Maple Mushroom Cupcakes

 

For Christmas 2024, the Engineer gave me a book called Vegetable Cakes, by Ysanne Spevack – at my request, don’t worry! My mother saw it and it was right up her alley too, so she picked a recipe that we made together: these maple mushroom cupcakes. I’ve simplified the instructions below, and the frosting recipe is mine (the original called for a tofu frosting, but since both my mother and I agree that those frostings are always failures IRL, we improvised). These cupcakes were surprisingly good!

For the cupcakes
2 cups (250 g) whole wheat flour
4 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. ground cardamom
½ tsp. pink or sea salt
400 g (14 oz.) button mushrooms
½ cup (1 stick) lactose-free butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup (115 g.) coconut sugar (we used brown sugar)
2 eggs
½ cup almond milk or lactose-free milk
2 Tbsp. maple syrup
½ cup (75 g) black sesame seeds
a cluster of small edible mushrooms, for decorating

For the frosting
1 cup (2 sticks) lactose-free butter, at room temperature
1 ¼ cup (250 g) powdered sugar, sifted
2 Tbsp. maple syrup
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 pinch of pink or sea salt

Preheat the oven to 350 °F. Line a muffin tin with paper liners (the original recipe says the yield is 9 cupcakes; we made 15).

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, cardamom, and salt in a medium bowl.

Wipe clean the mushrooms, then chop them roughly but quite finely (we did this in the food processor). Aim for the size of Puy lentils, though it doesn’t matter if this is accurate.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and coconut sugar. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing after each addition.

Turn the whisk up to medium and beat while you add half of the almond milk. Add half of the flour mixture, then the rest of the almond milk, the maple syrup, and finally the rest of the flour mixture and the sesame seeds, beating to combine after each addition. Fold in the chopped mushrooms.

Spoon the mixture evenly into the cupcake liners and bake for 23 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool completely before frosting.

To make the frosting, beat together the butter and powdered sugar, then add the rest of the ingredients. Frost the cupcakes as desired, using mushrooms or sesame seeds to decorate if you wish.

Golden Soup

 

Here’s a nice soup recipe for fall: golden soup from Pinch of Yum. I used less liquid than called for, but now I think you should definitely use broth instead of water, so that’s what I’m writing below. I’m also adding to soak the cashews ahead of time – the boiling won’t cut it.

Note also that since turmeric can be used as dye, it might stain a food processor or blender (in which case, leaving it out in the sun would help), so I used my immersion blender so that only the metal part came in contact with it.

The original recipe had a topping of crisp, roasted chickpeas and herbs, which would be great if you have time to make them.

2 Tbsp. olive oil
½ onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 head of cauliflower, chopped into about 5 cups of chunks or florets
1 cup cashews, soaked overnight
1 Tbsp. turmeric
7–8 cups vegetable broth (I used 4)
2 tsp. salt (less if your broth is seasoned)
a squeeze of lemon juice

Heat the oil in a deep soup pot. Add the onion, garlic, cauliflower, cashews, and turmeric. Sauté for 10 minutes or until very fragrant.

Add the broth (start with 4 cups and add more later as needed) and salt. Simmer until softened.

Transfer the soup to a blender and blend into a creamy consistency; it’s best to do this in batches. (This is where I recommend an immersion blender instead!)

Return to the soup pot and add any additional water or broth (remaining 2-3 cups) if you need to thin it out. Also a good time to season with more salt and a squeeze of lemon juice.

No-Bake Gingerbread Mousse Pie

 

I had some cookie butter to use up (after my kids basically decided they didn’t like it anymore – I don’t know what’s wrong with them, but that’s a different topic). When I saw this recipe for no-bake gingerbread mousse pie in Real Simple, I took that as a sign that I had to make it! Honestly, the kids weren’t super fond of it, so that made more for the Engineer and me.

