Chocolate Ripple Cheesecake

It’s hard to find my lactose-free cream cheese, but Whole Foods had some in stock, so I decided to make this chocolate ripple cheesecake. It was fabulous! (The kids didn’t like it, but one child doesn’t like cheesecake and the other is notoriously picky; it just meant more cheesecake for us, which was great!)

Note that I made a mistake when dividing the batter and adding the chocolate – I poured the amount intended for bowl 1 into bowl 2, and then ended up with the leftover batter in bowl 1. I compensated by adding melted chocolate as needed to make sure the gradient of brown still worked. However, since the chocolate parts were tastier than the white part, I have no regrets! I’ll write it down my way below. I used leftover chocolate to drizzle on top, but this is entirely optional.

24 chocolate sandwich cookies
4 Tbsp. lactose-free butter, melted
32 oz lactose-free cream cheese (4 8-oz packages)
¾ cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
4 cups lactose-free heavy cream (mine was vegan)
1 ½ Tbsp. gelatin powder
2 cups semisweet chocolate, melted, divided

Place cookies into a ziploc bag and crush using a rolling pin until fine crumbs form. Pour cookie crumbs into a bowl with melted butter and mix until well combined. (I did this whole step in a food processor.)

Pour crust mixture into a 9-inch (23-cm) springform cake pan. Use a measuring cup to press down on the cookies to form an even base. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes.

In a large bowl, whisk together cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth.

Heat the heavy cream until hot, then add the gelatin and let it rest for 1 minute.

Slowly whisk the heavy cream into the cream cheese until smooth.

Working quickly, divide the cheesecake batter in 4 bowls and add melted chocolate, as follows:
- bowl 1 – whatever is left over in your large bowl will become bowl 1
- bowl 2 – 3 cups batter + 1 Tbsp. melted chocolate
- bowl 3 – 2 ½ cups batter + 4 Tbsp. melted chocolate
- bowl 4 – 1 cup batter + 5 Tbsp. melted chocolate
Honestly, the exact measurements aren’t crucial; the important part is that each bowl should vary in color, so that bowl 1 is white and the batter gets progressively darker in each bowl. Feel free to add extra chocolate in the smaller bowls to achieve this.

To assemble the cheesecake, slowly pour the contents of bowl 1 into the center of the pan. Once batter has spread, repeat with the remaining bowls in numerical order. If your bowls have sat out too long and the consistency is too stiff, microwave for 30 seconds before pouring – the top of my cheesecake would have been smoother if I had done that.

Cover the top of the pan tightly with plastic wrap and chill for 4 hours or overnight in the fridge before serving.

Julia Turshen's Potato Salad

 

I saw this potato salad in Julia Turshen’s newsletter and immediately bookmarked it, even though I waited until the following summer to make it. It was absolutely delicious! I served it with paprika pork.

1 ½ lb. (680 g) baby yellow potatoes (about 30 small potatoes)
kosher salt
3 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 ½ Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
1 large celery stalk, finely chopped (about ½ cup)
½ small red onion, finely chopped (about ¼ cup)
3 Tbsp. mayonnaise
1 large handful fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped (a little stem is fine)

Place the potatoes and a very large pinch of salt in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Set the saucepan over high heat and bring the water to a boil. Turn the heat to low and simmer until the potatoes are tender (test with a paring knife), about 15 minutes. Drain the potatoes in a colander and let them rest until they're just cool enough to handle, but still warm.

While the potatoes are cooking and resting, place the mustard, vinegar, and pepper in a large bowl with 1 teaspoon salt and whisk well to combine. Stir in the celery and onion.

Once the potatoes are cool enough to handle (but still warm—don't forget!), cut them in half and stir them into the mustard mixture. Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature and then stir in the mayonnaise and parsley. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to 4 days (season to taste again if serving from cold).

Porc au paprika

 

Je me suis inspirée d’une recette de Coupe de Pouce, nommée brochettes de porc au paprika. La recette d’origine était pour le grill, mais je l’ai convertie pour le four, et tant qu’à faire, j’ai mis le tout sur une plaque au lieu de faire des brochettes. J’ai servi ça avec une salade de pommes de terre. Fait rare, tout le monde a aimé!

