Raspberry Ripple Buckwheat Porridge

 

This porridge is a bit like overnight oats in that the buckwheat has to soak overnight. I’m not a big fan of overnight oats, but hear me out! In overnight oats, the texture is all wrong for oatmeal, plus it’s cold, and that makes it unpleasant to me. This buckwheat, however, is then mixed in a high-powered blender, which makes it smooth and takes off the chill. Win-win! Of course, if you use frozen fruit, it’ll be cold, but at that point it’s more like a smoothie bowl than a porridge, so the cold doesn’t bother me in that context. This breakfast was both beautiful and delicious! I got 2 generous servings. 

For the porridge 

1 cup buckwheat groats, soaked overnight 

1 Tbsp. acidic medium, such as lemon juice or apple cider vinegar 

3 Tbsp. hemp seeds 

½ cup lactose-free milk of your choice or water 

1 frozen banana 

1 Tbsp. bee pollen (optional: I didn’t use it), plus more for garnish 

juice of ½ lemon 

½ tsp. ground cardamom 

1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped 

For the raspberry ripple 

3 cups (275 g) raspberries (fresh or frozen, organic if possible) 

1 Tbsp. maple syrup 

Cover buckwheat with warm water and one tablespoon of the acidic medium of your choice. Let sit overnight. The next morning, drain and rinse very well. (The buckwheat may look gooey, and this is normal.) 

In a blender, food processor, or high-speed blender (this works the best), blend the raspberries and maple syrup until they are liquid. Spoon out about 3-4 tablespoons worth of purée (I kept more) and set aside. 

Without removing the remaining raspberry purée or cleaning the machine, add in the drained and rinsed buckwheat groats, and all other ingredients. Blend on highest setting until desired consistency is reached (I like mine rather smooth, but some may like a little tooth to it). Season and sweeten to taste. 

To assemble, spoon some of the buckwheat porridge into a bowl and swirl with about a tablespoon of the raspberry purée per portion (I used more), and sprinkle with bee pollen. To make a fancy presentation, use a glass, such as a tumbler. Layer the porridge and raspberry purée, then drag a spoon up the side of the glass, swirling the two shades of pink together. Garnish with bee pollen and a raspberry. Store leftovers in the fridge for up to two days.

Low-Carb Enchiladas

 

A while back, I tried making a simple chicken enchilada casserole with low-carb tortillas. I thought it was really good, albeit not photogenic at all, but the kids didn’t like it. (The Little Prince currently does not like melted cheese, unless it’s on a pizza, and I’m having trouble dealing with that.) 

Then, for my own lunch, I decided to make another version of low-carb enchiladas, one with egg instead of tortillas. I adapted it a bit to what I had on hand (using marinara sauce instead of enchilada sauce, and lactose-free mozzarella instead of Monterey Jack). Honestly, the process of making the omelets felt daunting before I started, but once it was done, I realized it had been surprisingly painless and easy! I got 7 tortillas and had leftover filling and sauce, so next time I’d use an 8”x11” pan. I also think that you could omit the bacon for a vegetarian version and it would still be great. 

This was absolutely delicious! I really loved eating my lunches that week. This made about 4 servings. 

8 large eggs 

¼ cup lactose-free milk 

kosher salt 

freshly ground black pepper 

4 Tbsp. lactose-free butter, divided 

6 slices bacon, chopped 

2 cups baby spinach 

1 ½ cups black beans 

1 cup quartered cherry tomatoes 

½ cup enchilada sauce 

½ cup shredded lactose-free cheddar cheese 

½ cup shredded Monterey Jack (I used lactose-free mozzarella) 

cilantro, for serving 

chopped avocado, for serving 

pico de gallo, for serving 

Preheat oven to 350 °F and grease a square baking pan (see note above) with cooking spray. 

In a large bowl, whisk together eggs and milk until very frothy. Season mixture with salt and pepper. 

In a small or medium nonstick pan over medium heat, melt about a ½ tablespoon of butter. Add about ¼ cup of egg mixture and swirl pan. Cover with a lid and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until the eggs are set in the middle. Remove from heat and repeat, adding more butter as necessary. Set aside. 

In a medium skillet over medium heat (I used the same pan as before), cook bacon. Remove bacon pieces from skillet and drain most of fat, leaving about 2 tablespoons of bacon fat. Add spinach, black beans, and cherry tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally until the spinach has wilted, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. 

On a cutting board, lay out one egg tortilla. Top center with spinach filling and bacon, then roll up tightly. Repeat with other tortillas and filling. 

Spread a thin layer of enchilada sauce in baking pan. Add enchiladas in a single layer. Drizzle more sauce on top, then top with cheddar and Monterey Jack. Bake until cheese has melted, about 15 minutes. 

Garnish with cilantro, chopped avocado, and pico de gallo. Serve warm.

