Avocado-Goat Cheese Salad with Lime Dressing

Here’s a very short salad recipe from Bon Appétit; the secret ingredient here is avocado oil. Like olive oil, it comes in various price points, but you don’t need the expensive stuff. It was great in this dressing, and I’ve been using it in other salad dressings since then. It does have a distinctive taste and smell, again like olive oil, so it doesn’t go with everything. I’ve also used regular goat cheese, since I still haven’t found any lactose-free goat cheese here, but in small quantities, it’s easy for me to dose the Lactaid appropriately.

I served the salad alongside Morning Star Chick’n Tenders, which were actually quite good. They’re a vegetarian (not vegan) product made with wheat and soy, and they come very close to the texture of chicken. As a matter of fact, both the Engineer and our dog, Darwin, were fooled. Nutrition-wise, they come close to the last product I talked about: 11% of the recommended daily intake of fat, 24% of the sodium, and 190 calories per serving (which is two tenders). We liked them enough to buy them again last week.

1 ½ cups matchstick-size strips peeled jicama
¼ cup avocado oil
3 Tbsp fresh lime juice
1 5-oz package mixed greens
1 large avocado, peeled, pitted, sliced
1 5-oz package soft fresh goat cheese or Cotija cheese, crumbled

Toss first 4 ingredients in large bowl. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add avocado and goat cheese; toss gently. Divide salad among plates.

Quick tortilla pizzas

I kept seeing recipes where people recommend using a tortilla to make a small pizza, but the result never came out like I expected. The directions were too vague, and the tortillas came out too soft. It made little pizzas that had to be eaten with a knife and fork, but even then, it was awkward to eat. That all changed, however, when I saw the Back of the Napkin section of last December’s Bon Appétit, which featured Jacques Pépin’s take on it. Here are his directions, verbatim.

“Tortillas make the best pizza for lunch. Rub a bit of olive oil on both sides of the tortillas and then top with slices of tomato, arugula, parmesan cheese, olive oil, salt & pepper. Bake in 425 ° oven for 10 minutes and enjoy.”

This worked perfectly, giving me mini-pizzas with a crispy crust that held up to being help up. I didn’t use the drizzle of olive oil in the topping, and I was out of arugula, but I used up my green onions, and it was delicious. Of course, you can adapt the toppings to your taste.

I also recommend using this method for the crust and making a vegan pizza with mushrooms and Tofutti cream cheese, such as this one. I made it once and loved the topping, but the tortilla hadn’t worked out to my satisfaction. I’ll try Jacques Pépin’s method next time. Here’s the topping recipe, which you can put straight on the baked crust.

1 Tbsp oil
2-3 cloves of garlic
1 package of mushrooms or 2 portabella caps, sliced
1 Tbsp soy sauce
Tofutti’s herb & chive cream cheese (or plain cream cheese with your own additions)
fresh basil, chopped

In a sauté pan over medium heat, add the oil and the garlic. Next, add the mushrooms. Once they get a nice sear, add the soy sauce. Sauté another 3-4 minutes.

Spread the cream cheese onto the crisp tortilla, then top it with the garlicky mushrooms and garnish with basil.

Amaretto-Spiked Vegan Chocolate Pudding

First, let me say that I don’t really have a good source for vegan chocolate. I like using real chocolate instead of chocolate chips if it’s going to be melted. These days, I tend to use Ghiradelli semi-sweet chocolate, which has milk fat as an ingredient – so it is lactose-free, just not vegan. There are brands that make vegan chocolate with wide distribution, such as Green and Black’s Organic or Dagoba, and stores that have either their own brand of vegan chocolate or that sell vegan chocolate, like Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s. So far, though, I’ve been gravitating to Ghiradelli (because it’s good enough to eat on its own), and only buying tasting chocolate like Vosges at Whole Foods; I’ll try to make an effort next time. As for the amaretto, while it went quite well with the chocolate, I don’t think it’s necessary for a good result. The dessert tasted more like almond than alcohol as it was, and I think the recipe without alcohol could be used as a great base for a vegan “mousse”, as it felt quite rich and decadent. It should be said that it’s more of a pudding than a mousse, so I changed the name of the recipe – it was that or “vegan chocolate pudding-mousse”. I rounded up a few measurements, to use up the whole package instead of having a few ounces left over (so 12 ounces of chocolate instead of 9 or 10, and 14 ounces of tofu instead of 12). Try to have your milk and tofu at about room temperature, which will prevent the melted chocolate from seizing up. I’ll definitely keep this recipe adapted from 101 Cookbooks!

½ cup organic chocolate soy milk (room temperature)
12 oz semi-sweet vegan chocolate
14 oz silken tofu (room temperature)
¼ cup amaretto or almond-flavored liquor
¼ tsp natural pure almond extract

Pour the chocolate milk into a small pot and bring to a simmer. Remove the milk from heat and let cool a bit while you melt down the chocolate. You can melt it in a double boiler (or improvise one a small saucepan of water set under a larger metal mixing bowl). Remove from heat.

Add the soy milk and silken tofu to the melted chocolate chips. Process with a hand or regular blender until completely smooth (I used the food processor). Stir in the amaretto and almond extract. Taste and adjust for flavor, adding a bit more extract if needed.

