red thai curry

after making the ice cream and mini pies, i knew i needed something vegan to balance myself out. and because i had extra coconut milk from the pies, a thai curry seemed like the perfect meal. 

ingredients:

2 large carrots, sliced/shaved/diced (however you prefer)
2 bell peppers, sliced into skinny strips (i used a red and an orange, but any color combo would be fine)
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1-2 inch nub of fresh ginger, peeled and minced (about 1-2 tablespoons, use more if you like ginger, and less if you don't)
1 tablespoon tamari
2 tablespoons oil (i used extra virgin olive oil, but any oil will suffice)
1 can baby corn (the store i went to was out, so i skipped this ingredient, but i definitely would have used it if it were available.
apx 1 lb firm tofu*
1 4 oz can of red curry paste (i found a vegan version)
1.5 cups coconut milk (this amount will yield a pretty spicy curry, use more milk for a milder flavor, or some veggie broth instead for a lighter alternative)
apx 3 cups cooked rice (i used brown, but any kind will be fine)
bean sprouts, cilantro, lime, toasted coconut (optional), sesame seeds (optional) for garnish

in a large pot set over medium-high, heat the oil. saute the ginger and garlic for apx 2 minutes, then add the carrots and tamari. cook for 5-10 minutes, until carrots are slightly tender, then add the peppers. cook for an additional 5 minutes, then add the tofu, baby corn (if using), coconut milk, and curry paste, reduce heat to low and allow to simmer for 15-20 minutes.
serve over rice with with bean sprouts, fresh cilantro, a lime wedge, and a sprinkling of toasted coconut and/or sesame seeds.

*to prepare the tofu, slice it into 1/2 inch thick strips. place strips on a baking sheet making sure to face the sides with greater surface area up, and lightly salt. broil for 10-15 minutes or until nicely browned and crisp. flip the strips, lightly salt them, and broil and additional 10-15 minutes on the opposite side. remove strips from the oven, cut into rough cubes, and add to the vegetables.

lime curd and coconut no-bake mini pies

in chicago, it's hot. and humid. oh so humid, but that doesn't stop me from wanting to make treats and i told a friend i would make a treat for a bridal shower this weekend, because i couldn't pass up the opportunity. despite my love affair with baked goods, there was no way i was turning on the oven this weekend. so i began searching for no-bake pie recipes instead, but most of them had crusts that required baking. what's that about? a pie with a baked crust just isn't a no-bake pie...
because i was taking this treat to a party (one with a florida theme), i made individual pies, each the size of a cup cake. the pies are frozen and made with a raw crust, a layer of lime curd, a layer of whipped cream (a coconut and dairy blend), and topped off with a sprinkling of toasted coconut flakes and lime zest.

crust from wholefamilyfare (i doubled this recipe to use as a crust bottom for 48 cup cake sized pies, so it should suffice for 24):

1 1/2 cups raw coconut flakes
3/4 cup raw walnuts
1/2 cup deglet noor dates, chopped
1/4 tsp salt

combine the coconut and walnuts in the bowl of a food processor. once it resembles a coarse meal, add the dates and salt and continue to process until it sticks together when pressed between two fingers. take the mixture and press it into foil cupcake liners or tart tins. i pressed the mix onto just the bottom of the liners, but if you want the pie to have more of a crust, you could press the mix directly into your tin and skip the liner altogether. i cannot, however, attest to how easy it is to remove them.

lime curd:

6 egg yolks
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lime zest
3/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

combine the egg yolks, sugar, and lime zest in a medium sized saucepan, and whisk until smooth. add the lime juice and butter and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 7 to 9 minutes, making sure to avoid boiling the mixture. pour the hot lime curd through a strainer into a glass bowl and place plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent a crusty layer from forming. refrigerate the curd until it's cold and thick, for at least 3 hours, but up to 3 days.
when the curd is cold, you may distribute it evenly amongst the tarts or liners. for liners, this is about 2 tablespoons each. place the crusts with curd in the freezer to harden, about 2 hours.

whipped creams:

1 can coconut milk with high fat content (apx 22%), unshaken and refrigerated over night
1 cups heavy cream, cold
1 tsps vanilla extract
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar

 open the can of coconut milk and scoop out the cream that has situated itself above the milk. mix the coconut cream with the heavy cream and vanilla extract in a large bowl. using a handheld mixer, blend the creams. blend in the confectioner's sugar in 2 batches while mixing. i was not able to get my creams to hold soft peaks, but the mixture did thicken, and because i froze the pies, this wasn't really a setback. once you've gotten the mixture as stiff as you think it will get, or when it holds peaks, spoon it over the frozen lime curd layer. i used a little under 1/4 cup of the cream for each liner. when all of the coconut milk is distributed, return the pies to the freezer and allow to freeze for at least 3 hours.

note: you want to make the whipped creams once the lime curd layer is frozen, so that when it is poured upon the curd, it remains a separate layer.

honey vanilla sunflower ice cream

this recipe is based on an ice cream flavor i had last summer in rapid city. all across the country there are little homemade ice cream shops, and because they don't exactly flourish in chicago and it was necessary to consume an absurd amount of calories, we tended to stop at them whenever we got the chance.
the funny thing about taste and smell is the memories that they'll bring back to you. who knew that the combo of honey, vanilla, and sunflower seeds would remind me of how glorious washing machines and dryers are? on a cross country bicycle ride, one tends to get pretty stinky, and sometimes you just can't get the stink out without help from a machine. the above mentioned ice cream shop was a few blocks from our stay over in rapid city, but right across the street, like a beacon of joy, was a laundromat.
so i guess this post is for my fellow riders, who know the importance of both ice cream and fresh laundry. enjoy : )

rapid city memories (in edible form):

1 cup whole milk
1 vanilla bean pod
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup sugar
1/8 tsp salt
5 egg yolks
2 cups heavy cream
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup sunflower seeds, lightly toasted

in a medium saucepan over medium heat combine milk, honey, sugar, and salt. split the vanilla bean pod lengthwise, scrape the seeds into the milk mixture, and add the pod along as well. cook the mixture for 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently until the honey and sugar have completely dissolved.
in a small bowl mix the egg yolks and while stirring constantly, slowly add half of the heated milk. if you don't continue to stir while adding the milk, the eggs could curdle. pour the heated eggs back into the saucepan. cook over medium heat, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom of the saucepan, until the mixture has thickened enough to coat the spoon.
add the cream to a large bowl, and strain the milk and egg mixture into it. return the vanilla pod to the mixture and add the additional vanilla extract. allow to chill completely and freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.
just before the end of the churning process, incorporate the sunflower seeds into the ice cream.

for added sunflower-y goodness, heat sunflower seed butter until it is somewhat runny and drizzle over the ice cream before serving.

asparagus, spinach, and feta cheese frittata

frittatas are amazing because everything about them is super easy. from prep, to cook, to clean up, they're perfect for when you don't have much time, but don't want to sacrifice a nutritious meal.

frittata (modified from this recipe):

10 egg whites

2 eggs
2-3 tablespoons soy milk

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

5 cloves of garlic, minced

apx 20 asparagus spears, tough ends removed and cut into 1 inch chunks

4 cups of fresh spinach, roughly chopped

3 green onions, diced

1 cup feta (i use french, but any variety would work), crumbled

salt and pepper, to taste

preheat over to 350 F. 

whisk together eggs, egg whites, and soy milk (use more milk for fluffier eggs, and less for denser eggs) and set aside. in an oven safe skillet (i used cast iron) heat the olive oil. add the asparagus, spinach, onion, salt and pepper, and cook on medium for 5-7 minutes or until asparagus is tender and spinach has wilted. pour the egg mixture over the veggies and mix in about half of the feta. cook for an additional 5-7 minutes on medium-low until the eggs are mostly set. sprinkle the remaining feta over the eggs and transfer the skillet to the oven. bake for 10-15 minutes until the frittata is firm, and broil for 1-2 minutes to allow cheese to brown.

curried cauliflower

i'm starting to think of myself as a produce rescuer. this recipe managed to put 2 heads of cauliflower, a pack of carrots, and 2 sad looking tomatoes, all to good use.
it's a combination of two recipes, one of which my former roommate steffi was quite crazy about, the other which tim couldn't get enough of. how could i go wrong?