Poppy Seed Tahini Dressing

 

I made vegan meatloaf and served it with roasted root vegetables and a poppy seed tahini dressing. I chose vegetables that I like, but I made the dressing as is, and it blew me away! I really recommend it. I used the last of it on a salad later in the week. 

For the dressing 

1 small clove garlic, finely grated (preferably on a microplane) 

½ tsp. kosher salt, divided 

½ tsp. lemon zest + 2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon) 

2 Tbsp. well-stirred tahini 

1 Tbsp. olive oil 

1/3 cup loosely packed fresh parsley leaves, finely chopped 

2 tsp. poppy seeds 

Stir together garlic and ¼ teaspoon salt in a small bowl (I used a jar). Mash with a fork until a paste forms. Add lemon zest and juice, tahini, and olive oil, whisking until smooth. Stir in parsley, poppy seeds, and remaining ¼ teaspoon salt. Stir in 1 to 2 tablespoons warm water until dressing reaches desired pourable consistency.

Vegan Meatloaf

One of the dishes that my kids typically like is meatloaf, but since I try to not eat meat every day, I figured I’d make vegan meatloaf. It is topped with ketchup and barbecue sauce, which help give it the familiar taste of meatloaf, but it’s full of vegetables and legumes. It wasn’t exactly the same as regular meatloaf, of course, but it was good! 

I served it with roasted root vegetables and a poppy seed tahini dressing. 

1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil 

½ yellow onion, finely chopped 

2 stalks celery, finely chopped 

1 medium carrot, peeled and finely chopped 

1 cup finely chopped baby bella mushrooms 

2 (15-oz.) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed 

1 cup panko bread crumbs 

¼ cup freshly chopped parsley, plus more for garnish 

2 Tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce 

1 Tbsp. vegan Worcestershire sauce 

¼ cup ketchup 

¼ cup barbecue sauce 

½ tsp. smoked paprika 

kosher salt 

freshly ground black pepper 

Preheat oven to 375 °F and line an 5"-x-8" loaf pan with parchment paper. 

In a large skillet over medium heat, heat oil. Add onion, celery, carrot, and mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are soft and most of the liquid has cooked out, 6 to 8 minutes. 

Using a potato masher in a large bowl or food processor, mash the chickpeas until a rough paste forms. (A few large pieces of chickpea are OK.) Transfer to a large bowl if using a food processor. 

Add cooked vegetables, bread crumbs, parsley, soy sauce, and Worcestershire sauce to the bowl with chickpeas. 

In a medium bowl, whisk together ketchup and barbecue sauce. Add half of this mixture to the bowl with the chickpeas. Season with paprika, salt, and pepper, and stir until all ingredients are evenly incorporated. 

Transfer chickpea mixture to prepared loaf pan, packing the mixture in gently. Smooth top, then brush with half of the remaining ketchup mixture and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven, brush with remaining ketchup mixture, and bake 30 minutes more. 

Let cool 10 minutes, then garnish with parsley and serve.

Curry Rice Vermicelli

 

I was really drawn to this noodle dish by Hetty McKinnon, but it took me a while to get around to making it. It’s a great vegetarian dish and was not hard to make. I really liked it; the Engineer gave it 5 stars; the Little Prince mostly liked the eggs; the Fox liked the noodles. So there’s something in there for everyone, I guess! The amounts below give 4 servings; you can’t double the recipe as is, because it won’t all fit in a wok, but what I did was double the vegetables and eggs, then cook noodles on the first night and cook some more on the second night while warming up the vegetables and eggs. 

Note that I didn’t get the noodles quite as silky as I should have, in part because I ran out of curry and reduced the oil accordingly, and in part because it was hard to toss all those noodles in the curry sauce properly! I need to work on my technique, but I still really liked this dish. 

8 oz. rice vermicelli 

3 eggs 

1 ½ tsp. kosher salt, divided 

6 Tbsp. plus 2 tsp. canola oil, divided 

1 red onion, thinly sliced 

1 clove garlic, finely chopped 

1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips 

1 orange or yellow bell pepper, cut into thin strips 

2 Tbsp. curry powder 

3 scallions, thinly sliced, plus more for serving (optional) 

sriracha or sambal olek, for serving (optional; I didn’t use it) 

Cook or soak noodles according to package directions for al dente. Drain. 

Combine eggs, 1 tablespoon water, and ¼ teaspoon salt in a small bowl; whisk well. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large cast-iron skillet or wok over medium-high. Pour in egg mixture and scramble until just set, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Break up eggs with a spoon and remove from pan; set aside. 

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in same pan. Add onion and ¼ teaspoon salt; cook for 2 minutes. Add garlic and bell peppers; stir-fry until vegetables are softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from pan. 

Heat 3 tablespoons oil in pan. Add curry powder and ½ teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add cooked noodles in 2 batches, along with remaining 2 tablespoons oil and ½ teaspoon salt. (Toss first batch of noodles well, coating them thoroughly in curry, before adding second batch.) Let noodles crisp up here and there on bottom of pan for about 3 minutes. Return peppers and eggs to pan and toss. Remove from heat and add scallions. Serve topped with more scallions and hot sauce, if desired.