2 ¼ cups packed finely crushed gingersnap cookie crumbs (about 45 cookies, from a 16-oz. box), plus whole and roughly crushed cookies for garnish
9 Tbsp. lactose-free butter, melted
1 ½ tsp. unflavored gelatin (from a ¼-oz. envelope)
3 cups lactose-free cream
¾ cup (85 g) confectioners’ sugar
1 8-oz. package lactose-free cream cheese, softened (it is important for it to be at room temperature)
1 cup creamy cookie butter
1 Tbsp. unsulfured molasses
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp. lemon zest (from 1 lemon)
¼ tsp. ground ginger
¼ tsp. ground cinnamon

Coat an 8-inch springform pan with cooking spray. Line sides of pan with a ring of parchment paper.

Stir together cookie crumbs and butter in a medium bowl. Press gingersnap mixture into bottom and about 2 inches up sides of prepared pan. Freeze until firm, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, add 2 tablespoons cold water to a small microwave-safe bowl; sprinkle gelatin evenly over water. Let stand until gelatin is hydrated, about 5 minutes.

Beat heavy cream and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium-low speed until starting to thicken, about 5 minutes.

Microwave gelatin mixture in 5-second intervals, stirring between each, until gelatin dissolves, 10 to 20 seconds total. Gradually stir 1 ½ teaspoons cream mixture into gelatin mixture.

With mixer on medium speed, gradually add gelatin mixture to cream mixture in a thin, steady stream, beating until combined and medium-stiff peaks form, 45 seconds to 1 minute.

Beat cream cheese in a separate large bowl on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Add cookie butter, molasses, pumpkin pie spice, lemon zest, ginger, and cinnamon; beat on medium-low speed until well combined, 15 to 30 seconds.

Fold 3 cups whipped cream and gelatin mixture into cream cheese mixture, 1 cup at a time. Spread evenly over prepared crust. Refrigerate remaining whipped cream and gelatin mixture in an airtight container. Refrigerate pie, covered, until set, at least 8 hours and up to 24 hours.

When ready to serve, uncover pie and remove sides of pan. Discard parchment; transfer pie to a plate. Stir reserved whipped cream mixture until smooth and softened to soft-peak consistency; spoon over top of pie. Garnish with whole and roughly crushed cookies.

Plaque de légumes rôtis et de tofu

 

Voici une recette végétarienne simple (une « crisse et cook ») : une plaque de légumes rôtis et de tofu de Ricardo. C’était bon, mais ma sauce n’a vraiment pas l’air de celle sur la photo – je pense qu’il faudrait en effet quelque chose qui ressemble davantage à la sauce barbecue de chez St-Hubert!

Pour les légumes
675 g (1 ½ lb) de pommes de terre grelots, coupées en deux
340 g (¾ lb) de choux de Bruxelles, parés et coupés en deux
3 c. à soupe d’huile végétale
2 poivrons de couleurs variées, coupés en gros dés
1 oignon rouge, coupé en dés
2 gousses d’ail, hachées
1 c. à thé d’origan séché
3 c. à soupe de persil plat ciselé

Pour la sauce et le tofu
3 c. à soupe de mayonnaise
3 c. à soupe de ketchup
1 c. à soupe de moutarde de Dijon
1 c. à soupe de vinaigre de cidre
1 c. à soupe de cassonade
½ c. à thé de paprika fumé
1 c. à soupe de fécule de maïs
675 g (1 ½ lb) de tofu ferme, coupé en gros dés
1 c. à soupe d’huile végétale


Pour les légumes
Placer la grille au centre du four. Préchauffer le four à 425 °F. Tapisser une plaque de cuisson de papier parchemin.

Sur la plaque, mélanger les pommes de terre et les choux de Bruxelles avec 2 c. à soupe de l’huile. Cuire au four 20 minutes.

Entre-temps, dans un bol, mélanger les poivrons, l’oignon, l’ail et l’origan avec le reste de l’huile.

Retirer la plaque du four. Ajouter le mélange de légumes sur la plaque. Saler, poivrer et mélanger. Poursuivre la cuisson au four 15 minutes.

