Flourless Nut Butter Cookies, Two Ways

I decided to try a few recipes for various nut butter cookies that all happen to be flourless. So if you avoid cross-contaminants, they’re gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free, paleo, what have you, but they’re just plain good! First up, the peanut butter cookie. I used a recipe from Real Simple. These aren’t the peanut butter cookies I remember from my childhood, because I’m pretty sure those had flour, but they are really good and it turns out you barely notice the lack of flour! I thought that they were great when they were warm and slightly crispy, but they went soft the next day (which is probably where flour would make a difference); I would recommend baking only one batch at a time and/or halving the recipe below, which makes roughly 3 dozen cookies. The Engineer also approved of these cookies. Note that you can roll them in sugar (see here) or add things to the dough such as chocolate chips (like here or here, both of which look really good), nuts, dried fruit or pieces of candy, though in all those cases I would not press them down with a fork. You could also use another type of nut butter, but for these, I think something with the consistency of hydrogenated peanut butter is best (I used Skippy Natural Creamy Peanut Butter, but an almond butter like Barney Butter would work well too, and perhaps nut-free butters with the same consistency).

Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies

2 cups creamy peanut butter
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. kosher salt

Heat oven to 350 °F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment (or only one, and bake one batch while leaving the rest of the prepared dough balls in the fridge). In a large bowl, mix together the peanut butter, sugars, eggs, baking soda, and salt until smooth.

Shape the dough into balls (about 1 heaping tablespoon each) and place 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Using the tines of a fork, flatten each ball, creating a crisscross pattern.

Bake, rotating the baking sheets halfway through, until puffed and golden, 10 to 12 minutes (the cookies will deflate as they cool). Let cool slightly on the baking sheets, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.



The other recipe that inspired me is actually from a cardboard box I got when I ordered multivitamins from Vitacost (and you have to love a company that makes such good use of its packaging!). In the end, though, I made the recipe from Pastry Affair because it called for vanilla, even though it is otherwise quite similar. The quantity is also more reasonable, about half of the yield of the previous recipe. For this one, you can use a more natural nut butter: I used Justin’s Classic Almond Butter, but I think something even a little more viscous would work, as would other natural nut butters like cashew or hazelnut.


Flourless Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup (250 g) creamy almond butter
2/3 cup (150 g) sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla extract
¼ tsp. salt
¼ cup (60 grams) miniature chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 °F.

In a medium mixing bowl, mix together the almond butter and sugar. Mix in the egg, baking soda, vanilla, and salt until evenly combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Drop cookies by the tablespoon onto a baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet for at least 5-10 minutes before moving to a cooling rack to cool completely. (The cookies will be very fragile and need to set up before they can be moved; I just let them cool on the silpat.)

Cake marbré

Voici une recette adaptée de Cuisine Campagne. Parce que bon, j’ai mis longtemps à trouver un moule à cake (que j’ai fini par dénicher chez Ikea), et j’allais bien m’en servir! J’aime les gâteaux marbrés, même si les miens ne sont jamais aussi beaux que ceux des pros… Ce gâteau-là, il était délicieux, en plus! Il me rappelait agréablement certains gâteaux du commerce que j’ai mangés, petite (comme les madeleines de Proust, quoi). La recette donne les quantités en grammes; c’est ce que j’ai utilisé pour la faire, parce que le petit volume de pâte laisse peu droit à l’erreur, mais je vous donne quand même quelques équivalents impériaux pour vous guider. N’oubliez pas de peser chaque bol que vous utilisez et de noter le résultat avant de tarer la balance! (Bon, on en salit beaucoup, des bols, six dans mon cas, mais c’est pour la bonne cause.) Si vous êtes chanceux, vous aurez même une tranche qui vous fait penser à un bonhomme sourire, comme sur la dernière photo… Vous en connaissez beaucoup, des recettes qui mentionnent Rorschach et Proust?

4 œufs, séparés
140 g de sucre blond de canne
140 g (10 c. à soupe) de beurre
70 g (2 ½ oz) de chocolat noir
70 g (2 ½ oz) de chocolat blanc
130 g de farine de blé
1 c. à thé de vanille
1 pincée de sel

Préchauffer le four à 350 °F. Chemiser un moule à cake de papier parchemin.

Fouetter les jaunes avec le sucre dans un bol jusqu'à ce que le mélange blanchisse.

Ajouter la farine et mélanger avec une fourchette (la pâte devient bien épaisse). Peser le tout, diviser le poids en deux et en mettre la moitié de côté dans un autre bol.

Faire fondre les chocolats au bain-marie dans deux casseroles séparées. Verser la vanille dans le chocolat blanc. Ajouter dans chacune d'elles 70 g de beurre et mélanger.

Incorporer les chocolats fondus dans chaque bol et mélanger.

Battre les blancs bien fermes avec une pincée de sel. Les peser, diviser leur poids en deux et les ajouter délicatement dans chaque pâte au chocolat.

Verser en alternant les couches de pâte au chocolat noir et au chocolat blanc (4 au total) en lissant bien la surface à chaque fois. Compter 4 bonnes cuillères à soupe par couche.

Enfourner pendant 50-55 minutes. Vérifier la cuisson avec la pointe d'un couteau. Laisser refroidir avant de démouler.

Chicken Salad with Walnut Pesto

I got this recipe from The Kitchn, where it was referred to as a creamy chicken salad. I didn’t find it creamy at all, but there’s A LOT of good stuff going on in there! Walnuts, parsley, white wine vinegar, parmesan, sundried tomatoes, garlic, and a hint of mayonnaise… It was fantastic! I’ll definitely make it again. I used 6 chicken breasts, to make sure we would have several servings; I made roasted vegetables as a side (in the picture, we’ve got honey-roasted carrots, parsnips and beets with cumin and garlic). It did take a while to make, but that was the day of the Little Prince’s miraculously long nap, so it all worked out perfectly! (Note that I changed the instructions for poaching the chicken, because their way sounded like a salmonella fest to me.)