Chill in a big bowl (or in about 6 ramequins) for at least 1 ½ hours, the longer the better. The pudding will set up nicely as it cools.

Nielsen-Massey Vanilla

I thought I’d tell you about which vanilla I’m using right now, since it can be hard to find good quality vanilla at affordable prices. In Montreal, I had been using vanilla extract that I got at Costco, of all places, and vanilla beans from La Dépense (both of which I still recommend for locals). Here, though, I think I’ve finally found something worth talking about. It’s Nielsen-Massey’s vanilla extract. It’s quality stuff, even though the vanilla isn’t first on the ingredient list. It’s also very affordable, at about half the price of Morton & Basset vanilla, for example. I’ve got the 8-oz bottle right now and I’m loving it. Incidentally, they also make the vanilla bean paste I use, as well as various extracts like almond and coconut. If you live in the States, try to find it at your local grocery store, or order it online.

(I no longer feel weird about ordering ingredients online. I’d never done it in Canada, probably because of shipping costs, but I’ve done it a few times now. I read an interview with a chef from Momofuku who says that she orders ingredients online all the time. She lives in New York City, where one would think there are brick-and-mortar stores that sell anything you would want, but she explained that she had no interest in going to three or four different places to risk coming back empty-handed. Ordering online saved her a lot of trouble, even in NYC, so there’s no reason I shouldn’t take advantage of it now in San Antonio.)

Purée de pommes de terre au safran

Des fois, en voulant essayer une nouvelle version d’une recette familière, on se trompe. Par exemple, quand j’ai fait ce risotto vu dans Real Simple : il était très bon, mais pas plus que mon risotto simple habituel. L’Ingénieur trouvait qu’il manquait de quelque chose, mais il a ensuite dit qu’il y aurait voulu du safran. Tu sais que tu as trop gâté ton chum quand il trouve qu’il n’y a plus assez de safran dans son assiette!

C’est à ça que je pensais quand j’ai décidé d’essayer cette recette de purée de pommes de terre trouvée dans Coup de Pouce. Est-ce que ça vaudrait la peine d’essayer une nouvelle recette de purée de pommes de terre? Est-ce que le safran la rendrait vraiment meilleure? Verdict : Oh, que oui! L’Ingénieur a dit qu’il délirait tellement c’était bon! En finissant mon assiette, j’ai dit que je pensais que c’était la meilleure purée de pommes de terre que j’avais faite de ma vie. L’Ingénieur a répondu : « En tout cas, c’est la meilleure que j’ai mangé de ma vie. Je suis triste d’avoir fini mon assiette. »

Les secrets de la recette : d’abord, des pommes de terre jaunes, comme des Yukon Gold. Ensuite, du vrai beurre. Habituellement, je mets un peu de margarine et beaucoup de lait sans lactose dans ma purée, mais là, j’ai suivi la recette, sans aucun problème de lactose. Et pour le beurre, j’ai pris du Kerry Gold, fortement recommandé dans le 36e épisode de Spilled Milk, parce que bon, j’étais à l’épicerie et il n’y avait plus de notre sorte, mais il y avait du Kerry Gold; j’avais tout récemment écouté l’épisode, alors je ne pouvais pas faire autrement que d’acheter cette marque. J’ignore si vous connaissez Spilled Milk, le balado (podcast) diffusé par Matthew Amster-Burton et Molly Wizenberg, mais c’est vraiment génial. Je ne compte plus le nombre de fous-rires que j’ai tenté de dissimuler en écoutant ça à l’aéroport. C’est gratuit avec iTunes.

Je vous donne ici la demi-recette, qui est quand même suffisante pour 4 à 6 portions. J’ai servi ça avec des saucisses sauce brune aux oignons, et c’était génial.

2 lb de pommes de terre jaunes (de type Yukon Gold), pelées et coupées en morceaux de 2 po (5 cm)
3 gousses d’ail, pelées et coupées en deux
4 c. à soupe de beurre
½ c. à thé de sel
6 c. à soupe de lait sans lactose
½ c. à thé de filaments de safran

Dans une grande casserole d’eau bouillante salée, cuire les pommes de terre, à couvert, pendant 25 minutes ou jusqu’à ce qu’elles soient très tendres. Égoutter les pommes de terre et les remettre dans la casserole. À l’aide d’un presse-purée (ou à l’aide d’un batteur électrique réglé à faible vitesse), réduire les pommes de terre en purée. Ajouter le beurre et le sel en battant, puis incorporer petit à petit suffisamment du lait pour obtenir une purée légère et gonflée. Ajouter le safran et mélanger. (Vous pouvez réfrigérer la purée et la réchauffer le lendemain à 325 °F pendant 30 minutes.)

Saucisses sauce brune aux oignons

Une autre recette tirée du livre À la di Stasio 3. C’était très bon! J’ai été surprise, car la sauce a épaissi plus que je pensais, c’est-à-dire exactement tel qu’annoncé. Ça change des recettes de sauce qui semblent ne jamais fonctionner! J’ai servi ça avec de la purée de pommes de terre au safran, c’était dément.