curried cauliflower:

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter (or additional oil instead, to make the recipe vegan)
2 medium yellow onions, diced
4-5 carrots, diced
2-3 tomatoes, diced
2 heads of cauliflower, cut into florets
1 29 oz can of chick peas, drained and rinsed
3 heaping tablespoons tomato paste
3 cups water
spices galore*
1/2 tablespoon sugar
salt and pepper, to taste
cilantro leaves for garnishing

in a large pot heat olive oil and butter over medium-high heat. when melted, add onions and carrots and saute for apx 5 minutes. lower flame to medium and add tomatoes, spices galore, sugar, salt, and pepper. allow to cook for apx 5 more minutes then add cauliflower, chick peas, tomato paste, and water. bring to a boil, then cover and return flame to medium. allow to simmer for apx 20-30 minutes or until cauliflower is tender. if the mixture is too soupy continue to cook uncovered on medium low, until the sauce has thickened to a desirable consistency.
serve hot, garnished with cilantro.

*my spices galore included the following, but feel free to use a curry blend you already have on hand, or any combo of spices that suites your tastes:

2 tablespoons paprika
1 tablespoon coriander powder
1 tablespoon cumin powder
1 tsp chili flakes
1/4 tsp ground clove
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon whole mustard seeds
1 tsp fenugreek powder
1/4 tsp hing (asafoetida powder)


to steffi: it's not exactly that carrot magic i made you a couple years ago in bologna, but a lot of the flavors are the same and unless you hate tomato paste and cauliflower, i think you'll really like this. and who knows, maybe even if you think you hate them (like how you thought you hated eggplant), they'll turn into you're new best friend : )

funfetti cupcakes with strawberry buttercream

in my house, father's day isn't so much about my father or my brother (who also happens to be a father), it somehow ended up being all about my niece. so naturally, funfetti cupcakes with a pinkish frosting and extra sprinkles were on the menu. or rather, they were the menu...

cupcakes (modified from this recipe):

1 1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsps baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temp
1 egg + 1 egg white
2 tsps vanilla extract
1/2 cup unsweetened soy milk
2 tablespoons rainbow sprinkles

Preheat oven to 350 F.

In a medium sized bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. in a larger bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth, add the egg, egg white, and vanilla and mix well. add the flour and milk in alternating batches, starting and ending with flour (1/3 of the flour, 1/2 the milk, 1/3 of the flour, 1/2 of the milk, 1/3 of the flour). fold in the sprinkles and avoid over mixing.
line a cupcake pan and fill each liner about 2/3 of the way through. bake for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. cool completely before frosting.

frosting:

1/2 cup butter (1 stick), at room temp
2/3 cup confectioner's sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cocoa powder
3 tablespoons strawberry puree (i blended 3 large strawberries, then ran the mixture through a sieve to remove the seeds)

beat the butter until it is light and fluffy. add the confectioner's sugar in 1/3 batches and mix well. add the cocoa, vanilla, and strawberry puree and mix well again. spread or pipe on cupcakes and decorate with sprinkles.

zucchini roll ups

this recipe allowed me to get rid of the last of the zucchini, but that doesn't mean there won't be tons more in my summer future...

zucchini roll ups:

2 large zucchini, cut into lengthwise strips (using a mandolin to cut apx 1/4 inch thick* slices would be ideal, otherwise just cut them by hand)

3-4 oz goat cheese (i used a garlic herb blend, but if you are using a plain variety, i would mix in some chopped herbs: 1 tsp minced garlic, 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley, 1/2 tsp finely chopped thyme, or whatever blends you particularly enjoy)

1 pint grape tomatoes

salt and pepper to taste

grill the zucchini strips (or saute them in a nonstick pan) on a lightly greased grill or grill pan. salt and pepper both sides of each strip, and allow them to develop dark grill marks (about 5-7 minutes per side over medium-high heat). 

when the strips are still warm, spread the goat cheese over one side and place 1 or 2 tomatoes at one end (the less attractive one) and roll up.

the goat cheese acts as a great adhesive and it's really that easy...

serve as a cold appetizer and enjoy : )

*cutting the slices thinner than 1/4 inch will make spreading the goat cheese very difficult.