Pistachio Chocolate Chip Cookies

 

When I made this recipe, the ingredients only called for brown sugar, but the instructions called for mixing the “sugars” with the oil. The comments showed that I was not the only one to be confused by this! However, since I want fewer carbs, I decided to use only brown sugar. Based on the result, I figured that they had indeed forgotten to write in the white sugar, but it suited me just fine. Everyone here liked the cookies! 

Since then, the amount of granulated sugar has been added to the original recipe, so I’m adding it below. Note that I also added salt and reordered the ingredients a bit. I think I got something like 18 cookies? 

¾ cup pistachios 

2 cups all-purpose flour 

1 tsp. baking soda 

1 pinch kosher salt 

¾ cup packed brown sugar 

½ cup granulated sugar (see note above) 

¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil 

2 large eggs 

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract 

5 oz. dark chocolate, roughly chopped (I used chocolate chips) 

Preheat oven to 350 °F with racks in the center and lower third of the oven. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. 

In a food processor, pulse pistachios into fine crumbs. 

In a medium bowl, combine ground pistachios, flour, baking soda, and salt. 

In a large bowl, whisk sugars and oil for 2 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, whisking well after each addition, and whisk in vanilla. Add dry ingredients and stir with a rubber spatula until just combined. Stir in chopped chocolate. 

Using a medium cookie scoop (about 2 tablespoons), scoop dough onto prepared baking sheets 2” apart. 

Bake until edges are just set and lightly golden, 12 to 14 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes, then transfer to cooling rack to cool completely.

Easier Turkey Zucchini Burgers

 

Remember those turkey zucchini burgers I made a while back? I really liked them, but they had been a bit finicky, what with getting the amount of moisture right, adding yogurt, then breadcrumbs to compensate… Well, this recipe from Real Simple made things easier! There are fewer ingredients, with cumin and garlic powder for flavor. I doubled the recipe and got 11 patties, so the amounts below would have yielded more than 4 for me. These were really good! I used flat burger buns (I like them, but the Little Prince prefers regular ones), and served them with fries. 

1 medium zucchini, grated (1 ½ cups loosely packed) 

1 lb. 85% lean ground turkey 

1 large egg 

1 tsp. garlic powder 

1 tsp. ground cumin 

½ tsp. kosher salt 

canola oil (for grilling) 

4 burger buns (toasted if you wish) 

sliced tomatoes, Bibb lettuce, mayonnaise, honey mustard (and/or toppings of your choice) 

Place zucchini on a clean kitchen towel and wring out excess liquid. Stir squeezed zucchini, turkey, egg, garlic powder, cumin, and salt in a large bowl. Divide mixture evenly into 4 portions (see above); form each into a ¾-inch-thick patty. 

Heat an oiled grill to medium or a greased grill pan over medium-high. Add patties and cook, flipping once, until a thermometer inserted in center of patties registers 165 °F, 5 to 6 minutes per side. Serve on buns with desired toppings.

Chocolate-Matcha Butter Mochi Cake

 

I made this chocolate-matcha butter mochi cake for Passover (because rice is kosher for Passover now, don’t @ me). 

I really liked the cake, though I felt like it was a bit too oily. It is based on traditional Hawaiian butter mochi cake – I’d never heard of it, which I take as a sign from the Universe that I need to spend more time in Hawaii! Based on this recipe, one could reduce the amount of butter to essentially use a ratio of about ½ cup of butter for the box of mochiko flour; in this recipe, I used half the box, so I’d try ¼ cup of butter in this cake next time. Mochiko is also called sweet rice flour or glutinous rice flour (though it contains no gluten, only starches); it is NOT the same as white rice flour or brown rice flour, and you CANNOT substitute. 

Mochiko is really what gives this cake its special chewy texture, the same as in mochi. Also, while it is true that using fresh, ceremonial-grade matcha tea will give you a much brighter, vibrant green, I had an old bag of matcha in the pantry and wasn’t about to source a second one just for this, so a dull green will have to do. That being said, it was delicious, and I just loved the chewy texture! 

6 Tbsp. lactose-free butter, melted and slightly cooled (I’d use 4 Tbsp. next time) 

1 ½ cups (227 g) mochiko (sweet rice flour) 

1 tsp. baking powder (omit for Passover, obviously) 

½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt 

2 Tbsp. matcha, sifted, plus more for serving 

2 large eggs 

14 oz. lactose-free sweetened condensed milk (I used sweetened condensed coconut milk) 

1 tsp. vanilla extract 

1 1/3 cups lactose-free cream or substitute, divided 

4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped 

Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 350 °F. Generously grease an 8"- or 9"-diameter cake pan (I used an 8” springform pan). 