For the chicken
2 ½ - 3 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 6 breasts)
3 large garlic cloves, smashed
1 shallot, thinly sliced
¼ cup dry white wine, champagne vinegar, or white wine vinegar
a handful of flat-leaf parsley (leaves and stems)
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the pesto
2 cups packed flat-leaf parsley
2 large cloves garlic, smashed
½ cup chopped, toasted walnuts
¼ cup plus 2 Tbsp. good-quality olive oil
½ cup grated parmesan
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 heaping Tbsp. minced sun-dried tomatoes
freshly squeezed lemon juice, to taste
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

To garnish
toasted, chopped walnuts
sliced cherry tomatoes
grated or shaved parmesan

For the chicken, place the breasts in a large saucepan or braising dish and fill with enough water (or chicken stock) to cover by about an inch. Add the garlic, shallots, wine, and parsley. Season with salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil, then turn down the heat to a simmer and let the chicken cook while you make the pesto, until the chicken reads 160 °F on an instant read thermometer. Remove the chicken from the pan and tent with foil. Set the chicken aside until cool enough to handle; slice into bite-sized cubes.

While the chicken is poaching, make the pesto. Combine the parsley, garlic, walnuts, and oil into the bowl of a food processor or heavy-duty blender and process until smooth. Add the parmesan and pulse to incorporate. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and stir in mayonnaise, sun-dried tomatoes, and a big squeeze of lemon juice. Season generously with salt and pepper.

Add cubed chicken to the bowl containing the pesto and gently toss to combine. Season with additional salt and pepper. Refrigerate for a few hours, or overnight, to allow the flavors marry. Bring to room temperature for at least 15-20 minutes before serving. Toss with walnuts and garnish with tomatoes and a generous handful of parmesan.

Attachment parenting 101

Do you remember Maggie Gyllenhaal’s character in Away We Go? She was the stereotypical extreme of the hippie attachment parent, breastfeeding another woman’s child without her consent and refusing strollers because “why would you want to push your baby away from you?” I’d been reading a lot of good about attachment parenting, though, here and in various other places. So I decided to see what someone with a Ph.D. in neuroscience had to say about attachment parenting: I read Mayim Bialik’s Beyond the Sling, which made me realize that I’m more of an attachment parent than I thought. It shouldn’t have surprised me.

I was already familiar with John Bowlby’s attachment theory, thanks to my certificate in psychology. In essence, a baby who has a secure attachment to his parents (“upset when separated from parent, greets parents positively when they return, seeks comfort from parent when scared, prefers parents over strangers”*) usually grows up to be a well-adjusted adult (“trusting, loving relationships, good self-esteem, shares emotions easily with others, seeks social support”* – traits that many parents want to foster in their children). So the bond created by responding adequately to a child’s needs later fosters self-reliance and healthy independence in that child.

That theory is the basis of attachment parenting, but there’s more to it than that (and of course there are more ways to achieve secure attachment than just attachment parenting). Mayim Bialik says that “Attachment Parenting International (API) identifies [attachment parenting] as guided by eight principles. The practical application varies greatly but it often looks something like this:
1. Birth: Prepare for birth and become educated about natural birth options and their benefits for baby and mother.
2. Breastfeeding/breast milk: A human mother’s milk is the optimal food for human babies, and bottle feeding should mimic as many aspects of breastfeeding as possible.
3. Be sensitive: Respond sensitively to your children.
4. Bonding through touch: Use physical contact such as baby wearing, breastfeeding, and massage to convey tenderness, love, and affection.
5. Bedding: Parent your children at night as well as in the day, looking to safe co-sleeping as an option.
6. Be there: Ensure consistent parenting by a primary caregiver or a trained and sensitive substitute.
7. Be gentle: Use positive discipline, forgoing corporal punishment.
8. Balance: Balance your needs with those of your child.
It should be noted that no one does all eight perfectly, nor do you have to subscribe to all of them to benefit from these principles. These are simply guidelines that can serve as a jumping-off place for your decision-making.”*

It is interesting to note that there seems to be a high correlation between attachment parents and parents who are vegans, who don’t vaccinate their children, who use elimination communication, who homeschool, etc., even though those are not requirements of attachment parenting.

We’re not a vegan household, but we are flexitarians. I personally believe in avoiding unnecessary medical intervention in general (and keep in mind that even the mildest medications aren’t 100% safe). This means that if for example my child had a viral (and not bacterial) infection, I wouldn’t give him antibiotics, as those would be utterly useless. I do, however, believe in vaccinating children; I think that any hypothetical risk would pale in comparison to, say, polio. And to get back to that list, I was all set for a natural birth (which didn’t happen), and I’m breastfeeding. I love baby-wearing, but I’m not doing it as often as I would like; the Little Prince is not too fond of it at this point (perhaps only because he isn’t used to it!), though he loves to be held. At four months, he is still sleeping in his bassinette in our bedroom, and while that works wonderfully for us at this point, I’ll need to consider transitioning soon, as I don’t see us having a family bed – but let’s get him through this sleep regression first. I do plan on emphasizing independent thinking and using positive discipline to raise the Little Prince, as that whole philosophy makes sense to me in theory – we’ll see how patient I am in practice. (See here for some actual data on the benefits of positive parenting.)

As for elimination communication, I feel that it isn’t something you can go into and do half-assed (pardon the pun). The more I read about it, the more I think it would work (as it does in so many cultures around the world, though it is now marginalized here) and be absolutely wonderful IF ONLY I COULD COMMIT TO IT 100%, which I don’t feel capable of doing. Too many surfaces to wash, too little understanding of the Little Prince’s pre-elimination cues, too much involvement, too daunting at this point. So cloth diapers it is. (But to give you an example, Ms. Bialik started EC when her first child was 6 months old, and when he was 13 months, he was wearing underwear exclusively, while still breastfed and non-verbal. Just to show how our modern Western preconceptions of “normal” aren’t all there is! You can read a quick explanation of EC here and learn more here.)

To be clear, I’m still cherry-picking my way through various parenting approaches, and I’m aware that a single idea can belong to various approaches (not to mention good old common sense) with a different term. I just thought I’d share a few things about this book, because I was pleasantly surprised with how much it resonated with me. I’m planning on reading Bringing Up Bébé next (I’m reading one non-parenting book between each child-related book, all at a much slower pace than before last summer).

*Excerpted from Beyond the Sling.

