Walnut-Miso Green Beans

 These are so, so addicting. And vegan! They have the perfect umami flavor, and could be compared to a somewhat parmesan cheese taste.

 They're very simple. Just blanch until the green beans turn a bright green and are still crunchy, make the sauce in a food processor, and douse.

I can eat a pound of green beans like this. They're good warm or chilled. I like to make a lot of sauce so that there are chunks hanging off the beans. If you want it smoother, process more. Ya know.

Walnut-Miso Green Beans
serves 4. under 20 mins
adapted from my idol Mark Bittman 

note: I have a confession. It's easier and faster to microwave-steam these beans. I have been brought up being taught that microwaves are scary and one should never put plastic in it and that it is solely for reheating. But this takes all of two minutes, which is such a plus that I often ignore my upbringing and push the start button. So you can blanch (quite easily), or you can put these in a microwave-safe bowl, cover with plastic wrap, add a sprinkling of water, and microwave for 1-3 minutes, until bright green. Let sit covered for a couple more minutes after removing from the microwave.

note note: the quantities can quite easily be tinkered with. If you have more or less green beans, just add or subtract a couple tablespoons of each ingredient, and/or add only as much as you need to the beans.

10 ounces (1.5-2 cups) green beans, ends snipped
2 tsps fresh grated ginger
2 tbsps light (yellow/white) miso
1/2 cup shelled walnuts
1/2 tsp soy sauce
water

Bring pot of water to a boil and blanch beans until they are bright green and just tender, about 5 minutes, or use microwave method (elaborated above). Drain and rinse with cold water. Place in a serving bowl.

In a food processor, combine ginger, miso, and soy sauce and pulse for less than 10 seconds. At this point, add some water, starting with 1-2 tbsps, until you reach your desired thickness. Pulse more if you want it smoother.
Toss beans in sauce, and serve.

Chocolate Marzipan Cake

I intended this cake to be a seduction cake. There might have been a boy and it might have been his birthday and I might have tried to woo him with dark chocolate and almond paste.

Unfortunately, the day I brought him the cake, he was home sick. The next day, I fell sick. By wednesday, the cake was a little stale and I couldn't find him anywhere. My friends and I ate the seduction cake without him.

And, actually, now, he's got a girlfriend, who comically coincidentally has the feminized version of his name. We can forget them. They don't matter, in the grand scheme of things.

What matters is this cake. Two layers of dark chocolate, with thin sheets of marzipan sandwiched between them and ganache layered on top.

Yeah. So good.

And I was a genius (if I do say so myself)! When I cut the cake to pack it into my rectangular tupperware (no longer--I have since bought a round cake container) I deftly left behind a sliver from the middle, so that my family could share in the deliciousness and no one would notice. I'm proud. Of my cunning. With the cutting.

 Chocolate Marzipan Cake

makes 2 medium rounds

cake recipe adapted from Mad Hungry (it's vegan!)

2 chocolate cakes

2 marzipan rounds

chocolate ganache

for cake

3 cups flour

2 cups sugar

6 tbsps cocoa powder

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

3/4 cup canola oil

1 tsp vanilla

2 tbsps white vinegar

2 cups cold water

Heat oven to 350 F and grease two round medium cake pans (between 9-12" will get you various thicknesses). 

In a large bowl, add the first five ingredients (dry) and whisk together.

Create a well, and add the remaining four ingredients and mix until batter is smooth.

Fill pans and bake for 30-45 minutes, or until a knife inserted comes out clean.

for marzipan rounds

18 oz/500 g marzipan (about two foil-wrapped sausagey containers from the store)

Take half the marzipan and roll it out as circularly as you can manage and about an 1/8 of an inch thick. Place the cake pan onto the rolled out marzipan and cut a circle around it.

Repeat.

for ganache

2/3 cup bittersweet chocolate chips

3 tbsps butter

1 cup heavy cream

Whip the cream until it forms soft peaks.

