dairy free – Page 27

green tomato & mint chutney

Published on July 29, 2013July 31, 2013 by Lan | MoreStomach14 Comments

it’d be an apt description to say that
i’m a Pragmatic Person
capable of viewing varying perspectives
down to earth
realistic
sensible
i pay bills every month
my grocery lists are documented based on
the locations of the ingredients in the store –
for efficiency.
i forgo the cute heels
for the more utilitarian flats
when going to the mall

but the thing is,
it’s all a farce
i’m really a friggin mess
i daydream,
my head is usually in the clouds
sometimes i make up stories
and i say them out loud,
the more far fetched the more likely
i’ll share it with ~~people~~ dw
i never allocate time or funds for
dry cleaning
and yet my closet is riddled with
chiffon, silks, and other lovely frocks
that shrink within 5 feet of a washer/dryer.
i spend chunks of my day
wondering why i can’t be a hobbit
living in the Shire,
reading under a tree by day
and drinking ale at night

and so with a practical mind
last Saturday i went to the market
to pick up our CSA stash
i mentally prepared the week’s meals,
calculating portions,
pantry availability,
that kind of thing
and then i saw green tomatoes,
the first of the season
and everything was forgotten
i nixed the beets that would’ve been two meals,
what with the ruby orbs AND leafy tops

by itself, it’s not an impractical purchase
green tomatoes are Summer,
and as such, should be sampled at least once
but we were in the midst of a heat wave
and i don’t know about you,
turning on the stove to dodge oil splatters
to fry up these little beasts is
So Impractical

but i didn’t want them languishing on the counter,
eventually to rot,
or worse,
attracting those blasted fruit flies.
into a pot they went,
with skins,
simmered with mint
and this
and that
and then this chutney was born

beyond spreading it on toast, maybe,
or at best, on pork tenderloin,
(like how we did for dinner the other night)
i’m not sure what else we could do with
this condiment
practical and impractical indeed!

Green Tomato + Mint Chutney
note: if i ever make this again, which let’s face it, i will when it appears again next summer, during a heatwave i’m sure, i would cut back to just one cup of sugar. it was just a smidge too sweet for my liking.

ingredients:
1 ¼ lb green tomatoes (washed & chopped)
1 jalapeno sliced, deseeded
½ cup herbs such as mint (chopped)
4 cloves garlic (chopped)
1 inch piece ginger (chopped)
½ cup apple cider vinegar
2 TBL soy sauce
2 cups organic sugar

method:
in a food processor add the tomatoes, jalapeno, mint, &
ginger.

pulse until desired consistency.

pour mixture into sauce pan and add remaining ingredients.

simmer on gentle boil until it’s reduced, about 45 minutes.

yields: 1 pint/ 16oz / 2 cups

spicy cantaloupe salad

Published on July 22, 2013February 5, 2015 by Lan | MoreStomach30 Comments

summer has settled like
a treasured blanket over the city,
thick & sticky:
one moment the perfect combination of hot & bright
in instances suffocating but unwilling to shed
i love these days,
equal parts languid and invigorating

a few weeks ago dw planted a
tiny herb garden
on our roof,
under the massive loft window,
an urban garden that very much reminds
me of my gparents’ garden
only difference being that dw is the one who
tenderly feeds these plants
while i yell up from the bottom spiral stairs
inquiring about the general health
of the rosemary and basil and mint

in the ensuing days and weeks of
june & july i’ve wracked my brain for dishes
that could make use of these herbs
dishes that prior to the garden i seemed to make often
but never had enough fresh herbs for
and now that we have it in abundance,
i draw a blank on uses for them
it happens like that,
you know?

at the market recently i chatted with the
farmer’s daughter,
a girl who could eyeball the exact weight
of fresh produce,
and together we lamented over
how fleeting pea season was this year
sensing my possible weepiness
she thrust a cantaloupe under my nose
i don’t know about you but the aroma of
a ripe cantaloupe kinda reminds me of
rotting garbage sometimes
tell me i’m not the only one?

spicy cantaloupe salad
adapted from The Splendid Table’s How to Eat Supper by Lynne Rossetto Kasper & Sally Swift
i made this salad before, using a gava melon. both times were a delight, albeit a surprise for dw who was skeptical.

