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Paleo Pumpkin Pie

Written on November 29, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Dessert

I’ll be the first to admit I hardly eat like the paleo diet; I do, however, when such tasty desserts fit the bill.

I couldn’t decide between making a pumpkin or pecan pie this year. I decided to split the difference and make a pumpkin pie with a pecan-date crust. Since gluten is out of the question, I knew I’d have to get a little creative with the recipe.

For the filling I used butternut squash puree; this tastes much more similar to canned “pumpkin” than fresh sugar pumpkin. I also added some almond butter for richness and flavor. And the maple syrup sweetener adds a nice amber sweetness.

The crust tastes like a soft Larabar. The cinnamon adds amazing flavor to the pie. I was impressed that it held up so well to being baked for an hour. You could also use it as the crust for a raw pie with a little chilling.

Paleo Pumpkin Pie

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 1 hour

Ingredients(Makes 1 pie):

1 1/4 cup pecans
8oz dates
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 Tablespoons water
1 1/2 cups butternut squash puree
1/2 cup maple syrup
3 eggs
1/4 cup almond butter
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided

Method:

In a food processor, blend the dates, pecans, cinnamon and 1/4 teaspoon of salt until the dates and pecans are finely ground.
Slowly add the water while the dough is pureeing until it comes together and forms a ball. Turn off the food processor.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Press the dough into a pie pan so that there’s 1/4-inch of dough on the bottom and along the sides.
Mix together all of the remaining ingredients until the filling is smooth and uniform.
Pour the filling into the crust. Put the pie onto a water bath and bake for an hour or until the center has cooked through.

Don’t wait until next Thanksgiving to make this pie; it’s too good to wait. Find an excuse to make it this week. You’re almost out of leftovers, right? Right?

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Cinnamon Honey Butter

Written on November 28, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Miscellaneous

This week is all about Thanksgiving recipes. In some respects that was poor planning on my part, since Thanksgiving won’t come around again for another 51 weeks; but I hope some of these recipes you’ll be able to work in and enjoy for Christmas or other times during the year, like this one.

This was so simple to make it almost didn’t feel like a recipe at all. And yet despite how easy it is, the flavor is rich and complex. You could easily make this to keep around for breakfast on toast or dinner on squash. It’s kind of addicting; before you know it you’ll be slathering this on anything.

This recipe calls for unsalted butter; I think it’s always best to keep that in stock since you can always add salt later on. If all you have is salted butter, just omit the added salt in the recipe and it will still taste great.

Cinnamon Honey Butter

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 0 minutes

Ingredients:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
6 Tablespoons honey
1/4 + 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt

Method:

In a small bowl, work all of the ingredients together until completely mixed together.
Scoop the butter onto a piece of Saran wrap. Roll the butter into a log and place it in the refrigerator to solidify.
Unwrap the butter and put it on a butter dish to serve.

When I made this, I licked the bowl I mixed it in. It was simultaneously the grossest and best part of my day. The end.

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Curry Roasted Chickpeas

Written on November 17, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Snack

This is undoubtedly one of my favorite recipes of recent. After all it has maple syrup and cinnamon—what’s not to love? And I loved the way the chickpeas tasted after they had been roasted, which made me want to try more variations.

Rather than go the sweet route(since I could eat sweets all day), I wanted a savory recipe that would be just as delicious but slightly less addicting. I love the combination of maple syrup and curry in this squash recipe so it seemed like a great way to start. The maple syrup doesn’t actually make these all that sweet; rather, it intensifies the spiciness of the curry and balances its saltiness for an intense flavor combination.

Different curry spice blends have different ingredients. If you’re opposed to spiciness, look for a mild-flavored blend. Additionally, if yours is salt-free, add 1/2 teaspoon salt to the recipe.

Curry Roasted Chickpeas

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 50 minutes

Ingredients:

1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained
1 Tablespoon maple syrup
2 teaspoons olive oil
3/4 teaspoon Indian curry spice blend

Method:

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
Toss all of the ingredients together in a large bowl.
Lay out the chickpeas in a single layer on a baking tray and roast for 50 minutes or until nutty and crispy, shaking the pan halfway through.
Serve hot or at room temperature. Keep leftovers in the refrigerator.

You can eat these on a salad or as a side dish or just on their own as a savory snack. Roasting the chickpeas makes them crispy, crunchy, and addicting.

