Soy flour has it's own flavor, but it's still a great alternative to nut flours in a grain-free, nut-free house. The trick is to add lots of flavor with other ingredients. Here, canned pumpkin does the trick. You could make these with mashed sweet potato, mashed banana, or fresh cooked squash but then you'd have to call them something else.
Pumpkin Muffins
1 1/2 c. Soy flour
1 c. Pumpkin--right out of the can
3 eggs
1/3 c. Honey
1 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 to 1 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Salt
Roasted Pumpkin seeds (optional)
Coconut butter or cooking spray for greasing the muffin tins.
This is the easiest recipe in the world. Mix everything except the pumpkin seeds. Pour the batter into greased muffin tins. Sprinkle the roasted pumpkin seeds on top, if you are using them. Those little paper liners don't work very well, as the soy flour seems to bind to them.
Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes. Let them cool for a few minutes before you pop them out of the tins with a butter knife. Makes 6 to 7 muffins, depending on how much you fill the tins. I make seven. I serve six and save one for the cook!
As for that pesky leftover pumpkin, you can heat it gently in the microwave, add honey and cinnamon, drizzle some cream over it and have it for a late night snack. Or you can make Ricotta Pumpkin "Cereal" (see previous post.)
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Saturday, March 12, 2011
When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Make Mayo
Of course they do. Right? When I found myself alone in the house the other day--no hubby, no kids, no dog. That's right. We don't have a dog. Anyway, when I found myself alone in the house the other day, I thought to myself, "Great opportunity to make mayo!". Every single brand that I have found contains sugar and/or vinegar, when all they really need is lemon juice. So, homemade is really the only way I can go.
Now, mind you, I'm not real big on mayo. But the longer I go without it, the more I miss it. You know, absence makes the heart grow fonder and all that. I have not attempted to make it before because of the fear of poisoning my family with salmonella. But I recalled a vague memory of a table-side caesar salad being made with Eggbeaters and thought, Voila! Maybe, just maybe, I can make mayo with Eggbeaters, too! It's a pasteurized egg product, so no salmonella, and if I make a garlic-rich aioli, the seasonings added by the manufacturer would only make it better, if you could still taste them at all. It would be missing the fat content of the yolk, but it's worth a shot. So, I bring you..
Garlic Aioli.....
1/3 c. egg substitute (I actually used a store brand)
1 lge clove garlic
1/2 tsp to 1 tsp ground mustard
4 Tbsp plus 1 c. mild tasting olive oil (If you use extra virgin, the flavor will be very strong. If you like that, go ahead.)
1 Tbsp lime juice (if fresh squeezed, go ahead and add the juice of one lime)
salt to taste
You can use a food processor fitted with a metal blade, but I used a good, old-fashioned plastic ten dollar blender. Put the egg substitute in the blender. Use a garlic press and mash the garlic into the egg. Go ahead an sprinkle in the mustard. Blend quickly.
Now leave the cover on and take out the little portion of the lid that allows you to add things to the blender. With the blender running, add the 4 Tbsp of olive oil, drizzling it one tablespoon at a time. This is very important! If you add it more quickly, the mayo will not emulsify, and you you will just get garlic infused slop.
Warning: At this point, even thought the opening on top of your blender is only about an inch in diameter, you will have droplets of egg and oil spitting out all over your counter, your laptop, and yourself. Don't worry. It will be over soon.
They mixture in you blender should now be thick and creamy. Go ahead and add the rest of the oil, the lime juice and a 1/2 t of salt. Blend for another 20 seconds or so. Mayo, right? If you answered "No", start over and follow the directions this time. If you answered "Yes", taste for salt.
Now use your aioli to season chicken sandwiches, dolloped on a poached egg, spread on crostini with grilled shrimp or as a side for roast chicken thighs....or as a creamy garnish and flavoring for tomato cod stew....
Tomato Cod Stew
Olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups vegetable broth ( I like Imagine brand--no added sugar or yeast extract)
1 can diced tomatoes
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1 bay leaf
1 sprig of thyme (you can use a little dried thyme, if that's what you've got.)
1 lb. captain's cut cod
Grated parmesan (optional)
Coat the bottom of your favorite pot with oil. It doesn't have to be a soup pan. This can be a dutch oven, or a large deep saute pan with a lid. A larger area will allow you to put the cod on in a single layer afterward.
Anyway, coat the bottom of the pan with oil and sweat the onions for about 5 minutes over medium heat. Add the garlic for a minute or so. Add the broth, tomatoes, tomato paste, bay leaf and thyme. For recipes like this that only use a small amount of tomato paste, I prefer the paste that comes in a tube, not a can. You can squeeze out just what you need and it keeps much longer in the fridge. Stir the broth to incorporate the tomato paste and bring it to a boil. Simmer for about 15 minutes.