Melt the butter and chocolate in a double boiler or microwave.

Add to whipped cream and mix thoroughly.

Assembly

Cover the first cake layer with the first marzipan layer and trim the edges so it fits on top. Spread a layer of ganache over that. then stack the next cake. Repeat with the marzipan and ganache. Sprinkle with a little cocoa powder that's been mixed with powdered sugar to look artsy (but not pucker your mouth). Ganache will firm up in the fridge. Keeps for about 3 days.

Note: if (and you will) you have extra ganache, you can make truffles. Follow directions, though the end result will be lighter because you whipped the cream here. And with the extra marzipan? Eat it.

Beet Greens Tart

I really love tarts. I even more love galettes, Tart's rustic cousin (why haven't I posted a galette yet? This must be remedied). Another thing I love? Using up ingredients in the fridge. That's where the beet greens come in.

 Yes, you make some beets, maybe a risotto, maybe a slaw, I dunno. Then those greens sit there in the vegetable bin, limply whispering, make us. Please, don't let us wilt here. And you (me) think, Oh yes, I really do want to make you! But steaming them, or stir-frying them, is quite lovely with a bit of garlic and olive oil, but it gets old fast, huh? Especially when this is the routine most of the time, for chard greens, or kale, or collards, or, spinach, or turnip greens.

 Maybe it's just me. Maybe I eat a freakish amount of dark leafy greens (I do. Iron!). But anyhow, this recipe is perfect for doing something new, something delicious, something not just side-dish with your greens, limply whispering or otherwise.

You blend the greens into a lovely froth with some eggs, and milk, and broth, to make a custard type filling. Then all you have to do is pour it into the cornmeal crust, and pop in the oven. Makes for a mighty happy meal. Experiment with any greens you see fit to unearth from your vegetable drawer.

Beet Greens Tart
makes 1 medium tart

adapted from 101 Cookbooks

for Cornmeal Tart Shell
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup medium coarse corn meal
1/2 tsp salt
1 stick (8 tbsp) chilled unsalted butter, cut in cubes
1 large egg yolk
1/4 cup cold water

for Turnip Green Filling
1/4 lb. beet greens, or or any other green you want
2 cloves garlic
2 large eggs + 1 yolk
3/4 cup veg. broth
1/4 cup milk
scant 1/4 tsp salt
2 tsps Dijon mustard
1 1/2 tsps herbs de Provence (mix of dried thyme, basil, rosemary, sage, fennel)
hard cheese (like gruyere) and crushed red pepper flakes, for topping (opt.)

Make tart dough. Combine flour, cornmeal, and salt in food processor. Pulse in butter, 20+ pulses, or until the mixture is pebbly. Add the egg yolk and water. Pulse, trickle in more water if needed, just until dough comes together. Turn out onto a piece of plastic wrap and gather into a ball. Press into a disk and chill n the fridge for at least an hour.

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Place a rack in the middle of the oven. Tart pan can be between 9x9 or 8x11, or 9 inch round.

When you're ready to line the tart pans with dough, open the plastic wrap and roll out until the dough is large enough to line your tart pan, around 1/6-1/8 inch thick. Transfer the dough to the greased pan. Don't worry too much if you get a tear or hole, you can patch those up later with scraps. Work quickly to ease the dough into place, taking care not to stretch the dough. Press it along the bottom of the pan, out to the walls, and against the sides. Trim any excess dough.

Partially bake the tart shell before filling it: dock it with a fork, making small holes along the bottom of the shell. Bake for 25 minutes. You can fill it with pie weights to prevent bubbles, or just keep an eye on it and press any out if they come up. Remove from oven and let cool completely.

To make the filling: Chop the greens and garlic in a food processor. Add the eggs and yolk, pulse. Then the broth and milk. Lastly, incorporate the salt, mustard, and herbs. Fill the tart shell and sprinkle with a little cheese and a sprinkling of red pepper flakes for some zing. Bake for 30 minutes or so, or until the center is set, and has firmed up to the touch.