Whisk mochiko, baking powder, salt, and 2 Tbsp. matcha in a large bowl just to combine. Vigorously whisk eggs and melted butter in a medium bowl until pale and emulsified, about 30 seconds. Add sweetened condensed milk, vanilla, and 1 cup cream and whisk until mixture is smooth. Scrape into dry ingredients and whisk vigorously until smooth and very thick. Scrape batter into prepared pan and smooth surface. 

Bake cake until it starts to pull away from sides of pan, top and edges are golden, and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 35–45 minutes (a cake in the smaller pan will take longer to bake than one in the larger pan – my cake took 45 minutes). Transfer pan to a wire rack and let cake cool 5 minutes. Turn cake out onto rack; let cool completely. 

Place chocolate in a small heatproof bowl. Bring remaining ⅓ cup cream to a boil in a small saucepan. Immediately pour over chocolate; let sit 15 seconds. Stir until ganache is smooth. 

Evenly pour ganache over top of cake. Using a small offset spatula or spoon, spread ganache to edges of cake (drips down the sides are encouraged!). Let sit until ganache is set, about 2 hours. (If you are in a hurry, you can chill the cake until glaze is set, about 30 minutes.) 

Just before serving, dust top of cake with more matcha with a fine-mesh sieve. 

(The cake and glaze can be made, separately, 2 days ahead. Store cake tightly wrapped in plastic at room temperature. Let glaze cool, then chill in an airtight container. Gently reheat glaze in the microwave or a double boiler over a pan of simmering water until just melted before using.)

Cauliflower Waffles

 

I was out of ideas for dinner recently, and I remembered how “breakfast for dinner” is always fun. Of course, I’m still trying to eat low-carb and trying to put vegetables on the plate. Enter these savory cauliflower waffles! The recipe below is for the waffles themselves; I topped them with fried eggs, but the original recipe also suggests topping them avocado toast-style or BLT-style, either of which would be good! I got a total of 8 waffles out of this, but they could have stood a bit more batter each, so 6 waffles would also be a reasonable yield. It is also very much worth noting that they did not stick to the (greased) waffle iron like I had feared. 

[Also, if you end up with leftover riced cauliflower that you don’t know how to use: make a smoothie! Because cauliflower is white, you don’t have to hide it like kale, for example, and it is relatively tasteless when raw. Try 2 cups of frozen strawberries (or mixed berries), 1 cup of orange juice, 1 cup of frozen riced cauliflower, and 1 banana. The smoothie was bright pink, and the cauliflower was absolutely undetectable! Of course, the point is almost moot if your kids, like mine, don’t like smoothies in the first place.] 

For the waffles 

3 cups cauliflower, grated (I used 3 cups riced cauliflower, which I realize is more) 

3 cups shredded lactose-free mozzarella 

½ cup grated lactose-free parmesan 

3 large eggs 

¼ cup cornstarch 

1 tsp. paprika 

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 

Preheat your waffle iron. 

In a large bowl, mix together cauliflower, cheeses, eggs, cornstarch and paprika until combined. Season with salt and pepper. 

Lightly spray preheated waffle iron with oil. Pour in a serving of batter (this will depend on the size of your waffle iron, but should be between ¼ cup and ½ cup), and cook for 6 minutes or until it has mostly stopped steaming. 

Serve alone or with the toppings of your choice (see note above).

Mixed Berry and Jasmine Tea Scones

I’m doing my best to empty the freezer and pantry before summer. I was very pleased when I found this granola recipe that used up both the date purée and the TVP! While it does have a decent amount of protein, I also felt like it lacked flavor, so I don’t think I’ll be making it again. I also made so-so protein breakfast cookies with some sweet potato purée and the last of the sunbutter (and even though I used all chocolate chips instead of half chocolate-half dried fruit, they were just so-so). Then, to use up the last of the frozen mixed berries, I made these mixed berry and jasmine tea scones. 

The original recipe was a bit poorly written in that the first step was preheating the oven, but then they threw in 30 minutes of refrigeration. I actually skipped that step because I only saw it at the last moment and I figured that the fact that my berries were frozen would be enough, but the scones did collapse a bit in the oven, so I do recommend the refrigeration step prior to baking (and I have written the recipe as such). 

I used 8 ounces of mixed berries; I just made sure the strawberries were chopped to be on par with the size of the blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries. You can also use fresh berries instead of frozen, but then they will be more fragile as you are folding the dough, and you might need a bit more flour. 

The Engineer and I enjoyed these, but the kids found them too fruity. 

1 Tbsp. jasmine tea leaves 

1 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour 

½ cup almond flour 

¼ cup sugar 

¼ tsp. kosher salt 

1 Tbsp. baking powder 

6 Tbsp. cold lactose-free butter, cut into small pieces 

4 oz. frozen blackberries 

4 oz. frozen raspberries 

¾ cup plus 

2 Tbsp. lactose-free cream (or coconut milk) 

coarse sugar, to top 

Line a baking sheet with parchment or a silpat. 