[Update, Dec. 4th, 2013: The Engineer would like it noted that he does not identify as flexitarian. I have to admit I’ve been less diligent than usual about coming up with vegetarian and vegan meals in the past 4 months, because I’m low on both time and energy these days. However, the reason that I said “we” are flexitarians is that when I’m in charge of dinner, the Engineer eats what I put on the table, and since that is flexitarian fare, he is flexitarian at least on that occasion, albeit more by accident than through any decision-making of his own.]

Zero8

Vous avez peut-être appris le mois dernier que Zero8, le restaurant sans allergènes, avait fermé ses portes. En effet, les loyers au centre-ville sont élevés, et pour un restaurant dont les coûts bruts sont déjà importants, cela ne fonctionnait plus. J’avais peine à en faire mon deuil, pourtant, car il n’existe aucun autre endroit du genre…

Voilà donc que je ne suis pas la seule à penser cela. Les propriétaires organisent une campagne de financement participatif, probablement l’une des plus importantes de la province, pour sauver le restaurant! Si le montant nécessaire est amassé, le restaurant pourra rouvrir ses portes dans un local plus abordable, et il pourrait même y avoir des établissements franchisés ailleurs au Québec. D’ailleurs, l’Association québécoise des allergies alimentaires soutient le projet.

L’Ingénieur et moi avons donc fait un don, et nous vous encourageons à faire de même. L’argent est placé en fidéicommis, alors si jamais l’objectif n’était pas atteint, vous serez remboursés. Notez aussi que non seulement vous pouvez avoir votre nom gravé sur une brique du restaurant si vous le voulez, mais en plus, vous recevez environ 80 % de votre don en certificats-cadeaux pour un futur repas! Une aubaine, quoi, et une excellente cause. Allez-y!

Scones à la betterave et à l'érable

Voici une bonne recette de scones pour votre dimanche matin. J’ai déjà documenté mon amour de la combinaison betterave-érable, alors il n’est pas étonnant que j’aie aimé cette recette des producteurs d’érable québécois qui marie également l’avoine. J’ai utilisé de la farine blanche, parce que son pourcentage de gluten est plus approprié pour cette recette que celui de la farine de blé blond que je privilégie habituellement. J’ai adoré le résultat! Les scones étaient rose foncé avant de passer au four, et bien que l’extérieur ait conservé la même teinte, l’intérieur était différent, les morceaux de betterave se démarquant de la pâte.

1 ½ tasse de farine tout usage
1 tasse de flocons d’avoine pour gruau instantané
1 généreuse pincée de sel
1 c. à soupe de poudre à pâte
½ tasse de sucre d’érable
3 c. à soupe de beurre non salé, froid
¼ tasse de sirop d’érable
1 betterave de taille moyenne, pelée et râpée
1 œuf, battu
1 c. à soupe de lait sans lactose

Préchauffer le four à 400 °F.

Dans un grand bol, mélanger les ingrédients secs, puis incorporer le beurre à la fourchette (personnellement, j’aime la méthode des deux couteaux au lieu d’utiliser un coupe-pâte, qui serait mieux qu’une fourchette). Ajouter le reste des ingrédients et former une boule de pâte.

Sur une plaque à pâtisserie recouverte de papier parchemin, aplatir la boule de pâte pour former une galette d’environ 8 pouces (20 cm) de diamètre. Tailler la galette en 8 pointes et répartir les pointes sur la plaque à pâtisserie. Enfourner de 20 à 30 minutes (je les ai fait cuire 25 minutes dans mon cas, mais j’aurais pu les retirer du four un peu avant).

Apple Sharlotka

Another apple cake, this one from Smitten Kitchen. This one is unlike other cakes I’ve made before in that it’s mostly apples, with just a little batter to hold them together. So the apples are really in the foreground, and the cake is not too sweet, which I really liked. The Engineer called it “honest”, so there you have it. I used nutmeg instead of cinnamon to dust on top of the finished cake, because I think nutmeg is underrated; you could go either way or omit the spice altogether.

6 large, tart apples, such as Granny Smiths
3 large eggs
1 cup (200 g.) granulated sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup (125 g.) all-purpose flour
ground cinnamon, to finish (I used nutmeg)
powdered sugar, also to finish

Preheat oven to 350 °F. Line the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper. Butter the paper and the sides of the pan.

Peel, halve and core your apples, then chop them into medium-sized chunks. (I cut each half into four or five slices, then cut them fairly thinly — about ¼-inch — in the other direction.) Pile the cut apples directly in the prepared pan.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, using an electric mixer or whisk, beat eggs with sugar until thick and ribbons form on the surface of the beaten eggs. Beat in vanilla, then stir in flour with a spoon until just combined. The batter will be very thick.

Pour over apples in pan, using a spoon or spatula to spread the batter and press it down so that it covers all exposed apples. The top of the batter should end up level with the top of the apples. Bake in preheated oven for 55 to 60 minutes, or until a tester comes out free of batter. Cool in pan for 10 minutes on rack, then flip out onto another rack, peel off the parchment paper, and flip it back onto a serving platter. Dust lightly with ground cinnamon (or nutmeg).

Serve warm or cooled, dusted with powdered sugar. We imagine it would be delicious with a dollop of barely sweetened whipped or sour cream, if you could find them lactose-free.

Spinach and chickpea fritters

This recipe for a side dish is adapted from Real Simple. When I mixed all the ingredients, I had a feeling that the fritters wouldn’t hold together, and indeed, they had no cohesion whatsoever. So I added an egg to the second half of the batch, and I really liked the result. The recipe below is therefore my version. I served them with poached eggs the first night, for a light dinner, but I went with vegetarian “chicken” the second night for something a little more substantial. Note that you can go crazy with the hot sauce here if you wish, but I prefer my fritters mild. I’d also serve them without the yogurt and sauce.

8 cups stemmed and torn Swiss chard (about 1 bunch) or spinach
1 15.5-oz. can chickpeas, rinsed
1 clove garlic, chopped
½ tsp. ground cumin
kosher salt and black pepper
2 oz. Feta, crumbled (about ½ cup)
¼ cup all-purpose flour
2 eggs
4 Tbsp. olive oil
½ cup plain Greek yogurt (optional)
hot sauce, for serving (optional)

In a food processor, combine the Swiss chard, chickpeas, garlic, cumin, ½ tsp. salt, and ¼ tsp. pepper and pulse until finely chopped, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Transfer to a large bowl, add the Feta, flour and eggs, and mix until combined. Form the mixture into eight 2½-inch patties. (I used a ¼-cup measure and got 10 patties.)