Key Lime Pie Cupcakes

 Yes, once more I have failed you in the picture taking department. I was really, really busy, you see. Busy doing what, you ask? Um. Eating all of these cupcakes. Except this one, which I was able to photograph, looking like not so much at all.

Listen. Trust me. It's not not so much at all. These cupcakes are a whole lot of something. Key limes and sweetened condensed milk make the cake pop with flavor and moist texture, and the graham cracker frosting simulates perfectly the pie crust. I--ugh, I could wax poetic, but I feel that it's in everyone's greater good to just go make it. 

I assume you can use a bottle already-squeezed key lime juice, which I might go so far as to recommend, because squeezing each baby little lime of its precious juice is a serious chore. Especially if you're me and you always have cuts all over fingers. 

Key Lime Pie Cupcakes

adapted from the Cupcake Project

makes 12-16 cupcakes

key-lime cake 

1 1/2 cups cake or all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
6 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
3/4 cup key lime juice

Preheat oven to 350 F and line a cupcake tin.

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In a medium-sized bowl, cream butter and sugar. Mix eggs into butter/sugar, one at a time.
Mix sweetened condensed milk and key lime juice into wet ingredients.
Mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients until just combined.
Divide evenly and bake for 30 minutes or until cupcakes bounce back when touched lightly. 

graham-cracker frosting

3 tbsps unsalted butter, room temperature
8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/3 cup finely crushed graham crackers

In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy.
Mix in the powdered sugar a little bit at a time. Note: You can add more if you prefer a stiffer consistency. Mix in vanilla extract.
Fold in graham crackers.

Frost cupcakes.

Spaghetti with Vegan Alfredo Sauce and "Meat"balls

 Dammit these photos suck. My constant plight: do I make the food and then spend hours getting the right shot? Or do I eat it while it's still hot, in the company of friends, and bad lighting? Certainly for this meal I went with the latter.

I'm not vegan, but there is something I absolutely love about making something when you have restrictions. I had vegan friend for dinner, so I went all out. We made some kale salad, too, and had homemade peanut-butter cups for dessert (just buy vegan chocolate). The crowning glory was this pasta dish. The alfredo gains its creaminess largely from cashews, which are often substituted in place of dairy. The meatballs were fabulous. They benefited from putting a whole lot of flavors in. The great thing about vegan food is there's often a lot less cooking. The alfredo is raw: all you have to do is put everything in the blender! And the balls you just mix together, form, and bake. It was a really great meal. The one thing I would warn is don't go into this looking for the glory or taste of traditional, mother's alfredo or meatballs. It's a beast of its own accord.

Pasta with Vegan Alfredo Sauce and "Meat"balls
makes 4-6 servings
adapted from Vegan Yum Yum and My Vegan Cookbook

for meatballs
(note: sorry I haven't added in instructions for the lentil and brown rice! I'm a bit of a freak and I often have them leftover in my fridge and I'm too lazy to add cooking instructions right now. Neither should take too long though, especially if you use a pressure cooker.)

1/2 cup cooked lentils
1 cup cooked brown rice
1/4 cup old fashioned oats
1/4 cup wheat germ
2 tbsps soy sauce
2 tbsps olive oil
2 tsps lemon juice
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp chili powder (optional)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
2 tsps molasses
2 tsps dijon mustard

Preheat oven to 300 F.

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. If mixture isn't sticking enough, add a little water. 

Measure out 2 tablespoons of mixture for each meatball if you want them big, or 1 if you want them mini (like I did) and roll into a ball with your hands. 

Spray cooking sheet and place meatballs on it. Place into oven and cook 15 minutes on one side and roll over and cook 15 minutes on the other side. 