J’ai changé une des instructions, mettant à cuire le thym frais plus tard dans la recette, et j’ai clarifié le fait qu’il faut faire cuire les saucisses tout en faisant la sauce. J’ai utilisé du bouillon de bœuf au lieu du bouillon de poulet (ou de veau) recommandé. J’ai suivi les quantités indiquées ci-dessous, mais la prochaine fois, je crois que je vais diminuer la quantité de saucisses, tout en gardant les mêmes quantités pour les autres ingrédients.

2 c. à soupe de beurre
2 tasses d’oignons espagnols ou autres, émincés
½ c. à thé de sel
1 c. à soupe de feuilles de thym
2 gousses d’ail, pressées
1 ½ c. à soupe de farine
4 c. à soupe de vinaigre balsamique
1 tasse de fond de poulet
2 c. à soupe de persil italien haché (facultatif)
1 ¾ lb (800 g) de saucisses
poivre du moulin

Dans une poêle, chauffer le beurre à feu moyen, ajouter les oignons et le sel. Cuire à feu moyen-doux, en brassant à l’occasion, jusqu’à ce que les oignons soient transparents, sans les laisser brunir, 10 min. Ajouter le thym et l’ail en fin de cuisson.

Incorporer la farine et poursuivre la cuisson, en remuant, 2 min. Verser le vinaigre et le faire réduire de moitié à feu moyen-élevé.

Ajouter le fond et laisser mijoter, à feu moyen-doux, 10 min. Vérifier l’assaisonnement. Ajouter le persil si désiré et réserver au chaud.

En même temps, mettre à cuire les saucisses dans une poêle ou au barbecue.

Donner quelques tours de moulin à poivre sur la sauce aux oignons et servir dès que les saucisses sont prêtes.

Salade quinoa et maïs

À Noël, j’ai « hérité » d’un exemplaire du livre À la di Stasio 3, que j’ai feuilleté et où j’ai pris cette recette de salade quinoa et maïs. Ça tombait bien, car ça me faisait une recette végétalienne pour remplir mon quota hebdomadaire, et c’était délicieux. Je recommande d’utiliser du quinoa rouge si vous pouvez en trouver, car le résultat est plus joli, mais sinon le quinoa blond fait l’affaire. Je n’ai pas fait rôtir le poivron rouge; je l’ai simplement coupé en dés et je l’ai ajouté dans la poêle avec les oignons verts. J’ai aussi utilisé du piment de Corée en guise de piment broyé, et une lime plutôt qu’un citron. Cette salade fait un souper léger et est parfaite pour le dîner le lendemain, froide ou tiède; vous pouvez aussi en faire un accompagnement.

4 c. à soupe d’huile d’olive
2 tasses de maïs cuit ou dégelé, bien épongé
½ tasse d’oignons verts en tranches fines
1 poivron rouge rôti, pelé, épépiné, en dés ou non pelé, revenu dans l’huile (le mien était cru)
½ c. à thé de cumin moulu
¼ c. à thé (au goût) de piment broyé
2 tasses de quinoa cuit
1 c. à soupe de zeste de lime ou de citron, râpé finement
2 à 3 c. à soupe de jus de lime ou de citron
sel

Dans une poêle antiadhésive, chauffer l’huile, ajouter le maïs et faire caraméliser, à feu élevé, en remuant régulièrement. Saler. Les grains risquent de sauter, il est préférable de couvrir la poêle d’une passoire.

Baisser le feu, ajouter l’oignon vert, le poivron, le cumin et le piment. Saler. Poursuivre la cuisson 5 min en remuant légèrement.

Transférer dans un saladier. Ajouter le quinoa, le zeste et le jus de lime. Vérifier l’assaisonnement.

Snap Peas with Meyer Lemon and Mint

The Meyer lemon tree (bush, really) we bought last year gave us two beautiful lemons! I’m riding on a high that’s part “This came from my garden!” and part “Wait, I live someplace where we can grow citrus outside?” A quick search through my bookmarks revealed only two recipes with Meyer lemons. One of them called for 1 cup of juice, so that wasn’t happening, and besides, I wanted something that would showcase the lemons a bit more.

So I made this dish with one of our lemons (it feels so good to say that!) and snap peas. I used a little less than 1 lb of peas, because I kept munching on them as I was trimming them, and I only used 2 Tbsp of oil instead of 3, as I’ll write below. I actually blanched the peas properly, and I really loved this dish. I’m wondering whether I should make it again with the last lemon or bite the bullet and have it anonymously mixed with store-bought Meyer lemons in something else.

1 lb snap peas, trimmed
1 Tbsp Meyer lemon juice
1 tsp Meyer lemon zest
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp minced shallot
1 Tbsp chopped mint leaves
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Fill a large bowl with water and ice. Set aside.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add snap peas and cook until just tender yet still crisp, about 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer snap peas to ice water.

Whisk all other ingredients together in large bowl. Drain snap peas and toss with the vinaigrette.