Place jasmine tea leaves in a coffee grinder or food processor, and process to a fine grind. Combine finely ground jasmine tea leaves, flour, almond flour, sugar, salt and baking powder in a food processor bowl. Pulse 4 times in three second bursts to blend all dry ingredients. Add in the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles wet sand. Pour ¾ cup of the cream over the mixture and pulse another 3 to 4 times in 3-second bursts or until dough starts to come together. Turn dough into a bowl and fold in berries. 

Transfer the dough to a heavily floured work surface and pat it into 1-inch-thick square. Using a knife, cut dough into 3-inch x 4-inch rectangles and then halve each rectangle diagonally. Transfer triangles to the parchment-lined baking sheet. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. 

Preheat oven to 375 °F. 

When ready to bake, remove the scones from refrigerator, brush the tops with the remaining 2 tablespoons of cream, and sprinkle with coarse sugar. 

Transfer to oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until tops and bottom edge start to turn golden. Cool scones on a wire rack before serving.

Tip to get a child to eat healthier meals - now a series

 

I thought that a good way to make vegetables more appetizing to my kids would be to serve them with dip. My kids don’t like ranch dressing at all, but they do like peanut butter. I decided to make this peanut dressing from Bon Appétit and serve it with vegetables for dipping, and turkey meatballs with sweet soy dipping sauce from Parents. The peanut dressing was a success! 

[At the risk of making you feel like you’re drinking from a firehose with these ideas and recipes coming at you: I also strongly recommend the following sweet dipping sauce for fruit! Mix together 1 cup (175 g) of white chocolate and 1 cup of peanut butter (260 g) in a double boiler until all the chocolate has melted. Let cool before serving. The Little Prince thought it was the best thing ever; the Fox decided he didn’t like it, even though he likes both ingredients separately.] 

About that sweet soy dipping sauce: it didn’t happen, because I burnt it. I mean, the phone rang a few minutes before it was done, and I had to take the call because it was important. It’s not even that the call was long, but when I hung up, I was squarely in sitting-at-my-desk-taking-notes mode, not standing-at-the-stovetop-stirring-a-pot mode, so I completely forgot the sauce even existed. Even when I smelled it burning, I thought it was weird because I clearly remembered taking the meatballs out of the oven and turning it off, so I couldn’t fathom why that smell was emanating from the kitchen at that point. Only when I went back in the kitchen to serve dinner did I see the pot of what had been dipping sauce and was now crud. Oh well! Barkeeper’s Friend to the rescue. The meatballs themselves were great, though. 

For the peanut dressing 

½ cup smooth peanut butter 

2 Tbsp. unseasoned rice vinegar 

1 Tbsp. sugar 

1 tsp. reduced-sodium soy sauce 

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 

Whisk peanut butter, rice vinegar, sugar, and soy sauce in a medium bowl until smooth. Whisk in water until dressing is the consistency of heavy cream (about ¼ cup to ½ cup; I used less, because I didn’t want my kids dripping sauce everywhere); season with salt and pepper. This dressing is great with vegetables of your choice (I served broccoli, bell peppers, and sugar snap peas); it’s also a good accompaniment to dumplings and spring rolls. 

For the meatballs 

1 large egg, lightly beaten 

½ cup dried breadcrumbs 

1 lb. ground turkey 

½ cup minced cilantro 

¼ cup finely chopped green onion (from about 2) 

2 Tbsp. reduced-sodium soy sauce 

1 Tbsp. vegetable oil 

1 Tbsp. toasted sesame oil 

½ tsp. kosher salt 

For the dipping sauce 

2 slices peeled fresh ginger, or more to taste 

¼ cup packed brown sugar 

¼ cup reduced-sodium soy sauce 

1 Tbsp. unseasoned rice vinegar 

sliced green onions (optional) 

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

In a large bowl, add egg, breadcrumbs, turkey, cilantro, green onion, soy sauce, vegetable oil, sesame oil, and salt. Gently mix together until combined. 

Roll tablespoon-sized scoops between your palms to form meatballs and transfer to prepared baking sheet. You will have about 40. Bake until well browned, 20 to 25 minutes. 

While meatballs bake, smash the ginger with the heavy side of a knife and put it in a small saucepan. Add brown sugar, soy sauce, and rice vinegar. Stir over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves and mixture is slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Strain out ginger and transfer sauce to a bowl. Garnish with green onions, if using. Serve sauce with meatballs.

Chocolate Avocado Cupcakes with Cauliflower Frosting

I wanted to make another recipe from Jessica Seinfeld’s Deceptively Delicious, and since I had both avocado purée and cauliflower purée in the freezer, I figured these cupcakes would be perfect! It turns out that the chocolate cupcakes themselves were great, but the frosting was a disaster (despite my adding an extra ¼ cup confectioners’ sugar as well as ¼ cup cornstarch, it was still runny AF). However, the frosting fiasco is probably on me – I couldn’t find Green Valley Organics’ lactose-free cream cheese anywhere, so I had to resort to vegan cream cheese, and I don’t think that the frozen-then-thawed cauliflower purée was a good idea in this case. Keep that in mind if you try them. 

