two lovely crepes

when i go out for a crepe for brunch, i can never decide between savory or sweet. my solution: eat in and fix one of each (or maybe two or three of each...)

buckwheat crepe batter (makes 12-15 small crepes)

2 cups milk

1 tablespoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup buckwheat flour

3/4 cup white flour (can use all white, or whole wheat instead)

3 eggs

mix everything together in a blender and let chill in the fridge overnight (leave it in the blender if you like... you'll need to blend it up a bit in the morning too). for some reason it's important that crepe batter chill, but bring it out to sit for a half hour in the morning while you prep your fillings. to make your crepes, pour about 1/4 - 1/3 cup of the batter into a lightly oiled frying pan. the pan should be heated, but remove from heat to swirl the batter - allowing the thin batter to coat the bottom of your pan. cook until lightly browned, and then carefully flip the crepe. you can keep the crepes warm in a heated oven if you want to make a bunch to start out with.

le crepe savoureux - garlic parsley walnut crepe with mushrooms and chevre

sautee garlic and olive oil, add sliced crimini mushrooms, tons of fresh parsley and a few chives. suattee until mushrooms are well cooked and soft. then add toasted, chopped walnuts. fill your crepes with mushroom mixture and top with goat cheese and extra fresh herbs. salt and pepper.

le crepe doux - "strawberry cheesecake with walnuts"

a ingenious creation by jonathan: goat cheese, strawberry freezer jam (that i made last week after a tedious berry picking trip) and toasted walnuts. pretty self explanatory, but so so delicious. sprinkle with powdered sugar and top with an extra scoop of freezer jam!

...and it's down the block!

there's a new organic ice cream shop that rivals molly moon... and it's down the block from my home! after trying it out last night, i can tell it's going to be serious trouble for me.

the "pretty kitty" serves up organic coffee, unusual flavors of organic ice cream, frozen yogurt, and even some vegan flavors like toasted coconut ice cream. i sampled their ube root flavor (naturally colored lavender) and the horchata (mexican spiced rice milk, kind of like chai!) - both were delicious, but i went instead for the lemon-sage ice cream with a scoop of vegan toasted coconut. delicious on their house-made waffle cones.

it's a whole-in-the-wall type of joint, but the staff is fun and they have a cute table and adorable matching green cruiser bikes sitting outside. late hours. oh, and did i mention that it's down the block!!! (50th & brooklyn in the u-district)

granola pancakes and fire roasted apples

a camping breakfast inspired by jonathan's favorite childhood treat - fire roasted apples! as the gourmet campers we are, we made pancakes with granola inside on a cast iron skillet, topped with vanilla bean yogurt and a sweet fire roasted apple. who knew the best pancakes ever could be made over a fire??


for the roasted apples, jonathan skewered a couple of apples on a carved stick and slowly roasted them over a hot flame until the entire apple was charred. under the charred skin, the sugars in the apple carmalize. just peel the skin with a knife once the apples cool a bit, and you're left with a perfectly roasted apple - tastes just like apple pie!

for the granola pancakes we used a 9 grain pancake mix (we weren't about to bring every ingredient with us to make it from scratch, sorry) and threw in a few handfulls of almond granola. to cook over a fire, we used a cast iron skillet, preheated and sprayed with oil. once the pancake was finished browning on both sides, we topped it with vanilla bean yogurt, another handfull of granola, and the roasted apple (easily sliceable with a fork!) for those with a sweet tooth... pure maple syrup too!

father's day veggie burger!

here is my first attempt towards perfecting a veggie burger recipe! i was looking for a recipe with vegetables and beans, and not just tofu, tvp, or oats... i found a great "dixie burger" recipe in the "moosewood restaurant new classics" cookbook. altered a bit, and it turned out delicious! (makes about 5 large patties)

served on kaiser rolls with caramelized onions, avocado slices, kale leaves, and a garlic-chive goat cheese spread! and of course a pickle with some roasted sweet potato fries!

for the burger:

olive oil
1 cup chopped onions
4 garlic cloves, crushed
salt
2 cups grated raw sweet potatoes
1/3 cup chopped celery
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
1 tablespoon cumin

1 tablespoon brown mustard seeds

1 teaspoon corriander

1 teaspoon hot paprika

(cayenne can be added if you like your spice!)
3/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
3 cups stemmed and finely chopped raw kale
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
15-ounce can black-eyed peas, drained

15-ounce can black beans, drained

1 egg

saute onions and garlic with olive oil for about 6 minutes. add in salt and pepper. mix in grated sweet potato, celery and spices and cook for another 5 minutes. finally, add in your bell pepper and kale. stir and then cooked covered for another 4 minutes. in the mean time, use a food processor or blender to mash the beans (not completely pureed, you want so chunkiness).

remove the vegetable mixture off the heat and let cool for a bit. use your hand or wooden spoons to mix the bean mash evenly into the bean mixture. i added an whisked egg, just as an added security to keep everything sticking together. if you want to make these vegan, just leave the egg out. texture might be crumbly, but it will still be delicious!

form your patties to the size of your buns, place on a baking sheet with parchment paper or oil, and bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees. if you want to crisp them more, just put them on a skillet with a bit of oil after they are baked and fry both sides until brown.

for the garlic-chive goat cheese spread: mix 5-6 oz of goat cheese with one glove of crushed garlic, tons of chopped fresh chives, a few spoonfulls of plain yogurt, a splash of olive oil, salt and pepper. delicious!

white bean and sage bruschetta

my sage plants were in need of some pruning, so i used the fresh sage to flavor a white bean bruschetta recipe!