Pomegranate, Pear and Arugula Salad, with a diet change

I don’t really believe in New Year’s resolutions. It’s not that I don’t believe in resolutions in general, but a) I don’t feel the need to come up with something to change for every January 1st, and b) if something needs changing, I just change it regardless of the date. That being said, January pretty much coincides with a dietary change on which the Engineer and I have agreed. It came as a result of watching documentaries like Forks Over Knives and reading books like Eating Animals. We’ve basically decided that, both for health reasons and for ethical reasons, we’ll eat fewer animal products. I was already having a day or two each week that were vegan or vegetarian, though as I said, not necessarily Mondays. The way I cook, I like to make about four servings at a time, so that we have enough for two days (it doesn’t take much more time or effort to make four servings instead of two), though sometimes I make only enough for one meal. And we eat out once on the weekend. My new goal is to eat vegan 25% of the time, vegetarian-with-eggs-and/or-dairy 25% of the time, and to be omnivorous 50% of the time. There are a few vegan restaurants in town, but as a general rule, I assume I’ll be eating animal protein on the weekends (especially now that I may have found the best burgers in town). This means that I take charge of the two vegan and vegetarian meals during the week, for a total of three or four days. I’m still not ready to give up any type of food entirely, but I can definitely cut back on animal protein and increase my intake of plant-based foods instead. So I’m still a flexitarian, just slightly more on the vegetarian end of the spectrum than before.

As I was looking through the recipes I posted here, to add the “vegetarian/végétarien” tag, I realized that most of my recipes are already in that category, but that can be misleading. Only a few of my desserts are not vegetarian (I think I’ve used animal-based gelatin once, and bacon a few times, but I haven’t even gone the lard route yet). The vast majority of my breakfasts and side dishes are vegetarian, too. The problem is that I can’t just put a few side dishes on a plate and call it a meal, because my side dishes usually lack protein. And there are only so many lentil curries and couscous platters a girl can eat! So as I’m re-prioritizing my lists and piles of recipes to come up with meals for each week, I’ll sometimes be relying on store-bought veggie protein dishes. I actually felt a little guilty at first, but now I think it’s the same as buying meat sausages instead of making them yourself. Sure, you could make them yourself, and they would probably taste better, but there’s no shame in buying them. So I’ll add product reviews every once in a while. I’ve also added a few vegetarian blogs to my reading list.

I was wondering what to do with my meals that are not vegetarian, but that use animal products only as flavoring instead of as the focus. I’m thinking of soups with chicken broth or pasta dishes with bacon, for example. Should I really let a pasta carbonara fill my meat quota for the week (not including weekend)? And if so, am I obligated to use up the rest of the bacon in a salad on the following week in similar fashion, if I don’t want to freeze it? I’ve since decided that if a meal uses meat as a flavoring rather than a center player, I might have two the same week and make the third meal vegan; this allows me to use up the entire package of bacon (or prosciutto or whatever), while still keeping my meat intake down (after all, a package of bacon in a week seems like a lot for two people, but if that’s the only meat we’re having in five days, it’s not really that bad). So I’ll keep that in mind for February and the following months.

There’s still the problem of where to get our meat. Ideally, I’d like meat from animals that were raised and slaughtered humanely (or eggs and dairy from animals raised humanely), but that can be remarkably hard to find. If I don’t mind buying a whole animal, it’s actually easier, but that’s not an option. There are stores like Whole Foods and, I believe, Central Market where this meat is available, but that’s not the case at our local grocery store (I’ve let the manager know about that oversight, but I doubt things will change any time soon). And to be honest, it’s quite a schlep to go to either one of those places – and also quite a hit on the wallet, as we buy other specialty items when we’re there, too. Perhaps the answer is to buy a lot of meat on those rare visits and to freeze it. I already do it with duck magrets when we’re at Central Market, so I might need to expand my horizons. I found a place online similar to Omaha Steaks, but with humane products. It’s called U.S. Wellness Meats (I haven’t tried their products yet, though). They emphasize the fact that their products are healthier because the animals are grass-fed, as nature intended, instead of grain-fed, but they also say that the animals are raised humanely.

So, all this to say that I made a pomegranate, pear and arugula salad that I’d found in All You magazine and served it with vegetarian sausages, which I believe were Smart Sausages by Lightlife, the Italian style variety. The texture was different from that of a meat sausage, and it didn’t taste like meat, but then again it didn’t make either one of those claims to begin with. The seasoning was actually quite good, and the Engineer said he preferred it to most meat sausages he’s had. I see it as a good way to add some vegetable protein to our plates while still totally enjoying the meal, with minimal effort and without making the same recipes over and over again. Keep in mind that vegetarian meat substitutes are not necessarily healthy, though, as the calorie count can be pretty high, and some are packed with sodium! These had 21% of the recommended daily intake of sodium and 11% of the fat, but I’m not worried about my sodium on the whole (since I buy so few prepackaged meals and don’t use much salt), and at 140 calories per serving, they seemed quite reasonable. They’re refrigerated in the produce section, and I look forward to trying more of them.

On to the salad! We both really liked it, and the pomegranate seeds make it look fancy. See here for how to seed a pomegranate correctly. The salad serves 4 as a side dish (though I recommend peeling and slicing the pears and dressing the salad only right before serving it) and is also good as a light lunch.

For the dressing
½ cup fresh orange juice
¼ cup lemon juice
½ tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp paprika
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tsp Dijon mustard
¼ cup olive oil

For the salad
6 cups baby arugula
1 cup pomegranate seeds
2 pears, quartered, cored, cut into ¼-inch-thick slices

In a small bowl, whisk all dressing ingredients except oil. Whisk in oil.

