Hot Toddys for Two

Because I may or may not be dying of the bubonic plague...

I hate being sick.  Not that anyone actually enjoys being sick, but it kind of makes me angry.  And needy.  And whiny.  Is it too much to ask for someone to come over and make me tea and pet my hair???

Well, since I have to do everything for myself, I might as well do it up good.  As it turns out, my little sissy Mary is also feeling under the weather (we're like the same person!) so I offered to come to her house and whip up some hot toddys to cure all that ails us.  Because what could be better than whiskey and tea to make you feel better about yourself and life in general?

We made three variations of hot toddys, which traditionally are made with whiskey, honey, lemon, and tea.  I used agave nectar in place of the honey and I tried out two different flavors of tea.  Mary prefers vodka over whiskey, and requested apple cider, so we made more of a caramel apple toddy for her.  They were all fantastic (although we both still had to call in to work today, so I can confidently say that alcohol is not the cure for the common cold.  But it did make us feel better for a little while...)

Classic Toddy:
1 Tbsp agave nectar
1 1/2 oz whiskey (or brandy or rum)
1 cup hot water
1 tea bag- I used honey lemon ginseng green tea
Lemon wedge

To make:  Pour agave into the bottom of a coffee mug.  Add whiskey and hot water.  Steep the tea bag for 3-5 min.  Garnish with the lemon wedge.  Drink hot.

Chai Toddy:
1 Tbsp agave nectar
1 1/2 oz whiskey
1 cup hot water
1 tea bag- I used Tazo Pumpkin Spice Chai

To make: Same as above, minus the lemon.

Caramel Apple Toddy:
1 1/2 oz Smirnoff Caramel Apple vodka
1/2 cup apple cider
1/2 cup water

To make: Pour all ingredients into a coffee mug.  Microwave on high for 2 min.  Garnish with a cinnamon stick, if you have one handy.

                                          Drink well and be well!  Cheers!!!

Pumpkin Spice Waffles with Banana Rum Sauce and Spiced Pecans

Because the banana recipe ideas just keep coming!  (Too bad I keep not winning the grand prize...)

Banana.  Pumpkin pie filling.  Pecans.  This is your mission, should you choose to accept it.

And I did, with much success.  Well, success in that they were unbelievably delicious, but not successful in actually bringing in any money.  So there's that.  Anyhow, I'm glad I put together this recipe.  These flavorful waffles would make a perfect brunch entree.  This recipe is a spin on the sweet potato waffles I made for a contest a year and a half ago.  I was tempted to use real rum in the banana sauce, but it was cheaper (and less boozy) to buy the extract.  The sauce was a little thick, but I liked it that way.  If you prefer a thinner sauce, whisk in more milk, one tablespoon at a time, until you're pleased with the consistency.

Not gonna lie, I'm feeling a little defeated by these damn contests.  Nonetheless, I will persevere!  I might just stay away from the banana contest for a bit.  Besides, I need to start planning my Thanksgiving menu soon!  And figure out how/when I'm going to cook, since I will potentially be working 18-19 hours the day before.  Oy vey.  

Ingredients:
For the pecans:
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
4 Tbsp non-dairy butter
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cayenne *Note- these were kind of spicy. I liked it, but use less cayenne if you're not so sure about the heat (start with 1/8 tsp and add more as you see fit).
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp maple syrup
1 cup pecan halves

For the waffles:
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp cayenne
1 1/2 cup pumpkin pie filling
4 Tbsp soy milk
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1/4 cup sugar

For the sauce:
2 ripe bananas
4 Tbsp non-dairy butter
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 tsp rum extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 Tbsp soy milk

Directions:
For the pecans:  Line an 8x8 cake pan with wax paper and set aside.  In a medium saucepan, combine sugars and butter and melt over medium-low heat.  Stir in spices and remove from heat.  Add pecans and stir to coat well.   Dump the pecans into the baking dish and refrigerate while you make the waffles.