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Roasted Hazelnut And Candied Ginger Bark

Written on November 15, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Dessert

I love this time of year(except for the cold which I will complain about endlessly). The mall smells terrific; there’s Christmas music playing every time I walk into CVS; it’s socially acceptable again to spend your Saturday nights watching Christmas movies on Netflix(as opposed to when I do this in July); and food blogs post new and exciting dessert recipes every day.

Sam from Oh Nuts! offered to send me two of their products to start my Holiday baking and be entered in a contest. Sounded good to me. I love making and sharing food with friends and family and the holidays are the perfect time to do that. I asked for roasted hazelnuts and candied ginger; both of those are delicious on their own but also pair well with Winter flavors.

I didn’t want to do too much to the hazelnuts and ginger because their taste is so fresh. I decided to make bark since it’s an easy and elegant dessert that derives a lot of its flavor from the mix-ins added and the quality of chocolate used(I used Scharffen Berger). I didn’t have parchment or wax paper; twitter told me to avoid using aluminum foil, too, so I improvised with cupcake liners. I actually think these worked out really well since the chocolate didn’t stick at all and they come out already portioned. You can use these or make traditional bark by laying it out on a flat piece of parchment paper and breaking it into pieces.

Roasted Hazelnut And Candied Ginger Bark

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 0 minutes(allow 30 minutes to harden)

Ingredients(Makes 12 servings):

12oz 70% good quality baking chocolate OR 1 1/2 cups bitter-sweet chocolate chips
3oz(3/4 cup) roasted hazelnuts(preferably salted), crushed
4.5oz(3/4 cup) candied ginger, diced

Method:

Fill a dozen cupcake wells with paper liners.
Melt the chocolate either in the microwave or over a double boiler until completely liquid.
Fold 1/2 cups of the hazelnuts and ginger into the melted chocolate until completely mixed.
Spoon the chocolate mixture evenly among the paper liners.
Garnish with the remaining hazelnuts and ginger, pressing them into the melted chocolate lightly to make sure they hold.
Refrigerate the chocolate cups for about 30 minutes until they’ve hardened. Serve and store at room temperature.

Brian from Twitter remarked that they sounded “fancy”. I’d agree and add that this looks and tastes like a gourmet treat from a dessert shop. And yet it’s so easy to make! That’s why I love bark. No one needs to know you didn’t candy the ginger yourself or roast your own hazelnuts.

As for the dessert itself, I loved how the chewy ginger contrasted with the nutty hazelnuts. The chocolate after it melted and hardened wasn’t quite solid but wasn’t messy, either; it was very smooth soft, highlighting the taste and texture of the mix-ins.

Happy Holidays

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Raw Dark Chocolate Peppermint Pudding

Written on November 14, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Dessert

In a perfect world, I’d eat less sugar. But this isn’t a perfect world, and I’m far from perfect. Truthfully my sweet tooth is out of control. I tried to eat less sugar in October and failed(I blame the existence of candy corn). I tried to eat less sugar in November and I’m failing(hello, peanut butter bars). I’ll try to eat less sugar in December and I’ll fail then, too(at least I’m being realistic about it at this point). Maybe I’ll kick the habit in 2012; who knows?

That’s not all to say I haven’t learned anything. One thing I’ve learned is that bananas make a great whole food sweetener. I used to make raw chocolate pudding all the time with avocado and agave, but at the end of the day agave is still another refined sugar like maple syrup and cane sugar. Bananas may have sugar, but also fiber and potassium. And in this dessert you really can’t taste the difference.

The trick is to use bananas that are well past yellow onto brown to get more sweetness and less banana-flavor.

Raw Dark Chocolate Peppermint Pudding

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 0 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 2 servings):

1 medium-sized ripe avocado
2 small overripe bananas(the browner the better)
1/4 cup undutched cocoa powder
Scant 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract

Method:

Peel the avocado and bananas and throw them in a food processor.
Blend the fruits until they make a smooth puree.
Add in the cocoa powder and extract and continue blending until they’re entirely mixed.
Scrape into serving bowls and serve at room temperature. Keep leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.

Maybe I could give up sugar if I had an endless supply of this in my refrigerator… right next to a bowl of candy corn and Reese’s.

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Graham Cracker Peanut Butter Bars With Dark Chocolate Ganache

Written on November 11, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Dessert

I’m sorry that the name for this recipe is such a mouthful that you’ll probably finish half the batch before you say it. More accurately I’d call these “White Chocolate Peanut Butter Graham Cracker Bars With Dark Chocolate Ganache” but with a name like that you’d have to come up for air at some point.