In a large bowl, toss arugula, pomegranate seeds and pears with dressing; serve.

Roaring Fork

The Engineer and I found a new restaurant we really like. Well, actually, the restaurant itself isn’t new, but the fact that we tried it is. So… we newly found a restaurant we really like. It’s the Roaring Fork which features “wood-fire cooking and American cuisine”. The atmosphere was really nice, with the smell of wood fire coming from the open kitchen and soft lighting in the eating area. Service was courteous, friendly and efficient. The menu is short (though the wine list seemed researched), and our food was absolutely delicious.

We started with the kettle of green chili pork, served with warm tortillas; the heat level was just about the upper limit of what I can eat without too much pain, and the Engineer declared it perfect. I then had the Kobe burger with mushrooms, bacon, pesto aioli and crispy fried onions (hold the pepper jack cheese), with a side of fries. I really loved it! The Engineer had the herb crusted chicken sandwich, with tomato, guacamole and slaw, the latter of which was slightly sweet, perhaps from honey. I tried it and almost wished I had ordered that instead. He had a side of green chili mac & cheese instead of the fries, at no extra cost. The specialty main dishes of the restaurant also looked really good, and they offer steaks à la carte (off the menu, but waiters know). We were too full for dessert, but I did appreciate the choices, like an ancho chocolate cake with cinnamon cream, pecan pie or crème brûlée (they don’t seem lactose-free, but the first is original and very appealing to me). There are specials for happy hour, and a rewards program, too!

I particularly liked the place because I feel like it offers a good option for a restaurant that is accessible (from our house, which would obviously not suit someone living much further south), fancy enough to be special but not expensive enough to be reserved for once in a blue moon. We look forward to going back!

Black Bean Brownies

I don’t remember when I stumbled upon this brownie recipe, but I probably kept it both because they looked relatively healthy (or at least, healthier than typical brownies) and because they’re gluten-free (I love finding gluten-free pastry recipes, especially when they don’t require a lot of different flours). These brownies call for black beans instead of the wheat flour; the result was a very chocolate-y brownie, though they are more fudge-y than cake-y, somewhat like certain flourless chocolate cakes. However, I found them a bit flat – you know of my penchant for thick brownies – and I wonder whether it would be possible to double the recipe and just cook them a bit longer. I recommend that you eat them at room temperature, to make sure you can’t taste the beans (if you used quality cocoa, this won’t be a problem), and the Engineer loved the brownies with a scoop of lactose-free vanilla ice cream.

1 15-oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
3 eggs
3 Tbsp oil
4 Tbsp cocoa powder
1 pinch salt
1 tsp vanilla
¾ cup sugar
1 handful chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat the oven at 350 °F. Grease an 8-inch square baking dish.

Mix first seven ingredients together in a blender or food processor until puréed. Stir in the chocolate chips, if using, and pour into the baking dish. Bake for about 30 minutes.

Let cool completely before cutting.

Houmous

Est-ce que ça se fait, partager une recette sans photo? J’ai cherché comme il faut, car j’étais persuadée d’en avoir, mais c’est peine perdue. Il n’y a pas de trace de cet houmous, même si je l’ai fait à deux reprises. (Soit dit en passant, j’ai toujours dit humus, mais apparemment que ce n’est pas français dans ce contexte.) Il s’agit d’une recette que j’ai trouvée sur un sac de farine de pois chiches de Bob’s Red Mill. La première fois que je l’ai faite, j’ai pensé : « Enfin! J’ai trouvé le secret de l’houmous du Jerusalem Grill! » C’est que je ferais un repas complet de leur houmous avec quelques pitas. La texture est différente de l’houmous fait avec des pois chiches passés au robot; elle est beaucoup plus lisse, plus comme une trempette que l’houmous que je fais habituellement. Je trouvais par contre que l’assaisonnement n’était pas tout à fait au point, j’aurais mis beaucoup plus de tahini. J’ai ajouté du cumin, mais il manquait encore quelque chose (la sauce sriracha passait inaperçue, quand même, ce qui est bien). Fallait-il simplement davantage de tous les assaisonnements?

J’ai donc refait l’houmous en utilisant davantage des ingrédients par rapport à la farine de pois chiches, et en goûtant au fur et à mesure. C’est là que j’ai remarqué : tout était excellent jusqu’à ce que j’ajoute l’huile d’olive, et tout est devenu fade! J’ai donc ensuite rajouté de l’ail, du cumin et du tahini, et c’était parfait. Cependant, avec la farine de pois chiches, la consistance de l’houmous épaissit beaucoup dans les heures qui suivent sa préparation, et surtout au réfrigérateur, au point que ça en devient déplaisant, alors à moins d’en faire pour recevoir beaucoup de monde, je pense qu’il faut réduire la recette de moitié. Ce que je vous donne ci-dessous est donc la demi-recette, avec mes quantités d’assaisonnement, mais en tenant compte de l’huile d’olive. Je vous conseille de goûter en préparant le tout, pour ajuster selon vos goûts.