For the waffles:  In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder and soda, salt, cinnamon, and cayenne, and stir to combine.  In a medium bowl, combine pumpkin pie filling, milk, oil, and sugar, and whisk to mix well.  Add liquid ingredients to dry ingredients, and stir to mix well.  Heat your waffle iron according to it's instructions.  Cook bater until golden.  This will yield 8 rectangular waffles. (OK, so I actually got 9 out of it, but whatever.)

For the sauce:  Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.  Pour sauce into a small saucepan and heat on medium low, stirring constantly, until sauce is slightly bubbly and heated through.

Arrange waffles on plates, topping each with sauce and sprinkling with pecans.
Yield 8.

Vegan Alfredo Pizza with Caramelized Onion, Garlic, and Fennel

Because my timing sucks...

In my continued quest to get rich quick by entering and [in theory] winning online recipe contests, I came across a homemade pizza contest with a whopping reward.  The grand prize?  $10,000.  Wow.  I could get so many tattoos pay off so many bills with that kind of money!  So I set off daydreaming about the fanciest pizza I could imagine.  I figured making a rich, cheese-less pizza would be appealing and out-of-the-box enough to get the judges' attention.  I decided to use a modified version of my alfredo recipe from forever ago, and a slightly altered version of a pizza dough recipe that I've had for years.  However, actually executing this recipe proved more complicated than I had anticipated.

There simply isn't enough space in the kitchen at my house, so I set off for another sister's kitchen.  Unfortunately, she had neither whole wheat flour (which I had intended to use for the crust) nor a pizza stone (which I always, always use when making pizza).  Nonetheless, we moved forward, using all-purpose flour for the crust and rolling it out onto a rectangle cookie sheet.  The result?  Delicious, but not exactly what I had in mind.  I just kept thinking that I needed a round pizza, the pics I took turned out really yellow, and the crust was too fluffy.  I needed to try this again.

So, a few days later, I arrived at my parent's house to make a disaster of do some recipe testing in their kitchen.  I brought my whole wheat flour and a pizza stone, hoping that everything would come together flawlessly.  The result?  I didn't actually like the whole wheat crust very well.  The sauce and the veggies were perfect, but the crust still wasn't right.

Alas, I was running out of time to submit the recipe, for which the deadline was the following day.  I thought it over that night and the next morning and decided that when I submitted the recipe, I would recommend using 1 cup each whole wheat and all-purpose flour.  However, when I got home from work and clicked on the contest site, I was saddened to discover that I needed to have submitted my recipe by noon.  It was now 5:30 pm.  [Feel free to use your imagination to describe the expletives that directly followed.]  So, the moral of the story is, procrastination costs thousands of dollars.  But at least I got an exquisite pizza recipe out of the whole ordeal.  So there's that.

Ingredients:
For the dough:
2 cups flour (I'll leave this up to you: all whole wheat flour, all purpose flour, or one cup of each)
1 package fast-rising yeast
3/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground fennel
1 cup hot water
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 Tbsp agave nectar (or honey)

For the sauce:
1 head roasted garlic*
3 Tbsp non-dairy butter
1 cup soy milk
12 oz firm silken tofu
1 Tbsp white cooking wine
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp thyme
1 Tbsp cornstarch

For the toppings:
1 1/2 Tbsp non-dairy butter
1 medium onion, sliced (about 1 cup)
8 large cloves garlic, peeled and quartered
1 bulb fennel, trimmed and chopped (about 2 cups), some of the fun, green sprigs reserved for decoration

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, yeast, salt, and fennel.  Stir well.  Stir in water, oil, and agave until all ingredients are well combined.  Cover with plastic wrap and let rise 15 min.
In a high powered blender or food processor, combine all sauce ingredients.  Blend until smooth.
In a large saute pan, heat butter over medium heat.  Add onion and cook for 8-10 min, until onions are soft and starting to brown.  Add garlic and fennel and continue to cook over medium, stirring occasionally, for 20 min, until all veggies are soft.
Press pizza dough out on a round pizza stone or sheet.  Spread with 3/4 the sauce (it's gonna look really saucy, but just trust me) and top with cooked veggies.  Bake for 15-20 min, until pizza crust is golden brown.
While pizza is cooking, heat the remaining sauce in a small saucepan until thickened.  Serve on the side for dipping or additional drizzling.  Top with reserved fennel sprigs for a little extra flare.