This recipe is made with a few of my favorite things. PB&Co.’s White Chocolate Wonderful is one of the best vegan “white chocolate” anything I’ve ever had. It actually tastes like white chocolate without any dairy. For the ganache, I used Scharffen Berger’s 70% baking chocolate, which is delicious and smooth to eat both on its own and in recipes. You can taste the quality in it and—I warn you—it’s addicting stuff.

Normally, when I make peanut butter bars I use this recipe which is naturally gluten-free. However I’ve seen a lot of peanut butter bar recipes that use graham crackers as a binding(most recently this one) and I figured if so many people are doing it there must be something to it, right? So I broke out the ol’ gluten-free graham crackers and got cooking. I didn’t expect to like these as much as I do. The earthy spices in the graham crackers pair really well with the sweet and nutty peanut butter and add a pleasantly crunchy texture.

Graham Cracker Peanut Butter Bars With Dark Chocolate Ganache

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 0 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 18 1-inch squares):

1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup plus 2 Tablespoons White Chocolate Wonderful peanut butter*
1/2 cup powdered sugar
135g graham cracker crumbs**
120g 70% dark chocolate OR 1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate chips

*You can use any peanut butter so long as it’s the no-stir kind. If you want the white chocolate flavor but don’t have White Chocolate Wonderful, use 1/2 cup of natural peanut butter mixed with 3 Tablespoons melted white chocolate.

**This is easy to make at home. Simply pulse 9 sheets of graham crackers in a food processor until it makes a smooth flour.

Method:

Gently melt the butter and 1/2 cup peanut butter either in the microwave or over the stove until it’s smooth and liquid.
Once the ingredients are melted, sift in the powdered sugar and pour in the graham cracker crumbs and mix it together until emulsified.
Grease a 3×8 loaf pan and press the peanut butter mixture into the pan in an even layer.
In the microwave or over the stove, melt together the remaining 2 Tablespoons of peanut butter and chocolate. Once they’re melted, mix them together.
Pour the ganache over the peanut butter layer and refrigerate until hardened(at least 30 minutes).
10 minutes before serving, remove these from the refrigerator to soften. Once soft, gently cut into 1-inch squares with a sharp knife and serve. Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week.

One of my favorite things about recipes like these is that they’re so easily adaptable for different allergens. I made mine gluten-free simply by using gluten-free graham crackers. To make them vegan you can use a dairy-free margarine in place of the butter and make sure to use vegan graham crackers.

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Roasted Maple Cinnamon Chickpeas And Squash

Written on November 10, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Side Dish

When it comes to food, there are two things I care about: Most importantly how it tastes, but also how it smells. A lot of people will tell you we eat with our eyes, but given how close are taste receptors and smell receptors are, it’s no question that there’s a link between taste and smell. Good food must smell good. And this smells terrific.

When I opened up my oven after this had finished cooking, the entire kitchen smelled like Christmas. You know that warm, earthy familiar smell that’s a bit nutty and complex. I got distracted for a moment and forgot that this was food to eat. The taste is just as good; the soft, sweet squash contrasts the crunchy, spicy chickpeas, and the maple syrup forms a glaze over the whole thing bringing it together. I can’t recommend this recipe enough to get a taste of the season.

Roasted Maple Cinnamon Chickpeas And Squash

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 70 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 4 servings):

1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained
2 cups cubed butternut squash
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 Tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt

Method:

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
Combine all of the ingredients together in a big bowl and mix them until the wet ingredients and spices cover the squash and chickpeas.
Lay the squash and chickpeas out on a baking tray and spread them out keeping it as close to one layer as possible.
Roast for 70 minutes until the squash is fork-tender and the chickpeas slightly nutty.
Serve hot or cold. Keep leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Now if only someone would invent smell-o-vision, maybe I could better convince you.

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Green Vegetable Quinoa

Written on November 9, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Side Dish

My diet has definitely been changing with the season. As far as vegetables go, I want very little to do with them. That’s strange for me since over the Summer I can never get enough produce. But now it’s carbs, carbs, carbs and the only vegetables I do want are potatoes and squash—not much of a variety.

This dish is an exception. And it has about every green vegetable in my refrigerator in it, so it must be healthy, right? The kale is a good source of vitamins, the peas high in plant-based protein, and the avocado a source of healthy fat. More importantly it’s the only green thing that appeals to me anymore(although a bowl of mint chocolate chip ice cream wouldn’t be bad either).