¼ tasse + 2 c. à soupe de farine de pois chiches
1 ¼ tasse d’eau
2 ou 3 gousses d’ail, émincées
2 c. à soupe de bouillon de poulet ou de légumes (allez-y fort sur la base de bouillon)
3 c. à soupe de tahini
jus d’un citron (¼ tasse)
un soupçon de sauce forte (comme de la sauce sriracha ou tabasco)
¾ c. à thé de cumin
sel et poivre, au goût
2 c. à soupe d’huile d’olive

Amener l’eau à ébullition et y ajouter la farine de pois chiches. Bien mélanger avec un fouet et faire cuire 1 minute, en mélangeant constamment. Réduire le feu au plus bas et laisser mijoter 5 minutes. Fermer le feu et laisser refroidir.

Dans un robot culinaire, mettre le mélange de pois chiches, l’ail, le bouillon de poulet, le tahini, le jus de citron et la sauce forte; mélanger jusqu’à l’obtention d’une consistance homogène. Ajouter le cumin, le sel et le poivre, puis actionner le robot et verser l’huile d’olive pendant que le moteur tourne. (Une fois que le mélange est homogène, vous devriez le goûter et décider s’il faut ajouter de l’ail, du jus de citron, du cumin ou du tahini.)

Mettre le mélange dans un bol, recouvrir d’une pellicule plastique et laisser reposer à la température de la pièce pendant une heure (le mélange va épaissir). Servir avec du pain pita, des craquelins ou des légumes.

Root Vegetable Tagine with Spice-Roasted Chickpeas

When Bon Appétit published this recipe, my sister and I both emailed it to our mother for her new Emile Henry tagine, even though neither one of us had tried the recipe yet. I finally got around to it, but I changed it a little. I didn’t use celery, because the recipe only called for one stalk and I knew the rest of it would go to waste in my vegetable drawer. I also omitted the turnips, because neither the Engineer nor I like them; I added more sweet potatoes to compensate. And I didn’t use olives, because I don’t like them (if we had had any on hand, I would have topped the Engineer’s serving with them, but we didn’t).

You do have to start this dish early, because the spice-roasted chickpeas, roasted spices and preserved lemon take a bit of time, but after that, it’s really easy. It still felt pretty labor-intensive when I was cooking for dinner just an hour after lunch, so I hoped it would be good! I wasn’t too sure about the preserved lemons, because I like them candied in sugar, but I’d never had them preserved in salt before. In the end, since I chopped them in small pieces, they lent a nice bright taste to the dish without overpowering it. The really nice thing was the roasted chickpeas, though, because they gave the dish some crunch. By themselves, they would also make a great snack. I felt that the dish, though good, was missing a little depth, but in its defense, I did omit three ingredients! The recipe makes enough for 6 generous servings.

For the spice-roasted chickpeas
¾ tsp cumin seeds
¾ tsp coriander seeds
1 15-oz can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained, rinsed, well dried (I spread them out on a paper towel)
1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
pinch of cayenne pepper (I used Korean Pepper)
coarse kosher salt

Preheat oven to 400 °F. Toast cumin seeds and coriander seeds in small skillet over medium heat until beginning to brown, about 2 minutes. Cool. Transfer to spice mill; process until finely ground. Place chickpeas, olive oil, pinch of cayenne, and ground spices in medium bowl. Sprinkle with coarse salt; toss to coat evenly. Transfer to small rimmed baking sheet. Roast in oven until lightly browned and crunchy, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes. (Can be made 4 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature. Reheat in 400 °F oven until warm, about 5 minutes, before serving, if desired.)

For the tagine
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
½ tsp caraway seeds
½ tsp dried crushed red pepper (I used Korean pepper)
¼ tsp turmeric
4 ½ tsp coarse kosher salt, divided
1 lemon, thinly sliced
½ cup fresh lemon juice
3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 ½ cups chopped onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 ½ Tbsp tomato paste
1 ¼ cups ½-inch cubes peeled carrots
1 celery stalk, chopped
4 cups water
1 ¼ lbs red-skinned sweet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 lb turnips (about 2 medium), peeled, cut into ¾-inch wedges
¾ cup brine-cured green olives, pitted, coarsely chopped (as I said, optional)
¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes (about 1 oz; not oil-packed), thinly sliced
¼ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
1 tsp dried mint (I used 1 fresh leaf, sliced very thinly)
1 10-oz box plain couscous (about 1 ½ cups), cooked according to package directions
spice-roasted chickpeas

Toast coriander, cumin, and caraway seeds in small skillet over medium heat until beginning to brown, about 2 minutes. Cool. Transfer to spice mill; process until finely ground. Transfer to small bowl. Add red pepper, turmeric, and ½ tsp salt.

Mix lemon slices, lemon juice, and 4 tsp coarse salt in small skillet. Bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until lemon slices are almost tender, about 10 minutes. Cool preserved lemon. Drain and chop.

(Spice blend and preserved lemon can be made 1 week ahead. Store spice blend airtight at room temperature. Transfer preserved lemon to small bowl; cover and chill.)

Heat olive oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion; sprinkle with salt and sauté until beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Add toasted spice blend, garlic, and tomato paste; stir 1 minute. Add carrots and celery; stir 2 minutes. Add chopped preserved lemon, 4 cups water, sweet potatoes, turnips, olives, and sun-dried tomatoes. Simmer with lid ajar until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally, about 35 minutes. Stir in parsley, cilantro, and mint. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and let stand 10 minutes to allow flavors to blend.