Heat 2 Tbsp. of the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Working in 2 batches, cook the patties until browned, 3 to 4 minutes per side, adding the remaining 2 Tbsp. of oil to the skillet for the second batch. Serve with the yogurt and hot sauce (and a main course).

Rosemary Apple Turnovers with Honey

In an effort to use up more rosemary, I made these rosemary apple turnovers from The Kitchn that had been sitting in my list of bookmarks for a while. I’m not sure why I never got around to making them before; all I know is that I feel like I’ve lost precious time with them! They were absolutely fantastic, and just what I wanted for my 1,100th post (already?). They were going like hotcakes, and the only reason they lasted more than 24 hours is because I made sure to save the last one for the Engineer after he came home from work the second day (it was torture staring at it on the baking sheet). They were great as dessert and breakfast, so they would be lovely for a holiday brunch. Plus, they are incredibly easy to make! I made a little more filling, and had the intention of making a double batch, since the recipe calls for 1 sheet of puff pastry and my box of Pepperidge Farm had 2 sheets. However, since the recipe didn’t call for rolling out the sheets of pastry, just unfolding them, it turns out that I needed the whole box for one batch of 8 turnovers. I did put a bit more than a spoonful of filling in each, though, and I recommend it. You could use maple syrup instead of honey, too.

1 recipe single pie crust, chilled* or 1-2 sheets puff pastry, thawed (see note above)
1 large apple, about 8-10 oz., peeled, cored and cut into ¼-inch dice (I used two small apples)
2 Tbsp. honey
¼ tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/8 tsp. minced fresh rosemary (I used a little more)
1/8 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 pinch salt
1 egg, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 375 °F.

In a bowl, combine the apple, honey, vanilla, rosemary, nutmeg, flour, and salt. Set aside.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pie crust out to a 17- x 9-inch rectangle. (If using puff pastry, unfold the sheet.) Trim to a 16- x 8-inch rectangle (which, for me, was 2 sheets). Cut the sheet into eight 4- x 4-inch pieces.

Place a generous spoonful of the apple mixture in the center of each square, leaving at least ¾-inches around all sides. Using a finger or a pastry brush, gently apply a coat of the beaten egg to the exposed border of the pastry.

Fold each piece to form a triangle. Seal the edges with the tines of a fork, or pinch with two fingers. Brush the tops of the turnovers with more of the egg wash. Slice a few small slits in the top of the turnovers to allow steam to escape.

Place the turnovers on a lined baking sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes, until the tops are golden brown.

*If you’re going to use pie crust, I’d recommend this one, though personally I loved the puff pastry.

Onion, Bacon and Butternut Tart

This Whole Foods recipe is one I’ve made for the freezer. I used half of a big sweet onion and 1 clove of garlic, but I’d have followed the recipe if I weren’t breastfeeding. I’d also cook the squash longer, because it wasn’t quite tender yet in the finished tart. That being said, it was delicious, and easy to boot! I particularly liked the dough, which was almost bread-like. I had placed the dough in a 9-inch pie tin, since I wasn’t planning on using a baking stone, but I see on the picture on the website that they made it into more of a rectangular shape… The way I made it, we got 4 servings out of it, with a side of spinach and carrots with sesame dressing (though I would definitely halve the dressing in that one next time).

14 oz. whole wheat pizza dough, thawed if frozen (or use your favorite pizza dough recipe)
5-6 slices thick-cut bacon
1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
½ tsp. fine sea salt (and pepper, to taste)
1 10-oz. package frozen diced butternut squash, thawed (or 1 ½ cups diced fresh butternut squash)
1 ½ cups (about 6 oz.) grated lactose-free Gruyère cheese
2 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh thyme

On a lightly floured surface, with a lightly floured rolling pin, roll dough out to a circle about 14 inches in diameter. (If the dough pulls back strongly, stop rolling, cover the dough with a kitchen towel and let rest 10 minutes before continuing.) Transfer dough to a round pizza pan, baking stone or greased baking sheet (I used a pie plate, since I was freezing the tart). Reshape the dough as needed, but you can leave any edges hanging over the sides of the pan (they will be folded later). Cover with a towel and refrigerate.

Preheat oven to 475 °F and place a rack in the middle of the oven (I’d actually recommend putting the rack in the second-lowest position).

Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisped, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer bacon to a plate covered with a paper towel to drain; chop or crumble when it is cool enough to handle. Pour all but 1 Tbsp. of grease left in the skillet. Return skillet to medium heat; add onion, garlic, and salt (and pepper, to taste). Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is golden and tender, about 15 minutes. Add squash and cook, tossing gently once or twice, until excess moisture evaporates, 2 to 3 minutes. (I recommend cooking it until it is almost tender – not all the way, since it will cook more in the oven, but maybe al dente, if that term can be applied to a squash.)

Scrape onion mixture into middle of dough and spread evenly, leaving a 1-inch border around edges. Sprinkle the top with bacon, then cheese. Brush edge of dough with half the oil and fold over to make a ½-inch rim. Brush rim with remaining oil. Bake until tart is deeply browned and dough is cooked through, 20 to 25 minutes. Sprinkle with thyme and cool 10 minutes, then transfer to a cutting board and cut into wedges or squares for serving.

Batch of links

- For this once-in-a-lifetime Thanksgivukkah, I really wish I had the energy to make these latke-crusted turkey stuffing fritters with liquid cranberry core and turkey schmaltz gravy. Yum!

- You know how some cities have fruit trees on public property? It isn’t always legal to pick the fruit, but if it otherwise goes to waste, I say go for it (discretely). Here’s an article on a website called Falling Fruit, which catalogs plants with edible parts (mostly fruit trees, but also nuts, herbs, roses, maples, etc.). A great initiative!

- I’ve been making green smoothies with my Vitamix lately. Did you know that you can avoid bitterness by adding acidity, like with lime or lemon juice?

- Crowd-sourced advice about how to opt out of certain birthday party foods without offending the host. I think I keep posting stuff like this because I’m more aware of food sensitivities and restrictions in general. Granted, this column was not about allergies, but as always, people seem to fall in one of two camps: either suck it up and eat the food otherwise you’re weird; or politely make your host aware of your restrictions and offer to bring your own food. I prefer the second camp, personally.