Green Vegetable Quinoa

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 0 minutes

Ingredients(For 2 servings):

1 cup cooked quinoa, cooled
1 medium ripe avocado
1/2 cup cooked peas, fresh or frozen
1 cup chopped kale, steamed
Salt to taste

Method:

Remove the skin and the pit from the avocado and mash it into a smooth puree.
Combine all of the ingredients together in a bowl and fold until completely mixed. The avocado should act as a binder and as it mixes it will hold together more.
Serve at room temperature. Store in a refrigerator for no more than a day as the avocado will brown over time.

I make this with frozen and thawed kale and frozen peas. Not only is it cheaper than buying the fresh ingredients, their nutrients are locked in and they’re available all through Winter, so you can bet I’ll be having this again.

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Fried Rice With Mushrooms

Written on November 8, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Entree

Or really fried quinoa. But what’s the difference?

I love mushrooms but don’t buy them much since they’re not much to eat on their own. I had some leftover this week and thought I’d add them to a stir fry to lend a “meatiness” to it. I don’t think mushrooms remind me all that much of meat; I think they remind me a whole lot of mushrooms. But that’s OK because I like mushrooms.

Mushrooms are prized in Asian dishes because they’re high in umami, or what I’d probably butcher by calling savoriness. Sautéing the mushrooms in oil helps to bring out this flavor and spread it through the whole dish which elevates the flavor. I like mine best with some red chili flakes to add a level of spiciness.

Fried Rice With Mushrooms

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 15 minutes

Ingredients(For 2 people):

2 large portabella mushroom caps, sliced
1 Pepper, diced
2 Tablespoons sesame oil, divided
3 Tablespoons soy sauce, divided
1 cup cooked rice(or quinoa)
2/3 cup bean sprouts
1 Tablespoon vinegar
1 Tablespoon sugar
4 eggs(optional)

Method:

Heat up 1 Tablespoon of sesame oil and 1 1/2 Tablespoons of soy sauce in a large pan over medium-high heat. Once heated, toss in the mushroom slices and diced pepper and sauté until golden, about 5 minutes.
Add in the rice, bean sprouts, vinegar, sugar, and the rest of the sesame oil and soy sauce and mix all of the ingredients together.
Continue cooking until most of the liquid has been absorbed or evaporated away, also about 5 minutes.
Crack in the eggs if using and mix them in with the rice. Cook until the egg has cooked through.
Plate and serve hot.

I served this with some steamed kale to bring color to the dish. You can leave the eggs out and make this vegan, adding in tempeh for extra protein or not. I like adding eggs because it’s a cheap way to add bulk to a meal.

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Quinoa Pecan Stuffing With Butternut Squash

Written on November 7, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Entree

Over the weekend I saw two recipes for quinoa pecan stuffing that caught my eye. I loved the presentation and photos from this recipe on For The Love Of Food(just try looking at it and not getting hungry). And I loved the addition of butternut squash and pecans in this recipe from The Cooking Channel, but I didn’t love the choice of seasoning. Instead I worked from both recipes, picking what I think is the best of both and making a different quinoa stuffing.

Is it the best I ever had? Not really. But it’s the best I ever had that cooks up in 20 minutes in one pot. If I made this again I’d sauté some onions and celery and perhaps mushrooms like one of the original recipe has to develop the flavor a little more.

Quinoa Pecan Stuffing With Butternut Squash

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 20 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 4 servings):

1 cup quinoa, washed and drained
2 cups chicken or vegetable broth*
1 cup cooked and diced butternut squash
3/4 teaspoon savory herbs like thyme and rosemary
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup crushed pecans plus more for garnish

*Since there’s very few seasonings in this recipe, using broth and not water is important to add deep flavor.

Method:

Bring the quinoa and broth to a boil over the stove. Cover the pot and turn off the heat, letting the quinoa absorb the liquid for 15 minutes until it’s fully cooked.
Add in the diced squash, herbs, salt, and pecans and mix those in while fluffing the quinoa.
Serve hot and garnish with extra pecans if desired.

I was worried using so few ingredients the recipe wouldn’t hold up to either of the originals, but the broth adds a ton of flavor(I used Rapunzel’s vegan bullion cubes in case you’re wondering). A fun variation on this would be substituting cubed sweet potatoes in for the butternut squash.

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