Again, the cupcakes themselves were rich and moist and fantastic! They plumped up beautifully, the crumb was pleasantly dense, and they were so flavorful! Everybody loved them. The Little Prince said they were like “muffin donuts” and the Fox actually said, “Thank you for making them so yummy!” 

For the cupcakes 

1 cup avocado purée 

1 ½ cups sugar 

1 cup lactose-free milk (nonfat/skim in the original recipe) 

2 tsp. pure vanilla extract 

½ tsp. balsamic vinegar 

2 large egg whites (I used 1 egg) 

2 cups all-purpose flour 

½ cup unsweetened cocoa flour 

1 tsp. baking soda 

½ tsp. salt 

For the frosting 

1 (8-oz.) package lactose-free cream cheese (see note above) 

½ cup confectioners’ sugar 

¼ cup cauliflower purée (see note above) 

2 Tbsp. pure vanilla extract 

1/8 tsp. salt 

Preheat oven to 350 °F. Coat a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray or line with paper baking cups. 

In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the avocado purée, sugar, milk, vanilla, and vinegar until smooth. Beat in the egg whites one at a time just until incorporated. 

Add the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt, and mix until smooth. Divide the batter among the muffin cups. Bake until the tops of the cupcakes are lightly browned and spring back to the touch, 15 to 20 minutes. Turn out onto a rack to cool completely before frosting them (this is important not only because the heat would melt the frosting, but because the avocado purée might still be detectable if the cupcakes are warm). 

For the frosting, beat together the cream cheese, sugar, cauliflower purée, vanilla, and salt until smooth. Spread over the cooled cupcakes.

Cilantro Dressing

I was making an effort to empty the freezer, so when I came across the rest of the southwestern chicken from this recipe and some frozen cooked quinoa, I knew that I had to make a bowl. It was the perfect occasion to try a cilantro dressing from Parents magazine! (It appeared in their January/February 2002 print edition, in a 7-layer grain bowl recipe, but the website is such a mess that I can’t find it.) 

I added leftover Napa cabbage from the previous week’s salad, some miniature tomatoes, bell pepper, and sharp cheddar. This was great! 

I adapted the recipe slightly by reducing the amount of olive oil by half, and at that point I definitely needed a stick blender instead of a regular blender. The recipe below is my version. 

1 ¼ cups cilantro leaves 

¼ cup olive oil 

¼ cup fresh lime juice 

2 Tbsp. lactose-free plain Greek yogurt 

2 tsp. honey 

1 tsp. kosher salt 

½ tsp. minced garlic 

½ tsp. black pepper 

Combine ingredients in a jar and use a stick blender to blend together until smooth. Refrigerate leftovers.

Crêpe Cake with Yogurt

 

I decided to get fancy with a weekend breakfast and make a crêpe cake. I actually made it the day before and let it set up in the fridge overnight, so I was really happy with myself. I really liked this crêpe cake, though I concede I could have made it sweeter by using vanilla yogurt, for example. And it was so beautiful! But the Fox took one bite and declared that he hated it; the Little Prince was more diplomatic and said it wasn’t his favorite after a few bites. I think I’ll make them a chocolate version to reconcile them with the idea of a crêpe cake; so, although I want to recommend this, I can only do so while giving you a fair warning that it’s not to everybody’s liking. 

1 cup all-purpose flour 

1 Tbsp. granulated sugar 

¼ tsp. salt 

2 eggs 

1 ¼ cups lactose-free milk 

¼ cup lactose-free buttermilk substitute

4 Tbsp. lactose-free butter, melted, divided 

zest of 3 lemons, divided 

1 ½ cups lactose-free plain unsweetened yogurt 

2 Tbsp. honey 

freshly ground black pepper (optional) 

1 cup fresh raspberries 

sprinkle of confectioners' sugar 

Mix together the flour, granulated sugar, and salt. 

In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, buttermilk, 3 tablespoons of the melted butter, and the zest of 1 lemon. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and whisk into a nice, thin batter. If the batter seems too thick, add a bit more buttermilk. 

Heat a crêpe pan or 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Brush the pan with butter. Add about 2 tablespoons batter (my ladle is closer to ¼ cup), lift the pan and roll the batter around to create a thin, even layer. Once the crêpe starts to form little holes, bubbles a bit, and begins to turn golden brown, it's ready to turn. With a spatula, carefully flip the crêpe over and cook another 30 seconds. Remove the crêpe to a large plate and repeat until you've used all the batter, making about 10 crêpes (I had 8). 

In a small bowl, mix together the remaining zest, yogurt, honey, and pepper. Place one crêpe on a large plate, smear on a thin layer of yogurt, and top with another crêpe. Repeat until you've layered all the crêpes into a beautiful cake. (At this point, because my crêpes were uneven, I used the ring of an 8-inch springform pan to trim the edges of the crêpe cake. It looked much better!) 