Pour la sauce et le tofu
Entre-temps, dans un bol, mélanger au fouet la mayonnaise, le ketchup, la moutarde, le vinaigre, la cassonade et le paprika. Saler et poivrer. Réserver la moitié du mélange dans un petit bol pour le service. Incorporer la fécule au premier bol. Y ajouter le tofu et mélanger délicatement pour bien l’enrober.

Dans une grande poêle antiadhésive à feu moyen-élevé, chauffer l’huile. Dorer la moitié du tofu à la fois, sans remuer, 2 minutes. Remuer et poursuivre la cuisson de 2 à 3 minutes ou jusqu’à ce que le tofu soit bien doré. Réserver sur une assiette. Ajouter de l’huile, au besoin.

Sur la plaque avec les légumes, répartir le tofu. Parsemer du persil et arroser de la sauce réservée.

Tahini Confetti Cake

I’m going through old files, which have become a mess not only because they piled up for too long, but also because I suffered a computer crash last year and some things got irrevocably messed up along the way.

This tahini confetti cake (by Soom) is something that I asked the Engineer to make for my birthday the year before last, and it did not disappoint! I don’t even have a good photo, but it was so good that I wanted to share the recipe. Both the cake and the frosting have some tahini, and the taste comes through in a discrete, yet pleasant, way. Plus, I don’t think I’ve met a rainbow confetti cake I didn’t like!

In this recipe, you’ll want to use the oblong jimmies-type sprinkles, not the small round non-pareil ones, as the latter would bleed more.

For the tahini confetti cake
3 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
2 ½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. fine sea salt
1 cup lactose-free butter, room temperature
¼ cup tahini
1 ¾ cups sugar
½ cup avocado or vegetable oil
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
4 eggs, room temperature
½ cup lactose-free sour cream, at room temperature
1 cup lactose-free buttermilk substitute, at room temperature
¾ cup rainbow sprinkles (see note above)

For the tahini buttercream
1 cup lactose-free butter, at room temperature
¼ cup tahini
5 cups powdered sugar, sifted
2-3 Tbsp. lactose-free milk of choice
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
½ cup rainbow sprinkles, to decorate


For the tahini confetti cake
Preheat oven to 350 °F. Grease the bottom of three 9-inch cake rounds and line each with round parchment paper. Set aside.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and set aside.

Using a hand or stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar for 3-5 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Add oil and mix on low to incorporate.

Mix in eggs one at a time on medium speed. Add vanilla and sour cream.

Begin adding buttermilk and dry ingredients to the batter, alternating between buttermilk and dry ingredients.

Add sprinkles and fold into batter with a spatula.

Pour cake batter evenly between three lined cake tins. Bake 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of cakes comes out clean.

Remove cake tins from oven and let cakes cool in tins for 30 minutes, before removing and placing on cooling rack to cool completely.

If frosting the cake that day, transfer cakes from cooling rack to the fridge to cool completely before assembling. If baking the day before, allow cakes to cool to room temperature before wrapping in plastic wrap and storing in the refrigerator overnight.

For the tahini buttercream
Cream together butter and tahini until smooth and creamy. Begin to add one cup of powdered sugar at a time, adding the milk and vanilla as it begins to thicken. If the buttercream becomes too thick, add in another tablespoon of milk.

To assemble the cake, place one layer of the cake on a cake stand or serving plate. Add a thin layer of buttercream and repeat with remaining cake layers. Spread buttercream over cake and decorate with sprinkles. Enjoy!

Lemon and Lavender Cake

And here’s one last recipe from The Currabinny Cookbook, by James Kavanagh and William Murray! I had to make a few adaptations based on what I had on hand, and I will write those down below. I omitted the icing as well, but I really loved this cake!