Cut the cod into 1 inch chunks and place on top of the broth. Cover and continue to simmer, steaming the fish on the broth, for about 10 or 15 minutes. The colder and larger the chunks of cod, the longer this will take. Check the fish after 10 minutes. When it is opaque and flaking, it is done.
To serve, place a few pieces of fish in the bottom of a shallow soup bowl. Remove the sprig of fresh thyme and bay leaf and ladle the broth over the fish. Spoon a generous tablespoon or more of the garlic aioli you've made on top and serve with grated parm. I know you aren't supposed to serve parmesan with seafood, but I think it makes everything better.
The aioli will keep for several days in a covered container--longer than mayo made with fresh eggs, because it uses pasteurized egg. The stew probably would too, but we always eat it all up.
Now, mind you, I'm not real big on mayo. But the longer I go without it, the more I miss it. You know, absence makes the heart grow fonder and all that. I have not attempted to make it before because of the fear of poisoning my family with salmonella. But I recalled a vague memory of a table-side caesar salad being made with Eggbeaters and thought, Voila! Maybe, just maybe, I can make mayo with Eggbeaters, too! It's a pasteurized egg product, so no salmonella, and if I make a garlic-rich aioli, the seasonings added by the manufacturer would only make it better, if you could still taste them at all. It would be missing the fat content of the yolk, but it's worth a shot. So, I bring you..
Garlic Aioli.....
1/3 c. egg substitute (I actually used a store brand)
1 lge clove garlic
1/2 tsp to 1 tsp ground mustard
4 Tbsp plus 1 c. mild tasting olive oil (If you use extra virgin, the flavor will be very strong. If you like that, go ahead.)
1 Tbsp lime juice (if fresh squeezed, go ahead and add the juice of one lime)
salt to taste
You can use a food processor fitted with a metal blade, but I used a good, old-fashioned plastic ten dollar blender. Put the egg substitute in the blender. Use a garlic press and mash the garlic into the egg. Go ahead an sprinkle in the mustard. Blend quickly.
Now leave the cover on and take out the little portion of the lid that allows you to add things to the blender. With the blender running, add the 4 Tbsp of olive oil, drizzling it one tablespoon at a time. This is very important! If you add it more quickly, the mayo will not emulsify, and you you will just get garlic infused slop.
Warning: At this point, even thought the opening on top of your blender is only about an inch in diameter, you will have droplets of egg and oil spitting out all over your counter, your laptop, and yourself. Don't worry. It will be over soon.
They mixture in you blender should now be thick and creamy. Go ahead and add the rest of the oil, the lime juice and a 1/2 t of salt. Blend for another 20 seconds or so. Mayo, right? If you answered "No", start over and follow the directions this time. If you answered "Yes", taste for salt.
Now use your aioli to season chicken sandwiches, dolloped on a poached egg, spread on crostini with grilled shrimp or as a side for roast chicken thighs....or as a creamy garnish and flavoring for tomato cod stew....
Tomato Cod Stew
Olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups vegetable broth ( I like Imagine brand--no added sugar or yeast extract)
1 can diced tomatoes
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1 bay leaf
1 sprig of thyme (you can use a little dried thyme, if that's what you've got.)
1 lb. captain's cut cod
Grated parmesan (optional)
Coat the bottom of your favorite pot with oil. It doesn't have to be a soup pan. This can be a dutch oven, or a large deep saute pan with a lid. A larger area will allow you to put the cod on in a single layer afterward.
Anyway, coat the bottom of the pan with oil and sweat the onions for about 5 minutes over medium heat. Add the garlic for a minute or so. Add the broth, tomatoes, tomato paste, bay leaf and thyme. For recipes like this that only use a small amount of tomato paste, I prefer the paste that comes in a tube, not a can. You can squeeze out just what you need and it keeps much longer in the fridge. Stir the broth to incorporate the tomato paste and bring it to a boil. Simmer for about 15 minutes.
Cut the cod into 1 inch chunks and place on top of the broth. Cover and continue to simmer, steaming the fish on the broth, for about 10 or 15 minutes. The colder and larger the chunks of cod, the longer this will take. Check the fish after 10 minutes. When it is opaque and flaking, it is done.
To serve, place a few pieces of fish in the bottom of a shallow soup bowl. Remove the sprig of fresh thyme and bay leaf and ladle the broth over the fish. Spoon a generous tablespoon or more of the garlic aioli you've made on top and serve with grated parm. I know you aren't supposed to serve parmesan with seafood, but I think it makes everything better.
The aioli will keep for several days in a covered container--longer than mayo made with fresh eggs, because it uses pasteurized egg. The stew probably would too, but we always eat it all up.
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