- The FDA will ban trans fats. This is a major step in the slow process of public health policies, and I have to say I’m pretty happy about it.

- Another article about foods sold in the US that are banned elsewhere. In related news, Kraft will be removing the yellow dye from its kid-oriented mac and cheese in Canada and the US, like it does in the UK.

- How not to die from botulism. I’m not canning yet, but this is a great reference!

- Did you know that you can use a Mason jar on some blenders?

- Quirky product: the Nibble Pan. It’s a cute idea, but I think a ramekin would work just as well, no?

- Someone is just as pissed as I am about the fact that people still use the words ”gluten allergy”.

- Watch this 14-year-old girl crush an arrogant interviewer. I’d be proud to raise someone like her.

- A TED Talk about coming out of the closet. I love Ash Beckham’s answer to being asked whether she’s a boy!

- Switzerland is considering “maximum wage” legislation so that a CEO wouldn’t make an outrageous amount of money when compared to his employees. We’ve talked about this idea in our household and we think it’s brilliant. It would even be incentive for raising the minimum wage. Did you know that McDonald’s is costing the US taxpayers $1.2 billion annually because it only pays most of its employees minimum wage? Related: how to feed your family from a food bank, a growing problem.

- A bunch of medical news: a Finnish team has made a diabetes vaccine breakthrough, high blood sugar is tied to memory problems, hot dogs are tied to cancer risk, and certain pesticides are linked to endometriosis. I feel I should follow this up with a really interesting article about how kale is destroying your health, which you have to read to the very end to understand how sometimes, the easy conclusion is erroneous. (Although I still don’t trust pesticides.)

- In the weird law category, some Texas lawmakers want to introduce a bill that would outlaw abortions once a heartbeat can be detected, knowing that with modern technology, this is so early in pregnancy that many women simply could not get abortions. And it was just announced that SCOTUS would not intervene to lift the current restrictions that have closed the majority of the state’s abortion clinics. I occasionally feel like I’m living in medieval times.

- And oral sex could have become illegal in Virginia, to protect the children. Yeah, I wonder why the population voted for another governor…

- A very interesting blog post about white privilege and an article about the need for African Americans to dress more formally than Caucasians to receive equal treatment, both written after the Zimmerman verdict.

- Remember Quebec’s Bill 14 project? I’m very pleased to see that it shall not pass. (And here’s some background information for those who weren’t following the issue.)

- My posthumous advice for my daughter – I’m a sucker for these essays.

- Have you heard about the “invisible” bike helmet? “Inflatable” would be a more accurate term. I’m definitely thinking of getting some of these when we start biking as a family! (I can’t believe that Texas law even allows motorcyclists to ride without helmets, but that’s another matter entirely.)

- A chat with Breaking Bad’s science advisor. The Engineer and I thoroughly enjoyed the series, and this interview was great.

- Any Doctor Who fans in the house? Because this is absolutely awesome.

- Incredible colorized photos, which actually show how color can alter our perception. Don’t these look so much more… real?

- Children’s drawings painted realistically. Some of these are fantastic!

- And finally, have you heard about Dinovember? I think that parents who participate must also be the ones who are doing the whole Elf-on-a-shelf thing. Maybe someday I’ll do that.

Pumpkin Doughnut Muffins

As a follow-up to the pumpkin Bundt cake, I continued my annual fall festivities with pumpkin doughnut muffins. I had the exact same recipe bookmarked twice, once on Brown-Eyed Baker and once on Martha Stewart (which, it turns out, was where the recipe originally came from). My main complaint about this recipe, besides the order of the steps that I’ve rearranged below, is that I had just under ¾ cup of cinnamon sugar left at the end. I understand that there will always be some left over, because I need something in which to dip them, but this was such a big amount that it really feels like a waste. I’m currently using some of it to top hot cereal in the morning, but I’m writing half the original amount below, and that’s how I’d make it from now on. That aside, the muffins themselves were really good, and since I made them with white whole wheat flour, they had some pretty healthful aspects (not including the fact that they’re covered in sugar, of course). I like these for breakfast, but they make great snacks, too!

For the muffins
10 Tbsp. (5 oz.) unsalted butter, at room temperature (or cold margarine)
¾ cup light brown sugar
2 eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour (or white whole wheat flour)
2½ tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. kosher salt
1½ tsp. ground cinnamon
½ tsp. ground ginger
¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
¼ tsp. ground cloves
1¼ cups pure pumpkin purée
1/3 cup buttermilk (i.e., lactose-free milk with a splash of lemon juice or vinegar)

For the cinnamon-sugar coating
¼ cup unsalted butter or margarine, melted
6 Tbsp. granulated sugar
1 ¼ tsp. ground cinnamon

For the muffins
Preheat oven to 350 °F. Butter and flour 12 standard muffin cups.

Beat the butter and brown sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves; set aside. In a small bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and pumpkin; set aside.

With the mixer speed set on low, add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with two additions of the pumpkin mixture, beating until barely combined. Turn off the mixer and fold the batter a few times with a rubber spatula to catch any pockets of flour that weren't incorporated.

Divide the batter evenly between the muffins cups (about a heaping 1/3 cup batter). Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of a muffin comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Let the muffins cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes.

For the cinnamon-sugar coating
the muffins are resting, combine the sugar and cinnamon in a shallow bowl. Working with one muffin at a time, remove the muffins from the pan, brush all over with the melted butter, then toss to coat in the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Return to the wire rack and let cool completely.

Pasta and White Beans with Garlic-Rosemary Oil

We have a few herbs growing in our garden still. The oregano that I uprooted and potted last spring is starting to grow back, and the thyme is doing quite well. We didn’t plant any basil this year; the mint could be doing better, because the drip irrigation tube had fallen out unbeknownst to me, but I’m not worried about mint dying. It’s the rosemary, though, that’s reigning supreme these days. It’s been mostly unattended over the summer, and with the rain we’ve had this year, it went from a few branches to this respectable bush:


So I made a few recipes that called for rosemary (well, those that had the word “rosemary” in their title and so showed up when I searched my bookmarks). That’s how I remembered about this pasta from Smitten Kitchen. It took me about an hour to make, so I’m glad I made it when the Engineer could spend more time with the Little Prince – otherwise, make sure your kids can play independently for a while. To tell you the truth, I almost thought this would be a failure, because I puréed the beans and veggies twice instead of once, to thicken them, and the result was still like soup! I ended up mixing the veggies with the pasta, draining the whole thing (!), and then adding the pasta water to create a better sauce. It turned out to be really good, though! The Engineer even said that the vegetables were “honest” in this dish and he liked them; I thought that they played a good supporting role to an ensemble cast. I’m therefore writing the recipe below with less water, to avoid having the dreaded soup consistency, because that’s how I’ll make it next time. I used a sweet onion and a little less garlic than called for, because of the breastfeeding, though I have to admit I didn’t see much of a difference with the Little Prince, even with the legumes in here. This makes about 6 servings.