serves 4, or 2 really hungry people over a span of 2 days

1 good sized cantaloupe, peeled, seeded, and cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 cup chiffonaded fresh basil leaves
1 red chili, diced
3 TBL fresh lime juice
1 tsp fish sauce (i use Red Boat)
hearty pinch of sugar

in a bowl gently mix everything together. it’s all about taste, you may want it more sour or sweet or salty.

you can prep the fruit in advance and add the flavorings just before serving, or you can mix it all together and allow it to mingle for a few hours before consuming. either way, it’s delicious.

another salad take: crunchy celery salad

stir it up did a review of the recipe here.

cooking weekends did a take on this recipe here, using cilantro in lieu of basil.

chocolate wonderfuls

Published on July 15, 2013October 3, 2013 by Lan | MoreStomach16 Comments

the thing about planning a wedding
is that there are a bajillion little pieces,
that on their own are manageable,
but the total sum of them all
makes me want to take a nap

and i’m not a napper.

when in the midst of
planning a major blueberry picking expedition
organizing a jam & can session
brainstorming wedding invite layouts
discussing wedding cake options
eyerolling at my bridesmaids’ still not being attired
i had a hankering for chocolate.
these chocolate treats first appeared
in my previous space.
but due to a heavy crack down on dairy treats
we shelved it

it was quickly decided that chocolate wonderfuls
had to make a re-appearance in our lives.
i luckily found a good NON-DAIRY
sub for CONDENSED MILK
(which the consumption of would have me in a moaning fetal position)
(let’s not think about that)

there is no lie in my heart
when i tell you that this is an ass growing treat
i’ve been working out like a mad woman
and counting my calories ~~like kate moss counts cocaine lines~~
to fit into my gown
but these …
all else ceases to matter
the entire pan was meant to be shared
but the most we could bear
was to share with each other

sometimes
just sometimes
when things are chaotic
and the things that need to be done
don’t get done
instead, baked goods get made
(& consumed)
and it’s not just ok,
it’s wonderful

chocolate wonderfuls
adapted from dw’s mama (who’s his gma)

Chocolate Layer

6 oz dairy free organic semi sweet chocolate chips (i used taste the dream)
1 egg + ½ cup brown sugar + ½ tsp vanilla + 1 TBL flour + ¼ tsp baking powder + pinch of salt (from Cooks.com)
1 TBL barely melted coconut oil (you could probably nix it, i will next time)
Pinch of salt
½ cup chopped pecans

Shortbread layer & crumb topping

1 ¼ cups spelt flour, sifted
1 ½ cups quick cooking rolled oats
½ tsp salt
½ tsp baking soda
½ cup softened coconut oil (i usually measure out a cup and put in fridge to firm up for 20-30 min)
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla

preheat oven 350F.

double boiler style, melt chocolate. in a bowl mix together 1 egg + ½ cup brown sugar + ½ tsp vanilla + 1 TBL flour + ¼ tsp baking powder + pinch of salt. very carefully add to the heated chocolate, whisking like mad, you don’t want scrambled chocolate eggs. add in the coconut oil (or nix it) and the salt. finally add in the pecans and vanilla. remove from heat, set aside.

in a mixing bowl with paddle attachment, cream the coconut oil and brown sugar. add in the egg and vanilla. stir in the dry ingredients.

in a 9X9 pan, (you can first add in parchment paper if you want). press about 2/3 of mixture in as evenly as possible. spread the chocolate filling. crumble remaining oat mixture over the filling.

bake for 25-30 minutes until lightly brown.

cut into bars when cool.

to store: well covered in fridge. take out for about 15 minutes prior to eating, though eaten fresh out of fridge is fine, albeit they’ll be hard. due to the use of coconut oil if left out at room temp the treats are on the softer side, since coconut oil melts at such a low temp. we ~~like~~ love these chocolate wonderfuls cold & hard or super soft & warm.

coconut egg curry

Published on July 8, 2013July 6, 2015 by Lan | MoreStomach17 Comments

incidentally when i think of Indian food
i think of Ethiopia.
when we lived in addis ababa
there were only two restaurants
we frequented:
an italian cafe that boasted
the most impeccable service
and an Indian place
where i had my first ever taste of
goat.