4 tablespoons olive oil

zest and juice of 1 lemon

10-15 sage fresh leaves, thinly sliced

2 gloves garlic, chopped

1 small shallot, thinly sliced

1 can white or butter beans, mostly drained

salt and pepper

red chili flakes

heat olive oil in a pan, frying the garlic, shallot, zest and sage for about 5 minutes. add in the rest of you ingredients. cook over medium heat for another 5 minutes, stirring to incorporate the flavors. remove bean mixture from heat, and use a potato masher or the back of your spoon to roughly mash the beans.

the sage bruschetta was great on hominy bread, toasted under the broiler with and brushed with olive oil. serve with some fresh heirloom tomatoes and parsley! later, i made a sandwich with the sage bruschetta, black olive tapenade, tomatoes and sprouts. thought about throwing a fried egg in there too, but it was already so delicious looking!

campfire cooking

my cooking slowed down during finals week at college... and then i took off on a short camping trip. but while i was away, i cooked up some delicious chow over a camp fire!

a camper's feast: cast iron grilled cheese with sharp wisconsin cheddar. fire roasted shitake, zucchini and bell peppers skewers. and my favorite - grilled corn!

cast iron skillets are amazing with fire! perfect for frying up an egg in the morning or grilling some sandwiches for dinner. skewers are a great way to cook up any type of veggie over a fire. and roasted corn is a must.

i brought along some olive oil spray to keep things from charring too quickly and to grease my skillet. worked wonders! i also brought my favorite lemon pepper and some salt for the roasted corn. and smores for dessert of course!

i'll see how creative i can get on my next camping trip...

lemon-thyme zucchini bread

excessive zucchini in the garden or fridge? 

solution: lemon-thyme zucchini bread! 

perfect with a cup of earl grey with lemon

i combined a few different recipes to create a slightly healthier and wonderfully flavorful zucchini bread:

3/4 cup white flour

3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1/3 cup wheat bran

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (or 3/4 if you like it sweeter)

1/4 cup olive oil

2 eggs, slightly beaten

juice and zest of 1 lemon

1 1/2 cup shredded zucchini 

3/4 cup chopped walnuts

1-2 tablespoons of fresh *lemon-thyme, de-stemmed and chopped

*lemon thyme is multi-colored, and smells slightly of lemons. a great fresh and light flavor!

mix dry ingredients in a big bowl, adding in wet ingredients. oil a 9x5x3 bread pan, dust with flour and shake out extra flour. batter should be thicker than waffle batter, but not as dry as most dough. bake for about an hour at 350. remove from pan and let cool on a rack. 

this recipe turned out perfect - slightly sweet, bright flavors from the lemon zest and juice, with a unique addition from the olive oil and lemon-thyme. 

a special birthday dinner

years ago i visited an amazing and unique restaurant in washington dc, called mie n' yu. i've had it in mind to recreate their unusual banana pesto hummus, and finally tested it out this evening for my mom's birthday. 

appetizers: banana pesto hummus, cucumber tzatziki and flatbread crackers...

see on flickr

for the humus:

2 cups chick peas

juice of one lemon

one crushed clove of garlic

1/4 cup pesto (i used tradition basil pesto, but it would be fun to try with different types of herbs)

1-2 over ripe bananas (depending on size)

1/3 cup pistachios, chopped

olive oil

salt and pepper

blend in a food processor, adding more liquid as needed until smooth and creamy. the pesto and garlic offset the sweetness of the banana, but the fruit adds a lot of complexity to the flavor of the hummus.

i used pistachios just for fun (and because i still don't have a supply of tahini in my kitchen). this same recipe would be great using any other white beans, or other herb pestos.

at mie n' yu, they serve it with long crispy plantain chips. i made some crackers out of whole wheat flat bread - brush one side with olive oil, dust with salt and pepper, and bake at 350 for about 10 minutes.

tzatziki:

simple yogurt dish, combining tons of fresh dill, lemon thyme, parsley, with a clove of crushed garlic, lemon zest and juice, finely sliced and peeled cucumbers, salt and pepper. this is a great topper to green salads, in wraps, on crackers, or over rice pilaf! next time i'm in the mood for tzatziki, i want to try it using goat yogurt instead of plain yogurt!

cumquats and pistachios are a lovely pair to add to savory or fruit salads!

for the main course of my mom's fancy birthday feast, i made the ginger quinoa dish that i posted back in april '09, with a few additional ingredients: purple cabbage, cumquats and extra pistachios! together with the ginger, grapefruit, green onions, cilantro, and avocados - this salad has a variety of fun textures and flavors that really pop in your mouth!

see of flickr