Monday, October 29, 2012

Dinner with Friends

Yesterday evening, D and I made dinner at our place for some friends.  I have two new favorite tools in the kitchen.  The slow cooker and the bread machine.  My sister gave us this wonderful cookbook for our bread machine when we were using it a lot last fall.  The Bread Lover's Bread Machine Cookbook by Beth Hensperger has just about every type of bread you could imagine!  There are about 50 recipes I want to try.  Our machine hibernated a bit in the spring and summer as it was warm and we realized how much weight we had gained.  It has reappeared.  And I have found out new uses.  I have started making pizza dough and find it incredibly easy to do (more on that another time).  I decided to try the naan recipe when I made the plan to serve Indian food last night.  The recipe was super easy.  Add the following to your bread machine:

1 T peanut oil
1/2 c plain yogurt (this was a challenge for D to find - we used Oikos Greek yogurt and I diluted it slightly with milk to equal the above quantity)
1/2 c milk
2 c bread flour
1/4 t salt
1/8 t baking soda
2 1/2 t yeast

Set the machine to the dough cycle and process (ours takes 1.5 hours, so you have to plan ahead a little - thanks to D for running out at the last minute to get the necessary yogurt).  When it's done, divide the dough into 6 portions.  Flatten the bread on a whole wheat floured surface using a rolling pin.  Put the dough on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and let them rest covered with a clean towel for 20 minutes.  Heat the oven to 450 degrees.  Once the resting time is over, brush the dough with melted butter and bake in the oven for ~ 8 minutes.  (Each pan separately.).  Serve immediately.  These were even surprisingly delicious today for lunch.  I may try to add some whole wheat next time along with some gluten.

I used the slow cooker to make vegetable and chickpea curry from Cooking Light.  This is packed full of vegetables.  I use frozen green beans, but that's about the only modification I made.  I've made the curry before and it's delicious.  I used a spicy pepper that friends grew over the summer to add a little kick.  The kick is a little stronger today but is nice.  The addition of coconut milk makes a creamy finished product.  The slow cooker is great because you dice things and pile them in hours before you eat.  This frees up time right before you eat to do other tasks.  In this case, prepare the naan and socialize with guest.

Enjoy!

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Catch Up

What do you do when friends give you a huge bag of tomatoes?  Make ketchup, of course.  I have a little bit of a fear of canning tomato sauce after reading about it in Animal, Vegetable, Miracle where the idea of balancing the acid is discussed so as not to get sick from the sauce.  I could, no doubt master this with my science-y background but sometimes I don't like to think so much when I cook.  I did end up making a small amount of sauce but froze it instead.  Plus, we just don't eat that much pasta at our house.  So, I was looking for something else.  D eats a lot of ketchup with his breakfasts, so it seemed perfect.  I found a recipe in Home Made by Yvette Van Boven.  You can see the results above.  It's quite delicious.  The flavoring came from red pepper, onion, vinegar, sugar plus some ginger, paprika, nutmeg, coriander and a bit of clove.  I believe the balance of the tomatoes and vinegar in this recipe addresses the acid issues.  This was one of my first canning efforts of the year and really ever.  I think it turned out well.  And I did have to share some of my wares with friends, especially the friends who shared their tomatoes.  But we will continue to enjoy it this winter.

I was thinking about catching you up on what has been happening in my life this year, but it seems a bit too daunting.  Very briefly, I will say that D and I started a new chapter in our life together with a big party, I moved twice, and I taught a large (>100 students) course for the first time.  It has been a busy time with lots of excitement and changes.   

Sunday, October 7, 2012

Restart

How do you restart your blog?  The same way you restart your morning.  With a delicious muffin.  D&I found this recipe nearly a year ago and I have made it so many times I can't count.  It appeared in the Nov 2011 issue of Runners World and is originally Mark Bittman.  I have now modified the recipe to be lower in fat and sugar and include more superfoods!  What could be better in the morning?

Blueberry Sweet Potato Muffins
2 1/2 c whole wheat flour (pastry is recommended in the original recipe but I've been making them with regular and they seem to be fine)
1/2 c sugar
2 t baking powder
1 t ground ginger (sometimes I add a bit of cinnamon and nutmeg, too)
1/4 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
2 T butter (melted and cooled)
2 T veg or olive oil
1/4 c applesauce
1 c pureed/mashed sweet potato (you can easily use canned pumpkin in this recipe or cook the sweet potato in the microwave)
1 beaten egg
1/2 c buttermilk (we use the powder stuff that you keep in the refrigerator and add to water otherwise we don't use the whole container in time and it seems like a waste).
1 c frozen blueberries

Heat oven to 375 degrees.  Grease 12 muffin cups.  Combine dry ingredients (through salt) in a large bowl.  In a separate bowl (or measuring cup) combine the wet ingredients (through buttermilk).  Now add the wet mixture into the dry and stir until just combined.  Fold in the blueberries.  Bake for 20-25 minutes and enjoy.

One of the amazing things about these muffins is how moist they are for a 100% whole wheat bread.  I have never successfully done 100% whole wheat tea bread or muffins before.  This recipe gives me faith that it is possible.  They are definitely hearty.  Also, you could add nuts but A doesn't like walnuts or blueberries, for that matter, in her baked goods.  I always make a couple of muffins with her name on them by adding the batter to a few muffin cups before folding in the blueberries.

Now, in answer the the question I left you with last year.  The pancake was meant to be a monkey.  I guess I need to work on my pancake art.  :)

What is coming up... my adventures in canning, microwave potato chips and low fat dip, some fall favorites, and book recommendations.  Hopefully, I'll stick to a once a week schedule.