1 medium onion, cut into big chunks
1 medium carrot, in big chunks
1 celery stalk, in big chunks
6 garlic cloves: 4 left whole, 2 finely chopped
½ cup flat-leaf parsley leaves
¼ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (or to taste)
½ cup olive oil, divided
coarse or kosher salt
2 to 3 Tbsp. tomato paste
2 15-oz. cans small white beans, drained and rinsed (or 3 ½ cups cooked beans; save the water)
1 lb. short tube pasta (like ditalini, macaroni or pennete; I used gemelli, not tubular)
1 Tbsp. minced fresh rosemary

Pulse onion, carrot, celery, whole garlic cloves, parsley, and red pepper flakes (to taste) in a food processor until finely chopped. Heat ¼ cup oil in a large, heavy pot over medium heat and add vegetable mixture to pot. (Quickly rinse, but no need to fully wash, food processor as you’ll use it again shortly.) Season generously with salt. Cook, stirring from time to time, until vegetables take on a bit of color, about 10 minutes. Add tomato paste and cook it into the vegetables for another minute. Add 1 cup water (or bean cooking liquid, if you went that route) and use it to scrape up any bits stuck to the pot. Let simmer until liquid has almost disappeared, about 5 to 8 minutes. (The original recipe had you add 2 additional cups of water or bean cooking liquid here and had you simmer the mixture another 15 minutes to let the flavors meld. I recommend skipping that step and only adding more liquid if things look like they need it. I’ll try it with only the original 1 cup of water next time, plus the pasta water in the next step.)

Meanwhile, cook pasta until al dente, or still a little firm inside (it needs to still be a little undercooked so that it can absorb some starchy water in the next step, which helps make the sauce). Reserve 1 ½ cups cooking water from your drained pasta.

Transfer one cup of the bean mixture to your rinsed food processor and purée it until smooth, then stir it back into the sauce to thicken it. Add drained pasta and ½ cup cooking liquid to bean sauce and cook the mixture together, adding more pasta cooking liquid as needed, until the sauce coats the pasta, about 1 to 2 more minutes.

To serve: Heat remaining ¼ cup olive oil in a tiny saucepan over medium-low heat with garlic and rosemary, until sizzling stops. Divide pasta between serving bowls and drizzle garlic-rosemary oil over each. Finish this with a few flakes of sea salt.

Pumpkin Bundt Cake

I realize that it’s clichéd, but in the fall, I like eating pumpkin and apples. I feel like it’s almost more of an obligation for me in South Texas, because otherwise it just doesn’t feel like fall, what with the weather still in the 50s and 60s on most days. It’s entirely psychological, of course, and I really can make the same recipes year-round, since I use canned pumpkin purée. (I have made my own purée once, but decided that it was a lot of work, and the stuff from a can is more uniform and doesn’t have any added ingredients anyway.) This year, I started by making this pumpkin Bundt cake, adapting it to use less oil. It was good and very fall-like! The Engineer would have served it with a dollop of whipped cream (or lactose-free equivalent), which I must admit would be a nice addition. Now for some reason, every last one of the pictures I took seems out of focus now that I look at them on my computer, except the one that is not centered. I’ve decided to go with it and call it artistic, because it’s just one of those days; two more pictures are at the bottom of the post.

2 ½ cup sugar
¾ cup applesauce
¼ cup canola oil
3 eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. ground cloves
1 15-oz. can pumpkin purée
confectioners’ sugar (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 °F. In a large bowl, combine sugar, applesauce and oil until blended. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and cloves; add to egg mixture alternately with pumpkin, beating well after each addition.

Transfer to a greased 10-inch fluted tube pan. Bake 60-65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack. Remove pan and cool completely. Dust with confectioners’ sugar.

Cheesy Sweet Potato Crisps

I adapted this recipe slightly from Carrots ‘n’ Cake. As you’ll notice from the picture, the edges of the crisps got burnt: this is because I don’t have a wire rack that fits over a baking sheet, so I put the crisps right on a non-stick baking mat. This was admittedly a bit of a mistake, but these crisps showed such great potential that I’ve added the wire rack to my shopping list to make them again next time. They’d be wonderful if you could just follow that direction! I would say that the crisps are somewhat like oil-free latkes, but that would be an oxymoron… The cheese here acts as a binder once it’s melted and gives great flavor to the crisps. It’s a easy (and relatively healthy) side dish!

2 sweet potatoes
2 eggs
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
½ tsp. fresh rosemary, minced
¼ tsp. pepper (and salt, to taste)

Preheat oven to 425 °F. Set a wire rack on top of a baking sheet. Spray rack with non-stick spray.

Peel the sweet potatoes. Grate them and squeeze out the moisture; the more moisture you remove, the crispier they get in the oven. (I used the food processor to grate my sweet potatoes, and there was no moisture to speak of.)

To the grated sweet potatoes, add the eggs, cheese, rosemary and pepper (and salt). Mix until combined.

Scoop out potato mixture and set on wire rack, pressing the mixture as thin as possible. (I used an ice cream scoop.) Repeat until potatoes are gone.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until potatoes are dark around the edges and crispy.

Chili sin carne

Ça m’arrive de faire du chili végétarien et de ne pas en partager la recette parce que finalement, ça tombe à plat. Par contre, cette recette-ci, adaptée de Coup de Pouce, en vaut la peine! Avec le mélange de lentilles rouges et de haricots rouges, la texture est irréprochable; j’ai aussi utilisé mon propre mélange à épices au lieu de l’assaisonnement commercial, alors c’est ce que je vous écris ci-dessous. En plus, c’est simple et rapide comme tout! Pour une version non végétalienne, vous pouvez ajouter du fromage cheddar fort râpé ou de la crème sure sans lactose au moment de servir, ou encore des croustilles de maïs. C’était très bon! La recette donne de 4 à 6 portions.