For the cake
1 Tbsp. dried lavender flowers
250 g sugar
175 g. all-purpose flour
½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
1 pinch sea salt
2 eggs
250 g lactose-free Greek yogurt (I used 195 g yogurt and 55 g lactose-free sour cream)
½ cup canola oil (I used ¼ cup avocado oil and ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil)
1 lemon, finely zested and juiced
dried lavender sprigs, to decorate

For the icing
200 g icing sugar
1 lemon, juiced
1 egg white


For the cake
Preheat oven to 325 °F. Grease a 20cm/8in springform cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.

Crush the lavender in a pestle and mortar. Put the sugar into a large bowl and mix the lavender through. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, and stir to combine.

In another bowl, mix the eggs with the yogurt and oil and pour this into the dry ingredients, stirring well. Add the lemon zest and juice. And stir.

Pour the mixture into the cake pan and bake for about 50 minutes until golden brown and firm to the touch. Leave to cool in the pan for a while, then turn out the cake to cool fully on a wire rack.

For the icing
Sift the icing sugar into a bowl and add the lemon juice, whisking until smooth. Add the egg white gradually to loosen the mixture until it is quite runny and pourable. The icing should be extremely sharp and lemony. Spoon this icing over the top of the cake until it covers the top and starts to drip down the sides.

 

Arrange some dried lavender sprigs on top as decoration.

Fresh Blueberry Pie with a Lemon Curd Cream

 

Here’s another recipe from The Currabinny Cookbook, by James Kavanagh and William Murray. The authors say that since blueberries burst and fall apart when cooked, most recipe add a lot of sugar to compensate; but in this recipe, only about a quarter of the blueberries are cooked, and the rest are folded in fresh, so the blueberry flavor remains the star of the show! The lemon curd is just extra, though I liked that it wasn’t overly sweet, either. This was a good dessert! (Note that I again modified the recipe a bit, for North American cooks and lactose-intolerant eaters.)

For the shortcrust pastry
240 g all-purpose flour
1 pinch sea salt
2 tsp. sugar
180 g (¾ cup) cold lactose-free butter
1 egg, separated
1-2 Tbsp. chilled water

For the fresh blueberry filling
600 g blueberries, divided
120 mL water, plus an extra 2 Tbsp.
2 Tbsp. corn starch
1 Tbsp. lemon juice (zest it first and reserve the zest for the lemon curd cream)
1 pinch sea salt

For the lemon curd cream
50 g (3 Tbsp.) butter
100 g sugar
1 pinch sea salt
2 lemons, zested and juiced (I only had 1 big lemon)
2 eggs + 1 egg yolk, beaten
110 g (½ cup) lactose-free cream cheese (or mascarpone)
2 Tbsp. icing sugar


For the shortcrust pastry
Sift the flour for the pastry into a large bowl (I always do this in the food processor) and add the salt and sugar. Cut the cold butter into cubes and rub into the flour with your fingers until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the egg yolk (reserving the white) and just enough of the water to bring the mixture together into a ball. (The authors like it as short as possible, so don’t worry if it’s a little crumbly and hard to handle.) Shape into a thick disc, cover in plastic wrap, and put in the fridge for 30 to 40 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 °F and set the oven rack to a low position.

Roll out your chilled pastry on a lightly floured surface into a 5mm-thick round. Flip this on to a 25cm (9 or 10 inch) tart tin with a removable bottom, patching any pieces that have crumbled or torn. You want to make the walls of the pastry come slightly over the side of the tart tin.

Line the pastry crust with baking parchment, fill with baking beads, and place in the oven for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, lift out the paper and beads, prick the base with a fork and return to the oven for 10 minutes, until golden. Let the pie crust cool in its tin for 3 minutes on a rack, then brush with the reserved egg white. Remove the pie crust from the tin and place on a plate.

For the fresh blueberry filling
Put 150 g of the blueberries in a saucepan with 120 mL of water, cover, and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the corn starch and 2 tablespoons of water.

When the blueberries and water have come to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer, stirring constantly until the blueberries start to burst and the juices begin to thicken. Add the corn starch mixture, sugar, lemon juice, and salt. Simmer for 1 minute until the mixture becomes translucent. Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining blueberries.