After they are out of the oven, let stand for about 10 minutes to allow them to firm up. They may crumble a bit, but that's ok. They still taste great in bits.

for alfredo sauce

1 cup soymilk
1/3 cup raw, unsalted cashews
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
3 tbsps soy sauce (low-sodium is best)
2 tbsps earth balance buttery spread
1 tbsps tahini
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tsps dijon mustard
1/2 tsp paprika
1 sprinkle nutmeg
4 cloves garlic, crushed with the back of a knife
black pepper, to taste

Add all the ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth. Strain if you want really smooth, but I personally like the crunchy cashew bits. Adjust flavoring as you see fit.

for spaghetti

2 lbs spaghetti
boiling water

Cook pasta in boiling water until al dente, 8-10 minutes (or whatever the box says) and drain.

assembly
In a large serving bowl, add hot pasta and alfredo sauce. Mix thoroughly, then throw in meatballs. Serve!

Cantaloupe Horchata

 People who do know what horchata is often know it as its traditional, basic rice version, with milk and cinnamon.

What most people don't know is that you can also make fruit horchatas. In this case, there is no rice involved. What qualifies it with horchata status is that something unusual is added. Or, I should say, not removed. For cantaloupe horchata, everything--save the rind--is added. The fruit, the pulp, and the seeds. The seeds give it an odd, deep body that takes some time getting used to but is very impressive once you've come to terms with. I know I should be making this closer to summer, but I couldn't help it. A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do. If, um, I mean, if that means making horchata.

Cantaloupe Horchata
adapted from Mark Bittman's Best Recipes in the World
serves 4.


1 ripe cantaloupe
1/4 c. fresh lime juice (about 2 limes)
1/4 c. sugar (to taste)

Cut the cantaloupe in half and scoop everything–fruit, seeds, and pulp–into a blender. Add a couple tablespoons of lime juice and sugar and 2 cups of water. 

Blend until smooth (this could take a bit of time). Taste and adjust the lime juice and sugar. You can choose to strain the drink at this point if you want, then serve cold immediately or store in fridge.

Peanut Butter Button Cookies

 When I say button I actually mean it. They look like actually buttons.

 Simple peanut butter cookie recipe. I will you save you from the fate of your cousins: no fork tines will scrape your back.

 As you can see, these cookies are pretty small. As uncooked balls they should fit inside a bottle cap.

 We're getting to the fun part. Just as the cookies come out of the oven, still warm, you have to make the buttons. Hurry, there's not a lot of time before they get too rigid and cool.

 How do you make the cute little button-ridge? That afore-mentioned bottle cap. Press it into the cookie. Perfect.

 Then the holes? It involves a straw. Bring it down and give the straw a smart turn. When you draw up, you should have left a neat hole for your button. This is fun for the first, oh, 100 holes. Then it starts to get sucky. Wait, did I mention? The cookie left from the button holes accumulate. What's really fun? Sucking them out of the straw. Like a pneumatic tube that ends in your mouth.

These make great gifts. Put them in a jar and tie with a ribbon. That's what I did. ANd the best thing about giving a gift of food? You often get to help eat them.

Peanut Butter Button Cookies
adapted from Bakerella and allrecipes
makes about 60 tiny buttons


note: bake these in about four batches. As you take one out, put the next in and start transforming the done batch into buttons. As you finish, the next batch should be ready. Be careful not to bake too many at one time, because they'll cool and harden before you're ready to work with them.

6 tbsps unsalted butter
1 cup creamy peanut butter
3/4 cup turbinado sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsps baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cream together butter, peanut butter and sugars. Beat in eggs.
In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir into batter. 

Optional: at this time, you can chill in the refrigerator for an hour to help combat spreading when they bake.
Roll into balls that will fit inside a soda cap and put on baking sheets.  

Bake for about 6-10 minutes or until cookies begin to brown. Do not over-bake.

While cookies are still warm and soft, press the soda top into each to make an indent in the middle,a nd then use a straw to poke four button holes for each cookie. Some will crack. Don't worry. Those are for eating while you work.