Dallas Morning News Taste Section 9/9/2013 Moosewood Restaurant and Cookbook! Vegetarian / Vegan Recipes

Moosewood Cookbook recipes:

Vegetable Barley Soup
Stovetop Almond Oatmeal
Falafel Burgers
Autumn Smoothie
Vegan Chocolate Cake
Vegan Orange Chocolate Glaze


The first recipe I thought about posting was Chocolate Buttermilk Pie. I actually love Chocolate and I love Buttermilk Pie. Wouldn't that be a win win recipe to blog about? But, I decided to pass on that one.
Actually I'm not posting a recipe from the paper today, but I will choose some favorites from my Moosewood Cookbook.  I've chosen to blog about a Cook Book and a Restaurant.
The headline read, "Moosewood keeps pace with the ideal it inspired"
I happen to be a fan of the Moosewood and their cookbooks. Moosewood began as a vegetarian restaurant and has evolved over the years.
"In the bearded, Birkenstocked 70's, the Moosewood Restaurant in upstate New York was more than a vegetarian eatery. It was the standard bearer of a movement, representative of a lifestyle, an ethic and an ideal".
"Quite simply, today's Moosewood is not the vegetarian menu of four decades ago". "Recipes for dukkah-crusted fish and Turkish borekas extend the restaurant's reputation for introducing international concepts and lighten the load on the obligatory tofu recipes; brown rice has been joined by grains and quinoa".
"The original Moosewood Cookbook, published in 1977 was the point of entry for many of today's older vegetarians  (though not all of the restaurant's dishes were vegetarian)".


Vegetable Barley Soup :

1/2 C raw hulled barley ( it's best to get the barley cooking first and then prepare the rest of the ingredients for the soup. You can even cook it the day before, then the soup can be made in about an hour)
7 C water
3 TBS olive oil
2 C chopped onions
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 C cubed white potatoes
1/2 C diced celery
1 C diced red bell peppers
1 c peeled and diced carrots
1 C cut green beans ( 1" pieces)
1 C cubed yellow summer squash ( or zucchini)
1 C chopped mushrooms
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp dried marjoram
2 TBS dry sherry
2 TBS barley miso
pepper to taste
1/3 C chopped fresh parsley
chopped scallions

Rinse Barley , place in a saucepan with 3 C of the water.
Bring to a boil, cover and simmer on low until tender, about 1 1/4C to 1 1/2 C hours, drain

Warm oil in a large soup pot.
Add onion and salt, cook on medium high , stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes

Heat and simmer the remaining 4 C of the water in a separate saucepan

Stir in potatoes, celery, bell pepper, carrots, green beans, squash and mushrooms into the onions until well coated with oil. Add marjoram, thyme and sherry. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.

Pour the simmering water into the soup pot.
Ladle out 1/2 C of the water and combine with the miso to form a smooth paste. Return it to the pot.
Add pepper to taste, cover and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes.
Add the drained barley to the soup and stir in the parsley and cook for 5 minutes more.

Serve topped with scallions.

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!



Oatmeal was such a common food for Hippy Communes.I though I'd choose one of the recipes from the Cook Book.

Stovetop Almond Oatmeal:

2 C rolled oats ( Old Fashioned Oats) , not quick cooking oats.

4 C water

1 tsp salt

1 C whole, un blanched almonds ( In Texas, we would use toasted pecans)

3 TBS raspberry or apricot preserves

Brown sugar or additional preserves as a topping.

In a saucepan with a lid, bring to a boil:

water

salt
lower heat to medium low and simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, toast the almonds in a single layer on an un greased cookie sheet pan at 350 degrees for 5 - 10 minutes, until fragrant and golden brown.
Finely chop them in a coffee grinder or a food processor.

While the almonds are toasting:
Add preserves to oatmeal and cook for an additional 5 minutes, stirring.
Oatmeal should begin to be sooth and thickened.

Remove from heat, cool for 2 -3 minutes and serve immediately.
As an option, add additional nuts, preserves or brown sugar to top the oatmeal.

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!