Top with raspberries and confectioners' sugar before serving.

Basic Pasta Pomodoro

 

I had some parmesan rinds to use up in the freezer. I wanted to make a pasta dish, but something less brothy than my usual recipe, so I searched Google. I was drawn to Giada De Laurentiis’s basic parmesan pomodoro, which had a savory tomato sauce. 

Right away, I made some changes – I wanted to keep the carrots in the dish instead of just using them to flavor the sauce, so I chopped them into little pieces and figured they would soften as they cooked. In the end, they weren’t as soft as I had hopped and they were, unfortunately, not consumed unnoticed by my kids. My other changes are in parentheses below, based both on what was available at the store and on how much fat I was comfortable with! While it didn’t come out quite the way I expected, I still really enjoyed it. Next time, for the carrots, I would either follow the recipe as written or, to add more vegetables, use carrot purée instead. 

1/3 cup + 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil (I used ¼ cup + nothing)

5 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed (I used a garlic press) 

3 large, full stems of basil 

3 (14-oz.) cans of peeled cherry tomatoes (I used whole peeled tomatoes, broken up with a spoon) 

1 carrot, peeled and halved (I used 2, finely chopped) 

8 oz. parmesan rind, cut into pieces (for me, this was 9 rinds)

kosher salt 

1 lb. penne rigate pasta (I used Banza) 

½ cup grated parmesan, plus more for serving 

3 to 4 Tbsp. lactose-free butter (I used 2 Tbsp.) 

Heat a medium nonreactive saucepan over medium-high heat. Add 1/3 cup of the oil and the garlic, and reduce the heat to medium. Cook the garlic, stirring often and mashing gently with a wooden spoon, until golden brown and beginning to soften, 5 minutes. Add the basil, tomatoes and their juices, the carrots and cheese rinds. Stir with a wooden spoon to combine. Bring to a simmer and adjust the heat to maintain a simmer. Cook for 35 minutes stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Add 1 teaspoon of the salt. 

Remove from the heat and cool slightly. Remove the rinds, carrots and basil. At this point you can use an immersion blender to puree slightly or leave it as a chunky sauce. 

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the penne 2 minutes less than the package directions. Meanwhile, rewarm the sauce in a large, straight-sided skillet set over medium heat. Using a spider, strain the pasta from the water and add it directly into the pan with sauce, reserving ½ cup of the pasta water. Before stirring, sprinkle the pasta with the grated cheese. Toss the pasta, cheese and sauce together. Add the butter, the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and the reserved pasta water (I didn’t do this) and continue to cook until the sauce is creamy and the pasta is al dente. Serve topped with more cheese if desired.

Batch of links

 - There’s a local company called Kiolbassa Smoked Meats that makes good sausages (among other things). I just found out that they donate a lot of food to communities, both through food banks and disaster relief efforts. During the 2020-2021 year, they donated 50 tons of food in 26 cities in the U.S., serving a total of approximately 589,000 people! I’ll be sure to look for their products next time I want sausage. 

- Three restaurants that are revolutionizing the kids’ menu. I wish more would follow suit! 

- Here’s a great essay about how oatmeal saved the author’s father during the Great Migration. 

- 9 ways the pandemic changed American kitchen design. 

- So, they have finally invented meal cubes. I have questions (like, does it provide a feeling of satiety?) and I have to admit I’m not uninterested… I mean, I can totally picture us on a long road trip just eating cubes for lunch instead of junk food! 

- You’ll like this profile about Dr. Glaucomflecken, whom I follow on Twitter. 

- I loved this essay titled What My Toddler’s Nom-Noms Taught Me, in which Jessi Klein discusses motherhood and the hero’s journey. 

- Speaking of which, you might enjoy Inconceivable, a documentary about a couple undergoing IVF treatments. (Spoiler alert: this one ends well.)

Chocolate Ganache Tart with Ritz Crust

 

I’m a sucker for sweet-and-savory combos. Like, you know, a chocolate tart with a potato chip crust or a pretzel crust. So it should be no surprise to anyone that I was drawn to this chocolate ganache tart with a Ritz cracker crust! To quote Matthew Amster-Burton and Molly Wizenberg, hosts of Spilled Milk, Ritz crackers are truly a perfectly engineered food product. 

The resulting crust was very fragile and had a tendency to crumble, but it was delicious. As for the filling, it wasn’t overly sweet. The tart felt balanced, yet very decadent – pretty much perfect! 