Spoon the mixture into the pie crust and allow to sit for 2 hours.

For the lemon curd cream
Melt the butter in a small saucepan over very low heat. Add the sugar, salt, lemon zest and juice, then add the beaten eggs. Stir carefully with s straight-ended wooden spatula until the mixture coats the back of it. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

Put the cream cheese into a bowl, add the lemon curd, soft over the icing sugar, and gently mix together. You can spoon the mixture on top of the pie or serve it on the side.

Pecan and White Chocolate Banana Bread

 

This recipe is from The Currabinny Cookbook by James Kavanagh and William Murray (also posted here). I adapted it slightly for North American cooks (and for us lactose-intolerant folks!). Note that I used white chocolate chips instead of chopping a bar of chocolate. This was delicious!

175 g (scant 1 ½ cups) all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
125 g (1 stick) lactose-free butter, melted
150 g (¾ cup) caster sugar
2 large, organic eggs
4 small, ripe bananas, mashed
100 g (3½ oz) good-quality white chocolate (ideally lactose-free), chopped into chunks
60 g (2½ oz) pecans, chopped
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 325 °F. Grease and flour a loaf pan; set aside.

Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.

In a separate, large bowl, whisk the melted butter and sugar together. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then whisk in the mashed bananas. Add the white chocolate, pecans, and vanilla.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in three stages, stirring after each addition. Pour into the loaf pan and bake for 1-1¼ hours.

Slide a spatula around the edge of the loaf and leave in the pan to cool.

Chocolate Lava Cakes

One more recipe from Nutritious and Delicious, by Maria Emmerich, so that I can wrap up that chapter in my kitchen! I really enjoyed these cakes.

6 oz. bittersweet chocolate, divided
¼ cup vanilla almond milk
1 stick lactose-free butter
2 eggs
2 eggs yolks
1/3 cup erythritol
½ tsp. stevia glycerite
½ tsp. vanilla
¼ cup peanut flour

To make the centers, melt 2 ounces of chocolate and the vanilla almond milk in a double boiler. Whisk gently to blend. Refrigerate about 2 hours or until firm. Form into 6 balls; refrigerate until needed.

To make the cakes, preheat the oven to 400 °F. Spray six 4-ounce ramekins with cooking spray. Melt 4 ounces of chocolate and butter in a double boiler; whisk gently to blend. With an electric mixer, whisk eggs, yolks, sweeteners, and vanilla on high speed about 5 minutes or until thick and light. Fold melted chocolate mixture and peanut flour into egg mixture until just combined. Spoon cake batter into ramekins. Place a chocolate ball in the middle of each ramekin. Bake about 15 minutes or until cake is firm to the touch. Let sit out of the oven for about 5 minutes. Run a small, sharp knife around inside of each ramekin, place a plate on top, invert, and remove ramekin.

Peanut Butter Donuts with Chocolate Icing

 

This recipe is from Maria Emmerich’s book Nutritious and Delicious, and a similar version is available here. My beef with this recipe is mainly that some donuts stuck to the pan (as a matter of fact, the chocolate cake donuts from the same book never even came out of the pan!), and the icing was maybe a bit too stiff. I ended up rewriting the recipe because the one in the book had been developed for cupcakes and was poorly edited, but anyway, I got 18 donuts from this. I baked them for 12 minutes instead of the 20 to 25 minutes called for.

For the donuts
2 cups peanut flour (for me, this was 240 g)
½ cup powdered natural sweetener (erythritol, or equivalent) + ½ tsp. stevia glycerite
3 ½ tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. sea salt (I used ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt)
1/8 tsp. baking soda
1 ¼ cups unsweetened almond milk (I used lactose-free milk)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 large eggs

For the icing
4 oz. bittersweet chocolate
2 Tbsp. lactose-free milk (maybe 3 Tbsp. would have been better)

For the donuts
Preheat oven to 350 °F. Grease donut pans.

Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Mix at low speed for 30 seconds while scraping bowl. Mix at high speed for 3 minutes, scraping bowl every minute.

Spoon batter into greased donut pans until they are 2/3 full (do not bother using a piping bag!). Bake for 12 to 14 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pans, then move to wire rack to cool completely.

For the icing
Melt together the chocolate with 2 tablespoons of the milk until even consistency. Dip the donut tops in the icing, then let dry. (Alternatively, you could spread the icing over the donuts if it is solid enough.)

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Salad Bowl

 

This is another recipe from Marco Borgres’s book The Greenprint. I love this salad bowl for lunch and I’ll be making it again! I also added some roasted, salted pepitas as a topping at one point, used microgreens, and I switched up the dressing based on what I had on hand (a lime vinaigrette tastes better to me than straight-up lime juice, and I also had an herby garlicky dressing).

2 small sweet potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
¼ tsp. paprika
½ Hass avocado, sliced (I used more)
1 large tomato, sliced
1⁄3 sweet onion, diced
juice of ½ lime (see note above)
pinch of dried parsley flakes (I omitted that)
sea salt
2 cups spinach
1 cup canned corn, drained and rinsed
1 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed
¼ cup hummus, store-bought or homemade

Preheat the oven to 400 °F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Spread the sweet potato over the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle with the paprika and roast for about 30 minutes, flipping once halfway through, or until tender and golden.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the avocado, tomato, onion, lime juice, and parsley. Season with salt to taste.

Divide the sweet potato, tomato-avocado salad, spinach, corn, and black beans between two bowls. Top with the hummus and serve.

Raw Broccoli Salad

 

This recipe is from Marco Borges’s book The Greenprint. I served it as a side to Hawaiian meatballs. I did like the salad, but the dressing skews heavily acidic and I think it could be balanced with some oil (the Little Prince emphatically agrees).

For the salad
6 cups chopped broccoli florets
2 cups cherry tomatoes, sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 cup hulled pumpkin seeds, lightly toasted (mine were salted as well)
½ cup finely chopped red onion

For the dressing (see note above)
1/3 cup stone-ground mustard
¼ cup cider vinegar
2 tsp. maple syrup
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp. water

In a large bowl, toss together the ingredients for the salad.

In a small bowl (I used a jar), whisk together the ingredients for the dressing.

Pour the dressing over the vegetables and toss to coat evenly.

Hawaiian Meatballs

 

I tried this recipe for Hawaiian meatballs.I served it once with broccoli salad, though it was also good with rice. We loved the meatballs, but the sauce was not what I expected – and I have to take the fall for that because I had to make last-minute adaptations. I didn’t have enough soy sauce, so I decreased the amount of sweetener to compensate. It was still chunkier than I would have liked, but oh well, that’s life. I did make the meatballs smaller – the below is my size and I got 44 meatballs.

For the meatballs
2 lbs. lean ground beef (I used 1 lb. beef and 1 lb. turkey)
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
¼ cup lactose-free milk
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 Tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. garlic powder
½ tsp. onion powder
freshly ground black pepper
1 cup white OR brown rice, cooked according to package directions

For the sauce
12 oz. crushed pineapple, OR finely minced fresh pineapple
¾ cup water (I omitted it, but did not drain the pineapple)
½ cup low-sodium soy sauce (I only had ¼ cup)
⅓ cup honey (I used ¼ cup; see note above)
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
3 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
1 Tbsp. freshly grated ginger
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
2 Tbsp. water
fresh cilantro, chopped, for garnish
sesame seeds, for garnish

Preheat oven to 400 °F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine ground beef, breadcrumbs, milk, egg, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, Worcestershire, garlic powder, onion powder, and pepper. Use your hands (I used a fork) to gently mix ingredients until thoroughly combined but not packed down. Scoop meat into 3-tablespoon mounds (I used a 3-Tbsp. cookie scoop and made 2 balls from a scoop) and gently roll into balls (which should measure a bit more than 1 inch across).