Indian food also makes me think
of a Bangladeshi boy who used to leave
me love poems in my locker.
we always ran into him and his family
when we dined at the Indian joint.

since africa
(a place i still dream of)
my experience with Indian food
has been a love/hate battle.
the harmony between spices
and ingredients
perfectly balanced with
rice or
naan
but is just havoc on my system,
particularly if butter or cheese
plays heavily in the dish.

this dish, for me,
is a godsend
i love eggs,
in any form
and while it does play a
minor role against the heavy
punches of cardamon and even cinnamon
i am appeased
because hello
Indian food at home is the best

just a note,
i have attempted two different
recipes,
one from the beautiful Journey Kitchen
that was lovely
but the one i feature today is from playful cooking
which really satiated my cravings

also, the recipe calls for
unsweetened coconut flakes
yeah, i couldn’t find the unsweetened
stuff in my pantry
so sweetened went in
it wasn’t cloyingly saccharine
but i would imagine the
dish could do without the
added sugar

last,
just so you know,
again, we lived in Africa for just under
two years, i was only in
8th & 9th grade,
and always heavily chaperoned
on the rare occasions i would
venture out of the compound
i barely remember my time there,
i can only recall the
loveliness of the landscape
the cold climate living in Mt. Entoto‘s shadows
injera
the quiet dignity of ethiopians

baked yeast s’mores donuts

Published on June 24, 2013June 23, 2015 by Lan | MoreStomach37 Comments

it’s early morn,
8am.
well, early for Sunday.
roll over and
he’s sprawled out,
with child-like abandon,
vulnerable
adorable
kissable
accede to impulse –
kiss his cheek
the kind of kiss that
doesn’t take much thought
a take for granted kind of kiss
the kind that
you know will happen
again
and
again
and
again
like a habit,
like we’d kiss everyday
for the rest of our lives.

make way to the
tiny urban kitchen:
dishes from the evening before’s meal
piled high.
it’s a struggle
sometimes
to not succumb to the desire to
dine on throwaway
paper plates.

with kitchen cleared,
coffee cooling
set out ingredients for
breakfast —
a dessert really.
it’s a messy job,
one that requires
cleaning of more dishes,
of scrubbing counter tops
but with an end result like this,
it’s acceptable.

and when he finally
emerges,
slumber still clinging to his body
greet him with yet
another kiss
(we can’t ever get enough!)
(stop gagging)
and offer up a small delight
to fully waken him up.
because the rest of the day
beckons…

how do you like to spend your Sundays?

S’mores Donuts (baked & with yeast)
*listen. i didn’t taste a s’more until i was well into my late 20s. i was in West Virginia and i loved this so much that during the 5 day camping trip i had marshmallow and chocolate smeared all over my face and graham cracker crumbs in my hair the entire time. when i have a hankering for this i buy all the ingredients and in our urban living room dw puts it all together for me and torches it with a creme brulee torche. i won’t lie, this is more like a cake shaped in a donut form, but it is nonetheless delicious. because it’s a cake, it keeps well, covered, at room temp for a few days or in fridge. if you don’t have a torch, ~~i feel sorry for you,~~ it’s still good and gooey. (click on pic to enlarge & see the recipe, or the recipe follows with a few notes…)

donut ingredients
3/4 cup spelt flour
1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs (about 3 crackers whizzed in food processor, leftover can be used a garnish)
1 tsp active dry yeast
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup semi soft coconut oil
6 tbsp sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp coconut yogurt (So Delicious has a great Greek yogurt)
1/4 cup coconut milk

toppings:
melted vegan marshmallows, amount at your discretion
melted tempered dark chocolate, amount at your discretion

method:
preheat oven 350F
sift together dry ingredients in a bowl
in a mixing bowl, cream together coconut oil + sugar, add in egg + vanilla. add in the coconut yogurt. alternating between the dry ingredients and milk, add to mixing bowl. pour into prepared donut pans. bake for 10-12 minutes (aim for 11 minutes). allow to cool slightly in pan and then flip them out carefully onto wire rack and cool completely. repeat with remaining batter.

assemble by drizzling melted dark chocolate on top. allow to cool before drizzling the melted vegan marshmallows. again, cool slightly and then sprinkle on some graham cracker crumbs. torch it up if you want.

will keep at room temp, covered for a few days, or move to fridge.