2 petits filets de porc, en cubes de 1 po/2,5 cm (environ 1 ½ lb/750 g de viande en tout)
2 c. à table d’huile d'olive
1 c. à table de vinaigre de xérès (ou de vin rouge)
½ citron (jus et zeste)
1 c. à table de paprika doux
1 c. à thé de paprika fumé
sel et poivre
1 sac de mini-poivrons de couleur, entiers (équeutés, quand même)
1 oignon, pelé, en quartiers
coriandre fraîche, riz cuit et sauce piri-piri, pour servir (facultatif)

Préchauffer le four à 400 °F. Recouvrir une plaque de cuisson de papier parchemin et mettre de côté.

Pendant ce temps, déposer les cubes de porc dans un bol et mélanger avec l’huile, le vinaigre, le jus et le zeste de citron ainsi que le paprika. Saler et poivrer. Laisser reposer 5 minutes.

Ajouter les mini-poivrons et l’oignon au porc; bien mélanger pour les recouvrir d’huile, puis répartir le tout sur la plaque de cuisson. Cuire au four pendant 20 minutes.

Servir sur du riz, garni de coriandre, avec de la sauce piri-piri, si désiré.

Pomegranate Cake

 

This pomegranate cake was as delicious as it was beautiful. I mean, almond meal, rosewater, cardamon, plus the pomegranate arils – what’s not to love?

For the icing, I didn’t have pomegranate juice to make it pink, so I improvised with freeze-dried raspberry powder, less icing sugar, and more rosewater (because I love it). The version below is mine.


For the cake
¾ cup (100 g) all-purpose flour (plain flour)
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. ground cardamom
¼ teaspoon sea salt
3 cups (300 g) almond meal (ground almonds)
¾ cup (200 g) unsalted lactose-free butter at room temperature
¾ cup (150 g) caster sugar
4 eggs
1 Tbsp. rose water
zest and juice of 1 lemon

For the pomegranate icing
½ cup (50 g) powdered icing sugar, sifted
3 Tbsp. freeze-dried raspberry powder
2 Tbsp. rose water

For decorating
pomegranate arils/seeds
1 Tbsp. chopped pistachios
dried culinary rose petals or buds, optional (candied petals would be great!)


Preheat the oven to 325 °F. Lightly grease a 9-inch springform cake pan and line with baking parchment.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cardamom, salt, and ground almonds. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes). Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then beat in the rose water, lemon zest and juice. Stir in the dry ingredients.

Spoon the mixture into the cake pan, smooth to the edges, and bake in the oven for 45 minutes, or until a knife or toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Meanwhile, make the pomegranate drizzle by mixing the icing sugar, raspberry powder, and rose water together.

When the cake is completely cool, drizzle it with the pomegranate topping, then sprinkle with the pomegranate arils and chopped pistachios (and rose petals, if using).

Flower Hot Dog Buns

 

I made the flower hot dog buns from The Woks of Life recently. I had been hearing about them often on Spilled Milk, and they are for sure one of the best things to come out of my kitchen! Plus, they are gorgeous!

The recipe makes 16 buns, and they freeze very well. These were a big hit with both of my kids, for lunches at home as well as at school. I also took some with me on the plane recently (frozen solid upon departure from home, and they were fine for an early lunch on the plane). I’ll be adding these to the rotation!

2/3 cup lactose-free heavy cream – I used vegan cream (at room temperature)
1 cup lactose-free milk (at room temperature)
1 large egg (at room temperature)
1/3 cup sugar
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. active dry yeast
1 ½ tsp. salt
16 hot dog sausages
egg wash (1 egg beaten with 1 Tbsp. water)
2 scallions (chopped)
simple syrup (1 Tbsp./12g sugar dissolved in 1 Tbsp. hot water)

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, add the room temperature heavy cream, milk, egg, sugar, flour, yeast, and salt (in that order).