1 boîte (28 oz.) de tomates en dés
1 boîte (19 oz.) de haricots rouges, égouttés et rincés
1 tasse de lentilles rouges sèches, rincées et égouttées
1 tasse d’eau
½ poivron rouge haché
½ oignon haché (j’ai pris un oignon rouge parce que c’est ce que j’avais)
1 petite boîte (7,5 oz.) de sauce tomate
1 c. à thé de piment coréen ou de chili en poudre
¾ c. à thé de sel casher
1 c. à thé d’ail en poudre
1 c. à thé de flocons d’oignon (oignon séché)
1 ½ c. à thé de cumin
½ c. à thé de paprika ou de poivre de cayenne
6 c. à soupe de pâte de tomates

Dans une grande casserole, mélanger tous les ingrédients. Porter à ébullition. Réduire le feu, couvrir et laisser mijoter, en brassant de temps à autre, pendant 30 minutes ou jusqu’à ce que les lentilles soient tendres.

Au moment de servir, garnir chaque portion de cheddar fort râpé, de crème sure sans lactose ou de croustilles de maïs, si désiré. Bon appétit!

Nutella cookies, two ways

I meant to post about these cookies sooner, but somehow I didn’t get around to it until now. I decided to round up the recipes I had for Nutella cookies to compare them, so here they are. I started with a peanut butter Nutella cookie recipe from Little B Cooks. I made them smaller and skipped the 15-minute resting time in the fridge. After 8 minutes in the oven, they came out ugly, dry, crumbly cookies; they were good, but not great. I stored the leftover dough in the fridge, and the next day, forget it – it had completely dried out and felt like sand. Actually, they reminded me of the Mexican peanut candy: good, albeit crumbly. I wasn’t ready to give up on them, though. I had another recipe that was basically the exact same dough, but with a lower ratio of peanut butter and Nutella to flour, so I thought if anything, those would be even drier! I ended up making my own by using the dough from the 36-hour cookie, and those are keepers! Here is my recipe below, and it makes two dozen cookies (possibly fewer if, like me, you actually prefer this dough raw). Note that you could also makes these with something like Barney Butter or a different nut butter, and a vegan chocolate spread. The peanut butter flavor is more muted than I thought, perhaps because the color of the cookie made me expect it more (whereas I didn’t really expect it by looking at something like comfort cookies, so the flavor stood out more there ).

1 cup cake flour
1 cup bread flour
½ tsp. baking soda
¾ tsp. baking powder
¾ tsp. coarse salt (less if your peanut butter is salted)
1 ¼ sticks (10 Tbsp.) unsalted margarine (or butter)
¾ cup light brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp. natural vanilla extract
¾ cup peanut butter (I used Skippy Natural Creamy Peanut Butter)
1/3 cup Nutella

Preheat oven to 350 °F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat. Set aside.

Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Set aside.

Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream margarine and sugars together until very light, about 3-5 minutes (but do not overmix). Add egg, vanilla and peanut butter, stirring well. Reduce speed to low, add dry ingredients and mix until just combined, 5 to 10 seconds. Add the Nutella and mix it in only a few second with the stand mixer, or use a spoon – you want streaks of chocolate, not homogenous dough. Shape into cookies (I made 2 sheets of 12 cookies each; store unused dough in the fridge, covered with plastic wrap, and let it come to room temperature a bit before shaping). Bake for 10 minutes.



The other recipe I had was from Tasty Kitchen. I modified it by omitting the sugar altogether. I have a major sweet tooth, so if I can’t justify adding sugar to Nutella, trust me that it would be way too sweet! Even now, they were practically too sweet for my taste. These were the Engineer’s favorites, though, so we’re definitely keeping the recipe. They were so quick to make, too, that the dough was ready before the oven was done preheating. This recipe also makes about two dozen.

1 cup Nutella
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 egg

Preheat oven to 350 °F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat. Set aside.

Mix all the ingredients together well. Form into 1-inch balls. Place on the cookie sheet and flatten with the bottom of a glass (I shaped them with my hands). Bake 7-8 minutes or until set.



If you are looking for another recipe to finish that jar of Nutella, how about some Nutella bread puddings?

Liens de la semaine pour nouveaux parents

- Vous manquez de temps pour faire tout ce que vous voudriez? Vu sur Gaga mais avertie : un truc infaillible pour compléter sa to-do list!

- Être nouvelle maman, ou l’art de l’abnégation. Bon, il y a des moments pires que d’autres, mais ça ne fait que commencer!

- La maternité ferait grossir le cerveau. Mais pendant les premières semaines, on a bien l’impression que c’est le contraire!

- How babies are like frat boys (billet en français, fil Twitter en anglais).

- Bien que nous utilisions surtout des couches lavables pour le Petit Prince, nous utilisons quand même des couches jetables pour les sorties et pour la nuit. J’avoue être déçue du design de ces couches : elles ont toutes de petits bonhommes animés commerciaux! Winnie l’Ourson et ses amis, Mickey et Minnie, le Lorax, toujours quelque chose. Pas moyen non plus d’avoir un modèle de couches non sponsorisé qui serait quelques dollars de plus… J’étais donc bien contente d’entendre parler, aux nouvelles, de The Honest Company, qui vend de magnifiques couches jetables hypoallergéniques et relativement écologiques (dans la fabrication, on s’entend). Je ne pense pas en acheter parce que je ne peux pas vraiment justifier le fait de dépenser presque le double pour une couche jetable, mais j’avoue que je suis très tentée!

- J’aime beaucoup lire le blogue Ce que j’ai dans le ventre (lien dans la colonne de droite). J’ai particulièrement aimé les billets sur la grosseur de bédaine pendant la grossesse (voir les commentaires aussi!) et sur l’adaptation de l’aînée à l’arrivée imminente de la cadette.

Batch of links for new parents

- Postpartum perks on Jejune.net.