Spoon couscous into large bowl, spreading out to edges and leaving well in center. Spoon vegetable tagine into well in center. Sprinkle spice-roasted chickpeas over and serve.

Montée de lait

Je viens de terminer la lecture de L’Art de vivre selon Joe Beef, la version française de The Art of Living According to Joe Beef. Bien que j’aie beaucoup aimé le contenu du livre, je dois avouer que la traduction française, faite par Parfum d’encre (avec une équipe de deux adaptateurs, deux traducteurs et deux réviseures), laisse à désirer. Je ne peux pas parler d’erreurs de traduction dans le sens des mots, car je n’ai pas la version d’origine pour faire des comparaisons. Il y a des mots traduits pour un public européen, ce que je crois être une erreur, puisque toute l’action se passe dans une province francophone d’Amérique du Nord (donc le repas du matin est le déjeuner, pas le petit-déjeuner, et ainsi de suite). Il y a des fautes de frappe, des articles manquants, des virgules balancées un peu au hasard dans le texte (donc il y en a en trop et il en manque ailleurs), des parenthèses esseulées, des verbes et des adjectifs mal accordés avec leur sujet, des phrases mal tournées (« deux cuillères à soupe de poudre de café en poudre », ça a quelle consistance, d’après vous?) et surtout, des « nous » et des « on » qui font référence au même sujet et dans la même phrase en plus! C’est peut-être alors plus une question de révision que de traduction, mais toujours est-il que lorsqu’un texte « sent » la traduction, lorsque je ne peux pas lire plus de trois phrases sans « accrocher » sur quelque chose, il est évident que la qualité de la version traduite n’est pas à la hauteur. C’est dommage, pour un si beau livre écrit par des gens qui parlent français!

Bossa Nova Skirt

This pattern, which I made right before the holidays, was free on Fabric.com; the site’s page helpfully lists recommended types of fabric and notions all in the same spot. It’s the same skirt pattern that I had used with my turquoise knit, but this time, I used a rayon challis weave, and it worked just fine. Rayon is a bit slippery to knit with, but this Prudent Baby tutorial gives some pointers. The gist of it is that it’s super important to prewash the fabric (duh), and that if you use a ballpoint needle, polyester thread and walking foot, you should be fine. In the comments, there’s also the helpful tip of laying out your fabric on top of a sheet before cutting it, to prevent it from slipping.

Rayon was much better suited for that skirt, because of the way it falls and drapes nicely. The pattern itself was really easy, though after having made it once before, I decided to lengthen it by a few inches when I traced it out onto my Swedish tracing paper. It’s basically just eight panels sewn together, with an elastic waist. I did use French seams, to make the inside pretty too, so perhaps I should have made all the panels 1” wider to compensate, but the skirt still fits. Because of the interlining fiasco with my last skirt, I only used one layer of fabric. The fabric is somewhat thin, but I think I’ll add a half-slip just in case.

Cost-wise, I’m pretty pleased with myself. I used 3 yards of fabric on sale at $3.49 a yard, paid $3.35 for the ballpoint needles (which I’ll use again, of course), $1.08 for the elastic, $1.75 for the thread, and the pattern was free, so the grand total comes to $14.90 (no taxes, free shipping, though I had ordered a $1.75 sample before committing to the fabric). I got more of the fabric, since I originally wanted to add an interlining and thought the sale price was really good, so I’ll make something else with the rest, but I don’t know what just yet. (And by the way, that mirror is one of the things I got at Hats Furniture Haus last month.)

Sans fanfare

Sans fanfare, je partage avec vous quelques liens et photos éparpillées sur mon ordinateur depuis des semaines. Il s’agit de plats dont je n’ai pas parlé ici, pour diverses raisons. Comme parce que c’est tellement simple que je me sentirais gênée de donner une recette, mettons pour le yakisoba de Tea and Cookies.

Ou parce que j’ai déjà publié la recette, dans le cas des magrets de canard rôtis avec poires au miel.

Ou parce que je n’ai tout simplement pas aimé ça. Je pense surtout à la salade chaude de carottes et de hijiki; j’ai beau essayer, mais je n’aime pas les algues cuites!

Il y a eu aussi le gâteau aux oranges et à l’huile d’olive de Leite’s Culinaria, qui ne nous a pas impressionnés et ne vaut pas la peine d’être refait.

Par contre, cette semaine, j’ai fait une recette du tonnerre, alors quand je mettrai en ligne la purée de pommes de terre au safran, vous attacherez bien votre tuque!

Feux sur Montréal

Je ne sais pas si vous êtes au courant, mais Montréal fait parler d’elle un peu partout ces temps-ci! Il y a une série de publicités disjonctées pour des festivals comme Montréal en lumière; je n’ai pu trouver aucune image en ligne, alors j’en reproduis une ci-dessous, trouvée dans l’épicurien Bon Appétit.

Ce même magazine avait publié un petit guide touristico-culinaire sur Montréal pour le temps des fêtes 2010; il mentionne toujours Joe Beef, parle du livre de cuisine, cite Frédéric Morin, et dans le numéro de janvier 2012, c’était au tour de Martin Picard et de la cabane à sucre du Pied de cochon.