*To roast garlic: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Peel as much of the papery skin off the bulb as you can while keeping the bulb intact.    Slice off the tops of the bulbs so the cloves are just exposed.  Place garlic bulbs on a sheet of tin foil and drizzle with olive oil.  Wrap the bulbs in the foil and bake 45 minutes.

Tropical Sweet and Sour Stir-fry

Because I think I'm finally getting my groove back!

I've been in a real rut lately.  The family hasn't been super impressed with any of the original dishes I've cooked for us this month (which included shepherd's pie and a cheesy broccoli-wild rice casserole, neither of which I even bothered to write down the recipes for), which led me to making vegan chili dogs and corn on the cob for dinner this past week.  Not super creative or healthy.  But hey, the kids didn't complain.  However, I can't let picky eaters interfere with my passion for cooking.  So I've decided to work on recipe testing after everyone else has had dinner (or at someone else's house, if possible).  And boy, do I have a few good ideas rolling around the ol' noggin right now!

In a recent moment of panic, worrying about how broke I am and wondering how I could come up with some extra cash (short of selling any non-essential organs on the black market), I found a new recipe contest website.  This site gives a list, by expiration date, of pretty much any and every contest going on the internet.  So I did a little browsing and checked out a few contests that end this month (I'm in need of instant gratification, people).  First up, Chiquita Banana's Cooking Lab recipe contest.  You come up with a recipe that includes bananas, and also two "secret ingredients" which change each week.  This week's ingredients were pineapple and spinach.  I know, I know, your first thought is "Hey!  Just throw them all into a smoothie!"  But come on now, that's not the way I work.  A smoothie is too obvious, too cliche.  I have to be original!!!  No, instead, I decided to put a little twist on sweet and sour stir fry.  Pineapple is usually in this dish anyway, so I figured the banana would just add to the "sweet" and the spinach would add a little extra color.

The banana actually added a really fantastic flavor to this stir fry!  My sister offered to try some as I was finishing up cooking, and couldn't stop raving about the banana.  At least someone in this house likes my cooking!  Now, let's just hope the judges do, too.  I originally tried to fry the banana in sesame oil, hoping it would make them less mushy when added to the stir fry, but I was wrong.  They actually got quite mushy in the pan.  So instead, I'm going to recommend stirring in the banana at the end.  Hopefully that will keep the fruit from becoming too mushy.  You just let me know how it turns out, will you?

Ingredients:
Sweet and sour sauce:
1 cup vegetable broth
3/4 cup reserved pineapple juice (see below)
2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp rice vinegar
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes, optional
2 Tbsp brown sugar
3 Tbsp cornstarch 

1 Tbsp sesame oil
14 oz extra firm tofu, water pressed out and cut into 1/2" cubes
1 medium onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large red bell pepper, sliced
1 lb frozen broccoli
20 oz can pineapple chunks in juice, juice reserved for the sauce
3 cups baby spinach
3 bananas, sliced into 1/2" thick discs

Directions:
In a large mixing bowl, stir together veg broth, pineapple juice, soy sauce, vinegar, and pepper flakes, if using.  Whisk in the brown sugar and cornstarch and set aside.
In a large skillet, heat sesame oil over medium heat.  Add the tofu and cook until all sides are lightly brown.  Remove from pan and place tofu on a plate lined with paper towel.  Set aside for a bit.
In a large wok, saute onion and garlic in 1/4 cup water on medium high heat.  After about 5 min, add the pepper, adding more water as needed if veggies are sticking to the pan.  Cook for 5 min, then add the broccoli and cook for another 5-7 min, until broccoli is no longer frozen.  Give the sauce a quick whisk and add it to the wok, increasing heat to allow sauce to bubble and thicken.  Stir constantly, and decrease heat back to medium when sauce has thickened.  Stir in the tofu, pineapple, spinach, and banana, making sure all veggies and fruit are covered with sauce.  Continue to cook on medium heat until spinach is wilted and fruit is heated through.  Serve hot, over rice if desired.