Autumn Smoothie:

1 ripe pear ( use a really ripe and juicy pear), peeled, cored, chopped
1/2 C unsweetened apple juice
1/2 C soy or almond milk
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 drops pure almond extract
a pinch of cinnamon

Puree all ingredients in a blender.
Serve over ice

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!


Vegan Chocolate Cake:

1 1/2 C unbleached white flour
1/3 C unsweetened cocoa powder ( I use a good Dutch Processed Cocoa)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 C sugar
1/2 C vegetable oil
1 C chilled brewed coffee
2 tsp vanilla
2 TBS cider vinegar

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
Oil an 8" square or round baking pan and dust with a little sifted cocoa  \or line with parchment paper, or use my foolproof Pan Release Recipe found on the blog under Tips, Hints and More.

In a medium bowl, sift together:
flour
cocoa
soda
salt
sugar

In another bowl combine:
oil
coffee
vanilla

Pour liquid ingredients into dry ingredients and combine until smooth.
Add vinegar and stir briefly
The baking soda will begin to react with the vinegar immediately, leaving pale swirls in the batter.
Without wasting time, pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake at 375 degrees for 25 - 30 minutes
Cool on a wire rack
When completely cooled, transfer to a serving platter.

Dust the cake with powdered sugar or the following Vegan Orange Chocolate Glaze.

Vegan Orange Chocolate Glaze:

1 1/2 C semi chocolate chips
3 TBS fresh orange juice
1 tsp freshly grated orange peel.

In a double boiler or a small heavy saucepan:
melt the chocolate chips with the orange juice and orange peel on medium heat, blending thoroughly.
Spread the glaze over the cooled cake and allow to cool before cutting and serving.

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal

I had almost given up on Oatmeal recipes. I have given up on the concept of making it in a crock - pot and I haven't really found a great baked oatmeal recipe. I think this may be the one!

I have to give credit to someone for this recipe, it's not my own. I am constantly researching  recipes and I'm not sure the route I took to discover this one. So, I'll start with giving credit to Melissa's Southern Style Kitchen and then to Barefeet in the Kitchen....Maybe these are the ones where I found it.
I don't want to take credit for it, but if I've missed the origin and someone reads this, please let me know.

3 C Old Fashioned Rolled Oats
1/2 C brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 C raisins
3 eggs
1/2 C pumpkin puree ( not pumpkin pies filling)
1/4 C vegetable oil ( I changed this from Olive Oil, I'm not a fan of adding olive oil to a recipe like this. the flavor is too strong. I have theory that you cook with vegetable and "eat " Olive Oil.
1 1/2 C whole milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract ( get the best you can afford)

Pre heat the oven to 350 degrees.
Grease an 8"X8" baking dish or a 2 quart casserole dish.
You can  grease it with butter or the Pan Release Recipe that I use.

Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and bake  for 30 - 40 minutes.

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

Harvesting Rosemary Today!

We grow a lot of Rosemary and we cook with Rosemary.
I have many recipes utilizing Fresh Rosemary and we have it available all year.
I cut branches during the summer and bundle them together with twine and hang the bunches in the garage, to dry.
When they're completely dry, I squeeze, twist and strip the needles from the branches. I compost the branches and process the dried needles in a coffee grinder that I only use for dried herbs.
I combine the crushed Rosemary with French Sea Salt and put some of it in a Clay Shaker that we bought in London. The remainder is put in my Herb Box.
I use the Rosemary infused Salt in many dishes that I cook.
I love the taste of Herb infused Sea Salt.
I also dry Basil and Oregano from our Herb Garden.
Even if you don't have the space for a large Herb Garden, you can grow Herbs indoors in Terra Cotta Pots.
I hope you take the time to grow and use your own Fresh and Dried Herbs.

I posted some pictures of the process.