Arrange meatballs on prepared baking sheet, at least an inch apart. Bake meatballs for 20 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through to the center (cut into a meatball to check for doneness; internal temperature should be 165 °F if using a thermometer). Remove to a paper towel-lined plate to drain any grease and cover with foil to keep warm.

While meatballs are baking, cook rice according to package directions.

At the same time, in another saucepan set over medium heat, prepare the sauce by combining pineapple, water, soy sauce, honey, rice wine vinegar, brown sugar, and fresh ginger. Bring sauce to a boil, stirring occasionally, and then reduce to a simmer. In a small bowl, use a fork to whisk together 2 tablespoons cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water. Stream cornstarch mixture into simmering sauce while stirring. Allow sauce to cook for a few minutes until thickened and glossy, stirring occasionally.

Serve meatballs over rice with sauce poured on top. Garnish with fresh cilantro and sesame seeds, if desired.

Hawaii

I fully intend to catch up on most recipes since I last wrote (I’ve been busy with my career and am getting close to achieving an important goal, so it’s all good!). In the meantime, I decided to write a blog post about my recent trip to Hawaii, as both a place to keep the information for future reference and in the hopes that it could help shape someone else’s vacation.

I took the Engineer and the boys on a trip to Hawaii earlier this summer, and we had a great time! We split our time between Big Island and Oahu, with roughly five days on each island, and here’s how it went. (If you want a quick guide on the main islands, try this or that, and for more information on Big Island in French, this is great!)

We arrived in Kona at midday, picked up our rental car and made our way to our first stop, the Vanillerie, which is very close to the airport. I really wanted to see vanilla beans in various growth stages! We were lucky to get a quick tour, and Candee gave us tons of information about the plant itself and everything that goes into preparing vanilla for consumption. Did you know that the flower of the vanilla plant only blooms for 4 hours, and must be pollinated by hand if it is to produce a bean? We also got to see the inside of the humidor where the beans are matured, and it smelled just heavenly. We made some purchases at the gift shop, then went to a boba cafe for sustenance, a grocery store for the same, and spent the night at the Sea Village.

The next day, we started with a quick swim at Magic Sands Beach Park, then drove to the other side of the island, taking the northern route. Kona is relatively dry, but things get much greener and more humid as you make your way to the other side of the island! We stopped for lunch at Ippy’s Hawaiian BBQ in Waimea, where we got to try lots of local foods and everything was delicious!

We went to Waipi’o Valley Lookout, which is absolutely worth the drive. The scenery was breathtaking! We also got to learn about King Kamehameha, which would come in handy later in the trip. We then made our way south to Hilo, where we stayed at Arnott’s Lodge. Our room was very spacious, which was great, and we had the loveliest chorus of birds and frogs to go to sleep every night. In Hilo, we did most of our shopping at KTA (we ate our fill of poke and drank a lot of POG!), though I can also recommend Hilo Burger Joint and Tetsumen. We also went to the Hilo Farmers Market to buy tropical fruits we couldn’t try elsewhere.

Day 3 had us doing an activity I was *really* looking forward to – visiting a chocolate farm! We went to Lavaloha, where I had prebooked a tour. We were lucky to have good weather – tours go on rain or shine, and since Hilo is the rainiest city in the U.S., make sure you bring some kind of poncho just in case (though they do lend out umbrellas). We got to see cacao trees on the farm, we tasted fresh cacao beans with the pulp, and we had a chocolate tasting with five of their bars. (Full disclosure: I booked the tour in April, then in May their kitchen burned down, and we visited in June, when they were using other kitchens part-time to make their chocolate.) This was one of my favorite parts of the trip! The location itself was absolutely gorgeous, too, and remote enough that we saw wild pigs and mongooses on the way. We then spent the afternoon at Carlsmith Beach Park; we had to step down into a small lagoon to have access to the ocean, but once there, the water was clear and so comfortable for swimming! The Engineer lost his wedding ring, and the Little Prince managed to find it, so he wins the day. We then took a quick look at Onekahakaha Beach Park as well.