Turn on the mixer to “stir.” Let it go for 15 minutes. You may want to stop the mixer once to push the dough together, though this isn't always necessary. The dough should stick to the bottom of the bowl, but not the sides – I did add a bit more flour. (Alternatively, you can knead the dough by hand. Just keep your hands lightly floured, but avoid adding too much additional flour to the dough, or it may become dense. The high amount of fat in the dough from the heavy cream should prevent it from sticking too badly to your hands.)

Cover the bowl with an overturned plate or kitchen towel (I actually use a freshly oiled bowl for this). Place it in a warm spot for 60-90 minutes, or until almost doubled in size.

After the hour of proofing, put the dough back in the mixer and stir for another 5 minutes to remove air bubbles (I skipped this step). Turn the dough out on a lightly floured surface and cut it into 16 equal pieces.

Roll each piece of dough into an oval that's about 4 inches wide and the same length as your hot dogs. Place the hot dog on one end of the dough and roll it tightly in the dough – you will get something that looks roughly like an oversized pig-in-a-blanket.

Use a metal bench scraper or knife to cut 6 slits crosswise into the dough/hot dog (creating 7 equal sections), without cutting all the way through. Then lay the hot dog pieces cut side up, and arrange the pieces alternately on either side of the central uncut part of the dough, or arrange the pieces in a rounder flower shape.

Cover the baking sheet with a kitchen towel and allow the buns to rise in a warm place for another hour.

When the buns are almost done proofing, preheat the oven to 350 °F.

Mix your egg wash together by beating with 1 egg with 1 tablespoon of water. Add the scallions to your egg wash. (Submerging the scallions this way will ensure that they stick to the buns.)

Use a pastry brush to lightly brush the buns with egg (brush only the dough, and not the hot dog pieces). Make sure to also get the scallions evenly onto the bun. Use the brush to gently spread out any pooling egg wash in the crevices of the buns.

Bake the buns for 18-20 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through baking.

Remove from the oven and immediately brush the buns with the simple syrup. This last step gives them that signature Chinese bakery shine.

Chrissy Teigen's Chocolate Mousse with Salty Rice Krispies-Hazelnut Crackle

 

Now that I can reliably find lactose-free vegan whipping cream, I am catching up on recipes I meant to try. Here’s one from Chrissy Teigen’s Cravings: Hungry for More, for an easy chocolate mousse with a more involved crackle topping. I’m going to be honest here: I had my doubts about the crackle. It looked a bit complicated, and I didn’t know if it would turn out to my liking, But I had a palmful of hazelnuts to use up, so I went for it. And it turns out it’s the best thing about this recipe! It was hard as opposed to sticky, and the perfect combination of sweet and salty. Seriously, do yourself a favor and double it, because you’ll end up eating some of it straight. This is a truly awesome dish!

For the mousse
1 cup (6 oz) good-quality dark chocolate chips or coarsely chopped chocolate (I used bittersweet)
1/3 cup lactose-free whole milk
¾ cup lactose-free heavy cream, cold

For the crackle
oil, for the pan
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 Tbsp. water
4 tsp. light corn syrup
1/8 tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. kosher salt, plus more for sprinkling
1 cup Rice Krispies cereal
1/3 cup chopped, toasted hazelnuts

For serving
½ cup lactose-free heavy cream, cold
1 tablespoon granulated sugar


For the mousse
Combine the chocolate and milk in a large, microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high for 1 minute and 15 seconds. Remove and stir the mixture until melted and smooth; set aside to cool for 15 minutes. (I prefer doing this in a double boiler.)

Once the chocolate is cooled, whip the cream with a whisk or electric mixer until stiff peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes. Gently fold the whipped cream into the cooled chocolate until uniform, making sure not to stir too hard or the mousse will deflate. Divide evenly among 4 smallish glasses, such as juice glasses or martini glasses. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 24.

For the crackle
Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and grease lightly with oil. Place the sugar, water, and corn syrup in a small (2-quart) saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Let it cook and bubble, swirling it occasionally, until the mixture turns toasty, the color of nice caramel, about 5 minutes from when it starts to bubble.

Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the baking soda and salt, then the rice cereal and hazelnuts. Working quickly (the stuff hardens), spread the mixture onto the parchment and sprinkle with more salt. Let it cool and harden, then break into pieces.

For serving
When ready to serve, whip the cream and the sugar to soft peaks with a whisk or electric mixer. Top each glass of mousse with some of the whipped cream and the broken crackle.

Riz « one pot » au poulet et au gingembre

 

Nous avons beaucoup apprécié ce riz « one pot » au poulet et au gingembre de Ricardo. Ce n’était pas trop compliqué à faire, et tout le monde a aimé!

Pour la sauce
¼ tasse d’huile végétale
1 c. à soupe de gingembre frais haché
5 oignons verts, émincés
1 c. à soupe de miel
2 c. à thé de sauce soya réduite en sodium

Pour le riz
460 g (2 tasses) de riz au jasmin
900 g (2 lb) de hauts de cuisses de poulet désossés et sans la peau, coupés en gros morceaux
2 tasses de bouillon de poulet
1 oignon vert, émincé


Pour la sauce
Dans une grande poêle à haut rebord à feu moyen-élevé, chauffer l’huile avec le gingembre 2 minutes. Retirer du feu.

Ajouter les oignons verts et bien mélanger. Prélever ½ tasse du mélange et le déposer dans un bol. Y ajouter le miel et la sauce soya. Bien mélanger.

Pour le riz
Dans la même poêle avec le mélange d’oignons verts à feu moyen-élevé, ajouter le riz et cuire 1 minute. Ajouter le poulet et le bouillon. Saler, poivrer et mélanger. Porter à ébullition. Couvrir et laisser mijoter de 17 à 20 minutes ou jusqu’à ce que le bouillon soit presque entièrement absorbé (voir note).

Retirer du feu et remuer le riz délicatement à l’aide d’une cuillère de bois. Couvrir et laisser reposer 5 minutes. Arroser de la sauce et parsemer de l’oignon vert.

Déposer la poêle au centre de la table. Accompagner d’une sauce chili sucrée thaïe ou de sambal oelek, si désiré.

Pasta matin, façon carbonara

J’ai pris cette recette dans le livre Déjeuners protéinés d’Hubert Cormier (elle est aussi en ligne). Il s’agit d’une omelette mince coupée en rubans, qui ont donc l’air de nouilles. J’ai fait ça pour diner plutôt que pour déjeuner et j’ai beaucoup aimé! Hubert Cormier recommande des fruits en accompagnement pour déjeuner, moi j’oserais une salade verte pour dîner.

4 gros œufs
1 tasse de blancs d’œufs liquides pasteurisés (ou 8 blancs d’œufs)
1 pincée de poivre de cayenne
sel et poivre, au goût
1 c. à soupe d’huile d’olive
1 échalote française, hachée finement
¼ tasse de pancetta, coupée en cubes (j’ai pris du bacon)
1 tasse de crème de soya, de type Belsoy
½ tasse de fromage parmesan sans lactose, râpé
¼ tasse de ciboulette hachée finement
2 c. à soupe persil frais haché finement

Dans un grand bol, fouetter tout d’abord les œufs, les blancs d’œufs, le poivre de cayenne et le sel.

Dans une poêle antiadhésive huilée – ou une crêpière, encore mieux ! –, à feu moyen, verser ½ tasse du mélange et cuire sans remuer environ 2 minutes, puis retourner. Une fois la crêpe cuite des 2 côtés, la rouler. Répéter ainsi jusqu’à ce que toutes les crêpes soient cuites.

Dans une poêle antiadhésive, à feu moyen, chauffer l’huile d’olive et cuire l’échalote et la pancetta pendant 5 minutes. Ajouter ensuite la crème de soya et le parmesan en remuant constamment jusqu’à ce que le fromage soit fondu. Rectifier l’assaisonnement au besoin et retirer du feu.

Sur une planche à découper, couper les crêpes d’œufs roulées en lanières de 1 cm (½ po) de largeur. Répartir finalement dans 4 assiettes, et garnir d’un filet de sauce, de ciboulette et de persil.