60 round buttery crackers, such as Ritz (i.e., 2 sleeves, minus 2 crackers each if you’re really counting) 

¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) lactose-free butter, divided 

1 Tbsp. confectioners’ sugar 

6 oz. (1 cup) bittersweet chocolate chips (I used Ghiradelli) 

1 cup lactose-free whipping cream (vegan or not) 

1 tsp. vanilla extract 

1/8 tsp. kosher salt 

Preheat oven to 350 °F. Place crackers in a large zip-top bag; seal well. Using a rolling pin or wine bottle, crush crackers into fine crumbs. (Alternatively, pulse in a food processor.) Melt 1 stick butter in a small saucepan over medium-low, stirring occasionally. 

Transfer cracker crumbs to a large bowl. Stir in sugar. Stir in melted butter until mixture is well combined and the consistency of wet sand. Transfer to a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom or a 9-inch pie plate. Press crust into an even layer on bottom and up sides of pan. Bake until lightly golden, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely, about 45 minutes. 

Meanwhile, make the ganache: Place 2 inches of water in a medium pot over medium; bring to a simmer. Fit a small saucepan (or heatproof bowl) over simmering water, making sure water doesn't touch saucepan. Combine chocolate chips and cream in saucepan. Cook, stirring constantly, until chocolate is completely melted and mixture is glossy, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove saucepan from water; stir in remaining ½ stick butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, until fully incorporated. Stir in vanilla and kosher salt. Let cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes. 

Pour cooled ganache into cooled crust. Refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 2 hours and up to 6 hours, covering after 2 hours. Before serving, sprinkle with flaky sea salt, if desired.

Tartines à la courgette et au cheddar

 

J’ai voulu essayer une nouvelle recette pour Pâques, cette casserole croque-madame et tater-tots, et en fin de compte, je n’ai pas du tout aimé le résultat. J’ai aussi essayé des trucs à teneur faible en glucides, comme ces poivrons farcis au poulet parmesan (bons, sans plus) et ces wraps où une tranche de dinde remplace la tortilla (bons également, mais pas pratiques à tenir de ses mains). Je voulais ensuite une recette végétarienne et je me suis rappelé que ma mère avait partagé avec moi ces tartines à la courgette et au cheddar. Apparemment que Josée di Stasio utilise de l’oignon rouge émincé au lieu de la ciboulette et du pain baguette, et ma mère a mis une mince tranche de jambon sur le pain avant d’ajouter les courgettes. Bref, c’est simple, bon et adaptable! 

4 tranches de pain (j’ai pris du pain SOLA) 

1 courgette, râpée 

1 tasse de cheddar fort sans lactose 

1 œuf 

ciboulette, ciselée 

Préchauffer le four à broil. 

Griller les tranches de pain au grille-pain. (J’ai oublié!) 

Mettre la courgette dans une serviette propre et égoutter l’excédent de liquide.

Mettre la courgette, le cheddar, l’œuf et la ciboulette dans un bol. 

Déposer le mélange sur les tranches de pain grillées. 

Mettre dans le four de 5 à 8 minutes.

Gâteau à l'érable

 

J’ai fait le gâteau à l’érable de 3 fois par jour. C’est que j’avais voulu essayer de nouveaux muffins pour déjeuner, des muffins à l’avoine et à l’érable, qui n’avaient vraiment rien de spécial en fin de compte. Mais là, il me restait du beurre d’érable, procuré à prix élevé bien sûr, et je voulais une recette qui soit à la hauteur! Si ce gâteau à l’érable est bon, le glaçage, lui, est extraordinaire! Je pense que je vais devoir racheter du beurre d’érable à l’occasion pour en refaire! 

Pour le gâteau

1 ½ tasse de farine tout usage 

2 c. à thé de poudre à pâte 

1 pincée de sel 

½ tasse de beurre sans lactose, à la température de la pièce 

¾ tasse de sirop d’érable, à la température de la pièce 

2 œufs 

¾ tasse de lait sans lactose 

Pour le glaçage 

½ tasse de beurre sans lactose, à la température de la pièce 

2/3 tasse (250 g) de beurre d’érable (je n’en avais que ½ tasse) 

1 tasse de sucre en poudre 

flocons de sucre d’érable, pour décorer (facultatif) 

Préchauffer le four à 350 °F et placer la grille au centre. Beurrer un moule à pain de 9"x5" et réserver. 

Dans un bol, combiner la farine, la poudre à pâte et le sel, puis réserver. 

Dans un grand bol, fouetter le beurre et le sirop d’érable pendant 2 minutes. Ajouter les œufs un à la fois, en fouettant pendant 1 minute par œuf. 

Ajouter le mélange d’ingrédients secs et le lait en alternant, puis mélanger afin de former une pâte homogène, sans plus. Verser le mélange dans le moule à pain. 

Cuire au four pendant 50 minutes, ou jusqu’à ce qu’un cure-dents inséré au centre en ressorte propre, puis laisser refroidir complètement. Démouler et placer dans une assiette de service. 

Au robot-mélangeur, broyer le beurre, le beurre d’érable et le sucre en poudre afin d’obtenir un glaçage lisse. Glacer le gâteau, puis saupoudrer de flocons de sucre d’érable (si désiré) avant de servir.