Mushroom, Fennel, and Sausage Phyllo Cups

Because I decided to start entering contests again...

It's been exactly one month since I left my last job and I have yet to start working here.  You would think that this would leave me with endless amounts of free time to devote to cooking and recipe testing, but, no, that's not what's happening.  Part of the problem is that the kitchen in the house I'm staying in is pretty small, with limited counter space.  All of my fun kitchen gadgets are here (Yay!), but they're all packed in boxes in my room, which is downstairs (Boo!), and really, I'm just entirely too lazy to unpack what I need, bring it upstairs, cook what I want, clean off said kitchen gizmo, bring it back downstairs, and re-pack it.  Not gonna happen.

Another part of the problem is a general lack of inspiration.  The website I usually submit recipes to has stopped running contests.  I've been trying to check out other contest sites online and came across Athen's monthly phyllo contest.  I've entered this contest before but never won.  The prizes are less than generous, but, what the heck, it gave me something to do.  The theme was "Fall Flavors."  Mmmk, a little vague, but workable.  I came up with several ideas, but landed on mushrooms and fennel (brilliant combination, I must say).  And then... I ran out of time to put this together before the contest ended.  Son of a...

But whatever.  The flavor is spot on.  You could probably do this without the sausages, and substitute beans instead.  And you don't really need to put the filling in tiny little phyllo cups.  I think it would be good over rice.  Or potatoes.  Or pasta.  Or bread.  Or, well, anything, really.

 


Ingredients:
1 Tbsp non-dairy butter
2 shallots, diced
1 fennel bulb, trimmed and diced
8 oz mushrooms, chopped
2 veg Polish sausage links, diced (I used Tofurkey Kielbasa)
1/4 tsp poultry seasoning
Salt and pepper

Gravy:
2 Tbsp non-dairy butter
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1 cup non-dairy milk
Salt and pepper

1-2 packages Athen's phyllo cups, optional (I only had one package of the cups, and had lots of filling left over)

Directions:
In a large saute pan, heat butter over medium heat.  Add shallots and fennel and cook for about 3 min.  Toss in the mushrooms and cook for another 5 min.  Add sausage and poultry seasoning, stirring to mix well.  Continue to cook over medium heat for 8-10 min, until veggies are soft and sausage is heated through.  Season with salt and pepper. 
In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.  Stir in the flour, garlic powder, and paprika until well combined.  Slowly whisk in the milk.  Increase heat to allow gravy to bubble and thicken, stirring constantly.  Decrease heat and let simmer for a minute or two.  Add salt and pepper, to taste.  Pour gravy over the veggies and stir to coat completely.  Stuff the filling into little baby phyllo cups, or eat straight out of the pan with a fork.  [I may or may not have engaged in both of these methods.] 

Stir-Fried String Beans and Noodles

Because it's all about trial and error...

And so, my new journey begins.  I'm back in my hometown, living with my sister and her family until I figure out what I'm doing with my life (this may take a while...).  But it's great to be home, and I'm having a blast spending tons of quality time with my niece and nephew.  I was warned ahead of time that they were "picky eaters," but that didn't stop me from daring to implement Meatless Mondays in this house.  My sister thought it was a fabulous idea, in fact, and was more than willing to allow me to cook dinner on Monday.  I was not prepared for quite the tough audience, though...

I know that the fam totally digs Asian food, and I tried to go with veggies that the kids might actually eat.  My nephew promised me that he likes green beans, but upon tasting these (which I had purchased at the farmer's market two days before), admitted to me that he likes "those vegetables" when they're soft, not crunchy (am I going to have to switch to canned veggies???).  He does, however, like mushrooms (WIN!!!) and he liked the noodles.  My niece refused to eat any of it, but luckily, I had planned ahead for these shenanigans and prepared a back-up: Gardein chick'n strips and rice pilaf.  Hey, it was still meatless, so I've got that going for me. 

 My bro-in-law ate it with no complaints, but my sister, who had to work late that night, pointed out that the noodles don't re-heat very well (which is too bad because I made a ton.  Needless to say, I didn't have to cook again for myself for the rest of the week).  