Flourless Black Bean Brownie Muffins

 

I tried these flourless black bean brownie muffins to make something a little healthier for breakfast. They are really good, but I should stress that they are part of breakfast – they cannot satiate you on their own.

1 (15-oz) can of black beans, rinsed and drained
3 eggs (or 4 for a cakier consistency, but I have not tested it)
½ cup pure maple syrup (or sub honey)
2 Tbsp. coconut oil, melted and cooled
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 Tbsp. brewed coffee, optional to enhance chocolate flavor
½ cup high-quality unsweetened cocoa powder (or use cacao powder)
1 tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
1/3 cup dark chocolate chips, plus 2 Tbsp. for sprinkling on top

Preheat oven to 350 °F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with baking liners and spray the inside of each liner with nonstick cooking spray (you can also use a silicone pan – I tried it both ways).

Place black beans and 1 egg in food processor and process until beans are well blended.

Add two other eggs, maple syrup, coconut oil, vanilla and coffee; process again until smooth.

Next add in cocoa powder, baking powder and salt; process once more until smooth. Next fold in 1/3 cup of chocolate chips.

Divide batter evenly among muffin cups. Sprinkle remaining chocolate chips evenly among the tops of each muffin batter.

Bake for 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the middle of a muffins comes out clean. Place on wire rack to cool for 10 minutes, then remove muffins from tin and transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

Keep muffins for a day at room temperature, then transfer to fridge and place in an airtight container.

Carrot Salad with Tahini and Chickpeas

I haven’t posted about this Smitten Kitchen salad before. The original recipe calls for roasting the chickpeas until they are crisp, but I’ve decided that I actually prefer them straight from the can, so I wrote it down the way that I make it. (This time, I actually added some baby kale, since I had it on hand, and served it with quiche.)

For the dressing
1 medium garlic clove, minced
¼ cup lemon juice
3 Tbsp. well-stirred tahini
2 Tbsp. water, plus more if needed
2 Tbsp. olive oil
¼ tsp. cumin
salt and red pepper flakes to taste

For the salad
1 lb. carrots, peeled and coarsely grated
¼ cup coarsely chopped parsley
1 ¾ cups cooked chickpeas, or 1 15-oz. can, rinsed and drained
¼ cup shelled, salted pistachios, coarsely chopped (optional)

Whisk all the dressing ingredients together until smooth, adding more water if needed to thin the dressing slightly (I prefer to shake them together in a jar). Taste and adjust seasoning; don’t worry if it tastes a little sharp on the lemon, it will marry perfectly with the sweet grated carrots.

Place grated carrots in large bowl and toss with parsley and chickpeas. Mix in 2/3 of the dressing, adding more if desired. Add more salt and pepper if needed. Sprinkle with pistachios and dig in.

Use-It-Up Quiche

 

I saw this recipe in Real Simple, in an article about reducing food waste. You can therefore use up whatever ingredients you have on hand, or those you prefer; mine were mostly bacon and baby kale, along with Gruyère cheese. I served it with a carrot chickpea salad.

1 Tbsp. finely shredded hard cheese (such as parmesan or pecorino, which are lactose-free)
1 9-in. frozen deep-dish pie shell, thawed according to package directions
1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
½ cup chopped onion
2 cups chopped raw and/or cooked vegetables (such as cooked broccoli and raw kale or spinach)
½ tsp. kosher salt, divided
¼ to ½ cup chopped leftover cooked meat or seafood (such as chicken, bacon, shrimp, salmon, steak, or sausage) (optional)
5 large eggs
½ cup lactose-free milk (dairy or unsweetened plain nondairy)
½ cup lactose-free shredded cheese (such as cheddar, Gruyère, Monterey Jack, mozzarella, etc.)
¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 °F with a rack in lower third position. Sprinkle hard cheese over bottom of pie shell.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium. Add onion; cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add vegetables; cook, stirring occasionally, until raw vegetables are wilted, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in ¼ teaspoon salt and (if desired) meat or seafood.

While vegetables cook, whisk eggs, milk, shredded cheese, pepper, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, and (if desired) nutmeg in a medium bowl.