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

Some of the branches before they're stripped

These are the needles after they're stripped

This is the Coffee Grinder that I only use for dried herbs
and the clay shaker that we bought in London

This is my Herb Box, it contains,
Herbed Sea Salt
Salt Free Seasoning
Plain Sea Salt
Herbes de Provence
Lemon Pepper
Pepper Corns ( in the well you can't see)
The lid swings around to expose the wells

Fruit Cheesecake Shooters from The Pioneer Woman / Ree Drummond

I just saw this crazy, simple, sort of amazing dessert on The Pioneer Woman.
There really isn't a recipe for these, it's just so simple.
She calls them shooters based on the small wine glasses she used. You could use what ever size glass you have.

Here are the basic ingredients and the amounts of each would depend on how many guests you're serving and how large the glasses are.

Graham Crackers, place them in a zip lock bag and roughly crush with a rolling pin, ( they'll become the crust )

1 8oz. package of cream cheese to 1 can of sweetened condensed milk, beaten well in a stand mixer or by hand until it becomes creamy smooth, ( this becomes the "cheesecake filling").

Canned Pie Filling, your favorite flavor..... Cherry, Blueberry, Apple , Peach , Lemon, Strawberry... etc.( this becomes the topping)

Slivered Almonds, roughly chopped.

Begin layering the glasses in the following order:

1. Some Graham Cracker Crumbs
2. Some Cheese Cake Filling , place it in a pastry bag or( ziplock, with a small cut in one corner), and pipe it into the glasses)
3. Some Pie Filling
4. Sprinkle with some Almonds

That's It!
It doesn't get much easier than that and they are delicious!

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

Pumpkin Bread in a Can !

Pumpkin Bread in a Can:

While we're in the mood for Fall and Pumpkin recipes, I thought I'd post this recipe for Pumpkin Bread made in a Can.
The Cans for this recipe are 14.5oz. and it make 3 Cans.
They can be Cans of Soup or Vegetables. Remove the labels, wash the can well and dry them well.
Spray the interior with a cooking spray, I use my recipe for Pan Release ( it's foolproof).

4 C flour
2 C packed brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
2 TBS baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2tsp salt

2 C canned pumpkin (not Pie Pumpkin)
1 C milk
2/3 C butter, softened
4 eggs

Combine dry ingredients (the first 6 listed), in a medium bowl (with a hand mixer) or in the bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, whisk well.
Add pumpkin, milk, butter and eggs. Beat well.

Fill cans 2/3 full.

Options:
walnuts, chopped
raisins
dried cranberries
chocolate chips
Add to batter (by hand)  after all ingredients are well incorporated.

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until a knife comes out clean when tested in the center.

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

Crack Pie / Cristina Tosi and Momofuku Milk Bar with updated notes to create Crack Pie Bars.

Earlier, I  posted a story about how I discovered Crack Pie.  You can search for it on the blog under Crack Pie. If you have time, read the story. I didn't post the recipe because I said it was lengthly and it would be easier to research it online.
I decided to post the recipe since the Holidays are approaching. I think the addition of this pie to your Holiday table would be well received by your family and guests. We've made it many times and we never seem to have enough to go around. The recipe makes two pies and when you make it, you'll know why!
This recipe may seem complicated to the average baker. As you check out the list of ingredients, they are all essential to the final product. It's not a pie that you would make as your "first" pie. It's time consuming and decadent. However, once you've taken the time to master it, I believe you'll make it again and again. We've only gotten rave reviews from those that have eaten it.
If you feel that it's too complicated, too expensive or you think you can substitute some of the ingredients..... call your friend that is a baker with experience and have them make it for you!
If you think you'll make it more than once, buy enough of two of the following ingredients listed and freeze them so you'll have them on hand: Milk Powder and Corn Powder, both essential to the end result of Crack Pie.


Let me introduce you to Crack Pie!

This is definitely a Best of the Best Recipes.

Crack Pie

Oat Cookie Crust:

8 TBS (1 stick) butter room temperature
1/3 C tightly packed light brown sugar
3 TBS granulated sugar
1 egg yolk
1/2 C flour
1 1/2 C Old Fashioned Rolled Oats
1/8 tsp baking powder
a pinch of baking soda
1/2 tsp kosher salt

Pre heat oven to 350 degrees

In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment:
butter
both sugars
Cream together for 2 - 3 minutes until pale and fluffy
Scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula
On Low Speed:
Add the egg yolk and increase the speed to medium high and beat for 1 -2 minutes.
Sugar should be fully dissolved and the mixture will be pale white.