I'm gonna go ahead and say that this recipe was a complete failure.  Not in that it tasted bad- on the contrary, it was absolutely delicious!- but it was not "kid-friendly" or even "adult-friendly."  I'm going to have to stick with more basic, simple meals for a bit, until their taste buds are ready for the full awesomeness of my recipes.  Until then, here's the recipe for the dinner I made.  You can take it or leave it.

Ingredients:
3 cups vegetable broth
3 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar (I used a garlic-infused vinegar which I really liked) 
1 tsp molasses
2 tsp chili garlic paste
3 Tbsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp Chinese 5 spice
15 oz. package stir-fry rice noodles
1 large onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 lb green beans, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
4 oz shiitake mushrooms, sliced
4 oz. baby corn


Directions:
In a medium bowl, whisk together veg broth, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, molasses, chili garlic paste, cornstarch, and Chinese 5 spice, until well blended.  Set aside.
Bring water to boil in a large sauce pan.  Cook noodles according to directions on the package.
In a large wok, saute onions and garlic over medium-high heat for 3 min, adding a Tbsp water if veggies begin to stick.  Add beans and cook for 5 min.  Add mushrooms and baby corn and continue to cook over medium-high heat for 5 more min.  Give the sauce a quick whisk and add to the wok.  Allow sauce to bubble, then turn heat down to medium-low until noodles are done.
When the noodles have finished cooking, drain and add to the wok.  Stir well to completely coat the noodles with the sauce.  Serve hot.

   

Summer Squash and Pasta with Lemon Basil Butter Sauce

Because sometimes you just want to make something fancy!!! (And super duper fattening.)

I bought a bottle of the most amazing Chardonnay ever a couple of weeks ago at a farmer's market.  [Yes, I bought wine at a farmer's market.  Yes, that was my only purchase that day.  Because I'm a classy lady like that.]  I've been saving it to share with my roomie because, well, we have to say good-bye soon.  We're both moving away from Kalamazoo and we've been trying to plan one last roomie dinner before we go.  I wanted to make something fancy to go with the wine, but haven't had much time to cook lately.  As it is, tonight's dinner was served at 11:00 pm.  Because that's how I roll.

Anyhow, I was gifted with some beautiful summer squash last weekend, and  I decided to throw together several summer flavors, just to see what would happen.  The sauce is positively heavenly.  But it's a little heavy, and paired with the pasta, it may be a bit much for some folks.  Now, that didn't stop me from having 3 (small-ish) servings, but the sauce could go on anything: portobello mushrooms, grilled veggies, tofu/tempeh/seitan cutlets, you name it.  Also, I had way more pasta than sauce, so plan accordingly.  Perhaps halve the amount of pasta?  Or double the sauce?  Or throw caution to the wind, I'm not judging.

The Chardonnay paired perfectly with these flavors, by the way.  And the roomie loved it, so I've got that going for me.  Hopefully this isn't our last last dinner together, but if I keep this up, we're definitely going out with a bang!

Ingredients:
1 lb fettuccine (Too much pasta!!!)
2 large summer squash, shaved into ribbons with a vegetable peeler
1/2 cup plus 1 Tbsp non-dairy butter (I used Earth Balance)
2 large shallots, thinly sliced
2/3 cup white wine (I used pinot grigio)
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (I got this from 1 1/2 lemons)
1/2 Tbsp agave nectar
.75 oz fresh basil, chopped (OK, so that's what the package said.  I don't know how to translate that measurement into normal recipe jargon.)
Salt and pepper

Directions:
Bring a large pot of water to boil and cook pasta according to directions.  Add the squash ribbons for the last 3 minutes.
In a large skillet pan, melt butter over medium-low heat.  Once butter is melted, add shallots and cook for 3 min.  Pour in the wine and lemon juice and stir well.  Let simmer for 5 min, then stir in the basil.  Continue to simmer for another 4-5 min, adding salt and pepper to taste.
When pasta is done, drain and return to pot.  Arrange pasta on plate and drizzle with butter sauce.  Enjoy with a friend... and a glass of Chardonnay.