Arrange cooked vegetable mixture over hard cheese in pie shell. Pour egg mixture over vegetables.

Place pie shell on a large rimmed baking sheet. Bake until set and top is slightly golden, 30 to 35 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Soboro Donburi

Soboro is a Japanese dish of ground meat cooked in soy sauce, dashi, and sake; donburi is meat and vegetables served over rice. This Food & Wine version is made with ground beef and peas. It is easy to make and, most remarkably in our household, got a rare 4 thumbs up! I discovered that my kids are particularly fond of pickled ginger (the kind typically served with sushi), so much so that I could almost use it as a bribe to get them to try something new. This dish is a winner! The amounts below make 4 servings – don’t hesitate to double them.

1 lb. 90% lean ground beef
1/3 cup sake
¼ cup soy sauce
¼ cup dashi (or water)
1 ½ Tbsp. granulated sugar
½ cup frozen English peas, thawed
1 Tbsp. grated peeled fresh ginger
5 cups hot cooked rice
2 Tbsp. beni shoga (Japanese pickled ginger)

Stir together ground beef, sake, soy sauce, dashi, and sugar in a small Dutch oven or medium-size, heavy saucepan. Cook over medium-high, stirring often to break up large lumps of beef, 5 minutes. Stir in peas and ginger; cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid is mostly evaporated and beef is no longer pink but is still moist, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat.

Divide rice evenly among 4 large bowls. Spoon ½ cup beef mixture over each. Garnish with pickled ginger.

Spaghetti Squash Pizza Nests

 

I tried these spaghetti squash pizza nests as an experiment, in which the crust is both a) low-carb and b) a vegetable. I don’t like them as much as regular pizzas, but the kids did eat them without complaint, so there’s that! I made the pizza nests in a silicone muffin pan because I didn’t want them to stick, but of course the crusts would have been crisper in the metal pan. Pick your poison.

1 medium spaghetti squash, halved
1 Tbsp. olive oil
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup lactose-free grated parmesan
1 tsp. garlic powder
nonstick cooking spray
2 cups pizza sauce (I used less)
1 ½ cups lactose-free shredded mozzarella
½ cup mini pepperoni (I could only find regular sized)
1 Tbsp. parsley, chopped

Preheat oven to 400 °F and line a medium baking sheet with parchment paper.

Drizzle cut side of spaghetti squash with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place cut side down on baking sheet and bake until tender, 45 minutes to an hour, depending on the size of your squash. Reduce heat to 375 °F when finished baking.

Let cool for 10 minutes before using a fork to shred the squash into spaghetti pieces. Place into a bowl and combine with parmesan and garlic powder. Season with salt and pepper.

Transfer ¼ cup squash to each hole of a greased muffin pan, pressing down on bottoms and side to create cups. Place in the oven to bake, 15 minutes.

Spoon pizza sauce into each cup, top with mozzarella and mini pepperonis. Bake again, 8-10 more minutes, or until cheese is melted.

Top with parsley and serve.

Black Rice Bowls

 

Since I had black rice on hand (from making black rice coconut pudding, I figured I would make the Weelicious black rice bowls. Note that this made a lot of rice, some of which I froze for future use, so I would cook less next time.

1 ½ cups black rice, rinsed (see note above)
¼ cup low sodium soy sauce
1 Tbsp. minced ginger
2 tsp. toasted sesame oil
1 lb. firm tofu, cubed
3 Tbsp. tahini, peanut or almond butter
4 Tbsp. coconut milk
1 tsp. red curry paste
1 Tbsp. lime juice
2 tsp. low sodium soy sauce
2 tsp. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. vegetable or canola oil
2 cups fresh baby spinach
2-3 carrots, thinly sliced
1 cucumber, peeled and sliced
1 cup sprouts (daikon, radish, or sunflower)
toasted sesame seeds for topping (optional)

Place the black rice, 3 cups of water, and a pinch of salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer, cover and cook 25-30 minutes.

In a bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, ginger, and sesame oil. Add the cubed tofu, toss to coat, and set aside to marinate.