        

The next day was our visit to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, and I will tell you right now, go there EARLY! We got there around 8am and first went to see the Nuhuku lava tube – we had the place almost to ourselves. We then made our way to the active site, stopping at scenic points along the way (don’t miss the steam vents!). We got to see an active lava eruption, which was fantastic, though of course conditions vary. Note also that it was a warm and sunny day, but we could have used a windbreaker up there. When we left, a bit after 10am, there was a line of cars waiting to get in! If you can go early or late, try to do that; otherwise, be patient with everyone, and understand that you may have to park and then hike to the point you want to see if there are no available spots close by.

We had lunch in Hilo, which has a really nice area with shops and restaurants. In the afternoon, we went to Richardson Ocean Park, which has a nice black sand beach. (There is actually some green sand in there too if you look closely!) Entering the water was easier than at Carlsmith, but there are still some rock formations to watch out for.

On our last day on the island, we drove back to Kona and stopped at Mauna Kea on the way. We did not attempt to make it past the visitors’ center (going higher is not recommended for children 12 and under, and we did not have the right type of vehicle), but it was a great experience nonetheless. We were higher than the clouds! And the scenery on the way up and down was beautiful. We had lunch in Kona, on the patio of Aloha Vibes, which was right on the ocean.

There’s so much more to see and do on Hawaii Island! We could have hiked to Akaka Falls, but I had seen them already and the rest of my crew wasn’t interested. I would have liked to go see the green sand at Mahana Beach on the southern tip of the island, but again, I was the only one interested, and it would have taken up hours, so we didn’t do it. It all depends on what your interests and limitations are.

After a short flight to Honolulu, we checked in to the Hilton Hawaiian Village. Now, I stayed there once in 1994 (my parents paid) and once in 2007 (the Engineer’s university paid), and even though this place is much more expensive than what I normally book, we just decided to treat ourselves and be right on Waikiki Beach. And… I’m not saying I regret it, but the place had changed tremendously in the 19 years since I had been there – it’s like a small city now, and so crowded! The elevators certainly couldn’t keep up, so it was a blessing in disguise that we were only on the 4th floor. It was a nice hotel, but just wasn’t the experience I thought I was booking. That being said, Waikiki Beach is definitely the prototype of the sandy beach we wanted!

We spent a few days vegging there, because I think that an important part of beach vacations is to have days when your biggest decision is whether to swim in the pool or in the ocean. There are stores and restaurants nearby if you don’t want to be captive on the on-site places. And on our last day, since our plane was leaving in the evening, we rented a car and were much more active.

We started by going to Koko Crater Botanical Garden, which was free. My original plan had been to go to Little Plumeria Farm, but it was closed that day, and this allowed me to visit a grove of plumeria – one of my favorite flowers! It did not disappoint, and it’s a very short walkable loop directly at the entrance of the gardens. It had more kinds of plumeria than I had ever seen, and I realized that they even have different scents. It was amazing!

Then, we obliged the Fox, whose one request on this trip had been to go see the tallest statue in Hawaii, which is the one of King Kamehameha in Honolulu. We then drove north-west to Haleiwa, a scenic town that was much busier than I had anticipated. We had a delicious lunch at No7 Poke n’ Roll. I had a great poke bowl, and then it turned out they had lactose-free matcha swirl soft serve ice cream, so that was my dessert covered! It did mean that I no longer had room for a Haleiwa bowl further down the road, but that’s the way it goes. Before we left, we stopped at Laniakea Beach, where the Fox and I saw a sea turtle!

Finally, we started making our way back and stopped at the Dole Plantation – the Engineer called it Pineapple Buc-ee’s, and he’s not wrong! The gardens were beautiful and worth the admission price; the kids had fun in the maze (apparently the world’s largest); the souvenir shop as wild; Dole Whip is life. I hope to go again someday!