- So, the fourth trimester is now over. I’ve moved from taking care of the Little Prince’s basic needs and catching up on social media stuff while he naps to now actually needing to entertain and engage him, while dealing with the first sleep regression (we’ve had two growth spurts already) and marveling at his increased expressiveness. I already miss the newborn snuggliness and wish I had just held him more, back when that actually did the trick to calm him down. (Although to be fair, these days he’s not upset so much as enjoying the sound of his own voice.)

- I’ve never been good at being at the computer while breastfeeding, and I barely managed the iPad, but I do want to share two game apps that I think are great for new moms, as you can play with only one hand and without frying all your brain cells. First, Flow Free (which Dear Sister showed my mother, who showed me). You get a board with pairs of colored dots, and you must connect the dots without crossing lines AND while covering the whole board. There’s a timed option if you want, though that stresses me out, and the free version gives you over 100 boards. Second, Color Zen, in which you solve abstract puzzles of colors and shapes, all with a surprisingly soothing musical background. There is no score-keeping, no penalties, just a very relaxing experience to pass the time. There’s a free version, but I’m considering buying more levels because I enjoy it so much!

- I’m also reading 30-Second Theories, which gives an overview of 50 key scientific theories explained in such a way that the layperson can understand them easily, along with short biographies of important scientists. This collection also includes books about architecture, economy, psychology, politics, astronomy and mathematics. Great to read in snippets and feel like you’re doing something totally intellectual not related to child care at all.

- Poo finger, a treatise on poop and parenting. Honestly, it happens the first week, and from then on it’s no big deal.

- Ten true things about the first year of parenthood, one of the best parenting posts I’ve read, along with this one by Matt Walsh. I also liked this post with a bonus recipe (or really, a recipe post with bonus parenting advice).

- I now respond in an entirely different and visceral way when faced with an unhappy, crying infant or child in public. Never mind that it’s not my child, I just want to hold him and make it better. This is very unfamiliar to me and I’m hopping it’ll mostly go away as the Little Prince gets older, though this seems unlikely because I don’t think it was all hormonal. I did have some major hormone surges, to be sure, but I feel more like myself now, and as far as I know, I’m not suffering from post-partum depression (which is more complex than just feeling sad, I should point out).

- An interesting article about how fatherhood changes the male brain and how a father’s presence influences children. On a related note: 9 tips for new dads.

- Did you know that almost half of babies develop flat spots on their head? We make sure to rotate the Little Prince in his bassinette so that his head isn’t always facing the same way, but I must say I’ve notice that he always turns counterclockwise, regardless of where I am. (Also, remember how I had said that I didn’t want to give my child a name that meant “misshapen head”? I find it particularly ironic that the name of the baby in that flat spot article actually IS the name that means “misshapen head”!)

- Here’s a guide to visiting a new baby. We didn’t have to use it, as our friends and family are from out of town and came for overnight stays rather than short visits, but it rang true.

- The importance of a proper family meal, written by Adam Sachs after the birth of his daughter, makes me long for duck again (it’s not nearly as popular here as in Quebec).

- An interesting idea: how to pick a wine that will age well alongside your child so that you can gift it on his/her 21st birthday (or 18th if you’re in Quebec).

- It turns out that how much you talk to your baby could be the single best predictor of his future success. So while it’s entirely out of character for me to narrate life for someone else, I’m making efforts. And I’m narrating in French, of course; I enjoyed this article about the importance of speaking to your child in your native language, and this Time article about how some elementary schools are teaching in two languages because of the benefits of bilingualism on a child’s brain.

- A new study shows signs of autism as early as one month. There’s also a correlation (not necessarily causation!) between autism and the induction of labor. These findings could give us tools to diagnose and treat autistic children earlier in life.

- A little late with this, but did you know that more babies die on their first day in the US than in 68 other countries? It mostly has to do with lack of prenatal care, so let’s hope this trend changes with the Affordable Care Act – if they can get their act together to sign up the population. Finland figured this out years ago.

- Also, things you don’t need for your baby. I’m so glad we never got a fancy bedding set or a Bumbo seat! I intend to do a follow-up on my baby gear post eventually, though.

- And to end on a high note: 24 kids who are clearly being raised right and 28 of the greatest moments in the history of parenting.

Butternut Squash, Pea and Feta Quiche

I made this quiche for the freezer early last summer. It contains feta, so it isn’t lactose-free; I haven’t found a good substitute for that particular cheese. I really liked how thick the filling was, since it uses Greek yogurt along with the usual eggs and milk. You might want to use fewer peas to get a consistency closer to that of a typical quiche. For the dough, I used a half-recipe of my usual pâte brisée, since I was making only one quiche, and I made a half-recipe of the filling below to fit a regular 9-inch tin pie plate. However, given that I ended up using half a butternut squash and half a package of feta, I really think it makes more sense to make two of these quiches at a time and freeze whatever you’re not eating right then.

2 pâtes brisées (recipe of your choice) in 9-inch pie plates, or 1 in a deep-dish 9-inch pie plate
one small butternut squash, peeled seeded and cubed
1 tsp. olive oil
227 g (8 oz.) feta cheese, cubed
2 cups shelled English peas (I used frozen peas)
4 eggs
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup lactose-free Greek yogurt
1 cup lactose-free whole milk
1½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
½ tsp. freshly ground nutmeg

Preheat oven to 425 °F. Line the quiche crust(s) with a piece of parchment, and weigh the tart crust(s) down with pie weights or uncooked beans, and bake for 15 to 17 minutes. Remove the beans and parchment paper, and return to the oven. Continue baking for 5 to 7 min, until the bottom of the crust(s) is no longer glossy. Remove from oven and let cool. (In my case, I found that baking the crust a total of 15 minutes did the trick.)

Turn down the oven to 375 °F. Toss the cubed butternut squash with the olive oil. Spread the squash on a baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes, until cooked but not completely very soft. Remove from oven.

Place the butternut squash, cubed feta cheese, and English peas in the prepared quiche crust(s).

In a bowl, whisk to combine the minced garlic, eggs, yogurt, milk, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Pour the egg mixture into the crust(s). Bake for about 55 minutes, until the center is just set. Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack for at least 45 minutes before serving. (I served this with a salad of quinoa, kale and crack sauce, but just the greens would have been enough. Especially when I realized how popular quinoa and kale have been lately, I felt like I had followed a trend, but I really do like them! My mom was making quinoa back in 2000, if that gives me any cred.)