In a small saucepan, combine the tahini, coconut milk, curry paste, lime juice, soy sauce, and brown sugar. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens slightly. If you prefer a thinner sauce, add more coconut milk. (I would actually add a bit of water to this, as my sauce was too thick.)

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the tofu in a single layer and cook until slightly crispy on all sides. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate.

Place a handful of spinach in each bowl, add a scoop of black rice, tofu, and drizzle with tahini sauce.

Top with carrots, cucumbers, sprouts, and peanuts.

Orange Saffron Cake

This gluten-free orange saffron cake was created by Aran Goyoaga, of Cannelle & Vanille. I made it as instructed, though I only needed 1 orange, and it should be noted that you can make a lactose-free dairy version instead of strictly vegan as is written. This is a time when I have to say that my gut feeling was right – do NOT attempt to halve this cake lengthwise! It is very crumbly, and you are better off leaving it in one piece and topping it with some of the cream. That’s what I’ll write in the instructions below.

For the cake
1 cup/140g brown rice flour
1 cup/100g almond flour
¾ tsp fine sea salt
1 Tbsp. baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
3 Tbsp./18g ground flaxseed + 6 Tbsp./60g hot water (allow to sit for 10 mins)
½ cup/110g warm oat milk
⅛ tsp. saffron threads
¾ cup/150g blond sugar
2 Tbsp. finely grated orange zest (zest from 2 oranges), plus more for garnishing
3 Tbsp. freshly squeezed orange juice
1 Tbsp. orange-flower water (optional, but I highly recommend it)
½ cup/110g extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup/35g sliced almonds
powdered sugar for dusting

For the cream
⅓ cup/60g vegan butter (softened to room temperature)
1 tub (200g) vegan cream cheese, such as Violife (out of the fridge for an hour)
⅓ cup/40g icing sugar, sifted
2 tsp. vanilla extract or 1 vanilla bean (halved lengthways and seeds scraped out)

Preheat your oven to 350 °F. Generously oil the inside of an 8-inch cake pan (I used a springform pan) and line the bottom with baking paper.

In a small bowl, combine the brown rice flour, almond flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Set aside.

In a large bowl, put the flaxseed with water and allow to sit for 10 minutes.

Combine the milk and saffron in a small pan and warm over low heat for 2 minutes. Do not boil. Remove from heat and steep for 5 minutes, then add to the flaxseed mixture.

In a small bowl, combine the sugar and orange zest. Rub the mixture between your fingers so the zest releases its natural oils and becomes fragrant. Whisk into the flaxseed mixture along with the orange juice, orange-flower water (if using), and olive oil; whisk until smooth. Add the dry ingredients to the mixture and whisk until well incorporated.

Pour into the prepared pan and sprinkle the sliced almonds over the batter.

Bake for 40 – 45 minutes until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean. Let the cake cool completely in the pan; 3 – 4 hours is ideal.

Meanwhile, to make the cream, beat the butter with a hand mixer until soft. Add the cream cheese and beat again until well mixed (don’t overmix.) Sift icing sugar over the mixture and add the vanilla extract – beat again. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use – 2 hours is ideal.

Spread the cream over the cake. Sprinkle with orange zest and dust the cake with powdered sugar.

Anything-You-Have Curry Soup

This versatile recipe is from Pinch of Yum. The recipe below is as it is written on the site, but you can change it up based on what you have on hand. Use another root vegetable or even eggplant instead of potatoes, for example. Suggestions for topping include green onions, cilantro, basil, red or green cabbage, asparagus, baby kale, carrots, zucchini shreds, bell peppers, mushrooms, spinach, broccoli, snap peas, and bean sprouts. I added some quick-pickled red onions and avocado. Honestly, it’s like halfway between a soup and a salad, and it’s great!

1 Tbsp. oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, smashed
1 knob of ginger, peeled and grated
1–2 Tbsp. red curry paste
1–2 Tbsp. turmeric
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. sugar
12 baby yukon potatoes
2 14-oz cans coconut milk (light is fine)
3 cups vegetable broth
24 oz extra-firm tofu
anything you have for fresh veggie toppings! (see above)

Press the tofu to get a maximum of moisture out of it.