Ce magazine culinaire n’est pas le seul à parler de Montréal; il y a aussi le magnifique A little relish, un magazine en ligne dont le deuxième numéro est consacré à Montréal. Et surtout, surtout, Anthony Bourdain qui passe 26 heures à Montréal dans le cadre de son émission The Layover (si vous avez une quarantaine de minutes et comprenez l’anglais, ça vaut la peine, c’est très bien fait!). Et une pub d’Adidas (qui ne parle pas de nourriture, celle-là, mais met en vedette le métro).

Enfin, le site de Tourisme Montréal est très bien conçu, et la version en anglais est superbe (rares sont les sites bilingues bien faits!). Il y a en plus un blogue et un vidéo présentant Montréal en deux minutes que je trouve génial. Tout ça pour dire que j’aime beaucoup ma ville!

Creamy Saffron Yogurt

For dessert after the coconut chicken curry, I made some creamy saffron yogurt adapted from a recipe published in the same menu in Châtelaine. Mine is easier, but I find it’s better not to follow a set recipe for it (I did last time, and ended up with way too much of the spices). Basically, you need lactose-free yogurt; you can use plain yogurt and add a bit of sugar, or use vanilla or honey yogurt and leave it as is. You can strain it to thicken it if you want, but it’s not necessary. Throw in a pinch of ground saffron and a pinch of ground cardamom and mix well (adjust the spices from there, but remember that a little goes a long way). Top it off with some sliced mango and perhaps pomegranate seeds or raspberries, and you’ve got yourself a healthy dessert with Indian flavors. Bon appétit!

Coconut Chicken Curry

This is my mother’s recipe for chicken curry, which she adapted slightly from Châtelaine by omitting the water (as do I) and by reducing the amount of spices. I’m reproducing it below with the original amounts, but feel free to adjust it to your taste. Sometimes, my mother throws a peeled and cubed sweet potato in there with the coconut milk, for extra color, which is a pretty good idea considering that the dish doesn’t have any vegetables otherwise apart from the onion. I served it with brown rice, but lentils and naan bread would be wonderful.

1 large onion, coarsely chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely minced
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
3 whole cloves
1 Tbsp finely grated fresh ginger
2 tsp ground cumin
1 to 2 tsp chili powder (I used 1 tsp of Korean pepper)
1 tsp salt
¾ tsp ground turmeric
½ tsp ground cardamom
½ tsp mustard powder
400-mL can unsweetened coconut milk
1 cup coarsely chopped fresh coriander
2 to 3 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

Heat oil in a large wide saucepan set over medium-low heat. Add whole cloves to pan and stir-fry until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add onion and garlic. Stir often until onion softens, about 5 minutes.

Increase heat to medium-high. Add chicken. Stir-fry until golden-tinged, from 4 to 5 minutes. Then stir in ginger, cumin, 1 tsp chili powder, salt, turmeric, cardamom, and mustard powder. Stir in coconut milk. Taste, and for more kick, stir in remaining teaspoon chili powder.

Cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer, stirring often, until chicken is cooked, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in coriander and 2 tsp lemon juice. Taste. Add remaining teaspoon lemon juice, if needed. Serve immediately.

Couscous Salad with Winter Squash and Cranberries

This recipe, from The Kitchn, was really good. I like having a healthy vegetarian dish that’s easy to make and filling, and this hit the spot. The mix of spices was really good. I used butternut squash, which is my favorite, but you could use other types (like buttercup, to name just one). I used red wine vinegar instead of white wine vinegar (that’s what I have in the pantry), and I forgot about the orange zest. I also didn’t use nuts. If you can’t find lactose-free goat cheese, or if you want a vegan version of the dish, omit that, too.

1 medium butternut squash (or other hard winter squash), peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
¾ cup uncooked couscous
1 cup water
1 onion, diced
4-5 Tbsp white wine vinegar (I used red wine vinegar)
2 Tbsp olive oil
zest of one orange
½ tsp coriander
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cumin
1-3 tsp salt, to taste
1 can chickpeas, drained
½ cup dried cranberries
2 oz lactose-free goat cheese (if desired)
½ cup walnuts or pecans, coarsely chopped (if desired)

Preheat oven to 400 ° F. Toss squash with a bit of olive oil and spread on a baking sheet. Roast squash, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 30 minutes. Allow to cool before combining with other ingredients.

Heat water in sauce pan to boiling. Add couscous and stir. Remove pan from heat, cover with a lid, and let sit for about 10 minutes until the couscous has absorbed all the water. Fluff with a fork and set aside.

Sauté onion in a skillet over medium-high heat until translucent. Set aside and allow to cool.

In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, olive oil, zest, spices, and 1 tsp of salt.

In a large bowl, combine squash, couscous, onions, chickpeas, and cranberries. Pour on the vinegar-oil dressing and stir to combine. Taste to check seasoning and add salt if needed.

If including, crumble the goat cheese into chunks and gently fold into the salad. (Note: Make sure the salad is room temperature at this point or the goat cheese will melt.) Top each serving with a sprinkle of walnuts (if desired) and enjoy. This salad can be served at room temperature or cold.