On Low Speed, Add:
flour
oats
baking powder
baking soda
salt
Mix for 1 minute
Scrape the sides of the bowl

Spray a sheet pan with a cooking spray and line with parchment paper or just line the pan with a Silpat.
Plop the dough in the center of the pan and, with a spatula, spread it out until it's 1/4" thick.
The dough will not cover the entire entire pan and that's OK.

Bake for 15 minutes or until it resembles an oatmeal cookie, caramelized on top and puffed slightly but set firmly.
Cool completely before using.

Filling:
You must use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment to make this filling.
It only takes a minute and it makes a difference in the end result.
Keep the mixer on low speed throughout the entire mixing process.
If you try to mix it on high, you will incorporate too much air and your pie will not be dense and gooey, which is the essence of this pie.


1 1/2 C granulated sugar
3/4 C tightly packed light brown sugar
1/4 C milk powder ( I get it in the Bulk section of Central Market)
1/4 C corn powder ( I get the dried corn at Central Market and grind it in a coffee grinder)
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
16 TBS (2 sticks) butter, melted
3/4 C heavy cream
1/2 tsp vanilla ( get the best you can afford)
8 egg yolks

In the stand mixer with a paddle attachment:
granulated sugar
brown sugar
milk powder ( this is not Powdered Milk, it's essential to the recipe and don't omit it because you don't have it.... look for it and buy it).
corn powder ( freeze dried %100 Organic Whole Corn)  Do not use a flavored product, it has to be plain and all natural kernels.You need to grind it to a fine powder in a coffee grinder or food processor) Again, this is essential to the taste and consistency of Crack Pie)
salt
Mix on low speed until evenly blended

Add melted butter and blend 2 -3 minutes until all ingredients are moist.
Add heavy cream and vanilla for 2 minutes more. Scraping down the sides of the bowl.
Add the egg yolks just until well combined.

Heat the oven to 350 degrees

To make the crust:
The oat cookie, broken into pieces
1 TBS tightly packed brown sugar
1/4 tsp
4 TBS butter, melted

Place the broke up cookie pieces, brown sugar and salt in a food processor and pulse until it resembles wet sand.
Transfer the mixture to a bowl, add the butter and knead the butter and the ground cookie mixture until moist enough to form into a ball. If it's not moist enough, melt an additional 1 - 1 1/2 tsp butter and knead in.

Divide the mixture evenly between 2 (10 inch) pie tins. Bars: (this is where you would press the mixture evenly into a 9"X13" baking dish)

Using your fingers and the palms of your hands, press the dough firmly into the pans and make sure the bottoms and sides are evenly covered.

Put both pans on a baking sheet pan.
Divide the filling evenly between the crusts. The filling should fill them 3/4 full. Bars:( this is where you would pour the batter into the 9"X13".
Bake for 15 minutes only.
The pies will be golden brown on top but will still be very jiggly.

Open the oven door and reduce the heat to 325 degrees. It may take up to 5 minutes to cool to the new temperature, depending on your oven.
Keep the pies in the oven during this time.
When it reaches 325 degrees, close the door and bake 5 minutes longer.
If the filling is too jiggly at this stage, bake for 5 minutes more.

Gently take the pies out of the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool to room temperature.
Freeze the pies for at least 3 hours or over night to condense the filling for a dense final product. Freezing is the signature technique and result of a perfectly executed Crack Pie.
Transfer the pies from the freezer to the refrigerator to defrost a minimum of 1 hour before serving.

Serve the pie cold and dust each pie with Confectioner's sugar either passing it through a fine sieve or dispatching pinches of it with your fingers.

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

The cookie that makes the crust.

Now it's ready to be processed with brown sugar, salt and melted butter.

This is the Dried Corn I buy and process it in a Food Processor.
When you buy it, they're Kernels. I just return the powder to the bag to store it.

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