Brits vs. Americans...

While attempting to synthesize and log notes on intergroup and group processes, I had Julie and Julia on in the background (marking the umpteenth time I've watched this movie), which, of course, made me wish I was cooking (or blogging) rather than studying. This, then, made me absolutely determined to do some real cooking this fall. For whatever reason, maybe because I just learned that Yorkshire pudding isn't pudding at all but rather very much an American popover, I have decided to tackle the former first. And a souffle. (Mmm. Souffle.)

Have I attempted one yet? No. Why am I mentioning it here? Because it's (fairly) well-established that committing oneself publicly in writing increases the likelihood that the behavior will occur. So, to the 1.5 people that maybe still possibly read this blog, there you have it. You have roughly 4 weeks to prepare yourself for this foodie shit to get crazy. Yo.

*I just noticed the difference between Yorkshire pudding and a popover is a matter of national origin, but so too are the psychological domains flippantly mentioned at the beginning of this post. This was completely unintentional, but still awesome.

That's what happens when you try to post at midnight.

Fellow food lovers: I'm sorry I barraged you with family photos. I meant to post those to our family/personal blog, but alas, I woke to find I had shared them with you all instead! I do hope you have a Happy Easter, and eat something delicious. If you haven't discovered the food blog Smitten Kitchen yet, I commend it to you -- make some of her strawberry rhubarb compote to celebrate spring!

Happy Easter!

TVP? We'll see.

I've been doing a lot of this lately:


Why?

All you need is love, right? And, nothing says LOVE like TVP and black bean (with peppers and onions) nachos in a heart-shaped pan! Saute it all together with some TJ's taco seasoning and olive oil (TVP has no fat, unsurprisingly), top with Tilamook Cheddar and put into the oven at 450F for 5-10 minutes - voila! Dinner!

Pairs nicely with a gin and tonic (Bendistillery gin, of course).

Now, if I could only figure out how to abate TVP gas, we'd be in business...

Experiments in Polenta-Land

Happy New Year, all!

My year as a high school teacher continues to nudge me away from the kitchen and towards frozen delights from TJs or snack-dinner (a term coined by Katie VL's little nephews when I was down visiting over the holiday).

However, every once in a while, I get inspired. A few weeks ago, two dear friends had me over for dinner and we feasted on amazing beet and avocado salad and baked polenta with goat cheese. I vaguely remember hearing about polenta once before in my life, but I had no idea that it is an Italian grain made of cornmeal (are you thinking what I'm thinking? Gluten-free!). You can buy it at TJs in a little polenta-log, make it yourself, or buy it elsewhere, I'm sure. It's affordable and organic at TJs, so win-win. Tonight, when I came home after an 11 hour day with almost no sustenance and a shot voice, I was looking for something to make with polenta that gave me protein, veggies and a new taste. What I came up with was completely an accident, but I loved it and will make it again soon.
_______________________________________
Pesto Polenta with Shrimp and Pan-Fried Veggies (gluten-free)

Place polenta slices (1/4-1/2") onto a cookie sheet and into an oven at 350F, topped with parmesean cheese. Bake for 20 min.

While baking, pan-fry 1/4 red pepper and 1/2 zucchini (sliced) and a large handful of spinach in an ample amount of olive oil. Add shrimp (or any meat you desire, I suppose) and continue to fry. Now, for the magic: season towards the end with black pepper, a spoonful of pesto, a hefty sprinkling of parmesean cheese and a few tangy sun-dried tomatoes. Mix around and coat with pesto while finishing your pan-frying.

Take polenta slices out of oven and place on a plate. Top with the veggie/shrimp/oil mixture which will be absorbed by the polenta, enhancing the flavor of everything. The polenta should be slightly crispy on the outside, which is delicious.
________________________________________________

Serve with wine to drink and Seu Jorge's album, Cru, as accompaniment for your elegant meal. I will be finishing my evening with my favorite Italian chocolate: bittersweet Perugina.

Salute!

Unexpected Christmas Cookie!

This weekend, I tried out a vegan chocolate sauce as a crepe-topper with mild success. Then, tonight, craving something pepperminty, I tried to figure out how to make my first gluten-free christmas cookie of the season. What followed was more successful than I anticipated (and easy and fast!):

No-Bake Chocolate Peppermint Macaroons (V, GF)

1/4 cup (or more) sweetened flaked coconut
1/4 cup oats
1/4 cup coconut oil
2T dark chocolate cocoa powder
Agave nectar to taste (I think I used 1-2 T)
Peppermint extract to taste

In a bowl, mix sweetened, flaked coconut and oats. Press into a small plate lined with wax paper (I made a little envelope of wax paper...just wing it).

Heat coconut oil in a small bowl for about 1.5 minutes (until melted), then slowly stir in cocoa (mix well - the cocoa can clump up easily). When mixed, add peppermint and agave until you reach the desired sweetness and flavor. Then, pour chocolate sauce on top of your coconut/oat mixture and use the wax paper to distribute the sauce through. Wrap up and place in refrigerator for 10 minutes or more to harden the coconut oil. Remove, unwrap and cut up into pieces. Makes one piece of "macaroon bark" about 5" square.

My carnivorous father LOVED them, so I hope you will too.

Gluten Free Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes

I have been long absent from this blog, both because I've started a new, tiring job and also because I have been delving into the world of gluten-free living, which has seen me spending many of my evenings with nachos in hand.

However, for Thanksgiving, I wanted to make something I could eat with my favorite ingredient (pumpkin!), so I experimented today since it was a snow-day in Seattle. (Certainly NOT as exciting as my from-scratch pumpkin pie experiment from last year, but whatever). These little guys are great for gfers and non-gfers alike.

Gluten Free Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes

Before prepping: preheat oven to 350F. Make sure cream cheese has been softened (leave out on counter for 4+ hours before baking) before getting started.

Load a muffin tin with wrappers and place one mini gluten free ginger cookie (Mi-Del brand from Fred Meyer is delicious!) or vanilla wafer flat side down in the wrapper.

Filling:

• 1.5 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 cup pureed pumpkin
• 2 eggs
• 1/8 cup sour cream (1 big spoonful)
• 3/4 cup sugar (1/2 white, 1/2 brown)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

First whip cream cheese until fluffy and smooth and then add rest of ingredients and beat for another few minutes. If not yet smooth and fluffy, transfer to a blender and blend out the lumps (works very well, actually). Pour batter into muffin tins (almost full – it won’t rise). Bake for 25-27 minutes at 350F.

Topping (optional):

• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• Splash of vanilla

Beat ingredients together (I used a wire whisk on my kitchenaid and it worked nicely). If desired, pull out cupcakes 5 min early, spread on a thin layer of topping and put back in oven for the remaining 5 minutes. Cool, then let set up in fridge overnight. I sprinkled a light dusting of cinnamon on the top of each mini-cheesecake as they were cooling.

Makes 14 large mini-cheesecakes. Enjoy!