has been very tasty. Per usual, it is from the two cookbooks I own (I am planning on buying more!): Simple Suppers and Vegetarian Planet.
On Friday night Mike and I were feeling sick, so I made Mushroom Tortellini Soup from Simple Suppers. It was pretty damn good, but I would have liked it if the soup was a little thicker. We ate it with good Peasant Bread from Trader Joe's. Ryan ate some and he really liked it too.

Mushroom Tortellini Soup
1/2 ounce dried porcini or portabella mushrooms [I used a whole package, 3/4 oz]
2 cups boiling waiter
2 cups diced onions
1 tablespoon olive oil or butter
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 quart mushroom or vegetable broth
1 9-ounce package of fresh or frozen tortellini of your choice [I used portobello mushroom ones]
salt and peper
1) Place the dried mushrooms in a heatproof bowl and pour the boiling water over them. Set aside until the mushrooms soften, about 15 minutes.
2) While the dried mushrooms are soaking, in a soup pot on medium-hight heat, cook the onions in the olive oil, stirring frequently, until softened, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the thyme and add the broth.
3) Remove the mushrooms from the soaking liquid, rinse if needed to remove grit, chop, and add to the soup. Pour the soaking liquid through a coffee filter or paper towel if it is gritty and add it to the soup. Bring it to a boil.
4) Add the tortellini to the boiling soup and cook until al dente: for fresh tortellini, 3 to 4 minutes; for frozen tortellini, 8 to 9 minutes. Add salt and peper to taste.
Serves about 4.

Five-Spice Biscotti

Five-Spice Biscotti
from Vegetarian Planet

3 large eggs
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons five-spice powder
1/4 teaspon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick), melted
3 1/3 cups unbleached white flour, or a bit more
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cup almonds [I didn't have this much and I still think there are too many almonds in the biscotti]
1) Preheat the oven to 350. Grease two baking sheets. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, and spices. Add the melted butter, and stir well.
2) In another bowl, mix together the 3 1/3 cups flour, the baking powder, the baking soda, the salt, and the almonds. Add half of this mixture to the egg mixture. Stir well with a wooden spoon. Add the second half of the flour mixture and stir until a smooth dough forms, adding a tablespoon or two of flour if the dough seems too tacky. (With floured hands, you should be able to form a small piece of dough into a ball.)
3) Place half the dough on one of the greased baking sheets. Form it into a large log, then flatten the log until it is 5 to 6 inches wide and 10 inches long. Do the same with the second half of the dough, using the second baking sheet.
4) Bake the logs for 35 minutes, until the logs are firm but give slightly when pressed with a finger. Remove the baking sheets from the oven, and reduce the oven temperature to 325.
5) While the logs are still warm, carefully transfer them with a large spatula to a cutting board. Cut them crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick diagonal slices. Lay the cookies on their sides on the baking sheets, and bake the cookies 15 minutes more.
6) Let the cookies cool. Stored in an airtight container, they will keep well for 2 weeks.
Makes about 20 biscotti.

Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate-Chip Cookies
from everybodylikessandwiches

2 cups flour
1 cup quick or old-fashioned oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup cooked and pureed pumpkin (I use canned)
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2) Combine dry ingredients (flour through salt). Set aside.
3) Cream butter. Gradually add both sugars and cream until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and mix well.
4) Alternate additions of dry ingredients and pumpkin, mixing well after each addition.
5) Stir in chocolate chips.
6) Drop by tablespoonfuls onto baking sheet, leaving room for cookies to spread. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until tops of cookies are dry and spring back when touched lightly. Remove from baking sheet and cool on racks.
Makes about 25-30 cookies, I think.

Peach and Vanilla Yogurt Scones

Peach and Vanilla Yogurt Scones
from everybodylikessandwiches

1 cup white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1/3 cup chilled butter, diced
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup vanilla yogurt [I used fat-free]
2 tablespoons milk
1 peach, diced [I used two--probably a bad idea]

1) Preheat the oven to 425.
2) In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Add the butter. With your hands, combine the flour and butter together until the mixture is crumbly and the butter pieces are no larger than peas.
3) Add the vanilla extract, yogurt, milk, and peaches and stir into the flour mixture with a wooden spoon. When the mixture comes together, knead the dought a few tims, and then flatten dough into a disc about half an inch thick. Cut into 8 pieces, place on a cookie sheet. Baking for 10-15 minutes, or until golden. Cool on a wire rack.

Caramel Apple Bars

Caramel Apple Bars (Adapted from KA Cookie Companion)
from
desertculinary
I love these. They are so amazing. They are a little time-consuming, but worth it. Using fat-free half-and-half makes them much better for you and you cannot tell the difference.

For the Crust:
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup butter1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup ground pecans
2 cups rolled oats

For the Filling:
3 1/2 cups sliced apples (about 24 ounces)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup Homemade Caramel*

Homemade Caramel:
1 cup heavy cream
2 cups brown sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
4 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon good quality vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1) Mix all of the above ingredients into a 2 quart saucepan. Heat over medium, stirring constantly, until it reaches soft-ball stage (230-234 degrees). Remove and gently pour your 1 cup over the apple mixture.This recipes makes more than you will use so pour the rest into a 8X8 pan lined with foil and let cool. Cut into squares and you have your own homemade caramel squares! [I just used all of the caramel since I used more apples]

Directions:
1) Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Line a 9X13 pan with foil and lightly spray with cooking spray.
2) In a medium bowl, beat the brown sugar and the next 4 ingredients (through baking soda) until thoroughly combined. Mix in the flour, ground pecans and oats until crumbly. Scoop out 1 cup and set aside.
3) Place the remaining crumbs into your prepared pan and press down firmly to coat the bottom. Toss the apples in a large bowl with the salt and cinnamon. Arrange them over the crust. Drizzle the warm homemade caramel over the top and then sprinkle with the remaining crumbs you set aside.
4) Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until bubbly and the apples are just tender. Remove and let cool until they are just warm to the touch. Cut into squares. Try and let the bars rest until the caramel has set before serving. [This did not happen for us]

Falafel Burgers

Falafel Burgers
from
Vegetarian Planet
This is one of Mike's favorite things I make.

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups minced onions
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin seeds
1 cup finely chopped carrot
1 3/4 cups (1 15-ounce can) cooked and drained garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
1 1/2 tablespoons tahini (sesame paste) or peanut butter
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
1/3 cup chickpea flour or unbleached white flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 lemon (optional)
1) In a skillet, combine 1 tablespoon of the olive oil with the onions over medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onions soften, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, cumin, and carrot, and cook 2 minutes more. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl.
2) Add the drained chickpeas, and mash them wiht a potato masher or chop them in a food processor until they are broken down and unidentifiable. Add the tahini or peanut butter and the parsley. In a smaller bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add the mixture to the large bowl, and stir well.
3) With floured hands, form four patties from the chickpea mixture, then lightly dust the burgers with flour. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat, and add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Turn hte heat to medium-low, and add the patties. After about 1 minute, or when they have just begun to brown, flip them. Cook them about 2 minutes more on the other side. Then flip them back onto the first side, and cook another minute. They should be a deep golden brown on both sides. (They burn easily, so wath them well.) Remove the burgers from the skillet, and squeeze a bit of lemon juice onto each. Serve immediately.
Makes 4 large burgers.