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and ginger, and stir fry for a few minutes until fragrant. Don’t let the garlic burn or brown. Add the curry paste, turmeric, salt, and sugar. Stir fry for another few minutes. Add the potatoes, coconut milk, and broth. Simmer until the potatoes are soft.

Allow to cool slightly (I can never wait very long…), then transfer to a blender and purée until smooth and silky. The soup should be rich and thick so that it coats the back of a spoon. Add in more water or broth to thin out the soup as needed.

Pat the tofu dry and cut it into cubes. In the same pot, heat a little more oil and add the tofu, stir frying until light golden brown. Pour in a small amount of the puréed soup – it will sizzle and pop, and it will also give the tofu the most wonderful color and caramelized exterior. Remove from heat with the tofu is deep golden brown and crispy.

To serve, top each serving of soup with fresh veggie toppings and crispy caramelized tofu and enjoy your luscious salad-meets-soup combo.

Quiches au bacon en courge spaghetti

 

J’ai adapté cette recette de Ricardo pour la faire au four. Ça fait changement des quiches habituelles, mais je pense qu’on préfère quand même ces dernières…

1 courge spaghetti de 1 kg (2,2 lb) (sans fissures, idéalement)
1 c. à soupe d’huile d’olive
sel et poivre, au goût
6 œufs
½ tasse de crème sans lactose
2 c. à soupe de persil haché
3 tranches de bacon, coupées en lanières de 1 cm (½ po) et cuites

Préchauffer le four à 425 °F. Recouvrir une plaque à cuisson de papier d’aluminium.

Couper la courge en deux sur la longueur. À l’aide d’une cuillère, retirer les graines et les filaments. Badigeonner l’intérieur de l’huile. Saler et poivrer. Placer chaque moitié de courge sur la plaque, côté coupé vers le bas, et faire cuire au four 15 minutes. Les retourner côté coupé vers le haut et faire cuire 10 minutes de plus. Retirer les courges du four et baisser la température à 400 °F.

Entre-temps, dans un bol, fouetter les œufs avec la crème et le persil. Saler et poivrer.

Une fois les courges assez refroidies pour être manipulées, gratter la chair à l’aide d’une fourchette pour l’effilocher sans toutefois perforer la peau. Verser le mélange d’œufs à l’intérieur. Répartir les lanières de bacon sur le dessus (je les ai mélangées un peu).

En procédant délicatement pour ne pas les renverser, remettre les courges au four pour environ 30 minutes ou jusqu’à ce que le mélange d’œufs gonfle et soit ferme jusqu’au centre. Laisser reposer 5 minutes sur une assiette. Couper les demi-courges en deux. Accompagner d’une salade verte, si désiré.

Coconut Black Rice Pudding

 

I finally got around to making this coconut black rice pudding! I could not find Thai black rice (which is variegated so that not all the grains are black); I used Chinese black rice. This was delicious! You could serve it with mango, but just the coconut here is nice. If you want, you can reserve a bit of the coconut cream from the top of the can to top the rice pudding. Anyway, this was not the kids’ favorite, but I thought this was delicious!

2 to 2 ½ cups water
1 cup Thai black rice
1 cup light or full-fat coconut milk
¼ cup unsweetened coconut flakes (I omitted them and used shredded coconut instead)
4 Tbsp. brown sugar
½ tsp. salt

In a medium saucepan, mix 2 cups water, rice and coconut milk, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 45 minutes or until rice is tender, stirring occasionally. During the last 10 minutes of cooking, make sure to keep a close eye, adding extra water, ¼ cup at a time, if the rice gets too dry.

Meanwhile, toast the coconut. Preheat the oven to 350 °F. Place the coconut on a baking sheet and bake for 5 minutes or until golden-brown, stirring once during baking.

When the rice is tender, add the sugar and salt. Simmer for a couple more minutes, or until pudding is desired texture. (Add a little more water for a looser pudding; let cook several more minutes for a drier pudding.) Taste and adjust seasoning. Spoon into individual bowls, top with toasted coconut flakes, and serve.